text:
By Danielle Alexander, M.Sc
With Congress advancing their health reform bills and the President's vow to improve our health care crisis, I wish I could be hopeful and encouraged. But I'm neither. Instead, I'm dismayed. And listening to my fellow classmates, I'm not alone.
A little over a month ago I stood with 50 other medical students, faculty, and community members in front of Albany Medical College to remember the 45,000 Americans who die each year because they lacked health insurance.
The vigil was called, "Treat! Don't Trick", because we stood to ask Congress for reform that will help us treat our future patients, not fool us with hyperbole. I was moved to be a part of the vigil because I am appalled that deaths due to lack of health insurance has more than doubled since 2003.
Ryan McIntyre explained that he wished we could meet to celebrate; however there is not much to celebrate. He is a third year medical student and President of Physicians for a National Health Program student chapter.
"Obama is quoted as saying that if he could start from scratch he would support a single payer system," Ryan said. "However, instead of starting from there, he started from a compromised position. What if Hippocrates started with a compromised position when he outlined the Hippocratic Oath?"
"For-profit, private insurance has not worked to control costs and cover everyone, and it will not work," Megan Ash, a first year medical student, told us. "Improved and expanded Medicare for all is the best solution."
"Health reform is the civil rights movement of our time," Naazia Husein announced. She is a second year medical student and Co-President of the club Student Perspectives in Advocacy. "A single payer system is not a dream," Naazia added, "it's a demand."
Reverend Harlan E. Ratmeyer, a pastoral care-giver at Albany Medical Center, explained: "The elite group is in the [healthcare coverage] pool, everyone else out of the pool. From the perspective of justice, and the spiritual, economical perspective, we should all be in the pool."
Other vigil participants spontaneously began telling their stories too. John Wax, a first year medical student talked about how his father, self-employed, only received treatment for his herniated disc because he was a Vietnam Veteran and could get health insurance through the VA.
James Kelley, a first year medical student, shared that his mother was a nurse for 10 years providing health care in a women's shelter. But when she needed to use her health insurance, she needed to hire an attorney in order to battle insurance claim denials.
The reforms touted on Capitol Hill will not solve these problems. Not even close.
Millions of Americans will still be without health insurance, private insurance companies will continue to deny health care in order to satisfy their stock holders (yes, even if exclusion due to preexisting conditions are unlawful), rapidly increasing health care costs will not be contained and healthcare coverage will still be tied to employment. As future physicians, and from our own life experiences, my classmates and I see that these these are the very things that demand to be changed.
If President Obama wants to be the last president to take up health care reform, then he must reconsider expanding and improving Medicare to include everyone.
Danielle E. Alexander, Albany Medical College Class of 2013, belongs to the American Medical Student Association and Physicians for a National Health Program.
This entry is from Dr. McCanne's Quote of the Day, a daily health policy update on the single-payer health care reform movement. The QotD is archived on PNHP's website.
An Analysis of Health Insurance Premiums Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Congressional Budget Office
November 30, 2009
The analysis looks separately at the effects on premiums for coverage purchased individually, coverage purchased by small employers, and coverage provided by large employers.
Nongroup Policies
Average premiums per policy in the nongroup market in 2016 would be roughly $5,800 for single policies and $15,200 for family policies under the proposal, compared with roughly $5,500 for single policies and $13,100 for family policies under current law.
The majority of nongroup enrollees (about 57 percent) would receive subsidies via the new insurance exchanges, and those subsidies, on average, would cover nearly two-thirds of the total premium, CBO and JCT estimate.
Employment-Based Coverage
By CBO and JCT's estimate, the average premium per policy in the small group market would be in the vicinity of $7,800 for single policies and $19,200 for family policies under the proposal, compared with about $7,800 and $19,300 under current law. In the large group market, average premiums would be roughly $7,300 for single policies and $20,100 for family policies under the proposal, compared with about $7,400 and $20,300 under current law.
Those figures do not include the effects of the small business tax credit on the cost of purchasing insurance. A relatively small share (about 12 percent) of people with coverage in the small group market would benefit from that credit in 2016. For those people, the cost of insurance under the proposal would be about 8 percent to 11 percent lower, on average, compared with that cost under current law.
For most individuals and families, the Senate health care reform bill will have very little impact on the premiums to be paid for health plans. There are three important exceptions:
* Premiums in the individual market will increase significantly because the plans will be required to provide an actuarial value of 60 percent, higher than the average value in the current individual market.
* About 57 percent of individuals eligible for coverage in the exchange will receive subsidies which will more than offset the premium increases. Note that most individuals are not eligible for coverage in the exchange and would not receive these subsidies.
* Although there will be little change in premiums for small group plans, about 12 percent of people in the small group market will benefit from a small business tax credit designed to encourage small business owners to offer coverage to their employees.
The really bad news in this report is that, on average, premiums for group plans will continue to increase at the same intolerable rates that they would have if we did nothing. This CBO analysis demonstrates that, in 2016, the family premium alone for employer-sponsored coverage, not including deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs, would be over $20,000 for a large group plan, whether or not the proposed legislation is enacted. That is quite a hit for a hard-working family with a $60,000 income.
The only hope for premium relief is for innovative insurance products that would reduce costs for those who don't need health care, but would increase even more the costs for those who do. This demonstrates why focusing on premium relief has been a misguided endeavor. We have been diverted from the the much more important goal of relieving the financial burden of those who actually need health care.
We can achieve that goal by improving Medicare, funding it equitably, and using its monopsonistic powers to provide us with greater value in our health care purchasing. Had we done that when the Clintons were proposing their flawed model of reform, our national health expenditures would be about 20 percent less than they currently are.
It's tragic that we would be starting from an inflated baseline, but we can still achieve that level of efficiency in the future if we dumped the highly flawed proposal before Congress and adopted the much more humane system of an improved Medicare for all.
This entry is from Dr. McCanne's Quote of the Day, a daily health policy update on the single-payer health care reform movement. The QotD is archived on PNHP's website.
Aetna prepares for loss of 600,000 members as it raises 2010 prices
By Emily Berry
American Medical News
November 30, 2009
Back when it was the largest private health plan in the country, Aetna downsized its membership by millions but boosted profits during an overhaul of its business several years ago.
Now it looks to be making a similar — but smaller — move with a planned price increase for many of its customers in 2010.
The company figures it will lose between 600,000 and 650,000 members next year because of the price hikes.
In a conference call with investment analysts to discuss the company's third-quarter earnings, Chair and CEO Ron Williams told analysts, "The pricing we put in place for 2009 turned out to not really be what we needed to achieve the results and margins that we had historically been delivering."
Aetna President Mark Bertolini laid out how the company planned to raise prices to improve the company's profit margin. He said the firm had "implemented a combination of underwriting enhancements, pricing actions and plan design changes, intended to ensure that each customer is priced to an appropriate margin."
Laying out specific expected membership losses is "pretty candid," said David Gibbs, a retired health insurance industry consultant from San Luis Obispo, Calif. He worked for and consulted with health insurers, including Aetna, for 25 years.
He said Aetna's decision comes from a system that encourages insurers to drive away sicker members — a strategy not unique to one insurer. "They're running a business, and their obligation is a very singular one: to increase shareholder profits."
Gibbs said simply raising prices probably would not get Aetna what it wants. That actually tends to result in sick people who are more "desperate" for coverage to keep it, and healthier groups to drop it. Instead, Aetna might change benefit designs, scaling back prescription drug coverage, for example, which sicker populations tend to value but healthier ones don't notice as much.
This act by Aetna indicates the level of sincerity the insurance industry has in its alleged new effort to cooperate in ensuring that everyone has the health care coverage that they need. Aetna is redesigning and repricing its products in order to dump over 600,000 of its less profitable members. They need to be sure that "each customer is priced to an appropriate margin." And, above all, they owe it to their shareholders "to drive away sicker members."
But that's one of the ways that markets work – improve profits by cutting losses. We keep hearing that markets improve quality while reducing costs, yet in a bit of irony, for those healthier populations that remain with the Aetna, the insurer is reducing quality through product redesign, and increasing costs through higher premiums.
Once Aetna dumps these members, what private insurer is going to jump in to capture this higher cost population? None you say? And under reform? The higher cost individuals buy into the weak public option driving premiums up through adverse selection to even more unaffordable levels?
Try to imagine Medicare dumping over 600,000 patients because they need more medical care. That is unthinkable and would be reprehensible in a public social insurance program such as Medicare. Yet for the private insurance industry, it's business as usual. And President Obama and Congress want to keep these marketeers in charge? Talk about reprehensible!
This entry is from Dr. McCanne's Quote of the Day, a daily health policy update on the single-payer health care reform movement. The QotD is archived on PNHP's website.
White House says health-care bills contain cost-cutting remedies
By Shailagh Murray
The Washington Post
November 26, 2009
Critics of the Democratic bills point to cost control as a chief deficiency. Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, said the Senate bill includes only "pilot programs and timid steps" to reform the health-care delivery system, "given the scope of the cost challenge the nation faces."
Unless lawmakers institute changes across the entire system, Ignagni said in a statement Wednesday, "Health costs will continue to weigh down the economy and place a crushing burden on employers and families."
AHIP president Karen Ignagni says that unless lawmakers institute changes across the entire system, health care costs will continue to weigh down the economy, placing a crushing burden on employers and families. There could not be a more explicit admission that the private insurance industry is not and never has been capable of controlling our very high health care costs. Yet their administrative excesses along with the administrative burden they place on the delivery system are major sources of waste in our health care system.
We need everyone covered, and we need costs controlled in a system designed to provide us greater value. Neither will occur under the proposal before Congress. Although the private insurance industry can't do it, an improved Medicare program would be designed specifically to accomplish those goals, and at a much lower administrative cost.
Karen Ignagni says that the lawmakers must institute the necessary changes across the entire system (because the insurers can't). Let's join her in demanding that Congress take the actions necessary, and then thank her for her efforts, as we dismiss her superfluous industry from any further obligations to manage our health care dollars.
In the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, two weavers promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes invisible to those unfit for their positions or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, they all pretend they see the new finery, fearing exposure as the incompetents that they are. It takes a child to cry out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"
As the Democratic Party races to claim a "health insurance reform" victory before the Christmas recess, I am reminded of this cautionary tale.
In place of the invisible clothes, we have the invisible reforms. In place of the weavers, we have the lobbyists. In place of the loyal subjects, we have the members of the Progressive Caucus. And in place of the child, we have all the Single Payer Advocates.
Please, President Obama, DON'T be that Emperor.
Dr. Paris is a member of Physicians for a National Health Program
This entry is from Dr. McCanne's Quote of the Day, a daily health policy update on the single-payer health care reform movement. The QotD is archived on PNHP's website.
Big Bad Wolf: "… and I'll huff and I'll puff… "
Pig with the feasible compromise: "Oops!"
By Clay Bennett
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
This entry is from Dr. McCanne's Quote of the Day, a daily health policy update on the single-payer health care reform movement. The QotD is archived on PNHP's website.
For Public, Affordability A Key Issue In Health Bill
By Julie Rovner
November 24, 2009
Lawmakers debating health care on Capitol Hill have spent months worrying about the potential cost. But mostly it's been the total cost of the bill, not how much individual families who could soon be required to buy insurance for the first time might have to pay.
That could be a costly miscalculation, says health economist Jonathan Gruber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Let's put it this way: It is 10 times as important as the public option and has received one one-hundredth of the coverage," he says.
Gruber says economists have different ways of defining exactly what is and is not affordable for people. One way is by looking at disposable income, or whether people have money left over after paying for other necessities. "We think no one should have to go without food or shelter to have health insurance," he says.
Another test is whether people would buy something voluntarily. "And if they would then clearly it's affordable," Gruber says.
But there's also a third test — and it's that affordability is in the eye of the beholder. And for a lot of beholders in the real world, health insurance costs are quickly becoming unaffordable.
(Under the proposed legislation) no family would have to spend more than 10 percent of its income on health insurance premiums; poor families wouldn't have to spend more than 2 percent on premiums.
But premiums are only the start of what people spend on health insurance. There are also deductibles, copayments and other out-of-pocket costs. And Gruber says that when it comes to that sort of spending, the House bill is far more generous than the Senate bill.
For example, someone making two times the poverty level, or about $22,000 a year, in the House bill would get "something like a $500 deductible plan," he says. "On the other hand in that same range in the Senate … now we're talking a $2,500 deductible plan."
Gruber says he's a "big believer" in the concept that people should pay more for their health care so they'll know what it really costs and have an incentive to save money. "I'm a believer in consumer skin in the game," he says. "But a $2,500 deductible is a lot to ask for someone making $22,000 a year."
And it brings Gruber to the ultimate test of affordability, which he says is a political test — "which is, do people revolt if you say, 'I'm going to mandate you to pay this much'?"
A Milestone in the Health Care Journey
By Ronald Brownstein
The Atlantic
November 21, 2009
When I reached Jonathan Gruber on Thursday, he was working his way, page by laborious page, through the mammoth health care bill Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had unveiled just a few hours earlier. Gruber is a leading health economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is consulted by politicians in both parties. He was one of almost two dozen top economists who sent President Obama a letter earlier this month insisting that reform won't succeed unless it "bends the curve" in the long-term growth of health care costs. And, on that front, Gruber likes what he sees in the Reid proposal. Actually he likes it a lot.
"I'm sort of a known skeptic on this stuff," Gruber told me. "My summary is it's really hard to figure out how to bend the cost curve, but I can't think of a thing to try that they didn't try. They really make the best effort anyone has ever made. Everything is in here….I can't think of anything I'd do that they are not doing in the bill. You couldn't have done better than they are doing."
Regular readers of these messages are no doubt saturated with the concerns expressed about affordability of health care for individuals and families. For those who have or will have health care needs, even with subsidies, the premiums, deductibles, other cost sharing, out-of-network costs, and the costs of services that are not a benefit of the plans will be unaffordable for all but the relatively wealthy.
Today's message is significant because MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, one of the most influential proponents of the current legislation, also understands that the issue of affordability has not received the attention it deserves. As he points out, a $2,500 deductible is a lot to ask of an individual making $22,000 a year. He wants them to have "skin in the game," but even he understands that you can't ask for their entire hide.
So how would he suggest that we reduce out-of-pocket costs so that health care is affordable? It appears that he would use the measures in the Senate bill to bend the cost curve so excessive costs allegedly aren't passed on to patients. It seems to matter little to him that the CBO was unable to project a bend in the curve when it did its analysis.
Of course, Gruber is also an advocate of "let's pass this bill now and then we can fix it later on" – a tacit acknowledgment that affordability will remain a crucial issue.
Gruber says that he can't think of anything more to do that isn't in the Senate bill. But you readers know better. We need to dump this plan and immediately go to work on one that will make health care affordable for everyone – an equitably-financed, single payer, improved Medicare for all. Do really we need to wait for Gruber's ultimate test for affordability – a revolt?
This entry is from Dr. McCanne's Quote of the Day, a daily health policy update on the single-payer health care reform movement. The QotD is archived on PNHP's website.
November 23, 2009
The Quote of the Day for November 18 (www.pnhp.org) was a letter to President Obama from twenty-three prominent economists urging that four specified elements to control costs be included in the health reform legislation. Following is my original response to the letter, discussing each of the four elements. Princeton economist Uwe Reinhardt, one of the signers of the letter, has responded to my comments.
Comment on economists' letter by Don McCanne, MD with response by Uwe E. Reinhardt, PhD (highlighted in red):
For socially conscious health care reform advocates, the primary goal of reform is to see that every individual receives the health care that he or she needs. But what has really driven the reform process has been the concern over the very high costs of health care that have challenged individuals, employers and the stewards of our government health programs.
In this late phase of the reform process many have expressed doubts over the adequacy of the various policies in the reform proposal that allegedly are designed to control health care costs well into the future. In response, twenty-three of the nation's most distinguished economists have signed on to this letter addressed to President Obama expressing support for four elements that they believe are of critical importance and should be included in the reform legislation. Let's look closer at these four elements.
Deficit neutrality
