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With 8 million Youtube views, 7 Ghoema awards, hundreds of shows, and a name that needs no introduction - JO BLACK announces the release his new album VOEL JY DIE GENADE.
'Voel Jy Die Genade', the first single off his sophomore album, soars and uplifts with a driving passion and authentic lyrical message. The leading voice in Afrikaans music surprises and astonishes again, spreading his vision of hope and faith.
Says Jo Black on his new album; "I've really poured my heart and soul into this album. I've worked incredibly hard on this project and my hope is that people will be as inspired by listening to it, as I felt in creating it."
His debut album 'Skepe' took the industry by storm and was honoured with a record number of KykNET Ghoema awards; these seven awards included Best Newcomer, Best Album of the Year, Best Digital Seller of the Year, just to name a few. His music videos have reached 8 million views on Youtube and he also made his debut on the big screen with his cameo role in the Afrikaans box office hit - "Susters"
'Skepe' went Triple Platinum and is by far the biggest selling Afrikaans album of the last two years.
He is proud to be affiliated with his record label, Inhoud Huis Musiek, and completed his brand-new album, 'Voel Jy Die Genade' with long time songwriting partner Johan Vorster. Jo's music can be described as Rock and Inspirational, songs that will leave you with a smile and wanting more. Jo believes that your life can change in an instant, if you want it to.
Springsteen On Broadway is the new album of music and stories by Bruce Springsteen, and the soundtrack to the Netflix show of the same name which airs in December 2018. The album is the complete live solo acoustic performance of the show.
Based on his worldwide best-selling autobiography 'Born to Run', Springsteen On Broadway is a unique evening with Bruce, his guitar, a piano, and his very personal stories. In addition, the show features a special appearance by Patti Scialfa.
Bruce Springsteen's historic sold-out series of performances of his one man show began previews on October 3, 2017 and officially opened October 12, 2017. The show was extended three times after its initial eight-week run, and ran on Broadway at The Walter Kerr Theatre through December 15, 2018, bringing the total number of performances to 236.
For Katherine Jenkins, her latest studio album, GUIDING LIGHT, represents the culmination of a deeply emotional journey which began when her beloved father died and found a new path when she became a mother.
It is an album which speaks of life, hope, acceptance and a universal spirituality. A collection of songs in which to find meaning and inspiration.
The 14th studio album from the Canadian rocker - his first since 2015's Get Up.
Shine A Light's 12 tracks include the title track and a duet with Jennifer Lopez called "That's How Strong Our Love Is."
Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past.
Over the course of one fateful night, each of them will have one last shot at redemption... before everything goes to hell.
Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
Master of horror John Carpenter joins forces with director David Gordon Green and producer Jason Blum (Get Out, Split) for this follow-up to Carpenter's 1978 classic.
"Rebels And Rage is a critically important contribution to public discussion about #FeesMustFall"–Eusebius McKaiser
Adam Habib, the most prominent and outspoken university official through the recent student protests, takes a characteristically frank view of the past three years on South Africa's campuses in this new book. Habib charts the progress of the student protests that erupted on Wits University campus in late 2015 and raged for the better part of three years, drawing on his own intimate involvement and negotiation with the students, and also records university management and government responses to the events. He critically examines the student movement and individual student leaders who emerged under the banners #feesmustfall and #Rhodesmustfall, and debates how to achieve truly progressive social change in South Africa, on our campuses and off.
This book is both an attempt at a historical account and a thoughtful reflection on the issues the protests kicked up, from the perspective not only of a high-ranking member of university management, but also Habib as political scientist with a background as an activist during the struggle against apartheid. Habib moves between reflecting on the events of the last three years on university campuses, and reimagining the future of South African higher education.
Five years, eight months, 12 days... and counting. That's how long Debbie Ocean has been devising the biggest heist of her life.
She knows what it's going to take—a team of the best in their field, starting with her partner-in-crime Lou Miller. Together, they recruit a crew of specialists and attempt an impossible heist at New York City's annual Met Gala.
When their father passes away, four grown siblings gather with their collection of husbands, wives, children and grandchildren. Together, this crazy family needs to survive itself for three days, under one roof, before they spread their father's ashes and part ways again.
As the siblings re-examine their shared history and their tattered relationships, they learn how miserable they've become and how they can no longer blame anyone else for their own decisions.
RW Johnson's bestselling book How Long Will South Africa Survive? was published at the height of the Zuma presidency. Since then, Cyril Ramaphosa has taken over as president and there have been some attempts to clean up government. But the brief period of 'Ramaphoria' is over and the threat to both the economy and the dream of a non-racial democracy is as real as ever.
As national elections loom, Johnson examines the state of the nation with pinpoint accuracy. On the one hand state-owned institutions are near collapse, municipalities are defunct and civil strife is rampant. On the other, Ramaphosa and his team have come up with a plan to curb corruption and create growth and prosperity.
But will it work?
Join the celebration, sing and dance, and discover how it all began!
It's ten years later and you're invited back to the magical Greek island of Kalokairi in an all-new musical sequel based on the songs of ABBA that finds Sophie now pregnant, and like her mother Donna, she'll need to take risks.
The film's original cast returns, with new additions including Lily James as a young Donna, Andy Garcia and Oscar winner Cher.
The intimate and personal story behind the man who tried to kill Verwoerd but didn't succeed.
"The raucous wail of sirens pierced the quiet Saturday afternoon, making me drop my book and rush outside to see what drama was taking place. A fleet of cars, their sirens screaming, roared along Oxford Road two hundred yards from our house. I stood on the lawn wondering what on earth it was because sirens were rarely heard near our home. I went back inside; the commotion was over. But within half an hour our telephone started ringing non-stop . . ."
9 April 1960 was the day that changed Susie Cazenove's life – the day her father, David Pratt, shot the Prime Minister of South Africa, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd. Verwoerd, commonly known as the architect of apartheid, didn't die, but Pratt's family lived with the legacy of his action.
A chance encounter with the late David Rattray of Fugitive's Drift led Cazenove to revisit the memories of that terrible day. With Rattray's encouragement she put pen to paper to describe the extraordinary events of that day and its consequences. Part family memoir, part ode to the settlement of Johannesburg, Cazenove skilfully weaves her family history and the mood in South Africa in the 1950s and 60s as a background to what may have led her father, a farmer and gentle man, to commit a treasonous act.
The ASUS F540 is powered by Intel processors to provide an unrivalled computing performance.
Ergonomic Keyboard Design
Typing is now more comfortable than ever with the F Series' full-size keyboard.
Lightweight Design
Lightweight chassis that weighs just 1.9kg - ideal to take with you.
Illumination and Universal Pictures present The Grinch, based on Dr. Seuss' beloved classic.
The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl's generous spirit. Funny, heartwarming and visually stunning, The Grinch is fun for the whole family!
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that's the first of its kind.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.
(Academy Award winner for: Best Animated Film)
Once the owner of a diamond mine, a wine farm and the most expensive house in Cape Town.
Former chairman of South Africa's largest retailer, director of the Reserve Bank and the richest man in the country. As a young man, Christo Wiese cut his teeth at Pep Stores. Over the years he built a mighty business empire, which included Shoprite and a number of other enterprises. His recipe for success: an endless love for cutting deals, a fearless appetite for risk and a keen eye for a bargain. This man of great charm has never been afraid of sailing close to the wind. Over the course of 50 years these calculated risks paid off, making him one of the most successful businessmen of his generation – until he encountered the furniture group Steinhoff, and things went awry. Business journalist and writer TJ Strydom tells the story of one of South Africa's best-known business giants in a fresh, engaging way.
'A fabulous, sweeping adventure read – almost a thriller – that chronicles the rags to riches rise of yet another giant of Afrikaner capitalism.' – Peter Bruce
Trying to decide who to vote for in South Africa can be extremely difficult. A black and white issue for some, but shaded with grey for many.
Much has been written about the ANC, their past, their future, their strengths and their shortcomings, but what about the official opposition? Could the DA be a political home for you? Eusebius McKaiser explores this question from a variety of angles – what do the DA get right? What do they get wrong? Is black discomfort with the DA a matter of policy or maybe a question of tone? Do the DA really "get" what worries their critics?
Read Could I Vote DA? and make up your own mind.
In spite of Cyril Ramaphosa's "new dawn", there are powerful forces in the ruling party that risk losing everything if corruption and state capture finally do come to an end. At the centre of the old guard's fightback efforts is Ace Magashule, a man viewed by some as South Africa's most dangerous politician.
In this explosive book, investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh ventures deeper than ever before into Magashule's murky dealings, from his time as a struggle activist in the 1980s to his powerful rule as premier of the Free State province for nearly a decade, and his rise to one of the ANC's most influential positions. Sifting through heaps of records, documents and exclusive source interviews, Myburgh explores Magashule's relationship with the notorious Gupta family and other tender moguls; investigates government projects costing billions that enriched his friends and family but failed the poor; reveals how he was about to be arrested by the Scorpions before their disbandment in the late 2000s; and exposes the methods used to keep him in power in the Free State and to secure him the post of ANC secretary-general.
Most tellingly, Myburgh pieces together a pack of leaked emails and documents to reveal shocking new details on a massive Free State government contract and Magashule's dealings with a businessman who was gunned down in Sandton in 2017. These files seem to lay bare the methods of a man who usually operated without leaving a trace.
Gangster State is an unflinching examination of the ANC's top leadership in the post-Jacob Zuma era, one that should lead readers to a disconcerting conclusion: When it comes to the forces of capture, South Africa is still far from safe.
After nearly forty years of marriage, JOAN and JOE CASTLEMAN are complements of each other. Where Joe is casual, Joan is elegant. Where Joe is vain, Joan is self-effacing. And where Joe enjoys his very public role as Great American Novelist, Joan pours her considerable intellect, grace, charm, and diplomacy into the private role of Great Man's Wife.
Joe is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for his acclaimed and prolific body of work. Joe's literary star has blazed since he and Joan first met in the late 1950s.
THE WIFE interweaves the story of the couple's youthful passion and ambition with a portrait of a marriage thirty plus years later, with a lifetime's shared compromises.
(Academy Award nomination for: Best Actress)
On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town.
Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.
Busi, a young destitute woman with dangerously repressed emotions, lands a job as a cleaner at a rundown hospital in the heart of Johannesburg. Desperate for the money so she can bring her younger sister to Johannesburg, she must cope despite the predatory and corrupt hospital manager.
When Busi discovers an abandoned young girl in the hospital, who believes she is tormented by a supernatural force, Busi must face her own demons from her past in order to save the child from the abusive monster that pursues them both relentlessly.
In Cape Curry & Koesisters, twin sisters Fatima and Gadija takes us on a Cape Malay food trip, which is also a journey of life, as the recipes are linked with memories of their childhood on the Cape Flats. They believe in home cooking and recipes that are quick, easy and affordable. Easy, yet never boring, there's something for every taste and every occasion. Try your hand at their curries with sambals on the side and dhaltjies for a bit of bite.
Throughout the past 50 years, the courts have been a battleground for contesting political forces as more and more conflicts that were once fought in Parliament or in streets, or through strikes and media campaigns, find their way to the judiciary.
Certainly, the legal system was used by both the apartheid state and its opponents. But it is in the post-apartheid era, and in particular under the rule of President Jacob Zuma, that we have witnessed a dramatic increase in 'lawfare': the migration of politics to the courts.
The authors show through a series of case studies how just about every aspect of political life ends up in court: the arms deal, the demise of the Scorpions, the Cabinet reshuffle, the expulsion of the EFF from Parliament, the nuclear procurement process, the Cape Town mayor…
The critically-acclaimed movie based on the New York Times Bestseller and winner of mutiple Young Adult Fiction awards.
Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer.
Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.
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Rick Flores '93, BSCJ
County of Webb
His father only had a fifth grade education, but Rick Flores says his father had a Ph.D. – one in the study of life. His father instilled in him the value of a disciplined work ethic.
From managing an extensive paper route, to mowing lawns and picking crops as a young man, Flores knows about hard work. The desire to seek employment immediately rather than enjoy the benefits of an education led to his decision to drop out of high school his senior year. In retrospect, Flores realizes that continuing his education at that time would have been the easier road to take. He now holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master of Arts in Sociology from TAMIU. He is working towards a graduate degree in public administration.
Even with a long list of accolades and accomplishments, Sheriff Flores remembers his father's words, "Never forget to keep your feet on the ground and never forget where you come from." Through his efforts these past two years, Flores' goal as Sheriff has been to protect the citizens of Webb County.
Alumni Relations / Office of the Vice President for Institutional Advancement
email@example.com • TEL 956.326.GIVE (4483) • FAX 956.326.2174
5201 University Boulevard, Killam Library, Rm. 261
Laredo, Texas 78041-1900
Texas A&M International University
5201 University Boulevard
Laredo, TX 78041
© 2019

