Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) procures over $500 million a year of goods, materials and services to maintain efficient operation of its network of airports at Los Angeles (LAX), Ontario (ONT), Van Nuys (VNY) and LAWA-Palmdale Land Holdings (PMD). From asphalt to safety equipment to legal services, many of LAWA’s divisions utilize outside contractors to provide specialized products or services to fulfill the needs of the airport.

While each contract solicitation presents a unique business opportunity focused on individual goals and needs, there is a standard process by which LAWA solicits and evaluates potential contractors.

The process generally includes the following steps:

LAWA issues a Request for Bid (RFB) or Request for Proposal (RFP) at the time it is seeking contractors for specific projects, which contains details on the contracting process and criteria for selection. An RFB is utilized for the purchases of materials, supplies, equipment, construction services and non-professional services, and an RFP is used for unique, scientific, expert or technical services of a temporary and occasional nature, performed by independent contractors whose occupation is the rendering of such services.

LAWA advertises in a variety of sources (detailed below) to inform potential contractors about business opportunities.

Potential contractors must sign and return required administrative forms along with their proposals. These forms are detailed within the RFB or RFP.

Once the detailed proposals and required city administrative documents are submitted, designated staff members from our contracting department review the proposals for compliance, and provide it to an evaluation committee to determine the qualifications of the proposers. RFBs are evaluated based on the amount of the product or service purchased and involve a telephone quote (contract value of less than $1,000), a letter bid (value of $1,000 - $10,000), formal, written and sealed bid ($10,000 - $150,000) or formal, written and sealed bid in response to an advertisement and approved by the Board of Airport Commissioners ($150,000 or more). In the RFP process, proposals are generally evaluated on the minimum qualifications stated in the RFP and other criteria, which may include experience, financial stability of the proposer, cost and staff size and location. The City Attorney’s office oversees this process.

Depending on the nature of the contract, interviews may be conducted with the proposers, utilizing a standard list of questions, based on the evaluation criteria stated in the RFP/RFQ.

Qualified contractors are then selected based on the evaluation criteria stated in the RFP/RFQ.

The City Attorney’s office reviews all RFPs, attends pre-proposal meetings, reviews proposals of selected firms and prepares contract documentation to ensure that the vendor-selection process is in conformance with any and all City Charter and City Administrative Code contracting requirements. Please see LAWA’s Evaluation Guidelines for details on our proposal evaluation and selection process.

Additional details on the procurement process are provided below.

Types of Procurement at Los Angeles World Airports

Los Angeles World Airports procures materials, products and services through the following methods:

Request for Bid (RFB) Process

A Request for Bid is used for purchase of materials, supplies, equipment, construction services and non-professional services.

Los Angeles City Charter, Section 371, requires an open and competitive bidding process in awarding the contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder meeting the product/services specifications. Bids are not subject to negotiation.

Request for Proposal (RFP)

A Request for Proposal is used for unique, scientific, expert, or technical services of a temporary and occasional nature, performed by independent contractors whose occupation is the rendering of such services.

The RFP/Selection Criteria

As noted, in the RFP process, proposals are generally evaluated on the qualifications outlined in the RFP. Other criteria that may be utilized in selecting potential contractors is as follows:

Professional/Technical Services Contracts (Experience of lead firm and sub-consultants with similar types of projects, Experience and qualifications of key staff members, Financial stability, Cost, Staff size and location)

In preparation for the procurement of services and for budget purpose, LAWA may perform preliminary research for potential contractors, and cost of the same services that are offered prior to developing the Request for Proposal. In rare instances, a Request for Qualification or Request for Information is used.

A Request for Qualification (RFQ) is typically used when the City wishes to select a vendor to help develop a project (including project scope, cost, time frame, staffing, etc.) and to subsequently implement that project. A RFQ is used to gather information about vendors to determine if they are capable of performing certain types of services for the City. The RFQ might ask for information such as the size of the company, the amount of business conducted during the last year, the number of customers of projects similar to what the City is contemplating, the cost per project and time frame for completion, and appropriate references. The RFQ is usually reserved for the selection of engineers, architects, or other highly specialized technical providers.

A Request for Information (RFI) is used when the actual scope of work is not known or difficult to define or when LAWA needs to develop a “pool” of likely proposers. An RFI is a solicitation of ideas, solutions and/or recommendations to assist LAWA in the development of a scope of work for an RFP.

All Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Bids (RFB) and Special Bids are now available through the City of Los Angeles Business Assistance Virtual Network at www.labavn.org.

Reviewing Proposals

A panel is appointed to review the proposals for the contract. The proposals are evaluated against the criteria set forth in the proposal solicitation. Please see LAWA’S Evaluation Guidelines for details on our proposal evaluation and selection process.

Interviews

Interviews are conducted where appropriate. For each specific contract - depending on its nature - LAWA staff typically prepares a standardized list of questions following the evaluation criteria published in the RFP/RFQ for possible use by the interview panel. Standard procedures are followed for each step of each contract proposal process. Time spent with firms during interviews is dependent upon the length of the firms’ presentations and time allotted for follow-up questioning.

Opening of the Bids

Bids valued between $10,000 - $25,000 do not have formal public openings, but do have stated opening dates and times, usually on Fridays at 2:00 p.m. at the Purchasing Office. Bids valued at greater than $25,000 have a formal public opening and have stated opening dates and times. After an award of contract is made, bid recap sheets of informal awards (less than $25,000) are available to the public for inspection at the Purchasing Office. Formal bids (more than $25,000) may be reviewed on request.

Awarding the Contract

It is part of standard procedure that at the time a contract is awarded, LAWA staff submits a report to the Board of Airport Commissioners describing the RFP process, the contractor selection process and the reasons why the recommended contractor submitted the most responsive and responsible bid or proposal. Recommendations set forth in such reports are almost always by unanimous vote of the selection panel.

Contractor Responsibility

LAWA’s Procurement Services Division (PSD) administers the Contractor Responsibility Program (CRP). PSD provides technical support, conducts the CRP reviews and determines contractor responsibility. Upon receipt of complaints regarding alleged responsibility violations by a current or prospective contractor/tenant, the PSD collects necessary facts and documentation from the complainant(s) and issues a “Notice to Respond” to the alleged contractor/tenant summarizing the facts of the investigation. A contractor/tenant found non-responsible is subject to sanctions.

LAWA enjoys an excellent reputation for its contracting practices, and the CRP ensures that we maintain the highest standards with our contractors.

Purchasing, Procurement and Contract Management at Los Angeles World Airports

Utilizing a coordinated de-centralized process, various LAWA Divisions are associated with Procurement Services Division at LAWA's three airports.

RFB/RFP/RFQ Preparation, Vendor Selection and Contract Management

Airports Development Group manages the procurement process for major construction projects. The majority of contracts in this division are for personal and professional services.

