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As we enter 2013–there's no pit too deep!
Pastor Russ GaarEvangelical Free Church, Grant
This Christmas I opened up a gift from my daughter that really caught my attention. It was a plaque with a famous quote by Corrie Ten Boom: "There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still." What a reminder of what the Christian Faith is all about! Our faith is of a rescuing God, Who has reached out to sinners in love, grace and mercy! David praises God for this very thing in Psalm 103:2-4–"Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits–who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…" Everyone begins life in the pit of sin and as we grow up we become more entrenched in our pit of sin. Often we do everything we can to be happy down in our little pit and we can't figure out why life is so unsatisfying. Life in the pit is dark and lonely and horrible! God has given us His Word to expose our great need. God's Word exposes life without God as a slimy pit with no escape. We can't get out of this pit with a how-to manual. We can't get out of this pit with a set of rules. We can't get out on our own; we are stuck in the pit unless God redeems our life from the pit! God's Word exposes us as living in a slimy pit from which we need to be rescued. God's Word, however, doesn't just expose life without God as a slimy pit and then leave us there. God's Word introduces us to a Rescuer, God's Son! John 3:16–"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God holds out His Son to us as our Rescuer from sin! Jesus is the rope dropped down into the pit. Jesus is the winch to pull us out. Jesus is the guide to keep us from ever falling into the pit again. Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) If you find yourself in a pit of self and sin, Jesus is the one and only way out! You are in a deep pit of sin; you can't get out on your own, and no one can help you! But, God has thrown you a rope–it is Jesus! And Jesus is the winch to pull you out! And He is the guide to make sure that someday you stand before God the Father as His child, perfect and holy, forever! Those of us who believe that Jesus came to this earth to live a perfect life and pay the penalty for sin by bearing our sin and guilt…those of us who believe Jesus has risen from the dead as Savior and Lord, we echo the words of David in Psalm 40:1-2–"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm lace to stand." This is the work of Jesus for sinners! I love the plaque my daughter gave me for Christmas! If you come to my office, you will see it hanging where I can read it often. "There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still." My soul needs the constant reminder that Jesus has pulled me out of the pit; therefore, my life is not my own, I've been bought with a price by my Great Rescuer! My prayer is that you embrace Jesus as the One Who will rescue your soul from the pit!


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Margie May Deering, 44, of N.C. 24 in Beulaville, was charged Dec. 29 by the Jacksonville Police Department with five counts of trafficking opium or heroin, conspiring to traffic opium or heroin, and maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substances.
Deering is accused of selling and delivering approximately 9 grams of opiates to a confidential and reliable informant, of manufacturing, possessing and transporting approximately 9 grams of opiates, of conspiring with David Andrew Deering to sell, deliver, manufacture, transport and possess the 9 grams of opiates, of possessing methamphetamine and of maintaining a 1996 Ford Windstar used for keeping and selling, methadone, methamphetamine and marijuana, according to warrants.
Bonds totaled $210,000.
Location, ST | website.com

subset: commoncrawl


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IUCN recognizes that, without a peaceful, safe, and respectful setting where human lives are valued, and without livelihood security - i.e. security of tenure and access to lands, natural resources, and other basic assets, no conservation commitment can be expected from local people. This concept, which calls for full respect for human rights, is connected with the right to a decent quality of life and to other related rights recognized in the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Further, in conditions of political oppression and marginalization, as frequently occurs with indigenous peoples and local communities, their active participation in, and support to, the development and enforcement of environmental laws and policies becomes impossible. The more people live in security and have their rights respected, the more they will be willing to engage in biodiversity conservation and care for their lands and resources.
IUCN, as an organization of member governments who have adhered to the International Bill of Human Rights and other human rights instruments, and of civil society organizations who have championed the cause of human rights worldwide, is fully aware of its commitment to contribute to the full and universal respect of human rights in all their dimensions.
Further, the evolution of the international environmental doctrine in the last decade seems to point to the recognition that environmental issues are founded on, or intimately linked to, the environmental human rights, i.e. the rights of present and future generations to enjoy a healthy life in a healthy environment. Thus, also from this perspective human rights issues are increasingly at the core of the preoccupations of the environmental movement.
It is interesting to note that not less than sixty national constitutions in the world include concepts related to the protection of the environment articulated as a human right, or as a provision by which the state is required to protect the environment and citizens are entitled to demand compliance with it – therefore with a perspective of environmental justice. Practically every national constitution that has undergone reform since 1970 includes this concept, and it is reasonable to expect this pattern to continue and even to be strengthened. Given recent history, it is difficult to imagine any nation from this point forward reforming its constitution without explicitly recognizing the right of its inhabitants to a healthy environment, in one way or another.


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2015 WAC Basketball Championships Information
The 2015 WAC Basketball Tournament will consist of 12 men's and women's games across eight sessions. A special Seattle U section has been reserved for all who purchase advance all-session tournament passes (section 104). The all-session pass is valid for every men's and women's game played throughout the WAC Tournament. Seattle U fans are strongly encouraged to purchase through the Seattle U Athletic Ticket Office to avoid service fees associated with ticket sales through the Orleans Arena site. Purchasing through Seattle U guarantees you to be seated with other Redhawks fans.
The action tips off Wednesday, March 11 with the women's quarterfinals. The men's quarterfinals take place Thursday, March 12, followed by both sets of semifinals Friday, March 13. The tournament concludes on Saturday, March 14 with both championship games. Winners earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
SEATTLE U ATHLETICS TWITTER - Follow for in-game updates
Dates: Wednesday, March 11 - Saturday, March 14, 2015
Location: Orleans Arena (Orleans Hotel & Casino), Las Vegas, NV
All-Session Pass pricing
· Front row courtside seating $250 per seat
· Seattle U Fan section (104) $125 per seat
· Women's Only All-Session Pass $40 per seat (General Admission)
Three Ways to Buy
[1] Complete and print out the attached PDF order form (above under Related Links) and return by mail (or at KeyArena on any game day at either the Ticket Center or Guest Services counters); or
[2] Pick up an order form (same as attached) at KeyArena on any game day at either the Ticket Center or Guest Services counters, complete and turn in at the counter; or
[3] Call the Ticket Office at 206.398.4678 (GOSU)
To order, call the Seattle U Ticket Office at (206) 398-GOSU (4678) no later than Saturday, February 28. Orders received after this date will be held at Will Call at the Orleans Arena on game day. If you are interested in the women's tournament ONLY, you can purchase the all-session pass upon arrival at the Orleans Arena.
Orleans Arena Seating Diagram (also available as downloadable PDF above)
There are many hospitality options when traveling to the WAC Tournament. Here are two locations to consider:
Orleans Hotel
Discounted Rate:
Monday – Thursday: $45 or $55/night (Deluxe or Premium room rates)
Friday – Saturday: $109 or $119/night (Deluxe or Premium room rates)
Booking Instructions:
Call Reservations at 1-800-675-3267
Group Name: WAC Basketball Tournament Fan Block
Or Book online at www.orleanscasino.com/groups and use the code: WACFN15.
Reservations must be made no later than the cut-off date of February 13, 2015.
Palms Casino Resort
To book, please call (702) 942-7064 or (866) 942-7777. All reservations require a one night's deposit, plus tax, by credit card for each room reserved. Credit card deposits will be processed at the time the reservation is made, or rooming list is input. You must be 21 years of age or older to check into the Palms.
See you in Vegas!


text:
First off, the critiques. Rivers - check over in the Tutorials section for a guide to placing rivers. Also, not sure if it is intentional or not, but all of your mountains sort of lean left.
Now the compliment, cause I like to leave a message on a positive note. I love the land shape and general concept for the map. I really want to see you develop this and post a final version. I'll be looking for updates. Welcome to the guild.


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Accounting, finance major Peter Mann received the Junior Scholar-Athlete Award for highest GPA during the 2013 Honors Convocation at North Central College.
Peter Mann, son of John and Sharon Mann of Glenview, Ill., was awarded the Junior Scholar-Athlete Award during Honors Day May 14 at North Central College. The award recognizes the student-athlete in each class with the highest grade-point average.
A junior, Peter competes on the football team's defensive line and is majoring in accounting and in finance at North Central College. His name has regularly appeared on the Dean's List. He is a graduate of Glenbrook South High School.


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Manufacture: Lee's Pet Products
A mechanical filtration system that is complete, ready for installation in your aquarium. Simply attach to airline and pump. The special design allows for maximum water circulation. It has 3 suction cups for stability. The solid plastic window on the filter cover allows viewing for maintenance requirements. Maintenance is done in 3 Quick & Easy steps.


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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — Youngstown State University President Cynthia Anderson says she is retiring.
Anderson will leave July 1 after a four-decade career at the university, which culminated in her becoming president in July 2010. The university announced her retirement Monday.
Anderson informed the board of trustees of her decision last week. Board chairman Sudershan Garg said the search for her replacement will begin immediately.
Anderson is YSU's seventh president and the first woman to hold the post. She's also a Youngstown native and YSU graduate. Prior to becoming president, she served in a succession of faculty and administrative positions, including 15 years as vice president for student affairs.
She said becoming president of her alma mater was a "dream come true."
YSU has more than 13,000 students.


