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Grant Shapps – 2021 Statement on Covid-19
The statement made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 7 May 2021.
Good afternoon.
Welcome to today's Downing Street press conference.
I'm pleased to be joined here today by Dr Jenny Harries, the Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency and Paul Lincoln, Director General of Border Force.
We've made enormous progress this year tackling the pandemic across Britain.
We're not at the end of it, but the signs are very hopeful.
That progress has been hard won.
Won by the speed and success of our NHS vaccination programme.
By the huge scale of our testing.
And by the sheer sacrifice and the discipline of the public.
And it's so important that we don't risk undermining all that, now.
Getting a vaccination feels like being given your life back.
The newly vaccinated thanking the wonderful volunteers.
People in tears of relief.
But as well as the joy, there is also concern about a resurgence of Covid.
And it's a caution we absolutely share as a government.
And it's why the only route out of this pandemic is a careful, prudent, responsible one.
Of course we're also a nation that thrives on travel, a nation with family ties across the globe.
Notably, nearly 1 in 3 new mothers in the UK was born overseas.
And, in 2019, UK residents took over 93 million trips abroad.
So, I'm glad to be standing here today (7 May 2021) announcing the first, albeit tentative, steps towards unlocking international travel.
We want a summer in which, with the help of vaccines and testing, we can reunite family and friends.
Travelling to places we love.
We want to start looking outward again.
Whilst Covid has isolated us, travel reunites us.
Even if video calls have kept us all connected during the lockdown, there's simply no substitute for human contact.
Travel is of course also crucial for rebuilding our economy.
Bringing long-awaited relief to hard-hit airlines, airports and the tourism sector, which taxpayers have spent £7 billion in supporting.
But I have to be straight with you.
Our success in combatting Covid here, with two thirds of adults now vaccinated, is not yet replicated in many places abroad.
We in this country have managed to construct a fortress against Covid.
But the disease is still prevalent in other parts of the world, most notably at the moment in India.
In fact, more new cases of Covid have been diagnosed around the world in the last 7 days than at any time since this pandemic began.
Nobody wants to go back into lockdown. Not Ever!
That is why today's announcement, removing the 'Stay in the UK' restriction from the 17 May (2021), is necessarily cautious.
We must make absolutely sure that the countries we reconnect with are safe.
That their infection rates are low, and their vaccination rates are high.
It means making sure that they are not incubating the most dangerous variants and that their data is reliable and trustworthy.
That is why our Global Travel Taskforce has come up with a traffic light system classifying destinations by risk.
This is based on data by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, which will be published on gov.uk.
Red countries are those we should not be visiting except in the most extreme of circumstances, where repeated testing and isolation in designated government hotels on return is compulsory.
Non-UK residents who have been in a red country in the last 10 days will still be barred from entering the UK.
I have to tell you now that due to concerns about Covid rates and variants of concern, Turkey, the Maldives and Nepal must, regrettably, be added to the red list.
Amber countries form the biggest group. As with Red list countries, you should not be travelling to these places right now
Returnees will have to test 3 times, once before departure and twice after arrival, and isolate in a place of their choosing for 10 days.
Finally, we have the green countries, which you will have the opportunity to visit no earlier than the 17th May (2021) so long as you take a pre-departure test before returning to England, and a second – PCR test – 2 days after your return.
And with these green countries, you do not need to quarantine.
Travellers will be glad to hear that we have been successful in driving down the cost of tests.
However, by necessity, this initial green list must be limited.
So, I am announcing today that from May 17th, you will be able to travel to 12 green list countries and territories including Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel.
I regret that favourite summer destinations, like France, Spain and Greece are not yet included.
But, every 3 weeks from reopening we will review countries to see if we can expand the green list.
So this is just a first step.
The signs overseas are now more promising as their vaccination programmes begin to crank up and as the summer progresses we hope that more traditional tourist destinations will be unlocked.
But we have to turn that key slowly, and green list countries will be placed on a "watchlist" if we start to have concerns.
And if it's necessary, because of a new upswing in cases or a new variant, we will not hesitate to act fast and withdraw green status.
So it's up to you to check thoroughly before travelling.
If you are thinking of booking a holiday in a green list destination, please check the restrictions applying to new arrivals.
You can get this information on gov.uk and it's important because each country has its own restrictions.
Indeed, our strong advice is not to book any holiday which does not include a refund in the event of Covid-related cancellation.
And, I'm afraid, we do expect longer delays at the airport. Paul will say more about that in a moment.
But all these measures are necessary to protect us from new variants, and guard against a resurgence of infections.
That is why the UK has now developed the most comprehensive testing regime on the planet. Testing up to 2 million people per day.
Mobilising our world-leading genome sequencing to spot mutations that can lead to new variants. These are the walls of our fortress.
Because the first duty of any government is to preserve the safety of its people.
But it's also our responsibility to show global leadership.
To work with other countries to create safe standards for international travel.
These were issues I discussed with G7 Transport Secretaries when I chaired a meeting with them earlier this week.
And I was able to set out our own traffic light system.
As part of this international leadership, the government is working to develop global standards for digital travel certification.
So from 17 May, English residents will be able to use their existing NHS health app to gain access to their vaccine records.
Alternatively, they will be able request a paper letter to verify their vaccination status.
Before I finish, let me make one final point.
I know there are many watching who might want restrictions to be lifted faster and to go further.
And there are, if anything, more people who prefer a slower pace.
But what unites us all is the belief that we do not want a return to the days of misery, suffering and loss.
We must keep our fortress, built at such huge cost to us all, secure.
Until brighter days, when unrestricted travel will allow us to meet the people who mean the most to us.
But for now, we must tread carefully – respecting the science that will guide us along the way.
I'd now like to turn to Jenny to cover the epidemiological position and then Paul to discuss the Border Force situation.


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Well, we are officially "homeless". We moved all our things out of the house last weekend and Wednesday we went through the closing on our house. We celebrated our homelessness by going to a wine tasting. We're now staying in the basement of Andrew's parent's house here in Atlanta for the next few weeks. It's kinda embarrassing, and not very glamorous, but the price is right, it is temporary, and it beats the extended stay hotels where all the drug deals go down.
Andrew gives his notice of resignation at his company tomorrow, Friday Nov 17th. He'll give a four week notice and Mid-December, we're on the road!!!
Thanks to all the people who helped us pack an enormous (12' high, 26' long) U-haul truck in Atlanta; Jim Owens, Ethan Zweigel, Shannon Price, Matt & Grace Garland, and Todd Koransky. And a great big "THANKS" to Anita and Phil Castle who are storing our stuff in the attic of their beautiful 1890 Victoria home in Birmingham. A special "thanks" to Matt & Grace who followed us to all the way to Birmingham and helped us unload it up the narrow stairs into the attic. And, of course, a "thank you" goes to Jack and Ellen Koransky for supporting our adventure and allowing us to be underfoot for a month. This has been a very stressful time, and we are so fortunate to have wonderful friends and family. We couldn't have done it without everyone's help.
A caution to all those people who pulled out in front of me while I was driving the ENORMOUS truck…rental trucks are usually no-frill trucks driven by amateurs!! Think about that when you cut them off in traffic!

subset: commoncrawl


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1. Make her feel secure; QUIT BEING AGGRESSIVE
♥2. When you go home say 'Assalamualikum .' (Greetings) It kicks the shaitaan out of your home!
♥3. Prophet (Sallal lahu alaihy Wasallam) described the wife as a fragile vessel and said to take care of this vessel thats fragile. Remember that there is goodness in this vessel so treat it gently.
♥4. When you advise her, do so in privacy, in a peaceful environment. NOT IN PUBLIC as its a type of slandering.
♥5. Be generous to your wife- it keeps her LOVED
♥6. Move and let her have your seat. It will warm her heart.
♥7. AVIOD ANGER. HOW? Keep your wudu at all times. Prophet Sallal lahu alaihy Wasallam said if you are angry, sit down, if youre sitting, then lie down. Follow the sunnah!
♥8. Look good and smell great for your wife. IT keeps the LOVE!
♥9. Dont be rigid. It will break you. Prophet Mohammed (May the blessings and the peace of Allah be upon him) said 'I am the best amongst you and I am the best to my wife'. Being rigid and harsh will not bring you close to Allah and neither does it make you more of a man.
♥10. Listen to your wife-BE a GOOD LISTENER.
- Allah subhanahu se Magfirat aur Aafyiat manga karo kyuki - 14th June 2017
- Sajda e Tilawat ki dua - 14th June 2017
- Bewaon aur miskeenon ke kaam aaney wala - 14th June 2017


