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Advanced Surgical Care
Cancer Care
Heart Care
Joint Center
Stroke Care
Surgical Weight Loss
"We're happy to provide care to any and all types of patients that want to come here, whether they've just moved to the area or they've transferred their care from another provider."
– Jessica MacPhail, NP, EMMC Family Medicine, Husson Ave.
EMMC Family Medicine is currently accepting new patients in many of its practices.
Last June, Robert Nichols of Waterville was playing a round of golf, just like he had done hundreds of times before. But something was different this time. When he got to the fifth hole, his chest began to hurt, and he just wasn't feeling well. Robert was having a heart attack.
Read more about the many other life-saving stories that take place every day at EMMC Heart Care.
EMMC is the specialty referral hospital for the northern two-thirds of Maine, providing leading-edge programs in cancer, surgery, and cardiac care, among many others.
Our passion is providing the best patient care possible with a focus on excellent service, clinical quality, and patient safety. A committed partner to our patients and community, we believe nothing should stand in the way of quality healthcare.
Click here to find out more about EMMC's Modernization Project.
Serving our communities is at the heart of EMMC's nonprofit mission. That's why we invest in resources that help improve the health of the people living in the northern two-thirds of Maine.
Learn how EMMC is making a difference in our communities every day.
At EMMC, we are always raising the bar on our performance regarding patient safety and quality of care we provide to our patients. That means we are working on initiatives and improvements that put us on pace with the best hospitals in the country. Whether it's working to eliminate preventable errors or aiming for 100 percent compliance with our standard for handwashing, EMMC employees are engaged and working to be the best we can be.
Avatar Solutions - Excellence in Patient Safety Award
In 2014, Eastern Maine Medical Center again received an Exceeding Patient Expectations award from Avatar Solutions, which gauges quality of care, reliability, and customization before patient visits. EMMC also received an Exemplary Service - Overall Best Performer award which goes to the top facilities with the highest overall combined score for inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and ambulatory surgery.
Best Ranks for Falls and Bedsores
EMMC continually monitors patient falls and employs various any safety measures that ensure the safest conditions for patients while in our care. The Maine Health Management Coalition tiers hospitals by performance on a variety of patient safety indicators and ranked EMMC best for falls with injury. Learn more here.
LifeWings - A Staff Driven Initiative
Since 2012, EMMC's nurses, physicians, and clinical support staff have participated in revising processes to enhance patient safety with the help of the LifeWings program. This staff driven initiative allows participants to create new hardwired safety tools that enhance communication and information systems, and improve patient safety measures.
The Leapfrog Group - Top National Scores in Patient Safety
Safety is everyone's job at EMMC. Since the program began in 2012, Eastern Maine Medical Center has earned an "A" Score in Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. This is the highest mark a hospital can receive, and the seventh consequtive top score since the survey began.
Medical Device Identified for FDA Recall by EMMC Staff
It's not often that the US Food and Drug Administration calls out a hospital for its contribution to the promotion of patient safety, but it happened in 2014 to Eastern Maine Medical Center. After a potential issue was discovered by a physician, EMMC staff investigated and confirmed an issue with the Cordis Optease Vena Cava Filter device. This medical device is inserted into a vein that returns blood to the heart from the legs. It catches blood clots so they do not move through the body and prevents a recurrent pulmonary embolism—a life threatening condition.
EMMC submitted a voluntary report to the FDA detailing the investigation carried out at the hospital, which included photographs of the product labeling. The FDA was then able to determine that the device had been mislabeled by the manufacturer and responded by issuing a Class 1 Recall, which removed the product from hospitals in the US, Canada, and Panama.
All hospitals are required by law to report medical device adverse events to the US Food and Drug Administration under the Safe Medical Devices Act. Since 2004, EMMC has taken its commitment to safety further by voluntarily reporting medical device issues before any injuries can occur as part of the FDA's MedSun program, a step above the national standard. This advocacy is part of a culture of safety at EMMC and throughout EMHS that focuses on many measures that provide the highest quality healthcare for our patients.
The Joint Commission Names EMMC Top Performer in Quality
In 2011, EMMC was proud to be recognized as one of the nation's top performers on key quality measures by The Joint Commission, and one of only three hospitals in Maine to be named to The Joint Commission's Top Performers on Key Quality Measures list. The Joint Commission is the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in the United States.
To be acknowledged as a top performer on key quality measures, an organization must meet two 95 percent thresholds. EMMC was recognized for only achieving, but far exceeding, these threholds. EMMC achieved an overall composite score of 99 percent in all four clinical areas -- heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia care, and surgical care.
Results-Based Safety Award from VHA
In 2010, EMMC, as part of EMHS, earned the VHA Patient Safety Leadership Award--the only hospital system in the country to be recognized for results-based work on safety. This prestigious award acknowledges the ongoing efforts of EMHS hospitals--EMMC being the largest of those--to strive to become the best rural healthcare system in the nation.
Transforming Care at the Bedside - A Nurse Driven Initiative
EMMC nurses participate in Transforming Care at the Bedside, a collaborative sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.The goals of Transforming Care at the Bedside, are:
Transforming Care at the Bedside originated from the understanding that hospital nurses have many ideas to improve patient care and their work environment, but making changes in a large institution can be time consuming and difficult. Transforming Care at the Bedside is designed to engage front-line staff in identifying barriers to quality patient care and then developing solutions to quickly overcome those problems.


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The burned out remnants of a transport truck cab after a fire at a propane facility in Cornwall Monday morning. Colin MacLean/Journal Pioneer
CORNWALL – An early morning fire at a propane storage facility in Cornwall sent firefighters scrambling Monday.
The call came in from a passing motorist at about 3:10 a.m.
The facility is located on W.B MacPhail Drive.
Upon arrival firefighters found the cab of a truck fully in flame, its cylinder trailer contained at least some propane.
The provincial fire marshall is investigating.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
TITAN Recycling is a leader in the collection
and sales of empty printer - fax, and laser-ink jet cartridges. We have
given ourselves this distinction because no one else would.
Do you want to buy Empty Cartridges from a Broker who also Remanufactures?
I think not. Why would you want some other Remanufacturer's rejects, because that is what you'd be getting.
Do a lot of Empties Brokers also Remanufacture?
I can think of 5 major players who are also remanning, or are affiliated with a Remanufacturer.
TITAN does not Remanufacture, and is not affiliated with a Remanufacturer...period. Walt Rebar, at your service.
Copyright ©2002 Titan Recycling International


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POWYS-L ArchivesArchiver > POWYS > 2001-05 > 0990929826
From: Millie Wolff <>
Subject: Re: need help understanding cert.
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 20:17:06 -0600
References: <email@example.com>
"Do" might possibly mean "ditto". I've found it a lot in Parish registers .
Catherine's residence may be the same as John's.
Millie, Canada
> On a 1852 (20 Aug) marriage certificate from the GRO (parish church of
> Llanddeniolen) for John Hughes and Catherine Jones, age is stated as full
> age. Residence for John appears to be Rhiwlus and for Catherine it appears to
> be a capital letter D followed by a small o underlined.
> Where may I find their exact birthrates? Are these parish records available
> on the net? Would SKS enlighten me regarding the residences?
> TIA from a novice researcher.
> Barbara Hughes DiMarco (USA)
This thread:
|Re: need help understanding cert. by Millie Wolff <>


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Burrell girls basketball preview for PIAA quarterfinals
PIAA girls basketball preview
Class AA quarterfinals
Burrell (22-3) vs. Sharpsville (18-8)
6 p.m. Tuesday, Slippery Rock University's Morrow Fieldhouse
Coaches: Meghan Ziemianski, Burrell (2nd year); Jeff Hanley, Sharpsville (12th year)
Players to watch: Burrell — Sydney Bordonaro (So., 5-7, PG, 15 ppg); Sharpsville — McKenzie Popatak (Sr., 5-9, F, 22 ppg)
Playoff paths: Burrell — Defeated Carlynton, 47-23, in WPIAL first round; Defeated McGuffey, 47-23, in WPIAL quarterfinals; Lost to Bishop Canevin, 55-19, in WPIAL semifinals. Sharpsville — Defeated Seneca, 34-29, in District 10 quarterfinals; Lost to Northeast, 42-38, in District 10 semfinals; Defeated Mercer, 48-29, in PIAA play-in game
Winner plays: WPIAL champ Bishop Canevin (23-4)/District 10 runner-up General McClane (23-3) winner, Friday (time, site TBD) in semifinals
Fast-break points: Fresh off its first state playoff victory in 19 years, youthful Burrell continues to inch toward a potential rematch with the team that dashed its WPIAL championship hopes, Bishop Canevin. Burrell looked more like itself in a 65-46 win over Bellwood-Antis in the PIAA first round. Against Bellwood-Antis, Bordonaro scored 27 points and 5-foot-10 freshman forward Natalie Myers added 16 and nine rebounds. Ziemianski never reached the state playoffs as a player at Burrell, and the same is true for her two assistants Mark, her father, and Zack, her brother. Mark was coach of the girls and boys team. Meghan is 41-8 in two seasons at the helm for Burrell. ... Sharpsville qualified for the state playoffs for the first time in 11 years and the second time under Hanley's direction. The Blue Darlings are powered by Popatak, the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,690 career points. She averages 22 points and 11 rebounds. Her 30-point effort in a consolation-game win over Brookville secured her team a spot in the state bracket. Junior guard Megan Davis is a 3-point threat and averages 11 points. Senior point guard Natalie Henwood is the facilitator for both scorers. Sharpsville started 2-5 but is 16-3 since.
—Bill Beckner Jr.