Other Divisions: Many LAWA divisions purchase professional/technical and personal services. LAWA has many divisions purchasing a variety of products, services and materials. We recommend that small businesses initially work with the Small Business and Job Opportunities representative for the division where they are interested in marketing products or services - as he or she will be happy to make a first contact for you. Other divisions include:

Accounting Operations and Financial Management

Airport Operations

Airport Police

City Attorney

Construction and Maintenance

Information Technology Group

Human Resources

External Relations

Facilities Management

Finance and Budget

Technical Support

Procurement Services Division has two units that handle different types of projects: Purchasing and Contract Services. Purchasing Services purchases materials, supplies, equipment, construction services, equipment rental services, repair and maintenance services and oversees delivery of goods and services for the three airports comprising LAWA: Los Angeles International (LAX), Ontario International (ONT), and Van Nuys (VNY) airports and for our non-aviation facilities at Palmdale (PMD). Contract Servicesis the central access point and repository for all procurement and contract requirements. It assists LAWA Divisions, prospective vendors, and contractors with the provision of requirements and compliance information, including contractor's efforts to increase minority and women business participation, as mandated by City of Los Angeles and Board of Airport Commissioners policy. For more information, please contact: Los Angeles World Airports, Contract Services Unit, P.O.Box 92216, Los Angeles, CA 90009-2216; phone: (424) 646-5380, fax: (424) 646-9262, e-mail: procurementrequirements@lawa.org.

Business and Job Resources Center: This division assists those businesses who wish to sell their goods or services to the Airports. The center's primary function is economic development - their mission is to provide neighboring businesses with improved access to opportunities with LAWA. BJRC offers lists of pre-qualified subcontractors and certified minority, woman and disadvantaged businesses.

This office is also responsible for implementing and monitoring the First Source Hiring Program (FSHP). For any questions and request for assistance regarding FSHP, please contact Clarence R. Espinosa at (424) 646-7304.


Millions of Saudi women still banned from sports: HRW

Human Rights Watch warned on Monday that despite a Saudi announcement that women will be allowed to participate in the 2012 Olympics, millions of women are still banned from sports in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

"It's an important step forward, but fails to address the fundamental barriers to women playing sports in the kingdom," the New York-based watchdog said in a statement.

"Millions of (Saudi) girls are banned from playing sports in schools, and women are prohibited from playing team sports and denied access to sports facilities, including gyms and swimming pools," HRW added.

Saudi Arabia's embassy in London issued a statement on Sunday announcing that women will be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games for the first time.

The Saudi Olympic Committee will "oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify," the BBC quoted the statement as saying.

So far there has been no official confirmation of the report from Saudi Arabia, and none of the local newspapers reported the announcement on Monday.

The issue of women participating in sports remains extremely sensitive in the Muslim state, where women are not even allowed to drive and the authorities shut down private gyms for women in 2009 and 2010.

Meanwhile Dalma Malhas, tipped to become a pioneering woman competitor for Saudi Arabia, failed to qualify for the games, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) said on Monday.

"Regretfully the Saudi Arabian rider Dalma Rushdi Malhas has not attained the minimum eligibility standards and consequently will not be competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games," FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos said in a statement out of Lausanne.

He said that the International Olympic Committee however "has a number of other female athletes from Saudi Arabia in other sports who are currently under consideration."

Malhas, 20, had been aiming to achieve the minimum eligibility standard required for the Olympic Games by the June 17 deadline, but her horse was sidelined by injury and missed a month's work during the qualifying period.

The fact that "so few (Saudi) women are qualified to compete at the Olympic level is due entirely to the country's restrictions on women's rights," said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at HRW.

Worden urged the Saudi authorities to "allow sports in schools, gyms for women, and to add women to the Saudi National Olympic Committee immediately."

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei are the only three countries never to have sent women athletes to the Olympics.

Qatar has already announced it will send a three-woman team to London, comprising shooter Bahia Al-Hamad, swimmer Nada Wafa Arakji and Noor Al-Malki, a 100m and 200m sprinter.

Brunei, meanwhile, will send a woman to London as part of its two-athlete delegation -- 400m hurdler Maziah Mahusin.

Saudi Arabia's decision could provoke resistance in the country which operates under a strict Islamic code under which women are forced to cover themselves from head to toe.

There had been increasing pressure on the Saudis to fall into line over sending a women's team with International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge admitting in April that he was conducting lengthy talks with the kingdom's rulers.


Q:

How to have a fixed and % elements alongside one another in a line

I want a container to be filled in a single line in the following way:

60px fixed yellow

And then of the remaining space:

20% blue
60% black
20% red

This is what I have so far (doesn't work):
CSS
body {
    background-color: #fff;
    padding: 0px;
    margin:100px;
}

.container {
    overflow: hidden;
    padding: 0px;
    margin: 0px auto;
    width: 90%;
    background-color: white;
    border-radius: 10px;
    box-shadow: 0px 0px 6px 0px #ccc;
}

.blue_container {
    background-color: blue;
    width: 20%;
    float:left;
}

.black_container {
    width:60%;
    float:left;
    background-color: black;
}

.red_container {
    width: 20%;
    float:left;
    background-color: red;

}

.fixed_conatiner {
    float:left;
    background-color: yellow;
    width: 60px;
}

.transparent_container[type="fixed"] {
    padding:0px;
    margin:0px;
    width: 60px;

}

.transparent_container[type="avazmishe"] {
    padding:0px;
    margin:0px;
}

HTML

A:

You were on the right track, all you have to do is subtract that fixed containers width from your fluid container with a left margin. Try this:
.transparent_container {
    margin-left: 60px;
}


/*
Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
distributed with this work for additional information
regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
"License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at

  http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
software distributed under the License is distributed on an
"AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
specific language governing permissions and limitations
under the License.
*/
package org.apache.plc4x.java.firmata.readwrite.utils;

import org.apache.plc4x.java.spi.generation.ParseException;
import org.apache.plc4x.java.spi.generation.ReadBuffer;
import org.apache.plc4x.java.spi.generation.WriteBuffer;

public class FirmataUtils {

    public static boolean isSysexEnd(ReadBuffer io) {
        return io.getBytes(io.getPos(), io.getPos() + 1)[0] == (byte) 0xF7;
    }

    public static byte parseSysexString(ReadBuffer io) {
        try {
            byte b = io.readByte(8);
            // Skip the empty byte.
            io.readByte(8);
            return b;
        } catch (ParseException e) {
            return 0;
        }
    }

    public static void serializeSysexString(WriteBuffer io, byte data) {
        try {
            io.writeByte(8, data);
            io.writeByte(8, (byte) 0x00);
        } catch (ParseException e) {
        }
    }

    public static int lengthSysexString(byte[] data) {
        return data.length * 2;
    }

}


Images

Images

Images

Bottle
Ô the mythical symbol of freshness by Lancôme is engraved on the front of the bottle and the emblematic roses are engraved on the back. The soft green juice represents the serenity and tranquility of a garden.


using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace HotChocolate.Language
{
    internal class VisitorFnWrapper<T>
        : ISyntaxNodeVisitor<T>
        where T : ISyntaxNode
    {
        private readonly VisitorFn<T> _enter;
        private readonly VisitorFn<T> _leave;

        public VisitorFnWrapper(VisitorFn<T> enter, VisitorFn<T> leave)
        {
            _enter = enter;
            _leave = leave;
        }

        public VisitorAction Enter(
            T node,
            ISyntaxNode parent,
            IReadOnlyList<object> path,
            IReadOnlyList<ISyntaxNode> ancestors)
        {
            if (_enter == null)
            {
                return VisitorAction.Default;
            }
            return _enter.Invoke(node, parent, path, ancestors);
        }

        public VisitorAction Leave(
            T node,
            ISyntaxNode parent,
            IReadOnlyList<object> path,
            IReadOnlyList<ISyntaxNode> ancestors)
        {
            if (_leave == null)
            {
                return VisitorAction.Default;
            }
            return _leave.Invoke(node, parent, path, ancestors);
        }
    }
}


When a sweeping democratic revolutionary movement took center stage in the Middle East in 2011, the world could not help but stare in awe as dictatorship after dictatorship fell before popular will, unable to oppose people’s cries for freedom any longer. Those powers the United States had tied itself to suddenly came undone, leaving behind little more than an open gap where Western interests once stood.

