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Classroom Beautiful - Daniel Hutton
First Grade Teacher, Takoma Park Elementary School, Takoma Park, Maryland
For the first couple of years, you have to collect, collect, collect. It's like a house: The first year you own it, it doesn't look like the seventh. With color printers, the Internet, and digital cameras, you can do a lot.
For your classroom library, go to book sales. Your collection will keep getting better till finally you have to give away books to make room.
I float. I have a desk, near the door, but I never sit at it.
I can see 95 percent of my kids all the time, in case I need to intervene. I don't want any nooks and crannies—no hiding places.
My philosophy on materials is, don't waste time passing stuff out. The tables get their own materials. The first couple of months, it's not that smooth, but it gives them more independence, and it teaches them a lesson that's not in the curriculum.
The same with manipulatives: The kids know where go to get them.
Everything they need is low where they can reach it.
I want the first impression of my room to be brightness, colorfulness, open space so they don't feel cluttered. I want it to look interesting.


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When the number of recipients of a particular square knot is
so small that the BSA can publish the list in its entirety, you know you're
dealing with a prestigious award.
Such is the case with the Order of the Arrow Distinguished Service Award, a knot given to men
and women who serve the OA beyond the lodge level—on a sectional, regional, or
national basis. The award is given every two or three years at the National
Order of the Arrow Conference. The 2009 event is taking place this week in
Bloomington, Ind. (Check back tomorrow for more details about NOAC.)
The honor roll includes less than 850 people—that's pretty
selective for an award that's been around since 1940—and you may even recognize
some of the names. Two at the top of the chronological list are 1940 honorees
E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson, founders of the Order of the Arrow. And
one of 2009's recipients is Chief Scout Executive Robert J. Mazzuca.
In between the OA's founders and Mazzuca you'll also find
hundreds of dedicated Scouters who can wear the white and red arrowhead medal
and the accompanying white and red square knot with pride.
Usually, we'd give you a link here to the application for the
week's square knot, but there's no application for this honor. Instead,
recipients are nominated after a significant period of service.
Want to browse the list of honorees yourself? Do it here. In the meantime, continue serving the OA and you might one day
see your own name on the short list.

subset: commoncrawl


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DETROIT - There are marriages made in heaven. And then there are matches made in Torii Hunter's cell phone.
Hunter, last year's perfect marriage of team need and player desire, made his feelings known to Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski early in this year's free-agent process, pushing for the team to sign his former teammate, closer Joe Nathan.
When the team did just that, finalizing a two-year deal - with a team option for a third, and totaling a reported $20 million for the guaranteed two years - on Wednesday, Dombrowski gave Hunter a tip of the cap for his match-making.
'We also want to thank your assistant agent, Torii Hunter, too. He contacted us in the very beginning about, 'Why don't you make this happen?' ' Dombrowski said, tongue in cheek, at a news conference at Comerica Park, introducing the 39-year-old Nathan as the team's new closer.
'We're thrilled, because we identified for ourselves a situation where the No. 1 goal in the winter-time would be to come up with a premium closer. We felt that he was the best closer out there. We did have conversations with other people, but he was really a guy we identified from the very beginning. He's proven. We think he's the type of guy that can pitch for a club that has a chance to win a championship, so it's a great marriage.'
And Hunter was the one who set it all up?
'Apparently, he was. We definitely were in contact. We talked one time, and we both expressed how much I wanted to be here, and he expressed how much he wanted it to happen, and he was going to get on the phone to make it happen, make a call to the GM. I appreciate his work, but I know that Dave (Pepe, Nathan's agent) was hard at work, as well. I'm sure that's what got it done, not so much what Torii did,' Nathan said with a grin.
'This was the club that we ultimately wanted to be with.'
That was the same way it played out with Hunter, who was the No. 1 target for the Tigers last offseason, and vice-versa.
This year's marriage fills just as important a hole for the Tigers, who haven't really had someone you could call a lock-down closer since Jose Valverde's 49-for-49 season in 2011, if you even want to qualify that as such. The Tigers went through several options at closer last season, before settling on former set-up man Joaquin Benoit near midseason. He is a free agent, and currently unsigned. He's also unlikely to be back in his old role, now that the Tigers have signed Nathan.
'I don't see Joaquin coming back as a set-up guy, no,' Dombrowski said. 'I think somebody will probably sign him, from all indications, as a possible closer somewhere, so I don't see that being a fit for us.'
While Benoit did a very good job for the Tigers in that role in the regular season, the sore spot of the bullpen was glaring in the postseason. And Benoit was a neophyte at the position, having never recorded more than six saves in a season.
Not so with Nathan, who's currently tied for 10th on Major League Baseball's all-time saves list (341), and the active leader now that Mariano Rivera has retired. Nathan has four 40-save seasons, and recorded 80 over the last two seasons in Texas.
'Should be good for 100-plus saves the next couple of years,' Dombrowski joked, as he settled Nathan's No. 36 jersey on him at the press conference.
Nathan: 'That's the plan.'
And that's a large part of the reason Nathan chose to come to Detroit: The chance to win.
'Why would I come here? Shoot. I think the question is, 'Why wouldn't I?' This team is ready to win, this team can win now. Not just win, but - like I said before - it's not just getting to the postseason, but for me, it's about getting to the big one, getting to the World Series, and that's been something that's not been a part of my career. It's eluded me. That's what it's all about for me,' he said.
'I just think this is going to be a lot of fun. This has always been a club that I'd admired from the other side. They always looked like they were having a good time playing this game. I don't think it's going to be any different coming over here. I think it's going to be a lot of fun to join this team, and we can produce a lot of wins. That's what it's all about.'
And it's the reason that Nathan stated early on - publicly, not just to Hunter - that he wanted to come to Detroit. That was reciprocated, although Dombrowski said that Brian Wilson - the former San Francisco closer who finished last season with the Dodgers - was the other of the two main targets the Tigers had, going into the offseason.
That doesn't matter to Nathan, who got what he wanted.
'I'm just super excited. I think from the moment we became a free agent, I think this was the No. 1 club we had our eyes set on. And were hoping this day would happen. For us to be sitting here, and getting it done, signing the papers today, getting a chance to talk to y'all, is a dream come true. I'm excited for February to come, and get out on the field,' Nathan said.
'Even though I know a lot of guys on the club, whether by playing with them, or against them for so many years, it's going to be nice to get on the field and be teammates with them, get 2014 started.
'Everybody has one goal in mind, and that's not just win, it's win a championship. That's why we're here.'
Hunter and Nathan played together for the American League Central rival Minnesota Twins - Nathan calls Game 163 in 2009 'definitely the best game I've ever played in. ... Sorry to bring it up.'
But he's not the only guy with whom Nathan has played, or who he's looking forward to joining. Ian Kinsler, acquired from Texas in trade for Prince Fielder on Nov. 20, was Nathan's teammate for the last two years with the Rangers.
'Obviously, for me, I'm excited that they were able to pick him up in trade, and obviously with this being where I wanted to be - I didn't know if it was going to happen, but knowing I wanted to come here - I was excited to follow him here. It's going to be fun to play with him for a few years. Fans here are going to fall in love with him. They're going to see right away he's something special,' Nathan said.
'I'm excited to rejoin with guys like Torii Hunter, Ian Kinsler. I'm also getting a chance to watch Miguel Cabrera play on a daily basis, which is going to be special for me. Getting a chance to watch (Justin) Verlander and (Max) Scherzer go out, and see what they do on a daily basis, and see what they do, as far as preparing themselves. This is a game about learning. You can learn, even though I'm 39 years old. I'm going to learn a lot from them.'
Dombrowski also touched on various topics concerning the Tigers on Wednesday:
-- He made it official that Miguel Cabrera will move back over to first base, and Nick Castellanos will replace him at third base. 'We talked about it internally, right after the trade. ... We felt it would be the best situation for the Tigers,' Dombrowski said. 'It was a matter of timing, touching base.' Cabrera concurred, when Dombrowski spoke with him.
Castellanos, when contacted by new manager Brad Ausmus, said he'd been taking grounders at third base since the Fielder trade was announced.
-- Since closer was the No. 1 priority, is there a new No. 1, now that the first has been filled?
'I think as we've always said, there's no perfect club. You can always address your next spot. I don't have what I would say is a glaring 'OK this is going to be our next step.' We'll just see if we can improve our ballclub various ways,' Dombrowski said, before later backtracking a bit, and identifying left field as a possible spot to add a player, considering the Tigers are short of outfielders, with Castellanos moving back to the infield. 'I'm sure we'll have to do something else, in some regard, because we're limited in our outfielders.'
-- That doesn't mean that the Tigers will be players for any of the remaining big-name free agents that they've been tied to, like Shin-Soo Choo.
'I would think that we would not be involved in the big free-agent market,' Dombrowski said. 'Again, we're on Dec. 5, but I don't anticipate any of the major names that are out there, that our name's attached with, I don't anticipate those be our signings.'
-- Several of the team's earlier moves described as giving the Tigers 'flexibility' to do other things. One of those was getting a closer. Are they related?
'I can't say they're all directly, per se, related, but they're all related to some extent,' Dombrowski said.
Even after that, are the Tigers in a better position to maybe extend long-term the contract of one of their soon-to-be free agents than they were at the start of the offseason?
'Without using names, I'd say yes we are,' Dombrowski said.
-- Minor-league infielder Dixon Machado was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster.
Matthew B. Mowery covers the Tigers for Digital First Media. Read his 'Out of Left Field' blog at opoutofleftfield.blogspot.com.


