text:
How the "Urine Toxic Metals" Test
Is Used to Mislead Patients
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Many patients are falsely told that their body has dangerously high levels of lead, mercury, or other heavy metals and should be "detoxified" to reduce these levels. This article explains how a urine test is used to defraud patients.
The report pictured to the right is a "urine toxic metals" test from Doctor's Data, a Chicago-based laboratory that performs tests for many chelation therapists and other offbeat practitioners. The patient who gave it to me was told by his doctor that his mercury and lead levels were high and should be reduced with EDTA chelation therapy.
The report classifies the man's lead and mercury levels as "elevated because they are twice as high as the upper limit of their "reference ranges." However, this classification is misleading because:
Doctor's Data also processes the urine toxic metals test for The Great Plains Laboratory, Inc., of Lenexa, Kansas. Urine toxic metal testing is also performed in the United States by Genova Diagnostics (Asheville, North Carolina) and Metametrix Clinical Laboratory (Duluth, Georgia), which Genova purchased in 2012.
Why Provoked Testing Is Improper
Mercury is found in the earth's crust and is ubiquitous in the environment. Because of this, it is common to find small amounts in people's urine. The body reaches a steady state in which tiny amounts are absorbed and excreted. Large-scale population studies have shown that the general population has urine-mercury levels below 10 micrograms/liter, with most people between zero and 5 [1]. Similarly, many people circulate trivial amounts of lead.
Urine lead and mercury levels can be artificially raised by administering a scavenger (chelating agent) such as DMPS or DMSA, which attaches to lead and mercury molecules in the blood and forces them to be excreted. In other words, some molecules that would normally recirculate within the body are bound and exit through the kidneys. As a result, their urine levels are artificially and temporarily raised. How much the levels are raised depends on how the test is administered. The standard way to measure urinary mercury and lead levels is by collecting a non-provoked urine sample over a 24-hour period. Because most of the extra excretion takes place within a few hours after the chelating agent is administered, using a shorter collection period will yield a higher concentration.
When testing is performed, the levels are expressed as micrograms of lead or mercury per grams of creatinine (µg/g) and compared to the laboratory's "reference range." Well-designed experiments have demonstrated how provocation artificially raises urinary output.
- One experiment involved ten healthy people whose urine was examined before and after receiving a 1-hour infusion of calcium disodium EDTA. The infusion increased the excretion of lead about 6 times over the baseline level [2].
- Another experiment tested workers who had industrial exposure to mercury. The researchers reported that provocation with DMSA raised the 24-hour average urine mercury level from 4.3 µg/g before chelation to 7.8 µg/g after chelation [3].
Both of these studies used a 24-hour urine collection period. Because most of the extra excretion occurs toward the beginning of the test, it is safe to assume that the provoked levels would have been much higher if a 6-hour collection period had been used.
Practitioners who use the urine toxic metals test typically tell patients that provocation is needed to discover "hidden body stores" of mercury or lead, which they also refer to as "body burden" or "mercury efflux disorder." However, the above experiment proved that provocation raises urine levels as much in exposed workers as in unexposed control subjects and that rise is temporary, should be expected, and is not evidence of "hidden stores." The scientific community does not recognize "mercury efflux disorder" as a diagnosis or even as a theoretical possibility.
The "hidden stores" notion was further debunked by a study that compared non-provoked and DMSA-provoked urine specimens from 15 children with autism and 4 normally developing children who ranged from 3 to 7 years old. After a baseline specimen from each child was collected, the DMSA was given in three doses over a 16-hour period, and the specimens were collected for 24 hours and tested for lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. The testing was performed by the Mayo Clinic's laboratory, which used reference ranges of 80 ug/liter as the upper limit of normal and over 400 µg/liter for the lower limit of the potentially toxic range for lead and 10 µg/liter as the upper limit of normal and over 50 µg/liter for the lower limit of the potentially toxic range for mercury. All of the normal children and 12 of the autistic children excreted no detectable amount of any of the tested materials. In one child, DMSA provocation raised the urine lead level from undetectable to 6 µg/liter, which the researchers said was far too low to be of concern. In another child, the mercury level rose from undetectable to 23 µg/liter, but after fish was removed from that child's diet for more than a month, it fell to 5. The study showed that when laboratory measurements are accurate and proper reference standards are used, neither autistic nor normal children are likely to have problematic levels of lead or mercury, even when provoked testing is used, but fish-eaters might consume enough mercury to enable provocation to produce an inflated value. The authors concluded that the proportion of autistic participants in this study whose DMSA-provoked excretion results demonstrated an excess chelatable body burden of arsenic, cadmium, lead or mercury was zero [4].
Neither Mayo Clinic, nor any other legitimate national laboratory, has reference ranges for "provoked" specimens. Further, the references ranges for normal urine heavy metal levels used by Mayo Clinic and the largest national reference lab, Quest Diagnostics, are the same.
In contrast, Doctor's Data uses reference values of less than 3 ug/g for mercury and 5 ug/g for lead. Standard laboratories that process non-provoked samples use much higher reference ranges [4,5], which means that if all other things were equal, Doctor's Data is far more likely than standard labs to report "elevated" levels. But that's not all. A disclaimer at the bottom of the above lab report states—in boldfaced type!—that "reference ranges are representative of a healthy population under non-challenge or nonprovoked conditions." In other words, they are not relevant to specimens that were obtained after provocation. Also note that the specimen was obtained over a 6-hour period, not the standard 24-hour period, which raised the reported level even higher.
The management at Doctor's Data knows that provoked testing artificially raises the urine levels and that the length of collection time greatly influences the results. David W. Quig, Ph.D., who is Doctor's Data's vice president for scientific support, communicates regularly with chelation practitioners about how to interpret the urine toxic metal test results and how to discuss them with patients. In 2002, Quig and two others presented a study of mercury levels in urine collected two hours after DMPS administration to 259 patients at a Nevada clinic. More than 75% of the patients tested at 21 µg or higher, and most of the rest fell between 3µg and 20 µg [6]. At these levels, nearly everyone's mercury level would be classified as "elevated" or "very elevated" on the test reports. In a 2006 naturopathic textbook chapter, Quig acknowledged that mercury levels "are higher in specimens collected from 90 minutes to 2 hours after DMPS infusion than with longer collection times, because the peak rate of mercury excretion occurs about 90 minutes after infusion of DMPS." [7] Quig's chapter also states:
- There are no well-established guidelines for the interpretation of the results of the DMPS challenge test.
- Conclusions about toxicity cannot be made from the DMPS test results alone. Consideration has to be given to the overall medical examination, medical and exposure history, and presenting symptoms.
- DMPS does not provide direct information as to the level of mercury present in the central nervous system.
- DMPS is not an FDA-approved drug.
In 2004, Irish researchers found that administering DMSA to healthy, symptom-free volunteers multiplied their urinary mercury levels an average of about six times, raising them to levels similar to those reported elsewhere among people who—based on provoked testing—had been diagnosed with mercury toxicity. The researchers concluded: "The oral chelation test using DMSA may lead to misleading diagnostic advice regarding potential mercury toxicity." [8]
In 2005, the Autism Research Institute,which promotes a spectrum of questionable autism treatments, issued a 42-page consensus position paper called Treatment Options for Mercury/Metal Toxicity in Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities [9]. Referring to provoked testing of urine specimens, the document states that "the reference range for the urine or stool generally involves a comparison to people who are NOT taking a detoxification agent, so that even a normal person would tend to have a high result." Quig is identified as one of 33 people who reviewed and endorsed the position statement.
Despite all of this, the report shown above classified mercury values in the range of 5-10 µg/g as "elevated" and further stated that "no safe reference levels for toxic metals have been established." Practitioners typically receive two copies of the report, one for the practitioner and one to give to the patient. Very few patients understand what the numbers mean. They simply see "elevated" lead or mercury, and interpret the "no safe levels" disclaimer to mean that any number above zero is a problem. (The fact that the reports use the familiar green, red, yellow and red colors of traffic lights may also have an effect.) The patient is then advised to undergo "detoxification" with chelation therapy, other intravenous treatments, dietary supplements, or whatever else the practitioner happens to sell. (Note: In 2011, Doctor's Data changed the table headings to "within reference" and "outside reference,"and removed the "no safe levels" statement. However, practitioners who use the tests interpret them the same way.)
The advice to undergo chelation based on provoked testing is very, very, very wrong. No diagnosis of lead or mercury toxicity should be made unless the patient has symptoms of heavy metal poisoning as well as a much higher nonprovoked blood level. And even if the level is in the 30s—as might occur in an unsafe workplace or by eating lead-containing paint—all that is usually needed is to remove further exposure. Chelation therapy is rarely necessary.
Warnings to Chelationists
Both Quig and attorney Algis Augustine (one of Doctor's Data's lawyer) caution chelationists not to rely solely on provoked urine testing to diagnose heavy metal toxicity. In April 2010, both spoke during the "Heavy Metals Detoxification Workshop" sponsored by the American College of Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), the leading organization that promotes chelation therapy. Quig's talk was titled "Appropriate Laboratory Testing for Metal Toxicology," during which he stated:
Rarely is it a stand-alone test, and you absolutely should not interpret your provocation results against an unprovoked reference range. . . . Consider the results in context with the amounts of all metals. Remember the synergy, physical exam, history of known exposure, symptoms, and other biomarkers. Very importantly, don't conclude metal toxicity based upon higher than average net retention. . . . Current standards of care define toxicity by blood level. So keep yourself off the radar, and don't be running around talking about "My patient has toxicity." No, they have they have significant retention of metals that elicits toxic effects. OK? . . . . Really be careful about using the word "toxicity" when we are talking about subclinical, chronic toxicity [10].
