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President Obama's signature health care law is going to undermine doctor-patient relationships, close hospitals, cripple small businesses and result in rationed care, according to four health care professionals, including a congressional candidate, who spoke at a forum in Bethlehem Wednesday night.
The Lehigh Valley Coalition for Health Care Reform, a nonprofit with ties to conservative and physicians groups, presented the two-hour forum at Bethlehem Area Public Library to a sympathetic crowd of about 25. The panel included Laureen Cummings, a Scranton Tea Party founder and the Republican candidate for the redistricted 17th congressional district, currently held by Tim Holden.
Cummings, an LPN who owns a home health care agency in Old Forge, had a staffing service that paid nurses $40-$50 a hour to do temporary work in nursing homes but provided no health insurance. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, she said she would have to provide health insurance to her nurses without lowering their wages and she can't afford that.
The federal government is hiring many more IRS agents to enforce provisions of the new law, Cummings said, adding that she would love to get rid of the IRS.
"It's celebrating its 100th birthday next year. I plan to stop that birthday from occurring," she said to great applause.
Terry Ingalsbe, who received nursing degrees from Northampton Community College and Kutztown University, said she read the entire 2,700-page law. She claimed its real aim is to bring about a collapse of the current health care system and create a single-payer, single-provider system.
"Obamacare is not a safety net, it's a straitjacket," Ingalsbe said. It's also a step toward total indoctrination of the nation's youth into a secular, Marxist worldview and it gives the federal government more private information about individuals, including about their DNA, she said.
"The world that is created by secular Marxists and Obamacare has no room for God," Ingalsbe said.
Dr. Thomas Bonekemper, a retired internist and past director of the Veterans Administration clinic in Allentown, and Dr. Joseph Grassi, a rehabilitation specialist, said new regulations plus cutbacks in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements from the government will mean fewer doctors will accept Medicare and Medicaid patients.
"Practices can't stay open if they are reducing the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rate," Grassi said. "Our office is four physicians, we have close to 50 employees. When I started in the office 12 years ago, we had three people in the billing office. We now have eight full-time billing personnel and they can't keep up with the regulations."
"There will be severe restrictions on services to the elderly," Bonekemper said. He said it will be a return to the days when HMOs paid doctors bonuses for ordering fewer tests for patients.
Grassi predicted that rather than pay for employees' insurance, companies will shift the burden to the workers and instead pay a $2,000 fine per employee because it's cheaper.
Bonekemper said one of the law's biggest failures is the lack of tort reform, which would cap non-economic damages in jury awards to plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases. Such a move would bring down costs because doctors wouldn't have to perform so many unnecessary tests in the name of practicing defensive medicine.
Cummings said she signed a pledge to repeal and replace the health care law. She joined Grassi in arguing that a key to making health care more affordable is to open it up to the free market, allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines.
Cummings was asked afterward if government involvement in health care is the problem, wouldn't it make sense to end Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration health care system? "It's impossible to end Medicare and Medicaid and the VA right now," Cummings said. "I believe there are better ways to fix what's broken."
"Our solution has to be something that lessens the burden of what we've already got while at the same time providing good quality care for the patient," Cummings said.


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LOGOS 2012 is a great success! The full text of our fifth issue is now available. Volume 5 covers a wide range of exciting topics, including piracy, spontaneous combustion, and stock market analyses. Thanks to everyone who submitted; we appreciate your talent, hard work, and interest in publication. We are currently seeking Honors College students to serve as peer reviewers. If you'd like to volunteer or submit for Volume 6, send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Our Mission
LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research is dedicated to the publication of outstanding scholarship by all undergraduates in every academic discipline. Led by the Faculty Advisory Board and Honors College student editors, LOGOS conforms to the highest standards of scholastic integrity in a blind, peer review process conducted by distinguished faculty and undergraduate students.
The Editorial Board welcomes submissions from current and former undergraduate students or collaborative teams, particularly those who are engaged in departmental honors work, independent study, research assistance, or a competitive summer fellowship. Prospective contributors may contact the Editor and Associate Editors with specific questions about general publication standards and the peer review process.
Please explore the links to the left to learn more about LOGOS.

subset: commoncrawl


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Availability: Beijing Jingyuan Courtyard Hotel
Standard RoomMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 2 children, 2 infants)
Deluxe RoomMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Deluxe SuiteMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
VIP suiteMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 2 children, 1 infant)
Art Deco inn in Beijing (Dongcheng - Wangfujing) near Wangfujing Street
This historic inn is located in Beijing (Dongcheng - Wangfujing), close to St. Joseph's Cathedral, Wangfujing Street, and Forbidden City. Also nearby are Tiananmen Square and Gate of Heavenly Peace.
Property Features
In addition to a restaurant, Beijing Jingyuan Courtyard Hotel features a coffee shop/café. Other amenities include complimentary wireless Internet access and dry cleaning/laundry services.
Room Amenities
In addition to complimentary wireless Internet access and complimentary high-speed (wired) Internet access, guestrooms feature air conditioning along with climate control and safes.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Beijing Jingyuan Courtyard Hotel Amenities
- General
The inn offers a restaurant and a coffee shop/café. High-speed wireless Internet access is complimentary. Event facilities include conference/meeting rooms and small meeting rooms. This Art Deco inn also offers tour/ticket assistance, multilingual staff, and a garden.
- Luggage storage
- Number of meeting rooms - 2
- Number of floors - 1
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Multilingual staff
- Conference space
- Express check-in
- 24-hour front desk
- Express check-out
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Coffee/tea in lobby
- Garden
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Restaurant
- Total number of rooms - 16
- Coffee shop or café
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Meeting rooms
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Free Wi-Fi
- Parking (limited spaces)
- Internet
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi
- Parking
Parking (limited spaces)
- Room Amenities
- Rainfall showerhead
- Individually furnished
- Individually decorated
- Minibar
- Daily housekeeping
- Phone
- Complimentary toiletries
- Yard
- Iron/ironing board (on request)
- Complimentary bottled water
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Shower only
- Desk
- Climate control
- Free Wi-Fi
- Air conditioning
- Coffee/tea maker
- Hair dryer
- Slippers
- In-room safe
- Television
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Dining
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 7:30 AM and 9:30 AM.
Beijing Jingyuan Courtyard Hotel has a restaurant on site.
Beijing Jingyuan Courtyard Hotel Policies & Fees
- Check-in
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
- Check-out
Check-out time is noon
- Payment types
Accepted at this hotel: American Express, Diners Club, JCB International, MasterCard, Visa
- General
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No cribs (infant beds) available
No elevators
- Fees
- The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
- Breakfast fee: CNY 48 per person (approximately)
- Rollaway bed fee: CNY 180 per night
- Additional Details
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property.


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After eight years of receiving high marks from diners, owners Jim Miceli and Ron Norrell have sold Gazelle Cafe and Grille.
The pair took out an ad in last week's Ridgewood News to thank staff and customers for their support over the years.
"Now it's time for us to have a break and take a look at what we would like to do next," they wrote. "We have decided to pass the baton to a new group of owners. We hope that you will give them the same consideration and welcome that you gave to us. We know that they will be held to a high standard."
Attempts to reach Miceli and Norrell Monday night were not successful. It's not clear what concept the new owners have in mind or when they'll open up.
If you're looking to reminisc, check out the Patch review from 2009.


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- Study at Deakin
- Life at Deakin
- Research
- Alumni
- Industry and community
- About Deakin
|Enrolment modes:
|Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong), Cloud (online)
|Credit point(s):
|EFTSL value:
|Unit chair:
|W Yeoh
MIS101 (previously coded MSC120)
|Incompatible with:
|Contact hours:
1 x 3 hour lab per week
You will need to access substantial learning resources and experiences in CloudDeakin (Deakin's online learning environment). Compliance with the Standards in computing, connectivity and student capability are a condition on your enrolment.
Enterprise systems (ES) are organisation-wide information systems that organise support for business processes, facilitate flows of business information and management decisions, and provide business analytics and reporting services. Enterprise systems play a particularly important role in enterprise resource planning (ERP), which allows smooth integration of information between an enterprise, its supply chain partners and customers, and internally across different business functions with a view to automate a wide range of business activities, such as manufacturing, sales and service provision, finance and accounting, marketing, human resource management, etc. This unit will give students a broad overview of Enterprise Systems, explain their role in running an organisation, and in designing effective business structures and processes. It will also provide students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in using the industry-standard Enterprise Resource Planning systems SAP.
Assessment 1 (Individual) - Assignment 1 - In class SAP practical exercises and case study - 40%
Assessment 2 (Group) - In class business process games -30%
Examination 1 hour - 30%
Unit Fee Information
Unit fee information available soon


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MSC invites inquiries from firms and institutions interested in developing and deploying white space-based wireless systems to discuss goals and objectives. With the capability to define, prototype, and manufacture white space systems for portable, mobile, and fixed applications, MSC system design services provide a concept-to-completion product development life cycle.
Twenty-five years of prototyping and manufacturing enables MSC to quickly verify and demonstrate technical feasibility of product concepts, then transition into production.
MSC's RF experience ranges from HF (high frequency) to microwave Rx and Tx systems including satellite systems, 802.11, and P25 LMR. MSC's networking experience includes a strong capability in embedded Linux, wireless media access systems routing, VOIP, and video streaming.
Please use the form below to provide concept details for the white space-based system you would like to design. Alternatively, you can contact MSC directly at 760.560.0348.


