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3/8 Morley Street Tweed Heads West NSW 2485
- Sold for
$190,000Need a home loan? Just crunching the numbers for you...
- 2
- 1
- 1
- 07 5599 2000
- 07 5599 2000
- View profile
Ray White - Tweed Heads
53 Wharf StreetTweed Heads, NSW 2485
3/8 Morley Street Tweed Heads West
The Best Value in Town
The owner has found the property he wants and is reducing the price on this apartment to make the move! The vendor's realistic expectations are a big bonus to the prospective purchaser.
All the work is completed on this 2 bedroom beauty.
New kitchen, bathroom, paint, tiles and carpet separates this apartment from the rest.
It is a quiet, bottom floor apartment with easy access and one of six in the building.
The apartments, gardens and garages have been given excellent attention over the years and it does show.
With nothing to spend and as an investment would show a return better than anything else on the market!
Priced to sell, this beauty should have you reaching for the phone.
It wont last long so sharpen the pencil and inspect.
Property No. 107596716
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- Property Type:House
- Bedrooms:2
- Bathrooms:1
- Indoor Features
- Air Conditioning
- Outdoor Features
- Garage Spaces:1
- Other Features
- Built-In Wardrobes,Close to Schools,Close to Shops,Close to Transport,Garden
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The price of a property that falls in the middle of a total number of s sold over a period of time, based on listings over the preceding 12 months.
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Agreement reached on pipeline issuesAugust 24,2013Agreement cited
on pipeline issues
SOUTH BURLINGTON Vermonts only natural gas company is a step closer to the development of a pipeline through Addison County.
Vermont Gas says it has reached an agreement with the Addison County Regional Planning Commission on some issues, such as providing service to several villages along the route.
Vermont Public Radio reported that the agreement has been filed with the Public Service Board, which is to start hearings next month on the proposal.
Vermont Gas wants to expand its footprint from Chittenden and Franklin counties in northwestern Vermont south through Addison County.MORE IN This Just InCASTLETON - Head coach Eric Ramey has announced that the Castleton softball team will once again... Full StoryMONTPELIER Vermont state officials are blaming a lack of seat belt usage, speeding and driving... Full Story
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text: The Power Part 4 wiki last edited by rubicon on 01/03/15 05:53PM View full history Sandy Tolliver, full of power, has turn mad. Bethany, Nathan and danny try to talk to her but they fail. Sandy hurts Bethany despite her invulnerabilty and has some sex affair with Nathan. Only Danny is spared thanks to his past with Sandy. But when the woman begins to blown up the city, it seems that nothing can stop her. In Washington, Control comforts Jasmine after her arborting. But Tony comes in the room and hurts him. She has discovered that Control had manipulated Jasmine and all the Next Men for a long time. The woman fastens his former boss and flies with Jasmine. Far from there, Amanda Watson and Mark IV have found refuge in a hunter cabin. In New York, an old couple enters in the former Sandy Tolliver's flat and find the girl, in her old shape, lying in the bed. Then, the girl wakes up and appears near the other Sandy Tolliver who continues to blown up the city. The "old" Sandy talks to his counterpart as she is his bad side. The two girls argues and use their reality manipulation powers on each other. Finally, the "real" Sandy wins, making his nemesis disparear. Flying over the city, she uses the rest of her energy to rebuild the entire town and bring back most of the world as he is before. But the effort is far too big and her powers shut down just after she has succeed and she falls violently on the ground. As the police comes, Danny has only a few time to notes that she is alive (but severely injured) before Nathan, Bethany and him fly.


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Im 27 and just got married to the most wonderful man. Between us we have 5 children so I'm a very busy person. I don't update as much as I should but I've got a 3 month old little boy and 4 girls that are 3,7,7, and 8. I'll do my best and thank you to all who read my stories.
For some unknown reason I have always had a thing for leprechauns, unicorns, and flamingos.
Support gay love and think It's sexxy as hell. I'd be a lesbian but to tell u the truth... Vag kinda freaks me out Haha and I have one.
I am not racist and don't like listening to you if you are. I make some references in my stories (like the British are comin') but I got the idea off the internet years ago of a website that had 101 things to do at walmart... that was one idea and one of my fave to do with my friends.
If AmyScence ever reads this...
I know more unicorns for your army...
Im not sure how your army fights, but mine are used to marshmallows
(you throw them at others and if they are hit they turn into a s'more... nobody can
resist them... keeps the prisons tidy and low on inmates)
superman wears Dean Winchester Pajamas.
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danynickole May 29, 2014 12:48AM
Who should I have start the next chapter? I know what I want to happen but who should be the one telling it? Not sure. Jiro or another outside person? Radford and his opinions? Warric or Athena?View all conversations
Featured work.
Power and Wisdom
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Social data: 930K reads. 13.5K votes. 1.3K comments.
Description: Athena Celeste just moved into a new town and is still living out of her car. Looking for a job she lands the perfect job for her... Cleaning. What she doesn't know is that the seven boys she will be taking ca...
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Trisdale a candidate for state FCCLA office
Brady junior Donnie Trisdale has advanced through the first round of competition as a state office candidate following the District 10 meeting of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America in North Platte on Oct. 24.
Trisdale, the 2012-13 district president and Brady FCCLA member will compete for a position on the state officer team during the statewide leadership conference in Lincoln in April.
Emily Masten of Thedford is also a state candidate from District 10.
The district meeting included six schools: Brady, Cozad, Maxwell, Mullen, North Platte and Thedford.
This year's project for the FCCLA district is to support the Special Olympics and a session about the organization was presented to members.
Other sessions included boot camp, quiz bowl, peer education and FCCLA fun.
Members also heard University of Nebraska at Kearney trainer Ray Stutz speak on the professionalism of young leaders.
He encouraged FCCLA members to treat people well, to put others first and to protect personal reputations because they can also affect professional reputations.
The district raised $161 with their auction of buckets of goodies provided by each school chapter.
The district will be together again on Jan. 16 in Cozad for the annual STAR competition.
Latest Headlines
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Liverpool Dementia Action Alliance
Members will be invited to attend quarterly meetings to share their experiences, learn from fellow members and work together to complete action plans, and to follow the Liverpool Dementia Charter:
Upcoming Liverpool DAA meetings for 2016:
Wednesday 14th September and Wednesday 14th December.
All meetings are held 9.30 am -11.00 am at Kensington Neighbourhood Health Centre, 157 Edge Lane, Kensington, Liverpool L7 2PF.
Contact: Jen Burgess at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 01925 572 239 or follow us on Twitter: @DAALiverpool.
Watch the "It's OK to talk about Dementia" Video below.
During Dementia Awareness Week 2016 Liverpool DAA delivered a Design and Dementia event, with the report available here - D4D Full report v1 - and plans in motion to build on this work in the near future.
Liverpool was successful in getting three projects to the final of the Dementia Friendly awards 2015.
SURF, House of Memories, and Liverpool DAA were nominated; SURF and House of Memories each won a national award. Congratulations!
Pictured are members of the SURF group with Angela Rippon
Alliance Members
- Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton
- Alzheimer's Society Liverpool and Knowsley
- Bridge Chapel Centre
- Bupa
- Chaturangan
- Everton in the Community
- FirstArk
- Health@work
- Healthiness Ltd
- Henshaws
- Home Instead Senior Care – Southport, Formby and Crosby
- Home Instead Senior Care- Liverpool and South Sefton
- Inclusion Matters Liverpool
- Innovate Dementia
- Irish Community Care Merseyside
- Liverpool Citizens Limited
- Liverpool City Council
- Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group
- Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust
- Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital Foundation Trust
- Liverpool Housing Trust
- Liverpool John Moores University. Faculty of Education & Health & Community
- Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust
- Local Solutions, Liverpool
- Mary Seacole House
- Mersey Care NHS Trust
- Merseycare Julie Ann
- Merseyside Chinese Community Development Association t/a Chinese Wellbeing
- Merseyside Jewish Community Care
- National Museums Liverpool
- Nugent Care
- Office of Luciana Berger MP
- One Vision Housing
- Red Ninja Ltd
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool
- The Life Story Network CIC
- The Regenda Group
- Victoria Community Care Ltd
- Workers' Educational Association – North West Region


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Greg is a Science Presenter on TV, on YouTube and on Stage.
He's the Science Guy on Blue Peter, hosts multiple series for BBC Worldwide, has racked up more than 8,000,000 hits on his YouTube films, and writes & presents sell-out spectacular live science shows around the world.
Greg has been frozen, shot and buried alive, built a jet-powered go-kart and a real levitating hoverboard, answered people's questions from 'What causes a beer belly?' to 'Why do we have pubic hair?', unleashed giant flamethrowers on stage, and sat inside a bowling ball loop-the-loop… for science!
Greg has been given the prestigious title of 'Engagement Fellow' for The Wellcome Trust and also delivers training for clients including The Royal Society and The Prince's Trust, and a range of talks covering his journey From Science Degree To Science Communication, Social Media 101, Science Busking & much more.
Have a watch of his showreel on the left to find out more about what he gets up to.


