text:
The student lender best known as Sallie Mae reversed its year-ago loss and posted a fourth-quarter profit Wednesday, partly as a result of higher revenue from interest and fees.
The performance nevertheless missed Wall Street expectations, as the company recorded losses in relation to the sale of its mortgage purchased paper business, and booked some charges.
SLM Corp. said it earned $309 million, or 52 cents per share in the period. That compared to a loss of $216 million, or 52 cents per share, last year.
Core earnings, which exclude loans bundled as securities and derivatives, were $249 million, or 41 cents per share. On that basis, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a profit of 44 cents per share.
The Reston, Va. lender's fourth-quarter results a year ago included an unrealized loss of $439 million, before taxes, on some derivative contracts.
For the full year, Sallie Mae said core earning were $597 million, or 96 cents per share, compared to $526 million, or 89 cents per share in 2008. Analysts had forecast a profit of 97 cents per share for 2009.
Sallie Mae originated $4.5 billion in federal students loans in the fourth quarter, up 14 percent from last year. Private loan originations fell to $381 million, down from $851 million a year ago, reflecting the company's tightened underwriting standards and the effect of increased federal student loan limits.
Sallie Mae has been targeting stronger borrowers, in part, by requiring higher credit scores and co-signer rates. The company this year introduced its Smart Option Loan, which requires students to make interest payments on loans while in still school. The idea is to get borrowers accustomed to making payments, and in turn lower delinquency and charge-off rates.
In January 2008, Sallie Mae also discontinued "nontraditional loans." Those loans were directed at students attending schools with low graduation rates.
Interest income from loans in the latest quarter was $320 million, compared to $161 million in the year-ago period.
Core fee income, which includes the gain on debt repurchases, was $503 million, compared to $237 million in the year-ago quarter.
Results for the latest quarter included a $98 million loss from the sale of the company's mortgage purchased paper business, a $34 million charge against its purchased consumer receivables, and a $33 million charge for early conversion of a portion of the company's series C preferred stock into common stock.
Offsetting the losses was a $46 million gain from debt repurchases.
Shares of Sallie Mae fell 7 cents to $11.90 in after-hours trading, after gaining 44 cents, or nearly 4 percent, to $11.97 during the regular session.


text:
SEKO, a global provider of supply chain solutions, including transportation, logistics and IT solutions, says that while outsourcing of supply chain services is still increasing despite the weakened economy, the decision for a company to outsource to third party logistics providers is not an all or nothing proposition, and requires an in-depth evaluation of its entire supply chain process.
'In today's dynamic global business environment with enhanced technologies and vastly extended supply chains, companies are often confused by the many logistics options available to them. Before making a decision on how to best implement a supply chain management process, companies should evaluate their own cultural alignment, core competencies and business capabilities,' says John Fitzgerald, vice president of global sales & marketing for SEKO. 'A company's cultural alignment and cross-departmental capabilities, especially as they relate to technology, will provide the seminal factors in determining whether it should keep supply chain management services in-house, outsource them to a third party logistics provider, or employ a combination of both.'
Fitzgerald suggests six paradigms that companies should abide by when making an outsourcing decision:
- Determine the State of Your WMS System: How state-of-the art is the WMS system you have in place? If your company is consistently out-of-stock with finished products for your customers, your in-house system probably does not have the IT capabilities to avoid poor lead times and missed shipments for your customers. You need to outsource or lose customers. If, on the other hand, your company has the wherewithal to provide the proper implementation of an enhanced and robust IT infrastructure, you may be able to realize cost-savings and efficiencies by avoiding the need to outsource your logistics functions.
- Take a Good Look at Your Production Facilities. If you find that your production facilities are down for long periods of time and your logistics operations are not flexible enough to meet the requirements of after-hours deliveries and expedited service, you may have no choice but to pay the extra costs by outsourcing your logistics process on top of paying for large overhead for an inflexible logistics operation. If your in-house logistics operation is already funded as a core competency, however, you may already have a competitive edge. Flexibility is the key here.
- Evaluate Your Delivery Date Success. If the targeted dates for your time-sensitive product launches are not consistently being met, it is a good indication your internal staffing and facility capacity cannot keep up with your customer demand. Your company probably requires the assistance of a 3PL. If, on the other hand, your company properly funds your logistics department and you are already an industry leader in supply chain efficiency and service, you are probably realizing economies of scale with regards to your warehouses, fleets etc., and can probably maintain these operations in-house.
- Assess Your Overhead and Fixed Logistics Costs. If these expenses are squeezing your bottom line, you may realize virtually instant savings by consolidating your warehouse operations with a 'shared' facility operated by a 3PL. This can enable you to move fixed costs to a variable expense, which provides flexibility in responding to market dynamics. If your company culture includes logistics as a driving force in your overall operations, you can probably adequately leverage these expenses in-house.
- Examine Your Company's IT Capabilities. If your in-house technology is unable to adapt to your growing supply chain needs, you should consider outsourcing your company's logistics data and integrating it with that of a 3PL that specializes in customized supply chain solutions. Rather than waiting years for a new system to be developed internally, you may find that outsourcing both the technology and logistics process to a suitable 3PL will

subset: commoncrawl


text:
FOXBORO, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have placed cornerback Jonathan Wilhite on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Wilhite registered 24 tackles while playing in the first nine games of the season in a reserve role.
To fill the roster spot, the AFC-leading Patriots signed defensive lineman Louis Leonard, who appeared in two games for the Carolina Panthers before being released in late September.


text:
We use cookies to ensure that you have the best experience on our website. If you continue browsing, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all our cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.
Find out more
You are here:
Working to improve the lives of the world's poorest people, at home and abroad.
Posted by
Luned Jones Media and Communications Officer, Wales
28th Mar 2012
Oxfam has warned that urgent action must be taken now if we are to prevent a full scale humanitarian crisis in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa. Drought, high food prices, entrenched poverty and regional conflict are behind the crisis. That is why we have launched a £23m emergency appeal to help reach more than 1 million people if the affected countries.
Malnutrition rates hover between 10% and 15% in the affected areas of Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Northern Senegal. In fact in some parts the rate has risen beyond the emergency threshold of 15% putting over 1 million children at risk of severe acute malnutrition.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, agricultural production in the region is down 25% from 2010. Added to this, erratic rains have caused a poor harvest, especially in Niger, Chad, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina and of course people have also yet to recover from the food crisis of 2010.
With the next harvests not due until October a concerted aid is effort is needed now. The UN estimates that $724m is needed to address current need and that could rise as the crisis progresses.
Stephen Doughty, Head of Oxfam Cymru says: "Millions of people are on the threshold of a major crisis. All signs point to a drought becoming a catastrophe if nothing is done soon. The world cannot allow this to happen. A concerted aid effort is needed to stop tens of thousands dying due to international complacency,"
"We witnessed last year the situation spiralling out of control in East Africa as the aid community failed to act swiftly. The worst can be avoided and thousands of lives will be saved if we act now. It's that simple."
Oxfam needs to raise £23m to meet the needs of over 1 million people it plans to help across the Sahel region with vital aid such as food, cash, support to livestock, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion campaigns.
How you can donate
By phone: 0300 200 1999
Online: www.oxfam.org.uk/westafrica
• £25 will vaccinate 15 goats and keep them healthy so vulnerable families have food and an income
• £50 gives three vulnerable people the money they need to buy food and other essentials for the next three months
• £90 provides clean safe drinking water for three families, by building or repairing water sources
Food security,
Blog post written by Luned Jones
Media and Communications Officer, Wales
More by Luned Jones
© 2017. Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SC039042).
Oxfam GB is a member of the international confederation Oxfam.


text:
Finally, it is here! Russia's First Viagra commercial is arriving about ten years after the product's release. In Russia, residents are not allowed to mention the name of prescription drugs on television, so the makers of the commercial had to do a little improvising. The creators revamped an older Saudi Arabia commercial and added some catchy music that fits perfectly with the ad. Also added was a mention of the website get-hard.ru so that viewers can later log on and get the information they need.
Russia's First Viagra commercial is actually quite clever. Differently colored straws are used as phallic symbols to represent those on Viagra and those who are not. The commercial gets to the point without being offensive, and children seeing this ad will have no idea what it's about.
Phallic Straw Ads
More Stats +/-
20 Enhancement Pleasantries
Interactive Penile Ads
Female Libido Meds
Implied Bedvertising
Spray-On Viagra
Russia's First Viagra Commercial Uses Clever Representation
- By: Chalaine ManthaMar 25, 2011


text:
High-speed rail set to boost UK emissions from aviation
By freeing up capacity at Heathrow, the government's HS2 high-speed rail project is likely to increase total UK carbon emissions. Further questions surround the scheme's broader sustainability credentials
Sorry you do not have access to this article. Please contact Customer Support at
or call 020 8267 8120


text:
CMI Wins Major Services Contract at Leading Commercial Bank
Leading Commercial Bank leverages CMI's Managed Services to support the Release Management for over 200 software systems
John Falzon, COO at Configuration Management, Inc. announced that it has been selected by a Top 5 US Bank for a three year multi-million dollar managed services contract.
On August 13, 2012 CMI signed a three year managed service contract for Release Management services. As part of the managed service contract, CMI will be supporting over 200 software systems at the Bank. The agreement also leverages CMI's service based pricing and their consumption-based approach providing the Bank with essential flexibility to use and pay for the services they need.
"The Bank clearly recognizes CMI as an industry leader with 20 years of experience and expertise in delivering Release Management Solutions," states Falzon.


