text:
Accurately indentifying heart failure (HF) patients from administrative claims data is useful for both research and quality of care efforts. Yet, there are few comparisons of the various claims data criteria (also known as claims signatures) for identifying HF patients. We compared various HF claim signatures to assess their relative accuracy.
In this retrospective study, we identified 4174 patients who received care from a large health system in southeast Michigan and who had ≥1 HF encounter between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2005. Four hundred patients were chosen at random and a detailed chart review was performed to assess which met the Framingham HF criteria. The sample was divided into 300 subjects for derivation and 100 subjects for validation. Sensitivity, specificity,, and area under the curve (AUC) were determined for the various claim signatures. The criteria with the highest AUC were retested in the validation set.
Of the 400 patients sampled, 65% met Framingham HF criteria, and 56% had at least one B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) measurement. There was substantial variation between claims signatures in terms of sensitivity (range 15%-77%) and specificity (range 69%-100%). The best performing criteria in the derivation set was if patients met any one of the following: ≥2 HF encounters, any hospital discharge diagnosis of HF, or a BNP ≥200 pg/ml. These criteria showed a sensitivity of 76%, specificity of 75%, and AUC of 0.754 for meeting the Framingham HF criteria. This claims signature performed similarly in the validation set.
Claim signatures for HF vary greatly in their relative sensitivity and specificity. These findings may facilitate efforts to identify HF patients for research and quality improvement efforts.
Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem in the United States. Approximately 5 million patients have HF, and over 550,000 patients are diagnosed with HF for the first time each year [1]. It is the fifth ranking cause for hospitalization overall, and a leading cause for hospitalization in the elderly [1].
Many quality initiatives and clinical research efforts rely on administrative claims data to identify patients with HF. Most often this involves identifying individuals coded with a diagnosis of HF according to International Classification of Diseases 9 (ICD9) codes. While claims data are widely available, their utility is limited by the fact that encounters coded as HF may not reflect accepted epidemiologic criteria. To try to improve the utility of administrative data, various claim signatures using combinations of specific codes, such as multiple encounters or particular encounter types (e.g., hospitalizations) have been utilized.
Unfortunately, even by restricting code types (i.e. inpatient vs. outpatient, primary vs. secondary) or using combinations of codes identification of HF patients using administrative data is imperfect. For example, one study at our institution showed that more than a third of patients identified as having HF by administrative codes did not satisfy Framingham HF criteria [2]. On the other hand, claim signatures with greater specificity, such as those requiring a primary hospital discharge diagnosis of HF, have been shown to result in samples in which >90% of subjects meet the Framingham HF definition [3]. However, this latter approach is likely at great cost to sensitivity, thereby under-identifying patients with known HF. Perhaps more problematic is the paucity of data comparing such criteria in order to provide some estimate of their performance. In addition to claims data, many health systems have access to electronic laboratory results which can be queried. Included in these laboratory data may be BNP measurement. These levels have been shown to be helpful in differentiating HF from other causes of dyspnea [4]. Therefore, augmenting claims data with laboratory data, specifically BNP levels, may be useful in identifying HF patients from electronic data sources.
In this study, we sought to compare the relative accuracy of various claim signatures for HF using both administrative claims data and laboratory BNP levels by testing them against a widely used HF criterion.
Study Population and Setting
This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Henry Ford Health System. The study was also in compliance with the health system's Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act policy. Patients were both members of a large, health maintenance organization (HMO) in southeast Michigan and received their care from a large, multi-specialty medical group. To be included in the cohort, patients had to be age ≥18 years and have at least one encounter code for HF (ICD9 codes 428.xx, 398.91, 402.01, 402.11, or 402.91) between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2005 (excluding all emergency department encounters). In order to minimize misclassification of patients as having heart failure we excluded patients with a diagnosis of end-stage renal disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with steroid use as these conditions can manifest symptoms confused with heart failure. We identified end stage renal disease by encounter ICD-9 codes (585, 586, V42.0, 996.81) or procedure codes (M0916, M0920, M0932, M0936, M0937, M0945, M0974, M0978, M0982, W6800, X3732, 36800, 3681A, 3681B, 3681C, 36810, 36815, 3683C, 3683E, 36833, 90925, 90935, 90937, 90941, 90942, 90943, 90944, 90945, 90947, 90951, 90952, 90953, 90954, 90955, 90956, 90957, 90958, 90966, 90967, 90969, 90976, 90977, 90978, 90979, 90982, 90983, 90984, 90985, 90989, 9099C, 9099D, 9099E, 9099F, 90993, 90999, 90921, 90919, A4726, A4656, 90922, A4722, 50360, 50365, 50370, 50380). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was identified by encounter ICD-9 code (490, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 496, 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, or 505) and oral steroid use (i.e., a pharmacy claim for a fill of prednisone or NDA category P5A) over the time period from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2005. We identified 4,174 patients from which we randomly selected a sample of 400 patients to have a detailed medical chart review.
Endpoint Assessment
A physician reviewed each medical chart in detail and documented the presence or absence of major and minor Framingham HF criteria [5]. Patients were classified as having satisfied the Framingham definition for HF if they met either two major criteria or one major and two minor criteria. Patients were also categorized according to 18 different case-definitions using claims and laboratory data. These latter definitions used various combinations of HF coded encounters (e.g., ambulatory setting, hospital setting, primary diagnosis, secondary diagnoses, but excluded any emergency department encounters) and BNP levels. For the purpose of this study we define a claims signature as any definition using a combination of these data queried electronically.
Statistical Analysis
The cohort of 400 patients was divided into 300 subjects for derivation testing, and 100 subjects were used to validate the top performing claims signature definitions. The Framingham HF definition was chosen as the comparator criteria as it has been widely used in previous studies. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and area under the curve (AUC) were determined for each claim signature as compared to classification using Framingham criteria. The claims signatures with the highest AUC were retested in the validation set. All calculations were performed using SAS 9.1.3 (SAS Institute Inc.)
A total of 4,174 patients had at least one encounter code for HF. From this population, a sample of 400 patients was randomly chosen for further examination. This group of 400 patients was further divided into a derivation set (n = 300) and a validation set (n = 100). The characteristics of subjects in the derivation set, validation set, and remaining patient parent population are shown in Table 1. These characteristics were similar across groups except for the prevalence of coronary disease which was higher in unselected patients compared to the randomly selected study cohort (20% vs. 14% vs. 15%, p = 0.012). Overall, 65% of subjects in the study sample met the Framingham definition of HF. Fifty seven percent of the total cohort and 56% of the study sample had at least one BNP measurement.
Table 1. Characteristics of patients with at least one encounter for heart failure between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2005 stratified by their participation in the study derivation and validation sets.
Calculated sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve (AUC) for each claims signature relative to the Framingham HF definition is shown in Table 2. The best performing case-definition was the following combination: ≥2 outpatient encounters for HF, any hospital discharge diagnosis of HF, or any single BNP ≥200 pg/ml. These criteria had a sensitivity of 76.3%, specificity of 74.5%, positive likelihood ratio of 3.0, negative likelihood ratio of 0.32, and an AUC of 0.754 for meeting the Framingham HF criteria. When retested in the validation patient sample, this definition performed similarly with sensitivity of 78%, a specificity of 69%, and an AUC of 0.735. Since this validation AUC was lower than three other definitions from the derivation set, we also retested these three definitions in the validation set (Table 3). The obtained AUCs were 0.725, 0.730 and 0.711 respectively, consistent with the relative performance of the derivation set.
Table 2. Performance of various definitions for heart failure in derivation set (n = 300)*
Table 3. Replication of definitions #1 - #4 in validation set of patients (n = 100)*
As electronically searchable laboratory data may not be available in other health systems, we examined the best performing definition using only claims data. The best performing of these criteria was as follows: ≥2 HF ambulatory encounters or any hospital discharge (definition #2 in Table 2). This combined definition had a sensitivity of 69%, a specificity of 81%, and an AUC of 0.748 when compared with the Framingham HF criteria, and performed similarly in validation (see Table 3). When comparing this definition to the best one employing BNP measures, there was only a modest increase in the AUC between the two criteria (0.748 vs. 0.754, respectively); however, this difference was statistically significant (P value = 0.02).
