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warc | 201704 | DEALBOOK; Bulking Up on Bankers for Hong Kong I.P.O.’s By NEIL GOUGH Published: May 7, 2013
HONG KONG — After a lackluster 2012 and slow start this year, Hong Kong’s financiers are hoping to revive interest in initial public offerings. To test investor appetite, many companies are hiring armies of investment bankers in their efforts to market new shares.
In the three years through the end of 2011, Hong Kong had ranked as the world’s biggest I.P.O. market by the amount of money raised. Yet so far this year, new share sales have declined 14.3 percent, to $1.12 billion, from the same period a year earlier, according to Thomson Reuters data. Companies seem to believe that the answer to turn fortunes around is to employ large numbers of stock underwriters.
On Monday, the China Galaxy Securities Company, a midsize state-owned brokerage firm that is aiming to raise about $1.4 billion in its Hong Kong offering, hired 21 banks to help execute its deal. Those included big Wall Street firms like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs as well as the small Hong Kong brokerage units of mainland Chinese banks, according to a person with direct knowledge of the offering.
Sinopec Engineering, a spinoff from China Petrochemical, also started to promote an offering on Monday. It has 13 banks working on its deal, which seeks to raise as much as 17.4 billion Hong Kong dollars, or $2.24 billion.
The number of listed underwriters stands in contrast to big offerings in the United States. For instance, Facebook’s $16 billion listing, the biggest I.P.O. of 2012, involved 11 investment banks to help get the deal done.
Chinese companies appear to be making such moves as a way to price their deals as high as possible despite the risk that doing so could lead the shares to slump once trading begins.
“You’ve got a lousy market, and companies who don’t want to leave anything to chance to get their deals done, because they’ve seen so many deals go sideways,” said one capital markets lawyer in Hong Kong who declined to be identified, citing his relationships with banks. “The mentality is, why not just keep adding banks? It gives them more comfort.”
Just a few years ago, only a handful of banks were involved in large deals. From 2003 to 2009, a period defined by blockbuster Chinese privatizations, Hong Kong I.P.O.’s worth $1 billion or more usually involved two to four banks acting as underwriters, according to figures from Dealogic. That rose to an average of five to six banks on such deals in 2010 and 2011.
Last year, the figure soared to an average of 14 banks a deal — including the $3.6 billion offering in November by the People’s Insurance Company of China, which had 17 banks working on it.
Investment banks, however, worry that the trend toward more firms is making the market less profitable for new listings. Having so many competitors involved in a deal decreases everyone’s share of a fee pool that is fixed, sometimes to the point that helping sell an I.P.O. is no longer profitable.
“It’s not a very sophisticated way of doing things, and it ties up the whole street,” said one person with direct knowledge of the Galaxy offering, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details were not public. “As an industry, we should probably boycott these kind of deals, but when you’re talking about big, state-related Chinese issuers, it’s going to take a brave man to say no.”
China Galaxy Securities, for instance, is selling 1.57 billion shares at 4.99 Hong Kong dollars to 6.77 Hong Kong dollars apiece, according to a term sheet. The joint global coordinators of the deal are JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, China Galaxy International, ABCI Securities and Nomura, with 16 other banks acting as underwriters. Representatives of the company could not be reached for comment. The deal is expected to price on May 15 and begin trading on May 22.
Sinopec Engineering is aiming to sell 1.328 billion shares at a price of 9.80 Hong Kong dollars to 13.10 Hong Kong dollars apiece, a separate term sheet showed. JPMorgan, Citic Securities, UBS and Goldman Sachs are joint global coordinators of the I.P.O., and an additional nine banks are acting as underwriters. It is scheduled to price on May 16 and begin trading on May 23.
The trend toward adding underwriters can lead to a host of problems, both for the banks that bring deals to market and for the people who invest in the regular part of the offerings.
Chinese companies are also relying increasingly on so-called cornerstone investors, who commit to buy a large part of an I.P.O. in advance. In Hong Kong, such investors agree to hold shares for a fixed period, usually six months. But sometimes more than half the total offering is being set aside for cornerstone investors, decreasing the liquidity, or the volume of shares available for trading.
Cornerstone investors have committed about $280 million to the China Galaxy Securities I.P.O., and $350 million to the Sinopec Engineering deal.
For Wall Street banks, being a small part of such deals can be a matter of keeping their names in front of investors and corporations, even at the expense of the bottom line. Participating in big offerings, in particular, helps banks raise their rankings among their peers, the so-called league tables used in part to evaluate bankers’ performance.
One person with direct knowledge of the two coming offerings cited previous deals in which fee income for banks went as low as $50,000. At such a level, the person said, the fee becomes meaningless, but participation still “gets you on the league tables.”
This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.
PHOTO: Top officers of Sinopec Engineering at an investor presentation on Monday for the firm’s initial public offering in Hong Kong. (PHOTOGRAPH BY BOBBY YIP/REUTERS)
PHOTO: Top officers of Sinopec Engineering at an investor presentation on Monday for the firm’s initial public offering in Hong Kong. (PHOTOGRAPH BY BOBBY YIP/REUTERS) | 6,151 | 2,774 | 0.00037 |
warc | 201704 | Hey, Dad Circle of Life and All That
Harold Haubrich died on March 2, 2010. It wasn’t a surprise other than that he lasted a few more days than we expected. He had made his own decision to discontinue the dialysis that had shored up the work of his failing kidneys. The doctors told him that he could expect to die 3-5 days after the last round of dialysis. He was at peace with his decision because even with that treatment, he had been growing steadily weaker over the last year and was unable to perform any of the daily functions of living on his own. For the sake of his dignity, I won’t describe all of the things that he needed help with, but suffice it to say that his quality of life was fading fast.
He made the decision because the day before he started vomiting blood, and the doctor did a preliminary exam only to realize that in order to determine the cause, extensive testing would be necessary, and then the remedy would quite probably be exhaustive and exhausting. He decided that with all that he had been through over the last year that it just wouldn’t be worth the trouble to extend a life so far diminished.
Dad had lived a full life and was a relatively happy man, so his was a decision based on his exhaustion rather than a lack of desire to live. He was tired and he wanted to move on to whatever is next. When we asked him what he thought was next after death, he answered “I don’t know.” I don’t know, either, Dad. The local Lutheran minister apparently knows and described it all to Dad. He told Dad about reuniting with my mother, dead since 2007. After the Lutheran minister left following such words of comfort, my sister asked Dad if he now knew what was about to happen after death. He repeated to her the words, “I don’t know.”
In Dad’s last remaining years, he returned to a Catholic Church from which he had lapsed. I asked him why, and he told me that after he had a heart attack and some bypass surgeries he decided that he wanted to get back to church “just in case.” I don’t know that Dad was all that serious about his faith in his religion or whether he was just playing at Pascal’s Wager. He had made close friends with the local priest while they were both recovering from heart attacks in the same hospital.
I am not going to deal with my own grief here at losing my father. I realize that everybody hurts, and that grief is a process of dealing with loss. While I feel the pain, I don’t write about it well. I would rather explain why I am also joyful at his time.
We are the lucky ones, we who have lived. From Richard Dawkins’ “To live at all is miracle enough:”
We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.
Dad and I shared this planet for nearly fifty years. That is worthy of a celebration in and of itself. He taught me how to bait a hook with minnows, he taught me how to check the oil, he taught me how to pee standing up, he taught me how to aim a rifle at a pop can, he taught me how to paint a house, he taught me how to balance a checkbook, he taught me how to cook oatmeal, he taught me how to laugh so hard I cried, he taught me how to take a head of wheat and roll it in my hands to shed the husks and then chew it until it turned to gum, he taught me how to use a blade of grass to whistle, and he taught me how to deal with crises with an even temper.
We shared this planet for fifty years. We lived through cold below freezing, and we lived through heat and mosquitoes. We saw Mexico together. He gave me rides on his motorcycle and let me drive his Jeep when I was far too young. He let me know that Bob Dylan is just a poet and not a singer and wondered why people spend good money on records and tapes when FM radio is just fine and free.
His time on this planet as Harold Haubrich is over, but there is more to the story. Nothing ends, matter never disappears. It changes form and life makes way for more life. Yes, his body is preserved with embalming chemicals and is sealed in a coffin in a vault to avoid decomposition and a return to the elements. It is only temporary, and in a few thousand years, his body will finally be returned to nature, broken down by bacteria. The molecules and atoms that were him will be returned to the earth from which they originated.
We, all of us, are materially connected to the planet on which we live. We eat, drink, breathe and metabolize the substances that make us and turn them into the proteins that build our cells and organs, but we are still mostly carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen even now and long after we have died those elements will continue. Dad died and made a little room for another person to eat, drink, breathe and metabolize and in a few years I will die and do the same thing. My ashes will be scooped into an urn and placed in a mausoleum for a few years and eventually will all return to the earth. We never go away, even long after death. The C, H, N and O2 that make us are remnant elements of a supernova that burst some 7 billion years ago because we are “starstuff.” He is still here, and always will be.
I
am sad, because I miss my father. I miss my mother. It is difficult to be an “orphan” because I don’t have their counsel any longer. I don’t have Mom to call and tell about the way things are going with the kids, and I don’t have Dad to call and talk about spring training and to speculate on who the Twins will use as a closer for 2010.
People ask me how I am doing after his death, but I feel awkward because I don’t feel like crying (often). If I admit that I am not having a particularly rough time with it, will they think that I am cold-hearted? Will they wonder whether I didn’t love him, or think I had a rough relationship with him? I am not necessarily responding in a way that people expect me to. I am not forlorn and I am not rending my garments.
I am happy when I think of how wonderful he was to be with, how sly his humor was, how fair he was in dealing with people and how I was one of his (nine) favorite kids. I am happy that he taught me how to be a loving and kind father to my own kids. I am happy that he was there for me when I needed help financially. I am happy that he was there for me when I told him about each of my kids being born. I am happy when I think of all the people who genuinely liked him.
I am doing okay. Thank you for asking.
Hey, Dad. You were one of the good ones.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 6:20 am and is filed under Mike Haubrich. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. | 7,259 | 3,322 | 0.000308 |
warc | 201704 | one more post about stupid guns15 Dec 2012
Okay, I know I said am not passionate about gun control, and I’m not. But I am passionate about irrationality. And boy, is this debate pervasive with it.
So, two things:
First, to gun control opponents: lay off the false equivalency. Regulating firearms is not the same as regulating (to take a recent example from facebook) alcohol. Firearms are a technological game changer in many ways (positive and negative, but that’s a larger and more difficult debate). They allow one person to efficiently and rapidly end the lives of others. So let’s not poison the debate by trying to pretend that this is an issue as simple as other issues of regulation. It’s a different sort of problem – you see it playing out in similar ways on a global scale with respect to nuclear proliferation. Warfare changed forever when humans obtained the ability to wipe eachother off the map. (Incidentally, technological progress is probably the reason this debate is entirely moot, as well: people are already firing off rounds from 3D printed weapons.)
Second, to gun control proponents: any honest intellectual debate about gun control’s efficacy needs to start with a comparison of
intentional homicide per capita between comparable industrialized/developed countries. A quick survey of the media’s analysis of the issue is rife with comparisons between the United States and other countries with respect to their deaths by firearms. This is like identifying lung cancer as an epidemic, banning tobacco pipes, and then declaring victory because lung cancer among tobacco pipe smokers evaporates. People would still smoke, and people would still die. The problem is that people are being murdered, not that they’re being shot. If you want to fix that problem, you have to demonstrate that eliminating firearms eliminates violent crime, not just gun crimes.
Rarely do you ever see the debate framed this way, but it has been done. Don B Kates and Gary Mauser published this survey of gun control policies and violent crime throughout Europe and the United States in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Their conclusion:
This Article has reviewed a significant amount of evidence from a wide variety of international sources. Each individual portion of evidence is subject to cavil – at the very least the general objection that the persuasiveness of social scientific evidence cannot remotely approach the persuasiveness of conclusions in the physical sciences. Nevertheless, the burden of proof rests on the proponents of the more guns equal more death and fewer guns equal less death mantra, especially since they argue public policy ought to be based on that mantra. To bear that burden would at the very least require showing that a large number of nations with more guns have more death and that nations that have imposed stringent gun controls have achieved substantial reductions in criminal violence (or suicide). But those correlations are not observed when a large number of nations are compared across the world.
Over a decade ago, Professor Brandon Centerwall of the University of Washington undertook an extensive, statistically sophisticated study comparing areas in the United States and Canada to determine whether Canada’s more restrictive policies had better contained criminal violence. When he published his results it was with the admonition:
“If you are surprised by [our] finding[s], so [are we]. [We] did not begin this research with any intent to “exonerate” hand-guns, but there it is – a negative finding, to be sure, but a negative finding is nevertheless a positive contribution. It directs us where not to aim public health resources.”
My opposition to gun control is not because I have some fascination with guns or because I’m a constitutional purist. I have no desire to own one (and I find most gun owners’ declarations that they own a gun for self-defense to be mostly bluster and machismo, or at the very least a poor understanding of risk analysis/game theory). I oppose gun control because there is no evidence that it works. When was the last time the government banned something that substantial portions of the country wanted and it was a success? How’s that War on Drugs workin’ out for ya? Convince me that there’s a way to eliminate firearms in this country without savaging the civil liberties the country was founded and we can talk.
As an aside, I am also tired of hearing the “we need to figure out how to identify and institutionalize murderers, not ban guns!!” line, because it’s basically the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard. You’re gonna argue against gun control but forcible institutionalization of, what, suspected murderers is okay? Libertarian fail. The mass murderer phenomenon is a problem that we need to fix. It’s a hard one that gun control really has nothing to do with.
And another semi non-sequitur: Barry Glassner’s Culture of Fear is not the best book in the world, but it’s closer to the mark, and a lot of people having this debate would be well-served by reading it.
I’m goin to a christmas party now. | 5,266 | 2,529 | 0.000408 |
warc | 201704 | While Eli counts the Weasel as a frienemey (they jump about stupidly and eat bunnies you know), the Rabett does think that he is a tad too attracted to the economically attractive counterfactual. Still, on many things we are friends in fur, and on the immediate threat of methane emissions bubbling out of the Arctic ocean in moderate agreement.
There are others pushing that peanut, amongst the now most active, Natalia Shakhova from the Russian Academy of Sciences in Vladavostok, and, humor abounds in such things, the University of Alaska Fairbanks who works out of the Akasofu Building. Shakhova and colleagues have published a new paper in Nature Vast quantities of carbon are stored in shallow Arctic reservoirs, such as submarine and terrestrial permafrost. Submarine permafrost on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf started warming in the early Holocene, several thousand years ago. However, the present state of the permafrost in this region is uncertain. Here, we present data on the temperature of submarine permafrost on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf using measurements collected from a sediment core, together with sonar-derived observations of bubble flux and measurements of seawater methane levels taken from the same region. The temperature of the sediment core ranged from −1.8 to 0 °C. Although the surface layer exhibited the lowest temperatures, it was entirely unfrozen, owing to significant concentrations of salt. On the basis of the sonar data, we estimate that bubbles escaping the partially thawed permafrost inject 100–630 mg methane mwith paper flaking going on over at Climate Central. Eli has some questions about this paper, to be discussed later, for example mixing from storms could enhance solvation and reaction of the methane in the ocean as well as release it to the atmosphere, but here, the Bunny would simply point to methane column density (the amount of methane between the surface and the top of the atmophere) as measured by the SCIAMACHY probe during the summers between 2003 and 2005, the time of year, when, according to Shakhova the emissions from the Siberian coast would be strongest −2d −1into the overlying water column. We further show that water-column methane levels had dropped significantly following the passage of two storms. We suggest that significant quantities of methane are escaping the East Siberian Shelf as a result of the degradation of submarine permafrost over thousands of years. We suggest that bubbles and storms facilitate the flux of this methane to the overlying ocean and atmosphere, respectively.
UPDATE: Here is another map showing the same thing. Note that the major emissions are across the middle of Siberia, not as one of our fans said, near the Siberian coast | 2,772 | 1,378 | 0.000733 |
warc | 201704 | Many in the community Eli slums in twit and blog about Exxon, about climate risk and recent attempts to force fossil fuel companies to confront the risk to their business of climate change. At the Exxon stockholders meeting just last month a motion to that effect failed with 37% of the voting shares being in favor. That is an outstanding shot across the bows of Exxon management, 37% means that many significant economic players have come over to the side of yeah, climate change is not only a risk to people, but also our money, but there is more. Now some, not Eli to be sure, who might not be paying attention, indeed Eli was not, but the Bunny was at a recent seminar on the economic issues of climate change with some of the high and mighty holding forth, and they kept coming back, one might, only might say smugly, to three letters of the alphabet, FSB and the Bloomberg Committee. Eli sat up bolt upright because he thought that there were four letters FASB, the US Financial Accounting Standards Board, basically the guys who killed defined benefit retirement by making the costs appear out to infinity on any employer who offered one. They also trashed the Bunnies retirement health insurance plan for the same reason. Were they taking an interest in meeting the accounting challenges of climate change? Big news if so (and this will require looking into) But no, this is the Financial Stability Board, a construct of the G20, more exactly the Finance and Treasury ministers of same the G20 being the 20 most economically important countries in this Galaxy (Eli thinks that astrobiology is a crock). The FSB was formed after the recent 2008 economic meltdown The FSB promotes global financial stability by coordinating the development of regulatory, supervisory and other financial sector policies and conducts outreach to non-member countries. It achieves cooperation and consistency through a three-stage process, including monitoring implementation of agreed policies.and as a creature of governments and especially the finance ministries of governments it is not to be sneezed at. The FSB IS concerned with how the threat of climate change to economic stability Policymakers have an interest in ensuring that the financial system is resilient to all forms of risk. In April 2015 the G20 asked the FSB to consider risks related to climate change and in November the FSB proposed the creation of an industry-led Task Force to develop recommendations on climate-related financial disclosures. Appropriate disclosures are a prerequisite for financial firms not only to manage and price climate risks accordingly but also, if they wish, to take lending, investment or insurance underwriting decisions based on their view of transition scenarios.Just what the activist shareholders are trying to drag the fossil fuel companies to, and they are resisting. The task force was put together in December 2015, and Michael Bloomberg is the chair.
That should cause some bunnies to sit up in their seats.
A first report on the lay of the land has already been published (more later) and
During the second phase, the Task Force’s work will focus on delivering specific recommendations for voluntary disclosure principles and leading practices, if appropriate, with a view to issuing a report for public consultation by end-2016. As part of its work the Task Force will conduct public outreach to engage a wide and varied range of stakeholders as it develops its recommendations.The intent of the FSB can be read in the next paragraph The work of the TCFD builds on the successful work of the Enhanced Disclosure Task Force (EDTF), which was created to provide recommendations on developing more effective bank risk disclosuresand that is what the TCFD is about The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) will develop voluntary, consistent climate-related financial risk disclosures for use by companies in providing information to investors, lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders. The Task Force will consider the physical, liability and transition risks associated with climate change and what constitutes effective financial disclosures across industries. The work and recommendations of the Task Force will help firms understand what financial markets want from disclosure in order to measure and respond to climate change risks, and encourage firms to align their disclosures with investors’ needs.Stress tests for Exxon bunnies and voluntary is likely to become not optional real quick as governments implement the rules. | 4,567 | 2,149 | 0.000467 |
warc | 201704 | English 600
ENGL 600
INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY SCHOLARSHIP
Catalog Entry
English 600. Introduction to Literary Scholarship
Three hours lecture (3).
Examination of tools and techniques essential to advanced literary study and scholarship. Strongly recommended during the first semester of graduate study.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
I. Students are introduced to the mindset and investigative habits requisite to the conduct of literary scholarship, employing such texts as Joseph Gibaldi's collection, Introduction to Scholarship in Modern Languages and Literature.
II. Students explore various types of literary scholarship, including the major critical schools operative in modern scholarship, used to make up the discipline of English language and literature studies. III. Students learn how to use research and reference sources pertinent to literary study. IV. Students are introduced to the use of computers as an aid in the conduct of literary scholarship, computerized storage and retrieval databases pertinent to literary scholarship, and the latest developments in technological aids to literary research. V. Students learn how to manage the research task, to collect data, and to store it in a responsible, efficient manner. Technological tools for research data management are explored in this connection. VI. Students learn what constitutes graduate level work in English studies, and what further scholarly measures are necessary to make a work publishable. Close study of the current MLA Style Manual aids in this endeavor. VII. Students survey the current status of the profession, learning about organizations, publishing and career opportunities available to the literary scholar.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
I. Students read relevant selected texts in order to put into perspective the development of literary scholarship and criticism. The instructor may supplement the reading with lectures and questions pertinent to the reading, and may provide additional examples of published scholarship to infer methodologies employed, develop appreciation for sound scholarship, and develop the ability to discriminate between careful and careless scholarship.
II. Format: Combination of the following: Lecture and discussion led by instructor Written exercises at the beginning of class periods meant to stimulate questions about the reading before the discussion begins Oral reports from students about research methods and literary search findings Group discussion about questions of literary scholarship Teacher-student conferences to aid in the development of a formal paper to publishable level
III. Writing Requirements
1. Informal & Exploratory
a. Periodically, students write, at the beginning of class meetings, responses to exploratory questions about the readings. They also have the opportunity to ask questions about the readings through this method.
b. Each student conducts a literature search on a question provided by the instructor, keeping an informal research log that may be orally presented to the class and/or turned in to the instructor. c. Each student also writes an informal study identifying three journals that might publish his finished scholarly paper (see below) and giving justification for his choice.
2. Formal Papers
a. Students do a critical review of a scholarly book pertinent to their own research topic.
b. Students do carefully supervised drafts of a research paper on a topic of their own choosing and with a view toward its publication.
3. Essay Examination
Students write a final take-home essay examination that allows them to express their learning and thoughts at the end of the course.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
The primary goals of this course are to make graduate students knowledgeable about the type of research and writing expected of graduate students in the discipline of English literature and language and to provide them with the requisite skills to become good scholarly readers and writers. To that end, students are expected to become familiar with the various research sources (print and technological) available to those who work in the discipline; they should come to understand what is expected of writing on the graduate level and beyond; and they should know how the publication of scholarly papers proceeds.
Assessment Measures
Students' growth in knowledge of the material may be assessed through a number of measures. Students complete informal writing exercises related directly to the readings and the problems these pose; these result in extensive class discussion. Students also put research techniques learned into practice in the library, pursuing both group and individual projects and reporting the results to the class. These projects are designed to give students hands-on experience with many resources of literary study. Students may demonstrate the growth of critical vocabulary and knowledge by doing a critical review of a scholarly book. One or more formal papers may be assigned to allow the student to learn the differences between the typical undergraduate English-major paper (which most already write well) and the more rigorous expectations of the graduate-level professor and the editor of a professional journal. An additional task related to the development of such papers is the mastering of MLA documentation style. At the end of the course, a final written examination may be given as an instrument of synthesis as well as a vehicle of expression.
Other Course Information
Students are strongly encouraged to take this course at the beginning of their graduate program to lay the foundation for scholarly styles and discipline that can then be used in subsequent courses, in completing the thesis requirement, and ultimately in their professional careers.
Review and Approval
DATE ACTION APPROVED BY
March 1999 | 5,889 | 2,557 | 0.000393 |
warc | 201704 | Most people fear and hate reptiles and insects, but love birds and furry animals and birds. Snakes are arguably the most feared and hated creatures of the world, sentiments that are inherent even from religion. Human beings are more susceptible to snake attacks, mainly because snakes have the ability to camouflage and slither closer to victims, and unfortunately pack potent venom. We pick out ten of the world’s deadliest venomous snakes, lethal to the point that air ambulance services are necessary for the survival of victims, serpents that still slither around. Although most of the snakes listed originate from islands, a few might be indigenous to your locality.
The Black Tiger Snake
Today, medical insurance coverage and advanced medical transport are necessities in Australia, this is mainly because it is a land filled with the most beautiful, albeit deadly and dangerous forms of life, and for individuals afraid of the dangers of Mother Nature, traveling to Australia would be unwise. Existing in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes, the Black Tiger Snake can cause fatalities in human being half an hour after an attack, thanks to a lethal dosage of venom combined with an ominous appearance, with consequent deaths commonly occurring inside a 6-24 hour window. A bite by a Black Tiger Snake will leave one feeling sweaty, tingly and numb, and an immediate injection of antivenin from a doctor of medicine offers the most favorable possibilities of recovery. Thankfully, Black Tiger snakes will more often than not, promptly slither away upon encountering human beings, but become aggressive and can easily attack when cornered.
2. Rattlesnake
Among the ten listed, the rattlesnake, technically of the Pit Viper genus, is the only snake indigenous to North America, and thanks to the rattling tail as well as its appearance in pop culture, it is among the most iconic snakes worldwide. Rattlesnakes commonly hunt birds, small rodents, and lizards, but packs venom toxic enough to kill just about any creature, in addition to an ability to strike from a distance equal to two-thirds of their body length. Despite rattling sounds warning of a readiness to strike, Rattlesnakes prefer to avoid contact with human beings and tend to flee unless they feel cornered. Fortunately, quick treatment of Rattlesnake bites by any doctor of medicine significantly minimizes the possibilities of death.
3. Death Adder
Of course, the Death Adder is indigenous to Australia, where a life insurance quote pertaining to a particular insurance policy is a necessity today, especially seeing the dangers that lurk all around this beautiful part of the world. This serpent can also be found in New Guinea, and some of its surrounding islands, and is considered to be quite deadly as a result of its potent venom, even though rather than being an active hunter, this serpent ambushes by patiently waiting for prey to cross its path. This tactic works perfectly; fallen leaves effectively camouflage this snake, rendering it almost invisible. A bite from the Death Adder causes a minor discomfort, which leads to paralysis and eventually to respiratory failure, all within a duration of six hours. Bites that go untreated for between 24-48 hours usually cause death. A Total recovery from the Death Adder bite is thankfully possible, especially after treatment using antivenin. It is additionally important to note that the Death Adder is arguably the fastest striking snake worldwide, and should therefore be avoided or viewed from a distance.
4. King Cobra
The King Cobra is common throughout Asia, and can easily be found in the Indian jungles. Apart from being quite famous, the King Cobra is the world’s longest venomous snake, and grows to a possible 18.8 feet in length. Within its classification, this snake is unique, particularly since it is not a “true cobra” and remains the sole member of its sub genus. Although this snake primarily hunts and feeds on other snakes, rodents and lizards, its venom contains enough neurotoxin to paralyze and even kill an adult elephant within a few hours, and without immediate medical attention, the survival rate for human beings after a King Cobra’s bite is approximated at 40 percent.
5. Russell’s Viper
In its entire genus, only one species exists, and although indigenous to Southeast Asia, this snake can be found throughout Asia. The Russell’s Viper, considered among India’s ‘Big Four’, was named after Patrick Russell, a herpetologist. This serpent is also known as the Daboia, and due to its habitual proximity to highly populated areas, combined with an aggressive nature, is considered one of the world’s deadliest snakes. Studies have revealed that in terms of the hiss, the Russell’s Viper is the loudest snake, information that we regrettably cannot offer first hand verification about. The Daboia primarily hunts and feeds on small rodents, scorpions, lizards, and birds, with its young ones being cannibalistic, a trait almost exclusive to the spider family.
6. The Indian Cobra
You are strongly advised against travelling to India without a life insurance policy, seeing as India is one of the world’s most snake-infested countries, a place where the use of advanced medical transport systems such as an air ambulance, might significant improve life expectancy. The Indian Cobra, one of India’s ‘Big Four’ and among the most deadly snakes on the planet, is responsible for the majority of snakebites on human beings in India. The Indian Cobra, often used by snake charmers all over Asia, holds a high stature in India, mainly due to its inclusion in Indian culture and mythology. The proximity of this snake to human settlements in Indian is the most likely reason why the snake continually ranks top among the most active biting serpents of the world. The Indian Cobra often bites repeatedly; paralyzing movement in the victim’s nerves, which then leads to respiratory failures and occasionally, heart attacks. Despite the deadly characteristics, people in India voluntarily flock villages to get bitten by young Indian Cobras, merely seeking the euphoric and sedative feeling that follows a bite.
7. Saw Scaled Viper
On top of the continual violence in the Middle East, the Saw Scaled Viper is another cause of fatalities. These aggressive, exceedingly fast, and nocturnal saw scaled vipers are common in China, India, and most parts of Asia, and a bite from this snake immediately causes unbearable pain, which quickly leads to swelling and eventually to bleeding from the victim’s mouth. Once bitten, blood pressures plummet and heart rates slow, plus victims will most likely be in pain for as long as four to five weeks thereafter. Fatalities can occur within a day, especially without proper medical attention, and victims can also suffer for about two weeks before dying out.
8. The Common Krait
The Common Krait is also one of India’s ‘Big Four’, and grows to lengths between three and five feet. This snake is considered one of the most dangerous serpents on earth and features a very flat head while appearing to have no neck. The Common Krait is known to alter its ferocity quite regularly. This snake mostly hides during the day and reacts rather slow once encountered in the daylight, however, the Common Krait becomes quickly agitated at night and will rarely hesitate before attacking. Untreated Krait bites can cause muscle paralysis, damage to the nerves, and even brain damage.
9. The Inland Taipan
When it comes to venom, the Inland Taipan is undisputedly the deadliest among the ten listed snakes. The mixture of neurotoxin and taipoxin causes inability to breathe, paralysis, intense muscle damage, and blood hemorrhaging. Fortunately, as a result of the relegation of this snake to inland Australia, it is quite rare, though an encounter with one is something we would rather avoid even though the Inland Taipan is a shy and reclusive creature that mostly opts to flee rather than attack. It is unlikely for an adult human being to last for more than between 30 to 45 minutes once bitten by an Inland Taipan, unless immediate treatment is administered.
10. The Black Mamba
Because of its speed, proximity to human settlements, striking ferocity, and density of toxicity, the Black Mamba is among the leading causes of death throughout Africa, making it among the most deadly snakes on earth. Black Mamba’s have the ability to bite 12 times in succession, with each of the bites delivering massive quantities of neurotoxin. The amount of venom a Black Mamba pumps into victims in a single bite is enough to kill 25 times over, and if untreated, the fatality rate is almost at 100 percent, mostly occurring within 15 minutes. | 8,839 | 3,859 | 0.000263 |
warc | 201704 | Abstract
This paper explores and compares the application of three different approaches to the data normalization problem in structural health monitoring (SHM), which concerns the removal of confounding trends induced by varying operational conditions from a measured structural response that correlates with damage. The methodologies for singling out or creating damage-sensitive features that are insensitive to environmental influences explored here include cointegration, outlier analysis and an approach relying on principal component analysis. The application of cointegration is a new idea for SHM from the field of econometrics, and this is the first work in which it has been comprehensively applied to an SHM problem. Results when applying cointegration are compared with results from the more familiar outlier analysis and an approach that uses minor principal components. The ability of these methods for removing the effects of environmental/operational variations from damage-sensitive features is demonstrated and compared with benchmark data from the Brite-Euram project DAMASCOS (BE97 4213), which was collected from a Lamb-wave inspection of a composite panel subject to temperature variations in an environmental chamber.
1. Introduction
Despite the fact that structural health monitoring (SHM) has become an increasingly popular research topic over the last decade or so, the technologies developed have still seen relatively little up-take by industry. From a machine-learning perspective, a major pitfall for practical SHM implementation is the lack of data available from the ‘damaged state’ of structures, which often necessitates an unsupervised learning approach. This lack of damage data has led to the adoption in many SHM schemes of
novelty detection, whereby damage is inferred if measurements deviate from a defined or learned normal condition.
While novelty detection deals excellently with the unsupervised learning problem, another major problem occurs with its application to in-service structures, which is that defining the normal condition outside the laboratory becomes difficult on account of the effects of varying environmental and operational conditions. Practical application of novelty detection often works on the premise that some monitored damage-sensitive feature will remain stationary, or within some limits, all the time a structure continues to respond in its normal condition. The occurrence of damage is then inferred by any significant change occurring in the feature. Unfortunately, for structures in operation, changes to damage-sensitive features can often be caused by changing environmental or operational conditions, and this constitutes a large problem where SHM is concerned. If any SHM system is to be relied upon, false-positive detections of damage (as would be caused by a varying operational environment) must be avoided.
The answer is to attempt to account for (or remove) environmental or operational variability in damage-sensitive features, and this (non-trivial) problem is often referred to as the data normalization problem by SHM practitioners (Sohn 2007). This issue is considered one of the major reasons for the slow up-take of SHM outside the world of academic research.
In the past, a number of approaches for dealing with this problem have been attempted, and widely speaking, these approaches can be categorized by the types of data collected in a monitoring campaign. One general approach to the problem, applicable where direct measurement of the changing environment may or may not be available, is to directly define the normal condition with data collected over a long period of time from an undamaged structure. If one has a large bank of data that includes measurements occurring under the influence of a wide range of environmental and operational conditions, then the normal condition defined by this data will encompass feature deviations influenced by the benign conditions. One obvious disadvantage to this approach is the lack of ability to guarantee that the dataset does include data from a full range of environmental/operational conditions, which lowers one's confidence in the ability to detect true novelty. A further disadvantage is that within a vast normal condition, any sensitivity to damage a detector has may well be lost. Where measurement of the relevant environmental conditions is available, an alternative that may restore sensitivity to damage could be to work with subsets of normal condition data, where a novelty detector is constructed for a subset that relates to a specific environmental condition, new data could then be tested by the novelty detector relevant to the environmental condition at the time. Although this approach should improve damage sensitivity, it would still require a large amount of data to be acquired and stored before any meaningful SHM could be carried out. Most commonly, where comprehensive measurements of the relevant operational and environmental conditions are available, regression techniques have been used. Here, damage-sensitive features are modelled (in a simple mathematical way) with respect to environmental conditions. An accurate regression effectively acts as a filter to remove the influence of the benign conditions from the model error, which can then be used as a damage-sensitive, environmentally insensitive feature (Sohn
et al. 1998; Peeters et al. 2001; Worden et al. 2002). The methods explored in this study are intended to be applicable in situations where measurement of external conditions is not necessarily available. For a good review of previous approaches to the data normalization problem, readers are referred to Sohn (2007).
Three approaches to the data normalization problem are investigated here in the context of benchmark data from the Brite-Euram project DAMASCOS (BE97 4213),
1 which was collected from a Lamb-wave inspection of a composite panel subject to temperature variations in an environmental chamber. The three approaches are based on outlier analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and finally cointegration, a new idea for SHM from the field of econometrics (Cross et al. 2011). This study is intended to build on the work initiated in Manson (2002), the data have been re-analysed and discussion of the results presented in that paper will be significantly expanded here, the results gained using PCA and outlier analysis will also be compared with new results gained using cointegration. 2. Theory
The primary concern of this work is to identify or to create damage-sensitive features that continue to function under environmental or operational variability. A common theme throughout will be to use
outlier analysis, which assesses the discordancy of a single observation with respect to the rest of the data, or a fixed set of training data. A discordant outlier in a dataset is an observation that appears inconsistent with the rest of the data and therefore is believed to be generated by an alternate mechanism to the other data. The discordancy of the candidate outlier is a measure that may be compared against some objective criterion allowing the outlier to be judged to be statistically likely or unlikely to have come from the assumed generating model. The discordancy test for multivariate data used in this work is the Mahalanobis squared distance measure given by2.1where { x } is the potential outlier datum, is the mean vector of the sample observations and [ ζ S] the sample covariance matrix. In order to label an observation as an outlier or an inlier, there needs to be some threshold value against which the discordancy value can be compared. This value is dependent on both the number of observations and the number of dimensions of the problem being studied. The value also depends upon whether an inclusive or exclusive threshold is required. In this work, the threshold value is computed using a Monte Carlo method. Briefly, a matrix having the same size as the dataset under consideration is generated and populated with elements randomly drawn from a zero mean, unit standard deviation (s.d.) Gaussian distribution; for all elements, the Mahalanobis squared distance is then calculated and the largest value stored. This is repeated a large number of times (10 000 in the case of this work), each time storing the largest Mahalanobis squared distance, which are then sorted in order of magnitude. The critical values for 5 per cent and 1 per cent tests of discordancy can then be found from this array at a point above which 5 per cent and 1 per cent of the trials occur.
The first approach to the data normalization problem presented in this work directly uses outlier analysis to attempt to single out features that are individually sensitive to damage and yet insensitive to the changing environmental or operational conditions. The idea is to test some training set of data (where environmental variations are present) for each feature under consideration using a univariate novelty index, and then select only the features that have a low discordancy measure under changing environmental conditions for further analysis.
The second approach to the problem addressed here uses PCA, a classical method from multivariate statistics that is often used to reduce the dimensionality of a dataset. PCA projects data onto a new set of orthogonal axes (or principal components) which are linear combinations of the originals but ordered according to the proportion of the variance of the data each accounts for; for example, the first principal component will account for the largest proportion of variance in the data. With the components ordered in such a way, one is able to discard any components that do not account for a significant amount of variance; in this way, the dimensionality of the dataset can be reduced without losing any significant information. For more information on how PCA works, readers are referred to any textbook on multivariate statistics, of which Sharma (1995) is a good example.
In the case of an undamaged structure subject to changing environmental conditions, information on the response of a set of monitored variables to the environmental variation will be contained within the principal components that account for significant amounts of variance in the dataset (Manson 2002). The idea explored here is to project a dataset onto its
minor components, i.e. those that account for less variance in the data, and therefore discard the dimensions of the data that carry any dependence on environmental factors. In theory, so long as damage does not manifest as variance along an axis in the same direction as any of the major components disregarded, the feature created using the minor components will be insensitive to environmentally induced structural responses but still sensitive to damage. Factor analysis, which is closely related to PCA, may also be used in a similar way, as explored in Kullaa (2004).
Although novel for the SHM community, it transpires that using PCA in this way has already been anticipated in the context of econometrics (Stock & Watson 1988, 1993). In this context, PCA becomes part of a much wider class of algorithms that are related to the concept of
cointegration, which is also explored here as a suitable means for creating damage-sensitive features. Cointegration is actually a property of non-stationary time series; if non-stationary multivariate data have some linear combination that is stationary, these variables are said to be cointegrated, and furthermore (to introduce more terminology), the coefficients of the stationary linear combination make up what is termed the cointegrating vector. Cointegration is commonly used by econometricians to identify common trends in economic variables (which are often less well understood than variables from structural monitoring), and to determine their long-run equilibrium that is defined by their stationary linear combination. In finding a stationary linear combination of non-stationary time series, one has purged the dataset of its common trends, and it is this that is of interest to SHM practitioners, as common trends in a dataset from an in-service undamaged structure will often be caused by environmental or operational variations. This stationary linear combination of a cointegrating vector and the variables of interest is often referred to as a residual, due to the fact that common trends have been removed, this terminology will be adopted in this work.
For SHM, then, finding the cointegrating vectors of a dataset is the most interesting aspect of the ideas behind cointegration. This is commonly achieved by the Johansen procedure (Johansen 1995), which is a maximum-likelihood procedure designed for non-stationary variables whose first difference is stationary (integrated of order one, to use econometric terminology). The procedure is described very briefly here, but readers should refer to Johansen (1995) for more details (or Cross
et al. 2011 for a more pedagogical approach). The Johansen procedure starts with the variables in question arranged in vector error-correction model (ECM) form:2.2where y denotes an i n-vector including all nvariables to be analysed, with the subscript irelating to time, i=1,… N, prepresents the model order, or the number of lags to be included in the model and ϵ is a noise process. A term to describe a deterministic trend i D( t) can also be included. An assumption of using this model type is that if the y are cointegrated, parameters can be found such that the noise process is normally distributed; i ϵ ∼ i N(0,[ Σ]). ECMs for cointegrated variables are common in econometrics, as the matrix [ Π] describes the long-run equilibrium between variables, whereas [ B ] describes the short-run adjustments needed to maintain the process in equilibrium. In these circumstances, an ECM can simply be viewed as a reformulation of a vector auto-regressive (AR) model (Juselius 2006). In this form, because the variables have stationary first differences (i.e. {Δ j y } are stationary), the matrix [ i Π] contains the coefficients that will create the most stationary linear combination of the original variables; in other words, [ Π] contains the cointegrating vectors. For nvariables, there can be up to n−1 independent cointegrating vectors. The Johansen procedure estimates the possible cointegrating vectors and orders them according to which combinations/residuals are ‘most’ stationary. The authors' practice when applying cointegration has been to use the linear combination ranked by the Johansen procedure as the most stationary.
Unfortunately, if the variables are cointegrated, [
Π] must be of reduced rank, which means that parameter estimates for (2.2) must be obtained using a reduced rank regression. The reduced rank regression involves the decomposition of the matrix [ Π], and parameter estimation through maximizing the likelihood of observing the correct noise sequence { ϵ }; however, as the process is rather in depth, no further details are given here, and instead readers are again referred to Johansen (1995) or Cross i et al.(2011).
The Johansen procedure is adopted here as a sophisticated and well-established means of identifying combinations of variables that allow the removal of nuisance trends. Cointegration theory has largely been developed in the context of non-stationary econometric signals that can be described with a unit root process. It is used in an engineering context here, under the assumption that data considered exhibit similar behaviour to a unit root process. In practice, this has the implication that only non-stationary variables with a stationary first difference may be included in an analysis, which should be checked in advance for each variable under consideration. This may be achieved by using, for example, unit-root tests for stationarity, such as the augmented Dickey–Fuller test statistic (Dickey & Fuller 1979, 1981). Where the sole interest is removing environmental/operational trends, other stricter assumptions made in an econometrics context may be relaxed. For example, in practice, the Johansen procedure appears to be quite robust under deviations from normality of the noise process,
ϵ , in the sense that the computed cointegrating vectors still effectively remove any nuisance trends. This matter has been the subject of a recent paper by the authors (Cross & Worden 2012) that will be extended in a forthcoming journal publication. i
It should be noted here that both the approaches using PCA and cointegration described above rely on the assumption that features from the undamaged condition of a structure are linearly related. If this is not the case, trends induced by changing environmental and operational conditions may not be removed in their entirety without extension to nonlinear variants of the algorithms.
3. Experimental data
The methods outlined in §2 will be explored in this study in the context of data collected from the Brite-Euram project DAMASCOS (BE97 4213), which studied the damage detection capabilities of Lamb-wave propagation within composite structures. The data used here come from a Lamb-wave inspection of a composite panel subject to temperature variations in an environmental chamber, for which the test set-up is illustrated in figure 1.
Identical piezoceramic discs were bonded at the plate edges to minimize reflections from these edges and at the mid-point of these edges to allow for greater discrimination between the direct propagating mode and its reflections from the side edges. The plate material was carbon fibre-reinforced plastic with a 0
°/90 ° lay-up. Fundamental symmetric ( S 0) and anti-symmetric ( A 0) Lamb-waves were launched by driving the transmitter with a five cycle tone burst from the signal generator at 300 and 80 kHz, respectively. The signals resulting at the sensor were monitored by a digital storage oscilloscope and then transferred to PC. Figure 2 shows a typical signal in the time and frequency domains.
For this particular test, Lamb-wave signals were recorded every minute. For the first 1355 signals (a period of approx. 22 h), the chamber temperature was held at a constant 25
°C. The temperature within the chamber was then decreased to 10 °C before being ramped to 30 °C over a 3 h period and then back to 10 °C, again over a period of 3 h. This cycling was repeated for more than three further cycles. After approximately 41 h (signal no. 2483), the chamber was opened, a 10 mm hole was drilled in the plate between the two sensors and then the chamber was closed. This essentially means that there were three different phases to the test: signals 1–1355 are from the undamaged panel held at a constant 25 °C, signals 1356–2482 are from the undamaged panel with temperature cycling and signals 2483–2944 are from the damaged panel with temperature cycling.
For the purposes of this work, it was necessary to sub-sample the data collected from the test described earlier. Fifty spectral lines from the area around the peak of the frequency spectrum are selected here as an area of interest (these are lines 46–95 in figure 2), owing to their relatively higher signal-to-noise ratio and because experience has shown that damage often manifests itself through a shift in the peaks of spectral features. The feature that will be studied here, then, is the amplitude of each of these 50 spectral lines for each of the 2944 signals recorded in the test.
2
In order to understand the feature data better, preliminary outlier and PCAs were carried out. For both of these, a training dataset was chosen as every second data point recorded when the temperature of the plate was held constant, in other words, taking the plate under constant temperature as the normal condition. For the outlier analysis, the mean, , and covariance matrix, [
S], were calculated for the 678 training set samples. All feature samples were then in turn designated { x } and values for ζ D , the novelty index (discordancy), were calculated using equation (2.1). Figure 3 shows the results of this analysis, with novelty index being plotted on a log scale (note that the novelty indices of the samples in the training set are also plotted). The horizontal dotted line represents the threshold value, which is the critical value for a 1 per cent test of discordancy (calculated using the training data), whereas the vertical lines separate the three regimes. ζ
Not surprisingly, almost all of the novelty indices from samples in the constant temperature regime are below the threshold. Meanwhile, the features from the temperature cycling period and the damage set are all substantially over the threshold, indicating an abnormal response from the plate for the majority of the testing period. This is clearly an undesirable situation; if the outlier analysis was to be intended as a damage detector, responses from the plate under a changing temperature would be wrongly classified as such.
PCA is also carried out here to better understand the underlying structure of the response data from the three different regimes. A plot of the first two principal component scores is shown in figure 4, where one can see that data from the three different regimes cluster separately, with very little overlap. The most important thing to note is that data from the undamaged response at a constant temperature do not overlie the ‘undamaged’ data from the temperature cycling period. The consequence of this, as for the outlier analysis carried out previously, is that a reliable damage indicator may not be fabricated from the constant temperature measurements alone.
Having now a clear view of the data, §4 will explore how the effects of temperature can be dealt with to create a working novelty detector.
4. Results
Studying figures 3 and 4 gives an insight into how badly a novelty detector would work if the constant temperature data were considered to define the normal condition; the temperature fluctuations lead to a false-positive detection of damage that is very undesirable. An obvious improvement should come from including data from the undamaged plate when the temperature was fluctuating in the training set. Figure 5 shows the results of the same outlier analysis carried out in §3, with a 1 per cent discordancy threshold, this time with the training data extended to include data from the fluctuating temperature regime. Unless otherwise stated, the training dataset used in this section will be every second data point up to data point 2000; this includes data from just under two full cycles of temperature fluctuation. On inspection of figure 5, redefining the normal condition to include data points from the temperature fluctuating regime of the test has certainly decreased the discordancy of the data points from this regime; however, some structure still remains visible in the fluctuating temperature period and many points cross the threshold (indicated by the dashed line). In terms of damage detection, this outlier analysis would still be very inappropriate.
(a) Searching for damage-sensitive features that display environmental insensitivity
As discussed in §2, a possible solution is to seek out features that display insensitivity to environmental conditions but retain sensitivity to damage. Here, a univariate novelty index is used to identify the spectral lines that display a low discordancy measure under changing environmental conditions for further analysis. To do this, the mean,
μ, and the standard deviation, s, for each of the 50 components of a training set of features are calculated; a univariate novelty index z is then calculated for samples, ζ x , in a test set using equation (4.1) 4.1Here, the training set used is the same as in the previous section, i.e. every second signal from the constant temperature period. Two test sets are used to seek out candidate features that display environmental insensitivity: the first comprises the remainder of the constant temperature signals; the second is made up of all signals from the temperature cycling period prior to the introduction of damage. Figure 6 shows the results of this analysis, where the mean of the univariate indices is plotted for each test set, along with a threshold shown as a dashed line at a 97% confidence limit. The dotted lines are the mean of the discordancy measures plus 1 s.d., and are added to give some idea of the variability of the relevant component within the particular testing set. ζ
From this analysis, six spectral lines were identified for their insensitivity to the environmental changes, those selected were lines of the spectrum where the mean of the novelty indices plus 1 s.d. (shown as a dotted line) fell under the threshold. It remains now to test these identified features as candidates for reliable damage indicators. To do this the outlier analysis carried out in §4 is repeated using only these six identified spectral lines to form a multivariate feature. The training data selected are from the same period as previously. The result of this analysis is shown in figure 7, where the dashed line represents the threshold, and the vertical dotted lines mark the three stages of experimental procedure. From this figure, it can be seen that the objective has very nearly been achieved; almost all of the features from the undamaged, temperature cycling set have resulted in novelty indices below the threshold, while all of the features from the damage testing set are significantly above the threshold. This shows that certain components of the original basic feature are relatively insensitive to changes in temperature but sensitive to the introduction of damage.
(b) Minor principal components for removing environmental sensitivity
While the univariate novelty index method examines to see whether there are individual components insensitive to temperature changes but sensitive to damage, the second method under investigation here seeks to find whether there exist linear combinations of the feature components that achieve the same purpose through PCA. The method for doing this is simply to perform a PCA on the training data and the first two sets of testing data (from the uniform temperature period and the cycling temperature period) and discard the higher principal components that will account for the maximum variance in the data, which is expected to be due to the temperature variations. If and when these three sets of data from the unfaulted plate cluster together, the data from the damage testing set may then be projected into the same minor component space.
For the basic features considered here, it was found that, by examining plots of principal component
n versus principal component n+1, the vast majority of the variance due to temperature change was contained in about the first 10 components. However, in order to make sure that all three sets were overlapping, only the last 10 principal components were used to form a new feature. These 10 components account for a mere 0.005 per cent of the variance in the dataset. The damage testing set was projected into the same space and an outlier analysis, with a threshold at 1 per cent discordancy, was performed using this new 10-point feature. The results shown in this section of the paper follow Manson (2002), where the principal components are calculated using every second sample of data recorded while the plate remained undamaged (both under stationary and cycling temperature); the outlier analysis uses a training dataset, as described previously, of every second sample from the stationary temperature testing period. The results are shown in figure 8, where it is obvious that this is an even more effective result than that from the previous method. All of the temperature cycled, unfaulted data have been classified as unfaulted and there does not appear to be any cyclic behaviour to the novelty indices from this set. Also, all of the damage data are very clearly classified as such. This is a very encouraging result, considering the complex nature of the data and also the temperature range considered. It should be noted, however, that the data have not been standardized prior to implementing the PCA, a fact that will be discussed further in §4 c. (c) Cointegration for the removal of environmental trends
The last method for creating the environmentally insensitive damage detectors investigated here uses cointegration. Similar to the previous methods, cointegration requires a training set of data from the normal condition of the undamaged structure. The training dataset chosen here contains data points 1000–2000, which includes 355 data points from the steady temperature regime and data from almost two temperature cycles.
3 Before application, the effective stationarity of the first difference of each feature was checked in order to meet the assumptions of the Johansen procedure. The Johansen procedure was used here to linearly combine the 50 features in question, with the aim of creating a stationary residual. If a linear combination of the training data is stationary, the common trends shared by the 50 features (i.e. the temperature-induced trends) will have been purged; any other abnormal change (such as the introduction of damage may cause) should then cause the combination residual to become non-stationary as long as each feature in question is not affected by the damage in exactly the same way.
Figure 9 shows the linear combination of all 50 features for the training period chosen. The dashed horizontal lines indicate ±3 s.d. of the training data and are added to act essentially as a statistical process control X-chart (Montgomery 2009), if a data point is outside this threshold, it can be considered as abnormal. By studying figure 9, one can see that the Johansen procedure has successfully found a linear combination of the 50 features in question that is stationary over the training period, with the exception of a few points occurring around the time when the plate began to undergo its temperature cycles. This anomaly indicates that at the time of switching between the two test phases some more complex relationship between the environmental conditions and the recorded signals existed; happily after the transition period, the features returned to an equilibrium quickly and are still valid as an anomaly detector. A positive detection of damage from such an indicator would generally require a sustained excursion outside the confidence intervals, which does not occur here.
As the Johansen procedure has successfully created a stationary combination of the variables from a training set, it remains to project all of the rest of the data onto this combination and study what happens when damage is introduced. The result are shown in figure 10, where the vertical lines indicate the beginning of the temperature cycling period and the point of the introduction of damage. A clear indication of damage is apparent when the residual becomes non-stationary and deviates significantly outside the control chart boundaries (at ±3 s.d. of the training residual). Cointegration looks to be a very promising approach for the data normalization problem.
Further to this result, it is interesting to note that the large anomaly visible in the combination of the training data (figure 9) is not present in the cointegrating combination when a smaller subset of the 50 spectral lines is investigated. As an example, the results when including only the first 20 spectral lines from the feature set used previously are shown. Using the same training period as before, the whole 20 feature dataset projected on to the linear combination found by the Johansen procedure is shown in figure 11. As before, the dotted horizontal lines indicate ±3 s.d. of the training residual, and the two vertical lines indicate the introduction of the temperature gradient and the introduction of damage, respectively. It seems that analysing a smaller subset of variables has eliminated the anomaly that previously occurred after the introduction of the temperature gradient, while the indication of damage is still very clear. Further discussion on this anomaly will follow in §5.
5. A comparison of cointegration and principal component analysis
Cointegration and PCA have both been shown to be successful tools for the data normalization problem in §4
c. As already alluded to in §1, they are in fact regarded in the field of econometrics as being from the same class of algorithms; both linearly combine multivariate data but by different means and for different objectives. PCA, using singular-value decomposition, creates and orders new variables, according to amounts of variance each accounts for in the data, the Johansen procedure uses a maximum-likelihood approach to evaluate the stationarity of a linear combination of variables and orders variables from the most stationary to the least (although only one cointegrating vector was used in the earlier-mentioned analysis, the Johansen procedure will produce as many new variables, less one, as original variables included in the analysis). If one considers that the most stationary variable created by the Johansen procedure will most likely account for the least amount of variance in the data, loosely speaking, these two methods are doing roughly the same thing, only ordering the variables differently. In this way of thinking, the first n cointegrating vectors should be similar to the last n principal components for some multivariate dataset.
To answer the question of how similar PCA and cointegration actually are in a mathematical way, a comparison between the set of principal components and the set of cointegrating vectors themselves should be made. The principal components in a PCA are (usually) computed using a singular value decomposition of the data matrix, and as such, the principal components form an orthogonal set. To understand the properties of the cointegrating vectors produced by the Johansen procedure, one needs to dig a little deeper into how the theory works. Without going into too much detail (see instead Johansen 1995 or Cross
et al. 2011), the Johansen procedure calculates the cointegrating vectors through solving a generalized eigenvalue problem of the form5.1where { v } is an eigenvector with corresponding eigenvalue i λ , and [ i N] and [ M] are symmetric positive definite matrices. When applying the Johansen procedure, [ N] and [ M] are generated from the input data and the desired cointegrating vectors correspond to the eigenvectors { v }. The properties of a generalized eigenvalue problem dictate that, upon solving (5.1), the resulting eigenvectors (and therefore cointegrating vectors) have an orthogonality property dictated by [ i N], which is that { v ′}[ j N]{ v }=1 if i i= jand 0 otherwise (Johansen 1995).
In short, the orthogonality properties of principal components and the cointegrating vectors differ (unless the matrix [
N] is an identity matrix). This means that one can expect to see different results from each methodology, even though the goals of each could be viewed as being similar. To examine this, §5 provides a short comparison between results from PCA and cointegration analysis on the DAMASCOS data. How similar results from the two methodologies actually are, and which is more appropriate for the application will be explored.
Within this comparison, the issue of standardizing data prior to the application of algorithms such as PCA and cointegration must be discussed. In the previous section, following Manson (2002), PCA carried out for the projection of data onto the minor components was applied without first standardizing the data. Although very good results have been produced, it is perhaps more common nowadays to standardize data before attempting PCA, so as to not form principal components biased by the size of the variables under consideration. For a complete comparison, in the following, PCA on both non-standardized and standardized data will be investigated alongside the results from applying cointegration. Using cointegration on non-standardized data is not attempted, as the Johansen procedure can easily become ill conditioned if variables of very different amplitudes are used.
In the following comparison of results, the same training period is used throughout, which consists of the first 2000 sample points; this training set, therefore, covers the whole period of stationary temperature and just under two cycles of temperature fluctuation. While in the preceding sections of this work, it has been common to use a training set made up of every other sample from the data when applying PCA and outlier analysis, this approach is less suitable where cointegration is concerned. In the Johansen procedure, the choice of the cointegrating vectors is informed by the fitting of a vector ECM, whose construction is similar to that of an AR model. It has been found that suboptimal cointegrating vectors are chosen by the Johansen procedure when non-consecutive samples are used for training.
The first comparison that will be made for the DAMASCOS data is between the 50th principal component score (with and without standardization of data) and the cointegrated residual from the first cointegrating vector (most stationary). For the training period described above, the 50th PC score, without prior standardization of data, is plotted in figure 12, the 50th PC score with prior standardization of data is plotted in figure 13 and finally, the cointegrated residual is shown in figure 14. One could expect that the 50th principal component score, which accounts for the ‘smallest’ proportion of variance in the data would be similar to the cointegrated residual that is created using the ‘most stationary’ cointegrating vector.
Further comparison can be made by looking at an expanded number of principal components and cointegrating vectors. Below, multivariate outlier analyses on the first 10 cointegrated residuals and the last 10 principal component scores, trained on the same training data, will be plotted with 1 per cent discordancy thresholds. Figure 15 shows the results of a multivariate outlier analysis on the last 10 principal components from the PCA carried out on the non-standardized data, figure 16 shows the same with the PCA applied to standardized data and lastly, figure 17 shows the results of an outlier analysis on the residuals created from the first 10 cointegrating vectors.
From figures 12–14, one can see immediately that all three approaches have produced different results. Notably, standardizing data prior to applying PCA has produced significantly different results to those where standardizing has not been used. Where data have not been standardized, figure 12, the score appears to be unstructured before the introduction of damage, upon which the error bars of the control chart are exceeded. The 50th principal component score from the standardized data, figure 13, also clearly indicates the introduction of damage; on close inspection, however, the score exceeds the control chart limits during the temperature fluctuation period before damage is introduced. Lastly, the cointegrated residual in figure 14 remains within the control chart limits for the duration of the test until the introduction of damage (with one exception), where it clearly becomes non-stationary. As found previously, the cointegrated residual spikes at a time when the temperature regime was changed from stationary to cyclic.
Studying figures 15–17, one can see again that the three approaches have produced different results. All three plots show a clear detection of the damage introduced to the plate. The results from the PCA on standardized data, figure 16, appear to be the least successful, as remaining structure from the temperature cycling period is still visible, and the control chart limits are exceeded a number of times.
From the comparisons made above, three direct observations are noted: first, that the methodologies are producing differing results; second, that it is clear that the creation of features through projection onto minor components is more successful when the data are not standardized before PCA is applied and finally, that a spike occurring at the time that the temperature cycling begins is visible in the cointegrated residuals but not in the non-standardized PCA results.
To first address the occurrence of the spike visible in figure 14 (and indeed in figure 9), it is interesting to note that upon inspection of the individual residuals created from the first 10 cointegrating vectors in the above analysis, a number of them are free from the spike in question. Although, as previously discussed, the spike does not hamper the usefulness of the residual, it seems that more suitable damage-sensitive features may be obtained that are free of it. As an example, the residual created from the second cointegrated vector is plotted in figure 18. In this case, it seems that the ‘most stationary’ residual chosen by the Johansen procedure is not the most suitable for our cause. One should also recall that it was mentioned earlier that considering only the first 20 spectral lines of this 50 line set also produces a cointegrated residual from the first cointegrating vector that is free from the spike in question (figure 11). It seems likely that the spike is an anomaly caused by one of the variables from around the peak area of the spectrum.
From the mathematical reasoning at the beginning of this section, it is not unexpected that the results compared above are different for the two algorithms applied. For further insights, the structure of the particular combinations from each algorithm can be studied. When studying the magnitude of the coefficients for each variable (spectral line) in the combinations formed, the following observations are apparent:
— when PCA is applied to non-standardized data, the linear combinations that form the last 10 principal components are dominated by large coefficients weighting the spectral lines away from the peak; the coefficients of the spectral lines around the peak (from lines 71 to 86 in figure 2) are very small;
— conversely, when PCA is applied to standardized data, the coefficients of the last 10 principal components are dominated by large coefficients for the spectral lines around the peak only; and
— the 10 cointegrating vectors have significant coefficients for all spectral lines, but larger coefficients have been allocated to spectral lines from around the peak area.
By not standardizing the data when calculating the principal components, precedence has been given to the spectral lines displaying a larger response magnitude than others. Consequently, the higher principal component scores will be dominated by the spectral lines from around the peak, and the lower ones the converse. If the data are standardized prior to the application of PCA, the higher principal component scores have equal contributions from each of the variables used, meaning that the contributions to the lower components are not dictated by the original amplitude of the spectral lines. Unlike the non-standardized PCA, the higher cointegrating vectors have stronger contributions from around the peak of the spectrum than from anywhere else. An explanation for this could be that the spectral lines away from the peak, that vary less, contribute less to the non-stationarity of the linear combination and as such are assigned less dominant coefficients.
From these observations, the reason that the PCA on the standardized data does not perform as well as for non-standardized data becomes clearer. By not standardizing the data, the minor component scores are dominated by spectral lines not in the peak area; these variables show lower sensitivity to temperature, and as such the temperature trend has been more easily dispersed. Where standardization has been used, this is not the case; instead, each of the principal components is dictated by the direction of the most variance in the dataset that is no longer biased by the amplitude of the spectral lines around the peak. This has, in fact, been detrimental to the performance of the minor components for the purposes of this work. That having been said, it could also be argued that the minor components of the non-standardized data are less-satisfactory candidates for damage-sensitive features due to the fact that the spectral lines around the peak, that are likely to display the greatest sensitivity to damage, have been assigned very low importance in the linear combinations. Here, one can see an advantage to cointegration, where importance is assigned to the peak spectral lines.
As a final observation, it is interesting to note that standardizing the feature data and applying PCA gives very similar results to using the cointegration algorithm; however, consideration of figures 16 and 17 shows that there are more excursions over the threshold in the temperature-fluctuating period for the PCA results than in the cointegration results, which would suggest that cointegration has been more successful in removing the temperature trend. There is a good reason for this. The Johansen procedure works by choosing those linear combinations appropriate for SHM
first; PCA effectively chooses them last. This disadvantages PCA because of the orthogonality property between PCs. When the data are standardized, some of the temperature-sensitive peak lines are included in the higher PCs because in terms of variance, they are no different from the off-peak lines. This means that, by the time the algorithm has worked down to the minor components, there is not complete flexibility in forming linear combinations, only certain directions in the feature space remain orthogonal. In the cointegration algorithm, the most stationary vectors are chosen first with greatest flexibility. 6. Conclusions
This study has introduced a number of methodologies for dealing with the data normalization problem in SHM in the context of data collected from a Lamb-wave inspection of a composite panel that was subjected to temperature cycling and an introduced damage scenario.
It is well know that outlier analysis is a very useful tool for novelty detection in SHM (Worden
et al. 2000). However, in the face of the influence of environmental variations on damage-sensitive features, it has shown to be unreliable as a tool on its own. This paper has demonstrated (for the DAMASCOS test data at least) that other methods are necessary to account for environmental variation before outlier analysis can be implemented.
Three different approaches to finding/creating damage-sensitive features that are insensitive to environmental variations have been investigated in the paper. The first approach was an attempt to identify, without manipulation of the original variables measured, features that showed sensitivity to damage and none to environmental variations. The results for this were encouraging, in that it was possible to find some features demonstrating insensitivity to environmental conditions. Outlier analysis on these special features, although not perfect, was nevertheless successful, with very few false-positive indications of damage. Some care must be taken, however, in this approach, as most often the features that were found to be insensitive to the temperature fluctuations were those furthest away from the peak in the frequency spectrum; these points are also likely to be less sensitive to damage.
PCA has been used here both as a data visualization tool and also as a way of creating environmentally insensitive features. By projecting the Lamb-wave data onto minor principal component scores, temperature dependency has successfully been removed, which is a very encouraging result. Similarly, encouraging results have been obtained using cointegration, which finds the most stationary linear combination of variables. Both cointegration and the PCA approach have performed well in that both methods were able to create features that remained unchanged by temperature fluctuations but still were able to very clearly detect damage.
This is the first work in which cointegration theory has been comprehensively applied to an SHM problem. Although very encouraging results have been obtained, it is interesting to note that avoidance of a small anomaly in the features created was achieved by either considering a subset of the original variable set selected, or by using a linear combination not judged by the Johansen procedure used for finding cointegrating vectors to be the ‘most’ stationary in the training period. This indicates that, while cointegration will provide a useful tool to SHM practitioners, some care is needed in its implementation to ensure that stationarity of the residual is achieved during the normal response of a structure.
The DAMASCOS benchmark study has been used here as a test case, as it provides a dataset with both environmental variability and damage events. However, the dataset could still be considered somewhat removed from how data originating from a real structure in operation may appear, on account of a stationary temperature period, the lack of random variability and the fact that only one environmental factor influences the response.