subset: commoncrawl


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TTR: Style in Snowboarding
"Style in Snowboarding" is the first video segment from a collection cut out of the 2009/2010 Swatch TTR TV Show series. They will be released during November and December 2010.
Style is an integral, yet intangible, element of snowboarding. Simply put, style makes snowboarding what it is. It differentiates it from other sports, such as team sports, where style is not an often spoken word. It is the expression of ones individuality based on how you hold your grab, control your body and so on. The words of Jason Horton seem to fit perfectly: "Style is the art of making something that's difficult and unnatural look easy." It is an endlessly debated topic and it is also a vital part of the judging criterion on all of the Swatch TTR Tour events.
In this video segment you will hear thoughts on style from snowboarding legends (as well as rookies) like Nicolas Muller (SUI), Heikki Sorsa (FIN), Todd Richards (USA), Marco Grilc (SLO), Mikkel Bang (NOR) and Stale Sandbech (NOR). Also snowboarders now working in the industry such as Jason Horton (GBR), Sean Lake (USA) and Tommy Klaehn (AUT) give their insights on the simple matters of style.
To see this show in its entirety please visit ttrworldtour.com/?multimedia/? tv-schedule.html for television airing times in your region.


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Big 12 Campus Correspondent
Senior Taylor Thom has carved out her place in Texas Softball history, ranking in the top five in career hits, doubles, home runs, runs batted in, runs scored and stolen bases—and her career isn't over yet.
Coming off an All-American junior campaign, Thom is one of four senior captains attempting to get the Longhorns back to Oklahoma City for Texas' sixth Women's College World Series appearance.
"Being at Texas for four years has been an amazing experience," Thom said. "I have definitely grown into a young woman. I have some great coaches and I wouldn't be where I am without them today."
The shortstop has taken command of the infield and used her experience to lead a Longhorn team comprised of 13 underclassmen, including seven fresh faces on the Forty Acres.
"Having senior captains at primary positions like catcher, shortstop, center field and first base builds the team and makes it that much stronger," senior catcher Mandy Ogle said. "Taylor takes control of the infield and does a great job."
Prior to every pitch and situation, Thom is calling out plays like a seasoned quarterback, calming down pitchers and preparing the defense.
"Her leadership is huge for us," assistant coach Corrie Hill said. "Her work ethic instills a lot to the younger players. She not only leads by example, but she is not afraid to go grab a player and say, 'We're going to go hit today' and she's going to drag them along."
In 2013, Thom was the catalyst and power behind the Texas squad that advanced to the semifinals of the WCWS, leading the Longhorns to their highest final national ranking ever (3rd).
The shortstop had a career year, leading the Longhorns in nearly every batting category, including setting a program record 66 RBIs in a single season. Along the way, Thom matched NCAA single game records for grand slams (two vs. Houston, Feb. 16, 2013) and doubles (3 vs. Utah State, Feb. 23, 2013) en route to an NFCA Third-Team All-American selection. She was also one of three Longhorns selected to the All-Big 12 First Team.
Thom played with Team USA over the summer and entered the 2014 season with lofty expectations. She picked up right where she left off, smashing a home run in just her second at-bat of the 2014 campaign, but her power numbers soon leveled off. The Texas record-holder for total bases in a single season (132) recorded mild numbers for her standard, collecting two home runs and 20 RBIs over Texas' next 34 games.
"I had a breakout year last season, so I had high expectations for myself this year," Thom said. "I think I was just pressing too much and overworking myself."
Hill, who coaches the offense and sets the lineup, shook up the batting order for the start of Big 12 play and the results have been staggering.
Since moving to third in the lineup, Thom has broken out and regained her All-American form. Nine games into the switch, the senior is hitting .591 (13-for-22) and leads Texas in hits, home runs, RBIs, walks, and runs scored. In the last seven games, Thom has smashed five home runs, including two grand slams, and driven in 17 RBIs, fueling Texas to 74 runs and a 6-1 mark. Thom's recent play has earned her back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career and fourth overall.
"We told her that she is just a great athlete and her numbers would come," Ogle said. "Now that she is more comfortable, the results are showing up more."
Thom is back in her comfort zone in the lineup and her numbers are taking off with each game.
"I like the three-hole [in the lineup] because I have a specific job and that's to hit runners in. I absolutely love that," Thom said. "I feel more at home. I'm more relaxed and I definitely think that's showing in my hitting right now."
"Her hitting has stayed consistent, but now there are runners on base," Hill said. "Her thought process of being in the first to the third spot is different for her. Once that confidence gets instilled in the hitter, it does wonders."
Thom, who had two multi-home run games last season, belted a three-run home run and her fifth career grand slam in a 19-7 defeat of Texas State on April 2. Thom's seven RBIs were one shy of her career high, propelling the Longhorns to the second-most runs in program history. In the series opener against Iowa State on April 11, Thom went 1-for-1 with a grand slam, drew a career-high four walks and scored four runs in the Longhorns' convincing 19-6 victory.
The senior similarly rebounded in 2013, bouncing back from a sophomore slump that followed Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2011.
"To be able to learn how to grow from those struggles going into my junior season, I think that's made me a stronger person," Thom said.
Taylor Thom has manufactured a storied career in Austin and will go out as one of the best hitters to don the burnt orange and white. If Texas makes another postseason run, it will be a credit to not only her offensive prowess, but her continued guidance and leadership on and off the field.