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Club Intrawest is a private vacation club made up of a small, tight-knit community of Members. These Members share ownership of beautifully-crafted Vacation Homes across Canada, the United States and Mexico.® Registered Trademark of Intrawest ULC.
You're invited to visit one of our Presentation Centers to learn more about Membership.
Sign up or call 1.800.649.9243.
That's the sound our patio screen doors make when they close. Why? Same reason we have mason jars for glasses, harvest tables in the kitchen and our own private Boat House. This is cottage country. The Vacation Homes, and the Club itself, are all about quality family time away from the city.
Makayla and Alyssa are growing up with the Club. "Here are the girls at Club Intrawest — Blue Mountain this past fall. We wanted some relaxing family time after a very hectic September filled with back to school stresses, extra-curricular activities and demanding work schedules," said mom Christine.. Continue reading.
Traveling to the Blue Mountains from our home in Wasaga Beach is hardly a chore. Within about 40 minutes we were at our vacation home in Blue Mountain and enjoying the beautiful unit we were assigned. As members of Intrawest we visit this location at least once a year and we are never disappointed with the accommodation and the service.
Posted March 29, 2012
We just celebrated our 25th anniversary at Blue. Small friends and family party that was warmly welcomed by the staff. Blue is our home away from home espcially for any special occasion.
Cindy – August, 30, 2011
See Member Reception for details
Start your day with our Lodge Breakfast. A deluxe continental breakfast buffet of homemade and organic cereals, toasting breads, waffles and pastries, yogurt and fruit, and our daily hot egg entrée.
Club Intrawest — Blue Mountain: 276 Jozo Weider Boulevard, Blue Mountains, ON | Telephone: 705.443.4500View Larger Map
Follow Hwy 400 North and take exit 98. Follow Bayfield Street (North) thru Barrie for approx 5 km. Turn left onto Hwy 26 (West) that will take you to Collingwood/Stayner. Follow Hwy 26 for about 35 km. In the town of Stayner, at second set of lights, turn right - still Hwy 26 West.
Continue (18km) until you see the turn off for Hwy 26 which veers to the right. This will become Pretty River Parkway and will lead you onto First Street. Follow this street until you will come to the end where you will see another yield for Hwy 26 (do not take this turn off which will appear at the end of this street).
Keep to the middle lane that will take you past WalMart, where Mountain Rd and Grey Rd. 19 will start. Follow for approx 7.5 km where you will follow the indications at the new roundabout for Grey Rd 19. Follow the signs indicating Entrance 2 which will bring you to a set of lights where you will turn left, this is Jozo Weider Blvd. As you come around the bend, we are the first driveway on your right. Please check in at Member Reception building and we will direct you as to what building you will be staying in.


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Bungalows/Short Term Apartment Rentals
Prefecto Furnillo 12, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
Mobile: 02920 15 696400
See Website
Guest rating
- Accessibility
- Elevator
- Luggage locker
- Satellite TV
- LCD / Plasma
- Audio equipment
- Fan
- Heating
- Shower
- Bathtub
- Whirlpool tub
- Hair drier
- Free Wi-Fi
- Terrace / Solarium
- Barbecue area
- Tourist information
- Library
- Conference room
- Free parking
- Distance to the airport: 64 Km
- Opcional excursiones y traslados
- Servicio de mucama opcional
- Check in: 1:00 pm
- Check out: 10:00 am
Apartments equipped for tourists, companies, civil servants, etcétera. Maximum quality, downtown area and spectacular view of the sea.
Here is an invitation to see our temporary rent apartmens in front of the sea in Puerto Madryn. They are fully-equipped with quality and good taste to ensure a pleasant stay. They have smart TV, Wi Fi access, white linen and underfloor heating.
They offer two bedrooms, one of them ensuite with a whirlpool tub in the bathroom. The integrated living-room and dininig-room offers a panoramic view of the sea, aluminum window frames, balcony, private carport and barbecue area.
Location Map
Guest review


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Submitted by Readers
We've always known that there is a toll to be paid for access to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
We just didn't realize that it may have extended to companies working with the power brokers behind the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
Eight former state officials – including former state Sen. Bob Mellow – have been charged in an alleged "pay to play" scheme.
Attorney General Kathleen Kane said that the public "has lost untold millions of dollars" in inflated contracts, according to a story by The Associated Press.
If true, the charges wouldn't explain the $8 billion debt that the turnpike commission is saddled with, but they would reveal plenty about the people responsible for running the toll road. It also would be further evidence of why the public's trust in government figures has eroded more than the blacktop on our salt-covered roads.
The picture painted by Kane was not a pretty one. In addition to Mellow, 70, who is currently imprisoned in South Carolina on unrelated corruption charges, nine others were charged. They are: Former turnpike chief executive Joseph Brimmeier, 64; former turnpike chairman Mitchell Rubin, 61; former chief operating officer George Hatalowich, 47; former turnpike employee Melvin Shelton, 81; former turnpike employee Raymond Zajicek, 67; Dennis Miller, 51, a former vice president of information technology firm Ciber; and vendor consultant and registered lobbyist Jeffrey Suzenski, 63.
Witnesses told a grand jury that companies considered the pay to play culture, which included such things as tickets to see Rod Stewart, "Dancing With the Stars" and the New York Yankees – were part of the cost of doing business. And that those investments could pay off handsomely, as it reportedly did for Ortho-Rodgers, a company that got a $6 million contract from the commission in 2006. Ortho-Rodgers donated more than $100,000 to a variety of political candidates between 2002 and 2010, the grand jury found.
That's just one of the examples the grand jury cited. Collectively, they're enough to make us more than a little car sick.
The grand jury said that turnpike vendors donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to political figures, including former state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, who is in federal prison on unrelated charges, and former Gov. Ed Rendell.
While neither Fumo nor Rendell has been linked to any wrongdoing in the case, the turnpike scandal can't help but rattle the public's confidence in state political figures and those who are supposed to be serving us.
"We're not all bad people," said state Sen. John Wozniak, D-Westmont.
But Wozniak, who is the Democratic chairman of the Senate transportation committee, told CNHI reporter John Finnerty that the turnpike scandal, in addition to others plaguing Pennsylvania politics, are "demoralizing."
"We're debating whether to impeach a Supreme Court justice (Joan Orie Melvin), we had the Philadelphia traffic court situation. Now this. What, are we in a race to the bottom with Washington?"
If the turnpike charges are any indication, the passing lane is open and the commonwealth is shifting gears.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat e-edition.


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News and Talk
FM Schedule | Alternate Stream Formats
Classical Music
Classical Schedule | Alternate Stream Formats
Fishkind Commentary: Theme Parks Offer Insight Into Central Florida's Financial Outlook
June 4th, 2013 | WMFE- Most Central Floridians know that the tourism industry is a major player in the local economy. But 90.7's economic analyst Dr. Hank Fishkind says following the trends of the area's theme parks can offer helpful insight into Central Florida's future financial outlook. He tells 90.7's Nicole Creston that the size and the scope of recent expansions and updates in many local theme parks, large and small, are positive signs for the Orlando area.
For more commentaries and to download the weekly podcast, go to wmfe.org/fishkind


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When Del. Mark Keam (D-35th) began his first term in 2009, most people wished him luck and warned he wouldn't get anything done: the Democrat drew No. 100 among the state's house representatives, making him the most junior member of a body controlled by Republicans.
While he did struggle in certain areas — particularly in the house budget committee, on which he was the only Democrat and "couldn't get a motion seconded" — Keam, the first Korean-American and first Asian-born immigrant to be sworn into the Virginia General Assembly, succeeded in others. One of his largest victories was the House Joint Resolution 64, co-sponsored , which made make delegates' voting records more accessible on the General Assembly's website. .
Now, after winning a second term in office for a district redrawn to include Tysons Corner, Keam says the experience has prepared him to take on the transportation issues surrounding the development of the future urban center, which many say will become one of the state's largest economic engines.
His other priorities for this year's session, which begins Jan. 11 in Richmond, include veterans issues and also those that help small businesses.
With Tysons Corner now a large part of his district, Keam says his first goal is to earn a spot on the assembly's Transportation Committee, a role that would not only give him a greater chance at pushing through bills to help the Vienna-Oakton area but also address larger transportation problems — for one, a lack of long-term, sustainable revenue sources to fund projects.
He said Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) campaigned two years ago on finding such sources, but other than serving more bonds already in place, the governor has come up short, Keam said.
"I'm hoping we can find some more reasonable solutions," Keam said.
Committee assignments are given by the House Majority Leader in the first week of the year's session.
Locally, Keam is putting his focus on three issues: the state's funding formula for local roads, construction's impact on the secondary roads in his district's municipalities and pending road projects.
He plans to file a bill that would direct more funding to roads with higher usage, both in the Vienna-Oakton area and across the state. It will propose adjusting the formula based on a 20 percent rule: If a town or a city has a usage per mile of 20 percent higher than state average, the state would pay 20 percent higher in maintenance costs.
He filed a similar bill two years ago, he said, but it didn't move beyond the House.
"Our roads are beat up more often than in the rest of the state," Keam said. "This is extra funding [to compensate for that]."
He also plans to file a bill that would create a new funding formula that considers how secondary roads that see more overweight trucks are more damaged than car-heavy roads.
He also hopes to have a hand in directing some of the state's budget to projects included in the Tysons Comprehensive Plan's Table 7, which details about $1.6 billion in unfunded road and transportation costs.
Keam would like to secure funding to get at least two of those projects started this year, he said.
Small Business/Veterans
Keam also plans to file a bill that would align Virginia standards for small businesses with federal standards set by the Small Business Administration.
The state defines a small business as having 250 employees or less, or generating $10 million or less in annual revenue. At the federal level, size standards differ between industries.
"I'm told by a lot of people it would be more helpful for small-business owners to have one standard to comply with as opposed to state and federal standards," said Keam, who was formerly employed by the SBA. "The benefit there is that if the feds want to change it at some point then our laws automatically capture that as well."
Keam has pushed through several bills for veterans in the past, including one last year that required the Commissioner of Health to allow military training to count toward the requirements for certification as an Emergency Medical Technician in Virginia.
The recent end of the war in Iraq has made his goal to help veterans even more urgent, he said.
"They're all coming back, and the unemployment rate for troops is still very much higher than the national numbers," Keam said.
He said he'd like to see a state-level tax break for businesses that hire military veterans, similar to the federal-level credit recently signed by President Barack Obama.
Keam says he's exploring whether exempting military service members' retirement pay from taxes, a practice in place in several states like New York and Pennsylvania, would make sense in Virginia.
Keam is also looking into smaller adjustments, like extending the amount of time military veterans have to renew their Virginia licenses from 90 to 180 days. It would particularly benefit those troops who are overseas for months at a time and can't get back to take care of stateside business, he said.
Local Issues
Keam has his eyes on several more local issues, including
- A bill that would allow counties the discretion to keep polling places until 8 p.m., one hour later than current regulations allow
- Tightening state licensing practices and regulations
Keam says he wants businesses to have the appropriate licensing, citing examples such as martial arts studios that are required to carry child care licenses, and forensic and computer science businesses must carry private investigator licenses.
"It's like putting a square peg in a circle hole: Even though their practice doesn't fit in that category, it's the only license their practice can have. The state laws and regulations are sometimes mismatched."
Keam will be posting updates about his work during the session on his website. He'll also hold a town hall meeting with Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) at 9 a.m. Jan. 21 at , 330 Center Street N. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.