text:
Home>Our School>HEADLINES>Uncategorized>WINGS – Summer Enrichment Program
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
WINGS is an MAISD and Muskegon Community College (MCC) co-sponsored program that provides in-depth summer study experiences for students in grades K – 7 who show exceptional interest and/or talent in focused subjects. Classes are designed for passionate learners, curious minds, and "outside-of-the-box" thinkers. All classes are held at Muskegon Community College's Stevenson Center for Higher Education.
Click here for more information: http://www.muskegonisd.org/studentpgms/wings/


text:
Watch: 'Cinema 2012' is Kees van Dijkhuizen's Final Retrospective
by Ethan Anderton
December 20, 2012
This week we've looked back at the best posters, biggest disappointments and surprisingly great films of 2012 (not to mention our list of films we'd miss if the world ends tomorrow). Now we're back to a video retrospective from the trusty Kees van Dijkhuizen. The editor extraordinaire has had his retrospective videos for 2009, 2010, 2011 featured right here before and now he's back with Cinema 2012 and it does not disappoint. However, what is a little bit sad is that this will be the last retrospective video we'll see from Kees van Dijkhuizen. Surely this is a time consuming task and there are other endeavors to pursue. Watch!
Here's the final retrospective from Kees van Dijkhuizen, Cinema 2012, via SlashFilm:
Here's what Kees van Dijkhuizen had to say about his last video:
Our last night on earth; what better way to spend it than with Cinema. Avengers assembled, dark knights rose and odds were in our favor in a fantastic year in film. Epic conclusions conquered the box office, but smaller pictures like Beasts of the Southern Wild, Seeking A Friend for the End of the World, Safety Not Guaranteed, The Imposter and Ruby Sparks conquered the hearts of audiences around the world. It seems every story we've heard deserved to be told.
This year was not free of tragedy, however, and it struck close to home. It made me realize the importance of our shared love for cinema; in the darkest of times, it will bring us together. This recap shows the importance of love in difficult times, how we fool ourselves to cope with the pain we cause others and, in the face of the apocalypse, how small we really are. Cinema is a friend, a teacher, a refuge and a safe place. Here's to that dream.
This fifth episode is also the finale of my Cinema series. It's been a tremendous joy and I've learned so much from your kind words and feedback. This project demanded a lot of time and effort and to see it rewarded so graciously was absolutely mind-blowing. Thank you all for your support these past years, it's meant so much to me.
Thanks for all your hard work and great talent, Kees van Dijkhuizen. Your skills will be greatly missed.
Follow Alex's main profile on :


text:
Planet Waves PW-P047A 1/4 Inch Male Mono Inline Adapter
The Planet Waves PW-P047A 1/4 Inch Male Mono Inline Adapter is a 1/4-inch male mono inline adapter, perfect for connecting effects pedals.
Main Features
- 1/4-inch male mono inline adapter
- Premium quality components for maximum power and signal transfer
- Perfect for connecting effects pedals
- Limited lifetime guarantee
All Planet Waves adapters utilise the highest quality conductors and components to provide convenience, maximum power, and clean signal transfer.
- This product is in stock and ready to ship
We normally ship this item within the UK by Royal Mail. This is not a guaranteed service and can take up to 14 days for delivery. If you need this item faster, please upgrade to a Before 12 service and we will send it by Special Delivery or courier.
Mainland UK: £3.50 within mainland UK ( Orders over £99 are delivered FREE )
UK Non-Mainland: £ 12
Rep. of Ireland and Mainland Europe: from £ 15 (calculated at checkout).
Order this item before 4pm and receive it on the next working day, mainland UK only*
1 Recommended Accessory
Additional Information
Brand Planet Waves Condition New Connector 1 1/4 inch Mono Jack Plug Connector 2 1/4 inch Mono Jack Plug Cable Length 0.3 Metres Cable Features Metal Plugs


text:
It's pretty bad when I come on this board and I see news like, a family of 3 girls, 12, 14, and 16 are pregnant. A nine year old kills a 11 year old over a ball. A couple of teens kill a man "to have something to do". Where does it originate? How can it be solved? This world is so depressing sometimes. It's hard to find the good.
Oh yeah, how could I forget the story of the mother selling her young daughters into prostitution while living out of a car? How old were those children? 9? 10?


text:
Record sleeves of the month
This month we've got some beautiful new music releases to share with you from artists Sam Willis (central vinyl label of side B of his LP, Winterval, shown above), Sunbeam Rd, Scott Walker, Mary Epworth, and more…
This month we've got some beautiful new music releases to share with you from artists Sam Willis (cover of his LP, Winterval, shown above), Sunbeam Rd, Scott Walker, Mary Epworth, and more…
First up is the debut release from one half of musical duo Walls, Sam Willis. His Winterval LP features photographic imagery found on antique slides and the handwritten details on the black back cover of the LP were penned by Willis' 92 year old grannie, Hetty Fraser.
The vinyl disc itself is a bright cadmium red with more photography on the central labels:
Art direction: Sam Willis. Layout: Caroline Glover. Label: Half Machine Records. The video for album track Foxglissandro, shot by Sean Rogg, can be viewed here.
The next LP to catch our eye also features coloured vinyl. Breathers by Sunbeam Rd sports a colourful illustrated sleeve by band member Clive Hacker and a rather nice typographic title illustration by James T. Edmondson.
Each sleeve is hand numbered in an edition of 250 and the custom coloured vinyl sees bright colours eminate from the central labels…
Find the release online at sunbeamrd.bandcamp.com.
This next release wasn't easy to photograph. It's Sinner DC's reflective, debossed CD cover for recently released album, Future That Never Happened. Once the cellophane wrap with a sticker has been removed, the album sports no text whatsoever.
Label: Mental Groove Records.
Clytem Scanning's new album, Mirada Fuerte, features a wrap around hand-lettered, matt gold on matt black desgin by mush-design.
Scott Walker's new LP, Bish Bosch is available as a double LP edition which features the painted album title in white on a matt black sleeve.The painted letters and drips have also been given a spot gloss varnish giving it a kind of wet-paint feel.
The edition comes with a CD of the album along with a booklet of lyrics and photographs by Davy Evans of the album artwork being created by Ben Farquharson. Design: Philip Laslett.
Label: 4AD.
I had to include this – Pepe Deluxe's 'deluxe edition' of its recent Queen of the Wave album. Designed by the band's James Spectrum in cahoots with Vilunki 3000, the edition is in a hardcover book format complete with 66 pages of artwork and extended album sleevenotes. Here's a look inside the edition:
Label: Catskills Records.
Mary Epworth's Dream Life album actually came out in June this year, but the vinyl edition (shown here) only became available a matter of weeks ago. A contender for my personal favourite album cover of the year, it features a beautiful image created in-camera (I believe smoke was involved) by artist Matthew-Robert Hughes.
Layout and typography by Mat Martin. Label: Hand of Glory Records.
CR In print
In our December issue we look at why carpets are the latest medium of choice for designers and illustrators. Plus, Does it matter if design projects are presented using fake images created using LiveSurface and the like? Mark Sinclair looks in to the issue of mocking-up. We have an extract from Craig Ward's upcoming book Popular Lies About Graphic Design and ask why advertising has been so poor at preserving its past. Illustrators' agents share their tips for getting seen and we interview maverick director Tony Kaye by means of his unique way with email. In Crit, Guardian economics leader writer Aditya Chakrabortty review's Kalle Lasn's Meme Wars and Gordon Comstock pities brands' long-suffering social media managers. In a new column on art direction, Paul Belford deconstructs a Levi's ad that was so wrong it was very right, plus, in his brand identity column, Michael Evamy looks at the work of Barcelona-based Mario Eskenazi. And Daniel Benneworth-Gray tackles every freelancer's dilemma – getting work.
Our Monograph this month, for subscribers only, features the EnsaïmadART project in which Astrid Stavro and Pablo Martin invited designers from around the world to create stickers to go on the packaging of special edition packaging for Majorca's distinctive pastry, the ensaïmada, with all profits going to a charity on the island (full story here)
Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.
CR for the iPad
Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here


text:
Release Date: 2007 |
AtavanHalen (5)The future of music? It's here today....Clumpy (4.5)Ba da da da da. . . ba da da da da. . ....specialk21 (4.5)"Mirrored" is one of the best albums of 2007, and while the sound may not be for everyone,...pixiesfanyo (4)With "Mirrored" Battles extends their sound past the typical realm of math rock and succee...
ValiumMan (4.5)US math rockers Battles manage to overcome a whole bunch of genre trappings on this mighty...WizardZombie (5)A classic math rock album for the ages...
The first sentence is so wrong that I'm not even sure what to say.
So I'll say that this is an alright review, but this album is a fuckin beast.
Album Rating: 4.0ENOUGH REVIEWS ABOUT THIS THAT SAY THE SAME THING EVERY TIME.
Album Rating: 3.5GASP
i listened to the radio today
Album Rating: 4.0*shock!*
Album Rating: 4.5that first sentence is a terrible assumption. There are plenty of college radio stations that play great music. Odds are you have no idea what you're talking about.
Album Rating: 4.0actually, this review doesn't make any sense, you've given it a really huge score but claim to only like half of it.
the duo of Prismism and Snare Hanger are absolute genius.
john listens to bad music!
Album Rating: 4.5By radio I meant commerical mainstream radio. I may not know what i'm talking about as there are only 2 radio stations where I live. One plays soft rock and the other a more talk show oriented channel. Both suck.
I have heard other radio other then that before, some of the genre specific radio is good and internet radio is fantastic but radio in general isn't a good place to find good music.
Album Rating: 4.5I did like the record alot, its just I find the first half better then the second half. The first half is probably the best set of music i've heard all year and while the 2nd half isn't bad, it simply isn't great. I could listen to the whole album repeatly (sp?) but the 2nd half just isn't up to the 2nd half. Plus the album didn't seem superb or a classic to me. I thought alot about what I should give it and I stand by my original score.
And yes, this album has been reviewed far too much I just finally got to listening to it in full a few weeks ago. I'll probably my next review on an album that hasen't received many or any reviews.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