Slide from Quig's talk
Augustine's talk, called "Legal Update," focused on how doctors can avoid trouble with their state licensing boards. After referring to the provoked urine testing as "nonstandard," he said:
Slide from Augustine's talk
Inappropriate Diagnosis and Treatment
Chelation therapy is a series of intravenous infusions containing a chelating agent and various other substances. One form of chelation therapy is occasionally used to treat lead poisoning. However, lead poisoning is rare and has well-established diagnostic criteria. Slight elevations of lead levels are not poisoning and need no treatment because the body will lower them when exposure is stopped. Proper diagnosis of lead poisoning requires symptoms of lead poisoning, not just a slightly elevated level. Acute poisoning is always accompanied by a rise in zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP), without which it should not be diagnosed. Chronic poisoning would have severe symptoms that would be obvious to anyone in addition to severely elevated lead (and ZPP) levels.
Doctors who offer chelation therapy as part of their everyday practice typically claim that it is effective against autism, heart disease and many other conditions for which it has no proven effectiveness or plausible rationale [12]. One such case was described in a 2009 decision by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims which found no credible evidence that childhood vaccinations cause autism. In that case, Colton Snyder underwent chelation therapy after a Doctor's Data urine test report classified his urine mercury level as "very elevated." After noting that the urine sample had been provoked (with DMSA) and that provocation artificially increases excretion, the Special Master concluded that a non-provoked test would have placed the result in the normal range. He also noted:
The medical records, including reports from Mrs. Snyder, reflected that Colten did poorly after every round of chelation therapy. . . . The more disturbing question is why chelation was performed at all, in view of the normal levels of mercury found in the hair, blood, and urine, its apparent lack of efficacy in treating Colten's symptoms, and the adverse side effects it apparently caused [13].
In March 2010, in a related case, another Special Master concluded that it made no sense to compare the child's post-provocation urine test result to a reference range that is based upon non-provoked urine testing. [14].
In March 2009, Arthur Allen tried to interview an official at Doctor's Data but received no response to his request. However, he did manage to talk with someone at the company who said that the lab was doing about 100,000 of the tests per year. When he asked about the reference range problem, he was told there was no way to establish a reference range for provoked specimens, because provocation might be done with various chelating agents, at varying doses. "The tests are ordered by physicians, so they can interpret the results," the employee said. "They do what they want with this information." [15]
Despite provocation, the toxic urine test report sometimes shows no elevated levels. But that doesn't deter the doctors who are intent on chelating children. They simply tell parents that the children have trouble excreting heavy metals and the test may not detect "hidden stores." In other words, no matter what the test shows, they still recommend chelation.
In 1999, the Human Biomonitoring Commission of Germany's federal environmental agency stated:
The mobilization test with DMPS to assess an amalgam-related lead burden does not provide significant insight into the determination of spontaneously urine-excreted mercury within 24 hours. No validity can be assigned to such a mobilization test. . . . Furthermore, there do not exist any reference values for the stimulated mercury excretion in urine, and also no scientifically validated data beyond which health concerns exist; therefore, therapeutic consequences can not be deduced from the data of DMPS mobilization tests [16].
In 2003, an editorial in the American Journal of Medical Toxicology said basically the same thing:
Many labs will analyze a urine specimen collected for six hours after a chelation challenge, and then compare this result with a norm based on a non-challenged collection. This result will almost always be higher than the non-challenged test but does not reflect an abnormal body burden of the presumed toxicant. As an example, normal subjects may excrete several fold more mercury post-chelation than in their own pre-chelation test. The results then are "flagged" as abnormal when in fact the testing has done little more than document a normal response to the chelator [17].
In 2003 and 2004, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry investigated a case in which a 5-year-old child was undrgoing chelation therapy for "metals exposure" that was diagnosed with provoked urine testing. The investigators identfied no significant source of mercury contamination and noted that provoked testing was not an appropriate diagnostic test [18].
In 2004, CIGNA HealthCare Medicare Administration, which processes Medicare claims for Idaho, North Carolina, and Tennessee, issued a "Progressive Correction Action Review" which concluded that many claim submissions for chelation therapy had been inappropriate. This conclusion was documented by a study of 40 claims which found that in many cases, "heavy metal toxicity" was inappropriately diagnosed and no need for chelation with edetate calcium disodium was documented. The review criticized provoked testing and noted that it does not provide a basis for diagnosing past or current poisoning [19].
Aetna considers laboratory testing for heavy metal poisoning "medically necessary" for people with specific signs of heavy metal toxicity and/or a history of likely exposure—but "medically unnecessary" for people with only vague, ill-defined symptoms and no history of likely medical exposure. Its Clinical Policy Bulletin on chelation therapy also criticizes provoked testing [20].
In 2005, an ATSDR scientist reported:
Each year, ATSDR receives dozens of calls from individuals who have been chelated (challenged) with DMPS or DMSA prior to collection of any urine samples, and subsequently been diagnosed as having mercury poisoning. The sole basis of these diagnoses was laboratory reports that indicated that the individual had been determined to have toxic levels of mercury, based solely upon comparison of post-chelation mercury values with historical (typically pre-chelation) values. Without exception these individuals have been advised to undergo additional chelation.Some physicians have also looked to mercury as a possible cause of undiagnosed health problems and subsequent chelation therapy as a treatment for those problems. As a result, the use of chelation has expanded in recent years to include the treatment of mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic patients with no documented history of mercury exposure, and it is becoming increasingly, and unfortunately, common for practitioners to make a diagnosis of mercury intoxication and begin treatment without carrying out an adequate clinical workup [21].
In 2006, a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) health hazard evaluation team reviewed the records of two Broward County park employees who had been diagnosed with arsenic poisoning based on provoked urine tests. After concluding that no poisoning had taken place, the investigators notedthat "Provoked urinary testing has resulted in many patients being falsely diagnosed with arsenic poisoning because the test measured the arsenic content of the diet." [22].
In 2007, the Oregon Lead Poisoning Prevention Program advised against the use of urine testing for diagnosing lead poisoning and also said that provoked testing should not be used for diagnostic purposes [23].
In 2009, the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) issued a position statement which concluded that provoked testing "has not been scientifically validated, has no demonstrated benefit, and may be harmful when applied in the assessment and treatment of patients in whom there is concern for metal poisoning." [24]
In 2009, NIOSH investigators evaluated a suspected outbreak of antimony toxicity among fire fighters in Boca Raton, Florida who had been wearing fire-retardant pants that contained various chemicals. The investigation was triggered by hair analysis and urine toxic metal tests that had been ordered by a chelationist (Leonard Haimes, M.D.) and performed by a commercial laboratory (Doctor's Data). Doctor's Data's reports alleged that all 30 of the fire fighters who had undergone hair analysis had antimony levels much higher than the "reference range" and that 23 who also had urine toxic metal testing showed "high" mercury levels. After a thorough evaluation found no real evidence of toxicity, the investigators advised:
The decision to perform laboratory testing for heavy metals, including antimony and mercury, should be based on whether or not documented health symptoms are consistent with overexposure to these metals. It is important to use reliable and recommended testing methods with well-validated reference ranges to measure the concentration of heavy metals in the body. Because results from elemental hair analysis and post-chelation-challenge urine tests do not provide sufficient evidence of heavy metal toxicity, they should not be used to justify searching the workplace for exposures or to treat heavy metal toxicity. In particular, they should not be used to justify chelation therapy, which can be potentially harmful to a patient [25].
The Online Petition
Many parents have expressed concern about the way that Doctor's Data reports its findings. Several years ago, a petition was posted to petitiononline.com to ask Doctor's Data to stop comparing provoked tests results to non-provoked standards. By February 2006, there were 92 signers. The petition states:
To: To get matching reference ranges to people tested
We thank you for providing the extensive testing for toxic metals, fecal stools & all the other tests that us parents of children with autism and other disabilities have done at DDI.
However we would like to ask you to please use matching reference ranges to the people tested as it is impossible to get an accurate picture when the reference ranges do not match.
Eg. Urine toxic metals challenge test compares a childs urine sample AFTER provocation with DMSA to an UNPROVOKED reference range population of adults & kids. It is only natural that our kids will show results that are higher than the reference range.
Had the reference range population also been provoked, their results would have most probably been higher, which means our childrens results may not really be that high, it just appears that way.
The present tests compare apples to bananas.... provoked to unprovoked...we'd like to compare apples to apples please.
We the undersigned urge you to please seriously consider this petition and to give us matching reference ranges to the children tested as we need accurate test results in order to be able to do the correct treatments to get them better.
The Undersigned
Regulatory Actions and Civil Suits
At least ten state licensing boards have taken action against doctors who used provoked urine testing as a prelude to chelation. In some of these cases, the test was of major importance in the public documents that describe the board actions. In the rest, the board action emphasized other misconduct and the test was either briefly mentioned or I learned of its relevance through other means. There have also been five civil suits against Doctor's Data and doctors who used them that alleged fraud.
- In 2002, the Medical Board of California charged Ilona Abraham, M.D. with unprofessional conduct, incompetence, gross and repeated negligence, and inadequate recordkeeping in connection with her management two patients. In both cases, Abraham had failed to perform an adequate history and physical examination and had administered chelation therapy after diagnosing heavy metal toxicity based on provoked testing. In 2004, the case was settled by a consent agreement and order under which Abraham agreed to serve three years probation, during which time she would (a) pay about $26,000 for costs, (b) take certain remedial courses, and (c) engage the services of a practice monitor [26].
- Connecticut has included a provoked testing ban in settlement agreements with two practitioners. In 2005, Robban Sica, M.D., signed a consent order under which she was prohibited from using a provoked test to diagnose heavy metal toxicity [27]. In 2006, George Zabrecky, D.C., was ordered to stop all testing that might be preliminary to chelation therapy [28].