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Mary P. Kearney, 88, died Thursday March 28, 2013 at Granville Regional Medial Center. She was born in Franklin County daughter of the late Molly Florence Vaughn Pearce and Ollie Cato Pearce and was preceded in death by her husbands; John W. Wheelous, Jr. and George D. Kearney, Sr.
Funeral services will be held 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon March 31, 2013 at Franklinton Baptist Church with Rev. Dr. David Averette, Rev. Clyde Waiden and Rev. Wayne Clark officiating. Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery.
She is survived by her daughter; Harriet W. Hartsfield and husband Richard D. "Rick" Hartsfield, Jr. of Franklinton, sons; John W. Wheelous, III of Fayetteville, George D. Kearney, Jr. and wife Kim of Raleigh, grandsons; Richard D. "Trip" Hartsfield, III of Raleigh and Jonathan W. Hartsfield of Franklinton, a sister; Doris P. Merritt of Oxford, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Friends may visit with the family from 6:30-8:30 Saturday evening March 29, 2013 at Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center 405 South Main St. Wake Forest, NC 27587. (919-556-5811).


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You're leaving Wedding Paper Divas to see the Deal of the Day at our parent site, Tiny Prints.
You won't be able to dismiss this by usual means (escape or click button), but you can close it programatically based on user choices or actions.
"We love the invitations. We chose custom colors and they designed them according to our choices. I was able to use live chat when I had a question and my questions were answered very quickly. We made a modification to the first proof and we got a second proof only a few hours later. The service was really fast and the invitations are very cute."
"LOVED our invite!! We got many compliments on them. Loved the simplicity of just using one card. Very happy with how they turned out!"
"The designer who worked on my card provided extremely quick service, making my changes in just 2 minutes! I was very impressed by the overall look and quality of the card. It is absolutely stunning and very classy in real life."
"My fiance and I are very happy with our invitations. There were easy to make online and look even better in person. We will defeinetly be using Wedding Paper Divas for our Thank yous :)"
"My fiance picked this card out of the samples I ordered, but we weren't able to get engagement photos before needing to order invites. He and his mom still encouraged me to order anyways even though the sample draft I had made just had photos of the two of us traveling together. I was definitely concerned with how well it would turn out but was pleasantly surprised with the final product--the touchups the designer made definitely enhanced the photo quality."


text: Of course, female anglers don't hold a monopoly on functional fashion these days. Board shorts have created a new standard for technical fishing wear among younger men. To address that niche, Hook and Tackle Outfitters introduces the Board Rider short. Board Riders are made from soft, quick-dry micro nylon and feature an innovative pliers pocket, large side cargo pocket and an adjustable draw cord. Available in even sizes from 32 to 42 and in stone and brown, the shorts retail for $35. Call 305-754-3255 or visit www.hookandtackle.com.


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Ben raised $1,000 for MS research and advocacy last year. He's trying to do the same this year.
Category Archive: Making a Difference
May 12 2014
Research, Advocacy, and Services
Mar 27 2014
Why I Stay
Sometimes people ask me how I stick around. This is how.
Mar 18 2014
You Don't Want to See Me Gaming
Will the people who want me to debate put their money where their mouths are?
Mar 11 2014
2014 Geeks Without God Camp Quest Scholarship
Geeks Without God is raising funds to send kids who otherwise couldn't afford it to Camp Quest here in Minnesota.
Mar 10 2014
Who's Going Bowling?
Who else out there is part of this great event?
Jan 17 2014
Toward an Independent Freethought Media
So why is independent news media so important?
Nov 10 2013
In One City Alone
Now that news reports are making it out of the Philippines, the picture is very ugly.
Oct 23 2013
A Mental Health Musical
Once upon a time, familiar fairy tales were re-imagined to show positive portrayals of children with mental health disorders to raise awareness and reduce stigma.
Jun 12 2013
Nontheist Chaplains Coming to a Vote
Thursday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on an amendment that would allow nontheistic chaplains in the Chaplain Corps of the Armed Forces.
Jun 09 2013
Atheists in the News
We need a friendlier, more knowledgeable press. Teresa MacBain is giving us that opportunity.


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Duane R. Swisher, 55, former swim coach at Western Boone Jr.-Sr. High School, died Saturday after his bicycle was hit by a Jeep about 8:28 a.m. in rural Fountain County.
Swisher was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Crawfordsville, where he was pronounced dead, according to Fountain County Sheriff's Deputy Scott M. Rainey. The sheriff's department had no additional information as of 8:10 p.m. Saturday. The accident was under investigation, the sheriff's department said.
Those who knew Swisher talk about his caring heart and discipline for the athletic endeavors that were such a big part of his life.
"He was a very caring person," said his cousin, Tammy Clanton, of Advance. "He was always there for other family members."
Swisher was a physical education teacher at Western Boone for 24 years, teaching with his lifelong friend Brian Bowerman, who teaches seventh-grade social studies.
"He's one of those guys who makes everyone around him better," Bowerman said. He and Swisher knew each other since they were elementary students on the school football team. Bowerman shared his love of cycling. "We trained together all the time."
Swisher enjoyed competing in triathlons, often placing in the top of his age group.
In fact, he was an elite athlete, having made the U.S. kayak team for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, said Western Boone Principal Rob Ramey. The United States boycotted the games that year, so Swisher wasn't able to compete.
See Wednesday's Times Sentinel for more on this story.


text:
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Propét Dixon
- Full-grain leather upper
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- Removable, cushioned leather insole
- All-weather, flexible outsole
*Shipped by the manufacturer.
Item #: 30Q-J31
- $124.99
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text:
EU and Canada reach free trade dealBy JUERGEN BAETZ
THE Associated Press | October 19,2013AP PHOTO
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and European Commission President Jose Barroso shake hands as they exchange documents during a ceremony Friday at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.BRUSSELS Canada and the European Union have struck a tentative free trade deal meant to boost growth and jobs and which European officials hope will provide a blueprint for a much larger but more challenging trade pact with the U.S.
The deal agreed to on Friday in Brussels will cut tariffs and red tape and was attained after settling bitter disputes over cheese exports and visa requirements. Companies on each side will have improved access to the two lucrative markets the 28-member EUs 500 million people and Canadas 35 million.
This is a big deal. It is the biggest deal our country has ever made, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in Brussels.
The value of bilateral trade in goods and services between the EU and Canada was 85 billion euros in 2012 ($116 billion at todays value), according to the European Commission, the EUs executive arm. It estimates the agreement will boost trade by almost a quarter.
The deal still requires approval by the European Parliament, EU member states and from Canada on federal and provincial levels. These are expected to be cleared in 2015.
A total of 99 percent of tariffs will be removed immediately once the agreement takes effect, with only a few agricultural products being excluded and managed by quota rules.
In numerical terms, the deal appears to be a bigger win for Canada. The EU, a $17-trillion economy, is Canadas second-largest trading partner behind the U.S. By contrast, Canada is only the EUs 12th-largest trading market. The deal would also help reduce the dependence of Canadas $1.8-trillion economy on imports from the U.S.
However, while Canadas export potential grows, its products will also face stiffer competition at home.
Indeed, Canada seemed to have made major concessions for the deal in .
Sectors like Canadas dairy products, particularly cheese producers, are likely to see their market share fall. They will receive help from the Canadian government as imports from Europe ramp up, Harper said. He insisted, nevertheless, that the deal is in the interest of the vast majority of Canadians.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hailed the agreement as a win-win for both sides after four years of negotiations.
The EUs cheese exports proved to be one of the last stumbling blocks in the negotiations, EU officials said. In the final compromise, Canada accepted an increased quota that will allow EU cheese exports to surge by 130 percent.
Another hurdle was the Czech governments insistence that Canada should waive its visa requirement for Czech citizens. Harper said that Canada will scrap the rule in the coming weeks.
The EU hopes the agreement with Canada will provide a boost to free trade talks with the U.S., which would be the worlds largest such pact. The EU and U.S. combined represent just under half of the global economy.
Officials on both sides of the Atlantic hope to agree on the broad outline of that deal by the end of next year, but that schedule is considered highly ambitious as significant hurdles remain.
We expect this agreement to set some standards, also for other negotiations, including with our American friends, Barroso said, hinting that some of the compromises struck with Canada could serve as blueprints for the negotiations with the U.S.MORE IN National / World BusinessNEW YORK Target is bringing in an outsider as its CEO for the first time as the retailer fights... Full StoryNEW YORK For investors, there were few havens on Thursday. Full StoryWASHINGTON The government is underestimating the threat of a chemical attack on Americas... Full Story
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Marianna is located in Florida.
Marianna, Florida has a population of
Marianna is
family-centric than the surrounding county with
17.63% of the households
containing married families with children.
The county average for households married with children is 22.38%.
The median household income in Marianna, Florida is
The median household income for the surrounding county is $36,686
compared to the national median of $50,935.
The median age of people living in Marianna is
35.9 years.
The average high temperature in July is 91
degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 39 degrees.
The average rainfall is approximately 57.4 inches
per year, with 0.1 inches of snow per year.