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ROMA series towel rail with shelf, 560mm long, in stainless steel with a satin matt finish.
Dimensions: 122 x 560 x 265mm
Finish: Satin matt
Material: Stainless steel
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Living in the football desert as I do, I've many friends who support the Sky teams – Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool - teams that have achieved far more in football than Sunderland have ever done in my lifetime. And yet it continually surprises me just how miserable they are most of the time. Why is that? Team only got fifth last year? Goalie a bit sus? Spent £30m on a useless striker? If Sunderland had the problems of any of those teams I'd be happier than Russell Grant in a tutu shop, at least for the first season, so why is that?
Expectations. And football fans it is acknowledged, have unreasonable expectations. Mr Bruce no less, said in 2011 that he was puzzled by the 'great' expectations of the Sunderland fans –
"There's a huge, big expectation here – an expectation that you would expect from a Champions League side," he claimed in the wake of sporadic shouts of "Bruce out" when Sunderland shipped two early goals against West Brom on Saturday"".
However, I'm sure he'd find a difference if he tested the water up here now – because expectations change, possibly become more realistic over time. I remember back in the 105 point season, listening to one of the games on the radio and we went in 2-0 down at half-time. It never crossed my mind that we wouldn't come back and get something from the game – which we duly did. Same with Keane's first season, once we had momentum, I expected to get something from every game – and we usually did – happy days.
Due to the batterings over the past four or five seasons expectations are definitely lower now but are pretty consistent – stability and mid table security, that's all. It's not sexy but it beats having the life sucked out of you watching four wins from the first thirty games and then another adrenaline filled white-knuckle ride at the end of every season. I expect us to be on an equal footing with the majority of Premier League sides and I expect Sunderland to compete in every game with a realistic chance of getting some points – from every game.
I expect to see the Club managed properly and cared for by the present administration, who let's face it are only caretakers, and as a result of this I expect to see improvements on and off the pitch on an ongoing basis. Is this realistic? I think so. Naive? Probably.
Definitely - compared to our present situation. Transfer window ticking down like a New Years clock, squad either hospitalized or plucked from the youth team, unrest in the dressing room and no sign of any new players coming through the door. Does this meet our expectations – of course not. We're used to players coming in droves shortly after the new manager realises the squad he's inherited is either too old, too unfit or just not good enough.
But this is not the Moyes way. He's going to follow the Everton model, buy wisely and cheaply when he can see a player that will fit into the team and build for the future - and it certainly worked there. The current Everton team is pretty much the same one he left three years ago – how many of our current squad were in our team three years ago? We're living proof that the revolving door policy doesn't work and we need to change.
So, I'm behind him 100% - and in it for the long term. There will be difficulties, especially this season the way things are going, but we have to hold our nerve, and by the time the window closes I'm sure things will look a whole lot better. The future is looking bright – not Champions League bright yet, that's for sure, but I'm noticeably happier that my mates who support the Sky teams. It's just a case of managing your expectations.


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Easy Maple Plum Puff Pastry Tarts
Sweet and simple plum puff pastry tarts tossed with amber syrup and a hint of vanilla. This easy summer dessert stars vibrant, juicy slices of plum and takes advantage of store-bought frozen puff pastry.
Plum puff pastry tarts
With gorgeous, end-of-Summer stone fruit stacked high in the market – just showing off, really – I'm currently buying peaches and plums like they're going out of style. To take advantage of the bounty, I made the easiest of sweet breakfast treats for you: maple plum puff pastry tarts.
These sweet little plum tarts are a breeze to make and require a whopping four ingredients (but really let's call it two, as sugar and good maple syrup are definitely pantry staples around these parts). All that's left on your ingredients list is puff pastry dough and an armful of fresh, ripe plums – or any other stone fruit that strikes your fancy.
So let's layer pretty plum slices on top of flakey, buttery puff pastry, sprinkle on a spoonful of coarse sugar before baking to golden perfection, brush on some dark maple syrup while the tarts are warm from the oven – for good measure – and indulge in this sweet, Summer goodness.
Know that there is a tiny bit of advance planning with these tarts – just that you'll want to let the puff pastry properly defrost for several hours before you bake these – but the hands on time is minimal.
Slice some plums, cut the puff pastry into squares/rectangles, layer on those plum slices, sprinkle with a bit of sugar, and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, and the plums are lusciously soft and fragrant.
Easy as can be.
I splurged, and used fancy Dufour puff pastry (from Whole Foods) to make these tarts, which costs a fortune, but also happens to be made with simple, natural ingredients (all-butter and no corn syrup, among other things), is arguably more wholesome, and objectively more flakey and delicious, than its more commonly available cousin in the red and white package.
The maple flavor is lovely with the plums – and most other sweet things – but you could easily swap in honey if that's your preference. Also, just about any stone fruit will do here: plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, pluots… pick your favorite(s) and layer them on! Happy baking!!
More easy summer desserts to make next:
- Dark chocolate olive oil zucchini bread
- A summer peach galette
- Gooey blackberry chocolate fig bars
- Easy peach puff pastry tarts
If you make these plum puff pastry tarts, be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked them! ★★★★★ Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura
PrintMaple Plum Puff Pastry Tarts
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: Serves 8
- 1 (14oz) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
- 1 lb (4-5) plums, pitted and thinly-sliced
- 1/4 cup pure cane sugar
- 1–2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the puff pastry into 8 equal rectangles. Use a fork to prick all over.
- Slice the plums into thin slices, and layer the plum slices on top of the pastry, leaving at least a half-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle with the sugar.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the plums are jammy and the edges of the pastry are puffed and golden. Remove from the oven, and while the pastries are still warm, lightly drizzle or brush on the maple syrup. Serve warm or at room temperature.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
The City of Canal Winchester and Diley Ridge Medical Center, in cooperation with the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will host a National Prescription Drug Take-Back event on April 29, 2017 at the Diley Ridge Medical Center parking lot, 7911 Diley Rd., from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
"Prescription drug abuse is a very serious issue in our community and throughout central Ohio," said Aimee Milligan, president & COO, Diley Ridge Medical Center. "It's important we do all that we can to help combat this epidemic—that's why we were eager to partner with the Mayor's Office to bring this event to our community."
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day provides an opportunity for local residents who want to dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs in a safe manner. "Canal Winchester's Take-Back event offers a drive thru type setting where you simply drop any unwanted prescription drugs and continue on your way," said Canal Winchester Mayor Michael Ebert.
Since joining the DEA program in 2011, more than 200,000 prescription pills have been collected at the Diley Ridge drop off location. "We hope everyone in the area will again take advantage of this opportunity to dispose of their expired and unwanted medications," said Mayor Michael Ebert. "We'd like to thank our partners and volunteers who help make this event possible, and to thank Diley Ridge Medical Center for allowing us to use their property."
Please note that collectors cannot accept liquids (including inhalers and their refills) or needles or sharps, only pills. The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked.
For a list of additional collection sites in other communities, visit www.dea.gov.


