Arnold Schwarzenegger signals start of TriStar Madrid
Whether or not he’ll ‘be back’, in one of the most unlikely celebrity involvements with triathlon, Arnold Schwarzenegger is opening the 2012 outing of TriStar Madrid this coming weekend.TriStar is joining forces with the international bodybuilding and fitness event the Arnold Classic Europe and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the patron of the TriStar Madrid race. As the event organisers note, the ‘TRI-erminator’ will signal the start of the TriStar111 Madrid race.TriStar races are well known for attracting VIPs and professional athletes from other sports. Several Formula 1 drivers enjoy participating in TriStar races, such as TriStar Monaco, and the forthcoming TriStar Rio de Janeiro, which is also taking place this weekend.So, in Madrid this weekend, there will be a nice surprise for the triathletes lined-up on the start line, in the form of the confirmed presence of the new patron of the race’s 2012 edition. The world-famous athlete and actor, and ex Californian Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger will signal the start of TriStar Madrid.The organisers note that this will be the first time that the ‘TRI-erminator’ has given his assistance to a triathlon race, which became possible thanks to the partnership between TriStar Madrid and the international event Arnold Classic Europe.Both TriStar Madrid and the Arnold Classic Europe are taking place in the city centre of Madrid this coming weekend, and the two events are joining forces to offer a weekend full of fun to all athletes interested in the world of sport.Arnold Classic Europe, which is one of the largest multisport expos and festivals in Europe, will be held on 12-14 October in Madrid. The latest collaboration with TriStar sees triathlon added to the wide list of sports that will be present at the Arnold Classic Europe, such as basketball, tennis, martial arts and many more.www.tristarmadrid.comwww.arnoldclassiceurope.com Related
Body Rocket, the Brighton, UK-based sports tech start-up, has successfully raised over £255,000 (US$313,000) in its first investment round, on the crowdfunding platform Crowdcube.The company has developed what is billed as ‘a revolutionary world-first device that measures aerodynamic cycling performance with live, on-the-bike feedback.’Body Rocket set out looking to raise a minimum of £80,000 but surpassed this figure in just 24-hours on Crowdcube following input from private investors. The listing went from strength-to-strength, overfunding and setting new targets throughout its campaign.The team is raising capital to take its current prototype Direct Force Drag Measurement device to minimum viable product (MVP) status. The device gives real-time, on-bike feedback to the rider.The latest funding round will enable testing with leading professional cyclists and triathletes… ‘with whom there has been a lot of early interest, with several testing days already lined up for once lockdown restrictions are lifted.’As well as attracting hundreds of investors, Body Rocket also made several other developments along the way. The first of these was partnering with premium multi-day cycling holiday and event agency HotChillee to provide top investors with a bespoke aero-training weekend in Girona together with the Body Rocket team.Multiple national time trial champion, former Commonwealth Games athlete and aerodynamics expert Michael Hutchinson also joined the company’s board of advisors; and ‘there was interest from individual Olympic athletes and WorldTour professionals too.’Eric DeGolier, Body Rocket CEO and Co-Founder, said “We’re blown away by the support we’ve had during this campaign. It’s gone beyond just raising funds and has introduced us to people with expertise in all aspects of the business that are excited and want to help us make a great product.“The enthusiasm and engagement we’ve had from riders and triathletes of all levels speaks for itself in what Body Rocket can do and how it will change the industry. To confirm that belief from the wider community really gives us the drive to keep forging ahead and developing our MVP and final devices.”The capital raised will not only help develop the next stages of Body Rocket’s product, but it will also enable the company to deliver testing for a range of WorldTour cycling teams, professional triathletes and Olympic track cyclists planned for later this year. As well as this, the team will be able to build and deliver on its marketing strategy to help take the product to market.Body Rocket eventually reached 320% of its initial funding target through over 370 individual investors. The final figure raised by the end of the Crowdcube campaign was £255,424.bodyrocket.cc Related
Salmonella cases tied to peanut butter grow to 35; recall expandsFive more patients have been sickened in a Salmonella Bredeney outbreak linked to a New Mexico company’s peanut butter, raising the total to 35 cases, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update. The number of affected states stayed the same at 19, and four more patients have been hospitalized, pushing that total to 8. The latest known illness onset is Sep 18. The CDC said tests by Washington state officials on an opened jar of Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Peanut Butter, made by Sunland, Inc., yielded the outbreak strain. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that environmental samples in its ongoing investigation at Sunland’s nut butter production facility in Portales, N.M., turned up Salmonella, and tests to identify the type are pending. Meanwhile, Sunland yesterday expanded its recall to include all products made at the plant as far back as Mar 1, 2010. The company’s move adds 139 products to the recall, which now totals 240. The new recall applies to previously identified peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, and tahini products as well as roasted blanched peanut products. Categories added by the recall expansion include several flavored butters and spreads, including Thai ginger butter, chocolate butter, and banana butter, the FDA said. Included in the expanded recall are 49 products that are still within the manufacturer’s recommended shelf life.Oct 5 CDC outbreak updateOct 5 FDA investigation updateOct 4 FDA recall notice CDC says cantaloupe Salmonella outbreak is overThe CDC said today that the Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupe from Indiana-based Chamberlain Farms appears to be over. The outbreak involved two strains, Salmonella Typhimurium (228 cases) and Salmonella Newport (33 cases). The total of 261 infections is a drop from 270 that the CDC reported in its last update on Sep 13. Today it said the number of cases declined in some states after multiple-locus variable-number repeat analysis (MLVA) was used to define the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. That strain is a common one, typically linked to 10 to 15 cases a month, and the MLVA test was needed alongside pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to distinguish outbreak-related cases. Earlier this week the FDA released a report on its inspection at Chamberlain Farms, which found widespread contamination in cantaloupes and environmental samples.Oct 5 CDC final outbreak update Oct 5, 2012
2010 raw-milk cheese outbreak traced to free in-store samplesTrace-back investigations in a 41-case multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in 2010 found raw-milk cheese served as store samples to be the culprit, according to a study in the Journal of Food Protection. Most patients in the outbreak, which affected people in five southwestern US states, reported eating free samples of aged raw-milk Gouda cheese at national warehouse chain stores. Sampling that cheese was significantly associated with illness, with an odds ratio of 9.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.7 to 47), and several Gouda samples yielded the outbreak E coli strain. Inspection of the cheese manufacturer revealed deficient sanitation practices and improper curing times, and inspection of the retail food-handling steps also revealed sanitation deficiencies. The authors conclude, “Policymakers should continue to reexamine the adequacy and enforcement of existing rules intended to ensure the safety of raw-milk cheeses and retail food sampling.”October J Food Prot abstract
IDSA warns about impacts to science of US travel banThe Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) today, along with several other science and medical groups, issued a statement today expressing deep concerns about the impact of a recent executive order restricting entrance by foreign nationals into the United States.In a press release, IDSA said “Infectious diseases do not respect national borders, and success in fighting them requires a global response. Broad international collaboration is critical to our ability to identify, track and respond to emerging infectious diseases.”Medical advances result from collaboration that depends on travel and attending international conferences, including those held in the United States, the IDSA said, adding that the executive order may also negatively impact the nation’s medical and scientific workforce. Over the past 10 years, about a third of physicians entering the infectious disease specialty have come from outside the United States, including from countries affected by the travel ban.The IDSA said it and the HIV Medicine Association have already heard of members who fear they won’t be able to reenter the United States after visiting their families in their home countries, despite having valid visas. “Limiting the capabilities of physicians and scientists to collaborate around the world threatens the very national security the administration is committed to protecting.”The IDSA represents 10,000 doctors and scientists from 100 different countries.Feb 2 IDSA statement New MERS case reported in Saudi ArabiaThe Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) said there was a new case of MERS-CoV in the city of Hafar Al Batin.A 57-year-old Saudi man is in critical condition after presenting with symptoms of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). The source of his infection is listed as primary, meaning he did not contract the disease from another person.The new case raises Saudi Arabia’s MERS-CoV total to 1,550 infections, including 643 deaths. Eight people are still in treatment or monitoring.Feb 2 Saudi MOH report Vast majority of Americans support childhood vaccinesMost Americans (88%) believe that the benefits of childhood vaccines outweigh any risks, and 82% believe that parents should be required to vaccinate their children before sending them to public school. These numbers come from a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Trust.The survey was conducted before the presidential election, but the results come just weeks after President Donald Trump made headlines after meeting with Robert Kennedy Jr., a noted critic of vaccines. In the past, Trump has tweeted that childhood immunizations may be linked to autism spectrum disorders.Pew researchers said that while most Americans are not “vaccine hesitant,” some groups, including those under the age of 30 and black Americans, are more likely to perceive high risks associated with vaccines. And the majority of Americans, 68%, did not correctly identify what “herd immunity” was or why it was important for public health.”Overall, public perceptions of the benefits and risks of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are strongly positive,” the Pew authors report. “Some 73% of US adults rate the preventive health benefits of the MMR vaccine as high, and 66% of the public says the risk of side effects from the vaccine is low.”The survey included a nationally representative sample of 1,549 adults age 18 and older and was conducted between May 10 and June 6, 2016. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.Feb 2 Pew press release Outbreak trial of killed oral cholera vaccine shows safety in pregnancyAdding to the evidence for the safety of cholera vaccines during pregnancy, an observational cohort study yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases demonstrated that the killed oral vaccine Shanchol was not associated with increased adverse outcomes in pregnant women or their newborns when administered during a 2015 outbreak in Malawi.US and Malawi researchers analyzed data from 361 pregnant women immunized from Mar 30 to Apr 30, 2015, during a cholera outbreak and 327 who were not. They found no increased incidence of adverse events in either the women or their newborn babies.”Our study provides evidence that fetal exposure to oral cholera vaccine confers no significantly increased risk of pregnancy loss, neonatal mortality, or malformation,” the authors wrote. “These data, along with findings from two retrospective studies, support use of oral cholera vaccine in pregnant women in cholera-affected regions,” they added, referring to studies involving Dukoral and Shanchol, respectively.While noting the positive findings, a commentary in the same issue said about the low incidence of birth defects, “However, the small number of exposures in the first trimester limits the clinical importance of this finding.”The study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Feb 1 Lancet Infect Dis study Feb 1 Lancet Infect Dis commentary Study shows link between NSAIDs, ARIs, and heart attacksThe common pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory drugs known as NSAIDs may raise the risk of a heart attack when used during a cold or influenza-like illness, according to a study today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.In an observational study—which can demonstrate a link but cannot prove that a substance causes a poor outcome—Taiwanese researchers analyzed claims from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Program from 2005 through 2011, which included data on almost 10,000 patients who were hospitalized for a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction).The investigators found that use of NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen) was associated with 1.5 times the risk of a heart attack, while having an acute respiratory infection (ARI) was tied to 2.7 times the risk. Among those taking an NSAID while having an ARI, however, the risk rose to 3.4-fold. And, if ARI patients received an NSAID intravenously in the hospital, the risk climbed to 7.2-fold.”Physicians should be aware that the use of NSAIDs during an acute respiratory infection might further increase the risk of a heart attack,” said senior author Cheng-Chung Fang, MD, in a news release from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). In a related commentary in the journal, two experts not involved in the study said the findings highlight the need for caution when using NSAIDs until more is known. “Clinicians should consider both medical conditions and existing medications when prescribing NSAIDs for symptomatic acute respiratory infection relief,” they wrote.Feb 2 J Infect Dis study Feb 2 IDSA press release Feb 2 J Infect Dis commentary
STATE News:SANTA FE — The suspension of field operations by the U.S. Census Bureau in response to Covid-19 has left nearly 18 percent of New Mexico without the ability to easily participate in the 2020 Census. This has resulted in artificially lower-than-average response rates and poses yet another burden for our state to overcome for a complete count in the decennial effort. “New Mexico is shouldering a disproportionate share of the national burden when it comes to the impact that Covid-19 has had on the census,” said Olivia Padilla-Jackson, Department of Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary and Chair of the state Complete Count Commission. “When you consider that so many New Mexican’s haven’t even received an invitation to participate, it’s no surprise we lag in responses.” As of mid-April, 37 percent of New Mexico households had responded to the census, compared to a national average of 48 percent. Due to Covid-19, the U.S. Census Bureau suspended all field operations just four days after they began. This included efforts by census workers to hand-deliver forms to households that don’t have standard addresses or receive their mail at P.O. boxes. Nationwide, only five percent of the population fall into this category, but in New Mexico 17.8 percent of all households rely on a hand-delivered form. Only Alaska, West Virginia and Wyoming have a higher percentage. “When we take into consideration the households that haven’t even been given the tools they need to participate in the census, the New Mexico response rate is on par with the national average,” state demographer Robert Rhatigan said. “Nationwide, there is a direct relationship between low response rates and areas that should have, but weren’t able to, receive a hand-delivered packet.”Counties where hand-delivery is not a major consideration are responding at or above the national average and we continue to make strides in those areas. Bernalillo, Chavez and Los Alamos counties all have participation rates more than 45 percent. Conversely, Catron, Mora and Rio Arriba counties have response rates of six percent or less but are almost entirely reliant on hand-delivered forms. “Where people can respond, they are,” Secretary Padilla-Jackson said. “I’m confident that when all New Mexican’s are given the tools they need to participate, they will.”Responding online or by phone without a unique Census ID is not an ideal option for some as it can be difficult, especially for households with a non-city style address. “The bottom line is, if you have received your invitation, take your census as soon as possible,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “If you haven’t received anything from the Census Bureau, wait to receive your census invitation, and respond as soon as possible once you receive the form. We will ensure, all together, New Mexico is counted.”The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that they plan to resume field operations on June 1, 2020. The 164,000 New Mexico households who are supposed to receive a hand-delivered census form should receive that packet no later than July 9th, 2020. Until census field operations officially resumes, self-response rates for New Mexico will remain artificially low. The decennial Census helps determine allocation of billions of dollars in federal funding. Research suggests that each New Mexico resident not counted results in a loss of $3,700 per resident, per year.
