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Few Australians realise the vast extent of tangible WWII history still visible today. AT sets out to separate fact from fiction, while providing you with your own key to the living remnants of this global conflict on Australian soil. By Rod Eime
Like so many late Baby Boomers, I grew up with the tales and furphies of my parents' generation who were convinced a Japanese invasion of Australia was averted at the last minute. We were saved by the stoic nationalism of Prime Minister John Curtin and our heroic boys, who stopped the Japs in their tracks at Kokoda. Or so I was told.
I've lost count of the many octogenarians I've upset by echoing the official Australian War Memorial line – that no formal plan to invade Australia ever existed and that even the Imperial Japanese Army described the notion as "gibberish".
I've lost count of the many octogenarians I've upset by echoing the official Australian War Memorial line – that no formal plan to invade Australia ever existed and that even the Imperial Japanese Army described the notion as "gibberish". One vehement old darling even insisted the "Nips" had landed and chased everyone out of Darwin almost as far as Katherine.
Sure, some mid-ranking Japanese officers may well have floated the idea in the halcyon days of 1942, but it was quickly decried as logistically impossible. Japan could spare neither the men nor the ships for such a massive undertaking and instead satisfied themselves with the more workable scheme of isolating and neutralising us.
"This idea of a Battle for Australia is both attractive and superficially plausible," says Dr Peter Stanley, the Australia War Memorial's Principal Historian. "It is dramatic. It seems to explain a series of campaigns to Australia's north. It seems to give purpose to the bombing of Darwin, the submarine raid on Sydney and the submarine offensives off the east coast. Even the Papuan campaign can be stretched to fit the rubric of the 'Battle that saved Australia'."
And do you reckon he's copped some flak?
"When I've spoken or written in this vein over the past few years I've been abused as unpatriotic or even 'un-Australian'. My citizenship [dating from 1971] has been called into question. One persistent critic habitually refers to me as 'English-born' – and the Memorial's Director has been urged to sack me."
So great is the determination of the war generation to cling to these tales that the obviously very effective propaganda has morphed into folklore.
Darwin would be bombed a total of 64 times, as well as Townsville, Katherine, Wyndham, Derby, Broome and Port Hedland before the end of 1943.
Now, don't mistake my apparently traitorous views as sedition. There's no mistaking the fact that Australia was under direct attack. Folks had good reason to fear the "yellow peril" because in early '42 they were on a roll and looking unstoppable.
Beginning in February of that year, Darwin would be bombed a total of 64 times, as well as Townsville, Katherine, Wyndham, Derby, Broome and Port Hedland before the end of 1943. Massive aircraft-carrying submarines launched their midget subs into Sydney Harbour and proceeded to lob shells into the suburbs of Sydney and Newcastle, while their tiny spotter planes overflew Melbourne and Hobart.
Despite the hysteria of the attack on Sydney Harbour on May 31, 1942, the single most devastating attack on Australian soil occurred on February 19, when more than 200 Japanese aircraft comprehensively bombed Darwin, sinking eight ships, destroying 23 aircraft and killing at least 250 people, including nine civilians in the post office.
"The government [disguised] the truth: 2000 whites were killed and non-whites were not counted, so the toll was far greater."
Fearing panic, the official death toll was listed at just 17. Even then, many eyewitnesses maintain the revised fatality figure of 243 is still nowhere near the mark. "They can dispute that with me if they want to," says veteran Harry Macredie, who was just 19 as he watched the bombs rain down. "I couldn't care less. But we definitely reckon over a thousand."
Baz Luhrmann believes him. "The government [disguised] the truth: 2000 whites were killed and non-whites were not counted, so the toll was far greater."
The two raids that day triggered waves of frenzied evacuations, looting and general mayhem as the remaining populace and many of the disorientated servicemen fled south in an event since dubbed "The Adelaide River Stakes". Rumours of an imminent Japanese invasion circulated. Military orders were confused and haphazard. Days later, hundreds of servicemen remained unaccounted for.
Luhrmann's epic Australia concludes with this major set piece as its climax, when the heroes find themselves in the middle of the carnage. The movie will doubtless rekindle our fascination with wartime history and the some of the wild tales will resurface again. Just you wait.
The Brisbane Line
A supposed defeatist plan to sacrifice the entire northern portion of Australia across a line roughly between Brisbane and Perth to an invading Japanese force. Largely discounted as alarmist wartime scare mongering, this mega-furphy was spawned by maverick Labour politician Eddie Ward, who claimed to have privileged information. Then in opposition, Ward waged a campaign against the Anglophile Menzies, harassing him as a loser and traitor. This may have had some strategic effect, because Labour won a landslide in October 1941 with Curtin as leader. Proponents of the Brisbane Line theory point to remnants of what are believed to be tank traps in the bush 13km north of Tenterfield along Mt Lindsay Road. (02 6736 1082, www.tenterfield.com)
The Battleof Brisbane
This was basically just a piss-up that got way out of control. Tensions between US and AIF servicemen boiled over onto the streets of Brisbane and wild brawls ensued on Nov 26 and 27, 1942. The deprecating phrase "overpaid, over-sexed and over here" summed up the Aussie sentiment. Scores were injured, several seriously, and one Aussie was shot dead trying to disarm an American MP who had a shotgun. (So, if you're scoring at home, that probably counts as a victory to the US – but an overwhelming moral victory to Australia.)
Did the Japanese land on Australia soil?
Almost certainly. Several spy missions and reconnaissance parties were reported during the course of the war. One sighting turned out to be brolgas in the heat haze. Another in the Gulf of Carpentaria had an RAAF radar crew up all night trying to find a mystery surface blip near Mornington Island. Lieutenant Susuhiko Mizuno led a spy mission to the Kimberley in January 1944. He and nine others with Timorese decoys sailed a tiny fishing boat, the Hiyoshi Maru, and made several landings – one alarmingly close to the soon to be secret Truscott Air Base.
What about submarines?
You bet; 28 Japanese and German submarines operated in Australian waters between 1942 and 1945, sinking a total of 30 ships. Most notable was the infamous AHS Centaur event, a hospital ship torpedoed off North Stradbroke Island with the loss of 268 lives. I heard that loads of war surpluswas dumped around Australia
True. There are numerous confirmed dumps and at least as many fantasy stashes of intact aircraft and material. The old flooded quarry at Brisbane's Archerfield aerodrome was drained in the early '90s by a crackpot in search of loot. He did turn up loads of stuff like aircraft scraps, guns and sundry items but the police shut him down suddenly when the whole thing got out of hand.
Immediately after the war, hundreds of perfectly good aircraft and sundry material was dumped at sea. These events are well documented and during the '90s (again!) a company was formed to attempt the recovery of the many aircraft known to have been dumped off Noosa. They hauled in a few rusty parts and went broke.
Where can I see stuff?
Australia has dozens of war museums and many more memorial sites. Some are little more than private collections on display and others, like the fabulous Australian War Memorial in Canberra, are chock-a-block with stuff. There's even a huge warehouse there for all the bits they don't have room to display. (02 6243 4211, www.awm.gov.au)
Some of the more interesting and educational locations are the old wartime installations, bases and airfields, particularly those inside the NT and Qld war zones. It would be impossible to list everything, so here's a few things you probably haven't heard about:
The Beck Museum, Mareeba, Qld
Syd Beck started collecting military junk from the old wartime base in Townsville as a childhood hobby. Now he has one of the largest private collections in the country, including a rare P-39 Airacobra fighter recovered after crashing on Cape York in May 1942. There are also tanks, vehicles, regalia, ammunition and weapons. Some of his cherished items, including a DC-3, were used as props during the filming of The Thin Red Line.
07 4092 3979, email@example.com
North Qld Military Museum,Townsville
Located inside the refurbished Kissing Point Fort, this compact museum includes artefacts from other wars too. The fort was originally built in 1890 as part of the Army's Jezzine Barracks. There's also an RAAF museum in town.
Northern Territory "Battle" Sites
Driving up the Stuart Highway to Darwin you start to see many sign-posted historic WWII sites. Airfields, hospitals, supply bases and encampments dot the landscape all the way. Not much is left at many of these sites except for orphaned concrete foundations and some unclaimed scrap metal, but they stand testament to the urgency of the time.
Larrimah was the end of the railway line to Darwin and war material was transferred from trucks of the 121 Australian General Transport Company (AIF) ferrying cargo from the other railhead at Alice Springs. Wander into the nearby bush and you'll find lots of old vehicle wrecks and even some aircraft engines.
With Darwin under constant threat of attack, airfields were moved south and what's left can be seen today at locations like Coomalie Creek, Gorrie, Batchelor, Daly Waters, Pine Creek and others like Sattler, right next to the highway.
In Darwin you can visit the East Point Reserve (along Alec Fong Lim Drive towards Fannie Bay), where the huge gun emplacement still sits forlorn and exhausted after the frantic activity of the war. A comprehensive museum is housed in the old command post. In a wonderful twist, the 9-inch gun was sold for scrap in 1959 to the Japanese Fujita Salvage Company. A replica now sits in its place.
The Australian Aviation Heritage Centre at Winnellie (08 8947 2145, www.darwinsairwar.com.au) was once a naval facility that miraculously survived both the war and the cyclone and now houses an impressive display of both modern and vintage aircraft, including a massive B-52 and what's left of Sgt Hajime Toyoshima's Zero that crashed on Melville Island. Captured and disarmed by Aboriginals, Toyoshima was the first Japanese POW and later died in the Cowra breakout.
Directly beneath Darwin city are the fascinating Oil Storage Tunnels, built during WWII to preserve oil supplies against aerial attack, but never used due to inadequate sealing problems. The two tunnels open for guided tours are in Charles Darwin National Park and contain old WWII era photos.
On Casuarina Beach just north of Nightcliff, on especially rare occasions when the tide is right out, you might be lucky enough to find the odd carving made in the sandstone cliffs by WWII soldiers.
The Katherine Museum (08 8972 3945, www.katherinemuseum.com) has a top-notch WWII history display including their pride and joy, which predates the conflict: one of Clyde Fenton's perfectly restored Gypsy Moths (Fenton as in "Fenton Airfield", which was bombed repeatedly from June to September 1943).
Nearby, still clearly visible from the road, is a bomb crater caused during a Japanese raid on Katherine in March 1942. It's actually on private property – as is the old Gallon Licence Store, which still bears shrapnel scars from anti-personnel daisy cutters in its corrugated iron doors – but the owners don't mind curious, respectful visitors having a look round.
(Keep an eye out for Henry, a scarecrow looking fellow who lives under a nearby banyan tree. He's a great source of local and historic info and often helps lost-looking tourists get their bearings.)
And it would be more than fitting to visit the Adelaide River War Cemetery, just over 100km south of Darwin, where 434 graves are situated – including those of the brave postal workers who died in that first horrific raid.
Other lesser known spots
Fort Scratchley in Newcastle holds a special place in history as the only Australian shore battery ever to fire in anger when its two 6-inch guns let loose at the Japanese I-21 on June 8, 1942. The giant submarine had launched its midget suicide subs against Sydney Harbour and was heading north, making a nuisance of itself by lobbing shells from a deck gun enroute. We missed and they left. The guns are now monuments on Obelisk Hill. (02 4929 3066, www.fortscratchley.org.au)
Commuters on Sydney Harbour will be familiar with the numerous concrete lookouts and pill boxes dotted around the foreshore, but the North Fort on the southern tip of the Sydney Harbour National Park (near Manly) is one of the few authentic sites Sydneysiders can see on a day trip. Home of the National Artillery Museum, it contains a wealth of material way beyond its time as armed gatekeeper to Sydney Harbour.
(02 9976 6102, www.northfort.org.au)
Not forgetting our friends in Melbourne, the RAAF museum at Point Cook (03 5610 1040, www.airforce.gov.au) is a cracker, full of mouth-watering warbirds like the Australian-built CA-18 Mustang – one of the few not chopped up or dropped overboard. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 1pm one of the aircraft will go flying. Melbourne's only "close call" came when Warrant Flying Officer Nobuo Fujita enjoyed a completely untroubled reconnaissance flight over Port Phillip Bay in his submarine-launched floatplane on February 26, 1942. AA Gunners at Williamstown spotted Fujita, but instead of firing, called HQ to ask permission. (Duh!)
Wrecks of crashed Bristol Beaufort bombers and a DC-3 can be seen adjacent Bamaga (Higgins) Airstrip near the tip of Cape York.
Milman Hill and Green Hill fortifications on Thursday Island and the old airstrip on neighbouring Horn Island contain a museum and relics of crashed B-17s.
The new Truscott airstrip was once a secret staging base for attacks on Java. The remote Kimberley strip is littered with wrecks of B-24 Liberators, Spitfires and even a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft that came too close.
Rottnest Island off Fremantle was built for WWI, but served again as a shore battery between 1940-'45 when the Oliver Hill guns were installed.