- In 2006, Washington's Bureau of Medical Quality Assurance charged Stephen L. Smith,M.D., with unprofessional conduct for relying on unreliable tests that included a urine toxic metals test. In 2007, he was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and undergo a practice evaluation [29].
- In 2007, Tennessee suspended the license of Joseph E. Rich, M.D., after concluding that he had mismanaged the care of 15 patients, including three who were chelated after undergoing a provoked urine test. [30].
- In 2007, the Texas Medical Board charged William Rea, M.D. with (a) using pseudoscientific test methods, (b) failing to make accurate diagnoses, (c) providing "nonsensical" treatments, and (d) failing to properly inform patients that his approach is unproven. A urine toxic metals test was used in two of the five cases involved. The complaint was settled in 2010 with an agreed mediated order under which Rea is must inform patients that his therapies are disputed and that certain injections he uses contain no detectable amounts of their "active" ingredients. As part of the settlement, the charges not related to informed consent were dropped [31].
- In 2007, the California Medical Board revoked the license of Alan Schwartz, M.D., as a result of several types of misconduct, including unsubstantiated diagnoses and unwarranted treatment of four children [32].
- In 2007, the North Carolina Medical Board charged Rashid A. Buttar, D.O., with exploiting four patients by charging exorbitant fees for worthless tests and treatments. At a 2008 hearing, Buttar indicated that he recommends chelation for nearly all patients who consult him and routinely uses the urine toxic metals testing to evaluate them. In 2009, the charges were reasserted and four more cases were added [33,34]. Rather than getting into a lengthy and complicated legal battle, the case was settled with a consent agreement under which Buttar agreed to be reprimanded for treating an out-of-state autistic child whom he had never examined and the board dropped all other pending charges [35].
- In 2007, the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine temporarily suspended the license of Roy Kerry, M.D. following the death of a a 5-year-old autistic child to whom he administered chelation therapy [36]. In 2009, Kerry signed a consent order under which he was suspended for six more months, to be followed by 2½ years of probation. He was also barred from chelating children under age 18 in the future [37]. Kerry was also sued by the victim's parents [38]. The suit was settled in 2010 with payment of an undisclosed sum.
- In 2008, Rick Pfister filed a class action suit charging that he was improperly given chelation therapy after being improperly diagnosed with a urine toxic metals test. The complaint states that his urine was tested after he received an injection of DMPS and alleges that the test report was "negligent or fraudulent" because it compared his results to unprovoked sample ranges. The defendants were Doctor's Data, the Medical Wellness Institute, and the doctor who administered the test [39]. In 2012, the judge dismissed Doctor's Data after concluding that (a) the argument that Doctor's Data used an inappropriate reference range was not legally sufficient to conclude that it made a "knowing misrepresentation of fact as required to support a claim of actual fraud, and (b) negligence cannot be established because Pfister's doctor was responsible for interpreting the test [40,41].
- In 2008, the Texas Medical Board began investigating Jesus Caquias, M.D., medical director of the CARE Clinics, a facility in Austin, Texas that specialized in treating autistic children and routinely used the urine toxic metals test to persuade parents to have their children chelated [42]. In 2009, several months after the clinic owner announced that insurance companies had demanded records to back up her insurance claims, the clinic was raided by the FBI and closed [43].
- In 2009, 43-year-old Ronald Stemp sued Caquias, CARE Clinics, the clinic's owner, and Doctor's Data for fraud, negligence, and conspiracy. The suit petition states that (a) Stemp originally sought help for memory loss, inability to sleep, difficulty concentrating, and depression, and (b) after taking a urine toxic metals test and several other tests, he was falsely diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning and advised to undergo intravenous chelation therapy [44]. Stemp's insurance company was reportedly billed for a total of $180,000. The case was withdrawn in 2016. Stemp's wife told me that he became too sick to pursue it.
- In March 2010, the Texas Medical Board filed charges against Caquias that dealt with three patients seen at CARE's Austin clinic and one seen at the CARE's Tampa clinic. In 2011, the complaint was amended to add the Stemp case [45]. in 2012, the charges were dismissed for a very unusual reason. The board's complaint centered around the question of whether or not Caquias kept adequate records and did not address whether Cacquias's approach reflected poor medical judgment. However, some records became available because the records in FBI custody were destroyed after a pilot intentionally crashed his plane into the FBI building in Austin. After Caquias testified that the missing records would have justified his patient management, the administrative law judges concluded that without complete records, the board could not prove its case [46] and the complaint was dismissed [47].
- In November 2009, Ardis Morschladt, in a suit against several practitioners and a clinic in California, charged Doctor's Data with negligence, intentional misrepresentation, and conspiracy to commit fraud because its test report compared a provoked test result with a nonprovoked standard [48]. The Mohrschladt case was settled with undisclosed terms that I assume included payment.
- In February 2010, Vincy Tidwell, Jr, a former patient, charged Dr. Buttar with violating North Carolina's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act by fraudulently representing that "detoxification" would cure Tidwell's prostate cancer [49]. I believe Tidwell had a good case, but his lawyers withdrew it because they thought that Buttar had no seizable assets.
- In February 2010, in a suit against naturopath Mathew Schlechten, a Montana jury awarded $501,007.68 to the widow of John Sisson, who died of a heart attack at age 52 [50]. Testimony in the case indicated that although Schlechten knew that Sisson had anginal pain, he failed to refer him for medical evaluation. Instead he administered chelation therapy after using a provoked urine test to persuade Sisson that he was toxic.
- In March 2010, James Coman filed suit on behalf of his 7-year-old son against Anju Usman, M.D., Daniel Rossignol, M.D., and Doctor's Data. Among other things, the complaint indicated that—based on the results of provoked urine testing—the boy was inappropriately treated for nonexistent metal toxicity for more than four years [51]. In 2014, the suit was voluntarily withdrawn, but this type of withdrawal preserves the right to file it again until the boy reaches 19 years of age.
- In May 2010, the Texas Medical Board charged "autism specialist" Seshagiri Rao, M.D. with nontherapeutic prescribing, failure to secure informed consent, and fraudulent billing related to his mismanagement of five children with autism or autism spectrum disorder. The complaint states that Rao used an inappropriate urine test to diagnose nonexistent "heavy metal toxicity," inappropriately treated the patients with chelation therapy, and pretended to insurance companies that he was treating heavy metal toxicity rather than autism [52].
- In May 2011, the Georgia Composite Medical Board concluded that Viktor R. Bouquette, M.D. had improperly diagnosed and treated Susan Alexander, a 56-year-old woman who died in 2002 while undergoing intravenous chelation therapy. The diagnosis was based on a provoked urine test. The consent order requires Bouquette to (a) pay a $5,000 fine plus $800 for board costs, (b) complete 20 hours of continuing medical education in environmental medicine and 10 hours in record-keeping, and (c) refrain from providing intravenous chelation therapy to patients without fully documenting the need for such treatment on the patient's chart [53]. In 2003, the patient's survivors sued Bouquette, several other staff members at the clinic where he worked, and Metametrix, which had tested the provoked urine specimen. In 2006, Metametrix settled in an ageement with confidential terms. The suit against Bouquette and the others was dropped.
- In October 2011, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation charged Usman with unprofessional conduct in her management of the Coman boy. The complaint stated that she failed to obtain informed consent for his treatment, failed to maintain appropriate medical records, and prescribed chelation therapy, dietary supplements, hormones, enzymes, antifungal drugs, and various other treatments that have not been proven effective against autism. The complaint also noted that provoked urine testing does not provide a basis for the diagnosis of heavy metal toxicity [54]. In 2012, Usman was charged with unprofessional conduct in connection with her management of another child [55]. Both complaints were was settled in 2014 with a consent agreement under which Usman—without admitting or denying fault—was fined $10,000, placed on indefinite probation for a minimum of one year, and ordered to submit 10 charts quarterly to another physician for review [56].
- In April 2012, the British Medical Council Fitness to Practice Panel concluded that (a) Dr. Jean Monro had improperly administered chelation therapy after improperly diagnosing lead toxicity with a provoked urine test (performed by Doctor's Data) and that the test alone "has no demonstrated benefit in the diagnosis of lead toxicity." The case was concluded with a formal warning that barred Monro from doing provoked testing or chelation therapy [57]. In July 2012, I noticed that Doctor's Data Web site contains a testimonial from Monro stating that Doctor's Data's "stool tests and investigations for heavy metals through urine tests have been the mainstays of our management of patients." [58]
- In April 2012, the Oregon Medical Board charged Christopher Hatlestad, M.D., with administering chelation therapy to five patients after they were improperly diagnosed with lead and/or mercury toxicity. In each case, the diagnosis was based on provoked testing. In December 2012, Hatlestad signed a stipulated order that reprimanded him, placed him on probation for five years, and prohibits him from (a) using or approving provoked testing, (b) treating or authorizing treatment for heavy metal toxicity, or administering or authorizing any form of chelation therapy [59].
- In 2013, the Oregon Medical Board declared that provoked testing "does not meet the standard of care for diagnosis of heavy metal toxicity." [60]
- In 2014, Washington's Medical Quality Assurance Commission charged Stephen L. Smith, M.D., with unprofessional conduct in a case similar to the one for which he was disciplined in 2007. The statement of charges noted that he had diagnosed an autistic adolescent with "toxic encephalopathy or lead poisoning" despite the fact that (a) there was no evidence to support this diagnosis, the patient had no signs of lead poisoning and no history of exposure to lead, and (c) the patient's lead levels were in the normal range [61]. The case was settled with a consent agreements in which he stipulated that the charges were-fact based and the board ordered him to (a) pay a $1,000 fine, (b) stop treating patients under the age of 18, and (c) stop doing provoked testing. He must also refrain from treating adults who are not also under the care of a primary-care provider or a physician who is board-certified in a subspecialty of internal medicine [62].
