text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jul 10, 1990
|Filing date
|Jan 25, 1989
|Priority date
|Jan 25, 1989
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Brian M. Mann, John W. Poore
|Original Assignee
|Siemens-Pacesetter, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (23), Non-Patent Citations (10), Referenced by (32), Classifications (4), Legal Events (6)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present invention relates generally to cardiac rate-responsive pacemakers, and more particularly to a cardiac rate-responsive pacemaker which responds to the amount of energy in the raw signal generated by a force transducer, such as a piezoelectric crystal or other acoustic energy transducer, used to sense physical activity associated with a user of the pacemaker.
A rate-responsive pacemaker is one wherein the basic pacing interval or rate varies as a function of some sensed parameter, such as a physiological parameter. As used herein, a broad definition of "pacing interval" or "pacing rate" is intended. This definition includes: (1) the rate at which the pacemaker provides stimulation pulses; or (2) the rate, in the case of a demand-type pacemaker, at which the pacemaker would provide stimulation pulses in the absence of naturally occurring cardiac events.
A typical rate-responsive pacemaker attempts to automatically adjust the pacing interval in order to best satisfy the physiological demands of the patient using the pacemaker. Rate-responsive pacemakers are known in the art which respond to respiration rate (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,718 to Krasner et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,892 to Plicchi et al.), blood temperature (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,090 to Cook et al.), blood oxygen saturation (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,339 to Wirtzfeld), or the physical activity of the patient (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,132 to Dahl and U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,378 to Anderson et al.).
Whatever type of physiological parameter is monitored by the rate-responsive pacemaker, some sort of sensor must be employed in order to generate an electrical signal (herein the "raw signal") which provides a measure of the selected physiological parameter. This raw signal is then used as an input signal to the circuits of the rate-responsive pacemaker in order to provide such circuits with the operating information needed to properly adjust the pacing interval.
A common problem associated with all rate responsive pacemakers relates to how the raw signal generated by the physiological sensor should be processed. That is, some sort of detection criteria must be applied in order to efficiently extract from the raw signal all proper information (e.g., true physiological activity), and exclude all improper information (e.g., noise). The prior art teaches certain signal processing techniques in order to achieve this extracting and excluding function.
For example, filtering the raw signal in order to exclude unwanted frequencies is known. Further, thresholding and frequency measurement of the signal in order to extract only those portions of the raw signal having an amplitude which exceeds a prescribed threshold level and frequency is known. Such filtering, thresholding, and frequency measurement techniques are adequate for many applications. However, for some applications these techniques of filtering, thresholding, and frequency measurement may operate to exclude relevant information and/or include irrelevant information. Accordingly, there is a need in the rate-responsive pacemaker art for improved processing circuitry for efficiently utilizing the informational content of the raw signal obtained from a physiological sensor.
Coupled with this need is the need to realize such processing circuitry inexpensively, both in terms of cost to build and power to operate, in a small space. The present invention addresses these and other objectives. Finally, the present invention must attain all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed above are overcome by the present invention. With this invention, the pacing interval in an implantable rate-responsive pacemaker is influenced or controlled by the total energy content of a raw signal obtained from a physiological sensor. In a preferred embodiment, a piezoelectric crystal, or other acoustic energy transducer, is mounted in or near the implanted pacemaker and is used as a sensor of physical activity of the patient within whom the pacemaker is implanted.
Such physical activity includes body movement associated with physical activity, such as walking, running, and other normal body movements. If increased physical activity is sensed, the raw signal generated by the piezoelectric crystal or other acoustic energy transducer correspondingly increases in magnitude. If decreased physical activity is sensed, the raw signal correspondingly decreases in magnitude. The increased magnitude or decreased magnitude of the raw signal are relevant factors for accurately sensing the patient's physical activity.
In order to efficiently sense both increases and decreases in amplitude or other characteristics of the raw signal, the signal processing circuitry of the present invention looks at the energy content of the raw signal, rather than just at the amplitude of certain frequencies of the raw signal as has been done in the prior art. This approach allows changes in amplitude of the raw signal to have a proportional influence to the need to change the pacing interval. As such, this approach functions whether or not the amplitude is above or below some arbitrary threshold level, and whether or not the frequency is within some prescribed frequency spectrum.
The processing circuitry used to determine the energy content of the raw signal in accordance with the present invention includes an acoustic energy transducer, such as a piezoelectric crystal or equivalent sensor which generates a raw signal in response to physical force applied thereto, an amplifier to amplify the raw signal generated by the acoustic energy transducer, and means for determining the energy content of the amplified raw signal.
In one embodiment, this means for determining the energy content of the raw signal includes processing means for processing the raw signal in a prescribed manner, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), and a frequency counter. The processing means further amplifies the amplified raw signal, but does so in a non-linear fashion, and the output of the processing means drives a suitable VCO. The VCO generates a fixed amplitude signal whose frequency is substantially proportional to the energy content of the processed amplified signal applied thereto.
The processed amplified signal, in turn, is a voltage which is substantially proportional to the energy within the sensed raw signal. The VCO frequency is measured and averaged over a suitable prescribed interval of time by the frequency counter. At the end of the measuring time interval, the content of the frequency counter thus provides a digital signal which may be applied directly to the control logic circuits of the pacemaker in order to appropriately control the pacing interval.
Alternatively, at the end of the measuring time interval, the contents of the frequency counter may be stored in a memory and further processed over time with other frequency counter values similarly stored in order to appropriately alter the operating characteristics of the pacemaker. Another alternative is to process the non-linearly amplified raw signal using a conventional analog control circuit to relate acoustic energy to pacing rate by a control function which the control circuit implements.
These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the circuits used to process a raw signal in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the raw signal energy converter of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram illustrating some of the waveforms associated with the operation of the circuit of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the raw signal energy converter of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a waveform diagram illustrating some of the waveforms associated with the operation of the circuit of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the invention wherein memory and processing circuitry is included to condition or alter the rate-responsive control circuits of the pacemaker as a function of prior activity which has been sensed; and
FIG. 7 shows a representative transfer curve of a rate-responsive pacemaker.
The present invention is shown in FIG. 1, which illustrates a rate-responsive pacemaker which includes a suitable sensor 12 which generates a raw signal 14 in response to a physical or other force 16. The raw signal 14 is applied to a raw signal energy converter 18 from which an energy signal 20 is generated. The energy signal 20 is applied to the control circuits 22 of the pacemaker, and these control circuits 22 are coupled to a pulse generator 24.
The pulse generator 24 generates a stimulating pulse 28 at appropriate times as controlled by the control circuits 22. The stimulating pulse 28 is applied to a heart 27 over a suitable conductor 26, such as a pacing lead. In a demand pacemaker, this same conductor 26 which carries stimulating pulses 28 to the heart 27 also is connected to a sense amplifier 23. The sense amplifier 23 is configured to sense natural cardiac activity, such as, for example, P-waves or R-waves, and to inhibit the delivery of the stimulus pulse if any such natural activity is sensed.
The pacemaker control circuits 22 and the pulse generator 24 of the rate-responsive pacemaker of the present invention may be the same types of circuits which are employed in other rate-responsive pacemakers, for example, those circuits described in the previously cited U.S. patents. Reference is also made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,555, which patent describes the operation of one type of rate-responsive pacemaker, and which patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference. These patents, contain the necessary teachings for enabling one skilled in the art to develop and use the control circuits and pulse generator circuits of a rate responsive pacemaker.
Accordingly, no detailed description of the control circuits 22 or the pulse generator 24 will be presented herein. Suffice it to state that the control circuits 22 typically include the ability to operate the pacemaker in a demand-type mode of operation wherein the pulse generator 24 generates a stimulating pulse 28 only in the absence of spontaneous cardiac activity. Further, such a rate-responsive pacemaker will typically also include means for noninvasively programming various control parameters associated with operation of the pacemaker through a suitable communication link, not shown, in order to allow the pacemaker to be used in a wide variety of applications and with a wide variety of patients.
