text:
Clinical pattern and prevalence of rheumatic diseases among adults: a community-based cross-sectional study in rural Gadchiroli, India
Vinay R Joshi, Anand A Bang, Shekhar Y Bhojraj, Mahesh Deshmukh, Tushar Yarmal, Sameer Kalkotwar, Raghu Varma, Yogeshwar V Kalkonde, Abhay T Bang,
india musculoskeletal pain rheumatic diseases prevalence
Photo by Charl Folscher on Unsplash
Joshi VR, Bang AA, Bhojraj SY, et al. Clinical pattern and prevalence of rheumatic diseases among adults: a community-based cross-sectional study in rural Gadchiroli, India. Journal of Global Health Reports. 2021;5:e2021040. doi:10.29392/001c.22240
Figure 1. The study flow.
Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the clinic attendees and non-attendees
Table 2. Point prevalence of rheumatic disorders in the sample and in the population (adjusted for non-attendees)
Table 3. Sex-wise percentage prevalence of arthritis and soft tissue rheumatism among adults
Figure 2. Age-wise population prevalence of soft tissue rheumatism and osteoarthritis.
Population-level information on the prevalence of rheumatic disorders from rural India is rare. We investigated the prevalence and patterns of rheumatic disorders among adults in rural Gadchiroli, India.
In this population-based, cross-sectional study, trained surveyors conducted a door-to-door survey to identify individuals with pain in back and extremities in two randomly selected villages from this region. Subjects who reported the presence of pain were evaluated by a team of a rheumatologist and orthopedic surgeons in a special clinic organized in these villages.
Out of 2,535 eligible adults, 2,259 (89%) were surveyed, and 1,247 (55%) reported pain in the back or the extremities, and were therefore referred to the specialist clinic. Out of 884 (71%) participants who attended the clinics, 615 (70%) reported pain in the extremities. The point prevalence of soft tissue rheumatism (STR) in the community was 28% (95% confidence interval, CI=26.1-29.8%) while that of arthritis was 12.2% (10.8-13.5). The point prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was 0.4% (0.1-0.6). Both STR and arthritis were more common in women and in the elderly.
Soft tissue rheumatism was the commonest rheumatic disorder in this rural community, followed by arthritis. Inflammatory and infectious disorders were rare. Given the high prevalence of STR and arthritis, community health workers and physicians working in rural areas need to be trained, in order to improve the management of these conditions.
Musculoskeletal disorders are the leading global cause of disability.1–3 Collectively, they accounted for close to half (48%) of all years of life lived due to disability from various diseases in 2019.4 Despite this, many regions of the world still lack population-level data on these disorders.5 In particular, data from rural populations are very limited. Available studies show that a significant proportion of rural population can be affected by musculoskeletal disorders. In a study from rural Iran 66% of adults reported musculoskeletal pain in the week preceding survey.6 As much as 61% of adults from rural Guatemala reported musculoskeletal complaints. Populations from Asia reported somewhat lower estimates; 26.2% in rural Bangladesh and 23.6% in Indonesia reported musculoskeletal pain.7–9
One sixth of the world's population lives in India, and more than two-thirds of the entire population of India lives in rural areas.10 A few population-based studies have been conducted in rural India to assess the prevalence of rheumatic disorders and other musculoskeletal complaints. However, these have been conducted in relatively affluent or peri-urban rural areas,11,12 while studies from rural agrarian communities in India are very rare. This is of the special interest, as these populations are even more likely to experience substantial burden of rheumatic disorders, as manual labour is the main source of income.
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and patterns of rheumatic disorders among adults in rural Gadchiroli, which is one of the most underdeveloped districts of India.
Study setting
The study was conducted in Gadchiroli district of the Maharashtra state of India. The total population of the district is 1,071,795 as per the National census conducted in 2011.13 93% of the district's population lives in rural areas and close to 75% of the land is covered by forest.13 The main source of livelihood is paddy cultivation. There is very little mechanization in farming activities, meaning that most of adults are extensively involved in paddy plantation, de-weeding and harvesting; the burden is even greater in women, who are additionally expected to attend their household chores such as collecting firewood, cooking, fetching drinking water from wells and washing clothes. Typically, only one crop is cultivated in a year and for the remaining part of the year adults are involved in forest labour, construction work in nearby towns, migrate for farm labour to neighbouring districts or participate in manual labour activities involved in constructing roads, digging wells and other water bodies under the employment guarantee scheme of the Government of India.14 There are no large-scale industries in the district. The district is classified as one of the most underdeveloped hundred districts of India by the NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of the central government.15
Health care in the district is provided primarily through the public health system. In addition, a few non-government organizations, traditional healers, unregistered informal providers, private registered practitioners also provide health care.
Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH) is a non-governmental organization working in this district since 1986. It has a field practice area of 86 villages where community health workers (CHWs) regularly collect population-based information and provide health care for selected ailments. The study was jointly conducted by SEARCH, the Spine Foundation, a non-profit organisation to promote spine care in India and the rheumatology section of the Hinduja Hospital, a large tertiary care hospital in Mumbai, India.
Study design and sample
This population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in rural Gadchiroli. The sample size required for the study was calculated using the formula Z2 1-α/2P(1-P)/d2 where P is the anticipated prevalence of back pain and d is the precision.16 Considering the anticipated point prevalence of non-specific low back pain in the adults (≥ 20 years of age) at 15%, precision of 0.02, design effect of 25% and a non-response rate of 15%, a minimum sample of 1800 adults was needed. Considering the average population of adults in villages in the field practice area of SEARCH at about 1000, 2 villages were needed to be included in the study.
Out of 86 villages in the field practice area of SEARCH, in 39 villages the CHWs provide care for selected ailments. The two study villages were selected by a two-stage procedure from the sampling frame of 39 villages. The inclusion criteria for villages were- a) presence of residential male and female CHW of SEARCH in the village to ensure complete data collection, b) adult (≥20 years) population ≥1000, c) location more than 5 km away from Gadchiroli town, and d) no hospital or Primary Health Centre (PHC) located inside the village. The aim was to include typical Indian villages of medium size, not too close to an urban area, and where a house to house survey was feasible by the CHWs of SEARCH. Villages with larger adult population (>2000) were excluded. Seven villages out of 39 villages met the eligibility criteria. From these seven villages, two villages were randomly selected. The two selected villages, Mudza and Bamhani were 7 and 12 kilometers from the district headquarter respectively and 20 kilometers from each other. Both the villages were agrarian with farming as the primary source of livelihood. All the resident adults ≥20 years of age of these two villages as recorded in the population register of SEARCH were eligible for the study and were recruited through household survey by the CHWs.
The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, data on point prevalence of pain in back and extremities were collected from 1st January 2010 to 25th January 2010 by the trained CHWs of SEARCH. The CHWs conducted a door to door survey and after taking an informed consent, administered the questionnaire to the eligible adults. All patients with pain in back and extremities were referred to a specialist clinic that was organized in these two villages, staffed by a team of a senior rheumatologist, spine surgeons, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and a psychologist.
In the second phase, patients referred by the CHWs were evaluated in a specialist clinic. The clinics were organized in respective villages approximately 15 days after the completion of the data collection for the prevalence study, in order to reduce the time lag between identification of symptoms (pain in back and extremities) by the CHW and the subsequent examination by the clinicians. This was also done to reduce possible inconsistencies in the findings of the CHWs and the clinician attributed to the time elapsed between the two visits.
We developed a survey instrument that was used in the clinic, focusing on medical history and musculoskeletal status. The survey instrument was pilot tested in a rheumatology clinic in the city of Mumbai, as well as in the rural clinic of SEARCH. Clinicians were trained to use the survey instrument in a standardized manner.
Diagnosis and classification
The diagnoses were based on clinical examinations. Standard operational definitions based on the American College of Rheumatology 1990 criteria for diagnosing rheumatological diseases were used for various clinical diagnoses to ensure uniformity in diagnosis by the clinicians.17 Laboratory and imaging investigations were performed as necessary. The patients were managed according to the standard management plan. Further course of action was explained to patients in case there was no relief or if chronic treatment was deemed necessary.
The information on the age- and sex-distribution of the population of the two villages was obtained from the population register of SEARCH. Age-specific prevalence rates of various rheumatological disorders were estimated for male and female clinic-attendees. Then the number of males and females in each age-group in the clinic non-attendee population were multiplied by these rates to obtain the expected number of cases for the clinic non-attendees using the method of indirect standardization.18,19 The number of cases for each rheumatological disorder from the attendee population and the expected number of cases from the non-attendee population were then combined to obtain the prevalence of that disorder in the entire adult population. We calculated 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the prevalence rates. Means were compared using Student's t test and proportions were compared using Chi-square test. Analyses were conducted using Stata 10.0 (State Corp, College Station, Texas, USA), with significance set at P<0.05.
Ethics approval
The study followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval for this study was granted as part of the main study to evaluate the prevalence of pain in back and extremities in rural Gadchiroli, by the Institutional Ethical Committee of SEARCH formed according to the guidelines by the Indian Council for Medical Research. Consent was obtained first at the cluster level in the study villages 15 days before starting the survey. The community leaders (village council leaders and members, school teacher and presidents of microfinance self-help groups) were explained the purpose and scope of the study including the benefits to the villagers (availability of referral care in the clinic of SEARCH and the care through a village clinic). Informed written consent was obtained in vernacular language in a standard format from individual participants after explaining the nature and benefits of the study. The consultation by spine surgeons and rheumatologists and physiotherapists, medications, laboratory investigations, as well as imaging with X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including transport were provided free of cost to the study participants. For those needing surgical interventions, such services were provided at significantly subsidized costs. The CHW discussed these benefits using a printed pamphlet.
