text:
NEW!! CMS Releases Revised Appendix PP of the SOM
All nursing facilities are subject to inspection or survey by virtue of their:
State licensure standards, generally, have followed Federal certification standards, and state personnel perform the vast majority of surveys - simultaneously assessing compliance with both licensure and certification requirements. The Federal government also provides training for state surveyors and periodically conducts inspections with federal surveyors as a check on the performance of state surveyors. These are called FOSS surveys (Federal Oversight and Support Surveys). Compliance with the survey process and requirements established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and published in the State Operations Manual (SOM) is the primary regulatory focus for nursing facilities and consultant pharmacists.
The information contained in this section applies to both the skilled nursing facility (SNF) and the nursing facility (NF) categories of facilities. (See Glossary located in Appendix A of SOM for definitions of these categories.) Not only will these standards be reviewed during the facility's annual survey, but they may also be reviewed during any inspection resulting from a complaint against the facility. Furthermore, any deficiency cited against the facility will result in regulatory and/or monetary penalties to the facility, will become a part of the public record about the facility, and may reflect poorly on the providers and facility.
The SOM has multiple components and sections. Appendices P, PP, and R of the SOM are the three appendices related to the nursing home setting.
Each Appendix includes the:
For some of the recently revised Tags, CMS includes additional guidance to surveyors related to deficiencies for that particular Tag, namely deficiency categorization and severity guidance.
For example, SOM Appendix PP contains CFR Section 483.60 dealing with the standards for providing pharmacy services to a long-term care nursing facility. This section of the regulations is divided into three F-Tags: F-425, F-428, and F-431. The "F" preceding the term "Tag" indicates that the section pertains to long-term care facilities and can be found in Appendix PP. Each SOM Appendix has its own Tag designation (e.g., W-Tags for ICFs, G-Tags for Home Health Agencies, etc.). When a survey identifies a deficient practice and non-compliance with the regulations and guidelines, the surveyor must name the specific Tag under which the deficient practice falls. This is how the citation is officially classified and documented.
It is important for the consultant pharmacist to understand all regulations and interpretive guidelines applied to these facilities, especially those that relate specifically to pharmacy.
The major pharmacy-related F-Tags include:
December 5, 2014
CMS Releases Revised Appendix PP of the SOM
On November 26, CMS issued a revision to Appendix PP, "Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Care Facilities" [2] of the SOM. This document represents a compilation of revisions made to Appendix PP and issued beginning in 2003 through May 2014. Although the November 26 document includes updates that have already been incorporated into standard operating procedures for long-term care providers, previously unpublished updates are included in multiple F Tags. Sections of the SOM that contain revisions that impact medication use in nursing facilities include:
ASCP staff and leadership are in the process of examining the finer details of these changes. A comprehensive summary of the revisions previously unknown prior to the November 26 release of this update will be made available to ASCP members as soon as possible.
May 30, 2013
CMS Releases New Interpretive Guidance for F309, F329
The Survey and Certification group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has published an advanced copy of interim guidance [8] (PDF) related to surveyors' assessment for compliance with requirements related to nursing home residents with dementia and unnecessary drug use. These updates make substantial changes to the State Operations Manual:
These changes are effective immediately should be implemented as soon as possible. For information about related surveyor training videos, visit ASCP's CMS Surveyor Training Videos [9] page.
October 27, 2011
CMS Announces Survey Emphasis on Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Facilities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced that the Survey and Certification branch of CMS will be giving high priority to evaluating appropriate use of antipsychotic medications in nursing facility residents. CMS is concerned that atypical antipsychotic medications are being overused in nursing facilities. Check this ASCP Web page for more information about antipsychotic medication use in nursing facility residents [10].
August 27, 2010
CMS Releases Memo to Surveyors Regarding Infection Control Issues when Using Point-of-Care Fingerstick Devices
In their memo, CMS states that the following practices are considered deficiencies in infection control and citable at F-Tag 441:
View the complete memo [11]. (PDF)
July 30, 2010
CMS Makes Interim Changes to Traditional Survey Process Due To MDS 3.0, Effective October 1, 2010
CMS has temporarily revised the Traditional Survey Process, which is outlined in Appendix P of the State Operations Manual (SOM). As a result of MDS 3.0 implementation, there will be an inability to run the Quality Measure/ Quality Indicator (QM/QI) Reports which are used offsite to assist the surveyors in selecting their Phase 1 resident sample. The survey tasks have been revised so that nursing home survey teams can select the Phase 1 survey sample without the benefit of the QM/QI Reports. This temporary revision to Traditional Survey Process Tasks 1-5C will be implemented October 1, 2010 only for those nursing home for which the traditional survey process is being used. CMS also changed the title of the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) reports, which are no longer being produced, to Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting (CASPER) reports.
View the CMS memo and revised survey protocols [12]. (PDF)
August 14, 2009
CMS Releases Memo to Surveyors Regarding Surveying Facilities with Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
In the memo, CMS states that they support use of electronic health records and that providers have the right to use whatever system of medical records they choose as long as that system complies with Medicare participation requirements. During the entrance conference, surveyors will verify with the facility the process they will follow in order to have unrestricted access to the medical record. While surveyors are expected to enforce the specific health and safety regulatory requirements for providers to protect the confidentiality of medical records, they are not expected to assess EHRs to determine whether they satisfy the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules.
View the memo [13]. (PDF)
August 7, 2009
CMS Releases Timeline for States' Implementation of QIS
CMS announced it is pushing forward with nation-wide implementation of the new Quality Indicator Survey (QIS). The QIS replaces the current survey process. To date, the QIS is in various stages of implementation in 11 States: Connecticut, Kansas, Ohio, Louisiana, Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Mexico, West Virginia, Maryland, and Washington. QIS training starts this summer in Delaware, Maine and Vermont, and training is scheduled to begin in Georgia and Arizona early this winter. Training for States in band two (Colorado, Maine, Nebraska, Vermont, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, New York) is expected to begin in late 2010 or early 2011, while the remaining states will begin implementation in 2011 and beyond.
View CMS' latest memo, which includes background information about the QIS process [14]. (PDF)
July 20, 2009
CMS Releases New Interpretive Guidelines for F-Tag 441 (Infection Control)
Significant new guidance from CMS on infection control with many implications for consultant pharmacists and dispensing pharmacies servicing nursing facilities. Effective date is September 30, 2009.
June 24, 2009
CMS Releases Results of QIS Evaluation
The purpose of the Quality Indicator Survey (QIS) Study was to assess whether the QIS has beneficial effects on certain aspects of the survey process, such as improving the accuracy of citations. Interestingly, evaluation of this question found that the QIS did not improve accuracy. While being mindful of the limitations of the study, CMS has concluded that improvement of accuracy of citations must derive primarily from non-QIS factors, including (a) survey guidance clarification, (b) training of surveyors, and (c) surveyor supervision. Based on this information, CMS will continue to issue improved surveyor guidance (revised interpretive guidelines) as well as strengthen surveyor training. CMS also concluded from the evaluation that future QIS development efforts should concentrate on building upon the QIS strengths relative to consistency improvement, and giving supervisors more tools to assess performance of surveyor teams.
View the results [17]. (PDF)
April 10, 2009
CMS Releases New Interpretive Guidelines for Environment that Mention Alternatives to Medication Carts
Revised Interpretive Guidelines were released for several Quality of Life and Environment Tags in response to public recommendations from the 2008 CMS/Pioneer Network Environment Symposium. These revisions reflect a new approach to care that focuses more on residents' social and personal needs and less on institutional processes; also known as "culture change." Of particular note, F-Tag 252 - Environment mentions medication carts. When describing practices that serve to decrease the institutional character of the environment, they mention elimination of medication carts and alternative storage of medications in locked areas within resident rooms.
Download the information here [18]. (PDF)
March 31, 2009
Effective Date for new Pain Management guidance at F-Tag 309
Download ASCP's Summary [19] (PDF) of the New Interpretive Guidelines pertaining to Pain Management.
January 23, 2009
CMS Releases New Interpretive Guidelines for F-Tag 309 (Quality of Care, Pain Management)
Significant new guidance from CMS on pain management, including a new pain management investigative protocol to be used by surveyors. Effective date is March 31, 2009.
Download the information at this link [20]. (PDF)
September 29, 2008
Office of Inspector General (OIG) Releases Report: "Trends in Nursing Home Deficiencies and Complaints"
This report describes the nature and extent of nursing home deficiencies and complaints in 2007 and identifies trends from 2005 to 2007. From 2005-2007, over 91 percent of nursing homes surveyed were cited for deficiencies. The most common deficiency categories cited were quality of care, resident assessment, and quality of life. "Pharmacy Services" was the 7th most frequently cited category, and it was the one category that experienced the greatest increase in deficiencies from 2005-2007, largely due to the new Interpretive Guidelines that went into effect in December 2006. In 2005, 23.8% of nursing homes were cited for deficient "Pharmacy Services," whereas in 2007, 28.8% of facilities were cited. The report also provides state-specific deficiency statistics.
Download the report here [21].
June 20, 2008
CMS Releases New Interpretive Guidelines for F-Tags 325 (Nutrition) and 371 (Sanitary Conditions)
F-Tag 325 (Nutriton) mentions pharmacists and medications frequently throughout the new Interpretive Guidelines. Consultant pharmacists should be familiar with these new guidelines to help their facilities identify ways in which medications may impact nutrition.
Download the guidelines here [22]. (PDF)
June 18, 2008
CMS Announces New Ranking System for Nursing Facilities Using 5-Start System.
The ratings will be posted on the agency's Nursing Home Compare Web site by the end of 2008. The Nursing Home Compare Web site can be found at medicare.gov/nhcompare [23].
February 12, 2008
CMS Releases an Updated List of Nursing Facilities Who Performed Poorest on Surveys
(also referred to as Special Focus Facilities)
Download the list here [24]. (PDF)
January 18, 2008
CMS Issues S&C Memo (S&C-08-10) Reminding Surveyors to Cite Deficiencies Based on Regulations, not Permissive Activities Mentioned in Interpretive Guidelines
The memo reminds surveyors that all survey deficiencies cited must be based on a violation of statutory and/or regulatory requirements. The memo states: "Permissive duties (mentioned in the Interpretive Guidelines) are not requirements, and the lack of use of any particular tool does not, by itself, constitute sufficient grounds for the citation of a deficiency."
Download the document here [25]. (PDF)
Shop the online ASCP store
Learn more about Post Acute Care Payment Reform Demonstration [33].
Return to the Nursing Facility Practice Resource Center homepage [34]
[1] http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/Downloads/som107ap_p_ltcf.pdf
[2] https://www.ascp.com/sites/default/files/SOM%20App%20PP%20downloaded%20120214.pdf
[3] http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/Downloads/som107ap_r.pdf
[4] http://www.cms.gov/Manuals/IOM/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByDID=-99&sortByDID=1&sortOrder=ascending&itemID=CMS1201984&intNumPerPage=10
[5] http://www.cms.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/PMSR/list.asp
[6] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/Downloads/State_Agency_Contacts.pdf
[7] http://www.cms.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/Downloads/Regional_and_Central_Office_Contacts.pdf
[8] https://www.ascp.com/sites/default/files/PA-Survey-and-Cert-Letter-13-35.pdf
[9] https://www.ascp.com/articles/cms-survey-and-certification-releases-new-surveyor-training-videos
[10] https://www.ascp.com/articles/antipsychotic-medication-use-nursing-facility-residents
[11] http://www.cms.gov/surveycertificationgeninfo/downloads/SCLetter10_28.pdf
[12] http://www.cms.gov/surveycertificationgeninfo/downloads/scletter10_27.pdf
[13] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/downloads/SCLetter09_53.pdf
[14] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/downloads/SCLetter09_50.pdf
[15] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/transmittals/downloads/R51SOMA.pdf
[16] https://www.ascp.com/sites/default/files/ASCP-FTag-441-Summary.pdf
[17] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/surveycertificationgeninfo/downloads/SCLetter09_46.pdf
[18] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/downloads/SCLetter09_31.pdf
[19] https://www.ascp.com/sites/default/files/ASCP-Summary-F-309.pdf
[20] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/downloads/SCletter09-22.pdf
[21] http://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-02-08-00140.pdf
[22] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/downloads/SCLetter08-28.pdf
[23] http://www.medicare.gov/nhcompare
[24] http://www.cms.gov/CertificationandComplianc/Downloads/SFFList.pdf
[25] http://www.cms.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/downloads/SCLetter08-10.pdf
[26] http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/downloads/SCLetter07-39.pdf
[27] https://www.ascp.com/sites/default/files/SCLetter0630.pdf
[28] http://www.med-pass.com/policies-and-procedures-pharmacy-services-for-nursing-facilities-fourth-edition-with-cd.html
[29] http://www.med-pass.com/gradual-dose-reductions-tapering-in-the-nursing-facility-10-pack.html
[30] http://www.med-pass.com/nursing-facility-f-tags-involving-medications-10-pack.html
[31] http://www.med-pass.com/the-consultant-pharmacist-guide-to-nursing-facility-regulations-and-the-survey-process-with-cd.html
[32] http://www.med-pass.com/consultant-pharmacist-handbook.html
[33] https://www.ascp.com/articles/post-acute-care-payment-reform-demonstration
[34] https://www.ascp.com/articles/nursing-facility-practice-resource-center


