text:
Spiny Norman wrote:kmath wrote:1. Not killing animals but still eating the meat
3. And in this case allowing others to fight for one
It just seems karmically selfish, so to speak. If you want those things done, why not just accept the consequences of doing them yourself?
I broadly agree. In the event of a war should I expect others to risk their lives in order to defend me, while saying "Oh, I'm a Buddhist, I couldn't possibly take a life."


text:
Cart is empty
Discontinued, quality plywood products at discounted prices.
Butcher Block sheet made from 100% bamboo in the Amber color. Single ply, size: 1.5" x 36" x 72" all sales are final and...
3/4" Solid edge grain plywood in a deep amber tone. These sheets come in 15" or less widths. All sheets are 96" long with the grain...
Track my order(s)
Copyright © 2010-2013 Smith & Fong Company

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"It ain't easy to break out of a mold, but if you do your work, people will ultimately see what you're capable of. Too often, people find it easier to make assumptions and stick with what they believe. They put you in a place and it makes their job easier. The good people constantly search for something different." — Christopher Meloni
Some folks spend a lifetime searching for the one occupation that will bring them fame, fortune and happiness … and never find it. And then there are people like Brad Macy, who has spent his life doing what he loves most — helping the elderly. As he sums up his career, no amount of money or recognition can supplant what he's been doing most of his life — working as a hospice nurse.
The third of four children, Brad was 5 years old when his father died, leaving the burden of raising him and his siblings entirely on his mother. The family left Evanston, Ill., the city where Brad was born, shortly thereafter and headed to Southern California to be close to his maternal grandparents.
Brad's sister speaks of his early life:
"When he was a teenager, Brad worked for a while in a nursing home. I think he was just a fairly low-level orderly or something. As I remember it, one day he arrived home from work with this very, very elderly lady from the home. She was quite senile.
"Brad had just befriended her and decided to take her for a day out visit to our house. Of course, it was completely against the rules to just walk off with one of the patients. But that hadn't occurred to Brad. Why shouldn't she have a day out? Our mother was both horrified and amused as she suggested that maybe it was time to take the lady back to her home.
"That's how I always think of Brad and his nursing. He didn't see this woman as a senile patient. He saw her as a human being and he reached out in genuine friendship. What a gift."
Which reminds me of the following quote by Mother Teresa:
"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy that kind of poverty."
Although Brad's mother never remarried, his Uncle Fran assumed the role of surrogate father, filling in the void left by his own father's passing. A Harvard graduate and Peace Corps volunteer, Fran had quite an illustrious career and at one time served as citizen ambassador to Russia.
Fran proved to be an ideal model for Brad and, according to family members, Brad was a lot like him.
Brad graduated from Cal State Long Beach, and several years later enrolled at USF to enhance his vocational education. Finding the Bay Area to his liking while in school, he never returned to Southern California except to visit there on occasion.
Brad eventually made his way to Contra Costa County, and it was in 2005, while he was on duty at a hospice gathering that he met his future wife, Ellen, who was seeking help for her ailing mother. The couple married a year later.
In his career as a certified Hospice and palliative care nurse spanning more than 30 years, Brad has developed and patented various proven ways to alleviate pain and suffering of terminally ill patients which is expected to be introduced to hospitals here and abroad in the near future.
In gratitude of his years of selfless service to the elderly, Brad is scheduled to be inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society at USF this November. He will also be recognized as Nurse of the Year at the National Association of Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses annual National Conference in New Orleans in March 2013.
So what's Brad been up to lately?
I attended a business meeting at the Macy's home a few months back. Before the gathering adjourned, Brad received a call from one of his patients and quickly left after excusing himself. To those who know Brad, his sudden departure came as no surprise.
According to Ellen, Brad was gone until early the next morning. Although emergency call outs happen infrequently, it's not unusual for him to receive calls anytime throughout the day and even on his days off.
It amazes me that Brad isn't affected by his recent fame or the proverbial burnout syndrome after being on a physically as well as mentally taxing job for more than 30 years!
Then again, I reckon when you stand 6 feet, 5 inches tall, you can handle most anything!
Eizo Kobayashi is a Concord resident and a member of the Concord Senior Citizens Club. Contact him at email@example.com.


text:
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate appeared on FOX's Married... With Children as Kelly Bundy, on NBC's comedy Jesse, starred on the TV show Samantha Who?, and she's worked on movies such as Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991), Surviving Christmas (2004) and The Rocker (2008).
AppealFor pure sex appeal, Christina Applegate doesn't quite take the crown (that crown can easily go to Elizabeth Hurley or Jennifer Lopez). What Christina Applegate does take the crown for is what our voting panel referred to as an "obtainability" factor. Basically, she's someone we can come across at a club, a street corner, etc., and not just a magazine layout. As a result, her sexiness factor is proportionally higher because of how obtainable the voting panel considers her. Damn, that sounded scientific, why don't you just take our word for it next time?
SuccessChristina Applegate's career started off with TV roles on 21 Jump Street (where she played a girl enamored with Johnny Depp), Ricky "I Can't Believe He's On NYPD Blue" Schroder's prom date on Silver Spoons and a member of Tina Yothers' band on Family Ties.
Somehow, her movie career followed a similar path, as she did a number of relatively unknown parts. Among her movie roles are appearances in The Big Hit (1998), Mafia! (1998), Mars Attacks! (1996), Wild Bill (1995), and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.
It was her main role in the hit TV comedies Married... With Children and Samantha Who? that really made Christina Applegate a household name.
Christina Applegate BiographyChristina Applegate was born November 25, 1971, in Los Angeles. The daughter of a soap star actress, Nancy Priddy, and a record-company executive, Robert Applegate, Christina had her younger half-sister and half-brother as new additions to the family, after the divorce of her parents and remarriage of her father.
She made her first onscreen appearance at the age of 5, alongside her mother on Days of Our Lives, since her mother brought her along to work and auditions.
christina applegate in married with children Christina Applegate's life was consumed by acting, and she even quit school at 17 in order to pursue it full-time. This wasn't a surprise; she had appeared in more than a dozen roles by the time she was that age.
With onscreen roles in series such as Father Murphy, Mama's Family, Quincy, Charles in Charge, Still the Beaver, Silver Spoons, Heart of the City, and Family Ties, as well as films like Jaws of Satan, Beatlemania, and the made-for-TV film The Grace Kelly Story, there was no doubt that acting was her given talent.
In 1987, Christina Applegate found her calling and the role that put her on the map. For 10 years, she portrayed ditzy and promiscuous Kelly Bundy in the dysfunctional family sitcom Married... With Children.
christina applegate in don't tell mom the babysitter's dead Although Christina Applegate may have fooled millions as the trampy Bundy daughter until 1997, the green-eyed actress far from resembles her character. While surviving the tribulations of family life on Married... With Children, Christina Applegate was making the rounds on television, appearing in a slew of television shows including 21 Jump Street, Top of the Heap (as Kelly Bundy), host of Mad TV, and Pauly.
She also made it to several made-for-TV movies and straight to video movies, such as Dance 'Til Dawn, Streets and Across the Moon. In 1991, she made her big-screen debut in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, a lukewarm comedy.
After roles in obscure movies such as Wild Bill and Vibrations, Christina Applegate shared the screen with Jack Nicholson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Glenn Close, and Pierce Brosnan in 1996's Mars Attacks!.
Once Married... With Children saw its last day in 1997, Christina Applegate was ready to jump back in the saddle with a role in the slapstick comedy Mafia!, and was back on television as the title character of the NBC sitcom Jesse, which debuted in 1998.
christina applegate on jesse and in a view from the top Although Christina Applegate took home the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV series and the TV Guide Award for Star of a New Series both in 1999, the critically acclaimed Jesse didn't last long on the air. Despite a coveted time slot and some resuscitation, Jesse was canceled after a two-year run.
In 2002, Christina Applegate could be seen in The Sweetest Thing, costarring Cameron Diaz. The year after that, she worked on the flick A View From the Top with Gwnyeth Paltrow, Kelly Preston, Mike Myers, and Rob Lowe.
christina applegate is samantha who?In 2003, Christina Applegate won an Emmy for her guest role on Friends, as she played Rachel Green's (Jennifer Aniston's) sister. After roles in the 2004 movies Employee of the Month with Matt Dillon and Surviving Christmas with Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate appeared in several bit parts before landing a lead on the hit TV show Samantha Who?
She also appeared in the big-screen comedy The Rocker with Rainn Wilson in '08, and she is slated to also be in the 2010 flick Everything Is Going to Be Just Fine, costarring Jennifer Coolidge.
In 2008, however, Christina Applegate faced a personal tragedy when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy.
Show comments


