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More Nonsense, Hoax Still Active, Plain and Simple - It's a Magic Charm, Welcome News, The Anouncement, Warning, Edward Down Under, Bagged Psychics, Pendulum Magic, A Surprise to Look Into, Oops!, He Should Know, Science-Based Medicine, Re 666, Sylvia Again, IQ Test, Justice Is Served, In Conclusion...
Reader James Todd, Ph.D., with the Department of Psychology at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, comments on the continuing academic endorsement of the ridiculous "Facilitated Communication" [FC] notion as a means of treating autistic children. See www.randi.org/joom/content/view/121/27/#i1 for our most recent mention of this subject. Dr. Todd writes:
In case people are wondering, Nancy Cantor, Syracuse University Chancellor, has recently confirmed her FC true belief. I suppose that her appointing Douglas Biklen as Dean of the Syracuse College of Education, was probably enough to demonstrate that. But this nails it down. In a speech delivered on September 7 this year, Cantor (a Stanford-trained Ph.D. in Psychology) stated:
Consider, for example, the work of Jamie Burke, an individual with autism, who was 15 years old when he began using facilitated communication, a technique developed and advocated by Douglas Biklen, a protégé of Blatt and now dean of the School. "I was a boy who had much intelligence but no voice," Jamie says in the documentary film he wrote and narrated, produced by Biklen. "Now I'm using my speech, it feels like freedom." And while the controversy about facilitated communication in the research literature in psychology and education never seems to tire, the compelling testimony to its power is written and rewritten in the stories of autistic individuals, turned public scholars, college students (including Jamie at Syracuse)...
This document can be seen at tinyurl.com/2nu4bt. Jamie Burke is now 21 years old. Dr. Todd continues:
Let me tell you about Jamie Burke. Burke can speak independently at about a 4-6 year-old-level. He reads (looks at, more likely) children's picture books to occupy himself. I have personally spoken with him. He was well protected by his mother and a facilitator, who prevented him from saying very much with his own voice. After greeting me vocally, they made him push buttons on a speech synthesizer which uttered some pre-programmed statements. When he facilitates with his mother, he becomes a poet and philosopher. His mother stands behind him, holding both arms at the elbows, pushing his hands toward a laptop keyboard. He reads what he types with good accuracy and inflection. It is an impressive though creepy demonstration. Obviously, no one asked why he couldn't just say it all in the first place. But it was all explained anyway. Supposedly he thinks so fast that he needs to type to slow himself down. He is one of the much-vaunted "two handed typists" the FC people like to talk about. He is also a genius with an IQ in the 130 range – so they say. Just thought you'd like to know.
This is just such total pseudoscientific nonsense that it borders on being criminal, in my opinion. As happens with so many of these children, a "facilitator" and/or a parent serves to prevent the child being properly examined and audited; it seems evident that they don't want an observer to know the true extent of the autism. It's obvious that Dr. Nancy Cantor, Chancellor of Syracuse University, is uninformed in the art of reality, and has chosen to naively accept the Facilitated Communication notion – perhaps because it brings the university huge amounts of money? This claptrap has been tested time and again, and has always failed to be validated! (I was personally involved in such a test, and blocked at every turn from free access to the children involved; when I gained access, I learned what I needed to know, and it was enough for me to recognize the vacuity of the FC farce.) Still, parents of autistic children pour millions into the project because they're desperate. That's the sort of people who are sought out by those who recognize their vulnerability and want to – and do! – take advantage of it.
Where are the state and federal authorities who should be monitoring such activities? DOES ANYONE IN AUTHORITY CARE?
Apparently not.
Reader Leonard Hipp brings our attention to a full-page story that he saw recently on the back page of the "Health" section of the January 6th edition of the Asbury Park Press, in New Jersey. We covered this medical scam on SWIFT several times in the past, the latest being at www.randi.org/jr/2007-04/040607mi.html#i9. The original Gannet Publications article from which the Asbury Park Press piece was taken, can be seen at: www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080106/LIFE10/801060321. Writes Leonard:
I have seen links to this article already posted on other health-related message boards as well as forums dealing with medical problems such as fibromyalgia, for example. It has already gone beyond the people who might have seen it in the newspaper. This dangerous misinformation has spread to several other sources now! As you know these ionic foot baths are a scam and you've talked about them before in a few of your articles. This article was written by Maggie Downs and appeared in the following Gannet Publications, but I would suspect it appeared in dozens more newspapers, and was just not re-printed on their websites:
Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, NJ, "Good Health By the Foot" Delaware News Journal, Wilmington, DE "A whole-body detox in a foot bath" Courier Post, Camden, NJ, "The Ions Have It" The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, CA, "Fizzy foot bath claims to pull toxins out through your toes" Poughkeepsie Journal, Poughkeepsie, NY, "Foot bath may clean body, too"
Here is an excerpt from a letter I fired off to Gannet Publications yesterday:
This irresponsible journalism is intolerable in my opinion. How many dozens (perhaps hundreds!) more newspapers was the article printed in? How many hundreds of desperate and gullible people will now go to one of these spas and lose their money on this scam because of these newspaper stories? It is quite dangerous to endorse this scam instead of seeking proper medical attention. The article quotes a spa owner diagnosing problems and giving medical advice without a medical license! Isn't this illegal, not to mention dangerous? Of the many paragraphs devoted to the story, a SINGLE SENTENCE is rational: "The ionic foot bath has been criticized by some for being a hoax." WHY would Ms. Downs even bring this up without looking into those criticisms? If she had taken the time to look, she would have discovered the AMPLE evidence that it is indeed a well-known hoax! One simply has to run the bath WITHOUT feet in it to discover that the water still changes colors! The color is formed by oxidation of the motor parts, and is NOT TOXINS being pulled from the body as the article states!
I've joined the forums of all five of the above newspapers and pointed to information that exposes these baths as fraudulent, and I've contacted Gannet Headquarters in McLean, VA about it. Next step is a letter to the editors of each of the newspapers, and attempts at contacting Maggie herself to ask if she might set the record straight by testing one of these baths herself! I'll keep you posted on what I hear.
We thank Mr. Hipp for actually speaking out on such a matter. These "foot baths" are strictly fraudulent, and as he points out, the author of that misleading Gannet article could have discovered that fact by just a few keystrokes on the Internet.
But that would have spoiled a sensational story – the sort upon which these services thrive – and the truth had to be ignored to avoid that possibility.
Reader Lior Dagan observes:
It happened a while back, but I thought that this is something that the JREF community should know about. A year and a half ago, Israel and Lebanon went to war after two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped while being in Israeli territory. The kidnapping was preceded by bombing of a few small villages. A war broke out, and several tens of Israeli soldiers died – as in any war. Ovadia Yosef, the Israeli leader of the religious party Shas, spoke a few months ago in one of his after-Saturday speeches, which are known to now and then offend parts of the Israeli public. This time he had figured out why the Israeli soldiers died in that war. It had nothing to do with the idiotic commands that the Ministry of Defense sent, or with the fact that there are no zero-casualty wars. They died because they did not wear the Tfilin! The Tfilin is an artifact worn when a Jew prays to God. Secular soldiers do not wear this at all, as they do not pray. The conclusion is, of course, that they weren't religious enough, and so they became KIA.
Randi comments: The tfilin (tefilin, tefillin, etc.) are a pair of small boxes – usually black – containing Hebrew text, very much like other "charms" from other religions, with sacred words inscribed. One is bound to the arm, as shown, the other to the forehead.
This is amazing! The Rabbi just said that he who wears a Tfilin should be "bullet proof"! Why didn't anyone from the I.D.F. figure this sooner? And why didn't he, as well, one who has lived in Israel at least since the fifties, and has seen Israel go through several wars? This is the time to remember Lt. Klein from the "Egoz" reconnaissance unit, who died after throwing himself prone on a grenade, to save his soldiers from death. He was a devout Jew, and he did wear the Tfilin three times a day, in freezing temperatures, and very high heat, sometimes at expense to his sleep, which is a rare commodity for any combatant soldier. He had to sacrifice a lot to do what the evil Rabbi Yosef said that he didn't. Rabbi Yosef, after a scandal broke, said that "he loves the IDF soldier with a great love." This does say, of course that he apologizes to religious Jewish soldiers, who died so that he could ride in his BMW 750 and speak evil, stupid words whenever he wants. P.S. My atheist brother-in-law, who removed mines and booby-traps in this war, came from the war unscathed. He does recall not wearing a Tfilin for a VERY long time. But that – according to the Rabbi – is very unlikely.
From colleague Phil Plait – The Bad Astronomer – comes reassuring news. As usual, media outlets around the globe have begun beating the drums and sounding the sirens over yet another dire End-of-the-World scenario that has an asteroid wiping out our planet on the 29th of this month. Yawn. Phil tells us that this is actually an exaggeration, if you can believe that! He writes, on his very interesting page – at www.badastronomy.com – these calming words:.
This is interesting: an asteroid named 2007 TU24 will pass roughly 560,000 kilometers (330,000 miles) from the Earth on January 29, 2008. That's close enough to be interesting, but far enough not to worry about it. Funny coincidence: that's almost the same time that [asteroid] 2007 WD5 will pass very close to Mars. The odds of a Mars impact are still not zero, but there is no chance at all of TU24 hitting us. I don't usually track such news, but I actually found out about this at Digg.com, where some folks were digging up a misleading video about the asteroid. The video wasn't hugely popular, but it's had a few thousand viewings, which isn't bad. I have some beefs with it, and I think they point to some misconceptions people have about asteroids. First, though, the video is a bait-and-switch to talk about how Ron Paul isn't getting press. OK, feh… But the science, too, is misleading. The first thing the video author shows is the well-known asteroid Ida, claiming that it's TU24, which is incorrect. Then he shows how close it will pass, with a grossly misleading graphic of the Earth and Moon sitting right next to each other, making it look like this asteroid will just barely miss us. Make no mistake: this is a pretty close pass for an asteroid, but it has no chance at all of hitting us, so it's no big deal. Looking at the list of recent and upcoming close approaches by asteroids (http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/, you can see this one is one of the nearest for a while, but there are many other near misses… stress the word "miss." In the description, he also says:
