text:
FRENCHTOWN TOWNSHIP — A light brown dog stands still inside a horse stall.
The female mixed breed can't walk unassisted. Maria has a wheelchair to get around, but the animal doesn't like it.
When she was found in North Carolina, Maria's back was broken, paralyzing her from the middle of the back down.
She has visible wounds from her abusers, who likely caused her broken back so she could be used as bait in dog fights.
Maria's life is different now, happier and with a purpose. The dog lives at the Devoted Barn at 6227 N. Dixie Hwy.
The barn is owned and operated by Melissa Borden, 40, whose lifelong dream was to open a facility like the Devoted Barn.
Today, Maria's mission is to inspire others.
Ms. Borden takes Maria to schools to teach children about acceptance and those with disabilities.
"Maria doesn't know she's disabled," Ms. Borden explained as she held the dog.
The animal often lies in the middle of the room while children pet her. Despite her backstory, Maria is kind and gentle.
"She just loves kids," Ms. Borden said.
The Devoted Barn opened in August after Ms. Borden bought 53 acres near DTE Energy's Fermi 2 nuclear power plant.
For the past 20 years, she has been involved in a variety of rescue organizations.
Growing up in the Detroit area, she raised horses.
"I've always been an animal lover," Ms.
Borden said. "I also like the underdog."
Ms. Borden, who is a personal trainer at several regional gyms, including Go M.A.D.
(Make a Difference) Fitness in Monroe, spends countless hours working with the animals.
"I try to fix the problems," she says of the animals. "I'm a problem-solver. That's why I am a trainer."
People and other rescue organizations have turned to her when they can't help an animal. Just recently, someone anonymously dropped off a pair of cats in a rabbit's cage.
Ms. Borden moved the cats to a larger pen and she plans to introduce them to barn life.
The Devoted Barn has one rescue horse, three sheep, four pigs, a dozen dogs, cats and even a chinchilla. She also took in five llamas from a couple where the man has dementia.
They still visit the barn to interact with the llamas but were unable to care for them.
Among Ms. Borden's talents is rehabilitating feral dogs that run wild and have had little or no human contact.
"They are not a threat to humans, but it is a long process to work with them," she said.
"It usually takes at least a year before the dogs are able to interact with humans. They often are scared and won't come near you."
Her goal is to work with the feral dogs and eventually move them to foster homes, where they can be put up for adoption.
Dusty is a feral dog who had little human interaction. The large, off-white Great Pyrenees was part of a hoarding case where more than 200 animals were found on the property in Ohio.
He's extremely shy and responds only to Ms. Borden at this point in his training.
The male dog hides behind her, fearful of others around him.
The feral dogs are kept in their own kennels near each other but away from the horses. When they are let out to play, they interact with each other because feral dogs run in packs, Ms. Borden said. When strangers are in the barn, some of the dogs hide in a corner of the barn, shying away from interaction.
Ms. Borden has found some animals in the worst conditions. A quarterhorse named Bella was found inside a 10-by-10foot dog kennel, much too small for her.
She's rescued dogs that have been stabbed by owners, some left under porches and others that were turned loose.
Ms. Borden is a singlemother of five — Kylie, 18; Mia, 14; Noah, 11; Brooke, 9, and Ava, 3. The oldest is in college, but the four youngest, along with Ms. Borden's boyfriend, Lance Powell, work at the barn caring for the animals.
As a mom, she has witnessed the healing powers animals can possess, especially for children. Brooke has obsessive compulsive disorder and almost was labeled with selective mutism because she wouldn't talk — until she began working with a horse, Rocky.
"He was the driving force behind her talking," Ms. Borden said. "He drew her out of her shell."
Brooke eventually rode Rocky during competitions where she had to talk with judges about the animal.
This summer, the pair competed for the last time as the 33-year-old horse was retired from competition.
Gem needs special care. The previous owner didn't care for the horse properly and she was underfed.
"She's put on about 200 pounds since I got her, but she has more to go," Ms. Borden said.
Beyond malnourishment, Gem is injured and requires surgery to remove barbed wire that has been embedded deeply in her back right leg.
"The wire has been in there so long, the bone has calcified over it," Ms. Borden said.
A surgeon from Arizona was flying in to remove the wire. The horse's chances of survival after the surgery are about 50 percent because any infection in the leg could be problematic.
If it is successful, Gem will be up for adoption.
Ultimately, Ms. Borden plans to open the barn to teens and young adults who need to complete service hours for a variety of reasons, including those mandated by the courts.
She plans to host a 12week summer program where the youth visit daily to work with animals, helping groom them and clean their stalls or kennels.
Animals, Ms. Borden said, can teach the young many things.
"The main reason is to build compassion and empathy for the animals," she said. "Often, many of these kids have never learned compassion."
Ms. Borden's kind heart makes it difficult to turn away animals, but caring for the creatures is a financial burden.
The surgery to repair Gem's leg costs more than $10,000.
For dogs that need medical care, the costs average $2,000 to $3,000.
She has been awakened at all hours to come to an animal's aid, but it doesn't stop her.
"Every day, for me, I have to do what I can to help," Ms. Borden said. "They have no one else."
Melissa Borden accomplished a longtime goal of owning and operating a large-scale rescue organization for animals.
She opened the Devoted Barn late last summer. Ms. Borden dedicates countless hours to helping animals but credits her volunteers who are willing to help for making the endeavor a success.
"I have the best volunteers," she said. Anna Shetler of Clawson was friends with Ms. Borden through the Detroit-based rescue group Dog Aide when she learned of her mission.
She comes about once a week and helps socialize with animals, walk the dogs, clean and organize the barn. Mrs. Shetler posts on Facebook, manages the adoptable animal lists online, sends and receives the adoption and foster applications and helps plan fundraisers and other events.
"There is so much networking going on behind the scenes of any rescue organization," she said.
Calling herself "animal crazy," Mrs. Shetler said she is "thrilled" to be part of something that "has the capacity to change the lives of so many animals and people."
"It's so rewarding to see animals that came in completely terrified of humans interact with them over time and see them blossom into well-balanced, social beings. It's an incredible process."
Mrs. Shetler said she also appreciates Ms. Borden's idea of bringing in kids and giving them the opportunity to learn compassion and empathy.
"Melissa has realized this dream, and it was naturally something that I needed to be a part of," she said.
The volunteers come throughout the week but particularly on Wednesdays when Ms. Borden has a busy day with clients.
Megan Hajec of Ferndale learned about Ms. Borden and how she was helping feral dogs in Detroit.
Disabled in an accident, Ms. Hajec wasn't able to do work in the field, but by the time Ms. Borden bought the barn and acreage, she was getting better.
"I basically told her flat out that I simply had to be a part of this endeavor," she wrote in an e-mail.
She spends Wednesdays working with the feral dogs to build their trust.
"I basically do that with patience and meeting them at their own level of com-fort," she said. "We use a lot of canine body language to speak to them. We probably look crazy to anyone else, but it works."
She also cleans kennels and plans fundraising and adoption events, among other tasks.
For Ms. Hajec, she most enjoys the first signs of progress in a feral dog.
"It might just be as simple as a glance in my direction or eating a treat from my hand," she said. "Sends chills every time."
Volunteering has helped her, too.
"The barn has put me back together physically and emotionally after an accident that should've killed me," Ms. Hajec said. "I was out of work for a year and a half. A solid year of that was in physical therapy three days a week."
She said she has made more progress in flexibility and pain management by working in the barn — more than she was expected to regain.
"The animals need me, and I had to push my limits for them," Ms. Hajec said. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for the Devoted Barn. This place is truly about healing and compassion for all."
The Devoted Barn regularly hosts fundraisers. Residents also can volunteer or sponsor an animal's care by donating money. For details, visit www.devotedbarn.org


text:
Dear Skywatchers and Activists,
Here is a bit of video evidence that could help persuade fence-sitters and somewhat honest politicians. In the video you can see that two of the planes filmed, don't have passenger windows.
They're painted to mimic passenger jets yet, no windows, which means no window seats. Why would about 20 window-less planes spray aerosol over 9 million, let alone the world. This small observation could also help to upset disinfo "journalists" like the one who hacked away for Alternet's readership.
This entry was posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 at 8:34 pm and is filed under Aerosol Aircraft, Climate Engineers, Consensus Reality, Full Spectrum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
168 samplers found for State: 'TN'. ( Showing 111 - 120. )
1850 Martha E. Sutton
Sutton Family Governess?
Rover, Bedford Co.
181⁄2"V x 20"H © TSS 153
fibers: wool
ground: 20 ct. hemp
184? Lamisa F. Jordan
151⁄4"V x 183⁄4"H © TSS 154
fibers: silk and wool
ground: 20 ct. cotton
1841 Martha Ann Bruce
Red and Green Group
fibers: wool
1826 Ann L. West
Murfreesboro Female Academy
Murfreesboro, Rutherford Co.
143⁄4"V x 191⁄4"H © TSS 156
fibers: silk
ground: 32 ct. linen
1831 Mildred A. F. Nelson
Houses in Silk Group
Sam Davis Home, Smyrna
15"V x 15"H © TSS 157
fibers: silk
ground: 25 ct. linen
1830 Elizabeth Hays Donelson
Lebanon Female Academy (Green and White Group)
Lebanon, Wilson Co.
The Hermitage: Home of President Andrew Jackson, Nashville
153⁄4"V x 163⁄4"H © TSS 158
fibers: silk
ground: linen
1847 Isabella Frances Chrisman
Murfreesboro, Rutherford Co.
1819 Eliza Pitts Black
131⁄2"V x 81⁄4"H © TSS 161
fibers: silk
ground: 24 V/ 28 H ct. linen
1853 Fannie A. Wilson
131⁄2"V x 81⁄4"H © TSS 162
fibers: silk
ground: 24 ct. linen
1833 Nancy Jane Hughes
Little Dog Group
Columbia, Maury Co.
fibers: silk
ground: linen


text:
American Council on Exercise4851 Paramount DriveSan Diego, California 92123
The RPM Intensive is designed to take instructors to the next level. There is a special emphasis placed on the anatomy and kinesiology of each move and how to execute it properly. Focus is also given on how to coach the moves so that your class is able to be successful as well as safe in their execution of the moves.
Date & Time
Event Location
How Would You Rate This Product Out of 5 Stars?
If you need help selecting appropriate study materials for your fitness education, registering for an ACE exam or answering any questions about your certification, we're here to help. Expert consultants are available via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com, on Live Chat or by phone at the number below Monday-Friday, 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. (PST).
Sign up to receive emails about special offers, promotions, exclusive product information and news.


