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Paul Bradley
At a Glance
Predictive analytics can be used to rapidly spot hard-to-identify opportunities to better manage care-a key tool in accountable care. When considering analytics models, healthcare providers should:
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) will come in many configurations over the next few years, but one underlying strategy will prove indispensable in any configuration: making use of actionable data to drive and sustain improvement.
In the new value-over-volume healthcare model, as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) prepares to reduce payments to providers with higher-than-expected 30-day readmissions for certain conditions, such as pneumonia, providers will need to target care that is not cost-effective. Simply put, CMS will no longer pay for wasteful care. But how do hospitals determine whether care is wasteful?
The answer can be found among the pieces of patient, clinical, and financial data spread across various hospital information systems. ACOs must collect, integrate, and analyze these data to fulfill their fundamental purpose of reducing costs by providing better care for specific patient populations, such as patients with type 2 diabetes.
Reaching this endpoint, however, requires more than just analyzing integrated data. A 2011 report by the American Hospital Association, Hospitals and Care Systems of the Future, says hospitals will not only need the right kind of technology, but also must be able to extract useful metrics that can be used to meet the requirements of the new value-based model. According to the report, "The ability of an organization to leverage the technology to perform sophisticated data mining and analysis in real time for continuous care improvement is critical for long-term organizational sustainability."
The key to population health management, therefore, is optimizing data by extracting patterns and correlations using "sophisticated data mining," or predictive analytics, to identify care practices that result in better outcomes, such as reduced readmissions.
For hospitals, distinguishing cost-effective from ineffective care not only will reduce healthcare costs overall, but also ultimately will protect revenue.
The good news: Hospitals already store and collect an enormous amount of patient, clinical, and financial data. Among health information systems, electronic health records, cost accounting systems, clinical systems, and chargemasters, terabytes of valuable data are generated and collected for analysis.
The bad news: Making use of such information is challenging. Such systems often support operational objectives, such as generating and supporting claims, and act as communication devices, but not as analytic or business intelligence tools. HFMA's 2011 report Value in Health Care notes that although such business intelligence may be the most important of four capabilities that organizations require to prepare for value-based payment, few organizations have the expertise or resources to develop such systems. Many hospitals simply lack the infrastructure necessary to build a data warehouse that acts as a sufficient platform for predictive analytics.
In its basic form, a data warehouse is a repository of data from disparate information systems. Despite being in one place, the data are raw and not adequately prepared for use in meaningful, reliable metrics.
In an effective data warehouse, the data are prepared to allow for easy access and manipulation to build analytic models that support accurate and reliable conclusions.
To build such a data warehouse, the data must undergo a three-part process.
Staging. Data that are most useful in drawing patterns and correlations are pulled from each source and prepared to be imported into the data warehouse. For example, important information for data mining and predictive modeling is provided via the procedure codes, diagnosis codes, and financial and clinical data associated with an account. The staging phase of data warehouse loading includes identifying sources for diagnosis codes, procedure codes, financial data (e.g., charges and payments), and clinical data associated with accounts. Preparation of these data consists of validating that codes are properly ordered and the financial data is in the correct format.
Integration. Pieces of related data from disparate sources are aligned and standardized. All data related to a specific patient, for example, are linked to that patient. Attributes, such as payer names, are made consistent to ensure the integrity of the data.
Access. The data are structured to allow for easy and timely access from the data warehouse to support scalable analysis, modeling, and prediction. For example, consider a report that provides management with a view of total account charges and payments by procedure codes, diagnosis codes, and financial and clinical data elements associated on the account. The data warehouse can support easy and efficient access to these data by joining the following information: account charges and payments aggregated for each account; procedure codes, diagnosis codes, and clinical data elements associated with the account; and the date in which service was given. This report requires joining financial data (charges and payments), procedure codes, diagnosis codes, and clinical data elements associated with the account and a common date format across these sources. This structuring will allow a report to be generated and used across the organization.
Neglecting any of these steps when building a data warehouse could result in incorrect analysis and spurious correlations-making effective decision-making impossible. Even worse, an inadequate data warehouse may produce erroneous predictions, resulting in faulty analysis or ineffective care.
The data warehouse provides the primary source for identifying patients with specific conditions that are particularly important targets for predictive analytics, such as type 2 diabetes and pneumonia.
Predictive analytics, then, dig deeper into the data to identify trends and patterns that are not readily apparent in the data at face value. For example, predictive analytics can detect patterns among patients with type 2 diabetes by sorting through thousands of attributes (e.g., number and type of patient visits, types of insurance, charges, admit locations, diagnoses, and procedures). As a result, similar subpopulations of patients with type 2 diabetes are discovered and correlations and trends indicative of various outcomes become apparent.
These subpopulations (or clusters) of patients are then used to identify, for example, patients whose conditions are being effectively managed, patients most at risk for developing a worsening condition, patients with the greatest number of inpatient and ED visits, and patients who are likely to be readmitted, among other outcomes.
The value of the data is increased by deriving additional data attributes, allowing outcomes to be identified with increasing accuracy by means of improved predictive analytics algorithms. For example, hospital systems will track a patient's discharge and readmission dates, but not the time between. Calculating the number of days between discharge and readmission provides an important additional piece of information that is used by the algorithms to increase the accuracy of predictions for specific patients.
By highlighting correlations and patterns among data, predictive analytics connect financial and clinical outcomes to help identify the care processes and services that produce the most effective results. The tool ultimately helps financial and clinical leaders distinguish between effective and ineffective spending.
Predictive analytics can be used to drive performance in two areas where ACOs will be held accountable: reduced readmissions and preventive care.Readmissions. Predictive analytics could predict the likelihood of a patient being readmitted for the same condition, which is especially important because CMS penalties for 30-day avoidable readmissions begin in 2013. Predictive analytics find correlations among patient account, charge, and clinical data elements to determine the key attributes that will most likely result in a readmission versus attributes that will not likely lead to a readmission.
For example, data elements for patients with pneumonia collected over a 12-month period at one health system included patient demographics, procedure and diagnosis codes, CPT/HCPCS charges, and revenue and DRG codes. The data elements were augmented with derived attributes, including time between discharge and readmission, length-of-stay groupings, and age groupings. Predictive analytics algorithms sifted through thousands of data attributes, analyzing data on patients with pneumonia who were readmitted and those who were not. The results showed that 26.2 percent of patients who were readmitted had a code labeled "patient refused therapy statistical charge," while 21.6 percent of those who were not readmitted had an endotrachial tube procedure.
To actually reduce readmissions, the models constructed by the predictive analytics algorithms use each attribute to attach a risk score to each patient before discharge. This score helps in determining whether additional treatment and a longer stay are required to reduce the likelihood of a readmission. For example, predictive analytics produced models for the previously cited health system that, for a subset of the Medicare population, could identify pneumonia readmissions with 75 percent accuracy, representing a 217 percent improvement over the health system's accuracy rate prior to using predictive analytics.
Preventive care. The fundamental steps in providing preventive care are identifying patients with existing conditions that may lead to more severe conditions and taking action to avert such outcomes. For example, the case study health system used predictive analytics to identify similar subpopulations of patients with type 2 diabetes. The algorithms identified 10 such subpopulations by sifting through thousands of patient attributes collected over multiple visits in a 12-month period. The resulting cluster model defined patients, for example, with low cost and low number of visits, medium cost and frequent outpatient visits, and highest cost per visit.
One of the clusters identified costly infrequent visitors-younger patients (average age 54) with a low number of total visits (on average, 1.73 visits in 12 months), but with an average cost per visit of $23,760, approximately 3.6 times the average cost for the entire population. These patients had a low number of total inpatient, outpatient, and ED visits, but these visits required a higher level of care and were more expensive.