The present invention is directed primarily to the raw signal energy converter 18 and the method which is used to convert the raw signal 14 to an appropriate energy signal 20. One embodiment of the raw signal energy converter 18 is illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, it may be seen that the raw signal 14 is applied to an amplifier 30. The output of the amplifier 30 is then rectified by a rectifier 32, and the rectified signal is then integrated by an integrating circuit 34. The amplifier 30 and the rectifier 32 comprise the non-linear amplifier referred to herein.
In FIG. 3, some of the signals associated with the operation of the raw signal energy converter 18 of FIG. 2 are shown. The output of the amplifier 30 in FIG. 2 is designated by the nomenclature "A." The output of the rectifier circuit 32, which in the preferred embodiment in a half wave rectifier, is designated by the nomenclature "B." Alternately, a full wave rectifier could be used to produce the output designated by the nomenclature "B'." Similarly, the output of the integrating circuit 34 is designated by the nomenclature "C."
As seen in FIG. 3, the amplifier 30 output signal "A" is a signal which varies as a function of the force 16 which is applied to or otherwise sensed by the sensor 12. The rectifying circuit 32 half wave rectifies the signal "A" in order to produce the signal "B." The rectified signal "B" is then integrated by integrating circuit 34 in order to produce the signal "C." Because the signal "C" is the integrated amplitude of the half wave rectified "B" signal, its value increases or decreases as the area under the curve of waveform "B" increases or decreases.
The signal "C" is then applied to the pacemaker control circuits 22 in order to provide a control signal which may be used to indicate that the pacing interval of the pacemaker needs to be changed. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the control signal "C" (which is also identified in the figures as the energy signal 20) is an analog signal. The pacemaker control circuits 22 may be designed to receive and respond to such an analog signal. However, typically the energy signal 20 will be converted to a digital signal.
Thus, the pacemaker control circuits 22 may include an analog-to-digital (A-to-D) converter (not shown), which is well known in the art. Alternatively, the signal may be digitized as explained below in connection with FIG. 4. Integration in a digital system may take place within the digital system instead of within the integrator 34 shown.
Referring now to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the raw signal energy converter 18 is illustrated in block diagram form. In accordance with this embodiment, the raw signal 14 is applied to a signal processing amplifier 30. This processing amplifier 30 may be a non-linear amplifier, a threshold detector, a comparator circuit, a rectifying circuit, or a combination of such circuits. It should be noted, for example, that a half-wave rectifying amplifier circuit may be viewed as a threshold detector, with approximately a zero-volt threshold, as well as a non-linear amplifier, amplifying signals of only one polarity and attenuating or blocking signals of the other polarity.
In one embodiment, the amplifier 30 comprises a half wave rectifying amplifier, and the output signal 32 obtained therefrom is similar to that shown as waveform B in FIG. 3.
The output signal 32 from the processing amplifier 30 is applied to a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 46. The output signal 34 from the VCO 46 is thus a variable frequency signal having a frequency which varies as a function of the amplitude of the output signal 32 from the processing amplifier 30. For the embodiment where the output from the amplifier 30 is substantially as shown in waveform B of FIG. 3--that is, where processing amplifier 30 comprises a half wave rectifying amplifier--the frequency of the VCO signal 34 will vary greatly as indicated in the waveform diagram of FIG. 5.
The output signal 34 from the VCO 46 is applied through a functional AND gate 48 to a digital counter circuit 50. Each cycle of the VCO 46 is counted in the digital counter 50 during a time interval defined by a time interval generator 52. This time interval is defined by a gating signal which appears on a signal line 49. As shown in FIG. 4, the signal on the line 49 from the time interval generator 52 is also connected to the gate 48. Hence, only when the time interval gating signal 49 enables the gate 48 can the output of the VCO 46 be counted in the counter 50.
Representative signal waveforms associated with operation of the circuit of FIG. 4 are included in FIG. 5, where the signals are identified by the reference numeral of the signal line on which they appear. It may be noted that the time interval gating signal 49 is identified as the COUNT TIME INTERVAL in FIG. 5.
The counter 50, as is known in the art, may be realized by a plurality of flip-flops connected in series. At the conclusion of the COUNT TIME INTERVAL, the time interval generator 52 generates a read signal 55 which allows the count held in the counter 50 to be transferred to the pacemaker control logic 22 over the read bus 53. Once this count has been read, the counter 50 is reset with a reset signal sent over the signal line 54, thereby preparing the counter 50 to measure the VCO frequency during the next COUNT TIME INTERVAL.
The count held in the counter 50 at the end of the COUNT TIME INTERVAL is a digital word signal which represents an integrated measure of the VCO frequency over that time interval. This digital word signal or value may be passed directly over the data bus 53 to the pacemaker control logic circuits 22' of the rate-responsive pacemaker, which circuits 22' are also digital circuits. Thus, the need for a separate Analog-to-Digital converter circuit is obviated, and the circuitry is kept simple and inexpensive, yet effective.
Because the VCO 46 generates a signal having a frequency proportional to the voltage amplitude of the signal 32 applied thereto, and because the voltage amplitude applied thereto is related to the energy content of the raw signal 14, the count held in the counter 50 is also related to the energy content of the raw signal. As indicated above, this count is already advantageously converted to a digital signal which may be used directly by the pacemaker control logic 22'. Thus, the pacemaker control logic 22' controls the pacing rate as a function of the energy content of the raw signal.
Such control may be readily accomplished by those skilled in the art either algorithmically or by table look-up. That is, within the control logic 22', or within circuits coupled thereto, a suitable algorithm may be programmed which calculates the pacing rate as a function of the digital signal obtained from the counter 50. Alternatively, a table stored within the memory circuits of the pacemaker may define the pacing rate as a function of the digital signal obtained from the counter 50.
Referring next to FIG. 6, the pacemaker control logic 22' may also include, or be interfaced with, appropriate memory elements 60 wherein the count held in the counter 50 is stored and saved for subsequent retrieval and analysis. By storing the count values over a prescribed period of time, which could be several hours, days, weeks, or even months, the pacemaker control logic 22', in conjunction with suitable processing circuitry 62, is able to monitor and process these stored count values (which count values represent the energy content of the sensor's raw signal) in order to optimally control the operation of the pacemaker.
For example, the processing circuitry 62 may include, or be controlled by, an appropriate algorithm that automatically adjusts at least one of the rate responsive pacemaker control parameters, such as the minimum rate Rmin (see FIG. 7), as a function of the energy signals sensed over a prescribed period of time. This prescribed period of time, which could be selectable through a pacemaker programming operation, could be the past two or three days, or even the past two or three weeks, which period of time could be measured by monitoring an appropriate clock signal 66 from the clock circuit 64.
In this way, the pacemaker rate-responsive control circuits become "conditioned" to respond to long-term changes which occur in the patient's activity, which activity is sensed through the sensor 12. This conditioning of the pacemaker control circuits may produce an effect similar to the natural conditioning which occurs in a healthy person as a result of a long-term change in physical activity, such as a long-term, consistent exercise program.
An example of how the processing circuitry 62 of FIG. 6 could alter or condition the operation of the rate responsive pacemaker over a period of time as a function of the activity or energy signals which are sensed over such period of time will be presented next. Before presenting such an example, however, reference is first made to FIG. 7 where the transfer characteristics of a typical rate responsive pacemaker are shown. The vertical axis of FIG. 7 represents the pacing rate, identified as R, while the horizontal axis represents the energy content of the raw signal from the sensor 12, identified as X.
As indicated in FIG. 7, there are four points on the transfer curve which significantly influence the operation of the pacemaker. These points include the minimum pacing rate, Rmin, and the maximum pacing rate, Rmax. The pacemaker, as controlled by the pacemaker control logic 22' and/or processor 62, operates at the minimum pacing rate, Rmin, so long as the energy content of the sensor signal remains below a minimum value, Xmin. Similarly, the pacemaker operates at the maximum pacing rate, Rmax, so long the energy content of the sensor signal remains above a maximum value, Xmax.
