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Jan 20, 2012 (CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a plan today to spend less time visually inspecting poultry carcasses and more time checking other safety variables, saying this will simultaneously improve food safety and save money for taxpayers and poultry companies.
The agency estimates that the new approach will prevent up to 5,200 illnesses annually while saving the government more than $90 million over 3 years and reduce poultry production costs by at least $256 million per year.
The government savings will come through reduction of its work force by 500 to 800 positions over 2 years, while the industry will save money mainly by increasing production line speeds, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen said at a press conference today.
"The modernization plan will protect public health, improve the efficiency of poultry inspections in the U.S., and reduce spending," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release.
He said some Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors now spend time checking chicken and turkey carcasses for things that have no effect on food safety, such as bruises, while other inspectors check critical control points and sanitary conditions in the production process.
Under the new approach, Vilsack said, "All our inspection activities will be focused on these critical food safety tasks, and quality assurance tasks will be turned over to the company. We'll spend our time and our resources on the critical food safety tasks."
Hagen added, "We'll still be doing a critical appraisal of each bird. There'll still be an inspector on the line looking at these birds."
The new inspection system has been operating as a pilot project in some plants for several years, Vilsack explained. The program has been known as the HACCP-Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP). "We've actually had real-world experience with this," he said.
Switching to the HIMP approach will be voluntary for poultry facilities, Hagen said. "There are somewhere around 300 poultry establishments, and we expect that about 200 of them will want to participate," she said.
The FSIS conducted a peer-reviewed risk assessment in June 2011 to estimate the effect of the HIMP approach on human illnesses caused by contaminated poultry, according to USDA materials. The agency concluded that the change could prevent 4,286 Salmonella infections and 986 Campylobacter infections per year.
As for the improved efficiency, Hagen said, "The lower costs for industry will come from a variety of places, mainly that they'll be able to run their inspection lines at higher speeds than they do now."
In addition, "Some outdated regulatory requirements are being removed and replaced with more flexible and effective testing and process control requirements," the USDA press release states.
Also as part of the change, "All poultry establishments will now have to ensure that their procedures prevent contamination in the production process and provide supporting data to FSIS personnel," the release says.
Under the new system, maximum production line speeds will increase to 175 birds per minute for young-chicken plants and to 55 birds per minute for turkey plants, according to a Federal Register Notice from the FSIS.
"We believe from the experience in the pilot plants that worker safety will not be compromised as a result of this new rule," Vilsack told reporters. "Having said that, we're conducting a study with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health into the effect of line speeds on employees, and as that's concluded, we'll take into account any findings."
Vilsack said the new approach will affect about 2,500 people at the FSIS. "Up to 1500 people over time will receive upgraded positions and increased pay. Five hundred to 800 other positions will be phased out over a 2-year period," he said.
The USDA announcement won praise from industry groups and some food safety experts, but at least one consumer group expressed concern.
The National Chicken Council applauded the rule, calling it the logical result of "nearly 15 years of outstanding industry performance" under the Hazard Analysis/Critical Control Point program that was launched by the USDA in 1998. With the new system, the council said, federal inspectors will be stationed at the end of the production line to verify every poultry carcass meets the federal regulations, but inspectors will have more flexibility to patrol the plant and provide scientific oversight to ensure it is meeting food safety performance standards.
The pilot HIMP program has been operating in 20 chicken plants and five turkey plants since 1998, the council said.
The new approach drew qualified praise from Craig Hedberg, PhD, a food safety expert at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. "I think it is great that FSIS is shifting its focus from the visual inspection of every bird to focus on food safety risks. The results of the pilot studies were encouraging. Hopefully the optimistic estimates of cost-savings to the agency and to industry will be realized and consumers can be rewarded by better values in safer foods."
But Hedberg added, "Of course nothing is ever that simple, and in looking through the proposed rules, there is a lot of room for argument about exactly what standards FSIS will be enforcing. Food safety is a constantly moving target, and the best outcome will be a system where FSIS and producers work together to focus on critical issues, define best practices, and establish clear standards that can be used to weed out rogue producers who may seek to short-cut food safety."
The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) voiced misgivings about the USDA plan in a statement today. The group said there has been no thorough independent review of the HIMP pilot program since 2001, when the Government Accountability Office (GAO) raised serious concerns about the data the FSIS used to justify it.
In addition, FSIS data show that some HIMP plants meet the performance standard for Salmonella, but others do not, according to the statement. Also, it said the FSIS has no data on the performance of HIMP plants in controlling Campylobacter.
"It was only last year when the agency proposed new performance standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter, and testing to those new standards has barely begun," the CFA said. "So consumers have no assurance that plants under HIMP can meet the new standards. It is unclear whether plants which are unable to meet the new standards will be allowed to continue operating under HIMP. Participation under HIMIP will provide plants with certain advantages such as increased line speeds. Plants that are unable to meet the new performance standards for reducing pathogens should not be permitted to continue to enjoy those advantages."
The USDA said it will take public comments on the new plan for 90 days.
See also:
Full FSIS Federal Register notice (248 pages)
Jan 20 FSIS press release
Summary of FSIS risk assessment
Jan 20 National Chicken Council statement
Jan 20 CFA statement


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I took the feb exam and bomb it. I guessed on about 6-5 questions towards the end of each section. So I guessed a total of 21-22 questions with the letter of the day "D". I think my score is from a 155-158. Does anyone have some advice as to what schools I should apply to. Also what are my chances at CWRU,Pitt, Depaul OSU, AU and GW? Thanks.
I took two years off and have to start in 05. I took the exam in Dec, canceled remembered my answers and did a self score. It turns out that dec's exam was a 165. I finish games and got everything correct, answered 23/26 on Arg1 21/25 on Arg2 and did 2 rc passages. I canceled the dec exam b/c I thought it was much worse but it wasn't that bad. Feb was bad and I know that I won't get into many of the schools that I applied to. Pressure from family and 2 years off from starting law school pushed me to make this stupid choice.

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Yes, it's OK to laugh. KUTV reporter Brooke Graham, the woman falling backwards into the snow, is fine. Moments after she apparently passed out while doing an interview on cross country skiing Saturday, Graham continued and finished the interview.
Graham wrote about the incident on her blog, saying that she—and her twin sister—have fainted before in high altitudes.
I could feel myself getting light headed and tried to warn the producer that I was sick. After I went down I sat up and had no idea how long I had been out but saw the camera pointed at my face and decided to keep on talking!
What a champ. Let's watch her fall over and over again.
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Oct 5, 2008
Woman Lives With 130 Cats
Think Extraordinary | 9:25 AM | Hot Videos, Woman, WTF |
A woman in Siberia has 130 stray cats crammed into her tiny apartment.
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There was just one steal left in the coaches' arsenal as battle rounds wrapped up Tuesday on "The Voice," and Usher was saving it for somebody he'd wanted since the blind auditions: Alaskan belter and would-be law student Cierra Mickens.
Before she got her chance to wind up on Team Usher, though, came a series of high-stakes match-ups with less lucky losers.
U.S. & World
A Team Adam battle with soft-spoken indie chanteuse Sam Behymer on Ed Sheeran's "Give Me Love" saw Wyoming country singer Cary Laine ousted from the competition. Adam paid tribute to them both for venturing outside their comfort zones but chose Sam as the winner, citing the "trouble and power and emotion" in her voice.
And a Team Blake pairing of pop-rock belter Kaleigh Glanton and throwback crooner Noah Lis on a Michael Buble's "Everything" may have seemed heavily weighted in Noah's favor, given his Buble-style smooth sound and the way his eyes lit up when their coach told them their assignment. But Kaleigh's discomfort the song pushed her toward an impressive performance. Usher picked Noah the bout's winner, even as he decried Noah's performance as "too lounge" and "a bit much," but Blake handed the battle victory to Kaleigh.
No save came for Noah, nor did one for three other pairings shown in a brief montage Tuesday. Team Adam's teen YouTube belter Christina Grimmie beat out Joshua Howard, Team Blake's Ryan White Maloney beat out Cali Tucker and Team Shakira's Kristen Merlin beat out fellow country singer Lindsay Bruce for the chance to remain on "The Voice."
It was only in the night's final battle, courtesy of two very different Team Shakira power vocalists, that a losing performer would get a reprieve in the form of the battle rounds' sole surviving steal, thanks to Usher.
Paired on the Sara Bareilles hit "Brave," Cierra and brain surgery survivor Emily B both struggled at first with the song's rhythm. But as they neared the end of their performance, they both riffed on the song's melody with appropriate courage and hit its big notes with gusto.
The coaches were split on whose big note wowed them more, but ultimately a reluctant Shakira named Emily the winner -- leaving all her fellow coaches to look expectantly to Usher, who indeed pressed his button to grab Cierra for his own team.
"God blessed you with incredible talent," he told her, adding, "there's something that I see in Cierra that I want the world to be a part of. She's got dedication to what she's doing."
Next week, another battle round begins on "The Voice," with guest mentor Chris Martin of Coldplay stepping in to help all the contestants perfect their performances.
"The Voice" airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c.