text:
Dennis A. Tito is a founder, Chairman and CEO of Wilshire Associates Incorporated. A native New Yorker, Mr. Tito earned his B.S. from New York University College of Engineering in astronautics and aeronautics, and an M.S. in engineering science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He later finished course requirements at the University of California, Los Angeles' Anderson School for a Ph.D. in finance. Mr. Tito became the world's first paying space traveler in 2001, when he flew with a Russian crew aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station.
Mr. Tito, who started his career as a rocket scientist, worked for five years for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the 1960s. There, he applied computing technologies to help plot the trajectories for the Mariner spacecraft mission to Mars. After helping to found Wilshire Associates in 1972, Mr. Tito created the index now known as the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Indexsm, the broadest measure of the U.S. securities markets and is credited with helping to develop the field of quantitative investment analysis, using mathematical tools to calculate market risks.


text:
Amcu's Amplats strike startsComment on this story
Johannesburg - Low attendance has been recorded at Anglo American Platinum mines in Rustenburg where a strike by Amcu started on Thursday, the company said.
"The company has recorded low attendance at its Rustenburg, Union and Amandelbult mines following the initiation of industrial action this morning and expects production to be impacted by the strike action," spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole said in a statement.
"Safe shutdown procedures have been implemented throughout all impacted operations."
Amplats said operations at its Mogalakwena mine were normal.
Members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union at Amplats, Lonmin in Marikana, and Impala Platinum mines wanted an entry-level monthly salary of R12,500.
On Tuesday, the companies said Amcu's wage demands were unaffordable and unrealistic.
Impala Platinum cancelled its Wednesday night shift at its Rustenburg operations and would continue to do so for the duration of Amcu's planned strike, the company said. This was to mitigate the risk of violence and ensure the safety of employees.
Amplats warned on Thursday that the strike was only legal for Amcu members.
Sithole said Amplats had ensured, through the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, that Amcu was aware of the picketing rules and that its members had to use designated areas.
The no-work no-pay principle would apply for employees who did not turn up for work.
The company urged strikers to respect their colleagues' right to work.
Amplats chief executive Chris Griffith said: "We are adamant that we will continue to engage with Amcu and have accepted the offer by the deputy president (Kgalema Motlanthe) for a government facilitated mediation process in order to find a resolution.
"Striking is not a constructive solution if we are to return the company to a sustainable financial footing and secure existing jobs."
Sithole said Amplats had put additional safety measures in place to ensure the strike was peaceful. - Sapa
Comment Guidelines
- Please read our comment guidelines.
- Login and register, if you haven' t already.
- Write your comment in the block below and click (Post As)
- Has a comment offended you? Hover your mouse over the comment and wait until a small triangle appears on the right-hand side. Click triangle () and select "Flag as inappropriate". Our moderators will take action if need be.
- Verified email addresses: All users on Independent Media news sites are now required to have a verified email address before being allowed to comment on articles. You are only required to verify your email address once to have full access to commenting on articles. For more information please read our comment guidelines


