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Yes, to spending public dollars from Vision2 to help local companies expand and create jobs. Yes, to purchasing land if it would help attract a specific company.
No, to spending Vision2 dollars for a project like building a business incubator for a specific industry. No, to using Vision2 funds to help most retail projects.
Those answers come from Jim Fram, senior vice president for economic development for the Tulsa Metro Chamber. Using public money culled from sales tax dollars to boost jobs is part of the Vision2 proposal on the ballot Nov. 6. It's included in the proposition that also would set aside $254 million in sales tax dollars to fund airport industrial facility upgrades, with the money raised through an extension of a sales tax hike approved by voters in 2003.
But administering a general economic development fund -- estimated to be roughly $50 million by Vision2 proponents -- poses many thorny questions about what are and are not acceptable uses for the money.
Fram said the chamber has made recommendations to Tulsa County commissioners about how the fund -- which has only a bare bones description in ballot language -- might take shape, his responses above to UTW questions about possible uses for the dollars.
First and foremost, Fram stressed that the proposed fund would be about creating jobs.
"It would be used for job creation and capital investment incentive projects centered around jobs that meet minimum payroll or minimum salary requirements and that are primary jobs," said Fram.
He added that the chamber is recommending salary standards similar to those set in Tulsa's Future, an effort led by the chamber to attract jobs that pay an annual salary of at least $50,000.
Most of the dollars for that initiative come from the private sector, though a city spokeswoman told UTW in July that the city's Economic Development Commission contributed $200,000 to Tulsa's Future in 2011.
The salary recommendation is part of a larger set of recommendations from the chamber to Tulsa County about how funds might be used. Though not yet public, a final version of these recommendations would be a public document, Fram said.
Fram said one key recommendation from the chamber involves the structure of contracts for any allocations made through the proposed Vision2 fund.
If "a company says if you will add overhead bay doors, we'll create 35 new jobs ... we would put that in a contract," Fram said. The idea is that if the jobs created didn't meet contract requirements, so-called "clawback" requirements would kick in as a safeguard of public dollars.
Fram stressed that any and all such contracts would have to first be approved by Tulsa County Commissioners in a public meeting.
While negotiations with companies seeking fund dollars would remain private, Fram said the name of the company would be disclosed before a vote on the contract.
Fram said the nature of the negotiations might involve keeping any company names off documents released in advance of public meetings.
"That would be a lawyer question," Fram said. "Just off the top of my head, my experience in Oklahoma over the last decade or so, they probably wouldn't put the name of the company on the agenda days before the public meeting." After a presentation, it would be up to county commissioners to decide when to vote on any such contract proposal.
Fram said that the chamber wouldn't recommend using the fund for construction of what's known as a "spec" building, a structure built without having a known tenant or occupant in place.
"The primary reason for that is we have private development and private commercial real estate people. ... We don't want to compete with them with public dollars," Fram said.
But the fund might be used to purchase land tied to the specific needs of a company, he said.
"If a company needed a certain amount of acreage that was available to construct a building or to store product on and the result of that would be creation of a set number of jobs and or a large capital investment, they would qualify for that land purchase," Fram said. "But the land would not be given to that company, but would be retained by the Tulsa County Industrial Authority."
Such funds elsewhere shy away from supporting retail projects, with some noting that those projects can potentially take away consumers from local businesses.
Fram said he would not completely rule out the fund supporting a new store venture, but said those jobs tend to be lower-paying and thus would not be the focus of the Vision2 fund. Fram said that, in general, "a job that requires no skill, making a low-end product that pays minimum wage, would not qualify" for assistance from the fund, he said.
Along with questions of how the money will be used come questions about how to best evaluate projects seeking assistance.
Fram said the chamber's own economic development initiatives already identify prospects that might create jobs.
"For example, right now we have about 40 active projects," Fram said. While not all of them would meet the criteria he laid out for Vision2 economic development funds, some would -- and the chamber might "negotiate a potential incentive" with the business prospects.
In an email, Fram also wrote that "any entity" might be involved in project negotiations, noting that "most, if not all, economic development organizations in Tulsa County already have paid staff in place who are very well trained in the area of negotiating."
While he said the chamber will have a role in evaluating projects, he brushed aside a question about possible conflicts of interest.
"We have a staff of 12 people. We are very cautious in what we have stock in and where we have our 401k's," Fram said, adding that the staff sign an "ethics form" as well.
He added: "When we present it to county commissioners, that's in the light of day. It's public, open to anybody to do any level of investigation."
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Kerrville, Texas Campgrounds & RV Parks - By The River RV Park & Campground is located on 40 acres and shaded by rugged Cedar, Oak and Cypress trees. Enjoy our 22 acre Island and more than 2,000 feet of Guadalupe River Shore. Fishing, Swimming, Kayaking, Birding, Hiking
La Paz, Mexico Bike Tours - Test listing - test listing only - test "Test listing - test listing only - test" Test listing - test listing only - test
Bedford-Blair County, Pennsylvania Horseback Riding - Horseback riding is the main attraction at our farm located in the Appalachian Mtns. of Pennsylvania's Fulton County. Enjoy watching wildlife in a peaceful, secluded setting. Stay in our four bedroom guest house filled with cowboy memorabilia.
Turkey Bed & Breakfasts - An unspoilt setting, luxurious surroundings and a warm, personal welcome... Opened in the summer of 2007, Mandarin is a delightful boutique hotel situated in an unspoilt natural setting close to south-west Turkey's magnificent Turquoise Coast.
Central, South Dakota Dude Ranch - 10,000 acre scenic ranch. Trail rides,hiking,spearfishing,cattledrives, feed deer fawns, buffalo, kayak,hunt, fish, drive tractors, ranch work, roping, lodging, meals, fossil hunting, campfires, archery, gun range,excape the city life!
Ukraine Cultural Experience - Fantastic opportunity to explore Ukrainian rural life and culture with native speaker and in a small group of 10-12 people staying with local families, visiting sustainable community projects, tasting organic cheese and listening to local music ba
Portugal Scenic Cruises & Boat Tours - We provide two hour boat tours from "Doca de Alcantara", in Lisbon, at € 45 per guest, up to eight. Depending on tides and wind, we leave at 10am, 3pm or 7pm, for sunset cruises, and sail between Belém Tower and Alfama. Free welcome drink onboard.
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West Hollywood
Saturday, August 20th, 2011 at 1:00 PM
2 years ago
SSMF: Street Festival featuring Motley Crue / Bush / Public Enemy / Ma
Sunset Strip Music Festival
Sunset Blvd. b'tween San Vicente & Doheny Drive,
West Hollywood,
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Comments from other Shows
TD Banknorth Garden w/ P!nk-Boston, MA
Fri 10/02 @ TD Banknorth Garden
suzanne t
so...If I have pink tickets, than can I still go at seven and see the ting tings? like my ticket says 8pm, and the ting tings are supposedly on at seven...wat gives?
Talk Back
Crue Fest feat Motley Crue, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, SIXX:A.M. & Trapt
Wed 8/06 @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Lil M
I'm there... better use it or lose it
Talk Back
M.A.N.D.Y. vs Damian Lazarus with Sleepy & Boo
Sat 11/10 @ Studio B
Made Event presents a double-headlining combo that is sure to whet even the most underground sensibilities with the German duo M.A.N.D.Y. going head-to-head with U.K. Crosstown Rebel's head honcho DAMIAN LAZARUS at Brooklyn's Studio B nightclub on Saturday, November 10th.