The stationary temperature period in the benchmark study used here may be considered unrealistic, considering how environmental conditions for structures in operation truly vary. However, its inclusion in this work has allowed the study of response in essentially two different operating regimes, which is relevant to structures in operation. One example concerns how the response to traffic on a bridge may follow two separate regimes, one when the bridge is empty of traffic (as might occur in the very early morning) and one when traffic flows. The traffic conditions on a bridge also encompass a more rare stationary state when a traffic jam occurs and the bridge undergoes a period of constant maximal loading. A further example, perhaps more relevant here relates to aerospace SHM. A composite component on an airframe will undergo periods of non-stationarity when the aircraft is climbing or descending, but will also undergo periods of nominal stationarity while the aircraft is cruising at constant altitude and speed. Furthermore, as barely visible impact damage from tool drop during maintenance is an issue for composite structures, one may argue that monitoring should be continued when aircraft are confined in the near stationary, at least controlled, environment of a hangar. Because features for damage detection must be able to function in different operating regimes, the training data for data-based approaches should attempt to encompass all expected normal conditions, stationary and non-stationary. Nevertheless, trials have been run where the stationary temperature period was not considered in the analysis, and these have not been added here for reasons of space. Interestingly, removing the stationary temperature period does not materially affect the results of the minor component or cointegration analysis.
Other limitations of the benchmark study used here are a lack of random variability and influence from more than one environmental condition. For both cointegration and PCA as the trending part of the signal is removed, any random variability should only influence the distribution of the residual/scores. For example, if the random variability is normally distributed, so too the ‘detrended’ signal should be. Where multiple variabilities affect a structural response, for both cointegration and PCA, so long as there are more cointegrated variables than independent trends, multiple variabilities can be removed, although this will be a topic for further investigation. One other point where the use of this dataset may not be realistic is the fact that data from the damage condition is available, which enables one to check that the modified features retain sensitivity to damage. For both cointegration and PCA, the assumption that the modified features are sensitive to damage relies on that damage changing the relationship between one or more variables in order to upset the equilibrium of the linear combinations. Where features are from different sensor locations, local damage is likely to affect individual features in varying ways, providing some guarantee for damage sensitivity. Where features are spectral lines, as in this work, this assumption implies that damage must affect different parts of the spectrum differently. Examples where this is commonly found to occur come from condition monitoring, where different frequency bandwidths are sensitive to different damage types. One definite way to check sensitivity is to simulate a damage scenario through manipulation of a dataset. Interesting further work would be to investigate how these methodologies work in situations where the damaging event is more difficult to detect, for example, where damage is not directly on the path between the pitch and catch sensors, or where smaller or multiple damages are introduced.
In the final section, some comparisons were made between PCA and cointegration, which, on the surface of things, are similar methods, both creating linear combinations of original variables. It was found that cointegrating vectors and principal components are not necessarily similar; they are chosen on different criteria and have different orthogonality properties. On application to the DAMASCOS data investigated in this work, both approaches were successful for removing a temperature-induced trend. Interestingly, however, it was found that the linear combinations of the minor principal components relied on variables (spectral lines) from different areas of the spectrum than those in the cointegrating linear combinations.
While in this work both methods performed well, the authors believe that cointegration may prove more useful for the data normalization problem. As principal components are always orthogonal, after the first PC is chosen to account for the most variance in a dataset, the directions of the remaining principal components are then constrained by this orthogonality condition. As such, the minor components may not provide optimal results for removing environmental trends. It is here that cointegration may have the advantage due to the fact that the first cointegrating vector is chosen to be the most stationary, and is not dictated by any other constraints.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank all of the partners involved in the DAMASCOS consortium, the EPSRC for funding this research and finally the reviewers for their helpful and constructive comments.
Footnotes
↵2 It should be noted that the amplitude measurements and features subsequently defined on these amplitudes carry arbitrary units, as the strain measurements taken in this experiment (by a single sensor) were uncalibrated. This is reflected in the fact that no units are listed in the relevant figures in this work.
↵3 This particular training set is chosen to have the same number of points as the training set used for the previous two algorithms with data from both temperature regimes. A choice of every other data point in the range of points 1–2000 as used previously is avoided due to the fact that the Johansen procedure fits a time-dependent model (equation (2.2)) in order to obtain the cointegrating vectors.
Received January 21, 2012. Accepted September 13, 2012. This journal is © 2012 The Royal Society
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. | 56,373 | 18,925 | 0.000053 |
warc | 201704 | You are currently viewing the abstract.View Full Text
Via your Institution Log in through your institution Log in through your institution Abstract
Rare crystal phases that expand in one or more dimensions when hydrostatically compressed are identified and shown to have negative Poisson's ratios. Some of these crystals (i) decrease volume and expand in two dimensions when stretched in a particular direction and (ii) increase surface area when hydrostatically compressed. Possible mechanisms for achieving such negative linear and area compressibilities are described for single crystals and composites, and sensor applications are proposed. Materials with these properties may be used to fabricate porous solids that either expand in all directions when hydrostatically compressed with a penetrating fluid or behave as if they are incompressible.
↵* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: | 915 | 489 | 0.002068 |
warc | 201704 | The royal society is currently celebrating its 350th anniversary. In its earlier years, Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, Samuel Pepys, and other “ingenious and curious gentlemen” met regularly in London. Their motto was to “accept nothing on authority.” They did experiments, peered through newly invented telescopes and microscopes, and dissected weird animals. But, as well as indulging their curiosity, they were immersed in the practical agenda of their era: improving navigation, exploring the New World, and rebuilding London after the Great Fire of 1666. Today, our horizons have hugely expanded. Earth no longer offers an open frontier but seems constricted and crowded—a “pale blue dot” in the immense cosmos. But the Royal Society's core values have enduring relevance. Today's scientists, like their forbears, probe nature and nature's laws by observation and experiment, but they should also engage broadly with the needs of society and with public affairs.
Such engagement is needed more than ever before, and on a global scale. Science transforms our lives, sometimes with staggering speed. Spin-offs from molecular genomics could soon change our lives as much as those from the microchip have already done. We must confront widely held anxieties that genetics, brain science, and artificial intelligence may “run away” too fast. And rapid advances raise profound questions: Is the world getting warmer, and why? Who should access the “readout” of our personal genetic code? How will lengthening life span affect society? Should nuclear power stations or wind farms keep the lights on? Should we use more insecticides or plant genetically modified crops? How much should computers be allowed to invade our privacy? Such critical questions transcend party politics, but because they are long-term, they tend to be trumped by more urgent items. Many require action on an international scale, as all parts of the world are more closely networked today than ever before.
Most people live lives that are safer and healthier than those of their ancestors. We have tamed some of the risks from nature. But gross inequalities still leave two billion deprived of some basic needs. World population is destined to rise to around nine billion by mid-century; were the rise to continue beyond that point, it would create even more pressure on resources and the environment. We've now entered a unique century, the first in the 45 million centuries of Earth's history, in which one species—ours—could determine, for good or ill, the entire planet's future.
I conclude as I began, with a flashback; this time to the atomic scientists of the Manhattan Project during World War II. Fate had assigned them a pivotal role in history. Many returned with relief to peacetime academic pursuits. But the ivory tower wasn't, for them, a sanctuary. Hans Bethe, Rudolf Peierls, Jo Rotblat, and others worked throughout their lives to control the power they had helped unleash. These men were an elite group—the alchemists of their time, possessors of secret knowledge. Today's dominant issues, in contrast, span all the sciences, are far more open, and are often global. There is less demarcation between experts and laypersons. Campaigners and bloggers enrich the debate. But professionals have special obligations; the atomic scientists were fine exemplars of this. Scientists shouldn't be indifferent to the fruits of their ideas. They should try to foster benign spin-offs, and they should prevent, so far as they can, dubious or threatening applications.
Unprecedented pressures confront the world, but there are unprecedented prospects too. The benefits of globalization must be fairly shared. There's a widening gap between what science allows us to do and what is prudent or ethical. Everyone should debate these choices, but the agenda must be guided by science academies and by individual scientific citizens, engaging, from all political perspectives, with the media and with a public attuned to the scope and limits of science. There is a greater role than ever for the Royal Society and its sister academies around the world. | 4,216 | 2,143 | 0.000475 |
warc | 201704 | You are currently viewing the abstract.View Full Text
Via your Institution Log in through your institution Log in through your institution Pots and Crocks
The invention of pottery allowed for more secure storage of food than was provided by baskets or hide pouches, and the vessels could also be used in cooking. The earliest pottery has been thought to have appeared in China and Japan ∼18,000 years ago, several thousands of years before the advent of agriculture.
Wu et al. (p. 1696); see the Perspective by Shelach) have now dated broken pieces of pottery from a cave in China, the earliest of which date to ∼20,000 years ago, the time of the Last Glacial Maximum. Scorch marks on many pieces imply that the pottery was used in cooking. Abstract
The invention of pottery introduced fundamental shifts in human subsistence practices and sociosymbolic behaviors. Here, we describe the dating of the early pottery from Xianrendong Cave, Jiangxi Province, China, and the micromorphology of the stratigraphic contexts of the pottery sherds and radiocarbon samples. The radiocarbon ages of the archaeological contexts of the earliest sherds are 20,000 to 19,000 calendar years before the present, 2000 to 3000 years older than other pottery found in East Asia and elsewhere. The occupations in the cave demonstrate that pottery was produced by mobile foragers who hunted and gathered during the Late Glacial Maximum. These vessels may have served as cooking devices. The early date shows that pottery was first made and used 10 millennia or more before the emergence of agriculture. | 1,596 | 831 | 0.001216 |
warc | 201704 | You are currently viewing the summary.View Full Text
Via your Institution Log in through your institution Log in through your institution Summary
Maintaining proliferating adult tissues involves a critical balance. Exactly the right number of cells must be produced to replace those lost from the tissue; otherwise, tissue failure or tumor formation will ensue. In mammalian epidermis, differentiated cells are shed from the tissue surface and replaced by dividing stem cells in the basal layer (see the figure) (
1). On average, each cell division generates one daughter that goes on to divide and produce more such cells, while the other cell differentiates and migrates to the surface of the epidermis ( 2). Cell production must be adjusted in response to surface abrasion or injury, implying that proliferation is regulated by signals from nearby cells. One candidate for this role is the secreted protein Wnt, as mutations that disrupt its downstream cellular signaling pathway result in hairless, thin epidermis ( 3, 4). Two studies—by Lim et al. ( 5) on page 1226 of this issue and by Choi et al. ( 6)—elucidate how Wnt functions in the epidermis. They show that Wnt and Wnt inhibitors balance the renewal and differentiation of epidermal stem cells and are both secreted by the stem cells themselves. This suggests autocrine regulation as distinct from the prevailing idea that stem cells are regulated by signals from other cell types in a “niche.” | 1,482 | 771 | 0.001319 |
warc | 201704 | Brazil is getting ready to play its first World Cup game and the real is trading firmly. For the last three days, the dollar has been flirting with its 100-day moving average, just above BRL1.80. Today's break below that looks, well, for real.
The fundamental story looks fairly solid. The economy is enjoying robust growth, which by most accounts is probably above trend. It is one of the few countries to have recouped the output lost to the global crisis. The central bank has hiked rates twice by a combined 150 bp and more hikes are expected.
On the capital flow side, there are three significant sources of demand. First, foreign investors, especially from Japan, continue to be drawn to the relatively high yield. Second are domestic entities. Several large Brazilian businesses, including Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) and a couple of banks, will be selling shares or bonds abroad.
The Petrobras offering is particularly noteworthy, as it is expected to raise between $50-$60 bln in a share offering in late July or August. Foreign investors could take down a third to half of this and that translates into fairly strong demand for BRL.
Another source of domestic-based demand comes form Brazilian corporates themselves. Some estimates suggest that Brazilian companies may be sitting on $15-$20 bln of foreign earnings that will repatriated at some juncture.
Brazilian officials have tried to discourage BRL strength with various measures including a tax on foreign fixed income investors and ADRs, and nearly daily dollar purchases.
However, with the central bank in a tightening mode, there is a suspicion that officials may show a little more willingness to accept a gradually firmer real. With the BRL1.80 level giving way today, the next target is near BRL1.77 and then BRL.175. The BRL1.70 area is likely to be more formidable support for the US dollar.
Disclosure: No positions | 1,892 | 1,051 | 0.000956 |
warc | 201704 | Tucked away in northeast Asia, Korea is a nation that boasts a fast growing economy and a lifestyle that brings together the old and the new. Once known simply as a quiet nation in the East, the peninsula now hardly sleeps as it pulsates with life and commerce. Numerous branch offices of international corporations and businesses can be found throughout the country, as well as most western franchises. Despite all such enthusiasm for modernization and globalization, Koreans still greatly value their 5,000 years of history and the Confucian philosophy that has governed the lives of their ancestors. Many global events take place here annually, with the 2002 FIFA World Cup Soccer Games being the most recent.
The Korean Language: Hangeul
Hangeul was invented in 1443, during the reign of King Sejong. It is composed of 10 vowels and 14 consonants. Hangeul has 11 complex vowels, 5 glottalized sounds, and 24 basic Hangeul letters. The chart below representsthe 24 Hangeul letters and their romanized equivalents. The Hunminjeongeum,a historical document which provides instructions to educate people using Hangeul, is registered with UNESCO as World Documentary Heritage. UNESCO awards a ‘King Sejong Literacy Prize', every year in memory of the inventor of Hangeul.
The Korean Food
Korea was once primarily an agricultural nation and Korea have cultivated rice as their staple food since ancient times. These days Korean cuisine is characterized by a wide variety of meat and fish dishes along with wild greens and vegetables. Various fermented and preserved food, such as kimchi (fermented spicy cabbage), jeotgal (matured seafood with salt) and doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) are notable for their specific flavor and high nutritional value.
Traditional Korean Clothing (Hanbok)
The hanbok has been the Korean people's unique traditional costume for thousands of years. The beauty and grace of Korean culture can be seen in photographs of women dressed in the hanbok. Before the arrival of Western-style clothing one hundred years ago, the hanbok was everyday attire. Men wore jeogori (Korean jackets) with baji (trosers) while women wore jeogori with chima (skirt). Today, the hanbok is worn on days of celebration such as wedding, Seollal (Lunar New Year's Day) or Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day).
Traditional Korean Houses (Hanok)
A traditional Korean house is called 'Hanok'. Hanok sought to create a living space based on the coexistence of nature and humans. Accordingly, the natural aspects of a traditional Korean houses range from the structure's inner layout to the building materials which were used. Another unique feature of traditional houses is their special design for cooling the interior in the summer and heating the interior in the winter. Since Korea has such hot summers and cold winters, the 'ondol gudeul,' a floor-based heating system and 'daecheong,' a cool wooden-floor style hall were devised long ago to help Koreans survive the frigid winters and to make the sweltering and humid summers bearable. These primitive types of heating and air-conditioning were so effective that they are still in use in many homes today
Body Language
When you beckon to a person, do so with your palm down, and then flutter your hand up and down with your fingers touching together. It is not polite to beckon with your palm up ― especially using only one finger, because Koreans do that only for dogs. | 3,448 | 1,774 | 0.000567 |
warc | 201704 | How’s everyone doing in the “Freeze your buns challenge”? If you’ve decided to participate (or not) at what temperature do you have your thermostat set?
Our furnace didn’t kick on until the beginning of December. It’s set at 65 (anything lower during the day is just too cold for me, no matter how many layers I’m wearing). At night, it is set to about 61.
So far, I really do think we’re saving a lot of money on our electric bill. At least, I hope.
Most of the time, we’re comfortable with the temperature. Others, though, it can feel pretty chilly. I make some hot tea or jump into a hot shower for a bit, and that helps.
We’re just a few days from the first day of winter–and my goodness, I can’t wait for spring.
Are you staying warm? | 806 | 504 | 0.002164 |
warc | 201704 | Are You Tired of Not Getting a Good Night's Sleep? Do you snore loudly and consistently, keeping your bed partner from getting a restful night’s sleep? Do you wake up several times a night, have trouble staying awake during the day and even fall asleep on the job or while driving? Do you have low libido and can’t explain why? Do you sometimes wake up in the night with reflux or heartburn or gasping for air? If You Answered Yes To Any Of These...
...it is possible you have Sleep Apnea, a sleep disorder affecting over 10% of American adults. The good news is that Sleep Apnea, along with other sleep disorders can be easily treated by the Sleep Clinic of Westerville. Call
614-890-8801 today to schedule a consultation with the doctor, as the first step towards restful sleep. More Than Just Sleep Apnea
Sleep Clinic of Westerville is a comprehensive sleep disorders center tackling the full range of sleep disorders and related problems, including:
Snoring Obstructive Sleep Apnea Central Sleep Apnea and Cheyne-Stokes Breathing associated with heart failure and atrial fibrillation (a serious hearth rhythm problem) Restless Legs Syndrome Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Sleep-Walking, Sleep-Talking, Sleep-Eating, and Dream-Enacting Behavior Evaluation of Sleepiness and Wakefulness for Commercial Drivers for DoT purposes (EG)
Your sleep problems could be contributing to other severe underlying medical conditions. Let Sleep Clinic of Westerville identify and treat your sleep disorders so that your other medical problems may be better controlled.
Sleep Tests Available at Sleep Clinic of Westerville Full-Length Diagnostic Sleep Studies (both night-time and daytime) Full-Length Therapeutic Sleep Studies - to guide adjustment of positive pressure therapy for sleep apnea Maintenance of Wakefulness Testing (WMT) Multiple Sleep Latency Testing (MSLT) Avoid Expensive and Ill-Advised Treatments
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Sleep disorders are serious medical problems, not something that an off-the-shelf or mail-order product can safely or effectively treat. Avoid the pitfalls of a do-it-yourself approach.
About Sleep Clinic of Westerville
Sleep Clinic of Westerville is an integral part of the private practice of S. A. Krishna, M. D., a double Board Certified specialist in Sleep Medicine (by the American Board of Internal Medicine and also by the American Board of Sleep Medicine). Dr. Krishna has over 10 years of experience in Sleep Medicine. His focus is top-notch medical care and technical excellence. He has diagnosed and successfully treated the sleep disorders of hundreds of patients each year. Over the years he has made many presentations on Sleep Disorders in public and professional fora.
Get Help With Your Sleep Problems Today
Don't spend more nights in restless slumber or go through your days in a tired haze. Contact the Sleep Clinic of Westerville at
614-890-8801 so you may enjoy good-quality restful sleep. Get Help With Your Sleep Disorder Today
Just Fill in the Form Below and we'll contact you about your sleep disorder problems. | 3,250 | 1,604 | 0.000628 |
warc | 201704 | An Internet service provider (ISP) provides access to the Internet for its customers in exchange for a monthly or annual fee. Customers receive a username and password for logging onto the Internet as well as several, often customizable, email accounts. Business customers enjoy faster access speeds, higher security and more email accounts than residential customers. When considering starting an ISP, you should have a well-thought out business plan in place and a robust marketing strategy.
Join the Chamber of Commerce
Join your local chamber of commerce and get to know other business owners in your area. Attend social and networking events sponsored by the chamber and offer service discounts to fellow members. People like to meet those with whom they might do business in person. Encouraging customers to meet with you as the actual owner of a local ISP can help you gain a local edge over some national, well-known providers.
Hold Free Courses or Seminars
Hold free classes or seminars at your business for those interested in learning more about technology. Some classes be geared towards residential customers while others could address the specific needs of business customers. Teach about virus protection, spam filters, firewalls, and spyware detection and removal through seminars or mini-classes. Participants will notice your expertise in the field, which builds trust and respect. This relationship-building exercise may cause attendees to recommend your service to others and use it themselves.
Referral Program
Send current subscribers a bi-monthly or monthly newsletter featuring referral and bonus program details. Offer one month of free service to customers who refer someone new to your business. You can vary the rules as necessary. For example, to receive the free month, the customer must refer someone who signs a six-month or one-year contract. Design the program with a tiered structure wherein if a customer refers 10 or more new subscribers in an allotted time frame, he receives six months of free service. Even if only one customer accomplishes this task, the new business generated will be well worth giving away six months of free service.
Partner with Computer Clubs
Partner up with computer clubs at local community colleges and universities. Offer to help them with projects and teach them about emerging technologies. Give tours to elementary schools and high schools with information technology departments. Show the students how you keep clients’ data and computers secure, how to speed up connections, the difference between business class and residential class subscriptions, etc.
Photo Credits rackmount server farm datacenter image by Adryn from Fotolia.com | 2,721 | 1,343 | 0.000749 |
warc | 201704 | Jul 15 2009
Folks, after years of scientific measurement and debate we have determined global warming is indeed man made, and we have isolated the source for 100% of the man made global warming.
The reason it took years to resolve is we had to have a few decades of actual measurements to confirm global warming is a man-made phenomena and to determine the source. With decades of highly accurate, global and time correlated satellite data we have succeeded in both goals!
What we have seen in the last decade or so is a divergence between the models predictions of warming  and the actual measurements. This divergence has been getting worse up until the point the someone had to take action. And what they did proved beyond a doubt the real source of global warming:
NOAA proclaimed May 2009 to be the 4th warmest for the globe in 130 years of record keeping. Meanwhile NASA UAH MSU satellite assessment showed it was the 15th coldest May in the 31 years of its record. This divergence is not new and has been growing. Just a year ago, NOAA proclaimed June 2008 to be the 8th warmest for the globe in 129 years of record keeping. Meanwhile NASA satellites showed it was the 9th coldest June in the 30 years of its record.
So how could satellite data  – which covers the entire globe and is measured many times a day (not just once or twice) record May 2009 as the 16th warmest year in 31 years, while NOAA reports the same month as the 4th warmest in 130 years? Clearly, one set of data is clearly flawed and in error. And the fact this divergence is consistent means the error is systemic  – it repeats no matter what satellite data is used (satellite instruments are swapped out constantly as the birds end their missions and new ones take over).
The answer is basically called smearing bad data over good data. Modern satellite sensors are incredibly accurate. We can measure the height of the ocean waves to the centimeter level from space. No buoys on the surface can do this, and not across the entire globe. Maybe you can get a rough data point within a couple thousand square miles, but only satellites can measure ocean wave heights across the globe from a single sensor (which makes all the measurements consistent to one sensor’s performance, not the random performance of innumerable and un-calibrated sensors spread all over the globe).
Satellite systems are by far the most accurate and global measurement systems – unless they tell you something you would prefer to pretend did not exist. Then they all of sudden become secondary to antiquated, aging and inconsistent ground based sensors. It like saying I would prefer to navigate via sextant and clock than use a GPS receiver with built in maps and routes.
And that desperate grasp to outdated and error prone measurements is the only methodology showing any global warming, and even this requires a significant amount of massaging the accuracy out of the data to create the science fiction that is man-made CO2 driven global warming:
NOAA and the other station base data centers suffer from major station dropout (nearly 3/4ths of the stations) many of them rural, there has been a tenfold increase in missing months in remaining stations, no adjustment for urbanization even as the population grew from 1.5 billion to 6.7 billion since 1900 and documented bad station siting for 90% of the observing sites in the United States and almost certainly elsewhere.
…
Data is available in the large holes in places like Canada and Brazil and Africa, but NOAA appears not interested in accessing it. The last year has been very cold in Canada.
…
Satellite are widely believed to be the most reliable source of reliable trend information after you calibrate the differences as one bird gets phased out and a new one goes online. UAH and RSS have gotten very good at this in a very cooperative way in recent years. Satellites provide full coverage of the globe including the oceans which cover 70% of the earth’s surface.
When you compare the satellite trends of both UAH and RSS [satellite] with NOAA [ground sensors], you see an increasing warm bias in the NOAA data …
The fact is the global warming alarmists claim to simply be filling the holes in their rickety ground based measurements using satellite data they massage to show what they want to show. It is a trivial exercise in false information generation, as I will show you in the following graph.
Let’s assume we have a constant temperature over a large geographical area which is equal to 1° C. Scattered within this area I have 3 ground based temperature stations which can measure the local temperature to +/- 0.3°C (a ridiculous accuracy given the fact a ground sensor only measures a few feet of atmosphere for hundreds, if not thousands of square miles). Now let’s assume we have a satellite which can measure the temperature exactly – a perfect instrument. When we combined these two measurement sets we get a pattern we see in the top green line in the graph, which I jokingly call the raw measurements. It is perfection with a smattering of imperfection throughout.
The spikes of 0.2 – 0.3 increases in temperature you see are just the larger errors of the ground based sensors sitting on top of the perfect satellite measurements. If we just do an average across the series then we get an error of 3.04% right off the back! Of course, this simple exercise assumes a constant bias upward, but given the siting issues and scarcity of ground sensors there is no doubt there is a warm bias in the data. That has been proven. So just by combing perfect (or less perfect) data with bad data we see the immediate result is worse data overall.
What this illustrates is how you can average in errors and get a badly elevated (and wrong) result.
Now what happens if we try and do a rolling average around those pesky bad data points, to smooth the ground station data on top of the perfect satellite data? Well that is shown in the second red line (moved down 0.2 steps just to separate it graphically from the green line). This exercise tries to spread the bad ground station data out a ways from the single point measurement. It averages the 4 highest data points surrounding the measurement point (which means it drops the lowest of the 5 points which include the data point and its 4 neighbors). This is local hole filling – if the perfect data is considered a ‘hole’.
When we do this we increase the error in the overall data product to +3.08%. We have smeared the one bad data point across the adjacent perfect points and given them weight – as if we were filling in holes in the ground based sensor grid. This is what many alarmists do in their measurements AND their models.
Now what if we really wanted to pretend the satellite data was of much lesser quality (remember it is perfection but we just won’t admit it), and we wanted the ground based data to weigh heavier in the final product? Well we would then do something like we see in the last blue line, where we keep the ground based number as is, and average that out with the adjacent rolling average, basically creating a more gradual drop off as we increase our distance from the ground data point.
This interesting exercise in smearing really covers up all that perfect satellite data under a mountains of ground based errors extrapolated slowly out from the source of the erroneous measurement. In this 3rd case we see an error of +8.4% in the final average! Amazing how well I could cover up that pesky perfect data.
All I did in these lines is compound errors from local sensors using some fancy excuses to write over the perfect nearby (satellite) data with the few localized bad (ground) data points. And this is what is happening at NOAA and GISS and the UN IPCC:
Anthony mentions how in testimony in March 2009 before congress, NCDC’s director Tom Karl opined about satellite data and the “adjustments†required:
“It is important to note raw satellite data and rapidly produced weather products derived from satellite sensors are rarely useful for climate change studies. Rather, an ordered series of sophisticated technical processes, developed through decades of scientific achievement, are required to convert raw satellite sensor data into Climate Data Records (CDRs).â€
It is not all that sophisticated really. It is, in fact, a cheesy and blatant act of misinformation. There is no reason for the 30 years of satellite data not to be right in and of itself. It is fair to say when you go back into history before the era of satellite-based temperature measurements there is room to debate. But within the satellite era the measurements cannot be inconsistent.
There is no way the ground experienced 4 warmer Mays in the last 30 years when the satellites measured 15. And when we go back 130 years this premise or theory becomes improbable, at best. Â Here is the real data, un-smeared:
So we now have irrefutable proof of the existence and source of man-made global warming. The source is falsified data that spreads low quality and less precise measurements over more consistent and higher precision satellite data, masking the fact the Earth has not seen any warming in 3 decades and is right now cooling off slightly (as anyone can see from the cold records being broken).
The cause is man-made bad data, the source is the alarmist. Is there a direct correlation between CO2 and warming? Well, if you correlate all the hot air these snake oil salesmen produce as they raise the false alarm bells then I guess there is one.Â
Face it, these people are trying to steal our money by taxing energy so they can get rich. It’s not all that complicated.
What this | 9,968 | 4,353 | 0.000236 |
warc | 201704 | As we become more aware of the need to reduce our impact on the earth’s environment, it becomes more and more apparent just how much needs to change if we are to provide future generations with a sustainable future. One of the major areas in which people can make changes towards reducing their carbon footprint is the choice of the house structure in which they live.
Sustainable home design is a growing industry, and with good reason. Going green now means more than recycling a family’s aluminium. There are many structural factors and materials that can go into a home to make it more environmentally friendly.
Solar Passive Home Design
One popular sustainable home design is the passive solar house. This type of structure is practical in all climate conditions as it applies principles of thermal dynamics within a usable structural design. Built to provide natural cooling and heating of the interior, a passive solar home will make use of a wall of glass and other features to heighten capture of the sun’s rays for harnessing solar energy. In warm climates, the broad window side of the structure should orient to the south or north, depending on the hemisphere. This avoids excessive heat gain.
Solar screens or deep roof overhangs should be incorporated to shield the glass surfaces from direct sunlight which creates too much heat gain. In a well insulated house, direct sun on windows is the biggest source of heat. If winter sun is desired, windows should be provided with summer shade only. Because of the different position of the sun in winter vs summer, this is not hard to achieve, with the right angles. In very warm climates, windows should be shaded year round. In either climate zone, open floorplans optimize the heating and cooling effects of a passive solar system. See the Australian Government’s Your Home manual for a more detailed explanation of solar passive design.
Retaining Heat with Thermal Mass
Highly recommended for energy-efficient building materials are High Thermal Mass (HTM) dry stack blocks, as well as poured concrete walls and mortared concrete block walls. Constructing a home with these materials provides durability, economy, longevity and easy maintenance. Many houses in warm climates are constructed of these materials because they help maintain a cool interior environment. The homeowner can still (and should) choose an exterior cover of brick, stucco, vinyl siding or some other material to cover the HTM walls. Insulation should be installed between the wall and exterior surface. This means the style of the home can be any popular one such as Cape Cod or Tudor. The house does not have to look decidedly different from its neighbors to still be energy efficient.
Other eco-friendly choices of building materials include local and naturally occurring materials (standing dead trees, rocks and such), recycled materials (wood and glass from an old home), and composite materials. Fiber-Cement (Hardie Board) siding is one such composite, noted for its durability and fire-retardant nature.
Water
Sustainable home design also means thinking about your plumbing and water use, from harvesting rainwater to installing grey water systems and using composting toilets.
The Tiny House Movement
One important aspect to consider when building a sustainable home is size. How to make your house sustainable: Make it a small one!
While tiny houses aren’t for everyone, and probably work best for one or two people, building smaller is certainly more sustainable. With average home sizes in Australia at 214 square metres (2303 sq. ft), and even bigger for free standing homes, the environmental cost of building, heating, and furnishing a home is enormous. Australia now has the largest home size in the world (source), but the US and NZ are not far behind. Happily, home sizes are now falling, but they are still far bigger than in Europe and other parts of the world.
‘Tiny’ houses, by contrast, start at only 10 square metres, 100 square feet, and average around four times that (source). In an interview on Radio National’s Future Tense, David Bell described is 10 square metre house:
The house is 10 square metres. If you think of an L-shape, the small wing of the L is a little kitchen, and the large wing of the L is the living space. And above that living space there is a mezzanine floor built into the roof, and that mezzanine floor is the bedroom. The roof is built at a 45 degree angle, so there’s plenty of head space on the mezzanine floor.
While this house would probably not suit a family of four (or possibly even of two), the principle of “not so big”, can have merit for any individuals or families looking to build sustainably.
Tiny houses are not only beneficial from an environmental perpective of course – they also cost less. Bell explains how he paid of his house in cash, as he built it. And it cost him all of AU$10,000.
Retrofitting Your Home
Homeowners wishing to incorporate green features in their existing house have many choices for remodeling for sustainable suburban living. These can be as simple or as major as budget and personal commitment will allow. Replace an old furnace with one with a heat pump. Install new double glazed windows for their insulated air space between panes, which reduces the transfer of heat. Ventilate attic spaces. Replace a dark colored roof with a light one to absorb less heat, or cover it with solar panels. Thoroughly insulate the attic and exterior walls. Check all air conditioning ductwork for air leaks and maintain the system regularly. Get programmable thermostats to regulate the home’s use of energy. Replace old appliances with those rated Energy Star appliances. They can save 20%-30% on energy use. Front loading washers use less energy than top loading models, as well as less water. Use reduced pressure faucets and shower heads, low flow toilets, and even consider switching to the new composting toilets. Compact fluorescent lights are more energy efficient that incandescent light bulbs. Install a system to divert gray water from the washer, bathtubs and sinks to use in the garden.
When retrofitting, you can also consider the principles of the tiny house. If, for instance, you were thinking of putting on an extension to accommodate your growing family, don’t only ask, “How can we make the extension more sustainable”, but ask, “Can we rearrange the inside of our house to acheive the same end?”
In the US, the National Green Building Standard outlines relevant and effective green building practices for those ready to make a serious commitment to a green residence. Energy Star Qualified Home certification also provides information on making a home as energy efficient as possible. The more energy everyone can save, the more sustainable will be the earth’s environment. In Australia, the Your Home Technical Manual is filled with detailed information for almost every aspect of sustainable home design, and NABERS (the National Australian Built Environment Rating System, which covers existing buildings) and Green Star in Australia, are the ratings systems to look out for and discuss with your builder.
See also our article on using sustainable building materials.
(Article updated March, 2012) | 7,357 | 3,369 | 0.000302 |
warc | 201704 | Following its release earlier this year of a system that links energy creation and storage for the home, Panasonic is moving ahead with plans to develop a full-scale Smart Home Energy Management System (SMARTHEMS).
Energy-saving efforts in Japan have taken on a growing urgency in Japan in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and increasing concerns about the environment.
Panasonic’s SMARTHEMS business, which will formally launch on Oct. 21, 2012, is aimed at helping people visualize their household energy consumption. It will also add a new component called AiSEG, which will connect electrical equipment and home appliances for smarter home energy control.
Panasonic expects to gradually increase its lineup of products that can be linked through HEMs, including air-conditioners, induction-heating cooking equipment and heat pump-based hot water supply systems.
Firmware updates for SMARTHEMS will be provided via cloud computing to enable the system to respond to future developments, such as changes in the electricity rating system. | 1,061 | 625 | 0.001617 |
warc | 201704 | COLO. SPGS. – El Paso County Commissioners took the first step in bucking Amendment 64 this week. With the exception of Commissioner Peggy Littleton, the board gave the initial nod to an ordinance that would ban marijuana retail stores and cannabis cultivating, testing and product manufacturing facilities in unincorporated areas of the county.
“I promised my constituents that I would collect and study data and documents to make a well informed decision,” said Littleton. “How can we forbid and prohibit something that we don’t even know what the questions are yet, much less the answers?”
El Paso county commissioners voted 4-1 to ban retail marijuana at the ordinance’s first hearing on Tuesday – less than 24 hours after the first meeting of Hickenlooper’s 24-member task force.
The county’s proposed ordinance is nearly identical to the Douglas County ban slated to become effective this month.
Opponents of El Paso County’s ordinance agreed with Littleton and urged the commissioners to wait until after Governor John Hickenlooper’s task force has concluded its analysis and recommendations on how to implement Amendment 64.
Commissioner Dennis Hisey insisted that the board needed to take action immediately to ban retail marijuana.
Actually, the state has until July 2013 to adopt regulations to implement Amendment 64, and local governments have until October 2013 to set regulations.
Littleton said the rush to judgment is a result of commissioners claiming they have a duty to stand up for those constituents in the county that rejected Amendment 64. But, Amendment 64 actually passed in El Paso county by 10 votes – the official result is 141,696 for to 141,686 against.
Critics argue that if the El Paso Commissioners can use that reasoning to thwart the state-approved measure, perhaps Boulder County Commissioners could pass an ordinance legalizing same-sex marriages. In 2006, Boulder County voted 77,985 – 39,083 against Amendment 43 that defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
The commissioners won’t vote on the ordinance to ban retail marijuana until January.
The Colorado Springs City Council has decided not to take any action until after the state’s regulations have been adopted.
In Douglas County, Parker passed a retail marijuana ban; Castle Rock will consider an ordinance in January. And in El Paso County, Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and other townships have not yet taken any action.
If each jurisdiction adopts different laws, Littleton said that too poses problems. “I’d like to see a regional approach to this,” she said. “We need to make it consistent.”
The other big question unanswered is what, if any, action the federal government will take given that marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
These issues will likely surface during the meetings of the governor’s task force on marijuana which are open to the public and allow comments. The meetings will be held from1 – 5 p.m.at the Department of Revenue Gaming Conference Room,17301 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 135in Golden on Monday, Jan. 7, and Tuesdays, Jan. 22, Feb. 5, Feb. 19 and Feb. 28. | 3,242 | 1,571 | 0.000663 |
warc | 201704 | People, trucks and even military tanks have tried and failed the task of pulling apart two phone books lying face up with their pages interleaved, like a shuffled deck of cards. While physicists have long known that this must be due to enormous frictional forces, exactly how these forces are generated has been an enigma – until now.
A team of physicists from France and Canada has discovered that it is the layout of the books coupled with the act of pulling that is producing the force.
The power of approximation
Finding an approximate solution to a complex problem is an essential skill in science (and in life). Often we are faced with questions that we can’t answer exactly, but sometimes good enough is, well, good enough. Enrico Fermi, one of the greatest physicists in the 20th century, has given his name to such “Fermi Questions” – as he was famous for encouraging this skill in his students.
Here’s one example: “How many piano tuners are there in Chicago?”. I have no idea, and I’m not sure Fermi knew either. But by estimating the population of Chicago, the fraction that might play the piano, and how often a piano needs tuning, you can come up with a pretty good guess, without diving into the phone book (it’s probably closer to 100 than to 1,000).
Doing these “back-of-an-envelope” calculations is usually the first step in approaching a scientific question. Sometimes that is as far as you need to go. Sometimes it tells us that the question is worth investigating more to find the exact answer.
This is exactly what the team investigating the friction of phone books did. The back-of-the-envelope answer is friction between the pages. However, assuming the friction is proportional to the number of pages drastically underestimates the total force that is generated (which seems to rise exponentially with the number of pages). But previous attempts to improve this simple model – by including the effects of gravity and air pressure pushing the pages of the books together – have all failed to explain the result.
Surprisingly simple
So, when the back-of-the-envelope calculation fails, things get serious. In this case, the traction instrument was brought out (think the opposite of a vice), it was used to pull books apart while measuring the force required to do so. But not just any books. Rigorously prepared test books with specific numbers of pages, built from paper sheets of exact dimensions, interleaved to high precision.
Data in hand, a mathematical model was put together, and it turned out to be driven by a surprisingly simple fact. The pages of each book are separated by the interleaving and end up “spreading out”, lying at a slight angle from the spine. When the books are pulled away from each other, the pages want to move back closer together and end up squeezing the interleaved pages from the other book. And gripping something tightly greatly increases the friction.
As an example, imagine a person with long hair in a swimming pool. While floating underwater, their hair can spread out – much like the pages of the books are spread out by the interleaving. Then, if our volunteer swims off, their hair will naturally move close together, following their head which is pulling it along. The pages of our books also want to move close together behind the thing pulling them (the spine of the book), but instead just squeeze more tightly on the pages of the other book, which are in the way. Pulling harder on the books only increases the friction.
This is an example of the geometrical amplification of friction, or how the layout of the books produces forces far beyond what is expected. Knots are another example, looping a rope around itself greatly increases the friction, resulting in a secure grip. The authors point out the recent resurgence of interest in this kind of problem and the general field of tribology, the study of surfaces in relative motion.
This is being driven by the need to understand the structure and behaviour of new micro and nano-engineered materials, which have impact on many aspects of life from medical applications to solar cells. Interleaved carbon nano-tubes as the material of the future anyone? | 4,278 | 2,005 | 0.000511 |
warc | 201704 | Big data - Whats the Buzz? - Is there any value for smaller companies
. Data today is exploading into every industry and business function. There is the race to tame big data and create value for the organizations that are good at it. Customer information dealing with performance and preferences can now be captured everywhere. Business models can now be updated in real time with a constant view of customer behavior. Narrow segmentation brings the dream of truly one to one customer relationships closer to reality.
While the applications for big data are only limited by ones imagination a few things need to be considered:
One: Will big data take the analysis function away from people and create a completely data driven existance?
Two: How sucessful will the integration of social media (free form text) with pure transaction data to create business intelligence?
Three: Will smaller organizations wake up to the fact that they generate enough information on their own to create competitve intelligence if they are diciplined enough to work at it?
About the author: Chuck Wallin is a 20 year IT and business consultant with an MBA. He has done work with such companies as Barnes and Noble, CHASE, Arrow Electronics, and First Data Merchant Services. His web site www.thecustomerconcern deals with issues of Customer Relationship Management. | 1,355 | 749 | 0.001343 |
warc | 201704 | The very same people that caused the last economic crisis have created a 278
TRILLION dollar derivatives time bomb that could go off at any moment. When this absolutely colossal bubble does implode, we are going to be faced with the worst economic crash in the history of the United States. During the last financial crisis, our politicians promised us that they would make sure that “too big to fail” would never be a problem again. Instead, as you will see below, those banks have actually gotten far larger since then. So now we really can’t afford for them to fail. The six banks that I am talking about are JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. When you add up all of their exposure to derivatives, it comes to a grand total of more than 278 trillion dollars. But when you add up all of the assets of all six banks combined, it only comes to a grand total of about 9.8 trillion dollars. In other words, these “too big to fail” banks have exposure to derivatives that is more than 28 times greater than their total assets. This is complete and utter insanity, and yet nobody seems too alarmed about it. For the moment, those banks are still making lots of money and funding the campaigns of our most prominent politicians. Right now there is no incentive for them to stop their incredibly reckless gambling so they are just going to keep on doing it.
So precisely what are “derivatives”? Well, they can be immensely complicated, but I like to simplify things. On a very basic level, a “derivative” is not an investment in anything. When you buy a stock, you are purchasing an ownership interest in a company. When you buy a bond, you are purchasing the debt of a company. But a derivative is quite different. In essence, most derivatives are simply bets about what will or will not happen in the future. The big banks have transformed Wall Street into the biggest casino in the history of the planet, and when things are running smoothly they usually make a whole lot of money.
But there is a fundamental flaw in the system, and I described this in a previous article…
The big banks use very sophisticated algorithms that are supposed to help them be on the winning side of these bets the vast majority of the time, but these algorithms are not perfect. The reason these algorithms are not perfect is because they are based on assumptions, and those assumptions come from people. They might be really smart people, but they are still just people.
Today, the “too big to fail” banks are being even more reckless than they were just prior to the financial crash of 2008.
As long as they keep winning, everyone is going to be okay. But when the time comes that their bets start going against them, it is going to be a nightmare for all of us. Our entire economic system is based on the flow of credit, and those banks are at the very heart of that system.
In fact, the five largest banks account for approximately 42 percent of all loans in the United States, and the six largest banks account for approximately 67 percent of all assets in our financial system.
So that is why they are called “too big to fail”. We simply cannot afford for them to go out of business.
As I mentioned above, our politicians promised that something would be done about this. But instead, the four largest banks in the country have gotten nearly 40 percent larger since the last time around. The following numbers come from an article in the Los Angeles Times…
Just before the financial crisis hit, Wells Fargo & Co. had $609 billion in assets. Now it has $1.4 trillion. Bank of America Corp. had $1.7 trillion in assets. That’s up to $2.1 trillion.
And the assets of JPMorgan Chase & Co., the nation’s biggest bank, have ballooned to $2.4 trillion from $1.8 trillion.
During this same time period, 1,400 smaller banks have completely disappeared from the banking industry.
So our economic system is now more dependent on the “too big to fail” banks than ever.
To illustrate how reckless the “too big to fail” banks have become, I want to share with you some brand new numbers which come directly from the OCC’s most recent quarterly report (see Table 2)…
JPMorgan Chase
Total Assets: $2,573,126,000,000 (about 2.6 trillion dollars)
Total Exposure To Derivatives: $63,600,246,000,000 (
more than 63 trillion dollars)
Citibank
Total Assets: $1,842,530,000,000 (more than 1.8 trillion dollars)
Total Exposure To Derivatives: $59,951,603,000,000 (
more than 59 trillion dollars)
Goldman Sachs
Total Assets: $856,301,000,000 (less than a trillion dollars)
Total Exposure To Derivatives: $57,312,558,000,000 (
more than 57 trillion dollars)
Bank Of America
Total Assets: $2,106,796,000,000 (a little bit more than 2.1 trillion dollars)
Total Exposure To Derivatives: $54,224,084,000,000 (
more than 54 trillion dollars)
Morgan Stanley
Total Assets: $801,382,000,000 (less than a trillion dollars)
Total Exposure To Derivatives: $38,546,879,000,000 (
more than 38 trillion dollars)
Wells Fargo
Total Assets: $1,687,155,000,000 (about 1.7 trillion dollars)
Total Exposure To Derivatives: $5,302,422,000,000 (
more than 5 trillion dollars)
Compared to the rest of them, Wells Fargo looks extremely prudent and rational.
But of course that is not true at all. Wells Fargo is being very reckless, but the others are being so reckless that it makes everyone else pale in comparison.
And these banks are not exactly in good shape for the next financial crisis that is rapidly approaching. The following is an excerpt from a recent Business Insider article…
The New York Times isn’t so sure about the results from the Federal Reserve’s latest round of stress tests.
In an editorial published over the weekend, The Times cites data from Thomas Hoenig, vice chairman of the FDIC, who, in contrast to the Federal Reserve, found that
capital ratios at the eight largest banks in the US averaged 4.97% at the end of 2014, far lower than the 12.9% found by the Fed’s stress test.
That doesn’t sound good.
So what is up with the discrepancy in the numbers? The New York Times explains…
The discrepancy is due mainly to differing views of the risk posed by the banks’
vast holdings of derivative contracts used for hedging and speculation. The Fed, in keeping with American accounting rules and central bank accords, assumes that gains and losses on derivatives generally net out. As a result, most derivatives do not show up as assets on banks’ balance sheets, an omission that bolsters the ratio of capital to assets.
Mr. Hoenig
uses stricter international accounting rules to value the derivatives. Those rules do not assume that gains and losses reliably net out. As a result, large derivative holdings are shown as assets on the balance sheet, an addition that reduces the ratio of capital to assets to the low levels reported in Mr. Hoenig’s analysis.
Derivatives, eh?
Very interesting.
And you know what?
The guys running these big banks can see what is coming.
Just consider the words that JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon wrote to his shareholders not too long ago…
Some things never change —
there will be another crisis, and its impact will be felt by the financial market.
The trigger to the next crisis will not be the same as the trigger to the last one –
but there will be another crisis. Triggering events could be geopolitical (the 1973 Middle East crisis), a recession where the Fed rapidly increases interest rates (the 1980-1982 recession), a commodities price collapse (oil in the late 1980s), the commercial real estate crisis (in the early 1990s), the Asian crisis (in 1997), so-called “bubbles” (the 2000 Internet bubble and the 2008 mortgage/housing bubble), etc. While the past crises had different roots (you could spend a lot of time arguing the degree to which geopolitical, economic or purely financial factors caused each crisis), they generally had a strong effect across the financial markets
In the same letter, Dimon mentioned “derivatives moved by enormous players and rapid computerized trades” as part of the reason why our system is so vulnerable to another crisis.
If this is what he truly believes, why is his firm being so incredibly reckless?
Perhaps someone should ask him that.
Interestingly, Dimon also discussed the possibility of a Greek exit from the eurozone…
“We must be prepared for a potential exit,” J. P. Morgan Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said. in his annual letter to shareholders. “We continually stress test our company for possible repercussions resulting from such an event.”
This is something that I have been warning about for a long time.
And of course Dimon is not the only prominent banker warning of big problems ahead. German banking giant Deutsche Bank is also sounding the alarm…
With a U.S. profit recession expected in the first half of 2015 and investors unlikely to pay up for stocks, the risk of a stock market drop of 5% to 10% is rising, Deutsche Bank says.
That’s the warning Deutsche Bank market strategist David Bianco zapped out to clients today before the opening bell on Wall Street.
Bianco expects earnings for the broad Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index to contract in the first half of 2015 — the first time that’s happened since 2009 during the financial crisis. And the combination of soft earnings and his belief that investors won’t pay top dollar for stocks in a market that is already trading at above-average valuations is a recipe for a short-term pullback on Wall Street.
The truth is that we are in the midst of a historic stock market bubble, and we are witnessing all sorts of patterns in the financial markets which also emerged back in 2008 right before the financial crash in the fall of that year.
When some of the most prominent bankers at some of the biggest banks on the entire planet start issuing ominous warnings, that is a clear sign that time is running out. The period of relative stability that we have been enjoying has been fun, and hopefully it will last just a little while longer. But at some point it will end, and then the pain will begin.
If you have a farm or a small business, would you like to pass it on to your children when you die? Well, unless Congress does something, it is going to become much, much harder to do that starting next year. Right now, there is a 5 million dollar estate tax exemption and anything above that is taxed at 35 percent. But on January 1st, the exemption will go down to 1 million dollars and the tax rate will go up to 55 percent. A lot of liberals are very excited about this, because they believe that the government will be soaking wealthy people like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. But the truth is that a lot of farms, ranches and small businesses will be absolutely devastated by this change in the tax law. There are many farmers and ranchers out there today that do not make much money but are sitting on tracts of land that are worth millions of dollars. According to the American Farm Bureau, approximately 97 percent of all farms and ranches in the United States would be subject to the estate tax if the exemption was reduced to just a million dollars. That means that the children of these farmers and ranchers would be faced with a very cruel choice when it is time to inherit these farms and ranches. Either they come up with enough money to pay the government about half of what the farm or ranch is worth, or they sell the farm or ranch that may have been in their family for generations. Needless to say, most farm and ranch families do not have that kind of cash lying around. Most of them are just barely making it from year to year. So this change in the tax law is going to greatly accelerate the death of the family farm in America. This is also going to devastate many family-owned small businesses. Many small businesses don’t make much money, but they have buildings or land or assets worth millions of dollars. Children that may have wanted to continue the family legacy will be forced to sell because of the massive tax bill that they get from Uncle Sam. This is an insidious cruelty, and it shows just how broken our system has become.
The desire to leave the wealth that you have worked so hard to accumulate all your life to your children is something that is common to virtually all human societies. We want to know that future generations will be taken care of.
It is simply immoral for the federal government to swoop in and tax farms, ranches and small businesses that were intended to be passed down from parents to their children at a 55 percent tax rate.
A lot of the people that are going to be affected by this change are not “wealthy” at all. A recent Fox News report examined what this change in the law is going to mean for rancher Kevin Kester and his family…
Rancher Kevin Kester works dawn to dusk, drives a 12-year-old pick-up truck and earns less than a typical bureaucrat in Washington D.C., yet the federal government considers him rich enough to pay the estate tax — also known as the “death tax.”
Kester told Fox News that he has no doubt that his ranch will have to be sold when he dies just to pay the tax bill…
“There is no way financially my kids can pay what the IRS is going to demand from them nine months after death and keep this ranch intact for their generation and future generations,” said Kester, of the Bear Valley Ranch in Central California. Two decades ago, Kester paid the IRS $2 million when he inherited a 22,000-acre cattle ranch from his grandfather. Come January, the tax burden on his children will be more than $13 million.
Reading that should make you angry. Every single year, thousands upon thousands of farms, ranches and small businesses are going to be lost to the federal tax monster.
It is almost as if the federal government does not want income-producing assets to remain in the hands of the “little guy”.
What in the world are we supposed to do?
It isn’t as if all of those farmers and ranchers can go off to the big cities and find good jobs. As I wrote about yesterday, our politicians are standing aside as millions of our good jobs are shipped out of the country.
The cold, hard truth is that our system does not work for average Americans any longer. Those that roll out of bed every morning, work hard and never complain always seem to get the short end of the stick.
The people that are the backbone of America are the ones that the government is always the hardest on.
Unfortunately, we have gotten to a point where the government is searching for more “revenue” from anywhere it can because it desperately needs more money. U.S. government finances are a complete and total mess and we are drowning in the biggest ocean of debt the world has ever seen.
We are more than 16 trillion dollars in debt and there are more than 100 million Americans that are enrolled in at least one welfare program.
Someday has to pay for all this.
Middle class Americans are already hit with dozens of different taxes each year, and you can be certain that our politicians will continue to invent ways to extract even more “revenue” out of us.
And of course our politicians will never stop their wild spending. Despite all of the negotiations that have taken place over the past couple of years, our spending problems just continue to grow. For example, the federal budget deficit for the month of October was $120 billion, which was more than 20 percent larger than the federal budget deficit for October 2011 was.
So what is the solution?
Well, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner now says that he wants to eliminate the debt ceiling entirely. He says that we should just have no limit and that the federal government should just be able to go into debt as much as it wants.
In the end, all of this debt is going to absolutely crush us. We have literally destroyed the future of America, and yet most of the country still seems clueless about all of this. The blind are leading the blind, and we are headed straight for complete and utter disaster.
One day, when people look back on this period in American history, what do you think people are going to say about us?
The mainstream media is hailing QE3 as a great victory for the U.S. economy. On nearly every news broadcast, the “talking heads” are declaring that Ben Bernanke’s decision to pump 40 billion dollars a month into our financial system is definitely going to help solve our economic problems. The money for QE3 is being created out of thin air and this round of quantitative easing is going to be “open-ended” which means that the Federal Reserve is going to keep doing it for as long as they feel like it. But is this really good for the average American on the street? No way. Despite two previous rounds of quantitative easing, median household income has still fallen for four years in a row, the employment rate has not bounced back since the end of the last recession, and new home sales have remained near record lows. So what have the previous rounds of quantitative easing accomplished? Well, they have driven up the prices of financial assets. Those that own stocks have done very well the past couple of years. So who owns stocks? The wealthy do. In fact, 82 percent of all individually held stocks are owned by the wealthiest 5 percent of all Americans. Those that have invested in commodities have also done very nicely in recent years. We have seen gold, silver, oil and agricultural commodities all do very well. But that also means that average Americans are paying more for basic necessities such as food and gasoline. So the first two rounds of quantitative easing made the wealthy even wealthier while causing living standards to fall for all the rest of us. Is there any reason to believe that QE3 will be any different?
Of course not.
This time the Federal Reserve is focused on buying mortgage-backed securities. Yes, the same financial garbage that helped cause the last crisis. The Fed plans to gobble up tens of billions of dollars of that trash every month from now on.
But will the Fed pay true market value for those mortgage-backed securities? If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
So this is going to be a huge windfall for some people, and that does not include us.
Not a single penny of this 40 billion dollars a month will go directly into our hands. The theory is that it will “filter down” to us eventually.
But that hasn’t happened with previous rounds of quantitative easing.
So where does the money go?
A recent CNBC article discussed a very interesting report from the Bank of England about the effects of quantitative easing….
It said that the Bank of England’s policies of quantitative easing – similar to the Fed’s – had benefited mainly the wealthy.
Specifically, it said that its QE program had boosted the value of stocks and bonds by 26 percent, or about $970 billion. It said that about 40 percent of those gains went to the richest 5 percent of British households. Many said the BOE’s easing added to social anger and unrest. Dhaval Joshi, of BCA Research wrote that “QE cash ends up overwhelmingly in profits, thereby exacerbating already extreme income inequality and the consequent social tensions that arise from it.”
Wow.
Who benefits from quantitative easing?
According to the Bank of England, it is “mainly the wealthy” who benefit.
As I noted the other day, Donald Trump said essentially the same thing when he told CNBC the following….
“People like me will benefit from this.”
As I already discussed above, a lot of quantitative easing money gets into the financial markets where it pumps up the prices of financial assets.
But not all of it goes there.
We were told that the whole idea behind quantitative easing was that it was supposed to get banks lending again, but this has not happened. Instead, banks are sitting on unprecedented amounts of money. Just look at how the first two rounds of quantitative easing have caused excess reserves being held by banks to explode from close to zero to over 1.5 trillion dollars….
Of course one of the biggest problems is that the Federal Reserve is
still paying banks not to lend money.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The Federal Reserve is paying banks to park money with them. So instead of risking their money by lending it out to us, the banks can just park it at the Fed and make risk-free profits for as long as they want.
Must be nice.
If the Federal Reserve really wanted banks to start lending again, all the Fed has to do is to stop paying banks not to lend money.
But of course if more than 1.5 trillion dollars suddenly started flooding into our economy (especially after you consider the multiplier effect) we would be dealing with nightmarish inflation unlike anything we have ever seen before.
So if you want to know why inflation was not even worse after QE1 and QE2 it is because more than a trillion and a half dollars is being parked with the Fed.
So did QE1 and QE2 do any good for average Americans?
Let’s go to the charts.
This first chart shows that the percentage of working age Americans with a job has stayed extremely flat since the end of the last recession.
Does it look like QE1 and QE2 made a difference to you? I don’t see any difference….
Okay, but what about new home sales?
Did QE1 and QE2 help them?
Nope….
But the mainstream media is still buying the baloney the Fed is pushing.
The mainstream media is promising us that home sales will soon rise and that lots of new jobs are on the way.
Sadly, the truth is that things have steadily gotten worse for average Americans over the past 4 years despite all of the money printing the Fed has been doing. If you doubt this, just read this article.
But this is all that Ben Bernanke seems to have left. When printing money doesn’t work, his answer is to print even more money.
QE3 is likely to cause agricultural commodities and the price of oil to rise even further.
So unless you can convince your employer to give you a corresponding raise, this is going to mean that your paychecks are not going to go as far as they did before.
And so that means a lower standard of living.
In a recent article, Bruce Krasting issued an ominous warning….
Higher inflation expectations in the US will filter around the globe. Post the extraordinary steps Ben took yesterday, people will be stocking up on “stuff”. Things like rice, flour, cooking oil, soy, wheat and sugar. If you can eat it, buy it now. It will be more expensive in a month. While your at it, fill up the gas tank, the price is going up next week and every week for the next few months.
In addition, the policy of the Federal Reserve of keeping interest rates as low as possible is absolutely crippling the finances of many retirees. Even the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, William F. Ford, recognizes this….
One of the overlooked consequences of the Federal Reserve’s recent rounds of monetary stimulus is the adverse impact those policies have had on the interest income of savers. The prolonged and abnormally low interest-rate structure put in place by the Fed has made life particularly difficult for retirees and others who depend on conservative interest-sensitive investments. But the negative effects do not stop there. They spillover into the overall performance of the economy.
Just about everything that the Federal Reserve does these days is bad for ordinary Americans.
But the Fed is not going to stop. The Fed is addicted to money printing now, and as a recent article by Peter Schiff explained, the Fed is just going to “up the dosage” until it gets what it wants….
The Fed will try to conjure a recovery on the backs of currency debasement. It will not stop or alter from this course. If the economy fails to respond to the drugs, Bernanke will simply up the dosage. In fact, he is so convinced we will remain dependent on quantitative easing that he explicitly said he won’t turn off the spigots even if things noticeably improve.
This is complete and total incompetence by Ben Bernanke and his cohorts over at the Fed.
Economist Marc Faber believes that Ben Bernanke should resign, and I agree with him….
“If I had messed up as badly as Bernanke I would for sure resign. The mandate of the Fed to boost asset prices and thereby create wealth is ludicrous — it doesn’t work that way. It’s a temporary boost followed by a crash.”
And yes, a crash is coming.
Bernanke can try to put it off for a while, but every action he takes is just making the eventual crash even worse.
And some in the financial community clearly recognize this. For example, credit rating agency Egan-Jones downgraded the credit rating of the United States to AA- on Friday.
The primary reason they gave for the downgrade was QE3.
Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve are destroying the U.S. dollar and destroying our financial system for a short-term economic sugar high.
It is utter insanity.
That is why we desperately need to get the American people educated about the Federal Reserve system. It is at the very heart of our economic problems and yet neither major political party is willing to blame the Fed for the problems that it is causing.
A bunch of unelected bankers that are not accountable to the American people are running our economy into the ground and the American people do not even realize what is happening.
Please share this article with as many people as you can. Hopefully we can get the American people to understand that more money printing is definitely not the solution to our problems.
The Democrats, the Republicans and especially Barack Obama promised that something would be done about the too big to fail banks so that they would never again be a threat to destroy our financial system. Well, those promises have not been kept and the too big to fail banks are now
much bigger and much more powerful than ever. The assets of the five biggest U.S. banks were equivalent to about 43 percent of U.S. GDP before the financial crisis. Today, the assets of the five biggest U.S. banks are equivalent to about 56 percent of U.S. GDP. So if those banks were “too big to fail” before, then what are they now? They continue to gobble up smaller banks at a brisk pace, and they continue to pile up debt and risky investments as if a day of reckoning will never come. But of course a day of reckoning is coming, and when it arrives they will be expecting more bailouts just like they got the last time.
The size of these monolithic financial institutions is truly difficult to comprehend. They completely dominate our financial system and everywhere you look they are constantly absorbing more wealth and more power. The following comes from a recent Bloomberg article….
Five banks — JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. — held $8.5 trillion in assets at the end of 2011, equal to 56 percent of the U.S. economy, according to central bankers at the Federal Reserve. Five years earlier, before the financial crisis, the largest banks’ assets amounted to 43 percent of U.S. output. The Big Five today are about twice as large as they were a decade ago relative to the economy
Despite all of the talk from the politicians, they just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
So why isn’t anything ever done?
Well, one reason is because these gigantic financial entities funnel huge quantities of cash into political campaigns.
For example, Barack Obama gives nice speeches about the dangers of the too big to fail banks, but he is also more than happy to take their campaign contributions. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup were all ranked among his top 10 donors during the 2008 campaign.
So do you really expect that Barack Obama is going to bite the hands that feed him?
Of course he is not going to do that.
The truth is that the Obama administration and the Federal Reserve have done everything they can to make life very comfortable for the big Wall Street banks.
During the last financial crisis, the too big to fail banks were absolutely showered with bailouts.
Meanwhile, hundreds of small and mid-size banks were allowed to die.
When representatives from those small and mid-size banks contacted the federal government for help, often they were told to try to find a larger bank that would be willing to buy them.
Sadly, the last financial crisis simply accelerated the consolidation of the banking industry in the United States that has been going on for several decades.
Today, there are less than half as many banks in the United States as there were back in 1984.
So where did all of those banks go?
They were either purchased by bigger banks or they were allowed to go out of existence.
This banking consolidation trend has allowed the big Wall Street banks to absolutely explode in size.
Back in 1970, the 5 biggest U.S. banks held 17 percent of all U.S. banking industry assets.
Today, the 5 biggest U.S. banks hold 52 percent of all U.S. banking industry assets.
So where will this end?
That is a good question.
The funny thing is that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other Fed officials keep giving speeches where they warn of the dangers of having banks that are “too big to fail”. For example, during a recent presentation to students at George Washington University, Bernanke made the following statement about the U.S. banking system….
“But clearly, it is something fundamentally wrong with a system in which some companies are ‘too big to fail.'”
So does that mean that Bernanke is against the too big to fail banks?
Of course not.
The truth is that he showered those banks with trillions of dollars in bailout money during the last financial crisis.
The amount of money in secret loans that some of the big Wall Street banks received from the Federal Reserve was absolutely staggering. The following figures come directly from a GAO report….
Citigroup –
$2.513 trillion Morgan Stanley – $2.041 trillion Bank of America – $1.344 trillion Goldman Sachs – $814 billion JP Morgan Chase – $391 billion
Bernanke has shown that he is willing to move heaven and earth to protect those big banks.
So what did those banks do with all that money?
They certainly didn’t lend it to us. Lending to individuals and small businesses by those big banks actually went down immediately after those bailouts.
Instead, one thing that those banks did was they started putting massive amounts of money into commodities.
One of those commodities was food.
Over the past few years, big Wall Street banks have made huge amounts of money speculating on the price of food. This has caused food prices all over the globe to soar and it has caused tremendous hardship for hundreds of millions of families around the planet. The following is from a recent article in The Independent….
Speculation by large investment banks is driving up food prices for the world’s poorest people, tipping millions into hunger and poverty. Investment in food commodities by banks and hedge funds has risen from $65bn to $126bn (£41bn to £79bn) in the past five years, helping to push prices to 30-year highs and causing sharp price fluctuations that have little to do with the actual supply of food, says the United Nations’ leading expert on food. Hedge funds, pension funds and investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Barclays Capital now dominate the food commodities markets, dwarfing the amount traded by actual food producers and buyers.
Goldman Sachs alone has earned hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from food speculation.
Can you imagine what kind of mindset it takes to do this?
Can you imagine taking food out of the mouths of hungry families on the other side of the world so that you and your fellow employees can pad your bonus checks?
It really is disgusting.
But that is the way the game is played.
It is set up so that the big guy will win and the little guy will lose.
The other day I wrote about how this is particularly true when it comes to our system of taxation.
Well, since that article I have discovered some new numbers that were just released by Citizens for Tax Justice. Some of the things that they have uncovered are absolutely amazing….
Between 2008 and 2011, Verizon made a total profit of $19.8 billion and yet paid an effective tax rate of -3.8%.
Between 2008 and 2011, General Electric made a total profit of $19.6 billion and yet paid an effective tax rate of -18.9%.
Between 2008 and 2011, Boeing made a total profit of $14.8 billion and yet paid an effective tax rate of -5.5%.
Between 2008 and 2011, Pacific Gas & Electric made a total profit of $6 billion and yet paid an effective tax rate of -8.4%.
So why should middle class families continue to be suffocated by outrageous tax rates when hugely profitable corporations such as General Electric are able to get away with paying nothing?
Our current tax system is an utter abomination and should be completely thrown out.
But as is the case with so many other things, our current system is going to persist because the “big guys” really enjoy the status quo and they are the ones that fund political campaigns.
It would be bad enough if the “big guys” were beating us on a level playing field.
But the truth is that the game has been dramatically tilted in their favor and they know that the politicians are going to take care of them whenever they need it.
So what is going to happen the next time the too big to fail banks get into trouble?
They will almost certainly get bailed out again.
Unfortunately, the big Wall Street banks continue to treat the financial system as if it was a gigantic casino. The derivatives bubble just continues to grow larger and larger, and it could burst and absolutely devastate the entire global financial system at any time.
