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Many studies of adolescent insomnia use experience of insomnia-like symptoms to categorize "caseness." This is likely to lead to inflated prevalence and may have important ramifications for the research using individual symptoms to operationalize insomnia. The aim of the present study was to contrast the occurrence of insomnia symptoms with cases of insomnia diagnosed using criteria from the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and the second edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-II) in a sample of Australian adolescents.
Data were collected from 384 representative Australian adolescents aged 13-18 years old (59% male). During school hours, adolescents completed a comprehensive questionnaire battery targeting insomnia criteria and then completed a sleep diary for 7 days.
Insomnia symptoms were frequently reported by adolescents (e.g., 34.6% for frequent sleep-related daytime consequences). The proportion of adolescents meeting the diagnositc criteria for insomnia was much smaller: 10.9% of adolescents were classified as having General Insomnia using ICSD-II criteria, and 7.8% were classified as having Primary Insomnia according to DSM-IV criteria. ICSD-II Psychophysiological Insomnia was observed in 3.4% of adolescents. Insomnia diagnoses did not vary according to age, gender, school grade, or socioeconomic status. Using the ICSD-II criteria for General Insomnia resulted in a significantly higher number of insomnia diagnoses than did DSM-IV criteria for Primary Insomnia (p < 0.001) and ICSD-II Psychophysiological Insomnia (p < 0.001).
These results reveal that approximately 3 adolescents in the average classroom of 30 are likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for insomnia, while many more will have insomnia symptoms. There were significant differences in prevalence rates, depending on how insomnia was operationalized.
Dohnt H, Gradisar M, Short MA. Insomnia and its symptoms in adolescents: comparing DSM-IV and ICSD-II diagnostic criteria. J Clin Sleep Med 2012;8(3):295-299.
Insomnia can be colloquially known as sleep difficulties; however diagnostic classification systems provide more details about this debilitating disorder. Both the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)1 and the second edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-II)2 describe insomnia in similar ways, but nevertheless subtle differences are apparent (see Appendix for diagnostic criteria). Both the DSM-IV's Primary Insomnia diagnosis1 and the ICSD-II's General Insomnia Disorder2 describe the sleep disturbance as difficulty initiating/maintaining sleep, waking too early, and/or non-restorative sleep.1,2 Both insomnia diagnoses require the sleep difficulty to be related to daytime impairment;1,2 however the the DSM-IV's Primary Insomnia diagnoses only provides a single example (i.e., fatigue),1 whereas the ICSD-II's General Insomnia diagnosis lists many more daytime impairments (e.g., memory impairment, poor school performance, etc.).2 General Insomnia also requires that there be adequate opportunity for sleep. Once these criteria are met, the ICSD-II also provides a more detailed insomnia diagnosis, Psychophysiological Insomnia, which assumes the criteria for General Insomnia are met.2 Both the DSM-IV's Primary Insomnia and the ICSD-II's Psychophysiological Insomnia state the nocturnal and associated diurnal symptoms are experienced for at least 1 month,1,2 and are stated to better explain the sleep disturbance than other sleep disorders, or sleeplessness arising from mental disorders, general medical conditions, and substance use.1,2 The ICSD-II's Psychophysiological Insomnia provides further clarity by stating that there must be evidence for conditioned sleep difficulty and/or heightened arousal in bed.2
Current Knowledge/Study Rationale: Previous rates of insomnia in adolescents range between 7-40%. The present study compares rates of insomnia symptoms and insomnia disorders using current diagnostic systems (i.e., DSM-IV and ICSD-II).
Study Impact: The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between insomnia symptoms from insomnia disorders. Querying daytime impairments, heightened arousal, maladaptive conditioning, and the chronicity of symptoms in addition to sleep difficulties will provide more accurate estimates for the early detection and treatment of adolescent insomnia.
Estimates of the prevalence of "insomnia" have varied widely, from approximately 2% to 48% in adults,3 and from 7% to 40% in adolescents.4 Differences in the rate of insomnia are likely to occur due to the different ways that insomnia is conceptualized and measured. Less stringent classification of insomnia is likely to result in higher prevalence rates. Studies that have assessed adolescents' difficulties initiating/maintaining sleep or nonrestorative sleep over a 1-month period report rates of insomnia ranging between 12% and 17%.5,6 Other studies have used a shorter symptomatic timeframe, resulting in higher prevalence (e.g., 34% of adolescents met the criteria for insomnia over 2-week period),7 or have classified caseness according to the experiencing of one or more insomnia symptoms "often" or "always" (23.5%),8 again resulting in higher proportions of adolescents classified as having insomnia. These studies demonstrate that many adolescents experience insomnia symptoms; however, focusing on individual symptoms leads to inflated prevalence rates. In addition, many studies of adolescent insomnia do not assess unrefreshing or nonrestorative sleep—a Criterion A symptom in both ICSD-II2 and DSM-IV1 criteria. Thus, they do not provide a good indication of the proportion of adolescents who meet full diagnostic criteria for an insomnia disorder.9 This has potentially significant ramifications for studies examining the etiology or consequences of insomnia if there are important differences between individuals experiencing insomnia symptoms versus those who have an insomnia disorder.
Research using the DSM-IV to assess Primary Insomnia1 in adolescent samples suggests the rate of insomnia is more conservative (< 11%),4 with estimates ranging from 4% in European samples10 to 5% to 11% in North American samples.4,11 One novel study contrasted insomnia disorder prevalence using separate diagnostic systems. In a sample of 794 European adolescents aged 15-18 years, Ohayon and Roberts12 compared insomnia diagnostic criteria from the DSM-IV with the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 1st edition (ICSD).13 They found 3.3% met criteria for DSM-IV Primary Insomnia, compared to only 1.9% with ICSD Psychophysiological Insomnia. In 2005, the second edition of the ICSD was released.2 In adults, the percentage identified with an insomnia disorder is higher using the DSM-IV criteria compared to the ICSD-II.14 To our knowledge, research has not examined rates of adolescent insomnia between the DSM-IV and the updated ICSD,2 nor are there comparisons of rates of insomnia symptoms compared to insomnia disorders. Thus, the aim of the present study is to compare the proportions of DSM-IV and ICSD-II diagnoses of insomnia with rates of insomnia symptoms in adolescents and to determine whether these different methods of assessment result in comparable rates of diagnosis.
Participants were 384 adolescents from 8 schools (7 co-educational and 1 single-sex boys school) in Adelaide, South Australia. Schools were selected from a stratified sample based on socioeconomic status. Adolescents were aged 13-18 years (M = 15.6, SD = 1.0, 59% male). The majority of adolescents (39.7%) consumed caffeinated beverages less than once per day, with 14.7% drinking a caffeinated beverage every day. In the past 2 weeks, the overwhelming majority (72.8%) did not drink alcohol, with only 8.9% reporting that they drank alcohol "more than once but not everyday." Only 3 adolescents (< 1%) reported infrequently taking prescribed medication, and 5 (1.3%) reported taking over-the-counter herbal remedies for their sleep in the past 2 weeks. Seventy-seven percent of adolescents resided with 2 parents. The majority (71.5%) of participants came from families with 2 or 3 children, and most (86.3%) were born in Australia. Eighty percent of fathers and 30.4% of mothers were in fullltime paid employment; 82.7% of adolescents had their own bedroom. The study was promoted as a "health survey," and the response rate was 84%. Informed consent was obtained from parents and adolescents. This study was approved by the Flinders University Social and Behavioral Research Ethics Committee and the Department of Education and Children's Services Ethics Committee. Adolescents completed questionnaires during school class time (see Measures) and maintained a record of their sleep patterns using a 7-day sleep diary. Data collection occurred from April 2008 to April 2010, during school terms, at least 2 weeks either side of school holidays, and not during daylight savings.
Table 1 outlines the measures, items, and scoring used to diagnose DSM-IV Primary Insomnia, and ICSD-II General Insomnia and Psychophysiological Insomnia. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)15 was used to assess adolescents' sleep complaints, such as difficulty initiating (DIS) or maintaining sleep (DMS). In line with diagnostic criteria, an added item examined unrefreshing sleep. Each item was rated on a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from 0 "not at all" to 4 "very severe"). Finally, adolescents were asked of the chronicity of their sleep complaint (e.g., "How long have you had difficulty falling asleep?"). The item assessing early morning awakening was drawn from the School Sleep Habits Survey.16 It asked participants "How often have you awakened too early in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep?" Responses ranged from 0 ("never") to 4 ("every day/night").
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A 7-day sleep diary obtained a self-report measure of adolescents' sleeping patterns, providing mean sleep onset latency (SOL), bedtimes, and time in bed (TIB). Ninety-two percent of the sample provided complete school week sleep data. TIB > 8 h was considered "adequate opportunity for sleep" for Criterion B of ICSD-II General Insomnia. Sleep diary bedtimes were substantiated with adolescents phoning these in daily (78% compliance), as well as wrist actigraphy (Ambulatory Monitoring Inc., Ardsley, NY), with 75% compliance. Adolescents completed a 10-item daytime consequences of poor sleep scale based on General Insomnia Criterion C from the ICSD-II. Items included "I felt fatigued or exhausted" and "I lacked motivation or energy." A 6-point scale was used, ranging from 0 ("don't know") to 5 ("every day or almost every day").
The Sleep Anticipatory Anxiety Questionnaire (SAAQ)17 examined heightened arousal in bed. The 10-item SAAQ measures pre-sleep anxiety, with somatic and cognitive anxiety subscales. A 4-point scale was used (0 = "strongly disagree" to 3 = "strongly agree"). For the present study, the total, cognitive, and somatic subscales scores were used to address Criterion C of ICSD-II Psychophysiological Insomnia.
The School Sleep Habits Survey (SSHS)16 was used to examine a number of other diagnostic criteria. The SSHS is a widely used questionnaire that comprises questions about sleep/wake behaviors, sleep hygiene (e.g., substance use), non-school activities (e.g., sport, part-time work), and socioeconomnic status, among others. Of interest to the present study were questions examining adolescents' trouble staying awake or falling asleep during monotonous activities (e.g., travelling in a car, at school), or whether they slept better away from home, which targeted ICSD-II Psychophysiological Insomnia criteria. The SSHS also asks questions about other sleep (e.g., breathing-related disorders) and medical conditions. Finally, adolescents completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression scale (CES-D)18 in class. Ninety-nine percent of adolescents completed the entire questionnaire battery.