The economists call for budget neutrality initially, to be followed by deficit reduction. Of course they are referring only to the federal government budget and not to private sector spending. The great risk of limiting consideration to public spending is that, in the absence of effectively controlling actual health care costs, the government budget can be controlled only by shifting the costs to the private sector. Individuals and businesses certainly do not want to see an increase in their health care spending, especially while the government is reducing its spending in the later phase, that of deficit reduction.
UER responds: Economists have trouble with the cost-shift argument. It assumes, implicitly, that health care costs are dictated by God and not subject to management by humans. If that were so, then, yes, whatever God-given cost is not paid by government will have to be paid by the private sector.
Economists do not share that religion. We believe that health-care costs are not God-given, but determined by the behavior of humans. There is no law in either the Bible or in economics according to which the private sector must pick up whatever health-care costs government does not pay. If the private sector were able and willing to say no to the alleged cost shift, then the providers of health care would have no choice but to manage their costs against whatever revenue they manage to extract from the rest of society.
Of course, if the private insurance sector tells us that it is powerless to resist the cost shift, then they are telling us that they cannot resist any cost increase shoved their way by providers for whatever reason. In that case, costs will keep going up in the private sector until it collapses of its own weight.
The next decade will tell.
Isolating health care spending for budget neutrality while continuing with deficits in other government programs (war, financial institution bailouts, interest on the debt, expanding our prison population, etc.) does not seem just. Appropriate use of debt is fundamental to any business, and there is no reason that reasonable debt should not be a part of the government's management of its financial obligations to health care.
Current operations should be financed out of tax revenues. Longer-term investments (e.g., in infrastructure) can and should be debt financed. A part of health care, especially if rendered to young people, can be viewed as an investment. Conducting war may or may not be investment. WWII certainly was a highly productive investment. One has to debate fiscal policy along these lines.
That said, our total government debt is the result of prior devious efforts to reduce revenues (i.e., taxes) in order to force the reduction in funding of government programs. With inadequate revenues and with exploding debt, deficit hawks in Congress can be relied upon to underfund crucial programs such as health care, but theirs is a pathological process since they only look at spending and refuse to consider revenues.
Agreed. Republicans collectively have lost the moral ground on deficit financing. They have been promiscuous and utterly shameless on this score, starting, alas, with Ronald Reagan.
Those who argue that taxes collected for government health care spending remove money from the economy are flat out wrong. Health care is one of the most important and beneficial components of our economy, constituting over 17 percent of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Those taxes are moved back into our economy.
That, too, is a valid point. I have written a NYT blog post on it. It is ludicrous to say that producing another SUV is good job creation but giving health care to the hitherto uninsured is not.
Those who scream that we are being taxed to death need another dose of reality. The average total tax revenues of OECD nations (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) was 35.9 percent of GDP in 2006. For the United States, the total tax revenue was 28.0 percent of GDP, placing us near the bottom of OECD nations. (OECD Tax Database)
Suppose we increased our tax revenues to the average of OECD nations, which would still be far, far short of those nations with more highly socialized systems. At 7.9 percent (35.9 average minus 28.0 U.S.) of our GDP of about $13.8 trillion, that would increase government revenues by about $1.1 trillion in a single year, ten times the amount they are considering for health care reform. Our entire federal spending is about $3 trillion. We could eliminate entirely the deficits and provide surpluses while keeping tax revenues at well below the OECD average, if only the deficit hawks would look at the revenue side of the ledger.
Excise tax on high-cost insurance plans
Why would any health insurance plans have very high premiums? One reason is that insurers use medical underwriting to assess high premiums for individuals with preexisting disorders. It would be unfair to tax those premiums for an individual with other burdens, but with adequate regulatory reform medical underwriting should be eliminated anyway.
The more common reason for high premiums is that the plan covers other services and products such as dental care, eye care, maternity benefits, mental health services, and pharmaceuticals. Applying an excise tax to these premiums would result in eliminating such benefits from the plans and shifting these expenses to the individual in the form of greater out-of-pocket spending. The proposals under consideration place a cap on out-of-pocket expenses for covered services, but that cap is unaffordable for many, and these expenses would not apply to the cap. Thus they would impose an even greater financial burden.
Since the excise tax would discourage access to these important health care services, it should be rejected as the flawed policy concept that it is.
Valid points. A better approach would have been to say: Up until an income of $75,000 we do not add employer-paid health insurance to your W-2. From $75,000 to $150,000, we add 50% to your W-2, etc. But that is not in the cards. Besides, in implementation, the actuarial adjustments Don calls for most probably will be made.
Medicare Commission
Although the Medicare Commission purportedly would be to improve quality and value, its primary purpose would be to limit spending within the Medicare program. Medicare has already served as a leader in innovations to reduce health care spending, with the private insurance industry following. In fact, many providers believe that Medicare has been too aggressive, often resulting in lower reimbursement rates than in the private sector. Granting the Commission more power to use newer innovations to further reduce spending will inevitably increase the animosity held towards Medicare by the providers. A decline in willingness to accept Medicare beneficiaries could further impair access.
This is not to say that the concept of a commission is a bad idea. If the commission worked with the entire health care delivery system in applying potentially beneficial innovations, higher quality and greater value are possible. If the commission became too aggressive, the push-back by providers and their patients would moderate their excesses.
If the power of the Medicare Commission were limited only to Medicare, then there is a potential that cost-cutting aggressiveness might threaten to convert Medicare into a quasi-welfare program not unlike Medicaid, a transformation that would not please our Medicare beneficiaries. It is more likely that the Commission simply would be enmeshed in studies of relatively ineffectual measures that would have little net impact on costs.
We would need a universal Medicare for all program for the Commission to have a real impact that would be both beneficial and cost saving.
The idea here is not to shoot for the unattainable best, but for the attainable second best. If the choice is between letting Congress be in charge of Medicare spending or a Commission, I'd opt for the latter.
Delivery system reforms
These economists recommend that we reward health professionals for providing better care. The problem is that we don't know how to do that. They recommend funding research into what tests and treatments work and which ones do not, as if that isn't what research has been all about anyway. Maybe it would be helpful to directly compare expensive patent drugs to generics, but the overall spending impact will be modest since this year's patented drugs are next year's generics.
They also recommend bundled payments, accountable care organizations, plus penalties for re-admissions, hospital acquired infections and other PACs (potentially avoidable costs). In my message two days ago (November 16) I already discussed the reasons why these measures cannot be relied upon to reduce health care costs.
Is this really the best that these noted economists can come up with? They have made the same mistake as the politicians. Their perception of reform is to build on our existing dysfunctional financing system (an egregiously flawed concept that you would think our leading economists would understand).
If we had an improved Medicare for all we could have 1) deficit neutrality through global budgeting, 2) rational tax policies that are equitable, 3) public administration using the guidance of commissions as appropriate, and 4) our own beneficent monopsony that can realign incentives to promote the delivery system reform that we need. And, oh yes, every single person would be included. It doesn't take an economist to understand that.
Economists do understand this: Until yesterday (November 20), three Democrats in the Senate have been able to toy shamelessly with the prestige of their President and of the Senate leadership on the decision whether or not even to allow an admittedly limited health-reform bill to be debated on the Senate floor. That is the reality of America.
And in the great wisdom Americans claim uniquely for themselves, they are likely to punish the legislators who gave them at least this much—the previous Administration and Congress having given them nothing.
Don is a Mensch, but a dreamer. Let's face it, this very limited bill, should it pass into law, is the very best Americans can hope for. This country will never have a sensible, efficient health-care system, and perhaps not even a totally humane one. For better or for worse, we must get used to it.
The trouble with economists is that we understand America – one reason, perhaps, why they call ours a "dismal science."
Are we going to accept this… proud to be Menschen while supporting only a dream?
We can have a sensible, efficient, and humane health care system for all, but the current process is not going to bring it to us. We need to change the process, but we're not going to do that by sitting around and dreaming of what could be.
Dear colleagues at Physicians for a National Health Program:
As you may know, the Federation of Associations for the Defense of Public Health (FADSP) is an organization of Spanish health professionals which for more than 25 years has sought to protect and improve our national health system, of which we have reason to be proud.
Through educational programs and other activities, the FADSP strives to strengthen and safeguard our integral and comprehensive public health system. We advocate sound public health policy and the effective practice of primary care, specialist care and hospital care; the use of all kinds of modern diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical procedures; and the provision of rehabilitation services for the benefit of all of our citizens, regardless of their level of income, their profession, cultural level or regional origin.
This does not mean that our system is perfect, of course, or that it lacks important areas for improvement. But its achievements are many and it is highly cost-effective: our country dedicates only 6 percent of our GDP to keep the system running.
Our health system is basically free at the time of use, except for a prescription co-payment of 40 percent. The co-payment is waived for seniors.
The funds for financing the system come from taxes, particularly income taxes, so the burden on each individual depends on their income level. This allows the wealthy to show solidarity with the weak, those who have jobs to express solidarity with those who are unemployed, the younger to help the older, and those who enjoy good health to assist the sick.
Doctors, nurses and other health professionals are public employees, although they can practice privately in the afternoons. They perform their work in primary care centers in towns, villages and cities all over the country or in modern hospitals that possess the latest medical technology and that meet the highest world standards.
The impact of all this on the health of the Spanish people is positive and rewarding. Among other indices, Spain has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world and is among the lowest in infant mortality.
Despite these achievements, our national health system, like others around the world, is subject to pressure of all kinds by institutions, individuals and sometimes even governments who, under the mantle of pro-market ideology, want to erode, weaken and eventually destroy our system and replace it with a private, for-profit health care market.
They push forward their policies in many different ways, claiming the public system is intrusive, expensive and inefficient. They charge our system is manipulative, limiting the individual freedom of doctors and patients, and that it undermines the doctor-patient relationship.
They also advance their agenda by working to cut the funding to the system, thereby hindering its activities, and by splitting or fragmenting its programs, fostering problematic gaps between the funding mechanism and providers.
The fact is, dear colleagues, that the adversaries of our national health system in Spain represent the same social forces in the U.S. opposing the fundamental reform that your organization advocates, single payer.
We in Spain are struggling to protect a national health system, while you are struggling to establish one. We both are fighting hard in the belief that citizen involvement is vital to success.
A public health care system is efficient and cheaper to run. It gives health professionals and patients a better life and removes the worries of economic problems in the event of illness. It makes a major contribution to social and individual happiness.
We can be confident in the prospects for our success, because all sensible ideas that are fair and beneficial to the vast majority of the people eventually end up winning.
You have a long road before you, but we wish you every success as a sister organization. We extend our best wishes to all of our professional colleagues in your country and to the American people, the main protagonists and ultimate beneficiaries of your goal.
Federation of Associations for the Defense of Public Health
The Federation of Associations for the Defense of Public Health hosted the annual session of the International Association of Health Policy in conjunction with its own meeting this September in Madrid and Toledo, Spain. FADSP invited Physicians for a National Health Program to the meeting to participate in a discussion of how physician advocacy can intervene in our time of global crisis. In the past FADSP has participated in PNHP events. We look forward to continuing this vital dialogue within our common struggle. We have so much to learn from years of effective advocacy by FADSP.
Thank you, FADSP, for the indispensable insight and essential confidence expressed in this wonderful letter of solidarity. Together we shall overcome! ~ Andy Coates
This entry is from Dr. McCanne's Quote of the Day, a daily health policy update on the single-payer health care reform movement. The QotD is archived on PNHP's website.
Hospital Computing and the Costs and Quality of Care: A National Study
By David U. Himmelstein, MD, Adam Wright, PhD, Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH
The American Journal of Medicine
November 20, 2009
Many believe that computerization will improve health care quality, reduce costs, and increase administrative efficiency. However, no previous studies have examined computerization's cost and quality impacts at a diverse national sample of hospitals.
We used a variety of analytic strategies to search for evidence that computerization might be cost-saving. In cross-sectional analyses, we examined whether more computerized hospitals had lower costs or more efficient administration in any of the 5 years. We also looked for lagged effects, that is, whether cost-savings might emerge after the implementation of computerized systems. We looked for subgroups of computer applications, as well as individual applications, that might result in savings. None of these hypotheses were borne out. Even the select group of hospitals at the cutting edge of computerization showed neither cost nor efficiency advantages. Our longitudinal analysis suggests that computerization may actually increase administrative costs, at least in the near term.
The modest quality advantages associated with computerization are difficult to interpret. The quality scores reflect processes of care rather than outcomes; more information technology may merely improve scores without actually improving care, for example, by facilitating documentation of allowable exceptions.
Why has information technology failed to decrease administrative or total costs? Three interpretations of our findings seem plausible. First, perhaps computerization cannot decrease costs because savings are offset by the expense of purchasing and maintaining the computer system itself. Although information technology has improved efficiency in some industries (eg, telecommunications ), it has actually increased costs in others, such as retail banking.
Second, computerization may eventually yield cost and efficiency gains, but only at a more advanced stage than achieved by even the 100 "Most Wired" hospitals.
Finally, we believe that the computer's potential to improve efficiency is unrealized because the commercial marketplace does not favor optimal products. Coding and other reimbursement-driven documentation might take precedence over efficiency and the encouragement of clinical parsimony. The largest computer success story has occurred at Veterans Administration hospitals where global budgets obviate the need for most billing and internal cost accounting, and minimize commercial pressures.
Whatever the explanation, as currently implemented, health information technology has a modest impact on process measures of quality, but no impact on administrative efficiency or overall costs. Predictions of cost-savings and efficiency improvements from the widespread adoption of computers are premature at best.
PNHP press release:
VA's VistA:
As currently implemented, health information technology (HIT) has no significant impact on administrative efficiency or overall costs, even in the "100 Most Wired" hospitals. Members of Congress should quit pretending that expanding HIT will produce savings that will help pay for the increased spending called for in their legislation.
This should not be interpreted as a blanket condemnation of HIT. The system used by the Veterans Administration hospitals has improved quality, though their system was designed specifically to enhance patient care. Profitable, proprietary, commercial HIT systems are usually designed to improve billing and cost accounting (and to make money for the vendors), whereas patient care information management in these proprietary systems is designed to mesh with these business functions that are given a higher priority.
We should really think about whether we want to continue to use our public funds to promote private, entrepreneurial HIT systems that have a business orientation, or if we should use those funds for further development of less expensive, open-source HIT systems designed specifically to enhance the quality of patient care, just as the VA health system has done. Their award-winning system, VistA, is available for use in the private sector (VA's VistA – link above). Isn't it more logical to look at a system that actually works, and one that that's already paid for and that we own?
The following is from the PNHP release (link above):
Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, professor of medicine at Harvard and study co-author, said several factors may explain why health IT has failed to reduce administrative costs.
"Any savings may have been offset by the costs of purchasing and running new computer systems," she said. "In addition, most software is designed around the accounting and billing needs of hospitals, not the clinical side."
She noted that a computer success story in recent years has been at the Veterans Administration, where global budgets eliminate most billing and internal cost accounting, allowing physicians to focus instead on delivering care.
"The VA system now has our nation's highest quality and patient approval ratings," Woolhandler said. "Congress should take note: to get the most benefit from our health care dollars and from health IT, we should adopt a single-payer, Medicare-for-all program. Nothing short of that will allow us to reap the full potential of computerization or to provide comprehensive, quality and affordable care to all."
Physicians for a National Health Program's blog serves to facilitate communication among physicians and the public. The views presented on this blog are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of PNHP.
PNHP Chapters and Activists are invited to post news of their recent speaking engagements, events, Congressional visits and other activities on PNHP's blog in the "News from Activists" section.