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BLACK FRIDAY ends tonight! Save $25 off $200* Use code: TLBF15
Soilwork Events
|Sorry, Soilwork tickets aren't available at this time.
While all the weaklings run to the hills, you'll be picking up those Soilwork concert tickets to hear material from The Panic Broadcast. There's no stopping the Kings of Metal!
|Pink Tickets
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|Your tickets will arrive before the event.
|Your tickets will be the ones you ordered, or better seats than you paid for.
|Our confidence in the sellers that list tickets on our exchange allows us to offer you this guarantee.


text:
Friday, February 19, 2016 by: Amy Goodrich
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Before & After: Greg's Newer, Larger Eat-In Kitchen
The Big Reveal
Like this entry? Favorite it below!
- Name:
- Greg
- Location:
- Sacramento, CA
- Division:
- United States
- About my kitchen reveal:
- My 1930s modified Colonial home had a formal dining room that was a bit cramped and rarely used. So, we took down a wall and created a much larger eat-in kitchen, while trying to keep some integrity to the original floor plan. A rarely used formal living room now houses a combined living and dining room.
Click through to see more After photos!
- My best tip for a successful kitchen makeover:
- Picking a theme and a having a guiding vision will make the endless material choices much easier.
- My favorite meal to cook in my kitchen:
- Slow simmered dishes like pasta sauces are a joy with a range that maintains a proper simmer and with ventilation that doesn't vent into the floor joists above (the old fan was connected to nothing).


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Urbana University Theatre Performs
URBANA, Ohio (March 21, 2012) - Urbana University theatre students will perform, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde at 8:00 p.m. on campus in the Black Box Theatre at the Hub on March 29, 30 and 31. There is no charge but seating is limited.
Ticket reservations may be made through March 27 by calling 937-484-1409 or in person at the Swedenborg Memorial Library on campus. Those with reservations should arrive at the Black Box Theatre at the Hub at 7:30 p.m. on their production date to retrieve their tickets at the will call line. Each night, some seats will be saved for those without reservations. Unclaimed reservations will be released on a first come, first served basis to those on stand-by at 7:45 p.m.
Irish-born Oscar Wilde was at the height of his career in 1895 when his social satire, The Importance of Being Earnest opened in London. Wilde summarized his intent when he subtitled the farce, "a trivial play for serious people." Now regarded as a classic, the comedy is noted for witty language, mistaken identities, and surprise plot twists. The running time with two brief intermissions is approximately two hours.
The play features student-actors: Heather Abdalla, Noel Amend, Kara Elias, John-Mark Howley, Zack Iiames, Cody Peterson, Amanda Rockhold, Brandan Sphar and Kelli Subler with Marci Copley as the stage manager. Samantha Little is the box office manager with assistance from Ariel Almassy, Lindsay Belisle and Kelsey Saylor as ushers. Music on the classical guitar will be played before each act by Urbana home-school student, Christina Darding. Urbana University students who have taken responsibility for key aspects of the production preparation include: Mercedes Dagnan, Katie Dudgeon, Kim Hazlewood, Kathleen Ollhoff, Cody Slater, Amy Williams, Jayne Woodward, and Adam Wunderele. Margaret Piatt is the director.
For more information about this event, log onto the website, www.urbana.edu .


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February 28, 2011
It's just a matter of time before I reveal my new baby, er, blog and branding to the world. The design company, Flosites, has been wonderful to work with.
When the new blog is finished, expect a ton of more posts.
In the meantime, feel free to head over to my sister site, Revealed Boudoir, and see some of our latest work.
REBECCA says:
I can't wait!!!!!(03.03.11 @ 02:48 PM)
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Sneak Peek: My new blog . TrackBack URL for this entry: http://lauriepeacock.com/darkroom/mt/mt-tb.cgi/210
February 17, 2011
Ahhhhhhhh...what's that sound? It's the stretching of my legs and arms out of hibernation. Thank goodness the snow is melting in Chicago. I'm getting back to blogging and work after dealing with various family illnesses and drama.
After the last snow, my partner at Revealed Boudoir, Maggie Rife, dragged me out of my house (thank goodness) and after blinking my eyes at the long-forgotten sunlight, we set out on a photography safari. Instead of wild beasts, well other than taxi drivers, we photographed and trudged through mountains of snow.
I only brought one lens, the AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED, hence why there's more of the landscape photos. Maggie brought her 70-200 mm lens, so she has some great close-ups, you can view here.
I even had tons of fun modeling for Maggie.
You can see why I promptly took a nap after this excursion. Jumping in deep snow is like an aerobic class.
Here are some more of my photos.
Thanks, Maggie, for the great time!
(0) Comments Trackbacks Leave Comment Send To A Friend
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Hibernation is Over . TrackBack URL for this entry: http://lauriepeacock.com/darkroom/mt/mt-tb.cgi/209
February 2, 2011
[Here is where I may alienate some of my current or potentials clients, but I'd like to think people hire me for my abilities regardless of whether they agree with me. I guess you might say I'm an optimist.]
I gave a little whoop of joy when I read the news that civil unions, which allow partners of the same or different sex to have the same benefits and rights of married couples, was signed into law in Illinois.
It's about time. As a long-timer supporter of gay marriage, I've never understood denying those who love each other the right to legally declare their commitment to each other. Religion, whatever, and blah blah blah aside, finding somebody you want to spend the rest of your life with is such a miraculous event in itself that it deserves celebrating.
According the Chicago Tribune, the law also includes "protections include sharing a nursing home room, visiting a loved one in a hospital and preventing those in a civil union from testifying against each other in court. Couples who enter into civil unions also will be able to make funeral and end-of-life decisions, inherit property and get certain employment-related benefits such as insurance."
I live in Andersonville, which is home to the sweetest gay couples you'll ever meet. They are awesome neighbors, and I hope they are also celebrating this new law (although I bet they are probably much more concern with digging out their cars from the record-making snow right now).
If you'd like to learn more about this issue, check out White Knot.
Aurora says:
Amen! You are absolutely right, it's about time!! :)(02.05.11 @ 12:10 PM)
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Civil Unions Signed into Law in Illinois . TrackBack URL for this entry: http://lauriepeacock.com/darkroom/mt/mt-tb.cgi/208


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May 30, 2016
HONOLULU (AP) -- President Barack Obama has signed a bill that boosts taxes on the wealthiest Americans, while preserving tax cuts for most American households.
The bill, which averts a looming fiscal cliff that had threatened to plunge the nation back into recession, also extends expiring jobless benefits, prevents cuts in Medicare reimbursements to doctors and delays for two months billions of dollars in across-the-board spending cuts in defense and domestic programs.
The GOP-run House approved the measure by a 257-167 vote late Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after the Democratic-led Senate passed it 89-8.
Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, signed the bill using an autopen, a mechanical device that copies his signature.
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 firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Information Sessions - Chicago
Information Sessions - Outside Chicago
Lunch and Learns
You'll have plenty of chances to build your network, help prepare for the next level of your career, add an extra dimension to your studies, or just relax. Many events are designed to include your family in your Chicago Booth experience. Below is a sample of our significant events.
Get the latest Booth research on topics such as entrepreneurship, marketing, decision research, corporate governance and labor economics. Sign-up to have Capital Ideas delivered to you.
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Besides breaking all box office records, Chennai Express has made the Rs. 100-crore club redundant and ushered in the Rs. 200-crore league. Director Rohit Shetty talks of the highs and lows of being a film-maker with the Midas touch
The collections of Chennai Express are still going strong at the box-office in the fourth week. Enough reason for Rohit Shetty, the director of the film, to have a bright smile on his face. He breezes into his palatial office on the sixth floor which opens out to a spectacular view of suburban Mumbai. Quaint remote-controlled toy cars lined up on his window sill are proof that his passion for cars are not just relegated for action sequences in his films. One learns that when the director is free, he and members of his staff play around with these cars! Wearing a striking black tee, the only hint of any kind of flamboyance about the unassuming director are the tattoos on his arms. Slipping in a chair, he admits to being thrilled with the success of Chennai Express, but is quick to clarify that hes not carried away by it and is already working on the final draft of Singham 2, his next.
Its rare to see toy cars in an office! Have you always had a fascination for them?
(Laughing) Half of them belong to my son, who plays with them, but yes, cars have been a childhood fascination. I have a fetish for them. I dont know whether its a bad or a good thing, but I spend a lot of money on those things, be it in films or in my personal life. Its a boy thing.
How are you celebrating the colossal success of Chennai Express?
We had a get-together with Shah Rukh (Khan) and the whole team of CE. But I dont want to get stuck with the success. If you get carried away, you may begin to believe that it will happen again. But the fact is, this kind of success happens just once-in-a-lifetime. I want to give it respect and cherish it as a sweet memory to encourage me to do good work.
Chennai Express broke many records, including the highest first weekend collections, fastest to reach Rs.100 crore and cross the Rs.200 crore mark. Which among all these figures was the most unexpected?
For me, every day has been exciting ever since it opened well on the first day,


text:
Hi all,
a have a Zimbra Network Edition 8.0.3, all is working well.
Due to the increase of virus email, I decided to activate the antivirus, so I did this from the Zimbra Administrator control panel.
After this, che output of "zmcontrol status" was:
antispam Running
antivirus Stopped
zmfreshclamctl is not running
convertd Running
ldap Running
logger Running
mailbox Running
memcached Running
mta Running
proxy Running
snmp Running
spell Running
stats Running
zmconfigd Running
To fix this, I had to start freshclam by hand using:
zmfreshclamctl start
After that, all was ok.
The question is: will freshclam start automatically at next server restart ?


