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Walker Valley Closed due to Wildfire
Walker Valley recreational area closed due to fire danger
October 7, 2012 The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has closed the Walker Valley off road vehicle (ORV) recreational area due to fire danger. A twenty-four-acre wildfire burning on DNR lands east of Mt Vernon, in Skagit County, threatens the safety of those using the popular ORV trails.
The thirty six miles of trails were closed to public access on Sunday, October 7th and will remain closed until Monday, October 15th. The wildfire, which started Saturday, is burning in an area recently logged, as well as older standing timber. The fire was 50 percent contained by Sunday evening. The fire has a high potential for renewed growth because of the heavily wooded conditions and the presence of slash piles.
We are asking for everyones patience as we get this fire under control, said Laurie Bergvall, State Lands Assistant Regional Manager for DNR As soon as the fire conditions will allow safe return we will open up the Walker Valley ORV area.
For updates check http://www.dnr.wa.gov/recreation
1 Attachment(s)
Hi Folks
Attached is a photo of a large fire that started in Walker Valley
yesterday. The fire burned hot and deep making containment and
suppression difficult. The fire has burned across some of our motorized
recreation trails. For user safety and fire fighter safety we have
closed the Walker Valley trail system. We will reevaluate the situation
on Wednesday.
Please remind your members to be careful with fire and to check their
spark arrester.
-----Original Message-----
From: WAY, DAVID (DNR)
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2012 1:22 PM
To: MAUREN, MARK (DNR)
FYI, the Fire's out, and the trails are opened back up...Only 25 acres or so burned...
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T.Huey/D.Inglot - A.Peya/B.Soares Match Result, Statistics and Details - 01/09/2012
T.Huey/D.Inglot - A.Peya/B.Soares Match ResultATP Double Player T.Huey/D.Inglot lost the Match vs. A.Peya/B.Soares with 1 : 2 (6 : 4) (2 : 6) (4 : 6) Sets.
The Tennis Match was played on 01/09/2012, 17:00 Uhr within the Tournament US Open Men Doubles.
It was Part of the Games to the 2. Round US Open Men Doubles Tournament.
This ATP Double Tennis Match was played on Surface Type Hard Court.
Status of this Tennis Match T.Huey/D.Inglot vs. A.Peya/B.Soares is Match completed, Final Result (FT).
This Match Result was added to the Tennis Results or last updated on 01/09/ 19:22 o`clock.
Match Schedules T.Huey/D.Inglot - A.Peya/B.Soares
More current known Match Schedules for the upcoming ATP Double Games
for T.Huey/D.Inglot and Player A.Peya/B.Soares within other Tournaments :
US Open Men Doubles - ATP DoubleOther Statistics, Tennis live Results and Schedules for ATP Double Tennis Games
including all Rounds of the ATP Double Tournament US Open Men Doubles.
US Open Men Doubles ATP Double
T.Huey/D.Inglot Statistics
A.Peya/B.Soares Statistics
US Open Men Doubles Match Schedule
US Open Men Doubles ATP Double Results
US Open Men Doubles live Scores
Before this Match J.Blake/S.Querrey played recently vs. T.Huey/D.Inglot within Tournament US Open Men Doubles
and lost with Result 0:2 (1 : 6) (6 : 7) Details, J.Murray/A.Sa played within Tournament
US Open Men Doubles vs. A.Peya/B.Soares and lost with Final Result 0:2 (2 : 6) (2 : 6) Details.
More for both Tennis Players T.Huey/D.Inglot and A.Peya/B.Soares in the Player Statistics.
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T.Huey/D.Inglot and A.Peya/B.Soares befor this Game on 01/09/2012 at 17:00 .
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Bet the Matches of T.Huey/D.Inglot and A.Peya/B.Soares at Betfair DETAILS HERE and
get one new Betfair Bonus or Freebets as Starter Bonus now.
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Short Names for Standings and Tennis Match Status :
FT = Match Full Time Result
CA = Match canceled
IN = Result after Match Interupt
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The Tennis Statistics and Match Result Details for US Open Men Doubles Spiel
between participants T.Huey/D.Inglot - A.Peya/B.Soares are recently updated on 05:37 o`clock.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome to E-Books Directory
This is a freely downloadable e-book.
The Python Game Book by Horst Jens et al.
Read this book online or download it here for free
Custom Search
The Python Game Book
by Horst Jens et al.
Publisher: thepythongamebook.com 2012
The Python Game Book written by Horst Jens and friends aims to provide interested students and teachers a broad range of material to teach themselves how to write computer games using the language Python and other free Open Source tools.
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Sheriff's records clerk arrested in residential burglary
Mary Methmann worked in the Santa Barbara County sheriff's administrative offices.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies have arrested one of their own. Although Mary Methmann is not a sworn officer, she did work in the administrative offices as a records clerk.
Deputies arrested Methmann at her Carpinteria apartment on Wednesday and booked her into county jail with bail set at $50,000.
Detectives started their investigation on Monday after $10,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from a Goleta residence. Sheriff's officials said evidence led them to Methmann.
On Jan. 4th, the Sheriff's department received a complaint that Methmann stole $50 from the Sheriff's Office main jail where she worked in custody records. Methmann was placed on administrative leave. The District Attorney's Office is prosecuting that case.
"We are extremely disturbed that someone from within the Sheriff's Office would betray the public trust in this manner," Sheriff Bill Brown said. "Due to the policies and systems we have in place, investigators were quickly able to identify and take action on this unfortunate and aberrant employee behavior."
Methmann is charged with residential burglary in the first degree for this latest crime.


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Time: 1:15P.M. Friday, May 20th
Location: Pizza Hut 7060 Forest Preserve Dr., Norridge
How to get there: map ---> Click here for the google map directions It's a wingstreet Pizza hut, meaning it sells wings and pizza and has a buffet =] It's about 3 miles away but considering Traffic google maps predicts it'll take about 10 minutes to get to if thats okay with everyone.
Information: Hello Forum junkies~! It's C.C. your favorite Pizza Hut Queen here challenging you to an EPIC adventure! It's adventure time! This quest will be filled with hot, juicy, pizza-- Pizza Hut Japan's Mascot Cheese-kun! (Which I will have with me) and challenges such as selecting your meal from the many choices they have, choosing which warriors (friends) will accompany you and be in your party, and having the right equipment (Money, Cosplay) to complete this adventure. Are you up to the challenge?
We (MMAOTAKU), (Queen/Me), and (Ka-chan) are going to go to Pizza Hut in our costumes a few miles away from the convention to get some grub and take some photos at Pizza Hut. It'll be the perfect opportunity to hang out more closely, have some bonding time and get to be silly outside the convention =] I'm hoping we can make an event out of this. People are invited to join us as long as you have a ride.
We are hoping to get many others to join us, the more the merrier! And Lelouch says we'd shock the normal the people sitting around eating their pizza xD Message me or write here if you want to come. You can wear any of the cosplay costumes you are already wearing for that day or pick another one if you want to go through the trouble xD It probably go on for about an hour or more, depends on how talkative everyone is and who has to leave for photo-shoots and what not. But the goal is, stun the public! Take photos! Have a memorable time! Bond with fellow cosplayers/anime fans! support Pizza Hut's Rebellion! (Code Geass joke) and be sure to feed yourself so you'll have energy for the con! You can pay for your pizza with other people/share with them, be sure to bring money. I don't have hundreds to spend on Pizza xD You dont HAVE to have a cosplay outfit, as long as you are interested and are an anime fan then your more than welcome! I'm not responsible for people who cannot make it or for paying for their food unless they are people I have chose to share my pizza etc. =] That and you might want to bring a camera =] We are all nice people, so don't worry and we are very friendly. If you are going to come/want to please be sure before you post =] If it gets to be too many people like over 30 then we will have to limit people so we can all fit in the restaurant xD
●Doesn't matter if you cosplay or not, as long as you are friendly and love anime your in!