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Results 1 to 4 of 4
- Join Date
- Sep 2012
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91 k2500 5.7 5spd manual electrical issues?
Ok so I bought a 91 k2500 5.7 manual tranny. Ran good for the first five days then died. I replaced the fuel pump relay and fuse, fuel pump and module, ecm and distributor which includes a new ignition coil. The problem I'm having is that 1. The fuel pump doesn't prime and 2. The injectors will not pulse. I've tested the injectors with a couple jumper wires they open. I could use some ideas. I should add that the injectors aren't receiving the pulsing ground, and that I tested those wires for continuity from plug to plug between the injectors and ecm and ecm to distributor and they are fine.
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It sounds like you have no juice at the pump. Check the wires at the pump for voltage and chassis ground. If you have power and ground at the tank then you have a broken wire inside the tank."It went together didn't it? Well then there has to be a way to take it apart!" - Me.
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"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
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I just replaced the pump module 3 days ago. Nothing wrong with the wires inside the tank.
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- Jan 2010
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- 17
Ever get this fixed? Does it have spark?
Spark may seem unrelated but I'm curious if the engine is A: actually powering up when you turn the key to on and B:aware that it is cranking over when you turn the key to start. Were it not for the fuel pump not priming I would have only wondered about the second, but with no injector pulse OR fuel pump relay switching on when you turn the key to on I would almost suspect something in the ignition switch.
One of the funniest (in a piss you off way) glitches I ever saw was a truck that would lose key on power in the cranking position due to a problem with the electrical part of the ignition switch, so it would actually power on fine and then do nothing but crank in the start position, it would actually fire as you were letting off the key because the engine was still spinning and it would get power when the key returned to the on position. That was entertaining to find to say the least.
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Insights into health care and entitlement reform.
All over the country, state governors and legislatures have been wrestling with the decision of whether or not to sign up for Obamacare's significant expansion of Medicaid, America's government-run health insurance program for the poor. Prominent Republican governors, like John Kasich in Ohio, have said yes to Medicaid, reasoning that if Ohio doesn't grab the federal money, other states will. But, as Wisconsin governor Scott Walker now shows, there is a far better path forward, one that reduces the footprint of Medicaid while providing coverage to the uninsured.
The four key points about Medicaid
There are a number of things to understand about Obamacare's Medicaid expansion. The first is that Medicaid provides the worst health outcomes of any insurance plan in America; in many cases, it's worse than having no coverage at all. The second is that Medicaid is a fiscal time bomb; today, states and the federal government jointly fund the program, but over time, Congress is almost certain to curtail its support due to Washington's fiscal pressures. The third is that Medicaid drives up the cost of insurance for everyone else, because hospitals overcharge people with private insurance to make up for the fact that they're underpaid by Medicaid.
The fourth is that Obamacare gives states a superior alternative to expanding Medicaid: allowing low-income patients to sign up for Obamacare's regulated exchanges for subsidized private-sector insurance. While Obamacare expands Medicaid to individuals making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, the law's exchanges apply to individuals making between 100 and 400 percent of FPL. Hence, states can choose which way to go for those between 100 and 138 percent: an important population.
Scott Walker's plan: Expand exchanges, not Medicaid
Yesterday's announcement from Scott Walker takes all of these considerations into account. "We need to break cycles of generational dependence on the government," said Walker in a statement. "Reforming entitlements, like Medicaid and unemployment insurance, puts an emphasis on independence and the dignity that comes with working hard to build a prosperous future of your own choosing."
Today, Wisconsin allows adults with incomes up to 200 percent of FPL to qualify for BadgerCare, the state's Medicaid program. However, as state Medicaid spending exploded in the Aughties, the Badger State had to close the program to new enrollees.
Walker's plan would walk back the eligibility requirements for BadgerCare back to 100 percent of FPL for adults, while keeping the program unchanged for children, the disabled, and the elderly. While the Obama administration would strongly prefer that states fully expand their Medicaid programs up to 138 percent of FPL, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has stated that "we will consider waivers at the regular matching rate" for those who seek a different route. In other words, Washington will fully fund a Medicaid expansion up to 138 percent—for now—but will fund it at a lower rate, of around 58 percent, for states that do something else.
Exchanges will provide higher-quality coverage than Medicaid
The Walker administration understood this to be a good trade. "82,000 adults will become eligible [for Medicaid] because we are lifting the [enrollment] cap," explains Wisconsin health secretary Dennis Smith. "There are 87,000 adults currently on the program with income above 100 percent of FPL. So those individuals will [now] seek coverage through the exchanges, [and] there will be a net reduction—in our estimates—of 5,000 adults on Medicaid."
Indeed, by Smith's count, the Walker plan will expand coverage by 224,520 individuals, compared to 252,678 by doing things the Obama administration's way. That should help insulate the plan from the kind of left-wing criticism that focuses on the number of people with or without coverage, instead of the quality of coverage that individuals receive.
Wisconsin will have to pay for a portion of these Medicaid enrollees' expenses. But they were doing that already, under the old system. Because the exchanges are a federal program, fully funded by Washington, the state government achieves fiscal certainty in that population.
And now, everyone above the poverty line will gain access to higher-quality, private-sector coverage on the exchanges. The reason why Medicaid coverage is so bad is because the government cheats by paying doctors and hospitals less than what other insurers pay. This has led many doctors to stop accepting Medicaid patients. "Would you want the Medicaid rate [in your insurance coverage], or the commercial rate?" asks Smith. "You'd want the commercial rate, right?" Exactly.
The exchanges reduce the disincentive to find work
There are many things wrong with Obamacare's exchanges, most notably that the design of the exchanges forces insurers to offer plans that are needlessly expensive and unaffordable. But one good thing about the exchanges is that they are subsidized on a sliding scale: the more money you make, the less subsidy you get. If you're on Medicaid, and you seek entry-level work, you face the prospects of losing your health coverage. The exchanges, with their gradual tapering-off of subsidies, limit this disincentive.
Putting people on the exchanges instead of Medicaid "reflects the importance of helping people become independent, that the insurance coverage for individuals should be similar to what their neighbors and their co-workers have, which is to get that coverage through the private sector and keep the healthy populations in the insurance pool," says Smith.
Wisconsin's responsible approach is a national model
Up to now, the choice facing states regarding Obamacare has been presented as a binary one: total rejection, in which states are forced to send their taxpayers' money to more profligate states; or total capitulation, in which states choose to fleece their more prudent neighbors. Faced with that decision, many rhetorically conservative governors, like Ohio's John Kasich and Arizona's Jan Brewer, have chosen the piratical path.
Wisconsin has shown us that there is a third way, one that allows states to make the best of the "Sophie's Choice" that Obamacare has imposed upon them. States' focus should be on maximizing their use of Obamacare's exchanges, which provide at least some semblance of market-based health coverage, and minimizing their use of Medicaid, which traps the poor in the worst health program in the developed world.
Many conservatives still hope that Obamacare can be repealed. But the chances of that happening are close to zero. Here's the silver lining: Obamacare's exchanges, while seriously flawed, are reformable in a way that Medicaid is not. Indeed, the exchanges could someday be expanded to provide coverage for people who are today on Medicare and Medicaid, resulting in true, long-term entitlement reform. Scott Walker's plan is a small but important step toward that goal.
Follow Avik on Facebook and on Twitter at @avik.
UPDATE 1: Here's a clip of Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R.) commenting on the state's options for dealing with Obamacare's Medicaid expansion:
UPDATE 2: Peter Robinson interviews Gov. Walker for his "Uncommon Knowledge" series, with an extensive discussion of Walker's approach to the Medicaid expansion:
INVESTORS' NOTE: A number of publicly-traded health insurance companies are involved in administering Medicaid plans, and stand to gain business from Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, including Wellcare (WCG), Centene (CNC), Molina (MOH), Wellpoint (WLP), and Humana (HUM).
I just like this part "Many conservatives still hope that Obamacare can be repealed. But the chances of that happening are close to zero." Oh and by the way Mr. Failed Republican presidential candidate, it's properly called The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, not Obamacare. Calling it that gives yourself away so easily…
Except Obama fullt embraces the term Obamacare. If that is all you have please refrain from making a post
He doesn't fully embrace it but he's given little choice by its critics. I've seen him on television shrug his shoulders when pressed about that name but really, he's got other things to address, not bits of derision from the Forbes crowd. Sorry for the late reply but I've been working all day.
JP, you hang up your gloves?
He's got pizzas to deliver.
In actuality it should have been called the Unaffordable Tax Care Plan because the only thing that is going to happen is that people forgo buying insurance until needed and pay the very minimal tax. Good luck sustaining the insurance system under such failed perverse incentives.
You can't forgo paying for insurance, which is the whole point. You are going to use health services in the fullness of time. Under the present system if you don't have or pay insurance and get sick and go to emergency it's free and you get fixed. This way, you have to pay from the start. You can't shirk paying for your health care because you are going to need it. Only the poorest of the poor will be able to forgo insurance, everyone else will have to pay for what they will use.
"This way, you have to pay from the start"
No you don't. Simply don't buy health insurance and don't pay the fine either.
"You can't shirk paying for your health care…"
Yes you can. Don't buy health insurance, don't pay the fine. Wait until you need health care and use the emergency room, then buy insurance.
There's no reason to buy insurance in advance or pay the fine because there are no risks of criminal prosecution, property lien, garnishment of wages or audit. The IRS has the one and only feeble option of confiscating a tax refund. Big deal. Only 53% of the population pays federal income taxes to begin with. Of those who do, how many are owed a refund? Of those owed a refund, how many are due refunds that cost more than the bloated insurance policies loaded with unwanted, unneeded coverage that unelected bureaucrats mandate we buy?
There's no incentive to buy insurance and every incentive to not have insurance. Free care is available at the emergency room and automatic approval for health insurance is guaranteed. This way people can wait until it's needed, then drop insurance when they've recovered until the next time.
The individual mandate is a farce. It was only used as a smokescreen to sucker the gullible into believing the Unaffordable Care Act had an effective enforcement mechanism. It does not.
Buford, you are correct on the facts and smart on the strategy for anyone not eligible for Medicare.
It won't take long for most people to figure this out – many have already.
I don't know whether the strategy of not buying insurance works for the Medicare population. If you are eligible for Medicare and don't sign up when first eligible, you face a 10% additional yearly premium for every year you don't sign up. I don't think ObamaCare changed this rule and, if not, a deferred buying strategy wouldn't work. Is that also your understanding?
Hello Judge Crater,
My post addressed the 64 and under population. The 65 and over crowd are well aware of the importance of health insurance, especially at their age which is close to 100% insured. Facing more health care needs, there will not be any voluminous amounts of seniors refusing Medicare and paying a fine. Furthermore, the unbreakable connection to Social Security prevents them from choosing one without the other. That should be changed, allowing freedom of choice to those who wish to wait longer or stay on the plan they currently have and want to keep.
It's doubtful many seniors will believe Obama's repeated bogus promise/lie that Obamacare allows for those who like their insurance to keep it and to keep their doctor if they like their doctor. Obviously, that's blatantly false. What's so bizarre, is that he keeps making this claim when the estimates of those who will lose their insurance (even if they want to keep it) continues to rise.


text:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Heavy rains are causing sinkholes and damaging roads in low-lying areas.
About a dozen sinkholes popped up over the last couple days, including spots in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Stanly Counties.
The NCDOT says it could be weeks before they are repaired. More rain will slow the repair process because engineers need the water to recede to get a good, safe look at the damage.
In the meantime, drivers will have to get used to u-turns and road blocks.
"Home isn't going to be what home was when you left."
That's what friends told Franki and Maddi Nisi on their return trip from New Jersey to their home in Huntersville.
They drove around and found their main paths around town to run errands and visit friends are blocked.
There is a sinkhole in Bud Henderson Road.
Monday night it was sagging asphalt with markers around it. Tuesday morning it was a six foot deep hole in front of Sonny Eddins' house.
"I'm not an engineer, but it looks like there's going to be some problems," Eddins said.
At Gilead Road near McCoy road, the road is sagging because a pipe failed.
"You would bottom out, something bad would happen, you would be in the creek," Maddi Nisi said.
We found several of those, including on John White Road in Cabarrus County where a pipe failed and washed away the shoulder and asphalt.
There is a similar situation on Walker Road in Cabarrus County, where it carved a 15 foot deep hole and prompted a spray-painted warning sign.
Harris Road by the Skybrook neighborhood in Cabarrus County is closed after washing out too.
"It's going to be a major inconvenience," Maddi Nisi said.
It's an inconvenience drivers should get used to for at least a couple of weeks.
Now, those mother and daughter trips around town involve more time and U-turns.
"You're looking at probably ten minutes just out of our way just to say hi, let alone the people that live there and have to do this 3-4 times a day, especially with kids, getting dropped off at daycares, parents that have to get home for certain events," Nisi said.
So far, no one has driven into the sinkholes.
The NCDOT is asking drivers not to move barriers, or drive past them.


text:
July 31, 2014
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The Senate has passed a two-year, $19
billion state budget that will require sharp cuts to most
government agencies and programs.
The spending plan passed 36-1 on Friday afternoon. It now goes
to the House for consideration.
The measure calls for 8.4 percent cuts to most government
agencies and programs because of lingering financial woes brought
on the recession that hit Kentucky in 2008.
Lawmakers still haven't worked out differences in $3.5 million
worth of road construction projects on the drawing board for the
next two years.
The budget is House Bill 265.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


text:
Robert J. Stanley, Jr., of Middleport, passed away Sunday, November 11, 2012, at his home.
He was born in Medina, NY on September 15, 1973, son of Robert J. Stanley and Lynne (Bilicki) Chiarolanza, and he had lived in Middleport all of his life. He graduated from Royalton Hartland High School in l991 and he and his wife, Maranda L. (Andrews) Stanley, were married January 23, 1999 in Middleport.
He enjoyed his family, fishing, working out, music of all kinds, camping and he enjoyed people, and was a free spirit.
He is survived by his wife, Maranda L. Stanley; two daughters, Shelbie A. Stanley and Zadie D. Stanley, both of Middleport; his parents, Robert J. (Jane) Stanley of Middleport; and Lynne (Guy) Chiarolanza of Medina; one brother and three sisters, Amanda (William) Grout of Texas; Jeremy (Kristy) Carr of Medina; Jamie (Dan) Capen of Middleport; and Stasia (Ben Capen) Stanley of Barker. Also surviving are his grandparents, Charles and Dorothy Baehr of Gasport; and several aunts, uncles, cousins; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Tony and Danielle Gullo of Middleport; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call Saturday from 1 to 4 PM at the Bates, Wallace & Heath Funeral Home, 38 State St., Middleport, where funeral services will follow at 4:00 PM. Burial will be at the convenience of the family in Hartland Central Cemetery. Memorials to Niagara Hospice, 4675 Sunset Dr., Lockport, NY 14094, would be appreciated by the Stanley family.
Visit www.bateswallace.com to sign guest register.
Robert J. Stanley, Jr.
Robert J. Stanley, Jr., of Middleport, passed away Sunday, November 11, 2012, at his home.


text:
By CHRIS STONER
With all of the new age statistics that are kept in basketball nowadays, the name of the game is still putting the ball in the basket.
Madison shot a smooth 57 percent compared to Floyd Central's 32 percent and blew out the Highlanders 63-41 Saturday night on Joe Hinton Court.
"It was half our poor defense and half they stroked it tonight," Highlanders head coach Randy Gianfagna said of the Cubs' offensive performance. "Right now, what teams are doing is getting our bigs in screen and rolls. [Madison's Matt] Woolard got going early and got confident."
Woolard pumped in a game-high 24 points for Madison (7-6, 1-4 HHC), pacing three Cubs in double-figures. Saturday night was Madison's first win over Floyd (3-12, 0-5) since 2008.
"Our offense is struggling right now," said Gianfagna, whose team is averaging only 44 points per game. "This weekend was one of those perfect storms where we let two teams in a row shoot over 50 percent on us. Our defense was really good early in the year and it's kind of gone backwards a little bit."
The first quarter was high scoring for both teams. The Highlanders' Travis Foster poured in seven of his team-high 12 in the opening frame, the Floyd trailed only 19-16 heading to the second period.
"The first quarter we did okay but then the second quarter they let us quick shoot it and when the shots didn't go in, we didn't rebound it," Gianfagna said.
The well went dry for the hosts in the second frame as Floyd shot just 2-of-13 and it trailed 33-21 going to the locker room.
Nothing improved in the third frame as the Highlanders netted just 3-of-13 buckets and was down by 19 after three periods.
"For two nights in a row, the 50-50 loose balls have just not gone our way," said Gianfagna, whose team was just 2-of-3 from the foul line. "The free throw line is always a big key and they shot more free throws than us tonight. When we did get it in the post we didn't score it in there. We were just not the aggresors tonight and that was the game."
The Highlanders are back in action Friday at Seymour, which is 1-12 and also winless in the HHC.