As shown in Table 1, 7.8% of adolescents met DSM-IV criteria for Primary Insomnia and 10.9% met ICSD-II diagnostic criteria for General Insomnia (GI). McNemar χ2 analyses were used to test whether the proportion of adolescents meeting criteria for a diagnosis of insomnia was significantly different between the means of assessing insomnia. Considering the 2 diagnostic systems used, adolescents were significantly more likely to receive a diagnosis of insomnia when ICSD-II General Insomnia criteria were used as opposed to DSM-IV Primary Insomnia criteria, χ2(1) = 264.99, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.831. When applying the diagnostic criteria for ICSD-II Psychophysiological Insomnia (PPI), 3.4% of adolescents met these criteria. This is a significantly smaller proportion of adolescents meeting PPI criteria than met either ICSD-II General Insomnia criteria (10.9%), χ2(1) = 109.57, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.534, or the DSM-IV Primary Insomnia criteria (7.8%), χ2(1) = 158.78, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.643. Phi (Φ) values > 0.5 reveal that the effect size for all comparisons was large.
When examining insomnia symptoms, > 10% of adolescents had either difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep for ' 1 month or sleep that was nonrestorative for ≥ 1 month; 25% reported a sleep complaint of either difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, early morning awakenings, or that their sleep was not refreshing regardless of time frame. A large proportion of adolescents (35%) reported their sleep impacted their daytime functioning. The majority (88%) of the 384 adolescents had adequate time and opportunity in bed (> 8 h).
Among the 10.9% of adolescents diagnosed with GI, nearly all had been experiencing their sleep complaint for at least one month. While only a small proportion of adolescents met the diagnositc criteria for PPI, nearly three-quarters (73%) of the entire sample demonstrated evidence of a conditioned sleep difficulty and/or heightened arousal in bed (Criterion C, a to e). Excessive focus on and heightened anxiety about sleep (49%) [a], including both cognitive arousal (60%) [d] and somatic arousal (27%) [e] were commonly reported. Nearly one-quarter of the 384 adolescents (24%) said they sleep better away from home than at home [c], and 12% reported difficulty falling asleep in bed but no difficulty during monotonous activites [b]. Fourteen percent were excluded due to a diagnosis of another disorder (Criterion D). In particular, 13% of the adolecents were identified at risk for Major Depression, according to the CES-D.
Finally, the demographics of adolescents with and without a diagnosis of insomnia were examined. Independent samples t-tests revealed no significant differences for age, grade, or SES (all p > 0.05), in predicting the diagnoses of Primary Insomnia, GI, or PPI. Similarly, no differences were found for gender when using χ2 analyses (all p > 0.05). Compared to adolescents without an insomnia diagnosis, depression scores were significantly higher for adolescents diagnosed with ICSD-II diagnoses (GI = p < 0.0001; PPI = p < 0.05), but not different from those with a DSM-IV Primary Insomnia diagnosis (p = 0.11). Finally, no significant differences were found for frequency of alcohol use between adolescents with and without an insomnia diagnosis (all p > 0.05).
The present study compared DSM-IV and ICSD-II insomnia diagnoses in a sample of Australian adolescents. Our results show 7.8% met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for Primary Insomnia. This percentage lies within the range for previously reported rates of insomnia in adolescents from other countries, which vary between 3% to 11%.5,6 Similar to Ohayon and Roberts'12 comparative study using the first edition of the ICSD, our findings show that using DSM-IV insomnia criteria resulted in lower rates of diagnosis than the more recent ICSD-II criteria for General Insomnia. The inclusion of differential diagnosis criteria in the DSM-IV criteria is likely to account for much of this difference. With the forthcoming proposed additions to the DSM-V insomnia diagnosis,19 the greater specificity (i.e., insomnia present 3 times per week for ≥ 3 months) is likely to reduce the rate; however, allowing the insomnia disorder diagnosis despite a coexisting condition (i.e., depression) would likely increase the rate. For example, in the present study, > 13% of adolescents were excluded from a potential DSM-IV Primary Insomnia diagnosis due to the likely presence of an existing mental disorder. Inclusion of this group would raise the rate from 7.8% to 20.8%. Unfortunately, we did not collect data on the weekly frequency of insomnia, nor use a 3-month timeframe, thus we cannot provide a final estimate of the percentage of adolescents who would qualify for a DSM-V Insomnia Disorder diagnosis.
Of note, unlike Ohayon and Roberts,12 the present study found rates of insomnia approximately twice the size of theirs (i.e., DSM-IV: 7.8% vs. 3.3%; ICSD PPI: 3.4% vs. 1.9%). There may be several explanations for this difference. First, it has been a decade since Ohayon and Roberts' study. The proportion of adolescents with insomnia may be rising in line with increasing demands on adolescents' lives (e.g., study, part-time employment) and their increased use of technology,20,21 all of which increase arousal and impact their sleep. However, of all factors tested in the present study, it appears depression symptoms are more likely involved in the diagnosis of an insomnia disorder—at least the ICSD-II diagnoses. Second, rates of adolescent insomnia are likely to differ between countries,22 highlighting the need for studies across disparate countries and cultures. Third, Ohayon and Roberts12 used a telephone-based diagnostic assessment that may have excluded more adolescents than the survey and sleep diary used in the present study. In contrast, recent work has demonstrated the use of the Brief Insomnia Questionnaire (BIQ) to assess insomnia in adults was more likely to underdiagnose compared to clinician-led interviews.14 Use of the same protocol (i.e., BIQ vs. expert clinical interviews) to assess insomnia in adolescents would help qualify published prevalence rates and steer researchers towards preferred measurement tools. The use of close-ended questions with binary answers (yes or no) along with follow-up probe questions are likely to yield more accurate estimates compared to questionnaire items with multiple responses (i.e., moderate, severe, very severe), which require decisions about where to apply a cutoff answer. In the present study we used a more stringent cutoff for sleep difficulties (at least "severe"). This method produced a conservative estimate that 1-3 adolescents per class of 30 school students qualify for an insomnia disorder, nevertheless suggesting an important and prevalent public health concern.
The present study shows a reliance on measuring insomnia by symptoms only can lead to inflated rates. For instance, enquiring about difficulties initiating, maintaining, or unfreshing sleep resulted in a 24.5% rate, but when a 1-month timeframe was applied (as per the DSM-IV Primary Insomnia criteria), this decreased to 10.4%. These figures concur with those found in other studies focusing on insomnia symptoms (12%-34%)4–7 and highlight the need for comprehensive assessments of insomnia that include associated daytime symptoms, heightened arousal, and maladaptive conditioning. Possibly the most important questions to ask involves differential diagnosis. In the present study, the largest indicator that adolescents insomnia was likely not a primary disorder was from clinically elevated depression scores. Over 13% of adolescents were excluded from a potential DSM-IV insomnia diagnosis due to the likely presence of an existing mental disorder. Further investigations will be rewarding, such that accurately recognizing and diagnosing insomnia will help health professionals better diagnose and treat adolescent insomnia early to prevent its transition into early adulthood.
This was not an industry supported study. The author has indicated no financial conflicts of interest.
This work was conducted at the Flinders University of South Australia. The authors thank Jason Gill, Anna Johnston, Emma Currie, and Lisa-Marie Colton who assisted in data collection, and the school principals and adolescents who participated in this project. Funding was provided by an Australian Research Council Discovery Project Grant (#DP0881261).
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical manual of mental disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). 1994. Washington, DC: The American Psychiatric Association;
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders: diagnostic and coding manual. 2005. 2nd ed. Westchester, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine;
Ohayon MM, author. Epidemiology of insomnia: what we know and what we still need to learn. Sleep Med Rev. 2002;6:97–111. [PubMed]
Johnson EO, Roth T, Schultz L, Breslau N, authors. Epidemiology of DSM-IV insomnia in adolescents: lifetime prevalence, chronicity, and an emergent gender difference. Pediatrics. 2006;117:e247–56. [PubMed]
Liu X, Uchiyama M, Okawa M, Kurita H, authors. Prevalence and correlates of self-reported sleep problems among Chinese adolescents. Sleep. 2000;23:27–33. [PubMed]
Morrison DN, McGee R, Stanton WR, authors. Sleep problems in adolescence. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1992;31:94–9. [PubMed]
Roberts RE, Roberts CR, Chen IG, authors. Ethnocultural differences in sleep complaints among adolescents. J Nerv Mental Dis. 2000;188:222–9
Kaneita Y, Ohida T, Osaki Y, et al., authors. Insomnia among Japanese adolescents: a nationwide representative survey. Sleep. 2006;29:1543–50. [PubMed]
Buysse DJ, Ancoli-Israel S, Edinger JD, Lichstein KL, Morin CM, authors. Recommendations for a standard research assessment of insomnia. Sleep. 2006;29:1155–73. [PubMed]
Ohayon MM, Roberts RE, Zulley J, Smirne S, Priest RG, authors. Prevalence and patterns of problematic sleep among older adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2000;39:1549–56. [PubMed]
Roberts RE, Roberts CR, Chan W, authors. Persistence and change in symptoms of insomnia among adolescents. Sleep. 2008;31:177–84. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
Ohayon MM, Roberts RE, authors. Comparability of sleep disorder diagnoses using DSM-IV and ICSD classifications with adolescents. Sleep. 2001;24:920–5. [PubMed]
American Sleep Disorders Association. International classification of sleep disorders: diagnostic and coding manual. 1990. Rochester, MN: American Sleep Disorders Association;
Kessler RC, Coulouvrat C, Hajak G, et al., authors. Reliability and validity of the brief insomnia questionnaire in the America Insomnia Survey. Sleep. 2010;33:1539–49. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
Morin CM, author. Insomnia: psychological assessment and management. 1993. New York: Guilford Press;
Wolfson AR, Carskadon MA, Acebo C, et al., authors. Evidence for the validity of a sleep habits survey for adolescents. Sleep. 2003;26:213–6. [PubMed]
Bootzin RR, Shoham V, Kuo T, authors. Sleep Anticipatory Anxiety Questionnaire: a measure of anxiety about sleep. Sleep Res. 1993;23:188
Radloff LS, author. The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psychol Meas. 1997;1:385–401
American Psychiatric Association. DSM-V Proposed Revision. Retrieved August 10, 2011, from http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=65.
Cain N, Gradisar M, authors. Electronic media use and sleep in school-aged children and adolescents: a review. Sleep Med. 2010;11:735–42. [PubMed]
National Sleep Foundation. 2011 Sleep in America Poll. 2011. Washington: National Sleep Foundation;
Gradisar M, Gardner G, Dohnt H, authors. Recent worldwide sleep patterns and problems during adolescence: a review and meta-analysis of age, region, and sleep. Sleep Med. 2010;12:110–8
Roane BM, Taylor DJ, authors. Adolescent insomnia as a risk factor for early adult depression and substance abuse. Sleep. 2008;31:1351–6. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
Roberts RE, Roberts CR, Chen IG, authors. Impact of insomnia on future functioning of adolescents. J Psychosom Res. 2002;53:561–9. [PubMed]
DSM-IV and ICSD-II Insomnia Diagnostic Criteria


