text:
DIMA chief executive Sarah Goddard tells GR about the risks and opportunities facing the European insurance industry
Over the past few weeks I've been incredibly fortunate to talk to some fascinating people about a vast array of subjects. I've been able to ask questions like, what is the reality behind the unprecedented events in the geopolitical environment? How can catastrophe models create an "own view" of risk? Does corporate governance provide a mechanism to transition into a risk intelligence culture? Discussions have centred around issues such as whether, in terms of risk modelling, big data essentially means that the more we know, the less we know. Was the swiftness of the Ukraine situation truly unexpected or a failure of international relations? Is diversity in the boardroom now tangible?
All these conversations have taken place in the lead-up to DIMA's (Dublin International Insurance & Management Association) annual conference, the European Insurance Forum, but probably more importantly, they have reminded me about the huge reach the international re/insurance market has into so many areas of human life and economic activity. And as activities and economies evolve, the market responds where it can to the new risks being faced by its client base.
Reports from this year's RIMS conference indicated that the risk management community is seriously concerned about cyber risk; not a big surprise necessarily, particularly in the light of the Target cyber attack and the fall-out including an ousted chief executive, and the recent disclosure of the Heartbleed bug, where almost one-fifth of the internet's secure web servers were found to be vulnerable. Cyber insurance has recently been cited as one of the fastest-growing areas of business for the industry, and it seems that a new, more sophisticated, product is being launched every few weeks. So there is little doubt that cyber security and cyber threats are one of the major megatrends for the industry.
Environmental risk and climate change is another megatrend impacting us all, personally as well as professionally. Just a few days ago, NASA scientists recently disclosed in a conference call that parts of the western Antarctic ice sheet are disintegrating in what the scientists described as an "irreversible retreat". The climate change debate is one which roars on, but it is surely clear by now that the truism of "the only constant is change" is as appropriate for climate as it is for any other sphere of life. And the (re)insurance community's role in responding to these changing risks – assessing, transferring, mitigating – continues.
And while the world is changing at an ever-increasing pace, the industry not only has to adjust to these changes but also to those within its own structure. The impact of new capital such as ILSs, the impact of increased competition, the impact of low investment returns, the impact of regulatory change, the impact of a new economic world structure – all of these are now the daily bread of an industry which at its heart is designed to alleviate uncertainty.
Twenty-five years ago the first international insurance company set up in Dublin. And 25 years ago I started working in the communications department at Lloyd's of London. Like most others, I hadn't decided at a tender age to go into insurance – I was much more interested in the somewhat more glamorous world (so I thought then in my innocence) of journalism. But 25 years later, I remain involved in the insurance industry. Why? Because the only constant is change in this business, because I get to meet and talk to interesting, clever and innovative people, because every day is different. Here's to the next 25 years.
The European Insurance Forum takes place in Dublin on May 15 &16.


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Uber is calling a halt to most of its operations in Helsinki from today.
The company says that after two and a half years, its UberPOP service will take a break until 2018.
In a series of blog posts, the company said it's hoping that new legislation introduced to parliament this past April, will allow them to operate more freely when it comes into force.
The new laws expand the number of taxi licenses that are issued in Finland, and make it easier to obtain one. But that won't happen until July 2018, so Uber has decided to suspend its service for the time being.
"As the Parliament itself stated, the new Traffic Services Act 'significantly contributes to the introduction of new technologies, digitalisation and new business concepts'" Uber noted.
Since Uber launched in Finland, it has faced an uphill struggle to operate within the confines of Finland's strict taxi laws, and faced stiff opposition from legacy taxi companies who don't welcome the unlicensed competition.
Some drivers have had to pay thousands of euros over their Uber earnings to the government after being caught by authorities.
"We want to ensure that we do not pose drivers who use our app or our employees any unnecessary issues" Uber wrote in a recent statement, adding that they plan to help any current Uber drivers transition to new arrangements next year.
Uber says that they had "thousands of passengers" using their app-based service every day in Helsinki, and that "hundreds of drivers have been looking forward to making money by being their own boss".
While the company's POP service is having a pause, it's licensed Uber BLACK car service will operate as usual in the capital region.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wisconsin Runs Out Of Time Against Michigan St.
Referees Waive Off 3-Pointer At End Of OT
Tom Izzo never actually heard what the officials' final ruling was on Ryan Evans' apparent game-tying 3-pointer.
He just knew the shot didn't count, and Michigan State was walking away with a rare road victory at Wisconsin.
Evans' shot was disallowed after officials looked at a replay and ruled that it left his hand after time expired, allowing the Spartans (No. 11 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) to hold on for a 63-60 overtime victory over the Badgers (No. 19 ESPN/USA Today, No. 18 AP).
"I don't know what happened at the end," Izzo said. "Nor do I care. I thought we played well enough and earned the win, and that's the way I'm going to look at it."
Draymond Green had 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Keith Appling added 16 points for the Spartans (14-2, 3-0 Big Ten), who have won 14 straight.
Jordan Taylor scored 28 points for the Badgers (12-4, 1-2), who have lost two straight at home for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Evans' 3 was overturned when officials ruled he didn't get the shot off in time.
"Everybody was kind of just waiting for the refs to give the signal," Appling said. "There (weren't) really too many words said, other than us just looking at the refs trying to figure out if we were going to another overtime -- or did we win?"
In comments distributed by Wisconsin's sports information staff, referee Pat Driscoll acknowledged that there was some confusion because a clock on a side scoreboard appeared to show 0.2 seconds left when the shot left Evans' hand, while time had expired on the clock above the backboard.
"By rule we have to go by the clock that is on the backboard," Driscoll said. "I don't know why there would be different (times) -- it could be satellite, electronic, whatever -- but by rule we have to go by the clock that is attached to the backboard. In our review on the monitor, the clock clearly showed zeros while the ball remained in the Wisconsin player's hands."
Driscoll said officials looked at the replay approximately seven times, also examining whether Evans' foot was on the 3-point line.
Green, who missed a pair of free throws that could have put the game away, said waiting for the ruling was agonizing.
"The feeling for me was awful, but the feeling in the huddle was great because the guys, everybody picked me up -- 'Dray, no matter what, we're still going to win this game,' " said Green. "They didn't let me be down on myself, although I was. Everybody snatching me, grabbing my jersey, 'Hey, are you OK? If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this position anyway.' That was real comforting."
Badgers coach Bo Ryan said he tried to sneak a peek at the replay monitor while officials were looking at it but didn't get a good look.
"I haven't broken it down yet," Ryan said. "Probably will, though."
It was another rare home loss -- and another rough shooting night -- for the Badgers, who shot poorly from outside in a home loss to Iowa on Saturday.
It was only the Badgers' 14th loss, and eighth conference loss, at home under Ryan.
The Badgers have been overly reliant on streaky outside shooting this season. They were 3 for 28 from 3-point range in the loss to the Hawkeyes.
They certainly made an effort to get the ball inside Tuesday, but still ended up going 5 for 22 from 3-point range.
Izzo said he made some defensive changes.
"We did a lot of things we don't normally do," Izzo said. "We switched a little more, we stunted, we did some things to try to stop that 3-point barrage. And thank god for us, one less went in."
Green hit a pair of free throws to give the Spartans a 54-52 lead early in overtime, but Evans scored inside to tie the game.
After defensive stops on both ends, Brandon Wood drove the lane and passed to Derrick Nix, who scored to give the Spartans a 56-54 lead. Nix then scored again on a putback, putting Michigan State up 58-54 with 1:44 left in overtime.
After a long missed 3-point attempt by Wisconsin's Ben Brust, Appling went to the line and hit one of two free throws for a 59-54 lead with 50 seconds left.
Jared Berggren missed from 3-point range, and Green hit a pair of free throws. Taylor then hit a 3-pointer to cut the Spartans' lead to 61-57 with 22.6 seconds left. Appling hit a pair of free throws -- but Taylor hit another 3-pointer with just over 10 seconds left.
Green missed two free throws before Evans' desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer appeared to tie it.
Ryan praised Evans for racing to the 3-point line and getting his shot off quickly, a situation they've run in practice.
"But you can't wait until the end of the game to start making shots," Ryan said.
Izzo said the game was reminiscent of recent memorable clashes between the two schools' football teams.
"I told the team at the beginning, this is a Michigan State-Wisconsin game," Izzo said. "In football and basketball, the first overtime is just the way it's supposed to be."


