text:
O-H-I-O Share your pride
"Europe" Images (1015)
"OHIO in front the Reichstag. Berlin, Germany. "
by Michelle
by Renea
Uploaded via iPhone Application.Europe
"Hillard's and Haxton's"
Mont Blanc, Chamonix, France 2012Europe
"O-H-I-O on Abbey Road"
by Jeri McMichael
OSU diver and Olympian Katie Bell and familyEurope, Families
"Greece O-H-I-O"
by Chatas kids
Uploaded via iPhone Application.Europe
"Ohioan gets Brits to help with O-H-I-O at 2012 Olympics"
by Steve Cotter - Administrative Mgr, Division of Cardiac Surgery
My friends and I had tickets to the Men's diving finals at the 2012 London Olympics. As we are about to leave the Aquatic Center, my three UK friends join with me for O-H-I-O! O-Stephen Mattinson, H-James Mattinson, I-Stephen Brown and O-Steven CotterEurope, Faculty/Staff
"Pisa, Italy"
by Mike Kuldell - 2013
Mike (2013) and his family in PisaCurrent students, Europe, Families
""Mother Motherland" loves Ohio State (Kiev, Ukraine)"
by Jacob Vanags - OSU fan for life
Kiev, Ukraine - "Mother Motherland" instills undying OSU pride in our hearts. We will fight until our final breath. (Left to Right: Jacob Vanags, Mother Motherland, Logan Akamatsu, Simon Messerly / Photo: Ryan McKeon)Europe
"London Baby!"
by Millie Sudhakar - Psychology Pre-Med, 2013
Buckeyes Meryl Sudhakar, Isaac Santel, and Millie Sudhakar at the 2012 Olympic gamesCurrent students, Europe
"O-H-I-O in Badia Pozzeveri, Italy"
by Veronica Brienzi - Anthropology major, Senior
Students Adam Kachur, Veronica Brienzi, Heather Birkhahn, and Dave Hubin. The students managed to find time in their busy schedules during the Field School Pozzeveri in Italy to attend a wine tasting, and just couldn't pass up the opportunity to show their Buckeye Pride!Current students, Europe
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text:
Hello all
I make this toy called "cloud" for my birds, a quaker, tiels and keets, and the many foster parrots ive had over the last couple years, and they all love it.
You take a regular piece of printer paper, or any paper you want, cut it into thin strips, then use the scissors to curl it, like you would do with gift wrap ribbon.
then join them all together with a paper binder clip and hang from the cage. ive also strung each strip on a string and hung it that way but thats a bit more labor intensive.
the birds absolutely love it. I ussually make up several of them at a time so i have them on hand. It has got to be the cheapest toy ever!!
pics of the cloud:
I also use a hanging cage type thing to stuff with krinkle cut shredded paper, which i get at michaels arts and crafts or walmart for under $2 a bag.
i got that cage from dr fosters and smith online, it was about $10. but a cheaper version is to use a ball cage i found in the rabbit section of petsmart link below.
or even cheaper, is a cat toy i found at petco, i push the toy inside out of the ball and give that to my cat and stuff the ball with krinkle paper and give that to the birds, my quaker likes this one because its big enough to be fun and challenging, but small enough she can pick it up in her foot and throw it around, ive also given it to a grey i petsit for and the tiels. they all use it as a foot toy, but for the keets and lovies i hang it in the cage.
and i buy wooden beads from online and string them on those simple wire and wood perch swings for an added level of fun, the tiels love to chew them to bits while they sit on the swing.

subset: commoncrawl


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After: Vibrant Craft Room
Designer Kelly Deck makes artful use of a spare room.
A long worktable in the middle of the room allows for various projects to be on-the-go simultaneously. Two rows of upper cabinets keep the striking wallpaper visible while providing closed storage, and a wall-mounted rod and cup system keeps everyday essentials organized and at hand. This room could easily be reworked as a home office, using the table as a spacious desk.
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Anybody like the Kardashian's?
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22-03-2013, 01:33
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,009
I won't watch their show, I would never in a million years buy any of their products and I am sick of seeing Kim's botoxed face and huge arse staring at me from the papers each day.
And before anyone asks why, if I feel like that, I came in this thread, it's because I needed a vehicle to vent about how much I detest the whole celeb worship thing that allows total no marks like these to earn the money they do!
And no, it's nothing to do with jealousy, nothing at all. I have no issue with genuinely talented people making as much money as they want. But these people are skanky, talentless parasites and I loathe the culture that put them in the position they are.
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New state law on pet shops imposes stricter standards of care
Better care for pets
Unlike other parts of the state, Ventura County does not have pervasive problems with pet stores, according to Ventura County Animal Regulation Director Kathy Jenks.
"We don't have dozens or hundreds of pet shops that sell imported puppies or kittens that come from puppy mills," she said. "We're really lucky."
The state's pet store industry has come under attack by citizens and legislators, with California stepping up regulation and the Humane Society of the United States tracing problems to Midwest puppy mills.
In October, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1347, the Pet Store Animal Care Act, which imposes stricter standards for the daily care of all animals sold in stores, not just cats and dogs.
The new law also gives enforcement officers the power to ticket store owners for violations. In addition, veterinary care is required for illness or injuries, and procedures for euthanasia are spelled out for the first time.
Since December, the Humane Society has received more citizen complaints, likely as a result of its investigation tracing puppies sold at Pets of Bel Air, an upscale Los Angeles shop that caters to Hollywood stars.
The organization accused the store of selling puppies from mills that mass-breed dogs for sale, often keeping them in bare-wire cages. The practice is not illegal but many animal welfare groups consider it cruel. The Humane Society reported that five of the puppy mills were "large-scale breeding facilities — like factories" that house 100 to 300 dogs.
"We do not condone puppy mills; we would never knowingly buy a dog from a puppy mill, and we are appalled by the possibility that this may have happened," according to a statement on the store's Web site. The statement continues that the shop purchases dogs from pet breeders approved by the United States Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for inspecting facilities. The store added that "it feels as though the USDA has failed our business."
"Since the situation in L.A., we're hearing a lot more (dissatisfaction)," said Eric Sakach, director of the West Coast Region of the Humane Society of the United States. "Many people don't know what their rights are and what they're supposed to receive from the pet store."
California law requires that pet retailers "state on each dog's cage where the dog was bred/brokered." They also must have the dog examined by a veterinarian and maintain documented health records. A sign also must be posted in "close proximity" to the dog's cage indicating that information on "veterinary treatments received by these dogs is available."
Complaint-driven system
State law does not require that pet store owners be licensed. California also does not conduct its own investigations, unlike 25 states including Oregon and Nevada that have a state agency overseeing the industry.
Instead, inspections are done at the local level by either local Animal Control or the Humane Society, said Monica Engebretson, senior program associate with the Sacramento-based animal advocacy nonprofit Born Free USA United With the Animal Protection Institute.
"Every area might have a different procedure," she said.
Regular inspections are not required, but local authorities can conduct them if they choose to do so. Typically, pet stores are inspected at the urging of citizens.
"It's complaint-driven," Engebretson said, "so it requires concerned citizens to call attention to the stores."
In Ventura County, the Humane Society enforces state law.
"If people have concerns about how animals are cared for in a pet store, they need to contact the Humane Society, because they do investigations on cruelty and abuse or neglect," said Jenks of Ventura County Animal Regulation.
Jolene Hoffman, shelter director for the Humane Society of Ventura County, said its enforcement officer gets about 12 complaints and conducts up to 48 inspections a year involving various pet stores throughout Ventura County.
She declined to release information about the complaints, saying they're confidential.
Operating under a spotlight
Although it's difficult to be certain because there is no licensing system, All Pet Headquarters in Camarillo might be the only pet store in the county that sells puppies.
Jenks said it is. The others, she said, offer animals for adoption.
"The pet stores here are reputable," Jenks said. "These are people living in the community, and they aren't out making problems for us."
While All Pet Headquarters has been taken to small claims court by customers seeking reimbursements after purchasing sick puppies, the Better Business Bureau has given the business an "A" or "excellent" rating.
Hoffman had no comment about All Pet Headquarters.
All Pet Headquarters' owners, Dennis and Laurie Pickersgill, say they purchase puppies from breeders in the Midwest but are adamant that they don't come from puppy mills.
Laurie said she's visited her breeders to ensure they're reputable.
The Pickersgills' puppies aren't caged in the store. They romp freely in a large pen filled with newspaper, dog beds and toys.
The Pickersgills say they find it difficult to run a pet store because so many people come in with ideas that aren't always true.
"If they've got their mind made up," said Laurie, "nothing I say or do, nothing they see is going to make any difference. If they come in with an open mind, they're going to find that our puppies are well cared for, well socialized, and healthy and happy."
In anticipation of the changes in California law that will go into effect Jan. 1, 2009, the Pickersgills have purchased a 350-gallon tank of fresh water.
Dennis said disaster plans must be documented and the tank is on site "in case the infrastructure goes down." Most of the new requirements won't be burdensome, he said, because the store is in compliance.
"All these things we do," he said, "even without legislation because it was the right thing to do, so we've done it well for 20 years."
All Pet Headquarters is working with the nonprofit rescue group Concerned People for Animals, which makes rescued or abandoned dogs available for adoption at the store, 2530 E. Las Posas Road.
Consumer tips
Animal care
- Dogs must be examined by veterinarians within five days of being offered for sale, and at 15-day intervals thereafter.
- Dogs must have enough space to stand, sit and turn around freely using normal body movements, without their heads touching the tops of cages.
- They must be able to lie in natural positions.
- All animals must be provided with "adequate nutrition."
- Pet dealers must provide sanitary housing for all animals.
- Dogs must be provided with "adequate socialization and exercise," meaning "physical contact with other dogs or with human beings."
- Sick dogs must receive proper veterinarian care without delay.
Pet stores
- Retail dealers must state on each dog's cage where the dog was bred or brokered.
- If a dog is returned to the pet dealer for illness or disease, the dealer must provide proper veterinary care.
- Pet dealers are prohibited from knowingly selling diseased or ill dogs.
- Pet dealers must give purchasers of cats or dogs written papers recommending spaying or neutering as well as veterinarian-wellness visits.
- Pet dealers must give purchasers of cats or dogs written papers stating the animals' health, vaccination and ownership histories.
- Pet dealers must post consumer notice signs near the cages of dogs that describe the dogs' veterinarian treatments.
- For information on changes to the legislation, which will go into effect in 2009, or for other information, go to: http://www.api4animals.org/b4a1_petshoplaws_state.php?s=ca.
Source: California Health & Safety Code and Born Free USA United With the Animal Protection Institute
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Jun 12, 2013From Buyer: gnosp
Shipped quickly, pleasant to deal with, headphones as described with accessories, thanks!
Feb 22, 2013From Seller: MrEleventy
He paid quickly and kept in communication through the whole process. Quick and easy. It's been pleasure dealing with.
Oct 20, 2012From Buyer: EliteGeek91
Great seller!! I was alittle worried since he never sold on here before. But he went above and beyond the call of duty.. I mean sales :P
Item: Ultimate Ears TripleFi10