text:
NCPA Commentaries by Devon Herrick
Devon Herrick is a Senior Fellow for the National Center for Policy Analysis. While Herrick works on a number of issues, he concentrates on health care issues, such as Internet-based medicine, health insurance and the uninsured, as well as pharmaceutical drug issues.
Jan 01, 2009
Web Replaces Doctors as Patients' Top Health Information Source- Health Care News
A study by New York-based Manhattan Research has found people more frequently turn to the Internet for health information than seek information from their doctor. An estimated 145 million U.S. adults now turn to the Internet for information about diseases and other medical conditions.
Dec 01, 2008
Consumers Better With Competition
As a new Congress begins to look at health care insurance options, some of the more liberal members are already discussing proposals for a single?payer, universal health care plan.
Click here to read the entire commentary.
Nov 17, 2008
Health Reform Needs a Competitive National Marketplace
The Health Reform proposal championed by Sen. Max Baucus would require individuals to have health coverage, and force employers to contribute to its cost (mostly by reducing workers' take-home pay). In addition, millions more children and adults would be eligible for public subsidies, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP.
Click here to read the entire commentary.
Jun 01, 2008
Experts Debate Causes, Cures for Uninsured
April 27-May 3 was Cover the Uninsured Week, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-sponsored initiative to raise awareness about the millions of Americans who lack health coverage. The grassroots campaign included forums across the country at hospitals and community centers, seminars for small businesses, and information about enrolling in free or low-cost health plans.
Click here to read the entire commentary.
Apr 01, 2008
The 180-degree approach to medical benefits reform
President Bush has proposed a plan for insurance reform that would provide a standard income-tax deduction to cover medical expenses. The amount of the deduction would be the same, regardless of the amount of out-of-pocket medical expenditure, and would require purchase of a government-qualified plan with a Health Savings Account. Under this proposal, harmful government interference in the medical marketplace would continue. An alternate proposal, with the same cap on the tax benefit, would abolish tax favoritism for third-party expenditures and restore a true competitive marketplace.
Click here to read the entire commentary.
Jan 29, 2008
State Children's Health Insurance Program Expansion: Robin Hood in Reverse
Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I am Devon Herrick, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization dedicated to developing and promoting private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. I welcome the opportunity to share my views in writing regarding HR 3963.
The families of millions of children currently in SCHIP would have otherwise had private coverage, and most of the children that would be newly eligible already have private coverage. Furthermore, the cost of expansion would be borne by poor families and seniors.
Unnecessary Benefit.
Most uninsured children are already eligible for SCHIP or Medicaid. More than 8 million children lack coverage at some point during the year, and it is estimated that about 70 percent of these may qualify for public coverage. However, the duration of uninsured spells tends to be short, and only 4.9 million children are uninsured for the entire year. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), of the children who are uninsured for an entire year:
- More than one million children currently qualify for public coverage but are not enrolled.
- Another 1.1 million do not qualify because they are illegal (or temporary) immigrants.
- About 403,000 are income-eligible immigrants who have not been legal residents long enough to qualify for Medicaid benefits.
SCHIP expansion would do nothing to increase enrollment among children who are already eligible, and most of the additional children are already covered by private insurance.
Cost: Less Private Coverage.
Estimates vary, but virtually everyone agrees that expanding "free" (or highly subsidized) public insurance crowds out private insurance. For instance:
- Between half and three-quarters of spending on Medicaid expansions in the 1990s went to people who would have been privately insured, according to economist Jonathan Gruber.
- Up to 60 percent of spending on SCHIP is for people who otherwise would have been privately insured, according to Gruber's research.
Furthermore, the parents of children targeted for expansion have shown they want insurance coverage for their children badly enough to pay for it. On the other hand, since millions of uninsured children who already qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP have not enrolled, it is entirely possible most of the new spending will replace existing private coverage.
- In families earning 200 percent to 300 percent of the poverty-level income, 77 percent of children already have private coverage, according to the CBO.
- In families earning 300 percent to 400 percent of poverty, 90 percent of children are already covered by private health insurance.
Cost: Less Health Care for Children.
When their parents trade "free" coverage for private coverage, millions of children will have less access to care. The reason: Most SCHIP patients have less access than privately insured patients because the programs pay doctors the same, low reimbursement rates as Medicaid pays. A recent study found that two-thirds of Medicaid patients are unable to obtain an appointment for urgent ambulatory care, and in three-fourths of the cases, the reason is that the provider does not accept Medicaid. SCHIP enrollees face similar problems accessing care.
Cost: Higher Taxes on the Poor.
The Senate Finance Committee proposes to fund SCHIP expansion by hiking the federal cigarette tax by 61 cents a pack. Lower-income people are more likely to smoke than upper-income individuals. In fact, families in the lowest fifth of the income distribution spend 10 times as much of their earnings on tobacco as families in the highest fifth. Thus, the principal source of funding for middle-class kids would be taxes on the poor.
Cost: Higher Taxes on Future Generations.
Federal health spending is already out of control and SCHIP expansion will not help. In 2002, government spending on health care was nearly 7 percent of gross domestic product. Without significant reforms in Medicare, Medicaid and other programs, federal health outlays are on a course to increase to one-third of GDP by midcentury. The CBO estimates income taxes paid by the middle-class will reach 66 percent by 2050, and marginal tax rates for the highest earners will reach 92 percent!
The increase in federal spending on health insurance for kids will go largely to children who could have had private coverage anyway. Yet under SCHIP, these children will have less access to care than they currently have. Funding for this effort will come from people who have less income than the families who will benefit. And future generations are being ignored.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. I look forward to working with Subcommittee and Committee as this debate continues.
May 24, 2007
Put the children back in SCHIP
Originally published in: The Washington Times
A hot topic in the halls of state and federal government these days is health insurance, specifically children's health insurance.
The number of uninsured children in the U.S. is estimated at 8 million and counting. So many uninsured children must mean we're a failure on a grand scale. It means the government must step in to fix the crisis before children start dropping dead in the streets.
If you listen to most politicians, the oft-repeated policy prescription is to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The SCHIP program is a shared-responsibility entitlement. States pay an average of 30 percent of the program costs, and receive federal matching funds based on the state's population, its number of low-income children, and its number of low-income without insurance. States have three years to use their federal allotment or lose it.
In 2003, states had to return nearly $1 billion to the federal government. They quickly learned their lesson, however, and started expanding their SCHIP programs in an attempt to maximize their federal subsides.
Yet after 10 years of throwing tax dollars at this problem, an estimated 17 states now face budget shortfalls and, surprisingly, fewer children have insurance. How can this be? When states sought to use up their funds, they started covering children above the income requirement and started adding adults to the roles. In many cases, single adults with no children.
For example, of Minnesota's SCHIP enrollees, 87 percent were adults in 2005. Arizona has one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the country at 16 percent, yet 56 percent of its SCHIP enrollees are adults.
So, a program named for helping children now cannot help many uninsured children because the money is tied up covering adults. From this experience, it would seem intuitive that spending more money to continue down this path will do little for the 8 million uninsured children nationwide.
In 2003, when the states had to return the $1 billion, there was a major push to spend the leftover funds on outreach programs. Presumably, there was unspent money because not all eligible children were enrolled.
There are now an estimated 5.75 million children eligible for government aid but not enrolled (this includes Medicaid and SCHIP). That's more than 70 percent of uninsured children. So much for outreach.
Another reason this program's expansion offers little hope for reducing the number of uninsured children is what economists call "crowd-out." When government raises the income qualification, people who already have insurance often drop their private coverage, including employer coverage, to join an entitlement program they think is free. In fact, an estimated 50 cents to 75 cents spent on expanding government entitlement programs cover those who dropped private insurance.
That means we will spend more money to cover people who already had insurance. When states spend all their money, they come to back to the federal government with their hands out for more. And under SCHIP's provisions, they'll get it.
Rather than spend billions of taxpayer dollars to encourage parents to drop private coverage, we should encourage states to reform their insurance regulations to create more competition in health insurance, and as a result, more affordable and attractive options.
For instance, states should let insurers create health plans that do not have to cover a host of expensive mandated benefits. Taking it a step further, if the government allowed interstate competition in health insurance, any insurer licensed in one state would be free to offer products to residents in other states.
Another idea would be for states to subsidize private coverage when parents have access to an employer plan but have not enrolled themselves or their children because they couldn't afford their share of the premiums. Oregon has tried a similar idea for their Medicaid beneficiaries, with much success.
SCHIP was designed to achieve one specific goal: insurance for children. That goal has been lost in the mad scramble to not lose federal money. SCHIP should be scaled back to fulfill its original intent, and we need to explore better options for achieving that intent.
Throwing money at a problem has never worked. It didn't work in 1997 when SCHIP started, and it won't work today. We need better solutions that don't involved burdening American taxpayers and stunting our economy. Our children deserve better, and so do our hard-working, tax-paying adults.
Devon M. Herrick a senior fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis and co-author of "Lives at Risk: Single-Payer National Health Care Around the World."
Mar 15, 2007
Why Are Health Costs Rising?
Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, please accept my comments for the record regarding the March 15, 2007, hearing about providing health insurance for the uninsured. My comments focus specifically on the issue of health care prices. As was pointed out by many of the witnesses during the hearing, the price of health care is a significant issue to consider as the Subcommittee discusses health care reform.
Prices for medical services have been rising faster than prices of other goods and services for as long as anyone can remember. But the Subcommittee should consider that not all health care prices are rising. Although health care inflation is robust for those services paid by third-party insurance, prices are rising only moderately for services patients buy directly. For example, the real (inflation-adjusted) price of cosmetic surgery fell over the past decade - despite a huge increase in demand and considerable innovation.
Health Care Costs Rise When Others Pay. A primary reason why health care costs are soaring is that most of the time when people enter the medical marketplace, they are spending someone else's money. When patients pay their own medical bills, they are conservative consumers. Economic studies and common sense confirm that people are less likely to be prudent, careful shoppers if someone else is picking up the tab. Thus, the increase in spending has occurred because third parties - employers, insurance companies or government - pay almost all the bills.
The Extent of Third-Party Payment of Medical Bills. Although polls show that many people fear they will not be able to pay their medical bills from their own resources, the reality is that most people pay for only a small portion of their medical care:
- For every $1 worth of hospital care consumed, the patient pays only about three cents out of pocket, on the average; 97 cents is paid by a third party.
- For every $1 worth of physician services consumed, the patient pays less than 10 cents out of pocket, on the average.
- For the health care system as a whole, every time patients consume $1 in services, they pay only 14 cents out of pocket.
Thus, from an economic point of view, the incentive for patients is to consume hospital services until they are worth only three cents on the dollar, on the average. The incentive is to consume physicians' services until they are worth only 10 cents on the dollar. And for the health care system as a whole, patients have an incentive to utilize everything modern medicine offers until the value to them is only 14 cents out of the last dollar spent.
Medical Inflation. Health care costs over the past 40 years have risen as the proportion of health care paid for by third parties has increased. Prior to the advent of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, health care spending never exceeded 6 percent of gross domestic product. Today it is 16 percent. These two government programs unleashed a torrent of new spending and led to rising health care prices. For instance, a recent study by Amy Finkelstein of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that half the growth in health care expenditures was due to Medicare. There has also been an increase in tax-subsidized employer spending on health care. These two factors, rather than the cost of new technology and drugs, explain why health care costs outpace inflation.
Cosmetic Surgery Prices. Cosmetic surgery is one of the few types of medical care for which consumers pay almost exclusively out of pocket. Even so, the demand for cosmetic surgery exploded in recent years. Of the 10.2 million cosmetic procedures performed in 2005 that were tracked by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 1.8 million were surgical procedures. By comparison, in 1992 the American Society of Plastic Surgeons only tracked 413,208 cosmetic procedures - a fraction of those performed in 2005.
Despite this huge increase, cosmetic surgeons' fees remained relatively stable. The average increase in prices for medical services from 1992 through 2005 was 77 percent. [See the figure.] The increase in the price of all goods, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), was 39 percent. Cosmetic surgery prices only went up about 22 percent. Thus, while the price of medical services generally rose almost twice as fast as the CPI, the price of cosmetic surgery went up slightly more than half as much. Put another way, while the real price of health care paid for by third parties rose, the real price of self-pay medicine fell.
Another example of price competition is the market for corrective eye surgery. In 1999, only a few years after LASIK was approved, the price was about $2,100 per eye, according to the ophthalmic market research firm MarketScope. Within a short time, competition drove the price down to a slightly more than $1,600. The cost per eye of the standard LASIK is now about 20 percent lower than six years earlier. Competition held prices in check until a new innovation arrived for which patients were willing to pay more. By 2003 surgeons began to perform a newer, more-advanced custom wavefront-guided LASIK procedure.
Keeping Costs Down. What explains this price stability? One reason is patient behavior. When patients pay with their own money, they have an incentive to be savvy consumers. A second reason is supply. For instance, as more people demanded cosmetic surgery procedures, more surgeons began to provide them. A third reason is efficiency. Many providers are increasing their efficiency by locating operating rooms in their clinics, a less-expensive alternative to outpatient hospital surgery. And providers often adjust their fees to stay competitive and usually quote patients a package price. Absent are the gatekeepers, prior authorization and large medical office billing staffs needed when third-party insurance pays the fees. A fourth reason is innovation and the emergence of substitute products.
Fostering Competition. When providers compete for business, the market fosters competition. In competitive markets, producers seek to reduce costs and to offer products that meet customer demands. However, instead of a competitive national market for health insurance, we operate under a patchwork of 50 different sets of state regulations. Since each state insurance market is protected from interstate competition, legislators often require insurers to cover services that drive up premiums. For example, about one-fourth of states mandate benefit packages that cover acupuncture and marriage counseling. More than half require coverage for social workers and 60 percent for contraceptives. Seven states require coverage for hairpieces and nine, hearing aids. Needless to say, these mandates drive up the cost of providing health insurance, often making it prohibitively expensive for an insurer licensed in one state to do business in another state. As a result, consumers have little choice among plans. In many localities, only one insurance product is available, so the consumer is forced to buy an overpriced product, or forgo insurance altogether.
Fostering Innovation. When patients directly control their health care dollars, not only do prices go down, medical providers begin to offer innovative services to meet the demand of empowered patients. Telephone consultations, walk-in retail clinics, electronic medical records, and personalized care are among the innovative services provided by doctors. These new physician services tend to have two characteristics: (a) they offer patients greater convenience and (b) they step outside normal reimbursement channels. Furthermore, many of these innovations (such as electronic medical records) dramatically improve the delivery of quality health care.
Conclusion. As the Subcommittee deliberates health care issues, I hope you will consider the relationship between the competitive healthcare marketplace and stable prices. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Jan 11, 2007
Wal-Mart Drug Discounts Increase Competition and Lower Prices
In September 2006, Wal-Mart rolled out a plan to sell 291 generic prescription medications at $4 for a 30-day supply at selected pharmacies in Florida. At the same time, it announced plans to expand the program to 14 additional states.
By late October, another 12 states had been added to the program, and the number of generic medications available had increased to 314, including multiple doses of the same drug. In mid-November the company announced it was adding 11 new states and 17 new prescriptions to the program, bringing 38 states under the $4 drug umbrella.
Excluding multiple doses, Wal-Mart now sells about 160 unique drugs at $4 per prescription.
Generic drugs are a bargain for Americans. In 2005, they rang up sales topping more than $28 billion in the United States, according to IMS Health, a market research firm that tracks the pharmaceutical industry.
The Generic Pharmaceutical Association estimates that although generic drugs represent only about 12 percent of drug spending, they comprise more than 53 percent of all drugs sold in the United States.
Discounting Popular Meds
RxList.com, an independent Web site, features a list of the most widely prescribed medications. Nearly one-third of the 30 most prescribed drugs are available at Wal-Mart for $4 (an additional one-third of the top 30 prescribed drugs are branded medications).
According to Wal-Mart, the list of discounted drugs represents about 25 percent of the drugs it sells.
Dr. Gerald Musgrave, president of Economics America, a consulting firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and coauthor of the book Patient Power, said that by announcing flat pricing and publishing a list of drugs offered at the discounted price, Wal-Mart has created greater competition in the generic market.
"Making its list of covered medications public is squaring off directly against its big-time competitors, as well as the dwindling fringe of local mom-and-pop pharmacies. Both are formidable adversaries," Musgrave said. "If Wal-Mart has its traditional success in raising the living standards of millions of customers, via lower drug prices, it may also generate new detractors who will seek political advantage to accomplish what they can't win in the marketplace."
Forcing Competition
Within a day of Wal-Mart's initial announcement, other retail stores followed suit.
Target announced it would match Wal-Mart's price, and K-Mart has begun selling 184 generic prescriptions at $15 for each 90-day supply. At press time, two chains, Giant Eagle and Meijer, had plans to give away seven different generic antibiotics at their locations.
Actions like this worry Dr. Stephen Schondelmeyer, director of the Prime Institute College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota, who cautions against using drugs for the wrong reasons.
"Getting the best value on a drug is a good thing. But it is not the best value if the drug is not needed or [not] used appropriately," Schondelmeyer explained. "[The antibiotic] Amoxicillin is a good drug. But we shouldn't be using this to treat a viral cold just because it only costs $4, or even if it is free."
Schondelmeyer urges caution. He says patients should not ask their doctor to prescribe drugs only from Wal-Mart's $4 list, because a few of the drugs on it are not the safest, best generic drug available for a particular condition. In other cases, some of Wal-Mart's $4 drugs are good but are already available over the counter.
Driving Prices Down
Dr. Robert Graboyes, a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis who teaches economics and health policy at three universities in Virginia, thinks Wal-Mart's move could affect the pharmaceutical industry.
"The real story here is not so much quantitative, but qualitative. The news is not how much they might drive down prices, but rather the fact that somebody is driving down prices at all," Graboyes said.
"Assuming the program works well for Wal-Mart, the effect on competitors could be profound," Graboyes continued. "That's been the case with so much of Wal-Mart's product line. They've demonstrably driven down consumer prices nationally."
Increasing Business
Wal-Mart will likely see its business increase. According to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, in 2005 the average generic prescription drug sold for about $29.82 (compared to $101.71 for name-brand prescriptions) for a 30-day supply.
A Kaiser Family Foundation report released in October found the average co-pay for generic drugs on an employer-sponsored health plan is about $11. At that rate, paying retail at Wal-Mart is nearly two-thirds less expensive on some generic drugs than a standard drug plan co-payment.
Wal-Mart's standard pricing and published list will surely save consumers some of the effort of calling numerous locations, Graboyes said. The price of generic drugs varies widely from region to region and from one store to the next.
For instance, the Web site MyFloridaRx.com tracks retail drug prices across the state of Florida. A search made in November found prices for Fluoxetine (30 20mg capsules), the generic form of Prozac, ranging from $5.20 at Citrus Health Network Pharmacy to $142.30 at a pharmacy owned by Luper Corporation.
Once the Web site is updated, the lowest price on Fluoxetine in the state of Florida should be $4 at Wal-Mart.
Jan 11, 2007
Canadians Wait Longer for Medical Care
In recent years, patients treated by the Canadian health care system have increasingly experienced lengthy waits to see providers.
According a new study on medical care in Canada, released in October 2006 by the Fraser Institute, "waiting times are the legacy of a medical system offering low expectations cloaked in lofty rhetoric."
Since the mid-1980s, the Vancouver-based think tank has produced an annual report on how long patients are required to wait for medical care in Canada. As a result of the group's research, treatment waiting times are now part of the public policy debate on the quality of the Canadian health care system.
Waiting ...
In its 16th annual installment, the report titled "Waiting Your Turn" tracks how waiting times vary across Canadian provinces depending on the type of treatment needed. The report also documents waiting times for referral to specialists and the subsequent amount of time spent waiting for actual treatment from the specialist.
"Despite all of the promises made by Canada's provincial and federal governments, and despite the fact that Canadians are spending more on health care than ever before, the total wait time in Canada continues to hover near the 18-week mark as it has since 2003," coauthor Nadeen Esmail said in an interview for this article. "Equally troubling is the reality that the total wait time in 2006 is 91 percent longer than it was in 1993."
These findings should give pause to proponents of universal coverage, who often cite Canada as an example of a country where health care costs less than care in the United States and everyone has free health care at the point of service.
"While many proclaim Canada's Medicare program to be one of the best in the world, or suggest it should be the model for reform in the United States," Esmail said, "the reality is that health spending in Canada outpaces that in most other developed nations that, like Canada, guarantee access to care regardless of ability to pay, and yet access to health care in this country lags that available in most of these other nations."
... and Waiting
In 2006, the average amount of time spent waiting to receive treatment after referral by a general practitioner averaged 17.8 weeks across Canada. At 14.9 weeks, Ontario had the shortest waits. Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick had average waits of 25.8 weeks, 28.5 weeks, and 31.9 weeks, respectively.
Patients referred to a neurosurgeon waited an average of 21 weeks just to see a specialist. Getting treatment required an additional 10.7 weeks.
Patients waited an average of 16.2 weeks to see an orthopedic surgeon, and another 24.2 weeks for treatment to be performed after the initial visit.
The number of people routinely waiting for services is staggering, according to the report. In 2003, the most recent year for which data were available from Statistics Canada, approximately 1.1 million people had trouble accessing care on a timely basis.
About 201,000 had problems obtaining non-emergency services. An additional 607,000 had problems getting in to see a specialist, and about 301,000 patients experienced problems obtaining diagnostic procedures.
"So much for the myth of government-run health care being compassionate and fair," said David Gratzer, a Canadian doctor and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. "Canadians wait and wait and wait."
In Canada, waiting lists are considered a way of rationing medical care and holding down health care spending. Because health care in Canada is largely free at the point of service, demand is likely to exceed supply.
In a typical market system, the price would adjust to the point where the quantity of services provided is equal to the amount patients are willing to buy. But in a system devoid of a market mechanism, scarce resources are rationed through means other than price.
"The long waits for needed care in Canada show the danger of abandoning markets in favor of central planning," explained Sean Parnell, vice president of external relations at The Heartland Institute, an Illinois-based think tank. "Just as there were long lines for food and other basic necessities in the old Soviet Union because planners couldn't accurately match supply with demand, the politicians and bureaucrats who run health care in Canada can't provide enough health care to meet the citizens' needs."
Gratzer agreed.
"It's like the old Soviet system," Gratzer said. "Everything is free, but nothing is readily available. Except that we're not talking about lining up for toilet paper in Russia in 1976, but queuing for surgery in Canada in 2006."
Economists generally agree such "non-price" rationing of resources is less efficient than a system that uses prices. One reason is that productivity is lost when people are unable to work due to treatment delays. Also, the risk of death while waiting is higher for serious conditions such as cardiac care.
Waiting lists are consequences of the way the Canadian health care system is structured, not a lack of money, critics say.
"The fact that this is the 16th annual report on wait lists for needed care should be enough to prove that the problem isn't a temporary one that can be fixed with just a little more money, as defenders of Canada's government-run system have claimed for years," Parnell said.
"Long waits and widespread denial of needed care are a permanent and necessary part of government-run systems," Parnell noted.
According to the study, Canadian provinces with higher spending per capita did not experience shorter wait times than provinces that spent less.
In fact, increased spending was associated with longer waits, unless the increased spending was targeted to physicians and pharmaceuticals.
"The current health care model simply does not deliver to Canadians the access to care they should expect for the amount of money their governments are spending," Esmail said.
Yearly Archives