text:
Many of us had the opportunity to attend the WQA Aquatech USA conference and trade show in Orlando, Fla. during the last week of March. While our May issue will offer a detailed overview of key industry trends and new product launches revealed at the show, this month, I would like to discuss the importance of staffing.
Unlike manufacturers and distributors, water dealers often work with a very small staff. Many dealers don't have time to recruit, train and supervise new employees so they rely on themselves or just a few other people to do all the work. This is not a new problem, and it is true for many small businesses across various industries.
The main concern is that instead of focusing on key business issues, most owners are out in the field in crawl spaces installing equipment. It's true that when you first start a dealership, you may have to be the person who answers the phones, does the bookkeeping, schedules the appointments and installs the equipment. But I think the only way for dealers to continue to grow is by growing their staff.
I encourage dealers to ask themselves: "Am I constantly late and putting out fires, and do I find myself sacrificing important opportunities for my business (such as attending last month's WQA Aquatech show) simply because I didn't have enough time to get to everything?" If the answer is yes, chances are you are one of the many dealers who are understaffed.
In order to run a successful business, dealers need to be effective managers, which means prioritizing their responsibilities and assigning more to their employees. If there is no one who can take the wheel while you attend an important seminar or trade show, or even take a vacation, you are not running an efficient dealership, you are treading water—pun intended.
So be sure to focus your main attention on the important aspects of running the business, such as budgeting, reviewing finances, planning and marketing. Leave duties such as water testing, installations or fixing the company's truck to your staff. Of course, it's key to surround yourself with people you can rely on so that you are confident things will get done.
For those who worry about what hiring more people means for their bottom line, keep in mind that running a one-man show doesn't necessarily make you more cost-effective. After all, customers and prospects slip through the cracks when you are too busy dealing with the nuts and bolts to pay attention to things such as customer service and networking events.
Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to alert dealers who want to become more efficient and successful about the upcoming launch of our annual supplement, Dealer Insight. The Dealer Insight is designed to pinpoint specific areas that need to be addressed in order to help dealers get the most out of their business.
Look for a copy of the supplement mailed with the May issue of Water Quality Products.


