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Earlier this week, ChildFund President & CEO Anne Lynam Goddard visited the White House for the launch of Let Girls Learn, a U.S. government initiative that aims to make education accessible for all girls worldwide, despite some daunting obstacles. Girls' rights and the barriers to them figure strongly in our work at ChildFund, so it is thrilling to see such a major push led by the Office of the First Lady, involving USAID, the State Department, the Peace Corps and other agencies. You can read more of Anne's thoughts on Let Girls Learn on her Tumblr page.
On the ChildFund blog, we've written about many girls and young women who have overcome significant barriers to attaining a full education — including early marriage, spotty electrical power, long walks to school and cultural mores that discourage women from getting an education. Read about Phanny, a Zambian woman who works as an automotive repair supervisor; Mahdia, an Afghani woman who is learning to read despite the objection of some of her male relatives; and Alexia, a Dominican police officer who encourages her younger siblings to remain in school. They're heroines in our book.
By Gelina Fontaine, ChildFund Caribbean Program Manager
In Dominica, everyone is affected by child sexual abuse in some way. With a population of just 73,000 people, the Caribbean island saw more than 700 reports of abuse between 2009 and June 2014. That's one in every 104 people.
If there isn't a case of abuse within his or her immediate family, a Dominican resident — child or adult — likely has a friend, a cousin or a neighbor who has experienced it. That's why the island's national government, along with entities like ChildFund, is taking action to stem the tide of abuse, which most often takes the form of incest or sexual exploitation of boys.
In June, ChildFund and other nonprofit organizations created the 13-member Dominica NGO Coalition for the Protection of Children and Youth. Members include the National Council of Women, the Caribbean Male Action Network, the National Youth Council, the Dominica Association of Disabled Persons and others.
ChildFund currently serves as its secretariat and has funded the establishment of the coalition and its advocacy efforts. The coalition's vision is for a Dominica where children and youth are free from all forms of violence, which reflects ChildFund Alliance's global campaign to include this goal on the United Nations' Post-2015 Agenda.
Every two weeks, the NGO Coalition meets to discuss incidents of child sexual abuse and updates on earlier cases, calling on the police, Dominica's Ministry of Social Services and the Social Welfare Division, medical personnel and concerned families to make sure that survivors are able to receive the support they need, particularly when they pursue justice.
Meanwhile, ChildFund has worked with communities to address another side of this serious problem, with the Shine a Light project, which focuses on ways to prevent gender-based violence. In addition to other programs, we are working with boys and young men so they'll make healthy choices while showing respect toward their female peers.
ChildFund Caribbean also has worked to make communities aware of the huge presence of abuse through radio, TV, print and online media — as well as on a grassroots level, promoting weekly conversations among children, youth, parents and other community members. These meetings give participants a chance to discuss the effects of abuse and possible solutions.
In coming weeks and months, coalition members will advocate for critical reforms needed in the legal system, child care institutions, mandatory reporting requirements and other protective measures.
In 2012, ChildFund launched a program called Shine a Light in four countries — Dominica, Indonesia, Liberia and Senegal — thanks in large part to a major gift from a concerned donor. The project's goal is to raise awareness of gender-based violence, assist child survivors of sexual abuse and help communities develop child-protective systems and responses. In four blog posts, we'll learn about the progress made in these countries; today we examine Dominica.
By Martha Joseph, ChildFund Caribbean Area Manager, and Isaac Trice, Social Work Intern
Young men and boys from one of Dominica's most deprived communities are seeing their lives transformed through the Man-Up program, designed to empower them to make responsible choices while respecting the rights of girls and women. This opportunity is made possible through the Shine a Light project.
In Dominica, sexual abuse is the most prevalent form of gender-based violence afflicting children. The goal of Shine a Light is to reduce the incidence of gender-based violence against children, by empowering young people and creating safe environments.
Gender socialization research has produced some understanding of the connections between gender identity and violence affecting children. Boys often learn early to identify maleness with strength and aggressive behavior, according to a 2009 study. Man-Up, geared toward boys and youths ages 6 to 24, addresses such aggression and the frustration of males living in Dominica's at-risk communities.
Thirteen-year-old Greg attends the events, and he has developed a strong passion to make his community a better place. Greg has lived all of his life in this community with high unemployment, juvenile delinquency and student dropout rates, as well as frequent drug use and sexual abuse. Most people who become successful move out of the area, and only two boys out of 17 attending the first session said they planned to stay in the community.
A strong student and soccer player for his school team, Greg recognizes that there are many who will not be able to leave, so he is taking a leading role in contributing to his community by coordinating activities and recruiting friends to participate. His first major project was a cleanup of the local community center and its surroundings to make it safe for all of the young men who play there.
"The community center is the place I feel safest," Greg says. "We want to make it just a little bit better."
Man-Up aims to help young men to express themselves in a positive manner instead of violently and destructively. Sessions focus on issues of respect for self and others; gender identity norms and their implications; community responsibility; brotherhood; goal setting; and sexual and reproductive health.
Soccer has become an important way to teach lessons. Shane, another young man in the program, explains, "By playing soccer, we learn how to work as a team to achieve the positive goal of winning. We learn the importance of rules and that violence does not solve problems, it only makes things worse."
The national government of Dominica is making major strides in combating sexual violence. Stay tuned for a blog post soon about how ChildFund Caribbean is assisting this important effort through Shine a Light.
By Nicole Duciaume, Americas Region Sponsorship Manager
Read Nicole's first post about her trip to Dominica, a Caribbean island nation where ChildFund works.
I often say that ChildFund's work begins where the pavement ends, and this rang true in Dominica. Within a few blocks of a docked cruise ship, about 10 miles outside of the capital of Roseau, we parked the car and walked up a path of crumbling stones and packed earth.
It was there that I met Miranda, 31, and her 4-year-old daughter, Lashana. Miranda and her five children, who are enrolled in ChildFund's programs, live in a small two-bedroom home she inherited from her grandmother. The home is made of weathered wood panels atop cement blocks. There are gaps where the ceiling and walls don't meet, and broken windows outnumber whole ones.
They have lived without electricity for more than five years, and their bathroom is in the backyard, with a pit latrine and a hose for a shower, plus a few panels of plywood and rusted metal sheets for privacy. Her three sons, aged 17, 14 and 12, share one tiny bedroom; her two daughters, aged 9 and 4, sleep in a twin bed in the hall outside of the bedroom that Miranda shares with Lashana's father.
Miranda does her best for the family. She encourages her children to go to school so they will have more opportunities than she had. The school down the road is supported by ChildFund and embraces the child-friendly methodology (including alternative discipline, age-appropriate furniture, bright and engaging learning environments and parental engagement). We had visited the school earlier in the day to distribute sleeping cots for preschoolers and to see a renovated library where children can read, study and imagine.
Lashana suffers from asthma and other respiratory problems, which often forces her to return home early from preschool; she often falls ill if any of her classmates are sick. Miranda believes in the power of early stimulation and education, something ChildFund encourages throughout Dominica and in other countries, so she has educational charts at home to promote Lashana's learning of the alphabet, numbers, vegetables and fruits.
Miranda doesn't have a formal education, so her employment options are limited.
She takes on odd jobs, anything to provide for her family — cleaning homes, washing laundry by hand and so on. Miranda also keeps a small garden in the backyard to feed her family and sell the surplus produce in the market. But heavy rains this year ruined her crops and waterlogged the seeds. As a result, the family is having a hard time making ends meet. This is why Lashana was all smiles as she told me her most exciting news: She recently received a goat from her ChildFund sponsor. Though Lashana knows it is her goat, she also realizes that this goat will help the entire family with milk to sell, and once they breed the goat, they will be able to supplement their income by selling the offspring.
The day-to-day life for this family is daunting, but they have hope. Sponsors help provide hope for many children through their support of ChildFund's programs and the families themselves. Sometimes in the form of a goat.
By Nicole Duciaume, Americas Region Sponsorship Manager
The descent onto the mountainous island is one of beauty and circus spectacular. Our small propeller plane surfed the air currents tipping left, right, up, left, left, up, right, like a toddler taking his first clumsy steps while teetering on the brink of a near-certain fall. As the plane touched down, at the end of the runway was the ocean, waves relentlessly crashing into the rocky shoreline.
Leaving the airport, I was immediately reminded of why Dominica is nicknamed the Nature Island. We passed over so many beautiful rivers and brooks that feed the rainforest canopy, which engulfed the taxi as we wound our way to my hotel, my home away from home for the week ahead. This country is nothing short of breathtaking. It is the perfect destination for hikers, divers and cruise enthusiasts.
In February, I spent a week in Roseau, Dominica, where ChildFund's Caribbean national office is located. Dominica is about 1,400 miles southeast of Florida — past Cuba, past the Dominican Republic, past Puerto Rico.
Its beauty at first hides the harsh realities of poverty affecting the most vulnerable of the island's inhabitants, particularly children. Seaside mansions built into the cliffs are brightly colored with Caribbean hues, as they obscure the shantytowns behind them, shacks constructed with plywood and rusted metal sheets.
Here, children sleep many to a bed. Their fathers often have left the home, and their mothers barely eke out a living. Incidents of child neglect and abuse are high, while income levels are low. The cost of living is high, too. Despite the common view that the Caribbean is better off than other parts of the developing world, the harsh living conditions of children and youth in Dominica are on par with what I have seen in some of the most remote and impoverished parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
This is why ChildFund works here. This is why we do what we do.
Tomorrow, Nicole reports on a family from Dominica.
By Gelina Fontaine, ChildFund Caribbean
As we conclude our 75th anniversary blog series, we are focusing on success stories of youth and alumni from ChildFund's programs in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. Today, we meet Alexia of Dominica.
So many people have dreams and don't pursue them, but this is not so for 20-year-old Alexia. Born and raised in a little community on the outskirts of Roseau, the capital of Dominica, the talented and ambitious young woman was sponsored through ChildFund. Today, she is the first female police officer to emerge from her impoverished neighborhood.
She is the oldest of six children of a single mother who sells food items and walks long distances during the day, making money to send her children to good schools.
"I always tell my younger brothers and sisters to learn well at school and follow their dreams, because if I can do it, they can do it too," Alexia says.
Alexia, who has a charming smile, has always appreciated her mother's efforts and made the best of her education. She first entered the culinary field, working as a cook at a rotisserie restaurant, before deciding to go to school to become a police officer.
She currently serves on the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force and is well respected in all parts of the island country. Alexia has worked as a patrol officer, a district officer and at the headquarters doing clerical duties. The journey continues for the young officer, and she has plans to further her studies in criminal justice so she will be better equipped to "protect and serve" her country and fellow citizens.
Alexia has inspired many young people, as well as adults, who have interacted with her; she is very polite and carries out her duty diligently. Her younger siblings all look up to her as their mentor and role model.
"I will always be grateful to the people at ChildFund," she says. "They really encouraged me and motivated me to do well in life. They helped me with my school things, uniform and books and also helped my brothers and sisters."
In Alexia's spare time, she spends time with her siblings, encouraging them to take their education seriously and focus on the positives in life. She also motivates the youth in the community, reminding them that it does not matter where you are from, you can achieve your goals.
By Nicole Duciaume, Regional Sponsorship Coordinator, ChildFund Americas
In the Americas region, four of ChildFund's sponsor relations managers visited other countries for a week to observe firsthand what their counterparts do. This post concludes our four-part series about the exchange program designed to improve the sponsorship experience. Read the series.
Our weeklong exchange program for sponsor relations managers in the Americas opened the door to in-depth conversations on policies, practices, processes, operations and cultures. Each sponsor relations manager now has an action plan to implement a promising practice gleaned during the exchange.