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Equally delicious slightly different flavor than the regular Acai Green!
I agree that this tastes different than the regular Acai Green, but this is excellent as its own flavor. What I love about this decaf version is that they added elderberries - which is a very healthy antioxidant, hard to find in teas, and gives this tea a special taste dimension. I would highly recommend to try this tea and appreciate the unique flavor without comparing it to the caf version.
My favorite tea
I have a cup every morning, love the light berry flavor.
Love Acai Teas
I love the Acai green teas - decaf and regular. They are delicious! I just wish that we could get the decaf in loose leaf in bulk, I hate having to use bags.
Not as good as the original
I love the original Acai Green Tea (with caffeine) and drank it daily until the doctor told me to practically eliminate caffeine from my diet. Loving the other so much, I bought this version (decaf). I was a bit dissapointed with the decaf as it wasn't as strong as the regular version. It still had a good Acai taste, but to get the strength I like I could only use the tea bag once, whereas the I could get 2 cups out of one tea bag of regular.
Great antioxidant!
I love this tea for boosting the immune system. When anyone in my family has a cold, this soothes our symptoms. Duration of our cold seems to be shorter.
inaccurate name
I, like the others, really enjoyed the taste. I expecte the aforementioned fruit to actually be in the tea. Sort of like an American flag made in China. Not quite genuine
Absolutely love this tea!
I spent my entire weekend sipping on this tea during our conference @the Alderbrook Resort & Spa in Washington. I even got the coffee drinker's @ my table addicted to this tea as well ;) I have to say too, that I also am a tad bit disappointed that there isn't actual Acai berries in it, just Acai flavoring...although that won't keep me from further purchases but it would be nice to add it ;) Thank you!
Tea Name is misleading
My rating is not due to the tea taste, but to the name of the tea. Being that the first word is "acai" and the label extorts the benefits of such berries, I had the reasonable expectation of being able to derive such benefits from drinking the tea. But the tea does not contain acai berries. It has only "natural acai flavoring", and this is the *last* ingredient in the list, after rosehips, elderberries, black currants, and sweet blackberry leaves. Even the brief description on the web site is incorrect. It is NOT "acai berry" tea. It is "berry and acai flavored tea". I would note have bought this tea if it had been described correctly. I have always loved Republic of Tea teas, but this tea is poorly named and I feel betrayed by the misrepresentation (something I would not expect from this company).


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I have been working in watercolor and colored pencil for many years. Enjoying oils now as well. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, I show my work at local galleries and cafes. This past spring I won my first "Best of Show" at the Napa Valley Wine Train art exhibit. I'm a member of East Bay Artists Guild and Las Juntas Artists. I love painting landscapes, architecture, and nature. Monterey and Napa Valley are two favorite places where there are so many great scenes to paint. Hoping to find more galleries and maybe wineries to show my work.
My website: http://www.ekennenartwork.com
Prints available at http://www.seeamericaproject.com
© 2015 F+W All rights reserved.Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms and Privacy Policy, updated March 2007


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Now Foods, Solutions, Evening Primrose Oil, 4 fl oz (118 ml)
Items 1-3 of 3 total
Aggravated my eczema
3 people found the following review helpful
Posted by Reviewer2186083 on Mar 28, 2011
This made my skin incredibly itchy. Unfortunately it did not work for me. Waste of money...
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Evening Primrose
Posted by Reviewer2480887 on May 14, 2008
I bought this for my daughters eczema and saw no results or relief
It smells like chicken
Posted by 5051766628962881635 on Aug 29, 2014
I couldn't use it because of the bad smell