text:
Category Archives: Virginia Tech
Discovering American Football
Among my initial impressions of American culture and lifestyle, what really caught my eye were the isolationist tendencies that this country has consciously and sub-consciously adopted over the course of the past 2 centuries. (The validity of the 'why' is not relevant to this discussion). And more specifically, how these isolationist policies had manifested themselves in the day to day workings of the society. And of all the different aspects of American culture that exhibit this isolationist propensity, perhaps the most visible, glaring and sometimes obvious one is sports.
American sports (apart from Olympic events) are mostly just that – sports played in America. American Football, Baseball, Basketball and Ice hockey are sports where the biggest sporting events include teams from within North America playing each other to be crowned 'World Champions'. (Sure there are instances of international participation – notably for Basketball, and also for Baseball in Latin America and Japan). But for an outsider looking in – like an immigrant such as myself – the universal, unquestioned acceptance of such a largely self-contained system among its people seems to display a certain sense of ignorance, apathy and maybe even some arrogance over other sports that are a lot more popular in the rest of the world. And THIS can and does work towards discouraging people unfamiliar with the sports to explore it.
Additionally, for an immigrant coming in to this country well beyond his/her formative years, it can seem to be a rather daunting, and sometimes even pointless, task to explore the sports. My own initial thoughts went along these lines: "I have no association with these sports. I never grew up with them. I have no reason to be interested in them now. So I will still continue to just watch cricket, soccer and tennis." And this was (and in many cases, still is) echoed among most of my fellow Indian friends. It would have been that much easier to simply keep my status quo and not make an effort into exploring the product of a seemingly isolationist thinking.
But it is only when one looks beyond this apparent barrier of sports apathy and isolationism does one discover a whole new universe of sporting culture this country has to offer. And so I decided to take the plunge to see what's out there – at least as far as American Football is concerned.
Doing my Master's in a university with a big football tradition such as Virginia Tech inevitably exposed me to a lot of buzz around the game and the team. An American classmate of mine volunteered to feed my curiosity by watching the VT vs Nebraska (2009) game with me and explaining all the rules and objectives. VT won that game – a rather low scoring encounter with a memorable finish. And I got hooked on to the sport. I watched most of the VT games and even managed to follow some of the other ACC/BCS games that season. I even recollect going to my friend's super bowl party that winter.
My initial efforts to watch and understand the game may have been borne out of a desire to socialize and make new friends. But over time, the sport itself grew on me – to the extent that I started to watch even non-VT games whenever they were on. So in my third semester (and second football season), I decided to watch a few games at Lane Stadium – home of the Virginia Tech Hokies. That was also the first time I learnt about the tradition of tailgating.
I just couldn't believe it! I had never seen anything like it before. People drank alcohol for hours before the game, during the game, and for hours after the game! Lane Stadium ended up being a spot where 67,000 drunk college kids cheered on a bunch of other college kids playing football! Wow! It was just incredible! And I definitely wanted more! So I ended up going to 3-4 more games at the Lane Stadium, the most memorable of which being the 28-21 win over Georgia Tech on a Thursday night.
In the end, maybe it was being around a lot of people who all cheered for the same team, maybe it was that I was looking to socialize and make new friends, or maybe it is because I am a big sports guy by nature and American football was a sport that I came to like, or maybe it was a combination of all of them. But whatever may have been the contributing factor, by the time I graduated in December 2010, I was no longer looking at American football as an outsider. I was a fan of the sport and I had a team to root for.
Over the last 6 years since my graduation, I have become even more knowledgeable about the game – not so much its history, as about the tactics, strategy and the team itself. I have a big group of American friends who are passionate about the game, and I feed off their passion and get increasingly more involved in the game over the season. Though the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences in the Midwest have little to do with VT and the ACC, I nevertheless have watched most of the VT games and a bunch of other ACC and other conference games. I have always watched the BCS bowls/playoffs even though there was no team in there to cheer for personally.
I have come to realize that to grow an interest in any new sport, one need 3 things: a general liking to the sport itself, a team to root for, and friends to watch the games with (preferably rooting for the same team). I have been fortunate to have all of them and so I now find myself cursing, clapping, shouting, jumping around and being my usual animated self whenever I am watching a VT game. I follow fan blogs that discuss each game, the team, recruiting and all associated gossip and rumors – all clear indications that I have something personally invested in the outcome of the games every weekend!
And speaking of having something personally invested in a team, I have also realized that I have a direct affiliation to the Virginia Tech football team. I went to school there and so there is a very valid reason to root for them. Which made me then question my affiliation to all the soccer teams that I have passionately supported for well over a decade now – Chelsea and Juventus. I suppose we don't need a reason to choose a sports team to root for, but technically speaking, I have a more valid affiliation to VT football than to Chelsea or Juventus! (I know! This is sacrilege!) But I choose not to break my head about that.
Of course, the elephant in the room here is the absence of anything NFL in my encounters with American football. I do watch the games at the bar or at my friends' place when they are on. I will even appreciate a close/good game regardless of who is playing. But the absence of having a team to root for has pretty much held me back from following it as closely as I do for college football. Many of my friends are either fans of the Broncos or the Packers, so whenever I am watching a game with them, I end up cheering with them. I do have some affinity towards the Broncos, so if I were to really pick a team, I would probably go with them. But until I truly commit to an NFL team and start rooting for it, I probably wouldn't feel the same way about it as I do with college football.
At the end of the day, I find that I have spent many weekends watching American football with my friends to great satisfaction – bonding, cheering and even having opinions of my own about how the teams should have played. These experiences have proved to be a very fruitful, having served as an easy avenue to assimilate into the American lifestyle and to have a larger sense of belonging in a new society and culture that is half way around the world from where I grew up. I have benefited greatly from this experience and I definitely intend to keep exploring this further.
The One Thing I Took for Granted
It was May of 2010 and I had just landed at the Bangalore International Airport early in the morning. I was coming back home after my first two semesters at Virginia Tech. By the time I reached home, it was about 8 AM and I was already hungry. My mom was clearly enthusiastic about cooking for me, but that morning she mentioned that I would have the Idli & Chutney that my grandmother had cooked an hour earlier. Apparently, my grandmother – who lived just a few blocks down the road – had woken up early just so she could cook breakfast for me. And she knew exactly what to cook. The Idli and Chutney that she used to make was the kind of stuff that could fix anything and everything. I think the word I am looking for is 'panacea'.
So here I was, not having eaten 'home food' for over 10 months and my mom served me my grandmother's best creation for breakfast. I sat in my chair and broke the first idli into a small piece, took a generous dipping of the chutney and put it in my mouth.
To this day, I cannot think of a more profound moment I have had when I ate something. Before I could chew the food and swallow it, I had broken down and was crying like a little baby. It was not just the feeling of experiencing something after a long time that made me cry. It was the realization that I was experiencing after a long time, something I had just taken for granted all my life that hit me like a cannon ball. And I didn't have to tell my mom anything. She knew exactly why I was crying and that there was just no consoling me at that point. I cried for some 10-15 mins before I resumed eating my breakfast. Needless to say, I stuffed myself with what would have otherwise been a sizable breakfast for 3 people.
In hindsight, that realization seems a lot more obvious. But it does not make it any less significant. Food is one of the things that we are conditioned to take for granted (unless you are in a poor financial situation or related circumstances) while we were growing up. We always assumed that no matter what happens in this world – barring a natural or man made disaster – we would always have dinner served at the time we expect it to. So much so, that we even felt entitled to complain when it was delayed by a few minutes. Breakfast was always prepared 15-20 mins before we left for school or college. It just had to be. There was no other option. It would be an apocalyptic hell if it was delayed even for a few minutes. And all the food we were served had also better be something we liked to eat.
And so being served food that I preferred, at the right time, day after day for over 20 years was something I had gotten so used to that I had never comprehended the idea of anything different. Even when I lived in the hostels during college, the hostel mess always had the food ready at regular times. In any case, I went back home every 2 or 3 weeks during my undergraduate years. So it was only when I moved half way across the world here to the USA did I face the extremely strange situation of nobody serving me my preferred food 3 times a day at my new home.
In hindsight, the way I initially reacted to that is almost comical. I was in complete denial for the first couple of weeks and just did not eat any breakfast. I ate out for lunch and made some makeshift dinner (read cereal). It was at least a month before I came to terms with it and started cooking. Fortunately for me, I found that I took immense pleasure in the act of cooking. And after that there was no looking back. I learnt – mostly through experimentation and long phone calls with my mom – to cook most of the dishes that my mom made on a regular basis and took great pride in sending her photographs of my cooking. Needless to say, she was very impressed and very happy that I was eating home cooked food. And so after the first couple of months, I rarely ate outside and continued to get better at cooking. I even became popular among my Indian and American friends at VT for my cooking!
But when I had that first bite of Idli Chutney on my first return back home, I also knew that I would never ever match the taste that my mom or my grandmother made. Because you see, the dishes my mom or my grandmother ever made were not just made up of spices and vegetables. They were always made with unconditional love. And I suppose it really was THAT ingredient that I had taken for granted in all the food I had ever been served at home. It was also the ingredient that I had missed the most and could never put into my dishes. No wonder I broke down when I had that breakfast back then.
A few months after that, when I was back in the US and having just graduated, I learnt that my grandmother had unexpectedly passed away. I will never see her again and that pains me to no end. I will also never have her Idli and Chutney once more, but I know that she is still out there helping me to recreate that taste I fear I will never get to experience again.
So yes, we take a lot of things for granted and don't even know it. It only comes to the surface when it is absent and absent for a long time. So enjoy it while you still have a chance. But also, always pause to appreciate its existence while it lasts.
The NFL Draft: Communism inside Capitalism
Yes I do watch American football. I do find the game interesting at times but I tend to restrict myself to just College football. When I was at Virginia Tech last year, I did go to a few games there at the Lane Stadium and it was nice fun (especially the night game against Georgia Tech!). With regard to the NFL, I just watch the AFC and the NFC title games followed by the Superbowl. I have no allegiance to any team and I usually find myself rooting for the team that is lagging behind in the scoreline. I particularly despise the aspect of the game which gives rise to so many interruptions, which in turn gives rise to the inevitable ads. But I am not here to talk about that. Instead, I would like to talk about this one thing that I discovered recently that has fascinated me to no bounds. I am talking about the NFL Draft.
The NFL draft is an annual event in which the NFL teams recruit the best college football players who either just graduated or are ready to stop their college education in order to pursue their NFL dreams. This appears to be something totally boring and routine. But on the contrary, it has been one of the most fascinating revelations to me over the past few weeks. What has particularly caught my attention is the order in which the best college football players are picked.
You see, the way things would have been expected to work normally would primarily include the Super Bowl winning team to have the first pick in the draft. This can be looked at as some kind of a benefit for winning the Super Bowl. But the way the draft order is actually done is exactly the opposite. The Super Bowl champions get to pick the college football players right at the end. In fact, the first team that gets to have its pick among the best of the best players is the team that had the worst record in the previous season.
So if you finish with a 0-13 record (Zero wins and 13 losses), then you get to pick the best college quarterback in the country! And you are likely to get some leftover mediocre college kid to pick up if you are the Super Bowl champions (also called Mr. Irrelevant). So the basic idea is that the worse you perform, the earlier you get to have your pick among the new crop of the best college football players, thereby closing the gap to the champions.
The underlying idea behind this is what got me thinking. Rewarding the successful is what strikes as the most obvious and even the right thing to do. But this drafting policy goes beyond just that line of thinking. The underlying idea appears to be to create and maintain a level playing field among the many teams that compete in the NFL. So if one team is very weak and performs very bad, then they can be assured that they get to strengthen their team with the addition of the best college quarterback in the country. This also makes sure that the most successful or the strongest don't become stronger. This is very much reflected in the results of the NFL teams. All except just 4 have won the Super Bowl at least once and have made their presence in the Super Bowl probably more than that.
Lets look at this another way. Say you are a business college graduate and there are a bunch of companies eyeing to recruit you and all fellow graduates into their companies. If the graduate is extremely brilliant and if the choice is up to the graduate, which is usually the case, he/she would choose the company which has shown to be the largest and the most successful. So the already successful company will increase its chances of becoming even more successful. And at the other extreme, the least successful company gets to choose only the leftovers or the big company rejects. This does not necessarily improve the chances of the smaller companies to become more successful. It may even hinder it. But hey! This is a free world. Mutual agreement and benefit should be totally free of any outside interference.
The situation I described above is the trademark feature of a capitalistic way of thinking. And this is usually what happens. The strong become stronger and more successful while the weak and the not so successful become weaker and do not really achieve any comparable success. Now at the other extreme, you have the communistic way of thinking which specifically aims at creating a level playing field and maintaining it that way. Add to this, the fact that America is pretty much considered to be the bastion of capitalism. And you have a fascinating presence of blatant communism right inside the bastion of capitalism!
Dont get me wrong. I am not at all saying that this is a wrong thing or that this is not fair. On the contrary, I feel that if at all one aspect of this world needs to be treated in a communistic perspective, it should be sports. And I am just fascinated to see this being implemented right inside the country which has long been accepted to be the epitome of capitalism.
On My Disappearance
Ok seriously, not that anyone actually noticed. But I have been away from blogging for a while now- about 1.5 months to be precise. (The interpretation of the previous sentence ranges between I-have-been-too-damn-busy-for-this to I-have-a-cheap-excuse-and-it-is-called-laziness). And so for those who did notice, which would probably include 3 people on this planet, I have been both busy and lazy in the past few weeks. Of course the most significant part is that I am done with my Masters. And because of this, I believe I need to give some kind of a closure to a few of the things that have been on my mind over the past few months.
First of all, during the months of November and December, I realized that I can take the definition of working hard to a whole new level. This included running a code some 200 odd times processing over 16000 files in all. The process was so damn mechanical and automated, that it took me the entire 4th season of The Wire and the first season of Six Feet Under to be playing on the TV while I ran the code — just for me not to go insane. The other aspect of my 'hard working' included preparation for my Masters exam and the complete anticlimax during the actual test. Some other consequences of extreme levels of work included the act of what I call – 'Simply Forgetting'. This largely refers to my complete forgetting of performing many of the day to day activities- like eating, sleeping, bathing, brushing teeth. Its not that I was too busy to find time for it. It was just that I SIMPLY FORGOT to do it. (You can throw in some other metabolic processes into it too).
But perhaps one of the most useful discoveries during this period was with regard to the food that I ate during those weeks. Initially, my diet primarily consisted of eggs/bread/cheese for breakfast, eggs/bread/cheese for lunch and eggs/bread/cheese for dinner. And then, for reasons I really cannot remember, I prepared Dal Tadka Fry. Little did I know at that time that this particular dish is going to save me so much damn time and help me get so much more work done-while all the time still helping me eat tasty and good food. You see, when you make, say, 1 container of Dal Tadka Fry, you are essentially making some 7-8 containers of the same. This dish, friggin thickens and it thickens a whole damn lot! All you need to do is keep it overnight in the fridge and it becomes so thick and dry that you need to add a whole lot of water just to get it back to edible consistencies, which consequently increases the quantity of the dal significantly. And this happens every single time. So next time, you are hard pressed for time and need to put in a lot of work, I strongly recommend preparing this and eating it for the next many days. (I personally made 1 container last for about 2.5 weeks!)
But in all seriousness, looking back at my Masters, I can now say that I really worked hard for it. So much so, I felt for the first time in my life, that I had actually achieved something of real significance. When I learnt that I had to spend close to $100 in order to do the graduation walk, I initially had to think twice about it. But then I told myself: "I have worked too damn hard and been through too much shit not to do the walk." And so I did my graduation walk. Where I was at that point may not have been what I had imagined when I first came to the US. But still there I was. Without dramatizing too much, let me quote Atlas Shrugged: "The feeling was a sum, and he did not have to count again the parts that had gone to make it. But the parts, unrecalled, were there, within that feeling." That was something to the effect what I felt then. But, now I am done.
Well, after my exams were done, came the holidays- perhaps the last break I will have in a long long time. And for me, it meant an opportunity to do nothing- which is what I exactly did, at least for about 2-3 weeks. Then I traveled. The temporary access to a car worked wonders and I am making the best use of it. Apart from that, my bass guitar seems to be seeing more than just the inside of the bass guitar bag. The combination of Sabbath, Dire Straits, Cream, Floyd, Deep Purple, PTree, and Guitar Pro seems to work wonders for my bliss factor. And I do not have any plans to cut down on it.
There is one thing of some importance that helped me get through the demanding times of the past 2 months. I first came to know about it when my cousin blogged about it. I am talking about DUDEISM. It is perhaps the most awesome thing anyone has ever come up with. If the universe gave existence to the Coen brothers just to create The Dude's character, then I bow to the divine plan. I really cannot do justice to the whole idea here in a blog post. One can truly appreciate the idea only when you experience it first hand. The fact that there is really absolutely no friggin point in worrying about anything at any point in life, irrespective of how fucked up the situation may be, is something that has to be realized first hand. And I have been fortunate enough to be one of them. Just as long as you keep doing whatever is necessary, there is really nothing to worry about. This realization eventually got me to get ordained as a priest at the "Church of the Latter Day Dude"!
If you have been following my posts of late (redefine 'of late' to whenever the last time I was writing), you will find some strong and passionate opinions expressed by me with regard to religion. Over the course of the past semester, I went through different phases of belief and non-belief. And now, I can finally state, without any apprehension or doubt, that I am an Atheist. I have framed some more very strong beliefs and opinions about religion and God since whatever I wrote before. But I do not aim to make more blog posts about them. Many of these new ideas have stemmed from some very long and intense phone conversations with His Holiness. I aim to document all these ideas and opinions in some substantial form in the near future-which brings me to something important.
I have decided to write a book. When, how, why, I have no idea. This is not my priority but it is something I hope to get done in about 3-4 years time. Looking at it this way, I want to get something out by the time I turn 30. On whether I actually possess the skills to do it, I will only know after I have tried.
One more thing. This is about by far the best TV Series ever made. I am talking about THE WIRE. There is absolutely no point in talking or elaborating about what the show is about or why one should watch it. Let me just say this: GO WATCH IT! I was fortunate enough to find all the 5 seasons in my University Library and made the best use of it. There simply cannot be a more realistic portrayal of anything ever. But if I were to give one reason why you should watch it, I would point out the Casting. Not just the acting, but the casting of the actors for those roles. The casting for the characters Omar, Marlo and Proposition Joe have got to be the perfect casting ever made. But really, every single character is so very detailed and perfectly cast that it is very easy to forget that one is actually watching a TV Show and not some documentary with perfectly hidden cameras.
And with regard to my (redundant) New Year resolution, I have decided to blog more regularly. Yeah…whatever.
Encounters of the Upanayana Kind-Part I
Firstly, this is not MY Upanayana that I am going to write about. The Upanayana described here is that of my cousin, who has NOT written about it here (yet). My own Upanayana took place some 8 years ago and under totally different circumstances as you will eventually understand. Oh and for the uninitiated, UPANAYANA stands for the THREAD CEREMONY, a (sacred) ritual popular among the Brahmins. It is a ceremony where the VATU (or the child) is supposedly initiated into the Brahmin tradition- so to speak. Of course, in recent times, all this boils down to is a set of fixed rituals that the Vatu-no-more (or now called Brahmachari or a celibate) performs twice a day- well at least is expected to perform- called Sandhyavandane. And so last week was the day that my cousin was inducted into the Brahmin community amidst quite some drama and action. Hereon in, my cousin will be referred to as VATU (child) during the incidents before his formal induction and BRAHMACHARI (celibate till marriage) after induction. But first, lets have some background about the VATU in question.
The Vatu is an atheist. The Vatu likes Metallica and has recently discovered the bliss surrounding Pink Floyd, Old Monk and the various combinations involving the two. The Vatu went to the same IIT-JEE coaching center and is now studying at the same Engineering college that I went to. The Vatu likes living in the hostel except for the part wherein he has to eat the mess food and use the same mess water and sink to brush his teeth.
So now let us flashback to about 3 months before the Upanayana.
Vatu is in the hostel playing FIFA'10. Vatu's mobile phone rings. It is his mother. Vatu reluctantly answers the call.
Vatu: Hello?
Vatu's mom: How are you?
Vatu: I am ok.
Vatu's mom: Had your dinner?
Vatu: Yes.
Vatu's mom: Ok. What did you have?
Vatu (getting impatient): Rice and Dal.
Vatu's mom: Ok. We are having your thread ceremony on June 2.
Vatu (thinking): WTF??!!??
Vatu's mom: Good night.
Back to 1 week before the ceremony:
Vatu (to his mom): I will be going to KQA Mahaquizzer on May 30. I will be occupied that day.
Vatu's mom: No you are not. That day we have the Devara Samaradhane for your Upanayana (Loose translation: Pleasing of the Gods for your Thread Ceremony).
Vatu (thinking): WTF??!??
The day of the Pleasing of the Gods was a Sunday and the complete First circle of Family randomly decided to show up for the occassion. (It should be noted that for 'occasions' like these, the FIRST circle somehow always gets redefined to include every Seena, Guru and Ramesha- the equivalent of Tom, Dick and Harry- in the family) And so I found myself dreading at the prospect of meeting all the vicariously existing Aunts and Uncles, not to mention random second cousins seeking career advice from Akshay Anna (Big Brother Akshay). And of course, for those of you who remember, I knew I would meet up with THESE dudes as well. But perhaps what I dreaded the most was the inevitable enquiries into my life over the past 10 months-thanks largely to me having gone to FOREN and all. So, in my case, FOREN referred to the USA and so I could totally see people thronging around me yelling "Akshay Anna has come back from FOREN!" or "Akshay Anna how was FOREN?" I could also see me being introduced to random people as "This is Akshay. He has returned from FOREN." Apart from the sheer WTFness involved here, I still had to keep in mind that this was the day when the Gods were going to be pleased to bless my cousin's (the VATU) thread ceremony.
Eventually, I did show up at the Vatu's house where I found the Vatu himself (clothed in dress code for the day- Panche/Shalya) with his parents, in front of what appeared to be a mess of flowers, Akshathe, coconuts, random blouse pieces, fruit, other relevant junk and one self righteous Shastrigalu (priest). The whole show was being directed (as is always the case in Hindu ceremonies) by this self righteous priest sporting a supercilious attitude and accompanied by his two mandatory sidekicks whose only aim in life is to emulate (quite literally) him both in the mantra-chanting aspect and the attitude sporting aspect.
So as I watched the actual Pleasing of the Gods ("the Gods" basically referring to the junk mentioned above), it took me exactly 2 mins and 3 seconds to get bored enough to actually strike a conversation with one of THE DUDES mentioned before- the dude with the stitched sac. The other dude seemed to be completely at home and at peace donning the Adige Bhattru (cooks) uniform and helping out the Adige Bhattru in their adige (cooking) and eating arrangements. Soon I was inevitably drawn into the career advice doling role of Akshay Anna and I did my best to spread my belief that Engineering was evil and that aspiring to become a software engineer is not exactly an aspiration. You will end up like that anyway. However, there were no games of chess involved this time around, largely due to the failure on part of the kid to get the chess set to the ceremony.
Now every family has a family douchebag. My family douchebag happens to be a 45 odd year old man (who also incidentally looks like an actual douchebag), who does not spare any opportunity to convey the fact that his IQ is less than that of TIMMY. I am not exactly sure what this dude does for a living. But I have heard from various sources that he used to run a Detective Agency somewhere! No kidding. And it appeared that now he had shifted professions and was presently working as an arranged marriage broker! Imagine that! Your marriage being set up by a family douchebag! This guy happened to sit in the same room as I was during lunch time and I was subjected to some interesting one-sided conversations (in Kannada) of his over his cell phone. Excerpts:
"Sorry there was a mistake in the newspaper ad. We want brides not grooms."
"I have 32 grooms and 4 brides."
"All the brides have ran away somewhere!"
Presently, one of his brothers accused him of blatantly trying to get one of his friends/relative (the groom) married to a woman who reminds people of the "Gajalakshmi" from old Kannada movies. (Think Boiler dimensions!) The douchebag defended himself by saying that the said Gajalakshmi was very insistent that she be married to a man of good standing and that he himself was very keen to 'offload' her off his brokering lists.
Eventually, the 'guests' began to leave and I found myself just loitering around doing nothing in particular. The Vatu's father spotted me doing nothing and suddenly beckoned me and introduced me to who I believe to be some lady related to him in some way. The dialogue that ensued was quite remarkable really:
Vatu's dad: This is Akshay. Akshay this is my "insert n degrees of separation where n>3" relative.
Me: Hello aunty.
Vatu's dad (in Kannada): Ivara yoorunu US nalli MS madtha iddhale. (Loosely translates to implying-"There is some person whom I do not know who is doing MS in US but is related in some way to this lady here!)
Me (thinking): OMG!!! What a coincidence???!! Somebody whom I have never heard of or met before in my life knows somebody else who happens to be one among the lakhs of people who are studying Masters in USA!! Un-fuckin-believable eh??!!?
Stranger Aunt: My friend's sister's daughter is also studying in US.
Me (thinking): Wait! Who? Does she even know you exist?
Stranger aunt: Where are you studying?
Me: Virginia Tech (hoping it would ring some bell. After all, she happened to 'know' someone who was doing their Masters in US.)
Stranger Aunt (betraying her ignorance): Ok ok. So you are doing Masters in Computer Science?
Me: No.
Stranger Aunt: Ok so you are doing MS in Electronics is it?
Me: No. I am doing my Masters in Civil Engineering.
Suddenly, Stranger Aunt began to change her expression to "looks-like-I-have-been-wasting-my-time-talking-to-this-guy" kind of a look. Eventually she realized that she had to say something positive and so :
Stranger Aunt: Oh Civil is it?? Ok. So is there scope for Civil Engineering there??
Me (thinking): WTF Biatch??!!?? Who the fuck do you think are building all the skyscrapers around you? Don't be proud to display your fucking ignorance around just because you know some girl, who really doesn't care a fuck if you live or die, happens to be studying Computer Science in some random US University!
And on that note (and without giving a response), I just walked out of the room. And in a short while, I found myself liberated from the clutches of meeting random people who seem to pass judgment at the slightest opportunity. And so just before I left, I met my cousin, the Vatu, and empathized with him for a short while for what he had to go through and for what was still to come. But what was to come on the actual day of the thread ceremony was something neither of us could have anticipated or be prepared for in anyway!
Thats up in Part 2 of the Upanayana series!
Arriving Somewhere…
So finally here I am, writing this inevitable post, after I have got settled in my new home. It has been just over 2 weeks since I arrived here in Blacksburg, Virginia. Two weeks during which I came, I saw and I drank beer!
Leaving India for the first time, I somehow just didn't go through any of the pre-departure blues that was so much drilled into my head. In fact, my last day in India was all a bit surreal. As I was done with most of my packing by then, I was never really in a rush. So went to visit a couple of my close friends and then I was all set to go to the airport. The flights-Bangalore to Mumbai, Mumbai to Atlanta, Atlanta to Roanoke- were quite uneventful in themselves, apart from of course the highly admirable Kingfisher Air Hostesses and the very very large collection of movies that was on offer in the 18 hour non-stop Delta flight. But I will probably remember the Delta flight more for the missed opportunity on my part to have free beer and wine on flight and get high-literally and figuratively! (HTF??!!??)
And since arrival, I have had much to see and do. Blacksburg, being a village by American Standards, made my transition into America much easier. Sure there are wide roads and the people are different and there is a lot more order around but it hasn't taken me long to get to know this place well and feel at home in here. The excitement of meeting people from all over the planet never abated at any point of time. Attending the regular get togethers at the International Center has been one of the highlights over the past 2 weeks. And also due to the significant Indian contingent, I never really felt out of place or alienated.
The place as such is quite small and it took me all of 1 week to travel all around it. But at the same time, it is one of the most beautiful and picturesque places I have ever come across. Situated right at the heels of a mountain range, Blacksburg provides many breath taking views, many times right from the windows of the houses. A 45 minute drive to a nearby Claytor Dam lake was perhaps the best of it all. The weather here, is pretty much the same as it was in Bangalore, with the only difference that this place reserves the right to rain with absolutely no prior notice of any kind. And also of note, is the day timings what with the sun deciding to set only after 9 in the night!
There have been many changes that I have had to adapt myself to -inevitably. Some good, some not so good, and some bad. On the good side, there is the very useful law (and one that I have never got tired of exploiting to my own benefit) that requires vehicles to stop for pedestrians to cross. There is also this really really punctual Bus service that runs through the town where one has to actually "request" for a stop! (At this point, I am making an honest effort not to compare the aboriginal BMTC back home with its counterpart here). But perhaps, more significant than any other observation that I might have made, the friendly nature of the people here is definitely worth mentioning. Back home, we are never really used to being wished by complete strangers or being thanked for something that we are just supposed to be doing. There is a basic sense of courtesy around here that everybody respects and follows.
And now on the bad side, is the food! Where I used to eat dosa for breakfast, Americans eat beef. Whenever I had Samosa or Pani Puri, Americans prefer beef. Where I used to eat rice, Americans prefer beef. And sometimes they even eat random parts of the leftovers of the cow carcass which somehow magically metamorphoses into a conveniently edible form of a pizza. The name given to this – I think it is called Corn Dogs- is almost euphemistic in nature! And so you now see, where my troubles begin. My own cooking, I have to say, has already gone through various stages on the "edible" chart. Incessant experimenting led me to making Aloo Capsicum when I had set out to prepare a rice bath. A mixed vegetable gravy eventually traspired to be more of an Aloo Mash. Upma, the one dish that I had sworn I would never touch, suddenly became the staple food for a few days. Other staple food include eggs, bread, to an extent rice, and of course the Veggie Burger at Burger King. Also trust me when I say that the Apocalypse is indeed near. If you don't believe me, then please look out for the mutated vegetables that one is bound to eat here. These include 1/4 kg capsicum ( and I am talking about 1 Capsicum), wax bananas, onions the size of a small watermelon and some really really long carrots! And so canned vegetables is now the new order of the house. Oh and BTW, TORTILLAS SUCK!!! For the uninitiated, Tortillas are supposed to be the Mexican equivalent of the Roti or the Chapathi-only they are NOT! It lies somewhere between a Dosa gone horribly wrong, stale bread, decayed cheese and some randomly chosen white or brown powder for flour. But thankfully, I discovered an Indian food store where I get the original roti and parathas and hence am now not in the process of asking my mom to courier food everyday.
But apart from all the food, lies the drinks. And in case you are not aware, Beer is ACTUALLY cheaper than water here!!! It is not a myth, but a solid fact. In fact, if there is one thing that you CAN convert into Indian rupees, it would only be BEER. And here is the best part: It is still going to be cheaper! And so, as a natural consequence, some extra-ordinary amounts of beer has been bought and devoured in the past couple of weeks. This included a 5 day nightly ritual of 3-4 cans of Budweiser and the consumption of a 1 liter bottle of JACK DANIEL's by just me and my friend- with some totally delirious consequences (there are still traces of unclaimed food stains in the bathrooms!). And last night's dance party at a nearby pub was also inevitably filled with loads of beer, and fun!
On the whole, I have to say that I am finding my feet here and am already feeling at home. Just a little more purchasing to do-including my mobile and laptop- and then I will be fully set. I have personally undergone many changes myself- in what I talk, in the way I dress and in the way I see things. It is almost that I am sensing a kind of a paradigm shift taking place. I am already looking forward for the classes to start. And of what I have been repeatedly told, "I WILL BE BUSY". I just hope this doesn't come too much in the way of my blogging. There will definitely be more that I will seek to write about in the near future as and when things happen.