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|Embargoed Until:
March 6, 2007
9:00 a.m. Eastern Time
SCHIP's Advances Could Halt If Funding Does Not Increase, Warn Researchers In March-April Issue of Health Affairs
Studies In Thematic Issue On Children's Health Issues Focus On Disparities, Early Screening Programs, Medicaid, And Reforms To Improve Care
Bethesda, MD -- As Congress and the nation's governors wrangle with the Bush administration over how much the federal government should spend on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), an article in the March/April 2007 issue of Health Affairs, released today, examines the first decade of the program and concludes that by many objective standards, SCHIP has been a success, lowering uninsurance rates among children and improving their access to care. The authors warn, however, that if funding is held to its current level, many children could lose their health insurance, and states will be hard-pressed to expand coverage for the nearly two million uninsured children who are now eligible for the program. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/356
SCHIP covers children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. The federal government allocated $5 billion to SCHIP in 2007. The program has become an important part of the health insurance safety net, providing coverage to about four million children on any given day. However, fourteen states are expected to run out of money for the program this year, and some states have been exploring the need to cut enrollments soon.
"As SCHIP reaches its ten-year anniversary, the program has become a lifeline for extending health insurance coverage to children and could serve as a platform for addressing broader health care issues for low-income families" said Urban Institute researcher Genevieve Kenney. "Without additional federal funds this year and in subsequent years, low-income children stand to lose coverage."
In reauthorizing SCHIP, the federal government might consider adjusting the federal funding formula to take into account potential increases in the demand for coverage spurred by economic downturns or the further erosion of employer-sponsored health insurance, write Kenney and fellow Urban Institute researcher Justin Yee in a thematic Health Affairs issue on children's health. The issue, titled "Designing Children's Health Care," is supported by the California Endowment, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Nemours Foundation
Kenney and Yee say that the federal funding structure could be changed from its current block-grant formula to one that rewards states with high participation rates in both Medicaid and SCHIP. Among other things, this would encourage states to address enrollment barriers and to adopt cost-effective outreach programs.
The authors also suggest increasing flexibility and funding to support automatic enrollment in SCHIP. "Given the fluctuations that occur in families' incomes and circumstances, achieving anything close to 100 percent participation in SCHIP is likely impossible without some type of automatic or default enrollment mechanism," they write. They also call attention to the barriers posed by recent federal legislation requiring proof of citizenship for enrollment and re-enrollment in Medicaid. The requirement could deter or prevent some eligible children from gaining coverage under both Medicaid and SCHIP, the authors say.
In addition, better information is needed about the quality of care under various SCHIP programs. Reauthorization could provide an opportunity to examine the costs of providing care for the program's enrollees and a way to manage high-cost cases, the authors write.
The authors conclude that SCHIP could serve as a springboard for addressing broader health care issues for children and their families. For example, extending SCHIP to low-income parents could help reduce the overall number of uninsured Americans and improve the coverage, health and well-being of U.S. children. "Without greater federal subsidies for covering low-income parents, it is unlikely that their insurance picture will greatly improve," say the authors.
Study: Low-Income Children More Likely To Be Limited By Chronic Conditions
In another study, researchers at Columbia University highlight disparities in health between poor and affluent children and call on policymakers to reduce income-related differences in care for poor children with chronic conditions. Only 70 percent of the 8.3 million children estimated to be poor between 2001 and 2005 were reported by their mothers to be in excellent or very good health, compared with nearly 87 percent of higher-income children, according to a study based on National Health Interview Survey data on 100,000 Americans by Columbia University economist Janet Currie and Wanchuan Lin of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/331
In addition, the incidence of low birthweight is higher than average in poor households, as is the prevalence of chronic conditions such as asthma and of mental health problems such as ADHD. The study found that 32 percent of poor children have at least one chronic condition, compared to 27 percent of affluent children. Poor children with chronic conditions are more likely to be limited in their activities than nonpoor children, especially when it comes to mental health issues. "If we are concerned about health disparities, we need to protect, expand, and restore funding for the treatment of poor children with chronic conditions," the authors conclude.
Reforms Needed In Children's Health
This issue of Health Affairs includes articles from leading health policy experts on a range of issues related to children's health. Len Nichols, director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, writes that there is a moral case for society to provide health insurance coverage to poor children. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/405
Lisa Dubay, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and colleagues examine the roles of Medicaid and SCHIP in providing coverage for children. SCHIP reauthorization provides an opportunity to revisit and improve Medicaid's role in serving the nation's most vulnerable children, they write. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/370 (NOTE: The version of the Dubay article in the bound March/April volume contains some computational errors. For a corrected version, view the article online at the URL provided above.)
Sara Rosenbaum, chair of the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University, and Paul Wise of Stanford University argue that the existing pediatric standard of coverage -- Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) -- has been jeopardized by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and could severely hamper the quality of pediatric care, particularly for children with special health care needs. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/382
Mireille Jacobson, an assistant professor in the University of California, Irvine, School of Social Ecology, and Thomas Buchmueller, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, describe California's innovative use of insurance brokers and tax preparers to enroll state residents -- particularly those at the upper end of the public insurance income scale -- in Medicaid and SCHIP. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/538
Other articles in the March-April issue of Health Affairs explore policies for reforming child health care. Lead authors Neal Halfon, director of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities, and his UCLA colleagues call for broad reforms to the U.S. child care system such as establishing a federal Child Health Development Agency to consolidate existing funding and planning for children's health initiatives. Halfon and his coauthors say that the U.S. system of child health services is so fragmented and underperforming that a new approach is needed to improve the system. "Realizing major health policy reform for our nation's children not only is in their best interest but also is an important down payment on our country's future," they write. Other recommendations include improving early childhood services and systems, using health information technology to coordinate care among various health care providers, and organizing local child health development systems to manage care delivery. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/315
Another paper in the March-April issue examines how society prioritizes the health of young people. Using the example of the allocation of flu vaccines during a pandemic, Daniel Eisenberg and Gary Freed of the University of Michigan argue that current methods for economic evaluation undervalue health interventions for the young and should be modified. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/345
Health Affairs, published by Project HOPE, is the leading journal of health policy. The peer-reviewed journal appears bimonthly in print with additional online-only papers published weekly as Health Affairs Web Exclusives at www.healthaffairs.org.
©2007 Project HOPEThe People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.


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Delta Lambda Chapter
Celebrating 98 Years of Manly Deeds, Scholarship and Love for All Mankind.
About Us
A brief history of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
The Seven Jewels of Alpha Phi Alpha
A Century of Leadership
Membership in Alpha Phi Alpha
History of Delta Lambda Chapter
Presidents of Delta Lambda Chapter
Members of Delta Lambda Chapter
Delta Lambda Chapter in Omega Chapter
Photo Gallery
Chapter Activities
Annual Black & Gold Ball
Beautillion Program
National Programs
Go to High School – Go to College
Project Alpha
A Voteless People is a Hopeless People
A. Charles Haston Brothers' Keeper Program
Beautillion Donations
Beautillion Scholars Program
More About the BSP
Session Donation
A Message from the Chair
11th Grade Application
12th Grade Application
Beautillion Classes
Souvenir Journals
Black & Gold Ball Tickets!
Delta Lambda Foundation
More About the BSP
National Programs
Beautillion Scholars Program
/ More About the BSP
More About the BSP
August 19 , 2015
By :
Antoine Banks
Comment : 0
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text:
Deep Reflections*
Below the ocean ledge
skipjack smoothly pulse
each time sunlight pierces
through patchy cloud debris.
While silver mullet shimmer
a dozen yellowtail slowly
sink toward bottom sand
like a brace of diamond flakes
intact. Tidal rhythms rock sea fans
opening bohemian neighborhoods
of chameleon pipes and blowfish
and one-eyed flounders wavering
in mid-air undisturbed.
A monstrous ray from nowhere
glides the reef to shake
his sabre just for exercise.
Then the stationary barracuda
explodes a school of passing sprat
so fast he's still standing still.
His jaws break the spell and end
the drama without surface traces.
*JOUVERT 5(2) (March 2001).


text:
Yay Puns! VH1 Classic Gets Ready To Rev Up Jewish New Year With 'Rush Hashanah'...
VH1 Classic is once again ringing in the Jewish New Year with a 24-hour marathon of Canada's greatest music export, RUSH. "Rush Hashanah" begins Wednesday, September 28 at 7 p.m. and features the world premiere of "Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland". "Time Machine" delivers the first live performance of the entire "Moving Pictures" album and other fan favorites from their many celebrated albums. The RUSH extravaganza will include unforgettable concerts, performances and a behind-the-scenes look into the phenomenal 40-year career.
Beginning Wednesday, September 28 at 7 p.m. and ending on Thursday, September 29 at 7 p.m., the RUSH takeover on VH1 Classic will give viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in all things RUSH. With a glimpse into the renowned band's life with the award-winning VH1 rock doc "Beyond The Lighted Stage" and "Classic Albums '2112' And 'Moving Pictures'", there is no portion of RUSH's legacy that will go unseen. Relive throwback hits with memorable concerts including the world premiere of "Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland" and other hit concerts, including "Rush In Rio" and "R30".