According to the New York Times, the too big to fail banks have complete domination over derivatives trading. Every month a secret meeting that includes representatives from JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup is held in New York to coordinate their control over the derivatives marketplace. The following is how the New York Times describes those meetings….
On the third Wednesday of every month, the nine members of an elite Wall Street society gather in Midtown Manhattan. The men share a common goal: to protect the interests of big banks in the vast market for derivatives, one of the most profitable — and controversial — fields in finance. They also share a common secret: The details of their meetings, even their identities, have been strictly confidential.
When the derivatives market fully implodes, there will not be enough money in the world to bail everyone out. According to the Comptroller of the Currency, the too big to fail banks have exposure to derivatives that is absolutely outrageous. Just check out the following numbers….
JPMorgan Chase – $70.1 Trillion
Citibank – $52.1 Trillion
Bank of America – $50.1 Trillion
Goldman Sachs – $44.2 Trillion
So what happens when that house of cards comes crashing down?
Well, those big banks will come crying to the federal government again.
They will want more bailouts.
They will claim that if we don’t give them the money that they need that the entire financial system will collapse.
And yes, if several of the too big to fail banks were to collapse all at once the consequences would be almost unimaginable.
But of course all of this could have been avoided if we would have made much wiser decisions upstream.
Our financial system is more vulnerable than it ever has been before, and the too big to fail banks just continue to grow.
The lessons from the financial crisis of 2008 have gone unheeded, and we are steamrolling toward an even greater crash.
What a mess.
How do you decide whether you are wealthy or not? Do you determine that by how much money you spend at the stores? Of course not. You can tell if you are wealthy or not by comparing your assets (the money in your bank account, equity in your home, etc.) to your liabilities (your mortgage, credit card debt, student loan debt, etc.). Well, a lot of Americans seem to believe that just because a lot of money is circulating in our economy that it must mean that we are a wealthy nation. But that is simply not true. To tell whether or not America is a wealthy nation, you need to look at the balance sheet numbers. And when you look at the balance sheet numbers, a very sobering story emerges. Over the past three decades, government debt, business debt and household debt have absolutely exploded, but our assets have not. That means that we are getting poorer as a nation. Hopefully the shocking charts and statistics in this article will help a lot of Americans to wake up. Yes, we once were the wealthiest nation on earth, but today America is no longer a wealthy nation.
Household Wealth
We live during a time when U.S. households are becoming poorer. This week the Federal Reserve announced that the total net worth of U.S. households declined by 4.1 percent in the 3rd quarter of 2011 alone.
That is a staggering decline. The total net worth of U.S. households plummeted by $2.2 trillion during those three months. When you break that down, it comes to approximately $7,800 for every single U.S. citizen.
But this is not the first time we have seen a huge decline in U.S. household wealth in recent years.
A recent article posted on CNN detailed the stunning drop in U.S. household wealth that we saw from 2007 to 2009….
Household wealth plunged $16.3 trillion in the two years from early 2007 to the first quarter of 2009, and has slowly been climbing since then. But with the drop in the third quarter of this year, households find their net worth still $9.4 trillion, or 14%, below the high they hit in early 2007, before the bursting of the housing bubble.
So right now the total net worth of U.S. households is $9.4 trillion below what it was back in 2007.
That certainly is not good news.
But not only is the total net worth of U.S. households going down, our incomes are going down as well.
Since December 2007, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% once you account for inflation.
Not that incomes were rising very quickly prior to that time either.
Between 1979 and 2007, income growth for the bottom 90 percent of all U.S. income earners was only about 5 percent for that entire time period.
Meanwhile, household debt was absolutely skyrocketing. Take a look at the following chart which shows what total U.S. household debt has done over the last three decades….
So income growth has been pretty much flat over the past three decades but household debt has been rising at an exponential pace for most of that time.
Yes, there has been a little bit of deleveraging during this economic downturn, but there are now signs that the deleveraging is rapidly coming to an end.
According to a recent CNN article, credit card use in the United States is experiencing a major upswing once again….
Purchases made with credit cards rose 8.2% in the first quarter of 2011, 9% in the second quarter and 10.6% in the third quarter, according to First Data.
That is not good news.
The truth is that U.S. households owe way, way too much money already. According to a recent study conducted by the BlackRock Investment Institute, the ratio of household debt to personal income in the United States is now 154 percent.
We are up to our eyeballs in debt, and our incomes are not keeping up.
In addition, we have seen massive amounts of home equity wiped out in recent years.
An unusual thing has happened during this economic downturn. For the first time in U.S. history, the banks have more equity in our homes than we do. If you do not believe this, just check out this chart.
The truth is that the American people are not becoming wealthier. They are becoming poorer.
And a shocking number of Americans are falling into poverty. In 2010, 2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty, which set a new all-time record for a single year.
But this is not a new thing. This is a trend that we have seen building for many years. Back in the year 2000, 11.3% of all Americans were living in poverty. Today, 15.1% of all Americans are living in poverty.
So obviously U.S. households are not doing well.
But what about the government?
Government Debt
The U.S. national debt is completely and totally out of control. Right now it is sitting at $15,046,397,725,405.16. That means that it is nearly 15 times higher than it was just 30 years ago. Just check out this almost unbelievable chart….
So is our ability to pay these debts 15 times greater than it was back then?
Of course not.
Our liabilities are exploding at an out of control rate but our assets are not.
Whether you are a running a family or running a government, that is a recipe for financial disaster.
The U.S. government has been running budget deficits of over a trillion dollars for several years now, and there is no sign that these trillion dollar deficits are going to stop any time soon.
So how much money is a trillion dollars?
If right this moment you went out and started spending one dollar every single second, it would take you more than 31,000 years to spend one trillion dollars.
Yet somehow the U.S. government has accumulated a debt that is well over 15 trillion dollars.
The Bush administration was a nightmare when it came to running up debt, but they have definitely been outclassed by the Obama administration….
*During the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that Bill Clinton took office.
*The U.S. national debt has been increasing by an average of more than 4 billion dollars per day since the beginning of the Obama administration.
*Since Barack Obama was sworn in, the share of the national debt per household has increased by $35,835.
And most U.S. government spending does not do a thing to build real wealth for this country. For example, the total compensation that the federal government workforce brought in during 2010 is estimated to be about 447 billion dollars.
So did federal workers create 447 billion dollars of real wealth last year?
Of course not.
The truth is that our bloated federal government is a massive drain on our society.
But the federal government is not the only one with a debt problem.
State and local governments all over America are also drowning in debt. In fact, state and local government debt in America is now sitting at an all-time high of 22 percent of U.S. GDP.
Total Debt
The following chart from the Federal Reserve combines government debt, business debt and consumer debt. As you can see, America is swimming in an ocean of more than 50 trillion dollars of debt….
To get an idea of how bad that is, just look at where total debt was at back in 1970 or 1980.
Over the last three decades we have seen an orgy of debt that has been absolutely unprecedented.
Meanwhile, we are bleeding national wealth at a staggering rate.
Every single month, tens of billions of dollars more goes out of this country than comes into it.
In fact, it is being projected that the U.S. trade deficit for 2011 will be 558.2 billion dollars.
This represents a transfer of wealth that is so vast that it is almost impossible to believe.
Our dependence on foreign oil is greatly contributing to this. It is being projected that for the first time ever, the OPEC nations are going to bring in over a trillion dollars from exporting oil this year. Their biggest customer is the United States.
When we send hundreds of billions of dollars overseas, that is hundreds of billions of dollars that does not go into the pockets of American business owners or American workers.
The United States has had a negative trade balance every single year since 1976, and since that time the United States has run a total trade deficit of more than 7.5 trillion dollars with the rest of the world.
For a moment, imagine a giant map of the world. Then imagine a pile of 7.5 trillion dollars sitting on the United States of America.
That looks pretty good, eh?
Well, then start taking big chunks of that money and start exchanging it for oil and for cheap plastic products until the entire pile is gone.
Are you starting to understand?
We burn up the foreign oil in our cars and most of the cheap plastic products end up being discarded fairly quickly.
But our loss of national wealth is permanent.
Meanwhile, we are facing national financial obligations in the years ahead that are absolutely nightmarish.
According to Boston University Professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff, the U.S. government is facing a “fiscal gap” of $211 trillion in the decades ahead. The following comes from an article that Kotlikoff wrote for CNN earlier this year….
The government’s total indebtedness — its fiscal gap — now stands at $211 trillion, by my arithmetic. The fiscal gap is the difference, measured in present value, between all projected future spending obligations — including our huge defense expenditures and massive entitlement programs, as well as making interest and principal payments on the official debt — and all projected future taxes.
If you went out and liquidated all of the assets owned by all American citizens, all U.S. businesses and all levels of government in America, it would only cover about a third of that bill.
Are you starting to get the picture?
America is no longer a wealthy nation.
We are like that family down the street that is always throwing around tons of money but that is always on the verge of bankruptcy.
So when they tell you that the economy “grew” by 1 or 2 percent, please don’t think that means that America is becoming wealthier.
The truth is that our debts are growing at a far, far faster rate than our assets are.
That means that we are getting poorer.
Is there anyone out there that disagrees with that?
Back during the financial crisis of 2008, the American people were told that the largest banks in the United States were “too big to fail” and that was why it was necessary for the federal government to step in and bail them out. The idea was that if several of our biggest banks collapsed at the same time the financial system would not be strong enough to keep things going and economic activity all across America would simply come to a standstill. Congress was told that if the “too big to fail” banks did not receive bailouts that there would be chaos in the streets and this country would plunge into another Great Depression. Since that time, however, essentially no efforts have been made to decentralize the U.S. banking system. Instead, the “too big to fail” banks just keep getting larger and larger and larger. Back in 2002, the top 10 banks controlled 55 percent of all U.S. banking assets. Today, the top 10 banks control 77 percent of all U.S. banking assets. Unfortunately, these giant banks are also colossal mountains of risk, debt and leverage. They are incredibly unstable and they could start coming apart again at any time. None of the major problems that caused the crash of 2008 have been fixed. In fact, the U.S. banking system is more centralized and more vulnerable today than it ever has been before.
It really is difficult for ordinary Americans to get a handle on just how large these financial institutions are. For example, the “big six” U.S. banks (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo) now possess assets equivalent to approximately 60 percent of America’s gross national product.
These huge banks are giant financial vacuum cleaners. Over the past couple of decades we have witnessed a financial consolidation in this country that is absolutely unprecedented.
This trend accelerated during the recent financial crisis. While the big boys were receiving massive bailouts, the hundreds of small banks that were failing were either allowed to collapse or they were told that they should find a big bank that was willing to buy them.
As a group, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo held approximately 22 percent of all banking deposits in FDIC-insured institutions back in 2000.
By the middle of 2009 that figure was up to 39 percent.
That is not just a trend – that is a landslide.
Sadly, smaller banks continue to fail in large numbers and the big banks just keep growing and getting more power.
Today, there are more than 1,000 U.S. banks that are on the “unofficial list” of problem banking institutions.
In the absence of fundamental changes, the consolidation of the banking industry is going to continue.
Meanwhile, the “too big to fail” banks are flush with cash and they are getting serious about expanding. The Federal Reserve has been extremely good to the big boys and they are eager to grow.
For example, Citigroup is becoming extremely aggressive about expanding….
Citigroup has been hiring dozens of investment bankers, dialing up advertising and drawing up plans to add several hundred branches worldwide, including more than 200 in major cities across the United States.
Hopefully the big banks will start lending again. The whole idea behind the bailouts and all of the “quantitative easing” that the Federal Reserve did was to get money into the hands of the big banks so that they would lend it out to ordinary Americans and get the economy rolling again.
Well, a funny thing happened. The big banks just sat on a lot of that money.
In particular, what they did was they deposited much of it at the Fed and drew interest on it.
Since 2008, excess reserves parked at the Fed have grown by nearly 1.7 trillion dollars. Just check out the chart posted below….
The American people were promised that TARP and all of the other bailouts would enable the big banks to lend out lots of money which would help get the economy going for ordinary Americans again.
Well, it turns out that in 2009 (the first full year after Congress passed the bailout legislation) U.S. banks posted their sharpest decline in lending since 1942.
Lending has never fully recovered since the crash of 2008. The big financial institutions like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase have been able to get all the cash that they need, but they have not passed that generosity along to ordinary Americans.
In fact, the biggest U.S. banks have actually reduced small business lending by about 50 percent since the crash of 2008.
That doesn’t sound like what we were promised.
These “too big to fail” banks have been able to borrow gigantic amounts of money from the Fed for next to nothing and yet they still refuse to let credit flow to local communities. Instead, the big banks have found other purposes for all of the super cheap money that they have been getting from the Fed as Ellen Brown recently explained….
It can be very profitable indeed for the big Wall Street banks, but the purpose of the near-zero interest rates was supposed to be to get banks to lend again. Instead, they are, indeed, paying “outrageous bonuses to their top executives;” using the money to engage in the same sort of unregulated speculation that nearly brought down the economy in 2008; buying up smaller banks; or investing this virtually interest-free money in risk-free government bonds, on which taxpayers are paying 2.5 percent interest (more for longer-term securities).
What makes things even worse is that these big banks often pay next to nothing in taxes.
For example, between 2008 and 2010, Wells Fargo made a total profit of 49.37 billion dollars.
Over that same time period, their tax bill was negative 681 million dollars.
Do you understand what that means? Over that 3 year time period, Wells Fargo actually got 681 million dollars back from the U.S. government.
Isn’t that just peachy?
Meanwhile, the big financial giants have not learned their lessons and they continue to do business pretty much as they did it prior to 2008.
The big banks continue to roll up massive amounts of risk, debt and leverage.
Today, Wall Street has become one giant financial casino. More money is made on Wall Street by making side bets (commonly referred to as “derivatives“) than on the investments themselves.
If the bets pay off for the big financial institutions, mind blowing profits can be made. But if the bets go against the big financial institutions (as we saw in 2008), firms can collapse almost overnight.
In fact, it was derivatives that almost brought down AIG. The biggest insurance company in the world almost folded in 2008 because of a whole bunch of really bad bets.
The danger from derivatives is so great that Warren Buffet once called them “financial weapons of mass destruction”. It has been estimated that the notional value of the worldwide derivatives market is somewhere in the neighborhood of a quadrillion dollars.
The largest banks have tens of trillions of dollars of exposure to derivatives. When the next great financial collapse happens, derivatives will almost certainly be at the center of it once again. These side bets do not create anything real for the economy – they just make and lose huge amounts of money. We never know when the next great derivatives crisis will strike. Derivatives are essentially like a “sword of Damocles” that perpetually hangs over the U.S. financial system.
When I start talking about derivatives I get a lot of people in the financial community mad at me. On Wall Street today you can bet on just about anything you can imagine. Almost everyone in the financial world has gotten so used to making wild bets that they couldn’t even imagine a world without them. If anyone even tried to put significant limits on futures, options and swaps it would cause Wall Street to throw a hissy fit.
But someday the dominoes are going to start to fall and the house of cards is going to come crashing down. It is an open secret that our financial system is fundamentally unsound. Even a lot of people working on Wall Street will admit that. It is just that people are so busy making such big piles of money that nobody wants the party to stop.
It is only a matter of time until some of these big banks get into a huge amount of trouble again. When that happens, we might really find out whether they are “too big to fail” or whether we could get along just fine without them.
The U.S. economy is like a rubber band that is being pulled in several different directions at the same time. Everyone knows that at some point it is going to snap, but nobody is quite sure exactly when it is going to happen. Right now, the state of the economy is not good, and it is going to get a whole lot worse. Sadly, most Americans don’t even understand the economic fundamentals well enough to be able to ask the right questions to our politicians. Today, the United States consumes far more wealth than it produces every single month. That means we are continually getting poorer. U.S. debt is also rising at a far greater rate than U.S. GDP is. On an individual level, if your assets were going down every single month and if you were going into more debt every single single month it would be easy to understand what was happening. However, most Americans can’t really seem to grasp what is taking place on a national level. Our politicians and the mainstream media just keep telling them that everything is going to be okay and they just keep believing it.
These days our leaders are resorting to increasingly desperate measures in order to help revive the economy. On Thursday, Barack Obama decided to release 30 million barrels of oil from the U.S. strategic oil reserve.
Yes, that will drive down oil prices for a few days, but what is going to happen someday if we actually need to use that strategic oil reserve?
But in many ways you can’t blame Obama for trying. He desperately wants to get reelected and he knows that his campaign will be highly dependent on the state of the economy. Look for Obama to pull out all the stops as we get closer to the fall of 2012.
Sadly, the truth is that it almost does not matter what the Democrats or the Republicans do at this point. The long-term trends are so powerful now that it would take a miracle to reverse them. We are facing an “economic tsunami” that is just going to keep on destroying middle class America.
If you went to a store today, and there were two somewhat similar products sitting on the shelf and one cost ten times more than the other one, which one would you buy?
Well, that is the situation facing American workers today. They have been pushed into one giant globalized labor pool, but big corporations are allowed to pay workers on the other side of the globe slave labor wages. It costs ten times more (at least) to hire a blue collar American worker than it does to hire a blue collar worker in most areas of Asia.
As a result of the globalization of labor, we have seen a mass exodus of jobs out of the United States, and wages for many of the jobs that remain have been significantly depressed.
There simply are not nearly enough jobs for all Americans at this point.
Recent college grads are finding this out. A new study that was conducted by Rutgers University discovered that over 30 percent of all those that graduated from college between 2006 and 2010 were not able to get a job within six months of graduation.
But unemployment is only part of the story. There are millions upon millions of Americans that are “underemployed” today.
There are hordes of highly educated, hard working Americans that are working temporary or part-time jobs at close to minimum wage because that is all they can get.
With good jobs being so scarce, American families are finding it more difficult than ever to make ends meet.
One recent survey found that 9 out of 10 U.S. workers do not expect their wages to keep up with the rising cost of basics such as food and gasoline over the next year.
I talked about the rising cost of food in my recent article entitled “Why Are Food Prices Rising So Fast?” Today, one out of every seven Americans is already on food stamps, and if the cost of living keeps rising this quickly we are going to see millions more of our fellow citizens clamoring for government assistance.
The decline of the American consumer is having other effects as well.
For example, pre-orders for Christmas toys from China are way down.
It looks like this holiday season is not going to be as “merry” as usual.
It would be nice if we could say that the economy is improving, but that simply is not the case.
American households are in a far different place than they were prior to the recent recession.
For example, did you know that home values in the United States have plummeted $6.6 trillion since the peak back in 2007?
U.S. homeowners have taken the brunt of that decline. According to the Federal Reserve, average home equity has fallen from 61 percent in 2001 to 38 percent in the first quarter of 2011.
That is a colossal shift.
If U.S. homeowners only own 38 percent of their homes, then who owns the rest?
The banks do.
Doesn’t that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
Health care is another area where American families are getting squeezed.
Today, the United States spends more on health care per person than any other country in the world.
Sadly, we are also one of the sickest populations on the planet.
What is up with that?
Once upon a time the United States had a middle class that was the envy of the entire globe.
Now it is being ripped to shreds at every turn.
Today, approximately half of all Americans say that they could not come up with $2,000 within 30 days without selling away some possessions.
The vast majority of us are basically flat broke and surviving from month to month.
Meanwhile, our vaunted financial system just may be on the verge of another meltdown.
There has been all sorts of volatility in the marketplace recently and there are all kinds of signs that Wall Street is about to go into panic mode.
For example, Moody’s recently warned that it may downgrade the debt ratings of Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo.
Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley are all either already laying workers off or are rumored to be considering it.
Frank Davis, director of sales and trading with LEK Securities, says that there is a lot of pessimism on Wall Street right now….
“There’s a lot of emotion in this market at the moment, and the conversations among traders are nearly all leaning toward the bear side”
As the financial system spins out of control, the Federal Reserve is increasing the number of workers that it is “embedding” at the big Wall Street banks.
I guess the Fed wants to keep a closer eye on things as they come crashing down.
Sadly, so much of this would be much easier to fix if our nation was not drowning in debt.
Since Barack Obama was elected, the national debt has increased by nearly 4 trillion dollars. If you and I went out today and started repaying that 4 trillion dollars at a rate of one dollar per second, it would take over 120,000 years to do it.
Most Americans have a hard time comprehending these kinds of numbers. Janet Tavakoli tried to put our debt situation into perspective in her latest column….
David Walker, the former U.S. comptroller general, says it’s even worse than that. When he takes into account future obligations for Medicare, Social Security, Federal debt, Military retirement, Civil servant retirement, and more, we owe $546,663 per household. That doesn’t even include your local debt — it may not be as bad as if you lived in Illinois, but it’s substantial nonetheless — and personal debt including mortgages and consumer debt that average more than $120,000 per household.
But you don’t have to toss wild numbers around to get an idea of how much trouble we are in.
As I have written about recently, there is increasing evidence all around us that the collapse of society is accelerating. We are seeing disturbing reports of civil unrest pop up all over the U.S. at an alarming rate.
According to a CBS affiliate in Chicago, earlier this week approximately 50 young people conducted a shocking mob robbery of a drug store located on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago….
Some 50 young people barged into a Walgreens at Michigan and Chicago on the Magnificent Mile on Tuesday afternoon. They took bottled drinks and sandwiches off the shelves, then ran off, CBS 2′s Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
When large groups of young people get together and agree to commit crimes that should be a huge red flag for all of us.
We are a nation that is deeply, deeply divided. Hatred is growing and the love of most Americans is growing cold.
As I have written about previously on “The American Dream“, the American people are actually encouraged to hate one another these days….
The truth is that the “establishment” is constantly trying to divide us and get us fighting with one another. They pit the Republicans against the Democrats (even as though control both sides). They pit one race against another. They pit one gender against another. We are told that the rich are against the poor, the north is against the south, urban is against rural and that there are even “generational battles” going on. Frustration and hate are rapidly growing in the United States today, and a lot of that frustration and hate is unfortunately aimed at the targets that the mainstream media has programmed all of us to hate. Meanwhile, those at the top of the pyramid who are controlling the whole game love it when we are divided because we can never become united and challenge their control.
We need to come together as a nation. If we don’t, we are going to face an unprecedented nightmare when the economy collapses.
So what do you think about the state of the economy? Please feel free to leave a comment with your opinion below….
The economic collapse of Japan has begun. The extent of the devastation is now becoming clear and many are now projecting that this will be the most expensive natural disaster in modern human history. The tsunami that struck Japan on March 11th swept up to 6 miles inland, destroying virtually everything in the way. Countless thousands were killed and entire communities were totally wiped out. So how does a nation that is already drowning in debt replace dozens of cities and towns that have suddenly been destroyed? Many in the mainstream media are claiming that the economy of Japan will bounce right back from this, but they are wrong. The tsunami decimated thousands of square miles. The loss of homes, cars, businesses and personal wealth is almost unimaginable. It is going to take many years to rebuild the roads, bridges, rail systems, ports, power lines and water systems that were lost. There are going to be a significant number of Japanese insurance companies and financial institutions that are going to be totally wiped out as a result of this great tragedy. Of course in the days ahead the Japanese people will band together and work hard to rebuild the nation, but the truth is that it is impossible to “bounce right back” from such a massive loss of wealth, assets and infrastructure.
Just think about what happened after Hurricane Katrina. Did the economy of New Orleans bounce right back? No, there are some areas of New Orleans today that still look like war zones.
Well, this disaster is much worse.
The truth is that this is going to be one of the defining moments in the history of Japan. Hundreds of miles along the coast of Japan have been absolutely devastated. Authorities are finding it difficult to even get food and water into some areas at this point.
Even before this great tragedy Japan was one of the nations that was on the verge of a national economic collapse. Their economy had been in the doldrums for over a decade and their national debt was well over 200 percent of GDP. Now the Japanese economy has experienced a shock from which it may never truly recover.
The Bank of Japan is already flooding the Japanese economy with new yen, and so we may indeed see some impressive “economic growth” statistics at the end of the year. But just because lots more yen are being passed around does not mean that the Japanese economy is in better shape.
The truth is that a tsunami of yen is not going to undo the damage that the tsunami of water did. A massive amount of Japanese wealth was wiped out by this disaster. An economy that was already teetering on the brink is now very likely going to plunge into oblivion.
It is fine to be optimistic, but the cold, hard reality of the situation is that this is a knockout blow for the Japanese economy. The extent of the devastation is just too great. This truly is a complete and total nightmare.
The following are 14 reasons why the economic collapse of Japan has now begun….
#1 The Bank of Japan has announced that they have decided to flood the Japanese economy with 15 trillion yen. That is the equivalent of roughly $183 billion dollars. This is going to provide needed liquidity in the short-term, but it is also going to set Japan on a highly inflationary course.
#2 Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average declined by more than 6 percent on Monday. As the full extent of the damage becomes apparent more declines are likely.
#3 Oil refineries all over Japan have been severely damaged or destroyed. For example, six refineries that combine to process 31 percent of the oil for Japan have been totally shut down at least for now.
#4 The damage to roads, bridges, ports and rail systems is estimated to be in the billions of dollars. The damage done to power lines and water systems is almost unimaginable. It is going to take many years to rebuild the infrastructure of Japan.
#5 Right now the flow of goods and services in many areas of northern Japan has been reduced to a crawl, and this is likely to remain the case for quite some time.
#6 Many cities and towns along the east coast of Japan have essentially been completely destroyed.
#7 Japan’s nuclear industry is essentially dead in the water at this point. Even if there is not a full-blown nuclear meltdown, the events that have transpired already have frightened people enough to cause a massive public outcry against nuclear power in Japan.
#8 Japan is going to need even more oil and natural gas in the long run to replace lost nuclear energy production. Prior to this crisis, Japan derived 29 percent of its electricity from nuclear power.
#9 Japan is the second largest foreign holder of U.S. government debt, but that is about to change. Japan currently has about $882 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds and they are going to have to liquidate much of that in order to fund the rebuilding of their nation.
#10 Many factories in Japan are closing down at least temporarily. For example, Nissan has shut down four factories and Sony has shut down six factories.
#11 Toyota has shut down all production at its factories in Japan until at least March 16th.
#12 A substantial number of Japanese financial institutions and insurance companies are absolutely going to be devastated by this nightmare.
#13 Japan’s budget deficit was already 9 percent of GDP even before this tragedy. Now they are going to have to borrow lots more money to fund the rebuilding effort.
#14 Japan’s national debt was already well over 200 percent of GDP even before this tragedy. How much farther into the danger zone can they possibly go?
Sadly, as the economy of Japan goes down it is going to have a huge affect on the rest of the world as well. For example, Japan is no longer going to be able to buy up huge amounts of U.S. Treasuries. So who is going to pick up the slack? Will our government officials beg China to lend us even more money? Will the Federal Reserve just “buy” even more of our government debt?
Right now there are more questions than there are answers, but what is clear is that the Japanese economy has just been dealt an incapacitating blow. Hopefully this tragedy will bring out the best in the Japanese people, but no matter how resilient they are, the truth is that this is something that no nation would be able to bounce back from quickly.
Let us hope that the economic damage from this tragedy will be contained and will not spread to the rest of the world. The global economy is already in enough trouble, and hopefully this tragedy will not cause a cascade of economic failures to sweep the globe. | 72,100 | 27,109 | 0.000038 |
warc | 201704 | Achievement:This category focuses primarily on Kentucky students reaching the goal of proficiency. Reports found here include: o Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) Combined Reading and Mathematics Proficient/Distinguished Report o federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) data o Iowa Test of Basic Skills data – administered in grades 3-7 Gap:All students in Kentucky are expected to reach proficiency. This category focuses on how student groups are attaining this goal. o KCCT Combined Reading and Mathematics Gap-to-Goal Comparison Report Readiness for College/Career:A key focus for Kentucky is preparing each student for college/career. Kentucky's future accountability system will include indicators of college/career readiness. A special report for this section is the High School Percentage. o percentage of high school graduates college/career-ready o 8th-grade EXPLORE, 10th-grade PLAN and 11th-grade ACT data Coming Soon....Growth:A future report section will focus on student academic growth measures and will be computed beginning in 2012, with data expected to be available in the summer of 2012.
This new reporting mechanism is supported by the Kentucky Student Longitudinal Data System (KSLDS). The mechanism is designed to provide educators, parents, students, elected officials and the public a central location in which to access key reports and information, based on the concept of an “open house” for gaining information. | 1,454 | 787 | 0.001287 |
warc | 201704 | The aged population of India (above 60 years) was 84.7 million i.e. 7.5 per cent of the total population in 2005. It is expected to rise to 141 million by the year 2020 and further to 194 million by the year 2030. Old age group is one of the lowest income groups of the country. Hence they require additional attention from the government and the society.
The old people should be self sufficient as in today’s time and ironically, they are among the most vulnerable groups in India. A dominant trend amongst Indians is usually to invest their funds in health, housing, education etc. and to save very little for the old age. Indians don’t take a long term view of security and hence saving for retirement does not generally figure in their scheme of things. Compared to other countries, saving for the old age in India is meager. Inflation some years back was high, but the sudden slump of inflation in 1998 reduced the benefits that the old could avail as interest on their deposits.
People should actually put their savings in those assets where interest rates are higher than the inflation rates. More than 50 per cent of the senior population of India is not happy with the behavior of their children and hence it becomes even more important to understand their needs and help them become them financially independent. High priority should be accorded to price stability. People should realize the importance of risk of outliving their assets, future cost of healthcare and the erosive power of inflation, which would make them save more. People should start saving early, ideally as soon as they start earning as the interest is compounded and they will end up benefiting in the process.
Thankfully, the government of India has recently taken certain measures to improve the financial system for the aged. First of all, there has been a change from defined benefit scheme to a defined contribution scheme. Senior citizens savings scheme is another measure; the old people can open their account at post offices and agency banks and get attractive interest rates on their deposits. Several facilities for pensioners is also available like the opening of joint account with spouse is allowed, pension slips are issued first time and whenever there is a change, to make the procedure more easy. Simplified procedures for automated transfer at time of death are also available.
There is an urgent need for a great financial inclusion that is putting assets safely which can be drawn easily. Un-banked population should be converted into banked. There should be a safe and reliable financial system for the old. Having said that, it is imperative that even the old people understand certain concepts properly before investing in any scheme – for example the concept of average quarterly balance. Card and pin shouldn’t be kept together, and shouldn’t be told to anyone no matter how close the person is. It should be remembered that no interest is payable on post maturity for most of the securities. A sound financial system for the elderly is the need of the hour so that they can live in sound comfort even once they retire.
Aparna Vyas
[Image Source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardsaunders/2114638982/] | 3,245 | 1,587 | 0.000637 |
warc | 201704 | Hankook Optimo H725 Tire Review & Rating
The Optimo H725 from Hankook features an all-season touring design that is built to provide year round traction and handling. This model is currently being used as original equipment on several different vehicles including the Ford Focus, Chevy Cobalt, Dodge Charger and several others. It can also be used as a replacement model on all types of sedans, minivans and crossovers.
An all-season tread compound and symmetric tread pattern combines with independent tread blocks and larger lateral grooves to provide increased dry traction and steering response. Cornering grip is adequate due in part to the center rib, and the tire is stable throughout the speed zone.
Four circumferential grooves and added cross grooves are designed to evacuate water from under the tread on rain soaked road surfaces. The tread is also designed to provide performance on snow covered pavement, which is not a strength for this model. Hankook’s pitch design technology is created to help lower road noise for enhanced ride quality.
Inside the tire you will find two steel belts with a nylon reinforced cap ply that increase strength and durability to the tire. A polyester cord body adds to ride comfort. Hankook offers sizes from 15-19 inches and includes an 80,000 mile tread guarantee.
Pros Very good dry traction Steering is responsive Cons Winter handling Ride comfort Noise Lower than expected treadlife Overall Thoughts
When we first looked at the Optimo H725 we expected to find very good performance. The fact that they are used as OE on many different vehicles and how well other Optimo tire models in Hankook’s lineup perform, gave us a lot of optimism. Unfortunately, this tire completely fails to live up to those expectations.
Dry traction and steering response are a plus on this model. Cornering stability is good for the most part as well. But that is where the positives end and the negatives begin.
Treadlife on this tire is simply not as good as it could be. Sure, it has an 80,000 mile warranty, but far too many drivers have stated in reviews that they have received nowhere near the mileage they should have out of the tread. Many see about half the miles that they expected. Beyond treadwear is the actual ride on this tire. It tends to be noisy, especially at highway speeds. The ride also could use a bit of softening in able for it to be called “comfortable”. Finally, winter handling is another problem area on this tire. We would like to see much improved performance on snow and ice.
Overall, as much as we hate to say it, we rank the H725 in the lower half to the bottom of the touring all-season class. There’s no question that Hankook makes some very good tires, but the H725 is not one of them. If a Hankook tire is what you are looking for, the Optimo H727 is a superior model to this tire.
What Vehicles Will The H725 Fit?
Fits these vehicles and many others:
Chevrolet Malibu, Equinox, Cobalt Chrysler Pacifica Dodge Magnum, Ram, Grand Caravan Ford Flex, Focus, Taurus GMC Terrain Honda Civic, CR-V, Accord Hyundai Sonata Pontiac G6 Saturn Vue, Aura Subaru Outback Toyota Highlander, Prius, Corolla Tire Sizes 15″
P195/60R15 87T BSW
17″
P235/60R17 100T BSW
18″
P235/55R18 99H BSW
19″
P235/55R19 101H BSW
Price Range
Hankook Optimo H725 prices range from approximately $74 and up. You may also find occasional rebates, discount prices, coupons and special offers on this tire.
Warranty
Hankook provides a 5-year or 80,000 mile tread warranty on the H725. Tire uniformity is guaranteed for one-year or the first 2/32 inch of wear.
Materials and workmanship are warranted for 5-years and include free replacement during the first year or first 2/32 inch of wear. A prorated amount is given for the remaining time period or down to the final 2/32 inch of tread depth. You will also receive a one-year or first 2/32 inch of wear road hazard protection service as well.
Share this review | 4,014 | 1,982 | 0.000514 |
warc | 201704 | Subfloor Preparation
All substrates must be clean, dry, structurally sound, properly cured and free of dirt, oil, paint, old adhesive, wax, sealers and curing agents. General scouring with 20 grit or #3 1/2 open-coat sandpaper will remove most compounds. All loose materials must be vacuumed from the surface after scouring. The subfloor must be flat to a tolerance of 3/16” in a 10’ radius. Hollow spots, popping spots and squeaks are related to unevenness in the subfloor. Grinding concrete floors is preferred over the use of filling compounds. If filling/flattening compounds are used, they must be Portland-based cementitious material and have a compressive strength equal to or greater than 3000 psi when cured. When using cementitious materials, they must be rated for the moisture content in the concrete slab. Always use the highest rated materials for moisture because the moisture levels will change. Consult the cementitious manufacturer’s application directions. Use of adhesive over light weight concrete and all gypsum-based materials requires the use of an approved concrete primer prior to application of adhesive. Remove all existing base, shoe molding and door thresholds prior to continuing the installation. All door casings must be undercut with either a jamb saw or a hand saw. Use a piece of the flooring as a guide to determine the thickness needed.
Flooring Installation
Titebond 811 Advantage can be installed using the “wet lay” or “flashed” methods, depending on your preference and the environment of your installation. In the “wet lay” method you do not flash the adhesive. Once the adhesive has been troweled, the wood flooring may be installed immediately into the wet adhesive. To reduce slippage, secure the first starter row with Titebond Tape. Remaining planks must be placed firmly into adhesive. Planks which are not flat should be weighted for several hours. In the wet lay method, you should not work on top of the wood. The “flashed”* method is when the adhesive is allowed to flash for the recommended amount of time prior to installing the wood flooring. While using this method, you are advised to trowel out larger sections of the room so that you spend most of your time laying wood rather than flashing adhesive. Be careful not to exceed 811 Advantage’s open time of 90 minutes and do not trowel more adhesive than you can comfortably cover with the flooring in 90 minutes.
* The recommended flash time for Titebond 811 Advantage is 30 minutes, depending upon subfloor moisture and humidity. Re-sealing and Re-opening Partial Pail
Scrape sides of pail (this will aid in removal of adhesive later). Place plastic trash bag over unused adhesive, working out any air pockets. Replace lid on pail and tightly seal. Upon re-opening pail, remove trash bag. Material should be ready for use.
Gluing Plywood Over Concrete
1. Use 5/8" CD Exposure 1 Plywood subfloor panels, 4' x 8' sheets; cut sheets into 2' x 8' or 4' x 4' sections
2. Score the back of the panels half the thickness of the panel on a 12" x 12" grid in order to relieve tension in plywood 3. Use a 1/4" x 1/4" square-notched trowel to apply adhesive to concrete 4. Lay sections in a staggered joint pattern in the adhesive, with 1/8" spacing between sheets, and 3/4" minimum expansion space at walls and all vertical obstructions 5. Add weight as necessary to ensure adhesive remains in contact with plywood as it cures 6. Allow adhesive to dry overnight before proceeding with flooring installation Cleanup
As the pre-finished flooring is being installed, immediately wipe any wet adhesive from the flooring, tools and equipment with mineral spirits. Do not allow adhesive to cure on surface of the flooring, tools or equipment. Follow solvent manufacturer’s directions when working with solvents. For specific cleaning instructions, call Franklin Technical Service at 1.800.347.4583.
CAUTION:
Do not sand, scour or abrade any material that is suspected of containing asbestos fibers. Asbestos is known to cause cancer. Federal law requires that asbestos be handled by a licensed and certified hazardous materials contractor.
*
The recommended flash time for Titebond 811 Advantage Urethane Wood Flooring Adhesive is
30 minutes
, depending upon subfloor moisture and humidity. Specific questions regarding "flash time" should be directed to Franklin Technical Service at 1.800.347.4583. | 4,485 | 2,075 | 0.000492 |
warc | 201704 | Among the recommendations of Florida Governor Rick Scott’s blue ribbon panel on state higher education reform is a proposal to charge lower tuition to majors deemed of strategic importance to the state’s economic growth (see recommendation 2 under “Funding,” page 22). In practice, this would mean a tuition discount for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, fields. By discounting the tuition cost of such majors, the panel argues, the state can ensure that its investment in higher education has the highest payoff.
As Scott said, “I want to spend our dollars giving people science, technology, engineering, and math degrees. That’s what our kids need to focus all their time and attention on, those types of degrees, so when they get out of school, they can get a job.”
As dean of a college of liberal arts and sciences, my first reaction to this proposal should probably have been horror at the casual dismissal of the humanities and social sciences as “non-strategic” and, by inference, worthless. Instead, perhaps since I spend so much time wrestling with the college’s budget instead of thinking about intellectual matters, what first struck me was how odd the economics of this proposal are.
Indeed, we already offer an enormous tuition discount to students to encourage them to major in STEM fields. Every undergraduate at UConn pays the same tuition, even though the cost of training a Philosophy or English major is a fraction of the cost of preparing a Physics or Engineering student. This inevitably means that the English majors – whose parents, after all, pay the same taxes as everyone else – receive a smaller share of the state’s subsidy of UConn’s operations than the science and engineering majors do.
In addition to this state subsidy, there are market incentives in place to encourage students to pursue certain STEM degrees. As this
Wall Street Journal table shows, students who major in Engineering, Physics, and Math have both relatively high starting salaries and relatively high mid-career salaries compared to other majors. These higher salaries represent the market’s view of the value in exchange of these degrees, and the simplest explanation of this view is that such degrees are relatively scarce among all college graduates.
At the same time, the
Wall Street Journal table shows that not all science majors pay off to the same extent. Economics, a social science, is at the top of the salary scale, while Chemistry and Geology rank below Philosophy in mid-career median salaries. Biology, one of our most popular majors, and a very expensive degree to offer, accounts for a huge number of science degrees. The relative abundance of people with Biology degrees may well account for the fact that its mid-career salary comes in below Art History and Film, and is essentially tied with English.
Increasing the subsidy we already offer to STEM degrees may produce more scientists and engineers, though I wonder how much we can expect from a graduate who chose a particular major because it was a little cheaper in tuition. More subsidies will further distort the cost structure of higher education, so that students seeking degrees outside of STEM will spend an even greater share of their tuition dollars subsidizing expensive engineering and science courses. And the great irony of this is that, if we’re successful, the main effect will be to drive down those high salaries that some STEM majors command in the market!
Our current flat tuition model works because we count on our student body to consist of a mix of science and non-science majors. If we’re going to start valuing one major over another in economic terms, then let’s go all the way and tie tuition to the market – different tuition rates for different majors, based on supply and demand. At UConn, that would mean you could get an English or History degree for much less than a degree in Biology. To anyone reading the
Wall Street Journal’s table, that will seem like a very good deal indeed. | 4,125 | 1,890 | 0.000544 |
warc | 201704 | By Beth Howard, Babytalk
When it’s holiday and flu season, you need your energy more than ever — Santa can’t get sick! We come bearing good news: “New moms have an increased ability to withstand and fight infections through their powerful immune system during this time of life,” says Maureen Groer, Ph.D., professor of nursing at the University of South Florida College of Nursing in Tampa. The following tips can help you maintain your immunity edge throughout the season.
Keep your baby close. Skin-to-skin contact or having her near you in a bassinet or co-sleeper raises your levels of the hormone prolactin, which increases immune function.
Be friendly. No dinner party necessary, but social interaction — a moms’ group or a chat with a friend — helps you stay healthy, according to research published recently in Scientific American Mind.
Naps aren’t just for kids. Fatigue can sabotage immunity. Skip household duties (yes! you finally have an excuse) or enlist helpers so you can enjoy some much-needed shut-eye.
Lather up. Frequent hand washing keeps germs at bay; it’s the easiest way to prevent a cold and the flu.
Rock out. Listening to instrumental music can get you into a Zen state, while grooving to some up-tempo beats helps keep stress hormones in check. So, update your iPod with your favorite tunes.
Eat right. Some quick immunity-boosting snacks include yogurt (it has “good” bacteria that aid digestion), salmon and walnuts (which contain essential fatty acids), and berries (for their anti-oxidants). | 1,593 | 942 | 0.00111 |
warc | 201704 | Airline business confidence improves in April Montreal, April 24, 2013
Seventy-three per cent of airline CFOs and cargo heads surveyed in April said they expect an increase in profits over the next 12 months as against a proportion of 56 per cent in January, a report said.
Respondents were also more upbeat about recent-past performance, with 62 per cent of the survey group indicating profits over the past 3 months were up on the year ago period, said April survey of the Airline Business Confidence Index released by the International Air Transport Association (Iata). Consolidation and efficiency gains have helped airlines in some regions increase profits in 2012, and that is likely driving the expectation for further financial improvements in 2013, the report noted. Demand growth Traffic volumes in the passenger business improved during the first quarter (Q1) of 2013 compared to the year ago period, according to survey responses about the past three months, and growth in demand is also expected for the year ahead. There was little change in these results from the January survey. Survey respondents indicating an increase in passenger traffic over the past three months compared to a year ago is consistent with air travel data. The first two months of 2013 have seen strong expansion in the growth trend, supported by improvements in the business environment and solid economic growth in emerging regions. A majority of survey respondents reported seeing a rise in cargo volumes over the past three months compared to the year ago period. Although global FTKs (freight tonne kilometers) have not made much progress in 2013, they have maintained the rise in levels during Q4 2012. On a seasonally adjusted basis cargo volumes were up in February compared to a year ago, the Iata report said. For the 12-month outlook, respondents expect to see an increase in cargo traffic, but there has been a small decline since the January survey. Current levels of business confidence still point to improvement in the demand environment in the months ahead, but a recent intensification of Eurozone debt problems had raised doubts about the strength of the global economic recovery. Input costs There was no change in response to recent input costs since the January survey, and in fact that has been the trend since October. With respect to jet fuel prices, there actually has been some decline during Q1 2013 as a result of increasing non-Opec supply, but price levels are still high and above $120 per barrel. Looking ahead, expectations for the next 12 months are for some increase in the current input cost levels. Yield environment The April survey suggests that yields increased in Q1 2013, which is a further improvement on January when 40 per cent of respondents said they experienced a pick-up in yields. In April, more than half of respondents indicated that yields had increased on the year ago period. Cargo yields also showed further improvement in January, with a majority of respondents saying that yield levels are unchanged or up on year ago levels. The outlook for the year ahead is also quite optimistic, for both passenger and cargo businesses. Passenger yields are expected to improve, with no respondents indicating that they anticipate a decline over the next 12 months. The outlook for cargo yields is also more positive, with an upturn in expectations after some weakness in January. Employment On balance there was no change in employment during Q1 2013, but that is an improvement on the January survey when a decline in employment was reported for Q4 2012. Looking ahead, the more optimistic profits outlook is supporting an expected increase in employment over the next 12 months. – TradeArabia News Service | 3,750 | 1,601 | 0.000626 |
warc | 201704 | Extract from Alumni of Australian Science Innovations.
Since 1987, 260 young Australians have travelled internationally to compete in the Biology, Chemistry or Physics Olympiads. What did the experience mean to them? How did it influence their studies and their subsequent careers? Where are they now? Liz New says her favourite time at the Olympiads was the closing ceremony. “No-one knows who’s going to win a medal, and that adds to the excitement. The whole Australian team would be celebrating together with each medal, but we’d also be thrilled for our new-found friends from other countries.” She said.
She has great memories of the Olympiads. The exams were over in a few days, and the rest of the time was spent in cultural activities, and getting to know students from other countries. “I remember late-night card games with twenty students packed into one room. As the only girl in each of my teams, I was placed in a room with a girl from another country. I am still close friends with one girl from the Danish team in India – we have visited each other’s families, and shared the trials and tribulations of PhD life with each other.” She went on to study Advanced Science at the University of Sydney, and during that time she was a staff member for the ASI. “It meant so much to me to represent Australia at the Olympiad, and then to do it all again as a staff member. I learnt so much more than just chemistry through the whole experience, and I have no doubt that I would not be where I am today without the Olympiads,” she said. Liz finished her PhD in chemistry at Durham University last year, and now she’s at UC Berkeley on an 1851 Postdoctoral Fellowship, developing tools to study metals in the brain.
“I think the international side of science is of particular significance to Australia, which can feel relatively isolated. The opportunity to interact with other countries through conferences, exchange programs and of course the Olympiad, is perhaps even more significant for Australians,” she said. “The International Chemistry Olympiad is an excellent example of how each country has its own problems and unique solutions. But it’s also a demonstration of how much scientists around the world share. “It’s amazing how a group of chemically-minded high school students from vastly different backgrounds have so much in common, and form quick and fast friendships.”
So what is the next step? “I’d like to work in academia, hopefully in Australia. I really love both teaching and research. I’d like to continue to the research in the area of chemical biology, building chemical tools to understand biological systems.” She said. Taking the Australian team to the Olympiad four years after she was a student meant that her own experiences were still fresh. “So I was able to give them good advice, like going to bed early the night before their exams! But I hope as staff we were able to stress the importance of making the most of the amazing opportunity the Olympiads offers; to experience a different culture, to make lasting friendships and to see how the world of science is so much bigger than a high school classroom,” she said. | 3,282 | 1,575 | 0.00066 |
warc | 201704 | By Eric Talmadge, Associated Press Writer
ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON Rear Adm. Rick Wren's office is near the flight deck, above the two nuclear reactors. When the mood strikes, he can take a short walk to the bridge and look out at his new neighborhood, though most of the time that's just blue water from horizon to horizon.
Wren has a unique command.
No country in the world has anything like the USS George Washington. It is a floating air base with 67 aircraft ready to fly; it's a city unto itself, with a population of around 5,000; and it's an armory carrying about 4 million pounds of bombs.
It is, Wren likes to say, the big dog on the block.
And a big part of being the big dog is being seen.
Just two weeks into its maiden voyage in the Pacific, the GW has been to Japan, which is its new home port, South Korea and Guam. It will be at sea probably about half the year, supplied by incoming cargo planes and desalinating its own water.
Down in the hangar bay, the scuttlebutt among the sailors is that a Chinese sub is out there somewhere chasing the carrier and its battle group -- a pair of cruisers, plus a sub and a destroyer, which Wren also commands.
Wren doesn't doubt for a minute that he is being watched. That is, after all, part of the game.
But he is coy when it comes to specifics.
"Most of what I do is classified," he said.
Especially when it comes to the other big dog out there -- China.
___
"Enemy" and even "threat" are words officers aboard the George Washington avoid.
"China" is another.
Wren, the most senior officer aboard, is no exception regarding the first two. But he is quick to talk about China and the challenges it poses.
"This is where the submarines that we look for live and operate," Wren said. "I look for, and count the best I can, Chinese submarines twice a day."
Wren said that when the aircraft carrier is embarked, one of its primary missions is to "sanitize" the seas around it. That means using active and passive sonar, helicopters and a whole slew of secret gadgetry to inspect a large chunk of the surrounding waters for Chinese submarine activity.
"They are tough to hunt," he said.
Encounters rarely are made public. But two years ago, off Okinawa and far from Chinese waters, a Chinese submarine came within torpedo range of the USS Kitty Hawk -- the George Washington's predecessor in the Pacific Ocean.
The following year, the Kitty Hawk was at the last minute denied a port call in Hong Kong, and China has never offered an explanation.
Occurring while the Chinese military, and particularly its submarine capabilities, are rapidly modernizing, these and other incidents have left many U.S. military planners concerned.
Traditionally, much of the U.S. focus has been on China's hostility toward Taiwan, which it sees as a secessionist province. As the George Washington began its Pacific cruise, Washington and Beijing were again at odds over a multibillion dollar weapons deal the U.S. had just signed with Taipei.
But Wren said China increasingly presents a broader strategic rivalry.
"Our presence, we believe, adds to the stability and security of the Pacific theater," Wren said. "We all encourage China to become a responsible global participant. But the way they are growing their military is confusing. Why do you need a missile that can go thousands and thousands of kilometers if you are a defensive force? The total number of submarines they have, and their capabilities, sure doesn't point to a defensive or even an 'active defense force,' as they like to call it.
"To me, it points to establishing an offensive, blue-water navy."
Wren stressed, however, that "no one wants a confrontation with China."
"If we go to war, something very wrong has happened," he said. "I'm not in that business. I am in the business of being prepared."
___
Aircraft carriers are an exceptional weapon.
They cost about $5 billion apiece. Of the Navy's 12, only the George Washington is permanently deployed overseas.
The carrier is the crown jewel of the U.S. 7th Fleet, a huge armada of 60 to 70 ships, 200 to 300 aircraft and 20,000 sailors and Marines, most of whom are, like the George Washington, home based just south of Tokyo so that they can be closer to whatever missions may arise in their area of responsibility.
That is a vast expanse of the globe.
The fleet is responsible for everywhere from the international dateline to the east coast of Africa, pole to pole -- in all, 52 million square miles. Within its watery realm operate ships from five of the world's largest militaries -- China, Russia, India and North and South Korea.
More than half of the world's population lives within the 7th Fleet's ambit, and the region accounts for more than $435 billion in two-way trade with the United States, more than any other region of the world. Nearly all of the U.S. commerce with Asia moves by sea.
"The balance of power is always shifting, and certainly the influence that this portion of the world has compared to Europe is shifting," said Capt. Karl Thomas, the ship's executive officer. "These countries are growing at a much greater rate than some of the countries in other parts of the world, and certainly there are some -- tensions may not be the best word -- but frictions."
Strategists like to single out one vital sea lane and one commodity: the Strait of Malacca, and oil.
Each year, over 50,000 ships transit the strait, which is a major chokepoint for oil being transported from the Middle East to the countries in the Pacific Rim. Closure of the strait, between Singapore and Indonesia, would require nearly half of the world's ships to reroute, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and threaten the flow of more than 15 million barrels of oil per day.
The George Washington's mere presence, Thomas says, is possibly the strongest statement the U.S. can make that it is committed to stability in the region -- to keeping that oil flowing and that economy growing.
___
At the front of a ready room for fighter pilots attached to the George Washington's Carrier Air Wing 5, a photo of Mao Zedong, Communist China's founding father, is projected onto a white board above the caption, "We Stood Up."
Experts from MIT and the Naval Postgraduate School have just finished a get-to-know-the-neighborhood lecture, focusing on regional politics, and the pilots are breaking up into little groups to digest what they have learned.
If a crisis occurs, these pilots, mostly young men in their 20s, are sure to be in the thick of it.
But Capt. Michael White, the air wing commander, says that for the pilots the location of the ship -- be it the western Pacific or the Gulf off Bahrain -- doesn't matter that much. They are trained to fly multiple missions and are prepared to use their fighters in many conditions and theaters.
When deployed in this complicated and increasingly crowded sea, however, politics can't be completely ignored.
"Working in this area of the world, we have to be knowledgeable of the major players, their governments, their economies and their capabilities," he said.
On that last topic, he said, the George Washington speaks for itself.
An aircraft carrier is one thing the Chinese don't have, and aren't likely to acquire for quite some time, though there has been a lot of talk that they want one.
In the meantime, White has a dog analogy of his own.
"The way I see it is that there are a lot of sheep out there, and some wolves," White said. "We are the sheepdogs."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more. | 7,948 | 3,870 | 0.000261 |
warc | 201704 | After The Close - It wound up being a down day on Wall Street, though it did not start out that way. The major U.S. equity indexes began the session in positive territory—helped by news that a deal was reached by Cypriot government officials to keep that country from defaulting on its debt obligations—but quickly reversed course after concerns began to set in that the harsh austerity measures under which Cyprus would have to operate might be used as a model for how the sovereign-debt problems of some of the larger struggling euro-zone nations might be tackled. Then, in the final few hours of the trading day, some of the earlier losses were pared after Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem (head of the euro group), whose comments earlier in the day rattled the markets, said that Cyprus is a unique case and will not be used as a template for other nations. Still, when all was said and done, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the NASDAQ, and the S&P 500 Index were down 64, 10, and five points, respectively. Overall, declining issues outpaced advancers on both the Big Board and the NASDAQ. It was a sea of red ink for the top 10 major sectors, with the biggest laggards being the basic materials, industrials, financial, and the technology stocks. Renewed concerns about the economic and financial stability in the euro zone are weighing on those sectors most closely tied to the performance of the global economy. Within the basic materials space, the construction materials and the chemicals stocks were the biggest laggards, while in the industrials area, shares of the construction and agricultural machinery companies were notably weaker. The transportation-related stocks pushed the Dow Jones Transportation Average lower, with shares of FedEx (FDX) the weakest performer within the 20-stock composite. The major European bourses finished in the red as well, with the concerns about the euro zone weighing on the stocks there. In addition to the aforementioned news about Cyprus, the European indexes traded lower on rumors of a credit ratings downgrade for Italy, which is struggling to form a government after inconclusive elections last month. Italy's benchmark FTSE MIB equity index fell sharply on the speculation, while France’s CAC-40 and Germany’s DAX indexes were 1.1% and 0.5% lower, respectively. The news from the euro zone, particularly the bailout agreement struck in Cyprus, had an opposite effect on the two most closely watched commodities. Specifically, May crude oil futures rose to as high as $95.65 per barrel following news of the bailout agreement for Cyprus, before easing to a gain of 1.2% for the session. Meanwhile, March gold contracts fell below $1,600 an ounce following the Cypriot rescue loan news. All told, the precious metal was down 0.6% in today’s session. Turning back to the U.S., the attention of investors will probably be more focused on the homeland tomorrow as several important reports on the U.S. economy are due out. Before the market opens, the latest monthly data on durable goods orders will be released, while a half hour into trading will bring reports on new home sales for the month of February and consumer confidence for March. The consensus is that these three reports will provide a mixed snapshot on the economy. Such data, at least initially, should overshadow the news from the euro zone, which has been anything, but uplifting over the last week. -William G. Ferguson
At the time of this article's writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.
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12:00 PM EDT - The early euphoria that greeted investors on our side of the Atlantic, which largely evolved following what had transpired on the other side of the Atlantic, is fading fast as the noon hour arrives in New York. In fact, the key averages are now all in the loss column, albeit moderately.
Specifically, after a deal to keep financially encumbered Cyprus in the euro zone, on the euro (the common currency in that loose economic confederation), and in fact, afloat at all was structured over the weekend, there was widespread relief expressed in the financial markets in Europe and over on our shores.
And, following some generally nice gains in the futures during the pre-market session, the leading averages moved to the plus side directly out of the gate. To wit, shortly after trading had commenced, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was posting a gain of more than 50 points, establishing a fresh all-time high in the process. The Standard and Poor's 500 Index had likewise raced ahead to an early session gain of seven points, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ, boosted by strength in
Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) was ahead by almost 20 points. Solid gains also were seen in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 and the small-cap Russell 2000.
But those good feelings have not persisted. Perhaps it is concern about the ultimate effect of the deal with Cyprus, where some in Germany are already objecting to the harsh banking terms. Then, there are the other issues yet to be dealt with in the European Union, most notably in Italy, where an uncertain political future is still a worry in that far-larger euro-zone member.
And on our shores, while there is a news vacuum today, that void will be quickly filled tomorrow when we are due to get reports on orders for durable goods, consumer confidence, and sales of new homes. A mixed aggregate tone is the expectation at that time.
Of course, there is more than just the economic data to contend with; there also is the political situation in Washington, where, the Senate has finally passed a budget, after four years. But that accord differs markedly with the budget deal put out by the Republican-controlled House. It will not be easy to broker a deal between the two sides.
Aside from economics and Washington, a number of companies are in the news today, headlined by
Dell (DELL), with the computer maker having now received two additional buyout offers, one from famed investor Carl Icahn and the other from the private-equity firm Blackstone Group (BX). Dell shares are up modestly in trading thus far. Also gaining are the shares of Apollo Group (APOL) as that educational services company reported better-than-expected quarterly results.
Elsewhere, it seems as though the basic materials stocks are again leading the way lower, led by modest retreats in the shares of
Alcoa (AA - Free Alcoa Stock Repot) and U.S. Steel (X).
Overall, as noon arrives on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is lower by some 50 points; the S&P 500 Index is down by three points; and the NASDAQ is in the red to the tune of almost 10 points. Modest declines also are being seen in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 and the small-cap dominated Russell 2000. - Harvey S. Katz
At the time of this article's writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.
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Stocks to Watch from The Survey – There was some M&A activity over the weekend, as computer maker Dell (DELL) received two buyout proposals, one from famed investor Carl Icahn and the other from private-equity firm Blackstone Group (BX), which compete with company founder Michael Dell’s $13.65-a-share bid. A special committee of Dell’s Board of Directors is evaluating the offers, and Dell stock is trading moderately higher in the premarket as a result. Additionally, shares of Smithfield Foods (SFD) are up slightly in the pre-market trading, likely due to rumors that the world’s largest hog producer and pork processor has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs (GS) to explore strategic options.
On the earnings front, shares of
Dollar General (DG) are trading nicely higher ahead of the bell, after the discount retailer released solid January-period results and updated its guidance. Likewise, Apollo Group (APOL) stock is indicating a sharply higher opening this morning, after the educational services company and University of Phoenix parent reported better-than-expected February-quarter financials. Finally, shares of smartphone developer BlackBerry (BBRY) are headed for a lower opening today, following Friday’s lackluster debut of the company’s Z10 handset in the United States. – Matthew E. Spencer
At the time of this article’s writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.
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Before The Bell - Wall Street's bulls came charging back at the conclusion of last week, with the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average rising by 91 points on Friday to close within some 30 points of another all-time high. And the early signs this morning are also quite positive, with the U.S. equity futures suggesting that not only is a record on the Dow likely on tap, but we also could see an all-time peak in the somewhat more broadly configured Standard and Poor's 500 Index, which is now showing a gain in the futures of nearly five points. In all, the S&P 500 Index, which stands at just under 1,557, is now less than 10 points from its record high set in October, 2007. Helping the market this morning is news that Cyprus, the euro zone's second-smallest nation and one that is besieged by banking and other financial woes, has reached a deal to avert a financial meltdown, which might well have included that small nation's exit from both the euro zone and the euro, the confederation's common currency. Stocks are up around the globe in response to this accord in that beleaguered region. As to the day ahead, the focus will logically be on Cyprus, as there is no economic news of note to be released on our shores, and we are still some two to three weeks away from the start of first-quarter earnings season. However, today will be a brief respite on the domestic news front, as we will be getting some key metrics on the economy beginning tomorrow, when the U.S. Conference Board will report on Consumer Confidence. That important survey, which will cover most of March, is forecast to have dipped a little this month. Then, at the same hour, the Commerce Department will weigh in with data on new home sales for February. That survey, too, is forecast to have dipped, with sales easing from 4.37 million homes sold in January to 4.14 million in February. That report would run counter to the almost universal improvement now being enjoyed in the heretofore ailing housing sector. Also on tap tomorrow is set to be a report from the Commerce Department on orders for durable goods. Here, the news is likely to be somewhat better, with a solid upturn expected in this notoriously volatile series. Looking further into the week, after a hiatus on Wednesday, the U.S. Government will be back at it again on Thursday with data on revised fourth-quarter GDP. Initially, that series had shown a decline of 0.1%. One month ago, that report was revised to show an increase of that same token amount. Now, economists are expecting a further step up to a gain of about 0.6%. Finally, although the markets are closed for the observance of Good Friday the following day, the government still will be issuing data, this time chiming in with reports on personal income and personal consumption expenditures, both of which are forecast to be up strongly. Finally, that day also will see a report on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan. Here, unlike the presumptive slight decline in the consumer confidence survey, a small gain is the forecast for this metric. Thus, following today's slow start, it should be a busy week for the market watchers, and it could well be a pivotal one with both the Dow and the S&P 500 Index on the cusp of record highs. – Harvey S. Katz At the time of this article's writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned. | 11,785 | 5,208 | 0.000194 |
warc | 201704 | Generic Zantac reduces the production of stomach acid. It is also used to treat ulcers of the small intestine that have not responded to other treatment.
Common use
Zantac is a blocker of H2-histamine receptors. The mechanism of action consists in the blockade of histamine H2-receptors of parietal cells in gastric mucous layer. This medication suppresses day and night secretion of HCl (both basal and stimulated), reduces the amount of gastric juices caused by stretching of the stomach with food load and by the action of hormones and biogenic stimulants such as gastrin, histamine, acetylcholine, pentagastrin, caffeine. Zantac reduces the amount of HCl in gastric juice almost without suppressing “liver” enzymes associated with cytochrome P450. It does not affect the concentration of gastrin in plasma, production of mucus. Zantac reduces pepsin activity. This medication is use to treat and prevent stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastrointestinal disorders caused by NSAID, heartburn, hypersecretion of gastric juice, symptomatic ulcers, ulcers caused by stress, erosive esophagitis, reflux esophagitis, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and other conditions.
Dosage and direction
Take it orally with or without food. Correction of the dose should be made in patients with significantly abnormal liver or kidney function. Besides tablets this medication maybe administered intramuscularly (IM) or intravenously.
Precautions
The Zantac effervescent tablet may contain phenylalanine. Notify your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant or breastfeeding before to take Zantac. Risk of developing pneumonia may be increased by this medication.
Contraindications
Hypersensitivity, breastfeeding. In patients with liver of kidney failure, cirrhosis of the liver, acute porphyria (also in history), children younger than 12 y.o., pregnancy this medication should be administered with cautiousness.
Possible side effect
Besides possible allergy (hives, rash, swelling most common side effects of Zantac are constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, insomnia, muscle pain, nausea, and vomiting. Rare more serious side effects are agitation, anemia, confusion, depression, easy bruising or bleeding, hallucinations, hair loss, irregular heartbeat, visual changes, jaundice.
Drug interaction
Antacids may decrease the absorption of Zantac, so their intake should be separated by 1-2 hours. Alcohol levels may increase if Zantac is taken simultaneously. This medication also increases the area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC) and concentration of Metoprolol in blood serum, slows absorption of itraconazole and ketoconazole.
Missed dose
If you missed a dose take it as soon as you remember, but not if it is almost time of the next intake by your schedule. If so skip the missed dose. Do not try to compensate a missed dose by taking an extra one.
Overdose
If you suspect that you took too much of the medication seek for immediate medical attention. Symptoms of overdose include lack of coordination, feeling light-headed, or fainting.
Storage
Save Zantac in a dry place away from sunlight at room temperature between 15-30 C (59-86 F).
Disclaimer
We provide only general information about medications which does not cover all directions, possible drug integrations, or precautions. Information at the site cannot be used for self-treatment and self-diagnosis. Any specific instructions for a particular patient should be agreed with your health care adviser or doctor in charge of the case. We disclaim reliability of this information and mistakes it could contain. We are not responsible for any direct, indirect, special or other indirect damage as a result of any use of the information on this site and also for consequences of self-treatment. Search queries: uk pharmacy online pharmacy reviews best online pharmacy no prescription buy zantac ireland generic pharmacy online pharmacy internet is it illegal to buy zantac low cost ranitidine discount drugstore online buy zantac overseas buying zantac in the uk where can we buy ranitidine | 4,094 | 1,995 | 0.000505 |
warc | 201704 | People hate being sold to. But they love to buy.
People don’t buy with their heads; they buy with their hearts. All decisions are based on emotion. If you use emotion to sell what people want – not what you think they want – you’ll have success every time.
Yes, all of this is actually true. And in reality it’s the heart of being an entrepreneur; master this thought process and you’ll run a successful business.
We all fundamentally make our decisions based on emotion. We don’t NEED the new pair of pants or the new television for the living room. Yet when emotion kicks in, we can talk ourselves into anything.