If, however, the energy content of the sensor signal lies between Xmin and Xmax, the pacing rate will vary as a function of the energy content of the raw signal according to a prescribed relationship. This prescribed relationship is depicted in FIG. 7 as a linear relationship. It should be noted, however, that any desired relationship, not just a linear relationship, could be used to relate the energy content of the raw signal from the sensor 12 to the pacing rate between the Rmin and Rmax points.
Still referring to FIG. 7, it may be noted that this transfer operation of transferring or converting the sensed energy content from the physiological signal (for example, the raw signal 14 from the sensor 12) to a pacing rate may be achieved by those skilled in the art in a variety of ways. For example, the transfer operation may be achieved within the processing circuits 62 and/or control logic 22' either algorithmically or by table look-up, as described above.
With reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, an example will now be given of how the operation of the rate responsive pacemaker could be "conditioned" based on the energy content of the raw signal 14 over a prescribed period of time. At a particular sample time the energy content of the raw signal 14 is determined using a suitable raw signal energy converter 18. The resulting energy signal, representative of the energy content of the raw signal at the particular sample time, is stored in the memory 60 at a known address as determined by the processing circuit 62. For example, the energy signal could be time-logged into the memory 60 in a way that identifies the time at which the energy sample was taken.
Alternatively or conjunctively, an average, mean or other representative energy signal over a prescribed period of time may be calculated by the processing circuits 62 and stored in the memory 60 at a known address. The energy signals stored over a relatively long period of time, such as over the past one or two week period, are then periodically (e.g., once a day) examined by the processor 62. If such examination identifies a significant long-term trend, i.e., an increase or decrease in the energy content of the raw signal, then appropriate changes are automatically made, as defined algorithmically or through table look-up, to one or more of the controlling parameters (for example, Xmin and/or Xmax as defined in FIG. 7) of the rate-responsive pacemaker.
In order to provide added flexibility and versatility in how the rate-responsive pacemaker responds for each unique patient, means are provided whereby the algorithm or table look-up technique (used to define which and how the controlling parameters are affected by a long-term trend identification) may be programmably altered by an attending physician or other medical personnel. Such programming changes may be accomplished by techniques known in the art using the pacemaker's telemetry channel circuits and an external programming device.
As described in the example above, the long-term trends which are identified by the processing circuitry 62 (which trends are used to automatically adjust one or more controlling parameters of the pacemaker) are limited to trends associated with the sensor's raw signal as stored in memory 60. It is to be understood, however, that other types of long-term trends could also be identified and used for this purpose.
For example, with the availability of modern low power memory circuits, the memory 60 could be large enough to store a great deal of data associated with the operation of the pacemaker as well as the heart's natural activity as sensed by the pacemaker. Such data could be processed, either prior to or after storing it in the memory 60, for the purpose of identifying other types of trends, such as a long term change in the at-rest or active natural heart rate, the ratio of stimulated heart beats to natural heart beats, etc. Such trends, if identified, could also be used to alter one or more controlling parameters of the rate responsive pacemaker as described above. Long term trends could also be due to changes in the sensor or in its environment. Such long term trends could be compensated for in similar fashion.
In the preferred embodiment, the sensor 12 is an activity sensor adapted to sense the physical activity of the patient using the pacemaker. However, it is to be understood that the principles of the present invention apply to processing the raw signal from any type of physiological sensor which may be employed. In the preferred embodiment, the sensor 12 is realized with a piezoelectric crystal or other acoustic energy transducer. As known in the art, a piezoelectric crystal or other acoustic energy transducer responds to a physical force 16 applied thereto by generating an electrical signal.
The electrical signal generated in response to the application of force is the raw signal 14. Typically the sensor 12--that is the piezoelectric crystal or other acoustic energy transducer--is placed within the case of the pacemaker. Hence, any forces applied to the pacemaker, such as would occur by the patient's breathing, walking, rising from a sitting to a standing position, rolling from one position to another while lying down, and the like, would be evidenced in the raw signal. If the raw signal 14 indicates that the sensed physical activity has either increased or decreased for a sufficient period of time (which period of time could be defined by either the time interval generator 52, the pacemaker control logic 22', the processing circuits 62, or combinations thereof) then appropriate action is taken in order to increase or decrease the pacing interval.
In one embodiment, as described above in conjunction with the description of FIGS. 4 and 5, the time interval generator 52 measures (counts) the number of cycles in the output signal 34 of the VCO, and thereby averages the energy content of the raw signal, for a prescribed time interval, indicated in FIG. 5 as the COUNT TIME INTERVAL. In a programmable-type pacemaker, this time interval is a programmed parameter. Typically, the time interval is on the order of between 5 and 45 seconds, thereby assuring that only a sustained physical activity, as sensed by the sensor 12, operates to allow the pacing interval to be modified.
In contrast to the rather narrow band amplifiers which are taught in the prior art, the signal processing amplifier 30 (FIG. 4 and FIG. 6) has a fairly wide frequency band associated therewith. Typically, the frequency response of the amplifier 30 will be from 0.1 Hz. to around 100 Hz. Further, when the amplifier 30 performs a rectifying function, the circuit is kept simple by amplifying only negative excursions of the raw signal, not positive excursions (or vice versa).
The VCO 46, the time interval generator 52, and the counter 50 may be realized with suitable circuits known in the art. Similarly, with reference to FIG. 6, the processing circuits 62 may be realized using a suitable microprocessor circuit, and the memory 60 may be realized using commercially available memory circuits, such as a 256K�8 bit RAM memory chip. The response of the VCO 46 need not be linear, although, preferably, it should be repeatable, thereby allowing the pacemaker control logic 22' to respond appropriately to whatever changes are sensed in the count held in the counter 50.
All of the circuits within the raw signal energy converter 18, and all of the digital circuits within the pacemaker, are preferably realized using CMOS integrated circuits, which circuits consume little power in comparison with other types of integrated circuits. Moreover, preferably all of the circuits within the raw signal energy converter 18 may be fabricated on a single semiconductor chip as part of a single integrated circuit, thereby significantly reducing the overall size of the circuits. In practice, such circuitry may be included on the same chip(s) as are the pacemaker control circuits 22, the pacemaker control logic 22', the processor circuits 62, or the memory circuits 60.
Although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit of the present invention. All such changes, modifications, and alterations should therefore be seen as within the scope of the present invention.
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|Self-calibrating rate-adaptive pacemaker
|Mar 1, 2002
|Oct 17, 2002
|Michael Kloss
|Therapy optimization in heart failure patients based on minute ventilation patterns
|Feb 10, 2003
|Jun 26, 2003
|Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
|Rate-adaptive therapy with sensor cross-checking
|May 6, 2004
|Nov 18, 2004
|Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
|Self-calibrating rate-adaptive pacemaker
|Jun 9, 1992
|Dec 15, 1993
|Pacesetter AB
|Physiological functional parameter sensing method and device of a living creature
|Oct 11, 1996
|May 2, 1997
|Pacesetter Inc.
|Implantable cardiac pacemaker
|Dec 3, 1996
|Jun 11, 1997
|SORIN BIOMEDICA CARDIO S.p.A.
|A heart pacemaker with a variable stimulation frequency
|Oct 20, 1999
|May 4, 2000
|Medtronic, Inc.
|Accelerometer count calculation for activity signal for an implantable medical device
|Sep 12, 2000
|Jul 19, 2001
|Visonic Ltd.
|Circuitry for signal measurement
|U.S. Classification
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jan 25, 1989
Owner name: SIEMENS-PACESETTER, INC., SYLMAR, CA, A CORP. OF D
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text:
Convinced their home record must be some kind of terrible typo, the Maple Leafs are using the white-out tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.