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After a bit of waiting around the day started with an Art Conference / Art Talk to everyone's surprise.
The MC from Yayasan Tunku Kassim apologised for the delay. And so it began with Yayasan Hasanah's Senior Vice President (Arts, Heritage and Culture), Pn Zainariah Johari giving an overview of Yayasan Hasanah and its corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives. This foundation (yayasan) is the CSR arm of Khazanah Nasional Berhad. Although she is an accountant by profession her passion for the arts is strong and hence she is here in Langkawi to support Langkawi Art Biennale 2016.
Then, Liew Kian Yap, Langkawi Art Biennale founder and today's moderator invited each panelist to introduce themselves and their art. The artists from Phillipines, Mauritius and Reunion Island spoke of how they met Liew many years ago and have been following his efforts in promoting Malaysian artists, art tourism exchange between artists from various countries and his vision of making Langkawi, a New Art Destination.
Prof Raja Dato' Zahabuddin spoke of his involvement in Galeri Shah Alam (GSA) which was the brainchild of the Sultan of Selangor who initiated the gallery 35 yrs ago. Prof Raja also gave his support to Langkawi Art Biennale 2016 by sponsoring 10 Malaysian artists from Galeri Shah Alam.
After that the panel was asked this question : HOW DO YOU SELL ART IN YOUR COUNTRY?
….Stay tune for that segment in the next blog post 😊

subset: commoncrawl


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|Article index | Tell-a-friend
Homoeopathy and Miscarriage
The tremendous loss involved in a miscarrage can often be overlooked and it is necessary to take proper care of the woman during this time for she is emotionally as well as physically affected by the loss. For abortions that are threatened but can be saved respond very well to homoeopathic medicines. Homoeopathic medicines can also remove the tendency to habitual abortions. Homoeopathic medicines are also helpful in relieving the ill effects of abortion including MTP.
Loss of a foetus during pregnancy can be very traumatic for a woman. Commonly known as abortion or miscarriage, it can occur due to various causes and affects the woman physically as well as emotionally.
The signs of miscarriage can range from blood loss to a sudden amount of clear discharge accompanied by abdominal cramps.
Abortion can be caused due to factors that could be maternal, paternal, ovular or foetal. Abortion can be caused due to many other causes that are unknown and obscure.
Defects in the ovum or foetus such as chromosomal abnormalities, congenital malformation are the factors that can cause abortion during early stages. Interference with the circulation in the umbilical cord by knots twists or entanglements may cause death of the foetus and its expulsion. Faulty formation of placenta may also lead to interference in placental circulation and subsequently death of the foetus.
The factors that can cause abortion during the later months of pregnancy are mostly due to maternal illness. Viral, parasitic or protozoal infections produce congenital malformation and abortion. Disorders such as acute or chronic respiratory diseases, heart failure or anaemia may precipitate abortion. Other chronic ailments such as hypertension, nephritis may also lead to an inability to retain pregnancy. An increased association of abortion is found in conditions of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and diabetes.
Trauma of any kind-be it emotional or physical can precipitate abortion in a woman. Direct trauma on the abdominal wall by blow or fall may lead to miscarriage.
Emotional upset or change in environment may lead to abortion by affecting the uterine cavity.
Congenital malformation of uterus or uterine displacements can also be responsible for abortions. Uterine tumours that cause distortion of the uterus may lead to abortion.
Other factors that may precipitate abortion include blood group incompatibilities, premature rupture of membranes, toxic effect of certain drugs and deficiency of vitamin E and folic acid.
Maternal factors are not the only cause for abortion, certain paternal factors may also be a cause for abortions. The reason is defective sperm in the males.
Besides the above known causes of abortion, many times it is difficult to pinpoint the reason for the miscarriage- being too complex or obscure.
In early weeks of pregnancy, death of the ovum occurs first that is followed by the expulsion. In the later weeks, when the abortion occurs due to some maternal factors, expulsion of the foetus occurs that may show signs of life but is too small to survive.
Miscarriage can be saved in case of threatened abortion where the process has already started but has not progressed to a state from which recovery is not possible. But in other cases abortion is inevitable as the changes have progressed to a state from where continuation of pregnancy is impossible.


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|Authors Name
|Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN. Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research [1]
|Asada, H. Harry [2]
|Canon Inc. [1]
|Dalong, Gao [1]
|Ding, Ming [3]
|Emory University [1]
|Emory University. Dept. of Rehabilitation Medicine [1]
|Emory University. Dept. Rehabilitation Medicine [1]
|Gallagher, William [2]
|Georgia Institute of Technology. Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines [17]
|Georgia Institute of Technology. School of Applied Physiology [3]
|Georgia Institute of Technology. School of Mechanical Engineering [27]
|Henderson, Gregory [1]
|Hiroshima University. Biological Systems Engineering Laboratory [1]
|Hyderabadwala, Moiz [2]
|Kim, Michael [1]
|Krishnamoorthy, Vijaya [3]
|Kurita, Yuichi [3]
|MacNair, David [1]
|MacNair, David L. [2]


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It's full of vibrant ingredients which make for a really beautiful plate, which for me is always happy making! The soft baby leafs, with cubes of creamy avocado, grated carrot and a burst of sweetness from the pomegranate is a yummy combination on it's own, but it's the dressing that really makes this salad amazing. The dressing is made from orange juice, brown rice miso, apple cider vinegar and tahini. This fusion of sweet and salty makes for a showstopper of a dressing. It's really rich and creamy, and takes this salad to a whole new level.
- 5 handfuls of baby leaf salad
- 1 avocado
- 1 carrot
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- 4 tbsp fresh Orange juice (squeezed from an orange!)
- 1 tsp brown rice miso
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp water the true power of superfoods.
1. Start by making the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir quickly for a minute until smooth.
2. Grate the carrot and de-stone and slice the avocado flesh.
3. Place the salad leaves in a bowl with the avocado cubes, grated carrot, pomegranate seeds and toss well so all the leaves are covered.
Garnish with a sprinkle more pomegranate seeds.


