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|The Statue of Peace in front of the Japanese Embassy in Jongno, downtown Seoul. /Korea Times file
By Park Jae-hyuk
A Japanese group is opposing the "Statue of Peace" to be erected in Sydney on August 6.
The monument, also known as the "Comfort Woman Statue", symbolizes Korean women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.
Lawyer Park Eun-deok, a representative of the establishment committee, said the Japanese have threatened Pastor Bill Crews, who provided a place at his church for the statue.
The Japanese said they will sue the pastor unless he withdraws the offer.
"The statue humiliates and abhors Japanese," the Japanese group said, according to media reports. "It harms the harmony of multiculturalism in Australian society."
Pastor Crews said he will build the statue despite the threats, saying "the statue is related to human rights, justice and peace."
The first Statue of Peace was built in front of the Japanese Embassy in Jongno, downtown Seoul, in December 2011, by a private organization. Since then, the organization has built 30 statues in Korea and abroad. The statue to be erected in Sydney will have the same design as the others.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Alabama F.A.M.E. (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) Advanced Manufacturing Technician Program (AMT) includes a two-year technical Associate degree that combines cutting-edge curriculum that supports advanced manufacturing technology, paid working experience, along with learning highly sought after business principles and best practices of a world class manufacturer.
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Home> Health & Wellness
Putting an End to the Stink
"Get rid of smelly feet"
Okay, so you have smelly feet. How can you put an end to this embarrassing problem? Well, if its "warm, dark, and moist" that bacteria love, then you should take all precautions to avoid the lethal trio. Here are some suggestions to keep foot odor away:
• Keep your feet clean. Clean feet means reduced microbial load. When in the shower, make sure you wash feet with soap (preferably anti-bacterial or anti-fungal soap) and rinse with ample amount of water every day. Dry them when you're done, or else the same problem can start again.
• Wear breathable socks. Socks that are made from cotton, wool, copper, and moisture-wicking material do a good job in keeping sweat away from your feet, allowing them to "breathe." Make sure you change socks every day, or else bacteria will just simply build camp on your used socks.
• If it's hot outside, don't wear thick footwear. In the Philippines, it's more practical to wear something light and breathable like espadrilles, slippers, or sandals than those fashionable winter boots.
• Wear properly fitted shoes. If your shoes are too tight or too small, your feet may sweat more than the usual, which means more bacteria can breed.
• Let shoes aerate after use. The insides of your shoes get wet too especially after a long day of wearing them. Aerate used shoes for a few days before using them again. This is why you should own more than one pair.
• Disinfect your footwear. In addition to aerating them, this is a good idea.
• Wash shoes. For rubber shoes, sneakers, and other washable footwear, it's wise to wash them once in a while with some laundry detergent and water. Ensure that they're dried out completely before wearing them again.
• Avoid shoes with inadequate ventilation and sweat-wicking properties. Any pair that does not allow for air circulation can be a culprit for smelly feet.
• Wear open sandals and slippers. Especially during hot humid days, give your feet a break by wearing open-toed sandals or slippers.
• Use a foot powder. Odor-fighting foot powder can help keep your feet dry all day. Apply it on clean dry feet before wearing socks and shoes.
• Buy deodorizing shoe inserts. Shoe inserts are made of materials that absorb the odor and keep your shoes smelling clean. Place these inserts inside each shoe and leave them overnight until you need to use them again.


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Travelling the world has been one of the best things that I have been given opportunity for. These are usually once in a lifetime trips to new places and I always make it a point bring home something to remind me of each place.
Of course, I put my camera on top of my list to ensure that I can capture each event, place, and experience that I am heading to. I even had I think 5 albums of pictures from my trip in Vietnam, the US, and Singapore. It's until I realize that it's too expensive to print all pictures while new websites like Multiply and Facebook allow me to upload all my pictures for free. I either upload them or save them in a DVD.
But I think pictures are not enough to remind me of each places. So, I think like many other tourists, I make it a point to buy something that symbolizes each places. Souvenirs that come in different forms. Among my favorites are key chains, magnets, figurines, and my most favorite, city plates.
At home our refrigerator is filled up by magnets from my trips and some from my mother's. Also I've filled up a shelf level where I've gathered up figurines and dolls from China and Vietnam, a miniature of the Petronas Towers from Malaysia, a figurine and plate from the Great Wall, key chains from Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau, Merlions from Singapore, tribal figures from Banaue, and a lot more. Also some of these keepsakes came from friends who travelled abroad like a stone cross from Ireland, and elephant key chain from Thailand and others.
And as I say city plates are my most favorite. These are souvenir plates that emboss important spots or items in the city or country. I've got a collection of plates made of porcelain, copper, pewter, plastic, wood, and from bones.
This collection of mine started after seeing my moms set of plates that she brought home from here trip to Israel. And in 2003 when I had the opportunity to visit Hanoi for a month, I decided that buy a plate made of copper which I think I got for about US$5 or less. Then came my trip to Malaysia and Texas the year after where I bout a plastic Texas plate in Austin and a pewter plate with the image of the Petronas towers. The year after in my trip to China I bought this bone carving in Beijing.
And from then, in my trips to Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, other parts of the US and the Philippines, I made it a point to buy one. It's the first item I look in souvenir shops . Unfortunately I was not able to find one in Indonesia when we took a vacation in Bintan except for a surf-shaped figurine. I also had chances to buy a gold plated plate in Korea when my connection to the US flew me in to the Incheon airport.
Hopefully in the next new places that I'll be venturing in the future, I'll be able to add more into this collection of mine. I hope I get more friends who fly to other places so I can ask them to buy me one or I'll be happy if they give me one for free. hehehe.. 😀
Anyway, what do you collect when you travel?