The total population of two villages was 3735 and 2,535 subjects who were ≥ 20 years of age were eligible to participate in the study. Out of this number, 2,259 (89%) accepted to participate in the study and formed the study sample. Over half of them, 1,247 (55%) reported having pain in back or extremities at the time of the survey. An invitation to visit the clinic was offered to all of them, and 906 (73%) attended the village clinics (Figure 1). Among those who did attend the clinic, 22 (2%) were symptom-free on the day of the clinical examination, and were subsequently excluded; this meant that the final sample size for the clinical attendees was 884 (Table 1).
Figure 1.The study flow.
The comparison between attendees and non-attendees of the clinic visit suggested that non-attendees were more commonly younger (P<0.001), men (P=0.002), more literate (P=0.015) and were more likely to be laborers (P=0.016; Table 1).
The point prevalence of pain in extremities was 38.4%; prevalence of arthritis was 12.2%, with osteoarthritis being the commonest disorder (Table 2). Among various sites, osteoarthritis of knee had the highest prevalence (8.9%). The point prevalence of STR was 28 %. Regional STR was more common (24.7%) than diffuse STR (4.9%, Table 2). In the regional STR, the prevalence of arthralgia involving knee was 12.2%, shoulder was 7.5%, ankle was 3.6% while elbow was 3.2%. Among diffuse STR, the prevalence of fibromyalgia was 1.3%. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was 0.4%, spondyloarthropathies was 0.2%, polymyositis was 0.1% and infective arthritis was 0.2%. None of the patients had gout or acute traumatic arthritis (Table 2).
Table 1.Demographic characteristics of the clinic attendees and non-attendees
Clinic attendees (n=884)
Non-attendees (n=363)
Age; mean±standard deviation 48.5± 15.3 43.1±14.4 <0.001
Males; n (%) 326 (37) 169 (47) 0.002
Literate; n (%) 420 (48) 200 (55) 0.015
Married; n (%) 845 (96) 340 (94) 0.156
Caste; n (%)
Scheduled caste 85 (10) 37 (10) 0.755
Scheduled tribe 129 (15) 51 (14) 0.804
Others 670 (76) 275 (76) 0.990
Occupation; n (%)
Labourer 351 (40) 171 (47) 0.016
Farmer 309 (35) 133 (37) 0.572
Servicemen/woman 22 (2) 11 (3) 0.588
Housewife 98 (11) 17 (5) <0.001
Business 61 (7) 23 (6) 0.718
Other 43 (5) 8 (2) 0.031
Table 2.Point prevalence of rheumatic disorders in the sample and in the population (adjusted for non-attendees)
Condition*
Sample prevalence; n (%)
Population prevalence† [95% CI‡]
Pain in extremities 615 (69.6) 38.4 [36.4-40.4]
I Arthritis 196 (22.2) 12.2 [10.8-13.5]
Osteoarthritis 183 (20.7) 11.4 [10.1-12.7]
a, Osteoarthritis of knee 142 (16.1) 8.9 [7.6-10.0]
b, Other osteoarthritis 41 (4.6) 2.6 [1.9-3.2]
Rheumatoid arthritis 6 (0.7) 0.4 [0.1-0.6]
Spondyloarthropathies (ankylosing spondylitis) 3 (0.3) 0.2 [0.0-0.4]
Infective causes 3 (0.3) 0.2 [0.0-0.4]
a, TB§ 1 (0.1) 0.1 [0.0-0.1]
b, Non TB§ (Pyogenic, Fungal, Viral] 2 (0.2) 0.1 [0.0-0.3]
Other arthritic disorders 2 (0.2) 0.1 [0.0-0.3]
II Other Rheumatic Diseases 1 (0.1) 0.1 [0.0-0.1]
Polymyositis 1 (0.1) 0.1 [0.0-0.1]
III Soft Tissue Rheumatism 448 (50.7) 28 [26.1-29.8]
Diffuse 78 (8.8) 4.9 [4.0-5.8]
a, Fibromyalgia 21 (2.4) 1.3 [0.8-1.7]
b, Others soft tissue pain 58 (6.6) 3.6 [2.9-4.5]
Regional 392 (44.3) 24.7 [22.7-26.3]
a, Arthralgia 368 (41.6) 23 [21.2-24.7]
Shoulder 120 (13.6) 7.5 [6.4-8.6]
Elbow 52 (5.9) 3.2 [2.5-4.0]
Wrist 27 (3.1) 1.7 [1.2-2.2]
Hand 14 (1.6) 0.9 [0.5-1.3]
Hip 7 (0.8) 0.4 [0.2-0.7]
Knee 196 (22.2) 12.2 [10.9-13.6]
Ankle 57 (6.4) 3.6 [2.8-4.3]
Foot 22 (2.5) 1.4 [0.9-1.9]
b, Soft Tissue 38 (4.3) 2.4 [1.8-3.0]
Arm 10 (1.1) 0.6 [0.3-0.9]
Thigh 5 (0.6) 0.3 [0.1-0.5]
Calf 12 (1.4) 0.7 [0.4-1.1]
Foot or toes 8 (0.9) 0.5 [0.2-0.8]
IV Post-traumatic conditions 6 (0.7) 0.4 [0.1-0.6]
V Unclassified 52 (5.9) 3.2 [2.5-4.1]
* Conditions are overlapping and not exclusive
† prevalence in the entire population (participants and non-participants)
‡ Confidence Interval
§ Tuberculosis
Sex and age distribution
The prevalence of arthritis (13.3% vs 9.7%, P=0.007) and STR (31.5% vs 24.3%, P<0.001) was higher among women than men (Table 3). The prevalence increased with advancing age in general (Figure 2). Prevalence of regional STR was about 5% in the age group of 20-30 years and increased to 25% after the age of 40 years. The prevalence of osteoarthritis of knee was less than 5% until the age of 40 years and increased to 20% among those >60 years of age. The prevalence of other osteoarthritis and diffuse STR also increased with age but remained close to 5% in those >60 years (Figure 2).
Table 3.Sex-wise percentage prevalence of arthritis and soft tissue rheumatism among adults
Diagnosis* Men $ % [95% CI†] Women $ % [95% CI†] P
Arthritis 9.7 [8.0, 11.6] 13.3 [11.4, 15.4] 0.007
Osteoarthritis of knee 6.8 [5.4, 8.5] 9.7 [8.0, 11.5] 0.013
Other osteoarthritis 2.3 [1.5, 3.3] 2.5 [1.7, 3.6] 0.716
Soft tissue rheumatism 24.3 [21.7, 26.9] 31.5 [28.9, 34.3] <0.001
Regional 22.7 [20.3, 25.3] 26.1 [23.6,28.7] 0.062
a. Arthralgia 21.2 [18.9, 23.8] 24.4 [22.0, 27.0] 0.071
Diffuse 2.5 [1.7, 3.7] 7.1 [5.7,8.7] <0.001
* Diagnostic categories are overlapping and not exclusive
$ Adjusted for non-participants
† Confidence interval
The results of this study show that a third of adults had STR and about one in eight adults had arthritis in the rural population of one of the most underdeveloped districts of India. At the same time, the prevalence of inflammatory and infectious rheumatic disorders was low. Expectedly, the prevalence of rheumatic disorders was higher among women and increased in elderly.
The prevalence of STR in this study (28%) is higher than that reported from Bhigwan in rural India (5.5%),11 as well as that reported from the Community Oriented Programme for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) studies conducted in the rural areas of other developing countries (2.3-6.6%).20 These findings are similar to that reported from studies in China and Lebanon.21,22 The prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) was also higher in the current study (11.4%) than that reported from the study in Bhigwan (5.8%).11 The prevalence of OA reported in the COPCORD studies from rural areas of other developing countries has ranged from 3.95 to 8.5%.20 The reason for higher prevalence of STR and OA in the present study compared to those reported in other rural areas will need further investigation. Joshi et al had speculated that the higher prevalence of STR and knee OA in rural Indian populations could be due to micro trauma to musculoskeletal tissues from occupational overuse.23 As mechanization in farming activities is low in Gadchiroli and farming and non-farming labour activities in this district requires static work postures as well as lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling,the prevalence of OA and STR could be higher than other rural farming populations. Also, psychosocial factors have been implicated as risk factors for STR such as high speed of work, lack of social support, monotonous work and lack of autonomy or control.24 Some of these factors may be applicable to the farming and other manual labour activities undertaken by the rural population in Gadchiroli.
The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the current study was 0.4% which is comparable to that in Bhigwan (0.54%) and is comparable to that reported from COPCORD studies in rural regions of other developing countries (0.28-1%).20 The prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis in the current study was 0.2% while in the COPCORD studies conducted in the rural areas of developing countries it was 0.09-0.26%.20 We did not come across any patient with gout or acute traumatic arthritis in the current study. The prevalence of infective arthritis in our study was low (0.2%) despite the study area being one of the most underdeveloped parts of India. In a study conducted in rural and urban parts of Pune, which is a developed region of India, no cases of infective rheumatic disorders were found.23
The findings of high prevalence of STR and OA found in our study is probably also applicable to other rural regions of India, where adults rely heavily on physical labour to earn their livelihood. Given the high prevalence and the need for healthcare services, care for these ailments needs to be provided at the village level in rural areas preferably through the public healthcare system so that the care is provided at minimal costs. As the prevalence of serious rheumatic disorders was low, village level accredited social health activists (ASHAs) in the public healthcare system in India can potentially be used to provide care for this problem. These workers can be trained to diagnose and refer those with serious disorders and provide treatment for the rest. Those with more serious conditions like inflammatory and infectious rheumatic disorders will have to be managed at the level of the Community Health Centres (which typically cater to a population of 100,000) or at the district hospitals (typically catering to a population of 1 million or higher) of the public healthcare system.
Figure 2.Age-wise population prevalence of soft tissue rheumatism and osteoarthritis.
The strengths of this study include a community-based sample, with close to 90% of population coverage. Additionally, the diagnoses were made by clinical experts. At the same time, the study has several limitations. These include the lack of clinic attendance among the invited residents, which we tried to offset by developing a statistical adjustment. Additionally, the response was less among young males, labourers and literate individuals, possibly causing some selection bias; higher mobility of this group might be the reason for their non-response. The other potential limitation of the study is that those without symptoms of rheumatic diseases at the time of the initial screening survey could have been missed.
Our study, conducted in one of the poorest communities of India, shows that STR and arthritis are the commonest rheumatic disorders, while infectious and inflammatory disorders were rare. The healthcare providers working in rural areas of India need to be trained to manage these disorders. Given the high prevalence of rheumatic disorders, care for this problem needs to be provided at village level through public healthcare system to reduce out of pocket expenditure on the care of these disorders.
We thank the people, community health workers, volunteers and leaders of the village Mudza and Bamhani who participated in the study and made all the arrangements. We thank Dr. Rani Bang, SEARCH, Gadchiroli for her support in conceiving and conducting the study. We thank Dr Shital Mohite, Dr Smruti Ramteke and Dr Balkrishna for participating in data collection.
The study was funded by Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, the Spine Foundation, Mumbai, and SEARCH, Gadchiroli, India.
Conceived and designed the study: AAB, ATB, SYB, VRJ, MD, SK, RV. Conducted the study: VRJ, SYB, SK, RV, AAB, MD, TY, ATB. Analysed the data: MD, AAB, ATB. Contributed materials / analysis tools: VRJ, SYB, SK, RV. Wrote the draft manuscript: YK. Reviewed the manuscript: ATB.
The authors completed the Unified Competing Interest form at www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf (available upon request from the corresponding author) and declare no conflicts of interest.
Dr. Abhay Bang, MD, M.P.H.
Director, SEARCH, Shodhgram, PO Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, India 422605.
Submitted: February 23, 2021 BST
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org.apache.uima.cas.FSIndex