What began as an overwhelming desire for change, a yearning for social justice and the affirmation of civil principles was soon overshadowed by the rise of Islamists. Those countries, such as Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, which stood as flagships for the Arab Spring movement soon fell prey to Islamic radicalism, casting off any sense of nationalism.

Yet Yemen turned out to be a different revolutionary beast altogether. If, like Egypt or Tunisia, this poorest country of the Arabian Peninsula successfully ushered its very own despot, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, out of office, under the patronage of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, its subsequent march to freedom and democracy turned out to be very different indeed from other countries in the region.

Stuck in a neverending transition of power, Yemen saw rise from a deepening power vacuum the most unlikely of political force — the Houthis of Yemen.

Since the Houthis, a formerly obscure Zaidi faction of northern Saada organized under the leadership of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, blasted their way through Yemen’s Highlands, pushing evermore against the country’s most prominent and powerful political faction, Islah, the country has seen a shift in power that no politician and few analysts ever thought possible.

Very much the pariah of Yemeni politics, the Houthis have suffered many humiliations and defeats at the hands of former President Saleh’s regime, forced to endure sectarian-based repression and political isolation on account of their alleged “friendship” with Iran. In fact, it was in reaction to such oppression that the tribal faction organized itself a reactionary militia under the impetus of Sheikh Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi.

Although the Houthis have managed to successfully galvanize public support, exploiting Yemenis’ disillusionment toward state officials and thus positioning themselves as a valid and potent alternative to Yemen’s old guard, their successes have prompted fierce media and political backlash.

The victims of their own success, the Houthis now find themselves in the eye of a propaganda storm. They face allegations of abuses of power, disproportionate violence, religious bias and corruption. Its military and political power largely diminished, Islah has chosen to strike back at its political and religious nemesis, not on the battlefield but in the press, aware that words can often cut deeper than swords.

Coming to power

A Hawthi Shiite rebel holds his weapon while standing guard near a protest site in Sanaa, Yemen, Sept. 19, 2014.

The Zaidi faction — a branch of Shiite Islam — was initially born in reaction to Sanaa’s bias toward Shiite Islam in 1994, when then-President Saleh called on Saudi Arabia’s military and financial support to crush the Southern Yemeni secession bid. The group quickly rose above its former station on the back of the Arab Spring movement in 2011, having won its political stripes by supporting Yemen’s democratic aspirations.

The blackest of all black sheep achieved a smooth transition into mainstream politics by shedding tribal ties and rebranding their message under their new political denomination — Ansarallah.

Just as Saleh’s powerhouse crumbled to the ground, the Houthis were reborn as Yemen’s new kingmakers, having benefited from the power vacuum created by revolutionary frictions.

The Houthis’ rise to power reached a new peak in September, when the group successfully seized control over the capital, Sanaa, following a seemingly effortless armed campaign.

Prior to the group’s arrival in Sanaa, the Houthis trailed across Northern Yemen, dislodging and challenging Yemen’s main powerhouse, Islah — a faction that acts as a political umbrella for several groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis — at every corner of every road. Yemen’s former undesirables accomplished what no one thought possible when they defeated Islah’s founding tribal family, the Ahmars, in their ancestral home of Amran, thus throwing the country’s balance of power off its axis.

Endowed with a new sense of power, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi presented himself as the vessel of Yemenis’ discontents, the spokesperson of the weak and the poor, the liberator of Yemen.

Political manipulations

The relationship between Yemen’s political class and the Houthis has been complicated since the group’s very inception, mired in suspicion and riddled with accusations. The Houthis’ religious beliefs — namely, their affiliation to Shiite Islam — have led to assumptions that they are merely political and ideological puppets of Iran, another version of the Lebanese Hezbollah. In an interview with Al-Hayat earlier this year, President Hadi openly accused Tehran of meddling with Yemen’s internal affairs via Hezbollah through its support of the Houthis. Hadi slammed Tehran for attempting to engineer a political proxy and influence Yemen’s future by playing the ideological puppetmaster. He also accused Iran of having encouraged a political rapprochement between al-Harak – the Southern Secessionist Movement – and the Houthis to better hold Sanaa to its sway.

While Iran’s Foreign Ministry has often denied having any role in Yemen’s internal affairs, Yemeni politicians and the media have remained largely unimpressed by such vows of non-interference.

Speaking to MintPress, political analyst Hani Ahmed al-Sofy explained that foreign patronage has always weighed heavy on Yemeni politics, often leading opposing factions to accuse each other of playing another’s game against national interests.

“This idea that the Houthis are Iran’s proxy is not new. It is the Houthis unparalleled rise to political prominence which has led state officials to revert to political slander,” Sofy said.

“Just as al-Islah has been understood and described as a Saudi-sponsored proxy, the Houthis, and to an extent al-Harak, have been viewed as Iran’s pawns. As for President Hadi, he’s been described as Washington’s man, a mediator of sorts amid a flurry of foreign influences.”

War of words

If Islah were removed from its pedestal by the very men it thought to have politically, religiously and military contained, its leadership has fought back the rise of the Houthis by taking its fight to the media, accusing the group of banditry, abuses of power, embezzlement and land misappropriations, among other unsavory dealings. As noted by Haytham Othman, a researcher and political historian based in Lebanon, “In this war of words against the Houthis, many officials have joined the fight, mainly out of fear they risk to become politically irrelevant.”

He noted in exclusive comments to MintPress, “It is very interesting to see that the very abuses and crimes the former regime committed against the people and political foes have been pinned on the Houthis.”

Othman elaborated on his theory by pointing to recent accusations of looting and misappropriation in Sanaa against members of the Ahmar family and Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, Yemen’s former top military brass.

“When the Houthis began their cleansing campaign against al-Islah they systematically targeted the faction’s business and private interests by seizing control over lands, residences and commercial enterprises. Most mediatized were the seizures of Hamid al-Ahmar [the leader of the Yemeni Alliance for Reform party] and Gen. Mohsen’s houses.”

He added, “While al-Islah and others rose in condemnation of such acts of banditry, to recall the words of some pro-Islahi officials, many tend to have forgotten that back in 1994, al-Ahmar and his supporters ransacked Aden, claiming for their own southerners’ properties and state-owned lands, notwithstanding three decades of political profiteering and abuses of power.”