text:
Kevin Richards and Marni Ratzel of Niwot, Col. have won the title of America's Most Desperate Landscape 2010. Here's a look at their competition.
More in Outdoors
The Snells. Their front yard in Tewksbury, Mass. is full of rock above and below ground. Matt and Aideen have put a lot of effort into their yard but still can't get plants to grow.
We sent a note to our support staff about the glitch you just experienced. Please click the button below to reload your content.
Make a Cornucopia Centerpiece (00:03:16)
Blog Cabin 2014 Original House (00:01:28)
Designer Headboard (04:20)
Building a Deck With Curves (03:45)
Outdoor Pool Table (01:13)
Wedding Scrapbook (04:57)
Taking Back Bedroom (20:02)
Renovating a Gutted House (03:58)
Winter Garden Tips (00:04:10)
Camp Kitchen and Fire Pit (03:53)
How to Turn an Old Entertainment Center into a Play Kitchen 18 Photos
10 Things to Know Before Building a Deck 10 Photos
How to Install Doorway Molding 8 Photos
Behind the Build: An Inside Look at Vanilla Ice and His Crew 16 Photos
Make Leather Fringe Napkin Rings 12 Photos
Italianate Photos
Jewelry Boxes Photos
Jewelry Making Photos
Lawns Photos
Jigs Photos
Leafy Vegetables Photos
Jointers Photos
Mowers Photos
Leaks Photos
Joist Hangers Photos
© 2014 Scripps Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Site Map | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | AdChoices | Infringements | About | Advertise With Us | Help | Contact Us