In trying to avoid losing for the eighth time in 11 games at the Air Canada Centre, the Leafs will be in their road whites, a pre-arranged request with the National Hockey League for the 753rd regular season/playoff meeting with the Habs, who are wearing their full bleu, blanc et rouge ensemble. But the numbers suggest the wardrobe change is a sly one on the Leafs' part.
They are 3-4-3 at home in blue, and 3-3-1 away in white, including Nov. 2 when they topped the Habs in the Bell Centre, an emotional 3-2 win that improved them to 10-4-4 overall against Montreal since the lockout ended.
"That's an old junior hockey trick, saying 'we forgot our (unlucky) sweaters,' " coach Paul Maurice said yesterday.
But joking aside, if Toronto really has a hex on the Habs it's best served using every trick in the book. The Leafs have to make up the points they have squandered in winable home games, sloppy third periods, shootouts and poor defence.
"There are no excuses, especially with Montreal coming in," said Matt Stajan, the late-game hero in the previous meeting.
"The emotion will be there. We have to climb over that .500 level and get on a roll."
Toronto has only one set of back-to-back wins this year, both on the road. It gets its first look at Habs rookie sensation Carey Price in net after Cristobal Huet allowed late goals in the earlier matches.
The Leafs could always sit back and just let Tomas Kaberle do the work. When it comes to the Habs, he's a Czech wrecking crew, with 37 points in 43 games, including two goals this year. Of his 66 career goals, Kaberle has 11 versus Montreal.
The Leafs could make three lineup changes tonight, topped by Marlies callup Staffan Kronwall making his 2007-08 debut on the blue line in place of the injured Pavel Kubina.
Left winger Chad Kilger was the first on the ice yesterday at Lakeshore Lions Arena, but it might be a case of hurry up and wait. When practice began, he was on a line with recent scratches John Pohl and Wade Belak, while Bates Battaglia replaced him on the fourth line with Mark Bell and Darcy Tucker.
Vesa Toskala had flu-like symptoms and was excused from practice with Scott Clemmensen replacing him. If Toskala can't go tonight, Andrew Raycroft will start with Clemmensen backing him up on emergency recall.
A glum Kubina stopped by the rink yesterday, with undetermined damage to the MCL in his right knee.
"He's out indefinitely, but he's proven to be a quick healer," a hopeful Maurice said.
The coach wondered if he jinxed himself after Buffalo when he observed how smoothly the Leafs ran with a full lineup.
"Keep that tape, it's probably the last time I'll say it," he said ruefully. "Pavel was taking more minutes in each game, he was (hitting) in our end and picking up some points (11 in 18 games). Now he'll have higher expectations when he comes back."
This will be Kronwall's chance to show he belongs after last year's early-season ankle injury ruined the good impression he'd made in 34 games in 2005-06.
At nearly 6-foot-4, Kronwall is about as tall as Kubina, with a longer stick reach, though not as offensive-minded.
"The new (obstruction) rules work well for me," Kron-wall said. "I'm not overly aggressive, I try and use my body to keep the puck moving. This is a big test for me."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
PESHAWAR: Nurses provide round-the-clock services to people in all sorts of conditions, but a host of social and security issues surrounds their profession, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
A seminar was organised to mark the International Day of Nurses under the theme of 'Closing the Gap from Evidence to Action' at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) on Friday.
Dilraz, head nurse at the LRH, told The Express Tribune that lack of security for medical staff was among the major difficulties in one of the biggest hospitals of the province.
She said that a narrow-minded and conservative approach in a less literate society results in many questions. "People still consider our profession bad and discourage their daughters from taking up nursing as a future occupation."
She said that their profession has failed to get the recognition and respect it deserves in the society.
Dilraz said that there is a dire need for creating mass awareness to redress apprehensions and change people's mindset regarding this profession. "The demand for this profession has gone up manifold but slow growth of workforce available for nursing is hindering the process to serve humanity, especially in the volatile Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa."
Talking about security issues, she said, "The government should also take stringent measures and deploy at least two police personnel at each ward because relatives of patients insult and exchange harsh words with us if a patient dies."
Farrukh Jalil, president of the District Nursing Association, endorsed this view. "Cops should perform their duty in emergency units of hospitals as family members of patients often create problems for nurses and doctors," she said.
Dr Arshid Javed, chief executive of the LRH, said that the lone health facility had received the maximum number of causalities in the backdrop of militancy in K-P and Fata.
"Our staff is committed to providing timely treatment to all. The role of nurses cannot be sidelined and they play an outstanding role in all circumstances. They leave no stone unturned, particularly in various emergencies," he said.
He said that nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system and are facing an acute shortage of resources.
In recognition of their performance last year, around 20 nurses, including two special head nurses Perven Bukhari and Shehzadi Jamila, were awarded appreciation certificates.


text:
Area bonds and levies mostly fail
Sat., Nov. 12, 2011
Spangle approved two
Fire departments and fire districts in the area surrounding Spokane Valley largely came away from the polls with disappointing results this week as several levy and bond requests failed. The exception was the town of Spangle, population 280 or so, which passed a fire levy and a police levy.
Spokane County Fire District 13 in Newman Lake asked for a $2.2 million construction bond to build a new station to replace one that is old, too small and doesn't meet current building codes. As of Friday morning it had received just 47.95 percent yes votes. The measure requires a 60 percent supermajority to pass.
Fire Chief Keith Yamane said the commissioners will discuss what to do next during their meeting on Monday. The district held several public meetings to discuss the bond request and residents who attended were generally supportive of a new station. "I was surprised," Yamane said of the results. "I heard from maybe two people personally who said they would vote against it."
For now the paid staff and volunteers will continue to use the old station. "We have to listen to what the people are saying," he said. "It wasn't that they didn't support the fire district, it was just that they couldn't afford it."
Spokane County Fire District 8, south of Spokane Valley and Spokane, tried to pass a maintenance and operations levy for the first time, saying it needed the money to replace property tax income that vanished as property values dropped. As of Friday morning the levy was ahead by 156 votes with 51.01 percent approval, far short of the required 60 percent. "We're disappointed," said District 8 Commissioner Gregg Hesse.
In recent years the district has cut department budgets and deferred equipment purchases to make ends meet. Several officers haven't taken pay raises for years, Hesse said. The district was only looking for enough money to maintain current services, he said. "We're pretty much cut to the bone."
Commissioners and staff did prepare for this possibility by preparing a budget that doesn't include the levy money. That budget will be discussed at the district's meeting on Tuesday.
The district provides advanced life support services, but that may have to go on the chopping block, Hesse said. "It's one of our bigger expenses," he said. "I'm not a proponent of cutting that. We're just going to have to look at everything."
Hesse said he is also worried about possible layoffs in 2013 if property tax revenue continues to drop. "That's certainly something we don't want to do," he said. "It depends on what the economy does. We're going to do everything we can to avoid doing that."
Rockford, south of Spokane Valley, asked for a fire replacement levy that would have collected 51 cents per $1,000 in assessed home value. The vote was extremely close, with 87 voting in favor and 65 against, a 57.04 percent approval rate with 60 percent required.
The lone success story so far is Spangle, providing that late-arriving votes don't change the percentages. Through Friday morning it received a 75.49 percent yes vote (77 yes, 25 no) for a fire levy that will raise $23,000 a year, and a 65.63 percent approval (63 yes, 33 no) of a police services levy that will raise $16,000 per year.
Spangle Clerk Peggy Mangis said residents always approve the annual fire levy. This year is the first year the town sought a police levy to pay for its law enforcement contract with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. "I was hoping the police one would pass," she said.


text:
Taxes harm the economy. Traditionally, those with a bias toward bigger government argue that the injury is minor and worth the societal benefits from increased spending or lower deficits. Those inclined toward smaller government argue that the injury is generally greater. In contrast, a new silver lining argument suggests that higher taxes may be benign and possibly even beneficial to economic growth. As with most fads, this too will pass.