Speaking from Aden, Ali Assadi, a freelance journalist, said that if the Houthis had indeed seized control over properties formerly owned by Islah’s high and mighty, the militants did so in view of returning them to their legitimate owners.

“The Houthis have given back former South Yemen President Ali Salim al-Beidh’s house back. His home was stolen decades ago [in 1994], when President Saleh forces crushed the southern rebellion. Since, al-Ahmars have claimed ownership over dozens of residences and lands, all of which were misappropriated. This very issue has actually driven most of al-Harak’s secessionist narrative, and fed South Yemen sovereign aspirations. The lands misappropriation dossier has been a thorn in President Hadi’s administration thigh since 2012,” Assadi explained.

He added, “The Houthis have actually showed much restraint since their takeover in Sanaa, a quality al-Islah and Saleh never demonstrated. I think it is crucial to remain balanced and objective when assigning blame and launching accusations … the Houthis are not half as bad as the press are making them out to be, it’s all manipulation and propaganda, really.”

Meanwhile, Antoine Fraccas, a professor of political science, highlighted the notion that Yemen’s war of words has been driven more by jockeying for power and a desire to delegitimize and denigrate one’s political opponent than an ideological clash.

“Yemen’s political and religious tensions and divisions do not run as deep as politicians would like the public to believe. Yemen’s politics has been personality-driven; people have come to support individuals and powers, not programs or ideas. This is what is so interesting about Yemen … Divisions stem from factions’ desire to control the country’s resources, everything else — religion, foreign backing and even political alliances — have been used as weapons and/or rallying calls for popular support.”

He also noted that no politician “can pretend to be free of faults.” Further, he noted that whether it was at the hands of the the Houthis or the coalition government, abuses have been committed.

“The question is: Will the people be given a real chance to decide their political future?” he concluded.

The West has more to do with the Hong Kong protest movement than it would like us to know. It’s the ugly face of Washington’s long-standing foreign policy directed at destabilizing one of its long-standing economic foes: China.

The same media that has spent years dragging Assange’s name through the mud is now engaging in a blackout on his treatment. If you are waiting for corporate media pundits to defend freedom of the press, you’re going to be disappointed.

Think about who gets rich off of the Venezuela regime-change agenda. It’s the same people that said we had to invade Iraq in order to prevent nuclear apocalypse. It’s the same people who said the world would stop turning on its axis if we didn’t carpet bomb Libya and Syria.


Antimicrobial therapy of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection.
Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (BSI) contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality of in-patients. The optimal therapy for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus BSI consists of penicillins. The efficacy of these drugs is well documented from several published data and supported from a long clinical experience. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains are responsible for the majority of nosocomial BSI and are recovered with increasing frequency at hospital admission. Although glycopeptides still represent the drugs of choice, there are several concerns on the treatment of MRSA BSI: reports of clinical failure with vancomycin treatment, regardless of the in vitro susceptibility; increasing reports of MRSA strains with reduced vancomycin susceptibility; difficulty in therapeutic dosage monitoring of teicoplanin; lack of evidence on the efficacy of combination therapy. Recently, new drugs have been introduced in the therapeutic arsenal for MRSA infections, but their clinical use is not yet clearly established for BSI. The review summarises evidence on present therapeutic options for the treatment of S. aureus BSI.


Teva Pharmaceutical set for major layoffs in Israel, U.S. -report

TEL AVIV, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
is expected to cut 20-25 percent of its 6,860 workers
in Israel and a few thousand more in the United States,
financial news website Calcalist reported on Thursday.


Q:

Drawing a circle in c++ using openGL

I've been trying to draw a circle in c++ using openGL. So far i have a compresses circle and it just has a random line going across the screen.
This is the function I'm using to get this shape.
void Sprite::init(int x, int y, int width, int height, Type mode, float scale) {
    _x = x;
    _y = y;
    _width = width;
    _height = height;
    //generate buffer if it hasn't been generated
    if (_vboID == 0) {
        glGenBuffers(1, &_vboID);
    }
    Vertex vertexData[360];
    if (mode == Type::CIRCLE) {
        float rad = 3.14159;
        for (int i = 0; i < 359; i++) {
            vertexData[i].setPosition((rad * scale) * cos(i), (rad * scale) * sin(i));
        }
    }

    //Tell opengl to bind our vertex buffer object
    glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, _vboID);
    //Upload the data to the GPU
    glBufferData(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, sizeof(vertexData), vertexData, GL_STATIC_DRAW);

    //Unbind the buffer
    glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, 0);
}

What is causing the line? Why is my circle being compressed?
Sorry if this is a dumb question or if this question doesn't belong on this website I'm very new to both c++ as well as this website.

A:

It is difficult to be sure without testing the code myself, but I'll guess anyway.
Your weird line is probably caused by the buffer not being fully initialized. This is wrong:
Vertex vertexData[360];
for (int i = 0; i < 359; i++) {

It should be:
for (int i = 0; i < 360; i++) {

or else the position at vertexData[359] is left uninitialized and contains some far away point.
About the ellipse instead of a circle, that is probably caused by your viewport not having the same scale horizontally and vertically. If you configure the viewport plus transformation matrices to have a viewing frustum of X=-10..10, Y=-10..10, but the actual viewport is X=0..800 and the Y=0..600, for example, then the scale would be different and you'll get your image distorted.
The solution would be one of:

Create a square viewport instead of rectangular. Check your arguments to glViewport().
Define a view matrix to consider the same ratio your viewport has. You don't show how you set the view/world matrix,  maybe you are not even using matrices... If that is the case, you should probably use one.