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Monday, October 27, 2008
Psychiatric Diagnoses: Fact or Fiction?
I would like to contribute to the discussion on this blog by summarizing the work of Richard Bentall, psychologist and award-winning author, on psychiatric diagnosis and the DSM-IV. While we may be able to agree that long-term use of neuroleptics should not be the treatment of choice for schizophrenia, or that bipolar disorder is being over-diagnosed in children, I would invite us to question whether 'schizophrenia' or 'bipolar disorder' are valid diagnoses at all. Over the course of his career Richard Bentall has critiqued the medical model of modern psychiatric diagnosis and proposed instead a more personalized symptom-based approach.
The basic question is this: Do people suffer from a finite number of discrete psychiatric disorders/diseases or do people experience varying degrees of human suffering in their own idiosyncratic ways (which include spectrums of sadness, fear, dissociation, etc)? The modern mental health establishment clearly subscribes to the former as evidenced by the structure of the DSM and the theory of 'chemical imbalance.' This belief is so pervasive that even people who claim to disagree with the medical model of diagnosis often think within its terms. For example, the idea that one can be 'misdiagnosed' presupposes that a correct diagnosis could exist. Similarly, saying that schizophrenia is partially caused by psychological factors assumes that 'schizophrenia' is a valid way to group people.
The theory that psychological distress is caused by a finite number of psychiatric diseases can be attributed to Emil Kraepelin, who first published his Compendium of Psychiatry in 1883. Kraepelin believed that the psychiatric patients he treated suffered from diseases analogous to any treated by a practitioner of internal medicine. (Note the common comparison today between psychiatric diagnoses and diabetes forwarded by the pharmaceutical industry.) He said a specific disease process should generate identical symptoms, have identical pathological anatomy and identical etiology (or cause). According to Kraepelin, all that was needed was for these diseases to be discovered in order for diagnosis and treatment in psychiatry to catch up with the rest of medicine. Since it was far beyond the knowledge of his time (or ours for that matter) to find common pathological anatomies or etiologies, he chose to group symptoms. He believed that if he grouped symptoms 'correctly' the people grouped together would be sharing the same underlying disease. They would therefore have the same anatomical problems, the same etiology and respond more or less identically to treatment. He hoped that this kind of systematizing would lead to great advances in the efficacy of treatment.
While Kraepelin's categories have changed over time and grown from 3 to over 200, the basic idea persists to this day – that there are a finite number of discrete psychiatric disorders/diseases people can have and if we were to somehow group symptoms 'correctly' we would have isolated real disorders/diseases.
The problem with this idea is that it is not at all based in evidence. It began as Kraepelin's assumption and he was unable to provide any research in his lifetime to support it. However, it has been an idea so compelling to psychiatrists that they have tried in vain to support it for over one hundred years. In fact, there is a large body of research that directly contradicts this theory.
For example, you would expect that if one doctor diagnosed you with Strep Throat, you would be able to go to any other doctor and get the same diagnosis – and you'd be right. The reason for this is that Strep Throat is a real disease associated with an infection of streptococcal bacteria. You either have it or you don't and there are reliable ways to test if you do.
However, if you are experiencing severe psychological distress and one psychiatrist diagnoses you with "bipolar disorder" there is only a 50-60% chance that the next one you see would give you the same diagnosis. Why is this? Both psychiatrists would have been highly trained in diagnosis, and they would be using the same criteria to make their judgment. So if one says you have PTSD, another says bipolar and a third says brief psychotic disorder, which is the "correct diagnosis?" What do you really have?
Bentall argues the problem is that Kraepelin's main assumption – that there are a finite number of discrete psychiatric disorders – is just not true. You don't have any of those disorders because they are not real. Instead he argues that any psychiatric patient is experiencing a high level of emotional distress that is expressing itself through a range of symptoms and these symptoms can be better understood as extreme expressions of normal human responses to distress.
Bentall advocates for abandoning psychiatric diagnoses altogether. He claims that psychiatry's stubborn attempt to treat mental distress as a medical problem is what has led to its inability to improve treatment outcomes over time. Citing a large body of research, Bentall shows that symptoms from depressed mood to hallucinations can be accounted for psychologically and that doing so is not only more in line with science but more humanizing to patients. Therefore he favors what he calls a 'complaint-oriented' approach in which each patient would be assessed according to his or her unique symptomology. The focus becomes the symptoms themselves and we avoid trying to groups them into arbitrary non-existent disorders. Symptoms can be understood and treated, while disorders cannot because they are not real.
To learn more about Bentall's work, read his 'Madness Explained' which won the British Psychological Society's Book Award.
Author Note: Tim Desmond offers phone counseling and training for therapists through his website at www.coherencecounseling.com
14 comments:
- Radagast said...
Well, I've said before how I think we may understand the concept in layman's terms, but I'll restate: "mental illness is behaviour that one doesn't like the look of." It may also be behaviour that causes a person to do harm to him or herself/others, but that's beside the point, when we're trying to apply a definition that we can understand.
People are required to operate in a world where the vast majority of the information that they need to operate effectively is denied to them (ie, they're told to do something, and then not given instruction as to how to do it, and then berated when they get it wrong). That's likely to fuck anybody up. It did me (and I'll fucking crucify my ex-employer for it, however long it takes me).
- Monday, October 27, 2008 7:09:00 AM
Perhaps Bentall's never met someone with schizophrenia. Anyway, his theory is quite obviously rubbish since many diseases treated by psychistrists which were once as unexplained as manic depression are now known to be biological in origin - insanity/dementia caused by syphilis, for example - and many diseases have visible physical signs, like the brain abnormalities in schizophrenia, though AFAIK the causal chain is not known.
It's easy to pick on the badly-defined mental disorders that we do not yet fully understand or even know if we have correctly categorised, such as bipolar disorder, but we forget that many diseases treated as psychiatric in the past are now treated as neurological - general paresis in syphilis, or epilepsy - so there's no reason to suppose that we won't eventually find strong neurological bases for diseases like manic depression and schizophrenia, at least in the definite cases.
- Tuesday, October 28, 2008 2:03:00 AM
- Bernard Carroll said...
This post does little to advance the understanding of psychiatric disorders. It is a rehash of the familiar contrast between idiographic and nomothetic approaches to assessment and diagnosis. The former emphasizes each patient's unique experience, symptoms, and circumstances. The latter focuses on formal diagnostic categories, because these, rather than symptoms per se, dictate treatment. In the practice of wise clinicians, both approaches are maintained simultaneously – each patient's experience of bipolar disorder or of schizophrenia or of obsessive compulsive disorder or of anorexia nervosa or of PTSD is indeed unique.
Unwittingly perhaps, Tim Desmond's focus on symptoms plays into the hands of those who collude with Pharma in pushing atypical antipsychotic drugs for treatment of nonpsychotic unipolar depression: If we don't have diagnoses then we don't have disorder-specific treatments like antidepressants and antipsychotics, and anything goes. Here are 2 links to a fuller discussion of that problem.
Bernard Carroll
- Tuesday, October 28, 2008 7:52:00 AM
- CL Psych said...
I'm not very familiar with Bentall's work so it's hard for me to comment on its merits. Yes, the syphilis-mental illness connection is a good example of a biologically based mental condition. However, we are lacking in reliable biological diagnostic markers for the vast majority of diagnosed individuals. Look at how serotonin was hyped as the big neurotransmitter in depression and how that has been debunked.
If the reliability of diagnoses is an issue, we have to consider the circumstances under which diagnoses are typically made. If you take the time to thoroughly perform a diagnostic interview, reliability of many psych conditions is pretty high. So I'm necessarily buying that the poor reliability of psychiatric diagnoses means they are invalid, because assessments are often done very quickly, so they're going to miss many things.
The argument that diagnostic categories don't tell you anything very useful for treatment planning might be true in many cases. So a person is diagnosed as depressed -- who cares? That leaves the door open to dozens of treatments, but which one is best tailored to the individual patient? There's a problem... We have little clue which of the treatments that have demonstrated some semblance of efficacy will work for any given patient. Might that relate to a diagnostic system that puts a very wide variety of people into a diagnostic group that are all then labeled as "depressed"?
- Tuesday, October 28, 2008 8:00:00 AM
- Mark p.s.2 said...
LOL at anonymous. I'm a diagnosed schizophrenic. Mental illness has so many aspects , with everyone having a different definition of each aspect. Psychosis or mania is it perminate or temporary? Medications for life? Is it a choice to be mentally ill?
Where are the lab tests? Tests that would turn it from a mental to physical illness.
Is it justice to imprison law abiding adults for crimes they have not commited? When does thinking and believing stupid turn into mental illness? When a psychiatrist gets involved.
I think the defining of schizophrenia (negative and positive symptoms) makes the diagnoser fit the definition of schizophrenia with its overly complicated explination of a behaviour.
Not to forget it is the only illness where the "patient" can be forcefully treated and defined as a "patient" by one person who has no lab tests to confirm or deny the illness.
- Tuesday, October 28, 2008 8:13:00 AM
- Daniel Carlat said...
Fascinating discussion, I can't resist joining in.
While I agree that we do not know whether psychiatric diagnoses correspond to specific anatomical or chemical defects, this hardly renders them invalid. The realm of thought and emotion is fantastically complicated, and what psychiatrists and psychologists have done is to map out this territory incognito . DSM is simply a map of the terrain. There are, indeed, symptoms that tend to cluster together, like the "SIGECAPS" of depression, the somatic correlates of a panic disorder, the persecutory delusions of schizophrenia. There's nothing wrong with giving names to these clusters, so that we have some way of communicating, both to our patients and to other clinicians about patients.
Bentall is correct that every patient is unique, but this doesn't mean that there aren't important similarities in presentations. And by the way, this is true in the rest of medicine as well. No two heart attacks are exactly the same, they all vary in important ways, and they all need to be treated differently. But that doesn't mean that we should banish the label "heart attack." Without such agreed-upon shorthand descriptions, our treatment system and research enterprise would fall apart. Nobody could communicate. Determining the appropriate treatment, whether medication of psychotherapy, would be rendered laborious and time-consuming without this method of quick communication.
No, I believe the DSM diagnoses are useful, as long as we see them for what they are: agreements. They aren't biological entities. The problem is that some clinicians become fixated on the diagnostic criteria, thereby ignoring all the messy psychosocial data hiding underneath them.
- Tuesday, October 28, 2008 12:48:00 PM
- CL Psych said...
I'm not very familiar with Bentall's work so it's hard for me to comment on its merits. Yes, the syphilis-mental illness connection is a good example of a biologically based mental condition. However, we are lacking in reliable biological diagnostic markers for the vast majority of diagnosed individuals. Look at how serotonin was hyped as the big neurotransmitter in depression and how that has been debunked.
If the reliability of diagnoses is an issue, we have to consider the circumstances under which diagnoses are typically made. If you take the time to thoroughly perform a diagnostic interview, reliability of many psych conditions is pretty high. So I'm not necessarily buying that the poor reliability of psychiatric diagnoses means they are invalid, because assessments are often done very quickly, so they're going to miss many things.
The argument that diagnostic categories don't tell you anything very useful for treatment planning might be true in many cases. So a person is diagnosed as depressed -- who cares? That leaves the door open to dozens of treatments, but which one is best tailored to the individual patient? There's a problem... We have little clue which of the treatments that have demonstrated some semblance of efficacy will work for any given patient. Might that relate to a diagnostic system that puts a very wide variety of people into a diagnostic group that are all then labeled as "depressed"?
- Tuesday, October 28, 2008 6:21:00 PM