text:
The Hawkline Monster Reminds Us That We're Still Just Animals
Mike Vitale is an eclectic consumer, from the idiosyncratic writings of Richard Brautigan, whose book, "The Hawkline Monster" is the genesis of his bands name, to the Beach Boys he remembers singing along to in fifth grade and the classic musical that infused his days in choir. Those influences permeate the original songs he's created on his band's debut album, "We Create and We Are Created."
One musical inference that most likely isn't in Vitale's lexicon is Johnny Paycheck. But had he not followed instructions in one of Paycheck's songs--taking his job and shoving it up his boss' ass--it's quite possible his band, and its record, wouldn't exist.The 35-year-old Long Beach resident opted to jump full-title into music after chucking his job at a successful internet web hosting company in 2008.
"I was just sitting there watching the owners of the company take family vacations to Europe and buying new Maseratis," Vitale says. "And meanwhile, for the employees it was like being in a giant bee hive all working for the Queen Bee. One day the boss called me into his office and started screaming at me that I was doing a terrible job. And I had busted my ass for that company. And I just figured, fuck it, if I was working that hard for someone else, I might as well work for myself."
The Internet's loss was local music's gain. He jumped full-time into music, something he'd been working at since around 2000, when he moved from his hometown of Visalia to Fullerton, cutting his chops at places like the McClains Coffee Shop, and the now-defunct Hub Cafe and Plush Lab, playing alongside fellow singer-songwriters like Mike Barnet and Tyrone Wells. He also immersed himself in the fertile Long Beach scene, rubbing chords in the same places as people like Brett Bixby, Jay Buchanan, and Rocco DeLucca.
"That's really what this band is about," he said. "Just me getting together with some of the many musicians I've come to know over the years."
A rotating roster of local musicians helped Vitale on the album, but the core involves himself, drummer Frank Reina and bass player Brad Cummings, and percussionist/sampler Tonatiuh Hernandez, who will join him on his three local gigs this weekend.
Sponsor Content