text:
DRI DUCK Fountain Seats
General admission seating is back! The DRI DUCK Fountain Seats, located in left field, are available only on game days (excluding April 10, 2009) for just $7. The first 100 fans arriving at these seats each game receive a special edition Royals cap made exclusively by DRI DUCK. The featured cap design will change for every homestand. Here's a look at the DRI DUCK signage being installed at Kauffman Stadium.
1 Comment
The Dri-Duck seats look great…I hope I get to sit in them at some point this year. I've written an e-mail on this website multiple times, but haven't received any response. With the crown being in the process of going back up, I'm very curious to know what the plans are for the back of the scoreboard (as in, the part that can be seen from I-70). So far, it just has a plain gray backing. The renovation renderings show that it will get a blue backing again with the White KC on it…but what bothers me is that with all of the renovation updates, that is the one thing that has not been discussed at all. It doesn't bother me if it's not up by Opening Day (obviously there are more important issues to address), but it would be nice to at least know what the plans are and when they will happen. What kind of surface will be put on it? Will it be lit up? Will it be up this year? Any information on this subject would be fantastic! Thanks again!


text:
Dear all,
customer is currently evaluating 7.1.1 NE + ZCO and found this symptom :
1. user receiveds an email in outlook 2003 + ZCO
2. user checks webmail and mobile device which is configured exchange activesync, the new email is there, as well.
3. user deletes this email in outlook 2003+ZCO.
4. check it again in webmail and mobile device and found email has been moved to trash folder. looks ok
5. user recovers this email in outlook 2003+ZCO. (move the email from Trash folder back to Inbox)
6. check it again in webmail, the email is now in Inbox folder, looks ok.
7. check the mobile device, but user can not find this email any more.
any advice on this? Thanks.


text:
Ned Yost media session: August 31
September call-ups
Yesterday, Ned Yost mentioned that he would talk to GM Dayton Moore today about September call-ups. Naturally, that was the first question in today's media session. Yost said that Moore is having conversations with minor league coaches and scouts about potential call-ups. Yost and Moore had a brief chat on the topic that centered around three immediate possible roster additions: reliever Gil Meche, infielder Josh Fields and catcher Lucas May.
Meche is here in KC already and will be activated tomorrow to fill a bullpen role. Fields also will likely be here after his rehab stint with NW Arkansas. He is healthy once again and swinging a hot bat for the Double-A Naturals (.429 entering today). Yost has heard the reports about Fields but wants to see it for his own eyes. As for May, Yost is not sure that it will happen tomorrow since May was hit by a pitch in last night's game with Omaha. He believes in having three catchers and it would be a chance to evaluate May, who joined the organization in the Scott Podsednik trade last month. However, Yost hinted that duty would be limited for May as he also sees more playing time for Brayan Pena in September.
Yost does not expect a large number of call-ups. He doesn't want to fill the bench with guys who are unlikely to play. Reporters asked about several prospects, including outfielder Jarrod Dyson and left-handed reliever Tim Collins. Yost said that Dyson wasn't talked about in his brief conversation with Moore. While Yost would like to add a left-hander or two and stressed championship clubs have at least two in their bullpen, he downplayed talk of a Collins call-up as the lefty just turned 21 and is in his first month at Triple-A.
Wilson Betemit's emergence has been a regular topic among reporters. Yost said that everybody is at a similar heightened skill level in the Majors and that the mental aspect is what separates most players. He does believe that players can have something click – he has seen it in his time with Atlanta and Milwaukee. Yost believes that something has clicked with Betemit, who did not have the right chance with his previous organizations. He sees Betemit's eventual role as a super-utility player, similar to that of Willie Bloomquist.


text:
Mailstrom – Clean Up Your Inbox Now
The smarter, faster way to clean out your inbox. Power through thousands of messages in just a few clicks. Free Trial!
The smarter, faster way to clean out your inbox. Power through thousands of messages in just a few clicks. Free Trial!
@TetradGus -- Life changed. @mailstromapp is amazing. read more
August 26, 2014 - I ticked a few boxes inside Mailstrom's interface and over 3,300 messages got sent into my Gmail's trash. Seeing my unread message count drop by more than half felt like stepping into a newly cleaned house, minus the fresh Windex smell. read more
June 5, 2014 - As you can see, organizing your impossibly cluttered inbox doesn't have to be an impossible task — or even very painful for that matter. read more
June 25, 2013 - I much preferred Mailstrom because it gave me a more comprehensive, detailed analysis of my inbox and because my mission was to reduce all email clutter. read more
June 18, 2013 - Want to live in a world of less digital clutter? Try this email management app. Recently, I tried a new app called Mailstrom. First off, I really like the name. It's a play on maelstrom ("a violent or turbulent situation," indeed). The sign-up process is... read more
April 10, 2013 - The best thing about Mailstrom is that it has a dashboard that lets you quickly delete huge swaths of messages from a single sender or company. You can skim e-mails by content — like social or shopping — or time period, so you can go through all e-mails from four years ago and delete them quickly and, if you choose, in one big chunk. One evening, I gleefully eliminated around 500 e-mails from Yelp, Twitter, Instagram and Kickstarter in a series of satisfying clicks. read more
March 27, 2013 - 410 Labs, home to products like Shortmail and Replyz, was trying to fly under the radar when it first launched Mailstrom, a new email service aimed at helping those who consistently receive large numbers of email messages daily achieve "inbox... read more
February 18, 2013 - Inbox zero: it's the impossible dream that gets further and further away as you let your emails pile up, but you don't have to get stuck with the clutter. Thanks to an awesome webapp called Mailstrom, I finally got my thousand-email inbox under... read more
410 Labs, makers of Mailstrom, is a lean product studio founded in 2010 by Dave Troy and Matthew Koll.
David is a serial technology entrepreneur and community builder. He founded regional ISP and hosting provider ToadNet. He developed Twittervision as well as open source voice-over-IP systems. To help grow the Baltimore creative community he founded Beehive Baltimore, Baltimore Angels and the TEDxMidAtlantic conferences.
Matthew is a veteran search and social media entrepreneur. He was a founder and CEO of Personal Library Software and Wondir. He has been an AOL Fellow, executive at Revolution Health, professor at George Mason University, information scientist, angel investor and entrepreneur coach.
410 Labs seeks experienced iOS developers, specifically comfortable with user interface development, asynchronous programming, and modern frameworks. Opportunities for contract, hire, and contract-to-hire are available. Competitive salary. Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for more information.Apply for this position


text:
Velcro Kids
February 22, 2010
Parents probably know it best as the fastener on little kids' shoes, bags and other accessories. Velcro has had a long history in consumer…
The Toy Guy Brings you a 2010 Toy Fair Preview!
February 15, 2010
The Toy Guy uses his super spy skills to bring you a preview of Toy Fair's hottest new toys!
LEGO Ben 10
February 15, 2010
In Ben 10 Alien Force, transforming into the size-changing and immensely powerful Humungousaur gives Ben the ability to overwhelm…
LEGO Atlantis
February 9, 2010
Discover the lost world of Atlantis... by building it! LEGO's new Atlantis line features a variety of building sets that revolve around a…
En Garde!
February 9, 2010
Jim Silver heads down to the Fencers Club in New York to take on a couple worthy opponents with a NERF N-Force foam sword.
Tinker Toys
February 8, 2010
Tinker Toy - - a Classic since 1913! Connect the wooden wheel-like spool with any of the multiple dowels and create abstract forms and…
Vectron Wave
February 1, 2010
Control our new Air Hogs Vectron Wave R/C UFO with the palm of your hand! Obstacle sensors allow it to detect when its close to floors to…
The Challenger!
January 29, 2010
Shannon Eis and The Toy Guy race down one of the eight water slides at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas. Check it out to…
Game of Things
January 25, 2010
January 18, 2010
Fun for all the family with this cool Lego Game Minotaurus game! Lead your heroes into the temple, but be careful to avoid the Minotaur, a…
January 11, 2010
Here's big drawing fun with absolutely no mess. Lay out the large mat on the floor, then fill the pens with water and draw away. Designs…
The Kreechers
January 4, 2010
Meet The Kreechers! These unique hand-made, pillow-shaped characters are sure to be your child's new best friend!


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Lars Magnus Ericsson, the founder of our company, was born on May 5, 1846, on a small farm in Värmskog in the middle of Sweden. Almost 170 years later, his enterprise has become one of the world's leading telecommunication companies.
Ericsson is proud to give its name to the Ericsson Globe, the world's largest spherical building. The Ericsson Globe, a national arena and outstanding landmark in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, can hold more than 16,000 spectators. Over the years, it has hosted many of the world's greatest musical artists and sports stars.
Glada Hudik Theatre is a theater company featuring actors with developmental disabilities. It was established in 1996 to give people with learning disabilities further opportunities to live independent lives and to play meaningful roles in society.
Nobel Media spreads knowledge about achievements that have been awarded the Nobel Prize and stimulates interest in science, literature and peace in line with Alfred Nobel's vision and legacy.
Contact: Sponsorships & Donations
- Buyukdere Cad. USO Center No:245 - 34398 Maslak-Istanbul -Turkey


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|College student news
|Written by Holyoke Enterprise
Marissa Smith, daughter of Dave and Rhonda Smith, is a junior at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She is majoring in health and exercise science with a minor in business administration. Smith is a varsity athlete on the CSU track and field team.
Mallory Bennett, daughter of Mike and Susan Bennett, is a sophomore at University of Denver in Denver. Her major is accounting.
Bennett has been selected to serve as a DU Pioneer Ambassador and has accepted membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She will be working as a student volunteer in the credentialing center for the upcoming presidential debate and is involved in the Pioneer Leadership Program. Bennett also plays club volleyball and basketball.
Holyoke Enterprise October 4, 2012