- CL Psych said...
My comment above adds a word in bold that I missed earlier due to poor attention. Oops.
- Tuesday, October 28, 2008 6:22:00 PM
I am happy to see this post has generated such passionate responses. I apologize that I was unable to do justice to Bentall's work in such a short post. My hope is that this discussion will provoke people into reading Bentall for themselves, because this is not enough space here to provide an adequate discussion of all necessary evidence.
I would like to respond to three assertions made so far: first, that conditions such as bipolar disorder (called manic depression by anonymous) have a biological basis; second, that the DSM's disorders are the most logical way group symptoms; and third, that the problems with reliability in the DSM are confined to data collected in non-ideal conditions.
While space does not permit going into a detailed discussion of the lack of evidence for biologically-based psychiatric disorders, I would like to recommend reading Wyatt, W. J. & Midkiff, D. (2006). Biological psychiatry: A practice in search of a science, Behavior and Social Issues, 15, 132-151. This paper provides an excellent overview of the available evidence and shows how biologically based theories have been advanced by pharmaceutical companies.
More interesting to me is the question of how to group symptoms. Bentall reviews 70 years of research using factor analysis to discover naturally occurring symptom clusters in psychiatric patients. The naturally occurring symptoms clusters are scientifically robust and consistent over time, while the DSM has not been. Just in the realm of psychosis, hallucinations and delusions make one cluster, flat affect and social withdrawal make another, and all forms of cognitive disorganization make a third. The low correlation between these symptom clusters (A person with a well-formed and internally consistent persecution preoccupation would rate high in hallucination/delusion and low in cognitive disorganization while another patient might exhibit no hallucinations or delusions but speak in a highly disorganized way.) seems to undermine the idea of a shared disease causing them. Bentall recommends using a convention that just gives the patient's ratings on major symptom clusters.
Finally, Kirk, S. & Kutchins, H. (1994). The myth of the reliability of DSM, Journal of Mind and Behavior, 15, 71-86 shows that using Robert Spitzer's own field trials and his own definitions of acceptable reliability (a kappa value of 0.7), the DSM-III and IV are unacceptable.
I am happy to correspond with anyone interested in these matters, and I hope that many of you will take the time to read 'Madness Explained.' The arguments I have outlined here clearly have many holes that I believe Bentall is able to fill in with evidence over the course of 500 pages.
- Wednesday, October 29, 2008 1:52:00 PM
I would echo Dr Carlat's above comments, and add this, starting with regarding the use of the analogy regarding Strept throats used in the posting.
Bacteria have different strains, and so the need for different antibiotics to treat them. Any responsible physician would insist on culturing the infection before starting an antibiotic, so if the strain was resistant, another medication could be substituted. And note, even when treating an infection, one does not just rely on an antibiotic alone; antipyretics like tylenol or motrin are advised, as are rest and fluids. And, exploring what could be the cause to the intitial exposure to such an infection should be pursued to protect others
from further infections, or reinfection in the said patient.
The point? All illnesses fall into the treatment paradigm of biopsychosocial interventions, as causes are multifactorial. Hypertension is not just a biological disorder, so just throwing antihypertensives is not just oversimplification, but minimizing. Heart disease is not just a biological disorder, so just sending the patient to a cardiologist is not the simple treatment. Multiple Sclerosis is not just a biological illness, so focusing on immunosuppressants is not the primary treatment.
As I have said even before I began commenting at blog sites like this, everyone plays a role in the growing failures of medicine, psychiatry as just one example. And I find it both curious and pathetic how patients get so outraged when I include them in the group of causes to the downward spiral, as I do include doctors as well. Face it, patients want and expect quick fixes, be it diagnosis, treatments, and, dare it be used, CURES! And, WHEN it fails after this foolish pursuit, someone has to be blamed. And, who better to target than those who care, and, loath until proven otherwise, to take on fights as it is against our training? Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. In my opinion, that is where training has failed for so many years, as we have to be the "mensch". Well, as a doctor, and as a jewish person, I am tired of the hostile, misguided rhetoric of the antipsychiatry crowd, who seems to be growing like a cancer in this medium of the internet these days. It resembles nazism-type rhetoric, and I think physicians need to step back and start mounting a challenge to anti-mental health positions that just rail for the profession to be eradicated.
Think what I offer above is so off-beat and inappropriate? Look at history and relearn how this type of attack had such horrendous outcomes; forget the Nazi analogy and look at other examples of discriminating and championing for isolation and eradication against things like religions, races, political ideologies, and other groups that dare to be different and seek inclusion that has occurred in this and other cultures since our species learned how to herd, for the readers who sense my concern has some applicability.
If I am wrong, and this is just a pursuit for rectifying wrongs and applying healthy and productive corrections, then I will be happy, because truth and reason will be shown to prevail. In my opinion, mental health is shunned because people can't handle reality. It is subjective and gray, and the usual suspects who cry out for retribution and retaliation cringe at the sight and sound of these concepts of individuality and uniqueness. Doesn't fit into their soundbites, eh? Politics of hate only thrive by divisiveness. That is why I love George Carlin; while he used sarcasm and humor, his message was, we suck when we assemble. That is not so funny when it is said so plainly, true?
So, now we can attack and diminish the use of terminology as provided by the DSM, or, more responsibly, realize it allows us to have a beginning to look for some common ground, and the responsible provider can tailor the treatment needs once the general problem can be identified. As I was taught in my medical training, don't complain unless you are going to bring some ideas for solutions or alternatives if the problem does not fit. I.E, don't bitch unless you have a path to lay for possible improvement
Just watch how the continuing market woes will spill into provider offices for quick healing needs. I'm seeing it!
It will be sad, and irresponsible, if the caretakers of DSM V are stupid enough to give this a label. My overall point: responsible, credible providers need to reject all the elements that demean and simplify and return to what psychiatry should be: helping people regain function from psychological dysfunction, by using a multifactorial intervention process.
Can this happen? only if we care!
Just an opinion. Hopefully, a thread that will provoke dialogue, not mob chants!
- Wednesday, October 29, 2008 5:18:00 PM
I'm currently reading another book which Bentall co-authored, with Read and Mosher, called Models of Madness. It's excellent. Amongst its many interesting contents is the revelation (to me) that Kraepelin was originally funded, to the tune of $325,000 by Rockefeller, the oil magnate, who had just discovered that there was money to be made from turning petroleum by-products into medicine.
- Thursday, October 30, 2008 10:42:00 AM
Count me as in agreement with Desmond. I'd like to add a comment by C G Jung, made more than 50 years ago and as valid now as when he made it:
It is generally assumed in medical circles that the examination of a patient should lead to the diagnosis of his illness, so far as this is possible at all, and that with the establishment of the diagnosis an important decision has been arrived at as regards prognosis and therapy. Psychotherapy forms a startling exception to this rule: the diagnosis is a highly irrelevant affair since, apart from affixing a more or less lucky label to a neurotic condition, nothing is gained by it, least of all as regards prognosis and therapy. (Jung, CW 16, p.86)
- Thursday, October 30, 2008 1:51:00 PM
- Bernard Carroll said...
Tim Desmond has responded with further comments on three issues.
First he repeats his challenge to the notion that major psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder have a biological basis. He does not support his challenge with evidence. Rather, he smears the notion of a biological basis using guilt by association: "…biologically based theories have been advanced by pharmaceutical companies." We need to be very clear that the key theories arose out of clinical research in the 1950s and 1960s. They were not ginned up by pharmaceutical companies. In the instance he chose, bipolar disorder, there are many lines of evidence for a biological basis – the natural history, the genetic data, the occurrence of secondary cases associated with right-sided brain lesions, the precipitation of manic episodes by antidepressant drugs, and above all the preventive action of mood stabilizers like lithium. We do not have a complete understanding of the biology of bipolar disorder, but there is no doubt what ballpark we are in – it is not primarily a psychological disorder. It is a biological disorder with physical, psychological and behavioral manifestations.
Desmond next argues for dimensional factors rather than diagnostic categories. He overstates how "robust and consistent over time" are empirically derived symptom factors. These are crucially dependent on the choice of items for the analyses. He also overlooks that symptom factors do not generate diagnostic symptom patterns – they mostly serve just to quantify symptom profiles that have already been recognized. No clinical disorder has ever been identified through factor analysis. Desmond's comments on the low correlations between symptom clusters are puzzling. The essence of factor analysis is to identify symptom clusters that are independent (orthogonal, in the technical terminology). Kraepelin understood that 100 years ago when he described the variety of complicated states in bipolar disorder – a patient in a manic stupor looks nothing like a patient in a dysphoric mixed manic-depressive state, yet both undoubtedly suffer from bipolar disorder. And a patient in a florid manic episode looks little like the same person who has cycled down to a depressed phase – but she is the same person and the diagnosis endures through both phases of illness. The variability of clinical appearance results from varying mixtures of several independent dimensions of the disorder.
The third issue taken up by Desmond is diagnostic reliability. There is no doubt that the reliability of many DSM-IV diagnoses is disappointing. In part this is because DSM-IV does not clearly recognize psychiatric disorders as processes: Cross-sectional diagnoses will always be less reliable than longitudinal diagnoses. Disorders evolve over time, and the early diagnostic uncertainty shrinks. In this sense, the initial cross-sectional reliability of psychiatric disorders is not worse than that of, say, multiple sclerosis. Moreover, the accuracy, reliability, and validity of diagnoses always increase as one moves from the hurried primary care setting to the specialty setting to the tertiary care setting. That is true throughout medicine. Reliability is not a single number – it must be understood within the Bayesian context of the assessment. And it is amusing to observe some groups carping about reliability when their own track record is nothing to brag about.
Bernard Carroll
- Thursday, October 30, 2008 7:03:00 PM
I'm in agreement with the post. I'm in agreement with lots of 'anti-diagnostics' but am, like the rest, cognisant of a mental health phenomena.
Several things do not appear to have been considered:
1. As a question - do psychological abnormal events become "mental illness" when functioning is compromised or when a diagnosis is made based on simply on existence of symptoms?
2. The biological model will always have a 'theory' to rely on. We know chemicals are responsible for how the brain functions so it is inevitable that altering this will alter function. What we don't know is cause or effect. Do neuroleptics actually bring about change in the process or merely symptomatically relieve it? Psychopharmacology may not be ( and for me, is not) the answer to mental disorder. But none of other options hold any better prognosis either.
3. Why is there no study or theory evident into the psychological causes of mental disorder? Surely, there could be some pre-morbid studies to identify the psychological stressors that occur prior to symptoms. My hypothesis would be to identify those life stressor events that biological theorists might consider to be a 'trigger' for a predisposed condition as being the causality of mental disorder. Even if found to be psychological tho - the type of disorder that manifests and why is something that is as debatable as the biological/psychological aeitiologiy debate.
My gravest concern, and in line with 'therapyfirst's assertions that all illness is biopsychosocial, is in how we persist in aiming to bring out one singular modality as being of greatest importance.
Personally, I use the symptomatic relief model - aka Recovery model - the person is broken, we aim to fix that best we can.
Many physical conditions cannot be 'cured' but can be modified or contained to permit a least disrupted existence and this is best achieved by using the eclectic array of options.
I am not aware of any psychosis that has been 'cured' by psychiatry - tho I am aware of many that have 'gone away' of their own accord. Just like grief can, or heartache, or happiness or feeling suicidal.
- Friday, November 07, 2008 8:45:00 PM


