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James Prather–
- Name
- James Prather
- Surname
- Prather
- Given names
- James
|Kentucky County, Virginia Formed
| December 31, 1776
Note: Kentucky County (then alternately spelled Kentucke County) was formed by the Commonwealth of Virginia by dividing Fincastle County, VA. into three new counties: Kentucky, Washington, and Montgomery, effective December 31, 1776. During the three and one-half years of Kentucky County's existence, its seat of government was Harrodstown (then also known as Oldtown, later renamed Harrodsburg).
|Articles of Confederation
| November 17, 1777
Note: The Continental Congress submitted the Articles of Confederation to the states for ratification. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation
|Kentucky County, Virginia Abolished
| June 30, 1780
Note: Kentucky County was abolished on June 30, 1780, when it was divided into Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln counties of Virginia.[1] These later petitioned together to separate from Virginia, which was approved by the Virginia House of Delegates.
|Death of a wife
|Sarah A. Beaty
about 1791
|Kentucky Becomes 15th State
| June 25, 1792
|Lincoln County, Kentucky Formed
| June 25, 1792
Note: Lincoln was one of the original three counties formed out of Virginia's Kentucky County. (The other two were Fayette and Jefferson counties.) These three were separated from Virginia to create the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1792.
|George Washington Relected
| December 5, 1792
Note: Geo. Washington relected to his second term as president.
|Knox County, Kentucky Formed
| December 19, 1799
Note: Knox County was officially formed on December 19, 1799. Losing counties were Lincoln County.
|Rockcastle County, Kentucky Formed
| January 8, 1810
Note: Rockcastle County was officially formed on January 8, 1810. Losing counties were Lincoln, Pulaski, Madison and Knox counties.
|New Madrid Earthquake
| December 16, 1811
Note: New Madrid Earthquake reverses course of Mississippi River.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Madrid_earthquake)
|Harlan County, Kentucky Formed
| January 28, 1819
Note: Harlan County was officially formed on January 28, 1819. Losing counties were Knox County.
|Unique identifier
|Last change
| September 24, 2004 – 21:47:23
|Family with Sarah A. Beaty
|Thomas Maynard + Sarah A. Beaty
|wife's husband


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Investment advisory trade groups released a review by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Thursday refuting the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's (FINRA) cost estimates in assuming the role of a self-regulatory organization (SRO) for advisors.
The review, conducted by BCG on behalf of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board), Financial Planning Association (FPA), Investment Adviser Association (IAA), National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and TD Ameritrade Institutional (TDAI), says that FINRA's one-and-a-half page estimate released on April 25 underestimates overhead costs and overestimates investment advisor examiner productivity.
FINRA issued a statement after the BCG findings were released, which stated that "until the Boston Consulting Group has at least one conversation with the SEC and FINRA about what it takes to run a nationwide examination program, their numbers should be viewed with skepticism and amusement. They are inventing the numbers out of thin air."
FINRA released its cost estimates the same day Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-NY, introduced legislation authorizing the creation of an SRO for advisors. FINRA is said to be the lead candidate in assuming such an SRO role.
FINRA's April 25 estimate of its startup and ongoing annual investment costs should it become SRO for advisors was far below projections released by BCG in December.
Highlights of BCG's review of FINRA's estimates include the following:
- FINRA's estimate omits the cost of SEC oversight ($90-$100 million) and the cost of enforcement ($60-$70 million), both of which are required by the legislation;
- FINRA's estimate of $12-$15 million in setup costs does not include staff costs incurred during the 12-month setup period, specifically the cost of examiners and support staff. FINRA only includes these expenses as part of its ongoing investment once the SRO is up and running. This omission accounts for $180-$230 million of the difference between the BCG and FINRA estimates;
- FINRA's estimate of the ongoing annual cost of examining 14,500 IA firms once every four years assumes that FINRA's IA examiners would be able to nearly double the productivity rate of SEC IA examiners, by performing 5 or more examinations per examiner per year. This compares to SEC IA examiner productivity of 3.0, and FINRA broker-dealer examiner productivity of 2.8. This productivity assumption accounts for $150-$170 million of the difference between the BCG and FINRA estimates; and
- FINRA's estimate does not include overhead costs in its estimate of $150-$155 million of ongoing annual investment. Overhead costs account for $135-$140 million of the difference between the BCG and FINRA estimates.
The trade groups also released a side-by-side comparison of the FINRA and BCG cost estimates the same day.
"We believe that the review of FINRA's cost estimates confirms the independent economic analysis conducted by BCG last year. We think it would be a mistake to add an unnecessary layer of regulation and cost on small businesses that deliver sound advice to investors," the group sponsoring the BCG review said in a statement. "We continue to believe that oversight of investment advisors should stay with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the most cost-effective alternative."
Chris Paulitz, spokesman for the Financial Services Institute (FSI), said in reaction to the BCG review that "FSI has long championed the small business needs of all financial advisors and, at the same time, worked to protect consumers. Instituting even basic RIA examination will level the playing field for all advisors, protect consumers and help RIAs flourish as trust is gained in their business model."

subset: commoncrawl


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Now that swimsuit season is here, I've been trying to cut back on the cupcakes and potato chips and incorporate more healthy snacks into my diet. I'm always on the look-out for simple healthy recipes that I can easily integrate into my hectic routine.
I'm about to share with you one of my favorites that I recently discovered:
{Strawberries and raspberries topped with 1/4 cup part skim ricotta; drizzle with honey; sprinkle with sliced almonds and natural granola}
What's your favorite healthy snack?


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What is wrong in marrying a non-Christian?
Submitted by admin on Fri, 2011-01-21 02:16
We live at a time when the Governments are encouraging mixed marriages as a means of national integration. Rationalists say that Christians are not having a universal and cosmic outlook when they forbid inter-religious marriages. Are the Christians communalistic and narrow-minded when they say with St. Paul "be not unevenly yoked" (II Cor. 6: 14)? There are many reasons for the Christian practice of marrying only Christians.
(a) Marriage is a sacrament and sacraments are not administered to the non-Christians as long as they do not join the Church. Even the Hindus have Sudhi-karma to make a non-Hindu a Hindu. The rite of initiation is practiced by all religions in one way or other to make one a member.
(b) Marriage is the most intimate bond in one's life and there should be deep agreement in the philosophy of life of both the partners, although certain different character or traits may be mutually complementary (e.g. a miser and a spendthrift). Religion is one's philosophy of life and so the partners must be of one religion.
(c) The bringing up of the children will be a problem in mixed marriages if the couple want to bring them up in the religious nurture. The child will be lost as to weather to go-to the temple or church. Family prayer is necessary in a Christian home and in mixed marriages, this will be impossible or at least difficult.
(d) Though there may be exceptions, many of the mixed marriages are ending up in separation, alienation, or even divorce. The emotional love affair that brought the couple together will not last long when the realities of family problem are faced by the couple. They do not have the anchor of a common religious faith to hold them together without a shipwreck.
(e) Every one must be loyal to the particular discipline of the church to which one belongs. Radicals who go ahead with the idealism of their individuality will soon find out that they are ostracized by their society, family, and even intimate friends. Mixed marriage does not seems to be a step to be taken to show an example to their community, for hardly anyone will follow suit except in love marriages.
(f) The tradition and long practice of the Church for two thousand years must have a strength of its own, which must be appreciated by the youth also. If one wants to marry a non-Christian, one must teach the partner the faith to which one belongs and convert the person to that faith and then have a religious wedding.


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Nikit Abhyankar
Nikit Abhyankar
Energy/Environmental Policy Research Scientist/Engineer
(510) 486-5681
Dr. Nikit Abhyankar, a Scientist in the International Energy Analysis Department at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is also an Affiliate and Senior Scientist at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Abhyankar has conducted extensive research and policy analysis on a range of key energy issues such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and energy access in United States and key emerging economies such as India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In particular, his research focuses on the following areas: (i) renewable energy resource assessment and grid integration, (ii) electricity markets and policies, (iii) technology and policy / program assessments for appliance efficiency improvement, (iv) impact of transport electrification on the grid, and (v) technology solutions for expanding energy access.
Dr. Abhyankar has published over 40 peer reviewed journal papers, research reports, and conference papers, and his research has been widely covered in the media, for example - The Los Angeles Times, Forbes, The Verge, The Hindu, Fountain Ink, Outlook India, Live Mint , InsideClimateNews, DailyEnergyInsider, NewsWise, Down to Earth, Listening Brief etc.
Prior to joining LBNL, Dr. Abhyankar worked with Prayas Energy Group in India where he analyzed the prevalent regulatory and policy issues in the Indian power sector such as reforms, rural electrification, tariff design, and RPS, etc.
Dr. Abhyankar received a PhD from Stanford University in Environment and Resources. He has a master's degree in Economics and an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering.
"Rapid cost decrease of renewables and storage accelerates the decarbonization of China's power system." Nature Communications 11.1 (2020). .
Estimating the Cost of Grid-Scale Lithium-Ion Battery Storage in India. 2020. LBNL-2001314. .
"EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE APPLIANCE-LEVEL LOAD SHAPE AND DEMAND RESPONSE POTENTIAL IN INDIA." Energy Innovation for a Sustainable Economy 11th-13th February 2020 The Park, Hyderabad, India 2020: 363-370. .
Accelerating the Transition to More Energy Efficient Air Conditioners in Indonesia. 2020. LBNL-2001333. .
"Reduced grid operating costs and renewable energy curtailment with electric vehicle charge management." Energy Policy (2019) 111051. .
"Providing reliable and financially sustainable electricity access in India using super-efficient appliances." Energy Policy 132 (2019). .


