text:
Since June 22, I have posted information about Dan McConchie, a pro-life leader and friend, who was involved in a harrowing motorcycle accident that day. Dan is Vice President and Executive Director of Americans United for Life.
I will move this post up as I receive new information on Dan's condition, so well wishes and prayers can be added to just one post. I will move old updates to page 2, in reverse chronological order. Also see updates Dan's family is posting on this website: prayfordanielmcconchie.com.
From Dan McConchie
Sent September 20, 2007
Well, the good news never stops….
Yesterday my back surgeon said that my vertebrae have healed to the point that I can finally do away with my back brace – a most uncomfortable contraption. For the last three months I had to wear it whenever my back was elevated more than 30 degrees. I can assure you, it wasn't designed by the person who had to wear it. The doc would like to see more bone growth in my vertebrae. The bones will continue to heal over the next year, so I'll need to be careful when off-roading in my wheelchair.
The doc also said that I might need to wean out of the brace over the next couple of weeks, but that some people wean out of it in her parking lot. I didn't leave the thing laying by the side of some car, but suspect that my weaning period will be rather short.
While my back surgeon is a rock star and worth the trip to Milwaukee, my rehab doctor up there is worthless. I'm still slated to be evaluated downtown by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for their rehab program on October 15. Until then, my father and I are pursuing our own rehab program at the YMCA.
As I think I mentioned before, my dad and I go almost daily to the local YMCA. We use the weight room to help rebuild my upper body muscles. In the last two weeks we've started using the pool to help facilitate lower body exercises. In the water the affect of gravity is lessened so any movement I can do with my legs is increased. When bracing myself at the side of the pool, I'll put my feet flat on the floor and my legs at an angle and try to stand upright. So far I can push myself up about an inch or two with my left leg and extend my right leg completely. Since we've started this, I've gotten new control of muscles in my knees and hip area and more of the muscles in my thigh and hamstrings have been turning on.
In addition, Tuesday for the first time I got verifiable movement of muscles in my feet.
I'm tempted to start taking bets on when I'll take my first steps.
Once again, thanks for your prayers and support. Milena and I are slated to go to Salt Lake City in a week so I can give a speech. Your prayers are specifically appreciated for that.
From Dan McConchie
Sent August 29, 2007
Thank you again for your many recent notes of encouragement. Your friendship has meant so much during this grueling ordeal. I have much enjoyed the humor of many of you and the votes of confidence in our Lord's ability to make me whole again.
There have been a few changes as of late, so I wanted to let you all know what was new. I can now feel my legs and contract muscles all the way down to my calves! The muscles have started tightening first along the bone are slowly gathering strength with the daily contraction workouts I put them through. It seems that I get a little more feeling and function each day. I can't yet feel when someone touches my legs, but they are more sensitive to temperature as of late and we're hoping that more feeling will come with expanded muscle control.
My shoulder is now healed allowing me to put full weight on it. Now I can transfer myself from the bed to the wheelchair and from the chair to the car with minimal assistance. Our local YMCA gave us a free household membership so my Dad and I go over there every afternoon and work out my upper body to get it in shape for rehab.
Rehab is still up in the air. I have all but decided against going back up to Milwaukee for rehab. The VA hospital has said I'm not eligible, and I've lost confidence in the rehab doctor in charge at the hospital where I was for a month. I have an appointment for an assessment at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, but the first appointment I could get was in mid-October. We're hoping we might be able to move that up some, but don't know if that will be possible.
In the meantime, I continue to get stronger and more mobile. Thank you again for your prayers and support. I know they have been crucial during my recovery.
From Dan McConchie
Sent August 16, 2007 [JLS note: Sorry I'm remiss in posting this update.]
Dear Friends,
My good friend Wendy Wright pointed out to me the other day that I needed to send an update on my condition to a wider array of people. In her words, the original message of my accident "went viral" and so there are a lot of people who know about it, but haven't had a recent update.
For those of you who don't know, on June 22 I was involved in a hit and run accident on my motorcycle. The accident left me with a broken clavicle, broken shoulder blade, six broken ribs, a deflated left lung, and two broken vertebrae – T12 and L3 (for those of you anatomy buffs). T12 was the more severely damaged and is causing virtual complete paralysis lower body paralysis.
I was transported to my local hospital (which was at a loss of what to do with me) and three hours later was sent by Medivac to a hospital in Milwaukee, WI which specializes in spinal cord injuries. There I underwent extensive back surgery where, as I understand, they took blood platelets and mixed them with stem cells taken from bone marrow in my hip to create a type of paste that they coated my spinal cord with. This they hope will help spur some nerve awakening and regeneration. After that I spent two weeks unconscious in the ICU having fanciful hallucinations thanks to the cocktail of pain medications I required.
After awaking, I spent another two weeks in the hospital before being discharged. While most patients would have gone directly to rehabilitation to learn to care for themselves, I was kept from doing so both because my broken shoulder needed to heal prior to being able to bear any weight with my left arm, and because my back injuries were so extensive that the back brace I am forced to wear for three months is too restrictive to allow much rehab to take place. (I was given two awards in the hospital – one by a nurse who said I had the largest spinal incision she had ever seen, and one by a spinal clinic x-ray technician who said I had more titanium in my spine than she had ever seen.)
So, since July 19, I have been camping on an antiquated medical bed in my living room under the watchful care and selfless assistance of my father, mother-in-law, and above all my wife Milena whom I owe so much for everything she has done for me since the accident.
There has been a limited return of feeling and function below the site of the spinal injury, but nothing "meaningful" (in the words of my rehab doctor's nurse) yet. We continue to pray for a full return of feeling and function.
I am working part-time from home. My home recovery has gone well, but not without its complications. I currently get severe muscle spasms and knotting in my back along the spine whenever I try to sit up in my wheelchair. A doctor friend of mine told me that from personal experience she knew that these kinds of spasms cause similar pain to childbearing. Great… I have a physical therapist coming this weekend to see if she can help alleviate come of the problem.
One interesting thing I've discovered is that doctors who work in this area of medicine don't step an inch outside their specialty. Thus, the only help I've gotten from them has been prescriptions to stronger and stronger narcotics. I've also discovered that I'll never be addicted to narcotics because they don't do a thing for me. I might as well be taking sugar tablets.
In addition, my body, recognizing I've had a major trauma, has been working overtime to fix things – to the point that it's now trying to fix things that aren't broken. Last week we discovered that my body is dumping bone in my right hip which is beginning to result in a significant lack of mobility for that joint. I'm on a new drug now to try to limit this condition.
At this point, I plan to continue working through September and then go into rehab the first of October. Let me thank all of you for your prayers, encouraging words, and support you've offered to me and my family over the past weeks since my accident. It's been a long, tough road, but not one without its rewards to go with the suffering.
I appreciate your prayers as I continue to recover.
From Dan McConchie
Sent August 09, 2007
First let me thank all of you for your prayers, encouraging words, and support you've offered to me and my family over the past six weeks since my hit and run accident. It's been a long, tough road, but not one without its rewards to go with the suffering.