It will be 1.37 Lunar Distances from earth on January 29, 2008. Let's hope they're right. Gauging trajectory on something coming right at you isn't easy.
Nope, it's not heading right for us. It's heading to a point in space where the Earth will be on January 29. Actually, it's headed to a point in space more than half a million kilometers from where the Earth will be at that time. Either way, that spot in space is currently more than 60 million kilometers (40 million miles) away from us right now; a fair ways off. So actually, getting the orbit is just a matter of getting good observations, like it usually is. Asteroids are a real threat, and need to be taken seriously. This video – and the way I see the media treat the threat in general – in my opinion, make matters somewhat worse. Perhaps I'm hammering this particular video a little hard, but to me it represents a whole class of misleading coverage of asteroids. And c'mon, if you want to make a point, just make it. (Mis)using astronomy this way isn't helping any.
Phil's new book, "Death From the Skies," will be out soon, and of course available through the JREF. And if you're not already a subscriber to his page, go to www.badastronomy.com, scroll down the right margin to find a small spot: "Read Bablog via e-mail," and click in… Why Phil hides this spot so carefully, no one knows…
We've had a heavy reaction to last week's announced upcoming termination of the JREF Million-Dollar Challenge, both in personal e-mails, phone calls, and in the postal mail. Comments have run both pro and con – no surprise there. But there have been a few misunderstandings expressed by readers.
First, I see suggestions being made that funding could be raised to replace the million dollars, as if that sum was required to keep the JREF afloat. Not so. We support the JREF through private gifts, bequests, sales of books and videos, and lecture fees. The burden of the challenge is the work and time required to handle the long-drawn-out negotiations with persons who – frankly – are frequently not resident in a real world. I say that in an understanding tone, since it's evident that they do not see the need for comprehensive and carefully-designed testing procedures, and we've had to walk them through the process of developing a view of how Nature actually works, and how they may have misunderstood that complicated process.
Second, we never thought, for a moment, that the "Big Fish" out there – persons such as James Van Praagh, John Edward, Sylvia Browne, even Uri Geller – might actually step forward to be tested on their claims. The purpose of the challenge has always been to provide an arguing basis for skeptics to point that the claimants just won't accept the confrontation. And, an added advantage to the challenge was that it could serve to show the amateurs – those genuinely self-deluded but convinced of their abilities – that as described in the previous paragraph, they might be looking at the world through a fuzzy lens…
The bottom line is: The JREF has made its point – week after week – for 10 years, and now we have two years until this generous offer will end. We have to ask: how long are we expected to wait for a miracle?
And if you needed any more evidence that those who loudly accept the JREF million-dollar challenge speak with forked tongue, go to tinyurl.com/24ojlt and see what Audioholics Online A/V Magazine has to say about the comedy generated by Michael Fremer and Adam Blake, who have precipitously backed out of proving their claim that Pear Anjou speaker cables can be differentiated from ordinary cables. Yes, it's a tired old horse, and very dead, but it's good to see that responsible audiophile authorities are able to see just what a farce such a matter can become.
Thank you, David Waratuke and Audioholics…!
In last weeks "Comments" following SWIFT, reader "Chris C" mentioned a commercially-available trick named "Hypno Heat" which accomplished the effect described under the item "Another Conversion" (see www.randi.org/joom/content/view/144/27/#i12.) Here is the cover of the circa-1989 8-page book that accompanied the trick, though the instructions erroneously refer to "tin-foil" as the material to use; no, it's aluminum foil, though they state that "just about any foil will work." Untrue.
The company, Viking-Haenchen Manufacturing Company of McAllen, Texas, shows its currently available products at www.vikingmagic.com/?nd=dept, and "Hypno-Heat" is conspicuously absent. One wonders if someone might have been poisoned by this very dangerous and highly toxic product, or if they just wisely decided to withdraw it from the market. Though "Chris C" also opines that no chemical tests would reveal whether a mercuric compound might have been used, a simple test is to dissolve the resulting ashes in water, and place a very clean bit of copper into it. The resulting silvery deposit on the copper proves the presence of mercury.
But – another and more common method is also used for this trick, one that's somewhat less dangerous but still not safe. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is common lye, a powerful alkali, with a "pH" – hydrogen exponent – of a full 14, as alkaline as anything can get. You see, a very thin layer of aluminum oxide – Al2O3 or corundum – forms immediately on aluminum when the metal is exposed to air, and that layer – very hard and chemically identical to sapphire or ruby – protects the metal from further oxidizing. When aluminum oxidizes, it is a powerful exothermic reaction. When corrosive lye is in contact with aluminum, that thin layer is dissolved, and oxygen can reach the surface. That means the aluminum generates great heat and literally consumes itself as long as the lye lasts. A small bit of lye rubbed together with aluminum foil and a trace of water, produces heat quickly and can begin to smoke right away and burn up.
The big drawback to the lye method is that the chemical has a soapy feel, which must be avoided because it means that your flesh is being turned into soap – not a nice way to go…!
I've refrained until now from reporting the recent farce that took place in Australia where the family of the late TV star Steve Irwin – "The Crocodile Hunter" – actually called in "dead-speaker" John Edward to contact the spirit of this ebullient character who so charmed us across the world with his capers and his very educational commentary. I was awaiting a definitive report of this event, and happily, I now have the following account written by a SWIFT reader who appears to have an excellent grasp of what transpired:
My name is Glenn Davey. I'm a 24-year-old from Melbourne, Australia. I've been looking for an excuse to drop you a line for about a month and a half now, as your work has not only put the final nail in the coffin of all my previous questionable and irrational beliefs, but provided hours of "edu-tainment"! A flow-on effect from this is that my girlfriend has also questioned and revised her own beliefs. When I announced to her that I was a Bright, I showed her your 2003 article "Why I Deny Religion, How Silly and Fantastic It Is, and Why I'm a Dedicated and Vociferous Bright" – which made a very positive impression on her, so thank you for your writing! Unfortunately, it seems that for every couple of light bulbs that ping on, there is a multitude of others who are sitting in the dark. The purveyors of woo-woo like attaching themselves to other notable figures for the press it provides. The least of these is the nicest-dern-guy in the clap-trap game, John Edward, who made an appearance the other day at Australia Zoo, the wildlife park of the late Steve Irwin (see www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23013062-952,00.html). Edward plied his trade before 4,500 animals-and-psychics-lovers at AU$90 per head. At a total of $405,000 (over $360,000 US) this was a lucrative endeavour on behalf of the marketing teams behind both Edward and the Irwins. When asked if they'd had a private "reading" with Edward, Steve's widow Terri smiled and nodded. Steve's father later added:
There's no doubt that Steve was with us. It's not black and white, it's grey, but there is a definite Steve energy that is unmistakable.
Hmm, "not black and white, it's grey" sounds like there is some doubt whether Steve was there or not. I'm sure that Edward was unmistakably doing his part by imagining up all kinds of thoughtful messages from "Steve" based on the massive amount of research he would have been able to do before this engagement. Mannerisms, thoughts, quotes, would all have been available from video footage available to anyone. Naturally, Terri and Bob Irwin, as invested believers-and-grievers, did their part to read everything into it the session that they wanted to get out of it. Steve fans were left hanging, though, as Edward made no attempt to contact him on the "other side" during his performance at Australia Zoo:
I've been waiting all week and as a fan of John Edward I was sure he'd bring Steve through to us.
So said one disappointed mother of two. I see this as simply a deft business move by Edward. Steve is a well-known and beloved character, here and in the US and other countries. For most, I think, it may be believable that Edward contacted Steve in a private, exclusive reading, but if he came out and did it on record, before an audience, he would be open to much more scrutiny. Any "message" he transmitted would be printed as headlines across the country the next morning. The media do hunger for them sound-bites, after all. No, that would have been Too Much Exposure, whereas John seeks Just Enough Exposure – such as this newspaper article – to keep business rolling over. Once again we see that Edward is just another unethical guy with a product to sell to anyone who will buy it, and you can attribute everything he does – and the rest of the charlatans – to straight-up business decisions. What is maddening is that supernatural belief still exists in society despite those like Uri Geller and Sylvia Browne being so phenomenally atrocious at what they do! They perform so poorly and make such poor business decisions that it is even more damning on modern culture that they make as much money as they do! It says a lot about how far the sceptical movement has to go. I aim to actively join the tide of rationality. One day soon I may even have the joy of patronising an Amaz!ng Meeting. Meanwhile I will write and study and do what I can to further education. I like people, and I love our universe. For the human mind, I hold equal parts fascination and disgust. Perhaps we just need to evolve a little further? At any rate, I believe we're worth fighting for.
Glenn, I agree with you about Edward's calculated decision not to "contact" Steve Irwin before witnesses. He knows that his "in camera" – private – audience will only report guesses that worked, because they not only want Edward to be successful, they need him to succeed, so that their false hopes are encouraged and their favoured delusions are satisfied.