Beyond the year-in, year-out wrestling over the annual federal budget, the pending calamity in Social Security and Medicare finances has made the economic effects of taxes a topic of great concern. These entitlement programs are vital to America's seniors but are unaffordable and unsustainable in their current forms. The options are limited: Congress must pare benefit growth, raise taxes, or enact some combination of the two--all in large amounts. Liberals commonly propose solving the shortfalls by raising taxes, but higher taxes would significantly shrink the economy and force American taxpayers to pay twice to close the funding gap--once in higher taxes and again through lower wages from a weaker economy.
Empirical evidence strongly supports the traditional view that higher taxes are bad for the economy. Yet taxes affect economic activity through many channels, and some evidence suggests that higher taxes can help the economy very modestly through one channel that relates higher taxes to lower interest rates and ultimately to higher investment levels. Advocates of higher taxes sometimes emphasize this silver lining, ignoring the many bad effects of taxation.
This paper considers the relationship between taxation and the economy from three perspectives: the historical record, the economic and revenue feedback effect, and the silver lining theory.
The Dark Clouds. In a recent study, Christina Romer and David Romer, professors of economics at the University of California at Berkeley, examined significant tax changes and the ensuing economic performances during the postwar period and found strong evidence that higher taxes tend to diminish economic activity. A study by Greg Mankiw and Matthew Weinzierl of Harvard University sheds additional light on the question. They found that reducing taxes on labor significantly improved economic performance, and reducing taxes on capital had an even stronger beneficial effect.
These two studies confirm the conventional wisdom that higher taxes diminish economic vitality, and they arrived at their common conclusion from very different approaches.
The Silver Lining Theory of Higher Taxes. The opposing argument is that higher taxes lead to an increase in national saving, which in turn puts downward pressure on real interest rates, leading to higher levels of national investment and output. This narrow yet plausible argument rests on a chain of testable economic relationships:
The argument's strength is that only one link-- increased national saving leads to lower real interest rates--is controversial, but every link must be valid for the narrow argument to hold. The links must also be robust for the theory to be relevant. Otherwise, the broader range of negative effects from taxes would overwhelm the narrow positive effect from higher taxes. Advocates naturally focus on the possible silver lining, ignoring the dark clouds of negative economic effects.
Eric Engin of the National Bureau of Economic Research and Glenn Hubbard, Dean of the Columbia Business School, recently examined the historical record of government debt and interest rates. Using a theoretical framework relating government debt, investment levels, and real interest rates, Engin and Hubbard found a slight positive relationship between federal debt and interest rates. An increase in federal government debt of 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) would increase the long-term real interest rate by only about 3 basis points, or 0.03 percentage points.
A study by Thomas Laubach at the Federal Reserve found a similar result by looking at the effects of projected fiscal policies on longer-horizon interest rates rather than current levels of long-term interest rates. Laubach found that a 1 percentage point increase in the projected debt-to-GDP ratio would be expected to raise future interest rates by about 4 to 5 basis points.
Together, the two studies suggest a developing consensus that deficit reduction has a very slight effect on real interest rates and therefore would not appreciably affect the level of economic activity.
Tax changes affect the economy through many channels. The silver lining theory emphasizes the effects of deficit reduction on investment, but taxes also distort economic decision making by reducing the amount of investment that businesses are willing to undertake and the amount of labor that workers are willing to supply. Taxes also distort the allocation of resources in the economy. The accumulated negative effects of these various distortions more than offset any beneficial effect associated with the silver lining theory.
Conclusion. On balance, clear and compelling evidence shows that higher taxes reduce economic output. The silver lining theory argues that higher taxes could lead indirectly to a stronger economy through a chain of effects, but the evidence suggests that the effect is extremely weak and easily overwhelmed by the negative direct effects of raising taxes. In short, the evidence supports the view that tax increases harm economic performance.
As a first priority, federal, state, and local policymakers should eschew tax increases. As the tax burden in the United States continues to rise, policymakers at all levels of government should pursue tax relief to preserve and enhance a strong economy.
J. D. Foster, Ph.D., is Norman B. Ture Senior Fellow in the Economics of Fiscal Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.


text:
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"Seeing how much we were saving through this service, we decided to look into some of the other products that Ecova provided. That's when we started exploring sustainability and other cost-cutting services."


text: I got this as a to go cup today while I was at David's Tea… it smells and tastes just like popcorn. I think I can even taste the butter. So as I sip my buttered popcorn I think… "I should not like this," yet I do. The first sip was amazing and as it has cooled I seem to like it a little less. It is still good, it is just that the saltiness comes out more as it has cooled. I don't know if I would buy 50g but I would definitely consider adding some to my stash.


text: I'm trying to get xmonad compiled under Solaris 10 and I'm running into an issue with the build step. The configure step appears to go fine, but I suspect is failing silently, because when I try the build step, it tells me I need to run the configure step first (even though I already have). I've installed ghc as a user in ~/ghc-6.10.1 and I'm installing xmonad to my home folder as well. Here's the configure line I'm using: runhaskell Setup.lhs configure --user --prefix=/home/joeg/xmonad-install --extra-lib-dirs=/home/joeg/ghc-6.10.1-install/lib Also, ~/ghc-6.10.1-install/bin is in my PATH.


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South Africa: Harvesting discontent -- farmworkers rebel; Stop rural slavery! Respect the farmworkers!
By Mercia Andrews
January 13, 2013 -- International Viewpoint -- The protests and mobilisation that started in the small town of De Doorns on November 6, 2012, galvanised the anger of farm dwellers against decades of discontent at extreme exploitation and oppression that persist on farms, in rural towns and South Africa's agricultural sector.
De Doorns is not dissimilar to hundreds of small rural towns across the Western Cape province and South Africa as a whole. The grievances and problems that farmworkers and rural poor speak of extend from the Western Cape to the borders of South Africa in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. However, the De Doorns uprising has to be seen an important moment. Like Marikana in the mining sector, De Doorns has ignited the imagination of farmworkers and the rural poor. As with the mineworkers' demand for R12,500 (US$1428) per month, the farmworkers' demand of R150 ($17) per day has become the rallying call of the struggle.
In fact, mining and agriculture, the historical backbone of South African capitalism, have been severely shaken.
Historic strike
The spontaneous protests and often self-organised actions of farmworkers that unfolded on farms and in rural towns are historic, inspiring and have indeed stunned the rural establishment. Even the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests Tina Joemat-Pettersson recognised this when she said, "farms and agriculture in the Western Cape will never be the same again".
The significance of what has been unfolding is that a people who have been labouring under almost feudal conditions, yet remained poorly organised (union representation stands at less than 5%), rose up spontaneously on some of the wealthiest and most productive farmlands in the country, demanding a living wage and radical transformation of the countryside.
A new generation of farmworkers has grown up in the post-apartheid South Africa. These are young workers who challenge their parents for not standing up to decades of oppression on the farms. They've had better education, and if one uses the towns of De Doorns and Robertson as examples, cell phones and social media such as Mixit, played an important role in motivating and facilitating neighbouring farmworkers to join in action. Access to popular organisations, television and the radio contributed significantly to overcoming the isolation and marginalisation of farmworkers and allowed for co-ordination – however tentative.
Rural women, many of them seasonal workers, have played a leading role in mobilising at community level in townships and informal settlements on the outskirts of farms. In many instances women led the protests, giving confidence to the men to follow suit. These women often earn less than the men and have more insecure conditions of employment and tenure.
Behind the strike
It is important to ask what ignited the struggles in De Doorns. What has given rise to this historic awakening in the rural areas? And why has the strike and protests been able to spread to many of the surrounding rural towns in the Western Cape in a relatively short space of time?