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Hanae Mori Perfume
By Hanae Mori for Women
Hanae Mori Perfume by Hanae Mori, Launched by the design house of hanae mori in 1995, hanae mori is classified as a sharp, oriental, woody fragrance . This feminine scent possesses a blend of patchouli and sandalwood. It is recommended for casual wear. All products are original, authentic name brands. We do not sell knockoffs or imitations. ... Read More
- T Girl
- T Wood
- Tabu
- Tabu Dreams
- Talisman
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- Tamango
- Tan Tan
- Tangerine Vert
- Tanya Sarne
- Tartine Et Chocolate
- Tartine Et Chocolate
- Tatiana
- Tawanna
- Taylor
- Taylor of London
- Taylor Swift
- Tea For Two
- Tea Rose
- Tea Rose (roger & Gallet)
- Tea Rose Amber
- Tea Rose Jasmine
- Tea Rose Mesk
- Teatro Alla Scala
- Ted Lapidus
- Tempore Donna
- Ten Nine
- Tendre Kiss
- Tendre Poison
- Tendre Reverence
- Tentations
- Teo Cabanel
- Teo Cabanel Alahine
- Teo Cabanel Julia
- Teo Cabanel Oha
- Terracotta
- Terre D'iris
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- That Moment
- That's Amore
- That's Amore Tatoo
- That's So Raven
- The Beat
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- Tommi Sooni 1
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- Tommy Bahama Set Sail Martinique
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- Transparent Blu (blumarine)
- Travalo
- Travalo Travel Spray
- Traversee Du Bosphore
- Tremendous
- Tres Jourdan
- Tresor
- Tresor In Love
- Tresor Lumineuse
- Tresor Midnight Rose
- Tribecca
- Tribu
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- Triomphe
- Trish McEvoy
- Trish Mcevoy 9 Blackberry & Vanilla Musk
- Tristano Onofri
- Tropical Flower
- Tropiques
- Trouble
- Trouble Eau Legere
- True Love
- True Reflection
- True Religion
- True Religion Hippie Chic
- True Religion Love Hope Denim
- True Rose
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- Trueste
- Truly Lace
- Trussardi
- Trussardi Bianco
- Trussardi Delicate Rose
- Trussardi Fresh
- Trussardi Inside
- Trussardi Jeans
- Trussardi My Land
- Trussardi My Name
- Trussardi Skin
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- Truth Lush
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- Truth Or Dare Naked
- Tubereuse Annick Goutal
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- Tubereuse Maitre Parfumeur
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- Tumulte
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- Tuvache Gardenia 1933
- Tuvache Gardenia 2012
- Tuvache Nectaroma
- Tuvache Oh! De London
- Tuvache Tuvara
- Tuxedo
- Tweety
- Twice Ice
3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray
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1.7 oz Eau De Parfum Spray (Blue Butterfly Tester)
Item #449720
Testers are even more discounted than the fancy boxed versions and are great if you don't have a need for the fancy packaging... Read more Testers are 100% authentic, fresh and completely full just like the original fragrance, however they are meant for the counter in a department store. Testers often come in a plain white box but sometimes they do not have a cap or box.The savings on the packaging means you save even more!
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1.7 oz Eau De Parfum Spray (Blue Butterfly)
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About Hanae Mori
History and background of Hanae Mori. Hanae Mori is the only Asian designer to be accepted as a member of La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Hanae Mori studied Japanese Literature at Tokyo Woman's Christian College. After her marriage, she started studying design, and in 1951 opened her first studio in Tokyo. Soon she became involved in the growing post-war movie Read more about Hanae Mori
More Hanae Mori fragrancesfor Women: Hanae Mori Eau De Collection No 2 , Hanae Mori Eau De Collection No 6 , Hanae Mori Eau De Collection No 4 , Hanae Mori Eau De Collection No 7 , Hanae Mori Eau De Collection No 3 , more
for Men: Hanae Mori , Hanae Mori Him ,
See all Hanae Mori products
Customer Comments
I was very pleased with my shopping experience and plan to do my Christmas shopping at FraganceX.com. Over Joyed!
N. Swoyer (Vallejo, CA)
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviews
- Great smell (132)
- Draws compliments (94)
- Great value (82)
- Long-lasting (81)
- Sexy (64)
- Doesn't hold (19)
- Overpowering (8)
- Too expensive (8)
- Too weak (4)
Best Uses
- Daily use (92)
- Anytime (61)
- Signature fragrance (53)
- Evening (47)
- Special occasions (41)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Classic style (70), Natural style (59), Adventurous style (29), Natural (6), Trendy style (4)
- Fragrance Type:
- Oriental/spicy (79), Floral (60), Woody/earthy (42), Powdery (40), Citrus/fruity (27)
Most Liked Positive Review
sensual sweet sent
I first came across this in Corsica at the 1995 launch. Since when I have been on a quest to obtain constant refills.
I like to use the perfume in conjunction with the...Read complete review
I first came across this in Corsica at the 1995 launch. Since when I have been on a quest to obtain constant refills.
I like to use the perfume in conjunction with the body cream, as this extends the life of the fragrance.
When first applied, it has a spicy vanilla opening note which warms to a light floral lily note. It is quite an old-fashioned sort of scent but if you love things like the Angel family, you will find a place in your heart for this. It's big sister is probably Mitsouko. But she is a far more sophisticated complex big sister. The one you watch painting her lips deep red before she goes out for a night on the tiles. The one you want to be when you grow up. Just not every day.
Whenever I wear this, I'm always asked what is it and can they get it.
I can't think of any downsides to this scent, other than it is difficult to get hold of in the UK.
Most Liked Negative Review
didn't like it tooo much
It smells a bit like rotten strawberrys on me with a light louch of vanilla or candies. It is very , very sweet. I am sad to write this, would have like to...Read complete review
It smells a bit like rotten strawberrys on me with a light louch of vanilla or candies. It is very , very sweet. I am sad to write this, would have like to love this fragrance because normally i love sweet strawberrys and candys ;) - Sorry for all HM lover's....
Reviewed by 176 customers
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- Clean & Fresh
- Draws Compliments
- Great Smell
- Great Value
- Long-Lasting
- Not Overpowering
- Sensual
- Have To Use A Lot
Best Uses
- Anytime
- Signature Fragrance
Comments about Hanae Mori Perfume:
Different scent than any I have.
- Fragrance Type:
- Oriental/Spicy, Powdery
- Draws Compliments
- Great Smell
- Great Value
- Sensual
- Sexy
- Doesn't Hold
Best Uses
- Anytime
- Daily Use
- Evening Use
- Signature Fragrance
Comments about Hanae Mori Perfume:
I really love this scent...use it everyday!
Best Uses
Comments about Hanae Mori Perfume:
smell great all day long
- Clean & Fresh
- Draws Compliments
- Great Smell
- Great Value
- Not Overpowering
- Sensual
- Sexy
Best Uses
- Anytime
Comments about Hanae Mori Perfume:
I use it everyday. I work in a hospital setting so it cannot be too strong or it would affect my patients.
- Fragrance Type:
- Floral, Fresh/Aquatic, Woody/Earthy
- Draws Compliments
- Sensual
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Comments about Hanae Mori Perfume:
I love this scent. A co worker wore it and I liked it. I said I wonder how it would smell on me because everyone has their own scents. I loved it, and "IT SMELLS GOOD ON ME". You have to be open to different smells, and it has to mix with your body chemistry. I've had some perfumes that smelled good, but when I sprayed it on, it did not mix with me. Needless to say, I gave it away. But Hanae Mori, I will keep and buy more.
- Fragrance Type:
- Herbal, Oriental/Spicy, Woody/Earthy
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Detail Explanation of Schedule Waste Code
Posted On: April 21st, 2007
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Many companies were confused of which scheduled waste code should apply to the waste generated by them. We now provide you a detail explanation of what type of waste applies to which scheduled waste code in PDF format.
Detail Explanation of each Schedules Waste Code
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#1 License error - MC4Reply With Quote Reply
I had purchased Modern Combat 4 game (android) from the Google play store, and have been able to play it in the past. But when I launched it today, I get an error message indicating invalid license, and prompts me to buy from play store. When I launch play sure, it shows me the option to open or uninstall (since I already purchased it)
I don't want to uninstall and reinstall because I'd lose all game progress and have to download the huge file again. Is there any way to fix this license error?
I contacted customer care using their webform with the message (above), and was told that it was likely due to firmware update on my tablet (which hasn't happened since I installed and played the game), or due to game update (which also hasn't happened since I installed the game)
Their suggestion - remove the game (and try to reinstall), or wait for a game update(?)
I don't get it - the game was working, and now it is not (no update to game or phone) - error message tells me it is license error, but gameloft says it is game software or phone firmware.
I've never ever pirated any apps (and don't think I ever will), but I can see why folks may choose to do that - no issues like this where developer invalidates license even though user paid for it.
Is there any workaround for this license error? (Nexus 7 Android 4.3 - unrooted - stock) I really don't want to lose game progress, and don't want to download the huge game data file again, which for some reason takes 2+ hours even on a high speed connection (35M+)


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By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2010 Two years ago, still stinging from a 2007 scandal that rocked Walter Reed Army Medical Center to its foundation, the Army turned to a seemingly unlikely partner to instill throughout the institution a mindset of putting patients first.
Then-Col. Patricia D. Horoho, now a major general leading the Army Nurse Corps, recognized that the same principles that had made the Disney Corporation so successful could apply to the Walter Reed Health Care System she had stepped in to command, so she turned to the Disney Institute, the corporation's external training arm, for insights into how to transform the Army's health-care culture.
Mandatory sessions for every Walter Reed employee, led by Disney trainers, emphasized every person's role in providing patients and their families the best possible hospital experience.
"One day of training with Disney isn't going to change our hospital," Horoho said as that training was under way. "Disney is one piece of a whole systemwide process we're trying to change."
But the initiative proved so successful that when the Disney contract expired, Army Medical Command hired a former Disney employee for an additional five-year stint to build on the groundwork.
The goal, explained Frederick Larson, who now serves in Walter Reed's care, service and cultural transformation office, is to extend those lessons -- throughout the joint task force overseeing all military health care in the Washington national capital region, and ultimately, to the entire Army medicine community.
Earlier this week, an auditorium full of medical professionals gathered at the National Naval Medical Center here, watching images of Donald Duck, Snow White and Mickey Mouse flash on the overhead screen as Larson described the formula that's made Disney theme parks the gold standard for customer service.
"At Disney, every single person, from the executive suite to the guy who cuts the lawn, is in the business of creating a magical experience, of creating happiness," he told the audience, some in uniform or civilian clothes, others in lab coats or hospital scrubs.
They succeed, Larson said, because they all keep their focus on the customer -– the guest or vacationing family.
"It's the center of everything the organization does," he told American Forces Press Service after the presentation. "It drives the business decisions that are made, the operational decisions, the safety standard. It covers every single element, right down to how the salt shakers should look."
That same customer focus and attention to detail can go a long way toward transforming the way the military medical community treats its patients and their families, he said.
"When you instill at the organizational level, in each and every individual, the notion that 'It is my responsibility to provide care and service,' 'It is my responsibility to understand what that patient, what that family needs,' the natural outcome is providing a more relevant, caring service experience," Larson said.
He shared Disney's recipe for success with his Bethesda audience, emphasizing that they apply equally in patient care: understand your mission and who you serve, set standards and design processes to consistently meet them, and continually evaluate what you're doing and make changes when they're needed.
Too often, groups of people within large organizations -– the military included –- develop a "silo mentality," Larson explained after the presentation. They may do a great job within their own narrow scope of responsibilities, but don't fully understand their role as members of the larger organizational team.
"I tell people, each of us experiences this hospital at about 15 percent each and every day," he said. "But our patients experience this hospital at 100 percent. So it is vitally important that we all think in terms of what it feels like to experience this hospital as a patient, so we can actively develop those cooperative and collaborative relationships that benefit the people we are here to serve."
Larson used a show-business analogy to underscore the importance of every person within the health care system -– from the appointments clerk to the receptionist to the operating room nurse and surgeon -– in formulating a patient's hospital experience.
Each person is an "actor" within a "greater show," he said, and needs to understand their connection to the other players as they all work together according to a well-rehearsed script. "If we apply that theatrical metaphor to the way we render care and service, we inevitably create a better care experience and a better care outcome," he said.
Larson admitted he sometimes runs into skeptics who scoff at the concept of turning military medicine into a "Mickey Mouse operation." But he's impressed by how quickly they become believers. "Once they hear the material and the rationale and theory behind it, they realize that this all makes sense," he said.
So much sense, in fact, that Larson is working with the Army's surgeon general, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric Schoomaker, to take some of the best practices being realized through the program beyond the Washington Beltway.
Larson anticipates a major outreach initiative within the next 12 months, "at least through the Army system, and maybe further."
"We're working on it right now," he said. "A number of folks are working very hard right now to articulate those best practices and get them pushed out."
As he focuses on that effort, Larson said, he still gets regular phone calls from former co-workers from his 20 years with Disney, expressing amazement that he "walked away from the best job in the world and joined the Army."
Larson quickly clarifies that he's a civilian employee, not a soldier, but said he's never once looked back.
"It was the best job in the world, but frankly, this has turned out to be an even better job," he said. "Every night, you go home dead tired, but with the sense that you have accomplished something, that you have made a difference in people's lives. It's very real; it's very tangible. There is no ambiguity whatsoever."
Article is closed to new comments.
The opinions expressed in the following comments do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Defense.
great article, but even better is the results. Prior to Disney coming to WRAMC we had approximately 450 negative comments and 50 Positive comments. 1 year later we turned that around to 450 positive comments and 50 negatives. In addition Walter Reed received the Large Facility Customer Service award during the Milirtary Health System Conference in Washington D.C. I believe in Mickey, do you.
- Ric Alcantara, Washington D.C