●Be nice (Please don't badmouth or harass anyone)
●have a fun time/NO STARTING DRAMA/ NO Whining
●Be responsible for yourself (we are all adults here)
●have a ride up (Arrange with those offering rides up or have one ready)
●be sure to have money to pay for your food + drinks
●try not to be too shy the whole time
●IF OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK 21+ (Please drink responsibly and DO NOT DRIVE after doing so)
Okay! This is final now, I'll be making the reservation today. Any more that show up that haven't verified things with me, we will have to make room for you at the restaurant. P.S. Let me know which cosplay or outfit you will be in so we can all recognize you! =]
The reservation is under "Queen" and is going to be made today.
●The reservation will be for 25 people.
---People able to offer rides---
Msd121 (can fit 1 more person)
Magical Gamer (Has room to fit 1 more person)
Those going to come to the adventure so far:
----Riding with MMAOTAKU----
*C2Queen -- Costume: C.C. Ashford school girl version with Cheese-kun Plush (Anime: Code Geass)
*MMAOTAKU -- Costume: Ashford Academy School Boy Lelouch (Anime: Code Geass)
*Ka-chan -- Costume: Not sure which one yet
*Clementine -- Costume: Kallen Kozuki (Anime: Code Geass)
*The Fujoshi
--- Riding with Desu -----
*Desu -- Costume: Yuri Nakamura (Anime: Angel Beats)
*Domofile -- (Branden, Desu's boyfriend)
*-JUNK- Costume: Not sure which one she's wearing for it if any (Siesta 00/Tachibana)
-- Riding with Magical Gamer --
*MagicalGamer + friend
--- Riding with GeassClone --- (Driving in a Dark Green Chevy Malibu 2001)
*Geass Clone -- Costume: Casual Lelouch (Anime: Code Geass)
*BloodyPrince -- Costume: Casual Bel (Anime: Katekyo Hitman Reborn)
-- Riding with Raptree --
*Raptree-- Costume: Soul (Anime: Pokemon)
*TeamRocket Guy-- Costume: Team Rocket Member (Anime: pokemon)
-- Riding with Dark Mimi --
*DarkMimi -- Costume: Rakshata Chawla (Anime: Code Geass)
*Unspecified boyfriend/Secret lover (xD)
---- Riding with Msd121 ---- (Driving in Black 2010 VW Jetta TDI)
*Msd121 -- Costume: Casual Butler
*DarkRavenAmadah (Amadahy) - Costume: Fantasy or Punk
*Mana - Costume: Bar Wench Outfit
-- (Dont know about rides, let me know who you are coming with =] or if taking car by yourself) --
*Ki-kun (possibly going to also come, Ka-chan's boyfriend) Costume: Not yet specified
*STEAM *maybe* (Steampunk/Lolita)
This post has been edited by C2Queen: 18 May 2011 - 10:40 PM


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|The Cast of "Best Man Holiday"
The men were revealed as loving husbands and fathers, a far cry from Hollywood's usual portrayal of black men as thugs, deadbeat dads and horrible mates. You would have thought they learned from the success of the Huxtables. But thank GOD for black producers who are now following Tyler's lead and producing our own movies, portraying the majority of blacks rather than the minority. I love it!!!
Once again, we showed Hollywood that we show up in droves to see movies that portray us in a positive light, not related to slavery, and not produced by Tyler, evidenced by "Best Man Holidays" box office success this weekend. If you haven't seen it - go see it!
Ms. Edna gives sound dating advice to single women. Advice, if followed, guarantees your success in creating a loving relationship with a GOOD man that results in marriage. Log onto msedna..com and learn how a to love yourself all the way to the altar! THIS BLOG IS COPYRIGHTED - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © msedna.com 2007-2012 Disclaimer: All images posted on this site are copyrighted by their respective owners. MsEdna.com makes no claims of ownership or credit for these photos whatsoever unless duly noted.


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Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
Hollywood Gateway Inn
2900 Polk Street, Hollywood, FL
0.2 mi from
Can't beat the location just off expressway and minutes away from downtown Hollywood. Major upgrade to the rooms cable carpeting and overall arrangement Hallway needs new carpeting needs improvement on outside lot. Needs minor details with touch up painting and chair can be updated.
The hallways have a strong smell of cigarettes. The bed had a dent in the middle. The furniture was stained. The toilet paper was low. There were roaches in bathroom.
Location Dirty rooms, spiders, the hallways smelled like marihuana, weird people walking at 3am. Worst place ever!
Maids were very nice and kept the place clean No complaints
The television, there was a lot of channels There was Cochroaches in the room, people at the front desk had no respect for customer.
Room and mattress were fine Scary looking people standing around outside late at night on check in. Next morning was nice normal clientele. Breakfast of cereal and toast and juice was disappointing.
Big bed and clean bathroom. The front of the hotel but whatever!
Comfortable bed, hot shower. Relatively clean room. Lots of ugh lets say lower income folks around, not nasty or anything like that but you definitely get what you pay for here. A solid 2 1/2 star motel.
Channel on tv Water licking from roof
Good location for cheep room. Ac worked well we had the room ice cold in no time. Room smells like smoke. Door was really hard to shut.
Don't waste your money here you might get sick from mold Old photos online are false advertising and you guys are terrible at keeping the property clean and maintain you need to knock this building down
This place is a DUMP !!!!


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Description: Batman started off as a comic book super hero back in the 1930's. The comic book hero was published by DC Comics and continued to stay a regular published comic for quite sometime. As we all know Batman's real identity is Bruce Wayne and he is a wealthy industrialist that resides in Gotham City. I am just going to give you the run down on the Joker from all of the Batman movies since this tutorial is really on how to draw Heath Ledger as Joker. Now in the first Batman, it shows Bruce Wayne as a child witnessing his parents getting shot down by Jack Napier who robbed them after they were coming out of a theater were the family had just got done watching a flick. Bruce's thoughts of that night haunt him everyday. As you know Bruce is Batman, so while he was on an investigation on a villain that has been terrorizing the city, he noticed similarities between the Joker and the man that killed his parents. Eventually he came to the conclusion that the Joker was infact Jack Napier. The joker is described as being a homicidal maniac that goes on killing sprees leaving behind a path of death and destruction. Even though the character of the Joker was only portrayed in the first Batman movie, we get to see him again in the fifth installment to the Batman series. This time the Joker is portrayed in the sequel to Batman Begins and the new movie is called The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger plays the Joker like you never seen him before. He is dark, scary, cruel, and full of evil. Some say that when Heath was playing the Joker in this film, his true dark side was shinning threw in an eerie way. He also played in many other films such as Candy, Monsters Ball, A Knights Tale, 10 Things I hate About You, Brokeback Mountain, The Brothers Grim, I'm Not There. He played many other roles as well; these are just the movies I've seen him in. I sketched this tutorial of Heath Ledger because he died around the same time the movie was due to be released. I liked him as an actor and I also thought he was a very good looking man. So I hope you all enjoy this tutorial on how to draw Heath Ledger as the Joker form the new Batman movie The Dark Knight that is being released on July 18th of this year. The instructions are very thorough and detailed to help explain the weird looking shapes and guidelines. Have Fun.