Thank you for this report.
A 79-year-old "psychic" named Sophie Evon, a Canadian citizen who fled prosecution in Seattle, ended up on a most-wanted-fugitive list in Canada, and after being sought for more than eight years, she was finally identified and arrested. She was ordered extradited back to the USA, and when her appeal against extradition was denied, she fled from house arrest, but was eventually caught again and sentenced to 1½ years in prison nearly nine years after tricking a lovesick woman – a recent immigrant from China – into turning over her life savings to win back her boyfriend.
Evon and her daughter-in-law, Sylvia Lee, ran a business called "Ms. Lee's Psychic and Astrology Readings." They'd met their victim at a video store in the summer of 1999 and persuaded her that she needed a $300 "spiritual cleansing" to help her win back her former boyfriend. But that amount was quickly increased. As usual with these schemes, and despite the victim's expressed doubts, she withdrew more than $200,000 cash from her savings account and her parents' retirement account and entrusted it to the two con artists. Needless to say, when the victim returned for a scheduled appointment with Evon and Lee two days later, she found that the "psychics" and the money were gone.
Sylvia Lee, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Washington and was convicted there by a jury on three counts of first-degree theft committed in 2001, and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Reader Benjamin E., in Germany, shares a story with us:
I've been a reader of your commentary for several months now and enjoy it every time, because the news and stories you present make me laugh so hard, though I sometimes feel frustrated about the so widespread dullness in Western society. I recently experienced how it feels to have contact with a person you would call a "quack," but I was not in the situation to show her what I think about her beliefs. Let me explain: I'm 21 years old and live in a town in the Black Forest in the south of Germany. Since 2006, I'm a trainee hearing aid acoustician. Some days ago, an elderly lady came to our store and wanted to have new hearing aids. She already had a pair, which was over 10 years old and therefore really out of date. So we updated her audiogram – a diagram which shows how a person can hear, and thus builds the basis of the later fitting of a hearing aid – and started normal counseling, as we do with every client. After having explained the price range and the different technological abilities of hearing aids, we offered her a non-binding test of several pairs of hearing aids which seemed to be suitable, each of them for about a week. Then she told us that she would be leaving the country in three weeks for several months of development assistance. She really impressed me with this kind active life that only a few of that age still have. At a later meeting, it turned out that she had also built up a kindergarten somewhere in Eastern Europe with her capital, so she couldn't test more than one pair of hearing aids, bearing in mind delivery time and the decision of the health insurance company – and therefore she could not compare the hearing aids. "But don't worry," she said, "I've got a way of making the decision without comparing. Just bring me some brochures of your manufacturers." And so we did. She pulled out a little sack with a string on it and started swinging this like a pendulum over the brochures and asked the pendulum which product would come into question. I don't know what she thought she was doing exactly, whether she was asking a ghost, a demon, an angel or some kind of god, but I'm sure, this person must have had hearing aids for ages, because she found out that one company, which is chosen very often by other clients, was absolutely horrible and that another one would be okay, if the hearing aids would not cost more than €1900 – and so on. After 15 minutes, she had made her decision: a pair of "behind-the-ear" (BTE, in contrast to the "in-ear" models that most Americans prefer) hearing aids from a German manufacturer for about €3,400 was the pendulum's favorite. She also had a pair of ten- year-old ear moulds, which normally would have been replaced by a pair of new ones, but the pendulum told her that this was not necessary. So we ordered the hearing aids the pendulum wanted her to have, adjusted them at a second meeting for her hearing loss and gave them to her for a test week. The decision-meeting will be next Monday, but she is surely going to buy the hearing aids, because she would otherwise have to accuse the pendulum of having lied to her... I can assure you, it was very difficult not to laugh when I saw this lady swinging her sack-thingy over our counter, but remaining silent in this case meant over €3,000 for my company. Ironically, I can't even think of purchasing products of this cost, because it's more than I earn in a year – but she decides just not to think, and lets her rheumatism decide about it...
Benjamin, I'm sure that anything you might have said to this customer would – pardon the pun – fall on deaf ears. She's satisfied that she has mysterious forces working for her, and she enjoys that more than knowing the realities of the world…
Another observation, Benjamin: If you're making less than €3,000 a year, I want to know your secret of survival…!
It's just been trumpeted that a recent study has apparently demonstrated that the use of a localized static magnetic field of moderate strength can result in significant reduction of tissue swelling when applied immediately after an inflammatory injury! I find this not only very interesting, but highly doubtful, and I'm of course eager to hear more. As long ago as the early days of Greek civilization, magnets have been touted for their healing properties, and are still widely advertised today as an "alternative/complementary" method of treating a number of conditions from arthritis to depression, but so far, there hasn't been scientific proof that magnets can actually heal.
Until now.
We now have Thomas C. Skalak, Ph.D., professor and chair of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia, and currently President of the Biomedical Engineering Society, claiming to have proof that magnets work in this respect! Professor Skalak isn't just any ordinary scientist, either. He's been active in cardiovascular and biomedical engineering research and training for over fifteen years at the University, and his research efforts are directed in two major areas: biomechanics of microvascular structure, function, and adaptation, and engineering of wound prevention and repair. In fact, he's also the Director of the Center for Engineering of Wound Prevention and Repair, which is funded by a private foundation. He aims to
…link clinical problems in wound repair with state-of-the-art scientific tools and engineering technologies to understand and modify the cellular events involved in this process.
Due to lack of proper regulation and widespread public acceptance of quackery, "magnetic therapy" has become a $5 billion world market. Consumers eagerly buy pendants, bracelets, knee braces, bandages, shoe inserts, mattresses, pillows, and other products that are said to be embedded with magnets, hoping for a non-invasive and drug-free cure to their aches and pains. Until Dr. Skalak hove into view, this was all based only on anecdotal evidence. On one point I cannot argue with Dr. Skalak, when he says:
The FDA regulates specific claims of medical efficacy, but in general static magnetic fields are viewed as safe.
Yes, and so are homeopathy and prayer "safe," in that respect. The important question is: does it really work?
Well, we're told that Dr. Skalak has been studying magnets for a number of years in order to "develop real scientific evidence about the effectiveness of magnetic therapy." To me – as an amateur – the only correct attitude here would be, to study magnets in order to discover whether or not they are effective in this respect, not to develop evidence that they are – but I quibble.
In any case, Skalak's lab used a five-year, $875,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, to investigate the major claim made by companies that sell magnets: that magnets increase blood flow. This notion seems to have arisen from the fact that red blood – as opposed to some blue and green liquids that other life-forms have flowing in their bodies – contain hemoglobin, which is C738H1166N812O203S2Fe, in humans. Note the single iron atom – Fe – among those other 2,921 atoms in this very complex molecule. That means, the theory goes, that hemoglobin can be affected by a magnet – even a stationary one. Duh. No, that doesn't happen, friends.
Now, I'm always willing to be shown. Researchers working with Dr. Skalak's lab support their claim through research with lab rats. In their initial studies, they report, magnets of the strength of about 10 times the common "refrigerator" variety were placed near the rat's blood vessels. Now, such a magnetic device is extremely weak. Its field drops off to next-to-zero just a few millimeters away from its surface, yet the Skalak researchers say that they found the magnets had the effect of dilating and constricting the vessels, and that they could induce vessel relaxation in tissues with constrained blood supply, ultimately increasing blood flow. I find this claim to be incredible.
The lab results are published in the November 2007 issue of the American Journal of Physiology. If any sufficiently qualified reader can explain/interpret to me the contents of that report, I would be most grateful. I find it difficult to evaluate the protocol – particularly whether it was done strictly double-blinded, which could make all the difference, of course. Both rats and scientists can be fooled…
Dr. Skalak already has plans to continue testing the effectiveness of magnets through clinical trials and testing in elite athletes. Now I must applaud that, so long as proper double-blind evaluations are employed in all phases. The scientist says:
We now hope to implement a series of steps, including private investment partners and eventually a major corporate partner, to realize these very widespread applications that will make a positive difference for human health.
I will look forward to developments in this matter with great interest.
A reader has sent me to www.2007rapture.com/index.php, where I discovered just how difficult this prophecy business is, not to mention the Message-Straight-from-God angle. A Floridian named Shelby Corbitt, who firmly predicted The Rapture (you know, the suddenly-floating-up-to-Heaven business) for last year, now has to explain how either she – or God – got it wrong. She closes his 6,800-word explanation with this comforting note, apparently forgetting to correct the year of her revelation:
Keep in touch with this website, I will post all messages and information from God as I get it. Until God says something new keep doing what He has already said to do. God does not want anyone left behind. He gives us free will. We choose our own destiny. If you make bad choices, you will have to suffer the consequences. You will be held accountable for an ungodly lifestyle – God loves you so much. He just wants you to love Him back by doing and living the way He says is right. He will not force Himself on you. You must choose to recieve [sic] Him. Get ready for the return of Jesus NOW, 2007.
Shelby's message was appended with this ominous notice:
You have exceeded your daily limit.
Okay, but limit of what? Patience…?