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She's tight, she's funny, she saves you loads of money.......Frugal Queen, Frugal Queen!!
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Planning for a frugal future
Hello Dear Reader,
Take a look at yesterday's post and you will see my giveaway of fabric so you can make your own quilt. I'm digging out lots of other goodies too that will be added to the giveaway over the week. Make sure you read the T&Cs and why not have a go and enter.
I thought I would share my frugal plans for the future.
We live in a cute cottage in Cornwall and in six years it will be all paid for. We plan to go away in the summer holiday and rent it out whilst we are away. Where will you live Froogs? Well, my plan is to have a caravan or motorhome and live in that and travel every summer with my rented house paying for my time away.
We took ourselves to a trade show today to do some research. We know little or nothing about caravans and even less about motorhomes. We have got lots of plans for our future and that's what we're working for. I know I would have to have a very small sewing machine! It's just like ordinary life but in minature.
Here's what we found out. You get a lot of caravan for your money and not a lot of motorhome for your money. Caravans depreciate really quickly but motorhomes keep their value for a lot longer than you'd think.
We looked at and got in older motorhomes; some as much as twelve years old but with very low miles. Even as low as 8000 miles and ten years old. However, the living quarters were worse for wear. For a fraction of the price you can buy a caravan and you can buy a used one for around £5000 that would last a few years.
We found out a lot about mobile home and caravan owners. They are a chatty friendly bunch who are happy to tell you about their travels. Also, they are a thrifty lot. They want a lot of holiday for their money and know the good value sites. They like to travel far and wide and see as much as possible on a tight budget.
That all sounds like us!
We now have another long term financial plan to save up for either a caravan or motor home. A caravan would require the car to have a tow hook and a driving course. We would also have to source storage and having it serviced every year.
Living in a caravan whilst your home is rented is more popular than you would think in Cornwall. It's so popular that caravan sites rent out pitches for the entire summer so the family or couple can carry on normal life such as going to school or work and they can service their home on 'change over day'.
Now, over to your Dear Reader. Is anyone out there a caravanner? Do you own a motor home? Do you go away with pets? Does anyone's pets have a passport? What sort of caravan or motorhome do you have? Is it a thrifty and affordable way to travel and have holidays?
I'd love to hear your thought on this.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs
41 comments:
we would love a motorhome but as you say they are very expensive, we have done some research and have found that you can buy a low mileage and not too old second hand hightop van such as a peugeot boxer or fiat ducato and have it converted, or convert it yourself if you are handy (or have a handy husband), then you get it designed to your spec too. Lots of companies do conversions now and you can get a much more up to date motorhome that way. Good luck, I think you will get there before I do!ReplyDelete
How strange Froogs, my husband and I were discussing the very same thing today. We live in Dorset and will be downsizing in a few years when the children have finished uni. We didn't think of the possibility of letting the house while we travel! Real food for thought. Thank you! Penny L xxReplyDelete
Where will you store it for the rest of the year when you are not using it? How much will it cost to store? Do you have a vehicle that will pull a caravan? If you buy a motor home, will you take bicycles to get around the areas you are visiting? Have you considered the cost of petrol to move a motor home or pull a caravan? Have you looked into renting a caravan or motor home? Just things to consider.ReplyDeleteReplies
rent a space in storage near by £250 per year. I have the tow car of the year according to Practical Caravan magazine. Yes we have bikes and will bike everywhere.Delete
sounds like a great plan!! You live in such a beautiful area and the romantic notion of living in a small cottage in your part of England is a dream for many people, I know!ReplyDelete
Before we sold our farm and moved to the cottage on the lake full time we rented it, ( our cottage on the lake) it was not a good experience for us, we had in total over three years twelve different people rent it, the one family trashed it, disappeared and we were left with a mess and a lot of work, I don't mean to be a naysayer, just telling our experience, there is always one bad apple and that was all it took for us, once burned , twice shy!
wow that sounds soo cool I want to do that in future!ReplyDelete
our cat has a chip and passport 'cause we used to live on the borderline between two countries; the next cat we'll get, we'll take camping from the start, so we don't have to leave it behind. We know people who do that! Good luck on your decisions!
My husband and I live in NZ but are originally from the UK. We bought a 1990 Chasson motorhome in 2005 for about 4,000 UKP. It had a very low mileage. Between our daughter and us we had 4 long holidays, touring around Europe and sold it 4 years later for nearly the same price. We then bought a 2 year old Caricoa motorhome and imported it back to NZ with the express intention of swapping it with people from other countries. There are websites where you can arrange the swaps. It is all done on trust so can be a bit scary at times but we have met some wonderful people. We have done 5 swaps now. Last year we even rented our house which paid for our airfares. As you probably know in France every town has an aires site where you can camp for a couple of euros (some are better than others but don't ever use the aires on the side of the motorways as everyone says they can be unsafe), also Germany have stellplatz. Also we have had two holidays on a canal boat in Cheshire. The owners are a lovely couple who are coming here next January to use our van. You would have no problem swapping your cottage for a motorhome we are sure. Just a note with regard to buying a secondhand caravan, you have to check for damp which is something that older vans can suffer from. We love our motorhome holidays and would never be able to afford to take a 6 month holiday any other way.ReplyDelete
We have a an older truck with a camper that sits in the box. I know you don't have these in most European countries, because we have had tourists that tell us so. It has a queen size bed, stove with an oven , small refrigerator and a kitchen area. We are fortunate that ours has a toilet as well. My husband fit it with a solar panel and extra batteries and I can bring a small sewing machine to do quilt blocks while he goes fishing. I guess you need to think about your transportation when you get to where ever you are going. With a motorhome ,you would need to drive it everywhere, with a caravan you can unhitch and use the car. As well the motorhome would not get the fuel mileage that a car would get. Good used caravans are a great price, even here in Canada. Good luck with the research.ReplyDelete
We have a caravan we bought it with the bank charges that we were able to get back from the bank (yes it can be done) so it was a way for us to afford cheap holidays in the summer with our children. Ours is an old one but you are right you can pick up perfectly good ones for very little. Just check on the pulling capability of your car as to what size caravan to get. We keep ours on site in the summer at a very reasonable place and they are kind enough to store it for us over winter as well. We find it a little tight on size at times but with 2 adults and two teens we expand the size with an awning. Sounds like a good plan joining the caravan club gives access to some very affordable sites too. You will definitely love the life.ReplyDelete
Great idea! We have a caravan and it means we can have 5 weeks and a few weekends away in the uk each year. It's not for everyone admittedly, but we love the freedom it gives us to go anywhere. And yes, I have taken my sewing machine on holiday!ReplyDelete
Sounds like a great plan Froogs, especially with the money you get for renting your property to pay for flights and pitch costs, a very good idea. We have a static caravan which we love very much and spend several days each week there. We are toying with the idea of buying a camper van so we can travel further afield. Like you we are unsure what is the best option, as touring caravans are cheaper, but don't hold their price when selling on, also you need a towing car. Whereas the camper van keeps it's value, but you have to take your whole home with you when you want to go out for the day and I can't ride a bike!ReplyDelete
I LOVE my caravan! We have been caravanning for over 20 years and have never got bored with it. We will be packing next week for our hols, no plans just go where the sun shines for as long as we want. Thats the beauty of being retired I guess. We have everything we need including a solar panel so don't require the large commercial sites, we much prefer 5 van sites or the temporary holiday sites run by Camping Club members for its members, they usually charge around a tenner a night per unit but if you look round you can find hidden gems at a fiver. We are lucky in that we can keep our van in the back garden so no storage fees to pay. We don't have any pets but I dont think you will have any problems with your dogs, most places allow them if they are kept on a lead, the temporary sites we have been on have there own dog walk area with bins. Go for it Froogs, I'm sure you will enjoy it! xxReplyDelete
Hi froogs we've been reading your blog for a long time, you've inspired us to pay off our mortgage. It's hard some days to keep frugal but know it's not for ever and we also want to get a motorhome and go traveling. Keep doing what you do, you really help keep going.so a big thankyou to youReplyDelete
we love camping and are currently doing up a vw t25ReplyDelete
this is a dream of mine, getiing a motor home, in the distant future, I hope you get one. I love the quilt you have just made, RuthReplyDelete
Oh yes we caravan. We bought a new one a few years ago and have already travelled half way around Australia. That's when I took up knitting and crochet. Much easier to carry around and do anywhere. Even riding in the car! As we have paid our house off we decided the extra expense of new was wroth it. And I love my van it's a great way to travel.ReplyDelete
We've had a couple of holidays in motorhomes and have absolutely loved them and the freedom they offer you. In some places we found the campsites weren't as cheap as we expected and tend to be more expensive if you need hook up obviously. There are sometimes cheaper alternatives if you know where to find them, but there are also laws preventing you parking up in certain places overnight. We would love our own motorhome so we could take the dog with us, but they are pretty expensive and living in London parking them up in the street is a bit of a problem. We are going to stick with renting them for the moment if we can rent ones that allows dogs to be taken. Our dog has a pet passport. It was pretty simple to organise. As long as they're microchipped, injections up to date (especially rabies) and have been wormed before travel and on return to UK. We took the dog to France for a weekend last year to test it out and it worked really well. If you were going for longer, you have to make sure you see a vet abroad and get them wormed before the return journey, as they won't get back into the UK if they aren't. Customs website is quite helpful in this regard. I think there are different requirements for different countries, so you have to check the requirements for your destination. The French seemed pretty easy going with regard to pets in hotels and apartments when we were there.ReplyDelete
We'll we have had both. We now have a boat. The motor home requires tax, insurance and mot but many people wild camp . In our two local villages you can see MH's in the small carpark. One is at our marina where we have out boat.ReplyDelete
Caravans I only stayed in camp sites due to needing to unhook to go and have a look around places.
Froogs it is great to plan ahead. Many older folk sunbird in Australia and many use caravans or motorhomes to do so. I am more in favour of a van as you can leave it on site if you need to use the car during the day. I have even seen rigs with a four wheel drive, a caravan and a micro car on the back of that. As it is just me now I would probably would not use a van because I do not think I would be the best tow and park person.ReplyDelete
It is a micro home indeed and can be great fun. As for smaller machines mum has an original singer featherlight/weight. It is tiny, ancient and only straight sews. Perfect for quilting on the go. I know ladies who travel and they do a mountain of the hand work while the other half drives! You do need to be very tidy and organised and I know many quilt guilds love to welcome those on the road.
Great plan Froogs! We tent it but have the climate to do so (Australia). I love the motor homes but my other half always says your best off having your living quarters separate to your vehicle. That way you don't have to pack every think up every time you go in the vehicle, you can unhitch the van and go off road while with a motor home (unless its a very expensive off roader) your less able to do this, and if your tires go on the caravan you still have a car while with a motor home your stuffed. However I do like those motor homes anyhow ; )ReplyDelete
My experience is only in the states. We owned a motorhome and pull behind trailer (Caravan?). Each had it's pros and cons. Pros: The motorhome made traveling so much easier with an active little one and the dog. They could get up and stretch or go potty easily, we are all tall and leg room was wonderful. Everything is set up so if we were just spending a night it was quick and easy. We could pull the boat if we chose to take it. Cons: Filling the gas tank was a killer. If you go somewhere and want to leave the site alternative transportation is needed (you mentioned having a bike) so that limits what you want to see (distance) from your site. Repeat filling the gas tank was killer :o) Pros: the trailer (caravan) all the Cons above are now Pros. Pros above are Cons. We always traveled with a dog 60 pounds or larger. Definitely the motor home was best. The dog had room to walk around as we were driving and there was much more room in the motorhome than in the trailer. Our motor home was more secure to keep the dog when we went away from the site and could not take them. Our trailer had partial "soft" sides and it always worried me when we were in bear country or it would see something and try to get out. Both had air conditioning so the dog was comfortable. We gave up our motorhome because of the gas expense. It was killer, did I mention that? :o) If we were just going one place and going to stay the entire holiday we might have kept it. Our first trailer put a lot of wear and tear on our vehicle pulling it. When we got a truck, hauling was easier but we could not take the boat.(but we could fit kayaks in the back of the truck.) Either way you choose I lie camping so much more than staying in a hotel during warmer months. Cooking and sitting around a camp fire can't be beat.ReplyDelete
Hi we have just come back from travelling around the South Island here in New Zealand in our caravan that was imported from the UK. We absolutely loved it had a ball. Our criteria for the caravan it had to have a separate table away from the lounge part so that while we were away I could still run our business from the lap top.ReplyDelete
we are so looking forward to go back down south again in November we save an amount each month so that we can do it. We live in the North Island of New Zealand.
I love the idea of caravan and motorhome. Motorhome could be easier to drive, whilst a caravan gives you a base to travel and do sightseeing.ReplyDelete
With 5 of us it's a great cheaper alternative form of holidaying. great idea to rent out your house, must look into that.
Hi Froogs. Love this idea! I enjoyed so many caravan holidays growing up and now love camping though to be really cheap you have to hunt for good places and try to be as self - sufficient as possible. Do as much as you can to secure your caravan. Your life is going to be super relaxed and awesome!ReplyDelete
Hi We have a large German van with a fixed bed, Having had several vans before, and facing the hassle of making up the bed everynight, fixed beds are the way to go.Also the build quality of German vans are second to none. Many fellow caravanners have spent £20.000+ on UK vans, and have had many problems from water ingress, to poor build quality.We are members of the Caravan club and this enables us to use CL sites at very reasonable cost.An awning can double the living space, we have had many, butprefer the Fiamma caravanstore which stays permenantely attatched to the van, and can be rolled up in seconds for shelter, then add sides and front for a waterproof awning.You will enjoy the freedom of owning your little home on wheels.Our first van was very old fashioned, but solid and watertight, I enjoyed recovering the upholstery and making curtains, all cheaply with ebay fabric of course.As well as storage fees, annual servicing is £200 and insurance is £150, but we have a 27ft twin axle.Preloved and classified ads are good places to search, also they tend to be cheaper in the Autumn.Good luck xxReplyDelete
I know a couple who did just what you did, rented out their house so that they could travel, with their dog, in a motor home. More than 6 years later they are still on the road, the house is rented, they have a friendly postal collection point (the tenants help out with that) and they make more than they need to live on each month. Not quite like your plans, but it shows that life on the road really works. Another friend motorhomed across Australia - with her sewing machine and when they were in a spot for a few days at a time, she made quilts. So there you go!ReplyDelete
Liz x
Hi, if you ever get a motorhome, you have to check this site: http://www.france-passion.co.uk/. The principle is that you buy their guide (~£25) and for maximum a year, all over France farmers and wine-growers invite you to stopover freely on their property, day or night, for up to 24hrs. We rented a motorhome for two weeks and did a "Tour de France" a few years ago using this system, and it was an amazing trip!ReplyDelete
We have caravanned for well over 30 years and have a little one we can tow behind our small car with ease.
Look for one with and end bathroom, beds do not have to be a pain if you use sleeping bags, just chuck the bag down and get in. I bought silk linings for our, had 4 so changed them after a week, quick rinse through and they dry quickly. End bathroom, one of you can shower and dress in the bathroom whilst the other sorts breakfast etc.
The killer is fuel, your consumption will shoot up when you are towing, About half the usual miles to the gallon as you would do.
Aim to look for a second hand one where someone is giving up, you can get the van inspected to make sure its ok and often they are sold with all the accessories, saves you a packet. CL's are the way to go, much cheaper. Look on the net for a list of basics, you can add the frills if you need them bit by bit. One thing I would say is buy a caravan electric kettle and also a toaster, saves using the gas and if you are on a site with electris you might as well use it.
Looking very svelte these days froogs! I have a motorhome rather than a caravan - because I like 'wild camping', where you basically pull up somewhere out of the way (usually in a breathtakingly beautiful National Park or such) and stay overnight - I have woken up in the most wonderful locations, but you have to be prepared to move on quickly if asked and to get there late and leave early. Also these spots are usually down little lanes or in places a caravan would be difficult to get to. I gather that lots of European Countries have laws which allow you to pretty much camp anywhere, so would think a motorhome would trump a caravan.ReplyDelete
However, if you are planning on only staying in proper 'sites' a caravan is bigger and more comfortable.
How exciting though!
Before you make your decision between a motor home or a caravan you need to decide what type of holidays you are going to take. We went through this process and hired a motorhome first. It did not suit our holiday mode which is to dump you home somewhere else and then go out for days in the car. If you intend not spending much time on site and touring around then maybe a motorhome is for you. The disadvantages we found with the motor home were that leveling it is not too easy and sleeping at an angle is very uncomfortable. If you need to go out for a packet of frozen peas or a box of matches you have to pack everything away which is a pain. Then there is parking which is not easy in small villages etc so we opted for a caravan which solves all these problems. However we have friends who motorhome but they only spend a day or two on site then move on so their holidays are largely driving. Hope this is some help to you before you make your choice.ReplyDelete
In 34 years of married life we've had 3 tents, 4 caravans and 2 motorhomes, now we just have the site for visitors to stay on with THEIR tents, caravans and motorhomes!ReplyDelete
Your blog today today was of special interest to me. After 8 years of travelling around Australia towing a caravan behind a 4 wheel drive we decided to have a big sell up of various things and invest in a motor home. As you so rightly say, a motor home is vastly more expensive than a caravan but when you take a towing vehicle into account too it does bring the cost up. Here in Australia our caravans are heavier and most are towed by powerful gas guzzling 4 wheel drive vehicles that are expensive to buy and run. After our last trip in November we decided to sell both caravan and 4 wheel drive, along with a veteran car which we seldom used and at last were in a position to buy our motorhome. Wow, they were so expensive and well worn, like you saw yourself. After chasing dozens on the Internet and adverts we had all but given up of finding something suitable, our neighbours have just what we wanted and a chance comment that we were looking for one just like theirs and they offered to sell it to us. The price was just right and they had looked after it both inside and mechanically and have done so many useful alterations that we can't believe our luck.ReplyDelete
I can agree wholeheartedly that travelling is a wonderful life, yes, the folk you meet are friendly and chatty and many travel with their dog(s) just like us. We have had such a great time and now we are that bit older and finding hitching up the caravan hard work we thought a motor home was the way to go, less work but still all the fun.
Enjoy looking at all the alternatives and ask your many blog followers for any advice you may want, so many of us are caravan nears with years of experience and are always happy to impart our knowledge.
We considered this idea and then came up with a different one, we are going to have 2 log cabin style holiday homes on our land (planning permission permitting), we will live in one of them and rent out our house (sleeps 6) and the other one (will sleep 2) to give us an income.ReplyDelete
It's a brilliant idea to rent out your house and to travel for the time it's rented, if you do things carefully you could even end up with a little bit of profit. But it would have to be a continuous let or you will need a friend to come in and clean after each set of holiday renters.
Brilliant idea though.
I think after reading through the comments I would plump for a caravan rather than a motor home, which way are you swinging at the moment?Replies
I'm definitely thinking caravan. Cheaper. When we get where we go, we tend to go every where on our bicycles. I will rent the house out via Frugal Queen. It will be a frugal holiday home. People will get a cheap rental for a holiday in Cornwall but will have to clean at the end of the stay and bring their own bedding and towels. We would probably go away for a couple of months and would charge around £250 a week for the house. In Cornwall, you can pay up to £750 a week for a holiday house and up to £1500 for a coastal house with fancy decor. I'll try it next year when I go on holiday. I'll rent the house out on here and see how the experience goes.Delete
A good idea, and by doing it through the Blog you will be able to 'know' a bit more about the folk that rent your house and have some reassurance about them.Delete
Pop me on the list, I would love a week in Cornwall, it's one of my favourite places.
We have a caravan and have had one for about 5 of years, we are on our second one as we needed more sleeping space for older son as the bunk in the old one was too small for him (he is six foot now at 15). My husband had to talk me into it but I wouldn't be without it now. We bought the first 4 berth one for £950 pounds on ebay, I recovered all the seats, husband put down laminate it looked great! (I did a post on this) We had a lot of holidays in it and when we sold it on we made a profit. We bought the next one on ebay again, this time a 5 berth so two double beds and a bunk, all converts to seating. My husband soon got the hang of towing and didn't need a course, just common sense and the right mirrors. I wouldn't worry about interiors too much as with your skills you can revamp them, do look out for mould though and avoid this or you will be taking on work. We have looked at motor homes but like you said, very little living space, expensive and then you have tax and motor repairs on that also. I also work in education so if we didn't have the caravan we wouldn't have all the cheap little breaks that we do. I would say look at doing one up, you'll love it. Oh one last thing people who are selling up often sell all the necessary equipment too.ReplyDelete
We have had tents, caravans, a folding caravan, a trailer tent and a motor home. We finally settled on a caravan. I think they are more useful as you don't have to MOT or tax or have serviced, or insure if you don't want to. For some time we had it left permanently on a site on the coast. I think it cost about £1000 per year but you could go any time and stay or tow it away. I also let my children and various family members use it. We have now given up caravanning as my husbands eye sight is not as good as it was and basically we cant afford the upkeep now we are on a pension. I do miss it though. Having our own little snail shell available to go away at weekends or for holidays. We have been to Cornwall many times in caravans and motor homes. Get a smallish, oldish caravan to start with and go from there. You will have so much fun.ReplyDelete
Sounds fun!!ReplyDelete
Perhaps you can rent one for a week or so, to see how you like it.
We live in the states, and we have been tent camping for years, but I am getting too old for that, I think. ;) We bought an older motor home several years ago, but I didn't like it. It was too big really, and it blew a tire and scared me. We have gone back to a popup for weekend camping trips. Love making happy memories with my family.
Froogs, you took the words (and the dream) right out of our mouths. Bought our RV as per our retirememt wish list and off we are going:ReplyDelete
Here's to frugla happy trails this side of the pond!
Sounds fab! A caravan is a great investment in terms of trips and holidays to come that won't cost a fortune. We have a vintage 1947 American Airstream that we bought several years ago. My hubby and I had both always wanted one since we were kids and were made up to have been able to get one even though it needed- and still needs - some work. It's a labour of love and is all our future holidays. You'll never regret getting a caravan. It's basically a holiday home on a budget.xReplyDelete
We have a caravan and two dogs, in the 4 years since we have had the van we have been all over and seen so many place in England that we would never have seen before we brought a caravan. The caravan changed our life.ReplyDelete
If you want to comment but don't want the comment to be published - please let me know in the FIRST LINE of your comment .Comments are moderated and may get published. Trolls are ignored!