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org.apache.uima.cas

Common Analysis System (CAS) Interfaces.

org.apache.uima.cas.text

Text Common Annotation System (TCAS) Interfaces.

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Interfaces for accessing the JCAS.

Uses of FSIndex in org.apache.uima.cas

Methods in org.apache.uima.cas that return FSIndex

Modifier and Type
Method and Description

<T extends FeatureStructure>
FSIndex<T>
FSIndexRepository.getIndex(String label)

Retrieve an index according to a label.

<T extends FeatureStructure>
FSIndex<T>
FSIndexRepository.getIndex(String label,
        Type type)

Retrieve an index according to a label and a type.

FSIndex<T>
FSIndex.withSnapshotIterators()

Creates a shared copy of this FSIndex configured to produce snapshot iterators
 that don't throw ConcurrentModificationExceptions.

Methods in org.apache.uima.cas that return types with arguments of type FSIndex

Modifier and Type
Method and Description

Iterator<FSIndex<FeatureStructure>>
FSIndexRepository.getIndexes()

Get all indexes in this repository.

Uses of FSIndex in org.apache.uima.cas.text

Subinterfaces of FSIndex in org.apache.uima.cas.text

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Interface and Description

interface
AnnotationIndex<T extends AnnotationFS>

An annotation index provides additional iterator functionality that applies only to instances of
 uima.tcas.Annotation (or its subtypes).

Uses of FSIndex in org.apache.uima.jcas

Methods in org.apache.uima.jcas that return FSIndex

Modifier and Type
Method and Description

<T extends TOP>
FSIndex<T>
JFSIndexRepository.getIndex(String label)

Retrieve an index according to a label.

<T extends TOP>
FSIndex<T>
JCas.getIndex(String label,
        Class<T> clazz)

Retrieve an index according to a label and a type specified using a JCas class.

<T extends TOP>
FSIndex<T>
JFSIndexRepository.getIndex(String label,
        int type)

Retrieve an index according to a label and a type.

Methods in org.apache.uima.jcas that return types with arguments of type FSIndex

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Method and Description

Iterator<FSIndex<TOP>>
JFSIndexRepository.getIndexes()

Get all indexes in this repository.

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Iranian Moderates Make Big Gains In Parliamentary Elections
By Merrit Kennedy
Published February 29, 2016 at 11:59 AM EST
Iranian women vote in the parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections at a polling station in Qom, 78 miles south of the capital, Tehran, on Friday.
Final results are beginning to trickle in from Iran's parliamentary elections, and these returns show major gains for the country's moderate camp.
It's a stunning blow to Iran's hardliners in the first election since last year's historic nuclear deal with world powers.
NPR's Peter Kenyon says reformist parliamentary candidates swept the seats in Iran's capital, Tehran. "All hardline incumbents in the capital lost their seats," Peter reports, though he says conservatives fared better in other provinces.
As Camila Domonoske has noted for The Two Way, "Tehran's delegation is only a fraction of Iran's 290-seat parliament," and conservatives are poised to win seats in other parts of the country.
Moderates also made gains in the powerful 88-member assembly charged with choosing Iran's supreme leader, Peter says. He adds: "Allies of President [Hassan] Rouhani took 15 of the 16 seats from Tehran, according to the state news agency IRNA."
By comparison, "moderates previously held around 20 seats in the assembly," The Associated Press reported.
The same is true for the parliament, AP says. "Reformists currently hold fewer than 20 seats and have been virtually shut out of politics since losing their parliamentary majority in the 2004 elections," the news service writes.
The results are a boost for Rouhani and his economic reform efforts, Peter says:
"Even before official results are announced, Rouhani praised the vote as a move to strengthen the country. Rouhani needs a parliament he can work with to deliver on his campaign promise of reviving Iran's economy."
Many reformist candidates who wanted to run were not allowed to do so — only 200 reformists who applied were approved to run by Iran's "unelected, constitutional watchdog," according to the AP.
"The overall message is Iranians have voiced their interest in change, they clearly want this, but the leaders they have chosen are not that prone to making radical changes," New York Times Tehran correspondent Thomas Erdbrink tells Morning Edition. He adds that these moderates, or "pragmatic centrists," are sometimes difficult to label:
"There are people who are hard-liners on certain issues but for instance would be open to economic reforms. Does that make them a moderate? At the same time they might be saying the hijab — the Islamic headscarf — is obligatory and they might propose police controls to check women to do that. So these labels are very, very complicated."
Election turnout was 50 percent in the capital and 62 percent in other provinces, Minister of Interior Abolreza Rahmani Fazli told reporters.
We'll keep you updated as results come in. But some reformists are already declaring this a historic moment for Iran:
Reuters cites an editorial in the reformist newspaper Mardom-Salari,whose managing editor won one of the Tehran seats in parliament, that read in part:
"The biggest achievement of this election is the return of reformists to the ruling system so they won't be called seditionists or infiltrators anymore. ...
"This election can be a turning point in the history of the Islamic Republic."
Merrit Kennedy
Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.
See stories by Merrit Kennedy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Zie Ze Vliegen was a Dutch remake of Come Fly With Me, a mockumentary series set in an airport. Many of the characters and situations were identical and, apart from the language, the main difference was that it featured Carlo Boszhard and Irene Moors rather than Matt Lucas and David Walliams.
As in Come Fly With Me members of the cast played a number of roles. Chantal Janzen played the ninety-two year-old passenger Hetty Wolf amongst others; Hetty was played by Matt Lucas in Come Fly With Me.
Barbara van Munster & Bianca van der Steen were the credited makeup artists. Kevin Van Den Bergh was responsible for the makeup effects; Sjoerd Didden was responsible for the hair work. Sylvie Takke also worked on this show.


On Sunday, as part of our Lazy Day In, B and I stayed in our PJs all day. Ok, I tossed some clothes on to get our traditional Chinese food Christmas dinner, but otherwise it was PJs for the whole day.
Towards the end of the day, before dinner was ordered, B and I decided that we should both take showers. We had just washed and changed the sheets on all of our beds. (Ok, so it wasn't a completely lazy day.) We figured we shouldn't go to sleep that night without having showered.
As part of my day's activities, I had resurrected an old laptop we had. So the boys both had computers to play on. They were both occupied so I dared to suggest we shower together. It's been awhile since we've done anything like this and it seemed like a golden opportunity.
B and I got ready. We got into the shower and B adjusted the water temperature. Then, as the temp was just right… NHL came walking into the bathroom.
Did I mention that we only have one bathroom on the ground floor? There we were in the shower with NHL just inches from us on the other side of the curtain. No, we weren't engaged in any "activities", but it did mean that any hope of "activities" was rapidly dwindling. NHL wasn't rushing either, but decided to talk to B for a bit.
This seems to be a recurring theme in our lives. I'll admit, there are days when I miss our pre-kid years. In those before-kid times, we could go out to a romantic dinner or just spend some quality time indoors on a whim. Now, we need to plan when we can drop the kids off at B's parents house and when we need to pick them up. Spousal quality time seems all too lacking no matter how much we try to make it a priority.
Still, we're not going to stop trying. Having a child burst in on you when you're having a quiet moment together is just one of the many challenges about being a parent.
Luckily, there are always ideas to be had at EdenFantasys. Perhaps we can take a few quiet moments, while the kids are otherwise occupied, and give each other a massage. Or maybe we can find some "toys" to help add excitement when we would otherwise give in to exhaustion at the end of a long day. If we're running low on ideas ourselves, we can also head on over to EdenFantasys Forums to ask other people for ideas. Yes, B and I are always on the hunt for ways to maximize our Us Time.
Disclaimer: This post was written as part of the EdenFantasys Ambassador program. I received an EdenFantasys gift card, but the opinions expressed above are my own.


text:
A lambda egy koponyaméréstanban használatos tájékozódási pont. A sagittális varrat (sutura sagittalis) és a lambdavarrat (sutura lambdoidea) találkozásánál található, ami a koponya hátsó részénél van.