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Shan Foster saved his best for his final home game.
Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer had a career-high 42 points and hit his final nine 3-point attempts, the last with 2.7 seconds left in overtime, to help the 16th-ranked Commodores to an 86-85 victory over Mississippi State on Wednesday night.
The Senior Night victory allowed Vanderbilt (25-5, 10-5) to finish unbeaten at home this season and kept alive its chances at a first-round bye in the Southeastern Conference tournament starting next week in Atlanta.
The Commodores finished 19-0 in Memorial Gym where they have won 32 of 33 games.
Jamont Gordon had 24 points for the Bulldogs (20-9, 11-4), who clinched the SEC West title last weekend with a win at Florida.
Mississippi State, which had a three-game winning streak snapped, needed a win to have any chance at winning the overall league title.
A.J. Ogilvy had 16 points and Alex Gordon added 14 for Vanderbilt, which trailed most of the game and even through most of overtime.
Gordon had to leave with 29 seconds left in overtime because of cramps.
Charles Rhodes had 22 points for the Bulldogs, while Jarvis Varnardo added 16 and Barry Stewart 10.


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Miranda, New South Wales
Sydney, New South Wales
Westfield shopping centre, Miranda
|14,436 (2011 census)[1]
|24 km (15 mi) south of Sydney CBD
|Sutherland Shire
|State electorate(s)
|Federal Division(s)
Miranda is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Miranda is 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the Sutherland Shire.
Miranda has a mixture of low, medium and high density residential and is known as a commercial centre for the southern suburbs. The Westfield Miranda shopping centre attracts many shoppers from the Sutherland Shire, the St George area and as far away as Wollongong.
Thomas Holt (1811–88) owned the land that stretched from Sutherland to Cronulla. James Murphy, the manager of the Holt estate named the area after Miranda, a character in the William Shakespeare play The Tempest. In a 1921 letter, James Murphy said "the name Miranda was given to the locality by me as manager of the Holt Sutherland Company which I formed in 1881. I thought it a soft, euphonious, musical and appropriate name for a beautiful place." It is believed that the character in the play was named after Miranda de Ebro, a town in Spain.[2]
Early Australian explorer Gregory Blaxland was promised a significant parcel of land in the area as a reward for discovering a passage through the Blue Mountains. He had not selected his parcel by 1816, when he chose to sell that promise to John Connell for £250. However, in 1831 he also selected a parcel of land and claimed it under the original promise of reward, at which Connell stepped forward to claim the land. The matter was taken to court, where Connell was recognised as the owner.
In the 1860s the parcel was sold to Holt, who planned a sheep and cattle farm. The plan failed but the fertile ground was leased to market gardeners instead.
By the 1920s, steam trams operated between Cronulla and Sutherland, via Miranda. The trip from Miranda to Sutherland took fifteen minutes and cost three pence (2.5 cents). In 1923 there were five shops in Miranda, including a post office and butcher, at the intersection of the main road from Sutherland and Port Hacking Road. Settlements of returned soldiers from World War I were well established in Miranda at this time and the area was considered to be one of the best fruit-growing and poultry farming areas.[3]
Commercial area[edit]
Miranda is noted for the Westfield Miranda shopping centre (mall), adjacent to the Miranda railway station. The shopping centre runs parallel to The Kingsway, and is built on three blocks, crossing over Kiora Road and Wandella Road. This shopping centre was once notable for being the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere. Originally known as 'Miranda Fair', the last extension and renovation was completed in 1994, providing 107,000 square metres of retail space. Westfield Miranda was soon eclipsed in size by Westfield Parramatta's extension. Miranda Fair is currently the 8th largest in Australia and the 4th largest in Sydney. Another major redevelopment and extension began in mid 2013.[4][5] For full details of the reopening during October and November 2014 see Westfield Miranda#Renovations. A cinema complex in the new area is due to open in mid 2015.[6]
Miranda also has a shopping strip, running along The Kingsway and Kiora Road. Numerous commercial developments are also located on these roads and surrounding streets. The smaller Parkside Plaza Shopping Centre containing a supermarket and various grocery shops is located nearby in Wandella Road (North).[7]
- The Kingsway, Port Hacking Road, The Boulevarde and Kiora Road are the main roads through Miranda. Until 2002 a Miranda landmark was called "the number one black spot in the State for minor accidents,"[8] the five-ways roundabout which intersected The Boulevard, Kiora Road and Port Hacking Road. An A$8m project was completed from 25 February 2002 - 20 November 2002 to remove the roundabout and implement a series of traffic lights at the intersection. Collisions at the intersection fell from 222 in 2002 to 13 in 2003.[9]
- Miranda railway station is on the Cronulla branch of the Illawarra line on the Sydney Trains network. The railway station gives quick access to Cronulla Beach by train.
- Sydney Buses, Maianbar Bundeena Bus Service and Transdev NSW provide bus service to Miranda. For full route details see Miranda Station.
According to the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population, there were 14,436 residents in Miranda. 30.2% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being England 3.6%, New Zealand 2.5%, China 1.7%, India 1.4% and Philippines 1.1%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 76.5% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Greek 2.3%, Mandarin 1.6%, Italian 1.6%, Cantonese 1.6% and Arabic 1.1%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 30.1%, Anglican 23.1%, No Religion, 14.8%, and Orthodox 5.1% and Uniting Church 3.5%.[1]
Miranda War Memorial, Seymour Shaw Park, Miranda
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Miranda (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ http://www.sutherland.nsw.gov.au/ssc/rwpattach.nsf/viewasattachmentPersonal/shire_placenames_20041008.pdf/$file/shire_placenames_20041008.pdf History of Sutherland Shire Placenames
- ^ The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, p. 175
- ^ "Westfield Miranda to get $435m facelift". The Age. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Westfield star to go in redevelopment". St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. Fairfax Media. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Trembath, Murray (27 May 2013). "Westfield Miranda redevelopment gets go-ahead". St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. Fairfax Regional Media. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ http://aunearby.com/pages/coles-supermarket-parkside-plaza-shpng-cntr/33644
- ^ http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LA20020227003 Governor's Speech: Address-In-Reply - 27 February 2002 - NSW Parliament
- ^ http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/doingbusinesswithus/downloads/ops_newsletter09_low.pdf
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miranda, New South Wales.
Coordinates: 34°02′08″S 151°06′10″E / 34.03562°S 151.10276°E


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Last month, the official inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar concluded. In a tragic irony, the jury delivered its verdict on the very date that would have been her fifth wedding anniversary.In my last post, I pessimistically predicted that the final report would take the anti-choice position that abortion should be forbidden until the woman is clearly dying and then blaming the doctors if they can't pull her back from the brink. To my surprise, that isn't what happened. Instead, … [Read more...]
The Savita Inquest Concludes
The Savita Inquest
Last week in Ireland, the official inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar began with several days of testimony.So far, nothing has altered the basic sequence of events as we know them. Savita arrived at Galway University Hospital in October 2012, 17 weeks pregnant, with ruptured membranes and a dilated cervix, clear signs that a miscarriage was beginning. As ob/gyn Dr. Jen Gunter has said, "Her presentation should not have posed a diagnostic dilemma, not even for an intern." An open … [Read more...]
Weekend Coffee: April 14
• My wife Elizabeth is raising funds for the National Abortion Access Bowl-a-Thon, and has just one week left and less than $200 to raise to get to her goal of $1,000. Help out!• And if you need some motivation, anti-choicers are harassing and terrorizing the staff of the newly reopened family-planning clinic in Wichita once owned by the murdered Dr. George Tiller. One of them, David Leach from the group Army of God, calls the clinic's existence "a gauntlet thrown down by someone … [Read more...]
Weekend Coffee: International Women's Day Edition
Yesterday was International Women's Day, so in honor of that, all the links in this week's roundup are feminist-themed. And there's a lot of news to cover:• Anita Sarkheesian of Feminist Frequency has released the first in her Tropes vs Women in Video Games series, exploring the cliche of the damsel in distress. (Hilariously, a group of "men's rights" advocates who solicited donations for a rebuttal video series appear to have taken the money and run.)• A brutal, poignant … [Read more...]
Fifty Reasons to Boycott the Catholic Church
This article was originally published on AlterNet.Last year in Ireland, Savita Halappanavar died, and she shouldn't have. Savita was a 31-year-old married woman, four months pregnant, who went to the hospital with a miscarriage in progress that developed into a blood infection. She could easily have been saved by an abortion of the already-doomed fetus. Instead, her doctors did nothing, explaining that "this is a Catholic country," and left her to suffer in misery for days, only intervening … [Read more...]
The Increasing Problem of Religious Hospitals
The needless death of Savita Halappanavar last year, after a Catholic hospital refused to terminate her doomed pregnancy, drew a worldwide outpouring of fury against the religious dogmatism that killed her.But as I wrote at the time, Savita's story was only the tip of the iceberg. What happened to her wasn't a fluke or an aberration: it was and is the official policy of the church that if a pregnant woman's life can be saved by abortion, it's better to let two die than to save one.It's … [Read more...]
Bowling for Abortion Access
Since religious-right legislators continue to put insultingly ridiculous obstacles in the path of women seeking abortion - like the latest one, a proposed bill in South Dakota that would specify that the mandatory 72-hour waiting period wouldn't include weekends or holidays - we pro-choice people have to do what we can to make it easier for women to exercise that choice.That's why the National Network of Abortion Funds is holding its fourth annual Abortion Access Bowl-a-Thon, raising money … [Read more...]
Weekend Coffee: February 10
• No matter how many compromises the Obama administration offers, Catholic bishops just don't want people to have access to birth control.• Beliefnet is afraid of feminism, telling liberal Christian pastor and blogger Kristine Holmgren that she wasn't allowed to use the word in her header or her blog (at which point, to her credit, she broke ties with them).• Astrophysicists have calculated, on the basis of data from NASA's Kepler telescope, that six percent of red dwarf … [Read more...]
Questions for Pro-Lifers: The Results, Continued
Last month, I posed a list of questions to people who identify as pro-life. In the long comment thread which ensued, there were a fair number of people who stepped up to respond, both some who were traditionally religious as well as some who said they were atheists (but more about that later on). In this post and the previous one, I'll survey and discuss their answers.The Penalty for DoctorsThe large majority of people who answered this question, to no one's surprise I'm sure, said that d … [Read more...]
Questions for Pro-Lifers: The Results
Last month, I posed a list of questions to people who identify as pro-life. In the long comment thread which ensued, there were a fair number of people who stepped up to respond, both some who were traditionally religious as well as some who said they were atheists (but more about that later on). In this post and the next one, I'll survey and discuss their answers.Obviously, this is nothing like a scientific survey of the anti-abortion community. But there were enough responses to notice … [Read more...]