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The current population of Patton Village is 22 with the median age of 37. Patton Village's median household income is $52,161, and the average household net worth is $402,582. 13% of Patton Village's population are long term residents having lived in their homes for more than 5 years, while 15% of Patton Village's population have moved in the last year.
|Patton Village
|United States
|Median Household Income
|Average Household Net Worth
|Long-term Residents (5+ years)
|Annual Turnover
|Median Age
|37 years
|35 years
|37 years
Age distribution represents the distribution of the population in Patton Village by age group. In Patton Village, the male-to-female ratio is 16:6, which is 89% higher than the ratio of Lassen County, which is 22,287:12,565. Age demographic data is sourced from census, 2015.
Crime rate index represents the average crime rate for a local area in comparison to nearby areas and the national average. A crime index of 100 represents the national average. Lassen County, has 66% less property crime than California, and is 67% below the nation's average. Lassen County, has 47% less personal crime than California and when compared to that of United States, Lassen County is 37% below the national average.
Marital status represents the percent of residents in Patton Village that are single, married, widowed and divorced. In Patton Village, 100% of people are married and 0% of people are single. The percent of people married is 24% higher than the ratio of Lassen County, which is 76%. Marital data is sourced from census, 2015.
Household income distribution represents the distribution of Patton Village income brackets at the household level. Overall, the median household income for Patton Village is $52,161, which is 2% lower than that of Lassen County ($53,335). Income data for Patton Village is sourced from census, 2015.
Education data represents the highest level of education attained by residents in Patton Village. In Patton Village, 33% of residents 18 and over graduated from high school and 11% completed a Bachelor's degree or higher, which is 1% lower than that of Lassen County. Education statistics is sourced from census, 2015.