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She's young, sweet, and so pretty so when the blonde girl makes a move on him the guy can't resist. He happily pulls out his cock when she wants to give a blowjob and appreciates her small tits and tight ass because they're perfect. They fuck doggystyle with her bent over his desk and climb on top for a hot ride before her face gets painted with cum.
2016-10-02 • Views: 8768 • Pics: 16


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Forty years ago this year GEUTEBRÜCK, began life in a garage on the bank of the River Rhine. Thomas Geutebrück set up a mail order business selling Japanese car radios and hi-fi amplifiers. One day he had a visit from two gentlemen from the German criminal investigation department. It was the era of the Baader Meinhof Group and the Red Army Faction and bank robberies were on the up, so they were looking for some means of taking photographs to identify culprits. There was clearly a ready market; contemporary video recorders were simply not up to the job, so Thomas decided to design a special film camera for the purpose.
His camera was unconventional. It was much simpler to make and cheaper to buy and to use than anything produced by trained photographic camera developers. It transported the film with rubber rollers, so perforations weren't needed and less film was required. The camera was a run-away success and came to dominate the market, not just in Germany but right round the world with updated versions of it in production until 2005.
Fortunately for many of the high security sites, prestigious buildings and important organizations across Europe and round the world which are now protected by Geutebrück video security systems, Thomas Geutebrück did not rest on his laurels.
His garage-based enterprise flourished and grew, first into a CCTV manufacturer with a strong emphasis on R&D and innovation, then into a digital video security company with an international reputation for quality. Now under the direction of his daughter Katharina, it has developed its IT skills to levels normally only achieved by the top IT specialists; it boasts a 35 million Euro annual turnover and sales partners in 40 countries.
Katharina Geutebrück, daughter of the company's founder and present managing director, thinks this 40th anniversary is not just a good excuse for a celebration but also carries with it a relevant message for today's prospective security buyers.
"In a fast-moving world," she contends, "continuity and stability are important factors in building trust. And with the complexity of today's technology, pure feature-plus-function based decisions become more and more difficult for users to make, so trust has an increasing part to play. Finding a partner you can trust to provide a solution that fits, and that will adapt and still perform after years of use is increasingly important."
"From our 40 years in the business," she continues, "we hope customers will see that we are a company which builds long term relationships and is here for the duration. We invest a great deal in backwards compatibility to allow our users to benefit from future developments even years after their original investment decision. This is one of our strengths, and it is a persuasive factor for knowledgeable users who have had experience with other manufacturers with product strategies based on high volume and short term gain."