Yesterday, I spent the entire day visiting doctors in Milwaukee. I thought I'd give you a short update as to what's going on.
Regarding my long term recovery, the docs have decided that I shouldn't come back to rehab until I lose the back brace I currently have to wear. The back surgeon has extended my wearing of that brace for another six weeks to ensure the vertebrae are all healed. This means that at this point I won't be going back to rehab until the end of September. On a positive note, that should enable my participation in strategic planning, board meeting, and the gala. I have been slowly getting some feeling and function back below the site of the injury which has been encouraging. We continue to pray for more to come.
Regarding short term ailments, I seem to have a pinched nerve or some similar ailment in my right hip that has been causing me a huge amount of grief in the past couple weeks. It has severely curtailed my ability to spend much time out of bed due to the resulting pain. My doctors are all specialists who seem to be of no help whatsoever outside their direct area of expertise. Move a centimeter outside their area, and they become mum. If you're lucky, they'll recommend you to another specialty. So yesterday presented no help whatsoever toward my current pressing problem other than the fact that I secured prescriptions to more powerful narcotics which I'm loath to take.
All said, if I can get past this current hip problem, I'll be doing quite well for someone of my injuries at this point in time. I appreciate your prayers as I continue to recover.
From Daniel S. McConchie
Sent July 19, 2007
Thanks so much for helping keep friends and others in the know about my situation. It's been an incredibly tough month. Everyone's prayers have been very important in helping me recover so far.
I go home today to allow my left shoulder to heal. In a month or so, I'll return to the hospital for rehabilitation. I have prayed and asked God for the ability to walk again. I trust God will answer my prayers in his time.
While this is a terrible situation, I have already seen it be a positive in other people's lives, and for that I'm grateful. I continue to ask for the prayers of friends and strangers alike that God would heal my spinal cord and enable me to walk again.
I look forward to feeding you good news in the future.
From Ginger (Dan's co-worker)
Sent July 18, 2007
Some good news…
Dan will probably be going home tomorrow morning. That's the plan for now unless something changes today. A friend from his church has been helping get a temporary ramp set up at the house….
Also, he started having some feeling in his midsection – bladder and the area around there. And asks, "Pray it continues to expand!" It's the first feeling he's regained and he, obviously, was very excited. I told him that we'd all keep praying….
It's nice to have good news.
From Ginger (Dan's co-worker)
Sent July 12, 2007
I talked with Milena today and Dan did have surgery on his shoulder on Tuesday. They were able to do what they intended and it went well. They are now just waiting on some more healing to take place so that they can create a plan for rehab. Milena sounded incredibly tired, so pray that she will sleep at night. And pray that the healing process will be quick. We are seeing many of our friends and colleagues at the CBHD Conference today who are concerned and praying as well. He's definitely part of a far-reaching prayer chain.
From Ginger (Dan's co-worker)
Sent July 10, 2007
I talked with Milena and they've decided it best to not have visitors for a while until they see how his surgery goes and until he gets set up in rehab. He had some extended family that wanted to drive in this weekend, and Dan & Milena asked them to wait. She said she would keep me posted and let me know when they decide that everything is settled enough to have visitors.
From Ginger (Dan's co-worker)
July 9, 2007
Matthew and I visited Dan today. (Thanks to your donations, we took them a $100 Visa gift card to use for gas.)
When we arrived Dan had his laptop in front of him and his phone on his lap! He's hoping to use it just to keep his mind active. However, he did ask that he not receive email yet and he can't talk on the phone yet because he still just whispers. He said that he's just not ready. He said that he appreciated us collecting, filtering and replying to all the inquiries and notes.
It was good to see him. They were not able to do surgery on his shoulder as they had hoped and instead plan to do that on Tuesday. He seemed well, but weakened easily.
We shared with him about all the calls and emails we get at AUL about him. He seemed touched by that. He very much appreciates all our prayers and just asks that we keep praying. He said that once this surgery is over and he gets into a set rehab routine that he'll better know about a schedule for visitors.
We saw Milena for a little bit. She cried at the gift card and thanked everyone saying that we've done so much already. She was very tired, physically and emotionally, so continue to pray for strength and energy for her. She plans to take the girls to see Dan next weekend.
Below is the address to the hospital…he can receive mail there, and we think he'd enjoy getting some cards or ntes from everyone.
Patient Daniel McConchie
Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital
9200 West Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53226-3596
From Pastor Lee (Dan's pastor)
July 7, 2007
This morning Kurt Fuqua and I drove to Milwaukee to visit Dan McConchie.
He was moved to a regular room and we found him alert and communicative.
We spent about 40 minutes together, talking, reading Scripture and praying. He is certainly focused on trusting God in this difficulty and is trying to come to grips with his possible paralysis. He said that he is generally the kind of person who takes whatever life throws at him and keeps going, but that the thought of not walking again has been hard.
He is expecting surgery soon to repair his broken left clavicle. His ribs are crushed in several places, along with three vertebrae. He can only speak in a whisper so can't really talk on the phone.
We told him how many people were praying for him and his family, and when we prayed with him, we did so on your behalf. He expects to stay there for five or six weeks of recovery and rehab before going home. He won't be transferred to a facility nearer home.
I think if you would like to visit, Dan would probably welcome that, though we'd want to check with Milena first – at least for awhile. The trip took us about an hour and 20 min. one way from church. If you do think of going why not let me know and I'll act as something of a traffic cop so we can spread out our visits and be sure we're ok with Milena.
Be ye glad!
From Clarke Forsythe
July 4, 2007
Milena called me at 1:00pm CT on the 4th of July.
Dan is improving physically. He's no longer dependent on a ventilator. He's no longer dependent on a feeding tube. He is apparently eating by mouth. They hope to do the shoulder surgery by early next week, and they apparently will start respiratory therapy soon, in order to strengthen his lungs for the shoulder surgery.
He's conscious and has been talking with Milena. (she was up there last night and today.) He's only on Tylenol and doesn't ask for any more pain relief.
But he's suffering psychologically and disoriented, in part because he's hallucinating, which is not unusual for someone who's been sedated for nearly 2 weeks.
I HOPE to be able to go up to see him tomorrow afternoon.
From: Milena McConchie
July 2, 2007, 9:58pm
Since the surgery, Dan has been pretty much sedated because of all of his injuries as well as the ventilator. He was a little more alert today and the nurse told him about the accident. They are not sure if he will remember the conversation. He seems to be still somewhat disoriented.
He is breathing more on his own, which is definitely a step towards removing the ventilator but they don't know when.
He is also supposed to have surgery on his left shoulder to repair his broken clavicle some time this week (perhaps). Nothing has been scheduled yet. They want to make sure he is strong enough for the surgery.
Again, thank you for your prayers and e-mails. I will keep you posted. Again, sorry that I have not been able to respond to everybody individually. I have been torn in too many directions right now.
From: Clarke Forsythe
July 2, 2007
I just talked with Milena [Dan's wife] at her work about Dan's status at 5p tonight.
His recovery is going very slow.
They are hoping to get him off the ventilator soon.