text:
The Valley Head Community hosted its annual homecoming during the 2012 Memorial Day Weekend. The Homecoming Committee would like to thank the following list of sponsors for their support. Without their help, the homecoming would not be possible.
Thank you to the following: Glotfelty Tire Center, Mary Jo's Hair Affair, D & D Lighting, Elkins Sunoco, Sears, Napa Auto Parts, Tomblyn Funeral Home, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Big Lots, Hinzman Auto Repair and Refinish, American Theatre, Durbin Greenbrier Railroad, Swecko, Hiawatha's, Hannah and Association, Auto Zone, Aaron's Furniture, Tricketts Hardware, Crazy Harry's, Sharps Jewelry, Advance Auto, Dairy Queen, Novas Glass, Domino Pizza, Gandy Dancer Theatre, Steak House, Hardee's, Darren's Pizza, Papa John's, Kroger, Campbells Market, Trinity Beauty Salon, Mama's Kitchen, Bob Evans, Pizza Hut, Pizza & Sub, Bob's Mini Mart, Huttonsville Subway, Liggetts Supply, In Style, Dailey Grill, Fisher Auto Parts, Good News Christian Book Store, Wendy's, Rennix Flowers, C & J's, Randolph Funeral Home, Burger King, Long John Silver, Mountain Valley Bank, M & S Electronics, Elkins Sewing Center, Kissel Stop, Davis Trust, Lohr & Barb Funeral Home, McDonald's, Save-a-Lot, Walmart, Pepsi, Mill Creek IGA, Jackie Sharp, Edna Mae Wood, Valley Head Fire Department, Mary's Greenhouse, Elkins Cinema 8, Anderson's Tire & Auto, Hello House, Valley Head Market, Phillip Graziani and Lauren Ragland.
Thank you for all your help.
Jean Hamrick
Member of the Valley Head
Homecoming Committee

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Trying to find a reason to be thankful as next week approaches?
I might be able to "tie" it all up for you. Just take a moment to hear the story of the Kutcher family of Mount Pleasant.
Joe Kutcher's seat will be empty on Thursday when his wife and three girls gather around the dinner table. The longtime math teacher at Wando High School lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in July. His wife, ReBecca, teaches at Cario Middle School, which their youngest daughter, Sammi, 12, attends. The older girls, Trista, 23, works in the area and Suzi, 20, is a sophomore at South Carolina.
In October '09, ReBecca noticed a yellowing in Joe's eyes during an afternoon kiss. That led to the discovery of cancer and set off a series of medical trips that included chemo, radiation, surgery and more chemo. Ninety-five percent of the people who are diagnosed are given less than five years to live.
Fit to be Tied
Joe Kutcher was known as the "voice of Wando" because he announced basketball and volleyball games. When the company that brought him to Charleston in 1987 as an electrical engineer wanted to move him to Florida, he decided he wanted to stay in the Lowcountry. He wanted to be a teacher.
Joe was a math teacher; ReBecca taught English.
She counted on him to know the numbers, and besides, she avoided math because "it gives me the hives." There was something else that was starting to add-up in Joe's closet ... his collection of neckties.
He wore one to school every day and owned almost 200. A few were dressy; most weren't. There were ties depicting everything from chile peppers to school supplies. Some displayed cartoon characters. Even Mr. Potato Head appeared on some of his neckwear.
Before Joe died, he asked ReBecca to give those ties to their friends. He didn't want them to just hang on the rack. He wanted others to wear them and get the same enjoyment he did.
The idea of sharing and laughing and enjoying life was not lost on his students. A few weeks ago, the high school celebrated "Mr. Kutcher Tie Day." Many of his fellow teachers and a number of his former students wore his ties. To honor his wife, a similar day was held at Cario Middle to celebrate Joe's life and his spirit. It was a simple, thoughtful gesture that seemed to tie everything together.
Still teaching
As ReBecca and her daughters gather on Thanksgiving, how will they find the words or even the motivation to say grace? Should we blame them if a moment of silence is all they can muster?
Joe's message before dying still rings true. We should all try to find some sunshine in every day. Smile, laugh, engage, enjoy ... that's what he wanted to say with his ties. Maybe we're too conscious of tying the perfect knot, without appreciating the larger lesson of life's imperfections.
Eventually, ReBecca and the girls want their favorite ties made into quilts. A quilt created from Dad's ties definitely would provide a nice way to still wrap his arms around his family.
Joe's desire to have those ties worn and not hidden should invite us all to recognize things for which we are thankful. Little things, things that make us smile, things that cause us to remember.
When the Kutchers gather on Thursday, there's an outside chance the empty chair might just have a tie or two draped across it. Blest be the tie that binds.
Reach Warren Peper at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
FREEPORT — The Family YMCA of Northwest Illinois is accepting registrations for the youth basketball program beginning Jan. 11.
The youth basketball program is open to boys and girls from preschool through fourth grade. Practices will be held once a week with games played on Saturday mornings.
Cost: $20, YMCA members; $40, non-members; $5 discount for additional children. To register: freeportymca.org.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
GlaxoSmithKline announces open innovation plans | Opensource.com
GlaxoSmithKline announces open innovation plans
Forbes reports that pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline announced a plan to beginning collaborating with other companies on research into drugs for diseases that don't get a lot of attention, malaria being a key example. It sounds like open innovation in action. Read the Forbes article here, but here's a key quote:
"...to jump-start research into drugs for malaria and other neglected diseases, Witty said Glaxo will up its labs to outside nonprofit collaborators. In one project, the company will work closely with Emory University chemists and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals to devise drugs for parasitic worm diseases and other nasty tropical bugs. In another, GSK will open up its lab in Tres Cantos, Spain to as many as 60 academic scientists who want to work on malaria or other developing-world ills. GSK will also make available detailed data on thousands of compounds that have showed some promise against malaria in preliminary tests."
It will be interesting to see how this experiment in openness progresses. If you know of other examples of companies in the pharmaceutical world trying things like this, please paste the links below.
2 Comments
Well, this is encouraging, because the "Open source approach" is new in this industry. And the approach is to provide the industry with true means to do the good it is supposed to - health.
I am a bit disappointed, however, to see that the "Open" approach is used together with "Nonprofit", with a chance that lots will hear "non profitable", which the Open Source world knows false but some ideas live long...
We are trying, in the Babylone project, to build entire equipment elements with Open Source descriptions, ranging from VHDL to source code. This targets the aviation world. Their aims sounds much more like "stop wasting money reinvent the wheel" than "Open Source for we can't make money of it".
Interesting comments on the Babylone project, to build entire equipment elements with Open Source descriptions, ranging from the common VHDL to a low level source code. Your team understands the VitaHound plaque attack relationship


text: ALFSTORE is an ECM system integrator, Gold Partner of Alfresco. We do have a unique position on the market due to our strong focus and expertise on the complete set of Alfresco solutions (DM, Collaboration, Workflow, WCM, etc). Our team has a significant experience of Alfresco large scale deployment projects. Some of our customers have more than 20.000 users worldwide, and terabytes of documents in their Alfresco instance. So we can help you to design, build, and deploy your Alfresco DM service, as well as to manage the long term exploitation of your platform (scalabilty, backup strategy, high-availability, etc). We can optimize your Alfresco investment as an Intranet system, to get quick ROI and user adoption. We also know how to build secured Alfresco based Extranet for BtoB/BtoC purpose. One of our core competency is the integration of Alfresco with your existing information system (LDAP, AD, SSO, etc) as well as many several kinds of portal solutions (IBM WebSphere Portal, Liferay, Plumtree), and social business platforms (like Jive or IBM Lotus Connections). Finally, as a solution provider we also do build on-demand Add-On on top of Alfresco: we especially focus on Social Content Management Applications (Gadgets, Widgets, Portlets).


