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Occupational & Environmental Exposure to Organochlorine Compounds in a Coastal British Columbia Community Final Report of Phase 1 Questionnaire Survey of Three Groups • Native Band Members • Pulp, Paper, and Sawmill Employees • Other Community Residents July 1996 by Kay Teschke, PhD, CIH; Stephen A. Marion, MD, FRCPC; Andrew Jin, MD, MHSc Department of Health Care and Epidemiology University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada Summary This report presents the results of the first phase of a study examining the occupational and environmental exposures of residents of a coastal British Columbia community to organochlorine compounds. Phase 1 involved a questionnaire survey of members of three community groups: native reserve residents (N=78); pulp, paper, and sawmill employees (N=84); and other community residents (N=80). They were questioned about their diets, in particular consumption of seafood, game, and wild plants, their occupational histories, their duration of residence in the community, and other personal and demographic factors. The main purpose was to determine whether their occupations and diets presented differences in organochlorine exposure opportunities. The results indicated that, as expected, the pulp, paper, and sawmill employees (almost all men) had more potential for occupational exposures, mainly through work in or downstream of the bleach plant in the pulp mill, or work with chlorophenate fungicides in the sawmill. Other community residents had also held jobs with potential for exposure, though to a lesser extent. For example, native men were frequently employed in logging and silviculture, where pesticide exposures might occur. Native reserve residents did not eat more fish and other seafood as expected, however the types of seafood they consumed did differ from other community residents. They ate more lingcod eggs, herring and herring eggs, eulachon grease, smoked salmon, clams, oysters, and sea urchins, but less trout, red snapper, cod, halibut, sole, flounder, crab, shrimp, and prawns. How these differences in patterns of seafood consumption would affect potential for organochlorine exposure is unknown because the relative levels of contamination of these species is unknown. In order to determine whether these differences in occupation and diet have resulted in differing body burdens of organochlorine compounds, and to determine the relative importance of these exposures to dose, we recommend that the next phase of this study proceed. Phase 2 would involve taking blood samples from a subset of the survey respondents and analyzing the samples for specific organochlorine compounds. Acknowledgements Special thanks to Jody Slakov who was the study coordinator and who conducted many of the interviews as well. Thanks also to Mia Hillis and Joanna Tom who were the study interviewers. Laurette Bloomquist, Dr. Sue Crawford, and Pam Winquist provided invaluable advice about the diet portion of the survey. Laurette Bloomquist, Dr. Ray Copes, Steve Hodges, Jack Nickel, Dr. Jay van Oostdam, and Pam Winquist provided helpful comments on the questionnaire during the design stages. Mike Hagen kindly provided data from the Dioxin and Furan Trend Monitoring Database. Representatives of the native band, the mill, the unions, and the local health unit were extremely helpful during the organization and process of this study. Finally, we are extremely grateful to all the band members, pulp and paper mill employees, and other community residents who gave their time to take part in this survey. We also thank the volunteers who participated in the questionnaire pretesting. This study was funded in part by grants from the BC Ministry of Health, the BC Ministry of Environment, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Environment Canada, the HEAL Project Committee, and Health Canada. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................1 2.0 Methods .............................................................................................................................................................3 3.0 2.1 Population Sampling........................................................................................................................3 2.2 Subject Recruitment..........................................................................................................................4 2.3 Questionnaire Content and Pretesting .........................................................................................4 2.4 Questionnaire Administration .......................................................................................................5 2.5 Ethical Review and Approval ........................................................................................................5 2.6 Statistical Methods............................................................................................................................5 Results 7 .............................................................................................................................................................. 3.1 3.2 Characteristics of the Community Members ..............................................................................7 3.1.1 Personal and Demographic Characteristics .................................................................7 3.1.2 Activities and Occupations............................................................................................10 3.1.3 Seafood Consumption ....................................................................................................16 3.1.4 Other Wild Food Consumption....................................................................................23 3.1.5 Other Food Consumption ..............................................................................................29 3.1.6 Changes in Eating Patterns Since 1980........................................................................29 Characteristics of Male Participants Only .................................................................................35 3.2.1 Characteristics of Men in the Community Overall ..................................................35 3.2.2 Personal and Demographic Characteristics ...............................................................58 3.2.3 Activities and Occupations among Male Participants.............................................58 3.2.4 Seafood Consumption among Male Participants .....................................................59 3.2.5 Other Wild Food Consumption among Male Participants.....................................60 3.2.6 Other Food Consumption among Male Participants...............................................60 3.2.7 Changes in Eating Patterns Since 1980 among Male Participants ........................61 4.0 Conclusions.....................................................................................................................................................62 5.0 References........................................................................................................................................................64 List of Tables Table 1: Survey participation ............................................................................................................................8 Table 2: Personal and demographic characteristics of survey participants ............................................9 Table 3: Organochlorine exposure history of survey participants.................................................... 11-12 Table 4: Occupational history of survey participants .......................................................................... 13-15 Table 5: Fish intake of survey participants in 1980............................................................................... 17-18 Table 6: Smoked fish intake of survey participants in 1980......................................................................19 Table 7: Shellfish intake of survey participants in 1980....................................................................... 20-21 Table 8: Other seafood intake of survey participants in 1980 ..................................................................22 Table 9: Wild game intake of survey participants in 1980 .................................................................. 24-25 Table 10: Smoked wild game intake of survey participants in 1980.........................................................26 Table 11: Wild plant intake of survey participants in 1980................................................................... 27-28 Table 12: Other food intake of survey participants in 1980 .................................................................. 30-33 Table 13: Changes in food intake of survey participants ............................................................................34 Table 2(M): Personal and demographic characteristics of male survey participants ................................36 Table 3(M): Organochlorine exposure history of male survey participants .......................................... 37-38 Table 4(M): Occupational history of male survey participants ................................................................ 39-41 Table 5(M): Fish intake of male survey participants in 1980..................................................................... 42-43 Table 6(M): Smoked fish intake of male survey participants in 1980............................................................44 Table 7(M): Shellfish intake of male survey participants in 1980............................................................. 45-46 Table 8(M): Other seafood intake of male survey participants in 1980 ........................................................47 Table 9(M): Wild game intake of male survey participants in 1980 ........................................................ 48-49 Table 10(M): Smoked wild game intake of male survey participants in 1980...............................................50 Table 11(M): Wild plant intake of male survey participants in 1980......................................................... 51-52 Table 12(M): Other food intake of male survey participants in 1980 ........................................................ 53-56 Table 13(M): Changes in food intake of male survey participants ..................................................................57 1.0 Introduction In British Columbia, many economically important industrial activities1 may contribute to increased human exposure to persistent organochlorine compounds2. Human exposure to these pollutants could occur in industrial workplaces, from environmental dispersion into water, air and soil, or through food-chain bioaccumulation [Beck et al, 1989; Fait et al, 1989; Rottluff et al, 1990; Svensson et al, 1991; Sweeney et al, 1990]. We studied a Census Agglomeration community with a population of about 18,000 people (according to the 1991 census). It is located on the coastal mainland of British Columbia about 120 km northwest of Vancouver. The community's largest single employer is an integrated forest products manufacturer which operates a large pulp, paper, and lumber mill with about 1,400 employees. In past years, the mill has produced chlorine-bleached pulp and paper as well as lumber treated with chlorophenates. The mill produces its own steam, much of it from the combustion of wood waste and waste-water sludge. There are logging and silviculture activities outside the city limits. The community has active local commercial, sport, and native fisheries. The latter is conducted by members of an native band (748 registered members as of 31 December 1993) which has a reserve (population 559 persons as of 31 December 1993) bordering on the municipality. Because of the variety of ways in which community residents might have been exposed to persistent organochlorine compounds and to organochlorine pesticides, and because of the generous cooperation of the area's business, labour, municipal and native community leaders, this community is an excellent place to study human exposure to these chemical compounds. The overall purpose of this study is to determine whether or not persons with occupational history or dietary habits suggestive of potentially increased exposure to persistent organochlorine compounds have increased concentrations of these compounds or their metabolites in their blood. The study is being conducted in two main phases. Phase 1 was conducted in 1995, and consisted of a questionnaire survey of the demographic characteristics, residential history, occupational history and dietary habits of the community's residents. 