In this way, predictive analytics allows high-cost populations of patients with type 2 diabetes to be compared with healthier, lower-cost subpopulations. Providing these patients with more frequent lower-level care, such as regular education on the importance of a proper nutrition and getting regular checkups, could prevent the condition from worsening, thereby avoiding more expensive care.
The health system also used predictive analytics to group patients diagnosed with morbid obesity. Statistical tests resulted in seven distinct subpopulations. Analysis of average total visits, total inpatient, outpatient, and ED visits, total charges, charges per visit, and average patient age across clusters identified patient subpopulations with the fewest visits and lowest cost and patients with moderate visits and high cost.
Another cluster identified patients with few visits (just 1.55 over a 12-month period, as compared with 3.41 for the total population), but with a high cost per visit (averaging $15,460, or more than twice the population's average charge of $7,685). As with the analysis of patients with type 2 diabetes, this subpopulation had a low number of total inpatient, outpatient, and ED visits, but these visits required a higher level of care and were more expensive.
In each of these ways, predictive analytics can be used to provide actionable information to users rather than forcing users to hypothesize and pull information. Cost data are linked with clinical data to pinpoint which patients require more attention to prevent their conditions from worsening over the long term.
Healthcare organizations can use predictive analytics to identify at-risk patients in attempts to prevent readmissions and to find high-cost patients who may benefit from preventive care. They can also use predictive analytics to determine which procedures and care methods are likely to produce the most effective outcomes.
By providing meaningful data, predictive analytics give hospital administrators and clinicians information to make more informed value-based decisions to effectively manage patient populations. As the technology identifies care practices and patterns that result in better outcomes, quality of care improves, too.
For example, predictive analytics can help hospitals develop care protocols for chronic disease management, which can reduce readmission rates and mitigate the risk of Medicare reimbursement cuts for ineffective care.
But implementing ACO analytics is not a panacea. First, clinicians must interpret the data and decide whether to take action. There is no guarantee that their decisions will be infallible.
Second, it's not enough for clinicians to act. The patient must act, too. Physicians and healthcare staff can do only so much to influence patient behaviors. Predictive analytics can uncover services that are least effective and behavior that can lead to improved health, but they can't force patients to exercise regularly or follow other care protocols.
As providers become more accountable for care, caregivers should persuade patients to assume greater responsibility for their own health to improve care and reduce costs. Hospitals need to mine their data to ascertain which care is most cost-effective. Their bottom lines depend upon it now more than ever.
Healthcare organizations that are contemplating implementation of a predictive analytics model should keep in mind four key considerations related to such an effort.
First, the organization should make value-based care a priority, from clinical care staff to finance executives. Information from analytics models should be acted upon or used as the basis for decision making-from physicians and nurses to care coordinators and patient safety clinicians.
Second, the healthcare organization needs to invest in the appropriate hardware, software, and dedicated IT staff to build a data warehouse or work with a predictive analytics/data mining solution provider.
Third, when employing ACO analytics, it is especially important for the hospital to have a road map that consists of achievable steps, rather than major endeavors. For example, rather than integrating predictive analytics with an electronic health record system at the start, simple alerts can be sent to flag areas requiring focus, including patients who are likely to be readmitted or patients who may benefit from preventive care.
Fourth, although the hospital needs to measure analytics implementation to gauge ROI, the hospital also should understand that the effectiveness of an analytics program takes time, unlike revenue cycle initiatives that may show a quick return. For example, interventions designed to prevent a patient with morbid obesity from developing type 2 diabetes will not provide immediate results. Obtaining results requires tracking patients over time to measure whether that proactive care results in improved health and fewer inpatient and emergency department visits.
Paul Bradley, PhD, is chief technology officer, MethodCare, Inc., Chicago, and a member of HFMA's First Illinois Chapter (email@example.com).
Publication Date: Monday, April 02, 2012
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Rick Heise, senior vice president, revenue cycle, at Cerner Corporation, discusses the importance of integrating clinical and financial data to excel in health care's changing payment environment.
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Added Mar 7, 2012
by merche
Algeciras, Spain
Pattern : Vogue 8758
Fitted dress with ranglan sleeve, fully lined.
Partially lined jacket ( only sleeves, the rest goes with bias binding)
I love Burda but sometimes I go for a Vogue pattern, basically for the instructions. Being as I am a self taught seamstress, it´s vital for me to know the "how to" and then, if I find an interesting technique I add them to my Burda proyects.
So this is like the outcome of a mini sewing course.
More here:
Boiled wool for the jacket , shoulder pads, bias binding
two different colour knits, lining and zipper for the dress
Apr 6, 2012, 07.34 PMby ofec
great fit!
Mar 13, 2012, 03.20 PMby nancy2001
Beautiful jacket!
Mar 8, 2012, 10.25 PMby libra-s
Great job!! Love the jacket!
Mar 8, 2012, 05.42 PMby Priscilla Folley
Such great fit – te felicito!
Mar 8, 2012, 02.13 AMby Itsbeensewlong
Absolutely gorgeous! Love both the style and the colour…. Off to have a closer look at that jacket pattern… :) Lou
Mar 8, 2012, 09.47 AMby merche
It´s an easy one, even for me.
Mar 8, 2012, 01.51 AMby schnui
Beautiful as usual!! The jacket is such a lovely style and colour.
Mar 8, 2012, 09.46 AMby merche
Thank you! I wasn´t sure about the colour at the beggining but it works.
Mar 7, 2012, 10.16 PMby Jolands
Very nice again. I love all your work.
Mar 8, 2012, 09.48 AMby merche
Thank you Jolands!
Mar 7, 2012, 08.56 PMby elguanche
que lindoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
eres profesora? digo por el escenario!
Mar 7, 2012, 09.13 PMby merche
Si, de inglés para niños pequeñitos, son geniales!
Mar 7, 2012, 08.54 PMby martinK
muy guapo!!! very nice, both, dress and jacket. Great work, great colour!
Mar 8, 2012, 09.48 AMby merche
Thank you Martin!
Mar 7, 2012, 08.00 PMby infinite-plus-one
wow, i really like this!
Mar 8, 2012, 09.49 AMby merche
Thank you!
Mar 7, 2012, 05.56 PMby leahfranqui
Amazing color, and the fit is lovely! Such cool details. Really nice.
Mar 8, 2012, 09.53 AMby merche
Thank you!
Mar 7, 2012, 01.57 PMby mokosha
great jacket.. and i looove the color of it
Thank you, dear!
Mar 7, 2012, 01.53 PMby ariation
Very good execution……..the jackets' seams look very professional……Great work!
Thank you. I was surprised that the seams were so straight!
Mar 7, 2012, 01.47 PMby Kasiorist
love both: very pretty jacket and the combination of colours for the dress is great, too
Thank you. I love bold colours, they don´t work every time but I got away with this one.
Add to Favorites 10 people added it
Member Project of the Week
She modified this coat wonderfully by adding length and changing the pockets and collar
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Flaunt your sewing skills as well as your fab fashion sense in these modern, head-turning designs
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The oversized shape has a cool bell shaped silhouette with a wide body and fitted sleeves
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
It is a well known fact that fruits and vegetables are loaded with nutrients that we all need, and it is essential that we have them in our diets. When it comes to fruits, there are all kinds that we love to eat. But, this is not exactly the same with vegetables. In fact, it is not just children who don't like eating their vegetables. There are thousands and thousands of people who just don't like them, and therefore are not getting everything they need from their diets. One way to overcome this is to drink juices that are a combination of fruits and vegetables. Believe it or not, the fruits will mask the taste of the vegetables, so all you will taste is delicious fruit juice. Now, you can find all kinds of fruit and vegetable cocktails at your local supermarket for a pretty hefty price. Or you can get yourself a juicer and make all kinds of delicious fruit and vegetable combinations that even your kids will love.
What Type of Juicer Is Best for Your Juicing Needs?
As far as the types of juicers that are available, you have plenty of options. You can get juicers that only make wheatgrass juice and juice from other leafy greens, or you can get juicers that make juices from all sorts of fruits and vegetables. In fact, there are even juicers available that can be used to make pasta and sauces, so you can even have a complete meal ready in no time at all, and made from all healthy, fresh ingredients.
Another thing to think about when you are choosing a juicer is whether you want an electric or a manual model. If you want to do as little work as possible, an electric model may be the one for you. But remember that one of these can often be bulky and heavy, so you will want to have a permanent place for it, rather than storing it and having to bring it out every time you need to make juice. Check the specifications of the models you look at to see how large they are and how much they weigh. Or you may be looking for a manual juicer, one that is portable and light weight, and can even be taken with you on vacation or on camping trips where there is no access to electricity. With a manual juicer, you will always be able to have homemade juice made with the freshest of ingredients.
There are many health benefits to drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juice, and when you make your own from fresh ingredients, you know you are getting all of the nutrients you need to get healthy, one glass of juice at a time