Did you ever wonder what Pope Benedict thinks about global warming? He made a telling intervention in the recent Bali conference, releasing a message prepared for World Peace Day fully three weeks earlier than scheduled, just to emphasize the point. He said:
Any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not dubious ideology.
On rare occasions, words fail me. This is such an occasion.
From skeptic Dr. Harriet Hall, MD – "SkepDoc" – comes this:
To all my friends and correspondents: I'm proud to announce a new blog devoted to science-based medicine. It is a joint effort of 5 MDs, (Steven Novella, Kimball Atwood, David Gorski, Wallace Sampson, and Harriet Hall) each taking one day of the week, with occasional guest authors. I will be posting an entry every Tuesday; my first one went up today – a book review of Snake Oil Medicine:
Science-Based Medicine is a new daily science blog dedicated to promoting the highest standards and traditions of science in medicine and health care. The mission of this blog is to scientifically examine medical and health topics of interest to the public. This includes reviewing newly published studies, examining dubious products and claims, providing much needed scientific balance to the often credulous health reporting, and exploring issues related to the regulation of scientific quality in medicine…. The authors are all medically trained and have spent years writing for the public about science and medicine, tirelessly advocating for high scientific standards in health care. Together, and with contributions from other medical science writers, they will turn a critical eye toward all issues relating to science and medicine. They hope to make the Science Based Medicine blog a vital resource for consumers, providers, regulators, the media, and anyone interested in quality health care. We will be carrying on our fight against quackery and pseudoscience, but we hope the blog will be much more than that. See www.sciencebasedmedicine.org
Science-Based Medicine is a new daily science blog dedicated to promoting the highest standards and traditions of science in medicine and health care. The mission of this blog is to scientifically examine medical and health topics of interest to the public. This includes reviewing newly published studies, examining dubious products and claims, providing much needed scientific balance to the often credulous health reporting, and exploring issues related to the regulation of scientific quality in medicine…. The authors are all medically trained and have spent years writing for the public about science and medicine, tirelessly advocating for high scientific standards in health care. Together, and with contributions from other medical science writers, they will turn a critical eye toward all issues relating to science and medicine. They hope to make the Science Based Medicine blog a vital resource for consumers, providers, regulators, the media, and anyone interested in quality health care.
We will be carrying on our fight against quackery and pseudoscience, but we hope the blog will be much more than that. See www.sciencebasedmedicine.org
Reader Robert Lennartz tells us:
Your piece on the changing of the Allen Parish telephone prefix from 666 reminded me of an incident in a video store. I rented an older DVD and a more recent one and it turns out the total for this combination came to $6.66. I made some joke about this to the clerk. He informed me that when this total occurs – which it commonly does – some customers then will take action (such as purchasing candy) to change the total from that number. It would be interesting (but perhaps disheartening) to know the percentage of customers who do this. I did not ask him for an estimate.
On the FARK forum, at forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3305688, "SpankyPinkbottom" (?) contributed this comment re the coming discontinuation of the JREF prize:
Intercom: Paging Sylvia Brown - please pick up the white courtesy phone. You only have two years left to claim your million bucks. Sylvia: You're thinking of an "D" or a "T." Do you have a relative named Frank? Hotel worker: No. I'm just here to point you toward the courtesy telephone. Sylvia: Does Frank have a phone? Hotel worker: I don't know any Frank. Sylvia: Check with your parents, dear. And you really should take more zinc. Hotel worker: You need to call Mr. Randi. The courtesy phone... Sylvia: It's in the hallway. I know. Hotel worker: No, it's in the break room with the vending machines. Sylvia: Well, I obviously need to go through the hallway to get to the break room. Little white plastic phone on the wall, next to the soda machine, right? Hotel worker: No, it's red and it's on the center table. Look, if you'll just go down the hall... Sylvia: Is the table made of zinc? Hotel worker: I'm getting my manager.
And, speaking of Sylvia and 2008 prophecies, take a gander at tinyurl.com/3a7jq2.
Q. How do you make holy water? A. Boil the hell out of it.
On November 22nd, 2002, we first ran a SWIFT item here about the ridiculous "Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet." (See www.randi.org/jr/112202.html and do a search for "Q-Ray.") At long last, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission [FTC] has closed down the operation of this Illinois-based Q-Ray Co. and its owner, Que Te Park. In the more than five years since we brought it to public attention, Mr. Park has sold literally millions of these pieces of junk jewelry, all over the world – at prices ranging from $60 to $190, with a "deluxe" model going for $300. But these toys were not offered or advertised as jewelry; they were sold as cure-alls for the ailing, for athletes, and for the elderly. Extensive tests in labs all over the world quickly discovered that there was no "ionization" involved, and no therapeutic effects at all, yet Park continued to peddle his products freely.
The scheme all started to unravel back on September 6, 2006, when the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that the Q-Ray bracelet vendors were in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act. Having vast financial resources, Park and his gang easily obtained an appeal order, which happily for us came into the hands of Judge Frank Easterbrook, the Chief Judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. More about this man, up ahead.
Questioned before investigators, Que Te Park testified that his term "ionization" as applied to the bracelet, had no scientific meaning, and that he had no idea what the phrase "ionization performance" meant. Park had simply made up a theory that the bracelet works like acupuncture, or Eastern medicine. He had no testing or studies to support his theory, and there was no scientific evidence to that effect presented in court. The Q-Ray bracelet was marketed as an "ionized bracelet" as part of a scheme devised by Park and the corporate defendants to defraud consumers out of millions of dollars by preying on their need to find a simple solution for alleviating physical pain.
Not surprisingly, the court ordered reimbursement in a minimum amount of $22.5 million up to a maximum of $87 million. Then Park's appeal was entered, and eventually was considered by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. In his just-announced decision on this matter, Judge Easterbrook wrote that the Q-Ray's claims about how the bracelets were supposed to work – through "enhancing the flow of bio-energy" – were nonsense. He added:
Defendants might as well have said: Beneficent creatures from the 17th dimension use this bracelet as a beacon to locate people who need pain relief and whisk them off to their home world every night to provide help in ways unknown to our science.
Well stated, Judge! Evidence from tests of this bracelet had already shown conclusively that it does not receive, retain, nor emit any sort of electrical charge, nor does it have any properties different from any other bracelet made of the same metals. It's just a piece of pretty junk.
My question: What does it take to get our FTC to act promptly on evidence? Did they wait this long so that Mr. Park and his associates would have sufficient assets to retire comfortably? We wouldn't want out-of-business jewelry peddlers laying about the streets and looking for welfare assistance, would we? Such inertia by a federal bureau is just impossible to understand, in my opinion. We have an FTC that is simply indolent, incompetent, or stupid – and don't give me the tired old song-and-dance routine about insufficient staffing and/or funding. There's a solution for that: hire Judge Frank Easterbrook to do the job.
The FTC – as a result of the denial of the appeal – now says that the Q-Ray peddlers have been ordered to turn over US$16 million in profits, which will be paid out in refunds to consumers for false advertising, and they must pay up to $87 million in refunds to those consumers, as Easterbrook said in his decision, issued Jan. 3. Q-Ray is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
I continue to be fascinated by the frailty of human recollection. We so confidently tell stories about events that took place years and years ago, only to find – often – that the details have become transformed in subtle ways in our memories. As Stanley Kaufmann of The New Republic has observed:
What is memory? Not a storehouse, not a trunk in the attic, but an instrument that constantly refines the past into a narrative, accessible and acceptable to oneself.
This last week, a visitor from my youth dropped by unexpectedly at the JREF. His name is David Gardner, a well-known actor in Canada. As we sat and reminisced about long-ago events in our lives, his recollections showed me just how fuzzy my own probably were. Every now and then he'd come up with a fact or a figure that rather jarred me, though I tried to give no visible indication of that alarm. I've been made increasingly aware of this problem as Kim, assigned by Penn – of Penn and Teller – to gather together the facts of my early life, has come up with startling differences between my versions of various events, and the versions of both the media and other acquaintances.
Of course, making honest mistakes is not lying. As the years pass, that marvelous chunk of gray jelly located behind the eyes loses details and sharpness – something we should all expect, I must warn you. I have before me the current issue of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation Newsletter, and therein can be found the most outrageous, cruel, malfunctions of justice and the legal system. Until you begin to understand the problems experienced by victims of those who have been accused of everything from rape to murder of children due to Satan worship involvement, you have not begun to comprehend the idea of injustice. I strongly recommend that you visit www.FMSFonline.org to learn more about this situation. The False Memory Syndrome Foundation – a 501(c)3 charity – is manned by dedicated directors who can certainly use your support. You can also send a message to email@example.com to receive electronic versions of their newsletter as well as notices of upcoming radio and television broadcasts about the Foundation.
That's all for this week. Next week, we'll be reporting about a planned visit to Germany where we will be preparing a definitive video explaining to the public what's been happening in that country via TV and a Mr. Uri Geller. As they say, stay tuned…
The TAM5.5 event is coming up on the 26th, and we still have room for more. To register or for more information visit: http://www.randi.org/joom/content/view/48/39/