1 e.g., production of chlorine-bleached pulp and paper, wood treatment with chlorinated antisapstain fungicides, silviculture, agriculture, and electrical utilities 2 i.e., polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (dioxins), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and certain organochlorine pesticides, including tetra- and pentachlorophenates, 2,4-D, DDT, heptachlor, chlordane, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene and hexachlorocyclohexane 1 In Phase 1, we hypothesized that occupational history or dietary habits suggestive of exposure to the chemical compounds of interest might be more prevalent or greater in magnitude in two subgroups of the population: pulp, paper and lumber mill employees, who might come into contact with these chemicals at work; and native persons, who might consume more locally harvested fish and other seafood. Phase 2 of the study has not yet been carried out. If funded, it would consist of collecting blood specimens from some or all of the questionnaire survey participants, and analyzing the blood specimens for the organochlorine compounds of interest. The results for Phase 1 of the study are reported here. 2 2.0 Methods 2.1 Population Sampling The survey's target population consisted of residents of the Census Agglomeration community with birthdates between 1 January 1930 and 31 December 1969 inclusive (i.e., aged 25 to 64 years as of 1 January 1995). The minimum age would allow about 7 years of employment in a potentially exposed job (approximately one biological half-life for many dioxins and furans [Poiger and Schlatter, 1986]), and the maximum age would be the last year of employment prior to retirement. To ensure sufficient representation of pulp, paper and lumber mill employees (who make up approximately 11% of the population in the target age range) and native persons (about 3% of the target population), we randomly selected persons for the survey in three separate groups. We selected the first group, pulp, paper and lumber mill employees, from a seniority list of all unionized production, maintenance and service workers currently employed by the mill. One hundred names were initially selected. One person who was no longer an employee was excluded, so a replacement was randomly selected. We selected the second group, native reserve residents, from a list of names, birthdates and addresses of current members of the native band. We limited the selection to persons with a listed birthdate in the eligible range, and with an address on the band's reserve. We randomly selected the names of 100 persons. One person's correct birthdate was outside the eligible range and so this person was excluded, but no replacement was selected. Had any person selected in this group been a current employee of the pulp/paper/lumber mill, he or she would not have been excluded, but this possibility never occurred. We selected the third group, other residents of the survey area, from a July 1991 provincial voters list. Within the list, persons were grouped by gender and 5-year age categories. We limited the selection to persons in the age categories corresponding to the eligible age range, and with a listed postal code within the Census Agglomeration but not on the native reserve. We randomly selected the names of 100 persons initially. We excluded one person whose correct birthdate was outside the eligible range and 21 persons who were no longer residents of the Census Agglomeration. We replaced these excluded individuals with others randomly selected in supplemental draws. Any persons selected in this group who were current employees of the pulp/paper/lumber mill were also excluded and replaced; this occurred an unrecorded number of times. Persons of native heritage, persons with Indian Status as defined under the Indian Act of Canada, and members of the local native band were eligible to be in this 3 group, but only if they were not residents of the reserve. 2.2 Subject Recruitment We mailed each randomly selected person an introductory letter and then contacted individuals by telephone or in person to confirm their eligibility, to explain the study further, and to request participation. Participation was strictly voluntary. No financial reward was offered or given to any survey participant. 2.3 Questionnaire Content and Pretesting The occupational and residential history sections of the questionnaire were adapted from one used by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) [Wolf et al, 1987]. Questions were added to query exposures to specific organochlorines known to be associated with work in the forest industry, farming, and other professions. The diet portion of the questionnaire was mainly directed at the consumption of local fish, shell fish, other seafoods, game meat, and wild fruits. The list of items was originally developed by Pam Winquist of Health Canada in consultation with Laurette Bloomquist from the Sliammon Native Band. Questions about smoking and consumption of other food items, including meats, dairy products, and cereals were adapted from another US NCI Questionnaire [Block, 1989] in consultation with Dr. Sue Crawford, a nutritionist with experience in dietary survey design. Questions about specific food items asked respondents to report the frequency and quantity consumed during the year 1980. This year was selected to be representative of past consumption, since persistent organochlorines such as dioxins and furans have extremely long biological half-lives and therefore take years to accumulate in the tissues [Poiger and Schlatter, 1986]. We used this style of questioning because we believed that it was the most expeditious way to obtain information about respondents' long-term average intake of specific foods over the past 25 years or more. To aid recall of that era of a person's life, we began by asking respondents to recall who would normally have prepared each of their meals in that era, and to recall a typical meal. Strategies for improving past dietary recall were developed based on literature information [Friedenreich et al, 1992; Friedenreich et al, 1991; McKeown-Eyssen et al, 1986; Sobell et al, 1989; Krall et all, 1988] in consultation with Dr. Crawford. The questionnaire was sent for review to the study funding contributors and representatives of the study participants. Comments were received from Laurette Bloomquist (Health and Social 4 Development Co-ordinator, Sliammon Indian Band), Dr. Ray Copes (Medical Specialist, BC Ministry of Health), Steve Hodges (Environmental Technologist, MacMillan Bloedel), Jack Nickel (EARP Coordinator, Health Canada), Dr. Jay van Oostdam (Toxicologist, BC Ministry of Environment), and Pam Winquist (Nutritionist, Health Canada). The questionnaire was pretested in three groups: a convenience sample of 2 individuals from the Vancouver area to check the duration and feasibility of the diet sections of the questionnaire; a convenience sample of 10 individuals from the Vancouver area during the interviewers' training period; and 7 native band members and 7 community residents selected at random from the populations of interest. Changes to the questionnaire were made in response to each of these pretests. A copy of the final questionnaire is attached as an appendix. 2.4 Questionnaire Administration The questionnaire was administered in person, in a face-to-face interview by one of three interviewers. All interviews were conducted in English. Interviewers showed respondents standard printed lists of chemical names to help them recall exposures to certain chlorinated organic chemicals. Interviewers showed respondents standard-sized vessels (bowl: 400 mL, plastic foodsaver container: 400 mL, plastic foodsaver lid: 20 mL, drinking glass: 250 mL, tablespoon: 15 mL) to help them estimate sizes of food servings. The weights and heights of study participants were measured at the interview sites. 2.5 Ethical Review and Approval Before the start of the survey, our proposed research methods received ethical review and approval from the University of British Columbia Behavioural Sciences Screening Committee for Research and Other Studies Involving Human Subjects. 2.6 Statistical Methods For purposes of statistical analysis, we considered our three groups (mill employees, reserve residents, and other community residents) to be a single stratified random sample with three strata and oversampling of the two smaller strata (mill employees and reserve residents). For each stratum, the sampling fraction was the number of participants divided by the size of the sampling frame. For the stratum of other community residents, the size of the sampling frame was estimated from Census data [Statistics Canada, 1992], because the list of voters was from 1991 and contained the names of many ineligible persons. For each stratum, we calculated a "stratum weight" equal to the size of the sampling 5 frame divided by the number of participants in each stratum (Table 1). These weights were used to calculate weighted averages describing characteristics of community members over all three strata combined. However, the main purpose of the study was to compare characteristics between the three groups. For this, we used simple unweighted data. For dichotomous (yes/no) variables, we used χ2 or two-tailed Fisher exact tests for both two-group and three-group comparisons, testing null hypotheses of no association between group membership and a particular variable. For discrete ordinal scale variables and continuous interval-ratio variables we used nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum tests for two-group comparisons, and nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis tests for three-group comparisons, testing null hypotheses of no difference among the groups in their respective distributions of a particular variable. Frequency tabulations, calculation of summary statistics and group comparisons were performed using the statistical software package SAS® , Release 6.04 for Personal Computers (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). 6 3.0 Results Table 1 describes the participation in the study by each of the three groups. In every case the participation ratio (defined as the number of participants divided by the number of eligible persons randomly selected) was high: 84.0% among mill employees; 78.8% among reserve residents; and 79.2% among other residents of the community. The sizes of the eligible study populations (i.e., the sampling frames) and the stratum weights are listed. Table 1 also indicates the age and gender compositions of the groups. The study participants in each group appear to have ages and proportions of females similar to members of their sampling frames and/or those randomly selected. The only exception is that more men in the "other community residents" group refused to participate, resulting in a slightly higher proportion of women participants than in the eligible population. 