Administrative data have inherent limitations in terms of accuracy but may be a valuable resource because of their wide availability and the potentially large number of subjects that can be identified through their use. To our knowledge, this is the first study to formally compare different criteria for HF using electronic data sources. In so doing, we found that our best performing criteria had an AUC of 0.754, and maintained a reasonable sensitivity and specificity of 76.3% and 74.5%. We realize that the tradeoff between sensitivity and specificity depends on the purpose for which these data are to be used. For example, projects focusing on the quality of HF care may want to be confident subjects actually have HF and thus may select the highest specificity criteria, while another project with the objective of identifying the probable size of the affected population may opt for a criterion with high sensitivity. Therefore, we anticipate that the range of claims signatures that we present may be helpful to broad variety of users, such as researchers, chronic care managers, and providers.
While there appears to be a paucity of studies assessing the accuracy of claims signatures of heart failure, our data fit well into the context of existing data. As pointed out above, a hospital discharge with primary diagnosis of HF has been shown to be quite specific for heart failure [3]. Our data supported this, showing 100% specificity, but also added further insight by revealing that the associated sensitivity was extremely low at only 15%. A previous study from our institution using the claim signature of two outpatient encounters or any hospital discharge for HF found that the resulting cohort failed to meet Framingham HF criteria [2]. In contrast, in our data set using the same criteria, 87% of subjects met Framingham definition for HF. This could suggest that physician diagnosis and coding for heart failure has improved over time since the prior analysis was from 1989-1999 and ours from 2004-2005. Alternatively this could be due to the mistaken inclusion of more patients with renal disease in the former study, since its criteria included cardiovascular codes with chronic kidney disease. This suggests that some patients may have been coded (using a single ICD9 code) as having both renal failure and HF but upon closer scrutiny may not have met objective criteria for HF. There is one previous study assessing the under-diagnosis and/or under-coding of HF among patients with coronary disease [6]. While HF is likely under recognized in the community, our study did not address this important issue. Rather it was focused on another essential task, identifying likely HF patients from among those so coded, since many do not meet standard criteria.
These data have several additional limitations that should be noted. First, our study was performed at a single health system, and therefore our results may differ from other systems. However, our covered patient population is generally reflective of the population of southeast Michigan, and it is demographically diverse in terms of race-ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Second, we initially selected patients who had at least one HF encounter. While this assuredly increased the prevalence of true HF cases in the sample (i.e., 65% of the study sample met Framingham criteria for HF), we felt this was the most practical approach since sampling from the total population (~150,000 covered lives) would have likely resulted in a very small proportion of HF cases and therefore would have required samples sizes beyond the scope of the current project to discern differences between claim signatures. Because of our approach, we could not assess for physician under-diagnosis of HF, as has been addressed elsewhere [6]. Still, this should be considered as a limitation of our approach, specifically that patients who did not meet Framingham criteria may still have actual HF and by selecting subjects who had at least one code for HF this could have been amplified. As such, our claims signatures are unlikely to be able to rule out the existence of HF. Yet HF patients without at least one diagnosis code for HF are unlikely to be reliably identified through other administrative data (i.e., other diagnostic codes or laboratory values) and therefore would be an impractical population for whom to develop a claims signature. Another limitation is that there was a difference in the prevalence of coronary disease between the study cohort and the broader source population. This selection bias could in theory effect the results, however the direction and magnitude of this bias is unknown. Finally, there is no universally recognized 'best' definition for HF [7], and several other validated criteria exist such as the Boston [8], NHANES [9] and Minnesota criteria [7]. While some of these may perform better than the Framingham criteria, the latter continue to be widely recognized and utilized [7,10,11]. Utilizing a different set of HF criteria could have resulted in different absolute estimates of sensitivity and specificity.
In summary, we observed considerable variation in the sensitivity and specificity of the various criteria for heart failure using electronic data sources. However, we did identify a best performing combination of diagnoses and laboratory results which showed consistent performance in validation. We hope that these findings may facilitate efforts to identify HF patients for research and quality improvement efforts, or at minimum encourage others to consider this variation when deciding on criteria to identify HF patients in their own patient population.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
All authors have read and approve of the final manuscript. FA was responsible for data collection, interpretation, and drafting of the manuscript. EP was responsible for data analysis and critical revision of the manuscript. KW was responsible for study design, interpretation, and critical revision of the manuscript. DL was responsible for study design, data analysis, interpretation, and drafting the manuscript.
This work was funded in part by a Career Development Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (K23HL085124). The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of Nonna Akkerman in programming support necessary to complete this study and the contribution of Janis Campbell for her editorial input on the final draft.
AH Association: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2009 Update. In Book Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2009 Update (Editor ed. ^eds.). City: American Heart Association; 2009.
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Lee WY, Capra AM, Jensvold NG, Gurwitz JH, Go AS: Gender and risk of adverse outcomes in heart failure.
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Arch Intern Med 2000, 160:197-202. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
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Di Bari M, Pozzi C, Cavallini MC, Innocenti F, Baldereschi G, De Alfieri W, Antonini E, Pini R, Masotti G, Marchionni N: The diagnosis of heart failure in the community. Comparative validation of four sets of criteria in unselected older adults: the ICARe Dicomano Study.
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Schocken DD, Arrieta MI, Leaverton PE, Ross EA: Prevalence and mortality rate of congestive heart failure in the United States.
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Eur Heart J 2008, 29:1011-8. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Donal E, Lund LH, Linde C, Edner M, Lafitte S, Persson H, Bauer F, Ohrvik J, Ennezat PV, Hage C, Lofman I, Juilliere Y, Logeart D, Derumeaux G, Gueret P, Daubert JC: Rationale and design of the Karolinska-Rennes (KaRen) prospective study of dyssynchrony in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Eur J Heart Fail 2009, 11:198-204. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Pre-publication history
The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:


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2014 Fed 100
Name: Robin Lineberger
Title: Principal, Aerospace and Defense
Company: Deloitte
Improving IT services acquisition. As co-chairman of the Professional Services Council's Leadership Commission, Lineberger was a principal author of the influential report "From Crisis to Opportunity: Creating a New Era of Government Efficiency." He provided recommendations for a taxonomy for professional services acquisitions, in particular the best practices for procuring IT services. His views on strategic workforce planning were a key pillar of the report, which includes his suggestions for enhancing training and professional development for CIOs and for procurement and contracting officers. He has also been instrumental in briefing government officials and the public about the report's findings and recommendations.
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Welcome Westmont Alumni!
Upcoming Alumni Events:
Pageant of Our Lord, Palos Verdes - March 29
Join us for the 30th annual presentation of the Pageant of Our Lord, "a unique presentation of the life of Christ through living reproductions of famous art works. This theatrical masterpiece includes life-sized paintings and sculptures, utilizing live models within the art, accompanied by original narration and the Rolling Hills Covenant Church Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra."
- Register now to obtain your ticket! Limited tickets are available at the all-inclusive group rate of $27.25 per person. (The ticket price includes center section seats, a catered lunch and ticket fees).
If blending events like the Passion Play at Oberammergau in Germany and the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach sounds intriguing, then you'll enjoy this event. Prior to the pageant, unite with Los Angeles and Orange County alumni and parents for a reception and lunch in the home of alumnus Ryan Killam '07. Ken Kihlstrom, professor of physics at Westmont, will inspire us with a talk, "Close to the Heart of God through Art."
C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce
Join Westmont alumni and parents for The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis, a production by the Fellowship of Performing Arts:
Minneapolis: Saturday, April 25 - C.S. Lewis Play
- Register online today!