- In 2014, Lizette Young sued a clinic, two staff members, and DDI, alleging, among other things, that a DDI urine toxic metal test had been used to persuade her to undergo unnecessary chelation therapy and have amalgam fillings removed unnecessarily [63]. In 2016, the court dismissed Doctor's Data as a defendant, but the suit against the others is still pending.
- In 2015, the Oregon Medical Board disciplined Richard C. Heitsch, M.D., for chelating six patients unnecessarily. In five of the six cases, Heitsch used provoked testing to diagnose nonexistent metal toxicity. The board reprimanded him, fined him $10,000, and ordered him to stop treating heavy metal toxicity or administering chelation therapy [64].
- In 2015, the Minnesota Department of Health issued a fact sheet which stated that (a) heavy metal toxicity does not normally occur in the absence of extraordinary exposure, (2) chelation is almost never a first-line treatment and is known to be of no value in many cases, (c) nonspecific "screening" is of no value, (d) testing in response to nonspecific symptoms or in the absence of suspected exposure is of no value, and (e) "the results of provoked urine studies have no role in determining the body's burden of toxic metals, nor the need for chelation therapy." [65]
The Regulatory Gap
The laboratories that perform urine toxic metals tests are certified by CLIA, the federal agency that certifies laboratories. CLIA examines how tests are performed, but it does not consider how their results are interpreted. Widely used diagnostic tests require FDA clearance or approval, but the agency has not attempted to regulate tests that are used only by the laboratories that develop them. During the past few years, however, the FDA has become concerned about laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) that are used to guide treatment decisions [66]. In 2014, the FDA notified Congress that it had drafted a regulatory framework that includes pre-market review. In November 2015, it reported on twenty LDTs, noting that some of them can cause patients to undergo unnecessary treatments and potentially delay diagnosis of their true condition. The report classified provoked testing for heavy metals as "a test linked to treatments based on disproven scientific concepts" and noted:
- In clinical use, patients with positive urine chelation challenge tests may not have heavy metal toxicity.
- False-positive results may lead to the administration of inappropriate, unproven, or dangerous therapies [67].
The Bottom Line
The urine toxic metals test described above—whether provoked or not—is used to persuade patients they are toxic when they are not. I believe that several agencies can and should do something to stop this deception.
- The FDA can and should ban laboratory-developed tests that provide clinically meaningless results. As part of this process, it should evaluate any software that generates interpretations.
- State licensing boards could prohibit the use of provoked testing and discipline practitioners who use it.
- State laboratory licensing agencies could prohibit testing of provoked specimens or order Doctor's Data to raise its reference ranges and to stop comparing provoked test results to these non-provoked ranges.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Division of Laboratory Services can also ban the testing of provoked specimens.
- State attorneys general can seek injunctions based on violations of consumer protection laws.
- In addition, all of these agencies can and should issue public warnings.
People who have been victimized can also strike back. Practitioners who prescribe or administer chelation based on a urine toxic metal test report can be sued for malpractice, fraud, and battery, and might even be liable for violating their state Unfair Trade Practices Act, which can result in an award of triple damages. Consumers can also complain to the Better Business Bureau about the test.
I recommend avoiding any practitioner who uses the urine toxic metals test as described above. If provoked testing has been used to trick you, please send me an e-mail describing what happened and include your phone number and, if possible, a scanned copy of the test report.
Doctor's Data does not like this report. After I refused to their demand
to remove it, they sued me. To read about the suit, click here.
- Baratz RS. Dubious mercury testing. Quackwatch, Feb 19, 2005.
- Allain P and others. Effects of an EDTA infusion on the urinary elimination of several elements in healthy subjects. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 31:347-349, 1991.
- Frumkin H. Diagnostic chelation challenge with DMSA: A biomarker of long-term mercury exposure? Environmental Health Perspectives 109:167–171, 2001.
- Soden SE and others. 24-hour provoked urine excretion test for heavy metals in children with autism and typically developing controls, a pilot study. Clinical Toxicology 45:476-481, 2007.
- Brodkin E and others. Lead and mercury exposures: interpretation and action. Canadian Medical Association Journal 176:59-63, 2007.
- Bass DA, Urek K, Quig D. Clinical Chemistry 45:A164, 1999. (Poster presented at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry Conference, New Orleans, July 1999)
- Quig DW. Metal toxicity: Assessment of exposure and retention. In Pizzorno JE, Murray MT, editors. Textbook of Natural Medicine, Third Edition. Philadelphia: Elsevier Ltd., 2006, pp 263-274.
- Archbold GPR and others. Dimercaptosuccinic acid loading test for assessing mercury burden in healthy individuals. Annals of Clinical Biochemistry 41:233-236, 2004.
- Treatment Options for Mercury/Metal Toxicity in Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities. San Diego: Autism Research Institute, Feb 2005, p 6.
- Quig D. Appropriate laboratory testing for metal toxicology. ACAM Heavy Metals Detoxification Workshop, April 22, 2010.
- Augustine A. Legal update. ACAM Heavy Metals Detoxification Workshop, April 21, 2010.
- Green S. Chelation therapy: Unproven claims and unsound theories. Quackwatch, July 24, 2007.
- Vowell DK. Decision. Snyder v Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, Office of Special Masters. Case No. 01-162V, filed Feb 12, 2009.
- Hastings GL Jr. Decision. King v Secretary of Health and Human Services. U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Office of Special Masters Case No. 03-584V, filed March 12, 2010.
- Allen A. Treating autism as if vaccines caused it: theory may be dead, but the treatments live on. Slate, April 1, 2009.
- Use of chelating agents in environmental medicine? Position Statement from the "Human Biomonitoring" Commission of the federal environmental agency. Bundesgesundheitsbl—Gesundheitsforsch—Gesundheitsschutz 42:823-824, 1999.
- McKay CA Jr. and others. A call to arms for medical toxicologists: The dose, not the detection, makes the poison. Internet Journal of Medical Toxicology 6(1):1, 2003
- Kubiak S and others. Health Consultation: Higgins Farm. NJ Department of Health and Sernior Services and the ATSDR, Sept 17, 2004.
- CIGNA HealthCare Medicare Administration. Progressive correction action review, Nov 28, 2004.
- Clinical policy bulletin: Chelation therapy. Aetna, revised May 1, 2012.
- Risher, JF, Amler SN. Mercury exposure: Evaluation and intervention the inappropriate use of chelating agents in the diagnosis and treatment of putative mercury poisoning. NeuroToxicology 26:691-699, 2005.
- NIOSH health hazard evaluation report: Broward Parks and Recreation Division. HETA #2005-0153-2997, April 2006.
- Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Understanding blood testing results for adult exposure to lead. Oregon Department of Human Services, July 2007.
- Charlton N, Wallace, KL. Post-chelator challenge urinary metal testing. American Journal of Toxicology 6:74-75, 2010.
- dePerio MA, Durgam S. Evaluation of antimony and mercury exposure in firefighters. Health Hazard Evaluation Report HETA 2009-0025 and HETA 2009-0076-3085. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, June 2009. (I learned the names of the chelationist and laboratory by interviewing people who were involved in the situation.)
- First amended accusation. Case No. 05-1999-10259, filed against Ilona Abraham, M.D., Nov 15, 2002.
- Consent order. In re: Robban Sica, M.D. , Connecticut Board of Health Petition No. 2002-0306-001-043, Feb 15, 2005.
- Consent order. In re: George Zabrecky, D.C., Connecticut Board of Chiropractic Examiners Petition No. 2003-0109-007-001, Nov 16, 2006.
- First amended statement of charges. In the matter of the license to practice as a physician and surgeon of Stephen L. Smith, M.D. Washington Department of Health, Bureau of Medical Quality Assurance, Docket No. 05-01-A-1038MD, Filed Jan 3, 2006.
- Final order. In the matter of Joseph Edward Rich before the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, Docket No. 17.18-073557A, Dec 21, 2007.
- Mediated agreed order. In the matter of the license of William James Rea before the Texas Medical Board. Filed Aug 27, 2010.
- Barrett S. Medical license of Alan Schwartz, M.D. revoked. Casewatch, April 18, 2008.
- Notice of charges and allegations. The North Carolina Medical Board v Rashid Ali Buttar, D.O., filed Sept 9, 2009.
- Notice of charges and allegations. The North Carolina Medical Board v Rashid Ali Buttar, D.O., filed Sept 9, 2009.
- Consent order. In re Rashid Ali Buttar, D.O. before the North Carolina Medical Board, March 26, 2010.
- Order to show cause. Pa. Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs vs. Roy Eugene Kerry, MD, Sept 8, 2006.
- Consent agreement and order. Pa. Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs vs. Roy E. Kerry, MD, July 28, 2009.
- Complaint. Nadama vs Kerry et al. In the Court of Common Pleas of Mercer County (Pa.). Filed July 2007.
- First amended class-action complaint and demand for damages and demand for jury trial. Rick Pfister v. Medical Wellness Institute LLC; Doctor's Data, Inc.; and Vinu Patel, M.D. Marion Superior Court No. 10 Cause No. 49D10-0802-CT-005046. Filed Jan 19, 2012.
- Doctor's Data, Inc.'s motion for summary judgment. Pfister v. Medical Wellness Institute et al., filed Oct 2, 2012.
- Order granting Doctor's Data, Inc.'s motion for summary judgment. Pfister v. Medical Wellness Institute et al., filed May 2, 2012.
- Barrett S. Be wary of CARE Clinics. Autism Watch, Dec 31, 2009.
- Barrett S. CARE Clinics, Doctor's Data, sued for fraud. Casewatch, July 15, 2009.