text:
All Discussions Tagged 'Mexico' - The Chocolate Life 2014-12-21T14:33:43Z http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=Mexico&feed=yes&xn_auth=no Cacao farm tours to Hawaii's Big Island & Oahu and Mexico's Oaxaca & Chiapas tag:www.thechocolatelife.com,2012-04-20:1978963:Topic:132915 2012-04-20T14:02:12.394Z Nat http://www.thechocolatelife.com/profile/Nat
We are trying to plan a cacao farm & traditional chocolate tours to Mexico & Hawaii in the next few months that many of you have asked for from our experience working in both places, and we want to tailor the trips to your exact chocolate wants & needs, so if you have a second, please fill out this short survey for us so we can make it the chocolate trip you have really dreamed of:…

We are trying to plan a cacao farm & traditional chocolate tours to Mexico & Hawaii in the next few months that many of you have asked for from our experience working in both places, and we want to tailor the trips to your exact chocolate wants & needs, so if you have a second, please fill out this short survey for us so we can make it the chocolate trip you have really dreamed of:

Cacao & Chocolate Tour of Mexico and Hawaii

 News Covers Madre Chocolate's Xoconusco Success tag:www.thechocolatelife.com,2011-08-08:1978963:Topic:98561 2011-08-08T12:18:12.905Z Nat http://www.thechocolatelife.com/profile/Nat

We're getting into the final hours of our campaign and we're so close we can almost taste it... the delicious, rich, fruity, creamy royal Aztec Xoconusco chocolate bars! But these bars can only become a reality if we make it all the way to 100% funding in the next 7 days. We're just past 72% funded so tell your friends, tell your family, tell your neighbors, tell strangers that if they want great…

We're getting into the final hours of our campaign and we're so close we can almost taste it... the delicious, rich, fruity, creamy royal Aztec Xoconusco chocolate bars! But these bars can only become a reality if we make it all the way to 100% funding in the next 7 days. We're just past 72% funded so tell your friends, tell your family, tell your neighbors, tell strangers that if they want great tasting, original & traditional chocolate made with direct trade cacao grown organically by Mayan farmers in Chiapas, they need to back this project soon!

And remember, it's not just donating money to help Chiapas farmers whose ancestors helped invent chocolate get organic certification, get better fermenting equipment, preserve their traditional chocolate recipes & rare endangered spices, and bring this authentic traditional chocolate to the rest of the world, but for your backing you also get tons of great rewards like super rare bars we'll make from the first hand-roasted batch of Xoconusco cacao and hard-to-find spices, bars designed specifically to your wants and needs, and private chocolate classes. These delicious limited edition bars are worth the donation alone!

In fact, in a tasting we took part in at the Fine Chocolate Industry Association meeting in Washington DC on July 9th before the Fancy Food Show with our first limited run Xoconusco chocolate bars made with the aromatic maple-scented Oaxacan spice rosita de cacao

and carefully selected cocoa beans hand roasted on a traditional ceramiccomal griddle in Chiapas,

 we received unanimous praise from attendees.

Our Rosita de cacao Xoconusco chocolate, made in only 2 weeks bean to bar, waiting for expectant tasters at the Fine Chocolate Industry Association meeting in DC, along with other great Latin American chocolates.

Even stacked up against such renowned fine chocolate makers as Bonnat, Valrhona, Amano, Felchlin, and Pacari that the tasting organizer, the famous Cuban chef Maricel Presilla, had deftly arranged in a historical and geographic order from cacao & chocolate's origins in South and Central America, people including the founder of Dagoba Chocolate were waxing on, even with their small sample, about how much they loved the delicate aroma of the rosita with the fine, smooth, and fruity taste of the Aztec Royal Criollo cacao-based chocolate. They were wondering when they could get full bars of our chocolate into their stores and mouths. But you can have several bars of this rare chocolate before any of the chocerati that were at the meeting if we can get to 100% backing in 7 more days.

It's not just the best chocolate makers and tasters in the country, but the local news in Hawaii is also excited about our project as both a way to get local sustainable economies rejuvenated in both Chiapas and Hawaii, and as way to jumpstart the world of chocolate makers in Hawaii since we will use a small part of the kickstarter funds to be some of the first people to bring medium scale chocolate-making equipment to Hawaii. Right now it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem with chocolate here- no one wants to plant a ton of cacao since there's no equipment to process it on the islands, and no one wants to bring in the equipment since there's not enough cacao grown here currently to keep the equipment busy. This recent Honolulu Magazine article explains a bit of that issue and how we've been building up the equipment bit by bit, and supplementing the growing Hawaiian cacao production with modest shipments from Latin America. Imminent Hawaii food writer Martha Cheng's article in Honolulu Weekly describes how we and some other local small food businesses are using Kickstarter to get things started right.

And that's where you all come in- helping us get chocolate started right, with a sense of history, ethics, sustainability, locality, and most of all, deliciousness. So please spread the word to anyone you can to help us and the Mexican cacao farmers bring you great tasting chocolate by backing our campaign. We hope to send you some of those tasty results in only 7 days!

 Tales from Chocolate Mecca: Oaxaca tag:www.thechocolatelife.com,2011-07-24:1978963:Topic:94983 2011-07-24T17:27:45.029Z Nat http://www.thechocolatelife.com/profile/Nat
An update on Dave & Nat's research for Madre Chocolate in Oaxaca, Mexico....

After the success of finding exactly the right delicious cacao in Xoconusco, Chiapas to make you all hundreds of bars of Royal Aztec Chocolate, our trip to Oaxaca state was an even bigger success, where we located great sources for Vanilla from its geographic origins in Chinantla, Rosita de Cacao flowers and the foamed chocolate drink Tejate they are used to make, tons of…

An update on Dave & Nat's research for Madre Chocolate in Oaxaca, Mexico....

After the success of finding exactly the right delicious cacao in Xoconusco, Chiapas to make you all hundreds of bars of Royal Aztec Chocolate, our trip to Oaxaca state was an even bigger success, where we located great sources for Vanilla from its geographic origins in Chinantla, Rosita de Cacao flowers and the foamed chocolate drink Tejate they are used to make, tons of nifty molinillo foaming sticks, plumeria flower infused bu'pu foamed drinks in Juchitan, and plenty of other chocolate drinks and preparations wherever we turned. As soon as you enter Oaxaca city you are struck by the wonderful rich smell of chocolate drinks like champurrado, mole vendors in each market, and cacao grinders on practically every corner, grinding up ingredients for chocolate recipes to your specifications. Though there is almost no cacao grown in Oaxaca state, this is truly the Mecca for traditional chocolate use and where the idea for starting Madre Chocolate was sparked.