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The SFA Analysis
The SFA and HFA analyses present similar findings. The SFA report includes more detail, so it is the focus of the discussion below.
The SFA analysis assumes that the MPSERS defined-benefit plan would be closed to new hires, and that these new hires would be placed in a defined-contribution plan for public school employees similar to the Michigan State Employees' Retirement System's defined-contribution plan. As noted above, the MSERS defined-contribution system caps the employer's annual retirement contributions at 7 percent of the employee's payroll — an automatic contribution equivalent to 4 percent of payroll, with an employer match of any employee contributions up to 3 percent of payroll.
In a defined-contribution plan, such as MSERS', the employer's contributions are commonly expressed as a percentage of payroll and can therefore be compared to a defined-benefit plan's normal cost and its payments toward unfunded liabilities, both of which are also expressed as percentages of payroll. As explained above, the annual normal cost of the pension is calculated by state actuaries and represents an estimate of the amount of money required to prefund the retirement benefits earned by employees in a given year, so that on the whole, if all goes well, their pension benefits are fully funded at the time they retire. Amortization payments toward unfunded liabilities are likewise calculated by state actuaries according to yearly payment schedules determined by a number of assumptions.
The 2009 SFA paper, reflecting on the state's funding policies and actuarial assumptions, observed that aside from the relatively small costs to develop and administer a new defined-contribution MPSERS retirement system, such a system would cost more than the current MPSERS defined-benefit system in two ways.
- Normal Cost. The public school system's annual payments to a defined-contribution plan would be higher than the current normal cost of the MPSERS defined-benefit plan, the paper observed.[22] Using the MSERS system as a basis of comparison, the SFA paper found that the normal cost of the existing MPSERS defined-benefit plan is lower: 4.21 percent of payroll, rather than the 6.55 percent of payroll paid by the state to the MSERS defined-contribution system.[*] After adding a supplemental piece for pension benefits offered to defined-contribution members in special cases,[†] a defined-contribution retirement system would cost the state an additional $7 million in the first year, and the extra costs would increase significantly as more members became participants in the new plan.
- Initial Payments on Unfunded
The initial annual payments toward the unfunded liability in the MPSERS defined-benefit pension plan would rise once the plan is closed to new members, the paper stated.[23] The increase would be due to the shift in accounting treatment that occurs when closing a defined-benefit plan.
When paying down any existing unfunded liability in an open pension system — that is, a pension system accepting new entrants — government accounting rules are generally interpreted to mean that employers should calculate their contributions as a level percentage of the payroll.[‡] As a result, the amortization payments on the unfunded pension liability of an open system are "backloaded" — as payroll increases over time, payments also increase, since these are calculated as a fixed percentage of payroll. This dynamic allows the amortization cost to be a lower percentage of payroll in the early years than it would be if it were paid in equal annual dollar amounts. The payment dynamic is reminiscent of a variable rate mortgage with a rising interest rate, where payments increase in the later years.
When closing a defined-benefit pension system, however, government accounting rules are usually interpreted to require that employers pay for the unfunded liability as a level-dollar amount each year, rather than as a percentage of an eventually declining payroll.[§] In comparison to the level-percentage payment schedule, this level-dollar method is "frontloaded" (though it is technically flat), generating a higher cash payment schedule in the early years. The SFA paper indicates that this level-dollar payment method for a closed MPSERS defined-benefit system would cost $208 million more in payments during the first full year in which the MPSERS system was closed.[24]
The second of these issues — the immediate increase in the calculated payments on the plan's unfunded liability — is the primary concern over closing the MPSERS defined-benefit pension plan to new public school employees and placing them in a defined-contribution plan. Indeed, this issue was raised even during Michigan's 1996 state employee pension reforms, when the state closed its state employee defined-benefit plan, but not its school employee defined-benefit plan. According to a Dec. 5, 1996, article from Gongwer News Service, "Public school employees were given a late-hour reprieve from a similar [defined-contribution] plan when administration officials agreed to a compromise proposal that allows [school employees] to remain under the defined benefits system until the state pays off a $6 billion unfunded liability."[25]
It should be noted that the SFA's $208 million first-year estimate for the increase in unfunded liability payments is probably no longer accurate. MPSERS unfunded liability has risen substantially since the report was written — from $8.9 billion in fiscal 2008 to $17.6 billion in fiscal 2010. This hike has increased the amortization payments and the likely gap between level-dollar and level-percentage accounting treatments.[26]
[*] The MSERS figure is not quite 7 percent because some state employees do not take full advantage of the state's 3 percent match.
[†] MSERS defined-contribution members are also offered pension benefits in case of death or disability, and employers set aside some money to prefund this benefit. See Summers-Coty, "Examining a Change from Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution for the Michigan Public School Employees' Retirement System," (Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency, 2009), 3, http://goo.gl/jnzaB (accessed May 8, 2010); State Employees' Retirement Act, MCL 38.21-38.25, 38.27, http://goo.gl/2QRzQ (accessed Feb. 13, 2012).
[‡] As a practical matter, the percentage never remains the same from year to year; rather, it changes as the plan's actual performance diverges in various ways from the initial assumptions the actuaries used to calculate the percentage. For instance, in fiscal 2007, the percentage of payroll that school districts were instructed to set aside was 5.70 percent; now, in fiscal 2012, the figure is 12.49 percent. "Employer Contribution Rate," (Michigan Office of Retirement Services, 2012), http://goo.gl/xDLlk (accessed March 4, 2012).
[§] GASB rules on the method of amortizing the unfunded liability appear to be less clear than the common interpretation might suggest. See the discussion at "2) Freeze and Close: Maximize the Results."