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Coronavirus News
Dallas city and county officials say no to Halloween trick-or-treating
With COVID-19 surging, Dallas city and county officials are emphasizing that people need to skip the usual Halloween routine this year.
Namely, no trick-or-treating.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson co-hosted a press conference on October 28 to strongly discourage the practice.
Jenkins, who dressed in a heavy metal-style costume with long black wig for the occasion, said, "Turn the porch light off, don't give out candy, and parents should find something else fun for their kids to do."
Local officials are not allowed to do an outright ban due to restrictions from Gov. Greg Abbott.
"The governor has taken powers normally allowed to mayors and county judges working with health officials, so we can only do a few things," Jenkins said.
"But I think most families are not interested so much in knowing what is legal but interested in knowing what is safe," he said. "And there's no dispute. President Trump, the CDC, public health officials, and now the mayor and I are here, trying to push home that message. If you want to do what is safe, you will turn the light off and not do trick-or-treating this year."
The holiday comes at a time when Dallas County Health and Human Services has raised the COVID-19 risk level from orange (extreme caution) to red (stay home, stay safe), based on the increased numbers of new coronavirus cases, positive cases as a percentage of all tested, and hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19. They're all up, up, and up.
The CDC and Dallas County, the city of Dallas' contracted health authority, have determined that traditional Halloween activities may be high-risk for spreading COVID-19, particularly during colder weather.
"As it gets cold and people go inside, the incidence increases," Jenkins said.
He also pointed out the fallacy of assuming that kids are less vulnerable.
"Children over the age of 10 will get COVID-19 with the same frequency as adults," he said. "Younger children get it a little less. But we do have instances in Dallas County like the young lady at a high school who lost her life."
Dallas County is discouraging not only door-to-door trick-or-treating, but also "Trunk or Treat" events, to allow physical distance, avoid crowds, and prevent cross-contamination of wrapped candies.
"What you're trying to avoid are dozens of hands going into the same bucket, and enticing kids to get together in groups," he said. "And then encounter other groups, all breathing heavily, and not wearing surgical masks."
They offer this list of safer, alternative ways that pose a lower risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19:
- Online parties/Costume contests
- Car parades such as Candy Caravan at Dallas Heritage Village
- Halloween movie nights
- Halloween-themed meals
- At-home candy scavenger hunt


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The Lowdown on Executive Summaries & Letters of Inquiry
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How do you keep an appeal "short and sweet," while still making sure they are complete?
This session focuses on the skills needed to break down a large proposal and effectively communicate key information in the form of an Executive Summary or Letter of Inquiry (LOI). Learn what donors are looking for in these "compact proposal" narratives and what should be reserved for the full proposal or in-person dialogue.
- The difference between an Executive Summary and an LOI
- Key components of an Executive Summary
- Key components of a Letter of Inquiry
- Quick tips to make sure every sentence packs a punch and gets the donor's attention
- Helpful hints on what NOT to include in an Executive Summary and LOI
Marie Palacios | Business Partner, Funding for Good
Marie Palacios, owner of MP ProConsult and principal business associate of Funding for Good, is a native of Morganton, NC. She began her non-profit experience as a volunteer while completing a community service project in college. During her freshman year at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Marie walked into a local non-profit to volunteer with children and never left the field!


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Blog Post from Longworth Procurement Director Stephen Barnett 05 Dec 2018
Longworth Procurement Director Stephen Barnett, contemplates a question
Its the third in a series of 5 blog posts and Longworth's SHEQ Manager, Melissa Fazackerley, asks each of the Longworth company directors a question about their area of work in relation to the construction industry as a whole. Blog post number 3 is from Procurement Director Stephen Barnett. Here is what Melisa put to Stephen:
How can we make positive changes within our supply chain in relation to health, safety and well-being?
In my opinion, I believe there are 3 key factors that will have positive impacts within our supply chain which can not only improve standards but will continually improve our standards to help us reach our target goals and initiatives.
Building and maintaining a safety culture starts from the beginning of the procurement process. At Longworth we hold pre-start meetings to discuss the project as whole, the demands, logistics and local environment so that our supply chain can fully understand the task ahead and what the collaborative goals are. Equally, it is important for Longworth to understand how the product being procured is manufactured, the contents, training requirements, how its packaged, delivered and the constraints imposed upon the supplier, that way we can all find the best solution, together as a team.
In order to maintain a positive culture, Longworth holds continual Supplier Forums lead by Senior Management. We hold safety talks to discuss new systems and ways of working. This allows us to convey Longworth's aims and initiatives, review issues recently encountered, share information around incidents, accidents & near misses and what the solutions are. The implementation of supplier forums mean that our key suppliers can share their commitments to H&S, share their good practices and promote lessons learned to avoid similar issues being repeated. We also ensure that the latest Material Safety Data Sheets are issued so that assessments can be carried out, risks get managed and alternatives are sorted.
Properly trained employees will have a better understanding of the products, be fully aware of the pitfalls and hazards which will aid how the method of work and associated risks can be properly managed. It will also allow them to perform their roles better, build their confidence and not be too nervous to suggest how we can improve and report any issues that we may encounter on a project by project basis.
Procurement Director Stephen Barnett
What our clients say
"Longworth's expertise in the traditional metal roofing trade proved invaluable. We would like to thank them for working closely with us to achieve our original vision."Katy Heath, Nightingale Associates


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Water is all around us, and it's something many Canadians take for granted. But water quality and quantity is increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution and other human-driven impacts.
Brock University Assistant Professor Julia Baird researches how we can foster resilience of freshwater resources through management and governance in an era of rapid change and uncertainty.
"Water is vital; everybody knows it. Water is an incredibly critical resource and it's under pressure," says Baird, who was named Brock's newest Canada Research Chair last week by the Canadian government.
As Canada Research Chair in Human Dimensions of Water Resources and Water Resilience, Baird is studying a "new water paradigm," a view that recognizes the complex interactions between freshwater social and ecological systems that are constantly being influenced by internal and external forces.
Because of this complexity, uncertainty and dynamic nature of these systems, the old "command-and-control" approach to making decisions about water "is not going to sustain ecosystems or humans in the future," says Baird.
The foundation of her work is the concept of resilience: the capacity to retain structure and function during times of change; learn, adapt and transform when faced with that change; and organize itself to meet the challenges.
"I'm interested in management and governance approaches that incorporate ideas of resilience: the ability to adapt and change to support human and ecosystem well-being," says Baird, Assistant Professor in Brock's Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) and the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies.
Underlying Baird's work is the belief that humans are impacting the earth and that a new time period — the Anthropocene — should be added to the planet's official geologic timeline.
"We are in an era where humans are the driving force of change," she says. "We need to really think about how we're managing our actions. The social dimension is critical."
Baird's research will focus on how freshwater resilience can be fostered by society and what needs to be done to respond to increasing challenges and complexities.
She will also examine how individual actions aimed at restoring the ecosystem contribute to building resilience, and understand how social networks and other factors influence decision-making at that individual level.
Baird says she "couldn't be happier" with her Canada Research Chair appointment.
"It's a really great opportunity," she says. "It provides tremendous support for my program of research and acknowledgement of the importance of water resilience as a priority research area here at Brock and for Canada.
"This also provides opportunities to engage in national and international collaborations. It gives me that boost at the beginning of my career to really excel in my field."
Baird, who has a background in agricultural sciences and environment and sustainability, joined Brock in 2011 as a post-doctoral fellow, earning her PhD from the University of Saskatchewan in 2012. She became an adjunct professor in the ESRC in 2015, and an assistant professor in the ESRC and the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies earlier this year. She says the ESRC, Faculty of Social Sciences and Office of Research Services have all played a big role in supporting both her work and the CRC nomination process.
Baird has a history of international research partnerships. In a 2016 study involving research partners from across Europe, Australia and Canada, Baird and her colleagues found there are a wide range of perceptions about water resilience and how water resources should be governed across multiple international cases.
"Baird is an outstanding researcher whose work has national and international impact. This award recognizes her outstanding accomplishments, and it will help further her career as a scholar," says Joffre Mercier, Brock's Interim Vice-President, Research.
With Baird's award, Brock now has a total of 11 Canada Research Chairs.


