text:
Life (and death)...
My life as a Malaysian doctor in the United States.
Friday, June 29, 2012
I've been at this job for 4 years now. Longer than any other in the past (though I was at my alma mater for 6, it was 3 years in internal medicine and 3 in endocrinology so I didn't keep the same patients for too long).
Long enough to get to know some patients well, well enough to consider them friends. After all, if I'm seeing someone for diabetes every 3 months x 4 years, and sometimes when they are admitted to the hospital, then that adds up.
And so, today I got a call from a patient's daughter. Mrs. P, a delightful 86 year old woman with oxygen-dependent COPD and type 2 diabetes on multiple daily insulin, had passed away in her sleep.
I called her daughter back to offer my condolences. And while it was the courteous thing to do, to call the family, deep inside I really did feel a tinge of sadness.
I remember the last time I saw her, just 2 months ago. She asked to see pictures of Allison. And with a twinkle in her eye prophetically said that Alli's going to be a handufl when she is 2. I remember her wicked sense of humor, and her infectious smile despite her chronically cyanotic lips. And how she trusted no one else to manage her insulins; how she yelled at that poor hospitalist that one time and demanded he "consult Dr. V to manage the insulins" because they were doing a "shitty job" (they weren't actually).
If there's one thing I like about this job, it's that I get to share so much of my patients' lives. And, if I can allowed to say this, this also means the losses when they pass on.
Rest in peace, Mrs. P. You've had a long, full life. May you be at peace.
I shall miss our visits; I hope I took good care of you whilst I was your doctor. It was my priviledge, really.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Congratulations, Class of 2012
The last weekend was a bittersweet one; we drove 3 hours north to see my sister- after 3 years of postgraduate medical education, she graduates from residency.
Showing much perseverance and grit, she made it through 3 harrowing years, including that character building/destroying internship.
Only to graduate from one of the top medical institutions in the country and arguably the world.
As a big brother, I could only beam with pride as we went to celebrate with her.
But yet, with the end of this academic year, comes the start of another, for her as well as the thousands of medical trainees. The medical students. Residents. Fellows.
And so, this week, she moves to sunny California to continue the next chapter in her professional life, at yet another leading institution. While we are excited for her, a part of my was saddened. Saddened to have my only family here outside of my wife and daughter, to move so far away. And knowing that after she is done with the next step, she moves back permanently to Malaysia.
It was nostalgic and sad too, to revisit the familiar sights and sounds to those of us who have spent 6-7 years at the same Alma Mater, and to relive those memories. To visit Buddy's old apartment, or the same restaurant we must have had at least 100 meals there over the years. To recall the things we, he, had to go through in those final years there.
Yes, this will be a busy week; the thousands of trainees would transition from one program to the next. Often, this will involve physically moving to a different city or even state. Goodbyes are said to classmates, comrades, colleagues and perhaps even soulmates, as paths start to diverge.
As they take one step closer to leaving their academic motherships and to stepping out to the 'real' (medical) world, what advice would I leave these gallant learners?
- Don't lose yourselves. It's easy to lose sight of what's really important in life. We have all had the priviledge of sharing a dying patient's last moments on this Earth: No one has ever said they wished they spent less time with their family. No one has ever told me they wished they made more money, or spent more time at work
- Stay true to your principles, whatever they might be. Whether is is "First do no harm", or "The needs of the patient comes first". And no matter what, stand firm by those principles. Eventhough you may sometimes encounter a patient who attempts to threaten or bribe you to do something that goes against what your beliefs are
- There will always be patients who will frustrate you. Or deceive you. Or talk or cry too much. While you might not have the answers for their ailments, they are still people. And everyone deserves at least respect
- Yes, out in the real world, you finally get to make real money. You finally start to pay off your loans, or are able to afford a mortgage, or to save. But never let that guide your actions. You are a doctor, and you priority is the health and wellbeing of your patient. Not how many tests you can put him through, or how many patients you can see in a day
- It's OK to not have the answer. The 3-7 years of post medschool training might have taught you much, but it's not going to teach you everything about the human body. It's humbling to admit, but doctors really don't have all the answers.
- It's also OK to be afraid. The first time you treat a serious problem with no real supervision. To realize, "I'm it?? I don't have to staff this with my consultant? I AM the consultant?"
- The learning never stops. I hate to admit this, but after 2 years of college and 5 years of medical school, and 3 years of residency and 3 years of fellowship, the learning ain't done. Medicine is dynamic, so should you. But don't fall into the trap of feeling the need to read every journal. Find a few that is relevant to your field, and peruse it periodically. Thrash the rest
- We are in the business of saving lives. Unfortunately, there will be some patients you will lose. Some, perhaps even because a decision you have made as his doctor. But remember, you are not God. You cannot win all battles. And there is a huge difference between losing someone because of the wrong decision, versus losing someone because of neglect or malpractice.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Happy Birthday, Princess!
I can't believe our
troublemaker Princess turns two today!
2 years!
2 years ago this day, we were blessed with the most precious little thing. It didn't seem that long ago when, I was seeing my 8:00 AM prolactinoma patient, when my wife called me from the hospital: "I'm 4 centimeters and fully effaced. Get your butt here stat!"
Fatherhood is such a beautiful, strange experience. You hold your daughter, and think to yourself that no one else in this world could possible have as much as you do, not because you have more material wealth, or fame, but simply because of that little person you are holding.
You feel like you are the most blessed person on Earth.
I'm sure all fathers feel like that of their children. So it's true; the most priceless of things, aren't things at all.
Happy 2nd Birthday, our precioud little pumpkin!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
It's the truth that the cost of healthcare is skyrocketing, and Medicare (and private insurances) is spending astronomically higher amounts of money for its members. While this is probably multifactorial (in no small part due to Medicare fraud methinks, but I shall blog about that some other day), on a week like this I couldn't help but wonder how much us doctors contribute to that when we don't stop for a moment to think.
This has been a particularly frustrating week, as I seemed to have a disproportionately higher number of what I consider to be inappropriate endocrine consults. I was averaging about 3 consults a day of medical issues unrelated to what I can help the patient with. These included:
- High CK levels- 8x above normal and having proximal muscle weakness. Suspecting polymyositis, and suggested he sees rheumatology, the people who actually treat this
- Depression
- Fatigue- with the usual normal TSH levels (and Vit D)
- High Total T4 in pregnancy (but normal TSH)- even my 3rd year med student could remember that TBG levels are increased in pregnancy hence the TT4
- Anemia (low MCV, ferritin, with complains of melena)- Dear Doctor, your patient has a GI bleed!
- Neck pain- apparently this patient's doctor mistook the left sternocleidomastoid for the thyroid, or something
I hate to be judgmental of my peers as I don't think I'm all that bright myself. But I caught myself wondering if this was from perhaps the lack of better ideas (maybe the GP was at the end of the rope) or just poor medical knowledge. Or maybe the patient insisted on the referral.
Unfortunately, I'm not business-smart; I don't appreciate seeing patients for the sake of making money- I consider myself oldschool- I want to help patients with real hormonal disorders.
Consider this- a Level 4 Consult (99244) has a reimbursement fee of $168. This would be the norm for the patients we see.
A Level 5 (99245) gives a reimbursement of $218. If we are dealing with a high risk situation, or if I am required to review/order radiologic tests then we typically mark it a Level 5.
(And no, that's what the system charges- not what I take home per patient)
And so, can you imagine what this must be costing the whole damned system if one single specialist is 'wasting' $500-600 a day seeing unnecessary consults? Clearly, this must add to the healthcare economic burden. And what about the cost to the patient? They have a copay and thus don't pay the full amount; but what about the emotional costs when they have their hopes up only to find out you cannot help them? Or to have them drive 2 hours to see you for hypothyroidism only for you to say that their TSH was 1.12 and FT4 1.3 (normal) just 5 days ago?
This is one reason I miss working at an academic center. There seems to be more careful thinking rather than the kneejerk "Refer to XXX to check for YYY". Like, if an internist was considering a diagnosis of Cushing's, he'd order the test and if abnormal only then would he refer. Or, rather than sending your fatigued patient to the endo to see if the thyroid was working fine, do the test first as many people with fatigue will not have hypothyroidism.
Instead, I've been horrified by some of the clinical notes I've seen as part of my consults. Like having a GP refer a patient to 3 different specialists to 'rule out' 3 different things all from the same clinic visit! Whatever happened to the art of being a doctor?
And so, as much as I enjoy my work, there are times when I do get frustrated with how the system can be so flawed.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Happy Father's Day!
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants
In this case, that giant would have been my father (and mother). If I have accomplished anything so far, it would not have been possible without the love and nurturing of my parents. And now that I'm a dad myself, about to celebrate Father's Day with my family tomorrow (oooh, I wonder what they got me? ), I can't help but worry sometimes that I might never be able to do as good a job as he did.
And, as much work as parenthood is, the smiles and hugs and kisses from my daughter make it all worth it.
To all the dads out there, especially mine, Happy Father's Day!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Oncall for the next week. It hasn't been too busy, with a patient list covering only 2 (of a possible 5) hospitals.
And then, early this morning, I was rudely awakened by a loud beeping. I look at the time: 1:31 AM.Uh-oh. A call at this unholy hour- what can it be?
Diabetic ketoacidosis? Severe hypoglycemia? Thyroid storm? My mind went over the possibilities as I called the operator.
"Good morning, doctor. It is a patient call..." as she proceeded to put me through. Must be someone with glucose issues, I thought.
"Good morning; this is Dr. V. What can I do for you?" I asked.
"Yes, I see Dr. X (one of my colleagues) for testosterone. Anyway, I am having bad insomnia and restless legs. What can I do about it?" said the voice on the other line.
The things I was tempted to say, but didn't. Amongst the possibilities:
- Oh yea? Well, thanks to you, now you're not the only one awake
- Would you like me to sing you a lullaby?
- Maybe I can prescribe some insulin. I'd bet you'd be unconscious if we drop your glucose to less than 20 mg/dL
- Take some Benadryl. About 2 liters of it.
But no. I diplomatically said: "Call your family doctor. This is not an endocrine issue...". The problem with being accessible to patients who really need us, is that sometimes this service is abused. Thankfully, this doesn't happen too frequently.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
I can't believe it's been another year.
It's our 4th wedding anniversary- it's unbelievable how time just flew by. I can't believe that it was already 4 years ago, when we did our double wedding- our first here in the USA, and then the 2nd in Seremban, Malaysia. It was somewhat of a whirlwind, with the long flights and with her entire family flying in for the Malaysian wedding.
But what a wonderful 4 years it has been. And though things seem to be whizzing by, and though I can't wait to see what else life has in store for us, I'm not wanting to rush and miss a moment of it.
Happy Anniversary, honey. I love you!
On a similar note, we celebrate too Buddy and his wife's anniversary. He was the best man at our wedding, and almost exactly a year later, Buddy and his sweetheart got married (their wedding a day before our anniversary). After a prolonged long-distance courtship they finally got married on a beautiful Spring day. After a long battle with cancer, he passed on a few weeks before their 2nd anniversary last year; however this will be a day so beautiful that none of us would ever forget.
Happy Anniversary to you guys, Buddy (We took the liberty of sending your wife flowers to remember this day. Don't worry- you can pay me back when we next see each other)
Monday, June 04, 2012
To Judge
Doctors shouldn't judge.
That's not our job. We are here to diagnose diseases and treat patients. To cure sometimes, but to heal and comfort always.
But I'm only human. And admittedly, sometimes patients piss me off.
On one hand, the hospital is overflowing, with patients in the ER waiting for beds on the floors to open up.
On the other hand, I have patients like Ms. Y who comes in to the hospital every other week for yet another episode of diabetic ketoacidosis that was induced by a combination of noncompliance with her insulin, and drug abuse.
And the minute she is medically stable, she sneaks out of the wards for a smoke. Or strolls across the street for McDonalds. While refusing to be discharged because of her "abdominal pains" necessitating multiple doses of opiates. All at the expense of you and I, the American taxpayer.
This makes me mad; while I do think that Medicaid is an invaluable program that benefits many people, the frustrating thing is that there are also many out there who take advantage of things. And no longer feel the need to be responsible for their own health anymore.
And in the meantime, not only are we footing the bill, in moments such as these, other patients who could really use the bed suffer.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Boys & Girls
Psst. Here's a secret: I love having a daddy's girl.
Yea, I know, it takes getting used to initially; all the pink in the house. Dolls, barrettes, ribbons. Kissing little owies. Singing her to sleep while waving bye-bye to her fishes. Drawing flowers on the sidewalk with chalk.
Especially coming from a predominantly male household, this took some getting used to. And it's only gonna get more interesting with another baby girl on the way.
But I'm loving it. And I was reminded of the differences between boys and girls when I was there fixing dinner for Alli, only to look outside to see my neighbor's 3 boys chasing a little bunny rabbit with their BB guns!
I would have gone out to stop them if their father wasn't there, taking shots at the poor bunny.
It probably wasn't all that different when my brothers and I drove our parents (and neighbors) up the wall when we were little.
I'll take girls anyday. I'm sure having girls will turn into a nightmare when they hit their teens.
But for now, I'll stick with the pink ribbons, thank you very much.