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There is no reason that these haven't replaced regular potato chips completely. The kettle-cooked, crunchier, saltier version of the potato chip is superior to the mass market variety in the way that Cylons are better than humans: without regular potato chips, kettle-cooked chips would never have existed, but after kettle-cooked chips, what use do regular chips have existing at all?
The 25 Best Gas Station Snacks
15. Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips
Watch Now


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What are some good basketball songs that also get you pumped up before a game????
"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better, and your better is best." ~Tim Duncan
* "Dare to be great." *
"Hard work, a positive attitude, confidence, and a smile are the keys to success."
Basketball is life....#14
Remember the Name, Champions by Ron artest, and amazing by tj fredette
ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators.


text:
view full screen
Wide Lace Leopard Cami
Style: 570061087
Take an extra 50% off with code 97886
Out of Stock
Silky soft cami lengthened with luxurious black lace in a chic leopard print. 95% Nylon, 5% Spandex. Machine wash. Imported.
- Close stretch fit.
- Adjustable, stretch ribbon straps. Stretch lace with a scalloped edge.
- Hits low on the hip.
Read more… Read less…


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An Evening with the Stars – and YOU Can Be There!
We don't know about you, but we have Awards fever! The Chicagoland Chapter of Autism Speaks is hosting an awesome event, 'An Evening With the Stars.' Unfortunately we can't all physically be there, but you can VIRTUALLY be there! Throughout the night we will be giving updates on Facebook, Twitter, and our newly created Tumblr account! Please be sure to follow along and have some fun this Sunday!
Coverage starts at 6pm EST – so be there!!
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Weekly Whirl – Sibling Love!
If anyone knows how hectic life can get – WE DO! That's why we have created the Autism Speaks Weekly Whirl to fill you in on all of the highlights of the week! The last thing we want is for you to be left out of the loop! Please share with friends and family to spread the word about all of the exciting things going on in the autism community. Keep in mind, these updates aren't limited to Autism Speaks — we will be featuring news from across the community.
We know how hard it is to balance the needs of all of your children and to celebrate each of them individually! Well for our Whirl we want to honor our siblings and share some of our favorite posts! We would also like to share a guide created by our Family Services Team – A Sibling's Guide to Autism
Treasure What You Have – Lena Rivkin
Voices of Autism: A Brother's Perspective – Andy Shumaker
I'm Moving Out – Ali Dyer
Autism, Siblings, and the Art of Unconditional Love: An Interview With Lindsey Nebeker
Autism in the News – 02.24.12
Change in definition of 'autism' has parents worried they'll lose critical services (Hartford, Conn.)
When Caleb Geary was diagnosed with autism at age 3, he had never spoken or eaten solid food. Read more.
Autism Is Jim Calhoun's Biggest Opponent (Hartford Courant)
Jim Calhoun, like many coaches, is superstitious. He might have a lucky tie or piece of jewelry he must wear to end a losing streak, or keep a winning streak going. Read more.
Boy's art graces book on autism (Indy Star)
Noblesville Griffin Nickels, 15, is a freshman at Noblesville High School. He is autistic. He is also artistic. Read more.
Autism Clean-Up Bill Passes House of Delegates (The State Journal)
Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can breathe a little easier now that the West Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill regarding insurance coverage for those children. Read more.
Basic police work ignored in autistic patient's suspicious death (News10)
Six days before he died, Van Ingraham was found on the floor of his room. His neck was broken and his spinal cord was crushed and disfigured. The injury was so severe, medical experts said it looked like he'd been put in a headlock or hanged. Read more.
Autism Speaks' daily blog "Autism in the News" is a mix of top news stories of the day. Autism Speaks does not vet the stories and the views contained therein do not necessarily reflect Autism Speaks beliefs or point of view.
What behavioral therapies can help someone with autism and severe anxiety?
Today's "Got Questions?" answer comes from clinical psychologist Jeffrey Wood, Ph.D., of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at the University of California, Los Angeles. The recipient of three Autism Speaks grants, Wood has extensively studied anxiety in elementary school and adolescent children with autism.
Anxiety is common among children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research suggests that at least 30 percent of children withASDalso have an anxiety disorder such as social phobia, separation anxiety, excessive worry/rumination, obsessive compulsive disorder or a phobia such as extreme fear of spiders or loud noise. Indeed, many of the children involved in our ASD research suffer multiple anxiety disorders.
It's important to remember that anxiety can range from fluctuating, mild and completely understandable to unremitting, severe and irrational. Most people experience some form of anxiety on a regular basis, and this generally involves some degree of physical discomfort as well as negative mood.
Moderate levels of anxiety can actually be a positive, motivating force to increase one's level of effort and attention when working or socializing. However, research on how children adapt to different settings (academic, athletic, social, etc.) suggests that high levels of anxiety can interfere with academic and social success.
Several types of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have been developed to address anxiety in children with ASD, with promising results from several clinical research centers. Techniques include challenging negative thoughts with logic, role-play and modeling courageous behavior, and hierarchical (step by step) exposure to feared situations.
We and others have developed programs using modified versions of CBT that was originally developed for typically developing youth. These directly address problematic levels of anxiety in children with ASD. Several of these programs incorporate "special interests" to motivate children to engage in treatment activities during weekly sessions. For example, the therapist may use favorite cartoon characters to model coping skills, or intersperse conversations about a child's special interests throughout the treatment sessions to promote motivation and engagement.
Depending on the program, these treatment sessions usually last 60 to 90 minutes each and extend over a course of 6 to 16 weeks. Most treatment plans also require parent involvement and weekly homework assignments.
Results from our randomized clinical trial, case studies and related reports indicate that most children with ASD who complete such programs experience significant improvements in anxiety as well as some improvement in social communication skills and other daily living skills. 1-9
We and others continue to conduct research on these and related behavioral interventions for relieving anxiety. At present these intensive and scientifically studied treatment programs are available primarily at a small number of autism treatment centers. We hope that further research and dissemination efforts will make them become more accessible to families throughout North America and elsewhere.
1. Wood JJ, Gadow KD. Exploring the nature and function of anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders. Clinical Psychology: Research and Practice. (In press)
2. Wood JJ, Drahota A, Sze K, Har K, Chiu A, Langer DA. Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized, controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2009;50(3):224-34.
3. Sze KM, Wood JJ. Enhancing CBT for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders and concurrent anxiety: a case study. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy. 2008;36:403-9.
4. Chalfant AM, Rapee R, Carroll L. Treating anxiety disorders in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders: a controlled trial. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2007;37(10):1842-57.
5. Lang R, Regester A, Lauderdale S, Ashbaugh K, Haring S. Treatment of anxiety in autism spectrum disorders using cognitive behaviour therapy: A systematic review. Developmental Neurorehabilitation. 2010;13(1):53-63.
6. Reaven JA, Hepburn SL, Ross RG. Use of the ADOS and ADI-R in children with psychosis: importance of clinical judgment. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2008;13(1):81-94.
7. Scarpa A, Reyes NM. Improving emotion regulation with CBT in young children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders: a pilot study. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. 2011;39(4):495-500.
8. White SW, Albano AM, Johnson CR, et al. Development of a cognitive-behavioral intervention program to treat anxiety and social deficits in teens with high-functioning autism. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. 2010;13(1):77-90.
9. Sofronoff K, Attwood T, Hinton S. A randomized controlled trial of a CBT intervention for anxiety in children with Asperger syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatiry. 2005;46(11):1152-60.
Read more autism research news and perspective on the science page.
Autism – 2.23.12
All mental health disorders should get insurance coverage, not just autism, coalition says (Lansing, Mich.)
Legislation that would require insurers to cover autism treatments unfairly singles out one condition, says a coalition that wants coverage for all mental health issues. Read more.
'Growing out of autism' claim unfounded (Littlehampton Gazette)
Can some children simply "grow out" of autism? The Daily Mail certainly thinks so, and today reported that new research by a "prestigious American university" claims that "not only is this possible, it's also common." Read more.
Bill would require insurance coverage for autism (NECN)
The Alaska Senate has passed a bill requiring insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorders. Read more.
Sally Bercow: 'My son has autism, and I'm very proud of him' – video (UK)
Labour activist Sally Bercow talks to disability campaigner Nicola Clark about her eldest child Oliver, who's autistic. She tells of how she found out about her son's condition and how it has affected her life, and why she supports TreeHouse school in north London, Ambitious About Autism's flagship project that educates autistic children. Read more.
Manchin visits Autism Training Center (The Parthenon)
United States Senator Joe Manchin visited the Autism Training Center on Tuesday at Marshall University. The Autism Training Center at Marshall provides students who are underneath the autism spectrum with support in academic and social situations. It serves individuals at Marshall and at statewide level. Read more.
Autism Speaks' daily blog "Autism in the News" is a mix of top news stories of the day. Autism Speaks does not vet the stories and the views contained therein do not necessarily reflect Autism Speaks beliefs or point of view.
Autism Journal Offers New Podcast on Gender Differences
The international journal Autism released a new podcast in its Autism Matters series. Sven Bölte, Ph.D., director of Sweden's Karolinska Institute Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, discusses his research on gender differences in cognitive function among high-functioning persons with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Matters podcasts are hosted by University of London psychologist Laura Crane, Ph.D.
The series is designed for a broad audience and aims to showcase the latest research published in the journal with an emphasis on real-world relevance.
Lorri Unumb to Host "My Child Has Autism: How Do I Get Insurance?" Webchat
Please join us Monday February 27th for our first webchat featuring the Government Relations team: "My Child Has Autism: How Do I Get Insurance?" The webchat will be hosted by Lorri Unumb, Esq., our Vice President for State Government Affairs.
Held at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 Central/6 Mountain/5 Pacific), this "office hour" will connect families looking for answers about their health insurance with Ms. Unumb, who is regarded as one of the nation's pre-eminent experts on health insurance and coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism. Ms. Unumb wrote groundbreaking autism insurance reform legislation enacted in her home state of South Carolina in 2007 and has since led the way for the enactment of similar laws in 27 other states. Her most recent honor was the 2012 Leadership in Advocacy Award presented by the California Association for Behavior Analysis.
Ms. Unumb welcomes your questions about how autism insurance coverage works in your state, understanding self-insured policies and the impact of the new federal health care law on autism coverage. However, the guidance provided on the webchat is not meant to substitute for the information provided by your employer's human resources department, your insurance agent or attorney.