Here are some of their final reflections on the experience:
Ana Handrez, of Honduras, who visited Mexico: In the 19 years I have worked with ChildFund, this was my first time visiting another country specifically to discuss sponsorship issues and experiences. I was very surprised to see the engagement and initiatives from ChildFund Mexico's local partner organizations. They knew their policies very well, and they were very proud to share their ideas of engaging children in sponsorship activities. It was amazing! The visit was worth every single day.
Valeria Suarez (Mexico): Ana's visit was an enriching experience for Mexico's office and especially for the sponsorship team. The national office and field sponsorship staff realized that even though each country has "particularities," both share similar conditions, processes, histories and results. We enjoyed showing Ana how things are done here in Mexico, how sponsorship processes and visions have changed in the past few years, and how results have started to be achieved. We learned from her how processing times should be improved to continue enhancing the sponsorship experience, and Ana learned from us how creativity and working closely with children can provide better information for sponsors.
Cynthie Tavernier-Jervier, of the Caribbean, who visited Guatemala: This week makes me want to continue to make the sponsorship position more and more effective. I realized again how important the part that we play in programs actually coming to fruition to meet the needs (educational, social, health) of the less fortunate of our countries. So, a wonderful thing about my job is helping to bring benefits to less fortunate children and families and making a difference.
Diana Benitez (Guatemala): The exchange is an opportunity to know in situ the sponsorship processes. I see this experience as very exciting and enriching. Although Dominica and Guatemala have very different contexts, the sponsorship processes are similar. This exchange will impact our work going forward.
Dov Rosenmann, of Brazil, who visited Bolivia: This was an opportunity to reflect on our current practices and identify key areas of improvement for immediate implementation. I consider myself a beginner in sponsorship management in ChildFund, and being in Bolivia with an experienced team is, for me, a unique chance to directly ask questions and take in knowledge. On the other hand, I hope I was able to share with my Bolivian peers more about Brazil's experience in managing sponsorship. As for what has been the best part of the exchange, for me it was seeing the youth participation at the local level and learning about Bolivia's communication corners. Both were very inspiring and definitely an initiative to be multiplied in other countries.
Rosario Miranda (Bolivia): My expectation was to learn by comparing processes and seeing opportunities of improvement. Both national offices have similar interests and efforts toward integrated sponsorship and program activities to contribute to children's development. Having Dov visit our national office and four local partner organizations was a wonderful educational exchange experience. We were able to compare operations and provide valuable information to improve each other's sponsorship processes and developmental activities with children.
Santiago Baldazo, of the United States, who hosted Ecuador: This was a great experience. Although in planning for the week, we assumed that discussing sponsorship processes when both countries were already very familiar with the procedures would be somewhat tedious. But, while we shared the "how" of the sponsorship processes, it was very valuable for us to have the opportunity to discuss the "why" as well.
Zoraya Albornoz (Ecuador): Staff in both offices work hard to give children the chance of better opportunities for their lives. Through this experience, I was able to better understand the way other offices work and realize the good things we have in our own operations as well as the importance of working closer to the local partners. In the daily work we lose the real perspective of our strengths and weakness. I saw that we have some things that can be improved in order to reach our goals.
Learn more about all of the countries where ChildFund works around the globe.
By Nicole Duciaume, Regional Sponsorship Coordinator, ChildFund Americas
In the Americas region, four of ChildFund's sponsor relations managers visited other countries for a week to observe firsthand what their counterparts do. This is the second of four posts about the exchange program. Read the series.
We asked Cynthie Tavernier-Jervier, sponsor relations manager for ChildFund Caribbean, to share some stories about her exchange experience in Guatemala: what she hoped to learn beforehand, what she encountered during the exchange, and which practices she wants to implement in her own office.
Before the exchange, Cynthie was excited about the opportunity but also concerned that she might not be able to apply many lessons at her home office, which works with children in Dominica and St. Vincent. ChildFund Caribbean has about 6,500 enrolled children spread across the two islands, whereas ChildFund Guatemala is almost three times the size, with 18,500 enrolled children.
"I expect to be dazzled and overwhelmed because of the size of the office that is hosting my visit," Cynthie said before the trip. "I am most concerned that due to the size of my office, I will not have anything to contribute to that large office."
But on arrival, she learned that every ChildFund office, regardless of size, language or culture, has something to share and also something to learn. Cynthie noted later that it was important "not to be intimidated since difficulties and sometimes even frustrations can be encountered by all, and solutions suiting those situations can be found and successfully applied — sometimes even done as a team."
Cynthie spent a few days in the national office in Guatemala City, as well as two days in the field, visiting local partner organizations that work with ChildFund and, of course, interacting with the children we serve.
Along the way, Cynthie and her hosts discussed processes like sponsorship department structure and roles, orienting families to ChildFund's programs, child enrollment, children's letters to sponsors, communication methods, handling of monetary gifts from sponsor to child, youth communication teams and the integration of sponsorship and program activities.
In return, Cynthie gave a presentation to the entire Guatemala senior management team (including the national director and the leaders of programs, sponsorship, finance and human resources) about operations, processes and programs in ChildFund's Caribbean office in Roseau, Dominica.
What was the most important thing Cynthie learned? Providing more child-friendly resources to the local partners to share with children as they write to their sponsors, she says, after observing how these tools make letter writing more engaging.
So, the first thing Cynthie wants to do upon her return to the Caribbean is "make the correspondence fun and colorful, friendly and easier for children, so as not to make it a chore."
As for the unexpected, Cynthie says she was surprised to learn that in Guatemala many of the programs and daily activities in the communities are carried out in indigenous languages, not Spanish.
In the field, there are many different languages spoken by the indigenous people, and some don't speak Spanish, she says. "Some of the people wear specific cultural dress and no other, unlike in my country, where the cultural dress is worn only during certain months (or during traditional activities).
I was also surprised that children of about four or five years were working in the fields on a weekday, especially since school was in session." So she spent time discussing how Guatemala is seeking to address child labor issues.
The exchange visit to Guatemala resulted in several professional and personal gains, Cynthie says. "Basically, this week makes me want to continue to make the sponsor relations position more and more effective."
Tomorrow: From Ecuador to South Dakota.
By Kate Andrews, ChildFund Staff Writer
For 50 days, ChildFund is joining with numerous organizations to demonstrate support for government policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered and safe — no matter where they live. This week's theme is protecting human rights and promotion of leadership participation.
Violence, drug addiction and abusive households cause great suffering in Caribbean societies. In Dominica and St. Vincent, ChildFund's work aims to give children and teens, as well as their parents, a firm foundation to live empowered, happier lives.
In April, 40 Dominican teens and young adults participated in a four-day workshop as part of the "All We Need Is Love" project, which is set to last three years. The participants, age 13 to 27, were nominated by their peers as potential leaders and role models.
"All We Need Is Love" offers activities that encourage teens and young adults to become leaders and set goals, as well as share these lessons with younger children. Because they lack employment opportunities, teens sometimes get discouraged, drop out of school, join gangs or become pregnant. Youth groups that offer training and encouragement can do a lot to provide hope to younger generations.
The program has four goals. Show young people how to:
The 40 youth ambassadors received training on how to work with their peers, and they'll receive ongoing support from adults as they seek to create community centers and other spaces where youth can meet. College and graduate students from the United States — Virginia's James Madison University and Boston College in Massachusetts — served as interns and volunteers to assist the program, along with Australian Volunteers for International Development.
By Gelina Fontaine, ChildFund Caribbean
For 50 days, ChildFund is joining with numerous organizations to demonstrate support for government policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered, and safe – no matter where they live. This week's theme focuses on preventing gender-based violence, which often starts with the most vulnerable – children.
Two years ago, I walked into Rapid City, S.D., airport and I saw my maternal grandma's face that I love so much seemingly peering at me from these huge black-and-white photos of former Native American chiefs – it was the same bone structure, the same wide forehead and the same intensity of resilient stare. I remember smiling at the portraits with a nostalgic sense of love and recognition before hurrying to catch up with my ChildFund colleagues.
This year, I walk into the airport in Dakar, Senegal, and I see these sculpted, lean bronzed, dignified warrior-like bodies of my step-grandfather – my grandma's husband – and I smile and ache with that same sense of instant love and recognition. I think to myself: our people of the Caribbean truly are the "melting pot," influenced and built by so many races – Native Americans, African slaves, Indian and Syrian indentured laborers, Hispanics, French, English and Portuguese – all blending to make up my world, my genealogy and my heritage.
In South Dakota, we heard from our U.S ChildFund colleagues how teenagers in Native American communities were committing suicide at such a frequent rate that their parents were more consumed by mourning than cherishing their children who are still alive. Their recounting of these ongoing tragedies became unbearable to me when I learned that children as young as 5 years old were killing themselves for various reasons, including hopelessness and abuse and after witnessing it happening all around them to their siblings, extended relatives, schoolmates and community friends.
I left the U.S. not being able to internalize or envision the inner thoughts and external situations that would lead a young child to decide not to remain here with the rest of us.
I had shelved that discomfort until I walked into one of the first transatlantic slave houses in West Africa on Senegal's Goree Island. Our guide took us to the statue honoring the first slave liberation in 1802 by the French island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, and I was proud to know that we islanders had shown the first demonstration of humanity and common sense by abolishing slavery.
The guide then took us to the slave holding compound – a preserved structure from centuries before and empty of the spirits of those once held in captivity. We went through the various rooms where men were weighed and measured for strength, where young virgins were holed in, where slaves were shoved into claustrophobic "time-out" 3-foot cells when being punished.
I treated the excursion as a historical exercise until we entered this dusky, elongated room where 30 or more children at a time were crunched together. In that instant, I had a flash vision of those children huddled in fear and cold, innocent and traumatized, trying their best not to cry aloud and barely able to breathe, with only two or three open slits in the wall facing the ocean for ventilation.
That was when my defenses went down, and I turned to the slit in the wall and remained silent and choked, hiding the tears from my colleagues. Every cowering, every tear, every thought of hopelessness I envisioned as experienced by these 30 children at a time had the face of my 6-year-old son stamped on their bodies. And I thought, no children of any ethnicity – be they Native American, African, Asian; the former slaves of Egypt to the the Oliver Twists of industrialized Europe; or those children today ensnared in the modern, underground slavery network of child abuse and trafficking should ever again die or have to live through that kind of inhumane experience.
Later that week as our ChildFund "Shine a Light" project team gathered to discuss gender-based violence and how to better integrate gender-based elements in our programming for children, I began musing that the "child" could be considered a third gender, like a third universal ethnic group.
When there is a rising situation of violence or a culture of violation and death, sadly, children are never exempt. Their misfortune and, often, their fatalities are unacceptable. The young child, still vulnerable and unable to take care of his or her basic needs or protect the self, the child still too innocent to distinguish cultural gender norms, the child who simply and for certain knows that she or he just wants to be safe and loved is the "third gender," highly vulnerable to exploitation and requiring particular support and attention.
Children are gifts. They are assets, and that's the cornerstone of ChildFund's work. Their positive foundation as future ancestors of other generations is our daily fight.