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ACME Liquorice Lab - Salt & White Chocolate Bonbons
Acme Liquorice Lab is comprised of a group of Danish and Swedish liquorice lovers. From the same tea as our awesome Teministeriet (Ministry of Tea). From salty to sweet and chocolate coated liquorice, we love to make and eat all kinds of liquorice. So whether it is liquorice, lakrids, lariats or larks for you, welcome to our world of ACME Liquorice.
This pack of 'bonbons' are covered in White Chocolate and Salt.
Each box contains 150g of liquorice balls of yumminess and is the perfect gift for you or another.


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Oh, say, can you see "American Idol"'s beautiful balladeer Pia Toscano singing the "Star Spangled Banner" over the holiday weekend? You sure can.
Toscano – once the odds-on favorite to take this season's "Idol" crown before her jaw-dropping elimination – has a new chance to win America's heart when she performs the National Anthem during PBS' National Memorial Day Concert airing live May 29. The singer (who joins a star-studded lineup, including hosts Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna, Forest Whitaker, Kris Allen, Dianne Wiest, B.B. King, Jason Ritter and more) gave PopcornBiz an exclusive earful about her patriotic gig, Wednesday's big blowout finale and life after "Idol."
First up, that little performance from the Capital lawn on Sunday is something she's been training for her whole life. "I started out singing the National Anthem in my junior high school," says Toscano. "Then I moved on to the Mets' minor league team, the Brooklyn Cyclones, and then on to the New York Mets. Yes, I've been singing the National Anthem a lot! That song always gives me goosebumps. I've performed it so many times and it's really one of my favorite songs – and the hardest song to perform. I have to make sure that I don't get emotional while I sing it, because it's our country and it's just an honor to be performing it again. I've never goofed – but I don't want to jinx myself!"
U.S. & World
When she chatted with PopcornBiz, Toscano was waking up fresh from a night on the stage at the "Idol" finale, where among other things she and her fellow hopefuls joined Beyonce for "Single Ladies."
"It was spectacular," she sighs. "Backstage was crazy. I got to shake Bono's hand as he walked past me, and Lady Gaga. It was packed with stars, that whole show. I couldn't believe the performances. I got to perform with Beyonce, which – I could die right now! – was amazing. She's just the most humble, sweet, down to earth person and she comes on stage, commands that audience and is a star. I was thrilled. Lauren [Aliana] is a winner, too – she's going to have an amazing career – but Scotty [McCreery] did his thing and he took his crown last night. We were all so proud of him."
Her "Idol" experience can be summed up in a handful of moments that she'll remember forever, she says. "I have two moments: one was my moment, the top 24 girls performance when I received a standing ovation with 'I'll Stand By You'. That meant everything to me, was completely unexpected and everything that I've ever dreamed of and more. And another moment was when Stevie Wonder joined us on stage and we sang 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' – and singing 'Happy Birthday' to Steven Tyler! That was a great moment."
Toscano says a large part of this season's standout status was due to the new, star-powered judging panel. "Steven Tyler has such a huge heart, and Jennifer Lopez's always spot on with her critiques and how she goes about giving us constructive criticism. Randy Jackson has seen me grow since Season Six [as an auditioner], and so I really felt like he was family and that I made him proud throughout the whole process, because he's seen me since I was a teenager. Jennifer and Steven and Randy have been where we were, auditioning and going through this whole process, so they knew exactly what to tell us, what to work on, in a nice way that made us feel good."
The singer said the shock of her earlier-than-expected elimination was soothed by how much support she received (including from Twittering celeb fans like Tom Hanks and Ashton Kutcher) in the wake of her ouster.
"I think the most important thing was that right after my elimination that I had tremendous support," says Toscano. "I didn't realize that I had so much, and so it made going through that a whole lot easier. I think that's the most rewarding part: your fans, because they get you as far as you go on the show. You're not going anywhere without them, and so you have to be so thankful for your fans."
With her forthcoming album due in the near future ("I'm not sure when exactly, but hopefully soon," she says. "We don't want to rush anything. We want to make sure that we find the perfect sound, the perfect songs") Toscano hopes to show another side of herself, beyond those power ballads that were her "Idol" signature.
"I'm going to have a pop album with an R&B influence," she reveals. "It's definitely going to be big ballads, but there's also going to be those fun up tempo songs, those dancing songs, as well. I feel like on the show people really only saw me in one way and I want to show the world that I can do other things. It's just a way that the themes worked on the show and what song I thought was best for my voice that week and what was going to show me off the most, but I've always done up tempo stuff. I was in a cover band, and so I covered everything from Aretha Franklin to Lady Gaga."
And in between, she's always ready to ring out a new rendition of Francis Scott Key's ode to America. "I've always wanted to do the National Anthem at the SuperBowl," she says, citing Whitney Huston's 1991 performance there as her personal gold standard. "That's been a dream of mine forever!"