text:
10-4 Episode 6: Parallel Extensions
- Posted: Jan 22, 2009 at 6:18PM
- 20 comments
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In this episode of 10-4, we start taking a look at Parallel Extensions to the .NET Framework. We'll look at some of the surface-area of the Parallel Extensions API and provide you with enough information to start working with it yourself in the Visual Studio
Remember that we are running these bits within a virtual machine with a single virtual processor, so you won't be able to see the performance improvements from the library. However, you will be able to start get a feel for the API itself. In future episodes, we will dive into deeper details of the various parts of Parallel Extensions.
Also, in next week's episode, Jonathan Carter will be back to talk about another new feature in ASP.NET 4.0, so make sure to stay tuned for that!
For more 10-4 episodes, be sure to visit:
Visual Studio Topic Area on Channel 9:
Visual Studio 2010 CTP VPC:
Visual Studio 2010 Training Kit
Oops, something didn't work.
FYI you can't create a Task with Task.StartNew with beta 1 you need to use Task.Factory.StartNew
I'm very inexperienced with concurrency and parrallel anything, but I do use Background workers to run background tasks and then update my Win GUIs. I'm just wondering if these new parrallel extentions with the Future and For classes add any advantages over using BackgroundWorkers?
Comments have been closed since this content was published more than 30 days ago, but if you'd like to continue the conversation, please create a new thread in our Forums, or Contact Us and let us know.


text:
Top Definition
Of a penis: to ejaculate.
Mr A: My cock exploded and covered her in jizz. In fact, it caused her a middle ear infection.
Mr B: Slag!
Mr B: Slag!
de Ian Chode 14 septembre 2003
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
When something blows the fuck up, usually in a totally ninja manner.
Dude, did you see that horse EXPLODE?! That was totally sweet!
de Legato 19 février 2003
To be forcibly propelled from within in multiple directions at the same time.
de blii 19 février 2003
That happens to the head of your dumb friend when he/she tries to speak a word with many syllables.
Corin: Hey, can you lend me your dictionary?
Phoebe: Woh!! Dic-tion-a-ry. A word with four syllables. Everyone, move out. Corin's head's gonna overheat and explode
Phoebe: Woh!! Dic-tion-a-ry. A word with four syllables. Everyone, move out. Corin's head's gonna overheat and explode
de leonelbnt 9 mai 2011
to explode is to have a large force be pushed in an outward direction
de SkyNote 23 septembre 2015
Exploding is what I do ALL THE TIME. It also means to burst, or pop. Explosions occur in many movies, explosions often break a serious scene into an action scene.
H01Y sh17!!1 7h47 totally sw33+ ninja and Robert Hamburger just EXPLODED!!!!!!!111
de Master_stghm 14 février 2005
to laugh in an abrupt or uncontrolable manner.
friend 1: *explodes*
friend 2: stop exploding all over yourself.
friend 2: stop exploding all over yourself.
de Calvin 28 mars 2005


text:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Review
Latest Camera Reviews
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 Review
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 is a 10x ultra-zoom, 28-280mm compact digital camera that can fit inside a pocket. Other standout features of the TZ3 include a large 3 inch LCD screen, 7.2 megapixel sensor, new Intelligent ISO shooting mode to help prevent motion blur and Extra Optical Zoom to extend the zoom up to 15x. Find out now if the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 is worth considering by reading the world's first online review.
Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Review
Your Comments
127 Comments | Newest Oldest First | Post a Comment
What about the DMC-TZ3's movie capability and performance? There was no mention of this feature in the review
Hi John.
There's a sample movie at the bottom of Page 4 - Sample Images
Thanks for useful TZ3 review, but a bit confused by conclusion commment that says 'using hi ISO with lo shutter', shouldn't that read 'using LOW ISO with lo shutter'? Perhaps it is me just back from India a little spaced out!
You're right Nick, I've amended the conclusion so that it makes sense!
Thanks for the excellent review.
Looks like the reasons I didn't get the TZ1 have just about been eliminated.
I so wanted to get one of these for my girlfriend for her trip to Jordan at the end of March - she's going to have to slum it with a Fuji F11 :)
Well done Panasonic for going wide angle!
I can see myself having a lot of fun with a TZ3 in Rome this summer.
It's got everything except for the manual control. Oh how I wish this had manual control.
Excellent review. Unfortunately the TZ3 doesn't seem to zoom in movie mode unlike the TZ1.
First Canon says that the TX1 won't come to Europe, and now Panasonic removes zooming in movie mode. Will I never get a decent semi-compact that can replace my cheap DV-camera?
I'm not quite sure why they removed the zooming movie feature either Björn.
AA, Panasonic have strongly hinted that they don't want the TZ series to step on the toes of the FZ cameras, hence the lack of any manual controls and its positioning as a travel/holiday point and shoot.
Hello! :)
Thanks a lot for the review! I was searching for a review of this camera and saw an advertisement on eBay. Lucky me! :)
I am in no doubt now that this is the camera I am going to buy. It would have been lovely though if you would have done a more detailed review. As John Smith said, I wanted to know what the recording capability is like.
Even the sample movie isn't taken at the highest resolution.
Anyway, thank you for the review! :)
Oops! I have a question.
Is the LCD a touchscreen?
... Please say yes!
Just for the record, the movie was shot at the highest resolution for the standard 4:3 Aspect Ratio. That's 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps. You can get a slightly larger movie by choosing the 16:9 aspect, but there won't be any difference in quality.
No, I'm afraid the LCD is not touchscreen.
Any thoughts on whether it would be worth giving up the TZ3's 3.0"
LCD (plus a couple other minor features) for the TZ2's 2.5" LCD, so
as to gain the noise improvement of the TZ2's larger pixels?
Gary, I can't comment on whether the TZ2 offers better noise performance than the TZ3, but I probably would give up the 3 inch screen if it did significantly :)
Thank you very much for the terrific review. I have been waiting quite a while to read one and yours is clear, honest, and informative. I would like to see a picture of the camera in the palm of someone's hand though to get a good idea of it's size. This is going to be my first camera. Thank you again.
Aw, hell! I guess you cannot have everything. Nothing I own has a touchscreen. :p
Anyway, that is not going to deter me from buying this absolutely fantastic camera. Thanks again! :)
Excellent review. Was the sample movie taken hand-held or on a tripod?
Dale, the movie was shot hand-held.
Because of your review, I purchased the DMC-TZ3A (blue). I just recieved it. It's a great camera and my first one. I still have to learn how to use it well. I have trouble with it not focusing on things when I zoom in on them a little. I have to play with the settings. I am sure it's me and not the camera. One thing that I really do not like is if you have been taking pictures, then move the dial to PLAY mode, the lense still stays extended. Other cameras I have seen retract the lense after about 10 seconds when in PLAYBACK mode. This protects the lense while showing friends photos and passing the camera around. I wonder why they didn't do that. Thank you again for your review. They should update the firmware to add this feature. I am thrilled with my camera.
I would like to know what the differences between TZ2 and TZ3 are? There are 2.0 vs. 3.0 LCD and 2816 x 2112 vs 3072 x 2304 Resolution.
Ok what else (except the price :)?
Thanks for the early review.
I think been waiting a long time for a compact 10x zoom camera. kep up the good work.
thanks for the great review. I have been awaiting this model for 6 weeks to replace my stolen Fuji E900. Obviously the 28mm x10 zoom have been the main reason why i've been happy to wait. But I was hoping to read of a range of colour modes, especially an equivalent of Fuji's awesome fujichrome (vivid) mode - but looks like the TZ3 has nothing!!! - Not even B&W or sepia - please tell me this isn't the case!!!!
I know, I know, almost every editing software available can do colours. BUT for me, the whole idea of an amazing point & shoot camera is that i can set it exactly as i want (including vibrant colours) and know that i won't need to spend hours that i just don't have sat at a PC.
can you shed any colourful light??
You are in luck. The DMC-TZ3 does have color modes. It has Standard, Natural (soft), Vivid (sharp), Cool (more blue), Warm, (more red), Black and White, Sepia.
I recently purchased this camera and I love it. As I have said in a previous post, I wish the lens would retract when in preview mode.
"I would like to know what the differences between TZ2 and TZ3 are?"
Same here. What I know so far is that the TZ2 has 1Mp less resolution and 1/2" smaller screen. I'd happily live with that if the upside is a bit more speed, battery life and noise reduction, which should be the case, but I've not seen it confirmed. Indeed, the only review of the TZ2 I've seen suggested that the AF time wasn't anything special, whereas the TZ3 seems to rate highly, so maybe it has a different CPU. Same lens though, which is the important thing!
BTW, the reason it doesn't zoom in movie mode, while the TZ1 did, is that lens movement of the TZ1 was all internal and easier to silence.
Totally wrong about the zoom. This camera was made for long zoom, so the longer the better. 280mm was a bad decision. The reviewer should take a pic with the 350mm TZ1 and the same pic at same distance with the TZ3, then crop the TZ3 pic to compare at the same perspective. Then you would see what you're losing. 28mm mode is for landscapes, but the quality of this camera doesn't make good landscape pics.
"28mm mode is for landscapes"
And anywhere else where you need the coverage: indoors, street scenes, groups, etc. Much more useful, IMHO, but if you don't like it, then don't buy it. There is no Best Camera...
Been using TZ3 for several weeks. If you really believe the 280mm zoom is better than the previous 350mm zoom, just compare this to the FZ50 420mm zoom and 10mp size. The TZ3 looks *awful* by comparison. The *least* Panasonic needs to do is go back to 350mm, and 10mp would help a lot also. Third, it would help a *lot* to allow users to turn *down* the so-called noise reduction.
"If you really believe the 280mm zoom is better than the previous 350mm zoom"
I don't, as I don't have the camera - I was just commenting on the wide-angle ability, which IMHO is a Good Thing. Mind you, I have a Kodak P880, so I may be biased!
I'm not sure that a 10Mp sensor would encourage Panasonic to turn down the noise reduction, as it would presumably have more noise to reduce. I think the TZ3 looks a nice package, but if you say the results are poor, I'll take it off my wishlist... :-)
I meant to add, in answer to the query about TZ2/3 differences, that the TZ2 lacks a continuous mode and bracketing, which would rule it out for me, anyway.
Nice review but a bit short, lack of space I guess. I don't like large LCD's - they consume more power and are more-easily damaged.
Movie-mode without zoom is fairly common - not much worse than a camera-phone.
I'm not impressed by wide-angle feature "not much distortion" - I suspect most wide-angle shots are static "landscapes" and to get a full effect it is better to stitch two panned shots. I believe Nikon had this with a stitching effect, so you could check the join before leaving! This is nearly 35/2=17mm but without the distortion.
My own Panasonic has poor close-focus it's all a bit hit and miss. The stabaliser is excellent and taking SD memory is a real cost-bonus.
Pity cameras don't have a standard batteries instead of every manufacturer making their own "special" - really is nonsense.
Any chance of weighing the camera+Memory+Battery "all-in" - have an application where weight is a problem.
Also- can you say if it's possible to switch-off the LCD and to stop the "auto-shutdown" I want to preset the zoom and take a picture some time later and most digicams have a mind of their own! Normally this is good, but not always.
Finally what is the self-timer - too many are just 10 seconds, whereas the option of 15 would be much more useful - it's a cost-free alternative, so why do they force us to rush?
[The 10sec came from Compur-days (ah, yes!) when it was necessary to operate a shutter release reliably.].
Just read the bit about the zoon (comments), I guess it's Panasonic's choice of WA that cut the upper end ...and most snappers will be satified. The snag comes when they use the WA as standard (ignoring the zoom) and get tiny people in the snaps.
In the days of film WA zooms always distorted so it was better to use a dedicated WA lens, unfortunately you have to buy an expensive DSLR camera to do this...
The comment "..an optical zoom that uses the centre of the ccd.." - This is so-called digital zoom and doesn't exist - all you are doing is throwing away pixels...that's why you end up with fewer!
(It's a con and should be seen as such.)IMHO.
However, I note that some commentators seem to want it all ways - Less noise and More pixels - the fact is that noise and pixels are linked - as you make the pixels smaller there is less light falling on them hence the noise increases. The number of pixels determines the print-size, so my suggestion for WA is - pan two shots (or three!) and stitch - you get maybe 12Mp from a 5M camera - simply because you have three shots and less noise. Thus the print-size increases. Of course some applications just need a wide lens and ignore the distortion; although I read that some software can correct for individual makes of zoom....ho-ho.
>I'm not impressed by wide-angle feature "not much distortion"
That seems a bit harsh - it's a Holy Grail for lens designers, who usually charge a lot of money for the result! If you shoot architecture or equipment, it can be very useful.
Stitching together shots works up to a point, but is a bit hit-and-miss without a tripod (if you don't want to see the join), and taking two shots to get the coverage does slow you down and take away the spontaneity. The 24mm lens was the prime reason I bought the Kodak - I still do panoramas when I've got the time, but for interiors and street scenes, the WA lens is more versatile, IMHO.
I agree stitching is a great solution for landscapes. BUT stitching is NO solution for indoor pictures and spontaneous take pictures.
That's why I like and need WA!
This review contributed to me buying this excellent camara which meet and exceed all my expectations.
10x Zoom is fab and with a 4GB SDHC card you have 45 min. video at good TV quality.
WOW! What a great, detailed and objective review. Now I know exactly what I'll get for my money, it frees me from the advertising hype.
I couldn't find whether there is a max size for the SD Memory Card. Some change size as they get bigger and won't fit. Anyone know?
Question: How do you access the wide-angle capability on the Lumix TZ3? If you want to shoot a wide scene, or a group of people from relatively close
Been looking for an idiot proof sensible
camera for my assistant for a long time,
this one fills the bill
Just found out about your website and I am really impressed.
I was wondering between the Panasonic DMC-TZ3 and the SONY DSC-W100 which one would you recommend?
I am interested in taking shots at night and taking shots of moving objects and atmospheric phenomena (fog, cloud formations etc) even at low light.
Any ideas would be most welcome
Kindest regards
Hi Catherina,
I haven't reviewed the Sony W100, so can't really comment on which would be the best choice. I'm sure the TZ3 could achieve what you wanted if you used a tripod to keep it steady and be able to use a slowish ISO speed in low light conditions.
I do not recommend the TZ3 for low-light photography, even with a tripod.
A friend of mine bought one of these as a backup for his SLR and figured he would try to use it in all conditions - and, not surprisingly, he found that the low-light quality of the photos is very poor and even with the tripod, the noise suppression/ long exposure just simply reduces the details and are not worth much in the end.
If you really want to shoot night-time long exposures, don't waste your time with these little compacts with all sorts of programming for noise and light control. They'll just leave you frustrated. Moving objects? Forget about it - the lens is not fast enough for such things. You'll lose detail and sharpness and if you try to push the sharpness you'll just get noise.
"he would try to use it in all conditions"
But if one of the conditions was carrying it in your pocket, then the SLR would have failed miserably!
The point is that no one camera does everything - it's easy for SLR users to be sniffy about compacts, but a compact user with a camera can take much better pictures than an SLR user without one.
Expecting a little camera like the TZ3 to perform like an SLR is a recipe for disappointment - let it play to its strengths and you might be pleasantly surprised...
Nice to get constructive criticism.
FWIW, I also have a Mamiya C330 - I just don't use it so much...
when i bought a sony lap top i ask the guy in d..... to give me a cheap digi camera i got a kodak cx6330 3.1 mp, i thoufgt i was getting a cheap camrea, but in fact it was great many feasures i thought would be on a much dearer camera,but unlike some others here i do not like the aa batts it takes,being in spain, it's not as easy to obtain the correct rechargables i bought with the camera now 3 years on ..us..i looked at many new cameras ,needed opticaly as large as poss in a compact camera and could only come up with the tz3,had an slr of panasonic before...great so i now hoping for great things.guys you can not expect any maker to give you slr in a compact ,they would never sell them..hourses for courses...
Excellent review, though I am loathe to ever recommend Panasonic as they do not honor their warranty promises. (service personal seem to look for vacuous excuses not to provide warranty/repair/service)..... At least here in the US...... A few friends have had this problem with several different products.
"Buyer Beware'!.
Regarding the barrel being extended during playback: If you put the dial on the top of the camera to the playback position before you power it on the barrel will not extend. You can pass the camera around for others to view the photos and you won't have to worry about barrel damage. I've had this camera for only a week so far and I love it. It's not an SLR and doesn't do everything but what it does it does very well. Really has the feel of an $800 camera. Anyone who owns this camera will agree that the attention Panasonic has given to build quality is second to none.
It seems that TZ3 does not accept 4Gb SD cards. Tried one, Transcend 4Gb SD 150x speed, works with other cameras, not with TZ3. Is there an updated firmware to correct this? On the other side, SDHC card 4Gb is supported.
I'm using a Trascend 8GB SDHC Class 6 without any problems!
I'm not a professional photografer by any means, I replaced a broken 6.2MP Fuji with 3x zoom with this beauty (black) and I'm in absolute love with it! I take it everywhere with me and just love the zoom! And to my normal person eyes, the pictures come out awesome!
Great guy's, Lots of information in one page.
Well I would like to know more about this camera.
1. It has LCD or TFT Screen?
2. What about batteries. is it AA or in built rechargeable
3. Will ebay is the good option to buy, as they are giving lowest cost in package deal.
4. how much one have to spend to own it if not from ebay.
5. what about Night dance party photography quality?
Have not TZ3 but TZ2 should be almost the same, but my movies at 640x480 30fps looks awfull compared to the sample movie. It looks if my movies are highly compressed. is somthing wrong on my camera ?
hi recently we bought panasonic tz3,im not able to set the adjustments,my face colour is coming in brown ,plz can any one help how to set the white background.and clear face with shine
No word on LX3 yet, huh?
Hi colja, i bought also TZ2 and it have very very poor video quality at 848x480/30fps or 640x480/30fps, it remainds me those first mobile phone cams...im dissapointed and feel that Panasonic really fooled me here to believe that TZ2 offers same good video quality that TZ3 is offering, they even share same manual and everywere is mentioned how good video quality is with both of these...
Hi, i brought my TZ2 back to the shop and got my money back. I'm shure that there is some software problem with the comression of 30fps movies, as the 10fps have a good picture quality. It is strange that panasonic don't react.
" .......Panasonic really fooled me here to believe that TZ2 offers same good video quality that TZ3 is offering......"
How does the TZ-2 movie compare to TZ-1's???
One has 6MP and the other has 7.2MP, do they not?
How can you expect one to be the same as the other when the MPs are clearly not the same?
Excellent review which prompted me to buy one. And now i am a proud owner of TZ-3. Wonderful quality of the pictures, mainly the ones taken in the night. I am yet to explore the full options of TZ-3 and i am sure they will be wonderful.
Hi K, TZ-1 video is by far better then TZ-2. TZ-2 video is unusable and Panasonic are really marketting that these both(TZ-2 and TZ-3) have good video recording.
I left my manual at home; I am on vacation. How do I use my self timer on my Panasonic Lumix 10X Zoom camera?
michael. set on scn1 or scn2 press left select button and its there??
Hi, I have been looking into buying the TZ3 and an 8GB SDHC card (Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 6) but I found a review online where someone stated that the card didn't work on the TZ3 and shown a memory card read error. I emailed Kingston who told me that their 8GB SDHC cards will work with the camera. Does anyone here know if any 8GB cards work with the TZ3 or if it only supports 4GB SDHC cards as the manual for the camera only mentions 4GB SDHC cards (Page 15).
I have been trying to ascertain if the tz3 can pause video during recording. I am very happy with my TZ1 recording but I don't think it can pause video while recording and I find this quite frustrating.
Second I understand the TZ3 can't zoom during video recording that is a shame as it was one of the major selling points of the tz1, is there some way to allow zoom even if the lense movement does make noise.
third has the mediocre flas of the TZ1 been improved? ~12ft
Fourth as you may have guessed I do a lot of video recording with my TZ1. I was excited to hear about the TZ3. Would you reccomend that I upgrade camera's?
"I am very happy with my TZ1 recording"
In which case, the TZ3 is not going to represent much improvement, unless you want the wider angle. As a still camera, it has advantages, but for video resolution, they won't be noticeable - the folded optics of the TZ1 may even work in your favour.
i do a lot with black and white photos, and have been told that the TZ3 does not have this setting (only when you are using the movie mode) i was hoping to upgrade as the TZ3 has many good reviews, and was hoping that you can take black and white/sepia photographs with it.
Does anyone know whether this is true?
This camera looks great but I'm having trouble deciding between the DMC-TZ3 and the DMC-LX2. Can anyone explain the key differences? I'm confused.
This is to answer Ffion's question on black & white and sepia options with the TZ3. Yes it does have those options and a few more. I just bought the camera a few days ago and am still testing it out. Quality of pics seem good indoors at night and day.
I have a shakey hand and it seems the more I zoom, the more blurry the pics get even with the IS. I'll probably keep it.
I just bought this TZ3 a couple of days ago after being very impressed with the quality and feel of the camera. The 10x optical zoom can be switched to digital zoom taking it further up to 48x. Great for wildlife shots! I am new to digital cameras and so far have not been too impressed with the amount of time delay from the pressing the shutter release to capturing the image. If you are trying to capture that perfect brief smile from your precious little one forget it, it is long gone by the time the camera does its thing. The other disappointment is the blurry image of moving objects in the LCD. It is really slow. Someone walking across a stage or simply panning the camera left to right is really choppy and blurry making it hard to take a picture. I don't know if this is just how all LCD cameras are but it is really noticeable and annoying. I may be returning this camera because of this and look for something else.
I just bought a TZ3 but the pictures I've taken don't look nice, I set it up to 3MP and high quality but after taken them they look kind of dizzie. Which is the best configuration I can use to get excelent pictures?
I just bought a TZ3 but my pictures look dizzie, which is the configuration I can use to get excelent pictures? I set it up to 3MP and high quality, I'm also ussing ISO mode.
Not quite sure what you mean by 'dizzie' but why set the camera to 3Mp? I know they take up less space but if that's not an issue, try full resolution and see how they look...
To be honest I don't really understand a lot of the details on the site. My current digital is an old fuji finepix 1.3 MP thing. I couldn't make it work and ended up using a film based 35 mm again. However this year I am having 2 good holidays. 1 in Tromso, Norway, wher I will be wanting pics of the northern lights, snowy mountains, dog sledding etc, mainly in poor light I imagine.Later in disneyland, pics of mickey etc. Basically is the TZ3 the right camera for this or can someone reccomend a different option. Don't want to spend silly money really.
Many Thanks
That's a big question, but it's certainly worth having on your list. However, if you're going to be away from base for long periods, you might want a camera that can run on AA's. Also, if you're used to 35mm, you might well want one with a viewfinder!
I'd consider a Canon A720IS (or the slightly older, and now cheaper A710IS) which have a bit less zoom, but are more pocketable and probably work a bit better in low light. Get one of those 'gorillapod' things that lets you clamp your camera to odd shapes for longer exposures.
That's a big question, but it's certainly worth having on your list. However, if you're going to be away from base for long periods, you might want a camera that can run on AA's. Also, if you're used to 35mm, you might well want one with a viewfinder!
I'd consider a Canon A720IS (or the slightly older, and now cheaper A710IS) which have a bit less zoom than the TZ3, but are more pocketable and probably work a bit better in low light. Get one of those 'gorillapod' things that lets you clamp your camera to odd shapes for longer exposures.
Hi James,
Thanks for the info, I've had a look at the a720 and can't really justify spending an extra £50 on the panasonic. I don't think the slight differences will matter that much to me. For some reason the A710 is still more expensive in the uk than the a720 and is actually about the same price as the TZ3? Think I'll go with the A720.
Many thanks again for your help.
My pleasure. Although personal preferences may differ, I rarely read a bad word about the Canon A-series, and if you want reasonable zoom and a viewfinder, there's not much else to choose! I have an A620, which is a bit chunkier than the A720 and doesn't have IS. I use an A710IS at work and I would say it's almost the ideal compact camera - I can't think of anything that will take substantially better photos and still fit in your pocket, at any price. Strange that it is dearer than the later version here in the UK, but you seem to be right. FWIW, I found the A720 for £134 at buyacamera.co.uk
Don't forget to buy a decent sized SD card - the movie mode especially guzzles it up!
"I have not been impressed with the amount of time delay from the pressing the shutter release to capturing the image. If you are trying to capture that perfect brief smile from your precious little one forget it, it is long gone by the time the camera does its thing."
Is the delay really that bad? I want to use the DMC-TZ3 for snappy moments but I'm a little worried if the delay is long. I wonder if you were just using the camera in low light?
And also, how is the sound quality in movie mode?
Please reply.
"Is the delay really that bad?"
Probably not. People who have just come to digital after 'analogue' are often surprised that there is any delay at all. After all, with a conventional fixed or manual focus camera, the shot is taken the instant you press the shutter, so why should that not be the case with digital? :-)
Panasonic cameras are generally regarded as reasonably quick (better than average) although all long zoom cameras have to work a bit harder to focus at high zoom settings or in low light.
I've been using this camera for 6 months, just 780 shots up to now.
It's a very good camera, but I'm quite disappointed for 2 features missing:
1- No possibility to get RAW output, also in hi res it's a fight with jpeg artifacts
2- No possibility to work in aperture priority and shutter priority. Ok, most compact camera users don't use, but is just software, add a submenu!!!
looking for an economical wide angle, this seems to be it. Good review. It appears to use an SD memory card, is this correct. Saw nothing on that.
Mike, you can use SD, SDHC or MultiMediaCard memory cards with the TZ3.
"economical wide angle"
Don't forget the Nikon P50...
Re: "economical wide angle"
Don't forget the Nikon P50...thanks James I will review it before deciding. I have an old Nikon FM (35mm film format) that I still hold dear. The Las Vegas show did reveal that the TZ3 can download wirelessly when memory full (say on vacation)...impressive for around $400 Cdn.
I didn't realise the TZ3 had wireless comms, but that won't improve battery life! A spare memory card might be simpler...
I like the P50 because it has a viewfinder and uses AA batteries, which you can always get.
Just to clarify, the TZ3 doesn't have wireess functionality. The camera that Mike is referring to at the CES show in Las Vegas earlier this month was a prototype that just happened to be based on a TZ3. I'd expect Panasonic to reveal more details about their plans for a wireless camera at the PMA show in 2 weeks time.
Just to clarify, the TZ3 doesn't have wireess functionality. The camera that Mike is referring to at the CES show in Las Vegas earlier this month was a prototype that just happened to be based on a TZ3. I'd expect Panasonic to reveal more details about their plans for a wireless camera at the PMA show in 2 weeks time.
Re:Just to clarify,...
Sorry about that, I guess that is why the camera store guy did not mention it. But yes, they did use the TZ3 example this am on the tv story.
I just upgraded a 2MP fuji 2600z to the TZ3.
After a week of ownership, I am not that impressed with its pictures. Quite fuzzy, and loss of detail, unless lighting is 'very' good. Maybe mine is not a good example.
Flash is quite harsh, and can leed to bright indoor shots
The 6X4 prints from my Fuji are better.
Features, and lens are very good though.
RE: I just upgraded a 2MP fuji 2600z to the TZ3.
Thanks for your input.Your comments are valid. I read an article on the Fuji Finepix S8000fd and apparently the unsubstantiated word is that Fuji (at least at this price range) is superior in low light. Was looking at the P50 (Nikon) for price point but does not meet needs. TZ3 still top of my list even though something else is coming from Panasonic. Price, 28mm - 10X optical and small. I like it.No thru-the lens view, but none do in that price range.
I had considered the FujiS8000fd, but went for the TZ3 after reading about a few image quality issues on the Fuji.
I am considering swapping my TZ3 already. The spec is great. In anything but good light the performance does not live up to expectations. The reviews on image quality are generous in my opinion.
The TZ3 is easy to use, and I have not missed the optical viewfinder yet (300 pictures taken). I find it plenty fast enough, and it is certainly well made. Plenty of good features/shooting modes too.
I have sent some sample to Panasonic who agreed to look at them in case there is an issue with my particular camera. If they find nothing wrong, then it will be going anyway.
If you chose one, I hope it meets your expoectations, or is at least better than mine.
I nearly went for a Richo Caplio R7 which gets some good write ups. Maybe an alternative to consider.
I'll check it out before buying Panasonic this w/e
I am also disappointed by fuzzy pictures. Compared to my old Finepix S304 (not as compact though) the pictures look washed out and poorly focussed. (using tripod)
They can be improved using s/w but still disappointing. Any ideas if this is normal? Considering
I've had a TZ3 for a couple of days and I am extremely impressed with the way it handles most things. I've fot a Fuji s9500 and it's just too complex for me - not to mention bulky.
My only concern is with the audio - when taking movies or recording memos the sound is really muffled and over compressed. I know you can't have everything in one camera but I'm wondering if TZ3 mic is poor quality or do I have a duff one?(the camera is refurbished) the sample movies I've found online focus on picture quality (quite rightly) and I can't judge sound quality.
TZ3 is magnificent for the money apparently biggest seller for Panasonic ever when I read about the new TZ4 & 5 in this very blog. Believe it or not a rare find, a silver brand new TZ2, so I bought it for less than $250. with a 2yr warranty.Few pix and smaller screen but all I need. Bravo Panasonic for wide angle and 10X optical in a small but tough little camera.
I sent some samples to Panasonic, who said there was nothing wrong with he camera. The problem was that with it set to Auto, it pumps up the ISO. They said fix the ISO at 100. Which is great, until the light drops. My wife, who will aslo want to use the camera does not want to mess around with manual settings, so if it doesn't work in auto, it is no good to us.
Sent it back to the store for refund, now just need to find something similar, that will take decent pictures indoors, with flash, and no noise/fuzziness. Shame as the TZ3 was excellent except for the noise images when used in auto mode.
Really disappointing sound quality on videos to the point where I'd say it's useless - about as good as you'd get through a landline telephone. Came from a 4 year old Casio Exilim and it is many times better. Audio is saved at 8000Hz 8-bit PCM mono and mic is on the top of the camera body. No options to select a better CODEC or audio sampling rate.
It's NOT a video camera.
It's a shame because in every other respect it's a great camera and video picture quality is excellent.
It's great to keep in your pocket, it starts up really quickly and it's got plenty of scene modes to cope with most situations.
Also, I've taken perfectly fine pictures indoors with flash.
Just got back from holiday with TZ Panasonic. Found it grt. for the money. Battery lasts well.took over 250 pics. Have not tried video.
Just wait for the TZ5, which is coming in a couple of months. No big deal.
If you really want to do video, why not just buy a camcorder with some still capability instead?
Great and professional review, helps a lot!
Hello. I got a TZ3 at Christmas time and have been generally happy with is at a replacement for an old Nikon 2mp camera. I had good luck with it taking outdoor low light photos (sunset, contrasting light colors and darkness).
I have had a bit less luck with indoor movement (something like a basketball game), BUT the results taking pictures at reception in a hotel were pretty terrible -- all of my indoor low light pics show noise and strange color balance. I will play with the ISO settings as advised above, but was wondering if there is either a secret I should know about or a firmware update. Cheers, --chris
"wondering if there is ... a secret"
I suspect not. Compacts in general, and Panasonic in particular, are not good at low-light photography (sunsets don't really count, as the main subject is usually still fairly bright!
The honourable exception seems to be Fuji, whose F-series have some advantage. Small sensors are the problem, but without them, that 10x lens would be huge!