text:
Women's Movements
Women's Movements Terms
Title IXPart of the 1972 Education Act, Title IX guarantees women equal access to educational opportunities, including extracurricular activities such as athletics.
Seneca FallsThe town in New York that hosted America's first women's rights conference in 1848. About 300 people, including 40 men adopted a Declaration of Sentiments, modeled closely after the Declaration of Independence, asserting the "self-evident" truth that "all men and women were created equal." The delegates also adopted eleven resolutions, including one declaring it "the duty of women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise."69
SuffragetteTerm applied to the militant faction of the British women's movement campaigning for the right to vote. Because of the negative connotations often attached to the term, American women campaigning for the right to vote preferred the label suffragist.
LiberatorThe Abolitionist journal founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831.
"Silent Sentinels"Members of the National Woman's Party who stood silent vigil outside the White House. Their banners urged President Woodrow Wilson and Congress to pass a Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.
Fourteen PointsPresident Woodrow Wilson drafted this plan for peace in 1918. He presented it at the Versailles peace conference following World War I, but failed to winincorporation of all fourteen points into the finalized treaty.
President Woodrow Wilson's plan for international peace following World War I. It included calls for unrestricted trade between nations, no secret alliances, arms limitations, and the founding of an international organization to mediate international disputes (the League of Nations).


text:
Get dirty, have fun and grow more food with great gardening tips from real-life gardeners.
By Ellen Sandbeck
garlic, sacrifices, gourmandizing, growing, Ellen Sandbeck
Today is going to be a garlic kind of day. Walt and I have been preparing the garlic beds for autumn planting, clearing out the weeds, adding worm compost and worm juice, and I hope to start actually putting cloves into the soil sometime tomorrow. Autumn planting is the only way to grow really large heads around here, and garlic adores a heavy feeding of worm compost and worm juice!
This year's garlic heads are dry and slumbering cozily in paper bags in the study, and I have separated out the largest, choicest heads for replanting. After planting only the largest, most robust garlic for the past 11 years, our garlic is quite well adapted to our particular garden, and last year's almost total crop failure, due to flooding, caused much heartache. I ended up planting what we would normally have been eating, and we ran out of garlic before the new garlic was ready to eat this summer, which was very frustrating. However, because we made sacrifices last year (and dug very deep trenches around all our garlic beds), this year's crop is spectacular. To paraphrase an old saying: "Never eat your seed garlic."Walt and I eat what to most people must seem like ungodly amounts of garlic, but I have grown so accustomed to garlic that I can barely detect a reasonable amount of garlic when it is cooked into a dish — if I am to recognize it as food with garlic in it, it has to contain a really large amount of garlic, for instance a whole head in a pot of soup.This year's garlic gourmandizing has been aided and abetted by a nifty keen new gadget that Walt just had to have when he spotted it in a super-discount store in Chicago last fall: it's called a Leifheit Gourmet Cutter, and since we bought it, we've used it a minimum of once every day. This morning Walt cooked our eggs over a bed of sliced garlic — YUM! I'm not much of a gadget person, but I do appreciate being able to cut paper thin slices of garlic without garnishing them with pieces of my own skin!
Next time, musings on filet gloves.
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Product Description
Just TRY to get rid of all your cards - but not so fast! SWAP! Is the addictive game that's constantly changing hands! Play cards on matching colorsƒyou might have to SWAP hands or race to SLAP the pile! Watch out because SUPER SWAP makes everbody swap hands! Quick play and ever-changing circumstances make SWAP! a SCREAM!
Product Information
Patch Products
Year: 2011
Players: 2 - 10
Ages: 7 and up
Weight: 195 grams
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Important delivery notice
The products on this site are only delivered to UK addresses. If you require delivery to another country please visit one of our other sites below.
In this range you'll find an impressive selection of perennial plants and biennial plants, which are perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Also known as herbaceous plants, perennial plants live for 2 or more years and flower every year. Biennial plants live for up to 2 years, flowering profusely in their second year before setting seed and dying. Both are great for beds and spring displays and there are many delightful plants to choose from.
For beautiful summer flowers browse our range of annual plants.
Agapanthus 'Twister'
African Blue Lily
Why not add a patio pot to your order? - perfect for planting up your Agapanthus plants! More info
Shasta Daisy 'Fair Lady' (Large Plant)
Leucanthemum x superbum, Chrysanthemum maximum
Shasta Daisy 'Fair Lady' bears wonderfully large, white, daisy-like blooms with soft buttery yellow centres that perch on upright stems. This eyecatching Leucanthemum is a magnet for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects, and makes a useful cut flower too.
If you're new to gardening and buying plants, then the Shasta Daisy is a perfect place to start. Used in mixed borders and cottage garden displays, these hardy perennials are tough, and require little maintenance. They'll even reward you with a particularly long flowering period! Height: 60cm (24"). Spread: 45cm (18").More info
Poppy 'Royal Wedding'
Papaver orientale, Oriental PoppyThe Oriental Poppy is perfect for cottage gardens, and are best planted together in clumps for the full effect. Poppy 'Royal Wedding' is the pick of the bunch, with glistening white petals and a dark centre to each bloom. Bees and butterflies love the nectar-rich flowers. Oriental Poppies are easy to grow, hardy perennial plants for a sunny border in the garden. Plants are clump-forming, tough and produce over-sized flowers in early summer each year, followed by attractive seedheads. Height: 60cm (24"). Spread: 50cm (20"). More info
Geranium pratense 'Laura'
Hardy Geranium, Meadow CranesbillMore info
Fuchsia 'Beauty Queen'
Fuchsia 'Beauty Queen' has some of the largest fuchsia flowers we've seen! The dazzling white blooms have brilliant pink sepals that make a dramatic contrast. This compact hardy fuchsia is smothered with enormous blooms all summer long making it ideal for bringing a bright splash of colour to patio pots and borders. Height and spread: 60cm (24").
Useful links:
Culinary note: Add the beautiful coloured flowers to salads, crystallise them for a sweet garnish or add them to jellies for an extra splash of colour. For more details about edible flowers click here.More info