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Translation to accompany video:
It is a secret matter,
Should I speak of it in the mehfil or not? [1]
Someone has resided in [the/my] heart, [2]
Should I speak of it or not?
The soul desires to exchange glances, [3a and 3b]
The soul desires to sacrifice the heart and the life. [4]
That allegation that the world calls love,
The soul desires to accept that allegation. [5]
In someone's consoling [I] acquired that taste,
That the soul desires to be sorrowful again.
That splendor that is hidden and is visible too,
The soul desires to steal that splendor.
The moment my glances were blessed with your sight,
That moment for me became an arrangement of grandeur.
Whenever I saw your moon-like face,
Whether it was Eid or not, it was Eid for me. [6]
That splendor that is hidden and is visible too,
The soul desires to steal that splendor.
ni re ga...
...ni re ga
The meeting happened on its own,
Give me a message, because [7]
The soul desires to visit to you in hiding, and [8]
to not leave upon visiting,
the soul so desires, and
to not leave upon visiting,
the soul so desires.
The soul desires to exchange glances [3a and 3b]
Notes to accompany translation above:
[1] A 'mehfil' is a gathering of sorts. The term is usually used in the context of a gathering in a hall/court/ground infused with some form of the arts, e.g. dance, poetry, or speech (almost as a forum that encourages constructive criticism and exchange of information through dialog).
[2] 'Has resided', as opposed to 'resides'. The focus is on the action (the word 'has') of the 'someone' being referred to.
[3a] Think of 'ji' used in this context as a synonym for 'mann'.
[3b] The literal meaning of 'milane' is to mix or match. An alternate translation of this sentence, then, could be 'the heart desires to match gazes' or something on those lines.
[4] 'Lutane' is a tricky word to translate. While 'sacrifice' is a strong word, it is the best I could think of to capture the strength of the statement.
[5] A lawyer might translate this differently. The literal translation of 'woh tohmat uthane' is 'uphold that allegation', but I felt 'accept' was a stronger verb.
[6] 'Eid' marks festive occasions for those who follow the Islamic faith. There are primarily two Eids in a lunar calendar year (both strongly focus on spiritual 'purity'). One follows the fasting month of Ramadan (marking the beginning of the new lunar month), and the other immediately follows the prescribed times for the pilgrimage to Mecca. I think the one being referred to here is the former, given the uncertainty behind the sighting of the moon of the first of the month (as opposed to a few days into the month, at which point the uncertainty is irrelevant).
[7] 'Paighaam' (translated as 'message') usually refers to a letter or message that is transmitted through a third party, i.e. not a direct transaction between giver and receiver, although that could be the case.
[8] i.e. without anyone else's knowledge.
On the translation...please feel free to challenge it. I am merely a student of the languages in question, and if you can add more value to it through your contributions, I highly recommend you do so, for part of what makes this fun is the learning involved.


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Elegant throw pillow cover used to replace the old for entire new look. Features argyle patterns, this cushion cover provides instant color and texture for your sofa or bed. Easy to make your home modern and special with this pillow slip.
- With flocking argyle patterns, solid golden on back
- Hidden zipper allows easy insertion or removal of a cushion
- Perfect for expressing your simply living style
- Easy to match your sofa and bed
- Size (L x W): Approx. 17 x 17 inch
- Material: N / P taffeta and flocking
- Color: Black and Golden
Note: Cushion is not included.
Note: Please be reminded that due to lighting effects and monitor's brightness/contrast settings etc, the color tone of the website's photo and the actual item could be slightly different.
Package Includes:
- 2 x Throw Pillow Case


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Tigers 15th Heading into Final Round
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tigers golf squad played the first 36-holes of the 54-hole Skyhawk Classic on Monday. Tennessee State shaved seven strokes from its first round play and is 15th with a 17-over, 593 at the Par-72, 6,685 yard Paris Landing State Park, and part of the Tennessee Golf Trail.
Lee University leads the 16-team field with a 20-under, 556. The host, Tennessee-Martin, is four strokes behind at 16-under.
Lee's Hunter Vest and Union's Bryce Doughty are the top individuals at 8-under. James Stepp (76-70=146) and Blake Burgett (73-73=146) lead the Tigers at 2-over and are tied for 40th out of 87 golfers.
Stepp would play the first 25 holes of the day no better than par before sinking a birdie. Stepp would go on to drop four of the final seven holes.
Andrew Warner (75-75=150) carded two birdies in the first round and one in the second. Warner is tied for 62nd at 6-over.
The highlight of the day for the Tigers came on the par-5, 3rd. Senior Codie Welborn (76-75=151) hit the center of the fairway off the box with a 3-wood. Welborn stayed with the 3-wood for his second shot from 230-yars out and ended up six feet from the flag. The Murfreesboro native would covert the putt for eagle, marking his second in as many weeks. On the day, Welborn found 20 fairways and 29 greens.
Matt Campbell (79-76=155), competing in his first tournament of the year, recorded five birdies on the day and was six-for-six on sand saves. Campbell's second shot from 133-yards on the par-4, 15th, lipped out, setting up a tap in birdie. On the par-4, 11th, Campbell used a 7-iron from 181 to reach the green. The junior would sink a 20-footer for bird.
Tuesday's final round will begin with a shotgun start at 8:30am.