Shoulder surgery this week, hopefully. Shoulder still swollen and they were hoping it would heal on its own, but apparently not.
He still has pneumonia.
Is sleeping a lot, and I'm sure they are keeping him sedated.
From: Dan McConchie's Church
June 29, 2007
VCL is prepared to accept financial donations on behalf of the McConchie's. If you would like to donate, please make your check out to "VCL" with "Dan McConchie" in the memo line. These funds will be used specifically to assist Dan and his family with both the immediate and long term financial burdens associated with Dan's injuries. (Please note that because this is a designated gift, it will not be tax deductible.)
Checks can be made out to:
Village Church of Lincolnshire
With "Daniel McConchie" in the memo line
And Mailed to:
Village Church of Lincolnshire
201 N. Riverwoods Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045
From: Clarke Forsythe
June 27, 2007
Dan was in surgery for over 6 hours last night…past midnight. The surgery went well and they were able to do what they intended to do. They put reinforcements on his spine which allowed them to prop him up today to promote healing in all the other areas (chest, shoulder, ribs, lungs, etc.) He is still sedated and will be for a while so that he can continue to heal. For that reason, they are still requesting no visitors.
The surgeon was pleased with the surgery, but when Milena asked if the success of the surgery would help Dan walk again, the doctor said that it would be a miracle. Milena told us to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and to keep them coming.
From: Clarke Forsythe:
June 23, 2007, 7:14pm
Dan is at Froedtert Hospital & Medical College of Wisconsin, just 5-10 miles west of downtown Milwaukee. (pronounced Fray dirt).
This seems like a top facility, connected with the medical college of Wisconsin, and has about the only spinal cord injury center of its kind in Wisconsin 2 floors above where Dan is now.
The 3 of us met with the neurosurgeon, Dr. Jamie Baisden, who ran thru the results of the medical tests and short-term plans, and with the nursing staff, who were quite good.
Dan is in the Surgery ICU (SICU). He has multiple rib fractures on both sides and is dependent on a ventilator, and has chest tubes on both sides, which will postpone the possibility of surgery until at least Tuesday. They want to stabilize his breathing before doing the surgery. He also has a shoulder fracture. They want him sedated and calm to promote as much stabilization as possible before the surgery.
He has spinal fractures at T12 and L4. Unless God miraculously heals him, he will… be wheel-chair bound. He has full arm movement and I saw him move his arms. How much feeling he has below his navel may depend on
the surgery and rehab….
(His motorcycle had some accident with a car, but whether or not it was a true "hit and run," the driver ran off. Dan will likely remember nothing of the accident, but the police apparently have a witness of some kind. Dan was apparently wearing a helmet, because there was no talk of head trauma and his head and face seemed free of trauma.)
Most optimistic short-term scenario (absent a miraculous healing): if they do the surgery on Tuesday, and can start therapy 3-4 days later, he'll likely be there for 4 weeks before any chance of returning home.
From: Clarke Forsythe
June 23, 2007, 9:00am
The latest info is that he does have a serious lower spine injury. They did not do surgery last night, and his wife, Milena, was due to meet with the neurosurgeon this morning to decide what to do.
Due to privacy laws, Froedert will not give info over the phone to non-family members.
From: Clarke Forsythe
June 22, 2007, 8:45pm
I just learned within the past 15 minutes that Dan was on his motorcycle this afternoon and involved in a bad accident. Ginger Eppinette first informed me by phone, from a phone msg left by Dan's wife, Milena, who said that Dan had "a spinal injury."
I then made some calls and found out that Dan was taken to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, IL, then helicoptered to Froedert Milwaukee Hospital (414-805-6717) for surgery.
I talked with someone at Condell who told me that he was "not good" but was "stable." He "will need surgery."
When I called Froedert just now, they said that all they could tell me was that he had just arrived and was being treated.
According to Ginger, Milena, who was with him in Condell, said his spine was compressed in 2 places and couldn't feel one of his legs.


text:
Skip navigation.
ALVA, Okla. – After falling to Oklahoma Christian on Thursday in Edmond, Northwestern picked up a doubleheader sweep on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Ranger Field, as the Rangers downed the Eagles, 7-1 and 13-6.
Northwestern won the opener, 7-1, as both teams had seven hits. The Rangers scored a pair of runs in the second inning, a run in the third and exploded for four runs in the fourth.
Chris Williams hit his third home run of the season and drove in two runs, while Anthony Cros and Chad Anglin were both 2-for-3 at the plate.
Chase Phelps (2-1) recorded his second consecutive complete game win, allowing no earned runs, striking out three and issuing just one walk in 30 batters faced.
The Rangers had no problem disposing of the Eagles in game two, using a four run fourth inning and an eight run fifth inning. Hits were similar between the two teams, as the Rangers out hit the Eagles by one, 14-13.
Dan Coury led the Rangers offensively with a 3-for-4 performance with two runs scored and three runs batted in. Three Rangers had two hits in the game, including: Cody Keiffer, Williams and Tom Huddleston.
Jeremy Lawson (1-1) took the win, after pitching 2.1 innings of relief of starter Jarad Moore, who threw the first 3.1 innings. Matt Stratton finished the game with the final inning and a third on the mound.
Northwestern (3-4, 2-1) will meet Rogers State this week in the next Sooner Athletic Conference series.
MISSION STATEMENT: Northwestern Oklahoma State University provides quality educational and cultural opportunities to learners with diverse needs by cultivating ethical leadership and service, critical thinking and fiscal responsibility.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Reliable public broadcasting and telecommunication systems are indispensable for promoting the socio-economic development of countries - notably those having suffered from natural disasters, domestic conflicts or war. Serbia is one such country. The conference has updated Resolution 126 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) on assistance and support to the Republic of Serbia for rebuilding its destroyed public broadcasting system. ITUs key role in rebuilding that country's telecommunication sector has been widely recognized.
The resolution underlines that the newly established public broadcasting facility in Serbia, public entity Broadcast Multiplex and Network Operator (ETV) formerly a part of the Radio Television of Serbia has been severely damaged. The damage to public broadcasting in Serbia, as the conference recognized, should be a matter of concern to the whole international community, in particular ITU. As public broadcaster, ETV is a public entity, which should start broadcasting digital television programmes on 4 April 2012. However, under the present conditions and in the foreseeable future, Serbia will not be able to bring its public broadcasting system and the digital switch-over process up to an acceptable level without help from the international community, provided bilaterally or through international organizations. The resolution, as updated, calls upon Member States to offer all possible assistance. It instructs the Council to allocate the necessary funds, within available resources. It instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau to use the necessary funds (also, within available resources), in order to continue appropriate action. The Secretary-General will coordinate the activities carried out by the ITU Sectors to ensure that the Unions action in favour of Serbia is as effective as possible. He will report on the matter to the Council.
© Copyright 2017, International Telecommunication Union
The information presented within this blog comes from various organizations around the world. ITU encourages users to seek more detailed information from the original source through the links provided.
Links to third-party websites are provided for the convenience of all users. The ITU is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content on these third-party websites. ITU does not offer any guarantee in that regard nor does ITU endorse the third-party organizations, their sites or content.