text:
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
35 heart notes:
- Kelley Cirrito said...
I looove Rascal Flatts!! There songs are so special and remind me of great times I have had in life!!! I like that your share your heart! It is who you are and I wouldn't change it for anything.
- April 25, 2012 at 6:33 PM
- Sara said...
I look forward to reading your posts on CD! I always feel like I have to talk to myself throughout the day when I feel like I am going to lose it with the munchkins....and I remind myself that I am the determining fact in my classroom. I decide what tone I set for the day and as you said, sometimes the kids will catch on and follow.
Tomorrow I don't know what I will change but I will keep on trying to lead by example and be conscious of the things I say and how I say it... =) Because I AM the determining factor in my classroom and I can only change who I am and how I react to situations.
- April 25, 2012 at 6:45 PM
- The Hands-On Teacher said...
Heather, I am so glad you posted this. I just heard the song for the first time this week and I just cried...I was so touched because I can remember the exact moment I made my personal decision to actively serve God. I began trying to be the person I knew I could be. Of course, I am not perfect, but thankfully, we serve a patient and forgiving God. Thank you for this Heather.
- April 25, 2012 at 7:22 PM
- Mrs. Anderson said...
Great song! I hadn't heard it until now. Beautiful lyrics! I agree with Gandhi...be the change you want to see in the world.
Thanks so much for sharing today. You post really got me thinking!
- April 25, 2012 at 7:37 PM
- Tai Patrice said...
Thanks for posting this. I really needed these words after the day I had today. & I couldn't agree with you more about changing our behavior to help shape the behavior of our kiddos.
Tai Patrice
- April 25, 2012 at 7:47 PM
- JennyB said...
Thanks for visiting my blog and becoming my 3rd follower!!! Wow! I am following yours as well! I would "grab your button" but I'm trying to remember how to do that...I'm learning as I go. Any advice you have would be great! Thanks!
- April 25, 2012 at 7:47 PM
- Chrissy said...
Thanks, Heather. I've gotten bogged down in the last few days thinking too much about someone I feel treats people rudely at school. Tomorrow that will change. I know that person probably doesn't mean to be rude, it's probably my interpretation. I'm going to accept that and move on. Thanks for helping me get out of that mood.
- April 25, 2012 at 9:44 PM
- M said...
Heather, as always I can make a connection to my own teaching and my own life, when I read your blog posts. Thanks for sharing your classroom with us.
What will I change tomorrow? I need to think about the kind of choices that I give to my students and change that, so I will let you know how that goes. :)
- April 26, 2012 at 2:08 AM
- mbarrier said...
Heather - I haven't heard the song yet but I'm sure it is great! I just wanted to say thanks for being that positive voice everyday. When I read your blogs, I am always encouraged and uplifted. I can tell that you have a heart for your children and for the Lord. Keep sending out the positive and you will continue to be blessed! - Michelle
- April 26, 2012 at 4:51 AM
- Owl Things First said...
Thank you for all your inspiration, Heather! What ANOTHER beautiful heartfelt post! I'd never thought about writing poetry until I started following you. I just wrote a poem for my class. I'd love for you to read it! It's on my latest post. Keeping lighting the world with Truth!
Owl Things First
- April 26, 2012 at 10:29 AM
- LindaC said...
What you focus on, you get more of. It's like the golden rule of old. Treat others the way you want to be treated. CD is not only lessons you learn in school to behave, but it's also a life lesson for the teacher and the students that they can take away from school. I have a really rough group tomorrow and my focus is going to be on finding the positives and pointing them out the RIGHT way.
- April 26, 2012 at 10:29 AM
- vicky1970 said...
You always inspire me Heather...God is good and I feel blessed after I read your posts. xoxo
Traditions Laughter and Happily Ever After
- April 26, 2012 at 1:10 PM
- vicky1970 said...
You always inspire me Heather...God is good and I feel blessed after I read your posts. xoxo
Traditions Laughter and Happily Ever After
- April 26, 2012 at 1:10 PM
- vicky1970 said...
You always inspire me Heather...God is good and I feel blessed after I read your posts. xoxo
Traditions Laughter and Happily Ever After
- April 26, 2012 at 1:10 PM
- Heidi said...
Ever since I have started reading your posts I have been inspired to be a better teacher. Today when one students was not doing as I had asked after what seemed like the millionth time I thought back to your posts and thought about the way I was going about talking to him and realized I could approach the situation in a better way. I gave him two choices and left him decide. Within a matter of seconds he changed his attitude and did what he was supposed to be doing and I didn't have a problem the rest of the day. I agree with vicky1970: I feel blessed after I read your posts.
Take care,
My (Not So) Elementary Life
- April 26, 2012 at 2:34 PM
love your post. Change is hard...
- April 26, 2012 at 2:38 PM
- Jaycee Weaver and Lohren Nolan said...
I love your blog and look forward to reading your posts! Thank you for the posts and I know that i want to and am trying to be a better teacher after reading what you have to say. Thank you for also being so kind to me when i am trying to start up my blog. You are always so nice to come leave me a nice comment!
Lohren Nolan
- April 26, 2012 at 5:08 PM
- Crayons and Curls said...
You always touch my heart. Thank you for posting pieces like this! I need these words. The negative environment I am in really gets to me. I need your happy thoughts to Change me! :) I am really going to work on changing! :)
Crayons and Curls
- April 26, 2012 at 6:45 PM
- SLandry said...
Wow! Once again I'm glad I stumbled across your blog a couple of weeks ago! Thank you for what you write. I like that while you are striving for that perfect positive atmosphere in your classroom (I'm right there with ya!), it makes me feel better when you admit to those moments when everything seems to lose control. I sometimes feel like I'm the only one with those moments and that I'm doing something horribly wrong. I know I'm not the only one, but it can get overwhelming. Your posts on CD has given me a summer project and I've even tickled the interest of my doormate! Love the song and thanks for a great post! God bless!!
- April 26, 2012 at 7:40 PM
- Deb said...
Tomorrow I am going to use a quieter, calmer voice when discipline is necessary. At least that's the plan. . .
Oh My Little Classity Class
- April 26, 2012 at 8:30 PM
- Jacqueline Richardson said...
I love God and jesus with ALL of my Heart. They are the reason I live and breathe. I too am not all I need to be but He loves me anyway. Isn't that good to know? Thanks for your post.
- April 27, 2012 at 6:28 AM
- Holly said...
Heather - keep the CD posts coming. You know I love 'em and I love how you just put it out there for us to take it or leave it. I'm so sad that the one teacher on my staff made me feel really bad about not being totally CD...you make me think!!!!
Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade
- April 27, 2012 at 5:47 PM
- Jessica Stanford said...
Thank you for posting this! It is exactly what has been on my heart lately and this was exactly what I needed to read!!
BTW, I wanted to thank you for stopping by my blog!
Jessica Stanford
Mrs. Stanford's Class
- April 27, 2012 at 6:00 PM
Thank you for this uplifting post! I checked out Conscious Discipline from the library and am loving it so far! I wish I had read it long ago. A group of teachers from my school are going to read it together this summer, but I couldn't help but start it early after reading your posts about it! Thanks for bringing this great resource to my attention!
Delighted in Second
- April 27, 2012 at 6:38 PM
- Unknown said...
Thanks for the post! I got a little frustrated today at the kids. Thanks for reminding me that I can't force them to make scholarly choices or teach them how to speak to each other kindly. But reminding me to be the change first. A quick note of excitement...one of my firsties came up to me after recess very upset, and I suggested to her that she use one of our breathing techniques (I've taught them the drain and S.T.A.R. so far, plus 'yoga' breathing) and her and her little buddy did the drain together to calm down! Yay! It was cool to see that strategy in action! Thanks for all you share! ~Heidi V.
- April 27, 2012 at 7:15 PM
- Jennifer K. said...
I am so glad I follow your blog - I actually took a CD course one year and walked away with nothing because the speaker was unorganized and frazzled and mainly read from power point slides. Oh, and played a "potty" song incessantly - funny but not helpful for classroom management! As for someone unfollowing you - it could be they just had too much on their plate and left blog land, not that you offended them! You are helping tons of teachers and students, keep up the good work!
Jennifer @ Herding Kats In Kindergarten
- April 28, 2012 at 8:58 AM
- Patricia said...
Heather, Ghandi's "Be the change...", is one of my one of my favorite quotes. Thanks for reminding me again how important it is.
- April 28, 2012 at 4:43 PM
- Patricia said...
Heather, Ghandi's "Be the change...", is one of my one of my favorite quotes. Thanks for reminding me again how important it is.
- April 28, 2012 at 4:43 PM
- Patricia said...
Heather, Ghandi's "Be the change...", is one of my one of my favorite quotes. Thanks for reminding me again how important it is.
- April 28, 2012 at 4:43 PM
- Miss Trayers said...
You've inspired me to check out Conscious Discipline to use in my class next year-I just ordered 2 of her books. So that's one thing I plan to change. I think we all have to have double the amount of patience this time of year! Thank you for sharing. Your posts are always so inspirational! :)
- April 29, 2012 at 5:58 AM
- simonedold said...
Wow!! Touching words and a great reminder for the end of the year! Thank you!!!!
- April 29, 2012 at 9:45 AM
- Sarah said...
I just about fainted when I saw your comment on my blog and that you are following me! Ah! I love your blog and I am really wanting to use Conscious Discipline in my classroom next year. I have been reading the book and your blog! I have a two job interviews in Midland, TX this week for teaching spots for next year. Feel free to send some happy thoughts and prayers my way! I have been reading all of your CD posts today to remind myself about some of the main points of CD. Reading through the book is a little intimidating because I feel like everything I have ever seen isn't the best way to do things. Your posts help remind me how CD looks in the real classroom. Thank you so much for following me and all of your great ideas, you made my day!
Yeehaw! Teaching in Texas
- April 29, 2012 at 12:35 PM
- Kelley Dolling said...
Thank you so much for looking me up!! I just had to come for a visit of my own and your blog is so stinkin' cute! Your Gandhi quote really moved me. I have been a little down and out today for no particular reason and this is EXACTLY what I needed to read. It really touched my heart and lifted my spirits. Thanks Heather! I am your newest follower.
Kelley "Followin' U Right Back" Dolling
Teacher Idea Factory
- April 29, 2012 at 4:22 PM
- Jen said...
Thank you for visiting my blog! I am so touched that you stopped by AND commented! You are awesome!! Of course, I am definitely following your wonderful blog!! :)
Jen's Kinder Kids
- April 29, 2012 at 4:40 PM
- Kerrie Sherrell said...
Hey Heather! Thanks for following my new blog!! I'm so glad I stopped here for a visit! I really needed to hear your encouraging words this weekend. My patience is beginning to wear thin, but ultimately it is up to me to share the love of Christ to these babies as long as I can! Thanks for sharing, and I'm your newest follower! Have a great weekend!
-Kerrie Sherrell
- May 5, 2012 at 6:38 PM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Statement by Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, to the heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited to Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, 11 February 2016
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for accepting our invitation to join us for this annual gathering. It is a valued tradition of the African Development Bank Group that, at the beginning of each New Year, we invite the diplomatic community and the international institutions to lunch. As we wish you all the best for the year ahead, it is a chance for us all to talk about Africa, and about the African Development Bank. Traditionally, we exchange views after lunch, and I will truly welcome all of your comments, as well as those of members of the press who are with us today. Today is very special for me, as it is my first such occasion, since I took the baton of leadership as President of the African Development Bank on September 1 last year.
It has been my pleasure to come to know some of you since then, and I hope that our relationship will deepen over the course of the year. And what better time than now, to salute your host country and the Bank's – Côte d'Ivoire. It was the Bank's pleasure to 'come home' in 2014: almost 1,000 people moved here by the end of the year. We had been warmly hosted for 11 years by the government and people of Tunisia, and we are most grateful for their wonderful hospitality. But now we have returned to Abidjan – the first home of the Bank.
We are all proud of Côte d'Ivoire – and for good reasons. It conducted peaceful and successful elections at the end of last year, and looks set to consolidate and accelerate its progress. The Bank has been and will continue to be a major partner in that journey for our host nation.
I hope that every time you speed across the beautiful Henri Konan Bédié Bridge, you will spare a thought for the transformative power of what governments, the African Development Bank, the private sector, and the people and the communities of a city can do together. And that image provides my theme today. Africa on the move. Africa in partnership – with itself, and with the outside world – to quicken the pace and deepen the roots of its transformation.
I plan to do five things in my address today:
- First, to paint a picture of a resilient, dynamic Africa.
- Second, to paint a picture of a resilient, dynamic African Development Bank.
- Third, to look at Africa's remaining challenges – no one denies that they are huge challenges.
- Fourth, to say how we plan to meet them: stand by for an all-American greeting, even a High 5, when we do so....
- Fifth, to talk about the bonds between the people, the organizations, the countries in this room.
Quite simply, we cannot achieve economic and social transformation in Africa without you. You are already our greatest champions and advocates. And in 2016, as we replenish our African Development Fund, which gives concessional loans and grants for Africa's poorer countries, we need you more than ever.
The good news – Africa
Excellencies, Africa is indeed resilient and dynamic. It has been growing since the start of this century and you know the factors that have contributed to this growth:
- Improved political stability
- More solidity in macroeconomic and fiscal policy
- Increased public sector investment, especially in infrastructure.
- Increased private consumption.
- Improvements in public sector governance.
- Improved terms of trade, spurred mainly by a sustained increase in commodity prices.
Add these up, and you find that they have widened the economic policy space, fortified the continent's capacity to resist shocks, and helped maintain growth at record rates. It is a story of which we can be proud. And its results are clear for all to see. In 2015, Africa's average growth was estimated at 3.4% – that's second only to Asia, and far ahead of Europe and the richer nations. Despite economic headwinds with declines in commodity prices and weakening demand for commodities, the economic projections are still good for Africa, with growth projected to accelerate to 4.4% in 2016, and could strengthen further to 5% in 2017. Yes, Africa may have some challenges, but African economies are not unraveling. They are resilient.
The good news – the African Development Bank
Excellencies, as Africa is resilient, so is the African Development Bank. Despite what might have been the potential for uncertainty as it settled into its new home last year, it actually exceeded its lending targets – by a full 120%. That figure takes account of the 160% achievement of our public sector lending, coupled with the 100% achievement of our private sector lending. We also reached 90% of our ADF financing target for the year.
Overall loans and grants in the year for the entire Bank Group amounted to US $$9 billion, up from US $7.1 billion in 2014 – a 26% increase. The AfDB accounted for 85% of that, something which is in part explained by the way we had opened the AfDB window to newly-eligible ADF countries from Sub-Saharan Africa. The ADF window, meanwhile, held very firm. Over 50% of the Bank Group's 2015 approvals went to infrastructure, of which about 30% went to transport and 15% to energy projects.
In all this, the Bank's "triple A" credit status was reaffirmed by all the rating agencies in 2015. They cited our intrinsic financial strength, our prudent financial management, our sound liquidity policies, and our very strong shareholder support. As a result of such a strong rating, the Bank has been and will be able to borrow from the capital markets on the most competitive terms. The benefits of our low borrowing costs are passed on to our regional member countries.
We also concluded an agreement with the IBRD and the IADB for the exchange of sovereign exposure that will collectively optimize the lending capacity of the Multilateral Development Banks. This could free up an additional $10 billion for the Bank to lend. It's a tangible example of the growing collaboration between MDBs in finding creative ways to achieve more development impact. In particular, the exchange will reduce the Bank's average exposure to each regional member country (RMC), will lower the risk of the Bank's portfolio and provide head room for more borrowers. In all this, the Bank is decentralizing further – getting our people nearer to our projects, and to the people they serve.
Excellencies, I hope it's a clear that you are backing the right horses – a dynamic and resilient Africa, and a dynamic and resilient African Development Bank.
The challenges to Africa – from without, and from within
But we must not forget that a lot more work still remains to be done. African economies' dependence on the commodity super cycle has come to an end. The slowdown in China and other emerging economies affects us, especially the net commodity exporters. Further rises in global interest rates could trigger capital flight from Africa's emerging economies.
Macro-economic imbalances could limit the access of African countries to the international capital markets, which, for some, have been the main source of financing for public infrastructure projects. High global interest rates could also raise the cost of external debt and weaken African currencies. Africa cannot resort to distortionary policies to stabilize the exchange rates, either by drawing down external reserves or introducing administrative controls to limit the outflow of foreign currency. Those are the external economic headwinds. And then there is the rise of insurgency groups in certain parts of Africa, particularly in the Horn of Africa and in the Sahel, which has put a damper on economic growth. But I am confident that Africa will come out of these challenges – with strong support from the Bank and partners.
The Bank's & the continent's response to the challenges – the 'High 5s'
There is much to be done – and we must have high aspirations for Africa. That is why at the Bank we are now accelerating the delivery on our Ten Year Strategy, through sharper focus on what we call the High 5s:
These are what I presented to African Heads of Government at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa a fortnight ago, and they endorsed it.
Let me talk a little about each of the High 5s.
- LIGHT UP AND POWER AFRICA I hope you will have read about the New Deal on Energy for Africa, and the Transformative Partnership on Energy that accompanies it. We aim to achieve universal access to energy in Africa by 2025 by generation of 160 gigawatts of new energy capacity. We will invest $12 billion in energy in the next five years, and aim to leverage about $50 million from private and public sources over the same period.
- FEED AFRICA We aim to make Africa food self-sufficient by transforming the agriculture sector from one of subsistence to one that is a creator of jobs, wealth and growth.
- INDUSTRIALIZE AFRICA We aim to diversify our economies, reduce our reliance on primary commodities and build veritable industries. This will increase the value added of our manufactured goods, increase the manufacturing sector's share in our GDP and increase the share of merchandise exports in total exports.
- INTEGRATE AFRICA We aim to significantly increase intra-African trade from the current 12% level by investing heavily in high quality regional infrastructure – especially rail, transnational highways, power interconnections, information and communications, air and maritime transport.
- IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA We aim to create vocational and employment schemes for Africans, particularly the youth – so that they do not undertake the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe – through such schemes as the 'Jobs for Africa's Youth' Initiative. This initiative will create jobs for rural youths via agriculture, and developing Skills Enhancement Zones which will link industrial clusters with young graduates. They will be supported with business incubation and financing facilities to grow their businesses. We believe that the Initiative can reach over 50 million youths over a 10-year period, and stimulate the creation of 25 million jobs. We believe it will inject an additional $30 billion into African economies.
The Bank in partnership – the 14th Replenishment of the African Development Fund **
The African Development Fund (ADF) aims to eradicate extreme poverty by promoting social and economic development, and regional integration. The ADF has disbursed over US $40 billion in its 44 years of existence, with some 40 countries receiving concessional loans, and grants. We estimate that, in the last ten years, through the work of the Bank and the Fund, 14 million Africans have benefitted from new or improved access to water and sanitation.
We've supplied 280,000 cubic metres of water a day. Nineteen million Africans have benefited from new electricity connections. We've generated an extra 2,500 Megawatts of electricity. Fifty-three million Africans have benefitted from improved access to transport. We've laid 34,500 kilometres of road – more than four times the distance from Morocco to South Africa. And 85 million Africans have benefitted from better health services.
In September 2013, donor countries showed their strong support to the Fund in its 13th Replenishment, to the tune of nearly US $5.3 billion. They did so in tough financial times – it was a vote of confidence and intent, to continue the job of transforming Africa. As at the end of December 2015, we had approved in excess of US $ 3.1 billion of that sum.
Next month, we will gather here in Abidjan for the first meeting of the Fourteenth Replenishment of the ADF. We are the first to acknowledge that times are still tough in our donor countries. And those donor countries are the first to acknowledge that we need to complete the job of transforming Africa. The Bank will present its results, and again it will make the case for a new round of ADF funding.
Excellencies, you are the representatives of the countries that give to and receive from the Fund. We especially need you as advocates for a strong replenishment. Wherever you go and whomever you meet, I urge you to speak on our behalf. In drawing to a close, I simply repeat the five main arguments of this address.
- First, that Africa is resilient, and dynamic.
- Second, that the African Development Bank is resilient, and dynamic.
- Third, that Africa faces huge challenges – from outside, certainly, but above all from within, in the buildings blocks of economic transformation which are still not yet properly in place.
- Fourth, that we have a plan to meet them: the High 5s.
- And fifth, that in order to deliver those plans, the Bank will play its part, the governments of Africa will play their part, the private sector will play its part, and you, our partner governments and our partner organizations from around the world, will play your part.
So, in asking you now for your continued help, I want to thank you all, and to wish you all great success in 2016.
Thank you.