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Fleck 7000 SXT (94FL-7080S) Meter 80,000 Grain Water Softener 13" x 54"; 2.5 CF
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The 7000 valve is a high flow rate control suitable for both residential and light commercial applications where the plumbing is 1" to 1.5" and the demand for water is great. With the new larger homes being constructed today equipped with the latest in luxury fixtures and appliances, the water softener servicing the home needs to be able to provide flow without significant pressure loss. Softeners equipped with the 7000 are a perfect match to meet these homes needs.
In addition to high flow, the 7000 incorporates advanced SE electronics with features as double backwash, soft water brine tank refill, flexible programming and optical positioning (no more micro switches). The valve body features connect clips making servicing a breeze. Finally, a high flow is available to complement the system.
Approximate GPG Capacity: 75,000
Mineral Tank Size: 13x54
Maximum GPM: 18
Approximate Height: 67
Weight: 235
A Great System!
System work great, good looking system, and most important of all that it cut down the dryness on my skin.
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3 of 3
Found Helpful
Reviewed by:
Michael N.
from Southern Cal.
on 3/21/2013
great system
Replaced a Culligan system with this one. Works great and was easy to install. Thanks
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Reviewed by:
from palm Springs, CA.
on 1/5/2015
What is the difference between the standard 8% resin and the 10% cross linked? And why is it only available in the Fleck 7000 systems?
Asked by:
Rich W
- 1/17/2014
10% has a better chlorine resistance. So if you are on city water with a high chlorine level in the water then it's technically better To have. But you should have a carbon filter to prevent any damage in the first place. It's not available to JUST the 7000s, it just so happens that we added that option first to these systems. You can order it with any system if you call (eventually we will add it to the others)
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Answer provided by:
Tai (1/17/2014)
(Submit an answer)
How many ppm of iron does tis softener remove?
Asked by:
Jan Knopp
- 10/23/2013
Technically if you have iron, you should have a separate system specifically used for it an not to use the softener as an iron treatment system. However, softeners can handle about 3 ppm of iron. I would make sure that you set the day override on the softener to 7 days or less though. Having iron fouling is permanent; resin can be treated if fouled by iron but not reversed.
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Answer provided by:
Tai (10/23/2013)
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Does it have a top basket and gravel under bed?
Asked by:
- 8/21/2014
Yes it does.
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Answer provided by:
Stephanie (8/21/2014)
(Submit an answer)
What is the flow rate on this system?
Asked by:
Archer Lawrence
- 12/19/2014
The standard piston has a flow of 27 GPM (continuous flow); high piston is 35 GPM (continuous flow).
The amount of media inside will handle easily 18 GPM at 100% efficiency; efficiency may drop if flow goes higher than that but that is extremely rare for most homes.
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Answer provided by:
Alexander (12/19/2014)
(Submit an answer)
What brand and type of resin comes standard?
Asked by:
- 1/17/2015
I'm glad you ask. We use Alamo A4000 for the 8% crosslink. Not a lot of people understand that the resin is the most important part of a softener aside from the valve. A lot of compcompanies use cheap resin that has too much moisture which is not good; cheap resin can break down prematurely and not last as long over the years. Alamo/Watts A4000 is very consistent in the quality of resin. We never get complaints with them.
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Answer provided by:
Tai (1/17/2015)
(Submit an answer)
I purchased a home with a softener. I have already replaced cation and stil not convinced it works properly, etching on glass. I am interested in purchasing a new unit. How do i test to see what is going on? I have a ppm meter and tap water is about 550 ppm but soft water is about 575. I know it does not differentiate between salt and mag/calcium. How do i properly test?
Asked by:
- 5/18/2015
You can use a hard water test kit. Part number 481108-2 or 480008. That will give you a better reading. Using a TDS meter to measure total ppm will not really help. You cannot differentiate soft water and hard water with that. TDS meters are used to indicate total ions. So the increase from 550-575 is a good sign that something is happening and possibly more Na Cl ions in the water. Using the hardness test strips will definitely confirm your question though.
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What are the installation requirements on this unit? Will I need to assemble it and fill the resin tank with resin? Does it come with resin? Is there a bypass valve on the unit or will I need to plumb one separately? Should this unit be installed before a carbon filter or after the carbon filter?
Asked by:
- 2/11/2016
Resin is shipped separately so yes filing is part of the assembly. You are welcome to look at our youtube channel to see what is involved. There is a bypass included. This goes after a carbon filter.
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Answer provided by:
Tai (2/11/2016)
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Click here for service manual.
Click here for 7000 spec sheet.
Click here for SXT spec sheet.
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An Afghan security force which has faced corruption allegations is to be doubled in size as the West embarks on its exit path from the war.
The government militia, say coalition commanders, has proved to be highly effective in combating the insurgency in their own back yard, and needs to be strengthened.
The ranks of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) are to rise from the current 15,000 to 30,000 as international troops begin the drawdown for 2014, a deadline reiterated at this week's international summit in Chicago. Officials in Kabul, who strongly refute charges of malpractice against the force, hold that the numbers should be further augmented by another 10,000 if necessary.
Crucially the ALP is not included in the total strength for country's military and police – the subject of an ongoing debate with proposals for the numbers to be cut from 352,000 to 228,000. Senior officers have warned that too hasty a reduction would prove damaging at a difficult time with fledgling Afghan forces taking over control of security throughout the country. Iraq, with a smaller population, they point out, still faces serious violence despite having security forces numbering 670,000.
The lightly armed bands of the ALP, raised to protect their communities, have been engaged in bitter and often bloody clashes with the Taliban in rural areas with a degree of success.
However, there have also been charges that its fighters have been involved in corruption and abuse, with some of the allegations based on reports of US soldiers training the local police units in a Pentagon-funded study.
The ALP was set up by General David Petraeus when he commanded Isaf (the International Security Assistance Force) in Afghanistan. It is partly modelled on militias which turned the tide against the Iraqi insurgency when he was leading Coalition forces in that country. President Hamid Karzai was initially reluctant to authorize raising the levy due to apprehension that the armed men may become 'private armies' for regional power brokers, but eventually did so putting it under Ministry of Interior supervision.
Sami Sadaat, a security analyst and former policy analyst in the Ministry of the Interior, warned: "We must be careful of what we are creating." In some southern parts of the country the local police, he claimed, "are taking the law into their own hands, beating people and taking money. Yes, they helped remove the Taliban. But in a way they replaced them by doing these kinds of things."
The allegations are disputed by others. Sayed Hotak Naimtullah, a former security adviser to the Karzai government, said: "Yes there have been cases of criminality, but comparatively few considering we are in the middle of a hard war. The fact is the ALP are based around their own villages and they will not last long if they rob their own people.
"There is a case, in fact, for expanding the ALP, we could take between another 8,000 to 10,000 more on top of 30,000. Compared to the army and other police branches they are cheaper and often more productive."
Lieutenant General Adrian Bradshaw, the British deputy commander of Isaf, said the ALP has "proved to be extremely effective, they have local knowledge and they can defend their communities". He added: "I recently went to Kunar province where I saw them operate and I was impressed. They are doing well in interdicting, cutting insurgent supply routes. They are armed with AKs [Kalashnikovs] and PKMs [machine guns], and good training is frankly all they need."
Lt Gen Bradshaw confirmed: "The total strength of the ALP is around 15,000 at the moment. It is due to rise, in time, to 30,000."
The total strength of the Afghan police and army, excluding the ALP, is due to rise to 352,000 by October. However, some countries who will be providing funding for Karzai's government after 2014, want the total to be reduced to 228,000. This will reduce the total bill for the Afghan military from $6.1 billion a year to $4.2bn.
On average, Afghan soldiers and policemen are paid around $300 a month. Members of the ALP receive a lower salary of about $200 a month, although this may rise to $300 in the future.
Lieutenant Colonel Dino Bossi, commanding officer of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, in charge of police training in Helmand, said: "We maintain a zero-tolerance when it comes to corruption. I am not saying it does not exist, but a lot has been done to tackle it. The fact is that of all the police units the Taliban fear the ALP the most. They are local people, they know who is who, what people are up to, they spot suspicious strangers."
Brigadier Doug Chalmers, the commander of the UK's Task Force Helmand, acknowledged that the Afghan police force had an unenviable reputation in the past, but stressed that there has been significant improvements.
"When I came into Nad-e-Ali [a Helmand district] two-and-a-half years ago the police were despised, absolutely hated by local nationals. They weren't trained, they weren't well paid so they survived effectively by preying on the local population" he said.
"But it is not the same institution any more. There is now a system in place to check for corruption, senior officers show a great commitment to upholding standards and the population are more confident about the police."
The type of fighting the ALP is engaged in is often internecine, vicious and, at times, treacherous with insurgent infiltration. In one attack two months ago a member of the police at Paktika, on the Pakistani border, put sleeping drugs in their tea and slaughtered them when they were helpless.
Arif Mohammed Rauf, serving with an ALP unit in Paktika, knew some of those killed. He said: "The Taliban and their Pakistani masters are afraid of us and so they want to kill us, so when we find them we kill them, although sometimes we arrest the terrorists. We know we have to be careful all the time but we have the help of our villagers who know we are there to protect them.
"Is there corruption? Yes we have had some police who take have taken ushur [part of a farmer's harvest as tax ] because they say it is their right because they are defending the villages. But we have made them pay the farmers money for that because, otherwise, the next time the farmers will help the Taliban. If there are more serious cases then more serious action is taken. We do not want to end up dead because of mistakes made by others."Reuse content