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No-Fault Auto Insurance
The term "no-fault" auto insurance is often used loosely to denote any auto insurance program that allows policyholders to recover financial losses from their own insurance company, regardless of fault. But in its strictest form no-fault applies only to state laws that both provide for the payment of no-fault first-party benefits and restrict the right to sue, the so-called "limited tort" option. The first-party (policyholder) benefit coverage is known as personal injury protection (PIP).
Under current no-fault laws, motorists may sue for severe injuries and for pain and suffering only if the case meets certain conditions. These conditions, known as a threshold, relate to the severity of injury. They may be expressed in verbal terms (a descriptive or verbal threshold) or in dollar amounts of medical bills, a monetary threshold. Some laws also include minimum requirements for the days of disability incurred as a result of the accident. Because high threshold no-fault systems restrict litigation, they tend to reduce costs and delays in paying claims. Verbal thresholds eliminate the incentive to inflate claims that may exist when there is a dollar "target" for medical expenses. However, in some states the verbal threshold has been eroded over time by broad judicial interpretation of the verbal threshold language, and PIP coverage has become the target of abuse and fraud by dishonest doctors and clinics that bill for unnecessary and expensive medical procedures, pushing up costs.
Currently 12 states and Puerto Rico have no-fault auto insurance laws. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania have verbal thresholds. The other seven states—Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah—use a monetary threshold. Three states have a "choice" no-fault law. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, motorists may reject the lawsuit threshold and retain the right to sue for any auto-related injury.
- States: Florida: Reforms passed in the 2012 legislative session are beginning to take effect, causing person injury protection (PIP) rates to decrease, according to January 2014 report by the state's Office of Insurance Regulation. But because PIP coverage is a small part of the total cost of a typical auto insurance policy the savings may seem small. Nevertheless, the fact that reforms are working may prompt lawmakers who favor scrapping no-fault to rethink their position. PIP coverage is expected to drop by an average of 13.2 percent, based on a review of data from 20 insurers that provide auto insurance to more than 75 percent of the Florida market. The result would be an overall 1.2 percent reduction in rates. The drop is in line with projections made when the reform law, HB119 was passed.
- The state's 2012 no-fault reform law, designed to curb fraud, has come under attack by medical providers who believe the legislation seriously restricts their ability to make a living. Their concerns resulted in a Florida court putting a halt to parts of the law in March 2013, but the injunction was reversed in October 2013. The court said that the plaintiffs had not shown that they were being harmed.
- Meanwhile, some lawmakers favor repealing no-fault auto insurance coverage and replacing it with a tort-based system under which injured drivers may sue the at-fault party. All drivers would be required to purchase bodily injury liability coverage that pays for the injuries they cause to other people. Insurers are divided over whether to repeal the no-fault system now or whether reforms should be given a chance to work.
- The law, which took effect in July 2012, was to be implemented in several stages. In January 2013 the two components that have been the subject of lawsuits were put into effect: injured drivers and their passengers must seek initial medical treatment from a hospital, family doctor or chiropractor within 14 days of the incident; and the type of treatment sought must reflect the extent of the injuries they have sustained. Where the injured person does not require emergency medical attention, the limit for medical care is $2,500 rather than the full $10,000 in PIP benefits.
- The law also provides penalties for doctors who commit fraud, provisions designed to reduce opportunities to use the no-fault auto insurance system for illicit profits. Another provision reduces the pressure on insurers to pay fraudulent claims because there is too little time to fully investigate. The law allows an investigation to be extended by an additional 60 days, with notice to the policyholder, for 90 days in total.
- There have also been changes in the way clinics are licensed, and since July 2012 police have been using a long version of the crash report whenever accidents involve injuries in the expectation that the longer report with more detailed information will deter fraud.
- On October 1, 2012 insurers were required to submit a rate filing to state regulators that showed at least a 10 percent rate reduction or documentation for why they cannot. Most major insurers requested decreases in PIP coverage. The PIP portion makes up about 20 percent of the premium, according to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
- Billings for massage and therapeutic exercise grew enormously under the old law, according to the Consumer Advocate's PIP report. These two procedures were the most commonly billed procedures under the old PIP system, the report says.
- Most observers agree that Florida's auto insurance system was riddled with outright fraud and blatant abuse. Data from Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater's office shows that while the number of drivers in Florida held steady and the accident rate even declined, going from 1.76 per 100 licensed drivers in 2005 to 1.52 in 2010, insurance costs dramatically increased, resulting in what some call a "fraud tax."
- New York: In his 2014-15 Executive Budget, Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would expand the New York Financial Services' ability to audit healthcare providers participating in the no-fault auto insurance system in order to prevent fraudulent providers from receiving payment and fining providers who engage in illegal activities. The department will be authorized to make unannounced inspections. Insurers are also pushing for legislation that accomplishes the following: makes staged accidents a felony; ends fraudulent billing by fly-by-night durable medical equipment providers; permits retroactive cancellation of fraudulently obtained auto insurance policies; and requires medical care providers to prove that a prescribed treatment is medically necessary, according to the New York Insurance Association and Insurance Journal.
- The Cuomo Administration has already taken several steps to curb fraud. In February 2013 the New York State Department of Financial Services adopted three amendments to Regulation 68, the law that implements the state's no-fault law claim settlement procedures. The first amendment would prevent billing for services that were not provided or billing more for services than the established fee. The second amendment would set a deadline for health care providers to respond to requests for verification that the treatment provided was medically necessary. The third amendment would prevent immaterial paperwork errors from invalidating a denial of a claim or a request for verification. This last amendment should substantially reduce litigation and arbitration dealing with claim processing errors and speed up the resolution of no-fault claims, the department says.
- The arrest in March 2012 of 36 people, part of a criminal ring that included physicians and personal injury lawyers, drew attention to New York's no-fault insurance crisis, its huge cost and the seriousness and extensiveness of the crime. The group, which had billed insurers more than $279 million in fraudulent claims since at least 2007, used runners to chase ambulances and locate victims of actual accidents who were then sent to the group's medical clinics, sometimes for unnecessary medical treatment or sometimes just to sign their names.. Department of Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky announced at the time of the arrests that doctors with suspicious billing patterns will be required to sign affidavits concerning the lawful use of their licenses.
- A study of New York's no-fault system by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) showed how prevalent fraud is in the New York City area. About one in every five claims settled appears to have some element of fraud and as many as one in three appears to be inflated, according to the IRC. Over the period 2007 to 2010, the percentage of no-fault claims that were fraudulent or were inflated (built-up) by excessive billing by unscrupulous medical care providers or by unnecessary medical services rose from 29 percent to 35 percent. In the fall of 2010 alone, fraud was found in 22 percent of all New York City metropolitan area no-fault auto insurance claims and build-up in another 14 percent.
- In its final report on closed auto injury claims in New York State, published in November 2011, the IRC said the average loss among claimants in the New York City metropolitan area was more than double the average loss in the rest of the state, $15,086 compared with $6,870. It also highlights the differences in what it calls claiming behavior between residents of New York City residents and those of the rest of the state, noting that New York City residents were more likely to be treated in clinics, visit chiropractors, physical therapists and acupuncturists, receive expensive diagnostic procedures and to report expenses for durable medical equipment. They were also more likely to hire attorneys.
- Michigan: A proposal, HB 4612, was approved by the Michigan House Insurance Committee at the beginning of May 2013 but stalled. This bill would cap benefits provided under the personal injury protection portion of the no-fault law at $1 million, ending an era of unlimited benefits that has driven up costs to what many consider are unsustainable levels. Even with a cap, Michigan's benefits would still be more generous than those of any other state. New York ranks second, with $50,000.
- The bill would create a special fraud bureau and try to bring medical care reimbursement levels in line with those for other types of insurance. According the American Insurance Association, charges for hospital procedures and treatment for no-fault patients with unlimited medical care benefits have been as much as 400 percent higher than for claimants with the same medical needs covered by workers compensation or healthcare.
- Other attempts to lower the price of auto insurance in the state have not met with success. Michigan is unique among no-fault states in that its no-fault law offers unlimited medical care under its PIP coverage and in that it does not use medical fee schedules (maximum fees that can be charged for common types of medical treatment for auto accidents, similar to the fees set under the state's workers compensation system).
- In his January 2013 State of the State address, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said that reform of the state's no-fault system was a priority of his administration. Along with a cap on medical care benefits and the creation of a fraud bureau, other ideas that have been circulating are limits on home attendant care and attorney fees; and a new excess insurance (catastrophe fund) mechanism, a feature in the current system that was slated for elimination but is now gaining favor.
- Currently, insurers are reimbursed for claims above $500,000 in medical bills through the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA), created in the late 1970s to handle catastrophic injury cases. The association now covers the medical bills of nearly 13,000 accident victims. The MCCA charges insurers a per vehicle assessment which is passed on the policyholders. This generous system is expensive. Average claim costs in Michigan rose by 81 percent from 2004 to 2012.
- Under legislation signed by the governor in March 2012, it will soon be a felony to act as or employ a "runner" to recruit people for staged accidents or to help commit other types of auto insurance fraud. Those convicted of the crime face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $50,000.
- Minnesota: Over the past few years, several proposals have been considered, including a bill to change the threshold for filing a lawsuit from $4,000 to a tougher verbal threshold. Although favored by insurers, it had insufficient support among legislators in either house. Another bill would have limited medical benefits for soft tissue injuries, such as sprains and strains, set treatment standards and created a medical fee schedule based on the workers compensation system. Currently, there are no limits on medical care provider expenses.
- New Jersey: After declining in 2003, when auto insurance reform brought more competition to the state, no-fault costs in New Jersey are rising sharply and in 2011 (latest data available) were the highest in the nation, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Estimates for 2013, based on four quarters ending with the third quarter 2013, put the average cost per claim (severity) at $16,211, compared with $9,911 in 2001, according to ISO data. The number of claims (frequency) declined between 2000 and 2008, offsetting the rise in severity, but has remained relatively stable since then. Although the state set reimbursement fees for a list of common medical procedures relating to auto accidents, a few providers have found ways to get around these regulations by billing for procedures that are not on the list.
Currently, state auto liability insurance laws fall into four broad categories: no-fault, choice no-fault, tort liability and add-on. The major differences are whether there are restrictions on the right to sue and whether the policyholder's own insurer pays first-party benefits, up to the state maximum amount, regardless of who is at fault in the accident. These alternative systems have evolved over time as consumers, regulators and insurers have sought ways to lower the cost and speed up the delivery of compensation for auto accidents.
The Different Auto Insurance Systems
No-fault: The no-fault system is intended to lower the cost of auto insurance by taking small claims out of the courts. Each insurance company compensates its own policyholders (the first party) for the cost of minor injuries, regardless of who was at fault in the accident. (The second party is the insurance company and the third is the other party or parties hurt as a result of the accident.)
The term "no-fault" can be confusing because it is often used to denote any auto insurance system in which each driver's own insurance company pays for certain losses, regardless of fault. In its strict form, the term no-fault applies only to states where insurance companies pay first-party benefits and where there are restrictions on the right to sue.
These first-party benefits, known as personal injury protection (PIP), are a mandatory coverage in true no-fault states. The extent of coverage varies by state. In states with the most comprehensive benefits, a policyholder receives compensation for medical fees, lost wages, funeral costs and other out-of-pocket expenses. The major variations involve dollar limits on medical and hospital expenses, funeral and burial expenses, lost income and the amount to be paid a person hired to perform essential services that an injured non-income producer is unable to perform.
Drivers in no-fault states may sue for severe injuries if the case meets certain conditions. These conditions are known as the tort liability threshold and may be expressed in verbal terms such as death or significant disfigurement (verbal threshold) or in dollar amounts of medical bills (monetary threshold).
Choice no-fault: In choice no-fault states, drivers may select one of two options: a no-fault auto insurance policy or a traditional tort liability policy. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania the no-fault option has a verbal threshold. In Kentucky there is a monetary threshold.
Tort liability: In traditional tort liability states, there are no restrictions on lawsuits. A policyholder at fault in a car crash can be sued by the other driver and by the other driver's passengers for the pain and suffering the accident caused as well as for out-of-pocket expenses such as medical costs.
Add-on: In add-on states, drivers receive compensation from their own insurance company as they do in no-fault states, but there are no restrictions on lawsuits. The term "add-on" is used because in these states first-party benefits have been added on to the traditional tort liability system. In add-on states, first-party coverage may not be mandatory and the benefits may be lower than in true no-fault states.
The Beginning of No-Fault: In the 1960s, the traditional auto liability insurance system became the target of public criticism. Dissatisfaction was expressed not only by those purchasing auto insurance but by companies and agencies marketing it and by state officials regulating it. The debate focused on the often expensive and time-consuming process of determining who is at fault—legally liable—when accidents occur.
To reduce the delays and inefficiencies of the system, legislation was introduced in the 1970s in many states, which for the first time allowed accident victims to recover such financial losses as medical and hospital expenses and lost income from their own insurance companies.
Twenty-four states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, now have laws that allow policyholders to obtain compensation for auto accidents from their own insurers. Of these, 12 states and Puerto Rico have placed restrictions on the right to sue either through a monetary threshold, which allows a suit to be filed for pain and suffering when medical expenses reach a certain stipulated amount or through a descriptive or verbal threshold, which allows suits only when the injury incurred meets the criteria for a serious injury as defined (hence the term verbal or descriptive) by state statute. These are the only true no-fault states.
Pennsylvania, formerly an "add-on" state, began offering consumers the choice between a verbal threshold and no restrictions on lawsuits in July 1990. (New Jersey and Kentucky also offer such a choice, except that Kentucky's threshold is monetary). This is Pennsylvania's second no-fault law. An earlier law was repealed in 1984.
The District of Columbia has neither a true no-fault nor an add-on law. It offers drivers the option of no-fault benefits or fault-based coverage. In the event of an accident, a driver who originally chose to receive no-fault benefits has 60 days to decide whether to receive these benefits or to take the other party to court. This means that, in effect, there are no restrictions on lawsuits.
Variations On The No-Fault Approach: In the early 1990s, the concept of pure no-fault, which prohibits most lawsuits for bodily injury, began to garner support. Pure no-fault addresses several societal concerns: the waste of resources and the inequities in the liability system and the need to have affordable coverage for medical care and rehabilitation costs. The first attempt at a pure no-fault system was "pay-at-the-pump," a scheme to pay for no-fault auto insurance through a fee collected on gasoline sales. The "pay-at-the-pump" initiative campaign failed in all states in which the plan was considered, including California, due to opposition to the gasoline usage-based fee, but the pure no-fault idea was incorporated into a variety of legislative proposals in various states including both Hawaii and California. Proposals introduced in Congress for a "choice" pure no-fault auto insurance system never reached the floor for a vote.
Some auto insurance reformers have proposed the elimination of noneconomic damages from tort liability coverage as a way to reduce costs, with optional coverage provided as a first-party coverage with a pre-determined limit. The premium savings would come not only from the elimination of coverage but also from the reduced temptation to inflate medical costs to boost noneconomic damages which are generally calculated as a percentage of economic damages.
In the late 1980s, Project NEW START, a national nonprofit consumer organization that was devoted to promoting a new auto insurance policy, developed legislation that would offer motorists a choice between a traditional liability-based policy and a strict no-fault policy. Motorists who chose the no-fault program would have had the option to purchase personal injury protection (PIP) above the basic limits and also coverage for pain and suffering. In the first full year after the law took effect, drivers who chose the no-fault policy would have seen their premiums reduced by a significant amount—at least 20 percent of the statewide average premium for insurance required by the state's financial responsibility law, according to the plan. Another version of choice no-fault was known as the O'Connell plan, after University of Virginia Law Professor Jeffrey O'Connell, who, along with Robert E. Keeton, first proposed a no-fault accident compensation system in 1965. This plan allowed a policyholder who chose the tort system and was involved in an accident with a no-fault driver to file a claim under the uninsured motorist provision of the policy. The no-fault driver could not sue and was immune from suits.
Various modifications of these basic proposals have since been introduced in many states, along with measures known as "no-frills" policies that would provide no-fault basic coverage for economic losses to all good drivers in the state for a standard statewide premium. New Jersey's choice no-fault law, passed in 1998, comes closest to this concept with a basic coverage option.
A critical decision in developing a choice no-fault system is how the choice law is framed. In New Jersey, applicants for insurance are presumed to have opted for the verbal threshold on lawsuits unless they specifically reject it; in Pennsylvania, the opposite is true. Pennsylvania policyholders are assumed to want unrestricted access to the courts unless they specifically request the verbal threshold. As a result, more than 85 percent of policyholders in New Jersey have policies restricting lawsuits. By contrast, less than 50 percent have this kind of policy in Pennsylvania, the largest percentage being drivers in Philadelphia where rates are highest. (This is due, in part, to a high propensity among the city's drivers to file bodily injury claims after an auto accident. More than 55 percent of accidents that cause some physical damage there also result in a bodily injury claim, while in other parts of the state the ratio of such claims to physical damage claims is only 17 percent, insurers report.)
Overview of Enactment of Laws: The jurisdictions that have forms of true no-fault auto insurance and the dates on which the laws originally became effective are shown below. Compulsory first-party/liability insurance; some restrictions on lawsuits:
Florida, January 1, 1972; temporarily repealed effective October 2007; reenacted effective January 2008 Hawaii, September 1, 1974 Kansas, January 1, 1974 Kentucky, July 1, 1975 Massachusetts, January 1, 1971 Michigan, October 1, 1973 Minnesota, January 1, 1975 New Jersey, January 1, 1973 New York, February 1, 1974 North Dakota, January 1, 1976 Pennsylvania, July 1, 1990 (earlier law passed on July 19, 1976)
Utah, January 1, 1974
Puerto Rico, 1970
States that have repealed their no-fault laws:
Nevada: effective 1974; repealed 1980 Pennsylvania: effective 1976; repealed 1984 (reenacted 1990) Georgia: effective 1975; repealed 1991 Connecticut: effective January 1, 1973; repealed 1993
Colorado: effective April 1974, repealed July 2003
Georgia repealed its no-fault law effective October 1, 1991. In states with weak no-fault laws (Georgia's monetary threshold was $500) costs tend to increase more rapidly than in states with a verbal threshold because weak laws provide the broad benefits of a no-fault system without sufficient offsetting savings — almost as many cases go to court as in a traditional tort-based system. In addition, personal injury benefits (PIP) were low. Minimum coverage provided only $2,500 per accident for medical costs (although policies with higher limits could be purchased.) The combination of low mandatory PIP coverage and a low monetary threshold pushed many cases where injuries were minor into the courts, driving up costs.
Then in 1993, Connecticut repealed its no-fault law. The law had been comparatively ineffective because its threshold for lawsuits was only $400.
Colorado's law was repealed or, more exactly, allowed to expire in 2003 after Gov. Bill Owens said that he would not sign another extension unless it significantly reduced the costs of the existing system. But lawmakers could not resolve a dispute about the extent of coverage for medical procedures. Rates in 2002 increased by as much as 20 percent, more than twice the national average, due to the no-fault's law generous medical care benefits and a low threshold for lawsuits.
Effectiveness of No-Fault Auto Insurance: As noted earlier, insurers generally favor laws that provide for verbal thresholds on suits instead of dollar thresholds. One of the disadvantages of having a "dollar target" for medical expenses is that it may encourage the submission of fraudulent claims. In addition, unless the law includes a provision that enables the threshold to be adjusted to keep pace with inflation, (medical costs, for example, have been increasing at a rate of close to 10 percent a year) its effectiveness in curbing litigation is gradually eroded.
There is a wide variation in monetary thresholds and in other benefits provided. For example, monetary thresholds range from $1,000 in Kentucky to $4,000 in Minnesota. In Utah, the medical benefits limit is $3,000 and in Michigan there is no limit on the medical benefits a claimant may receive. One problem in states with higher than average PIP benefits is that dishonest providers of professional services have found ways to abuse and cheat the system, pushing up the cost of auto insurance. New Jersey pioneered reforms designed to curb overuse of medical care in its overhaul of the auto insurance system in 1998, and has subsequently worked to place reasonable limits on medical care costs. Other states have modeled their reforms on the New Jersey protocols.
Fraud and PIP Benefits: In a number of no-fault states, PIP coverage is being exploited by fraud rings that include phony pain clinics and corrupt physicians, chiropractors and lawyers, particularly in states where PIP benefits are generous.
These criminal groups have created medical "mills," phony clinics that file fraudulent auto insurance medical claims. In an attempt to address this drain on resources, New York modified regulation 68, a reform adopted in 2002 that substantially shortened the time period for reporting auto accident injuries and submitting bills for medical treatment. The reduced notification time allows insurers to look at the treatment plan sooner, thus providing fewer opportunities for unnecessary diagnostic tests and treatments. However, fraud continues to be a major problem in the state. New Jersey dealt with the problem of unnecessary medical treatment by creating precertification medical guidelines, or Care Paths, for the treatment of specific injuries that result from auto accidents, primarily soft tissue injuries.
Summary of Selected State Laws and Regulations Relating to Automobile Insurance, American Insurance Association.
© Insurance Information Institute, Inc. - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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North Ridge make clothing and gear that'll keep you comfortable whether you're pushing your limits or winding yourself down.
Made using quality performance fabrics and tailored to fit your needs, the North Ridge clothing range has something for the expeditioner, fitness freak, hiker, runner, or anyone who just loves the outdoors. With a luggage range to suit international travellers or intercity commuters, and accessories to keep you covered in all seasons, North Ridge will keep you going in style all year round.