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If you want to be fully prepared with regards to parking, then follow these tips. When you book airport parking, you need to make sure that you choose something that will meet all your needs. It does not matter if it is your first time booking airport parking or if you have been doing it for years, you still need to follow these tips to save money.
Hire an airport shuttle service
If your aim is to have a dramless time while you are traveling, then go for Airport shuttle services. Besides getting you to the airport on time, an airport transfer company can also save you from the theatrics of waiting in long lines to park your car. They will pick you up from your home and drop you right outside the departure lounge at the Airport. The best part is companies like Executive Shuttle Service Ltd, which may offer limo service Red Deer for airport transportation, can be an economic choice. Firms similar to this often charge a minimal amount of money for travel.
You will save time and money if you book in advance. You can actually save up to 60% if you pre-book instead of paying at the gate. You will also have a guaranteed parking space and you have the opportunity to compare different companies to make sure that you get the best price available.
Shop around
Some travel agents and airlines will sell airport parking as an added extra. And they will often sell this added extra at a premium rate. It is wise to shop around independently for this and you will be happy to see how much money you can end up saving. Look online for discounts/voucher codes, as often there are some great bargains to be had and you can save yourself a few quid for the sake of 5 mins on a computer! Check out the Netvouchercodes – travel section for offers.
Allow plenty of extra time
You need to allow for extra time over and above your airport check-in time. You need to have time to drop your car off, especially if the car park is offsite where you will need to catch a shuttle bus to get back to the airport. You would not want to miss your flight!
Choose the right product
There are so many different products to choose from and it is very important that you choose one that suits you – off airport, on airport, short stay, long-stay, or a personal meet and greet service. Think before you book your airport parking. Check out this video that contains an in depth breakdown of how to save money on your airport parking:
Cancellation policies
It makes sense to choose a parking option that offers a flexible and free cancellation policy. One that allows you to change and cancel bookings up to 24hrs before the date of your departure will save you a lot of heartache and cash.
Arriving back home
Make sure that you know exactly where to go when you arrive back at the airport to collect your car. If there is a shuttle bus that takes you to your car, make sure you know where it will pick you up as it could be in a different place to where it dropped you off.
Make sure that you always check that the airport parking company has security measures in place. This will ensure that your car is safe while you are away on holiday. Look for the 'Park Mark' sign and park in that area to make extra sure that you car is safe.
The Park Mark scheme was set up by the Association of Chief Police Officers in conjunction with the British Parking Association in a bid decrease the number of crimes committed when vehicles are left unattended.
Cancellation protection
When you book airport parking with certain companies, you are allowed to add cancellation protection to your booking for a minimal fee. What this means is that if you need to cancel for any reason, you will get all your money back, as long as you give the company at least 24 hours notice.
Airport hotels or regular hotels?
You might want to consider staying at an airport hotel on the night before you fly. This really makes a lot of sense, especially if you have a very early flight booked. Many times park and fly packages can end up costing more than parking only. It is important that you consider all your options before you book anywhere.
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The recent advice by TechUK, that Councils should establish digital boards, is a welcome call to raise 'digital' to Board-level importance. As Rishi Sunak has said:
"Digital doesn't belong in the basement, it belongs in the boardroom."
There is also a welcome realisation that data is a focal point: that there should be an insistence "on modular building blocks and open standards to create a common data structure". The problem is though, that data sharing will still be a challenge:
"A lack of information sharing was also apparent, which hampers collaboration. Some 46% of those surveyed disagreed that local public services shared information effectively. One non-executive councillor from a London borough said local authorities were "deeply conservative in their approach to information processing" and, as a result, were "missing opportunities for more efficient and effective working through digital transformation".
It also found a split in opinions on sharing public data with the private sector, with only 6% agreeing that public sector data should be shared with the private sector to develop appropriate solutions for local government. While so-called digital enthusiasts, cabinet members and leaders were somewhat positive, 50% of digital sceptics "overwhelmingly feel that data should not be used in this way"."
Digital boards will help but with increasing digital ambitions such as information hubs, ecosystems, and data-driven innovation, overcoming the data sharing challenge is vital if transformation is not to be baulked at the first hurdle – remembering that this too plagued e-government initiatives in 2005. (Sounds strangely familiar…?)
The Local Digital Declaration states:
"…we will 'fix our plumbing' to break our dependence on inflexible and expensive technology that doesn't join up effectively."
But the declaration doesn't elaborate as to how that 'joining-up' will be achieved.
Incorvus' answer is, as it has always been, is that the data must come first. Data is the life blood of digital organisations. If the data doesn't flow, or is of poor quality, the body corporate gets 'ill' – things don't work as they should. So fixing the 'plumbing' is only part of the task. Yes, the shift is away from application-centric, peer-to-peer networks towards open source – but it also has to be toward data-centric architectures. You have to know what the 'flow' requirements are before you can 'specify the plumbing'.
To give the public sector – or indeed anyone – confidence in the security, governance, management and control of shared information (whether in hub or ecosystem), the challenges have to be answered at a very granular level. Data-centricity addresses this through a focus on metadata at cell level so that whatever eventual project or application is intended, the elements of governance, workflow and audit are commonly available to any controlling application or authorised demand. If you will, this is something of an inversion of the new Solid ecosystem announced by Tim Berners Lee this week, intended to 'inrupt' the web. The underlying principle is the same: make the key data available to the entitled, not the other way around. It's about making data available to the 'plumbing'.
The data-centric approach is the way to answer the data sharing concerns regarding security; shareability; governance and confidence expressed by the public sector. You can only share something securely if the control metadata is appended at the data level itself. Why? Because the data has to flow. And its a controlled flow, sometimes beyond the initial domain within a multi-domain ecosystem, creating further insecurities for DPO's and those concerned about personal or sensitive data.
This means that before any technology is discussed, the 'business' has to sit down, think hard and clearly map out intended metadata structures, hierarchies, terms, vocabularies, relationships and dictionaries – to establish a common data ontology both within the enterprise, but with relevance in the public sector, to higher levels of government.
This is highlighted by a recent announcement from NHS Digital which is to publish new guidance on common data standards. They have already reported to the Lords Select Committee, that "NHS data is not fit for AI!" Julian Huppert, chair of the independent review panel for DeepMind Health states that NHS trusts have many different systems, and some hospitals run hundreds of databases that "don't talk to each other." Great diagnosis but the treatment advocated by Huppert, that of a "secure, centrally managed system", is reminiscent of SPINE and doesn't go far enough because data is now understood to be "a continuous renewable resource". This point is underlined by comments from Martin Severs, medical director at NHS Digital, who said:
"Medical data is very chaotic at source. My phone is more powerful than many of the computers in hospitals. There is a lot of focus in the media about the development of algorithms, but very little focus on the preparation of data…."
"All the data the NHS holds is funded by the British taxpayer. Any use of that data should generate benefits back to the taxpayer. While we should open up enough data as possible for specific research and use cases, within those data-sharing agreements there should be a return on investment on that data. There is billions of pounds' worth of value in this data. We need to encourage innovation and allow failure at low costs, but there needs to be a return on investment of that data back into the NHS."
The digital citizen has to be a consistent definition understood across government before that return on investment can happen. Ambitious work on AI, blockchain or any other digital transformation projects has to be preceded, not run alongside, the "back-to-basics drive to get data right!" And a core activity of that drive, has to be addressing metadata issues. Assuming organisations manage to achieve that planning stage, they will still be confronted with the difficulty of discovering and harmonising metadata within packaged applications (some large organisations have as many as 1300 of these), which is where they might want to consider the use of Safyr to discover and extract metadata and metadata structures instead of diluting the business benefits with intensive and costly manual intervention. That would be a good starting point for the data sharing challenge they will have to face. Without understanding of metadata; without a granular approach (and solutions in this area are as rare as hen's teeth) the challenge will remain an uphill struggle – a continuance of the failed 2005 e-government journey.


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Background and objectives: Multiple deleterious signaling cascades are simultaneously activated in acute pancreatitis (AP), which may limit the success of pharmacologic approaches targeting a single step. We explored whether cooling acinar cells slows distinct steps initiated from a stimulus causing pancreatitis simultaneously, and the temperature range over which inhibition of such deleterious signaling occurs. Methods: Caerulein (100 nM) induced trypsinogen activation (TGA), CXCL1, CXCL2 mRNA levels, cell injury were studied at 37°C, 34°C, 31°C, 29°C and 25°C in acinar cells. Trypsin, cathepsin B activities and cathepsin B mediated TGA were studied at 37°C, 23°C and 4°C. Results: There was >80% reduction in TGA, CXCL1 and CXCL2 mRNA levels at 29°C, and in cell injury at 34°C, compared to those at 37°C. Trypsin activity, cathepsin B activity and cathepsin B mediated TGA at 23°C were respectively, 53%, 64% and 26% of that at 37°C. Acinar cooling to 31°C reduced LDH leakage even when cooling was initiated an hour after caerulein stimulation at 37°C. Conclusions: Hypothermia synergistically and simultaneously slows parallel and distinct signaling steps initiated by caerulein, thereby reducing TGA, upregulation of inflammatory mediators and acinar injury.
Original language | English (US) |
Pages (from-to) | 459-464 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Pancreatology |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2014 |
- Acinar injury
- Acute pancreatitis
- Caerulein
- Hypothermia
- Inflammatory mediators
- Trypsinogen activation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Hepatology
- Gastroenterology