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Find out how accessplanit training management system adds value, reduces costs and provides business intelligence to maximise course bookings and develop your training business.
This week I was privileged to attend a celebration event with a group of individuals not directly...Read more
Email marketing for any business is both an art and a science. So much can go wrong and the...Read more


text:
- News
- Channels
- eLearning
- Community
- Events
- Buyers Guide
- Multimedia
- Magazine
Mobile Communications & Infrastructure Supplement
mmWave Propagation Measurements
Understanding Envelope Tracking
Six LTE Receiver Measurements
Microwave Journal is pleased to announce the 4th annual RF/Microwave Zone pavilion at CTIA Wireless 2012. This dedicated pavilion features industry leading companies that provide components, integrated circuits, test, measurement and simulation tools as the essential ingredients for today's wireless applications and tomorrow's emerging technologies. Now you can find solutions to your high frequency design challenges in one convenient location. Stop by "The Zone" and meet industry experts who are eager to discuss your RF/microwave requirements. For more information, contact Kristen Anderson at (781) 619-1940 or e-mail: email@example.com.
Exhibitors as of April 9, 2012
• Electro Rent Corporation, Van Nuys, CA, Booth 4606
• Freescale Semiconductor, Austin, TX, Booth 4401
• IMEC, Belgium, Booth 4405
• Infineon Technologies, Milpitas, CA, Booth 4507
• Innertron Inc., Incheon City, Korea, Booth 4308
• JFW Industries Inc., Indianapolis, IN, Booth 4500
• MECA Electronics Inc., Denville, NJ, Booth 4315
• Microwave Journal, Norwood, MA, Booth 4502
• NXP Semiconductors, San Jose, CA, Booth 4407
• Panorama Antennas Inc., Mansfield, TX, Booth 4209
• Sage Instruments, Freedom, CA, Booth 4414
• SDP Telecom, Quebec, Canada, Booth 4412
• SIAE Microelettronica, Cologno Monzese, Italy, Booth 4211
• Spinner Atlanta Inc., Norcross, GA, Booth 4501
• Taqua LLC, Richardson, TX, Booth 4219
• Times Microwave Systems, Wallingford, CT, Booth 4311
• Trilithic RF & MIcrowave, Indianapolis, IN, Booth 4410
RF/Microwave Zone exhibitor list with company descriptions
RF/Microwave Zone floorplan
CTIA Wireless 2012 website
May 9 forum information and registration
May 10 forum information and registration
If you are unable to attend CTIA Wireless in New Orleans, register for the free live webcast of the May 9 and May 10 forums.
Get access to premium content and e-newsletters by registering on the web site. You can also subscribe to Microwave Journal magazine.


text:
August 6, 2014
In Algeria and Tunisia, the law allows a rapist to walk free if he marries his young victim. Help repeal these harmful laws!
Take Action Now
December 13, 2012
Li Shanshan is being threatened with an extended sentence for refusing denouncing her faith. She's at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.


text:
GeForce GTX 275 review | test -
A new feature introduced : Ambient Occlusion
A new feature introduced : Ambient Occlusion
New in driver revision 185 and upwards is Ambient occlusion. Some of you might have already spotted it in recent beta drivers. Mind you, this features is available on all GeForce series 8 graphics cards and higher, not just the GTX 200 series.
As always, these things are hard to explain though. Ambient Occlusion is designed to generate subtle shadow, both self-shadowing of an object, and shadowing where separate objects meet. It approximates 'real-life' shadowing on surface details, based on light sources, reflected light, and body parts or other objects which interfere with the direct arrival of light on the surface of the model.
Ambient occlusion attempts to approximate the way light radiates in real life, especially off what are normally considered non-reflective surfaces, for example, in the way light through a small crack in the curtain in an otherwise darkened room can slightly illuminate the entire room, and not just the path of light passing through the crack itself.
NVIDIA: Standard lighting models compute the color of a surface based on its properties and the lights in a scene. Objects that are in the path of a light cast shadows; otherwise, their presence does not affect the lighting of other objects. Ambient occlusion improves this model by accounting for the dimming caused by objects that block out ambient light. An example of this is the junction where a wall and a ceiling meet; while no direct shadows are cast, the corner nevertheless appears darker. Ambient occlusion simulates this phenomenon, along with all other cases where objects are close enough to block out ambient light.
Ambient occlusion is enabled via application profiles in the NVIDIA Control Panel. Application profiles account for the different rendering needs of each game, and enables ambient occlusion accordingly.
- Assassin's Creed
- BioShock
- Call of Duty 4
- Call of Duty 5
- Call Of Juarez
- Company Of Heroes
- Counter-Strike Source
- Dead Space
- Devil May Cry 4
- Fallout 3
- Farcry 2
- Half Life 2 series
- Left 4 Dead
- Lost Planet: Colonies
- Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
- Mirror's Edge
- Portal
- Team Fortress 2
- Unreal Tournament 3
- World In Conflict
- World of Warcraft
So I have two examples to show you. These screenshots I took from a PDF presentation, and are pretty craptacular when it comes to quality. Later on I'll try and make some own screenshots.
Above, the Half-Life 2 engine. To the left Ambient Occlusion disabled, to the right enabled. Notice the shadow of the phonebooth in the right side image, that's ambient occlusion.
The second example is Word in Conflict. Again sorry for the poor quality screenshot, but focus on the grass.
A new welcomed feature, yet depending on the application and the resolution, you may see a performance drop between 20-40%, which is likely too hefty for the most of us.
Then again, if you run a HL2 game at 100 FPS, these are tiny image quality enhancements you could enable as you'll have a lot of FPS to play with anyway.
GALAX is on it again, this time we review their GeForce GTX 970 EXOC edition as in Extreme Overclocked. The product comes factory overclocked with a boost clock of 1317 MHz (!). The product has a cust...
GALAX GeForce GTX 980 SOC review
We review the GALAX GeForce GTX SOC edition. SOC is short for Super overclocked, and that certainly is the case. Armed with sturdy looks, based on a custom PCB and a third party cooler the guys behind...
Palit GeForce GTX 980 Super Jetstream review
We review one of the fastest GeForce GTX 980 cards from Palit, the Super Jetstream edition. It comes all customized, has an improved Jetstream series cooler and runs factory tweaked at clock frequenci...
ASUS GeForce GTX 980 Strix review
Hot on the heels of the ASUS GTX 970 Strix review, we test the STRIX-GTX980-DC2OC-4GD5 - ASUS GeForce GTX 980 Strix. Armed with that h00t of a cooler, a custom PCB, quality components and a factory overclock this product is...