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By Mary Collins
The waves rolled me back and forth, gripping my little boat in a relentless catch and release. Salt water drenched the wooden bow and drifted towards the palm trees. There was no definite rhythm to this ebb and flow, which made it more difficult to navigate. The only way forward was to pull the oars. I paddled parallel to the shore, past the long rows of abandoned beach houses on the outskirts of town, and regularly glanced back at the wooden crates tied behind me. In the distance, seagulls flocked to the garbage-coated beach, a hurricane of white-and-black feathers, fighting over what remained of the area's sea life. Their crowded chorus rang in my ears long after I passed them by.
Something felt wrong today. It wasn't the clamor of the birds, or the loneliness of the buildings, or even the guilt surrounding the stolen contents of the crates behind me. I had long since convinced myself to stop worrying about these things. It was something in the air—a heavy, sticky feeling. A sense of dread. I moved more quickly than usual, frequently looking over my shoulder even though nothing was behind me but open water. I had to get back to Elodie.
I rounded the corner of the isthmus and could finally see our house, dwarfed by trees and overgrown bushes. The house stood on stilts intended to protect it from the dangers of floods and hurricanes. It had once seemed laughably high above the ground, but today the waves lapped all the way up to the base of the stilts. The stretch of beach out front had entirely disappeared. It looked rather claustrophobic, like it might be having difficulty breathing. I paddled up beside it, hopped out into the tepid, ankle-deep water, and dragged my canoe to the shore.
The stillness of the house frightened me. There was little to distinguish it from any of the other abandoned houses I'd passed along the way, except that the wood wasn't rotting and a light was on in the upper window. Elodie did her best to make things homey, but I missed the signs of life that used to populate the beach and the lawn in the old days, now swallowed up by the tide. This wasn't what we'd wanted. I was supposed to see Miko building sandcastles on the shore and knocking them down with a red bucket. Or Elodie and I wearing those tacky matching swimsuits that her parents bought us. Our friends would be there, too, with their children, and the kids would play in the water while we sat in hand-me-down beach chairs sipping at sangria from plastic wine glasses. Elodie would arch her head back and laugh that almost hysterical laugh that only her friends could bring out of her. I missed that most of all. Try as I might, she didn't laugh that way alone with me—never quite that laugh. But still, she wouldn't dream of leaving.
I carried the crate in through the back door, grunting slightly as I staggered up the carpeted stairs to the main floor. The anxiety I had felt out on the water began to loosen. The house smelled like Pine-Sol and bread, and upstairs the radio was buzzing with the soft cadences of Billie Holiday. Everything was going to be fine.
"Daniel? Is that you?"
Elodie threw open the door at the top of the stairs, and for a moment it framed a flash of concern on her face before she registered my presence. She relaxed and dropped something onto the counter next to her. It fell with a metallic clatter. A knife? Was she really so worried about intruders? We were miles from the nearest sign of civilization. But then again, Elodie always preferred not to take any chances. She came running down to meet me, immediately grabbing the other end of the crate and relieving me of half the weight.
"I told you to tell me when you were coming in," she said reproachfully. "You shouldn't have to carry this all by yourself."
She kissed me, warm, and pulled away again as we climbed the stairs, then crouched to open the crate.
"I will next time," I promised. It was important to her, although I hated asking for help.
"Seriously, Daniel. It doesn't make you any less of a man to let your wife help you with a box now and then."
I wanted to tell her what I had seen in town, but I knew it would only upset her more. The boarded up buildings and waterlogged streets were in worse shape every time I went for supplies. Mold thrived on the damp walls of empty businesses, and abandoned dogs and cats had begun to roam the streets, forming formidable gangs of tattered fur and wandering teeth. Everyday more and more people heeded the government advisory, packed up their things, and paid the exorbitant price for gas to drive inland, north of the coast.
"There are hardly any shops open anymore," I told Elodie. "Even if we had money, we wouldn't be able to buy anything."
We were sitting now on opposite sides of the box, taking out containers of rice and crates of dried fruit. Elodie's forehead puckered and she searched my face, worrying.
"What are you saying?" she asked.
"Just that things are going to be a little harder now."
"But we're gonna stick it out. Right?"
I hesitated. There was still plenty of food left in town that we could continue stealing, and I wanted so badly to reassure her and see the worry wash away from her dark eyes.
"Right," I said, trying to sound confident. "It's your home. It's our home."
The house was Elodie's, a family property originally owned by her grandparents. She inherited it before we got married. It was located ten minutes away from her childhood home, in the same quiet corner of Florida's pan handle that she'd lived in her entire life. When I met her in Miami, I was a college student, fresh out of an adolescence that was spent constantly moving. Elodie gave me something to hold onto. This was before the fuel crisis and long before the mass displacement of recent years, long enough ago that my family could travel the country in the full peace of our privilege. Florida was just another state at first, no more my own than any other place I'd lived. Until Elodie. The stability of her life intrigued me. I thought I was lucky to be a part of it. But as the sea rose, our luck was running out. "Sticking it out" implied that at some point "it" would be over and the town would return to normalcy, pick up the pieces and carry on—as if the very forces of nature were not against us.
"Why all the towels?" Elodie asked, removing cloth after cloth from the bottom of the crate.
"Oh. Well, it seems like a waste to keep picking up paper towels and toilet paper. They run out so quick."
Elodie made a face, but nodded.
"It's more environmentally friendly, too," I added, grinning.
"A lot of good that does us now," said Elodie.
"Where's Miko?"
Miko's bedroom was in the attic, the highest point of the house, as an extra security measure. This was not really necessary. The sea did not rise overnight. But it was a strange comfort to me. It was easier to relax knowing that my son was sleeping above me, somehow a little farther removed from our worries.
He was the reason that we stayed, at first. The day he was born, the hospital media screens were all streaming the same news story: the newly-formed emergency Climate Impact Bureau had decided that the Florida coast was no longer a safe place to live. But that was a warning, not a command, and with a newborn baby, it was clear that we weren't in a position to just leave. And we were so happy, in spite of it all. So we tried to keep things as normal as possible while our town moved out from under us.
The changes came gradually at first. When I was laid off at the construction company, I took up odd jobs around the house, building my canoe and waterproofing the bottom story of the house to keep myself busy. Elodie kept things cheerful in her own special way, making preserves and singing lullabies in the evenings. We danced on the balcony. The months slipped by. When Miko turned two, we gathered the few of our friends who were still in the area and threw a party with a boxed chocolate cake and some ancient yellow-and-green streamers that we had stashed away. Soon afterwards I started scavenging in the city. Now those last friends had left, too, but we still set the table for dinner every night.
When Miko woke up, Elodie brought him down and I took out the last items from the box—two glass coke bottles, the old-fashioned kind which Elodie loved so much, and a small plastic soccer ball. Treasures from the abandoned gas station. We sat on the carpet and took turns rolling the ball back and forth. Miko giggled everytime he caught it. Elodie and I drank the coke and listened to the jazz drifting from the radio. It was some upbeat song with a walking bass line, and I started tapping my fingers to the rhythm. I wrapped an arm around Elodie's shoulders and tried to feel the fullness of the moment, let the richness of our little family wash over me. All I wanted was to take care of them. But just as I was beginning to relax, the song faded out and a siren cut in. Elodie dropped the soccer ball and Miko watched it roll away to the corner of the room with no attempt to stop it.
The siren blared five times and a man began to speak.
The National Hurricane Advisory is issuing a severe hurricane warning as a Category 4 storm approaches the Florida coast. The National Bureau of Climate Impact is mandating an evacuation of the panhandle in advance of the storm. Residents are advised to turn off gas, electricity, and water utilities prior to evacuation. Contact your local….
I was already on my feet, looking from the old radio to the crate still sitting in the middle of the room, calculating what to take with us, what to leave behind. Would we all fit in the canoe, make it to town that way? Or would it be better for me to go first and send for help?
Elodie's eyes were wide and wild and she was clutching Miko to her with unwarranted ferocity. Her hair, rife with humidity, surrounded her like a mane. The radio crackled and fear prickled in my chest.
"Elodie, it's a hurricane," I said. "We'll have to evacuate."
"I know what a hurricane is." She set her jaw. "Once we leave, they'll never let us come back. The government, I mean. They'll say it's too dangerous."
"And for good reason!"
I was tired of sugarcoating things for her.
"Listen, Elodie. You don't go into town, you never take the boat out, you don't know what it's like out there. We can't stay here with a hurricane on the way. We're not going to stay here with our kid."
I reached for Miko, wanting to smooth his baby curls and soothe his anxiety, but she pulled him away, jerking backwards and throwing me off balance. She was stronger than I thought.
"No," she spat at me. "You promised me we would stay. It's safer here—you said so yourself."
I tried to explain, heat rising to my forehead, that all that was before the hurricane, that this changed things, and that if she didn't come with me now, I would go on my own and alert the authorities, who would surely take her away from the house. But through everything I said, Elodie just rocked Miko back and forth, saying, my baby, my baby. Her baby. It was beginning to rain outside, a warning from the heavens, and I slammed my fist on the coffee table with frustration. The half-empty coke bottles teetered on the edge, then toppled to the ground and shattered. Elodie shrieked.
"I'm your husband!" I said, a strangled feeling in my throat. "I know what's best for us! How the hell do you think you'd survive here without me bringing you food—and water, and medicine, and god knows whatever else you decide that you need?"
Elodie said nothing. Her eyes flashed wordless fury and she turned away so I could only see the tightening of her jaw. Miko started crying, too young to comprehend our argument. Elodie remained silent as she hunched over him. She had never looked so small or so scared. I wanted to say something else, to soften the space between us, but the anger was still boiling behind my eyes and I couldn't find the words. The rain picked up outside, creating a furious rhythm on the windowpane.
"If that's how you feel, you should leave," Elodie said finally.
She sat up straight, calmly now, her baby quietly resting in her lap.
"Elodie, I—"
The inside of the storm was all wind. Daniel had not expected that. The rain became an afterthought, or perhaps more accurately a precondition, completely unimportant compared to the instability of the howling air. Windows shattered and roofs fell. One man's canoe stood little chance of reaching any kind of help.
It wasn't supposed to happen this quickly. Elodie knew that. Usually there were grace periods after the warning signs and enough time to outrun the clouds. And it wasn't clear who was to blame—the storm itself for its unpredictability or the humans monitoring it for their incompetence. But somewhere along the line, something had snapped.
It made little difference in the end, and would receive little attention because of the scarcity of people in the area. The storm had been coming anyway. It had always been coming.
When the clouds cleared, Elodie searched the beach for hours. She held Miko tightly by the hand, guiding him through the destruction. Tangles of trees and bushes that once characterized her childhood lay uprooted on the sand, intermingled with variant debris. She looked into each pile, fearful of seeing Daniel's lifeless hand or leg or, perhaps worse, the sweater he had been wearing, her favorite, the blue one that brought out his eyes. Miko would not stop asking where Daddy was, and Elodie could not think how to answer. He was in every palm branch, every piece of driftwood, around every corner. She quickened her pace. The waves washed in and out on the shore. She began to look at them, too, but she could not bear the idea of seeing him there under the water. He had left in his canoe right before the storm picked up. She'd called him back, called until her throat grew hoarse, but the winds were too loud and the boat was too far and he was gone before he could hear a word.
She walked until she reached town, and sank to her knees in the rubble of the buildings. After a time, someone found her, a rescue worker who directed her to an aid station with a shock blanket and a truck to take her and Miko away. The palm leaves sighed in the wind and they joined the thousands before them moving north