Step 1.
Description: In this step we will begin by drawing a large circle for the features of the face to be placed. We will roughly start to sketch out the bottom parts of the eye and the shadow of the nose. Notice* we are drawing the shadows of the face as well. This is the reason for the squiggly lines and large empty areas :D.
Step 2.
Description: Start drawing the upper part of the eye as well. Make the lines jagged to make it look like eyebrows. Inside that empty eye area, draw the left hidden eyelid. At the right side in the empty area, draw a more of a visible eyelid. As you can see the rest of the area is void. We will color it in later. Start with lumpy lines for the joker's lips. At the right side of this large lumpy line, draw empty deformed shapes. These shapes will be filled in later to make a nice dark and shadowy effect.
Step 3.
Description: Now we will start making random lines seeping in from the sides of the image. I know the emptiness makes the image look ridiculous but this will all be cured later. We will fill the empty spots with a really dark color to make the image really dark and scary looking. You must not have these areas left empty. Otherwise, the whole image will look like an abstract clown.
Step 4.
Description: This is the last and final step to the tutorial. As you can see all of those empty areas have been filled in. Look how much different the image looks with all that filled in! The image definitely looks creepy and very depressingly dark. I use this dark and smudged effect in all of my portraits. Its my secret to making all my images look good. This seriously looks like an awesome scary Heath Ledger Joker.
Step 5.
Description: Well, this is what your image's outcome should look like. I know the colored version looks better but the black and white looks good too. Anyways, this image was originally drawn with Adobe Photoshop CS. I used a reference of the Heath Ledger Joker online to create this one. It took me plenty of hours to get the image exactly right. The coloring took me even more time. Anyways, I done this tutorial because of the new Batman movie (the Dark Knight) is out. So since Heath Ledger died, I wanted to make an awesome joker of him before he passed away. So I hope you all enjoyed my tutorial!
Step 6.
Description: In this step I give you the colors of the natural joker's image. Use the colors above to color your image. These are the same colors i used in the image. I know in the image there are darker reds and grays. This is because I used shading and highlighting. This makes the image more realistic and smooth. In the next step I will teach you how to smudge colors together.
Step 7.
Description: First get out your smudge tool. Set the opacity to 50 percent. This can be found on the top of the Adobe Photoshop window. You must first set your colors on a separate layer before smudging. So after you got your colors set, start smudging the hard edged areas. This will make your image nice and soft. This is how I come out with a portrait affected image. After you smudged all your hard edges start shading and highlighting!
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More From Darkonator
|Artist: Darkonator
|Date Added: June 19, 2008
|Steps: 7
|Favorited: 0
|Views: 1 in last hour, 4 in last day, 48 in last week, 108702 total
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|Tags: dc comics, characters batman


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Changes in store for Montcalm Township Fire Department
GREENVILLE — The Montcalm Township Fire Department will have some minor changes coming its way.
During the regular scheduled Montcalm Township meeting on Wednesday, the board approved new equipment and personnel changes to the fire department.
The board approved a Ventis MX4 Carbon Monoxide detector that detects up to four gases.
The request was originally presented to the board during its regular December meeting. The board decided to table to the decision because there was concern about the possibility of getting a higher-end detector similar to the one used in Stanton, Grand Rapids and Detroit.
Ron Trachet, chairman of the Montcalm Township Fire Department board, said after doing research, they found the three cities were able to purchase the higher-end $4,500 detector through a grant.
The detector was described as a "sniffer unit," Trachet said.
"It would be an overkill for this department," he said. "(The Ventis MX4) will meet our needs."
Trachet said communication was made with the Ventis Company to compare the two models and he told the board Ventis said the MX4 is probably more reliable because it specializes in detecting the gases.
Trustee Tom Smith asked what would happen if a higher-end detector is needed at a place like Keystone.
"… We would rely on our mutual aid," Montcalm Township Supervisor Michael Adams said.
He added if something that big were to happen where there would be a chemical spill, Montcalm Township Fire Department would not be the only department on the scene.
It was approved to purchase the Ventis MX4 detector and items for operation for a total of $955 with funds from the Fire Millage Fund.
During the meeting, the board also approved the cost for upgrading personal safety alarms for the fire department.
The devices monitor the movement of the firefighters, Adams said. If a firefighter goes down while at a scene the monitor will sound an alarm to help fellow firefighters find them.
Trachet said of the ones they have by the company MSA, seven of them need to be repaired because they are failing.
The design allows for it to gather dirt making it unable to function properly, he said.
"It's a poor design by MSA," Adams said.
MSA acknowledged the faulty design and has agreed to cut the cost from $215 per device to $140 per device to upgrade to a better design, Trachet said.
A new face was also approved to take over on the Montcalm Township Fire Department board.
Adams announced that Bob Bunnell has resigned from the Montcalm Township Fire Department board stating because of a new job, he is unable to fulfill the duties. The township board approved to have Mike Martin take his place.
Adams said Martin was a firefighter from 1983-1994, and he is local resident and business owner. He added Martin is someone he could not have more respect for.


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by Scott McIntyre on Tuesday, November 23, 2010
It seems counterintuitive and more than a little uncomfortable to be writing about end-of-life care during a time when millions are giving thanks for all they have in life. But it is that inability to talk about and realistically face death that often contributes to poor end-of-life care.
Data released last week from the Dartmouth Atlas Project is telling: one in three Medicare cancer patients spent at least part of their final month of life in the hospital or an intensive care unit. Six percent of these elderly cancer victims were still receiving chemotherapy two weeks before they died. In some parts of the country, more than 16 percent of these terminal patients were subjected to intensive procedures like endotracheal intubation, feeding tube placement or CPR.
Some may think this a tribute to the determination of these patients to fight until the end or at least a credit to the choices we have in our health care system. But, as the Dartmouth study notes, for frail, elderly patients, and any patient with advanced cancer, research has shown these treatments have limited or no benefit. In terms of quality of life, this is lack of compassion that can border on cruelty.
"The well-documented failure in counseling patients about their prognosis and the full range of care options, including early palliative care, leads many patients to acquiesce to more aggressive care without fully understanding its impact on the length and quality of life," said David C. Goodman, M.D., lead author of the study. That failure also leads to billions of dollars in needless health care spending.
As for choice, there are better ones, like hospice. In Iowa, 69 percent of the patients in the Dartmouth study received hospice care, compared to about 50 percent in the nation overall. With more patients directed toward hospice, fewer die in the hospital – only about 25 percent in Iowa (compared to about 32 percent for the nation).
It is good news that Iowa is on the right track in terms of providing end-of-life care (in Mason City, only 7 percent of the study group died in the hospital, the lowest rate in the nation). This is on par with other Dartmouth studies that show Iowa's hospitals are much more consistent about providing the right care at the right time. But the studies also show there is notable variation within Iowa, just as there is across the nation and even among the country's most renowned academic medical centers.
So, while Iowa can be grateful this Thanksgiving for having one of the best health care systems in the nation, there is room for improvement, including getting better at caring for patients who are close to death. As Dartmouth researcher Elliott Fisher, M.D., concluded:
"These findings highlight important opportunities to improve the care of patients with serious, life-limiting illness. Patients and families must understand that they have choices – and that it is critical to have early discussions with their physicians about what most matters to them. Physicians and hospital leaders must also recognize that they have much to learn – and that serious inquiry into their current practices can help make sure that we are providing all the care that our patients want and need, but no more."
by Scott McIntyre on Monday, November 22, 2010
Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.