3.1 Characteristics of the Community Members 3.1.1 Personal and Demographic Characteristics Table 2 describes the personal and demographic characteristics of all the community members combined and each of the three groups separately (mill employees, reserve residents, and other members of the community). The most outstanding difference between the groups is that among the participating mill employees, 98.8% were men, but in the other two groups approximately one-half were men and onehalf were women. Because of this disparity in gender composition, in this table and those which follow (Tables 3 to 13), we make no statistical comparisons between mill employees and the other groups. The p-values in Tables 2 through 13 refer to comparisons between reserve residents and other residents of the community. Results for males only, comparing all three study groups, are described in Section 3.2. The "All" column of Table 2 indicates that most women in the community had children, and most of these had breast-fed their infants. The average height was 5 feet 7 inches, and the average body mass index was 26.2, slightly higher than the range considered most healthy (20 to 25). Although most community members had smoked cigarettes at one time, only 22% do now. More than three-quarters of the community have lived in houses using wood stoves for heating between 1970 and 1995, for an average of 13 years. About 20% burned driftwood. The average duration of continuous residence in the community was 24 years. 7 8 9 In the comparisons of the native reserve residents to other residents of the community, we observed reserve residents to have the following demographic differences from the "other" group (p < 0.05). They • were younger (mean age of 40.9 years vs. 45.8 years in "other" group), • had a higher proportion of women who were mothers (95% vs. 75%) • were shorter (mean of 65.6 inches vs. 67.2), • had a lower proportion of current cigarette smokers (8% vs. 23%), and • had a longer duration of residence in the survey area (mean of 30.4 years vs. 23.6). 3.1.2 Activities and Occupations with Potential for Exposures to Organochlorines Table 3 describes the participants' exposures to certain activities likely to involve organochlorine compounds. The "All" column indicated that, as would be expected, the most common activities involving potential exposure were employment in pulp and paper production (19% of community members) and in sawmills (18%), but farming was also common (12%). Very few individuals recalled applying organochlorine pesticides or herbicides, using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or working at an incinerator. Study participants listed 1286 jobs, for an average of 5.3 jobs each. The individual job descriptions were grouped into 22 different categories, listed in Table 4. Most of the job groups refer to jobs in the pulp and paper mill, the lumber mill, or either ("forest products mill"). These jobs groups were the most specific, and they had been held by 2 to 8% of the community members. Some jobs were grouped based on "industry" – logging, silviculture, agriculture, other wood products manufacturing, construction, and transportation – these were held by 5 to 17% of community members. The remaining jobs, held by few people, were categorized in one of two broad groups. "Occupations with exposures to chemicals other than organochlorines" included welders, printers, etc.; 52% of community members had held jobs of this type. Office and service jobs were grouped as "occupations unlikely to have exposures"; 81% of community members had held jobs of this type. In the comparisons of the native reserve residents to other residents of the community, we observed reserve residents to have the following occupational differences (p < 0.05): • less employment in pulp/paper mill maintenance jobs; • less employment as pulp/paper machine operators; • less employment in maintenance jobs involving multiple areas within a forest products mill; • more employment in logging; • less employment in farming or agriculture/horticulture/landscaping; 10 11 12 13 14 15 • less employment in driver/transportation/vehicle service jobs; and • less employment in jobs with exposures to chemicals other than organochlorines. 3.1.3 Seafood Consumption Tables 5 to 8 describe the answers to the seafood portion of diet questionnaire, with Table 5 outlining fish consumption, Table 6 smoked fish consumption, Table 7 shellfish consumption, and Table 8 consumption of other types of seafood, all in the year 1980. Almost all community members ate fish (96%); the most popular types, salmon, lingcod, and red snapper, were eaten 7 to 24 times a year on average (Table 5). Some fish were rarely eaten (less than once a year on average): lingcod roe; tommy cod; herring; smelt; perch; and eulachon. Somewhat fewer people ate smoked fish (72%, Table 6). Almost all the smoked fish consumed was salmon, eaten 7 times a year on average. No one reported eating the following fish smoked: red snapper; lingcod; tommy cod; halibut; sole or flounder; herring; smelt; or perch. Shellfish were eaten by 74% of community members (Table 7). The most frequently consumed types were prawns, shrimp, butter clams, Dungeness crab meat, oysters, and native clams (eaten 2 to 6 times per year). No one reported eating sea prunes. Horse clams, geoduck, mussels, and limpets were eaten less than once a year on average. Few community members ate other seafood (16%, Table 8). The most frequently reported were seaweed and octopus or squid, but both of these were consumed less than once a year. No one reported eating seal or sea lion fat or organ meat, or seagull meat. In Tables 5 through 8, compared to participants in the "other" group, participating native reserve residents were slightly less likely to include fish in their diet (87% versus 96%, p=0.04), and no more or less likely to include smoked fish, shellfish or other seafood in their diet. Compared to participants in the "other" group, we observed participating native reserve residents to have the following differences (p < 0.05) in the types of fish and seafood they consumed. Reserve residents ate • more lingcod eggs, • more herring and herring eggs, • more eulachon grease, • more smoked salmon, • more butter clams, Japanese (Manila) clams and native clams, • more oysters, 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 • more Mesikw sea urchins, • less trout, • less red snapper, • less grey/black/Alaska cod, • less halibut, • less sole/flounder, • less unspecified other fish, • less Dungeness crab meat, and • less shrimp and prawns. 3.1.4 Other Wild Food Consumption Tables 9 to 11 describe consumption of other types of wild foods in the year 1980, with Table 9 describing wild game consumption, Table 10 smoked wild game consumption, and Table 11 wild plant consumption. Although many community members ate game (47%, Table 9), almost none ate it smoked (1%, Table 10). The most frequently eaten types of game were deer and moose, both eaten about 11 times per year on average. Most other types of game were eaten once a year or less often. No one reported eating organ meat from bears, or mountain goats, or eating beaver or porcupine. Most community members ate wild plants (83%, Table 11). The most frequently eaten were blackberries and huckleberries (eaten 3 to 13 times a year). Most other wild plant foods were eaten less than once a year, and no one reported eating roots. In Tables 9, 10, and 11, compared to participants in the "other" group, native reserve residents were more likely to include wild game in their diet (76% versus 44%, p<0.0005), but they were no more or less likely to have eaten smoked wild game or wild plants. In their pattern of wild game and plant consumption, native reserve residents were • more likely to include deer meat in their diet (76% vs 35%), but on average consumed it less often and in smaller quantities, • more deer liver/organs, • more huckleberries, • more salmonberries and salmonberry shoots, • more thimbleberries, • more blackberries, and • more crabapples. 23 24 25 26 27 28 3.1.5 Other Food Consumption Table 12 reports on consumption of various other foods, typically store bought, in 1980. The food items selected for this portion of the survey were mainly fat containing and therefore had the potential to be contaminated with organochlorine compounds. Some of these foods were eaten by community members daily or nearly so: bread; margarine and cooking oil; 2% milk; and milk or cream in coffee or tea. Many other items were eaten at least once a week: hamburger meat; beef steaks or roasts; ham or lunch meats; French fries; potato chips; other potatoes; rolls, bagels, or crackers; muffins, cakes, or cookies; butter or lard; high fibre cereals; cold cereals; eggs; bacon; cheese; whole milk; ice cream; and canned evaporated milk. Only one item was eaten by community members less than once a month on average: chicken or beef liver. In the comparisons of the native reserve residents to other residents of the community, we observed reserve residents to have the following differences in other food consumption patterns for these other foods (p < 0.05): • more hamburger meat; • more pork chops/roasts; • more fried chicken; • more hotdogs; • more margarine/cooking oil; • less beef steaks/roasts; • less roasted/stewed/boiled chicken/turkey; • less high fibre cereals; • less cold cereals; • less potato chips; • less potatoes (other than chips or French fries); • less bread; • less rolls/bagels/crackers; • less cottage cheese; • less other cheese; and • less 2% milk. 3.1.6 Changes in Eating Patterns Since 1980 Table 13 indicates the participants' reported changes in consumption of various food groups 29 30 31 32 33 34 since 1980. More than 50% of community residents did not report changes in consumption of "other" seafood, wild game, wild plants, potatoes, breads and cereals, butter or margarine, or dairy products. Among those who did report changes in eating habits, there was a trend toward less consumption of fish, meat, potatoes, butter or margarine, bacon and eggs, and dairy products. Only "other" seafood showed a trend toward greater consumption since 1980. In the comparisons of the native reserve residents to other residents of the community, natives differed in their changes in food intake in every food category except wild game. For the categories fish, shellfish, other seafood, wild plants, meat, potatoes, bread/cereals, butter/margarine, bacon/eggs, and dairy products, the proportion who had not changed their intake since 1980 was larger in the reserve group than in the "other" group. For most of these food groups, more than 80% of the native participants had not changed their eating habits. 3.2 Characteristics of Male Participants Only Tables 2(M) to 13(M) describe the results for male participants only in parallel with those described above in Tables 3 to 13 for all participants. Because in this restricted subsample of participants there is no disparity in gender composition, the reported p-values in Tables 2(M) through 13(M) indicate comparisons among male participants in all three groups: mill employees; reserve residents; and other residents of the community. 3.2.1 Characteristics of Men in the Community Overall Although no statistical tests were performed, a comparison of the "All" column in Table 2 to the "All Males" column in Table 2(M) indicates that the men were somewhat older, taller, heavier (as indicated by body mass index), and smoked more compared to the community-wide averages. Tables 3(M) and 4(M), compared to the community averages reported in Tables 3 and 4, indicate that men in the community had more jobs in pulp/paper/lumber milling, logging, silviculture, agriculture, construction, and transportation, as well as more occupations with exposures to chemicals other than organochlorines. Fewer men had held jobs unlikely to have had exposures. Seafood and wild food consumption among male community members, as reported in Tables 5(M) to 11(M), was very similar to the community averages reported in tables 5 to 11. The only exceptions were that men ate less sole or flounder, less crab, no crab marrow, less other shellfish, and less seaweed. There were some differences in other food consumption patterns as indicated in Table 12(M) compared to 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 Table 12. Men in the community tended to eat more of the following foods: beef steak or roast; ham or lunch meats; French fries; potato chips; butter and lard; eggs; bacon; sausage; all forms of milk; and ice cream. They also had somewhat fewer changes in their diets since 1980 than the community as a whole (comparing tables 13(M) and 13). Statistical tests were performed to look for differences among males in the three groups: male mill employees; male native reserve residents; and other male community residents. The results for each of the elements of the survey are described below, first examining the native reserve residents, then the mill employees. 