text:
I believe the last time I posted was after I ran a 5-mile race over Memorial Day weekend. That race was the first event for this year's Seashore Striders Championship Series. Every year, between Memorial Day and the first weekend of August, they hold two 5-milers and 11 5Ks. Anyone who runs at least one 5-miler and five 5Ks qualifies for final age group awards. Then, on Labor Day weekend, they hold a "prediction" 5K, followed by the championship awards.
They figure out age group awards by adding together your placing in every race, so, as in golf, the lowest score wins. I think I had a 7 or an 8 once, but I've never pulled off six first-place finishes and a perfect score of 6. I got off to a good start this year, when I won my age group in the 5-miler on Memorial Day weekend.
There are a few nutters every year who run all 13 events (14 if you count the prediction run), but I always do the bare minimum. For one, five 5Ks are plenty if you ask me. Two, the races are all about an hour's drive for me. And three, five 5Ks are plenty if you ask me.
I ran my fifth and final 5K this past Saturday, and I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with how this series went for me this summer. This is the fourth year I've done it, and my times were consistently better than any of the previous years. Of course, I think the comparatively mild summer we had been enjoying up until about two weeks ago helped. Or maybe I'm just that awesome.
Father's Day 5K -- June 16
I had just done my first double-digit run in almost a month the day before this race, so I wasn't expecting too much out of it. Last year, I ran it horribly hungover and sleep-deprived in 22:12, so I was sure I'd at least get a course PR out of the day.
It was a warmish morning, but not yet hot, and we had a little cloud cover until right before the race started, of course. This course is on the boring side, just some loops through some residential streets. I could tell in the first 10th of a mile it was going to be a sucky race! My legs did not have much pep in them.
The first mile seemed to last forever, which is always a bad sign in a 5K for me, because it's usually the fastest. I finally passed the first mile marker in 6:41, which actually wasn't bad. Clearly I was already starting to fade in the second mile though, because when the second marker appeared, my watch was at 13:51 — a 7:10 second mile. Ouch!
I tried to pick it up in the third mile, or at least not slow down even further. I was getting hot, my legs were sapped and I was completely over the whole thing. We finally made the last turn back onto the road where we'd started, and I could see the finish in the distance. I tried to give what little bit of a kick I had left:
I crossed the line in 21:29 by my watch, 21:28 by my chip and 21:31 by the gun -- all of which were good enough for first in my age group.
Plus, I got to see PearlGirl crush her 5K PR, and then we found the house we're renting in December for the Rehoboth full/half marathon weekend:
Jungle Jim's 5K Splash -- June 22
I love this race! It's one of my favorites all year. The course is boring, but it starts and ends in Jungle Jim's water park, and runners get to float on the lazy river and ride a couple of the slides between the race and the park's opening for regular business.
The start of this race is always crowded as we leave the water park and try to squeeze onto the left shoulder of the road, since the roads aren't closed to traffic. I think I did a decent job of placing myself in the pack, and I didn't have to dodge or weave too much at the beginning for once.
I felt OK in the first mile, and passed the first marker in 6:37 by my watch. Soon enough, we made the U-turn around the cone marking the turnaround and headed back.
I think the watch was at 13:32 at the second mile marker – a 6:55 second mile. Once again, I'd fallen off in the second mile, but it wasn't as bad as the week before. Better yet, I was on track to beat the last week's time.
The third mile was tough. I was hot and tired of running, but that's how the last mile of a 5K always feels, so what else is new? Luckily, I had plenty of company to keep me pushing. I got by a woman I'd been running with and another woman who had passed me in the first mile, and then I caught up to a couple of guys.
I'm pretty sure trying to run them down helped me keep up my pace at the end.
I crossed the line in 21:15 by my chip, a 6:51/mile average pace, a 13-second improvement over the previous weekend's 5K and by far the fastest I've run that particular course, so I was satisfied with it.
When my friend finished, we changed into our swimsuits and hopped in the lazy river.
I won my age group again! Halfway through the six races I had to run to qualify, I was 3-for-3 on age group wins.
Beach Paper Firecracker 5K -- June 29
We got some heavy storms the night before this race, and it was still lightly raining when my friend and I left my house at 5:30 a.m. I wouldn't have minded if it had kept that up for the race, because the air was so thick and muggy, a little rain shower while we were running probably would have felt good. But we didn't get that lucky. By the time we got to Rehoboth, the rain had stopped, but it was in the high 70s and the humidity was about 90 percent. Gross.
I did about a mile to warm up. I already had a nice sheen of sweat going, just from that. As they called us over to the start line, the sun broke through the clouds. A collective groan rose up from the crowd. Yay, it got worse!
I tried to start kinda close to the front, but people just kept squeezing in the crowd in front of me, and the next thing I knew, I was several rows back and surrounded by people talking about hoping to finish in the 26- to 27-minute range. It was too late to move up, so I just stayed put. We got the commands and took off.
It took me a good six seconds to get over the timing mat at the start. Then we had to work our way around a tight right turn almost immediately. Finally, we had some space to spread out on the long straightaway that made up almost the entire first mile. I started picking my way around people.
I felt pretty decent in the first mile. I passed the first mile marker in 6:39. I felt like I was maintaining my pace in the second mile — I wasn't getting passed by anyone, and I passed a few people — but once again, I passed the second mile marker in 13:32, which meant I'd just run a 6:53 second mile.
We made a couple more turns, and then we were back on that long straightaway back to the finish. I was just trying to not to think about how tired I was of running that pace.
I hit 'stop' on my watch and saw 21:08. I actually managed to run a strong enough third mile to shave off another seven seconds from the previous week's 5K time. Not bad!
At the awards ceremony, I found out I'd won my age group for the fourth time, and that I totally missed the memo on what the top F 30-34 runners were supposed to wear that day:
Women's Festival 5K -- July 6
This is the important one! It used to be part of a national series of women-only 5Ks, to encourage more participation. When that series disbanded, our local race director kept the women's race and got the Rehoboth Beach New Balance store to sponsor it. The top 10 finishers in the women's race get New Balance gift certificates. Since I only wear New Balance shoes, this is a big incentive for me.
July 6 was the hottest it had been so far, and I woke up pretty much exhausted from all the work I'd been doing the previous two days to get ready for our annual Fourth of July party later that afternoon. Checking out my competition at the start line, I recognized last year's winner, another woman who always smokes me and several more who run close to my pace. Ugh, this was looking like a top 10 finish would be hard work.
The first mile wasn't too bad. I passed a couple runners, and got passed by a few others. I think my watch was at 6:36 when I passed the first mile marker.
Not long past the first mile marker, we passed a water stop. A lot of the guys had walked out to it to cheer us on as we passed. I believe I was seventh at this point, right behind this woman named Meryl, and still solidly in the gift certificates.
I was getting tired by the time we got to a turnaround in the second mile. Meryl was getting away from me, but I didn't hear anyone getting close to me from behind.
We passed the second mile marker. I know my watch was at 13:27 at that point. I'd once again slowed up in the second mile, but I was definitely on pace to run my best 5K time of the summer series so far, and my best time in this race in particular.
That meant I had to keep running though, which was reaching the truly sucky point. It was so damn hot. And sunny! And the course was so boring. Nothing but nearly identical houses lining each side of the street. Why can't you people plant trees?
I realized I was gaining on Meryl. I can't remember when I caught her, but I think it was after we'd gotten to the part of the course that retraced a bit of the first mile. I passed her and could see the fourth and fifth place women ahead, but not at all close enough to catch. I was pretty certain I was about to finish sixth.
I saw the water stop again up ahead. This time, we would turn right onto a sidewalk after the water stop, and cross a bridge to an elementary school parking lot and the finish line. I'd run over the bridge during my warm up and saw the 3-mile marker on it, just like the last two years I ran this race.
I was extremely confused, then, when I saw the fourth and fifth place women run past the turn to the bridge and keep going straight. The volunteer at the water stop directed me to turn right, and I blurted out, "So why are they running that way?" and pointed at the two women, now disappearing around the next turn.
I made the turn on the path, crossed the bridge and ran down into the parking lot to the finish line:
I officially crossed the line in 21:01, again my best 5K time of the summer and 24 seconds better than this same race last year.
I felt guilty about the two women who'd missed the turn though! I should have finished sixth, not fourth. They hadn't crossed the line yet when the 10th place woman came across, which meant they'd be completely outside the gift certificates.
I saw them come in around 23:42. I waited a couple minutes and then asked one of them what happened. Neither one of them had ever run that course before, and the volunteer who should have directed them to the path to cross the bridge was too busy filling cups with water when they went by. Worse, the first course marshal they saw after that told them they were going the right way when they asked. They didn't quite make it back to the turnaround in the second mile when someone finally told them they'd missed a turn. I said something about the results and the gift certificates, and the woman just laughed it off and said it wasn't a big deal.
Later, they started the men's race (which Michael Wardian won!) and then they called up the top 10 women to get our New Balance awards -- first and second get $75 each and everyone else gets $15 a pop. I gotta get faster!
Technically, I won my age group again, but I later found out one of the women who'd missed the last turn and should have beaten me was in my age group. One more thing to feel guilty about!
Race for the Ribbon 5K -- July 20
After a week off, I had one more 5K to run. I'd hoped to keep up my streak of improving my times throughout the series, but it wasn't meant to be.
We were in the middle of a heatwave that morning. The feels like temp at 7:30 a.m. was 90 degrees, with 82 percent humidity. Nasty day for a race!
This was run on the same course as the Father's Day 5K a month before, so I knew what to expect. More boring residential streets with no shade.
I didn't push too hard in this one. I noticed even at my slower than normal pace, I was running with many of the same people I usually see in a 5K, so I guess everyone had the same idea.
At the first mile marker, a guy passing on my left asked out loud if anyone had a watch. I looked down at mine and said "7:01," about 25 seconds slower than my usual first mile in these races this summer.
I felt OK at that pace. As I ran the second mile, I caught back up with that guy who'd passed me at the first marker, and we ran together for a stretch. He stopped to get a drink at the water stop and said something encouraging to me, I can't remember now. But I do know I said I'd see him at the finish line.
I passed the second mile in 14:13 by my watch, a 7:12 second mile. There's not much to say about the last mile of the race. I kept up my pace.
As I was running down the final stretch back to the finish, I heard footsteps coming up from behind. Well, who likes to get passed right at the finish? I pushed myself a little harder and kept whoever was there behind me.
Turns out it was the guy I'd told I'd see at the finish line. I literally saw him at the finish line, haha.
Chip time was 22:09, which was good enough for my sixth first-place of the summer series! I finally did it!
So that's that. My next race is another 5K at the beach on Aug. 17, only because Jenster is running it and PearlGirl is at least going to spectate (the post-race party is at a pretty good bar.)
Other than that, I've been getting used to being on a training schedule again, for the Indy Monumental Marathon on Nov. 2, and doing a lot of this:
Last weekend, the most exciting thing happened! I used to water ski a lot, between the ages of 14 and 23. My uncle had this grungy old ski boat, and took it out on the river all the time. About seven years ago, he got tired of it, and then he passed away two years ago.
After he passed, my aunt sold it to my cousin for $25, and he and my brother got it up and running again. This past Sunday, I got to go skiing for the first time in seven years!
The most amazing part of the whole story is that I was able to get up on one ski on my first try. I was seriously worried about that. The not-that-amazing part is that I felt like a 90-year-old woman the next day haha. It wasn't even my arms or legs that were that sore, it was my back! I don't remember that being a problem, but I'm 30 now. I'm hoping this isn't the new normal!
This is my brother, on the left, and his brother-in-law tying up Found On River Dead after a couple hours of skiing Sunday:
The other big excitement at the moment is that Clark and I, along with one of our friends, are going to the NASCAR race in Pocono, Pa., next weekend. The three of us have a pact to hit every track in the country at least once. Neither of us are that excited about Pocono -- it's enormous and flat, so you can't see much other than when they're right in front of your seat -- but it's on the list and it's only a 3.5-hour drive away.
We're staying in Scranton the night before the race, at the closest hotel I could find to this bar Clark and I spent all afternoon at after I ran the Steamtown Marathon there a couple of years ago. They had an amazing beer selection, and Clark has talked about it a lot ever since. I'm not sure, but I think we might be more excited about going back to that bar than we are about the race.
Happy running!