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Advisors appear to lack sophistication in advising clients about taking Social Security benefits, leading to mistakes that fall hardest on aging widows. That is the conclusion of a new study just published as a working paper of the Pension Research Council, a retirement research center affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
The paper's authors, Mathew Greenwald, Andrew Biggs and Lisa Schneider, based their findings on a survey of 400 financial advisors, drawn from a variety of different backgrounds including wirehouse and independent advisors, among others.
Yet advisors do not present a barrier to the prevalent tendency of Americans to claim benefits before reaching the full retirement age of 66, thereby ensuring a smaller lifetime benefit into advanced years when many Americans no longer have the option of continued work. Age 62, the first year Americans may elect benefits, is also the most common age chosen to do so.
To cite just one scenario discussed in the study, for a "man in average health earning more than his wife and intending to retire at age 62 with assets of at $800,000, it would clearly be advantageous to the wife if the husband delayed claiming; nevertheless, only 32% [of advisors] suggested the husband should claim at age 62 and only 20% suggested that the man delay as long as possible. Claiming at 62 would result in a significantly lower survivor benefit for the widow later in life."
In a phone interview with AdvisorOne, Biggs (left), an American Enterprise Institute scholar, attributed advisor errors to an overreliance on what is known as "break-even analysis," which asks how long it would take for the higher payments of a delayed claim to compensate for the benefits an earlier claim would have ensured.
"Most economists think that's kind of a simpleminded way of looking at it," Biggs says, since it overlooks the fact that delayed benefits provide higher income when people typically have the fewest options and also neglects to factor in the higher spousal and survivor benefits a later claim can generate.
Biggs says the persistence of break-even analysis is understandable. "For decades, that's how the Social Security Administration used to portray it to people," he said.
It also doesn't help, Biggs adds, that the typical American is disposed to early benefit claims. Europeans, he says, take longer vacations, whereas Americans take longer retirements.
"A lot of people don't think about the retirement decision very much. 'The benefits are available at 62; I'm going to take it.'"
To increase advisor effectiveness, Biggs calls for "greater outreach from the Social Security Administration to the financial advisor community in the sense that Social Security has been a source of information for them."
And that's starting to happen, he adds. "Social Security has policy experts, economists, actuaries [who can help]. Financial advisors do think about Social Security, but they have a lot of [other] things to work on."
Biggs also highly recommends that advisors avail themselves of new types of software that take into account the complex interaction of retirement, spousal and survivor benefits based on ages, incomes and longevity expectations.
"Financial advisors probably can't do these calculations themselves," he says.
Another key issue the paper addresses is how advisors frame claiming decisions. Seen as a gamble or as a (break-even analysis) money-saving approach, people tend to claim early.
But these approaches ignore Social Security's value as an annuity that protects people from running out of money in old age. Framed that way, as a form of insurance, people are more likely to delay claims for a higher guaranteed lifetime income.


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Greetings to all my blogfriends. I hope everyone is in tune with the holiday season and that you are having lots of fun. I have n't posted for a while because i was working like a maniac.
But to be honest i had a lot of fun working. I brought out all my cards(tarot cards, gypsy cards,Carl Jung cards, Great Leaders cards...) and it was interesting to see how some cards "click" better with some people than others even though i was always performing the readings. With the Winter Solstice and the blue moon around the corner i think it is a great opportunity to give you a few divinational tools.
I am sure you have all heard of tea leaves readings, but how about coffee readings? You use the same techniques and you need greek coffee or turkish which is basically the same. You drink the coffee while concetrating on the issues that bother you and you leave just a sip or two. On the bottom there will be left some coffee residue. With the liquid left, you twist and shake the cup, so that the mix is united again. Then you turn it over the sink and let it dry for a minute on a paper napkin. Your cup is ready for reading. Concentrate on the images that you see and let them flow in your mind. Take advantage of the power of the Solstice and the blue moon to see what the New Year has instored for you. Also do not forget to charge your crystalls and meditate. These days that are coming are going to be so powerful, that it would be a shame to not take advantage of them.
Brightest blessings, love and light.
Some divinational tools.
Greetings to all my blogfriends. I hope everyone is in tune with the holiday season and that you are having lots of fun. I have n't posted for a while because i was working like a maniac.
at 7:25:00 PM
9 comments:
- mxtodis123 said...
Good to see you back. Thanks for this post. I'd never heard of using coffee.
- December 14, 2009 at 9:47 PM
- Sharon Day said...
I'm glad you discussed that--I had a friend who lived in Croatia and learned to read coffee. I tried it once and I was amazed at the results. Hope you're having a cozy holiday time there. Not too long before it's Yule! I hope you do a post on what you plan to do for the holiday.
- December 14, 2009 at 10:09 PM
- Shadow said...
hiya. holiday are in full swing, and time does seem to be less, the more you have, go figure, hee heee heeee. anyway, got a question for you. what would be a good 'starting' crystal to get, where should you place it, how do you cleanse and charge it, and is there anything else i should know???
- December 15, 2009 at 11:37 AM
- Bitsa Lit said...
hey! good to hear from ya! I never heard of using coffee but then again, divination isnt one of my stronger gifts lol!
Merry Christmas...or Solstice...or Saturnalia...or whatever you celebrate lol! Merry season!
ps. I love the page!! its so pretty!!
- December 15, 2009 at 5:26 PM
- donna said...
What are Carl Jung cards? Would love to know where to get those...
- December 15, 2009 at 7:40 PM
- Sharon Day said...
My gift to blogs I follow is to tell them what I love about their blogs. Since I have over 90 blogs I follow, I'm on the "D" letters so far.
I'm thrilled to comment on your blog. I love the layout. It's really beautiful and fresh and fun. I just know I'm going to get some wisdom, some insight, and lots of magic. Please keep doing it. You are so refreshing and fun to read!
- December 16, 2009 at 1:02 AM
- Rue said...
This is a neat idea - and a great fun thing to try with my houseguests over the holidays!
- December 16, 2009 at 7:00 PM
- Bridgett said...
Hi, love! I've missed you.
The coffee divinational tool sound really cool...but I don't drink coffee! LOL
Blessed Yule!!
- December 19, 2009 at 3:25 PM
- the wandering broom said...
I've never done tea or coffee readings but I suppose you can do readings with just about anything. I heard you can also use leaves, bones, teeth, grass - I mean, isn't the concept the same? With all these things, you are looking with your "subconscious eye" to see patterns/shapes that can be representative of the events of your life...?
- December 21, 2009 at 1:45 PM


