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The Vital Pieces of Medical Equipment for Patient Vitals

The Vital Pieces of Medical Equipment for Patient Vitals

Monday, October 9, 2017

In order to assess the overall health and wellness of a patient, it’s essential to check their vital signs. Whether they are collected during a routine exam or at the scene of an accident, vital signs can reveal how a person’s body is reacting at any given moment.

Paramedics, first responders, nurses, doctors, and other health practitioners all use vital signs as a benchmark for a patient’s status.

Vital signs that might be monitored include:

  • Pulse
  • Blood Pressure
  • Respirations
  • Temperature
  • Pulse Oximetry
  • Non-Invasive Blood Pressure (NIBP)
  • Invasive Blood Pressure (IBP)
  • Heart Rate

In a non-clinical setting, vitals can be taken by hand using only a few pieces of equipment such as a blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, and thermometer. In a clinical setting, vitals are taken more carefully and regularly with electronic monitoring equipment, which is much more sophisticated and sensitive to the patient’s health status.

Important Vital Monitors for Clinics and Hospitals

There are many vital sign monitors available today. They range in size, capability, reporting and more.

Here are some of the important vital sign monitors you’d find in a clinical setting:

General Vital Sign Monitor - This type of machine provides motoring of pulse oximetry, heart rate and blood pressure.

EEG and Vital Signs Monitor - These machines are specific to monitoring the heart rate, strength, oxygen in the blood and blood pressure. They are commonly found in heart clinics or when a patient is complaining of chest pain.

EEG EKG NIBP Monitors – These machines are similar to the above, but they are specifically for heart monitoring. Patients may be hooked up to these machines for longer periods of time, especially if they are in critical condition.

Anesthesia and Vital Signs Monitor – Used during surgery, these machines ensure the patient receives the correct amount of anesthetic, that they are breathing properly, that they are getting enough oxygen in the blood stream, and that their blood pressure remains stable throughout the surgery.

What to Look for in Vital Signs Monitoring Machines

When searching for vital sign monitors for your practice, hospital or clinic, you’ll want to consider how the machine will be used, which vital signs will need to be recorded, and how often. Hospitals often have multiple versions of these machines available and many well-stocked clinics will also have at least one of these machines available to make vital monitoring easy and accurate.

In a clinic setting, vital monitoring machines are often stationary or placed on a cart. If they are used for ambulances or first responders, they’ll need a compact version. If the machine will be moved around, you’ll want to ensure it have a powerful battery life. If they will be stationary for the most part, you’ll want to be able to plug it in for maximum monitoring power, while also ensuring they have a battery backup to allow you to move it with the patient if necessary.

If your budget is tight, don’t forget that refurbished patient monitoring equipment is just as trustworthy and valuable as new machines. Future Health Concepts offers a full line of vital sign & anesthesia monitoring with its new and refurbished patient monitors.

Future Health Concepts (FHC) has been serving the medical community with new and refurbished medical equipment for 40 years. Our primary refurbished products are sterilizers, washers/disinfectors, and operating room tables. Other quality refurbished medical products are anesthesia machines, patient monitors, defibrillators, ESU, and rigid and flexible video systems along with many other products. Our clients’ satisfaction is of the utmost importance to us. We will work to try to exceed your expectations when it comes to equipment needs to develop a long-term relationship with your facility.

To find out more about our product options, including new and used equipment, call us today at 1-888-282-8644.

Staff 10/9/2017


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In-Store Pick Up & Local Delivery Available*

Blue - Lemon Drop Ice Salt

Lemon Drop Ice Salt BC

Blue - Lemon Drop Ice Salt

Regular price $19.99 Unit price  per

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Remixed with the perfect blast of cool! Blue raspberry ice brings all the flavour of the original blue raspberry lemonade and blends in an icy kick to keep you staying frosty.

Lemon Drop Salt is NOT intended for use in Sub-Ohm Tank systems. Lemon Drop Salt E-Liquid is intended for small pod systems.

50% VG 50% PG

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4 Tips for Up-and-Coming Realtors

4 Tips for Up-and-Coming Realtors

As a realtor, your income is directly tied to how much brokerage fee you can garner. This depends greatly on your relationship with clients and the ability to generate a stream of high-quality leads constantly. While the road map to success in the real estate industry is constantly changing with the market trends, few constants can’t be compromised. So, besides the need to stay on top of market trends, here are four tips for up-and-coming realtors who want to succeed in the industry.

1. Create value.

Every successful person in business, regardless of the industry, knows that the only way to succeed is by creating value for your customers. When it comes to being a real estate agent, you must remember that your job is not to sell. Instead, you should advise, coach, and provide clients with want their needs, and this how you bring value to your customers. When you focus on creating value for clients, you also build trust, and this trust will end up being one of your greatest assets as a real estate broker. Trust will also help you foster quality relationships with your clients and open the door to numerous opportunities in the industry.

For instance, when remodeling a house, don’t make assumptions based on what you think your clients may like. Instead, start by understanding your target market. Ask yourself who you’re designing this home for. What are their needs? How can I meet their home’s unique needs? Your answer to these questions will help you decide what amenities to include in your home.

So, assuming this home is in a trendy neighborhood that experiences seasons of heating and numerous days of sunshine, the prospective homeowners will expect your home to have a durable shower system of high quality with beautiful shower space, shower walls, and shower base. In that case, you’ll need reliable shower expert installers like Kohler luxstone. These installers can offer a free quote and impeccable designs to enable you to customize your new shower and accessories for a unique feel.

Also, a home like this could use a central air conditioning unit with a ductless system to cool the house on hot days and improve the indoor air quality. You’ll want to get a team of experts or a technician who knows everything about air conditioning when it comes to AC repair or installation. Let’s say you’re working on a project in Chicago. The best bet is to opt for a reliable local service for air conditioner repair in Chicago and HVAC system maintenance services.

There are several AC repair services, but you should get one that provides emergency service and can fix any type of AC unit, including HVAC repair. The bottom line is, be focused on meeting your clients at their point of need. Ensure that you’re giving them the highest level of service and customer satisfaction by anticipating and solving their problems. You should aim to be a trusted adviser because one of your best assets in real estate is your reputation.

2. Host open houses.

Thanks to technology and Google searches, clients can now view photos and videos of a home without having to visit. However, notice how this has stopped people from attending open houses. That’s because they know that nothing beats being inside a prospective home to get a feel of the place.

The great thing about open houses is that, as an up-and-coming realtor, they present an opportunity for you to market yourself, meet new faces, and expand your call lists. For instance, with hundreds of people constantly researching tips on moving to Phoenix, an open house exhibit is something you should consider if you live in the Phoenix area.

A big city like the Phoenix, AZ is never short of activities ranging from camelback mountain to the phoenix art museum, golf course, and the South Mountain Park. These activities and the big money energy its job market presents are all part of the reasons why many people consider it a perfect city to raise a family and retire. The Phoenix metro area will be a great place to host an open house because places like Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Chandler, and Peoria all have family-friendly neighborhoods. Hence, there are always people looking to buy homes in these places.

Just like Pheonix, cities like Franklin, Tennessee, are also great for real estate investment. Frankling is in the top fifteen fastest growing cities in the United States. However, if you’re staging a home in a city like this, ensure you do it correctly by placing signs in the surrounding area that point to the driveway.

Additionally, you should prepare the house and ensure that it’s squeaky clean for a good impression and make it more attractive to a potential customer. If you don’t have the free time to do it yourself, search for exterior maintenance services. For example, a company like Labor Panes Franklin, Tennessee, will likely offer viable results. They have a good and excellent Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and offer professional services.

Use a company like them to clean windows (including inside the windows), remove debris buildup, and clear cobwebs around the house. Also, they should be able to go the extra mile to provide gutter cleaning services at an affordable price. Many companies like this also offer pressure washing services using an exclusive streak-free cleaning formula for your building’s needs.

3. Find a mentor.

One tip every up-and-coming realtor should know is that you can’t make it to the top of the real estate industry on your own. For instance, the Ryan Serhant real estate, with over a million dollar listing in New York, makes the headlines today because he has mastered how to network and maintain connections. You’ll need a broker like this as a mentor to show you the ropes. Older realtors have their secrets, so don’t always view them as competition, but as teachers instead.

Networking is an essential part of being a realtor. You should be able to interact and communicate with both prospective and current customers. Be sure to network with bankers that issue home loans, professional organizers, interior designers, and school owners. These people are likely to have clients who need a new home and recommend your services.

Also, try to get involved in the community’s affairs to build trust and expand your contacts. It also helps to always have a business card handy, because you never know who you’ll meet. If you don’t already have a card, you can create one using variable data printing, which is excellent for all your digital print needs. With VDP software, you can create a customized complimentary card, postcard, brochure, flyer, customized YouTube homepage, and more. In a nutshell, don’t underestimate the power of interactions and socialization. Be friendly and stay in touch with your clients and connections. Remember, when people feel that you genuinely care about them, they’re more likely to recommend friends and family to use your services.

4. Use technology to your advantage.

At the rate the world is going, any small business owner who isn’t ready to incorporate technology in their affairs has little to no hopes of standing the test of time, let alone succeeding. When you embrace technology as a realtor, it gives you more visibility and more clients, resulting in more sales and success.

Have a marketing campaign strategy that cuts across all communication platforms by using email communication, SMS communication, direct mail campaign, and social media, like Instagram or Facebook. Furthermore, take note of all ad effectiveness to understand the impact of these ads on your target audience, so you know where to focus your campaign energy.