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We did it!
Heather Brown raised £350 from 27 supporters
Start your own crowdfunding page
Closed 30/07/2018
We've raised £350 to help fund for more sensory toys for children with autism
- Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, UK
- Funded on Monday, 30th July 2018
What is crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding is a new type of fundraising where you can raise funds for your own personal cause, even if you're not a registered nonprofit.
The page owner is responsible for the distribution of funds raised.
My name is Grace Ellen Hirst and I am 11 years old. I go to the asd unit in ysgol ffordd dyffryn. Before I went to this unit, I was really struggling in school. I couldn't cope with my autism and I kept getting excluded. I felt very low and I hated having autism. But then I want to the asd unit, and the teachers there helped me. They showed me how to cope with my autism. This is my last term at the unit,
And I would like to give something back. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be able to cope now. I would really like to raise money for more sensory toys for the other children. Things like sensory rooms, timers, tangles, ear defenders and fidget spinners, really help to calm us down and stop us feeling as anxious and frustrated. I am going to to do a bike ride from old colwyn to rhos on sea, and I would really like if people could sponsor me to help other children with autism!!😁😁
- 2 years ago
Heather Brown2 years ago
Share this update to help us raise more
- 2 years ago
Heather Brown2 years ago
Share this update to help us raise more
Heather Brown started crowdfunding
Leave a message of support
Jul 13, 2018
Well done to Grace for helping a very worthy cause.
Sharon Gough
Jul 13, 2018
Linzi Jones
Jul 7, 2018
Brendan Mcbride
Jul 6, 2018
Linzi Lew
Jul 6, 2018
Absolute inspiration you are Grace. Well done princess and good luck 😗 xxx
Leanne Martin
Jul 6, 2018
Amy Hirst
Jul 6, 2018
Well done Grace you've done amazing. Love from aunty Amy, lord grace and Evie xxx
Great people make things happen
Do you know anyone in need or maybe want to help a local community cause?
Create you own page and don't let that cause go unfunded!About Crowdfunding