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Straight Across
Equilibrium: a state of balance between opposing forces or actions.
Equilibrium is the state that Phish attains when things are flowing subconsciously- in from the universe and out through their instruments. It is this state that is sought every time the band steps on stage; sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't- but the ride of discovery is half the fun. Phish has utilized different techniques throughout their career in a constant attempt to achieve this musical balance. From their famous "Fill in the 'Hey" hole" jamming exercise to their collegiate Oh Kee Pah Ceremonies; from "the Blob" that formed Billy Breathes to their collaborative funk grooves, Phish has continually strove to reach a musical equilibrium.
One of Phish's techniques used to achieve this balance throughout most of their career was their "four across" stage set up- Fish and Page turned in slightly and looking at each other. Absent from 1999 to 2004, the band came out at Hampton in their original stage set up- the one we grew up with. This was clearly an intentional return to the band's on-stage roots, and the decision carries a certain significance and symbolism. Set up as four equal parts, all next to, and able to see, each other's eyes, the "old" Phish was back. As the band reconnects with many of their early musical habits in 2009, the switch to the old-school lineup aligns perfectly with this rejuvenation.
At the first show of 1999- June 30th at Bonner Springs- the band took the stage, for the first time in their career, in a new arrangement. Fish was placed on a riser behind the band- the conventional spot for a drummer. Mike was brought front and center, while Trey was bumped to stage left. Quite disorienting at first, the band remained with this set up all the way through 2000. Mike's prominence in the music, and a physically-tighter rhythm section were going theories as to why the switch was made at this time.
When the band came back from their hiatus, there was another on-stage shape shift. Trey returned to his place in the middle of the band, able to better communicate with everyone, and Mike assumed his former spot on stage left. Meanwhile, Fish remained behind the other members in the same position. The band carried this arrangement throughout the 2.0 era, and it seemed like the "line" was forever gone.
Fast forward five years- we enter The Mothership. Re-acclimating ourselves to the foreign, yet familiar, surroundings, when glancing up at the stage, we are struck by the "line" again! Initiating the old-school vibe before a note was even played, Phish was returning to their roots. The stage looked normal again, and when the band came out with "Fluffhead," everything seemed to be falling into place. This was the band we knew!
Phish has always been a musical phenomenon- four equal cogs that, when working together, equal far more than the sum of their parts. Musical balance is key to this transcendence; absorbing the ideas of all four band members equally- questing for that moment. With their return to the original stage set up, the balance of Phish's music is once again physically manifested. Lined up as peers, each member is an equal part of the greatest whole on earth. The band's original arrangement will likely trigger their original stage dynamic and style of communication. We began to observe this already at Hampton. As Phish continues to forge a new musical path, they will do so with revitalized energy, a dedication to practice, and an enhanced physical balance. With this recipe, the result will be an aural equilibrium that will provide many an adventure in IT.
Hampton – Photo: Jeff Kravitz (insidecelebpics)
6.10.1994 Red Rocks < LINK
6.10.1994 Red Rocks < TORRENT LINK
Everyone knows about the stellar 6.11.94 Red Rocks show with the great FM SBDs that have circulated over the years. This show was the night before. A classic second set was anchored by the epic beautiful combination of "Curtain > Tweezer > Lifeboy," and capped with a vintage '94 "Hood." "Demand > Bowie" added some beef to the openeing frame.
I: Runaway Jim, Foam, Sample in a Jar, Nellie Cane, Demand > David Bowie, Lizards, Cavern, Julius
II: Axilla [Part II], The Curtain > Tweezer > Lifeboy, Sparkle, Possum, HYHU > I Wanna Be Like You > HYHU, Harry Hood, Tweezer Reprise
E: Sleeping Monkey > Rocky Top
Source: Nuemann TLM 170i>DAT [Set 1: Sub-cariods; Set 2: Cariods)
318 Responses to "Straight Across"
i guess my question is: anyone know of a San Francisco outlet that is reliable?
Wilson, yeah, my luck this round has been unbelievable. i was actually hoping to have some extras to kick down, but they are all accounted for as of now. As i've said, any extras i may end up having are going to this board.
Better luck with your next efforts dude…
Do the outlets have to be near the venue, or any outlet? My local publix is a ticketmaster outlet but they said their computers only have a slight decrease in lag compared to home PC's. This is to say they know the show is sold out a fraction of a second earlier or can get your foot in the door a second earlier. So do you hope the clerk is quick on the draw, or act faster from home? The gorge would be a birthday show and I would love to get tickets, I just don't want my fate in someone else's hands…any suggestions? Will the gorge be as tough?
Oh yeah, 4 friends bailed and I have their lawn tix for Star Lake for face if anyone needs them
Thanks Guy. Ive never been shut out of a show I wanted to see. Ain't gonna let these three be the first in 15 years.
As my buddy told me: "The fat lady hasn't even left the dressing room yet."
The outlets should have a dedicated TM console, that has direct access to whatever they want until it sells out. the one i watched the guy use today was not a pc, but some other type of computer running some DOS looking tm software….
Does dedicated console mean no waiting room type stuff? Kind of like a direct access?
and i'd just like to reiterate, anything i'm saying is all speculation and heresay based off my sole experience at my outlet today, so i am by no means an expert. only thing i'll stick by is indeed finding the least heady, most off the beaten path outlet..
used to have GREAT luck at TM outlets back in the day for Stones tickets. Always got tix in the first couple rows (until about 1999, when those tickets got real expensive).
Just trying to cover my bases, thanks for the input. The pressure is just so intense!
Ain't no tele– I will gladly take the 4 lawn tix for StarLake off your hands. Plus, I will send you at least a case of your favorite beverage…..This friend won't bail on you down here in Hampton…….How can we work this out?
Also, I believe that what Guy said is correct–it's almost as if they operate an older MS-DOS internal system…you may have luck shmoozing with the location manager, and just asking questions in a nice (however desperate we may be) way…..
my wife came up with a plan that involves me quitting my job and going to the gorge at the end of the summer. It was hard to argue. One more ticketmaster wrestling match .. maybe it'll be a tiny bit easier?
the fox atl would rock the hizzie .. love that room!!
Livenation has tickets for The Gorge up on their website as well as ticketmaster. Anyone know which one will be the best bet? I'm guessing TM but I'll try them both.
hm you have to figure less people know about the livenation sales – are they from the same pool? Their website locked up just browsing around so I'm sure it'll choke tomorrow.
I'm settled on going to FYE tomorrow. In the meantime I'll be calling the TM number and trying to get through. Here's hoping it works.
Davey, did you not score on the lotto?
Need first three RR's.


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Some years ago, we were living elsewhere (out of the city) and an elderly couple (he was a professor at UCT) asked if they could stay in our apartment for a few weeks. They were being turned out of the very nice house that they rented in Rosebank because the owner needed it. They stayed for two and a half years! They loved living in the building and they loved the CBD. The cathedrals are within walking distance; there is a huge selection of places to eat, and there is a choice of at least two supermarkets just across the road. Entertainment (at the City Hall, the Fugard Theatre, and at the Artscape) is easily accessed on foot.
For some people, it is presumed that security will be a problem, but we have found that it is generally not so. Yes, if you step out at midnight into Darling Street, you will find that there are some really strange people around ... but many of them are actually quite interesting to talk to! The CCID (Central City Improvement District) initiative has made a huge difference, and their officers walking the streets are universally helpful.
So, what is it like living in the building?
Trustees (and this web site) do not get involved in rentals and sales. It is best to have a look on gumtree: http://capetown-westerncape.gumtree.co.za and search for "art deco". That generally brings up the apartments on offer in our building. There are many agencies on the web of course. But one word of warning: PLEASE do not send any money to anyone, until you are completely satisfied that they are genuine. Have a look at the page that talks about apartment rental scams - it will give you an idea of how these things work.
Enough for now. Do get in touch (firstname.lastname@example.com) if you wish, we like to be in touch.