text:
Per-arnt-sim (PAS) domain-containing protein kinase is downregulated in human islets in type 2 diabetes and regulates glucagon secretion
- First Online:
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We assessed whether per-arnt-sim (PAS) domain-containing protein kinase (PASK) is involved in the regulation of glucagon secretion.
mRNA levels were measured in islets by quantitative PCR and in pancreatic beta cells obtained by laser capture microdissection. Glucose tolerance, plasma hormone levels and islet hormone secretion were analysed in C57BL/6 Pask homozygote knockout mice (Pask−/−) and control littermates. Alpha-TC1-9 cells, human islets or cultured E13.5 rat pancreatic epithelia were transduced with anti-Pask or control small interfering RNAs, or with adenoviruses encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein or PASK.
PASK expression was significantly lower in islets from human type 2 diabetic than control participants. PASK mRNA was present in alpha and beta cells from mouse islets. In Pask−/− mice, fasted blood glucose and plasma glucagon levels were 25 ± 5% and 50 ± 8% (mean ± SE) higher, respectively, than in control mice. At inhibitory glucose concentrations (10 mmol/l), islets from Pask−/− mice secreted 2.04 ± 0.2-fold (p < 0.01) more glucagon and 2.63 ± 0.3-fold (p < 0.01) less insulin than wild-type islets. Glucose failed to inhibit glucagon secretion from PASK-depleted alpha-TC1-9 cells, whereas PASK overexpression inhibited glucagon secretion from these cells and human islets. Extracellular insulin (20 nmol/l) inhibited glucagon secretion from control and PASK-deficient alpha-TC1-9 cells. PASK-depleted alpha-TC1-9 cells and pancreatic embryonic explants displayed increased expression of the preproglucagon (Gcg) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-alpha2 (Prkaa2) genes, implying a possible role for AMPK-alpha2 downstream of PASK in the control of glucagon gene expression and release.
PASK is involved in the regulation of glucagon secretion by glucose and may be a useful target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
KeywordsΑlpha cells Glucagon secretion Human islets of Langerhans Knockout mouse PASK
AMP-activated protein kinase
PAS domain-containing protein kinase
- Pask−/−
Pask homozygote knockout mice
- siRNA
Small interfering RNA
Elevated glucose concentrations (>3.5 mmol/l) normally suppress the release of glucagon from pancreatic alpha cells; dysregulation of this process is a feature of type 1 and type 2 diabetes [1, 2]. Both direct [3] and indirect [4] effects of glucose on the release of glucagon have been described. Whereas the latter appear to involve the release of secretory products, including insulin [3, 5], gamma-aminobutyric acid [6, 7, 8] or zinc ions [4, 9] from neighbouring beta cells, as well as somatostatin from delta cells [10, 11], the signalling events involved in the direct sensing of glucose are more controversial [12]. These may involve enhanced metabolism of glucose and the closure of ATP-sensitive K+ channels, followed by limited membrane depolarisation [13, 14]. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) appears also to be involved in the regulation of glucagon release [15].
Per-arnt-sim (PAS) domain-containing protein kinases (PASKs) are related to AMPK and are common in prokaryotes. However, there is currently only one known mammalian counterpart [16, 17]. We [18] and others [19, 20] have shown that PASK is important for energy sensing and maintenance of normal cellular energy balance in mammalian systems.
In pancreatic beta cells, PASK activity is regulated by glucose and is involved in the regulation of glucose-induced preproinsulin and pancreatic duodenum homeobox-1 (Pdx1) gene expression [18, 20]. Expression of the Pask gene in rodent islets and beta cell lines [18, 20] is also glucose-sensitive. Recently, PASK has been implicated in regulation of lipogenic gene expression [19] and might, therefore, influence glucose signalling through lipid intermediates as proposed for glucose-induced insulin secretion [21].
Pask homozygote knockout mice (Pask−/−), which are globally inactivated for Pask, have previously been reported to display lower plasma insulin levels than control littermates [19], but normal glucose tolerance [19, 22], reflecting enhanced insulin sensitivity [19]. Insulin secretion from Pask−/− islets has variously been shown to be not different [22] or lower [19] than in control islets. It has also been previously reported that total insulin content and/or beta cell mass were not altered in Pask−/− mice [19, 22]. However, data from these earlier studies are difficult to interpret for a number of reasons. In the first instance, total islet insulin was not always measured, making it difficult to evaluate the insulin secretory capacity of Pask−/− islets. Moreover quantification of beta cell mass using pancreatic sections is prone to substantial variability [19]. Due to these limitations [19, 22], the role of PASK in the regulation of pancreatic hormone release and glucose homeostasis remains to be clarified.
A recent report [20] showed that inhibition of insulin gene expression by palmitate was reversed by Pask overexpression in MIN6 beta cells. The loss of PASK, and hence the loss of regulation by Pdx1 and Mafa gene expression [18], was proposed to be a mechanism by which insulin gene expression in the beta cell might be lost on exposure to palmitate [20]. Thus, PASK appears to exert a protective effect in mature beta cells. Moreover, aberrant PASK expression and/or function may play a significant role in the development of diabetes and, interestingly, Pask−/− mice develop glucose intolerance on a high-fat diet [18].
Although glucose homeostasis reflects the release of multiple islet hormones in addition to insulin, there are currently no published data on the role of PASK in other islet cell types. The present study demonstrates that PASK is involved in the regulation of glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha cells. We show that PASK expression is decreased in the islets of human type 2 diabetic patients and that Pask is at least as strongly expressed in highly purified mouse alpha cells as in beta cells. Silencing or ablation of Pask in clonal alpha cells or islets, respectively, drastically blunted the inhibition of glucagon secretion by glucose. Whereas the insulin content of PASK-deficient islets was dramatically reduced, the acute regulation of insulin secretion by glucose was normal. Thus, PASK regulates hormone release reciprocally from pancreatic alpha and beta cells. Given that dysregulation of insulin and glucagon secretion are characteristics of type 2 diabetes, we propose that PASK may be a potential drug target to modulate glucagon release in vivo.
Adenoviruses encoding for human PASK have been previously described [16]. All general chemicals and tissue culture reagents were purchased from Sigma (Poole, UK) or Invitrogen (Paisley, UK), unless otherwise stated in the text.
Isolation and culture of islets
Studies on human islets were conducted with local ethics committee approval at all sites (Charing Cross Research Ethics Committee Ref. 07/H0711/114). Human islets were isolated as previously described in Oxford, UK [23], or in Pisa, Italy [24], and maintained in medium containing 11 mmol/l glucose for 10 days to allow the loss of exocrine tissue [25]. Human type 2 diabetic donors were selected according to established criteria [23, 26]. Mouse pancreatic islets were isolated and cultured as described in [3]. Alpha-TC1-9 cells (passage 35–45; American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA) were cultured as previously described [7].
Laser capture microdissection and microarray analysis
These procedures were performed as described in Electronic supplementary material (ESM) Methods.
RNA sequencing
We prepared 300 ng of total RNA with a kit (mRNA-Seq 8; Illumina, Little Chesterford, UK). For clustering and sequencing we used Illumina cluster generation and sequencing kits v4. 9pM were loaded to the flowcell (one sample per lane) and sequenced on a sequencer (GAIIx) with RTA software version 2.6 (Little Chesterford, UK). On average we obtained 28 million reads per lane, passing Illumina's quality filtering. Short reads (35 bp) were aligned to the mouse genome (Ensembl v54) using a mapping station (Genomatix) [27] and to a database of known and potential splice junctions using Bowtie [28]. Up to three mismatches and no insertions or deletions were allowed, and, on average, more than 85% of the reads in a sample could be mapped to the genome. Gene expression was measured as proposed by Mortazavi et al. [29] and reads per kilobase per million (RPKM) values were computed for every gene.
Mice Pask−/− mice (kindly provided by R. Wenger, Institute of Physiology and ZIHP, Zurich, Switzerland) [30] were back-crossed for ten generations with C57BL/6 mice prior to use. Mice were housed with two to five animals per cage in a pathogen-free facility on a 12 h light–dark cycle with free access to standard mouse chow diet, unless otherwise stated. All in vivo procedures were performed in the Imperial College Central Biomedical Service in accordance with the Principles of Laboratory Care and the UK Home Office (Animals Scientific Procedures Act, 1986), and approved by the local ethics committee. Genotyping was performed as previously described [30].
Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test
An intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test was performed on 8-week-old mice as described in [31], at 09:00 hours on each experimental day.
Measurement of total pancreatic insulin and glucagon
Pancreases were excised from 8-week-old mice and suspended in ice-cold acid–ethanol (75.0% ethanol–23.4% molecular grade water–1.5% HCl–0.1% Triton X-100, vol./vol.) prior to disruption by sonication (microsonicator; Misonix, Farmingdale, NY, USA) at 4°C. Total protein was measured by Bradford's assay [32], and insulin and glucagon content were measured by radioimmunoassay (Linco, Watford, UK).
Measurement of plasma glucagon
At 8 weeks of age mice were starved overnight prior to being killed by cervical dislocation. Blood (200 μl) was immediately removed by cardiac puncture. Plasma was collected using high-speed centrifugation (2,000 g, 5 min) in heparin-coated tubes (Microvette; Sarstedt, Leicester, UK) and plasma glucagon assessed by radioimmunoassay (Linco, Watford, UK).
Manipulation of PASK content in alpha-TC1-9 cells and cultured islets of Langerhans
Alpha-TC1-9 cells and islets were infected with adenoviruses encoding for PASK or enhanced green fluorescent protein at a multiplicity of infection of 100 and cultured for 48 h prior to use. Alpha-TC1-9 cells were transfected with anti-Pask small interfering RNA (siRNA) or control siRNA (1 nmol/l) [18]. Protein content was assessed by western (immuno-)blot analysis.
Culture of E13.5 rat pancreatic epithelia
E13.5 rat pancreatic epithelia were isolated and cultured as previously described [33]. Epithelia were cultured in the presence of anti-Pask siRNA or control siRNA [18] (1 nmol/l) for 10 days prior to RNA isolation for real-time quantitative PCR analysis.
Real-time quantitative PCR analysis
Highly purified primary mouse islet beta and alpha cells were obtained by fluorescence-activated cell sorting of transgenic mice expressing the fluorescent protein Venus selectively in the alpha cell under the preproglucagon promoter [34, 35]. RNA was extracted from alpha-TC1-9 cells and cultured rat E13.5 explants using Trizol (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Total RNA was subjected to DNAse treatment (Ambion, Warrington, UK), followed by cDNA conversion (high-capacity cDNA conversion kit; Applied Biosystems, Warrington, UK) and real-time quantitative PCR using SYBR green (Applied Biosystems) in a 7500 Real-Time PCR System (ABI, Warrington, UK).
Western (immuno-)blot analysis
Western (immuno-)blot analysis was performed as previously described [18].
Statistical analysis
Data are the means ± SE for the number of observations indicated. Statistical significance and differences between means were assessed by Student's t test with Bonferroni correction for multiple analyses.
PASK gene expression is regulated by glucose in human pancreatic islets of Langerhans and is lowered in type 2 diabetes
mRNA expression data obtained using whole islets may be confounded by variable degrees of contamination with other pancreatic cell types, as well as by other factors. Therefore, we sought to further support the above results by using laser capture microdissection and array analysis to quantify mRNA levels selectively in beta cell-enriched samples [26]. A clear tendency for decreased PASK expression in islets in type 2 diabetic pancreases vs controls was also observed using this approach (ESM Fig. 1). In contrast, consistent changes in levels of the AMPK-alpha1 and -alpha2 subunit (encoded by PRKAA1 and PRKAA2, respectively) were not observed with array data on samples obtained by laser capture microdissection. However, with quantitative PCR done on the same samples with enough RNA (10 vs 10), a small but statistically significant decrease in PRKAA1 expression was apparent (18%; p < 0.019), using RPL32 as an internal control.
Pask is expressed in murine pancreatic beta and alpha cells
In the mouse, Pask mRNA has previously been shown to be most abundant in testes as well as in haemopoietic tissues including thymus and spleen [30]. Levels in other tissues, including islets, are much lower [30] (G. A. Rutter and G. Sun, unpublished observations). Indeed, the expression of Pask in adult mouse islets and its induction by glucose have recently been questioned, since expression in these cells of the lacZ gene, expressed in mice null for Pask alleles under the Pask promoter, was barely detectable by beta-Gal staining [22]. By contrast, we have previously detected Pask mRNA in mouse islets and MIN6 cells [18], data recently confirmed by others [20]. Examined here in islets from mice on a mixed C57BL/6/sv129 background cultured at 11 mmol/l glucose, massive parallel sequencing (RNAseq) confirmed the presence of Pask mRNA at low but detectable levels, lying in the lower 30th percentile of all mRNAs at approximately 0.2 ± 0.3% (n = 3 female mice) of β-actin mRNA levels (ESM Fig. 2).
To determine in which cell types Pask was expressed in mouse islets, we next compared the expression of Pask mRNA in highly purified primary mouse alpha and beta cells (Fig. 1c). These were obtained by fluorescence-activated cell sorting of transgenic mice selectively expressing the fluorescent protein, Venus, in the alpha cell [34, 35] and by real-time quantitative PCR analysis. This approach confirmed the presence of Pask mRNA in both cell types and indicated that levels in purified alpha cells (1.45 ± 0.46% of beta-actin mRNA) tended to be higher than in beta cells (0.54 ± 0.044%; n = 3 preparations; p = 0.07 by two-tailed Student's t test).
Pask−/− mice display normal glucose tolerance but impaired plasma glucagon concentration
Islets of Langerhans from Pask−/− mice display impaired glucose-regulated glucagon secretion
The expression of mouse preproinsulin 2 (Ins2) and Pdx1 genes was strongly impaired in Pask−/− mouse islets (Fig. 3e), as previously reported [18, 20]. Moreover, the insulin content of whole Pask−/− mouse pancreases was 1.98 ± 0.3-fold lower than that of wild-type pancreases (67 ± 15 vs 133 ± 12 ng/mg protein for Pask−/− and wild-type mice, respectively; n = 3 mice for each genotype). While glucagon protein content in Pask−/− islets (Fig. 3c) was unaffected, preproglucagon (Gcg) gene expression was slightly but significantly increased, as was Prkaa2 mRNA expression (Fig. 3e).
Glucagon release is activated in the absence of Pask in alpha-TC1-9 cells
Glucagon release is inhibited by PASK overexpression in alpha-TC1-9 cells and human islets of Langerhans
Similarly, overexpression of PASK in human islets of Langerhans (Fig. 5b) inhibited glucagon secretion at all glucose concentrations tested, while the stimulatory effects of KCl were largely maintained. Interestingly, there was still an apparent effect of glucose on glucagon secretion in human islets overexpressing PASK (Fig. 5b), consistent with a maintained effect on glucagon release mediated by beta cell-derived factors.
Silencing of Pask gene expression in alpha-TC1-9 cells and E13.5 rat pancreatic epithelial explants causes increased AMPK-alpha2 and glucagon gene expression
To determine whether the dysregulation of glucagon gene expression and release in Pask−/− mice was due to a role of the enzyme in the development of pancreatic alpha and beta cells, we next examined the impact of Pask silencing in developing pancreatic epithelia. E13.5 rat pancreatic epithelial explants [33], in which Pask gene expression was silenced with an anti-Pask siRNA, developed endocrine buds to an extent indistinguishable from that observed in explants treated with a control (scrambled) siRNA (ESM Fig. 3). However, explants in which Pask was silenced displayed similar increases in Gcg and Prkaa2 gene expression (ESM Fig. 3) to those observed in alpha-TC1-9 cells (Fig. 6). Explants overexpressing Pask did not survive the 10 day culture period.
PASK is expressed in pancreatic islets
An important finding of the present study is that Pask mRNA is clearly present in mouse islets maintained at permissive glucose concentrations (11 mmol/l), in contrast to a recent suggestion [22]. These results and those from another recent publication [20] support our own previous findings [18]. We would stress, however, that the level of gene expression, at least at the mRNA level, was relatively low compared with tissues in which Pask is strongly expressed (notably in the testes) [22], an observation that probably underlies the failure to detect significant expression using alternative approaches [22].
PASK regulates insulin and glucagon secretion
It has previously been shown that islet architecture and beta cell mass in Pask−/− mice are intact [19, 22]. Thus, it was hypothesised in earlier studies that the observed decrease in insulin release may have been due to defective glucose-signalling in the beta cell [19]. In contrast, our data show that glucose-regulated insulin secretion was intact in Pask−/− islets (Fig. 3b), but that the insulin content of the islet (Fig. 3d) and pancreas (see Results section) were lowered by Pask deletion. This apparent discrepancy between the present and earlier [19, 22] studies may reflect differences in the genetic background, age and sex of the mice used. We would, however, note that Pask−/− beta cell mass was previously assessed by immunohistochemical analysis of fixed pancreatic sections, which may be prone to error.
Nevertheless, it was previously reported that plasma insulin content was compromised in Pask−/− mice [19], a result consistent with the present findings. In our hands, glucagon release from Pask−/− mouse islets (Fig. 3a) and human islets in which PASK was overexpressed (Fig. 5b) still displayed some degree of glucose-responsiveness, even though this was markedly decreased compared with the control condition. We hypothesise that this 'residual' regulation of release may be due, at least in part, to the release of insulin or other factors (Zn2+, gamma-aminobutyric acid, etc.) from neighbouring pancreatic beta cells and is consistent with the maintained effect of exogenous insulin on glucagon release from alpha-TC1-9 cells (Fig. 4b).
Close inspection of the data of Fig. 3a vs Fig. 4 reveals that whereas loss of Pask enhanced glucagon secretion from islets only at high (inhibitory) glucose levels (Fig. 3a), stimulation of glucagon release was apparent at all glucose concentrations examined in alpha-TC1-9 cells (Fig. 4). The mechanisms responsible for this difference are unclear. However, we note that while insulin mRNA was present at low but detectable levels in control alpha-TC-1-9 cells (Ct values ≥ 29; data not shown), silencing of Pask led to decreased insulin gene expression such that this was below the limit of detection. Hence an action of Pask silencing on endogenous insulin secretion from alpha-TC-1-9 cells, and thus loss of tonic inhibition of glucagon secretion by this hormone, may contribute to the above mechanisms. Further studies are needed to resolve this question.
Interestingly, the increase in plasma glucagon levels measured after 16 h fasting in 8-week-old Pask−/− mice was similar to that observed in alpha cell-specific insulin receptor knockout mice of the same age [5]. We have previously shown that PASK activity is not regulated by insulin, but that PASK may regulate insulin gene expression in pancreatic beta cells [18]. Thus, we propose that the regulation of insulin content by Pask is one of the mechanisms through which PASK may indirectly regulate glucagon release.
A role for AMPK alpha2 downstream of PASK?
Our gene-expression studies revealed that expression of the catalytic subunit of another glucose-responsive fuel gauge, Prkaa2 (encoding AMPK-alpha2), is upregulated when Pask gene expression is compromised (Fig. 6). This is an interesting observation, since AMPK activity has been shown to be glucose-responsive in pancreatic beta cells [36] and to regulate insulin release [37, 38]; in addition, we have recently shown that activation of AMPK in the alpha cell stimulates glucagon secretion [15]. However, as also observed here, Prkaa2 mRNA levels are normally much lower (more than tenfold) than Prkaa1 in purified mouse beta and alpha cells [31], suggesting that the inappropriate activation of this isoform and an increase in AMPK activity in the nucleus (from which AMPK alpha1 is excluded in mature pancreatic endocrine cells) [36] may impact on the transcription of key genes, including Gcg, to reprogram the alpha cell. Interestingly, induction of Prkaa2 expression was also observed in E13.5 pancreatic epithelia [33] in which Pask was silenced (Fig. 6c), indicating that defects during pancreatic development may contribute to the dysregulation of glucagon release in Pask−/− mice.
PASK may have a role in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes
The observation that pancreatic islets from patients with type 2 diabetes display lower PASK mRNA levels than islets from non-diabetic individuals (Fig. 1b) suggests that lowered PASK activity may contribute to decreased insulin release and to enhanced glucagon secretion in this condition [1]. PASK may therefore represent a potential therapeutic target, the activation of which might favourably affect the secretion of both hormones in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The authors thank S. Vakhshouri for technical assistance, and F. Semplici and M. K. Loder for scientific input during manuscript preparation. This work was supported by a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation post-doctoral fellowship and an European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes Albert Renold travelling fellowship to G. da Silva Xavier, and by grants to G. A. Rutter from the Wellcome Trust (081958/2/07/2) and the Medical Research Council (G0401641). H. Farhan, H. Kim and S. Caxaria were supported by Imperial College London BSc and MSc project funds. The Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation supported P. Johnson and S. Hughes.
Duality of interest
The authors declare that there is no duality of interest associated with this manuscript.
Open Access
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.