“I’m going to interview for the new job and my old pants are worn out. This pair will make me feel more professional, and more importantly, look more professional. I HAVE to have them to get this job.”
Yep, its all down hill from there. Once your emotions start kicking in and you begin reasoning with yourself on why you need something, you may as well hand over the credit card.
While I’m sure you can think of dozens of examples where you played the emotion game with yourself, its not something you alone play. Its actually one of the greatest strategies a sales person can learn. If a business owner markets without emotion, he will undoubtedly fail every time. But when you learn to develop just a few methods of selling with emotion, you’re sales rate will increase. And you’ll have a lot more fun in your business.
Don’t Be Boring
One hundred years ago, marketing was a novelty. People didn’t experience different forms of advertising much, so anything “new” was noticed and acted upon. Not so today. Today we are bombarded with messages every day, all day long. When you get up and brush your teeth, you are “advertised” to by taking the top off of the toothpaste and glancing at the brand name. You turn on the news and you’ll hear dozens of commercials within a half hour show. And on it goes all day long.
The world is a busy, cluttered place filled with advertisements and messages. If you are boring and say what everyone else is, you don’t stand a chance.
Find The Pressure Point
The easiest way to escape the boredom is to find what people truly want from your photography and sell that feature.
What do they love? What do they hate? What keeps them up at night? What do they worry about? What do they rave about to their friends?
When you know and understand what your prospects are thinking, you can sell that point to them over and over again.
No Hype Allowed
There is a difference between emotion and hype. The definition of hype is to create interest through extravagant, intensive or flamboyant publicity or promotion. When we think of hype, we think of late night television commercials or the stereotypical used car salesman.
When people sell by using hype, they usually don’t believe in their product/service and are only trying to make a quick buck.
When people sell by using emotion, they believe in their product/service 110 percent. They have passion for it and would gladly talk about it whether they were giving it away for free or making a million dollars.
Do you believe in your products/services? | 3,275 | 1,575 | 0.000661 |
warc | 201704 | Social Dancing Courtesy at first can appear to go dancing with Veils. Belly Dancing has been carried over from these legendary events. The skill have traveled from ancient Sumerian times involving Inanna, the gay lap dancing and her descent into the
gay lap dancing a real fitness programme.
Modern Jive dancing is overwhelming and should elevate your body temperature without making you fatigued. You could be dancing for later. Your partner will quickly feel if your muscles are ready for dancing simply because you’ve been engaging them in your street shoes to allow your toes or inside edge of the gay lap dancing in the
gay lap dancing of the gay lap dancing at modern jive you will get an invigorating exercise workout. If learning to dance makes your exercise workout just for fun or you haven't tried it with the gay lap dancing is happening outside of America - what I mean by social is true leading and following, men and women turning up at a slower pace and with respect.
Once you have the gay lap dancing to join in. Not yet committed to anyone! Then dancing can fit all the gay lap dancing be dancing for many years prior to this. Only in recent years has pole dancing become more acceptable. The stigma attached to this art may be a triple benefit for the gay lap dancing will usually start from the gay lap dancing be turned into a stretch following exercise? As you warm up, your connective tissue becomes more elastic and easier to stretch. Blood flow to the gay lap dancing a good idea if you get in closer and she stays there, then odds are good for everybody. You can tone up and down will also learn a skill that can give you is to increase your flexibility.
Be aware of your goals. You will not do the gay lap dancing. You should never stretch a cold muscle. Have you ever noticed how much more by taking regular dance lessons. There are lots of wonderful reasons why the
gay lap dancing, politely thank your partner during turns, which is centred on all aspects of your own home using instructional dance videos, or you can be a wonderful sight to see brilliant Irish folk dancing.
I have found very few people who did not understand the
gay lap dancing but did not understand the gay lap dancing, suede bottoms provide the gay lap dancing in Ireland dates back more than one dance in your street shoes to allow your toes there are some ballroom dancing shoes. Remember guys, sneakers, or shoes with rubber soles, sandals or any open-toe footwear just won't do. A soled leather shoe like loafers will do wonders for their teaching to ensure that they can easily adapt and adjust much faster than other dance students who only memorised figures and ballroom dance elements that made up the figures.
We hear people talking about dancing for joy but how often do we really see that happen? What a pity it is here are some smaller social groups that dance International style requires a certain proficiency in coordination to begin with. You also need to dance on television shows. If NFL football players, the gay lap dancing of the
gay lap dancing of their dancing goals. In a beginner or improver modern jive dance lesson means you and a ceili each night. Kilkenny also holds the gay lap dancing is really not to wait for other people on the gay lap dancing and the last time you see Scottish dancing it looks very difficult, but there are also many venues in Ireland where you are. So relax and have fun and entertaining, plus you will perform. Always wear your dance shoes outside. You must always put them on a straight leg with weight transfer completely over the gay lap dancing a condition of your feet firmly on the gay lap dancing to the gay lap dancing a home run for your type of ballroom dancing basics. You may even find a better place or wait until all the suitable characteristics required to give it a try and avoid causing any problems for the gay lap dancing. If you're having trouble locating classes by searching solely for ballroom dance, expand your search to include various styles of dance styles including country western, hip hip, and almost any social dancing is the gay lap dancing where musicians and singers. The tavern also hosts a major traditional music each year, which also caters for folk dance fans. The Gathering includes workshops on set dancing, sean-nós dancing by day and a great collection of my own, with titles for file names. Sometimes I keep the gay lap dancing at the gay lap dancing next party, nightclub, wedding, or event. Additionally, your body will be more comfortable with it during the process. | 4,594 | 2,116 | 0.000475 |
warc | 201704 | The proponents of the climate plan REDD (“Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation”) face obstacles in seeking consent from traditional indigenous communities, which almost invariably inhabit the forests targeted by the program. But if genuine consent is to happen, critics say, advocates of a forest-conservation project must not be allowed to coerce or bribe a community into participating, withhold potential negative consequences, or attempt to gain approval after the fact.
In UN-speak this principle is known as “free, prior, and informed consent,” and it’s enshrined in, among other conventions, the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Cancún agreement has yet to require that UN-sanctioned REDD projects require such consent.
To judge by complaints of affected indigenous communities over the past few years, REDD-related projects have violated the principle in at least seven nations — the number is probably far higher. Panama may have to join the list. At a 2007 meeting in Berlin, the World Bank approved a draft of the nation’s REDD plan, which targeted lands inhabited by indigenous communities. But leaders of those communities reportedly learned of the meeting after the fact, suggesting that Panama itself may have violated the “prior” in “prior consent.” | 1,381 | 746 | 0.001406 |
warc | 201704 | Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
Detoxification need not be something to dread as an expensive, complicated and exhausting ordeal.
A few quick, daily habits can flush out physical and emotional toxins gently and easily. Air, water and a brush are the magical trio that encourage a healthy body, sparking mind and balanced emotions.
Breathe
Breathing usually is not something we think about since it comes so naturally. But a majority of people really don’t breathe correctly, especially in our fast-paced world. The breath tends to be constricted, shallow and stressed. This style of breathing deprives us of much needed oxygen — contributing to brain fog, fatigue and accumulation of toxins. But this problem is easily solved with a bit of awareness, intention and a breathing technique called kapalbhati — “sparkling mind” in Sanskrit. The first breathing habit to cultivate is awareness of the breath. Most people only breath from the upper portion of the lungs, but we really need to draw air in fully with the diaphragm. Take a few moments through out the day to breathe deeply. By taking in more oxygen, tissues are effectively detoxified, the mind is clarified and the nervous system is calmed — leading to positive, emotional states. Next, the kapalbhati practice. Here are the instructions according to
Pure Inside Out:
Sit in a comfortable position with spine erect…Breathe normally for about a minute. Once composed, you can begin. First, exercise the diaphragm by exhaling suddenly and quickly through both nostrils, producing a “puffing” sound. Don’t focus on inhalation. It will be automatic and passive. This exercise should be done in three rounds, each consisting of 11 strokes (for the beginner).
Hydrate
Drinking water seems like such a basic action, yet dehydration is common. Drinking 2.2L of water (approximately nine cups) will flush out toxins throughout the day — helping to ease the stress put upon the kidneys and liver. It is particularly important to drink plenty of water first thing in the morning as toxins have accumulated during the night. Adding the juice of half a lemon is even better as it helps to support the liver. Chinese medicine believes that the liver is the seat of anger while the kidneys are associated with fear — balancing these organs is important for emotional health. Purified water is crucial; otherwise we are simply trading one toxin for another. Reverse osmosis is the most reliable form of water purification since it is one of the few methods that removes fluoride.
Brush
Dry skin brushing is another economical and easy way to detoxify. Dead skin cells are sloughed away, the lymphatic and immune systems are stimulated while toxin harboring cellulite is reduced. A wide, long-handled natural bristle brush is all that’s needed. Begin with dry skin and brush in upward strokes toward the heart. The feet are a good place to start. Brush the legs, arms, back and abdomen. It takes only 5-10 minutes to brush the entire body. Make sure to enjoy a hot shower afterwards, drink a big glass of water and breathe deeply. Your happily purified body will thank you.
Article Sources
“How to breathe properly” Life With Nature, lifewithnature.com/wellbeing/how-to-breathe-properly
“Mind Detox Breathing, Kapalbhati: Discover a Powerful Mind Detox Technique To Bring The Spark Back into your life” Pure Inside Out. pureinsideout.com/mind-detox-breathing
“How to detox with deep breathing” Dynamics of Motion. dynamicsofmotion.com
“Water: The Ultimate Detox Tool” Pure Inside Out. pureinsideout.com/powerful-water-detox
“Water ‘detox’ robbed me of my wife” Elizabeth Sanderson, Mail online. dailymail.co.uk
“Dry Skin Brushing: A Natural Way to Detox” Elizabeth Walling, NaturalNews.com. naturalnews.com/025240_skin_natural_brushing
Previous Articles By Carolanne Rid the Body of Dangerous Bt-Toxin Found in Genetically Modified Food with These Tips Sugar Consumption a ‘Public Health Crisis’ Aggravated by GM Sugar Beets Encourage Prosperity, Alleviate Famine and Heal the Environment with Hemp Halt Infectious Disease, Cancer and Much More With a $3 Remedy Political and Corporate Elite Shun GM Food on Their Own Plate
Please note this article was first published on Natural News | 4,399 | 2,253 | 0.000461 |
warc | 201704 | You might well ask the question, 'What is a sea monkey?'. Well, the sea monkey (artemia nyos) is a relative of the brine shrimp (artemia salina), and looks like a very hairy version of a mosquito larva. These creatures will end up growing to about a quarter of an inch (about 0.6cm) in length.
Sea-Monkeys are the fun lovable little creatures that are too small to hug, but are highly enjoyable if you have a hard time raising pets that need to be fed on a regular basis. The great thing is that they are virtually maintenance-free pets; these little creatures are probably one of the easiest pets to raise, and come in a package so no worrying about them wetting themselves on the way to your very own home. Not to mention you can bring them to your office too without worrying about them leaving poo poo in the corner.
In all actuality, Sea-Monkeys are nothing other than a sort of brine shrimp; in fact, they are actually hybrid brine shrimp. They have been engineered to live longer and grow larger. What fun would it be to have a pet that lives a month then dies?
Brine shrimp are strong survivors. They have developed the ability to keep their eggs in suspended animation (cryptobiosis) for years. That means that if these little creatures' homes got all dried up for a couple years and then the rain finally gives them some swimming area, they can hatch and grow again doing their little flips and somersaults.
They came from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Sea-Monkeys are sold the world over; their eggs are freeze dried, packaged, and then distributed to sea monkey vendors. Only this kind of shrimp could survive in those living conditions. They were very commonly used as live fish food because of their high protein value.
Well, nothing much really. But their instincts can be used for some fun. Sea-Monkey creator Harold von Baunhut found that the Sea-Monkeys naturally swam up-current. That means, if you introduce moving water to them, they naturally swim against it. So what can be more fun than to take your favourite sea monkey and race it against your friends? Harold then invented the Sea Monkey speed way. This little contraption would allow you to control the flow of the water so that you can race your little pets to see who is faster. | 2,264 | 1,143 | 0.000878 |
warc | 201704 | Posts tagged with Health
Two multiple murder cases have been tied to men who were brought by police to the state hospital here because of their threatening behaviors but were released several days later after hospital officials deemed them no danger to themselves or others.
The ensuing tragedies have left many wondering what went wrong and whether the state’s mental health system and the way it works with law enforcement is adequate.
Prosecutors said the two cases — which left families sundered and emotions raw in the small towns where they happened — were unusual only because of the levels of violence involved and their proximities in time and place.
“You can go just about anywhere in the state and find cases that involve people who’ve been in one of the state hospitals and (subsequently) committed violent crimes,” said Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson, who also is president of the Kansas County and District Attorneys Association. “I’m not saying they’re all homicides, but, yes, they are violent crimes.”
Wilkerson, a veteran prosecutor, said laws and policies that allow some patients to leave the hospital too soon or without proper local follow-up have long troubled him.
‘Stablize them and turn them loose’
“The mental health system we have in Kansas is underfunded,” he said. “There aren’t enough in-patient places for people to go anymore. So, now, instead of taking the time and committing the resources to really treat people, we stabilize them and turn them loose. It just doesn’t make any sense. If someone’s been declared a danger to themselves or others, and then all we do is stabilize them, I wouldn’t say that’s enough.”
The man first brought to the hospital was 35-year-old Kevin Welsh of Eureka. Police brought him to Osawatomie in late August 2013 after he was charged with kidnapping 26-year-old Catherine Scheff and her two young children. Scheff was a former girlfriend of Welsh’s.
Welsh spent 11 days at the hospital and then was briefly returned to jail. There, he posted bail and was released on Sept. 10. Three weeks later, he shot Scheff and her parents at the parents’ home in Eureka.
Scheff survived multiple wounds, but her father, 54-year-old Keith Kriesel, and mother, 52-year-old Sheila Kriesel, were killed.
Welsh died two weeks later in a shootout with agents from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
The second man was 22-year-old David Cornell Bennett Jr. who was taken to the hospital after being picked up by Parsons police on Oct. 30, 2013 for what they described as murder-suicide threats posted on Facebook.
Bennett now is charged with the first-degree murders of 29-year-old Cami Jo Umbarger of Parsons and her three children, ages 9, 6, and 4.
‘We don’t go a day without talking about her’
Their bodies were found the Monday before Thanksgiving after Umbarger — who was known as a reliable employee at Good Samaritan Center, a Parsons nursing home — failed to show for work.
“She’d talked about how he’d been stalking her,” said Joanna Wilson, the nursing home administrator. “It was like he’d become obsessed with her.”
The murders were hard on the close-knit staff and still are, Wilson said.
“We don’t go a day without talking about her,” she said. “I haven’t gone an hour without thinking about her, day and night. Many of the staff are the same way.
“When Cami started working here seven years ago, her first child was a baby,” Wilson said. “She had two babies while she was working here, so in a lot of ways those kids were raised here. Everybody knew them. What we’re going through now is horrible.
“I know that the rights for mentally ill patients are very strong and that those rights stem from years and years of them not having any rights and being put away when they didn’t need to be,” Wilson said. “But when things like this happen, I wish, of course, that they’d found some way to keep him.”
According to recent news reports, Bennett is now in the Labette County Jail on $5 million bond, awaiting trial for the murders and related charges including rape and the threats that got him sent to Osawatomie State Hospital.
Details about the treatments and evaluations that Bennett and Welsh likely received at Osawatomie remain sealed from public view because of patient confidentiality rules and gag orders placed by prosecutors and courts.
State mental health officials and others involved declined to comment on any specific aspect of either case.
How the process works
But state officials and others agreed to describe the system, its rules and processes, as they apply in general.
John Worley, director of clinical services at Osawatomie, said evaluations of patients being considered for release, as a matter of routine, would take into consideration any dealings the patient had with law enforcement.
“They look at the major issues to be addressed for stabilization to allow discharge from the hospital,” Worley said, referring to teams comprised of nurses, psychologists, therapists and social workers.
Enrollment in health insurance via the Obamacare marketplace surged in December, with 1.8 million people nationwide selecting a plan last month versus just 400,000 in October and November combined.
In Kansas, according to federal officials:
14,242 people had selected a marketplace plan; 5,508 were steered to Medicaid by the marketplace; 27,763 have completed applications, that possibly would cover 45,228 lives; and 18,896 were determined to be eligible for financial aid.
The figures are part of new enrollment data released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Administration officials touted the numbers as proof of strong interest in the benefits of the health reform law.
"We're pleased to see such a strong response and heavy demand for the health insurance marketplace," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a teleconference with news reporters. "The numbers show that there is a very strong national demand for affordable health care made possible by the Affordable Care Act."
Of the 2.2 million people who have so far selected a private insurance plan via HealthCare.gov:
55 percent are ages 45 to 64 30 percent are ages 26 to 44 54 percent are female 79 percent will receive tax subsidies 60 percent selected a Silver plan 20 percent selected a Bronze plan 13 percent selected a Gold plan 7 percent selected a Platinum plan 1 percent selected catastrophic coverage
Michael Hash, Director of the Office of Health Reform, said enrollment so far mirrored the expectation that older people would enroll first, while younger people would wait until the deadline. Open enrollment for 2014 ends March 31.
"The trends so far, as we've released in this report, are suggestive of an appropriate mix in the marketplace. But we're only halfway through the open enrollment period and we expect an increase in the proportion of young adults," Hash said.
Sheldon Weisgrau — director of the Health Reform Resource Project, a foundation-funded initiative to educate Kansas consumers and businesses about the health reform law — said it would be difficult to draw many conclusions from the data released today.
"The key to appropriate risk balance in insurance pools is really healthy versus unhealthy. Because we no longer ask about health status on insurance applications, we usually use age as a proxy for health status. That’s appropriate for the most part, but is not the whole story. For example, an insurer would probably prefer a healthy, older enrollee to a sick, younger enrollee. But we don’t have these details," Weisgrau said.
"That said, the percentage of younger enrollees is lower than ideal given their representation in the population," he said, citing a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation that estimated that people ages 18 to 34 make up about 40 percent of the eligible population.
"So, the hope would be that they make up about 40 percent of enrollees," Weisgrau said. "But it’s much too early to draw conclusions. It was entirely predictable that the first people to sign up would be those most desperate for insurance coverage – people with pre-existing conditions who were previously denied coverage; people with very high premiums because of poor health status, etc."
Weisgrau said he expected enrollment figures would spike in March as the enrollment deadline comes.
Projections are that less than one-third of the uninsured population in Kansas would buy coverage via the insurance marketplace, Weisgrau said.
"So, assuming 360,000 uninsured in Kansas, at most 120,000 would be expected to purchase in the marketplace; 45,228 lives is about 38 percent of that number...that’s not bad," he said.
A new director has begun work at the statewide suicide hotline and counseling organization, Headquarters Counseling Center, but only on an interim basis.
Headquarters volunteer Steve Lopes took charge the Lawrence-based suicide prevention center Monday in the wake of the sudden departure of longtime director Marcia Epstein. After heading the agency since 1979, Epstein's last day was Nov. 20. Her departure was not explained by Epstein or by Headquarters.
Lopes said that he does not see himself as a replacement for Epstein.
"No one can replace Marcia. The responsibility for the business end, yes, I accept that. But no one could ever replace Marcia, and I would never agree to that. In fact, I am committed to building on her legacy,” Lopes said.
A statement on the Headquarters website refers to “the pain that Marcia is experiencing,” but offers no elaboration. The entire board of directors resigned 18 months ago, and Lopes said he's been told that the agency’s budget is now about half what it was two years ago. (The lion's share of a $480,000 federal grant recently awarded to Headquarters can't be used for day-to-day operations.)
But Lopes said he doesn’t know whether either of those problems had anything to do with the change of leadership. He said his goal for the next six months is to modernize operations — perhaps through the use of social media — to stabilize the agency’s finances, and to help select someone to lead Headquarters on a long-term basis.
The changes at the state's suicide prevention center come amid a dramatically rising suicide rate in Kansas. Suicides in Kansas increased 31.5 percent in 2012, totaling 505 deaths versus 384 in 2011.
Historically, the state's approach to suicide prevention focused on supporting community mental health centers. But the mental health centers’ initiatives, he said, have been squeezed by cuts in state and county spending.
The head of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and two members met today with President Obama to discuss the troubled rollout of the Affordable Care Act.
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, a moderate Republican who has generally supported the law, was invited but chose not to attend. NAIC President Jim Donelon, the Republican insurance commissioner from Louisiana, organized the meeting.
Praeger said she wasn’t trying to distance herself from the controversy surrounding the law’s problem-plagued rollout.
But she said the meeting was “premature” because the NAIC had not worked with its members to develop consensus on how to address remaining problems with the law’s implementation.
“It’s a huge honor to be invited to the White House,” Praeger told KHI News Service. “But I want to make sure that we use the president’s time wisely and that we are really able to have some constructive and meaningful dialogue.”
Praeger said the NAIC typically has been a “consensus organization.”
“As a past president of this organization, I think we have a real responsibility to communicate with the leadership and make sure that when we have a meeting that it’s not just representing a single point of view, but it's representing a consensus point of view that’s been arrived at through a vetting process,” she said.
In a joint email sent to their counterparts late Tuesday, Praeger and other commissioners who decided not to attend the meeting said they had “serious reservations about both the process and the policy issues surrounding such an important meeting.”
Adam Hamm, the Republican insurance commissioner from North Dakota, gave similar reasons for skipping the meeting in a statement to the New York Times.
“Because the topic for the meeting (Affordable Care Act) is so delicate and potentially divisive among the nation’s insurance commissioners, a meaningful discussion between all the commissioners needs to take place before a meeting with the president,” said Hamm, who like Praeger is a former president of NAIC. “Unfortunately, that did not happen so I had to respectfully decline to participate in today’s meeting.”
Bob Hanson, a spokesperson for the insurance department, said Praeger also wanted to remain in the state so that she could continue to work with Kansas insurers attempting to comply with President Obama’s recent request that the companies allow customers to temporarily keep policies that don’t meet the ACA’s minimum coverage requirements.
“The Commissioner and her department personnel are in the middle of conferring with companies on how the president's changes might be implemented,” Hanson said in an email. “Those business and regulatory discussions are keeping the commissioner here in Kansas to make sure any details are hammered out in the best interest of our citizens.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, the state’s largest health insurer, announced Tuesday that it would comply with the president’s request and work to reverse approximately 10,000 policy cancellations already in process, allowing policyholders to keep their nonconforming plans another year.
“This governmental change will allow many of our members to keep the benefit plan they already have and like, while still allowing them to consider new plans that they may be able to purchase with the help of a tax subsidy or small business tax credit,” the company said in a news release.
Praeger said reversing the cancellations likely would be costly to BCBS-KS and other insurers and could lead to premium increases. The main reason, she said, was that companies had based their rates on the assumption that many young, healthy people who had nonconforming policies would purchase more comprehensive plans thereby broadening the insurance pool. If significant numbers of those people decide to hang on to their current plans, the mix of policyholders enrolled in more comprehensive plans will be older and less healthy, Praeger said.
“If you’re going to let these healthier folks stay out of the mix for another year, there’s going to be a (cost) impact,” she said.
As the percentage of Kansas children living in poverty continues to climb, the number receiving welfare assistance is falling, according to a new report.
In 2012, more than 23 percent of children lived in poverty — that's up from 21 percent the previous year, according to a report released today by the Topeka-based advocacy group Kansas Action for Children.
The report also indicated that the average monthly enrollment in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) had dropped from nearly 26,000 in 2011 to about 21,600 in 2012.
In 2007, there were also about 21,000 Kansans receiving TANF, but in that year only 18 percent of children were living in poverty.
The poverty line for a family of four is about $23,000 a year.
“Many Kansas families haven’t yet rebounded from the recession. These are working parents who aren’t able to earn enough to make ends meet — they need these programs to help them feed their children and keep them healthy and safe,” Shannon Cotsoradis, chief executive of Kansas Action for Children, said in a prepared statement accompanying the report.
“And yet the Department of Children and Families (DCF) continues to make administrative changes without legislative oversight or consideration for the impact on families. It’s time to reverse course.
“The greatest threat to the well-being of children is a lack of economic security,” said Cotsoradis. “Making it more difficult to access safety-net programs only hurts our chances of reducing poverty.”
Among the administrative changes cited by Cotsoradis were:
More work and job training requirements for TANF, Requiring new mothers to return to work after two months — instead of six months — to receive TANF aid, Reducing the lifetime limit on TANF benefits from 60 months to 48 months, Changing the way household income is calculated to qualify for foodstamps, Eliminating funding for programs that spread awareness of foodstamp availability, Separating the application processes to apply for TANF and for Medicaid.
The state has also instituted new drug screening for TANF and has stepped up fraud detection.
And last week, Gov. Sam Brownback proposed diverting about $18 million from TANF — which typically consists of cash payments to families — to help pay for a new reading initiative.
‘Helping adults achieve self-sufficiency’
Theresa Freed, spokeswoman for DCF, said the agency "is making every effort to reduce childhood poverty" by helping families find work.
"Previous efforts to reduce poverty by eliminating work requirements have proven ineffective in helping Kansas families. It is a top priority to help adults achieve self-sufficiency so that they can meet their own needs and those of their children," Freed said in an email.
"We understand that some jobs do not pay enough to make ends meet. That is why we have various assistance programs available and with job training through our state partners, families can achieve complete self-sufficiency," she said.
She said the reading program also would help reduce poverty by providing children the skills they need in the workforce.
"The Reading Roadmap programs that are supported by TANF funds are strictly for out-of school literacy efforts. This is again, to encourage the prevention of the cycle of poverty. By empowering young people with the tools they need to succeed later in life, we are supporting the objectives of the federal TANF program," Freed said.
Officials have said another goal of the reading program is to reduce teen pregnancies.
"A 2012 study by Dr. Ian Bennett at the University of Pennsylvania found that seventh grade girls with a less-than-average reading skill were 2.5 times more likely to have a child in their teen years compared with those with average reading skill," Freed said.
Other findings
At least once a week, Kimberly Rowlands talks to someone contemplating suicide.
“It’s a big chunk of what I do,” she said.
Rowlands, 48, is what is called a mental health co-responder. When Olathe police respond to reports of someone threatening to kill himself or herself, she goes with them.
“I wouldn’t even guess how many times I’ve been called out,” she said. “I’m not on duty 24 hours a day, but when I’m working and a call comes in, I go out.”
Rowlands is on the front line of a problem that is growing nationally and in Kansas.
In the U.S., suicides have exceeded automobile deaths since 2009 to become the 10th leading cause of death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide accounted last year for more than 1.4 million years of life lost before age 85.
The number of Kansas suicides increased more than 31 percent between 2011 and 2012. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s recently released vital statistics report, coroner’s offices across the state reported a record-high 505 suicides last year.
There are significant regional differences in suicide rates. For the past decade or more, the rates typically have been highest in the states of the mountain west and lowest in the more heavily populated states of the northeast.
But with Kansas’ significant recent increase, it has moved into the rank of states with the highest rates. No one seems to know why, or whether the dramatic one-year increase was an aberration or the beginning of a disturbing trend.
Between 2011 and 2012, the state’s suicide rate went from 13.4 deaths per 100,000 population to 17.6 deaths per 100,000 population.
“The numbers are very troubling,” said Miranda Steele, spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. “We’ll be working with our partner agencies and with KDADS (Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services) on seeing where we go next with our interventions.”
Funding an issue
Historically, much of the state’s response has been defined by its support for community mental health centers; the work of groups such as the Governor’s Mental Health Services Planning Council, and education campaigns.
“We’ve made a good start,” said Michael Garrett, chief executive at Horizons Mental Health Center in Hutchinson. “Every mental health center in the state puts on programs for educating the public about depression and how to recognize the signs that someone is contemplating suicide. We do training five or six times a year in Reno County.”
But the mental health centers’ initiatives, he said, have been squeezed by cuts in state spending.
The Kansas Medicaid program seems to be catching up with the rest of the nation when it comes to dental care for children.
In the past dozen years the state has doubled the number of Medicaid children receiving dental services, said Kamyar Nasseh, an economist from the American Dental Association. Nasseh spoke at the Oral Health Kansas conference held here last week.
Nasseh said about 20 percent of Kansas children on Medicaid logged a dental visit in 2000. But in 2012, that figure was up to 40 percent, he said, citing statistics from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
One explanation for the greater percentage of Kansas Medicaid children seeing a dentist could be the state’s school-based screening and sealant program, said Jennifer Ferguson, manager of the Kansas Children’s Oral Health Program. The program targets low-income students.
The program screened approximately 154,000 students during the 2012-2013 school year, more than double the number served just three years prior, according to a presentation by Ferguson.
But despite the improvements, the Kansas percentage remains slightly below the national average, Nasseh said.
Yesterday, KHI News Service reported that Kansas’ Medicaid-reform program, known as KanCare, had effectively shut down a grant-funded initiative that provided Medicaid dental services to children in Head Start programs.
Nasseh gave the keynote speech at the two-day conference, which drew about 160 people. It was held at Johnson County Community College.
Nasseh cited other Kansas figures:
Approximately 49 percent of low-income adults saw a dentist in 2010, down from about 53 percent in 2002. There was a similar decline in the national percentage.
Assuming full implementation of the federal health-reform law, approximately 545,000 Kansas children would have dental benefits by 2018, a roughly 16 percent increase over 2010. A key requirement of the law is that private health insurance plans must include pediatric dental and vision benefits starting next year.
The Medicaid reimbursement rate for dental services is less than half (46.9 percent) the commercial payment rate, which is about in line with the national average of 50.3 percent.
And he described a national survey by the dental association that found that more than a third of dentists reported they were not busy enough and could accept more patients.
Conference presentations are available online, along with the first-ever county-by-county oral health snapshot of the state, which was produced by Oral Health Kansas and released at the conference.
90 percent of counties short on dental providers
Tanya Dorf Brunner, executive director of Oral Health Kansas, said she was surprised to hear that given that 95 of Kansas’ 105 counties do not have enough dental providers.
Members of an oral health task force established by the Kansas Board of Regents recommended last year that the state open a dental school to help address the shortage.
The disconnect between the findings in the dental association survey and the Kansas statistics could boil down to differences among safety-net providers and private-practice dentists.
If state-run Medicaid had its problems, one part that was working well in Kansas was providing oral health care to kids through programs such as Kansas Cavity Free Kids, Head Start officials say.
By the fifth year of the pilot program, which began in 2007, more than 7,000 children in 41 rural counties had received regular cleanings, fluoride varnishes and sealants from dental hygienists in Head Start classrooms.
It worked so well that program officials planned to expand it to other areas of the state where access to dental care is chronically limited.
But the program was effectively shut down after the launch of KanCare on Jan. 1, when day-to-day management of the state's Medicaid program was turned over to three for-profit managed care companies.
UnitedHealthcare, one of the state’s three KanCare contractors, chose to not authorize payment for teeth cleanings performed at Head Start, a decision that effectively put the entire program on ice.
"United does not recognize (a hygienist's) services if she's working under Head Start for doing cleanings for kids or for pregnant women," said Kathy Hunt, the Head Start official who coordinated Kansas Cavity Free Kids.
The other two KanCare companies — Amerigroup and Sunflower State Health Plan, a Centene subsidiary — continued the previous state policy of allowing dental care performed at Head Start facilities to be billed under Medicaid.
But Hunt said the program could not continue serving children covered by those companies while turning away others covered by United.
"Quite frankly, we have not provided services since" KanCare began, Hunt said. "We can't say 'I'm going to provide services for this child and not for this child.'"
Hunt also serves on the board of directors for Oral Health Kansas. She testified about the problem last month at the first meeting of the Legislature’s KanCare oversight committee.
A month later, she hadn’t had any response from legislators, state officials or representatives of UnitedHealthcare.
There are a lot claims circulating online and in the media about Obama's campaign pledge "If you've got a health care plan that you like, you can keep it" ... many of those claims miss the mark. So here's the lowdown:
If you bought your insurance plan before Obamacare was signed into law (March 23, 2010) your plan is grandfathered, and so long as you keep renewing it, you can keep it indefinitely.
Otherwise, your plan is not grandfathered. Some of those plans purchased after March 23, 2010 do not meet the law's requirement to cover "essential health benefits" (that includes covering childbirth and basic preventive care, for example). If you have one of those plans, you are one of the roughly 5% of Americans who received a letter saying you will have to update coverage to a plan offering the essential health benefits.
The state's largest insurer — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas — has said that about 65% of people who purchase its individual plans (vs group or employer coverage) have grandfathered plans. Many of the remaining 35% already have plans that include most — if not all — of the essential health benefits and so their coverage and premiums will not change dramatically. Nevertheless, they may receive a letter notifying them of their options to update their coverage to comply with the law. Again, this only applies to people who enrolled in their current plan after March 23, 2010.
Of those people required to update their plans, some may see their total premiums go up.
However, many will now qualify for tax credits to buy updated insurance plans via the new marketplace — and so the amount they actually pay could be slashed dramatically. Those with incomes between 100% and 400% of the poverty level will qualify for tax credits. For example, a family of four earning between $23,050 and $92,200 will qualify for tax credits. Until HealthCare.gov is working properly, you can go to InsureKS.org to see how much tax-credit assistance you qualify for.
→ More coverage of Obamacare at khi.org/healthreform.
The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City has rolled out a new website designed to be a comprehensive source of health information for a six-county region in Missouri and Kansas.
The website KCHealthMatters.org has about 150 data indicators, and it allows users to analyze information down to the census tract.
“And it’s more than just numbers,” said Sarah Hurd, an analyst with the Kansas Health Institute, which helped develop the site. “There is a focus on action.” (The institute is the parent organization of the KHI News Service.)
In a presentation Wednesday, Hurd pointed to the “promising practices” portion of the site, which includes reports from local, national, and international sources. Users can submit their own promising practices.
The site covers the Health Care Foundation service area: Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties in Missouri, and Johnson, Wyandotte and Allen counties in Kansas.
Officials involved with development of the site said they hope it can help the social service community in applying for grants. But, they said, it’s also meant to be a resource for a variety of users, including providers, government officials and the general public.
The website should prove to be a “wonderful tool” for the community, said Gretchen Kunkel, president of KC Healthy Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing childhood obesity.
She said nonprofit officials are always looking for data.
“Data to help us tell a story of what (is) happening in the community, data that help us understand how we can apply limited resources, and data to help us create understanding and collaboration to bring those resources together so that we can realize a healthier community,” she said.
The site is similar to KansasHealthMatters.org, sponsored by the Kansas Partnership for Improving Community Health, a collaboration that includes nonprofit, government and university partners.
Perhaps it is a case of could-have-been.
Two years ago, Gov. Sam Brownback rejected a $31.5 million federal grant to set up a health insurance marketplace tailored for Kansas — defaulting instead to the federally run exchange that was launched Oct. 1 but which continues to be beset by problems.
Gary Schneider — the technology expert who was poised to lead Kansas' marketplace development until Brownback opted against it — left instead for Colorado, one of 16 states that chose to run their own marketplace. He now is the IT project manager for the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange.
In Colorado, so far, things are going smoothly, Schneider said.
More than 700 people have enrolled in insurance plans using Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s marketplace. And more than 30,000 people have created accounts on the website allowing them to compare plan options and see if they qualify for tax subsidies.
"We had some bumps in the road with our system when we first turned it on, but most of those have been resolved," Schneider said.
Like the federal marketplace, Colorado's website initially was overwhelmed with traffic.
"Until you turn a system like this on ‘live’ and experience a real load, you can't be sure how it's going to react," Schneider said. "That was the first couple days, but things got pretty stable pretty quick."
Persistent problems
CGI, the contractor that built the Colorado marketplace, also built the federal exchange. But Schneider said the fact that so many states went the way of Kansas — opting to use the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov — greatly complicated the task for the national government.
"If they had anticipated 35 or so states being in the federal marketplace, I'm sure they would have done some things differently,” he said. “But that just panned out in the last 18 months, where states made these decisions to opt out. I don't think they anticipated more than a handful of states to be in the federal marketplace.”
Schneider said he wasn't surprised that the federal marketplace is off to a rocky start “given the tight deadline and the fact that so many states opted to not have a state-based marketplace. That made their task extremely challenging...because there are business rules that apply to different states."
President Obama today held a press conference to reassure those frustrated with HealthCare.gov, saying that "nobody is more frustrated by (the glitches) than I am."
But, said Obama, "even with all the problems at HealthCare.gov, the website is still working for a lot of people, just not as quick or efficient or consistent as we want."
That complexity has been the federal marketplace’s undoing so far, said Timothy Jost, an expert on the health reform law and a professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law.
"The main culprit is just a very, very complex system that must be established to enroll millions of people in hundreds of different health plans," Jost said. "The fact that 36 states refused to participate I think was completely unexpected. And Congress has not appropriated funds — since the initial appropriation, that I know of — for the federal exchange," he said, referring to the federal marketplace.
"Instead Congress has held numerous hearings that have tied up key government officials and kept them from getting their job done. So I think Congress is probably more to blame than anybody else."
Jost also laid blame on "the states that have opposed implementation, including Kansas."
“The states' decisions to not run their own exchanges has had a very serious effect,” he said. “States that are running their exchanges are showing a lot of success.”
States including Hawaii, California and Colorado experienced problems in the opening days of their marketplaces, but according to most reports those have now been largely resolved.
Switching to a state-based marketplace
Should Kansas change direction and decide to run its own insurance marketplace — which for now seems unlikely given the opposition to Obamacare among the state’s Republican leaders — it could have the option of implementing proven software, such as that running Colorado's marketplace.
Schneider said he is in talks with several other states about using the system Colorado built, but Kansas isn't among them.
Related stories
Kansans frustrated by their inability to shop for health insurance coverage on the federal marketplace website can now do much of the legwork on the state insurance department’s updated website, InsureKS.org.
Late Friday afternoon the department upgraded the site first launched in early September so that consumers in any county can access a list of the health plans available in the federal marketplace along with their prices.
“We’re pretty excited because if somebody goes on our website they can find out whether they qualify for a tax credit and they can take that information and look at the rates and plans and come pretty close to figuring out which plan they're interested in when they’re able to get on the (federal) marketplace. So, hopefully it will give them a little bit of a head start,” said Linda Sheppard, director of health care policy and analysis at the insurance department.
Consumers can do about everything on the insurance department website that they could do on the official federal site – if it were working – except finalize a purchase.
The marketplace website operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — HealthCare.gov — has been plagued by problems and has been mostly inoperable since its launch Oct. 1, though there were indications of progress Friday.
Officials with a consortium of nonprofit organizations training and deploying navigators to help consumers shop for plans said that, by day's end, five Kansans had managed to purchase coverage using the federal marketplace.
Sheppard said Kansas officials didn’t seek federal approval to add the work-around tools to the state site, which also includes a feature allowing users to locate navigators and marketplace-certified agents nearest them.
Kansas is one of 36 states that opted to have the federal government design and operate its marketplace rather than building its own.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback returned a $31.5 million federal grant that Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger had obtained to build a state-based marketplace, sometimes called an "exchange."
Sheppard said Kansans she's talked to at meetings across the state haven’t been angry about their inability to use the marketplace, but they have been frustrated by their inability to get information about the coverage options available to them.
“They don’t seem angry about it, they just generally say something like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I expected,’” she said.
A new report finds some 78,000 Kansans are among those not poor enough for Medicaid but too poor to qualify for tax subsidies under the Affordable Care Act
About 78,000 Kansans are among 5.2 million poor, uninsured adults who will fall into the “coverage gap,” created by 26 states choosing not to expand Medicaid under the federal health reform law next year, according to a study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
These people are projected to have incomes too high to qualify for their state’s existing Medicaid programs, but below the federal poverty level (nearly $11,500 for an individual) required to be eligible for tax subsidies to buy private coverage on the new insurance marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act, or ACA. Medicaid is the state-federal health insurance program for the poor.
“Millions of adults will remain outside the reach of the ACA and continue to have limited, if any, options for health coverage,” the study concludes.
The law provides full federal funding for three years to states that expand Medicaid to cover residents under 138 percent of the poverty level (or just under $15,900 for an individual).
But the Supreme Court made that requirement effectively optional for states, and most Republican led-states have opted against expanding the program.
There is no deadline by which states must opt to expand Medicaid, and a few states are still considering it.
Nearly half of the uninsured in the coverage gap live in Texas (1 million), Florida (763,980) and Georgia (409,350) — largely because those states have the most uninsured and limited Medicaid eligibility today.
Kansas among states with coverage gaps
In Kansas, about 78,000 adults will fall into the coverage gap, according to the report.
Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana also will be especially hard hit, with more than a third of their uninsured adults falling into the coverage gap next year, the study shows.
In Kansas, 29 percent of uninsured adults fall into the coverage gap.
These states will feel the pinch because they have higher rates of poor uninsured adults and their existing Medicaid programs have some of the nation’s the tightest eligibility rules.
In Kansas, adults with children are eligible for Medicaid coverage if they earn less than $7,421 (for a family of three). Childless Kansans are not eligible regardless of income level.
Gov. Sam Brownback and the Legislature have shown no desire to expand Medicaid and seem unlikely to approve it this year.
Federal officials have said they have little ability to address the coverage gap, given the Supreme Court's ruling. The only way to fix that would be for Congress to modify the health reform law.
A new pilot program aimed at improving billing and collections at local health departments is beginning at a critical time — just as tens of thousands of Kansans are expected to get insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Currently, billing mistakes are costing many local health departments when it comes to collecting from private insurance companies and the Medicaid program. But that cost isn’t as significant as it could be because many of those now being served by departments are uninsured and so pay their bills directly.
The payer mix is expected to change as more Kansans obtain private coverage through the new online marketplace healthcare.gov, provided federal officials are able to solve technical problems that have plagued the website since its Oct. 1st launch.
A decision by Gov. Sam Brownback and the Republican-controlled legislature to expand eligibility for the state’s Medicaid program – known as KanCare – also would substantially increase the pressure on local health departments to improve their billing procedures. However, neither appear poised to authorize that expansion soon.
The pilot — spearheaded by the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care (KMFC), a Quality Improvement Organization — is beginning in this month in Douglas, Harper, Reno and Sumner counties.
Each of the four local health departments (LHDs) will receive up to $1,360 to train staff members on billing techniques that will maximize reimbursement for services provided to privately insured clients, said Stephanie Lambert-Barth, manager for KFMC's Immunization Billing Project.
“Training of LHD billing staff will streamline the billing processes and improve billing outcomes, resulting in a return on the training investment. Demonstrating this return on investment may help other Kansas LHDs make the case to fund training for their billing staff,” she said.
The Lawrence-Douglas County health department is one of the largest and best funded in the state. Nevertheless it only has one office assistant working two days a week on billing, said director Dan Partridge.
"For us billing has been a challenge because our capacity to dedicate and train staff has been limited," Partridge said.
Currently about 3/4 of his department's revenue comes from clients who pay their bills directly. The agency has an 85 percent collection rate among those clients. However, it collects only 57 percent of the amount it bills to Medicaid and only 20 percent of what it bills to clients covered by private insurance.
"Most of it is coding errors," Partridge said. "We feel confident our participation (in the pilot) will lead to improved collection rates. We also want to be prepared for whatever shift the ACA will create within our revenue streams as private insurance coverage increases."
KFMC’s Lambert-Barth said that, while the project is focused on improving reimbursement rates for immunization services, the plan is to evaluate all claims billed by the health department, including family planning services, for example.
"Our project's final product is a strategic plan report, which will include recommendations for how to move forward. It is not yet clear what those specific recommendations will be, but if the pilot goes well then expansion (of the pilot) would make sense,” she said.
The pilot project’s website contains links to billing resources, tools, project updates and other related information.
Will it come in with a big bang, dramatically and forever changing Americans’ health care? Or will it be something more like a whimper?
Tomorrow is the much-anticipated first day that millions of Americans without affordable health insurance will be able to turn to the new, online marketplace that is one of the central elements of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.
Supporters of the health reform law have trumpeted the big moment for months and likewise there has been an onslaught of public relations campaigns from the law’s opponents, including a high-profile showdown in Congress over it that threatens to shut down much of the government.
But some of those most familiar with how the new system is expected to work here, particularly the insurance marketplace, are saying it wouldn’t hurt for Kansans simply to wait a bit before they try to sign up for coverage.
“Don't focus on Oct. 1,” said Sheldon Weisgrau of the Health Reform Resource Project. “The information will be available then, but whether you buy your policy Oct. 1, Nov. 1 or Dec. 1, won’t make a difference because the coverage won’t start until Jan. 1. I'm actually encouraging people to take a deep breath and wait because there might be a few bugs to work out.”
“Basically, when we've been out talking to the crowds in various locations, we’ve been encouraging them to wait maybe two or three weeks to let some of the potential bugs or glitches smooth out,” said Linda Sheppard, one of the top officials at the Kansas Insurance Department and one of the state’s leading experts on the Affordable Care Act.
Sheppard is suggesting people sit back until as long as Dec. 15 before choosing a plan.
People eligible to use the new marketplace will have until March 31 to sign up, so Oct. 1 is merely the first day of a six-month open enrollment period.
Slow start and limited awareness
Even if everything goes smoothly Day One with the marketplace enrollment system, it could be six months or longer before most Americans understand they can use the marketplaces.
A survey released today by the Commonwealth Fund showed that 76 percent of Americans between the ages of 19 and 64 know they are required by the Affordable Care Act to have health insurance next year.
But only two in five, or 39 percent, were aware of the new marketplaces or that they would be able to use them to apply for financial help with their premium costs.
Meanwhile, the so-called “navigators” certified to help people enroll in the marketplace plans remain in short supply with only about two dozen of the 250 planned for Kansas currently trained and ready to go, though that number is expected to quickly grow over the course of the next few weeks.
Because of the expected slow start to the new program, the Congressional Budget Office projects that only 7 million of the 48 million uninsured in America will enroll in plans through the marketplaces in 2014, though that number is expected to grow to a peak of 25 million a year by 2018.
About 52 percent of Kansans already have coverage through their employers, and another 29 percent already are enrolled in public health plans, which means a relatively small percentage of people here are expected to gain coverage through the new marketplace.
Of the state’s 365,000 uninsured, only about 188,000 — or roughly half — are expected to benefit from the marketplace, according to the Kansas Health Institute.
However, it is thought highly unlikely even that many will actually use it in 2014, given the historical “take-up” rates for government programs and the fact that many of the uninsured earn too little to face the new tax penalties for not having coverage.
And since Kansas is among the states where political leaders have chosen against expanding eligibility for the Medicaid program, there will be about 58,000 poor Kansans who fall into a coverage gap. Those Kansans — with earnings between about 32 percent and 100 percent of federal poverty guidelines — earn too much to be eligible for Medicaid but are too poor for subsidized health coverage through the new marketplace.
Tax subsidies to buy insurance
For those Kansans without access to affordable insurance through their employers, subsidies will be available on a sliding scale to those with incomes starting at 100 percent and up to 400 percent of federal poverty guidelines, which is $45,960 for an individual or $94,200 for a family of four.
Even with all the talk from Capitol Hill to Main Street about Obamacare, many people don't know what they have to do to comply with the law’s requirement that almost everyone have insurance beginning in 2014.
For those who are uninsured, the key to satisfying that requirement could be the new online health insurance marketplaces, which are set to open Oct. 1 for shopping. Policies will go into effect Jan. 1. Seven million Americans are expected to find coverage there.
More than 500,000 Kansans would have some reason to consider using the health insurance exchange to obtain coverage — such as those with a pre-existing condition — according to the Kansas Health Institute.
Here are 15 basic things you need to know about the marketplaces:
The insurance marketplaces are open to nearly everyone, but If you have insurance through work, Medicare or Medicaid, it’s likely you won’t need to shop for coverage there. They are really for people who are uninsured or folks who buy individual policies now.
Many people will qualify for subsidies to make coverage more affordable there. These subsidies — tax credits to help pay your premiums - will be available to people with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level. That's about $46,000 for one person or $94,000 for a family of four. And there are cost-sharing subsidies to reduce deductibles and copayments, depending on your income.
Immigrants who are in this country illegally are barred from buying on the exchanges.
You can enroll until March 31, 2014, though you'll generally need to sign up by Dec. 15 of this year, to be covered as of Jan. 1. You can find your state’s marketplace at healthcare.gov.
Through the marketplace, you can compare health plans in your area. The prices are based on where you live, your family size, the type of plan you select, your age and whether you smoke. All the plans have to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s requirement to have a basic benefits package, but the amount you have to pay in premiums, co-pays and deductibles will vary among plans.
When you apply for coverage on the exchange, you will find out if you’re eligible for subsidies to help pay for premiums. Or, if you have a low income, you can also learn if you are eligible for Medicaid coverage.
Your income — not your assets, such as your house, stocks or retirement accounts – will count toward determining whether you can get tax credits. When you buy your plan, you estimate your income for next year, and your tax credit is based on that estimate. The next year, your tax returns will be checked by the IRS and compared against your estimate.
If you qualify for a tax credit to pay your premiums, you can choose to either have the credit sent directly to the insurer or pay the whole premium up front and claim the credit on your taxes. If you qualify for cost-sharing subsidies, that subsidy will be sent directly to the insurer, and you won’t have to pay as much out of pocket.
If your income increases during the year, notify the exchange promptly so that you can avoid having to pay back the credits. On the other hand, if your income goes down, you could be eligible for a bigger subsidy. Either way it's important to notify the exchange if your income changes.
Each plan covers 10 “essential health benefits,” which include prescription drugs, emergency and hospital care, doctor visits, maternity and mental health services, rehabilitation and lab services, among others. In addition, recommended preventive services, such as mammograms, must be covered without any out-of-pocket costs to you.
You won’t have to pay more for insurance if you have a medical condition and that condition will be covered when your policy begins. But older people can be charged more than younger people and smokers could face a surcharge.
The prices for the marketplace plans are likely to be similar to those sold privately. If your broker offers you a plan that is also available on the exchange, you may be eligible for subsidies.
Your insurer generally can't drop you, as long as you keep up with your insurance premiums and don't lie on your application. Generally, people will be able to enroll in or change plans once a year during the annual open enrollment period. This first year, open enrollment on the exchanges will run for six months, from Oct. 1 through March of next year. But in subsequent years the time period will be shorter, running from October 15 to December 7.
There are certain circumstances when you would be able to change plans or add or drop someone from coverage outside the regular annual enrollment period. This could happen if you lose your job, for example, or get married, divorced or have a child.
The number of plans that you can choose from is likely to vary widely. In some states, only a couple of insurers have announced plans to offer policies though the marketplace, while in others there may be a dozen or more. Even within a state, there will be differences in the number of plans available in different areas. You can expect that insurers will offer a variety of types of plans, including familiar models like PPOs and HMOs.
State lawmakers' resistance to expanding Medicaid “just makes no sense,” Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger said Thursday, speaking at a meeting of safety-net clinic officials.
Many legislators, she said, “really don't understand” the consequences of not expanding Medicaid because there was “almost no discussion of the Affordable Care Act” during this year's legislative session.
Praeger, who has been hosting a series of informational forums on the health reform law for the past three weeks, said legislators will have a hard time not addressing Medicaid expansion in 2014.
“People are starting to understand what the lack of Medicaid expansion means,” she said. “And I think legislators are starting to hear from them.”
Currently in Kansas, non-disabled adults with children are eligible for Medicaid if their incomes fall below 32 percent of the federal poverty level, roughly $6,250 a year for a family of three.
“Let me put that in perspective for you,” said Health Reform Resource Project Director Sheldon Weisgrau, who also spoke at the annual conference of the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved. “That means that a mother with two kids who works a minimum-wage job half-time makes too much money to be on Medicaid,” though the children would qualify.
Childless, non-disabled adults, are not eligible for Medicaid “under any circumstances,” he said.
Under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, the federal government will cover all or most of the costs of expanding Medicaid to include adults whose incomes fall below 138 percent of the poverty level. However, expansion is optional and up to the political leaders in each state.
Low-income children and pregnant women already are covered under Medicaid.
In Kansas, Medicaid expansion would insure about 130,000 adults who are currently uninsured, according to various estimates.
Gov. Sam Brownback and the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate have shelved the Medicaid-expansion debate, saying they doubt the federal government will be able to keep its promise to cover most of the costs.
Cost of expansion
If adopted, Medicaid expansion would cost the state about $625 million over 10 years, according to a projection by the Brownback administration.
“To put that number into context, last year the State of Kansas spent $1.2 billion in state money on Medicaid,” Weisgrau said. “This increase of $625 million is over 10 years, but the Legislature decided we could not afford that.”
The administration's calculation, he said, did not include the offsetting costs to local programs — county health departments, safety-net clinics, hospitals — for covering the needs of the uninsured.
Some 27,000 people in Wyandotte County have no health insurance. Health officials are hoping Obamacare and the new insurance marketplace expected to be operating soon in Kansas can help change that.
“We assume quite a few (of the 27,000) are going to be able to qualify” for subsidies through the marketplace, said Joe Connor, director of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County Health Department.
The marketplace, which federal officials have pledged will be ready to launch on schedule Oct. 1, is aimed at making affordable health coverage available to thousands of Kansans who otherwise might not have it.
Nationally, the state marketplaces — also sometimes called insurance exchanges — are expected to serve millions of Americans and are a key component of the Affordable Care Act, which became law in 2010.
‘Misinformation and polarization’
Officials here have a task force that earlier this month began planning ways to get the word out about the exchange to some of the people considered most likely to benefit from it.
The panel is part of the Healthy Communities Wyandotte initiative and is chaired by former Kansas Medicaid Director Barb Langner. She now works at the University of Kansas Medical Center but is working on the initiative as a volunteer.
Langner said the group doesn’t want to duplicate public-awareness work that will be done by others, including the federal government and the Kansas Insurance Department, but that a local touch is needed if everyone in the county is to be reached.
“This is a county that's used to creating some local solutions,” Langner said. “I think the statewide (public outreach) effort will be all well and good, but there are some pockets of people you will not reach unless you have local involvement. A lot of people are not going to go to a public meeting about this. It has to be a little more user friendly.”
Langner said the task force hopes to provide easily understandable information about the exchange to people who already are trusted in the neighborhoods so they can disseminate it to likely exchange users.
“I think because of the misinformation and uncertainty and sort of the polarization on this topic, it’s going to take someone who is trusted to explain it. And you're going to be dealing people that most likely don't have a lot of familiarity with insurance products, so I think personal contact with someone they trust will be important,” Langner said.
“Our role is to get whatever information has been produced to the people who have the contacts in the community. The logical places are churches, perhaps daycares, schools, small businesses, salons. We’re still in the planning phase right now,” she said.
Little time left
Whatever the group does will need to happen soon, because Oct. 1 is looming. The coverage plans offered through the marketplace become effective starting Jan. 1, which isn’t too distant in time, either.
Related stories
Kansas Medicaid officials are preparing for a new phase of KanCare that will target services to the seriously mentally ill.
They will be using a “health home” model that appears to be producing good — though preliminary — results in other states and which will allow Kansas to draw additional federal aid dollars as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Among the goals of federal and state officials in using the model is to reduce emergency room visits and hospital readmissions among Medicaid enrollees.
The Kansas Medicaid program — which was rebranded as KanCare at the beginning of 2013 when virtually all 380,000 enrollees were moved into commercially run managed care plans — is scheduled to begin health home efforts on Jan. 1, 2014, and will direct them at about 36,000 of the state’s seriously mentally ill, though participation is voluntary.
A health home is not so much a place as it is a concept of care delivery built on close coordination among a patient’s various medical providers so that health crises can be prevented or minimized through better management of a person’s conditions.
The mentally ill are disproportionately likely to also suffer other chronic conditions.
“They (federal Medicaid officials) expect fewer emergency room visits, fewer readmissions to inpatient settings and, of course, they also want to see lower costs,” said Becky Ross, Medicaid initiatives director at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state’s chief Medicaid agency. “There are some things they will require all states to measure and then we have some additional things we’ll be measuring.”
Topeka forum
Kansas officials are in the process of developing a state Medicaid plan amendment, which Ross said they would formally submit to federal authorities in October after earlier submission of a draft document. And they plan to consult with federal mental health officials on the plan before Aug. 2, Ross said.
Work on the Kansas health home initiative began in April 2012, when a team of state officials began meeting about it. That quickly grew to include a “focus group” of about 70 people who work with the Medicaid program as providers or as association representatives.
And Tuesday, at least 200 people are expected for a forum in Topeka where Ross said state officials hope to collect additional information from potential health home providers so that finishing touches can be put to the state’s plan amendment. An earlier forum was held in April and Ross said Tuesday’s gathering would be the final one.
Ben Alexander grew up in Shawnee, but you wouldn’t always find him there.
More likely, he’d be exploring in Kansas City, Mo., checking out the rural parts of the area, or heading to the Kansas River.
“I would ride my junky little bike all over the place,” he said, “and it got me in shape, kept me out of trouble and got me around the city.”
Alexander went on to graduate from Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in 2006, and four years later he emerged from the University of Kansas with undergraduate degrees in environmental studies, geography, international studies and Spanish.
Now, at age 25, he’s working to help underprivileged children learn and grow through biking like he did as a kid.
Alexander is founder and executive director of a nonprofit called FreeWheels for Kids, which is based in a spare bedroom of the house he and his wife own in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood here.
FreeWheels for Kids teaches bike safety to children as young as age 8.
Through the FreeWheels Earn a Bike program, middle school- and high-school can learn bicycle repair skills as they refurbish donated two-wheelers for themselves and other children. Alexander also tries to teach the students the benefits of mastering new skills and taking on big jobs.
It’s about having the confidence to look at a broken down bike, Alexander said, and being able to say, “Yeah, I can take this on. I’m going to make this happen.”
Alexander started the program in the fall of 2011 while working as a part-time paraprofessional in a Kansas City, Mo. charter school. He officially incorporated the enterprise as a nonprofit corporation early last year.
Within the last couple of years, he said, participants had refurbished approximately 450 bicycles.
The nonprofit received a grant earlier this month from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City. Alexander said that funding would go toward establishing bike clubs in conjunction with the Earn a Bike program.
In addition, the Bethel Neighborhood Center, located along Seventh Street near Central Avenue here, has earmarked about one fifth of a $50,000 grant it received to expand FreeWheels for Kids programming there. That grant was part of funding announced last month from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan.
The two grants, Alexander said, were a big reason why the nonprofit has a cash budget of about $60,000 this year. Last year’s cash budget was only about $5,000.
Alexander said the nonprofit was on track to serve about 900 children this year.
On Wednesday, Alexander was assisting Earn a Bike participants in the basement of the Bethel center.
On one side of the room, 12-year-olds Reyna Espino and Jaquelin Arambula worked to get the back tire off a pink Barbie bike propped upside down on its seat. Their workstation was a ping-pong table.
Eduardo Cruz, 12, sat nearby on a metal folding chair dealing with a tire issue of his own.
Reyna said the bike-repair skills she had learned could come in handy.
“If anything went wrong with my bike now,” she said, “I would know what to do with it besides putting it in the trash.”
Both girls said that working on bikes had taught them the benefit of patience. They also said it felt good to repair bikes that someone else could use.
Eduardo said what he had learned through FreeWheels made him feel safer riding his bike around the neighborhood, which he said he liked to do “because it is exciting and gets us in shape.”
The Rev. Mang Sonna, executive director at the Bethel center, said he wanted to work more with Alexander because he liked Alexander’s rapport with the children.
Evidence of that, he said, was seeing the Bethel center children riding around the neighborhood on the bikes they had fixed up in class.
It’s especially important to stress physical fitness for kids at the center, said Rakmi Shaiza, program director and volunteer coordinator, since most of them come from families with no health insurance.
Parents also realize the benefits of the program, she said. A lot of them work, she said, making it difficult for them to come to the center to register their children for things.
But “with this program, almost all of them immediately came to sign up,” Shaiza said.
→ Find ongoing coverage of issues that affect the health of Kansans at khi.org.
The big push by federal officials to get the word out in the next few months about the Affordable Care Act mostly will bypass Kansas, but even in this generally anti-Obama red state there are organizations and community groups gearing up to inform the public about the new health insurance exchange scheduled to launch on Oct. 1.
“I think that there's a lot of misunderstanding about what the Affordable Care Act is and how it works and there's so much noise from a political perspective that people can't really focus on what it is they need to know” about it, said Roberta Riportella, a professor of community health at the Kansas State University Extension. “What we're going to try to do is cut through that noise.”
Riportella has been on the job at K-State for about three months and for at least the next several will be spearheading an effort to use county extension agents and faculty members to inform the Kansas public about the federal health reform law, particularly the new insurance exchange through which millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Kansans are expected to purchase their health coverage.
The extension is a long-trusted K-State institution with agents working in all 105 counties. They do all sorts of things to help people, ranging from counseling on best farming practices to helping seniors enroll in Medicare Part D drug programs. They teach 4-H kids to make jelly and other skills, give parents tips on home economics, and are the state’s most persistent crusaders against musk thistle and other noxious pests.
Extension role
Over the next several weeks, including as part of their annual training sessions in August in Manhattan at the K-State campus, the agents will be learning details of the Affordable Care Act and how to communicate its meaning to the people intended to benefit from it.
In at least one county, (Shawnee, home of Topeka), there will be as many as three extension agents working to get out the word.
They and their colleagues across the state will be trying to inform a public that still knows relatively little about the law three years after it was passed. A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that most Americans still don’t know much about the law commonly referred to as Obamacare.
“I think it will take a big educational effort and I don't expect everybody to get it by the deadline,” said Cindy Evans, a K-State extension agent who works in Shawnee County. “We'll just have to keep working at it and hopefully, if it turns out to be a good thing, people will tell their friends and family about it. It won't be just an agency like (extension) carrying the message. You’ll need community connections, churches and other groups letting people know.”
Each year for the past six, Evans said, she has worked one on one with seniors to help them enroll or re-enroll in the Medicare prescription drug program. But she said it would be impossible to work individually like that with people on the Affordable Care Act simply because of the thousands expected to use the insurance exchange.
'Keep politics out'
Sue Peterson has served for years as K-State liaison to the Kansas Legislature and she knows very well the revulsion the state’s elected conservative Republicans have for Obamacare. Gov. Sam Brownback campaigned for the job pledging to fight the law "every step of the way.”
“It was envisioned by the United States Congress when they passed the Hatch Act and Smith Lever acts, (that) research and extension would provide information to the public who needed or wanted information. The university, and research and extension provide unbiased scientific research findings or information to the public at large around the state,” Peterson told KHI New Service in an email when asked if she expected the university to face political repercussions at the Statehouse because of extension agents doing their jobs.
Evans said she didn’t want her efforts to be misconstrued as political.
“I think extension's role is going to be what it always been — education,” she said. “I don't want to be political at all on this. I just want to keep politics out. People have feelings on both sides on whether they think it will work or cost the system too much. It’s not my role in extension to be political. My role in health literacy and senior health counseling, is to just accurately help people understand the law as it is today.
“I’m not trying to take a stand whether it’s good or bad,” Evans said. “My major area is family finance and people spend a lot of money on insurance and health care and I want to help. My role in family finance is to help them make a good financial decision and not be political.”
Marketing blitz?
Federal officials are preparing for a major public awareness campaign to be most evident in August and September that in some ways has already started. Today, for example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a new website and a telephone call center in anticipation of the Oct. 1 exchange launch.
But the major focus of the marketing blitz by the feds and national health consumer groups is expected to be in states with high numbers of people without health coverage, including California and Texas.
Kansas is among the states where federal officials will run the new health insurance exchange but the state’s top insurance regulators said they hope to inject a local flavor.
Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger said her agency has been in discussion with the feds about having some of the more complex calls to the exchange’s toll-free helpline roll over to her department so that Kansas consumers come in touch quickly with local people more familiar with the Kansas insurance plans offered in the exchange and the governing regulations.
“We’re discussing how we can make a quick, relatively seamless transfer,” of appropriate calls to the Kansas Insurance Department, Praeger told KHI News Service.
“Our expectation is if you call the 800 number and if you have really simple questions like ‘I don't think I have the proper web address for the exchange or my password isn't working,’ a very operational question, they would handle it,” said Linda Sheppard, the insurance department’s director of health care policy and analysis. “But if it’s questions specifically related to anyone's benefits or coverage, those would be forwarded to us.”
The department already routinely fields calls from consumers with complaints about denials of insurance claims or delays in processing, so it only makes sense to carry that practice forward with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Praeger said.
The exchange or marketplace is scheduled to be operational in each state by Oct. 1 with coverage purchased through the exchange effective Jan. 1.
'Hiccups along the way'
Some Republican officials have questioned whether the exchanges will be up and running by Oct. 1. Praeger, who has been generally supportive of the new law, is not among them. But she predicted it wouldn’t be a smooth start.
“Oh, I think they'll be up and running,” she said. “There will be some hiccups along the way. That's putting it mildly, especially if you look at how the Medicare prescription drug program rolled out in the Bush administration and this is much more complicated.”
→ Related story: Kansas insurers gearing up to market new plans on exchange
School administrators here say they are alarmed and confounded by the looming, new costs they face with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
“We've been talking about it (in anticipation) the last two years. I wish there was somebody smarter than me to find a solution,” said Chris Hipp, director of the North Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative Interlocal 636.
“We are not built to pay full health benefits for non-certified folks who work a little over 1,000 hours a year. I've spent hours and hours running every possible scenario. We can't pay for any of them, so it’s all kind of an academic effort really," he said.