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US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Natalie Schneider, and Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation Cora Marlett in Washington DC.
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
It is the time of year again when staff of the Charleston County Public Library pool their energy and enthusiasm to launch our annual "One Book" program. For those who do not know what this program entails, here is a very brief description of the history of this special event. "One Book" is a community reading program that attempts to get everyone in a city to read and discuss the same book. The first "One Book One City" project was organized by librarian Nancy Pearl at the Seattle Public Library in 1998. Her program was called "If All Seattle Read the Same Book." Nancy Pearl chose the book "The Sweet Hereafter" by Russell Banks to introduce her brain child. She was able to bring the author to Seattle for three days to discuss his book in a series of free public programs. Many cities have adopted the idea, and the popularity of this reading program increases every year. The main goal is to build a sense of community and promote literacy.
For 2013's "One Book" program, the Charleston County Public Library has selected the very popular and high-demand young adult book "Divergent" by debut author Veronica Roth. "Divergent" is the first book in the "Divergent" trilogy.
The main character, Beatrice Prior, lives in dystopian* Chicago. Her society is divided into five factions, dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue – Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all 16-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is – she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
*Dystopia: an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives, -anti-utopia (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
Book two in the series is "Insurgent" and is now available at the library – but be prepared; there is a waiting list. The release date for "Allegiant," book three, is Oct. 22. Please join us during the month of October in all activities involving the "One Book" program and help us fulfill the program's goal: "Sense of Community and Promoting Literacy."
One Book programs
One Book Family Movie Series (all ages)
Tuesdays, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 4 p.m.
Get into the spirit of One Book Charleston County, and watch a family film representative of a Divergent faction.
ABNEGATION - Oct. 1: "National Treasure." Rated PG; 131 minutes.
AMITY - Oct. 8: "October Sky." Rated PG; 108 minutes.
CANDOR - Oct. 15: "RV." Rated PG; 99 minutes.
DAUNTLESS - Oct. 22: "Soul Surfer." Rated PG; 106 minutes.
ERUDITE - Oct. 29: "Akeelah and the Bee." Rated PG; 112 minutes.
One Book Discussion: "Divergent" (adults)
Monday, Oct. 7 at 10:30 a.m.
One Book Discussion: "Divergent" (grades 6-12)
Thursday, Oct. 24 from 4-5 p.m.
Remember that September is National Library Card Sign-up Month. New in town? Please join our growing "family" of library users. Lost, old or damaged library card? Please come to our branch in September for a free new card (only this month).
Other programs
Adults and Teens
Brown Bag It with Dr. Erikka for Women's Health (adults)
Monday, Sept. 23 from 12 - 1 p.m.
Bring your lunch and learn about headaches as they relate to women's health. Discussion will be led by Dr. Erikka Curia, of ChiroLife.
Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Lowcountry Rice (adults)
Saturday, Sept. 28 from 1 - 2 p.m.
Please join Dr. Nic Butler, CCPL's public historian, for an illustrated review of the most significant facts about Lowcountry rice history that form the basis for our shared heritage.
Reel Club Book/Movie Discussion Group (adults)
Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.
Book: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J. K. Rowling
Movie: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Rated PG; 152 minutes.
Talk Like a Pirate Storytime (ages 3-5)
Thursday, Sept. 19 at 11:30 a.m.
Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day with pirate songs, stories and crafts.
PLAY: STAR Therapy Dogs (all ages)
Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Read to a certified therapy dog – the best listeners in the world.
Afterschool Movie (all ages)
Friday, Sept. 27 at 3:30 p.m.
"Oz: The Great and Powerful." Rated PG; 130 minutes.
PLAY: Welcome Autumn with Art (all ages)
Saturday, September 28 at 10:30 a.m.
Paint your own autumn tree.
Mirjam Veldkamp works in the reference department at the Mount Pleasant Regional Library Branch (1133 Mathis Ferry Road, 843-849-6161, www.mtplibrary.blogspot.com, www.ccpl.org, like us on Facebook). Remember to email firstname.lastname@example.com if you wish to receive a PDF copy of the programs being held each month at Mount Pleasant Regional.
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Viewing Topic: Arab AmericanView All
The New Americans
by Gordon Quinn, Gita Saedi, and Steve James
Follow a diverse group of immigrants and refugees as they leave their home and families behind and learn what it means to be new Americans in the 21st century.
Independent Lens, Global Voices
A Son's Sacrifice
by Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed
When 27-year-old Imran Uddin struggles to take over his father's halal slaughterhouse during the annual Qurbani holiday, he leads the local Muslim community in a ritual that tests his devotion to his family and his faith.
Independent Lens, Global Voices, Diverse Muslim Voices


