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WHEN JOHN GOODENOUGH created the first lithium-ion rechargeable battery at Oxford in 1980, he needed some cobalt. Experiments had already established that the metal is energy-dense, perfect for small batteries that need a lot of power.1 So Goodenough made the cobalt himself, heating the precursors at very high temperatures.
Today, cobalt appears in most commercial lithium-ion batteries—but it comes at a price. The silvery metal is expensive, yes. But it also has a darker cost: a long history of human rights violations, including child mining, associated with production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Electronics devices and electric car companies don't want to pay big bucks and connect themselves with these atrocities, so they have tried to cut down on the amount of cobalt their batteries use. Panasonic, Tesla's battery supplier, announced at the end of last month that they are developing batteries that don't need cobalt. And they have some help: Goodenough and other researchers have also developed rechargeable batteries that don't need cobalt.
Batteries have a positive end, usually graphite, and a cathode, the negative end—a combination of lithium, cobalt, and oxygen in the device you are probably reading this story on.
In electric cars, the cathode is usually more nickel-heavy than in smaller devices—which lessens the strain on the cobalt supply chain, but has higher processing costs and is slightly more likely to catch fire in airplanes a la the infamous Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The electrons on the outer orbit of the cobalt atom are paired up, which means it's small, dense, and forms layers easily.
For the rest of this article: https://www.wired.com/story/alternatives-to-cobalt-the-blood-diamond-of-batteries/


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British Parents want more men to be school teachers, survey shows
Parents are calling for more men to become teachers because they fear their children lack male role models, research showed yesterday. Demand is even stronger among single mothers, who told the survey their children had little contact with men in caring roles. The study found one in six children living with a single mother spends less than two hours a week with a male role model, such as a father figure, relative or teacher. One in three of these children has such contact for under six hours a week.
Over the past 20 years there has been a dramatic decline in the number of men working in schools and nurseries and a growing trend for children never to be taught by a man. The slump in male recruitment has been blamed on a perception among men that teaching, especially of young children, is 'women's work' and that they risk false allegations of child abuse.
But 55 per cent of parents in yesterday's poll said they wanted to see male staff working with the youngest children. This rose to 66 per cent among single mothers. More than a third of all those polled agreed that male teachers give boys someone to look up to and set a good example. A quarter believe boys behave better if taught by a man. A majority of parents told the survey that men and women have different skills to offer young children and that nurseries should better reflect the real world's gender mix. But despite the demand for male staff, almost two-thirds of the 1,000 parents polled said the childcare they use has no male worker.
The Children's Workforce Development Council, which commissioned the survey, said it wanted to encourage more men to see childcare and nursery work as a viable career. Campaigns are already underway to encourage more men into primary and secondary teaching. Thom Crabbe, the council's national development manager for early years education, said: 'Parents are right to want to see more men working in early years. 'It is important that during the crucial first five years of a child's life they have quality contact with both male and female role models.'
However, there are signs that the economic downturn may change the make-up of the teaching profession. The Teaching and Development Agency has seen the number of potential applicants shoot up 50 per cent on this time last year. In the past two and a half months, 424,802 people made inquiries through their website - up from 283,641 during the same period a year earlier. There is no gender breakdown but the increase is thought to be linked to rising redundancies in areas such as banking, manufacturing and transport, which have mostly male workforces.
Australia: Disgusting "postmodern" university media studies program still in deep Doo Doo
If a conservative had made a film called "Laughing at the Disabled", there would have been hell to pay. But if you are a "postmodern" Leftist, your university will back you to the hilt -- and even attack your critics
Queensland University of Technology and one of its PhD filmmakers, Michael Noonan, face a maximum $250,000 damages claim after mediation talks with an Aboriginal woman broke down. The dispute, which has ramifications for how research involving indigenous people is conducted, has moved to the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia after conciliation talks were terminated.
Brisbane solicitor Stephen Kerin, representing May Dunne, has alleged the Boulia elder was racially vilified by depicting her as an intoxicated Aboriginal woman in a stereotypical manner in video footage as part of Mr Noonan's PhD project, "Laughing at the Disabled". Ms Dunne has denied she ever signed a consent form authorising her appearance in the film which has the working title "Darren & James' Down Under Mystery Tour". Mr Noonan maintains that he is holding a consent form signed by Ms Dunne after she danced with one of the disabled men in the Boulia pub.
Mr Noonan maintains that the clip shown at his confirmation hearing, the "Boulia pub scene", has been unnecessarily demonised by his academic opponents, John Hookham and Gary MacLennan, and was unlikely to have ever made the pilot.
In April 2007 two QUT academics, Dr MacLennan and Dr Hookham, wrote an article in the HES condemning the project as an unethical exercise in mockery. A dispute on many fronts was unleashed. QUT convicted Dr MacLennan and Dr Hookham on disciplinary charges, apparently on the basis they had overstepped the limits of civil debate. They said QUT had trampled academic freedom. The two academics responded with a Federal Court challenge, which was settled on confidential terms. They resigned, were cleared of misconduct charges and walked away with $200,000 each, the HES reported.
QUT is named as the second respondent to the latest complaint as Mr Kerin alleges it gave ethical clearance to Mr Noonan's PhD project, which included the footage depicting Ms Dunne. A QUT spokeswoman told the HES yesterday it is not appropriate for the university to comment on a matter that will be before the courts.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Model of Health Outline
Traditional acupuncture has a wide scope of practice and a unique model of health, illness, assessment, treatment, and management. Based on these concepts a professional acupuncturist operates.
Case History
From a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) perspective taking a detailed and specialised acupuncture case history, using pulse and tongue examination helps determine your presentation and the type of acupuncture treatment you require. This process is an integral component in the assessment, treatment, and management of the patient and is an ongoing process related to outcome.
During your first consultation, the acupuncturist will gain a thorough understanding of your condition, general health, and problem. Based on all the information received the acupuncturist puts together your treatment plan, based on a shared understanding and starts the treatment process. The acupuncturist and acupuncturist and patient review outcomes together at each session.


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NRA Convention
For what its worth, C-Span is broadcasting Tom Delay's address to the NRA Convention.
He's saying all the right things, but frankly, isn't the worlds greatest speaker.
Right now he is going over the heros mentioned in the NRA Armed Citizen's column and confronting armed violence with concealed carry permits and the imminent restoration of the 2nd Amendment to D.C.
He also mentioned how he got shot with a facefull of 20 gauge birdshot by his fathers accoutnant as a teenage hunting guide.