M.A.N.D.Y. are renowned for their ecstatic, energetic DJ sets and homespun productions with Booka Shade, they have also won over hearts and minds with the intelligence and sense of fun they bring to remixing. The diversity and talent of those artists who've commissioned reworks from M.A.N.D.Y. – among them Lindstrom, Royksopp and The Knife – is testament to their in-demand talents. Their latest release 12 Great Remixes For 11 Great Artists is a chance for those who missed some or all of M.A.N.D.Y.'s best re-versions to play catch-up for the very first time on CD., but it also works as a coherent start-to-finish listen, incorporating a range of styles, vocals and instrumentals, from the old (Roxy Music) to the new (Tiefschwarz, Rex The Dog et al).
M.A.N.D.Y., aka Patrick Bodmer and Philipp Jung, first met in Saarbrucken way back and have been friends ever since; they first started living and working together under various guises in Frankfurt, and they took up a DJing residency at the city's Monza club in 2001. This residency has continued to the present day, and they represent Monza in Germany, Ibiza, and around the world. Their considerable DJing experience gives them a deep, intuitive understanding of what works on the dancefloor and, by extension, what works in a remix. As such, '12 Great Remixes' is not just satisfying musically; it is also a tremendously powerful and effective assembly of club tracks.
Damian Lazarus Devil Night Tour 07
After playing parties on Halloween and Mexico's Day of the Dead, Damian Lazarus rises from the dead for a 2 week mission of grisly techno proportions which take him across the States to Guatemala City, Monterrey, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Chicago and New York with the horrific Mandy boys and the super scary Lee Burridge on select dates. This tour will be one of monstrous proportions with the odd (unannounced) afterparty session planned for all the zombies out there.
From the recesses of his deep, dark basement, somewhere in the heart of London's sprawling metropolis, Damian Lazarus brings you LAZPOD - an excursion into weird and wonderful sound. The 74 minute monthly podcast, hosted by Lazarus, features some of the special records he plays around the globe's most happening parties, mixed up with the various different styles of music he likes to listen to at home; comedy moments spliced up with funk, Latin melodies played next to soundtracks, plus cosmic disco, techno and rock...Subscribe, sit back, relax and welcome to LAZPOD.
DOWNLOAD: www.damianlazarus.com/lazpod/
M.A.N.D.Y. '12 Great Remixes For 11 Great Artists' is out now on Get Physical Music.
'Monza Club Ibiza compilation Vol 2' Mixed by Damian Lazarus & DJ T is out now on Get Physical Music.
Crosstown Rebels 'Get Lost 3' Mixed by Dinky out on December 11, 2007.
Saturday, November 10th
Made Event presents
M.A.N.D.Y. vs. DAMIAN LAZARUS
In the Side Room: Sleepy & Boo
Studio B
259 Banker Street
Brooklyn NYC
Doors at 10pm, 21+ Valid ID
$15 Advance Tickets at www.ticketweb.com
Event Info 917.723.9381
Tickets also available at
Rebel Rebel, 319 Bleecker Street NYC 212.989. 0770
Other Music, 15 E 4th St NYC 212.477.8150
Made Event NYC Upcoming Events
November 9 Armin van Buuren 'Universal Religion 3' @ Pacha New York
November 9 Luke Fair @ Cielo
November 10 M.A.N.D.Y & Damian Lazarus @ Studio B
November 10 Laurent Garnier @ Cielo
November 16 Eric Prydz @ Pacha New York
November 22 Paul Oakenfold + Sandra Collins @ Pacha New York
November 23 Danny Tenaglia @ Webster Hall
November 23 Guy Gerber @ Cielo
November 30 Robbie Rivera @ Pacha New York
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Ames-Webster Mansion, Estate of the Day
Filed under: Estates
A couple of readers sent me the Boston Globe story on one of Boston's biggest properties. The Ames-Webster mansion in Boston's pricey Back Bay neighborhood is at 26,000 square feet, one impressive building. The mansion, which was built in 1872, has 50 rooms including 28 fireplaces. The property is currently owned by Reality Realty Trust and could be used as a single family home, multiple units or commercial office space. Right now it is full of office suites.
Details include a stained glass skylight by John La Farge and murals by painter Benjamin Constant and a high arches of intricately carved wood. According to the Globe article, Landvest, the real estate company with the listing, is hosting a cocktail party for brokers in town for Christie's Great Estates 2009 Annual Conference to show off the property. It is expected to sell for between $18 million to $25 million and the listing has a bid deadline of December 15.
[Thanks, Tim and Chris]


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Question for today
From Richard Brammer
When will the money-hungry state of Iowa let the people have open season on deer instead of deer having open season on people?
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Our Harper chair features the timeless style of a classic club chair design with a simple, elegant profile upholstered in rich top-grain leather.
Details & Dimensions
Care & Fit
Keep your upholstery looking great with our detailed cleaning and care instructions.
Foam Cushion Maintenance video
- Leather Care
- Watch the video on how to measure your space for delivery or download the instructions
Cushion Details
Seat cushion type: wrapped foam
- Eco-friendly, high-resiliency foam core wrapped in fiber padding, encased in ticking
- Offers a structured, supportive sit
- Creates a neat, tailored appearance
- Will soften with use, but designed to retain its shape
Back cushion type: foam and fiber
- Eco-friendly, high-resiliency foam topped with a layer of fiber padding
- Offers structured, even support
- Creates a tight, streamlined silhouette
- Designed to retain its shape with minimal maintenance
Upon delivery, you can expect your cushions to be fuller and firmer. Cushions will soften and personalize with use. Routine maintenance is required for all cushions.
Watch the Foam Cushion Maintenance video
Customize It
Choose from selected leathers for custom orders. Start designing
We'll deliver unlimited furniture items to for one flat rate per trip.
Ordering a single item? Delivery is only $129
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- Great design (3)
- Well made (3)
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Displaying reviews 1-3
- Comfortable fabric
- Comfortable sit
- Cushions hold shape
- Great design
- Well made
Best Uses
- Primary seating
Customer comments about Harper Chair:
We bought two leather harper chairs in the smoke color. I cannot say enough about how wonderful these chairs are. The style is clean and the thing that I enjoy the most is that you never would know they are recliners by just looking at them. I like that they don't add the "recliner bulk" look. These chairs really completed our family room while making the space comfortable. Best sitting chairs...
Cannot recommend enough
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- Great design
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Customer comments about Harper Chair:
Terrific and comfortable chair. We purchased in leather. The price gave us pause, and was part of the reason we took several months to decide to do it (we were not in a hurry). But we decided it would be a timeless piece to stay with us for a long time, and really wanted to do something very nice for our living room. We are glad we did it - it is a handsome yet comfortable chair that even our 6 year old loves. And the chair's slim lines fit well in our small house. We feared the leather would be "slippery" and make it hard to stay seated, but just a try-out in the store convinced us otherwise, and it has remained true in our house. A very nice purchase.
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- Comfortable sit
- Great design
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Best Uses
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- Watching TV
Customer comments about Harper Chair:
These chairs are great, thing is I had meant to order the recliners. Before the delivery guys even left the house Room & Board had arranged the exchange and offered to leave the chairs until the new ones arrived. We wanted the recliners as it's a small space near the TV and there isn't enough room for a couch to lounge. We wanted a recliner that was a low profile, to not block TV viewing, and something that was sleek, low profile. This looks NOTHING like my father's chunky recliner. Great chairs. And for us, even better recliners.
Service and delivery comments:
We were well informed through out the process. All dates were met and everyone was really polite. I was the one that created an issue. I ordered two chairs - not the recliner version of the chair. Literally, before the delivery guys left, they arranged an exchange and I had a call from Room & Board. I could have lived with the chairs, but you sprang into action and helped me out. I would have always pined for the recliners.