239 Ga. 813 (1977)
238 S.E.2d 878
LAHR
v.
THE STATE.
32424.
Supreme Court of Georgia.
Submitted June 17, 1977.
Decided September 27, 1977.
Rehearing Denied October 18, 1977.
Mobley F. Childs, C. David Wood, for appellant.
Randall Peek, District Attorney, Robert E. Wilson, Assistant District Attorney, Arthur K. Bolton, Attorney General, Susan V. Boleyn, Staff Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.
PER CURIAM.
The defendant was tried and convicted of rape, aggravated sodomy and kidnapping. He was sentenced to 15 years for each offense to run concurrently. His motion for new trial was overruled and this appeal filed, enumerating 18 errors.
1. Enumerations of error 1 and 7 complain of the general grounds and failure to direct a verdict of acquittal. Since the defendant admitted all the acts complained of, but contended the prosecutrix voluntarily submitted or suggested them, this only created an issue of fact which was resolved by the jury. The jury resolved this conflict in favor of the state, and this court will not substitute its judgment for that of the jury. Glover v. State, 237 Ga. 859 (1) (230 SE2d 293) (1976). There is no merit in these enumerations of error.
2. Enumerations of error 2 and 17 complain of the trial court's ruling on defense counsel's motion to reopen the case to allow newly discovered witnesses to testify.
Defense counsel received a telephone call about 11 p. m. after both sides had rested. The call was from two co-workers of the victim. One related the victim's account of the incident told her on the following day, while the other related past instances of drinking by the victim.
The trial court did allow counsel to reopen and present the witness who testified as to the events of the rape as related by the victim, but ruled out the testimony of past instances of drinking as having no bearing on *814 whether the victim had been drinking on this particular occasion. There was no error in excluding the testimony of the second witness as being irrelevant. Code § 38-202; Park v. State, 204 Ga. 766, 771 (51 SE2d 832) (1949).
3. Enumeration of error 3 contends the court erred in allowing the testimony of certain witnesses reread upon request of the jury after asking defense counsel if he had any objection.
In Watkins v. State, 237 Ga. 678, 681 (229 SE2d 465) (1976), this court held: "A trial judge may, in his discretion, comply with a request of the jury to hear during their deliberation a portion of the trial testimony. Person v. State, 235 Ga. 814 (3) (221 SE2d 587) (1976). However, this procedure should be conducted in the presence of the defendant and his counsel. Wade v. State, 12 Ga. 25, 28 (1852); Green v. State, 43 Ga. 368, 373 (1871); Johnson v. State, 136 Ga. App. 719 (1) (222 SE2d 181) (1975)." Although the trial court should avoid asking questions in the presence of the jury which would tend to make defense counsel the "heavy," the approval of defense counsel was unnecessary to an exercise of the trial judge's discretion; therefore, we see no error which would require the grant of a new trial. See Swint v. State, 203 Ga. 430 (6) (47 SE2d 65) (1948).
4. Enumeration of error 4 contends the trial court erred in not declaring a mistrial when it was learned that a member of one of the jurors' families had been a rape victim about three weeks before the trial. Four panels of jurors were brought into the courtroom and one panel was placed in the jury box and sworn. Defense counsel then asked the question: "Have you or any member of your family been a victim of a violent type crime?" The question was not repeated to the remaining panels. Appellant now contends the question was asked en masse and would have required an affirmative answer from the juror in question. Ga. L. 1956, p. 64 (Code Ann. § 59-720) provides that jurors be placed in the box in panels of 12 for examination. The oath is administered by panels of 12; the voir dire questions are propounded to panels of 12 and defendant can question them in panels of 12 or individually but not en masse to the entire group of 48 jurors at one time.
*815 The record does not contain a transcript of the voir dire examination and the only showing is an affidavit of the juror stating that she was not asked this question.
There was no showing the the question was asked this jurors' panel when such panel was put upon the accused. There is no merit in this enumeration of error.
5. The sixth enumeration of error complains of the admission of certain exhibits into evidence. One of the items admitted was identified as containing marijuana. The exhibit consisted of the contents of an ashtray found in the defendant's bedroom and the contents of the ashtray in his car which were mixed together by investigating officers.
Assuming without deciding that the trial court erred in admitting the evidence of marijuana taken from appellant's bedroom, it was harmless under the "highly probable test," i.e., that it is highly probable that this evidence did not contribute to the conviction of rape, aggravated sodomy and kidnapping. See Johnson v. State, 238 Ga. 59 (230 SE2d 869) (1976).
6. We have carefully examined enumerations of error 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 contending error on the charge, admission of exhibits, objection to testimony, and alleged comment by the trial judge, and failing to completely instruct the jury on two occasions when they were dispersed but only reminding them to remember the instructions previously given. We have found no error in any of these enumerations of error.
Judgment affirmed. All the Justices concur, except Nichols, C. J., and Hill, J., who dissent.
*816 NICHOLS, Chief Justice, dissenting.
I dissent from the ruling in Division 5 of the majority opinion. One of the items admitted into evidence over objection was identified as containing marijuana. The exhibit consisted of the contents of an ashtray found in the defendant's bedroom and the contents of an ashtray from his car. They were mixed together by investigating officers.
Although there was some testimony which would have authorized the admission of the contents of the car's ashtray, this material lost its identity when co-mingled with that taken from the bedroom. Any marijuana found in the defendant's bedroom would constitute a separate offense not connected with the offense for which appellant was on trial. Under these circumstances it is impossible to tell whether the marijuana came from the car or the bedroom or both. See Pittman v. State, 110 Ga. App. 625 (2) (139 SE2d 507) (1965); Terry v. State, 130 Ga. App. 655, 656 (204 SE2d 372) (1974); and White v. State, 230 Ga. 327, 334 (196 SE2d 849) (1973).
"Where such evidence is admitted, and its effect is prejudicial to the defendant in that it tends to blacken his character and inflame the jury against him, this constitutes reversible error. Hagin v. State, 86 Ga. App. 92 (2) (70 SE2d 795); Harris v. State, 47 Ga. App. 864 (2) (171 SE 871)." Spencer v. State, 95 Ga. App. 454 (1) (98 SE2d 94) (1957).
The trial court erred in admitting state's Exhibit No. 28, and I would reverse the overruling of appellant's motion for new trial.
I am authorized to state that Justice Hill joins in this dissent.


World Of Goo Apk Download Latest Version For Android

World Of Goo Apk:

World Of Goo Apk is a fantastic award winning puzzle game. The game has got the famous award of iPad game of the year, best game of the year, Wii Game of the year and 16 ore awards. This game is all about the exploration of hidden Goo balls and building structures cannon balls, massive tongues, bridges etc. The simple controls of the game makes it very easy to play. You can reach the top of the leader-board by competing with other online players. The game also have some strange and dangerous levels.

The game is already available on Google Play Store but is a premium game. Means that you will have to pay for it if you want to download it. But do not worry. We are giving the direct and free download link to download this game. As we know that many players do not want to spend any money on the games. For this game you will have to pay Rs. 300 to download it officially from the play store. That’s why users who do not have any money for the games like this wants it for free. We sharing this game for free.

The game is specially designed for the puzzle lovers and has got the ratings of 4.7 on the google play store. And this is the latest version with all the updated features that are explained below.

Features Of World Of Goo Apk:

World Of Goo Apk is no doubt the best ever puzzle game specially designed for android. The game has also won any awards, which are the prove of its popularity. Following are some major features that have played important role in the fame of this game. Have a look at them:

Play secret and amazing levels. The game has a lot of levels.

Has a lot of species of Goo ball each with unique abilities, conspiracy, beauty etc.

It is an award-winning game and has won best game of the year.

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Drag and drop living, squirming and building towers of Goo.

Build the tallest towers of Goo.

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Minimum Requirements For Downloading And Playing World Of Goo Apk:

Here are the some requirements that must have fulfilled by your android device to run this game on your android. Well, mentioning that is not that important but we are doing it for our users. Many users often complain that this game is not running on their phone or have been stopping for a while, the reason may be the old version of their phones that do not support the latest version.

Android phone with at least 1 GB of RAM. [The game will not work fine in the phones with 512 MB RAM.]

World Of Goo Apk. Download link is given in the below section.

An android phone with android OS version 2.3 or higher.

hence, these were the few requirements that you need to play World Of Goo Apk. Hopefully, your device will have all these and is capable enough to download and install this game. Have a great and interruption free time while playing this game.

Version Info:

App Name

World Of Goo APK

Version

1.2

Download Link

Download

Android Version Requires

2.3 and above

Total Downloads

500000+

App Size

43 MB

Developer

2D BOY

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That will download the game on your android phone. Now you just need to install it.

Now, its time to enable the unknown sources on your android phone. For this purpose, move towards the privacy and security section under the Settings of your android phone. The following screen shot will help you in this purpose.