text:
Old National Bank
Old National Bank, Portland Branch
910 North Meridian
Portland, IN 47371
Jay County
Phone: Phone number not supplied
Sponsored Links
Details of Old National Bank, Portland Branch, a branch is located at Portland, Indiana 47371.
|Sunday - Closed
|Branch Hours:
|Monday to Thursday - 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Friday - 9:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Saturday - 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Sunday - Closed
The bank hours are subject to change. Please let us know the opening hours.
|Office Name:
|Portland Branch
|This is branch of Old National Bank
|Identification for Branch:
|# 262359
|Branch Deposit:
|$ 15,189 (in thousands of dollars)
|Established Date:
|Tue, 01 Jan 1889
|Run Date:
|Fri, 15 Aug 2008
|Branch County:
|Full Service Brick and Mortar Office
|Institution Name:
|Old National Bank
|Institution FDIC Certificate:
|# 3832
|Institution Class:
|Commercial bank, national charter and Fed member, supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Map & Driving Directions
You can also find Old National Bank locations on usbank101.com with main office and bank branches list.
Bank Nearby:
- Old National Bank Portland Branch (0 mi)
- First Merchants Bank Portland Supercenter (0.37 mi)
- Bank Of Geneva Portland Branch (0.43 mi)
- First Bank Of Berne Portland Branch (0.5 mi)
- Mainsource Bank Portland North Branch (0.54 mi)
- Mainsource Bank Portland Branch (0.55 mi)
- Mainsource Bank East Main Street Branch (0.56 mi)