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2018 outlook: Life sciences firms could see some legislative headwinds, regulatory momentum has been saved
2018 outlook: Life sciences firms could see some legislative headwinds, regulatory momentum
Health Care Current | November 21, 2017
This weekly series explores breaking news and developments in the US health care industry, examines key issues facing life sciences and health care companies and provides updates and insights on policy, regulatory, and legislative changes.
Explore content
My Take
2018 outlook: Life sciences firms could see some legislative headwinds, regulatory momentum
By Greg Reh, Vice Chairman and Life Sciences Sector Leader, Deloitte LLP
For many US life sciences and health care companies, 2017 was a year of market and legislative uncertainty. Much of the year was dominated by on-again-off-again efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which has now turned to discussions about reforming the tax code. For some life sciences companies, this uncertainty created a wait-and-see approach to investments – particularly mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
However, 2017 was also a year of regulatory, scientific, and technological progress, which I expect will continue to create some favorable tailwinds for life sciences companies in 2018. The year-old 21st Century Cures law, for example, is already helping to further innovate drug-approval processes. We also saw regulatory approval for a first-of-its kind CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy. The treatment, for certain children and young adults with leukemia, uses a patient's own T cells, which are extracted, cryopreserved, transported and modified before being returned back to the patient through infusion. A second therapy was approved two months later.1 Moreover, an advisory committee from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently recommended approval for the first gene therapy in the US.
As life sciences companies look ahead to 2018, it can be important for them to determine how to effectively monitor and manage strategic risk – and hedge their bets – particularly across these four key areas:
- Regulatory enhancements: The FDA has indicated its intention to update the regulatory framework to accelerate research and development (R&D) – a positive sign for the industry. Continued investments around curative therapies – especially drugs that treat or cure rare diseases – could result in additional approvals in 2018. There is an even more favorable outlook when it comes to how much faster therapies can move from the clinic to patients. The FDA's Innovation Initiative aims to build upon Cures to modernize the drug development process. One example is the use of computer models and simulations to support the evaluation of new therapies. Another is the potential use of real-world evidence, which could be gathered through natural history databases (i.e., a collection of data from people who have a rare disease), as the control arm for clinical trials.2
- Value-based contracting: Pricing, along with securing market access, will continue to be a top priority for life sciences companies in 2018. Both biopharma and medtech companies are likely to expand efforts around value-based contracting. As a result, we could see more examples of manufacturers that enter into deals with health plans, providers, or government payers. Value-based contracting allows risk-sharing between companies and health plans or providers, making payment contingent upon evidence that a product works in a specific patient population. I think there will continue to be an interest and a need to design these kinds of contracts.
A big challenge for drug manufacturers may be in determining what their curative therapies will cost and how to pay for them. Curative treatments are given as a short course of therapy, typically only once during a patient's lifetime, and have the potential to not just treat disease but eradicate it. For these high-value, high-cost treatments, some value-based contracting models could amortize costs over a longer timeline. We are likely to see more experimentation with alternative funding models, such as performance-based annuity payments for treatments. Public payers are beginning to experiment with these payment models. The manufacturer of a novel immunotherapy recently inked a risk-based arrangement with the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) where the agency will tie payments to the drug's performance. If the product does not work for a patient, CMS will not pay the drug manufacturer. Medtech companies are also in the early stages of value-based contracting.
- Emerging technologies: Life sciences companies will likely continue to take advantage of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), and predictive analytics to speed innovation, enable precision medicine, support the development of new therapies, and address productivity challenges. Consider this: In November, our colleagues in the United Kingdom released a paper that looked at some of the technologies life sciences firms could be relying on by 2022. Life sciences companies could use predictive analytics, for example, for market research to help improve the consistency and impact of product launches. The report also suggests that leading life sciences firms will have automated up to 95 percent of regulatory filing by then, which could reduce launch-cycle time by about 12 months. The transformative opportunity created by emerging technologies is significant, and companies should consider investing now to take advantage.
- Policy changes: Legislative efforts to reform the health care system, and discussions on how to curb rising health care costs, will likely continue well into 2018. M&A activity in 2017 was tempered in part by last summer's efforts to undo the ACA and, more recently, an attempt to reform the tax code. If enacted, tax reform could create some tailwinds for life sciences companies by stimulating M&A activity.
Specifically, life sciences companies could see changes in the following areas:
Repatriation of overseas cash: Proposed changes could let life sciences companies repatriate cash held overseas at a lower tax rate
New taxes on foreign income: Proposals also include new taxes on the foreign income that US companies generate from patents and other intellectual property, regardless of where that IP is held
Reduction in orphan-drug credits: Proposals call for reductions in the orphan-drug credit that was originally created as an incentive for rare disease research
Repeal of the medical device excise tax: This 2.3 percent tax, a provision in the ACA, is set to be reinstated on January 1, 2018. Eliminating the tax has been part of repeal and replace discussions, but recent tax-reform proposals do not specify any changes.
Strategic risk management can help counter uncertainty
There are many unknowns as we head into a new year. During such periods of uncertainty, we advise our life sciences clients to focus on effectively managing strategic risk. Strategic risk management is how a company identifies and prepares for a variety of possible scenarios relative to its business objectives. Being aware of legislative, technological, scientific or regulatory risks is different than being prepared to respond to them, and the best prepared companies could wind up with a competitive advantage.
Within a life sciences company, people in regulatory affairs, business development, product development, R&D, or manufacturing may not necessarily work together or share information. But they should – particularly when it comes to improving a company's strategic positioning. That is strategic risk management.
No one knows which way the political and regulatory winds will blow in 2018. While I expect political uncertainty will continue to be a headwind for 2018, some of the tailwinds we experienced this year could blow stronger in 2018.
1 https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm581216.htm
2 https://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/tag/fda-innovation-initiative/
In the news
Tax reform: Senate holds markup; House passes its bill
Both chambers of Congress are working on comprehensive tax reform, which includes many provisions affecting health care. Notably, Senate Republicans have proposed repealing the ACA's individual mandate under its amended tax reform bill. Repealing the individual mandate would generate $338 billion in savings over 10 years and help offset the $1.5 trillion in tax cuts (see the November 14, 2017 Health Care Current). Under Senate budget rules, no section of the bill can increase deficits under conventional scoring after the first 10 years.
The Senate and House proposals differ. Below we highlight some of the provisions with implications for health care.
The Senate plan also preserves tax exemption for private activity bonds, which are used by municipalities to help finance infrastructure projects, including hospitals (see the Deloitte Tax News & Views for more details).
If approved, differences between the two proposals likely will be reconciled by a conference committee or private GOP negotiations.
CMS proposes changes to Medicare Advantage and Part D to increase flexibility for plans and address opioid use
On November 16, CMS announced proposed changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Prescription Drug Program (Part D) as a part of an effort to increase plan choices and reduce costs in the program. The agency said that the proposed changes result in roughly $195 million in Medicare savings per year over 5 years (2019 through 2023) and would reduce costs for beneficiaries.
Key proposed changes include:
Allowing greater benefit variation. CMS said that limits on MA plans offered by the same organization in the same county may limit consumer choice. Thus the agency is proposing to eliminate "meaningful difference" requirements, allowing plans to offer a more varied set of benefit packages in the same geographic area. Additionally, CMS said that it is proposing to change requirements of uniformity of benefits offered to MA enrollees to allow MA organizations to reduce cost sharing for certain benefits, offer supplemental benefits and different deductibles.
Allowing electronic delivery of plan materials to beneficiaries. CMS proposed allowing plans to provide certain materials, such as the Evidence of Coverage document, electronically as long as they also provide beneficiaries with easy access to hardcopy materials, if they prefer.
Changing Part D to prevent prescription drug abuse. To comply with the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA), CMS proposed designating opioids (with limited exceptions) as frequently abused drugs. It would tie the definition of at-risk beneficiaries to the criteria used to identify potential opioid overutilizers under CMS's existing Part D Opioid Drug Utilization Review program and allow plans to limit at-risk beneficiaries' access to opioids.
Considering biosimilars generics for Part D benefit design purposes. To encourage the use of lower-cost alternatives, CMS proposed classifying follow-on biological products as generics for the purposes of cost-sharing in Part D.
Request comment on manufacturer rebates for consumers. The proposed rule includes a Request for Information on ways to apply some manufacturer rebates and all pharmacy price concessions to the price of a drug to consumers at the point of sale.
Updating the definition of marketing. CMS proposed limiting the definition of marketing to materials that are most likely to lead to an enrollment decision so that the agency will have fewer documents to review.
Proposing a seamless re-enrollment. CMS proposed codifying an optional enrollment mechanism allowing MA issuers to transfer newly MA-eligible beneficiaries from other plans (such as commercial or Medicaid plans) into MA plans provided by the same issuer.
Restoring the MA open enrollment period (OEP). The new OEP would allow individuals enrolled in an MA plan to make a one-time change to enroll in another MA plan or transfer to traditional Medicare. Beneficiaries will also be able to make a coordinating change Part D coverage.
Comments on the proposed rule are due by 5:00 PM on January 16, 2018.
White House nominates Alex Azar for HHS secretary
On November 13, the White House announced that it would nominate former Eli Lilly and Company executive Alex M. Azar, II to be the next Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
If confirmed, this will not be Azar's first time working at HHS – he served as general counsel from 2001 to 2005, and deputy secretary from 2005 to 2007 before joining Eli Lilly. After graduating from Yale Law School, Azar worked as a clerk on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and for former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a hearing on his nomination November 29.
Hospitals sue over drug payment cuts
Several hospital groups are suing HHS over changes to the Medicare 340B Drug Discount Program (see the November 7, 2017 Health Care Current). They want the court to direct the administration to continue the (higher) 2017 rates until the lawsuit is resolved. The 340B program allows hospitals that serve a large number of low-income patients to purchase certain drugs at discounted rates.
The groups argue that paying hospitals for drugs at the average sales price (ASP) minus 22.5 percent extends beyond HHS's statutory authority. Medicare typically pays hospitals ASP plus 6 percent. They also argue that the differences between the purchase price and Medicare reimbursement is supposed to help hospitals cover the cost of low-income patients. However, many drug companies contend that hospitals profit from the program and that the program is poorly targeted to helping low income patients.
The American Hospital Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, America's Essential Hospitals, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Henry Ford Health System, and Fletcher Hospital, Inc. have all signed onto the lawsuit.
Payment cuts are scheduled to go into effect January 1, 2018. CMS says it based the policy on a Medicare Payment and Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommendation. The policy is budget neutral, and funding will be distributed among all providers, with hospitals that do not get 340B prices expected to benefit somewhat from the change.
Ways and Means Committee agrees on bipartisan Medicare extenders
The House Ways and Means Committee announced that it reached an agreement to extend Medicare programs that have expired or will expire soon. The agreement aligns with House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Finance proposal, although those proposals do not include policies that will offset the costs of extending the programs.
Congress will likely attach the extensions to a year-end spending bill package.
26 percent of exchange enrollees have just one insurance company
Nearly half of enrollees who purchase small-group or individual health coverage through a public insurance exchange will have access to three or more insurers in 2018 and in every county at least one insurer will sell individual and small-group coverage, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. However, 26 percent of Americans live in a county with only one insurer – up from 21 percent in 2017.
The analysis noted that metropolitan counties have an average of two participating insurers in 2018, compared to an average of 1.6 in non-metropolitan counties.
Kaiser used CMS, state-based exchange, and insurer rate filings for the analysis.
Related: As of November 15, more than 1.5 million Americans had signed up for health insurance through the federally run insurance exchange. The signups include about 345,000 individuals who were new to the marketplaces. However, the administration reduced the duration of this year's open-enrollment period – from three months to six weeks – for the federally run HealthCare.gov. Some state-run exchanges have extended their open-enrollment dates.
(Source: Ashley Semanskee et al., "Insurer Participation on ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2018," Kaiser Family Foundation, November 10, 2017)
Only a third of seniors review their Medicare plan annually
Seniors generally do not comparison shop for Medicare plans, despite concerns about health care costs, according to a study from WellCare Health Plans. Seniors are more likely to comparison shop for most other household expenses – from home and auto insurance to groceries and gasoline – than Medicare plans, according to the study.
Researchers surveyed 1,026 Medicare-eligible seniors to assess how the perceived burden of household expenses, including health care, affects how they shop (the sample was nationally representative). They found that, although 40 percent of respondents said they consider health care costs to be more burdensome than other expenses, 62 percent of surveyed seniors said they did not review their Medicare plan annually.
Some seniors reported that they did not know they could switch to a more affordable plan, and others said their current plan is satisfactory (63 percent). However, some respondents admitted that the shopping process is so unpleasant, they intentionally avoid it. One in five seniors said shopping for a Medicare plan is "awful."
Women were more likely than men to feel burdened by the cost of coverage (44 percent vs. 35 percent) and frustrated when shopping for deals (22 percent vs. 17 percent). However, women were also more likely to consider prescription drug coverage, provider networks, and pharmacy networks – all of which could save them money – when they did comparison shop.
(Source: "The Cost of Complacency: Are Seniors At Risk When It Comes To Healthcare Coverage?" WellCare Health Plans, Inc., November 2017)
CMS owes health insurers $12.3 billion for risk-corridors
The risk-corridor program was created as part of the ACA to help stabilize the new individual and small-group exchange markets. The program collects payments from health plans that exceed a profit threshold, and those funds are transferred to insurers that exceed a loss threshold.
The program was not intended to be budget neutral. However, starting in 2014, Congress made the program revenue neutral, meaning that it could only pay out as much funding as the program received in from insurers that exceeded the profit threshold. This caused a shortfall in the program (see the September 12, 2017 Health Care Current). Of the $12.3 billion the federal government still owes, $5.8 billion was from 2016.
Many insurers have sued the federal government for the payments, including a class-action lawsuit of 150 insurers (see the August 15, 2017 Health Care Current).
The risk-corridors program was modeled after the Medicare Part D drug benefit, which also includes risk corridors for insurance companies.
(Source: Timothy Jost, "While litigation proceeds, outstanding risk corridor payments mount," Health Affairs, November 14, 2017)
Breaking Boundaries
Health care continues to attract innovators willing to navigate a complex system
Entrepreneurs and innovators, often from outside the health care system, are working to move expensive medical equipment from the hospital and into the hands and homes of consumers. The underlying goal for many of these innovators is to take costly, complex, and large machines (often the ones we associate with lots of beeps and wires in a hospital room) and make them portable, less expensive, wireless, and simple enough for consumers to use.
University of California, Berkeley students raised $5 million for their digital stethoscope. They took a digital stethoscope used in hospitals and created the Duo, a digital stethoscope for home use. They expect to bring it to the market, available by prescription, this fall. The product fits in a hand and combines electrocardiogram (EKG) readings and heart sounds into a device. This allows patients to monitor their health at home and send the data to their physicians, who in turn can alert patients if the device senses an impending medical crisis. The team relies on guidance from its board of cardiologists, who represent some of the country's leading hospitals. The product has competition. The Kardia Mobile is a small device that attaches to a smartphone and can take an EKG reading in 30 seconds. Consumers can order it online.
A classmate of the Duo founders set out to work on developing a device for patients with asthma. Her startup, Knox Medical Diagnostics, developed the Aeris device to replace the peak flow meter and to get a better picture of what is going on inside the lungs. This device is a portable spirometer that connects to a smartphone and measures airway obstructions and the severity of inflammation in the lungs, and alerts the patient (or parent) before an asthma attack. The app comes with a video game to engage children and teach them how to use it correctly. This month, the device became available for research purposes, and sells for $99 plus a $10 monthly subscription.
Analysis: Innovators face many obstacles in digital health. The technology not only has to be useful, but easy for a consumer to use. Even if consumers like the devices, long-term use could depend on whether physicians find them useful and actionable. Getting health plans or government payers to see the value of new devices, and agree to pay for them, is another hurdle.
These challenges are clearly not deterring both traditional health care companies and non-traditional entrants from continually innovating and developing new products. According to a report from IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, the number of digital health apps doubled in recent years, to more than 3000,000. Most of these are focused on wellness, though a growing number of them are focusing on chronic-condition management. The ones that can demonstrate evidence-based outcomes and clinical validation are getting wider adoption. Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly using digital apps in clinical trials to improve the collection of patient experience data, and large research universities such as Duke, the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Pennsylvania are doing many of the studies.
Health Care Current library
Weekly insights in the US health care industry
Health Care Blog
A View from the Center