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Last week, Ben and I tested out a new payments platform from American Express called Serve. Foodbuzz and American Express partnered up to give a few of us food bloggers the opportunity to try this new way of paying for dinner at the table. Serve is a digital payments platform that allows you to manage your money, while also providing a way to pay others who have Serve accounts. For example, when you're out to dinner with friends and the restaurant server brings the check, one person can pick up the bill while the others settle up with them later through their smart phone or home computer. This way, everyone can just relax and continue to enjoy their drinks. I don't know about you, but I hate going through the rigamarole of splitting the check and I know it's frustrating for the server as well. So, in this scenario, Serve comes in very handy.
We got to use Serve for the first time when having dinner with friends at The Back Abbey, a small gastropub that other friends introduced to us last year. Not only do they have an enormous selection of fine beer and wine, but their food is to die for. We love their swanky burgers and the pretzel appetizer that's accompanied with a dip that is so good I always ask for extra. And, their fries? Well, you can see from the photo below that the portion size is plentiful, and they are also delicious!
I didn't bring my dSLR camera because I figured I could use Instagram on my iPhone to snap my photos. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out so well because the lighting was too dark and since I have an older iPhone without a flash, I couldn't snatch one decent photo. Luckily, Ben had a couple of pictures from our outing last year at The Back Abbey, so the two well-lit photos are from then...just so you can get an idea of the place. 🙂 Below, is one of the photos from our recent visit, which just shows you how bad the lighting was:
After dinner, it was so nice to have one person pay the bill and not ask the server for separate checks. Then, Serve made it really easy for us to pay back our portion of the meal from our home computer. I just logged into my account at Serve.com and inserted the email address of the person who paid for the bill (they must have a Serve account, too) and Serve took care of the rest. Here is a screen shot of my steps:
See? Pretty easy! Right now, if you sign up for Serve, you will automatically receive a $10 credit! This is free money, people! 🙂 You can choose to link your bank card to the account, or deposit money directly into it and opt for a debit-type card to use. If you have kids, you can create a subaccount for them so you can pay them their chore money, or send them a few spending bucks while they're away at camp or college! There is more Serve can do, and they plan to do more in the future. Read more about how it works here and sign up. Then, come back to this blog post and leave a comment within the next 7 days to enter a giveaway for $100 credit to your own Serve account! Winner will be announced the end of January.
Full Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a $250 stipend to try Serve from American Express. Sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account! Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found here: https://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/4622317-win-serve-dollars-giveaway-official-rules


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Kookaburra Licorice
Classic Liquorice
Our Original Liquorice Range including traditional black liquorice and classic strawberry liquorice.
Kookaburra's black and strawberry liquorice products were the first soft eating, Aussie style liquorice to arrive in the USA.
Our black liquorice is full flavored and aromatic, with the distinctive taste of real liquorice root and is 98% fat free!
Our strawberry liquorice offers a sweet berry taste and Kookaburra's renowned soft eating texture and is 97% fat free!
Both traditional black and classic strawberry liquorices are available in a 10oz gussetted resealable bag, 12oz tub, 8oz chapel box, 2oz snack bag, and jumbo 15.4lb bulk case. Made in Australia.
Indulge today!


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AARP's shot over the bow on the fiscal cliff talks is most unpleasant. Perhaps you've seen the ad on TV. As seniors go about their day, a stern female voice says of Medicare and Social Security, "We earned them."
She goes on, "If Washington tries to cram decisions about the future of these programs into a last-minute budget deal, we'll all pay the price." She left out "down your throat."
Several unpleasantries here, in addition to the blatant threat. There's the return to the nastiness and half-truths that buried productive conversation during the debate over ObamaCare.
Unlike Social Security, Medicare is only a partly earned benefit. The average two-earner couple retiring at 65 can expect about $351,000 in benefits after paying $116,000 in lifetime Medicare taxes.
Medicare should be subsidized by other taxpayers, but don't pretend it's not.
The AARP ad was a bit unexpected in that the lobbying group for older Americans supported the Affordable Care Act – Medicare savings and all. Why it's running this ad now is unclear.
Does anyone seriously believe that a cherished universal program like Medicare is going to be quickly chopped up just to get us past the fiscal cliff? Or is this about marketing?
Anyhow, one wishes that the elderly and those claiming to represent them would get over the idea – as AARP did during the ObamaCare brawl – that savings in Medicare spending automatically translate into benefit cuts. The elderly lost not a splinter of benefits in the reforms. They actually gained some. A more positive tone on the ways we can curb our rising health care costs is in order.
Think of replacing a 1975 refrigerator with a modern energy-efficient model. The new one does the same thing – and perhaps new tricks, like making ice – but costs less to run. No one would see this as any kind of appliance come-down. But something about health care hinders our accepting that savings can be found that don't impair quality of product.
Look at Canada. From 1980 through 2009, its medical spending on those 65 and older rose only 73% [after inflation], while American spending rose nearly 200%, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Making this difference still more remarkable is that the Canadian system has not allowed deductibles and copayments since 1984.
Had America done what Canada did, it would have spent $2.16 trillion less over these three decades. And yes, medical outcomes for older Canadians were as good [or better] than those for their U.S. contemporaries.
Of course, Canada's simple single-payer system saves a good deal on paperwork and other administration costs. Canada places hospitals under strict budgets, and controls spending on new buildings and equipment.
By contrast, America's medical-industrial complex thrives on quantity of care. [Lots of studies find that overtreatment can actually hurt patients.]
Clearly, America is not going the single-payer route, nor should it. Having the government pick up all medical bills creates its own problems. But we can do some of the same things within the context of our multipayer setup.
In Canada, the government negotiates better prices for drugs. Our Medicare drug benefit forbids that. Canadians emphasize primary care, which means a family doctor – not an expensive otolaryngologist – gets first crack at a sore throat.
Another Canadian advantage is lower medical malpractice costs. American conservatives are right: We must curb litigation.
Like the $10,000 handbag that's become a status symbol because it costs so damn much, America's extravagant medical system has been sold on the notion that the more you pay, the more you get. In health care, that's not necessarily so. In some cases, the opposite is true.
– Froma Harrop's columns appear regularly in The Oklahoma Observer
Creators Syndicate