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Department of Surgery faculty members, both physicians and scientists, are world-renown in their subspecialties. Faculty members are passionate in their clinical care and research practices, as well as being mentors for medical students and trainees. The department also invests significant funds to provide protected time and lab space for junior faculty to perform research.
Kyle Graham Cologne
COVID-19 Impact on Colorectal Daily Practice-How Long Will It Take to Catch Up? J Gastrointest Surg. 2020 Jul 27.. View in PubMed
Phase II Trial of Neoadjuvant Bevacizumab with Modified FOLFOX7 in Patients with Stage II and III Rectal Cancer Oncologist. 2020 Jul 10. . View in PubMed
Laparoscopic Approach to Rectal Cancer-The New Standard? Front Oncol. 2020; 10:1239.. View in PubMed
Postoperative Considerations in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Surg Clin North Am. 2019 Dec; 99(6):1095-1109. . View in PubMed
Less is more: creation and validation of a novel, affordable suturing simulator for anorectal surgery Tech Coloproctol. 2019 Nov 11. . View in PubMed
Percutaneous drainage for hinchey Ib and II acute diverticulitis with abscess improves outcomes Turk J Gastroenterol. 2019 Nov; 30(11):976-983. . View in PubMed
Nonviral Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2019 Sep; 32(5):358-363. . View in PubMed
Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids Complication Solutions: Repair of a Completely Closed Off Rectum Dis Colon Rectum. 2018 Jun; 61(6):751. . View in PubMed
#colorectalresearch: Introducing a Disruptive Technology for Academic Surgery in the Social Media Age Dis Colon Rectum. 2018 Mar; 61(3):279-280. . View in PubMed
Social media engagement amongst 2017 colorectal surgery Tripartite Meeting attendees: updates on contemporary social media use Colorectal Dis. 2018 05; 20(5):O114-O118. . View in PubMed
Guest Editor's Comment: #SoMe Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2017 Sep; 30(4):225-226. . View in PubMed
Operative management of diverticulitis in a tertiary care center Am J Surg. 2017 Jul; 214(1):37-41. . View in PubMed
Arginine/Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Ratio in Colorectal Surgery J Clin Med Res. 2017 Jul; 9(7):555-559. . View in PubMed
Advances in Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery Surg Clin North Am. 2017 Jun; 97(3):547-560. . View in PubMed
Selected Techniques of Anal Fistula Surgery from Antiquity Through the Early 20th Century Illustrated Dis Colon Rectum. 2017 Jun; 60(6):636-646. . View in PubMed
Treatment-Based Three-Dimensional Classification and Management of Anorectal Infections World J Surg. 2017 02; 41(2):574-589. . View in PubMed
Factors Associated with a Short (<2 Days) or Long (>10 Days) Length of Stay after Colectomy: A Multivariate Analysis of over 400 Patients Am Surg. 2016 Oct; 82(10):960-963. . View in PubMed
Am J Surg. 2016 Sep; 212(3):433-9. . View in PubMed
Blood Transfusion Following Colorectal Resection: What Is the Real Story? Dis Colon Rectum. 2016 May; 59(5):359-60.. View in PubMed
Reply to: Social media and surgery: An alternative view Surgery. 2016 Mar; 159(3):978-9. . View in PubMed
Medically Treated Diverticular Abscess Associated With High Risk of Recurrence and Disease Complications Dis Colon Rectum. 2016 Mar; 59(3):208-15. . View in PubMed
Management of Complex Anal Fistulas Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2016 Mar; 29(1):43-9. . View in PubMed
Long-term follow-up of Fournier's Gangrene in a tertiary care center J Surg Res. 2016 11; 206(1):175-181. . View in PubMed
A Novel Classification, Evaluation, and Treatment Strategy for Supralevator Abscesses Dis Colon Rectum. 2015 Nov; 58(11):1109-10. . View in PubMed
Probing the Utility of the Rectal Examination Ann Emerg Med. 2015 Sep; 66(3):240-2. . View in PubMed
Social media is a necessary component of surgery practice Surgery. 2015 Sep; 158(3):857-62. . View in PubMed
Three-dimensional Laparoscopy: Does Improved Visualization Decrease the Learning Curve Among Trainees in Advanced Procedures? Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2015 Aug; 25(4):321-3.. View in PubMed
Use of the American College of Surgeons NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator for Laparoscopic Colectomy: how good is it and how can we improve it? J Am Coll Surg. 2015 Mar; 220(3):281-6.. View in PubMed
Cost of practice in a tertiary/quaternary referral center: is it sustainable? Tech Coloproctol. 2014 Nov; 18(11):1035-9.. View in PubMed
Effects of diabetes mellitus in patients presenting with diverticulitis: clinical correlations and disease characteristics in more than 1,000 patients J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2014 Mar; 76(3):704-9. . View in PubMed
Recurrent drug-induced ANCA vasculitis in a patient with Crohn's colitis treated with infliximab: a potential contraindication to immunosuppressive therapy Am Surg. 2012 Dec; 78(12):1406-8. . View in PubMed
Rectal foreign bodies: what is the current standard? Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2012 Dec; 25(4):214-8.. View in PubMed
Incisionless laparoscopic total proctocolectomy with ileal J-pouch anal anastomosis Am Surg. 2011 Jul; 77(7):929-32. . View in PubMed
Treatment of frostbite with subatmospheric pressure therapy J Burn Care Res. 2008 Nov-Dec; 29(6):1012-4. . View in PubMed
The impact of obesity on severely injured children and adolescents J Pediatr Surg. 2006 Jan; 41(1):88-91; discussion 88-91. . View in PubMed


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Daniel Tengs
Daniel Tengs is a freelance photographer based in Oslo, Norway. He picked up his first camera at the age of 15, and when he turned 19 he got his first photo sold. Daniel studied photography for 2 years at the Norwegian Kreative School in Oslo (NKF) Before he started working as a professional photographer.
He is specialized in extreme sports photography, and mainly ski and snowboard. Traveling the world with just the camera and a snowboard, he has seen many corners, already at the age of 29. He has worked with all the major publications in his genre, earning himself over 20 covers, and getting the front page of Transworld snowboarding, the biggest snowboard magazine in the world.
Traveling a lot and shooting catalogues for big extreme sports brands has only made him wanting more as a photographer. Daniel won photo of the year, at snowboard awards in 2015. Now he is a Fujifilm X-Photographer and "stoked" to represent a mirrorless future.


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The NC Budget & Tax Center (BTC) has developed a plan for raising revenues that will help to address the state's budget gap while simultaneously improving the long-term stability, adequacy and fairness of the state tax system. The BTC's plan, if enacted, would fill in approximately 30% of the state's budget gap in fiscal year 2009-10 and provide a net tax reduction for the bottom 60% of income earners. By asking large, profitable corporations and high-income taxpayers to contribute to the cost of preserving public investments, the BTC's plan maintains consumer spending and is better for the economy than regressive tax proposals.
The plan would:
- Close corporate tax loopholes and end ineffective business tax incentives;
- Broaden the base of the personal income tax and make it more progressive;
- Broaden the sales tax base to include digital downloads and services commonly taxed in other states; and
- Substantially increase the state Earned Income Tax Credit for working families.
Governor Perdue's budget wisely recognized the need to raise revenues to avoid deep budget reductions. Her proposal to substantially raise tobacco taxes is smart health policy, but from a tax-policy perspective, her overall revenue plan is highly regressive and would weaken the state's fiscal position in the future. For this reason, in addition to considering a substantial increase in tobacco taxes, lawmakers should fully consider the ideas put forth in the Budget & Tax Center's plan as they move forward in crafting the next state budget.


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German Flight Team
Virtual Airline
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Headley's knee feels good after initial workouts
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Third baseman Chase Headley put his surgically repaired left knee to work Wednesday and Thursday as Padres position players joined pitchers and catchers for the first two full-squad workouts of Spring Training.
Headley, who had arthroscopic surgery on the knee after last season, said his knee felt better almost immediately following the procedure and he was able to conduct his winter workouts on time and without restriction.
"Right now, it feels great," Headley said. "I think anytime that you have a surgery, you will have some soreness, but for the most part, it feels great and much better than it has in a year at least."
A switch-hitter, Headley said he would occasionally feel soreness in the knee last season when he was hitting from the left side.
"But it wasn't like it was part of the problem," he said.
A year after leading the league in RBIs in 2012, Headley fractured the tip of his left thumb in March last year, causing him to miss the first 14 games of the season. He also dealt with a stiff back and the pain in his left knee that flared up on occasion.
Headley said he felt the worst in terms of his knee in September, which was actually his best month of the season, hitting .305 with five home runs and 14 RBIs.
"It was just a little cranky some days, and some days it didn't feel too bad. There wasn't one move that necessarily made it worse. It was a matter of dealing with it," he said.
Headley is prepared for days this spring and during the regular season where he'll encounter some level of stiffness in the knee, but he's been told that's perfectly normal after surgery.
"Most guys who have this surgery will tell you for a year, you'll have days where you're stiff and sore, but once you get up and get moving, it gets better," Headley said. "I really haven't had any issues. I was able to do everything I wanted to do in the offseason."
Will Venable, Yonder Alonso, Chase Headley and Seth Smith take their first BP swings of the season. #PadresST https://t.co/yE754gvfVW- San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 19, 2014