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In the matter between:
Husband and wife – Divorce – Constructive desertion – Not a ground for outright decree of divorce – The guilty party granted divorce as against the innocent party – Appeal upheld with costs.
[1] The appellant in this appeal challenges the correctness of a decision of the High Court granting divorce to the respondent on what the learned Judge a quo termed a "new form of constructive desertion." If I may say so with respect at this stage, it is a bizarre decision in which the guilty party was granted a decree of divorce in the first place. This, in circumstances where he had not even prayed for restitution of conjugal rights, seemingly as a mark of his determination to sever the marital bond subsisting between the parties. A restitution order was issued by the court mero motu.
[2] The respondent, as plaintiff, issued summons against the appellant, as defendant. He sought relief in these terms:-
"(a) A decree of divorce on grounds of defendant's
constructive desertion;
(b) Custody of the minor children be awarded to Plaintiff
with reasonable access by defendant;
(c) That Defendant be awarded the matrimonial home
and household property whilst Plaintiff should be
awarded Isuzu Van Registration No. C 9204, a Taxi
Registration No. CF 124, and two undeveloped
residential sites at Ha Thetsane and Hlotse
Costs of suit in the event of opposition hereof;
Further and/or alternative relief."
[3] As can be seen from the respondent's prayers for relief, he omitted to include a prayer for restitution of conjugal rights. In my view, this omission was by design as I shall endeavour to demonstrate shortly. This conclusion is inexorably supported by at least two factors:-
In his evidence in chief at the trial the respondent, testifying as PW1, tersely expressed his opposition to the appellant's restitution of conjugal rights in the following terms:-
"PC: I want you to tell the court, is it your evidence that since April 2007 to date both of you have not enjoyed conjugal rights from one another?
PW1: No my Lady, I am now afraid."
Elsewhere in the record of proceedings the respondent said the following:-
"PW1: Being forced or not forced by this court I do not want to stay with 'Mantseli (the appellant).
HL: The court cannot force you to live with a person you don't like."
In paragraph 4 of his affidavit of non-return the respondent once against expressed his non-preparedness to accept the appellant's restitution of conjugal rights. He said this:-
"I have read and understood Affidavit of Return filed by Defendant and verily aver that Defendant has misled this Honourable Court when she says she has restored conjugal rites (sic) to me because she has not even attempted to do so because she knows that I would not agree to do so as I had made my point clear during my evidence and under cross examination. She does not even say on what date she did what after service of the order nothing has changed." (Emphasis supplied.)
[4] In his submissions in this Court Adv. Makholela for the respondent sought to justify the latter's failure to include a prayer for restitution of conjugal rights on Rule 42(1) of the High Court Rules 1980. This Rule provides as follows:-
"42. (1) In any action for the restitution of conjugal rights the plaintiff may in the alternative claim a decree of divorce."
In my view, this Rule does no more than restate the basic common law principle based on public policy that it is the policy of the courts to uphold the sanctity of marriage by ordering restitution and not an outright decree of divorce. In this regard, I am mainly attracted by the following remarks of Hoexter JA in Belfort v Belfort 1961 (1) SA 257 (A) at 259:-
"The second consideration is that the granting of a divorce is a matter of public policy and that the policy of the Courts is to uphold the sanctity of marriage and not lightly to put an end to what is the very foundation of the most important unit of our social life, the family. (see Daniels v Daniels, 1958 (1) S.A. 513 (A.D.) at p 532). It is for this reason, too, that the orbit of the doctrine of constructive desertion should not be extended."
As can be seen, this principle was overlooked by both the respondent and the court a quo. In recognition of this principle a divorce action on the ground of malicious desertion consists of two actions rolled into one, namely, (1) a prayer for restitution of conjugal rights and failing
compliance by the defendant (2) a decree of divorce on the ground of defendant's malicious desertion.
[5] Interestingly, the very reason why we are sitting on this appeal is because the Judge a quo extended the orbit of the doctrine of constructive desertion. In my book she erred in doing so. In this regard she said the following in her judgment:-
"W.C.M. Maqutu in his book, Contemporary Family Law of Lesotho 1992 p.255 in explaining what constructive desertion may mean say (sic), it is where
"one spouse performs acts that would reasonably torture the other spouse either physically or emotionally." (my own emphasis)
The standard of education of the Defendant seems to have tortured the Plaintiff emotionally and has not been able to hide that fact.
I would therefore grant divorce on account of this new form of constructive desertion by the Defendant. I must say it has not been easy for this Court to come to this decision, but on considering the surrounding circumstances of this case and the end results if divorce was not granted, I realized that granting divorce was the right decision and the best.
I would therefore wish to be addressed on the questions of custody of the minor children, maintenance and the joint estate."
[6] It is trite that our common law recognises only two grounds of divorce, namely (1) adultery and (2) malicious desertion. It follows that the court a quo was wrong to grant divorce on a non-existent ground of constructive desertion. It has no power to create a new ground as it purported to do. That function is reserved for the Legislature.
[7] The divorce order granted by the court a quo is bad for another reason. As indicated earlier, a decree of divorce was granted to the guilty party as against the innocent party. In her own words the Learned Judge a quo said the following in her judgment:-
"In casu, it has been clear from the evidence that Plaintiff is the one who is frustrating all efforts to save their marriage. He is the guilty party. He had based their marriage on education because he happened to be educated. As I said earlier on in this judgment he fell for the Defendant well aware that she was a Form C standard. He continued making children with her being well aware of that fact and even entered into marriage with her. There has been nothing wrong or bad that the Defendant has done save failing her Form D class and Plaintiff frustrating her efforts for attending afternoon classes by not paying for her fees. He was doing all these to the mother of his four children.
Plaintiff wants to have his cake and eat it. He is the guilty spouse and want to benefit from that and leave the innocent spouse frustrated and miserable. Plaintiff has no grounds for divorce, he is only just feeling too important over his wife.
It took me some time to decide on whether to grant or refuse divorce because the one asking for divorce is the guilty party."
[8] It appears from her judgment that the real reason why the Learned Judge a quo granted divorce had to do with the perceived plight of the children of the marriage in the event of the marriage being allowed to subsist. She felt that the children "might develop a negative attitude towards marriage as a whole." With respect, these considerations do not constitute grounds of divorce in our law.
[9] In the light of these considerations I am satisfied that the appeal should succeed. Accordingly, the following order is made:-
The appeal is upheld with costs.
The order of the court a quo is set aside and
replaced with the following:-
"(1) The plaintiff's claim is hereby dismissed with costs."
I agree: _________________________
I agree: _________________________
For the Appellant: Adv. P.V. Tšenoli
For the Respondent: Adv. L.T. Makholela