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One Big Bottle: Funkwerks White
The brews we're sipping, one by one.
Editor's Note: So many beers, so little time. One Big Bottle will spotlight the brews we're sipping, one by one.
In the glass Funkwerks White presents a near-perfect image of a Belgian Witbier. Its hazy, pale lemon body supports a big, pillowy white head. The beer, one of the initial offerings from the Saison-focused Fort Collins, Colorado, brewery, was created using all organic ingredients.
Bright citrus and yeast aromas are big up front, along with whiffs of wheat. Additions of grapefruit and orange zests are amplified by the brewery's Saison yeast. Slightly spicy Opal hops, ginger, coriander, and chamomile work together and are balanced in both flavor and aroma. No one element dominates. The characteristic sweetness found in many Belgian Witbiers is muted here, replaced with a pleasant acidity. This beer lands on the spicy and tart side of the style.
Flaked oats and wheat create a smooth creaminess in the body before finishing dry. Drinking Funkwerks White makes me wish it was hot outside. At 5.5% ABV, it's very easy drinking and incredibly refreshing. I'd pair this with lightly dressed greens and goat cheese.
About the Author: Jonathan Moxey is a Harlem-based homebrewer. He hosts private beer tastings for Tapped Craft Beer Events.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Gentle handling is particularly important in butter production, making Grundfos' range of sanitary pumps highly suitable for this application. We do not believe in making compromises when it comes to quality and so reliability and optimum performance go hand in hand throughout the process.
Milk reception: In by far the majority of dairies the milk is transported from the milk tanker into the tanks using a single-stage centrifugal pump. If higher pressure is required, a multi-stage pump is available. In order to completely empty the milk tanker, a single-stage self-priming pump, creating vacuum on its own, can be supplied.
Milk treatment: During the treatment process single-stage centrifugal pumps transport the milk from one tank to the next, while an end-suction pump enables quick heating of the milk to kill all bacteria – and an equally quick cooling process. A speedy pasteurisation is crucial in order to protect the flavour of the milk.
Process: Following the milk treatment, the separated cream is moved to process tanks by single-stage centrifugal pumps. Before the pasteurisation and subsequent cooling, lobe pumps accurately dose an additive that ripens the cream. Once the cream is ready for further processing, single-stage centrifugal pumps or lobe pumps feed the continuous butter churner. The required pump depends on the viscosity of the liquid. If buffer tanks are used, lobe pumps are ideal for transporting the butter from here to the packing machines. With great care and precision.
|In butter production the liquid becomes increasingly viscous.
|Grundfos' lobe pumps have been developed to gently handle highly viscous liquid.
|In order to protect the flavour of the milk – and consequently ensure high quality in the finished product – a very quick heating and cooling process is crucial.
|Grundfos' end-suction pump enables efficient pasteurisation of the milk to kill all bacteria.
|Maximum hygiene is essential in all dairies.
|All Grundfos' sanitary pumps are CIP -compatible, allowing tanks, pipes and process lines to be efficiently cleaned without having to dismantle the equipment. Precise dosing pumps speed up the CIP-process by adding only the necessary detergent, consequently reducing the flushing of the system. Every CIP-system is followed by a single-stage self-priming pump that removes every last drop of detergent in tanks and pipes by circulating rinsing water. A CIP-system can also be applied to the milk tanker to allow easy and 100% reliable cleaning of the inside of the tank.
|In dairies it can be necessary to adjust the production speed to match the speed of the packing machines.
|Grundfos offers advanced E-solutions that will automatically adjust the speed of the pumps, ensuring that the packing process is able to keep up with production itself. Safe communication with Profibus is possible.
Important notes
- All Grundfos' sanitary pumps carry the EHEDG certificate. Certain models carry the 3A certificate.
- Choose SiC/SiC mechanical shaft seals if the oxidizing disinfection agents could potentially cause corrosion.


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IRWINDALE >> Of the 61 complaints made to the air quality board about smells coming from the Sriracha hot-sauce factory since October, investigators traced the smell to the Huy Fong Foods factory just four times, twice after the chili grinding season ended.
Data requested by this news organization and released by the South Coast Air Quality Management District showed the date, time, whether there was a field investigation, if the odor was confirmed with the person who complained and whether or not the odor was traced to Huy Fong Foods.
Two of the confirmed smells were on the same day — Nov. 8. One complaint was made at 5:39 p.m. and another was at 6:08 p.m. The other confirmed smells were on Dec. 23 and Jan. 21.
The AQMD is working with Huy Fong Foods to determine what kind of filtration system will lessen hot chili sauce odors. At a public hearing AQMD officials said the agency is conducting testing at the facility and should have initial results before the end of the month.
The highest number of complaints on a single day was Oct. 31 — the same day city attorneys and Huy Fong Foods attorneys were in a Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom. The city requested a temporary restraining order, which would have shutdown the facility immediately. The judge denied the request.
Most of the complaints to AQMD were made between 5 and 8 p.m. More than half of the total complaints were made between Oct. 21 and Nov. 16, during the chili grinding season, which ended in mid-November.
Weather conditions were similar on the days when AQMD confirmed a smell. High temperatures were in the mid to upper 70s and wind speeds were between zero and 5 miles per hour.
Other findings include:
• Seventeen complaints weren't investigated by inspectors because they were made when AQMD was closed;
• In 23 of the inspections, the person who made the complaint was not available when AQMD inspectors arrived at the location;
• In three cases, the inspector confirmed the odor with the person who complained, but the odor could not be traced to Huy Fong.
This news organization has previously reported 41 of the 61 complaints came from four households. AQMD declined to provide the addresses of the households that made the complaints.
AQMD has not issued a notice of violation against Huy Fong. In one case where a violation was made against a wastewater treatment plant, AQMD received hundreds of complaints in one day.
The AQMD and Irwindale's consultant have different methods to determine whether there is an odor.
AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood said AQMD inspectors used their noses.
"Our noses are very sensitive and in some cases can detect low levels of pollutants that can't even be detected in a laboratory analysis," Atwood said in an email.
The city's consultant Paul Rosenfeld, of Santa Monica-based Soil, Water, Air Protection Enterprise, used a portable odor detection and measurement device called a Nasal Ranger Field Olfactometer, according to a presentation he gave to the City Council. The device determines odor intensity by diluting ambient air with odorless air. Rosenfeld visited 21 homes near the Huy Fong Foods facility on six different days.
During the chili grinding season in early November, he took samples between 5 and 8 p.m. On five days in February, Rosenfeld monitored the locations on three mornings and two evenings.
The most powerful smells detected by Rosenfeld occurred between 5 and 8 a.m. on Feb. 14 — the same day five complaints were made to AQMD. In his comments, Rosenfeld recorded the smells burned eyes in some locations.
Rosenfeld concluded from his monitoring that the level of odors have been fluctuating.


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About Our Online Store
Our online store is managed on our behalf by the team at Bandstores, the UK's leading provider of official merchandise web stores. They look after the day-to-day running of our store as well handling order fulfillment and customer service.
Bandstores.co.uk is the UK's leading provider of official merchandise web stores to the music industry. They work directly with bands and their merchandising companies to create a quick and simple solution so that European fans can buy their favourite artist's t-shirts and other merchandise from one central location.
You can get in touch with the team running our store by calling 0116 284 4770 or by sending them a message through the site. If you want to write to them you can find the address on the contact page too.