text:
I had a very bad experience when I brought my 2006 honda odyssey for recall service and oil change yesterday. First, when I check in with my advisor, he thought the car I brought in for service is a 2014 honda accord( which is the car I bought from concord honda last year) but I don't think it's tha...
Read the full review
The following reviews are over two years old - their ratings are not used to calculate the dealer's current aggregated ratings.
If you should decide to buy a car from Concord Honda, please be prepared to [non-permissible content removed] royally. We bought an expensive protective coating whnen we bought our car. What it covered was MISREPRESENTED to us by the dealership. When the coating started flaking off, they refused to ...
Read the full review
First was the oil change.
No big deal but it was done on time.
Second was the master cylinder.
My husband told the service manager that he thought there was a problem.
He said he would look into it.
He said there was a problem with the master cylinder and we had one the next day.
The estimate to put...
Read the full review


text:
Category:1825 establishments in Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Organizations, places or other things founded or established in Illinois in the year 1825.
|1820s establishments in Illinois:
|← 1820–1821–1822–1823–1824–1825–1826–1827–1828–1829 →
Pages in category "1825 establishments in Illinois"
The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).


text:
geobotsar, your project is a very worthy effort and is coming along VERY nicely. I've already replaced my usual speed dial with yours because yours accomplishes so much more. I commend you for your effort and will continue to follow your development. You may have made some unusual choices to get here but you're human, and everyone makes mistakes - no need to be publicly flogged for it.
My recommendation to you would be to be careful with your usage of branded materials. The Wyeast tube, the Coopers LME can, and even the name 'Yeastcalc'. Don't use other companies images, likenesses, photos without prior permission. This is as much for them as it is for you and me. I personally wouldn't want my business name being plastered on another website unless there is a connection or permission has been obtained. I also know that Wyeast wouldn't give you the permission to use their image on your website so it doesn't bode well for me when I see it there. The same can be said for the use of the term 'Yeastcalc' which is why folks here took such objection when you created a user account named 'yeastcalc' - and even about the fact that you created a website basically named the same (yeastcalc.co). The true original and only 'yeastcalc' is Dustin Sullivan; anyone else trying to use the moniker is simply plagiarizing his name and confusing matters. I don't believe this is your intention. I believe you are trying to fill a void and give back to the brewing community, and using name recognition works fairly quickly. Afterall, TallDan put up some YeastCalc placeholder websites too and those were posted (spammed) in several threads on yeast so folks could easily find them. At this point, your tools go way beyond a simple yeast propagation calculators and while the name 'YeastCalc' is familiar, I believe you would find a better following under a new original name. Just my opinion of course.
Keep up the good work. It's shaping up nicely.
apologies if this has already been asked:
on the pitching calculator, why do you offer of the option of specifying "Gravity of Starter", if it doesn't make a difference?
changing the default 1.037 to 1.010 or 1.099 doesn't influence the number of resulting (grown) cell. i would get rid of that field.
also, on the Priming Sugar calculator there is a typo: "Mapple Syrup" (should be "Maple")
Thanks for your comments stpug, they are appreciated and noted. Ill be sure to change the images very soon, and maybe the domain name in the near future.you are correct, the website started as i placeholder for the flash cslculator and transformed to something else, maybe something that would be better with another name. sweetcell the gravity makes a difference on the braikaiser's formulas.thanks for the typo correction.
Homebrew Calculators at yeastcalc.co. HTML5, android and ios friendly. No flash needed.
I purchased the Mr malty app for android. I figured that even if I didn't like it jz deserved my money for all the great info I've received via brew strong and can you Brew it.
The app was so bad it was insulting. I expected that it would be a mobile version of the Mr malty pitching calculators. There was almost nothing there! It was $5 for the lightest app I've ever bought. And the text ran off the screen. I had to rotate my phone to read all the text, but when I did I scrolled up to find i could no longer view the top of the page and needed to tip my screen again! F-ing garbage!
Anyway, it made me think of this thread and how much I appreciate having a mobile friendly calculator that works (brewers friend doesn't calculate properly unless you use inputs within a narrow range of what they expect, and returns false results rather than an error if you do so


text:
- Malware-tracking portal helps Australian ISPs trace bots to device level
- BlackBerry's deal to buy voice crypto company Secusmart blessed by German government
- YubiKeys by Yubico provide two-factor authentication by USB
- Syrian Electronic Army hits numerous media sites with DNS redirection attack
- 5 ways PCI is becoming more security-conscious next year
The Strategic Network
So it is with networking. Shrinking budgets and staff, and the constant pressure to reduce operational costs, may have some IT leaders setting their sights very low. Approximately 70 percent of IT investment is spent on "keeping the lights on" - providing basic connectivity and security - leaving precious little for strategic projects to enhance the business. While such tactical thinking is understandable, it also contains many pitfalls. Read more.
Please supply your email address to access the content.
Market Place
- How AMEX is using data and creative to tap into customer contexts
- Mobile Mentor and iProximity join forces on beacon technology
- 5 lessons in brand culture from Gelato Messina
- New board builds AANA's brand marketing expertise
- 10 mind-blowing Oculus Rift experiments that reveal VR's practical potential


text:
Canon DSLR Cameras
Canon Zoom Lenses
Canon Lenses
Nikon Zoom Lenses
Nikon Lenses
Samyang Lenses
Sigma Lenses
Tamron Lenses
Tokina Lenses
Zeiss Lenses
Flash, Lighting and Accessories
Tripods, Ball Heads and Accessories
Filters: Circular Polarizer, UV, Protection, ND and More
Camera & Lens Accessories
Lens & Sensor Cleaning Supplies
Camera Bags, Backpacks & Cases
Show Detailed Menu
Lens Image Quality
Lens Vignetting
Lens Flare
Lens Distortion
Lens Specs and Measurements
Lens Product Images
Lens Product Images (Big Lenses)
Camera Specifications
Flash Specifications
Camera Back View Comparison
Camera Top View Comparison
Camera Side View Comparison
General Purpose Lens
Telephoto Zoom Lens
Wide Angle Lens
Portrait Lens
Wedding Lens
Outdoor Sports Lens
Indoor Sports Lens
Macro Lens
Wildlife Lens
Landscape Lens
Best Bargain Lens
Lens Selection Help
Canon Lens Info
Canon DSLR Camera Sample Pictures
Canon Zoom Lens Sample Pictures
Canon Lens Sample Pictures
Sigma Lens Sample Pictures
Tamron Lens Sample Pictures
Tokina Lens Sample Pictures
Zeiss Lens Sample Pictures
Best of Site Pictures
Site Index
Canon USA CPS Silver Members To No Longer Receive 20% Repair Discount
Canon USA CPS Silver Members To No Longer Receive 20% Repair Discount
Canon USA CPS has sent the following notice regarding the free "Silver" CPS membership level.
Dear CPS Member,
This is an important announcement concerning CPS Silver Membership.
Effective October 1, 2011 CPS will no longer offer the 20% service discount currently being applied to CPS Silver Member repairs.
As a professional photographer, CPS understands that extended down time due to equipment repairs can be detrimental to good business. Therefore, we will continue to offer CPS Silver Members pro standard turn around times on repairs and access to the CPS Member Only 24/7 contact phone number and email, along with access to content on the CPS website including posted CPS supported Events, Shows and Workshops in your area.
Further, we encourage CPS Silver Members to explore the expanded support a CPS Gold Membership offers. CPS Gold Membership includes 3-day expedited repairs at a 30% discount along with many other benefits. Also, during the month of October we are offering a promotion when upgrading to a CPS Gold Membership that will include one (1) additional Free Clean & Check coupon. This coupon would be included along with the other items in your CPS Gold Membership Welcome Kit. Please visit the CPS website for a complete list of member benefits.
For more information:
Contact us at email@example.com or call our general CPS support line 1-888-CPS-4540.
You can find the Canon Professional Services USA website at
Posted By:
Posted to:
Canon News
Canon Professional Services CPS
comments powered by Disqus.
comments powered by
Bryan Recommends
Latest Canon & Nikon News, Deals, Blog
16x20 Canvas, Acrylic, Metal and Poster Prints on Sale at AdoramaPix
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II DX Lens- $89.00 (Compare at $249.00)
Eyefi Delivers Industry's Most Versatile Photo Management and Syncing Solution
Canon Provides Gift Ideas for Holiday Season
Nikon COOLPIX S6900 Firmware Updated to Fix Odd Language Bugs
juicedLink Gives Update on Little DARling
CPN: Tips and Tricks Updated with 7D II & 600EX-RT Info
Canon EOS Rebel SL1 DSLR with EF-S 18-55mm IS STM Lens - $429.99 Shipped (Compare at $599.00)
More Canon & Nikon News
| © 2003-2014 The Digital Picture, LLC |
Bryan Carnathan
Powered By Christ!