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I have a shameful admission: I was born in 1969.
I premiered in February of that year, which means I was born before man walked on the moon. Before Watergate, before the Dolphins' perfect season, before gasoline had ever cost more than 35 cents per gallon. Ice trays were made out of metal and had to have dividers put in them to make cubes. Harry S Truman, Elvis, Bobby Darin, and both Moe and Larry from The Three Stooges were still alive.
When I was born in 1969, the only "video game" was some sort of Ur-Pong played by two PhD candidates at MIT when they finished organizing their punch cards. (Kids, follow that link. It's important for you to know about history, even the vile and shocking parts.) There was also Spacewar!, which was pretty cool, but not exactly Grand Theft Auto.
Spacewar! is featured in this deleted scene from Reservoir Dogs.
Anyway, all of this is to say that I was in that key "annoy the fuck out of your parents until they will either kill you or buy you what you demand" demographic of 10-13 during the reign of the Atari 2600 as the home game console. I think at first it was the only such console, and so that helped with sales, of course. In 1981, having an Atari 2600 was like having an unlimited arcade (as long as Mom would go the $35 a game) in your house. It hooked up to your TV. It was complete bliss, and this is important, as I remember. I recall that I regularly interrupted my furious masturbation schedule (only recently implemented one fateful afternoon alone in the house) to play Asteroids to 1,000,000 points. It took hours. And it was worth it. Again … as I remember.
Oh, the games! From Atari, Asteroids and Defender and, yes, Pong. Also there were the ActiVision games like Pitfall!, Laser Blast, and River Raid. Sure, the maximum 4K of memory (that's K, my lads and lasses, as in one thousandth of a MB, one millionth of a GB) made for very primitive graphics and sound, but the variety of gameplay and ingenuity of the game designers created unforgettable, unique, and, um …
Oh, God, no.
Let me jump ahead 33 years or so, to today. Literally today, as in the day I'm writing this. After hiding out in our asbestos and razor-blade–lined anti-Black–Friday bunker, the Spousal Unit and I ventured out into the world Sunday to procure supplies and beat a tactical retreat home. We did this for the good of the many, since we would be forced to kill, skin, and display as a warning to others anyone who used the phrase "Cyber Monday" within our hearing. Wasn't "Black Friday" bad enough?
Photo courtesy of Wal-Mart.
But first, I saw IT. The Atari Flashback 5, a replica of the 2600 console that ate up so much of my formative years with 93 FRICKIN' GAMES BUILT RIGHT THE FUCK IN. So I snapped up the $40 system, knowing that the S.U. and I could while away the hours listening to the screams of our neighbors as their backs broke under 75″ televisions and play the games that were so entertaining in my youth. (The S.U. is a bit younger—hell, who isn't?—and her first video console was the Nintendo 64. So this would be a real "treat" for her!)
The use of irony quotes around the word "treat" above should key you in to the next part of the story. I plugged in the RCA connectors and got the batteries in the wireless (whoa) joysticks, and sat down for some awesome fun playing the 2600 … games … I, um …
And not for the first time, either.
"Ho ho ho! I'm the jolly old elf who takes a shit in your stocking!"
Okay, wait, maybe that's too subtle. Let me put it this way. Here's a complete list of the "games" on the Atari Flashback 5 Joy-Murdering Machine:
|01 3D Tic-Tac-Toe
|02 Adventure
|03 Adventure II
|04 Air•Sea Battle
|05 Aquaventure
|06 Asteroids
|07 Backgammon
|08 Basketball
|09 Black Jack
|10 Bowling
|11 Breakout
|12 Canyon Bomber
|13 Centipede
|14 Championship Soccer
|15 Circus Atari
|16 Combat
|17 Combat Two
|18 Crystal Castles
|19 Demons to Diamonds
|20 Desert Falcon
|21 Dodge 'Em
|22 Double Dunk
|23 Fatal Run
|24 Flag Capture
|25 Football
|26 Frog Pond
|27 Front Line
|28 Fun with Numbers
|29 Golf
|30 Gravitar
|31 Hangman
|32 Haunted House
|33 Home Run
|34 Human Cannonball
|35 Jungle Hunt
|36 Maze Craze
|37 Miniature Golf
|38 Missile Command
|39 Millipede
|40 Night Driver
|41 Off-the-Wall
|42 Outlaw
|43 Polaris
|44 Pong
|45 Realsports Baseball
|46 Realsports Basketball
|47 Realsports Soccer
|48 Realsports Volleyball
|49 Return to Haunted House
|50 Saboteur
|51 Save Mary
|52 Sky Diver
|53 Slot Machine
|54 Slot Racers
|55 Space Invaders
|56 Space War
|57 Sprintmaster
|58 Star Ship
|59 Steeplechase
|60 Stellar Track
|61 Street Racer
|62 Submarine Commander
|63 Super Baseball
|64 Super Breakout
|65 Super Football
|66 Surround
|67 Swordquest: Earthworld
|68 Swordquest: Fireworld
|69 Tempest
|70 Video Checkers
|71 Video Chess
|72 Video Pinball
|73 Wizard
|74 Warlords
|75 Yars' Revenge
|76 Air Raiders
|77 Armor Ambush
|78 Astroblast
|79 Dark Cavern
|80 Int'l Soccer
|81 Super Challenge Baseball
|82 Super Challenge Football
|83 Space Attack
|84 Star Strike
|85 Sea Battle
|86 Frogs and Flies
|87 Sword Fight
|88 Chase It
|90 Escape It
|91 Miss It
|92 Shield Shifter
|93 Strip Off
Okay? And here's a list of the games that are even remotely playable:
01 Space Invaders
Here in Las Vegas, we have the wonderful Pinball Hall of Fame. It has many, many classic video games, pinball games (duh), and historical-type coin-operated entertainments too cool to go into here.
Jessica changed all her birthday money into pennies that year.
They have Space Invaders, and it costs exactly one quarter to play for 5, maybe 10 minutes. What I'm saying is that in order to make the Atari Flashback 5 pay for itself by playing the single game that doesn't make you feel like you're in a 1970s psychology experiment, you would have to play Space Invaders for more than 26 hours straight. When I was 12 and there was a kid who played the arcade Asteroids for like 56 hours, I was so jelly you could spread me on toast. However, when I was 12, I also thought that my faux suede jacket was the coolest thing since Garfield. We live and we learn is my point.
Also, my point is FUCK THE ATARI FLASHBACK 5. Since I do the heavy lifting on this blog, allow me to point out that in order to stuff this turkey with as many technically separate games as possible, the Flashback contains the following, all in incredible 8-bit graphics with 16 colors: Football, but also "Realsports" Football (whatever the hell that means, since it's about as "real" as the stick-men flip cartoons kids do in the corner of boring paperbacks), and "Super" Football, with the same shtick for three kinds of baseball, three of soccer, and two of basketball. Mind you, all of these involve gameplay so non-intuitive that the sub–Lascaux Cave graphics hardly even bother you after a while.
Elephantiasis Therapy Challenge '79 is still considered a classic.
This may be a bit of piling on, Your Honor, but please allow me to mention that in these so-called 92–93 games (hell, they don't even know how many are allegedly on there), there are these games:
- Chase It, Escape It and Miss It
as well as
- Star Ship, Star Strike, Space War, and Space Attack
In addition to the breathtaking variety of "Verb It" and "Space/Star Something," there are extremely unappealing-sounding games such as (no joke):
- Fatal Run
- Fun With Numbers
- Shield Shifter
In order, these elicited from me the following interjections: "Ugh," "Jeez," and "Huh?"
Anyway, my point is, as Thomas Wolfe said, "You can't go home again." (Turns out Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe had just moved without telling Thomas. Awkward.) I thought it would be a hilarious, fun, "retro" experience and it was instead yet another bit of evidence that my memory palace is more of a rusty trailer full of feral cats. I am returning the console tomorrow. I am decaying right before my own very rapidly degenerating into tragically nearsighted eyes. I was born in the 1960s. I need to find a game called Shopping Cart or Nap Mania! or maybe Arugula Hunt.
Desert Bus! Perfect! I hope I can play as a passenger.


text:
Stem Cells International
Volume 2016, Article ID 2019498, 13 pages
Senescence-Associated Molecular and Epigenetic Alterations in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Cultures from Amniotic Fluid of Normal and Fetus-Affected Pregnancy
Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
Received 27 May 2016; Accepted 25 August 2016
Academic Editor: Gary E. Lyons
Copyright © 2016 Jūratė Savickienė et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Human amniotic-fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AF-MSCs) are interesting for their multilineage differentiation potential and wide range of therapeutic applications due to the ease of culture expansion. However, MSCs undergo replicative senescence. So far, the molecular mechanisms that underlie fetal diseases and cell senescence are still poorly understood. Here, we analyzed senescence-associated morphologic, molecular, and epigenetic characteristics during propagation of MSCs derived from AF of normal and fetus-affected pregnancy. AF-MSCs cultures from both cell sources displayed quite similar morphology and expression of specific cell surface (CD44, CD90, and CD105) and stemness (Oct4, Nanog, Sox2, and Rex1) markers but had interindividual variability in proliferation capability and time to reach senescence. Within passages 4 and 8, senescent cultures exhibited typical morphological features, senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity, increased levels of p16, and decreased levels of miR-17 and miR-21 but showed differential expression of p21, p53, and ATM dependently on the onset of cell senescence. These differences correlated with changes in the level of chromatin modifiers (DNMT1 and HDAC1) and polycomb group proteins (EZH2, SUZ12, and BMI1) paralleling with changes in the expression of repressive histone marks (H3K9me3 and H3K27me3) and stemness markers (Oct4, Nanog, Sox2, and Rex1). Therefore epigenetic factors are important for AF-MSCs senescence process that may be related with individuality of donor or a fetus malignancy status.


text:
Tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes, from large beefsteaks grown on cordons to tiny cherry varieties, suitable for cultivating in a hanging basket.
Homegrown tomatoes are much tastier than supermarket-bought ones, but their flavour and uses vary – some are best for eating in salads, while others are more appropriate for sauces and stews.
Find out all you need to know about growing tomatoes in our Tomato Grow Guide.
Tomatoes grow in one of two ways – either as a bush, or trained as a cordon (a tall single stem). You may want to bear this in mind when choosing which varieties to grow, too.
Watch Alan Titchmarsh's No Fuss video guide to caring for tomatoes.
Here are 10 of our favourite tomato varieties to grow.
Tomato 'Incas'
'Incas' is a very early plum tomato with bright red, meaty fruit with a thick flesh. It's perfect for barbecuing and using in sauces and purees.
Type: Bush
Height: 100cm
Tomato 'Ildi'
A cherry variety bearing sweet yellow pear-shaped tomatoes, 'Ildi' is perfect for eating raw and in salads. It's ideal for container growing.
Type: Cordon
Height: 180cm
Tomato 'Costoluto Fiorentino'
'Costoluto Fiorentino' is an old-fashioned beefsteak tomato producing medium to large mishapen and ribbed fruits with an excellent flavour. Suitable for slicing and using in sauces.
Type: Cordon
Height: 150cm
Tomato 'Astro Ibrido'
A fantastic- tasting plum tomato variety, 'Astro Ibrido' is perfect for using in sauces and preserves. Suitable for growing in containers. You may also find it sold as tomato 'Scipio Ibrido'.
Type: Cordon
Height: 90cm
Tomato 'Rio Grande'
'Rio Grande' is a plum tomato producing heavy crops of deep-red fruit. Perfect for sauces.
Type: Bush
Height: 45cm
Tomato 'Tigerella'
Rich, tangy 'Tigerella' has a unique flavour and striped flesh. It's ideal for salads and sauces.
Type: Cordon
Height: 200cm
Tomato 'Super Sweet 100'
An incredibly sweet cherry tomato with thin skin, 'Super Sweet 100' is ideal for use in salads. High yields.
Type: Cordon
Height: 150cm
Tomato 'Red Alert'
'Red Alert' is a cherry tomato bearing bright red, sweet fruits. It's heavy cropping and with a good flavour – ideal for salads and cooking.
Type: Bush
Height: 45cm


text: You can read the details at Cranky's website here, but you'll be happy to know that Continental will be installing Live TV featuring 80 (yes 80) channels beginning early next year. Look for the full roll-out on its domestic fleet over the course of 2009. Continental's in-flight entertainment has been subpar, and this, plus in-flight wi-fi, will make it a top product next year. Well done.