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|The years condemn...
|Imprisoned twice over?
|An uphill battle...
|Disabled facilities
|Good practice: prison carers
|The years condemn...
|Imprisoned twice over?
|An uphill battle...
|Disabled facilities
|Good practice: prison carers
i work in social care and health care. the things you describe seem almost unspeakable to me. i think the problem is that we cannot really decide what to do with prisons, what their actual aim is supposed to be. why are we arresting people? often it is seen as punishment, sometimes as a safety measurement. i can sort of understand both. but i absolutely think that if we agree somebody isn't fit to live under 'normal' circumstances, we are absolutely responsible for their well-being. we need to 'care' for them and we cannot use lack of care as punishment. it is abuse in any other circumstances so it should be the same for prisoners.
i think if these conditions were more visible to the public, which for obvious reasons they can't, there would be more outrage.
do you feel that you were 'priviledged' in prison as you seem very resourceful and educated? it looks as though you were able to understand your circumstances and had the reflective power to make sense of things such as solitary confinement.
i want to be nosey and ask you why you went to prison in the first place. i'm ahving a feeling you aren't keen to share this or else you would have already. my stereotyping is such that i cannot imagine someone of your eloquence and education to even be there in the first place. please enlighten me if you can.
Hi Martina, thanks for your comments and observations. I agree with you on the whole issue of duty of care in prisons. The problem comes when prisons are so under-resourced that they simply cannot deliver.
Through this blog, I'm doing my best to highlight the problems that are often hidden behind prison walls, out of view of the general public. Often, people who have no direct experience of prisons or prisoners find it difficult to understand what really goes on. It's only if they - or someone they care about - ends up inside that they start to realise the truth.
To some extent, I was 'privileged' because I'd had a good education and professional jobs prior to going into prison. Compared to around half of my fellow prisoners who had serious literacy problems, I was definitely better off and could take time to read and write about my experiences. I think that I also made good use of my time inside, teaching others to read, writing four easy readers for use in the education department and working on a book on the anthropology of prisons.
As I'm still on appeal against conviction, I can't really discuss my own case at this time. What I can say is that I was a whistleblower who went to the police, but ended up getting framed by some extremely wealthy, corrupt and powerful people. One day, when I've cleared my name, I'll be publishing my book about the case.
Thanks for the reply. (bloody hell i can't spell!)
i've been reading a lot of what james gilligan and jonathan asser had to say about violence in prison and how people can be helped. from what i'm reading here (dipping in and out of various entries) it seems as though there is no compassion once you are a prisoner. or very little, anyway.
i don't know if you are interested in gilligan's work. he is or was a prison therapist in the US and i find him wonderfully compassionate and also realistic. i think what he is proposing is that people can be helped even if they are not released. but if they can learn to empathise, that's something they can learn.
i was speaking to someone who is aiming to qualify as a lawyer. she said legal aid is essentially cut back to the barest minimum or thereabouts. all of it seems to hit the poor an uneducated. it all sounds really gloomy to me.
do you know how long prison officers are trained for? i find that in social care, staff shortages are such that people are basically trained on the job for a few weeks and are then released into the wild. i had my induction i think 5 or 6 months after i started working. a lot of the issues in social care i think stem from only learning from other staff. if they are corrupt and/or incompetent, it means you think this is organisational culture.
the way you describe your case... i'm surprised you have so little bitterness. that's quite remarkable. maybe you are holding all your bitterness to yourself, eh? either way, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your comments, Martina. In my experience there is compassion to be found in prisons, but it's mostly from other prisoners. Of course, there are some decent wing officers and governors, as well as good folk working in civilian roles (ie education), but they are increasingly over-stretched due to staff cuts, so often lack the time to listen to individual cons.
For day-to-day support, most prisoners either have no-one (and therefore retreat into avoidance of others by staying behind their cell doors) or else seek help from other prisoners, including Insiders (peer mentors) and Listeners (Samaritan-trained inmates), as well as mates on the wing. I've discovered that there can be enormous kindness between prisoners, even some of those inside for very serious offences.
It is true that many of those who end up in prison have backgrounds dominated by poverty, abuse, substance misuse, exclusion from education etc. This is not to make excuses for their crimes, but it does go some way to explain why they have made very bad choices and decisions. We all learn by observation from our parents, family members and those around us in early childhood. That's where many abusive and destructive behaviours have their origins.
Trying to reverse, or at least mitigate, those disadvantages once someone is in the prison system can be a major challenge. Education can be one route, but even this can be fraught with problems and obstacles these days, some of which are down to staff shortages and budget cuts.
As far as I am aware, prison officer entry candidates are required to undertake what is called 'Prison officer entry level training' (POELT) and this involves an initial 8-week training course at the Prison Service College at Newbold Revel near Rugby or at one of the local training centres. This is then followed by on the job training in a designated prison. There are further courses that can be taken for professional development, but maybe a prison officer reading this can expand on this answer!
As far as I'm concerned, although I wouldn't have chosen to be sent to prison, I've gained an enormous amount from the experience in terms of knowledge and deeper understanding of the system. This is proving invaluable for my current research and the role I play in advising others, so it certainly wasn't time wasted.
People I talk to or correspond with online do sometimes find it strange that I'm not bitter about being sent to prison for a crime that never even took place. However, since I'm a positive person (and have never suffered from depression), I made up my mind to get as much experience out of my situation as I could, as well as doing as much as I could to support and assist other cons.
Once I've cleared my name - and I do believe that I will, even if it takes time - I'm planning to take a much more active role in campaigning on prison issues, including improving information about what goes on inside prisons and why urgent reforms are so needed to reduce the prison population, as well as making the prison experience actually work in terms of reducing reoffending. So, in the end, I think some good will come out of all of this!
hey, thanks for writing back! and knowing stuff as well!
i want to say good luck to you and for it not to sound lame. you are quite special. i don't think i know a lot of people with good sense and heart and all that and who don't turn bitter in these circumstances. it's good to know that it's not inevitable (there is no 'evitable' in your language! yes, there is silly, it is called avoidable! d'oh!).
anyway, i'll just continue to potter around this blog and soak up the things you have to say. they are very interesting. thank you very much for sharing them.


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text:
Palawan Cinema experience will never be the same, it's because the 60th branch of SM Cinema already open in the City in a forest that is committed to offer another kind of adventure for friends and family.
The Cinemas in the newly open SM City Puerto Princesa is the first Deluxe theatre in the province, it consist of two Directors Club and three digital cinemas that each house 165 viewers at a time, while Directors Club, a plush premier theatre brand of SM that has 48 seats per cinema.
Director's Club Cinema boosts with LA-Z Boy type recliners with exclusive food menu along with dedicated butler at your service, ticket per screening is P400 that comes with free popcorn. To be updated with the movieverse, like and follow @SMCinema on facebook or visit www.smcinema.com
SM Cinemas and SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc is the lifestyle and entertainment solutions company of SM Prime Holdings, Inc that offers the best movies, events and leisure that started in 1986.


text:
The 33 year-old, who played for the Hobart Hurricanes (Big Bash League) and Northern Districts (New Zealand's domestic T20 competition) last season, is still keen to ply his trade bludgeoning cricket balls but has made great inroads to his transition out of the game.
Travis said he was enjoying the new challenge.
"I have been extremely fortunate to be able to pursue a cricket career throughout my life, and I'm now transitioning into another career that I'm very passionate about, by assisting clients in reaching their financial goals and objectives.
"There are quite a few similarities between cricket and mortgage broking. In both areas, once you've established your key goal, it's about building the right framework and strategy to achieve it.
"Financially a lot has changed over the past year or so. For example, fixed interest rates are at record lows and have been very popular lately for property buyers, while variable rates continue to drop.
"One of the changes I've noticed is that the changing financial landscape has meant people are more open to exploring whether they can get a better rate, greater certainty or a better deal overall with either a different structure to their loan or by securing a different lender.
"Even working out how much you should borrow is an important first step that will help guide your approach."
Having spent time playing for Western Australia, Travis continues to be based in Perth with his young family including, wife Anthea and sons Samson and Crusoe.
His cricket journey started in Gippsland in country Victoria, took him to Richmond Cricket Club at Victoria Premier Cricket level before his time in WA and Tasmania. He was part of the Tigers' historic Pura Cup-winning team in 2006-07, when he made 736 first-class runs. Travis also had stints with the Delhi Daredevils and Derbyshire, and still believes he has the ability to play quality T20 cricket.
"I'm feeling strong and injury-free and my current set-up is offering me the best of both worlds. I can remain committed to playing cricket while building my career in broking.
Travis was supported by the ACA as he prepared for his new (or parallel) career.
"The ACA were terrific in meeting the cost of becoming qualified through the Education Grants and I also did work with Matt Gaffney from Endindico. Matt was a tremendous help in working through the various challenges of transitioning from a full-time cricketer to one with a business role as well. He was able to help me understand myself better and to identify the stepping stones that will help me achieve my goals. It's an exciting new challenge."
Travis' Top Tips when considering a mortgage broker
ACA Members can contact Travis Birt on 0405 189 349 or email email@example.com.


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eNPS stands for employee net promoter scores
eNPS sprang out of a pretty simple need: to keep tabs on employee morale at my startup, one of many in San Francisco that competes to hire top talent. Our problem was not so much on the hiring side. It was being able to detect low morale and address the problem before people started leaving.
When an employee resigns, it's very costly to any business. Churn is expensive, and sometimes it can snowball. When one employee leaves, others may follow, especially if the cause for the departure is internal rather than external, like a bad manager or CEO.
A few years after I started my first company, I wanted an easy way to track employee morale over time. I wanted to send out the survey on a regular interval so I could see trends. I wanted the surveys to be anonymous so my employees could give me honest opinions. And I wanted it to be simple to use -- and inexpensive!
To my dismay, such a tool did not exist. So it was back to the occasional SurveyMonkey or Google Form. Eventually, I stopped sending the survey because it was too much of a pain to string the survey data points together over time.
A lot of NPS services already exist. Here are a few:
None of these will work to collect Employee Net Promoter Scores (eNPS) because these customer NPS surveys are not anonymous. That's the whole point! You want to know precisely who your promoters are so you can send them presents and ask them for testimonials. You don't collect eNPS surveys to reward your employees. You do it so you can get valuable honest feedback.
We are passionate about employee happiness. We're also passionate about helping small businesses succeed. Where these two objectives overlap is the win-win scenario that business schools study. It's the virtuous cycle where happy employees build better products, which empowers their employers to re-invest in their employees' happiness. This is what we're trying to enable with Employee NPS Surveys.
That's the macro picture. At the product level, we believe in simplicity and transparency. We believe that great software shouldn't always be sold with expensive, annual licenses. We're month-to-month, cancelable any time, and free to a lot of businesses. Once you reach a payed tier, it's still inexpensive. We also believe that software should be simple. That's why eNPS is just one question. Simple, yet incredibly powerful.
Finally, we ourselves strive to be among the best of the businesses we work with. We want our customers and our employees to be equally satisfied, and that's why we pride ourselves on great customer support.


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DreamWorks has released the trailer for D.J. Caruso's upcoming sci-fi action flick I Am Number Four. The plot centers on nine aliens who escaped the destruction of their planet and landed on Earth, but are now on the run from those who destroyed their home world. This trailer doesn't tell you that, but it does let you know the unfortunate fates of aliens Number One, Number Two, and Number Three. Alex Pettyfer plays Number Four and is living disguised as a teenager. The film also stars Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Kevin Durand, and Timothy Olyphant.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer. I Am Number Four opens February 18, 2011.
Click over to Yahoo! Movies to see the trailer in HD.
Here's the official synopsis for I Am Number Four:
An extraordinary young man, John Smith, is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri, John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events — his first love, powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.