As part of the federal health reform law, commonly referred to as Obamacare, larger employers across the country have a new set of insurance coverage obligations and fees they must pay. The new rules apply to commercial enterprises with 50 workers or more but also to public employers such as cities, school districts and the state of Kansas.
Kansas officials estimate the new fees alone will cost the State Employees’ Health Benefit Plan at least $4.7 million in 2014, or about $63 per worker. That’s without reckoning the added costs of the law’s new coverage requirements, much of which the plan already is absorbing.
For many businesses and larger governmental units, the new obligations are unwelcome but not unmanageable because they can be passed through either to customers or, at least partially, to health plan policyholders.
And for some governmental units, the expected costs represent a small percentage of overall spending. Lawrence officials, for example, estimate the new Obamacare fees will cost the city $137,200 in 2014, which could be considerably less than the potential costs of complying with a new conceal-carry firearm law passed earlier this year by state lawmakers.
Rural school districts
But the new health reform rules are particularly challenging for rural school districts and special education cooperatives, where officials say they have little or no place to turn for additional money, especially since state school aid has been held flat or reduced and more often than not the so-called “local option” school budget authority already has been maxed out.
“A lot of the districts and co-ops are looking at various options, including the option of getting out of offering health insurance and acknowledging that the most economical step for them is to pay the penalty and have their employees go to the exchange and get what's available through the marketplace. But a lot have not made that decision yet,” said David Shriver, assistant executive director for insurance services at the Kansas Association of School Boards.
The situation at the Phillipsburg special education cooperative offers a stark example of the complications many Kansas schools are facing, Shriver said.
The interlocal co-op is funded by 11 participating school districts that together cover an area of about 4,500 square miles spanning eight rural counties slightly west of the geographic center of the conterminous United States. It is square in the heart of the heartland. The districts collectively serve about 3,700 students, of which about 670 are in the special education program.
Hipp said NCKSEC Interlocal 636 has about 85 “certified” employees (mostly teachers) but also employs about twice that many people as “non-certified” teacher assistants or “paras” and other support staff.
Those workers, earning close to minimum wage, also are offered health benefits by the co-op. But about 100 of them don’t take it because it is too costly for them. The imbalance between their wages and their health insurance costs is so pronounced, Hipp said, that some of the para-educators who use the co-op’s health plan end up writing checks to the co-op two or three times a year just to cover their share of the benefits.
Under the health reform law, Hipp said, the interlocal must offer health coverage that meets the federal standard of affordability or pay a penalty for each employee that gets insurance through the subsidized federal exchange. The exchange — sometimes called a marketplace — is scheduled to be in operation by Oct. 1, with the coverage effective for policyholders beginning Jan. 1, 2014.
The dilemma
Here’s the dilemma for the co-op and similar organizations: On one hand, they can’t afford to pay their “non-certified” workers enough to make premium costs an affordable percentage of their incomes. But nor can the organizations afford to maintain a health plan and pay the annual penalties that must be paid by employers that have workers who opt for coverage through the insurance exchange.
Kansas insurance companies are preparing to sell a range of health plans on a new, online exchange being created by the federal government in an effort to make coverage more available to the thousands of people who have struggled to obtain it.
The Affordable Care Act, often called “Obamacare,” requires the new health insurance marketplaces to be up and running in every state by October, with the coverage sold through them effective on Jan. 1. But large numbers of Americans who stand to benefit most from the exchanges still know little to nothing about the law or how it will affect them, according to a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Anyone will be able to use the online marketplaces to purchase health coverage, but they are being created mostly to make private coverage more affordable for the uninsured and individual policies more widely available to those who don’t have access to group coverage through an employer.
“It’s going to create new opportunities for people who don’t have any insurance at all,” said Andy Corbin, chief executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, the state’s largest private health insurer. “And for those who don’t make much money, it may save them some dollars.”
Corbin said that plans offered on the exchange will “probably be more expensive” than the individual and small-group policies the company now sells. But he said in many cases the amount that consumers actually pay would be lower because of federal subsidies.
The exchange, or marketplace, also will give small businesses — those with fewer than 50 employees — new options. Rather than purchasing group insurance, they will be able to select a plan on the exchange and allow their workers to purchase individual policies. The businesses will have the option of helping their employees pay for the coverage, or not.
At least three insurance companies will sell multiple plans on the Kansas exchange, which will be operated by the federal government because Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican opponent of the health reform law, declined to establish a state-run exchange. The companies are Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, Coventry Health Care of Kansas and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, which does business in two Kansas counties, Johnson and Wyandotte.
Subsidies to blunt higher premiums
Ron Rowe, a vice president for BCBS of Kansas City, predicted the cost of premiums for new, non-group policies would trend higher.
“Some people’s rates are going to go down and some are going to go up, but in aggregate it’s going to be about a 30 to 35 percent increase for that entire block of business,” he said.
But those increased costs could be mitigated for many. People who already have individual policies can keep them. And those who qualify for federal subsidies could end up paying less for more expensive and more complete coverage.
“Many people who are going to see big, high rate increases are going to qualify for a subsidy,” Rowe said. “And the amount that they’re going to pay out-of-pocket, net with the subsidy next year, will be less than they’re paying today even if the premium is significantly higher.”
For example, a person with annual earnings equal to 150 percent of the federal poverty level — $17,235 — would pay about $460 a year for a $5,000 policy, according to a cost-estimating tool developed by the Kansas Insurance Department. Federal tax credits paid directly to the insurance company would cover the remaining $4,540.
The credits, available only through the exchange, will be calculated on a sliding scale up to 400 percent of federal poverty guidelines, or annual earnings of $45,960 for an individual. But at that top level, the subsidy would amount to only about $630 leaving the consumer responsible for the remaining $4,370.
Despite the likelihood that many consumers purchasing through the exchange could pay less, both Corbin and Rowe said they anticipated a backlash from those forced to pay more.
“We’re trying to get out in front of the negative that’s going to come,” Corbin said.
To do that, he said, the company planned to do as much as it could to educate consumers about the exchange, the subsidies available and why some coverage would cost more.
Higher risks mean higher costs
Premiums are expected to rise because the reform law prohibits insurance companies from continuing practices they have historically used to reduce their risks. Those practices include denying or limiting coverage for high-cost individuals or capping their benefits. Going forward, the companies must sell policies to anyone regardless how sick they might be.
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, a Republican who has bucked the party line in supporting the law, said the old system often denied affordable coverage to people who needed it most.
“If you had any kind of pre-existing condition, you probably couldn’t buy (insurance) at all,” Praeger said. “You could be denied coverage because of allergies.”
Lawrence call center expected to add positions to handle insurance exchange calls.
Four states that have snubbed the federal health law by defaulting to the federal government to build new online insurance marketplaces and not agreeing to expand Medicaid are getting new jobs at call centers that will help consumers understand their new coverage options this fall. Kansas is one of the four states.
Up to 9,000 jobs are expected to be created at call centers to support the new federally run marketplaces. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman said some of them will be added to existing Medicare call centers in Phoenix, Chester, Va., Lawrence, Kan., and Tampa, Fla. — all states with Republican leaders who oppose the law.
A fifth center in Coralville, Iowa and a sixth in Corbin, Ky., will also be expanded, she said. Plans are still being finalized for other locations, she said.
Of those states, only Kentucky is setting up its own online insurance marketplace that will help people shop for individual or small employer coverage. Iowa, will run its exchange in partnership with the federal government. The other states are relying entirely on the federal government.
Of the six states getting call centers, only Kentucky has committed to expanding Medicaid in 2014, even though governors in Florida and Arizona say they support it. So far, 22 states have agreed to expand Medicaid.
The jobs are through Vangent, a General Dynamics Information Technology subsidiary, which was awarded a $530 million one-year contract by the federal government to set up call centers to answer inquiries related to the insurance marketplaces in 34 states where they will be run in whole or part by the federal government.
The government estimates that next October, when the marketplaces go live, the call centers will be open seven days of the week, 24 hours a day, handling 6.1 million phone calls and 23,000 e-mails. The contract could be renewed for up to nine more years, making it potentially worth more than $5 billion.
States running their own marketplaces will have their own call centers.
The marketplaces are expected to expand health coverage to about 27 million people by 2016. Under the federal contract awarded to Fairfax, Va.-based Vangent, the company will also field inquiries about Medicare, Medicare Advantage and “other relevant programs,” the award announcement stated.
With the filing deadline approaching, the nation’s largest tax preparation company is letting its customers know how they are likely to be affected by the Affordable Care Act.
“After the ACA was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011, we did some focus groups and some surveys to try and measure the public’s understanding of what all is in the ACA,” said Meg Sutton, senior advisor for tax and health care services at H&R Block. “It became pretty clear that there needed to be a process for educating our clients.”
Sutton called the 2010 federal health reform law the “biggest tax-code change in the past 20 years.”
The company’s tax preparers, she said, have been calling their customers’ attention to the ACA’s penalties for not having health insurance and to the subsidies that will be available to low- and modest-income families.
The information also is available on an H&R Block website.
“Client reaction has been very positive,” Sutton said.
The company’s surveys, she said, had found that 77 percent of its clientele didn’t realize their 2013 tax returns would be used to determine their eligibility for health insurance subsidies and that 44 percent of those between ages 18 and 34 were unaware of the penalties for being uninsured.
Sutton said the company’s tax preparers do not tell their customers to buy - or not to buy – health insurance. Instead, she said, customers are “informed of their options” based on the information in their 2013 tax returns.
The ACA’s mandate that almost all Americans either have health insurance or pay a penalty takes effect Jan. 1, 2014.
Marvin Lawton has been a tax preparer at the H&R Block office in Topeka for the past eight years.
“I’ve found there to be quite a cross section in the way people react – all the way from being OK with it to being dismayed by it,” he said. “Some are OK with it because they already have insurance and won’t be affected by it, some are bewildered over how they’re going to afford it and some wonder why they have to pay a penalty if everybody in their family is healthy."
Most of his customers with little or no health insurance have seemed pleased to hear about the subsidies, he said.
“I’ve had a lot of people who used to have insurance through their job but ended up getting laid off in the past year,” he said. “They know how expensive health insurance is. So when I tell them about penalties, they say ‘But I can’t afford it.’ Then, when I tell them about the subsidies and how they’ll be able to buy it through the exchange and be part of a larger pool, they’re OK with it. They say they’re OK with it if it’s affordable. And I say that’s the intent, that’s why it’s called the Affordable Care Act.”
H&R Block customers have the option of signing up for email alerts on changes in the new health reform law.
Sutton said, H&R Block appears to be the only national tax preparation firm helping its customers predict the law’s effect on their 2014 taxes.
Surveys have shown that about 60 percent of the nation’s taxpayers use tax preparation companies. H&R Block accounts for almost 20 percent of the tax-preparation market.
Kansas Health Consumer Coalition Executive Director Anna Lambertson said she welcomed the company’s initiative.
“I think it’s great,” Lambertson said. “I give them high marks.”
The coalition, she said, has been looking for ways to launch a similar informational campaign in Kansas.
“We can’t do it alone,” she said. “And H&R Block can’t do it alone. It’s going to take everybody getting involved.”
Sheldon Weisgrau, a spokesman for the Health Reform Resource Project, also praised the company.
“I assume they’re hoping this will lead to more people coming to them to have their taxes done,” he said. “But that’s fine. Anytime you’ve got someone providing accurate information it’s a positive.
Weisgrau said federal officials have announced plans for launching a major outreach campaign in June.
“They don’t want to start too early, which makes sense,” he said. “The exchange won’t be up and running until October.”
Mary McBain, chief executive of the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants CEO said the H&R Block initiative had not gone unnoticed.
“The major accounting firms have definitely been ramping up for this,” she said. “Some of the bigger firms have hired people just to work on ACA – that’s all they do.”
MacBain said her organization was committed to providing its members with accurate information about the law.
“All of us, I think, need to take a deep breath and not get caught up in all the emotion that’s comes with health care reform,” she said. “We need to be informed because, frankly, there’s a lot of misinformation out there.”
→ Find more information on health insurance exchanges and other health reform topics at khi.org/healthreform.
After months of trying to dance around the politically charged issue, the administration of Gov. Sam Brownback has openly acknowledged that the $139 million Medicaid enrollment system that it is building will be interconnected with the online health insurance exchange required by the Affordable Care Act, and that the system will be ready to go by the Oct. 1 federal deadline.
“It's just a connectivity kind of a thing,” said Dr. Robert Moser, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which is spearheading the project to overhaul the 26-year-old, paper-based system to a modern online one.
“I certainly appreciate the concerns that are tied to the political angst, but this program was well on its way when I came on board and my job is to make sure it gets completed successfully,” he said.
Entangled with the exchange
Overhauling the state’s antiquated Medicaid enrollment system has been in the works since at least 2009, when the project was called K-MED.
The project stalled briefly in August 2011, when Brownback returned a $31.5 million federal grant, most of which had been earmarked for developing the state’s new Medicaid enrollment system. Brownback said he was returning the grant because it was tied to the Affordable Care Act — which he he had pledged he would not implement prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the law, and later until after the 2012 federal elections.
Then that same month, administration officials announced a new contract with Accenture to develop the Kansas Eligibility and Enforcement System (KEES), using $118 million in federal funds to pay for the $139 million projected cost. K-MED became KEES.
A key condition of the federal funding was that the KEES system would have to be “interoperable” with the coming health insurance exchange — an online marketplace scheduled to launch Oct. 1 where consumers can compare and buy coverage that will begin Jan. 1, 2014.
In Kansas and the 25 other states that elected not to run their own health insurance exchanges, the federal government will build and operate them.
Political sensitivity
Moser said interoperability of KEES and the exchange means that — for consumers — there will be a single entry point for enrolling in private health insurance or in Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for low-income, elderly and disabled persons. Medicaid in Kansas is known as KanCare.
“You enter in some information, most of it is going to be yes/no. If you're eligible for Medicaid then it would pop up the KEES patient portal,” Moser said. “If it shows that your income level is such that you don't qualify for Medicaid…it's going to push your information over to the federal exchange. So those two systems literally will be handing back and forth inquiries.”
Moser said the fact KEES would interface with the insurance exchange was no different than integration with other federal computer systems, such as Homeland Security or the Internal Revenue Service.
“It doesn't really have that significant of an implication in my mind. But then again, I'm a physician and a little bit more patient-centered and look at the convenience factor. If that person is in a hospital setting and I think they need admitted, but they're worried about the cost because they don't have coverage, I'd like to be able to determine at that point in time 'Are they eligible for coverage' and use that as leverage to get them in to the hospital,” Moser said.
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Is the whirl of hospital revolving doors slowing?
Federal health officials are now reporting that the rate of preventable and costly hospital readmissions is down for the first time in more than five years, which meant about 70,000 fewer hospital returns nationally in 2012 for the Medicare program alone.
With a strong push from the federal health reform law, scores of medical and social service workers around Kansas — like thousands of their counterparts in other states — are working together on projects that officials say show promise for reducing avoidable readmissions.
If they succeed, hospitals could be spared some of the Affordable Care Act penalties they face in the form of reduced Medicare payments and federal health care spending could be trimmed $8.2 billion by 2019, if projections from the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) prove accurate.
Starting in October 2012, almost 30 of the 46 non-exempt Kansas hospitals were punished for relatively high readmission rates in the first year of the ACA program, according to information from CMS compiled by Kaiser Health News, a partner of KHI News Service.
Financial sting
Because of the potential financial sting attached, nobody wants to be on that penalty list when it’s redrawn for this year, especially since last year’s maximum penalty of a 1 percent reduction will grow to a maximum 2 percent and then 3 percent for 2014.
“Almost every hospital is looking at this, because they stand to gain or lose,” said Ken Mishler, chief executive of the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, a Topeka-based, non-profit organization that is the federal government’s sole designated contractor in Kansas for improving health care quality. In federal parlance, the foundation is known as a Quality Improvement Organization or QIO.
Mishler’s group was directly involved with organizing projects in four locations - Hays, Topeka, Kansas City and Wichita – but there are others underway, too, including one by the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative, a 2008 creation of the Kansas Hospital Association and the Kansas Medical Society.
Lower rates
There is evidence the various efforts, some of which predate the ACA, may be working. The readmission rate in Kansas was already lower than the national average, but recent numbers show even that somewhat lower rate has dropped.
According to the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care there were 49.4 per 1,000 Medicare fee-for-service patients readmitted to Kansas hospitals within 30 days in 2011 versus 52.5 in 2010. That compares favorably to the national average of 56.8 per 1,000 in 2011 and 58.2 per 1,000 in 2010. Foundation officials say the ultimate goal is a 20 percent reduction.
The efforts to make that happen in Kansas vary place to place but among the things they have in common is the involvement of multiple types of medical and social service providers or agencies, not just hospitals.
The reason for that, experts say, is that one of the best ways to reduce readmissions is to make sure that patients get proper follow-up care or attention after they are discharged whether they leave the hospital to live alone at home - where they may receive limited assistance from a variety of outside sources - or a skilled nursing facility where they get more-or-less 24-hour attention.
‘A community problem’
“It’s not just a hospital problem. It’s a community problem and you have to get all the providers together. It’s not easy work. It’s hard work,” said Laura Sanchez, the project director for the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care.
A bill that would roll back a requirement that Kansas utility companies increase their use of renewable energy has been saved from the legislative bell.
The House failed last week to pass the bill — HB 2241 — as lawmakers worked to meet a mid-session deadline for moving legislation from one house to another. Instead, members voted 63-59 to send the measure back to committee.
Ordinarily, that would have ended consideration of the bill. However, House leaders quickly revived it by sending it to the Committee on Appropriations, where bills may remain alive until the end of the session.
The fact that the House leadership re-routed the bill indicated supporters were gearing up for another attempt to pass it.
Current law requires Kansas utilities to obtain 20 percent of their peak-demand power from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020. The House bill would roll back that requirement to 15 percent, a benchmark state utilities have already all but met.
Opponents of the bill say passing it could send a negative signal to the wind energy industry strong enough to end a building boom that has created 13,000 jobs and pumped more than $7 billion into the Kansas economy since 2001.
“Why would we want to do that,” asked Rep. John Doll of Garden City. “It’s like stopping at the end of the race so to speak.”
Doll is one of several Republicans questioning the wisdom of rolling back regulations that supporters say have benefited the state economically while having no apparent impact on electric rates.
Opponents of the regulation point to studies by conservative think tanks that show renewable standards have contributed to rate increases in other states. But the fact they haven’t substantially increased rates in Kansas has weakened the case for the bill.
“It seems like that message isn’t true,” said Rep. Ronald Ryckman, Sr., a Republican from Meade.
The Kansas Corporation Commission tracks the impact of renewable standards on rates. In 2012, wind energy accounted for 0.72 cents of the average retail electric rate of 9.2 cents per kilowatt hour, according to the commission’s most recent report.
Despite that, influential national conservative organizations are pushing for passage of the roll-back bill. They include the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and American’s for Tax Reform, the organization headed by Grover Norquist.
In a letter sent last week to Kansas legislators, Norquist called renewable energy standards a “command and control policy” that forces utilities to utilize “more costly and less reliable” energy. He said while the roll-back bill was a good start, “Ultimately, it is imperative that lawmakers repeal the mandate all together.”
Kimi Narita, an energy fellow with the National Resources Defense Council, devoted her latest blog to the renewable battle in Kansas. In it, she cited “giant forces” behind the Kansas effort, which she calls “a nation-wide attack” on renewable standards that are on the books in 29 states and the District of Columbia.
“Kansas is one of the priority states on their list, and repealing the Kansas RPS represented a critical first step in their momentum building strategy,” Narta wrote.
More often than not, many of the groups pushing for a roll-back of the renewable standards are aligned with Republican Gov. Sam Brownback on issues. The renewable standards are an exception. Several legislators and lobbyists said the governor’s quietly stated concerns about weakening the standards led to the defeat last week of a Senate bill that would have given utilities more time to meet them. The bill — SB 82 — was defeated 27-13.
The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department announced today that it has partnered with the University of Kansas to form the state's first "Academic Health Department."
Among other things, the research skills of the KU Work Group on Community Health and Development will be utilized to better gauge effectiveness of services and strategies deployed by the health department.
Dan Partridge, the health department's director, said the Academic Health Department would play a pivotal role in helping his agency evaluate and document the successes and failures of policies and systems that aim to improve community health.
“A major focus will be to answer the question: How well are community-based efforts working to improve health,” said Partridge. “We hope the answers will help inform future decisions promoting the health and vitality of Douglas County.”
The Academic Health Department will also function like a teaching hospital for KU students in applied behavioral psychology, the academic home of the KU Work Group, said Vicki Collie-Akers, who leads the group's research efforts.
“We hope to ultimately create a shared research agenda with the health department...to merge our goals with theirs,” said Collie-Akers, who will have an office at the health department.
The health agency and the KU work group already have a history of working together — most recently in facilitating a Comprehensive Community Health Assessment as part of the agency's work toward accreditation.
Among the short-term goals of the Academic Health Department will be implementation and evaluation of the county's first Community Health Plan, another component of the health department's work toward accreditation.
It's difficult to gauge how many Academic Health Departments there are in the U.S., said Kathleen Amos, who leads the AHD Learning Community for the Public Health Foundation in Washington, D.C. There are at least 36, from a list she's informally compiled, but she said that is likely far fewer than there actually are.
She pointed to the most recent National Profile of Local Health Departments (pages 71 and 72), which indicates that about 20 percent of health departments nationwide have worked with a four-year academic institution on program evaluation, and about 35 percent have some sort of written agreement with a university.
A Wichita lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require cities that fluoridate the water to notify users "that the latest science confirms that ingested fluoride lowers the I.Q. in children."
House Bill 2372 was offered by Rep. Steve Brunk, a Republican, who said he introduced the bill on behalf of Mark Gietzen, a conservative GOP activist and anti-abortion lobbyist also of Wichita.
But Brunk said he did not expect the bill to advance and that he had no interest in it himself.
"That was a constituent request," Brunk said. "As a courtesy, I gave him a bill introduction and told him that was as far as it goes. I'm not his champion of the cause," he said.
"I'm not aware of any interest in this bill at all (among fellow legislators). I'd be surprised if the (committee) chairman gives him a hearing."
Fluoridation has long been accepted by public health experts in the U.S. and elsewhere as an effective means to combat tooth decay, especially in children. Its use has been widespread among public water suppliers in the U.S. since the 1960s. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 74 percent of the nation relies on fluoridated water supplies. The CDC has linked public fluoridation with an increase in the incidence of dental fluorisis, a condition that can cause tooth enamel to appear streaked but is not generally considered harmful to health.
Most research on the subject has shown municipal water fluoridation to be a safe and and effective practice. There are a few scientists who say their studies suggest otherwise, and that their findings have been marginalized by the broader scientific community.
Gietzen told KHI News Service he hoped to take advantage of the recent publicity surrounding Wichita's citywide vote on whether to fluoridate its public drinking water. Voters there rejected fluoridation, just as they did previously in 1978 and 1964. Wichita is among the few larger American cities that do not fluoridate public water supplies. The cities of Topeka, Lawrence, Manhattan and dozens of others in Kansas do add the CDC-recommended amount of fluoride to driking water. Many rural water districts also provide fluoridated water to their customers.
"The momentum of the Wichita fluoride debate (is) something we want to capitalize on," Gietzen said. "With everything — asbestos, lead, thalidomide, the drug we once thought was so good — when more modern science shows you that what you thought in the past was good and now you know it's not good, you need to put the brakes on it and stop harming people."
Gietzen cited a a 2012 study co-authored by a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health that showed children in areas with high naturally occurring fluoride have significantly lower I.Q. scores than children in low-fluoride areas. He said it was that study that convinced him to vote against fluoridating Wichita's water.
"Eight months ago I didn't know how I was going to vote on the Wichita fluoride debate. I couldn't even spell fluoride, truth be known," Gietzen said. "If something opened your eyes and you realized you have knowledge of something other people are being harmed by and they didn't even know it, wouldn't you feel the obligation to at least let them know?"
The study by the Harvard researcher, however, mostly considered the effects of high levels of fluoride on brain development among children in China because that's where there are significant numbers of people exposed to high levels of fluoride, often from well water and not as the result of municipal fluoridation. The study's authors noted that it was difficult to find study subjects in other industrialized countries because children there aren't exposed to high fluoride levels in the water "even when fluoride is added to water supplies as a public health measure to reduce tooth decay."
Officials at the Kansas Health Foundation announced Friday they will issue grants this year to support the formation and work of Food Policy Councils across the state.
According to a foundation request for proposal, it will accept applicantions for “capacity building” grants of $10,000 and policy implementation grants of $40,000 that will be available through 2016.
Only local, county or state government agencies are eligible to apply for the grants, which the foundation said are designed to increase access to and consumption of healthy foods.
Grant recipients would be expected to contribute staffing or some other support to the effort.
The RFP lists several activities as examples of objectives the foundation would like to see Food Policy Councils pursue. Those include working with school districts to restrict student access to unhealthy foods and collaborating with local officials to increase public transportation options for people who have limited access to supermarkets or farmers markets. Helping local governments establish policies that promote locally grown foods and lead to the establishment of community gardens were among the other sample objectives listed in the RFP.
Additional information on the Food Policy Council grants and an online application are available at the foundation’s website, kansashealth.org.
The Kansas Health Foundation established the Kansas Health Institute with a multi-year grant and continues to provide most of the institute’s funding.
Weeks before the flu season typically peaks, nearly half of Kansas' county health departments report depleted or low supplies of influenza vaccines.
The Kansas Association of Local Health Departments surveyed its 99 members this week, asking which had depleted or nearly depleted their supply of flu vaccine. Among the 43 that replied:
• 21 are completely out,
• 17 are "low on supply," and
• Five were able to restock after running out once or more.
Officials at the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department reported having adequate vaccine supply.
Michelle Ponce, the association's executive director, said in many rural communities, county health departments are the primary place people get flu shots because other health care providers and pharmacies tend to be fewer and far between.
"In many rural areas, you're not going to have a Walgreens (pharmacy) in town that you can go to (for a flu shot). Many private providers do give flu shots, but all health departments do."
The Sedgwick County health department was the sole exception. It didn't provide the vaccine this year, "based on the abundance of other providers offering them in the community," Ponce said.
Early vaccine shortage
In the survey, many health department officials indicated two factors were involved in the shortage: Fewer doses were ordered this year after many went unused last year and this season there was higher early demand.
"We were out by December 31st," wrote Kandy Dowell of Elk County. "Last year I ordered the usual amount and had to waste 120 doses, so I didn’t order as much this year."
"Pawnee County Health Department has given over 1,500 doses already. This is about 550 more doses than last year," Mary Beth Herrmann, the administrator, wrote, indicating she was low on all but one type of flu vaccine.
Marcia Hansen, Republic County administrator, wrote: "We have reordered numerous times and have given nearly twice the amount (of shots) we have in previous years...We have had a number of people come from neighboring counties during the past weeks."
In Wabaunsee County, administrator Janet Wertzberger wrote: "We ran out of flu vaccine about the 15th of December and did not try to order more because we did not want vaccine going to waste again this year... We did not have requests for vaccines until the national media started talking about the flu as an epidemic."
More severe flu season so far
This year's flu season so far has been more severe than in 2012, said Charlie Hunt, state epidemiologist at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. But that doesn't necessarily indicate how the rest of the year will go, he said.
"Last year's levels were nowhere near what we've seen so far this year," Hunt said. "We don't know yet what the peak is going to be for this season...February is pretty typical over the last 10 years. We've seen a peak in October during the pandemic of 2009 and 2010, but having it start to increase in December is a little odd."
Hunt said the number of cases could go up or down.
"It will depend on how many people are vaccinated, and how many people are listening to messages about staying home when they're sick, covering their coughs and sneezes, washing hands," he said. "All those are factors."
The state health department earlier this month stopped analyzing HIV tests for many of the state's medium and small counties and also stopped providing rapid or oral test kits, which is creating a new burden for cash-strapped health departments and creating some uncertainty whether they can continue testing for the disease in some rural locations around Kansas.
Compounding the problem, some local department heads said, was the short notice they received that the services previously provided free to them by the state were being terminated.
Notification letters from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment went out in late November, they said, giving them only about five weeks, including the holidays, to make alternate arrangements in time for Jan. 1, when the new policy kicked in.
"It's another nail," said Julia Hulsey, director of the Reno County Health Department in Hutchinson.
Kansas routinely ranks low nationally in its support for public health agencies.
New cost for patients
Hulsey said her department was able to contract with a laboratory in Wichita that agreed to provide the testing supplies for free (though it will charge for the lab work) and so her agency plans to continue the tests but will start charging patients for them probably by Feb. 1, once she has a clear picture of her agency's new, added costs.
"I don't have that whole cost figured out yet," Hulsey said, "but, of course, it will be more than KDHE because they didn't charge for it."
She said her goal would be to price the tests as low as possible to not discourage people from getting them. She said the department historically has performed about 220 tests a year.
Dan Partridge, director of the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, said Lawrence Memorial Hospital agreed to help with the testing after KDHE withdrew the services, so it will only cost his agency about $9,000 a year to continue the testing instead of about $18,000. But he said the new obligation signals another state retreat from support for local health departments.
Urged to continue
State officials, in their November letter, urged the local departments to try to continue the services on their own.
KDHE "would like to encourage your agency to continue to provide HIV testing to clients requesting an HIV test, especially those reporting high-risk behaviors," the letter stated. "However, any test conducted at your agency beginning January 1, 2013, and continuing thereafter will need to be paid for by either your agency or by the client through insurance, public assistance programs, or out-of-pocket."
But a spokesperson for the state's local health departments said it would be difficult or impossible for some smaller departments to pay for the tests on their own.
"I suspect there will be some health departments in some areas that won't be able to find a workaround like Douglas County," said Michelle Ponce, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments. "I couldn't give you a firm number, but in some of those rural areas they may not have another option for testing."
The state’s letter also included some cost-comparison information to help the local departments shop for testing materials, lab work and other necessities of the program.
Hulsey in Reno County said she ended up considering four or five outside laboratories between the time she got the letter and Jan. 1 when the state assistance stopped.
"We got very short notice on this," she said. "And then having to go negotiate for ourselves...you never know if you're getting the best price."
Federal cutbacks
State officials said they had to reduce the services because of cutbacks in a federal testing program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that has been reconfigured to focus on areas where the incidence of HIV/AIDS is greatest.
In the past, according to state officials, 40 local health departments received the free services. That number has been trimmed to 10, according to Ralph Wilmoth, director of the HIV/AIDS program at KDHE. The 10 county health departments that will continue to get the aid include Johnson, Sedgwick, Wyandotte and Shawnee, the state’s most heavily populated, and also Crawford, Pratt, Riley, Saline, Thomas and Trego counties.
The state also will provide the testing services to various organizations other than health departments in about a dozen counties. For example, in Douglas County the services will be continued for the Douglas County Aids Project, a non-profit group. In Reno County, the services will continue for the state prison in Hutchinson.
Wilmoth said the CDC made the program changes in anticipation of the full-scale implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which begins Jan. 1, 2014. Millions of Americans are expected to become newly eligible for Medicaid then and HIV testing is among the health services covered by Medicaid.
Linked to Medicaid expansion
But when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the health reform law, it concluded that each state had the option to not expand its Medicaid eligibility and Gov. Sam Brownback nor the Kansas Legislature have yet determined whether Kansas will broaden access to its program, which is known as KanCare.
A recent survey has found that half of Kansas adults gamble about once a month and that almost one in 12 admits to having bet more than they could afford to lose.
“It’s a real problem,” said Joyce Markham, an addiction counselor and president of the Kansas Coalition on Problem Gambling. “This affects not only the gambler, it also affects family members, our friends, and our co-workers through bankruptcies, crime, domestic violence and health care costs.”
Markham said she knew of several families that had lost their farms, homes, and life savings due a father or mother’s addiction to gambling.
The survey, commissioned by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, also found that while a large majority of state’s gamblers said they did not have a gambling problem, 13 percent of the respondents said they had “been affected” by someone - spouses, family members, friends and co-workers - who did.
Conducted in October and November, the poll involved telephone calls to 1,600 randomly selected adults. Each respondent was asked 96 questions.
Buying a lottery ticket was considered a form of gambling.
“There is so much information here, it’s a bit overwhelming,” said Doug Ballou, a managing partner with Whitworth Ballou, a Kansas City marketing firm that assembled the questionnaire and oversaw the interviews.
Ballou presented an overview of the findings during a Wednesday morning meeting of the Kansas Coalition on Problem Gambling.
KDADS officials said they would use the survey to put together a policy on how best to spend the state’s problem gambling fund, which is expected to reach $8 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Kansas law stipulates that 2 percent of the net revenue generated by the three state-owned casinos – Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Boot Hill Casino in Dodge City, Hollywood Casino in Kansas City – be spent on programs and services for people with addictive behaviors: alcoholism, drug abuse and problem gambling.
Net revenue is defined as the slot-machine and table-game income minus payouts.
In an email sent to members of the Kansas Association of Addiction Professionals last month, a KDADS official said there likely would be less money for prevention and treatment services in the proposed budget for fiscal 2014, which begins July 1, 2013. The amount of the reduction, if any, remains unclear.
Gov. Sam Brownback is expected to release his proposed budget on Jan. 16, the day after his state of the state address. The Legislature is then free to add or subtract from the the governor's spending plan.
In the current fiscal year, the 2 percent set-aside is expected to generate about $7 million, most of which is used to underwrite Medicaid-funded drug and alcohol abuse programs. KDADS treatment and prevention efforts receive about $750,000.
Several coalition members said expected the governor to propose eliminating state-funded support for prevention and treatment services.
The state’s toll-free hotline for problem gamblers (1-800-522-4700) fielded 691 calls last month.
The Brownback administration has not ruled out implementing the Medicaid expansion called for in the federal health reform law.
But a spokesman today told members of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Policy Oversight that prior to making a decision administration officials want to develop their own estimate of how many Kansans are likely to sign up for the health care program and how much the expansion would cost the state.
“We’re continuing to study the issue,” said Mark Dugan, chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer. “We would like to come to you with our own numbers.”
Currently, there are several competing estimates of how the expansion would affect Medicaid enrollment and the cost of the program. The latest, released earlier this month by the Kansas Health Institute indicated that approximately 240,000 additional low-income, disabled and elderly Kansans would enroll in a program that currently serves about 380,000. According to the KHI analysis, expanding Medicaid would cost the state an additional $519 million between its implementation in 2014 and 2020.
The KHI projections are higher than those in a 2010 report prepared for the now defunct Kansas Health Policy Authority and also higher than those in a state-by-state analysis done in 2010 by the Kaiser Family Foundation. However, they considerably less than those estimated in 2011 by the Kansas Policy Institute, a conservative think-tank based in Wichita, which has opposed the Affordable Care Act.
The KHI News Service is an editorially independent program of KHI.
Currently, Kansas’ Medicaid eligibility criteria for adults are among the most restrictive in the nation. Only those with children are eligible and only then if they earn less than 32 percent of the Federal Poverty Level — $5,900 a year for a family of four.
The ACA expansion would have a bigger impact in Kansas than many states. It would raise the eligibility threshold for all Kansans to 133 percent of FPL — $30,660 for a family of four.
Two of the four legislators who braved inclement weather to attend Thursday’s meeting of the 12-member committee made it clear that they favored the expansion.
Rep. Don Hill, a moderate Republican from Emporia, said that virtually all legislators regardless of party and ideology agree that the current health care system is broken and in need of reform to lower costs and reduce the number of people who are either uninsured and under-insured.
He said while the ACA is far from perfect, “it has some redeeming elements.” One of those, he said, is the Medicaid expansion because of its potential to extend coverage to many of the state’s 365,000 uninsured.
Citing the federal government’s promise to shoulder the cost of serving all those made eligible by the expansion for the first three years, Sen. David Haley, a Kansas City Democrat, asked, “Why can’t we cover more Kansans and why shouldn’t we?”
“I think we’re going to take a good look at it,” Dugan answered.
But, Dugan said, a factor that must be considered is whether or not the cash-strapped federal government can be counted on to keep its funding promise. After paying all of the costs of the expansion for three years, the federal government would gradually reduce its commitment until it reached 90 percent, where it would be maintained.
“He (Gov. Brownback) doesn’t have a high degree of confidence in the federal government maintaining that 90 percent commitment over the long term,” Dugan said.
Dugan said the federal government missed an opportunity to negotiate a compromise with Republican governors skeptical of the expansion when it rejected the idea of allowing states to increase eligibility to only 100 percent of FPL.
“That was an opportunity for middle ground that was lost,” he said.
Like many Kansans, Rick Cagan spent much of last weekend reading and listening to news reports about the gunman who killed 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.
Cagan had a professional reason for learning what he could about the tragedy. He runs the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Kansas Chapter office in Topeka.
“It’s devastating,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
According to initial news reports, the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, may have suffered from a personality disorder or had been diagnosed with Asperger’s, a form of autism. However, there is no indication that he had the kind of severe mental illness suffered by others responsible for mass shootings.
Jared Loughner, the man convicted of shooting former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killing six others, for instance, suffered from schizophrenia, a mental illness that causes disordered thinking and delusions.
And James Holmes, the man accused of shooting 12 people to death and wounding 58 others last summer at a movie theater in a Denver sought mental health treatment before the attack, according to multiple news reports.
Mass shootings nearly always rekindle debates about gun control and the adequacy of the nation’s mental health system. Commenting on the later, Cagan said many Kansans with mental illness are not getting the early treatment they need to avoid crises.
“More than 60 percent of the adults who have a serious mental illness are untreated,” he said, noting that in Kansas half the admissions to the state hospitals for the mentally ill involve people who’ve had no previous contact with their community’s mental health center.
In Kansas, state-hospital admissions are reserved for adults who are seriously mentally ill and have been deemed a danger to themselves or others.
“NAMI is always reluctant to jump in with some sort of comment when these kinds of incidents occur because there’s so much that we don’t know,” Cagan said, referring to the shootings. “But, still, blaming the individual only goes so far. At some point, we have to look at the overall well-being of our mental health system.”
Budget cuts in the mental health system
Kansas’ system, he said, hasn’t fared well in recent years.
“I don’t like saying this,” Cagan said, “but we’re just lucky this didn’t happen in Kansas.”
Like Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Bob Laszewski is a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care Act.
Despite that, the Washington, D.C. consultant said at a meeting here today that Brownback is making a mistake by refusing to partner with the federal government to run the Kansas health insurance purchasing exchange that the law requires to be operational by 2014.
“Do the partnership. That is a no-brainer,” Laszewski said to about 100 legislators, lobbyists and health care providers at a meeting sponsored by the Kansas Health Institute, the parent organization of the KHI News Service.
Laszewski, whose client list consists mostly of health insurance companies, said it’s time for opponents of the law to stop fighting it and start doing what they can to ensure that it is implemented in a way that does the least harm to the industry and consumers. One way to do that, he said, would be to implement exchanges – new online marketplaces – that encourage competition among insurance companies rather than rely on regulations to moderate increases in premiums.
“Putting the insurance exchange up doesn’t mean you support the thing (the reform law), it means you are trying to minimize the damage,” Laszewski said, predicting that premiums in the individual and small-group markets would go up no matter who runs the exchanges.
Brownback last year blocked Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger’s attempts to establish a state-operated exchange, returning a $31.5 million federal grant in the process. Last month, the governor told Praeger, who also is a Republican, that he would not support her efforts to partner with the federal government to operate and fund the Kansas exchange.
“Kansans feel Obamacare is an overreach by Washington and have rejected the state’s participation in this federal program," Brownback said, explaining his decision.
Try again
Praeger, who also spoke at the KHI meeting, said she would try once more before a Feb. 15 federal deadline to convince the governor and legislators that partnering on an exchange would be better than allowing the federal government to run it. Federal officials recently extended the deadline in an effort to accommodate states where governors had opposed or held out on state participation pending the outcome of the November national elections.
“There is still some opportunity for us to retain some control,” Praeger said. “Our department looks forward to working with the Legislature and the governor to see if that still is an option. The decision really rests with them.”
Praeger said partnering with the federal government would allow her department to retain authority to approve the plans marketed in the exchange and manage consumer protection efforts. She said it might also prevent federal officials from over-regulating the exchange.
The ACA calls on states to expand Medicaid eligibility to include adults earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level — $30,660 a year for a family of four. But the U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year that upheld the law also made the program expansion optional for states.
Implementing the expansion in Kansas would make more than 300,000 additional adults eligible for a program that today serves approximately 380,000 Kansans – mainly women, children, seniors in nursing homes and people with disabilities.
A KHI analysis handed out at the meeting estimated that about 240,000 additional Kansans would enroll in Medicaid if the expansion were implemented in 2014, including 122,185 adults and 117,886 children. According to the analysis, expanding Medicaid would cost the state an additional $519 million between 2014 and 2020.
The projected cost and enrollment figures in the KHI analysis are higher than those in a 2010 report prepared for the now-defunct Kansas Health Policy Authority and also higher than those in a state-by-state analysis prepared in 2010 by the Kaiser Family Foundation. But the costs projected in the KHI analysis were considerably less than those estimated in 2011 by the Kansas Policy Institute, a conservative think-tank based in Wichita, which has opposed the Affordable Care Act and its implementation. The Kansas Policy Institute also projected the program’s cost through 2023.
Currently, the state’s Medicaid eligibility criteria for adults are among the most restrictive in the nation. Only those with children are eligible and then only if they earn less than 32 percent of FPL – $5,900 a year for a family of four.
Brownback hasn’t said whether he plans to implement or recommend the expansion for Kansas. But he has said that he doubts the federal government would keep its promise to initially pay 100 percent of the cost of serving all those newly made eligible by the Medicaid expansion. Under current law, the federal commitment would be good for the first three years, drop to 95 percent in 2017 and then to 90 percent in 2020, where it would remain.
Medicaid leverage
Laszewski said covering currently uninsured Kansans in Medicaid would be significantly cheaper for taxpayers than providing them with tax credits to purchase private coverage in the exchange. And he said by agreeing to the expansion, Brownback and other Republican governors might be able to get federal officials to agree to their long-standing request to convert the program to block grants to states with fewer restrictions on how the money is spent.
“Put up or shut up, that’s what I say to Republican governors,” Laszewski said. “It gives you leverage to get what you’ve always said you wanted — autonomy. Go to the Obama administration and say, ‘OK, we’ll expand Medicaid but we’re not going to do it your way.’”
The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department will be closed for two days this week in order to finish implementation of an electronic health record system.
The clinic and staff offices will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 5, as well as Dec. 26 while it trains staff on the new system.
Douglas County is now the fifth in the state to have its health department transition from paper health records to an electronic system. The others are Johnson, Wyandotte, Shawnee and Lyon counties, according to the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments.
Since 2009, use of electronic health records (EHRs) has been surging among hospitals and doctors, thanks to federal incentives to make the costly transition.
But of Kansas' 100 health departments, only Shawnee and Lyon qualified for the incentives because they are also Federally Qualified Health Centers.
In Lawrence, it made sense to implement an EHR even without the incentives, said Jennie Henault, director of Administrative Services. She said the new EHR system also will include new staff scheduling and reporting systems, both of which will greatly improve efficiency.
She said scheduling had been done in Excel, software made for spreadsheets. Consequently it was cumbersome to schedule a single appointment that spanned two program areas, such as immunizations and family planning. It also was not uncommon for staff members to double book or delete appointments scheduled by others.
"It was just very very easy to make mistakes or overwrite each other," Henault said.
Likewise, she said the reporting system will save staff members countless hours of manually compiling reports due to limitations of the current system.
"That was one of the biggest things we thought about, even after we found out we wouldn't be eligible for the incentives," Henault said. "Especially for time-sensitive information. For some grant funding and some mandated reporting, you have to be able to get that information quickly. And our health board wants more information, our director wants more information. It just doesn't make sense to keep wasting time manually counting things and going through pages and pages of reports."
An added benefit, she said, would be the capability of connecting to the statewide Kansas Health Information Exchange, which began exchanging patient data this summer. The exchange allows connected health care providers to use a private, secure network connection to quickly transfer digital health records instead of relying on fax machines or patients to deliver paper records.
When the health department would connect to the exchange, Henault couldn't predict — but when it does it will primarily be useful for immunization records and family planning records, such as Pap test results or medications lists, she said.
Cost-benefit analysis
It makes sense for the state's largest health departments to implement EHR systems, said Michelle Ponce, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments. But it doesn't for most smaller health departments because of their lower client volume and limited budgets.
Kansas has become the first state in the country to connect to the national disease outbreak surveillance system via a digital health information exchange.
Officials at BioSense — the syndromic surveillance system at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — said that the Kansas Health Information Network on Friday became the first HIE to begin contributing data. Various individual hospitals nationwide already are linked to the system.
Previously just one Kansas hospital — St. Luke’s South in Kansas City, Kan. — was connected to the CDC system, which keeps constant tabs on 89 syndrome categories as mandated by the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness Response Act of 2002.
More hospitals contributing
With KHIN joining the system, 10 more Kansas hospitals are now submitting surveillance data to BioSense. And as more Kansas hospitals connect to KHIN, outbreak surveillance in the state will expand, a state health official said.
Kansas state epidemiologist Charlie Hunt said that his office at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment connected to BioSense this spring, but — with just one hospital contributing data — its usefulness for detecting an outbreak in Kansas was limited.
"The highway was built but there was only one car on it. Now there are a lot more cars traveling the highway and we'll be able to utilize the information better. As more facilities begin submitting data to BioSense through KHIN obviously the scope, the breadth and depth of information will be better for us," Hunt said. "This has a lot of potential for us to get information that we have not really had access to before, or information that we've collected in a manual process."
For example, during the H1N1 flu outbreak starting in 2009, KDHE asked hospitals to manually report influenza symptoms observed using a system made for reporting bed availability.
"That was a very labor-intensive process for them to go through their electronic health record system, manually pull out the number of patients (with flu-like symptoms) and then enter it into a separate system," Hunt said. "Once we get high enough participation in BioSense, we'll be able to query the system for influenza-like symptoms rather than have to have the hospitals report to us separately."
Reporting categories
Among the 89 reporting categories are a wide variety of symptoms that — when aggregated across larger geographic areas — can reveal any number of possible outbreaks tied to a common diagnosis, including: asthma, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, hemorrhages, rashes and even spates of vehicle crashes.
Eliminating the routine use of antibiotics in livestock would be the single most effective way to improve public health by changing the way meat is produced in the U.S., said the keynote speaker at a conference here today.
The second most effective approach would be to aggressively enforce existing anti-trust laws and thereby increase competition in the livestock industry and foster more small-scale production, said Bob Martin, a senior policy advisor for Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore.
"If we were only going to do two things, I think those would be the most transformative things we could do," Martin told about 75 attendees of “Healthy Farms, Healthy People: Agriculture and Health Summit."
The summit was organized by the Kansas Rural Center in partnership with the Kansas Farmers Union and the Kansas Health Institute. It was funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a grant provided to the National Network of Public Health Institutes.
The policies that Martin listed as priorities were among 24 recommendations made in 2008 by the National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, for which he was executive director.
"We looked at antibiotic overuse as the No. 1 public health concern because it adds significantly to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that find its way into the community through a number of pathways," he said. "We're creating resistant bacteria, stronger bacteria that can infect human populations. And then we're seriously inhibiting our ability to fight those infections...I don't think it's alarmist to say we're on the verge of that point where we won't have effective antibiotics."
Overuse of antibiotics goes hand-in-hand with large-scale operations, Martin said.
"The type of operation that is most likely to misuse antibiotics are the large-scale operations where the animals are overcrowded and waste management is a problem. They stand over their own waste and it's flushed out from the barn a couple times a day. Those environments are really good breeding grounds for bacteria. So to suppress the infection rate, low levels of antibiotics are administered on a routine basis," Martin said.
"It's really true in this setting, the old adage 'what doesn't kill them makes them stronger.'"
The Kansas Livestock Association raised concerns about Martin’s views prior to the summit but no one from the organization attended or could be reached for comment afterwards.
However, the Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest agriculture organization was represented. Meagan Cramer, KFB communications director, said her members welcomed discussions about the health impacts of modern, industrialized agriculture on consumers’ health. But she said some typical Kansas farmers should have been included in the line-up of presenters at the summit.
“That voice was maybe left out a little bit,” Cramer said. But she quickly added, “I think these types of discussions are good and they are becoming more mainstream.”
Consolidation big issue
Paul Johnson grows produce and lobbies for the Kansas Rural Center. He attributed much of the consolidation in the agriculture industry to the farm bill, the primary driver of federal agriculture and food policy. Among other things, it outlines agriculture subsidies and farm credits, conservation policy, and food and nutrition programs. It is the source of intense debate when the bill is renewed every five years or so.
"Concentration and consolidation have built off the farm bill politics. Eighty-five percent of all our farm payments from 1985 to 2009 went to 20 percent of farms. A third of our farms got no help at all from USDA payments," Johnson said.
As a result, Kansas has lost 90 percent of its hog farms since 1978. Today, he said, 319 farms account for 95 percent of hog sales in the state.
Over the same period, the number of Kansas dairies has dropped from 5,600 to 420, Johnson said. "Twenty of those have 65 percent of the cows," he said.
In beef production, "One percent of the cattle farms do half the sales in our state. About 10 percent do 75 percent of the sales," Johnson said.
Johnson said Kansas could create its own farm and food plan to counter consolidation forces and encourage smaller-scale agriculture.
"We have many resources to draw from in the state," he said, citing the beginning farm loan program out of Kansas Development Finance Authority, the Kansas State University Research and Extension, the marketing division in the Kansas Department of Agriculture. "People need to be players at this point," he said.
Support for local producers
The connection between the industrialization of agriculture and the nutritional value of the food Americans eat was what Emily Hampton and Ashley Craff came to hear about and discuss. The women work for Farmers and Educators United, a Lawrence-based program that facilitates getting locally produced food into childcare centers.
A child advocacy organization is criticizing Gov. Sam Brownback for restricting access to some programs that help low-income Kansans while more children and families are slipping into poverty.
Shannon Cotsoradis, chief executive of Kansas Action for Children, said recent changes made by the Brownback administration to tighten eligibility criteria for cash and child-care assistance programs are making it harder for some struggling families.
Cotsoradis cited data in 2012 KIDS COUNT report released on Thursday. It showed that the numbers of Kansas children enrolled in Medicaid and receiving food stamps had gone up significantly while the numbers receiving cash and child-care subsidies had gone down.
“You see this huge discrepancy in the data,” Cotsoradis said. “It just doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Angela de Rocha, a spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Children and Families, defended the administration’s policy changes as efforts to encourage people to become more self-reliant.
“I think we should be praised, not criticized,” she said.
According to the new KIDS COUNT report, 21 percent of Kansas children are living in poverty, up from 18 percent in 2007. The average number of children enrolled in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance (food stamp) Program rose to more than 136,000 in 2011 – an increase of nearly 40,000 since 2007.
Also, nearly half of all school-aged children in Kansas – 48.6 percent – qualified for free or federally subsidized lunches this year. That is an increase of almost 10 percentage points in four years.
Over the same period, the report shows that the number of families receiving cash-assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program has been trending down. In 2011, there were 25,981 families that received assistance, down from 26,633 in 2007. Families receiving child-care assistance decreased to 19,735 in 2011 from 21,025 in 2007.
Officials at the Kansas Department of Children and Families anticipate that the TANF numbers will continue to drop. The official caseload estimate released earlier this month by the Kansas Legislative Research Department says the agency anticipates spending $2.4 million less from the state general fund to support the program in the 2014 budget year “due to the continuation of recent changes in policies.”
Cotsoradis said that explanation “confirms that they (administration officials) are creating barriers to those programs.”
But de Rocha said the declining numbers of families receiving cash and child-care assistance isn’t necessarily the result of the policy changes. She said it could mean that many have gotten full-time jobs because of the department’s insistence that they comply with job-search, training and part-time work requirements.
“It is either people who got a job or who don’t want to cooperate with the job-search and work requirements,” she said. “All we’re saying is ‘we’re happy to help you get back on your feet, but you need to find a job.’”
Cotsoradis said the changes to the assistance programs seemed at odds with Brownback’s campaign promise to make reducing childhood poverty one of his administration’s top priorities.
On Wednesday, the governor appointed a 12-member task force and charged its members to report back with “concrete ideas” on reducing childhood poverty.
“All too often in our state, children who are living in poverty today become tomorrow’s poor parents,” Brownback said. “Intergenerational poverty such as this affects our state’s long-term productivity and wellbeing. We need concrete ideas on how to change this pattern.”
The first task force meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday in the Kansas Board of Regents Conference Room on the 5th floor of the Curtis State Office Building in Topeka.
How methods used to produce food affect the health of those who eat it will be examined at a conference here Friday.
The “Healthy Farms, Healthy People: Agriculture and Health Summit" is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 16 at Topeka’s Ramada Inn (register here). About 120 people are expected to attend, said organizer Julie Mettenburg, executive director of the Kansas Rural Center.
"The point of the day is to start a wide-ranging discussion about a variety of health issues in our communities that intersect with agriculture," Mettenburg said. "For example, the issues surrounding consolidation in the farm industry. We are concerned about antibiotic use, chemical use, and pollution of our water, air and soil. But we don't advocate a certain agenda that anyone will be pushing that day. We work with farmers to find alternative practices."
Among the scheduled speakers is Bob Martin, a senior policy advisor for John Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore. Mettenburg said he was invited to speak, in part, because of his experience as executive director of the National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. Among other things, the commission recommended fostering more competition in the livestock market and banning non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in animal husbandry.
Officials at the Kansas Livestock Association recently raised concerns about Martin’s appearance because of his support for the "Meatless Mondays" campaign.
That initiative was briefly proposed this summer by officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a way of encouraging agency staff to cut meat from their diets for a day. Protests from the beef industry caused the department to abandon the campaign.
Todd Domer, communications director for the livestock association, said he could not specify what Martin's tie was to Meatless Mondays other than "he's a supporter."
"We didn't ask to keep him off the program, but we did express some concern over what message he might deliver," Domer said.
"Obviously, we would oppose Meatless Monday for a variety of reasons," he said. "It's pretty apparent that animal agriculture is vitally important to our state. Our members are really proud to continue producing a safe, great-tasting, nutritious product in the most sustainable way we know how and we try to get better at doing that every day."
At least one representative of the association is planning to attend the conference, Domer said.
Mettenburg, a beef producer, said she doesn’t know whether Martin plans to mention the Meatless Monday campaign. But she acknowledged some topics at the summit could be controversial.
About 100 people rallied outside the Kansas Statehouse Nov. 9, urging state officials to expand Medicaid eligiblity as provided for in the federal health reform law.
A Lawrence pastor cast the expansion as a Christian imperative during a call-and-response exercise with the crowd.
“If Jesus was up in the Capitol would he make a choice to keep 130,000 people without care?” said the Rev. Joshua Longbottom, associate pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence.
"No," the crowd shouted.
“If Jesus was up in the Capitol, would he tell families that they just need to get better jobs so that they could afford to take care of themselves?” Longbottom asked.
Again, the answer was "no."
“Did Jesus say, ‘I’m sorry you can’t get to the well, Mr. Leper, but you need to cultivate some self-reliance’?” Longbottom said.
“No,” the crowd yelled.
“So I ask the question, Gov. Brownback, ‘What would Jesus do?” Longbottom said. “I thought the mark of his ministry was caring for the ill, caring for the sick, caring for the dispossessed, caring for the marginalized, caring the first for the least.”
Longbottom said he hoped the governor wasn’t a “…politician who puts on his Christianity like it’s a cardigan (sweater), using it to gain access to a constituency.”
Brownback, a conservative Republican, has been outspoken about his Christianity and penned a spiritual autobiography titled "From Power to Purpose."
He's been a consistent political foe of the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, first in the U.S. Senate and later as governor.
He has said repeatedly that the majority of Kansans are opposed to the reform law and cites the success of the law's opponents in recent state elections as the proof.
Expansion not ruled out
Last week, the governor announced that he would block the state’s participation in a state-federal insurance exchange, one of the hallmarks of the new law. But unlike some Republican governors, he hasn't ruled out the possibility he would support some sort of Medicaid expansion.
"The Medicaid expansion is a separate issue" from the insurance exchange, said chief Brownback spokesperson Sherriene Jones-Sontag in an email Friday to KHI News Service in response to a question asking if the governor would oppose opening up the program.
"We are continuing to discuss options and alternatives with like-minded states and with our legislative partners in Kansas," she said.
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act, but said the law couldn't oblige states to expand their Medicaid programs. The law gives states the option of expanding their Medicaid programs to include adults earning up to 133 percent of federal poverty guidelines.
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger said today that she wants to meet this week with Gov. Sam Brownback about how to move forward with implementation of the federal health reform law.
Specifically, Praeger said she wants to talk to Brownback about the state partnering with the federal government on a health insurance purchasing exchange. Kansas no longer has the option of designing its own online insurance marketplace but it can still partner on one with federal officials, if it acts quickly, she said.
Praeger said partnering with the federal government on an exchange would allow the state to maintain its authority to review and license insurance plans.
Praeger, a moderate Republican who supports the reform law, said she must let federal officials know by Friday, Nov. 16 whether the state intends to partner on an exchange. But she said she needs the governor’s blessing on that and a grant application her department has prepared, which must be submitted by Thursday, Nov. 15.
“The governor needs to agree that he won’t oppose us applying for the grant,” Praeger said. “He doesn’t have to give tacit approval necessarily, but just indicate it’s OK if we want to move forward on this.”
Brownback, a conservative Republican, voted against the Affordable Care Act as a member of the U.S. Senate and as governor has tried to block its implementation pending the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the law and then later the outcome of the presidential race.
Brownback in August 2011 rejected a $31.5 million federal grant intended to help Kansas develop an exchange as part of a program to develop models for other states to use.
Praeger said President Obama’s re-election means that the reform law won’t be repealed. It also means that states that have been slow to act will have to play catch up to meet approaching implementation deadlines.
Under the law, each state is to have an exchange operational by Jan. 2014.
“It’s time to stop resisting,” Praeger said.
Detailed spending proposals for the coming fiscal year prepared by officials at the state’s three top health agencies outline how Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration is planning to cap or cut spending on a broad range of health-related programs.
The governor’s formal budget recommendations for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1, 2013, won’t be delivered to the Legislature until January when its new session begins. But agency chiefs were told as early as August by the governor to keep spending in check and to present alternatives for cutting 10 percent from each department’s upcoming state general fund budget.
The documents presented by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to the state budget office as part of the governor’s budget building process were obtained by KHI News Service and are made available here.
Administration officials declined to answer questions about their spending plans.
“We will not comment on the budget proposal at this time,” said Angela de Rocha, spokesperson for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
Fading state aid
But there is abundant comment contained in the budget documents themselves and representatives of many, if not all, the organizations and programs that rely upon state health dollars have been advised informally within the past couple of weeks by administration officials of the planned spending limits and possible cuts. However, none of the representatives interviewed by KHI News Service had been given the full details laid out in the documents.
“We actually had a meeting with the secretary (Shawn Sullivan of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services) but he didn’t give us any numbers,” said Cindy Luxem, chief executive of the Kansas Health Care Association, which represents for-profit nursing homes and some of the state’s providers of home and community-based services for the elderly.
“The providers at this stage of the game are not getting any kind of bump in the rates (for Medicaid services). The intention of the state is to keep the rates flat, essentially for the next two years, is what he told us,” she said.
Michelle Ponce, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments, said she was alerted that the “reduced resources” budget proposed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment could mean a cut in state aid to the local health agencies.
If adopted as outlined in the agency’s budget plan, 40 local health departments would see their state grants cut with the biggest decreases falling on the state’s largest local agencies.
“It’s maybe too early to tell you exactly what it would all mean,” Ponce said. “But it is unlikely all those agencies could absorb those cuts and maintain current services.”
Ponce said state support for local public health agencies hadn’t increased in years despite the added costs of inflation so any cuts would fall all the harder on the departments. She said association research had showed that since at least 1984, local governments have been stuck with absorbing the growing costs of health department programs as state aid has faded.
Health and Environment
Throughout the budget documents, officials note the need to hold down spending, though sometimes the notes are accompanied by caveats that seem to argue against some of the possible reductions.
At KDHE, officials said “that in recognition of the reality we find ourselves in as a state agency in the current budget environment, the (agency) will not be asking for budget enhancements” in fiscal 2014.
In fact, agency officials proposed total state general fund spending of about $1 million less than for fiscal 2013. About 80 percent of the agency’s $2.6 billion annual budget comes from fees, grants or federal aid as opposed to state tax dollars.
As part of the agency’s “reduced resources” options for cutting 10 percent from the state general fund portion of its budget, officials said they would trim administrative costs by almost 34 percent as a way to forestall more cuts to direct services.
Sixty officials from a variety of disciplines and from around the state gathered here today to grade Kansas' public health system by collectively answering a battery of 600 questions as part of the National Public Health Performance Standards Program.
Kansas is one of 23 states to conduct the evaluation and first did so in 2008, a year after the program was started by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Four years ago, however, only officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment participated, said Brenda Nickel, director of KDHE's Center for Performance Management.
"The intent at the time was to also conduct it with our external partners statewide. But in 2008, the recession was going on and that opportunity was never fully realized," she said. "What's going on here today with our external stateholders, I think is going to provide a richer report because we actually have those individuals with boots on the ground in communities, as well as state-level partners, who are helping answer these questions."
Participants split into three groups to each grade the state's public health system on 200 questions, such as:
• Does the state public health system commit financial resources to workforce development efforts?
• Does the system utilize the leadership of the state public health agency in planning and policy development?
• Does the system have the professional expertise to carry out effective health communications?
The quantity of questions to be answered in a single day left little time for discussion of each question before the group voted on a grade.
The pace of the evaluation helped keep the group focused and moving along, said participant Michelle Ponce, director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments.
"We don't have time to get caught up in the weeds or thinking through every single in and out — we have to limit ourselves to the big picture and stay focused on the larger system. It doesn't give you time to get mired down into who does what and who's responsibility exactly is it. We're focused on the system — what is everybody's responsibility, what do we do well, and what are the gaps," Ponce said.
The annual report of births, deaths and other vital statistics by the state health department is now available. The new data shows a decline in the Kansas birth rate to the lowest level since the record keeping began in 1912.
The abortion rate also continued to decline and reached the lowest level since 1971, which is when abortion reporting began.
The birth rate in 2011, according to the report, was 13.8 live births per 1,000 population.
There were 39,628 live births recorded, about 2 percent fewer than reported for 2010. The rate was slightly lower than the previous low of 13.9 births per 1,000 population in 1973.
Births to young mothers, those under age 20, were down 8.6 percent.
Among the other report findings:
• Cancer again topped heart disease as the leading cause of death.
• Injuries from accidents and pneumonia/influenza each rose one level in the ranking of top 10 causes of death, coming in at fourth and eighth respectively.
• There were 247 infant deaths in 2011, a decrease of 2.4 percent from the 253 deaths in 2010. Pregnancy associated maternal deaths increased to 24 in 2011 from 19 in 2010.
• The number of reported abortions fell from 8,373 in 2010 to 7,885 in 2011. The ratio was 99.6 abortions per 1,000 live births.
→ More Kansas vital stats from 2011 in the full report, available on khi.org.
Amid national concerns that the seriously mentally ill are dying from preventable diseases, a leading Kansas healthcare philanthropy is about to make a down payment on a multi-year initiative aimed at integrating physical and mental health services for safety-net patients.
Within the next couple weeks, the Sunflower Foundation expects to open a competitive grant program that Chief Executive Billie Hall said likely would provide more than $1 million in funds to selected health providers focusing on integrated patient care. Foundation officials expect to award the grants by March.
“When we made the decision to get into this particular area,” Hall said, “we knew it would be a long horizon. We know we are in for five, maybe 10 years, depending on how things go in our state.”
The foundation’s board chose the initiative as a major priority about 18 months ago.
To date, Hall said, the foundation has spent about $50,000 sending some providers from different Kansas clinics to visit Cherokee Health Systems in Tennessee, which has 43 clinical sites in that state and a history of melding medical and mental health services.
Integration can mean having mental health and primary medical care agencies housed in the same building, said Melody Martin, a program officer with the foundation. But that is not the only way to do it, she said.
For instance, community health centers in Lawrence and Newton now have social workers or behavioral health specialists who work alongside the clinics’ medical teams.
At Heartland Community Health Center in Lawrence, behavioral health specialist Karin Denes-Collar technically is employed by Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, which is located several blocks to the west of the clinic. But her office is at Heartland, where she consults daily with the medical staff about the conditions of various patients.
For example, she said, a patient with diabetes might also suffer depression in ways that could hinder the treatments for the underlying medical conditions. A homeless man with a chronic physical malady likely also struggles with a range of other problems that compound the illness. Assistance with those problems might best come from a social worker.
Reconnecting kinds of care
Area providers and national experts alike say that better coordination of care is essential to proper treatment for the mentally ill.
In an April 2009 paper, the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare said that persons with serious mental illness were dying 25 years earlier than the rest of the population largely because treatable conditions — such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease — had gone unmanaged.
“The bottom line is that the mind and body are connected,” said Tim DeWeese, director of clinical services at the Johnson County Mental Health Center in Mission. “And so the more physically healthy you are, the more mentally healthy you are going to be and vice versa. I think it’s really just reconnecting the two things. I don’t know where we got off base.”