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George Washington Masonic National Memorial
Cachets & Postmarks
designed by
John R. Allen
from 1977-1999+
All four of the Pictorial Postmarks used at the
George Washington Masonic National Memorial from 1981-1999 were designed
and proposed to the USPS for use by the Alexandria, VA, Post Office by John
R. Allen. He designed many other Masonic &/or Patriotic Postmarks from
1977 to-date.
These include Masonic Postmark designs for Fredericksburg Lodge
[1978 (2), & 1982 (3)], and the Yorktown Victory Monument (10-17-81
while serving as the Yorktown Bicentennial Committee Philatelic Chairman).
First Day Postmarks and Pictorials shown here, other than those for
the Masonic Memorial, were not designed by
John R. Allen, unless indicated.
The June 26, 1999, GWMSC Station official USPS
postmark, and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial's Official
cachet, were both designed and implemented by GWMSC Past President John R.
Allen, who designed three prior Masonic Memorial Station Postmarks used for
October 15, 1981, Rochambeau March
Reenactment (culminating at the Yorktown Bicentennial),
February 22, 1982, the 250th Birthday
of George Washington, and
May 12, 1982, the 50th Anniversary of
the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Building Dedication.
Brother Allen designed Masonic
cachets for his Mother Lodge, Louisiana Lodge No. 102, F. & A.M.
(formerly in New Orleans; now located in the Metairie/Harahan, LA) since
July 4, 1976, and has done so for several other lodges and organizations in
subsequent years.
His most unwieldy postmark and cachet
endeavor was as volunteer Philatelic Chairman of the Yorktown Bicentennial
Committee (1980-81) and the Rhode Island Heritage Commission (1981).
Special pictorial postmarks he designed were used in 8 cities on varying
dates from 10/10/81-10/19/81, with 8 or more reused on the 10-16-81 First
Day of Issue, the start of the four day Yorktown Bicentennial, for which he
purchased over 90,000 postage stamps.
e-mail to: John R.
Cachets available at 2/$5.00 or $3.00 each. Send
amount indicated plus #10 SASE (Self-Addresses Stamped Envelope) to:
R. Allen - GWMNM Covers
Post Office Box 633
Midlothian, VA 23113-0633
benefit the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
under construction.
Check back soon to see my
proceeds from the sale of cachets listed on this site directly benefit the
George Washington Masonic National Memorial (GWMNM), and document part of
its philatelic history, the Memorial Association is NOT responsible for the
accuracy of any statements made here. This site is solely maintained by
members of the George Washington Masonic Stamp Club to promote relevant
Masonic Philatelic history of its home base and/or its members.