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Parita is the oldest indigenous-Spanish settlement in the Azuero region, founded in 1558 as a response to the suppression of the Indian mission by the Mayor of Natá, as decreed by the Spanish Crown on March 21, 1551. Among its founders were Juan Ruiz de Monjaraz and the Dominican friar Pedro de Santa Maria. Since Parita was founded over 450 years ago, that makes it one of the oldest human settlement in the country.
The name of Ocú means "Cornsilk", because corn has been one of their main crops for many years. In Ocú two styles of the traditional pollera skirt are made, the Ocueña (all white, for weddings) and the Montuno (daily use), which is the local costume for women and men. The production of these folkloric elements has been passed down from one generation to the next, thanks to the handiwork of the regional artisans. This region celebrates the National Manito Festival, a quintessential folkloric festival in the Republic of Panama, recognized for being the most authentic and for best showcasing the customs and traditions of Panama and its countryfolk.
We invite you to the Miraflores Restaurant and Bar, where you can dine with a view of the ships passing through the locks of the Panama Canal. Located next to the Miraflores Locks, on the first floor of the visitor's center, the Miraflores Restaurant offers its diners a delicious variety of seafood and fusion dishes. A fabulous executive buffet is available for your evening business meetings, with an excellent panoramic view of the progress in the widening of the Panama Canal. The restaurant is managed by the Hotel El Panama.
Panama is a paradise for birders, who can spot over 950 species of birds here, more than the United States and Canada combined. Depending on where you are in the isthmus, whether on the Atlantic or Pacific shorelines, mountains, mangroves, or islands, you will be able to observe different types of birds. Some key places for bird watching are:
It is the largest wetland ecosystem immersed in the central provinces, comprising 2,000 hectares, 1,200 of which are water that floods the area and the rest dispersed in wetlands.