The most common form in which you see chocolate in Oaxaca is in mole. There are many kinds of mole (at least 8 in Oaxaca alone) with different colors, spices, and bases, but the one most known outside of Mexico and the one with chocolate, mole poblano meaning it is a mole that comes from the state of Puebla. It usually has roasted chilis, roastedpumpkin seeds, tomatoes, raisins, almonds, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, and many other indigenous Mexican spices. To make a mole base, you can spend hours toasting, peeling, and grinding cacao and other spices or you can go to one of the plethora of these cacao grinding shops:

Where you can just tell them what amounts of cacao, cinnamon, cloves, and almonds you want ground together and they'll do it for you in a few minutes for a tiny charge. The Soledad shop I talked to said they grind about 400 lbs a week on their machines and they have to redress the grinding stones each week! The smell in these shops is absolutely heavenly for any chocophile, and you can get plenty of chocolate drink bases (with the rich cocoa butter still in there, not just cocoa powder) to satisfy your chocolate cravings by making something like this excellent champurrado with corn, water, and loads of rich chocolate:

Another part of our chocolate that was inspired by Oaxaca aside from the company idea was our Amaranth Crunch bar, based on the Alegria bars that are easily found in any market or street corner vendors. Alegrias are like rice crispy treats made most commonly from the popped healthy supergrain amaranth mixed with honey but also can be found made from pumpkin seeds, puffed corn, sesame seeds, peanuts, or a blend of all the above. Collect the whole set like we did pictured here in a small market in SE Oaxaca city in front of a tasty glass of horchata, a delicious and refreshing drink made from rice milk, almonds and cinnamon.

When Dave was living in Oaxaca last year he so loved snacking on the healthy & tasty amaranth alegrias that he was decided we just had to make a chocolate bar with the popped amaranth. Amaranth is the north American relative of quinoa, both supergrains in the spinach and beet family that have a complete set of amino acids, unlike regular grains like rice, corn, and wheat in the grass family which need to be mixed with legumes to have a complete set of Amina acids. Because of its nutritiousness, amaranth was a staple crop of the Aztecs that the Spanish conquistadors unfortunately outlawed since they thought its use in making temple sculptures was sacrilegious. This outlawing of their staple food possibly contributed to the downfall of the Aztecs and its use and growth now are supposedly at about 1/10th the levels at the height of the Aztec empire! We met the great group Puente de la Salud Comunitaria who are working in Oaxaca to encourage the replanting and use of this great food. It's a beautiful ornamental to boot that grows easily in temperate North America, Hawaii, and Mexico (as pictured here at the gorgeous lush Oaxaca ethnobotanical garden).

The Oaxaca ethnobotanical garden is the only solely ethnobotanical garden we've ever seen or heard of in the world and it's a stunning celebration of all food, medicinal, dye, and psychoactive plants of the West Coast of Mexico. Another plan that was great to see there was the rosita de cacao, flor de cacao, cacahuaxochitl, or poyomatli, an incredibly heady smelling flower said to be redolent of maple syrup, fenugreek, and curry. Here a vendor in the vastAbastos market sells rosita de cacao along with several of the other spices used to make the delicious foamed drink tejate, like pixtle or the seed of the mamey sapote fruit, cloves, jaguar cacao, and regular cacao:

Just around the corner from the spice and flower vendors, you can find women selling the white foamy tejate, which they've been mixing and foaming all day with sticks or tools called molinillo ("little grinder") that are like low-tech hand blenders and were introduced by the Spaniards centuries ago where they quickly supplanted the Mayan foaming technique of pouring back and forth between to vessels from a height of several feet. The molinillos you can find in Abastos market as well, in nearly a million sizes and configurations:

The foam stirred up by the molinillo comes from the combination of the fat from the cacao beans, calcified jaguar cacao, and some of the spices. This foam is what most people in Mexico enjoy most about chocolate drinks. When you are served this "drink" in the beautiful jicara (painted calabash fruit shells) you can see at this vendor's stand, you actually mainly get a bowl of foam that you eat with a spoon, not a liquid. I like to say that the indigenous Mesoamericans were making high-tech foams with keen plant chemistry thousands of years before the new rash of molecular gastronomists like Ferran Adria and Grant Achatz, who are obsessed with foams, were even born. This white foamy "drink" is a bit chalky at first from the calcified jaguar cacao, but the flavor and aroma are so addictive that you find yourself craving this foam that is like breathing in chocolate laced with the beautiful scent of the Oaxacan air.

These great flavor combinations and spices unknown outside of this area of Mexico are what we are trying to bring to the rest of the world with chocolate bars like our rosita de cacao bar made with Xoconusco cacao. With all of your incredible help backing us and spreading the word, we've gotten over halfway to our $15,000 project funding goal in just 1/2 the time allotted. We'd love it if you could continue to tell your friends, family, and coworkers who love delicious artisanal chocolate or like supporting organic farmers about our project so we can make the final push to fund our project before the deadline in 20 days and get all those chocolate bar rewards out to you!

In our next update we'll cover the last part of Oaxaca- Juchitan where they make the mythical bu'pu chocolate drink with the super fragrant plumeria or flor de mayo flower, commonly found in Hawaii leis, and how our Xoconusco chocolate with rosita de cacao was a smash hit at the Fine Chocolate Industry Association meeting in Washington DC last weekend. Stay tuned for more great updates!


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Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King Jr.
"One shoe can change your life"-Cinderella
Bippity boppity BOOYAH!
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Davo takes in the game at Vicarage Road.
21 Dec 2014
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See the best of the action as Blues made in back-to-back win in the Sky Bet Championship.
21 Dec 2014
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Blues' winger David Cotterill speaks after his match-winning goal at the John Smith's Stadium.
19 Dec 2014
Blues Focus Episode 17
This week it's a Christmas special! Including the True Blue Juniors party, some great goals from Christmas past and much more.
14 Dec 2014
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Watch the best of the action from Blues' emphatic victory over Reading in the Sky Bet Championship.
11 Dec 2014
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This week's show includes Gary Rowett and members of the playing squad spreading some Christmas cheer, a look a Monday's FA Cup third round draw plus much more.
04 Dec 2014
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How to Create a Mason-Jar Organizer
Casey Finn & Bridget MatkovichDIY Playbook
Hi, we're Casey & Bridget, best friends, bloggers, and Chicago gals with a serious love for home decor and DIY. We're all about personalizing our homes without breaking the bank. Join us as we showcase our big league decorating dreams on rookie salaries.
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text: Beit Hall Senior Application Beit Hall Senior Application We are looking for enthusiastic, approachable and lively people to act as Hall Seniors for Beit Hall next year. Hall Seniors are expected to make a major contribution to hall life, and to help make Beit a fun, sociable and safe hall for people to live in. If you fancy a challenge and want to live in one of College's premier halls next year, please fill in this application. Only Imperial UG students are eligible and preference will be given to good applicants who have not yet been a Hall Senior. Any queries should be addressed to Anne Hardijzer [email@example.com ] , a current subwarden in the Hall. NOTE: The application deadline is Monday the 25th of August 23:59h Please submit a recent photo of yours, passport style. Use "jpg" or "png" files and please and keep it less than 1MB. "Passport" Photo * Name * Imperial Email * Course * Year of Study * Name of Personal Tutor * Have you lived in Imperial Halls before? If so, which hall and in what year(s)? Previous Residence: * What do you think are the responsibilities of a Hall Senior? Responsibilities: * How do you think you could manage college workloads and hall activities efficiently? Give brief examples to demonstrate Time Management : * List the 3 most memorable Hall organised events you have attended and briefly describe how you may have contributed. If you have never lived in halls, you may list events that you organised for your friends/coursemates and describe what and how you did it Past Events: * Please list and briefly describe 3 events that you would like to contribute to organising in Beit (150 words max) Future Events: * Please pick an integer from 0 to 100 which you think would equal half of the average guess of all the other hall senior applicants. Your integer guess: * Submit your application by pressing submit below - but make sure you're happy as you cannot edit it later! You will also receive a confirmation email.