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Displaying reviews 1-3


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Disagreements over how Santa Rosa County should address Navarre Beach and garbage collection dominated the meeting of the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee on Dec. 21, 2010. Both issues are expected to be taken up by the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners later this month. The meeting was chaired by Committee Vice-Chair Etta Lawlor in the absence of Committee Chair Ralph Agnew.
Santa Rosa and Escambia counties began working on a joint resolution as a first step to transfer portions of Santa Rosa Island from federal control to the counties. The resolution was expected to be approved in December and sent to U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller and Senator Bill Nelson to be introduced as a bill in Congress this month. However, new County Commissioner Jim Melvin, whose district includes Navarre Beach, asked that it be delayed until he could review it more closely.
For more on this story, check out the Jan. 6 edition of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.


text:
San Francisco Parking Space Sells for $82,000
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text: The floor of Webster Hall was filled during the opening act for Travis on a balmy Monday night in New York City. Even the merch table sold out of a few sizes before the band took the stage. When it was mentioned that the group was actually milling about outside, there was no heading towards the door, as it would mean giving up allotted spaces held by simply standing in place. All this loyalty was well rewarded, as the crowd went home happy after a sprinkling of new songs were embedded in a set full of familiar hits spanning the decades. There was plenty of audience participation – singing, clapping and gladly whooping it up on cue over and over again – in a venue full of mostly couples, with many fans holding their hearts in the universal gesture of emotional submission.


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Open Kitchen
Online Reservations
We were quite impressed with the unique blends of common food assembled with precision and mastery. It was evident that this restaurant takes their food serious. The view.., large screen tv of the chefs wasn't that appealing to us,but to each his own.
Reading reviews about Open Kitchen I was expecting a just "ok" experience but was really charmed by the place. It's an oasis of quiet and charm at a busy crossroads near Broad and Rt. 66. My first experience was a bus-stop Mom's wine tasting in early April at a Monday night wine club featuring the wines of Chateau St. Michelle followed by the spring menu dinner in the bistro. Everything was absolutely wonderful. The tasting was fun and conducted on the enclosed patio -- other wine club members were gathered at tables and seemed quite open to even singles walking in. We enjoyed the tasting -- CStM wines / Wash state are always refreshing. Our bistro dinner was wonderful -- dinner and desserts amazing! We've been back since! Say NO MORE!
Menu changes seasonally. Service is always great. We are always offered a taste of a wine or two that we are considering before we order a bottle. The pork ragu pappardelle and empanadas were highlights - then the limoncello glazed cornmeal cake arrived! Delicious!
This is not the place to go for a cheap, quick meal. But this is a wonderful neighborhood restaurant where you can get a great meal while watching the chef prepare it especially for you with local ingredients. We have been several times and have enjoyed great seafood, steak, and chicken (try the Crispy Chicken on the current menu) with good wine and outstanding service. If veggies are your thing, they always have some new takes on old favorites. Be prepared to spend a little $$. Dinner for two was $80 (sharing an appetizer and dessert, no wine) but the three course prix fixe menu (which we haven't yet tried) looks like a good value. They also have special events and private cooking classes.
Despite its office building-parking lot location, Open Kitchen is unique and fun, not to mention great food. As first timers, and there at an off time, my girlfriend and I were seated at a table that overlooked the kitchen (hence the name). As someone who is interested in food and cooking, it was like getting a dinner and a show. There wasn't a single item we tried that we did not like. From the vinojito to the fish special, we were very impressed. We will definitely be back!
We had not been to Open Table for a while and were pleased to find that it is still a great restaurant. We ate outside on the patio. The view is of the McDonalds parking lot, but the excellent food more than makes up for the location. I had mussels, rockfish, and a chocolate torte as part of their pri fix menu. We ordered the Willamsburg John Adler Chardonnay. I was one of the nicest meals I had for awhile. Definitely coming back soon.
The chilled asparagus soup with crab (not on the menu) was particularly delicious!
A unique place with great food. The chef gets to try new things in this small but fun place. They have a small market as well. Great place for groups as they have cooking sessions and interactive cooking events. Very different. One of our favorite places.
The food at Open Kitchen was delicious. The flavor combinations were interesting but not off the wall - and they worked very well together. It was obvious that the ingredients were fresh. The service was terrific. Our waiter struck the right balance between attentive and patient. We sat outside on the very comfortable patio. Inside there is a video monitor on which you can watch your food being prepared. This is fun. The restaurant is in a commercial complex and there can be noise outside associated with the patrons of those businesses. This happened when we were there but I'm sure it doesn't always happen. The menu is not particularly kid-friendly. In the future, I probably won't come with my children.
Best restaurant in Falls Church! Open Kitchen is my go-to for great food and special occasions. The menu changes seasonally and always tastes fresh. I have never had a bad experience here. The food is top notch. This past time we ejoyed many small plates like the mussels, scallop ceviche and the beet salad. The beet salad was so good, we ended up ordering another one! The dessert was also fantastic: the flourless chocolate torte and the shortbread. I really enjoy their new wine shop concept. My sister and I opted to take a bottle home of the wine we enjoyed at dinner at a great price. Service is always great here too..Carlos is a fantastic and attentive server, and I enjoy how everyone helps each other out during your dining experience.
This restaurant was great. The lamb burger was awesome. Also they have a great selection of gluten free which is great. Finding a place with so many gluten free options is hard to do but open kitchen really caters to everyone.
What a great find: fresh! as locally sourced as possible...if a slower night, may find the chef adjusts your dish to your palate/wine choices. Amazing! Friendly staff, great service!
Love this place. I hesitate to get the word out so I can continue to be able to get a good table outside, but it is really good.
I happened to stumble upon this place through the internet and it is a great hidden treasure. It is in an office building and hidden back off of Route 7. You would never know such an awesome restaurant could exist within walking distance from our home. Great place.
Loved the outdoor dining. Food was fresh and delicious. We found a gem on the wine list, inexpensive and available by the case, too.
Every time I've been to this restaurant (3 times this year) the food and service have been consistently first rate and the owner and/or staff have gone out of the way to make it special. The menu is somewhat limited but all the areas were covered nicely. The wine experience is unique and worth noting. The bottles are all on the low end price-wise but the list is diverse and thoughtfully put together, frequently featuring unusual and small production wines. Additionally, most times they offered us a sample of several wines so we could decide which we wanted. Most, if not all, bottles are also available to purchase at retail prices. Lastly, they have nice stemware which elevates the experience. Highly recommended.
The Bison Steak was outstanding - even the potatoes were done perfectly. The Chicken was moist and flavorful - one of the best I have tasted in a long, long time. Our server was attentive, but not too intrusive. We had a lovely, relaxing and delicous dinner.
We enjoyed our dinner at Open Kitchen and definitely will return. The concept of the restaurant is interesting -- it features an open kitchen so that diners can watch the meals being prepared. The food is delicious; we especially enjoyed the lamb burger, the bison steak, and the summer pickled vegetables. The prices are a bit higher than you would expect for the location (a shopping center) but the food is worth every penny. The service was generally quite good, with knowledgeable waiters who clearly care about the restaurant's offerings and the well-being of the patrons. Overall, a nice experience and scrumptious food!
The food is delicious and the staff is fantastic! Definitely a hidden gem. So easy to get to with ample parking. Also great for cooking classes. Their weekly wine club is outstanding.
I loved the feel of this place and the staff were all very friendly. The beef tenderloin was cooked to perfection! Their menu is fresh, they use local ingredients and you can tell the bread is made with love. Their selection of wine was something I haven't seen since my San Francisco days - a nice variety of wines. They offer so many choices including many Gluten free options! Our waiters were delightful and had a special Birthday desert plate decorated for my husband. A real treat. The patio was refreshing and cool, even on a hot August night. I plan to come back many times! The next time, I'll sit at the Chef bar so I can watch all the action in the kitchen! It's truly an Open Kitchen to all!