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For two years in a row, we have been recognized as the best financial website for making insurance people-friendly.
Frost & Sullivan awarded us for our best-in-class services to enable customers to choose and buy the right insurance products
Our recently launched mobile app added another feather to our cap by winning the best mobile app award
Our first Radio campaign was a big hit and won an award for the successful and apt use of the medium
Our advertising campaigns were yet again recognized for their effective use of multi-platform use.
With E-commerce Website of the Year award, CMO Asia recognized our efforts in making insurance buying an effortless task through an easy-to-navigate website.
Our second award in 2015 in the mobile category for Policybazaar mobile app.
To round it all, CMO Asia commended our Group CMO Naveen Kukreja for executing award-winning marketing activities.
Our innovative techniques in the realm of marketing received another boost with the winning of the BAM Awards, 2015.
ICONIC IDC Insight Awards 2015 – IDC awarded us in two categories:
Digital Business Leader
Yashish Dahiya
Digital Transformation Implementation
Saurabh Tiwari


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Available ebook formats: epub mobi pdf rtf lrf pdb txt html
Independent West Australian writer, philanthropist and fundraiser for good causes.
An ardent traveller I've visited over 453 cities in 51 countries and lived in 17 of these cities albeit in 5 different countries.
I specialize in writing novels set in the places that I've been and about the things that I've seen. All of my writing, including The Roads Of Luhonono is fiction based on fact.


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Mountain Shadow Film Society's Show This Month
"Jeremiah Tower: The Great Magnificent"
Calling all serious foodies! In advance of Walnut Creek's famed "Restaurant Week" April 23-30. It's a film that opens in New York City April 26th, Mountain Shadow is bringing the West Coast premiere of the new biopic, "Jeremiah Tower: The Great Magnificent." to Walnut Creek audiences in early April! From Executive Producer, Anthony Bourdain, comes the fascinating story of the first real celebrity chef and one of the most influential figures in the emerging California cuisine movement, starting at Berkeley's renowned Chez Panisse in 1972. Jeremiah Tower went on to launch his own legendary Stars Restaurant in San Francisco, then walked away and disappeared for nearly two decades. It's a bio-pic journey of self-discovery familiar to anyone who has ever imagined themselves to be an artist. Rated-R, Documentary, 102 min. The film will be shown four times at the Walnut Creek Library, 1644 N. Broadway: Fri. April 7th at 7:30 PM, Sat., April 8th at 4:30 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sat., April 15th, at 7:30 PM. A limited number of general admission tickets are available for $12 on a first come basis, beginning 30 minutes before show times. * Ticket holders will have three chances at each show to win a raffle prize of Dinner-for-Two at one of Walnut Creek's finest restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, April 23-30. Mountain Shadow Film Society is a non-profit, membership organization. PM. More information about Mountain Shadow Film Society is available at http://mountainshadow.org or by contacting Mountain Shadow's president, John Bennison at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. PRESS RELEASE CONTACT INFO: For more information, call or email: John Bennison: 925.787.6965, or Email email@example.com Website: http://mountainshadow.org
Date & Time
April 7, 2017
Add to Calendar 04/07/201707:30 PM 04/07/201710:00 PM America/Los_Angeles Mountain Shadow Film Society's Show This Month Calling all serious foodies! In advance of Walnut Creek's famed "Restaurant Week" April 23-30. It's a film that opens in New York City April 26th, Mountain... More info at www.walnutcreekmagazine.com/events/112097/mountain-shadow-film-societys-show-this-month Mountain Shadow Film Society - Walnut Creek Library 1644 N. Broadway , Walnut Creek, CA 94596 axEakIwmdzNKaowyWmiv58927
Mountain Shadow Film Society - Walnut Creek Library 1644 N. Broadway Walnut Creek 94596 CA US http://www.walnutcreekmagazine.com/businesses/ca-walnut-creek-mountain-shadow-film-society-walnut-creek-library
More Info
General Admission $12


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By Vanessa Anyoti, YWCA of Tanzania. Vanessa recently attended the International Conference on Population and Development in New York, and shares her views.
Being a young woman and on the United Republic of Tanzania's delegation, my experience with the first two days at the 47th Commission on Population and Development has been inspiring to say the least.
The theme of the conference is "The assessment of the status of implementation of the Program of Action (PoA) on the International Conference on Population and Development." The conference opened with some highs. It was noted that the gaps that are delaying the implementation of the PoA are: the full realisation that human rights are the driver of development, poverty, lack of gender equality, the largest population of youth, sustainable development, universal access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and the security of place and mobility.
It is an honour to be recognised as a civil society organisation (CSO) on the government delegation! However, this experience has taught me that CSO's need more space! With only three short presentations allocated to CSO's at the end of each day, our voice is not being clearly heard. We need to play a larger role in the conference as we know and experience first-hand the effects of the implementation of the PoA at the grassroots. Leaving us to wonder: how do we fight for our space? And how do we get more government delegations to adopt CSO's?
With the largest population of youth the world has ever had, we acknowledge that youth have a powerful voice. However, how do we get governments to listen to and value our input? Also, what is the most effective way to communicate so that we are not being forced to compromise in the end?
What I have also realised in these few days is that there are processes and procedures of navigating the United Nations system and being involved in the conference. It is best to know at the national level what your government is doing in relation to the PoA and who is responsible for assessment and implementation of the PoA. This way, you are able to join the process earlier on and be more likely to have an influence.
Regardless of how hard it is for all the delegations to agree on a common outcome, being that all governments are at different levels of social and economic development, there are some key issues I would like to see addressed in the outcome of the conference. From a young woman and a Tanzanian perspective, I would love to be able to know that at the end of the conference that governments will agree to address the following issues in the next 20 years to come, in addition to addressing the gaps that PoA from the 1994-2014:
- Gender equality
- Sustainable development
- Universal quality education with a particular focus on young women and girls and promotion of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programmes
- Universal health with a particular focus on SRHR, maternal health services and HIV/AIDS prevention and care and non-communicable diseases
- Poverty reduction
- Youth employment and empowerment
- Comprehensive sexuality education
- Investment in clean and renewable energy
All in all, it has been a great learning experience for me, and I am hopeful that we can come up with a great outcome from the conference. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin urged the delegations not to shy away from issues, stating that change has to come and we have to make that change happen. I was reminded by Ishita Chaudhry that "young women and girls cannot be afraid of challenging injustice, young women and girls need to be wildly and deeply inspirational."
On 5th April, 2014, we had the youth caucus at Planned Parenthood Federation America (PPFA) and a strong youth statement is endorsed by many organizations and our youth got a slot to speak out at the CPD 47th session on the first day 7th April, 2014. The main point of the oral statement is "governments must demonstrate their political commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights by prioritizing the removal of financial and legal obstacles to essential services and discriminatory laws and practices that violate our rights; transformation of weak health systems; and the elimination of social and economic inequalities, violence and discrimination. Furthermore, we are hopeful that member states will take action toward the implementation of the ICPD Program of Action by validating emerging issues at the highest levels."
As a young woman, I also want to add the meaningful participation of young women at the national, regional and global level at the decision making roles.
"We, together, can really make our voices be heard."
Filed under: Leadership | Leave a comment »


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Stainless Steel Insulated Food Jar - Ocean
$ 17.95
These stainless steel leak-proof insulated food jars keep food hot or cold for hours! Pack soup or chili in the morning, and lunch will be steaming when you are ready to eat. Pack smoothies, pasta salad or yogurt and it stays cool until lunchtime.
Similar to a thermos, insulated food jars are designed to keep the temperature you start with, so the folks at U-Konserve recommend pre-heating by pouring very hot water inside and letting sit for a few minutes before pouring out and adding your piping hot food, and pre-chilling in the freezer for a few minutes (lid off) before adding your cold food. Their food jars keep pre-heated food hot up to 5 hours, and pre-chilled food cold up to 8 hours (and often longer depending on the starting temperature and outside temperature).
Please remove stickers before getting container wet to prevent sticker residue.
• Double-walled and vacuum insulated
• Dishwasher safe, top rack
• Exterior is cool when filled with hot foods and moisture-free when filled with cold foods
• Container: 304 (18/8) stainless steel, lid/base: PP #5 plastic, seal: silicone
• Container tare weight: 10.125 ounces
• 12 ounces, 5.25" x 3.5"
• BPA-free, phthalate-free and lead-free
U Konserve is the result of two mothers' struggle to be environmentally conscious as their families grew. As they packed school lunches, they knew the plastic baggies, drink cartons and single-use containers leaving their homes were destined for landfill. With this in mind, they created a waste-free lunch kit, and in 2008 U Konserve was born. The desire was to have an impact beyond just creating durable, long-lasting products. The goal was to offer reusable and innovative solutions to change behavior and help the planet. That is the same goal that drives their mission today.