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Conference Call
Featured Speakers:
Roger Martella Jr.
Nathan Richardson
On August 21 in EME Homer City Generation v. EPA, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down the EPA's Transport Rule or the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, stating that the CSAPR "exceeds the agency's statutory authority in two independent respects." The Court instructed the EPA to "continue administering CAIR (the 'Clean Air Interstate Rule') pending promulgation of a valid replacement." The experts on today's call will provide background on the underlying rules, the resulting litigation, and next steps.
- Hon. Roger R. Martella, Jr., Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
- Mr. Nathan Richardson, Resident Scholar, Resources for the Future
Call begins at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up here. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.
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Updated 4 p.m. ET
House Speaker John Boehner has just released another statement:
As I've said throughout this process, since the spending binge in Washington is hurting job creation in this country, we're going to fight for the largest cuts possible - real cuts, not more smoke and mirrors. We've made clear that Democrats - $33 billion proposal is not enough, and much of it is based on gimmicks. To make a positive impact on our economy, the cuts need to be significant, and they need to be real. Failing to make real cuts will send a signal to job creators that Washington is still not serious about getting government spending under control. We've also made clear that policy provisions must be part of any final agreement, because the American people are concerned not just about how much we're spending, but also how we're spending it.
We're not going to allow the Senate and White House to force us to choose between two options that are bad for America, whether it's a bad deal that fails to make real spending cuts, or accepting a government shutdown due to Senate inaction. We've introduced a bill that includes $12 billion in cuts over the next week and funds our troops through the year. We may pass this to keep the government running if Democrats don't listen to the American people and get serious about cutting spending.
As I've said many times, our goal is to pass real spending cuts to create a better environment for job growth and to keep the government open. We've done our job. If the government shuts down, the American people will know it was because Senate Democrats failed to do their job. We can still avoid a shutdown, but Democrats are going to need to get serious about cutting spending; and soon.
Our original post begins here:
President Obama said today that congressional lawmakers are close to a budget agreement that can avoid a government shutdown, but he challenged Republicans by saying "the only question is whether politics or ideology are going to get in the way."
"At a time when the economy is just beginning to grow, where we're just starting to see a pickup in employment, the last thing we need is a disruption that's caused by a government shutdown," Obama said during a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room.
Obama spoke hours after he and House Speaker John Boehner were unable to strike a deal during a White House negotiating session, increasing the chances of a federal government shutdown this weekend.
Obama announced that two of the leaders in today's talk -- Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada -- will meet again today at 4 p.m. to try and resolve the impasse.
If they can't, Obama said he wants Boehner, Reid, and perhaps others back at the White House tomorrow -- and for as many days ahead as necessary.
"We are prepared to put whatever resources are required in terms of time and energy to get this done," Obama said.
Earlier, Boehner's office released a readout of this morning's meeting saying that "while there was good discussion, no agreement was reached" -- and that House Republicans "will not be put in a box and forced to choose between two options that are bad for the country."
If the parties cannot agree by Friday, the continuing resolution that is funding the government will expire and the government will shut down except for what are deemed essential services.
The Boehner readout did say that House Republicans are "rallying behind" a one-week extension of the continuing resolution that would cut $12 billion in spending and fund the military through September.
Speaking with reporters at the White House, Obama said he isn't crazy about another temporary budget fix, the third such measure in recent months. He did say he would consider one if a longer-term agreement was in place and awaiting a vote in Congress.
The president also noted that he and the Democrats are offering $73 billion in budget cuts, including "programs that we care deeply about."
On the other hand, Obama said he will not cut programs that are essential to growing the economy and creating, including education, infrastructure, and research and development. He said, "nobody gets 100% of what they want."
"I think the American people recognize that we're in some pretty unsettled times right now," Obama said. "Certainly businesses recognize that. Families recognize it. We don't have time for games. We don't have time for trying to score political points or maneuvering or positioning."
Obama also criticized as driven by "ideology" some Republican attachments to budget bills that would make changes to abortion policy and the enforcement powers of the Environmental Protection Agency.
"We can't have a 'my way or the highway' approach to this problem," Obama said.
In addition to Boehner and Reid, today's budget talks at the White House included the chairmen of key appropriations committees: Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky.
In his statement, Boehner said there is no agreement on a number, that Republicans want as many cuts as possible.
Boehner's statement referenced the fact that most of the Democrats' $73 billion involves budget items that have never passed; the cuts from existing budgets are more like $33 billion.
"As he has said for the past week, the Speaker reminded those present that there has never been an agreement on $33 billion as an acceptable level of spending cuts," said the House Republican readout. "And that $33 billion in cuts is not enough, particularly when it is achieved in large part through budget gimmicks."
Before heading to the White House, Boehner issued a statement praising a long-term spending plan put forth by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., calling for $4.4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade.
"The American people understand we can't continue spending money we don't have," Boehner said, "especially when doing so is making it harder to create jobs and get our economy back on track."
David's journalism career spans three decades, including coverage of five presidential elections, the Oklahoma City bombing, the 2000 Florida presidential recount and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has covered the White House for USA TODAY since 2005. His interests include history, politics, books, movies and college football -- not necessarily in that order. More about David
Follow the Oval on Twitter: @The Oval, @djusatoday.
Also contributing to the Oval: Richard Wolf @richardjwolf; Aamer Madhani @AamerISmad