- Date: Saturday, April 25, 2015
- Location: The Pantages Theater, 710 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis 55403
- Times:
- 2 p.m. Coffee reception & pre-event discussion at The Capital Grille, 801 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis
- 4 p.m. The Great Divorce at The Pantages Theatre
- Cost: $60 per person (all-inclusive group rate which includes reception, play, taxes and fees)
- RSVP by: April 6
Save-the-Date: Homecoming - October 2-4, 2015
Alumni News
Filmmaker Explores Christianity, Ghana
James Ault, award-winning documentary filmmaker, author and sociologist, screens his most recent film and discusses Christianity's explosive growth in Africa followed by Q&A on Thursday, March 26, at 3:30 p.m. in Westmont's Winter Hall, room 106. "African Christianity Rising: Stories from Ghana," sponsored by the World Christianity and Global Encounters of the 21st Century Lecture Series and the Adams Mission fund, is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Charles Farhadian, Westmont professor of religious studies, at (805) 565-7094. [more]
Westmont Polo Wins the West
The Westmont men's polo team defeated Stanford University 18-10 on March 22 at the Central Coast Polo Club in San Luis Obispo to capture the USPA Intercollegiate Western Regionals. The victory earns the Warriors a spot at the U.S. Polo Association National Intercollegiate Championship Tournament, however due to a lack of funding and experience, the team will not be competing at the University of Connecticut to defend its back-to-back national titles April 6-12. [more]
Bethany Hamilton to Speak at Westmont
Bethany Hamilton, whose autobiography, "Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board," inspired the 2011 film "Soul Surfer," speaks Friday, April 10, at 5:45 p.m. in Westmont's Murchison Gym. Westmont hosts Night of Champions, sponsored by the Santa Barbara Fellowship of Christian Athletes (SBFCA), which includes special guest Britt Merrick. Tickets to the event are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and can be purchased at santabarbarafca.org/noc. [more]
Westmont CIO Wins Prestigious IT Award
Westmont CIO Reed Sheard has been named a Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader for 2015. He accepts this prestigious, lifetime award in March with other top IT professionals from the business, education, government, service, technology and non-profit sectors. [more]
Goodwin Examines Presidential Leadership Lessons
Doris Kearns Goodwin, world-renowned presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, spoke about "Leadership Lessons from American Presidents" to more than 700 people at the 10th annual Westmont President's Breakfast on March 6 in the Grand Ballroom of Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort. [more]
Carlsbad Violinist Wins Scholarship
Violinist Jonathan Wong of Carlsbad earned top honors at the third annual Music Guild Competition March 7, where six high school seniors competed for Westmont music scholarships. Wong won the Guild Scholarship, receiving up to $10,000 in annual music scholarships funds (up to $40,000 over four years) to study at Westmont. Significant music scholarships were given to the other contestants: violinists Mirah Ray of San Anselmo and Sierra Farrar of Denver; pianists Merckx Dascomb of Santa Ynez and Kennedy Hahn of Beaverton, Ore.; and vocalist Kathryn Ogata of Santa Ana. [more]
Westmont Tops New College Rankings
Two new college rankings list Westmont among the top schools in the nation. Business Insider names it one of the 50 Most Underrated Colleges in America, and Princeton Review recognizes Westmont among Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Best-Value Colleges, "the best overall bargains based on cost and financial aid among the most academically outstanding colleges in the nation." [more]
Exhibition Highlights Rembrandt, Jews
Westmont features 21 Rembrandt etchings in an exhibition, "Rembrandt and the Jews: The Berger Print Collection," Feb. 12-March 28 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, 955 La Paz Rd., Santa Barbara. The exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (805) 565-6162. [more]
Young Alumna to Serve World Concern in Burma
Taylor Jashinsky '14 will serve as a communications liaison for the next two years in Southern Asia with World Concern, a Christian non-profit committed to developing sustainable communities in poverty stricken areas around the world. [more]
Alum Earns Fulbright to Study Stem Cells
Steven Lee '13, who earned a bachelor's degree in psychology with honors, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to conduct biology research in Korea. [more]
Researchers Lay Up Diet Tips for Cagers
An international collaboration of sports scientists, including researchers from Westmont College, have developed new nutritional practices that could help NBA players prepare for the upcoming season. [more]
Alum Returns as Theater Tech Director
Alumnus Jonathan Hicks '04 returns to Westmont as the theater department technical director and lighting designer in the fall. Hicks, who taught at Huntington University in Indiana, will oversee set construction, lighting design and other technical aspects of the department. He will also teach two courses each year. [more]


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Ratings based on 385 Verified Reviews
They paid and stayed. We double-checked.
4.5 Room cleanliness
4.4 Service & staff
4.2 Room comfort
4.3 Hotel condition
They paid and stayed.
We double-checked.
We double-checked.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler
Tolles Hotel für Paare, aber auch für FamilienPosted Aug 12, 2013
Pros: Der Komfort, die Ausstattung, die zentrale Lage, das Frühstück
Cons: kein deutsches Fernsehprogramm ;)
Location: Zentraler geht es fast nicht. Noch nicht einmal 5 Minuten zur Metrostation. Hervorragende Anbindung zum Flughafen
Ein tolles Hotel: der Service, das Frühstücksbuffet, die zentrale Lage, der Komfort, ... man kann das Hotel nur weiterempfehlen. Und für das nächste Mal wird definitiv wieder dieses Hotel gebucht.
for Everyoneby Doug
Classic and ConvenientPosted May 19, 2013
Pros: see above
Cons: Bigger closet, better shower partition
Location: see above
Bristol is an excellent classic hotel. Room size is adequate, but not spacious. Beds are comfortable. Bathroom is again adequate, but not spacious. The shower partition is not adequate, always splashes out onto floor. The "closet" is a SMALL cabinet, definitely not adequate! Hotel staff is EXCELLENT and WONDERFUL. Breakfast buffet, included with room, is of very good quality and great variety. Location just one short block from the main street, Johans Gate, and within a half-mile of most important things in Oslo.
for Everyoneby Fabbiofrom Arezzo
Astonishing price-to-value ratio!Posted Jan 7, 2013
Cons: Maybe a complimentary buffet will add a touch of perfection.
I couldn't thank Expedia enough for suggesting me this Hotel: astonishing price-to-value ratio! I will definitely book it again on my next travel to Oslo.
for Everyoneby A verified travelerfrom France
very goodPosted Jan 6, 2013
Pros: it is quiet
Cons: nothing special
Location: very good
Very good hotel, very good breakfast, well located
for Everyoneby Vickyfrom London, UK
Great hotel for allPosted Jan 3, 2013
Pros: The breakfast, service, location
Location: Right in the heart of norway
Staff were very friendly and helpful. The room was made up every day while we were gone and the service was great. All staff members would say hello as they walked by you wherever you were in the hotel. We made use of the sauna and gym area which was a nice added benefit. Location was right in the heart of the city, next to the palace and shopping district. The breakfast was great, hot and cold food and very pleasant sitting area. Just bare in mind that Norway is a very expensive city, much more than London so factor this into your budget! And please do not eat at the burger/kebab shop which is located on the same street, next block as both my husband and i had severe food poisoning!
for Couplesby A verified traveler
Heerlijke hotel voor een city tripPosted Jan 3, 2013
Pros: Het ontbijt, de gezellige sfeer in het hotel.
Cons: Ik miste de thee & koffie op de kamer.
4 dagen in dit hotel gelogeerd. Perfecte lokatie, heerlijk ontbijt, kamer, sauna & fitness. Schoon, gezellig, compleet.
Recommendedby Christopher
Posted Dec 29, 2012 on Hotels.com
Hyggelig personal med god service.
Recommendedby ROAR
Posted Dec 29, 2012 on Hotels.com
for Shoppingby gert
Perfect to explore oslo !Posted Dec 26, 2012 on Hotels.com
super breakfast and the great location of the hotel with a very helpfull staff . The sauna was abit dissapointing but everything else was A+++ about this hotel.