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American Craft Beer Week begins today and flows through Sunday, May 19. The celebration raises many glasses to the national craft-beer movement happening in this country. Visit the website for a full schedule of events, and continue reading for the rest of this week's menu.
See also: - Colorado beer calendar: Colorado Beer Week meets American Craft Beer Week - Odyssey Beerwerks, a brewery and taproom, opens in Arvada in May - Colorado Plus opens Monday with 56 local beers on tap -- and a brewery next month
Monday, May 13:
Coohills, 1400 Wewatta Street, presents a five-course, paired-wine dinner this evening. The meal -- which begins at 6:30 p.m. -- will be accompanied by live music from the Colorado Opera; call 303-623-5700 for reservations.
TAG, 1441 Larimer Street, is featuring a special menu created by Food Network's Maneet Chauhan this evening. Tickets are $95 and include a signed copy of Chauhan's latest cookbook; call 303-996-9985 for details.
Wednesday, May 15:
The Greenbriar Inn, 8735 North Foothills Highway in Boulder, is hosting a six-course wine dinner tonight at 6 p.m. The dinner will feature wines from Oregon's Tyee winery and costs $65. Call the restaurant at 303-440-7979 to RSVP.
Chef Joe Troupe of Lucky Pie in LoDo will join chef Josh Stone of Lucky Pie in Louisville in a head-to-head in a cooking duel at 6:30 p.m. tonight. Both chefs will cook five courses, each of which will be paired with five beers from Elevation Beer Co. The dinner costs $55 per person and takes place at the Louisville location at 637 Front Street; call 303-666-5743 for more information.
Thursday, May 16:
Strange Brewing, 1330 Zuni Street, is celebrating its third anniversary with a three-course beer dinner this evening. The meal is $49 and begins at 6:30 p.m.; call 720-985-2337 for more information.
The University of Denver is hosting its Vin Festival this week, and chef/restauranteur Frank Bonanno will make a guest appearance this evening. Bonanno and his team will prepare a five-course wine dinner and visit with guests throughout the night. Proceeds from the event, which costs $125, will fund scholarships to the school. Visit the website for more information and to purchase tickets.
Friday, May 17:
Trillium, 2134 Larimer Street, is kicking off its second Scandanavian dinner series this evening. Tonight's menu will be Norwegian-themed and includes wine, cocktail and beer pairings. There will also be an opportunity at each meal to enter your name in a drawing for a trip for two to a Nordic country of your choice; call 303-379-9759 for details.
Saturday, May 18:
The Vin Festival at the University of Denver continues today with a grand tasting event, featuring food from the student culinary team at the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management. There will also be wine pairings available and music courtesy of the students from DU's Lamont School of Music.
The Renegade Publik House, is throwing a grand opening party today from 2 p.m. to midnight -- and since the eatery and craft beer bar is owned by Renegade Brewing, it will also serve as a way to celebrate American Craft Beer Week. A $12 cover charge includes all-you-can-eat salads and pizzas and access to the 25 craft beers on tap, which include several Renegade beers. A portion of sales will be donated to the Colorado Brewers Guild.
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. (WJZ) — You can now own a piece of football history. Future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis has put one of his houses on the market.
As Jessica Kartalija explains, it can be yours for just over $1 million.
After Ray Lewis' retirement party/Super Bowl win, the former linebacker–now ESPN analyst–is lightening his load, putting his house in Owings Mills on the market.
"I don't think I have anywhere near the means to purchase that house," said Wes Muller, Perry Hall.
Lewis' home off Park Heights has a gourmet kitchen, sauna, steam shower and entertainment room. It can be yours for $1.1 million.
"If it's someone from Baltimore, if it's in their area and in their price range, I'd definitely show it," said Todd Nemeroff, realtor. "If they're a football fan, how can you not? People will want to go into it actually just to look at it."
Todd Nemeroff is an agent with Cummings and Company Realtors. He says potential buyers will likely be pre-screened before they can even see the home.
"At $1.1 million, when you are in that price range, your range of buyers is very small compared to $300,000-$400,000," he said.
The four-bedroom, four-bath house sits on more than two acres, has an Olympic size pool and two fireplaces. It's getting some heat for being a little outdated.
Bleacher Report calls the decor tacky, saying the living room looks like a scene straight out of Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas."
"It might not be to everyone's taste, but you never know," said Nemeroff.
So, would you buy it because it's Ray's?
"If I had the money, I probably would. It might be more appealing," said Nicholas Lebouf, New Orleans.
Lewis bought the house in 1999 for $753,000.
The house also has a trophy room–trophies not included, of course.


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Since Red Dead Redemption's release last May, it has seen countless DLC packs, from small additions to complete new adventures. With the one year anniversary quickly approaching, Rockstar is prepping one last pack.
Rockstar has announced that the DLC packs that consumers received for pre-ordering Red Dead Redemption, will finally be making their way to PSN for the rest of us. Hitting PSN next week, you'll be able to download the following packs:
- The Deadly Assassin Outfit – This allows you to regenerate your Dead Eye meter twice as fast.
- The Golden Guns Weapon Pack – When these weapons are equipped, you will gain fame quicker.
- The War Horse – This is the best horse in the game, stronger and faster than any other you can find.
Each pack will run you $.99, so if you're a veteran or a new comer the price should be just right.


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Sunday, December 11. 2005
Posted by Michael Prokop in general
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grml2hd and software raid (level 1)
I just added support for installing grml on software RAID level 1 with grml2hd. As we already have support for initrds it wasn't such a big deal. [Disclaimer: it's not a frontend for mdadm, you have to use mdadm manually on your own. If you want to use software RAID you should know how to handle it anyway.]
So if you want to use RAID1 with '/' on software-raid run mdadm and install grml afterwards on the new created device using the environment variable SWRAID which passes the provided option to the raid-extra-boot-option in lilo.conf:
# mdadm --create --verbose /dev/md0 --level=raid1 \
That's it. :-)
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Filled with gunpowder, they explode at the smallest shock. The more advanced models can even fly...—Manual, Rayman 2
A keg or powder keg is an explosive barrel of gunpowder found in some Robo-Pirate strongholds in Rayman 2 and most of the handheld games that followed. When Rayman is made to approach a stationary keg, he automatically picks it up; he can then walk about with it. Pressing the 'jump' button causes Rayman to toss the keg directly upwards – he can catch it again if he stands still. Pressing the shoot button causes Rayman to throw the keg forwards. By throwing kegs in these ways, Rayman can break open doors that are sealed with metal sparadraps, destroy enemies, or break open cages that are right above Rayman but out of his reach. If Rayman approaches a flaming torch while carrying a keg, the end of the keg ignites, forcefully sending the keg – and Rayman – hurtling through the air.
Kegs are dispensed by trap-doors in walls, which bear the Robo-Pirate insignia. A new keg is automatically dispensed by one of these hatches each time the keg currently in use is destroyed. When Rayman has taken care of the sparadrap or other obstacle, no more kegs will be dispensed. Kegs can occasionally be found rolling down hills or across walkways in places such as the Bayou or the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava; in these cases the kegs cannot be used and serve only as obstacles for Rayman. If Rayman jumps on top of a moving keg, he is bounced high into the air, allowing him to reach Lums or high platforms.
Kegs act as obstacles in the race courses of Rayman M and Rayman Rush. Some courses feature kegs which are composed of metal rather than wood.
A hologram of a keg is used to represent the Echoing Caves in the Hall of Doors.
Rayman can use big kegs as platforms.


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A federal district court has ordered a temporary halt to an Arizona-based telemarketing operation which, according to the Federal Trade Commission, has used deceptive and unfair practices to bilk consumers across the country out of millions of dollars. The FTC has alleged that two individual defendants, Harvey Sloniker and Tye Sloniker, telemarketed non-existent products and services through a maze of interrelated companies, which include the corporate defendants Corporate Marketing Solutions, Inc., Corporate Industries, Inc., ATM Machine Wrap, Inc., Bankcard Recovery Services, Inc., Direct Wireless+, Inc., National Consolidation Foundation, Inc., and Sierra Management Properties, Inc. At the Commission's request, the court froze the defendants' assets, and appointed a temporary receiver pending a hearing on the FTC's motion for a preliminary injunction. The FTC sought this relief to bring an immediate halt to the defendants' fraud and to prevent the destruction of evidence and dissipation of assets pending the preliminary injunction hearing.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, alleges that since at least 1998, the Slonikers and their various companies have been engaged in deceptive telemarketing on behalf of a string of third-party client companies. According to the FTC, the defendants operated numerous telemarketing boiler rooms known as "contract rooms" that employed large numbers of telemarketers trained to deceive consumers. From these contract rooms, the defendants sold non-existent credit cards and bogus identity theft and telemarketing fraud protection services to consumers for hefty advance fees, the FTC alleged.
The complaint alleges that the defendants violated the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule by engaging in numerous misrepresentations in the sale of advance-fee credit cards and various consumer fraud protection services. The defendants often began their sales pitches by representing to consumers that they are affiliated with, or calling on behalf of, a bank or financial institution or, depending on the product or service, a consumer protection agency. They then represented that the consumer had been pre-approved for a major credit card, such as a VISA or Mastercard credit card, and was guaranteed or highly likely to receive such a card in exchange for an advance fee. In some instances, the defendants also represented that the consumer will receive additional bonus products or services in conjunction with obtaining a credit card. In fact, according to the complaint, the defendants are not affiliated with any banks, financial institutions or consumer protection agencies, and no consumers ever received the promised credit cards or the promised bonus products or services.
The complaint further alleges that the defendants represented to consumers that criminals are stealing from the Internet consumers' personal information, such as their social security numbers and credit card numbers. The defendants then allegedly told consumers that without the defendants' protection service, the consumers would be liable for any unauthorized charges on their credit card accounts. The defendants promised the consumers that, in exchange for a fee, they would remove the consumers' identity information from the Internet and remove the consumers' names from lists used by telemarketers and merchants. According to the FTC, neither of these alleged services was ever performed by the defendants, nor are they even possible to perform.
The complaint also alleges that the defendants routinely obtained consumers' personal financial information through false pretenses, and that this practice constitutes illegal "pretexting," which is a violation of Section 521 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. In addition, the complaint alleges that the defendants engaged in the unauthorized charging or debiting of consumers' credit card or bank accounts, in violation of the FTC Act.
The Commission vote to authorize staff to file the complaint in district court was 5-0. The complaint was filed under seal in the United States District Court for the Arizona District, Phoenix Division, on July 8, 2002, and the judge signed the Temporary Restraining Order with Asset Freeze on the same day. The seal was lifted on July 16, 2002.
NOTE: The FTC files a complaint when it has "reason to believe" that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendants have violated the law. The case will be decided by the court.
For updates on the status of the Sloniker case, interested parties may call the hotline number at 202-326-3788.
Copies of the complaint are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Contact Information
Office of Public Affairs
Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-3128 or 202-326-3281


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Jeff Lomax's Hole in One
Jeff Lomax hit a 168-yard hole in one using a 7-iron on the 8th hole at Champions Run in Omaha. The ace was reported on Sept. 20, 2011. Witnesses: David Goodwater, Jeff Polensky, Kevin Schlueter.
Know more about this ace? Share the details and we'll post them on this page.