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As we near the 74th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings, we call on every Canadian to let prospective candidates for federal elected office know the importance of our government doing everything within its power to ensure that nuclear weapons are never again used.
Tag Archives: Paul Rogers
Nuclear dangers and how to dispel them
The "nuclear taboo" has not been broken since 9 August 1945 and we all have a role to play in keeping it that way.
Paul Rogers: Trump's dangerous State of the Union address
Bush's post-9/11 address launched sixteen years of war. Trump's sequel promises many more.
Will we ever learn? Isis and the West
Paul Rogers, writing for Opendemocracy.net, provides a clear analysis of the evolution of ISIS and the western worlds' failure to find a way out of the trap cast by ISIS ("ISIS's plan, and the west's trap", Opendemocracy.net, 27 November, 2015). Tactics employed by ISIS have continued to change but the West has failed to adapt, […]
Blowback: Iraq war to Islamic state
Since mid-May of 2015 Ceasefire.ca has been calling for all federal party leaders to commit to a full public defence and security policy review. Of particular importance will be a reassessment of the disastrous and utterly counterproductive "war on terror" launched by then President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Yet […]
Interview with Paul Rogers on Paris attack
Paul Rogers, professor of peace studies at the University of Bradford and OpenDemocracy's international-security editor, discusses the recent attacks in Paris and the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.


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Samsung launched the flagship Galaxy Note8 smartphone in India back in September. We already brought you the review of the phone, here we have the battery life test results of the phone. It packs a 3300mAh battery battery, slightly smaller than the 3500mAh battery on the S8+ and supports Samsung's own Adaptive fast charging both on wired and wireless (WPC and PMA). It has a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display, is powered by Samsung Exynos 9 Series 8895 processor, has 6GB of RAM and runs on Android 7.1.1 (Nougat). Check out the test results.
Talk Time
It lasted for 25 hours and 9 minutes in our talk time test.
3G Browsing
It lasted for 7 hours and 49 minutes in our 3G browsing test.
WiFi Browsing
It lasted 9 hours and 7 minutes in our WiFi Browsing test.
Video Playback
It lasted 16 hours and 44 minutes in our video playback test and topped the charts.
Charging Time
It took 1 hour and 21 minutes to charge the phone, thanks to Samsung's Adaptive fast charging technology.
Standby Time
It lasted for 53 days in our standby test.
It achieved a One Charge Rating of 14 hours and 46 minutes, mainly due to talk time, otherwise it's just average compared to most other flagships. Check out our battery life test procedure, to know more about our tests in detail.


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Call it fate, or destiny, but a basset hound named Ginger has been reunited with her owner after 10 years apart. On a whim, Jamie Carpentier decided to check out a website he had never been on. He had recently lost his boxer and had decided not to get another dog, but something made him peruse the listings of dogs up for adoption at the Humane Society for Greater Nashua. That's where he saw the posting for the dog he hadn't seen in ten years, Ginger.
Carpentier got divorced 10 years ago, when Ginger was just 3 years old. His ex-wife had custody of the dog and unbeknownst to him had surrendered her for adoption not long after. Ginger was re-homed but recently her elderly owner could not care for her anymore and took her to the humane society, where she has waited for 3 months for a new home.
Even though there was no photo, when Carpentier read the ad describing the 13 year old hound his curiosity was more than he could bear. "You always wonder what happened to the dog that… you had a long time ago; and you couldn't keep it because something happened and you had to give her up," said Carpentier. After all these years could this be his Ginger? And so it was. When he called and described her the markings on Ginger matched those from the old photos he had saved and so he went to the Humane Society to see for himself.
"It was almost like she had never left my sight," he said. "She got up as soon as she saw me, walked up to me, looking at me and started kissing me on the cheek." Fortunately Carpentier's daughter and fiancee were both in favour of bringing Ginger home, to her last forever home with her first owner. "I have her now and she has a place to live and stay," he said. "The end. It's awesome."