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As part of CSUN's commitment to accountability and transparency, the Campus Budget News website between 2009 and 2014 provided information and updates to the campus community about the state of California's budget and its impact on CSUN and the Calfornia State University. While the Campus Budget News website is no longer being actively updated, CSUN remains committed to keeping the university community informed about university budget issues through regular communications and resources like the University Financial Management and CSU Budget Central websites. This site now exists as an archive of campus budget communications from 2009 to 2014.
Campus Budget News
Current FAQs
No current FAQs. See "Archived FAQs" below for prior FAQs.
Budget Links
- Budget Planning & Management: Detailed information about CSUN's budget, including the General Fund Budget and Lottery Fund Budgets.
- CSU Budget Central
Archived FAQs
Archived Campus Budget FAQs
- Archived FAQs (updated June 25, 2014)
- Archived FAQs (archived Feb. 18, 2014)
- Archived FAQs (archived May 14, 2013)
- Archived FAQs (archived May 15, 2012)
- Archived FAQs (archived December 16, 2011)
- Archived FAQs (archived November 17, 2011)
- Archived FAQs (archived July 21, 2011)
- Archived FAQs (archived May 16, 2011)
- Archived FAQs (archived January 7, 2011)
- Archived FAQs (archived October 12, 2010)
- Archived FAQs (archived September 29, 2010)
- Archived FAQs (archived March 25, 2010)
- Archived FAQs (archived October 20, 2009)
- Archived FAQs (archived April 21, 2009)
Archived Student FAQs
- Student FAQs for Fall 2013
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- Spring 2012 Enrollment Information FAQ
- Student FAQs for Fall 2011
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- Student FAQs for Fall 2010
- Student FAQs for Spring 2010
- Student FAQs for Fall 2009
Past Campus Budget Communications
Below is an archive of past campus budget communications and related links organized by fiscal/academic year.
Archived CSU Employee Updates
- Message from President Harrison about 2013-14 CSU Budget (July 2, 2013)
- A Message from President Harrison Regarding CSU Budget News (January 14, 2013)
- A memorandum from CSU Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Benjamin F. Quillian answers questions about Unrestricted Net Assets reported in the CSU Audited Financial Statements (September 27, 2012)
- Beginning of the 2012-13 Academic Year: A message from CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed (September 12, 2012)
- A Message from President Harrison about the CSU Budget (July 19, 2012)
- Budget Options that May Impact Employees: A message from CSU Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Gail Brooks (July 19, 2012)
- Summary of Spring 2012 Enrollment Issues (February 23, 2012): Communication sent to faculty and staff summarizing how the enrollment issues the university faced in Spring 2012 were successfully addressed and an update on plans for avoiding similar problems in academic year 2012-13.
- Budget Update - Fiscal 2011–12 (April 21, 2011)
- VIDEO: CSU Chancellor's Video Message to Employees (December 16, 2010)
- VIDEO: President Koester's Message to Students for Spring 2011 (December 13, 2010)
- Budget Update - Fiscal 2010-11 (November 2, 2010)
- President's message on the conclusion of 2009-10 furlough program (June 30, 2010)
- President Jolene Koester addresses the budget situation (November 10, 2009)
- Enrollment Management Plan 2010-12 (PDF document) (October 20, 2009)
- VIDEO: CSU Chancellor and CSSA President Discuss New Year (October 8, 2009): California State Student Association (CSSA) President Steve Dixon interviews CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed.
- VIDEO: Chancellor's Video Message to Employees (July 29, 2009)
- Video Message from the President (July 17, 2009)
- VIDEO: CSU Chancellor Outlines Plan to Address Massive Budget Cuts (July 16, 2009): California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed discusses the CSU's plan to cope with severe budget cuts. Chancellor Reed's remarks, made at a press teleconference, describe the magnitude of budget cuts and CSU's plan of action to address the cuts including employee furloughs, student fees, financial aid, and enrollment cuts. (Full transcript of video message available at the site.)
- Budget Developments / Update to FAQs (June 25, 2009): Letter to the campus community from Vice President for Administration and Finance Tom McCarron.
- President's message to faculty and staff about the campus budget (June 9, 2009)


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Andy Murray motors into Australian Open semis without dropping a set
Murray, who took his record to Chardy to 5-1, has only spent 8h 56min on court in total for his five matches at this year's Open and he faces a potential semi-final against 17-time Grand Slam champion Federer, who beat him in last year's Wimbledon final.
Andy Murray beat Jeremy Chardy on Wednesday to reach the Australian Open semi-finals without dropping a set, and then shrugged off concerns he will be undercooked for the battles ahead.
The British third seed was too strong and accomplished for the unseeded Frenchman, winning 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in 1hr 51min on Rod Laver Arena, and will now face Roger Federer or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-final on Friday.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will play Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer in the other semi on Thursday.
Murray rated the win, which put him into his fourth consecutive Australian Open semi-final, as his best performance yet and said he had no fears about a lack of a tough work-out heading into the tournament's late stages.
Murray has only spent 8h 56min on court in total for his five matches at this year's Open, and faces a potential semi-final against 17-time Grand Slam champion Federer, who beat him in last year's Wimbledon final.
The victory took the Scot's winning streak at the majors to 12 since his breakthrough US Open triumph in New York last September, and put him into his 12th Grand Slam semi-final.
"For me today was a decent test. I played a lot of tennis in December. I had some good (lead-up) matches in Brisbane. So I can't be disappointed about being in the semis of a slam without dropping a set. That would be silly," he said.
"I think you have to trust yourself that when you are tested you're going to play better tennis. You never know for sure. But in the build-up to the tournament I played very well. I haven't lost a set here yet.
"I've done a good job so far in this tournament. I can't be disappointed with where my game's at and I hope the next round I play better again."
Murray broke Chardy's service eight times and played a clean match with 32 winners against 20 unforced errors.
"Today was the best I've played. I've struggled in my last few rounds a little bit, my last opponent (Gilles Simon) was injured so it wasn't much of a match as he struggled physically," Murray said.
"Jeremy's had a great tournament, he's beat some top players so I needed to come out sharp and get off to a good start."
Murray broke Chardy's opening two service games, before dropping his own in the sixth, and claimed the opening set on his third set point in 44 minutes.
Murray got stronger as the match progressed and Chardy began to fade, and he broke the Frenchman's serve three times to stroll through the second set in 32 minutes.
Murray got two more service breaks to lead 5-1 in the final set, but was broken as he attempted to serve out for the match. His victory was clinched in Chardy's next service game, winning it on his first match point.
Chardy, who beat former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro and 21st seed Andreas Seppi on his way to his first Grand Slam quarter-final, was happy despite the loss.
"I played a good match, but he was too good for me," Chardy said. "I thought I would try many things, but I had no chance. He was too good. I played a good tournament, so I'm still happy."


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Dual-layer hair bow decorated with Polka dots on the top layer, colored in bright pink and blue and it makes a great headpiece for your sweet angel!
- Material: Grosgrain ribbon
- Color: Blue and pink
- Double layered bow with cute Polka dots
- Edges are heat sealed to prevent fraying
- Elastic band ensures gentle and secure tie on the hair
- This little bow will make a sweet embellishment for a ponytail
- Bow Dimension (L x W): Approx. 2.2 x 1.8 inch (5.5 x 4.5 cm)
- Elastic Band Length: Approx. 3.6 inch (9 cm)
Package Includes:
- 1 x Kids Hair Tie
Note: Please be reminded that due to lighting effects, monitor's brightness / contrast settings etc, there could be some slight differences in the color tone of the pictures and the actual item.
Keywords: Hair bow, hair tie, hair accessories for kids, ponytail holder, grosgrain ribbon


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Serius Jones Presents Got Bars Pt. 4 Freestyle Cypher (Feat. Mistah F.A.B, Serius Jones & Head Ice)
Serius Jones TV reports "Myspace featured Hip Hop Artist of the Week Serius Jones presents "GOT BARS" part 4 exclusive from www.GETSERIUS.com featuring Serius Jones, Mistah F.A.B and Head I.C.E.... JOIN GETSERIUS.COM TODAY!!!! "
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Guild Wars isn't really known for having a science fiction element to it, but this concept art shows off an extremely steampunked Crab Fort, lumbering across the horizon. Enormous cogs and gears are evident in the construction work that looks like something straight out of a psychotic version of Burning Man. Everyone is standing around fairly calmly, not paying much attention to the GIANT FREAKING WALKING CRAB VILLAGE!
Daniel Dociu of ArenaNet has worked on many pieces of award winning art, including the Crab Fort above, and the Fish Fort, which looks like it could be a great model for a drive through fish restaurant. He won two Master Awards from EXPOSÉ 4, one for Environment Design (the crab fort), and one for his Urban Canal which won in the Cityscape category. You'll get 'em both if you pick up the book from the showcase.
He was raised in Transylvania, worked as a toy designer for years, and now focuses on creating concept artwork for Guild Wars. If we can find proof that he's actually a vampire, he might officially the coolest concept artist haunting the halls of gaming companies to this day. The link below includes massive versions of the above artwork that make for perfect wallpapers. [ConceptArt.org]


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Joe Budden On First Take! (Says They Need To Get Rid Of David Stern, Talks Football & Chris Paul Trade)
Joe Budden On First Take
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Top flight deals to Clermont-Ferrand (CFE)*
Fly to Clermont-Ferrand with KLM
Together with our global network, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offers flights to Clermont-Ferrand, serving Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport (CFE) in the French region Auvergne. We have worked hard to establish a strong reputation for punctuality, and we intend to keep it this way. So book your next flight to Clermont-Ferrand with us today!
Top Clermont-Ferrand attractions
- Puy-de-Dome: a large lava dome and one of the youngest volcanoes in the Chaîne des Puys region, famous with tourists for its spectacular views and paragliding.
- Jardin Lecoq: an English-style garden with seasonal plants, a playground, and sloping lawns towards an ornamental pond.
- Place de Jaude: a stunning sweeping square flanked by the city's main institutions, containing lavish fountains and many statues.
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption: a beautiful Gothic cathedral built entirely out of black lava stone, making it a popular tourist attraction.
- Casino de Royat: a full-service casino offering 114 slot machines, various games tables, an on-site brewery and regular theatre shows.
What's the best way to get around Clermont-Ferrand?
The "Fleur de Lave" tram will take you to all the sights throughout the city, and with trams running every 6-8 minutes between 05:00 and 01:00, there's no more convenient way to explore! If you'd prefer to see more of the city at a slower pace, Clermont-Ferrand can easily be explored on foot, or you could rent a bike from one of the many convenient locations. There's a specialised bike lane that runs alongside the tram tracks.
What's the weather in Clermont-Ferrand?
The weather in Clermont-Ferrand is similar to that in England, with June and July being the best time for sun lovers to visit. During summer, Clermont-Ferrand enjoys an average temperature of 20°C (67°F). If you're ready to hit the slopes and try some of the best skiing resorts in Clermont-Ferrand, the cold, frosty months of November through to February will guarantee you some fresh powder!
Weather in Clermont-Ferrand
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26 °CFriday14/08/2020
27 °CSaturday15/08/2020
24 °CSunday16/08/2020
24 °CMonday17/08/2020
23 °CTuesday18/08/2020
26 °CWednesday19/08/2020
30 °CThursday20/08/2020
*All amounts are in USD. Taxes and surcharges are included. No booking fee is applicable, but a payment surcharge may apply. Prices shown may vary depending on fare availability. You will see the final amount when selecting your payment method.