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Christopher A Keiter
Main Address:
Nanea Golf Club
PO Box 1089
Kailua Kona, HI 96745-1089
(808) 930-1310
PO Box 1089
Kailua Kona, HI 96745-1089
(808) 930-1310
72-2921 Kaupulehu Road
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
(808) 930-1310
Christopher Keiter is a PGA Apprentice in Kailua Kona, HI. The PGA of America comprises 27,000 men and women professionals with one singular goal in mind - to make the game of golf more enjoyable for you.
Services Offered:
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text:
1. Introduction
In recent years unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gained increasing relevance in many applications such as video surveillance or field measurement. UAVs are quickly ready for action and can be easily equipped with various sensors such as gas detectors or video cameras. In emergency situations, such as the uncontrolled emission of poisonous gases or fluids, the robust sensing and prediction of possible damage is of the highest relevance to plan rescue missions. The initial schedule at the beginning of the disaster management is a key factor for success or failure. This includes the fast detection and localization of missing persons. Both tasks can be done by UAVs equipped with proper sensory mechanisms. The topic of this paper is the detection of moving (escaping) people based on computer vision with on-board cameras on UAVs.
2. Related Work on Movement and Human Detection
Reliable detection of moving objects from a moving camera is still an open research field. Especially in the field of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) this problem is well-known. Classical approaches of 2D motion segmentation try to separate the image flow into different regions either by looking for flow discontinuities [1], while imposing some regularity conditions [2], or by fitting a mixture of probabilistic models [3, 4]. An approach using a stereo camera was introduced by Solà [5] and relies on finding moving objects on the basis of feature detection. Therefore, Solà considers only objects that enter the image from the image borders and features for which the matching failed as moving objects. A similar approach using only one camera was presented by Migliore et al. [6]. Here, the detection of movement is based on continuously checking the intersections between three viewing rays belonging to the same feature viewed in three different camera poses. For the case that these intersections are not the same during camera motion or it does not exist, the feature is classified as dynamic. To address the uncertainties arising with each measurement, a probabilistic framework called Uncertain Projective Geometry [7] is used. Recently, Perera and Pasqual [8] presented simultaneously with Maier and Ambrosch [9] an approach for recognizing moving objects on the basis of detecting outliers. According to Perera and Pasqual, a moving object is detected if the distance between a found feature and its corresponding epipolar line is above a threshold. As this method uses features, some moving objects might be not detected. Maier and Ambrosch presented a similar approach which relies on dense optical flow data and an adaptive threshold. Another interesting method was introduced by René Vidal et al. [10, 11]. They introduce the Multibody Fundamental Matrix to represent the motion of each object relative to the camera between two frames. Thus, they can evaluate the number of moving objects, their motions and which point correspondence corresponds to which object by an accurate analysis of a formulation of the epipolar constraint extended to the multibody case. A drawback of this method is the high combinatorial complexity.
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: Section 3 gives an overview of our approach. Section 4 introduces a novel point sampling strategy for selecting proper point correspondences of optical flow, which are further used in Section 5 to estimate the fundamental matrix between 2 temporal succeeding images. Section 6 explains our approach for detecting movement and Section 7 presents the achieved results. Finally, Section 8 concludes the paper and gives an overview of possible further research.
3. Algorithm Workflow
As stated earlier, this section gives a short overview on our approach. Therefore, Figure 1 illustrates the workflow of the movement detection algorithm. It is based on the calculation of the deviation between each pixel in the actual image and its epipolar line given by its predecessor image. According to this, the first step is the image acquisition of the area by a digital video camera mounted in a UAV. The second step is the calculation of the optical flow to determine the pixel changes of 2 succeeding images. The third step is the estimation of the fundamental matrix with the point correspondences of the optical flow. The fourth step is the movement detection itself where we calculate the sparse error image first. From these error values the local adaptive thresholds for detecting moving objects are calculated. With these and the sparse error image, the dense error image is computed. Areas in this image with error values unequal to zero are candidates for moving objects. In the next step, only areas that were also detected in another 2 temporal succeeding error images are not rejected. In this step it might be the case that areas of real moving objects are rejected and others are erroneously accepted. To counteract this effect, a method to filter the remaining candidates, as well as insert areas that have a high potential to be real moving objects, is used. The standard deviation of the grey values of a detected area in the original image is used to apply a final filtering step on the moving objects. The following sections describe the single steps in detail.
4. Point Sampling on Dense Optical Flow Data
For the correspondence search and computation of the dense optical flow we use the pyramidal implementation of the Lucas Kanade Feature Tracker [12]. It is used to calculate the fundamental matrix F with several point correspondences which should fulfil specific requirements, such as independency. This means that no more than 2 points should lie on one line because more points on the line contribute nothing to the linear system of equations of the 8-point algorithm. To fulfil this, points located on circles are selected, indicated by the dashed lines in Figure 2(a).
As can be seen in Figure 2(b) on the right side of the outer circle, a small gap between selected point correspondences is present. This is due to the fact that the reliability of the point correspondences is increased by applying a threshold on the distance of a point in the first image to its corresponding point in the second image.
Moreover, the image is divided into 4 areas (cf. Figure 2(a)) [9]. These are denoted as W0, W1, W2 and W3. Depending on the amount of radial distortion, correspondences are selected from areas W0 to W2. This is due to the fact that the effect of radial distortion in the midmost circular area is insignificant for normal perspective, non-catadioptric, and non-wide-angle cameras where the distortion centre is in or near the centre of the image [13, 14]. As in many cases the distortion is not exactly known, we only use point correspondences from area W0. The points from W1 and W2 are only used for calculating the accuracy of the fundamental matrix F in these areas (see Section 5 for more details). Point correspondences from area W3 are neither used for calculating the fundamental matrix nor for calculating the accuracy of it in this area because here also little distortion decreases the accuracy significantly. This can be traced back to optical effects that arise near the borders of the aperture and with increasing distance from the optical axis of the lens system.
5. Estimation of the Epipolar Geometry Using a New Robust Method
The fundamental matrix is computed using
and the normalized 8-point algorithm [14, 15] with (homogeneous) point correspondences The state-of-the-art algorithm to deal with overdetermined systems is RANSAC [14, 16]. The RANSAC algorithm performs well for the case that nearly noise-less data and a small proportion of outliers is present. Otherwise, the RANSAC algorithm for eliminating incorrect correspondences can cause a high computational effort. One reason for this is the calculation of the error (distance between a point and its corresponding epipolar line) for every correspondence over many iterations, particularly when the number of available correspondences is high. To overcome this, we use a novel approach which has a predictable runtime and is suited for our application. To achieve real-time behaviour, other methods like pre-emptive RANSAC [17] or ARRSAC [18] also exist.
First, a set of point correspondences is selected according to the described point sampling in Section 4. This set of point correspondences has to be large enough (e.g., 300 correspondences) to contain at least 50 inliers. Thus, a least-squares solution for the inliers that also gives a good estimate for noisy data can be achieved. From the set of point correspondences a semi-random subset of 8 correspondences is extracted. Semi-random means avoiding randomly selecting correspondences that are concentrated on a small region in the image. The first point set is split into at least 4 equally sized point sets of different areas of the image, shown in Figure 3. According to this, an equal number of correspondences with a minimum distance of between each other must be selected randomly from each of the subsets, cf. Figure 3.
After selecting 8 point correspondences, they are normalized and the fundamental matrix is calculated with
where f holds the entries of F and are the homogeneous coordinates of the point correspondences in the first and in the second temporal succeeding image [14, 15]. For solving Equation 2 with 8 correspondences, the LU factorization is used. The estimation of F is repeated a few times (e.g., 30 times) and the results as well as their homography matrices are saved. Afterwards, each is normalized by a global homography so that the fundamental matrices are comparable:
The homography is calculated by the following equation:
where is the width and the height of the image.
Afterwards, a few (e.g., 20) correspondences are semi-randomly (see above) selected from area W0 (from the same set that was sampled in the beginning) and a few (e.g., 20) correspondences are semi-randomly selected from the areas W1 and W2. After normalizing this correspondences with the errors and the distances from points to epipolar lines and are calculated for both, the first (temporal) and the second image and by
with Afterwards, and are combined by
These errors are calculated for every fundamental matrix and the selected correspondences The errors are partitioned into and to distinguish between errors in the area W0 and errors in the areas W1 and W2. As there could be very large errors and present that would affect the algorithm, a threshold is used in
to limit the error values. In the next step, the overall errors
for each fundamental matrix are calculated and combined with According to these error values, the fundamental matrix with the smallest error is selected. In addition, the lower and upper quartiles of the corresponding error values and are rejected. From the remaining error values, the mean values and are calculated. Afterwards, if
with the thresholds given as and the error values are calculated for all selected point correspondences (the large set from which the correspondences were randomly selected to estimate the fundamental matrices ) by Equations 5, 6 and 7 using the selected . All correspondences for which their error value exceeds a certain threshold are marked as outliers and are therefore rejected. From the remaining correspondences (the inliers) a final fundamental matrix F can be calculated using the singular value decomposition (SVD). If Equation 10 does not hold, an overall error of
corresponding to the selected is calculated and both are stored. Subsequently, the whole procedure is repeated until either a is found for which Equation 10 holds or if the number of iterations reaches a threshold (e.g., 10 iterations). If the latter is the case, the fundamental matrix with the smallest error value is selected. Therefore, a classification into inliers and outliers, and the estimation of the final fundamental matrix can be performed as described before.
However, one disadvantage of the proposed algorithm, in comparison to RANSAC, is that it might perform slower when the number of point correspondences and the proportion of outliers are very small.
6. Movement Detection
After estimating the fundamental matrix, the epipolar errors, which are the distances between the pixels and their epipolar lines, are calculated. An adaptive threshold has to be calculated that is small enough to recognize slowly moving objects, but is large enough to reject noisy pixels. Afterwards, the dense error image is calculated utilizing local adaptive thresholds and a sparse error image. The next sections describe in detail how these steps are done.
6.1. Epipolar Error Calculation
For this reason, the error value is calculated for every point correspondence marked as inlier during the estimation of the fundamental matrix (see Section 5) using Equations 5, 6 and 7, as well as the final fundamental matrix F. From the resulting error values, the quartiles are calculated and distances that are below the lower and above the upper quartile are rejected. From the remaining distances the arithmetic mean value and from all inliers the standard deviation are calculated.
6.1.1. Sparse Error Image and Global Threshold
Experimental tests showed that a good global threshold tg can be calculated with In many cases, the afore mentioned error is not uniformly distributed over the whole image, especially when distortion is present. As a result, a global threshold might be not the best choice for every situation. Therefore, we are using local adaptive thresholds To compute these thresholds a global upper threshold is necessary in the first place. As this threshold is used to exclude correspondences that have a too large error, care has to be taken that is not too small. This strongly depends on the expected maximum pixel deviation caused by the fastest moving object on the ground. Moreover, this depends on the altitude of the UAV, the lens and the frame rate of the camera, as well as on the camera resolution. Thus, should be set according to the application. For our application, whereas should not be smaller than 2.25 (otherwise it is set to this value). After calculating the error values are calculated for every 4th point correspondence in the image ( every second row and second column) by Equations 5, 6 and 7. If an error value is set to 0. From the resulting error values the sparse error image is created, cf. Figure 4(c). The emergence and temporal affiliation of an error image is shown in Figure 5(a).
6.1.2. Local Adaptive Threshold