text:
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied a protest by Lockheed Martin over the U.S. Navy's selection of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4N Global Hawk UAV for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) contract. The ruling allows Northrop to proceed with the $2.3 billion system design and development phase of BAMS. The ruling by the GAO also revealed significant performance problems by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) on multiple contracts to supply Predator, Reaper and I-Gnat UAVs and their associated ground control stations to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army.
Lockheed Martin's proposal for BAMS was based on the Mariner UAV, a development of the Reaper to be produced by GA-ASI. The Navy found that Lockheed's proposal promised to be significantly less expensive to develop, produce and operate–$15.8 billion versus $20.9 billion. But the Northrop proposal had a strong technical advantage (the most important evaluation factor) and a significant advantage under the past performance evaluation (the second most important factor). The Navy said that three jet-powered Global Hawks could provide an effective time on station (ETOS) of 96.2 percent versus 84.6 percent for four turboprop-powered Mariners. The Global Hawk also provided superior margins for space, weight and power.
Regarding past performance, the Navy said that customer feedback on GA-ASI's contracts was "remarkably consistent, identifying difficulties in managing workload, problems with executing systems engineering and systems integration tasks and problems with properly staffing a project," according to the GAO. Lockheed protested the Navy's ETOS calculations and past performance findings. In particular, Lockheed claimed that GA-ASI had made systemic improvements to management and execution of contracts. But the GAO confirmed the Navy's findings.
Australia is now likely to follow the U.S Navy and buy the RQ-4N. The BAMS award will also allow Northrop Grumman to achieve a more economic rate of production for the Global Hawk family, thus benefiting not only the U.S. Air Force, but also the German Air Force, which is buying the Euro-Hawk version for SIGINT, and NATO, which is potentially buying a version equipped with the new MP-RTIP new radar for ground surveillance.


text:
About DeviceSpace
DeviceSpace is the premier online community for the Medical Device and Diagnostics industries. DeviceSpace.com features a comprehensive Career Network for industry professionals and employers, and delivers through user-friendly navigation daily news, events, company profiles, stocks, blogs and other relevant information from the sector. DeviceSpace also hosts Medical Device Career Fairs throughout the US.
DeviceSpace.com also features product pipeline information from BioPharm Devices™ the leading resource for market research and competitive intelligence on the Medical Device industry.
DeviceSpace is a division of BioSpace.com, an onTargetjobs company and the leading Web community of the biopharmaceutical industry for the past 12 years.
DeviceSpace and Medical Device Link.com have partnered to launch the Device Career Network, a new career Web site that forms the largest, most-focused, online community for recruiters as well as medical device and diagnostics professionals.
The site offers a range of recruitment and advertising products to meet varying needs—from job postings and résumé searches for Human Resource professionals to Web banner advertising that expands brand and revenue streams.
The Career Network's HR and marketing initiatives also provide enhanced access to career fairs and other life science events across the United States.
News and Industry Information
DeviceSpace.com aggregates and delivers the latest breaking news and featured stories from the medical device and diagnostics industries. DeviceSpace also features medical device and diagnostics company profiles, investment and stock information, industry events and other resources.
Company Profiles
DeviceSpace offers over 1,500 profiles on Medical Device and Diagnostics companies. In addition to contact information and company focus, a profile offers deep background information on a company, including company history, recent news articles, up-to-the minute stock performance, link to the company Web site, and product and management information on leading medical device companies.
Market Research and Competitive Intelligence
DeviceSpace also features information from BioPharm Devices™, the leading resource for market research and competitive intelligence on the Medical Device industry. With a full BioPharm Devices™ subscription you can: identify trends in medical device approvals by market sector, calculate market share by companies with devices in specific medical specialties, view company and management profiles, and build marketing campaigns using contact information such as phone number and email address.
DeviceSpace Daily - eNewsletter
DeviceSpace Daily is an industry-specific eNewsletter delivered to your Inbox. The eNewsletter features the top news, feature stories, career opportunities, and events – everything you need to stay on top of the device and diagnostics industries!


text:
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday reported that retail sales continue on a positive trend, edging up 0.3% for the month of January.
The increase to $381.6 billion marked the seventh consecutive month of gains for retail sales. Total sales for the month were above the year-ago period by 7.8%.
Biggest gainers this month were grocery stores, health and personal care stores and electronics and appliance stores. Clothing and clothing accessory stores sales decreased 0.3% seasonally adjusted over last month but increased 1.8% unadjusted year-over-year. Sales at grocery stores increased 1.4% seasonally adjusted from the previous month and 3.8% unadjusted year-over-year.
Commenting on the retail sales results was the National Retail Federation's president and CEO, Matthew Shay. NRF is releasing its economic forecast for 2011 on Thursday.
"In spite of the economic uncertainties that still exist, consumers are clearly demonstrating their desire to spend on discretionary items once again," Shay said. "The industry is certainly benefitting from the renewed confidence we're seeing in shoppers, although sustained growth in 2011 will largely rely on improvement in key economic indicators like employment and housing."


text:
Victoria Azarenka defended herself against a storm of criticism on Thursday after she took a medical timeout at a crucial stage of her Australian Open semi-final defeat of teenager Sloane Stephens.
Azarenka's surge into the final against China's Li Na was overshadowed by a controversial 10-minute break when she left Rod Laver Arena for treatment on a rib complaint that was giving her back pain and breathing difficulties.
When she left the court, Azarenka had just blown five match points, and America's Stephens, 19, was left waiting to serve to stay in it. When Azarenka returned, she broke the teenager to win 6-1, 6-4 in 1hr 41min.
Immediately after the match, Azarenka said she had avoided "the choke of the year" and "felt a bit overwhelmed", sparking suspicions she had called for the timeout to gather her thoughts.
Azarenka was accused of gamesmanship by respected commentator Pam Shriver and her colleague at ESPN, Patrick McEnroe, called it an "absolute travesty" on Twitter. But the 23-year-old maintained the injury was legitimate.
"I had been struggling a little bit throughout the whole match, from the second set with my back," she said.
"And it just kept getting worse. I should have called the trainer a little bit earlier, before I got to the point that I couldn't really breathe and had to go off the court.
"So there was a little bit of, my bad. But a rib got locked and kept getting worse. I had to have it adjusted. I really had to go and have that medical timeout."
She added: "It was a necessary thing for me to do. I just regret that I didn't take it earlier, that it got to the point that it was pretty much impossible for me to breathe and to play."
Stephens, who was playing her first Grand Slam final and shares an agent with Azarenka, refused to criticise the Belarusian.
"If it was one of my friends, I would say, 'Oh my God, that sounds like a P-P', which is a personal problem," Stephens said.
"Other than that, it's just unfortunate. I did lose the next game but I wouldn't say the medical timeout is why I lost the next game."
However, the incident is likely to raise questions about possible manipulation of timeouts, which are used to treat injuries in the middle of a match.
Azarenka said her initial comments, given in an on-court interview, had simply been misunderstood. And she insisted the reason for the timeout was genuine.
"Honestly, I cannot say about anybody else," Azarenka said. "I can only speak about myself. I'm being really honest here, what I'm talking about. When I play and somebody takes a medical timeout, I don't doubt them."


text:
For what it's worth, I think the entire theist/atheist debate is something of a sectarian family quarrel within Western culture (by which I mean the large body of thought incorporating and in some cases synthesizing Greco-Roman philosophy and Abrahamic religion and the concepts pertaining to each). Like all family quarrels, it is better for outsiders not to get involved, and thus I believe that we Buddhists would do best to steer clear of the entire mess, and not describe ourselves in terms of theism or atheism.
While the Suttas specifically dispense with the notion of a Supreme Being and Creator (for example the ), I think the term "atheist" can also be misleading when applied to the Dhamma. Many self-professed atheists - especially public intellectuals who proclaim their atheism and skepticism - subscribe to some form of annhilationism, which the Buddha also identifies as a wrong view in the same Brahmajāla Sutta. Thus while it is not technically incorrect to say that Buddhism is compatible with atheism, there is a potential for misrepresentation, given popular usage of the word "atheist" and those who associate themselves with this label. It seems to me that fundamentally what Buddhist practice aims at is something beyond views; that includes all views for or against the existence of a god. Getting caught up in this particular debate strikes me as a distraction from that practice.