Cool open kitchen concept. Great food (my bison steak was so good I nearly hugged the chef). Near perfect service - wait staff who seemed to know exactly when to approach the table and were well versed in the menu and wine list. Waiter let us come to the back kitchen to view a private cooking class given by the executive chef. Very fun to watch. View of parking lot leaves a little to be desired but that's the only negative to our dining experience.
As many do, we use Open Table to try new places. Came up with Open Kitchen and it's a winner. The menu is not extensive, but it has many good offerings. We weren't all that hungry, so we small plated it (cheese plate, charcuterie and pate) and the results were excellent. Had locally made ice cream for dessert - simple yet tasty. Our waiter was earnest and very competent. While the neighborhood (off a busy local road) and the building in which it resides (an old office building) don't do much for ambiance, the restaurant itself with it's open kitchen is very nice. They have a roomy patio area that can be used year round. You can throw "learn to cook " parties there as well. We'll be back.
Just had a second dinner here and the first visit was not a fluke. Open Kitchen is more than a name, it is a philosophy. Both visits we have sat at the table overlooking the kitchen. As a food nerd, I love watching my dinner being prepared. It is like a low key cooking show, minus the silly TV elements, plus eating the food. I like knowing that they source their food in a responsible way, and it is prepared perfectly every time. The menu is small, but it is different each time, and they accommodate any kind of food sensitivity. I have tried fish, pork tenderloin, pasta. and mussels. I have yet to have something I didn't like. When you pull up to the nondescript office building parking lot, don't run away, this place is a hidden gem.
We visited as a a part of restaurant week and are happy that we have found another gem to add to our list. My first impression as we walked inside was just how friendly the staff was to us, all greeting with a smile.Table Service was very attentive and our server allowed us to try at least five different wines before we settled on a bottle. We sat outside on the nice patio, which eventhgh it is in a parking lot, the set back allows it to be nice for outside dining. The dinning room looked like it had nice ambiance and was obviously truly dedicated to the open kitchen style. I has the pork tenderloin over campfire beans and I cleaned my plate. Iyou are interested in supporting a business that takes fresh and local to heart, this is it.
There is even a CCTV camera on the prep area in the kitchen that is displayed on a large monitor in the restaurant. This is not a quiet restaurant, which is probably a function o fits relatively small size and the focus on the truly open kitchen. However, the staff is welcoming, friendly, and extremely accommodating and helpful. The dishes are prepared individually, and the chef is nappy to accommodate customer needs regarding allergies, sensitivities. And, finally, the food is well-prepared and presented and thoroughly enjoyable. Our problem when there is that the menu contains too many tempting dishes, making decisions difficult.
It was great to find this quality of food and a great concept out in Falls Church. We will certainly be back!
We went here for Restaurant Week and it was delicious! It was also really fun to watch the chefs cook (we were sitting at the counter!) both in person and on the monitor.
Laid back vibe but precision and care throughout the entire experience. Delicious food, well presented. Servers seemed completely connected with the overall kitchen, and it was very interesting to watch food being prepared. We like watching the cooking happen, but if we had wanted a quieter more romantic evening, requesting the outdoor seating would have been better. A great find! Hesitate to recommend it because it is so nice to have something out this way that is delicious, classy and not booked 6 months in advance.
My husband and I visited Open Kitchen with friends this past weekend and were absolutely delighted! This restaurant has amazing food and the service is outstanding. This is definitely on our "favorites" list and we will be dining there often in the future.
This little restaurant is unique in providing a local, high quality meal that is not a chain and shows promise of becoming a regular place that we can alway count on unique cuisine and fine wine that is good value. Service is attentive and they remember their clients when they return.
Overall, good experience. The location is a little unusual (at the end of a small strip mall), but the service and food were very good. Limited wine selections.
Thanks for making my wife's birthday celebration excellent.
For my husband's birthday, we chose Open Kitchen. We hadn't been there in a while and were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. The beet salad appetizer we shared was fresh and and copious. My husband ordered the rockfish, which was cooked to perfection and I had the tasty lamb burger. Our sherbet and Mexican chocolate cake desserts were scrumptious and disappeared all too quickly. The service was friendly and efficient. We look forward to returning again soon.
This restaurant was simply wonderful. We decided to give it a try based on some of the other ratings. The food was excellent. (I am still not sure how they cooked the fish I had so perfectly). Everything was fresh, organic, tasty, wonderful. The kids menu was great. My 9 year old had their grilled chicken tenders. She love them. I had their fish and appetizer specials, and their menu was due to change this week (it changes seasonally). Go out and give it a try.
Just tried Open Kitchen for the first time and really enjoyed it. The menu featured some different items, interesting taste combinations and everything was good. I like the open kitchen concept and plan to sit at the long bar in front of the kitchen next time.
I have been to this restaurant many, many times and never been disappointed. They keep improving and making changes for the better. They just started a new tapas style menu that is outstanding!
Good food. Fun view of the kitchen! Food had great flavor. I really liked the lamb mini-burgers.
Patrons shouldn't let the strip mall location deter them; this is a really good restaurant!! This was our second dinner there and it did not disappoint. Although it was raining, we sat outside (they have the sides tented). It was lovely watching the rain, enjoying a bottle of wine, and eating a delicious meal. I had the sweetbreads, which I do not see on restaurant menus often. Delicious! The others in our party also enjoyed their meals. The server helped us pick a really good bottle of wine and even allowed us to sample another wine to see which one we liked better. We will definitely return to Open Kitchen.
Very tasty food in a new small plates format (some entrees are also available). Excellent service. Good wine list with very reasonable prices. I got the feeling that everyone on staff cares and has a passion for this place.
While I enjoyed each of the small plates, I was surprised at the change to that format. In general, I preferred the old non-small plate format.
I love that the menu is designed for sharing dishes. Do try the beet salad - simply wonderful. The gnocchi is the best I have ever had. Delicious grilled brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes complemented our meal. We sat at the long-bar and were able to watch the chefs prepare food. The environment is relaxing and comfortable, with a friendly wait staff. The wine menu is very good, but don't be intimidated, the waiter will help you pick a good wine. We will be back.
I found this restaurant based on reviews and was not disappointed. Service was attentive, but not overly intrusive. Each dish was delicious, home-made bread and very nice variety to the wine list. They have moved to "medium" plates (not tapas, but larger) and also had stand alone meals. We all cleaned every plate. I'd eat there again.
Short but widely varied menu of small plates well executed with attentive service.
I liked that this place was a local bistro. We had dinner with friends and were able to talk and enjoy our conversation. We enjoyed the sharing plates - actually plenty for a single entrée. The server was friendly and attentive. The food was very tasty and unusual.
Great dining experience. We enjoyed sitting at the counter and watching chef and his staff at work. Food was tasty and the small portions allowed us to share tastes easily.
A delightful time, as usual, at the open kitchen. We were part of the regular Monday wine tasting, but mostly just enjoyed the food and company. The charcuterie and cheese are now combined, so you can choose both In One platter. Great choices, including homemade pancetta. A very interesting Appalachian cheese. Had mussels with a very creamy wine sauce, lamb sliders and pork meatballs. All were excellent and the lamb especially did well with the wine.
The seasonal menu gives diners the option of sharing a variety of small plates or a larger traditional course. My wife and I shared 2 small plates and we each ordered a larger plate. This was too much food, but we were happy to take home what we could not finish. She had the pork chop, which was cooked to perfection, while I chose bison (nothing from my plate made it home). We also like the wines by the glass from the extensive list. I can't wait to go back before the Fall menu changes so that I can order the pork chop or maybe a few of the other small plates that we saw other diners enjoying. (I'm looking at you, lamb burger sliders.)