text:
Welcome to Hartlepool Voluntary Development Agency
National Energy Action
National Energy Action (NEA) develops and promotes energy efficiency services to tackle the heating and insulation problems of low-income households. Working in partnership with central and local government; with fuel utilities, housing providers and health services; and with consumer organisations, NEA aims to eradicate fuel poverty and campaigns for greater investment in energy efficiency to help those who are poor or vulnerable.
For more information on schemes visit nea.org.uk


text:
1995 - Library Strategic Plan identified need for additional space
1997 - Alice Meister hired as Director
1998 - Library Building Committee formed and consulting librarian hired to study space needs
1999 - Library Foundation conducted survey of citizens' views toward public library
2001 - June $4 million city bond issue passed
2001 - October 14.3 acres on East Main Street purchased for new library
2001 - December Environmental Firm and Capital Campaign Consultant hired
2002 - May Architect selected: Overland Partners and Johnston Architects
2002 - July The Voluntary Cleanup and Remediation Act Plan submitted to MT Dept. of Environmental Quality
2002 - October Martel Construction selected as Construction Manager At Risk
2003 - May Envirocon (Missoula, MT) selected as Remediation Contractor
2003 - July Clean up of property begins
2003 - October Clean up concludes with 25,000 tons of contaminated soil removed
2004 - April Bids opened but rejected due to increase in costs of building materials
2004 - September New library design presented by Mark Headley of StudioFORMA Architects
2004 - November City Commission votes to provide bridge financing
2005 - April Groundbreaking!
2006 - November Grand Opening!
Back to Building Process Archive


text:
This M80 non-linear design spring has the perfect compress and release ratio in order to generate the maximum force to help to increase the rate of fire of your rifle.
By buying this product you can collect up to 1 loyalty point. Your cart will total 1 point that can be converted into a voucher of 0,20 €.
King Arms (Hong Kong)
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text:
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Sausage and Spinach Frittata
I love meals that are versatile - they make a good breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is one such dish. Frittatas are basically quiche without crust. Traditionally, they're started on the stove top and then finished under the broiler, but I choose to just bake them. Like quiche, you can use a lot of different vegetables or meats, so use what you have on hand and what you like.
Start by sauteing the smoked sausage over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook and stir for another minute.
Add the spinach, a handful at a time,
and stir until it wilts.
Sprinkle the cheese in the bottom of a lightly greased pie plate or quiche dish.
Top with the meat and vegetable mixture.
In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the eggs together with the half and half. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the dish comes out clean.
Serve with potatoes and/or additional vegetables for a great breakfast, lunch or dinner!
One year ago: Rustic Round Herb Bread
Two years ago: Italian Sausage, Red Pepper and Mushroom Risotto
Three years ago: Fried Rice
Four years ago: Strawberry Banana Bread
Get more great ideas at Hearth and Soul, Cast Party, What's Cooking, What's Cooking #2, Full Plate Thursday, Showcase Your Talent, Foodie Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Foodie Friday #2, Friday Flash, Blog Strut, Friday Frenzy.
Sausage and Spinach Frittata
8 ounces smoked sausage or polska keilbasa, diced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, diced
6 ounces fresh spinach
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
6 eggs
1/4 cup half and half
In a large skillet, saute sausage over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook and stir for 1 minute more. Add spinach, a handful at a time, and stir until it wilts. Remove from heat.
Lightly grease a 9" pie plate or quiche dish. Sprinkle cheese in the bottom of the dish and top with the meat and vegetable mixture. Whisk together the eggs and half and half; season with salt and pepper and pour over the meat and vegetables.
Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 6-8.
3 comments:
I love making fritattas but forget how easy they are. Making this for the weekend. Thanks for linking up this recipe on Friday Frenzy. HOpe to see you back next week!!ReplyDelete
Hi Sara,ReplyDelete
Your Frittata looks wonderful and I know that we would just love it! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend!
Miz Helen
My kids always want breakfast for dinner but you managed to get some good healthy spinach in the meal too. Thanks for bringing this to foodie friday.ReplyDelete
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text:
Alabama is Taking Its 2012 Loss to Texas A&M Extremely Personally
Texas A&M's win over then-No. 1 Alabama last football season is apparently still a sore subject in Tuscaloosa, Ala., but moreso the source of some incredible motivation in the Crimson Tide football program.
In a photo posted on Twitter today, it shows the inside of Alabama's weight room, where every TV in the room is showing the Aggies' 29-24 shocking upset win over Alabama last November.
And, also according to Twitter user Taylor Travis, the A&M logo is placed on every weight station.
Alabama's weight room. They have the A&M game playing on every TV as well as the A&M logo on the weight stations. pic.twitter.com/oaKr9hnbQZ
— Taylor Travis (@TaylorTravis15) July 16, 2013
While Texas A&M's win — spearheaded by Tyler native and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel — didn't end up costing Alabama a shot at the BCS national championship (which it won in dominating fashion over Notre Dame), the loss has certainly meant an extreme amount of motivation in the Alabama program.
Nick Saban and Co. are certainly taking this seriously, and personally.
In case you're wondering, Alabama comes to the Lone Star State to play Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, and it will be shown on CBS.


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If you watch music videos, then you know Jessica Simpson and would most likely wish you could see her without clothes on, but Jessica has not yet posed for any explicitly nude material, at least none we're lucky enough to see. But here your fantasies can be realized, as you will find dozens of fake nudes of Jessica Simpson that have been created by digital artists out of pure fantasy. These wonderfully imaginative fake nudes of Jessica Simpson range from being quite creative and realistic to downright unrealistic, but I post them all for you to decide for yourself what looks real and what does not. But remember, no matter how real or unreal they look, they are all fakes created by talented digital artists to fulfill fantasies and parody our favorite celebrities, like Jessica Simpson, certainly not to offend or disrespect her in any way. These pics are in no way intended to be a true representation of the activities she engages in. I hope you enjoy the collection...
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Waiting on Your Tax Refund? Want To Know When You're Getting It?
Are you getting a Federal tax refund this year? Have you filed yet? If the answer is yes to both and you haven't received your check or direct deposit yet I bet you're asking where at the IRS is my refund in the process. A follow up question might be, when will I get it? I have the link for you.