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A 27-year-old male presents to the prison infirmary with penile pain. He reports having had the pain for the past three days, ever since accidentally catching part of the skin of his penis in his pants zipper. The patient reports previous good health. He is mildly developmentally delayed and has bipolar affective disorder for which he takes Depakote. The patient arrived at this facility one week ago and is newly incarcerated. He denies any sexual activity since he arrived. He reports being in a monogamous relationship with a woman for the past year. He denies ever having sex with men. The patient is examined by the infirmary nurse and found to have a 1.0 cm x 0.5 cm single oval lesion on the shaft of the penis and pronounced bilateral inguinal adenopathy. The on-call doctor is consulted; he prescribes a topical antibiotic ointment. Three weeks later, the patient is seen in follow-up. While the penile lesion has resolved, he now has a macular/pustular rash on his chest. A rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test is ordered. It is reactive at 1:128. The diagnosis of syphilis is confirmed by microhemagglutination assay for Treponema pallidum (MHA-TP).
What is the patient's diagnosis at initial presentation? The patient more than likely has genital ulcer disease (GUD) due to genital herpes, primary syphilis, or chancroid.
What is the patient's diagnosis on second presentation? His diagnosis is secondary syphilis.
GUD is often difficult to diagnose due to the variability in clinical presentation. A correct and rapid diagnosis is important, however, as an inaccurate or delayed diagnosis leads to a delay in treatment and therefore increases the likelihood that the inmate may infect others through sexual encounters. Incarcerated persons entering correctional facilities are at high risk for having sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) because of the high prevalence of risky sexual behaviors and limited access to health care for routine STD screening.1 In one study of adults screened for STDs on entering one of 23 jails, the prevalence of syphilis reactivity was found to be as high as 7.8% for men and 23.8% for women.2
Evaluation of Genital Ulcer Disease
The work-up for GUD begins by considering its infectious and non-infectious causes. Infectious causes of GUD include genital herpes, primary syphilis, chancroid, granuloma inguinale, and lymphogranuloma venereum. Genital herpes, caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 and 2, is the most prevalent cause of GUD in North America, followed by primary syphilis (Treponema pallidum), and chancroid (Haemophilus ducreyi).3 Granuloma inguinale (donovanosis), caused by the bacterium Calymmatobacterium granulomatis, and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), caused by Chlamydia trachomatis serovars L1-3, are rare causes of GUD in the United States. Donovanosis is endemic in certain tropical and developing areas, such as India; Papua New Guinea; Central Australia; and Southern Africa.4 A discussion of non-infectious causes of GUD is beyond the scope of this article, but should be considered if the work-up for infectious causes is negative.
Diagnostic Considerations
It is sometimes possible to make a diagnosis of GUD based on clinical criteria (medical history and physical examination) alone. However, the accuracy of a diagnosis based solely on history and a physical is highly variable, ranging from 22% to 80%.5 A thorough evaluation of all patients who have genital ulcers should include a serologic test for syphilis. It should also include a diagnostic evaluation for genital herpes by isolation in cell culture or direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) testing for type-specific and nonspecific antibodies to HSV. In settings where chancroid is prevalent, a culture for Haemophilus ducreyi on special culture medium may be performed. However, H. ducreyi culture lacks sensitivity and the special culture medium is not widely available. A presumptive diagnosis of chancroid can be made if 1) the patient has one or more painful genital ulcers, 2) the patient is not RPR-reactive based on a test performed at least seven days after onset of ulcers, 3) the clinical presentation (appearance of genital ulcers and presence of tender, suppurative regional lymphadenopathy) is typical for chancroid, and 4) evaluation for HSV is negative. A diagnosis of syphilis can be made from a positive nontreponemal test (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory [VDRL]) or reactive RPR, confirmed by a treponemal test (serum fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) and MHA-TP. A biopsy of the ulcers may be helpful in identifying the etiologic pathogen if response to initial therapy is poor.4 Finally, the association between GUD and risk for HIV has been shown consistently.12 HIV antibody testing should be included in the evaluation of all patients presenting with GUD.
The risk for acquisition of syphilis from an infected sexual partner has been estimated at about 30%.6 Transmission via blood products is theoretically possible since syphilitic organisms may survive for up to five days in refrigerated blood. However, the risk of transmission from a blood transfusion is negligible due to uniform serologic testing of all blood donors and a shift from transfusion of fresh blood to transfusion of refrigerated blood components.7 Needle sharing does not appear to play a role in syphilis transmission.8
Natural History
Patients may present for evaluation and treatment of signs/symptoms related to the different stages of syphilis infection: primary, secondary, latent, or tertiary. Primary syphilis is heralded by the appearance of a chancre, usually a single, painless, indurated ulcer with a clean base, and regional lymphadenopathy, on average three weeks after exposure. The physical appearance of these lesions may vary considerably, which makes clinical diagnosis based on visual examination unreliable.9 In men, lesions most commonly appear on the penis, specifically the coronal sulcus and glans. Anorectal chancres are common in men who have sex with men. In women, the lesions usually present on the labia majora, labia minora, fourchette, and perineum.
The onset of secondary syphilis typically occurs within a few weeks of primary chancre resolution. Manifestations are protean, ranging from a rash to central nervous system (CNS) involvement. The cutaneous lesions of secondary syphilis may easily be mistaken for other dermatologic conditions. Rashes can range from macular to maculopapular, follicular, and occasionally pustular. A rash due to secondary syphilis tends to be universally distributed and nonpruritic, commonly involving the palms and soles. Some patients may experience various degrees of pruritus.10 In untreated patients, the lesions resolve over several weeks and may heal with scarring or abnormal pigmentation. Other clinical manifestations of secondary syphilis include low-grade fever, malaise, lymphadenopathy (painless and most commonly involving the suboccipital, cervical, posterior auricular, and epitrochlear nodes), mucosal lesions (mucous patch involving the tongue, buccal mucosa, and lips), condyloma lata, alopecia ("moth-eaten appearance"), meningitis, ocular involvement and headaches.
Latent syphilis is defined as the period from the disappearance of the secondary manifestations until either a therapeutic cure occurs or tertiary manifestations develop.8 Latent syphilis is arbitrarily divided into early phase (from the onset of infection to less than one year) and late phase (more than one year after infection). The length of time for latent syphilis varies from person to person.
Tertiary syphilis may involve the skin, bones, CNS, cardiovascular system, and great vessels. The five major categories of CNS syphilis include 1) asymptomatic (presence of cerebral spinal fluid [CSF] abnormalities in the absence of neurologic symptoms or signs), 2) meningeal, 3) meningovascular (diffuse encephalitic presentation with superimposed focal signs), 4) parenchymatous (rare since modern antibiotic era; may present as paresis or tabes dorsalis), and 5) gummatous (rare). In patients who are co-infected with HIV the natural history of syphilis may be altered significantly, resulting in an overlap of syphilitic stages, making delineation of stages on clinical grounds exceedingly difficult.11 This is rare in non-HIV infected persons.
Treatment and Follow-Up
For primary and secondary syphilis, parenteral benzathine penicillin G has been the treatment of choice for 50 years and is key for achieving clinical resolution, preventing sexual transmission and preventing late sequelae. The recommended dose is 2.4 million units intramuscularly, in a single dose. In non-pregnant patients who are penicillin-allergic and who have primary or secondary syphilis, either doxycycline 100 mg orally twice daily for 14 days or tetracycline 500 mg four times daily for 14 days are the accepted alternative regimens. Pregnant patients or patients with penicillin allergy whose adherence to therapy or follow-up cannot be ensured should be desensitized and treated with benzathine penicillin. Follow-up should consist of a clinical reexamination and serological testing at six months and 12 months following treatment. HIV co-infected patients should be evaluated at three-month intervals instead of six-month intervals. Nontreponemal test antibody titers (quantitative RPR or VDRL) are better correlates of disease activity than are treponemal tests.
Failure of nontreponemal test titers to decline fourfold within six months after therapy for primary or secondary syphilis, or signs/symptoms that persist or recur are indicative of probable treatment failure. Patients who fail to respond should be reevaluated for HIV infection. Other reasons for a lack of therapeutic response that should be considered include re-infection with T. pallidum and unrecognized CNS infection; however, re-infection usually cannot be reliably distinguished from treatment failure. To rule out possible CNS infection, CSF analysis is generally recommended. Patients who fail to respond should be re-treated with benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units intramuscularly given weekly on three doses if CSF analysis for CNS infection is negative. In rare situations where serologic titers do not decline despite a negative CSF examination and a repeated course of therapy, no additional treatment or repeat CSF examinations are warranted.
For early latent syphilis, benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units intramuscularly in a single dose is recommended. For late latent syphilis or latent syphilis of unknown duration, benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units intramuscularly weekly for three weeks is recommended. For non-pregnant, penicillin-allergic patients presenting with early latent syphilis, either doxycycline (100mg orally twice daily for 14 days) or tetracycline (500mg orally four times daily for 14 days) are acceptable alternative regimens. For non-pregnant, penicillin-allergic patients presenting with late latent syphilis or latent syphilis of unknown duration, doxycycline 100mg orally twice daily or tetracycline 500mg orally four times daily, either to be given for 28 days, are acceptable alternative therapies, in conjunction with close serologic and clinical follow-up. An important caveat to the use of these alternative therapies is that the efficacy of these regimens in HIV-infected patients has not been studied and should be used with caution. Pregnant patients who are allergic to penicillin should be desensitized and treated with penicillin.
Follow-up should include serial quantitative nontreponemal serologic tests repeated at six, 12, and 24 months. Persons with HIV should be monitored more frequently (six, 12, 18, and 24 months after therapy). Patients who fail to respond (i.e., titers increase four-fold, or an initially high titer of = 1:32 fails to decline at least fourfold within 12-24 months of therapy, or signs/symptoms consistent with syphilis develop) and whose CSF analysis to rule out unrecognized CNS infection is normal, should be re-treated for latent syphilis. Patients with HIV infection or patients who fail to respond should be managed in consultation with an infectious diseases specialist.
Public Health Considerations
Key public health strategies that will help prevent and control the transmission of syphilis, HIV, and other STDs in correctional settings include educating inmates about STDs and routine screening for STDs. Most public health departments require reporting of some types of STDs; make sure your correctional facility complies with the reporting rules of your local and state health departments. Partner notification with evaluation, treatment, and follow-up are also essential to limiting the transmission of syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections. The time frames for partner notification for primary, secondary, and early latent syphilis are three, six, and 12 months, respectively, before the development of symptoms in the index case. All sexual contacts of patients with late latent syphilis should be evaluated.8
Incarcerated persons are at high risk for STDs. Even the most astute clinician may find it challenging to correctly diagnose genital ulcer disease based on medical history and physical examination alone. Appropriate serologic and microbiologic tests should always be performed to determine whether the cause of GUD is infectious and to improve diagnostic accuracy. A thorough work-up of genital ulcer disease should always include HIV screening. Once the diagnosis has been determined it is important to begin treatment promptly and to schedule the patient for follow-up. This will prevent sexual transmission and late sequelae, and ensure an adequate response to therapy. In the event of treatment failure, HIV status should be re-evaluated.
Case presentation by Stephen Tabet, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Washington, and Director, Northwest Correctional Medicine Education Program. Case discussion by Kinji Hawthorne, M.D., Senior Infectious Diseases Fellow, University of Washington School of Medicine. A collaboration with the Northwest AIDS Education and Training Center, with Stephen Tabet, M.D., and Kate Willner, trainer. They have nothing to disclose.
Glaser JB, Griefinger RB. Correctional health care: a public health opportunity. Annals of Internal Medicine 1993; 118:139-45.
Mertz KJ, Voigt RA, Hutchins K, Levine WC. Findings from STD screening of adolescents and adults entering corrections facilities. Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2002; 29(12): 834-39.
Schmid GP. Approach to the patient with genital ulcer disease. Medical Clinics of North America 1990; 74: 1559-72.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines 2002. MMWR Recommendations and Reports 2002; 51(RR-6): 1-75.
Dangor Y, Ballard RC, Exposto FL, Fehler G, Miller SD, Koornhof HJ. Accuracy of a clinical diagnosis of genital ulcer disease. Sexually Transmitted Diseases 1990; 17:184-9.
Schroeter AL et al. Therapy for incubating syphilis: Effectiveness of gonorrhea treatment. JAMA 1971; 218: 711.
Anon. Infectious disease testing for blood transfusions. In NIH Consensus statement 13. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. 1995; 13-4.
Singh AE and Romanowski B. Syphilis: review with emphasis on clinical, epidemiologic, and some biologic features. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 1999; 12(2): 187-209.
Chapel TA. The variability of syphilitic chancres. Sexually Transmitted Diseases 1978; 5: 68-70.
Chapel TA. The signs and symptoms of secondary syphilis. Sexually Transmitted Diseases 1980; 7: 161-64.
Musher DM, Hamill RJ, Baughn RE. Effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the course of syphilis and on the response to treatment. Annals of Internal Medicine 1990; 113: 872-81.
Fleming DT, Wasserheit JN. From epidemiological synergy to public health policy and practice: the contribution of other STDs to sexual transmission of HIV infection. Sex Transm Infect 1999 Feb;75(1):3-17.
Back to the HEPP Report September 2003 contents page.