3.2.2 Personal and Demographic Characteristics of Male Participants In Table 2(M), compared to participants in the two other groups, we observed participating male native reserve residents to have the following personal and demographic characteristics that were different (p < 0.05). They had • the shortest height (mean of 67.7 inches vs. 69.8 in mill employees and 70.6 in the "other" group) but no difference in over/underweight as measured by body mass index, and • the longest duration of residence in the survey area (mean of 33.0 years vs. 26.8 in mill employees and 25.4 in "other" group). Table 2(M) indicates that participating male pulp/paper/lumber mill employees were very similar to other community residents not employed by the mill. 3.2.3 Activities and Occupations of Male Participants In Tables 3(M) and 4(M), the comparisons of the male native reserve residents to the other two groups showed reserve residents to have the following occupational differences (p < 0.05): • the least employment in any pulp/paper mill job; • the least employment in wood treatment jobs; • the least employment in maintenance jobs involving multiple areas within a forest products mill; • the least employment in farming or agriculture/horticulture/landscaping; • the least employment in driver/transportation/vehicle service jobs; • the least employment in jobs with exposures to chemicals other than organochlorines; • the most employment in logging; and • the most employment in silviculture. 58 In Table 3(M) and 4(M), compared to participants in the two other groups, we observed participating male pulp/paper/lumber mill employees to have the following differences in their activities and employment (p < 0.05). They had • the most years of, and most recent employment in all pulp, paper, and sawmill jobs production except the boom area, • the most exposure to pulp slimicides and wood preservation treatment, • the most exposure to farming and agriculture/horticulture/landscaping, • the least employment in silviculture, and • the least employment in logging. 3.2.4 Seafood Consumption among Male Participants In Tables 5(M) through 8(M), compared to participants in the two other groups, male native reserve residents were the most likely to include smoked fish in their diet (85% versus 61% for mill employees and 75% for "other", p=0.022), and no more or less likely to include fish or shellfish in their diet. Compared to participants in the two other groups, we observed participating male native reserve residents to have the following differences (p < 0.05) in the types of fish and seafood they consumed. Male reserve residents ate • the most lingcod eggs, • the most herring and herring eggs, • the most eulachon grease, • the most smoked salmon, • the most butter clams, • the most Japanese (Manila) clams, • the most oysters, • the most Mesikw and Ap'ten sea urchins, • the most Dungeness crab meat, • the most seagull eggs, • the most unspecified other shellfish, • the least trout, • the least sole or flounder, • the least prawns, and • the least octopus or squid. In Tables 5(M) through 8(M), compared to participants in the two other groups, participating male pulp/paper/lumber mill employees were the most likely to include "other seafood" in their diet 59 (28% versus 15% for male reserve residents and 6% for "other", p=0.014). Also, compared to participants in the two other groups, we observed participating male pulp/paper/lumber mill employees to have the following differences (p < 0.05) in the types of fish and seafood they consumed. Male pulp/paper/lumber mill employees ate • the most sole or flounder, • the least smoked salmon, and • the most native clams. 3.2.5 Other Wild Food Consumption among Male Participants In Tables 9(M) to 11(M), compared to participants in the other two groups, participating male native reserve residents were the most likely to include wild game (78% versus 60% among mill employees and 47% in the "other" group, p=0.024) and smoked wild game in their diet (8% versus 0% among mill employees and 3% in the "other" group, p=0.031), but no more or less likely to include wild plants in their diet. For individual wild food items, male native reserve residents ate • the least moose meat • the most salmonberries and salmonberry shoots, and • the most elderberries, thimbleberries, and crabapples. In Tables 9(M) through 11(M), compared to participants in the other two groups, the only differences (p < 0.05) in the pattern of wild food intake by participating male pulp/paper/lumber mill employees were that they ate • the most wild rabbit meat, and • the least huckleberries and blackberries. 3.2.6 Other Food Consumption among Male Participants In Table 12(M) describing consumption of various other foods, compared to the other two groups, male native reserve residents ate • the most hamburger meat, • the most hotdogs, • the most beef/chicken liver, • the least beef steaks/roasts, • the least roasted/stewed/boiled chicken/turkey, • the least high fibre cold cereals, • the least bread, 60 • the least cheese, • the least 2% milk, and • the least yogurt. In Table 12(M), compared to participants in the other two groups, the only differences (p < 0.05) in the pattern of other food intake by participating male pulp/paper/lumber mill employees were that they ate • the least chicken and beef liver, • the least potato chips and other potatoes, • the most cottage cheese, and • the least ice cream. 3.2.7 Changes in Eating Patterns Since 1980 among Male Participants In Table 13(M), describing changes in food consumption since 1980, for every food category, the proportion who had not changed their intake was largest in the male native reserve residents, and second largest in the mill employee group. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05) for all food categories except shellfish, wild game, and wild plants. 61 4.0 Conclusions From the limited data available, study participants appeared to be similar to persons randomly selected and to persons in the target populations. We see no evidence of selection bias, at least in terms of age and gender. Also, the participation ratios are sufficiently high that even if volunteer biases did occur, the effect on survey results was probably small. On the basis of recalled history, men currently employed at the pulp, paper and lumber mill definitely have had more opportunities for occupational exposure to organochlorine compounds than have men who are not currently employed at the mill. However, even among men who are not currently employed at the mill, a history suggestive of exposure to organochlorines is not uncommon. We did not see evidence of any lifestyle differences that might protect men employed at the mill from this potential occupational hazard. Men who currently work at the mill don't smoke cigarettes any less, aren't any less exposed to wood smoke, haven't any fewer years of residence in the area, and don't eat any less seafood than do men who are not currently employed at the mill. For a few types of seafood, men employed at the mill eat even more than men not employed at the mill. Although we observed no overall increase in fish and seafood consumption among native reserve residents (compared to other residents of the community), we definitely saw differences in the types of fish and seafood preferred by members of this culture. Reserve residents also on the average have more years of residence in the area than do other community residents. On the other hand, reserve residents smoke cigarettes less and have had fewer opportunities for occupational exposure to organochlorine compounds. From our observations of people's patterns of seafood consumption, we cannot yet make any statement about the amount of risk of dietary organochlorine exposure experienced by members of any of the three population groups that we surveyed. Of the seafood reported consumed, we do not know what proportion was harvested locally. We asked about this in the questionnaire interviews, but many respondents answered "unknown", or gave vague, ambiguous, or otherwise difficult to interpret responses. It is possible that there was a problem in the way we posed the question, but it is also likely that in many cases, study participants would not know where their fish was harvested. Survey respondents reported consumption of a surprisingly wide variety of seafood types. Environment Canada has an ongoing program to monitor levels of dioxins and furans in the tissues of marine organisms in coastal British Columbia waters ("Dioxin and Furan Trend Monitoring Database"), however, as the program's name implies, its purpose is to monitor changes in dioxin and furan levels 62 over time, within species. The program therefore measures levels only in a small number of indicator species of marine life. Of the fish and seafood consumed by survey respondents, the only types being monitored near our survey community were: oysters, Dungeness crab muscle (crab "meat"), and Dungeness crab hepatopancreas (crab "marrow") [personal communication, Mike Hagen, Industrial Programs, Pollution Abatement, Environment Protection, Environment Canada, North Vancouver, BC]. There has never been a comprehensive survey of organochlorine levels in all comestible species of marine life harvested in the waters around our survey community. Therefore, with respect to local residents' potential dietary exposure to organochlorines, the importance of these two food items relative to other types of fish and seafood is simply unknown. As for patterns of intake of wild game meat, smoked wild game, wild plants and various other foods, we did observe some differences between the groups, but we don't know the implications of these differences for the respondents' organochlorine exposure, again because there has never been a comprehensive survey of organochlorine levels in these foodstuffs in our survey community. Conducting such a survey of animals and plants, both wild and domesticated, terrestrial and marine, would be a highly ambitious and costly proposition. Instead, the matter could be addressed by measuring organochlorine levels in the blood of our survey respondents (i.e., by pursuing Phase 2 of this study). We could then test hypotheses of association between the presence of organochlorines in peoples' blood and their recalled intake of specific types or categories of food. If such associations were found, we could then also derive quantitative exposure-dose relationships between amount of food intake and blood levels of organochlorines. We could also determine the relative contributions of food, occupation, hobbies, and personal or demographic factors to peoples' total organochlorine body burden. We conclude that there are sufficient differences in organochlorine exposure opportunities among the pulp, paper and lumber mill employees and the native reserve residents that Phase 2 of the study should proceed, and that both of these two groups should be retained in Phase 2. The group "other residents of the community" should also be retained as a control group because there are no widely accepted population reference values for the organochlorine exposure biomarkers that we propose to measure in Phase 2, and based on previous measurements in the BC population [Teschke et al, 1992a; Teschke et al, 1992b], we cannot assume that the level of exposure in the control group will be negligibly small. The only person who should be excluded from Phase 2 of the study is the woman in the mill employee group. Because she is unique in this regard, there are no other study participants with whom she could be grouped for comparison purposes. Unless she expresses strong personal feelings that she wants to have the Phase 2 blood tests, there is not much reason to collect a blood specimen from her. 63 5.0 References Beck H, Eckhart K, Mathar W, Wittkowski R. Levels of PCDDs and PCDFs in adipose tissue of occupationally exposed workers. Chemosphere 1989;18:507-516 Block G. Health Habits and History Questionnaire: Diet History and Other Risk Factors. Washington, DC: National Cancer Institute. March 1989. Canadian Wildlife Service. Analytical Manual. Ottawa: CWS Wildlife Toxicology Division, 1982 Fait A, Grossman E, Self S, Jeffries J, Pellizari ED, Emmett EA. Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in adipose tissue lipid and serum of past and present transformer repair workers and a comparison group. Fundam Appl Toxicol 1989;12:42-55 Friedenreich CM, Howe GR, Miller AB. An investigation of recall bias in the reporting of past food intake among breast cancer cases and controls. Ann Epidemiol 1991;1:439-453 Friedenreich CM, Slimani N, Riboli E. Measurement of past diet: Review of previous and proposed methods. Epidemiologic Reviews 1992;14:177-196 Hornung RW, Reed LD. Estimation of average concentration in the presence of nondetectable values. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1990;5:46-51 Krall EA, Dwyer JT, Coleman KA. Factors influencing accuracy of dietary recall. Nutrition Research 1988;8:829-841 McKeown-Eyssen GE, Yeung KS, Bright-See E. Assessment of past diet in epidemiologic studies. Am J Epidemiol 1986;124:94-103 Mullen MD, Pochini CM, McCrindle S, Romkes, Safe SH, Safe LM. High resolution PCB analysis, synthesis, and chromatographic properties of all 209 PCB congeners. Environ Sci Technol 1984;18:468 Patterson DG, Hampton L, Lapeza CR, Belser WT, Green V, Alexander L, Needham LL. High-resolution gas chromatographic/high resolution mass spectrometric analysis of human serum on a wholeweight and lipid basis for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. Anal Chem 1987;59:2000-2005 Patterson DG, Turner WE, Isaacs SG, Alexander LR. A method performance evaluation and lessons learned after analyzing more than 5,000 human adipose tissue , serum, and breast milk samples for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Chemosphere 1990;20:829836 Phillips DL. Chlorinated hydrocarbon levels in human serum: effects of fasting and feeding. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 1989;18:495-500 Poiger HC, Schlatter C. Pharmacokinetics of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in man. Chemosphere 1986;15:1489-1494 Rottluff W, Teschke K, Hertzman C, Kelly S, Bert J. Sources of dioxins and furans in British Columbia. Can J Pub Health 1990;81:94-100 Sobell J, Block G, Koslowe P, Tobin J, Andres R. Validation of a retrospective questionnaire assessing diet 10-15 years ago. Am J Epidemiol 1989;130:173-187 Statistics Canada, 1992. Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions in British Columbia - Part A. 1992 November. Catalogue No. 95-384. Ottawa (ON): ©1992, Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, Canada. Svensson B-G, Nilsson A, Hansson M, Rappe C, Akesson B, Skerfving S. Exposures to dioxins and dibenzofurans through the consumption of fish. New Engl J Med 1991;324:8-12 64 Sweeney MH, Fingerhut MA, Patterson DG, Connally LB, Piacitelli LA, Morris JA, Griefe AL, Hornung RW, Marlow DA, Dugle JE, Halperin WE, Needham LL. Comparison of serum levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in TCP production workers and in an unexposed comparison group. Chemosphere 1990;20:993-1000 Teschke K, Kelly SJ, Wiens M, Hertzman C, Dimich-Ward H, Ward JEH, Van Oostdam JC. Chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the adipose tissue of British Columbia residents. Victoria: B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, March 1992, ENV035982.592. 35 pp. Teschke K, Kelly SJ, Wiens M, Hertzman C, Dimich-Ward H, Ward JEH, Van Oostdam JC. Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in the adipose tissue of British Columbia residents. Victoria: B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, November 1992, ENV126733.393. 68 pp. Wolf KM, Poitrowski ZH, Engel JD, Bekeris LG, Palaicios E, Fisher KA. Malignant mesothelioma with occupational and environmental asbestos exposure in an Illinois community hospital. Arch Intern Med 1987;147:2145-2149. 65
UBC Faculty Research and Publications
Occupational and environmental exposure to organochlorine compounds in a coastal British Columbia community Teschke, Kay; Marion, Stephen A.; Jin, Andrew Jul 31, 1996
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SOURCE: Kantar Worldpanel ComTech
December 09, 2015 03:01 ET
Samsung Returns to Growth in the U.S. for the First Time in 2015
Samsung Returns to Growth in the U.S. for the First Time in 2015
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Dec 9, 2015) - The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech for the three months ending in October 2015 shows Android returning to growth in Europe's big five markets ("EU5"), after a decline that began in October 2014. Meanwhile, iOS registered a small decline in the EU5 for the three months ending in October 2015, the first such decline since the three-month period ending in August 2014.
Europe's big five markets ("EU5") include Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
"In Europe's big five markets, thanks to a strong performance in Italy, Spain, and France, Android showed year-over-year growth, but that OS success did not produce a clear vendor win, as different names showed strength in different countries: Huawei in Italy and Spain, and Samsung in France," reported Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. "The decline in iOS was marginal, and primarily driven by a deceleration of growth in Great Britain and Germany. Sales of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus already represented close to a third of iOS sales in Europe's big five markets."
"In Great Britain, Android's decline considerably decelerated in the three months ending in October 2015, thanks to stronger performance by Samsung and LG," said Dominic Sunnebo, business unit director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Europe. "iOS grew share both year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter, although at a more modest pace than in previous quarters."
"With 33.6% of the U.S. smartphone market, Apple's share remained down year-over-year, but up quarter-over-quarter, as iPhone 6s became the third best-selling smartphone," Milanesi added. "Samsung retained its leading position in the U.S. smartphone market and, for the first time in 2015, the South Korean brand was able to show year-on-year growth."
"In urban China, sales of the iPhone 6s accelerated in October, placing it in a tie with the iPhone 6 Plus as the second best-selling smartphone. Urban China remained Apple's stronghold, as it closed some of the gap with market leader Huawei, growing its share to 22.9% regaining second place," commented Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. "In the Android camp, Huawei now has almost an 8 percentage points advantage over Xiaomi, and Meizu is now in fourth place, with a market share of 11%."
"As the holiday season approaches, it appears smartphone upgrades are on Santa's list, with 14% of EU5 smartphone owners planning to replace their current device with a new one in the next three months," Milanesi said. "Among those consumers, 25% said they prefer Apple, while 38% said they prefer Samsung. Among Apple owners in the EU5 planning to upgrade over the next three months, 79% said they prefer Apple, while 62% of Samsung owners planning to upgrade say they prefer Samsung."
To view an HTML version of the summary data and an optional PDF file, please visit: www.kantarworldpanel.com/global/News/Android_Returns_to_Growth_in_Europe's_Big_Five_Markets
Note: The Kantar Worldpanel ComTech dataviz can be embedded into online articles for a visual representation of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Smartphone OS market share data. Click here to copy the embed code.
About Kantar Worldpanel ComTech's Smartphone OS Market Share Data
Kantar Worldpanel ComTech's smartphone OS market share data provides the media and businesses with access to the most up-to-date sales and market share figures for the major smartphone operating systems. This information is based on research extracted from the Kantar Worldpanel ComTech global consumer panel. ComTech is the largest continuous consumer research / mobile phone tracking panel of its kind in the world, conducting over one million interviews per year in Europe alone. ComTech tracks mobile phone behaviour -- including phone purchases, bills/airtime, source of purchase, and usage. It also delivers additional data to promote an understanding of the drivers of share changes, and consumer insight market dynamics. All consumer data in this release excludes enterprise sales.
About Kantar Worldpanel
Kantar Worldpanel is the world leader in consumer knowledge and insights, based on continuous consumer panels. Its High Definition Inspiration™ approach combines market monitoring, advanced analytics, and tailored market research solutions that inspire successful actions by its clients. Kantar Worldpanel's expertise about what people buy or use -- and why -- is recognised by brand owners, retailers, market analysts, and government organisations globally. With over 60 years' experience, a team of 3,500, and services covering 60 countries directly or through partners, Kantar Worldpanel helps brands grow in fields as diverse as FMCG, impulse products, fashion, baby, telecommunications and entertainment, and many others.
For further information, please visit: www.kantarworldpanel.com
About Kantar
Kantar is the data investment management division of WPP, and one of the world's largest insight, information, and consultancy groups. By connecting the diverse talents of its 12 specialist companies, the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and inspirational insights for the global business community. Kantar's 27,000 employees work across 100 countries and the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to deliver business insights from every point of the consumer cycle. The group's services are employed by over half of the Fortune 500 companies.
For further information, please visit: www.kantar.com
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text:
Maybe we could do this kind of survey at IBM Connect 2013
December 7 2012
For the last couple of weeks, my inbox has been flooded with copies of an email that salesforce.com sent to IBM customers depicting how one organization moved their Domino applications to force.com and supposedly benefitted from the move. I rarely comment on the specifics of such examples, as there often is a lot of missing data -- what version of Notes, what kind of apps, etc. I'm also not even sure if that email is really having any impact; haven't had any customers ask me about it directly, and the link it takes you to on the salesforce.com website has such absurd claims about the difference between their platform and Notes that anyone educated on Notes would simply laugh.
But I have to admit, one piece of the Salesforce campaign is surprising.
You are not alone in being ready to modernize your applications; we've found that over 70% of your colleagues are planning to replace Lotus Notes. (data source: Salesforce survey of Dreamforce attendees)
You don't need a PhD in statistics to see all kinds of problems with that claim:
- Sample bias: the attendees at SFDC's own conference are of course going to have a different attitude than the general marketplace about a product positioned as a competitor.