text:
Social and Economic Outcomes of HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment in HIV Infected South African Adults
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|HIV Infections
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Observational Model: Cohort
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Official Title:
|Economic Outcomes of HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment in South Africa
- Ability to perform normal activities in previous week [ Time Frame: Previous week ]
|Study Start Date:
|July 2005
|Study Completion Date:
|September 2013
|Primary Completion Date:
|June 2011 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Full cohort
Adult ART patients at 3 treatment facilities in South Africa
Detailed Description:
The Government of the Republic of South Africa is implementing a national program to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to all eligible HIV infected South African adults. While the medical effectiveness of ART in suppressing viral replication is well established, little is known about the economic effectiveness of treatment. In particular, it is not known if treatment will offset the impact of HIV/AIDS on labor productivity, household stability, quality of life, and other aspects of social and economic development. The purpose of this study is to estimate the impact of ART on the productivity, economic welfare, and quality of life of adult HIV infected patients in South Africa. The study will investigate:
- the degree of functional impairment among patients seeking care for HIV/AIDS,
- the impact of treatment on the ability of patients to perform normal daily activities and attend work,
- the full economic costs to patients of obtaining treatment,
- the impact of treatment on sources of household income,
- social and economic correlates of adherence to therapy, and
- the cost of delivering ART to different types of patients in diverse settings.
The study will last 4 years and will comprise a one-year cross-sectional analysis and a three-year longitudinal analysis. Data will be collected from questionnaires administered during patients' routine visits to public and non-governmental organization-based HIV clinics in South Africa. In accordance with current South African national treatment guidelines, patients who have started ART will visit a clinic every 3 months during the longitudinal analysis for a total of 12 visits; patients not yet on ART will visit a clinic every 6 months for a total of 6 visits.
Questionnaire responses will be matched to indicators of disease progression and treatment history drawn from patients' medical records. The initial one-year analysis will compare outcomes for groups of patients stratified by disease stage and treatment duration. Longitudinal analysis will compare outcomes before and after the initiation of ART; each participant's responses and medical outcomes will be compared with his or her own previous results and with those of other participants at a similar stage of disease progression or treatment duration. This study will generate information needed to sustain large-scale treatment interventions, improve the focus and management of treatment delivery programs, and provide a better understanding of barriers to treatment adherence among HIV infected South African patients.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- HIV infected
- Willing to accept ART if medically eligible according to South Africa's national treatment guidelines
Exclusion Criteria:
- Inability to answer questions due to disability
- On ART for more than 6 months at the time of study entry
- Refuse to accept ART despite medical eligibility
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00270764
|South Africa
|Health Economics Research Office, Helen Joseph Hospital
|Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, 2092
|Principal Investigator:
|Sydney B. Rosen, MPA
|Boston University
|Responsible Party:
|National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00270764 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|December 27, 2005
|Last Updated:
|November 19, 2013
Keywords provided by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID):
Antiretroviral therapy
Quality of life
South Africa
Treatment Naive
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
HIV Infections
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017


text:
Sandalwood Blossom-A touch of vanilla added to classic sandalwood. Rare essential fragrances. Handmade of the finest natural ingredients. Blue Pearl incense is now available in 10 different fragrances.
Blue Pearl is the quintessence of incense. The finest fragrances Mother Nature could produce. Each scent imparts its own unique message, from the universal quotes of brotherhood on each back panel to the subtle delight of each classic fragrance. One whiff of Blue Pearl and you will understand why it is considered the highest quality incense in the world. The purest, most natural way to enhance a mood, deodorize a room, or freshen the atmosphere. For mingling with friends, meditating, or midnight dinner a deaux.
California's Proposition 65 Warning: May This item contains chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Reference by California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) at: www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/Newlist.html.
Light end and then blow out until tip burns red. Set in incense holder and let burn.
Place lighted stick into holder. Be sure ashes fall on a fire-proof surface. Keep away from flammables � don�t leave unattended. Not for human consumption.


text:
SCULPTORS in the county are being offered a once in a lifetime chance to team-up with the world famous sculpture producers Pangolin Editions.
Working in partnership with the Cotswold Canals project, the Chalford-based company has agreed to sponsor a competition for a sculptor to design and produce a signature artwork to sit alongside the newly restored canal at Capel's Mill in Stroud.
The successful sculptor will work with Pangolin craftsmen to create the flagship piece of art from recycled metal and other materials left over from the company's production processes.
A cash payment of £,2500 will also be awarded to the winner of the competition.
"This is an exciting opportunity for someone to create a permanent piece of public art and gain the experience of working with our skilled team," said Rungwe Kingdon, director of Pangolin Editions.
"It's also a chance for us to show our support for the canal restoration, which we think is the best thing to happen in the area for many years". Jack Telling, chairman of the Cotswold Canals Trust, said: "This demonstrates that the appeal of the canal goes far beyond water, boats and history.
"Pangolin's generous sponsorship is very much appreciated and I'm sure that we will get a great response."
Entries will be judged by a panel comprising local artists, Pangolin Editions and representatives of Cotswold Canals Trust and Stroud District Council.
Details of the competition, which is open to sculptors living or working in Gloucestershire or South Gloucestershire, can be found at www.cotswoldcanals.com
Closing date for entries is Thursday, February 6.


text:
Crumb Cake Recipe
5 1
This crumb cake has been a family favorite for years. The first time I took it to work as a treat for my co-workers, my boss told me that his grandmother used to make the same cake. He said she called it "kuchen" and served it in a bowl, broken into chunks, with milk poured on top. You can serve it plain for breakfast, or with whipped cream as a dessert.
Recommended: 78 Christmas Potluck Desserts for 12 or More
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Whipped topping and pecan halves, optional
- In a bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Remove 1 cup mixture and combine with cinnamon and nuts; set aside. To remaining crumb mixture, add milk and baking powder. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over batter. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cut into squares. Garnish with whipped topping and a pecan half if desired. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Originally published as Crumb Cake in Reminisce May/June 1992, p37
Reviews forCrumb Cake
My Review
Click stars to rate
Any changes to your rating or review will appear where you originally posted your review


text:
vintage baby
I recently found the most adorable vintage shop for baby and I want every piece, yes even
the girls' clothes, each is so sweet and perfect. The double breasted blazers are too
much for me, I mean just too cute. Israel already has a small collection of jackets in
his wardrobe but no blazers and that's just not right.
Other Stories
4 comments:
thank you for your comments!
if you have any questions please email me via the 'contact' link.


text:
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - It's been said that good things come to those who wait. The Chicago Bears would very likely concur with that old adage.
Robbie Gould's third field goal of the day, a 38-yarder with 8:41 remaining in overtime, lifted the Bears to a critical 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in a game delayed nearly two hours in the first quarter by a severe storm.
Chicago (6-4) trailed 10-0 at the time of the stoppage, caused by heavy rain and winds along with a tornado threat, but literally rode out the storm to regain a share of first place in the NFC North following Detroit's loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Subbing for a hobbled Jay Cutler, Josh McCown brought the Bears back by throwing for 216 yards and a touchdown on 19 completions, none bigger than his 43-yard strike to Martellus Bennett on 3rd-and-9 that set up Gould's game- winner.
Matt Forte contributed 125 yards from scrimmage and a receiving touchdown to the win, while defensive end David Bass had a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter to help key Chicago's comeback.
"We always talk to our players about creating turnovers and not turning the ball over, and we did a very good job of that today," said Bears head coach Marc Trestman. "I think that allowed us to stay in the game and be in the game."
Baltimore (4-6) was dealt a fourth loss in five games despite a season-best 131 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries from Ray Rice. Joe Flacco had a touchdown pass while going 17-of-31 for 162 yards, but threw two costly interceptions that the Bears converted into points.
"It's frustrating, because I felt like we had the ability to really let it go today and explode on offense and we just didn't do it," Flacco remarked.
McCown was at his best with Chicago trailing 17-13 at the start of the fourth quarter. The journeyman quarterback made good on 5-of-6 attempts in engineering an 11-play, 83-yard drive that Forte extended with a 10-yard run to the Baltimore 13 on third down. Two plays later, the duo teamed up for a 14-yard touchdown that gave the Bears their first lead of the game with 10:33 remaining in regulation.
Chicago's next series resulted in a punt, however, giving the Ravens back the ball at their own 16 with under five minutes to go. A clutch 14-yard connection from Flacco to Dallas Clark on 4th-and-4 kept Baltimore alive, and the defending Super Bowl champs later had a 1st-and-goal from the Bears' five in the final seconds after Rice followed an 11-yard catch by Deonte Thompson with an 11-yard run.
Rice was stopped twice near the goal line, however, and Baltimore ultimately settled for Justin Tucker's game-tying 21-yard field goal with three seconds on the clock.
The Ravens got the ball first in OT but stalled near midfield, and McCown came up with two more big plays to put Chicago in position to win. He found Alshon Jeffery for 14 yards on 3rd-and-9, then hit a wide-open Bennett down the seam and the big tight end rumbled down to the Baltimore 22 before being tackled.
After two Forte runs gained little, Gould was called upon and managed to sneak a kick just inside the right upright through the treacherous conditions.
Baltimore was clearly in control prior to the lengthy delay, scoring on each of its first two possessions to build a 10-0 lead when the contest was halted with 4:51 to play in the opening quarter.
The Ravens entered the matchup ranked 30th in the league in rushing offense, but its maligned offensive line opened up a huge hole for Rice on the team's second play from scrimmage and the playmaking back raced 47 yards before being brought down at the Chicago 10. Rice later crossed the goal line untouched from a yard out to give the Ravens the early upper hand.
"With the circumstances with the weather we knew we had to run the ball, and we did a good job today," said Rice. "We would have loved to get the win, but that's the way things have been shaking [for us] lately. "Needless to say, we are getting better. For us to do what we did in the run game today, that's a positive."
A 17-yard catch by Clark on third down and a pass interference penalty on Chicago corner Zach Bowman during Baltimore's next series put the Ravens in range for Tucker to drill a 52-yard field goal with the heavy wind at his back that extended the margin to 10 points.
Chicago mustered only one first down over its initial three drives, but marched nearly the length of the field on the fourth to get on the board. An 18-yard connection from McCown to Jeffery brought the ball down to the Baltimore seven, but the Bears ended up opting for Gould's 20-yard field goal on the 12-play, 88-yard sequence after failing to punch it in on six tries in goal-to-go situations.
"When we heard how long [the delay] was going to be, I just kind of let down and stretched and closed my eyes and just tried to visualize the game and kind of assess what happened those first two series," said McCown. "We kind of just walked through some plays, because the hiccups that we had the first two series were just stupid. It was just, 'let's take a deep breath here, let's go back through here and not shoot ourselves in the foot and come out better'."
On the ensuing snap from scrimmage, Bass made a leaping grab of Flacco's intended pass in the right flat and rumbled uncontested into the end zone to knot the score at 10-10.
Flacco quickly shook off the miscue, however, hitting on all five of his throws on the following drive as the Ravens moved 80 yards in nine plays to regain the lead. His final completion, a 5-yard dart to Torrey Smith on a slant route, put Baltimore back on top 4:08 prior to the intermission.
The Super Bowl XLVII MVP was picked off again before the end of the half, however, with the Bears' Jon Bostic snaring a down-the-middle throw at midfield. Three straight McCown completions then put Chicago in range for Gould's 46-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter that trimmed the deficit to 17-13.
Game Notes
Jeffery finished with 83 yards on seven catches, while Forte had 83 rushing yards on 18 carries along with 42 yards on five grabs ... Baltimore recorded a season-high 174 rushing yards ... The Ravens have lost in all three lifetime visits to Soldier Field, having been outscored by a 34-9 margin in the two previous matchups there ... Tucker is now 7-of-8 lifetime on field goal attempts of 50 or more yards and has made 18 straight overall ... Baltimore played without All-Pro nose tackle Haloti Ngata and wide receiver Marlon Brown due to knee injuries ... Bears defensive tackle Stephen Paea left the game in the first half after aggravating a toe injury.