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Cold Temps Bring Snow to Ukiah, Heavy Snow Expected in Tahoe
By Mario Sevilla
Fri Dec 6th, 2013 6:08pm America/Los_Angeles
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Snow level is 3000 feet in the Bay Area right now but much lower, below 1000 feet, in Ukiah.
There is a cold pool of air trapped in the valley there right over HWY 101, which is keeping temperatures at freezing and allowing all precipitation to fall as snow.
It's too warm in the Bay Area to see snow down to the deck right now. Temperatures will be in the upper 30s and low 40s tonight for most locations.
Mobile App users click here to view the video
(Copyright 2013, KRON 4, All rights reserved.)

subset: commoncrawl


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You Got The Silva!
Being the sort of person who likes to try different methods out to see what is effective, especially as different methods and teachings work better for some than others I tend to look back over time to see what may be interesting to revisit and try again.
After quite a long hiatus from the Silva Life System material I recently thought about diving into it again because I had left it alone for some time and had even forgotten about it. About 2 years ago I was finding the Silva training very beneficial to my general feeling of personal power, which had a knock on effect of me getting pretty good at creating the results I wanted at the time, but I remember leaving it alone for a while to try out other material.
I don't think it is a good idea to be going through different teachings at the same time, even if it's for the simple reason of getting confused by different wording of the same principles, so I decided to simply read a select number of books and stop engaging with other programs that I had "on the go".
I have to say that I have paid for rather a lot of different programs of this nature over the years, mainly so I felt qualified to write about them. There is the opportunity to make some money from sales as an affiliate for some of these programs (Silva being one of them), but I only feel comfortable promoting such a product if I feel I benefited from it myself and actually have some tangible benefit I can share here on this website.
I will regularly report on my findings with the Silva Life System. I have found it to be about the most effective of all the material I have tried in cultivating a stronger mindset, greater feeling of well-being and giving me extra confidence in pursuing my goals.. and actually achieving them.
I will be posting here soon an account of all the achievements I have made since 2008 and some of the twists and turns involved along the way. The Silva Life System has definitely played a part.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are dropping their demands for additional spending cuts and will hold a House vote on whether to give final congressional approval to the Senate-approved compromise averting "fiscal cliff" tax increases and spending cuts.
The House vote was expected Tuesday evening.
A decision by the Republican-run House to amend the Senate-passed bill would have complicated prospects for final congressional passage of the measure. Senate Democratic aides have said the Democratic-led Senate, which overwhelmingly approved the compromise early Tuesday, would not return to vote on an amended version of the measure.
The measure would allow tax increases on the highest-earning Americans, but retain decade-old income tax cuts for everyone else.
Associated Press
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text:
Similar Internships
Spring Reality TV Development InternBookmark This
The Idea Factory
7453 Woodley Avenue
Van Nuys, CA
DescriptionTelevision production company looking for interns to work in development and production. Applicants must be amicable, highly creative, and able to think on their feet. Be ready to wear lots of different hats.
The Idea Factory has produced first class productions such as "Half Pint Bralwers" for Spike TV, "Psychic Search" for A&E, "Big Medicine" for TLC, the critically acclaimed series "God or the Girl" for A&E, "Gay Siblings" for LOGO, "Bound for Glory" for ESPN, "Looking for Love" and "Karaoke Moms" for CMT, as well as "Warrior Challange" for RIPE TV.


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Sundance Media: Quentin Tarantino Flips Out at Sundance!Features By Neil Miller on January 26, 2008 | (16) Comments
Once again I look to my good friend Peter at Slashfilm to find a pretty awesome video online. In this particular case it is a video that was posted to a site called ekstrabladet. And I must preface this with the fact that we work hard to stay away from gossip and the acts of the always dubious paparazzi, but this is pretty funny. Quentin Tarantino had a little interaction with a random person who was also holding a video camera.
In the video, you will notice that Tarantino gets a little riled up and turns to a bit of violence. Yet, in all fairness the camera operator really never explains what the hell he is doing, other than being a pest. For some this may confirm that Tarantino is sort of a dick, but for others they will understand his actions. From where I sit, there is fault on both sides — either way the interaction is silly and in ways funny. Just sit back an imagine Quentin doing the hand motion saying "What's going on here? What's going on here?" It's hilarious when you think about it… Either way, I am interested to see how you all react to this one.
Keep an eye on our Sundance 2008 Homepage for more from Park City.
Neil Miller
Scott Beggs
Rob Hunter
Kate Erbland
Christopher Campbell


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MonthCalendar.DoubleBuffered Property
.NET Framework 4.5
Gets or sets a value indicating whether the control should redraw its surface using a secondary buffer.
Namespace: System.Windows.Forms
Assembly: System.Windows.Forms (in System.Windows.Forms.dll)
Setting the DoubleBuffered property has no effect on the appearance of the MonthCalendar control.
Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core Role not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core Role supported with SP1 or later; Itanium not supported)
The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.


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Launched in October 2005, feelunique.com is one of Europe's fastest growing online beauty retailers bringing you outstanding value beauty, grooming and health products straight to your door for free!
The rating shows just the review scores in the category or product area selected.
Ratings guide
All Feefo reviews are gathered anonymously from genuine customers. Read more about how our review system works.
Very quick on delivery
It's made by benefit !
Great product
Quick delivery although the product packaging was damaged, not surprising when I saw the delivery man dropping parcels onto the road when sorting them.
Amazing, leaves my skin as fresh and soft as if I had used several products x
Absolutely love it !! Best product I have used leaves my skin perfect every time . Was concerned as a bit more pricey than I normally pay but you only need a little each time so it goes a long way !!! Give it a try !!
Leaves face clean with no tightness
This is a great product, have on repeat order!
Really good on my sensitive skin. Helps clear acne


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The US government's loan guarantee scheme has come under scrutiny in recent days after the collapse of the JV between Constellation and EDF for a new nuclear plant. But it appears the similar scheme for the solar energy industry is also coming under fire.
A fascinating Reuters report today spells out some of the problems US solar sector has had securing financing on the back of such guarantees. The authors write:
Applicants to the loan guarantee program have complained the process is too lengthy and murky, leading to just a handful of projects winning approval.