subset: commoncrawl


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Advocacy in Action
ACP hosts annual special events that help educate policy makers, legislators and others about issues of importance to internists and their patients.
Learn more about ACP's annual report on the State of the Nation's Health Care and Leadership Day, including where ACP stands on timely issues.
Dynamic Health Care Guide
ACPs Dynamic Health Care Guide is a concise resource for members of Congress and their staff that lays out the six most important issues affecting internists and their patients. The guide distills complex health care issues into easily understood summaries of the background, status, and ACPs views on the topic.
Leadership Day
ACP Services Inc. holds an annual advocacy day on Capitol Hill. This event provides an opportunity for ACP and our members to increase our presence in Washington and bring visibility to issues of common concern. Participants receive a comprehensive orientation and briefing on ACPs top legislative priorities and then have an opportunity to meet with legislators and the staff on Capitol Hill.
ACP Health Policy Internship Program
The American College of Physicians is pleased to offer the Health Policy Internship for Associates and Medical Student Members.
ACP Policies and Recommendations
This library is a collection of ACP's Clinical Guidelines, Ethical Guidelines, Policy Statements, and copies of testimony and letters to government and non-government officials.
The ACP Advocate Blog
What do doctors really think of Obamacare? (It's not what critics have
told you)
- Thursday, June 18, 2015
How the Supreme Court is Reshaping American Health Care
- Tuesday, June 16, 2015
For physicians, is money all that matters in deciding where to
- Thursday, June 4, 2015


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Hot answers tagged travel
I doubt this will be an issue, but there are plenty of ways to connect your guitar to an mobile phone. I'm guessing the electric violin outputs the same signal, so it can be used in a guitar amplifier. If so, you could use one of those together with your smartphone, and some sort of sound will be produced. Or even simpler, use one of those portable practice ...
One awesome instrument for travelers is the ukulele. Recently I heard an interview with a Belgian artist who says that it is the only instrument she takes with her when traveling. You can play chords on it (handy to sing along with or write music), and she said it even fits in her purse. :-)
I've never done this before -- my one time taking an instrument during travel, it was a POS acoustic I cared nearly nothing about -- but when I see musicians talk about short-trip travel, they tend to bring an instrument and a pedalboard and rent a back-line. I'd look into renting a DJ rig rather than travelling with your own.
I asked my friends on Facebook too and got several recommendations for miniature amplifiers like the Roland Micro Cube the irig (though I don't use an iPhone) or the Amplug but then one friend pointed out that headphones suffice to demonstrate the difference between the electric violin turned off and the electric violin turned on and many of us ...
This security change in Airport exists because they fear that the batteries might have been replaced by explosives or that the device might be a fake one, so they ask you to switch on your electronic device in order to check that it's a real battery and a "real" working device. Moreover, the targeted devices are mostly phones, tablets and laptops (I even ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible