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by Paul J.F. Bowman, Editor, Business Wire Minneapolis
On May 27th, Business Wire Minneapolis hosted a Meet the Media breakfast at the Graves 601 Hotel, across the street from our Minneapolis office. Attendees included Business Wire clients and cohorts of all backgrounds.
Our panel included employees from a wide variety of local media points, including print, online, TV and radio. The panel, which offered many tips on pitching to local writers and reaffirmed the necessity of announcing company news in an effective manner, included:
- Brad Allen, MinnPost.com
- Dirk DeYoung, The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
- Marty Moylan, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR)
- Jason DeRusha, WCCO-TV
- Ann Harrington, St. Paul Pioneer Press
One of the panel's hot suggested topics/trends is company volunteerism (i.e. companies offering paid employee time for volunteering during the 40-hour work week). On the other hand, one editor's staff is "greened-out." To them, corporate social responsibility articles are cliché and overused in today's media.
Another major trend is the vanishing of embargoed copy. The press agreed that it is very difficult to sit on a hot lead for a story; another journalist might be willing to forego the embargo just to claim the scoop. The only exception is study or research: reporters appreciate receiving this copy in advance so there is time to analyze and interpret the data.
Some key points about media in general:
- Most general rules about media still apply regarding pitching, targeting, and writing.
- Print newspapers are not all dying; some have maintained their growth despite advances of Internet media.
- Details, details! The more specifics you are able to provide, the better the story. For example:
- quotes from those involved to help lengthen and "flesh out" the article
- full names and titles of those involved (businesses/contractors, architects, lawyers)
- specific locations (headquarters, where contract was signed, new facilities)
- use experts for analysis within the content—make sure you provide titles, applicable degrees, etc.
- Make sure your contacts on the release:
- are primary experts on the release content.
- are available 24 hours a day. If only one is, specify who is the after-hours contact.
- are prepared to serve as ambassadors between the company and the public.


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Sale Price: $278.09
Sale Price: $236.89
Sale Price: $288.39
Sale Price: $267.79
Sale Price: $205.99
Sale Price: $128.74
Sale Price: $154.49
Sale Price: $164.79
»» Description:
The Fire Magic Echelon E790 Stand Alone w/ Flush Mounted Single Side
Burner - Propane features sleek styling
with seamless control panel, double-walled tear-drop hood with warming
rack, 110v hard wired electrical supply which powers the 12 volt
electric hot surface ignition system with flash tubes, angled halogen
internal oven lamps, and 4-zone backlit digital meat and grill
thermometer in control panel. This Fire Magic Echelon BBQ Gas Grill also
features a wood chip smoker drawer with dedicated burner, heat zone
separators, feather lite easy lift hood, industry exclusive cast
stainless E burners, stainless rod cooking grids, stainless valve
manifold, polished Comfort Touch control knobs, disposable foil drip
tray liners and water and rain resistant construction. Includes
pre-assembled all stainless cabinet cart with dual storage doors inside
shelves, condiment holders, sliding propane cylinder tray with latch and
four lockable swivel casters. Also includes 110v power input plug to 12v
power supply, sculptured curves on corners, folding paper towel holder
and folding multi-tool holder. Includes flush mounted 15,000 BTU side
burner (left side) and fold down side shelf with towel bar (right side)
and comes with 10 ft. Quick disconnect gas hose for natural gas models
or regulator and high capacity hose for propane gas models and a heavy
duty 8 foot extension cord. Three main burners producing 99,000 BTU. 792
square inches of cooking surface (36 x 22 main grilling area). Includes
23,000 BTU backburner and rotis kit. Item # E790S-2E1P-62
»» Application:
Backyard Accessories
»» Features:
Propane gas
Double-walled tear-drop hood
110v hard wired electrical supply
4-zone backlit digital meat and grill thermometer
Wood chip smoker drawer included
Heat zone separators
Easy-lift hood
Cast stainless E burners
Stainless rod cooking grids
Stainless valve manifold
Comfort Touch control knobs
Disposable foil drip tray liners
Water resistant construction
Includes pre-assembled stainless cabinet cart
Flush mounted 15,000 BTU side burner
Three main burners produce 99,000 BTUs
792 sq. in. cooking surface
Includes 23,000 BTU backburner
Rotis kit included
Item # E790S-2E1P-62
»» Product Notes / Warranty /
Manufactures Website:


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Add a pop of colour to your morning coffee! Zazzle Two-Tone Mugs are available in 10 distinctive hues: black, lime, maroon, navy blue, orange, pink, red, yellow, hunter green and light blue. Use the colour selector on the right-hand side of this page to find the best match for your design. The outside of the mug features a bright white base for your photo, logo, pattern or quote, while the inside is glazed in rich colour. Give this fun gift to a friend, or add some zing to your dinnerware collection.
If you would like your mug to have a coloured rim and handle instead of a colourful interior, choose the Ringer Mug in the style selector to the right, or, if you'd prefer a white mug with no coloured glaze, select Classic White Mug.
Save £0.75 on Ringer Mug
Only £2.35 more on Frosted Glass Mug


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Crowned by the awe inspiring Lincoln Cathedral and its near neighbour Lincoln Castle, Lincoln's Cathedral Quarter is home to an abundance of independent retailers, a tempting selection of palaces to eat and drink in and luxurious, independent hotels and guest houses.
Set on cobbled streets with a quaint yet historic atmosphere, the Cathedral Quarter is both unique and vibrant. Castle Square nestles between Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle - including the 1215 Magna Carta - and is home to the Visitor Information Centre and regular farmers' and artists' markets. To the north is the famous Bailgate shopping area and you can find the award winning Steep Hill to the south.
The annual highlight of the Cathedral Quarter is the Lincoln Christmas Market as the streets, public spaces and the centre of Lincoln Castle come to life with stall and food courts. Time your visit right throughout the year and you can browse a variety of markets, sing-along with buskers and cheer on participants in the many sporting events that culminate in Castle Square.
For a truly unique experience of the Cathedral Quarter, dine in the shadow of Lincoln Cathedral at The Green Room and move on to the adjoining vibrant Bar '67: a classy night out. Stay in the Cathedral grounds at the stunning Old Palace, with original church features in your room, or the modern Lincoln Hotel, featuring its own restaurant, bar and cathedral-view rooms.
Discover and enjoy Lincoln's history in and around Lincoln Cathedral.
Dine with style at a classy hotel or grab a bite in an independent cafe.
Stunning hotels and unique guesthouses await your stay.
Magna Carta, one of Lincoln's great treasures, will tour the UK and USA in preparation for the 800th anniversary celebrations in 2015. » Find out more
The Lincoln Castle Revealed project is working in Lincoln Castle to prepare it for the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta. Woodhead Heritage have produced a video to show what is happening behind the scenes of the exciting excavation works on the site. » Find out more
Three new Peregrine Falcons hatched this week in their nest on Lincoln Cathedral. You can see them for yourselves through the summer. » Find out more
Steep Hill was crowned Britain's Best Street in 2012.


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Testimony :: Hon. Sam Brownback
Chairman - Helsinki Commission
The Helsinki Commission today examines the effect of Romania's ban on intercountry adoption on the lives of the children of Romania. Some 37,000 children live in institutions in Romania today, tens of thousands of others are in foster care. Romania does not to date have the capability to adequately cope with this humanitarian crisis nor does it have a robust practice of domestic adoptions. Yet the Romanian Government was led to believe that banning intercountry adoptions was an appropriate price for membership to the European Union. The Romanians under the leadership of then-President Iliescu capitulated. That the EU, which has traditionally stood with the United States in defense of human rights, should demand such a policy is appalling. That the Romanians should accept it is equally troubling. By adopting a law prohibiting intercountry adoption, except in the exceedingly rare case of a biological grandparent living abroad, Romania has denied thousands of children a loving home and a caring family.
I am particularly concerned about the fate of the Roma children who have been abandoned. Unfortunately, there is still a common stereotype, even among well-educated Romanians, that Romani children are genetically predisposed to lying, stealing and other criminal behavior. There is also a considerable amount of discrimination against those born with any type of disability. Faced with prejudice by prospective adoptive parents in Romania, and cut off from international adoptions, these children will most certainly not find homes.
Romania's primary antagonist pressing for a ban on intercountry adoptions has been the former rapporteur for Romania's accession to the EU. She asserts that individuals who adopt internationally are those who are turned down to adopt in their own countries and are likely pedophiles and child traffickers. She alleges that children adopted internationally suffer dismal fates. She has no facts to support her allegations. She espouses a view that places biological, cultural and linguistic origin as a source of a person's identity above the importance of children having a family. This view sees it as a primary, fundamental right of every child to retain a connection, even if only the faint hope of a connection, to a biological mother. According to this view, international adoption violates the child's identity by placing him or her in a culture and family that does not correspond to his or her true identity. Those who have driven this issue within the EU emphasize the corruption problem because they know that is the best argument to win people over to their side, but their real motivation is sinister, one that emphasizes ethnic identity over basic humanity, and sentences children to a life of loneliness without parents to love and care for them.
Prior to enactment of the anti-adoption law, approximately 200 Romanian children had been matched with adoptive parents in the United States. These families have committed their hearts to these children. Dozens have written to the Helsinki Commission pleading for our help. Does anyone really believe that they are motivated by anything other than compassion? Congressman Smith, who has been at the forefront of efforts to combat human trafficking, and I, can say with absolute certainty that this is not child trafficking.
I'd like to share with you the story of one family – in this room today – whose adoption got stuck in the pipeline. Becky Hubbell and David Clark are from Leawood, Kansas. If the Romanian Government would allow this couple to proceed with the adoption of Vasile Leica, who is now 7 years old, he would be joining a family of 5 children, with parents who have been married for 32 years. Both parents are accomplished professionals who have adopted children from China, India and Romania. Every year for the past five years, Becky Hubbell has traveled to Botosani, Romania with a team of doctors and surgeons providing free care to children and adults. Becky has also helped establish children's homes in Romania and Moldova and a home for unwed mothers in India. Are Vasile's interests really best served by growing up in a group home for children rather than joining this loving family? Absolutely not.
You can be sympathetic with Romania's need to join the European Union and still recognize that the adoption law is deeply damaging to the lives of thousands of children. There has to be a better and more humane way to deal with this problem and I urge the EU and Romania to sit down and take seriously the fate of thousands of innocent children and the loving families that await them.