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Buying in bulk helps you save money and prepare for the inevitable rise of a ketchup-based economy. Be a condiment tycoon with this Groupon.
The Deal
- $35 for a one-year club membership and a $25 gift card (a $75 value)
One-year memberships include access to participating clubs in your city, as well as access to exclusive savings and in-club promotions. The gift card can be used toward both in-club purchases and BJ's gas.
One of the East Coast's best-known Members-only wholesale retailers, BJ's serves more than six million Members in more than 200 Clubs as far west as Ohio. Within these sprawling locations, BJ's helps provide more selections to savvy shoppers looking to knock out most of their errands in a single stop. In the same visit, Members can stock up on economy-sized groceries—including USDA choice meats, farm-fresh produce, organics and naturals, and everyday essentials—grab name-brand electronics, and even plan a vacation through BJ's Travel. Each service makes up a single part of BJ's well-rounded retail experience, but simplifying shopping isn't BJ's only goal; in 2013 alone, the company donated more than $4 million to charitable organizations.
"This was a GREAT deal!!!"
"Great place to shop, prices are always great and worth it "
"the cashiers needs to be more pleasant, my husband had to ask the one attending to us if she was enjoying her night, she did not seem quite happy, customer service..."
"the cashiers needs to be more pleasant, my husband had to ask the one attending to us if she was enjoying her night, she did not seem quite happy, customer service is very important for business,"
Golden Glades/The Woods
12200 Atlantic Blvd. N
Ste. 200
Jacksonville, Florida 32225
904-221-2444Get Directions
560 Blanding Blvd.
Orange Park, Florida 32073
904-272-4900Get Directions
Deerwood Center
8046 Phillips Hwy.
Jacksonville, Florida 32256
904-485-1180Get Directions


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My desire is to enjoy life everyday and do what I am truly passionate about.
I'm an entrepreneur at my core and am inspired by innovation, whether it be around a product, design, idea, or business model. I believe in the 'pay it forward' mentality and love helping fellow entrepreneurs.
I currently work at TechCrunch where I manage their digital media and business development. I'm fortunate to have a job that I enjoy and learn from everyday.
Prior to joining TechCrunch, I co-founded a company called Manovega, which means "at the speed of thought" in Sanskrit. We developed a technology that allows one to access broadband like internet speeds over cellular networks without having to modify the network itself.
And like many confused children, I started my career in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley and RBS.
Veronica Belmont - about.me user since 2010
"First, customize your page. It's easy and fun to design!"
Hi! I'm currently living in (City), where I work at (Work Place) doing (Job Title). When I'm not working I like to (Hobby), (Interest) and (Passion). Connect with me!
"Next, connect services and send people to your page."
"That's it! Let about.me do all of the work for you."
Showcase a 360 degree view of who you are
Help people find and follow you on your social networks
Be found for new opportunities


text:
Humidity 72%
Winds 3.5mph
Humidity 72%
Winds 3.5mph
Humidity 63%
Winds 12.7mph
Humidity 92%
Winds 0.0mph
Dec 28, 2009 11:12 AM
SACRAMENTO (AP) - The California Highway Patrol says 16 people have been killed on state highways over the Christmas holiday weekend so far, the same number of fatalities for the same time period last year.
The number of drunk driving arrests made by the CHP is up,
however - to 970 from 824 in 2008.
The figures cover the time period from 6 p.m. Christmas Eve
until 6 a.m. Sunday.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Offensive or inappropriate comments are subject to removal. To report a comment, please e-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com, and include the name of the story and information on the comment.
Thank you! KSBY.com
7 hours ago


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For Immediate ReleaseJanuary 21, 2005
(AUSTIN) - Over the next few weeks, I will continue highlighting issues we will face during this Legislative Session. This article focuses on items I will review as a member of the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations. This article is taken from the Senate Research Center publication entitled "Issues Facing the 79th Legislature," and more issues from the report will be highlighted in future Capitol Updates. To view the entire report, please go to www.senate.state.tx.us or call my office to receive a hard copy.
Urban, Exurban, and Rural Areas of Texas S.B. 264, 78th Legislature, Regular Session, required the Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee and the House Urban Affairs Committee to jointly investigate whether subdividing uniform state service regions into urban/exurban areas and rural areas would impact the provision of state and federal financial assistance to meet the housing needs of rural areas in Texas. It also required the committees' findings to include a proposed definition for "exurban areas" and an assessment of the housing needs of exurban areas and recommended solutions to address those needs.
Edwina Carrington, executive director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), has stated that an agreed upon definition of exurban does not exist within the planning community and that TDHCA does not have sufficient data substantiating the need to have an urban/exurban region or the fiscal impact of further subdividing the current regions. Consequently, TDHCA defined exurban as an incorporated city that is not a rural area and has a population no greater than 100,000 based on the most current information published by the United States Census Bureau as of October 1 of each preceding application year.
The 79th Legislature may consider legislation to clarify the definition of exurban. The legislature may also direct TDHCA to conduct a needs-assessment study regarding the establishment of an urban-exurban region for the purpose of allocating housing funds.
County Clerk Filing Fees Currently, Section 51.605 (Continuing Education), Government Code, requires county clerks to complete 20 hours of continuing education courses, including one hour dedicated to fraudulent court documents. The committee found that there is a need for county clerks to have a better working knowledge of the formula used by the Texas Building and Procurement Commission (TBPC) to calculate charges for formatted data.
The legislature may consider a mandatory training requirement for all county clerks to be provided by the Open Records Section, TBPC, on assessing charges for copies of public information (within the mandates of Chapter 552, Government Code).
Rural Economic Development The Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) was created to facilitate the state's economic and community development and health programs targeting rural communities in Texas. ORCA was formed by consolidating existing rural-focused programs and services from various state agencies under the single administrative umbrella of the new agency, and charged with providing a sustained and comprehensive focus on rural issues, needs, and concerns.
There are additional responsibilities that could assist ORCA in promoting greater opportunities for economic growth in rural areas, such as: * Currently, ORCA is not required to help businesses in rural communities. Businesses considering relocating or expanding into rural areas may need assistance and guidance to succeed and revising ORCA's mission to this affect could complement rural economic development and business expansion. * Currently, there is no clearinghouse of information detailing resources available to rural communities. ORCA, the agency dedicated solely to serving rural Texas, would be the likely entity to develop a comprehensive guide detailing available state and federal resources dedicated to rural communities.
*In addition, ORCA has some discretion allocating Community Development Block Grants and may use those funds to address the rehabilitation of older homes in rural areas. The increasing number of non-border colonias affects the progress of rural economic development in the state. The legislature will likely consider legislation requiring an assessment of the number and conditions of non-border colonias and a report submitting those findings to the legislature.
Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) have developed an extensive network to address the state's critical need for rural workforce development. The states' three current AHECs have the opportunity to increase access to health care education, provider recruitment, professional support, and community coordination.
A methodology is needed for recruiting physicians and other needed health care practitioners for basic health care services in rural communities and for determining specific areas where shortages are continually prevalent. Additionally, health care is an important consideration for workforce development boards to ensure the viability of rural communities.
Currently, the 4A/4B Economic Sales Tax cannot be applied toward health care services. Health care is a critical part of the viability of local rural economies. The legislature may consider recommendations from rural stakeholders for promoting economic growth in rural areas of Texas, including legislation to clarify and expand the allowable uses of 4A/4B economic development sales tax revenues to include health care services.
The ability to properly research and develop grant proposals is not immediately available to rural communities. The legislature may consider establishing a grant database that would allow increased access to the necessary information to complete a grant application, increasing access to the grant process for local communities and improving their ability to compete for federal, state, and foundation funding.
Currently, data submitted to the Department of State Health Services regarding health status and access to care does not define rural and urban differences. Distinguishing the differences could better serve to identify rural health care needs and expand rural communities' access to federal assistance programs.
The legislature may also consider legislation to require the governor's state grant writing team, in conjunction with ORCA, to assist rural communities with grant writing, model grant applications, and basic grant writing instruction. In order to bring attention and support to rural issues and more effective relationships with local elected officials, the legislature may examine whether state agencies are coordinating with local councils of governments to further regional cooperation and funding for rural areas.
The legislature may also examine additional ways to increase health care options for rural Texas, such as increasing the appropriations to the state's Area Health Education Centers and amending the Health and Safety Code to require the Department of State Health Services to research and report on the current and potential use of non-physician health care practitioners in medically underserved areas and health professional shortage areas.
Texas Wine Producing Industry Twenty years ago, Texas had approximately 12 wineries and 2,500 acres of planted grapes. Today, Texas is the fifth-largest wine producing state. Sixty wineries are in production, with 80 permits pending. The wine industry is a value-added industry because everything is done in Texas, and it is estimated that the industry currently creates $200 million in revenue for the state.
Since September 2003, with the passage of a state constitutional amendment, the number of Texas wineries has doubled and the areas served by wineries have expanded. The constitutional amendment authorized the legislature to adopt laws and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to adopt policies applicable to all wineries in Texas, regardless of whether the winery is located in an area where wine sales have been authorized by local option election, thereby encouraging the development of wineries in "dry" areas. Wineries are now located in every region of Texas.
The legislature may consider several issues to assist the Texas wine industry, including: * Establishing of a comprehensive enology (the study of wines) program to train and educate future Texas winemakers, e.g., a university degree program in viticulture and enology, to ensure that Texas has sufficient Texas trained wine specialists who will more than likely remain in Texas to work. * Addressing the need to increase state and federal funding for the science of winemaking and research and development, particularly regarding Pierce's Disease, a potentially devastating disease that attacks grapevines and can lead to the decimation of entire vineyards and wine regions. * Continuing support for the Texas Department of Agriculture's Wine Making Assistance Program, enacted by the 77th Legislature in 2001. * Continuing to look for ways to promote national and international awareness of Texas wines through festivals and agri-tourism and create a "Brand Texas" image. * Authorizing wineries to have more than four events per year, eliminate the tasting room sales cap and expanding tasting room hours in order to optimize the economic benefits of the attractions of Texas wineries. * Authorizing every Texas winery to post a sign directing visitors to the winery, thus increasing sales and visitors to the wineries.
To contact Sen. Deuell about the legislative process, contact the Capitol Office at (512) 463-0556 or mail to Sen. Bob Deuell, Texas Senate, P.O. Box 12068, Austin, TX 78711. The website for the Texas Senate is www.Senate.state.tx.us. The e-mail address for Sen. Deuell is: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Winter Haven Hospital has been proud to provide our continuum of care for Rehabilitation Services for more than 20 years in our community. Our Rehabilitation Services has excellent inpatient and outpatient programs that improve the health of individuals, families and our community. From back injuries to brain injuries, there are services available to help with recovery.
Winter Haven Hospital Rehabilitation Services staff is experienced, specially trained, and dedicated to providing hands-on care to assist persons with increased participation in their environment of choice. You can trust our Centers for Rehabilitation Services for comprehensive physical rehabilitation for you and / or your family member.
Our programs have earned accreditation (three year) by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in the following 7 areas:
Winter Haven Hospital Rehabilitation Services is also accredited by the Joint Commission and is designated for Brain Injury by the Florida Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program. We invite you to tour our programs.
Additional resources:
Winter Haven Hospital Rehabilitation Services includes the following locations:
Winter Haven Hospital Joy-Fuller Rehabilitation Center200 Avenue F, NEWinter Haven, FL 33881Phone: (863) 292-4380Fax: (863) 291-6762Map & Directions
Winter Haven Hospital - Rehabilitation Services (Acute Care Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology)200 Avenue F, NEWinter Haven, FL 33881Phone: (863) 292-4380 or toll free (800) 283-1738Fax: (863) 291-67628am-4:30pm, seven days/weekMap & Directions
Winter Haven Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation Center (including ESTEEM)Main 1200 Avenue F, NEWinter Haven, FL 338818am-5:30pm, Monday – FridayPhone: (863) 292-4060 and (863) 292-4061Fax: (863) 291-4097 and (863) 293-6985Map & Directions
Call (863) 292-4380 to arrange a convenient time to visit our facilities.