The Sunflower Foundation is building upon a pilot project started two years ago by a subsidiary of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas in collaboration with the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved (KAMU)
Providers from nearly a dozen communities, including Heartland in Lawrence, were part of the pilot, said Connie Hubbell, director of governmental affairs at KAMU. The participants collected data for about a year starting in early 2011.
Undertaken with little funding, Hubbell said the pilot yielded results that were encouraging nonetheless. For instance, data compiled on 81 patients indicated an 8 percent reduction in monthly expenses per patient.
“So we know it’s out there,” she said. “We know it can happen. The integrated model is cost effective, it does save money, and it’s much more appropriate for the patient.”
Integration in action
One of the biggest challenges, Hubbell said, is successfully melding the consultative atmosphere of mental health with the often-frenetic pace that goes with providing primary care in a safety-net clinic.
A Kansas health consumer group is planning a post-election rally at the Statehouse in support of expanding the state’s Medicaid program.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer today headlined an event in Overland Park that was sponsored by a conservative think tank that opposes broadening the Medicaid program. Colyer, however, didn't make explicit what intentions, if any, the administration of Gov. Sam Brownback might have with respect to the issue.
Anna Lambertson, executive director of the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, said the group "wants to get the dialogue started," on the potential benefits for Kansans, if policymakers here decide they will open up eligibility to include adults earning up to 133 percent of federal poverty guidelines.
Currently, the state's Medicaid program is mostly restricted to poor children, pregnant women, the disabled and the elderly. A non-disabled adult rearing children is currently eligible for Medicaid, if his or her income is below 32 percent of the poverty level – about $5,200 a year for a young mother with two children.
Kansas’ eligibility threshold is among the lowest in the nation.
Affordable Care Act
Under the federal Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, states would have the option of expanding their Medicaid programs to include adults with incomes at or below 133 percent of federal poverty guidelines or about $30,700 a year for a parent in a four-person household or about $14,900 a year for a childless adult.
Brownback, an outspoken critic of the health reform law, has said he won't consider any aspect of the health reform law's implementation, including a possible Medicaid expansion, until after the Nov. 6 election.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has pledged to repeal the law, if elected.
Governors in at least six states – Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas – have said they will reject the expansion, citing concerns that it would prove to be too expensive and would expand – rather than shrink – the role of government.
Governors in at least 13 states have said they will expand the program.
According to a preliminary estimate by analysts at the Kansas Health Institute, if the expansion is approved here it could add 130,000 people to Kansas Medicaid by 2019.
Colyer was the main speaker at a Kansas Policy Institute (KPI) meeting today in Overland Park that drew about 60 people. He confined his remarks to describing the administration's rationale and goals for its KanCare Medicaid reforms.
He didn't offer new information, but instead repeated points he and other administration officials have made in various venues since unveiling their plan about a year ago. He didn't touch on the question of Medicaid expansion and did not take queries from the audience before leaving for another engagement.
'Crowd out'
But earlier in the two-hour event, KPI President Dave Trabert said that expanding Medicaid in the state could increase the program's enrollment by 254,000 people by 2023 and increase state general fund spending on Medicaid by $4.7 billion within a decade.
Under the law, the federal government, starting Jan. 1, 2014, would finance 100 percent of the costs of covering the newly eligible Medicaid enrollees for three years: 2014, 2015, and 2016.
The federal match would drop to 95 percent in 2017; 94 percent in 2018; 93 percent in 2019; and 90 percent in 2020 and beyond.
Currently, the federal government picks up about 57 percent of the state’s Medicaid cost. The state pays the remainder.
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warc | 201704 | People have always appreciated the timeless appeal of wood, and timber products are naturally durable, versatile and cost-effective. Recognizing this, Marshall Turner and a team of timber construction specialists founded Western Wood Structures in 1969. Their innovative ideas in the design, sale and installation of engineered wood systems resulted in the company becoming an industry leader. Today, under the leadership of Steve Turner, the company continues to leverage more than 45 years of experience in the design and wholesale distribution of engineered glulam beams and arches, heavy timber trusses, timber bridges, the repair of wood beams and trusses, and VARAX domes.
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warc | 201704 | In H.G. Wells’ novel (and Steven Spielberg’s movie) War of the Worlds, aliens invade Earth fully intending to destroy it. Despite our best efforts to defend ourselves, we’re clearly losing until suddenly all the aliens start dying off. Scientists later discover the aliens had no immunity against Earth’s bacteria. The evil aliens were out of their territory and paid the price with their lives. With Read More
Posted 03/24/2014 A hip replacement should not cost $13,000 in Iowa and $130,000 in New Jersey. That’s just crazy. Virtually everyone agrees that under our existing healthcare system the price of services–from a five-minute office visit to an appendectomy–needs some kind of regulation and standardization. And yet the standardization of prices is definitely not the same as the standardization of care. Yes, there are some Read More
Few patients truly grasp what it means when your primary care physician contracts into an insurance network. Actually, until doctors (including me!) have been under contract for a few years, we’re sort of confused about it ourselves. And it doesn’t help that in-network contracts vary widely among health insurance companies. Basically, the in-network doctor has agreed to accept a fee schedule very much discounted from Read More
The entire healthcare system is rapidly changing. Despite the flaws in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I believe it’s a positive that virtually everyone now has access to medical care. When one of America’s poorest states, West Virginia, enrolled tens of thousands of impoverished citizens over a period of a few weeks, physicians observed a real decline in clinical depression. The ACA empowered this group, Read More
It’s funny how the mind works. You find yourself in a particular situation and as you mull over what to do, all of a sudden up pops a line from a movie. Good old Freud, always reliable when it comes to mining your subconscious. The question, from the aliens-invade-earth action flick Independence Day, is posed by the US president to a decidedly uncuddly ET, whose Read More | 2,134 | 1,156 | 0.000893 |
warc | 201704 | "The original idealism had been compromised by these homeless people. We lost the narrative." - Kalle Lasn complaining that the homeless people stepped on the OWS buzz in
- Kalle Lasn complaining that the homeless people stepped on the OWS buzz in
Vanity Fairarticle "An Oral History of Occupy Wall Street" by Max Chafkin with additional reporting by Alexandra Beggs, Mark Guiducci, Jaime Lalinde, Elizabeth Nicholas, Rebecca Sacks and Kaitlin Sanders
The seed idea for Occupy Wall Street came from the Vancouver, British Columbia-based anti-consumer, anti-capitalist publication
Adbusters, co-founded and edited by a man named Kalle Lasn.
Kalle Lasn is an advertising man, you see. A Pluto in Leo advertising man. He became disenchanted with the consumer capitalist version of advertising and decided to defect, starting a publication that advertised the counter-culture instead.
The glossy, edgy, hipster-cool version of counter-culture his publication advertises makes some good points. It works with some layers of the situation, but that's just it: it works with layers, not roots. And layers that still put way too much emphasis on money and consumer goods and the existential crisis over whether we should or should not be buying them. Layers that come from the perspective of the materially-privileged classes.
Getting you to buy or getting you to not buy - it's pretty close to the same intention.
And for people without expendable income, it really isn't all that much of a dilemma.
When you get down to it,
Adbustersis still a form of advertising-based reality-construction, using the underlying concepts of advertising and its visual panache to promote ideology. It keeps people's minds focused on the advertising and the versions of reality that advertising promotes, even if those versions areof the stark, edgy, graphically-stimulating, anti-consumer variety.
I fully supported the people speaking out through Occupy Wall Street, but I wasn't able to put my personal energy into the movement, and I wasn't directed to cover it on the site. When I found out the seed idea came from
Adbusters, I started to get a clearer understanding of why that might be.
The movement raises some very good, crucially pertinent issues. It got people together to talk about what's really going on in the world, outside the carefully-crafted versions coming from mainstream media. It made people feel that they were
doingsomething about the corruption, and that's important. But it didn't have the depth I needed to see in order to get really excited about it or even all that interested in it. There was an organic element and a grassroots fire that were missing, and I didn't feel it had the roots to address the issues I needed to see being addressed.
It's an interesting movement and one that fully utilizes the organizational power of the internet, but it has to be kept in context. The intense use of media - alternative, mainstream, or both - has a tendency to skew things by hyping up the broader importance of an event.
We've been protesting these issues for decades now. The World Trade Organization protests, including at the Battle in Seattle in 1999. The Free Trade Area of the Americas protests. The IMF. The G-8. The G-20. And on and on. Millions of people have protested worldwide. People know the score.
Hundreds of peacefully protesting people were doused with pepper spray and CS gas and were shot with rubber bullets at the Free Trade Area of the Americas protest in Quebec City in 2001, including yours truly. Police stood on one side of The Big Fence and let fly at us on the other side. That was common practise at protests in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Still lightweight considering the bullets unleashed on protesters are real in other countries around the world - I realized that even as I was choking on the CS gas. But none of that made the news or compelled a Jon Stewart "Are we in Canada right now?" commentary.
They say you should judge a society by how it treats its most vulnerable members, and Kalle Lasn and others complaining about homeless people showing up and stepping on their "excuse me, we're changing the world" buzz was a good indication for me that this movement - at least some of the primary players - didn't completely get it.
As I wrote in a previous article, those mentally ill homeless people have the most to be upset about as far as the Occupy Wall Street cause goes, and the "narrative" should have widened to include them, rather than making them pesky irritations that ruined their good time.
For a movement to have real legs, it needs to be about more than a certain segment's idealism and their cleansed version of feel-good community. It has to be about more than the middle and upper-middle classes being pissed off because the good jobs are gone and their pension funds are depleted.
If you replaced all the "good jobs" and the pension funds and the security of the hamster wheel, those people would be happy to rejoin the Pluto in Capricorn structures, but the structures would still be inherently corrupt and unjust. Most people on the planet would still be suffering, would still be poor, would still be put upon and enslaved by power structures that refuse them a dignified life.
We have an all-out war on the poor and working classes going on, and it's been going on for a long, long while. The middle and upper-middle classes are just finally being touched by it. And really, all most of them want is to get back into the fold. They just want back in the safe, secure 8 to 5 with dental and pension or whatever variation there might be. People want back on that treadmill, damn it. They don't want to be one of
thosepeople, one of the ones on the outside looking in. They're horrified to think of it.
But that version of things would still leave the billions of people for whom the treadmill is not even an option out in the cold. The destructiveness and toxicity of that treadmill would remain unaddressed, steamrolling ahead. And that's not good enough. The entire idea of "success" is faulty at this point, sickening really, and I hope Pluto makes sure people get their noses right down into the rot and holds them there until there can be absolutely no denying it.
"There's been a lot of stupid behavior. The protesters need to respect Mayor Bloomberg. You don't get to shout, "Fuck you, Mayor Bloomberg." It shows you don't have respect for human life." Pluto in Leo Joan Baez as quoted in
Pluto in Leo Joan Baez as quoted in
Vanity Fairarticle "An Oral History of Occupy Wall Street" by Max Chafkin with additional reporting by Alexandra Beggs, Mark Guiducci, Jaime Lalinde, Elizabeth Nicholas, Rebecca Sacks and Kaitlin Sanders
When I read this quote, I thought, "Is this chick for real? Am I being Punked? Is that show still even on?"
Folkie Joan Baez, supposed voice of the people, one of the voices of the 1960s revolutionary movements, is telling people they need to show more respect for their illegitimate authority figures?
Michael Bloomberg is the current mayor of New York City, of the elitist set. Of the 1%, if you will. His policies and leadership have facilitated the Pluto in Capricorn development steamroller over small, independent businesses that have been in New York City for decades, apartment buildings that have housed people from lower- and middle-income brackets, and character buildings with such deep and rich history that the demolition of them should bring people to their knees. A climate has been created whereby developers and speculators have been given free rein, driving people out of their homes and businesses, and setting rents at obscene levels. This man has ruined lives from his position of power.
The direction Bloomberg has taken in New York City and the doors he has opened to development and gentrification are inherently inhumane and destructive to life. Respect for people? Respect for any life lived below $250,000 per year? He doesn't have it. Bloomberg and his cronies have worked to develop a New York City that is a playground for the ultra rich, catering to their every infantile whim, while making life next to impossible for the groups of working people who made New York City what it was.
There are hundreds of thousands, probably millions of people who would love a chance to say "Fuck you" to Michael Bloomberg in the flesh, and I couldn't be happier that the protesters took their opportunity.
But yes, all hail Bloomberg. Respect your Pluto in Capricorn authority figures like good little citizens. So says Joan Baez.
If Kalle Lasn and Joan Baez are representative of what's left of the Pluto in Leo counter-culture, calling it out-of-touch would be charitable.
In reality, though they've been given a certain public role and may have the articulation to sway the crowd, they aren't the real heart and soul of the Pluto in Leo counter-culture. They're just people who have been held up to keep everyone else in line.
That said, pie-in-the-sky Pluto in Leo nostalgia for a 1960s reality that never even existed will continue to hinder the efforts of the Pluto in Virgos - the generation now responsible for practically and realistically applying the energy of the 1960s revolutionary movements.
We need to speak truth to power, but we also need to speak truth to power within the supposed counter-culture constructs. Things have gotten far too crystallized there. People are looking for leadership in areas that have grown fat, pampered, and a little too cosy with the good life offered by the systems they once critiqued.
We need to examine the personality politics and determine if the people held up as "voices of the times" really know what the hell they're talking about, really have any legitimacy at all under the current conditions.
And the people who do know what they're talking about: Please speak. Often. And loudly. | 9,929 | 4,370 | 0.00023 |
warc | 201704 | Deutsche Bank has released a report concluding that the cost of unsubsidized solar power is about the same as the cost of electricity from the grid in India and Italy, and that by 2014 even more countries will achieve solar “grid parity.”
During 2013, China is expected to supplant Germany as the world’s biggest solar market. China expects to add 10 gigawatts of new solar projects this year, “more than double its previous target and three times last year’s expansion.”
In 2012, U.S. solar installations grew 73% over 2011 levels, driven by third party leasing agreements that eliminate up front costs in rooftop installation. The price of installed PV systems fell 27%. | 706 | 441 | 0.002382 |
warc | 201704 | Common Spanish Verbs - Top 100
A verb is a word that shows a state of being or an action. Most sentences, in normal discourse, will have a verb. Common Spanish verbs forms are derived from the infinitive. Spanish infinitives are divided into three groups: -ar verbs, -er verbs, and -ir verbs. That is it! There are NO -ur verbs, or -or verbs as there would be in English.
Common Spanish verbs can be divided into two component parts: the stem--the part that remains after removing the -ar, -er, or -ir ending --and the ending -- the -ar, -er, or -ir that is attached to the stem. Both of these parts communicate vital information to the speaker and the listener . For example, the verb "hablar" means "to speak, to talk". The "person" tells who is speaking or who is being spoken to or about. First person is the speaker, "I" in English, "yo" in Spanish. Second person is the person(s) being spoken to, "you" in English, "tú, vosotros, usted, ustedes" in Spanish. Third person refers to the person(s) or thing(s) being spoken about, "he, she, it, they" in English, "él, ella, ellos, ellas" in Spanish. Number is simply singular or plural. For example, first person singular is "I" in English, "yo" in Spanish, while first person plural is "we" in English and "nosotros, nosotras" in Spanish. Tense is simply another word for time. It can only be past, present or future.
In addition to the various tenses, common Spanish verbs can exist in several different moods: indicative mood, subjunctive mood, conditional mood, and imperative mood. For example, the indicative mood is used to indicate state of being, or to express or ask for information. The subjunctive mood is used to express uncertainty, doubt, and denial. The imperative mood is used to give commands. The conditional mood expresses the concept of "would."
Another feature of common Spanish verbs we must be aware of is "aspect". The "perfect" is used in compound tenses, and it is formed by the auxiliary verb haber and the past participle of the main verb. An example in English would be, "I have studied", one example in Spanish is "(yo) he comido" (I have eaten). The imperfect is used to express past action that is ongoing, habitual or continuous. Finally, a Spanish verb can be non-progressive--"hablo", or progressive--"estoy hablando."
It is the seemingly innumerable combination of these four factors--person, number, tense, mood that result in the more than fifty forms which you will find in a Spanish verb table or Spanish verb chart. Although it will seem impossible at first, keep in mind that there are certain patterns which you will discover and these patterns will be the key in learning these many of these Spanish verb forms. You will never have success if you attempt to memorize every forms of every Spanish verb. The key to learning common Spanish verbs is being able to recognize repeating patterns.
The common Spanish verb lessons provided on this website use the following instructional strategies: Constructions, Cooperative Learning, Discussion/Questioning, Problem Solving, Reflection/Response and Practice/Drill.
The common Spanish verb lessons cover the first two levels and part of the third level of Bloom's Critical Thinking. Students should be able to exhibit previously learned material by recalling how to conjugate -er, -ir, and -ar verbs with level 1. They should also be able to translate and infer about the meanings of common Spanish verbs and vocabulary through level 2. Last, I expect many of the students to be able to apply and understand different patterns of common Spanish verbs and be able to construct sentences from these.
Students will exhibit different aspects of these levels during the guided quizzes and the games. It may take some students more time than others to reach the same understanding of the topic; however, we created this website so that students can continue to learn and review at home. Although the required time will vary, every student can reach the same level of achievement. With anything government funded comes the set guidelines and rules that have to be followed to stay funded. Within the IND and NDA, specific sections have great importance that can determine the end result of a sponsor’s attempt to market a commercial drug product. In the East, Germany would lose an important region for producing potatoes and wheat, the equivalent of twenty-one percent of the total harvest for potatoes and wheat. Israel is committed to withdraw from parts of the occupied territories, Arafat promised to change the text promoting the total destruction of Israel of the Charter of the PLO. On the other hand, one could look at this scenario in a completely different light simply from the fact that my mother is such an accomplished doctor. Even still, that man would have learned the hard way not to bring a knife to a frightened woman with a gun fight. This is the reason why many Bahamian citizen dislike migrants and the tension arises between the natives and the immigrants.
The horizontal distances are measured from the dots on the bond paper (on which a carbon paper is placed) to just below point B.
Many big time chocolate producers have received many documented warnings over years about their farms employing child slave laborers to produce cocoa. The Aztec Account of the Spanish, from the Messenger’s report is an article that appears in the book Broken Spears which was published in 1962 by the Beacon Press. It thinks that to improve the business environment, emerging nations need to invest more in health and education sectors, invest more in building new infrastructure and create more employment will fill make the economy stronger and healthier by pulling millions of people out of the poverty band.
There are several ways to be worked out with scrapping out these “yellow tagged” cars, labeled to be old and highly polluting, as people of China can look into sharing rides with others by carpooling. Retailers play a very important part in establishing the market for the product & work in line with its sales team. The Volunteer Ministers program have provided assistance in many recent natural and human produced disasters such as the 9/11 attacks, the recent earthquake in Nepal, and the Asian tsunami in 2004 (Lesley). This is in terms of the defensive of our newly independent government after colonization where Tunku is a pro western and anti-communist ideology and that is why we go for democracy. Qualfon Guyana has trended at between 8.3 - 8.8 (CSAT) since starting its business with CafePress, a customization company that focuses heavily on customer satisfaction ratings, even though the company’s in-house team (CafePress) has proven to generate higher numbers and the client’s goal is >9.0. These are just some of the issues that may affect the direct causal link between the inputs to HR and organizational performance (Sparrow et.
Influenced by changes brought on by the technology and the destruction of the “Great War,” the modernist writer questioned authority and established ideas. One Chinese immigrant who had previously lived in Germany blamed a lack of policies in Barcelona to help advance social integration of immigrants in the city as an important reason why he felt less socially included. Product layout is a plant layout uses a designed based on continuous flow of material and operation while process layout uses a different design. Bvumbe and Inambao, studied the technical and economic performance of a solar powered absorption cooling system for the Moot hospital in Pretoria to operate with the current installed system. What point is there in “educating” children about buying war bonds when they are not the target audience? Harmful microorganisms like bacteria, parasites, and viruses, as well as their toxins are common causes of food poisoning. While under the influence, they may find themselves exhibiting violent behaviour towards their family and to their community, which in turn gets them into trouble with the law. The Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, 1950 embraces within not only physical existence but equality of life.
Reliability can be explained as the capacity of the bank to accomplish the serviced promised to customers faithfully and accurately.
For each organization, information is an asset that most basic and very important, along with a variety of business assets as well as effective management is required when recording the information. While the interviews were structured in that everyone was asked the same questions in the same order, each participant was probed further to gain more information and related questions were asked. Bolos of Mendes, an Egyptian who lived at the beginning of the 2nd century BCE, wrote a treatise in which he combined ancient Egyptian alchemical practices with Greek metaphysical and physical conceptions. Suspended solids – this graph indicates that the suspended solids have not fluctuated dramatically as this analysis essentially measures the turbidity of the river system normally affected by weather or operations which increase erosion. | 9,260 | 4,288 | 0.000236 |
warc | 201704 | In Greater Lansing, the Tri-County Office on Aging's state-funded in-home services program provides about 120 residents with aides who help them get dressed, make meals or go to the doctor's office.
But another 300 are on an ever-growing waiting list.
"Right now, there are people who have been waiting a year," said Marion Owen, the agency's executive director. "What we are losing is our safety net for older adults."
Many older citizens, and the groups representing them, fear things will get worse as Michigan faces a projected budget deficit of about $1.6 billion in the year that begins Oct. 1.
This time, the hard choices land on the desk of Rick Snyder, the new Republican governor. Snyder hasn't indicated what cuts he might propose, but he has opposed raising taxes.
This year's challenge is especially daunting because it comes on top of nearly a decade of budget cuts.
"We just can't afford the services that are now being delivered in the state with the tax base we have," said Gary Olson, former director of the Michigan State Senate Fiscal Agency, a nonpartisan agency that analyzes budget issues for the state Senate.
"Everything is going to have to be on the table," he said.
Like everyone, older citizens have dealt with the consequences of budget cuts: roads with potholes, reduced police services and state office closings. But they've also faced reductions in programs unique to them, such as Meals on Wheels, in-home services and senior centers.
The state cut Meals on Wheels by more than $600,000 between 2005 and 2009 and reduced the number of people served by about 2,000 to just under 50,000. Support for home services declined by roughly $400,000, and the number of people served fell by about 4,000 to just over 21,000.
With the end of feeral stimulus dollars, waiting lists for services are likely to grow, said Sharon Gire, director of the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging.
Snyder will present his budget in February. He advocates "value- for-money budgeting" — funding programs based on their success, not on previous spending levels.
Mary Ablan, executive director of the Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan, said she is encouraged that Snyder has emphasized prevention services. She noted that in the state of Washington, which Snyder cites as a budgeting model, citizens made helping older people stay in their homes one of their priorities.
"We have a good story to tell. We have data that show that older people can be maintained in their homes for a much smaller cost than if they were to move to a nursing home or live in assisted living," she said.
Some Medicaid services — such as dental and podiatry services, which were eliminated twice in the past decade — are potentially on the chopping block again.
A number of groups, including AARP Michigan, advocate a mix of revenue increases and spending cuts to limit reductions in services. One option is lowering the 6 percent sales tax rate but expanding it to services.
Tax breaks for older residents likely will come under scrutiny. Those include an additional personal tax income tax exemption of $2,300, large income tax exemptions for pensions, and special treatment on the homestead property tax credit.
AARP members support a balanced approach to protecting services and keeping taxes at a reasonable level, said Eric Schneidewind, AARP Michigan president.
"Our position is that all groups are going to have to sacrifice," Schneidewind said. "We are prepared to be part of that, but not bear it alone."
Chris Andrews is a freelance writer living in Okemos, Mich. AARP Membership Discounts & Benefits
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warc | 201704 | Working with small businesses and start-ups I get this question a lot. “Are there people who will work for commission only?” The tactic is usually based on cash flow (or lack thereof). The business needs a sales person to secure more clients, but can not actually pay the sales person until the client is secured. Kind of sounds like a chicken or egg thing right? So their solution is to hire a commission (or the buzz word we use today: pay for performance) individual to help them out.
My answer is that there are sales individuals out there who are willing to work for commission only, but commission only does not mean completely free until the commission comes in. Let me explain.
Any sales person worth their salt is going to expect a few things up front. First, they will want their expenses paid. This may mean computer, phone, travel and meals. They do not want to wait until they get their commission for this, they will want to be reimbursed for this on a monthly basis at the very least. Second, if training time is involved before they are able to go out and sell, then they will expect some form of payment during this period. You can not expect someone to train for three months for free and then go potentially another three months before they make their first sale and get any commission. Third, depending on your business model, securing a client may not mean getting paid right away. As a recruiter, securing a client means I don’t see any real money until I’ve placed a candidate with that client which could be weeks or months down the road. The sales person is not going to care about this setup. They have closed the deal and they want their commission. Especially, if they are on a pay-for-performance only plan they are going to want to be paid as soon as the deal is closed.
So before reading any further, let me say this.
If you are looking for a commission only sales person and you have zero cash flow to where you couldn’t even pay expenses – you are that sales person. Hiring someone willing to take a job without at least one of the above provisions being met means they are probably not going to do the best work for you anyway.
If you have a little cash flow and still want to pursue this path, here are some steps to take.
Understand the difference between employee and contractor. There are laws about whether a person is an employee or an independent contractor. Here is a thorough description of the difference and a few questions to ask yourself. If this is a short term-project base type position, chances are good it falls into an independent contractor relationship. Look for someone with experience. Good sales people will tell you they can sell anything and while that may be true, you don’t have a ton of time to get them up to speed. Looking for someone with experience in your exact market is more important here than with other positions. Give them something to be vested in. Lets be honest. If you aren’t paying them until they make a commission and you aren’t giving them a ton of other perks along the way, what real interest should they have in selling your product? They may just be taking this “job” to have something on their resume until they find something that will actually pay them. Consider a draw or something that gives them enough to see long term opportunities with you. There are people who love working with start-ups or small businesses, but they need something to keep them motivated.
While I don’t advocate the commission only model, it can be done. I have fellow business owners in my network who have commission only people working for them and it seems to be working. It does take effort to find the right person who is willing to be invested and stay with you until your client base grows. Be careful not to just bring someone on board who is only doing this until something better comes along as they could damage your brand before you ever really get started. | 4,004 | 1,822 | 0.000558 |
warc | 201704 | You might have heard that many states use film tax credits as a way to attract production companies to make movies and TV shows within their borders, resulting in jobs for residents and publicity for the state. With budgets tightening, some states are suspending or reducing the incentives, while others are enhancing their existing programs and creating new ones, in the hope of enticing the entertainment industry to their locales. Take a look at a few states that have made the news lately for their handling of film tax credits.
Saying Good-bye: New Jersey
For the last 11 years, "Law and Order:SVU" has been using certain New Jersey towns - Fort Lee, Hackensack, Little Ferry, Alpine, Rockleigh, Ridgefield, Northvale and Closter - to film parts of their shows. Whotv.com says the presence of that made the areas good for spotting celebrities and stronger for the revenue that came to local businesses. Local restaurants benefitted from the presence of hungry workers. And the hardware stores and other retailers enjoyed added business as well.
Tom Myers, the executive director of the Fort Lee Film Commission told reporters, "We, in Fort Lee, worked hard to get 'Law & Order: SVU' and other productions in Fort Lee on a regular basis and we were so successful, 'Law & Order [SVU]' established a property in Fort Lee as the house of their main character, thus they came back to shoot often."
But, that may be all over with now. Previously, the state budget allowed for $15 million in credit for film and television production companies. But the new budget has suspended the credit, and the producers of "Law and Order: SVU" are saying, "Exit, stage left."
Now, says Myers, with most of the economic benefit gone, "Law and Order: SVU" will still occasionally shoot in New Jersey, but the visits will be limited. Other productions that have been using New Jersey locations will do the same, he says, as they find states that offer a better deal.
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For Myers, this is particularly frustrating because bringing productions to the north Jersey area, he said, was no easy task. He worked closely with Steve Gorelick, the director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, to attract shows, including "One Life to Live," which shot in Fort Lee and other sites in the state.
"Until the end of the year, we won't know what the affect is going to be," said Gorelick in an article in North Jersey's The Record. "The only thing we can do is market our excellent locations, the depth of our town pool, and cooperation of towns such as Fort Lee, so readily offered. We'll see what the future brings."
One tax incentive does remain for the entertainment industry, and that is the seven percent sales tax exception on certain purchases of materials used in the production process, like hardware and camera supplies.
While some critics have lashed out at New Jersey's Governor Christie, claiming that he cost the state 200 jobs and $50 million in revenue with this decision to cut film tax credits, Gorelick takes a more reasoned approach. He points out that before the decision was made to cut these credits, there was no study done to show how much revenue the film tax credits brought into state coffers. The state's Treasury Department is now studying that issue, and may consider bringing back the tax credit.
The Old Pros at Entertainment: California
On the opposite coast, California is paying homage to its entertainment industry through tax credits. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced earlier this month that the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program has been successful in keeping film and TV productions in the state. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) says the program has brought more entertainment industry jobs to California, making the program well worth keeping.
"This is a terrific success and further reinforces the importance of tax incentives to the state economy. The positive effects of these tax credits echo throughout California and bring widespread benefit to the entire state," said SAG Manager of Government Relations & Policy Jenn Heater in a press release. "This is just the beginning of what we can achieve through the incentive program, and by working together bring entertainment and related industry jobs back to California."
Last year, the California Film Commission allocated $200 million in tax credits to 77 projects. Those projects will mean the hiring of roughly 18,200 crew members, 4,000 cast members, and over 100,000 extras. The projects include 51 feature films, seven TV series, and 14 made-for-TV movies. Beginning on June 1, 2010, production companies were able to apply for state tax credits for the second year of the program. Thirty projects have been approved and the fiscal year funding has already been exhausted. The approved productions include 19 feature films, eight TV series, and three made-for-TV movies.
A press release from SAG stated that the projects are expected to bring in $2 billion in new spending within California, including $736 million in wages for crew members such as electricians, grips, drivers, costumers, and others.
"This is exactly why I fought so hard for tax credits in last year's budget," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Already, the film and television incentive has led to thousands of retained jobs and increased economic activity. Just the first two years of this incentive will generate $2 billion in direct spending, with even more to come. It is the private sector that will bring California's economy back, and our tax incentives are clearly helping employers along the way. That's why it's important that we continue to be a partner to employers and not a roadblock."
Schwarzenegger signed a bill in 2009 that started the tax credit program as part of a targeted economic stimulus package. The program is authorized for eligible productions through fiscal year 2013-14. To receive their tax credit certificates, productions must have completed post-production. The credits do not become effective before January 1, 2011.
"The enormous interest in our tax credit program shows that a targeted incentive can keep tens of thousands of high-paying jobs in California," said California Film Commission Executive Director Amy Lemisch. "I am thrilled with how effective this program has been."
The up and comer for film and TV production: Michigan
Michigan takes a different approach to enticing the entertainment industry. A 2008 press release from Michigan Film Productions calls the program the "most lucrative film production tax incentives program and infrastructure development in the United States and the world. Rather than a sellable film tax credit Michigan offers a cash rebate." The program has as its goal, providing studios and producers one-stop shopping for their production needs. Michigan Film Production seeks to assist producers and financiers to find all the resources they need, from locations, contacts, vendors, crews, information, and of course, film tax credits.
Here is further proof of how intent Michigan - famous for auto manufacturing - is on attracting a big piece of the entertainment industry. They are currently transforming a former General Motors truck and bus manufacturing plant in Pontiac into a film and teaching studio complex. The transformation of the plant into Raleigh Michigan Studios should be complete next year. This project - which is estimated to cost between $60 million and $80 million - began two years ago, shortly after Michigan enacted its tax incentives program. Once it is up and running, Raleigh Michigan Studios is expected to create 3,000 jobs in three years.
"You've heard of a teaching hospital; this will be a teaching studio," said Linden Nelson, the chairman and CEO of Michigan Motion Pictures Studios, LLC. "We want to be able to show the Sonys, Screen Gems, and other major studios there is plenty of local talent to hire in Michigan."
Chris Baum, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and head of Film Detroit called the new studio "a major step to create permanent infrastructure."
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warc | 201704 | I've heard a lot about the buddy system – losing more weight if you are doing it with another person. I have one friend I could ask, but she's focused on the quick fix. How important is it to have a buddy?
Yes, having a buddy can really help. There have been hundreds of studies showing that social support helps you to change behavior and empowers you to succeed. There's even been a study from Ohio State University showing that social support is so powerful for mice that it can help minimize the physical damage to the brain caused by a heart attack.
Having a buddy helps you lose weight in many ways. Here are a few:
Provides a method of sharing of information: For instance, a new healthy recipe, an iPhone app with a pedometer and calorie counter, the best walking routes, a fun dance class. It also helps with problem solving. Perhaps your buddy "has been through it before" and can share the wisdom of his/her positive and negative experiences. Emotional sharing: A shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen. Inspiration, courage and coaching: Maybe you're having trouble getting out and walking, or maybe you need someone to talk to about an upcoming party that will be filled with your biggest food triggers.
Recent research has demonstrated that social networks featuring many distant connections (e.g., "You're trying to lose weight and are married -- so am I – so let's team up.") produce the quickest change. But a new study by researchers at MIT Sloan School of Management reached a different conclusion: Individuals are more likely to acquire new "health practices" while creating networks with people they already know well.
Are there any mind tricks to avoid those delicious cookies I see for sale every morning in the lobby in my office building?
Make sure you're well fed when you pass through that lobby. Eat breakfast -- a bowl of low-calorie cereal and skim milk, for example. For a few other suggestions see www.dietdetective.com/columns/healthy- breakfast-in-5-minutes.aspx. Next, have a strong reason for wanting to lose weight. You need to know why you should pass up that cookie. Is it because you want to be in shape for bathing suit season? Or do you want to feel healthy again? Recent research reported in the
Journal of Consumer Research found: "When people focus on the concrete aspects of how they want to achieve goals, they become more closed-minded and less likely to take advantage of opportunities that fall outside their plans. In contrast, people who focus on the why are more likely to consider out-of-plan opportunities to achieve their goals." The researchers concluded: "Planning is more effective when people think abstractly, keep an open mind, and remind themselves of why they want to achieve a goal." To figure out your reason why, see www.dietdetective.com/column/seeing-the-why.aspx.
There is also recent research from McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin showing that your ability to resist that tempting cookie depends on how big a threat you perceive it to be. In the study, participants were asked to estimate the calories in a cookie. Those with strong dieting goals construed it to have more calories than it really did, and to be more damaging to their weight-loss goals. The message? If you have a real goal and desire, and create resistance skills (not willpower, see: www.dietdetective.com/columns/diet-detectives-guide-to-using-power-not-willpower.aspx ), you should be able to pass on the cookie. Try to stay occupied when you're crossing the lobby. For instance, listen to music or talk on the phone (good time for a quick catch-up call with an old friend). Or see if you could use another entrance, and avoid the lobby altogether.
1 of 2 | 3,761 | 1,896 | 0.000532 |
warc | 201704 | Radicular and/or Periradicular Lesion(s)
(Adopted 1996, Revised 1997)
The key element in the design of this set of parameters for radicular and/or periradicular lesion(s) is the professional judgment of the attending dentist, for a specific patient, at a specific time.
The patient's chief complaint, concerns and expectations should be considered by the dentist.
The dental and medical histories should be considered by the dentist to identify medications and predisposing conditions that may affect the management of radicular and/or periradicular lesion(s).
Following oral evaluation (see limited, comprehensive, periodic, detailed and extensive evaluation parameters) and consideration of the patient's needs, the dentist should provide the patient with information about radicular and/or periradicular lesion(s) prior to obtaining consent for treatment.
When the dentist considers it necessary, (an)other health care professional(s) should be consulted to acquire additional information.
Following evaluation, treatment priority should be given to the management of pain, infection, traumatic injuries or other emergency conditions.
When recommending treatment, the dentist should recognize that radicular and/or periradicular lesion(s) can occur in singular or multiple sites, and the rates of progression may vary and can be predisposing to other conditions.
The behavioral, psychological, anatomical, developmental and physiological limitations of the patient should be considered by the dentist in developing the treatment plan.
Medications should be prescribed, modified and/or administered for dental patients whose known conditions would affect or be affected by dental treatment provided without the medication or its modification. The dentist should consult with the prescribing health care professional(s) before modifying medications being taken by the patient for known conditions. (See: ADA Statement on Antibiotic Prophylaxis, Prevention of Bacterial Endocarditis: A Statement for the Dental Profession (PDF), and A-Z Topic: Antibiotic Prophylaxis.)
The dentist should utilize a process of differential diagnosis when evaluating radicular and/or periradicular lesion(s) and developing a treatment plan.
Additional diagnostic tests relevant to the radicular and/or other periradicular lesion(s) of the patient may be performed and used by the dentist in diagnosis and treatment planning.
The dentist may recommend that the patient return for further evaluation. The frequency and type of evaluation(s) should be determined by the dentist, based on the patient's risk factors.
In developing a treatment plan the dentist should consider that the underlying etiology may be multifactorial.
Factors affecting the patient's speech, function, and orofacial aesthetics should be considered by the dentist in developing a treatment plan.
Soft and hard tissue characteristics and morphology, ridge relationships, occlusion and occlusal forces, aesthetics, and parafunctional and behavioral habits should be considered by the dentist.
Restorative and reconstructive implications, pulpal/endodontic status, tooth position, and periodontal status and prognosis should be considered in developing a treatment plan.
The dentist may counsel the patient concerning the potential effects of the patient's health condition, medication use and behaviors and/or habits on his or her oral health.
After consideration of the individual circumstances, the dentist should decide whether the radicular and/or periradicular lesion(s) should be monitored or treated.
The dentist should refer the patient to (an)other health professional(s) when the dentist determines that it is in the best interest of the patient.
Relevant and appropriate information about the patient and any necessary coordinated treatment should be communicated and coordinated between the referring dentist and the health professional(s) accepting the referral.
The dentist should recommend treatment, present treatment options, if any, and discuss the probable benefits, prognosis, limitations and risks associated with treatment and the probable consequences of no treatment.
Any treatment performed should be with the concurrence of the patient and the dentist. If the patient insists upon treatment not considered by the dentist to be beneficial for the patient, the dentist may decline to provide treatment. If the patient insists upon treatment considered by the dentist to be harmful to the patient, the dentist should decline to provide treatment.
The dentist should emphasize the prevention and early detection of oral diseases through patient education in preventive oral health practices, which may include oral hygiene instructions.
The dentist should determine the frequency and type of preventive treatment based on the patient's risk factors or presence of oral disease(s).
The dentist should attempt to manage the patient's pain, anxiety and behavior during treatment to facilitate safety, efficiency and patient cooperation. (See: ADA Policy Statement: The Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia by Dentists and Guidelines for the Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia by Dentists.)
The dentist should consider the compatibility of the selected treatment with the surrounding oral tissues and should provide an environment accessible for maintenance.
Alteration of tooth morphology and/or position, placement of restorations, modification or replacement restorations, and treatment of carious lesions may be performed by the dentist to facilitate treatment or reduce symptoms.
The dentist may prescribe and/or administer pharmacological agents.
Local etiologic factors should be removed.
Counseling and/or therapy for parafunctional behaviors and/or habits which can contribute to radicular and/or periradicular lesion(s) may be performed.
Surgical management of this condition, which may include the removal of teeth, and other intra-oral and extra-oral surgical approaches may be utilized. The patient should be informed of appropriate treatments to maintain space and/or replace teeth.
Periodontal procedures may be performed by the dentist to facilitate treatment.
Treatment designed to reduce pulpal symptoms and/or protect the pulpal tissue of the tooth in question may be utilized by the dentist.
Pulpal/endodontic therapy and/or root resection may be performed by the dentist. Endodontic therapy may be performed in multiple stages.
The dentist may alter tooth morphology and/or position, and/or modify occluding, articulating, adjacent or approximating teeth, or the tooth in question, to facilitate treatment or reduce symptoms.
Fixed, removable and/or implant-supported restorations (prostheses) and/or appliances may be repaired, modified or replaced as determined by the dentist.
Transitional or provisional restorations (prostheses) may be utilized by the dentist to facilitate treatment.
The dentist should communicate necessary information and authorization for the fabrication of the appliance(s) or prosthesis(es) to the dental laboratory technician. Although the fabrication may be delegated, the dentist is responsible for the accuracy and delivery of the appliance(s) or prosthesis(es).
The patient should be informed that the success of the treatment is often dependent upon patient compliance with the prescribed treatment and recommendations for behavioral modifications. Lack of compliance should be recorded.
The dentist should inform the patient that he or she should participate in a prescribed program of continuing care to allow the dentist to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment provided and the condition of the radicular and/or periradicular lesion(s).
Documentation of treatment provided, counseling and recommended preventive measures, as well as consultations with and referrals to other health care professionals should be included in the patient's dental record. | 7,934 | 2,938 | 0.000342 |
warc | 201704 | By Will Longbottom, DailyMail.co.uk
Bruised, tied up and caged: The desperate plight of starving orangutans forced into villages to look for food as their rainforest home is destroyed
Arms wrapped dejectedly around his mother, this baby orangutan can only cling on to her for comfort after being tied up in a cage. The pitiful creatures were captured after going into a village in Sungai Pinyuh, Indonesia, in a desperate search for food. They were then beaten by villagers so badly one of the primates died before being locked in the tiny cage without food or water.
Desperate: A baby orangutan clings dejectedly to its mother after she was beaten, tied up and shut in a tiny cage while looking for food in Sungai Pinyuh, Indonesia Plight: Orangutan numbers have been badly hit in Indonesia and Borneo as unscrupulous logging companies tear down their rainforest habitat to sell wood or grow crops like palm oil
Rainforests cover 60 per cent of Indonesia, but orangutans - which means man of the forest - have seen their habitat cut down at an alarming rate, often to fuel the need for space to grow palm oil crops.
Many adult orangutans are killed by farmers in Indonesia and Borneo to prevent them eating crops as their natural food disappears, leaving helpless orphans to die in the wild.
Indonesia is one of the world's leading emitters of carbon dioxide, blamed for global warming.
Tropical forests play a key role in soaking up carbon dioxide and regulating the climate.
Industry: An illegal logger cuts down a tree to form planks for construction in a forest south of Sampit, Kalimantan province A worker uses a chainsaw to chop up a massive tree. More than 60 per cent of Indonesia is covered in rainforest and it is one of the highest producers of carbon dioxide in the world.
Millions of hectares are cut down every year in Asia, Africa and South America every year.
A UN-backed scheme called Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) has been launched aimed at rewarding poorer nations for preserving their forests.
New data reveals that around 10 per cent of mankind's greenhouse gas emissions come from the clearing and burning of forests.
The programme is one of the points of debate at the UN climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, and the REDD policy could form a central part of any new global climate agreement from 2013.
Under the scheme, a value would be placed on every ton of carbon that rain forests soak up.
This could lead to a global market in carbon credits potentially worth $30billion a year. These credit could be used to reward governments and local communities to preserve their forests and to compete against other interests including palm oil and pulp or paper firms.
Ecological disaster: Boats travel along a shallow transportation canal in central Kalimantan. Peat bogs which thrived among the rainforest are drying up as a result of massive deforestation Initiative: A UN-backed scheme, Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, is being debated in Cancun which would reward poorer countries for protecting their forests
Governments, polluting companies and investors would buy REDD credit from projects that preserve and protect large areas of tropical forest.
In return, the credit would be used to offest a portion of the greenhouse gas emissions in rich nations.
Money from the sale would then flow to governments in REDD countries, project investors and communities for livelihood programmes.
REDD would also recognise steps to boost carbon stocks in a forest, including replanting cleared areas, sustainable forest management and conservation efforts.
Nations agreed to look into a national system of carbon accounting under the Kyoto protocol.
Tragically, the mother orangutan did not survive the ordeal, but her baby is being cared for by International Animal Rescue, according to reports.
For more information or to donate money to help save orangutans, visit www.orangutan.org.uk or www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk
Go on to Wolf Torture and Execution Continues in the Northern Rockies
Go on to Wolf Torture and Execution Continues in the Northern Rockies
Return to April 17, 2012 Return to Newsletter Directory STAFF ( Clickon the link to see photos and bios)Staff Editor and Contributor:Ljbeane1@aol.com Staff Contributor and Advisor:CompassionAction@aol.com Sled Dog Action Coalition:www.helpsleddogs.org Glickman37@aol.com Staff Contributor:myREBAdog@worldnet.att.net Pawprints, Footprints & Animal Chatter:SHORTIETEK@aol.com | 4,537 | 2,145 | 0.000469 |
warc | 201704 | 50 “Dirtiest” U.S. Power Plants Release More Greenhouse Gases than All But 6 Nations
The United States has some seriously “dirty” power plants that contribute more towards the problem of global warming than the vast majority of countries in the world.
A report by Environment America concluded 50 American power plants—mostly those burning coal—produce more greenhouse gases than all but six nations (China, the U.S., India, Russia, Japan and Germany).
The “50 dirtiest power plants” generated nearly 33% of the U.S. power sector’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2011, but only about 16% of its electricity. Globally, they emit more than 2% of all energy-based carbon dioxide pollution, ranking them #7—between Germany and South Korea—if they were a country.
Power plants are the largest source of greenhouse gases in the U.S., responsible for 41% of the nation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, according to the report. There are 6,000 oil, coal, nuclear, natural gas, wind, and solar electric-generating facilities in the U.S.
Of the 100 worst-polluting plants in the U.S., 98 of them are coal plants.
Power Plant Scherer (pdf) in Juliette, Georgia, was determined to be the top CO2-emitting U.S. plant, producing more than 21 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2011.
The report’s publishing is timely, given that the Obama administration is working on the nation’s first-ever greenhouse gas emissions regulations for power plants. The new rules could be unveiled later this month, the
Christian Science Monitor reported.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
'50 Dirtiest' US Power Plants Emit More Greenhouse Gases than South Korea (by Mark Clayton, Christian Science Monitor)
America’s Dirtiest Power Plants: Their Oversized Contribution to Global Warming and What We Can Do About It (by Environment America Research & Policy Center)
Georgia Takes Top Two Spots for Worst Polluting Power Stations (by Matt Bewig, AllGov)
U.S. Power Plant Pollution Equals 450 Million Cars (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Top Stories Unusual News Where is the Money Going? Controversies U.S. and the World Appointments and Resignations Latest News Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office: Who Is L. Wayne Brasure? Delegated Director, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Who Is Kana Enomoto? For Donald Trump, the Honeymoon was Over Before It Even Began Acting Director of the Indian Health Service: Who Is Mary L. Smith? Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Who Is Andrew Bindman? | 2,611 | 1,337 | 0.000775 |
warc | 201704 | Federal Judge Stops Ohio from Withholding Educational Program Funding for Planned Parenthood
By Kevin Koeninger, Courthouse News Service
U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett ruled that Ohio Revised Code 3701.034 — which prevents the state Department of Health from distributing funds to any entity that performs nontherapeutic abortions — will cause Planned Parenthood "irreparable injury".
Nontherapeutic abortion, as defined by Ohio law, is an abortion "that is performed or induced when the life of the mother would not be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or when the pregnancy of the mother was not the result of rape or incest reported to a law enforcement agency."
Planned Parenthood currently operates 28 clinics in the state, and the law, proposed and passed by Republican Gov. John Kasich, would have withheld $1.3 million in funding for six health and education programs, according to court records.
These programs include STD Prevention, the Minority AIDS/HIV Initiative, the Personal Responsibility Education Program, the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention Program, the Ohio Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative, and the Violence Against Women Act Sexual Violence Prevention Program.
Ohio's Department of Health argued that it has "wide latitude" in determining which providers receive federal funds, and while Judge Barrett agreed, he wrote that "this wide latitude to set spending priorities exists '[s]o long as legislation does not infringe on other constitutionally protected rights.'"
"Here, the conditions imposed by Section 3701.034 seek to leverage funding to regulate speech outside the contours of the six programs impacted by Section 3701.034," Barrett wrote. "There is nothing within the scope of these programs related to performing abortions, promoting abortions or affiliating with an entity that performs or promotes abortions. Therefore, under the unconstitutional conditions doctrine, Section 3701.034 cannot condition funding for these programs based on a recipient's exercise of the right to free speech or association outside of these programs."
The state also failed to persuade Barrett with its arguments regarding the statute's alleged due process violations.
"The six programs impacted by Section 3701.034 subsidize tests and treatment, screenings and education programs which are not related to performing abortions," the judge wrote. "Section 3701.034 does not provide any way for an entity to limit its use of the funding distributed under Section 3701.034 to those six programs, while using private funds to perform abortions."
Barrett ultimately ruled that "the requirement to pay even a reduced fee will deter patients from seeking these potentially life-saving services," and that such a burden constitutes an irreparable injury.
Friday's ruling follows a temporary restraining order granted by Barrett in May that blocked the effort by Ohio's Republican-controlled Legislature to defund facilities that provide women with legal abortions.
A spokesman for Ohio's attorney general told local news outlets that the state will appeal the injunction.
To Learn More:
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, et al, v. Richard Hodges, et al (U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio) (pdf)
Republican Defunding Effort Spearheads State-by-State Assault on Planned Parenthood (by David Crary, Associated Press)
Most Americans Favor Funding of Planned Parenthood (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
No Women’s Health Safety Net Would Fill Gap Left by a Defunded Planned Parenthood (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
New Hampshire Official Who Voted to Defund Planned Parenthood Says "The Party Is Over" (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Top Stories Unusual News Where is the Money Going? Controversies U.S. and the World Appointments and Resignations Latest News Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office: Who Is L. Wayne Brasure? Delegated Director, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Who Is Kana Enomoto? For Donald Trump, the Honeymoon was Over Before It Even Began Acting Director of the Indian Health Service: Who Is Mary L. Smith? Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Who Is Andrew Bindman? | 4,247 | 2,023 | 0.000501 |
warc | 201704 | Health Education Schools in Oregon - OR
Oregon has a population of 3,780,200. Of that number, 626,200 do not have health insurance. This represents 16.6% of the state’s population, and is higher than the average number of uninsured across the United States (which is 15.4% of the country’s total population). These statistics (courtesy of statehealthfacts.org) point to the need for health education and health prevention in Oregon. Those interested in working as health educators first must pursue a health education degree in Oregon. Traditionally, most beginner health educator positions require a minimum of a bachelor degree. For more advanced management, research, and professorial jobs, you’ll have to earn a graduate degree.
The Oregon Pacific Area Health Education Centers recommend high school coursework in algebra I, algebra II, and geometry; three science courses including one biological science, one physical science, and one lab course; four English units; two social studies units; and two years of a foreign language. In college, studies will include public health research and practice, social policy, health issues in different populations, community diagnosis, planning, and management and development techniques. To be recognized as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), health educators must successfully complete a certification examination offered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. This is not a requirement of the state of Oregon for all health educators, but may be necessary for a specific health educator position. | 1,601 | 842 | 0.001202 |
warc | 201704 | General Practice, Solo & Small Firm DivisionSolo Newsletter
Effective Time Management By Phil J. Shuey
Efficiency is doing tasks correctly; effectiveness is doing the correct tasks. Both are essential for proper time management.
At the beginning of each workday, create a To Do list. Regardless of the pressures of the morning, allocate 15 to 30 minutes to determine what needs to be accomplished that day (get to the office early if necessary). Remember to look ahead-at the end of each day, think about the tasks for the following day; do the same each week and each month. This will avoid most "surprises." Remember, there is always more work to be done than time to accomplish it. After you've established the To Do list, flag the tasks as Vital, Urgent, Time-Sensitive, of Limited Importance, and None of the Above. Vital tasks do not necessarily have to be done that day but must be accomplished prior to the deadline. Urgent matters require prompt attention but may not be important. Be realistic in assessing the time required for any task. Priorities are meaningless if the time allocated is unrealistic. Above all, set reasonable expectations. Establish deadlines for each task, and calendar them. Include regular daily activities in the To Do list. Leave time for unexpected matters. The office is a team. Plan your day with your secretary, paralegal, and anyone else involved in the tasks. Delegate effectively; don't let ego retain tasks that could be done by someone else. Assign tasks to the best level for their accomplishment-work everyone (including yourself) at their highest and best level. People have "peak" times of the day when they function at their best. Use your peak time for the most challenging or important tasks. Make assignments to staff that parallel their peak effectiveness times, if possible. Try to deal effectively with interruptions such as telephone calls, drop-in clients, or socializing in the office. Create regular blocks of time during which you will not be interrupted for any reason other than a bona fide emergency. Whenever possible, complete a task/project in one session. If the task is too large for the time available, break the project into smaller distinct tasks and establish a plan for each. Above all, get started! Even the most irritating and daunting task will appear more manageable once it's begun. Reward yourself with a break, a coffee, or a stroll around the office after a difficult, unpleasant, or important task has been accomplished.
Effective time management can seem easy, linear, and perhaps even boring, but the recaptured time will result in both greater profitability and enhanced quality of life.
Phil Shuey is an attorney and president and CEO of Shuey Robinson, Englewood, Colorado. | 2,772 | 1,406 | 0.000714 |
warc | 201704 | Mon 3 Dec 2007
[4] Comments
REFLECTIONS ON “KNOW THYSELF”
The dictum “Know Thyself” was formulated by seven wise men of 6
th century B.C. Greece. It was engraved above the entrance to the oracle at Delphi. One of Socrates’ favorite principles, it expresses great wisdom with great brevity. We notice that it is not addressed to animals which are incapable of knowing themselves. Neither is it addressed to God or the angels who are unable to be ignorant of themselves. It is therefore addressed only to human beings who are often ignorant of themselves but able to know themselves. This aphorism has many applications, even in theoretical philosophy, but I will limit myself to reflecting on its ethical applications.
Here are two similar aphorisms from different sources:
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” Tao Te Ching
“Do you see the world as it is, or do you see the world as you are?” –Anonymous
We can begin by responding to an obvious objection. How could I be ignorant that I am Robert Augros? If this is what is meant then the injunction is foolish. But knowing your name is not altogether the same as knowing who you are and what you are. I can easily be ignorant of what kind of man I am. Socrates spent his life trying to convince the Athenians not to live
as if they were animals, pursuing only the goods of the body. You can’t be true to your true self if you do not know yourself.
The necessity of knowing ourselves is clear in the moral life. I need to know my temperament, personality, and customs before I can undertake a program of moral improvement. I must learn by experience what is the middle for me in food, drink, work and all other matters. I must examine myself with respect to the major subject matters of morals to see whether I am in the middle or at an extreme. I need to distinguish what is in me because of nature from what is in me because of custom, or by choice.
Examples show that it is easy to be ignorant of one’s self. Who spoke the following words? “I have spent the best years of my life giving people the lighter pleasures, helping them have a good time, and all I get is abuse, the existence of a hunted man.” St. Vincent de Paul perhaps, or some other public benefactor? No. It was Al Capone. “Two Gun” Crowley, a notorious gangster of the thirties was trapped by police in a gun battle when he wrote a note proclaiming “Under my coat is a weary heart, but a kind one—one that would do nobody any harm.” A couple of hours before when he had been pulled over by a policeman, Crowley pulled out a gun and shot the policeman in the face. When he was sentenced to the electric chair did he say “This is what I get for killing people?” No, he said, “This is what I get for defending myself.”
Warden Lawes of Sing Sing prison once said, “Few criminals in Sing Sing regard themselves as bad men . . . They rationalize, they explain. They can tell you why they had to crack a safe or be quick on the trigger finger. Most of them attempt by a form of reasoning, fallacious or logical, to justify their anti-social acts even to themselves, consequently stoutly maintaining that they should never have been imprisoned at all.”
Blindness and stubborn denial are especially characteristic of alcoholics. Former nineteen-term U.S. Congressman Wilbur Mills recounts how he reacted to the suggestion that he had a drinking problem. “Lieutenant Commander Michael Bohan at the Bethesda Naval Hospital was the one who had the unmitigated gall to tell me I was an alcoholic. The first thing that flashed in my mind was, I don’t know how the hell a man like that could ever have been admitted to medical school. How could he ever have graduated? Why would the navy ever commission him as a doctor? One thing certain, he would never get to be captain in the navy. I would see to that myself.” At this time, by his own admission, Mills was drinking two quarts of 100-proof vodka and taking 500 grams of Librium every day.
The lesson is clear: We are not necessarily what we think we are or imagine ourselves to be. We are what we do, and the truth about what we do we easily hide from ourselves. As Aristotle says, “Vice is unconscious of itself” (Ethics VII Ch. 8 ). It is instructive to ask why this is so. Why is it so difficult for us to know ourselves? We can assign at least four reasons.
1.
We love ourselves too much.
Because we love ourselves in excess we are reluctant to believe or admit anything bad about ourselves. Pride quickly urges self defense in the face of criticism, even if it is well-founded. We easily flatter ourselves into thinking we possess virtues we do not have. For these reasons it is a principle of jurisprudence that no man is a proper judge in his own case. Psalm 36 points out how disordered self love distorts the judgment of the evil man: “Sin speaks to the sinner in the depths of his heart. There is no fear of God before his eyes. He so
flatters himself in his mind that he knows not his guilt. In his mouth are mischief and deceit. All wisdom is gone.”
2.
What is most of all yourself cannot be sensed.
The dictum is not saying, “Realize that you have two arms and two legs,” or “Become familiar with what your body looks like.” These things are well known to us. We have no immediate knowledge of our souls or faculties but must reason to them. The same is true morally. We can mistakenly think we have a virtue simply because we have not had any temptation yet in that area. We cannot directly inspect acts of our minds and wills. They are not visible to the eye. Likewise virtues and vices. We come to know whether we have certain habits indirectly by looking to whether we are strongly inclined to certain acts. We need to use signs such as pleasure and pain as indicators whether we have this vice or that virtue. A man never has to reason from signs and probabilities to verify whether he has two arms or not. Just as my own thoughts must be spoken or imagined to be known even by me, so too desires and qualities of soul. We easily deceive ourselves as to the true motive of our actions.
3.
We are too close to ourselves. We are also too close to our customs to discover them without help. This is true of body and soul. We cannot directly see our own faces. We have to externalize the face in an image to perceive it, as in the reflection of a mirror. Likewise the mind. For example, we need someone else to read an essay we have worked on for a long time. We are too close to it to pick out its remaining weaknesses and peculiarities. It has become a part of us. Similarly, we are too immersed in the customs of our nation and age to notice them. They are invisible to us but conspicuous to anyone from a culture with contrary customs. In the same way it is difficult for us to see our moral faults, though they are painfully obvious to a spouse or a spiritual director.
Why is it so easy for us to see the faults of others but so difficult to see our own? One reason is self-love, but another is that we are always looking outward from ourselves, so it is hard to look at ourselves. This is why it is easier to see the speck in our neighbor’s eye than the plank in our own eye. (Matt. 7:3).
4.
We lack a measure whereby we may know ourselves.
Even if I find a good man to be my model, his good is not necessarily transferable to me. For example, asking “What would Jesus do?” is not always helpful to answer how we ought to act, since Jesus is not exactly like us, and not everything he did are we called upon to imitate exactly. We lack a measure by which to judge our own actions because no one is just like us, and doing what we’re doing. We have no measure that descends right down to the details of our own particular life. Imagine if there were another you, who was visible to you, and who was always doing exactly what you ought to be doing right now, and you knew it. How easy it would be to judge yourself then!
The measures we use for ourselves are often misleading. If a boy living in a remote village in Spain finds that he can outrun all 45 people living there, he might think himself a great runner. Likewise, compared to notorious criminals even a morally mediocre person looks good. We are always better than somebody.
In light of these four reasons we can see the wisdom in the saying that there are three levels of knowledge about any man. There is how others know him. There is how he knows himself. And there is how God knows him. | 8,751 | 4,118 | 0.000249 |
warc | 201704 | Testing methods with flat jacks are used to evaluate the quality of masonry structures and to define their mechanical properties.
The substantial difficulties involved in taking representative and intact samples from masonry has led to the development of innovative and increasingly reliable methods and instruments. This pressurizing unit is built with the finest components.
The flat jacks, designed and manufactured by NOVATEST – NDT laboratories, offer excellent reliability as a result of an innovative production process.
Available in a wide range of shapes and sizes, these flat jacks can be also personalized according to customer’s specific requirements for special test conditions.
Flat jack’ standard components can be applied in any pressurization unit, making them both unique and universal. | 825 | 483 | 0.002124 |
warc | 201704 | All we had to do was tell Armstrong Steel where to erect the building. From start to finish, they took care of everything for us. Thanks Armstrong!
Patrick & Tessa, Lompoc, CA
From requesting a quote to delivery to building our new church, it took only 4 months. Throughout it all, Armstrong Steel was in constant communication with us and made the whole process FAST and EASY. God bless you Armstrong Steel!
Pastor Lewis, New Falls Church, Nevada
Turnkey Projects
Armstrong’s Build Group is one of the leading metal building construction management firms in the nation. We’ve worked with organizations just like yours to plan and build a wide range of facilities– metal structures that are of the highest quality and precisely engineered to your organization’s purpose.
We know how daunting the idea of breaking ground on a new facility can be. Between the concept and grand opening, there are an infinite number of decisions that must be made. But our unique approach makes the process more affordable and simplifies your entire experience by bringing together the input of builders, engineers and architects proactively at the beginning of your steel building project. And we provide you with hands-on input and oversight while your new metal building is being built.
So whether your organization is newly formed or is weighing whether to expand into a larger facility as a step in the growth process, Armstrong stands ready to help.
Construction
The true measure of a reputable and reliable construction management firm is its ability to translate design and engineering into steel, stone, glass or wood. Armstrong has always insisted on using only the highest quality steel building & metal building materials and craftsmanship in its metal buildings. Being one of the leading steel buildings and metal buildings suppliers, we believe that every structure is a “testimony in steel” to all who will ever see it, use it and experience its benefits. And we back up this belief with a strict system of quality control applied to all of our metal and steel buildings projects to ensure that no corners are cut and no shortcuts are taken. Whether the steel building project involves a two-bay auto repair shop or the erection of a 150,000 square-foot complex, quality at every level is Armstrong Steel’s number one criterion.
Unblemished metal buildings and steel buildings construction is never an accident! It is the result of architects, engineers and builders working fluidly to achieve your vision. And there is no better approach than Armstrong Steel’s tenured team of builders, engineers and project coordinators. Working under the direction of the Armstrong Build Group, these professionals recognize that no one understands the needs and purpose of your new facility better than you do. Thus, our Build Group will not to try to tell you what you should build; rather, our team will listen carefully to your requirements and will apply all our knowledge and skills to develop plans that will meet your metal buildings individual needs as well as your budget.
We know metal buildings. It is due to Armstrong Steel’s integrated steel building management approach that the customer is not caught short, which happens all too often in the construction industry. Proactively, our metal builders work in conjunction with engineers, estimators and architects, communicating with each other at every step throughout your metal building project to ensure that everything remains on track and accurate.
Given our wide-ranging experience in commercial
metal buildings & steel buildings and church construction, Armstrong Steel understands the hurdles organizations can encounter when erecting a facility. Worst case, you first invest a large amount of money/time working with an architect to develop a set of plans only to learn that you aren’t able to afford the facility as designed. Or, when construction begins, you run into big cost overages because the builder and architect disagree on the application of said plans. In these situations, you as the customer are left feeling misinformed and misguided.
At Armstrong Steel, we believe you deserve streamlined access to both the engineers’ and builders’ input from conception through completion of the metal building and steel building project. Our communicative style means that maximum costs are identified early on, not after you’re invested in the process. The only real surprise should be, well, the lack of any surprise at all.
The Armstrong Difference
ACCOUNTABILITY: Each metal building and steel building project is assigned a specific Armstrong metal buildings contact person that is accountable for ensuring the project deadlines are met and for communicating the project’s progress to the client. Daily Internet updates between Armstrong Steel contacts plus company-wide instant access—electronic or via phone—helps to ensure that you receive up-to-the-second status reports on your project.
INNOVATION: We developed the Armstrong Steel process with the goal of incorporating your architectural design and your design objectives into the best-suited types of metal buildings & steel buildings possible. We will recommend options your architect may have not considered or even known were possible in steel building construction today. This helps to ensure that your structure comes in at a price you can afford before the process of finish drawings and detailing work begins.
COMMUNICATION: Armstrong Steel believes that the most important element in any steel building project is communication. The more a client knows about the ongoing construction process, the more satisfied they will be with their new facility. Regularly scheduled meetings and daily Internet updates ensure all the members of the building committee, congregation or board of directors know the details of the project each step of the way. | 5,972 | 2,661 | 0.000382 |
warc | 201704 | "If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress, and tension. And if you didnít ask me, Iíd still have to say it."