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NOGALES, Ariz. - There was nothing unusual about the call to the Border Patrol and Nogales police on Oct. 10 to report two men climbing the border fence to bring drugs into the United States.
Photos | Graphic of shooting scene | Video
It also was not unusual that once Border Patrol agents arrived at the scene and attempted to arrest the men, who were now fleeing back to Mexico, one or more people began to hurl rocks over the fence at the agents from the Mexico side of the border.
The decision by one or more agents to open fire on the rock throwers, though, is another matter. It is the subject of furious disagreement between the Border Patrol and critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union and human-rights advocates, who say agents resort to deadly force too often. The Mexican government has condemned the shooting and called for a thorough investigation.
At least one Border Patrol agent fired shots through an opening in the fence. Moments later, Mexican police found the body of a 16-year-old boy on the ground in front of a medical office. Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez had been shot eight times. Police investigators marked 11 bullet holes on the walls of the medical office.
Elena Rodriguez is the 18th person to be killed by Border Patrol agents since January 2010, with all but two of those deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border, says Vicki Gaubeca, director of the ACLU's Regional Center for Border Rights, in Las Cruces, N.M. Eight of those killed allegedly had been throwing rocks at Border Patrol officers.
In the most recent incident, there are discrepancies between the Border Patrol's version of events and accounts of witnesses on the Mexican side of the border. The Border Patrol said its agent fired at someone who was throwing rocks at the agents over the fence. Elena Rodriguez's family has said all the bullets entered the boy's body from behind.
The discrepancies may be resolved: A Border Patrol spokesman says video cameras on the border fence were in operation during the incident. Those recordings have been turned over to FBI investigators. Sonora's attorney general also has requested a copy from the Department of Justice, the attorney general's spokeswoman, Sandra Hurtado, said.
The FBI was on the scene hours after the incident and has collected reports from the agents and Nogales police officers. It is standard for the FBI to investigate deadly incidents involving the Border Patrol.
Even before Elena Rodriguez's death, the ACLU, several members of Congress and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had this year called for an independent, comprehensive investigation into Customs and Border Protection's policies on use of force.
ACLU attorney Chris Rickerd has criticized agents' actions in several deaths involving border agents, including a March 21, 2011, incident in which a Border Patrol officer in Douglas shot a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, Carlos Lamadrid, three times in the back as Lamadrid fled into Agua Prieta, Mexico. Rickerd said the Border Patrol should explain what disciplinary actions it takes when agents violate use-of-force policies.
The Border Patrol didn't respond by deadline to questions from The Republic about what disciplinary actions, if any, have been taken related to the 18 deaths.
Customs and Border Protection spokesman Michael Friel said the agency's use of force is based on the Department of Justice's policy. "Law-enforcement personnel are trained to use deadly force in circumstances that pose a threat to their lives, the lives of their fellow law-enforcement partners and innocent third parties," he said.
CBP wouldn't provide additional details on its use-of-force policy. But rocks are considered potentially lethal, and the agency typically has not disciplined officers for firing at rock throwers.
The agency doesn't classify rock-throwing incidents separately from other assaults on agents, but Friel said that such incidents are the most common type of assault along the border, numbering in the hundreds over the past three years.
No agents have been killed in rock-throwing incidents. Since early 2010, seven Border Patrol agents have been killed on duty: five in vehicle accidents; one, Brian Terry, was shot by drug smugglers in 2010; and one, Nicholas Ivie, was shot in a friendly-fire incident two weeks ago near Bisbee.
Lt. Carlos Jimenez of the Nogales Police Department said it's common for drug cartels to hire people as border lookouts "and to tell them if something goes bad to throw rocks to distract or deter law-enforcement officers ... They'll pay anybody willing to do it, youths, old people. They don't discriminate by age or gender."
Elena Rodriguez's mother, Araceli Rodriguez, insisted that her son would not have been involved in drug activity and must have been walking in the area when he was shot less than four blocks from his home.
"He wasn't a bad boy," she said tearfully in an interview at her home in Nogales, Sonora. A framed photograph of her son surrounded by flowers stood on a nearby table.
"They killed my little boy, and I want to know why. I want to know why they shot him so many times, why they shot him in the back," she said. "We want justice."
The Border Patrol declined to discuss details of the Elena Rodriguez case, citing the FBI investigation.
Nogales, Ariz., police Officer Quinardo Garcia was the first of several officers to respond to a report, at 11:16 p.m. on Oct. 10, of two men climbing over the border fence from Mexico.
Garcia said in a report that he saw two men carrying bundles of marijuana on their backs, jumping down from the fence onto the Arizona side and running toward houses on a street facing the fence. He chased them into a driveway and lost sight of them.
Moments later, he said, the first of several Border Patrol agents arrived, along with a police K-9 officer, John Zuniga.
In his report, Zuniga wrote that he spotted the two men, who had dropped their bundles, trying to climb back over the fence into Mexico. After Zuniga and Border Patrol agents yelled at them to get down from the fence, Zuniga reported that he "heard several rocks start hitting the ground, and I looked up and could see the rocks flying through the air."
As he took his dog back to his vehicle, Zuniga heard gunfire. When he looked up, he saw an agent standing by the fence.
Neither Zuniga nor Garcia reported seeing shots fired.
"I then heard an agent say, 'There is one 10-7,' which means out of service or no longer alive," Zuniga wrote in the report.
The Border Patrol initially told the public that an agent had fired and someone "appeared" to have been hit. The agency has not said whether more than one agent fired shots.
Across the fence, in his home and medical office on Calle Internacional, a street that runs along the border, Dr. Luis Contreras Sanchez was surfing the Internet when he heard someone run past his window, followed by at least eight shots, he said in an interview with The Republic.
"I turned out the light, dove down and called the police," he said. "I didn't hear anyone screaming or yelling outside, or I'd have gone out."
Minutes later, police arrived, Contreras Sanchez said. He looked out and saw the boy face down on the sidewalk.
While Border Patrol officials said that the agent fired after rock-throwers ignored repeated orders to stop, Contreras Sanchez said he didn't hear such orders. The Nogales Police Department's reports don't mention orders for the rock-throwers to stop.
To some Border Patrol critics, even if Elena Rodriguez was throwing rocks, the agent's response was not justified.
"If you see photos of where he was standing and where he allegedly was throwing rocks, from that distance, how lethal could those rocks be? How defensible is it to shoot someone?" asks the ACLU's Gaubeca.
The fence where the incident occurred was rebuilt a year ago as part of a project to construct more than 650 miles of new barriers mandated by Congress to tighten border security.
The new fence covers a 2.8-mile stretch from one end of Nogales to the other. Built of parallel beams constructed from a triple layer of rebar, concrete and steel, the fence averages 18 to 20 feet in height and has an extra steel barrier on top to make it harder to scale.
When it was completed during the summer of 2011, officials said the fence would better protect border agents from rock-throwers because unlike the old sheet-metal fence, which was 10 to 12 feet high, agents can see through it.
It may have had an impact. Border Patrol officers in the Tucson Sector, which includes Nogales, reported 251 assaults for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2011, a 40 percent drop from the previous fiscal year.
At the main border crossing in Nogales, the fence is at street level. Moving west, toward Contreras Sanchez's office, three blocks away, the fence climbs a steep hill on the U.S. side. Where Elena Rodriguez was shot, the base of the fence is 25 feet above street level; the top of the fence is roughly 45 feet above where the boy was shot.
The angle is such that it would be all but impossible for a rock-thrower to hit someone near the fence on the U.S. side.
Elena Rodriguez's family has hired a U.S. attorney, Luis Parra, to sue the Border Patrol.
Similar cross-border suits in recent years have been dismissed by U.S. courts. For example, 15-year-old Sergio Hernandez-Guereca was shot twice and killed by a Border Patrol officer in El Paso in June 2010, allegedly while throwing rocks as the agent arrested another youth.
The Department of Justice declined to prosecute the agent, saying he hadn't violated CBP's use-of-force policies or training. The department declined an extradition request by the state government of Chihuahua. Federal district courts twice dismissed suits by the family, alleging wrongful death and violation of the boy's rights. In both cases, U.S. District Judge David Briones ruled that U.S. constitutional protections don't apply because Hernandez-Guereca was a Mexican citizen and in Mexico at the time he was killed. An appeal to the 5th Circuit Court is pending.
David Shirk, director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego, called the judge's ruling "a legitimate legal interpretation in the absence of any higher court ruling that suggests otherwise . . . It exposes one of the many challenges of the border region that are not well captured in national law."
He said firing a gun on one side of an international border doesn't necessarily create legal responsibility for the impact in the neighboring country.
Gaubeca said that while the Mexican government could ask to extradite the Border Patrol agent, the U.S. government can, as it has before, simply say no.
"How do you wrestle with the issue of causing harm on the other side of an international boundary, and what remedy is there for people who feel this is a wrongful shooting or an inappropriate use of lethal force?" Gaubeca asked.
This, she argues, is why it's particularly important for the Border Patrol to train its agents to defuse confrontations.
Since 2007, when the George W. Bush administration launched a major expansion, the Border Patrol has nearly doubled in size, to more than 21,000 agents. To recruit and quickly hire that many new agents, the Border Patrol reduced requirements, deferred background checks and omitted lie-detector tests that had been standard, and shortened training that officers receive, said John Carlos Frey, a filmmaker who this year produced a documentary on the patrol for the PBS program "Need to Know."
Rickerd, of the ACLU, said in a recent blog post that the Border Patrol should "make clear whether or not it abides by best law enforcement practices," in terms of the training it gives agents, whether it equips them with adequate protective gear that would reduce their need to use deadly force, and what plans it has to install dashboard-mounted and other cameras to record its agents' actions.
On Monday, as she waited to meet with state police for any news on the investigation, Araceli Rodriguez shared one of the many questions to which she'd like an answer: "Why didn't the Border Patrol agents just fire a warning shot in the air?"
Several bullet holes circled by police are visible on a medical office in Nogales, Sonora. This photo was taken at street level looking back at the border fence.
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Montreux URComfort® Cushion
The Montreux URComfort® Cushion Collection harmonizes with the movement of your body to find the most comfortable position. Utilizing multiple pivot points and allowing movement of both back and seat, the Montreux URComfort® Cushion Collection promises relaxation. Designed by Peter Homestead, the Montreux URComfort® Cushion Outdoor Furniture is sturdy, stylish, and delivers deep cushioning. Get the most from outdoor patio furniture by pairing Montreux Cushion pieces with coordinating outdoor Tropitone® Tables under a Basta Sole® Market Umbrella.
Patent: 8534758, 8690247, 9084488
Swivel Rockers
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The following items are particularly suited to coordinate with the outdoor furniture styles found in this group.