- Future state: The question of "planning to replace" is an easy one to say yes to. Oh sure, I'm planning to replace my house, my car, my computer...eventually, at some point, if I have enough money, if the replacement makes sense, etc. There is no guarantee of action in that claim.
- Audience: "your colleagues" isn't accurate, since most of the attendees at Dreamforce are salespeople, not IT.
Of course, IBM has different standards, and we would never conduct such a survey and then publicize the result. I sleep much better at night knowing we won't do this. Still, maybe this is an opportunity.
Any suggestions for a question I can ask the audience during my Messaging and Collaboration Roadmap session at IBM Connect 2013, and then start touting the overwhelmingly positive result? From Lotusphere 2012, this was the adoption of 8.5.3 moment, where a surprisingly large number of hands in the audience indicated they had already deployed the 90 day old version of Notes/Domino. Maybe I can even invite the person with the best question up on stage to ask it themselves. What should I ask?


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MURRIETA, Calif. --A 350-acre wildfire the broke out in Riverside County was contained on Thursday.
The so-called "Volcano Fire" broke out Wednesday just west of Murrieta, near Clinton Keith and Tenaja roads at about 11:30 a.m.
The fire destroyed one two-story home and caused injuries to three firefighters.
Crews say the cool overnight hours were a big help in improving containment lines, and they expect to have full control by 8 p.m.
Cal Fire investigators said they believe the fire was started by motorized brush-clearing equipment.


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512 Almond St
Waterloo, IA 50703
No longer in business!!
Was a great place but no more :-(
I really wish there was a fish store in the area that could compare to the selection this place had.
This is a very clean fish store. They never have dead floaters. The priciing is very fair. If your buying in bulk they always give you extra fish for free. Very friendly owner.4


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Uploaded by : jenny.wong
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. CEO Queenie Choo shares her gratitude and thanks to all MLC volunteers.
Established in 1973 and incorporated in 1974, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is one of the largest social service agencies in British Columbia, Canada. With the vision to create "A World of Multicultural Harmony", S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is well supported by its mission to Build Bridges, Harvest Diversity and Foster Integration.
For more info visit: http://www.successbc.ca/


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Summary: - radiotoday.co.ukRead full article: Matt Hancock turns on Suffolk DAB radio …
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Simplification patterns can easily be written for algebraic expressions, e.g.:
(- x (- y)) ---> (+ x y) (- (- x)) ---> x (- (+ x y) (+ z y)) ---> (- x z)
Implementing many such patterns with Lisp code to test for each case would be difficult and result in code that was large, error-prone, hard to change, and yet possibly still inadequate. It would be better to use the patterns directly.
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Goodyear makes trailer tires as of 2015. The Unisteel G670 RV and the Unisteel G614 RST are two tire models by Goodyear that are suitable for trailer use. Goodyear claims that the tires fit virtually any trailer.Continue Reading
The Unisteel G670 RV features protection against ozone and UV rays. The tire has circumferential grooves that increase traction on wet surfaces, a high-technology belt system that provides comfort and increased fuel efficiency. The tread pattern produces less heat and therefore increases strength, reduces squirm and improves the handling of the trailer.
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text:
eVoL wrote:No physical controls is such a pain though...Medicine Man wrote:That's good of you eVoL, but sadly I don't think I could afford it without denting the wife's sending money kitty in a noticeable way.
Slightly out of my reach at the moment despite how great it would be. Thanks for the offer though.
No worries, another month I'd probably just have gave you it but I spent stupidly too much on m'ladys birthday so eBay it is!
Sadly I have no phone. Well I tell a lie I do, but sadly not one that can do much beyond texting.
It does have physical controls though.
The money is better spent on the missus in the long run anyway eVoL, you know it makes sense.
You should get at least £60 no worries on eBay for it I reckon.


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Hey Colbert, Cap's gonna need that shield back now …
You might remember back in 2007 when talk show host Stephen Colbert was given Captain America's shield after Steve Rogers was apparently (but not really) shot to death. Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor in chief, passed the shield on "to the only man who has the red, white and blue balls to carry the mantle" — the "conservative" talk show host/comic fan whose show runs on the Comedy Channel.
Well, as we learned in June, Captain America isn't exactly dead, so schoolteacher and Robot 6 reader Robt Seda-Schreiber has served Colbert with "a legal document called a writ of replevin that I have prepared." Here's what it looks like:
"As I am sure comes as no surprise to anyone, Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, has returned ('reborn' if you will) from his supposed death. More to the point, reports of his death were greatly exaggerated in the first place. It was under this false pretense that Mr. Colbert was 'bequeathed' said shield, so it would follow that the good Captain's shield be returned to him post-haste," Seda-Schreiber writes. "I bring this legal action in his name, with the help of my brilliant & beautiful lawyer-wife." Check out his blog for updates and to find out exactly what a writ of replevin is.
(And a closer look at the writ makes me wonder if it IS actually legal … there's a really good chance the sheriff who signed it was a Life Model Decoy …)
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An Artist's Look at Eli Broad's Last-Second Sucker Punch of Michael Govan and the L.A. County Museum of Art
A New York artist talks about LACMA's surprising betrayal at the hands of a wealthy collector.
Last weekend's opening of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art had all the makings of Cecil B. DeMille movie — grand scale, palace intrigue, and wads and wads of cash. "The only thing missing was the human sacrifice," says Eric Fischl, who had one of his paintings on view at the new space. "It was really a spectacle, only Hollywood could pull it off." Eli Broad, the weather-making billionaire art collector who gave his name, loans of art, and $60 million to the new museum, had for years led LACMA director Michael Govan to believe that the permanent gift of his contemporary-art collection would follow the building's unveiling — only to coquettishly announce at the last moment that he didn't feel like committing to any one museum, instead preferring to keep his art in an open-ended lending foundation. (His stated rationale was that LACMA didn't have the space to keep his 2,000-some works on constant display.)
Broad's sudden shift, which the collector casually dropped in a conversation with the New York Times prior to the museum's opening, cast a shadow over the proceedings, Fischl said. "Everybody's kind of going, 'How did that happen?'" Fischl said. "It just seemed like such a sucker punch." He added that speculation at the opening centered on whether the widely respected Govan — who previously headed the Dia Art Foundation in New York — will stick around at LACMA for much longer in view of the slight; that Govan is considered a candidate to replace Philippe de Montebello added to the buzzing.
But Fischl gallantly acknowledged that he was no authority on art bigwigs or their motivations. "That's a part of the business I don't know much about," he said. "I endlessly insult people who are powerful because I keep forgetting who the fuck they are." In L.A., for instance, he made the mistake of reintroducing himself to L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art director Jeremy Strick. "I'd met him many times over the years, so oops," Fischl said. Is this something museum directors chalk up to the artistic temperament? "They could think I'm the biggest snob or asshole or idiot, who knows," said Fischl. "All of it true. So, you know." —Andrew M. Goldstein


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Since only the judgment is on the web, it is difficult to know the exact argument of all stake holders, but what I can make out from the judgment is the following.
The petitioner is a student of ISM Dhanbad, who got admission to the Institute in 2010 after passing the Joint Entrance Examination. When the results of the first round of counseling were announced, she was allotted MSc (Chemistry) in ISM Dhanbad. She paid her fee, etc., as per the JEE procedure. If you recall, last year, there was an error in the counseling. The Counseling software had not taken into account the results of the Architecture aptitude test. When this error was detected and corrected, it turned out that the course allotment of several students had to be canceled. This student was one of them. There were 52 such students. She got lucky that at least she could get a program allotted. She was assigned MSc (Mathematics and Computing). By the only 41 students could get some course in the second round. Eleven students had no where to go (even though as we will see later, there were hundreds of seats vacant in the system).
After this the details are sketchy. She apparently wanted a better branch. ISM Dhanbad refused saying that the branch changes will be done after 2nd semester, based on performance in the 1st year. However, she noticed that the rules in ISM Dhanbad did not allow too many people to get branch change. The rules said a student is not allowed to leave a branch, if that would cause the strength of the program to become less than 50%. A very large number of students who had been offered admission to ISM Dhanbad had not joined, leaving more than 250 vacancies in the Institute. This meant that many programs would have less than 50% seats filled up. Or the number of branch changes that would be permitted would be extremely few. So, she appealed to High Court that JEE should have filled up those huge number of vacant seats in all the institutes put together, and if such a thing was done in 2010, she would have got a better program to begin with.
JEE responded to the writ petition by arguing that it is not possible to keep doing multiple rounds of admission, since the classes have to start at some time. And IITs have such a high standard of academics that doing admission even a few days into the semester would be harmful to the quality of education.
The court asked for information on the number of vacant seats after the students had joined various institutes. It turned out that the number of seats vacant were 8% of the total seats available through JEE. The court has said that based on JEE's argument, if there were a small number of seats vacant, it would have accepted the situation. But the argument cannot justify such a large number of vacant seats, particularly when JEE could have started the admission process a bit earlier, and tried to incorporate another round of admission process.
For 2010 admissions, the court has asked ISM Dhanbad to allot any of the vacant seats to the student in question before doing its branch changes. And for 2011 admissions, it has asked JEE to do whatever it deems fit to make sure that such a large number of seats are not left vacant.