Iowa News
Nobel winner in economics will study health care systems in Iowa, Indiana, Colorado
Indiana University Professor Elinor Ostrom, the 2009 Nobel Prize winner in economics, will head a research team looking at Cedar Rapids and three other locations that have comparable health care systems. The systems' share a reputation for delivery of Medicare services at the nation's lowest costs and highest positive outcomes. (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)
Study says Iowa does a good job in end of life cancer care
A study by Dartmouth College shows Iowa does better than the rest of the country when it comes to providing end-of-life care to cancer patients, including one north Iowa hospital was at the top of the list. Iowa's hospice enrollment rate of 70 percent was one of the highest in the study, which showed 42 percent hospice enrollment for New York, 47 percent for California. (Radio Iowa)
Where you live=how you die
At 241-bed Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City, palliative care staff members credit their region's success to a variety of factors including supportive administration, a long history of focusing on end-of-life care, and a holistic approach to treating patients. And, according to W. David Clark, a palliative medicine physician at the hospital, people in the region are trusting and appreciate the plain, straight talk that comes with palliative care. (Modern Healthcare)
Endowment continues prenatal research
Christina Campbell researches the role of diet and nutrition of expectant mothers in disease prevention through the Blossom Project, in which she partners with Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames. Campbell and the medical staff record women's activity levels and collect blood samples at 18 and 35 weeks of pregnancy and from their babies' umbilical cords following delivery, to test for nutrients. (Ames Tribune)
Dinner is by invitation — to all
What Nancy Broer and some of her friends in Onawa discovered when they decided to invest their time in creating a dinner for the community was that it was easier said than done. Folks associated with Burgess Health Center stepped forward to assist. (Sioux City Journal)
Inaction on medical errors draws fire in Iowa
Declaring that special interests have taken over state government, one of Iowa's top regulators is criticizing the Iowa Hospital Licensing Board for blocking public disclosure of hospital errors that threaten patient safety. The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has been trying for several months to persuade the Hospital Licensing Board to approve a measure requiring hospitals to make public so-called "never events." (Des Moines Register)
U.S. News
Independent hospitals unite under 'shared services,' prepare for ACOs
Some hospitals and health systems are striving to reduce costs and prepare for accountable care organizations by banding together in shared service arrangements. Such arrangements allow independent organizations to share functions like recruitment and alignment of physicians, health information technology, group purchasing and revenue management, says Rob Betka, a consultant at Catalyst Management Advisors in Grand Rapids, Mich. (Becker's Hospital Review)
Growing National Nurses United union steps up strikes
National Nurses United, the largest nurses union in the country, has helped organize strikes or threatened them this year at hospitals in California, Pennsylvania, Maine, Michigan and Minnesota. The Oakland, Calif.-based union has tapped into concerns of registered nurses worried about losing jobs at a time when hospitals and health-care organizations are under enormous pressure to cut costs. (Washington Post)
Some states weight unthinkable option: ending Medicaid
Elected and appointed officials in nearly a half-dozen states, including Washington, Texas and South Carolina, have publicly thrown out the idea. Wyoming found that Medicaid accounts for 63 percent of the state's nursing-home revenue. The idea of abandoning Medicaid as a solution is so extreme that even proponents don't expect any state will follow through, but officials are floating the discussions because dire budgetary pressures have forced them to at least look at even the most drastic options. (Wall Street Journal)
12 hospital and health system goals for 2011
"In 2011, just like we have this past year, Iowa Health System (IHS) will continue to lead efforts to improve the quality of care through innovation in delivery and cost efficiencies," said Bill Leaver IHS CEO. He adds the system will focus on three key areas: reimbursing healthcare providers for adding value to the healthcare delivery system, supporting high quality care to the system's communities and remaining fiscally viable as a driving economic force. (Becker's Hospital Review)
As hospital system expands, patient advocates worry
Sutter Health's gleaming $618 million Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, scheduled to open here in February, is filled with doctor- and patient-friendly features. Although Sutter executives say these developments will improve patient care, some analysts and patient advocates worry about the growing leverage the nonprofit hospital system has in negotiating rates paid by insurers, employers and patients. Sutter already is the priciest health system in California. (National Public Radio)
ER visits fall for tots after cold, cough medicines pulled
The number of babies and toddlers who go to the emergency room because of cough and cold medicines fell by more than 50 percent after manufacturers stopped selling products labeled for children under 2, a study shows. Manufacturers agreed to pull over-the-counter cough and cold products for those ages in October 2007 because of concerns about safety and effectiveness. (USA Today)
by Scott McIntyre on Friday, November 19, 2010
Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.
Iowa News
Sumner lays plans for new hospital
Mary Wells, CEO of Community Memorial Hospital, announced the capital campaign kickoff as organizers and lead donors gathered in support of "The Heart of Your Community." Wells explained "The Heart of Your Community" fund-raising campaign is part of a $17.4 million project to build a 51,850-square-foot facility just south of the current hospital along Highway 93 on the western edge of the city. (Oelwein Daily Register)
U.S. health benefit costs increased by 6.9 percent
Among Iowa employers that responded to the survey: 34 percent said they will shift costs to their employees next year by raising deductibles, co-pays or out-of-pocket maximums. Additionally, 28 percent said they will increase employees' share of premium contributions, and 18 percent will increase employee cost sharing in some other way. Fourteen percent offered a consumer-directed health plan with an account feature (health reimbursement account or health savings account) in 2010. (Des Moines Business Record)
Blank hospital president recovering from cancer surgery
David Stark, president and chief operating officer of Blank Children's Hospital, is recovering at home after surgery last week for colon cancer. Stark, 39, was recently diagnosed with an advanced stage (stage IIIC) of colon cancer. He is planning to return to work in the next couple of weeks, he said through a hospital spokeswoman. He will undergo several rounds of chemotherapy over the next few months. (Des Moines Register)
U.S. News
A hospital chief's tough task in tough times: cut costs, improve quality
Judy Rich is a bundle of energy, ideas – and worry. Since she became president and CEO of the Tucson Medical Center in 2009, she's had to face the impact of an economic recession that hit Arizona health care particularly hard. Now, as she leads the largest hospital in southern Arizona, she's trying to adjust to a decrease in the number of paying patients, state cutbacks in health spending and a slew of changes from the new health law. (Kaiser Health News)
Health care law is unconstitutional, Republican Senators tell court
Requiring people to purchase health care "oversteps the bounds" of the U.S. Constitution, 32 senators said today in the filing in federal court in Pensacola, Florida. The U.S.'s arguments in favor of the law are "harming the Constitution's framework by allowing the federal government to overreach its enumerated powers and invade the legitimate province of the states," wrote the senators, including Republican leader Mitch McConnell. (Bloomberg)
Health industry cool to complete repeal of new law
But while a large majority of GOP voters told exit pollsters they strongly support the idea of starting from scratch on the health overhaul issue, major players in the health care industry — usually strong Republican allies — are a lot less enthused about the idea. "No one has said what this bill would be replaced with," said Richard Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. (National Public Radio)
Hospitals take steps to improve
Every hospital is committed to providing patients with the right care at the right time in the right setting. Their mission is to build healthy communities, both one patient at a time and through communitywide initiatives. Rather than punishing hospitals for their efforts to improve, we should encourage them to continue to work together to develop new and better tools to deliver the safest possible care. (USA Today)
Quality of care in Minnesota is all over the map
The first state-mandated report on quality of medical care in Minnesota shows that clinics and hospitals vary dramatically in how well they treat patients — even on something as basic as children's colds. The report, which was two years in the making, gives consumers an inside look at how 520 individual clinics and 133 hospitals performed on a series of quality measures, from asthma to pneumonia care. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Medicare panel backs $93K cancer drug Provenge
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will make a final decision on the drug in March, and a positive ruling would make the drug available to tens of thousands of seniors diagnosed with prostate cancer. Most analysts expect Medicare to pay for the drug, giving drugmaker Dendreon Corp. a blockbuster product worth up to $2 billion in sales per year. (USA Today)
In California, facing down a family physician shortage
In the latest in a series on health reform, Betty Ann Bowser reports from California on what's being done to inspire medical students to address a shortage of primary care doctors. (PBS NewsHour)
by Scott McIntyre on Thursday, November 18, 2010
Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.