text:
- School of Engineering
- About Us
- Academics
- Undergraduate
- Graduate
- Research
- More...
The Frugal Innovation Lab is a collaborative space for students and faculty to work with industry partners and NGOs to research and implement new technologies for consumers in emerging markets. The lab environment, along with expert faculty guidance, facilitates the critical transition from theoretical learning to practical skill application.
FIL distinguishes itself from other international innovation programs by closely integrating the classroom curriculum and hands-on work with our network of alumni from SCU's Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) program. Through these ready-made partnerships, unique to Santa Clara, students come to understand the necessity of frugal innovation as they address the specific design constraints and engineering challenges faced by GSBI social entrepreneurs.
Mobile Lab
This 'Lab Within a Lab' serves as one of the main programmatic elements of the Frugal Innovation Lab. Students are able to collaborate with faculty members from all disciplines as well as social enterprises to develop mobile applications and platforms that allow for the pursuance of improvements in health care, clean water, and livelihood development.
Frugal Innovation Lab | Bannan Labs Building 404
500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053
1-408-554-2334 | email@example.com


text:
Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra: 'A Lot of Women Would Die to Look' Like Jessica Simpson
Originally posted 01/31/2009 03:15PM
And the outpouring of support for Jessica Simpson continues!
"She's a gorgeous girl," Carmen Electra told PEOPLE Friday night at the 6th annual Leather & Laces Super Bowl Party in Tampa of her "good friend" Simpson. "A lot of women would die to look as good as she looks."
In fact, Electra believes much of the controversy surrounding Simpson, 28, and her curvier body can be chalked up to the outfit she was wearing the day she performed in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Carmen Gets a Tropical Spray Tan!
Originally posted 01/27/2009 06:00AM
It's winter – but Carmen Electra still wants that sun-kissed glow. The starlet popped into the Ole Henricksen spa at Los Angeles's Sunset Plaza for a tropical tan. The process involves an exfoliation scrub, tropical rain rinse and a spray tan.
Caught in the Act!
Originally posted 01/27/2009 06:00AM
It's winter – but Carmen Electra still wants that sun-kissed glow. The starlet popped into the Ole Henricksen spa at Los Angeles's Sunset Plaza for a tropical tan. The process involves an exfoliation scrub, tropical rain rinse and a spray tan.
Carmen Electra's Wedding Advice: Don't Marry in Vegas!
Originally posted 01/05/2009 07:45AM
After a couple of failed marriages under her belt, Carmen Electra feels comfortable dishing out a smart suggestion.
"My advice to anyone is to not get married in Vegas," she tells PEOPLE. "Do not get married at the drive-thru in Vegas, especially. Take your time – enjoy it!"
Electra, 36, adds: "It's important to think out marriage in general because it's a huge commitment. Besides that, I hate to say it, but it's a lot of paperwork and a lot of emotions. It can be difficult."
Carmen Electra to Pose for Playboy
Originally posted 11/12/2008 01:40PM
We're about to see a whole lot more of Carmen Electra: The model-actress is set to appear in an all-new, 8-page nude pictorial in January's Playboy, a source at the magazine tells PEOPLE.
Electra, 36, first posed for the publication in 1996 – a move that helped transform the Ohio-based girl next door, who was born Tara Leigh Patrick, into an international pin-up star.
The January issue, which marks the 55th anniversary of Playboy magazine, goes on sale Dec. 12.
– Mark Dagostino
Carmen Electra Won't Be Pressured Into Marriage
Originally posted 11/01/2008 06:45PM
She's wearing an engagement ring, but Carmen Electra is in no rush to say "I do," she said in Las Vegas Friday.
"That's the thing this time – we're going to avoid everyone else's pressure and go at our own pace," said the actress while hosting a Halloween party at Rok Vegas Friday night.
Dressed as a Vegas cigarette and cigar girl, the Disaster Movie star was joined by fiancé Rob Patterson who wore a priest outfit with devil horns.
Carmen Electra Shows Off Her Engagement Ring, Talks Marriage and Kids
Originally posted 06/23/2008 02:30PM
Showing off her black diamond engagement ring set in white diamonds, Carmen Electra talked about her upcoming marriage to guitarist Rob Patterson last night during a visit to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
"I like this ring because it is gothic," says the actress – wearing a sparkly blue cocktail dress designed by Jenny Packham – who was dealt the first hand of blackjack ever played at the casino.
Rocker Patterson, who officially inaugurated the casino's new card games by smashing a guitar into bits as confetti exploded, proposed to Electra on her 36th birthday, April 20, at Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas.
"She's a really great girl," Patterson, 37, a former touring guitarist with the alternative rock band Korn, tells PEOPLE. "She's beautiful."
Carmen Electra: 'So Much Pressure' for Wedding
Originally posted 06/06/2008 08:40AM
Is Carmen Electra getting cold feet about walking down the aisle with guitarist Rob Patterson?
Well, not exactly, though the actress-model complains about the constant barrage of questions about their impending plans.
"It's funny, everyone else puts so much pressure, [asking], 'When are you getting married?' " Electra told PEOPLE at the Dodge Celebrity Challenger event at California's Willow Springs Raceway. "If it was up to everybody else, we'd be married and divorced already."
Carmen Electra Hopes To Be a Mom 'Someday'
Originally posted 05/25/2008 04:10PM
Carmen Electra may be completely smitten with her fiancé Rob Patterson, but she says motherhood can wait – for now.
"I hope to be a mom some day, but I'm not rushing to be one," Electra told PEOPLE at Shrine at MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut. "It would be a lot of fun. A lot of hard work, but I'll look forward to it someday."
The bombshell took a detour from filming her latest movie Mardi Gras in New Orleans to meet Patterson's parents. "They're really cool," she says. "We had a great day today and ... we're looking forward to doing some dancing then going straight back to New Orleans."
Carmen Electra: 'I Was Definitely Open to Love Again'
Originally posted 05/12/2008 02:00PM
Carmen Electra is no stranger to marriage. But two failed unions – to Dennis Rodman and Dave Navarro – didn't make the actress jaded.
"I was definitely open to love again," the recently engaged Electra told PEOPLE in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel on Saturday.
Love is exactly what she found with former touring Korn guitarist Rob Patterson, who popped the question in April by giving her a black diamond.
"The last couple weeks have been amazing on a lot of different levels," the Meet The Spartans star said at a junket for the film. "Rob is amazing. We were great friends and it actually turned into something much more."
Top 5 Most Voted Stories
Daphne Oz Goes on Family Beach Outing One Month After Giving Birth
Gia Giudice and Her Sisters Celebrate First Thanksgiving Without Mom Teresa, Last with Dad Joe
Kentucky Woman Contracts an Infection, Undergoes Emergency Surgery – Likely Due to the Glitter Hair Tie She Wore on Her Wrist
A Vine Superstar, a Teenage Pageant Girl and a Transgender Princess: Meet the Keswani Family!
Inside Ben Carson's House: An Homage to Himself (and Jesus)
Top 10 News Categories
The most buzzed about stars this minute!
Treat Yourself! 4 Preview Issues
More On PEOPLE.com
Got a News Tip?
Send it to our People.com editors!
News Archive


text:
November 25, 2015
Around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, the Williamstown Volunteer Fire Department was called to a structure fire on West Fourth Street.
When crews arrived the structure was fully involved.
The Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, Williamstown Police, and Mon Power were all on hand.
Witnesses on scene say two people were living in the duplex and both made it out without injury.
No further details were immediately available.
We will update as more becomes known.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