This is an excellent judgment which will make JEE more student friendly. However, there is one aspect of the whole admission process which has not been clearly understood by the court. If JEE were to do a 3rd round of counseling, it would still leave 8% of the seats vacant, unless the 3rd round was done AFTER the semester started.
Let us understand why third round prior to the semester would not help. The reasons for vacant seats is NOT that students who are offered seats do not accept it. Such a number is rather small after the 2nd round. The reason for vacant seats is that students accept the admission offer by paying whatever amount is needed, and then never inform JEE that they would like to withdraw. They just don't show up on the campus on the 1st day of the semester. So you can have any number of rounds prior to the semester beginning, and you still wouldn't know how many people won't show up on the appointed day.
So what is the solution. There are, in fact, several solutions possible.
The obvious one that Central Counseling Board (which does counseling for all NITs based on AIEEE ranks) makes use of is to offer admission after the semester has started. The assumption with which CCB works is that teaching is unimportant and even if a student misses a few days, nah a few weeks, may be half the semester, it is still ok for him/her to get admission. The underlying assumption appears to be that teaching in most such places is so poor that it is perhaps better for the student to not face such teaching :-) But JEE can't make such an assumption, and it has correctly argued in the court that late admissions will result in poorer quality of education.
The second solution is to admit more students than the number of seats that you have. This is the solution that every single country in the world follows (other than India, of course). In India, we believe, we are very unique. Our problems are very unique. So nothing that works in the rest of the world will work in India. (Of course, the corollary is that what does not work in the rest of the world will also not work in India.) And, therefore, we must do opposite of what the rest of the world does, and consider our seats as sacrosanct.
But, if somehow JEE can come out of this anti-rest-of-the-world feeling, then what they may do is to look at historical data about the percentage of students who don't join a particular institute, and admit that many extra students to each institute. So if we have 500 unreserved seats (since we need to do this category wise), and 10% students did not join on an average in the last 5 years, then may be I can admit 8% more (to be on the conservative side - I don't want to exceed my target strength, not by large number, anyway). So, we shall admit 540, and if 10% did not join, I will still have 486 students as opposed to 450 in the current scenario. Yes, there is a risk that I might have 510 students. But the question is that if you have capacity to deal with 500 students properly and in the best way that you want to deal with them, would you rather have 450 students and waste a significant investment, or would you rather live with a very small probability of 510 students in some year (and hence the quality of education for that batch presumably going down).
Of course, the immediate question will be what branch to assign to these extra students. It is assumed that the students will give a choice during the counseling that they are willing to be admitted to an Institute without any assignment of a program. So someone, for example, could give a higher preference for IITB-NONE compared to ISM-Dhanbad-Mining-BTech. On the joining date at an institute, we will know how many students in each category have joined. Based on this data, we know vacancies in each program in each category. We can do an internal branch change of each student based on their preferences in JEE counseling, and by this process, the unassigned students will get some program assigned to them. It is assumed that when they opt for unassigned seat, they are actually willing to take any program in the Institute. So if they have not put in all the choices during the JEE counseling, they could be given a random seat.
The problem will come when the number of vacancies (or people not joining) is less than the number of students admitted against unassigned seats. In such a case, each institute will take its own decision on how to assign programs to these people. The easiest will be to increase the number of seats in each program by same proportion. If there are 10 programs, and there are 10 unassigned students, increase 1 seat in each program.
This has a downside. Most of the JEE selected candidates - while they may have solved hugely complex mathematical problems in JEE, they will now claim that they don't understand probability and statistics. They will make statements like this: If you have 500 seats and you are admitting 8% extra, then theoretically you could have 540 students. It means that at least in such a case, you will somehow manage 540 students. Then why not admit 540 students anyway. The only answer to this question is that if you do not understand probability and statistics, then you don't deserve to be in an IIT. We will take your name off the JEE merit list.
There is a solution number 3. This is to somehow have an incentive for the student to inform JEE in advance that he has decided not to take admission. What could be such an incentive. How about returning some of the money that you charge them. Right now, JEE asks for Rs. 40,000 to be deposited for accepting admission, and whether you decide to withdraw the next day or 2 weeks later, you don't back a single paisa. If we could have a sliding scale. If you withdraw within a day, we will give you back most of the money, if you withdraw within a week, we will deduct some more, and so on. Then there is an incentive for people to decide fast and communicate that decision to JEE.
The problem with this scheme is that the Government has mandated that anyone leaving the program till the day of beginning of the semester, has to be refunded the entire amount (except a token processing fee of Rs. 1,000). IITs currently are below the radar of the government, and don't get hauled up when they don't give any refund. But if they start giving refund, they will have to follow this policy of 100% refund. This policy of 100% refund has played havoc with admission process in India. Ever since this rule has been made in 2007, most admissions are now done after the beginning of the semester in most colleges across the country. To know more about it, you may want to read one of my old blog article on refund rules. Strangely, most students and parents believe that this refund rule is very good, not realizing how it has destroyed education in NITs, and other good institutes, and how it is actually making more money for private colleges, since most admissions are now happening after the beginning of the semester, where the refunds are not controlled by this rule anyway.
So, IITs may have to argue with MHRD to junk this rule and come with an alternate scheme with gradations for refund depending on how many days before the semester the student is withdrawing.
Of course, there is a 4th solution. IIT Directors can agree that after the 2nd round of counseling, each Institute can decide on its own whether they want to do more admissions, and do those admissions in whatever way they deem fit (increase ad hocism). Of course, JEE could go to Supreme Court and not do anything on the ground this year.
The right thing to do is to do both 2nd and 3rd solutions. Admit additional students, and have a graded refund policy. Doing these things together will clean up the admission process not just in IITs, but in all engineering colleges, since they will then be able to do the same thing.
In my opinion, this high court ruling is a godsend to IITs to improve their admission process without political interference or too much media glare. After all, they will be following the legal mandate. I hope they will do something that will have a positive impact on all engineering admissions throughout the country.
In the end, I will like to just give out the vacant seats last year in old IITs, BHU and ISM in unreserved and OBC categories (combined). IITB (2/663), IITD (5/640), IITK (8/622), IITM (10/630), IIT-GHY (20/442), IIT-KGP (54/1008), IIT-R (114/866), IT-BHU (146/785), ISM (213/760).


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Only help if you can be helpfulHey All, A topic has come up of late in the IRC channel in regards to the general feel of the forums and the community that supports them. Things have progressed further than I would have liked with out this being addressed more publicly because I would much rather have snubbed this out sooner rather than later.. but I have been busy. Here is the general rule I would like people to follow: Wheaton's Law "Don't be a dick." Those of you from the IRC channel know that this is the only rule I ask people in there to follow and we generally have a good and lively time chatting about all manner of things. This is basic rule that just about everyone understands and I am going to expand it to the forums from here moving forward. If you can not help people in a helpful and polite manner then I simply ask you to stop. Now I generally take a back seat to moderating the forums as I like to participate in the suggestions forum fairly heavily at times and would rather do so as a forums user than a moderator. But I am also fairly well known for being the person who constantly puts their foot down and so I am stepping up and doing so on here. If you find yourself unable to respond to a message politely then I ask that you do not respond. This mostly focuses on the increasing level of hostility found within the Suggestion forum as well as the Server forum. I do not care if this is the 30th some odd time you have seen someone make the same suggestion. Or even if the new post on an older topic is one entry above the old one. I expect the members of this forum to respond politely to the user, new or old, and point to the older topic if it applies and even go the extra step to suggest they either add in new information or to summarize the outcome of the previous discussion based upon the new post's entry into it. That is what we are here for, that is why I close most topics instead of deleting them, so that they can be found and referenced down the road. The next topic is the slew of derailment attempts I have seen as of late. If you want to have fun and joke around that is what the off topic forum is for and pretty much anything goes there. I do not expect to read a suggestion thread and have to go through 3 pages of image memes people have shot back and forth. Quite simply this is a waste of my time to read and then have to clean up. Now for the summary. I am going to start taking a more active role, especially in policing the suggestion forum, and handing out warn levels to people whom I see doing this. These will be indiscriminate and applied not to just the first person who derails or is impolite on a topic or response, but to everyone whom follows the lead of that person. As I do not like doing things with out giving you all warning this post shall serve as that warning. If you have a desire to bring this topic up with me then I invite you to do so on the IRC channel. Lets raise the level of quality and grow the community. Let us not descend into the quality often found on the minecraft or league of legend forums. There is simply no need for that here. Be passionate about things, just do not be abusive.
Offline ServersRecently I've seen a few server listings showing up on the first page of the Servers forum that have been closed for an extended period of time, but have recently gotten a reply from a new member who didn't realize the server is offline. To help prevent this from happening in the future, it would be greatly appreciated if you could use the report function on the original post of any servers that have been confirmed as offline, so that the topic may be locked. If you are the admin of a server and plan on taking the server offline, please use the report function on the original post of your topic to let the TFC Staff know that the topic should be locked. If you are the admin of a server that has a locked topic, and would wish to bring the server back online, please use the report function on the original post of the topic to let the TFC Staff know that the topic should be unlocked. As always, please remember to follow rule #3 of the servers forum and update your topic title to contain the version of TFC that the server is currently running. You can do so by editing the OP, and then clicking on "Use Full Editor."