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The robbery complete, each of the others take up their part in the job while Mal and Zoe overcome obstacles to return home to Serenity.
Blue Sun Job, Part 11: Home Again...
Sequel to the Truthsome series (link is to part 1)Blue Sun Job, Part 1: Plans and SchemesBlue Sun Job, Part 2: Into the Lion's DenBlue Sun Job, Part 3: Going SmoothBlue Sun Job, Part 4: Return to the CoreBlue Sun Job, Part 5: Life That WasBlue Sun Job, Part 6: More Life That WasBlue Sun Job, Part 7: ...and Robberies That WereBlue Sun Job, Part 8: Zoe's TaleBlue Sun Job, Part 9: More of Zoe's TaleBlue Sun Job, Part 10: Going In
Monty's crewmen--a man and woman--came to alert. Kaylee looked over. They were nice enough, she supposed, but kinda on the grim and serious side. Ex-soldiers, like the captain and Zoe, but without their light, good humor.
Quickly ripping open the delivered crate, the two grinned. Kaylee did too. Sure enough looked like the job had gone smooth. Hidden beneath the metal blanks was a thick, thick layer of platinum coins.
"Let's get to it," Kaylee said, suddenly not regretting her part in the job had stuck her in a grimy old foundry rather than a fancy Core shopping mall. Kaylee stroked the molds she had. Be more than a little fun to cast engine parts out of pure platinum. She grinned up at Monty's crewmen and started to help divvy up the loot.
This was, without a doubt, the best gorram plan the captain ever had. The captain... his pal, his friend. The man was like a gorram brother! Jayne sniffled a mite as he stroked the rows of shiny coins laid out in the briefcase. The case had been so rutting heavy he'd almost had a hard time lifting it. It was enough to make a man forget all about the swarms of willing women on this world what seemed to find him, his pretty togs, the gallons of fine liquor he'd bought, and his pocket money, so appealing.
And the good kept getting gooder. Gorram rutting genius, Mal was, to have Jayne launder the coin at a casino. He was a 哎呀 good gambler. Might just increase the take... well, his cut, at least.
Shepherd Book...
It felt odd praying for the success of a robbery. Book consoled himself he wasn't really praying for the theft to succeed, but for the participants to return safely home. Lord... Maybe he didn't belong here after all. Had he converted even one of them to the Word? Or drew them back to it, as the case may be? Or had they lured him away from the path? Or, just maybe, the path was more complex than he'd once believed it to be. Perhaps how you got there truly was the worthier part.
Flipping Bible pages, seeking words of advice and comfort, the Shepherd knew that, at least for now, he couldn't leave these people, not abandon nor betray them.
They also serve who stand and wait... Isn't that what they used to say? Wash believed it. The waiting was probably worse than going in to the danger. Especially when it was his wife going in. So very dangerous, this job... Mal was with her and they always came back. Always. So far, at least. It still nagged at him, just a touch, that they were spending three days--and nights--alone together. He should never have looked up the ad brochures for that hotel. Oh... 鬼, Inara had picked the place, not the captain. Mal'd probably be happier if they spent their time squatting in some bombed-out ruins. Just old army buddies, cool and distant toward each other except when the shooting started. 'Cept when they told tales about sharing bunks. 'Cept when he saw a look pass between them that Wash couldn't quite read. 'Cept when another story Zoe hadn't seen fit to mention before happened to come out. Lot of history they were walking back into here. Lot of history... Lot of... But they had never... Never.
Wash rechecked the news services. Still nothing on any robbery. It was nearing sunrise there on Beta. Job should have been done--the going into the treasury part, at least--a couple hours ago. No alerts. No warrants. Nothing. Unless the Feds were suppressing the news to lure the robbers into a false sense of security until they'd caught them all.
Maybe they should have a baby. Maybe that would get Zoe out of this dangerous line of work. No it wouldn't. Not as long as Mal was in. Where her captain went Wash knew gorram well nothing would keep Zoe from following. She might choose Wash's life over Mal's, but she'd choose Mal's life over her safety or her husband's peace of mind every single time. Or--and he hated himself for thinking it even as he did--had Zoe's choosing him over Mal at Niska's skyplex been a military decision? One of those cold, heartless calls he'd seen her make before? A tactic rather than a statement of love and devotion?
Old army buddies... saved her in the war. Sure. Wash didn't doubt it. The captain was resolutely loyal to those in his command. Sure he had saved Zoe. Why wouldn't he? But suddenly Wash realized that's about all he knew about it. He didn't know the details. How, exactly, had it come about and what was it that made Zoe so life-long devoted to the captain? Mal'd saved a lot of people in the war. Not all of them followed him to hell and beyond every single day since. In point of fact, only one of them had. Zoe. What exactly had happened between the captain and Wash's wife that sometimes made Wash feel like an excluded outsider in his own marriage?
Checking again for news of robberies or arrests, Wash settled back for another long day of waiting and worrying.
Inara didn't need to think about her job to perform it to the client's satisfaction. While going through the motions convincingly, she thought about the Serenity crew and their captain's insanity. She'd tried to talk him into 'working' in the Core worlds before--or at least worlds with a civilized Companion client base. This, though, was certainly taking it to the extreme. What next? Rob the king's palace on Londinium?
Mal would be displeased with the clients she'd chosen here on Alpha, not that he'd be pleased with any client she chose. Her clients here, however, had been particularly selected from among Alliance officials who could keep her informed of certain events--if things on Mal's job went wrong, and wasn't it nearly a certain bet they would?--or provide her the influence to aid any of Serenity's crew as might get caught. The very thought chilled her. She wasn't sure there was enough influence in the 'verse to spring Mal and Zoe if they got caught in the Blue Sun treasury, especially not with their history on that world.
She'd managed to get a peek at their records on Beta and creative dossiers they were indeed. There were still local warrants valid for both of them on suspicion of a payroll robbery--a robbery Inara knew perfectly well they'd done--as well as warrants for a plethora of trivial crimes like failing to check in as ordered, skipping out on fines for convictions Inara could see perfectly well were for crimes that had been contrived to harass the former Browncoat soldiers.
She'd gotten a look at the life ex-Independents like Mal and Zoe lived under Alliance rule in the year-plus she'd traveled with them, but to see the hard black and white evidence of a calculated program of persecution had shocked her. They were low ranked soldiers who'd been through hell doing their duty, not officers or officials. Yet they were clearly harassed by the Alliance authorities in a planned manner. Within little more than a week after being released from the Alliance military prison on Beta, Mal had been arrested four times on charges that were plainly aimed at baiting the ex-soldier into a precipitous action. Well, he'd taken that action, but--thus far--had survived the fall from the precipice.
Speaking of 'fall'... Inara squeezed and moaned in just the right measure, at just the right time, then smiled like a besotted lover who'd just known her finest moment at the fool atop her.
She was still leaving him... them. She had to. But first she'd wait and watch to see if they landed safely at the cliff's bottom one more time.
More adventures in sitting... Simon sighed. At least it was a wondrous place to sit. Designed for it actually. The Shepherd's Sanctuary was a pleasant vacation spot--peace and quiet, soft sunshine, gentle breezes, rolling green hillsides and lush forests. The only sounds were the wind rustling the leaves in the trees and the chiming of the bells on the chapel calling the Brothers to prayer. Tranquil...
He was soooo bored. Simon never dreamed he could miss the somewhat-dirty, rough, disreputable ship he and River had been calling 'home.' And he missed the people. It surprised him to realize that. Strangest of all, Simon realized he missed the captain. The man was cold, heartless, dangerous, sometimes murderous, and possibly criminally insane, or given the nature of the current crime, just insane. He didn't much like Simon, certainly didn't seem to respect him, and he usually treated River like she was an almost invisible object, talking to her in the third person to Simon rather than addressing her directly. And yet he gave Simon a strength... he kept them on, kept them safe... and came back for them when no one else would have.
Simon scanned the crisp, blue sky. Would Serenity come back this time? With all hands aboard and intact? Until that ragged little ship actually set down here, Simon wouldn't know.
Looking down from the sky, Simon watched River, sighing. For a few days she'd been fine, better than fine. Vastly improved. She'd even done a happy little song and dance a few hours ago, some odd bit about Christmas and presents. He smiled wistfully. The joy had vanished from her, though, and even with the best combination of drugs he could give her, she'd been shaking and weeping, terrified of something, something Simon couldn't see. She huddled in on herself, now, a blank expression on her face as she chanted, over and over, "two by two, hands of blue..."
Simon wished he knew what that meant. If it meant anything at all.
Mal and Zoe...