If you don’t already have a website, you should build one. A website expands your client base by allowing more people have access to you. For instance, using the earlier example with your office is located in Phoenix. Anyone moving to Phoenix can easily find your business on the web and know what houses you have available.

You can also include a chat feature, as an automated chatbot, to give your customers a better experience, improve engagement, and gain access to a robust database of customer behavior patterns.

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For What It's Worth

For What It's Worth

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine to spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Stealing Parker
by Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release date: October 1, 2012

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

After a scandal rocks their conservative small town, 17-year-old Parker Shelton goes overboard trying to prove that she won't turn out like her mother: a lesbian. The all-star third-baseman quits the softball team, drops 20 pounds and starts making out with guys--a lot. But hitting on the hot new assistant baseball coach might be taking it a step too far...especially when he starts flirting back. ~ Goodreads | Amazon

Why I’m waiting: I enjoyed Kenneally’s debut Catching Jordan and from the ARC reviews on Goodreads she’s got another hit on her hands with this companion novel. More importantly we don’t have to wait very long since it comes out in a few weeks!

What are you waiting for this week?

  1. Great pick! I still need to read Catching Jordan but it's on my Kindle :) Can't wait!

  2. I can't wait to read Stealing Parker, I've read lots of great reviews about it. Great pick!:)
    World of Books

  3. I cannot wait to read this one. I've heard so many great things about it and I loved Catching Jordan.

  4. I still haven't read Catching Jordan, but almost everyone I know loved it. I'm guessing this one should be as good. Great pick!
    Em @ A Beautiful Madness
    My WOW

  5. I want this book too!! Great pick! Thanks so much for spotlighting it today. Please check out my WoW!

  6. FOR SURE!


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Outreach Programs

Outreach Programs

Nothing beats coming to the Museum, but these programs are close. Whether your group is 8 or 80, we have experiences designed just for you. You provide the space and we handle the rest. Our team of educators will wow your crowd. Not sure what program might be right for you? Just email us and we'll help you figure out what's best.

Discovery Lab Online Rebecca

Your Perfect Program Awaits

Don’t see what you are looking for? Let us know; we would love to create something special to meet your group’s needs.

Discovery Lab Online Rebecca

Discovery Lab Online

These web-based classes can be live and interactive or pre-recorded. If the program requires it, we can even send any materials you might need!

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Discovery Kits

Are you looking for a way to bring the Museum to your classroom? Our loan kit program may be your answer! Each kit all the materials needed for an awesome hands-on activity for your classroom.

Virtual Science and History Nights

These programs are available only to schools. Connect your whole school community with our engaging, award-winning virtual programming. You pick the topics and the date, we provide the excitement!

Discovery Lab on Wheels

Hands-on activities perfect for your classroom, library, or community center.

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GSK Science in the Summer

Go hands-on with these free engineering activities, provided in partnership with the Franklin Institute and GSK.

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Forex Stock Exchange Forum
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attention Comparing Apples To Apples Again

Fri Dec 02, 2016 1:23 pm

  • his article is a warning for novice investors and a reminder for experts.
  • When investing, nothing can be taken as a certainty as all are moving parts, especially financial metrics and prices.
  • Comparing current prices to past prices doesn’t help much, while understanding the fundamentals does.

Comparative investing is simple enough to explain. It’s when you compare investment metrics of one company with others and base your decision on that investment metric. This could be cashflow for miners, dividend yields for REITs, PE ratios, debt to equity, enterprise value to EBITDA, growth rates for social media companies, or short interest.

The greatest issue with such an approach is that it doesn’t protect you from systemic risks in a sector or the general market. The following figure compares the price of gold (GLD) with the three big names in gold mining, Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX), Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM)

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Comparison of gold miners in last 18 months

Although there are some differences among the above companies, all of them suffer when the price of gold declines and vice versa when it goes up. This is logical as their revenues and profits completely depend on gold prices, but it shows us that no matter the fundamentals, a stock will often move in sync with the general market. Investors who invested in ABX at the beginning of July are currently down about 37%.

Moving away from gold, another good example is natural grocers. It’s a sector that has been booming in the last decade but the entrance of supermarket behemoths like Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and Kroger (NYSE: KR), increased number of smaller players, and a general negative sentiment toward supermarkets has lowered stock prices. We look at the stock performance and valuations of Whole Foods (Nasdaq: WFM), Sprouts Farmers Market (Nasdaq: SFM), KR, and WMT.

Of the above, the best performer in the last two years was KR, followed by WMT, with WFM and SFM being the worst performers.

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Supermarkets in the last two years

At the end of 2014, WFM had a PE ratio of 32.4, SFM’s was 53.2, WMT’s was 17.9, and KR’s was 20. The companies with the highest PE ratios became the worst performers while WMT underperformed even with the lowest PE ratio.If we take the same example but take it 5 years back, KR is still the winner, followed by WMT.

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Supermarkets in the last five years

At the end of 2011, KR had a PE ratio of 12.5, WMT’s was 13.5, SFM wasn’t profitable, and WFM had a PE ratio of 36.1. Some will say that the companies with the best valuations outperformed, but this wasn’t the case at the end of 2013 when both WFM and SFM were up almost 70%.

It’s not uncommon to see comments and headlines like “it can’t go much lower from here” from the various financial news outlets. In certain cases, this is true as a stock can soon go from overbought to oversold, but the comparison with past prices isn’t the best way to go for investing.

A good example of how past prices don’t mean all that much is Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA). The current price isn’t that far away from where it was in 2013, but in the meantime it has had one 47% decline and four declines between 20% and 40%.

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TSLA 5-year stock price

As TSLA has always moved around this level of $190, many see it as a benchmark where buying below this level is an opportunity and investors sell when the stock is above this level. If this is your tactic, you should know that the stock market is random, meaning that past price movements don’t influence future price movements.

The big lesson of this article is that if you don’t have the time or will to really dig into a stock—and by dig I mean analyzing 10-years of past annual reports, reading all the conference call transcripts you can get your hands on, have a very high understanding of the market the company operates in, understand the competitors, have a clear investment risk reward case made in relation to your portfolio—you shouldn’t be investing in individual stocks and at current market valuations, not even in mutual funds.

On the other hand, if you invest in stocks even with limited knowledge, then you should invest only money that you can afford to lose and consider it as tuition for future, more fruitful investing.

source: investiv
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attention Sven Dissects 1,626 U.S. Stocks

Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:22 pm

  • It is possible to build a well-diversified portfolio with low PE ratio stocks that have equal the growth of high PE ratio stocks.
  • Short exposure and analysts’ targets indicate the market is in a very positive mode.
  • The market is extremely short term focused. We’ll identify where to look to find the opportunities.

Using data from Quant, I’ve analyzed 1,626 U.S. stocks.The factors I’ve analyzed are: market capitalization, current and forward PE ratios, price to book value, dividend yield, percentage short, analysts’ targets, 52-week highs and lows, and earnings per share growth.

The goal of this analysis is to provide insight into how to beat the market in 2017. I believe that research, thorough analysis, and patience will always outperform the market, especially because the distribution of the above-mentioned factors is all over the place as you will see below.

The average PE ratio of profitable stocks in 2016 is 26.09, but the distribution is pretty wide.

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PE ratio distribution

Theory would say that stocks with low PE ratios lack growth and stocks with high PE ratios are all about growth. In our case, the theory is mostly correct. A scatterplot shows it.

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PE ratio and growth

However, by eliminating the outliers and analyzing companies with PE ratios up to 30, there are significant insights to be had.

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PE ratios up to 30 and growth

The difference in growth is minimal and there are plenty of stocks with PE ratios below 15 that have equal the growth rates as stocks with PE ratios over 20. As in the long-term returns are perfectly correlated with earnings, I would prefer to own a well-diversified portfolio of stocks with PE ratios below 15 than the general market. The large quantity of stocks with lower PE ratios will make the diversification almost equal.

The distribution of dividend yields is wider with low PE ratio stocks, but again, the bulk of dividends is around 2% and evenly distributed between the 15 and 25 PE ratio range.

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Dividend yields and PE ratios

An important factor is that many stocks have payout ratios that are larger than their earnings. This is even more exacerbated by buybacks. So be careful to choose sustainable dividend and buyback yielders for your portfolio.

In the below figure, I have plotted the dividend yields and a 100% payout ratio for the respective stocks derived from their earnings.

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Dividend yields and 100% payouts

The sustainable dividend yielders will be easier to find with lower PE ratio stocks.

A look at what analysts have to say and the short exposure will give insight into market sentiment. 43% of the stocks are already above analysts’ price targets, while the average expected return stocks should have in order to reach analysts’ targets in aggregate is 3.8%.

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Analysts’ price targets in relation to the current price (1 is where target and price are equal).

Analysts are usually very bullish, so a 3.8% discount on their price targets send a message that we could be close to the end of this bull market or in line for a sequence of upgrades.The average short percentage is 5.45% with the large majority of stocks falling under that threshold.

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Percentage short

With a low short percentage and positive analysts’ targets, we can conclude that the general market is optimistic and that shorts don’t dare to bet against such a market. A positive market sentiment can easily lead to even higher than current market levels, but be aware that things can change very quickly.

The positive market sentiment has created a situation where the current price of the average stock is 55% higher than its 52-week low. Current price return from 52-week low.