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Welcome to Devon - your official guide
Visit Devon and you'll want to stay forever …
This is a stunning county of great contrasts, with two beautiful coastlines, two National Parks and five official Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There's so much to visit and do, too: family attractions, historic buildings, award-winning places to eat, thrilling outdoor activities, and exciting events happening all year round.
Beaches, cities & countryside
For beaches, Devon can't be beaten. Sandy family-friendly beaches, tiny pebbled coves, wild and windswept bays with stunning views – we have them all, both north and south. And glorious green countryside? We've got it in abundance, plus rolling hills, bountiful farmland – and craggy moorland.
Yet Devon also boasts its historic cities of Exeter and Plymouth, with great shopping and bustling nightlife, as well as friendly towns and pretty villages like Sidmouth, lined with the pastel-coloured cottages of paintings. Plus, the food scene here is second to none, with cosy foodie pubs, great restaurants, traditional tearooms and everything in-between serving fantastic Devon produce. Make sure you find time for a cream tea, pint of cider or Devon crab sandwich whilst you're here – or perhaps all three.
Families, thrillseekers & romantic souls
Whatever makes a perfect holiday for you, you're sure to find it in Devon. Such natural beauty attracts walkers, artists, camping enthusiasts and those who just like to sit and gaze. Families love our amusements – from large adventure parks and farm attractions to traditional seaside fun. Thrillseekers, sports fans and lovers of the outdoors come to Devon to surf, kayak, walk, cycle, paddleboard, sail, fish, ride … and have a great time doing so. Romantic souls enjoy our secluded beaches, country walks and great restaurants – and then, there's the romantic (and the not-so-romantic) tales of the past, evident in Devon's historic monuments, museums and geology.
Luxury, budget & quirky
And of course, there's a huge choice of places to stay in Devon, whether you're looking for a relaxing long weekend or fun-packed fortnight, luxury hotel or a budget break. We've lovely guesthouses with sea views, quirky glamping, fun family camping, pretty self-catering cottages with woodburners ... and much more besides.
There's so much to do and so much to see in this beautiful county. Visit Devon – and you're sure to be back, time and again.
Inspire Me
Visit Devon and you'll find that there is more to this spectacular and diverse county than you might have thought.
- There are so many ways to experience the great Devon outdoors - try watersports, climbing, cycling, fishing ... and more.
- Whether you like a cute boutique hotel, laid back self-catering, camping or the ultimate traditional B&B - Devon has it all.
- Now that half term is over, we're all looking forward to Easter coming to Devon. In this season of delicious treats and family fun, you'll find plenty of things to do across the county, with everything from the region's top attractions hosting special events and activities during the holidays, as well as additional openings so you can really make the most of your holidays.
- Adventure parks, historical houses, country walks or cute animals – find great things to do in Devon, whatever you love.