text:
(A) Causes for penalty charges include: reports required by BE that are incomplete, inaccurate or late; payments of any type required by BE except payments required by the BGA, that are unpaid, incomplete or late; or checks returned for insufficient funds. The following penalty charges and actions shall be implemented except when the operator submits an untimely report or payment due to a verified admission for hospitalization of the operator, or the death of the operator or the operator's legal spouse, or when documented disaster or destruction of the facility or business records materially interferes with the operator's ability to file reports or make payments in a timely manner. In either instance reports or payments must be submitted within fifteen calendar days of the original due date. The progression of penalties shall apply on a per-facility basis.
(1) The first occurrence in any federal fiscal year an operator has cause for penalty as cited in paragraph (A) of this rule, the operator shall receive written notice from BSVI that subsequent occurrences during the federal fiscal year shall be cause for monetary penalties.
(2) The second occurrence in any federal fiscal year an operator has cause for penalty as cited in paragraph (A) of this rule, a penalty of one hundred dollars shall be added to the billing invoice for service charge. If the operator upon the first imposition of this monetary penalty successfully completes a BE approved training the occurrence will be withdrawn. Upon the next occurrence the penalty shall be applied as a second occurrence and any subsequent occurrence shall progress to paragraph (A)(3) of this rule.
(3) The third occurrence or more in any federal fiscal year an operator has cause for penalty as cited in paragraph (A) of this rule, a penalty of two hundred dollars shall be added to the billing invoice.
(4) The fourth occurrence shall result in a two hundred dollar penalty, corrective action plan, and additional record reviews as deemed appropriate. Such records reviews may be conducted by RSC, its designee or agent.
(5) In applying the above cited penalties, each occurrence in a federal fiscal year shall result in a progression of the penalties.
(6) In addition to the above cited penalties and actions, the operator shall be charged a fifty-dollar program service fee for payments returned for insufficient funds.
(B) The BSVI director may immediately suspend the BOA for up to fourteen calendar days which shall not be considered discipline:
(1) When the actions or inactions of the operator places BE in jeopardy of immediately losing the facility because of noncompliance with the permit or BGA;
(2) If the operator is absent from the location pursuant to rule 3304:1-21-04 of the Administrative Code causing the facility to be closed or temporarily closed in violation of the BGA;
(3) If the operator is indicted and, or engaging in criminal activity as defined in paragraph (M) of rule 3304:1-21-01 of the Administrative Code;
(4) If the actions or inactions of the operator cause or allow conditions to exist, which present a clear and present danger to the operator or others.
(C) The BSVI director shall terminate the BOA for the following reasons:
(1) Failure to pay any fee required through the BOA by close of business on the fifteenth calendar day after receipt of the thirty day notice. Copies of the notice shall be sent to the area OVRC representative and alternate;
(2) Failure of an operator to submit an MOR or inventory at the designated BE location by close of business on the fifteenth calendar day after receipt of the thirty day notice. Copies of the notice shall be sent to the area OVRC representative and alternate;
(3) Termination of the BGA, whether voluntary or involuntary;
(4) Revocation or suspension of the operator's license in accordance with rule 3304:1-21-13 of the Administrative Code;
(5) BE approval of a thirty day written notice of resignation by the operator to BE;
(6) The date on which the closing inventory required in rule 3304:1-21-07 of the Administrative Code is conducted;
(7) As otherwise listed in Chapter 3304:1-21 of the Administrative Code.
(D) Upon certification to the attorney general's office for past due program charges, BE may revoke as operator's license in accordance with rule 3304:1-21-13 of the Administrative Code unless paid in full within one hundred twenty days of certification.
(E) Any unpaid program charges more than forty-five days past due shall have a twenty-five per cent penalty added to the total of unpaid program charges and shall then be forwarded to the state of Ohio, attorney general's office, collection recovery unit in accordance with section 131.02 of the Revised Code.
Replaces: 3304:1-21-09
Effective: 01/01/2010
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 11/19/2014
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 3304.29(D)
Rule Amplifies: 3304.28, 3304.34
Prior Effective Dates: 3/21/79, 5/1/83, 1/12/90, 11/1/93, 10/4/99, 10/1/06


text:
|Looking through the right end of the telescope: creating a focused vision for a school of nursing.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 15559776 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
|The challenges facing nursing higher education necessitate that academic administrators have a focused vision for their schools of nursing. Nursing, like other areas of higher education, embraced the concept of strategic planning to set priorities, use resources wisely, and take advantage of available opportunities that were consistent with the strategic direction. While there has been a shift toward a less-structured approach to planning, nursing deans need tools to assess the environment, make rational decisions, set priorities, plan for change, and develop strategies to meet the short-term and long-term goals of the unit. Given the challenges facing nursing education and higher education, the need for a planning approach is critical. The case study in this article describes a flexible and creative approach to the planning process that helped the University of Virginia School of Nursing set priorities and achieve its goals.
|Paula Milone-Nuzzo; Jeanette Lancaster
Related Documents :
|17379106 - Flood injury in horses.
9060346 - Perceptions about nursing care. comparing elders' and nurses' priorities.
23174836 - Nursing care practices at an outpatient care center from an integrative perspective.
23987716 - It is okay to cry at work but only when well away from patients.
16552766 - Facile preparation of biodegradable chitosan derivative having poly(butylene glycol adi...
12715626 - State-mandated staffing ratios within esrd: benefits and costs.
Publication Detail:
|Type: Journal Article; Review
Journal Detail:
|Title: The Journal of nursing education Volume: 43 ISSN: 0148-4834 ISO Abbreviation: J Nurs Educ Publication Date: 2004 Nov
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2004-11-22 Completed Date: 2004-12-23 Revised Date: 2005-11-16
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 7705432 Medline TA: J Nurs Educ Country: United States
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: 506-11 Citation Subset: IM; N
|The Pennsylvania State University School of Nursing, 201 Health and Human Development, East University Park, PA 16802, USA. email@example.com
Export Citation:
|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
Decision Making, Organizational*
Education, Nursing / organization & administration*
Faculty, Nursing / organization & administration*
Interpersonal Relations
Nurse Administrators / organization & administration*
Nursing Administration Research
Nursing Faculty Practice / organization & administration*
Organizational Case Studies
Organizational Innovation
Organizational Objectives
Professional Competence / standards
United States
Universities / organization & administration
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Building high-impact science: the dean as innovator.
Next Document: Travel tips for a journey into academic administration.


text:
GWC Nursing Department News
Nursing Applications
- GWC School of Nursing will be accepting application packets in January at the Enrollment Center at the Photo ID Booth (Not in the School of Nursing office) Applications will only be accepted on the following dates: January 15th – 29th, 2016
- Official transcripts from all colleges must be submitted separately to the Enrollment Center - Transcript Officer
- Click on the icon below "How to Apply" for the application and the instructions to apply to GWC School of Nursing
- View the icon "Interested in Becoming a Registered Nurse" for additional documents and important updated curriculum information
Welcome to the GWC School of Nursing
The School of Nursing at GoldenWest College offers a program at leads to an Associate Degree in Nursing and qualifies the graduate to take the National Licensing exam to become a Registered Nurse. Our program is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc.
|Interested in Becoming a Registered Nurse?
|How to Apply
|Online Nursing
|Transfer Students
Federal Gainful Employment Reports
Use the link below to view Golden West College's gainful employment reports. These reports provide you, the student, with important information regarding the costs, benefits and potential employment options of our certificate programs.
Federal Gainful Employment Reports


text:
Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Wednesday was 12-12-12, and for one Columbia couple, it was eventful as they welcomed a new member to their family.
Little Crosley Garrison was bornat 12:12 p.m. to his parents Paul and Meredith Davis.He weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces and was 20 and a half inches long.
His mom says this was his actually due date, butthey didn't expect him to arrive at 12:12.
The baby was born at Palmetto Health Hospital.
Crosley is the second baby for the couple. They also have a two-year-old boy.


text:
Crossing Guards Become Big Brothers
If you wanted a sure sign that the Orwell-ization of Great Britain is underway, then look no further than this. Lollipop ladies, those kindly old women who man the main roads next to school, similar to the US crossing guard, have been issued with video cameras to record lollipop rage—as school-side road rage is known. »


text:
Resolution: standard / high
Figure 4.
17-DMAG is synergistic with cisplatin for Brca1 parental and cancer stem cells. Cells were treated with increasing concentrations of cisplatin, 17-DMAG (17-dimethylaminoethylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin hydrochloride), or a combination of both drugs at a constant 1:3 ratio. (a) Simultaneous treatment for 48 hours. The open circles and dotted lines represent exposure to 17-DMAG, the filled circles and dotted lines represent exposure to cisplatin as single agents, and the filled squares linked by a solid line show combination. (b) Sequential addition of the drugs. The filled circles show exposure for 48 hours to cisplatin, the open circles and dotted lines represent 24 hours pf exposure to 17-DMAG, and the filled squares linked by a solid line show combination. The ordinate indicates concentrations of cisplatin, and the error bars represent ± standatd deviation from sextuplicates wells of one of more than three independent experiments. (c) Visual representation of Combination Index (CI) for each combination calculated using CalcuSyn Software. The closed circles represent simultaneous treatment and the open circles represent sequential addition of cisplatin followed by 17-DMAG. Values of CI below 1 indicate synergy, values above 1 represent antagonism, and CI = 1 corresponds to an additive effect. (d) 17-DMAG sensitizes parental and cancer stem cells to Cisplatin. CI for cisplatin and 17-DMAG added simultaneously (+) or sequentially (→) to parental cells or cells sorted for putative cancer stem cell markers. Data are derived from more than three independent experiments.
Wright et al. Breast Cancer Research 2008 10:R10 doi:10.1186/bcr1855


text:
Industrial Strength Theater
The "black box" type community theater is located in an industrial warehouse space. The facility is primarily used as a performing arts center, but may also be rented for other types of functions. The theater's carpeted lobby and raked seating for 120 enhance the facility which is equipped with theatrical lighting system and an audio control booth


text:
WASH Advocates is a nonprofit, nonpartisan initiative dedicated to helping solve the global safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenge. Our mission is to increase awareness of the global WASH challenge and solutions, and to increase the amount and effectiveness of resources devoted to those solutions throughout the developing world.
WASH Advocates' role is to:
- Help provide more safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene more sustainably to communities throughout the developing world. This entails increasing awareness of the WASH challenge and solutions, and most importantly converting that heightened awareness into financial, technical, and human resources flowing to the sector.
- Catalyze stronger, leveraged partnerships between foundations, corporations, civic/faith groups, implementing nonprofits, schools and universities, the United States Government, and others.
- Increase WASH advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and within the U.S. Administration, notably the Department of State and USAID.
- Catalyze and support the WASH advocacy efforts of indigenous civil society networks and leaders in developing countries.
- Encourage the U.S. and global media to more effectively cover WASH challenges and solutions.
WASH Advocates is the successor organization to Water Advocates (2005 – 2010) and was launched in early 2012 as a project of the New Venture Fund. WASH Advocates is fully funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Wallace Genetic Foundation, and Osprey Foundation.
WASH Advocates neither implements projects nor seeks donations for itself, but works to increase the amount and effectiveness of resources for the global water, sanitation, and hygiene sector as a whole.
If you would like to join our efforts, please reach out to us at firstname.lastname@example.com or (202) 293-4002.