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As an employer, it is your responsibility to collect QPP contributions and remit them to Revenu Québec.
In 2014, the contribution rate is 10,35% of an employee's gross earnings (up to a certain limit). You pay half (5,175 %) and you deduct the other half at source from the employee's pay.
The contribution rate is applied to the portion of pay included between:
The Guide for Employers , published by Revenu Québec, will give you all the details on deductions at source, pensionable and non-pensionable earnings and contributions to the Québec Pension Plan.


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Contact UsStir It Up Salad & Yogurt Shack
5306 Holmes Blvd.
Holmes Beach, FL 34217
"Adorable little self-serve frozen yogurt shop with very fun flavors and great toppings. And they are open late, so if you have a sweet craving after 5:00 pm, no worries. Super pleasant and accommodating young people run the shop and are attentive to their customers. Highly recommend this a pop in if you're shopping, coming back from the beach or need a sweet fix."


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Brain Injury Definition
This injury refers to those which lead to the brain. This injury varies from a swell to the head to the severe damage to brain.
Cause of Brain Injury
The main cause of this type of injury is direct blow to the head. This may happen due to many reasons – accidents, medical malpractice, slip and fall and many other similar causes lead to this type of injury.
The Types of Brain Injury
Damaged brain – This happens as a result of direct blow to the head or medical malpractice. Some fatal disease can be held responsible for this type of injury also. When this happens, the patient suffers from memory loss or reduced life span.
TBI or traumatic brain injury – TBI is the most severe brain injury. This injury occurs as a result of damaged brain tissues. Car accidents, motorcycle accidents or slip and fall results in this type of injuries. This injury is complicated as you will not be able to see this from the surface. For this, the patients do not receive required treatment most of the times.
Legal help
If you are or a loved one has sustained brain injury due to someone else's fault, you should seek immediate legal help. Hire an experienced Miami brain injury lawyer, who will be able to assist you in this type of situation.
Author Bio:
Richard Mayo, a consultant, is giving suggestion about the Miami brain injury lawyer . In case you want more information about the relative subject, he suggests that you visit http://www.floridainjurylawyers.com/.
One Response to "Brain Injury – Definition & Types"
I think this information is very useful to know about the whole concept of brain injury. I totally understand and thanks for posted this 2 types of brain injury, mainly the causes and how anyone can solve these problems for sure. Thanks a lot.


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Sep 30, 2014
ACR Blog: (VIDEO) The Effects of a 100 Percent Charitable Deduction
In the August 22 edition of the ACR newsletter, we shared a story about Puerto Rico adopting a 100 percent charitable deduction in 2011. The deduction led to a 70 percent increase in the number of individuals who made charitable donations in Puerto Rico, according to a report released by the Flamboyan Foundation.
The Flamboyan Foundation is a private, family foundation focused on improving educational outcomes for children in public schools in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, according to its website. The Alliance for Charitable Reform recently interviewed Kristin Ehrgood, president of the Flamboyan Foundation, about the implementation of the tax deduction, the results of the Flamboyan Foundation's study, and how studying donor behavior could help expand charitable giving in Puerto Rico.