text:
Most Popular "May December Romance" Titles
- Movies or TV
- Genres
- Keywords
- IMDb Rating
- Instant Watch Options
- In Theaters
- On TV
- Release Year
1. The Graduate (1967)
Approved | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father's business partner and then finds himself falling in love with her daughter, Elaine.
Writers: Calder Willingham, Buck Henry, Charles Webb | Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, William Daniels
2. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)
PG-13 | 115 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer | Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli
3. Twilight (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 122 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire.
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer | Director: Catherine Hardwicke | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke
4. Lost in Translation (2003)
R | 101 min | Drama
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
Writer: Sofia Coppola | Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
5. Last Vegas (2013)
PG-13 | 105 min | Comedy
Three sixty-something friends take a break from their day-to-day lives to throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for their last remaining single pal.
Writer: Dan Fogelman | Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline
6. L.A. Confidential (1997)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As corruption grows in 1950s LA, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
Writers: James Ellroy, Brian Helgeland, Curtis Hanson | Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
7. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
PG-13 | 117 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
The Quileutes close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses a threat to the Wolf Pack and the towns people of Forks.
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer | Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Gil Birmingham
8. Sex and the City (2008)
R | 145 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A New York writer on sex and love is finally getting married to her Mr. Big. But her three best girlfriends must console her after one of them inadvertently leads Mr. Big to jilt her.
Writers: Michael Patrick King, Candace Bushnell, Darren Star | Director: Michael Patrick King | Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis
9. Lolita (1962)
TV-14 | 152 min | Drama, Romance
A middle-aged college professor becomes infatuated with a fourteen-year-old nymphet.
Writer: Vladimir Nabokov | Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon, Gary Cockrell
10. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
PG-13 | 130 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Edward leaves Bella after an attack that nearly claimed her life, and in her depression she falls into yet another paranormal relationship- this time with werewolf Jacob Black.
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer | Director: Chris Weitz | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Christina Jastrzembska
11. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
PG-13 | 124 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
As a string of mysterious killings grips Seattle, Bella, whose high school graduation is fast approaching, is forced to choose between her love for vampire Edward and her friendship with werewolf Jacob.
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer | Director: David Slade | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Xavier Samuel
12. Animal House (1978)
R | 109 min | Comedy
At a 1962 College, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those trouble-makers have other plans for him.
Writers: Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller | Director: John Landis | Stars: John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst
13. Lolita (1997)
R | 137 min | Drama, Romance
A man marries his landlady so he can take advantage of her daughter.
Writers: Vladimir Nabokov, Stephen Schiff | Director: Adrian Lyne | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Dominique Swain, Melanie Griffith, Frank Langella
14. Rear Window (1954)
Approved | 112 min | Mystery, Thriller
A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Writers: John Michael Hayes, Cornell Woolrich | Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter
15. Vertigo (1958)
Approved | 128 min | Mystery, Romance, Thriller
A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
Writers: Alec Coppel, Samuel A. Taylor, Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac | Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore
16. Sabrina (1954)
Unrated | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A playboy becomes interested in the daughter of his family's chauffeur. But it's his more serious brother who would be the better man for her.
Writers: Billy Wilder, Samuel A. Taylor, Ernest Lehman | Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Walter Hampden
17. Network (1976)
R | 121 min | Drama
A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit.
Writer: Paddy Chayefsky | Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall
18. Milk (I) (2008)
R | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.
Writer: Dustin Lance Black | Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna
19. Something's Gotta Give (2003)
PG-13 | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A swinger on the cusp of being a senior citizen with a taste for young women falls in love with an accomplished woman closer to his age.
Writer: Nancy Meyers | Director: Nancy Meyers | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet
20. Little Women (1994)
PG | 115 min | Drama, Romance
The March sisters live and grow in post-Civil War America.
Writers: Louisa May Alcott, Robin Swicord | Director: Gillian Armstrong | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes
21. Ghost World (2001)
R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama
With only the plan of moving in together after high school, two unusually devious friends seek direction in life. As a mere gag, they respond to a man's newspaper ad for a date, only to find it will greatly complicate their lives.
Writers: Daniel Clowes, Terry Zwigoff | Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro
22. Manhattan (1979)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The life of a divorced television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.
Writers: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman | Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway, Michael Murphy
23. Harold and Maude (1971)
GP | 91 min | Comedy, Romance
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
Writer: Colin Higgins | Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack
24. The Rebound (2009)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Romance
In New York City, a single mom captivates her new neighbor, a much younger man.
Writer: Bart Freundlich | Director: Bart Freundlich | Stars: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Justin Bartha, Art Garfunkel, Joanna Gleason
25. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Unrated | 108 min | Drama
Matt and Christina Drayton are a couple whose attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fiancé who is black.
Writer: William Rose | Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton
26. Poison Ivy (1992)
R | 90 min | Drama, Thriller
A seductive teen befriends an introverted high school student and schemes her way into the lives of her wealthy family.
Writers: Melissa Goddard, Andy Ruben, Katt Shea | Director: Katt Shea | Stars: Drew Barrymore, Tom Skerritt, Sara Gilbert, Cheryl Ladd
27. A Perfect Murder (1998)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Dial M for Murder (1954).
Writers: Frederick Knott, Patrick Smith Kelly | Director: Andrew Davis | Stars: Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, David Suchet
28. The Human Stain (2003)
R | 106 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
When a disgraced former college professor has a romance with a mysterious younger woman haunted by her dark twisted past, he is forced to confront a shocking secret about his own life that he has kept secret for 50 years.
Writers: Philip Roth, Nicholas Meyer | Director: Robert Benton | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise
29. Prime (2005)
PG-13 | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A career driven professional from Manhattan is wooed by a young painter, who also happens to be the son of her psychoanalyst.
Writer: Ben Younger | Director: Ben Younger | Stars: Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep, Bryan Greenberg, Jon Abrahams
30. Rising Sun (1993)
R | 129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
At the offices of a Japanese corporation, during a party, a woman, who's evidently a professional mistress, is found dead, apparently after some rough sex. A police detective, Web Smith is ... See full summary »
Writers: Michael Crichton, Philip Kaufman, Michael Backes | Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
31. White Palace (1990)
R | 103 min | Drama, Romance
Max Baron (James Spader) is a 27-year-old high flying advertising executive still recovering from the death of his wife. One night he is in a bar when he meets Nora Baker (Susan Sarandon) a... See full summary »
Writers: Glenn Savan, Ted Tally, Alvin Sargent | Director: Luis Mandoki | Stars: Susan Sarandon, James Spader, Jason Alexander, Kathy Bates
32. I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)
PG-13 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A mother falls for a younger man while her daughter falls in love for the first time. Mother Nature messes with their fates.
Writer: Amy Heckerling | Director: Amy Heckerling | Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Saoirse Ronan, Tracey Ullman
33. Shopgirl (2005)
R | 106 min | Drama, Romance
A film adaptation of Steve Martin's novel about a complex love triangle between a bored salesgirl, a wealthy businessman and an aimless young man.
Writer: Steve Martin | Director: Anand Tucker | Stars: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
34. Autumn in New York (2000)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
Romantic drama about an aging playboy who falls for a sweet, but terminally ill, young woman.
Writer: Allison Burnett | Director: Joan Chen | Stars: Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, Anthony LaPaglia, Elaine Stritch
35. Poison Ivy: The New Seduction (1997 Video)
R | 95 min | Drama, Thriller
A sinister seductress vows to destroy a suburban family.
Writer: Karen Kelly | Director: Kurt Voss | Stars: Jaime Pressly, Megan Edwards, Michael Des Barres, Greg Vaughan
36. Crush (I) (2001)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Romance, Drama
Three female friends behave badly.
Writer: John McKay | Director: John McKay | Stars: Andie MacDowell, Imelda Staunton, Anna Chancellor, Kenny Doughty
37. Bulworth (1998)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A suicidally disillusioned liberal politician puts a contract out on himself and takes the opportunity to be bluntly honest with his voters by affecting the rhythms and speech of hip-hop music and culture.
Writers: Warren Beatty, Jeremy Pikser | Director: Warren Beatty | Stars: Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Kimberly Deauna Adams, Vinny Argiro
38. Up Close & Personal (1996)
PG-13 | 124 min | Drama, Romance
An ambitious young woman, determined to build a career in TV journalism, gets good advice from her first boss, and they fall in love.
Writers: Joan Didion, John Gregory Dunne, Alanna Nash | Director: Jon Avnet | Stars: Robert Redford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stockard Channing, Joe Mantegna
39. Summer of '42 (1971)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
During his summer vacation on Nantucket Island in 1942, a youth eagerly awaiting his first sexual encounter finds himself developing an innocent love for a young woman awaiting news on her soldier husband's fate in WWII.
Writer: Herman Raucher | Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser, Oliver Conant
40. The Mother (2003)
R | 112 min | Drama, Romance
A grandmother has a passionate affair with a man half her age, who is also sleeping with her daughter.
Writer: Hanif Kureishi | Director: Roger Michell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Anna Wilson-Jones, Anne Reid, Peter Vaughan
41. Love in the Afternoon (1957)
Approved | 130 min | Comedy, Romance, Drama
Director Billy Wilder salutes his idol, Ernst Lubitsch, with this comedy about a middle-aged playboy fascinated by the daughter of a private detective who has been hired to entrap him with the wife of a client.
Writers: Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond, Claude Anet | Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Maurice Chevalier, John McGiver
42. The Russia House (1990)
R | 123 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
An expatriate British publisher unexpectedly finds himself working for British intelligence to investigate people in Russia.
Writers: John le Carré, Tom Stoppard | Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer, Roy Scheider, James Fox
43. He Was a Quiet Man (2007)
95 min | Comedy, Drama
An office worker inadvertently becomes a hero after he saves a woman's life.
Writer: Frank A. Cappello | Director: Frank A. Cappello | Stars: Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, William H. Macy, Michael DeLuise
44. All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, Romance
An upper-class widow falls in love with a much younger, down-to-earth nurseryman, much to the disapproval of her children and criticism of her country club peers.
Writers: Peg Fenwick, Edna L. Lee, Harry Lee | Director: Douglas Sirk | Stars: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead, Conrad Nagel
45. Bell Book and Candle (1958)
Unrated | 106 min | Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
A modern-day witch likes her neighbor but despises his fiancee, so she enchants him to love her instead... only to fall in love with him for real.
Writers: Daniel Taradash, John Van Druten | Director: Richard Quine | Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs
46. Jane Eyre (1943)
Approved | 97 min | Drama, Romance
After a harsh childhood, orphan Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester, the brooding lord of a mysterious manor house to care for his young daughter.
Writers: Charlotte Brontë, Aldous Huxley, Robert Stevenson, John Houseman | Director: Robert Stevenson | Stars: Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, Margaret O'Brien, Peggy Ann Garner
47. Atlantic City (1980)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Lou is a small time gangster, who thinks he used to be something big. He meets up with a younger girl, Sally, who is learning to be a croupier. Her husband turns up with drugs he has stolen... See full summary »
Writer: John Guare | Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, Kate Reid, Michel Piccoli
48. Max (I) (2002)
R | 106 min | Drama, War
A film studying the depiction of a friendship between an art dealer named Rothman and his student, Adolf Hitler.
Writer: Menno Meyjes | Director: Menno Meyjes | Stars: John Cusack, Noah Taylor, Leelee Sobieski, Molly Parker
49. Trust (1990)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
When high school dropout Maria Coughlin announces her pregnancy to her parents, her father drops dead on the floor. Her mother kicks her out of the house and her boyfriend dumps her, so ... See full summary »
Writer: Hal Hartley | Director: Hal Hartley | Stars: Adrienne Shelly, Martin Donovan, Rebecca Nelson, John MacKay
50. The Girl in the Café (2005 TV Movie)
94 min | Drama, Romance
Lawrence, an aging, lonely civil servant falls for Gina, an enigmatic young woman. When he takes her to the G8 Summit in Reykjavik, however, their bond is tested by Lawrence's professional obligations.
Writer: Richard Curtis | Director: David Yates | Stars: Bill Nighy, Kelly Macdonald, Meneka Das, Anton Lesser