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Welcome to our Live Tracker!
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The Central Connecticut softball team is set to open 2013 conference play at Wagner (4-15) in a doubleheader this Saturday, March 23, at 1 p.m. The doubleheader is the first of two back-to-back NEC competitions as the Blue Devils will also face LIU Brooklyn (4-25) on Sunday.
Last year, the Blue Devils swept the Seahawks 8-0 in five innings and 2-1 in seven. This season, Wagner posts a .234 batting average compared to .290 for CCSU. The Seahawks have driven in 49 runs and hit four home runs in 19 games compared to 79 Blue Devil runs and 11 homers in 17 games.
Central's record is 8-9 headed into the weekend.
The Blue Devils were swept by 2011 NEC Champion LIU Brooklyn last season in two close match-ups, dropping both games by two runs or less. The Blackbirds have plated 70 runs and earned 65 RBI so far this season in comparison to 69 RBI by CCSU. LIU Brooklyn has hit three home runs and currently maintains a .225 batting average.
Saturday's games against Wagner are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Fans can watch both games live, for free, on NECFrontRow or follow live stats. Sunday's games will also be broadcast live, for free, on NECFrontRow.
The Blue Devils will return home next week to play Holy Cross on Wednesday and face-off against Bryant for more NEC action on Friday.


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This is by far my favorite story of all those I have written.After all, I undertook to tell several trillion years of human history in the space of a short story and I leave it to you as to how well I succeeded. I also undertook another task, but I won't tell you what that was lest l spoil the story for you.It is a curious fact that innumerable readers have asked me if I wrote this story. They seem never to remember the title of the story or (for sure) the author, except for the vague thought it might be me. But, of course, they never forget the story itself especially the ending. The idea seems to drown out everything -- and I'm satisfied that it should.
Ahhh burn it, send it to hell!
Let's see...Get yelled at for necrobumping.ORGet yelled at for posting a new topic.Ok I give up. I'll just assume from now on that any possible topic has already been covered and disregard either option.
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I have my card to share with you for CPS Sketch #238, where we were sponsored by The Cat's Pajamas this week. I also created my card for some other challenges, and those will all be listed at the bottom of this post. Here is what I created!
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (vintage cream)
Seam Binding/Banner Dies: The Cat's Pajamas
Until later,
~Lea L.


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All it takes is a few racist comments to get 'em running for the hills.
A drunk Australian passenger caused a "hijack" alert. Probably shouldn't have what he's having.
President Obama and South Korea's President Park Geun-hye warn North Korea if they follow through with nuclear threats, they could face some hefty sanctions.
Apparently a Connecticut high school student was stabbed for turning down a prom date proposal.
For New Mexico residents: If you wanna get your driveways re-paved, this guy probably wouldn't work out.
Police are investigating the discovery of a decomposing body on the desert mesa northwest of Rio Rancho.
Steve Casaus, the stepfather of Omaree Varela (a child who was beaten to death in December, allegedly by his mother), has been "segregated" from other inmates because of the "high-profile" case.
Governor Susana Martinez' chief of staff used government credit cards for personal purchases, but he insists that since he reimbursed the state, he wasn't trying rob tax payers.
A woman underwent plastic surgery to look better in her selfies. Let's use internet jargon for this one: SMH.


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Hacked and slashed
Warriors Orochi 3 was one of the best entries in Koei's long-running Warriors series, perhaps since Dynasty Warriors 3. Not only was it packed with content, the inclusion of Ryu Hayabusa, Joan of Arc, and other characters from Tecmo Koei's game library, made it quite a special installment.
The Wii U has given the publisher another chance to release a great game, and Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper seeks to justify itself with more content -- including two new characters and a dueling mode that evokes memories of Golden Axe's oft-forgotten competitive feature.
It would have been a decent idea, had the port job not turned out so badly.
Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper (Wii U)
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Release: November 18, 2012
For the most part, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper does very little to distinguish itself from its original incarnation -- once again, an evil Hydra is murdering everybody from the Dynasty and Samurai Warriors games, and players go back in time to save them. As flamboyant heroes hack n' slash their way through immense battlefields, more characters are unlocked, powerful weapons are fused, and fresh moves are available to devastate the opposition.
Battles are fought with teams of three characters, swapped in and out of play at the press of a button. One new feature in regular combat is the ability to use the GamePad screen in local co-op, allowing another player to utilize the Pro Controller on the the television. Other GamePad functions are non-existent -- the action directly streams to the controller, with no touching, waggling, or anything else unique to the Wii U. Playing on the GamePad isn't that great an option, though, since the expanded minimap is absolutely tiny and barely usable on the smaller screen.
Outside of the two new characters -- Momiji from Ninja Gaiden, and Shennong from the world of Japanese myths -- there are no changes to the story mode. Seeking out the all-new characters -- and the two included from Warriors Orochi 3 Special if you've never played that -- adds a tiny bit of extra gameplay, but not a great deal. Any DLC from the original version of the game has been excluded, so don't look for added value there.
Duel Mode is the big new feature, and I have to say it's quite fun. Bearing a structural resemblance to a one-on-one fighter, one or two players can duke it out in single combat, swapping through a team of three heroes in a bid to kill off the opposing trio. As attacks are landed, Battle Points are earned, which can be spent on activating special combat cards. Cards, unlocked through story mode, may grant bonuses to the player or status ailments to the enemy, temporarily adding such properties as increased attack damage, or slow movement.
There are options for single battles, or a survival mode where one player fights increasingly powerful teams to see how far they can go. While it's not a hugely deep enhancement to the game, and may not be worth the investment for those who already played the original, Duel Mode is not without its charm, and there's some potential in the card collection aspect. I'm a sucker for cards, and it's quite fun to unlock new ones and see how helpful they are in combat.
Unfortunately, it appears Hyper is a bit of an unfortunate name for this new installment, as the game is noticeably uglier and slower than the original release. Anti-aliasing seems to not be in any sort of effect, as character edges and shadows are jagged to an off-putting degree. Weapons, in particular, look like they're made out of crumpled paper, while background environment details can be seen as twitching, textureless blocks of indistinct nothingness.
The series has always struggled with rendering a ton of characters onscreen at once, and sometimes enemies would "fade" out of view in order to keep the engine from collapsing. Even by established standards, the extreme degree to which it occurs here is shameful. Huge clusters of enemies and allies will blink in and out of existence, and there doesn't need to be many of them onscreen for it to happen. Even in boss encounters against the Hydra, the creature's heads would disappear as I got them within my sights.
Slowdown, however, is the real killer. Not only does Hyper run at a slower framerate in general, the action winds down to an excruciating crawl in even moderately sized encounters. Again, framerate dips have been nothing new to a series that fills its screen with enemies, but it's never been this bad. From the very first level, right through the entire campaign, half the fights are undertaken in slow motion, the game struggling to cope with anything more complicated than a meager handful of opponents.
Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper still has the foundation of a great game, and there's plenty remaining to enjoy, but this is an unmistakably shoddy port, and the slight offering of extra content does in no way make up for that. At least I can say that playing one of my favorite series actually works really well on the GamePad, where the large control layout makes button mashing silliness a notably comfortable experience. I just wish that experience was attached to a game that ran correctly.
As it stands, this is absolutely not worth getting if you played the original, and even newcomers will be disappointed by its substandard presentation. The heart of a really good game beats within its chest, but Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper is marred by too many blemishes to do it justice.
Oh, and there's still no playable Gitaroo Man. What a tragedy.
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Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper reviewed by Jim Sterling
An exercise in apathy, neither solid nor liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit "meh," really.
How we score: The Destructoid reviews guide