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VENICE, Italy (AP) — Director Alex Gibley started filming Lance Armstrong before the cyclist acknowledged doping, and looking back now at the 2009 footage he realizes "there was a lot of material there where he was just lying to me straight out."
Gibley was in Venice on Tuesday for the premiere of his film "The Armstrong Lie," in which he salvaged the 2009 footage meant for a comeback movie and added interviews with Armstrong after the stunning disclosure.
Gibley said that Armstrong "to some extent, is always a curator of his own myth and his own story" and once he realized that people no longer idolize him the same way "I think he wanted to spin it."
RecommendedHolding The Line: The GOP Could Have Their Winning Issue For 2018 Right Before Their Eyes
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Still, Gibley maintains that Armstrong "was more honest" in the later interviews.


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Arthur T. Demoulas stays CEO, but things will changeBy DAVE SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader
July 19. 2013 8:21PM
Arthur T. Demoulas kept his job as CEO of the region's most successful grocery store chain after a remarkable outpouring of support by Market Basket employees, who used social media to mobilize, put their own money into advertising campaigns and turned out by the hundreds to pressure directors as they gathered on Thursday.
But it's unlikely he will be able to run the company with almost complete independence from the board of directors, as he has since being appointed CEO in 2008.
Directors sympathetic to his cousin and nemesis, Arthur S. Demoulas, now control the board. Although they did not vote on the CEO position at a marathon session on Thursday, they no doubt intend to assert their authority.
"I am pleased with Thursday's result. I hope to work constructively with the board going forward," Arthur T. said in a statement released Friday morning. "It is my desire to continue to look out for the best interests of our customers and employees. Together we have built a fine organization and I am extremely proud of you. Thanks to everybody for their tremendous outpouring of support."
Only the board members know what went on for the 13 hours they huddled in a conference room at an Andover, Mass., hotel, while employees throughout New England nervously followed various news media, Twitter accounts and Facebook pages for minute-by-minute updates, until the news broke around 10 p.m. that the meeting had adjourned with no vote on CEO.
That left Arthur T. in charge, but under what restrictions remains to be seen. Minutes of past board meetings, made public as part of a lawsuit by Arthur S. to force Thursday's board meeting, reveal a group of seven directors divided over Arthur T.'s management style.
Board meetings boycotted
Arthur T.'s repeated assertions over the years that he would not defer to board authority on contracts, even when they involved his own family members, may have cost him his majority on the board and, ultimately, his absolute control of the company built by his father and uncle.
When a new board was elected on June 18, with a 5-2 majority in support of Arthur S. Demoulas, it looked like Arthur T. was in trouble. The two members on his side boycotted attempts to hold subsequent meetings at which a new CEO was to be appointed.
In his lawsuit, which successfully forced the Thursday meeting to take place, Arthur S. provided minutes of board meetings going back to 2009. They reveal a tense power struggle between a CEO who wanted a board that functioned only in an advisory capacity, and board members who wanted their votes to matter.
In a 2009 discussion of the company's profit-sharing plan, which was one of the key issues that divided the board, Arthur T. did not mince words.
"I want to tell you, Arthur, you hired me to run the company, OK, and when you hired me you hired my management style," he said to his cousin. "My management style, OK, is to do what's in the best interest of DeMoulas Super Markets, OK, on any topic that I believe we're doing that's in the best interest of DeMoulas Super Markets, and my management stye is not to come back to this board to request and ask for permission. I'm not going to do it. I have no problem notifying the board, whether it's before or after the fact, but when I know and sense that something is in the best interests of this company, this management team is going to pull the trigger."
Accused of nitpicking
At a 2011 meeting, when board members raised questions about a $45 million investment loan, Arthur T. accused them of "nitpicking," prompting Director Nabil El-Hage to reply, "In my religion, only the Pope is infallible."
Arthur T. fired back.
"Listen, I'll tell you right now that the way we manage and the stage were in at this company here, OK, we're going to continue to manage and make deals as we see fit that are in the best interest of this company here. I have no interest in having a restriction put on as to what we do, and how we plan, and how we go about things," he said.
At a 2012 board meeting, at which similar issues arose, Arthur T. struck a similar tone: "I'm running this company with the philosophy, very strong philosophy, that there's only one boss in the company. There's not two. There's not three. There's not five. There's only one boss in the company. I have a very limited appetite for having a restriction on how and what amount — I don't care if it's 10 million or it's a billion — on this management team."
The final straw may have come at a May 23 meeting, when board member Keith Cowan made a motion that would require the CEO to obtain board approval for any transaction "not in the ordinary course of grocery business" in excess of $10 million, including any real estate transactions.
When that motion failed, El-Hage asked if any limit would pass, and received negative replies from majority board members at the time.
On June 18, Class A shareholders used their voting power to elect a new board, with Cowan and El-Hage now part of the new majority group.
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I am a couple of weeks away from releasing the first versions of three Common Lisp packages which all three provide an interface to a foreign library (a 3D engine, a physics engine and an input library).
Since I do not really know much about licenses my initial thought was to release them under the same license as the libraries they're interfacing to which are the: GNU Lesser General Public License, Zlib license and the zlib/libpng license respectively.
However I'm not really sure whether that is actually the smartest thing to do. I basically want people to be free to use my code how they like as long as credit is given where credit is due and as long as they don't misrepresent their changes to my code as being the original thing. By the looks of I'm totally free to slap on the license I want on my code, but perhaps someone can elaborate or suggest otherwise.


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Message: If we keep doing things the same way, we'll keep getting the same results. Obama hasn't offered anything new in his yearlong re-election campaign – just more of the same, bigger government, higher taxes and partisanship.
Obama has orchestrated the most divisive political and cultural environment since the 1960s. In weekend speeches, he repeated his ludicrous claim that he'll work with anyone to overcome Washington's gridlock. A few weeks ago, he said you can't change Washington from within. Obama's actions rarely rise to the level of his rhetoric.
When Obama stepped off Air Force One Saturday in Ohio, he boldly looked America in the eye and asked, "Who can you trust?" His adoring crowd booed at the mention of Mitt Romney's name. Obama's retort: "Don't boo, vote! Voting is the best revenge!"
Obama's view of his record borders on delusional. He and the liberal media spun Friday's jobs report as proof Obama's policies are working. An unemployment increase from 7.8 percent to 7.9 percent is good news? Obama said by the end of his first term we'd have 5 percent unemployment, a robust GNP of 5 percent, and 50 percent reduction of our national debt. Our GNP barely touches 2 percent, he's short 9 million jobs, and he doubled our debt.
Obama's view of voters is also delusional. He believes he shouldn't be held accountable. Four years ago, he was a mystery man with a glib tongue, soaring rhetoric and a messiah-like following. America bought it and gave him a chance, but he blew it. He's a master of excuses and finger-pointing.
Obama shouldn't be re-elected simply because he's America's first "black" president. If a white president was running for re-election on Obama's record, he'd lose in a landslide. But you're a racist if you oppose Obama on his record.
The operative word Tuesday is "trust". After Obama shamelessly "spiked the ball" on Bin Laden's demise, the tragic Benghazi fiasco that ensued on Sept. 11 smacked of al-Qaida revenge, revealing a disengaged, inept commander-in-chief who chose politics over duty and lying over leadership.
Want different results, choose a different candidate. I support the one who promises to put America ahead of politics, the one who asked us to "vote for love of country," not for "revenge." I support Mitt Romney.
A Boston native, Ed Andersson relocated to Durango 12 years ago. He is a pioneer in the field of bar code technology, a Marine Corps veteran and broker and co-owner of RE/MAX Pinnacle in Durango.


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Much of this discussion, however, has been about monitor calibration, but not much about printer and scanner calibration. ColorEyes seems to me (from their website) to be for cameras and monitors only, while the X-Rite Pulse ColorElite System handles scanners and printers, too. Yes it's $2,300, but I'm selecting a system for an organization where there are Macs and PCs using different monitors (CRTs and Apple's LCDs), printers, and scanners. Also, the Expression 10000XL we just got comes with Monaco EZcolor, although we've yet to use it, having used SilverFast thus far because that's what our scanning technician uses and knows on an earlier Epson model.I'm wondering if the additional device types covered by the Pulse system, that would allow us to be sure that all equipment would be in sync, is a better choice as compared to the more limited types devises covered by ColorEyes, even if the latter is a better product. Or, would it make more sense to by ColorEyes for cameras and monitors, and find what's best for scanners and printers--and hope that they all play nice with each other!? Any thoughts?
Going back to the question from PhotoArchivist, on further thought about this, not clear to me you need to spend as much as 2300 (US). You can buy the ColorEyes bundle for the monitor for 325, and for the printers either the X-Rite or Gretag McBeth spectrophotometer bundles for about 1200 or thereabouts. As far as I know, with such a monitor bundle and a printer bundle everything can be coherently profiled. Remember what these profiles are doing: for the monitor they are measuring the difference between the image data and what your monitor displays to then inform your monitor to adjust for these differences, and likewise for the printer they are measuring the difference between the image data and what the printer produces, to then inform the printer to adjust for these differences. As long as each piece is producing correct difference data, they need not come from the same manufacturer in order to end-up with a coherent result. I recommend reading as many serious technical reviews as you can find on the several high-quality choices that are available before buying.