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Martin Langan is a former practising solicitor and founder of Legal Workflow Limited providing services tailoring practice and case management systems and legal IT strategy and operational advice and assistance. The MoJ RTA web portal continues to suffer from bad planning, implementation and a failure to consult. One legal software company has sent this communication to its clients: ‘We are pleased to announce that we can now provide Phase 1* …The MoJ RTA web portal continues to suffer from bad planning, implementation and a failure to consult. One legal software company has sent this communication to its clients: ‘We are pleased to announce that we can now provide Phase 1* of our solution which will allow IRIS Law Enterprise, IRIS Legal Office and IRIS Evolution users to integrate using the A2A (application to application) interface with the low value RTA claim portal. “However, at this time, it is proving impossible for us to complete phases two and three, which would see further integration with the RTA Portal. The inability of the RTA portal team to either acknowledge or answer our queries regarding the A2A interface, coupled with the numerous problems already experienced with the implementation of the A2A interface itself, has meant we have no option but to cease any further development. We now plan to leave any further development until the portal team resolve the current known issues and failings, and until they can provide a timely support service to allow us to complete the work. We have consulted with a number of clients who are heavily involved with the RTA Portal and we are pleased to know that they wholehearted support our decision.’ The portal was forced onto claimant solicitors with effect from 30 April. Despite the scandalously short notice period, and failure to provide sufficient information, many firms undertook a great deal of work at huge expense to ready themselves for launch, only to be badly let down by those who dreamed up the process in the first place. This is not an isolated incident, where government, its agencies, or large commercial interests who seem to have great sway over government of whatever hue (block or two-tone) raise the hoops and require the profession to jump through them – only to pull away the prize on landing. Any thought that ‘things can only get better’ with a change of administration has probably been dashed by announcements of cuts in IT expenditure. Brave new world anyone?
Pembroke, Florida headquartered Shoreline Foundation tendered the lowest and best bid for the construction of the dock, USD20.92 million.The project is funded in part by a US Department of Transportation TIGER grant amounting to USD12 million. The Port of Brownsville will contribute the remainder of the funds for a total estimated cost of approximately USD26.7 million. The money will be used to build a general cargo dock, as well as delivering road and lighting improvements. “First and foremost, I would like to thank the Port of Brownsville Board of Commissioners and staff for putting their trust and confidence in us,” stated Tony Royo, president, Shoreline Foundation. “I am sure that they will be very pleased with the quality and outcome of our work. We look forward to a successful project that the Port of Brownsville can be proud of for years to come.” Cargo Dock 16 will serve as the Port of Brownsville’s second heavy load capacity dock, increasing the gateway’s efficiency by minimising potential vessel delays. The gateway says that the development will also expand its ability to handle containerised cargoes and keep up with demand for the handling of bulk commodities. www.portofbrownsville.comwww.shorelinefoundation.com
The stop zones will be located between Zeanuri and Bedia and will be able to accommodate specialised vehicles, said the port.The widths of the lay-bys will range between 5.5 m and 13 m, while the lengths will be between 107 m and 243 m.The local county council will handle construction and will be responsible for tendering the contracts. The port authority will take charge of financing. Works are expected to begin in February 2021, with a construction lasting for 19 months.According to the port of Bilbao, the N-240 is widely used by special transport vehicles and is the main route between companies that manufacture heavy components, such as wind energy equipment.www.bilbaoport.euswww.uniportbilbao.es
More than half a million tourists flock to Livingstone town yearly to see the gushing waters of one of the world’s largest waterfalls. Victoria falls, which is on the Zambezi River, the fourth largest river in Africa and defines the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, remains one of Africa’s greatest attractions.“This is our tourist center or our tourist capital as Zambia. It does deserve to be called so because it summarizes what Zambia has to offer to a tourist.” Said Joseline Mutita, Zambia Tourist BoardAs the falls have slowly become a choice destination for both local and international tourists, Livingstone town, which has a population of over 100,000 people, has seen its residents, from the farmer to the hotel owner, greatly benefit from the obvious economic and social significance of the falls.“The whole economy of Livingstone is anchored on tourism. Because of the same activities that are around obviously people when they come they want to eat as a result we have our surrounding farmers needing to grow more to supply to the hotels, to the lodges and guest houses.” added Ms. MutitaThe town is embroiled in the history of this natural wonder. Historians claim the falls were discovered by David Livingstone in 1844, but locals here strongly disagree, saying Shungu na Mtitima, as they know it, was a sacred place ages before Livingstone set foot in the country.There are spots around the Victoria falls where the local people of Mukuuni consider very sacred because they do many rituals there. They carry out all their traditional ceremonies or when they want to consult the spirits at the Victoria Falls.The locals here maintain that the deep cultural heritage is a big part of the Victoria falls experience, with the Maramba cultural village and Mosotunya National Park offering a look into the historical significance of this natural wonder.