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Hours ago in Japan, Sony slashed the Vita's price tag. Good news for gamers who haven't purchased a Vita yet! Bad news for gamers who just purchased one.
After learning of the Vita's price cut, Voice actress Hitomi Harada tweeted, "Wha..." This was followed by her writing, "I bought a Vita three days ago..."
This isn't a first for Harada, who is known known for voicing characters in Dream Club and Senran Kagura. As someone pointed out to her on Twitter, back in 2009, she purchased an Xbox 360, right before the price was lowered in Japan. Doh!
原田ひとみ、Xbox 360に続いてPS Vitaも値下げ直前に購入する [おたスケ]
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.


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You have funeral questions, we have answers.
By: Legacy Staff
3 years ago
What is the difference between a memorial service and a funeral? What should I say to the deceased's family at the visitation? Does it matter what I wear?
Should I consider funeral planning in advance for my family's sake?
Legacy offers advice from experts to help answer all of your funeral etiquette questions.
"What's the difference between a funeral and a memorial service? I plan to attend a memorial service for an old college classmate, but I've never been to one before. What should I expect?"
"My brother's funeral was in another state and my immediate family was unable to attend. I'm coordinating a memorial service for him in our hometown. How can I make it appropriate for all in attendance who have many thoughts and religious beliefs?"
"When is it a 'must' to attend a funeral or a wake, viewing or visitation? I'm confused about how close you have to be to the people involved, and what is and isn't appropriate."
Attending the Funeral — What's In It For Me?
Will it matter if I don't attend the funeral?
A funeral is a time when family members can find forgiveness or compassion for each other and heal fractured relationships—or cement rifts that began far in the past.
Who Pays for the Funeral? Defining "Immediate Family"
Money is always a touchy subject, whether you're requesting financial help or being asked to provide it.
Funeral director Stuart Clark, owner of McClelland & Slessor Funeral Home in Ontario, Canada, shares some of the current options in visitation, funerals, and memorial services.
What is appropriate funeral dress—and what you should never wear when attending a funeral, memorial service, visitation, or wake.
When it comes to funerals, most of us sense that there are some rules of protocol that should be followed.
Sympathy and Condolence Advice
When someone you care about is grieving, it's hard to find the right words. What should you say in a condolence message? What common sympathy expressions should you avoid? What else can you do to comfort a bereaved friend? To help you support a grieving colleague, friend or family member, Legacy offers advice from condolence experts.
What Not to Say When Someone Dies
Even those with the best intentions might say something inappropriate to the bereaved. Hurtful sentiments can damage relationships; so many individuals stay away, fearing they'll say the wrong thing. So what can you do?
Learn whether funeral pre-planning could protect your family