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Final Words:

This best ever android puzzle game is now available for you totally for free. This application also do not contains any kind of in app purchases. This game has the latest graphics. We hope that you will love to play the game. This game will surely take your experience to another level.

If you have any questions regarding this application, do mention them by dropping your comments in the comment box given below. We will love to have your feedback. Stay connected with us for more free and useful android apps. thank you!

World Of Goo Apk Download Latest Version For Android was last modified: November 10th, 2018 by Mishal Hasnain


The Chicago Bears are in the market for a cornerback in the NFL Draft. In fact, they could draft one as early as the first round, especially if Kyle Fuller departs for greener pastures in free agency.

The top corner in this year’s draft class is Ohio State’s Denzel Ward, and according to The Score’s Chris Emma, the Bears did their homework on him at the NFL Combine.

Ward wowed scouts in attendance with his workout Monday.

Ward was an All-American defender in 2017 after registering 37 tackles, two interceptions and 15 pass breakups. His workout checked all the boxes athletically, and his 5-10, 191-pound frame is big enough to challenge the NFL’s top receivers.

The Bears need the kind of athletic ability Ward would bring to the secondary. Even if Fuller re-signs, adding a player like Ward would give Chicago two high-end cover corners that, in turn, affords the pass rush more time to get to the quarterback.

Ryan Pace has to be happy with how many of the top prospects performed this week in Indianapolis. Whether it’s Tremaine Edmunds, Roquan Smith, Quenton Nelson or Denzel Ward, the Bears seem assured of drafting a quality football player in the first round.

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Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Review: "A Ghost Story" is an exceptional look at life, death, afterlife and everything in between.

A Ghost Story Review

It’s been
a few hours now that I have seen “A Ghost Story,” and I have been trying to put
my thoughts into words that can form sentences. I have trying to make sense of what
I just saw, and I still don’t know if I have it all figured out. I think I
would benefit from a second viewing. I also think that this is going to be a
movie I obsessively watch, over and over again, for many years to come. I will
be pulling it apart, dissecting entire scenes and stretches, trying to figure
out what it was writer and director David Lowery was trying to say. Make no
mistake about it folks, this is a movie that will have you thinking about it,
well after the credits roll. Some of you make hate it and some of you may love
it. From what I have read since my screening, I have learned that this is one
of the most divisive films of the year, with no middle ground.

I can tell
you that I fall on the side of the fence which calls this movie good. I wouldn’t
just call it a good movie though, this is a great movie. An amazing movie. A
movie that gets into your head and deep under your skin and refuses to leave
you alone. Just like the ghost of C (Casey Affleck) can’t seem to leave his
widowed wife M (Rooney Mara) alone after he tragically dies in a car accident
early in the movie. But is it really his wife he can’t let go of, or is it
something else? I get confused myself, and I sadly don’t have the answers. The
thing is, “A Ghost Story” refuses to offer up easy answers. That’s no doubt
where all the haters come from. Many people out there want easy answers to
movie’s questions, people find comfort and safety in being spoon-fed exposition
in every movie they see. “A Ghost Story” isn’t for everybody, and I hate highly
praising a movie that is, by design, not for all audiences. If you are an
adventurous film lover, then you should really give this one a try. If not,
move on, you’ll be frustrated by this one.

“A Ghost
Story” is definitely a movie that deals with a ghost, duh right? But it’s not
horror movie. It’s a movie that seems to encompass the entire experience of life
and death and what comes after those two things in a beautiful portrait of a
movie. It deals in life, love, loss, longing, loneliness, with an equal hand
and with equal insight. It makes you think of all of these things deeply and
how they all fit into your life. Before C dies in his accident, you can’t
really tell if he is having trouble with his marriage to M or not, but it’s
pretty clear she misses him after his death. One night on the hospital table,
he rises, wearing a sheet and with two eerie black holes for eyes. Like a
Halloween costume some little kid through together at the last minute.

What’s
amazing is that for the rest of the movie, minus one or two scenes, Casey
Affleck is under the bedsheet. He is a floating bedsheet ghost who does not
speak for the rest of the film. He observes the human lives he comes into
contact with. He never seems to go anywhere else, like he’s trapped in this
house. Did he miss his opportunity for the afterlife? Have several horror
movies with ghosts been right all along and they can’t move to the afterlife
until they complete a goal? Why is C’s ghost still roaming this house? We not
only see him observing his wife, but we see who moves into the house after she
eventually moves out. The people that seem to inhabit the house, a
deconstruction of the house, and eventually what becomes an urban landscape
many years into the future.

What’s
amazing about the movie is how Lowery plays with the perception of time and how
it seems to differ between ghosts and life. There are no cheesy title-cards
announcing the passage of time. We almost feel the passage of time through C’s
ghost. What feels like minutes or seconds is many years in the real world and
how Lowery communicates that is one of the wonders of the film. He makes a film
shorter than two hours seemingly feel like an entire lifetime, no easy feat
that.

Perhaps my
theories and ideas on the movie are all wrong. Perhaps I have totally missed
what Lowery was aiming for in the first place. If that’s the case, then I
really don’t care. It’s been awhile since I have seen something so original, so
strange and delightful all at once. This is a movie that I am very much glad
that I saw. I don’t drop the big M word very often, simply put I don’t like to.
I know what the words sets up in people’s minds regarding the movie in
question. Especially with a movie that I know will infuriate some people. I can’t
help it, though. “A Ghost Story” is a masterpiece.


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Stemless wine glasses are now the hippest way to serve up fine wine. This clever break with tradition is shaped like the bowl of finer wine glasses and designed with function in mind. Set includes 4 glasses in your choice of size and choice of monogram style. Each glass is custom hand-etched by skilled artisans. Positioning of monogram only as shown. Dishwasher safe. Arrives in a sturdy navy gift box. Food not included. Monogramming Style Guide

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a photo on Feb. 10, 2017, of its officers arresting an unidentified foreign national the day before.

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

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After previously referring to reports of 100 undocumented immigrants being detained for deportation as “grossly exaggerated,” U.S. Immigration and Customs officials on Friday confirmed the agency had arrested more than 160 individuals during targeted raids in Southern California over the previous five days.

The enforcement surge that began Monday was aimed at “at-large criminal aliens, illegal re-entrants, and immigration fugitives,” ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice said in a statement. About 150 of those taken into custody had criminal histories, she said, while some of those without a criminal background had deportation orders or had previously been deported.

It is not clear whether immigrants were targeted for violent offenses or work-related crimes, such as providing false documentation for employment, as was the case involving an undocumented mother in Phoenix who was deported early Thursday.

ICE said “many” of those arrested during the five-day sweep had “felony convictions for serious or violent offenses, such as child sex crimes, weapons charges, and assault.” About 95 percent of those detained were men.

Foreign nationals from a dozen countries were arrested across more than 55 Southern California communities across five counties, federal officials said, but did not disclose those countries or communities. On Thursday, immigration advocates said home raids had taken place in Santa Paula, Oxnard, Van Nuys, Downey and San Bernardino.

The actions are the first concerted effort by ICE under the Trump administration to arrest targeted undocumented immigrants for deportation proceedings, but agents maintained the operation was not related to the president’s executive order regarding immigration and public safety.