Open to a new idea and an adventure, four of us tried Open Kitchen for the first time and were very impressed; finding every single menu item we tried to be absolutely over the top delicious. And, we sampled a lot. Additionally, the wine pairing (Spur) recommended by our waiter, Adam was also outstanding. I highlighly recommend this restaurant. Don't let its location fool you.
When suburbanites find a gem just ten minutes from home, it makes battling traffic into the city less attractive.
Had a wonderful experience. The food was delicious and the service was great. We sat at the counter and were able to watch the chef make everything. Since we went on a Monday, wine was market price, so we enjoyed the salmon special and pork chop with a bottle of wine. Too bad they're closing the restaurant portion, because we would definitely go back. Looking forward to taking some cooking classes there though!


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Animal Diaries Archive
2004 - may june july august september october november december
Otter Feeders
15 October 2004
The Asian Small-Clawed Otter is a very active and extremely intelligent animal. For these two reasons we provide our girls, Bonnie and Maria, with plenty of enrichment. The otters are so strongly bonded that they always find fun things to do together, but then when a keeper jumps in with something different they become very inquisitive. We use a variety of different things including balls, browse, scent sprays and even a mirror, but the things that get the most response are always the toys that involve food. There is no greater love in an otter's life than food, and because Bonnie and Maria don't have to hunt for their food like wild otters, we like to make them do some work for their meal.We have plastic balls and pipes with holes in them, so that the girls either have to put their hands inside to pull items out, or roll it around so that the pieces fall out. Food can also be put into egg cartons, cardboard boxes, under a cup or wrapped in leaves. The otters then have to open their parcel to get to the prize.
By far one of their favourite activities is a live feed in their pond, either crayfish or tiny fish. It is very exciting to watch the girls catch their own dinner. Enrichment activities should bring out the natural abilities in the animal, and this is very true for the otters. This species has very dexterous front hands. This means they are very good at using their paws. In the wild, otters would use them to prise open shellfish, delve into small crevices and hold on tightly to slippery prey; we simply try to simulate activities like these. Being so smart, the girls never fail to work out a new activity quickly, but the otters (and their keepers) have a lot of fun in the process.
Our Amazing Asian Small-clawed Otters
Both sexes generally weigh between 2.5 to 3kg. Of the 13 species of otter found throughout the world, this is the smallest, attaining a body length of 41 to 64c ...more


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(Euronews: 2330 PST, April 3, 2011) Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has sent a trusted adviser to Athens as speculation grows that he is trying to find a way out of his stand-off with the international community. The diplomatic mission comes amid signs that those close to Gaddafi are becoming nervous about the long-term consequences of his defiance.
Libya's deputy Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi flew to Greece carrying a personal message from Gaddafi to Greek premier George Papandreou. It is thought the Libyan leader is seeking a way to stop the fighting.
Debating Gaddafi's Options
(Al Jazeera English: 0645 PST, April 4, 2011) Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has always publicly insisted that he will not leave Libya, despite the crisis in the country, and that he will fight "to the death" against his opponents. In private, however, it appears that he may be open to a negotiated exit. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports on the Libyan leader's potential options.


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View the most popular tags overall?
Lunda Hoyle Gill sat in her spare room at a Westwood assisted-living center, the last stop on her remarkable life journey.
The artist once traveled to the remotest parts of the globe, racing to paint indigenous peoples before they disappeared. But that was before cancer ravaged her gut and Parkinson's disease crippled her fingers. Today, at 72, the artist can no longer paint. She can barely walk or hold a spoon.


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The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Beyond Belief + The Mummy Screening
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Beyond Fest: The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Beyond Belief + The Mummy Screening have expired.
The last date listed for Beyond Fest: The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Beyond Belief + The Mummy Screening was Sunday October 20, 2013 / 7:30pm.
Currently at Egyptian Theatre:
Cleopatra's Ball at the Egyptian Theatre: Ring in the New Year
- Full Price:
- $69.00 - $125.00
- Our Price:
- $42.00 - $75.00
Party beneath the stars in classic Hollywood style at this party with two dance floors, five full bars, alluring go-do dancers, a dazzling countdown to midnight, a hieroglyphics light show, and more. The Egyptian Theatre's grand heated courtyard is a great place to chill with a cocktail or dance while two DJs spin hip hop, Top 40 hits, house, and trance music. Home to the very first Hollywood premiere back in 1922, the Egyptian will be transformed into party central to ring in a glamorous 2014. Learn More
Venue Details
Reviews & Ratings
Featured review from Ryan & Liz
view more less of this reviewWe love the Thrilling Adventure Hour and enjoy a good Universal Horror pic. Add the Egyptian in there and a reasonable price and I am sold! Great night had by all. Didn't get to stay for the Q & A session at the end, but it was a fun night. I hope they do this again for Thrilling Adventure Hour fans!
About the Ticket Supplier: American Cinematheque
The American Cinematheque is a non-profit, viewer-supported cultural organization dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the Moving Picture in all its forms. The Cinematheque presents the best of film and video - ranging form the classics to the outer frontiers of the art form.


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Dr. Toon Turns 10: A Manifesto
On Sept. 1, 1999, a refugee from the late Animation Nerd's Paradise website wended his way over to the esteemed magazine you are now reading. His first column was called "Stepping Backwards to Move Ahead," an examination of the plasticity (or lack thereof) of older toons when updated to modern styles, settings, and storylines. It's now ten years and 120 columns later, and Marty Goodman, your own "Dr. Toon," is looking back with considerable fondness on my decade with AWN. It has been my deepest pleasure to mine an obscure territory -- the confluence of American animation with the prevailing popular culture at given points in time -- and share these observations with you, my keen and savvy readership.
Why do this? For the same reason that my colleague, Jerry Beck, does: To promote animation as an art form deserving of deep consideration, serious study, critical analysis and in the end, deep appreciation. This is not to say that What's Opera Doc is on an equal footing with the Pieta, the Mona Lisa, Citizen Kane or Guernica; rather, it is to affirm that it demands the same approach to study, critique, and analysis.
Of course, said cartoon was not a product of spontaneous generation or a random correlation of ink, paint, and celluloid. As with all other films, animation is a unique product of the culture and society that produced it. That context is inescapable, and we must also consider that there is an economic subtext as well. If there is no audience for a particular work of animation, the work dies for lack of sponsorship and public demand. This decision is usually made at the corporate level, but it is unerringly a result of poor ratings and/or merchandising.
Thus, all American animation is born and lives at the nexus of creativity, cultural resonance and economic influence. Realizing this is truly step one in appreciating animation. Step two is realizing that cultural resonance is perhaps the most important of all. Creativity is usually supported or quashed at the executive level after pitches or proposals, but if a certain animated work (film or series) does not attune to an audience, then the economics are certain to fail, and the work is consigned to cult status at best, perpetual obscurity at worst.
Therefore, I have chosen to present that area where culture, society and animation merge. In the past, I have given examples such as Ren and Stimpy representing the unconscious terror of AIDS in America during the early 1990s, or the Road Runner cartoons as unwitting expression of Cold War frustration. Let's look at other examples: Is it possible that Pixar's Up was a major hit due to cultural factors? Sure, at least in this writer's opinion.


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I'm curious to see what the criteria is and how much of it is objective vs subjective.
Infinite Campus responds to Skyward's contract bidding process complaint
A Minnesota-based education software company that was Wisconsin's first choice for a statewide student information system contract said Friday it believes the bidding process it underwent was "fair, transparent and open."
The company, Infinite Campus, also released a grand master summary score sheet showing how it earned the highest technical score.