Iowa News
Ottumwa hospital builds promise to grow
"We need more physicians in the community, and that's one of the reasons the board chose (to sell to) RegionalCare," said Dr. Ted Haas, an Ottumwa Regional Health Center board member. Tuesday morning, board members, hospital employees and members of the public gathered behind the ORHC emergency room parking lot, where two new medical office buildings are going. (Ottumwa Courier)
Scotland Yard detectives tour St. Luke's Child Protection Center
A specially trained unit of Scotland Yard in London uses a team approach to bring forensic science and law enforcement together to conduct sexual assault investigations and to provide victims with support. Detectives from the unit shared their skills and experiences this week during a conference with local educators, law enforcement and hospital staff. (Eastern Iowa News)
Iowa Health coat drive collects 1,525 items
The Iowa Health-Des Moines employee volunteer program's "Giving Warmth Coat Drive" collected 1,525 warm clothing items for central Iowans in need. The coat drive was held in conjunction with Des Moines Area Community College, KCWI-TV, Gold's Gym and Community Choice Credit Union. (Des Moines Register)
U.S. News
U.S. patients have more access to specialists, less to primary care
A new international survey finds that U.S. consumers report greater access to specialty health care but also have a tougher time seeing a doctor on the day they need help and in paying their medical bills than consumers in many other developed nations. Americans visit doctors and specialists more readily than some other countries, such as Canada and France, according to the survey, which was conducted in 11 countries last spring for the Commonwealth Fund. (Kaiser Health News)
Average health insurance deductible now $1,200
Close your eyes and take yourself back to 2005 for a minute: George W. Bush had his second inauguration, "Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith" was burning up the box office and health-insurance deductibles were only about $770. But in 2010, the average deductible for PPOs, the most common employer-provider health plan, hit a whopping $1,200. (Wall Street Journal)
Medicare opt-out provision triggers scope-of-practice debate
Within the last nine years, 16 states have opted out of a federal rule requiring physician supervision of certified registered nurse anesthetists administering anesthesia medication at Medicare-participating hospitals. Governors and nursing groups from the 16 states say taking the exemption enables them to provide anesthesia services in communities that have a hard time attracting physicians, and without the higher cost of an anesthesiologist. (American Medical News)
Nurses' role in the future of health care
Like crew members frantically moving deck chairs, policy makers, medical center administrators, third-party payers and even doctors and patients have remained focused on one thing: the physicians. In all the discussions about adjusting the number of medical schools and training slots, rearranging physician payment schedules and reorganizing practice models, one group of providers has been conspicuously missing. The nurses. (New York Times)
Deficit panels go where politicians won't
Two bipartisan plans for reining in the federal debt have been tossed onto the national stage in the past week, after a campaign season in which President Obama and Congressional Republicans separately promised to act but offered few specifics. The two plans suggest why: Each proposes substantial cuts to spending across the board and an end to popular tax breaks for individuals and corporations after 2012. Those are not the kind of promises that candidates generally make. (New York Times)
Patients hurt by economy, doubtful about health care overhaul
The Harvard School of Public Health asked people with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer whether they had difficulty paying their medical bills or managing their illnesses. About a third of heart patients and diabetes patients and a fifth of cancer patients said they had to use up most or all of their savings to pay medical bills, co-payments, or other fees. The same proportion of patients also said the poor economy has hurt their health. (Boston Globe)
Mayo Clinic taking cancer treatment to a new level
The Mayo Clinic said Tuesday it plans to build the state's first proton beam therapy center for cancer patients — an investment of $188 million that will provide an emerging form of radiation therapy delivered with massive machines that stand nearly three stories tall. Currently, fewer than 10 medical centers in the U.S. offer the proton beam therapy, which proponents say is a more precise form of radiation with fewer side effects. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
by Chris English on Thursday, November 18, 2010
Recently, Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines in collaboration with Air Methods, Bell Helicopter and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unveiled its newest Mercy One air ambulance equipped with state-of-the-art navigation equipment. This technology will enable pilots to fly in more inclement weather situations than ever before.
"We miss about 240 flights a year due to the fact that the weather minimums are such that we can't fly," said Dan Keough, director of emergency transport services at Mercy. "We feel that with this new technology being state-of-the-art and the first of its kind in Iowa, we will recapture at least 20 percent of those weather misses that we currently have now."
After testing is complete, Mercy plans to use its hospital as the first location to deploy Mercy One but soon after will include landing sites at Clarke County Hospital in Osceola, Mercy Medical Center-Centerville, Monroe County Hospital in Albia as well as a non-hospital based helipad being built in Stuart.
Dan Keough and Dennis Cochran, Mercy One Program Manager, Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines sat down with IHA to discuss the new Mercy One helicopter and the impact it's likely to have across the health care industry.
Click here to view all the photos taken at the Mercy One media annoucement event.


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Women's Tennis To Compete In Tennessee Fall Invite
Oct. 25, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The University of Kentucky women's tennis team will head to Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend to wrap up the fall season at the Tennessee Fall Invite.
The three-day invitational features North Carolina State, Ohio State and Tennessee, in addition to Kentucky. The quad match will allow Kentucky to face all three opponents in singles and doubles play.
Kentucky opens the weekend Friday at 1 p.m. with singles play against Ohio State. Following singles action, Kentucky will kick off doubles play at 4 p.m., taking on host Tennessee. NC State and Ohio State will face of in doubles play at 4 p.m. as well, with NC State and Tennessee wrapping up the day with a singles match at 5 p.m.
The Wildcats return to the court at 10 a.m. on Saturday to face NC State in singles action. Doubles play will follow; with Kentucky going against Ohio State at 1 p.m. Tennessee and NC State will also square off at 1 p.m. in doubles competition.
Kentucky's Sunday schedule will begin with doubles play at 1 p.m. against North Carolina State, before wrapping up the weekend with a singles match against Tennessee at 2 p.m.
Draws are not determined until the beginning of each day, with the coaches setting the lineups daily. The tournament winner will be determined by a points system, based on singles and doubles play wins.
Tennessee will host a live blog on utsports.com to announce lineups and match results throughout the day. Results will also be available on Twitter @voltennis_event.