Politicians and advocacy groups maintained the agency conducted the operation with a lack of transparency that undermined its ability to serve public interest.

"I find it particularly galling that after misleading the media yesterday, ICE would today lecture the public about the dangers of ‘false reporting,’ " California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León wrote in a statement. "If ICE is looking for the culprit to yesterday’s panic they need only look in the mirror."

U.S. Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán, whose district is centered in South L.A., wrote a letter asking ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan to release the names of the individuals taken into custody and information on about their criminal records.

Barragán emphasized that similar raids under the previous administration were accompanied by executive orders that provided “clear and specific guidance” to those executing them, while Trump’s was “poorly worded and overreaching.” While the Obama administration implemented a clear policy of prioritizing deportation of high-level criminals, an executive order signed by Trump in his first week set up enforcement priorities that could include virtually any undocumented immigrant living in the U.S.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said he spoke with the deputy director of ICE’s field office in Los Angeles Friday to demand greater transparency about the agency’s operations in the city.

Los Angeles police were not involved in the enforcement operation as it is “not responsible for the enforcement of immigration status violations which are civil in nature,” according to Josh Rubenstein, a public information officer with the department.

“In addition, the LAPD is committed to constitutional policing principles which require reverence for the law and adherence to the constitutional limitations on detaining individuals beyond what is required under the law,” Rubenstein said.

Many activists rebuffed federal officials’ claims the sweep was “routine” and called on agents to release information regarding the crimes those arrested were convicted of.

“ICE has not been forthright with the community, attorneys, and organizations about their actions this week. They have only offered half truths thus far,” Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, said in a statement. “ Forgive us, then, if we must take their word with a grain of salt.”

Salas also characterized the enforcement as an attempt to criminalize and dehumanize immigrants under President Donald Trump’s administration.

However, the actions were planned before Trump took office, a top ICE official told the Los Angeles Times.

An ICE official confirmed Atlanta had conducted a similar surge this week, and roughly 200 arrests were made in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina in a similar routine enforcement action. Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said in a statement that he had confirmed with ICE's San Antonio field office that similar actions were conducted across Texas, calling the action "Operation Cross Check." He said he would be following up to make sure the actions were targeting the worst offenders.

Full numbers for the actions across the country will be made available Monday, the agency said.

On Thursday, protests sprang up at the deportation of Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, a 35-year-old mother of two, who had checked in with ICE at an office in Phoenix the day before, as she had regularly since a 2008 conviction of using a fake Social Security number. Protesters also took to the streets Thursday in Los Angeles in response to news of the raids, shutting down part of Alvarado Street near the Metropolitan Detention Center for nearly two hours.

The last time more than 100 people were detained in ICE raids in Southern California was last July, according to a report from the L.A. Times. All 112 immigrants arrested had criminal convictions and the sweep took four days across L.A., Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, the newspaper said.

In January of last year, the federal government conducted raids to find and deport Central American families who came to the U.S. fleeing violence in their own countries and stayed illegally. A total of 121 people were taken into custody, mainly in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.

There are an estimated 1 million immigrations without proper documentation living in Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to a report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

The ACLU circulated English and Spanish fliers on social media instructing people in danger of deportation what to do if ICE agents come to their doors. Among the tips: "If they ask to enter, ask if they have a warrant signed by a judge and if so, ask to see it (through a window or slipped under the door)." The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has also distributed “red cards” summarizing the rights and protections the Constitution affords to all people in the United States regardless of immigration status.

CNN Wire contributed to this report.

34.052227 -118.24366


at last year’s SWIB conference (SWIB18) the lobid team offered a
workshop “From LOD to LOUD: making data usable”. In the workshop,
participants created JSON-LD from RDF and indexed it in Elasticsearch
using a subset of the Bibframe works dataset published in May/June 2018.
(Thank you, LoC, for publishing it!) As byproduct of the workshop, we
created an index for the whole works dataset and means to create
visualizations on top of it with Kibana.


The race to replace ex-state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, is headed to a runoff featuring Republican Pete Flores and Democrat Pete Gallego

Republican Pete Flores and Democrat Pete Gallego are headed to a runoff in the special election to replace convicted former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio.

With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Flores led Gallego by 5 percentage points, 34 percent to 29 percent, according to unofficial returns. At 24 percent, state Rep. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio came in third in the eight-way race, and he conceded in a statement. The five other candidates were in single digits, including Uresti’s brother, outgoing state Rep. Tomas Uresti of San Antonio.

The first-place finish by Flores, who unsuccessfully challenged Carlos Uresti in 2016, is a boon to Republicans in the Democratic-leaning district. In the home stretch of the race, Flores benefited from a raft of endorsements from Texas’ top elected officials including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.

Their heft will continue to be tested in a district considered friendly to Democrats, if not solidly in their column. After taking congratulatory calls from Abbott and Patrick, Flores issued a statement insisting a second-round victory was within reach.

“I know we can win this runoff,” Flores said. “We will win this runoff. The real work begins tomorrow.” Rallying supporters in San Antonio, Gallego promised his campaign would not get outworked in the overtime round. “I know, in the final analysis, we win,” he said. The special election was triggered in June, when Carlos Uresti resigned after being found guilty of 11 felonies, including securities fraud and money laundering, tied to his work with a now-defunct oilfield services company. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison days after he stepped down. Much of the action in the race centered on Gutierrez and Gallego, a former congressman and longtime state House member from West Texas. Gutierrez went after Gallego over questions about whether he lives in the district, among other things, while Gallego highlighted Gutierrez’s history of tax problems. Flores, a former Texas game warden, was the best-known of three Republicans on the ballot Tuesday. He received 40 percent of the vote against Carlos Uresti two years ago in SD-19, which encompasses a 17-county area that starts on San Antonio’s East Side and sprawls hundreds of miles west.

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This afternoon, the prestigious, increasingly popular World's 50 Best Restaurants List from San Pellegrino was announced in London. The same four New York restaurants from last year's list made the cut this time, but their rankings changed:

Here are the moves:

· Eleven Madison Park is the highest ranking American restaurant at number four, up one slot from last year.

· Thomas Keller's 10-year-old restaurant Per Se dropped from 11 all the way down to 30.

· Eric Ripert's beloved fish restaurant Le Bernardin fell from 19 to 21.

· Daniel Boulud's flagship Daniel slipped from 29 to 40.

Rene Redzepi's influential Copenhagen restaurantjumped from the number two slot to the top of the list, displacing Spain's, which is number two. Congrats to all the winners. Head over to Eater National for the complete list.

UPDATE: San Pellegrino just announced the second portion of the list, 50 to 100. Here are the New York restaurants that placed:

64: Momofuku Ssäm Bar

68: The Nomad

70: Momofuku Ko

93: Marea

98: Jean-Georges

· World's 50 Best Restaurants 2014 List From San Pellegrino [~EN~]

· All Coverage of The World's 50 Best Restaurants [~ENY~]


Freddie Flintoff rejoins Lancashire for T20

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has come out of retirement to join the Lancashire Lightning's squad for this year's NatWest T20 Blast campaign.