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Moderator: B&F Moderator
Ringo wrote:Desmond Irie - Babylon Must Fall/
There are two releases of this tune. I have a different one titled Babylon You Must Go Down, also on TR Groovemaster.
I was sure I'd heard a different cut, maybe on a Pressure Sounds LP? Anyway the Youtube videos of Babylon Must Fall sound the same as mine.
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DALLAS, Dec. 4, 2012 /CNW/ - On Monday November 12th, Morai Logistics Inc., an Independent Business Owner of Mode Transportation, was one of nine recipients to receive the "Doing Business International Award 2012" from WEConnect Canada. This award was based on business volume as a Female-Owned minority supplier with a major North American corporation.
This special award was presented to members who gained business through their WEConnect certification. Their success stories are recognized in this year's "Done Deal" Awards. The Doing Business International Award 2012 celebrates WEConnect Canada certified firms that have achieved business success by selling to large corporations or other WBEs (Women Minority Businesses) in the past year.
Todd Thompson, Senior Vice President of Mode Transportation said, "We are all very excited for Kelli Saunders and her entire team. They have done a great job of providing outstanding intermodal, truckload, and LTL services to a wide range of customers throughout North America. Her hard work in achieving this award along with receiving her Female-Owned Certification is something that makes all of us very proud."
WEConnect Canada is part of a global certification initiative that is opening doors to supply chains for women business enterprises and helping corporations tap into innovative vendors. It also provides opportunities for women entrepreneurs to participate in education, training and mentoring programs that help them connect with procurement officers of top corporations and with other certified firms to enhance their bidding capacities on large contracts. Founding members include: Accenture, Alcatel-Lucent, BMO Financial Group, Cisco, Ernst & Young, IBM, Manpower, Staples and Wal-Mart. For more information, visit www.weconnectcanada.org.
ABOUT MODE TRANSPORTATION: Mode Transportation is an asset-light based third-party logistics company focused on delivering truck brokerage, less-than-truckload, intermodal and international services. Mode Transportation encompasses a vast network of operation centers across North America to meet our customers' needs. Mode Transportation is headquartered in Dallas and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hub Group. For more information, visit www.modetransportation.com.
SOURCE: Mode Transportation
For further information:
Elena Izakson, Hub Group, Inc., +1-630-795-2202, firstname.lastname@example.com
Mode Transportation
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Indicators Suggest Gold Stocks and Silver Will Double
What happens after 60% gold stock bear markets? Also, silver shows bullish signs.
The recent gold stock bear market has had the fifth largest decline in history (data starts December 1938). It is also the third longest in history. Let's look at what has happened after 60% gold stock bear markets.
Every single time gold stocks went down 61% to 73%, they went up least 164%. The initial leg of the 1980-2000 gold stock bear market was -73% in one year and 8.3 months. At this point gold stocks had a 205% bear market rally. This means only the 1939-1942 bear went as down long as the recent bear without a 164% rally. As for the pesky 1942 instance, the 1937-1942 "regular stocks" bear market was the third worst bear market in the history of the US going back to 1800 (behind 1929-1932 and 1835-1842). There are no US stock bear markets, depressions or World Wars now. So one can argue that the current situation is not as dire as 1942 and perhaps gold stocks are overdue for a rally.
Is the recent bear the final cyclical bear of a secular bull market like 1974-1976? Or is this decline more akin to the first leg down of secular bear market a la 1980-1982? The first rally coming from the 1976 bottom went up 275% before a brief bear market in January 1980. And gold stocks went up 205% in the first bear market rally from the 1982 low as previously mentioned. Either way gold stocks tripled.
Over the 32 weeks ending June 27, 2013, gold stocks underperformed the S&P (INDEXSP:.INX) by 53.05%. This is the second worst 32-week stretch of gold stock underperformance in at least 74 years. The worst stretch was the 54.78% underperformance in the 32 weeks ending on October 24, 2008. Note this was the exact day of the gold stocks bottom. Here are other extreme readings:
The Commercials Net position in the Silver Commitment of Traders Report is currently at an all-time high. The previous record was July 29, 1997.
The top chart is silver. The bottom chart is the indicator. The bottom chart is inverted to make the correlation easier to decipher. From July 17, 1997 to February 5, 1998 silver went up 89%. One may also note that the commercials spent a good number of weeks near the current levels in 2001. That was a good time to buy silver as well. About the only negative aspect of this indicator is that it only goes back to 1986. Can it withstand the stress tests of the 1974-1976 or 1980-1982 declines? So at this point it is a complementary indicator. But the indicator deserves some credit as it did not give an all-time extreme reading until now. If silver can establish a low here, the indicator can be allowed a heavier weighing next time around.
A silver indicator I stumbled upon hit an extreme on June 26 which may offer the highest reward/risk ratio of all-time.
The four major bottoms in this indicator since 1959 were:
- June 21, 1982
- June 26, 2013
- Feb 25, 1991
- Oct 12, 1971
June 21, 1982
The day of the signal low was the exact day of the May 26, 1978-May 16, 1986 low in silver.
Reward: From June 17 signal, 185% in 8 months
Risk: From June 17 signal, -6.8% in 4 days
June 26, 2013
Off to a good start thus far.
Feb 25, 1991
February 22, 1991 was the date of the lowest intraday price for silver from Jan 16, 1974 to today.
Reward: 1,275%
Risk: Trading day after low
Oct 12, 1971
Fifteen days after signal, the greatest secular silver bull market of all time started.
Reward: 3,063% in 8.3 years
Risk: -1.87% in 15 days
(Data from chartsrus.com.)
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Fans of baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates have endured 20 straight losing seasons, the longest stretch of futility among the four professional sports teams.
But as they head into the All-Star break, the Pirates have one of the best records of all the Major League Baseball teams. And the case can be made they did it by smart investing.
- Allen Barra, writes about sports for The Atlantic and the Wall Street Journal. His story about the Pirates is, "How Smart Investing Made the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball's Best Team."
And these stories about doping are so depressing, Robin, but we've got something now a little more uplifting from the world of Major League Baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates, who have had losing seasons for 20 straight years, now have one of the best records in baseball at the season's halfway point. And one reason for their success is they've been using money from baseball's revenue sharing program to pay for a lot of young talent, like outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who's on the National League roster for tomorrow's game, the All-Star game in New York. Allen Barra writes about all this for The Atlantic, and he joins us now. Allen, welcome.
ALLEN BARRA: Nice to be here.
HOBSON: Well, so, first of all, just for people who aren't familiar with the revenue-sharing program in Major League Baseball, explain how it works.
BARRA: Essentially it's this. The teams that are supposed to be large revenue or big market - and generally that means the New York Yankees, sometimes only the New York Yankees, but at least them - they have to put aside a certain amount of money for the smaller programs, the smaller teams in lesser markets. And a few years ago that included the Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates. There was a scandal three years ago - three seasons ago. They said that these teams were not using the money to compete on the free agent market. But as it turned out, the Pittsburgh Pirates, if they were not competing for free agents, they were at least putting the money back in their system. They'd put 48 million at least into their Minor League system, scouting and signing amateur draft picks, and the results are sensational.
HOBSON: They have gone - instead of going after the high-level players, they are using their money wisely, you write, and going after this new talent.
BARRA: Yes. Absolutely. They're producing their own stars. And not only had these guys been putting up great numbers, they have produced one of the most youthful teams in baseball. They're one of the best.
HOBSON: Will they be able to keep that talent though? There is always the worry that when teams start doing well, this young talent might leave.
BARRA: Yes. There is that problem, keeping those players once they become full-fledged stars. On the other hand, the more you win, the more revenue you produce and the more money you have to sign those stars. There is a practice among intelligent front offices, which the Pirates seem to have, of signing young players to long-term contracts, which even though you're shelling out a lot of money upfront, it saves you cash over the long haul. And my guess is that's exactly what they're going to do.
And plus, I think there's something else there. I think a lot of players are understanding the value of staying with a really good franchise, a really good fan base. And they're probably going to want to stay in Pittsburgh, at least some of them, when they do become free agents.
HOBSON: OK. So how about a prediction, Allen? What's going to happen?
BARRA: Let's put it this way. The Pirates are showing that when you've got a young team that is just approaching its peak years, there's no reason to believe that the Pirates are anything but for real.
HOBSON: Allen Barra of The Atlantic, and you can read his article about the Pittsburgh Pirates at hereandnow.org. His latest book is "Mickey and Willie: Mantle and Mays, the Parallel Lives of Baseball's Golden Age." Allen, thanks.
BARRA: Thank you.
HOBSON: Believe it or not, "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge was the theme song of the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, the last Pirates to win the World Series. Up next, if you're someone who likes to weigh yourself in the morning first thing, Robert Krulwich, co-host of the WNYC's RadioLab, will join us to explain why that is probably a good idea. That's next. HERE AND NOW. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Justin Bieber can't catch a break.
Not only was the superstar singer not nominated for a Grammy, but a Ustream session that Bieber launched at the same time as the ceremony Sunday to answer questions from fans crashed because it was overloaded. The technical snafu immediately began trending on Twitter, inspiring such popular hashtags as (hash)ThankYouForTryingJustin and (hash)JustinUseRedTube.
Bieber tweeted to fans that "livestream is over capacity it not letting me in the room." He apparently couldn't overcome the blunder and later promised to upload a video.
— Derrik J. Lang — Twitter: http://twitter.com/derrikjlang
EDITOR'S NOTE — Show Bits brings you the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.