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I thought I'd squeeze in this potential BRG opportunity today before it disappears. Act fast ... there is limited availability, so it won't last! It's available the Sunday before Inauguration Day in Washington D.C., which is located just minutes away from this Ramada.
Hotel Address: 9113 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD 20740
Competitor Website: http://www.booking.com/
Sample Date: Sunday - January, 18, 2009
Occupancy: 2 Persons
Room Details: 2 Double Beds Non-Smoking
Rate variation: Booking.com -$89 / Ramada -$99
Special Comments: free parking & breakfast / outdoor pool
Click here to read Tripadvisor reviews of this property
Click here to visit the hotel's official website.
Please remember to follow up and let us know if this BRG worked for you. Simply comment on this post! Thanks!


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Check out our comprehensive directory of Skokie hotels with quality, independent reviews. Search for a Skokie hotel by name, star rating, or user rating. Travel Library always lists the real direct contact details for every hotel in Skokie including email, Web site address, telephone and location address.
Travel Library allows you to easily contact hotels in Skokie directly and compare their prices with online offers.


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Truthdig's own Chris Hedges will be a guest on this weekend's episode of "Moyers & Company." During his interview with Bill Moyers, Hedges will discuss America's "sacrifice zones," pockets of the U.S. that are mired in poverty and trapped in endless cycles of helplessness and despair because of the capitalistic greed that plagues this country.
"It's greed over human life. And it's the willingness on the part of people who seek personal enrichment to destroy other human beings. That's a common thread," Hedges said. "In that biblical term, we forgot our neighbor. And because we forgot our neighbor in Pine Ridge, because we forgot our neighbor in Camden, in Southern West Virginia, in the produce fields, these forces have now turned on us. They went first, and we're next."
Here's a preview:
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—Posted by Tracy Bloom.
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Add the investigation of a Spokane man accused of mailing letters laced with ricin to various government agencies to the list of casualties from the 16-day federal government shutdown last month.
Matthew Buquet, 38, has been indicted on federal charges alleging he sent mailings in May containing the castor bean-based poison to President Barack Obama and a federal judge. Subsequent letters to a post office and Fairchild Air Force Base were also discovered by the FBI, but were not mentioned in a superseding indictment in the case filed in June.
No one was harmed by the mailings. The letter sent to Obama allegedly read, "We have a bomb placed, we are going to kill you! Hezbollah," referring to the militant group formed by members of the Shiite sect of Islam.
The trial has been delayed by the recusal of U.S. District Court Judge Lonny Suko, who is a colleague of the intended target of one of the alleged mailings, as well as Buquet's request to have an expert witness examine the substance that was included in the packages. The alleged toxin is being housed at a federal government lab whose workers were the target of furloughs during last month's government shutdown, according to a filing by Buquet earlier this month.
No delays in the anticipated May 2014 trial date have yet been announced.
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On the road to beThis photo was shot on film. Taken by awkwardmongoose with a Lomography Diana F+ (available in our Online Shop) in Senigallia, Italy. These tags describe this photo: fiat, punto, trains, diana, and senigallia. Date: 2012-04. Time: Afternoon.
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Benihana's | Cupertino
Created by oddity | Claim this restaurant
Mon - Fri
11:30 am - 2 pm
Mon - Fri
5 pm - 10 pm
11:30 am - 11 pm
11:30 am - 9:30 pm
10123 N. Wolfe Rd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 253-1221
This place has been clsed for a few months while they remodeled. Now that they are done, the place looks great! They made some of the changes I always thought should have been made, like moving the sushi bar over to the side with the alcohol bar, so you can wait, have a couple drinks, and get some sushi, if there is a long line. It's also just a better sushi bar than before. Where I used to kinda feel it was a waste to get sushi here, it now seems more reasonable as you can skip the whole Benihana's food experience and just enjoy some sushi and cocktails here for lunch. That wasn't really an option before for me, as it just didn't feel right, but it is isolated enough in the restaurant that I wouldn't feel weird now.
Summary: They took a great restaurant (one of my favorites) and made it even better!
This is definitely a great place for a nice diner. Come here to celebrate something. The food is made right in front of you on a large flat grill.
The tables seat 8, and you will be seated with strangers if you are a small party, but I have never had this be anything but pleasant. This is probably because everyone is happy to be there so you don't have anyone grousing on the other side of the table about something. The chefs are known for doing little tricks while preparing your food and telling jokes. The experience really depends alot on what chef you get, as they all have their own skill levels and personalities, but that makes the draw stronger for me, because I know I wont always get the same show. Some of the best meals I've had there, the chef screwed up a trick and kept going (he was spinning an egg on his knife and accidentally dropped the egg, he was also constantly throwing stuff on the floor behind him by accident. It was hilarious!)
The meals do start over $20.00 per person though, and the experience would be diminished through repeat visits.
Hot Tickets More »
Sun 12/21 6:30p
Sat 3/28 7:00p
Sat 4/25 8:00p
Sun 6/7 3:00p
Wed 4/1 7:00p
Sat 1/17 8:00p


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2013 Ace Race: Get Ready To Run It!
When: Saturday Oct 12th, 10am
Where: LaRaza Disc Golf Course
PreRegristration is REQUIRED.
Register between August 1st and Sept 27th.
Registration Ends Friday September 27th!
Limit 100 players. Last year Sold Out so register early.
Players Packs must be picked up on October 12th at La Raza
The 2013 Ace Race player pack includes:
- Two copies of the 2013 Ace Race prototype disc: It's a beginner-friendly distance driver… and it's in premium Titanium plastic!
- One Titanium mini Magnet: you've never seen one before, since they've never been made before!
- Two reusable scorecards/bag tags: something else you've never seen before! We commissioned these reusable scorecards just for 2013 Ace Racers. With a pencil and a clean eraser, you can use your new scorecards for round after round. The first one is credit card sized… keep it in your wallet and you'll always have a scorecard ready to go. It also makes a cool bag tag!
The 2nd reusable scorecard is larger for easier use and up to six rounds of 18 before it needs erasing. The flipside has the complete 2013 Discraft flight chart for easy reference anytime. Stash it in your back pocket, in your bag, or use the punch hole to hang it wherever you like.
We're also including a pencil with eraser with your Ace Race player package, so you can start using these cards right away.
- Two high impact plastic pint glasses: very cool!
- One beverage koozie: silver on black, jack.
- One tri-panel Discraft sticker: three stickers in one.