text:
- Age / Gender:
- n/a, Male
- Location:
- Location not disclosed
- Joined:
- 8/24/09
- All Stats >
User Statshot
- Community Stats
Level 1 Blank Slate
Normal Whistle
Ranked as Civilian
Contact Info / Websites
Recent Game Medals
Shortcut 1 50 Points find a shortcut Medal Stats.
Shortcut 2 50 Points find another shortcut Medal Stats.
Battery Powered 5 Points Pick up a battery Medal Stats.
Girly Tantrum 5 Points Be possessed by the warped little girl Medal Stats.
A Can named Jerry 5 Points Pick up some fuel Medal Stats.
Rough Boys Play 5 Points Be possessed by the warped little boy Medal Stats.
Total Medals Earned: 330 (From 31 different games.)


text:
SHANGHAI — General Motors executives said they expect China auto sales to balloon to about 35 million vehicles by 2022, which would make the market bigger than the U.S. and Europe combined.
Between 2012 and 2022, we believe China is going to outpace all the markets around the world, GM China President Bob Socia said in a group interview at the automakers China headquarters.
Tim Lee, president of GMs International Operations unit, which includes China, acknowledged that Chinese economic growth has been very lumpy.
The countrys gross domestic product growth slipped to 7.7% in the first quarter, renewing concerns that Chinas double-digit growth days are over.
But Lee said economic growth is sweeping from the countrys wealthy east coast to its poorer interior, opening up new opportunities for vehicle sales growth.
No market is more critical than the China market for us, Lee said.
Yale Zhang, managing director of Automotive Foresight Shanghai, said industry sales of 30 million vehicles by 2022 is reachable.
GM and its joint ventures sold 2.8 million vehicles in China in 2012, up 11.3%, and the companys market share rose a full percentage point to 14.6%.
In the first quarter of 2013, GMs market share rose to 15.1%. Executives said they believe GM can continue to steal market share from its competitors as the market grows.
Still, the automaker faces a number of hurdles in China, including customers preferences for German luxury brands and the governments subsidies for local carmakers.
Right now, GM is benefiting from new products and the struggles of the Japanese automakers, which posted a 21% decline in vehicle sales in the first quarter, according to Barclays.
Chinese consumers have been fleeing Japanese brands since tension flared between China and Japan last year over a territorial dispute.
Lots of people think this is a temporary thing. Well have to wait and see, Socia said.
Socia said GM would introduce 17 new or refreshed models this year in China, the companys largest vehicle market.
Lee said the companys International Operations unit would introduce about 50 new products in 2013, up from 18 in 2012.
Among the models GM recently introduced in China is the Buick Encore, a compact crossover that hit U.S. showrooms earlier this year and is sold in Europe as the Opel Mokka.
Lee, who also serves as GMs global manufacturing chief, said the Encore is arguably the hottest car around.
Its doing incredibly well, he said. I keep asking myself, why cant we build more of these?
The company also recently started selling the Cadillac XTS in China after launching production at a plant in Shanghai. The automaker has outlined an ambitious plan to triple Cadillac sales to 100,000 units by 2015.
We will be launching a new Cadillac every year from now to 2016, Socia said. Weve got our sights set very strongly on the luxury market and we feel that Cadillac is going to help us out in that regard.
Socia said the company plans to localize many of the new Cadillac vehicles for the Chinese market.
Hans-Werner Kaas, director of McKinsey & Co.s auto practice, said premium vehicle sales will grow at an annual rate of about 12% through 2020, compared to a projected growth rate of 8% for overall sales.
Cadillac faces huge challenges in reaching Chinese luxury buyers, who prefer Germany luxury brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
But Kaas said Chinese customers are brand conscious but not necessarily loyal to specific brands.
Given that customer loyalty in automotive is not yet well developed or established, I do think there are opportunities for late arrivals or new arrives in the premium segment to capture share, he said.


text:
The Costa Real Cancun Hotel is a 4 Star Hotel which features 318 beautifully appointed rooms. The Mediterranean style Cancun Hotel is located on the Lagoon side of the Cancun Atol. Close to shopping, restaurants and nightlife Cancun is famous for. The Costa Real Canun Hotel has a large pool surrounded by pleasantly landscaped gardens.
On Playa Linda Beach, 15 min. to town & 30 min. from the
Pool, Beach towel service, Palapas on the beach, Bars, Restaurant, Gym, Children's club & playground area, Shop, Beauty Salon, Car Rental.
Hotel Room, A/C, ceiling fan, 2 dbls or 1 king bed, phone, TV, in-room safe, mini-fridge, bathroom w/shower. Garden, pool or ocean view. (Max. Occ. 4)
ALL INCLUSIVE Option: (What's Included):
Buffet or Á la carte breakfast, lunch & dinner
daily. 3 theme night dinners. Room
service (once per day). Domestic & some international
drinks. Use of gym, Non-motorized watersports including kayaks,
pedal boats, & snorkeling equipment. Intro scuba lesson
in pool. One t-shirt per room. Kid's club w/supervised activities
9am-6pm (4-12 yrs). Daily activities. Gratuities.


text:
From caucuses to convention, a path to nomination
March 6, 2012
By Warren Kagarise
Caucusgoers throughout Washington gathered March 3 in the initial step to select delegates to the Republican National Convention.
Precinct caucuses
Republicans gathered at community centers, schools and other public places March 3 to participate in a nonbinding straw poll and elect delegates to legislative district caucuses.
Legislative district caucuses
Because King County is so large, Republicans select a smaller group of delegates to the King County convention at legislative district caucuses. Republicans in the 5th Legislative District — the district encompassing most Issaquah neighborhoods — plan to hold legislative district caucuses March 31 in Maple Valley.
County convention
Delegates elected at the legislative district caucuses then participate in the King County GOP convention April 28. The event determines the local delegates to the state Republican convention.
State convention
Gathered in Tacoma from May 30 to June 2, Republicans intend to select 40 of the state's 43 delegates to the national convention. State GOP Chairman Kirby Wilbur and two other state party leaders complete the delegate lineup.
National convention
Republicans plan to nominate a challenger to President Barack Obama in late August at the Republican National Convention. The convention runs from Aug. 27-30 in Tampa, Fla.
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.


text:
Peace, my heart, let the time for the parting be sweet.Let it not be a death but completeness.Let love melt into memory and pain into songs.Let the flight through the sky end in the folding of the wings over the nest.Let the last touch of your hands be gentle like the flower of the night.Stand still, O Beautiful End, for a moment, and say your last words in silence.I bow to you and hold up my lamp to light you on your way.
Our guild is about having fun playing Everquest. We set out to do this by providing our membership with the ability to enhance their game-play, making the gaming experience better than if they were not in the guild.Our guild attempts to lend support to successful hunting and leveling endeavors by allowing members to find other members to group with on a regular basis, and in doing so enables our members to recognize and become comfortable with the play styles of others, thereby producing maximum success in guild groups. Our members serve as a portal of information to one another as knowledge of the game becomes available to them, and we try to provide guild sponsored hunting parties that encourage grouping and leveling for all levels.Our guild provides a sense of pride and belonging, and protects its members from the perils often encountered in Norrath. This is provided through whatever services are available for protection (in the form of buffs, transportation, or escort), or recovery from unfortunate incidents (corspe retrieval, recovery, or ressurrection).If you are looking for a guild that supports its membership, has knowledgeable players who enjoy playing together, doesn't have time commitment requirements, and provides hunting and raiding opportunities for its members, we may be the guild for you. We are actively accepting persons who are honorable in nature, enjoy helping others, enjoy learning about game content, like to role-play a bit (nothing too strict), and like to have fun.Interested in joining? Please click on the "How to Join" link above for more information.


text:
A follow up refraction experiment featuring the Alphabet spoken by the late GREAT Richard Pryor. Mixed with Blockhead's "Coloringbook".
Camera: 5D
EF 100 - Reverse coupled to 50 1.4 for a couple shots. Honestly this was just too damn close.
EF 24-105 L - Intro
Music: Coloringbook by Blockhead
Highly recommend listening to the full track, all of his music for that matter.
Mixed with Richard Pryor's ABC's, once again brought to you by Sesame Street. youtube.com/watch?v=eJh_EUrEAZg
Loading more stuff…
Hmm…it looks like things are taking a while to load. Try again?


text:
I am aware that many of you read this fine blog on eInk Kindles and cellphones. Thus, you can't always see Vines or GIFs. Thus, here is a link to the FCB Vine we will be dissecting today. Please take a moment to see said VINE. Did you? Excellent.
Now allow me to paint the most vivid of pictures. Continue reading "Everything you need to know about "that" 12 second FC Barcelona VINE" »