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Sure, Friendly's is known for its ice cream, but we are also up to some other awesome things! Explore our press releases below.
If you are a member of the press or have questions about our brand, please contact:
Maura Tobias, Director of Brand Engagement
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Telephone: (413) 731-4000


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Topic: unable to find managesieve server in roundcubemail
Hello Zhang,
with most of our users when we open the filters tab in roundcube we get the notification that it is unable to find the managesieve server.
With a few emailaccounts it is working.
I tried to update to dovecot 1.2 last night but after the installation I was unable to connect to the server with pop3
Could you please help us.
With kind regards,
Luc Verhoeven
- Urgent issue? Pay iRedMail developer to solve it remotely at $39.


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Are there any programs available for persons who are not able to pay out-of-pocket for nursing or adult homes? Is there anything that I should be doing now to prepare?
She probably won't need long-term care for another ten or fifteen years, but I don't want to be blindsided by the costs when it does happen."
Patricia Weeks O'Connor, Executive Director of the OLV Senior Neighborhood, Responds:
Your mother will likely qualify for Medicaid, assuming that she has limited resources at the time that she needs long-term care.
If she needs skilled nursing care, Medicaid will require her to use whatever income she has (with the exception of $50 per month) toward her care and Medicaid will pay the balance to the facility.
She would be required to "spend down" her savings toward her care until she reached the resource limit and then Medicaid would kick in.
Spending down means that if the value of her resources is over the allowed amount, which is $13,800 at present, she would be expected to use her assets to pay for long-term care, or "spend down" for care until her resources are depleted to the resource exemption amount applicable to her.
Once her resources (savings) are at the eligibility requirement, then she would have to apply any income toward her care except for $50 that she can keep for incidentals. So, if she received $1,200 a month from Social Security, $1,150 would go to the nursing home and Medicaid would pay the balance toward the Medicaid rate for that facility. Income from all sources (pensions, etc.) would go toward her care except $50.
The average cost for a nursing home in Western New York can run over $10,000 per month. Adult homes can cost $3,000 to $5,000 per month.
Medicaid will also pay for certain types of home care and services. Catholic Charities can assist you with the application for Medicaid. For additional information, click here to download a PDF of the New York Medicaid Guide.
By the time she needs care, medical care payments may be quite different, depending on how the Affordable Care Act grows or changes, so you will want to keep abreast of changes in this area as they occur and learn how they will impact senior care.
Karen Shalke, Regional LIFE Representative, Adds:
Understanding how long-term care services are paid for is a good place to start.
Whether long-term care services are provided for in the community or are facility-based, the three main payment sources are private pay, Medicaid or through long-term care insurance plans.
In some instances, services may be available for Veterans and their spouses through the Veterans Administration in the form of what is known as Aide and Attendance.
It is very important to understand the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.
- Medicare is available to people when they turn 65 years old, or at a younger age if they are considered disabled. Medicare will only pay for skilled services on a short-term basis.
- Medicaid is based on income and resources.
Other options to consider are through community-based providers such as Catholic Health LIFE – Living Independently for Elders. LIFE is a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). The cost of the program is covered by Medicare and Medicaid or, Medicaid alone. Although Medicaid "spend downs" do apply for community-based settings such as LIFE, the amounts allowed differ from those of nursing homes. Private pay is also an option and is about half the amount of nursing home care.
Preparing for the future is important because the worst time to evaluate options is during a crisis. An elder law attorney, a geriatric care manager, senior service case manager or social worker who specializes in Eldercare can help with planning.
About Our ExpertsPatricia Weeks O'Connor
Patricia Weeks O'Connor is the Executive Director of the OLV Senior Neighborhood and Mercy Nursing Facility in Lackawanna. OLV Senior Neighborhood provides senior housing, nursing home care, LIFE (a PACE program for the elderly) and blood testing.
Karen Shalke
Karen Shalke, Occupational Therapist, is the Regional Representative for Catholic Health LIFE – Living Independently For Elders.


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$30,000 in gear stolen from auto accessories store
Published: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at 9:29 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at 9:29 p.m.
More than $30,000 worth of electronics, rims, tires and other accessories were reported stolen from a car accessories business on Tuesday, according to officials.
Arriving at the incident location, Southern Ways Audio Garage, 8318 SE 58th Ave., sheriff's deputies were told that a thief/thieves entered the property and managed to open a back door.
Once inside the building, items such as sub-woofers, rims, tires, televisions and other items valued at $31,350 were missing.
A vehicle that was stolen was later recovered behind Lake Weir High School.
Anyone with any information about this incident can call the Marion County Sheriff's Office at 732-9111, Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, or visit www.ocalacrimestopeprs.com. Tipsters can text tips to 274637 using keyword 368STOP.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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LEESBURG, Va. (WUSA) -- We made two stops for this Cool Schools report: Leesburg, Va. and the White House. A team of fifth graders came up with an invention so impressive, the President of the United States even noticed!
Learning about the war in Afghanistan could be pretty daunting and the graphic scenes can be scary, but for these 11 year olds, it was a motivation to do something positive.
Jack Dudley, a student at Stone Hill Middle School in Ashburn, Va. told us, "Our inspiration for the project...Specialist Robert Warren lost part of his skull in an IED blast in Afghanistan."
Virginia 5th graders Jack Dudley, Sydney Dyyanni, Jovia Ho and Abby Porter started to look for ways to reduce traumatic brain injuries on the battlefield.
Abby Porter, who attends Harper Park Middle School, shared, "We took ideas from people, and we did a lot of research on out own."
They invented the "Heads Up Helmet" with new technology to improve existing head gear for troops.
Jack Dudley explained, "We used over lapping polyethylene plates to distribute kinetic forces."
Belmont Ridge Middle School student Sydney Dayyani added, "These microlayers are filled with shock absorbing gel."
The Heads Up Helmet even has an airbag.
"The collar goes completely around you neck. If it feels a change in air pressure it will completely inflate," explained Harper Park Middle School student Jova Ho.
Their research and design won the Toshiba Science Fair, but their amazing experience didn't stop there. Jack and Sydney got to share their project at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The Heads Up Helmet made it to the second annual White House Science Fair. Students from 45 states were there and this 5th grade team was the pride of Virginia.
RELATED: List Of Exhibits, Students At White House Science Fair
Sydney Dayyani was excited to meet the President: "I could believe I actually got to meet him in person. I thought I was just the average girl."
The parents couldn't be more excited either. Anthony Dayyani, Sydney's father, said, "It has to do with the environment. When you put these kids in a setting it's amazing, imagination is unlimited, there are no boundaries."
Jack Dudley's mother Brenda was the team mentor and science teacher Penni Harrison was its coach.
As Specialist Warren works on his long road to recovery, his inspiring story has created another: young scientists of the future using their brain pwoer to make a difference.
If you have a Cool School please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) is a capital listing of all transportation projects proposed over a six-year period for the SCAG region. The projects include highway improvements, transit, rail and bus facilities, high occupancy vehicle lanes, signal synchronization, intersection improvements, freeway ramps, etc. In the SCAG region, a biennial FTIP update is produced on an even-year cycle.
The FTIP is prepared to implement projects and programs listed in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and is developed in compliance with state and federal requirements. County Transportation Commissions have the responsibility under State law of proposing county projects, using the current RTP's policies, programs, and projects as a guide, from among submittals by cities and local agencies. The locally prioritized lists of projects are forwarded to SCAG for review. From this list, SCAG develops the FTIP based on consistency with the current RTP, inter-county connectivity, financial constraint and conformity satisfaction.
The Federal Adopted TIP is the Federally Approved document adopted on December 15, 2014. The document is made up of three volumes; Executive Summary, Technical Appendix, and Project Listings.Read More >>
This link contains information on the status of the 2013 Federal Transportation Improvement Program amendments and administrative modifications in the SCAG Region. It provides SCAG, State and Federal approval dates and access to approval letters.Read More >>
This link contains comparison reports of all projects submitted in an amendment which require posting for a 10-day public review prior to the amendments being submitted to the approving agencies (Caltrans, FHWA and FTA). Along with the comparison reports, the link also contains the Financial Plan and Conformity Determination report associated with the amendment.Read More >>
This link contains all the Federally Approved project listings for the current FTIP. The current version is listed first, therefore, supersedes all previous versions. The project listings are broken down by county and system (local, state, transit).Read More >>