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Hot topics
Guest Column: August 2011
There has been a lot of focus lately in Canada on the role of the fire service in emergency medical responses.
August 4, 2011
By Fred LeBlanc
There has been a lot of focus lately in Canada on the role of the fire service in emergency medical responses. It is interesting that the focus has been so great lately in Ontario, given that the fire service has historically played a significant role in responses to life-and-limb threatening emergencies. While the level of response has varied, the Ontario Pre-hospital Advance Life Support (OPALS) study conducted in the mid-1990s set the course for the involvement of Ontario's fire service in emergency medical responses.
Today, it is common for professional firefighters to be trained in advance emergency first aid, CPR, and defibrillation. This training, combined with the ability to respond quickly to emergencies, makes the fire service a logical choice to augment paramedics in the delivery of EMS.
In Ontario, the fire service has played largely a supportive role in the pre-hospital emergency-response system. During the OPALS study (and since that time) many fire services adopted defibrillation as part of their service delivery; this works well and supplements the response of advanced-life paramedics to these life-threatening emergencies. Recently, there has been a lot of focus in Ontario on EMS response time – this has nothing to do with the front-line paramedics, rather the concern relates more to a larger, systemic problem. But with more ambulances and EMS personnel spending more time waiting in emergency rooms, the fire service has been relied upon to an even greater extent to respond to life-threatening emergencies. For the OPFFA, it seems like a natural fit for the fire service to be involved in the broader delivery of emergency medical response.
So why all the fuss from the EMS community? The OPFFA has for years sought the simultaneous dispatch of fire and EMS to medical emergencies to ensure the best of the system can be delivered to the patient. Three years ago, the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) approached the OPFFA to work jointly on this initiative. As I write this column, the McGuinty government has supported simultaneous notification and a pilot project is in the final planning stages. The simultaneous-notification technology could be a turning point for the way emergency medical services are delivered and the role of the fire service in this type of response. It is disappointing that when the fire service is finally receiving critical government support for simultaneous-notification technology, there are still some in the fire service and in municipal administrations who are pushing back.
Both the OPFFA and the OAFC expected some turf protection from the EMS community, which may view simultaneous response as a potential encroachment on its territory. However, both associations have advocated sending fire to the life-and-limb threatening calls to which it already responds, but doing so simultaneously. To have some fire chiefs support a reduction in the type of life-threatening medical emergencies to which their fire services respond (which has happened in a number of Ontario municipalities, and which the OPFFA equates to a reduction in public service) is disappointing. And, for municipal councils to play the budget card as justification for reducing this type of service is laughable: taking trained emergency responders out of the mix for minimal savings on fuel and wear and tear on vehicles just doesn't make sense and, ultimately, the taxpayer will pay more dearly through longer response times.
EMS chiefs have been very good to convince some Ontario fire chiefs to amend local tiered-response agreements based on new ambulance dispatch protocols and patient outcome – a term I have heard more recently than during my entire career. Essentially, their argument is that there are many responses to which the fire service simply doesn't make a difference to patient outcome. But the fire service does make a difference to patient care, whether it is with hands-on medical intervention, assisting the advance-life paramedics, or by dealing with distraught family members. If it is determined by paramedics on scene, after a patient assessment, that firefighters are not required, then so be it – we clear that scene and are immediately put back into the system, ready to respond to the next call. Does it not make more sense to send firefighters? We are trained and the cost of fuel is negligible.
To clarify, this is about life-and-limb threatening emergencies only. Ontario's paramedics respond to a variety of calls and the OPFFA is not suggesting that the fire service needs to respond to everything that the paramedics do. With the advent of simultaneous notification, now is the time to establish common, tiered-response agreements wherever there are full-time firefighters responding. Many who are working on the simultaneous-notification project see the wisdom in this approach, but without the support of the OAFC, it becomes difficult to achieve. The OAFC believes that doing so will override local decision making. Therefore, municipal politicians, who set local service levels, need to understand the role the fire service can play in emergency medical response and the value that the fire service brings to their constituents.
We don't have to look far outside of Ontario to see the advantages of an EMS system in which fire plays an increased role. In Winnipeg, for example, they have introduced firemedics (firefighters trained as primary care paramedics) as an additional element within their EMS system. The difference between Ontario and Winnipeg is that ownership of the EMS service remains with the province (or at least the upper-tier municipality – where the fire service is at the lower tier), as do the dispatch centres. Without the ability to locally control the resources through one dispatch centre, the efficiencies can be found only as they have been described here – through simultaneous notification and expansive tiered-response agreements.
We need to attempt to remove the turf-war mentality at the upper levels of management and the union and focus on the front-line response. After all it is about the patient – it's that simple.
Fred LeBlanc is president of Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association and a captain in Kingston, Ont. Contact him at email@example.com
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Fresh from the Studio
Fresh from the Studio invites W&TW artist members to share what they are working on now with you! In this virtual format, artists will share work in progress, newly finished artworks, and recent or upcoming projects. Each presentation will be about 10 minutes with time for your questions and comments afterwards. Fresh from the Studio is your chance to see what is new and hear from contemporary artists. This program is free and open to the public.
This segment of Fresh from The Studio will feature artists like Luna Davis, Meena Matai, Brianna McIntyre, and Cary Reeder.
About the Artists
Currently based in Austin, Luna Davis works primarily in mixed media ranging from silkscreen, photography, video, and sculpture. Her work encapsulates ideas of digital identity and traumas found in domestic spaces. Davis graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Studio Art in 2022. Recent projects include Good In Tensions 2022 at ICOSA, and Facade 2022, at the Visual Arts Center. Davis has received grants from Austin Community College, including the Steve Kramer Scholarship in 2019.
Meena Matai creates vibrant and playful art. Her creative journey is as much spontaneous and playful, as it is meditative and introspective. She grew up in India in a family of engineers and educators. Art has been the one constant in her life, even while she built a career in electrical engineering. Her life is now a balance of being an artist, an engineer, a mother, an educator and a human being. Matai is based in Austin, TX.
Brianna Mcintrye is an artist and designer based in Austin, TX. Her creative practice focuses on crafting objects and ephemera that communicate narratives of duality, precariousness, and her experiences as a Black woman. One of her goals as a maker is to take materials out of their comfort zone in order to push their structural qualities and intended use. She is interested in investigating political and social identities through the use of clothing, furniture, and found objects as construction materials. She received her BFA in Furniture Design and Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Cary Reeder is a Miami, Florida native, who has made Houston, Texas her home since 1996. Working in multi-media including paint, paper, colored vinyl and flagging tape, she is keenly interested in how color impacts emotion and how light, shadow and space create an ever-changing picture plane. She got her start in art as a graphic artist and received her fine art training at the Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts-Houston. In between she had a 20+ year career as a grant writer and fundraiser for nonprofit organizations. Her work has been included in numerous exhibitions, and in solos shows at Mystic Lyon (2018), Galveston Arts Center (2018), Optical Project (2016) and Lawndale Art Center (2013). In 2021, her sculpture "Treeodesic Dome" was included in the Houston public art project True North 2021. She is a past recipient of an Individual Artist Grant from the Houston Arts Alliance and in 2014 was a Hunting Prize Finalist. Her work been featured twice in New American Paintings, issues #108 and #120, and Acrylic Artist, Spring 2016. She teaches at Art League Houston.
Interested in participating in Fresh from the Studio? Click here to learn more about artist membership benefits and opportunities!
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Gulfport MS Residential and Commercial Roofing
Gulfport MS Is A Home For Pride Roofing LLC!
Anyone who has worked, lived, or retired in the MS Gulf Coast knows that Gulfport MS is one of the busiest metropolitans this side of the Mississippi River. As the second largest city in the State, Gulfport MS holds nearly 400,000 people in its metro area, and nearly 70,000 in its city proper. For hundreds of years, Gulfport has been home to harbor traffic, shipping, and sea trade between various states of the Union. Locals and tourists agree that this town is truly where your ship comes in!
Being close to the ocean has its benefits, but living in Gulfport also comes with significant challenges as well. Buffeted by sea breezes, hail storms, and hurricanes, homes and businesses along the MS Gulf Coast must maintain high quality roofs if they wish to stay dry. Pride Roofing LLC is honored to help our Gulfport MS neighbors get and keep their roofs in tip-top condition. Call today to discover our roofing solutions, or book an appointment to discuss a personalized quote today.
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En Fant Tall Thermo Boots
En Fant Tall Thermo Boots
The boot has the EN FANT logo sewn on the top. The boot is lined with a wool blend which, together with the aluminum membrane of the sole, helps to keep the feet warm. The thermal boots are molded in lightweight Megol rubber. Megol is durable and at the same time provides good movement for the child. The thermal boots have deep tread grooves in the flexible bottom making it easier to hold the foot.
- Molded in a MEGOL® thermoplastic (same function as the rubber but softer, durable and flexible)
-Made without seams= 100% waterproof
-The woolen lining and the insulating aluminum layer allow it to withstand temperatures down to -30° Celsius
-The flexible, gripping sole makes these boots particularly grippy on icy surfaces
-Lightweight and flexible to ensure the child's comfort
-Superior quality: keeps its shape and color even matter the temperature (heat resistant)
-Practical and stylish at the same time. Unlike a standard rain boot, the En Fant boot can be easily combined
-Good value for money
-Made in Europe (Bosnia)


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The 2019 Georgia Wine Producers Conference takes place on February 4th and 5th at Chateau Elan in Braselton GA. A wine tasting reception will be held on the evening of the 4th and the conference and education sessions will occur all day on the 5th.
We bave some great out-of-state speakers joining us from Cornell University and the Virginia Grape and wine industry. In-state speakers from the Georgia grape and wine industry and the University of Georgia will also be presenting research updates.
This conference is a wonderful opportunity to learn from local and regional experts and network with fellow industry members.
For more information and to register, please visit this link:


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Tuberculosis is a global health emergency that should keep you up at night. It is the second deadliest infectious disease after AIDS–in 2010, 8.8 million people fell ill with TB and 1.4 million died from it. It is very much a disease of our era: as mega-cities pop up in the developing world, more and more people live in cramped conditions, making it easy to spread a disease like TB.
TB is treatable, but not easily. For the most part, patients must take one pill a day for six months. The thing is, patients must be observed taking the pill. This is a key recommendation by the World Health Organization; people are generally going to stop taking pills once they start feeling better, but if the patient stops taking her TB medicine before the disease is fully gone, it could mutate and develop resistance to the treatment. This poses a risk to the patient and to the entire health system of a poorer country that may not be able to afford the more expensive second line treatment.
The first step to treating TB is diagnosing it correctly. This is rather difficult in poorer countries, particularly in rural settings. Last year, I visited a village in Bangladesh that was part of a national TB screening program. Diagnosis was a protracted process with many moving parts:
At a small health clinic, trained workers collect sputum samples from people who are symptomatic. Someone from a nearby hospital regularly visits the village to pick up samples for testing. There, a lab technician examines the sample under a microscope to make a diagnosis. If the test is positive, a doctor on site prescribes a treatment regime of anti-retroviral therapy.
This is kind of an ordeal. It is also burdensome on the health system because it requires a microscope and it someone who knows how to read the slides. In resources straped places like rural Bangladesh, this means that there can be long lag times between diagnosis and treatment. Also, this system cannot quickly identify Multi-Drug Resistant TB, which is really scary and must be quickly contained before it spreads.
This onerous diagnosis process may soon change for the better. Earlier this week a co-hort of global health organizations including UNITAID, PEPFAR, The Gates Foundation and USAID banded together to sharply reduce the cost of a new kind of rapid diagnostic test for TB and MDR-TB. The test is approved by the World Health Organization and can reliably diagnose TB (including an HIV/TB co-infection) within two hours. It also doesn't require any special training, like reading a slide.
The problem was, this system was very expensive–much to expensive for resource strapped heath ministries. That's where that group of health organizations comes in.
Via UNITAID:
Funds provided by this partnership will reduce the cost of Xpert MTB/RIF cartridges from $16.86 to $9.98, a price which will not increase until 2022. The effective date of this price decrease is August 6, 2012.
To date, the high unit cost of Xpert® MTB/RIF cartridges produced by the medical device manufacturer Cepheid has proven a barrier to their introduction and widespread use in low- and middle-income countries. The new agreement will immediately reduce the cost of cartridges used to diagnose TB by more than 40 percent.
In December 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the Cepheid product, known as Xpert MTB/RIF assay, which is run on Cepheid's GeneXpert platform. Until Cepheid developed the Xpert MTB/RIF assay, the only method used in most laboratories in developing countries was smear microscopy, a technique first developed in the 1880s by the German bacteriologist Robert Koch that requires visual detection of the TB bacterium under a microscope.
Smear microscopy is particularly insensitive for diagnosing TB in patients who are co-infected with HIV. It also does not help clinicians detect the presence of drug-resistant strains of TB. The limitations of traditional smear microscopy, along with the cost and long delays to receive culture results, have limited the ability to diagnose and treat TB and drug-resistant forms of the disease.
Cepheid's GeneXpert is a molecular diagnostic system that can detect TB disease in patients co-infected with HIV and resistance to the antibiotic rifampicin – a widely accepted indicator of the presence of multi-drug resistant TB – in less than two hours. The system also can be used outside of conventional laboratories because it is self-contained and does not require specialized training.
Because TB is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV in Africa, greater access to this test offers a significant advance in the capacity of health care workers to diagnose TB quickly and help reduce TB transmission, the development of TB disease, and premature TB deaths.
The capacity of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay to yield a rapid and accurate diagnosis has the potential to improve TB diagnosis and treatment in rural clinical settings. A large percentage of people with TB disease fail to start treatment promptly because of the long wait for results of older conventional tests and the need for them to return to the clinic, which may be far from where they live. Using the GeneXpert system, clinics in poor and rural settings can deliver rapid diagnosis and immediately start patients on appropriate treatment, including second-line drugs in cases of drug-resistant.
Research suggests that the incremental scale up of GeneXpert in countries with high TB burdens could allow for the rapid diagnosis of 700,000 cases of TB disease and save health systems in low- and middle-income countries more than U.S. $18 million in direct health costs.
Rapid diagnosis of TB could be a big game changer in the global fight against this disease. This announcement means more people will be treated more quickly and reliably, which will reduce new infections. Well done.