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Current price return from 52-week low

43% of analyzed stocks are up between 22.5% and 55.5% from their 52-week lows while 38% of them are up more than 55.5% from their 52-week lows. Only 17.5% of stocks are in the 22.5% range from their 52-week low.

For me, this is a clear indication of the myopic attitude the majority of investors have. Knowing that the market is myopic means we will continue to see high levels of volatility like that which is described above. Things may not look volatile when you look at the S&P 500 chart, but sectors are what are volatile. The aggregate of sectors makes the whole market look stable, but the situation underneath isn’t like that at all. The high sector volatility is something you should seize or at least understand the risks of.

In order to seize the opportunities, you have to understand the fundamentals of the sector and act when stock prices are far below the sector’s fundamental balance. A 2016 example is oil. In January 2016, the price of oil was below $30 per barrel.

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Oil prices in the last 12 months

As the majority of producers have production costs above the $30 level, it was a clear indication that the slump would be temporary and that there would be a rebound at some point in time. By finding a stock in the sector that won’t go bankrupt even if below cost oil prices persist, you are temporarily open to the downside but in the long term you should enjoy extremely positive returns. Even those who thought that oil couldn’t go below $40 and bought oil stocks when oil was at $40 are now in positive territory with their investments.

On the risk side, stocks can simply go down at the same speed or even faster than they went up, so be aware of that. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 80% of stocks close to their 52-week lows in 2017.

source: investiv
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February 7, 2019

Communication cablesWhen it comes to designing a cable for a particular application, there are many things to consider – some more obvious than others. Generally customers know the basics like conductor count, AWG size, and shielding, but often times are not as well-versed on the more specific details such as insulation and jacket materials, stranding, etc. Galaxy Wire & Cable is an expert cable solutions provider that will make sure the cable designed is right for the application.

What are the top 5 things to consider when designing a cable?

  • Environment
  • Overall Size
  • Flexibility
  • Electrical Requirements
  • Standards

1. Environment – Where the Cable is Going to be Used

One of the most important things to consider is the environment in which the cable will be used. Will the cable be exposed to chemicals? Depending on the type of chemical, some cable jackets are superior to others. Perhaps it’s going into a rugged environment, and needs to have good abrasion resistance. Some jackets will fail whereas others will perform just fine. Selecting a cable jacket that takes into account the environmental conditions where it will be used is critical in the performance, and potentially the viability, of the cable itself.

Main Factors to Consider:

  • Abrasion resistance
  • Chemical exposure
  • Suitability
  • Resistance

2. Overall Size

The overall size requirements or limitations of the cable are sometimes overlooked. It is important to think about how the cable is going to be terminated. Are pins going to be crimped on the conductors, or will they be soldered? If a backshell is selected already, what are the outside diameter (OD) restrictions? As some components can have long lead times, it’s advised to consider all of these at the time of design.

Main Factors to Consider:

  • Conductors
  • Fillers
  • Diameter
    • Crimping pins
    • Backshell
    • Size of cable fits with usage

3. Flexibility

There are some applications where a cable is installed in a fixed location, and will not move. However, it may be routed in a way that flexibility is important for the installation process. Other cables may be in constant motion with millions of flex cycles. If flexibility is critical, simple things like increased strand count and spiral shields will aid in the performance of the cable. Insulation and jacket materials can have different durometers, and the environment the cable will be exposed to is important to consider as well.

Main Factors to Consider:

  • Strain relief
  • Bend radius
  • Weight

4. Electrical Requirements

Understanding the electrical requirements is critical when it comes to designing a cable. Not only is voltage important to know, but other requirements such as impedance and capacitance need to be evaluated to determine the right type and amount of insulation.

Main Factors to Consider:

  • Voltage
  • Impedance
  • Capacitance

5. Standards Agency Listings

Some customers require their cable to hold an agency listing from organizations like UL (Underwriters Laboratory), CSA (Canadian Standards Association), CE Mark (Certification for European Union), or another accredited firm. This requires careful scrutiny to make sure that a cable designed will be able to hold the required approval. Galaxy can assist in navigating these sometimes confusing standards to make sure the cables have the required listings.
Main Factors to Consider:

  • UL certification
  • CSA certification
  • CE Mark

Contact Galaxy for Custom Cable
Galaxy has vast expertise in assisting OEMs and customers with designing the perfect cable for their application, working collaboratively with customers to develop and manufacture custom cable and wire for many applications. Contact Galaxy today for assistance in producing your custom cable product.


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"Internet Data Collection for Research" now publicly available

To benefit researchers who collect data from the web, or using Web technologies, I decided to make public all my materials from a PhD-level course on "Internet Data Collection for Research" (offered at UMD as "Scientific Data Collection for Business"). These can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/internetdatacollection/

The site contains all presentations, resources, and even weekly assignments. I hope that democratizing more knowledge will help improve business-related research.


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Subrata Das Tune of Love Acrylic on Canvas 30×36 inches

Subrata Das

Tune of Love, Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 36 inches

DimensionW: 36 Inches X H: 30 Inches X D: 1 Inches
W: 91.44 cm X H: 76.2 cm X D: 2.54 cm
StyleAnimals paintings
MovementContemporary Indian Art
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Style : Subrata Das’s works are a poetic representation on Indian Mythological forms, skillfully rendered. His present works representing the divine love of Radha and Krishna, are traditional in subject yet contemporary in his use technique.

About the Artist & his work :

Born : 1967, Kolkata.

Education: 3 Years Foundation Course under the guidance of eminent artists Mr. Shuvaprasanna from College of Visual Arts, Kolkatta.

Selected Solo Exhibitions :

  • 2008 Kanvas Art Gallery, Kolkata.
  • 2005 Art Walk, Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai.
  • 2002 Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata & Chitrakoot Gallery, Kolkata.
  • 2001-02 Standard Chartered Grindlays Gallery, Kolkata.
  • 1997 ABN-Amro Gallery, Kolkata
  • 1996 Gallery Aurobindo, New Delhi.
  • 1995 Sponsored by RPG Enterprise at Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata

Selected Group Exhibitions :

  • 2008 ‘Shiksha 08’, organized by Delhi Friends Round Table at New Delhi; ‘Summer Show’, Idiyas Gallery, Kolkata & ‘Monsoon Show’, Master Collection, Kolkata.
  • 2007 ‘Vibrant Hues’, Kanvas Art Gallery, Kolkata; ‘Facts of Life’, Sop. Gallery One, Gurgaon; ‘Colors 2007’, organized by Art Land at Majestic Hotel, Dubai & ‘Art Fair India -07’, organized by Hindustan Times and Habiart Foundation, Kolkata.
  • 2006-07 ‘Essence of Bengal Art’, presented by Group Fifty, New Delhi & ‘Art for Concern’, organized by Right Lines Art Gallery, Bangalore.
  • 2006 ‘Color 2006’, organized by Art Land Gallery at Chatrapatti Shivaji Sangrahalaya, Mumbai; Xpression presents Masters Collection, Kolkata & Organized by Art Land Gallery at Artists’ Centre, Mumbai.
  • 2005 Karnataka Chitrakala Parisath, Bangalore & Mahua Art Gallery, Bangalore.
  • 2003 ‘The Hues of Bengal’, organized by RPG Enterprise at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai & ‘Monsoon Mela’, Chitrakoot Gallery, Kolkata.
  • 2002 Zainal Art Gallery, Dhaka.
  • 1997 V.N Design, Nagpur & ANZ Grindlays Bank, Kolkata.

Honours and Awards :

  • 2003 Gold Medal from Avantika International Art Exhibition, New Delhi
  • 2002 Bronze Medal from Avantika International Art Exhibition, New Delhi.
  • 2002 Honorable Mention Certificate from Avantika Regional Art Exhibition,Kolkata
  • 1995 Certificate of Merit from Annual Challenge Trophy, Emerald Isle Gallery, Kolkata.
  • 1987 Certificate of Merit from All India Youth Art Exhibition.

This work will be shipped without the frame in a roll form or flat as the work demands, free of cost.

Should you want the work in a ready to hang condition, kindly contact us for additional charges.  |  +91 33 22873377  |  Mob. : +91-9836515657

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  • Store / Brand / Artist Name:Subrata Das
  • Seller:Subrata Das
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text:
PashaBiceps Forgot How to Play CS:GO

PaszaBiceps Forgets How to Play CSGO Virtus.Pro Counter Strike Esports Twitch
  • One of the best Polish CS:GO players of all time, pashaBiceps retired last year. Since then, he dedicated his spare time to Twitch streaming. However, it seems like a lack of training has a significant impact on pashaBiceps game.
pashaBiceps forgot how to walk in CS:GO

pashaBiceps was playing on the Terrorist side with some active CS:GO players like ALEX, hAdji, ISSAA, and Zywoo. On the other side were three Cloud9 players (autimatic, flusha and GOLDON) and with Dev7l and BUBSKI. They played the first match on Inferno. PaszaBiceps’ team kicked off the game in a great way, as they win five of the opening six rounds. In the sixth round, they managed to plant the bomb and eliminate all of the opponent’s players except BUBSKI.

PaszaBiceps went all the way back to Bridge and was waiting with his AWP. Suddenly, on his left side, BUBSKI appeared but didn’t see Pasha. Then, Pasha had him on gunpoint but didn’t shoot. Instead, he wanted to kill BUBSKI with the knife. But he made the amateur mistake, as he didn’t walk.