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Free & Clear: August 2012
Going beyond conventional thinking
By John Hood
If you live and work in North Carolina, you have a front-row seat for some of todays most compelling dramas even if you dont plan to be anywhere near the Democrats national convention in Charlotte this summer.
Like any society, this state has a mythic tradition. A major theme in ours is that we are a reserved, hardworking people who prefer accomplishments to accolades. The state motto is esse quam videri, to be rather than to seem. We pride ourselves on refusing to prance or preen for the attention of others. We like to say that North Carolina is a vale of humility between two mountains of conceit, by which we mean Virginia and South Carolina.
Like other myths and legends, the modest North Carolina meme has some basis in fact. Through much of the states history, our cities were relatively small and attracted little national notice. Our economy was based in rural places and small towns, in stolid industries such as farming, textiles and wood products. Other people made fast cars, big movies, high technology and political controversies. We made cigarettes, socks and sofas.
But the image of North Carolinians as economic and political wallflowers faded away a long time ago. We still make cigarettes, socks and sofas but now we make a lot of other things, too. Our cities grew rapidly as rural Carolinians, urban Yankees, suburban Midwesterners and others came looking to build new lives for themselves and their families. Charlotte became a financial capital. The Triangle grew famous. Triad communities reinvented themselves. Even our college sports programs brought the state notoriety with national championships and compelling personalities.
Our leaders began to play on the national stage, be it Terry Sanford as a race-relations moderate in the 1960s or Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt as prototypical New South politicians in the 70s and 80s. The Helms-Hunt Senate race in 84 signaled that American politics was about to get more competitive and expensive (essentially the same thing, by the way). A fresh face, John Edwards, won his Senate seat in 1998 and was on the national ticket in 2004.
There was always a bit of blarney in North Carolinas protestations of modesty. After all, someone who talks incessantly about how humble he is qualifies as a braggart. What changed in the latter decades of the 20th century is that a combination of economic, cultural and political factors put North Carolina in the national spotlight. Our reality caught up with our aspirations. And we liked it.
In 2012, the spotlight remains on the state. But its glare is not always so flattering. As Barack Obama prepares to accept his partys nomination in Bank of America Stadium, the venues namesake is beset by a host of woes. With the states economy ranking among the weakest in the country by standard measures such as unemployment and income growth, he may find it an inconvenient place from which to ask American voters for four more years of Obama-style recovery.
Some Democrats are eschewing the event to avoid association with the presidents unpopular policies, the states scandal-ridden Democratic Party or John Edwards creepy grin. Still, even if the Democrats were convening somewhere else, North Carolina would be a big part of the national political conversation this year. We are a battleground state in the presidential race. Of the 25 most-competitive contests for U.S. House, four are here (only Illinois has more, with five).The highest-profile governors race this year is former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrorys effort to defeat Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton to become the states first Republican governor since 1992.
Beyond politics, North Carolina is a stage for other important national debates. Finance and real estate still play disproportionate roles in its economic mix, for example. Are U.S. banks too big to fail? Should Washington respond by regulating them even more heavily or forcing them to break up? Should state and federal leaders stop using special tax deductions and mandates to favor real estate over other forms of investment? The state has a lot riding on answering these questions correctly.
The fate of higher education is another national issue with a Carolina flavor. For decades, we counted on heavily subsidized public universities to be our economic engine. But given the states relatively weak economic performance and concern about campus productivity, should the focus shift toward online learning and other innovative ways to acquire and certify job skills? Have universities become distracted from their core academic missions by ancillary enterprises such as fielding semiprofessional sports teams and delivering medical care?
On political, economic, educational and other matters, the nation is watching what happens in North Carolina closely. Surely we can offer the audience more than just political scandals and economic malaise.
John Hood is chairman and president of the John Locke Foundation. You can reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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I had first coined it The Bicycle Video Of The Century, but that was just my enthusiasm running wild. It doesn't matter. What it is: it's a gift from my best friend & creative genius Gabemac, a gift to me and all of you who follow and support Amsterdamize. Gabemac traveled to Burning Man and he came back with so much more than this video. Actually, he said: "Dude, this video doesn't really tell the whole story of Burning Man, it represents maybe 1% of what I experienced there. At some point I just had to put the camera away, it didn't do it justice." I believe him. But this 1% sure as hell gives a fine impression of what the 99% entails. Enjoy
I'm so going to Burning Man in 2012 and I'm bringing my bike.


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According to State Trooper Eric Dunn, of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the crash occurred shortly after 10:00 on Highway 62 near County Road 828, near the Jasper/Newton County line.
Trooper Dunn said the woman, later identified as 49-year-old Sherry White Meadows, was driving a 2004 Toyota Sequoia sport utility vehicle southbound, while 39-year-old Troy Phillips, of Evergreen, Louisiana, was driving northbound in a fully loaded 1999 Freightliner truck-tractor-semi-trailer, hauling a load of hardwood.
According to Trooper Dunn, a witness told him that Meadows crossed the center line of the highway, and collided head-on with the truck in the northbound lane. The truck came to a stop on the west side of the highway, while the SUV stopped on the east side.
Trooper Dunn said Meadows was ejected from her vehicle. She was flown by medical helicopter from the scene to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, where she died a short time later.
Meanwhile, Phillips had minor injuries.
The impact tore a diesel tank from the side of the big-rig, which resulted in diesel fuel being spilled onto the highway. The roadway had to be closed until early Friday afternoon while a hazardous material crew cleaned up the spill.
The accident remains under investigation.


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No matter what cosmetic trends are being shown on the runways and in fashion magazines, long, thick, voluptuous lashes are always in style. For every eye makeup look, mascara plays an important role, lengthening and thickening the lash area to bring out your natural beauty and call attention to your eyes. Developed by makeup artist Lynn Tilton, the Stila Cosmetics Mascara collection offers some of the highest quality mascaras available on the market and as a result, is trusted for the models seen in couture fashion shows and magazine spreads.
All of the products in the Stila Cosmetics Mascara lineup were formulated to prevent clumping and stickiness for an even application that defines every lash. In addition to giving the illusion of greater fullness and length, the items in the Stila Cosmetics Mascara range also improve the texture of your eyelashes by enriching them with moisture. Your eyes are framed by more than 100 eyelashes that are waiting to be discovered and shown to the world. Rely on the Stila Cosmetics Mascara to make every one of them completely noticeable.
Not everyone was born with thick, long eyelashes, but everyone can look as if they were with the Stila Cosmetics Mascara collection. This lineup of mascaras gives you the ultimate in definition without clumping or appearing unnatural. Because they are enriched with nourishing ingredients, Stila mascaras actually soften and hydrate your eyelashes, making them less prone to breakage and premature shedding.
Stila Glamoureyes Mascara was inspired by the glamorous look of false eyelashes and gives you the ultimate in definition. The formulation of the mascara is so effective that only one brushstroke is necessary to fully apply the thickening, lengthening and curling solution to each and every lash. This reduces the risks for a heavy, unnatural look and makes getting ready for your day or evening a cinch. The polymers contained in the formula are super adhesive, making them cling tightly to the delicate lash area to stay on until you take them off for no unsightly smearing or bleeding.
Stila Major Major Lash Mascara - Black is the product reached for by makeup artists around the world. Part of the secret of the even application that the mascara provides is its revolutionary wand, which is thick and tapered at just the right angle to brush over every lash. The deep black formulation of the mascara makes it well suited for lighter eye shadows by day, but versatile enough to be your go-to mascara for nighttime as well. The mascara has a unique cream base for extra moisturizing.


text: By Jan RahnManaging Editor In an effort to check on, monitor, or improve the health of area residents, Perkins County Health Services will host their annual health fair. Friday and Saturday, April 19-20 are the dates for Perkins County Health Services Health Fair 2013. Each of the two days several tests will be available from 6-10 a.m. There will be information booths and produce vendors, breakfast will be served, and a drawing will be held. Enter the health fair at 912 Central Avenue in Grant where the specialty clinics are held and then follow the hallway to where tests are administered and vendors are set up. Available will be: Free blood pressure, pulse monitoring, height, weight, body fat percentage, and tetanus shots. Those attending can also receive blood tests (12-hour fasting required), discount coupon for a digital mammogram, bone density screening by appointment only (call 308-352-7215), coupon for $50 savings on a future colonoscopy if turning 50 years old. A drawing will be held for a one-year membership to Image Total Fitness sponsored by the fitness center and Perkins County Health Services. Those entering the drawing must attend the health fair to be eligible. Those with questions may call Shaun Meyer at 308-352-7289. If you goWhen: Friday and Saturday, April 19-20Time: 6-10 a.m. MDTWhere: Specialty Clinic area of Perkins County Health ServicesBreakfast ServedDrawingGiveaways