text:
'The Sound of Music Live;' TV Violence; Netflix
In this December 2013 edition of The Spin-off, the TV podcast from KCRW's The Business, we discuss big event programming, violence on television and some of the top stories of 2013.
The Year in Review
1) Netflix as disrupter: With its slate of original programs and its influence over how viewers consume shows, the streaming service sent huge shock waves through the TV industry.
2) This was the year that good TV could come from anywhere -- BBC America, Hulu and Netflix. It's a good time to be a creator and a good time to be a viewer.
3) "The Killing effect:" In today's TV ecosystem shows once considered canceled can find themselves revived on other platforms. Do fans have more power to bring back their beloved programs?
Event Programming
The Sound of Music Live and, to a lesser extent, Bonnie & Clyde are examples of how TV networks are using special programming to combat the DVR. But in the era of "hate watching on social media," was a percentage of those 18.6 million viewers who tuned in to Carrie Underwood as Maria haters on Twitter? With the success of these shows the networks now exhaust audience's taste for these shows by making too much "event programming" in 2014?
Violence on TV
How effective is the system networks use to self-rate their shows for adult content? When viewers see MA, D, FV, V do they know what those letters mean? Is there too much regulation by the FCC over language and sex and not enough over violence? Do some producers use violence as a "crutch" when they don't have interesting stories to tell?


text:
34 35th St., Unit 26, Brooklyn, NY, 11232
|Eyebeam CV
|Exhibiting Artist
Ushahidi,(Swahili for "testimony") is a website initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya during the post-election fallout in 2008.
Ushahidi builds tools for democratizing information, increasing transparency and lowering the barriers for individuals to share their stories.
The Ushahidi Platform is a free and open source project with developers hailing from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Malawi, Netherlands and the USA working on it.
The Ushahidi Platform allows anyone to gather distributed data via SMS, email or web and visualize it on a map or timeline. Our goal is to create the simplest way of aggregating information from the public for use in crisis response.
Tags: disaster, Haiti, opensource, Re:Group, social ecology, website


text: Osborn and James Rhodes have attempted to destroy each other's most precious hopes and dreams all without ever seeing each other face to face. But now everything comes to a head as Iron Patriot and War Machine finally throw down! And this ain't just another show fight, kids -- by the end of this issue, only one armored giant will remain standing!


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
SHEPHERDSVILLE - Millions of viewers watch "The Biggest Loser" on television, cheering for overweight contestants as they work to shed hundreds of pounds.
For many, the show seems unrealistic, but in August, Bullitt County residents will have the opportunity to participate in a similar competition.
The Coalition for Recreation, Education, and Wellness (C.R.E.W.) will host its second eight-week weight loss competition. The entrance fee is $10 and the winner takes all.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Pioneer News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning The Pioneer News and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.
|ZIP Code:


text:
I remember back during the Pacers 61 win season I tried to verbalize what it would be like if Indiana won the NBA title. I was around for the ABA titles and remember what it did for the fans and civic pride. At that time, I said if the Pacers pulled it off it would be like nothing ever seen in the city.
Well . . . we didn't do it. But from what I am able to gather from WNDE and the online edition of The Star it has happened before, during and after this game. The next two weeks will be filled with Colts Insanity. More than at any other time since I've been in Iraq I feel the distance.
I'm happy for a lot of reasons. I'm happy for me, I'm happy for the fans, I'm happy for the team, I'm happy for Dungy and Peyton, I'm happy for Morris . . . but most of all I am happy for my city. The importance of what we did and NOW what we feel as fans cannot be understated.
Enjoy this guys - it's been a long time coming.


text:
Rechargeable:......................... Yes
Connection Fee:...................... None
Billing Increment:..................... 1 minutes
Maintenance Fee:.................... 99¢
Communication Fees:.............. 0%
Payphone Surcharge:.............. 189¢
Expiration:................................ 1 Year (365 Days)
Works from Alaska:................... No
Works from Hawaii:................... Yes
Works from Canada:................. Yes
USA to Thailand:
Excellent prepaid international Calling cards / phone cards to call Thailand
Buy Now
|$10 = 667 min
|$20 = 1333 min
|$50 = 3333 min
- Dial ANY Local or Toll-Free access number based on where from you are placing your calls. (View a full list here)
- At the prompt, enter your PIN number, or skip this step with Pinless Dialing.
** To SETUP FREE PINLESS DIALING for your number, log into your account and click the "I" icon of the card you want to use. Next, click on the "Pinless Dialing" tab, and follow the instructions.
- Dial your destination number, or use Speed Dial (see below)
- Using Speed Dial
Just dial "Speed Dial Number" then "#" instead. For example: To dial your entry in number 3, just press 3#. Our system will automatically dial the stored number for you! (You must first setup speed dial numbers in your "My Account.")
Always enter destination numbers as if you were dialing from USA
- For Calls within or to USA, Canada or Caribbean
Dial the 1 + area code + phone number
Example: 1 + 312 + 555 + 1212
- For International Calls
Dial 011 + country code + city code + phone number
Example: 011 + 91 + 55 + 8888888
- Using Speed Dial