As a result, BUBSKI heard him on time and turned around to eliminate pashaBiceps. Pasha screamed and wondered how BUBSKI heard him. Maybe he thought that the explosion should have deafened BUBSKI, but it obviously didn’t happen. Pasha should have known that BUBSKI would hear him running towards him. That is one of the basic rules in CS:GO.

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A post shared by Jaroslaw Jarzabkowski (@pashabiceps) on

Where that smoke finished?

pashabiceps forgot how to play CSGO esports Counter Strike

Another interesting situation occurred on Mirage with a bit different teams. PashaBiceps was on the Terrorist side again. This time, he was approaching mid. On the halfway to the mid, he threw long smoke on, as he thought, top mid. Then, he threw a Molotov and instantly got blinded by the flash. When he got back his vision, he saw where his smoke actually ended up. It actually finished on one of the houses in mid.

Pasha couldn’t believe what he had done. But he just laughed at himself. It was one wasted smoke that could have helped his team if was an appropriate threw. But, after these two fails, we can conclude that pashaBiceps forgot how to play CS:GO, as he doesn’t play CS:GO professionally anymore, but for entertainment only. If he still has some ideas of coming back to CS:GO at the pro level, he definitely will have to train like he used to in order to be in top shape.

Interestingly, pashaBiceps forgot how to play CS:GO, but he already had some difficulties with the utility on Mirage. So, this may mean that he generally doesn’t feel comfortable on Mirage. That’s not unusual at all considering he is an old school CS player, and Mirage was introduced in CS:GO.

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PlayStation 2 reduced to $149

At Sony's E3 event, Kaz Hirai announces that Sony's console will now be the same price as the Xbox.

In his opening statement at Sony's E3 press conference, Sony Computer Entertainment America president and COO Kaz Hirai reminisced about the decade since the PlayStation's debut at the 1995 E3. During that period, Sony has shipped 170 million units of hardware, including 71 million PlayStation 2s. He highlighted the fact Sony will ship 14.1 million PlayStation 2s this year, "more than our competitors' consoles in their entire life cycle."

In a not-so-subtle swipe to his competitors, Hirai said the situation was essentially the same now as it was when the PlayStation debuted. "Competitors [are] entering the market--and fading away," he said.

Hirai then went on a lengthy breakdown of the PlayStation 2's market history and demographics. Then he touched on a key issue--the price of the PlayStation 2. "Effective immediately, the PlayStation 2 will be $149," he told a crowd in Los Angeles. Hirai also promised a widespread media campaign promoting the new price point. "The health of the console market depends on us," he said.

The price drop surprised virtually no one. Ever since Microsoft cut the price of the Xbox--a move which doubled the console's sales--analysts had been predicting Sony would have to respond with a discount of its own.

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Good game, more could have been much better.

User Rating: 7 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword WII
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword disappointed me, perhaps because I expect a game from the level of Twilight Princess, but unfortunately it is not, the gameplay has almost no evolution, the graphics are beautiful, the environment is impeccable, and the plot is Interesting, it tells the origin of the Master Sword, the origin of Link and Zelda, we finally discovered their race, there are fun things to do, you face the same boss a 3 times, and he almost does not change the style, dungeons I'm not sure if it's a good game, but it's a very good game, even though some of them are very tiring and repetitive, but I like them to have changed a little bit and get Ganondorf at least once in the saga, Skyward Sword not bad, more could have been a masterpiece. Note 77


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New Fire Emblem: Three Houses Character, Shamir, Introduced

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Nintendo and the Fire Emblem Japanese Twitter account shared another character reveal for the upcoming Switch exclusive, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The latest character introduction gives us a look at Shamir, the loyalty driven knight of Seiros and friend of Rhea.

Check out the video introduction included in the tweet below:

With growing anticipation, Three Houses is climbing closer and closer to its official release. Over the last few months Nintendo has shared a plethora of character introductions, along with a few in-depth previews of the game, an extensive gameplay demonstration during Nintendo’s E3 Treehouse event and most recently a new trailer showing off the House of the Black Eagles.

Nintendo also recently announced a four wave expansion pass for the game which will be released alongside the game, either as a separate purchase or bundled with the game itself. The expansion pass will last until April 2020.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is set to release on July 26, 2019 exclusively for the Switch.

Follow Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube and Facebook for the latest gaming news.

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Rocket League
Rocket League

Rocket League Rumble Update Coming in September

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Rocket League Rumble Update Coming in September

At the conclusion of the Rocket League Championship Series today in Hollywood, Psyonix revealed the next new game mode, Rumble, which will be part of a larger September update.

Titled “Rocket League Rumble,” the new and Free game mode will let you compete in epic battle royales with random and hilarious power-ups. Similar to the other Multiplayer modes which previously came to the title, Rocket League Rumble will appear in Online Playlists and Private and Exhibition matches.

Here are all 11 powerups included in the mode:

  • The Boot (Kicks an opponent’s car)
  • Disruptor (Forces your opponent to drive uncontrollably)
  • Freezer (Freezes the ball in-place)
  • Grappling Hook (Pulls you towards the ball)
  • Haymaker (Punches the ball)
  • Magnetizer (Attracts the ball to your car)
  • Plunger (Grabs the ball via plunger and cord)
  • Power Hitter (Allows you to hit everything harder)
  • Spike (Attach the ball to your car when you bump into it)
  • Swapper (Change positions on the field with your opponent)
  • Tornado (Sweep up the ball and opposing cars into a giant funnel cloud)

Check out the Trailer:

“In other related news, cross-platform play between the PS4 and Xbox One is believed to become a reality soon enough, and the big question that remains is when rather than if at this point. This news is also coming in fairly hot on the heels of when cross-network support rolled out for the Xbox One and PC received.

On an interesting note, Blizzard recently launched Lucioball for Overwatch in honor of the 2016 Olympics, and it’s pretty much like Rocket League, where players are tasked with scoring points by getting a soccer ball through their opponents’ goal.”

More info at – Source

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The Essential Steps in the Entire Digital Marketing Process

felix wenzel

The next popular tip is Google’s tool, where you can easily and quickly see if your website is mobile-friendly. You just type in that URL and then you are told if the site is mobile friendly and what could potentially be improved. From felix wenzel now you will be getting all the required information.

Visual content for social media

Our most popular tip is this infographic, which explains why visual content is so appealing and gives you good advice on working with visual content on social media.

Content step-by-step

In place comes this infographic that guides you through the process of producing content. If you face this challenge on a daily basis, take a closer look at this infographic.

2019 Social Media Map

Do you also find it difficult to maintain an overview of the various social media and platforms available out there? Then this seventh place overview might be for you.

Cover photos for social media

Do you also have trouble keeping track of the different sizes and requirements for cover images on the many social media sites? Then Hubspot has created a number of templates that you can easily use yourself.

Make targeted updates on Facebook

This ninth-place video guides you through the possibilities of targeting your Facebook updates and hitting your target audience more precisely.

Social Media for B2B

In tenth place comes this infographic that deepens the use of social media for B2B companies. If you are working with marketing or sales in the B2B market, this infographic may definitely be relevant for you.

Keeping up-to-date with what’s happening in digital marketing isn’t always as easy as it happens so much and so fast. Therefore, in this blog, I will give you five great tips so you don’t have to go through everything.

Google Ads (Google AdWords)

As you all know, Google AdWords is nothing new. We can all agree on that, and then we can agree that Google often changes the look of its products. Recently, Google AdWords has been redesigned and renamed Google Ads.

felix wenzel

The first impression of the new version is that it is more transparent than the old version. For those of you who have also worked in Facebook Business Manager, you can recognize the dark frame of the new Google AdWords. The dashboard, on the other hand, is more like the new “Home” feature in Google Analytics. It provides a better overview of campaigns, clicks, average PPC and much more. We were pleasantly surprised by the new look.

SEO is something we are constantly working on and we are looking for good tools to help us with that. The nice thing about SEO optimizer is that it doesn’t just check SEO. It also checks performance, UI / mobile, social media and security. It gives you a full review of all the categories and what should be fixed. Check it out and find out what might need fixing.

All these options are now open for you and that you can make use of all at the right times. All you will need to do is to opt for the right process at the right time with the help of an expert.


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Installation Inspiration

This week we found ourselves looking for some uplifting inspiration...

We think we’ve struck gold with the sample installation images included in the short video below, and hope it brings you inspiration and cheer too!

Also, did you know we can provide you with a virtual installation image of
anypainting on your very own wall?!
Contact us for details!

In the mean time, enjoy the video 😁

...and continue to stay safe and healthy,

Nancy, Pamela & Jessie


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Somebody please help! Slim Shady has gone totally crazy.

Guess who’s back with a brand new video? Slim Shady is ready to piss you off again. His targets may not be the same, but Eminem’s new « Just Lose It » video is full of sarcasms. This video will make you laugh crazy from the beginning to the end and won’t probably leave you indifferent.
You can watch it here:

I gotta be honest with Eminem and with my readers, though. When I first listened to the full song and had a look at the lyrics, I was a little bit disappointed by the lyrical content and the commercial beats of « Just Lose It ». I was even sad to think that Marshall Mathers could create a « whack song » like this one.

Lyrically speaking, Marshall can do better. The « Infinite » song and « Drug Ballad », for instance, are good examples of Eminem’s rich and complex rhyming style.
But I guess that I must have misunderstood Eminem’s intentions: the video has enlightened me about it and I have completely changed my mind.