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Auto Publishers Price Starting at
*Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your atual mileage will vary, depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions, battery pack age/condition (hybrid only) and other factors.VIEW OUR INVENTORY
A world-wide symbol of refinement, class and style; available wagon body style; fuel-sipping BlueTEC diesel engine available
For 2014, Mercedes has made subtle style changes to the E-Class coupes and convertibles, with updates most notable in the front air intakes, LED headlights, and grille. Inside, the center stack has been redesigned, with the gear selector moved from the center console to the steering column. Later in the model year, the E350 with BlueTEC 3.0L diesel V6 will be replaced by the E250, which utilizes a 195-hp diesel 4-cylinder producing 369 ft-lb of torque.


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Monster Battle takes you to an epic adventure that combines the best elements of role playing games and a classic match3 style game. In a beautiful castle, a handsome prince deeply fell in love with Cinderella. However, the prince was abducted by a mighty demon who has always been obsessed with the prince. In order to save the prince, the brave Cinderella set foot on adventures. If Cinderella happens to run into a monster the princess fights them in challenging match3 games. The princess is always accompanied by her trusty pets that assist her in fights and that can be upgraded to be even more effective. Play Monster Battle now for free and get into this epic adventure!
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Go on an epic boat trip with River Adventure the fast paced arcade game. Avoid rocks and bring your boat safely down the stream.
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The beautiful hidden object game Apothecarium - Renaissance of Evil takes you on an exciting journey. At mysterious locations like the planetarium you have to find the some things from a huge pile of stuff that is cluttering the space. While some of the things are easy to find you will run into problems from time to time to find everything. But worry not, you can always choose to use a magic hint that will get you back into the game in no time. And you will need those hints sooner or later, as the further your journey takes you the more objects you have to find. Play Apothecarium now for free and enjoy the fantastic graphics, the wonderful music and of course the challenging puzzles!
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Each model is customized with one interchangeable cabochon. You are free to modify your model in one movement adding another cabochon.
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Cabochon : Iceberg Medium, Moonstone (0.30 carat)