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Jonathan "Jon" Vrban spends time pursuing his many hobbies, including gardening at his home in Oahu, Hawaii. Among the plants Jonathan Vrban grows in his garden is basil, which he uses to make classic Italian pesto.
Pesto is a well-known sauce that originated in Italy and features just a few key ingredients: basil, garlic, cheese, nuts, and olive oil. However, while simple, it has an intense flavor that many people love. While there are many different variations on pesto recipes, there are a few tips and that a cook should follow to make the best pesto possible.
The word "pesto" originates from the Italian word for "to mash" or "to crush." Therefore, in traditional Italian pesto, ingredients are mashed using a mortar and pestle. Using this old-fashioned method of preparing pesto can be more time consuming than using a food processor to cut and chop, but the results are well worth it. Mashing the basil leaves releases the wonderful a wonderful aroma, and the mashing process helps ensure that the sauce has the best flavor.
Additionally, another tip for preparing a great pesto sauce is to use the best quality ingredients. Since the sauce contains so few ingredients, the quality of each one is particularly important. Using high-quality Italian olive oil and cheeses, namely Pecorino Sardo and/or Parmigiano-Reggiano, can take a good pesto recipe to the next level.
Leave a Reply.
Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jonathan Vrban maintains involvement in a vast array of professional and personal projects, honing his talents as a writer, chef, and gardener.
August 2016