Források

 Orvosi lexikon (Akadémiai Kiadó, 1967)

Koponyaméréstan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Plenty of eye-popping action this week, as Oberyn squares off against Ser Gregor. Missandei bares all for Grey Worm. Jon Snow and his bro's wonder about Gilly's fate after Ygritte tears through Mole's Town with her Wildling death squad. Reek serves his master well at Moat Cailin, and Ramsay dusts the Snow off his Bolton.
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2014 at 1:07 am	and is filed under Season 04. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.


text:
Jimmy Butler was back to his soon-to-be All-Star form with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals Friday night in Dallas.
Danny Bollinger/NBAE/Getty Images
Bulls kick up their heels in win over Dallas
By Sam Smith | 1.24.2015 | 2:17 a.m. CT
There are certain accoutrements required for the Texas two step, like the plaid shirt, perhaps a bandana, cowboy boots and a big belt buckle. That sounds like the Bulls' Jimmy Butler of good 'ol Tomball, Texas.
And Friday Jimmy B. did a nice dance on the Dallas Mavericks, helping the Bulls complete their favored kind of Texas two-step with a 102-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks one night after the Bulls walked all over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.
Don't mess with the Midwest.
"We showed what we can do on the road and played the style of basketball that we normally play," said Butler, who was back to his soon-to-be All-Star form with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. "It means we can beat any team when we put our minds to it. I feel like we're deep and we play hard. If we do what we're supposed to do, we can beat anybody."
The Bulls, seemingly sinking just days ago, appear to have surfaced and are motoring ahead. They can now go back to counting the successes with their third win in the last five to raise their record to 29-16, a solid 53-win pace. The Bulls went to 16-6 on the road, the league's third best road record behind Golden State and Atlanta. Perhaps not quite time to break up the team yet.
"I think when you go through adversity like that (six losses in eight games) you either go two ways," said Joakim Noah, who returned from missing four games with an ankle injury and had a solid six points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes. "You either come together or you start to point fingers. And that's not who we are. At the end of the day, I think everybody wants to win here. It was definitely a humbling couple of weeks. We're not satisfied; we know we have to get better. I think we're all more than capable of doing that."
The way the Bulls played the last two games, holding the defending champion Spurs to their lowest point total and shooting of the season and then in the second of a back to back Friday holding the league's No. 2 scoring team to 10 points below its season average, suggests the capabilities are there.
The Bulls also got 20 points from Derrick Rose, 18 in the first half when the Bulls took control of the game after a 30-21 first quarter.
"We needed to be tougher," said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle as his team fell to 30-14. "We need to be more hit first. The first quarter was our undoing. The rest of the game was pretty even. I thought their shotmaking, our inability to make key stops -- they got two or three threes, they got some tip-ins -- it just set the wrong tone for the game."
A lot of that was Rose with back to back threes that stretched out the first quarter lead to 22-12 and then a driving score shortly thereafter. Rose scored just two points in the second half. But Butler responded impressively after halftime with 11 third quarter points while becoming the focus of the Bulls offense.
The Bulls with Butler and Rose have become adept at exploiting matchups. One of coach Tom Thibodeau's favorite late game strategies of late has been a one/three pick and roll featuring Rose and Butler with another guard playing, either Aaron Brooks or Kirk Hinrich. The Mavs play a relatively small backcourt with Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis, and the Bulls took great advantage. Rose with the help of active Bulls interior defenders had a strong defensive game against Rondo. With Noah or the teaming of Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol, the Bulls were active in denying Rondo the interior. Gasol had 13 points and 16 rebounds, his 25th double/double, which is tied for the league lead. Plus, his defensive rebounding turned the Mavs into a one-shot and out jump shooting team and thus stymied their flexible offense.
Rondo finished with almost no impact and six points and four assists. With about five minutes left in the game, Carlisle benched him for the rest of the game. Rondo not creating havoc in the lane is a detriment since he is such a poor shooter.
The Mavs, like teams have in recent weeks, put a strong defender on Butler. Butler had sunk back in January, averaging about 15 points on barely 40 percent shooting. But he had 17 points on just nine shots against the Spurs, and Friday became the prime offensive option late.
The Bulls repeatedly had Rose and Butler in pick and roll, getting Monta Ellis onto Butler with switches. Earlier in the game, Butler continually took the smaller Ellis into the post. As the Mavs adjusted later, taking out Rondo and putting Ellis on Rose, Thibodeau countered with the Rose/Butler pick and roll that forced Ellis back on Butler. Butler took advantage, making a key 10 footer over Ellis with 1:54 left for a 99-91 lead. Butler also stripped Dirk Nowitzki of a rebound with 4:42 left, leading to a pair of Brooks free throws for a 95-85 Bulls lead, the largest of the fourth quarter.
The Bulls would hang on down the stretch despite a staggering 24 turnovers leading to 32 Dallas points when Rose with 6.9 seconds left and the Bulls leading 100-98 drove into a triple team. Rose missed in what seemed like a foul, but he then chased down the rebound. The Mavs had to foul with a tenth of a second left with no chance for a last shot.
"We knew what we had to do," said Butler, "and we finally decided to buy into it and get it done."
That was in reference to a team clear-the-air-session after the loss in Cleveland Monday and a pair of dynamic back to back defensive performances as the Bulls pounded the Mavericks on the backboards 47-30.
Gasol was terrific again with also some of the best defense he's played for the Bulls this season in help situations. Taj Gibson, with 15 points and seven rebounds, had one of his more energetic efforts and a trio of powerful interior moves for scores earlier in the fourth quarter which enabled the Bulls to create that 10-point margin after going into the fourth quarter leading 80-75.
The Bulls also got Tony Snell's best game of the season. Snell, starting again for the injured Mike Dunleavy who missed his 12th consecutive game, scored 10 points. He had a dozen points in each of the previous two. But against the Mavericks, Snell made aggressive moves to the basket instead of standing outside waiting for a shot. He did make a pair of threes, but he also was more engaged in the offense. And the Bulls even opened the game going to him on their first two possessions. Someone check to see if Thibs is possessed.
"We just want to win," said Noah. "We just have to get into a rhythm and sometimes a humbling experience is good. We want to take it step by step, keep our mindset on improving, and I think we will alright."
It did show how vital it was to have Noah back in the starting lineup as the Bulls had their best defensive opening quarter in weeks as they raced to a 10-2 lead to start. Noah's help defense on the first several Dallas possessions contributed to misses while Noah got to the rim as well with a well timed pick and roll with Butler.
"I got a little winded, but it just felt good to be out there," said Noah.
Otherwise, it was left early to Rose, who had an amazing quarter with 13 points, three of three pointers, a steal and a block.
"That's what a star point guard does," said Butler. "It's easier to play with the lead."
A photo posted by Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) on Jan 23, 2015 at 6:24pm PST
The Bulls closed the 30-point first with a long armed driving slam dunk from Snell and a spinning postup score from Gibson that began to display the Bulls many offensive possibilities.
The Bulls pushed the ball much more, which suits their offense. It's perhaps one reason they fare so well against Western Conference teams, an 11-6 record, which is a slightly higher winning percentage than they have against Eastern Conference teams. So much for the mighty West, though the Bulls Tuesday open their six-game Western Conference trip against dominant Golden State. The Bulls sometimes tend to walk themselves into games, which you can't do against the more open style Western Conference teams. The Bulls are better when they play faster, and they showed it again against the Mavericks. Active offense tends to put some energy into their defense. And though a team meeting Tuesday is being credited for this new defensive spirit, it seems no coincidence it's coming against Western Conference teams after that stretch against Eastern teams. Of course, the Bulls are in the Eastern Conference and have to beat those teams in the playoffs. So perhaps it's not a perfect indicator. But it does suggest what might work better, and the Atlanta Hawks are one of the league's highest scoring teams.
Nikola Mirotic made a three early in the second quarter for a 36-28 lead. But with Snell emerging and Noah's return, Mirotic's playing time is again shrinking as he played just two minutes. He likely will fall farther out of the rotation once Dunleavy gets back.
Rose pushing the pace when he returned in the second quarter got Hinrich a three for a 43-32 lead. Hinrich was two of two on threes with an efficient eight points in his private redemption game after his three-shot foul against the Mavs last month let them escape Chicago with a double overtime win. The Mavs use a zone defense more than any team in the league. Some have suggested when Gasol and Noah were having difficulties on defense adjusting to one another the Bulls do the same. Thibodeau is generally opposed to zone defenses as it confuses the rebounding responsibilities. And that's what happened to Dallas as the Bulls twice gathered in misses for scores with the Mavs on a zone while trying to have another answer for Rose's quickness into the lane. Rose did show an enthusiastic fist pump on a tough three-point play for a 50-42 lead. But turnovers thwarted the Bulls as the Mavs closed within 54-51 at halftime.
It was all Butler in the third quarter as he set up Snell for a three as the Mavs began to double team him and generally used his strength to batter Ellis and hold him on the other end to 17 points. Dirk Nowitzki with 24 points led Dallas. Gibson also had some nice passes out of the post to shooters for scores while Butler added three assists and two steals in the third to his 11 points. Still Dallas hung in by five.
Noah opened the fourth quarter with a rolling slam dunk on a set up from Rose and it was a familiar sight with Noah and Gibson diving on the floor for a loose ball to get a tie up. Brooks, who had a quiet offensive game, made a big floater and pushed the ball to a running Gibson for a score after the Mavs got within 84-81. Nowitzki still can make big shots and did. But the Bulls had answers with Gibson, Butler and then that last Rose saving offensive rebound.
It was a Rose move of two quick steps for the ball and then slowing up with two slow steps to get the ball and move it to Hinrich, who held it and then passed to Gasol to effectively end the game. It would conclude a heck of a dance against two of Texas' best.
Bulls, Mavericks, Sam Smith analysis
Sam Smith analysis
Bulls get the band back together
Top 5 Draft Prospects by Position