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A 26-year-old Keenesburg man was killed Monday afternoon when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving and was ejected.
The Colorado State Patrol is investigating the death of Robert Sevier , who died on scene at about 1 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Weld County roads 20 and 53, northwest of Keenesburg.
Weld Coroner Mark Ward said in a news release that Sevier was not wearing a seatbelt and sole occupant of a pick up truck that rolled over and ejected.
An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Sevier is the 22nd person to die on Weld roads this year, compared to 24 during the same time period last year.


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Angry Birds Rio - What happens when everybody's favourite fierce fowl get caged and shipped to Rio? They get very angry!
In Angry Birds Rio, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio de Janeiro, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to to save their friends, Blu and Jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the upcoming Fox motion picture, Rio. Angry Birds Rio will pair the physics-based gameplay of the original game with unique twists based on the film.
Expect plenty more where this came from: Episodic updates throughout 2011!
The most exciting of avian adventures continues! Help the Angry Birds to free their friends and defeat the evil smugglers! Stay tuned for further fun episodes!
· Two fantastic episodes with 60 exciting levels!
· Completely new achievements!
· Special Hidden fruits - discover them all!
· Put your Angry Birds skills to the ultimate test in a spectacular boss fight!
What's New in This Release:
· We addressed some minor issues in order to improve the user experience.
What's New in 2.1.0:
· Jump on a riverboat for a crazy cruise in the Blossom River episode - based on the new blockbuster movie sequel Rio 2!
· NEW LEVELS! Play 20 beautiful new levels and discover 6 hidden bonus levels - all set along the incredible Blossom River!
· NEW DRIFTING BOATS! Stop those pesky monkeys as your boat floats down the river!
What's New in 2.0.0:
· Make a BIG splash in the High Dive episode - based on the new blockbuster movie sequel Rio 2!
· NEW LEVELS! 20 levels and 6 bonus levels set in a Brazilian port harbor!
· RIO NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD! Totally refreshed with shiny new graphics for the Rio 2 chapter!
· AMAZON RIVER DOLPHINS! These beautiful animals are accidentally trapped and they need your help!
· NEW MOVE! Dive below to break open those cages from underwater!
What's New in 1.8.0:
· HELLO STELLA! Stella comes to Angry Birds Rio for the first time and brings her powerful bubble blower!
· FUN NEW GAMEPLAY! Hit the fuse to set off some bright and blazing fireworks!
· MEET ROCKET BIRD! Unleash the explosive Rocket Bird to help out in the bonus levels!
What's New in 1.7.0:
· Enjoy the sunset in 15 new beach levels!
· Unlock bonus levels by collecting all the golden cherries!
· Fun surprises including floating pig balloons and inflatable fish pool toys!
What's New in 1.6.1:
· It's Market Mayhem! The marmosets are running amok in the market, and it's up to you to stop them! Bounce off awnings and pulverize fruit while you knock those monkeys off their perch!
· Samba through 36 NEW LEVELS!
· Explore an all new episode!
· Collect all the hidden fruit to unlock a new bonus level!
· Face off against the marmoset king in a thrilling boss fight!
· Collect stars to unlock 18 special Star Levels!
· Earn feathers to unlock 6 Mighty Eagle levels!
· Get 20 free power-ups!
· Check back daily for your free power-up!
· Dance your way to destruction with Samba Burst!
· Send a "special delivery" with the TNT drop!
What's New in 1.4.4:
· Open 12 amazing new bonus levels through in-game achievements!
· Unlock the bonus levels for an episode by finishing all the levels or collecting all the fruit in that episode!
· Complete all the levels and collect all the fruit to open all 12 bonus levels!
What's New in 1.4.2:
· Fifteen challenging new levels will test your puzzle skills!
· Thrilling boss fight will have you on the edge of your seat!
· Search out all the hidden fruit and earn special awards!
· The amazing expandable Orange Bird joins the party!
What's New in 1.4.0:
· The Angry Birds pursue the dastardly smugglers to a brand new location!
· Fifteen challenging levels will test your puzzle skills!
· Search out all the hidden fruit and earn special awards!
What's New in 1.3.2:
What's New in 1.3.0:
· Brand new "Airfield Chase" episode!
· 15 new levels!


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Dubai Hotels Accommodation Dubai
Dubai's Hotels Accommodation Overview
Dubai hotels are a big deal, but perhaps that is to be expected from a city which takes both tourists and business travellers very seriously. Some hotels in Dubai are tourist destinations in their own right; the Burj al Arab dominates the skyline and charges curious visitors to look around, while it is hard not to notice the Emirates Towers and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
However, if you steer clear of places with world class architecture and gold leaf decoration, there are places to stay which won't break the bank.
Common sense applies: the more impressive the hotel, the more it will cost to stay there. However, if you can afford one of the top range Dubai hotels, you get a lot for your money. As well as the obligatory air conditioning, most of the more expensive places have gyms and swimming pools, and almost all the coastal hotels have their own beaches. These include Le Meridien, the Royal Mirage and the Oasis Beach Hotel. As well as this, some of the bigger landlocked hotels have beach sharing arrangements with their sister hotels. Some of these beaches are open to the fee paying public, so if you're looking for exclusivity when you sunbathe, check before you book.
Jumeirah, the coastal area, is where you're most likely to find a luxury hotel. The further you get from the beaches, the more likely you are to find a cheaper place.
Deira is an area which varies in price and quality of hotels, but the focus tends to be on business travellers rather than tourists, perhaps because the area contains the airport but is some way from the beaches. You will find the cheapest places around the Deira souk, but the area is also home to some plush places for rich business travellers.
Bur Dubai is also a variable area, and you may find good value here.
But, in general, hotels in Dubai are not cheap. One thing to bear in mind about Dubai hotels is that, on top of the price quoted, you will have to pay a ten per cent municipality tax and a ten per cent service charge. It's good to be aware of this from the start, so you don't get any nasty surprises when it comes to paying the bill.
Finally, the most important thing of all is not to compromise your safety when looking for a hotel, especially if you are a lone female traveller. If a place looks dodgy, it probably is, and you should look elsewhere. Taking risks just to save some extra cash is definitely false economy.


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Andrew Le Sueur is a door tenant. From 2006-2009 he was the Legal Adviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution, advising on all aspects of constitutional law and practice. He has acted as specialist adviser to other UK parliamentary committees.
He is Professor of Constitutional Justice at the University of Essex. Previously he was Professor of Public Law at Queen Mary, University of London (2006-13), Barber Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Birmingham (2001-06) and taught at UCL (1988-2000).
Practice Areas:
Judicial review
Human rights
Constitutional law
1982-86 LLB Hons, Law, London School of Economics (1st class)
1986-87 Bar Vocational Course
Professional Memberships
Administrative Law Bar Association
Society of Legal Scholars


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Welcome to the Student Leadership page!
Leadership is a group of students who work together to make our school a better place. We do this through creating fun school activities, managing school events, and creating great before and after school clubs. It is a great way to be an active part in our school!
One of our current committees is the Tech Team. Our job is to go around the school to take pictures. We then turn these pictures into slide shows to be used by the school. We try to take pictures of students displaying the PYP profiles and attitudes.
Current Activities
Coupons - We are starting a school wide coupon activity. We are creating our own coupons and printing them. As we make student observations around the school, we will hand out coupons to students we see displaying the PYP attitudes or profiles. Students may turn these coupons in to the office for a charm. We think that this will be a great school activity!
Worldly Action Committee -
Lego Robotics -
Upcoming Events
Spelling Bee - There will be sign up sheets coming out for anyone who would like to join the school Spelling Bee. The date is yet to be determined!
Contact Us
Coming Soon!