text:
You talk a lot about how the PUA community are scam artists. I agree that they are, but I see a lot of similarities between your teachings and theirs. In particular, the PUA group, RSD (http://rsdnation.com)
You teach men to express their real thought and reveal their feeling behind it. This is similar to RSD's concept of "congruence". They explain it as your thoughts, words and actions should be aligned. If you feel a certain way, you shouldn't resist it, but express it verbally and physically.
Not only that, but you also teach men to tell people what you want. RSD refers to that as "being clear in your intent". They explain this as if you're interested in a girl, you should approach and express your sexual desire for her instead of asking for directions or time, etc.
It's clear there are similiaries with the principles you both teach. But it's also clear you teach them in different ways. You're not charging 2k for a class, but they are. You're not filling their heads with an overload of theoretical terminology and bullshit, but they are. I can understand you shitting on their TEACHING METHODS, but do you disagree with their similar teachings?
Proper application of a principle clarifies it. What they have is a lot of improper application of a valid principle which just leads to distortion of the original principle. Even the way they teach it reveals they don't understand it. If you think you can learn how to socialize in a $5000+ weekend course, you have no business teaching social interaction.
This of course is also why they don't allow criticism of their teaching. They will delete bad reviews from their sites. They will not allow groups like ours to critique their instructors for good reason. They have a vested interested in making money off of naive guys who don't know any better. That's their business model.