text:
Home » Posts by ErikRaymond
Author Archives: ErikRaymond
KAT CUNNING SIGNS WITH LAVA RECORDS RELEASES NEW SINGLE & MUSIC VIDEO "SUPERNOVA (TIGERS BLUD)"
posted by ErikRaymond
Christened "One To Watch" by BBC tastemakerAnnie Mac and streamed over 10 million times independently, singer, songwriter, performer and dancer Kat Cunning (pronouns: they/their) releases a new single and music video entitled "Supernova (tigers blud)" It marks their official debut for LAVA Records. Produced by Sir Nolan [Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber] and Simon Says [Selena Gomez, Bryce Vine], the track charges forward on soundtrack-worthy percussion and sweeping guitars as Kat's […]
'The Jinkx & Dela Holiday Special' Comes to Hulu
The special was directed and executive produced by BenDeLaCreme under her production company, BenDeLaCreme Presents. Brian Benson, Gus Lanza, Kevin Heard produced. Jinkx and BenDeLaCreme can also be seen in HAPPIEST SEASON, Hulu's record-breaking, most-watched Original Film Debut, streaming now on the platform. "The Jinkx & Dela Holiday Special" Logline: Hold on to your sugarplums and […]
SOLSTICE STUDIOS TO RELEASE REVISED MARK WAHLBERG FILM FEB. 19 UNDER NEW TITLE 'JOE BELL,' TIMED TO AWARDS SEASON
Solstice Studios will release a new cut of Mark Wahlberg's latest film under the new title Joe Bell on February 19, 2021, timed to this year's delayed awards season. The company acquired the movie at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Based on an inspiring true story, the film (which was previously titled Good Joe Bell) stars […]
Check Out the 'Happiest Season' Original Soundtrack Out Now
Facet Records / Warner Records proudly present the Happiest Season Soundtrack: Music from and inspired by the Hulu Original film, out now. The album is executive produced by GRAMMY® Award-nominated songwriter and Facet Records co-founder Justin Tranter (Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Bebe Rexha, The Chicks). In celebration of the queer community, each of the eleven tracks on the album feature LGBTQ+ songwriters or artists. The […]
The Vamps FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM 'CHERRY BLOSSOM' OUT NOW
The Vamps are back with Cherry Blossom. An album title that is a reflection of the theme of rebirth that runs throughout. And a rebirth of The Vamps it is. Their most personal and fully-formed to date – the album was aided by the enforced rest, with the band having the time and space to […]
Heart's Ann Wilson Releases a "Revolution"
Rock icon Ann Wilson, of the legendary Heart, debuted her solo single "The Revolution Starts Now." Wilson delivers a timely, empowering anthem with her unparalleled, throaty vocals. Connect:http://www.annwilson.com/ http://www.facebook.com/annwilsonheart/ https://twitter.com/AnnWilson https://www.instagram.com/annwilson/
VOCAL POWERHOUSE MALIA CIVETZ DROPS DEBUT EP 'THE FLIP'
Vocal powerhouse Malia Civetz gives listeners a taste of pop's future with her debut EP, The Flip, on Warner Records. In addition to previously unheard songs, the six-song set includes three fan favorites: "Broke Boy," which is approaching 7 million streams after appearing in HBO Max's Unpregnant; the infectiously no-nonsense "Disrespectful," and Civetz' latest slinky share, "Love Thing," featuring Yung Baby Tate. Get The Flip EP HERE. Across The Flip, Civetz paints an honest picture […]
CXLOE'S DEBUT EP 'HEAVY PART ONE' OUT NOW
The wait is finally over. Australia's dark-pop princess CXLOE today releases her debut body of work; a six-track EP titled Heavy Part One – out now via Sandlot Records/AWAL. Expressing her excitement for the release, CXLOE explains, "Having my debut EP, Heavy Part One, out in the world is so exciting and therapeutic for me as an artist. I have been working on […]
LGBT Cult Classic 'BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER' Comes Out on Digital 4K Ultra HD December 8
Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of "the best lesbian movie of all time" (Riese Bernard, Autostraddle) when But I'm a Cheerleader: Director's Cut arrives on Digital 4K Ultra HD December 8 from Lionsgate. From Primetime Emmy® Award-nominated director Jamie Babbit (2017, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, "Silicon Valley"), the film features an all-star cast including Golden Globe® nominee Natasha Lyonne (2020, Best […]
ILLENIUM SHARES A NEW VOLUME OF "NIGHTLIGHT" REMIXES
Platinum crossover electronic artist and producer ILLENIUM releases Nightlight (The Remixes, Vol. 2) featuring remixes by MOTi, Just a Gent, Ray Volpe and LNY TNZ out now – listen HERE. "Nightlight" has currently reached over 20M collective streams. As one of the most successful crossover electronic artists today, Denver-based producer/DJ ILLENIUM, née Nick Miller, has elevated dance music via […]
Chantel Keona on TONI BRAXTON TO RELEASE 10TH S…
Ron Carpenter on The Pulse Massacre: In My Own…
Sally Simpson on Enter to win a DIRECTV '…
Karen on The Pulse Massacre: In My Own…
akiwigirlabroad on The Pulse Massacre: In My Own…


For those who want a complete turn-key program. We do the document imaging prep work, scanning, indexing, quality control, and provide secure electronic storage in our bunkered repository (asiChamber) giving you 24 hour secure image access from any location. We will then either store, shred, or return your paper documents according to your needs.
When document imaging we do the prep work, scanning and indexing, and then provide you with the digital images of your documents in any format needed on a media storage device or through an electronic file transfer. You then store and manage your electronic documents in your own system or specialized software.
You perform your own prep work, scanning, and indexing. We then store your scanned images in our bunkered repository giving you 24 hour secure access to your files. For this option we can also provide the proper scanner for the job, no software or computer workstation required! However if you desire a full software system for the management of your files including capture capabilities we can help with that as well.
We store your hard copy records in our secure facility and scan your documents on an as needed basis and make them available to you through our secure asiChamber repository web portal or via encrypted email.


Anyone will be your best buddy if you pay them enough, right? Guess what? In Japan it might not be as bad as it sounds.
You nervously contact an organization that can put you in touch with people who like to 'hang out'. Someone you don't know meets you at an agreed upon location, does an activity or two of your choice with you and then leaves, but not before you thank them for their services and give them money.
If you've spent time in Japan, especially urban centres like Tokyo, you might already know about the practice of platonic companionship-for-hire. It might seem borderline creepy to those not that familiar with the culture, but sometimes the Japanese like to do things a little differently.
They have chin rests on their subways and horse-flavoured ice cream. You can go to a café just for a good cuddle, or if you need something a little more adventurous try a place filled with ninjas who are actually pretty decent chefs. The point is, it can be a little peculiar at times in comparison to Western living.
If you were the prying type and attending a Japanese wedding you might be surprised how many of your fellow guests didn't even know the lucky couple.
With several agencies currently operating and many charging in the $25-$30 an hour range plus all travel expenses friendship doesn't come cheap, but it's worth the price for lonely Japanese who want to have both a meaningful interaction with someone while at the same time helping to blend a little more naturally into a culture that takes personal relationships very seriously as it pertains to an individual's social status.
For some clients of the friend rental industry, they just need someone to chat with that isn't their family (lest they be judged by those who undoubtedly have issues they themselves probably need to get in the open but are afraid to).
For others it's a varied list of requests: someone to talk with to help break up the silence of waiting by themselves while they fish, single mothers wanting a husbandly father-figure to help their kids with homework or as an uncle at a school function, even a young couple paying guests to attend their wedding day (a speech or a dance is above and beyond the hourly rate).
Sometimes it's just a bride or groom doing it on their own in an effort to impress their future spouse with the sheer volume of people they know.
In North America, the activities suggested by rental friend advertisements might be a little different but the happy faces are universal.
Whether you're a dejected cosplayer who functions great in the online world but has nothing to show for in their personal life when the computer is off or you just want to hang out with people who aren't co-workers and possibly keeping a judgemental index of fashion hiccups, renting a friend in Japan isn't practiced by everyone but those that do feel it's helping to fill a major void in their life.
Some folk in North America have been discovering the same services on home soil, and looking at one company's website what they offer ranges from helping people find workout buddies to dance partners to having a smiling face in front of them that can teach a new language or two. How do you say, "I'm not sure about this?" in Mandarin?


text:
25 April 2008 - 10:58am | posted by Staff Writer
Gibson to leave Xfm with Classic FM boss installed
Xfm Glasgow radio has received a reprieve from new owners. However, its MD Alan Gibson is being made redundant as the role is consolidated into a new post which will oversee all of Xfm stations in Glasgow, Manchester and Cardiff.
Xfm, the troubled Glasgow radio station has received a reprieve from new owners following its purchase by Global Radio. However, its MD Alan Gibson is being made redundant as the role is consolidated into a new post which will oversee all of Xfm stations in Glasgow, Manchester and Cardiff.
That role will now be filled by Darren Henley, the current MD of Classic FM. The news will end the uncertainty surrounding the station which has been apparent since previous owners GCAP announced they were either to sell the business, or failing that, hand the license back to Ofcom.
However, GCap itself was acquired by Global Radio in a £375m deal and it now plans to revitalise the Xfm franchise.
But it means a Scottish MD is no longer part of the plan and Gibson, who joined from SMG last year, will be leaving soon.
The station now plans an aggressive recruitment drive to replace staff who left what must then have appeared to be insecure jobs. The sales department is looking to recruit account managers, a sponsorship and promotions account manager and a creative writer.
The station is also currently searching for a new marketing and operations controller, following Stuart Duncan's departure to sales promotion agency Multiply.
MediaScotland
Up next in Media