The « Just Lose It » video has a little bit of a Without Me » taste…
At the beginning of the video, Eminem introduces you into his one man show. Eminem starts inviting little kids to the dance floor when he suddenly interrupts the show:

“Guess who’s back
Back again
Shady’s back
Now everyone report to the dance floor
To the dance floor, to the dance floor
Now everyone report to the dance floor
Alright Stop…Pajama time”

Pajama time? Isn’t that a clear allusion to Michael Jackson sleeping with kids? Yes, you guessed it right. But it is also a sarcastic derision of Mc Hammer’s rapping style « Hammer time ». It is no secret that Eminem doesn’t like Mc Hammer at all. Eminem’s clothes at the beginning of the video will remind you of the rapper.

Slim Shady goes on, incisive as ever:

“Come here little kiddies,On my lap
Guess who’s back with a brand new rap
And i don’t mean rap as in a new case of child investigation accusation
Aah aah aah aah aah
now worries, pappa’s got a brand new bag of toys
what else could i possibly do to make noise
I’d an touched on everything, but little boys
That’s not a stab at Micheal
That’s just a metaphore, I’m just psycho…”

Picture Eminem as a perverse Santa Claus with a bunch of kids on his lap…
The press has spilled a lot of ink about the accusations against pop star Michael Jackson. Eminem is trying to make people laugh and to humor the event.

Is Marshall dissing Michael? No, I don’t think so. The song is self explanatory:

“That’s not a stab at Micheal
That’s just a metaphore, I’m just psycho a little bit crazy sometimes…”

The video goes crazier as Marshall parodies Madonna. It looks like Michael and Madonna are ready to entertain the crowd together. Madonna’s candle sets Michael’s Jackson’s hair into fire…
The crazy party goes on…full of hilarious episodes, like Eminem throwing out upon Michael Jackson.
The funniest part of the song is-you guessed it right- Marshall running butt naked through the street and landing in jail. But Michael losing his nose at the end of the song increases the comical effect of the song.

Eminem, I owe you an apology: this song wasn’t made to be structured with great rhymes. It wasn’t a party song either, although many people thought so while listening to your full song.
The parody of the pop world you did was from the mind of a genius and you managed to surprise me with your immense talent, as usual.

7 thoughts on “Somebody please help! Slim Shady has gone totally crazy.”

  2. “”I was even sad to think that Marshall Mathers could create a Â« whack song Â» like this one.””
    so did you live in a cave in france during that wack-ass d12 album? eminem needs a comback album to repair the damage done by the d12 album and his recent guests…

  3. Hi from New York And thanks for the web site. It was just the thing I had been looking for. It has helped me no end. Thanks again

  4. I just don’t know what to do anymore. My baby brother was murdered a couple of weeks ago, but i am starting to suspect that my Mom has a hand in this. I just can’t go on. I am scared of my own shadow. I am scared for my children, I don’t like all of your songs and I hope this does not make you mad at me. yet when it CAME TO CLEANING OUT YOUR CLOSET…(TEARS) I am so lost I am desperate and swear my mom had a had maybe to the elbows in his murder. Please help me, I am about ready to quit breathing myself even though everyone tells me that i have kids. Yet I have lost my first child after we found our mother after 8 yrears since finding her. Please do not turn this into a media circus. Please help me…

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Sequence Optimization Consideration

Sequence Optimization Consideration

Heterologous protein expression

Protein heterologous expression project can reveal to be a demanding process. Among the many factors that may affect successful expression, that of the actual coding sequence utilized has been shown in many instances to be a central issue. You may benefit from re-designing or creating de novo an expression-prone DNA sequence from he protein sequence.

Poor or no expression, troncated proteins, amino-acids misincorporation are the most common consequences of codon bias and unbalanced tRNA pool.

This issue has been extensively studied for E. coli expression and is perfectly exemplified by the arginine codons AGG and AGA -same tRNA- which are hardly ever found in E. coli highly expressed ORFs while found with significantly higher frequency in many other organisms. It would thus make better sense to replace the latter by codons used more frequently in your host organism e.g. CGT or CGC.

Frequency Codons (AGG
+ AGA) (% of all arg codons)
Expression host
(Highly expressed genes, Henaut and Danchin, Escherichia coli
and Salmonella, Vol. 2, Ch. 114:2047-2066, 1996)
E. coli
Recombinant gene source
(all genes frequencies, www.kazusa.or.jp/codon/)
A. thaliana
C. elegans
D. melanogaster
H. sapiens
S. cerevisae

Gene design

Designing a gene that will express in a particular organism a recombinant protein boils down to choosing the most appropriate triplet for each amino acids. With a ratio of 64 codons to 20 aa plus termination there is quite some flexibility to include other constraints in addition to that of codon bias adjustment such as:

  • Gene & protein engineering: Addition or removal of specific motives (e.g. restriction sites), tags for purification, multiple stops, etc.
  • Gene manufacturing: Maintain average GC content, avoid long repeats, palindroms, etc.


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Clues to the Earth’s ancient core

Illustration of three phases of geodynamo generation: (a) Earliest earth until circa 2.5 Ga, a basal magma ocean in the mantle hosts a thin-shell dynamo. Vertical columns represent rotationally dominant convective fluid motions. (b) Second stage, characterized by an almost fully solidified mantle, where last crystallization products are compositionally Fe enriched and dense. Greater heat flux out of core allows for thermal convection to drive dynamo in fluid core. (c) As core cools, solid inner core initiates and grows. Geodynamo powered by thermal and compositional convection enhanced by core solidification, leading to stronger average field strength.

Old rocks hold on to their secrets. Now, a geophysicist at Michigan Technological University has unlocked clues trapped in the magnetic signatures of mineral grains in those rocks.. These clues will help clear up the murky history of the Earth’s early core.
The journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters published a paper on the subject earlier this year. Aleksey Smirnov, an associate professor of geophysics and adjunct associate professor of physics at Michigan Tech, led the study. The work is a part of a large research program led by Smirnov and supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), including his CAREER Award, a prestigious NSF grant. Through this work, he has traveled the world seeking rocks that provide insight into the ancient earth’s core.

Earth’s Ancient Geodynamo

The magnetic field comes from the earth’s core: The solid inner core, made of iron, spins and powers convective currents in the liquid outer core. Those currents create the magnetic field, and the system is called the geodynamo.

“At any point, the field can be described by its direction and strength,” Smirnov says, adding that the modern magnetic field is weaker than that of a refrigerator magnet and that intensity has changed throughout geologic time. “What we call paleointensity in our paper refers to the field’s strength,” he explains.

Smirnov and his co-author, David Evans of Yale University, examined the paleointensity measurements of rocks more than two billion years old. Rocks that old record a magnetic field from a rather mysterious geodynamo.

That’s because the core didn’t always have a solid center—it used to be all liquid. And being liquid would make for a weak, chaotic magnetic field.

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“What happened at some point, because the earth is constantly cooling, the center formed a small, solid inner core,” Smirnov says. “But this event is uncertain in terms of timing.”

A number of models analyze what this timing could have been, but they estimate any time between half a billion years ago and three billion years ago—which is like saying an adolescent will hit puberty sometime between ages 8 to 30. To better pinpoint the timing of the inner core’s formation, Smirnov scours the world for old Precambrian rocks.

Magnetic Records in Rocks

Smirnov focuses on rocks that are not just old, but magnetic, and he tests the samples in the Earth Magnetism Lab at Michigan Tech. Within the lab is a room, built above the concrete floor and boxed in with a special steel alloy—it’s a metal-free zone. Inside the room, Smirnov uses a magnetometer: a device that measures magnetic properties in rocks and, more specifically, their iron-rich minerals.

Magnetite is an iron silicate with magnetic properties, and when it crystallizes in a rock, it records the strength and orientation of the earth’s magnetic field. Some rocks record this better than others; an ideal rock cools fast and is well-preserved.

“Because of the rarity of well-preserved extrusive Precambrian rocks,” Smirnov writes in his paper, “relatively quickly cooled shallow intrusions such as mafic dikes and sills represent an attractive alternative target for paleointensity studies.”

The rocks Smirnov and his team sampled in Australia’s Widgiemooltha dike swarm are the best available, considering the cluster of intrusive rock formations has been eroded, buried and baked over the past two billion years. The dike swarm is important because the Widgiemooltha rocks, collected from 24 different field sites, contain key magnetite grains. After some time in the lab’s magnetometer, the minerals begin to reveal their long-held magnetic secrets.

Recommended For You  Geologist seeks clues about the most rapid and dramatic climate change in Earth's history

Basal Mantle Ocean and Beyond

Given the rocks’ age and the chaotic nature of the early magnetic field, Smirnov predicted the paleointensity recorded in the magnetite grains would be weak. However, he and his team found the paleointensity readings were relatively strong.

“This contradicts the models that show a young solid inner core—and right now, that’s a mystery,” Smirnov says. Although, he adds, there is a new theory that is consistent with this data.

In the basal mantle ocean theory, the boundary between the solid mantle—the bulk of earth’s interior—and the early earth’s core could have been swaddled in a dense layer of partially melted rock. The difference in composition and density could have been enough to jumpstart a stronger magnetic field.

Delving deeper into the core’s evolution has significance beyond the earth’s interior, too. The magnetic field helps protect life on earth from cosmic radiation. Understanding the ancient geodynamo could also expand our knowledge of earth’s earliest life. Smirnov plans to study that connection—and more exceptionally old rocks—in the next leg of his research.