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The faculty members of Tulane Law School have unusually rich and diverse academic backgrounds, enabling them to offer a curriculum that encompasses the broadest range of subject matter. As important as their commitment to teaching is their commitment to ongoing scholarship. Members of the faculty regularly publish books (including edited volumes), law review articles, and countless chapters in books, reports, essays, and book reviews.
Forty-two full-time, tenure-track professors teach at the Law School. In addition, clinical and legal writing instructors work with our students, as do visiting faculty from law schools in the US and abroad. Our part-time faculty, numbering close to 90, includes prominent federal and state court judges and attorneys practicing in the New Orleans area who teach semester-long advanced courses in their fields of expertise. In addition, some 60 experienced trial attorneys and judges work closely with small groups of students in our intensive Trial Advocacy course each semester.
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We know not all equids are alike, but how do a pony's nutritional needs differ from, say, a donkey's? As it turns out, caretakers must consider the special nutritional needs of the different equid species.
David Pugh, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, ACVN, a clinician and researcher at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, presented a lecture on feeding other equids at the 2012 Kentucky Equine Research Conference, held May 17-18 in Lexington, Ky.
Because the majority of equine-focused research is carried out on light-breed horses, Pugh said veterinarians and scientists base feeding recommendations for Miniature Horses, ponies, drafts, mules, and donkeys on a combination of "literature, experience, and some guesses."
Draft Horses
Pugh first discussed feeding draft horses. He relayed that more than 30 draft breeds exist worldwide; the most common breeds in the United States are Belgian Drafts, Clydesdales, Shires, and Percherons, he said. Healthy draft horses can range in weight from about 1,400 pounds to upwards of 2,600 pounds, he said.
As with light breeds, Pugh recommends aiming for a body condition score of 5 to 6 (out of 9), although he notes this is a challenging task. Because draft horses can become overweight very quickly ("They're not going to miss a meal," he said. "They're like a fat boy eating cake."), use a careful dietary analysis to ensure the horse receives enough nutrients while not overeating.
Researchers believe draft horses have a similar metabolic rate as ponies, Pugh relayed. Thus, they likely require less energy than light breed horses. Pugh suggested a healthy, mature draft horse consuming a maintenance diet requires about 30 kilocalories of digestible energy (the usable portion of the total energy in the diet, gained primarily through carbohydrates and fats) per day, whereas light breed horses require about 33.3 kilocalories per day.
Pugh recommends feeding healthy, mature draft horses at a rate of 1 to 2.5% of body weight per day in dry matter (mostly moderate- to good-quality forage). He suggests feeding 1 to 1.5% of the horse's body weigh in roughage. For a draft horse on a weight management diet, he said he's fed as little as .75% of body weight in high-quality forage to promote weight loss. Consult a veterinarian and/or equine nutritionist if additional questions about draft horse weight management arise.
Pugh cautioned that research indicates draft horses could be prone to laminitis, tying up, polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM), equine metabolic syndrome (EMS or equine Cushing's), metabolic bone diseases, and other diet-related conditions. Therefore, he recommends avoiding high-carbohydrate diets when possible and using extreme caution if using a high-carbohydrate feed to provide extra calories.
He also cautioned that, because of their size, draft horses are prone to heat stress and dehydration, and he recommended caretakers use extra caution to avoid these complications.
Next, Pugh discussed feeding considerations for donkeys. About 20 different donkey breeds are used for various practices including guard animals, pack animals, and companion animals, among others, he said. A female donkey is called a jenny or jennet, and a male is called a jack.
Donkeys evolved in arid and semiarid regions, so they've developed a high heat and dehydration tolerance, Pugh said. Citing previous research, Pugh explained that donkeys appear to have higher digestibility for dietary dry matter and fiber than horses and ponies, especially those fed low-quality forages. He said donkeys have a longer gut retention time and greater microbial cellulolysis (the process of breaking down cellulose into smaller polysaccharides or glucose units) in the cecum compared to ponies. Donkeys also appear to use dietary protein efficiently, he added. This suggests owners can maintain donkeys on lower quality forage than horses or ponies.
Pugh explained that veterinarians evaluate donkeys' body condition based on the amount of fat covering the back, flank, and neck. He suggested aiming for a body condition score of 5 or 6 out of 9. To achieve this, donkeys must typically be fed less than horse and ponies of comparable sizes. A dry matter intake of 1.75% to 2.25% should be appropriate to maintain a donkey's weight; however, some require lower quantities to achieve weight loss. Pugh added that protein should make up 6 to 10% of the donkey's diet.
He cautioned that donkeys are prone to hyperlipemia (elevated fat concentrations in the blood plasma) in times of stress and feed deprivation, and hypothermia (low body temperature). He also advised owners to use care when feeding carbohydrates, as these could put donkeys at risk for obesity and related problems.
Pugh touched briefly on mule nutrition. Humans first identified mules--a product of a male donkey and a female horse--as infertile in 350 B.C.
Generally speaking, mules require more food than similar sized donkeys, but less than similar sized horses, Pugh said. Also, he said owners can typically base a mule's feeding program on the mule's dam's breed.
"Mules bred and used similarly to Quarter Horses should be fed in a similar matter to a Quarter Horse (and the same with other breeds) but perhaps less," he said.
Overall, mules' energy, protein, and mineral requirements are similar to the horse, he said.
Obesity is a major problem in mules, Pugh said, and he cautioned owners against overfeeding.
Miniature Horses
Miniature Horses--measuring less than 32 inches at the withers and often weighing less than 200 pounds--can live upwards of 25 to 35 years, Pugh said.
There are few controlled studies on Miniature Horse nutrition, but he recommended some guidelines based on experience:
Overfeeding Miniature Horses can lead to obesity and other related health concerns, just as in their larger counterparts, he added.
"The general guidelines are similar to horses," Pugh said. "But pay attention and avoid overfeeding."
Finally, Pugh discussed considerations to make when feeding ponies. These equids, which stand 14.2 hands or smaller, reach 75% of their mature weight by the time they are yearlings, he said.
Pugh said researchers have published copious amounts of scientific information about ponies' nutritional needs and that ponies are generally easier to maintain than horses.
Ponies on a maintenance diet should consume 1.5 to 1.8% of body weight in dry matter per day, Pugh said. He cautioned that ponies appear to have a higher voluntary intake rate than horses, so it's advisable to monitor how much a pony consumes daily.
Many ponies are prone to developing metabolic conditions, including hyperlipemia, laminitis, and EMS, Pugh noted, so monitor their dietary habits closely.
Take-Home Message
Managing the diet of any equid can be a challenge, but caretakers of draft horses, donkeys, mules, Miniature Horses, and ponies can simplify the task by familiarizing themselves with their animals' special nutritional considerations.
Source: www.thehorse.com
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Yum Dogs
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Author Notes: Of late, I have been obsessed with danger dogs, the over-the-top street snack from Tijuana. It's a hot dog wrapped in bacon and deep fried, nestled in a bun and topped with grilled onions, jalapeños, mayonnaise, and any number of other condiments like ketchup, mustard, refried beans, and cheese.
Thinking about my dream danger dog got out of control really fast. I could see using all of the above ingredients plus avocado, tomatoes, and sour cream. Who makes a bun that big? Anyway, I started thinking about what an Asian-inspired danger dog would look like, and again, my thoughts ran wild. Reigning myself in a bit, I came up with this recipe. But here's a list of things that I considered but decided not to use in this recipe; maybe you'd want to give some of them a try (I probably will!):
mustard (Dijon or even a wee bit of spicy Chinese mustard or wasabi)
sweet and sour sauce
grilled shiitake mushrooms
kim chee
seaweed flakes
bonito flakes
toasted panko
sesame seeds
napa cabbage
water chestnuts
I cook my dogs in a cast iron pan, but if you want to go the extra, deep frying mile, more power to you. And don't forget to make extra Sriracha mayonnaise to go with the french fries you're going to want on the side! - vvvanessa —vvvanessa
Food52 Review: What's more suited to street eating than a hot dog? Not much. Vvvanessa has elevated her dog to a higher plane, first swathing it in bacon, then nestling it on a bed of tangy, spicy beansprout slaw. The sprouts are softened into submission with a handy salting technique, then tossed with sweet shredded carrot, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno and rice wine vinegar. The acid in the slaw cuts through the salt and the fattiness of the hot dog, and a sriracha-laced mayo stands in for more quotidien condiments. A shower of roasted peanuts and some chopped scallions make this Yum Dog as pretty as it is tasty. - A&M —The Editors
Makes: 6 dogs
Bean Sprout Slaw
pound (approximatey 4 big handfuls) bean sprouts
teaspoons kosher salt
large carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
small red onion, very thinly sliced
jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, very thinly sliced (keep some of the ribs and seeds if you'd like your slaw a little spicier)
cup roughly chopped cilantro
cup rice wine vinegar
tablespoon sugar
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- In a large colander, thoroughly wash the bean sprouts, then shake off the excess water. Set the colander over a bowl or in the sink. Toss the salt with the bean sprouts to distribute evenly, then let the liquid drain from the sprouts, turning them periodically. Let the sprouts drain for at least 30 minutes. Their volume should decrease significantly.
- In a large bowl, combine the sprouts and the rest of the ingredients. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Yum Dogs
cup mayonnaise or aioli
tablespoons Sriracha
good quality hot dogs of choice (I use a very juicy organic chicken dog)
slices good quality bacon of choice (I have found maple bacon particularly luscious)
hot dog buns or rolls, preferably ones that are large and sturdy
scallions, thinly sliced
cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Score each hot dog a few times. Wrap each hot dog in a slice of bacon, starting at one end and corkscrewing it around to the other. If you find the bacon isn't adhering, you can use a wooden toothpick to pin it to the ends of hot dog.
- Cook the dogs, rotating to cook the bacon thoroughly on all sides. Depending on the thickness of your meats, this will probably take 2-4 minutes on each side. Transfer the hot dogs to a newspaper- or paper towel-lined platter. If you used toothpicks, remove them.
- Depending on the size or density of your buns (tee hee hee), you might need to hollow them out a little or not. Spread each bun generously with the Sriracha mayonnaise, then fill them with the Bean Sprout Slaw (I use tongs to gently squeeze out excess liquid).
- Place the dogs on the slaw and top with scallions and peanuts. Then open wide! It's a mouthful!
- Your Best Street Food Contest Finalist!
More Great Recipes:
Sandwich|Pork|Grill/Barbecue|Summer|Fourth of July|Entree