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FLY Leasing To Report Third Quarter Financial Results On November 8, 2012
DUBLIN, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FLY Leasing Limited (NYSE: FLY) ("FLY"), a global lessor of modern commercial jet aircraft, today announced that it will release its third quarter 2012 earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, November 8, 2012.
FLY's senior management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss these results at 4:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, November 8, 2012. Participants should dial +1 706-758-4339 (International) or 877-309-0213 ( North America) and enter confirmation code 32843684. Please call at least five minutes early to allow for connection time.
A live webcast will be available on the Events page in the Investor Relations section of FLY's website at www.flyleasing.com.To access the telephone replay, dial +1 404-537-3406 (International) or 855-859-2056 ( North America) and enter confirmation code 32843684. The telephone replay will be available for two weeks. A webcast replay will be available on the company's website for one year. About FLY FLY acquires and leases modern, high-demand and fuel-efficient commercial jet aircraft under multi-year operating lease contracts to a diverse group of airlines throughout the world. FLY is managed and serviced by BBAM LP, one of the world's leading aircraft lease managers with more than 20 years of experience. For more information about FLY, please visit our website at www.flyleasing.com. Contact: Matt DallasFLY Leasing Limited+1 203-769-5916 email@example.com SOURCE FLY Leasing Limited
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Dental Chews with Real Vegetables Large - Treats
Indulge your dog with a delicious, natural treat
Made in the USA
Read more
Hill's® Science Diet® Dental Chews with Real Vegetables Large 5 5
Excellent Snack also! Little bit messy, but overall great dental snacks. May 9, 2014
He loves them He sure likes these much more than his toothbrush! May 9, 2014
Dogs love them I have two German Short haired Pointers and when I took out this bag of Dental Chews they were going crazy. The whole time I was opening the bag they were sniffing it and getting all excited. I gave them each one and they devoured them. They really seem to like the chews and still get very excited when I get the bag out. Neither one had extremely bad breath but I have noticed that it has improved a little since giving them the Dental Chews. May 7, 2014
This product is great for dental cleaning This product, Dental Chews with real vegetables, is good tasting to my cockapoo - she has had dental cleaning and also had two teeth removed. Normally has bleeding gums but these Dental Chews do NOT make her gums bleed and apprear to be doing a good job keeping her teeth clean. May 6, 2014
Great product! My dogs loved these treats. I could tell they were made with vegetables because as soon as you open the bag, you have a pleasant vegetable scent. My German Shepherd did not hesitate and seemed to really enjoy this treat! April 29, 2014
1-5 of 5


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About J McCombie
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For example … you might wish one of my "Colourful Individuals" photographs as: "Black and White" (plain, textured or embossed); "Sepia" (plain or embossed); "Painted" (with or without texture) or just have the original "Embossed"; or you could go even further and have one made into something more digitally manipulated as in my "Individuals of Different Shapes" Gallery … or even more abstract as in my "Colour Composition of Nature" Gallery. You might favour one of my mixed media "Portraits" in a different colour. Perhaps you would like to select several items to be made into a collage or have a collage broken down into individual pieces. You may wish an item to be flipped horizontally or vertically or the name of your final decision to be printed on it. I have tried to design the Galleries so they can all be mixed and matched for any particular artistic statement you might wish to make. So, this website is about you and what you like … I'm just providing pieces and abilities I have to help you do that.
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DRAWING: A friend drew a portrait for me in the late 1970's ... so I thought I would give it a try and have been drawing pencil portraits since for myself, family and friends. Some have been submitted to magazines. April 2012 marked my first attempts drawing animals with colour pencil; June 2013 was my first attempt with cars in black and white pencil; September 2013, flowers; and October 2014 my first attempt with soft pastels.
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Lithium-manganese Batteries In EVs Much Safer Than Dreamliner Chemistry
Donald Sadoway, an MIT professor of electrical engineering, told Flightglobal that Tesla has properly engineered its lithium-cobalt-oxide battery "to prevent the domino effect, while Boeing evidently doesn't have that engineering."
This week, Musk announced via Twitter that he is talking with the chief engineer of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, Mike Sennett, reported Reuters. The post followed a January 18 message from Musk to Boeing intimating that "Tesla & SpaceX are happy to help with the 787 lithium ion batteries." No word yet from Boeing on whether or not the company will take advantage of Musk's offer.
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.Related reading: Lithium-manganese Batteries: Powering the Future? INN VIDEO: Larry Reaugh Talks Manganese and the Boeing Dreamliner Crisis Lithium-manganese Batteries in EVs Much Safer than Dreamliner Chemistry from Lithium Investing News
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TheStreet Quant RatingsTry it NOW
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Dividend Stock AdvisorTry it NOW
Jim Cramer's protege, David Peltier, identifies the best of breed dividend stocks that will pay a reliable AND significant income stream.
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Monthly Archives: March 2009
March Issue of Pharm Exec Online Now
By admin | Published: March 13, 2009
The March issue of Pharmaceutical Executive Magazine is online and in the mail as we speak. The new issue features insights into the Pfizer/Wyeth merger, our annual media audit, a look at the new sales force model, and the 2009 Ad Stars. Click here to check it out. The March issues also comes with the […]
Posted in Pharm Exec Magazine | Tagged Ad Stars, media audit, Merger, New Issue, Pfizer, sales force, Wyeth | Leave a comment
Roche and Genentech Seal the Deal
for $46.8 Billion
By admin | Published: March 12, 2009
After months and months of back and forth over the true value of Genentech, Roche finally got the good news it's been looking for: Genentech's board of directors, this morning, approved Roche's latest offer of $46.8 billion ($95 per share) to acquire all shares of the biotech giant. Roche plans to keep the Genentech site […]
Posted in Biotech | Tagged Big Pharma, Deal, Genentech, M&A, Mega Merger, Nutley, Roche | 1 Comment
Follow Pharm Exec on Twitter
By admin | Published: March 11, 2009
Pharm Exec is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon. Starting today, we're going to be posting regular tweets about the latest pharma news, gossip, and industry updates. Twitter appears to be at the forefront of the microblog revolution and is a much simpler technology to use for live event coverage and executive move updates. I promise […]
Posted in Strategy | Leave a comment
Merck/Schering-Plough Merger Highlights (Update 1)
By admin | Published: March 9, 2009
Merck and Schering-Plough's CEOs are giving a run down of the benefits of the $41.1 billion merger, announced this morning, in a conference call with investors. Here are some of the highlights: • Total price of the sale will be $41.1 billion or $23.6 per Schering share. • This deal is structured as a reverse […]
Posted in Deals, Strategy | Tagged Deal, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Merger, Remicade, Schering Plough, Vytorin | 4 Comments
Schering-Plough to Merge with Merck for $41.1 Billion
By admin | Published: March 9, 2009
Merck's Richard T. Clark Image via Wikipedia Merck announced, a little over an hour ago, that it had signed an agreement with Schering-Plough's board of directors to merge the two companies under the Merck name. The stock and cash transaction is worth over $41 billion with Schering shareholders receiving $10.50 per share in cash and […]
Posted in Deals | Tagged Big Pharma, Deal, Merck, Merger, Schering Plough, Vytorin | Leave a comment


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Click here for the reason why grandmas shouldn't go skydiving!
Happy Monday, ya'll!
5 hours ago
Holy crow...that was hysterical. Thanks for a well-needed laugh, Rocky!6:53 PM
i wish i could see it but until my technical advisor returns in late august i'm gutless when it comes to downloading stuff.10:26 AM


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The Massachusetts Gaming Commission ("Commission") held two public hearings the week of June 21, 2014 to determine which applicant would be awarded the sole Boston-area casino license. The Commission held its first hearing on...more
Today, the United States Supreme Court denied New Jersey's petition for a writ of certiorari to hear an appeal from lower court decisions that invalidated its sports wagering law. This ends a three year fight to bring sports...more
The State of Alabama filed suit on February 19, 2012, attempting to shut down four casinos it contends are illegal. Three Indian gambling centers and VictoryLand – one of the state's largest racetracks and casinos and a...more
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Posts Tagged 'warehouse13'
Sci-Fi Party Line #77 WH13 & Eureka (Nathan Stark returns!)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:41 — 21.1MB) | Embed "Cat, I'm sorry that your boyfriend was imaginary." -Carl (@robotcast) Today, Carl (@robotcast) and Cat discuss Warehouse 13 and the epic return of Eureka's Nathan Stark. [Read More]
Sci-Fi Party Line #72 Eureka, Warehouse 13, Haven
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:32 — 33.7MB) | Embed "We're not unrelentingly hard on stuff. We're not unfair. If you're gonna bring us some crazy characters, if it's gonna be funny and silly, if you hold our [Read More]
Sci-Fi Party Line #26 Moon, Warehouse 13, Eureka
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:02 — 21.4MB) | Embed Today's guests are Eric @Bullitt33; Ryan @Oddernod and Will @LW_Will. We talk about Moon, Blood: The Last Vampire, Syfy's Warehouse 13 and Eureka. Cat has spirited but brief rant [Read More]