text:
Articles related to breakfast breads
Breakfast Bread Recipes - Pancakes, Waffles, Doughnuts, and Fritters
Breakfast bread recipes include pancakes, waffles, doughnuts, and fritters, along with coffee cakes and sweet rolls.
Quick Bread Recipes - Easy Sweet Breads for Breakfast
Quick bread recipes - delicious sweet quick breads include banana bread recipes, cranberry bread, raisin bread, and many more.
Breakfast Breads and Pancakes Recipes - Southern Food - About.com
A variety of breakfast breads, including delicious muffins, easy quick breads, cinnamon rolls, pancakes and waffles, and biscuits.
Top 10 Winter Breakfast Breads - Bread Baking - About.com
These delicious sweet and whole grain breads are great for winter breakfast!
Top Breakfast Bread, Muffin, Doughnut, Waffle, and Pancake Recipes
Breakfast bread recipes, including quick breads, muffins, pancakes, waffles, and more.
Breakfast Bread: Bacon & Cheese Goodness - Cooking for Two
I call this Breakfast Bread because with bread, bacon, and cheese it's almost a complete breakfast on it's own. Toast it, butter it, and top it with a fried egg and ...
Top 10 Breads for Christmas Breakfast - Bread Baking - About.com
Looking for the perfect breakfast to make for Christmas morning? Many cooks like to base their breakfast around the type of bread they bake. Here are ten ...
Great Back to School Recipes for Breakfast Breads ... - Bread Baking
Ten great yeast bread recipes to serve at breakfast!
Rye Raisin Bread - Breakfast Breads - Recipe for ... - Bread Baking
Dark rye flour and raisins are the perfect combination for a delicious and healthy breakfast bread.
Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Bread Recipe - Bread Baking - About.com
Oatmeal raisin bread is a delicious breakfast bread that tastes almost like oatmeal raisin cookies.


text:
BAD KIDS GO TO HELL Premieres at Dallas' Studio Movie Grill, 10/10
Studio Movie Grill announces today the opening of their new flagship theater, the Studio Movie Grill Spring Valley, in Dallas, Texas. Located at 13933 N. Central Expressway, the state of the art complex will be the largest Studio Movie Grill to date and marks the tenth overall location for the company.
On October 10th BAD KIDS GO TO HELL, starring Judd Nelson and directed by Matthew Spradlin, will have its star-studded Dallas premiere screening along with a pre-opening look at the new Spring Valley location.
The film, based on the popular comic book series of the same name, tells the tale of six private school students locked in a Saturday detention with a killer on the loose. Ben Browder (Farscape, Stargate SG-1, Doctor Who) also stars, as well as Ali Faulkner (Bianca in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1), Roger Edwards (Freelancers), Marc Donato (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Cameron Deane Stewart (Pitch Perfect), Augie Duke (The Mentalist), Amanda Alch (When Zachary Beaver Came to Town), Jeffrey Schmidt (Interstate), and Chanel Ryan (BASEketball) . The film was produced by Barry Wernick and Brad Keller, and had its world premiere at this year's San Diego Comic-Con International, and screened at Stan Lee's Comikaze and the Ruby Mountain Film Festival.
Beginning October 27th BAD KIDS GO TO HELL will also have an exclusive Halloween Sneak Peek run at all ten Studio Movie Grill locations, which include the seven theaters in Texas along with theaters in Scottsdale, Arizona, Alpharetta, Georgia and Wheaton, Illinois.
"Studio Movie Grill is extremely happy to host the Dallas premiere of BAD KIDS GO TO HELL and to welcome visitors to its newest flagship, which opens its doors to the public on Friday October 12th," said president of SMG, Brian Schultz.
"We are very excited to partner with Studio Movie Grill and be a part of their grand opening week, as well as featured at all of their venues for an exclusive run for Halloween." said Wernick.
Studio Movie Grill Spring Valley at 13933 N. Central Expressway; Dallas, TX 75243 will be the largest Studio Movie Grill to date. Offering 100 percent reserved seating, the state of the art complex will mirror many of the creature comforts of a home theatre with its spacious, comfortable leather recliners and dining tables. A dedicated bar, lounge, and lobby area are planned for the new space providing guests an opportunity to unwind before and after their theatre experience in an environment unlike the traditional megaplex theater. The ambience of the modern lounge area evokes a sense of calmness with a rich, earthly color palette offset by textured materials and smooth stone surfaces. Spacious new furniture appointments and modern classics will outfit the space capable of handling corporate functions, private events, birthday parties and lunch meetings, not forgetting that SMG has also been named Best Place To Take A Date by all its current cities.
The Spring Valley opening marks Studio Movie Grill's 10th location and 7th in Texas. SMG has one location in the Atlanta area with a second location planned to open early November 2012 and recently opened in Scottsdale, AZ and Wheaton, IL with more expansion on the way For additional information, visit www.studiomoviegrill.com.
|Related Links
|Documentary Film BJORK: BIOPHILIA LIVE Opens in Theaters Worldwide
September 11, 2014
|Documentary BJORK: BIOPHILIA LIVE Opens Worldwide
August 14, 2014
|BRIDESMAIDS & More Set for ABC Family's Summer Crush Programming
July 11, 2014
|Dark Comedy Thriller BAD KIDS GO 2 HELL, The Sequel Gets Underway
March 14, 2014
|Watch Trailer for Judd Nelson Comedy ROAD TO THE OPEN
March 10, 2014
About Author
- MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 Reboot in the Works
- J.K. Simmons to Receive Palm Spring Film Fest's 'Spotlight Award'
- Rentrak Announces Top Entertainment Rankings for Week of 11/25
- VIDEO: ELLEN Attempts to Record Steamy 50 SHADES OF GREY Audio Book!
- HBO to Air Documentary KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK in 2015
- UTOPIA and More Top 2014 International Emmy Awards; Winners List!
- Sneak Peek - Rapper T.I., Meredith Baxter & More on Next OPRAH: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?, 11/23
- EGOT Winner & Entertainment Icon Mike Nichols Dies at Age 83
- VIDEO: Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis Talk New Comedy HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 on GMA
- VIDEO: First Look - Snoopy & The Gang Make Big-Screen Debut in THE PEANUTS MOVIE!