It relates in essence to a range of objective and subjective reasons. Key among these is the fact that despite the legal changes in labour relations since 1994, little has changed on South Africa's farms. Rather, one can describe much of the current labour relations as a continuation of the apartheid-era of baasskap, feudalistic social and economic conditions of master-servant relations. Massive human rights violations have continued, as highlighted by many local reports as well as the August 2011 Human Rights Watch report Ripe with Abuse. The post-apartheid Labour Relations Act as well as other labour legislation supporting equity and decent work has been largely ignored by farmers.
The Department of Labour, which is supposed to monitor and undertake inspections of farms, is unable to cope. It has very limited access to farms and, even worse, sometimes colludes with the farmers against the workers.
Conditions of abuse
Over these past few weeks, in meeting after meeting, farmworkers told stories of how they work and live:
"This week my pay was only R240 [$27] and I don't know why. I don't get a pay slip." (Bonnievale)
"When I joined the union I was told that I must fuck off from his farm, he wants no trouble makers." (Francois, Ashton)
"They are so rude and abusive, they are racist and speak very badly to us." (Betty, De Doorns)
There are many stories of violence and intimidation:
"A group of us were huddled together taking shelter from the rain and the farm manager marched up to us and ordered us to go back to work. Suddenly he started beating us with a spade." (Gawie, Ashton)
"Just before the strike was to resume the farmer lined us up against the fence, pointed his shotgun at us, told us he will shoot the lot of us if we join the strike."
From many of these testimonies it was also clear that a substantial number of farmworkers earn well below the R70 [$8] per day minimum wage that is the bone of contention.
"I work on an apricot farm on the road to Montague where I am paid 89c for every 25kg drum of apricots I fill, and if I want to earn a lousy R89 [$10] per day I have to fill over 100 drums with apricots. At the end of such a week all my limbs ache and I can barely stand straight." (Margriet, Montague)
These are stories of hardship and suffering. Many have similar tales of how they are constantly humiliated, belittled and even beaten:
"My boss has seven farms but we don't have toilets and when we demanded toilets, he said he would rather buy an additional farm than install toilets... All their children go to university and have cars. We cannot afford anything, not even school shoes."
Problems of organising farmworkers
Today there are just over 500,000 farmworkers in South Africa, of which the largest proportion, 121,000, are employed in the Western Cape province. Very few farmworkers, both permanent and seasonal, are organised. In fact, only three to five per cent are unionised. The history of the labour movement in South Africa suggests that it was extremely difficult to organise farmworkers during the apartheid era given the strong state controls in rural areas, which made access to farms, where most of the farmworkers lived, very difficult.
Those parts of the Western Cape where the protests and strikes have been fiercest are also the regions that are most organised, with a stronger presence of small unions, popular movements, farmworkers' associations and NGOs.
Democratic South Africa has introduced a battery of progressive legislation. The constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression and association. While in theory everyone has the right to belong to a union of their choice and the right to strike, most farmworkers have been denied these rights through the prevailing conditions of fear and intimidation that is the everyday reality of South Africa's farming system. Joining a union often leads to eviction or retrenchment.
Another difficulty that confronts those organising farmworkers is the very isolation of the farms and workers who reside on them. Unlike urban workers, farmworkers struggle to meet with other workers regularly. There is a lack of access to public transport and resources to link up and organise.
Deepening poverty
Behind the strike also lies a tale of deepening poverty, ironically entrenched by rising food prices. Low wages and increasing costs have served to intensify the desperation to the point that farmworkers have little to lose by rising up.
Farmworkers complain that they spend the bulk of their meagre income on food, yet still go hungry. This is a complaint from both those living on the farms and the contract and seasonal workers. Those who live on the farms very often buy food on credit from the shops set up by the farmer on the farm itself. They also buy electricity via pre-paid meters recently installed in their shack-like homes. They often have to pay rent and pay an additional amount for children living with them, but not working on the farm.
The result is direct deductions from their wages against the balance of what they owe. This "credit system" has left thousands of workers in a cascading debt trap. Over and above this, farmworkers also have to pay school fees and in some cases boarding fees for hostels. This burden of feeding and fending for the family as well as the extended family piles additional pressure on meagre incomes.
Inequality is extremely stark where impoverished farmworkers live in such close proximity to the farmer and his family. Glaring disparities in living conditions, sanitation, transport and mobility, access to health services are right in your face. The farmworker is made to feel sub-human. The more the farmworker does not have, the less deserving he or she is considered to be. For example, denying their farmworkers decent sanitation in the vineyards and fields serves to entrench the farmers' perception of their employees as animals. This much is apparent as one goes from farm to farm.
Sleeping giant
These difficulties notwithstanding, the sleeping giant has stirred. A new period has dawned. Farmworkers in more than 20 towns across the Western Cape have mobilised and started to organise themselves, both on the farms and in informal settlements where many contract workers live. The protests and strike have seen contract workers and seasonal workers (including those who live on the farms and those who are brought in each day) making common cause.
The protests have also unlocked new forms of self-organisation on the farms as farmworkers establish farmworker committees. Significantly, alliances between small farmer organisations, contract workers and community groups have cohered to not only support the protests, but also to make new links between the basic demands of the farmworkers and those who demand a radical transformation of the countryside.
Perhaps the words of Marx should be invoked when we see the truckloads of workers travelling to farms daily: "Capitalism has produced its own gravedigger".
[Mercia Andrews is a land rights activist and is a member of the Democratic Left Front.]
Stop rural slavery! Respect the farmworkers!
Via Campesina Africa solidarity statement on the farmworkers' mobilisation in South Africa
Maputo, January 14, 2013 – During November 2012, the world watched farmworkers' strikes, particularly those working in vinyards, in the Western Cape province, South Africa. They were protesting against exploitation and poor working and living conditions on farms, demanding an increase in minimum wages. In many cases, South African police responded to the demonstrations with violence and intolerance and showed no respect for laws. Many farmworkers and activists were arrested, including peasants of the Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty Campaign, a member of La Via Campesina.
After dubious negotiations that halted the strikes in December, the South African government has refused to make any change to the minimum wage and the situation has remained unchanged. Early this January farmworkers resumed the strikes and are being heavily repressed by police.
Since the strikes began, South African civil society organisations have denounced the fact that owners of the farms and the police were acting in close collusion to repress the striking workers; they benefit from a high level of impunity. It also appears obvious that the owners of the farms are continuing to pour racist and sexist insults on farmworkers.
The farmworkers' strike in South Africa has to be seen as an African movement of the rural poor protesting against injustice and explotation.The agricultural sector in South Africa employs not only South African citizens. Many of the farmworkers working in bad conditions are migrant workers: men and women from neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. These farmworkers are sometimes the most affected by the owners of the farms, who take advantage of the fact that they are in many cases working illegally and without social protection. South African commercial farming is the most powerful on the continent; it flourishes at the expense of the oppression and exploitation of agricultural workers.
These strikes are also the result of the government's failure to implement land reform in South Africa. The 30 per cent land distribution that was promised by 2015 is very far from being implemented. In fact, in 2013 it is now 100 years since a Land Act that dispossessed millions of people from the land and turned them into the super-exploited farmworkers and the South African proletariat, was constituted in 1913. These strikes are a cry of "Enough is enough!" of 100 years of rural slavery.
The African region of the International Peasant´s Movement, La Via Campesina, declares its support and solidarity with the farmworkers in South Africa and condemns all forms of violence perpetuated by the South African police and government against all farmworkers and activists. We join the voice of South African civil society organisations and demand that the South Africa government take active steps to listen to and act on the call of the agricultural workers who are demanding a living wage and a life of dignity.
Globalise the struggle, globalise the hope!
Contacts for more information and solidarity
Petrus Brink, Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty Campaign
(+27) 761 534 627 – mobile
Cape Town, South Africa
Via Campesina Regional office for Africa
(+258) 21 327 895 – landline
E-mail: email@example.com
Maputo, Mozambique
[La Via Campesina is an international movement of peasants, small and medium producers, landless, rural women, Indigenous people, rural youth and agricultural workers. We are an autonomous, pluralist and multicultural movement, independent of any political, economic or other type of affiliation. Born in 1993, La Via Campesina now gathers about 150 organisations in 70 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.]