“Geomagnetic paleointensity at ∼2.41 Ga as recorded by the Widgiemooltha Dike Swarm, Western Australia,” Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 416, 15 April 2015, Pages 35-45, ISSN 0012-821X, DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2015.02.012

Note : The above story is based on materials provided by Michigan Technological University.


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Scientists determine source of world’s largest mud eruption

mud eruption
On May 29, 2006, mud started erupting from several sites on the Indonesian island of Java and hasn’t stopped since. The eruption became known as Lusi and is the most destructive ongoing mud eruption in history. Credit: Adriano Mazzini/The Lusi Lab Project

On May 29, 2006, mud started erupting from several sites on the Indonesian island of Java. Boiling mud, water, rocks and gas poured from newly-created vents in the ground, burying entire towns and compelling many Indonesians to flee. By September 2006, the largest eruption site reached a peak, and enough mud gushed on the surface to fill 72 Olympic-sized swimming pools daily.

Indonesians frantically built levees to contain the mud and save the surrounding settlements and rice fields from being covered. The eruption, known as Lusi, is still ongoing and has become the most destructive ongoing mud eruption in history. The relentless sea of mud has buried some villages 40 meters (130 feet) deep and forced nearly 60,000 people from their homes. The volcano still periodically spurts jets of rocks and gas into the air like a geyser. It is now oozing around 80,000 cubic meters (3 million cubic feet) of mud each day — enough to fill 32 Olympic-sized pools. Watch a video of the Lusi eruption here:

Now, more than 11 years after it first erupted, researchers may have figured out why the mudflows haven’t stopped: deep underground, Lusi is connected to a nearby volcanic system.

In a new study, researchers applied a technique geophysicists use to map Earth’s interior to image the area beneath Lusi. The images show the conduit supplying mud to Lusi is connected to the magma chambers of the nearby Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex through a system of faults 6 kilometers (4 miles) below the surface.

Volcanoes can be connected to each other deep underground and scientists suspected Lusi and the Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex were somehow linked, because previous research showed some of the gas Lusi expels is typically found in magma. But no one had yet shown that Lusi is physically connected to Arjuno-Welirang.

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The researchers discovered that the scorching magma from the Arjuno-Welirang volcano has essentially been “baking” the organic-rich sediments underneath Lusi. This process builds pressure by generating gas that becomes trapped below the surface. In Lusi’s case, the pressure grew until an earthquake triggered it to erupt.

Studying the connection of these two systems could help scientists to better understand how volcanic systems evolve, whether they erupt magma, mud or hydrothermal fluids.

“We clearly show the evidence that the two systems are connected at depth,” said Adriano Mazzini, a geoscientist at CEED — University of Oslo and lead author of the new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. “What our new study shows is that the whole system was already existing there — everything was charged and ready to be triggered.”

Finding a connection

Java is part of a volcanic island arc, formed when one tectonic plate subducts below another. As the island rose upward out of the sea, volcanoes formed along its spine, with basins of shallow water between them. Lusi’s mud comes from sediments laid down in those basins while the island was still partially submerged underwater.

Mazzini has been studying Lusi since soon after the eruption began. Two years ago, the study’s authors installed a network of 31 seismometers around Lusi and the neighboring volcanic complex. Researchers typically use seismometers to measure ground shaking during earthquakes, but scientists can also use them to create three-dimensional images of the areas underneath volcanoes.

Using 10 months of data recorded by the seismometers, Mazzini and his colleagues imaged the area below Lusi and the surrounding volcanoes. The images showed a tunnel protruding from the northernmost of Arjuno-Welirang’s magma chambers into the sedimentary basin where Lusi is located. This allows magma and hydrothermal fluids originating in the mantle to intrude into Lusi’s sediments, which triggers massive reactions and creates gas that generates high pressure below Earth’s surface. Any perturbation — like an earthquake — can then trigger this system to erupt.

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“It’s just a matter of reactivating or opening these faults and whatever overpressure you have gathered in the subsurface will inevitably want to escape and come to the surface, and you have a manifestation on the surface, and that is Lusi,” Mazzini said.

Triggering an eruption

Mazzini and other researchers suspect a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck Java two days before the mud started flowing was what triggered the Lusi eruption, by reactivating the fault system that connects it to Arjuno-Welirang.

By allowing magma to flow into Lusi’s sedimentary basin, the fault system could be an avenue for moving the entire volcanic system northward, said Stephen Miller, a professor of geodynamics at the University of Neuchâtel in Neuchâtel, Switzerland who was not connected to the study.

“It looks like this might be the initial stages of this march forward of this volcanic arc,” Miller said. “Ultimately, it’s bringing all this heat over toward Lusi, which is driving that continuous system.”

Mazzini and other scientists are unsure how much longer Lusi will continue to erupt. While mud volcanoes are fairly common on Java, Lusi is a hybrid between a mud volcano and a hydrothermal vent, and its connection to the nearby volcano will keep sediments cooking for years to come.

“So what it means to me is that Lusi’s not going to stop anytime soon,” Miller said.

Mohammad Javad Fallahi, Anne Obermann, Matteo Lupi, Karyono Karyono, Adriano Mazzini. The plumbing system feeding the Lusi eruption revealed by ambient noise tomography. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2017; DOI: 10.1002/2017JB014592

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Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by American Geophysical Union.


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People in Pangbourne are being reminded not to touch the caterpillars of the oak processionary moth, which are beginning to emerge now.

The warning comes from the Forestry Commission and Public Health England who advise that children, pets and livestock should be kept away from the caterpillars and their nests.

Sightings should also be reported.

The affected areas are several boroughs in West and South West London, Bromley and Croydon in South London, and Pangbourne in West Berkshire.

Caterpillars of the oak processionary moth (OPM) were accidentally introduced to Britain from Europe in 2006.

They are a tree pest and pose a threat to human and animal health.

The caterpillars damage oak trees by feeding on the leaves, in some cases leaving the trees severely defoliated and vulnerable to other pests, diseases or drought.

And they pose a risk to human and animal health because they have tiny, toxic hairs which can cause itchy skin rashes on contact with people and animals. Eye and throat irritations have also been reported as symptoms.

The hairs can be blown on the wind, and left in the silken, web-like nests which the caterpillars build in oak trees.

They pose the greatest risk from May to July, although nests should not be approached at any time. The Forestry Commission is working with local authorities and land managers to tackle the outbreaks with a carefully controlled programme of tree spraying and nest removal.

Dr Yvonne Doyle of Public Health England endorsed this advice, saying: “Anyone who experiences an itchy or painful skin rash or a sore throat and irritated eyes after being near oak trees in these areas should consult their GP or NHS 111.

“We have issued advice to local GPs and health professionals to help them identify when patients have been affected by the caterpillars and to advise them on appropriate treatment.”

Tree spraying is done by fully qualified operators under strict health, safety and environmental controls to ensure it is safe for humans and animals.


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Denver seems to be blessed with more talented advocates per capita than any city I know.  To some extent it’s imported talent because it’s a great place to live.  The advocates form partnerships that benefit families and kids. Some long sought gains were reversed by a combination of the Great Recession and anti-tax measures.

Backstory. As a young business executive in Denver, my boss dragged me to Chamber of Commerce events and forced me to “adopt a children’s charity.”  I picked the Colorado Children’s Campaign (CCC) because it seemed wonky and antiseptic, but within days of joining the board, Executive Director Barbara O’Brien had me visiting schools with Kids Count data in hand.  It didn’t take long for her to convince me to spend the rest of my life as an advocate for kids.

Shortly after joining the board, Barbara and I were making the case for charter schools to Governor Romer.  In 1993, the Governor signed into law one of the first charter school laws. My boss also enrolled me in Leadership Denver, a community development program that proved to be another life changing experience.  A young attorney in my class, Bill Ritter, went on to be governor with Barbara O’Brien as lieutenant governor.

Denver was a bit of an edreform wasteland in the early 90s until Barbara kicked CCC into gear.
CCC, with the added benefit of some national factors, was the mother or inspiration to most of the solid charter networks and reform groups in Denver including DFER, Get Smart, TFA, Colorado Succeeds, A+ Denver, and all the community organizations now active in education.

My father, Dr. Gary Vander Ark, has been the leading advocate for health care for low income families in Colorado for 40 years.  Inspired by Barbara and Gary, I wrote Healthy Families, Healthy Business—an argument for health care, child care, and family friendly business policies. It was the work with Denver reformers in the early 90s that shaped my views on education, community development, and politics.

Reformers. Van Schoales and CCC took on high school reform in 2001.  Some projects worked better than others.  He’s still at it as director of  A+ Denver.

Van helped Superintendent Charlotte Ciancio kick off the portfolio of new schools in Mapleton—a small district north of Denver with New Tech, two Expeditionary Learning schools.  Van also worked with and convinced David Greenberg, an attorney, to help import High Tech High strategies.  Since then David has committed most of his time to making Denver School of Science and Technology the best high poverty STEM school in the country.  It will soon be a network of five high performing Denver area schools.

There is a history of productive business partnerships in Colorado.  The Public Education & Business Coalition supports teacher development.  Colorado Succeeds has a more aggressive reform agenda.  Barbara and Van along with Moira Cullen, Terrance Carrol, Peter Groff, and Mike Johnston launched DFER Colorado.