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(On how he deals with having so many injured players specifically linebackers)- "It's really unfortunate obviously losing Chris (Gocong) and then Scott's (Fujita) situation. The young guys have responded really well. We believe we got lucky, we think they're three good young players. JMJ (James-Michael Johnson) is not practicing right now. They are really enthusiastic, athletic, maybe not the biggest, but fast and both of them are tough. They work well with D'Qwell (Jackson), so we've got a good thing going there. Kaluka's (Maiava) had a terrific camp. Kind of quietly, he's gone about his business. He got himself in terrific shape, really competed at a high level, and we know he's a very tough guy. I think we'll be alright. I believe we'll be okay."
(On if there is a positive to having so many young players)- "I don't know that they're any more eager than Chris and Scott, those two guys are really professional, but they're also very highly motivated. They practice fast, they did, they practice fast, and D'Qwell does also. I don't know, I guess there are a lot of ways to look at it. Would you rather have somebody with a lot of experience? Maybe. Would you like to have a young player with a lot of experience? Yeah. How do you do that? We have those guys and we really like them and we'll just keep moving forward and work with them."
(On how to stop Michael Vick)- "Not many people ever have. He's an extremely talented athlete as we all know, incredibly strong arm, can reach almost any part of the field with the ball. He throws it pretty well on the run too, and he really can run. You can talk about trying to keep him in the pocket - you can't really keep him in the pocket. You've got to be successful some of the time. I believe you've just got to play, go play your game, play as fast as you can. He's going to make plays, you've got to hope you can limit them, and then play the game."
(On if Philadelphia is as talented on offense as anyone)- "I would say yes. As far as I'm concerned they are. I was there for a year, they're very good. They're very, very good."
(On if he's ever started a season with only two linebackers with NFL experience)- "I would say probably not. It would take too long for me to think through them all - the places I've been - but I would say probably not."
(On all the injuries on defense and Mike Holmgren saying that he's comforted that Jauron is in charge of that unit)- "That was nice of him to say that. I'll have to thank him when I see him, but I don't make any plays. We like our guys. I really like our staff a lot. Those guys do a terrific job getting them ready. I believe they'll be ready, but they're going to be tested. It will be a test, and a strong one."
(On if L.J. Fort is ready for Sunday)- "I think he is. I believe that the young guys are ready. They are excited about it. I think they will be very nervous, as we all will be. That's probably a good thing. I think when you're not really nervous going into a game, it's probably time to get out of it or an indicator that you probably shouldn't be in it anymore. I don't know, but I believe he'll be ready."
(On if he still gets nervous before games)- "Very much so. It's a pretty good feeling. Like I said, I think when you lose it, I don't know that I'm just guessing, but when you lose it, I guess it's time to leave."
(On if it has been a point of emphasis to make big plays on defense this year)- "It was an emphasis last year. It's an emphasis everywhere I would believe in any defense. Takeaways are critical for the success of your team. As we all know, the statistics are not very meaningful to any of us. The only one that really counts is that win-loss record. If you could trade statistics, you would trade all your statistics for a playoff berth. Who cares? That's what you want to be, you want to get there. We'll go out and play. I know that our guys will play hard. We like our guys. They'll perform and they'll play hard, but we're going to have to make plays."
(On the challenges of trying to stop DeSean Jackson)- "He's really almost as unique probably as Michael Vick. He's very smooth and extremely fast. He has another gear when the ball gets up in the air. It's a little bit like Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper. The quarterback's arm is strong enough to stretch the field with him. It's hard to overthrow him because he's really fast. It adds a whole other dimension to an already very talented football team. He runs reverses. They get the ball to him on screens. They throw the ball down the field, he stretches the field. He returns punts at times, he's a very dynamic player."
(On if they ever put Jackson in the slot)- "They will move him around some."
(On how they compensate for a veteran like Sheldon Brown who is little slower than some of the Eagles wide receivers)- "Sheldon, as you pointed out, has a lot of experience in the league. He can read routes extremely well. He played down in distance situations, and can use his hands to slow them down, to jam them within that 5-yard area. We can help him out at times, we can help any corner at times, put somebody over the top of him, play him high and low on a receiver. Sheldon obviously has done a great job of recognizing things, and he still is very athletic. We shouldn't sell his athleticism short."
(On if it is imperative to improve against the run this year)- "Yeah, we talk about it a lot. We would like to improve against the run, but again as long as we win games I don't really care, we can give up yardage. I think winning the game is the main thing. Last year I think the New England Patriots weren't statistically a very good defense, but they're a pretty good defense. They were within a whisker of winning it all and I think that's what you want. You want to be there and forget about the statistics. Going into it, you've got to try to improve those things. We don't want to be wherever we were against the run, 30th. We don't want to be there. You want to do everything really well. To win in this league I think you have to do everything pretty well everywhere, kick it, cover it, offense and defense. You've got to be pretty good to win consistently."
(On what was made their red zone defense so special last year and what makes him think they can perform up to those levels again this year)- "I believe it first of all because I'm an optimist. I like to think good things are going to happen and because our guys work hard at it. Whether it will happen, we'll find out. You've got to go out on the field and play. I like our scheme, we're okay, but our guy's performed. They performed really well in the red zone. They made plays and just kept them out of the end zone more times than not which is what you've got to do. I think the statistics that do matter in our game are points scored and points allowed clearly and then takeaways. You would like to be great in every other area too, but if you're great in those two areas, you're going to be a pretty good football team."
(On what kind of jump Joe Haden and T.J. Ward will take in their third year)- "We really need them to perform at a high level. Clearly, we're counting on both of those guys to be playmakers for us this year and then on into the future."
(On how Dimitri Patterson has looked and how important is it to have him back)- "It's really important to have him back. He brings a lot of energy to everything. To the practice field, to everything he does and he plays hard. He's a tough guy, very aggressive guy, a competitive person, and a really good teammate. It was great to see him back on the field and it was probably even better to see him move. He's clearly been working at it, whatever they allowed him to do, and I know he's been conditioning aerobically. He's had good practices for us."
(On how difficult it is to teach young linebackers to play in the NFL)- "I think it's hard. There're so many different things that they have to do. There are so many different formations they have to adjust to. The run schemes are different from what they've seen, and then things change from week to week. I think it's difficult. Billy (Davis) and Chuck (Bullough) do a great job with them. We've just got to believe that they're ready, and I believe that they are. It's tough. I think it's tough to play there, tougher to play inside in the secondary than the outside, but tough to play anywhere, and not easy to play up front, because they attack you a lot of different ways."
(On how important it is having D'Qwell Jackson to help with the young guys)- "I know that we've talked about it a lot before, D'Qwell is just a pleasure to be around. It doesn't matter where you are, on the field, off the field, out in public. I'm not away from here with him very often, but I would imagine he's a very solid person to be around out there too. In this building and in the meeting room he is exceptional with our defense, with our whole football team, with the young players, with everybody. He's kind of holding that thing together, and he's taken a lot upon himself, and hopefully we can get him to play just like he did a year ago. I know he wants it as badly as anybody I've ever been around."
(On how important it is to have a good pass rush)- "It'll be critical. There are certain things you're not going to get home on no matter what happens, no matter what. If he throws a three-step, you're only chance is to knock it down. If it's a five-step rhythm throw, the odds of you getting there are very small. Depending on what they do, if they're a seven-step team or a play-action team. A lot of play-action is seven man protection stuff. It's hard to get home. There's a lot of pressure on those guys, but we've got to find ways to get pressure on the quarterbacks. It'll be critical for us."