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The Rock n Roll Dallas half marathon was yesterday, and it was amazing. I got a massage this morning (highly recommend a post race massage if you haven't done one – I feel like a new woman) and am now binge watching Netflix reruns and reflecting on the highs and lows of yesterday's run.
My alarm was set for 5:30 am, but I was wide awake at 5:15. I can't manage to get out of bed before seven on a weekday but the adrenaline of race day is enough to get me up sans alarm. I opted to take the DART to the race, Dallas's public transportation service. We Dallasites are either in love with the DART system or totally skeptical of it. I was much more on the skeptical end of the spectrum but after using it this weekend I have to say I'm a fan. Great way to get to a race, and that is how I plan to travel for future Dallas races. Parking downtown is expensive, and it can be difficult to find a spot to park in. Plus, when I got to the DART station there was a long line of runners waiting at the kiosk to buy their train ticket. The train was packed with runners, which gave the energy an electric feel. I nervously chatted with the strangers surrounding me to pass the time. I met Susan, who turned sixty last October and was planning to run six half marathons this year to celebrate; and an unnamed man, who was traveling to Paris in a few weeks for the Paris Marathon. Talk about a bucket list race.
The DART stop for the race was at Union Station, and was literally right across the street from the starting corrals. It was only 41 degrees when I got to the race so I was grateful for the heat inside the train station. I waited inside along with many runners until about twenty minutes before the race, when I took my spot in Corral 10.
At 8:00 on the dot, the man on the loudspeaker counted down. "Five.. Four.. Three.. Two.. ONE!" My adrenaline spiked, before I realized that he was counting down for the first corral only. Eight countdowns separated me from the starting line. One minute between each countdown. Suddenly the urge to use the restroom took over me. I panicked. Did I have enough time? I saw a row of Port-a-Potties and knew I would regret it a couple miles in if I didn't go. I scurried over to the restrooms and made it back to my corral with plenty of time.
It was finally Corral 10's turn. My heart was pounding. My plan was to try and stick to my 11:07 minute/mile pace as closely as I could for the first half of the race and then speed up in the second half if it felt right. However, I knew that all of the pre-race excitement would carry me faster than that at the start. I decided to go with the flow for the first ten to fifteen minutes and then adjust my speed accordingly.
I felt great for the first four miles of the race. The first half mile or so was on an uphill incline, and I heard people around me complaining about it, but I didn't find it too challenging. My legs thanked me for all the hill work I had put in. The spectators were loud and happy to be out there. There were signs and high fives everywhere. The Rock n Roll series is famous for having live bands every mile along the course and they certainly did not disappoint. The energy along the course surged every time we passed a band.
I settled into a nice pace somewhere between miles three and four. I was still going slightly faster than race pace but I knew there was a big hill at mile nine so I figured I could go slightly faster than race pace now and give myself a buffer during and after the hill. Once we got to mile five, however, I was glad I had given myself some room. Ahead of me was a bridge with hundreds of runners on it. How did they get up there? I thought to myself. The answer was revealed at mile 5.5. We went up the bridge, around and around and around, until we were at the top. While on the incline I met two girls who trained in the same city I did. We were all glad that we had put in the work in the hilly part of town, because it made the incline bearable. We just talked through it until we were on our way back down.
Miles six through eight were pretty easy. I was grateful for a flat stretch. I was still maintaining a good pace, too, although I had slowed down a bit from the beginning. I just kept on moving. I remembered that mile seven was the point in the last race that I had to call Chrissy, because I was losing my momentum. Today, however, my legs still felt fresh.
We entered another neighborhood and again saw many spectators cheering us on with signs. It is a lot easier to run when people are cheering you on, even if they are total strangers. It gave me more motivation to keep pushing.
The hill between miles eight and nine was exactly what I planned on, along with some extra profanities I was not counting on. It was steep, and it was long. Just keep running, I thought to myself. Several people had moved to the right and begun walking. I knew that if I didn't look at them, I could maintain my effort level, if not my pace. I just looked down at the ground and kept moving.
It took a little bit of time to bounce back from the hill. My legs were tired. I regretted not bringing an extra GU. Usually one is sufficient during a half marathon but today I could have used the extra energy. I still felt better now at mile nine than I did at mile seven of my last race, I reminded myself. I was not struggling to keep myself motivated, which was a blessing. I thought about how grateful I was that I took a week off so I could enjoy this race both mentally and physically. It made a world of difference.
I got to mile eleven and heard a "Hey, stranger" to my left. I looked over and saw Vincent, a fellow member of the Life Time Fitness running group. "HEY!" I shouted, beyond ecstatic to see a familiar face. His timing couldn't have been better. We talked and ran for about a mile and a half. He felt the urge to speed up and I gladly stayed behind. My knee was starting to bother me and I didn't want to push it too much.
Mile twelve had to be the longest mile of any race I had ever participated in. It was on a bridge heading toward downtown Dallas. I knew we were close, but the bridge was awfully quiet. I could feel the determination of the runners around me to just get to the finish line. I could feel everyone struggling with me. The bridge was lonely, far from spectators. The laughing and socializing of earlier miles was long over. We couldn't even hear the finish line commotion. When we finally got onto solid land again, the spectators were plentiful. The cheering was very loud, echoing off the walls of the tunnel we were passing through. I took high fives and soaked it all in, anything to push me to the finish line. I turned a corner, thinking the finish line would be there, but to no avail. How much longer until this race is over?!
And finally, I saw it. The finish line. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen! This finish line was significant because a PR, being able to sit down, beer, and a break from running were all in the immediate future. I gratefully accepted a water, chocolate milk, and bag of potato chips. It's scientifically proven that this is the best combination of post-run food and drink. Just kidding. My stomach was really upset and those were the only things that sounded appetizing. My mom had signed up to get race day updates and she forwarded me the final text message she had received with my time: 2:27:40. A new PR. I sat on Reunion Lawn, listened to the band, and soaked in the post race party and the glory of a new best time for about a half hour before heading back to the DART station. The DART train was much more quiet on the way back than it was on the way down. Everyone was exhausted, but you could see the pride in every runners' eyes.
The verdict? I'm in love with this race series. Rock n Roll did a great job of selecting live bands, getting spectators out there, and putting on a wonderful post race party. I hope to participate in many future Rock n Roll races.
But not any time soon. For now, I will Netflix and chill solo. I will participate in yoga classes, happy hours, and sleeping in. Don't worry, I'm not putting away the running shoes forever.
Probably just until next weekend.


text: A world of wellness awaits at Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Reflecting the local environment and designed to enhance every aspect of a guest's experience, the only Forbes 5-star spa in Canada is a sanctuary for Vancouver locals and visitors alike. With this state-of-the-art downtown Vancouver spa, well-appointed fitness center, stunning saltwater lap pool and its other facilities, Rosewood Hotel Georgia offers a sanctuary for physical and spiritual rejuvenation.


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Pinch Jug
by DBO HOME
Sold out$95.00
Who doesn't love a fat little jug? And this one is our favorite. We cast the porcelain vessel from our original sculpted form. The pinch texture not only looks great but it feels great in the hand. The bronze glaze drip makes each piece unique. This jug is a "Quick Ship" item. Please allow 3 business to ship. Larger quantities may take longer. We will contact you if delivery time is extended. Due to the handmade nature there will be variation in color and size. Dimensions: 4.5"H x 3.5" W Our ceramics are handcrafted from durable, high quality porcelain. Our glazes are food safe and lead free.


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Heal the Healers: Support for UH Hilo staff who care for survivors of trauma
The program will do a series of training and technical assistance sessions to train and support staff working with students who have experienced trauma.
Student Health and Wellness Programs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is among six organizations selected to join the Joyful Heart Foundation's "Heal the Healers Hawaiʻi" project.
The initiative, funded by the Atherton Family Foundation, supports a series of training and technical assistance sessions to train and support staff working with students who have experienced trauma.
The program also seeks to strengthen organizations to counter "vicarious trauma" through policies and procedures. Vicarious trauma refers to secondary traumatic stress often experienced by professionals helping trauma survivors.
University staff who provide direct support services to survivors of child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and sexual assault are invited to participate in the Heal the Healers Hawaiʻi project.
"We are thrilled about our collaboration with Joyful Heart Foundation," says Sulma Gandhi, program director for UH Hilo Student Health and Wellness Programs. The programs at UH Hilo provide holistic care that integrates education and prevention efforts with medical and mental health services.
"The first (Heal the Healers) session gave our team skills and tools to effectively respond to vicarious trauma," explains Gandhi. "This further enhances our capacity to support students who are survivors of sexual assault, dating and domestics violence, and child abuse and neglect."
More about the need for the Heal the Healers program:
When trauma occurs, it is as if a pebble has been tossed into a pond: ripples of the event are felt far beyond the original point of impact. Violence touches all the people and systems that come in direct contact with survivors, as well as those that play a role in managing the community response to the trauma.
Police officers, judges, lawyers, advocates, therapists, nurses, friends and loved ones—to just name a few—all have the opportunity to contribute to a community response of healing.
They are also vulnerable to the very real cumulative effects of bearing witness to suffering. Guilt, fear, feeling helpless and a sense that whatever we contribute will never be enough are commonly reported experiences.
Experts refer to these experiences in different ways such as vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue, however the common thread is that healers are suffering.
All too often, these professionals pay a profound cost in their lives in an effort to meet a demanding need, a cost that we at Joyful Heart believe is too high. One study, for example, found that 70 percent of domestic violence advocates met criteria for clinical levels of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Our Heal the Healers program recognizes this cost and is dedicated to supporting the field in finding ways to uplift and support those who work in service of others.
The Joyful Heart Foundation
The Joyful Heart Foundation was founded in Kailua-Kona in 2004 by actress and advocate Mariska Hargitay of the long-running TV series Law and Order: SVU. The foundation has grown into a national effort to transform society's response to sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, support survivors' healing, and end the violence.
The other statewide recipient organizations chosen for the Heal the Healers Hawaiʻi project are PACT: Parents and Children Together, YWCA of Kauaʻi, Immigrant Justice Center of the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi, Women Helping Women Maui, and Hoʻōla Nā Pua.
"We are grateful to Joyful Heart Foundation and look forward to the next two years of continued support for our staff," says Gandhi.
About the writer of this story: Susan Enright is a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women's studies from UH Hilo.