text: Bureau of Agricultural Research https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3256 2019-12-13T22:50:15Z Agricultural run-off and pollution in Imbang River, Negros Occidental https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3264 Agricultural run-off and pollution in Imbang River, Negros Occidental Gonzales, Guadiosa A. Bagarinao, Teodora This study determined the concentration of key pollutants carried by agricultural run-off from the drainage area of Imbang River, Negros Occidental over a two-year period. The quantities loaded into the river were estimated to assess the contribution of agriculture to the degradation of the river. Agricultural production in sugarcane and rice plantations in the area relied on chemicals to control pests and enhance production. Run-off from agricultural land contained an average 0.2 ppm phosphate, 0.2 ppm ammonia, 0.02 ppm nitrite, and 1.7 ppm nitrate from fertilizer inputs and other sources. The run-off also had 7.4 ppm biochemical oxygen demand, 465 ppm total solids, 296 ppm total suspended solids, 0.4 ppm settleable solids, plus traces of organochlorine pesticides. The concentrations of all these potential pollutants were not alarming or dangerous, although on occasion, some exceeded the tolerable limits. However, increasing reliance on fertilizers often leads to intensified use and related problems. Likewise, the continuing use of chemicals to control field pests is of serious concern given that residues are easily carried by run-off to the nearest waterway and passed on and magnified through the food chain. The health of farm workers who routinely handle these products is at risk. Apart from commercial fertilizers, farm lands received organic wastes from domestic and industrial sources. Most farmers maintained farm animals such as carabaos, goats, and sheep that were allowed to graze on the fields after crops had been harvested. Grazing animals frequently left surface deposits of manure. Some farmers on occasion used sugar mill wastes as fertilizers and road fillers in the haciendas. Moreover, household wastes including human excreta were commonly disposed on nearby fields. The contributions of animal and human wastes to the total load of nutrients could be substantial but difficult to quantify given the manner of production and the varying composition of the wastes. Indeed, agricultural run-off transports non-point pollutants from so many poorly defined sources. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z The fish processing industry in Central Luzon and the processors' assessment of the extension program of the Department of Agriculture https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3308 The fish processing industry in Central Luzon and the processors' assessment of the extension program of the Department of Agriculture Morata, Margarita Saez Bagarinao, Teodora A survey was done in 1992 of 242 fish processors in Region III or Central Luzon: 57 in Bataan, 39 in Bulacan, 24 in Nueva Ecija, 45 in Pampanga, 41 in Tarlac, and 36 in Zambales. The fish processors were engaged in three major fish processing enterprises: fish smoking (52%), fish drying (17%), and fish fermentation (31%). The products were smoked fish 'tinapa', dried fish 'daeng', fish paste 'bagoong', rice-fish paste 'buro', and fish sauce 'patis'. Most of the processors in Zambales, Bataan, and Bulacan produced bagoong; 'buro' was produced only in Pampanga. Of the processors, 105 were small-scale operators, most of them in Pampanga, Bataan, and Bulacan, who had average capital of P11,000, worked an average of 3 days a week, and processed an average of 5,000 kg of fish a year. The 90 medium-scale processors had average capital of P20,000 and handled between 5,000 and 20,000 kg of fish a year, 5 days a week. The 47 large-scale processors, mostly in Zambales, Bataan, and Tarlac, invested an average of P94,000, and handled more than 20,000 kg of fish a year, seven days a week. The 242 fish processors in Region III in 1992 employed 501 people, 47% of them family members. The total production of processed fish products was about 73,000 kg a month, including about 21,511 kg 'tinapa', 4,790 kg 'daeng', and 46,634 kg 'bagoong'. Processors in Zambales fermented the most fish, about 23,000 kg/month, followed by those in Bulacan. Among those in fish smoking, Bataan processors produced the biggest volume of 5,900 kg/month. Fish drying was done only in Bataan and Bulacan, and Bataan processors produced about 2,800 kg/month. The fish processors in Region III sold their produce three ways: wholesale, retail, and contract buying. They followed a simple marketing plan, using outlets in nearby towns and cities, including Metro Manila. For six months of operation, the cost was lowest in fish smoking and highest in fish drying. Gross sales was also lowest in fish smoking, but highest in 'bagoong'-making. Net profit was lowest in fish smoking and highest in 'bagoong'-making. Return on investment was 38% in fish smoking, 41% in 'bagoong'-making, but only 19% in fish drying. More than one-half of the processors earned incomes of P20,000–35,000 a month, one-fifth earned less, but one-fourth earned more. Fish processors in Region III in 1992 were on average 46 years old; nearly 80% were 26–55 years old and only two were younger than 26 years. There were more women than men in fish processing, particularly in Bataan, and about 93% were married. The respondents had formal education, but 60% did not go beyond elementary school. The respondents had considerable experience in fish processing, 60% of them having been in the business for 5–20 years, and 19% of them for even longer. Many reported household expenditures of P1,000–3,000 a month, but some also as high as P6,000–7,000 a month. The processors owned household appliances and furniture, and a few owned motorized boats. The Department of Agriculture provided extension services and credit to fish processors in Region III. Services included technical assistance, direct consultation, field visits, lectures, demonstrations, training, seminar, and preparation of feasibility study when availing of loans. Most fish processors in Bulacan considered extension services important, but most of those in Nueva Ecija were indifferent to extension services, apparently because they already had the needed knowledge and skills. In Pampanga, the older processors and those with greater investment considered extension services very important. In Zambales, processors with more experience required less extension services. In Bataan, gender, education level, investment, civil status, and income significantly influenced the processors' assessment of the importance of extension services and the extent of their participation in the government's extension program. Women considered it very important to avail of extension services, especially those who were married and those with little formal education. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Water quality in Imbang river, Negros Occidental: effluents and pollutant loads from agriculture, sugar mills, households, and shrimp farms https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3263 Water quality in Imbang river, Negros Occidental: effluents and pollutant loads from agriculture, sugar mills, households, and shrimp farms Gonzales, Guadiosa A.; Gonzales, Hernane J.; Sanares, Roman C.; Taberna, Evelyn T. Bagarinao, Teodora, U. An ecological assessment of Imbang River in Negros Occidental was undertaken from December 1992 to February 1995. The effluents from sugar mills, households, shrimp farms, sugarcane plantations and rice fields were characterized and their pollutant loads estimated. Water quality and invertebrate assemblages were analyzed at several sites along the river to determine the environmental status. Results showed significant seasonal and site variations in water quality along Imbang River. The dry season, coinciding with the milling season, was the more critical time of the year as water quality tended to deteriorate. The segments of the river near the sugar mills and households had the poorest water quality. Sugar mill effluents had high water temperature (average 33oC but as high as 50oC), low dissolved oxygen, high total solids, the highest settleable solids (average 2.5 and as high as 17 m/l), and the highest biochemical oxygen demand (average 259 ppm but as high as 14,800 ppm BOD). Domestic effluents had low pH, high ammonia, very high BOD, plus detergents or surfactants and high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. Agricultural runoff had high nitrate, high total solids, and the highest total suspended solids (average 296 ppm but as high as 5,095 ppm TSS). Shrimp ponds used saline water of average 23 ppt, and had the highest total solids (average 23,456 ppm and as high as 57,400 ppm). By far the major contributor of pollutant loads into Imbang River was agriculture, due to its huge areal extent and huge volume of water use and run-off. Agricultural run-off carried the highest annual loads of 7,858 kg phosphate; 6,495 kg ammonia; 794 kg nitrite; 67,212 kg nitrate; 16,987 metric tons settleable solids; 16,800,000 mt total solids, and 11,890,000 mt total suspended solids; but only 297 mt BOD. Sugar mill effluents had the highest BOD load (1,583 mt/yr) and also had high nutrient loads. Household effluents contributed the second largest loads of solids next to agriculture, and also added surfactants (966 kg/yr) and fecal coliforms into the river. The six shrimp farms at the lower reaches of Imbang River were a minor contributor of pollutants into the river, annually adding about 891 kg ammonia; 1,077 kg phosphate; and 181,325 mt total solids. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Fish catch and fisher incomes before and after installation of artificial reefs in Panguil Bay, northern Mindanao https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3304 Fish catch and fisher incomes before and after installation of artificial reefs in Panguil Bay, northern Mindanao Moncay, H. P.; Cablo, L. P. Bagarinao, Teodora, U. Two artificial reef complexes (10 modules) were deployed in Panguil Bay in 1990. The effect of the ARs on the fish catch and fisher incomes was studied from March 1993 to April 1994 in Purok 3, 4, 6, and 7 in San Antonio, Ozamis City and in Poblacion 1 and 4 in Clarin, Misamis Occidental. Clarin's 40 full-time fisher respondents had 50 outrigger boats, all without engines, and used 181 fishing gears, 93% of them simple or multiple hand lines. San Antonio's 80 full-time fisher respondents had 87 non-motor boats and 44 motor boats and used 489 fishing gears, 86% of them bottom-set gill nets. The fishers worked an average of 19 days a month and four hours a day. The fishing grounds were mostly between 3 and 3.5 km from shore, and the gears were operated in waters about 50 m deep. Of about 17,000 kg of fish harvested in Clarin and San Antonio over one year, 33% came from bottom-set gill nets, 32% from bottom-set long lines, and 28% from multiple hand lines. The catch included a great variety of fishes, plus shrimps and cuttlefish; threadfins made up 13% of the total volume by weight, slipmouths 10%, and sardines 7%. The catch ranged from 2,382 kg valued at P75,862 in Purok 3 to 3,212 kg worth P97,303 in Poblacion 1, but in Purok 7, the catch was 2,965 kg worth P123,195. The average annual revenues of fishers was P24,191 in San Antonio and P11,472 in Clarin, corresponding to monthly earnings of P2,016 and P956, respectively. The revenues and net incomes were low, but the returns on investment were high (78–300%). The fishing boat, with or without engine and gas, was the major expense incurred by the fishers. Between 1989 and 1993–94, the volume of fish catch increased two-fold in San Antonio and four-fold in Clarin. The average annual income of fishers in the six villages increased by 10–60% after the ARs, and the average annual expenses also increased by 5–30%. In 1993-94, the computed return on investment was 105% in San Antonio and 274% in Clarin, higher than in 1989. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Giant squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus caught by jigs in Calauag Bay, southeastern Luzon https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3306 Giant squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus caught by jigs in Calauag Bay, southeastern Luzon Dickson, Jonathan O.; Ramiscal, Rafael V. Bagarinao, Teodora Test fishing for the giant squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus using large jigs was conducted in selected areas around Alabat Island, Quezon Province from May 1991 to October 1992. A total of 92 fishing days and 425.3 fishing hours were successfully completed and 1,650 jigs were set. The total catch was 82 giant squids of total weight 412 kg. Catch per unit effort was on average 0.02 kg/jig-hour or 5 squids/100 jigs, but higher from July to September. Capture of the giant squid by jigs was very seasonal, only from June to October. During these months, fish aggregating shelters were installed to catch pelagic fishes, and these shelters may have attracted the giant squid to Calauag Bay. The sample of 82 giant squids adds considerable information to the biology of this species in Philippine waters. The smallest specimen, caught in August 1991, was 23 cm in mantle length and 750 g in weight. The largest specimen, caught in September 1992, was a male 69 cm in mantle length and 10.3 kg in weight. Of the 66 specimens examined, 31 were males and 35 were females. About 52% of the specimens were sexually mature, 30% were maturing, and the rest were immature. Of the 61 stomachs dissected, 20 were empty, six were full or 3/4 full, and the rest were in between. The giant squid was a fish eater, almost all stomachs containing fish bones, spines, scales, or digested fish meat. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z The squid fishery in Carigara Bay, Samar: catch of Photololigo duvaucelii by squid jigs and Sepioteuthis lessoniana by hanging squid pot https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3305 The squid fishery in Carigara Bay, Samar: catch of Photololigo duvaucelii by squid jigs and Sepioteuthis lessoniana by hanging squid pot Dickson, Jonathan O.; Ricafrente, B. R. Bagarinao, Teodora The squid fishery in Carigara Bay used the following gears: hanging squid pots, squid jigs, drive-in net, and spear by slingshot. Hanging squid pot operations were concentrated in the municipal waters of Capoocan and Carigara and targeted Sepioteuthis lessoniana. During the one-week survey in Carigara Bay, 705 hanging squid pots with markers were found offshore of barangays Culasian, Pinamopoan, Cabul-an and Talarian, all in Capoocan town. Other operators in Carigara, Babatngon, Barugo, and San Miguel towns hung their squid pots from fish shelters (arong) offshore of Carigara and Capoocan towns. Test fishing operations were conducted in Carigara Bay from January to December 1992 using the hanging squid pot, squid jigs, and a squid cast net. A 16 hp motorized boat F/B Ellah Meh was used during the fishing operations. A total of 162 days test fishing with 15 hanging squid pots yielded 125.7 kg of the longfin squid Sepioteuthis 1essoniana. Sixty nights of fishing with the ordinary squid jig yielded 97 kg of Indian squid Photololigo duvaucelii. Two test fishing operations with the squid cast net yielded no squid at all. The S. lessoniana (75-500 g body weight) caught by pots were larger than the P. duvaucelii (7-270 g) caught by jigs. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Improved production of mud crabs Scylla serrata in marine pens with used tires and bamboo tubes as shelters https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3299 Improved production of mud crabs Scylla serrata in marine pens with used tires and bamboo tubes as shelters Basaya, M. C. Bagarinao, Teodora One serious problem in mud crab farming systems is cannibalism and low survival, but this can been offset by provision of shelters. Two types of shelters were tested on mud crabs grown in bamboo pens set in a mangrove area in Tiniguiban Cove in Puerto Princesa. Six pens, each 3 m x 3 m in area, were built side by side (the whole array 9 m x 6 m in area). Two pens were provided bamboo tubes, two had used tires, and two had both shelter types. The bamboo tubes were about 46 cm long and 13 cm in diameter, open on both ends, and each with a node retained as partition. The bamboo tubes were laid in one layer at the middle of the pens, 48 tubes in each of the two pens. The used tires were 50 cm in diameter, placed 20 cm apart in one layer in the middle of the pens, 12 tires in each of two pens. In the two pens that had both shelter types, half the number of bamboo tubes and used tires were laid out. All shelters were tied and did not move off the bottom. Juvenile crabs of 46 g body weight were stocked at 63/pen or 7/m2. The crabs were fed chopped trash fish at 5% of body weight daily at 0800 h and 1600 h. Mud crabs in the pens with bamboo tubes as shelters had the best survival (79%), weight gain (81 g), net production (4.5 kg/pen), and feed conversion ratio (4.9), as well as net income (P544,202/ha-yr) and return on investment (48%). The results clearly indicated that bamboo tubes were better shelter for juvenile mud crabs than used tires. Bamboo tubes were presumably more familiar to mud crabs reared in bamboo pens. Having node partitions in the middle, the bamboo tubes had smaller and safer hiding places. These shelters effectively reduced crowding, aggression, and cannibalism, and thus increased the survival and growth of mud crabs. The used tires evidently did not provide a good shelter configuration nor sufficient protection for mud crabs in bamboo pens. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Bacterial loads in hatcheries and virulence of Vibrio spp. to larvae of the tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3270 Bacterial loads in hatcheries and virulence of Vibrio spp. to larvae of the tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon Torres, James L. Bagarinao, Teodora Shrimp hatcheries are high-density systems and are prone to diseases. A small-scale and a large-scale hatchery for the tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon in Iloilo, Philippines were monitored over two months for water quality and shrimp survival. Water quality (water temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and specific gravity) was not significantly different between the two hatcheries. However, the small hatchery seemed to favor survival of eggs to early postlarval stages, whereas the large hatchery favored the survival of late postlarvae. The normal microflora and bacterial loads of tiger shrimp eggs, larvae, postlarvae, and rearing water were determined to identify the dominant bacteria and potential pathogens. Shrimp eggs harbored the lowest heterotrophic bacterial counts. The counts increased from the nauplii to the mysis stages, decreased during the mysis stage, and then gradually increased in the older larvae. Bacterial loads in the rearing water reflected those in raw sea water and reservoir-aged sea water. Vibrio, Pseudomonas, and Aeromonas were not detected in eggs but were found in postlarvae. Ubiquitous in sea water, these bacteria increased with the build-up of organic matter. The bacterial load in the water adversely affected larval survival. Forty bacterial strains were isolated from tiger shrimp eggs, larvae, postlarvae, from the feeds, and from the rearing water. These were tested for biochemical characteristics and segregated into eight groups or genera. Six genera were found in the mysis and five genera in the postlarvae. The Vibrio species were dominant. Only Escherichia spp. were present in feeds, whereas five genera were present in the rearing water. Only Vibrio and Pseudomonas were present in both larvae and water. Moraxella, Aeromonas, and Klebsiella were found in larvae but not in rearing water. Micrococcus and coryneforms were found only in rearing water. Four Vibrio isolates were tested for virulence against shrimp postlarvae at inoculation densities of 102 and 107 cfu/ml. The four Vibrio species caused mortality of postlarvae, and more at the higher inoculation density. The most virulent was Vibrio anguillarum—30% of postlarvae died after 24 h exposure to a bacterial density of 102 cfu/ml, and all larvae died after 48 h at 107 cfu/ml. Shrimp hatcheries must have protocols for hygiene and sanitation and for disease prevention and control. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Domestic effluents and pollution in Imbang River, Negros Occidental https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3267 Domestic effluents and pollution in Imbang River, Negros Occidental Gonzales, Guadiosa A. Bagarinao, Teodora Domestic effluents, or waste waters from human settlements, were sampled from eight stations along Imbang River in Negros Occidental from July 1993 to February 1995. Three types of domestic waste waters were produced by communities along Imbang River. Waste waters from clothes washing, house cleaning, and bathing, including washings of domestic animals and holding pens and run-off from rains and storms were conveyed by open canals and ditches to the river. This type of domestic effluents were well aerated and had the least potential to degrade the rivers. Waste waters from kitchens and markets carried large volumes of food scraps and other solid wastes, were unsightly, and smelled bad from the decomposition of garbage. Overflows from septic tanks were the most objectionable domestic effluents with offensive visual and olfactory properties. Domestic effluents had pH 4–7.6, dissolved oxygen of 0.5–7.2 ppm, and biochemical oxygen demand ranging from 2 to 240 ppm. The overflows from septic tanks were of the worst quality, with BOD 20x greater than household washings, and 6x more than kitchen and market effluents. Fecal coliform bacteria made up 93% of the total coliforms in the septic tank overflows, 86% in kitchen and market waste waters, and 39% in household washings. The domestic effluents from the communities around Imbang River had higher than allowable levels of BOD and solids. The 11 barangays with 16,486 households and 85,535 people loaded about 3,4000 m3 of waste water into the river every day. Along with the waste water were 180 mt/yr of BOD, 590 mt/yr of total solids, plus large quantities of nutrients, surfactants, and fecal coliform bacteria. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Households, agriculture, industry, fishing, and fish farming along Imbang River, Negros Occidental https://repository.seafdec.org.ph:443/handle/10862/3269 Households, agriculture, industry, fishing, and fish farming along Imbang River, Negros Occidental Sanares, Roman C. Bagarinao, Teodora Interviews were conducted among respondents identified from the households, agriculture farms, sugar mills, and fish farms along the whole stretch of Imbang River, Malisbog River, and Muyao Creek, down to Barangay Balaring at the coast of Silay City in Negros Occidental. Among the 1,073 households, 11% used river water for washing clothes, but 20% also used the rivers for disposal of waste waters, 11% for human wastes, and 13% for animal wastes. Among the 30 respondents from the agriculture sector, 70% discharged water into the river. The two sugar mills in the area treated waste waters partially before release into the rivers; one sugar mill also released wastes in a nearby rice field. Milling wastes such as bagasse, molasses, and mud press were reused and not dumped into the river. Imbang River was both the water source and wastewater sink for seven fish farms. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z