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Matt McLoota isn't one to rest on his laurels.
After years of logging in long hours on television and movie sets as a second assistant director, the 1999 Hollidaysburg Area High School graduate, 32, just wrapped up his first job as first assistant director on the movie "The American Side," directed by Jenna Ricker and starring Matthew Broderick, Robert Forster and Janeane Garofalo.
McLoota, who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., said he feels "pretty good" about achieving the career milestone. He followed the advice he said he gives others: If taking the job scares you, then go for it.
Article Photos
Courtesy photo
Matt McLoota, carrying the cross, stands in for the actor playing Jesus during a camera rehearsal on the set of "The Big C" in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
"That's the only way you know you're moving forward," he said. "If you're at work and you're comfortable and it's easy and you don't go to work afraid, then you're treading water.
"So I liked it, because every day I went to work and I was afraid. I thought, 'I could screw this up. I'm not 100 percent sure how to do this.' But that makes it better, it keeps you on your toes and it's nice to have that."
McLoota, who believes he will one day try his hand at directing, has been working as a second assistant director on the hit CBS series "Elementary" since June 2012.
Fact Box
Born: April 24, 1981
1999: Graduated from Hollidaysburg Area High School
2003: Graduated with a bachelor's degree in film and drama from Syracuse University; landed production assistant spots, including on the TV series "Hope & Faith"
2004: Began the Directors Guild of America Assistant Directors Training Program, New York
2005: Under the DGA, worked on TV series including "Law & Order: Trial By Jury" and "Brotherhood" and films including "The Producers" and "Perfect Stranger"
2006: Completed DGA training program
2007-2013: Worked as a second assistant director on several TV series including "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Gossip Girl," "Ugly Betty," "The Big C" and "Elementary," and movies including "Movie 43" and "My Soul to Take"
2013: First assistant director on the thriller "The American Side"
As a child, McLoota impersonated Michael Jackson in a contest at the Altoona Area Public Library and would act out the movie "Rambo" and was interested in movies, music and acting at a young age, said his mom, Jamie McLoota of Altoona.
McLoota wondered how what he was seeing on the screen actually got there, he said.
After graduating from Hollidaysburg Area High School in 1999, he studied film and drama at Syracuse University. He graduated from college in 2003 and, according to the Internet Movie Database website, landed a production assistant job that same year on the set of the TV series "Hope & Faith."
In 2004, he began the Directors Guild of America Assistant Directors Training Program in New York, where he was one of about six selected from a pool of about 800 applicants. He completed the program, which prepares its graduates to become assistant directors, in 2006.
McLoota has worked as a second assistant director on several television shows including "The Big C" and "Suits" and movies including "The Darjeeling Limited," a 2007 Wes Anderson adventure flick.
Assistant director jobs are different from job to job and can get blurred, he said. Every job usually has three assistant directors - a second second AD (sometimes called a third AD), a second AD and a first AD, who is the director's right-hand man.
The director relies on the AD staff. They handle what people might think a director does such as taking charge of the people on set and often yelling "rolling" and sometimes "action" and "cut."
A second AD schedules every nuance for the next day and makes sure everything is happening on set as it should, McLoota said. A first and second second AD, who are always on set, worry about what is happening for the camera at that moment. A second second AD is usually in charge of setting the background action in a scene.
"It's just amazing how much goes into one shot. You look at TV and you just have no idea what goes in behind making that shot happen," said Jamie McLoota who visited him on the set of "Ugly Betty."
Typically, McLoota's 16-plus hour work days start with him hitting the snooze on dueling alarm clocks, he said laughing. The second AD then hits the ground running.
"For the most part, the actors and most of the crew and everybody always calls the second AD about everything. So your phone's always on, you're always getting phone calls, you're always getting emails," he said.
"There's been times when people ask me to describe my job and I usually hand them my cell phone and say 'scroll through the recent calls' and there's a call every four minutes. For an entire day, for 12 hours. And on top of having one phone to your ear, I've got a walkie-talkie in the other one. It gets a little schizophrenic sometimes."
Taking care of tasks as they come is how McLoota keeps up with the frantic pace.
"There is no such thing as a to-do list for me because it has to happen immediately. ... If you did it, within an hour, your to-do list would be too long or you would forget something," he said.
The job requires organization, attention to detail and an ability to stay on point, he said.
"The American Side" director Jenna Ricker "could not have gotten through the challenge of making a feature film without someone like him alongside," she said in an email.
"The AD deals with so many of the details and logistics - time, schedule, rehearsals, department coordination - freeing the director to focus on shots, performance and what lands in the can. Matt was invaluable with this, and given our frenetic pace and ambitious production, it made all the difference. He's also got a great laugh, which is a joy to hear when the stress is on," she said.
A career as an AD is made up of freelance work, going from job to job and taking breaks, if they want, when shows go on hiatus.
"It's a weird industry because you do 12 months with people for 17 hours a day and they become a surrogate family for you, and then you go on to do another job. And then sometimes it's the same people on those jobs or people that you worked with five years ago, and it's like you never kind of left them," he said.
McLoota said what he likes about his career is how it is not monotonous.
"Every day you're doing something different. There's a lot of things that you get to do that a lot of people don't get to do," he said, listing things such as full access to the United Nations, and assignments to shoot in the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.
"You get to travel. You get to meet a lot of people. You're not sitting at a desk. There's no cubicle work. It's very different every day."
What has gone from exciting to ordinary, however, is working with celebrities.
"You're meeting celebrities and not just meeting them, but they know your name and they're joking with you and they ask about your family. It becomes intoxicating at first and then, after awhile, they're just like people you go to work with," he said.
McLoota's parents, who said they are proud of their son, pushed him to explore, he said.
"I feel like they've pushed more toward, it's a big world out there, go see it," he said.
Matt's sister, Michelle McLoota of Hollidaysburg, lived with him in New York for more than a year.
A freelance artist, she worked in the art departments on independent films including 2011's "The Art of Getting By" and 2010's "White Irish Drinkers."
"We really always knew Matt would be able to express himself creatively through film," she said. "He is very creative, very motivated, very educated."
"He's one of the smartest people I know," said his dad, Gary McLoota, also of Altoona. "This is what he wanted to do and he gave it his all. He didn't sway from his career. That's what he wanted and that's what he went after."
Mirror Staff Writer Amanda Gabeletto is at 949-7030.