text:
Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) today held a news conference in Scotch Plains to call onPresident Obama to scrap his $50 billion stimulus spending bill and instead focus on providing economic certainty to America's small businesses through reduced federal spending and a renewal of the expiring Bush tax cuts for all taxpayers.
President Obama announced a series of proposals this week to stimulate the economy, including $50 billion in transportation infrastructure spending as well as limited tax relief for small businesses,specifically a permanent extension of the research and development (R&D) tax credit and allowing businesses to deduct from their taxes the full value of new equipment purchases.
"For more than 18 months the President's tax and spend policies have failed to jump start our economy," said Lance at John's Meat Market in Scotch Plains. "That's why I am opposed to spending another $50 billion on stimulus spending that most economists agree will have no immediate impact on jobs this year. We must instead cut government spending to levels prior to TARP bank bailouts, government takeovers and trillion dollar stimulus programs."
"And while I am pleased that the President is reaching across the aisle and embracing targeted tax relief like the 100 percent write-off on capital investments and legislation to make the R&D tax credit permanent, the most urgent economic issue facing small businesses like John's Meat Market is the pending $3.8 trillion tax increase effective January 1, 2011. I once again call on President Obama and leaders in Congress to renew the soon-to-expire Bush tax cuts for all taxpayers and bring some much-needed economic certainty forward."
Since coming to Congress, Lance has called for free-market solutions to help New Jersey's small businessesexpand and create jobs to help the economy.
In addition to his support for dramatically reducing federal spending and extending the Bush-era tax relief that is set to expire at the year's end, Congressman Lance has called for reducing regulatory burdens and repealing and replacing the new health care law with common sense reforms that include small business pooling and medical malpractice reform.
At today's press conference Lance was joined by Mr. Vincent Losavio, Sr., the owner of John's Meat Market.
"As a small business owner I want to keep more of what I earn to hire workers, buy new equipment and spend less time filling out paperwork created by burdensome federal mandates," said Losavio, who employs over a dozen people at the market. "But we also need to make sure that my customers have the money to spend here in town instead of sending it down to Washington. I agree with Congressman Lance. Let's cut spending, extend the tax cuts for all Americans and let's get our economy going again."
Source: http://lance.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=29&parentid=7§iontree=7,29&itemid=454


text:
Should there by typos I miss, pardon it please. You see, my thumb isn't as effective as usual because...
... Because I was a dumbass. For a few days, my sister-in-law's dog has been acting odd around me. I assumed this was because said dog was feeling neglected. So, today, after she'd hung around me for a while without acting out, I went to pet her. I wasn't looking at her at the time; she might have warned me. She might not have. Regardless, she certainly managed to tear up the skin on my thumb. Nothing horrible; it could have been much worse.
But I'm mildly annoyed with myself for obvious reasons.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Oh, yeah.
Posted by Jack Faust at 12:43 PM
4 comments:
- Pallas Renatus said...
I think the better question is, why on earth would you be typing with your thumb to begin with? =p
Heal soon, dude.
- October 2, 2010 at 6:45 PM
- petoskystone said...
heal soonest!
- October 3, 2010 at 5:02 AM
- Jack Faust said...
@Pellas: It... it... it gets in the way, somehow! The thumb, that is.
@Peto: Thanks!
- October 3, 2010 at 9:55 AM
- Hieronimo said...
@Pallas R.---I personally I use a thumb for the spacebar: I am of the ten fingered typists. That thumb injured, I'd type badly, for the distraction.
- October 4, 2010 at 5:46 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Army chaplain on mission to recruit more priests for military duty
NASHVILLE — For 14 years, the Rev. Joel Panzer had a peaceful life as Catholic priest and school principal in his hometown of Lincoln, Neb.
The war on terror changed that. Five years ago, Panzer left his parish in Nebraska and became an active-duty Army chaplain.
It's a calling that's taken Capt. Panzer to Iraq twice and transformed him from a parish priest into a kind of missionary. Most of his time these days is spent among people who don't share his faith. And he said he's loved almost every minute of it.
"I was used to everything being Catholic," he said. "It's been an eye-opening experience."
Panzer was in Nashville for a meeting of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, a gathering of the leaders of Catholic religious orders from around the country. He's hoping to persuade a few of those leaders to allow their priests to become Army chaplains.
By doing so, he hopes to reverse a rising shortage of priests in the military.
About a quarter of the soldiers in the Army are Catholic, but only about 6 percent of the Army's chaplains are Catholic priests.
All military branches combined have just 239 Catholic priests on active duty, said a spokesman for the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA, which oversees Catholic military chaplains.
The number of priests in the military has been declining in recent years, in part because of a mandatory retirement age of 62 for military chaplains, said a spokesman for the archdiocese. That means chaplains are retiring more quickly than they can be replaced.
There are some signs of a turnaround. In 2007, there were seven seminarians training to be military chaplains. Today, there are about 40.
Because of the priest shortage, Panzer was always on the move.
"Every week, I was on a Black Hawk or Chinook helicopter going somewhere to say Mass, then back to the main base for four or five Masses on the weekends," he said.
Panzer said most of the soldiers he works with don't share his Catholic faith. According to the Defense Department, the largest faith group among active-duty personnel is nondenominational Christians. The second-largest group is those with no religious affiliation, followed by Catholics.
"As a pastor, I was the teacher," he said.
"In the Army, the important thing is taking time to listen."


text:
MESA Monthly Reports:
Click on the following links to view the monthly reports.
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
October 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
June/July 2015
May 2015.pdf
April 2015.pdf
March 2015.pdf
February 2015.pdf
January 2015.pdf
November 2014.pdf
September 2014
August 2014
May 2014
April 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
October 2013
September 2013
Newsletters & Articles:
Click on the following links to view articles.
Four Napa Valley College students earn Eisenhower grants 2016
Four Napa Valley College engineering students have each been awarded $5,000 grants from the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program, designed to "attract the nation's brightest minds" to the field of transportation. Link to story
Napa Valley College/MESA student, mother of 2, aims for the stars (Tonie Scroggin) http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/article_457272e7-8dd8-5e7d-94b2-126996f5f041.html
NVC's STEM programs and students have been getting some great support from NASA and the US Department of Transportation recently. The North Bay Business Journal ran a really nice (and long) look at the activities and students these funds are supporting.
Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship press release:
The press release: NVC selected for NASA Community College Curriculum Development Grant
Tonie Scroggin, selected for the National Community College
Aerospace Scholars
STEM Awards Ceremony Newsletter May 2015
PGE Napa SLC release
MESA Alumni Arturo Ayala
NVC MESA students receive computers--CA Connect
NVC SACNAS Chapter Recognized Fall 2011
NVC SACNAS Chapter (Building Confidence Through Collaboration)
STEM Fair and Research Presentations
Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship
Napa Register Article (MESA Group helps motivate)


text:
I'm looking at a couple different EQ plugins for winamp and wondering the sound quality of these over using my Rockford 3sixty.2. I am wondering if they add any distortion or anything or if they can be used in stead of an outboard EQ like the 3sixty.2 to the same sound quality? Any audiophiles tuning with winamp EQ??? Or am I better off with a separate program (free hopefully) just for EQ. I will be playing FLAC (maybe a few high bitrate MP3's from time to time) and cd audio through a quality DAC to High end (and very revealing) equipment so SQ is my main concern. Thanks to any pros who chime in! Happy friday
No announcement yet.