Recommendedby Robert
Flott på alle måter!Posted Dec 19, 2012 on Hotels.com
Kunne ikke fått en flottere opplevelse i Oslo. Veldig fronøud med hotellets atmosfære, rommet var flott og frokosten var fantastisk. Vi ønsker oss tilbake til dette flotte hotellet.


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LEGO Iron Man
14-year-old LEGO maniac Evan Bacon is well on his way to being a pro LEGO artist with his second life-size superhero sculpture. His 6-foot-tall Iron Man even has light-up eyes, hand, and arc reactor.
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Region pounded by severe winds
For Hubbard County residents it was déja vu all over again Tuesday.
Residents near Emmaville were startled to hear tornado sirens blaring from Camp Wilderness, the Boy Scout camp on Bad Axe Lake. Sirens started just before 3 a.m. Tuesday and sounded continuously for 30 minutes.
Rural Osage residents in eastern Becker County woke to the sound of a freight train around 2:30 a.m., the tell-tale sound of a possible tornado.
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I'm left questioning how much these senators are really committed to this proposal because if they were willing to actually negotiate with Democrats back in 2010 they probably could have gotten a lot of these provision in exchange for their votes.
GOP Senators Release More Serious Obamacare Alternatives
|By: Jon Walker Monday January 27, 2014 6:30 pm
Coburn Is Right About Holder
|By: Jon Walker Monday May 27, 2013 7:35 am
On Face the Nation yesterday Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) called it inappropriate to have Eric Holder review the Department of Justice aggressive investigation of journalists. From Face the Nation:
To Offset Disaster Relief, Curb the Drug War
|By: Jesse Lava Tuesday May 21, 2013 5:40 pm
U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) says federal aid to his home state after the tornado should be offset by spending cuts elsewhere. We'll see how well the ideological integrity holds up if offsets aren't quickly found, but nevertheless, the question of how to fund disaster relief is increasingly urgent. It arose late last year when Superstorm Sandy ravaged the East Coast.
Though we cannot know whether man-made climate change was specifically responsible for either of those acts of nature, we do know federal spending to cope with extreme weather events has been rising. Indeed, from 2011 to 2013, the federal government has spent $136 billion on disaster relief.
Coburn Comes Out Against Tax Exemption for Olympic Medalists
|By: David Dayen Wednesday August 8, 2012 5:30 pm
Following up on an earlier item, the good news is that we've found one lawmaker in Washington who thinks that exempting Olympians from paying taxes on a cash award is a bad idea. The striking news is that this lawmaker is Tom Coburn.
Judicial Nominations Likely Dead for the Year After Senate GOP Filibuster
|By: David Dayen Tuesday July 31, 2012 6:45 am
Senate Republicans believe that no more judicial nominees should be confirmed for the balance of the year until the elections, citing something called the Thurmond rule, which sets an arbitrary deadline for election-year confirmations. So the withheld enough votes to deny 60-vote confirmation of a judge so conservative he was acceptable to Oklahoma's Senators.
Deficit Scolds Form New Rock Supergroup
|By: David Dayen Tuesday July 17, 2012 2:50 pm
All the uncertainty around fiscal issues has convinced the group of Washington mandarins who have been trying to undermine the social safety net in service to reducing the deficit that this is the moment to strike. Practically everyone affiliated with a commission that could earn the appellation "cat food" over the past several years has joined forces, rock-supergroup style, with broad support from Georgetown to slightly east of Georgetown, to "fix the debt."
More Revelations of Favorable Stock Trading By Members of Congress
|By: David Dayen Monday June 25, 2012 2:10 pm
The passage of the STOCK Act was supposed, in the eyes of Congress, to end all the intense anger over Congressional insider trading. The system worked, in their eyes. A problem was identified and Congress worked to address it. Everyone goes home happy. Except that's not what happened. In a continuing series, the Washington Post delivered the goods on a host of abuses by members of Congress, both within the confines of insider trading and also well beyond them.
Regulatory Capture of the SEC
|By: masaccio Sunday April 15, 2012 10:40 am
The SEC is the Three Stooges of regulation.
Here Is Class Warfare
|By: dakine01 Monday September 19, 2011 7:15 pm
So apparently, the phrase of the week from Republicans is "Class Warfare!" as a response to President Obama's proposal for a new Millionaire's Minimum Tax. Paul Ryan and Lindsey Graham both used the phrase yesterday on the Bobble head shows.
Coburn Relents, FAA/Surface Transportation Bill Passes
|By: David Dayen Friday September 16, 2011 6:11 am
Last night, it didn't look as if the Senate would be able to get the clean extension of both the FAA authorization and the surface transportation authorization before a deadline of today. Tom Coburn was holding up the bill in a fruitless crusade against bike paths. It's a long story.


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8 properties found
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Commercial property for sale Spain, Valverde del Fresno, Cáceras, Extremadura, Valverde del Fresno
Caceres, Valverde del Fresno, Extramadura, close to the border of Spain and Portugal 4 Bed Detached Finca with a 2 Bed Guest House and also with a free Rural Casa!!! Buy two, get one Free!! There are two properties, built approx five years ago and situated on a 20000m2 plot, fully equipped and ... More details ›
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7 bedroom town house for sale Villagarcia De La Torre, Badajoz, 06950, Spain
Price reduced by 50,000This is a large and impressive Spanish palacio north of Sevilla with a combination of delightful traditional features and modern conve... More details ›
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4 bedroom villa for sale Extremadura, Caceres, 10515, Spain
Detached 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom country houseFinca Montykay is a large country house constructed in approximately 2003. Detached but not isolated in the west of Extremadura (Nr Valencia de Alcantara) (Province of Caceres ) in an area of unspoilt natural beauty, the real Spain. A land of val... More details ›
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3 bedroom town house for sale Gata, Alicante, Spain
Semi â detached townhouse on a small complex in Gata Residencial. The property is set⦠More details ›
5 bedroom country house for sale Extremadura, Badajoz, Villafranca de los Barros
PRICE REDUCED. Large detached single storey villa with 5 bedrooms 2 bathrooms, fully refurbished, plot of approximately 10,000sqm amongst a small rural community just 8 minutes drive from Villafranca de los Barros, large private pool, outbuildings. More details ›
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You can walk into this house and live comfortably winter and summer. It is a proper home not a holiday home. It is a large 190 sq mtrs house, although More details ›
Marketed by MagnoliaProperty.co.uk, Stadhampton. Call: 01865 600018 Local call rate
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2 bedroom cottage for sale Extremadura, Badajoz, Siruela
Spain, beautiful property 15000 sqm, a 100 sqm house plus a terrace of 30 sqm. Armazen stable 50 sqm. Solar energy and excelent drinking water. Small poll 5x5 m. Magnificant view. Only 10 euros year taxes. Medetarian weather without mosquitos! More details ›
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2 bedroom apartment for sale Extremadura, Cáceres, Losar de la Vera
Righthouse are pleased to present this apartment situated on the outskirts of the beach area of Vera. With 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms as well as being close to the Shopping Centre, airport, golf and the beach this is the perfect place for all year round. Excellent facilities and location VIEW NOW! More details ›
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Is Corning, GLW -1.0568031704095113% Corning Inc. U.S.: NYSE USD22.47 -0.24 -1.0568031704095113% /Date(1427403609746-0500)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 11958836 AFTER HOURS USD22.47 % Volume (Delayed 15m) : 61037 P/E Ratio 12.145945945945947 Market Cap 28814422997.3154 Dividend Yield 2.1361815754339117% Rev. per Employee 280694 More quote details and news » the high-tech glassmaker, in big trouble because of a competitive threat?
Judging by the stock's recent fall and a rising level of short interest, one might think so.