text:
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
From The Arkansas Rebels --- They Extend Their Retreat --- Pike's Indians Absquatulated --- The Rebel Force And Prospect
4 comments:
- Sean McLachlan said...
Yeah, I had to look this up.
Absquatulated : [Mock-Latinate formation, purporting to mean "to go off and squat elsewhere".]
Regional Note: In the 19th century, the vibrant energy of American English appeared in the use of Latin affixes to create jocular pseudo-Latin "learned" words. There is a precedent for this in the language of Shakespeare, whose plays contain scores of made-up Latinate words. Midwestern and Western U.S. absquatulate has a prefix ab-, "away from," and a suffix -ate, "to act upon in a specified manner," affixed to a nonexistent base form -squatul-, probably suggested by squat. Hence the whimsical absquatulate, "to squat away from." Another such coinage is Northern busticate, which joins bust with -icate by analogy with verbs like medicate. Southern argufy joins argue to a redundant -fy, "to make; cause to become." Today, these creations have an old-fashioned and rustic flavor curiously at odds with their elegance. They are kept alive in regions of the United States where change is slow. For example, Appalachian speech is characterized by the frequent use of words such as recollect, aggravate, and oblige.
- January 16, 2013 at 12:17 PM
- Sean McLachlan said...
Interesting to note the lack of forage in northern Arkansas/southern Missouri. This was a common problem throughout the war and created a buffer zone between the two forces, and a No-Man's Land for bushwhackers, Jayhawkers, and bandits.
- January 16, 2013 at 12:18 PM
- Jim Miller said...
Sean, great comments! I love them. When I ran across "absquatulate" I had to post it as the word of the day on my facebook page. And about a minute or two later, I got the email notifying me of your comments.
As for the lack of forage on the Arkansas Missouri border, the armies weren't all together THAT big. I would imagine subsistence was hard to find, but not impossible and certainly not nonexistant. That area surely wasn't as ravaged by the war as say, Northern Virginia.
- January 16, 2013 at 2:05 PM
- Sean McLachlan said...
Well, lack of forage was cited as one reason for the failure of the first attempt to take Little Rock, and it was one of the reason Price took along a huge wagon train in 1864.
A few thousand men and horses need a huge amount of food. Horses can survive on grass for only so long. They need oats and hay as well, and in a region of few farms with most of them abandoned, that could get serious.
- January 17, 2013 at 12:17 PM


text:
7 Sep 2012 06:36:07 AM
Real-Life Action Hero Renzo Gracie Live-Tweets His Own Attempted Mugging [WTF AWESOME]
(Somewhere in Manhattan, there's a dumb bastard with the phrase "IFL Pitbulls" reverse-imprinted in his forehead.)
Late last night in New York, legendary fighter/trainer Renzo Gracie was accosted by two men with obvious bad intentions. And since Renzo is one of the gamest S.O.B.s of all time, he wound up beating the shit out of them. Actually, let me re-phrase that: He beat the shit out of one of them, tracked down mugger #2 after he went running off into the night, "raccooned" mugger #2 (explanation below), and tweeted out a live play-by-play of the whole experience including photos. Are you kidding me? Renzo Gracie is like a prime Steven Seagal with an iPhone.
Now, did all this really happen, or was this entire situation just a staged social media infomercial for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu? I don't know. But I want to believe. Here's the entire story, from beginning to end, as taken from @RenzoGracieBJJ:
3:11 AM: 22nd street and 10th ave right now two guys following me, can't help but have a big smile upon my face Im talking about a happy one )))
3:12 AM: Waiting for them… Are they really thinking I'm drunk??? They have to be kidding. Hahahaha
3:13 AM: 25th and 10ave they are getting closer lol
3:16 AM: I just stop to take a pic, they pretend they are looking at the window, can't lie… My blood runs in a different speed, man I miss BrazilRead More DIGG THIS


text:
Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium (formerly known as Columbia Soccer Stadium) has been the home venue for Columbia men's soccer since 1984 and the women's squad since 1986. On Saturday, October 12, 2013, the stadium was officially named in honor of Rocco B. Commisso '71SEAS '75BUS in recognition of Commisso's long-standing contributions to the Lions soccer program, as player and supportive alumnus.
The dedication ceremony took place on the field at 5:30 p.m. between the Columbia women's and men's soccer matches against the University of Pennsylvania
"We are thrilled to have named our soccer stadium after Rocco Commisso," director of intercollegiate athletics and physical education for Columbia Dr. M. Dianne Murphy said in a statement. "Rocco has always been such a wonderful supporter of the University and our soccer program. His generosity means so much to our men and women's soccer teams – his contributions truly help transform the experiences of the young men and women who compete for Columbia."
Commisso was a member of the 1967 Columbia freshman men's team that finished undefeated. He also was co-captain of the 1970 varsity men's squad, the first Columbia soccer team to compete in the NCAA men's soccer tournament. As an alumnus, he co-founded the alumni advisory group Friends of Columbia Soccer, and served as its Chair from 1979 to 1986. For more than a decade, Columbia has awarded an annual Men's Soccer Prize in his name.
Commisso is the founder, Chairman and CEO of Mediacom Communications Corporation, the nation's eighth largest cable television company and leading provider of advanced broadband services to 1.3 million customers in 1,500 small cities and towns across America.
The venue received an overhaul in June of 2007, when a state-of-the-art FieldTurf playing surface was installed. The surface is a hybrid fiber, rubber and sand infill designed to have a more consistent feel and a faster pace.
(Note: Parking for Football games in and around the Baker Athletics Complex is extremely limited. Fans are encouraged to use mass transit when possible.)
From WEST SIDE HIGHWAY/HENRY HUDSON PARKWAY: Exit Dyckman Street, and proceed east to Broadway. Make a left on Broadway and proceed 20 blocks north to 218th Street.
From FDR/HARLEM RIVER DRIVE: Continue north to end of Harlem River Drive. Bear right at light and proceed north on 10th Avenue to 218th Street.
*From MAJOR DEEGAN EXPRESSWAY (I-87): Exit 230th Street. Proceed on 230th Street westbound (from north – make right at light; from south make left at light). Continue on 230th Street to Broadway. Make left on Broadway and proceed 12 blocks to 218th Street.
From WEST: Take George Washington Bridge and follow signs for Henry Hudson Parkway North or Major Deegan Expressway North(follow directions above).
From NORTH: Take Cross-Westchester Expressway (I-287) or Cross-County Parkway west to Saw Mill River Parkway south. Take the Saw Mill to the Henry Hudson Parkway South or Major Deegan Expressway South (follow directions above).
From NEW ENGLAND: Take Connecticut Turnpike (I-95) to Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95). Exit Cross Bronx to Major Deegan Expressway North or Henry Hudson Parkway North (follow directions above).
From LONG ISLAND: Take Long Island Expressway East to Clearview Expressway North, or Northern State Parkway/Grand Central Parkway East to Cross Island Parkway North to Throgs Neck Bridge. Bear left after toll for Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) South (follow directions above).
From SOUTH: Take New Jersey Turnpike North to Exit 18 George Washington Bridge (follow directions above).
*Commercial and Oversize Vehicles must use Major Deegan Expressway.
By MTA NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY: Broadway-Seventh Avenue IRT Local ("1" train) north or south to 215th Street, then walk two blocks north and cross Broadway at W. 218th Street. OR 8th Avenue IND Express ("A" train) north to 207th Street (exit at north end of platform - 211th Street), then proceed north to 218th Street.
By MTA METRO-NORTH COMMUTER RAIL: Marble Hill Station is located just across the Harlem River from Baker Athletics Complex, at 225th Street. Walk east to Broadway, then south across the Broadway Bridge to 218th Street.