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Dont get caught with your pants down
Men and women who have been found guilty of urinating in public are required by Judge Jerry Jaye of Lakeside Municipal Court to write two letters of apology one to downtown businesses through the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership and one to the citizens of Fond du Lac that will be published in The Reporter. The signed letters of apology to citizens of Fond du Lac follow:
# Recently I received a public urination ticket. It was on the night of Nov. 27. I was with friends when the establishment we were at was shutting down and the employees forced us to the door. On the way to the car I found a secluded area with no one around and nothing that could be damaged. I received the ticket from the officer and didn't argue with him. I paid the ticket and thought nothing else would come about.
After I paid the ticket I received a letter saying, "You have been ordered by the court to write two letters of apology (minimum of 100 words), one to the downtown business and one to the citizens of Fond du Lac. These letters are due within one week of your initial court date and they MUST be signed with both your first and last name. Copies of the letters are to be sent to the Lakeside Municipal Court (also due within one week). Failure to do so will be a violation of a Court Order and may result in an additional fine and/or a warrant for your arrest." In conclusion, I'm sorry.
Tyler T. Schill
# I apologize to the public for going to the bathroom outside when it is meant to be done indoors. I realize it was wrong for me to do something like that. I also realize that it was a very unlady-like thing to do, although that does not make it right for the men to do either. Again, I am sorry and it will never happen again.
Summer Guell
Fond du Lac
# I am apologizing for urinating in public on April 18, 2005.
Jason Burroughs
Fond du Lac
# I sincerely apologize for my act of disorderly conduct in this city. I will remember to be respectful and to abide by the expectations of this city in the future.
Please accept my apology.
Kim Kotecki
Fond du Lac
# A valuable lesson learned and actions were taken to help me realize respect for other people's property.
Although there was no damage, vandalizing someone's shop that wakes up every day and works hard to maintain a healthy and appealing atmosphere for customers to enjoy a pleasurable experience. My deepest apologies to the people that make that possible and maintain our streets to provide an environment we all could be happy. As a resident of Fond du Lac I would like to return the same favor and keep our beautiful city nice and clean and take pride of where I live.
Sean-Ray I. Avilez
Fond du Lac
# I owe the whole city of Fond du Lac a huge apology. I am truly sorry for the act of public urination in downtown Fond du Lac, Aug. 5. I drank too much and decided to walk home. I should have stopped and went to the bathroom indoors.
I have been a resident of Fond du Lac for 25 years and feel bad for what I did. This town has helped me in many ways. Fond du Lac, of all cities, doesn't need these acts happening downtown or anywhere in the city.
I can guarantee the people of Fond du Lac that they will never see such an act from me again.
Thank you,
Jeremy M. Reitz
Fond du Lac
# I would like to apologize to the businesses and citizens of Fond du Lac for a fine that I received for public urination.
I realize that there is no reason for what I did and I am truly sorry. I know what I did was wrong and it was a bad choice in my judgment.
To the people of Fond du Lac, I'm sorry for what I've done on the city streets.
To the businesses, I am sorry for what I have done also. I desecrated your places of business when I chose to make a very poor decision and for that I am very, very sorry. I hope the people and businesses of Fond du Lac will forgive me.
Joseph G. Ciepluch
Fond du Lac
# I recently got caught taking a major No. 1 in Fond du Lac. It was bar closing time and I didn't have the option to use the restroom in the establishment. I decided to go behind a dumpster. Shortly thereafter, I got caught.
I am sorry for this indecent act and won't ever do it again. This stupid incident has cost me almost $200 and lots of time typing up these apology letters. Not to mention the shame I have cast down on my future children.
Shannon T. Rose
Fond du Lac
# I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to Main Street business owners. I am truly sorry for my actions on Main Street. I was very disrespectful and it was a mistake that will never happen again on my part. I know for a fact that if I owned a business, the last thing I would ever want is for someone to deface my property. For this I am sorry.
For future reference, I will warn others not to make a foolish and expensive mistake like I did. Please know that I have learned my lesson and in the future, I will make a more responsible decision.
Matthew R. Khania
# I want to say I'm sorry for urinating outside in a parking lot by a business in your city. I should have been more responsible and just went and used a restroom. But I didn't.
I hope everyone in Fond du Lac can forgive me. I learned from this mistake I made. I promise you will never have to worry about me doing this again. I'm old enough to know this was wrong but that's how you learn your lessons in life.
The new year is coming up and I will start my new year with more responsibility than what I am now. Well I hope everyone has a good Christmas and new year.
Thank you,
Kelly M. Zingsheim
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Our four-compartment pine crate is crammed with luxurious Di Bruno Bros. Private Label snacks. These popular treats are made with the highest quality nuts, which are roasted to perfection in rotating copper kettles, the old-fashioned way. Sure to please everyone on your gift list, even if that someone is you! Learn More
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- Administration
- Office of the President
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FACULTY PROFILE"I have extremely high expectations of myself and of my students. I want them to actually excel and exceed me. I raise the bar very high." More
Gail Thomas
Professor of Sociology
Visiting Assistant Professor in Rhetoric and Composition and Director/Coordinator of the Writing Center
Date Posted: 03/04/2013
Soka University of America (www.soka.edu) is searching for a colleague to serve as Director/Coordinator of our Writing Center and to teach composition and general education courses. The position is a two-year Visiting Assistant Professor in Composition and Rhetoric to begin in Fall 2013. A selective liberal arts university founded upon the principles of peace and human rights, SUA is committed to a global and inter- or multidisciplinary approach to education and aims to foster close intellectual relations between faculty members and students by encouraging mentoring on the part of the faculty. Students come from all over the world.
We seek a colleague whose area of specialty is Composition and Rhetoric, specifically Writing Center theory and practice, and who has a strong commitment to the Writing Center as an academic resource for students and faculty; a passion for undergraduate teaching; experience in teaching and advising students of diverse backgrounds; the ability to work well with faculty across the university; an interest in cultivating connections among the Writing Center, the Writing Program, and other SUA academic programs; and a continuing program of scholarly activity.
The teaching load is four classes a year and may include small first-year and advanced writing seminars, along with courses in the general education curriculum and/or a three-week research-oriented "learning cluster" seminar focused on the candidate and students' mutual interests. The Director/Coordinator will be responsible for administering the Writing Center, providing ongoing professional development for our Writing Center specialists, assisting with the implementation of campus-wide writing assessment, and implementing new Writing Center initiatives in response to our campus' growing needs.
The university's beautiful campus, located in Aliso Viejo, California, is within easy access of the rich cultural offerings of both Los Angeles and San Diego.
Salary is competitive.
Qualifications: Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from an accredited university or related field with specialization in Rhetoric and Composition as well as experience in Writing Center administration.
Applications: Each application must include a cover letter that describes the candidate's philosophy of teaching, perspective on the role of rhetoric and composition in the interdisciplinary undergraduate curriculum, and scholarly interests; a Writing Center administrative philosophy statement; a curriculum vitae; a writing sample; evidence of teaching effectiveness; and three letters of recommendation.
All materials must be received by mail by April 15, 2013. Send materials toRhetoric and Composition Position c/o Edward M. Feasel, Ph.D. Dean of Faculty Soka University of America 1 University Drive Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 Email: email@example.com Fax: (949) 480-4263
Soka University of America is an equal opportunity employer.


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Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been isolated from the rest of the world for decades, therefore offering great historical value, rich cultural heritage, and insight to a unique daily life style. It also possesses a vast eco-diversity such as pollution free air, virgin landscapes, natural river systems and unspoiled beaches. Expect only the friendliest and most courteous treatment from your JOURNEYS tour guides and drivers. Visit Burma to gain a perspective on your freedom, peace, and political privilege. Share your ideas about freedom, democracy, and society. Take away a sense of a beautiful people preserving their dignity in a society tied to a long tradition of autocratic domination. We use only private travel services for our trips. Many travelers find the food, services and lodging surprisingly comfortable. Everyone who travels in Myanmar wishes their tour would last longer!
Once Upon a Time in Rangoon...Kishan's Story
JOURNEYS' Myanmar Trips
|Bagan and Beyond
|8 Days
|More details
|Burma: Ruins and Rivers
|15 Days
|More details
|Treasures of the Golden Land
|12 Days
|More details
|Trek to the Last Village
|11 Days
|More details


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PLATTSBURGH — A Plattsburgh man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly engaging in repeated sexual acts with a child younger than 13.
Jeremy St. Pierre, 37, was charged with two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child, a class A-II felony, the second-highest classifications for felonies in New York state.
The criminal sex acts occurred multiple times in 2011, according to a news release from New York State Police.
St. Pierre was arraigned in Plattsburgh Town Court before Justice Kevin M. Patnode and was sent to Clinton County Jail without bail.
Agencies that aided State Police in the investigation into St. Pierre's alleged illicit activities are the Clinton County District Attorney's Office, the Clinton County District Attorney's Child Advocacy Center and the Clinton County Department of Social Services.
Police would release no further information regarding the case Thursday.
Email Felicia Krieg: firstname.lastname@example.com: @FeliciaKrieg


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(Note: You need to be a registered CSUEB student, faculty or staff member to access this database online.)
Index with Abstracts
Statistical Theory & Method Abstracts (STMA) provides worldwide coverage of published articles on mathematical statistics and probability. These abstracts provide valuable information on new developments in all fields of probability theory, estimation, linear models, stochastic processes, operations research, testing of hypothesis, experimental design and time series analysis. Each year approximately 6,000 abstracts are published summarizing articles from journals of all parts of the world.
1981-present (99% certain)