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Aviation is an integral part of the infrastructure of today's society. It plays an important role in the global economy; it supports both commerce (through business travel and air freight) and private travel. Aviation also plays an important role in military activity. As such, aviation affects the lives of citizens in every country in the world, regardless of whether they fly. The activities of the civil air transport industry have long been circumscribed by matters of public interest in addition to economic factors. Of most importance historically are matters related to safety and environmental issues associated with local noise and air pollution. Two global environmental issues have emerged for which aviation may have potentially important consequences: Climate change, including changes to weather patterns (i.e., rainfall, temperature, etc.), and, for supersonic aircraft, stratospheric ozone depletion and the resultant increase in UV-B radiation at the Earth's surface. Boxes 1-1 and 1-2 contain general descriptions of the basic science and the political process related to these two issues (without addressing aviation in particular), respectively.
| Box 1-1. Climate Change and the Framework Convention
Human activities release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and tropospheric ozone have all increased over the past century. These rising levels of greenhouse gases are expected to cause climate change. By absorbing infrared radiation, these gases change the natural flow of energy through the climate system. The climate must somehow adjust to this "thickening blanket" of greenhouse gases to maintain the balance between energy arriving from the sun and energy escaping back into space. This relatively simple picture is complicated by increased amounts of sulfate aerosol from human activities that modulate incoming solar radiation and tend to cause a cooling effect on climate, at least on regional and hemispheric scales.
Global mean surface air temperatures have increased by 0.3-0.6�C since the late 19th century, and recent years have been among the warmest on record. Any human-induced effect on climate, however, is superimposed on natural climate variability resulting from climate fluctuations (e.g., El Ni�o) and external causes such as solar variability and volcanic eruptions. More sophisticated approaches are now being applied to the detection and attribution of the causes of change in climate by looking, for example, for spatial patterns expected from climate-forcing change by greenhouse gases and aerosols. To date, the balance of the evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on the global climate.
Model projections of future climate, based on the present understanding of climate processes and using emission scenarios (IS92) based on a range of economic and technological assumptions, estimate a rise in global mean temperature of 1-3.5�C (best estimate 2�C) between 1990 and 2100. In all cases, the average rate of warming would probably be greater than any in the past 10,000 years, though actual annual-to-decadal changes would include considerable natural variability. A general warming is expected to lead to an increase in the occurrence of extremely hot days and a decrease in the occurrence of extremely cold days. Regional temperature changes could differ substantially from the global mean value, and there are many uncertainties about the scale and impacts of climate change, particularly at the regional level. The mean sea level is expected to rise 15-95 cm (best estimate 50 cm) by 2100, with some flooding of low-lying areas. Forests, deserts, rangelands, and other unmanaged ecosystems would face new climatic stresses, partly as a result of changes in the hydrological cycle; many could decline or fragment, with some individual species of flora or fauna becoming extinct. Because of the delaying effect of the oceans, surface temperatures do not respond immediately to greenhouse gas emissions, so climate change would continue for many decades even if atmospheric concentrations were stabilized.
Achieving stabilized atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases would demand a major effort. For CO2 alone, freezing global emissions at their current rates would result in a doubling of its atmospheric concentrations from pre-industrial levels soon after 2100. Eventually, emissions would have to decrease well below current levels for concentrations to stabilize at doubled CO2 levels, and they would have to continue to fall thereafter to maintain a constant CO2 concentration. The radiative forcing of greenhouse gas levels (including methane, nitrous oxide, and others, but not aerosols) could equal that caused by a doubling of pre-industrial CO2 concentrations by 2030 and a trebling or more by 2100.
The international community is tackling this challenge through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Adopted in 1992, the Convention seeks to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at safe levels. More than 170 countries have become Parties to the Convention. Developed countries have agreed to take voluntary measures aimed at returning their emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000, with further legally binding emissions cuts after the year 2000 proposed at Kyoto in late 1997. Developed countries have also agreed to promote financial and technological transfers to developing countries to help them address climate change.
Source: IPCC, 1996a.
| Box 1-2. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion, UV-B Radiation,
and the Montreal Protocol
Although ozone can be measured throughout much of the atmosphere, most of it is found in the stratosphere in a layer centered about 20 km above the Earth's surface. Stratospheric ozone is beneficial to life on Earth because it blocks much of the dangerous ultraviolet light (UV-B) radiated by the sun. If unnaturally high levels of UV-B radiation reach the Earth's surface, many forms of life can be harmed. For instance, UV-B can cause skin cancers in humans and may reduce crop yields.
Natural ozone amounts in the stratosphere result from a balance of production and loss processes involving chemistry, meteorology, and solar radiation. Since the 1960s, however, increases in atmospheric concentrations of human-generated chlorine- and bromine-containing compounds (principally chlorofluorocarbons and halons) have caused additional ozone loss. This trend has resulted in declines in stratospheric ozone amounts at middle and high latitudes in both hemispheres. The most dramatic manifestation is the Antarctic ozone hole, where more than half of the ozone is destroyed in a 6-week period each spring. In recent winters, similar features-but with half the ozone loss (20-30%)-have been observed over the Arctic, and at northern mid-latitudes a long-term decline of 5-10% has occurred over the past 20-30 years. Annual amounts of biologically active UV-B radiation have increased by about 10% over mid-latitudes since 1979. No significant loss of ozone or increase in UV-B radiation has been found in the tropics.
Concern that chlorofluorocarbons might destroy ozone was first raised in the 1970s. Following the general realization that these human-generated chemicals posed a real threat to the ozone layer, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was adopted in 1985. Shortly afterwards, the Antarctic ozone hole was discovered, leading to renewed pressure to control ozone-depleting substances. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed; it has since been ratified by more than 160 countries. Initially, the Montreal Protocol imposed clear limits on the future production of chlorofluorocarbons and halons only; as scientific evidence about ozone depletion has mounted, however, the Protocol has been modified to include other chemicals.
As a direct result of these controls, there have been marked reductions in emissions of these substances into the atmosphere; assuming full compliance with the Protocol, these reductions will result in reduced atmospheric amounts of chlorine and bromine. However, the magnitude of the ozone loss at any given time depends on a number of factors. Although the amount of chlorine and bromine clearly is important, other influences include the temperature of the ozone layer, the atmosphere's chemical composition, and long-term changes in atmospheric circulation related to climate change. How all of these factors evolve over coming decades will determine future ozone amounts as chlorine and bromine are reduced.
Source: WMO, 1999.
For both of these issues, the effects from aviation are part of a larger picture. Human-generated emissions at the Earth's surface can be carried aloft and affect the global atmosphere. The unique property of aircraft is that they fly several kilometers above the Earth's surface. The effects of most aircraft emissions depend strongly on the flight altitude and whether aircraft fly in the troposphere or stratosphere. The effects on the atmosphere can be markedly different from the effects of the same emissions at ground level.
A number of aircraft emissions can affect climate. Carbon dioxide CO2) and water (H2O) do so directly; other effects (e.g., production of ozone in the troposphere, alteration of methane lifetime, formation of contrails and modified cirrus cloudiness) are indirect. The emissions that can affect stratospheric ozone (i.e., nitrogen oxides, particulates, and water vapor) do so indirectly by modifying the chemical balance in the stratosphere. There has been sustained long-term growth in civil air transportation. For example, over the past 10 years, passenger traffic on scheduled airlines has increased by 60%. Over the next 10 to 15 years, demand for air travel is expected to grow by about 5% per year (Airbus, 1997; Boeing, 1997; Brasseur et al., 1998), though there are likely to be regional variations in demand. In contrast, no such increase in the numbers of military aircraft is anticipated; they are expected to remain static or even decrease. As a consequence, fuel use and emissions produced by future military activities are expected to be a decreasing part of the total from aviation (see Chapter 9).
Aviation fuel currently corresponds to 2-3% of the total fossil fuels used worldwide. Of this total, the majority (> 80%) is used by civil aviation. By comparison, the whole transportation sector currently accounts for 20-25% of all fossil fuel consumption. Thus, the aviation sector consumes 13% of the fossil fuel used in transportation; it is the second biggest sector after road transportation, which consumes 80% (IPCC, 1996b).
Given the continued growth of aviation, a number of questions have been raised regarding the future effects of aviation emissions on the global environment. For example, if supersonic aircraft (which fly primarily in the stratosphere) were to be introduced in significant numbers, what special effects might there be, and what trade-offs might be possible?
Figure 1-1: Major links between chapters in this report
Answering such questions involves consideration of a number of complex issues and assumptions about the future growth, technology trends, and operational practices of the aircraft industry. In the past, for example, fuel efficiency has improved dramatically over time, so total aviation fuel use did not increase as fast as passenger or freight traffic. Fuel use, CO2 emissions, and NOx emissions per passenger-kilometer have decreased, but the increase in total NOx emissions has been larger than the increase in total fuel use. If it is not technologically possible to reduce all aircraft emissions simultaneously, then some kind of trade-off may be needed. The relative environmental benefits of further reductions in all emissions need to be carefully considered; this analysis is one of the underlying aims of this report.
This report covers issues relating both to the atmosphere and to the aviation industry that address these questions. It is the first such assessment of a single industry and its global environmental impact. (Issues such as local air quality and ground transportation around airports are outside its scope, however, and are not discussed.)
The chapter structure and the major relationships between the chapters are depicted schematically in Figure 1-1. This chapter provides a background for the main part of the report and indicates where detailed information on each subject can be found. In Section 1.2, the present-day aviation industry is described. In Section 1.3, aircraft emissions that are most relevant for climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion are summarized. In Section 1.4, the use and development of future scenarios are discussed, and in Section 1.5, possible options for mitigating the atmospheric effects of aviation are outlined.
Other reports in this collection


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Emerald Harbor resident and retired geological engineer Dr. Weldon Frost says oil-and-gas drilling off the shores of Longboat Key is a no-brainer.
But the 37-year Mobil Oil employee is quick to point out that he doesn't believe oil will spout anywhere near the island's shores.
Still, Frost doesn't think it hurts to look.
At a Longboat Key Public Interest Committee debate on oil drilling held Thursday, Jan. 28, at the Longboat Key Hilton Beachfront Resort, Frost sparred off against Tallahassee-based Natural Resources Defense Council consultant Susan Glickman.
Glickman opened the debate by explaining an amendment filed in the Legislature last year to open up a former moratorium on offshore drilling on Florida's Gulf Coast would destroy the state's biggest industry.
Weldon, however, disputed Glickman's claims by calling himself "a victim of his own experience."
The retired geologist, who oversaw approximately 60 offshore drills with no incidents, said he was as much of an environmentalist as anyone else in the audience of approximately 55 people.
Frost said that 49,000 wells have been drilled in the Gulf, and there are currently 81 working oilrigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
"But the future of oil rigs in the Gulf is in deep water," Frost said. "Forty-one of the 81 working rigs are in water depths of 1,000 feet and 15 are working in water depths of more than 5,000 feet."
Frost stressed that he believes drilling is the right thing to do.
"This country imports approximately 70% of oil, while the Department of Energy that President Jimmy Carter created has grown to a budget of more than $24 billion," Frost said. "We have no energy leadership."
Frost said it bothers him that the United States spent $265 billion last year buying oil and spends $100 million per day to get oil from Venezuela.
But Glickman said Florida shouldn't consider oil drilling, because the United States only has 3% of the world's oil reserves.
"We can't drill our way to energy security by getting a limited amount of oil," Glickman said. "What we have to do is get away from oil."
Glickman did agree with Frost that there's not a whole lot of oil to be found between 3-to-10 miles off the Gulf coast.
"And if oil is found more than 10 miles offshore, the state couldn't even get any money from the drilling rights because it's currently not a revenue sharing state," Glickman said.
And although the state's energy association claims more than 24,000 jobs could be created if oil drilling is allowed off the coast, Glickman was quick to point out that even Frost said that only about 1,000 jobs would be created if oil were found off the coast.
Said Glickman: "Twenty-two oil wells were drilled off the state's coast years ago and they all were dry. So why are we thinking about spending money to open up drilling where there's no oil?"
Weldon, though, said he thinks companies should continue to drill everywhere.
"I think there's a lower risk from oil spills than having two years of red tide back to back," Frost said.
Frost received laughter from the audience when he said he found it funny that beach communities have no problem building a 10-story condominium "on a strip of pristine beach."
"But those residents have no problem complaining about a tiny light that they see nine miles out on an oil rig at night," Frost said.
Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected]
Emerald Harbor resident and retired geological engineer Dr. Weldon Frost says oil-and-gas drilling off the shores of Longboat Key is a no-brainer.