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Ausmepa Home » Students » Projects » Photo Survey » Locations and Subjects » Roads and development
It may not require much for a development to have a big impact on a coastal area. Roads, car parks and buildings take up a lot of space. Imagine a series of photos of the Gold Coast over the past 50 years. What other areas might end up looking like this in 20 years time?
One of the things of greatest interest in photographing roads and buildings close to the coast and lying just above sea level is the potential impact of a rise in sea level.
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When it comes to company retreats or business socials, you'll probably be met with employees groaning at the thought of sitting in a room with other businesses as they partake in an infuriating team building exercise, after trying to stay awake during one of the most patronising motivational talks they've ever experienced. Whilst team building activities are a great way to build a rapport with your team and strengthen workplace relationships, there are many other ways to do this and show your team just how valued they are, and a luxury company retreat is a perfect way to do this. From going skiing in The Alps to hiking up Machu Picchu or indulging in a lazy game of golf in the Bahamas, you can build your team's relationships and trust by with the ultimate corporate retreat. Here are five perfect destinations to help you do so.
Luxury Spa Retreat in Marbella
Coastline views, sandy white beaches, champagne brunches and stunning architecture. If the aim of your corporate retreat is for your colleagues is to relax and indulge in some hobbies, then the Marbella Club on the Costa Del Sol, Spain is the perfect place to go. Their luxury Thalasso Spa boasts state-of-the-art facilities, 12 treatment rooms, wood-burning Finnish saunas and hammam steam baths. If your colleagues are in a high-pressured and stressful role, then corporate spa retreat may be the break they need. After all, it has numerous benefits, from reducing stress to promoting blood circulation – you can find out more about that here.
Marbella Club boasts 37 luxury guest rooms and 78 elegant suites where your employees can rejuvenate and enjoy superior service. These rooms are set in the jasmine-scented subtropical gardens and was enhanced by the founder of the Marbella Club, Prince Alfonso. With a furnished outdoor terrace overlooking the glorious gardens or views out to sea, shimmering marble en-suites with rain showers and baths, your colleagues will be able to unwind in style. Marbella club also boasts an 18 hole golf course, equestrian centre and beach club – there's sure to be something for everyone!
A Safari in Thailand
Thailand is a country full of brand new experiences, so why not share these experiences with your work colleagues? After all, you spend most of your time with them. A safari is a great way to connect and bond as a team. In the heart of what was once known as the Lanna Kingdom, sits Chiang Mai – "the land of a million rice fields." With stunning views of luscious green rice fields, rolling mountains, cascading waterfalls and a tropical valley, Chiang Mai has a plethora of natural resources and exotic wildlife for you all to appreciate.
If you're looking for a safari with sophistication, then Four Seasons Chiang Mai is the perfect resort to book your corporate safari retreat. Littered with covered verandas, siamese artwork and Thai cotton decorations, the Four Seasons Chiang Mai is a gem in Thailand. With 98 spacious pavilions and luxury villas boasting polished teak floors, under cooling overhead fans, a golf course and sensual spa, the Four Seasons Chiang Mai will make for the ultimate corporate retreat.
A Golfing Retreat at Edinburgh
If you're looking to strengthen work relationships and bond as a team, then a golfing corporate holiday is the way to go. Did you know, golf is a powerhouse of all the core ingredients doctors recommend for optimum physical and mental health and wellbeing? From burning calories to eliminating stress and promoting heart health. What better place to have a corporate golfing retreat than Edinburgh? With delicious Scottish delicacies, caves and stunning streets, Edinburgh is a beautiful city that deserved to be explored.
What better place to get your golf on than the iconic country estate, Gleneagles in Edinburgh? This stunning manor has been a golfer's paradise and a luxury destination for just under a century. This 850-acre estate epitomises the rugged natural beauty for which Scotland is renowned for, and offers guests a glorious playground of country pursuits and activities. With 232 rooms in the hotel, including 26 sumptuous luxury suites, it is the perfect venue for large corporations!
A City Break in New York
If you and your colleagues want to go to a city that never sleeps, then New York is the perfect place to go. This city is the epicentre of arts and arguably one of the culinary capitals of the world. With over 20,000 restaurants for you and your employees to experience, and tourist attractions such as the Rockefeller Centre, Central Park, the Empire State Building and Ellis Island to visit, there won't be enough time in the day!
Crosby Street Hotel Hotel offers a well-chosen combination of colours, fabrics with bold patterns, artworks and the famous "honesty bar". With 86 luxury rooms boasting full-length windows, granite and marble bathrooms and walk-in showers, it's easy to see why so many people choose to relax in this sumptuous hotel before they get swept away in the fast-paced life New York has to offer.
A Corporate Retreat in Barcelona
Barcelona is a great place to go if you and your colleagues want to explore and enjoy beautiful sunny weather all year round. This friendly and vibrant city offers seaside, mountainside, and centuries of history: Roman, Medieval, Gothic, Modernist … From team building activities on the beach to a hiking holiday in the mountains or a spa break in one of the many luxury resorts, a corporate retreat in Spain will be like no other.
Hotel Neri Relais & Châteaux takes the setting of two historical and aristocratic houses – one of them a medieval palace from the XII century. With 22 suites and rooms decorated with gold and silver, you will feel like royalty. You can also request a room with a balcony or terrace. A break here will be so good, you won't ever want to go back!
To book your luxury corporate retreat with Berkeley Travel, get in touch.