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For decades, pursuing benefits from Indiana social services was a test of will, according to Zach Main, director of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).
Citizens who needed services had to navigate a time-consuming bureaucracy before receiving benefits. Benefits disbursement errors and eligibility determination blunders also plagued the agency, costing the state
millions of dollars.
Before taking his position in 2005, Main oversaw construction of the Indiana Republican Party's Voter Vault database. The model he implemented is now the standard for Republican voter databases in all 50 states. Main outsourced the FSSA's case management operations to IBM, which revamped processes and technologies to decrease eligibility inaccuracies and eliminate unnecessary steps during the delivery of services. The pilot program is already in progress.
Inheriting a Mess
Main toured the organization's 107 offices after joining the agency. He found incompatible bureaucracies that forced citizens to travel more than once to government offices for social services that often took two weeks to initiate.
"We had taken the people who, in many ways, had the least time to give and the least amount of paid time off, and we were making them jump through way too many hoops to get the assistance they were entitled to," he said.
Main soon discovered the administration's business processes were more inconsistent than he and his team originally thought.
"If you walked into an office in one county, it would be a completely different experience than if you had walked into an office in another county," he said. "We found we had about 2,000 caseworkers out there, and we realized we actually had about 2,000 ways of doing business. Every caseworker within that system operated independently of the rest."
Counties managed much of Indiana's family and social services until the state consolidated those functions by creating the FSSA in 1991. However, in 2004, individual FSSA offices still operated with their own rules as if they were still county offices, said Main.
The FSSA also mismanaged money. Main discovered that 12 percent of the time, the agency made errors when qualifying people for food stamps or determining the dollar amounts they could receive. The agency also incorrectly determined eligibility 36 percent of the time when disbursing Medicaid benefits, usually giving them to ineligible recipients.
"That's the Medicaid you give to elderly people who need to be in a nursing home but can't afford a nursing home," Main said. "The state pays for their nursing home to the tune of about $3,000 a month for the rest of their lives. As you can see, those decisions can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars for just one eligibility decision."
Bypassing Government Culture
Main decided to outsource the FSSA's services to IBM because a major internal change would have been too difficult and expensive. For example, Indiana's human resources infrastructure discouraged altering job classifications, which the agency needed to do to implement new processes.
"That was virtually impossible within the old system," he said. "If the person whose job you changed didn't like it, it could trigger an appeal process that would last 18 months, and you weren't sure if you would win it in the end."
To transform the agency internally, Main would have needed a budget increase of more than $100 million.
"It's very hard for me to go to the Legislature and say I need a [multi]million dollar increase to my budget because the savings is coming beyond when their next election cycle is going to be - and maybe beyond when this governor is going to be here," Main said.
However, the IBM deal slashed the 10-year cost of modernizing the agency down to $1.6 billion, which was $341 million below the agency's current costs. That offered legislators a savings


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Cash Management
Cash Cycle ManagementTM Solutions for optimized cash handling processes
Cash plays still an important role, this is also true for the railway and public transport industry. According to the European Central Bank, the number of banknotes in circulation is rising at the rate of 9% yearly. Unfortunately, the rising volume of cash in circulation also increases the costs of cash handling for the companies.
Our technology can reduce the cash handling costs by more than 20%. They can eliminate manual cash handling and reduce both the volume of cash they have in circulation and the administration and management overhead of controlling and monitoring cash logistics chains. In addition, the risk of losses is reduced, and with it the need for provisions. Employees are relieved of unproductive routine tasks and can use their time and energy for productive activities such as sales and customer consulting. Another advantage: the reduction in the number of middlemen, applications and interfaces needed for cash handling simplifies the process considerably.
Wincor Nixdorf Cash Cycle Management™ Solutions enable significant cost reductions, maximum security, highest transparency and optimized processes.
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Fast and secure deposit of daily revenues for conductor and counter staff in the back office of the station, providing more transparency and optimizing the cash handling process.
Cash Cycle Counter/ Back Office
Optimization of the cash management process within the branch, relieving the employees from time-consuming cash counting processes which gives them more time for individual customer relationship management.


text:
Baked Spaghetti with Tomatoes
(From the kitchen of Elizabeth Geesaman)
I used tomatoes and green peppers from the garden for this and my husband and kids loved it, Elizabeth.
8 oz. spaghetti
½ tsp. salt
2 Tblsp. Butter
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
1/8 tsp. paprika
¼ cup chopped green pepper
1 Tblsp. sugar
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup grated colby or cheddar cheese
2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 4 med.)
( I just pulsated in blender, skin, seeds and all)
1 lb. browned beef, or *sausage cut up and cooked
Cook and drain spaghetti.
Melt butter and sautee' onion and green pepper.
Add remainder of ingredients, except cheese and spagetti.
Simmer 10 minutes.
Add cooked spaghetti and half of the cheeses.
Put in a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
*Elizabeth says she used pre-cooked breakfast sausage and it turned out really tasty.


text:
Harness your chee with the Yin Yang Wall Graphic from Curly Cue! It's great for any apartment or dorm. This yin yang wall decal is the easily recognized symbol of the interplay of opposite forces in the universe. Use it to impress that special someone by bringing them over and saying "The yin yang symbol represents the interplay of opposite forces in the universe." You're guaranteed to appear so intellectual, a lasting relationship is bound to ensue. It comes in several different colors and two size options.
Curly Cue can not guarantee this decal will ensure a meaningful relationship with anyone.
This product is out of stock


text:
May 25, 2016
This image released by ABC news shows co-host George Stephanopoulos, left, interviewing actress Reese Witherspoon on "Good Morning America," Thursday, May 2, 2013 in New York. During the interview, Witherspoon repeatedly apologized for her behavior during an April 19 traffic stop in Georgia. Witherspoon, 37, was arrested after the trooper said she wouldn't stay in the car while her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, was given a field sobriety test. Toth was charged with drunken driving and is due in court May 23. Witherspoon faces a May 22 court hearing on the disorderly conduct charge. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute)
Associated Press Release
By JEFF MARTIN
ATLANTA (AP) -- A lawyer for Reese Witherspoon says the actress has pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge resulting from a heated confrontation with a state trooper in Atlanta.
Municipal Court of Atlanta Deputy Solicitor Ronda Graham said in a statement Friday that Witherspoon entered the plea and paid a $100 fine, resolving the case.
Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said earlier Friday that the department will release video from a state trooper's dashboard camera that captured the confrontation and Witherspoon's arrest. Celebrity website TMZ has aired a copy of the video.
The footage shows Witherspoon asking the trooper, "Do you know my name?" and then adding, "You're about to find out who I am."
The actress has apologized for her behavior.
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text:
Scalable Joins is a .NET (4.5) library for declarative, scalable parallel synchronization.
With multiple cores, even mainstream programmers need to write parallel code. Those parallel threads need to communicate and synchronize.
Writing correct synchronization code is hard; achieving performance that scales with the number of cores is a black art.
Scalable Joins is a library that extends C# and other Common Language Runtime languages with declarative, high-level synchronization constructs.
The model is based on the message passing join calculus:
· Objects can declare channels on which to receive messages and requests;
· Methods are declared to react when sets of channels are filled.
Threads coordinate by sending messages. The ideas are simple, yet powerful.
The library is a new, "lock-free" re-implementation of the lock-based Joins concurrency library, designed to scale on parallel hardware. As before, programmers write simple, high-level code but now they also get the parallel scalability of complex, low-level code previously crafted by experts.
Consider E. Dijkstra's classic Dining Philosophers problem. Declarative join patterns, provided by our Joins library, make it almost trivial to solve - all we have to do is state the desired constraints:
var table = Join.Create(2 * n);
// channel arrays for requests and resources
Synchronous.Channel[] hungry; table.Initialize(out hungry, n);
Asynchronous.Channel[] forks; table.Initialize(out forks, n);
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
var leftFork = forks[i]; var rightFork = forks[(i + 1) % n];
// a join pattern
table.When(hungry[i]).And(leftFork).And(rightFork).Do(() => {
// eat ...
leftFork(); rightFork(); // replace forks
// think ...
// set the table
foreach (var fork in forks) fork();
// spawn the philosophers
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) { var _i = i;
var phil = new Thread(() => {
while (true) hungry[_i](); // request to eat
This code represents the resources of the problem (the forks) as asynchronous channels. A resource is available if, and only if, there is a message on its channel. When hungry, philosopher i makes a synchronous request on his dedicated channel, hungry[i]. A request on hungry[i] will wait until or unless the philosopher's left and right forks are available. Once done eating, a philosopher releases his forks by invoking their channels, replenishing the resources he just consumed.
On a 24-core machine, using a benchmark derived from the above code, the original lock-based solution doesn't scale beyond 10 cores, while our new lock-free implementation fares much better, competing with the absolute performance and scalability of a bespoke solution (Dijkstra's solution using fine-grained locks).
Here, each philosopher (thread) spins 50 iterations eating (with forks) and 10000 iterations thinking (without forks). In total, philosophers eat 100000 times.
Another benchmark, measuring absolute runtimes, has the philosophers doing no work eating or thinking, thus measuring the cost of synchronization itself:
This graph demonstrates the increasing overhead of the old, lock-based implementation as we add more threads - the new, scalable implementation does much better.
Microsoft internal users can access a tech-preview binary release of the library, complete with samples and documentation http://toolbox/scalablejoins.
Source code is available on GitHub: https://github.com/JoinPatterns/ScalableJoins.
A paper describing the implementation and preliminary performance evaluation is publically available here.
This is joint work with Aaron Turon from Northeastern University.
- Aaron J. Turon and Claudio V. Russo, Scalable Join Patterns, in Proceedings of the 2011 ACM International Conference on Object Oriented Programming Systems Languages and Applications, ACM, New York, NY, USA, October 2011.
- Claudio Russo, Join Patterns for Visual Basic, in OOPSLA 2008: Proceedings of the 2008 ACM Conference on Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages and Applications, ACM Press, October 2008.
- Claudio Russo, The Joins Concurrency Library, in Ninth International Symposium on Practical Aspects of Declarative Languages (PADL 2007), Springer-Verlag, January 2007.