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Caritas Australia (Wollongong)
- Caritas Australia is the Catholic agency for overseas aid and development. It helps people to help themselves, regardless of race, political beliefs, gender or religion and belongs to an international network of 154 organisations in 198 countries and territories.
- It works with the local people of a particular country in all of its programs. Caritas calls these local agencies 'Partners'.
Contact details
- Contact: Monica Ward-McCann
- Address: Xavier Centre, 38 Harbour Street, Wollongong 2500
- Postal: PO Box 1015, Wollongong NSW 2500
- Tel: 02 4222 2480
- E-Mail:
- Website: http://www.caritas.org.au


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So said the famous sociobiolgist Robert Trivers. I just started browsing through the biography of William Hamilton: 'Nature's Oracle:The Life and Work of WD Hamilton' by Ullica Segerstrale. It looks promising. Here is a review in The Guardian.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Biography of 'one of the greatest evolutionary theorists since Darwin'
Posted by gaddeswarup at 12:16 PM
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PST is a pattern image file associated with Ulead, a program specialized in processing videos and images. Pattern images can be used as part of the image editing process and can be included in the software from the very beginning or created by users. PST files are considered uncommon and opening them outside Ulead's editing software might be difficult.
The PS (Postscript) file format is used for vector graphics and was first introduced in the 1980s. Its main advantages are an increased quality of printing when using printers which support the Postscript computer language, and a better rendering of fonts. The PS formats was developed by Adobe and is compatible with several programs running under the Windows and Macintosh operating systems.
The quick and simple way to handle your files is to get a quality piece of software, such as reaConverter. Although it is fast, this software is extremely efficient in managing a wide range of conversions. As you will soon realize, reaConverter will help you avoid spending countless hours trying to figure out how to convert PSTs. But at the same time, it will allow you to apply a wide range of editing options.
reaConverter is quick to download, install and launch, and you don't need to be an IT specialist in order to understand in a few minutes how it operates.
Start reaConverter and load all the .pst files you intend to convert into .ps because, as opposed to most free online converters, reaConverter supports batch conversion. So you can save the time and energy you would lose with doing repetitive operations.
Select PSTs from a folder or by drag-and-dropping them directly into the reaConverter window.
Go to the Saving options tab and decide where you want to save new .ps files. You can also spend a few more moments to apply additional editing to the images prepared for conversion.
Then pick the PS as output format. To help you do this, a series of buttons is conveniently placed at the bottom of the reaConverter window, so you can simply press on the one you need or click Plus button to add new options.
Then simply press the Start button and your conversion will begin in no time!Try Free Trial Version
Advanced users can convert PST to PS via command-line interface in manual or automated mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.Download reaConverter Pro with CLI


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CrossFit Marbella is a revolutionary gym that employs the philosophy of Rebook CrossFit, they are based in San Pedro, Marbella on the Costa del Sol in Spain.
The clients came to us with very specific requirements for their website. They wanted a WordPress website which would be image and video rich, with a simple yet striking design. Functionality they required included a blog with Facebook comments, the ability to automatically update Facebook & Twitter with each blog post, links to their social networking platforms, a scoreboard and the ability to book into classes online via a third party plugin. All scrolling elements on the page we created to be tablet friendly so users could scroll through images with their fingers.
They also commissioned a logo which was based on an initial idea they had. We expanded on their initial concept by developing the logo to not only be used on a dark or light back ground but also so the elements of the logo could be used individually. We also expanded on their initial design concept and came up with the idea of the bull nose resting on weights but this only being visible when the logo was broken down and used without the main bull part to the logo.
We also designed the client a flyer in both Spanish and English.


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Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites' Amenities Include:
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Continental breakfast (in-season, May 1 – Oct. 31, only)
- Concierge services
- Fitness center
- Function room
- Free bike rental
- Private parking
- Beach chairs and umbrellas
- Afternoon treats and taffy in-rooms
- Baggage service
- DVDs, games, and iPads to borrow.
Plus, all guests will have access to our private courtyard and beautiful balconies, perfect for watching the world go by. Ease into the laziness of vacation and explore the host of places right outside our front door.


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PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE: Event will be hosted in MSC 123 Join us for an introductory workshop on Big Data "Intro. to Hadoop and Spark" on Friday, August 11, 2017, from 1:00-4:00 PM at RSMAS, Marine Science Center MSC 123. The workshop explores the differences between Big Data systems and traditional high-performance computing and will get your hands wet by running some Hadoop and spark jobs using sample data. This is an...Read More
Process Big Data on Bigfoot Hadoop Cluster: Load and Query Speaker Zongjun Hu, PhD, Lead, Big Data, UM CCS Advanced Computing Thursday, 12/01/2016, 12:00-1:00 PM | Light lunch will be provided: Please RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com. Location Coral Gables Campus MEA202, McArthur Engineering Annex, 1251 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146 (map/directions). Abstract Relational Database Manage System (RDBMS) had been a...Read More
We are in the era of Big Data. Data is being generated by everything around us all the time. The extreme popularity of social media pushes the scale of data even higher in volume, speed and variety. It becomes more and more critical to develop and apply new big data technologies to collect, process, understand data in a super efficient way. New big data systems and analytic algorithms have been developed and deployed extensively in...Read More
[tab:Summary] HPC Scientific Programmer/Systems Administrator Dr. Zongjun Hu joined the Center for Computational Science (CCS) of the University of Miami as Assistant Scientist in November 2007. Dr. Hu is a researcher that has significant expertise in schedulers and parallel computation. He has expertise in LSF and Moab and has been a regular contributor to the Maui/Torque projects. He is also a contributor to the CRAN and Linux...Read More


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It should be abundantly clear to you by now that if the flesh creature which you have been assigned joins the Enemy's camp, your work is far from over. The nature of your mission changes from keeping the wretch in a cage to coaxing them back into the cage. To put it differently, when dealing with the Church, your mission changes from containment to capture (or at least incapacitation). When the predators of the animal kingdom are looking to capture prey from a herd, their best bet is to separate it from its fellows. Likewise, best chance that you have at taking down a Christian is to cut it out from the Church. Above all, remember that there is a direct correlation between the amount of time the flesh creature spends with the Enemy and the success tempters have in getting it back over to our side of the fence.
(c) Noah Wilson. All Rights Reserved.