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This AYA No. 2 side by side shotgun is a Spanish shotgun with immaculate engraving all over the receiver, and a a beautiful wooden stock. It is chambered in 16 gauge with 28″ barrels, and is on consignment with us. It sports the unique serial number of "N333".
If you would like to see the stock, please shoot us an email and we'll send them right over. We have taken the photos, they just aren't readily available currently.


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Article written by James Don-Carolis, Concentra
Analytics is a hot topic for many industries at the moment and the value it can bring is no secret. The Pharmaceutical and Life Science industries are in a better position than most to take advantage of the benefits; their strong scientific heritage means there is an appreciation and appetite for data and analysis that is moving ever further into commercial and operational decision making.
So, how can you get more value and enhance your pricing and market access decisions from your data and analytics? This article identifies 5 ways:
1.Crowd source inputs to leverage expertise within your organisation
Pharmaceutical companies strive for consistency in operations on a global or regional scale. Unfortunately, the market reality is a patchwork of sovereign health systems each with their own processes, idiosyncrasies and challenges. The value of local market expertise is as strong as it's ever been, and this expertise needs to be fed into and connected to a global strategy.
The best way to do this is to use technology to 'crowd source' expertise from in-market P&MA professionals. Sourcing inputs via a consistent template means that contributions can be used in a global modelling framework. In our experience this unlocks a huge amount of value in the organisation, and by encouraging collaboration, it leads to better buy-in of the global strategy.
2. Allow decision makers to interact, real-time
Decisions are made by senior executives, not by analysts. So why should the evidence-base for decision making be prepared by someone else? With the new breed of visual analytics software (such as Tableau, Qlik and Alteryx) decision makers are able to get closer to their evidence, in real-time, as they are making decisions. We have seen this transform group discussions by encouraging questioning and sparking debate.
This does not herald the end of the analyst, quite the opposite in fact – analysts are responsible for preparing the framework and for designing intuitive dashboards that support discussion. Their work gives decision makers the opportunity and responsibility to follow instinct, gather evidence and create the business case for their chosen direction. For example, have a gut feel that you aren't optimising your uptake strategy? Integrate forecasts with retrospective sales data from the supply chain and compare actual and predicted performance to see where penetration targets are being met and where they fall short.
3. Get visual dashboards into the boardroom
Important decisions are made by groups of people discussing and debating issues around a board table, not sat at the desk or via email. To support this dynamic, everyone needs a shared basis of understanding. This is the beauty of a visual dashboard; it draws the room together to focus on a common point. Say goodbye to meetings where heads are buried in board papers and fine print. Visual dashboards get heads up, people engaged and spark interest. A meeting that is supported by visual analytics is often more focused, more efficient and ultimately leads to decisions that are better supported by consensus. This is particularly relevant for pricing and market access professionals given the amount of decisions which should be made through rigorous modelling and scenario analysis.
4. Scenario analysis, done properly
Scenario analysis is a powerful technique to drive decision making by enabling comparison of two or more options side-by-side. Analytics can help to quantify the differences between scenarios but often the trade-off (and ultimately the final choice) will combine this with intangible expertise that only people can provide. The problem with much scenario analysis is that it has to be pre-prepared, and once debate has begun it is too late to change assumptions.
The analytical power of today's solutions enables scenario analysis to be done properly, i.e. genuine multivariate scenarios compared side-by-side, with reports that compare metrics in absolute terms, as well as the delta. Using the latest technology these can even be prepared on the fly during a meeting. For example we recently built a pricing framework for a PharmaCo which was struggling to define a consistent launch price policy across 28 countries. When we mapped the relationship between price and access we found that there were several combinations that generated a similar predicted total revenue (e.g. high price – lower volume, versus low price – higher volume). We designed a scenario comparison view to display key metrics from up to 4 scenarios side-by-side, which enabled decision makers to hone in on and debate the trade-offs.
5. True transparency
In the era of 'big data' it is a fair criticism that analysis can sometimes become so complex as to confound rather than clarify decision making. This need not be the case. A well designed analytical framework will adopt a pyramid communication technique, presenting the most salient metrics at an aggregated level, but enabling the option to drill further and further into the detail if the discussion requires. This serves two purposes; firstly, it builds confidence in the minds of decision makers – they know that, should they need it, the evidence supporting a number is accessible at the click of a button. From experience, voices of concern are often appeased once the provenance of a number can be shown.
Secondly, it provides an audit trail of where inputs have come from. Because we often crowd source inputs (see point 1) we have seen how useful it is to attribute names of the people who have provided inputs (and even comments). If an outlier appears to be skewing the analysis or preventing a decision, the person can be contacted to sense check their rationale. In many cases, such a discussion can unlock the way forward.
In conclusion, we are in an exciting time; a new wave of analytical technologies is genuinely driving better collaboration, greater insight, and more informed decision making across the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences industries. The question now is how can you make the most of it?
Concentra's healthcare and pharmaceutical team transform how organisations manage and use data to get the edge. Engaging people and organisations across health and life sciences, their industry, analytics and technology experts make beautifully crafted, intelligent and intuitive solutions giving you the power to speed up analysis, drive new insights and make the right pricing and market access decisions, everyday.
Concentra will be exhibiting at the upcoming World Pharma Pricing and Market Access Congress 2015 happening February 24-26 in London. Find out more>


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$49 Add To Favorites
Color: Charcoal and Blue
Holiday Delivery
Order this stylish piece by Wednesday, December 18 to ensure delivery by December 24. Please note that shipping cutoff dates vary by product.
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Please allow 1-2 weeks to ship.
- Dry Clean Only
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- 100% Wool


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Are you waking up with lower back pain, headaches or just feeling stiff and sore? Feeling unrested? Learn some simple tricks and tips so you can wake up feeling refreshed and ready to kick-start your day!
Don't miss this FREE 30-minute workshop packed full of educational content and tips to help you have a restful nights sleep.
Date: 20 June 2018
Time: 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Venue: We are holding the workshop at Wellspring Chiropractic at Evergreen Lifestyle Centre 9/12 Discovery Dr, North Lakes QLD 4509
Wellspring Chiropractic
Contact Person: Sharelle Black
Contact Number: 07 3482 2637
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
North Lakes
Time: 6:00pm to 6:30pm
Event run and managed by Wellspring Chiropractic.


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Growing increasingly short of breath late one night, Ms. E. called her health care provider's urgent care line, anticipating that the on-call nurse practitioner would have her transported to the emergency department (ED). Over the past 6 months, Ms. E. had made many ED visits. She is 83 years old and poor, lives alone, and has multiple health problems, including heart failure, advanced kidney disease, hepatitis C with liver cirrhosis, diabetes, and hypertension. In the ED, she generally endures long waits, must repeatedly recite her lengthy medical history, and feels vulnerable and helpless. She was therefore relieved when, instead of dialing 911, the nurse practitioner dispatched a specially trained and equipped paramedic to her home. As part of a pilot program overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the paramedic retrieved Ms. E.'s electronic health record, performed a physical examination, and conducted blood tests while communicating with her provider's on-call physician. As instructed, the paramedic administered intravenous diuretics and ensured that Ms. E. was clinically stable before leaving her home, where her primary care team followed up with her the next morning.
The Massachusetts acute community care program is one of numerous new initiatives in the United States using emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. These mobile integrated health care and community paramedicine programs aim to address critical problems in local delivery systems, such as insufficient primary and chronic care resources, overburdened EDs, and costly, fragmented emergency and urgent care networks.1 Despite growing enthusiasm for these programs, however, their performance has rarely been rigorously evaluated, and they raise important questions about training, oversight, care coordination, and value.
EMS systems were established in the United States in the 1950s and expanded, using federal funding, in the 1970s to create 911 response networks nationwide. Operating EMS systems around the clock requires trained workers with diverse skills. In 1975, the American Medical Association recognized emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, and other EMS staff as allied health workers. The federal government specifies educational standards for the various EMS occupations. As entry-level EMS providers, for example, EMTs undergo about 6 months of training and must pass state certification exams. In contrast, paramedics must have substantial prior EMT experience and then complete at least 2 years of didactic and field training before passing rigorous state licensing exams assessing knowledge and psychomotor skills.
Since the 1980s, reduced federal funding has contributed to EMS fragmentation. Local fire departments provide roughly half of today's emergency medical services. Almost all 911 calls result in transportation to an ED because of state regulations and payment policies: insurers, including Medicare, typically reimburse EMS providers only for transporting patients. At the receiving end, many EDs face escalating demand and soaring costs, as more people seek attention for nonurgent acute and chronic conditions — in part because they lack regular sources of primary and chronic disease care. One estimate suggests that about 15% of persons transported by ambulance to EDs could safely receive care in non–urgent care settings, potentially saving the system hundreds of millions of dollars each year.2
Other countries have faced similar health care delivery challenges, and some have enlisted EMS personnel as part of their solutions. For example, in Australia and Canada, specially trained paramedics provide preventive and nonurgent primary care in rural regions, which benefits both patients and the paramedics, who can use their clinical skills to maximum advantage in regions with low emergency call volumes. In England, Wales, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, EMS personnel provide urgent care on scene, averting unnecessary trips to the ED. The United Kingdom spent more than £4 million ($5.7 million) investigating new approaches that would allow EMS personnel to safely care for people who called 999 — the U.K. equivalent of 911 — in their homes or communities.3 It implemented the successful approaches to substantially change how EMS providers respond to 999 calls, reducing ED transport rates from 90% in 2000 to 58% in 2012. These changes have not affected patient safety.
Community paramedicine has come to the United States only recently, but initiatives are already under way in nearly 20 states. These programs vary widely.1 In Madison, Wisconsin, EMS personnel visit patients at home, providing wound care and chronic disease management. In Clayton County, Georgia, paramedics target ED "high utilizers" — persons who averaged at least 17 ED visits in the previous year. Paramedics in Orange County, California, can now make triage decisions, transporting patients to urgent care centers rather than EDs when appropriate. In western Eagle County, Colorado, paramedics provide home health care–type services to homeless persons. And in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, the MedStar Mobile Healthcare program educates and monitors persons with chronic disease, aiming to prevent hospital readmissions for heart failure. Between 2010 and 2015, MedStar Mobile Healthcare appears to have prevented a total of 1893 ED transports for 146 patients, saving Medicare more than $800 million.1
Despite high expectations for mobile integrated health care and community paramedicine programs, we largely lack rigorous data on their performance. A systematic literature review funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Preparedness and Response evaluated the safety and effectiveness of allowing EMS personnel to determine treatments and the setting of care. The researchers sought answers to several important questions — for example, what proportion of patients who would otherwise be transported to the ED can be safely treated in alternative care settings? The literature suggested that 11 to 61% of Medicare beneficiaries who received ED transports might not actually have required ED care, but no studies "described their methods in sufficient detail to support a firm conclusion."4 The researchers also examined whether, after on-scene evaluations, EMS personnel could accurately determine whether patients could be treated outside the ED, and again they found few studies that were rigorous enough to "support confident conclusions."4
Nonetheless, U.S. EMS systems, communities lacking primary and chronic care resources, and delivery systems with overwhelmed EDs will probably continue experimenting with new care models involving EMS personnel. Going forward, community paramedicine programs will need to address multiple critical issues.1,5 First, there are workforce issues such as identifying the best methods for training EMS personnel, testing their competencies, and maintaining those competencies over time. The roles of physicians (e.g., emergency medicine or primary care physicians) overseeing and supervising these programs require specification, as do methods for establishing and supporting these relationships. Effects on EMS personnel — including on their job satisfaction and career aspirations, as well as on employee-retention rates — also merit attention.
Second, questions have been raised about how community paramedicine programs should be integrated and coordinated with services from local primary care networks, regional EMS providers, and health care delivery systems. In particular, how can electronic health data be retrieved at point of care and documentation be shared among providers? Third, reimbursement and regulatory policies will need to be changed to create incentives for the use of these programs and to ensure that they provide high-quality care efficiently. Finally, monitoring effects on patient and population health is paramount, as are ensuring safety and optimizing patients' comfort and experiences with care.
Mobile integrated health care and community paramedicine could offer important benefits to individual patients like Ms. E. and relieve overburdened delivery systems. New specialized initiatives are addressing particularly challenging population health and health care needs, such as end-of-life care (especially difficult symptom management at home); in-home urgent care for persons with serious behavioral health or substance-use problems, who often find ED care problematic; and care for children with chronic conditions. Identifying and encouraging best practices among community paramedicine initiatives while targeting local needs will require collaboration among EMS regulators, payers, practitioners, and community public health officials — as well as new ways of thinking about local health care delivery along the continuum of care.
The patient's identifying characteristics have been changed to protect her privacy.
From the Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital (L.I.I.), the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School (L.I.I.), the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (S.C.D.), and the Commonwealth Care Alliance (T.A.) — all in Boston; and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville (S.C.D.).
1. Choi BY, Blumberg C, Williams K. Mobile integrated health care and community paramedicine: an emerging emergency medical services concept. Ann Emerg Med 2016;67;361-366.
2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response, Health Resources and Services Administration. Innovation opportunities for emergency medical services: a draft white paper. July 15, 2013 (http://www.ems.gov/pdf/2013/EMS_Innovation_White_Paper-draft.pdf).
3. Snooks HA, Kingston MR, Anthony RE, Russell IT. New models of emergency prehospital care that avoid unnecessary conveyance to emergency department: translation of research evidence into practice? Sci World J 2013;2013:182102-182102.
4. Ann Emerg Med 2014;63:615-626.e5., , , , . Should payment policy be changed to allow a wider range of EMS transport options?
5. Medical direction of mobile integrated health care and community paramedicine programs. Ann Emerg Med 2015;66:692-693.
This Perspective article originally appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine as "Community Paramedicine — Addressing Questions as Programs Expand."