The statement was in response to a formal protest over the bidding process initiated Friday by Stevens Point-based Skyward, a software management company used by many districts that lost the multi-million dollar contract bid to Infinite Campus.
Full details of the protest components are not yet available, but Skyward is likely to argue that Infinite Campus received artificially inflated scores in some areas by evaluators, which led to Infinite Campus' higher overall score.
For its part, Infinite Campus on Friday also denied that the company had any inappropriate financial ties to Gov. Scott Walker or other political parties in Wisconsin, an idea that had been circulating on social media.
"The allegations are simply not true," the news release said.
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The simple way to solve this would be to have the scoring criteria and results (from both companies) made readily available.
I'm curious to see what the criteria is and how much of it is objective vs subjective. -
Could it be that Infinite Campus provides a better service/product than Skyward?
The below was copied from the Infinite Campus website:
Infinite Campus is focused on the future. We have provided a continuously evolving student information system (SIS) since our first customer implemented in 1996 – at no additional cost to customers. We are now the largest American-owned SIS managing more than 5 million students in 43 states. Our suite of products is designed for efficient use of student data allowing educators to focus on what really matters: improving education for students.-
I don't think reading anyone's mission statement is going to tell you anything about them. :) Who in the world would have on their mission statement that they provide adequate software and ok customer service.
Actually, I was drawn to Infinite Campus "managing more than 5 million students in 43 states."
The Master Summary Scoresheet says Sykward lost out in points to Infinite 16,656.40 to 14,325.60. Stop your whining Jim King.
Districts should of been allowed to vote here. I dont know how good Skyward software is but I do know they saved districts alot of money when CESA's were overcharging greatly for inferior services. Eventually these scumbags like Konapecky and Habermann were let go when they couldnt move any product. The products they were supporting no longer exist where Jim King has had many Wisconsin customers for over 25 years. Leaving this up to a committee put together by DPI and possibly CESA's would be a poor way of making this decision. This states government entities for schools has never ever shown to have any expertise. It is easy to say Infinite Campus scored higher but what are the catagories? A real technical expert would be able to tell if this was skewed to a particular vendor. Lets open this and take a look.
I personally don't know anything about Infinite Campus but I do know that monopolies are never good. Forcing every district to go to one system when many of them (like my own district) choose skyward and ruled out IC. I was not in on the process but I know they used the same type of scoring system that the state used. Those systems are so much based on opinion of the people doing the scoring. Like if the links are on the top vs the side they might think that the one on the side is easier to use when another person may think that the one on the top was. I personally don't agree with it so I signed the online petition that was emailed to me. I don't know if I can post the link here or not so I won't but the petition is on change.org. in the search type skyward.
As a teacher who has used both systems in the past 3 years I just want to say this. Infinite Campus > Skyward.
bz6297 What you said is your opinion and not fact. Anytime someone compares things it is their own opinion as to which is better. I just hope that Districts get to keep making their own opinions and not keep it with 5 people with the DOA that made a decision for all districts.
bz6297 the fact that you used both makes you definitely knowledgable. Tell me why you thought IC was better.
A couple years ago I had the opportunity to evaluate both Skyward and Infinite Campus. Our school district was changing student information systems (SIS) and I was on the committee composed of teachers, administrators, and other school staff. After initial proposals were went to different companies only 2 were able to meet all of our requirements, IC and Skyward. We visited and talked with multiple school districts to see the pros and cons of each system in action. Each company came and gave presentations to the committee. After close to a year of planning and researching, everyone (it really was unanimous) chose Infinite Campus.
While this was a couple years ago, here are some of the reasons we chose IC (as best as I can remember):
1. web access. IC had been web based for about 10 years. Skyward was just moving towards web access.
2. functionality. One of the things with Skyward was the repeated pop ups that brought new menus up. The were times it would take 5 or 6 different pop up screens to get to the information you were seeking. In IC the system's code is built differently. How I dont know as that is not my area of expertise. However, there were not multiple screens to deal with. IC was cleaner and faster.
3. personalization. IC has the ability to adapt to different grading scales, systems, etc. that was not as readily available with Skyward.
4. data storage and search. query searching, grouping, and creating data reports for the state are much easier. I was not involved in evaluating this area as I would not be creating and using these features.
5. intuitive design. the committee thought it was easier to navigate through IC.
While this is not an exhaustive list, I hope this sheds some light on some of the reasons one individual district chose IC over Skyward. One thing that surprised the committee was that IC was quite a bit less expensive when initially we thought it would be more. This was more of a bonus rather than a deciding factor.-
Thank you for your comment.
One of the big advantages that I see going to 1 SSIS is the uniformity will enhance communication between individual districts and with the state. In the coming years more information is going to have to be reported to the state by districts. Having one system will make reporting, publishing, evaluating, and comparing data much more efficient.
Students who transfer schools will be able to get immediate information to their new school about transcripts, IEP's, medical info that may have taken weeks or months.


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Posted: Nov 6, 2012 9:13 AM by Meteorologist Matt Elwell
Updated: Nov 6, 2012 9:48 AM
A Winter Storm Watch continues to evolve, prompting the National Weather Service out of Missoula to issue A Winter Storm Watch for Much of Western Montana through Friday afternoon. The Great Falls NWS has issued a Winter Storm Watch Wednesday night through Saturday morning for southwest, central and northern Montana.
One thing that stands out with this storm over the last several days has been how consistent the weather models have been throughout the forecast period bringing high confidence into the forecast for substantial snow across southwestern Montana. Looking at the images included, the models for accumulated snowfall amounts range from 4.5" to 12" depending on which particular model and model run you are looking at. Similarly, if you look at Butte's forecasted snow accumulation, the models range from 2.5"to 12" during the forecast period.
Plenty can change between now and when the storm arrives on Thursday, and there is still plenty of uncertainty on how well the models will handle this situation despite the consistency between runs, but there are several things that we can count on.
1) The storm will start as rain and change quickly to snow
2) Substantial snow is expected across area mountain ranges in many cases more than 1 foot
3) Valleys will likely see 3-6 inches
Total accumulation will depend on the timing of the cold air. One or two degrees will make a big difference between 2-4" and 5-10". Regardless of the timing, we do expect slick and icy conditions across area passes as they deteriorate quickly. The warm ground already in place in lower elevations could give way to ice very quickly late Thursday and Friday morning as well. Please give yourself plenty of time to travel Thursday night and Friday, and beware of treacherous travel conditions through Saturday as well.
Also, stay tuned to KBZK and KXLF for the latest details and team coverage.


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FS-DS Nike SB Janoski Digi Floral size 11.5


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Volvo Interior Switches Parts
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Back to Interior Switches partsSelect your Brand Preference
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Volvo Windshield Wiper Switch (240 242 244 260 262 264) Genuine Volvo 1363013
$84.95$92.85 -
Volvo Turn Signal Switch with Cruise Control (240 260) Genuine Volvo 1363819
$62.95$68.37 -
Volvo Turn Signal Switch w/o Cruise Control - Genuine Volvo 9130289
$85.95$94.58 -
Volvo Turn Signal Switch with Cruise Control - Genuine Volvo 9130290
$141.95$156.95 -
Volvo Hazard Flasher Switch (C70 S70 V70) Genuine Volvo 30739334
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Volvo Combination Switch (Wiper/Washer) Genuine Volvo 3523207
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Received December 19, 2008; revised March 4 and May 18, 2009; accepted May 22, 2009. Drs. J. H. Price, Thompson, and Mrdjenovich are affiliated with the Department of Health and Recreation Professions at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio; Dr. Khubchandani is affiliated with the Department of Physiology and Health Sciences at the Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana; Dr. J. A. Price is affiliated with the Zepf Community Mental Health Center in Toledo. Address correspondence to James H. Price, Ph.D., M.P.H., University of Toledo, Department of Health and Recreation Professions, 2801 W. Bancroft, Mailstop 119, Toledo, OH 43606; email@example.com (e-mail).