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Kotaku: "A group of volunteers are working on translating Tales of Vesperia into English."
Or you could buy the 360 version, which is already translated. Unless Tales of Graces F sells well, I doubt we will get the official ps3 version in English.
I'll pass considering Vesperia is one of the worst Tales games ever made. I'd rather wait for Xillia as it's the best Tales game this gen.


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THE new Museum of Liverpool was officially handed over to owner NML by contractors.
The milestone was celebrated with a fundraising dinner at the waterfront building last night.
Phil Redmond, who hosted the evening in his role as chairman of National Museums Liverpool, said: "It was a great night and provided our supporters from the business and cultural community with their first opportunity to view the museum's spaces, and it previewed what will undoubtedly become one of the best vantage points in the city through a magnificent 80ft picture window.
"Work doesn't stop here. The building is looking great, but work starts in earnest next week when the fit out of the galleries begin and the really exciting part starts."
It is still 12 months before the £72m, three-storey building is ready to open to the public.
It will boast four main themes – port city, creative city, people's city and global city.
Last night's celebrations included performances by the RLPO and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and poetry by Roger McGough who is writing new verse to add to the museum's exhibits.
He said: "As a Liverpool lad, the museum belongs to me as much as anyone, and I'm happy to be lending my support in the ways I know best; through art and poetry.
"I encourage others who hold the city close to their hearts to get involved with their new museum with continued support and a passion for the arts, history and culture."
SeeMonday's ECHO for details on how you can get involved.


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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
12 comments:
Loved this. You are an incredible performer and this gave me an insight on your wonderful personality.Hope you do rejoin CT. Your voice is a powerhouse.ReplyDeleteReplies
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Thank you for sharing your wonderful trip in your beautiful Ireland. I have visited your lovely city of Dublin. There was just so much to see that I need to come back. I so enjoy your music and beautiful voice. You are a wonderful showman. God Bless you and your family.ReplyDelete
Paul thank you for the blog. It was great hearing about your bus tour of Ireland. I wish I could of been there. I have always wanted to visit there. I feel Ireland is my home it is always in my heart. I wish you continued success on your solo career. I truly hope that someday you will return to Celtic ThunderReplyDelete
I saw every concert when you came to Saint Paul Minnesota. I wish you and Dominique a continued happy marriage and someday hope to hear that you are going to be a daddy. I know you will be an awesome one.
God bless you and your family.
Jeannie Rose
Paul you will ALWAYS fit in with Celtic Thunder! I love them all always....but can tell your voice is not among them. Miss it very much. My favorite song of yours is Lady Liberty. Wish I could find a better version of it on you tube. It doesn't play very loud and hard to hear. But I listen to it a lot! Your bus tour sounds like a big success! You had doubts? Pffft! Everyone does and will ALWAYS love you! :)ReplyDelete
Paul you will ALWAYS fit in with Celtic Thunder! I love them all always....but can tell your voice is not among them. Miss it very much. My favorite song of yours is Lady Liberty. Wish I could find a better version of it on you tube. It doesn't play very loud and hard to hear. But I listen to it a lot! Your bus tour sounds like a big success! You had doubts? Pffft! Everyone does and will ALWAYS love you! :)ReplyDelete
Paul, so glad I found your blog. I have been a fan since I saw you with Celtic Thunder, both as a performer and as a person. Sounds like the bus tour was amazing. Wish I could have been there.l wish you all the success in the world. Keep on singing and blogging!ReplyDelete
Glad to know all is well. :) Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
So looking forward to seeing you and CT in Oklahoma. Have missed your voice in the group.ReplyDelete
Paul, thanks for the blog recapping your thoughts on the tour. From a participant's perspective, it couldn't have been more fun. Truly I felt like I needed a week to recover from this vacation. We packed so much fun into such a small time frame, but it was wonderful. I'm happy to read you enjoyed it as well. Best of luck on the CT gigs and of course the Irish tour. Since we got to hear some of your "first time" songs that I'm sure will be included in the concerts, I know your fans are in for an exceptional treat. Looking forward to the next tour, you know I'll be there. :)ReplyDelete
So glad your bus tour was a success and everyone on the bus tour had a lot of fun .. I hope to make your next bus tour .. I'm so sorry I missed out on this bus tour but with my dad being very ill and passing away was a very hard time for me to get over and i still miss him so much ... ..Now my sister and I are still trying to settle my dad's estate .. I had no idea how much is involved .. So I hope everything will be settled by then So I can make you next bus tour ... I know you will fit right back into CT like you never left ..Hope you do more CT shows would love to see you with them once again .. I'm still hoping you do a solo gig in Sellersville, Pa too .
As always God bless you and take care
Charlotte Patton
This is the most fantastic news... and like you say, they are lovely people and you will fit in as good as new..!!ReplyDelete


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Youth Insights currently offers two semester-long after- school programs each spring and fall for 10th-12th grade New York City high school students:
The YI Artists program brings teens together with contemporary artists, providing opportunities to work collaboratively, discuss art critically, think creatively, and make art inspired by this exchange. Youth Insights Artists meet on Wednesday afternoons from 4-6:30 pm.
In the YI Writers program, teens work closely with contemporary artists to explore art and the connections between art and text through critical and creative writing. Youth Insights Writers meet on Tuesday afternoons from 4-6:30 pm.
YI Writers meet on Tuesday afternoons from 4–6:30 pm
YI Artists meet on Wednesday afternoons from 4-6:30 pm
October – December 2011
The online application for Fall 2011 YI Artists and YI Writers is available now!
Graduates of the Youth Insights Artists and Writers programs are eligible to participate in YI Leaders, a yearlong, paid after-school internship. YI Leaders is an opportunity to gain experience working in a museum education department and to serve as an ambassador to your community. Applicants should be prepared to work 3-10 hours per week.
YI Leaders:
- Organize public programs and events for other teens from around the city, from artist's talks to hands-on workshops;
- Learn to develop and lead interactive tours of the Whitney's collection and exhibitions;
- Assist educators in the Whitney's Family and Community education programs;
- Develop online interpretive materials and maintain the Whitney's teen blog.
Monday afternoons, 4-6 pm, with some additional Friday and Saturday sessions required.
September 2011–June 2012
The online application for YI Leaders 2011-2012 is available now!