- Complaint. In the matter of the complaint against Jesus Antonio Caquias, M.D. before the Texas Medical Board. Filed March 31, 2010.
- First amended complaint. In the matter of the complaint against Jesus Antonio Caquias, M.D. before the Texas Medical Board. Filed Feb 9, 2011.
- Proposal for decision. Texas Medical Board v. Jesus Antonio Caquias, M.D.. SOAH Docket No. 503-10-3509.MD, filed Aug 3, 2012.
- Final order. In the matter of the complaint against Jesus Antonio Caquias, M.D. Before the Texas Medical Board, Nov 30, 2012.
- Complaint for damages. Ardis and Henry Morschladt vs. Alireza Panahpour, DDS et al. Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2009-00323131, filed Nov 24, 2009.
- Complaint. Vincy Tidwell vs. Rashid A. Buttar, D.O., Sa'Buttar Health and Medical, P.C., and V-SAB medical Labs, Inc. d/b/a The Center for Advanced Medical and Clinical Research. North Carolina Superior Court, case no. 10-CVS-3641, filed Feb 10, 2010.
- Barrett S. High damage award in chelation case. Casewatch, April 8, 2010.
- Complaint for damages. James Coman v. Anju Usman, MD; True Health Medical Center; Dan Rossignol, MD; Creation's Own, and Doctor's Data. Cook County Circuit Court, Case No. 2010L002776, March 3, 2010.
- Complaint. In the matter of the complaint against Seshagiri Rao, M.D., before the Texas Medical Board. Filed May 19, 2010.
- Public consent order. In the matter of Viktor Rodrick Bouquette, M.D., Docket No. 20110052, May 5, 2011.
- Complaint. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation v. Anjum I. Usman, M.D. Case No. 2009-04994, filed October 12, 2011.
- Complaint. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation v. Anjum I. Usman, M.D. Case No. 2011-11474, filed Nov 26, 2012.
- Consent order. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation v. Anjum I. Usman, M.D. Case No. 2009-04994, concurrent with 2011-11474, filed Dec 24, 2014.
- Findings of the Fitness to Practice Panel on Dr. Jean Anne Monro. March 2 - April 24, 2012.
- Doctor's Data leads the way. Doctor's Data Web site, accessed July 17, 2012.
- Stipulated order. In the matter of Christopher Lien Hatlestad. Oregon Medical Board, Jan 10, 2013.
- Statement of philosophy: Chelation therapy. Oregon Medical Board, Oct 2013.
- Statement of charges. In the matter of the license to practice as a physician and surgeon of Stephen L. Smith, M.D. Washington Department of Health, Medical Quality Assurance Commission. Docket No. M2014-409, filed June 12, 2014.
- Stipulated findings of fact, conclusions of law, and agreed order. In the matter of the license to practice as a physician and surgeon of Stephen L. Smith, M.D. Washington Department of Health, Medical Quality Assurance Commission. Docket No. M2014-409, signed Nov 20, 2014.
- Second amended complaint. Lizette Young vs. Shiva Lalezarzadeh, MD, Health and Vitality Center Medical Corporation, Doctor's Data, Inc., and Sean Hakami, DDS. Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. BC540484, filed June 10, 2015.
- Stipulated order. In the matter of Richard Carlton Heitsch, M.D. before the Oregon Board of Medicine. Aug 3, 2015.
- Heavy metal detection and the concept of chelation: Information for health care providers. Minnesota Department of Health, Aug 26, 2015.
- Laboratory developed tests. FDA Web site, Nov 17, 2015.
- FDA Office of Health Strategy and Analysis. The public health evidence for FDA oversight of laboratory developed tests: 20 case studies. Nov 16, 2015.
This article was revised on June 30, 2016.


text:
Church donates $150,000 to Habitat for Humanity
ABINGDON, Va. - Often times it takes hundreds of people and thousands of dollars to build one home, but thanks to a generous donation from a local church the Washington County, Virginia
Habitat for Humanity will soon help built 5 homes for 5 different families in Southwest Virginia.
An empty lot on Taylor Street in Abingdon will be filled with gravel and dirt.
Thanks to a very big donation.
"I'm pleased to present this check to you from Emory United Methodist Church for Habitat for Humanity for this lot," David Jackson, Pastor of Emory United Methodist.
The Emory United Methodist Church which sits on the campus of Emory and Henry College donated more than $150,000 to the Washington County Virginia Habitat for Humanity.
The church's pastor David Jackson told News 5 that the church is giving back to it's community because of two his members gave so much to the church.
"The example of Loren and Alice Dow has really been compelling to us, because they were so generous to their church when they passed, they have left a legacy to be able to help others. And I really think that is what we are called to do people of faith," said Jackson.
News 5 learned that Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit housing ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty all over the world.
And for the past 16 years the Washington County, Virginia has been changing its community one home at a time.
Just down the road, first time homeowners Michael and Cynthia Gravely are putting the finishing touches on their new habitat home.
"It's dream come true it's what we've worked for our whole marriage, for our relationship, for our kids to have a stable environment," said Cynthia Gravely.
The Gravely's have been helping to build their home since July and if they follow their to-do-list they'll move in just two weeks.
And they realize that it's people like Dow's and the Emory United Methodist Church who give them a place to call home.
"Thank you and God Bless you for giving us this chance to be homeowners, they do wonders for people who wouldn't normally be able to on their own," said Cynthia Gravely.
News 5 asked officials with Habitat how long will it take to build the new home on Taylor Street and they said they hope to have it complete before winter.
The money donated will go toward the purchase of 5 lots that homes will be built on during the next year.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Gorgeous, Terri! I'm ready for Fall!
Printable View
Gorgeous, Terri! I'm ready for Fall!
It's a beauty Terri. Perfect for the fall season.
I love this pattern - did you design it. I think the squares with the triangles at opposite corners are interesting and look really neat in the overall design.
Yes, I designed the pattern.
I posted pretty much what I did, so ya'll can try to figure it out.
The flying geese are from Ricky Timm's method and I think that's what gives it a certain look because the middle stands out a bit.
The squares on the corners are just 3 inch squares, I think.
I SITD around the corner squares, the middle squares, the middle border and that was it. Since it's for ME, I didn't really do much on it.
I did notice that looking at it closer, I should have turned the bottom border the other way. Oh well.......
Looks great!!
Love the pattern!
I love it! No wonder you are keeping it it's perfect.
Now this will set the mood for fall.
It's a beauty! You are right to keep it for yourself! I love decorating for fall.
I like decorating for fall best, then Christmas and then my snowmen collection comes out in January and by the time they melt away in March I am stumped as to how to decorate for the next six months!! This will be my first winter retired in the newly renovated house so I guess I will have to come up with something!!
Enjoy your autumn table topper!
Great, don't blame you at all for keeping that. Makes you think FALL, to go along with the cool evenings and mornings we are having.


text:
Thomas Kaylor was married. I found this through a search on Ancestry.com.
I don't feel it would be right to put her name on here. But I do want to talk to her. I'd like to know her point of view.
A quick Facebook search brought up one person with her name who says she is not the person I'm looking for. Based on her profile, I believe her.
I'm not really sure where to go from here. But I wanted to update on this lead since I posted about it on Twitter.
I've chatted with some of Gerald's classmates. Stay tuned for that information!
In the meantime, anyone know how I might be able to find Thomas Kaylor's wife? All I have at this point is a name and age. Searches on Ancestry.com aren't finding any newspaper articles or obituaries. Ideas?
- Where is Thomas Kaylor's wife?


text:
July 23, 1977
Oakland, CA US
Alameda County Coliseum
The Song Remains The Same, (The Rover intro) Sick Again, Nobody's Fault But Mine, Over the Hills and Far Away, Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, Ten Years Gone, Battle of Evermore, Going to California, Black Country Woman, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Trampled Underfoot, White Summer ~ Black Mountainside, Kashmir, Jimmy Page solo, Achilles Last Stand, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love ~ Rock and Roll, Black Dog.
Click here to view the US '77 Tour Programme (flipbook)
News Report: Zeppelin Soars to New Heights
"It feels great to be back", a self-assured Robert Plant addressed the Saturday "Day On the Green" sellout crowd at the Oakland Coliseum. "I must personally apologize for the two-year delay."
The lead singer and resident sex symbol of Led Zeppelin was alluding to a 1975 automobile accident he suffered which prevented the British hard-rock combo from fulfilling extensive tour obligations that year.
Their long absence from the Bay Area prompted a sellout within five hours after tickets went on sale earlier this month – a feat not uncommon to any affair involving Led Zeppelin.
The four man congregation which many critics fancy as the embodiment of heavy metal rock, had just finished bludgeoning the packed house of 54,000 with the thunderous power-chording of "Sick Again", a relatively subdued piece from the 1975 double-album, "Physical Graffiti".
Those in attendance at the Bill Graham-promoted Days on the Green last weekend were treated to vintage Led Zeppelin.
Providing a musical counterpoint to Plant's shrieking and teasingly androgynous posturing, Jimmy Page's sledge-hammer guitar style led Zeppelin through many of their classics, including: Nobody's Fault But Mine, Since I've Been Loving You, Ten Years Gone, Battle of Evermore and Trampled Underfoot.
But the musical highlight for many of the sun-drenched crowd that paid $11.50 per ticket came during the extended jams. All the Zeppelin touches were there – Page coaxing eerie sounds out of his axe using an array of electronic devices, and at one point using a violin bow on his strings; John Bonham rifling popgun drum rolls; bassist John Paul Jones looking unperturbed and confident behind the overt sexuality of Plant's pelvic thrusts. The crowd ate it up. (G. Estrada, Oakland Tribune, July 1977)
Submit your personal review of a particular show you attended, updates, corrections, etc., which will be considered for addition to the official online archive.