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Samsung Removes SMART IPTV AGAIN DO NOT REST YOUR TV!!!!
We thought it was to good to be true to see Samsung put smart Iptv back in the Samsung app store, and it apparently yes it was. Samsung removed the smart Iptv app in early June and had the application back to the store on 1st July and now Samsung Remov Smart IPTV Again on the 8TH it's gone again.
Samsung has recently removed the SMART IPTV and several apps from the Samsung Stores. There was actually no official announcement as to why this is done however further investigation I found out that Samsung is planning to install more Apple TV Casting and Apple TV services and although it is unclear as this is the reason why they removed SMART IPTV from their store, Samsung TV now simple no more SMART then just a TV with YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime.
This article update my previouse article which I published on
Full Video Guide
This is the Video guide I made last night for all users as soon as I found out about this News.
Users who bought SAMSUNG TVs for their SMART IPTV application are very disappointed, as after purchasing the TV they always rush to obtaining an IPTV Service and watch live tv from the web using IPTV with the SMART IPTV Application.
Many users already have purchased IPTV Services and installed it in the SMART IPTV, now face the fact that SMART IPTV will most likely be removed by the next AUTO update or TV Rest.
Users with SMART IPTV already installed in their TV are advised not REST their SAMSUNG TV and to Switch AUTO UPDATE OFF. This will result in the SMART IPTV uninstalled and will be needing to install it manually.
Diable Auto Update
Follow the steps below to stop auto update on your SAMSUNG TV
- Go to Settings.
- Select Support.
- Select Software Update.
- Select Auto Update.
- Select OFF
Manual Install
The information we have is that Samsung has suspended the app from the Apps store. You can however manually install the app by downloading the Software and placing it in a USB Stick and placing it in your SAMSUNG USB Slot.
Tizen TVs (J/K/M/N/Q/R)
The application will appear on My Apps screen among other apps.
Non-Tizen TVs (E/ES/F/H/HU/J4/J52):
The application will appear on a Samsung Apps screen among other apps.
Important! The steps does NOT work on D series or older Samsung TVs. ( Click here Find out what Samsung Model you have )
Follow the steps below
- Download this file
- Extract and place on the ROOT of your USB Stick
- Place in your SAMSUNG TV USB slot
- Power your TV
- Wait for the application will install
Related Articles
Smart IPTV and IPTV Smarters removed from Google Palystore(Opens in a new browser tab)
Smart IPTV APK Updated to Version 1.7 2019(Opens in a new browser tab)
Best SMART IPTV Setup Configure upload IPTV M3U Playlist(Opens in a new browser tab)
User Review( votes)
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Chisel Belted Field Jacket
$ 220.00
This Chisel belted field jacket features a packable hood. Pockets at chest and waist give a cargo feel to this military inspired style. The waistband is reinforced with multiple rows of stitching. An adjustability option is added to the cuffs. The upper back brings a ventilation feature to this style.
Slim Fit
- Raised collar
- Packable hood ( adjustable) at inside collar- zip closure
- Box pleat pockets with flap closure-snap closure
- Adjustable cuffs-strap with buckle
- Zip closure
- G-Star RAW patch at lower backpanel at chest


text: The Boeing YB-52 was the second prototype B-52 aircraft built and was virtually identical to the XB-52. The YB-52 was initially ordered as the second XB-52, but various changes incorporated into the aircraft on the assembly line warranted a designation change. The aircraft was completed and rolled out for ground testing on 15 March 1952. The first flight of the YB-52 was one month later on 15 April. The XB-52 wings had been damaged during its ground test phase, so the YB-52 was the first B-52-type to fly. Flight testing of the YB-52 (and XB-52 starting 2 October 1952) showed the aircraft to be very fast for its size. In fact, in early September 1954, the YB-52 made a speed run from the Boeing facilities in Seattle, Washington to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio averaging nearly 625 mph. General Curtis LeMay, Commander of the Strategic Air Command, was eager to get the B-52 into production; however, he was strongly opposed to the tandem seating of the pilot and copilot and essentially insisted that the flightdeck be redesigned. Boeing designers did just that and changed the entire forward fuselage so the flight crew were seated side-by-side. All production B-52s beginning with the -A model had the new design, only the two prototype aircraft had the B-47 style tandem canopy. The YB-52 was eventually retired in the late 1950s to the United States Air Force (USAF) Museum. The aircraft was scrapped in the mid-1960s in a drive (non-USAF/USAF Museum) to get rid of excess military hardware. .Credit: U.S. Air Force via CNP