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Expresso Trail Day: Sunday, October 6th
This Sunday, October 6th, come on out and get dirty in the woods. We'll have swag from the NSMB Store, RockShox, and Dissent Labs – and of course we'll be providing lunch and generally having a great time.
With Digger's solo work, MEC's TAP trail days, and our crew's efforts, we're almost to the bottom of the "bowling alley" section. Expresso is running great and we're stoked to get some more gold laid down.
When: Sunday October 6th @ 8:30 am
Where: Upper Lynn School on Coleman St. Map HERE. At our meeting point we'll have Coffee from Cowboy Coffee/Bean Around the World and some breakfast goodies.
What to bring: It would be a good idea to bring some water to drink. If you'd like to bring tools you may but we'll have access to as many as we need as well.
Lunch: Lunch will be provided. Let us know if you are coming and have special meal requirements. We aim to please.
Experience necessary: None. If you are new to trail work we'll have lots of experienced builders there keen to show you the ropes.
Time commitment: That is up to you. If you'd like to ride up to meet us and work for a few hours part way through the day we'd be stoked to see you. If you can stay for the whole trail day great. We generally wrap before 3:00.
Story and photos from our earlier efforts can be found HERE. For a great visual recap of last year's work, check out Jerry Willows' photo set HERE and another set from Morgan Taylor and Jerry Willows HERE.
NSMB Team riders Stephen Matthews, Paul Stevens, and Trevor Hansen ride the new Expresso in video from Matt Dennison:
We hope you can join us on the 6th of October for some digging, hauling, water diverting, and of course lunch and good times. No experience is necessary and you might just walk away with something other than the guaranteed trail karma. Questions or comments welcome below…
Trending on NSMB
Pete Roggeman - Oct. 3, 2013, 9:53 a.m.
Been awhile since I've wielded a maddock and BBQ tongs in the same day. Looking forward to getting crackin' on Expresso again.
Jerry-Rig - Oct. 3, 2013, 9:27 a.m.
A popular option has been to ride up, work for a couple of hours and ride down. Best of both worlds and trail karma.
Please log in to leave a comment.


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Actor Ernest Borgnine dead at 95!
LOS ANGELES, Kalifornia - July 8, 2012 - Film and television actor Ernest Borgnine, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a lovelorn butcher in 1955's "Marty," has died at age 95, his manager said Sunday.
The thickset, gap-toothed Borgnine built a reputation for playing heavies in early films like "From Here to Eternity" and "Bad Day at Black Rock." But he turned that reputation on its head as the shy, homely title character in "Marty," taking home the Oscar for best actor -- one of four awards the film claimed.
His manager, Lynda Bensky, said Borgnine died of kidney failure Sunday afternoon. His wife, Tova, and children were at his side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, she said.
"It's a very sad day," Bensky said. "The industry has lost someone great, the caliber of which we will never see again. A true icon. But more importantly, the world has lost a sage and loving man who taught us all how to 'grow young.' His infectious smile and chuckle made the world a happier place."
Born in Connecticut to Italian immigrants, Borgnine - originally Ermes Effron Borgnino - began taking theater classes after serving in the Navy during World War II.
He had joined the service after graduating from high school during the Great Depression and had been discharged in 1941, but re-enlisted after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor launched the United States into World War II.
He made the move to films and then television in 1951, racking up more than 200 credits in projects ranging from the era of live television drama to the children's cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants."
He starred in the 1962-66 sitcom "McHale's Navy," was one of the original celebrities on the game show "The Hollywood Squares" and played William Holden's right-hand-man in Sam Peckinpah's revisionist Western "The Wild Bunch." He also was a regular on the 1980s television drama "Airwolf" and a frequent guest star on a variety of shows.
In addition to his Oscar for "Marty," Borgnine was nominated for three Emmys - the most recent in 2009, for a guest spot on the hospital drama "ER" - and won a life achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2010.
Tova Borgnine, whom the actor married in 1973, was his fifth wife. His previous marriages included a brief 1964 union with Broadway legend Ethel Merman that lasted barely a month before the couple separated.


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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and state Sen. Wendy Davis have formally registered their candidacies for their parties' nominations for governor in next year's primaries.
Abbott filed at the Texas Republican Party headquarters in Austin on Saturday after participating in campaign rally. The Democrat Davis filed Saturday at an Internet shipping company headquarters in Austin.
The two seek to succeed Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who isn't seeking re-election.
Abbott is the most lushly financed candidate in the Republican field for governor that also includes former Texas party leader Tom Pauken. Abbott cites his efforts to fight government expansion as his campaign's centerpiece.
Davis says she, too, is making job creation the focus of her campaign by promoting medical and research science, technology, oil and gas production and education.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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All prices are in All prices are in USD
WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF RUFF RUFF AND MEOW, where you can find doggie bandanas, dog shirts for puppies
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original, hip & humorous sayings silkscreened by hand on the finest doggie fashions.
Ruff Ruff and Meow outfits your dogs, from EXTRA SMALL DOGS to EXTRA LARGE DOGS, in only the hippest of designer clothes.
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We have chihuahua dog clothes, yorkie dog clothes, bulldog dog clothes, and styles for many other breeds.
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multiple washings and wearings. Our goal and commitment is always to quality and to welcome our customers back time and
time again as repeat customers.


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Pennsylvania: The East Coast's Darkest Skies
The Bortle Scale rates nighttime skies according to their celestial-body visibility, with a score of 9 for maximum light pollution and a 1 for inky blackness. While the East Coast averages a 7 (from space, it resembles the Vegas strip), northern Pennsylvania's Cherry Springs State Park scores a remarkably dark 2. The park's nearly flawless darkness is due to its perch: 2,300 feet atop the Allegheny Mountains. The 82-acre park is also 60 miles from the nearest city and surrounded by 262,000 acres of forest that shields residual glow. Go during a new moon, and pitch your tent in the northeast corner of the park's 48-acre stargazing field, where the scene is most expansive – at times the Milky Way is so bright it casts a shadow on the grass.
Getting there: From the Bradford Regional Airport, drive an hour on Highway 6 to Cherry Springs State Park. You can then make a reservation to stargaze overnight at the Astronomy Observation Field, which runs $11 for the first night.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!Back to top


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trying to get across Rick.
Anyone issuing a challenge, does so because the person he is challenging "has" a reputation.
Who challenges a "nobody"?
When the challenge is issued and when it is realized are two different and unique occurrences. A person doesn't happen to walk by a dojo and decides to challenge the person. Think of the thoughts you would have while you sleep on it, thought on it and after deciding to do it, going through the possibilities while walking into the arena.
Trust me.... you are pushing the negative thoughts away while trying to keep up your facade of confidence.
The mind conditioning is just as important as the physical conditioning. And... the person with the reputation has an advantage...