You may also contact the webmaster at: email@example.com
Submit your personal review of a particular show you attended, updates, corrections, etc., which will be considered for addition to the official online archive.You may also contact the webmaster at: email@example.com
Was at the Oakland CA concert when I was 14. My first concert. 90,000 people. What a way to start off a life of rock and roll
Boston MA


text:
This barrel might also be just the ticket for one of the shot out #4 enfields out there in 762x39. I wonder what the twist rate is compared to a regular 303 barrel?
I wonder why their web site does not give a mailing address. It isn't like everyone uses a credit card to buy with, like me.
If you click on the "Contact Us" button near the top of the page, they give a phone number to call, and an email form.
I have a daughter. I tell her, "911 is what you dial after you're raped. 1911 is what you should have before they try."
well profiled would be if it is turned to fit something or has some thing done to it other than a turned blank.
a straight blank os just that a straight blank it is not profiled to a AK in any shape way or form. for me that is a good thing for a guy who thought he was getting a 20 long barrel that was profiled to take AK parts he is SOL.
Im actually really clad to see these. i get request frequintely from guys asking if I can do a heavier longer barrel that will still shoot surpluss and factory .311 bullets. this will make this possable. I think a fluted 1" bull barrel AK with a 20" barrel would shoot pretty damm good if you do some of the stuff I did on my other builds. It will be interesting to see how they perform. If they shoot good I might make a few extra up for sale or trade. They would work on a mosin nagant as well fro a cool build. I wuld like to see them 24" long but Its a start. you can also build a couple 10" pistols from one as well.
For a guy with a lathe and a reamer this will allow some savings on building a barreless kit and also give the option of some really unique builds. I will do a straight unfluted bull baarrel build on a beater gun I have here and see how it shoots. I may have to re work my reamer to take a .311 pilot as mine is currently a .308 fixed. I may just buy a new one with a slightly tighter neck and less bullet lead to help the accuracy some.
I wish they had a 1-15 or slower option. I think the standard AK twist is way to fast. IMOO I see no reason for a twist rate that will stabelie a 200 grain bullet it makes no sence to me.
I HAVE PLAYED WITH PULLENG DOWN FACTORY AND SURPLUSS AMMO AND LOADING THE CACES WITH BETTER POWDER OR REMEASURED POWDER AND QUALITY BULLETS IN .310 WITH SOME DECENT RESULTS. i WISH THERE WERE MORE BULLET SELECTION OUT THERE.
I was thinking these will be nice for 7.62x25 AK build
Back to x39 and x54r I was wondering around Green Mountains web page and did notice they have 32-20 WCF pistol blanks. 11in long, 1 in 16 twist, and land of 306 and grove of 312. Could work for some of the surplus, but the wolf hp that I have measured is running around 308.... 32-20 WCF Cartridge pistol blank
Haven't found any barrels like what the CZ527 in 7.62x39 uses, .300 land and a groove of .311.
sjohnson, thanks for your help. Believe it or not, I avoid telephones like a plague, so I didn't even think of calling.
I guess I gotta ...........use the telephone.
Agreed, a slower twist would be nice for the X39.


text:
Lovely Flat with Private Balcony
Size55 m²
Floor No.2
- Family/child friendly
- Kitchen
- Washer/dryer
- Internet/WiFi
- Balcony/terrace
- Towels
Accommodation summary
|Powis Square, BN1 3HG Brighton, United Kingdom
|Property type
|Property ID
|Acceptance rate
|Response time
|A few hours
|Calendar updated
|2 days ago
There is a charming sitting/dining room with a self contained enclosed kitchen adjoining this room. There is a compact bath/shower room with toilet and basin.
The front overlooks the lovely public square garden and the back balcony has views of the local church and back gardens.
Bedding and towels are provided with a spare set for guests staying more than 7 nights.
Brighton and Hove is an historic city. It found fame when it became the residence of the Prince Regent ,later George IV.
There is plenty to see and do both day time and evening/night.
Brighton is famous for its micro climate and can be nice and sunny. Of course, it can be rainy and windy too!
Brighton is an all year round city. It is very popular with day visitors during the summer. But also in winter people come for weekend fun and it is packed around the Christmas and New year periods.
House rulesNo Pets.
No Smoking.
Children below 8 years old not allowed.
There may be a Security Deposit between £100 and £300 depending on the guests applying on arrival in cash. You must inform us of ages of all guests. We can then inform you of what is required.
|Price for > 1 guests
|$ 7 US per guest/night extra
|Maximum nights
|3 months
|Check-in after
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out before
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews of this property
Flat in a quiet, residential area with no noise, only birds are heard, squirrels and some seagulls. Near the center less than 15 minutes walk from anywhere of interest in Brigthon. Many parks near City ye generally much green everywhere. The sea breeze throughout the city not in vain is a coastal town .. stunning yellow pebble beach although a bit annoying to walk barefoot but at least you will not hit the arena shows. The water a little cold in September but you can swim if you dare.
Brigthon is a city with an amazing life. It is full of pubs, terraces, parks, shops, and many people downtown streets at all hours. We have been pleasantly soprendido.
We really enjoyed the experience and also in one hour you get in London by train making is very well connected in 20 minutes from Gatwick Airport.
An experience that surely would repeat in future
Piso en una zona muy tranquila, residencial sin ruidos, sólo se oyen las aves, las ardillas y algunas gaviotas. Cerca del centro a menos de 15 minutos caminando de cualquier sitio de interés en Brigthon. Muchos parques cerca y e general en la Ciudad hay mucho verde por todas partes. Se nota la brisa del mar en toda la ciudad no en vano es una ciudad costera.. Playa impresionante aunque de callaos amarillos un poco molestos para caminar descalzo pero al menos no se te pega la arena. El agua un poco fría en septiembre pero uno se puede bañar si se atreve.
Brigthon es una ciudad con una vida increíble. Está llena de PUBS, terrazas, parques, tiendas, y mucha gente por las calles del centro a todas horas. Nos ha soprendido gratamente.
Nos gustó mucho la experiencia y ademas en una hora te pones en Londres en tren lo que hace que esté muy bien comunicada y en 20 minutos con el aeropuerto de Gatwick.
Una experiencia que seguro repetiríamos en un futuro
Bright and pleasant apartment. Everything worked perfectly. It would be a good idea to decorate the balcony with a small cafe table and two chairs. The area is very quiet. The host should put a little card with suggestions for where to find a few supermarkets. We would definitely like to come back.
Lys og behagelig lejlighed. Alt fungerede perfekt. Det ville være en god ide at indrette altanen med et lille cafebord og to stole. Området er meget roligt. Værten bør lægge et lille kort med forslag til hvor man kan finde et par supermarkeder. Vi vil bestemt gerne komme tilbage.
Reviews for this host's other properties
Really nice people and the flat is absolutley beautiful! :D
Two of us stayed here for ten days and were very happy with the apartment. The place is very spacious and bright. Good bed & sofa bed, nice bathroom, good facilities and on a lovely square with a handy location to central Brighton. Dealing with Gavin was extremely easy and no fuss. Would happily stay here again.
Great place to stay. We were two adults and a child and the flat is perfect for families, very confortable and spacious. I strongly recommend it.
very disappointing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent quality / price. London is not characterized by prices of affordable accommodation, and this apartment really surprised us for good.
Gavin was very friendly, fast and efficient contact, when we landed we send a text message and to reach the apartment and was waiting. We gave a few pointers to supermarkets, restaurants etc in the area, all very correct.
The apartment, as seen in the photographs, is very spacious with towels, hair dryer ..., the rooms are large, yes, if it bothers the morning light in the room that faces the Street got a problem, because as in England no blinds, curtains in the room that I comment, not totally keep out light. The apartment is on a piece of street that is pedestrian, so no noise at night traffic, a point very supportive.
The journey to the city center: in 20 minutes you get to the London Eye, the bus 53 or 453, or in those 20 minutes to 21, in London Brigde, although there are many more options. From these 2 points and it is a matter of walking or take another bus or subway.
In short we were 4, we were very comfortable, and very comfortable and certainly would repeat.
Relación calidad/precio excelente. Londres no se caracteriza por precios de alojamientos económicos, y la verdad que este apartamento nos sorprendió para bien.
Gavin fue muy amable, el contacto rápido y eficiente, cuando aterrizamos le mandamos un mensaje de texto y al llegar al apartamento ya nos estaba esperando. Nos dio unas cuantas indicaciones de supermercados, restaurantes etc de la zona, todo muy correcto.
El apartamento, tal y como se ve en las fotografías, es muy espacioso, con toallas, secador de pelo..., las habitaciones son grandes, eso sí, si te molesta la luz por la mañana, en la habitación que da a la calle tienes un problema, porque como en toda Inglaterra no hay persianas, y las cortinas de la habitación que os comento, no terminan de impedir que entre la luz. El apartamento esta en un trozo de calle que es peatonal, así que no hay ruido por las noches de tráfico, un punto muy a favor.
El recorrido hasta el centro de la ciudad: en 20 minutos llegas al London Eye, con el bus 53 o 453, o en esos mismos 20 minutos con el 21, en London Brigde, aunque hay muchas más opciones. A partir de esos 2 puntos ya es cuestión de andar o coger otro bus o metro.
En definitiva eramos 4, estuvimos muy cómodos, y muy a gusto y seguramente repetiríamos.
Gavin was super helpful when our last place cancelled on us with a days notice. He was away travelling but still arranged for us to get in.
House is basic but a good size for London! and while not the flashest part of town it's a great location near the buses and we found getting everywhere super simple.
A bit of confusion meant we thought we were staying for one more night and were out in town that day when Gavin let us know we were supposed to vacate. He was remarkably calm when we were racing around throwing gear into our suitcases and had even found another place nearby that we might try for the night.