Creeping through the night amidst the ruins, Mal and Zoe glanced over at each other. Mal gave her a hand signal, instructing her to go around the other way. Moving cautiously, they arrived on the opposite side of the structure at the same time, guns drawn down on each other.
"Clear," Zoe whispered, turning around to scan the adjacent area. Mal turned away and did the same.
"Looks to be as good a place as any," he said, leaning back against the partial wall.
"So, 'plan B', tomorrow," Zoe said, settling down on the ground beside him.
"Yup," Mal said, sinking down with a sighing groan. He was starting to get tired. Must be getting old. Used to be they could run three, even four, days without sleep if they had to. Now it was just half way through the second night and he was a mite weary. 'Course, dodging the cops on Beta wasn't quite as stimulating as having a full-on Alliance military assault coming straight at you.
He yawned. "Someone at that gorram hotel must have spotted us. Be funny to get arrested for that old guard payroll job and get away with this one clean."
Zoe scowled at him, giving him her finest 'you crazy 混蛋' look. "Yeah. Real funny." She shook her head.
Mal had palmed his ident card off on a fellow heading into a tube station, then they'd stood back to see what happened. When the poor dupe stuck the card in the slot alarms whooped and barricades dropped into place. Mal and Zoe faded back and away before the cops arrived.
At a different tube station their 'plan B' cards had been accepted without incident, depositing them near their old territory of years past. The black out zone boundaries had changed somewhat, but that hadn't proved an impediment. It was an odd comfort to be sneaking about among ruins, rather than walking openly among a world full of Feds.
"Well," Mal said, "no point fretting on tomorrow until we're there."
Zoe stood. "I'll take first watch," she said tersely. Soldier Zoe. Couldn't ask for better comfort than that, Mal thought as he nodded at her, making her statement an order. Gun in hand, Mal stretched out and dozed off.
Stripped of anything that could trip the detectors at the shuttle port, Mal and Zoe remained artificially calm as the port guards slid their cards into the slots. Just a little sigh of relief as they passed through unchallenged. They had checked the public news for word on the robbery, or word on the search for them, finding nothing about the Blue Sun treasury, and only a small paragraph saying a couple was being sought for questioning on the other. It didn't sound like anyone had made a positive I.D. on them at the hotel, or there'd be pictures and names posted. Like as not, someone had a glimpse and a hunch and was playing it out. Well enough, then.
The shuttle lifted and Mal could feel Zoe's tension as thick as honey beside him. He didn't bother to chide her this time, now that he knew why she had an issue with this particular type of transport. Then he saw her fix abruptly on one of the other passengers, as quickly looking away like she'd never seen him. Wouldn't have been nothing to anyone else, but Mal picked it up right away.
Casually stretching his arm along the seat back, Mal pulled her in close. Cuddlesome. Leaning in, he whispered, "What?"
Like a fond lover, she nuzzled him, whispering, "Familiar face. Maybe. From that bar where we met Monty."
The bar where they met Monty... This fella could be Fed or Underground. Or nothing. Mal shuffled that off into the unlikely category. Zoe seldom made a mistake on worrisome matters.
Landing in the smog of Delta, they passed through the port without incident. Zoe scanned about, then murmured, "Don't see him. Don't think we're being followed either."
"Let's take the long way home, anyhow," Mal said, leading off into the crowded port streets.
If they were being followed, neither of them could spot it. "Just paranoid," Zoe said dismissively as they turned onto the row where Serenity was parked. "It's all just been going so smooth. Haven't even had to shoot anyone. A little frustrating." Mal grinned at her.
"Another minute we'll be home and clear and, hopefully, a helluva lot wealthier." He chuckled. "The first time I don't figure on it going smooth, it does. Have to be a new policy, I guess."
They passed a larger ship and Serenity's berth came into view. Both exchanged a quick smile at the sight of the ship--of home.
The smiles faded as they approached. The ramp was down. Mal had ordered Wash to keep the ship buttoned up. Waving Zoe back, Mal started up the ramp cautiously. The airlock doors were part way open. Half way up the ramp he froze at what he saw. Turning to warn off Zoe, he saw her staring backwards. Mal heard the sound, closing his eyes for a split of almost-but-not-quite prayer. The distinctive clatter. Half a dozen. More.
Mal swallowed hard as the Alliance MPs flooded out of Serenity's airlock seizing his arms. Hauling him into the cargo bay, they immediately cuffed him and forced him to his knees. A gun barrel dug into his neck. Zoe was dropped down near by.
There weren't cuss words strong enough in any language in the 'verse to describe the moment. Mal saw the three others lined up in the cargo bay. Kaylee, Wash, and Shepherd Book all kneeled with the hands on their heads. Two MPs covered each of them. Kaylee looked terrified, yet as she looked at Mal, he could see she was worried too--worried for him. That unnerved Mal a touch. Shepherd Book appeared frighteningly angry, not at all preacher-like. And Wash... his eyes were fixed on Zoe and Mal could see right into the man's soul at that moment. Mal couldn't see Zoe--they wouldn't let him turn his head that way--but he knew without looking the expression she wore.
Jayne was missing. Jayne who should have been back before them. Jayne who had also been at the same bar as the fellow Zoe'd spotted on the shuttle. Jayne who had a boatload of cash in hand and just maybe a score he wanted to settle with Mal.
The officer--a major--and his adjutant approached Mal. One of the guards grabbed his hair, pulling his head back. The adjutant flashed a retinal scanner in Mal's eye. Plugging the scanner into his Cortex unit, he tilted it toward the major.
"It's him," the officer said sharply, gesturing to the guards.
Hauled up to his feet, Mal was dragged off and out of Serenity.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004 1:26 PM
Wednesday, June 30, 2004 10:22 PM
Thursday, July 1, 2004 3:56 AM
Thursday, July 1, 2004 10:37 AM
Tuesday, July 6, 2004 10:01 PM
Sunday, October 17, 2004 9:42 PM
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I took a couple days off work during my mama's Easter break and the two of us went down to New Orleans!
I feel kind of silly because the whole time I was there I was like, OOH I need to post about this! But I didn't really have a lot of time on the interwebs so that didn't so much happened. And now I'm like, oh, umm, I guess posting about my cab ride on the way to the airport isn't that exciting anyway, is it?
So here are the highlights:
1) There was something I was going to put in #1 and then I got distracted!
2) PARADES. We went to three parades, and only one was on purpose!
I don't think my mom has ever been in New Orleans for a parade-oriented holiday, unless it was when I was really little and we were visiting my dad (he worked in New Orleans for a while when I was, like, two. I remember almost nothing of visiting except for the time my mother accidentally left me on an elevator, except for the eerie flash when I'm looking at something that looks strangely familiar). Anyway, the upshot was that she was super excited and a little girl we know back here in NY is getting a LOT of shiny beads.
We also got these:
Yeah, my mom arranged them on the hotel bed when I wasn't there.
Specifically, we got this:
Watch the video. No, seriously.
3) I finally got all the split ends cut off my hair! Doing so cost less than a third of the discount price at Bumble & Bumble where the split ends were NOT cut off.
4) Green Goddess is ALWAYS one of my favorite things, and we ended up there every night that they were open from the time we landed. We were planning on going over Saturday, but then our flight got in an hour early and my mom wanted a drink, so I was like HEY I KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS.Chef Chris is one of the awesomest chefs I know and you should go and eat his food.
Scotty is not only the awesomest bartender but one of the awesomest people I have the pleasure of knowing and all of you should go and have him make you drinks. When we came back on Saturday, I sat at the bar so we could chat (which mostly involves geeking out about liquor), and I told him about the Easter Peep Cocktail Tradition (God, that last one is the first one I did, and it was really pretty but kind of awful. There's no picture of the third and probably best of the drinks, which was a rum and chocolate liqueur concoction with a chocolate peep in it, but I think that is from the Era of No Camera). And he told me that if I brought over Peeps the next day, he would make me one! Like I said, AWESOME.
It has Miller's Gin, Crism Hibiscus, and Mandarine Napoleon in it, and it was super delicious.
5) But now I got ahead of myself, because before we went over there, we went over to Cure, which came on Brendan's recommendation. He had been coming over to my desk and saying "Pancetta-wrapped figs!" to me. The only sad thing about this place is that it was like three blocks from liret's old apartment, and I had never been there when she was living there. Because this place was like my porn:
So I texted photos to Brendan solely for the purpose of making him jealous (it worked!)
6) Then, on Monday, my mother and I went to the Museum of the American Cocktail:
It's this little tiny place with a giant bar in it and all kinds of awesome cocktail stuff ranging from historic to kitschy. They had an absinthe display, and I found all my bottles (that they had; they didn't have Tenneyson in the display)
They also had a TEMPERANCE HATCHET.
I kind of took enough pictures of the displays in this place for a whole other post because I am that kind of nerd.
The only problem with last weekend is that it is over.
Mirrored from Antagonia.net.