(On if he's comfortable with the player's replacing Phil Taylor)- "Yeah, we are. Billy (Winn) and John (Hughes) have both had really good training camps. John got injured a little bit, but he's back now. Billy's had a terrific training camp the whole time. John, as I said, when he was healthy, was really doing well for us. We're happy there. We're happy with (Ishmaa'ily) Kitchen, 'Kitch' we call him, mostly because I can't pronounce his first name (joking). We're really happy with that pick up. I think he's going to help us, and I think he's going to help us right away. We really like him, and we need that inside. Rub's (Ahtyba Rubin) there and we need to get Rub more rest than we got him a year ago. We need to keep him at a high level all year. We're pretty excited about it. Phil's (Taylor) doing fine. He's doing everything in rehab that they ask him to do. He looks good. He's continuously working out. I feel a lot better about our depth, certainly, now we've just got to make it translate."
(On how Trent Richardson has looked so far)- "Quite honestly I haven't seen him much. I was just saying to our defensive coaches that I'm looking forward to seeing him play. Even in practice, I don't get a chance to see him really. Hopefully, in the game, occasionally I'll get a chance to watch because I'm really excited about seeing him play."
(On how much of a change it was for Joe Haden to switch from Rob Ryan's defense to his)- "You know, that's probably a better question to ask Joe (Haden) because I haven't ever really thought about that. I would say not a lot."
(On if it's fair to say Haden struggled at times last year despite having a productive season)- "I wouldn't say, 'It's not fair to say,' but I would say you could say that about every single player that ever lived. They struggle at times in this league. Joe's a really good player. I wouldn't compare the systems, it's not anything I do or care to do actually, but I like Joe Haden."


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I usually have a pretty good eye for noticing when things are different, even when I can't quite put my finger on what has changed. It's one of the reasons Disneyland is so disorienting for me. It looks like Magic Kingdom, but not quite. I think maybe the Castle is just a little off, or something…?
It's pretty rare that Disney can slip a change past my eagle eyes. I have the eyes of a hawk. My owlish night vision is unprecedented. Birds take one look at my six pairs of freakish eyeballs and tremble.
So it came as a shock to me earlier this week when I suddenly realized that an entire rain forest had disappeared — and more to the point, it has been gone for years. I know what you are thinking: throw in an evil logging company and this sounds like a great idea for a white water raft ride. But it really caught me off guard.
You see, I happened to be browsing old maps of Animal Kingdom, because that's what all the super cool people do on a Friday night. And something jumped out at me. Something that I remember as plain as day from AK's early years, but hadn't thought about in probably a decade. Below is a progression of a section of Animal Kingdom guide maps, focusing on a section at the very front of the park.
For those of you who forget about it (I know I always do), that's the Rainforest Cafe. At one time, it was the only full-service restaurant in the park, and it wasn't even run by Disney. I've never been Rainforest Cafe's biggest fan. I find its food over-priced, under-quality, and non-nutritious (which also happens to be the order of importance in food criteria for me). I think I have eaten at Rainforest Cafe twice in my entire life, and the last time was probably around 2002. Like I said, not the biggest fan.
But I always gave the Animal Kingdom Rainforest Cafe credit for one thing: An elegant exterior. Rainforest Cafe debuted on Disney property over at the Downtown Disney Marketplace well before the AK version opened, and its weird mix of papier mache volcano and shaker shingle roofing always bothered me. Throw in some average rock work, cartoon elephants, and a few retention ditch fountains, and it just reminded me of a pricier version of Chuck E. Cheese.
But the Animal Kingdom location was not like this at all. Its rock work matched the quality of the park itself (forget Radiator Springs; Animal Kingdom is positively bursting at the seams with fine rock work). The hokey volcano was gone, and in its place was a shimmering, panoramic waterfall, draping over the entire facade of the building.
As much as I loathe the restaurant itself, that waterfall exterior was exquisite. I've never seen anything like that before. It was like dining inside Niagra. It made for one of the prettier, abstract visuals of a trip to Animal Kingdom.
And at some point in the last 15 years, it has vanished.
When I came across that picture in the guidemap, I immediately flashed back to memories of this thing, and then immediately wondered if I had exaggerated them. Because ever since I moved down to Florida, I can only remember the exterior of the Rainforest Cafe looking like this:
You can't even see it now. The building is completely obscured by jungle growth. Venture back to the restaurant entrance and you will see two waterfalls, but the rest is just stone and bamboo. It's much more like a real rain forest now. There are no good picture taking angles anywhere. This is the best I could do.
And here's another one, taken from outside the security gates, where you once had a clear view of the Rainforest building (that structure on the left is the hexagonal shop shown in the guidemap pictures above).
The entire building has been erased from existence by the lush foliage. It's interesting to me that Disney has gradually redrawn the Rainforest building on the map. At some point in the not too distant past, they were still sticking with the image of a waterfall building. But in today's version, they have finally narrowed it down to the 2 remaining flows. In all three versions of the map, the shimmering pool of water on the building roof is just artistic license. It was never that way in real life.
I did find an old picture by chrischris on flickr of the building in its former glory. It was quite a sight, and it makes me sad that they got rid of it. Even today, when studying the current facade, I couldn't tell where exactly the changes had been made. Obviously at some point they either added more rock work or ripped down old structures. The picture below certainly made the building seem taller than it looks in real life today.
If you're interested, you can spot a few more images here and here. I've never once missed eating at Rainforest Cafe, but I'm pretty amazed to find out I've missed this icon of Animal Kingdom's early years. I still wonder how I forgot about it. Maybe they're putting something in the food.


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Azeri, who figured to be the brightest star to shine over the holiday weekend at Churchill Downs in Thursday's Falls City Handicap (gr. II), has not been entered by trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Lukas, along with owner Michael Paulson, wasn't overly concerned with the 126-pound assessment, it was the spread in the weights that will keep her on the sidelines.The 6-year-old mare, who finished fifth in the Breeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge (gr. I) in her last start, was asked to give 10 pounds to her nearest rivals and as many as 18 pounds to others in the race.With the defection, seven fillies and mares passed the entry box Tuesday for the $300,000 race to be run at 1 1/8 miles Thanksgiving day.Lukas will have a starter in the field in S. Angel Stable's Susan's Angel, winner of the Turfway Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. III) and Serena's Song Stakes earlier this year. The 3-year-old daughter of Cape Town out of the Copelan mare Copeaway will tote 114 pounds and have the services of Pat Day. Susan's Angel was last seen finishing third, behind Halory Leigh and Lady Tak, in the Churchill Downs Distaff (gr. II) at a mile on Nov. 7.Halory Leigh, along with Mayo On the Side, are the 116-pound highweights in the Falls City.Halory Leigh, a 4-year-old filly by Halory Hunter--Graceful Leigh, by Clever Trick won a seven-furlong allowance in her race prior to winning the Distaff by five lengths. She covered the mile in 1:35.05 under Craig Perret for trainer Dale Romans. Perret, one the jockeys banned from the remainder of the Churchill meet, will be replaced by Eddie Martin Jr.Owned by Jerry Crawford, Matt Gannon, and Charlie Grask, Halory Leigh was bred in Kentucky by Al Profitt and Larry Demeritte. She has won six of 20 career starts. Other than a fourth-place finish in last year's Alabama Stakes (gr. I) at 1 1/4 miles, Halory Leigh's only ventures beyond 1 1/16 miles have come on the grass. She finished second earlier this year in the nine-furlong Locust Grove Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs.Mayo On the Side owns a win over Azeri, scoring in the seven-furlong Humana Distaff (gr. I) over the 2002 Horse of the Year and defending champion older female by a head on Kentucky Derby day under the Twin Spires. Her other victory this year came in the Doubledogdare Stakes during the April stand at Keeneland. The daughter of French Deputy was sixth in the Churchill Downs Distaff. Prior to that, she was third, beaten 3 1/2 lengths by Azeri and Tamwell in the Overbrook Spinster Stakes (gr. I).Bred by Robert Lothenbach and raced by Lothenbach Stables by trainer Carl Nazfger, Mayo On the Side is out of the Slew o' Gold mare Slewveau. She will be ridden by John McKee, who replaces Robby Albarado, another jockey banned from the track.Breaking from the rail is Indy Groove, who is coming off a sixth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Distaff - Presented by Nextel (gr. I).Falls City Handicap (gr. II), $300,000, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles, Thursday, Nov. 25, approx. post time 3:52 p.m.