Winamp EQ Plugins- Quality?
new posts
i have the 3sixty.1.. you should use that to perform all the tuning.. you may want to lower winamps preamp though.mp3Car.com Senior Tech Blogger (Want a product reviewed? Contact me.)
Follow Me on Twitter or Facebook
Live mp3Car Facebook Chat
software EQs will never match the performance of hardware EQs, that and the fact it takes processing power to run software eqsmp3Car.com Senior Tech Blogger (Want a product reviewed? Contact me.)
Follow Me on Twitter or Facebook
Live mp3Car Facebook Chat
I'm not too worried about the processing power, but you are confident that the ill effects of a software eq are worse than the effects of having to convert from digital to analog an extra time and have more connections like when using something like the 3sixty?? Also, the way I understand it, the 3sixty uses software of its own to take the digital signal (that it converted from the DAC's analog output) alter it and then convert it back to digital, similar to what winamp does to the digital signal. If you are saying it sounds better, I believe you, but the method seems the same to me? It would be different with a true old school analog EQ... What about the audiophiles going active on the pc? What EQ are they using or are they suffering from a loss of quality? Anyone with any insight or thoughts please chime in!
i'm speaking with my personal experience.. and again.. i have a .1 whereas you have a .2... so all things being equal ur tuning options with the 3sixty for exceed mine... but the whole point of the 3sixty is to process the digital signal before sending it to the amps. I guess its POSSIBLE to further improve the signal using winamps eq.. but using a combination of the two can lead to frequency interrupts and other means of distortion. The 3sixty also increases the line voltage and thats a must with any onboard sound and MOST commercial external sound cards.mp3Car.com Senior Tech Blogger (Want a product reviewed? Contact me.)
Follow Me on Twitter or Facebook
Live mp3Car Facebook Chat
I totally agree, I have the low voltage issue solved. Hippohifi Bloat DAC is 4.0volts RMS output. Just to be clear also, I wouldn't be using both EQ's, one or the other...
The 3sixty(.2) does process digitally but the signal arrives to it analog- see what I'm saying- its one more analog to digital to analog conversion that may not need to take place. Thanks for your opinion! Any of this sparking different thoughts on it now that you know more about my setup??
Just my opinion here, the 3sixty is software processing also..
It converts the analogue to digital and EQs and dlays, etc. with software algorithms..
I have no experience with that unit, but i would guess it is just a small computer itself with a CPU and memory and software that is doing the same thing as your computer would.
You might try the Winamp plug in that allows you to use VST plug ins, some are extremely high quality algorithms, as they are designed with pro sound in mind.
latersOurs is the age that is proud of machines that think and suspicious of men who try to.
Current SYSTEM
ARCAUDIO SE Amps
Rainbow Profi CS365 & Profi Vanadium 12"
I've used a couple Winamp EQ plug-ins for my home computer and find the interface too small to be operated on a 7" screen.
However, in terms of tuning here are three that i found rather useful.
Equilizer by Nevi - Graphical EQ allows you to tune each channel and frequency upto 250 Bands-- a recent update allows the eq to be resized which is a plus. =)
Shibatch Super EQ 0.01 -- 20 Bands per channel + parametric, simple sliders/generic interface.
VST Host DSP v1.0 - a bridge for VST .dll files.[98%]
Originally posted by Felix509 View PostYou might try the Winamp plug in that allows you to use VST plug ins, some are extremely high quality algorithms, as they are designed with pro sound in mind.


text: flickr, joanneteh_32 [ Did You Have a Treehouse or a Clubhouse Growing Up ? By Shawn Michaels July 31, 2012 Growing up .... memories of your clubhouse or treehouse! Did you ave one too ? Read More Category: Articles, Community, Lifestyle, Ocean County Breakfast Show, Parenting Tags: childhood, clubhouse, fort, fun, neighborhood, playing, shawn michaels, treehouse, wobm Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


text:
Fender California Series Sonoran SCE Left-Handed Dreadnought Cutaway Acoustic-Electric GuitarProduct #519317 Fender 519317 ABM Left Handed Acoustic Guitars https://www.esnapw.com/rses/ESnapServlet?MerchantNumberSent=63655
- Write a Review
45 day price guarantee, 45 day return policy, 100% secure shopping
- Buy New
- Alerts
Item Note:
This product has been discontinued but may be available as a Open Box item.
Similar Items
A fun guitar with a cool retro SoCal Vibe.
Grab your board shorts and your Sonoran guitar and head on down to Laguna to play some tunes and ride the waves. This left-handed dreadnought beauty will have you admiring its cool Stratocaster® guitar headstock, soft C-shaped maple neck and hip checkerboard binding 'til the sun goes down. The Fishman Isys III preamp allows easy amplification with 3-band EQ, volume, and a tuner.
Other cool features of the acoustic-electric guitar from the California Series include a new vintage-inspired pickguard design, rosewood fingerboard and scalloped bracing. Perfect for Fender enthusiasts, fans of vintage-style guitars, players who want a different look and vibe and anyone who wants to ride the wave of Fender's rich musical history and SoCal lifestyle.
- Model Name: Sonora SCE (Left-handed)
- Model Number: 096-8027-021
- Series: California Series
- Body Style: Single-Cutaway Fender® Tight Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric
- Colors: (021) natural
- Finish: Gloss (Polyurethane)
- Top: Solid Spruce
- Bracing: Scalloped X Bracing
- Back and Sides: Laminated mahogany
- Neck: Maple, Vintage "C" shape
- Fingerboard: Rosewood
- No. of Frets: 20
- Bridge: Rosewood with Compensated Saddle
- Machine Heads: Vintage Fender Style With White Plastic Buttons
- Electronics: Fender FTE-3 Active Onboard Preamp which features:
- Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, low battery Indicator Light
- Scale Length: 25.3" (643mm)
- Body Depth: 3.75" to 4.75"
- Width at Nut: 1-5/8" (43mm)
- Width at Heel: 2-1/8" (57mm)
- Headstock: Fender® Stratocaster Shape
- Position Inlays: White Dots
- Bridge: Traditional Fender
- Body and Neck Binding: Muliply
- Pickguard: Gold
- Strings: D'Addario™ EXP-12 Phosphor Bronze, Gauges .012 to .053
- Accessories: None


text:
WordCamp St. Louis 2012 was such a fantastic success that WordCamp is back for 2014!
Checkout the new site and get your tickets!
WordCamp St. Louis 2012 was such a fantastic success that WordCamp is back for 2014!
Checkout the new site and get your tickets!