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Pu-erh Old Fashioned Recipe
This drink offers all of the well-loved elements of an Old Fashioned plus the depth and earthiness of a Pu-erh tea infused bourbon.
There's no need to choose your best bourbon here, but it needs to be one that you can enjoy neat. I love Four Roses Yellow Label for this sort of drink.
Read more: Tippling With Tea: 3 Tea-Based Cocktails to Make at Home
- Yield:1 cocktail, enough pu-erh infused bourbon for 4 cocktails
- Active time: 5 minutes
- Total time:2 hours 5 minutes
- For the Pu-erh infused Bourbon:
- 1 cup (8 ounces) bourbon
- 2 tablespoons loose leaf Pu-erh tea
- For the Pu-erh Old Fashioned:
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- A few drops water
- 2 ounces Pu-erh infused Bourbon
- Garnish: Lemon twist (optional)
For the Pu-erh infused Bourbon: Combine the tea and bourbon in a jar and cover the jar. Let steep at room temperature for 2 hours. Strain the tea leaves and discard. Store infused bourbon in a sealed jar.
For the Pu-erh Old Fashioned: Put the sugar in an old fashioned glass then add the bitters. Add just enough water to saturate the sugar and muddle the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. If you don't have a muddler, use the end of a wooden spoon handle. Add the bourbon and top with ice. Stir 10 seconds to chill and combine; garnish with lemon twist if desired.
This Recipe Appears InTippling With Tea: 3 Tea-Based Cocktails to Make at Home
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Brave 11-year-old made decision to lose cancerous finger
AS SHE stared down at her hands, 11-year-old Zoe Cirson announced she was glad the doctors took away her finger.
When her mother Toni asked why, she expected Zoe to say it was because it took away the cancer.
"Because now I'm a little different," Zoe replied.
That's when Toni knew Zoe was strong enough to beat her disease.
Zoe was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a cancerous tumour of the bone, in her finger in July 2011.
After 12 weeks of chemotherapy in Brisbane, Zoe was given the option of having radiation or having her finger amputated.
She bravely decided to lose her finger because it gave her a better chance of beating the cancer.
"Zoe is a smart kid," her mother Toni said. "That is an amazing decision for a 10-year-old to make.
"She doesn't care what other people think."
After her finger was amputated Zoe had to face another 22 weeks of chemotherapy. She returned home only five days before her 11th birthday.
It's been about nine months since Zoe has been in remission and life is finally starting to return to normal for the Cirson family.
Toni said Zoe was doing exceptionally well now and had started Year 7 at Gladstone West State School.
"Zoe has been enrolled in the Ronald McDonald Learning Program to catch up with her studies," she said.
"She's one of the school leaders and she has even started playing the viola again.
"Losing a finger hasn't affected her playing at all."
The thoughts and prayers of the community, many of you complete strangers and still unknown to us, gave us a sense of security and helped to lift our spirits and keep us strong.
According to Toni, the whole family, including Zoe's father Andrew and two brothers Steven and Lucas, have learnt to appreciate the little things.
"It's opened our eyes and made us better people," she said.
"The little things that used to annoy you don't matter anymore."
A message to Gladstone from Toni Cirson:
OUR beautiful, vibrant and astute 10-year-old daughter Zoe was diagnosed with a Ewing's sarcoma in her finger on July 7, 2011.
This threw our life into a whirlwind of hospitals, oncologists, blood transfusions, chemotherapy and a roller coaster of emotions that none of us could have ever imagined.
Zoe never lost her joy for life or her thirst for knowledge. She amazed me every day with her fortitude and determination, and was ironically my strength at times when the situation felt so overwhelming.
Zoe completed her treatment in late May 2012, and was able to return home in June just in time for her 11th birthday. It was the best present ever for all of us.
I wish to thank the Gladstone community for the fundraising, donations and emotional support given to our family at this time.
The financial help was invaluable to us as it allowed us to maintain our two households whilst Zoe was in treatment.
As we went from a two wage household to almost half a wage during this time, the help was both needed and extremely appreciated.
The thoughts and prayers of the community, many of you complete strangers and still unknown to us, gave us a sense of security and helped to lift our spirits and keep us strong.
We are fortunate to be back home together and with our healthy girl, and blessed that we have such a wonderful community around us. It really was the little things that helped get us through.