The 36-year-old never thought he would get the chance to play competitive cricket again, having last done so almost five years ago, but has been training with Lancashire in recent months and is now relishing his opportunity to return.

"I'm really honoured to be part of Lancashire once again," he said on www.lccc.co.uk.

"It is something that I never thought would happen but, after training with the squad over the last few months, I am really happy that they have invited me to play.

"I have worked really hard to get back to my fittest and I hope that we have a successful summer. I'm just glad that I can be part of it."


Mercedes Abad

Mercedes Abad (born 1961, in Barcelona, Spain) is a Spanish journalist and short story writer.

She graduated in Journalism from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona after studying for her baccalaureate at the Liceu Francès. Following several incursions into the world of cinema and theatre, in 1986 she won La Sonrisa Vertical Prize for erotic narrative with her book of short stories Ligeros libertinajes sabáticos. She has published other collections of short stories: Felicidades conyugales (1989), Soplando al viento (1995) and more recently Amigos y fantasmas (2004, which won the Mario Vargas Llosa Prize for the best book of short stories in 2004); the novel Sangre (2000), and the humorous essay Sólo dime dónde lo hacemos (1991). Furthermore, she is the author of several plays and of various adaptations, including XXX, for the company La Fura dels Baus. She also works as a translator and currently collaborates with different media outlets.

References

External links
 As I fall short story

Category:1961 births
Category:Living people
Category:Writers from Barcelona
Category:Spanish journalists
Category:Catalan women writers
Category:Spanish women short story writers


Hatch expressed the recurring complaints of Republicans that President Obama never should have put Berwick in charge of an agency that gets more money than the Pentagon without first sending him to Capitol Hill for even a confirmation hearing before this “doggone important committee.”

Just three months after nominating him, President Obama used a recess appointment this summer to put Berwick in his post while the Senate was on break.

Hatch said his constituents were “outraged” by Berwick’s recess appointment and he complained Wednesday’s hearing was too brief to cover the vastness of Republican health care concerns.

Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning scolded Berwick. “Your recess appointment was an end-run around Congress,” Bunning said. “I can assure you you won’t receive special treatment next year...I expect you’ll be spending a lot of time before the House of Representatives.”

Republicans take control of the House in January. At a minimum, they promise to run Berwick and other Obama administration officials through a series of tough hearings. There’s also a move afoot to repeal the new health care law.

Berwick said that would be a “terrible” outcome. “I can’t think of a worse plan than repealing this law,” he said.


Cape Foulwind

Cape Foulwind is a prominent headland on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, overlooking the Tasman Sea. It is located ten kilometres west of the town of Westport. It was previously named Rocky Cape by Abel Tasman, the first European to visit it, in 1642.
The present name was bestowed upon this promontory by English explorer James Cook in 1770 after his ship Endeavour was blown quite a distance offshore from this point.

Tauranga Bay at Cape Foulwind is home to a fur seal breeding colony, which is accessible by a well-maintained walking track. That track, the Cape Foulwind Walkway crosses over undulating farmland, and along the edge of a scenic coastal escarpment. The walkway extends from the Cape Foulwind Road to Tauranga Bay.

Starting from endemic Hector's dolphins, several dolphin species including orcas (killer whales) can be observed around the area. Though still in very small numbers, whales such as southern right whales are started making slow comebacks as well.There are also blue penguins in the area, but it is rare to see one. Unfortunately, the number of fur seals and penguins seem to be declining.

A large cement work, which is now closed, is located close to the cape, taking advantage of the abundant limestone, sand and clay in the immediate area, plus nearby coal mines.

In the lee of the cape, toward the Buller River mouth lies Carters Beach, claimed to be the only safe swimming beach on the West Coast of the South Island.

For the former branch railway line to the quarry see Cape Foulwind Railway.

References

External links
Photo of Cape Foulwind

Category:Buller District
Foulwind


Multilevel Barriers to Engagement in the HIV Care Continuum Among Residents of the State of Rhode Island Living with HIV.
An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV. Of those living with HIV, only 40% are engaged in HIV care, 37% are prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 30% are virally suppressed. Individual-, interpersonal-, and structural-level factors that represent barriers to engagement along the HIV care continuum are important to identify in order to inform priority areas and interventions. 296 adult residents of Rhode Island living with HIV between November 2015 and January 2016 were asked to participate in an observational study (Ryan White Part B Health Resources and Services Administration-funded consumer needs assessment) to identify the multilevel factors associated with engagement in the HIV care continuum outcomes (i.e., being retained in care, being prescribed ART, adhering to ART, and achieving viral suppression-all in the past 12 months). Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to model the four HIV care continuum outcomes. The majority of participants were over age 30 (92.5%), racial/ethnic minorities (67.1%), cisgender men (56.9%), and identified as straight/heterosexual (60.5%). Overall, 95.2% of participants were retained in care in the past 12 months, 93.0% were prescribed ART, 87.1% were currently adherent to ART, and 68.2% were virally suppressed. Factors positively associated with not being retained in HIV care in the past 12 months included having no income and challenges navigating the HIV care system. Being age 18-29 and having a provider who does not know how to treat people with HIV/AIDS were each positively associated with not being prescribed ART. Factors positively associated with not being adherent to ART included being age 18-29 and substance use in the past 12 months. Finally, having private insurance and having a provider who is not trustworthy were each positively associated with not being virally suppressed. Regardless of the fact that many of the individuals living with HIV in this sample are able to achieve an undetectable viral load, challenges with retention in HIV care and ART adherence threaten to undermine the clinical and public health benefits of treatment as prevention. Future longitudinal research conducted to better understand how to boost the effectiveness of treatment as prevention in this population should focus on examining the unique multilevel factors, polymorbidities, and conditions (mostly social determinants of health including housing, socioeconomic position, etc.) associated with suboptimal engagement across the stages of the HIV care continuum.


If you come near us looking for a podcast, we will unleash hell! The boys look at episode two, discussing whether it would have made a better opening episode to the series, and who would really win in...


Substitution mutations in the myosin essential light chain lead to reduced actin-activated ATPase activity despite stoichiometric binding to the heavy chain.
Myosin essential light chain (ELC) wraps around an alpha-helix that extends from the myosin head, where it is believed to play a structural support role. To identify other role(s) of the ELC in myosin function, we have used an alanine scanning mutagenesis approach to convert charged residues in loops I, II, III, and helix G of the Dictyostelium ELC into uncharged alanines. Dictyostelium was used as a host system to study the phenotypic and biochemical consequences associated with the mutations. The ELC carrying loop mutations bound with normal stoichiometry to the myosin heavy chain when expressed in ELC-minus cells. When expressed in wild type cells these mutants competed efficiently with the endogenous ELC for binding, suggesting that the affinity of their interaction with the heavy chain is comparable to that of wild type. However, despite apparently normal association of ELC the cells still exhibited a reduced efficiency to undergo cytokinesis in suspension. Myosin purified from these cells exhibited 4-5-fold reduction in actin-activated ATPase activity and a decrease in motor function as assessed by an in vitro motility assay. These results suggest that the ELC contributes to myosin's enzymatic activity in addition to providing structural support for the alpha-helical neck region of myosin heavy chain.