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Request a live demoof the Acquia platform
Welcome to Part 2 of my SXSWi Top Tips series. If you missed it, check out Part 1 which covers how to prepare before you arrive in Austin; it's not a conference where you can just throw some clothes in a bag and go.
So now you're packed, you've done your research, and you've got a plan. Great!
Now get ready to throw it out the window.
Part Two: Austin
SXSW is only days away and the Acquia Team is counting down the minutes until we get to Austin. For those not familiar with SXSW (South by Southwest), it is a set of film, interactive, gaming and music festivals and conferences that takes over the city of Austin, Texas in March of each year, with over 60,000 people. Acquia is participating in SXSW Interactive, which is focused on emerging technologies, as well as the SXSW Trade Show (Booth #723!).
SXSW® is the premier destination of discovery. Join the Acquia Team as we make this years interactive conference and trade show one for the books. Sign up now for the hottest party of the week, come to our rockstar meetup - and oh yea, come by our awesome booth #723. Here's what to expect from us at SXSW:
I had the chance to meet with Drupal CMS creator Dries Buytaert at the SXSW conference last week. After the chat with Buytaert, I started to wonder if a CMS war is on the horizon.
TwitPic contest at SXSW could make yours the most valuable Tweet you've ever sent!
We offer many tools and services to help you succeed with Drupal, learn more and get started for free.
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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Auditors expose the dirt
An external audit into the bungled construction of four new fire halls did not find criminal activity or even breaches of the employee code of conduct, but it found enough dirt to warrant further investigation.
The audit by Ernst and Young discovered gross mismanagement, but also troubling evidence that the city's largest real estate firm, Shindico, received preferential treatment in the process to build the new stations.
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The findings expose the city to potential lawsuits from other companies that did not receive equal treatment in what was supposed to have been a transparent process based on well-established legal principles.
The report largely exonerates former fire chief Reid Douglas, who has since been fired, but points the finger at Phil Sheegl, who was himself forced to step down as chief administrative officer just last week following an ultimatum from city council's executive policy committee.
The city has apparently granted him a severance equal to one year's pay, but that decision should never have been made until the audit was made public. The audit's findings suggest the city could have dismissed him for cause.
Mr. Sheegl has previously said he was only remotely connected to the fire-hall building program, but the audit said he was deeply involved from the beginning.
He took "an active role in the project since the early stages and was involved in the design and construction budgets... " the auditor found. "Our review indicates that the majority of project oversight, where oversight occurred, was done by" Mr. Sheegl.
According to Mr. Douglas, Mr. Sheegl told him in 2009 when the city was seeking qualified firms to compete for a contract to build the stations: "I want Shindico to build these fire halls." The then-fire chief's only response was: "Then let's hope they're the lowest bidder."
Subsequent alterations of the original terms meant Shindico was the only qualified bidder, and the contracts were sole-sourced to the firm. The contracts were also broken into four parts to circumvent council scrutiny. The law department also failed in its role as a gatekeeper, but the auditors said that was understandable considering the city's lawyers reported to the chief administrative officer, a situation that should be changed.
The power of the CAO, a position that replaced the old board of commissioners, must also be reviewed.
While others were involved in managing the flawed fire-hall process, Mr. Sheegl bears the brunt of the administration's responsibility.
It's unclear what members of executive policy committee may have known because the auditor did not interview them or Mayor Sam Katz.
Mr. Sheegl, a close friend and former business partner of the mayor, was an unpopular choice when he was hired in 2008 as the city's director of the city's property and planning department.
In selecting Mr. Sheegl and then elevating him to the CAO's position, the mayor and his supporters at the time were signalling they wanted the city to be more entrepreneurial and more aggressive in encouraging development.
Unfortunately, both Mr. Sheegl and Mayor Katz forgot the city is not a business, but a public service, where rules and red tape matter.
The fire-hall construction disaster has undermined confidence in the city by the general public and by contractors and developers who respond to its tenders, assuming a level playing field.
The mayor says all of council bears responsibility for what happened, but the comment is disingenuous and merely another distraction from his own, still-undefined role in the messy affair.
The city's internal auditors have said in the past civic government must be guided by transparency, accountability and integrity. This audit has shown the public was betrayed on each of those points.
Editorials are the consensus view of the Winnipeg Free Press' editorial board, comprising Catherine Mitchell, David O'Brien, Shannon Sampert, and Paul Samyn.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 22, 2013 A8
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A collection of relevant and timely media clips and resources.
Updated as of Tuesday, April 30, 2013.
"All men are by nature, free and equal, and have certain inherent and inalienable rights, among which may be reckoned: ... 7) the right to bear arms in defense of themselves and of the state, subject to the power of the general assembly to enact laws to prevent persons from carrying concealed weapons."
The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL.
Map of states recognizing Kentucky permits:
No state permit is required to purchase a rifle, shotgun, or handgun.
Residents of the Commonwealth of Kentucky who are citizens of the United States shall have the right to purchase or otherwise acquire rifles, shotguns, handguns, and any other firearms which they are permitted to purchase or otherwise acquire under federal law and the Kentucky Revised Statutes from properly licensed dealers, manufacturers, importers, or collectors, and unlicensed individual person in Kentucky or in any other state or nation outside of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
No state permit is required to possess a rifle, shotgun, or handgun.
The open carry of a handgun is lawful except in certain restricted areas.
It is unlawful to carry a concealed firearm on or about one's person. This does not apply to carrying a concealed firearm in one's own real property. A lessee of real property may carry concealed on the real property. Immediate family members may carry with permission of the property owner or lessee of real property. A business owner may carry concealed on real property owned or leased by the business. Also exempt from this prohibition are persons issued a license to carry concealed firearms, police officers, agents and messengers of express companies when on duty, and U.S. mail carriers on duty.
"Concealed on or about the person" has been recently defined as "concealment in such proximity to the person as to be convenient of access and within immediate physical reach." Kentucky courts consider firearms located under a driver's seat concealed "on or about" the person, and are, therefore, unlawful. Firearms located in glove compartments, locked or unlocked, are not considered concealed.
The Department of Kentucky State Police shall issue a license to carry concealed firearms if the applicant:
The application shall be obtained from and submitted to the office of the sheriff in the county in which the applicant resides. The application fee is $60. The license is valid statewide for 5 years. The applicant shall submit a recent color photograph and a photocopy of a certificate of completion of a course that demonstrates competence with a firearm. The application will be sent to the Kentucky State Police within five working days.
The Department of Kentucky State Police shall, within 90 days, either issue a license or deny the application, in which case the applicant shall be informed in writing of the grounds for denial and his right to submit, within 30 days, documentation relating to the denial. The applicant shall also be informed of the right to seek review of the denial in the District Court of his place of residence. The applicant shall further be informed of their right to seek de novo review of the denial in the District Court of his or her place of residence.
Military Personnel are not provided with an extension but may renew concealed weapons licenses early and by mail. If military personnel are on active duty when the license expires, they are allowed to renew the license within 90 days after the end of deployment with no late fees or penalties.
The certification and recertification of active and retired peace officers permits any peace officer that has successfully completed a Kentucky Law Enforcement Council approved firearms instructor course to carry firearms.
Effective July 12, 2006, U.S. citizenship is required to be eligible to obtain a CCDW license. A CCDW License Application-Citizenship Affidavit must be completed and submitted to the sheriff of your county of residence to be attached to the application.
The licensee shall carry the license at all times the licensee is carrying a concealed firearm or other deadly weapon. A licensee must show the license to law enforcement upon request. A license to carry concealed firearms does not authorize any person to carry a concealed firearm into:
Right of employees and other persons to possess firearms in a vehicle--No person, including but not limited to an employer, who is the owner, lessee, or occupant of real property shall prohibit any person who is legally entitled to posses a firearm from possessing a firearm, part of a firearm, ammunition, or ammunition component in a vehicle on the property. This does not apply to any real property owned, leased or occupied by the United States government, upon which the possession or carrying of firearms is prohibited or controlled, detention facilities, or where Kentucky Revised Statutes specifically prohibits possession or carrying of firearms on the property.
Kentucky will allow a loaded handgun to be carried in a motor vehicle provided that the firearm is stored in any container, compartment, or storage space originally installed in the motor vehicle by its manufacturer.
Kentucky will honor a valid license issued by another state if that state grants Kentucky residents the right to carry concealed firearms without a separate license. A person holding a valid license issued by another state, which state allows Kentucky residents to obtain a license, may apply for a Kentucky license.
Kentucky statutes are silent on antique and replica firearms. They are treated as ordinary firearms for possession and carrying purposes.
It is lawful to possess, purchase, or sell a machine gun that is legally registered and possessed in compliance with all federal laws and regulations.
The regulation of firearms and ammunition is completely reserved to the state legislature. READ ALL
No shooting range shall be or shall become a nuisance, either public or private, solely as a result of changed conditions in or around the locality of the range if the range has been in operation for one (1) year... READ ALL
KY. REV. STAT. § 237.210 Effect of changed conditions on nuisance actions involving shooting ranges; standing to sue; limitation of liability; prohibition against retroactive application of laws
(1) No shooting range shall be or shall become a nuisance, either public or private, solely as a result of changed conditions in or around the locality of the range if the range has been in operation for one (1) year since the date on which it commenced operation as a shooting range. Subsequent physical expansion of the range or expansion of the types of firearms in use at the range shall not establish a new date of commencement of operations for purposes of this section unless the change triples the amount of the noise produced by the shooting range. The increase in the noise level at the shooting range shall be measured by an independent testing agency or a unit of government and shall compare the highest noise levels during any one (1) month during which the range is in full operation with a subsequent month in which the range is in full operation and conducting a comparable level of shooting activities. Only a person who lives adjacent to the shooting range shall have standing to bring an action under this section.
(2) No shooting range or unit of government or person owning, operating, or using a shooting range for the shooting of firearms shall be subject to any action for civil or criminal liability, damages, abatement, or injunctive relief resulting from or relating to noise generated by the operation of the range if the range remains in compliance with noise control or nuisance abatement administrative regulations, statutes, or ordinances applicable to the range on the date on which it commenced operation.
(3) No administrative regulations, statutes, or ordinances relating to noise control, noise pollution, or noise abatement adopted or enacted by a unit of government shall be applied retroactively to prohibit conduct at a shooting range, which conduct was lawful and being engaged in prior to the adoption or enactment of the administrative regulations, statutes, or ordinances.
It is unlawful to remove, deface, cover, alter or destroy the manufacturer's serial number or other mark of identification on any firearm.
It is unlawful to possess a firearm that has been defaced. To avoid prosecution, this offense must be reported to the police immediately.
It is unlawful to shoot any wild animal, protected or unprotected, from an automobile or any vehicle at any time or place. Boats may be used except as prohibited by state or federal regulations.
It is unlawful to shoot across a highway.
No city, county or urban-county government may occupy any part of the field of regulation of the transfer, ownership, possession, carrying or transportation of firearms, ammunition, or components of firearms or combination thereof.
No person or entity is liable for damages of any kind resulting from injuries to another person sustained as a result of the criminal use of a firearm by a third person, unless the person or entity conspired with, aided, or caused the third person to commit the criminal act.
The Commonwealth reserves the exclusive authority to bring suit against firearms manufacturers or dealers relating to the lawful manufacture and sale of firearms or ammunition to the public.
During bow-hunting season, any person who is not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm may carry a firearm for protection of persons and property or self-defense. This applies to all lands controlled by the department, public or private, and also on private lands that the owner has not posted a notice prohibiting concealed deadly weapons.
Sources: Ky.Rev.Stat §§ 65.045; 237.020 et seq.; 411.155; 527.010 et seq
CAUTION: Firearm laws are subject to frequent change and court interpretation. This summary is not intended as legal advice or
restatement of law. This summary does not include federal or local laws, ordinances or regulations. For any particular situation, a
licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL
This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.READ MORE
© 2014 National Rifle Association of America. Institute for Legislative Action. This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.11250 Waples Mill Rd. Fairfax, VA 22030 1800-392-8683(VOTE)