But according to Street Authority's David Sterman, the interest from the shorts could prove beneficial for long investors in this stock, which has morphed over the last century from making glass in light bulbs to the glass in computer and smartphone screens.
Sterman writes that the short interest in Corning (ticker: GLW) more than doubled in the two weeks ended Oct. 31, to 83 million shares. "The short-interest surge came just days before Apple AAPL 0.6970335548711298% Apple Inc. U.S.: Nasdaq USD124.24 0.86 0.6970335548711298% /Date(1427403600218-0500)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 46941057 AFTER HOURS USD124.5 0.260000000000005 0.20927237604636187% Volume (Delayed 15m) : 631812 P/E Ratio 16.63186077643909 Market Cap 718657398025.289 Dividend Yield 1.5132002575660013% Rev. per Employee 2153110 More quote details and news » (AAPL) said on Nov. 5 that it was going to work with GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT), a rival of Corning, in the production of touch screens at an Apple manufacturing facility.
"To be sure, the deal was a great win for GTAT, as my colleague David Goodboy note a few days ago," Sterman writes. "But GTAT's win shouldn't be seen as a real impediment to Corning. And short sellers, even as they traded on this news early, will still likely get burned—because Corning is shaping up to be both a deep value play and a growth play."
Sterman argues that Corning "is about as solid a ship as you're going to find. The company's exposure to multiple end markets—and its solid margin profile in each of those markets—ensures steady and predictable results in the quarters to come. If a short squeeze ensues, this stock could quickly surge toward the $20 mark."
Given the way this company has constantly dealt with competitive threats over its storied history, I wouldn't bet against the Corning bulls, at least over the long run.
Meanwhile, Morningstar has posted a fairly rigorous look at a collection of oil-sands producers it covers. The Website has "modestly" reduced fair-value estimates for the sector based on a new way it is analyzing this industry. But Morningstar thinks that Canadian Natural Resources CNQ 1.5569250729808628% Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. U.S.: NYSE USD31.31 0.48 1.5569250729808628% /Date(1427403850540-0500)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 3113008 AFTER HOURS USD31.3849 0.0748999999999995 0.23922069626317471% Volume (Delayed 15m) : 35281 P/E Ratio 10.871527777777779 Market Cap 42040475173.7085 Dividend Yield 2.3485260376167743% Rev. per Employee 2848970 More quote details and news » (CNQ) is a buy and its "best idea" in the sector.
"We continue to favor Canadian Natural because of its significant undeveloped oil sands resources, expected production from the Kirby project in 2014, ongoing reliability improvements at the Horizon oil sands mine, and its existing portfolio of onshore and offshore assets," writes Morningstar. "On a valuation basis, it remains the most heavily discounted to its fair value estimate, at 30%. Furthermore, we like the potential improvements that could accrue to shareholders as the company brings new projects on line."
I close with references to a few articles that should be worrisome to investors in Facebook FB 0.1085383502170767% Facebook Inc. Cl A U.S.: Nasdaq USD83.01 0.09 0.1085383502170767% /Date(1427403600172-0500)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 32186751 AFTER HOURS USD83.22 0.22999999999999 0.2529815684857246% Volume (Delayed 15m) : 608049 P/E Ratio 74.11607142857143 Market Cap 232094067043.751 Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee 1355150 More quote details and news » (FB) but at the same time provide encouragement for several start-up competitors, including the trendy Snapchat.
A Forbes article, for example, discusses research that suggests that teenagers across the world are moving away from Facebook and toward social-media sites like Snapchat and WeChat, both of which are still private.
And a piece on Business Insider argues that SnapChat, a photo-sharing site, may potentially be a great investment, even though it currently generates no revenues.
Snapchat's so-called competitive advantage is that photos posted by its users are quickly erased. That means that there is no permanent record that might prove incriminating when viewed by college-admissions directors and other folks in positions to derail a career.
It's easy to understand why a skeptic might wonder why a social-media platform with ephemeral images would be a solid investment.
Such doubters might want to consider that the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reported that Snapchat rejected an acquisition offer from Facebook that would have valued the company at $3 billion or more. "Facebook representatives reached out to Snapchat in recent weeks to discuss the all-cash deal, which would have been Facebook's largest acquisition ever," the Journal wrote. "Facebook declined to comment. Snapchat could not immediately be reached for comment."
If true, that's a princely sum for a social-media site that makes pictures go poof.
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Survivors of the FirestormSeries Website »
Episode Guide »
The bush fires that tore through the Australian state of Victoria in February 2009 incinerated over a million acres of land, including key mountain ash forest ecosystems. Fires are a natural force of nature which spur regeneration, but the immediate aftermath of this giant firestorm was devastation. Kangaroos and koalas, wombats and wallabies, endangered possums and gliders, lizards, echidnas, birds of all kinds, and even fish that lived among these eucalypts were overcome by the flames. Millions died. But burned and traumatized survivors tenderly nursed back to health at wildlife hospitals showed a remarkable ability to bounce back, and the environment an extraordinary capacity for healing.
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The Last Orangutan EdenInvasion of the Killer WhalesA Sloth Named VelcroLeave it to BeaversSnow MonkeysTouching the WildMy Bionic PetIreland's Wild RiverHoney Badgers: Masters of MayhemMeet the CoywolfParrot ConfidentialLove in the Animal KingdomGreat Zebra ExodusThe Private Life of DeerThe Mystery of EelsWhat Plants Talk AboutCold Warriors: Wolves and BuffaloAn Original DUCKumentaryAnimal Odd CouplesMagic of the Snowy OwlSiberian Tiger Quest
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Deer and Longboarder Collide at Speed in Arkansas Forest Park
As the air was turning cooler, Jared decided to layer up before setting off on his longboard. Just minutes later, he found himself sliding along the Ozark National Forest pavement on his stomach at a
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Reader comments are listed below. Comments are currently closed and new comments are no longer being accepted.
So, Valentin, what's your..case?
I mean I read all your letter but could you write in few lines why you were arrested?
Could someone please tell me what possible standing or jurisdiction might the US DRUG Enforcement Agency have in this case? Or is this just another example of US extraterritoriality, "mission creep" or "American exceptionalism"?Most confusing.
About a int`l smuggling weapons connection for Iran about you never heart till now. And the sclavagist procedures used by Justice of Romania regarding human rights, for hiding the true, the illegal connection between Romanian high rank political and military leaders with worldwide arms smuggling dealers especially Viktor Bout,.take a look on the left column of page wich contains a real story with a lot of original documents.
I am glad to know my letter interest you. I am living in Bucharest Romania and I am not able to travel abroad. I have no job since 2004 year, when the Romanian Governement decided for me an interdiction for employment and I have no money. I am looking to help in a abuse case in Justice. In Romania we haven`t any Amnisty national section, in connection with worldwide groups. Nobody cares about abuses in Romania , this is the reason they can go on for longtime. I graduated Romanian AF Academy ( 1984 ), like pilot on fighter jet MIG-21. I graduated War College too in 1992, MD in Aeronautical Science. For me all start up in may 6-th 1998 when I was arrested at my job, in my office of asistant commander of Bucharest-Otopeni Int`l Airport, like an dangerous criminal. I successful passed the exam for a job in Bucharest Otopeni Int`l Airport in September 1996, like traffic controller on the ground ( marshaler). Step by step I received by exam the international licence of Ro.C.A.Authority the qualification of traffic controller-begginer, traffic controller and traffic controller-instructor. In October 1997 I was promoted by concurs in the job of assistant commander. This denomination means a coordinator for safety air traffic before the take of and after landing, taxiing and parking of aircraft. This job means no decision regarding airport, the board of directors including : airport`s director general, deputy director, technical director, development director, financial director and operational director ( who subordinate all 4 asistant commanders, each working in separate shift- 12/24 hours). I do this job since November 1997 till May 6-th 1998. When they put and keep me in jail for 100 days without any proves against me. Acording Romanian legislation an absence of duty more than 60 days it means you are loosing the job forever. Authorities make up an fake cigarette`s smuggling, the case had an huge echo Romanian media call it : scandal "TIGARETA 2". In fact, no cigarettes on board of airplaneViktor Bout`s airplane IL-76 operating for AIR SOFIA, landed at Bucharest Otopeni. Overnight standing at military apron was necesary for Romanian secret services to load the romanian anti aircraft missilles for underembargo destination ( Teheran-OIII code IATA ). It was not the first time. When the Court permit me to prove ( more than 1 year of beginning the trial ), I put the doccuments on the table. As I say, nobody cares about the thrue clear put in light by my doccuments. Justice can`t denie it, there was original doccuments, wich was �€œget lost�€� by the authorities to save one`s hide when they start up the investigations.