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Saltillo squaring off against No. 1 ranked team in state
By BOBBY "BUTCH" BURNEY | News-Telegram Sports Editor
Feb. 20, 2007 - Kennard and Saltillo haven't felt the sting of losing much at all this year. Unfortunately, one will tomorrow.
Between the two teams, they have lost just twice all season - once by each team.
They will face each other at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Brownsboro High School in the Class A, Division II, Region III quarterfinals. The winner will advance to the regional tournament at Stephen F. Austin State University this weekend.
Kennard has been ranked No. 1 in the state the entire season as the Lady Tigers return four of their starters from last season's state championship. Saltillo, ranked No. 11, returns all five starters from last season's regional quarterfinal team, and had two starters move into the district in the offseason.
It should be a classic showdown.
"I saw them play against Martins Mill," Saltillo coach Garry Davison said of Kennard's only loss of the season, "and they're good, really good. They could have easily won that game.
"We'll show up and see what we can do."
Davison is no stranger to Austin. He took Saltillo's 2001 squad to the state finals in Austin, where they were beaten by Nazareth.
To get by Kennard, Saltillo will likely have to control junior Erica Adair, last season's MVP of the state championship game and the team's leading scorer. Her older sister, Tiffany, is also a proficient scorer.
Felicia Skinner and Jasmine Mitchell round out the returning starters for the Lady Tigers, who beat Dodd City, 62-29, in the area round.
Saltillo will counter with the 1-2 scoring punch of senior point guard Chloe Roberts and junior forward Winter Stevens, who were Co-District MVPs last season. They are joined in the starting lineup by 6-2 junior Stephanie Methe, who returned to Saltillo this year and has added some scoring and rebounding, 5-9 senior Bekah Rogers, who also moved to the district this season, and 5-7 sophomore Emily White, who started last season as a freshman.
Coming off the bench are two girls who relinquished their starting roles this year and now give the team the benefit of added depth: 5-7 junior Jessica Gilbreath and 5-0 sophomore Cara Geerts.
Saltillo got to this point by going 27-1 for the season, winning District 22-A without a loss and then defeating Tenaha 40-29 in the area playoff round. The Lady Lions have put together a 23-game winning streak.
"We didn't play our best game against Tenaha," said Davison said. "In fact, it was one our worst games, but it's been my experience that sometimes that first playoff game is the ugliest."
The winner of Wednesday's game will face the winner between Newcastle and Strawn in the regional semifinals Friday at SFASU in Nacogdoches.
Directions - To get to Brownsboro High School, take SH 19 south to Athens. Then, take SH 31 east to Brownsboro. The high school is on the right when entering the town, and the gym entrance is at the back. An alternate route it to go the Quitman-Mineola-Lindale route to Tyler, go right on the loop and take SH 31 west to Brownsboro.
Notes: Following the Kennard-Saltillo girls game, the Kennard boys will play a bi-district match-up against Avinger at 8 p.m. ... The state mandated that basketball playoff games be moved to Wednesday/Thursday rather than the normal Monday/Tuesday of this week because students are taking TAKS tests on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Landlord-tenant disputes are occurrences that the Amherst Police Department often respond to, but rarely have the power or authority to intervene. In most cases, the police have little recourse in resolving the conflicts between landlords and tenants and their roles are usually relegated to keeping the peace.
Over the years, Amherst has seen a change in the living arrangements for most families. No longer are families living in the large Victorian-style houses but are shifting towards to mobile homes or apartments. In fact, many of the large Victorian-style houses have been converted into multiple apartment units.
With this increase in apartments, there has been an explosion of landlords and tenants in the area, both of which need to ensure that they are aware of their rights under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). This act provides the rules and regulations that govern any rental agreement, and the first step is to see if a particular situation falls under the RTA.
Apartment complexes and lease to own agreements, for example, often fall under this act, however nursing homes, hotels and university college residencies do not.
The dissolving of the rental agreement is probably the biggest reason why police end up getting called in landlord-tenant disputes. Emotions often run high on both sides and the parties involved often recount numerous allegations against the other in an effort to have police understand their view in the argument.
Officers can only act within the law and cannot take steps to evict someone from a home. Legally, a landlord can issue a 15-day notice to quit if a tenant is in arrears on their rent. Other reasons a landlord might apply for a notice to quit include disruptive behaviour, damage to a unit or the tenant having an unauthorized sub-letter.
When there are cases of loud music, drug activity or damage to property, police will investigate to see whether there is a criminal or provincial statute violation or not. Many times, police involvement at a tenants house can be used to bolsters a landlord's claim that the rental agreement be terminated.
Once a notice to quit has been served on a tenant, the tenant may rectify the issue by paying their rent (if the notice to quit is regarding unpaid rent) or leave in this 15-day period.
If the tenant chooses to leave, the rental arrears are still owed. The tenant could also apply to dispute the notice to quit. In some cases, police officers are subpoenaed to these tenancy hearings to provide details on police calls to the residence.
Tenants should also be aware that if they are victim of domestic violence and they are in a year to year or fixed-term lease, they may apply to have their tenancy terminated early.
This process is started by contacting Victim Services at 1-888-470-0773.
Lastly, damage/security deposits can also be another source of tenant/landlord disagreements. Security deposits have been mandated to be only up to one half of one month's rent. This deposit can be used by the landlord to cover any rent that has not been paid or for any damage that was done to the apartment or rental property. The damage deposit was not designed to cover repairs from normal wear or tear. If there is a disagreement, the landlord has to apply to the residential tenancies program to keep the deposit.
The Residential Tenancies Act can be found at http://nslegislature.ca/legc/statues/residential%20tenancies.pdf. Access Nova Scotia also provides a guide for both tenants and landlords.
By treating each other with respect and being knowledgeable about the Residential Tenancies Act, any issues between a landlord and tenant can be resolved in a peaceful manner.
Const. Tom Wood is the community policing officer for the Amherst Police Department. His crime prevention column appears bi-weekly in the Amherst News.


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Home > After Saddam > Article
The BBC journalist who aired claims that Prime Minister Tony Blair's Government had exaggerated the case for war on Iraq has defended his story, but told the David Kelly inquiry he had made some errors in his reporting.
Andrew Gilligan was recalled by Lord Brian Hutton, who is heading the inquiry into the suicide of the Ministry of Defence weapons scientist in July - the event that triggered what has been described as the worst crisis in Mr Blair's six years in office.
Mr Gilligan, defence correspondent for BBC Radio's Today program, met Dr Kelly in a London hotel a week before his May 29 report, which alleged that a September 2002 dossier on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction had been embellished.
The dossier included a claim that Saddam Hussein could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes.
Downing Street disputed Mr Gilligan's report, sparking a row with the public broadcaster, as the Ministry of Defence exposed Dr Kelly, a former United Nations arms inspector in Iraq, as its source.
Mr Gilligan told the inquiry that Dr Kelly had said that the 45-minute claim was "unreliable", and had been included in the dossier against the wishes of some in the intelligence community.
But Mr Gilligan admitted he had been at fault in reporting that the intelligence community's misgivings about the dossier had been made known to the Government.
He also acknowledged that he had made "slips of the tongue" during a live broadcast, including describing the scientist - a Ministry of Defence consultant - as an "intelligence service source".
Dr Kelly's body was found with a slit wrist on July 18, a week after the Ministry of Defence confirmed he had been the source of Mr Gilligan's report.
Mr Gilligan has kept a low profile since he first gave evidence on August 12, and is no longer heard on Today, a morning public affairs show.
Other witnesses being recalled by Lord Hutton include Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and Mr Blair's former communications adviser and close aide, Alastair Campbell, both of whom are to appear on Monday.
In an article in the Mail on Sunday newspaper, Mr Gilligan named Mr Campbell as having been responsible for beefing up the September dossier, which was a key part of Mr Blair's efforts to get the British public to back the Iraq war.
Mr Campbell has denied the allegation, and a report last week by the Intelligence and Security Committee, the parliamentary panel that oversees British intelligence, concluded that the dossier had not been embellished.
Mr Gilligan told the inquiry yesterday that Dr Kelly had clearly said that the transformation of the dossier had been Mr Campbell's responsibility.
Lord Hutton is expected to conclude his hearings on September 25, after which he will retire to write up his findings. They are not due before late October.
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A BOY was airlifted to hospital after suffering a suspected head injury while on a beach in Harwich.
The East Anglian Air Ambulance landed at the beach at 12.16pm on Tuesday.
Critical care paramedic Simeon Tomlinson and pre hospital care doctor Pam Chrispin assessed the boy who had fallen.
He was flown to Ipswich Hospital where he is in a stable condition.


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Arts & Culture
So Vivid You Can't Get Free of ThemBy Dan Piepenbring
Do you know why teachers use me? Because I speak in tongues. I write metaphors. Every one of my stories is a metaphor you can remember. The great religions are all metaphor. We appreciate things like Daniel and the lion's den, and the Tower of Babel. People remember these metaphors because they are so vivid you can't get free of them and that's what kids like in school. They read about rocket ships and encounters in space, tales of dinosaurs. All my life I've been running through the fields and picking up bright objects. I turn one over and say, Yeah, there's a story.
—Ray Bradbury, the Art of Fiction No. 203, 2010
Ray Bradbury would be ninety-four today—for more on his Art of Fiction interview, be sure to read "Fact-checking Ray Bradbury," by our own Stephen Andrew Hiltner. And for proof of Bradbury's metaphorical gifts, check out "All Summer in a Day," a 1954 story published in the commonsensically named The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It's conceptually unforgettable and, among the stories of his I've read, uniquely haunting.
"All Summer" takes place in a school on Venus, or rather, the Venus of the future—humans have colonized the planet. Problem is, Venus is rainy. All the time. "A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again." The sun shines for only two hours (consecutive, fortunately) every seven years. And in this drenched Venusian schoolhouse, where all the descendants of the rocket men and women presumably suffer from constant Seasonal Affective Disorder and severe vitamin D deficiencies, there's one girl, Margot, who remembers the glories of sunshine: Read More


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Director Steven Spielberg has posted online the video of the first day of shooting on "Fourth Installment of the Indiana Jones Adventures."
Managed to get "Fourth Installment of the Indiana Jones Adventures" into production as scheduled on Monday, June 18, director Steven Spielberg has delightfully submitted a brief video from that day on IndianaJones.com.
Recently shown on "Entertainment Tonight", the clip can only be seen in QuickTime 6 format on the web. It provided a look on Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas standing behind a camera together, among others.
A Lucasfilm Ltd. production set to be distributed by Paramount Pictures, "Indy 4" marks the return of Frank Marshall on the producer's chair with Kathleen Kennedy joining Lucas to executive produce. Filming on the movie will be continued in New Haven, Connecticut this Thursday, June 28 to run until July 7 before moving to Hamakua Coast in Hawaii.