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Stating that the customer experience is a key differentiator in the competitive marketplace is unlikely to get you into many arguments these days. Numerous studies have shown that true advocates who are vocal about you, your products and their experiences are extremely valuable to your company both in terms of their likelihood to re-purchase and in terms of the referrals that they might make for your company. Conversely, true detractors can be very costly in terms of how they influence their colleagues and friends. Customers who are ambivalent to you are just not loyal and will defect when a better opportunity arises, and may well leave you with a high cost of acquisition that has not been repaid enough by their business to show a profit.
Brand, product and pricing clearly have an impact on customer loyalty too, but the experience that a customer has when contacting you, or being contacted by your organization has a critical impact upon their likelihood to stay and recommend you to others. Key factors in driving a consistent and effective customer experience are:
Addressing these factors cost-effectively, and differentiating the experience based upon factors such as the profitability of a customer or their future potential are important factors to consider in your approach to the customer experience.
Building and maintaining loyalty is a tough challenge even through the traditional channels such as the contact center, branch/local office/store, email, and regular mail where interactions are directly between the customer and the organization. However, in the web and social media world, the level of influence that a customer can exert over others is potentially much greater than was previously the case. Think of a negative post being read by 500 "friends" or "followers". The way in which you execute your response to a social media interaction will not only impact the experience that the customer who posted the initial response has, but will be watched by many other people and can influence them significantly in terms of their perception of your organization and how well you dealt with the situation.
Due to the clear link between profits and customer loyalty, numerous CEOs have gone on public record stating the importance of the customer experience and how it is a key focus of their strategy. The challenge however is in ensuring that intent is translated into a true customer-focused strategy, and from there, into an operational environment which truly focuses on delivering the right customer experience on all occasions. All too often the program is poorly planned or orchestrated, the business case is not well constructed or articulated, or executive and senior management action seems to defy the articulated focus on the customer. Consequently cost-cutting often claims the customer experience program as its' victim since its' benefits are perceived to be less tangible or harder to achieve than some other areas, or it is believed that the organization is not fully behind it.
Given the importance of the customer experience to loyalty, and of loyalty to profitability, it is critical to address the experience that your customers have with you in a structured manner, developing a robust business case to support the required changes.
ThoughtBurst can help you with achieving a number of business objectives in the customer experience area. We can help you:
Our C-SOAR™ method fully supports our customer experience services. Outputs, techniques, approaches during the strategy & assessment (S&A) method component include:
The analyze, design, develop and deploy (A3D) component of the method supports the full lifecycle of a customer experience improvement program from analysis through to deployment.
The C-SOAR™ method is backed by our RCM Model, which provides significant support for the customer experience across all 9 of the channels included within the model
The C-SOAR™ tool supports the method and enables our consultants to capture engagement specific information consistently and effectively.


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Lightspeed Systems has released the Educational Video Library, a new tool that allows teachers to review YouTube content and choose files to submit to the district administrator for approval. Those files receiving district approval are then made accessible through a portal on the district's local network. In addition, all YouTube community information and external user comments are blocked, ensuring that nothing reaches the classroom that hasn't first been reviewed for appropriateness. The announcement was made at last week's National Education Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, DC.
"I can't blame the teachers for wanting to use YouTube as an instructional resource; there are countless educational videos on YouTube," said Zach Lloyd, network systems specialist for the Greenwood School District 50 in Greenwood, SC. "Teachers can either submit videos while at home or make a note of the URL and submit them on campus. Reviewing falls on either IT staff or our instructional technology specialist, depending on who gets to it first."
More and more, educators and students are recognizing the value of allowing Web 2.0 technologies like YouTube contribute to classroom learning. "Students are able to add links to the videos in PowerPoint presentations, and staff are adding a large variety of videos in all subjects to EVL," said Andy Blanchette, a technology specialist for Sartell-St. Stephen Public Schools in Sartell, MN.
EVL is included as part of the current version of Lightspeed's Total Traffic Control network security application, which allows administrators to activate the EVL at will and set permissions for video submission and review. A spokesperson for Lightspeed said that since its introduction in February, more than 4,000 YouTube videos have been approved and shared within the education community.
About the Author
Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.
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Haven't heard of it in the US? Feckin' eejits.
The last time the public found a middle-aged man in a dress and heels endearing it was the '90s and we were watching Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire. This decades' most lovable cross-dresser is Brendan O'Carroll, who plays Agnes Brown, a crusty matriarch to six kids, four grandchildren, and one "Grandad" (her 92-year-old father-in-law), in the BBC sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys.
Set in Dublin, the show gives the viewers a look into a not-so-typical Irish family.
Although this satirical assemblage pretty much does what most Dubliners do: Have a cuppa and drink Guinness,
the ridiculousness that ensues keeps the audience ensared. Centered around Mrs. Brown's house, the premise is simple: The kids and Winnie (Mrs. Brown's BFFL) come and go while Mrs. Brown gets herself into particularly bizarre scenarios, such as the ever-pleasant self-administered bikini wax. At the heart of the show are her memorable, and usually dirty, one liners such as, "I feel like I've got a hedgehog livin' in me knickers" after giving herself said bikini wax. All the while, Grandad yells from upstairs or sleeps in his chair.
Most times,
the so-called advice she gives her family comes with one of two conclusions: "Cuppa tea, love?" or "Feckin' eejit."
Officially debuting on television in January 2011, Mrs. Brown's Boys gained popularity quickly. The award-winning sitcom first started as a five-minute regular radio segment in Dublin. This rapidly branched out into what it is today: five plays, four novels, the sitcom (now just finishing its third series), an app, and one movie (Agnes Brown) with another one on the way (Mrs. Brown's Boys D'movie). It's safe to say that in the UK and Ireland, Mrs. Brown's Boys is more of a phenomenon than a simple tevevision show.
So how have we not heard of it in the US? Brendan O'Carroll seems to be comfortable where he is in life, having turned down an offer with HBO only last year. Maybe there will be something in the US in the future, but for now, the show can be found online on both YouTube and Dailymotion.com. It can also be purchased on Amazon on both DVD and Blu-ray.
The chaotic hilarity of Mrs. Brown's Boys promises a continuously crazy and endlessly-entertaining sitcom—perhaps, even an entire two days glued to the tv screen (I may or may not be speaking from experience).