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by Joni Astrup Associate Editor Two city boards are recommending that Houlton Farm in Elk River be formally named the William H. Houlton Conservation Area. The Elk River City Council is slated to make a final decision on the name July 6. Houlton was a pioneer settler and a prominent landowner, devel...Read More
Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission
by Joni Astrup Associate Editor Two controversial proposed future road alignments running through two Elk River parks have been deleted from the city's 137-page draft comprehensive plan. The Elk River City Council agreed Monday to erase the alignments. The Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission...Read More
by Joni Astrup Associate Editor For the past three decades, Dave Anderson has spent countless hours improving Elk River's park and recreation system. His volunteer efforts were recognized Monday, when the Elk River City Council voted to rename the Orono Athletic Complex the Dave Anderson Athletic ...Read More
Dave Anderson has received free fuel from Tanks of Thanks, a program that rewards people who do good deeds to help make their community better. Anderson was nominated for going above and beyond his duties as the head of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission. For the past 25 years, Anderson h...Read More
The Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a work session after its regular meeting Jan. 9 to discuss concept designs for a new playground at Orono Park. The meeting, which is expected to start about 7:30 p.m., is open to the public. City staff is also sending out information cards on t...Read More
Chairmen have been elected for the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission and the Elk River Planning Commission. They are: •Dave Anderson has been re-elected chair of the parks commission in a unanimous vote by fellow members of the commission. Mark Ahlness has been unanimously elected vice cha...Read More


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Advanced Water Treatment Companies in Cambodia
Category: Water & Wastewater ×
Subcategory: Advanced Water Treatment ×
Industry: Mining ×
Location: Asia & Middle East ×
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Macrotek Inc.
based in Markham, ONTARIO (CANADA)
With more than 80 years of experience, Macrotek Engineering offers a variety of air pollution control systems to suite a broad range of environmental requirements. Using some of the most innovative and effective technologies available in the industry, Macrotek provides cost-efficient applications for industrial air purification. Our mission is to produce customized ...
Saltworks Technologies Inc.
based in Vancouver, BRITISH COLUMBIA (CANADA)
Saltworks is an advanced water treatment solutions provider. Our cost effect and robust desalination and wastewater treatment systems treat the world's most complex wastewaters and brines. Our product line includes:• SaltMaker Evaporator Crystallizer: a reliable, smart evaporator crystallizer wastewater treatment plant for true zero liquid discharge (ZLD). Make freshwater ...
Severn Trent Services, Inc
based in Fort Washington, PENNSYLVANIA (USA)
Severn Trent Services, with global headquarters in Fort Washington, Pa., is a leading supplier of water and wastewater treatment solutions. The company's broad range of products and services is concentrated around disinfection, instrumentation and filtration technologies, contract operating services and state-of-the-art residential metering products and services. Our ...
Adedge Water Technologies, LLC
based in Buford, GEORGIA (US) (USA)
Adedge Water Technologies, LLC specializes in the development and supply of innovative technologies, adsorbent-based products, and systems that remove contaminants from process or aqueous steams. We are an organization based on solid deliverable, scalable, scientifically proven technology and experience for the removal of arsenic and other contaminants from water. Our ...
Aquatech International Corporation
based in Canonsburg, PENNSYLVANIA (USA)
Aquatech International Corporation is an Original Equipment Manufacturer of industrial water and wastewater treatment systems and is located in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in the USA. With offices across the US, Canada, India, the Middle East and China and with installations in over 60 countries worldwide, Aquatech is poised to be your preferred water and wastewater ...
BKT United
based in Anaheim, CALIFORNIA (USA)
BKT provides biological wastewater treatment, membrane filtration, and energy solutions. We have more than 100 wastewater treatment references (including 130 MGD and 190 MGD facilities under construction) for BNR process, retrofitting, CSOs, and TMDL using biological filtration (BBF) or customizable SBR (BCS) technologies. Our revolutionary anti-fouling membrane system, ...
H2O Innovation
based in Québec (Québec), QUEBEC (CANADA)
With 11 years of experience developing high-performance water treatment solutions, H2O Innovation is a key player in the global market of sustainable development and clean technologies.As a complete membrane filtration solution provider, H2O Innovation provides integrated technological water treatment solutions based on membrane filtration technology and focuses on three ...
United Initiators, Inc.
based in Elyria, OHIO (USA)
A century worth of experience makes us an innovative market leader in high-grade peroxide chemicals - in research, production and services. Each step in the world of remediation also means taking a step with our products. True to the motto `Driving Your success` we will take you to the top.
Shanghai Techase Environment Protection Co., Ltd
based in Shanghai, CHINA
TECHASE, which was invested by Tongji University, is a worldwide leading company in solid-liquid separation of industrial & municipal wastewater. Our featured products are Techase® Multi-plate Screw Press, Vertical Fiber Cloth Media Filter, Elaspress® Super-high Pressure Filter Press, Rotary Disc Filter, Multi-plate Sludge Thickener and TCZB Automatic Polymer Stations, ...
Ecofix Pty Ltd.
based in Sydney, AUSTRALIA
ECOFIX PTY LTD is an Australian manufacturer of specialty filtration media for use in treating wastewater for clean disposal or recycling. Our range of products service a variety of industrial and commercial markets here in Australia and throughout South-East Asia. The quality and uniqueness of our adsorbents provide a multitude of advantages in delivering cost effective ...


text:
And too few insights gleaned from them
Engineering Life
August 1, 2013|
Cellular "tinkering" is critical for establishing a new engineering discipline that will lead to the next generation of technologies based on life's building blocks.
August 1, 2013|
Cellular "tinkering" is critical for establishing a new engineering discipline that will lead to the next generation of technologies based on life's building blocks.
June 1, 2013|
Highlights from a series of three webinars on the future of genome research, held by The Scientist to celebrate 60 years of the DNA double helix
June 1, 2013|
Highways and byways are among the man-made environmental alterations driving the evolution of animals on contemporary timescales, with implications for ecology.
June 1, 2013|
Raising one evolutionary question after another, Brandon Gaut has harvested a crop of novel findings about how plant genomes evolve.
June 1, 2013|
In the fruit fly, the ability of neural stem cells to make the full repertoire of neurons is regulated by the movement of key genes to the nuclear periphery.
May 1, 2013|
Libyan scientists, soon to be trained in countries around the world, are undertaking a massive search mission to find missing loved ones among thousands of dead bodies, casualties of the country's recent popular revolution.
April 1, 2013|
Advances in genomics and cancer biology will alter the design of human cancer studies.
April 1, 2013|
A decade into the age of genomics, science is generating a flood of data that will help in the quest to eradicate the disease.
April 1, 2013|
By scrutinizing gene expression profiles instead of individual oncogenes, Todd Golub launched a powerful platform for diagnosing, classifying, and treating cancer.
March 1, 2013|
A chance encounter with a crab apple tree leads to the discovery of a new bacterial species and clues to the evolution of insect endosymbionts.


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What's so good?
By Jason Grishkoff | Mar 01, 2013 | Total plays: 31,205
"Freedom" is the first single off her upcoming album Head vs. Heart (out in May). I want to describe it as landing somewhere between Rilo Kiley and Grimes; an ethereal and flowing folk-pop journey through her emotional state.
Emma is gearing up for a tour of the US, including a strong presence at SXSW. Pretty sure I'll be trying to catch her there, and if you're in the same boat, I'd suggest checking out her touring schedule here.


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Anittel is an APC Premier Partner
American Power Conversion provides protection against many of the primary causes of data loss, hardware damage and downtime. Founded in 1981, APC is a leading provider of global, end-to-end power and cooling solutions. APC is known for its legendary reliability; setting the standard for quality, innovation and support for power protection solutions from desktop systems to data centre facilities. Its comprehensive solutions improve the manageability, availability and performance of sensitive electronic, network, communication and industrial equipment.
As an APC partner, Anittel can help provide your organisations with a tailored power and cooling solution. Anittel APC Products & Services include:
For more inofrmation on APC Products & Services, please contact us.
Visit Partner Website: www.apc.com
|Request More Information


text:
New York, New York (PRWEB) August 08, 2013
Mesh lawsuits (http://www.mesh-lawyers.net/) involving product liability claims against Boston Scientific Corp. are moving forward in the multidistrict litigation underway in U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. According to a Pretrial Order dated August 7, 2013, Judge Joseph Goodwin has established parameters for the selection of cases for the litigation's bellwether trials. The Order directs the parties to simultaneously submit amended bellwether selections by Monday, August 12, 2013, from which the Court will ultimately select five transvaginal mesh lawsuits for trial. According to the Order, the Court has scheduled three rounds of bellwether trials, with the first scheduled to begin on February 11, 2014. (In re: Boston Scientific Corp., Pelvic Repair Systems Products Liability Litigation- MDL No. 2326)
"Our firm is pleased to see this litigation moving forward, as we continue to hear from women who suffered serious injuries, allegedly due to transvaginal mesh products marketed by Boston Scientific and other companies," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices, including hundreds of women in vaginal mesh lawsuits. Firm Partner, Jeffrey S. Grand, is serving on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in the federal Boston Scientific transvaginal mesh litigation. Bernstein Liebhard LLP continues to evaluate mesh lawsuits on behalf of alleged victims of serious transvaginal mesh complications.
Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits
Since 2008, transvaginal mesh products used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence have been the subject of two U.S. Food & Drug Administr
|Source: PRWeb
Copyright©2012 Vocus, Inc.
All rights reserved