Copyright © 2010 Academic Psychiatry
Objective: Most suicides (60%) are committed with firearms, and most (80%) of individuals attempting suicide meet diagnostic criteria for mental illness. This study assessed the prevalence of firearm injury prevention training in psychiatric residency programs. Methods: A three-wave mail survey was sent to the directors of 179 psychiatric residency programs. Outcome measures were the portion of programs offering training in anticipatory guidance for firearms safety, the content of training if offered, and the perceived benefits and barriers to providing such training. Results: A total of 115 directors responded, a response rate of 64%. The vast majority (79%) reported they had not seriously thought about providing firearm injury prevention training. However, more than half (55%) reported that they routinely screened patients for firearm ownership. The directors perceived more benefits than barriers to offering such training. Additionally, the majority (62%) thought APA should provide curriculum guidelines regarding firearm injury prevention training. Conclusion: Psychiatrists are uniquely positioned for helping to prevent firearm suicides and homicides among the mentally ill. However, psychiatric residency programs are inadequately training residents and thereby keeping them from maximizing their roles as mental health professionals. Leadership is needed by APA to help reduce firearm violence in the United States.
Firearm injuries claimed the lives of 30,694 Americans in 2005, a death rate of 10.37 per 100,000 people. The vast majority of these deaths were suicides (56%) or homicides (41%) (1). Among major Western countries, the United States has the highest rate of firearm suicide and homicide, as well as the highest rate of gun ownership (40% of U.S. households) (2). Household firearm ownership has been linked to an increased risk of violent death among household members. In fact, access to firearms in the home is associated with a 17-fold increase in the risk of suicide by firearms and doubles the risk of firearm homicides (3). A recent analysis of the National Violent Death Reporting System found that firearms were used in 51% of all suicide deaths and 66% of all homicides (4). The financial losses from firearm injuries have been estimated to exceed $100 billion annually (direct medical costs of $2 billion and indirect costs of $98 billion each year) (5). The surge in firearm-related morbidities and mortalities in recent times has attracted the attention of health care providers and medical societies alike (6–10). Family physicians, emergency medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons, internal medicine physicians, and pediatricians have all provided position statements and supportive training for residency firearm trauma. Every encounter with a health care provider is now seen as a unique opportunity to promote health and to counsel patients on effective morbidity and mortality prevention strategies, including anticipatory guidance on firearm safety.
Psychiatrists have unique opportunities for preventing firearm injuries to their patients and to themselves. First, there is increasing evidence regarding a relationship among mental health, gun access, gun storage practices, and firearm injury (11–14). Second, health professionals from primary care specialties tend to seek evaluation from or refer patients with suicidal or homicidal tendencies to psychiatrists. In addition to patients harming themselves with firearms, the potential is significant for psychiatrists to be attacked by patients. In one study of psychiatric residency training, up to 65% of residents were physically assaulted by patients (15). An outpatient survey found that 32 of 92 psychiatrists (35%) reported being seriously assaulted by patients (knife or gun used) and 59 (64%) reported less serious assaults (16). The most common malpractice claim against psychiatrists is wrongful death, primarily failure to properly evaluate the risk of suicide (17). Psychiatrists have long been active in addressing medication-related suicides. Addressing firearm accessibility is a natural extension of current psychiatric practices of means restrictions—in this case, the means with the highest case fatality ratio: firearms. This evaluation needs to include inquiry into patients' access to guns. In the future, this type of liability will likely extend into homicidal risk and firearm assessment.
However, findings from a recent study indicate that psychiatrists are seldom involved in providing anticipatory guidance to patients concerning firearm-related injuries, even among suicidal patients (18). Apart from assuming that patients do not need firearm safety counseling, the other most prominent reason reported by psychiatrists for not providing firearm safety guidance was "lack of expertise" on the topic (18).
Level of professional expertise correlates with training received, and currently there is a strong consensus on the importance of having an integrated approach throughout the continuum of medical education to change the attitudes and practices of residents and their mentors regarding violence prevention. The American Medical Association's (AMA) Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) (19) recently released an update of curricular mandates in medical education, which stated, "The curriculum must prepare students for their role in addressing the medical consequences of common societal problems, for example, providing instruction in the diagnosis, prevention, appropriate reporting, and treatment of violence and abuse" (p. 1). Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which psychiatric residency programs train future psychiatrists to be agents of change in relation to firearm injury prevention and control of firearm-related violence. Through a national survey of psychiatric residency directors, answers to the following questions were sought: What proportion of psychiatric residency programs provide formal training to residents regarding firearm injury prevention? What are the perceived benefits and barriers to offering such training? Do psychiatric residency program directors perceive that their residents would be able to address firearm injury prevention issues if requested by their patients? Do psychiatric residency program directors perceive that patients would see psychiatrists as an appropriate source of information on firearm safety and accept relevant anticipatory guidance?
The membership roster of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT) and the AMA's Fellowship and Residency Interactive Database (FREIDA) were used to identify the entire population of U.S. psychiatric residency program directors (N=179) (20). The names and mailing addresses of current program directors were verified by telephone prior to data collection.
We used comprehensive review of the empirical literature on physicians' training regarding firearm injury prevention to develop a questionnaire with adequate face validity. The questionnaire was subsequently sent to a panel of five experts in survey research and firearms, including researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to establish content validity. Minor wording changes were incorporated based on the reviewers' comments. The final questionnaire consisted of 20 items designed to assess program directors' perceptions and beliefs regarding firearm injury prevention training. The theoretical foundation for the survey included the main component of the Transtheoretical Model, Stages of Change (i.e., precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance) in relation to providing formal training on firearm injury prevention (21), and the two key components of the Health Belief Model (i.e., perceived barriers and benefits to providing firearm injury prevention training to residents) (22). Respondents rated their level of agreement with the items using Likert-type (endorsement and frequency) scales as well as multiple response formats. Demographic and background items were included for descriptive purposes.
In the fall of 2008, we employed a three-wave mailing procedure, including a variety of published techniques to increase the response rate (e.g., limiting the survey to four pages in length, providing a $2 incentive for participation, using personalized cover letters, and including self-addressed stamped return envelopes) (23, 24). This procedure was approved by the University Human Subject's Institutional Review Board.
We analyzed the data using SPSS version 16.0. Level of significance was set a priori at p<0.05. Frequency distributions were tallied on categorical variables. We calculated descriptive statistics to describe item responses. We calculated cross-tabulations using Pearson's chi-square tests, and used independent samples t tests to assess mean differences.
One hundred fifteen completed surveys were received (return rate =64.2%). The majority of respondents were Caucasian (85%), male (71%), 40–59 years old (67%), and employed full-time by the residency program (82%). The few directors (18%) who owned a gun reported that they had received it as an inheritance from parents or grandparents and used it for personal protection, hunting, or gun collection purposes. The majority of graduates from the responding residencies ended up working in independent practice (34%), with government agencies (17%), or in hospital-based programs (17%) (Table 1).
Program directors were asked to identify the firearm injury prevention training practices that characterized their program (Stages of Change). The majority (79%, n=91) reported that they had not seriously thought about providing firearm injury prevention training to their residents (precontemplation stage). While 11% (n=13) indicated that they had been training residents in firearm injury prevention for more than 1 year (maintenance stage), another 4% (n=5) were willing to discuss firearm injury prevention with residents only if the residents requested such information/training. A small proportion of directors (4%, n=5) reported that they had been seriously discussing the possibility of including firearm injury prevention training in the future (contemplation stage). Few directors (2%, n=2) reported that they had been training residents in firearm injury prevention issues for less than 1 year (action stage).