text:
The following interview was recorded live during Freedom Central's weekly radio broadcast on Finding Voices Radio.
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text:
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
* EBITDA* in the quarter reported a loss of $17.5 million compared to a 1Q
loss of $21.7 million.
* Golar LNG Limited ("Golar" or "the Company") and Stonepeak Infrastructure
Partners ("Stonepeak") launched Golar Power, a 50/50 joint venture that will
offer integrated LNG based downstream power solutions and infrastructure.
* Golar''s 15.9 million subordinated units in Golar LNG Partners LP ("Golar
Partners" or "the Partnership") converted to common units.
* Refinanced and then closed the sale of FSRU Golar Tundra to Golar Partners
releasing an incremental $102.8 million of liquidity.
Subsequent events
· Closed Golar Power transaction and received $103.0 million in new
liquidity. Debt and operating cash burn in respect of two vessels together with
$216.5 million of unfunded capital commitments for the FSRU new-build removed
from Golar''s balance sheet.
· Golar and Schlumberger formed OneLNG, a joint venture that will offer an
integrated upstream and midstream solution for development of low cost gas
reserves to LNG.
· Shipping market commences its recovery with improving utilisation, rates
and the re-appearance of round-trip economics.
Financial Review
Business Performance
| | 2016| 2016|
| | | |
|(in thousands of $) | Apr-Jun| Jan-Mar|
| | 18,370| |
| | | |
|Total operating revenues | | 16,557|
| | | |
|Vessel operating expenses |(14,064)|(15,573)|
| | | |
|Voyage, charterhire & commission expenses | (9,826)|(10,648)|
| | | |
|Voyage, charterhire & commission - collaborative | | |
|arrangements | (2,331)| (473)|
| | | |
|Administrative expenses | (9,689)|(11,576)|
| | | |
| | | |
|Depreciation and amortization |(19,705)|(19,444)|
| | | |
|Impairment of long-term assets | -| (1,706)|
| | | |
|Net gain on disposals (includes amortization of deferred | | |
|gains) | 126| 126|
| | | |
|Other operating gains and losses (LNG Trade) | -| 16|
|Operating loss |(37,119)|(42,721)|
* EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization.
EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. A non-GAAP financial measure is
generally defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission as one that purports
to measure historical or future financial performance, financial position or
cash flows, but excludes or includes amounts that would not be so adjusted in
the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure. We have presented EBITDA as we believe
it provides useful information to investors because it is a basis upon which we
measure our operations and efficiency. EBITDA is not a measure of our financial
performance under U.S. GAAP and should not be construed as an alternative to net
income (loss) or other financial measures presented in accordance with U.S.
Golar reported today a 2Q operating loss of $37.1 million as compared to a loss
of $42.7 million in 1Q 2016. Although headline shipping rates remained
relatively unchanged during the quarter there was a modest improvement in
utilisation which increased from 24% in 1Q to 31% in 2Q. Reflecting the uptick
in utilisation, total operating revenues increased from $16.6 million in 1Q to
$18.4 million in 2Q. Voyage, charter-hire and commission expenses including
those from the Cool Pool collaboration increased from $11.1 million in 1Q to
$12.2 million this quarter largely due to the cost of positioning the Golar
Tundra from Singapore to Ghana and the two carriers formerly chartered by
Nigeria LNG into the Cool Pool. As in the first quarter, included in voyage,
charter-hire and commission expenses is $5.8 million in respect of the cost of
chartering the Golar Grand.
Vessel operating expenses decreased $1.5 million to $14.1 million. Operating
costs for the Golar Arctic normalised in 2Q having been unusually high in the
prior quarter when additional storing-up and maintenance costs were incurred in
preparation for the vessels two year charter off Jamaica. Savings were also
recorded across most of the remaining vessels as a result of a general cost
reduction exercise. Administration costs at $9.7 million were $1.9 million lower
than 1Q 2016 largely due to a normalisation in project support service costs.
Relative to 1Q the above resulted in a $4.2 million decrease in 2Q EBITDA losses
and a $5.6 million decrease in 2Q operating losses.
Net Income Summary
| (in thousands of $) | 2016 | 2016 |
| | | |
| | Apr-Jun | Jan-Mar |
| +----------+----------+
| Operating loss | (37,119) | (42,721) |
| | | |
| | 4,089 | |
| Dividend income | | 4,178 |
| | | |
| | | |
| Interest Income | 196 | 895 |
| | | |
| Interest expense | (13,331) | (6,022) |
| | | |
| Other financial items | (27,471) | (28,880) |
| | | |
| Taxes | 609 | 676 |
| | | |
| Equity in net earnings of affiliates | (17,062) | (5,397) |
| | | |
| Net income attributable to non-controlling Interests | (9,412) | (2,817) |
| | | |
| Net loss attributable to Golar LNG Ltd | (99,501) | (80,088) |
In 2Q the Company generated a net loss of $99.5 million. Notable contributors to
this are summarised as follows:
* 2Q interest expense at $13.3 million has increased from the prior quarters
$6.0 million. The increase is largely due to a substantial reduction this
quarter in capitalised interest (a credit to interest expense) in respect of
assets under development. The credit in the first quarter included a catch-
up element for prior quarters. This capitalised interest credit should now
be at normalised levels.
* Other Financial Items at $27.5 million for 2Q were in line overall with the
prior quarter cost of $28.9 million. A 2Q mark to market loss representing
the decrease in Golar''s share price from $17.97 on March 31 to $15.50 on
June 30 of $7.8 million was recorded against the Company''s Total Return
Equity Swap. Mark-to-market losses on the valuation of interest rate swaps
amounted to $5.9 million in 2Q following further decreases in long-term swap
rates. Amortisation of debt related expenses increased from $4.4 million in
1Q to $11.1 million in 2Q following a change in amortisation method.
* Despite a 67% increase in Golar Partners reported net income after non-
controlling interests, Golar Partners overall contribution to equity in net
losses of affiliates increased by $11.7 million compared to 1Q. This
follows a one-off non-cash charge of $19.2 million recorded at the end of
the subordination period when the Company''s 15.9 million subordinated units
in Golar Partners converted into common units. Cash flows however remain
unchanged. In line with 1Q, the Company has received $13.2 million in cash
distributions in respect of its investment in Golar Partners.
Commercial Review
Existing Assets and Contracts
LNG Shipping
The modest increase in utilisation in 2Q from historically low levels in 1Q is
underpinned by a much greater increase in activity. During 2Q 22 spot voyages
were concluded by the Cool Pool relative to only 8 commencing in 1Q. Much of
this additional activity was initially supported by an ENARSA tender for 35
cargoes into Argentina early in the quarter followed by tenders for additional
cargoes into Egypt. It was activity in the Atlantic basin where structural
availability is less than the Pacific or Middle East that drove this improvement
in utilisation. Despite the increase in activity, hire rates throughout 2Q
remained low at $30kp/day for TFDE tonnage and sub $20kp/day for modern steam
vessels. Compensation for backhaul legs was only available in isolated cases.
Subsequent to the quarter end, chartering activity and LNG charter rates have
climbed steeply. This improvement cannot be explained by seasonal fluctuations
alone. A combination of ramped up production from new facilities that started
producing in late 2015/early 2016, the withdrawal of spot traded ships in
anticipation of the imminent start-up of their dedicated project volumes and
more trading activity to service recently installed FSRU capacity have
collectively started to absorb some of the excess spot tonnage. The delayed
Gorgon and Angola export projects that weighed heavily on the 1H shipping market
are also now starting up and will be accompanied by Sabine Pass'' Train 2
The Company believes that sentiment is shifting and owners are cautiously
confident in the market over the next 12-24 months. The volume of voyage
charters concluded since 2Q, their headline rates and the re-emergence of full
round trip economics indicates that the anticipated 2H recovery in the shipping
market is finally materialising as expected. Round-trip voyages are currently
being concluded at rates exceeding $40k/day out of the Atlantic. Rates in the
Pacific have strengthened but not to the same extent with voyages typically
being fixed in the mid-$30k/day range. There are however certain additional
reserves in the fleet should maximum steaming speeds be reintroduced.
Enquiries from traders and energy majors for 3-6-12 month charters accompanied
by extension options have increased notably. Discipline among ship owners is
also a welcome sight. Only 4 LNG carriers have been ordered this year to date
with conventional carriers on order currently representing 31% of the current
fleet. Approximately 130 million tonnes of new production equivalent to 49% of
current LNG production is expected to deliver between now and 2020. Golar
expects further opportunities to emerge over the coming quarters as cargo
owners, mindful of the tightening market seek to secure their shipping at
sensible rates.
Golar''s existing fleet of six operating FSRUs, all of which reside within Golar
Partners but are managed by the Company, have maintained operational excellence
achieving 100% availability during scheduled 2Q operations.
The Golar Tundra arrived off the coast of Ghana at the end of May and issued its
notice of readiness the following month. Amounts due under the contract started
to accrue from mid-July. Charterers of the FSRU, West Africa Gas Limited
("WAGL") have however experienced significant delays with respect to the part of
the project for which they are responsible. Golar Partners who own the FSRU
Tundra are however entitled to payment of hire and invoices have been issued for
Although Golar continues to receive assurances that the project remains intact,
the Company has sought and received a positive opinion which strongly supports
its legal position in exercising its rights under the contract should WAGL
contest their obligations under the charter. Golar maintains a constructive
dialogue with WAGL with regards to finding a mutually agreeable way forward for
the project which is both needed and supported by the government of Ghana. The
market generally for FSRUs remains positive as noted further below.
The FLNG Hilli conversion project remains on schedule and within budget. Up to
3,000 contractors are working on the vessel during the day with a night shift of
300 also now on-board. FLNG Hilli is currently on track to deliver within its
stipulated delivery window. In light of the suspension of Engie''s proposed land
based LNG project and discussions with our partners in Cameroon, local
authorities and key stakeholders, Golar is cautiously optimistic that increased
utilisation of the FLNG Hilli can be achieved after production start-up.
Assuming this occurs and depending on the incremental uplift in volumes, this
will significantly improve the EBITDA. Based on the configuration of the vessel
this additional EBITDA could be achieved for little or no additional investment
by Golar.
Ophir and Golar continue to explore ways to develop the Fortuna reserves.
Projected economics even at current gas forward prices are strong and the
combined upstream and midstream investment required to complete the development
should be manageable and financeable.
The biggest challenge for the project is to secure alignment between the
upstream and midstream partners. Proper alignment should help secure attractive
financing for the entire project. Good progress has been made on both fronts in
the last quarter.
Business Development Review
FSRU activities
Over recent quarters Golar has seen a number of companies express a desire to
enter the FSRU space. Although they have been attracted by the strong
underlying prospects, superior returns and increasing opportunities relative to
conventional shipping, many of them lack the technical capability required to
replicate Golar''s own successful conversion model or do not have the risk
appetite to speculatively order a new-build. A select few will however succeed
and this has the potential to put pressure on margins where competitive tenders
arise. As previously communicated the company has also noted over time that a
large proportion of FSRU projects are being used to directly support power
projects. In many cases these power projects enjoy returns well in excess of
those achieved by the established FSRU infrastructure providers.
On June 20 Golar entered into a 50/50 joint venture with Stonepeak. This
venture, Golar Power, combines the Independent Power Project experience of
Stonepeak with the terminal and FSRU experience of Golar and will offer
integrated LNG based downstream solutions through the ownership and operation of
FSRUs and associated terminal and power generation infrastructure. At closing
on July 6 Golar Power assumed from Golar two new-build carrier conversion
candidates, the 2017 delivering FSRU new-build and Golar''s right to participate
in Brazil''s Sergipe power project. Golar Power is now pursuing both standalone
FSRU opportunities and integrated LNG/FSRU supported power projects and is
working on several opportunities which have the potential to be awarded over the
next year. The Sergipe project is now entering the final stages of its pre
Final Investment Decision ("FID") process. This is a large project with equally
large returns but also risks that must be managed. The recent strengthening of