PP - Horse - Wgt. - Jockey
1 - Indy Groove - 114 - Brice Blanc
2 - Miss Fortunate - 113 - Larry Melancon
3 - Halory Leigh - 116 - Eddie Martin Jr.
4 - Susan's Angel - 114 - Pat Day
5 - Flower Forest - 111 - Eusebio Razo Jr.
6 - Mayo On the Side - 116 John McKee
7 - Red Cell - 108 - Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr.
Weight Keeps Azeri Out of Falls City; Seven Set to Go
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Time and again I am told that certain people don't baby proof their homes. They teach baby not to touch. From what I have noticed, this normally mean hitting the child, or scolding, or some other form of fear induced obedience. I can't help but think this is setting the child up to fail. Either they will stop listening to their inner instinctive drive to explore and love learning, or they will find ways to do so when they think someone they fear is not looking. I have seen both cases in other children and it saddens my heart.
So this month when I received the box of goodies Earth's Best sent my little ones and I and the reminder with great tips about child proofing the home I was very happy. I think child proofing is setting a baby up for success. They can learn when they are older the logical reasons not to touch certain things but when they are little, their job is to explore, and our job it so help them thrive in doing so while also keeping them safe and health.
While our home is not 100% baby proof, I am not sure any is, we accept as parents that what we leave accessible to the baby and what happens to it is our own fault. Such as the back of controllers being broken, books meeting an ugly end, and walls that end up with sharpie on them. All these things happen. No big deal in our eyes. What is a big deal though are the messes. They pile up and quickly. I love that Earth's Best makes nursery wipes, they are not full of harsh chemicals like kitchen wipes tend to be but they make sure the job gets cleaned up and is safe for baby to again touch and play with. Have you seen these?
Here are some great tips that Earth's Best has to share:
Spills can happen at any moment, not just meal time. Keep a bottle of Earth's Best All Purpose Nursery Cleaner in an easily accessible area of the house for those unexpected messy situations. Earth's Best All Purpose Nursery Cleaner is formulated using natural and plant-based cleaning agents to help you clean up any mess, while keeping your baby's safety a top priority.
Keep cleaning tools organized! Knowing ahead of time that you have a specific place that you store each needed item will help make the process less stressful!
Earth's Best provides an extensive guide featuring 12 basic tips to follow that will help you baby proof your house to keep your little one safe: http://www.earthsbest.com/resources/articles/infants/babyproofing
I hope you will consider setting your baby up for success by baby proofing your home and keeping things as chemical free as possible. There is so much time for your child to experience the harsh things out in the world, let home be the soft place to land as my husband puts it. The place where people can be who they are, supported, and feel safe.
ENDS: October 30th 2012
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fireworks, recorded at some 500 m from source /fuegos artificiales grabados a unos 500 m
thank you, i need it to train my dog for NYE.sound is good, as it does upset him, and he's doesn't easily get upset of firework sounds.
I like it
these sound amazing! thanks.
Thanks so much for this, I've used it twice, it's great quality! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW5CWdytDZQ
sounds great! Thanks for creating this!
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SVT Header Swap (what is this part called?)
Hello fanatics,
I recently did the svt header swap and the only major problem i had with clearance was this line that is touching the cat. I believe that is the rack. Is this line different on the svt's? I know now this is where my leak is coming from. I tried looking at tousley's parts diagram, but I cannot find the name of this part to order one. Do you know what it is called? Thanks peeps in adavance!!!
It's a hard pressure line and is the same as far as I know to the normal zetec rack. I'm leaking at the same spot after I broke a motor mount and whacked the crap out of it. I think it only comes on the rack and is not a separate part to order but I'm not too sure on that.
hey how's it going? thanks man haha it's like we all go through the same thing, but man that would suck if you can't get that part separate.
Yea, I haven't tried fixing it yet either, hopefully it's easily fixable problem.
hey guys I couldn't find it new so I just been pulling it from the pick and pull. I have gone through four of these as temporary fixes. I can't seem to figure out why it's like this. To recap I did the svt header conversion with the svt cat and flex on a sedan. The center pressure line the goes from the rack and back into the rack keeps touching the cat. I eventually want to get an orp as I know it won't touch that line. Has anyone with a sedan experienced this?? I really don't mind changing it every two weeks, but I think they are running out of focuses at the yard lol..
Your header could be bent which would cause it to be too close to the rack?
The hard pressure line that comes off the pump? On mine which was a SPI then swapped to a zetec the line from the pump isn't like that it just slides into the rack and it has a cover to slip over it and you bolt the cover to the rack. The cover holds the line in place.
no way I hope not. I really can't tell tho it doesn't look like it, but I also know that on the cat it's not connected to a bracket I wonder if I can find one if that would help or I was thinking of cutting that line and and somehow with an elbow fitting moving it out the way. I don't know man I really love this header just trying to figure something that will make it last until I can get an orp.
no it's the one on the rack. It comes off the rack where all the other lines connect and then connects back into the rack in the middle also has a u shape
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James Henry Marquardt, 70, of Fort Scott, Kan., died Monday evening, May 24, 2010 at the Mercy Health Center.
He was born Jan. 14, 1940 in Pittsburg, Kan., the son of Ernest Henry and Buelah Arvilla (O'Shannon) Marquardt.
He married Thelma Wurtz Phillips on Feb. 17, 1990 in Fort Scott, Kan. She survives of the home.
In addition to his wife, Thelma, he is survived by a son, Jim Marquardt, of Pittsburg, Kan.; a daughter, Megan Greninger, of Carthage, Mo.; two step-daughters, Diana Cavin, and Brenda Bailey, both of Fort Scott; a step-son, Randy Phillips, also of Fort Scott; a brother, Robert Marquardt, of Lakeland, Fla.; a sister, Wilma Radell, of Pittsburg, Kan.; three grandchildren, Molly, Luke, and Cal Marquardt, of Pittsburg, Kan.; and six step-grandchildren, Brent and Ashley Cavin, Austin and Breanna Bailey, and Bethany and Jordan Phillips.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Alan Marquardt; and a sister, Marilyn Kartman.
Rev. Paul Rooks will conduct funeral services 2 p.m., Thursday, May 27, 2010 at the Grace Baptist Tabernacle in Fort Scott, Kan., with burial following at the Evergreen Cemetery.
The family will receive friends Wednesday evening, May 26, 2010 from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society and left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney funeral home, 15 West Wall Street, P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, Kansas, 66701.
Online condolences may be emailed to firstname.lastname@example.com.