Meet Ms. Krystyna Ninh – the designer who won our WordCamp logo contest earlier this year. When she is not designing branding materials or WordPress websites, she can usually be found hanging with her dog Reese. Krystyna's loves Typography, mustaches (not real ones, but putting mustaches on everything) and anything Harry Potter.
I've had the pleasure of working with Krystyna over the past year. She is amazing and a talent to keep your eye on! She's gonna do big things 🙂
Say hi to Krystyna on LinkedIn
Follow Krystyna on Twitter
Friend Krystyna on Facebook
Another great St. Louis WordCamp sponsor: IPVenger™ from NorseCorp
Real-time Security for your WordPress site:
Protect your site from hackers, malware, and botnets with the only real-time cloud security for WordPress. NorseCorp's IPVenger™ uses patent-pending anti-fraud technology to assess the risk level of every visitor to your site, blocking malicious traffic in real-time.
Sign up for early access at IPVenger.com
About Norse Corp:
Norse Corporation, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a provider of real-time Internet security intelligence solutions aimed at making the Internet safe for business. The company's patent-pending IPViking technology provides real-time intelligence about the risk level of network traffic attempting to engage in ecommerce, new account opening, or with websites and apps.
We are striving to make WordCamp better every year – With the amazing speakers we have this year, the tasty lunch scheduled and the super-cool T-shirt you will receive, we also wanted to have an after party that is worthy of following the amount of awesomeness that you will experience at WordCamp.
What better place than the City Museum?
If you have never been to the City Museum… you are in for a treat! With it's over 600,000 square feet of sculpture, mazes, art & found objects, it is an all-ages incredibly artistic space that inspires the kid in all of us.
FREE ADMISSION for the first 100 people that arrive at the City Museum with WordCamp coupons – these will be distributed in the programs at WordCamp. (Past 100, admission is $10 per person)
We will have some food available for the group (most likely pizzas) – Additional food is available for purchase. Drinks can be purchased at the bar.
Brandon's presentation: WordPress & Marketing
How many years have you used WordPress? 6
I look forward to speaking because: Online marketing has been completely changed by WordPress – there is so much more you can do!
Favorite WordPress Project: americanowandhere.org. It is an amazing site that is capable of a tremendous amount.
In the future, I see WordPress being used as the standard in web content.
WordPress has changed the way I interact with the web, share content with others and build profitable business.
Best real-life camping story: When I was in boy scouts, we once went camping out in Kansas somewhere. We were in this gigantic open field that was probably 4-5 football fields long. As we were setting up our tent a storm started to blow in. We had one of those dome pop up tents and just as we got it all set up (but before we got the stakes in the ground) the wind went crazy and our tent started flying/rolling away from us in the wind. We must have chased it at least 2 FOOTBALL fields before we caught it and then we couldn't get it back because it was like one big kite as we tried to walk back. Ultimately we had to take it all apart and carry it back, then reassemble putting the stakes in the ground FIRST.
See Brandon & other great WordPressers at WordCamp STL 2012
Learn more about Brandon at his site
Not your average printer – RBO provides marketing asset management solutions. What does that mean? A marketing asset management solution is a suite of technologies, print production capabilities, and fulfillment services that automates many of the processes relating to the procurement, production, management, and distribution of marketing materials. A marketing asset management solution is essentially an outsourcing arrangement, with the solution provider assuming responsibility for several components of a company's marketing materials supply and distribution chain.
Creative & Branding Support | Web-to-Print Storefront Development
Worldwide Distribution Services | Nationwide Logistics & Warehousing
Comprehensive Print Production | Direct Marketing Management
Learn more at www.rboinc.com
Nicholas's presentation: Getting Social, a roadmap to seamless WP integration
How many years have you used WordPress? 2.5
I look forward to speaking because: My passion is to use social media to help people get content out there easily.
Favorite WordPress Project: My personal site, A Branded You
In the future, I see WordPress being used for bringing a fresh perspective to people/shops that use other solutions.
WordPress has changed the way I can focus – more on the content and less on the programming.
Best real-life camping story: When I was younger we were camping and it rained the entire time, we ended up sitting in the tent and playing the board game version of "Wheel of Fortune" for the whole trip.
See Nicholas & other great WordPressers at WordCamp STL 2012
Learn more about Nicholas at his site
Follow Nick @NickGilham
Friend Nick on Facebook
Caren's presentation: How WordPress can help you land your dream job
How many years have you used WordPress? 3
I look forward to speaking because: because wp changed my life.
Favorite WordPress Project: Relocatingkids.com First one for global corp
In the future, I see WordPress being used for Establishing a strong presence.
WordPress has changed the way I live
Best real-life camping story: Camping in CA didn't realize it would get that cold at night. Survived the chill and broadened her horizons.
See Caren & other great WordPressers at WordCamp STL 2012
Learn more about Caren on her site
Follow Caren @carenlibby
Friend Caren on Facebook
Chris's presentation: Using WordPress for podcasting/videocasting
How many years have you used WordPress? 5
I look forward to speaking because: everyone has a passion, and podcasting/videocasting is an easy way to show it off.
In the future, I see WordPress being used for pretty much any content management system that involves social capabilities.
WordPress has changed the way I look at media
Best real-life camping story: I had a horse lie down on my leg while riding. In the middle of a trail he just stopped, got down and laid on his left side pinning my leg. In the end funny. As a kid, a bit freaked out.
See Chris & other great WordPressers at WordCamp STL 2012
Do you create WordPress Websites or run a WordPress Website? Are you from the STL area?
St. Louis has an amazing community of WordPress users and enthusiasts and it's time to be recognized the region and showcased to the world. Enter your favorite site(s) that you have worked on or run. The best sites will be showcased at the closing ceremony at WordCamp. All sites will be shared after WordCamp on this site and on facebook.


text:
Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
We stayed in the Apartment Alice, which had a massive bedroom and a good location. It was clean and bright and had air conditioning, and a kitchen with fridge and utensils. The owners left us to ourselves. I would definitely recommend the place and Lipari is lovely. It was a little noisy but as the location was very central I guess that was to be expected, and the bedroom looked out onto a main street on the ground floor so we were unable to keep the windows open. However it was very cheap. There was also the noise of possibly a generator coming from next door which was annoying, but this could only be heard in the kitchen and not in the bedroom so didn't disturb us sleeping.
Excellent value for money Hotel within easy walking distance of pier, shops and restaurants.
Good sized rooms and good breakfast
It was a beautifully kept b & b, lovely location away form the hustle and bustle. The view from the breakfast room was amazing, air con and having a fridge etc.. was a real bonus..And the staff were extremely helpful and friendly..
Very friendly staff and excellent breakfast. The rooms were newly decorated and clean. Very good location: tucked away, yet very close to the harbour square, with nice cafes, restaurants and shops.
We reserved our room many months ahead of schelude and were delighted that it was available. It is thiere largest room, very large by Sicilian standards with a balcony with sea views. This room was wonderful for a B&B style hotel. I don't know about the other rooms! Family run hotel with no English spoken. Breakfast and internet all located in room shared by the family of husband and wife and two young children. We were treated very nicely, but this set-up might not be for everyone. Good value for the money.