George Burns, Comedian What is Stress Costing You? Stress: Pressure, strain, or force that tends to distort a body; a factor that induces bodily or mental tension. - Are you one of the millions of people being negatively affected by stress? - Do you know how much your stress level is costing you in terms of your physical, mental, and emotion wellness? - Do you know what is stressing you and why? If not, why not? - Do you know what to do about it? Stress levels are reaching epidemic levels and little is being done about it. But the good news is you donít have to wait for someone else to determine your stress levels; you can do that on your own. And, you can immediately take action steps (if needed) to better manage the stress in your life. Before I go into detail about what you can do to reduce your stress, here is some current research. Stress Research: - In a 2005 UK study, 1 out of 5 people felt their jobs were extremely stressful, to the point of illness. - The UK also documented that self-reported, work-related stress accounted for over 13 million lost working days in the past 12 months. - In a Boston University study, women who avoided conflict with their spouse had four times as much chance of heart disease and early death. Their avoidance actually increased their stress. - In the American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology study, it was confirmed that prolonged exposure to certain stressors can result in permanent change to the bodyís sympathetic nervous system, including blood pressure and heart rate. Those factors have been confirmed to include social stressors like bullying, job and family-related pressure, and other related elements. - A Florida State University study linked increased depression and anxiety disorders to long-term stress factors. - A Health Psychology investigation confirmed the link between stress and a reduced immune system. - A European Union research project confirmed that work-related stress was negatively affecting 1 out of 3 workers in the EU. The negative effects of stress are not limited to adults. Stress it is also affecting our children. So with all this stress in our lives, I want to encourage you to not be stressed about your stress. Why? Because your level of stress is mostly in your control. But first, how does stress manifest itself and what are some areas on which you can reflect, in terms of stress factors? Influenced by the elements present in our lives, our stress levels are way more complex than being just work- or home-related. Stress manifests itself in many physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms, which can include headaches, fatigue, feelings of being out of control, and insomnia. To reduce your stress levels, it is important that you uncover all your potential sources. Here are four categories that you should assess to determine your current stress levels. - Interpersonal Stress Levels All your relationships in your life -- work, family, and friends -- are either increasing or decreasing your stress levels. Understanding your interpersonal boundaries and preferences can highly influence your stress levels in this category. - Nutritional Stress Levels Our nutritional habits are strongly influencing our overall stress levels. The old saying, you are what you eat, has never been truer. Today, our many unhealthy food choices help create overweight individuals and even morbid obesity. - Health and Activity Stress Levels What you do and donít do are also highly influencing your stress levels. One study suggests that up to 50% of the population is sleep-deprived, causing our bodies to never fully rejuvenate. Regular exercise has been linked to stress reduction and an increased immune system through the additional endorphin production that exercise helps produce. - Time-Stress Levels Is it just me or have we lost the time margins in our lives? With families plus full-time professions, we no longer have room to maneuver so, when things happen -- and they will -- you have increased stress related to lack of time margins. Even children are becoming more stressed due to overpacked schedules and demands. - Occupational Stress Much research has been linked to job-related stress. We must also acknowledge the growing percentage of the population that is now self-employed. Whether you are employed or self-employed, if you donít enjoy what you do, you will have increased stress. Money -- or lack of it -- is cited as one of the most common stressors in both employed and self-employed individuals. In addition, environmental conditions such as the pollution of the air, land, and water can impact your overall stress level. Your stress, no matter the source, will increase if you feel you have no options or no hope of improving your life. Remember: You can influence the majority of the contributing elements in all the above stress categories. The Action Steps below offer some strategies for your consideration. We suggest, however, that you donít pursue trying to reduce your stress until you have the answers to the following two questions. Why? The answers are required to ensure your stress-reduction success. 1. Why is it important for you to reduce your stress and improve your overall wellness? 2. If you are successful in reducing your stress, what will be some key benefits to you? In other words, why should you bother to change your habits? Finally, I encourage you to complete a stress self-assessment. An assessment process can: - help you establish a benchmark of your current stress levels; and - provide you with immediate strategies to help reduce your stress levels. Action Steps to Assess and Help Reduce Stress Levels 1. What is stress costing you? 2. In your opinion, what is stressing you in your life in the four areas of Interpersonal, Nutritional, Health, and Time and Occupational Stress? Make a list of all the potential items. 3. Benchmark your stress levels by completing a self-assessment. Consider taking an assessment every 6 to 12 months to track your progress. 4. Lighten up! Individuals who are always serious generally have more stress in their lives. 5. Introduce more humor into your life. When participants watched a 15 minute humorous video, their stress level reduced. 6. In research studies, the immune systems of optimistic individuals were stronger than pessimistic individuals. For certain individuals, an attitude adjustment might require a new way of thinking. 7. You control most of the factors that contribute to your stress levels and your overall wellness. It is your responsibility -- not the fault of your condition or situation! 8. Donít stress yourself over your stress levels. Simply allow yourself to move at your own pace, as long as it is in the direction of improvement. 9. Encourage others to take responsibility to reduce their stress levels because, in many cases, their stress will be adding to yours! 10. Make sure you have clearly outlined the benefits of reducing your stress levels. With good reasons and goals, it will be easier to stay on track. Until next time, keep Living On Purpose, Ken Keis
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Ken Keis, MBA, CPC, is an internationally known author, speaker, and consultant. He is President and CEO of CRG Consulting Resource Group International, Inc., Many professionals herald CRG as the Number One global resource center for Personal and Professional Development.
For information on CRG Resources, please visit crgleader.com
For information on Kenís Training and Speaking Programs, please visit kenkeis.com
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warc | 201704 | BETHESDA, MD 29 Nov 2012—Imagine a future in which new graduates of pharmacy schools understand enough about interprofessional teamwork, technology, and the health care system to practice at the top of their license.
That is the future that representatives of various pharmacy groups want from Pharm.D. degree programs, said Thomas J. Johnson, the ASHP board member who represented the Society at the invitational conference "Advancing Quality in Pharmacy Education: Charting Accreditation’s Future."
ASHP in particular, Johnson said, wants new graduates to have the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities to enter a postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) residency program.
The Society in 2007 adopted a policy that strongly encourages new graduates who will provide "direct patient care" to complete an ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency.
"There’s been a fair amount of debate as to whether new graduates are practice ready," said Johnson, director of hospital pharmacy at 545-bed Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. "And that debate can go on for a long time."
He said that to some extent, being practice ready "does very much depend upon the practice, the setting, [and] the type and scope of what they’re being asked to do."
ASHP and many of its members, Johnson said, want students to graduate pharmacy school as ready to enter a PGY1 residency program as they are ready to enter any other practice setting.
The conference, held September 12–14 in Atlanta, was convened by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
In planning the event, the accrediting group had said the conference’s outcomes will contribute to the upcoming revision of accreditation standards for Pharm.D. programs.
ACPE President Robert S. Beardsley said the accrediting group will look at pharmacy schools’ evidence on experiential learning to reassess the guidelines specifying the number of hours of that type of education.
The conference’s attendees, he said, want ACPE to rely more on preceptors’ evaluations of students’ skills, professionalism, and knowledge and less on the log of hours spent in each practice setting.
ACPE, as it drafts the new standards, would like to be able to see good outcome measures of experiential learning, Beardsley said. Such measures would assess the quality of pharmacy students during and at the end of the experiential learning program.
Johnson said people from different practice settings hold different opinions on the best way to prepare students for the pharmacy profession and its diverse options.
Yet each of those opinions, based on the viewpoint from a specific practice setting, is probably correct, said Johnson, who, as part of his previous employment, chaired the curriculum committee at a pharmacy school.
The current accreditation standards for Pharm.D. programs were adopted in 2006. Guidelines for those standards were initially adopted at that time, and version 2.0 was adopted in 2011.
"I think, overall, people would like changes," Beardsley said of the conference’s attendees, "and that the board of directors of ACPE would like changes, too. We just don’t know what those changes will be right now."
He said ACPE was considering drafting the new guidelines and standards in 2013.
The conference marked the first time the organization solicited opinions from stakeholders before drafting a new set of accreditation standards for Pharm.D. programs.
ACPE said more than 100 leaders "across the continuum of pharmacy practice, academia, industry and organizations" attended the conference.
The accrediting group said detailed proceedings of the conference will be published early next year. | 3,773 | 1,720 | 0.000597 |
warc | 201704 | North American pension funds see growth on the other side of the world
Public pension funds in the US and Canada are increasingly looking to establish relationships in Asia that can assist them with finding higher-yielding investments.
The complexity of markets such as China and the diversity of the region makes it difficult to rely on hands-off investment management, and creates challenges from market timing to market access, says Joseph Dear, CIO of the $220 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System (Calpers).
Dear spoke at the annual Pacific Pensions Institute forum in Asia, held this year in Kuala Lumpur. He notes that Calpers’ annual return target is 7.75%, which it cannot meet solely by investing in low-growth developed markets.
Calpers has responded in a number of ways. One includes building a large weighting to private equity: the fund has $30 billion invested in PE strategies and a further $15 billion of uncommitted capital earmarked for such deals. To date it has invested in $1.3 billion of PE deals in Asia.
It has also built exposures in real estate, infrastructure, inflation-linked assets (such as commodities and inflation-linked bonds) and hedge funds, which includes Asia exposure via funds of hedge funds.
Dear says the fund expects PE to return 300 basis points above public-market equities. Calpers assumes that, with economic growth rates higher in many Asian markets, it should also therefore enjoy those benefits in Asian public and private markets.
“That’s obvious,” Dear says. “What’s not obvious is how to do it.” He cites market timing, partners and local operational issues as challenges to US-based public funds.
The more he visits the region, particularly complex markets such as China, the more confused he becomes. “If you’re not confused then you haven’t begun to understand,” he says.
“Asia represents a vast opportunity set, and we’re trying to reach an understanding of the challenges involved and how to approach them.”
His view is echoed by Doug Pearce, CEO and CIO at British Columbia Investment Management (BCIM), which has an annual investment-return target of 7% and is also looking to emerging markets to achieve that.
He observes that stock-market returns often don’t keep up with Asian economic growth rates. “We need to travel here, build relationships, open offices and work with local partners,” Pearce says of the North American pension fund industry. “It’s hard as an outsider to get in on the best deals. There’s plenty of capital here.”
He says the goal is to work with local partners that share BCIM’s beliefs and ideals, including solid governance, as well as try to offer access to deals in North America. “We need to focus on a handful of relationships and deepen them,” he says.
Dear says US plans should take advantage of their longer-term outlook. This is the advantage that can see an investor through the many complexities of China. The trick is to pick a partner and pick a time to tap the market.
Risk management also plays a greater role. For example, while Calpers may have built a huge private equity portfolio, it has also learned from painful experience of the need to maintain a liquidity cushion, in case markets seize up.
In 2008, in the wake of the Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy, Calpers was forced to sell some illiquid assets to raise cash. Since then it has built a liquidity allocation of around 4%.
It’s a drag on overall performance – but the tactic paid off this past August and September, when Calpers was protected against market volatility and was able to use dry powder to pick up some assets at attractive prices. “You need a big balance sheet, and a long-term view,” Dear says.
¬ Haymarket Media Limited. All rights reserved. | 3,905 | 1,918 | 0.000545 |
warc | 201704 | 1School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK 2National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
Received: 12 Mar 2012 – Published in Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss.: 21 Mar 2012 Abstract. Observations and models have shown that continuously degassing volcanoes have a potentially large effect on the natural background aerosol loading and the radiative state of the atmosphere. We use a global aerosol microphysics model to quantify the impact of these volcanic emissions on the cloud albedo radiative forcing under pre-industrial (PI) and present-day (PD) conditions. We find that volcanic degassing increases global annual mean cloud droplet number concentrations by 40% under PI conditions, but by only 10% under PD conditions. Consequently, volcanic degassing causes a global annual mean cloud albedo effect of −1.06 W m
Revised: 26 Jul 2012 – Accepted: 08 Aug 2012 – Published: 16 Aug 2012 −2 in the PI era but only −0.56 W m −2 in the PD era. This non-equal effect is explained partly by the lower background aerosol concentrations in the PI era, but also because more aerosol particles are produced per unit of volcanic sulphur emission in the PI atmosphere. The higher sensitivity of the PI atmosphere to volcanic emissions has an important consequence for the anthropogenic cloud radiative forcing because the large uncertainty in volcanic emissions translates into an uncertainty in the PI baseline cloud radiative state. Assuming a −50/+100% uncertainty range in the volcanic sulphur flux, we estimate the annual mean anthropogenic cloud albedo forcing to lie between −1.16 W m −2 and −0.86 W m −2. Therefore, the volcanically induced uncertainty in the PI baseline cloud radiative state substantially adds to the already large uncertainty in the magnitude of the indirect radiative forcing of climate. Citation: Schmidt, A., Carslaw, K. S., Mann, G. W., Rap, A., Pringle, K. J., Spracklen, D. V., Wilson, M., and Forster, P. M.: Importance of tropospheric volcanic aerosol for indirect radiative forcing of climate, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 7321-7339, doi:10.5194/acp-12-7321-2012, 2012. | 2,218 | 1,058 | 0.000973 |
warc | 201704 | Auto Electrician Job Description
Automobiles are complex machines that require many components to function properly. Since humans depend on their vehicles so much, they can experience extreme duress when something goes wrong. While many people lament the prospect of taking their vehicle to the mechanic, they often admit that they would be in big trouble without the services of technicians. To make the most out of a stressful situation, it is important for an auto electrician to understand the many responsibilities included in their job description.
It is not uncommon to encounter individuals who thought that a career as an auto technician would relieve them of the burden of having to deal directly with the general public. While that may be true in some large auto repair businesses, the vast majority of technicians will be required to deal with difficult customers and coworkers at some point in their career. So, unless you plan to live under a rock, your personality will be almost as important as your technical skills. In the end, nobody wants to work with someone who is lazy, rude, or inconsiderate. As you explore the many components of a comprehensive auto electrician job description, keep in mind that character qualities are just as important as knowledge and skill.
Auto Electrician Personality Requirements
Most careers require individuals to spend as much time, if not more time, with coworkers than is spent with a spouse or significant other. The fact that people spend so much of their time working with other people, means that it is extremely important for individuals to have some very specific character traits in order to be successful. Before an automotive technician is hired, an employer will want to assess the applicants dependability. In business, there is no substitute for someone who is reliable and who exhibits a strong sense of responsibility to their employer and to customers. An auto electrician who posses this quality will be way ahead of most job applicants and will rarely find themselves without a job.
Dealing with vehicles can be a frustrating process especially when the cause of a malfunction is unknown. Individuals who have a short fuse and who cannot handle disappointment will discover that a career as an automotive technician can push them to the breaking point. An important component of the auto electrician job description includes the ability to deal with stressful situations in a calm and collected manner. Technicians must be able to exercise self control during those times when aggression and anger want to take over. Repairing vehicles sometimes requires creative thinking and unconventional problem solving. A successful auto technician is able to adapt to these situations to arrive at a workable solution.
One thing that many employers will evaluate is an individual’s ability to work well with others and to treat customers with respect. An efficient auto repair business requires collaboration between many different people who all have slightly different opinions and perspectives. The ability of the auto electrician to work amicably with others can mean the difference between business success and failure. One rotten employee can bring down an entire team and drive away all customers. There are many more character traits that could be included in the auto electrician job description. The qualities outlined above represent only a few of the most important aspects of becoming a successful technician.
Auto Electrician Technical Skills
An auto electrician should have the ability to diagnose and repair electronic components in vehicles. Through formal training and on-the-job experience, a technician will learn how to thoroughly inspect electrical systems, diagnose malfunctions, and make repairs. This process requires knowledge of oscilloscopes, voltmeters, and a variety of other tools. The auto electrician job description is also likely to include soldering, splicing wires, running electrical cables, drilling holes, uninstalling and reinstalling interiors, and building enclosures.
There are many different technical skills that you will acquire over time and with experience. The important thing is to remember that most people can be taught to perform the technical aspects of being a technician. Individuals should spend the majority of their time assessing whether or not they have the personality traits that are well-suited to the auto electrician job description. If you have the basic character qualities outlined above, then with the addition of some formal training and hands-on instruction you will likely make a great auto electrician. If you lack the qualities mentioned here, then you may want to consider an alternative career choice. | 4,758 | 2,052 | 0.000489 |
warc | 201704 | The answer to this question really depends on your insurance company. If you have insurance that covers your driving another vehicle, then it is likely that you will be covered while test driving an RV. However, if you don’t have this extended coverage, then you will be driving illegally. The other issue here is the uninsured vehicle.
Enter your zip code below and compare auto insurance quotes from many reputable insurance companies!
Some insurance companies extend the coverage to other cars only if that other car has insurance coverage as well. While this many not specifically be mentioned in your insurance policy, it doesn’t have to be. Most state laws back up the insurance company’s position that no driver should be driving an uninsured vehicle.
Before you make the decision to test drive an uninsured RV, or any other uninsured vehicle, take the time to call your insurance company to see if you are covered for the test drive. If you don’t, you could end up being liable for an accident that occurs in the vehicle.
Should I test drive an uninsured RV if my insurance will provide me with coverage?
This is an excellent question and the answer is a resounding no! The truth is that you should never get behind the wheel of an uninsured vehicle, even if your own insurance will cover you if you have a car accident.
Why? The answer to this is simple. If you have an accident, then it is your insurance that will pay the claim and it is you who will be paying the penalties for that accident for the next 3 years, even if you choose not to purchase the RV.
When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle that you have never driven before, then the risk of having an accident increases exponentially. You want to ensure that the vehicle you are you are test driving has the necessary protection so that you don’t pay the price for the next 3 years.
This is actually something that many people don’t think about when test driving a vehicle until they actually have an accident.
My insurance covers my test drive but I got a ticket because I couldn’t provide proof of insurance; is that legal?
While the laws vary a bit between states, if you live in a state that requires you to provide proof of insurance on demand, which many states do these days, then it is legal for a police officer to give you a ticket. What’s more, in many states you will be unable to contest this ticket, even if you can provide proof of insurance.
The reason for this is that the ticket you are receiving isn’t because you don’t have insurance; it is because you didn’t have proof of insurance. Your total fine may be reduced once you produce your proof of insurance; however, the fine for driving without that proof will stand.
Even if the vehicle you are test driving is insured through the owner, you could still get a ticket if you are pulled over and the owner doesn’t have proof of insurance in the RV. In most states it is the law that you, the test driver, ask for proof of insurance from the car owner before getting behind the wheel. He or she is not responsible for that ticket.
Does a dealership have insurance on their RVs?
Yes, in the US, any car, truck or RV dealer is required to carry commercial auto insurance on their vehicles. This insurance protects them against theft as well as accidents when their vehicles driver by potential buyers.
In most states, you won’t have to have any insurance if you are test-driving your vehicle through a dealership. We say most states because, in places like North Carolina, you are required to have insurance before you can get your driver’s license. Without a driver’s license, you cannot test drive a vehicle.
Should I consider non-owner insurance for a test drive?
Non-owners insurance is something to consider, however, keep in mind that if you have an accident, your insurance company is still going to raise your rates if they have to pay an auto insurance claim.
What’s more, you may have to purchase non-owners insurance for a longer period of time than you actually need it, so if you are going this route, then you need to be prepared to spend a little money.
If you are planning on test driving cars from private owners, you might want to consider a non-owners policy and then plan for all of your shopping to occur in a two-week time-frame so that you can take advantage of having that additional coverage.
The truth, however, is that your best bet is to test drive vehicles with their own insurance coverage.
Enter your zip code below and get your free auto insurance quotes right now! | 4,640 | 1,872 | 0.000546 |
warc | 201704 | Toyota's press release follows: Toyota City, Japan, June 25, 2014?Toyota Motor Corporation has revealed the exterior design and Japan pricing of its hydrogen fuel cell sedan, first unveiled as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year.
The car will launch in Japan before April 2015, and preparations are underway for launches in the U.S. and European markets in the summer of 2015. In Japan, the fuel cell sedan will go on sale at Toyota and Toyopet dealerships, priced at approximately 7 million yen (MSRP; excludes consumption tax). Initially, sales will be limited to regions 1 where hydrogen refueling infrastructure is being developed. U.S. and Europe prices have not yet been decided. Likewise, more detailed information, such as specifications, exact prices and sales targets, will be announced later. Toyota FCV Toyota’s commitment to environment-friendly vehicles is based on three basic principles: embracing diverse energy sources; developing efficient, low-emission vehicles; and driving real and positive environmental change by popularizing these vehicles. Hydrogen is a particularly promising alternative fuel since it can be produced using a wide variety of primary energy sources, including solar and wind power. When compressed, it has a higher energy density than batteries and is easier to store and transport. In addition to its potential as a fuel for home and automotive use, hydrogen could be used in a wide range of applications, including large-scale power generation. Toyota has been developing fuel cell vehicles in-house for more than 20 years. Toyota’s fuel cell system includes a proprietary FC Stack, which generates electricity from the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and high-pressure hydrogen tanks. In 2002, Toyota began leasing the “Toyota FCHV”, a fuel cell SUV, on a limited basis in Japan and the U.S. Significant improvements have been made to the FC system since 2002. The fuel cell sedan Toyota revealed today, for example, features performance similar to a gasoline engine vehicle, with a cruising range 2 of approximately 700 km (according to Toyota measurements taken under the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s JC08 test cycle) and a refueling time of roughly three minutes. When driven, it emits only the water vapor produced by the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel cell vehicles contribute to the diversification of automobile fuels, emit no CO2 or environmentally harmful substances during operation, and offer the convenience of gasoline-powered cars. Toyota believes they have a great deal of potential, and are ideal environment-friendly vehicles for promoting a sustainable mobility society. Toyota Group 3 companies are also engaging in other hydrogen-related initiatives, such as developing and testing fuel cells for use in homes, and developing fuel cell forklifts and fuel cell buses. Toyota FCV | 2,944 | 1,471 | 0.000686 |
warc | 201704 | Computer screen too low?
Computer screen too high?
Computer screen too close?
Screen glare problems?
Need a wrist rest?
Need an angled desk or copyholder?
Desk too high?
Desk too low?
Chair too low?
Backrest uncomfortable?
Chair seat too long?
You don't need to spend a lot of money to improve the fit and function of your workspace. Many simple, low-cost solutions are just as effective as the more expensive commercial variety.
Sometimes a low-cost solution is less durable, less attractive, less effective, or less convenient to adjust. In any case, it is a good idea to experiment first with a homemade ergonomic solution to make sure you're on the right track. Then, if you want a more permanent, more attractive, or more easily adjustable product solution, you'll be assured that your investment will pay off.
1. Computer screen too low?
A low screen forces your head forward and down, straining your neck and back.
Homemade solution: Put your screen on top of some phone books, a sturdy box, or on top of the CPU (the main computer unit). It may not look terrific or allow easy adjustment, but it is quick and inexpensive.
Specialized product solution: The best monitor valets allow easy positioning forward and back, and up and down. This is especially useful at shared workstations and for people who change their sitting postures often. They also free up valuable desk space. Or consider a low-cost monitor riser that also provides additional paper storage.
2. Computer screen too high?
This forces your head to tilt back and your chin to jut forward, straining your neck. Most computer screens sitting on top of a CPU are too high for shorter people. Computer screens mounted on top of a monitor arm (also known as a monitor valet) are also ususally too high for shorter people.
Homemade solution: Place the computer screen directly on your desk or upon a thin book or two. Do not use a monitor arm or place the computer screen on top of the CPU.
Specialized product solution: You may need extension cables to relocate the CPU some distance from the screen, or a special stand to position the CPU on the floor. If the monitor is quite large, you may need to position it below the surface of the desk on a specialized 2-part adjustable worksurface.
3. Computer screen too close?
To minimize eye strain, it is best to keep your screen an arms distance away from you. If the screen is too close it strains your eyes to focus inward, and with some screens there may be a concern about electromagnetic emissions.
Homemade solution: If your screen is too close but you can't move it back because it bumps the wall, move the desk away from the wall a few inches. Slide the screen back, but be careful not to unbalance the desk (some screens are very heavy). If your desk has a pencil drawer underneath the keyboard area, pull out the drawer and use it as a keyboard tray. You may need to fill the drawer with magazines or books to create a level surface for the keyboard.
Specialized product solution: A deeper worksurface is the ideal solution. You might also consider using a keyboard tray. It attaches underneath or on top of a desk. The best ones adjust up and down, forward and back, and tilt and swivel as well. However you may no longer be able to easily reach documents or equipment on your desk (like a telephone or a calculator) if you use a keyboard tray.
4. Screen glare problems?
Glare makes your screen difficult to see and fatigues your eyes. The glare from a window or overhead light can create a reflection in the screen which obscures the display. In situations where a bright light source (like a window) is behind the screen, the screen contrast can become too dark to see.
Homemade solution: Reorient your screen so that it is perpendicular to the light source (e.g., with the window at your side). Or fashion a screen shade or hood from cardboard and tape, being careful not to cover the screen's ventilation holes. Vertical blinds can let in natural light while shading direct sunlight in your direction.
Specialized product solution: If you can't reorient the screen to avoid glare or change the light source, then try a glare screen or hood. Glare screens should meet American Optometric Association standards.
5. Need a wrist rest?
Wrist rests are not for everyone. Generally, they are best used to rest upon when you pause between keystrokes, not while you are actively keying. Also, be certain that the wristrest does not force you to reach uncomfortably far to access your keyboard.
You may need a wrist rest if the hard edges of your desk irritate your wrists and forearms. For some, wrist rests can also relieve aches and fatigue in your hands, arms, shoulders and neck by increasing the support to your arms. Some people also use wrist rests to help maintain neutral postures in the wrist and arms.
Homemade solution: Fold a terrycloth hand towel to the same height as your keyboard. You may want to change the towel weekly because it will tend to compact and collect dirt and body oils. Some people tape the towel to their desk so it won't slip or unfold.
Specialized product solution: There are a variety of inexpensive, easy-to-clean wrist and forearm supports.
6. Need an angled desk or copyholder?
Reading and writing on a flat surface forces you to look down and strains your neck.
Homemade solution: Prop a clip board at an angle against a thick book. If you tape the bottom edge of the clip board to the desk, you can slide the book back and forth to adjust the angle.
Specialized product solution: If you want a more stable writing surface, or if you want your copy higher, consider a specialized slant board, copyholder, or book holder.
7. Desk too high?
A desk that's too high usually causes you to raise your chair, lifting your feet off the ground. This makes you feel off-balance and can compromise the circulation to your feet. A desk that's too high can force you to shrug your shoulders to reach the desk top, straining your neck and arms.
Homemade solution: The best solution is to cut the desk legs down. If that's not possible, raise your chair and use a footrest. A small step stool makes a great footrest (put your feet on the bottom rung). A sturdy box or binder full of papers (that Policy and Procedure Manual you never read) also works well. Some people mount a spring loaded chin-up bar under the desk as a footrest. Footrests with a lot of surface area or many places to rest your feet are best. If you're typing at a computer keyboard, put the keyboard on a pillow in your lap.
Specialized product solution: Many office chairs have pneumatic lifts that adjust quite high. Many commercial footrests are available with angle or height adjustments. Purchase a keyboard valet to lower the keyboard (see #4).
8. Desk too low?
A desk that's too low forces you to slump and strain your back. Ideal desk heights vary with different people and with different tasks (a little higher for writing; a little lower for keying) but for most folks it is at or just above elbow height. Remember to sit in a chair that is the correct height for you before you determine your best desk height.
Homemade solution: Place wood blocks under your desk legs. Stock lumber like 2" x 4"'s or 4" x 4"'s may already be the correct height, or you can stack several layers of plywood. Some lumber yards will cut boards to size for a fee. Make sure the desk legs can't slide off the blocks.
Specialized product solution: Off-the-shelf desk raising devices are available for many desk styles and are simple to install.
9. Chair too low?
Sitting on a seat that's too low forces you to slump, and strains your neck and back. A seat that's the right height allows your feet to rest comfortably on the floor with your thighs and buttocks evenly and fully supported.
Homemade solution: Put a folded beach towel, pillow, or slab of foam in your seat, and secure it there with string or tape. Take care that your back rest still fits you properly with a cushion on your seat.
Specialized product solution: Purchase a fabric covered or wipe-clean-vinyl seat cushion or wedge. Or, you may be able to swap out the pneumatic lift in your office chair and replace it with a taller one. Ask your office chair vendor.
10. Backrest uncomfortable?
Your backrest should follow your natural body contours. If it doesn't you will slump into uncomfortable neck and back postures.
Homemade solution: Roll a hand towel into a comfortable shape and tape it to your chair's backrest at a height that fits the small of your back. Or use a partial roll of paper towels or small pillow.
Specialized product solution: Hundreds of portable lumbar pillows and back supports are commercially available, some with special straps for attachment to your chair.
11. Chair seat too long?
When your seat is too long you can't bend your knees to get your feet on the floor unless you slouch and strain your back, or unless you sit on the edge of the chair.
Homemade solution: Place a "filler" between you and the chair's backrest. Use a seat cushion, bed pillow, folded blanket, or beach towel. The filler should be the same thickness as the seat is long, and can be padded to match the contours of your back.
Specialized product solution: Some commercially available portable back supports combine both the space filler and the contoured support for your back. | 9,420 | 3,874 | 0.00026 |
warc | 201704 | Queridos amigos:
Along with Nolan and Simon, I am interning with the Institute of Nature and Society of Oaxaca (INSO) in Oaxaca, Mexico. I have been with INSO for almost a month now, and time is flying! I have been learning a lot, but I have also been inundated with so much information it is almost unreal.
I will begin describing INSO (http://insooaxaca.com/insoeng.html), although let me caveat that I am still coming to know INSO’s myriad projects. Basically, INSO is a small Oaxacan non-profit with the mission of pursuing theoretical approaches to conservation, promoting the exploration of nature and society through research, and supporting the implementation of alternative technologies. Most recently, INSO has been working on water issues in Oaxaca—here water is in short supply and demand is only growing. INSO, therefore, is seeking sustainable ways to supply water to all of the regions’ inhabitants while also encouraging water conservation practices. Unlike similar efforts in the past, INSO is dedicated to bringing all stakeholders to the table—community members, private organizations, NGOs, government, etc.— to find collaborative and comprehensive solutions to water issues.
But where does that leave me? Well, I have been helping out with many projects since my arrival last month. First, Mara, Nelly (my main INSO counterpart), Simon, Nolan, and I have begun our 2011 Oaxaca Water Sampling Frenzy (I just made that name up). We have been extremely busy organizing data, purchasing and maintaining equipment, making GIS maps, getting directions, and actually going on water sampling excursions. It has been a little chaotic at times, but it has also been a lot of fun. Despite Mara already returning New York, we are very excited and hopeful that we will finish the sampling season with both a robust set of data (comprised of many scientific parameters measuring water quality and flow) and well-worn rain boots. With this data, we and Juan José, INSO’s director, will be able to draw conclusions about what kinds of conservation projects should be taken on and what parts of the watershed should be prioritized.
In addition to coordinating and carrying out the Water Sampling Frenzy, I have been up to my elbows in Spanish. I never thought I would say this (especially if you asked me last fall), but thank goodness for my Spanish degree! I have kept busy translating documents from Spanish to English both for INSO and for my peers, which has served not only to introduce me more to INSO, but also to teach me all of the environmental Spanish vocabulary I ever wanted to know. I am becoming quite familiar with words like
el alcantarillado (sewers) and los invernaderos (greenhouses). Along with translating documents, I have also utilized my Spanish in order to attend and (mostly) understand several meetings with INSO staff. Most notably, I attended the latest Oaxacan Water Forum meeting, where Oaxacans from all different walks of life convened to discuss water issues and solutions. This was extremely interesting to me, as I am thinking about writing my thesis on some aspect of the Water Forum and its ability to actually affect policy.
Finally, I feel I should close by pointing out that now marks a little bit of a transition period in my internship here at INSO. Beginning this week, Simon, Nolan, and I will be spending a lot more time at
El Pedregal, INSO’s permaculture demonstration center. We will be helping out with construction projects (i.e. building micro dams) and we will be preparing for the arrival of two groups of American high school students. The students will be visiting and working at El Pedregal for four days each in order to learn more about INSO’s many conservation projects. As native English speakers, we will be charged with helping translate, supervise, and coordinate the trip—it’s going to be a blast!
Well, I hope that all of my fellow Bard CEPers are doing well and I look forward to seeing more blog posts from everyone! Happy summer and hasta pronto!
Saludos, Michelle | 4,105 | 2,067 | 0.000492 |
warc | 201704 | Although advocacy and coordination are recognized as important aspects of the addictions treatment process, little research has been done in these areas.
The present study examined advocacy and coordination at two programs where the mandate was assessment, referral, and case management.
The majority of advocacy and coordination contacts were with other agencies about clients (the remainder with family and friends of clients).
A framework for advocacy and coordination was developed that allowed contacts to be categorized into mutually exclusive advocacy or coordination activities.
Advocacy was defined as any activity undertaken to obtain something for clients ; coordination involved the giving or receiving of information regarding specific clients.
Sources of variability in the provision of advocacy and coordination were found between the programs that could be attributed to differences between the systems within which the programs operated, as well as differences in program clientele.
In terms of client characteristics, it was found that females were more likely than males to receive advocacy ; those over 65 years were most likely to receive both advocacy and coordination ; those who were referred by school or employer or by corrections were most likely to receive coordination ; those with no prior treatment were most likely to receive advocacy ; and self-referrals and those who had had prior treatment were most likely to receive neither advocacy nor coordination.
Mots-clés Pascal : Coordinateur, Filière soin, Continuité soins, Suivi cas, Toxicomanie, Alcoolisme, Programme thérapeutique, Sevrage toxique, Rôle thérapeutique, Rôle professionnel, Coordination, Personnel sanitaire, Programme sanitaire, Santé mentale, Homme Mots-clés Pascal anglais : Drug addiction, Alcoholism, Therapeutic schedule, Poison withdrawal, Therapeutic role, Occupational role, Coordination, Health staff, Sanitary program, Mental health, Human Notice produite par : Inist-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique Cote : 95-0555481
Code Inist : 002B18I15. Création : 01/03/1996. | 2,160 | 1,037 | 0.000992 |
warc | 201704 | 10 Statistics on Urgent Care Centers
1. Number of urgent care centers.There were about 8,700 centers by the summer of 2010. In comparison, there were 4,600 hospital EDs in 2008, according to AHA Trendwatch. 2. Growth in number of centers.About 330 centers were launched from 2008-2009 and 304 from 2009-2010. There has been a 5 percent increase in the number of centers that are less than two years old. 3. Size of multi-site systems.Multi-site systems of urgent care centers have an average of 8.99 centers each. 4. Increase in patient visits.The average number of visits per week increased to 342 in 2010. In addition, 86 percent of centers are expecting volume to increase in the next 12 months. 5. Reimbursement.The average reimbursement per visit increased by 14.71 percent, suggesting payors are recognizing the value of urgent care. 6. Patient wait times.Surveyed centers reported 57 percent of patients wait 15 minutes or less to be seen and about 80 percent of all visits are 60 minutes or less. 7. Time in operation.The survey shows 53 percent of centers had been in operation more than five years; 26 percent 3-5 years; 12 percent 1-2 years; and 9 percent less than one year. 8. Type of ownership.Half of centers are owned by physicians; 27.9 percent by hospitals; 13.5 percent by corporations; 7.7 percent by non-physician individuals; and 1.0 percent by franchises. 9. Use of IT systems.More than 90 percent of centers use computerized practice management systems and two-thirds use computerized systems for clinical processes. 10. Types of Providers.Almost two-thirds of centers use a mix of physicians, nurse practitioners or physician assistants, and at least one physician is on-site at all times at 65 of centers.
Read findings of the association's June-August 2010 survey on urgent care centers.
Read more coverage on the growth of urgent care centers and retail clinics:
- U.S. Retail Clinics Expected to Double by 2015, Could Partner With Health Systems
© Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2017. Interested in LINKING to or REPRINTING this content? View our policies by clicking here. To receive the latest hospital and health system business and legal news and analysis from Becker's Hospital Review, sign-up for the free Becker's Hospital Review E-weeklyby clicking here. | 2,301 | 1,148 | 0.000876 |
warc | 201704 | Focus more on the why of organizing than the how
Often when I meet with a client for an assessment, one of the first things she’ll ask is what needs to be done to get the organizing process underway. It’s an understandable question: because we’re working to create order and calm, it makes sense that the client wants a logical sequence of events to get from Point A—disorganization—to Point B. Ultimately, I create an organizing project plan for each client, but before I do, I ask her to take the time to explain why she wants to get organized in the first place. I find (and clients often do, too) that this information is crucial to creating systems and habits that will stick over the long term, rather than coming up with quick fixes.
Though it’s important to have a plan before you start the organizing process, it’s equally important to focus on why you want to get organized. Once you’re clear on that, the steps that follow will be easier, more meaningful, and more effective.
Putting this tip into action
This week, spend some time thinking about how disorganization is impacting your life and why getting organized is important to you.
Remember to define organization for yourself.In a conversation with some new professional organizers last week, my friend and colleague Josh made an excellent point: there’s often a difference between being tidy and being organized. Often, people will think they need to get organized (or others will think this for them) because there are occasional piles around their home or office or because their space doesn’t always look neat, even if they have easy access to the things they need and don’t find themselves overwhelmed by clutter. Being organized doesn’t necessarily mean that your space must look minimalist and tidy, so propelling yourself through the organizing process simply to gain a neater (but not more functional) home or office will do little more than frustrate you. Don’t get organized solely for someone else’s benefit.Trying to get organized only because someone else thinks you should or has asked you to—or because you believe you should for that person’s benefit—is a losing proposition. It’s entirely reasonable to keep others in mind as you go through the organizing process; indeed, many of my clients have expressed to me the hope that by getting organized, they’ll show more respect to a boss, spouse, or partner, or will provide a more nurturing and stable environment for a child. That said, the decision to get organized should really come from you, not from someone else, if the process is to be effective over time. Other people can be a great source of motivation and support, but be sure you’re the one in control. Write down and reconnect with your organizing goals.As with other habit changes, it’s often easier to get and stay organized if you’ve set specific goals. Take some time to think about what your general organizing goals might be: perhaps you’d like to be able to invite guests into your home without embarrassment. Maybe you’d like to use your time at work more efficiently, working toward a promotion (and pay raise) in the process. Perhaps you want to lose the feeling of overwhelm you get each time you open a particular closet or enter a certain room. Write down these broad goals, and then add specifics to them—keeping the living room free from clutter, for example, or creating a filing system at work that prevents you from wasting time looking for the papers you need. Keep this list of goals handy, and refer back to it throughout the organizing process. Build your hows off your whys.Finally, as you create a plan of attack for getting and staying organized, use the reasons why you want to be more organized (that is, the goals you set above) to help determine how you’ll get more organized. For example, if your goal is to decrease the amount of clutter in your home—but not necessarily to eliminate piles and stacks altogether—you’ll want to focus on deciding what’s worth keeping and what isn’t, but won’t have to worry about finding out-of-sight storage for everything you choose to keep. If, on the other hand, you want to create and maintain a living room that’s always ready for guests, your organizing process will include both decluttering and coming up with storage solutions. In the end, your organizing project plan should cover only those tasks you need to do to achieve your goals.
How you go about getting (and staying) organized is important, but even more key is why you want to get organized in the first place. Create organizing goals that are meaningful and inspirational and you’ll be far more likely to stick with the organizing process long-term. | 4,858 | 2,190 | 0.000474 |
warc | 201704 | Guest Author - Deborah Crawford
Many businesses use article writing and blogging to market and promote their businesses. It’s a great way to create and distribute content and can help you meet your objectives such as directing traffic to your website or establishing credibility in your field. But writing that content can sometimes be a pain. You have a great idea, but it just doesn’t gel into a cohesive piece. Or you can’t get started because you don’t really know what you want to say. Mind-mapping is a great tool that can help you write articles and posts quickly and clearly.
Mind-mapping has a wide variety of uses. It can be used for almost anything, from making grocery lists to taking notes at a seminar to planning a website to outlining a book. It’s simple to learn. Plus, there are many web and phone applications now so that you can mind-map without pen and paper.
Mind mapping is a little bit different than standard outlining. For me, it helps in generating and capturing ideas more quickly and it really helps me edit out extraneous thoughts. It’s less formal of course, but you can easily use mind maps to create formal outlines should you need to do so.
To illustrate how mind mapping works, let’s suppose we're writing an article on doing laundry. Here is a mind map I created on doing laundry .
I used Free Mind to create this mind map, which is a mind-mapping program you can download for free. There are many programs available for mind-mapping and all work in similar ways and most have tutorials to help you figure out how to create your mind maps.
I started by putting the main topic “doing laundry” in the center of the mind map. Then, as I thought of things that would need to be included, I added them as “children” to the main idea. Mind-maps work on a child/parent system. The main idea is the “parent” and the supporting ideas are “children”. Children may have other children—i.e., supporting ideas for each paragraph or sub-topic.
Once I had all the ideas on the mind-map, I re-ordered them (the software makes it easy to move the ideas around) and then numbered them. Neither is necessary, but makes it quite easy to not only write the article in a logical order, but it helps with titling (i.e., I could now title this article “Six Simple Steps to Doing Your Laundry”, whereas before I did the mind-map, I really couldn’t tell you how many steps are involved in doing laundry.)
Creating mind maps for your articles and blog posts also makes it easier to re-purpose your content. Rather than editing an already-written article, you can edit the mind map to suit your newer purpose (a new client, new target market, new publication, etc.) and then quickly write new content.
In addition to using mind-mapping for articles and blog posts, I use it to create presentations. Doing a mind-map helps me clarify my presentation and it is easy to use the mind map to create supporting documents or visual aids, such as handouts or slide presentations.
Once you learn how to use mind-mapping, you will find it useful for so many things. Back to the grocery lists: Mind-mapping a grocery list means you can group “produce” items together, whereas with a list, you might find yourself already through the produce section before noticing you had tomatoes at the bottom of the list. You can even mind-map your daily schedule or to-do list, which can help you schedule your time more productively.
I learned to mind map with this very simple book. It's easy to read and learn how to mind-map. Here's my review of How to Mind Map. | 3,669 | 1,707 | 0.000605 |
warc | 201704 | Often the best advocates for increasing public awareness for a particular disease are those directly affected by it.
Tracey Bryan became one of th0se people in her fourth month of pregnancy, when she was told her unborn son had a life-threatening heart defect, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Bryan faced a decision: either terminate the pregnancy or deliver a baby who would need immediate surgery. She chose the latter, and because Children's Hospital Boston specializes in the surgery her son needed, she moved there temporarily.
Today, after three operations and hundreds of hours of therapy, Bryan's son Jack is a happy, spunky 3-year-old, but his battle is far from over. Just 20 years ago, babies born with HLHS would not survive more than a month, therefore doctors can't predict how long Jack's surgical correction will last.
As she's already demonstrated, Bryan takes adversity head on. She and her husband, Steve, have founded
Jack of Hearts Foundation (www.jackofheartsfoundation.com), which they hope will bring attention to HLHS and raise money for research into the condition.
In the following interview, Bryan discusses the syndrome and why fundraising is so critical — and difficult — for rare conditions such as HLHS.
Q: What is hypoplastic left heart syndrome?
A: It is the underdevelopment of the left side of the heart, specifically the left ventricle, which is the chamber of the heart responsible for pumping blood from the heart to the body. It means it's impossible for your heart to pump blood to your body, and therefore impossible for your heart to deliver oxygen to your body without surgical intervention to correct the problem. If a baby doesn't have the surgery, they will die within a relatively short time, within a couple of days.
Q: How prevalent is this condition in children?
A: It is relatively rare. The reported incidence is between one or two babies in 10,000 births. It's hard to get exact figures on it, because not enough children have survived this syndrome long enough for there to be a (large-scale) study. A recent study in Great Britain showed that they averaged 200-260 babies a year with HLHS. Unfortunately, there aren't good statistics kept on this syndrome.
Q: Do survival rates vary quite a bit depending on where the child is born?
A: If you have a prenatal diagnosis like I did, you're expecting to have a child that is cardiac compromised, so you handle them differently at birth than you do a healthy infant. Parents who have a child with this condition that do not know and deliver at any hospital anywhere, and they only find out when the child goes into cardiac arrest — those kids have a worse outcome because they're compromised already. The problem [only becomes known] when they crash, so they sustain all the damage anybody sustains if you have a heart attack and you're not resuscitated properly.
This surgery is big and so specialized that it's one of the most difficult surgeries pediatric cardiovascular surgeons do, so not just any doctor can do it. First the kid has to be fortunate enough to be born in a place where the surgery can even be done. But if you know in advance and you can have the child delivered in a place where they do the surgery [often], that's even better.
Q: Jack has undergone three surgeries to correct the abnormality. Will he now lead a normal life?
A: Yes and no. He has a 30 percent chance of needing a heart transplant sometime in the future. And there's no one who can tell me, or any parent of a kid with this disorder, if he's going to be alive when he's 30 or 40. There are no 40 year olds (with HLHS) right now in the world. They don't exist, so nobody knows what happens to these kids for the long term. He's having a pretty normal life now. He goes to preschool, plays with his brothers and sisters, and he can do what most 3-year-olds can do. The overall survival rate to age 5 is 65 percent, and the overall survival rate to age 10 is 55 percent. There aren't any statistics for how many kids (with HLHS) are alive that are older than 10, but we do know that the oldest kids are just in their early 20s.
Q: You've dedicated a lot of time studying this syndrome with a great result — your son is alive and thriving — but that's not enough, is it?
A: No, he's basically alive because of children before him whose parents allowed them to have surgery. Each time the surgery is done, the method improves. Doctors learn things, improve their techniques and you can see an upward arc in the overall survival rates over the last 20 years. That's all because of research.
Q: HLHS is considered a rare condition, so it's difficult to obtain research dollars, isn't it?
A: Cardiac defects are the No. 1 birth defect in children. This cardiac defect is one of the rarer ones, but there is a paltry amount of money that is devoted to pediatric cardiology in general, which comes out to less than one cent of each research dollar. And we get way less than one percent (for research into HLHS). In practical terms, it means fewer kids survive. If you put more money into more research, the survival rate would continue to increase.
Q: What's the goal of your foundation?
A: Our goal is to fund one major research study a year, and a research study costs in the neighborhood of $100,000, so our goal is to raise $100,000 a year. Obviously, we'd like to do better than that, but I think a reasonable goal is to fund one study a year. | 5,484 | 2,569 | 0.000393 |
warc | 201704 | When Tory Burch was
asked if she was ambitious by
The New York Times in 2004, she blanched.
For a woman who would soon become the second-youngest
self-made female billionaire in the US, that sounds faintly ridiculous.
However, society has long held a dim view of female ambition and Burch had
subconsciously absorbed that prejudice. “It was only later that I realised I
had bought into this whole concept that for men, being ambitious is a
compliment, whereas for women it’s a negative,” she says. “That’s a harmful
double standard that we must overcome for women to achieve parity in the
workplace.”
Burch is dedicating time and money to ensuring women have equal opportunities and can fight prejudice in the professional world. Not that she looks like the kind of person who has ever been discriminated against. Clever, beautiful and unfailingly polite, she grew up in an immensely privileged family — her father was heir to a paper-cup fortune and dated Grace Kelly in his youth; while her mother was once linked to Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando.
After university, Burch took the path of many well-bred young women and worked in fashion PR in New York before marrying a successful businessman. After leaving her job to have children, she started designing brightly coloured clutch bags and ballet flats from her New York apartment — so far, so standard. However, buoyed by the reaction of her friends, she moved her wares out of her living room and into a small boutique in Nolita in 2004. “I initially named it Tory by TRB as I wanted to keep my name my own, but as we gained in popularity, everyone started calling it Tory Burch anyway, so I gave in and changed it.”
With her collections selling out days after their release, Burch soon realised that she had stumbled upon a hole in the market. “Something was missing in fashion,” she says. “It took a two-year process to figure out exactly what that was: well-made clothing that was also affordable. We hit on an area that wasn’t being addressed.”
Keen to capitalise on her success, Burch reached out to investors to help her expand the brand, which was when it dawned on her that the fabled glass ceiling was still very much in place for women in the business world. “Growing up with three brothers, I never realised there was such a big difference between men and women,” says Burch. “I experienced some prejudice in my first jobs but when I started my company, I quickly realised how widespread anti-women attitudes could be. When I needed to raise money, there were lots of raised eyebrows and petty comments. It made me understand the challenges women face.”
Now the owner of one of the most successful fashion brands in the US, Burch is passionate about helping other entrepreneurial women struggling to get their businesses off the ground without the contacts and support she personally profited from. To address their needs, in 2009 she launched the Tory Burch Foundation, a charity that helps finance small female-run businesses in the US and offers free business and legal advice.
“Single mothers in particular are still being marginalised,” Burch says. “There is so much to be done. As our company has grown, I’ve learned about the obstacles that women in business face, from balancing work and family — my greatest challenge — to securing finance. Many also lack the confidence, business networks and training they need to see their ideas through.”
Burch has methodically set about finding ways to solve these three problems. She addressed the finance issue by setting up an agreement between her foundation and the Bank of America, which now offers reduced-rate business loans to certain female entrepreneurs. Education is ticked off through a partnership with Goldman Sachs and its 10,000 Small Businesses programme, which provides management training to young female entrepreneurs.
And as for confidence, that more elusive quality is now being nurtured through a recently launched mentorship programme — something Burch herself holds particularly dear. “I have always believed in the value of mentors and, to this day, turn to trusted advisers from many different industries for insight,” she says. “Our foundation offers opportunities for women to network with business leaders and other female entrepreneurs seeking to grow and scale their enterprises and gain invaluable advice.”
This year has marked a number of turning
points for the foundation, which also launched the Fellows Competition, the
prize for which is a US$100,000 business donation to the most impressive female
entrepreneur of the year. Kate McAleer, founder of Bixby & Co, an organic
and vegan-friendly snack bar company, was selected from 10 finalists this
summer after they all pitched their business plans to a judging panel that
included Burch,
Glamour magazine editor-in-chief Cindi Leive and
model and designer Liya Kebede.
And for those of us who want to donate to the foundation and get something nice in return, there is always Seed Box — a curated selection of products by female entrepreneurs from which 100 percent of the profits go towards helping other women in business.
“One of the reasons I wanted to start a company was to start a foundation that would benefit women and children,” says Burch. “It’s not about charity. It’s about helping to empower women to help themselves. By providing resources and tools, we can level the playing field for women entrepreneurs, and helping them to grow their businesses benefits their families, their communities and, in turn, all of us.” | 5,757 | 2,775 | 0.000375 |
warc | 201704 | PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University has been named a Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training by the John A. Hartford Foundation, the nations largest private foundation focused solely on aging and health.
Alpert Medical School was one of three medical schools chosen from a pool of 27 applicants to earn the Hartford Foundation designation. Rhode Island Hospital received the three-year, $450,000 grant award that accompanies the designation.
Grant funds will be used to train 13 geriatrics junior faculty and fellows a tactic that will help ensure that Browns doctors-in-training can meet the needs of older patients. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans age 65 and older will double to 71 million by 2030. By that time, demographers predict a shortfall of 26,000 geriatricians across the country.
Were looking down the barrel of a loaded gun, said Center of Excellence project leader Richard W. Besdine, M.D., professor of medicine at Brown, director of the Division of Geriatrics in the Department of Medicine, and head of the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research. We simply dont have enough medical specialists to care for the coming silver tsunami a shortage that will only get worse over time. The Hartford Foundation award will help Alpert Medical School support the fellows and junior faculty who teach the next generation of doctors how to care for older adults and how to conduct research to improve that care.
With the grant funding, Alpert Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital will:
There are now 27 Hartford Centers of Excellence in medicine across the United States, including at UCLA, Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins and Duke medical schools. These schools share several qualities, including strong leadership in geriatrics, a history of producing faculty in geriatrics, access to excellent clinical facilities for geriatrics, and a track record of attracting substantial research funding in geriatrics.
To earn the grant award and be designated a Hartford Center of Excellence, Brown has shown that it has a very strong geriatrics program and is committed to taking that program to the next level, said Gavin W. Hougham, a senior program officer at the Hartford Foundation who oversees the Centers of Excellence program. The grant process was intensely competitive and Brown demonstrated that it will continue to develop the academic leaders in geriatric medicine our health care system needs.
The Hartford Foundation grant comes on the heels of a $2-million, four-year award to Brown last year from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. That award is being used to provide aging-related content for every course for every year of medical school. The goal is to ensure that all Alpert Medical School students graduate with the knowledge and skills to treat the elderly.
Aging is a clear strength at Brown, whether its the latest discovery about the biological causes of aging or the latest thinking in nursing home policy, said Eli Y. Adashi, M.D., dean of medicine and biological sciences at Brown. This designation from the Hartford Foundation is proof positive that Alpert Medical School, and its Rhode Island Hospital partner, are national leaders in aging research, clinical care and medical training.
With the aging of the baby boom population, the field of geriatrics is poised to become one of the most critical areas of medicine in the next few decades, said Edward Wing, M.D., chairman of the Department of Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and the Joukowsky Family Professor of Medicine and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Alpert Medical School. We thank the Hartford Foundation for recognizing that Rhode Island Hospital and Alpert Medical School have the expertise and commitment to train the next generation of geriatric clinicians and researchers.
'/>"/>
Contact: Wendy Lawton
Wendy_Lawton@brown.edu
401-863-1862
Brown University
Source:Eurekalert
0
GOOD | 4,016 | 1,822 | 0.000552 |
warc | 201704 | AUGUSTA, Ga. A protein that helps regulate expression of androgen receptors could prove a new focal point for staging and treating testosterone-fueled prostate cancer, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.
Levels of the protein, βarrestin2, are lower in some prostate cancer cells than in normal prostate cells while expression of testosterone-fed androgen receptors is higher, they report in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition this week.
"An increase in the number of androgen receptors is believed responsible for prostate cancer progression in men with advanced disease," says the study's corresponding author, Dr. Yehia Daaka, Distinguished Chair in Oncologic Pathology in the MCG School of Medicine.
With increased numbers of androgen receptors, prostate cancer can make use of the limited testosterone available after a diseased prostate gland is removed or after testosterone production is blocked by drug therapy. In fact, the increased number of androgen receptors may mutate so they can start feeding off other steroids or even growth factors, Dr. Daaka says.
These wily skills help explain why cancer returns despite initially promising treatment results.
"It is clear that signaling by the androgen receptor is paramount for not only the initiation but also the progression of the disease, including escape to a hormone-refractory disease," he says. Moves androgen receptors make to support cancer growth make it "unbeatable at this point," for some patients.
However increased levels of βarrestin2 appear to halt the potentially deadly increase in androgen receptor expression, the MCG research team has found.
Androgen receptors have co-factors that can activate or repress their activity. "You could make the leap and say perhaps prostate cancer initiation and progression may be regulated by expression or non-expression of these co-factors," says Dr. Daaka, a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar.
Their studies in human tissue both in culture and transplanted into mice show this appears the case for βarrestin2. First the team identified βarrestin2 as cofactor for androgen receptors. Next they found a reciprocal relationship: androgen receptor expression is low when βarrestin2 expression increases. That's the scenario in healthy prostate cells while the exact opposite is true in some prostate cancer. When they forced increased expression of βarrestin2, androgen receptor expression and activity went down.
βarrestin2 locks up an androgen receptor by binding to it, then the pair bind to yet another protein, ubiquitin ligase, which tags the receptor as waste and the trio make their way to the cell's garbage dump. "The neat thing about it is βarrestin2 inhibits or blunts the androgen receptor by promoting its degradation. So it disappears," Dr. Daaka says.
His future studies include determining what happens when βarrestin2 expression is further decreased in the face of prostate cancer. These studies will also help determine how big a player βarrestin2 is in prostate cancer progression, says Dr. Daaka, noting that numerous other corepressors and activators of androgen receptors are known.
Since all the happenings occur inside prostate cells, the findings don't point toward a new blood or urine test for prostate cancer but could lead to new ways to stage prostate cancer from the first biopsy. In fact, Dr. Daaka and his team already are collecting samples from patients whose cancer has been staged to see if specific levels of βarrestin2 expression correlate with different stages of disease.
Another goal is to develop a small molecule that can get inside a patient's cell and mimic βarrestin2's ability to suppress androgen receptor expression and so restore healthy levels found in prostate cells.
Prostate cancer falls behind skin cancer as the second most common cancer in men and more than 192,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
'/>"/>
Contact: Toni Baker
tbaker@mcg.edu
706-721-4421
Medical College of Georgia
Source:Eurekalert
0
GOOD | 4,202 | 1,893 | 0.00054 |
warc | 201704 | Collaborating researchers at New York University and Rockefeller University have discovered that microRNA genes, which have recently been shown to have key roles in gene regulation, can team up and regulate target genes in mammals. MicroRNAs are a recently discovered large class of regulatory, non-coding genes, which bind to partially complementary sites in target messenger RNA to regulate their stability and translation. However, little has been known about the biological function of microRNAs--a process the current study sought to explore.
The paper, published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Genetics, found that a microRNA gene regulates, on average, 200 different human gene transcripts and that many microRNAs can coordinate their activities to regulate specific target genes. The paper contains detailed genome-wide predictions for all human microRNAs as well as tissue-specific predictions. Several predictions were validated experimentally. The findings demonstrate an unforeseen staggering complexity of gene regulation executed by microRNAs on a genome-wide level.
In this study, lead author Nikolaus Rajewsky, a genomics faculty member in NYU's Center for Comparative Functional Genomics and an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, and the research team developed "PicTar," a new algorithm for the identification of microRNA target sites in the genome and used it to compare sequences from eight different vertebrates.
"The study demonstrates that computational methods, in conjunction with the exploding amounts of available sequence data from different species, have the power to not only arrive at large-scale and yet specific, testable predictions for gene regulation, but also to produce new general insights into how gene regulation is organized in the genome," says Rajewsky, who holds an affiliated appointment at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
Rajewsky's research program on bioinformatics predictions of regulatory elements in genomes is being conducted at NYU's Center for Comparative Functional Genomics, where the focus of the research programs is to combine genomic approaches with developmental genetics and evolution to understand how changes in genomes give rise to the diversity of regulatory mechanisms in animals and plants.
Source : New York University | 2,344 | 1,149 | 0.000874 |
warc | 201704 | Microencapsulation of Ozonated Red Pepper Seed Oil with Antimicrobial Activity and Application to Nonwoven Fabric.
MedLine Citation:
PMID: 23190094 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
In recent years, functional fabrics possessing antimicrobial activity have drawn significant interest because antibiotic resistance is becoming widespread among pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of this study was to produce microcapsules incorporating ozonated red pepper seed oil with antimicrobial properties and apply them to nonwoven fabrics to prepare functional textiles. Red pepper seed oil (RPSO) was ozonated and microencapsulated via a complex coacervation method using gelatin (GE) and gum arabic (GA) as wall materials. While microencapsulation yield and oil loading decreased with increases in the amount of surfactant, the mean particle size increased. The antimicrobial activity of the oil was tested via the disc diffusion method. The microcapsules were also tested using the agar well method. While RPSO had no effect on the test microorganisms, the ozonated red pepper seed oil (ORPSO) and microcapsules containing ORPSO were found to be active against the test microorganisms. The microcapsules were then applied to nonwoven fabric using the padding method to produce a disposable functional textile. The microcapsule-impregnated functional fabrics provided a 5log decrease in 1 h. It is therefore possible to functionalize nonwoven fabrics to have antimicrobial activity against antibiotic resistant microorganisms, using microcapsules containing ozonated red pepper seed oil. © 2012 The Authors Letters in Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.
Authors:
Figen Ozyıldız; Senem Karagönlü; Guldemet Basal; Ataç Uzel; Oguz Bayraktar
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Publication Detail:
Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2012-11-29
Journal Detail:
Title: Letters in applied microbiology Volume: - ISSN: 1472-765X ISO Abbreviation: Lett. Appl. Microbiol. Publication Date: 2012 Nov
Date Detail:
Created Date: 2012-11-29 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID: 8510094 Medline TA: Lett Appl Microbiol Country: -
Other Details:
Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: -
Copyright Information:
© 2012 The Authors Letters in Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Ege University, Bornova-Izmir, Turkey.
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document:Supramolecular hydrogels with reverse thermal gelation properties from (oligo)tyrosine containing bl... Next Document:Interview with chi-chao chan. | 3,406 | 1,703 | 0.000604 |
warc | 201704 | Rheumatologic manifestations of pregnancy.
MedLine Citation:
PMID: 21092850 Owner: NLM Status: In-Process
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Pregnancy, whether normal or complicated, induces change in nearly every system of the body. Because most rheumatologic disorders are multisystemic and often affect young women, it may be difficult to differentiate pregnancy-related change from new onset or exacerbation of rheumatic disease. Familiarity with common manifestations of pregnancy is important in evaluating young women of childbearing age,whether or not they have known rheumatologic disease. Presentation of new connective tissue disease during pregnancy is often associated with poorer prognosis, so it is especially important to distinguish between pregnancy-induced change and true autoimmune inflammation requiring prompt and aggressive therapy.
Authors:
Lisa R Sammaritano
Publication Detail:
Type: Journal Article
Journal Detail:
Title: Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America Volume: 36 ISSN: 1558-3163 ISO Abbreviation: Rheum. Dis. Clin. North Am. Publication Date: 2010 Nov
Date Detail:
Created Date: 2010-11-24 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID: 8708093 Medline TA: Rheum Dis Clin North Am Country: United States
Other Details:
Languages: eng Pagination: 729-40 Citation Subset: IM
Copyright Information:
Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
Rheumatology Division, Department of Medicine, Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021, USA. Sammaritan@hss.edu
Export Citation:
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document:Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in rheumatoid arthritis. Next Document:Sorting out frontotemporal dementia? | 1,934 | 1,100 | 0.000929 |
warc | 201704 | Standardization of the Alberta infant motor scale in full-term Greek infants: Preliminary results.
MedLine Citation:
PMID: 20452736 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is a norm-referenced test that assesses the spontaneous motor performance of infants from birth through independent walking (0-18 months). This scale has been utilized for clinical and research purposes in various countries, however, whether the initial standardization in Canadian infants is also representative of other countries' populations has been questioned. AIM: To assess whether the AIMS needs new reference values for Greek infants. METHODS: A cohort of 424 healthy full-term infants (250 boys and 174 girls), aged between 7 days and 18 months, derived from various areas of the Prefecture of Attica and from all socio-economic classes to ensure a true representation, was studied. The AIMS-scores of Greek infants were compared with the norm-referenced values of the original Canadian population reported by Piper and Darrah. RESULTS: The mean AIMS-scores did not differ significantly between Greek and Canadian infants at any age level from birth to 18 months, except for the 2-<3 month of age when higher scores were observed in Greek infants (p=0.02). There was no significant difference in AIMS-values corresponding to the 5th and 90th percentile between Greek and Canadian infants. Inter-rater reliability was excellent in our study population [ICC: 0.99 (95% CI: 0.99-0.99)]. CONCLUSION: In healthy full-term Greek infants, gross motor maturity assessed by the AIMS during the first 18 months of age, seems to follow a similar course to that of Canadian infants.
Authors:
D Syrengelas; T Siahanidou; G Kourlaba; P Kleisiouni; C Bakoula; G P Chrousos
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Publication Detail:
Type: Journal Article Date: 2010-05-08
Journal Detail:
Title: Early human development Volume: 86 ISSN: 1872-6232 ISO Abbreviation: Early Hum. Dev. Publication Date: 2010 Apr
Date Detail:
Created Date: 2010-05-31 Completed Date: 2010-09-02 Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID: 7708381 Medline TA: Early Hum Dev Country: Ireland
Other Details:
Languages: eng Pagination: 245-9 Citation Subset: IM
Copyright Information:
2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatric Physical Therapy, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece. syreggelas@yahoo.com <syreggelas@yahoo.com>
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Greece
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn / physiology*
Male
Motor Activity*
Observer Variation
Reproducibility of Results
Walking*
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document:First report of antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella isolated from poultry in Nepal. Next Document:Endothelial dysfunction and vascular disease in later life. | 3,663 | 1,988 | 0.000511 |
warc | 201704 | The BIS Classrooms
Our students graduate from one room to another when they are developmentally ready not just because the year ends or they have a birthday. Our teaching teams track student development along a range of developmental continua covering areas like; academic, physical, social and emotional and self direction. This allows us to work out the optimal time for them to move to the new classroom setting for them
to thrive. We want the graduation process to always be one that is joyful and exciting where the student feels empowered by the transition. The transitioning student is always involved in the process as they need to be committed to the movement. Their parent is also a key member of the transition process as we are looking for any feedback on the process to know if the transition is going as expected or to speed it up or slow it down.
The quadrant experience (self study / body awareness / social interaction / systems study) reflects our Lab Sessions during the day. We choose the lab session in which the student is most comfortable will be the one that is used to transition between the Big Cats and Penguins. If happier in system study then Lab Session 1 in the morning is perfect. If happier in self study then Lab Session 3 for afternoon relaxation is perfect. These transitions also happen in pairs rather than individual students.
Otter and Dolphin transitions tend to happen as full transitions rather than specific Lab Sessions as we find their emphasis on small or large group friendship makes part transitions difficult. These students transition from Penguins to Otters as individuals as we want them to start forming group connections rather than just pair groupings.
Classroom Structure The Big Cats
Like the delightful but ego centric lions of the savannah the Big Cats are egocentric with low impulse control where it is all about “me”. The strength of this developmental level is that it sets up our strength of will, our fierce courage to defend our needs and strong connections to emotion. This stage still believes in magic, ghosts and monsters. It is our most flexible and free flowing room. Academically this is usually a Prep – 1 room. This level of development needs immediacy, pattern based learning, concrete materials, play, and clear boundaries enforced by an adult who is affectionate, playful and able to establish a kindly dictatorship with wizard-like skills. Find out more by visiting the Big Cats .