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Pearl #11
Guión: Brian Michael Bendis
Dibujo: Michael Gaydos
Género: Thriller
Editorial: JinxWorld
Formato: Grapa
Fecha de publicación: Septiembre 2019
Páginas: 32 págs. Color
Todos los cómics en formato grapa se entregan dentro de una funda Free Acid con cubierta backing board.
It's the wild end of this romantic yakuza epic from the creators of Jessica Jones!
After a blazing adventure in Kobe, Japan, this modern-day yakuza crime epic wrapped around a romance for the ages from the award-winning creators of Jessica Jones comes back home. Tattoo artist/assassin/yakuza clan leader Pearl Tanaka has confronted her heritage on the same mean streets where her grand-mother was born. Now she comes home to find her place in the new order. This issue is another explosive, cliché-defying multimedia extravaganza from artist Michael Gaydos, as PEARL continues its unique exploration of art and self-expression in a way only comics can.


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Indian Bank is an Indian state-owned financial services company established in 1907 and headquartered in Chennai, India. It has 20,661 employees, 2594 branches and is one of the top performing public-sector banks in India. It has overseas branches in Colombo and Jaffna in Sri Lanka, and in Singapore, and 223 correspondent banks in 71 countries. Since 1969 it has remained a nationalised bank.
Home Loan is offered to individuals who wish to construct or buy a house. The property bought or about to be constructed is mortgaged as collateral until the repayment of the loan is completed with full interest. The repayment of the loan generally depends on the capacity of the borrower. Normally, the home loan tenure ranges between 5 to 30 years. The borrower can opt for either floating type of interest of fixed interest rate. Home loan provides tax benefits to the borrowers.
Being one of the largest bank in India, Indian Bank offers a wide range of services in the personal loan segment. It is one of the most preferred bank in India by all kinds of people for any financial service. Packed with exclusive benefits, Indian Bank Home Loans are tailor made catering to the needs of various customers.
Key Highlights
Interest Rate | 8.60% – 8.80% |
Max. Loan Amount | upto 10 crore |
Processing Fees | 1.173% on loan amount* |
Prepayment Charges | Nil |
Min. Income | Rs.10000/-p.m |
Loan Repayment | upto 30 years |
Loans for construction / acquiring of new or existing house/flat not older than 30 years or for extension in the existing house/flat
Eligibility Criteria
To avail the personal loan from Indian Bank, you need to have the following eligibility criteria.
Loan Amount
Loan Tenure
Prepayment Charges: Nil
Processing Fees
Processing fee is at a rate of 0.229% on loan amount with a maximum of Rs.20381/-
(1) For Loans up to Rs 5 Lakhs - Rs 50 + ST
(2) For Loans above Rs 5 Lakhs – Rs 100 + ST
Interest Rates
a) Upto Rs. 20 lakhs : 10%
b) Above Rs. 20 lakhs upto Rs.75 lakhs : 20%
c) Above Rs.75 lakhs: 25%
d) For repairs or renovation: 30%
Important documents to be submitted while applying for personal loans with Indian Bank
Property (offered as security) to be insured at borrower`s cost with Bank clause against fire, flood, earthquake, riot and other risks, which are normally covered by insurance companies.
Indian bank Home Loan Plus
Any bonafide purpose other than speculative purpose
Loan Amount
Minimum amount – Rs. 1.00 lakh. Maximum amount – Rs. 10.00 lakhs
LTV Ratio of 90% or 80% as the case may be to be maintained for home loan outstanding and 30% margin on the residual value of the House Property to be maintained for the top up loan
Processing Fee: 1.173% on loan amount
120 months
Prepayment charges:
Extension of EM on the house property.
(Registration of extension of EM wherever it is mandatory)
CERSAI registration (at Applicant's cost) to be done
Documents Required
Loan Amount
Processing fee:
0.228%% of loan amount with a max of Rs.20292/-
Prepayment charges: Nil
CERSAI registration (at Applicant's cost) to be done
Documents Required
1. Completed Application Form with passport size photograph.
2. Salary Certificate.
3. Proof of other income like rent, interest on investment, if any.
4. Balance Sheet for the past three financial years in the case of Professionals, Businessmen & Self-employed.
5. Income Tax / Wealth Tax (if applicable) Returns for the past 3 years.
6. Agreement of Sale / Sale Deed.
7. Approved Building Plan.
8. Title Deed Documents for 30 years.
9. Proof of title in the Revenue Records. (Legal Opinion from Advocate & Valuation of property from Engineer will be arranged by Bank at applicant's cost).
10. Passport copy with page containing visa stamping
11. Copy of work permit
12. Employment contract copy (an English translation duly attested by employer/consulate/embassy/our foreign branches, if it is in any other language)
13. Copy of identity card issued by the employer
14. Copy of continuous discharge certificate in respect of applicants employed in merchant navy.
15. Brief write up about employment profile for the last 3 years
16. Brief write up about the company /institution where employed i.e. constitution, activity, employee base, net profit etc.
17. Statement of overseas Bank account for the last six months which reflect salary credit, savings etc
18. Specific irrevocable Power of Attorney, if applicable, duly stamped and notarized / attested by Indian Embassy / consulate and adjudicated in India.
Additional documents for PIOs a photocopy of the PIO card or any of the under noted documents
Property (offered as security) to be insured at borrower's cost with Bank clause against fire, flood, earthquake, riot and other risks, which are normally covered by insurance companies.
Indian Bank Home Loan Interest Rate
IB Home Loan | Upto Rs. 75.00 Lakh | 8.35 % |
> Rs. 75.00 Lakh | 8.35 % |
Your Indian Bank personal loan can be repaid in following three ways.
Standing Instruction (SI):
If you are an existing account holder with Indian Bank, Standing Instruction is the best mode of repayment. Your EMI amount will be debited automatically at the end of the monthly cycle from the Indian Bank account you specify.
lectronic Clearing Service (ECS):
This mode can be used if you have a non-Indian Bank account and would like your EMIs to be debited automatically at the end of the monthly cycle from this account.
Post-Dated Cheques (PDCs):
You can submit post-dated EMI cheques from a non-Indian Bank account at your nearest Indian Bank Loan Centre. A fresh set of PDCs will have to be submitted in a timely manner. Please note Post Dated Cheques will be collected non-ECS locations only.It is recommended that you opt for either the SI or ECS mode of payment for faster and less prone to error than the use of PDCs.
You can either apply online or visit a nearby Indian Bank branch for the application. You can also download the home loan application form from the Indian Bank official website, complete the form and submit it the bank representative.
Alternatively you can also check your eligibility for a home loan through CreditMantri and apply for it.
This is probably the only bank that provides several home loan products in India. With attractive interest rates, the bank caters to the needs of various sections of people. You can also pre-close the home loan with the prepayment for which no penalty is levied. Overall, the bank offers the best deal on home loans.
1. What are processing fees on Indian Bank Home Loans?
0.50 % of the amount sanctioned with minimum of Rs.1000 and Maximum of Rs.20000
2. Is there penalty for prepaying the Indian Bank Home Loan?
No penalty is levied for prepaying the Indian Bank Home Loan?
3. Can I get Indian Bank Home Loan without a Guarantor?
Guarantor is required in some cases
4. What is the maximum loan repayment period for Indian Bank home loans?
The maximum repayment period is 30 years
5. How Can I apply for an Indian Bank home loan?
You can either apply online or visit a nearest Indian Bank branch and take the help of the bank's representative.