For calculating the local adaptive thresholds, the sparse error image is divided into 36 areas (6 × 6), as can be seen in Figure 5(b). Each of these areas is again divided into 16 areas (4 × 4) which is shown for one of the former areas in the left upper corner of Figure 5(b). As can be seen in the zoomed area of Figure 5(b), each of these afore mentioned small areas contains many error values (indicated as black squares). To calculate a local adaptive threshold, one error value unequal to zero is selected from each of these small areas. If all error values in an area are zero, the value of a neighbouring area is selected. If this value is also not available, the global threshold is used. After selecting 16 error values, the arithmetic mean value is calculated from these values excluding the values below the lower and above the upper quartile. In addition, the standard deviation is calculated from these 16 values. Using and the local adaptive threshold can be calculated with
After computing all they are weighted with their neighbouring thresholds using the weighting mask in Figure 5(c).
6.1.3. Dense Error Image
In the next step the remaining error values (that were not computed in the sparse error image) can be calculated. Hence, error values surrounding an already calculated error value in the sparse error image are only computed, if this centre-pixel is larger than zero (cf. Figure 5(d)). In addition, more than 2 of these new calculated error alues must be above (which belongs to this image area) and below as can be seen in Figure 5(d). Otherwise, they (including the centre-pixel) are set to zero, which is shown in Figure 5(f). An exception to this is the presence of an already calculated error value on a position surrounding the centre-pixel. According to this, the value of the centre-pixel (and the values at the surrounding positions) is not set to zero if the latter is the case and at least one additional error value is above and below cf. Figure 5(e). Applying this procedure to the whole error image, connected areas (areas with error values greater than zero) arise in the error image that are candidates for moving objects. An example is shown in Figure 4(d). Furthermore, it can be recognized in this error image that the number of areas is increasing with the distance from the image centre. This is due to the presence of radial distortion in the image. Moreover, the quality of the error image strongly depends on the accuracy of the optical flow. If areas exist in the image where the optical flow cannot be calculated accurately because of not enough differences in the grey values, these areas are detected as moving objects. An example of this is the street and the shadow of the fire truck in Figure 4(a). Thus, incorrectly calculated optical flow for these areas can, besides other artefacts, already be seen in Figure 4(b). The resulting false detected areas can be seen in Figure 4(d). To overcome this problems, further filtering procedures are necessary which are described in the following sections.
As can be seen in Figure 4(d), areas exist that are very small or have an object-unlike shape. Thus, all areas that are too small (e.g., <9 pixels) or that feature a ratio of their side lengths which is larger than 1 : 10 are rejected. Moreover, areas that are too large are processed in a further step. Such an area can be seen on the right side of Figure 4(d) and is shown with larger scale in Figure 6(b).
Such an area can be very large (up to the width or height of an image), especially when distortion is present or the optical flow calculation was inaccurate. As these areas can include a moving object, they should not be deleted. In most cases, moving objects inside such a large area feature higher error values than its surrounding. Therefore, we can isolate them by applying image processing on the sections of the error images. Such an extraction of areas with higher local error values is shown from Figures 6(b) to 6(f). In the first place, an averaging filter is applied to the original section of the error image to smooth the error values, as can be seen in Figure 6(c). Next, morphological opening [19] is applied to the filtered image. The result is shown in Figure 6(d). A circle is used as a structuring element whereas its size depends on the application (we use a circle-radius of 10 pixels). Applying morphological reconstruction [20] by utilizing the latter image and the filtered image, a solution like the one shown in Figure 6(e) can be achieved. From this, the local maxima can be calculated, cf. Figure 6(f). As can be seen, the area with the real moving object was extracted correctly. Unfortunately, also false positive areas are extracted. If such an area is very small, large or of an object-unlike shape (described before), it is rejected. This segmentation procedure also works well for smaller differences between the area of an moving object and its surrounding, as for the red marked area in Figure 6(a).
In the next step each detected area is enlarged at the edges by 6 pixels. This increases the probability of finding corresponding areas in the subsequent algorithm step-temporal smoothing (see next section). This is due to the fact that detected areas (of moving objects) in temporal succeeding error images are in most cases not equal in form and size.
6.1.4. Search for Matching Error-Areas in Temporal Succeeding Images
After the candidates for moving objects were identified in 3 temporal succeeding error images, they are filtered. Hence, the position of such a candidate in the first temporal error image is reprojected in the second error image using the optical flow data. If a candidate is found in the reprojected area in the second image, the position of the overlapping area is reprojected in the third temporal error image. Afterwards, it is checked again if the reprojected area in the third images includes a candidate. During this procedure, the overlapping area of the candidates must be above a specific threshold. Experimental tests showed that the threshold for the overlapping area in the first 2 images should be set to 20% of the candidate's size of the first image. The overlapping area of all 3 images should be at least 10% of the candidate's size of the first image. This matching procedure is shown in Figure 7.
To achieve a better result during the matching procedure, a further step is introduced preceding the matching procedure. This step extends the detected areas of an actual error image with their corresponding areas (areas with a small distance between their left lower coordinates - see Figure 8) of the previous and subsequent error images. Accordingly, this step can only be carried out if the matching procedure was already performed for the first error image. Therefore, only areas that were not removed during the first matching procedure are extended by corresponding areas of the subsequent error images. Otherwise, the noise (falsely detected areas) would cause an enlargement of incorrectly detected areas. The red short dashed rectangles in Figure 8 mark 2 examples of such corresponding areas. Resulting areas that are too large are removed from the error images and . This is indicated by the areas in the right lower corner of error image in Figure 8. As can be seen, the resulting error image from Figure 8 is used as input (error image ) in Figure 7. Without the extension of the areas, the midmost candidate in Figure 7 would have been rejected.
As some real moving objects are sometimes not detected in an error image as a result of an inaccurate optical flow calculation or (radial) distortion, the temporal matching would fail. This could already be the case if only one area in one error image is missing. Thus, candidates that were detected once in 3 temporal succeeding error images and 4 greyscale images (original images), respectively, are stored for a sequence of 3 error images subsequent to the image where the matching was successful, cf. Figure 9(a). Their coordinates are updated for the succeeding error images by using the optical flow data. As a consequence, they can be seen as candidates for moving objects in the succeeding images, but they are not used within the matching procedure as input. If within this sequence of images a corresponding area is found again, it is stored for a larger sequence of images (more than 3) and its coordinates are updated for every succeeding error image. The number of sequences depends on the following condition:
where c is the number of found corresponding areas and is the number of missing corresponding areas for one candidate starting with the image where the candidate was found again. If the candidate is rejected. Moreover, the candidate is no longer stored if it was detected again in 3 temporal succeeding images. In this case, it is detected during the matching procedure. An example concerning to this procedure is shown in Figure 9(b). As one can imagine, error image in Figure 9(a) is equivalent (except area-extension) to in Figure 7, whereas error image in Figure 9(b) is equivalent to in Figure 9(a).
For a further processing of the data, only the position (shown as small black crosses in the left lower corners of the rectangles in Figures 7 and 9) and size of the rectangles marking the candidates are of relevance. Thus, for every error image the afore mentioned information is stored for candidates that were detected during the matching procedure, for candidates that were detected up to 3 error images before and for candidates that were found again (see above). On the basis of this data, candidates that are very close to each other are combined and candidates that are too large are rejected.
6.1.5. Property-Based Filtering and Padding of Moving Object Sequences
In the next step the candidates are filtered according to their frequency of occurrence. Therefore, the positions of corresponding candidates in a previous and a subsequent image are stored for every candidate in an image. As these images sometimes are not temporally located one after another, the position of a candidate is calculated for at most 5 subsequent images by using the optical flow data until a corresponding (small distance between positions) candidate is found. Moreover, the search for a corresponding candidate is stopped and the candidate is removed in every frame if the number of images where it was detected compared with the number of images where it was not detected drops below 40% (starting after 10 computations). Figure 10 shows an example of referencing a few candidates.
For corresponding candidates that were found more than 6 times in different images, but feature some candidates that are not located one after another, candidates are inserted into the images on their corresponding positions where they are missing.
6.1.6. Elimination of False Positives
In the last step for all candidates the standard deviation of the grey values within the rectangle marking a moving object in the original image is computed. If the standard deviation for an 8-bit grey value image in the relevant area is below a threshold, the candidate is rejected. This procedure is especially helpful for images where large areas feature a similar grey value ( e.g., lawns, acres, etc.). The remaining candidates have a high potential to represent the positions of real moving objects in the images.
7. Results and Discussion
For testing the performance of the whole movement detection algorithm, a camera was mounted on a UAV. From the recorded video stream, a few series of consecutive images with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels were extracted. On each of these image series moving persons were imaged. In the example image series presented in this paper which consists of 108 images and 10 imaged people, only 8 of them are moving (not always at the same time) at different speeds (from slow to fast) in different directions. One of these images is shown in Figure 11, whereas the detected persons are marked with red rectangles. The position and the size of these rectangles corresponds to those described in Sections 6.2 and 6.3.
We tested the algorithm on images with distortion as can be seen in Figure 11(b) and with removed radial distortion, cf. Figure 11(a). Not surprisingly, the results are better for the image series with removed distortion. In this case, the algorithm correctly detected 60.16% of the moving persons. However, 30.52% of the marked areas were wrong. For the images with radial distortion, only 46.62% were marked correctly and 55.62% of the areas were incorrectly marked. The difference in the correctly marked areas between the images with and without distortion is due to the fact that slowly moving persons which are located at the borders of the images are indistinguishable from the noise resulting from the distortion. Moreover, the matching during the calculation of the optical flow failed for the street and the shadow of the fire truck. Excluding the persons and results from these areas, 65.03% of the moving persons are correctly detected for the images without and 51.39% of them are correctly detected for the images with distortion. Moreover, the proportion of incorrectly marked areas would be 24.31% for the first and 54.69% for the latter case. On the other hand, when the optical flow is very inaccurate in the area where the moving persons should be detected, the detection rate significantly falls. Figure 12 llustrates one image of such an image series. In this image all persons are moving on the street. As the street features nearly no variations in the grey levels, the matching of the optical flow calculation failed in this area. Thus, the detection rate for correctly detected moving persons falls to 23.64% (falsely marked areas: 73.4%) for the images without (see Figure 12(a)) and down to 15.96% (falsely marked areas: 85.58%) with radial distortion, cf. Figure 12(b). Therefore, we can see that the result of the algorithm strongly depends on the accuracy of the optical flow calculation and on the amount of radial distortion.
8. Conclusion and Future Work
We presented a novel method for movement detection based on a dense optical flow calculation for which we estimated the fundamental matrix by the well-known 8-point algorithm. For a robust estimation of the fundamental matrix we introduced a new method for rejecting outliers. This method provides a predictable run time which is especially important for situations with a large amount of correspondences and many outliers. Moreover, we presented that the detection of moving objects can be performed in the real world by providing local adaptive thresholds and a good approximation of the fundamental matrix. In addition, we showed that the resulting candidates for moving objects can be successfully filtered by using information of many temporal succeeding images.
The next steps in our research will focus on an optimized implementation of a more sophisticated optical flow algorithm, as well as the realization of the whole movement detection system on an on-board smart camera of a UAV. Moreover, the algorithm will be tested on other scenes (sparse forest, urban areas,...).