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Groin injury to Steven Jackson was kept a secret Brad Biggs
The NFL has come down on another club for not disclosing all injuries on the weekly injury report.
The St. Louis Rams have been tagged with a $20,000 fine for failing to report a groin injury to running back Steven Jackson in Week 2 during a game against the Washington Redskins, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Rams did not report the injury and thus it appeared Jackson had been benched.
The Baltimore Ravens have been slapped with a similar fine and the Redskins also got a $20,000 fine for how they handled a concussion to quarterback Robert Griffin III during a game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The bottom line is these fines are chump change for NFL organizations. If a club believes it is in its best interest to not disclose an injury – if the coach thinks it will be valuable during a game or game week – a $20,000 fine is a small price to pay.
Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs
Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune
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"Rogue" Repositories—The Next Big E-Discovery Problem? Some Thoughts On The First Day Of ILTA 2012
By: Scott Giordano, Esq., Corporate Technology Counsel, Exterro
The most interesting topic to come up during the first day of this year's ILTA conference wasn't something presented during the breakout sessions but rather came about during a discussion I had with one of the industry analysts—the problem of "rogue" repositories (e.g. Dropbox, Zoho, Google Drive, Box.net).
The problem: Business employees are storing work-related electronically stored information (ESI) in these repositories without the business's knowledge. I can recount more than a few cases where severe sanctions resulted from a party certifying that it had produced all ESI requested, only to discover later boxes of backup tapes found in some IT administrator's garage. Now, take that same scenario and extend it to every potential custodian and a very realistic nightmare scenario arises. Not so long ago, the "rogue" problem for businesses centered on wireless access points established by employees who wanted wireless mobility without bothering to go up the corporate chain for permission. It was an open invitation to cyber intruders and became a huge headache for information security teams.
Now, businesses have a potentially bigger problem: how do they hunt down these rogue repositories that may contain multiple versions of responsive ESI? The problem, it seems, is exacerbated with the advent of "bring your own device" (BYOD), since mobile devices can access these repositories but have little in the way of controls to prevent corporate ESI from winding up there. Given these problems, can counsel ever certify with certainty that they have produced in good faith all that was requested?
Has this come up yet at your workplace, and, if so, how was it addressed? Drop us a comment below.
Scott Giordano is an experienced attorney with more than 16 years legal, technology and risk management consulting experience. Giordano serves as Exterro's subject matter expert on the intersection of law and technology as it applies to e-discovery, information governance, compliance and risk management issues.


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|New Revised Standard (NRS)
|New International Version (NIV)
|9 Why do you plot against the Lord? He will make an end; no adversary will rise up twice.
|9 Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.
|10 Like thorns they are entangled, like drunkards they are drunk; they are consumed like dry straw.
|10 They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble.
|11 From you one has gone out who plots evil against the Lord, one who counsels wickedness.
|11 From you, [O Nineveh, ] has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness.
|12 Thus says the Lord, "Though they are at full strength and many, they will be cut off and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.
|12 This is what the LORD says: "Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, [O Judah, ] I will afflict you no more.
|13 And now I will break off his yoke from you and snap the bonds that bind you."
|13 Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away."
|14 The Lord has commanded concerning you: "Your name shall be perpetuated no longer; from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the cast image. I will make your grave, for you are worthless."
|14 The LORD has given a command concerning you, [Nineveh]: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile."
|15 Look! On the mountains the feet of one who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, fulfill your vows, for never again shall the wicked invade you; they are utterly cut off.
|15 Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.
|New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. (New Revised Standard Bible Version Online)
|Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online)


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* Bright composite beach volleyball
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* Man-made leather
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<< back to view complete listing for Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant
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"I visited this brewpub on 10/26/06 and had the following brews; Golden Export, Hefe Weizen, Marzen, Schwarzbier, Kolsch, Alt, & Fest Beer. Not being a fan of the German Lager tradition of brewing my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. The beers all seemed to fit the styles they were representing. I didn't like having to march up the stairs to use the restroom but that is the least of your worries at this place. Good food and good German beer."
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text:
LeVelle DeSean Ming, a 41-year-old New York cabbie, had been on shift for about ten hours when he got bogged down in traffic near the Vudu Lounge on First Avenue. Dealing with congealed late-night traffic was tough enough, but Ming's patience was depleted even further when a group of about 15 drunken males staggered out of the lounge and crossed in front of him against the traffic light.
The weary cabbie tapped his horn and muttered a disgusted comment about the behavior of the drunken revelers. One of them, a man named John Virga, overheard the remark and reached through the driver's side window, punching Ming three times in the face. The cab driver attempted to open the door, only to have Virga slam in against his chest, bruising some ribs.
After Ming finally managed to exit the vehicle, the beating began in earnest. More than a dozen of Virga's comrades swarmed Ming, punching and kicking the outnumbered and helpless cabbie while witnesses looked on in horror.
As the assault grew uglier, a Park Avenue doorman frantically dialed 911. "You got to get the cops over," he pleaded. "They're beating the sh*t out of a cab driver. About 15 guys. They're f*****g jumping him…. They're getting a two-by-four. I'm witnessing a big two-by-four being picked up."
Calling the police for help — which is never a good idea — was a gratuitous act in this case, since the assailants were the police: rookie officers who belong to the NYPD's Manhattan North Impact (MNI) unit.
As it happens, there was one officer on the scene who tried to prevent the gang assault from becoming a homicide. As the assailant armed with a two-by-four approached Ming with lethal intent, Sgt. Anthony Acosta waded into the melee, identifying himself as a police officer and shielding the victim.
"I'm a cop, let go," Acosta commanded the punk, who dropped the club and took a swing at the off-duty sergeant. Acosta fended off the drunken bully and helped the victim get into his cab. With the help of another off-duty sergeant, Acosta managed to dispense the mob.
One of the eyewitnesses to the December 17, 2008 crime was a lady friend of NYPD Captain William Pla, the officer who had organized a Christmas party for the MNI unit.
"You're animals," the woman shouted at the assailants, reports the Village Voice. "You're savages. What are you doing?"
Ming was interviewed by an apparently sympathetic Internal Affairs detective, who soothingly assured the victim that "We don't need cops like that." Ming assumed that statement referred to the drunken wolf pack who had assaulted him. However, the detective might well have been referring to Sgt. Acosta, the officer who saved his life.
From the moment Captain Pla arrived on the scene, he stage-managed a damage control operation that resulted in Acosta — a much-decorated veteran officer — being removed from street duty.
After uniformed officers arrived on the scene, Acosta identified himself as both a policeman and an eyewitness. He was immediately assaulted and handcuffed, and then put in a police vehicle. He was taken to a nearby station house and detained for most of the night in the roll call room. He was eventually approached by Inspector Michael Harrington, who insisted that Acosta follow a carefully written script: He was to sign a statement claiming that he had broken up the fight but had not identified himself as a police officer when he was arrested.
"Listen, this is an unfortunate incident," the Inspector told Acosta. "This is what you're going to say."
After Acosta refused to perjure himself, he was forced to turn in his badge and gun, and placed on a "modified assignment" for the "good order of the department." He was eventually hit with five spurious administrative charges: "Conduct unbecoming," failing to identify himself, interfering with an off-duty police officer, improperly filling out line-of-duty injury paperwork, and improperly preparing witness statements. Predictably, his police union, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, did nothing to help him.
None of Ming's assailants was ever charged with a crime. A few of them endured trivial administrative discipline before returning to duty. Captain Pla, who permitted his subordinates to attack the cabbie and supervised the post-beating cover-up, wasn't punished in any way.
Meanwhile, the victim of the police assault was arrested and charged with "aggravated unlicensed driving," and forced to pay a fine by a judge who insisted that Ming had been brutalized during a traffic stop.
Acosta spent more than a year in internal exile within the NYPD, eventually being restored to full duty when the Voice began asking questions. He should consider himself fortunate.
Adrian Schoolcraft, another veteran NYPD officer, documented and publicized the widespread use of illegal quotas for arrests and citations, the compiling of fraudulent crime statistics, and other corrupt practices within Brooklyn's 81st Precinct. Thanks to the actions of Schoolcraft and other whistleblowers, those charges have have tardily resulted in official disciplinary action.
However, Schoolcraft himself was driven to seek refuge in his parents' home in upstate New York after he was kidnapped by a heavily armed Emergency Services Unit — a specialized SWAT-type team used to capture dangerous suspects — and imprisoned in a psychiatric ward. This act of official retaliation against a dissident was taken directly from the playbook of the Brezhnev-era Soviet KGB.
Amid ever-accumulating accounts of police corruption and abuse, many people are driven to exclaim, "Where are all of the good cops?" The dismal but inescapable answer is that the Leviathan State's internal security force is designed to promote the depraved and opportunistic, while punishing conscientious individual officers who seek to protect and serve the public, rather than the interests of the Regime.10:47 am on October 18, 2010 Email William Norman Grigg