Democratic left Front: ORGANISE FOR R150 PER DAY!
28 January 2013
The Democratic Left Front (DLF) salutes farm workers for their historic stand against exploitation and calls on progressive forces to intensify efforts to organise, mobilise and advance the struggle for R150 per day.
The struggle of the Western Cape farm workers is not only against starvation wages but the system of baasskap oppression that has remained since Apartheid.
This has been more than a strike, it has been a popular rebellion and the demand for R150 per day is symbolic of a greater struggle to transform the rural countryside and for radical agrarian transformation including redistribution of land.
The strike represents a huge step forward in the morale, confidence, organisation and spirit of farm workers and farm dwellers.
The strike on the farms, like the mines before, reflects a growing preparedness of the working class of South Africa to challenge the system of profit, low wages and economic apartheid.
Organising amongst farm workers is a herculean task. Farms are separated by great distances and owners prevent unionists from gaining access to workers. They threaten those that take a stand with physical violence, eviction and legal harassment. There is total disregard for labour regulations and the constitutional right to organise. Famers use labour brokers and casualisation to weaken the power of workers. The police have colluded in this - arresting and brutalising worker leaders and closing roads to prevent the free movement of organisers.
Despite these obstacles farm workers have mobilised, blocked national roads and shut down production in a number of areas - in defiance of the police who have responded with excessive brutality. Three workers have now been killed. The responsibility for the violence lies at the police's feet. Some of our activists have been denied the due process of the law and remain in jail. Several activists, local leaders from Mawubuye and CSAAWU have been detained since 9th January.
Throughout these three months of protests and strikes, commercial farmers have remained intransigent and arrogant refusing to engage with the unions and farm workers committees. This is an indication of the complete lack of transformation in the countryside. It is clear that apartheid is alive and well in many parts of South Africa.
The strike over the last three months is all the more remarkable because of this. But the struggle is not over. The farmers claim they cannot afford R150 per day. In fact, most can and must pay now. The desire for high profits cannot be used to deny decent wages. If farms cannot pay they must be expropriated and placed under workers control.
The government has failed outright to deliver on land reform. They have made no effort to assist workers and have provided cover for the farmer's intransigence. A government that served the poor and exploited would institute immediate radical agrarian transformation. It would redistribute land and provide assistance to farm workers and small farmers to create an agricultural system based on human need, food security and ecological sustainability instead of profit maximisation.
It would end disastrous liberalisation and deregulation policies, provide subsidies to small farmers and curtail the monopoly power of retailers that are appropriating most of value in the sector.
The DLF demands, at the very least, that the government institute a minimum wage of R150 at its sectoral determination in March and take measures to enforce the labour law on farms!
The DLF demands an investigation into all acts of police brutality; we demand the demilitarisation of the police! We demand the immediate, unconditional release of all workers and the dropping of charges! Legitimate struggles are being criminalised.
Finally, the DLF also demands the right of farm workers to mobilise themselves,
join unions and political organisations of their choice without victimisation.
We commit to continuing the struggle for radical agrarian transformation that
prioritises food sovereignty over profits.


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At Gemvara, we believe that the jewelry you wear should be one of a kind, like you. That's why we make each piece to order, one at a time, just the way you want it. Choose pearl and rose gold or aquamarine and platinum: it's your choice. Mix and match gems and precious metals for a look that's exactly you. It's jewelry for all life's occasions, from a birthday or Mother's Day to your own personal milestones and celebrations. Celebrate the birth of a child with a push present that will capture the emotions of this moment in precious gems. Gemvara uses only the highest quality materials to craft your oval iolite jewelry design with meticulous attention to detail. Our precious metals are recycled or responsibly mined. Iolite inspires visions of a twilight sky. Oval-cut gemstones have excellent brilliance and appear larger than the traditional round cut. Our wide selection of oval iolite jewelry by Tony Rodrigues, Randy Dixon, David West, and other talented designers means you can find jewelry that's exactly your style. You can also shop by style, choosing our Family, Commitment, or Streamlined Collections. Gemvara's fine quality oval iolite jewelry is designed to be passed down for generations to come, crafted by hand in the United States.
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We have updated our Privacy Policy and encourage you to read it by clicking here.
For absolute audio purists, vinyl remains one of the music world's premier platforms for sound quality and reliability. However as our homes are becoming more connected with technology around us - the rapid rise in smartphone and tablet adoption is simply phenomenal, and the way the common man plays music is also changing. As a result, the lines between IT/advanced technology and sound are becoming more blurred by the year.
Now a few swipes of a seven-inch, mobile tablet is all it takes to link your music library to a speaker. Right now this moment - yes, this very instance, the moment you're reading this article - represents an era where playing music is cheaper and easier than ever before.
Let's take a look at some of the ways the latest technology has influenced the way we play and listen to music...
The simple nature of Bluetooth connectivity means more and more consumers are on the hunt for portable Bluetooth-enabled speakers. Simply holding down a button on your music player of choice (if it has Bluetooth connectivity) means the two devices can connect and your music will a) continue for as long as the battery speaker lasts and b) continue as long as the music player is within range of the speaker.
This form of connectivity is ideal if you're looking to listen to music on a mobile phone when you're on the beach; simply connect the phone and speaker with Bluetooth. However if you're looking for an exceptional audio quality, you're probably best looking elsewhere because it transmit data to the speaker with compression, therefore compromising sound quality.
Sonos, a consumer electronics company from California, represents one of the best examples of the latest technology and audio crossing paths. Sonos has created a family of speakers which use a home Wi-Fi network to connect, all without compression. Sonos does not eat up bandwidth nor does the connection drop as your music library and Sonos speakers are linked with special software.
The aforementioned devices that are infiltrating our phones - iPhones and Android handsets for instance - are fully compatible with the Sonos network due to the app users can install. It's an inventive way to ensure users can listen to their music from anywhere in the home. In addition, you can also 'link' speakers so every room in your home is filled with your favourite music. Want to listen to Metallica in the living room but Marvin Gaye in the bedroom? Sonos can get this done.
Naturally, this innovative way of listening to music across the home would be negated if the audio quality was sub par. Thankfully this isn't the case - the music is not compressed, so the quality is as superb as your music will allow.
This is just a small glimpse into the way technology and sound have intersected to revolutionise the way consumers listen to their music library. Wireless formats will continue to dominate in homes across the UK - unless, of course, you've still got an old turntable and vinyls to spin!


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Hey guys I'd like to know if this set-top box and pc monitor combo would work.
Set top box:
1. http://www.humax.fi/bxr_hd2.html
2. http://www.gigantti.fi/product/tv-ja-aani/digiboksit-ja-kanavapaketit/BXRHD2/digiboksi-humax-bxr-hd2
PC Monitor:
1. http://benq.co.uk/product/monitor/gl2240m
I realise the technical information of the Set top box isn't in English (it's in Finnish) but does anyone know if it would work? You can see the outputs on the back on the second page, and it's all pretty straightforward. You can translate the page to English with Google Chrome but for some reason Google Translate complains when I try and do it there to English.
I basically want to run the Set top box, from HDMI, to DVI with a little working converter plug that I have into the PC monitor.
Then run the S/PDIF audio out into an RCA cable, and then into a set of Logitech speakers that I have.
Would this work? The Monitor is apparenty HDCP compliant, so would plugging it into the Set top box work without any issues? The Set top box says 1 HDMI/HDCP out, so both the Set top box and my monitor should get along fine right?
Most of the threads of this thing I can find are very old with a lot of HDCP related questions, as it was quite a skeptical thing a few years ago. I should imagine that it should be relatively a pice of cake these days right?