Excellent rooms, location is superb, Staff had no english
The room was cleaned very well every day. We were in the annex and it felt nice and private as well as quiet. I liked the location within the village with the locals, but also close to the restaurants and ports (just 2mins from where the tour boats leave and 10mins from where the ferries and hydrofoils leave). The beds were very uncomfortable - hard and lumpy and the pillows not that great. We got woken up by the church bells at 7am every day!
split level rooom was very comfortable and the room was really big, a great location, good facitillites- fridge, functioning air conditioning (!) and and balcony. Was also very quiet.
the staff was so kind and the breakfast was nice with smily service


text:
Grace & Peace Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). To… [more]
What to Expect We are a small congregation of about 100 members. We are diverse in age, race, occupation,… [more]
When you visit with us, you will be joining with us in the most important of all human activities: the… [more]
There are many ways to be involved in Music Ministries at Grace and Peace! We welcome the contributions… [more]
Our immediate historical roots are in the Reformation of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th Century.
Questions from the Westminster Shorter Catechism – on the reading and preaching of God's Word


text:
Father and son, Jackie and Tiger Shroffs along with Kriti Sanon were on Kapil Sharma's Comedy Nights With Kapil promoting their upcoming film, Heropanti. The Shroffs seem to hvae had a gala time on the show and were even seen shaking a leg on stage together.
Tiger Shroff, who has a shy personality was shy in the beginning but Kapil, the host and producer of the show, made sure he got comfortable in no time. Jackie Shroff got reminissing about his days as a young actor and even shared his experiances during his struggling days.
Comedy Nights had a competition between the handsom Shroffs to give away Bua as the trophy for who ever won. The young Tiger beat Jackie but gave away the trophy to his father. Source from the show reported that it was a fun episode to watch, especially the chemistry between the father and son.
Kapil Sharma's Comedy Nights With Kapil has been one of the most watched and loved shows on Indian television today. The show has infact become a one stop solution to promote their film.
Heropanti, is the upcoming Bollywood film that is all set to launch Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon. The film is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and is directed by Sabbir Khan. And the movie is scheduled to release on 23rd May, 2014.
Kriti Sanon, Tiger and Jackie Shroff were on Comedy Nights to promote their film Heropanti.
Kapil Sharma
Tiger, apparently was a little shy in the beginning but Kapil got him comfortable in no time.


text:
Save 10% off the regular $249 price when purchasing these knives as a set.
Set includes: Gyutou 210mm and Petty 120mm
Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef
The Grand Chef series from Sakai Takayuki is a high grade knife designed for professionals and is manufactured from Bohler-Uddeholm Swedish steel. This special steel alloy has very low impurities, is highly rust resistant and offers exceptional sharpness. The shape of each knife in the line is designed to maximize cutting performance as well as user comfort.
|Handle material
|Pressed Wood
|Blade length
|Gyutou = 210 mm (8.3") / Petty = 120mm (4.7")
|Thickness at spine
|2 mm / 1.8mm
|Thickness at tip
|0.7 mm / 0.5mm
|Hardness (Rockwell scale)


text:
Jump to Overview
Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health
Surface Metal Mine
Fatal Fall of Material Accident
January 9, 2010
Ames Construction Inc.
Contractor ID No. U82
Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc.
Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc.
Miami, Gila County, Arizona
Mine ID No. 02-00112
Melvin M. Lapin
Mine Safety & Health Inspector
Kenneth W. Valentine
Mine Safety & Health Inspector
Originating Office
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Rocky Mountain District
PO Box 25367 DFC
Denver, CO 80225-0367
Richard Laufenberg, District Manager
Estevan R. Benavidez, laborer, age 20, was fatally injured on January 9, 2010, when a suspended 400-foot long section of 24-inch diameter high density polyethylene pipe fell and struck him. The pipe was being installed into a new pregnant leach solution reservoir.
The accident occurred because contractor management policies and controls were inadequate. A risk assessment to discuss the task and identify possible hazards was not conducted prior to placing the pipe. The procedures failed to ensure that persons stay clear of suspended loads.
Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc., a surface copper mine facility, owned and operated by Freeport Miami Inc., was located in Miami, Gila County, Arizona. The principal operating official was Michael Ciricillo, vice-president/general manager. The facility employed 124 persons working two, 12 hour shifts, seven days a week.
Copper ore-bearing rock was drilled, blasted in the open pit, and transported by haul truck to heap leach pads and overburden deposition areas. The ore was treated with sulfuric acid that created a pregnant leach solution. Copper was recovered from the pregnant leach solution using a solvent extraction process and then processed into copper rod. The finished products were sold to commercial industries.
Ames Construction Inc., located in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, was contracted by Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc., to install a new leaching facility. The principal operating official was James Wells, superintendent. Construction of this leaching facility began in August 2009.
The last regular inspection at this operation was completed on November 24, 2009.
On the day of the accident, Estevan R. Benavidez (victim), reported for work at 6:30 a.m., his normal starting time. He attended a general safety meeting and a job specific safety meeting. Kevin Frantti, foreman, assigned Benavidez and Michael Geil, laborer, to cut a 700-foot long section of high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe in half, and then fuse a section of the pipe to a previously installed pipe elbow.
About 9:00 a.m., Benavidez, Geil, Frantti, W. James Marriage, equipment operator; Steven Engles, equipment operator; and Gabriel Garcia, mechanic, began the process of installing a 400-foot section of 24-inch diameter HDPE pipe into the No. 27 reservoir. This pipe was being placed next to two other pipes which had been recently installed.
Two excavators positioned 225 feet apart were used to install the pipe into the reservoir. One excavator was positioned near the reservoir spillway and supported the pipe. The other excavator pushed the pipe down the declining spillway and into the pond from the far end of the 400-foot section of pipe. To facilitate installation, the pipe being installed was placed onto the top of an adjacent pipe which had been previously installed. About 114 feet of the pipe had been pushed down the spillway when it became jammed and would not move any further.
Frantti, Geil, and Benavidez placed three choker-type tag lines on the pipe to remove it from the top of the adjacent pipe. Frantti was about eight feet from the east end of the pipe and Benavidez was about four feet from the same end. Geil was at the end of the pipe. Benavidez used an eight foot long strap to pull on the pipe. The strap was rigged as a choker providing Benavidez about six inches of tag line.
As the pipe was pulled, it suddenly shifted, striking Frantti, and knocking him several feet backward but he was not injured. The pipe also struck Benavidez, knocking him to the ground, and landing on his torso and chest. An excavator was then used to free Benavidez.
An emergency response team from Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc., was summoned and responded to the accident site. Emergency Medical Services transported Benavidez to the local hospital helicopter launch pad. He was then transported by medical helicopter to a medical center where he was pronounced dead by the attending physician at 1:10 p.m. The cause of death was blunt force trauma.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was notified of the accident at 11:17 a.m. on January 9, 2010, by a telephone call from Drew Borcherding, senior safety and health professional, Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc., to MSHA's emergency call center. Michael Dennehy, assistant district manager, was notified and an investigation was started the same day. A Part 50 order was issued to Ames Construction Inc., for untimely reporting and a Part 50 citation was issued for altering the accident site. A Part 50 citation was issued to Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc., for untimely reporting. An order was issued under the provisions of Section 103(j) of the Mine Act to ensure the safety of the miners.