So, the week was eventful for us but Gavin was fabulous!!.
Good location well served by bus, supermarkets and cafes for quick snacks. Quite close to the center; main tourist destinations within easy reach. Great playground nearby for those traveling with children. Easy key delivery. Apartment corresponding to the photos published with sheets and towels clean and of average quality. Well-equipped kitchen. The apartment is comfortable and spacious for a family of four components but needs maintenance work to exploit its potential. The lock on the bathroom door did not work and cleaning services rather left to be desired. Although we reported these incidents to our arrival we had no response from the owner. Neighbors a bit 'noisy. Overall, however, our stay in the house and in London and 'was pleasant and the quality / price ratio good for London standards. With some small measure, the house would be perfect!
Buona location ben servita da bus, supermercati e localini per spuntini veloci. Piuttosto vicina al centro; principali mete turistiche facilmente raggiungibili. Ottimo il parco giochi nelle immediate vicinanze per chi viaggia con bambini. Facile consegna chiavi. Appartamento corrispondente alle foto pubblicate con lenzuola e asciugamani pulite e di media qualità. Ben accessoriata la cucina. L'appartamento è comodo e spazioso per una famiglia di quattro componenti ma necessita di lavori di manutenzione per sfruttarne le buone potenzialità. La serratura della porta del bagno non funzionava e la pulizia dei servizi lasciava piuttosto a desiderare. Nonostante abbiamo segnalato tali inconvenienti al nostro arrivo non abbiamo avuto risposta dal proprietario. I vicini un po' rumorosi. Nel complesso, comunque, il nostro soggiorno nella casa e a Londra e' stato piacevole e il rapporto qualità/prezzo buono per gli standard londinesi. Con qualche piccolo accorgimento la casa sarebbe perfetta!
Convenient location, many buses directly fitted into the center, the apartment is spacious and reasonable. The sofa bed is in need of renovation, the beds were good. Transfer was uncomplicated.
Verkehrsgünstige Lage, viele Busse direkt ins Zentrum, die Wohnung ist geräumig und vernünftig ausgestattet. Das Schlafsofa ist erneuerungsbedürftig, die Betten waren gut. Übergabe war unkompliziert.
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If it's a simple fact, why ask?
If it's a simple fact, why ask?
Last edited by Solomon Parker; 03-15-2013 at 11:54 AM. Reason: sp
If anyone reading this believes that a spring visual inspection of a sampling of your hives is proof that you don't have a varroa problem now is the time to state your case.
Who is making a case based solely on spring visual inspections?
I am just interpreting the links he offered us, are you aware of any other documentation?
Are you choosing to disregard the man's word as well?
At what point in this 10 page thread did we switch from a peaceful discussion of whether a Commercial Operator can, or is, treatment free, to a discussion over what Sol's losses were from? Or whether they were statistically significant? Or whether anyone "credits" his "findings" like they "should" with someone who has 10 years of experience? Just asking so if I go back and decide to re-read this thread for it's valuable information I can skip the p***ing contest in the middle.
A shame that this "Commercial" thread has turned the typical route of just about any thread in the "Treatment Free" section.
Re read my posts and don't trivialize this or accuse me of something I haven't said Sol.
I would be happy if treatment-free methodologies and adherents were not constantly derided and criticized.
Are there any treatment-free commercials? No. And therefore none to comment. End of discussion.
Solomon, what do you think it would take to allow a commercial op, lets say 800 honey producing hives, to sustain itself treatment free?
Ian Steppler >> Canadian Beekeeper's Blog
Ian, all I can offer in response to that is to take what I do and multiply it by approximately 32.
I does not yet work on a migratory scale, though I hope it can one day.
This op would need to raise its own queens and develop a localized strain of bees that survive and produce a good honey crop. They will want to sell as much of that crop as possible as local (and throw in treatment-free if it makes the sale) honey. I personally don't sell my honey as treatment-free, just local. Most people don't understand that bees are treated or want to take the time to have it explained to them. But I will if they want. All they know is that my honey tastes better than the stuff from Walmart. And they're more than willing to pay five times the price and get it in a mason jar (reusable by the way). And there are so few beekeepers around here that most people don't know one, other than me.
That's really all I got. It's pretty much the same as Dee Lusby and Kirk Webster have done, but with local adaptations.
If it's convert to small cell, incorporate treatment free queens of proven genetics, and cease all treatments, while expecting a large number of losses over the next five years, it's possible (although I doubt you'll get a commercial operator to agree to that).
If it's trade in a migratory operation for a fixed location operation, sell honey in mason jars instead of in bulk, and manage their 800 hives as if they had 25, I don't think it's going to be possible.
If it's to get something that works, not know how or why it works, but blindly believe it does work, while recording no data to ensure that either 1) you have a problem now, or 2) how you solved your problem along the way, or 3) ensure you are in the process of solving your problem while you are fixing it, all the while passing judgment onto others who don't believe what you are saying, criticize you somehow (for a variety of reasons, some legit, most not), and ridicule them for not blindly having faith, well, that's not much of a plan in my book.
If it's close to the last option, there's no way to tell if what you are doing is going to work along the way. If you don't record anything, or monitor anything, the commercial operator may start the 'experiment' with 800 hives, be down to 700 after 3 years, and then have a complete loss after year 5, all because he couldn't tell that a problem was coming and end the 'experiment' before he went bankrupt.
You can blindly believe in faith, or work on principles when you are a hobby beekeeper, or when you sell honey for side income. If you lose it all, you can just start back up again. If you try to stand on faith alone, or principles alone when it's your livelihood on the line, you may find yourself homeless.
And that's why I don't talk to Mr. Specialkayme.
Suffice it to say, no. Pretty much none of that.
With all due respect, zero mites was not the claim, nor does the evidence provided demonstrate such.
I would agree with Sol on this point. What Mr. Bush does appear to do though is
offer up these links as prima facie evidence that mites are not a problem with his bees and that is where I have an issue. I am not accusing him of lying or anything of the sort. If he wants to present further evidence (nothing formal just the results of his own methods would suffice) of his mite levels as the season progressed I would be interested in hearing about it. He will correct me if I am in error but the only statements he has posted, that I am aware of, indicate that he really dosent monitor mite levels because varroa are no longer a problem for his bees.
Last edited by jim lyon; 03-15-2013 at 06:28 PM. Reason: Clarification
I never participate in the treatment free forum. I don't believe I'm able to understand the case that is made for it by many of the people that practice it which is my issue not thiers.
Solomon has roughly 25 hive? If he could split those 4-5 times successfully ( I've no idea if this is possible in his climate or following his standards) he could easily be at 800 hives in 5 years?
As I understand many agree that remaining stationary is going to be an important factor in successfully being treatment free. It would also be important to be in a traditional high honey producing area, I don't believe he is.
Would 25 treatment free hives that could be split into 800 within 5-6 year located in a higher than average honey production area be worth a lot ? I would think they would even if they produced 20# less honey than hives treated and heavily fed.
The Guy in Ohio ( forgot his name) that shakes packages and feeds every year might double his count if he could reduce his labor with treatment free hives.
I'm not suggesting the old "if it could be done someone would do it" but rather maybe an opportunity is being lost.
If some one were able to travel the country and develop sucsessful treatment free yards of 25 to 50 hives and demonstrate to traditional commericals continued sucsess splitting and in production I'm willing to bet that many would decide to keep a couple hundred.
Removed voluntarily by poster.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. - Emerson
So all the insight of a treatment free beekeeper as yourself makes for interesting discussion, but it holds absolutely no relevance to commercial beekeeping practices
Ian Steppler >> Canadian Beekeeper's Blog


text:
Record-Setting UW-Oshkosh Runner Christy Cazzola Takes Different Path to College Success
running, there's only one path to the finish line.
When it comes to life, it's not so simple.
When Christy Cazzola attended Kaukauna High School she won a Track and Field State Championship in the 800M as a freshman, and a State Cross Country title as a senior. In between, Division I colleges came calling, but they didn't get the response they were used to.
"I understand there are people that strive for that; that's all they want to get," Cazzola said Wednesday. "But I didn't really didn't strive for that. It wasn't something I was working for for four years. It was something that came to me, it was an opportunity that I could either take or leave."
And boldly, she left it. Unsure of her next step and fearful that she could lose her passion for running in a Division I environment, Cazzola put college on hold.
"I just really wasn't willing to sacrifice my whole life to someone else's calling," Cazzola said. "I didn't know if running was my only calling."
She would find out that it wasn't. After high school Cazzola worked at a restaurant in Appleton with Shuma Kuwamoto, whom she went to high school with in Kaukauna. He would become her fianc, and the couple had a baby boy, Noah in 2006.
Cazzola decided to enroll at UW-Oshkosh two years later to pursue a degree in education. She also re-visited competitive running by joining the cross country team, but life once again had other plans.
"At regionals I did not feel well at all and people made comments you're really pale, you don't look so well," Cazzola recalls. "I never got sick. This is a feeling I've had before, but only once before."
After getting the doctor's blessing, Cazzola ran at nationals the next week, pregnant with her second child.
Her daughter Maya was born in 2009, and the now mother or two returned to running for the Titans in 2010.
"Coming back I didn't have a lot of expectations or goals," Cazzola said. "I just wanted to see where I was at."
That Spring Cazzola competed in track and field for the first time since junior year of high school, and took home the National Championship in the 1500M outdoor run. Even more impressive when considering she was dealing some new challenges.
"I just really need to work on strengthening the hips and strengthening my core," Cazzola said. "That was a really difficult thing. Even now I still need to continue to do that because once you have children, it's just different. Those things get weaker."
And yet her performances continued to get stronger. She's tacked on three more Track & Field National Titles, and the 27-year old senior added a National Cross Country Championship to her list of accomplishments late in 2012. She's also re-writing the D-III record books, setting three national records.