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By Denise Richardson
The Daily Star
---- — Concerns about revenue sources were aired during Tuesday's Common Council meeting, with at least two members raising issues with payments-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements.
First Ward council member Maureen Hennessey reported that the Newman Development Group representatives gave "a really good presentation'' about its proposal to the Planning Commission last month.
"It was exciting,'' Hennessy, council liaison to the commission, said during the meeting at City Hall.
Newman Development Group has expressed interest in a PILOT for its proposed 325-bed complex to be on Blodgett Drive.
Michael Lynch, council member from the Fourth Ward, in response to Hennesey's report said he was concerned about the awarding of PILOT agreements when the city needs to develop revenue sources.
The Otsego County Industrial Development Agency, which awards PILOT plans, recently approved an agreement with the developer renovating the former Bresee's property downtown. The schedule was presented last year to the Common Council for advice, and Tuesday, Mayor Dick Miller said he couldn't imagine the IDA going forward with an agreement with a majority support from the Common Council.
City Manager Michael Long said information is being collected about the tax-abatement agreement that Newman Development Group has in Binghamton, where the developer has student housing projects, among other background materials.
Mayor Dick Miller suggested that PILOTs be the focus of a meeting after information is gathered. The topic goes beyond the proposal submitted by Newman Development Group, he said.
"There's a lot of concern about a level playing field among local developers,'' Miller said.
Common Council members, city department heads and union leaders will meet at the Sixth Ward Athletic Club from 5 to 7 tonight to discuss priorities for the city.
In discussing the Newman Development project at Tuesday's meeting, some council members raised questions about the occupancy of the apartment building and drainage from the hillside site. City officials said such questions will be considered by the Planning Commission as plans are developed.
Sixth Ward council member Russ Southard echoed Lynch's concerns about the PILOT issue and added that the business impact of the apartment project will be limited if the complex has its own café and other amenities.
Miller said the city is looking at stimulating owner-occupied housing in Center City, such as with support for down-payments and renovations.
Center City this academic year has been the site of extra police patrols to monitor traffic and behavior of college students.
"Some us who live downtown would rather see them on the hill,'' Eighth Ward council member Chip Holmes said Tuesday night.


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The Department of Recreation, Sport and Wellness explores the important roles of recreation, sport, adventure and leisure in the human experience. Through a Christian lens you'll study the societal changes and ethical implications that emerge when quality-of-life issues are challenged. You'll gain firsthand experience for leadership and programming that will equip you for professional service in a variety of settings.
The faculty prepare you to plan, organize and lead recreation programs in many settings, and challenge you to understand the meaning of leisure in our culture as impacted by sociological, psychological, theological, historical, philosophical and economic influences. You will be encouraged to double major or declare a minor that complements your interests.
The department also has a dynamic internship/cooperative education placement program to help you move from the classroom to the work environment.
Over 90% of recent Recreation, Sport and Wellness graduates are employed in jobs related to the field
The department offers you the opportunity to complete a concentration (or minor for non-majors) in outdoor education. The concentration or minor is completed through participation in Gordon's W.I.L.D. Semester (Wilderness Immersion and Leadership Development). The semester works in partnership with Gordon's nationally recognized Christian adventure program La Vida.
The program teaches:
Facilities include:
Time to pack your bags and books… You can choose among many semester, year, short-term or summer abroad programs around the globe through the Global Education Office (GEO). Tuition for the programs is the same as a regular semester or year on campus. Check out some of the many opportunities:
There are many professional opportunities directly related to leisure and recreational services. Graduates have successfully entered the recreation profession and have progressed in their leadership roles as well as pursued graduate degrees. Possibilities include, but are not limited to:
Wired 4 Sport
Are you wired for sport? A website for like-minded Christians in sport and recreation.
Massachusetts Recreation and Park Association
Uniting those in Massachusetts who work in the Parks and Recreation field
National Recreation and Parks Association
The national organization for professionals in the Rec and Leisure field.
Wilderness Education Association
Offers a national standards curriculum focusing on teaching and training of wilderness leaders.
500 Great Program Ideas (PDF)
500 different games, activities and ideas for recreation programming


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AUBURN — Of all the city services on the budgetary chopping block, retaining police officers in the city's schools had the most support in Auburn Hall on Tuesday night.
"If you pull the resource officers out of Auburn's schools, how will you guarantee that my children will be safe? Because, you can't," Melissa Robbins of 106 Western Ave. told City Councilors.
Robbins was one of 30 people who attended the special meeting to comment on the city's proposed budget.
Some said they supported budget cuts while others said they understood that taxes would have to increase.
"I think we all have to tighten our belts this year," said Laurie Tannenbaum of Lake Street. "But I'm afraid that these cuts, and this effort to save money will cause the city actual harm."
Councilors are reviewing a proposed budget calling for $30.9 million in spending in the next fiscal year, a 3 percent increase over the current budget. Coupled with cuts of $2.7 million in state revenues coming to the city, it would mean a 9 percent increase in property taxes and a $288 property tax increase for homes valued at $171,000.
Councilors need to find either $3.5 million in new revenues or cut $3.5 million from the budget to keep taxes from rising at all. Councilors directed City Manager Glenn Aho to find at least $1 million in cuts.
Aho unveiled a slate of cuts last week that trim $1.12 million from the budget. Those included less snow plowing, no lifeguard at the Lake Auburn outlet beach and a single polling place for voters. It also cuts the city's share of support for the Fourth of July fireworks and closes city offices two hours early every Friday. That alone would save the city $224,576.
Aho's cuts also do away with school resource officers, absorbing them back into the regular police patrol to cover sick time and overtime. It would save an estimated $25,000.
In an open letter to Auburn citizens sent to city councilors, news and radio stations Friday, Mayor Dick Gleason urged councilors to pass the budget as first presented, reinstating the proposed cuts. He also urged Auburn residents to attend Tuesday's meeting.
Many did, and several spoke. Most favored keeping the resource officers in the schools.
"I wish that we had those officers in the schools when I was there, or when my children were there," said Larry Pelletier of 129 Second St. "I have two sons that are incarcerated now. If those officers were there, I think things might have turned out differently."
But Kathy Shaw of 1200 Sopers Mill Road argued for the cuts, and applauded councilors for considering the $1 million in cuts.
"I know plenty of people in this city that have already tightened their belts," she said. "We already work long hours, we can't afford insurance. Our budget does not have room in it. I have to pay my property taxes monthly now, and some months its a concern. Will I be able to make it? I don't know."
Aho said councilors will continue budget discussions at Monday's meeting, and he asked for them to rate the individual line item in his $1.1 million proposed cuts.
"That would give me some feedback, an idea of where we are going and what we need to do next," Aho said. But councilors wouldn't agree to that.
"I think maybe we should flip that around," Mayor Gleason said. "I think maybe you should give us feedback, tell us how each of those items will affect city operations."


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News & Events
Each year we offer numerous educational events for people and families living with PD. Our programs are designed and delivered by experts in the field of PD care and management.
We also offer professional training to community neurologists and other professional care providers interested in providing their patients with the best care.
Please join us at our next event.
Upcoming Events
For Providers
Newsletter Archive
Visit our newsletter archive to learn more about Parkinson's disease, gain tips on self-management, and research at the OHSU Parkinson Center of Oregon.


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If you can't leap across the pond for the Olympic games, television coverage will be aired on NBC.
The ceremony starts at 9 p.m. London time, or 4 p.m. on the East Coast. But the network is scheduled to broadcast the tape-delayed opening ceremonies at 7:30 p.m.
The opening ceremony will celebrate London with a show titled, "Isles of Wonder" directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting, 127 Hours). The games officially begin when the Olympic Flame ignites the cauldron.
The ceremony will kick off with the sound of the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe, according to London2012.com. Then, the stadium will be transformed into the British countryside for the opening scene, which includes real farmyard animals.
Former Beatle Paul McCartney is also set to perform as part of the ceremony.
For schedules and results visit the Olympic Event Schedule on the NBC Olympics website .
Which Olympic events will you be watching? Let us know in the comments.