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drumster, do you think this will ever be available locally at audiophile?
For me, the gold-plated hardware looks more attractive and more elegant. I also like the Pageant model.[/color]
sarap holdapin ng taong may ganyang snare... tapos sangla mo sa pawnshop. hehehe
yung joey jordison signature snare. relatively, medyo relatively cheap siya for a sig snare. and ok pa ang quality and tuning versatility.
meron kaya sila mga snare lang ?
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text: Sensor Technologies: Healthcare, Wellness and Environmental Applications explores the key aspects of sensor technologies, covering wired, wireless, and discrete sensors for the specific application domains of healthcare, wellness and environmental sensing. It discusses the social, regulatory, and design considerations specific to these domains. The book provides an application-based approach using real-world examples to illustrate the application of sensor technologies in a practical and experiential manner. The book guides the reader from the formulation of the research question, through the design and validation process, to the deployment and management phase of sensor applications. The processes and examples used in the book are primarily based on research carried out by Intel or joint academic research programs. "Sensor Technologies: Healthcare, Wellness and Environmental Applications provides an extensive overview of sensing technologies and their applications in healthcare, wellness, and environmental monitoring. From sensor hardware to system applications and case studies, this book gives readers an in-depth understanding of the technologies and how they can be applied. I would highly recommend it to students or researchers who are interested in wireless sensing technologies and the associated applications." Dr. Benny Lo Lecturer, The Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College of London "This timely addition to the literature on sensors covers the broad complexity of sensing, sensor types, and the vast range of existing and emerging applications in a very clearly written and accessible manner. It is particularly good at capturing the exciting possibilities that will occur as sensor networks merge with cloud-based 'big data' analytics to provide a host of new applications that will impact directly on the individual in ways we cannot fully predict at present. It really brings this home through the use of carefully chosen case studies that bring the overwhelming concept of 'big data' down to the personal level of individual life and health." Dermot Diamond Director, National Centre for Sensor Research, Principal Investigator, CLARITY Centre for Sensor Web Technologies, Dublin City University "Sensor Technologies: Healthcare, Wellness and Environmental Applications takes the reader on an end-to-end journey of sensor technologies, covering the fundamentals from an engineering perspective, introducing how the data gleaned can be both processed and visualized, in addition to offering exemplar case studies in a number of application domains. It is a must-read for those studying any undergraduate course that involves sensor technologies. It also provides a thorough foundation for those involved in the research and development of applied sensor systems. I highly recommend it to any engineer who wishes to broaden their knowledge in this area!" Chris Nugent Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ulster What you'll learnThe relevant sensing approaches and the hardware and software components required to capture and interpret sensor data. The importance of regulations governing medical devices. A design methodology for developing and deploying successful home- and community-based technologies, supported by relevant case studies. Health, wellness, and environmental sensing applications and how they work. The challenges and future directions of sensing in these domains. Who this book is for Sensor Technologies: Healthcare, Wellness and Environmental Applications is targeted at clinical and technical researchers, engineers, and students who want to understand the current state of the art in sensor applications in these domains. The reader gains a full awareness of the key technical and non-technical challenges that must be addressed in the development of successful end-to-end sensor applications. Real-world examples help give the reader practical insights into the successful development, deployment, and management of sensor applications. The reader will also develop an understanding of the personal, social, and ethical impact of sensor applications, now and in the future. Table of ContentsChapter One: Introduction Chapter Goal: Reader should understand the key challenges and drivers for sensor application development. The reader should also understand how sensor technologies can play a role in addressing some of the key challenges facing global society in the short to medium term. 1. Book overview 2. Drivers for Sensor Applications (Infrastructure Growth in Developing Countries, Advances in Energy Harvesting, New Applications, Cost reduction, Real-time monitoring of situations to avoid unplanned downtime, Security (personal and national), the internet of things). 3. Challenges for Sensor Applications (Power, Efficient Operation in Harsh Environments, Number of Deployable Nodes, Safety and Regulations, High Cost of Installation, Security and Reliability, sensor management) 4. Global Megatrends and the opportunities for sensing technologies o Water and Food Constraints o Aging Demographics o Public Health o Pandemics o Security Chapter 2: Sensing and Sensor Fundamentals Chapter Goal: Reader should understand existing sensor technologies, which can be used in healthcare, wellness, and environmental domains. They should also understand the role of smart sensors and smart phones as mobile sensing platforms and aggregators. 1. Sensing Modalities (Mechanical, MEMS, Optical, ISFET, μTAS) 2. Sensing Domains (Air, Water, Noise, Bacterial, Chemical, Kinematic, DNA, Physiological) 3. Functional Characterisation of Sensors o Communication methods – discrete, wired, wireless o Smart Sensors and Sensor Platforms § MSP430 (SHIMMER and telosB motes) § ATmega § PIC 4. Smart Phones as mobile sensor platforms 5. Selecting and specifying sensors Chapter 3 Key Sensor Technology Components – Hardware and Software Overview Chapter Goal: Reader should have a high level understanding of the key hardware and software components, which are necessary for the development of sensors systems and why technologies are selected for specific applications. 1. Overview – Sensor systems 2. MCU's (TI MSP430, ATmega, PIC) a. ADCs b. Interrupts c. Real-time Clocks 3. Sensor Interfaces a. Digital b. Analog c. I2C 4. Communications – wired and wireless interfaces RS232/485, USB, Ethernet, FieldbusProprietary Short Range Wireless Protocols (e.g. ANT, BodyLAN, Sensium)Standard Short Range Protocols i. IEEE 802.15.6 ii. Bluetooth/Smart Bluetooth iii. 802.15.4 iv. UWB Medium Range i. Wi-Fi 5. Data storage (EEPROM, sd card, data forwarding) 6. Power management and Energy Harvesting 7. Operating Systems and Software Development Environments (SDK's) Chapter 4 Sensor Network Architectures Chapter Goal: Reader should understand the various approaches to the design of sensor network architectures; scaling from body worn systems, to ambient sensing, to city-scale deployments. The reader should also understand the advantages and disadvantages of current and evolving sensor network architectures. 1. Sensor network architectures o Discrete Sensor o Sensor to aggregator o PAN/WPAN/smart clothing o Pervasive/Ambient sensor networks o Wide area networks (city-wide, country wide) 2. Challenges in developing and deploying sensor networks 3. Current and Proposed Solutions o Remote sensor management o Edge Processing o Power harvesting o New communication standards Chapter 5: Adding Vibrancy to Sensor Data Chapter Goal: Reader should understand the various methods to interpret and display sensor data to the user. They will understand the importance of creating a data analysis plan from the outset, and the different types of data analysis throughout the application stack. 1. Data Literacy – How can we intuitively answer questions with sensor data and contextualise answers 2. Data Quality a. Calibration b. Trust and Repudiation 3. Sensor Fusion – combining sensory data from disparate sources 4. Data Mining 5. Data Visualisation 6. Openness, data integration, virtual sensors 7. Exploiting the power of the cloud Chapter 6: Regulation and Standards Chapter Goal: Reader should understand the key technologies, which impact or influence the development of sensor deployment and applications including the emerging standards and regulatory considerations. 1. Regulatory Standards (US, EU, Japan) : why, which, and how standards impact your application 2. Regulatory Issues: Certification 3. Smartphones Considerations o Privacy and data security 4. Standards Bodies and Industry Groups o Continua Healthcare Alliance o ISO/IEEE 11073 5. Wearable Wireless Health Communication Standards Chapter 7: Biosensing in Everyday Life – Driving Biocontextual Aware Computing Chapter Goal: Reader should understand the social relationships that create opportunities and barriers for widespread, consumer-based biosensing. The reader should understand how the social world is shifting from sensor technologies of "should" to sensor technologies of "could" to facilitate new understandings of health and wellness and drive new methods and practices of personal data sharing. 1. Data Security and Ownership - Sharing and Managing Personal Data 2. Game Changing Pressure for Affordable Healthcare 3. Continuous, Personal Data is Improving Lives 4. Emerging Tech-Empowered Citizens 5. Sensing for Self-Discovery, Culture and Play 6. User feedback/Supporting sustainable human behaviours – leveraging the gaming culture Chapter 8: Development and Deployment of Sensor Technologies for Home and Community Settings Chapter Goal: Reader should understand how to design a sensor deployment for a home or community. The chapter informs the reader how to formulate the research question the deployment will address, how to develop prototypes, and manage and deploy them successful. The chapter will finish with exemplar case studies of real world sensor deployments. Study Design – The Right QuestionHome Deployment ElementsHome Deployment ManagementThe Prototyping Design ProcessCase Studies Chapter 9: Body Worn and Ambient Sensor Applications for Assessment, Monitoring, and Diagnostics Chapter Goal: Reader should at the end of this chapter have an understanding of the key characteristics of how body worn and ambient sensor applications, and how they vary according to the domain in which they are deployed. The reader will be presented with the key challenges faced in each domain, and emerging solutions for these challenges. 1. Drivers and Inhibitors (Incidence of chronic diseases, aging demographics, Adjusting provider compensation, prevention, medical work practice changes) 2. Hospital based sensing for assessment and diagnosis 3. Supervised Assessment and Monitoring in Community Settings 4. Home Based Applications o Clinical grade sensing for patient monitoring o Body worn sensing (e.g. PERS) for monitoring and alerting o Passive sensing for monitoring and alerting (e.g. ADL's) 5. Key challenges Chapter 10: Wellness, Fitness and Lifestyle Chapter Goal: Reader should understand the key trends in how people use body worn sensors to manage their fitness and wellbeing. Key applications include: sensors for measuring activities in sports performance, activity/weight management and sleep tracking, 1. Drivers and Inhibitors 2. Sports and fitness applications (running, walking cycling, field sports) § Vital signs and physiological parameters § Fitness gaming – Wii Fit, Kinect § muscle movement, body stress levels, speed, distance, location § Fitness Statistics and Analysis 3. Outdoor Activities o Pressure (mountaineer and paragliding) o GPS (hiking, cycling, golf) 4. Obesity and weight management 5. Sleep o Baby Monitoring o Sleep Quality – health and social impacts o Sleep Apnoea Chapter 11: Environmental Monitoring for Health and Wellness Chapter Goal: Reader should understand how sensors and sensor networks are used for environmental monitoring, one of the key emerging applications domains. Apart from disaster monitoring, sensing also has the potential for air quality, weather monitoring, pollution etc.; with benefits for both urban and rural dwellers. 1. Drivers and Inhibitors o Correlations to health impacts 2. Home Sensing o Carbon Monoxide o Smoke Detectors o Passive Infrared (PIR) o Temperature o Sound o Sustainable Living 3. Smart Environments 4. Environmental Parameters (Noise, Water, Bacteria, Air Quality, Radiation, Urban Heat Islands) 5. Weather - Exceptional Event and Disaster Management Intelligence Chapter 12: Conclusions and Future Directions Chapter Goal: Reader should understand the key conclusions that the authors have outlined in the previous chapters. The reader should also gain an understanding of the key trends which will affect future sensor applications and how people will utilise these novel applications in their everyday lives. 1. Summary of the overall conclusions 2. Future Directions for Sensing o Use Centred Healthcare o Citizen centric sensing o Influence of urbanisation on health, wellness and lifestyle choices. o Sustainable human behaviour change


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Hugh Lee (李國修), founder of one of the nation's leading theater groups — the Ping-Fong Acting Troupe (屏風表演班) — died yesterday at the age of 58 after battling cancer for three years.
The troupe announced Lee's death yesterday morning and said that his wife, actress Moon Wang (王月), and their two children were with him when he passed away at 3:34am in Greater Taichung.
Lee, born in Taipei in 1955, first rose to stardom because of his comedic performances in TV shows in the 1980s and won a Golden Bell Award for "most promising actor" in 1982.
The actor also began working in local theater around that time and was one of the two actors featured in the 1985 play That Night We Performed Crosstalk (那一夜,我們說相聲), the first production of the now renowned Performance Workshop (表演工作坊) cofounded by Stan Lai (賴聲川).
Lee set up Ping-Fong in 1986 and was the group's main actor, director and writer, before announcing in December 2011 that he was taking a break from the stage because of colon cancer diagnosed the previous year.
Lee's works, such as Can Three Make It (三人行不行), were known for satirizing contemporary political and social events, and for using a few actors to play tens of characters.
One of Lee's most notable productions was the Fong Ping Trilogy. The three plays tell the story of a fictional "Fong Ping" theater group's disastrous attempts at staging its productions, reflecting the challenging environment local performance groups face.
Lee was the first recipient of the National Award for the Arts in the drama category when the award was established in 1997. He was honored for his works that combine traditional and modern art formats, and his efforts to build a professional theater group.
In a recording played during a press conference held by his family yesterday, Lee said he hoped that people would appreciate his life in the theater through the 27 scripts he left behind.
TV presenter and actor Sam Tseng (曾國城) has been asked to host the funeral. Tseng's job is to make people laugh because Lee wanted people to feel they are going to see a performance, Lee's son said.
Ping-Fong said its performances will go on as scheduled, and fans planning to attend his funeral are invited to register through the troupe's Web site and encouraged to bring a ticket stub from a past performance.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday expressed his condolences to Lee's family, describing Lee as a master of the performing arts who cultivated great talent in the field.
Lee's death is a great loss to the arts and culture industry, Ma said.
"Mr Lee was an actor and director with rich talent and amazing creativity. He gave new life to Taiwan's drama and left rich cultural assets for the nation," Ma said on his Facebook page.
The president said he called Wang yesterday morning to express his condolences.
Ma said he had performed a show with Lee while serving as Taipei mayor in 2001 to promote traffic awareness regulations and was impressed with his patience.
"He patiently taught me how to perform and I realized that the reason he has been an influential figure in the performing arts is that he is willing to pass on his experience to others and to cultivate talent," Ma said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture said it would propose awarding a presidential citation posthumously to Lee, in recognition of his life-long contribution to the performing arts in Taiwan. The Cabinet will review the proposal tomorrow, it said.