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Traveller: World Stats: Atmospheres
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth
key point: a lot of earth like worlds spent most of their time as
- barren land, barren sea, CO2 atmos, no ozone, extreme radiation
- barren land, microbial life bottom of the ocean, CO2 atmos, little ozone, high radiation
- barren land, ocean life, very thin oxygen, low ozone, medium-high radiation
- coastal land microbial life, thin oxygen, medium ozone, low-medium radiation
- land life, ocean life, thin oxygen, high ozone, low radiation
which could be treated as
- trace
- very thin, tainted
- very thin
- thin, tainted
- thin
Standard Atmosphere
Atmosphere 6 is the standard atmosphere which humans are adapted for and worlds with this type of atmosphere are denoted as Prime worlds.
Tainted can mean anything from a minor to a major problem. If a planet had a large population then it is generally minor. If a planet has a low population then it is probably major.
OTU Problem
In the CT world gen rules atmosphere type has no effect on population size and the original Spinward data and that data is based on the CT world gen I need a reason why type 6 planets weren't favored while worlds with bad atmospheres can have billions of people.
IMTU Solution
In early exploration finding Prime worlds was the goal and other worlds were colonized simply as stepping stones.
However as Prime worlds are rare most of the humans in various forms seeking them out ended up spending centuries living in artificial domed habitats on all the worlds in between and people gradually came to see domed living as normal, if not preferable. By TL12+ most people prefer artificial habitats to natural habitats and live in domes even on atmos 6 planets. Only a minority of back to nature types prefer natural living. Hence preference is no longer given to Prime worlds only worlds with a good source of hydrogen and oxygen.
Alternative Solution
Change World Gen so atmosphere has an effect on population, something like:
population roll D6
atmos 0-3 DM-2
atmos 4 DM+2
atmos 5 DM+0
atmos 6 DM+4
atmos 7 DM+2
atmos 8 DM+2
atmos 9 DM+0
atmos 10+ DM-2
hydro 0-2 DM-2
hydro 3-4 DM-1
hydro 6-8 DM+2
hydro 9+ DM-2
Atmosphere Codes
0: vaccuum
1: trace
2: very thin, tainted
3: very thin
4: thin, tainted
5: thin
6: standard
7: standard, tainted
8: dense
9: dense, tainted
A: exotic
B: exotic corrosive
C: exotic insidious
(exotic: thin low, ellipsoid, dense high)
occasional list of exotic atmosphere types
Carbon Dioxide (Earth Archean Age)
warm & cloudy
atmosphere: carbon dioxide
seas: carbonic acid
lots of small continents
volcanic around the continent edges
lots of seas and lakes
rare raw materials around the volcanic rim?
domed and requiring manufactured oxygen and water but abundant sources of components
can be terraformed by adding photosynthetic microbes that will convert carbon dioxide to oxygen
atmosphere: chlorine
seas: hydrochloric acid
chorine based photosynthesis
yellow-green haze


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The president also defended religious liberty and the work of faith-based adoption agencies in a 20-minute address at the annual event in a Washington, D.C., hotel.
In calling for prayer for the United States, Trump said, "Let us pray for the courage to pursue justice and the wisdom to forge peace. Let us pray for a future where every child has a warm, safe and loving home. Read More
"Each year, this event reminds us that faith is central to American life and to liberty," Trump said. "Our founders invoked our Creator four times in the Declaration of Independence. Our currency declares, 'In God we trust.' And we place our hands on our hearts as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance and proclaim we are 'one nation under God.'" Read More
Among steps he proposed to safeguard religious liberty was a promise to "get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment," a 1954 law that bars churches and other tax-exempt organizations from endorsing political candidates. The promise drew attention within hours from major media outlets and echoed statements Trump made during the 2016 presidential campaign. Read More
"Like every president, like every leader, like every person, I've known fear," Obama said today (Feb. 4). "But my faith tells me that I need not fear death, that the acceptance of Christ promises everlasting life and the washing away of sins. If Scripture instructs me to put on the full armor of God so that when trouble comes I'm able to stand, then surely I can face down these temporal setbacks." Read More
WASHINGTON (BP) -- Violence perpetuated in the name of religion is a global, historical sin that humanity is challenged to eradicate, President Obama said at the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 5 in Washington, pointing out atrocities of ISIS, Boko Haram and other religious militants.
"Humanity has been grappling with these questions throughout human history," Obama said. "And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. Read More
Formed in 1946 by the Southern Baptist Convention, and supported with Cooperative Program funds, Baptist Press (BP) is a daily (Monday-Friday) international news service. Operating from a central bureau in Nashville, Tenn., BP works with a large network of contributing writers, photographers and editorial providers to produce BP News.


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Berman Lazar
Mr. Lazar Berman is a researcher at the IDF's Dado Center for Interdisciplinary Military Studies. He commanded a Bedouin unit during his active IDF service, and is a captain the IDF reserves. He holds an MA in military operations from Georgetown University's Security Studies Program, where he wrote his thesis on IDF innovation.


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Nonverbal bilingualism: Deaf schemas of deception
The Deaf are a community formed through a socio-linguistic acculturation process influenced by their use of signing to communicate. Signing includes verbal and nonverbal components, and reliance on vision as a primary ...
Start reading here: Interactivity and textual power in postmodern literature
"Start Reading Here: Interactivity and Textual Power in Postmodern Literature" focuses on books - specifically the Choose Your Own Adventure series, Queneau's Cent mille milliards de poèmes (1961), Marc Saporta's Composition ...
Subtracting the spectator: Antitheatricality, the real of revolution, and the political ontology of avant-garde theater
Subtracting the Spectator: Antitheatricality, the Real of Revolution, and the Political Ontology of Avant-Garde Theater examines the political stakes of avant-garde theater artists' ongoing struggle to reinvent the play-text ...
Sound and silence, about the complex monad: Study on John Cage, Myung Mi Kim, and Leslie Scalapino
"Forming Sonic Space Building Complex Monad of Us Well-Beings" This research aims to reveal the problems of conventional dyadic ideas in regards to sound and proposes the unity of the dyadic opposites. The ground structure ...
Technically bromantic: The autistic as a "Noble savant" in a homoerotic, post-modern pairing
Inspired by the work of Leslie Fiedler - specifically his controversial essay "Come Back to the Raft Ag'in Huck, Honey!" (1948) - this analysis is intended as an examination of the archetype of homoerotic or "bromantic" ...


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Interesting activities of Resorts in Ubud, taken from http://www.kompas.com
Category Archives: Do ubud
Resorts in Ubud and its unique activities
Interesting activities of Resorts in Ubud, taken from http://www.kompas.com
Filed under $$$, $$$ sleep ubud, Do ubud, Honeymoon, Massage, Sleep ubud, Ubud, where to SLEEP
luxurious Swimming Pool in Bali
1. Maya Ubud Resort & Spa (Jl. Gunung Sari Peliatan Ubud, Indonesia, 80571)
2. COMO Shambhala Estate (Banjar Begawan, Desa Melinggih Kelod, Payangan, Gianyar, Ubud, Indonesia, 80571)
3. Alila Villas Uluwatu (Jl Belimbing Sari Banjar Tambiyak, Desa Pecatu Bali, Indonesia, 80364)
4. Ubud Hanging Gardens (Desa Buahan, Payangan Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia, 80571)
5. Four Seasons Resort Sayan Bali (Sayan, Gianyar, Ubud, Bali, 80571)
Full details and picture, click:
Filed under $$$, Do ubud, Family with Kids, Honeymoon, other, Ubud, what to DO
what to do in Ubud
– Monkey forrest
– Jazz nite on local club
– see Barong dance
– Rafting in ayung river
– Conyon tubbing or buggy car (through rice fileds) Phone 0361 720766 / 8080305/8
– visit Tohpati village to make batik and silver jewelry
– visit Tirtha Empul temple you can jump to holly water pool with baliness to clean your soul. You may see Tampaksiring Palace from here
– Museum hoping, Jl Raya Campuhan. There are nice museum: Neka (a classical stuffs) phone 0361979252, and Antinio Balnco phone 0361975502
Filed under $$, Do ubud, Family with Kids, other, Ubud, what to DO


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Detecting Unethical Practices at Supplier Faculty
This content was COPIED from BrainMass.com - View the original, and get the already-completed solution here!
Please respond to the following:
- Assess the value of having a Supplier Code of Conduct when outsourcing operational functions to international markets and the enforceability of such a code.
- Evaluate whether or not you believe a U.S.-based company outsourcing jobs to foreign markets is ethical. Support your position.
- Assume that you have to make the decision to outsource work to a foreign market. Determine what country would be your best option. Explain your rationale.
Solution Preview
Assess the value of having a Supplier Code of Conduct when outsourcing operational functions to international markets and the enforceability of such a code.
- A Supplier Code of Conduct can be an invaluable tool. The key is the enforcement of the code. Many times, employers will put different codes of conduct and other policies into place, but over time, the enforcement of those codes and policies begins to lack. The code essentially becomes worthless. The Supplier Code of Conduct would establish certain principles that suppliers would have to adhere to, including how they outsource, from whom, and general work policies. Some of the larger international, U.S. based companies may require that all suppliers, including foreign suppliers, adhere to the FCPA and other policies which protect against a supplier committing corrupt acts, and other such instances. The more enforcement that a company can bring as far as suppliers are concerned, the better it is for the company's image and overall viability. It shows solid corporate governance and also strengthens the internal culture at the ...
Solution Summary
This solution discusses unethical practices in relation to suppliers and vendors. This solution also thoroughly discusses the ethics and various facets involved in outsourcing jobs to foreign markets. A comprehensive discussion is provided.