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Mount Equinox Gay Movies - Gay Pictures, Videos and More
To view the full length hi-resolution version visit Mount Equinox at mountequinox. Rico was laying out by the pool getting some sun and groping himself when Tommy stopped by unexpectedly. After a brief conversation the two decided they had enough sun and moved into the shade on an inflatable air mattress to chill with a couple of Coronas. Tommy asks Rico if he has ever been with a guy before and Rico said hell no girls all the way. Of course Tommy is sucking on the end of his bottle of beer while telling him how girls don't know what they are doing and guys suck dick better. Maybe it was the beer but before you know it Tommy has Rico's shorts off and is sucking on his fat uncut Latin cock. Rico didn't mind having those Latin lips of Tommy's wrapped around his cock either. Tommy managed to talk our stud Rico into fucking his tight hole. Rico pounded his ass good I'm guessing all while he was supposedly imagining it was a women. He fucks him in a variety of positions from bent over the c
Pixels: 320X240 | Bitrate: 350K
Pixels: 640X480 | Bitrate: 700K


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Created: 08/20/2014 6:53 PM WHEC.com
By: Associated Press
Some customers of The UPS Store may have had their credit and debit card information exposed by a computer virus found on systems at 51 stores in 24 states.
A spokeswoman for UPS says the information includes names, card numbers and postal and email addresses from about 100,000 transactions between Jan. 20 and Aug. 11.
United Parcel Service Inc. said Wednesday that it was among U.S. retailers who got a Department of Homeland Security bulletin about the malware on July 31. The malware is not identified by current anti-virus software.
The company is not aware of any fraud related to the attack, spokeswoman Chelsea Lee said.
Atlanta-based UPS said it hired a security firm that found the virus in systems at about 1 percent of the company's 4,470 franchised locations. At many stores, the intrusion did not begin until March or April.
Lee said that the problem was fixed by Aug. 11 and the company took additional steps to protect systems at other stores. She said the affected stores were not linked electronically, and UPS is still investigating how they were compromised.
UPS said it is providing identity protection and credit monitoring help to affected customers.
The affected stores were in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
From the company's description, the breach appeared far smaller than one that hit Target Corp. during the holiday-shopping season, when hackers stole credit and debit card information involving millions of customers. Fallout from the incident is still hurting profits. Target, which said Wednesday that second-quarter profit fell 62 percent, has spent $235 million related to the breach, partly offset by $90 million in insurance payments.
The UPS breach won't have a material financial impact on the company, Lee said.
Last week, Supervalu said that hackers might have stolen names, account numbers, expiration dates and other information from card holders who shopped at up to 200 of its grocery and liquor stores. Restaurant operator P.F. Chang's, Goodwill thrift stores and other retailers have been hit by data breaches.
News10NBC/WHEC-TV welcomes your opinion and interaction on our website, but please remember to keep it clean. If you're advertising for another business, being profane, vulgar or slanderous your post will be deleted. By commenting on this website, you agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Use. Comments are not pre-screened before they posted.


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> Sorry Darr, er, Dan, but that is just how it is going to be. We don't
> care if you like it, like you don't care to let us make changes which
> make it fit into OpenBSD better.
> We don't care. Just please go away.
Amen Theo!