Mr. Tocu Vasile received the appointment to build up the preliminary report in �€œTigareta 2�€� ( delivered at May 4-th 1998 ) like the highest rank investigative specialist in charge.As I mention, I was arrested at May 6-th 1998. The same person ( Tocu Vasile ), the chief Inspector of Civil Aviation together with Mr. Frincu Aleodor Marian ( the Transport`s secretary of state for Civil Aviation send to Bucharest-Otopeni Airport director the order, disposal of July 19-th 1998 ( when I was in jail ) to erase of airport`s evidence 11 documents wich certified 11 special flights of 1996 year, operated by the same procedure like the incriminated flight of April 16-th 1998 of Tigareta 2 case. I enclosed one of them. The airport deputy commander shift at September 29th 1996 was Tocu Vasile ( promoted in 1997 like chief Inspector of Aviation ). Route : Podgorita ( Muntenegro )-Bucharest Otopeni landing. After than airplane ( IL-76 type ) take off full for destination : Teheran. Remarks : Parked for loading at Otopeni Air Force Base`s apron ( parcat la U.M. 01962 ). No passengers. Procedure is valuable only in case of dangerous goods cargo (arms ). Air company = MIRAVIA.
I read this story
Something is wrong.
First Question :
Why was neccesary to send Viktor Bout one of his lieutenants to travel at Bucharest ?
His business link with Romanian Governement in periode 1996-1999 was colonel Gigel BRATILOVEANU/ ROMTEHNICA.
When his business was to illegal transfer of Romanian Governement weapons loaded on Bucharest-Otopeni military apron for almost hundred flights with destination DR Congo, Angola, Iran, Liberia, Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda etc. Now Mr. Bratiloveanu is in charge like comercial representative of Romanian Ambassy at Moskaw. He gave to V. Bout the memory stick with the price of Romanian surface-to-air missile systems for FARC guerrilas.
Second Question :
Are you ever hear about :
Bout airplane registred in Moldova ER-75929 operated 73 flights of Romanian build smuglling weapons for Africa at military apron of Otopeni-Bucharest airport under Air Acvila ( RRM code ), a Romanian Department of Defense company.
Third Question : Do you read the documents of my page ?
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Community Bulletin Board
- Looking to fill Gas Utility Foreman and Experienced Operator and CDL Driver Positions!
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April 30, 1998 The Zinfandel Boom California's Popular Varietal Draws Thousands to San Francisco Tasting Purple-stained grins were a common sight at the seventh annual Zinfandel Advocates and Producers tasting in San Francisco recently.
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Waterproof and breathable, the Rider's International Supreme Lightweight Turnout Blanket protects your horse from the elements while providing a comfortable fit. This lightweight horse blanket has a 1200 denier outer shell, 100 grams of insulation and nylon lining.
The Rhino® High Neck Wug Lite Turnout Sheet has a 1000 denier outer shell that resists rips with waterproof and breathable barrier technology. Lined in coat-smoothing nylon. Perfect for mild weather or for layering.
The Rambo® Supreme Heavy Turnout from Horseware® Ireland offers a liner system that adapts your horse's coverage to match weather conditions. This heavy weight blanket has 420 grams of fill and an additional 150 grams of fill in the neck cover.
The Rambo® Original Lite Blanket with Leg Arches™ features a 1000 denier ballistic nylon outer that is waterproof and breathable over 10 times the industry standard. Breathable, antibacterial lining with no fill. Added reflective strips help with visibility. Horseware's non-slip design and Leg Arches™ for maximum coverage.
The Rambo® Wug with Vari-Layer™ keeps your horse warm and fully protected. This medium horse blanket features Vari-Layer technology which allows the blanket to be lighter in weight while providing more heat. Constructed with 250 grams of thermobonded fiberfill insulation and an antibacterial, antistatic polyester lining.
The Amigo® Bravo 12 Wug-Medium Weight Blanket from Horseware® Ireland protects your horse against the elements with its high cut neck and comfortable V-front closure. This mid-weight horse blanket has a waterproof/breathable 1200 denier outer, 250 grams of insulation and a polyester lining. Horseware's classic fit with unique front Leg Arches™.
Just right for cool days, the Rider's International NorthWind Light Turnout has 100 grams of fill. Waterproof and breathable, this nearly indestructible blanket has a tough 1680 outer and a nylon lining. Shoulder gussets allow freedom of movement.
The Amigo® Bravo 12 Heavy Weight Turnout Blanket has a 1200 denier polyester outer shell with a nylon lining and 350 grams fiberfill insulation. This turnout blanket features the classic Rambo® original cut and is waterproof and breathable with taped seams. Removable, insulated neck cover offers optional head-to-toe protection on harsh weather days.
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The Pessoa Alpine Turnout Sheet comes with a one-year warranty against tearing. This waterproof and protective turnout features a 1200 denier Ballistic Weave™ fabric that is Teflon™-coated to repel dirt and stains. Extras include a removable tail cover, adjustable leg straps, powder-coated hardware and an ID tag.


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The traditional method for preparing sushi requires slices of raw fish to be held over unlit fires in order to secure that signature uncooked flavor. Taste the real meal with this Groupon.
Choose Between Two Options
- $20 for $40 worth of sushi and drinks for two or more people
- $40 for $80 worth of sushi and drinks for four or more people
- Click to see the full menu here.
Yen Sushi & Sake Bar
Each of Yen's Sushi & Sake Bar's five locations has its own feel. The Long Beach restaurant, with its concrete color scheme and mismatched wooden chairs, seems like some kind of industrial antique shop, whereas the downtown Los Angeles spot has the clean white look of a crayon factory that's good at avoiding accidents. But no matter the surroundings, all eyes are soon on the restaurant's fresh rolls, sashimi, and entrees. Again each location's menu differs, but in Long Beach specialties such as grilled jumbo shrimp with garlic salt or blue-crab hand-rolls mingle with charbroiled teriyaki salmon steak, and cuts of Spanish mackerel, fatty tuna, and yellowtail belly arrive on stark white plates.
The Gist
What some people are buzzing about:
88% of 947 customers recommend
"The rolls may be interesting but the sushi and sashimi is pure and wonderful."
"Patio is nice but we like the Sushi Bar .These guys are great! Food is always great as well as the service"
"Wonderful food, fabulous service!!"
4905 East 2nd Street
Long Beach, CA 90803
+15624345757Get Directions


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3806 N 26th St Tacoma, Wa 98407
North End Tacoma in the Heart of the Proctor District
Please bring in resume to Chalet Bowl - We are in need of an individual who is 21 or older with valid WA State Liquor Board Servers Permit and Food Handlers Card
We always recommend reservations (during the Fall and Winter especially)
Call us for reservations or book online below
You have found the website for the longest continually operating bowling alley in Washington State, that has the newest of bowling technology available. Chalet Bowl is family owned and operated. We are a boutique 12 Lane bowling alley in the heart of Proctor District, located in the North End of Tacoma. If you are looking for family fun, this is the place to bowl! We host birthday parties, group events, fundraisers and bowling leagues. We look foward to seeing you at Chalet Bowl!