text:
Traffic Bureau
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office Traffic Bureau is responsible for the investigation of fatal, serious, injury, hit skip, and department vehicle accidents. The bureau also investigates and if necessary, removes abandoned and junk vehicles, and are responsible for the disposition of vehicles impounded by members of the Office. In 2007, there were 16 Fatal Traffic Accidents Investigated. Personnel assigned consist of (1) Sergeant, (1) Corporal, (1) Deputy, and (1) Civilian. Total Personnel at full staffing: 4.


text:
First Class Touring
River Cruising
Vacation Packages
Heart of the Canadian Rockies with Calgary Stampede
12 Day Tour from Calgary to Vancouver
Starting at $2,321
Add to My Favorite Tours
In My Favorite Tours
View My Favorite Tours »
2018 Tour Details
Have a group already?
Similar Vacations
In Calgary, Victoria, and Vancouver; daily passes to the Stampede Ground, Rodeo admission, Chuckwagon Races, Grandstand Show, Columbia Icefield (Ice Explorer ride), Butchart Gardens, and Stanley Park.
Services of a professional Tour Director.
Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Mount Robson, Fraser River, Thompson River with spectacular views of the Monashee Mountains, British Columbia's Coast Mountain Range, Strait of Georgia, and the Gulf Islands.
This special departure includes all activities on our regular departures with two additional days in Calgary plus Calgary Stampede 2-day admission.
The following UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be seen or visited on this vacation:
Transportation:Ferry crossing to/from Vancouver Island; private, deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach while touring.
3 breakfasts
Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges where applicable.
Welcome to Calgary! Your Tour Director is on hand late this afternoon to answer any questions.
Welcome to Calgary and "The Greatest Show on Earth." Dressed in your best Cowboy fashion from belt buckles, boots to chaps, explore the CALGARY STAMPEDE grounds at your leisure with your included admission. Step through the gates of Stampede Park into a world of wonder, fun, and "Wild West" excitement. Walk back in time through an authentic Indian Village or stroll the streets of a recreated frontier town. Enjoy a wide variety of exciting talent at the many entertainment stages, and then maybe head into the dazzling array of international exhibits and displays of Western art. This evening, watch the heart-stopping CHUCKWAGON RACES in an all-out dash for the finish line, an amazing contest of nerves and horsepower. You'll be out of your seats cheering on your favorite driver during each heat. Afterward, get ready for an outdoor STAGE SHOW featuring hundreds of singers, dancers, and musicians in a lavishly produced and choreographed musical variety spectacular.
Fuel up for the day's activities by visiting Fluor Rope Square at Olympic Plaza for a pancake breakfast. Return to the Stampede grounds this morning to see anything you missed yesterday, and cheer on your favorite rodeo contenders. If you haven't already, get suited with a cowboy hat, threads, and boots at one of the many stalls before heading to the Grandstand for the Calgary Stampede RODEO this afternoon. See the best of the best as they saddle up for world-class rodeo action. Top professionals take on the West's wildest horses. You'll also enjoy rodeo's most famed event—bull riding! You will be in awe of the talent as you sit on the edge of your seat. Make the most of your time here and discover Canada's country core. With square dancing, mock gun fights, country bands, bars, restaurants and livestock, there is loads to see.
The discovery of oil converted this ranching town into a sophisticated city. It is also home to the world-famous Calgary Stampede. Tour many of the city's attractions, including Canada Olympic Park, and the Saddledome. Motor west through the foothills and into BANFF NATIONAL PARK, gateway to the majestic Canadian Rockies. Join the optional excursion to Sulphur Mountain for panoramic views of Banff's spectacular scenery.
Banff is one of Canada's favorite year-round resorts, with summer activities such as hiking, boating, and fishing. With a free day, your Tour Director will suggest an optional helicopter ride over the Canadian Rockies.
Enjoy a day of scenic grandeur. First stop is Lake Louise, whose turquoise waters create a natural mirror that reflects the surroundings. Up next: a stop at the COLUMBIA ICEFIELD to experience the Ice Explorer, an all-terrain vehicle that travels on ice that is 1,200 feet thick. Then, journey north into JASPER NATIONAL PARK, where precipitous gorges, snowcapped summits, and lakes of exquisite blues and greens come into view as the motorcoach scales two mountain passes. Later, your Tour Director suggests an optional float trip down the Athabasca River. Enjoy an orientation tour of Jasper townsite upon arrival.
Today, join our optional excursion to Maligne Lake and Spirit Island, where you embark on a narrated cruise of the lake. The balance of the day is free to enjoy everything Jasper has to offer—from guided hikes and quaint shops to meandering wildlife.
Depart Jasper and follow the Fraser River to the base of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The Yellowhead Highway continues south along the mighty Thompson River, with spectacular views of the Monashee Mountains. Overnight in Kamloops.
As you travel through British Columbia's Coast Mountain Range to its majestic Pacific coastline, the vegetation changes from desert landscape to lush alpine forests. Board your ferry for the spectacular crossing to Vancouver Island. Sightseeing in Victoria includes the Inner Harbour, Bastion Square, Thunderbird Park, and world-famous BUTCHART GARDENS. This evening, consider a stroll along the lively Waterfront Promenade.
Today is free to explore on your own. Your Tour Director will have ideas for enjoying this most British of Canadian cities.
This morning, set sail across the Strait of Georgia and through the spectacular Gulf Islands, an archipelago known for its climate. In Vancouver, city sightseeing includes STANLEY PARK, Gastown, Chinatown, and other famous landmarks. The remainder of the day is free to explore Robson Street and experience British Columbia's premier shopping and entertainment location.
The trip ends today with guests departing on individual schedules. Transfers to Vancouver International Airport are included. You can extend your vacation with extra nights and explore Vancouver further with a variety of exciting optional activities.
With Cosmos, there's no better way to get to know your destination than through the eyes of your Tour Director. Averaging over a decade... we'd like you to meet a Tour Director, who is representative of the type of expert that will be with you on your vacation.
Escorting tours for more than 15 years
"During my years as a tour director I have guided tours in the Western United States, the Maritime provinces, Eastern and Western Canada and Alaska. I enjoy all of the areas I have worked in but Western Canada has a special place in my heart as this has always been my home. I would love to show you the spectacular beauty of Canada and tell you stories about the interesting people who have lived here in the past as well as today. I invite you to come and experience Canada with me."
The following optional excursions are examples only for this vacation. These may or may not be offered, and availability is subject to days of operation and seasonality. Please select a departure date to view optional excursions and pricing for a specific date (due to currency fluctuation, pricing shown is subject to change until purchased).
The adventure begins with an eight minute journey to the summit of Sulphur Mountain in a modern, fully-enclosed four passenger gondola cabin, where you'll have a wonderful 360 degree view of the Bow Valley and surrounding mountain peaks.
Price Range: $
Discover unparalleled views of Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies region by helicopter. There are several options to choose from, but all deliver spectacular opportunities for a once in a lifetime experience in the Rockies.
Price Range: $$$
This interpretive sightseeing tour takes you on a journey to Johnston Canyon, along the Bow Valley Parkway and then Moraine Lake, nestled in the Valley of the Ten Peaks.
Jasper's best rafting scenic float trips take you down the Athabasca River for a unique perspective for Jasper National Park.
Price Range: $$
Soak in the amazing views of Jasper's Maligne Lake and land on Spirit Island, one of the most iconic places in the Canadian Rockies.
Join us on a walk along the edge of the Maligne Canyon, the deepest accessible canyon in Jasper National Park.
Experience the exhilaration of zip lining through a coastal temperate rainforest with magnificent mountain and ocean views.
This flightseeing excursion is an ideal introduction to seaplane aviation and includes spectacular vistas of downtown Victoria and the Strait of Juan de Fuca with the Olympic Mountains in the distance.
Given Southern Vancouver Island is world renowned for the rich marine wildlife, including home to resident pods of orca whales, no trip to Victoria is complete without a cruise experience.
Take in the sights and sounds of the city while cruising past the magnificent Vancouver skyline at night while enjoying live music and delicious West Coast-themed cuisine.
These Know Before You Go travel tips are designed with you in mind, with helpful hints to help you prepare for and enjoy your escorted vacation. They are your guide to getting ready and contain general information on travel documentation, customs, and the country/countries you will be visiting, including budgeting, transportation, climate, languages, and much more. With Globus, you benefit from our experience.
Want help finding a vacation?
Subscribe &
Sign up for travel deals and updates
Request a brochure