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With Brian Bigelow giving up his District 2 seat on the Lee County Commission for a failed bid as Clerk of the Courts, it will be Republican political newcomer Cecil Pendergrass and an unaffiliated John Sawyer who will take a shot at his seat on Nov. 6.
Cecil Pendergrass
Age: 49
Article Photos
Cecil Pendergrass
Residence: Fort Myers
Occupation: Retired police officer
Cecil Pendergrass has lived in Lee County his whole life, served on the Fort Myers police force for 25 years and has even helped his former coworkers plan for their retirement. So, when he sees what's happening in Lee County, it makes him want to do something about it.
"With the way the economy has gone in the last 10 years, I'm concerned what's going on with jobs," Pendergrass said. "I'm concerned Lee County has gone to reserves to pay for things and will have to raise taxes."
Pendergrass, who won a four-horse race to win the GOP primary in August, believes tourism is the big bread winner for Lee County, and that it's much more than baseball that brings in the money.
"Tourism's impact is huge. There are hundreds of reasons people come here. Sport fishing is even bigger than baseball," Pendergrass said. "We want people to put their heads in the beds to pay for the parks and beaches."
Pendergrass also supports reducing crime and protecting the environment and 20/20, saying growth should be controlled and environmentally friendly.
Pendergrass said he wants to work in a positive manner and bring people and departments together to promote change and growth.
"We have too much police not working together, I saw that first hand. I have a desire to work with the board in a positive manner to solve problems," Pendergrass said. "This will be a challenge and I'm ready for it."
John Sawyer
Age: 70
Residence: South Fort Myers
Occupation: Semi-retired businessman
John Sawyer does not like how things are done in Lee County, and he wants to do something about it.
"We moved here from Miami because it looked rosy here. But I got fed up with spending $200 million on baseball stadiums," Sawyer said. "My wife finally told me to do something about it."
Sawyer, a Vietnam veteran who ran more than two dozen Hallmark stores as a businessman, said the way business is conducted countywide is all wrong. With the commissioners in one place, people have to travel to Fort Myers regardless of district.
"Commissioners should have a district office. It's intimidating going downtown. Why can't they talk to me in an office?" Sawyer said. "We should also hold meetings in the evening instead of mornings so people can attend."
Among the other things that distress Sawyer are the "fast-track" foreclosures, the way the county had an itchy trigger finger in dealing with the Red Sox and Twins and the lack of high-tech jobs in Lee County, for which he wants to work with FGCU, Edison and Ave Maria to push science and math degrees to bring quality people in.
However, Sawyer sees public education as failing and in need of fixing at the state level.
"Education is getting killed by the federal government. It takes a one-size-fits-all approach," Sawyer said. "There's no excuse that $50 million on education gets spent to put them on a bus for two hours."


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Acne Care Night Powders are, well, powders that you apply before bedtime which are supposed to help prevent spots!
These powders tend to be white but are translucent, with medicinal qualities to help control oil, conceal pores, prevent breakouts and seal in moisture.
You can use these powders at the end of your night time routine over your moisturisers.
I have used two, Naris Up Acmedica Acne Night Care Powder and Ettusais Acne night Time Defense Powder. I am not aware of any other brands making the same kind of product, can any one enlighten me?
Candy Says: I really do love these products, even though I am too lazy to remember to use them I definitely notice the different the morning after, especially if I am having an outbreak of acne! If you supper from spots or really oily skin in the morning it's well worth trying.


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Clear Sidewalks of Snow, Ice
SIOUX FALLS - The build-up of ice and snow on city sidewalks can be a nuisance, but for some people it's dangerous and stops them in their tracks.
Carmelia Branco of Sioux Falls is confined to a wheel chair and is homeless. She finds it incredibly difficult to navigate on sidewalks that have not been properly cleared of ice and snow.
"They'll shovel off when snow first starts but they only shovel to a certain point and hope for Mother Nature to melt the ice. That doesn't work," said Branco.
Branco sometimes stays with friends but oftentimes goes back and forth between the Union Gospel Mission and the Salvation Army where she seeks shelter. On Saturday, a Sioux Falls Police Officer saw she was stuck in the snow and gave her a ride.
Branco said the residential areas are the worst but the downtown areas are easier to navigate. "The businesses in the downtown areas make sure their walks are cleared for their customers," said Branco.
The City of Sioux Falls requires all public sidewalks be cleared of ice and snow within 48 hours after completion of each snow or ice accumulation. Citizens can call the sidewalk snow removal line during normal business hours, or leave a voice message after hours or on weekends to report violations. The sidewalk snow removal number is 367-8171.
"Put some ice melt on there, gee whiz, there's just too much reliance on Mother Nature and she's not doing the job," said Branco.


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Weekly Wire: the Global Forum
These are some of the views and reports relevant to our readers that caught our attention this week.
Cell Phones can speed up malaria treatment in remote areas [1]
"Mobile phones along with local knowledge and field support, can help to ensure the effective diagnosis and treatment of malaria in remote rural areas, according to a study in Bangladesh.
Researchers examined almost 1,000 phone calls to report suspected cases of malaria that were made over two years by inhabitants of a hilly and forested part of the country bordering Mynamar. This area, called the Chittagong Hill Tracts, has Bangladesh's highest malaria rates." READ MORE [1]
How newsrooms can adopt a mobile-first mindset [2]
"As journalists continue to adapt to the shift to digital media, another disruptive force is challenging the news industry: mobile.
First, it was the Web. Now, mobile is the "second tidal wave of change about to collide with the news industry," said Cory Bergman, general manager of Breaking News, a mobile-first startup owned by NBC News Digital.
As more consumers access news on their mobile devices, news organizations are seeing traffic to their websites from desktop computers flatten or decline. And in some regions, such as many parts of Africa, users are leapfrogging the Web altogether and going straight to mobile." READ MORE [2]
MIS for Development
Creating offline Wikipedia [3]
"In the developed world we sometimes forget it, but the large majority of the people in the world do not have (enough) internet real-time access to search for information. At the same time this information could have changed or sometimes even saved their lives. Offline information access is therefore a solution that is still very relevant.
Wikipedia remains a great, immensely beneficial resource but some work needs to be done to have this information available without internet access. Students and teachers in developing nations (check the Afripedia project to know what I mean) can benefit greatly from this information." READ MORE [3]
Task Force
Association Of Concerned African Scholars: Africa's Capital Losses: What Can Be Done? [4]
"We should have highlighted this back in the fall, but failed to do so. The Association of Concerned African Scholars (ACAS) released a fantastic series of articles titled, "Africa's Capital Losses: What Can Be Done?" The series is edited by Léonce Ndikumana and James Boyce, members of the Task Force's Economist's Advisory Council, and includes articles by Global Financial Integrity and Task Force Director Raymond Baker, as well as Tax Justice Network's John Christensen and Nicholas Shaxson." READ MORE [4]
Ars Technica
Skype calls now equivalent to one-third of global phone traffic [5]
"New research (PDF) from TeleGeography, a telecom market analysis firm, shows that worldwide Skype usage is now equivalent to over one-third of all international phone traffic—a record level.
The firm's new data, released Wednesday, shows that "international telephone traffic grew 5 percent in 2012, to 490 billion minutes." At the same time, "cross-border Skype-to-Skype voice and video traffic grew 44 percent in 2012, to 167 billion minutes. This increase of nearly 51 billion minutes is more than twice that achieved by all international carriers in the world, combined."
While that doesn't mean that telcos are going to go out of business anytime soon, it does mean that they are certainly continuing to feel the heat." READ MORE [5]
Outraged by horsemeat in your lasagne? Chew on this. [6]
"The horsemeat scandal shows how hard it can be for people to keep track of what goes into the food that they put on their plate.
Faced with a complex web of transactions, it's hard for people to make sense of what's going on. This is a big deal – people should be able to know what they're eating.
In developing countries there is a different kind of secrecy that's worse. Far worse. In four out of five countries covered by the Open Budget Survey, governments don't provide their citizens with enough information to make sense of their national budget." READ MORE [6]
Follow PublicSphereWB on Twitter [7]
Photo credit: Flickr user fdecomite [8]
- Tags:
- SciDev [9]
- malaria [10]
- Bangladesh [11]
- mobile [12]
- journalists [13]
- newsroom [14]
- Wikipedia [15]
- Africa 2.0 [16]
- Task Force [17]
- Transparency [18]
- Skype [19]
- One [20]
- Open Budget Survey [21]
- citizens [22]