I really like this monitor, and if I could just score a 100€ Set top box that displays all the way up to 1080p that would be awesome. Sure I don't expect it to decode 10bit 10000kbps x264 .mkv files on the fly hahaha but I do expect it to display HD television channels onto the monitor without any problems.
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Results 1 to 17 of 17
Last edited by Zeptinune; 9th May 2014 at 15:37.
Hi ,
What is HDCP?
Witch version for the HDMI ?
Cheers .
LED PC monitors are not exactly like LED TVs. TVs can do their own upscaling, de-interlacing, and frame rate adjustments. On the other hand, PC monitors depend on software and a video card to ensure that video card's output matches the PC's monitors input requirements. Standard 1920x1080 PC monitors typically require progressive video input at at 1920x1080 resolution and 60 Hz (or 60 frames frames per second). Chances are the Humax STB is designed to be used with a TV, and cannot adjust the characteristics of its output to meet the input requirements for a normal PC monitor as a video card would do.
If you want to connect the PC speakers directly to a set top box, you need a set top box with a headphone jack. SPDIF is digital and typical PC speakers use analog audio. A simple cable won't work. Electronics are required to do the conversion from digital audio to analog audio. In addition, the Humax STB's S/PDIF out is probably intended to be connected to a home theater receiver and streams whatever compressed audio the TV channel uses rather than converting it to PCM first for output. This means you would probably need to connect the Humax's S/PDIF out to an audio receiver with a headphone jack to decode the audio, and connect the PC speakers to the headphone jack.
There are certain monitors that can work with set top boxes or work as TV sets by themselves. This Samsung is an example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001810
Maybe I am not understanding things correctly then. I thought that the whole point of having HDCP on a monitor is that you could use it as a television provided that of course the Set top box you are using isn't super old and supports the same thing. Also I was aware that Set top boxes usually have a way (these days) to change the output signal so they could conform with what a monitor uses.
I got the idea when I read this article: http://www.instructables.com/id/Use-an-LCD-Monitor-as-a-TV-without-a-Computer/
I don't really see how the Samsung screen is very different from my BenQ GL2240M screen. They have almost the same specs, just a different brand and slightly different size. Though it does have HDMI in and it says that it's HDTV compatible. I realise that the BenQ (or any monitor for that matter) is gonna require a bit of extra work but yeah, I didn't think it would be near impossible?
Also I realised that I would need to convert the optical (digital) audio to analogue. Which is why I was going to buy this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261473965085?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT - Then simply plug that into the set of Logitech speakers I have from the headphone jack.
Also I am from Europe. I cannot use Newegg and I don't want to have to buy a new monitor. I'd like to use this one and it should be possible.
----------- EDIT / Here is the Set top box's specifications entirely in English: http://www.max-nordic.com/uploads/tx_commercedownloads/BXR-HD2.pdf
Last edited by Zeptinune; 10th May 2014 at 05:53.
The problem with that article is that it is probably written by an American for Americans.
The main issue is not HDCP. You pass that test with the monitor. It is the refresh rate of the display. You set-top box will output 50i (as per the incoming European signal). Your monitor displays 60p. So you will get a picture but it will not be a smooth picture. Now if your set-top box can output 60p it should work fine.
I am not sure if 50i is supported. Are you absolutely sure that the output of the EU set top box would be 50i? and not 50p or 60p?
The monitor says that its optimum resolution is 1920x1080 @ 60 however it can do the same @ 50.
Is it really so unbelieveable to think that a set top box cannot output a Refresh Rate of 60Hz? I thought most televisions these days were also 60Hz. Whenever I have ever plugged a PC into a TV they have always suggested 60Hz as the refresh rate.
The Set top box says that it supports: 1080p/24, 1080i, 720p, 576p & 576i
Shouldn't the box be able to display the channels at the monitors native resolution then. Ergo: 1080p (1920x1080)
Or at the very least 720p (1280x720)?
Last edited by Zeptinune; 10th May 2014 at 06:30.
Your laptop has a video card/driver which controls the display. The set-top box must perform that function.
I can only comment on UK boxes and they output 50i.
Get hold of the actual manual for the set-top box and see what it can output re refresh rates. The quoted spec is minimalistic.
Well from what the computer says, it only shows refresh rates that the -monitor can display- so it's not referring to exactly what the video card can do. Which means that it seems the monitor (regardless of other hardware) is capable of 50, 59 and 60Hz refresh rates respectively.
50i? I am not so sure I guess.. Tholugh it looks as if it can do 50p. I've got some experience in using external monitors/tvs etc in the past. Televisions always had the ability to display at multiple refresh rates (many more than PC monitors). Some as low as even 40Hz I think, and in addition to every (p)rogressive Refresh Rate, there was always an accompanying (i)nterlaced option. My monitor obviously has none of latter :/ - At least not whilst plugged into my PC.
So what to do... I guess find out what display output formats the Set top box is capable of. Though I doubt I could get my hands on a full manual without actually buying the damn thing.
720p and 576i or 576p do not match your monitor's native resolution. 1080i is the only broadcast resolution that matches your monitor's native resolution, but 1080i DTV in the EU is 50 fields per second, not 50 frames per second. A 1080i field has only half the lines (vertical resolution) of a complete 1080p frame, with each field containing either all the odd lines in one frame or all the even even lines in the frame. An LCD TV combines two fields to make one deinterlaced frame, displayed at 25 frames per second. I doubt that the Humax set top box can deinterlace a 1080i video signal and output the resulting complete frames at 50Hz or 60Hz.
Ugh... Ok all of this is pretty understandable. But why does it seem to work with some people's monitors and set top boxes?
So there are STBs that either what:
* Deinterlace the video and display it at a resolution and refresh rate that the monitor can understand.
Monitors that can:
* Display (and recieve) 1080p/24, 1080i, 720p and 576i or 576p?
And I am just bang out of luck on not having one of those monitors and/or STBs?
I suppose I should just give up on this whole thing then.. I thought it'd be simple enough with a half decent box and that the biggest issue would be getting the audio sent to a seperate device whilst using the HDMI (because the audio in the HDMI goes nowhere). I just feel like none of this makes rational sense, you say that
An LCD TV combines two fields to make one deinterlaced frame, displayed at 25 frames per second.
At this point I give up. I've spent too much time translating user manuals and no matter what information I find it seems that all of the information that I NEED is not documented at all. I can't find anywhere what output format the STB displays. Whether it is 50i or something else. I know for a fact that the monitor can do those 3 rates I mentioned. 50p, 59p and 60p. But I am skeptical that it can do anything with regards to (i)nterlaced display configurations. I'm pretty furious that television signals and thus their outputs are so different that Monitors and Televisions can't just get along and be interswappable.
After all of this I am not even sure I want to watch Eurovision online anymore... hah.
Last edited by Zeptinune; 10th May 2014 at 11:05.
TV/monitors are really small TVs with the ability to work well as a monitor if connected to a PC. I have no idea which STBs (if any) can perform all the same video processing that a TV would do so they can work well with monitors.
Last edited by usually_quiet; 10th May 2014 at 11:18.
Well I guess that's that then. Thanks for everyone's time. I'm going to sell the monitor as I have no use for it then and just buy a TV.
Last edited by usually_quiet; 10th May 2014 at 13:00. Reason: correct typo
Monitors and Televisions aren't too far apart. In the long run TVs are actually cheaper (in terms of size vs. price). However I find that Monitors have a higher pixel density and are comparibly show far better picture quality. Thanks everyone for all the detailed explanations.
The better picture quality for some PC monitors is more likely to be the result of the type of panel used, not the pixel density. All small TVs seem to have have TN panels (which provide an inferior picture compared to IPS panels), but monitors with IPS panels are common. TN panels are also less expensive than IPS panels.
Last edited by usually_quiet; 10th May 2014 at 17:19. Reason: Typed the wrong resolution for TVs sold as 720p