MSHA's investigators traveled to the mine, conducted a physical inspection of the accident scene, interviewed employees, and reviewed conditions and work procedures relevant to the accident. MSHA conducted the investigation with the assistance of mine and contractor management and employees, and the State of Arizona Mine Inspector's Office.
Location of the Accident
The accident occurred on the west end of the No. 27 pregnant leach solution reservoir spillway that had a slope of about 7.5 percent. The No. 27 reservoir was 810 feet long, 525 feet wide, and designed to hold about 41.2 million gallons of liquid. It was lined with an impermeable geomembrane.
The weather at the time of the accident was mostly clear with a slight wind and a temperature of 51 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather was not considered to be a factor in the accident.
High Density Polyethylene Pipe
The High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic pipe was used to convey pregnant leach solution from the leach fields to the pregnant leach solution reservoirs. The 1-1/2 inch thick wall pipe had a 24-inch outside diameter. The 400-foot section that struck the victim weighed about 20,432 pounds. The end of the pipe involved in the accident was suspended 24 inches above ground by being placed on the previously installed adjacent pipe. The pipe suspended by the other excavator was about 6 feet off the ground and 118 feet from the end of the pipe.
One of the excavators involved in the accident was a Caterpillar, Model 375 excavator, with an operating weight of 178,800 lbs., and a lifting capacity of 65,600 lbs. The excavator was inspected and no defects were found The other excavator involved in the accident was a Caterpillar, Model 330-BL excavator, with an operating weight of 75,000 lbs., and a lifting capacity of 37,630 lbs. The excavator was inspected and a non-contributory citation was issued for a defective work light.
Training and Experience
Estevan R. Benavidez, victim, had 21 weeks of mining experience. Benavidez had received training in accordance with 30 CFR Part 48. Kevin Frantti, foreman, had 12 years of experience. Gabriel Garcia, mechanic, had 9 years of experience. Michael Geil, laborer, had 17 weeks of experience. Steve Engles, equipment operator, had 4 years of experience. W. James Marriage, equipment operator had 22 years of experience. All five miners had received training in accordance with 30 CFR Part 48.
A root cause analysis was conducted and the following root cause was identified:
Root Cause: Contractor management policies and work procedures were inadequate and failed to ensure that persons stay clear of suspended loads.
Corrective Action: The contractor operator amended the written work procedure for moving, installing, and guiding HDPE pipe. When using tag lines, persons will remain at least twenty feet away from suspended loads or be protected by equipment or other substantial barriers.
The accident occurred because contractor management policies and controls failed to identify the risks associated with the task. A risk assessment to discuss the task and identify possible hazards was not conducted prior to placing the pipe. The procedures failed to ensure that persons stay clear of suspended loads.
Issued to Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc.
Order No. 6452935 was issued on January 9, 2010, under the provisions of Section 103(j) of the Mine Act:
A fatal accident occurred at this operation on January 9, 2010, when an employee was struck by a section of pipe. James Eubanks, MSHA supervisor, issued a verbal order to Tom Howard, safety manager, Ames Construction Inc., at 1:45 p.m. and Drew Borcherding, safety professsional, Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc., at 1:48 p.m., securing the area where the accident occurred. This order is issued to ensure the safety of persons at this operation and prohibits any work in the affected area. The mine operator shall obtain approval from an Authorized Representative for all actions to restore operations in the affected area.
The order was subsequently modified to a Section 103(k) order and was terminated on January 14, 2010. Conditions that contributed to the accident no longer exist.
Issued to Ames Construction Inc.
Citation No. 6459207 was issued on January 31, 2010, under the provisions of Section 104(d)(1) of the Mine Act for a violation of 56.16009:
A fatal accident occurred at this operation on January 9, 2010, when a contract laborer was struck and crushed by a suspended section of pipe. The victim, a co-worker, and the foreman were guiding the pipe, exposing them to the hazard of working near a suspended load. The foreman engaged in aggravated conduct constituting more than ordinary negligence in that he was directly supervising and participating in this task. This is an unwarrantable failure to comply with a mandatory standard.
This citation was terminated on January 31, 2010. The contractor amended the written work procedure for moving, installing, and guiding pipe. All persons have been trained on the amended procedures.
Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:
Fatality Overview:
PowerPoint / PDF
Persons Participating in the Investigation
Freeport McMoRan Miami Inc.
David Wales ............... Health & Safety Manager
Andrew Siersma, Sr. ............... Health & Safety Professional
Drew Borcherding ............... Health & Safety Professional
Ames Construction Inc.
Thomas Howard ............... Regional Safety Manager
James Wells ............... Superintendent
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Melvin M. Lapin ............... Mine Safety & Health Inspector
Kenneth W. Valentine ............... Mine Safety & Health Inspector
Arizona State Mine Inspector's Office
Rex Gennicks ............... Deputy Mine Inspector
William Schifferns ............... Deputy Mine Inspector


text:
We all know there is a War on Christmas – in the minds of pundits at Fox News. Bill O'Reilly tells us that there is indeed a war. Yes, they have suffered through a war torn path of destruction by gay people.
O'Reilly and Bernard McGuirk, executive producer of Imus in the Morning, declared (out loud) that they actually believe there's a war against Christianity.
MCGUIRK: The war on Christmas is very, very real, and if you ask me, in addition to some grouchy misanthropic heathen atheists it has to do — at the root of it — with two things — abortion and the gay rights agenda, because Christianity is against those things. It's subtle but that's why it's so pronounced in recent years.
O'REILLY: Hundred percent agree. I absolutely agree 100 percent that the diminishment of Christianity is the target and Christmas is the vehicle because the secularists know the opposition to their agenda (legalized drugs is in that as well) comes primarily from the Judeo-Christian traditionalist people.
All of my FABULOUS gay friends are decorating their treess, some perhaps adding extra tinsel, and all of them are laughing in Bill O'Reilly's face. I can't think of one gay friend that doesn't have their Christmas tree up.
Think Progress writes, "McGuirk's pronouncement that all of Christianity opposes a woman's right to an abortion or a gay couple's right to raise a family ignores the fact that many women and gay people are Christian."
It's true. I support the right to choose. I support a gay couple's right to have a family. I am a woman. I am a progressive. I am a Christian. Clutch your pearls Bill. We don't all fit neatly into your Christian dogma. In fact, I do not have a Christmas tree, so I must be a Satanist in O'Reilly's eyes. Oh crap.
Comment of the day on YouTube:
Ok, the WAR ON CHRISTMAS is the queers fault? Dude, I'm gay and have 3 Christmas trees. Who the hell do you think is buying all these decorations? My house looks like Rudolph pooped Christmas cheer all over my house. Christmas rocks! Stop blaming the gays for all your problems.
H/T: Think Progress & Towleroad.Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2012 FreakOutNation.com