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AMES — More heart surgery is in Fred Hoiberg's future, though it is not imminent.
Hoiberg was forced to cut short his NBA career in 2006, 10 months after having an enlarged aortic root corrected. He needed to have a pacemaker installed.
The new Iowa State basketball coach said another procedure will happen because of a deterioration in his aortic valve.
"I hope it is years away," Hoiberg said. "If I had any concerns about my health I wouldn't have taken this job."
Hoiberg said he nearly returned to the NBA during the 05-06 season, but decided the risk was too great.
MORE ON MAC. Cyclone legend Gary Thompson said Greg McDermott's departure (some would call it an escape, but whatever) for Creighton probably saved he and the school some face.
The coach and fans had endured four straight losing seasons and finishes of 10th or lower in the Big 12 Conference each of the last three years.
Next season wasn't looking terribly promising either. McDermott was under contract through the 2014-15 season.
"It was a win-win situation for both parties," Thompson said. "Everybody wanted McDermott to succeed, but for whatever reason it didn't work out."
MOVING UP. Assistant coach T.J. Otzelberger is a big winner in this deal. The talented recruiter has parlayed his skills and wealth of contacts into the job as Hoiberg's associate head coach.
The 32-year-old from Milwaukee, a junior college assistant in Florida just six years ago, has done well for himself.
"This is an unbelievable situation and opportunity for me individually to continue to be a part of this athletic department," he said. "And to be able to work for someone everyday like Fred… for me it is a dream come true."
Otzelberger's presence was a high priority. He was key in recruiting most of the returning players and the incoming recruits who have signed letters of intent.
"T.J. was being pulled in eight different directions," Hoiberg said. "He was my first call."
Another former Cyclone great, Jeff Grayer, also is coming back to coach for his alma mater. Grayer is ISU's all-time leading scorer. Hoiberg ranks third.
"Jeff is the best player to play at Iowa State," Hoiberg said. "I'm thrilled to have him on my staff."
Two more coaches still must be hired.
Experience in the college game — preferably with a head coaching background — will be key.
"We are trying to put the most complete staff together that we can supplementing each others' strengths," Otzelberger said.
Left out in the cold may be Jeff Rutter, who decided against joining Greg McDermott at Creighton because of family concerns. He wants his son, A.J., to finish high school in the area and not have to live in Omaha while his wife, Shari, stays back in Ames.
"It came down to family," Rutter said. "Two years was too much."
Rutter, a McDermott assistant since 2003 at Northern Iowa and ISU, was at Wednesday's event and has made it clear to Hoiberg he is interested in remaining a part of the program.
"It's a great fit. He's going to do great things," Rutter said.
CHANGE OF HEART? So, could Ames star Harrison Barnes be talked out of going to North Carolina to stay home in Ames like Hoiberg did almost 20 years ago?
Not very likely, but it could be worth some effort. Barnes signed with the Tar Heels last November.
"We'll see," joked redshirt freshman guard Bubu Palo, a starter on Ames' state championship team two seasons ago and close friend to Barnes.
YOUTH IS SERVED. Watching the NBA Playoffs recently with grandson, Jack, Karen Hoiberg noticed how young one of the teams' coaches was.
It got her to thinking. So she picked up the phone to get in touch with her 37-year-old son.
"I texted Fred and asked how did he get a coaching job?" Karen said. "I told Fred he should be coaching."
Tags: Bubu Palo, Cyclones, Fred Hoiberg, Gary Thompson, Greg McDermott, Harrison Barnes, Iowa State, Jeff Grayer, Jeff Rutter, T.J. Otzelberger


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15 million premature babies born worldwide each year: Where does U.S. rank?
(CBS/AP) Every year, around 15 million babies are born premature, according to a new report. That accounts for more than 1 in 10 of the world's births - and is a bigger problem than previously estimated.
PICTURES: World's tiniest babies: How are they now?Babies at risk: 16 worst places for premature birth
In a report called "Born Too Soon," the first country-by-country count of the problem, data show that the most preemies are born in Africa and in Asia. But it's a big problem for the U.S., too, where half a million babies are born too soon - and at a rate far higher than in Europe or other similar countries. With about 12 percent, or more than one in nine of all births preterm, the U.S. ranks 131st in the world for premature births. The U.S. is ranked among the top 10 countries with the highest number of preterm births along with Brazil, according to a news release.
The 12 percent rate in the U.S. is about the same as Wednesday's report estimates in Thailand, Turkey and Somalia. In contrast, just 5.9 percent of births in Japan and Sweden are premature. The report was completed by Save the Children, the March of Dimes, World Health Organization and a coalition of international health experts.
Premature birth is defined as a birth that is at least three weeks before a baby's due date, or at less than 37 weeks. Full term is 40 weeks.
Some 1.1 million of the world's preemies die, according to the report. "Being born too soon is an unrecognized killer," Dr. Joy Lawn, co-editor of the report and director of global evidence and policy for Save the Children, said in a written statement. "Preterm births account for almost half of all newborn deaths worldwide and are now the second leading cause of death in children under 5, after pneumonia."
Risk factors for preterm birth include history of preterm birth, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, maternal age (either under 17 or over 40), and pregnancies spaced too closely together.
What can be done? According to the report, three-quarters of the deaths could be prevented by spreading some simple, inexpensive treatments to low-income countries. For example, providing $1 steroid shots during preterm labor encourages development of immature fetal lungs. They're standard in developed countries; wider use in low-income countries could save nearly 400,000 babies a year.
Other treatments include "kangaroo care," in which moms carry their tiny babies nestled skin-to-skin on their bare chests for warmth when there are no incubators; antiseptic cream to prevent birth cord infection; and antibiotics to prevent and fight infection.
Lawn's most frustrated with how often later preemies die in low-income countries because even the health providers may not know simple steps that might save them - and the fatalism around those deaths.
"If you're in the States and have a preterm baby now, even at 25 weeks you've got a 50 percent chance of survival and people expect that," Lawn said. "Whereas in Ghana, if a baby's born two months early, people kind of expect the baby to die."


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Opinion Columns & Blogs
Trudy Rubin: Too soon to judge the gains of Arab upheavals?
For those who think the failures of the Arab Spring prove the Mideast is unsuited to democracy, Jordan's Marwan Muasher begs to differ.
A scholar and statesman who has long been a voice for tolerance in the Arab world, Muasher argues – in his important new book, "The Second Arab Awakening and the Battle for Pluralism" – that it's too soon to judge the outcome of the Arab upheavals that began in 2011.
He says: "The Arab world never operated in a culture of democracy, so you can't expect a transformational process in three years."
I first met Muasher in 1991, when he was Jordanian spokesman at the Madrid peace talks. He served as Jordan's first ambassador to Israel and as ambassador to Washington; as deputy prime minister in 2005, he led a national effort for Jordanian political reform that was blocked. A Christian in a Muslim country, whose father is East Bank Jordanian and mother is Palestinian, he is uniquely suited to argue that the second Arab awakening won't succeed unless political systems become more inclusive.
But why, when Syria is imploding and Egypt reverting to military rule, does he think this is possible? Here are the reasons he laid out to me:
First, consider the initial Arab Awakening, which began in the 19th century and eventually overthrew Ottoman rule: It led to colonial overlords and then to nationalist autocrats who provided "artificial stability" for decades. "Once that lid is lifted," said Muasher, "of course you'll see all kinds of forces come out." He believes it will take years, or decades, for the results to emerge.
Second, despite the apparent rise of Islamists – with election victories in Tunisia and Egypt, and militias surging in Syria – the Arab world isn't embracing theocracy. Egyptians elected a Muslim Brotherhood parliament and president but turned heavily against them when they could not deliver economic benefits.
The slogan "Islam is the answer" was popular before 2011, Muasher said, because Islamists could claim they were "clean" and had been excluded from power. "That slogan means much less today," he said. "What Arab rulers couldn't do in 50 years, the Islamists did to themselves in three.
"The polls show that, while ordinary Egyptians may be religious, they will now judge a government by performance. The criteria is the economy. The Arab street has shown in Egypt that its support for Islamists was not ideological."
Similarly, Sunni tribal leaders in western Iraq are fighting back against al-Qaida, as are Islamist militias in eastern Syria. "The fight for ideas (post-2011) is only beginning," said Muasher, "but at least now there is a chance."
His third point is that the Arab world is not monolithic. "Syria will take a long time, Iraq and Lebanon, the same. But we won't see all new Arab governments fail."
Tunisia, where a new constitution backed by seculars and Islamists was just ratified, sets an example of success. There, a Muslim Brotherhood prime minister, with an eye to the coup in Egypt, voluntarily stepped down.
I asked whether Tunisia was unique, given its closeness to Europe and well-educated population, including women. Moreover, Tunisia's Islamists might not have been so cooperative were it not for the military coup against their brethren in Cairo.
"If Tunisia provides a unique lesson to the rest of the Arab world, that's fine," said Muasher. "In three years they've proven it was possible (to act with seculars by consensus). Is that not important?"
Indeed, Tunisia shows Islamists and autocrats alike that Egypt is not the only model. "If the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt want to be successful, they must evolve," Muasher said. "They cannot rely anymore on Islam as a solution." Nor, he said, can Egypt's seculars continue to rely on the generals.
If Egyptians elect Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi as president, as looks likely, Muasher said he will be judged by whether he delivers on the economy, which he can't do unless he can make the country secure. He won't achieve security unless he finds a way to reintegrate the Muslim Brotherhood – which represents a sizable minority – back into the system.
"Absolute power has ceased to be an option," Muasher said. "The only way for Arab governments – new and old – to maintain power will be to share it. The trick is to persuade people that democratic norms will lead to stability, which is good for the economy."
I believe he's correct in principle. I question whether there are leaders in the region capable of persuading fearful publics – including minority Christians and Shiites – that pluralism won't threaten their existence. Tunisia has such leaders, but Egypt, Syria and Iraq currently lack them. Let's hope they emerge.