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Plan your Halloween mission and execute it flawlessly in this threatening Skull Commando adult mens costume. Maybe you are a hired gun or perhaps you are a rogue soldier or a one-man militia. Whatever battle you are fighting you will command attention in this scary costume.
Infiltrate the enemy base, gain intelligence and get out without becoming a prisoner in this futuristic Recon Commando child costume. The gray camouflage print jumpsuit features a red-accented muscle torso and comes complete with gloves, a protective helmet with detachable face mask and goggles.
No matter what battle you're fighting on Halloween, you'll look the part when you wear this Dreads Commando boys costume. The black muscle top jumpsuit features a black, gray and white digital camouflage bottom and comes complete with a vest, knee pads and a beret with attached dreadlocks.
Get ready for Operation Rescue Halloween when you wear this Desert Commando Camo child costume. The green camouflage print jumpsuit of this commando costume features a muscle torso and comes complete with boot covers, a detachable mask, goggles and a helmet.
Equip yourself for a Halloween mission in this authentic looking Special Forces Commando child costume. The camouflage print jumpsuit features a muscle chest and comes complete with knee pads, headset and black vest to show you mean business.
Plan your mission and execute it flawlessly in this official and authentic looking boy's Special Ops costume. You've got what it takes to pull off all sorts of evasive maneuvers on Halloween - wear it well.
Dress up your hunter personality when you wear the Commando Party Suit. This green, brown, black and tan, slim-fit suit is perfect for any outdoorsman! You'll certainly stand out when you wear the camouflage print suit, complete with a jacket, pants and tie. Each piece is made of high-quality…
The king will knight you the most deadly warrior in this Skull Knight Child Costume! Deep red tunic presents traditional medieval cross on the chest and is torn up revealing that you're no clean cut warrior. Metallic hood, sleeves, cape, medallions, and skull mask are also included.
Take ownership of Halloween when you decide to dress yourself in this Skull Lord Boys Costume. Black and red robe comes complete with a matching hood and stand-up collar, black gloves and a skull mask.
Make them all walk the plank on Halloween when you wear this fiercely cute Skull Pirate Girls Costume. Black, white and pink dress features sheer sleeves and comes complete with a black waist belt and matching pirate hat.
Throw on this Skull Coachman Grey Hat while giving out candy, taking the kids trick or treating, or at a Halloween party for some spooky fun. This grey suede hat has the face of a skull embedded in the front and has the shape of a traditional top hat.
Yo - your baby's got an attitude! Let your kid go Goth, pirate or just plain bad with this killer cool hot pink Skull Pacifier; grown-ups can use it too!
Creep out friends and family with this simple yet scary black and white Skull of Death nylon full face child's mask.
Report for duty and look better than all the rest when you wear this Sequin Commando adult womens plus size costume. The 100% polyester, green, tan and white zipper-front, camouflage print dress features holographic sequins, green trim and come complete with a green choker and hat.
Practice the dark and mystical art of the ninja in this Skull Lord Ninja child costume. The 100% polyester, hooded shirt of this ninja costume comes complete with black pants, a striking black and white skull and bone tunic, two arm guards, two shin guards, ties and a skull mask.
Create or complete your Halloween costume around this officially licensed Pink Cookie Skull Tutu. Pink girl's tutu skirt features a black lace overlay which features a skull and crossbones design that makes garment so cute it's scary!
Dangerous and deadly, you'll operate in the shadows when you wear this Red Skull Ninja child costume. The black and red, 100% polyester hooded jumpsuit of this ninja costume features an EVA chest piece and comes complete with matching arm and leg guards along with a black molded mask.
Every pirate will want to walk the plank with you when you're in these Skull and Crossbone Child Tights. These haunting leggings make a great costume accessory for whatever you're wearing this year. For a fantastic costume idea, pair them with a pirate hat, eye patch, or parrot on your shoulder!
Create or complete your costume with this fantastic pair of glow in the dark child's black flats. The skull and crossbones design will stand out even on Halloween!
Go to the head of the class when you create or complete your costume with these officially licensed child's Monster High Skull socks. They are cute and fun for everyday wear too.
Rock the party in this Rockin Skull Pirate girls costume and head off for a Halloween adventure. This intensely cute outfit includes black and pink striped tutu dress, matching bandana, black fishnet sleevelets and black leggings.
Celebrate Halloween or just about anything when you wear these fun and funky officially licensed Pink Cookie child's Skull Leopard socks. The skull & crossbones with bow logo is super cute!
Celebrate Halloween or just about anything when you wear these fun and funky pink and black officially licensed Pink Cookie child's Skull Cutie socks. The skull & crossbones with bow logo is super cute!
This pirate will scare anyone into giving him their buried treasure. The Skull Pirate Top and Mask Child Costume features raggedy jacket with skeletal ribcage detail. The mask is a hard-faced skeleton with soulless eyes.


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Michael Creed
|Michael Creed
|Teachta Dála
|Assumed office
May 2007
|In office
June 1989 – May 2002
|Cork North–West
|Personal details
29 June 1963
County Cork, Ireland
|Political party
|Fine Gael
|Sinéad Creed
|Alma mater
|University College Cork,
Dublin Institute of Technology
Michael Creed (born 29 June 1963) is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North–West constituency since 2007.[1]
Creed was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1989 general election and retained his seat until losing it at the 2002 general election to his Fine Gael running mate Gerard Murphy. He regained his seat at the 2007 general election at the expense of Gerard Murphy. At the 2011 general election he held his seat after topping the poll with 22.1% of the first preference vote.[2] He is the son of the former TD and Minister of State Donal Creed
He was educated at St. Colman's College, Fermoy, De La Salle College, Macroom, University College Cork and College of Commerce, Rathmines.[3] His qualifications are a Bachelor of Arts, Higher Diploma of Education and a Diploma in Legal Studies.
He was co-opted onto Cork County Council in 1987 and remained a member until 2007. He was elected chairman from 2005 to 2006. He was chairman of the Dáil Small Business and Services Committee from 1995–97. He was party spokesperson on Education, Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (1994), Health (1989–93), Youth and Sport (1993–94) and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (2007–10).
In June 2010, he supported Richard Bruton's leadership challenge to Enda Kenny. Following Kenny's victory in a motion of confidence, Creed was not re-appointed to the front bench. From October 2010 to March 2011, he was the party Deputy spokesperson on Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs.
- ^ "Mr. Michael Creed". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ^ "Michael Creed". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
- ^ "About - Michael Creed TD". Michael Creed's website. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
External links[edit]
|Preceded by
Donal Creed
(Fine Gael)
|Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Cork North–West
|Succeeded by
Gerard Murphy
(Fine Gael)
|Preceded by
Gerard Murphy
(Fine Gael)
|Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Cork North–West


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H2 to Premiere MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH AFRICA on 2/17
MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH Africa tells the remarkable story of South Africa's political transformation that culminated in the first free and fair elections in April 1994. Narrated through personal and intimate accounts from world leaders, politicians, celebrities and journalists, this thought-provoking documentary reflects on South Africa's very own 'Miracle' - the inspiring story of a journey from apartheid to democracy.
H2 will premiere MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH Africa on Sunday, February at 10pm ET, and the special will then repeat on HISTORY on Saturday, February 23 at 12pm ET.
MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH Africa is a moving testament to the choices of people, both ordinary and iconic, where the human capacity to find compassion enabled a nation to avoid civil war and reach forgiveness for the greater good. Set against the backdrop of the majestic African landscape, the special reveals the crucial decisions and small conversations, the tragic ironies and audacious leaps of faith that combined to make the impossible vision and a democratic election a reality.
From Nelson Mandela's decision to learn Afrikaans while in prison, to the amnesty hearings of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission, the special explores the difficult decisions that were taken enabling enemies to achieve peace. MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH Africa moves beyond mere chronology, into the hearts and minds of the leaders and people of South Africa, culminating in the electrifying behind-the-scenes events of the elections.
Offering valuable lessons in peace-making, MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH Africa focuses on the visionary leadership and negotiations that brought about transition of the nationalist regime to a system of one-person, one-vote. Told through simple, intimate portraits of key players, it weaves an Epic story of a nation into an intimate history of men and women determined to change the country for the best for all who live there.
H2 offers more to explore, more to reveal, more to know and more to understand. H2 provides a deeper perspective on global history, where information is entertainment, experienced in unexpected, clever and exciting ways. H2 is currently available in more than 65 million Nielsen households. It is available nationally through all major distributors.
|Related Links
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June 18, 2015
|Sling TV Launches Sling Latino with Top Spanish Channels, Country-Specific Options
June 04, 2015
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November 29, 2014
About Author
- CNBC to Air THE MAKING OF DIG, the USA Network Event Series, 3/1
- NBC to Air One-Hour Season Finale of CHRISTINA MILIAN TURNED UP, 3/1
- NBC Universo to Present ROMEO SANTOS DESDE VINA Concert Exclusive, 3/1
- Kelly Clarkson to Visit CBS SUNDAY MORNING, 3/1
- VIDEO: Clark Gregg Teases New AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Using Emojis
- Dakota Johnson to Host SNL Tonight; Alabama Shakes to Perform
- NBC Sports to Air Coverage of U.S. GRAND PRIX FROM PARK CITY
- Discovery Family to Premiere New Episodes of TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS, Today
- Telemundo to Present FUTBOL ESTELAR: LEON VS SANTOS, Today
- Telemundo to Give Viewers Sneak Peek at Upcoming Programming on LO NUEVO, Today