text:
SunStar shines brightly on Signal Hill
Kelly LodewyksLast night the SunStar Beacon of Hope was unveiled and lit up on Signal Hill. And it looks pretty spectacular. Designed by Christopher Swift and part of the World Design Capital initiatives, the SunStar was made with pieces of the fencing from Robben Island. Standing 24 metres high, this outdoor art installation will stay on Signal Hill for about six months before it's moved, possibly to one of the properties of Sun International, who funded the piece.
Stellenbosch Cycle Tour road closures announcedThe 2014 Stellenbosch Cycle Tour, presented by Liberty, has announced scheduled road closures and traffic delays in Stellenbosch and surrounding areas on race day.
Your #lovecapetown weekend:What's on from Friday 21 November to Sunday 23 November, 2014
Natalie LeicherWith so much happening in #lovecapetown this weekend, it's not a case of what to do in the Mother City, but rather can you fit it all in? We bring you some of this weekend's top choices.
Cape Town Jazz Festival is on its way!
Kelly LodewyksThe Cape Town International Jazz Festival is a huge annual event that brings together top-class local and international jazz acts for the entertainment of those in the Mother City. It's an event that people travel for and an event where if you're not quick off the mark for tickets, you stand a good chance of missing out. Some of the line-up for the 2015 festival has just been announced and judging by the talent, the next Cape Town International Jazz Festival looks all set to impress the crowds.
Most Popular
New in Cape Town: Zipline Slide Above the Trees
Most Popular
5 Stunningly Romantic Spots in Cape Town
Most Popular
Your #lovecapetown weekend: What's on from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th November 2014
Most Popular
5 award-winning hotels in Cape Town
Most Popular
4 new and unique things to do in Cape Town
Loading blog articles, this will just take a moment!
Breakfast spots to fuel up for the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon
Lisa Huang shares some great breakfast options to refuel on the Two Oceans Marathon training route in Cape Town.
Carbo-loading restaurants on the Cape Argus Cycle Tour training route
Can you believe it's that time of the year again? Hello, Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour madness! For the past few months, you have probably driven past cyclists along the Cape Peninsula – Wynberg Hills, Misty Cliffs, Chapman's Peak, Suikerbossie hill … to name just a few! With five days to go until the biggest cycling event of the year, on Sunday 10 March, cyclists are gearing up this week for the final countdown. While training is important, it is probably too late to pack in the extra kilometres now if you have not been cycling consistently. Instead, shift your focus to nutrition and prepare your body for maximum energy release!


text:
Cumbrian politicians to meet minister in bid to revive nuclear store site search
Last updated at 12:35, Monday, 04 February 2013
Senior west Cumbrian politicians are to meet with energy secretary Ed Davey in an effort to revive the county's search for an underground nuclear dump.
Supporters of the move to further investigate the area as a possible site for a £12 billion geological disposal facility to house higher level nuclear waste were bitterly disappointed by the Cumbria County Council vote last week to veto the proposal.
Copeland council Leader Elaine Woodburn said she accepted the Government's process to win Cumbria-wide community approval for further geological assessments had now ended.
But she confirmed that she will join Copeland MP Jamie Reed, and Allerdale council Leader Alan Smith in a meeting with Mr Davey on February 13.
Elaine Woodburn announced the meeting on Twitter...
Meeting with Secretary of State Ed Davey on the 13th alongside #jamiereed and #alansmith Very hopeful of a way forward.— elaine woodburn (@elaw66) February 2, 2013
The move has infuriated opponents of the dump plan, who insist that it has no popular support.
But Mrs Woodburn said: "The purpose of moving on to stage four – the next stage of the process – was to gather the facts because we don't yet know whether this area would be right geologically for this facility or wrong.
"What we have been left with now is the legacy of nuclear waste and no solution. We know there's a problem and we actually had a potential solution, which the county council decision has let slip away.
"It's okay closing the door on this if you have another solution but the county council doesn't. It's our moral responsibility to look at this, and I don't think my community necessarily wants it stored here above ground for many, many years.
"We can't just wash our hands of it; and we can't just leave it to future generations as past generations have."
Mrs Woodburn supported the principle that the community should decide whether the plan is to be further explored, saying there was more support for further exploring the dump plan in Copeland, where people were "more knowledgeable" about nuclear issues.
"I'm a strong believer that the community most affected should have the greatest say," she said, claiming that some anti-dump petitions were based on factual inaccuracies.
Cumbria County Council leader Eddie Martin said: "There is no mandate for this. That's one of the reasons you can't inflict this undemocratically on people, and if you attempt to then you destabilise the democratic system."
Marianne Birkby, of Radiation Free Lakeland, said: "They told us we could trust the Government's Managing Radioactive Waste Safely process but now that it's ended they want to continue and overturn the county council's decision.
"There's absolutely no mandate for continuing this process. The best we can do is make sure that what's there is stored safely."
First published at 12:28, Monday, 04 February 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
Have your say
- Council dismisses call-in bid for £11m leisure centre project (2 comments)
- 'We're hidden in full view because we look like the guy next door' (6 comments)
- Solfest music festival gets 2015 date (2 comments)
- Copeland council backs Civic Hall and new public loos plans (7 comments)
- I won't quit vows Cumbria council leader after parking charges climbdown (26 comments)
- Carlisle man can recall days of the week back to 1801 (2 comments)
- Man who scrapped Cumbrian on-street parking charges to quit (15 comments)
- £2m Carlisle football complex given the go-ahead (22 comments)
- Carlisle woman voted third most influential black person (11 comments)
- Cumbrian couple charged £100 for bad TripAdvisor review (40 comments)
Court & crime
Anne Pickles
- The reality is many MPs are way out of touch (3 comments)
- Time to give Dr Ros a little stick (1 comment)
- They died for us, don't forget them
- We don't need any more poisons (2 comments)
- More Anne Pickles
Mark Green
- It's all gone south for us northerners (19 comments)
- Represent us on parking charges (3 comments)
- Take a bite out of me, me, me (4 comments)
- Cumbria: outdoors theme park or sprawling retirement village (3 comments)
- More Mark Green
Quick links
- Work starts to redevelop Carlisle Airport (35 comments)
- Planning go-ahead for Cumbria council's new £10m HQ (32 comments)
- I won't quit vows Cumbria council leader after parking charges climbdown (26 comments)
- We can blow battle for Carlisle wide open, claim UKIP (42 comments)
- New Cumbrian leisure centre delayed by finance query (15 comments)
- Debate over bonfire effigy failed to spoil Fireshow spectacular (87 comments)
- Thousands sign petition to oust hospital trust bosses (62 comments)
- On-street parking charges for Cumbria scrapped (89 comments)
- Bin spies in Carlisle branded a waste of money (30 comments)
- Cyclists opposing extended Carlisle city centre ban (62 comments)


text:
- << Previous photo
- Next photo >>
Outdated Internet Browser Detected
It appears that the Internet Browser you are using to connect to SummitRacing.com is outdated and insecure. To continue to use SummitRacing.com, you must upgrade your browser to a newer, secure version. Use these links to help you upgrade your browser.
Shop Our Store
More Ways To Shop
More Ways To Save
Select your preferred location and we'll note which parts are ready to be picked up TODAY.
Shaved Door Handle Kit, 50 lb. Solenoids, 4-Channel, 2-Door, Kit
Estimated Ship Date: Today Would you rather pick it up? Select Location
Order this item and get free delivery and handling on your entire order! Offer excludes truck freight fees. Valid on orders shipped in the contiguous United States.
View Similar Products
Make unlocking and opening your doors a breeze with Electric-Life's heavy-duty premium shaved door handle kits. They come with everything you need for a great setup--powerful solenoids, a remote, and a keyless entry control module. These kits also feature a harness with a built-in safety feature to prevent the doors from accidentally being opened while the vehicle is running. They'll work with all OE and HD latches, and come complete with a relay pack, a wire harness, and mounting hardware.
Some parts are not legal for sale or use in California on any pollution-controlled motor vehiclesBack To Results


text:
10 Business Web Design Trends For 2015
If you want more happy customers over the next year, you need to embrace these 10 business web design trends for 2015. Read more →
Webinar: Free SEO Tools And How To Use Them
Many companies who are paying for SEO services have no idea if they are getting their money's worth. Here are 4 free tools to guage the health of your SEO program. Read more →
The Future of Photoshop
The folks at Adobe have put together a promotional video to show the future of photoshop and some of the features that may exist someday. It's pretty inspirational stuff. Even if they only ever achieve a fraction of this it's still really impressive. Read more →
Website Launch: Lionheart Fitness Kids
Lionheart Fitness Kids is committed to helping kids of all ages have access to sports and physical fitness education in a fun, safe, and positive environment. Their main goal is to empower children by giving them the tools and capabilities they need to be successful both as an athlete and a strong, positive-thinking person. They delivering beneficial programs for every stage of development:… Read more →
Website Launch: The Worth Group Restaurants
When Rodney and Natalie Worth approached us about rebuilding their restaurant websites, we knew we had an opportunity to really create someting special. The project called for modern, elegant, responsive websites for each of their six great restaurants, as well as a new company website and branding for The Worth Group. Not only do they have great restaurants and great… Read more →


text:
Education professionals joining Runner at the news conference attested to the problems encountered by children who enter kindergarten at too young an age. "California is one of only a handful of states to admit children to kindergarten when they are still four years old," Runner continued. "Many four-year-olds now admitted to kindergarten are not yet mature enough to benefit from the more rigorous kindergarten studies and may be doomed to academic failures in following years. My legislation will help most children do better by starting kindergarten later." AB 2596 is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday, April 26.
Runner Announces School Readiness Act Of 2007
Sharon Runner (R-Antelope Valley) announced her introduction of "The School Readiness Act of 2007"
Assemblywoman Sharon Runner (R-Antelope Valley) announced her introduction of "The School Readiness Act of 2007" – a comprehensive bill that will better prepare students to succeed in school.
"Our current system is simply not fair to our children," Runner said. "In many cases we are setting children up to fail. This comprehensive measure will address school readiness for our youngest students." Accompanied by kindergarten teachers and advocates for early childhood education, Runner provided details of her Assembly Bill 2596, which will change the current kindergarten entrance date so that a child must be five years old on or before September 1 of that school year. Additionally, the savings created by this change, adding up to almost one billion dollars a year for thirteen years, will be directed to help those families who currently do not have access to pre-school. As with past versions of this bill, exceptions can be made for special circumstances to enable a child to start early. This type of kindergarten bill has been tried in the past by Runner. However, this bill has the additional benefit of providing resources for childcare to those who may be displaced by having to wait another year to start kindergarten. In essence, AB 2596 offers an excellent alternative to Proposition 82 by diverting funds to those children who truly need the financial help as opposed to providing even the wealthy with universal preschool.