text:
Lafayette Little League Loses Heartbreaker To Bossier City In State Tournament
An Amani Larry 2-run homer in the bottom of the 6th inning proved to be the difference as the Lafayette Little League All Star Team (11-12 year old) lost 10-8 to the All-Star team from Bossier City in the State Tournament at Chappapeela Sports Park in Hammond.
Amani Larry, son of Ragin' Cajuns baseball player Jarvis Larry who played on the 2000 College World Series team, had himself quite a game for Bossier City. In addition to his game-winning homer, he hit another 2-run homer in the bottom of the 3rd inning.
Bossier City jumped out on the team from the Hub City 1-0 in the 1st inning, but Lafayette responded by jumping out to a 6-1 lead in the 2nd inning and an 8-3 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning with 2 outs. Along the way, Matt Savoie hit a solo homer while Luke Landry hit a grand slam.
But it was at this point in the game when things began going wrong for the Lafayette Little Leaguers, as an error led to 5 unearned runs and suddenly a tied 8-8 ballgame.
Lafayette had their chance in the 6th inning, loading up the bases with 1 out. But they were not able to get any runs and Larry hit the game-winning homer in the bottom of the inning.
Next, a familiar foe stands in the way of the Lafayette Little Leaguers as they will face South Lake Charles Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. on Talkradio 960 AM. James P. Bitterman will have the call; pregame will start at 6:05 p.m. Bossier City defeated South Lake Charles earlier in the tournament while Lafayette Little League defeated Marksville.
Meanwhile, the 13-14 year old Lafayette Little League All-Star team fared much better on Saturday. In their second game of the tournament in Shreveport, they defeated Jackson Parish 10-0 in five innings. After wins over Alexandria on Friday and Jackson Parish on Saturday, the Lafayette Little Leaguers will have Sunday off and will play the winner between Shreveport and Mid-City Monday night at 8:00 p.m. in the winners bracket final.


text:
J. Scott Savage
Case File 13 #2
J. Scott Savage
Case File 13 #2
Making the Team
Release Date: 9/24/2013
LIST PRICE: $14.99 (you save $4.50)
Back cover copy:
You hold in your hands a most frightening file.
Through extensive research and firsthand accounts, I have compiled everything you need to know about case file 13. In this book, you will find the next grisly adventure of three boys whose monster knowledge led them down a path so dark, so dangerous—
Excuse me, aren't you forgetting about the three girls who knew way more about monsters?
Get real, Angie. It's not his fault you girls are so forgettable.
No fighting! You all showed bravery in the face of ghosts, grave robbers, and even mad scientists in this volume alone, and that proves you're all extraordinary.
It's just that the boys are more extraordinary.
Are we quite finished? Now, let's see, where was I . . .
You hold in your hands a most frightening file, chronicling the adventures of three awesome boys whose superio monster knowledge made them way cooler than the girls. This is the second volume. Read on if you dare. . . .
Main description:
With thrills, chills, and laughs on every page, plus a boy-girl rivalry that will leave you in stitches, this is one frighteningly funny book you don't want to miss.
In this second book in a middle-grade series that's "sure to please young readers looking for a thrill" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), three monster-obsessed friends must take on a mad scientist who is literally stitching together a Frankenstein-esque football team.
Nick, Carter, and Angelo are back to monster business as usual. They're even filming a monster movie for a school project on Building a Brighter Tomorrow. (There's a connection there somewhere, they swear.) But when a new private school arrives in town boasting a football team that's inhumanly good, the boys start to suspect they may have a real monster mystery on their hands. And what's worse, they may need help from their girl rivals, Angie, Tiffany, and Dana, to get to the bottom of it.
Review quote:
"Striking the perfect balance between rib-tickling humor and bone-chilling adventure, the first novel in Savage's new middle-grade series is sure to please young readers looking for a thrill. It's hard to imagine that readers (particularly boys) won't enjoy every minute of hair-raising fun."
Review quote:
"With its mix of creepy chills and laugh-out-loud humor, Zombie Kid is the perfect book. Nick and his friends are my new favorite people."
Review quote:
The addition of the girls not only broadens the book's appeal, but adds a humorous layer of boy-girl interaction that preteen readers will get a kick out of. Another thoroughly satisfying thrill ride.


text:
Insurance is one of the most frustrating automotive expenses, simply because it involves many variables that are difficult to predictably manage. Your address, for example, can play a part in your rate, but moving to another neighborhood just to achieve lower insurance expense isn't practical for most people. Your accident history will also influence your insurance rate, as will your yearly mileage.
However, there is one factor in your overall insurance rate that you can readily manipulate: the make and model of the car you drive. Whether it's a Mazda or a Mercedes-Benz, the kind of car you drive can significantly impact your insurance rate, and as a result, it makes sense to keep this in mind if you're in the market for a new vehicle.
With these thoughts in mind, we've generated a list of the 10 sedans most likely to command the lowest insurance premiums based on five-year projections of the Edmunds.com True Cost to OwnSM (TCO) pricing system. Each model's ranking reflects that of the trim level with the lowest projected insurance expense.


text:
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Message Board
P.J. Erickson Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Erickson has written!
Author Erickson's Book Reviews
Chase Larsen, biker and aging adventurer hits the road to find his sister's killer. Teaming up with Joe Keel, a Seminole Indian out to save his people's lands, Chase will head from Palm Beach to the Everglades and north to St. Augustine, meeting a wild cast of characters on the way. From Shana McLain, a beautiful and disillusioned paralegal, to Miles Hickman, a sociopathic scientist who discovers how to control lightning and make diamonds, Chase and J...


text:
CCleaner 2.29.1111
- Improved speed when loading Cleaner screen.
- Improved Registry Cleaner speed when displaying issues.
- Improved Registry Cleaner performance when fixing issues.
- Changed Wipe MFT Free Space to run before Wipe Disk Free Space.
- Improved Include and Exclude screen when browsing for folders and files.
- Added Recursive support to Custom folders in Include screen.
- Added support to specify multiple file types for Custom folders in Include screen and INI files.
- Improved how Language Resource DLLs are loaded into memory.
- Improved application detection algorithm.
- Improved internal communication between process threads.
- Improved file scanning when scanning system folders.
- Improved Windows 7 and IE8 support.
- Minor GUI text changes.


text:
By Zachary Fagenson
MIAMI Fla (Reuters) - Both the sitting mayor and his predecessor in a small town near Miami are claiming the community's top spot after a federal jury this week cleared suspended Mayor Michael Pizzi of corruption charges.
Following the acquittal on Thursday, Pizzi showed up at Miami Lakes town hall proclaiming: "I'm the mayor."
But sitting Mayor Wayne Slaton, a town founder who took on the job when Pizzi was suspended last year, is not budging.
Pizzi was charged in August 2013 with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion and four counts of accepting bribes.
Prosecutors said that Pizzi accepted thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as representatives of a Chicago consulting firm. Florida Gov. Rick Scott suspended him and Slaton won the seat in a special election in October.
A federal jury acquitted Pizzi of the charges Thursday after his lawyer, Benedict Kuehne, argued he had been trapped. Kuehne issued a press release after the acquittal calling on the governor to revoke the suspension.
But Scott on Friday refused to reinstate him on grounds Slaton's election was for the remainder of Pizzi's term, citing a provision in the Miami Lakes town charter that limits returns of public officials to office.
State law does allow public officials cleared of charges to reassume office. In 2011 Scott reinstated a suspended City of Miami commissioner who had also been indicted on public corruption charges and then cleared.
(Editing by Carey Gillam in Kansas City and Sonya Hepinstall)