text: Music Articles Irakere: 'The Best of Irakere' August 1, 2001 Irakere was formed in Havana, Cuba in the late 1960s by the masterful pianist Jesus Chucho Valdes. Its music ranges from Afro-Cuban to bop. The album, The Best of Irakere, has a playful cover of a Mozart concerto, among other diverse tracks. Real Media Windows Media


text:
Caution in manure placement could reduce PEDvBROOKINGS, S.D. — The presence of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in the region requires producers, manure haulers and landowners to work together to reduce the risk of disease spread during the manure application season, explains Erin Cortus, assistant professor and South Dakota State University Extension environmental quality engineer.
By: SDSU Extension Service ,


text:
About Pngformat
Pngformat.org offers its customers pre-eminent sports betting opportunities across all major leagues, tournaments and events in North America, a thriving and dynamic poker community, and a full Vegas-style casino with web-based and downloadable games. It is operated by Meadway Leisure Limited ("Meadway") pursuant to a gaming license issued by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, located in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake, Canada.
To view the Pngformat Certificate of Good Standing, click here. Meadway is a pioneer of online sports wagering and gaming and is widely recognized as providing the highest level of payout services in the business. Since it's launch in 2014, Meadway has consistently provided it's customers with a first rate service they can trust, with an innovative and state of the art gaming experience and the highest levels of customer care. It's everything you need and more.
For questions about Pngformat or for media related inquiries, please contact email@example.com.
If you have a question regarding your account or recent play, please contact Customer Service at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Bovada, the Bovada logo and all related marks are trademarks. All rights reserved. © 2011 Pngformat.org.
Macau is our brand new Live Casino which offers players a selection of the most popular casino games in an exciting live casino setting. Choose from Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat, select your stake and get ready to play!
You can watch and bet with other players all while you enjoy thrilling gaming action as if you were in a real Casino!
Whether you're new to the world of online casino gaming or consider yourself a veteran, take a look at our playing guides below – we're sure you'll find an interesting topic you'll want to know more about.
From helpful casino tips that'll allow you to develop the right kind of playing strategy to information on special features, this compilation of articles covers a multitude of topics, all of which will help you stay on top of your game.


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Tag Archives: Army
This is what it's like to be an Army woman in combatFebruary 28, 2014
At Fort Stewart, volunteer Army soldiers — 100 men and 60 women — are drilling on physically challenging tasks demanded of infantrymen and tank crews. Continue readingPosted in News, Veterans' Stories | Tagged Army | Leave a comment
Fire the generals; Army needs younger leaders to fight today's wars (column)February 24, 2014
The Army would be better served by retiring some generals, colonels, senior Lt. colonels, and promoting the best captains, majors and junior Lt. colonels. Continue readingPosted in News | Tagged Army | Leave a comment
Back Home: Army sergeant joins 'healing side of the fight'August 27, 2013
Army Sgt. Sean Simmons lost four soldiers from his Green Beret unit during operations in Afghanistan and saw another 20 suffer injuries such as head traumas, loss of limbs and wounds so debilitating that they were sent home. When Simmons … Continue readingPosted in News | Tagged Army, Mental health, PTSD, Veteran Health, Veterans | Leave a comment
General foresees end to grim rise in Army suicidesMarch 7, 2013
Army suicides are still increasing, but the four-star general who has been at the forefront of seeking solutions, Lloyd J. Austin III, says he thinks a turnaround is in sight. Continue readingPosted in News | Tagged Army, Austin, Mental health, Suicides | Leave a comment
Kansas Army veteran gets new service dog, free trainingAugust 16, 2012
An Army veteran who lost his legs in Afghanistan in 2008, then lost his service dog early this month in Park City, has found a new dog and an obedience instructor willing to train it. Continue readingPosted in News | Tagged Army, disabled, Kansas, Service dogs | Leave a comment
Outcry, probe drive change in how Army diagnoses PTSDAugust 1, 2012
The Army has changed its screening system — but reinstated the head of a West Coast medical center — after an investigation into whether officials reversed soldiers' PTSD diagnoses to save money. Continue readingPosted in News | Tagged Army, Mental health, PTSD | Leave a comment


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Gaia Organics offers their line of 28 USDA Certified Organic herbal liquids' now with 100% Certified Organic grain alcohol to uphold our founding commitment to organic farming and delivering herbs as Nature intended.
Enhances Physical and Mental Adaptation to Normal Day to Day Stressors. Enhances Vascular Functions to Support Healthy Circulation. Supports Healthy Oxygen Flow to the Brain and the Micro-Vascular System. Provides Plant Derived Antioxidant Protection. Ultimate Support to Improve Memory.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not meant to diagnose' treat or cure any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise or nutritional supplement program or before using these or any product during pregnancy or if you have a serious medical condition.
Serving Size: 30 Drops
Amount Per Serving:
Gotu Kola Leaf & Root (Centella asiatica)
Herb Strength Ratio 1:2.
*Daily Value not established.
Other ingredients: Grain Alcohol Organic 40-50%' Water .
Organic Product.
Take 30-40 drops of extract in a small amount of water 3-4 times daily between meals.
Not to be used during pregnancy or lactation.
If you have a medical condition or take pharmaceutical drugs' please consult with your Doctor before using this product.
Keep away from children.
Use only as directed on label.
Allergy / Dietary Needs
- Organic Product
Ratings & ReviewsReview This Item
Overall Rating for Gotu Kola Leaf & Root (Organic) - 4 fl. oz (120 ml)
Displaying reviews 1-1 of 1
By Jonathon
from Henrico, VA
Gotu Kola Leaf & Root is usually used in combination with or in place of Gingko Biloba. It does the same action as increasing circulation but does so in a different way. Along with increased circulation you get better memory blood going to the brain easier and faster better sexual performance especially in men as circulation issues can hamper the ability to get an erection faster and stronger hair growth better nails clearer skin the list goes goes on. Recommended to use with Gingko for skin and hair problems and Gingko plus ginseng for sexual performance issues. Gaia herbs is a great company located in North Carolina.
Great company that makes it its effective and does what it should do. reasonable price as well especially considering its organic.
Very strong "funny" taste. But little trade-off for the wonders it works
√ I would recommend this item to a friend.
Displaying reviews 1-1 of 1
Questions About This ItemAsk a Question
Please ask any questions you may have about this specific product in the field below.
Your question(s) and our corresponding answer(s) will not be confidential and will be posted publically on this specific product page.
Additionally, PureFormulas is unable to directly recommend products in relation to specific health conditions. Please contact your trusted healthcare practitioner for direct product recommendations.
If you have any general questions regarding orders or our policies and programs, please contact our Customer Happiness Team @ 1.800.383.6008
If you are pregnant, nursing, taking any medications or have any medical condition, consult your doctor before use. Your healthcare professional is the best source for guidance before beginning an exercise or nutritional supplement program.