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|Welcome to the MANGA Forum.
|You will have to register before you can post: log in or sign up at the top of the page to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
cant help but engage in studies
ban for watching anime
jeez.. what a crap.. :(
Emotions? Nope, I've got nothin' like that. I told you when we first met, didn't I? I'm a snake. With cold skin, no emotions, that slithers around searching for prey with its tongue, swallowing down whatever looks tasty.
< Where do the years go >
Well that's sort of a burden to you.
this is BURDEN :( can't do anything but this


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|Science Highlights
Featured scientific research based on publications resulting from work done at the ALS. Highlights are nominated by management and beamline scientists for their scientific significance. Current highlights (2004-present), highlight archives (1995-2004), and Summary Slides of ALS Science Highlights are also available.
Short reports on recent research submitted by ALS beamline scientists and users.
Informal lecture series featuring beamline scientists and users discussing energy-related research on ALS beamlines.
Journal covers featuring recent ALS research.


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Top Definition
The action of somebody or something the most sick or awesome.
"Dude that air soft war was so coolskies"!
από Swindelli 10 Οκτώβριος 2009
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
A word which acknowledges something cooler than cool, like pancakes, or a new videogame. Or a afirmative reply to a question.
από nkl! 27 Οκτώβριος 2010


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Top Definition
"A particular type of pussy with good, strong, muscle contraction that can grab on to you and give you a decent fuck" Also see: George Carlin
She has one snappin' pussy!
af gnrspalmstroke 10. september 2004
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Photos & Videos
A vagina that has strong muscles that can squeeze the pecker rapidly.
Never shot a load like with that snapping pussy.
af starscream 23. maj 2003


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As an industry leader and advocate for greater retirement readiness, Voya Financial is committed to delivering on its vision to be America's Retirement Company™ and its mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time.
As a Voya Financial employee, you'll enjoy:
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- The opportunity to work with some of the most talented people in your field, in an informal environment.
- Working in an organization with a track record of financial strength, continued growth, and unlimited future potential!


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Does your marriage need a little spark, or do you need to throw a little gasoline on the fire? read more
Page 68 of 127
7 Ways a Husband Injures a Wife Without Even Knowing It
After a popular response to a post about wives injuring husbands, Ron Edmonson writes about the other side of the coin. read more
10 Questions Husbands Should Ask Their Wives Every Year
The best remedy for marriage conflict is marriage communication. Do you speak with your wife about these issues often? read more
7 Ways a Wife Injures a Husband Without Even Knowing It
Marriages are made of two very different, imperfect people. How often do we hurt the people we love most? read more
10 Must-Dos for Middle-Aged Men
Have you let Satan trick you into a midlife crisis mode? Here are some ways to get out of that rut. read more
Rough Cut Men: The Face-Off
What kind of man do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you need some Jesus-adjusting? read more
Why Is Men's Discipleship So Urgent?
Why don't many men understand biblical manhood? What's the solution to this problem? read more
Your Children: Why You Shouldn't Mix Compliments With Criticism
Complimenting your child is one thing. Here is why you should stop yourself when you run out of positives to say. read more
How to Be a Good Dad Through Life's Ups and Downs
Transitions really should not take us by surprise. How you handle the changes—especially when it comes to your children—is crucial. read more
7 Ground Rules to Becoming Fathers of the Future
Your kids are watching, waiting and learning. The question is how, what, when and where should you be teaching them? read more