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Colors can help in setting the mood, attracting attention and making a personal statement on what you own. Colors can be used to induce calm or excitement, anger or happiness. While creating a web page, color and its theory play a crucial role in the design. Color can also help you in creating the perfect ambiance for your product or company's website. Also beneficial when you want an elegant, warm or youthful theme for your web page.
Colors and Emotions:
Colors have both mental and physical effects on a person. They have drastic effects on one's moods and emotions as they can either make or break your day. As such, color theory for web design is highly crucial. For example, a bold red shade might lead to anger while blue will calm one's nerves. When colors are used in harmony in a website, they produce amazing results for the visitors and this is what color theory also preaches.
What is Color Theory?
Color theory basically covers the whole science and understanding of colors but color theory for web design basically means interaction of colors in such a way to attract users towards the product or the company you own. This can be achieved through the proper use of color schemes, contrast and vibrancy features on your web page.
Color theory was developed from the "Color Wheel," which is said to be a tool for merging colors to get more harmonious shades. By combining two or more colors within this wheel, one can create 'color harmonies' and 'color chords' which are highly calming and attractive to people's eyes. Also helps a person to create your own basic color scheme for a pleasing or loud impact on the viewers. This is why color theory for web design is so important.
Groups of Colors
Through the color wheel, three main groups of colors can be formed; from which all other color shades are created for a color scheme. The groups are namely primary, secondary and tertiary colors.
- The primary colors are red, blue and yellow.
- The secondary colors are also three; green, purple and orange. Each of these secondary colors is formed by a combination of 2 primary colors.
- Combining primary and secondary colors one by one, makes the six shades of tertiary colors.
Warm/Cool Colors:
The "Color Wheel" basically is divided into groups of cool, warm and neutral colors. They're called this due to their psychological effect on one's moods.
- Warm colors are said to be vibrant and energetic. They also move forward in space.
- Cool colors have a calm effect and they also have a soothing sensation on one's mind.
- White, grey and black colors are neutral colors due to their neutral effect on a person's mind i.e. balanced.
Contrast & Vibrancy in Color Theory for Web Design:
Contrast and Vibrancy are the most crucial parts of setting a color scheme for your web page. It has great effect on eye strain and attention of your viewers. Colors of background and text should be in sync for the perfect presentation of your webpage. Text in sharp colors increases its readability. To gain attention, it is important that the color scheme is set so that the text outshines the background. When this contrast is not checked, it can cause eye strain for your users whose eyes will jumble up the words when having the same color shade as your background. It can also mean that you need to set a different color for your text to stop the strain and gain attention. For example, black text on light grey background is perfect but bright yellow text on light yellow is not. A different color of text might help in the latter situation.
Vibrancy on the other hand shows the emotion that you want to play up with your color scheme. Bright and more vibrant colors create energetic response from your viewers and this is effective when you want your viewers to purchase your product. Darker shades put your viewer's focus on your content like blogs, news websites etc.
Audience Targeted Color Schemes:
The color scheme that your webpage uses shows your overall perception in a person's mind. Color of your webpage is the first thing that they will see and through which they will determine if they want to buy or see your product. This is because people have preconceived notions of various colors. For example, green perceives freedom, light blue makes one remember a Tiffany's special gift box and so on and so forth. So that is how they perceive your product. The right color scheme can also create brand loyalty. Color theory for web design has become a major marketing strategy for many companies. For example, IBM has a blue logo for attracting people to have calm and peace financially.
Colors and their meanings for your webpage:
Blue gives the aura of calm and peace and it is the most popular color of the internet. Research has shown that people pay more attention to blue logos and websites.
Research has shown that working in red colored rooms increases activity. This is because red increases blood pressure and heart rate. Moderate use of this color can influence the right kind of viewers with an active streak.
Yellow is cheerful and quite inviting and the best attention grabber. But it is flawed as it has dual perceptions; some find it annoying while others think of it as joyful. Use this color scheme only if your brand and target audience requires an inviting and cheerful webpage like for yoga. And use it in small proportions; contrast it with other lighter shades.
Green is nature and freedom. It is fresh and safe for web page layout if you want to play it safe. If your webpage is regarding money, use its darker tone for association with money.
Orange means affordability because it is mostly used for price stickers on products. A bright orange is greatly annoying but using it sparingly can provide a fun and cost efficient look to your webpage.
Since olden times, purple has been the color for royalty, power and beauty. For a romantic theme webpage use its lighter shades and you will attract many love struck individuals.
Black has a negative meaning but if used sparingly you can create an aura of mystery and business through your webpage, especially if you are representing a news website.
White is the color of cleanliness and innocence and that is why many food chains use it, especially milk and dairy products. Use it on your webpage if you represent these items, or if you have a bold text color to match with the purity of your background.
Color theory for web design can help you in finding the perfect color scheme for your webpage. Be cautioned and select colors from a single color palette; do not mix colors from different palettes as this will create confusion in your viewer's eyes. It has a disjointed effect no matter how much you try to blend it in.
Color palettes bind your whole webpage color scheme together with its unifying quality. Through the proper color scheme and contrast you can create a web design that is well placed, harmonious and balanced for your viewer's eyes and for grabbing attention.


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Cyberoam Unified Threat Management appliances offer assured security, connectivity and productivity to Small Office-Home Office (SOHO) and Remote Office-Branch Office (ROBO) users by allowing user identity-based policy controls.
Cyberoam's User Layer 8 Technology treats user-identity as the 8th Layer or the HUMAN layer in the protocol stack. It attaches user identity to security, taking organizations a step ahead of conventional solutions that bind security to IP-addresses.
This adds speed to an organization's security by offering instant visibility into the source of attacks by username rather than IP address – allowing immediate remediation to restore security or allowing proactive security. Layer 8 technology functions along with each of Cyberoam security features to allow creation of identity-based security policies.
Cyberoam's future-ready Extensible Security Architecture (ESA) offers an extensible platform that can grow with the future security needs of an organization without degrading system performance. ESA supports feature enhancements that can be developed rapidly and deployed with minimum efforts.
FirewallShop.com is owned by Optrics Engineering, a division of Optrics Inc. Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com
All Registered Logos and Trademarks displayed on this site are the property of their respective owners.
Pricing / availability may change without notice.
Copyright 2019 Optrics Inc. www.Optrics.com


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Education in Pathology
Pathology Educational Mission
Pathology is the only clinical department in the medical school with a fully-accredited degree-granting graduate program (leading to a Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology). The research faculty are leaders in their fields and maintain well-funded programs largely focused in four areas of investigation: cancer biology, vascular biology, aging, and inflammatory/degenerative disease with an emphasis on translational approaches. The Experimental Pathology training program is a member of the university-wide Biological and Biomedical Sciences umbrella PhD training consortium, and is closely linked to the Yale Cancer Biology Training Program.
The Experimental Pathology curriculum includes mandatory didactic courses on disease mechanisms and cancer biology, additional mandatory and elective courses, and a Research in Pathology seminar series. Teaching materials including syllabi, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and peer-reviewed literature. Further details are provided in the Experimental Pathology section.
A popular new course on grant-writing is now offered to pathology graduate students.


text: a dmittedly, sunfish are pretty weird looking. But one Boston bro went above and beyond a shocked reaction when he came across one while fishing. The yapping Bean-towner is Michael Bergin and the poor guy just cannot believe his mind. It's like he just saw Santa Claus riding in his sleigh. It's like he's witnessing aliens for the first time. Everything Michael Bergin knows to be true about the world has just been questioned…and it's fahking hilarious.