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Getting fresh produce into the hands of homebound senior citizens is the goal of the new MealsPlus fresh produce program in Salt Lake County. Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services has partnered with Utah State University Extension to provide the fresh produce weekly to seniors as a supplement to the Meals on Wheels program.
"We are working with several partners to get fresh produce donated once per week," said Jeremy Hart, Salt Lake County's Independent Aging Program manager. "We harvest and package the produce on Monday and get it out to our seniors on Tuesday."
The MealsPlus program is volunteer based and relies on donations from local farmers and gardeners. USU Extension has played a vital role in connecting local producers with the program.
"Extension has been instrumental in helping us develop the program," Hart said. "They've helped connect us with many local farmers and producers. They also maintain the garden areas at Wheeler Historic Farm and all the produce harvested is donated to the program."
Katie Wagner, USU Extension assistant professor of horticulture in Salt Lake County, has worked to create partnerships within the community to help the program succeed. Wagner has facilitated a partnership with the Genesis Youth Center and Bell Organic Gardens. Several youth from Genesis Youth Center travel to Bell Organic Gardens each week to harvest excess produce to donate to MealsPlus. Wagner has also facilitated a partnership with the Salt Lake County Jail where produce from the jail's garden is donated regularly.
"It's the spirit of community partnership and it's a win-win relationship for everybody," said Wagner. "There's benefit for everyone involved."
Providing homebound or vulnerable seniors with fresh produce they might not receive otherwise is a way to ensure that they are getting the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, according to Hart. Although many of the seniors receive nutritious mid-day meals from the Meals on Wheels program, most don't have easy access to, or can't afford, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Currently, the program reaches less than 10 percent of Meals on Wheels clients. According to Hart, the goal is to increase that percentage so that all Meals on Wheels clients receive the fresh produce if they desire.
The MealsPlus program accepts both monetary and fresh produce donations. Those interested in donating or volunteering time are encouraged to contact Hart at (385) 468-3258 or at email@example.com.
Related link:
Utah State University Extension
Contact: Katie Wagner, USU Extension horticulture assistant professor, 385-468-4826, email@example.com
Writer: Casey Saxton, USU Extension public relations assistant, 435-797-0810, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Norton's Fishing Adventures offers the best fishing experiences available on Big Green Lake and the Fox River in the Green Lake and Princeton, Wisconsin area. Check here often for Lake Reports and to find out who made the Catch Of The Day.
posted by Captain Mike Norton @ 9:57 AM
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posted by Captain Mike Norton @ 9:56 PM
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From giving handmade items to sharing experiences like storytelling nights, discover wonderful and different ways to celebrate the spirit of Chanukah.
What do you buy for people who hate to spend? These gift ideas will thrill the cheapskate on your list by saving them money.
Don't give something that'll end up in the junk drawer. Instead, try one of these creative gifts that will be appreciated for months (or even years!) to come.
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As mentioned above, surveys show that the sulfur content of most fuels is well below specified limits. All of the surveys show that about 90% of fuels have sulfur content less than 0.1%. Figure 7-36 shows the historical trends for the U.S. and UK surveys. In the UK, average sulfur level has remained relatively constant since 1988 (Rickard and Fulker, 1997); in the United States, however, the average sulfur content in the NIPER survey has been increasing. This trend conflicts with reports (Hadaller and Momenthy, 1993) based on projections of increased hydro-treatment to reduce sulfur in gasoline and diesel fuel. However, changes in gasoline production have not significantly affected jet fuel because there is very little overlap in the boiling range.
The impact of the trend to use low-sulfur diesel fuels is not clear. Many refineries worldwide do not have the hydro-treating capability to make low-sulfur fuels. The API/NPRA survey for 1996 reported that 46% of the jet fuel blendstock in the United States was straight-run material that was not hydro-treated (API/NPRA, 1997). For many of these refineries with limited hydro-treating capability, the most economical approach may be to shift blending stocks with higher sulfur content to jet fuel, saving streams with lower sulfur for diesel fuel.
Without legislation, it is unlikely that average sulfur worldwide will change much from current levels of 0.04-0.06%. The fuel specification certainly could be tightened to allow no more than 0.1% without any apparent increase in cost or availability, and closer to 0.05% might be possible. There will be areas around the world where the sulfur will come down on its own, but there will also be pockets where it will stay relatively high. Specific details on future trends of sulfur content do not exist in the literature; a special survey of worldwide refinery plans would be required to develop a better picture.
Gas-to-liquid conversion processes to produce kerosene (e.g., Fisher-Tropsch processes) yield jet fuel that is almost sulfur-free. Although this approach is attractive in a few regions where there is an abundance of unused natural gas, it is unlikely that this resource will be significant until well into the next century, as the process becomes more economically viable (Singleton, 1997). Biomass gasification could also be used to produce the synthesis-gas feedstock for Fisher-Tropsch conversion.
Current aircraft-along with the airport infrastructure for supply, delivery, and storage of fuel-are specifically optimized for the use of current kerosene fuels; any significant changes in fuel type or specification would require major modifications to all of these elements. These are non-trivial matters involving major perturbations in the existing system, with significant efforts and costs. With this in mind, several alternative fuels have been considered in terms of their environmental impact. These alternatives include alcohols, methane, and hydrogen; more recently, some consideration has been given to using methylated esters of vegetable oils as kerosene extenders. Such fuels must be compatible with the basic capabilities and requirements of existing aircraft. They must have sufficient energy density, for example, to meet payload and range requirements. They must also be compatible with all materials (metallic and non-metallic) used in the engine's fuel system and have adequate lubricity to ensure that current margins and standards of safety-critical items such as fuel pumps are not compromised.
Figure 7-39: Idle efficiency trend for small engines.
Figure 7-40: Engine pressure ratio versus EI(NOx)
Introduction of an alternative fuel that does not meet the requirements of current aircraft would imply the use of a two-fuel system at all airports until all current aircraft are replaced by new, alternatively fueled aircraft. The prospect of limiting the availability of a new fuel to a few airports does not appear to be viable because of the need to retain full services for aircraft diverted by weather or mechanical problems.Although alternative fuels may offer some emissions benefits, the major disadvantage is significantly lower energy density compared with kerosene. This density deficit means that the aircraft would have to be designed with larger fuel tanks. Table 7-10 compares the net heats of combustion for several alternative fuels on the basis of mass and volume. For cryogenic fuels, there must also be consideration for the mass and volume of insulation.
Ethanol and methanol are liquid fuels that can be pumped and metered in conventional fuel systems, and they can be made from renewable energy sources. They are impractical fuels for aviation, however, because of their very low heat content, in mass and volume terms. From a safety standpoint, these alcohols have very low flash points-only 12 and 18°C, respectively-compared with the minimum allowed of 38°C. There are also chemical incompatibilities associated with fuel system materials, although these problems could be remedied with relatively minor changes. Furthermore, the combustion of alcohols produces organic acids and aldehydes in the exhaust at idle conditions on the ground, with attendant health hazards to ground support personnel (Eiff et al., 1992).There have not been any definitive engine studies using methyl esters of vegetable oils, such as soybean or rapeseed oils, although some evaluations are underway (e.g., Scholes et al., 1998). Adding such a material to jet fuel would not be allowed under any current fuel specifications for jet fuel because of compositional considerations. Furthermore, studies with methyl esters of soybean oil suggest that more than about 2% will raise the freezing point above the specification maximum. Based on the results of Eiff et al., (1992) using ethanol blends with jet fuel, adding methyl esters of vegetable oils to jet fuel would result in lower exhaust smoke/particulates at high-power conditions but increased CO and hydrocarbons at idle conditions, along with the presence of acids and aldehydes. The effect on NOx is uncertain, but would be directly related to any changes in flame temperature.
Aircraft gas turbines can be designed to operate on cryogenic fuels such as methane or hydrogen; conventional fuel systems, however, cannot handle these fuels. Such fuels would require new aircraft fuel system designs, as well as new ground handling and storage systems. Moreover, cryogenic fuels would have to be stored in the fuselage rather than the wings to reduce heat transfer. Because methane and hydrogen have only 65 and 25%, respectively, of the energy density of jet fuel, fuselages would have to be considerably larger than current designs-increasing drag and fuel consumption. For long-range flights, this penalty would be offset by a reduction in take-off weight because hydrogen and, to a small extent, methane have higher specific energies than kerosene. Design studies for hydrogen-fueled, long-range (10,000 km) aircraft have shown that the lighter fuel weight results in almost a 20% reduction in energy consumption compared to kerosene-fueled aircraft even accounting for losses (Momenthy, 1996). The same study showed, however, that for medium- and short-range (5500 km and 3200 km) aircraft, there is an energy penalty of 17-38%. For methane, there was only a small benefit for long-range aircraft and penalties of 10-28% for medium- and short-range aircraft.
Of these two cryogenic fuels, hydrogen may be more attractive from an emissions standpoint. CO2 and SOxO emissions would be eliminated. However, water vapor would increase significantly despite the reduction in energy consumption. For the same energy consumption, burning methane would yield about 25% less CO2 and about 60% more H2O than burning jet fuel. Burning hydrogen would result in 2.6 times as much water vapor as burning jet fuel, but no CO2. Table 7-11 compares the energy-specific emissions indices of CO2 and H2O at constant payload. (Effects of weight savings/penalties are not included in Table 7-11 because they depend heavily on the range of the aircraft.)
This basis of comparison could yield a quantitative "greenhouse" comparison of these three fuels if the greenhouse equivalency were known. Figure 7-37 presents the results from such a study for a hydrogen-fueled aircraft derived from the Airbus A310; the analysis takes into account the relative greenhouse effects of H2O, CO2, and NOx at different altitudes and shows that hydrogen offers a significant reduction in greenhouse effect over kerosene at all altitudes for this aircraft (Klug et al, 1996). Inefficiencies of production would alter these results somewhat in a comprehensive energy comparison, although water emissions are of environmental concern only at cruise altitudes. Figure 7-38 compares relative CO2 emissions from the manufacture and use of alternative aviation fuels from different resources (Hadaller et al., 1993). The potential benefits of hydrogen can be realized only if hydrogen can be obtained from water without the use of fossil fuels to provide the energy. Nuclear power is the best method identified in Figure 7-38. The Kvaemer process is being developed as a method for converting hydrocarbons into hydrogen, with carbon as a byproduct (as opposed to CO2 with the steam reforming process); if the energy requirements are sufficient, this fuel would appear on Figure 7-38 with a value less than 1.0. Kerosene from biomass [via a Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis process] would also have relative CO2 emissions less than 1.0 if included in Figure 7-38.
Liquid hydrogen offers an environmental advantage only if this fuel were produced on a renewable energy basis, as explained above. The necessary technology exists, but such liquid hydrogen is not economically competitive with kerosene at current price levels. On the other hand, liquid hydrogen based on renewable energy is the only candidate aviation fuel known today that would completely eliminate CO2 emission by aviation. Safety issues in the siting of storage and handling systems at airports pose significant challenges, however.
It is very unlikely that military aircraft will ever use any fuel except current kerosene-type fuels, for reasons of logistics and the desire to have one fuel for all aircraft and ground equipment.
On balance, it appears that current types of aviation fuel will continue to be the preferred option for gas turbine powered aircraft. This situation could change if liquid hydrogen could be produced by an environmentally acceptable and economically competitive method or if the need to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation becomes overwhelming. Aircraft now consume about 2.5% of all fossil fuels burned; therefore, they are not major contributors to anthropogenic CO2 discharged into the atmosphere. Future aviation demand growth rates are discussed in Chapter 8. The only emissions that are directly influenced by fuel type are CO2, H2O, and SOxO.
The properties of aviation fuels are controlled within fairly narrow limits, and allowable variations can have very little impact on exhaust emissions, with one exception-removal of sulfur. The sulfur content in jet fuel currently averages about 0.05% worldwide, well below the specification allowance of 0.3%. In the United States, sulfur content has been increasing slightly since 1990, but it appears relatively stable in Western Europe and probably the rest of the world. Sulfur will probably remain at this level for the foreseeable future unless it is legislated downward. The penalty for removing sulfur from petroleum-derived jet fuel would be about a 0.1% increase in CO2 emissions attributable to the aircraft sector as a result of the need to manufacture additional hydrogen; there would be no CO2 penalty if the hydrogen came from a renewable energy source or if nuclear power were used to extract it from water.
Sulfur-free kerosene can be produced by F-T processes from synthesis gas that could be produced from natural gas, coal, or biomass. The economics of these processes are improving. F-T jet fuel produced from biomass-derived synthesis gas would be essentially CO2-neutral.
Alternative fuels to kerosene that appear to be environmentally friendly have been identified; even if these benefits can be verified, however, introduction of such fuels will be hindered by significant technical problems in adapting these fuels to current aircraft designs and airport infrastructures. Using current technology, such changes would increase CO2 released to the atmosphere.
Alternative liquid fuels appear to offer little promise. Alcohols are not compatible with the fuel systems of current aircraft and will suffer significant range penalties as a result of lower heats of combustion. The use of esters of vegetable oils is limited to 2% at most before fuel blends fail freezing-point requirements. Burning alcohols and esters would increase emissions of CO, hydrocarbons, organic acids, and aldehydes.
The introduction of any cryogenic fuel would require the design and development of a new fleet of aircraft, as well as a new supporting infrastructure for the storage and handling of such fuel at airports. Cryogenic fuels are not compatible with the fueling systems of current aircraft, and their lower energy density would require much larger fuel tanks than on current aircraft. Studies have shown that cryogenic hydrogen could be a viable alternative to kerosene with significant reductions in greenhouse effects for long-range commercial aircraft if design and infrastructure problems can be solved.
Other reports in this collection