text:
Column: Some glory to go with all those guts
ST. LOUIS—It wasn't the chill in the late October air that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up one final time. It was how fitting absolutely everything about this one felt at the end.
The World Series trophy is back in one of America's last real baseball towns for the 11th time in the history of the grand old game, this time passed around a stage set up at second base by a Cardinals team given up for dead on at least two occasions only a night earlier. Then again, you could have said that same thing about these guys a handful of times beginning in late August. Even Commissioner Bud Selig did.
An hour or so before St. Louis finally shook free of the Texas Rangers with a 6-2 victory Friday night in Game 7, Selig remembered a meeting in his Milwaukee office with Cards manager Tony La Russa two months earlier. At the time, St. Louis trailed the Brewers by 10 1/2 games in the National League Central; the Cardinals' chances of catching the Braves for the wild card, meanwhile, looked to be longer than drawing to an inside straight.
Selig remembered searching for a way to soothe one of the most competitive men he's ever met.
"I congratulated him on his great year," the commissioner said. But he wasn't expecting what came next.
La Russa, dead-serious, said, "We're not done."
"And," the commissioner added, chuckling, "he wasn't kidding."
Far from it.
"If you watch the history of baseball, teams come back, and sometimes they could have come back but they give in or give up. And I knew the character on our team," La Russa said, recalling that meeting in Milwaukee. "We started winning some games, regained some respect, and then it got better. ... They just grabbed every game like it's the last game."
In his 16th season in charge in St. Louis, and nearing his fifth decade in the game as alternately, a slap-hitting shortstop, a know-it-all coach and finally, the closest thing to a genius the game has, La Russa won his third World Series title and second in six seasons. The three rings tie him with Sparky Anderson, Miller Huggins and John McGraw, and just like that trio and the handful of managers ahead of them, it practically guarantees entrance to the Hall of Fame.
Yet this one was not about posterity, but vulnerability.
About how La Russa kept moving all the parts around on a team that refused to fit together -- until all of a sudden, it did. Feelings were bruised in the process, starters got benched and utilitymen learned new positions. Four pitchers were thrown into the mix right around the trading deadline. As a result, La Russa probably spent more time tinkering with his bullpen than ever before. Considering his unmatched obsession with getting lefty-righty matchups and the converse, that's saying a lot.
La Russa didn't settle on Jason Motte -- who got the final out in Game 7 -- as his closer until mid-August, and even then, the manager refused to officially hand him the title. That bit of uncertainty, coupled with all the moves that preceeded it over the course of the season, opened La Russa up to more second-guessing than ever.
It reached a crescendo in a loss at Texas in Game 5 after a botched hit-and-run called by slugger Albert Pujols from the batter's box, followed by two still-not-quite-explained phone calls by La Russa to the bullpen that failed to get the reliever he wanted on the mound. There was speculation that the pressure forced the mistake or worse, that the 67-year-old La Russa had lost his edge.
"That kind of stuff would have bothered me, but Tony's different" Cards bench coach Joe Pettini said. "He's not afraid to make a mistake; never has been. He loves to say, `No guts, no glory,' but he also tells guys, `You got a question about how things are handled, the door to the office is always open. Just ask it.'
"The answer might not be what you're looking for, but he's always got one."
As proof of that, even with a four-run lead in Game 7, La Russa was sketching out an endgame about what to do if Motte, a right-hander, was shaky in trying to close out the game and the Rangers managed to send a few left-handed hitters to the plate. He couldn't remember afterward if he bounced the scheme off Pettini or Dave Duncan, his pitching coach, but La Russa's plan was to move Motte from the mound to the outfield, bring in left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski to pitch to the Rangers' left-handers, then bring Motte back to pitch to the right-handers.
"I don't know if I'd do it," he said. "I've never done it before in my life."
The one thing La Russa knew for certain, though, is that he wouldn't be dissuaded by the risk, or by the backlash that was inevitable if it backfired.
"When you're doing all that, you know it can get away from you, and that's part of the stress of those last innings," he said, "because it's a real small margin getting those last outs."
When the final one came, more fans dressed in shimmering Cardinals red streamed into the ballpark than left it. After watching their ballclub survive two elimination games against the mighty Phillies at the start of the playoffs, then two more against the Rangers -- twice down to their last strike in Game 6 -- St. Louis fans were determined to throw themselves a party.
La Russa and his ballclub can finally do the same. Game 6 might have been the most riveting contest in the postseason ever, but La Russa knew celebrating that victory, beyond a few handshakes and pats on the backs, could have cost them the final one.
"Now it's time to think about Game 6, and that's part of this historic run," he said. "I mean, it's hard to explain how we made it happen except the club has great guts.
"Really, we have more talent than people think," he said finally, "but we have great guts."
Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org Follow him at http://Twitter.com/JimLitke


text:
Just what we needed
Reviewed By Alan D (Lilburn, GA) Reviewed for a 2012 Ford F-250 —6/25/2015 4:51 AM
These were the perfect answer to our problem. The folks at Auto Anything were most helpful and the folks at Super Spring were great when I had a couple of tech questions. Easy install.


text: The Vatican has declared as venerable Father Felix Varela, a 19th-century Cuban priest who worked in New York for many years and also lived in Florida.The action recognizes the priest lived heroic Christian virtues and is the first official step on the priest's path to sainthood.The second step is beatification, and the third is sainthood. In general, each of those steps needs a miracle to be accepted by the church as having occurred through the intercession of the prospective saint.Father Varela, who died in exile in the United States in 1853, is not only a model of holiness for Cuban Catholics; both the communist government and its opponents invoke him as an inspiration for their actions.Father Varela was an outspoken supporter of Cuban independence. His opposition to the Spanish monarchy led to his exile in 1823.He went to the United States where he served as a priest in New York and became vicar general of what was then a diocese. He founded Transfiguration Church in what is now Manhattan's Chinatown. And, although other Cuban exiles -- most of whom were well-off -- lived in New York at the time, Father Varela is known for his devoted pastoral care of the city's poorest residents, many of whom were Irish immigrants.The priest became ill and moved to St. Augustine, Fla. He was familiar with the area because he had spent time there as a child with his grandfather, who had been a fort commander in what at the time was a Spanish possession. He died in Florida.


text:
Jan 22, 2013 | 295 Pages
"From Enlightenment lessons to the prospects for planetary humanism, Stuart Jordan casts an epochal eye on humankind's progress and asks, if the primary goal of the Enlightenment was a higher state of civilization for all, are we any closer to achieving it today? Forget about what you believe – if you think the human species can ultimately survive, read this book and find out why."
– Jennifer Bardi, editor, The Humanist
"This is the author's personal grand tour of the age of reason, from its pioneers to modern practitioners and beyond: a critique of their methods, successes, and failures; and an examination of the underlying human strengths, weaknesses, and failures that affect the pace and prospects for realizing the Enlightenment vision. He advocates truth, transparency, and the teaching of critical analysis as antidotes to disinformation and propaganda. His optimism is tempered by realism about how long this may take, and by genuine concern whether humankind may have sufficient time to act before the environmental stresses it places on the planet overwhelm its ability to withstand them."
– Goetz K. Oertel, PhD, physicist, astronomer, techno-manager, and president emeritus, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy


text:
GearHead KB5150W Wireless Keyboard and Optical Nano Mouse - 2.4GHz, Black - KB5150W-CP8Item#: G125-0019 | Model#: KB5150W-CP8
Currently Out Of Stock!
You May Consider This Alternative
GearHead Wireless Keyboard and Optical Nano Mouse Product Details
GearHead Wireless Keyboard and Optical Nano Mouse
Give your computer system a new updated look with the GearHead Wireless Keyboard and Optical Nano Mouse. With 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, the Wireless Keyboard and Mouse eliminate the hassles of tangled cords and cables in the way. Now, with Optical Sensing Technology and an included Nano USB Receiver, the Keyboard and Mouse allows you to easily get started on your computing tasks without having to rely on any wires. The beauty behind the Wireless Keyboard and Mouse lies with its Automatic Wireless Synchronization, and once you connect the Nano USB receiver there is nothing else to it! Its Spill Resistant Design and compatibility with both Windows and Mac are just some of the few features that will come in handy. An included Optical Mouse rounds off this complete set. Get the GearHead Wireless Keyboard and Optical Nano Mouse today!
What It Is and Why You Need It:
- 2.4 GHz Wireless Connectivity; seamlessly connects the keyboard and mouse to your PC
- Optical Sensing Technology; forget the woes of wires and cable messes
- Spill Resistant Design; protects the device from any kinds of spills
- 2.4 GHz Wireless Connectivity
- Optical Sensing Technology
- Nano USB Receiver
- Automatic Wireless Synchronization
- Spill Resistant Design
System Requirements:
- PC & Mac® Compatibles
- Windows® 2000, XP, Vista and 7
- Mac® OS 10.3 and above
- An Available USB Port
What's Included:
- 2.4 GHz Wireless Desktop with Optical Mouse
- Nano USB Receiver
- 4 AAA Batteries
- User's Manual and Warranty Information
Recommended Items
Related ItemsPrevious
Manufactured by: Gear Head LLC
Warranty provided by: Gear Head LLC
UPC No: 878260004317
Mfg Part No: KB5150W-CP8
Box Size:
( Length:10, Width:19, Depth:2)
Shipping Weight: 2.4500 pound(s)
Click here for full warranty and support information
- Gear Head LLC logos are registered trademarks of Gear Head LLC. All others trademarks and copyrights mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.


text:
BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
April 30, 2013
Fantasy Freestyle
Nate McLouth's Renaissance
The start to Nate McLouth's 2013 is one of the more surprising stories in the season's opening month. The 31-year-old outfielder has a .351/.451/.486 triple-slash line and has already amassed eight stolen bases. That is a stark difference from a guy with a .251/.339/.423 career slash line who has never stolen more than 23 bases in any season. McLouth was a productive fantasy player from ages 25 to 27 before falling into a tailspin in 2010 that continued into 2012. Since landing in Baltimore, McLouth has hit .290/.373/.449 in 325 plate appearances, once again becoming a relevant fantasy option in all formats.
How has he gone from a spare part to a vital cog of a major-league offense?
3/25/11 - A piece by MLB.com's Mark Bowman reviews how McLouth was being too passive at the plate and how the outfielder and his hitting mentor, Bill Peterson, were looking for him to be more aggressive in the coming season.
5/3/12 - A piece by Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentions how Clint Hurdle and hitting coach Gregg Ritchie worked with McLouth to get his hands to ball quicker in order to help him stop getting beat on pitches that should not have been getting the better of him.
9/18/12 - Steve Melewski of MASN wrote a piece in which McLouth credited the work he did with minor-league batting coach Denny Walling and minor-league hitting coordinator Mike Boulanger for helping him.
Over the course of 18 months, McLouth worked with five different people who each helped him make different changes to his swing to get him back to where he was in his prime. That rebuilding process has taken some time, but the end result since resurfacing with the Orioles has produced excellent results. The results have changed, but has the process?
These are McLouth's results as an Oriole compared to his work from 2009 until his release by the Pirates in 2012:
His batted ball outcomes have been significantly better despite little change in his walk or strikeout rates. Using the same splits, let's look at his plate appearance behaviors:
Once again, no dramatic differences here, as his frequencies are nearly the same across the board. A review of his batted-ball data finds he is hitting more line drives and is hitting more balls to center field than he did during his poor years.
Using Russell Carleton's sample-size study, we can validate McLouth's strikeout rate, walk rate, and slugging percentage. Then again, his strikeout rate and walk rate were already validated by the fact that they were nearly identical to his previous 1,200 plate appearances. The slugging percentage validation should be tempered with something Carleton tweeted over the weekend:
The other facet of his change is his running game. McLouth already has eight steals this season, putting him on pace to double his previous career high of 23. According to baseball-reference.com, McLouth has been on first or second base with the next base unoccupied 45 times this season and has attempted nine stolen bases. That 20 percent rate is a significant increase from the 13 percent rate (12 of 91) he had last season with the Orioles and even higher than single-digit-rate McLouth had during his 23-steal season.
McLouth currently has half of Baltimore's 16 team stolen bases and nine of the 19 attempts the team has made in 2013. Manager Buck Showalter has had the Orioles attempt to steal the next unoccupied base five percent of the time this season, which is slightly above the league average. He has done a good job of picking the right moments and players to do that with, as Baltimore's 84 percent success rate is currently the fourth best in baseball.
The jury is still out on whether the results McLouth is currently producing at the plate are sustainable, but his output on the base paths appears to be very real. Even if his batting average tapers off, his strong walk rate will have him on first base often, and his manager has so far given him the opportunity to run. That confluence of factors should allow him to become a surprising source of steals in 2013.
Jason Collette is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
8 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
If the question is "Is Player X who the Pirates gave up on a star now that he's in a better organization?" then the answer is probably yes.
Apr 30, 2013 05:42 AM
Apr 30, 2013 06:26 AM
Predicting BABIP is more or less futile, I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway. No one is going to consistently produce a BABIP above .350 or so unless they're 1999-2002 Manny Ramirez, so some regression is to be expected. McLouth is hitting a lot of line drives (25.8%) relative to last season (20.1%) and his career average (18.6%). Looking at batted ball data is is pretty hand wavy at this point in the season, but it does give us a pretty good approximation for how he's done. Given his speed and batted ball profile, a BABIP around .325 seems pretty reasonable for the rest of the season.
Apr 30, 2013 09:55 AM
Paul Sporer
BP staff
Where's my executive producer credit for talking up my dawg McLouth? :)
Apr 30, 2013 09:45 AM
Where would you guys rank him against someone like say, Angel Pagan, for the rest of the year?
May 01, 2013 07:56 AM
Not a subscriber? Sign up today!