"In Division III nobody else has three national records," Co-Interim Head Coach Drew Ludtke said. "So that makes her arguably one of the best D-III athletes in track and field history."
"She definitely is a big motivator, just to watch her do workouts," says junior distance runner Allie DeBaker. "It's incredible how fast she can go. She's definitely an inspiration to all of us."
She's setting the pace in the classroom as well as an Academic All-American.
"I'm just living life and going with the flow," Cazzola says. "This is where it brought me. This is what makes me happy. It's a wonderful balance between what I want to do in my athletic career, and do in my personal life."
And Cazolla is further proof that in life, there is no set path to the finish line.
"My journey seems really exceptional to a lot of people, but it seems like the way I needed to do things to love myself and be happy every day."
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Town Square
How to fix our $5 million budget deficit
Original post made by Bern Beecham, Downtown North, on Jun 10, 2006
Last November, based on recommendations from task forces on retail retention and enhancement, we proposed a three-year multi-element plan to enhance city revenues. We need this plan now more than ever to avoid further, deeper budget cuts.
Here's what we need to do:
1. Work with Stanford Shopping Center, now managed by Simon Property Group, to increase their total taxable sales by 30% or more.
2. Ensure that our auto dealers stay in town and successfully compete with larger franchises. The right solution could double our $2 million in auto sales taxes. With no solution, we will lose our dealerships over time, for a negative budget swing of $4 million a year.
3. Provide incentives to attract one or more hotels, partially offsetting the loss of revenue and services from the closure of Rickey's Hyatt.
4. Open discussions with Fry's to ensure they stay. Our Palo Alto store is their oldest and smallest. A reasonable reinvestment in this keystone operation could increase sales tax revenues by up to 50%.
5. Create new revenue opportunities in collaboration with major corporations in Stanford Research Park. Few of them maintain sales offices here so they provide negligible revenue to us. Our business-to-business sales tax revenues significantly lag those in other cities.
6. Focus new energy on our two downtowns, especially California Avenue. Upgraded streetscapes can enhance these shopping and dining centers. We need to ensure the prosperity of both.
We've already initiated work on most of these items. On budget night this Monday, it will be time to take strong, positive control of our revenue future. We must develop a comprehensive revenue strategy that addresses the magnitude of our growing revenue shortfall and establishes a series of specific objectives for potential increases. Finally, we must prepare a clear, actionable and measurable implementation plan, dedicating sufficient resources for this purpose to meet our long-term revenue needs.
(Editor's Note: Bern Beecham is a member of the Palo Alto City Council)
Comments (5)
a resident of Crescent Park
on Jun 10, 2006 at 11:28 pm
I could not agree more with Mr. Beecham's comments on fixing the city budget! We need to attract more retail to Palo Alto. Look at the cities around us. Take a drive to Morgan Hill or Gilroy. They still have that "bedroom community feel", but have built up their freeway areas with big retail, hotels, auto dealers. Palo Alto is a great city, but it needs to change it's way of doing business before it is to late.
a resident of Barron Park
on Jun 12, 2006 at 8:08 am
I don't want to belittle Mr. Beecham's suggestions for increasing city revenues (though I don't agree with all of them), but I am concerned at the short shrift he gives to reducing expenditures. Here's what he has to say:
I'm not entirely certain why the $1.7 million surplus is enclosed in quotation marks -- perhaps it is an imaginary pile of money. Setting that aside, Mr. Beecham suggests that cutting staff and services is akin to getting blood from a stone, and anything along those lines would be "severe." Out of curiosity, I downloaded some of the recent budgets to find out exactly how draconian we had been in our previous cuts. Here's what I found:
In the 2006-07 budget (General Fund Expenditures): "Total General Fun expense is projected to be $127.4 million [...] a $2.1 million increase from 2005-2006 adjusted budget figures. The main elements of these changes include: [...] $2.0 million increase for salary and benefit-related expenses..."
Which is to say that we cut so severely in the past that we only increased the budget by $2 million! Thank heavens for thrift.
I was also struck by the "adjusted budget" reference. Looking at the initial (I suppose, unadjusted) budget, the plan called for $120.8 million in General Fund expenditures. Which means that the 2006-07 budget is actually $6.6 million more than the original 2005 budget (not the $2.1 mentioned). And this is just in the General Fund -- I won't pretend to understand all the odd shuffling that goes on between the General and Operating funds.
Before we let the City Council get into the business of choosing business models (i.e., hotels and car dealerships) to support (read: benefit from tax money), I suggest we ask them to set some spending limits like population growth + inflation. Perhaps we already have such limits?
a resident of Community Center
on Jun 12, 2006 at 10:16 am
I wish more members of our community would take a multi-year view of our budget challenges and realize that Council Member Beecham's clarion call looks at both our current finances and where they are headed in the future. Here are two cost realities that we will face for years to come:
1. Our aged infrastructure of streets, sidewalks, irrigation, medians, parks, trails, etc. is reaching the end of its useful life, and it will require increasing funds to keep it intact and in some cases upgraded when replaced. This is a 9 figure (that is, over $100 million, some estimates are as high as $200 million) issue that will require many years and many dollars to address. These things don't get done by magic, and a great deal of staff time and staff labor goes into this type of work. I am yet to hear anyone in the community advocating that we save money by delaying or curtailing upkeep and upgrade of our basic infrastructure, but that is what is happening as a result of the budget contraints we already face.
2. Like it or not, Palo Alto, like cities, counties, and state agencies all over California, are facing an increasing retirement fund obligation for those employees who put their years of service to Palo Alto, with an understanding that they would receive in retirement a certain amount of money--it was part of the compensation package they signed up for when they worked for the community. These are people who served at all job levels, most did not earn large salaries as employees. We could lay off every employee in Palo Alto tomorrow, and this retirement obligation would continue to grow for a number of years to come, until restructured compensation and retirement plans start to apply to employees whose retirement is many years away.
These two matters alone amount to tens of millions of dollars of costs Palo Alto cannot wish away. While reasonable people can have different opinions about what a million or 2 million dollars of a budget is all about, I fear it misses a much larger point, one I believe Council Member Beecham is trying to bring to the community's attention.
a resident of Southgate
on Jun 13, 2006 at 8:35 pm
Beecham, and the rest of council, talk all the time about retaining/attracting retail, but what happens when the city loses retail, what goes up in its place? Housing? Housing, not only brings zero money in to the city, but it also puts increased pressure and adds costs to the services and infrastructure. Are these economically smart decisions? Our parks are falling apart, our streets need repair, the police building is bursting at the seams, and the city decides to put more people in those parks, and on those roads. They say those people will buy goods in Palo Alto to increase the sales tax base. But, there are fewer places to go to buy goods. Most of the people in Palo Alto, go to Mountain View and Menlo Park to shop. Heck, the PA Fire department is at the MP Safeway all the time! Downtown is filled with rug stores and drug stores. If the city were serious about increasing revenues, then they'd allow someone to build a decent grocery store instead of these little 20,000 square foot specialty stores. Let's see what happens to the PA Whole Foods when the 50,000 sf one opens up in Los Altos later this year. I know a lot of people who will be going there because the PA one is too small.
a resident of Midtown
on Jul 2, 2006 at 4:29 pm
Yes, Beecham is right that we have to increase revenues. But hasn't that been obvious for a long time? During the years of "negotiation" with Hyatt, didn't anyone realize that losing Rickey's would make a serious dent in the tax base? Palo Alto is not exactly business-friendly. Look at the years of haggling going over Edgewood Plaza and Alma Plaza. And how enticing to new enterprises is our "business registry fee"?
On October 14, 2004, Diana Diamond, who was then at the PA Daily, wrote a column titled, "CITY'S PLAN TO SAVE RETAIL TOO WIMPY." Obviously it was. Improved signage, the "Shop Palo Alto" campaign, and similar weak concepts don't seem to have pulled in more tax revenue.
In that column, Diamond said, "Yet what I hear some council members and neighborhood organizations say is that we don't want any more offices or employees in town. I find that perplexing, particularly since this report makes clear that offices bring in more sales tax revenue. The city for the last 10 years has gotten more sales tax dollars from the "office equipment and miscellaneous" category - far more than from auto sales or restaurants. Council and planning commission members' reaction to this important report was limited to 10 minutes, because it was presented in a study session. Council member Judy Kleinberg said she was glad we did not have big box stores in Palo Alto. 'I would not copy my neighbors (in neighboring cities) for anything. We could do with a lot more sales tax, but the stores need to fit the Palo Alto culture.'"
So, almost two years later, Mountain View has all the big box stores plus the new Charleston Center, East Palo Alto has the big hotel, and Palo Alto has culture and a new soccer field.
I agree with Ted Mulvaney that cost-cutting is every bit as important as boosting revenues. In a Weekly Guest Opinion November 17, 2004, Former Councilwoman Hillary Freeman advocated zero-based budgeting, in which each activity to be funded must be justified every time a new budget is prepared. She also pointed out the importance of department-specific "impact measures" – for example quantifying the times Public Works and Utilities departments coordinate efforts on street trenching to avoid duplication.
Maybe now is the time for Council to admit that Freeman was right and take the entire budget process more seriously. "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." (George Santayana)
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text: is there a peice of broken drill bit stuck in there? If it is it may be breaking the other bits. I broke a bit once doing the same thing. its easy to get it in a bind and break because of the angle. Luckily for me the broke peice wasnt wedged in and fell out when I turned it upside down. I know you dont want to hear this but you may have to pull the gas block to get the bit peice out, but if the broke peice is sticking up past the surface of the bbl it may bind the gas block when pulling it off. If you get it off you can drill it at a 90 deg angle. Just a thought.