Book Online
*All Online Reservations Require a NON-REFUNDABLE Prepayment
For Groups of 12 or more, please contact the bowling alley directly for reservation
(Please note, the reservation booking system is in military time format)
For Customer Service or General Inquiries, please email email@example.com
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Purebred Ckc Labrador Retriever Puppies! Males and females. 8 weeks old, Vaccinated and dewormed. Ckc registered. Written contract and health guarantee. Highly intelligent and extremely affectionate. These water loving balls of joy, will make a wonderful family pet. 100% ...
Mar 30 -
Los Angeles :
Covina - Dogs & puppies
13 puppies born 3/26/15! 10 male and 3 female. We currently have 4 males still available. You cans see the newborn pups on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/heritageranchlabradors. They are AKC registered, have OFA clearances, and top of the line pedigrees. These labs ...
Mar 28 -
Los Angeles :
Ventura - Dogs & puppies
Milo is an AKC black Labrador retriever for stud service. Weighs about 85 pounds. Born on November 2012 from a yellow dam and black sire. OFA hips good and elbows normal. Mountain biking companion and loves the water. He had mated successfully five times last 2014 with ...
Mar 28 -
Inland Empire :
Highland - Animal services
two free Labrador retrievers, great dogs, always have been around children and other dogs. Very friendly and love able. Unfortunately I am getting older and can't just give them the attention they deserve, looking to give to both together to a great home. I am located in ...
Mar 22 -
Inland Empire :
Menifee - Dogs & puppies
Litter of Labrador retrievers ready on April 9,2015.. I have 1 chocolate male and 3 chocolate females and blacks.. dew claws have been removed, wormed,first series of shots and mirochipped available. I do a $300 deposit to hold your puppy and remainder of $500 at pickup.. ...
Mar 17 -
Central Valley :
Tehachapi - Dogs & puppies
Four beautiful white Labradoodle puppies born January 6. READY NOW!! Pups come from excellent lines which have been health tested. They have been raised in our home and are very well socialized. Puppies and mom have been fed top foods and raw goat milk.
Mom is AKC ...
Mar 14 -
Inland Empire :
Loma Linda - Dogs & puppies
Chocolate Labrador Retriever Male DOB 7/19/2013 named Stinson Axel of Fawnskin AKC registered # SR79451509 available for stud service. He is a beautiful, strong, healthy boy that weighs 105 lbs. Stud service is $600.00. Excellent bloodline. Puppies sell for $900.00 His ...
Mar 1 -
Inland Empire :
Fawnskin - Animal services
Our puppies are raised in a loving family environment and given lots of TLC. They come to you loved & adored. Great family dogs. This is a gentle breed that does well with children, adults, and the elderly. They are great companions; they're extremely bright and loyal dogs. ...
Feb 18 -
Inland Empire :
Murrieta - Dogs & puppies
Coal is a strong happy classic black puppy. He is playful confident. He is ready to go to his new home. He will come with full AKC papers, dewclaws removed, microchip implanted, current vaccines, fecal tested, and dewormed. Our puppies are handled daily and around children. ...
Feb 9 -
Inland Empire :
Yucca Valley - Dogs & puppies
We have the perfect dog or pup for you! If you are looking for a service dog, protection dog, search & rescue dog, sport dog, or even a smart companion dog look no further.
We specialize in breeding and training working dogs.
*Belgian malinois *Dutch Shepherds *German ...
Feb 7 -
North Central Arizona :
Camp Verde - Animal services
My name is Penny! I'm being cared for by: Yavapai Humane Society.
Breed: Labrador Retriever Mix
Color: Tan/Yellow/Fawn - With White
Age: Young
Size: Med. 26-60 lbs. (12-27 kg)
Sex: Female
I am already spayed and up to date with shots. An enthusiastic, active ...
Jan 30 -
North Central Arizona :
Prescott - Dogs & puppies
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Liveblogging The Tea Party Debate At 8 PM EST.
12 Sep, 2011 by John Hawkins
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81-Year-Old Man Finds a Letter Kept Secret by His Deceased Wife for Decades That Would Change His Life Forever (VIDEO)Jan 21, 2015 | By Cassy Fiano
Making a man believe that his child doesn't exist for decades is an unusually cruel thing to do. But for Tony Trapani, a secret letter he found after his wife...Read More
WATCH: These Ten Terrifying Seconds of Police Body Camera Video Might Just Change Your Position on the DebateBy Cassy FianoDad completely knocks out drunk young punk on the beach for messing with his girls and calling them names [Video]By Terresa Monroe-HamiltonTake a Close Look at Her Skin-Tight Red Dress — Doctors Credit It With Actually Saving Her LifeBy Terresa Monroe-Hamilton100 Great Quotes About LifeBy John Hawkins
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7:46: Obama speaks to the nation in 14 minutes. Grab the popcorn, tune up your BS meters, and hold your
An All Day Long, Rolling Election 2012 Liveblog
* Since Friday of last week, I've been in Las Vegas, Nevada working with Dustin Stockton.com and Western Representation PAC,
Liveblogging Obama's Healthcare Speech
At 8 PM EST tonight, I will be liveblogging Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress. Make sure


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Feel free at ringtones service Audiko.net, where you may use the most popular ringtones for your phone. Today we have a ringtone of "Calabria" by Alex Gaudino as well as 462 other ringtones by Alex Gaudino. "Calabria" is a top-rated song from the "destination" album that was released by Alex Gaudino at their recording studio together with other 1 tracks. You can listen to all 143 Alex Gaudino – "Calabria" ringtone variations available here and download it for free directly to your mobile. You can also browse other 67 albums produced by Alex Gaudino for all time. "Calabria" is referred to House, and Audiko offer a huge amount of House tracks absolutely for free. And finally, we have collected lyrics for this track and you can view it here as well. So feel free to browse, listen, download ringtones at Audiko.net. Make your phone sound cool!
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Narrow your search
For iPad-toting photographers looking for a simple compact shoulder bag, definitely put the Think Tank Retrospective 7 on your short list.
Technically Incorrect: In the new book "Becoming Steve Jobs," the Microsoft co-founder marvels at Jobs' ability to excite a crowd about technology.
Technically Incorrect: The Apple co-founder says he is extremely concerned about our survival, as the future is "scary." We may become the mere pets of computers.
After a second round of deliberations, the jury gives a decisive victory to prominent venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, which was being sued for gender discrimination by former junior partner Ellen Pao.
A new rumor says to expect three new iPhones this year, including a 4-inch device that bucks the trend of big displays that some of your friends and family love to mock.
Backed by 7.6 million followers on YouTube, the beauty guru's empire is so diverse even people least likely to watch her Barbie makeup transformation know her name. The online star still has a few secrets.
That's an awfully inexpensive way to give your TV an awfully good audio upgrade.
Many centuries before Dungeons & Dragons was even a glimmer in the eye of Gary Gygax, ancient Egyptians were rolling a d20 die.
The potentially landmark Silicon Valley trial nears its end, with closing arguments expected Tuesday.
Curious why the One M9 looks so similar to its predecessor? HTC's Peter Chou says it's intentional.


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Need craft idea to make from 2.34 gallon laundry soap jugs
Anyone have any ideas on a craft to make using the 2.34 gallon laundry soap jugs. Thank You
Sure can> I have made many things. I made one for my Tools, Put a tool belt around it and what ever i needed for project inside. For gardening I put a carpenters apron on it. put my gardening tools in apron and potting soil inside and put it on a plant stant with wheels. I made seats for kids. Painted them with krylon paint for plastic.Added a cushion on lid or you can buy bar stool covers, and put toys inside, For table took 2 buckets, filled bottom on with stones, cut out a piece of plywood in circle, screw it together from inside of other bucket, flat head screws,glued together with silicone glue and painted it with high gloss paint and put 3 coats of poly on it.put their names on each seat on side. They have their on seat and bucket of toys when they come over.I left handle on chairs so they could carry it, Hope this helps.