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Ideally located only 0.2 km from the Bell and Drum Tower, Jialong Bell Tower Hotel is steps away from Muslim Food Street. It offers a free 1-way pick-up service from Xi'an Railway Station with reservation needed 1 day in advance. It has a business centre and massage facilities. Jialong Bell Tower Hotel is 3 km from Xi'an Railway Station. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is 50 km away. Featuring modern interiors, each guestroom is fitted with a flat-screen TV and an electric kettle. The attached bathroom has shower facilities and free toiletries. Guests can rent a car to explore the charming city. Hotel provides a 24-hour front desk with currency exchange, a tour desk with ticketing service, concierge and luggage storage services. The on-site restaurant serves a variety of local dishes.
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2012 Motocross pictures. By Nachtflug.
View Single Post
Joined: Jan 2002
Location: Harrys place
Oddometer: 46,951
shot another open practice at walden yesterday. things got real scary when a kid on a 250 went down and landed on his shoulder. hard. he didn't have numbers on the bike but it was a newer bike and he was well equipped with a neck brace and armor. I don't like to criticize any rider but he clearly had a lot to learn. all of the jumps I saw him on he wouldn't reach the speed needed to make the landings in stride and soft so instead they were all somewhat of a slow take off and thud. you find yourself sub consciously "rating" him as just not very good. he was trying though and my standard summary is anyone who gets out on the track is a champion, some are just on different levels. so this kid, late teens maybe 20 as I was to see once they removed his helmet
landed a jump with a little too much thud and the bike pitched him but the track was descending and that meant he came down with an extra several feet of gravity's help. my back was too him but I was very close and saw the flaggers waving and at the same time heard him howling and turned around and quickly realized he was down, hurt, the bike was still in the track, and he had made it as far as the edge where he laid on his back screaming. I ran over as there were still bikes coming but the flaggers were doing a good job. you want to help but know you can't move him, and there are still bikes coming so I grabbed the red cross flag from the flagger who was waving both the yellow and the red cross and waved it. the other riders did a good job realizing this was serious and some stopped and others slowed to a crawl as they passed. once I knew he was in no danger of being hit I went back over to him as the golf cart with the EMT's was visibly on the way. I thought when he first went down and began yelling I'd heard the word "dad" and now I definitely heard among other things, "I want my dad"
. the poor guy was crying, hurt, and scared. luckily dad had seen him go down and got there before the EMT's. he knew he was hurt but he seemed to know it wasn't "bad". dad was cool as a cucumber and talked him down from his scared level which was a relief but man did he scream when dad attempted to feel it - "don't touch it!!". the EMT's got there and off came the helmet and thats when I could see he was young (compared to me) but probably old enough to be out of high school. they got the armor and neck brace off and then cut the jersey off. he finally regained enough composure that he was dealing with it and they even got some smiles out of him.
but my god that 5 minutes seemed like a long time. into the UV he finally got and dad rode the Honda back. I told dad just before he rode off that as soon as his son hit the ground he was yelling for dad and he got a big kick out of that. I called it a day soon after and saw them loading up. he was in a sling and they were going for xrays on their own no doubt to save the transport charges from the ambulance. one minute he was a kid with nice gear though not "flashy" , (I don't think there were any aftermarket stickers on the bike) he was just a kid old enough to have a job, etc, but not old enough to not cry and call for dad when his world got turned upside down in the blink of an eye. I asked him how he was and he said he was hurting pretty good, and that the EMT's think something is broken, but thank god he was in good spirits. I told him how it was really scary for those minutes and was and was glad he was OK relatively speaking. nice kid, even though he had his left arm in a sling he still shook my hand with his right and said thanks. it doesn't take numbers on the number plates and Pro Circuit stickers to make someone a real rider. it does help if you have a good dad though.
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text:
Hanuman Thai Cuisine and Bar
1 E. San Fernando St. Corner of 1st St.San Jose, , CA 95113
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Put the pork chops in a plastic container. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Add all purpose flour. Add breadcrumbs. Close the container with its cover. Toss them well.
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At the end of a very volatile day the stock market settled near
flat as a soft jobs report combined with renewed geo-political
tensions tied to Syria caused stock prices to swing in a 221 point
range. A below consensus gain in August payrolls combined with deep
downward revisions to June and July sent stocks higher at the open
as fears of a Fed tapering were mitigated by the bearish data. The
markets went into freefall after Russian President Vladimir Putin
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Dow Jones Industrial Index was down 14.98 (-0.10%) to
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Nikkei 225 was down 1.45%
Hang Seng Index was up 0.10%
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PAY, VeriFone reported better-than-expected Q3 earnings of $0.24
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DWCH, Initiated by Canaccord Genuity with a Buy rating and $30
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ZQK, Beat analyst estimates by $0.06 with Q3 EPS of $0.16
CEP, A complaint has been filed against Constellation Energy
Partners related to CEP's acquisition of oil, natural gas and
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ACPW, Company warns that poor sales in China will likely result
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The increasing proportion of skin diseases encountered in general practice represents a substantial part of morbidity in children. Only limited information is available about the frequency of specific skin diseases. We aimed to compare incidence rates of skin diseases in children in general practice between 1987 and 2001.
We used data on all children aged 0–17 years derived from two consecutive surveys performed in Dutch general practice in 1987 and 2001. Both surveys concerned a longitudinal registration of GP consultations over 12 months. Each disease episode was coded according to the International Classification of Primary Care. Incidence rates of separate skin diseases were calculated by dividing all new episodes for each distinct ICPC code by the average study population at risk. Data were stratified for socio-demographic characteristics.
The incidence rate of all skin diseases combined in general practice decreased between 1987 and 2001. Among infants the incidence rate increased. Girls presented more skin diseases to the GP. In the southern part of the Netherlands children consulted their GP more often for skin diseases compared to the northern part. Children of non-Western immigrants presented relatively more skin diseases to the GP. In general practice incidence rates of specific skin diseases such as impetigo, dermatophytosis and atopic dermatitis increased in 2001, whereas warts, contact dermatitis and skin injuries decreased.
The overall incidence rate of all skin diseases combined in general practice decreased whereas the incidence rates of bacterial, mycotic and atopic skin diseases increased.
In general practice, skin disease accounts for a substantial part of morbidity in children and adolescents [1-4]. Compared to 1987, in 2001 the childhood morbidity encountered in Dutch general practice has changed; proportionally more skin diseases were presented to the general practitioner (GP) whereas other most frequent diseases (e.g. respiratory tract and general diseases) were presented less often. By the same token the overall consultation rate in general practice decreased by 22% [5,6]. Did the incidence rate of skin diseases in general practice increase?
However, little information is currently available about the epidemiology of skin diseases encountered in general practice. The few studies which have been performed show a wide variety in the occurrence of skin diseases presented to GPs [3,4,7]. Against the background of the changing consultation behaviour in general practice [5] and the increasing population-based prevalence of some skin diseases (e.g. atopic eczema) [8,9] it is important to estimate current incidence rates of the different skin diseases affecting children and adolescents in general practice. Further, primary care epidemiology can contribute to wider improvements in health and health care services, through better understanding of disease aetiology, use of health care services and the role of different health care interventions [10].
The present study relies on two consecutive surveys which were performed in Dutch general practice in 1987 and 2001. As they included all patient-physician contacts during a one-year study period, selection bias and the influence of seasonal variation are avoided.
To estimate current incidence rates of skin diseases affecting children and adolescents and to generate reference material for future studies, we conducted a detailed analysis of the skin diseases encountered in Dutch general practice between 1987 and 2001.
Our research questions were:
• How often did the GP see children aged 0–17 with specific skin diseases; to what extent did that change between 1987 and 2001?
• Was the incidence rate of skin diseases encountered in general practice in 1987 and 2001 related to socio-demographic characteristics?
We used data from the first and second Dutch national surveys of general practice, which were performed by the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) in 1987 and 2001. In the Netherlands, general practices have a fixed list size, and all non-institutionalised inhabitants are listed in a general practice, and GPs have a gate-keeping role. Usually, the first contact with health care, in a broad sense, is the contact with the general practitioner. Each survey included a representative sample of the Dutch population.
In 1987 practices were randomly sampled from a list of all Dutch practices, per stratum defined by region and degree of urbanization. Sampling fractions differed between strata. 161 GPs in 103 practices participated in the first national survey [11]. With respect to age and gender the participating GPs and practices were representative of Dutch GPs and practices in 1987. The GPs were divided into four groups, and each group used registration forms to register data (e.g. diagnosis, prescription and referrals) on all contacts between patient and practice during one of four consecutive 3-month periods. Baseline characteristics such as age and gender were derived from patient records. Other socio-demographic characteristics such as socio-economic status (SES) and ethnicity were obtained by a questionnaire and filled out by parents, or by the children themselves if they were older than 12 years (response rate 91.2%). SES was based on the father's occupation, which was categorized into five classes "non-manual work high (class I)", "non-manual work middle (class II)", "non-manual low and farmers (class III)", "manual work high / middle (class IV)" and "manual work low (class V)". Ethnicity was derived from the country of birth of either parent. If either parent was born in Turkey, Africa, Asia (except Japan and Indonesia) and Central or South America, their children were considered to be children of non-Western origin (in accordance with the classification of Statistics Netherlands). All other children were defined as Western. The degree of urbanization was derived from the general practice's postal code and categorized into four classes 'under 30,000 inhabitants', '30,000–50,000 inhabitants', 'over 50,000 inhabitants' and 'the three large Dutch cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague'. The Netherlands were divided into a Northern, Central and Southern region. Season was divided into four categories: spring was defined as months April-June, summer as July-September, autumn as October-November and winter as January-March.
The diagnoses made by the GPs were coded afterwards by clerks using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) [12].
In 2001, 195 GPs in 104 practices registered data about all physician-patient contacts over 12 months [13]. They registered all health problems presented within a consultation, and coded the diagnosis themselves using the ICPC. Patient demographic characteristics such as age and gender were derived from the GP's computerized patient files. As in 1987, SES and ethnicity were obtained by a questionnaire (response rate 76%). Degree of urbanization, region and season were derived as in 1987.
In both surveys each contact with the GP was defined as one consultation. All health problems presented within one consultation were recorded separately. Both surveys were episode orientated, meaning that a consultation on a new health problem marked the beginning of a new episode. If there were multiple consultations in a single episode, the diagnosis made during the last consultation was regarded as the episode-diagnosis. In order to decide whether two consultations with the same problem belonged to the same episode or were different episodes, the latter was arbitrarily decided upon if the interval between two consultations was at least four weeks (28 days).
There were 20 practices that participated in both surveys. In 2001 eight practices were excluded from analyses for the following reasons: two practices had software problems; one practice registered only over a three-month period; five practices showed insufficient quality of the morbidity registration.
Ethical approval
The study was carried out according to Dutch legislation on privacy. The privacy regulation of the study was approved by the Dutch Data Protection Authority. According to Dutch legislation, obtaining informed consent is not obligatory for observational studies.
Statistical analysis
This study analyzed data from both surveys for children aged 0–17 years presenting with skin diseases, classified by ICPC codes. Incidence rates in general practice were calculated for all combined skin diseases and for each skin disease separately with a distinct ICPC code. We calculated the incidence rate by dividing the total number of new episodes (numerator) by the study population at risk multiplied by the follow-up time (denominator). In 1987 the denominator was calculated by multiplying the number of all patients listed in the participating practices by the follow-up time (person years). In 2001, persons that moved into or out of the participating practices during the registration period were assumed to contribute for half a year to the follow-up time. The so-called mid-time population was calculated as the mean of all listed patients of all participating GPs, aged 0–17 years, at the beginning and at the end of the registration period, irrespective of health care use. Data were stratified for age categories, gender, urbanization level, region, season, SES and ethnicity.
Further we assessed the changes in incidence rates of all skin diseases between 1987 and 2001. Incidence rates were expressed per 1000 person-years; 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated assuming a Poisson distribution. Skin diseases which contributed less than 0.5 percent to the total skin morbidity were not analyzed in detail and were combined into one residual group.
Study populations in 1987 and 2001
The study population in 1987 consisted of 86,577 children yielding 21,644 person years. These children presented a total of 9,271 contacts with skin problems which contributed to 6,870 episodes; 75.4% of these episodes resulted in a single contact with the GP. In 2001 there were 88,307 children yielding 82,053 person-years. These children presented a total of 29,637 contacts with skin problems that contributed to 23,586 episodes; 76.6% of these episodes consisted of only one contact with the GP.
All episodes of skin disease
Table 1 shows the distribution and the change in incidence rates of between 1987 and 2001 of skin diseases in general practice, stratified for several background characteristics. Compared to 1987, in 2001 the overall incidence rate of skin diseases combined had decreased significantly from 317.4, CI: [309.9–325.0] to 287.5, CI: [283.8–291.2] per 1000 person years. The incidence rate of skin diseases presented to the GP increased among infants (children under one year); in all other age categories except age category '1–4 years' the incidence rates decreased.
Table 1. Incidence rates per 1000 person years of all new episodes of all skin diseases combined in general practice in 1987 and 2001.
In 2001, girls presented significantly more skin diseases to the GP than boys. There was a similar geographic gradient in both surveys: in the southern part of the Netherlands children presented more often skin diseases to the GP compared to the northern part. In 2001, the incidence rate of skin diseases presented to the GP increased in rural areas whereas it decreased in suburban areas. In the big cities the incidence rate remained stable. In both surveys the seasonal peak was in spring. In 2001 children with parents in SES class I, II, IV, V showed a decrease of the incidence rate of skin diseases presented to the GP whereas the incidence rate in class III (non-manual low and farmers) remained stable compared to 1987. In both surveys the incidence rates of skin diseases in general practice were higher in lower SES classes.
In 2001 children of non-Western immigrants visited the GP more often with skin diseases than children of natives and western immigrants combined.
Table 2 shows the incidence rates of skin diseases in general practice for the distinct ICPC codes. In 2001 incidence rates are shown for separate age categories and compared with the crude incidence rate in 1987. In both surveys warts, impetigo, dermatophytosis, contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and injuries of the skin were the most frequent skin diseases, accounting for about 57% of the total skin-related morbidity presented to the GP. Although, in general practice the incidence rate of warts decreased by 23% in 2001, it remained the most frequent skin disease in children in both surveys. In 2001, in general practice the incidence rate of impetigo, dermatophytosis and atopic dermatitis increased whereas the incidence rate of the most viral skin infections decreased. Also contact dermatitis and several types of skin injuries showed a decreased incidence rate in general practice. Most of the specific skin diseases (e.g. dermatophytosis, moniliasis/candidiasis, contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and diaper rash) showed the highest incidence rate among infants in general practice.
Table 2. Incidence rates per 1000 person years of all new episodes of skin diseases according to ICPC codes in Dutch general practice in 1987 and 2001.
These two large and representative surveys give a comprehensive assessment of the dermatological morbidity in children encountered in Dutch general practice, and enabled us to estimate current incidence rates for all skin diseases.
The overall incidence rate of skin diseases presented to the GP decreased by 9.4%, which is surprising given the decreased overall consultation rate by children as reported elsewhere [5]. According to the decrease of the overall consultation rate by 22% we expected a lower incidence rate of skin diseases in 2001 in general practice.
In infants, the incidence rate of skin diseases presented to the GP has increased in 2001, especially of atopic dermatitis and moniliasis/candidiasis [table 2]. This increase is in accordance with previous studies showing an increase of atopic dermatitis in the general population [8,9].
Girls visited the GP more often concerning skin problems which is in accordance with previous studies [1,2,14]. Probably this difference is based on aesthetic reasons.
Between 1987 and 2001, the incidence rate of skin diseases in general practice increased in rural areas and decreased in suburban areas. It seems plausible that this increase could partly be explained by the increased incidence of bacterial skin infections in our data. It is suggested elsewhere that children in rural areas are more exposed to infectious pathogens due to the larger number of animals and farms [15]. Actually, with the decreasing consultation rate we would expect also a decrease of the incidence rate of skin diseases in general practice in urban areas but this did not change between 1987 and 2001. Probably children in urban areas are suffering more from skin diseases. This is in accordance with the 'the pollution hypothesis' meaning that children in urban areas have a higher chance in developing atopic diseases [15,16]. Crowding in urban areas could be a potential factor in spreading infectious skin diseases.
According to table 1 there is a regional variation in the incidence rates of skin diseases in general practice. The highest incidence rates of skin diseases encountered in practices in the south is a striking observation, especially for a small country like the Netherlands. Of the six most frequent skin diseases impetigo (S84) had a geographical gradient with a two fold higher incidence rate in the south compared to the north. Also for non-dermatological conditions we found a significantly higher consultation rate in the south of the Netherlands in both surveys. Practice characteristics seem not to play an important role.
In 2001, children of non-Western immigrants consulted their GP more often with skin diseases. The significantly higher consultation rate and the proportional increase of non-Western children from 7.4% to 9.7% in the Dutch childhood population might explain these differences [5,6]. Probably, non-Western children suffer more from skin diseases; a previous study reported that non-Western immigrants in the Netherlands more often felt unhealthy [13].
We found the highest incidence rate of skin diseases in general practice in the lower SES classes, which is consistent with previous studies [17,18]. The most striking finding is that the incidence rate of skin diseases in general practice remained stable in SES class III [table 1]. In all other SES classes the incidence rate have decreased between 1987 and 2001 which is in accordance with the decreased consultation rate in general practice [5].
Furthermore, from table 2 it becomes clear that the incidence rates of some skin diseases presented to the GP have increased while others have decreased substantially. The increased incidence rate of infectious (bacterial and fungal) and allergic skin diseases in our data is compatible with reported trends [5,8,9,14]. The increasing use of day-care and after-school facilities in the Netherlands might explain the increase of infectious skin diseases in general practice [15]. There are suggestions that the increasing use of topical antibiotics resulted in more resistant bacterial strains, which could have resulted in a rise of the incidence of bacterial skin infections in the population. The striking decrease in incidence rate of most viral skin infections in our data was in parallel with the decreasing consultation rates. In 2001, infectious skin diseases represent a substantial part (45%) of the total skin morbidity presented to the GP which is in accordance with previous studies [3,4]. Skin injuries and allergic skin diseases contributed about 15% and 18% respectively.
This study had some limitations. There were small differences in the design of the two national surveys, which might disturb the comparability of data. Some of the differences in occurrence may be explained by the fact that ICPC coding was not performed equally in both surveys: in 1987 clerks coded diagnoses afterwards, whereas in 2001 the GPs coded the diagnoses themselves during the consultation. We assume that coding by clerks more often led to a diagnosis-specific ICPC code. In the present study the accuracy of diagnoses made by the GPs could be a subject of debate. In our analysis we assumed that the diagnoses made by the GPs were correct. In 2001 the participating GPs were trained in coding the diagnoses correctly using ICPC codes. Overall these trained GPs classified diagnoses correctly in about 81% of the test cases [19].
The overall incidence rate of all skin diseases combined in general practice decreased whereas the incidence rates of bacterial, mycotic and atopic skin diseases increased. On these topics more detailed epidemiological data and population-based prevalence studies are needed.
Competing interests
All author(s) declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
RSAM and JCvdW designed the study. RSAM carried out the analyses and drafted the paper. All authors commented on draft versions and approved the final manuscript.
The Dutch ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports mainly funded the surveys directly or indirectly. In addition, the "Stichting Centraal Fonds RVVZ" contributed financially to the second survey. The analysis reported in this paper was made possible through internal funding of the department of General Practice, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam.
The authors thank all participating GPs and their staff members for providing data.
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Pre-publication history
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