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You are here
Position Statement 71: Health Care Reform
Mental Health America (MHA) believes that all individuals and families should have access to a broad scope of medically appropriate, evidence-based behavioral health services and supports, in full parity with other conditions.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("PPACA," the "Affordable Care Act" or the "Act") (Pub. L. 111-148) is expected to expand health care coverage to an additional 32 million citizens and legal immigrants by 2019 through a combination of state-based private insurance exchanges and a Medicaid expansion. In addition, the Affordable Care Act includes a number of reforms to curb harmful insurance company practices as well as provisions to slow the growth of health care costs and improve quality of care.
The Affordable Care Act takes ground-breaking steps toward improving access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. Significantly, the Act includes mental health and substance use disorder services as well as rehabilitative services as components of the "Essential Benefits" package that must be offered to cover the uninsured. With the enactment of the Act, America has the ability to create a reformed health care system that provides comprehensive, culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health services and supports. However, the details remain to be determined.
Major Principles of a Modern Behavioral Health System
MHA represents the experiences and needs of consumers and families who too often endure chronic and intractable barriers to accessing high-quality, culturally and linguistically competent, adequately-financed, community-based services and supports. We support the effort to increase access to health care and improve the quality of health care delivery. In light of the Act's reforms, we believe that a modern behavioral health system must embody the following major principles:
- All people are entitled to comprehensive health insurance coverage that affords access to health care services that are effective, high-quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate, affordable and accessible.
- Coverage should include prevention, early-intervention, treatment, and rehabilitation services, and offer a full range of services to address the continuum of behavioral health needs for consumers experiencing mild to severe illnesses.
- All services provided should be seamlessly integrated with primary care, with the focus on the consumer as the center of the health care system. Recovery-oriented systems that operate within a shared decision-making framework should provide adequate reimbursement and flexible staffing so that consumers will have time to work with their clinicians in developing a meaningful treatment plan reflecting their goals and accommodating the acuity of their illness.
- MHA sees the health/medical home as the core element in the engagement of consumers in a recovery-oriented system. The health home will be charged with promoting the seamless integration of behavioral health and primary care and providing access to the full array of appropriate behavioral health services.
- MHA suggests that, depending on the resources of the provider and the needs of the consumer, the behavioral health provider may function better than the primary care provider as the medical home for people with serious mental illness.
- A wide range of services should be available for people based on a range of acuity, disability, and engagement levels. The degree of disability and the need for long-term vs. acute care services, as well as the consumer's goals, should dictate the services rendered. While the needs and goals of many individuals with behavioral health needs can be addressed by basic services offered within the health home, individuals with enduring disabilities or with mental illnesses that do not respond to primary care services should have available more intensive services that will likely be afforded outside (but closely coordinated with) the health home.
Appropriate implementation of the Affordable Care Act at both the state and federal levels will be critical in achieving accessible healthcare for individuals and families coping with mental health and substance use conditions. Monitoring implementation will require that Mental Health America prioritize and advocate for the following:
- Providing integrated services within the health home model should allow for better identification and access to behavioral health services and management of co-morbid illnesses.
- Recognizing the high prevalence of co-occurring mental health and general health conditions, behavioral health services and supports should be available as an essential component of any disease management program.
- Plans should cover services provided in frequented locations in order to reduce barriers, identify needs, and engage individuals in care as early as possible. School-based clinics and workplace health services should be considered reimbursable providers.
- Longer-term, more intensive care for illnesses that are proving to be more disabling should be easily accessible from the health home, and coordination with primary care/health home should be systematic and on-going. Individuals should also be able to move out of more intensive services and into support services when they are no longer in need of the longer-term services.
- A graduated set of services should be available, serving the full spectrum of needs, and responsive to the severity of behavioral health needs.
- Families should be viewed as an insured unit, so services available to the parent to support the treatment of a child with a mental health or substance use condition can be covered. For instance, parenting supports to teach parents to cope with the special needs of their child should be reimbursable, even though the parent is the recipient of the service and the child is the beneficiary of the service.
- Communication and integration between the children's health system and the adult health system should promote seamless delivery of behavioral health services and supports that are developmentally appropriate for the individual.
- To eliminate behavioral health disparities and the resulting burden, policies and practices should incorporate and be responsive to cultural pathways related to problem identification, help-seeking patterns, referrals, diagnosis and treatment preferences.[1]
There is a significant body of research that powerfully argues for the implementation of effective interventions to prevent the onset and reduce the rate of mental health and substance use conditions, particularly among children. To ensure these strategies are a priority:
- Evidence-based interventions focused on the prevention of mental health and substance use conditions should be part of any benefit package. We have overwhelming evidence pointing to both targeted and broad interventions that can prevent mental health and substance use disorders and promote mental health and wellness.[2]
- Many of the preventive services for children are targeted at supporting the parent in raising a healthy child. As is the case in providing treatment services to the parent for the benefit of the child, preventive interventions that are delivered to the parent with the goal of developing a healthy child should be reimbursable.
- Screening for mental health and substance use conditions should be a basic element of practice within the health home and specialty settings. Competent staff should be available to screen and further assess as indicated in order to promote early intervention and provide the most appropriate service for the needs and goals of the individual.
Mental Health America is committed to the principle that every individual with a mental health or substance use condition can recover. We believe that a modern behavioral health system should provide supports and promote services and systems that facilitate the recovery of people with mental health and substance use conditions so every person with an illness can live a meaningful live in the community. To achieve this critical goal:
- The modern mental health system should operate within a framework of shared decision-making. Adequate time should be available for an individual to work with his or her provider to select the recovery services that are most appropriate for her goals.
- Individuals should develop their own recovery plan with the goal of community integration and engagement in roles that are meaningful to each person. Services should support community integration with a full range of activities, including employment, education, and family and civic participation.
- For individuals with significant disability and longer term care needs, the definition of what is medically necessary should be expanded to ensure that the wide array of services and supports that help consumers integrate into the larger society are accessible. This may occur through assertive, accountable case management systems or within a disease management plan for persons with significant rehabilitation needs.
- Younger adults will have special and different recovery needs than older adults. A special emphasis for them is engaging in education and vocational services that will assist them in becoming self-sufficient and integrated in the community. Early, accessible recovery services for younger adults will likely mitigate large long-term direct and indirect costs for individuals who are not engaged in the workforce and have few social supports in the community.
Call to Action
Mental Health America and its affiliates should work with local, state, and federal decision makers to ensure adequate representation of behavioral health interests in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. MHA should also be engaged with employers, insurers, and providers to ensure that the implementation of the Act provides for meaningful access to behavioral health coverage and services. As a first priority, MHA needs to scrutinize the "Essential Benefit" definition, which will determine the scope of coverage for mental health and substance use conditions, and is bound to be controversial. A coalition like that assembled for parity will need to advocate persuasively to get real parity in the "Essential Benefit."
Effective Period
The Mental Health America Board of Directors adopted this policy on March 5, 2011. It is reviewed as required by the Mental Health America Public Policy Committee
Expiration: December 31, 2016
- Bernal, G. & Saez-Santiago, E., "Culturally Centered Psychosocial Interventions," Journal of Community Psychology, 34(2), 121-132 (2006).
- See MHA Position Statement 48, Prevention.


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Normal people are back on the Ocean Course this weekend, taking advantage of what last week's PGA Championship helped make one of the best values in premier American golf: $261, not including caddy, shrimp or grits.
"The average score out here is probably about 110," veteran Ocean Course caddy Nate Ross said.
Give or take some creative calculating and loose interpretation of "loose impediment" rules.
Of course, Rory McIlroy played the course like a municipal layout during his final-round 66. But the lack of Sunday drama gets emphatically trumped if McIlroy goes on to become Tiger Woods' authentic archrival. In that case, Kiawah Island is the hallowed launch pad.
"Well done to @McIlroyRory unbelievable performance!!!" McIlroy's girlfriend, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki tweeted to her 398,691 Twitter followers after Rory hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy.
"2 number 1's together!!!" McIlroy tweeted to his 1,210,808 followers — complete with profile photo of the happy couple.
Worth celebrating, absolutely.
Consider that only two active golfers under 40 have won more than one major, and both of them wore red shirts during the final round at the Ocean Course.
And that, at 23, a healthy and competitive McIlroy figures to play in, oh, approximately 80 more majors. Odds are the Irish charmer finishes somewhere between his present two titles (he also won the 2011 U.S. Open) and Woods' 14.
Major contrast
"What a great day! Great day!" Rory's father Gerry kept repeating as his son starred in the official PGA Championship ceremony on the 18th hole. "He just played really well. Really well."
Repeating is more than tolerable; repeating as a major champion guarantees a clear contrast to Woods, at least in the short term. Rory and Tiger will do battle in a one-day exhibition clash in China on Oct. 29. Though the contract was processing as McIlroy was winning the PGA by eight shots, golf really needs such precious timing.
Until Rory swallowed the back nine on Sunday, there were 16 different winners over the previous 16 majors.
What a difference an Ocean Course rout makes.
Woods, by the way, won only one of his 14 majors by age 23.
McIlroy doesn't just win majors, he devours the field; the 2011 U.S. Open win at Congressional also was an eight-shot spread.
Rory rallies.
Tiger roars only if leading after three rounds, his winning recipe in all 14 of his major triumphs.
Cute couples vs. Fred Couples
This rivalry has multi-continent, multi-ethnic appeal. That McIlroy is 13 years younger than Woods — same age difference as Tiger and Vijay Singh — is potentially a boost for industry managers trying to lure young enthusiasts.
The kids have to like the Caroline thing, too. Hard to think of a high-profile sports couple so on top of their respective games since Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert appeared together on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
That was 38 summers ago.
Marketing execs can't believe their luck. No doubt, cute couples sell better than Fred Couples.
A few decades from now, it's easy to imagine Woods and McElroy green-lighting a story about their combined 28 major championships.
For now, we can thank him from saving the 2012 PGA from a Wanamaker Trophy winner no one had ever heard of and limiting David Lynn to what might become a great golf trivia question:
Name the 38-year-old guy from England who was playing in his first pro tournament in the U.S. but finished second at that famed PGA Championship at the Ocean Course when the legendary Rory McIlroy won by eight shots?
Reach Gene Sapakoff at 937-5593 or on Twitter @sapakoff


text: After the Gomorrah-like deal-a-minute-a-thon of Art Basel Miami Beach, an exhibition arrives examining the artworld's underbelly: money, lucre, filthy-stinking-rich moolah, big bucks, hated, denounced, but vital nonetheless. The show asks the question, what, exactly is a transaction? How does money come to dominate industrial production, banking, the housing market, nature, and the social realm? What do we owe, and to whom?Continue Reading →


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Know how it feels when you try a product for the first time and fall so madly in love with it, that your immediate first thought is, "I hope they never discontinue this or change anything about it EVER"?
This was the exact experience I had upon trying the Soothing Silk Body Butter and Soothing Silk Hand Cream from TATCHA's Indigo Collection. The founder of TATCHA, Victoria Tsai, discovered the deeply soothing and calming powers of Indigo from a 200 year old book containing the beauty rituals of the geisha. According to this book, samurais were known for wearing a layer of Indigo-dyed cotton beneath their armor to help heal injuries. Both the Soothing Silk Body Butter and Soothing Silk Hand Cream combines the anti-inflammatory properties of natural Japanese Indigo extract with liquid silk. Read more


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Created in this Craftsy class
Tunisian Crochet: Revolutions in Color and Style taught by Jennifer Hansen
Made with a tool that's a cross between a crochet hook and a knitting needle, Tunisian crochet adds great texture and beautiful color to Jennifer Hansen's versatile and stylish garment.
Other projects made as part of this class:
CrochetingThe Flâneur's Facecloth
CrochetingMulti Purpose Garment Done
CrochetingSpa cloth ++++++
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Lovely color choices :-)
02/04/2014 Flag
I just love your choice of colors!!
02/05/2014 Flag
This is beautiful.
03/14/2016 Flag