We had a short moment with DGTL headliners to film cinematic trailers for its Barcelona edition.
The portrait shots of Nina Kraviz and Maceo Plex were taken minutes after their closing sets.
Strahil Velchev had more time in between his performances as KiNK and Cirillic, so we could explore the festival terrain to take a few photographic shots.
Mano Le Tough often comes across distant and reserved, but this shoot was surprisingly playful.
Elekfantz added an interesting touch to Gui Borrato's live.
Here we've got both modelling and DJing talents of Hot Since 82.
Last, but not least, Agoria.
All the artists above, and many others, will perform on the 12 / 13 of August at DGTL Barcelona.
Anna is the solar engine of the Blitzkickers. As a video director, she knows how to identify and embrace the creative vibe and is not afraid to trust her intuitive mind.


text:
class Integer
  def fact # Factorial
    Math.gamma(self+1).floor
  end
end


Please read the piece of news.
New operations in Geometry module: Automatic coordinate vectors and other.
Export CAD models to VTK native format in Geometry module.
New operations in Mesh module: Split hexahedrons to 24 tetrahedrons, Remove orphan nodes, Create boundary elements, Duplicate nodes / elements.
Improved Quadrangle mapping meshing algorithm: new Reduced (layers) type of meshing.
New filters in Mesh module: Coplanar faces.
Graduated axes trihedron in the OCC viewer.
Customizable shortcuts for some most frequently used operations.
Multi-language support (plus French resources).
SALOME 5.1.5 supports Debian 4.0 Etch 32bit and 64bit; both are Ubuntu compatible. The latest installation wizard packages can be retrieved from the download page of the official site. I expect the tutorial "Installation of SALOME 5.1.3 on Ubuntu 10.04 (64 bit)" would still be helpful when install the latest SALOME 5.1.5 onto Ubuntu 10.10. I also look forward to receiving your testing feedback on this.
The two packages libg2c0 and gcc-3.4-base don't appear to be available any longer so I'm unable to carry out the installation on 10.10. Possibly it's a problem with the package archive.
and you would find how to download and install both packages manually.


LAMBING AT BLACK CAT FARM!
Supporting farmers and agriculture in the Boulder area is one of OSMP's charter purposes. Join us for a special lambing season tour of Black Cat Farm, a local organic agricultural operation, and meet the sheep and dedicated people who raise them. There will be plenty of time for questions and a chance to pet the lambs and friendly sheep dogs. All ages welcome. Be prepared to get dirty! And please do not bring dogs.


A double major in English and Anthropology, this editor has applied her talents to editing documents from a diverse array of subjects, ranging from sociology to biosciences to clinical medicine. A member of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA), she has worked in a senior capacity for several well-known publishing firms.
My first question relates to your resume. Your areas of specialization include medicine and nursing in addition to anthropology and sociology. When you edit a document on medicine as opposed to a document on humanities or arts, do you follow a different process?
Well, I would say that overall my editing process is the same, because I focus on areas such as punctuation, grammar, and readability of the paper, whether it's on medicine or sociology.
However, I would probably ask more content-related questions while editing a medical paper, simply because the developments in the field of medicine are tremendous, and in some areas I would not be able to follow some of the technical details. So, if there are issues involving the clarity of the presentation, I try to provide some pointers if I can, but sometimes I can only mark the unclear passage and ask the authors to try to rework it.
When it comes to authors writing on sociology or anthropology, you can normally detect their overall style, whereas medical or technical documents tend to be more curt and to the point. What do you think?
Well, I agree with you. Medical papers are written in a very factual style, because the information must be conveyed clearly, using an established format. So, when preparing an article for submission to a medical journal, authors need to organize their thoughts within the particular framework of the journal and maintain a consistent style. When I edit, I always try to maintain the author's style rather than imposing my own. So, if the article is a technical paper and the author has a particular style, I will not interfere with that style. I will only try to clean up any errors and see that the rules of grammar are followed.
You have extensive experience editing papers by non-native English speakers. What are the things that non-native speakers, especially Japanese authors, should keep in mind when they write papers in English?
One of the things I have observed is that many non-native authors write very long sentences. It's usually much easier for a reader to understand the content of a sentence when it's short and to the point. Extremely long sentences are often constructed from two or more short sentences that have been strung together. When I think the reader's comprehension of a passage would be improved, I'll suggest ways in which the author can break up these long sentences into shorter statements that build on each other to present the author's point.
Some authors write long paragraphs, with lots of supporting information, at the end of which they condense their main point into a single statement. When a paragraph is filled with supporting data, this type of statement may be more effective if placed at the beginning of the paragraph. This orients the reader to the main point that will be developed in the rest of the paragraph. So, rather than starting at one point and working through a series of statements to a conclusion, it may be better to make the main point available to the reader at the beginning, and then follow with the supporting information.
With Japanese authors in particular, a major issue is working with definite and indefinite articles (the, a, and an) because English articles don't have exact equivalents in Japanese. So, authors are often uncertain about which article to use in a particular instance. There are grammatical rules for using the definite versus an indefinite article, but other decisions, such as when to use and when to omit articles, are more subjective and can only be learned with experience.
You have handled a number of rush assignments, once even a 16,000-word pharmacology document in a single day. Do such assignments challenge your skills? Do you handle them differently?
I would say that my process is always the same. I don't think of editing a document until I have a sense of the whole thing. Usually, I look through the copy to the end so that I can see where the author is starting and where he or she is trying to get to. But I am particularly careful with assignments that have really close deadlines. Sometimes I don't really understand some of the issues being addressed until I've worked halfway through the paper. Then I suddenly realize what the author is trying to say in the abstract. When I don't have much time for an edit, I try to identify the major points that are being discussed, so that I have the maximum possible information in my head when I go on to edit.
Is editing always a good learning experience?
Yes, the thing I like about editing is that I am always learning something. There have been some interesting assignments for which I would like to commend the authors' efforts, such as those discussing the development of new drugs, which will ultimately help all of humanity. There are many such moments when you feel that you are really contributing something beyond the simple correction of text.
Is that one reason why you decided to become an editor? Did it just happen or was it a conscious choice?
I'm not sure if I really thought of being an editor. I have always been interested in the English language. In fact, English literature was one of my majors in college; I've always loved books and I wanted to work with something that had to do with writing. I enjoy learning about a variety of subjects, and editing has given me an opportunity to keep expanding my knowledge about diverse topics. This is what has kept me interested in editing over all these years.
Could you tell me about your academic background and your work experience in general?
I am a double major in English and sociology. I started as an English major but I enjoyed sociology so much, and I took so many courses, that I ended up with another major! Once I got out of college, I worked for a law publisher for three years. They published books on tax law, which were quite dry and not particularly interesting.
When an opportunity came up to join a medical publisher, I jumped at the chance. My sister is a physician, a kidney specialist, and owing to her, I had an interest in medicine and health. So, I pursued medical editing, and from there I went on to general science and other areas. I have worked in many capacities within publishing - I've been a production editor, a managing editor for a large textbook publisher, and a development editor. I eventually decided to work as a freelance editor because I wanted to have some control over my schedule.
Does editorial feedback really help authors? Do you agree with the concept of providing explanations for some changes you make in a text, like the remarks file that we have?
Yes, I think that this type of feedback is very important. Especially with non-native English authors, I sometimes try to provide an explanation of why I've made a change so they understand it is not arbitrary but is based on either rules of grammar or my experience of the topic.


The Maurten Water Bottle is a handy BPA-free water bottle to use during your training. The bottle has a good grip and is easy to hold. You can ideally use the bottle to mix the Maurten Drink Mix. Read more..
The Maurten Water Bottle is a handy BPA-free water bottle to use during your training. The bottle has a good grip and is easy to hold. You can ideally use the bottle to mix the Maurten Drink Mix.


text:
Constance Hauman (born 1961) is a soprano. She attended Northwestern University. Constance Hauman performed the title role in the live recording of Alban Berg's Lulu (Chandos) made in Copenhagen in 1996 at the Queen of Denmark's Castle. Shifting from her longstanding classical career, Constance Hauman's first full-length release of original songs, Falling into Now, was chosen by the Guardian UK Music Critic Caroline Sullivan as one of the top 10 best pop albums of 2015, coming in at No. 8 between Mark Ronson and Florence and The Machine.

Overview
Constance Hauman has over 2500 international performances to her credit, portraying over 70 diverse roles in opera and music theater.

December 2019 she made her Vienna Statsoper (Vienna Opera) debut  in the role of Queen Elizabeth, Purity and Friend of Orlando's son in Olga Neuwirth's world premiere of Virginia Wolff's Orlando.  She was featured as Artist of the week in Opera Wire for these roles and her unusual career which spans Opera, rock, pop, jazz and funk.

In 2003–2004, Hauman sang the World Premiere of Alice/Renee in Olga Neuwirth and Elfriede Jelinek's stage adaptation of David Lynch's film Lost Highway. This production was a special event to honor the city of Graz, Austria as the Cultural City of Europe 2003. Performances continued in Basel Switzerland and the recording on Kairos was a recipient of France's esteemed Diaspon d'Or music award in Paris.

Leonard Bernstein handpicked Hauman to fill in on 24 hrs. notice to replace an ailing June Anderson in the only concerts where he conducted his operetta Candide himself. This performance catapulted her to over 150 performances of Cunégonde in Candide over a 6-year period.

Equally sought after on the symphonic and philharmonic stages, she has appeared and recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Lyric Opera; Chicago Symphony; San Francisco Symphony; London Symphony; New York City Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Long Beach Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Dallas Opera, Washington National Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Miami Opera, Toledo Opera, Spoleto Festival Charleston S.C.; Canadian Opera; English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, London Sinfonietta; Opéra de Nice, Opéra de Marseille, Opéra de Tours, Opéra de Nantes, Opéra de St-Étienne, Opéra du Rhin, Opéra de Montpellier, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Opéra Comique, Opéra National de Paris; Opera de Roma, Teatro Communale Florence; Spoleto Festival; Spanga Festival Holland; Japan Philharmonic; Royal Danish Radio Orchestra; Hong Kong Festival; Orquesta di Lisboa, Portugal; VARA Radio Orchestra, Amsterdam.