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After a preacher died and went to heaven, he noticed that a London cab driver had been awarded a higher place than he.
"I don't understand," he complained to God. "I devoted my entire life to my congregation."
"Our policy here in heaven is to reward results," God explained. "Now, was your congregation well attuned to you whenever you gave a sermon?"
"Well," the minister had to admit, "some in the congregation fell asleep from time to time."
"Exactly," said God, "and when people rode in this man's taxi, they not only stayed wake, they even prayed."


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Wednesday October 28, 2020
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The Government Benefits Ship Sailed for Veterans/Widows Alike Long AgoCharles Kelley Special to Salem-News.com
This time there seems to be some associated deaths with this fudging the numbers.
(SNELVILLE, GA) - Anyone listening to the news lately has seen the insidious issues found at Phoenix VA and just as I suggested this is happening in other places. Now Colorado seems to be in the same activity of fudging numbers to make themselves and VA look much much better than they are and achieve their bonus pay. I am quite sure other VA's are doing the same thing and have been for government propaganda as to how good they are doing.
As I suggest in my white papers this is and has been on-going for decades now in one way or another.
This time there seems to be some associated deaths with this fudging the numbers. Probably more than VA or the biased Media or the Government want to admit in just the Phoenix issues alone.
What is even more totally hypocritical and totally insane is I see Fox News interviewing Principi to comment on Shinseki. Boy if that is not the pot calling the kettle black. That is the ultimate defining and demonstration of HYPOCRISY.
Yes, I have been critical of Shinseki. So far, since Derwinski, he has been the best we have had in at least making some attempts at justice and even fighting totally ignorant of the facts Congress. My criticism is he is listening to the wrong folks and then making bad decisions. Some of them medically not even biologically plausible. Time and time again the fellows like myself have tried to get a meeting with him and of course everyone within VA is untouchable when it comes actual Veterans' issues.
They keep saying there is nothing they can do with these high level VA management criminals and cannot even fire them. Well yes there is. No different from the EPA when one of it scientific members spoke out regarding the AO issues and was punished. The punishment was she was given a mediocre job rather than her previous job.
You cannot fire the criminal activist within in VA. Why? I have no idea except for the federal union maybe that should be looked at as well. Can you say Internal Revenue Service as another prime example. Or shredding files, Shredder Gate, when the union representative comes before Congress simply states that VA employees need more training. You might want to start out with an employee that knows right from wrong; no matter what VA management directs them to do.
However, to assign them to a new position such as "VA Greeter" or some meaningless job as that; is not out of the question. Then their illegally gotten bonus checks through fraud would go away at the very minimum. Or they can resign. Either way the Nation as a whole is better off.
Then hire someone that might not be the "Brightest and Smartest" since that is what VA excuses are for these bonuses to keep these folks employed but someone with integrity that will support Veterans and Widows "without fraud and criminal actions." Besides who needs them anyway?
Changing VA Secretaries with the unfettered power they have been given by our own Congress is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The same thing will happen. The ship will still sink and this runaway federal agency will still stump break Veterans and Widows alike for earned benefits by stalling, delaying, denying not only earned benefits for service connection but obviously promised medical care as well.
Why Shinseki has not taken our Veterans offer of a small Veterans Committee that would met with him once a month or so and discuss the issues and problems and indeed "problem solving" is just beyond my comprehension. Why would he deny boots on the ground views and issues of some that have their finger on the pulse of the Veteran issues? Maybe his criminal underlings never told him!!!
Would any of you former military commanders not want first hand intelligence in any issue, war or peacetime, to make decisions and plan strategy and problem solving?
I know this…for any committee to met and discuss the issues it would have to be with him in person. I do not think any Veteran in the entire United States would trust one, not even one, of his VA Benefit Cronies.
Any former staff officers that can get this offer to the General without going through all the VA filters please do so.
While I may not have been 100% in my postings all the time I can say I have been more correct than not. Many many issues I pointed out decades ago in even in what should be "presumptive" have finally come to fruition after decades of government denial and stalling while thousands of Veterans and Widow alike fought the one sided and adversarial system that is Veterans Affairs for benefits promised. Many more issues should be presumptive even now.
I need not tell you the why it took so long as it has in many issues and continues to this day in many similar issues and …still not resolved for the American Veteran/Widow. Congress will do nothing to resolve it.
What I can say is that very few have tried harder to bring to the light of day the issues of the American Veteran vs. the Adversarial Veterans Affairs and indeed the United States Government Executive Branch fraud and cover-ups.
I would suggest that each and every one of you contact your Congressperson and your Senators on these issues. Take ten minutes of your week and a few dollars in postage and send them hard copies of your issues and address what has and is been on-going for decades now. I would include your local newspaper editors as well as major newspaper editors and major news outlets. Get on the phone and call them if you have to.
Demand this Federal Agency be cleaned up, reined in, and fixed once in for all. Not just rearranging the deck chairs.
Yes; I know they, the VA and our Executive Branch of Government, are vindictive and abusive to those that speak out on Veterans Issues even though you are the one the went the distance to protect their rear ends. Some of you have looked death in the face and spit in its eye. This should be no different.
If you do not…there is nothing I or anyone else can do to solve these continual on-going issues.
You have no friends in the media since they will not report the facts. Diane Sawyer years ago at least tried and got no where. You have no friends in the Congress that will do much of anything except express outrage and fake concern. Just look at their 40 year past history of subsiding government fraud.
I know there is nothing else I can do as I have done all I can. Some success and some failures but without support it is time: No; way past time, to throw in the towel.
From Doc Hill VSO- Kerrville Texas - "The American Legion has started the ball rolling ALL OTHER VETERAN'S ORGANIZATIONS need to now step up to the plate and make their wishes, thoughts and needs known NOW. I am sending this to all Veterans, it is not a political thought or anything, it's about VETERAN'S and their health care, we MUST FLOOD the Senators and Representatives phone lines, fax lines, emails about our displeasure of what is going on within the Department of Veterans Affairs across the country. Now is the time to strike before the next elections to get something done. If you will not help then never complain to me again about what is wrong with this system."
I agree 100%; except, I would add the local and mainstream media as well.
Not fight and you will continue to:
You will face government collusion in:
I am shipping hard copies of the following:
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Attn: Chairman
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Attn: Minority Leader
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Attn: Chairman
United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Russell Senate Building - Room 412
Washington, D.C. 20510-6050
United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Russell Senate Building - Room 412,
Washington, D.C. 20510-6050,
Congressman Rob Woodall
1725 Longworth HOB
Congressman Rand Paul
Congressman Trey Gowdy
1404 Longworth HOB
Congressman Jim Jordan
Fox News
Avenue of the Americas
New York NY 10036
ATTN: News Desk
Fox News
Avenue of the Americas
New York NY 10036
ATTN: Gretchen Carlson
Fox News
Avenue of the Americas
New York NY 10036
ATTN: Megyn Kelly
One CNN Center
Atlanta, Georgia 30348
ATTN: News Desk
New York Times
620 8Th Avenue
Attn: Editor
Washington Post
1150 15th St NW
Washington, DC 20017
Attn: Editor
Washington Times LLC
3600 New York Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002
Maybe one day when very few will serve in the military no matter how much is paid the Nation will finally look back and say = Gee we wonder why!
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Tomorrow is NYS Animal Advocacy Day in Albany. We have a great line-up of speakers including Prince Lorenzo Borghese, an entrepreneur and New York City-based animal advocate who is best known as the featured Bachelor from season 9 of the hit ABC reality show, The Bachelor, Laura LaFrate an animal advocate from Scotia who was the runner-up on this season of America's Next Top Model, and acting dog Bocker the Labradoodle, who has appeared in Men in Black 3, Eat Pray Love and War of the Worlds. The event runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Well of the Legislative Office Building in Albany, NY. The speaking program, which will be emceed by Steve Caporizzo, from Pet Connection, will begin at 10:30 a.m.
This free, bipartisan event is open to the public and will enable animal supporters to network, share information and lobby their legislators to enact the toughest animal cruelty laws in the nation. There will be over 30 exhibitors including rescues, shelters, sheriff's offices and animal advocacy groups.
As research indicates, violence against animals is a bridge crime that can, and has, led to violence against people.
Last year's NYS Animal Advocacy Day helped lead to passage of a new law to make it a crime to be a spectator of animal fighting – a bill which was stalled in committee prior to the event.
Most of the lobbyists who walk the halls of Albany are paid but animal advocates are not. They are volunteers who care about protecting our pets and all members of our families. Animal Advocacy is purely a people and paw-powered event that's about keeping all members of our families safe.
We will be calling for several bi-partisan measures to strengthen Buster's felony animal cruelty law to require that animal abusers be placed on a statewide registry of abusers, prohibit them from ever owning a companion animal again, and require them to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. We'll also be pushing for measures to improve the standards of care of animals at pet stores and make it a felony to steal a pet.
My Corgi Gracie and I hope to see you tomorrow.