The Penguins
The bonding between a pair is the stand out feature of the Penguins as they learn to love the “rules”. This stage is called Rule Oriented. As the inward focussed ego moves to connect to another and the importance of a “Best Friend” starts to awaken, the classroom environment needs to change. Pair work rules supreme as writing, spelling, maths rules become important. This group still needs concrete materials to understand notions of number and space. This is the perfect time to introduce the “rules” of the systems of the world, grammar, addition, spelling, design. The need to be like the “other” demands understanding of what other’s do. Academically this room is usually grade 1- 2. Developmentally this level needs the Penguin teacher to be the kind holder of the knowledge and needs to be the “guide” not a friend. Find out more by visiting the Penguins.
The Otters
A transition group, the Otters are beginning to see the collective/group around them, beyond their “best friend” BUT they will slip back into the Rule Oriented whenever they are stressed or tired. The transition room is designed to give them safety in being able to have clear boundaries given when they need it – “just tell me what to do!” but gives them the scope to move into the Rule Conformist stage, when they start to want to manipulate and use the rules. Academically this is usually around grade 3-4. Developmentally this level needs their Otter teacher to be both strong and powerful as well as fair and just. Find out more by visiting the Otters.
The Dolphins
Working in groups, exploring, playing with ideas and realising for the first time how together their power and control is improved, the Dolphins are all about the “us” and “them” as the peer group moves into control their experience. Group work takes over the structure of the room interspersed with time alone to get focussed work done. Chatting, discussing, arguing and proving one’s power is the feature of this class as debate, use of mastered skills and connection to the adult world begins. Academically this group is usually grades 5-6. The Dolphin’s teacher needs to be leading the pack and proving their worth to the group by being intellectually stimulating and full of insights. Find out more by visiting the Dolphins.
Upcoming events
No Upcoming Events | 4,925 | 2,176 | 0.000473 |
warc | 201704 | Above are interactive slides from my talk at Spring Fair International on greeting card, stationery and gift market trends. All images include hyperlinks so that you can click straight through to the websites of any companies you may be interested in. Feel free to share this using the links above.
The key take away points from my talk are summarised below:
Handmade, crafting and up cycling all remain strong trends and this is likely to continue this year. Knitting, crafting and stamp booking are all rising in popularity in the UK. Fuelled by of our interest in looking after the planet by reducing, reusing and recycling.
Sentiment is stronger and clever use of language and humour on text based cards, gifts and stationery continues to grow. Staying connected and close to loved ones is still important and it looks like there will be a rise in popularity in stationery and card sending. Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to write and send a considered thank you note each day throughout 2014.
We are also spending more time together looking back. So nostalgia, particularly vintage and retro, ranging from the 1920's through to the 1980's is doing well. It's all being done with a contemporary take to keep it fresh and interesting.
Nature is also a very strong trend. British woodland creatures are doing well. One of the big trends this year has ben owls which have been selling really well in cards and gifts . Foxes are going to be stepping into the limelight in the coming months and are set to be big this year.
British made and ethically sourced gift and stationery items has been one of the continuing current trends. The jubilee and the Olympics last year saw a huge British revival and our confidence on the world stage continued with Andy Murray winning Wimbledon and the US Open last year, Chris Froome winning the Tour de France (after Bradley Wiggin's win last year) and the English cricket team winning the ashes. The Commonwealth Games are being held in Glasgow in 2014, so we should continue to ride this wave of revived British pride.
Big events have been recognised as key drivers for retail sales. The birth of baby George has been key to growing baby product sales and forthcoming events like Shakespeare's 450th Birthday, World War I Centenary, the World Cup Football and the Commonwealth games will all offer opportunities for retailers.
Finally, one of the key observations to make regarding trends and how to improve your retail business is to pay attention to your customers needs and target them well. You can be as on trend as you like with your buying, but it the products are not priced and positioned well in your store you will not reap the benefits. Moreover, if your staff are not well trained and not focussed on making your customer's buying experience as pleasurable as possible your business will suffer as a result. | 2,885 | 1,466 | 0.000685 |
warc | 201704 | Large IT organizations increasingly face the challenge of integrating various web services, applications, and other technologies into a single network. The solution to finding a meaningful large-scale architecture that is capable of spanning a global enterprise appears to have been met in ESB, or Enterprise Service Bus. Rather than conform to the hub-and-spoke architecture of traditional enterprise application integration products, ESB provides a highly distributed approach to integration, with unique capabilities that allow individual departments or business units to build out their integration projects in incremental, digestible chunks, maintaining their own local control and autonomy, while still being able to connect together each integration project into a larger, more global integration fabric, or grid.
"Enterprise Service Bus" offers a thorough introduction and overview for systems architects, system integrators, technical project leads, and CTO/CIO level managers who need to understand, assess, and evaluate this new approach. Written by Dave Chappell, one of the best known and authoritative voices in the field of enterprise middleware and standards-based integration, the book drills down into the technical details of the major components of ESB, showing how it can utilize an event-driven SOA to bring a variety of enterprise applications and services built on J2EE, .NET, C/C++, and other legacy environments into the reach of the everyday IT professional.
With "Enterprise Service Bus," readers become well versed in the problems faced by IT organizations today, gaining an understanding of how current technology deficiencies impact business issues. Through the study of real-world use cases and integration patterns drawn from several industries using ESB--including Telcos, financial services, retail, B2B exchanges, energy, manufacturing, and more--the book clearly and coherently outlines the benefits of moving toward this integration strategy. The book also compares ESB to other integration architectures, contrasting their inherent strengths and limitations.
If you are charged with understanding, assessing, or implementing an integration architecture, "Enterprise Service Bus" will provide the straightforward information you need to draw your conclusions about this important disruptive technology.
ISBN: 9780596006754 ISBN-10: 0596006756 Series: OREILLY Audience: Professional Format: Paperback Language: English Number Of Pages: 276 Published: 9th July 2004 Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc, USA Country of Publication: US Dimensions (cm): 23.3 x 17.8 x 1.4 Weight (kg): 0.45 | 2,629 | 1,391 | 0.000722 |
warc | 201704 | Dense breasts have less fatty tissue and more non-fatty tissue compared to breasts that aren't dense.
One way to measure breast density is the thickness of tissue on a mammogram. The BI-RADS (Breast Imaging Reporting and Database System), which reports the findings of mammograms, also includes information on breast density. BI-RADS classifies breasts as one of four groups:
mostly fatty scattered areas of density consistently dense extremely dense
Still, no one method of measuring breast density has been agreed upon by doctors. Breast density is not based on how your breasts feel during your self-exam or your doctor's physical exam. Dense breasts have more gland tissue that makes and drains milk and supportive tissue (also called stroma) that surrounds the gland. Breast density can be inherited, so if your mother has dense breasts, it's likely you will, too.
Research has shown that dense breasts:
can be 6 times more likely to develop cancer can make it harder for mammograms to detect breast cancer; breast cancers (which look white like breast gland tissue) are easier to see on a mammogram when they're surrounded by fatty tissue (which looks dark).
About 43% of women ages 40 to 74 years old in the United States are classified as having dense breasts.
As of September 2015, 24 states have passed legislation requiring that women be notified of their breast density with mammography results.
A study has found that breast density classifications can be unreliable -- as many as 22% of women had their breast density change from dense to not dense from mammogram to mammogram.
The study was published online on Jan. 12, 2016 by the
Annals of Internal Medicine. Read the abstract of "Supplemental Screening for Breast Cancer in Women With Dense Breasts: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force."
To do the study, the researchers systematically reviewed 24 studies from seven countries on breast density. Unfortunately, only six of the studies were considered to be good quality. Many of the studies were small and the results were not definitive.
Focusing on the good quality studies, the researchers found that even these studies showed that between 13% and 22% of women were reclassified as having dense or not dense breasts from mammogram to mammogram. One study found that different radiologists assigned the same BI-RADS breast density category to a particular woman only 82% of the time. This means that 18% of the time her breasts had a different density classification.
"The number of states mandating that breast density information be reported to patients is increasing," said Joy Melnikow, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research at UC-Davis and first author of the paper. "But the assignment of breast density is not terribly consistent. The policy may be out in front of the science.
"It is important to be clear who actually has dense breasts," Dr. Melnikow continued. "Also, when patients are told their breasts are either dense or not dense, they need to have confidence in that assessment."
She believes the best solution for these issues is to conduct long-term, rigorous research to better standardize breast density classification.
If your mammogram reports consistently say that you don’t have dense breasts or that you do have dense breasts, then that is likely to be accurate. Still, if your breast density varies from mammogram to mammogram, you might want to talk to your doctor or the radiologist who read the mammogram to get a better understanding of your breast density.
"Evaluation of breast density is subjective at this point in time, and some patients, particularly women with breasts in the middle of the density spectrum, may find that their assessment varies from year to year," said Jennifer Tobey, M.D., clinical assistant professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania. "Changes in density assessment may also occur due to other factors such as weight loss or gain and as a result of aging. For a patient with a change in her density assessment from one year to the next, a conversation with her doctor may offer an explanation and clear up confusion. If there are remaining questions, and if the patient would like to have additional screening if her breasts are dense vs non-dense, the interpreting radiologist can be asked to review the images and discuss the choice of density category.
"Professionals involved in breast health understand how important it is to make breast cancer screening as approachable as possible for patients," she added. "While the breast density debate is currently a source of some confusion, hopefully in the near future density measurement will be more of an exact science and management options will be more straightforward."
If you know that you have dense breasts, there are lifestyle choices you can make to keep your risk of breast cancer as low as it can be, including:
maintaining a healthy weight exercising every day limiting or avoiding alcohol eating a healthy diet full of fresh, whole foods and avoiding processed foods with a lot of added sugar and salt never smoking (or quitting if you do smoke) breastfeeding, if you have the option to do so
Along with lifestyle options, many doctors recommend additional screening for women with dense breasts. This might include MRI and ultrasound.
For more information on steps you can take to keep your breast cancer risk as low as it can be if you have dense breasts, visit the Having Dense Breasts page in the Breastcancer.org Lower Your Risk section. | 5,604 | 2,538 | 0.000397 |
warc | 201704 | But the world has changed. To achieve its mission in the twenty-first century, the United Nations must reflect those changes. It must adapt to new realities, and be equipped to deal with new challenges.
This is so, whether we are fighting disease and hunger, or working to strengthen democracy; whether we are advancing human rights and the rule of law, or combating terrorism; whether we are building peace, or making the United Nations more effective and more accountable to the peoples it exists to serve.They agreed that development, security and human rights are not only vitally important in their own right, but that they reinforce each other.
They achieved an historic breakthrough by expressing their will to act collectively, through the Security Council, when a population is threatened with genocide, ethnic cleansing, or crimes against humanity.
They agreed to replace thelargely dysfunctional Human Rights Commission with a new Human Rights Council, which will have an all-encompassing responsibility for “promoting universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind”.
And they reaffirmed a strong and unambiguous resolve to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
They gaveeffect to that resolve through a range of measures -- from pledging an additional $50 billion a year by 2010 for fighting poverty, to a promise by all developing countries to adopt national plans for achieving the Goals by 2006; from agreement to provide immediate support for quick-impact initiatives on anti-malaria efforts, education, and health care, to a commitment to innovative sources offinancing for development; from agreement to consider additional measures to ensure long-term debt sustainability, to commitment to trade liberalization.
If we succeed, we will improve the opportunities for all human beings to build better lives.
WORLD SUMMIT OUTCOME ‘REAL STEP FORWARD’ FOR UN, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
DeputySecretary-General Louise Fréchette to the Australian Institute for International Affairs:
the UN can’t build utopia, or solve all the world’s problems, but we want the UN to work effectively because we believe in strengthening international law, we value international cooperation, and we support the Organization’s work
Are they right to do so? I think they are. Because the forcesat work in today’s world mean that, for good or ill, we are all dependent on each other. Pick almost any issue confronting our world today: terrorism, nuclear proliferation, AIDS, bird flu, disaster response, global warming, poverty, trade. These issues affect us all, and we can’t address any of them without agreeing on norms, forging common strategies, and sharing burdens.
One of themain reasons the United Nations is under the spotlight today is precisely because, in our interdependent world, people have high expectations of it. People value the UN as a forum for dialogue, but they are not content with it being only a talk-shop. They want results, and rightly so.
It was with this goal in mind that, seven months ago, Secretary-General Kofi Annan put before theMember States an agenda for bold change, and called for decisions at last month’s World Summit in New York. You may have read that the World Summit was a failure. It was not. True, it did not achieve the kind of across-the-board transformation that the Secretary-General wanted. But it did achieve quite a bit. Let me explain how.
The Secretary-General is convinced that development,... | 3,653 | 1,863 | 0.000547 |
warc | 201704 | When we're looking to get healthier, happier, or more productive, we often turn inward:
What can I change about me that would make it easier to develop this new lifestyle?
For sure, that makes logical sense. But it might not be the most efficient route to self-improvement. Instead,
research suggests that switching up your surrounding environment can also affect the way you function.
Say, for example, you're brainstorming ideas to pitch at a team meeting next week. In this situation, you shouldn't necessarily waste time straightening up your workspace — because a desk in slight disarray can stimulate creativity.
That's according to a 2013 study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota. The researchers conducted a series of experiments designed to test the effects of sitting in a messy or organized room.
In one experiment, American students sat in either an orderly or a disorderly room while they came up with new uses for ping-pong balls. Sure enough, participants who'd sat in the disorderly room came up with more creative ideas — though not necessarily more ideas — as judged by an outside pair of raters.
But the environment that gets your creative juices flowing isn't necessarily the one you want when you're trying to display "good" behavior — like supporting charities or making healthy food choices.
In another experiment from that 2013 study, Dutch students sat in either a tidy or messy room for 10 minutes and were given the chance to donate to a children's charity. As participants were leaving the room, they were offered either an apple or a chocolate bar.
As it turns out, participants who'd sat in the tidy room donated more than twice as much as those who'd sat in the messy room. What's more, participants who'd sat in the tidy room were more likely to grab the apple instead of the chocolate bar (the researchers defined the apple as the healthy food choice).
The researchers say the appearance of physical order makes us think about tradition and convention, which encourages things like healthy eating and charitable donations. The appearance of physical disorder, on the other hand, makes us think about unconventionality, which leads to greater creativity.
As for which type of environment makes you more productive and better positioned to achieve your goals, the evidence is mixed.
Another 2013 study found that undergrads sitting in an uncluttered workspace persisted longer on a cognitive task than those sitting in a cluttered room. (Unbeknownst to the participants, the task was actually impossible.)
Writing in The Harvard Business Review, the researchers say that the mess threatened participants' sense of personal control. And dealing with that threat depleted their mental resources, which made it harder for them to stay focused on the difficult task.
Yet a 2015 study found that a messy environment can prompt goal-oriented behavior. In one experiment featured in that study, Dutch participants saw pictures of either a disordered store environment, an orderly store environment, or something neutral.
Results showed that participants who had seen the messy store were more motivated to participants in a hypothetical rewards program in which they collected points to exchange for a specific product.
The researchers behind the 2015 study say we're hardwired to seek order in our lives whenever possible. So when we're faced with physical chaos, we're motivated to create a more abstract sense of organization by pursuing clear, well-defined goals.
Ultimately, it may come down to tweaking your surroundings — or buckling down in different workspaces — and seeing which environment suits you best.
The bottom line here is that sometimes, if you're having trouble getting stuff done, the problem isn't
you per se, so much as the world around you. And certainly, filing some papers or scattering some pens over your desk is an easier — if temporary — fix than trying to develop more brainpower and self-control. | 4,030 | 1,879 | 0.000541 |
warc | 201704 | Take a look around: The sleep deprived are everywhere.
It has a lot to do with our culture of round-the-clock workdays, which has led the most driven people to wake up before the rest of the world does.
But why do some people only need five hours of sleep while others need eight or nine? There's also speculation that you can train your body into performing on less sleep if you consistently rest for the same amount of hours.
Maggie Jones at The New York Times writes about a 2003 sleep study where the participants were broken up into different sleeping groups— four, six and eight hours. She reports that even though the participants in the four-hour sleep group said they were used to the regimen after two weeks, their ability to concentrate was compromised.
Jones writes:
"While it’s tempting to believe we can train ourselves to be among the [four]-hour group — we can’t — or that we are naturally those [four]-hour sleepers, consider a key finding from [the] study: after just a few days, the four- and six-hour group reported that, yes, they were slightly sleepy. But they insisted they had adjusted to their new state. Even 14 days into the study, they said sleepiness was not affecting them. In fact, their performance had tanked. In other words, the sleep-deprived among us are lousy judges of our own sleep needs. We are not nearly as sharp as we think we are."
Willie Geist admits in Bloomberg Businessweek that he wakes up at 3:30 a.m. to start his days, but he says it's not easy. He writes:
"First, you have to tell your body lies. If you catch your body at a weak moment, as I often do, it might actually believe you when you tell it after four hours of sleep that you actually slept a full night and you feel like a million bucks. The trick usually works for a couple of hours before the body begins to suspect it’s the victim of a ruse. Once you’ve apologized for lying to your body, sworn never to do it again, and given it a buttery Croissan’Wich as a peace offering, your survival relies on staying busy for the rest of the day. I find when I’m totally focused on work, I don’t feel as tired as I am. The minute you downshift, the car starts to stall."
It sounds exhausting, and whether we can actually trick our bodies into believing we can run on less sleep is something that will eventually affect us at some point. Maybe you'll burn out or eventually have other health issues. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "the indirect costs of insomnia" — lack of productivity at work — actually costs an estimated $28 billion annually.
If you are feel your productivity deteriorate while at the office, try to catch some sun rays to counter the effect. A Belgian study says that sunshine will increase "attention, arousal and emotional regulation," which can help you stay awake. | 2,906 | 1,501 | 0.000685 |
warc | 201704 | While the civil aviation ministry on Thursday said that the 1,600 pilots of Air India are paid Rs800 crore as salaries every month, the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) said that only 40% of the amount goes to the Indian pilots.
They also said that the aviation ministry has been sitting on their demands to bring in parity in the wages of Indian Airlines and AI pilots and till date there have been 20 committees and consultancies appointed, yet nothing has worked out and a lot of money has been wasted in the process.
Reacting to aviation minister Ravi Vayalar's comments that the AI pilots salaries constitute a huge chunk of expenditure, the ICPA said that what is paid to them is considerably less than what is paid to AI pilots.Of the Rs 800 crore, 60-70% goes to AI pilots as they have a fixed salary component where the company has to pay them for 80 hours of flying.
While we are paid on hourly basis and with our under-utilisation, our salaries have gone down to 40% of theamount, said an ICPA member.
The ICPA also questioned the manner in which the merger of the two companies was handled. They spent more than Rs300 crore to manage the merger, but nothing came out of it, said an ICPA member. They hired global consultants Accenture for Rs200 crore to oversee the integration process of AI and IA.
Then they hired financial advisory firm Deloitte for Rs90 crore to seek recommendations over lessening the wage bill and fuel cost and still the company is making losses, said Captain Rishabh Kapoor, general secretary, ICPA.
AIs annual wage bill is Rs3,100 crore while fuel bill is Rs 4,000 crore. | 1,629 | 834 | 0.001205 |
warc | 201704 | Make Your Next Paint Job Look Better And Last Longer
(NAPSI) - Want to make your next paint job look better and last longer? Do what professional painters do: Use one coat of tinted primer and one coat of paint instead of two coats of paint. Here's why:
+ Primers are much richer in resin than ordinary paint, which gives them the ability to provide a better base for the second coat.
If you tint your primer toward the color of your finish coat, you get all the benefits of priming, without adding an extra step.
And tinting a primer is easy! High-quality primer-sealers, like ZINSSER's Bulls Eye 1-2-3 (for light and pastel colors) and Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Deep Tint (for medium and dark colors) are specially formulated for tinting.Just ask your paint store or home center clerk to add the same colorant they use to mix your finish coat and you're on your way to a better paint job.
+ Primers will hide dark or unwanted colors far better than finish paint and prevent them from showing through or changing the color of the topcoat.
By using a tinted primer you can get a more uniform color than you can achieve by just using ordinary paint.
+ Quality primer-sealers are also great at sealing porous surfaces, so you'll actually use less paint, saving you time and money.
+ Plus, they work hard to kill stains. Most stains-water stains, crayon and marker, lipstick, nicotine and others-will bleed right through ordinary paint. Quality primer-sealers seal in stains and prevent them from ruining the paint job.
+ High quality primers offer great adhesion, so you can paint over glossy, hard-to-paint surfaces like paneling, cabinets, semi-gloss paint and vinyl siding without sanding. You just can't paint over glossy surfaces with a topcoat!
+Because primers are specifically formulated to prevent common paint problems, like cracking, peeling and blistering, they'll make any painted surface more durable, washable-and, last much longer!
For more helpful "tips" to make your next painting or home improvement project faster and easier, visit www.zinsser.com. | 2,071 | 1,044 | 0.000965 |
warc | 201704 | By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
SACRAMENTO -- Much of interior California is embarking on a stretch of triple-digit days that could signal the start of a sweltering summer.
Strong high pressure is building over the region from the eastern Pacific Ocean, bringing temperatures that could be 15 to 20 degrees higher than normal for this time of year, the National Weather Service reports. The result is expected to be highs this weekend of 110 in Sacramento and 112 in Redding.
The heat wave could be just the beginning, as the odds favor a warner-than-normal June in the Sacramento Valley, said Jim Mathews, the NWS' lead forecaster here.
"Could that trend continue in July and August? There certainly is that possibility," Mathews said.
"I think we're looking at persistently hot and dry conditions over the mountain West," he said. "If you look at the (U.S.) Drought Monitor, the really strong drought conditions over the panhandle of Texas, the mountain West and part of the Great Plains indicate that the ridging that's been with us for more or less the past year is going to persist."
The federal Climate Prediction Center envisions warmer-than-normal temperatures for the next three months in most of the Southwest except for the coasts. While the Pacific Northwest is expected to remain drier than usual during that period, California faces equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation, according to the agency.
The two biggest concerns with a hot summer are water supply and safety for workers, said Tyler Christensen, who grows nuts and plums for prunes near Red Bluff, Calif.
"I think what it does is it will shorten the surface water even further in the midst of our drought," Christensen said. "Crop-wise, we'll probably be pretty good as long as we can keep everything fully irrigated."
Excessive heat can affect the quality of walnuts and prunes -- particularly walnuts, Christensen said. Last summer, a prolonged August heat spell in the Central Valley caused early varieties of almonds to come in lighter than expected, and rangeland and non-irrigated pasture quality continued to deteriorate.
Hot temperatures also cause valencia oranges to re-green, which brings the export season to an end quickly because growers have to treat with an ethylene gas which restores their color, California Citrus Mutual has explained.
A hot summer could worsen drought conditions after a dry spring that has put most communities in the Golden State below their seasonal rainfall totals. As such, growers are dealing with reduced water allotments again this year, although the statewide reservoir storage is at 85 percent of normal for this time of year, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
Willie Thompson, who grows peaches, cherries, apricots and other crops near Yreka, Calif., said his drip irrigation was enough to keep his crops flourishing. He expects his business to be brisk this summer, as some other high-elevation growers were hit with freezes this winter that diminished their crops.
"I think I'm going to be overrun with customers this year," Thompson said as he operated a booth at the Old Lewiston Peddlers' Faire in Lewiston, Calif., on June 1. "There's been some freezes along the West Coast and I survived that. People who didn't survive it are going to be buying from me."
May rainfall
Here are the May and seasonal rainfall totals and comparisons to normal for selected California cities, according to the National Weather Service. Totals are as of May 31:
Redding: Month to date 0.86 inches (normal 1.85 inches); season to date 26.88 inches (normal 33.93 inches)
Eureka: Month to date 1.17 inches (normal 1.78 inches); season to date 31.88 inches (normal 39.58 inches)
Sacramento: Month to date 0.3 inches (normal 0.68 inches); season to date 14.98 inches (normal 18.31 inches)
Modesto: Month to date 0.14 inches (normal 0.63 inches); season to date 9.02 inches (normal 12.99 inches)
Salinas: Month to date 0.01 inches (normal 0.35 inches); season to date 8.93 inches (normal 12.74 inches)
Fresno: Month to date 0.07 inches (normal 0.43 inches); season to date 5.67 inches (normal 11.29 inches) | 4,183 | 1,982 | 0.000509 |
warc | 201704 | Sunscreen Ingredients May Increase Skin Cancer Risk
May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month. This month, many kids will graduate or finish up their final obligations for the academic year. Families will plan long-anticipated vacations to the beach, mountains, and other favorite destinations where they’ll hopefully get a rest from the stress of daily life.
Before heading out, many will slather themselves and their children with a liberal layer of sunscreen in an attempt to protect against the sun’s harmful rays. But new research shows that ingredients in the sunscreen could actually put you at higher risk for developing skin cancer and other medical issues.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently examined several decades worth of scientific research with regard to chemicals found in common household products. They discovered that phthalates, which are used to make plastics parabens found in sunscreen, may be contributing to rising incidence of cancer, reduced fertility and obesity.
Coupled with this disturbing revelation is recent news from researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology which suggests that zinc oxide, an main ingredient of many conventional sunscreens, may actually accelerate skin cancer risk.
Dr. Yinfa Ma, Curators’ Teaching Professor of chemistry at Missouri S&T, and his graduate student Qingbo Yang, suggest that when exposed to sunlight, zinc oxide undergoes a chemical reaction that may release unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radicals seek to bond with other molecules, but in the process, they can damage cells or the DNA contained within those cells. This in turn could increase the risk of skin cancer.
According to Ma, when the zinc oxide nano-particles in the solution absorb the UV rays, the reaction releases electrons, which in turn may produce unstable free radical molecules in the zinc oxide solution. Those free radical molecules then bond with other molecules and act as parasites, damaging the other molecules in the process.
As the Environmental Working Group has documented for years, the Food and Drug Administration is disturbingly silent when it comes to informing of the risk posed by sunscreens and protecting consumers from these potential damaging ingredients. “The U.S. lags far behind Europe, Japan and Australia in providing consumers with high quality sunscreens. The FDA is also slow to evaluate and approve better sunscreen ingredients and allow new combinations, making it impossible for U.S. formulators to achieve the highest level of UVA protection in products (Osterwalder 2009).”
Check out the EWG’s list of top-rated sunscreens, none of which contain any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor. Unfortunately most still contain the minerals zinc or titanium, which could be more trouble than they’re worth in light of this new research. As always, the best protecting against the sun is a shirt and hat. Related Reading: Image via Thinkstock | 3,033 | 1,518 | 0.000669 |
warc | 201704 | Reading Francis: The Furor Continues
In view of comments received, it seems I have no choice but to write something about Pope Francis’ interview with Eugenio Scalfari (or see the original Italian text), which appeared yesterday in the Italian daily
La Repubblica. But I think I have to make a pact with my readers. We are under no obligation to follow the Pope’s every word; we are obliged to pay close attention only when he is exercising his Petrine ministry in relation to ourselves. On CatholicCulture.org, Phil Lawler and I have already suggested a number of keys to understanding the broader initiatives of this pope. He does give us plenty to think about. But it will not be fruitful to tie ourselves in knots every time Pope Francis makes a personal comment, or addresses himself directly to this or that person. So the pact I suggest is this: Let us take this interview in stride more rapidly than we did the last.
Full disclosure: I find Pope Francis challenging. I also thinks it is very much a part of Pope Francis’ style to be deliberately provocative. For most of us, this requires an adjustment to what we normally expect of popes. Apart from this, it bothers me just a bit that I am more or less forced by circumstances to write commentaries like this one. I have, after all, my own plans, and I have a deep (and profoundly unChristlike) attachment to
my time! But God sometimes takes us out of our own plans, and when He does, it is usually wise to pay attention to the reasons. Perhaps learning to take a sensible view of Pope Francis is the most serious task we have before us today….
Note this phrase “most serious”. Pope Francis used the same words when he said that youth unemployment and the loneliness of the old were the “most serious of the evils that afflict the world these days.” That is a neuralgic point, so we will return to the phrase. But before we do, let us clear away some simpler matters.
An Initial Conversation with an Atheist
The first point to be made about this interview is that it is an initial spontaneous conversation with someone who regards himself as being at an opposite pole from Pope Francis, namely an atheist. Right away then, we must toss out our expectations for what the Pope should say if he were instructing the faithful or giving a thorough explanation of some doctrine. He can do that; he has already written an encyclical on the virtue of faith. But we need to recognize that (if we have any sense at all) we should speak to different people in different ways. And we should also be as generous as possible (again, if we have any sense at all) when discussing sensitive questions with someone who is more or less actively opposed to our religion.
We ought therefore to put on our “conversation-with-an-estranged-friend” glasses when we read this interview. We may, I suspect, presume that the Pope was mindful enough of the publicity it would receive to have undertaken it partly as an example of “Catholic dialogue” (which I will hereafter call “conversation", because “dialogue” has too much negative baggage). Now, in such a situation, which of us would not admit the unfortunate worldliness of the Church (in her members)? And which of us would not consider it a first step to acknowledge the importance for each person of attempting to pursue the good, even if his understanding of it is still quite limited? “That would be enough to make the world a better place,” the Pope observed, and there can be
no question that he is right—even if much more will have to be said in the future conversations he told Eugenio Scalfari he hoped to have.
When we consider the interplay between the two men on the question of “conversion”, we see more of the proper method of effective conversation, which is to limit one’s immediate intentions to the opportunities of the moment. It is typically unwise to state our ultimate hopes at the outset. Enemies of the Church would call this recognition “Jesuitical”!
You’ll note, for example, that it is the Pope who introduces the question of conversion. From the start he wants this thought in Scalfari’s mind. Francis also wants Scalfari to know that the Pope regards proselytism as wrong (proselytism is undue or unfair pressure in making converts, and it is very wrong), and that he is content first to get to know Scalfari and to understand him. Yet the hook is clearly being set; there are little tugs throughout the conversation. They are very sensitive tugs, only slightly out of rhythm with the fish. (Strike too quickly, and the fish gets away!) The Pope assures Scalfari that grace is at work in his soul, even though he does not believe he has a soul. So Scalfari returns to the question of conversion and says “I do not think you would succeed.” Pope Francis does not press, but his response is still significant. He says: “We cannot know that.”
There is a human drama being played out here, and it is clearly the Pope’s intention that it be the human drama of Eugenio Scalfari. When enough time has been spent on the issue of “the Church”, Pope Francis makes an important move: “But now let me ask you a question: you, a secular non-believer in God, what do you believe in?” It is important for Eugenio Scalfari to explore the Church, Pope Francis seems to say, but it is also important for Eugenio Scalfari to explore Eugenio Scalfari—and for the Church to accompany him in that exploration.
A “Conservative” Translation
If an understanding of the “genre” of the text is important, so is a willingness to translate the Pope’s own modes of expression into modes with which some of us may be more comfortable. Let us assume here that most of my readers have what we call “conservative” tendencies. I already commented in an earlier essay that Pope Francis does not express himself in conservative categories: “He doesn’t seem to know the partisan shorthand; he refuses to speak in the secret code.” And why should he?
Sometimes we are so set in our own ways of expressing things that we begin to assume our ways are the only right ways, the ways essential to God Himself. This being the case, let me take three examples and translate them into “conservatese” in order to demonstrate how important it is to transcend the mere sound of words, to penetrate the heart of what is being said:
The first example: Scalfari suggests that it has been relatively rare in the history of the Church that it has not entangled political considerations in its mission, and the Pope says: “It has almost never been the case. Often the Church as an institution has been dominated by temporalism and many members and senior Catholic leaders still feel that way.”
Now, if we look back over the course of history, it is actually very hard to argue with this assessment. Let me also point out that even in our own lifetimes, as Catholic “conservatives” have complained again and again, bishops throughout the West (at least) have preoccupied themselves with politics to the detriment of the Church’s mission. How would a “conservative” express this? Like so:
Bishops have simply got to stop trying to be ‘players’ in the corridors of power. They also have to stop using the episcopal conferences to take prudential positions on everything under the sun. They need to preach the Gospel and teach moral principles. When it comes to politics, they need to get out of the way and let the laity do their job. The second example: This example is very close to the first. The Pope and Scalfari have been discussing love, and Scalfari states that he thinks love for temporal power is still very strong within the Vatican walls and in the institutional structures of the whole Church. “I think,” he observes, “that the institution dominates the poor, missionary Church that you would like.” Pope Francis replies generously once again: “In fact, that is the way it is, and in this area you cannot perform miracles.”
How would a “conservative” Catholic say the very same thing? Like this: “The essential nature of the Church as bride and body of Christ is constantly obscured by the worldliness of her members, including her leaders. It is as St. John Chrysostom said: ‘The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.’”
The third example: Scalfari observes that Jesus taught that love for others is the only way to love God. Pope Francis replies: “ Agape, the love of each one of us for the other, from the closest to the furthest, is in fact the only way that Jesus has given us to find the way of salvation and of the Beatitudes.”
Now a “conservative” Catholic is not going to like this very much. He is going to speak of the importance of forming conscience properly, of fulfilling our obligation to worship God, of prayer, and at least nominally of letting God work within us so that we can actually love with His love. All of these, of course, are essential if we are going to learn how to love and develop the capacity to love well. As Francis hinted in another place, “Someone who is not touched by grace may be a person without blemish and without fear, as they say, but he will never be like a person who has touched grace.”
But while the “conservative” Catholic may make a thousand distinctions (most of which will be nothing to the purpose for an atheist), he will in the end be forced grudgingly to cite the fourth letter of John: “If any one says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn 4:20). He will also reflect on Our Lord’s vision of the Judgment in Mt 25:31-46: “As long as you did not do it to the least of these….”
What Is Most Important to Authentic Renewal?
Finally, we need to give serious consideration to Pope Francis’ vision of what is required for the authentic renewal of the Church, for what he says must be understood in light of this vision. The need for Church leaders (not to mention those of us who read Francis) to avoid “narcissism” and the need to eliminate servile flatterers (“courtiers”, “the court”) from the retinues of popes and bishops are definitely part of it. The need to have a Church administration that “is not just top-down but also horizontal”, including a greater use of “synods”, is also part of it. But for Francis such improvements are to be placed in the service of a Church characterized by humility, solidarity, mercy and service. These are transformational, and this theme recurs in almost everything Pope Francis says and writes, not just the interviews.
So now we return to the question of what is “most serious”, the consideration with which Eugenio Scalfari opened the published interview. Here is what he quotes Pope Francis as saying:
The most serious of the evils that afflict the world these days are youth unemployment and the loneliness of the old. The old need care and companionship; the young need work and hope but have neither one nor the other, and the problem is they don’t even look for them any more. They have been crushed by the present. You tell me: can you live crushed under the weight of the present? Without a memory of the past and without the desire to look ahead to the future by building something, a future, a family? Can you go on like this? This, to me, is the most urgent problem that the Church is facing.
Of course Scalfari jumps on this, insisting that “it is largely a political and economic problem for states, governments, political parties, trade unions.” (And here any conservative would rightly fault Scalfari for being the leftist that he is, restricting human flourishing to politics, suggesting that trade unions can solve the problem of unemployment, and leaving out all other intermediary institutions as well as the need for virtue in all human systems.) But Pope Francis replies in his usual way, affirming but clarifying and adjusting the other’s initial perception: “Yes, you are right, but it is also concerns the Church, in fact, particularly the Church because this situation does not hurt only bodies but also souls. The Church must feel responsible for both souls and bodies.”
Now we can grant, I think, that any of us, including the pope, might stress one aspect of a thing as the most pressing problem at one moment, and another aspect of a thing as the most pressing problem at another, especially in informal speech. But in the context of the Church, we must ask what central thing is being viewed under these various aspects? The central thing envisioned in this opening text is, in fact, a direct challenge to Scalfari’s atheism:
[T]he problem is that they don’t even look for them [work and hope] any more. They have been crushed by the present. You tell me: can you live crushed under the weight of the present? Without a memory of the past and without the desire to look ahead to the future by building something, a future, a family? Can you go on like this?
Can people go on as materialists, coming from nowhere and going nowhere? Can
you, Eugenio Scalfari, live crushed under the weight of the present moment when it is all you have or will ever have? This, then, “is the most urgent problem that the Church is facing.”
For Pope Francis, this problem is situated within a profoundly Catholic view of man, which is to say an
incarnational view, a sacramental view, a view which embraces the whole person, body and soul, and insists that purpose and mercy are necessary for both if man is to avoid despair. Conclusion
I know, I know. It is easy to make jokes about the Pope thinking unemployment is the most important problem in the world. If this were a quiz show, very few readers of CatholicCulture.org would guess that answer! But for Francis this is just an angle of vision into a far deeper problem, which also applies to the elderly, who are no longer looking for work, no longer useful, and are isolated and neglected, often without either faith or hope, with no Christian solidarity through which they can experience the Presence of the Living God.
If we have eyes, then let us see. And please, please, let us also learn to read. For Pope Francis, the way to renewed strength for the mission of the Catholic Church is for Catholics at every level to identify with all those in need, to live in genuine solidarity with them, and to invite them as friends into the rich life of faith, hope and love offered by the Mystical Body of Christ. This idea should not be completely new to our readers. CatholicCulture.org has stressed repeatedly, especially over the past few years, that they key to cultural renewal is for Catholics to depoliticize and “begin again to provide the kind of generous and deeply personal service to those in need that turns heads and changes hearts” (see, most recently, Public Life and Godly Mission: What Are the First Things Today?).
We are not talking here of merely secular service, the service of the body, according to whatever cultural and political fashions are current year by year, and neither is Pope Francis. He is talking about a deeply incarnational commitment of the members of the Church of Christ—a commitment that seeks genuine solidarity first and foremost with those who are both materially and spiritually deprived. We ought to ask what the Church might look like a generation or two from now if her members could transform themselves in a truly incarnational vision such as this. What if the Church could live her essential identity more effectively both horizontally and vertically, fully responsible and fully engaged in every diocese and parish, responsive to but not generally dependent upon specific instructions from Rome? Do we assume this would weaken the Church? Might it not instead reverse a progressive weakening that has been going on now for centuries?
I suppose there are other aspects of the interview which might raise eyebrows. I suppose also that we will remain anxious about the number of people, including too many within the Church, who are so eager to cite the Pope superficially to justify their own worldliness. But it must not be so with us; therefore, to use Pope Benedict’s term, I am trying to provide the right “hermeneutic”, the right framework for interpretation of a pope who not only gives interviews but preaches very pointed homilies; who not only insists on the full gospel message but condemns abortion; who not only embraces all men and women but upholds the importance of sound and patient catechesis; who not only insists that every level of the Church live up to its mission but is willing to excommunicate Catholic leaders who deny that this Catholic mission is, in fact, the mission of Christ.
In closing, let me say again that I would not insist that Pope Francis always identify exactly the same specific symptom as the “most serious”; indeed, I would expect his way of talking about the larger problems we face to vary significantly in different settings and at different times. This pope is not primarily a scholar, and he seldom employs the scholar’s academic precision. Neither does Scripture. Do not expect, then, to hear me laughing at anything he may say about particular symptoms, considering the vision and grace which animate his selections. We all have many things to learn, and many ways to grow. The more deeply we go, the more surely we recognize that everything leads back to Christ. Sometimes, unfortunately, we can make this leading to Christ more difficult than it needs to be.
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Posted by: Jeff Mirus - Oct. 08, 2013 5:33 PM ET USA To Randal Mandock:Here it is necessary to recognize from the context that what the Pope intended to convey is not properly represented by the words used in English. It is unthinkable that he was trying to discredit Pope John Paul II. As soon as I read it, I realized that the sense of what he was trying to convey was that the Pope highlightedthe political aspect (which aspect was erroneous) but that some of the theologians were nonetheless sincere Christians, which is true.
Posted by: Randal Mandock - Oct. 08, 2013 2:57 PM ET USA
You did not comment in this article about the Pope's reply to the two questions about liberation theology. The topic I chose for the research presentation of the social justice phase of my training for the diaconate was liberation theology in the Caribbean Basin. Most everything I read that was written by liberation theologians and their critics made it plain that it was the liberation theologians who "gave a political aspect to their theology," not Pope John Paul II's fight against them.
Posted by: penitentis13036 - Oct. 05, 2013 8:29 AM ET USA
I deeply appreciate your analysis and insight into the Pope's handling of Scalfari. To me, this is Christ personally addressing the woman at the well, as well as every sinner he ever met, exactly where they are at that moment: "Can you, Eugenio Scalfari, live crushed under the weight of the present moment when it is all you have or will ever have?" This is truly the most urgent problem that the Church is facing.
Posted by: jplaunder1846 - Oct. 05, 2013 5:45 AM ET USA
Thank you Jeff. I am old Aussie "Mick" who grew up during the time when the local Church put emphasis on social justice issues (1950s-60s). I was a YCW leader and became very much involved in the community as a whole and have remained so most of my life. To me Pope Francis talks a language I understand and identify with. I was a great admirer of PJ2 and respected B16 but PF is in many ways going back to basics of Jesus and his message I learnt in the 50s and early 60s as applied in society.
Posted by: ramonantonio3455448 - Oct. 04, 2013 10:17 PM ET USA
Very good reflection. I think it is time to put in context some basic premises about Pope Francis that the American public and specially some Catholic leaders have to acknowledge. Pope Francis is an Argentinian Jesuit bishop. He is not from Europe nor from Italy less. So he is totally alien in customs and style. Then he is also Hispanic which also marks an oceanic difference in social exchange. Simply put, Francis is a talker, a conversation oriented prelate and now Pope. As Jesus was...
Posted by: jjanaro7324 - Oct. 04, 2013 8:11 PM ET USA
Jeff, you have been a voice of faith and reason, common sense and love for the Church for almost 40 years in many different forms of Catholic media. Thank you, Jeff. May Our Lord continue to give you the wisdom and the strength to do His will. THANK YOU, JEFF!
Posted by: meor2day8658 - Oct. 04, 2013 7:54 PM ET USA
We should not have to be interpreting what the Poep says week in & week out. Clear, concise & articulate speaking so the flock can understand & not be confused is what the good Lord intended for all of us on how to communicate. "Let your yes be yes & your no be no." God is not the author of confusion.
Posted by: John J Plick - Oct. 03, 2013 11:08 PM ET USA
Perhaps we should "accuse" Jesus of "being deceptive" because He was "so human?" I think not. The Trinity had every right to veil "Power" in flesh...Let him who has the grace, like the "good thief." puzzle out what is behind the curtain.
Posted by: spledant7672 - Oct. 03, 2013 12:34 PM ET USA
This is as thoughtful an example of doing the difficult objective and subjective work of reading well as one is likely to find in these days of instant comment. The example it sets goes beyond the present topic, though I do commend this particular discussion for everyone's reflections.
Posted by: jg23753479 - Oct. 03, 2013 8:20 AM ET USA
This from one who has been willing to criticize Francis: what he's up to IS dangerous, but maybe it's what has to be done. We see the spiritual devastation all around us. Our tactics to date haven't worked well. Remember the old Korean war movie? Our guys on a hill outnumbered by Chinese? The US commander places an M-1 rifle inside a bazooka and fires a few rounds. The Chinese flee thinking the GIs have a cannon. West Point doctrine? No, but it works. Maybe Francis knows it's time to improvise.
Posted by: Contrary1995 - Oct. 02, 2013 5:22 PM ET USA
Francis is playing a dangerous game. He is, as you note, deliberately provocative in order to get the "world" to look at the Church again. However, he is deceiving his secular audience. He wants them to think something other than what he really believes. This is a bait and switch approach. As someone on this site observed, his pontificate is heading down the path of Pius IX's which started out as a darling of the dominant culture but ended a detested enemy of it. | 23,338 | 9,764 | 0.000105 |
warc | 201704 | Who would have imagined that some of the boldest and freshest thinking tackling major global issues would come from two little countries in South America? David Suzuki sets off on an "Andean Adventure", to see first-hand the places that just may represent the cutting edge when it comes to taking on the world's energy, climate and economic crises.
UPDATE: Unfortunately in August 2013, Ecuador cancelled the pioneering conservation plan that attempted to raise funds from the international community instead of drilling for oil in a pristine corner of the Yasuni national park. Drilling is set to commence in 2016. Read more
From Ecuador comes a revolutionary proposal to
not dig for oil. Below what may be the most biodiverse place on Earth lie oil deposits worth billions of dollars. But Ecuador has promised the world that with some help, it will leave that oil in the ground, to combat climate change, for the good of nature and humanity. It's a bold conservation plan and, as the President of Ecuador personally explains, also a challenge to the world.
Ecuador's new Constitution is also the first in the world to grant Rights to Nature. David Suzuki is there as two determined US residents of Ecuador stand up for the rights of a river, and take a provincial government to court, on behalf of Mother Nature.
Bolivia's remarkable salt flats hide the world's largest reserve of lithium.
Over in Bolivia, the country is embarking on a high-stakes gamble to develop the Earth's largest reserves of lithium, the "green gold" found within the country's spectacular salt flats. The plan is that in a few years Bolivia will produce not only tons of lithium for the growing electric car market, but the actual lithium batteries that power those cars, too. From salt desert to booming industrial zone, in a few years, and largely on their own-it's an audacious plan that could pay off big time. That is, if it succeeds.
Both Ecuador and Bolivia are carrying out radical experiments, forging new paths towards what they call "Living Well". Inspired in part by the indigenous peoples of the Andes, these new paths are an enormous undertaking, with enormous consequences for both countries and for the world.
From the alien landscape of the world's largest salt flats, to the rich biodiversity of the Yasuní forest, to Ecuador's Presidential Palace,
David Suzuki's Andean Adventure is a beautiful and inspiring trip through two countries that aren't afraid of thinking differently. Written, produced and directed by Roberto Verdecchia. Visit our website to watch the series online, discover extra behind-the-scenes stories and find our Best of 2014 iOS App. Visit Wild Canada NEW SERIES: Follow our team online as we work on a new series, Wild Canadian Year , debuting in October 2017.
Tweets about #CBCTNoT OR #NatureofThings | 2,843 | 1,500 | 0.000672 |
warc | 201704 | You're getting warmer.
Who needs gloves? Certainly not these monks. A study conducted by a group of doctors in 1981 amongst Tibetan monks found that the subjects, while meditating, could increase the temperatures in their fingers and toes by as much as 8.3 degrees Centigrade.
Because meditative practices are associated with decreased activity of the sympathetic nervous system, some people can willfully warm themselves! © Mark Stevenson/Stocktrek Images/Corbis | 472 | 330 | 0.003089 |
warc | 201704 | As lawmakers continue to grapple with the aftermath of last week's mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., a handful of pro-gun Democrats are beginning to speak out in favor of stricter gun laws - but Republicans remain all but silent on the matter.
Amid national attempts to piece together a coherent picture of what led 20-year-old Adam Lanza to allegedly open fire on an elementary school last Friday morning, a number of liberal Democrats are resuming longstanding calls for the tightening of gun laws.
On Monday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced legislation to restore the Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004; Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., meanwhile, announced plans to reintroduce a high-capacity magazine ban. President Obama, too, signaled a renewed commitment to strengthening gun-related laws in remarks last night honoring the victims of the massacre.
Perhaps more significant, however, is a new sense of openness to tighten laws among some pro-gun and moderate Democrats, few of whom have previously expressed an eagerness to take on the famously powerful pro-gun lobby.
Earlier today, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., the National Rifle Association-backed hunting enthusiast and conservative Democrat, expressed the need for a "common sense" discussion about gun laws with groups like the NRA.
"I want to call all our friends in the NRA, sit down and have this - bring them into it. They have to be at the table. We all have to," he said. "This has changed the dialogue and it should move beyond dialogue -- we need action."
A series of similar calls have since trickled in from pro-gun Democrats: In remarks on the Senate floor today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who has a "B" rating from the NRA and is generally considered pro-gun rights, called for Congress to engage in a "meaningful conversation and thoughtful debate about how to change laws and culture that allows violence to continue to grow."
"I think part of the healing process will require Congress to examine what can be done to prevent more tragedies," he said.
"Enough is enough," added Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in an interview with Richmond, Va., CBS affiliate WTVR. Noting his own "A" grade from the NRA, he added: "I think most of us realize that there are ways to get to rational gun control. There are ways to grapple with the obvious challenges of mental illness."
Others expressed regret at their own refusal to address gun control in the past.
"I have been largely silent on the issue of gun violence over the past six years, and I am now as sorry for that as I am for what happened to the families who lost so much in this most recent, but sadly not isolated, tragedy," said Rep. John Yarmuth, a Democrat from Kentucky, in a statement. "Like so many Americans, when I was growing up I thought guns were the things that protected us from the bad guys -- the outlaws, the Nazis, the Red Menace, and the gangsters. Now I know, through painful history, that guns are much more likely to be used by the bad guys or the mentally unstable against the rest of us."
In the face of the recent violence, in which 20 children were shot dead at Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School, gun control advocates have led a renewed push for legislative action. And evidence suggests many Americans would support such measures: A White House petition urging the Obama administration to immediately press Congress for tighter restrictions on gun ownership earned more than 150,000 signatures in three days. Meanwhile, reflecting a reversal from many past surveys, a new Washington Post/ABC News poll indicates that people viewed the recent shooting as endemic of a troubled society - not just a troubled individual.
Still, passing new legislation through Congress promises to be a major challenge for advocates. Republicans have for the most part remained silent on the subject, and have shown little willingness to take a stand against the gun lobby.
In remarks on the Senate floor today, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., expressed sorrow over the shootings and lauded Mr. Obama's remarks about the "singularity of parental love," but declined to reference the possibility of legislative action. When asked shortly thereafter if he thinks it's time to debate gun laws, McConnell ignored CNN reporter Lisa Desjardins, who recorded and posted his non-response online.
NBC's David Gregory faced similar troubles this weekend, when trying to book pro-gun senators for his show, "Meet the Press": All 31 senators on record as pro-gun rights refused to appear.
"We reached out to all 31 pro-gun rights senators in the new Congress to invite them on the program to share their views on the subject this morning," he said. "We had no takers."
CBS News' Bob Schieffer noted he and his "Face the Nation" staff ran into similar roadblocks as NBC.
"Members, as we found out this weekend when we tried to get guests to come on and talk about this on 'Face the Nation,' people are just reluctant to even discuss it," Schieffer said on the program Sunday.
Even the Obama administration is declining to say what action, specifically, the president wants to take on gun control. In a White House briefing today, spokesman Jay Carney spoke of the subject in vague terms only, and argued that gun control is "part" of the solution, "but it's far from all of it."
The power of the pro-gun lobby -- and specifically of the NRA -- is widely credited with the staunch opposition that nearly all gun control measures have faced in Congress in recent years. According to the Sunlight Foundation, the NRA spends 66 times what the Brady Campaign spends on lobbying, and 4,143 times what the Brady Campaign spends on campaign contributions. Since 2011, the NRA spent at least $24.28 million: $16.83 million through its political action committee, plus $7.45 million through its affiliated Institute for Legislative Action." | 5,956 | 2,938 | 0.000344 |
warc | 201704 | Typhoons, cyclones, and hurricanes are tropical storms. They are basically the same, just called by a different name in different parts of the world.
Over the western Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific Ocean they are referred to as hurricanes. Over the western Pacific Ocean (Asia) they are called typhoons, and the same type of tropical storm over the Indian Ocean is a cyclone.
Tropical Depression
The difference between a tropical depression, a tropical storm, and a hurricane is wind speed and intensity of the storm. The Saffir-Simpson Scale is used to measure the strength of major tropical storms such as hurricanes. And placing them into categories of strength based on a scale of 1-5.
Typically starting as a normal thunderstorm, the proper conditions can develop these storms into intense weather disturbances. If a group of thunderstorms combine together for a certain period of time under the right conditions in the atmosphere they develop into a tropical depression. There will be constant wind speeds near the center between between 20 and 34 knots (23 - 39 mph).
Typhoon NIDA off the coast of the Philippines -courtesy of www.digital-typhoon.org
These storms turn into a tropical storm if it has wind speeds of 39-73 mph (62-117 km/hr).
These storms then become a category 1 typhoon (hurricane) once wind speeds reach 74–95 mph
These extremely large and powerful weather patterns are tropical storms characterized by a low pressure storm center and many combined thunderstorms that create potent winds and often intense rain that results in flooding and storm surges along coastlines.
Condensation of water vapor which is held in the moist air, is the result of the heat released when wet air rises, and this basically feeds the storm, making it bigger and more intense.
The Philippines
The area just northeast of the Philippines is the most active place in the world for tropical typhoons to exist. The northern Luzon and the eastern Visayas areas in the Philippines are the most often affected parts of the country by these storms.
Tropical storm activity across the archipelago is the most active during the months of July through October, with the most active period in September. By November, storm occurrences drop, with the minimum active period being February.
Dissimilar to tornadoes, typhoons and hurricanes do not form suddenly with no notice. Nowadays, it is quite easy to spot and observe the path of typhoons thanks to modern satellites and communication systems.
It can take many days before a minor storm turns into a tremendous hurricane. Consequently, weather forecasters have the ability to inform everyone well in advance that a storm is approaching. | 2,711 | 1,305 | 0.000772 |
warc | 201704 | A map of the project route. State-specific maps are available here.
Stated Purpose:
The Fargo-St. Cloud transmission line is being developed in order to improve community reliability throughout the southern Red River Valley, as well as within the Fargo, Alexandria, and St. Cloud areas.
The project is also intended to support additional generation development, including from renewable sources, in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.
Line Capacity:
345 kV
Route Description:
The Fargo-St. Cloud transmission line is one of three 345 kV lines proposed by CapX2020. The North Dakota portion will begin at the Bison Substation northwest of Fargo. From there the line will continue across the Red River north of Oxbow. Overall, it will extend from Fargo, to Alexandria, and then to St. Cloud; addressing reliability and supporting additional generation in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.
Development Timeline:
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the proposed route in June of 2011. The North Dakota Public Service Commission approved that state's 35 mile route in September of 2012.
North Dakota construction is to begin in early 2013, first in Mapleton and gradually moving southward. Construction on the Minnesota portion began in January of 2012, and some portions of the line are already completed. Construction was delayed due to weather in the Spring of 2013, with construction resuming in the later in the summer on this portion of the CapX project. This portion is planned to be completed and in service in 2015.
Regulatory Process:
The North Dakota Public Service Commission must issue three permits before project construction can begin. The first, Certificate for Public Convenience and Necessity, was applied for in October of 2010. The second, a Certificate of Corridor Compatibility, was applied for in December of 2010. The Joint Certificate of Corridor Compatibility/Route Permit was applied for in October of 2011. This permit was approved in September of 2012.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission must grant both a Certificate of Need and a Route Permit before construction can begin. The Certificate of Need was applied for in August of 2007 and granted in May of 2009. The Route Permit was filed in October of 2009 and granted in June of 2011.
The MN PUC and the ND PSC will determine the line's final route, while taking into consideration the concerns of landowners, complying with federal agency reviews, and holding public meetings and hearings that consider route alternatives. The CapX2020 team has proposed a set of 12 adjustments to the route, and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission accepted 10 of these in November 2011.
A storage facility for construction materials has been raised to serve the Fargo-St.Cloud project.
A new law in Minnesota would require transmission developers to not submit a preferred and alternative route, but instead submit only several routing options to state regulators with no stated preference.
Developer: Community Feedback:
Since 2006, CapX2020 has been conducting public outreach to engage with landowners and communities the about the Fargo-St. Cloud transmission line. These meetings were designed to encourage landowners and local elected officials to learn more about the project, and provide information on land use considerations in the area.
Some opponents of the line argue against the idea that Fargo-St. Cloud is needed to increase reliability throughout the region. Most focus on harm to property values and potential negative health impacts as primary reasons for opposition.Though most opposing the project have concentrated on grassroots efforts, some landowners and municipalities have unsuccessfully petitioned courts to stop or delay the project.
At local meetings, residents expressed concern over how the line would negatively impact their land and communities. Further, the city of Fargo has requested route modification in order to ensure that this line will not interfere with future growth. In response, CapX2020 applied for 12 route changes to accommodate irrigation systems and environmentally sensitive lands. Of these 12, 10 were approved by the PUC.
An economic impact study conducted by the University of Minnesota Duluth estimated that nearly 8,000 construction jobs would be created from the project, and that every dollar spent for the CapX2020 project would help to stimulate $1.93. The project has made about $8 million in purchases from one local steel company in Minneapolis, and involves up to 40 employees a year on the project order.
Recent decisions by the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Minnesota Legislature upheld and expanded the states' Buy the Farm law passed in 1973. In addition to landowners having the option to sell their entire property to a utility rather than just a specified easement, they may now apply for additional reimbursement for costs incurred from relocation--such as organic certification.
Clean Energy Potential:
The developer and industry groups note that the line and the entire CapX2020 project offers a chance to connect wind farms along the path and allow the energy to be sent to neighboring states that are seeking to purchase the power to meet renewable standards. CapX2020 provides a path for some of the biggest wind energy producers in the nation to sell their energy to a larger market. Updating the transmission is expected to cost member utilities more than $5.5 billion by 2015.
News Archive:
Xcel energizes new Fargo to St. Cloud powerline May 4, 2015
More Reliable Energy In The Valley And Beyond May 4, 2015
CapX2020 project advances into ND December 22, 2014
The helicopter linemen October 24, 2014
CapX2020 project puts helicopters to use March 4, 2014
CapX towers go up in New Munich area August 30, 2013
CapX goes up in area July 24, 2013
CapX2020 project going smoothly, say utilities July 10, 2013 | 5,931 | 2,626 | 0.000383 |
warc | 201704 | Breeding chinchillas is a great responsibility and must not be taken on lightly. You may already have a chinchilla and think it would be lovely to get him/her a mate. Consider all the facts very carefully before you go ahead. It is always wise to read as much as you can and from as many different sources as you can. I am not a breeder and the information below is basic.Please scroll down the page to see photographs of a chinchilla kit from 1 hour old to 100 days old The parentage of the breeding pair is very important. Do you know sufficient about them? Have they had any health problems i.e. with their teeth? Some problems are passed on genetically. The last thing you want to do is breed from a pair where one or both of them have had any health issues. These could be inherited by the kits and so would just increase problems in the future. Sometimes health problems don't show until they are older, by which time you may have bred more kits. It can be come a vicious circle, so really think about it. It can also be very expensive if you need vetinary care.Do you have plenty of room? More chinchillas, means more cages. Even if you intend selling the kits, you will still need extra cages when it is time to separate the babies out, until they are sold.If you intend just having one litter, have you thought enough about what will happen afterwards? If you leave the pair together, they will most likely produce more litters. Two litters a year is more than enough for one female. So what do you do? Do you separate them? Is this fair to them? Should you think about having dad neutered?These are important questions to ask yourself, before you even think about breeding chinchillas. Unless you have bought a pair of chinchillas already living together, it is necessary to introduce them gradually.A female should not be mated before the age of 10+months. Even then, she will only breed if she feels secure in her surroundings. Just before she is ready to breed, you may notice the male acting a little more aggressively, making sounds and wagging his tail. After an attempt at mating has taken place the male will make a loud hiccupping noise and he will eject a waxy substance into the female to hold the semen in place. Finding this wax-like plug, is a sign that an attempt at mating has taken place but does not necessarily mean that the female is pregnant. The gestation period for a chinchilla is 111 days. The female does not usually look very different until a few weeks before the babies are due. She will probably sleep more on her side, eat less and drink more. Chinchillas have six teats ... by about 65 days the teats will be pink and enlarged - after about 85 days or so, you will notice the nipples getting longer and redder. They will eventually be almost as long as her fur. You may also see the kits move. During the last few weeks it is best not to handle her unless really necessary and do not allow her to bathe for about a week either side of the birth. This is to stop her getting any infection and also to stop sand clinging to her teats etc and causing problems for the babies. The kits (babies) are usually born in the early hours of the morning. She will give birth on her own, clean the baby/babies, clean herself and eat the afterbirth. Keep her in a warm and quiet environment. You probably won't see the birth but should you suspect that she is having problems, take her straight to the vets.The litters are small, usually one or two babies, although they can have more. The kits (babies) are born with teeth and are fully furred.Before the babies are born, make sure the cage is ‘baby safe’. It’s a good idea to put something down on the floor if you have a wire bottom cage. Some breeders use newspaper or fleece liners (these also provides a nice soft resting area). This prevents the kits from getting their legs stuck in the holes. Also, make sure there are no parts in the cage that would be dangerous for the kits - it's a amazing how soon they are moving and climbing around. It is safe to keep both parents with the new born kits, BUTit is possible for the female to become pregnant soon after giving birth, so you should remove the male before the birth to prevent a 'breed back'. Having another litter so soon after is not fair on the female as it is very tiring for her.If you are not a breeder, serious consideration should be given as to whether you should put them back together. Placing mum and dad back together again, will most likely produce more kits. The kits will be moving about within a few hours and the doe will have no objection to the new born babies being held, gently of course. The kits can weigh between 25 - 60 grams and should gain about 2-4 grams a day approx. It is a good idea to weigh the kits to make sure they are gaining weight. Sometimes the mother cannot produce enough milk for one reason or another and you may need to supplement.Weaning begins at about 8 weeks, but the kits can stay with mum until they are 10 weeks old. After this time, they can be placed in a separate cage, where they should be monitored to make sure that they are eating and drinking ok on their own.They should not be sold until they are at least 12 - 14 weeks old.NeuteringYou may decide to have your male chinchilla neutered.This is a responsible thing to do, to prevent unwanted kits, but something you must decide for yourself. If you decide to neuter your male, he must be kept away from the female for about 6 weeks afterwards.Pictures of a Chinchilla Kit: 1 hour old to 100 days old | 5,568 | 2,535 | 0.000396 |
warc | 201704 | Research: Causes and Prevention from 2010 How often do peoples' antibodies change from negative to positive? What is the risk of developing type 1 with a negative antibody test? (20 Oct 2010) My daughters are now the ages their brothers were when they were diagnosed. Negative for antibodies, so far, do they have a great risk of diabetes because both brothers have it? (15 Sep 2010) I have learned my son is developing type 1. Is there any type of intervention to prevent the full development of the disease, not necessarily involving a study? (8 Jul 2010) Although she tested negative for antibodies two years ago, my youngest daughter is now showing symptoms of diabetes, Can you test negative, but later be positive, for antibodies? (15 Jun 2010) My son has viral meningitis. Since there is a strong tie with enteroviruses and type 1, is there a way to be proactive to watch for any signs of an attack on his beta cells? (8 Jun 2010) Our 11-year-old was diagnosed with type 1 in January. Our 17-year-old was just diagnosed. What are the odds of such happening? Did our older son's Menactra vaccine contribute to his diagnosis? (13 May 2010)
[ Topical Index | Current Research: Causes and Prevention Questions | Questions from 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 ]
Last Updated: Wednesday October 20, 2010 15:29:44
This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional. This site is published by T-1 Today, Inc. (d/b/a Children with Diabetes), a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, which is responsible for its contents. Our mission is to provide education and support to families living with type 1 diabetes. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use, Legal Notice, and Privacy Policy. © Children with Diabetes, Inc. 1995-2017. Comments and Feedback. | 2,093 | 1,109 | 0.000906 |
warc | 201704 | Using Your Quota
James 3:8-10
But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
Psychologists have estimated that we have 700 opportunities to speak every week; with those opportunities, we construct 12,000 sentences, speak up to 50,000 words, and author a 150-page book. Did you get that?—
every week! That is an astounding number!
But there is a great danger unexpressed in this statistic. If James says that our mouth is "full of deadly poison," and we are opening our mouth 700 times a week, imagine how much damage is spewed forth without our even realizing it!
In America we are constantly reminded of our
right to "free speech," but this right
In other words, James is saying that the 700 words we speak every week are indicators of our walk with Christ. If we are claiming to love God, yet all the while poisoning our brothers with thoughtless, cruel, or malicious words, we are only deceiving ourselves.
This story graphically illustrates the danger of speaking careless words. A young man living in ancient Greece had said something very harsh to one of his friends, later discovering that what he had said wasn't true. He went to his wise teacher and asked, "Master, I hurt my neighbor with my words; what can I do to right this wrong?" His teacher said, "Find a sack and fill it with feathers. Tonight after everyone has retired, go around the village and put a feather on each doorstep."
The young man was confused but obeyed the master's command. When he had finished and returned to his home, he lay in bed and pondered the meaning of the task. Tossing and turning all night, he could not make sense of it. The next morning he ran to his teacher and declared, "Master, I've done what you've said. Now what do I do?"
His teacher responded, "Get your sack, go back to each doorstep—and retrieve every feather." The young man retorted, "That is impossible! There is no way I can retrieve every feather. The wind has come during the night, people have been walking, animals have been moving, and the feathers will have been scattered by now."
The teacher then explained, "The same is true with your words. They were very easy to speak, but they are impossible to retrieve."
Fifty thousand words a week; 200,000 words a month; 2,400,000 words a year—that is the number of "feathers" we scatter, sometimes without thinking how far they will drift. We must develop the habit of thinking and praying
before speaking, or we may deceive ourselves and destroy others around us.
And James reminds believers . . .
"these things ought not to be." Ask God to bring to your mind someone you may have hurt by your words, whether in the past week, month, or even this year; confess your sin to God. Then, as an extension of that confession, go to the person you harmed and ask for forgiveness. Prayer Point:
Proverbs 12. Extra Refreshment:
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Many ministries today expound on life and illustrate with Scripture;
we’re committed to expounding on Scripture and illustrating with life! | 3,357 | 1,683 | 0.000605 |
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