text:
Philosophy Unconditional Love is a a soulful, sweetly warm scent to leave you feeling surrounded by love and happiness. an expressive fragrance infused with black raspberry speaks of soulful love, peaceful white lily makes you feel cherished and cashmere vanilla shares affectionate warmth.
Philosophy Unconditional Love Fragrance is the hero product in the line. It's a traditional spray fragrance that should be applied to clean dry skin. It's the perfect way for any woman to envelope herself in the warmth of the most powerful kind of love of all - unconditional love.
Philosophy Unconditional Love Perfumed Shampoo Bath and Shower Gel is perfect for women who love scented bath and body products and want to incorporate the Philosophy Unconditional Love fragrance into their beauty routines. The multi-purpose gel can be added to bath water for a rich, foaming fragrant treat or used in the shower as a body wash or shampoo. The formula softens and conditions both skin and hair, leaving it soft and smelling delectable.
Philosophy Unconditional Love Perfumed Firming Body Emulsion is a moisturizing and firming lotion that should be applied right after the bath or shower to lock in hydration and nourish aging skin. Philosophy Unconditional Love Perfumed Firming Body Emulsion is rich in vitamins to help restore elasticity and radiance to skin showing the signs of aging. The lotion contains the signature scent of Philosophy Unconditional Love and can be used underneath the fragrance to create a layering effect that lasts all day.
For an even richer moisturizer, there is Philosophy Unconditional Love Perfumed Body Butter which is formulated with the softening butters of mango, shea and cocoa to provide instant as well as long-lasting softening and nourishing.


text:
Loretta (Kettler) O'Connell
Loretta (Kettler) O'Connell, 92, of Le Mars, formerly of Sioux City passed away Sunday June 13, 2010 at Plymouth Manor Care Center in Le Mars, following a brief illness. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 1:00 p.m. Friday July 2, 2010 at St. James Catholic Church in Le Mars. Burial will be in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Alton. Visitation will be from 12:00 noon until service time at the church on Friday, July 2. The Feuerstein Funeral Home in Le Mars is in charge of arrangements
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Featured in 7 Favorite Wedding Dresses from the latest Badgley Mischka Bridal Collection.
badgley mischka wedding dress spring 2013 bridal gowns vintage inspired drop waist.
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text:
Science is nothing, but trained and organized common sense.
–Thomas Huxley
First a quick note. Our postings are fewer and farther between this summer due to a particularly busy schedule, but will become more frequent and regular again as we get closer to the November elections.
In the meantime, the dog days of summer seem to be producing relatively few new or interesting journeys on the Road to Hellth. Buoyed by the Supreme Court's decision, The Affordable Care Act is continuing to allocate money in ways that appear to be directed more toward influencing the results of the election than contributing to the long-term viability of the nation's healthcare system. A prime example is the ongoing use of "research" money to preserve Medicare Advantage benefits for millions of seniors until just after conclusion of the Congressional and Presidential elections.
Indeed, most everything in healthcare seems to be in a state of suspended animation until after the election. This only makes sense. Why should millions of companies and individuals voluntarily make elaborate and expensive plans based upon a law that may be actively overturned (or at least undermined) if Mitt Romney should be elected in just a few months. No one really knows if ACOs are going to be real or imaginary, whether all of the taxes involved will kick in, or if the dozens of promised carrots and sticks will come into play. So money continues to be spent and decisions continue to be made based upon the existing law, but they are half-hearted.
Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that reason and common sense are spreading throughout the world of healthcare either. In case you missed it, we would like to illustrate with a seasonal example from the world of schools and camps for children.
By now, virtually everyone knows – or certainly ought to know – that too much exposure to ultraviolet light is a bad thing for skin and human health. The ACA even includes a well-intentioned but ineffective 10% tax to raise money and discourage the use of tanning salons; unfortunately tanning rates have stayed about the same, while the measure has raised far less revenue than previously expected. For many years the American Academy of Dermatology has paid for advertising campaigns that encourage the use of sunscreens and natural shade, discourage tanning and educate laypeople on the high risk of developing skin cancer as a result of unprotected exposure to the sun. One might think that schools and summer camps would have picked up on these themes long ago. But every American institution lives in world where bureaucratic requirements and legal liability concerns eventually trump every other consideration. Jesse Michener, a mother in Tacoma, Washington found this out the hard way when she sent her two daughters school field trip, only to have them return with severe sunburns. The reason? In an effort to ensure that no "drug abuse" takes place, their school has a policy that bans sunscreen use (an over-the-counter item to be sure) without a doctor's prescription. We'll let USA Today tell the story as Ms. Michener:
…was horrified to see two of her daughters, ages 11 and 9, return from a school field day with severe sunburns.
The girls have extremely fair skin, and none of the adults at the event offered them sunscreen — or shade, for that matter — as a rainy day turned sunny, Michener, 37, wrote in a post in her blog, Life.Photographed, that got nationwide attention. More than a week later, their skin still is peeling and red, Michener told USA TODAY Wednesday: "It's appalling."
…But sunscreen rules are common. They typically stem from state and local policies that stop kids from bringing any drug — including non-prescription drugs — to school, says Jeff Ashley, a California dermatologist who leads an advocacy group called Sun Safety for Kids.
Sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, so many districts treat them like aspirin, just to be safe, he says.
Ashley helped get California to pass laws that say kids have a right to bring sunscreen, hats and other sun gear to school. That was nearly a decade ago, but as far as he knows, no other state has done the same.
So there's a mish-mash of policies. Often, "sunscreen application at school seems to be an issue that each individual school district rules on," says Jennifer Allyn of the American Academy of Dermatology. "Some treat sunscreen as they would any other fragrance-type product, and forbid their use to avoid allergic reactions. Others require a doctor's note, and others treat sunscreen like something as basic as Chapstick." The academy endorses sunscreen use but has no policy on how schools should handle it, she says.
But Ashley says allergy concerns are overblown: "Sunscreen allergies are no more common than allergies to soap. Are schools going to take soap out of their bathrooms?"
Another common concern: Adults will get in trouble for inappropriately touching kids if they help apply sunscreen. That was the question in Maryland last summer when the state enforced, then repealed, a rule forbidding camp staffers or even other kids from slathering lotion on campers. Now it's OK, as long as parents say it is.
Michener says her daughters also were forbidden to bring hats to school. That's another common policy, Ashley says. "Schools will tell you hats can be signs of gang affiliation." Some schools dodge that danger, he says, by selling or supplying identical sun-safety hats…
Why is common sense so uncommon among the people whom we have trusted with positions of public responsibility? Is this really the same country that managed to win World War II (although to be honest, with the help of other countries – the Soviet Union and Britain in particular) and put a man on the moon?
There is no question that, in the hands of children or abusers, some over-the-counter (OTC) medications can be positively harmful. Robitussin® (dextromethorphan) in common OTC cough syrup is often taken and abused by adolescents and drug abusers for the "out of body" feeling and hallucinations that it can produce. One study showed that 2.4 million teens — about 1 in 10 — got high on cough medicines in 2005. That makes it just about as common as cocaine abuse. Excessive ingestion of acetaminophen can cause liver damage. Laxatives and diet pills often consist of nervous system stimulants. Should parents, teachers and counselors be worried about these things? Yes, of course they should.
But as we've seen so many times, the problem occurs when someone in a position of power decides to draft a standard "guideline" of care without really knowing what they're doing. The guideline rapidly becomes set in stone, and the means by which those dealing with the population in question are judged, rewarded and punished. In this case the guideline was thoughtlessly crafted to be overly broad; it doesn't take a genius to determine that some OTC items are more subject to abuse than others, or that some of these items were themselves created and distributed to address a potentially serious healthcare problem. Sunscreen is one example, but there are others. Mosquitos and ticks can be carriers of serious illnesses such as Lyme disease and West Nile Virus. Properly formulated and administered, insect repellents are safe for use in children. Presumably the same ban on OTC products prevents their use in many schools and camps nationwide. How difficult would it be to draft a list of "allowed" OTC items rather than banning the entire class of products willy-nilly? Apparently too difficult for the people whom we are paying to look after such things.
Lest we be too critical, we should note that the provision allowing the use of standard hats as a means countering gang-related activity is a logical and thoughtful response to a pervasive social problem. At least someone somewhere is using their head.
This particular episode brings up a question that has, as far as we know, been completely ignored in healthcare reform. Why are physicians and hospitals held responsible for the quality and appropriateness of their actions and decisions, but not the bureaucrats regulating them? One could certainly argue that a policy-maker in Washington or even at a state school system has far more power over our nation's lives and treasure than any individual physician could possibly muster. Why aren't regulators scored, awarded and punished based upon the health and economic effects of their performance? Indeed, in some respects laws directed toward enhancing the performance of regulators and policy-makers stand a much better chance of improving public welfare than anything aimed at providers themselves.
Want to mandate the implementation of an electronic medical record system? No problem. In that case your own salary will be increased or decreased based upon the resulting change in medical productivity that results from the policy. Planning on deploying a system of pay-for-performance incentives for healthcare providers? Excellent. However be aware that if it does not result in a significant improvement in performance as measured by health-adjusted cost savings, the cost of implementing and administering the plan – including the cost of compliance – will be deducted from your department's annual budget. Want to ban the use of sunscreen by schoolchildren rather than encourage it? Okay, just be aware that we intend to monetize the cost of any excess sunburns that may result, and apply them against the compensation of those formulating the policy.
The quality of healthcare policy and regulation would improve overnight. So would the use of common sense.


text:
The Heart Transplant program was founded and developed by Dr. Henry B.C. Low. The center is under the direction of Dr. Patricia Sheiner, Director of Transplant Services; Dr. Jonathan A. Hammond, Surgical Director; and Dr. James E. Dougherty, Medical Director.
The program has grown tremendously over the years. It is Medicare certified and continues to have results at or above national standards. In addition, the Heart Transplant Program has a full left ventricular assist device capability and implantable heart mate capability as a bridge to transplantation.
Most transplant candidates are referred from Western Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut by their primary care physician or local cardiologist. Many also enter at their own initiative.