text:
Send a message
- Open Messages.
- Tap and enter a contact or go to an existing conversation.
- Tap the text field, then type your message.
- When you're ready, tap to send.
Forward a message
Open a message conversation and follow these instructions:
Touch and hold the message bubble that you want to forward, then tap More.
Tap and enter a contact. Then tap to send.
Delete a message or conversation
When you delete a message or conversation, you can't get it back. So make sure that you save important information from your messages.
To delete a message, follow these steps:
- In a message conversation, touch and hold the message bubble that you want to delete, then tap More.
- Tap , then tap Delete Message. If you want to delete all messages in the thread tap Delete All, in the upper-left corner.
To delete a conversation, follow these steps:
- Open Messages.
- Swipe left over the conversation that you want to delete.
- Tap Delete.
Want to delete more than one conversation at a time? Open Messages and tap Edit in the upper-left corner. Then tap the circle next to the conversation and tap delete in the bottom-right corner.
If you want to keep your messages for a certain amount of time, go to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages. Then select how long you want to keep your messages.
Use Predictive text
With Predictive text, you can write and complete entire sentences with just a few taps. As you type, you'll see choices for words and phrases you'd probably type next, based on your past conversations and writing style.
To turn off predictive text, touch and hold or and tap the slider next to Predictive.
Mute conversations
To stop receiving message notifications, you can mute conversations. Go to the conversation that you want to mute. Then tap and turn on Do Not Disturb. When Do Not Disturb is on, will appear next to the conversation. This stops notifications only for that message conversation, not your device. You'll still receive all other messages and see notifications for them on your Lock screen.
You can also mute all your conversations by turning on Do Not Disturb. Go to Settings > Do Not Disturb and select Manual or Scheduled. This stops all notifications on your device.
Find attachments from a conversation
Open the conversation and tap in the upper-right corner. You'll see sections for Images and Attachments. Tap an image or attachment to open it. You can also touch and hold the image or attachment to show options like Copy, Delete, and More.
Send and share your location
To send or share your location in a message, follow these steps:
- In a message conversation, tap , in the upper-right corner.
- Tap Send My Current Location. Your recipient will see your location on the map. Or tap Share My Location. Then choose the length of time that you want to share your location for. You can share for one hour, one day, or indefinitely. Messages will set up temporary or permanent location sharing with Find My Friends depending on what you choose.
Learn more
- Learn the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS.
- Personalize your messages with Digital Touch, iMessage apps, and message effects.
- Send photos, videos, or audio messages and group messages.
- Use Messages with your Mac.
- If you can't send or receive messages, get help.


text:
BML preperations for competition
Delta Wing aircraft was used to test camera quality and vibration levels. A Canon G9 camera was used.
Our broad objectives
Our aim is to keep our system as simple, as cost effective and as lightweight as possible. We also aim to enable the widest use of the proposed technology. The sensor system will be programmed to fly autonomously and gather the required imaging data, with the data being relayed back to the laptop via a standard WLAN connection operating at 2.4 GHz. We plan to use ultrasonic ranging systems to enable the sensor system to avoid colliding with an obstacle. Maximum use will be made of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf components and systems.
The excellent thing for us is that we can apply technologies we have developed for use in oil and gas pipeline monitoring. Consequently, we are likely to enhance our detection technology in the light of developments we make in our pipeline monitoring activities, in areas such as the use of scanning LIDAR to detect wires and the use of five CCD imagers on the air vehicle to build up a 3D, time dependent, image of the area under the aircraft. We plan to develop a solution which is:
- Realistic: use human threat recognition aided by computer detection of changes
- Cost effective: use commercial parts where possible, use as few different types of UAV as is practical
- Lightweight (see graph below showing the increasing load of the infantry soldier)
- Robust: the sensor vehicle must be easily transported
- Easy to use
- Scalable, in that every soldier on patrol could carry a sensor vehicle
- Can be relatively quickly introduced to real world use
Flight Trials
Raptor50 flight trials with high performance, 2 stroke, OS Engines Hyper 50 engine. Tests showed that we needed to reduce noise levels, reduce smoke given off and increase the amount of fuel carried. Flight trials demonstrated the Thunder Tiger Raptor 50 to be very stable in flight.
Flying the T-REX ALIGN 600 electric helicopter below. This helicopter is realy easy to fly, but far more noisy than we expected! The high pitch noise seems to us to be more than just helicopter blade noise: possibly a high pitch contribution from the brushless electric motor.
Simple rig used to check on the ability of the image stabilised SONY W200 camera to ciope with the vibration level on an Align T-REX 600 electric helicopter
Trials using the Raptor 50. The camera is far to close to the hot, high vibration-level two stroke engine. After a short flight, the camera was scratched after being in contact with the two stroke engine. A far better Camera Platform is required.
The soluction can be seen below. There is a reduced noise level from the helicopter. We were more easliy able to reduce the Visual Signature of the helicopter
Flight trials for the CropCam aircraft prooved successfull. This allowed us to take high quality images from high in the sky.
Deltawing aircraft testing in windy conditions


text:
When Hanging Heaton opener Oliver Newton was 13 not out after 25 overs, few people would have backed him to make a century against Farsley in the JCT600 Bradford League second teams' Division One.
Quite what was in the drinks is unknown but Newton was transformed after the interval and powered to an unbeaten 109.
He struck a six and 16 fours in his innings, which also included 101 dot balls. His efforts enabled Hanging Heaton to post a score of 202-8.
Karl Morris (4-49) was the best bowler for Farsley, who were bowled out for 134 in reply. Ben Tempest top-scored with an unbeaten 42, while Michael Horner was Hanging Heaton's best bowler with 3-34.
Hanging Heaton are now third in the table behind the promoted pair of New Farnley and Pudsey Congs, who both won.
Young bowlers Rishi Limbechaya (4-18) and Nat Skirrow (3-8) helped bowl out Lightcliffe for 74 to secure a 74-run win for New Farnley.
Craig Russell (34) and Limbechaya (32) were the main contributors to New Farnley's 148. Richard Tesseyman (4-33) and Marcus Kelly (3-20) were the pick of the Lightcliffe bowlers.
James Lindley-Dawe continued his good form for Pudsey Congs with 54 as they defeated Bradford & Bingley by 70 runs.
He was supported by Ashley Slater (31) and Arbaab Hussain (30) as a total of 209 was achieved against some good bowling from Romil Butt (4-27) and Michael Keeton (3-34).
Shaun Howe (3-44) and Mohammed Rafique (3-17) helped wrap up the Bradford & Bingley innings for 139. Their top-scorers were Ryan Norris (41) and Hamzah Iqbal (36).
Champions Morley bowled out East Bierley for 53 to set up a six-wicket win. Jack Cranage impressed with 5-22 and was supported by Callum Walker (3-13). Jon Glover took 4-11 for East Bierley before Morley achieved their victory target.
Nick Darfield (5-17) produced his best bowling performance of the season as Yeadon defeated struggling Baildon by 95 runs.
He was backed up by Jitender Singh (3-19) as Baildon were bowled out for 87 in reply to Yeadon's 182-6. Darren Machell led the way with 58.
Baildon are now bottom of the table following Keighley's four-wicket success against Woodlands.
Consistent bowling by Alex Towler (3-22), Ben Jagger (3-16) and Hassnan Quereshi (3-10) restricted Woodlands to 104, even though Elliot Richardson made a battling 51. Keighley eased to their target with Andrew Waggett making 39.
Division Two Leaders Undercliffe extended their unbeaten run to eight matches as they recorded a two-wicket win at Saltaire.
Zaffran Ghaffer (39) and Darren Drake (31) helped them to reach their victory target in the face of good bowling from Moey Hassan (4-48) and Humare Amjad (3-42).
James Scott (60) dominated the Saltaire score of 127 as Miaz Khan (3-14) and Adam Ahmed (3-21) bowled well for Undercliffe.
Ryan Kitson took 6-31 as second-placed Gomersal bowled out Bankfoot for 100 to wrap up a 71-run win.
Phil Carter (51) was the main contributor to Gomersal's 171-9, while Gavin Baulk (3-37) and Saqib Asghar (3-15) were the pick of the bowlers for Bankfoot.
Pudsey St Lawrence are third after a hard-earned three wicket win at Spen Victoria, where they bowled the home side out for 98.
Chris Sharkey (5-27) and Josh Smith (3-18) did much of the damage as only home skipper Oliver Webster (32) made an impression with the bat. St Lawrence didn't find the going easy and Dan Simpson (6-30) gave them a few uneasy moments.
Great Horton remain bottom of the table, despite scoring a 51-run win over Bowling Old Lane.
Skipper Shabbir Ellahi took 6-32 as Old Lane were dismissed for 137 in reply to Great Horton's 188. Asif Khokhar (46) and Mohammed Siddique (41) were the best of the Great Horton batsmen as Mukdas Mohammed took 5-39.
Brighouse edge a one-wicket win at Cleckheaton. Max Maloney took 3-8 and Dave Maloney 3-31 as Cleckheaton were all out for 110. Ross Irving was top-scorer with 33.
Brighouse secured the win, thanks largely to Max Maloney (49) as Sam Bailey (5-16) threatened to turn the game Cleckheaton's way.
Veteran Jeff Wind (5-29) and Martin Ellis (3-13) helped bowl out Idle for 79 as Hartshead Moor secured a five-wicket win.


text:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A retired West Virginia coal miner on Tuesday asked Congress to help streamline the process of obtaining black lung benefits, and the Obama administration insisted it is taking steps to fix longstanding abuses outlined in a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of reports.
"Living with black lung is thinking about every breath you take," Robert Bailey, of Princeton, said in Washington. "Policies and laws need to be changed to give hope and life to those who don't have time for stall tactics."
Bailey testified as part of a Senate health, education, labor and pensions subcommittee hearing called "Coal Miners' Struggle for Justice: How Unethical Legal and Medical Practices Stack the Deck Against Black Lung Claimants." The hearing was called to examine the U.S. Labor Department's response to a scathing series by the Center for Public Integrity that called attention to the tactics of lawyers and doctors who help coal companies fight black lung benefit claims.
"Too many coal operators have put profits ahead of the safety and health of the miners they employ," said HELP subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat whose father was a miner.
"And when these miners retire after years on the job, the companies and their legion of consultants work together to deny miners and their families a fair shot to receive benefits to which they are entitled," Harkin said. "They use every trick and resource advantage to game the system long enough for miners to give up hope. Sadly, this playbook is not only familiar, but effective."
The news reports that prompted the Senate hearing focused in part on the actions of coal industry lawyers who withheld key medical evidence while representing companies that were opposing the awarding of benefits to miners. In one such case, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in January that while the actions of lawyers from the Jackson Kelly law firm were "hardly admirable," they did not rise to the level of "fraud upon the court."
In May, the Obama Labor Department announced it was working a new rule that would aim to help miners avoid what happened in that case.
Deputy Labor Secretary Christopher Lu said that the agency plans to address whether all parties involved in a claim must disclose medical evidence they obtain, the fee schedule used to pay miners' medical expenses related to black lung, and a liable coal company's responsibility to pay benefits while appealing benefit rulings.
Lu also said that the department has notified dozens of miners whose claims were denied based in part on the X-ray interpretations by Johns Hopkins Dr. Paul Wheeler — whose actions were questioned by the Center for Public Integrity's stories — telling those miners they could resubmit their benefit claims.
Labor Department officials said they are also trying to address a backlog of roughly 3,000 pending black lung cases with a proposal for an 11.5 percent increase for the agency's Office of Administrative Law Judges. But Sen. Robert Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat and chairman of the HELP subcommittee, said he doesn't think that will be enough money to clear the backlog.
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at firstname.lastname@example.com, 304-348-1702 or follow @kenwardjr on Twitter.


text:
Last year was not a great year for seniors in Canada. There seemed to be an increased propensity to blame Canada's economic problems disproportionately on the costs of health care, and seniors seemed to be the villains, depending on the commentator.
There were media reports about the "problem" and what steps could be taken to change the course of seniors allegedly consuming economic resources.
I answered one interviewer by suggesting that we give everyone free cigarettes and encourage smoking so that by the time people reach 65, they would all keel over and die. That would save the government huge amounts of money for pensions and health care. The interviewer paused until it clicked that my comment was ironic. The benefits of health care and its miraculous impact on the longevity and well-being of our Canadian citizenry, including its seniors, were not acknowledged in the media.
Historian Michael Bliss suggested that we should make users of the health-care system pay more for services through the income-tax system, based on use. However, that would have a very modest effect, as any extra revenues would come from tax-based charges to income, which for most seniors levels off considerably as they grow older.
A TD Bank study done last year also blew the "tsunami" horn, and its predictions included the projection that by 2030, health care would make up 80 per cent of the total provincial budget, up from the current 46 per cent. This did not take into account medical progress that often alters costs. For example, during the 1950s polio epidemic, the number of hospitalized, polio-afflicted patients in iron lungs seemed to be growing exponentially. But within a few years, the disease was vanquished with a vaccine that virtually eliminated it and its associated costs.
Of the 10 ways to cut health-care spending in Ontario suggested by the TD study, some specifically affect seniors. These included scaling back the Ontario Drug Benefit for high-income seniors so that it focuses on seniors in need. The problem with this suggestion is that the number of high-income seniors is small, so the health-care budget savings would be minimal.
Another suggestion was to increase bulk purchases of drugs to get better prices, which is already being done. The suggestion to incorporate a health-care benefit tax into the income-tax structure may increase revenues, but it would not change health-care utilization, as most use is not discretionary.
Seniors do not use medical care nor take medications for fun. The suggestion to take bolder action to promote healthy lifestyles is important, but while healthy lifestyles decrease the risk of certain conditions, they do not confer immortality.
The good news for seniors and policy makers is that two recent studies suggest that the "grey tsunami" poised to overwhelm the health-care system may be exaggerated. These studies found that of all the factors affecting the costs of health care, the aging population ranked low on the list of cost-drivers.
It is hoped that when the data presented in these studies are considered, the focus will be redirected elsewhere, rather than looking at seniors as the convenient scapegoat on which to blame increasing health-care costs, which although a challenge are not insurmountable.
Dr. Michael Gordon is medical program director of palliative care at Baycrest and co-author with Bart Mindszenthy of Parenting Your Parents (Dundurn Press). His latest book, Moments that Matter: Cases in Ethical Eldercare, follows his previous book, Brooklyn Beginnings: A Geriatrician's Odyssey. All can be researched at his website: http://www.drmichaelgordon.com


text:
NEW ORLEANS — One down, one to go.
The San Francisco 49ers arrived Sunday night to begin on-site preparations for their game against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII next Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Ravens are due in Monday afternoon.
The Niners' charter flight touched down at Louis Armstrong International at about 6:50 p.m. — 40 minutes ahead of schedule. A little more than 90 minutes later, coach Jim Harbaugh and six players spoke with reporters at their hotel as the Super Bowl media crunch officially began.
Center Jonathan Goodwin, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Saints three years ago, said he already had made reservations at a few of his favorite restaurants.
"Flying down here with my teammates was special," he said. "What a hard-working group of guys. To see these guys experience this success and get to this stage is something I'm really happy about."
Harbaugh was brief and businesslike as he spoke for about 15 minutes. His opening statement: "We're super excited to be here. Questions?"
It was quite a contrast to the emotional Harbaugh often seen on the sideline, but tackle Joe Staley said Harbaugh's emotions aren't the best indicator of why he has been so successful in getting the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his second season.
"That motivation stuff is overrated," Staley said. "There are lot of motivated guys in the locker room. It could be a dry professor up there talking. It's about X's and O's. What he's so good at is knowing schemes and being deceptive in how he uses schemes."
Harbaugh said he had brief conversations last week with former Super Bowl coaches Bill Cowher and John Madden about preparing for the game.
"Our team is really focused on winning," he said. "We're treating this week like a normal week. Getting here on Sunday, we'll start Monday like a normal week leading up to a Sunday game. That's our plan. This team is focused on unity and winning better than any team I've been around."
This is San Francisco's second trip to New Orleans in the past nine weeks; the 49ers beat the Saints 31-21 on Nov. 24 in the Superdome.
"Our whole team has played in this stadium," Harbaugh said. "I don't know if that counts as an advantage."
Both teams will have similar news conferences Monday before the Media Day circus takes place Tuesday in the Superdome.
San Francisco has been victorious in each of its five previous Super Bowl appearances. The 49ers won 28-24 at Atlanta 28-24 on Jan. 20 to wrap up their first Super Bowl berth since they defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26 after the 1995 season.
"The 49ers have had a tradition for a while," linebacker Patrick Willis said. "For a while they were winning Super Bowls and contending all the time, then there was a lull. It feels good to be a part of what's going on right now."
The other San Francisco players on hand were quarterback Colin Kaepernick, defensive tackle Justin Smith and safety Dashon Goldson.
Harbaugh and six other 49ers players will have a media availability Monday. Later, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Jim's brother, and six of his players — including linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed from Destrehan — will speak with reporters.
The NFC champion 49ers will practice this week at the Saints' training facility in Metairie. The AFC champion Ravens are slated to practice at Tulane.