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Safco Plastic Step-on Receptable - Janitorial Supplies
Safco Plastic Step-on Receptable - Janitorial Supplies at low wholesale prices. alltimetrading.com offers Janitorial Supplies at bulk discounted prices.
17 gal Capacity - Rectangular - 26.3" Height x 19.8" Width x 16.3" Depth - Plastic - Tan
Brand: Safco
Plastic Step-On Receptacle offers a large capacity for high-traffic areas or workplaces that need just a little more room when it comes to their receptacles. The step-on design makes it easy to get waste to where it needs to go even when you don't have a free hand. Lid opens and closures secure with the press of foot. 17-gallon waste receptacle assembles with no tools.
Brand: Safco
Sale Price $112.91
Total Price:
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Outgoing Gov. Schwarzenegger has made a final attempt to solve the budget crisis by calling a special session of the legislature. But the Democrats yawned, saying they'd sooner wait for incoming governor Jerry Brown whereupon they resolutely plan to work on a "global solution" to the budget rather than the "piecemeal" foolishness being proposed by Schwarzenegger.
No, really, they actually said that. Where have they been then, these past several months? Because piecemeal approaches are all we've gotten - except of course when the legislature adjourns for lengthy vacations in the middle of a demonstrable crisis, something they've done several times. While the budget problems do seem intractable, our lackadaisical legislature certainly appears disinterested in it. Plus, everything in Sacramento seems to happen in ultra-slow motion, except for them voting themselves more vacations, that is.
The Republicans are just as detached from reality. They vow no new taxes, at all, ever. The Democrats don't want to cut spending. By law, California must pass a balanced budget. But the numbers just aren't there. Expenses exceed revenues for the foreseeable future by a staggering $20 billion a year. Legislators can huff and puff all they want, but the simple fact is California will inevitably default on debt if drastic measures are not taken. This means that taxes must rise and spending must be cut. There is no way around that.
The first order of business is that Sacramento legislators learn how to count, because they clearly do not know how to. The budget deficit for this year is now $6.1 billion. But wait, you say, didn't they pass a balanced budget in October? Why yes they did, only to discover that the assumptions they made were overly rosy and deeply wrong. This happens with predictable regularity regarding the California budget. Optimistic and perky assumptions end up being smashed against the reef of reality. So, inquiring minds want to know, why is it that the numbers the legislature relies upon are virtually always wrong? Is it stupidity, wishful thinking, or deliberate? Whatever the cause, it needs to end, and accurate and realistic estimates need to be made instead. You can't get where you want to go until you know where you are now.
Into this ball of confusion walks Jerry Brown. Those looking for a quick fix and easy answer will be disappointed, because there isn't one. For years, California has relied on temporary taxes and spending cuts, accounting tricks and subterfuges, and taking money from one area to fund another. But these are temporary fixes and do not solve the underlying problems. It's not just the legislature that is detached from reality. A recent poll showed that California voters don't want new taxes, and support spending cuts as long as they aren't in education or health care.
The Sacramento Bee says "That position is unsustainable, as the analyst's projections suggest", then quotes Schwarzenegger's former finance director saying:
"I have thought for many years we've been headed for an absolutely impossible, unthinkable kind of situation. I still believe that."
The real problem is we have a legislature and citizenry mostly living in denial as to how bad the situation really is. Everyone supports spending cuts - as long as the cuts don't personally affect them. And if there are new taxes, then make someone else pay them.
It's not hopeless, though, not at all. Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor says if genuine and continuing progress is made on the permanent budget problems, the state could be solvent by 2015-2016. The alternative is financial catastrophe. The choice is ours.


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BFF Reserve #99
This week, Lisa Lawrie (@JmoesandBffs)and Rafael Castaneda (@RMCGuitars) are joined by Toby "Doug" Milton (@TMilt) to discuss this week's @ARIYNBF episodes~ "Alison's AMA" & "Alison's Nitrous Epiphany, David's Rancid Cheesecake, Jordan AKA Stassi"
We talk all about Alison's Book, Hair, Mood, Skin, Pets, Video Cast and Schlessinger Hate Plus MarionBerrissing, Mistaken Mudders, Big A's Door Fetish, Wrong Sized Tongues, Dr. Nihilist D.D.S., Show Me Your Private FB, Raymoe's Funeral and Yes, Please or Fuck Off!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!
Posted To iTunes By Jason Dix (@Woodloaf)
iTunes Logo By Ray Morgan (@RayMorganIII)
iTunes Logo By Ray Morgan (@RayMorganIII)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download


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A Valleywide contest to select the official "Mr. Puniverse 2007" to act as a Gold's Gym ambassador in the market during the entire year. This person is a male who is underweight and muscularly underdeveloped
Why: Promote the Gold's Gym brand in a new way that provides the opportunity to educate people about the value of muscles to good health, promote the story of Gold's Gym, engage a audience, bring humor to the brand personality and generate public relations coverage.


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StoryCorps, the national oral history project, opens its mobile recording booth in Boise Monday. For the next month, Idahoans will step into the Airstream trailer parked at Boise City Hall and record their stories.
What it's like to travel the country with StoryCorps...
For the past year, Leslee Dean has traveled the country. She's a StoryCorps mobile facilitator who helps people tell their stories. Some of these stories end up being heard every Friday morning during NPR's Morning Edition. All of the interviews are archived at the Library of Congress.
Dean says she enjoys recording people as they share their history. "A mother and a daughter just asking her mom about life growing up and being a mom and what that was like or a grandchild asking a grandparent the same kinds of questions or even a husband and wife talking about how they met or what they've been through," says Dean.
She says the stories can be funny or sad. Sometimes the stories are tied to a place or historical event. "The Detroit riots, nuclear testing at Los Alamos in New Mexico, the Paiute Indian tribe," Dean recalls. "So those are just examples of the history that I've been able to learn about through recording these stories."
Dean says everyone has a story to tell. Since the project began in 2003, StoryCorps has recorded more than 45,000 stories from around the country.
Join us Monday at 11:30 City Hall for the StoryCorps launch and get a tour of the mobile recording booth.
The recording booth in Boise will be open until July 6. Click here for more information about how to register to use the StoryCorps booth in Boise, and tweet us your experience with the #StoryCorpsBoise.
Copyright 2013 Boise State Public Radio


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Purple pays
January 30, 2008 at 15:44 1 comment
Corinthians launched a new third kit today. A spokesperson said that purple was chosen to represent the passion the club's supporters have for their side. Purple is not part of Corinthians traditional club colours but the Parque São Jorge marketing department believes that the shirt could become a cash cow. Last year, Palmeiras released a dayglo yellow jersey which turned into a big seller.
Entry filed under: Corinthians. Tags: Brazilian football, Campeonato Paulista 2008, esporte, estadual, football, football shirts, football transfers, Futebol, futebol negócio, internacional football, Paulista, soccer, Sport, sports, World Football.
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Bring Your Dream Home to Life With La-Z-Boy
Bring Your Dream Home to Life With La-Z-Boy
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