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ReignDance started following How to find Clay in Cold Biomes
How to find Clay in Cold Biomes
ReignDance replied to Geffalrus's topic in DiscussionClay doesn't spawn in areas that have a rainfall of (I believe) less than 500. You can check the rainfall by pressing F3 and finding it among all the information displayed. The area you're in probably has a rainfall value of 250. I can't say with 100% certainty; but I'm sure if you go far enough East or West, the rainfall value will eventually go up.
What's the smallest vein of anything you've ever found?
ReignDance posted a topic in DiscussionRecently, I found some native copper. I collected enough pieces from the site and other locations to get a pick, a propick, and a saw. I did the usual trick of finding the approximate center of the vein. I was getting only trace readings, so I figured it must be fairly deep. I dig straight down and almost immediately find a piece of rich copper. Awesome. I dig around to make a basic 5x5 hub for my mine. I found only one other piece. I eventually got fed up and went into creative to see if there even was any left. All I ever found were the two pieces.
ReignDance started following What's the smallest vein of anything you've ever found?
Did something happen to the server? I logged in just now and everything except the bedrock is just gone.
IGN: Ultimate_Waffle Age: 27 Timezone: PST Have you read the rules?Yes Do you understand that Estasil'Ateaummany not be suitable for individuals under the age of 15? Yes What interests you about Estasil'Ateaum? It seems like a relaxing server without too much worry. How experienced are you with TFC? I've been playing on and off for about 1.5 years. A couple of questions: How active are we expected to be? I can get on a fair bit just fine, but I'm a parent and there are days where I just can't get on. Also, I'll be out of the country for all of October; so I'll be gone a whole month. Does this server have owls in it. If not, it's not a big deal; I'm just really fond of owls is all.
ReignDance started following [Peaceful] Estasi l'Ateaum | Roleplay |
Sounds good. Thanks for the hard work on an interesting mod. Any idea what's to come in the next update?
ReignDance started following Cooking with TFC (WIP)
I like the idea of this mod. Has any progress been made on it since November?
ReignDance started following [TFC 0.79.23+] Decorations Addon for TFC
[TFC 0.79.23+] Decorations Addon for TFC
ReignDance replied to aleksey_t's topic in Addons & ApplicationsA question about the lanterns: Do they run out of fuel like the TFC lamps do?
I came up a bit short on my bronze alloy. Any way to fix it?
ReignDance replied to ReignDance's topic in DiscussionHey, thanks; I appreciate the help. I did manage to create a valid 120 units of bronze and I got it all mixed together finally.
I came up a bit short on my bronze alloy. Any way to fix it?
ReignDance posted a topic in DiscussionI tried making 300 units of bronze and thought I added the appropriate amount of metals, but I came up 20 units short. I probably forgot to add two pieces of small native copper. Not entirely sure where I went wrong. Would it work if I just melted down 20 units of copper and somehow mixed it with my 80 units of bronze alloy?
ReignDance started following I came up a bit short on my bronze alloy. Any way to fix it?
Livestock escaping?
ReignDance replied to ReignDance's topic in DiscussionOkay, thank you for your advice. I do wish the fences worked properly, though.
ReignDance started following Livestock escaping?
Livestock escaping?
ReignDance posted a topic in DiscussionNot sure if this is a feature or not, but my animals keep escaping my pens. I'll go off for a little while and come back to find one of them is on the loose. What must I do to ensure that they stay where they're supposed to?
Are rutabagas no longer an existing crop?
ReignDance replied to ReignDance's topic in DiscussionOkay, thanks.
ReignDance started following Are rutabagas no longer an existing crop?
Are rutabagas no longer an existing crop?
ReignDance posted a topic in DiscussionI'm trying to collect all crop types and I haven't found the last one I'm looking for (rutabagas). I thought it was just bad luck, but I noticed it's not represented in WAILA. So was it taken out at some point?
Wild Crops
ReignDance replied to ReignDance's topic in DiscussionOh, okay. Thanks for the response.
Wild Crops
ReignDance posted a topic in DiscussionSo it's still the first year in game. Still between the seasons of Spring and Late Summer. Temperature is around 17C during nights. I walked around a huge area and generated tons of wild crops. I marked their locations, planning to come back and harvest them when needed. It's Summer now (still first year) and it seems like they've all degenerated. Am I overlooking something?


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The Bookseller Book Design Conference, held at the Southbank Centre in London in association with book design website and consultancy Fixabook on July 8th, was a tour de force of creativity and inventiveness that had a resonating message: publishing is alive, and it may be more inventive than ever. Elisabeth Buchet-Deàk was there.
Book design is first and foremost about communication, and the language it necessitates is ever-evolving as a consequence of formerly successful formulas losing their relevance and of the public's changing responses and needs. That was the underlying yet prominent thread that encircled the presentations at the Bookseller Book Design Conference earlier this month.
Throughout the half-day event, speaker after speaker gave a passionate and personal account of their work and of the business of designing books – from the aesthetic and reissuing of classics to what the next technological shift will bring.
CAN UGLY SELL? And other questions…
Faber & Faber The Bell Jar cover debate in The Guardian
Auriol Bishop, creative director at Hodder & Stoughton, questioned the need for aesthetically pleasing covers, asking "can ugly sell?" Mark Ecob, founder of mecob design, argued in favor of the back of the book, all too often overlooked. Stephanie Seegmuller, associate publisher at Pushkin Press, spoke of the design, branding and marketing challenges facing a new and small publishing house, particularly one that publishes foreign—and often dead—authors. Seegmuller was the second to discuss the reinvention of classics, which was a theme throughout the morning, starting with Hannah Griffiths, publisher at Faber & Faber, and her art director colleague Donna Payne, who early on in the event defended their new and controversial cover for Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. Suzanne Trocme, architecture and design editor for Wallpaper, and Katharina Bielenberg, associate publisher at MacLehose Press, presented the finalists of the MacLehose Press Design Competition, in which participants were invited to submit new covers for books published by the company, most notably Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
CAN YOU JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS THUMBNAIL? A second major theme—and the only one dominated by men—was the rise of digital media and the expansion within this field as well as the new challenges it poses in terms of design. How do you go beyond the e-book? What should you be thinking about when creating an app? How should the cover look? And the thumbnail?
GIVING CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE: THE BOOK COVER. By the end of the event, I had learned that sometimes a new cover for a beloved book such as The Bell Jar can lead to more outrage than one that has obvious sexual connotation (just check out two articles in the UK press below); that it is good to break away from genre rules and not offer up a cover with a dark silhouette standing in the background of a dark, cold and foggy scene for a mystery; and, most importantly, that book design is a complex thing, where covers, marrying the general and the subjective, play a much bigger role in our relationship to book than covers are usually credited.
Watching the room full of designers as a panel critiqued works-in-progress submitted by attendees, I thought about Donna Payne's closing words: "How fantastic that in this digital landscape a cover is still relevant." She's right, of course, it truly is fantastic, but I would argue that the cover of a book today, in our image-dominated world, is in fact more relevant than ever before, not in spite of the digital landscape, but because of it.
The very fact that classics like The Bell Jar and Marcel Aymé's The Man Who Walked Through Walls—books that in the past barely needed a cover to sell—are being reinvented just goes to show to what degree design has become valuable to the publishing world and its survival.
And while I, like many, am deeply saddened by the terrible consequences of digital advancement on traditional print publishing, I choose to see this new phase in the realm of books as an opportunity for innovation and ingenuity. This needn't be the end of the printed book, and maybe digital media is, ironically, what can save it. (Full disclosure: I have yet to purchase an e-book myself…). If we are to save the book, we need to understand the cultural landscape we currently inhabit and it's clear to this participant that the designers who graced the stage during the conference can be trusted to do just that.
About Elisabeth Buchet-Deàk
Elisabeth Buchet-Deàk, known to most as Zazou, was born in Portland, Oregon, but spent the majority of her life in Paris, France. After graduating from high school with a French Literary Baccalaureate in 2007, she went on to study journalism at the University of Oregon and later moved to London, England, where she is about to enter her third year at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, studying Criticism, Communication and Curation—a cryptic sounding program that engulfs cultural studies, criticism, and curatorial practice. Elisabeth's love of books has led her to change her mind about becoming a curator, and she now has aspirations to enter the publishing world. She is currently working on her dissertation, in which she is exploring dreams, reality, and the space in between in the films of David Lynch, Federico Fellini, and Alejandro Jodorowsky.


text: On the first day of March, I traveled down to Dallas, Texas for some work meetings. The trip marked the beginning of a new role for me working with our Spanish ministry; one I really admire, but due to distance and language, know very little about. This year will be our first year inviting donors… Continue reading Vision + Austin/Waco Travel Guide


text: James Kavanaugh, Senior Vice President of Transformation and Operations at IBM, held an engaging session with the Fellows in the classroom at Notre Dame. After an inspiring video on IBM's history and future, which chronicled the company's innovations over the years including the UPC barcode, the ATM, and Watson, in addition to its international growth and diversity efforts. The Fellows had many questions (as they always do), and are hoping Jim has time to come back to campus! IBM is a generous supporter of the YALI program at Notre Dame, and for that we all — team and Fellows alike — are most appreciative.