Hauman made her theatrical debut as Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir, A Fantasia on Florence Foster Jenkins at The Falcon Theatre in Burbank CA, February 2009 to critical acclaim. She was nominated as best performance in a duo comedy by LA Theatre Awards.

Hauman is a Richard Tucker Award recipient, and a 2008 recipient of an Alumni Merit Award from Northwestern University.

Exiles in Paradise
Constance Hauman is the creator, writer, producer, performer of Exiles in Paradise, a documentary film/live performance recital with string quartet which spans the history, lives and Hollywood stories of Eastern Europe's exiled composers in Los Angeles from 1932 to 1949. Exiles opened up the Jewish Museum in Berlin on September 10, 2001; it has been performed at the 92nd St.Y. NYC; Austrian Embassy, Washington D.C.; and in 2006 for a run of performances at the Falcon Theater (Garry Marshall) in Burbank, CA. Most recently, Exiles in Paradise was performed in Pinehurst, North Carolina, featuring soloists from the Carolina Philharmonic.

Recordings
Constance Hauman can be heard on the following record labels: American Classics (Milken Archives), Capitol (Empire of the Sun/LUX), Chandos (Lulu), Kairos (Lost Highway), Teldec (Parsifal), Sony (Madame Butterfly) and Isotopia Records (Falling Into Now, High Tides, Rare Christmas, The Quarantine Trilogy, waves 1, 2 & 3, Tropical Thunderstorm; Bad Get Some and Feed the Wolf)

Shifting from her classical roots, Falling into Now is Constance Hauman's first full-length release on her label Isotopia Records. It is also the first album by Ms. Hauman as a singer-songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Featuring 14 original songs from her catalogue of over 200 songs and arrangements, Falling into Now fuses the genres of pop, jazz, orchestral and alternative blue-eyed soul. Ms. Hauman is joined by renowned drummer/percussionist Ross Pederson who also partners with Ms. Hauman as co-arranger/producer and as co-composer for the title track. Falling into Now was released on October 30, 2015, in the United States and on December 2, 2015, in UK/Europe and Asia. In July 2015, Isotopia Records became an imprint of the Irish label Heresy Records and has worldwide digital and physical distribution with Naxos. A deluxe version of Falling Into Now was released on Spotify October 8, 2018, to coincide with the success of the album's launch to non-commercial radio.

Constance's second vocal solo album of original works titled High Tides, again with Ross Pederson, was released on Isotopia/Heresy Records January 25, 2019, to critical acclaim in both the US and Germany "Extraordinary craftsmanship as a songwriter...undeniable talent...Astounding...Inspired Music that floods the listeners' consciousness"—Musikreviews.de

Her third album The Quarantine Trilogy, (1st and 2nd waves) released May 29 and August 28, 2020, marked Hauman's foray as a solo pianist and her first recording of purely instrumental music. The album features Hauman on keyboards with Pederson and his wife bassist Julia Adamy. The album of pre lockdown improvisations between Hauman and Pederson, completed in social distanced home studios was inspired by her personal experience of COVID-19 and recent traumatic political events.

Hauman/Pederson followed up the series with The Quarantine Trilogy, the 3rd wave October 30, 2020.

January 2021 Isotopia released Hauman/Pederson single Taking Some Steps Ahead which went to #1 on New Age Radio. The full length album Tropical Thunderstorm was released in March 2021 and featured in May on NPR's 'Play It Forward' when the legendary George Clinton 'played it forward' to Constance Hauman's multi-genre talents. Hauman then was featured on NPR July 7, 2021 and the program was repeated November 26, 2021.

2021 closed out with her single Rare Christmas breaking #22 on top 40 Adult Contemporary Radio Charts and #28 on The Hot 100 for ACR.

2022 has seen The title track to Tropical Thunderstorm chart to #1 on Music Weekly's Indie Singles top 40 chart in July 2022 as well as hit #24 on the ACR Hot 100.

Producer/Music Director
Besides producing her own solo album projects, Constance is the music director, keyboardist, producer and co-arranger and co-songwriter for the indie soul, rock, funk band Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf, producing their debut album, BAD GET SOME, at the iconic United Sound Systems Studio in Detroit, Michigan. BAD GET SOME was released on Isotopia Records October 27, 2017, with a debut performance opening for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic on Halloween 2017 at BB King's NYC. After this performance George Clinton invited Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf to join him on his final tour in 2018, opening for him in 60 US and European/UK cities. Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf continued to tour with the legendary icon to Hawaii, Japan and Australia in April 2019. Their second album FEED THE WOLF, also produced by Ms Hauman features George Clinton on the track and music video PHAT BLUNT. George Clinton was a recipient of the 2019 Grammy Lifetime achievement Award.

Despite 3 singles breaking 20 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Indicator Chart in the spring and fall of 2020, the band broke up when Miss Velvet abruptly quit in June 2021.
The band re-formed and has performed as the Blue Wolf Experience, The Blue Wolf Extinction and currently The Blu Eye Extinction.

The Blu Eye Extinction joined a 10 city UK tour with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic in May 2022 and a 29 city US tour on his One Nation Under A Groove tour.
Constance is executive producer for first live full-length in-concert Parliament Funkadelic album in 40+ years which will be released on Isotopia March 2023 a belated commemoration of 50 years of Parliament Funkadelic and Maggot Brain.

Films
Constance can be seen as Kate Pinkerton in Frédéric Mitterrand's critically acclaimed film Madame Butterfly (1995).

Initially commissioned for the Danish production of Alban Berg's Lulu, Lewis Klahr's cut-out animation refigures the opera's themes in a torrent of images featuring Ms. Hauman as Lulu. With an ever-inventive approach to color and symbol, Klahr distills the title character's moral predicament, along with a great many of German Expressionism's characteristic motifs, in the span of a pop song. The film received many awards and accolades from several international film festivals after its debut in 1996.

References

Exiles in Paradise page
'Running wild: Constance Hauman electrifies audiences as Lulu' by Phillips, Harvey E, Opera News, November 01, 1997
Huffington Post Nov 9, 2017
NPR Play It Forward - Constance Hauman on Harmony, Rhythm, Opera and Funk
Constance Hauman - The Quarantine Trilogy JW Vibe
Constance Hauman - Tropical Thunderstorm JW Vibe
Constance Hauman - Taking Some Steps Ahead JW Vibe
Opera Wire Artist of the Week - Constance Hauman
New Age Music Guide - Constance Hauman - Taking Some Steps Ahead
Opera News Magazine - Constance Hauman - High Tides
Toledo Native Opera Singer Tours with George Clinton
George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic review, Los Angeles: A fabulous farewell from funk great
Kamasi Washington, Trombone Shorty And George Clinton Kick Off A New Season Of Outdoor Music

External links
 Constance Hauman Official Website
 Isotopia Records

1961 births
Living people
American operatic sopranos
Northwestern University alumni
21st-century American women


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Scuba Diving in Belize
Publishing a Top 10 list is always risky, especially when it comes to listing the wealth of adventures a diver can have in a country like Belize. It may be one of the smallest nations in Central America, but it's home to the world's second-longest barrier reef and three of only four true coral atolls in the western hemisphere. During the spring and early summer months, Belize is one of the most reliable destinations for swimming with whale sharks, and it boasts the most recognizable landmark in the known dive world, the massive ocean cavern known simply as the Blue Hole.
Now factor in the topside attractions-some of the most significant Mayan archaeological sites in all of Central America, laid-back beach towns, remote island dive lodges and adventurous jungle tours. Ten doesn't even begin to cover all the reasons thousands of divers flock to Belize every year. So Belize veterans, let me state up front that there will likely be differences of opinion, maybe even a few glaring omissions compared to your own list-and that we should get together soon over a cold Belikin or three and hash them out. Until then, go to and post your own list, because I'll bet we can agree on this: Belize is one great destination, no matter how you add it up.
#1 Hol Chan Marine Reserve
Hol Chan is Mayan for "Little Channel" and refers to the deep cut in the barrier reef off Ambergris Caye (#3). It's the access point to dive sites outside the barrier reef, and the center of the three-square-mile Hol Chan Marine Reserve. In place since 1987, the park is actively patrolled to enforce the rules: no anchoring, no touching the coral and no fishing. The aggressive protection has paid off in the form of abundant marine life and healthy stands of elkhorn coral-a rare treat. Though only about 30 feet deep, the cut is a must-see dive. The current can be blistering, but hanging out with the dense schools of jacks, grouper, snapper and barracuda massed along the walls is worth it.
#2 Shark Ray Alley
Leave the tank behind and bring your snorkel for the most famous site in the reserve, Shark Ray Alley. This shallow sand plateau inside the barrier reef was once the place where fishermen would clean their catches. All the discarded chum naturally attracted swarms of nurse sharks and squadrons of stingrays. Today, dive guides dole out fish scraps to lure in the sharks, rays (and anything else that happens to be swimming by) so you can get the close-up photos of a lifetime.
#3 Ambergris Caye/San Pedro
In a country filled with exceptional dive options, Ambergris Caye is the most popular spot for three simple reasons-location, location, location. The largest of 200 cayes that dot the coastline, it's just a 20-minute plane ride from Belize City. It's also the closest you can get to the Belize barrier reef. From any of the dockside dive shops you're never more than a few minutes by boat to a great dive on the deep spur-and-groove coral formations that shelter the island, or to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Topside, San Pedro is one of those quirky, laid-back beach towns that divers take to instantly. Thanks to a just-right mix of waterfront restaurants, bars, internet cafes, ATMs and small stores, you have all the conveniences of home while still reveling in that world-away feeling. Belize veterans may be surprised to learn that just this year they actually put paving stones over the old sand streets, but no worries. Golf carts are still the preferred mode of transportation, and some of your favorite establishments still have sand floors and a shoes-optional dress code.
#4 The Barrier Reef
The Belize barrier reef, the largest in the western hemisphere, stretches north to south along all 190 miles of the coastline, sheltering the interior cayes and providing divers with countless opportunities to explore. The reef runs closest to shore near Ambergris, slowly arcing away as it heads south. Dive operators from the cayes and Belize City specialize in taking divers through the deep coral canyons built by staghorn, elkhorn and brain corals. Many dive sites start in as little as 45 feet of water, but they can drop to 90 feet or more. Marine life includes all the usual Caribbean reef fish suspects, from tiny tropicals to reef sharks and turtles. The barrier reef is also home to the whitespotted toadfish, a species found only in Belize. It likes hiding in reef crevices and is easy to miss if you don't know where to look, but dive guides here are adept at finding them. They even have a special hand signal for it-fingers wiggling under the chin-in imitation of the fleshy growths on the toadfish's face.
#5 The Dolphin Encounter
Belize's first dolphin encounter is now operating at a custom facility on Spanish Lookout Caye, located just a short ride from Belize City. Hugh Parkey's Belize Dolphin Experience takes place in a natural four-acre lagoon and is more than the usual watch-Flipper-do-tricks show. "It's natural behaviors that we put on display, " says Aggie Obama, director of marine mammals. In addition to learning about the habitat and natural history of dolphins, guests also get hands-on interaction with an educational twist-feeling the dolphin's heartbeat, learning how the trainers and staff monitor the health of the animals, and how they keep the curious cetaceans mentally stimulated.
Source: www.scubadiving.com
Scuba Diving with Belize Ocean Divers Scuba Steve in Belize
Scuba Diving in Belize MS
Scuba Diving with Dolphins in Belize
John Martin (born John Martin Scripps, 9 December 1959 – 19 April 1996) was a British spree killer who murdered three tourists—Gerard Lowe in Singapore, and Sheila and Darin Damude in Thailand—with another three unconfirmed victims. He posed as a tourist himself...
Northern Caye is a small island 50 miles off the coast of Belize. The former Lighthouse Reef Resort (closed 2005) catered to scuba diving enthusiasts. The caye is noted for its saltwater crocodiles and snowy egrets.
Real Estate For Sale in Belize
Buying land in Belize is easy for everyone, locals and foreigners alike. Don't be intimidated into thinking that prime beachfront…
Belize City Scuba Diving
We booked a scuba trip with Sea Sports from the good reviews we found about them online. A great company. They limit the…
All Inclusive luxury Resorts Belize
Government Belize
Belize Hotel Association
How to Travel to Belize?
Largest Cities in Belize