text:
Town Square
Where did that post go?
Original post made by Doris, Parkside, on Jan 18, 2012
Now it's gone! Why?
Someone posts a comment, a few people respond and poof, it's gone.
I suspect the issue of Walmart and Pleasanton, and toss in Safeways name, and it's a not allowed!
How sad.
This is our town and what goes on here is our concern.
Why can't we talk about it?
Comments (12)
a resident of another community
on Jan 18, 2012 at 9:46 am
[This post was removed because it was only a story copied from another publication. If it had included discussion and referenced a link to the other publication, that would have been acceptable.)
a resident of Parkside
on Jan 18, 2012 at 10:32 am
Thank you for the link!
Wouldn't it be nice if they explained WHY they deleted it?
a resident of Mohr Park
on Jan 18, 2012 at 11:52 am
Is this the thread you couldn't find?
Web Link
I don't know how you view the forum threads, but I've found that "missing" threads are much easier to track and find in the "message board view" rather than the "main view" of the forum.
a resident of Parkside
on Jan 18, 2012 at 3:23 pm
No, that wasn't the one. The one I was referring to had the link to the article in the Contra Costa Times.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 19, 2012 at 9:26 am
Hey--I'm all for another grocery outlet on this side of town. There isn't one at present so a lot of my neighbors go across the highway to the Safeway on Tassajara. I would love to have a grocery store close enough that I could walk there every few days!
a resident of Gatewood
on Jan 19, 2012 at 11:03 am
Lee...."I would love to have a grocery store close enough that I could walk there every few days!"......so would I.
I'm not holding my breath tho. Our city council will probably find a way to stop this.
I say let them do it and let the shoppers decide where they want to spend their money.
I stopped in at the new Safeway the other afternoon on my home from work. Needed milk so figured I'd look around. What's with the lighting in that store. It is so dark in there. I wish they would turn the lights up.
I won't be going back to that store, I wasn't impressed. And certainly didn't like the prices.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 19, 2012 at 1:40 pm
The lighting may have to do with keeping you from seeing how old their produce is. Just a guess though.
Tha tnew Safeway works for me in that it has a larger selection of bulk items. Whenever I can buy unpacked food. I will do it.
a resident of Gatewood
on Jan 19, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Mort, I think you are right about the produce!
But geez, it's nice to be able to see.
Bulk foods selection is good, I'll give them that.
Sometime take a ride to Tracy and check out the Winco store. I have never seen a bulk food selection like they have. They literally have hundreds of items. And you will never beat their prices.
a resident of another community
on Jan 20, 2012 at 11:05 am
I am responding to the Pleasanton Weekly and everyone else who asked where the post went.
First of all I did post a link to the Contra Costa Times article. So the Pleasanton Weekly saying I did not is not true.
So here is the link again. Web Link and yes it is here for people to discuss.
We will see if the Pleasanton Weekly will be fair this time. They deleted my link Twice! I repeat Pleasanton Weekly you deleted my link twice!
a resident of Del Prado
on Jan 20, 2012 at 1:11 pm
If anyone thinks your produce will be any better from a Walmart you are gravely mistaken.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 20, 2012 at 1:30 pm
The best produce is to be found at the Farmer's Market. Locally grown, freshly picked, and very competitive prices if you look. I find many fruits and vegetables, not onlyway way better than anything you find at any grocery store in town, but many times with the same or lower price.
Other than bananas, I don't really have a need to ever even look at grocery store produce.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 20, 2012 at 4:44 pm
I think it's funny that one of the "hot button" topics in Pleadanton is a grocery store. I can't believe some of the comments I've read here over the last six months or so.
I guess if a grocery store is our biggest concern, then we're doing pretty darn good!
Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.
Thanksgiving Dinner
By Roz Rogoff | 3 comments | 440 views
Happy Thanksgiving
By Tim Hunt | 0 comments | 274 views


text:
West Seattle wildlife: Rare white pelican visitingNovember 2, 2013 at 12:26 pm | In West Seattle news, Wildlife | 12 Comments
(Click image for larger view)
Trileigh Tucker has shared some beautiful bird photos here in recent years – but these are the first ones of an American White Pelican!
Even brown pelicans are seldom seen here in the Puget Sound area (though one visited West Seattle last winter). This one turned up in the Lincoln Park/Lowman Beach area; we also have a photo of the white pelican on the water, courtesy of Emily Austin:
Emily says this is the second consecutive day she's seen the pelican. According to the Seattle Audubon website, their range in our state is usually closer to the Columbia River.
12 Comments
Thanks again to Trileigh for spotting another amazing critter!
Comment by k — 12:38 pm November 2, 2013 #
Thanks, K! I hope you can get down there and see him/her.
maybe the wind blew him up here from the Columbia :)
@ Trileigh – Thanks for sharing, so graceful!
Comment by Kip — 1:53 pm November 2, 2013 #
Nice photo, Emily!
Comment by kalo — 2:04 pm November 2, 2013 #
Add to the wildlife sightings just had two small flocks of snow geese flying over our house headed south. I know they are starting to arrive back up in the skagit area but never see them down this way
Wonderful photo, Trileigh!
Comment by Sonoma — 8:57 pm November 2, 2013 #
Beautiful photos Emily & Trileigh, would love to see this gorgeous pelican!
Comment by seewhatsealionsstart — 9:45 pm November 2, 2013 #
Okay! I saw it flying around above/around Fauntleroy ferry terminal on Friday afternoon on my commute home to Vashon. At first I thought, great blue heron? But then I realized it was white. Kinda puzzled me but I shrugged it off. Two crows were following it around as it swooped around the cove. Very cool – glad I just spotted this post! Thanks WSB & neighbors!
Comment by Maggie — 6:19 pm November 3, 2013 #
Nice photos.
It's very unusual to see these birds singly.
Comment by KarenJo — 12:42 pm November 4, 2013 #
So glad that some other folks got to see this beautiful bird as well! There are additional photos in better light on my Flickr site at Flickr.com/photos/Trileigh.
just spotted an all white pelican circling tree tops for a landing above wetlands at south end of first avenue south bridge as i headed north around noon today. not like the brown ones i see in baja california, it had a huge wingspan like an adult bald eagle. amazing, didn't think they made it this far north or west!
Comment by steve silver — 2:53 pm November 17, 2013 #
Sorry, comment time is over.
All contents copyright 2005-2015, A Drink of Water and a Story Interactive. Here's how to contact us.
Header image by Nick Adams. ABSOLUTELY NO WSB PHOTO REUSE WITHOUT SITE OWNERS' PERMISSION.
Entries and comments feeds. ^Top^


text:
By Jeff Goldman
All travelers know how comical and frustrating it can be to visit places where they do not speak the language. (A Dutch woman trying to order fried eggs in a restaurant in China acted out a hen laying eggs and was shown to the bathroom.) And most travelers know how important it is to show respect toward locals by at least saying hello, thank you, and goodbye.
As a Thai rice farmers broad smile shows, a few additional terms make a huge difference, both for you and for locals. And it only takes most people a casual week to learn the key 30 words or phrases in any language to become proficient in travel-speak. These include terms for greetings, numbers, time, transportation, food, describing yourself, bathroom, and accommodations.
After spending a thrilling week in Albertville, France, the location of the 1992 Winter Olympics, I wanted to relax in the wintry countryside. The only host in the surrounding area listed in my hospitality directory (from an international organization named SERVAS, www.servas.org) was a 25-year-old woman, whose short biography said that she spoke no English. After a week learning French basicswhile speaking only English with the international fansI wondered how I was going to arrange to meet her by phone without the use of universal gesture-language.
Inspired by the spectacular snowy Alps around me, I inserted a phone card into the public phone and dialed her home number.
"Allô," she answered.
"Bonjour," I started, and continued in choppy French, "Hi Meribel Lablanc. Hi Meribel Lablanc. I SERVAS. America. No French, no French."
In a warm tone, she rattled off words in French, none of which I could identify.
I reiterated in French, "I SERVAS. America. No French. I Albertville. I sleep you, yes? I SERVAS, you SERVAS. I sleep you, yes? 9 oclock, train arrive. 9 oclock, train arrive."
She laughed for a few seconds, came down to my level, and confirmed in abbreviated, slow French.
"You SERVAS. You train arrive 9 oclock. You sleep, yes. I train 9clock."
Against the odds, we had made plans to meet.
I echoed, "Thank you, thank you. I train arrive 9 oclock. You arrive train 9 oclock. Thank you, thank you. Goodbye."
She was either amused or being polite, and chirped, 9 oclock. Goodbye."
After dark, my train arrived, and I stood on the railway platform, holding my SERVAS directory in the air for identification. I strolled for ten minutes through the small station, and a young woman approached what must have looked like the only U.S. national in the building. We had connected. What an Olympian feat! With a smile, she grabbed my elbow and led me to her car. Now I could combine my token French with universal gesture and point language.
Over the next few days, we pointed at many foods, laughed constantly, and often consulted a French-English dictionary.
At a birthday dinner party at the apartment of one of her friends we found someone who spoke considerable English. I complimented my host on how kind, patient, and open-minded she had been. The translator explained how impressed she was with my independence and that I could go anywhere in France with my small vocabulary. Then I got a lecture on how important language is to their culture.
Now, after attempting over 20 languages in 47 countries, I realize how important 30 key words are in any culture.
JEFF GOLDMAN has tested many tips while visiting 47 countries and leading community service trips to South America and Asia. He shares travel and work abroad ideas in adult education seminars.
* Editors Note: For information and tips on learning a foreign language, see our Language Study and Immersion Resources.


text:
- The Big Picture - http://www.ritholtz.com/blog -
Media Appearance: Power Lunch (2/10/05)
Posted By Barry Ritholtz On February 10, 2005 @ 10:45 am In Media | Comments Disabled
I am back on CNBC's Power Lunch [1] with Bill Griffeth and Sue Hererra, between 1pm and 2pm today. We'll be talking about earnings, investing, stocks and the market.
Also on will be Joseph E. Besecker of Emerald Asset Management [2].
UPDATE 02/10/05 3:26pm
Big Joe Besecker is both an honorable guy, and a good sport. He lost the Superbowl bet, agreed to wear a Patriot hat on the air, and gave me a Fuente Cigar. Even better, he actually brought 20 Pats Cheesteaks (10 with, 10 without). Delicious!
How embarrassing is it to have an email from your mom read on the air in front of 7 million people? I must have turned 12 shades of purple . . .
Article printed from The Big Picture: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog
URL to article: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2005/02/media-appearance-power-lunch-21005/
URLs in this post:
[1] Power Lunch: http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/CNBCTV/TV_Info/PowerLunch.asp
[2] Emerald Asset Management: http://www.teamemerald.com/Company%20Profile/
[3] Image: http://moneycentral.msn.com/cnbc/tv/default.asp
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2008 The Big Picture. All rights reserved.