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MEDICAL MONDAYS News Notes
Charles Morton, MD, bariatric surgeon
Mitzi Gargus, LapBand Patient
TOPIC: Weight Loss Surgery
Monday, August 2, 2010
A staggering statistic--Tennessee NOW Ranks #2 (tied with Alabama), following Mississippi with the greatest population of obese individuals in the United States.
news notes via www.webmd.com
An Overview of Weight Loss Surgery
Severe obesity is a chronic condition that is very difficult to treat. For some people, weight loss surgery -- or bariatric surgery -- helps by restricting food intake or interrupting digestive processes. But keep in mind that weight loss surgery is a serious undertaking. You should clearly understand the pros and cons associated with the procedures before making a decision.
In order to understand how weight loss works, you need to first understand how the normal digestive process functions.
Normally, as food moves along the digestive tract, appropriate digestive juices and enzymes arrive at the right place and at the right time to digest and absorb calories and nutrients. After we chew and swallow our food, it moves down the esophagus to the stomach, where a strong acid continues the digestive process. The stomach can hold about three pints of food at one time. When the stomach contents move to the duodenum, the first segment of the small intestine, bile and pancreatic juices speed up digestion. Most of the iron and calcium in the foods we eat is absorbed in the duodenum. The jejunum and ileum, the remaining two segments of the nearly 20 feet of small intestine, complete the absorption of almost all calories and nutrients. The food particles that cannot be digested in the small intestine are stored in the large intestine (made up of the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon and rectum) until eliminated.
Obesity surgery involves making changes to the stomach and/or small intestine.
How Does Weight Loss Surgery Work?
The concept of gastric surgery to control obesity grew out of results of operations for cancer or severe ulcers that removed large portions of the stomach or small intestine.
Because patients undergoing these procedures tended to lose weight after surgery, some doctors began to use such operations to treat severe obesity. The first operation that was widely used for severe obesity was a type of intestinal bypass. This operation, first used 40 years ago, caused weight loss through malabsorption (decreased ability to absorb nutrients from food because the intestines were removed or bypassed).
The idea was that patients could eat large amounts of food, which would be poorly digested or passed along too fast for the body to absorb many calories. The problem with this surgery was that it caused a loss of essential nutrients (malnutrition) and its side effects were unpredictable and sometimes fatal. The original form of the intestinal bypass operation is no longer used.
Surgeons now use other techniques that produce weight loss primarily by limiting how much the stomach can hold. Two types of surgical procedures used to promote weight loss are:
Through food intake restriction, malabsorption, or a combination of both, you can lose weight since less food either goes into your stomach or stays in your small intestine long enough to be digested and absorbed.
Benefits and Risks of Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery is a serious undertaking. Before making a decision, talk to your doctor about the following benefits and risks.
Risks and Side Effects
Am I a Candidate Weight Loss Surgery?
If you have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more -- which is about 100 pounds overweight for men and about 80 pounds for women -- you are considered severely obese and therefore a candidate for weight loss surgery.
Obesity surgery may also be an option for people with a BMI between 35 and 40 who suffer from obesity-related problems (for example, severe sleep apnea, obesity-related heart disease, or diabetes). For these people, the risk of death from not having the surgery may be greater than the risks from the possible complications from undergoing the procedures.
Keep in mind that as in other treatments for obesity, results may vary. In many cases, patients are required to show proof that their attempts at dietary weight loss have been ineffective before surgery will be approved. A psychological evaluation may be required by doctors to determine your potential response to weight loss and change in body image. Most surgeons require patients to demonstrate serious motivation and a clear understanding of the extensive dietary, exercise, and medical guidelines that must be followed for the remainder of their lives after having weight loss surgery. In addition, studies are performed to assess the health of your heart and hormonal systems. Nutritional counseling is also a must before and after surgery.
For patients who remain severely obese after non-surgical approaches to weight loss have failed, or for patients who have an obesity-related disease, surgery may be an appropriate treatment option. But for most patients, greater efforts toward weight control, such as changes in eating habits, lifestyle changes, and increasing physical activity, are more appropriate. The following questions may help you decide if weight loss surgery is right for you.
What Happens During Weight Loss Surgery?
The term "bariatric" refers to the treatment of obesity. Bariatric surgery -- also called weight loss surgery -- has been practiced in one form or another since the 1950s, but for decades it remained a relatively uncommon weight loss treatment in the United States.
Recently, however, the number of people having bariatric surgery has spiked. In 1998, about 13,000 weight loss surgeries were done in the U.S. Just five years later, about 121,000 were done. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery says an estimated 205,000 people with severe obesity had weight loss surgery in 2007.
This figure may be nowhere near the peak. Only 1% of obese people in the U.S. who could potentially benefit from weight loss surgery have had it.
As more people are having weight loss surgery than ever before, medical researchers have also begun to report solidly favorable study results on its safety and weight loss potential.
People who have bariatric surgery can have dramatic weight loss. What's more, they can maintain much of their initial weight loss for as long as ten years after surgery.
Bariatric surgery works in three basic ways:
Restrictive Weight Loss Surgery: Gastric Banding and Gastroplasty
The two purely restrictive types of weight loss surgery done today are called gastric banding and gastroplasty. Both operations make less room in the stomach for food right after it's swallowed.
A small part of your stomach is partitioned off to make a pouch at the end of your esophagus (the tube connecting your mouth to your stomach). This pouch holds only about one-half ounce -- roughly the capacity of a shot glass. It fills up quickly and empties slowly, through a narrow opening to the larger part of the stomach.
Gastric banding involves placing a band around the top end of the stomach. There are two approved gastric banding devices and procedures approved in the U.S. -- LAP-BAND and the Realize band.
Gastroplasty is what people sometimes call "stomach stapling." It creates a small pouch by sealing off a section of the stomach with surgical staples in addition to placing a band around the opening between the pouch and the rest of the stomach, similar to the gastric banding method.
Malabsorptive Weight Loss Surgery: Gastric Bypass and Billiopancreatic Bypass
Gastric bypass surgery also involves stapling the stomach to create a small pouch. The difference between gastric bypass and gastric banding is that food doesn't pass through the pouch to be further digested in the larger part of the stomach.
Instead, the pouch empties directly into the small intestine. To make this work, the small intestine is severed. The surgeon connects one end of it to an opening in the new stomach pouch. The piece of intestine that's still connected to the stomach's natural opening is what's called the duodenum. In the duodenum, juices from the pancreas flow in to mix with food and help to further digest food leaving the stomach.
In a typical gastric bypass, the surgeon rejoins the duodenum with the intestinal tract about 20 to 40 inches down from the new stomach opening. This way, pancreatic juices can empty into the intestine, but they don't mix with food as soon as they normally would. Few purely malabsorptive operations are done in bariatric surgery today.
The one up-to-date technique labeled as malabsorptive is called a "billiopancreatic bypass with duodenal switch." This operation is similar to a gastric bypass, but has some major differences. First, it involves completely removing much of the stomach, not just sealing off part of it. Second, pancreatic juices enter near the end of the small intestine, close to the colon (large intestine).
How Does Weight Loss Surgery Work?
Bariatric surgery causes weight loss mainly by forcing you to eat less. After surgery, you simply can't consume enough calories to keep your weight up. With a tiny stomach pouch, overeating is physically impossible, or at least extremely uncomfortable. Also, what little you do eat gives a long-lasting feeling of fullness, so you tend to eat less frequently.
Malabsorption may discourage you from eating greasy or sugary food. Bypassing part of the small intestine prevents some fat from being digested, causing severe diarrhea. Eating food with high sugar content can cause an attack of nausea, gut pain, and diarrhea known as "dumping syndrome." People who've had bariatric surgery learn to change their diet to avoid these side effects. Doing so rules out many foods that are also high in calories.
Scientists have also recently discovered that bariatric surgery may cause hormonal changes and effects on the nervous system that suppress appetite, too. Much about how these changes relate to weight loss is still unknown.
Deciding on Weight Loss Surgery
Before you have weight loss surgery, you'll go through an evaluation process that includes counseling and various tests. It's not an operation that anyone gets on a whim. "It's something that most people have been thinking about for years," says Kelvin Higa, MD, president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
One-on-one counseling that takes all your individual needs and preferences into account can help you choose the best type of bariatric surgery for you. "One size does not fit all," Higa tells WebMD.
Your doctor may strongly prefer a certain operation, but at least for now there isn't a generally accepted "gold standard" in weight loss surgery, Higa says.
Gastric bypass, gastric banding, gastroplasty, and biliopancreatic bypass all have pros and cons. Those that involve more cutting, sewing, and rearranging things inside of you may yield slightly better results, but they also may come with more side effects.
The basic requirements for weight loss surgery are:
In general, doctors want to operate on people who've been unable to achieve lasting weight loss with lifestyle changes alone. Some doctors, but not all, even require patients to lose some weight before having surgery.
"They ought to try diet and exercise first," says Walter Pories, MD, a bariatric surgeon at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine. But when that's not enough, "surgery can be extremely effective."
After Weight Loss Surgery
All weight loss surgery, whether open or laparoscopic, is done under general anesthesia and involves a short hospital stay. Laparoscopy is a technique used to operate without cutting open the abdomen to get at the organs. Laparoscopy leaves smaller scars than open surgery and tends to have fewer complications and quicker recovery time. Ninety percent of gastric bypasses are done this way.
Fortunately, there is very little risk of dying during bariatric surgery, with rates near or well below 1%. Serious complications after surgery are possible, but rare. To have the best chance of avoiding complications, it's important to go to all your follow-up visits and stick to your prescribed diet and lifestyle plan.
Immediately after surgery, your digestive system will be very tender. "It's like being a baby," Higa says. "You don't feed a baby prime rib."
For the first day or two after bariatric surgery, you will only have a tiny amount of clear liquids such as water, fruit juice, and broth. After that you may start to sip denser liquids like milk, smooth cooked cereal, and pudding. For the next three to four weeks, you'll eat several tiny portions each day of pureed food and liquids. In the second month, you may begin to eat soft, moist, chewed food, including ground meat. Three months after bariatric surgery, you may be back to a regular diet. Nevertheless, you'll never be able to eat big portions again.
Weight loss after bariatric surgery can be dramatic and immediate. After gastric bypass surgery, for example, people lose as much as a pound a day for the first three months.
Weight loss surgery can also improve or cure some health conditions related to obesity. For example, a review published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2004 found that diabetes went away completely in 77% of diabetes patients after weight loss surgery, and 86% had some improvement in their diabetes.