Van’s team recently recognized some of Denver’s ‘game-changers’:

  • Accountability Robert Hammond(Colorado Commissioner of education) and Keith Owen(Deputy Commissioner)- for keeping an eye on accountability, despite strong pressure to back down.
  • Arts Monika Vischer(El Sistema and Colorado Public Radio) and Barth Quenzer (DPS Arts Teacher, Brown), for bringing quality music instruction to low-income students and demonstrating what a quality arts classroom looks like, while helping develop district-wide assessments.
  • Awareness Andrea Merida (DPS Board) and Jeannie Kaplan (DPS Board), for provoking dialogue (and sometimes division) and forcing everyone to be on their toes and work harder to inform Denver citizens or Denver community.
  • Data-Driven Practice Alyssa Whitehead-Bust (DPS) for turning around and building the capacity of the new schools and innovation office with a focus on results.
  • Effective Collaborator Jennifer Walmer (DPS Chief of Staff)- for working effectively with a diverse array of interests in and outside of DPS to move an agenda on behalf of Denver
  • Elementary David Singer (University Prep) and James Cryan (Rocky Mountain Prep), for creating new elementary school designs with enormous promise that are likely to be early childhood, elementary, and blended learning models.
  • High School John Fry (High Tech Early College High) and Antonio Vigil (Strive Prep SMART High)- for starting new high schools with some of the longest names in the city (and for showing us how to create engaging high-quality learning environments for all of their kids.)
  • Leadership Mary Seawell (DPS Board President)- for leading the board in very challenging times and holding the district accountable for results.
  • Policy – Colorado Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino and Colorado Senator Mike Johnston– for proving that you can be education reform legislators, be pro-teacher and rise to leadership positions in the legislature.
  • Quality Choice Scott Laband (Colorado Succeeds)- for managing the development of Colorado School Grades to help families navigate the growing number of complex school choices they need to make for their kids, and for helping the business community to more seriously engage in public education.
  • Transparency Nancy Mitchell (former editor of Education News Colorado)- for setting the standard for quality news reporting on education issues in Colorado.
  • Turnaround Matt Spengler (Blueprint) and Allen Smith (DPS), for creating one of the first effective turnaround district and provider partnerships in Colorado that has begun to bear fruit in far NE Denver.

DPS. Serving more than 80,000 students in 162 schools, Denver Public Schools benefits from what is probably the best and most aggressive elected board in the country.  Superintendent Tom Boasberg is extending the portfolio direction set by Senator Michael Bennett.

Supported by NGLC, “West Generation Academy, a new turnaround school launched by Generation Schools Network on the site of Denver’s West High, includes many hallmarks of next-generation blended design.”

Get Smart Schools supports new school development—14 to date.  President Barbara O’Brien and her superstar board plan to support 50 schools by the end of the decade.

There are 190 charter schools in Colorado, almost two thirds are in metro Denver.  The Charter League of Charter Schools has a complete list.

Strive Preparatory Schools, originating as West Denver Prep, is a high performing network of 6 middle schools and a high school (soon to be 2).  Founder and CEO Chris Gibbons is former director of Denver Summerbridge.

CRPE scores Denver pretty high on the 7 dimensions of portfolio strategy, but Denver only scores a C+ on Brookings Education Choice and Competition Index (putting it in the Chicago and Newark category).  Colorado ranks 14th out of 50 states on the Parent Power Index from CER.

Districts. The Adams 50 district was featured in our recently released paper The Shift From Cohorts to Competency.

Douglas County is an affluent high performing white district south of Denver.  The choice friendly district has 12 charter schools.  It was one of the first public districts to create a private school scholarships, but the program is on hold following a court injunction.

Colorado Springs School District 11 is a tech savvy district with an “innovation agenda deployed in manageable chunks.” After an extensive review they selected ST Math, a visual game-based approach from MIND Research Institute for system wide deployment with impressive results.

Little St. Vrain Valley Schools was a big winner in the RTTD competition.

Privates.  I attended Denver Christian and it still has a solid academic and sports program.  Rival Catholic schools left Denver for the suburbs twenty years ago depriving Denver kids of a great faith-based option until Arrupe Jesuit High School, a member of the Cristo Rey network opened a decade ago.  Cristo Rey students work a day a week to support offset a portion of their tuition—and it provides great on-the-job training and an unmatched sense of student efficacy evident when you visit the school.

Funders.  When I visited Denver in 2000 interested in high school improvement and development, I found a receptive local philanthropic community.  Sam Gary was actively involved in plans to redevelop Stapleton (the old airport) and was an advocate for a portfolio of schools.  Sheila Bugdanowitz, Rose Community Foundation, was eager to join (and not just because I installed her lawn sprinklers when I was in high school).  The Gates Family Foundation also joined the cause.

In 2005, Kevin Hall left the Broad Foundation to launch the Charter School Growth Fund in an emerging tech corridor between Denver and Boulder.  Alex Hernandez (@ThinkSchools) joined a few years later and has become a leading expert on tech-infused school models.

Punching above its weight, the Donnell-Kay Foundation has emerged as a national leader in next gen school models.  After a stint with the state, as Assistant Commissioner of Education, Amy Berk Anderson is returning.  While working for the commissioner, Amy launched a number of projects funded by Colorado Legacy led by Yee-Ann Cho.

Carrie Morgridge leads her family foundation which benefits Colorado and Florida kids with forward leaning programs like ShareFair, edtech grants to schools, and a big boost the school of education at the University of Denver (DU).

The Daniels Charitable Fund adopted and transformed DU’s business school infusing a mission of ethical business practices.

EdTech. Denver has an undersized edtech presence with few big players or startups.
Pearson acquired a couple Denver businesses including eCollege.  The division supports 9 million mostly higher ed students with the LearningStudio platform.  Pearson also purchased Knowledge Technologies.  The PKT division develops and supports automated scoring solutions including WriteToLearn (featured here and here on GettingSmart).

TeleTech is a big CRM shop that supports corporate training.

ScholarCentric surveys measure engagement and promote resilience in Denver, Clark County, Broward, Chicago and a growing number of districts nationwide.

Boulder, 30 miles northwest of Denver, is a hub for startups and they held a startup weekend last fall but there’s still not many edupreneurs.

Higher Ed.  Dan Ritchie’s leadership at DU changed the skyline of south Denver with lots of new buildings. In 1994, Ritchie donated a sprawling ranch to fund matching grants to the university, to date it has brought in more than $50 million.

Mining magnate Bruce Benson is president of the University of Colorado which is basically a private school given the lack of state funding.  I just can’t get used to CU being a Pac12 school.

Chris Romer (another former CCC board member) founded American Honors, a new Denver-based low cost 2+2 pathway to brand named degrees.

Policy. Colorado submitted a solid proposal and should have won a Race to the Top grant.  It did pick up a small consolation prize for early learning.

Keeping Pace says there are about 15,000 students in full time online programs.  There are five online statewide charters include Calvert, Colorado Virtual Academy, GOAL Academy, Hope Online, and Provost and 22 multi-district programs and a dozen single district programs.
Digital Learning Now scored Colorado in the middle of the pack.

Super senator Mike Johnston is leading efforts to fix Colorado’s outdated and failing education finance system.  (Marguerite Roza and I spoke to Colorado Succeeds about this and are writing a March white paper for Digital Learning Now on weighted, portable, and performance-based funding)

Conclusion. Denver benefits from passionate advocates and productive partnerships, but there is little edtech innovation and few innovative blended school models.

The Chamber doesn’t look as involved in education as they used to be.  They should recognize that economic development is all about education in the long run.  In the near term, edtech could be a growth category that would help spur innovations in learning.

If Boasberg can retain enough board support to stay the course, educational options for Denver families will continue to improve.  A critical DPS board race in November could accelerate or kill reform in Denver for the next four years or more.

A state and city innovation agenda that would boost access to internet devices and broadband and support new school models would benefit kids and the community.  The good news for Denver is that advocates like Van Schoales, Barbara O’Brien, and Amy Anderson are on the case.

Disclosures: Pearson, MIND Research and Digital Learning Now! are Getting Smart Advocacy Partners.

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Case Study

Two orthopedic hospitals strengthen pre- and post-op outreach

Implement a comprehensive patient engagement solution to educate and navigate orthopedic patients
through their episode of care without adding workload to staff.

Florida Joint & Spine Institute and Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center sought a more efficient way to prepare patients optimally for surgery and keep in daily contact during recovery. Participating in the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model, the practices also needed a streamlined method of collecting and submitting patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs). The practices turned to GetWell Loop’s automated, two-way communication platform to increase patient engagement, lower the risk for complications or readmissions, reduce call volume and promptly answer patients’ questions and concerns.

Approach & Solution

Scaling Up

Panorama began by enrolling 200 patients on GetWell Loop’s digital care plans (called loops) over the first five months. These care plans are developed by clinicians at GetWell Loop using evidence-based protocols and can be fully customized to meet client preferences. After using the solution for several months, the Panorama team gathered feedback from physicians, made care plan modifications and rolled out the platform to the entire practice of more than 30 physicians.

Panorama currently has 600–900 patients enrolled on loops each month and uses 18 care plans and 27 PROMs. The practice receives about four questions per patient for the duration of their digital care plan that begins three weeks prior to surgery and ends about three weeks after surgery.

Reducing Call Volume

During a pre-operative joint replacement class, Florida Joint & Spine patients are introduced to GetWell Loop as the best way to contact the office with questions and concerns. This introduction has helped increase patient activation with GetWell Loop and reduce call volume to the office.