the Brazilian Reais against the US Dollar further improves forecasted project
economics and solid progress is being made toward FID in the coming months.
FLNG - Business Development Progress
Subsequent to the quarter end, Golar and Schlumberger formalised plans to co-
operate on the global development of greenfield, brownfield and stranded gas
reserves. On July 25 the two parties established OneLNG, a joint venture 51%
owned by Golar that will develop low cost gas reserves to LNG. The combination
of Schlumberger''s reservoir knowledge, wellbore technologies and production
management capabilities with our own low cost FLNG solution will offer gas
resource owners a faster and lower cost development solution. By presenting a
united one-stop upstream and midstream solution, OneLNG reduces the number of
competing interests in what can be a complicated set of negotiations and also
increases the number of financing options available. Golar believes that this
will materially improve the likelihood of a project succeeding.
OneLNG was established with $20 million of working capital ($10.2 million funded
by Golar) and a commitment to contribute a further $250 million each upon
approval of the first project.
A separate OneLNG organisation including a recruited CEO and CFO will be
established in due course. The initial working capital will fund employment
costs for those initially seconded and recruited into the JV as well as the cost
of commissioning extensive research into potential fields and bringing the first
project to a final investment decision. To this end, OneLNG is now reviewing in
detail a comprehensive list of projects that suit its offering. Whilst there
remains a West African bias to the current shortlist it also includes projects
in Asia that Golar had not previously contemplated.
Although the cost of feed gas to North American export projects is significantly
higher than West African gas today, there are also a number of opportunities in
this region that have the potential to be interesting medium term prospects.
These prospects would also represent an opportunity to diversify the FLNG
portfolio of opportunities from both a gas source (onshore/offshore) and a
geographic perspective.
Financing Review
FSRU Tundra dropdown
On May 23 the sale of Golar Tundra to Golar Partners was completed. Proceeds
from an additional drawdown against the vessels existing debt facility together
with a balancing payment from Golar Partners collectively added an incremental
$102.8 million liquidity to Golar''s 2Q balance sheet. The Company will however
continue to consolidate the company that owns the Golar Tundra until operations
under the contract with West Africa Gas Limited commence. Included in the
contract is a one year put to Golar in the event that operations do not commence
in accordance with contractual arrangements or no satisfactory mitigating
arrangement is agreed.
FLNG financing
As at June 30, 2016, $588 million has been spent on the FLNG Hilli conversion
($619 million including the vessel). To date, Golar has drawn down $150 million
against the $960 million CSSCL FLNG Hilli facility. As the project remains well
within its $1.2 billion budget, all remaining conversion and site specific costs
for the FLNG Hilli are expected to be satisfied by this facility. Given that
Golar have already invested $400 million in the conversion of FLNG Hilli, and
once the $960 million debt facility is fully drawn, an equity release of up to
$160 million is expected.
Golar Power
As well as having strategic merit, the formation and subsequent sale to
Stonepeak of a 50% interest in Golar Power represents an important first step in
the strengthening of Golar''s financial position. Together with the addition of
$103.0 million in new liquidity to the 3Q balance sheet this transaction removed
Golar''s obligations to meet the remaining $216.5 million of instalment payments
due to Samsung in respect of the 2017 delivering FSRU new-build and
substantially reduced the equity call on Golar should the Sergipe project
proceed as planned. Golar has also been relieved of the daily operating and debt
service costs in respect of the two carriers, equivalent to approximately
$50k/day each. Finally, in addition to paying Golar $103.0 million (net of a $10
million working capital contribution to Golar Power), Stonepeak have also
subscribed to a further $100 million of preference shares in Golar Power. This,
together with an additional $75 million funding commitment from Golar in the
period before 2H 2018 provides Golar Power with the capital it needs to sustain
its asset base, pursue FSRU and other independent power projects, and, when
combined with reasonable debt assumptions, convert both of its carriers into
Golar''s total cash position as at June 30 was $464.4 million. Of this $280.0
million and $85.9 million respectively is restricted cash relating to the FLNG
Hilli Letter of Credit ("LC") and the Company''s total return swap. A further
$37.9 million invested in the FLNG Hilli during 2Q will be drawable against the
CSSCL debt facility in 3Q.
Since the end of June, the Company''s cash position has been improved by the
closing of the Golar Power joint venture with Stonepeak. This transaction
produced a $103.0 million net cash addition to Golar. After another bank
syndication exercise and a reduction in mark-to-market swaps a further $13.9
million of the $280 million cash backed LC to Perenco has also been released to
Golar. Restricted cash tied up in this LC now stands at $266.1 million.
Efforts continue to be directed to the release of a further $31 million of this
restricted cash over the next few months.
The next step to a strengthened balance sheet requires that Golar address its
March 2017 maturing $250 million convertible bond. This bond is secured by
shares in Golar Partners currently worth approximately $240 million. Over and
above the units used to secure the bond, Golar also has ordinary units in the
Partnership worth approximately $90 million and 100% of the General Partner, all
of which are unencumbered.
Golar has also initiated discussions with commercial banks. The objective of
these discussions is to refinance a material share of the outstanding
convertible bond with a medium term commercial bank line secured by Golar''s
stake in the Partnership. This could be supplemented by the monetisation of
dividends associated with the incentive distribution rights which currently
generate $8.6 million in annual distributions. Such an arrangement could also
enhance the Partnerships ability to make accretive investments in the future.
Several proposals have been received and the Board is confident that a suitable
commercial solution can be agreed.
Corporate and other matters
As at June 30, 2016, there were 93.1 million Golar shares outstanding including
3.0 million Total Return Swap shares that have an average price of $41.10 per
share. There were also 2.4 million outstanding stock options in issue with an
average strike price of approximately $51.92 per share.
The Board has left the dividend unchanged at $0.05 per share for the quarter.
Golar has delivered on two significant commitments since last reporting and
changed the structure of the company as a result. Golar Power is now an
independent downstream entity that is working to build the skills required to
embed its FSRUs directly into power projects thus sidestepping the risk of
slowly becoming an undifferentiated supplier to what will eventually become a
more commoditised business. At the other end of the value chain is OneLNG, a
combination with Schlumberger that now has the skills and financing clout
required to deliver some of the lowest cost integrated upstream gas to LNG
solutions in the market today. In between the two is Golar LNG with its
shipping portfolio and technical project development capabilities that will
ultimately be the link between these ventures. The shipping business shows
signs of an anticipated recovery. Improving utilisation, rates and the re-
emergence of full round trip economics should all help to reduce the cash burn
associated with this business from 3Q forward. Golar LNG will retain the FLNG
Hilli which remains well within budget and on track to deliver off the coast of
Cameroon within its contracted delivery window. Discussions regarding
utilisation of the vessels spare capacity also represent grounds for cautious
There are near-term concerns with the status of the FSRU Tundra contract in
Ghana that need to be addressed. The commercial rational remains sound and the
rhetoric from government and charterers is supportive however the pace of
progress on the ground is not yet reflective of this.
At a macro level the last 18 months have been overshadowed by the conventional
wisdom that China was no longer in a position to be the LNG demand engine that
was the foundation for the wave of new supply that is now starting to deliver.
Adding to the pessimism has been the reduced demand from mainstay markets Japan
and South Korea. As with the shipping business we are now starting to see signs
of new demand. Although traditional demand centres Japan and South Korea have
indeed reported recent reductions in LNG imports, China and India have seen
imports increase dramatically over recent months. The delinking of LNG prices
from oil prices and the reduction of China''s LNG gate price is being met by a
demand response. In the case of China there is scope for the gate price to
reduce further and this should stimulate additional demand. India is also a
price sensitive market that is now responding accordingly both with demand for
LNG and also for FSRUs. This together with new demand in the Middle East should
be welcome news for LNG players and it is for Golar. The Company does however
firmly retain the view that conventional approaches to executing LNG projects
still look unlikely to cost effectively deliver new supply in the future. This
fact underpins Golar''s belief in the viability of its flexible and low cost
OneLNG FLNG offering.
The Board is of the opinion that good progress has been made strategically and
financially over the last year to better position the company for the future.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as defined in Section
21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) which reflects
management''s current expectations, estimates and projections about its
operations. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that
address activities and events that will, should, could or may occur in the
future are forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "could," "should,"
"would," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "forecast," "believe,"
"estimate," "predict," "propose," "potential," "continue," or the negative of
these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-
looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance
and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which
are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes
and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such
forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press
release. Unless legally required, Golar undertakes no obligation to update
publicly any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those in the forward-looking statements are: changes in LNG carriers, FSRU
and floating LNG vessel market trends, including charter rates, ship values and
technological advancements; changes in the supply and demand for LNG; changes in
trading patterns that affect the opportunities for the profitable operation of
LNG carriers, FSRUs; and floating LNG vessels; changes in Golar''s ability to
retrofit vessels as FSRUs and floating LNG vessels, Golar''s ability to obtain
financing for such retrofitting on acceptable terms or at all and the timing of
the delivery and acceptance of such retrofitted vessels; increases in costs;
changes in the availability of vessels to purchase, the time it takes to
construct new vessels, or the vessels'' useful lives; changes in the ability of
Golar to obtain additional financing; changes in Golar''s relationships with
major chartering parties; changes in Golar''s ability to sell vessels to Golar
LNG Partners LP; Golar''s ability to integrate and realize the benefits of
acquisitions; changes in rules and regulations applicable to LNG carriers, FSRUs
and floating LNG vessels; changes in domestic and international political
conditions, particularly where Golar operates; as well as other factors
discussed in Golar''s most recent Form 20-F filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Unpredictable or unknown factors also could have material
adverse effects on forward-looking statements.
August 31, 2016
The Board of Directors
Golar LNG Limited
Hamilton, Bermuda
Questions should be directed to:
Golar Management Limited - +44 207 063 7900
Oscar Spieler - Chief Executive Officer
Brian Tienzo - Chief Financial Officer
Stuart Buchanan - Head of Investor Relations
Interim Results for the Period Ended 30 June 2016:
This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Golar LNG via GlobeNewswire
More information:
http://www.shipfinance.bm/ http://www.archiware.com http://www.diamondhotel.com/news http://www.golarlng.com/
Date: 08/31/2016 - 09:22
Language: English
News-ID 1455426
Character count: 752
Firma: Golar LNG
Stadt: Hamilton
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Fashion By Double A Presents: Adorkable Harmony Chair
New today at Adorkable is a set of mesh chairs called Harmony Chairs. They adjust automatically as you change poses. Three colors are included. Have fun balancing!
So my friend Zoya stopped by to test the chair! We had so much fun!! She loved the chair by the way! lol :D
This my male pictures version for the chair!
I loved too!! So creative poses and easy to blog.
aDORKable Poses are also available on Marketplace.
Alon Alphaville
(Fashion by Double A)


text:
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