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A lot has been going on lately with your SoCal ASTA Chapter and ASTA National.
Our Millennials and Mentors event was a huge success and information about our June event will be sent to you shortly.
Many SoCal ASTA members went to Sacramento to lobby on behalf of Travel Agents and the traveling public.
SAVE THE DATE – TUESDAY AUGUST 16TH, for the SoCal ASTA Luxury Showcase, Symposium and Wine Tasting event. Suppliers that would like to exhibit can sign up by clicking here.
ASTA's Maui 2016 event was excellent and educational. ASTA is looking at the Bahama's for 2017.
ASTA Destination Expo (ADE) attendees will have the opportunity to sign up for one half day sightseeing tour (either on June 2 or 4) and one full day sightseeing tour on June 5. Be sure to sign up now in the Attendee Service Center, where you can also sign up for special events. It's not too late to attend. Our chapter has one complimentary registration available. Let us know by May 26th if you are interested in attending.
There are several special events (listed below) that must be signed up for in advance.
- Site Inspection of CroisiEurope's Belle de Cadix, Thursday, June 2, 2-4pm: Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to visit the only ship able to navigate on both river and ocean sailing on the Guadalquivir and Guadiana rivers and enjoy a cocktail reception onboard. Ship will be docked at Muelle de las Delicias.
- Tapas Tour, June 3, 9-11:30pm: After our evening event on Friday, June 3, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a self-guided tapas tour through Seville. This delicious tour costs $35 and includes tickets for 3 tapas and 3 drinks to be used/accepted at numerous bars throughout the city, a city map of the bar locations and descriptions, along with contact numbers for the tour coordinators in the area in case you need guidance.
Innovation, project management & staying relevant in the ever changing travel world.
Upcoming ASTA Events
We hope you'll join us at one of our upcoming shows!
– ASTA Destination Expo – June 2-5, 2016: There are already over 100 registered attendees signed up for next year's ADE in Seville, Spain! Nothing beats actually being there. Register here.
– ASTA Global Convention – September 25-28, 2016: Laugh at midnight, dance 'til dawn. Reno Tahoe has all the excitement you can imagine. Register here.
Kind regards,
Pamela Irwin , CTC, Chapter President
Upcoming Webinars from ASTA Headquarters
Webinar – ZIKA Virus – What Travel Agents Needs to Know | March 8, 2015
Webinar – Becoming a Travel Agent – A Great Career Choice| March 24, 2015
Webinar – Scenic Eclipse – World's First Luxury Discovery Yacht| May 17, 2015
Recent ASTA Member Alerts & Press Releases
ASTA, ITN Productions Launch 'Travel Agents Taking Off' News Program |May 6, 2016
New Study Finds Travel Agents Save Consumers an Average of $452 Per Trip |May 2, 2016
ASTA Launches 'Becoming a Travel Agent' Course |April 29, 2016
ASTA Asks Disney Cruise Line to Reconsider Commission Cap |April 15, 2016
AMG Supports National Trade Association with Reduced Membership |April 14, 2016
Leisure Travel Alliance Offers Members Special Deal to Join ASTA |April 11, 2016


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Altenburg, Tilman, Hubert Schmitz, and Andreas Stamm. 2008. "Breakthrough? China's and India's Transition from Production to Innovation." World Development 36 (2): 325–44.CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Arellano, Manuel, and R. Bond Stephen. 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations." Review of Economic Studies 58 (2): 277–297.CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Athreye, Suma, and Sandeep Kapur. 2009. "Introduction: The Internationalization of Chinese and Indian Firms—Trends, Motivations and Strategy." Industrial and Corporate Change 18 (2): 209–221.CrossrefGoogle Scholar
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About the article
Published Online: 2017-01-21
Citation Information: The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Volume 17, Issue 1, 20160103, ISSN (Online) 1935-1682, ISSN (Print) 2194-6108, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/bejeap-2016-0103.


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When the mercury starts to drop, players and coaches can pull on this Under Armour® Storm Armour® Fleece Team Men's Pullover Hoodie to stay warm and dry on the playing field. If it rains, wearers can pull up the hood and stay protected from the elements thanks to the UA Storm technology that repels water, and they can stay warm, since the soft interior traps body heat. Whether players are getting loose or are on their way to class, they can listen to tunes, as the front pocket offers a great spot to store music players and headphones.
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- Activity: Coaching, Casual, Training, Football, Soccer
- Brand: Under Armour®
- Fit: Loose
- Gender: Men's
- Hooded: Yes
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She has registered as a lobbyist and is representing East Shore RV Park, which wants to extend its lease on county land and expand its campground into an area with sensitive wildlife habitat.
Yvonne B. Burke, who left office as a Los Angeles County supervisor in 2008, has returned to the Hall of Administration as a registered lobbyist .
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HUSH - DJ Night
We are super excited to be adding a Saturday Late Night DJ event to M&P's with all round superstar, John S. Locke!
John S. Locke has been a DJ and face around Manchester on and off for literally over 40 years!
He's played extensively throughout Mancunia, Liverpool, Birmingham, Dublin and London as well as Chester and the rest of the UK and Europe from down stairs on guest spots in the Gay Traitor at The Hac, to a year long residency at Rockingham's at the infamous Charlie's club.
John has DJ'd from regular guest spots at super club Cream to MTV Europe after show parties residencies for 4 years, at Cannes film festival for MTV, spots at Soho House and Cafe de Paris in London as well as famously for several years as co owner and DJ in situ at his former NQ original and much missed bar 'The Northern'.
John has decided to bring his new members club concept and event 'HUSH' back home to the Northern Quarter, or as he calls it 'his manor!'.
A friend and regular over the last 10 years to Matt & Phreds, John tried his night at another venue very recently, but the fit as he says 'Was not quite right.' The other venues loss was our gain, and this new 'HUSH' residency every Saturday begins tonight after the Tarzan Bros gig with John and T, his partner DJing for us through until 4am.
Expect songs in the key of all our lives!…
From funk to laid back hip hop, smooth R&B, jazz, latin, reggae, ska, soul and disco as well as whatever else he and T decide is quality and tuneful enough to grace their decks.
John has described the idea behind 'HUSH' as a place for 'good music, for good times with good people!' and you can't say fairer than that!
The music starts on Saturday 28th July and then every Saturday from there on. It is free admission for HUSH members, Matt & Phreds members and friends of the club and of 'HUSH".
We hope to see you on the dance floor soon!


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A part of me doesn't even know why I'm here writing this. A part of me feels absolutely ridiculous. But it would be wrong of me to just go on with my life thinking like this month isn't important. I just can't. Everyday feels the same. I wake up and fall into the same routine that dictates my life and throws dimes into my wallet. Silencing my defining alarm clock, I swing my legs to the side of the bed and stumble my way to the bathroom to relieve myself. And then my mandatory morning hygiene routine begins. After popping in my contacts, I brush my teeth aggressively as I stand in the upstairs bathroom of a constantly humid townhouse. Deciding quickly on a cheap attempt of a business casual outfit, I cover my face in expensive cosmetics that are a waste of hard earned money. I pack my car, turn on my favorite murder podcast and I zone out during my commute while rolling my eyes at people who drive too slow. I hate it.
Pulling into the same parking spot, I wait. There's this sigh that I've accumulated over the last three years that goes to show how drained I truly am. But I walk in, swipe my employee ID and get ready for another eight hours. Another eight hours chained to a desk. Just another eight hours that I have to pretend to act normal and professional. Another eight hours of staring at a computer screen while jamming my fingers down on the keyboard. It's the eight hours where I feel the most empty..
If the anniversary of your death fell on a workday, I don't know how I would of made it through the entire day without crying my eyes out. I'm glad I'm home so I can express my emotions on the one day where I can't fake it. Today is difficult to manage. And I'm not okay.
There's so much I want to say to you, and here I am feeling empty. It's difficult to write about someone you miss dearly that you know you'll never see again. The words aren't exactly there. I'm jumping into the time machine of my childhood memories which were filled with your charming smile and your infectious laugh. You were my first friend. You were the first boy who thought I was pretty. You were the first boy I had a slow dance with.
You were just 20 years old when you were pronounced dead on arrival–September 30th, 2008 . What was I even doing during that time? I'm having a hard time remembering. I was probably being an idiot–that seems about right. Struggling with school and wondering what I was going to do with my life. Watching other people chase their dreams while I was stuck in this purgatory wondering why I couldn't just pursue journalism. I had fallen down this rabbit hole of indecisiveness, copious amounts of alcohol and poor decisions. I 'd party all night and give less than half of my efforts to pursuing a degree I didn't really care for. And I was probably dating a moron at the time with no goals–no future–no passion. I was the epitome of young and dumb.
It was the time of feeling lost. I would sit there hoping that I would eventually figure shit out. It was as if I was waiting for this ship to finally come in. And now, here I am–ten years later still waiting and wondering if my time will ever come. But even more painful than the consequences of my wasted youth, I regret losing connection with you. I wish we would have kept talking but somehow our friendship went different ways. You made new friends. We lost touch. We grew up. I ended up losing the one person who had been nothing but a good friend to me in the very beginning.
And before I could do anything to fill in that ridiculous space–it happened. At first I thought it was some ridiculous rumor. I was in a state of denial. I remember becoming angry when I heard about it and accusing people of lying. It became too ridiculous for me to grasp. But it wasn't a lie. You were gone.
I didn't cry. I sobbed. I fell to my knees weeping on the floor of my bathroom. My hands hiding my face, my pain. It felt unreal–almost unfathomable. I couldn't make sense of it. The air had been sucked out of me. My fingers trembling as I tried desperately to lift myself from the floor. With my eyes sealed shut, I tried to tell myself it was all a dream. This was all some horrible nightmare. But I couldn't see past the tears. I couldn't wake up. My friend was gone.
Sometimes I let my imagination get the best of me. I let my mind wander especially on days where I want to disappear. Its as if I'm entering this alternate universe where that accident never happened. You never crossed that street. Your heart didn't stop beating. You weren't gone.
If you were sitting across me today in some coffee shop, our conversations would be light-hearted and effortless. What memory would we laugh about? What would make the situation awkward with deafening silence?
Maybe we'd talk about the time we went to the zoo.
Maybe we'd talk about the time where you wanted me to be your girlfriend in elementary school.
Maybe we'd talk about how you thought I was beautiful when everyone thought I was ugly.
Maybe we'd laugh about the time where I had my first slow dance with you in my backyard at my birthday party to that one song by the Goo Goo Dolls.
Maybe reminisce about the time where you and I were active cyclists in the cycling club in high school.
Maybe I'd confess to you that I reciprocated your feelings in elementary school–scribbling your name in my diary, making silly wishes in long tunnels on family road trips…
Maybe we would share a laugh over that.
And maybe somehow, I'd tell you about the love I found and how much he appreciates me and values me. I'd like to think you'd be happy for me. I'd like to think that you'd tell me how beautiful I'm going to look on my day. Or maybe you'd say how you were looking forward to meeting my future husband.
I'm filled with nothing but maybe's in replace of memories. And I hate that so much.
Or you'd show me pictures of your wife and the life you've built with her. And maybe you'd tell me that you were planning on starting a family. And I could sit there and wonder about what she was like and how amazing she was. Or maybe you could tell me that you and your wife were expecting your first child and how you couldn't wait to be a father. And maybe, just maybe–I could be there to hold your child and feel our friendship come full circle since the first day I met you in grade-school.
I'm holding onto these possibilities that could have happened. Those are the things I think about now more than ever. Beautifully crafted memories that would have happened if it weren't for that fatal day.
You were so much more than just some cyclist. You were so much more than an apprentice to a construction company. You were so much more than that boy who lived a few blocks from me…
I only have bits and pieces of you carefully etched in the corners of my memory. And one day I fear that I wont be able to remember any of it. I fear that you'll disappear completely from the one place I know you'll be, a place that I know you'll never leave.
I wish I could visit you now–but your remains are unknown. When your family posted a website as a memorial, they had mentioned briefly that your ashes were spread out through Sequioa National Park. And it made sense. You loved the outdoors. Your weren't meant for some box. I tried going back to that website only to discover that someone had taken it down. I was upset that it was erased but I had to understand that your family is on their own path of healing. I couldn't be selfish about that as much as I wanted to.
Maybe that's why I've chosen to write this letter to you. I want it to feel like you're still here and that you're not truly gone or forgotten. Because you're not. You meant the world to me even though it may have looked as if I didn't care about you at all.
I wish I could have been a better friend to you. A better neighbor. A better person…
I miss you. I love you. And I hope one day we cross paths again.
Rest In Peace.
Jakob Scott Weathermon.
Born on April 17th 1988
Died on September 30th 2008.
Jakob Scott Weathermon was 20 years old, riding his bike on Suzana & Delamo Ave. between Carson and Long Beach, on Sept.30th,2008, when he was hit by a big rig, because he jumped in the way of it to save his girlfriend. We love and miss you Jakob. rest in peace.