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A group founded by Thomas baca that creates not only 1st person shooters but also mods, models, programs, anything that seems fun and challenging to the team. Black Steel Mamba Studios is a indie developer and looks forward to develop games that people will enjoy. We are nitch game developers we are not going to make something like farmville but games that challenge players and entertains them as they are challenged.
Companies, use this job board to reach artists and programmers with knowledge of today's game engines and hardware. Discover why our job board will find you better people than other job sites.
unity ai programmer blacken steel studios anywhere programmers this is for college students looking to add to their portfolio. so this is unpaid postion and you will be asked to help with programming simple ai and maybe helping with some other aspects for the game. also any one who knows artist, level designers , please ask them apply. thomas baca is lead designer of the development of 8th legion. currently a college student himself is seeking individuals with the same passion for game making as his own so anyone willing to devote some of their spare time need only to apply. he would also like to see some of their work youtube, codepad, are all acceptable platforms to show your work.
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Revenge's E.J. Bonilla Weighs in on the Possibility of Nolan Ross and Emily Thorne Having a Romantic Relationship — Exclusive
Being a self-proclaimed "three on the Kinsey Scale," Revenge's Nolan Ross enjoys making romantic connections regardless of gender. In Season 1, the tech genius got tangled up in Tyler Barrol's twisted web, and he's currently dating his Nolcorp CFO, Padma Lahari.
But Padma isn't the only CFO Nolan's fallen for. In Sunday's flashback episode we were introduced to Nolcorp's first CFO, Marco Romero, who was also Nolan's boyfriend at the time. Sadly, the two broke things off when Marco learned Nolan helped finance the daughter of a convicted terrorist (aka Amanda Clarke-turned Emily Thorne).
And while there's still plenty to come from Marco (read exclusively about it here), Wetpaint Entertainment decided to ask actor E.J. Bonilla about the potential of another relationship for Nolan.
Revengers across the globe have been calling for Nolan and Emily Thorne to get together, even actor Gabriel Mann is on board, but show creator Mike Kelley and the rest of the cast seem to think that the two share a sibling relationship.
Here's E.J.'s take on the possibility of a "Nemily" hookup:
Wetpaint Entertainment: A lot of Revenge fans are really into the relationship between Nolan and Emily. Many have said they'd like them to get together romantically. Gabriel Mann's said that as well, but a lot of the cast members disagree and they say the relationship is more like two siblings. What do you think of those ideas?
E.J. Bonilla: That's a really interesting idea. I completely understand how someone could have a brother/sister relationship, but at the same time when you're not actually siblings, that line could get blurred. It often does. You have those moments where you're like, "But no, you're like my sister. But I want to kiss you. OK!" I think that's a complete possibility in a world where she has so few people she can trust. It would be fairly simple for her to take comfort in his arms and she doesn't allow herself to be comforted very easily by anyone. Most recently by Aiden, but I think it's possible.
Why do you think Nolan remains so loyal to Emily? He literally put his company and relationships on the line, yet she doesn't give that much in return. Why do you think that is?
I think she has been jaded. When you get caught up in revenge and in anger and in hate, the best version of you doesn't come out. [Nolan] says it in this past episode, it's the idea that her father, David Clarke, took him at his word at a time when Nolan had nothing and no one. And you feel an accountability to the loved ones of that person, especially after they pass. So I think it's hard for him sometimes and he choses to trust and to fight and to plow forward because he believes in what she's trying to do.
If you could play any character on this show that wasn't Marco? Who would it be?
Emily gets to do everything! Who wouldn't want to be her? She gets to fight, kung fu, shoot people, and hang upside down, put masks on, it's crazy. She got to train in Japan for 20 years or however long it was.
Do you think Emily and Nolan will ever get together? Weigh in below!
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text: (2/2/10) This past weekend the Cougars hosted the annual Cougar Classic High School Basketball Tournament. The tournament field was made up of 7 Christian schools from Florida including Berean Christian School (W. Palm Beach), Lakeland Christian School (Lakeland), Florida Christian School (Miami), Indian Rocks Christian School (Largo), Highlands Christian Academy (Pompano Beach), Keswick Christian School (St. Petersburg), Faith Baptist Christian School (Brandon), and Wilmington Christian Academy from Wilmington, North Carolina. This tournament proved to be very exciting with a number of close, competitive games. In addition to playing 3 games on campus, each team was also able to get more information about CCC and experience a taste of the college life by eating meals in Cathcart, watching the Cougar mens team defeat Southeastern Bible College, and participating in several contests. Among the favorites were a team shooting competition, dunk contest, and 3 point shooting contest. In an exciting championship game, Florida Christian proved to be too much for Highlands Christian and won the tournament. They took home the trophy and title of 2010 Cougar High School Basketball Tournament Champions. Clearwater Christian College mens basketball coach, Keith Champion, said, This was a very competitive tournament in which the coaches and the athletes did a remarkable job. The teams in the final four all had 15 or more wins and that made the semi-finals and finals action packed games. It was a great tournament. Congratulations to all of the participating teams for the work they put in to make our 2010 high school tournament a success. Below is a list of awards that were given out during the tournament: Tournament Champion Florida Christian School Tournament Runner-Up Highlands Christian Academy Sportsmanship Award Keswick Christian School Tournament Most Valuable Player Andrew Smith Highlands Christian Academy All-Tournament Team 1. Nathan Tew Wilmington Christian 2. Denardo Williams Faith Baptist Christian 3. Gabe Hantzberger Highlands Christian 4. Johnny Lantz Berean Christian 5. David Fernandez Florida Christian 6. Alix Moise Berean Christian 7. Tanner Wozniak Keswick Christian 8. Sean Culkin Indian Rocks Christian 9. Kyle Sikura Florida Christian Dunk Contest Champion Denardo Williams 3 Point Shooting Champion Johnny Lantz Print Article


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Get ready to go back to the Galactica. Syfy may give the go-ahead for a new "Battlestar Galactica" series.
"Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome" is currently in development as a webseries, according to the Chicago Tribune. The series will run for either nine or ten episodes roughly ten minutes in length and follow a young William Adama during the first Cylon War.
Back in 2007, the TV movie "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" also featured flashbacks to Adama's time in the Cylon War when he was a Viper pilot who went by the call sign of "Husker." Adama was portrayed in those scenes by Nico Cortez.
"Battlestar Galactica" co-executive producer Michael Taylor is on board to the write the scripts for the new series.
"Blood & Chrome" is "about a young man's initiation into war: both the realities of war as fought by soldiers on the ground (and in Battlestars and Vipers), and the somewhat less real version portrayed in the media," said Taylor.
If "Blood and Chrome" goes forward, it would be shot on green screens and virtual sets like the ones used on "Sanctuary" and James Cameron's "Avatar." The report also notes that scans of the "Galactica" sets were made during the production of the previous series, potentially allowing them to be recreated in 3-D.
"I've seen the virtual, 3D version of CIC ['Battlestar's' Combat Information Center] and it's pretty damn cool," continued Taylor. "And yet the movie isn't confined to Galactica. Far from it. It's a story that will take us to new corners of the 'Battlestar' world (or worlds), and yet it aims to be a very contemporary war movie in a lot of ways. I would say I'm thinking as much of Afghanistan and Iraq–the reality of 'Hurt Locker,' Sebastian Junger's 'Restrepo,' and similar movies–as I am about about the largely implied past of 'Battlestar.'"
"We're not going to be shying away from R-rated blood and guts and sex," added Taylor. "Because this is initially meant to air online, we pretty much have no restrictions in that department."


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Below is the poem entitled My Inspiration which was written by poet
Jorges. Please feel free to comment on this poem. However, please remember, PoetrySoup is a place of encouragement and growth.
Read Poems by
Jesse Jorges
Jesse, to make in this world, these are the things you must do,
Don't give up your faith, don't lose hope, and always believe in you,
Never listen to those damn critics, and don't settle anything less then your best,
You're not trying hard enough, unless you can taste the sweat,
It doesn't matter, how far you fall,
Nothing is ever to hard, no mountain ever too tall,
Never hold back, and don't ever give up,
Falling is easy, it's getting to your feet that's tough,
Don't get discouraged, you're the only one who will suffer,
It doesn't matter how tough life gets, you can always be tougher,
You can either say I can, I can't or I might,
But remember, whatever it is that you say,
You'll always be right,
A comment has not been posted for this poem. Encourage a poet by being the first to comment.


text: On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 10:08:07 +0100, Peter Risdon <peter_(_at_)_circlesquared_(_dot_)_com> wrote: > Suhaimi Jamalludin wrote: >> Hi All, >> I'm using FreeBSD 5.2.1 on my Intel Server Board >> SE7501WV2 machine. I have a request from my users to >> setup a FaxServer on this machine. I'm planning to buy >> a PCI Modem for this machine and Install HylaFAX on >> it. >> Can anybody advice me or recommended which PCI Modem >> that can work perfectly with FreeBSD 5.2.1 and >> HylaFax? > > Hi, > > This isn't a direct answer to your question, but since you do not yet > have a modem, and assuming you have a spare port on the machine, it is > generally much easier to work with an external modem. Going one step further, external serial modems generally work "out of the box," while I have read several posts to this list asking about various problems with USB modems. Back to the original question, ISTR that a USRobotics "Performance Pro" PCI modem worked for me under the early 4.x versions of FreeBSD. Jud