GetWell Loop‘s rich content often preemptively answers patients’ questions, reducing the need for calling the office or sending a secure message via the platform. The reduced call volume has eased the burden on staff and clinicians alike. “I spend 60 to 70 percent of my time in surgery. With GetWell Loop, I can communicate with patients through the platform, which saves me a lot of time and allows me to respond more quickly,” says Juan Carlos Alvarez, MD.

Dr. Alvarez has also seen a sharp increase in the number of Healthgrades reviews because GetWell Loop automatically prompts patients to complete a review. Because GetWell Loop facilitates meaningful daily engagement between Dr. Alvarez and his patients, those reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

Delivering Big Returns

Since GetWell Loop’s implementation, both practices have achieved high patient activation and engagement. It’s enabled care teams to handle inquiries that would previously have come in through the phone lines while facilitating daily, empathic communications between patients and physicians. It’s automated digital patient engagement at its best.

71% & 80%

Patient activation

91% & 95%

Of patients "extremely likely to recommend their physician"

79% & 71%

PROM collection rate

Florida Joint & Spine Institute: Four locations in central Fla. | Six orthopedic surgeons

Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center: Three locations in Denver, Colo. | 30+ orthopedic surgeons

“We were looking for a robust, comprehensive patient engagement solution. Before we discovered GetWell Loop, every solution we came across addressed only one of our needs, such as patient education, PROMs or two-way patient communication, but not the others.”

 Julie Meurer, VP of Operations, Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center


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Walking Tours

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What people are saying about Sydney

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based on 1,572 reviews

This is a great tour to do as a visitor or a local. You will hear some interesting stories about early identities amongst convicts and early settlers. The tour is at the pace of the group and utilizes lots of back alleys and walkways you might otherwise miss. Loved it

A fabulous tour with Michael ... learnt a lot about Sydney’s interesting history ... lots of stories and insights ... fun and educational ... highly recommend ... thanks Michael & team! Cheers Jules

Just finished walking tour with Sally. Awesome experience and her knowledge second to none. Gave us a historical insight to the first convicts and settlement in Sydney cove. ♀

We had a lot of fun and learnt a lot about Sydney and the Rocks area. Michael was extremely knowledgeable, passionate, efficient and friendly! Thank you

Great early evening activity very interesting stories and Sydney by night is spectacular


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Strong growth and other upbeat data in 2015 bucked the West’s collective vision of a nation in crisis. But without structural reforms, the picture may darken.

Author: Justin Keay

Barely a day passes when Turks don’t wake up to another grim headline suggesting they are facing an existential crisis. With Ankara now fighting several major terrorist groups—Daesh (ISIL), the Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK, and the far-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C)—deadly suicide attacks and bombings have become depressingly frequent, with the March attacks in central Istanbul and Ankara making news around the world. Southeastern Turkey has become increasingly militarized, with the war in neighboring Syria complicating the military’s actions against the PKK, with whom Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has ruled out any negotiations. The refugee crisis continues, with Turkey now home to 2.5 million refugees, putting a major strain on resources and, in some places, social cohesion.

If that weren’t enough, in early April, Turkey faced the prospect of yet another conflict on its borders, this one between its firm ally Azerbaijan and Russia’s ally Armenia, over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan occupied by the latter since the early 1990s. The fighting threatens to further poison relations between Turkey and Russia, which are at their worst in decades since Turkey shot down a Russian jet in November for straying into its airspace. Russia has imposed economic sanctions on Turkey, which are expected to impact severely on tourism but also on exports of agricultural and manufactured products.

“Turkey today is unpredictable, polarized and volatile, with its economy in the midst of long-term stagnation,” says Fadi Hakura, Turkey analyst at Chatham House. He puts the blame firmly on Erdoğan’s increasingly authoritarian and interventionist tendencies. “Foreign policy is undermining trade and economic policy and making the country increasingly isolated.”

Bulent Sengonul, İş Investment: Private investment has been the weakest link for growth over the past four years.

Hakura says the collapse in relations with Moscow has cost Turkey some $12 billion in lost trade there, while bilateral trade with Iran has more than halved since 2012, to $9.7 billion last year despite the two countries’ having signed a preferential trade agreement cutting tariffs on hundreds of products. Trade with the Gulf States has also fallen, from almost $13 billion in 2013 to below $9 billion last year.

“Erdoğan’s policies are not improving or sustaining the confidence that is vital to Turkey’s long-term future,” Hakura says. “The government would need to perform a 180-degree turn before the outlook improves.”

Yet many statistics paint a rather different picture.

When final quarter GDP figures for 2015 were released, showing growth of 5.7%, there was a collective gasp among analysts: Not only was this well above their consensus of around 4.5% but it was the highest since 2011, boosted by a rise in net trade, as exports rose and imports dropped, reflecting low global energy prices. GDP grew 4% over the year, compared to 2.9% in 2014, with the World Bank forecasting 3.5% for both 2016 and 2017.

Other figures appear equally encouraging. Industrial production in February rose 5.8% against consensus forecasts of 4.5%, suggesting the weaker lira is helping export demand.

And according to Fitch, the central government debt as a proportion of GDP dropped to 32.6%—some 10% below the peer median average, while the central government deficit last year was slightly down, at just 1.2% of GDP. Perennial concerns about Turkey’s large external obligations—some 38.4% of GDP—have been eased by changes in which banks are helping finance them, using loans with longer maturities.

Even inflation—an ongoing concern in Turkey—appears benign right now, at just 7.5% in March, reflecting lower food and energy prices (although underlying inflationary pressures remain strong).

And those saying confidence is absent from Turkey right now should take a look at the figures released by international realtor agency Knight Frank in March, which show that property prices rose faster here than anywhere else in the world: 18.9%, compared with the global average of 2.7%.

So just what is going on?

“Lower commodity prices—particularly energy prices—have been a huge bonus for Turkey, benefiting real incomes and the current-account deficit. They have helped external imbalances, which are one of the key weaknesses of the Turkish economy,” argues Paul Gamble, head of emerging Europe sovereigns at the Fitch Ratings.

Roxana Hulea, Turkey analyst for Societe Generale, explains 2015’s fourth-quarter performance as pent-up demand finally forcing its way through, supported by low energy prices and the lira’s relative strength, while high property prices reflect rising demographic trends. She suspects the growth momentum will not last.

“I think figures for the next quarters will show a slowing down, reflecting more-depressed consumer confidence because of the growing security concerns,” she says.

This would be negative, because domestic demand and public investment are currently supporting Turkey’s economy. Last year saw a slump in FDI to around $15 billion, well down from pre-global-crisis levels of more than $20 billion and fairly poor, given Turkey’s size and potential. Turkey is down in almost all indicators in such surveys as the World Bank’s Doing Business (where it slumped four places, to 55 out of 189 countries in the rankings) and the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, where it dropped six places, to 51.

“The reality is that structural reform has been at a standstill during the AKP’s [the ruling Justice and Development Party’s] last two parliamentary terms. Labor market reforms and support for private investment are needed to help shift towards a growth model led by the private sector,” she says.

Bulent Sengonul, head of research at İş Investment in Istanbul, agrees that evidence of a slowdown will soon become apparent. “Private investment has been the weakest link of growth for the last four years,” he says. “Unless we see a clear structural reform roadmap, we do not expect a strong revival in investment appetite in 2016,” he adds, noting that ongoing geopolitical tension and rising terrorist activities “might exacerbate the deterioration in investment.”

One thing Erdogan could do is ease the tense political environment that he continues to preside over even after the AKP won an unexpected majority in last year’s second general elections, on November 1. Critics charge that he is still seeking to bring about a referendum to shift Turkey toward a presidential system that would give him untrammelled power similar to what president Putin has in Russia.

The focus in the short term will be on the central bank, where Murat Cetinkaya, formerly deputy governor, was appointed to replace Erdem Basci as governor when the latter’s term ended on April 19. A bank insider and previously also a board member of Halkbank as well as deputy director at the Islamic bank Kuveyt Turk, Cetinkaya is seen as safe pair of hands.

The big question is whether the new governor and the bank’s MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) will remain market-friendly–as many in the government prefer—and resist the interventionist policies favored by the president and much of his team, who many believe urged the unexpected 25-basis-point cut in the marginal funding rate in March.

“There are legitimate reasons to worry that interest rates will be pushed down further, not only … to support growth but also owing to president Erdoğan’s now well-known, doctrinaire aversion to high rates. If and when things worsen for emerging markets, Turkey may be punished more harshly if rate cuts are not justified by the inflation trajectory,” argues Inan Demir, chief economist at Finansbank in Istanbul.

Paul Gamble of Fitch, which maintained a BBB- stable outlook on Turkey in its February review, says policies rather than personalities matter. The last two years were defined by a succession of polls, which complicated the environment for structural reform. He says that over 2016, it will be important to keep a close watch on fiscal policy: There are several uncertainties here, including the amounts spent on the military, on looking after the country’s 2.5 million migrant population and on meeting its obligations on the implementation of the recent 30% hike in the minimum wage (the government has promised businesses it will meet 40% of the cost of this over 2016). He suggests, however, that Ankara now has a great opportunity to reenergize its structural reform program.

“The government’s policy agenda has all the components that would help Turkey resolve its many economic imbalances; the big question is over implementation,” he says, adding that Turkey would benefit from moving swiftly toward a more-balanced growth model characterized by more private investment.

Roxana Hulea of SocGen agrees.

“There’s a saying, ‘Make hay while the sun shines.’ Turkey really needs to start undertaking reforms and putting its house in order before global economic and business conditions change for the worse.”

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