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If you are a new supplier to United Living please check that any email you receive ends with @unitedliving.co.uk If you are in any doubt about the order that has been placed, or would like to check it is genuine, please call our head office on 01322 665522 and speak to either the Accounts or Buying department who will be able to clarify the details and the order.
United Living Group released strong results for the 2015/16 financial year, the group's first full year of operation as a merged business.
An EBITDA of £5 million was returned by the Group, which is a threefold increase against the previous year on a like for like basis. EBITDA as a percentage of revenue rose from 1.8% to 2.3% over the same period, with turnover at £220m. Cash balances rose from £4.5m to £10.4m.
These results are based on efficiencies driven out of the merged businesses, investment in people and its strong and developing relationships with the country's leading registered providers (RPs) and Local Authorities (LAs).
This comes alongside expansion plans and the relocation of the Group's regional offices to more prominent locations. The Group's strategy is to be a £0.5bn business by 2020.
Ian Burnett, chief executive of United Living said: "This year we've demonstrated our resilience in a period when our customer base of registered providers were dealing with significant changes to their own business plans following the chancellor's budget cuts to housing rents. The significant increase in cash balances positions the business well for any turbulence in the market given the unpredictability following the EU vote.
"Our growth across the UK and office relocation to key city regions is opening up lots of new opportunities and we are in a position to offer our clients a land-led solution to help them meet their building targets. Our forward order book also continues to grow now standing at over £500m. Together with our land bank, this will be a significant area of growth for the business over the coming years, as we aim to become the country's leading provider of new build and refurbished residential accommodation.
"We have invested significantly this year in talent and our IT infrastructure, allowing us increased efficiency moving forward. The impact of this will increasingly be seen by our clients."
United Living, which has key regional offices spanning across the North West, North East, Midlands, Wales, and its headquarters in London and the South East, has been gathering awards for its work throughout the year. These include a Gold Considerate Constructors Award for its York Road scheme in Bristol, a RICS award for the Bluebell Park in Knowsley and a RoSPA Gold health and safety accolade.
And the Group has further enhanced its social value offering, not only increasing the number of trainees and apprenticeships from 70 to 113, but extending the community work it supports by working with local groups around the country on bespoke projects.
This has included major redecoration at schools across the UK, upgrading and installing a new sensory garden in a Kent special needs unit and large scale grounds works in a community centre in the Midlands.
Our annual report, financial statements and tax strategy can be found here:


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The Transformation of Europe, with Sir Michael Howard (Conversations with History)
Date: 5/4/1990; 53 minutes
Historian Sir Michael Howard joins Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler for a discussion of the changes in Europe with the end of the Cold War. (#11283)
related programs
World History, Culture, and Geography: The Modern World
K-12 Educational Standards
Standards for Grade(s): 10
World History, Culture, and Geography: The Modern World
10.9 Students analyze the international developments in the post-World War II world.
For more information, visit: California State Board of Education Content Standards
Visit Teacher's PET to find more programs with K-12 Educational Standards.


text: YAPCyberWorx Engages Youth, Students, and Tech Professionals in Web Design Project 1/18/2018 1:53:00 PM View Count 1746 YAP involved youth and adults in Lebanon County, PA, with the help of Lebanon Valley College Criminal Justice/Sociology seniors, and a passionate tech professional successfully completed YAPCyberWorx in December. YAPCyberWorx is a YAPWorx initiative designed to allow system involved youth the opportunity to improve their future economic opportunities through exploring technology careers, building social capital, while giving back to the community in new ways. This project also focused on empower... Read More


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On Saturday September 13th, the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter (135) of the United Daughters of the Confederacy along with representatives of the Pvt. Job S. Neill Camp (#286)unit of the Sons of the Confederacy(both from the Batesville area) conducted a Memorial Service to honor Capt. Harvey Baxter Landers at his graveside in Mt. Olive at the old Jeffery Cemetery. Between 50 and 60 people were present for the ceremony...including some of the honoree's descendants. Also contributing to the event was Hubbard's Battery out of Jacksonport commanded by Captain Charles Berry. If you went along with us on our Ozark's Skoolin' Road Trip last April, you may recognize one of the members of Hubbard's Battery unit pictured with field gun, Danny Gillihan.
Captain Landers was a member of H Company, 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment CSA. He enlisted with the confederacy at his home in Lunenburg at the age of 21 joining the Arkansas Volunteers under Colonel Robert Glenn Shaver by walking with other Izard County Volunteers to Smithville. His heroism during the great Battle of Shiloh in retrieving and carrying his units flag through the remainder of the fight earned him a commission by the election of his fellow soldiers. His record during the several campaigns is one of selfless bravery and great dedication to duty and country.
We hope to see more of these events in the future.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Captain Harvey Baxter Landers Dedication Service (Jeffery Cemetery, Mt. Olive)
Posted by Al-Ozarka at 3:52 PM
1 comment:
- HillbillyRecon said...
This was so much fun . Like so many famlies we had kin on both sides of the war . If it wasn't for the war i would be living in Alabama . This was my first shots with my new Nikon. hope you all enjoy .
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We've heard some amazing stories these past few days, but this one may take the cake.
The City of Las Vegas is opening a memorial park at Casino Center and Charleston in downtown Las Vegas to pay tribute to the 59 people who lost their lives in Sunday night's shootings at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. For those of you keeping score, that's only 4, yes 4 days! Talk about an engineering feat! Watch the park come together in the video from the city below.
Thanks to countless volunteers and sponsors, a park is being built in only four days to honor the Las Vegas shooting victims at Casino Center/Charleston downtown. It will open Friday at 7:30 p.m. #VegasStrong ❤
Posted by City of Las Vegas Government on Thursday, October 5, 2017