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I'ts a sad commentary on a military that has lost its purpose.
Securing liberty for all is the only general welfare.
Free includes debt-free!
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Securing liberty for all is the only general welfare.
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A Scorecard for Obama�s 2015 State of the Union Address
As President Obama prepares for his 2015 State of the Union, Stephen Sestanovich looks back at last year�s address to Congress. He argues that the president will need to explain why his policies have changed on Syria, Iran, and trade promotion.
See more in United States; Presidents and Chiefs of State


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From Saturday 28 February 2015 you must give a minimum of 28 days notice to get married or have a civil partnership.
If you don't give 28 days notice, you may need to postpone your marriage or civil partnership. You can give notice up to a year before the date of your marriage or civil partnership.
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Common Craft Video
If you're the owner of a website, you know the power of search engines. If your website shows up high in the results, it means more visitors to your website. Unfortunately, it's not easy. But, there are tactics you can use that help your website look more attractive to the search engines. These tactics are called Search Engine Optimization or SEO. Our new video provides a review of the basics of SEO. Watch it now. This video, like most in our library, is available with voice-overs in... Continue Reading
You may have seen these little codes around. They're in newspapers, on storefronts and products. They're called Quick Response (QR) Codes and they're meant to used with your smartphone. They could be a very big deal in the future. This video is one of our most requested titles and explains how QR codes make the real world clickable. This video, like most in our library, is available with voice-overs in 8 languages. The languages are: English French German Spanish Portuguese Dutch Italian ... Continue Reading
Today we're publishing a new video called Computer Viruses and Threats - Explained by Common Craft This video is part of a series on Net Safety and focuses on the basics of viruses, worms and trojans. It also includes information on the role of anti-virus software, software updates and awareness in preventing problems. This video, along with our complete library, will be available through our new offering which will be available this summer. If you're interested, you can sign up to be... Continue Reading
Today we're publishing a new video: BitTorrent Explained by Common Craft Watch the video. Chances are, even if you're one of the millions who use BitTorrent every day, you don't really know how it works. That's part of the magic that makes it so popular - it just works. It helps you download files from the Internet faster than any other method. This video explains the moving parts that work together to deliver the file to your computer. Those of you who tune-in to the Common Craft blog... Continue Reading
Today we're publishing a new video called Social Media and the Workplace - Explained by Common Craft. As so many of you know, Social Media and especially sites like Facebook and Twitter are changing the way that organizations think about external communication. Our goal with this video was to help organizations see how the environment is changing and highlight what they can do to be a productive part of it. This video uses an example that highlights a reaction to a crisis, but the message is... Continue Reading
Today we've published a new video: Secure Passwords - Explained by Common Craft I don't know about you, but in the past I've taken passwords for granted. These days though, I'm very careful with my passwords because I know the risks and what lengths criminals will go to discover someone's password. This video is about understanding the risks, creating a password that can't be guessed and protecting it from criminals and wandering eyes. This video will soon be part of our Net Safety Pack,... Continue Reading
Today we've published a new video: Wikipedia - Explained by Common Craft Wikipedia is one of those resources that works, but it's not always clear why. It seems preposterous that 1000s of volunteers could not only create an online encyclopedia, but also make it a trusted resource for millions around the world for many years. But it is a reality. Wikipedia has become one of the web's biggest success stories. But how does it really work? What is in place to make sure that the... Continue Reading
Today we're publishing a new video called "Preparing an Emergency Plan - Explained by Common Craft" If you've seen the news lately, you know there is no shortage of emergencies. Tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms, earthquakes, fires, it's all out there. We don't like to think about them affecting us, but they can. This video is focused on making a plan so that you and your family or loved-ones know what to do when an emergency happens. It only takes 20 minutes to create an emergency... Continue Reading
Today we're releasing a new video: Augmented Reality - Explained by Common Craft We don't make a habit of making videos about every new gadget or technology. Everyone once in a while though, a technology captures our attention and becomes a candidate for a video. The video we've published today caught our attention - it's a topic that I think we'll be hearing a lot more about in coming years. It combines information from the web and reality - what you see through a camera phone. By making... Continue Reading
We've published a new video called "Secure Websites in Plain English" Security is obviously an important part of using the Web. Thankfully, through cooperation between a number of organizations, standards have been developed to communicate when a site is secure. Unfortunately these clues are not always known to everyday Web users. This video covers the basics of web site security - the common threats, the basics of encryption and how to tell when a site is secure. The video also covers a... Continue Reading


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Report says two USCIS service centers with higher telework rates also had higher loss rates
The IG analyzed whether teleworking contributed to higher rates of lost files at the four USCIS service centers.
The centers together lose an average of 27,000 alien registration files each month, by in-office workers and teleworkers, the IG said. The missing files typically contain personally identifiable information such as Social Security numbers, fingerprints and photographs, the report states.
Related story:
More feds teleworking, OPM reports
The IG found that the two service centers with the highest rates of telework participation experienced the highest rates of missing files. The Vermont service center was responsible for 39 percent of the lost files; its telework participation rate was 23 percent. The Texas service center accounted for 32 percent of the lost files, and its telework participation rate was 24 percent.
The Nebraska center accounted for 17 percent of the lost files and had a 17 percent teleworking rate, while the California center was responsible for 12 percent of the lost files and had a 7 percent telework rate, the report states.
"Greater telework participation increases the risks to personally identifiable information because teleworkers are transporting more Alien Registration Files to additional locations than if the [files] were processed at the office," the report states.
One area of risk is from vehicle accidents while the files are being transferred, according to the report. In one such accident, numerous files were "scattered out of the car and across the highway," the report states. In another incident, the driver was incapacitated and "unable to protect the personally identifiable information being transported in the car."
On average, a USCIS adjudicator at a service center who teleworks four days per week will transport about 2,000 files a year between the office and the telework site, the report states.
The investigation also identified privacy risks from data contained on unsecured data storage devices and privacy weaknesses due to gaps in encryption, system auditing and monitoring.
The IG recommended that USCIS identify vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies at its service centers, issue privacy rules of conduct for teleworkers, and develop privacy requirements to address removable data devices and system weaknesses.
USCIS officials agreed with the recommendations.
About the Author
Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer covering government 2.0, homeland security and other IT policies for Federal Computer Week.
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The latest version of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act purportedly protects companies from liability and individuals from government intrusion.
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President Obama's proposal to boost government coordination with the private sector got a warm welcome in the House Homeland Security Committee.
The spy agency wants to better integrate cybersecurity into its traditional human intelligence operations.
It sounds like USCIS management is dragging their feet. That is probably because management is computer illiterate, doesn't understand the available security options and doesn't know how to make a reliable security policy. Are they really still relying on paper files? Someone needs to ditch those dinosaurs.
PS Do not take this comment as age discrimination; I am over 60. It is the stagnant mindset that aggravates me.
USCIS is no way under funded. They are funded quite well by the legal immigrants, not the Govt, but the money might be used for other Govt bodies.
It is amazing that anyone can telework with the claims from USCIS. They are not the only agency with PII and others are teleworking just fine. The issue with USCIS is that their IT department is underfunded, understaffed and basically unable to manage VPN. In addition, the management / leadership in USCIS is totally opposed to telework. They have been fighting allowing employees to telework for years.
If their telework policy allows the transfer of paper files, then there is a MAJOR flaw in their policy and the Privacy Office at DHS HQ should be all over them like fleas on a dog. This should have been identified in the risk assessment for the service centers, if it had been performed properly. If the service centers have the same access as the user's work computers, why not provide network access, or at least to a DMZ where they can access files.
Why are they taking paper files home in the first place? Shouldn't paper documents be scanned into a computer as .pdf files for viewing at home and the paper left at the office? A 24 inch monitor at home will allow the user to display two documents or a document and an input form at the same time.
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