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Humidor Parts
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Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Portis loves Biden, and Dan Snyder too.
Clinton Portis joined Holden Kushner and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C. to discuss what he's been up to in the media and political worlds, a potential comeback, LaDainian Tomlinson's retirement and his appreciation for Daniel Snyder.
On how he's feeling and if he plans on making a comeback:
"I feel great, man. We'll see what happens. … Being away for so long, who knows? I think I'm cool with the idea of either - if I get another opportunity or if not - to move on in life. I already moved on in life, really, and it's kind of like, if things happen then cool, if not, that's cool too. I think I'm enjoying where I'm at right now."
On attending a fundraiser for Joe Biden:
"I can't tell you anything, but we were in a dice game together [said jokingly]. … Just being an Obama fan - when you look at what President Obama and Vice-President Biden has done for the economy. I think so many people want to point the finger and blame them for where we're at within the economy and I don't think that's fair. … You look at where we are in the economy and you see reporters talking back to the President and arguing with the President. You never would've seen that in life, and I think for them to be able to put up with it and continue to fight in trying to get this country back - it took longer than four years to mess the country up, so it's not gonna be put back together and everybody's not gonna get a job in four years. Everything that he propose to come out and change the economy, they shoot down. I like the desire to fight, to want to, in office. And I think if given the opportunity, given the second chance, maybe we'll see some change, but who knows. So I'm just a Obama-Biden fan, and I had the opportunity to tag along with Vice-President Biden and it was a great opportunity."
His reflections on LaDainian Tomlinson, who retired this week:
"I think LaDainian probably one of the best class-acts in football and the way he played the game was the right way. He was always one of my favorite backs. And coming up at the same time, being in Denver and competing against him week-to-week, myself him and Priest having the opportunity to compete in the same conference was amazing for me and I think it jump-started my career and gave me a different edge and a different outlook. So hats off to LaDainian for his accomplishments on and off the field. He was amazing on both and was really a human highlight reel."
On Redskins owner Daniel Snyder:
"I think so many people got the wrong idea about Mr. Snyder. I think he's a guy that is so dedicated to that Redskins organization and wants to badly to bring a championship to town and get the town what they want, and give Redskin Nation what they want, that a lot of people get aggravated with the change. I think he's willing to go out and do anything and everything that needs to be done to make that organization better. And so many people criticize that. There's a lot of owners that won't go out and put a dime into the organization, won't bring players in, won't pay players … and their fans are upset. So I think Mr. Snyder does all that he can and is really just a man that has the desire to win and he wants to win at any cost. I think he's doing everything he could to make the organization better, and the people within the organization - as far as the players - love him. I think he's a great guy. … He's still trying to find the pieces to the puzzle to get it on the positive side, and you have to applaud it."
This post, written by Brad Gagnon, appears courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews. For the complete highlights of the interview, as well as audio, click here.
More from Sports Radio Interviews
• Adam Dunn picks someone else as comeback player of the year.
• Jake Locker can live as a backup.
• Troy Vincent believes retired players need more mental health help.


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It's an early Thanksgiving surprise! For just a week only, we're giving Mutt customers 25% savings storewide* and free shipping on orders over $50!
Muttropolis fans are able to stock up during this sale on essentials, like a Jax and Bones bed, an Up Country collar or a Bowsers feeder, as well as new holiday additions, like a fun Santa sweater, a jingle bell-filled collar and more.
Check out a these items and more during our Biggest Sale of the Year! Savings begin on Monday, November 21st and ends Monday, November 28th. Visit us at our two Southern California locations or online to start saving! Online customers must use coupon code BIG25 at checkout to receive their 25% discount.
*Excludes food, treats and gift cards. Cannot be combined with other offers.


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Poverty rate in U.S. up 14 percent
From 2009 to 2010, the nation's median household income declined, the poverty rate increased and the percentage of persons without health insurance coverage was not statistically different year over year, according to data the U.S. Census Bureau released Tuesday.
Real median household income in the United States in 2010 was $49,445, a 2.3 percent drop from the 2009 median.
The nation's official poverty rate last year was 15.1 percent, up from 14.3 percent in 2009, registering the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate.
"Connecticut has made progress in major areas of late, such as enactment of an Earned Income Tax Credit, which will put more money in the hands of working families, decreasing poverty and help people pay for necessities like health care," said James Horan, executive director of the Connecticut Association for Human Services.
Trudi J. Renwick, chief of the Census Bureau's Poverty Statistics Branch, said poverty rates tend to increase during periods when median household incomes are falling.
The poverty rate among married couples in 2010 was 8.8 percent, while it spiked to 40.7 percent among female heads of household. A new category added by the bureau for 2010 was poverty rate by disability status, which rose by 2.9 percent from 2009 to 2010.
"Good data is critical to enlightened public policy, so the Census is always a valuable tool for us. While not Connecticut-specific, some of these findings are indicative of troubling trends," said Teresa Younger, executive director of Connecticut's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.
The Census Bureau will release a state-by-state breakdown of poverty and income data on Sept. 22.
"For example, we see that the poverty rate for female-headed households approaches 32 percent, whereas for male heads of household, the number is almost exactly half that rate (15.8 percent). If we look back over the last decade, we see that the rate continues to climb. We know that women overall tend to be poorer than men, and consequently, female-headed households are seriously at risk," Younger said.
Women's financial insecurity, as shown by the Census numbers, has many implications, including fewer assets over the lifespan, greater numbers of female elders in poverty, children who are getting a poorer start in life, stress-induced health problems and lower employment levels, Younger said. "This is far from a 'women's problem': these consequences ripple out to affect all of society," she said.
The commission is concerned with the employment, education, asset-building and health consequences of poverty. The commission plans to study Connecticut-specific trends it says are critical to understanding how public policy affects women statewide, through BEST (Basic Economic Security Tables), an initiative of Wider Opportunities for Women or WOW.
"The record numbers of women and families living in extreme poverty and without health insurance should send an urgent wake-up call to Congress to tackle the immediate deficit facing this nation--the lack of jobs--by acting swiftly on President Obama's job creation proposals and passing a robust package that will put millions of American women and men back to work," said Joan Entmacher, vice president for family economic security for the National Women's Law Center.
The poverty rate among women climbed to 14.5 percent in 2010 from 13.9 percent in 2009, the highest in 17 years, meaning more than 17 million women lived in poverty last year.
"Behind today's grim statistics are real people who are finding it harder than ever to keep a roof over their heads, feed their families, get the health care they need and give their children a chance at a better life," Entmacher said.
Another trend Renwick pointed out Tuesday was that of households "doubling up" to deal with the recession, which officially began in December 2007 nationally and ended in 2009.
"It is difficult to determine the precise impact of doubling up on poverty rates," Renwick said, but the Census report shows that in the spring of 2011, 5.9 million young adults ages 25 to 34 were living with their parents. Of those young adults, 45.3 percent had an income below the poverty line.
The number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 49 million to 49.9 million, a jump federal officials said was not statistically significant.
The national consumer advocacy group Families USA said that from 2000 to 2009, there has been a "huge erosion" in the portion of the country's population with employer-sponsored health insurance.
During those years, the population with job-based health insurance dropped from 64.2 percent to 55.8 percent, driven largely by increases in health insurance premiums, Families USA said.
Horan said the Census numbers show "that a lot of work still needs to be done, for children to have the care and environment they need at key developmental stages - and to ensure working people can earn enough to provide for their families without an outrageous gap between their wages and the cost of health care and necessities."
Connecticut Voices for Children (Voices) in its analysis of Census health coverage data said the number of Connecticut residents who lack insurance has increased in recent years, as fewer workers have been able to obtain health coverage through their employers.
The percentage of people under age 65 in the state who had employment-based health coverage fell from 78.6 percent in 1999-2000 to 70.8 percent in 2009-10.
Voices is a New Haven-based think tank and is encouraging the state's Congressional delegation to avoid federal budget cuts that could further increase the number of residents without health insurance.
"As fewer workers can obtain health insurance for themselves and their families through their jobs, we need to strengthen, rather than cut back on programs that work, like HUSKY," said Sharon Langer, senior policy fellow at Voices. "As families face this difficult economy, Congress should avoid funding reductions in Medicaid that would cut off help to struggling or unemployed families just when they need it the most."
Connecticut's HUSKY Plan offers a full health insurance package for children and teenagers up to age 19, regardless of family income. HUSKY now serves 241,000 children and teens across the state and also can provide health coverage for parents, relative caregivers and pregnant women, depending on income.
Among children in the U.S., 7.3 million or 9.8 percent were uninsured in 2010, a rate that was not significantly different from the 2009 rate of 9.7 percent. In Connecticut, there was a significant decrease in children who were covered by employment-based insurance, Voices said, from 77.2 percent in 1999-2000 down to 69.6 percent in 2009-10.
"We need affordable coverage that is portable and not dependent on profit margins so individuals and families no longer have gaps in their health care," said Juan Figueroa, president of Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut.
Individuals and small businesses need more affordable choices, he said. "And as long as small businesses, the main engine for job growth, remain hobbled by escalating health care costs and an inability to insure themselves and their employees, we cannot expect significant change in the number of the uninsured," Figueroa said.
Two key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which go into effect in 2014 will help mitigate the erosion of employer-sponsored health coverage, Families USA said: businesses with 50 employees or less will be able to purchase coverage for workers through new marketplaces called exchanges; and small businesses with 25 workers or less who earn average annual wages below $50,000 will qualify for tax credits.
Figueroa said 2014 "won't be soon enough for some of those businesses who are struggling right now."
Call Angela Carter at 203-789-5752 or follow her on Twitter @ReachAngi.