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Chico attorney Kenneth Turner is one of many readers who has gotten in touch with me after seeing his personal insurance plan canceled under Obamacare. He also learned that his wife will have to up the doctors she has seen for years, and the doctor who will operate on her this month, as I reported in my Thursday column.
Access is a highly political term. During the 2012 election, Team Obama talked about providing women "access" to birth control, by which Democrats meant free. When you think about "access" under the Affordable Care Act, you would expect it to mean that plans pay for visits to doctors and hospital procedures. With PPOs, consumers have access to discounted "preferred providers," but also have the choice to see doctors and hospitals outside the network, but with a less favorable insurance payment formula.
Politico reports: "In general, the lower-cost bronze plans that are being launched as part of Obamacare are expected to have smaller networks of health care providers available to policyholders. That means patients would have to pay more to see a physician who isn't in the network."
Not necessarily. Turner learned that his family has the option of participating in an EPO, or Exclusive Provider Organization. That means there are no out-of-network benefits.
His reaction:
Single family buyers are not what the marketplace is looking for. So much for the promises of our President. It looks like the President has destroyed the individual market and thrown us into a sick hopper. It's obvious that the exchange rates will have to go up. I bet they go up dramatically in the next year. Of course, there will be increased subsidies for some, but they will be borne by payees like me.


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For one hour every week, I let my fiance take the lead with no questions asked. Now before I start getting hate mail from feminists and love notes from barefoot-in-the-kitchen traditionalists, let me explain that on Thursday nights, we take an hourlong couples dance class. One of toughest lessons that I'm still learning is how…Continue reading Letting the Man Lead
Category: Love
Art of Self Care
Yesterday, I talked about the importance of volunteering. I can think of a lot of reasons why helping others recharges me and makes me feel valued and connected to others. Today, I'll touch on why it's important to take time out for yourself on a regular basis. There's an adage that says you can't take…Continue reading Art of Self Care
Value in Volunteering
I devoted the entire day today to one of my volunteer organizations, the Junior League of San Diego. I started the day with a four-hour training on the organization's legislative activities in California. This included listening to one of my representatives, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, talk about barriers to low-income women in the workplace. One of…Continue reading Value in Volunteering


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The amusement park business is big on fun–but also big on challenges.
Processing thousands of guests a day, along with sales of beverages and equipment/inventory matters, the average park runs through more data than the average business.
What if there was a better way to understand all that data and information?
Enter Park Fantasy.
Park Fantasy is built on Zatayu business intelligence platform for amusement parks.


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6 years ago
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
An EVIL retread...
Just came across this comment from Sam Raimi.
My opinion follows.
"I have talked with my partners about having a young director come in and remake EVIL DEAD. That film was made in 16mm on a shoestring budget and blown up to 35mm. The visual effects are crummy, it was done in mono, not even stereo, let alone 5.1. What you could do with it now would be so much better. I think if you had a new director using the full power of 35mm and 5.1 sound, you could really make a pretty socko presentation. It was always meant for the big screen, but never really seen on the big screen."
You know, I am gut-clenchingly sick of remakes and a remake like this is the worst kind. Why? Because, it's truly a sad case when a filmmaker like Raimi, whom I thought I idolized, really doesn't understand the impact of his little shoestring 16mm mono film. Raimi obviously knows the monetary potential of the concept, but is it necessary to bemoan a film that didn't have today's technical "luxuries" at it's disposal?
THE EVIL DEAD should never be considered "crummy," old or lame. You won't see George Romero, John Carpenter or Tobe Hooper talking shit about their independent seminal slices. That's because they are of a different class. They understand that their films, despite whatever limitations, are cinematic achievements and a document of the times in which they were made. I never thought I'd say this, but "Mr. Raimi, you are a fool." And, to think that I thought you were a true renaissance man. For shame!
Now, run along and make your cookie-cutter SPIDER-MAN blockbusters for the m'asses to enjoy.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Sandy: "Danny... is this the end?"
Danny: "Of course not... it's only the beginning."
Indeed it is, Zucco!
That goes for both Danny and George!
Anyhow, I refused to be depressed and "out of sort" over the whole YouTube yankfest, so I've created another channel. In a way, this could turn out to be a good thing, a fresh start. This channel is actually the sister site to this blog, or vice versa, depending on your area of travel. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with it, perhaps the dreaded "vlogging" with reviews and such. Of course, I could show off my movie collection, but aren't there quite enough of those being showcased? Also, I'm not one to grandstand (too much).
Expect the occasional trailer, TV spot, radio spot or promo. Unsure as to whether I should re-post any of my compilations or the Double Feature Trailer Shows. Whatever I choose to do, I'll explain here.
If you'd like to subscribe to "my new you," please do. Friend requests and comments are gladly welcomed. So, here's the LINKAGE already!
Happy trails...
Sunday, March 01, 2009
From the ashes...
So, it's been a while. A long while.
Not that there hasn't been anything to write about, or the desire to do so... I'll own up to being lazy. We'll just leave it at that, shall we?
A lame thing happened to me on Friday. Actually, in an odd way, it was a good thing. Good enough to bring me out of my writer's block, at least.
Typical Friday morning when I'm not working, I check my e-mail and login to my various "communication sites". Off I went to YouTube. I was pleased to be greeted by another of AustrailianRoadshow's private video offerings in my inbox. I clicked on it, left the room for a bit while it was loading, came back and my YouTube account was closed. Gone forever or "suspended permanently" in YT terms.
What happened? Well, during this same time that I'm on there, an account created that same day, seemingly for that exact purpose, filed claim of copyright infringement over one of my videos. The video in question was titled "Winkles Cereal," a commercial parody excerpt from the 1977 film, PRIME TIME. The company filing the claim was Taurus Entertainment. Taurus claimed ownership of the film's copyright, which I seriously question because, to my knowledge, the film's rights were never renewed and have since fallen into the public domain.
A little back history on PRIME TIME...
PRIME TIME was another in the string of sketch comedy films of the 1970s, an era that truly began with Ken Shapiro's remarkable THE GROOVE TUBE. I loved this genre. Anyhow, each of these films were independent and never financed by a major studio, yet PRIME TIME was the exception. Warner Bros. produced PRIME TIME and held the initial copyright, yet got cold feet about distributing it due to it's raucious nature. Cannon Film Distributors (pre-Golan-Globus) released the film briefly in theaters and licensed it's home video usage (along with many other Cannon titles) to Paragon Video Productions in 1982. Of course, Paragon is long gone, but some of the films on that label, particularly the Cannon titles, have seen a resurgence with other companies, yet PRIME TIME never did. I believe it's last printing was circa '84-'85.
So, nothing happened with the film and, presumably, since it wasn't a Cannon production in the first place, rights were never renewed and the film began resurfacing over 20 years later in DVD movie collections chock full of public domain material. Not to mention that some PD sites have listed it, along with other sketch comedy films like TUNNEL VISION and LOOSE SHOES, as being in the public domain.
Which brings me to Taurus Entertainment...
Where do you guys get off?! As a corporation, I dug you back in the day. Waaaayyyyy back in the day, like late '80s, maybe early '90s. We're talkin' BEST OF THE BEST era, those TWO EVIL EYES days. And, yeah, I know you hold copyright on George A. Romero's epic DAY OF THE DEAD, even though you didn't make it. So, that's where my interest ends with you. Your acquisition of those rights has poisoned your blood stream with ideas of bank-off possibilities. Like soiling the legacy of the great Romero with... dun-dun-dun... DAY OF THE DEAD 2: CONTAGION. Newsflash! DAY OF THE DEAD is already a sequel to two other films, so, you can't make a PART TWO to something that's already a PART THREE. Who in the hell do you think you are? NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION 2?! If that weren't enough, you had to then spoil the hopes and dreams of Romero's fan base with CREEPSHOW III. For years, we've been begging for a third CREEPSHOW, only, we wanted a quality film from Romero and co., or at least, one with his blessing. Instead, we got your so-called sequel. That film receives the "Whuh the fuh?" award for when I stumbled upon it at the new release wall. Have I seen it? Nope. Should I see it? Nope. Same with DAY OF THE DEAD 2: CONTAGION? Yep.
Then, we have the "time to make the donuts" award for the DAY OF THE DEAD remake. The remake that came one year after you decided to make a sequel to the original?! That's right. What's up, Taurus Ent? CONTAGION didn't bring in the big bucks you wanted? Too bad. Have I seen your remake of DAY OF THE DEAD? Nope. Why not? Because, I'm on to your game, and much like an old girlfriend, after a while, you just don't care anymore. I'm so over you piss cats and Friday's seizure of my nearly 4-year-old account has sealed it with a most deadly kiss. You guys suck, for good. And, I still don't believe that you own PRIME TIME. In fact, I'm pretty damn sure of it.
At any rate, that's said and done.
There's no going back, unfortunately.
In loving memory...
(2006 - 2009)
Just for kicks...
Here's Taurus' account, which, as mentioned before, was ironically created the day of my channel's demise.
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Swearing to rev up your exercise routine is about as clichéd as it gets when it comes to New Year's resolutions. Still, it's a totally valid one that many of us keep on making year after year. Especially after the insane pace and non-stop eating and drinking the holiday season entails, when workouts tend to take a backseat to frenzied shopping trips and egg nog-saturated cookie swaps.
But here's the thing: Come January 1, if you just say you're going to "commit" to the same routine you've been blowing off for months, it's probably not going to work. Instead, this year, try one of these simple hacks to seriously kick your (squat-sculpted) butt into gear.
First of all, ruts are totally real and easy to fall in. Try doing something totally new that intrigues you but is a little bit outside of your comfort zone. Maybe that cardio dance class you keep hearing about but are afraid you don't have the rhythm for? Or the boot camp that looks totally bad-ass but is a little intimidating? Jumping into something new could be just what you need to get excited to get moving again.
2. Find a workout buddy or crew
Lots of research studies like this one show the power of a workout partner. Having someone else to hold you accountable to show up for a sweat session really works. Join a run club or make a plan with a friend where you choose a few days a week to have workout dates.
3. Sign up for a challenge
Lots of boutique fitness studios and gyms host January challenges, like 30 days of yoga every day or competitions that pit you against other teams to see who can log the most exercise time. Even if the pace is unsustainable for the whole year, participating often gets you back into the swing of sweating on a regular basis.
4. Subscribe to an online fitness platform
If, in 2017, you were having trouble fitting workouts into your busy schedule and transportation time was a big part of the issue, try signing up for an online platform. If you really want to go all in and indoor cycling is your jam, you could even splurge on a Peloton bike for at-home spin sessions.
5. Hire a trainer
If you're someone who goes to the gym for a week or so and then feels bored by aimless treadmill sessions, hiring a trainer might be a good idea. Even if it's just for a couple of weeks, her or she can introduce you to new machines, weights, and routines that will empower you to create better on-your-own sessions down the road.
6.Give your workout a tech upgrade
Wearables don't work for everyone, but if data motivates you in other areas of your life, start collecting it during your workouts. Try one of these affordable trackers or a new agey wearable with higher powers.
7. Invest in your health
If you don't have extra dough to spend on exercise, don't worry. The truth is, it's more than possible to get in a good workout without spending a dime. But if you do have a little bit of disposable income (say, happy hour money?), it might help to spend a little bit more than you normally would on a gym membership or some awesome boutique classes. Think about it: if you buy the $10/month gym membership, never showing up isn't going to phase you. But if you've put a chunk of your hard-earned cash into getting in shape, you're going to feel obligated to at least give it a shot. Money is motivating, really, and if you're going to invest in anything, your health is a pretty good choice.
Are there other tricks that have helped you stick to New Year's exercise resolutions? Share your tips in the comments below!