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Eskom definitely gets R23-billion in the 2019 financial year, and the same for the next two years, or a total of R69-billion over the medium term to the 2021/22 financial year. This is for it to deal with its precarious finances, including its R419-billion debt and its restructuring into three entities under an Eskom Holdings umbrella body.
With this comes conditions such as the appointment of a chief reorganisation officer, to be appointed jointly by the ministers of Finance and Public Enterprises.
That's the clear-stated, public commitment by the government as outlined by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni to MPs in his maiden Budget speech.
"The national government is not taking on Eskom's debt. Eskom took on the debt. It must ultimately repay it. We are setting aside R23-billion a year to financially support Eskom during its reconfiguration."
As always, the devil is in the detail, and with Eskom's bailout that detail is found in Budget Review Annexure W3. There, the possibility of further financial support emerges:
"Beyond the medium term, the size of support will depend on several factors, including economic growth, tariffs and the implementation of Eskom's strategy."
And so pencilled in for Eskom is the continuation of the R23-billion annual support over a decade, amounting to an amortised R150-billion, National Treasury confirmed to Daily Maverick after Wednesday's Budget.
And while it was emphasised that this support was not a given and would depend on the state of play in three years' time, the provisions have been pencilled in. That it wasn't publicly and expressly stated in the Budget could be a narrow technical approach, as a budget cycle runs over three years, or the medium term. But by planning possible support for Eskom for a decade, it's clear the problems at the power utility will not be resolved in three years.
The devil in the detail goes further. It includes significant private investment, diversification of energy producers, the restructuring of the energy market "across a multitude of power producers" and even private equity partners across the unbundled three units of Eskom.
With regard to the unbundling of Eskom into generation, distribution and transmission, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address earlier in February, a new transmissions company could be established as soon as mid-2019.
It would include "all existing Eskom transmission network assets, including grid and substations and association infrastructure, national control centre".
According to Annexure W3:
"Supply agreements with existing clients would need to be migrated to the transmission company."
With regard to what is now called the "institutional separation" of Eskom, it is clear that process is aimed to "crowd private investment into the electricity sector" and provide "open access to the grid" while providing a stable platform for secure lowest-cost electricity.
Effectively, a wholesale re-orientation of Eskom is proposed in this annexure. The Budget review merely talked of the first step of the separation process being the transmission company inviting "the participation of strategic equity partners".
Mboweni was asked at his pre-Budget media briefing whether bringing on board strategic equity partners did not amount to privatisation.
"The president is correct when he says that Eskom will not be privatised," he said, adding later that the national grid would stay with government through, for example, a debt-for-equity swap by the Public Investment Corporation, the asset manager of some R1.2-trillion in government workers' pensions and social savings. This echoes a proposal floated by top ANC officials in mid-2018.
The bailout is crucial as Eskom remains the most significant risk to the South African economy, alongside the increasing pressure of other state-owned entities (SOEs) on the strained public finances.
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan welcomed the announcement on Eskom on Wednesday, saying, "It's moving in the right direction." The announcements on Eskom alleviate one ministerial headache, although it still leaves him with the financially troubled SAA and Denel to deal with.
As SAA is renegotiating loan repayments on R12.7-billion in debt due in March, it is also set to require an additional R4-billion facility funded through a mix of recapitalisation, effectively a cash bailout, and government guarantees. That would mean SAA could also find itself with a chief reorganisation or reconfiguration officer, if Mboweni's caution stands that it could no longer be a free lunch for SOEs given their "very serious risks to the fiscal framework".
While Mboweni's maiden R1.83-trillion Budget hit the usual notes on social grants, education spending and crucial infrastructure expenditure, it was a hard reality check in the wake of declining tax collection revenues and strained public finances — and made possible only by lifting the expenditure ceiling by R14-billion in the 2019/20 financial year.
A key win for the National Treasury, after years of battles across the governing ANC and its alliance partners, is the cut in the public sector wage bill — by R27-billion over three years with the anticipated early retirement, without penalties to their pension, of 30,000 civil servants, according to the Director-General, Dondo Mogajane.
The public sector wage bill, at 35% of Budget, was "unsustainable", said Mboweni on Wednesday, adding that the first step would be the graceful retirement of older public servants, complemented by limits on overtime, bonuses and pay progression.
Intellidex analyst Peter Attard Montalto said National Treasury "managed to squeeze through public sector wage cuts and other trimmings… to in part fund the Eskom equity injections. Nevertheless, the money for Eskom (R23-billion annually over the medium term) is insufficient given the length of time that the Eskom reorganisation will take and the pitfalls that are ahead".
And the cold facts of South Africa's strained public finances include a daily interest payment price tag of R1-billion. This is incurred by borrowings to finance the gap between the R1.5-trillion revenue income and R1.83-trillion expenditure.
"Put another way, we are borrowing about R1.2-billion a day, assuming that we don't borrow money on the weekend. This coming year, interest expenditure will be R209.4-billion. This is R1-billion a day," said Mboweni.
Opposition parties without fail bemoaned the lack of detail in Mboweni's Budget. EFF leader Julius Malema said Mboweni "has nothing to offer", while United Democratic Movement chief whip Nqabayomi Kwankwa described the Budget as "very scanty, no details".
DA MP and finance spokesperson Alf Lees also questioned the lack of details, describing the Budget as "a valiant effort to pull a rabbit out of the hat given the state of the economy and that we are heading into an election".
IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said there was little new:
"We've been down this road before and we've been unable to point to deliverables."
It was a tricky Budget for the governing ANC, whose ministers sat largely grim-faced in the parliamentary benches as Mboweni delivered his reality check on public finances. But the ANC welcomed the Budget as one to give effect to growth and renewal.
"It's tough times. We need to take difficult decisions," said ANC Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile. "The shift of resources to economic activity is correct."
Enoch Godongwana, the chairperson of the ANC economic transformation National Executive Committee, said he welcomed the focus on fiscal consolidation, the positive focus on economic growth and message on SOEs. The announcements on the public wage bill did not amount to a reduction of the absolute wage, and should not stress out labour, Godongwana said.
Both said it was a Budget that the governing ANC could live with and market to its constituencies.
But then Mboweni put it very precisely in his Budget speech to MPs. While the president had outlined policy, it was his role to put the rands and cents to that policy. And rands and cents he delivered, with aplomb, in a squeaky-tight financial environment with very little wiggle room.
It's just about Eskom, one of the biggest and most significant risks to South Africa's economy, that questions remain: On the real required rands and cents, and the lack of a White Paper to outline a clear policy stance, not only on the power utility but the wider electricity energy sector. And that raises potentially difficult questions about governance. DM


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Portraying two parallel lives, of two women who, though they may be of different ages, have a common goal: to find the collection of their dreams.
Lost treasure is a line for women of all ages who want to feel elegant and powerful, with high-quality, elegant bag on their arm.
A secret to be revealled, a poorly told story, a trail to be discovered.