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They sent beetles.
The Japanese Beetles showed up after all. These unwelcome pests will do their best to completely strip leaves down to their framework of veins. I know first-hand that they love apple and cherry trees, grape leaves, sweet potato leaves, corn silk, beans and more. They are an evil scourge and the only way (acceptable to me) to get rid of them seems to be picking them off by hand.


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Go around-the-world for an epic video games trip
Avid gamers, step away from your consoles. STA Travel has launched a new package aimed at video-game fans, spanning three continents, eight countries and visiting 13 locations, all of which have been the backdrop for some of the most successful games of all time. Destinations include Thailand's Ko Tapu Islands, visited by Lara Croft in Tomb Raider Underworld; Havana, setting of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2; and Bandera County in Texas, which inspired the settings of Red Dead Redemption and Gun. Enthusiasts can go back in time at the New Hampshire retro Funspot Family Entertainment Center, a classic gaming museum dating back to 1952, before getting bang up to date at Tokyo's high-tech Taito Station, which according to Game stores, who co-devised the trip, "is the world's best arcade gaming experience." Seoul, London, Edinburgh, San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Bahamas are also on the itinerary.
The Epic Gaming Adventure trip takes four weeks to complete, costs from about $8800 based on two sharing, and includes flights and accommodation in four- and five-star hotels. For those who are happy to skip the luxurious hotels, STA can also offer a flight-only package from about $4200. The scope and price can also be further reduced to suit different time-frames and budgets.
The links to the places are a little loose in some cases and the "backstage pass" claims are a little farfetched (unless you have connections of your own), but those who are willing to combine the package with a bit of their own research could be in games heaven. Once you're on the ground, you're pretty much on your own, as the trip is unescorted. So beware of the zombies, carjackers and mutants
If you're a keen gamer, what games locations would you like to see?


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There are 1 item(s) tagged with the keyword "Green Jobs".
Busy couple of days in London, where I attended a couple of conferences and had several meetings.
The first event was 'The Public Sector Efficiency Expo', where I almost seen Francis Maude outline the coalition Government's policy on Public Services.


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A flash was sent to me through email and I really really wanna share it!!
Introduction by Nayzak (the one who made this flash):
Assalaamu alaikum [Peace be to you],
3 days ago, I saw one deviation here in this website called "Religion of Peace" where someone tried to prove, in his way, that Islam is not a religion of peace. he provided what he claims to be violent and aggressive quotes from the Holy Qur'an. I don't know if he read the Qur'an and quoted them or just found them in some websites…
I usually ignore this kind of people. but this one attracted my attention for a few reasons. so I decided to reply.
I could be wrong, but I think if I were to reply him in his page trying to explain things to him (and based on my experience with many people who attack Islam) the obvious reaction from him would be blocking me and hiding my comment. and since he expressed his opinion using his Artskills, I express my reply using my Artskills.
so here I reply to him in a place where even others may benefit from what I have to say.
I didn't post a link to his page. but one thing I'd like to remind you people: if you happen to go to visit his page and talk to him. be respectful. hateful comments will not convince him that he is wrong. wise conversations and civilized manners are what makes people understand each other.
thanks a lot.
it took me 3 days in order to finish this one. it's a little long but I hope you like it and benefit from it. if you find this useful, please share it with your friends and the people you know.
feel free to ask any questions you have. ^_^
let knowledge be shared with everyone.
WARNING: a very long slideshow (around 300 frames)
if you find any mistakes, please let me know.
I tested it several times, but since it's long, I might have missed some mistakes.
Wassalaamu alaikum,
I would love to add the flash here, but wordpress says 'no no' to it so i shall give you the link.
The islamophobist take Quranic verses out of context painfully. Oh! They don't even quote the full verse because it will let people know the truth and the logic behind it.
I truly say these people know what they are doing but they are afraid of Islaam's guidance, may be u can say they have an ill feeling, "Why God didn't create me in His guidance from my birth?".
Its like they don't want to agree, "Yes I was doing something wrong.." so they trap others to fall into their pit.
What I say to them is,
"Look don't spit on the sky, you know what happens!
If you say 'total peace' means you shouldn't kill an 'ant' then no one can be peaceful. Islam wants us to be 'truly' peaceful in an 'applicable' way. You will know the logic behind it when you learn it from 'the right person in the right way'"


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You're looking at the breathtaking work of Kumi Yamashita. The New York artist has made a name for herself crafting human figures out of the most unconventional media, including nails and sewing thread, denim, and — in the case of the sculpture up top — light and shadow.
Writes Yamashita:
I sculpt shadow with light or sometimes light with shadow, but both function in essentially the same manner. I take objects and carve and place them in relation to a single light source. The complete artwork is therefore comprised of both the material (the solid objects) and the immaterial (the light or shadow).
You'll find many more examples of Yamashita's work on her website.
[Spotted on boingboing]


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The summer of 1994, Barth and Jodl became a fixture at every scooter meet, selling their own specialty tuning parts along with an array of accessories. Soon, both became frustrated at the limited supply of quality tuning and custom parts.
Alexander Lehr,Dietzenbach
Jakob Leppert,Ruf, Achern
Marius Haller,Hürth
Martin Powell,Bacup (UK)
Our story begins back in 1989, when both Barth and Jodl started tinkering around on their own Vespas. Not satisfied with available tuning products, they started designing their own specialty parts.
It didn't take long for word to get out: soon, friends and acquaintances were lining up to purchase their parts. Scooter Innovation Parts, aka, SIP, got off to a running start; soon both were in close contact with tuners and suppliers in the scooter scene of that time: Stefan Onken from Nordspeed Tuning, Paul Melici from PM Tuning and Jim Lomas from JL Exhausts, to name a few.
Things were getting crowded in their modest shop, so in 1996, SIP Scootershop moved their headquarters to rented rooms in former barracks. Their first mail order catalog hit the streets - and was followed the next year with another new catalog with practically double the amount of articles.
Jamie Kerr,Lancaster (UK)
Patrick Finke,Lohmar-Wahlscheid
Patrick Wank,Bonn
Roland Krischker,Freiburg im Breisgau
From then on, a new catalog came out almost every year, and the amount of items doubled with each and every catalog. Soon, their first English catalog was presented to a growing circle of scooter afficianados: SIP was moving on in the international scene.
1999 came and SIP kept on growing. Parts and accessories for automatic vehicles joined the increasing amount of products now offered. Not only was SIP's pallet of products growing: the rented rooms were groaning at the seams, so Barth and Jodl decided to take over most of the building: 1000 sq. meters, that's practically 11,000 sq. feet.
SIP Scootershop was now one of the biggest mail order shops for motor scooter parts and accessories - thanks to a wide range of products and a team of 15 motivated, ardent scooter fans. Each member of the team, girlz and boyz, owned and piloted at least one, if not more, scooters.
The winter of 2002 opened a new capital in the SIP Scootershop Story. Once again, the rented rooms were virtually busting out, and field warehouses had to be rented to hold the ever increasing amount of articles. An old Ape TM from the 60's was continually trucking stuff back and forth from warehouse to shipping department much to the amusement of the neighbors.
The amount of time lost wasn't amusing: SIP's principle was quick and efficient delivery to their customers. This time, SIP needed a home of it's own: room for a call center, offices, shop, workshop, warehouse and shipping. Alexander Barth and Ralf Jodl put their heads together and came up with plans for a striking new building to be built in Landsberg's industrial zone. Deployment took one whole week, day and night, for SIP to move into it's new location.
Stefan Hacker,Altusried
Dr. Thomas Goppel, Bavarian Minister of Science
Thomas Eisele
Rainer Pilgermair,Hall in Tirol (AT)
Im Januar 2006 we got attendance from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. Dr. Thomas Goppel, Bavarian science Minister, was inspired and enjoyed the large collection of Vespas in our shop.
Same old story, same old tune: SIP Headquarters needs more warehouse room. A new high-rise warehouse was added, an additional 600 sq. meters floor space (that's circa 6,500 sq. ft.), 10 meters high (circa 33 ft.), in all, SIP now has more than 2,500 sq. meters warehouse space (ca. 27,000 sq. ft.) needed to store over 23,000 articles!
The SIP team has grown to 50 members, with more than 400 sq. meters office and shop space. A modern logistic system installed in February 2007, now enables SIP Scootershop to ship 400 packages each and every day. And the beat goes on.....
SIP Scootershop GmbH is an approved apprenticing company of the IHK (Chamber of Industry and Commerce) since 2000. Every year, 2 to 3 apprenticeship training positions in commerce and warehousing are available. The mail order company is training its apprentices in order to fill future job vacancies with qualified young staff members. Thus, it is important for every apprentice to keep the following in mind: personal commitment combined with an outstanding examination performance are the perfect basis for a successful professional start after the vocational training.
An exceptional example of this strategy can be found in summer 2007 Kathrin Brand, who spent her vocational training as a businesswoman engaged in wholesale and export trades with SIP Scootershop: her outstanding examination performance made her the best apprentice in this trade in the entire state of Bavaria.The president of the Bavarian Assembly of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Prof. Dr. Dr. Hc. Mult. Erich Greipl, congratulated the graduate as well as the training institution "in recognition of remarkable services for the vocational training" and handed over a certificate of recognition to each of the two.
The SIP LogoNot only does SIP have a story, it's name has one too. In 1994, on their way back to Landsberg from a scooter meet in Aachen, Alexander Barth and Ralf Jodl decided to start their own business. The first question was: what shall we call our new business? It should be short, sweet, and to the point - and understandable abroad.The two didn't intend to simply sell parts manufactured by someone else: they wanted to develop their own program of custom and tuning parts, and so after discussing it for a while, they came up with Scooter Innovation Parts.