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Jane Akre. [Source: Injury Board (.com)]Investigative reporters Jane Akre and her husband Steve Wilson are hired by WTVT-TV, the Tampa, Florida, Fox News affiliate, to become part of its "Investigators" team. They soon begin filming a report on bovine growth hormone (BGH), a controversial substance manufactured by Monsanto. Their four-part report finds that BGH poses numerous health risks to milk consumers, including the threat of cancer, and that Florida supermarket chains routinely lie to their customers about not selling milk that contains BGH. Akre and Wilson will later recall that the local station is thrilled with the report. But after Monsanto complains to Fox News chief Roger Ailes about the report, the station's general manager, David Boylan, tells Akre and Wilson to redo their film: to include statements from Monsanto that the filmmakers know to be false, and to make other revisions to the story that contradict the facts. According to Akre and Wilson, one Fox lawyer tells them that "it doesn't matter if the facts are true," what matters is the size of the lawsuit Monsanto might file against WTVT and Fox. Boylan tells the filmmakers that the position of Fox Television is: "We paid $3 billion for these television stations. We will decide what the news is. The news is what we tell you it is." Akre and Wilson revise the story some 70 times, none of which passes muster with the station or with network officials. The couple is variously suspended without pay, suspended with pay, locked out of their workspace, and offered money to "just go away." In late November 1997, when they threaten to inform the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the incident, WTVT fires them. They will file a lawsuit against WTVT and against Fox Television (see August 18, 2000). [Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, 6/1998; BGH Bulletin, 2004; St. Louis Journalism Review, 12/1/2007] Wilson later says: "Every editor has the right to kill a story and any honest reporter will tell you that happens from time to time when a news organization's self interest wins out over the public interest. But when media managers who are not journalists have so little regard for the public trust that they actually order reporters to broadcast false information and slant the truth to curry the favor or avoid the wrath of special interests as happened here, that is the day any responsible reporter has to stand up and say, 'No way!' That is what Jane and I are saying with this lawsuit.… We set out to tell Florida consumers the truth a giant chemical company and a powerful dairy lobby clearly doesn't want them to know. That used to be something investigative reporters won awards for. As we've learned the hard way, it's something you can be fired for these days whenever a news organization places more value on its bottom line than on delivering the news to its viewers honestly." Akre will add: "We are parents ourselves. It is not right for the station to withhold this important health information and solely as a matter of conscience we will not aid and abet their effort to cover this up any longer. Every parent and every consumer have the right to know what they're pouring on their children's morning cereal." [BGH Bulletin, 2004] Akre and Wilson will win the Goldman Environmental Prize for their original report in 2001. [Prize, 2001]
Entity Tags: Fox Broadcasting Company, Federal Communications Commission, David Boylan, Roger Ailes, Jane Akre, Monsanto, Steve Wilson, WTVT-TV, Fox News
Category Tags: Disregard for Public Safety, Manipulation of data
Merck official Briggs Morrison sends an e-mail warning that if the company conducts a proposed trial of the drug Vioxx (see also November 21, 1996), and the subjects do not take aspirin, there will be "more thrombotic events [i.e., more blood clots] and kill [the] drug." In response, Merck scientist Alise Reicin laments that the company is in a "no-win situation." She suggests that people with a high risk of cardiovascular problems be excluded from the study so the association between Vioxx and thrombotic events "would not be evident." [Wall Street Journal, 11/1/2004]
Entity Tags: Briggs Morrison, Alise Reicin
Category Tags: Disregard for Public Safety, Manipulation of data, Vioxx
A Merck clinical trial of Vioxx conducted on 978 patients suggests the drug substantially increases the risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke. Patients who take Vioxx are six times as likely to suffer heart problems than patients taking an alternative painkiller or a placebo. The study, named Study 090, is never published. Merck later says this is because the sample size was not large enough to provide statistically significant data. [US Food and Drug Administration, 2/1/2001, pp. 31-34 ; Topol, 2004; CBS News, 4/28/2005]
Entity Tags: Merck
Category Tags: Clinical drug studies, Manipulation of data, Vioxx
Merck finally agrees to analyze the data on deaths that have occurred during the clinical trials for its drug Vioxx (see December 22, 1999 and November 18, 1999). The analysis was requested by Michael Weinblatt, who is leading the Vioxx study (see December 22, 1999). But Merck says it will only analyze the deaths that take place before February 10, one month before the study ends. Any deaths that occur after this "cut-off" date will not be factored into the analysis. [National Public Radio, 6/8/2006; National Public Radio, 6/8/2006]
The authors of a paper on VIGOR, a clinical study on the drug Vioxx, submit two sets of corrections to the New England Journal of Science for the manuscript they submitted in May (see May 18, 2000). They do not correct the omission of three fatal heart attacks that occurred toward the end of the study (see March 2000) after a February 10 "cut-off" date (see Early February 2000). [National Public Radio, 6/8/2006]
Category Tags: Fraud, Manipulation of data, Vioxx, Studies-Academic
Merck's sales force develops a flash-card game called "Dodge Ball Vioxx" to help train Merck sales representatives on how to respond to certain questions and concerns that doctors might have about Vioxx. [Daily Journal Extra, 1/31/2005] The game includes a 12-page list of obstacles including some questions concerning the association between Vioxx and heart problems. One of them is, "I am concerned about the cardiovascular effects of Vioxx." In the summer of 2005, a former Merck sales woman tells CBS 60 Minutes that when faced with that question, the company said representatives should say the drug does not cause heart problems. "We were supposed to tell the physician that Vioxx did not cause cardiovascular events; that instead, in the studies, Naproxen has aspirin-like characteristics which made Naproxen a heart-protecting type of drug where Vioxx did not have that heart-protecting side," she said. According to the FDA, there is no evidence that Naproxen has such properties. [CBS News, 4/28/2005]
Category Tags: Manipulation of data, Marketing, Vioxx
Fearing increased public concern over the safety of Vioxx, Merck sends its sales representatives a bulletin instructing them in all capital letters: "Do not initiate discussions on the FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee… or the results of the… VIGOR study." The previous day, an FDA panel (see February 8, 2001) reviewed the results of the VIGOR study and said physicians need to be informed that Vioxx appears to cause "an excess of cardiovascular events in comparison to naproxen." The Merck bulletin provides a list of responses that its representatives are authorized to use in addressing physicians' concerns. It emphasizes that these are the only responses they are allowed to use. If doctors ask about Vioxx's effects on the heart, sales persons should say, "Because the study is not in the label, I cannot discuss the study with you." However, as a report by Henry A. Waxman notes, drug company representatives are permitted by FDA regulations to discuss safety concerns even when those concerns are not on the label. The sales persons are also advised to tell physicians to submit their questions in writing to Merck's medical services department. Merck says reps can also show the physicians the Cardiovascular Card, a pamphlet consisting of data that appears to show that Vioxx is safe (see April 28, 2000). The bulletin indicates that sales reps are not supposed to leave the pamphlet with the doctor. [Merck, 2/9/2001 ; Office of Representative Henry A. Waxman, 5/5/2005, pp. 22 ]
Merck issues a press release titled "Merck Confirms Favorable Cardiovascular Safety Profile of Vioxx" asserting that there is no evidence that patients taking the prescribed dosage levels of Vioxx have an increased risk of having heart problems. It says that the higher number of heart troubles experienced by patients taking Vioxx compared to naproxen during the VIGOR study (see March 2000) was likely because naproxen has similar properties to aspirin, which is known to prevent heart attacks. [Merck, 5/22/2001] The FDA later issues a warning to Merck calling this press release "simply incomprehensible, given the rate of MI and serious cardiovascular events compared to naproxen" (see September 17, 2001). [US Food and Drug Administration, 9/17/2001, pp. 1-2 ]
The same day the New York Times publishes an article (see May 22, 2001) raising questions about the safety of Vioxx, Merck sends a bulletin to its sales representatives instructing them in capital letters: "Do not initiate discussions on the results of the… VIGOR study, or any of the recent articles in the press on Vioxx." The bulletin says that if physicians ask any questions about the cardiovascular safety of Vioxx, sales reps should refer to the "Cardiovascular Card" (a marketing pamphlet on the safety of Vioxx, see April 28, 2000), request that Merck's "Medical Services" staff fax or Fedex additional information to the doctor, or respond appropriately "in accordance with the obstacle-handling guide." [Merck, 5/22/2001 ]
The Food and Drug Administration faxes a warning letter to Raymond Gilmartin, the CEO of Merck, accusing the company of conducting a deceptive promotional campaign for its drug Vioxx. The eight-page letter, referring mostly to events that took place between June 2000 and June 2001, states: "You have engaged in a promotional campaign for Vioxx that minimizes the potentially serious cardiovascular findings that were observed in the VIOXX Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research (VIGOR) study (see March 2000), and thus, misrepresents the safety profile for VIOXX. Specifically, your promotional campaign discounts the fact that in the VIGOR study, patients on VIOXX were observed to have a four to five fold increase in myocardial infarctions (MIs) compared to patients on the comparator non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), Naprosyn (naproxen).… You assert that Vioxx does not increase the risk of MIs and that the VIGOR finding is consistent with naproxen's ability to block platelet aggregation like aspirin. That is a possible explanation, but you fail to disclose that your explanation is hypothetical, has not been demonstrated by substantial evidence, and that there is another reasonable explanation, that Vioxx may have pro-thrombotic properties [i.e., cause heart attacks]. You have also engaged in promotional activities that minimize the Vioxx/Coumadin (warfarin) drug interaction, omit important risk information, make unsubstantiated superiority claims against other NSAIDS, and promote Vioxx for unapproved uses and an unapproved dosing regimen.… Your minimizing these potential risks and misrepresenting the safety profile for Vioxx raise significant public health and safety concerns." The letter also warns the company about a May 2001 press release (see May 22, 2001), which claimed the drug has a "favorable cardiovascular safety profile." [US Food and Drug Administration, 9/17/2001, pp. 1-2 ]
Entity Tags: Raymond Gilmartin, Merck
Category Tags: Disregard for Public Safety, Manipulation of data, Marketing, Vioxx
After six months of negotiations, Merck and the FDA finally agree on the text for a warning about Vioxx's cardiovascular side effects that will be added to the drug's label. The FDA had wanted to include a clear message that Vioxx increases the risk of heart problems since the current version of the label includes no information about such risks. An excerpt from the FDA's originally proposed text reads: "VIOXX should be used with caution in patients at risk of developing cardiovascular thrombotic events… . The risk of developing myocardial infarction in the VIGOR study was five-fold higher in patients treated with VIOXX 50 mg (0.5 percent) as compared to patients treated with naproxen (0.1 percent).…" The FDA also wanted to include a graph showing that the risk of heart problems increases with continued exposure to the drug. Merck objected to the FDA's proposals. It insisted that a description of the cardiovascular risks be included in the "Precaution" section of the label, instead of the more severe "Warning" section, as proposed by the FDA. The company also wanted to include results from several disparate clinical studies that had been conducted prior to the drug's release. These are the same tests that are cited in the "Cardiovascular Card" that Merck sales people show to doctors (see April 28, 2000). But the FDA objected, telling the company that the studies were "trials of different design, size, and duration, using different doses of VIOXX and different comparators" and therefore did not provide useful data for determining the drug's cardiovascular risk. The FDA eventually concedes to several of Merck's requests. The final text of the warning is included in the "Precaution" section of the label, as Merck wanted, and does not include the graph that had been requested by the FDA. The text of the cautionary statement is also watered down. The section summarizing the results of the VIGOR study (see March 2000) and two other studies states: "The significance of the cardiovascular findings from these 3 studies (VIGOR and 2 placebo-controlled studies) is unknown." [Merck, 2001; US Food and Drug Administration, 1/30/2002 ; US Food and Drug Administration, 2005; Office of Representative Henry A. Waxman, 5/5/2005, pp. 16-19 ]
Entity Tags: US Food and Drug Administration, VIGOR, Merck
Category Tags: Manipulation of data, Vioxx
Dr. Jonathan Fishbein. [Source: unknown]Government whistleblower Dr. Jonathan Fishbein, in testimony before a panel at the Institute of Medicine, says that federal officials involved in a US-funded study in Uganda endangered the lives of hundreds of patients testing an AIDS drug because of careless and negligent research practices. Fishbein says officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ignored problems with the way the study was being conducted on the AIDS drug, nevirapine, which is used to protect babies in Africa from HIV infection during birth. The consequences of their failure had "grave and sometimes fatal implications for the lives of real patients," Fishbein tells the panel. Fishbein does not allege that the drug is dangerous or ineffective. Instead, he discusses problems with the researchers involved, citing shoddy data collection, record-keeping and quality control issues. Because of those concerns, he says, the results of the study cannot be trusted. "We can ill afford to entrust the lives of people to invalid data," he says. NIH has acknowledged that the Uganda research failed to meet required US standards. But it maintains that hundreds of thousands of African babies have been saved by using single doses of the drug to block the AIDS virus and that it can be done safely with those single doses. Nevirapine is an antiretroviral drug used since the 1990s to treat adult AIDS patients and is known to have potentially lethal side effects like liver damage when taken in multiple doses over time. Concerns have been raised over the possibility that the drug may cause long-term resistance in patients to further AIDS treatments. It is marketed in the United States as Viramune. Fishbein says that top officials at NIH became "so heavily invested in the trial's outcome" that they could not be objective. "The old adage 'garbage in, garbage out' is apt," he says. In 2003, Fishbein helped halt the study for 15 months after auditors, medical experts, and others disclosed problems with the project. But the concerns were dismissed by NIH officials, and the study began again. Documents show NIH knew of problems with the study in early 2002, but did not tell the White House before President Bush launched a $500 million plan that summer to use nevirapine throughout Africa. NIH is attempting to fire Fishbein for what it calls poor performance issues; Fishbein says the firing is retaliation for his speaking out. [Associated Press, 1/4/2005]
Entity Tags: Institute of Medicine, United States National Institutes of Health, Jonathan Fishbein
Category Tags: Suppression of data, Dismissal of data, Disregard for Public Safety, Manipulation of data, HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Betsy McCaughey (R-NY), the former lieutenant governor of New York and a fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute, writes that health care provisions in the Obama administration's economic stimulus plan will affect "every individual in the United States." McCaughey writes: "Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors. But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and 'guide' your doctor's decisions." McCaughey says the provisions are similar to suggestions in the book Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis, by former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), until recently Obama's pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services. McCaughey writes that hospitals and doctors who do not use the system will be punished, by a federal oversight board to be called the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research. Perhaps most worrisome is McCaughey's claim that elderly Americans will be given reduced health care based on their age and expected productivity. "Medicare now pays for treatments deemed safe and effective. The stimulus bill would change that and apply a cost-effectiveness standard set by the Federal Council," she writes. "The Federal Council is modeled after a UK board discussed in Daschle's book. This board approves or rejects treatments using a formula that divides the cost of the treatment by the number of years the patient is likely to benefit. Treatments for younger patients are more often approved than treatments for diseases that affect the elderly, such as osteoporosis. In 2006, a UK health board decreed that elderly patients with macular degeneration had to wait until they went blind in one eye before they could get a costly new drug to save the other eye. It took almost three years of public protests before the board reversed its decision.… If the Obama administration's economic stimulus bill passes the Senate in its current form, seniors in the US will face similar rationing. Defenders of the system say that individuals benefit in younger years and sacrifice later. The stimulus bill will affect every part of health care, from medical and nursing education, to how patients are treated and how much hospitals get paid. The bill allocates more funding for this bureaucracy than for the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force combined." [Bloomberg News, 2/9/2009] McCaughey's claims are very similar to the ones she made against the Clinton administration's attempt to reform health care in 1994 (see Mid-January - February 4, 1994). They will be proven false (see July 23, 2009).
Entity Tags: Hudson Institute, Elizabeth ("Betsy") McCaughey, US Department of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, Obama administration
Timeline Tags: Domestic Propaganda, 2010 Elections
Category Tags: Manipulation of data, Defense of corporate interests, Clinton Health Care Reform, Medicare
Case studies - drugs
Conflicts of interest
Drug industry
Government oversight of drug industry
HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Health Care Scandals
Health Care Insurance Industry
US Health Care Funding Reform
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