Program directors were asked to report their current practices in routine screening of patients for firearm ownership. More than half (55%, n=63) reported that they routinely screened their patients for firearm ownership, and slightly more than one-third of the directors (38%, n=44) reported that they did not routinely screen patients for firearm ownership. The remaining 7% (n=8) reported that they were not sure of their residency's screening practices.
Program directors were asked to identify the potential benefits and barriers to providing firearm injury prevention training to their residents (Table 2). The four most important perceived benefits were "increases safety of practicing psychiatrists" (57%), "reduces mortality from firearm suicides by patients and/or family members" (55%), "reduces mortality from firearm homicides by patients and/or family members" (51%), and "increases attention by mental health clinics toward firearm trauma prevention" (48%). The 10 potential benefits of providing firearm injury prevention training were summed to create a training benefit subscale score (potential range=0 to 10). The perceived benefits score for programs that provided firearm injury prevention training to residents (mean=2.85 [SD=2.20]) was not significantly different from the score of programs that did not provide such training (mean=3.17 [SD=2.53]).
The four most important barriers to providing firearm injury prevention training to residents were "lack of standardized teaching material for training the residents" (50%), "lack of faculty expertise on firearm issues in our residency training program" (49%), "lack of existing guidelines for training residents on firearm issues" (47%), and "no guidelines are provided by APA or ACGME approved curriculum competencies" (42%). The 14 perceived barrier items were summed to create a training barrier subscale score (potential range=0 to 14). The mean number of perceived barriers for programs that did not provide any form of firearm injury prevention training (mean=2.94 [SD=1.94]) was significantly higher (t=2.79, df=113, p<0.006) than the mean score for programs that provided some form of that training (mean=1.78 [SD=1.77]). It should be noted that none of the programs identified numerous (seven or more) barriers to implementing such training.
The directors were also requested to quantify the average didactic time spent on firearm injury prevention training over the entire duration of residency training, including seminars, rotations, journal clubs, and other training. The mean amount of time spent was 0.88 hours (SD=3.12), with a minimum of 0 hours (87 programs) and a maximum of 30 hours (one program).
More than half of the program directors agreed that APA should provide guidelines on specific curriculum topics regarding firearm injury prevention (62%, n=71) and that patients would accept their psychiatrist providing anticipatory guidance on firearm safety (55%, n=63) (Table 3). Almost half of the directors (49%, n=56) agreed that the residents in their programs did not expect the residency training faculty to discuss firearm injury prevention issues. Over one-third of the program directors (39%, n=45) agreed that patients would view psychiatrists as an appropriate source of information regarding firearm safety.
Program directors were asked to assess whether their residents would be able to address issues of firearm injury prevention if requested by patients. A plurality of directors (30%, n=34) agreed that their residents would not be able to address such issues. Another 29% (n=33) were unsure of their residents' ability in this area. When asked to provide an opinion, 63% of program directors (n=73) disagreed that firearm control is more of an ideology and partisanship issue than a serious mental health issue. The remaining directors either agreed (14%) or were unsure (23%, n=26).
Finally, directors were asked to identify which of 13 potential training topics on firearm injury prevention were covered in their programs if they offered such training. An "other" option was also listed. Three-fourths (76%, n=87) reported that they did not provide formal training on firearm injury prevention. The remaining directors (24%, n=28) reported that the three most important topics covered were "role of firearms in suicides" (23%, n=26), "directly asking patients about access to and ownership of firearms" (22%, n=25), and "role of firearms in homicides" (16%, n=18). The only other topics which had at least 5% responses were "safe storage of firearms" (8%, n=9) and "firearm risks in the workplace" (7%, n=8).
Programs were divided into two groups based on whether they provided (24%, n=28) or did not provide (76%, n=87) some form of firearm injury prevention training. These groups were then compared to determine whether several independent variables were associated with the likelihood that firearm injury prevention training was offered. Programs that provided firearm injury prevention training did not differ significantly from programs that did not provide such training based on the number of residents per program (mean=26.32 [SD=13.14] compared with mean=28.10 [SD=13.27], respectively). Thus, the size of a given residency program was not associated with the likelihood that formal firearm injury prevention was offered. Second, the groups were compared based on the duration of the residency program director's employment. It was assumed that more recently appointed directors might have been personally trained regarding firearm injury and, if so, would more likely push to have the topic covered in their residency program. Programs that provided firearm injury prevention training did not differ significantly from programs that did not provide such training based on the duration of the director's employment (mean=6.85 years [SD=6.65] compared with mean=6.52 years [SD=7.10], respectively).
Psychiatrists are uniquely positioned as medical professionals who specialize in health problems of the mentally ill to help prevent the premature death of these patients. As one form of premature death, suicide is usually perceived as a tremendous affront to psychiatrists' sense of competence and professional status. Thus, as previously noted, the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT) and APA, in collaboration with the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), should develop curricular guidelines to help reduce morbidity and mortality associated with firearms, the leading method of intentionally killing oneself or another (25).
Three-fourths of practicing psychiatrists do not have a routine system for identifying patients who own or have access to firearms (18). Additionally, almost half of practicing psychiatrists have never seriously thought about discussing firearm issues with their patients. Yet, psychiatrists who are provided with information on firearms are much more likely to be involved in anticipatory guidance regarding firearms (18). Thus, it is especially disconcerting to find that almost four out of five psychiatric residency directors in the current study reported that they had not seriously thought about providing firearm injury prevention training to their residents, with a median of 0 hours of formal training. The directors did not indicate that they faced numerous barriers to providing such training. Thus, the lack of urgency or perceived relevance to providing such training to residents seems to maintain the inertia of most residency programs toward violence risk assessment, especially as it relates to firearms. Recognition of the fact that systematic training in violence risk assessment leads to improvement in psychiatrists' risk management plans should help provide the empirical evidence that would result in such efforts having high priority in residency programs (26).
A study of adults' perceptions of physicians' advice with regard to not keeping guns in the home found that 47% claimed they would follow such advice (27). An additional 37% indicated that they would seriously think about such advice from a physician, and only 6% indicated they would ignore or be offended by such advice. A more recent study with pediatricians found that parental counseling regarding the need to store guns unloaded and locked away resulted in substantial compliance (68% after 6 months) by parents (28). Additionally, when psychiatrists are provided with information on firearms, they are significantly more likely to be involved in anticipatory guidance regarding firearm safety (18). Thus, if residency programs trained residents in anticipatory guidance on firearms, this might help reduce firearm morbidity and mortality.
A brief clinical intervention that could be effective in identifying every patient who has access to firearms, advising these patients to remove firearms from their premises, and offering alternative forms of personal protection could be based on the 5 As Theory (ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange) (29). Psychiatrists may want to work with their staff members to deliver the last two or three As if they perceive this brief intervention as intrusive on their time.
The findings of this study should be interpreted in light of its potential limitations. First, the response rate of 64% was adequate. However, almost two in five directors did not respond. If nonrespondents had different practices and perceptions than respondents regarding anticipatory guidance on firearm safety, a potential threat to the internal validity of the results would exist. Second, because the data were collected by self-report, some directors may have answered some questions in a socially desirable manner. This seems highly unlikely, however, because the vast majority of directors indicated that they had not seriously thought about providing such training. Finally, the questionnaire items all had closed-format responses. This could have been a threat to the internal validity of the findings to the extent that important items or response options were not included on the questionnaire. This too was a diminished threat because many of the items included an "other (please identify)" option.
At the time of submission, the authors reported no competing interests.
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