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A massive storm has been lashing the Arctic, and its fury is so great that it's actually breaking up the remaining ice at the pole and whipping it into a substance that one scientist called "slushy." Over at the awesome DotEarth blog, Andrew Revkin has been keeping tabs on the storm, which is incredibly unusual for this time of year. Summers in the Arctic are generally quite mild, but this season has been an especially stormy one.
Here you can see an amazing stop-motion video taken from two cameras watching the Arctic ice during July and early August. Note that the storms are slowly moving the ice around.
Revkin asked atmospheric scientist William Chapman about the storm, and the scientist told DotEarth in part:
Low pressure systems tend to cause a divergence or spreading out of the ice pack (high pressure systems in contrast, cause convergence and compaction). The sea ice cover this summer was already very spread out. Much more of the Arctic ocean was comprised of individual broken ice floes and the pack ice had holes in it exposing ocean in many places. This storm should cause even more of that, especially in the far north where that storm will sit for a few days. To stay with the tea analogy, instead of a cup of iced tea with solid cubes floating on the surface, the storm will churn the tea into a more slushy consistency.
Though Chapman isn't sounding the alarm about this storm being a major cause of melting in the Arctic this season, he notes that it could cause some melt.
He explains:
The exposed open water caused by the wind divergence may absorb some additional sunlight and melt more ice than usual over the next few weeks (see NASA video on temperature-albedo feedback), but given that the sun is well on its way to setting for the winter, I think this effect will be fairly minimal.
Click to embiggen. Learn more about the storm via DotEarth
Satellite image of the storm via NASA


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Health Resources
Many veterans feel like they're trying to hold a soup sandwich together. A mess of emotions, nightmares and other issues. Or maybe just feeling like something's not quite right. All the time. Some of the time. Or out of nowhere once in a while. It's different for everybody.
But one thing is the same: Getting help is a good thing that can put you on a better path. Contact somebody today.


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Have we got a deal for you adventurous outdoor types. You can get both a modified 1992 Jeep Wrangler and a new wife with this
for the rest of your once in a lifetime package.
This listing from a Salt Lake City, Utah classified website has extreme desperation written all over it, but she's got some serious gumption to actually put this out for the world to see. Check out the full ad below and try to catch the little nuanced craziness if you can.
Free '92 Jeep Wrangler...
Midvale, UT 84047 - Jul 1, 2009
...with proposal and wedding ring.
That's right! Act now on this one-time offer. All you have to do is date and marry me and you can be the proud owner of a 1992 Jeep Wrangler (along with a 1970 woman). Jeep has a lift, safari top for the summer/hard top for the winter, rear locker, 33" tires and (new this year) an 8000 lb winch.
Not only do you get the Jeep, but you get me. And boys, I don't come stock. I am FULLY LOADED! My add-ons include: a great sense of humor, an affection for "garage nights" (that means working on stuff in the garage), an amazing work ethic, temple-worthiness, an appreciation for sports, the ability to live well within my means, logical reasoning skills, a "work hard so you can play hard" mentality, and I'm great with kids, too!
Terms and Conditions:
1. Marriage must last a minimum of 5 years.
2. Jeep cannot feel neglected - trips to Moab required - but it's a package deal. You take the Jeep, you take me!
3. Honda 400EX included in lifetime package.
4. Honeymoon required.
Contact me at email@example.com
Men only, please. I am ALL woman!
So, how badly do you want that Jeep now?
[via KSL.com]


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Happy Easter Patriots,
This is the season when we celebrate true freedom becoming available to all. By Jesus death on our behalf, resurrection and ascension into heaven, where perfect freedom will be enjoyed by all, he secured our ticket to paradise. All we have to do is accept it. America, the earthly land of freedom, would never have been possible had not Christ done what He did that first Easter.
Today, we as stewards of the blessings of Liberty passed down from Christ to our forefathers, have an awesome responsibility. If freedom is to remain on the earth, we must pass it along to our descendants. If this is going to happen, we must make converts. We must be Liberty Evangelists. Following is an attempt to explain my approach to "Liberty Evangelism. Although the term is not one I originated, I have co-opted it because I really like the way it so succinctly describes what I believe true patriots need to be engaged in.
One reason I like this term is that, as in Christian evangelism, the goal is to make converts. And not to a particular party or person, but rather converts from those kinds of loyalties and prejudices to those of allegiance to constitutional authority, the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence, and the true history of the United States. People and parties come and go, but these are things we can hang our hats on. They are what made America great and they will always be around, whether we abide by them or not. So, in order to try to help us all in our efforts to evangelize, I am going to share here a few experiences.
As I'm sure you do, I sometimes have occasion to talk to friends, neighbors, family and co-workers about these matters, especially in an election year, and here is somewhat of a journal of some lessons I have learned and am learning.
Co-worker A: I have talked with this guy several times and we do not see eye to eye to say the least. Even so, he always brings the subject up and wants to talk about politics. On one such occasion we did come to agree on something: that the tax code is a mess and needs to be fixed. But where we differed was, I think, very illustrative. He said that if we would fix the tax code everything else would take care of itself. I said that the tax issue, like all others, is just a symptom of the root problem, which is that we have strayed from the Constitution. In a subsequent discussion he asked me what I thought was the main issue facing America. I said it was that we have strayed from the Constitution. He said, "No. I mean an issue." I said, "That is an issue. It is the issue."
I mention this to show what I believe to be the difference between maybe winning a debate and maybe making a convert and that is to always bring it back to principles rather than to persons or policies. To the Constitution, Declaration, and true history. Here's why.
If we get into a discussion about persons or policies, these are always changing and one can always find something to like or dislike about any of them. So, if one is not looking for truth but for a way to rationalize what they've already made up their mind they're going to do, there is no way to win that argument or to make a convert. But, if we can base our arguments on principles, we don't get personal and emotional, and reason and truth have a chance to prevail.
With regard to Co-worker A, I have come to the conclusion that this kind of rationalizing is what he is engaging in. As such, I don't hold much hope that he will ever become a convert. Even so, as long as he wants to engage, I will do so, if for no other reason than because it requires me to better think through the issues. And, hey, you never know! He may come around. Truth is a powerful thing!
By contrast there is Co-worker B: While he and I don't necessarily agree on everything, he is malleable. He does not have an agenda that he wants to bend the truth to conform to. So, while I couldn't as yet count him as a convert, I am quite optimistic that he will eventually come around.
As I said, you never know what might be the result of speaking the truth. That's what I tried to do with both of these guys. I want to encourage you to do this as well. I think it can make a big and lasting difference.
May you and yours have a blessed and joyous celebration of the true freedom we have in Christ this Easter and always.
Richard Cochran, President
Macon County Patriots
April 7, 2012
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Breaking: Hope for Canned Pumpkin Shortage
Though the pumpkin crop wasn't so hot this year and some have flipped about a potentially apocalyptic canned pumpkin shortage, Whole Foods says settle down. According to an email from a PR representative we just received, the store has plenty of their Whole Foods Market 365 canned pumpkin in stock, in fact more than normal. The organic pumpkin crop didn't hurt as badly since it didn't face the same issues with fungus and mold. But if you still can't find the orange stuff, here are some pumpkin pie alternatives.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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MOTEL MOTEL: Real-Indie/Folkish-Rock
- x Coffee
x Mexico
Motel Motel is what I like to think of being true-hearty Indie, strut with Folk-ish tunes and vocals. A non-flashy band with song titles ranging from Mexico to Cigarettes and back to settling with the Mountains. The bands sound its self is a definite refresh-rate, tuning in with Neil Young, White Rabbits and perhaps a take of a timeworp Dylan. Your Dad would love it, but nevertheless, you would see Motel Motel having a small spread in NYLON all the same. Listen and search the song names on Hypem.com


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