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The Directorate of Ecotourism, Forest, Environment & Wildlife Management, Government of Sikkim was awarded Excellence Certificate for most promising new destination during the Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) held in Mumbai from 16th September to 18th Septemebr 2016.
TTF Travel & Tourism Fair in Mumbai is India's leading exhibition for the travel and tourism industry. It provides an annual opportunity for organisations from India and abroad to showcase their products and services. Visitors interact with tour-operators, travel agents, hoteliers and airlines to gahter information and make national and international travel plans. TTF presents an unparalleled marketing opportunity for exhibitors to connect directly with the largest gathering of prospective travellers and members of the travel industry.
The TTF Travel & Tourism Fair in Mumbai took place from Friday, 16. September to Sunday, 18. September 2016.


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'Climate Change' Is Not A Military Term
I am weary of "Operation Free." Whenever military procurement, national security, and energy independence merge as issues, be cautious of who are marked as "enemies." The message that is framed by this video acknowledges that the impetus for war in Iraq was largely based on oil, but it does not recognize nor acknowledge that warfare … Continue reading
The New START Treaty
On June 17, 2010, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (The New START), between the United States and Russia. Featured witnesses included: Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of … Continue reading
When did war stop being inherently governmental?
In Congress, nine years after the initial engagement of military operations in Afghanistan, moral and strategic questions are being raised about military contracting in combat zones. Centrally, when it comes to war, what are inherently governmental functions? What war-related governmental functions are being outsourced and how does the expanded use of contractors and subcontractors affect … Continue reading
We Are All Russians!
A week ago today, forty people were killed by suicide bombings in the Moscow subway. Since then, no flowers or candles or messages of condolences have been placed in memorial at the front gates of the Washington, DC, Embassy of the Russian Federation. Unlike in the aftermath of the assault in Beslan or after the … Continue reading
Missile Defense: Like in "Spies Like Us"
Toward the end of the Congressional work day, Members of the House of Representatives will often call for one-hour Special Orders sessions during which they talk about various legislative issues. On May 6, 2009, Congressman Todd Akin of Missouri, led the following session on Missile Defense. An interesting piece of political theater for one who … Continue reading


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Acupuncture may have lasting benefits for neck pain, the authors of a new study say.
The study found that people who received acupuncture had less pain three years later than people with similar pain who received a dummy treatment.
Acupuncture has become widely used in the United States and Europe as well as in Asia, though research on its effectiveness for different conditions is mixed. One problem is how to create the equivalent of placebo pills for a treatment that involves sticking needles into patients.
For the new study, published in the June issue of the journal Pain, researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway developed a technique for a sham treatment. Twelve female office workers with chronic neck and shoulder pain received 10 sessions of standard acupuncture and acupressure techniques; another 12 workers had the needles placed in spots a few millimeters away from the points used in a standard treatment.
The intensity of pain reported by the real acupuncture group fell by 70 percent over the course of treatment, and three years later remained at about half the pretreatment level. The pain reported by those in the sham treatment group dipped slightly during treatment, but crept back up afterward; they were in more pain three years later than before the experiment began.
The treatment group also reported a bigger and more lasting drop in headaches.


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Fear can be a big hurdle when you are an artist. I often find myself paralyzed by it and unable to create. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough…they are all enemies of the creative process. This evening in my room in London I found myself broken and full of fear, not for my art but for other reasons. After wiping away the tears I decided to pick up a pen and pencil and paint the fear away.
It's far from perfect, far from finished and far from what I wanted to be but I wanted to feel the joy again of being free and swept away with lines and nothing else..no rubber..nothing. I wanted to wash away from the soul the dust of every day life as Picasso said. "I choose to no longer be ruled by fear. "


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The romance lives on inside
Here I am again
Put this ring around your finger
Can you trust me?
I've hurt so many
I am real this time
I've said I love you
Will you trust me?
Deceived and broken
so many hearts
I'm scared of failing
Failing you, my dear
I know I'm weak
I know I'm broken
You're beauty is in my heart
You're beauty keeps me walking on
I will hold you forever my love
This promise is real
Deceived and broken
So many hearts
It's in the past now
This love is real
I know I've said it before but this time it's real
Forget the past, it's gone
Believe me when I say that you're the one
That you're the one now
Forget the past, it's gone


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NRBQ: Desperados, Washington DC
Paul Yamada, New York Rocker, January 1980
AFTER A quarter-century of rock 'n' roll, it should be obvious that the idiom (if it can be classed as such) must be maintained by certain forms, structures, (musical) languages, borrowings, adaptations, and alterations made to face the demands of taste and time. Few bands master a multiplicity of styles, and fewer attain this mastery with any originality, live or on records. NRBQ is exactly this kind of band, and more.
Total word count of piece: 1190


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To avoid Deja Vu All Over Again, I thought I'd share where we have been on this topic over the past decade and more.
In 1998, HL7's Claims Attachments Workgroup started development of a number specifications for a couple of different types of clinical reports, one of which included the Discharge Summary. That specification identified the following key data elements:
- Admit and Discharge Date
- Admission and Discharge Diagnosis
- Course
- Consultations
- Disposition
- Procedures and Studies
- Physical Exam
- Discharge Medications
- Discharge History
- Followup
- Treatment Plan
In 2005, shortly after CDA Release 2 was completed, I edited the Care Record Summary (CRS) Release 1.0. That supported three main care transition notes: The Summarization of Episode and its two main subtypes: Discharge Summarization Note and Transfer Summarization Note. That work was based on the prior claims Attachments efforts and the Vancouver Island Health Authorities eMedical Summary specification which they kindly made available to HL7.
That specification added the following data elements to the Discharge Summary:
- Chief Complaint/Reason for Visit
- History of Present Illness
- Problem List
- Medications Administered and Medications on Admission (to meet med Reconciliation requirements)
- History of Allergies
- Review of Systems
- Vital Signs
- Advance Directives
- Reason for Referral
- Chief Complaint/Reason for Visit
- History of Present Illness
- Problem List
- Medication List
- Allergy List
- Sugical History
- Immunizations
- Family History
- Social History
- Review of Systems
- Vital Signs and Physical Exam
- Advance Directives
All hell broke lose between ASTM and HL7 over the CRS work in late 2006, which eventually led to the start of the CCD work in December of 2006 collaboratively between ASTM and HL7.
Shortly after that, IHE began work on XPHR which was a profile of CCD. HITSP began work on the "Registration and Medication Summary" which was originally based on the XPHR work, but was dropped back to be based upon CCD after several protests from CCR promoters. This became the first version of the HITSP C32.
CCD used much of the work that had already been done in CRS and was adopted by HL7 in January of 2007. XPHR was completed in August of 2007 based on the final CCD work, and XDS-MS underwent a similar change over that took about two years to get all the bugs out of.
HL7 and Health Story (formerly CDA for Common Document Types) began work on a number of document specifications focused on transcription. These included the History and Physical Note, which took the general header constraints first established in CRS and made them a template which could be applied to any document. They also completed work on a Consultation Note.
In 2008, HITSP was given the Consultations and Transfers of Care Use case, for which those specifications were adopted. In that same year, the Care Management and Health Records TC worked on harmonizing across the HITSP specifications. HITSP had adoped two other IHE profiles EDES (C28), and XDS-MS (in C38 and C48) but in ways that meant a medications section in C28, C32, C38, C48 were not necessarily compatible with each other. That resulted in the creation of C83 (Sections and Entries) and C80.
In 2009 we went a bit crazy in HITSP, replacing our efforts mid-year with a crash priority task assignment by ONC to simplify our specifications even further. That resulted in more changes to C83 and C80, the creation of the HITSP Data Elements specification (C154), and changes to the various CDA specifications that relied upon them, including C28, C32, C48, C78, C84, C148, C161 and C162.
HL7 and Health Story continued their work in developing specifications for operative note and procedure note, and HITSP also updated C83 and Capability 119 (Exchange Docuemnts) to support a templated CDA approach.
The templated CDA approach supported by the current version of C83 enables not just transfers of care, but also establishes a set of "data molecules" that can be exchanged in different kinds of clinical documents. RTI and IBM used these capabilities when they created a specification for assessments based on the CMS CARE data set, proving that this approach can rapidly support implementation guide development.
I'm exited about the possibilities that successful completion of the Transfers of Care project would enable, but also concerned about potential changes in direction from the current approach. There's a lot of existing work that has been done in this space. Some of it is has been used for more than decade. Some of it is just as recent as January 2010, when HITSP harminized C83 and C80 with meaningful use vocabulary requirements, enabling C32 Version 2.5 to be selected in the Standards and Certification Regulation.
It's a tightrope walk almost as challenging as the Consolidation Project. The desire to make it better than it is competes with the desire to avoid breaking changes. We will need to carefully balance the various tensions to be successful. These projects are on much to short a timeline to enable "rip and replace" thinking, although there are some I would expect who will want to do just that.
Over the past seven years time I've been editor for more than a dozen implementation guides, and co-chaired three different committees in three different organizations overseeing this work. Tommorow I'll outline some of my thoughts on Transfers of Care use cases based on the work that I've seen in this area.
Well, I have my work cut out for me, I hope to see you there.