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Isn´t Aguamenti a conjuration charm? That´s transfiguration isn´t? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kraftword (talk • contribs).
- Conjurations are transfigurations yes, not charms. However, thats beside the point; Aguamenti is a charm (not a conjuration) for the same reason that Bluebell flames and the Wand-Lighting Spell are charms not conjurations: they alter the properties of the wand so that it does something different (Aguamenti = ejecting water, Lumos = expelling light and Bluebell flames = releasing fire). Green Zubat 04:30, August 7, 2011 (UTC)


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You can relax in the knowledge that National Homes is part of BGC. From modest beginnings over 55 years ago, BGC has grown to become one of the most respected companies in Western Australia. For the last ten years, BGC has built more homes than any other builder in Australia, proving that more West Australians trust us with their most important asset – their dream home.
BGC has invested heavily to develop integrated building supply and manufacturing businesses, providing National Homes with direct access to the top quality products and materials needed to build your new home. From brick makers to window manufacturers, from cement making to roofing tiles – sourcing these products from within BGC allows National Homes to control the quality of our materials and build you a superior home, without the potential frustration of supply shortages and delays.
Outside of the 30 BGC companies involved in building your home, we always choose local suppliers wherever possible. And because BGC is a West Australian company, we understand the importance of supporting our local economy. No wonder more West Australians choose and trust National Homes and BGC to design and build their new home.
As the premium brand within Western Australia's leading home builder, National Homes offers you an unmatched quality, efficiency and security across both single and double-storey designs.


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Clean-lined and strong-boned, this Mid-Century style floor register is the ideal upgrade for your Atomic Ranch or contemporary home. With nine standard sizes and six popular finishes, you can add a touch of vintage elegance to every room in your house. The 6" x 10", 6" x 12" and 6" x 14" sizes also come with screws and screw holes for alternate use as wall vents. An adjustable louver allows you to control airflow, from fully open to closed. Constructed of durable and economical, plated or enameled steel.The louver is a steel housing with pivoting fins, which increases or decreases air flow through the floor register. The louver is controlled by lever adjustment and can be easily removed if no air flow control is needed.The first column in the size chart (Boot Size) refers to the cut-out in the floor that the register fits into. The second column (Register Size) refers to the outside measurement of the register face plate. To ensure a proper fit, always order registers based on the boot size. Boot Size Register Size 2.25" x 10" 3.5" x 11.25" 2.25" x 12" 3.5" x 13.25" 2.25" x 14" 3.5" x 15.25" 4" x 10" 5.375" x 11.25" 4" x 12" 5.375" x 13.25" 4" x 14" 5.375" x 15.25" 6" x 10" 7.5" x 11.75" 6" x 12" 7.5" x 13.75" 6" x 14" 7.5" x 15.75"
All Site Contents ©2015, House of Antique Hardware, Inc. Antique-By-Hand® is a registered trademark of House of Antique Hardware, Inc.


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Local artist and beloved community member Betty Farson passed away in La Jolla, Calif. on Sunday at age 82 after fighting a year-long battle with cancer.
Farson volunteered at Aspen's Red Brick Center for the Arts since the mid '90s, expanding the facility's offerings and starting the gallery, which curates monthly exhibitions featuring Aspen-area artists. She had a ceramics studio at the Red Brick up until this summer and Aspen City Council proclaimed Aug. 13 to be Betty Farson Day in honor of her involvement with the center and her work as an artist.
Farson was the driving force behind the creation of the center's gallery and she was on the center's board of directors for years, said Debra Muzikar, executive director of the Red Brick Arts Council.
She became involved with the art community partly because of her open attitude and love for ceramics, Muzikar said.
"She was so enthusiastic about things and so young," Muzikar said. "You would never have known how old she was because of her attitude."
Farson first moved to Aspen in 1963 but left the area after a year for La Jolla. In 1970, she decided to move back to the valley with her two children, who were 12 and 14 at the time.
"She wanted to get out of the hustle and bustle of her life in La Jolla," said daughter Lisa Maher. " ... She wanted a change so she decided to go to the mountains and she stayed."
In Aspen, Farson started her own resort ranking business, which grew from reviewing local hotels to resorts across the country over the past two decades. Although she enjoyed her work, her passion and what she became known for was ceramics, Maher said.
Farson and Maher started taking ceramics classes at the same time about 20 years ago and both became enamored by the art. Over the years Farson's talent grew and she became more involved with Aspen's art community.
Farson worked hard and was always in her studio at Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass Village where she took ceramics class, said friend and mentor Doug Casebeer, who is the artistic director for ceramics, sculpture, furniture design and woodworking at the ranch.
"She was always there everyday," Casebeer said. "She worked hard and really inspired fellow students and young artists with her spunk."
As an artist, she was always willing to try new things and found her vision when she started creating clay Victorian-era-looking cans. Those pieces were nationally recognized and one was chosen to be displayed at a National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference in Houston this spring, he said.
"Really she was more my mentor than [I was] her mentor," Casebeer said. "She never stopped trying. I admired her for that."
Farson's art work was special due to its range of skill, Muzikar said. One day she made a sushi plate and the next she would be working on the Victorian cans, she said.
When she knew her days were numbered, Farson decided she would write her own obituary to ensure that she was remembered for her passion for ceramics, her strong Democratic political beliefs and her enthusiasm for sharing her love of life with others.
That's the kind of person she was, Maher said. Farson was a strong woman, who was confident in her opinions, and she shared her passions with others by being an involved member of the Aspen community, Maher said.
One of Maher's favorite memories of her mother was when the pair took a three-week trip to Kenya. Farson always felt a connection with the African nation and sold everything she could to raise money for the trip, Maher said.
"She sold everything so we could afford to go," Maher said. "She was hocking jewelry and all the gold she had — she hardly had anything and she never really wanted anything anyway. But that's how important it was to her."
Maher plans to take a trip back to Kenya in the spring and will spread her mother's ashes there, in La Jolla and in Aspen, per her request, Maher said.
The Red Brick's board of directors will dedicate a studio at the center in her name in December.


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I had a large central chin implant without the wings a month ago. It was placed externally underneath my chin. My doctor was trying to give me a longer chin per my request so I think it was placed a lil lower than my jawline. Now I see I have developed a deep sulcus jowling at the corner of my mouths which I didn't have before. Is this temporary? Should I be concern? How can I fix this besides removing the implant?
Why Does the Chin Implant Gives Me a a Deep Jowl at the Corner of my Mouth Which I Didn't Have Before? (photo)
Doctor Answers 5
Chin Implant
The pictures are two different poses, one with smile and the other without the smile . That changes the facial appearance, Need pictures same pose to compare
Jowls 1 month post-op chin augmentation
By using a central chin implant "without the wings," your anterior chin projection was increased without affecting your jawline just lateral to the chin in the "pre-jowl sulcus." As a result your chin was advanced "leaving the rest of the jawline behind." This creates a hollow, or sulcus, and at this point the only solutions would be to fill the sulcus with filler, like Radiesse, periodically, or change the implant to a more extended anatomical style so that the jawline is also augmented proportionally.
Why Does the Chin Implant Gives Me a a Deep Jowl at the Corner of my Mouth Which I Didn't Have Before?
The surgery was a success in that it added length to the lower third of your face and probably improved overall facial balance. I would wait 6 weeks or so to determine if there is a true change in the marionette lines. If you would like the area improved an HA filler like Juvederm would be appropriate and would provide the most reliable improvement for a subtle fill. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA
Learn more: http://www.hughesplasticsurgery.com/Chin-Implant.php
You might also like...
Why Does the Chin Implant Gives Me a a Deep Jowl at the Corner of my Mouth Which I Didn't Have Before?
I have a few issue with you as a patient. First the posted photos are NOT labeled before and after. But I assume the top is a before and the bottom one after.? You are not in the SAME facial expression in the two posted photos so very hard to tell if you har=d these "marionette" lines in your before surgery photo. Second, you are ONLY a week post operative. Swelling takes a few months! Best to discuss with your surgeon in detail. A HA filler can improve.
Central chin implant problem.
What you describe can be remedied by replacing the central chin implant with an extended one.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


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WILL history repeat itself when Birmingham City come to Wanderers in search of safety this Saturday lunchtime?
Almost 20 years to the day, Barry Fry's Blues turned up at Burnden Park looking to haul themselves out of the relegation zone on the penultimate weekend of the season.
Fry had taken over from Terry Cooper in a blaze of publicity at the start of 1994 and assembled a bulging squad of nearly 50 players by the end of the campaign.
The wholesale changes in personnel took their toll on the club's form but after an embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of Kidderminster Harriers, the Midlanders started to climb towards safety.
Victory at Burnden would have lifted them out of the bottom three at the expense of rivals West Brom, but after Roger Willis had put them ahead against Bruce Rioch's men, Andy Walker pounced on a mis-hit shot from John McGinlay to level the game before half time.
Whites keeper Aidan Davison kept Birmingham at bay in the second half – and the frustration of travelling fans was clear as they spilled out on to the streets of Bolton later that evening.
It was mirrored in the dressing room too. Barry Fry was typically outspoken, dismissing Walker's goal as a "poxy equaliser" and the Burnden Park playing surface as "the worst in the division."
The Blues boss held out hope that survival could still be secured with a win against Tranmere on the final weekend: "We've got to hope for a miracle now, so it's just as well I believe in them."
Walker's goal proved his last in Wanderers colours before a summer move to Celtic.
Birmingham won on the final day at Prenton Park but West Brom's victory at Portsmouth condemned the Blues to relegation.
Despite the disappointment, Fry was still carried off the pitch by fans in recognition of the job he had done.
"When I was appointed I promised the owners I would get them out of this division; I just didn't tell them in which direction," he quipped.