text:
Q: Unable to fetch the video title in ExoPlayer Currently, I was trying to play a video from url in ExoPlayer version 2.18.1. The video play works fine but the problem arises when I try to fetch the title of the video. I searched everywhere but nowhere it shows any solution for the case that title is not being fetched.
I tried to use the onMediaMetadataChanged but that does not work. I even tried using exoPlayer#mediaMetadata but that does not work either. So, i tried placing exoPlayer#mediaMetadata in onPlayerStateChanged but that did not work either. I tried with different properties like

*

*albumTitle

*title

*displayTitle

but none of them give me the result. Only I get null. What can i do to get the title? This is my code I am using to play the video in case that makes any difference:
exoPlayer = ExoPlayer.Builder(this).build()
binding.player.player = exoPlayer
val url = "http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/BigBuckBunny.mp4"
val mediaItem = MediaItem.fromUri(url)
exoPlayer.addMediaItem(mediaItem)
exoPlayer.playWhenReady = true
exoPlayer.addListener(this)
exoPlayer.prepare()

PS: I am using this for my video sample.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Contact RCMA
RCMA Leadership
Join RCMA
Reflective Roof Coatings Institute (RRCI)
Architects and Consultants
Building Owners and Facility Managers
RCMA Speakers Bureau
Reflective Coatings FAQs
Reflective Roof Rebates Database
About Cold Applied Roof Coatings
Types of Cold Applied Roof Coatings
The Bitumen Roofing Industry: A Global Perspective
Roof Coating FAQs
Coatings Tech Notes
VOC Regulations
RCMA E-Newsletters
RCMA Press Releases
RCMA Government Affairs Committee
This committee is responsible for tracking government affairs and regulatory issues on the state and federal level, and for providing advocacy in these areas on behalf of the RCMA and its member companies. Its task forces include the VOC Task Force and the GHS / HazCom Task Force, with additional arms for Federal and State Legislative and Regulatory Issues.
RCMA VOC Task Force
This task force is responsible for managing all issues that relate to Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) regulations and issues. Key priorities for this task force include monitoring regulatory changes and providing advocacy in rulemaking processes, with a focus on the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The RCMA VOC Task Force also is engaged on ozone regulations, solvent exemption issues, and ensuring that the RCMA VOC Regulatory Maps remain up to date.
RCMA GHS / HazCom Task Force
This task force is responsible for addressing issues related to the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) which was updated to be aligned with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The task force works to identify areas for providing member training and compliance guidance, fields questions on HCS implementation and manages outreach to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other government agencies.
RCMA Technical Affairs Committee
This committee oversees the technical affairs of the RCMA, including codes and standards monitoring and advocacy, sustainability issues, filling technical data gaps, and conducting research, studies, and developing technical information on issues of importance to the coatings industry. Its task forces include the Codes & Standards Task Force and the Sustainability Task Force, with an additional arm devoted to conducting research and developing technical guidance documents.
RCMA Codes & Standards Task Force
This task force is responsible for monitoring, reviewing, and developing proposals for ICC, IgCC, IBC, IECC, etc. In addition, the task force monitors and provides advocacy in standards development areas such as ASHRAE. Finally, the task force works with groups such as the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) to ensure roof coatings are being fairly treated within the larger roofing industry.
RCMA Sustainability Task Force
This task force handles RCMA's sustainability initiatives, including green building issues and evaluating the development of sustainability documents such as Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), Product Category Rules (PCRs), and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
RCMA Communications, Membership and Education Committee
This committee is responsible for coordinating the communications, membership recruitment and retention, and meeting programming efforts for the RCMA. Its task forces include the Communications Task Force and the Membership and Program Task Force.
RCMA Communications Task Force
This task force is responsible for leading internal and external communications efforts to promote the use of roof coatings. Key initiatives include circulating a tri-annual E-Newsletter to the membership, distributing press releases, sharing content on the RCMA website and LinkedIn page, and contributing articles to trade publications. Co-chairs: Vicki Demarest, The Dow Chemical Company and Josh Spencer, Advanced Marketing International.
RCMA IRCC Working Group
This working group is responsible for the planning, promotion, and development or programming for the RCMA International Roof Coatings Conference. Working group participants suggest potential speakers and topics, convene to select speakers from submitted abstracts, identify conference partners and sponsors, assist in promoting the event, and help develop engaging programming and events throughout the conference.
RCMA Reflective Roof Coatings Institute
This institute strives to be recognized as an industry-wide resource center of reflective roof coatings. To that end, the institute serves to advance the reflective roof coatings industry through the development of research, marketing materials, and other educational resources. The institute focus areas include the promotion of reflective coatings, education around the energy savings benefits reflective coatings provide, and coordinated outreach to end users through activities such as the Speakers Bureau. The institute supports several RCMA "Member Only" benefits such as the RCMA Reflective Roof Rebates Database.
If you are an RCMA member and are interested in getting involved in any of these Committees or Task Forces, please email RCMA at [email protected] to be added to the email list for that group.
If you are not currently an RCMA member, and would like to become part of the Association, click here to fill out a membership application.
Name: Company Name: E-mail Cancel


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100 students have completed a five-day course at RAF Cosford, the home of RAF Engineering.
Girls aged 14-15 had the opportunity to work alongside RAF technicians and get hands-on with aircraft used for repairs at the RAF's School of Technical Training.
Spending the week living in RAF barrack blocks, the students were put through a programme of engineering & science challenges including writing code to operate robots and completing a glider build project.
On the final day of the course, parents and families joined event staff for the final exhibition held at the RAF Museum Cosford.
Having started in September 2017, the youth programme for the RAF's centenary year aims to build interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers.
It is the largest investment in free STEM education delivered by a HM Government department.
Air Vice-Marshal Gray, who is the senior regular serving female in the British Armed Forces, said: "I congratulate the students of this residential course for all they've achieved this week.
"We have done this with the aim of showcasing the modern Royal Air Force and the opportunities that are available to young women.


Fern M. Koleson nee Beanland, 97, born April 26, 1912 in Barnett, MO, died on June 10, 2009 at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, IL peacefully after a brief illness.
Fern moved with her young family to East St. Louis in 1939 where her husband found work as an Ironworker and then to Collinsville in 1965. As a homemaker, Fern was a dedicated grandma and aunt, caring for her grandchildren and nieces and nephews as babies and into adulthood. There were always suckers in the roasting pan on the kitchen counter for any children who came to visit. Fern was a 50-year member of Rob Morris Chapter 98 O.E.S. and Al Sihah Temple #29 Daughters of the Nile.
She and her husband Swede enjoyed being with their many friends at Ainad Shrine and Royal Order of the Jesters Court 86 events and trips across the country. For the past seven years Fern lived with her son Donald (Elizabeth) Koleson in St. Jacob, IL and Nokomis, FL.
Many beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews around the country.
A special thanks to Dr. Brad Ringhofer who cared for her for many years and the caring staff at Memorial Hospital and Memorial Convalescent Center.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Shriner's Hospital or the Scottish Rite Learning Center in Belleville.
Visitation: Friends may call from 4-8pm on Friday June 12, 2009 at the Kurrus Funeral Home in Belleville, IL. There will be an Eastern Star service at 7pm followed by a Daughters of the Nile service at 7:30pm on Friday.
Funeral: A private family burial will be at Eldon City Cemetery in Eldon, MO on Saturday June 13, 2009.


text: powershell -NoExit -Command grunt serve