text:
Waitstaff see a lot of people, and they see a lot of children. They are always surprised to find that my daughter's favorite protein source is fish. She simply cannot get enough fish. "Oh, she's a little kid," they scoff. "She won't want fish. She's two." This seems strange to me, since I've always loved fish myself, but they certainly see more children at mealtimes than I do so I will yield to their perception of what is normal. Although Little Boyfriend is also very fond of fish, and has consumed sushi with gusto for most of his life. Maybe it's just our social circle that's abnormal? Or maybe the expectation is that children don't like fish. Maybe parents expect their children to not like fish and children just live up to it. I don't know about that one either, though. My sister and I were raised with identical expectations when it came to food, and she was a much pickier eater than I was. I don't know. She's especially fond of fish served in a form like this, where she can identify parts. "This was the fish's fin!" she will exclaim exultantly. "And this was his tail!"
Anyway, what I do know is that Fearless Toddler loves fish in all its forms - raw, fried, baked, broiled, grilled, stewed, poached... I'm finding myself hard-pressed to find creative ways to serve it. I'm definitely looking forward to the day when we can serve shellfish to her, because it will open up a whole new world of possibilities in terms of dinner. When I made this dish I went to the store and I saw the trout and I immediately craved it. I knew it would taste nothing like the trout of my youth, when my dad would catch it and bring it home and we would eat it. By "we" I mean he and I. My mother and sister never liked fish and still don't. Sometimes my grandmother would eat trout too. Sometimes she wouldn't. Anyhow, these are farm-raised trout and bear little resemblance to what I enjoyed as a kid, but little resemblance is better than no resemblance sometimes and I'll take what I can get.
Trout with Tomatoes and Greens (serves 4; approx. $6.16/serving)
3 trout fillets
1 bunch mustard greens, cleaned and chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 sage leaves, chopped
- Large, deep saute pan
- Heat the oil in the saute pan.
- Add the onion and about half the sage.
- Sweat the onion over low heat until soft.
- Add the wine and water. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the fish. Poach the fish until cooked.
- Evacuate the fish to a platter and keep warm. Aluminum foil works well.
- Add the vegetables to the pan and increase the heat. Cook the vegetables until the mustard greens are tender.
- Evacuate the vegetables to the platter along with as much of the pan sauce as does not make too much of a mess. Remember, I'm serving to a toddler. My perception of how much will make a mess may differ from yours.
- Serve and enjoy.


text:
Nurse practitioners in New York will be able to operate more independently of doctors under a bill slated to become law as part of the state budget enacted April 1, 2014. The Nurse Practitioners Modernization Act will remove the requirement of a written practice agreement between an experienced nurse practitioner and a doctor as a condition of practice. The law will take effect Jan. 1, 2015. The Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) strongly opposed the independent practice of a nurse practitioner without a collaborative agreement with a physician. MSSNY referred to studies that showed that increasing the use of NPs does not lower costs as the patients of NPs tended to have higher rates of medical service utilization. This argument was further pursued in a New York Times op-ed that appeared April 30, 2014 authored by Dr. Sandeep Jauhar. In his article Dr. Jauhar cites a single article from 1999 that had concluded NP patients received more diagnostic tests, specialty visits, and hospital admissions than patients assigned to physicians. According to the study, those utilization differences "may offset or negate any cost savings achieved by hiring nurse practitioners in place of physicians." As it happens, there appears to be only a single published study in this regard, and that study is far from compelling. As illustrated below, there were too many statistical and operational loose ends with respect to its execution and interpretation to place much reliance on the results.
A major question involving choice between two alternative clinicians is whether each is competent for the job at hand. Tamara Zurakowski, PhD, CRNP, RN, a faculty member from the University of Pennsylvania notes that a nuclear physicist has substantially more training and knows a great deal more about the production of electrical energy than a licensed electrician does. But when wiring in a house needs fixing the first choice is rarely the physicist. The electrician's combination of knowledge and skill is a better match for the job at hand. In this case, the physicist's additional years of education would just amount to gilding the lily.
In this regard, a continuing staple of medical education is expressed in the notion, "When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras." There are very complicated physical problems that a patient might present, but those tend to be relatively rare. Only TV's Dr. Gregory House found a zebra 100% of the time. (In fact, with respect to cost control, the more recent question has been was there a House in the doctor?) Regardless, every time the discussion turns to NPs and primary care, there will be at least one MD that feels compelled to tell a zebra story. For example, Dr. Jauhar's zebra invocation of goiter rather than simple hoarseness, a distinction that required "a doctor's expertise."
Dr. Jauhar also invokes a study published prior to the turn of the 21st century. He concludes that that study found that NPs practice more expensive care than MDs. Arguably randomized, the study was definitely not well controlled. It appeared to be true that patients assigned to the "NP wing" of the study received more tests, although the limited information contained in the published study reported very few differences as statistically significant. And, as Tay Kopanos from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners pointed out, the study did not track the identities of ordering clinicians so there was no specific evidence that NPs had actually ordered more tests, despite Dr. Jauhar's assertion. In fact, the authors mention that some patients were reassigned to different clinicians than their original assignment, but for study purposes those patients were deemed to continue in their original wing. Mainly the language used in the study is precise, "utilization of patients assigned to nurse practitioners." But the authors repeatedly assert that "nurse practitioners had higher utilization rates."
Actually, there were all too many things that the study authors indicated that they did not do. They considered multivariate analyses, but chose to proceed only with simple two way comparisons for the various measures, not controlling for covariates. They did not appear to examine variations in utilization per patient where some patients used a service many times while other patients did not use the service at all. That makes comparisons of average values in the different wings problematic. They did not track the specialties of the clinicians that actually ordered lab and radiological tests, although tests and referrals at the Maryland VA study site could be ordered by any practitioner, not just the assigned primary care provider. Despite the site being a Veteran's Affairs clinic, there was no mention of lack of customary financial incentives that might otherwise have personally affected the ordering of services by clinicians or the lack of patient cost-sharing that might otherwise have affected clinician ordering and patient compliance. The authors did note that it was important to emphasize that the study evaluated the practices of nurse practitioners who were supervised full-time by "dedicated attending physicians." In this regard, the authors suggested that attending physicians might have been uncomfortable with the uncertainty inherent in joint management of patients with nurse practitioners and recommended ordering additional tests as a result. However, the authors failed entirely to take note of scope of practice restrictions that might have limited the nurse practitioners' ability to directly care for their patients thus requiring additional referrals. The authors separately hypothesized that increased specialist referrals might lead to increased use of lab and radiological tests ". . . i.e., the tests were ordered by specialists and not the primary care provider."
Dr. Jauhar asserts that the most plausible reason NPs might have appeared to order more test is that they did so to compensate for a lack of clinical training. He provides no additional documentation for this inference. He glosses over that the ordering clinician was not recorded for any service so the genuine source or sources for arguably excessive ordering were unknown. Dr. Jauhar omits any mention of the pedagogical inclinations of supervising physicians, attending physicians, pressures from VA medical directors for attendings to order fewer tests, or the possibility that NPs might appropriately refer more patients to specialist physicians compared to residents or attendings who may have perceived they were qualified to manage care for any patients. There was no discussion in the original study about whether observed test ordering in any of the arms of the study was above or below existing standards of practice. Was more better or worse than less? We do not have a measure upon which to rely.
The study authors concluded, ". . . . our study suggests that the use of nurse practitioners in certain primary care settings may increase the utilization of health services, particularly specialty and inpatient care." The authors seemed predisposed to believe that NPs in independent practice would order even more tests, in particular: ". . . . the presence of supervising physicians probably influenced their [NP] practice and brought it closer to physician norms. If indeed this was the case, then the differences that did exist may be magnified in an independent nurse practitioner practice . . . ." However, they did not further conjecture whether bringing NP practice closer to physician norms involved increasing rather than decreasing patient utilization.
There was no compelling case presented in the study that NPs increased health services utilization and there was no serious attempt to verify that inference. Cost of care estimates of the various wings of the study were entirely absent despite the controlled (and single payer) environment in which the study took place. Sadly, although the authors mentioned the need to study whether reported differences in utilization affected the quality of care, there was no attempt to examine whether any of the wings of the study adhered to existing standards of care. Readers were given no guidance on whether the increased use of care by the patients in the NP wing brought their care closer to such standards or exceeded the standards.
With all the studies published over the last 15 years that Dr. Jauhar might have reviewed he chose one that is far from compelling. In fact, there are no carefully controlled studies that provide information on the relative costs of NP provision or ordering of services to patients compared to the services provided or ordered for similar patient by physicians. What we do know is that through the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 the Congress mandated a gender-associated pay differential of 15%; at that time 97% of registered nurses were women and more than 80% of physicians were men. As then specified in Medicare's section 1833(a)(1)O, for the identically billed clinical services (identified by specific CPT codes) NPs and CNSs were limited to 15% less than the approved amount to be paid to physicians. The gender proportions have changed somewhat since that time but the differential remains. It was not imposed because NPs were believed to order more tests.
It is to physicians' continuing shame that having accepted the RBRVS notions that any specific service has a single specific worth, that they continue to assert that NPs and CNSs should be paid less for the identical service. There is added value of APRN services in that they do convey more patient information and education than MDs. APRNs do offer services beyond traditional office hours, serving patients and families that might not otherwise be able to secure primary care services. All of these observations were verified by an extensive two year study conducted by the Institute of Medicine and published in 2010. There should be no question that NPs, in particular, are well qualified primary care providers.


text:
The Solidarity for Asian People's Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA TFAHR) and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)welcome you to the "Launch of the Performance Report of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) 2010-2011".
The report, titled "A Commission Shrouded in Secrecy", provides an analysis of the performance of the AICHR from institutional building processes, implementation of its mandates and functions to engagement with all stakeholders, from a civil society perspective.
The launch is going to be held as following:
Date: 26 April 2012
Time: 11:00am – 13:00pm
Venue: The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT)
Maneeya Center 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Bangkok 10330
Admission: Free
Invited panelists are:
1. Mr. Yap Swee Seng, Executive Director, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
2. Mr. Phil Robertson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch (HRW)
3. Ms. Saowalak Thongkuay, Regional Development Officer, Disabled People's International Asia/Pacific (DPI AP)
4. Ms. Chalida Tajaroensuk, Executive Director, People's Empowerment Foundation (PEF)