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News 12 at 11 o'clock/ Monday June 2, 2014
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW) -- Augusta Animal Services is having to euthanize more than 100 dogs per week.
They say they're in need of a veterinarian to help get more dogs ready for adoption.
The city's animal services has been without a full time vet for more than seven years. Augusta Commissioners could vote to bring on a vet that could we're told in essence save more animal lives.
Animal Services is only required by state law to keep dogs or cats for up to five days before putting the dogs to sleep.
"It doesn't make me feel worth a darn. I have three dogs myself. My mother in law and myself share a cat. We are animal lovers," said Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle.
"How can you look in a dog or cats face five or eight days a week and then know you have to put them down? It's not enough space," said Animal Services Director Sharon Broady.
Animal Services Director Sharon Broady says they bring in about 10,000 cats and dogs a year, but only have space for 300. She says people are not adopting dogs and cats. The number of adoptable pets is down since they're without a vet.
"A full time veterinarian would increase spays and neuters. They'd also take care of any animals that we brought in off the street that may have been hit by a car," Broady said. "We need something in place to go ahead and provide the services as far as spays and neuters. We need to get back going with the adoption program."
Broady tells us a part-time vet could only spay around 15 pets a day. She says full time help could keep more of the cages empty and more of man's best friends alive.


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text: Obviously, Stone, Green Flash, Ballast Point, Alpine, Alesmith, Lost Abbey and Port get 90% of the publicity around the country. What are your thoughts on the smaller, regional breweries popping up every week? I think that I have been to every tasting room except Rip Current, Mad Labs and New English (unless one popped up this week. We have several that have hit their 2nd anniversary so they apparently are making enough to cover their bills. Which breweries (without regional distribution) would you recommend to beer drinkers outside of the area? Manzanita? Coronado? Karl Strauss? Aztec? Iron Fist? Mother Earth? Oceanside Ale Works? Breakwater? Back Street? Rip Current? Stumblefoot? Fezziwigs? On the Tracks? Lattitude 33? New English? Rough Draft? Hess? Wet N Reckless? Societe? Money Paw? Off Beat? Belching Beaver? Indian Joes?