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With a switch of two votes, the state's Constitution Revision Commission might have given next year's Legislature the chance to decide whether to increase the power of the Governor, at their own expense.
But after about two hours of debate — and despite Gov. Robert Bentley's presence – the Commission voted to reject a proposal to strengthen the gubernatorial veto by making it more difficult for legislators to override executive vetoes.
Under the state's 1901 Constitution, the Legislature needs a majority of elected officials — 53 in the House, 18 in the Senate — to override the governor's veto. By contrast, the U.S. Constitution and many states require two-thirds of both houses of the legislature for a veto override.
The Commission considered a proposal that would have increased the override threshold from a majority to three-fifths of elected lawmakers. Under that system, it would take 63 votes in the House and 21 in the Senate to override the governor, similar to the requirement to pass constitutional amendments.
Speaking on the proposal in the meeting, Bentley — who said he would work to ensure the measure took effect when he was out of office — said it would restore "checks and balances" to the Alabama Constitution.
"The veto at this time has some meaning, but not a lot of meaning," he said.
Bentley drew support from Sen. Bryan Taylor, R-Prattville, who told his fellow commission members that he agreed it would check the power of the Legislature. Other lawmakers on the commission, however, were not convinced: Rep. Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood, said the lower threshold allowed him to better protect constituents from items "detrimental" to his district.
Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, voted against the measure.
"When the Legislature passes a bill, the majority in favor send it to the governor," she said. "Then we have one person who with the stroke of a pen can undo what we did in the Legislature. I think that hard 53 is protecting the majority who voted for the bill, who represent the majority of people in Alabama."
The Commission, charged with reviewing 11 of the 16 articles in the state's governing document, took up executive powers and the state's education article on Monday. The commission makes recommendations on alterations to the Constitution; the Legislature must ultimately decide whether or not to adopt those changes in the form of a constitutional amendment, which must then be approved by voters.
On both articles, the proposed changes were generally minor, and mostly included gender-neutral language. However, the Commission postponed voting on changes to Section 256 of the Constitution, which required state schools be segregated on the basis of race. Former Gov. Albert Brewer, the chairman of the Commission, said that commission members were divided over whether to "affirm" support for public education, or go further toward a set of expectations for it.
"Surely there is language that expresses our commitment to public education, without making it a constitutional right that brings other issues to the table," he said.
The commission also approved minor language changes to the Constitution's Declaration of Rights, but decided to delay votes on adding a due process clause to Section 1, as well as sections dealing with sovereign immunity and navigable waterways.
– posted by Brian Lyman


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In increasing numbers, employers and health plans are experimenting with the use of incentives to boost participation rates in DM and wellness programming. Although there is no question that incentives in the form of cash, reduced healthcare premiums, gift cards, and other items of value can indeed boost engagement in such programs, less clear is whether payers can expect any lasting clinical effect from the approach, or even whether incentives can ultimately pay for themselves in reduced medical utilization.
Plenty of policy experts and consultants are firm believers in the approach. In fact, many believe that incentives are absolutely essential to any well-intentioned effort toward population-based management. However, with much of the financial data around incentives open to interpretation, there are also skeptics, noting that payers interested in using the approach for the purpose of controlling healthcare costs are right to consider incentives with a critical eye. To take a closer look at incentives, DMA connected with healthcare professionals on both sides of the issue.
Simple incentives are not enough
"We live our entire lives based on incentives," says Michael Parkinson, MD, MPH, president of the American College of Preventive Medicine and former executive vice president and chief health and medical officer of Alexandria, VA–based Lumenos, a subsidiary of WellPoint. "They may not be financial incentives, but there are certainly social incentives, cultural incentives, and educational incentives."
Consequently, Parkinson doesn't understand why the notion of incentivizing behaviors to align with desired outcomes is so controversial in the realm of healthcare. In fact, he believes that all of the incentives built into the third-party payment system are totally misaligned with what most people traditionally want from healthcare: good health and reduced expenses.
Intent on coming up with an alternative approach, Parkinson became one of the chief architects of the consumer-driven model offered by Lumenos—a model that relies heavily on incentives to get members to fill out health risk assessments (HRA), engage in appropriate DM programming, and utilize cost-efficient care.
He explains that in the Lumenos plan, preventive care is covered 100%. For additional healthcare services, funds are set aside by the employer in health savings accounts (HSA). That, in and of itself, is an incentive to spend more wisely, he says, because people see that money as their own. If there is money left over in the account at the end of the year, that money is rolled over into the funds set aside for the following year's healthcare spending.
"It really gets someone's attention when they see that Lipitor is $120 per month along with a $20 copay, and lovastatin is $17 per month," he says. Similarly, he points out that people stop using the ER for primary care when they see the fees being deducted from their accounts, and they become more discriminating on the basis of quality in selecting their providers.
In addition to the HSAs, Lumenos members receive $50–$100 each year to fill out an online HRA that, upon completion, immediately connects them with a health coach to discuss their risks. Parkinson explains that the financial incentives boost participation rates in the HRA process by 35%–75%. In addition, members who need to work on tobacco cessation or weight-management or members who are chronically ill receive additional incentives to participate in appropriate interventions for those issues.
Why all the incentives? Parkinson explains that a simple, one-time incentive is not enough to produce sustained behavior change. "The industry likes to look at one incentive in isolation, and then calculate the ROI, but that doesn't make sense clinically," he says, noting that behavior change requires a more comprehensive strategy.
Parkinson acknowledges that he does not have data to show that the Lumenos approach produced specific outcomes or risk changes within a specific employer group. However, he points out that employers using the Lumenos health plan, with incentives, for their entire work force have seen their total healthcare costs remain flat, or close to baseline, for two consecutive years.
Nonincentive factors matter
Ramsay Farah, MD, MPH, the chief medical director of medical management at Hunt Valley, MD–based Health and Medical Solutions, a division of Nationwide Better Health, agrees that incentives can make a big difference in participation rates, but from a study he conducted of his company's entire book of business, he concludes that the way they are implemented is critically important.
"For people to participate, you can't just wait until they finish [the program], and then give them money. You have to give them something up front to get them motivated," says Farah. In addition, he indicates that there are certain thresholds you have to meet to make a significant effect. "We found . . . that if the incentive is less than $66, it is much less likely that you will get [much of an] effect on participation."
By their medical nature, some programs require a different approach than others, he adds. For example, although most healthcare organizations identify people for intervention through claims, that strategy does not work well with maternity management programs. "With maternity, by the time you find out [through claims] that someone is pregnant, you have already missed a golden opportunity of getting them in the first trimester," says Farah.
Consequently, he recommends instituting a tiered incentive program whereby women who self-refer into the program in the first trimester will receive a much larger incentive than those who contact the program in the second trimester. "Then, if the woman comes into the program in her third trimester, she would not receive any incentive to start, but she would be eligible—along with all the other participants—to receive an additional incentive when she completes the program," he says.
Whereas Farah found incentives to be powerful, he also found that a number of other factors are critically important to insuring the success of an incentive program. "You need a commitment and a culture from senior management that is expressed to the employees that this [health initiative] is something of a priority to the organization," he says.
Further, he emphasizes that the employees must trust that information that they share with any DM or wellness program will be confidential. Otherwise, he says, employees will be afraid that their information, or even their participation in a DM program, will adversely affect their employment.
Farah agrees with Parkinson that a simple, one-time incentive will not have much effect in producing behavior change. However, Farah concludes from his study that a well thought out, longer-term strategy will ultimately save money.
Long-term effect is an open question
Not everyone is convinced that implementing incentives is a good idea. Although acknowledging that incentives can boost participation in DM and wellness programming, Ian Duncan, FSA, MAAA, president of Solucia Consulting, Inc., an actuarial firm based in Hartford, CT, says he is skeptical that they can deliver an ROI.
"You are dealing with [DM] programs that are not able to save large amounts of money to start with. And if you then incentivize large numbers of people to participate in the programs—especially if you give them large incentives—you destroy the economics," he says.
In fact, one trend that mystifies Duncan is the move by many employers away from DM approaches that have demonstrated small, but real, savings toward wellness programming where they are instituting all kinds of incentives to boost participation. "I don't think there is any chance of demonstrating a financial return [with these programs] for at least the first few years," says Duncan. "Clearly, you want your employees to reduce their risks, be more compliant, and take control of their health . . . so it is a good thing to do," says Duncan. "But whether it is a good thing to give every employee $500 to do it, though, I think is a question we should ask ourselves more."
A better approach, at least from an economic standpoint, according to Duncan, is to consider implementing disincentives, such as higher premiums or higher deductibles, for employees or health plan members who do not participate.
"It is more valid economically because you don't have all this extra cost that the employer has to pay out of pocket to get a lot of people to participate in the program. It can be cost-neutral if you structure it correctly," he says. "These sorts of designs seem to be getting more prevalent. There is a lot of interest in them at the moment."
Duncan acknowledges that it is possible that incentives, implemented in year one, may produce positive financial returns a few years down the road. "If an employer is going to invest in health today, we look at what happens in the next year or so—whether there is a payback. And the answer is generally not enough to pay for the incentives," says Duncan. "However . . . even though there isn't a payback today, there may be in five years' time." n
Incentives: They're not just about participation anymore
How do you determine whether to integrate incentives in your health management strategy? The answer is in your data, according to Sue Lewis, senior vice president of health and productivity solutions at Lyndhurst, NJ–based IncentOne. "If you can't get your population engaged in a program above 30%, that is generally an indicator that you might want to consider an incentive," she says.
Once they decide to offer an incentive, Lewis advises companies or health plans to get input from the population, perhaps through focus groups or surveys, about what type of incentive would be well received. In addition, she points out that the incentive should be a good fit with the priorities and culture of the organization. "Generally, what we come down to at the end of the day is a very limited design of options which includes cash or gift certificates, which are very prevalent," she says. "And, of course, medical premium discounts aligned with overall medical management cost models."
Lewis says incentives of $50–$100 are generally effective in driving individuals to do simple activities associated with their health, such as filling out a health risk assessment. A bigger commitment, such as that required for participation in a DM program, will probably require a larger incentive. "You have to have enough of an incentive to motivate individuals over an extended period of time in engagement," she says. "And $250 per year is generally pretty sufficient for most groups, and $500 would be very sufficient and motivational for almost any group you are putting an incentive out there for."
One new trend involves aligning incentives with value-based purchasing, says Lewis. For example, employees are being rewarded for using premium networks, decision-support programs, and other resources that show they are making informed decisions regarding their health. "We are continuing to reinforce healthy behaviors . . . with incentives, but we are also now being asked by employers to design programs that drive people to tools and resources that foster strong consumerism skills, and get them more engaged in their healthcare purchasing," she says.