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Walter Dean Myers
West Virginia
United States of America
Walter Dean Myers is the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of more than eighty books for children and young adults, including Sunrise Over Fallujah, Fallen Angels, Monster, Somewhere in the Darkness, Slam!, Jazz, and Harlem. Mr. Myers has received two Newbery Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, and the inaugural recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. In addition, he was the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award and the 1994 recipient of the American Library Association"s Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring an author for a "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." He is considered one of the preeminent writers for children.
In 2012, Walter Dean Myers was named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. The National Ambassador program, sponsored by the Library of Congress and the Children"s Book Council, was established in 2008 with the naming of Jon Scieszka for the first two-year term. Candidates are selected based on their contribution to young people"s literature and their ability to relate to children.
Walter began writing at an early age. "I was a good student, but a speech impediment was causing problems. One of my teachers decided that I couldn't pronounce certain words at all. She thought that if I wrote something, I would use words I could pronounce. I began writing little poems. I began to write short stories, too." Realizing that his family would not be able to afford college, Walter joined the Army on his seventeenth birthday. When he got out, he worked various jobs and he wrote at night. "I wrote for magazines," says Walter. "I wrote adventure stuff, I wrote for the National Enquirer, I wrote advertising copy for cemeteries." A winning contest entry with the Council on Interracial Books for Children became his first book, Where Does the Day Go?
Amiri and Odette: A Love Story is a modern retelling of Swan Lake. "I had seen the ballet of Swan Lake as a child but it was as an adult, when I saw a production featuring Erik Bruhn, that I first noticed how significant a part the ever-present threat of violence played. This juxtaposition of great beauty and grace with a backdrop of pure evil stayed with me for years. As a writer, I absorb stories, allow them to churn within my own head and heart - often for years - until I find a way of telling them that fits both my time and temperament. In listening to Pyotr Tchaikovsky's score," Walter continues, "I found the violence muted, but slowly, in my head, the sometimes jarring rhythms of modern jazz and hip-hop began to intervene. I asked myself if there were modern dangers to young people similar to the magic spells of folklore. The answer of course, was a resounding yes, and I began to craft a modern, urban retelling of the Swan Lake ballet."
"I so love writing," says Walter. "It is not something that I am doing just for a living, this is something that I love to do. When I work, what I'll do is outline the story first. That forces me to do the thinking. I cut out pictures of all my characters and my wife puts them into a collage, which goes on the wall above the computer. When I walk into that room, I see the characters, and I just get very close to them. I rush through a first draft, and then I go back and rewrite, because I can usually see what the problems are going to be ahead of me. Rewriting is a lot more fun for me than the writing is."
Walter Dean Myers died in New York City on July 1, 2014 after a brief illness.


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NOTE: Michele over at Purple Onion is away due to a death in her family; she's asked that we wait to pummel her with orders til she's back and underway again. Her website says the 21st, with orders possibly taking 2 weeks, but I suspect it could be a little longer than that. Please be praying for her family in the meantime; and be patient with any orders you place.
If you're already a Purple Onion fan, and have a blog, drop me a note using my contact page – I'm working on a little surprise if you're game to join in.
24 Tags of Christmas 2017: Layered Images
If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I love Stacey Yacula's designs at Purple Onion Designs! She's such a good illustrator – and the images are really good ones for this technique I haven't used in a while: layering. Figure out what parts are in the front and which are in the back, and layer them with a little adhesive between….and you get a really fun look! Watch the video below or click HERE to see it in HD on YouTube.
As is tradition, I'll be choosing winners for each of the 24 tags made in these 6 videos – leave comments on the blog as well as on YouTube for more chances to WIN!
Christmas Bible Crafts: Chocolate Bibles
In addition to the tags for these 6 days, I've been sharing Christmas crafts on my other channel – this time…CHOCOLATE! You could use the sizes in the template, and add your own words to the "book" to make secular versions. Watch the video below or click HERE to see it in HD on YouTube.
Below are links to the supplies I've used for today's project. Compensated affiliate links may used, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog! Read more.
- Tag supplies:
- Purple Onion Stamps:
- Copic Markers
- Neenah Cardstock
- Xtreme tabs adhesive
- Detail scissors
- Lawn Cuts Dies, Fancy Scalloped Circle Stackables
- Chocolate Bible supplies:


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Earls EZ-Beader Tubing
EZ-Beader Tubing, 1-3/4" Tube O.D
PART# 015ERLBe the first to write a review
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EARL'S patented EZ (ROLLER) BEADER is a fresh approach to an old problem. In order to securely attach rubber water hose to rigid aluminum tubing, the end of the tubing must be beaded. Generations of racing mechanics have used military surplus Parker beading tools to do the job. We probably sold more of them than anyone. Unfortunately production ceased after WWII and the surplus kits have been scarce for over a decade. Compact enough to be used on already installed tubing, Earl's EZ-BEADER produces a properly positioned and perfectly radiused bead on aluminum tubing with wall thicknesses from .035" to .065". This is one tool that no serious racing mechanic can afford to be without.
- Properly Positioned & Perfectly Radiused Bead
- For Serious Race Mechanic
- Fresh Approach To Old Problem
- This Tool Adds Raised Bead to Tubing - Similar to a Hose Barb to Help Retain a Rubber Hose
|Emission Code
|Black Oxide
|Product Type
|Tube O.D.
|1-3/4 Inch
|Part Number
This part is legal for sale or use on Emissions Controlled Vehicles, Uncontrolled (Non-Emissions Controlled) Vehicles, and Racing Use Only Vehicles because it does not affect vehicle emissions and is not covered by emissions regulations.
*Free Shipping & Handling only offered to the contiguous US on orders over $100, excludes clearance parts and oversized packages.
Some parts are not legal for use in California or other states with similar regulations.


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By Saba Hamedy
Aja Riggs, 50, thought a lot about dying after she was diagnosed with uterine cancer.
She endured surgery in October 2011, then underwent aggressive chemotherapy that made her feel as if her skin was burning. She was constantly tired. Then doctors found a second tumor, which they treated with two different types of radiation.
"It was a pretty darn rough winter, actually," said Riggs, of Santa Fe, N.M. "I thought to myself, I don't know if I want to go all the way to the end with a death from cancer." She considered "what I needed to do if I would like to perhaps have a more peaceful and gentle death."
Now, a New Mexico judge has ruled that terminally ill patients, like Riggs, have the right to aid in dying under the state constitution. "Such deaths are not considered 'suicide' under New Mexico's Assisted Suicide Statute," ruled Judge Nan G. Nash of the 2nd District Court in Albuquerque last week.
"Aid in dying" refers to doctors prescribing a fatal dose of drugs so patients can "achieve a peaceful death and thereby avoid further suffering," Nash wrote.
"This court cannot envision a right more fundamental, more private or more integral to the liberty, safety and happiness of a New Mexican than the right of a competent, terminally ill patient to choose aid in dying," the judge wrote in a 14-page ruling.
Riggs became a plaintiff after hearing about the case on the radio in the spring of 2012, she said. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and Compassion & Choices, an end-of-life choice advocacy group, had filed suit on behalf of two New Mexico doctors, Katherine Morris and Aroop Mangalik. Riggs, the only patient in the case, said her parents and sister were incredibly supportive.
The defendants, Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg and New Mexico Attorney General Gary King, argued that New Mexico's assisted suicide law is consistent with the state constitution.
In their motion to dismiss the lawsuit, they wrote, "as plaintiffs describe it, the provision of 'aid in dying' is unquestionably assisted suicide ...calling assisted suicide 'aid in dying' does not make the conduct so defined any less an assisted suicide." Riggs and the other plaintiffs dispute that.
"Patients who choose aid in dying find the suggestion that they are committing 'suicide' deeply offensive, stigmatizing and inaccurate," said Sean Crowley, media relations manager at Compassion & Choices.
Laura Schauer Ives, legal director of ACLU of New Mexico, said the organization "believes it is a basic fundamental right for a terminally ill patient to make this decision for themselves at the end of their life."
The New Mexico attorney general's office is deciding whether to appeal.
Opponents to Nash's ruling include the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, citing both "religious and moral grounds."
"This (ruling) places the right to die in the hands of a second person who has to make a judgment about you ... and that's riddled with ethical problems," said Allen Sanchez, executive director of the conference.
The bishops hope the state will appeal, he said. In her ruling, Nash cited laws in Oregon, Washington and Vermont that permit aid in dying. She also cited a Montana Supreme Court decision allowing it, and noted that Hawaii has no law against assisted suicide.
"In those states, there is no uncertainty in the law and practice has developed as one of the standard of care options for mentally competent, terminally ill patients at the end of life," Nash wrote. Riggs sees the lawsuit as a chance to spare others from agonizing choices and agonizing deaths.
"I didn't want anybody else to have the feeling that I had of needing to choose between suffering and dying in isolation or in fear," she said. "I don't think anyone should be required to suffer at the end of their lives."
With her cancer in remission, Riggs is in Texas on a "no regrets remission trip" around the United States, she said.
If her cancer returns, she isn't sure what she'll do. "There's no way to anticipate what I might decide at the end of my life," she said. "But I want to have the choice."
(c)2014 Los Angeles Times


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People may be clamoring for a Saved by the Bell reunion, but it appears alum Tiffani Thiessen is not among them.
During an appearance on Tuesday morning's Today, the White Collar star partook in a TV-themed trivia challenge. But just as the games were beginning, Dennis Haskins, aka Mr. Belding, took the stage. Thiessen was clearly not impressed.
Check out other shows that should reunite
Just last month, Haskins told TMZ he's always supported a reunion.
"Honestly, the fans still love us and our show so much ... they deserve it!" he said.
In 2009, Jimmy Fallon attempted to reunite the cast, but instead got Mark-Paul Gosselaar to appear in Zack Morris mode. (Watch that hilarious appearance here.)
Watch Thiessen's stunned reaction:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Are you still holding out for a Saved by the Bell reunion?