text:
Nord Electrical Services Pty Ltd
1.1 "Nord" shall mean Nord Electrical Services Pty Ltd, its successors and assigns or any person acting on behalf of and with the authority of Nord Electrical Services Pty Ltd.
1.2 "Client" shall mean the Client (or any person acting on behalf of and with the authority of the Client) as described on any quotation, work authorisation or other form as provided by Nord to the Client.
1.3 "Guarantor" means that person (or persons) who agrees to be liable for the debts of the Client on a principal debtor basis.
1.4 "Goods" shall mean all Goods supplied by Nord to the Client (and where the context so permits shall include any supply of Services as hereinafter defined) and are as described on the invoices, quotation, work authorisation or any other forms as provided by Nord to the Client.
1.5 "Services" shall mean all Services supplied by Nord to the Client and includes any advice or recommendations (and where the context so permits shall include any supply of Goods as defined above).
1.6 "Price" shall mean the Price payable for the Goods as agreed between Nord and the Client in accordance with clause 4 of this contract.
1.7 "Premises" shall mean the land and premises owned or occupied or used by the Client or any premises where the Goods are situated.
2.1 Nothing in this agreement is intended to have the effect of contracting out of any applicable provisions of the CCA or the FTA in each of the States and Territories of Australia (including any substitute to those Acts or re-enactment thereof), except to the extent permitted by those Acts where applicable.
2.2 Where the Client buys Goods as a consumer these terms and conditions shall be subject to any laws or legislation governing the rights of consumers and shall not affect the consumer's statutory rights.
3.1 Any instructions received by Nord from the Client for the supply of Goods and/or the Client's acceptance of Goods supplied by Nord shall constitute acceptance of the terms and conditions contained herein.
3.2 Where more than one Client has entered into this agreement, the Clients shall be jointly and severally liable for all payments of the Price.
3.3 Upon acceptance of these terms and conditions by the Client the terms and conditions are binding and can only be amended with the written consent of Nord.
3.4 The Client shall give Nord not less than fourteen (14) days prior written notice of any proposed change of ownership of the Client or any change in the Client's name and/or any other change in the Client's details (including but not limited to, changes in the Client's address, facsimile number, or business practice). The Client shall be liable for any loss incurred by Nord as a result of the Client's failure to comply with this clause.
3.5 Goods are supplied by Nord only on the terms and conditions of trade herein to the exclusion of anything to the contrary in the terms of the Client's order notwithstanding that any such order is placed on terms that purport to override these terms and conditions of trade.
3.6 Nord may, in its absolute discretion, accept or reject any order whether on account of the Goods being no longer available or for any other reason whatsoever.
3.7 Nord Meetings on site with the Client, other Services or Trades that are not arranged without sufficient notice (Minimum 48 hours) or when Nord are already on site will incur a call out fee.
3.8 Nord hereby reserves the rights to make, without notice, such minor modifications in specifications, designs or materials as it may at its discretion deem necessary or desirable.
4.1 At Nord's sole discretion the Price shall be either:
(a) as indicated on invoices provided by Nord to the Client in respect of Goods supplied; or
(b) Nord's quoted Price (subject to clause 4.2) which shall be binding upon Nord provided that the Client shall accept Nord's quotation in writing within thirty (30) days.
4.2 Nord reserves the right to change the Price in the event of a variation to Nord's quotation. Any variation from the plan of scheduled Services or specifications of the Goods (including, but not limited to, any variation as a result of additional work required due to unforeseeable circumstances or as a result of increases to Nord in the cost of materials and labour) will be charged for on the basis of Nord's quotation and will be shown as variations on the invoice. Payment for all variations must be made in full at their time of completion.
4.3 At Nord's sole discretion:
(a) a non-refundable deposit may be required; and/or
(b) payment shall be due on, or before, delivery of the Goods; and
(c) it may submit payment claims at weekly, fortnightly or monthly intervals, or in accordance with Nords specified payment schedule for work performed, including the cost of variations and the value of any Goods delivered to the site but not yet installed.
4.4 Unless otherwise expressly stated in writing by Nord, payment shall be due and payable seven (7) days following the invoice.
4.5 Payment by credit card will be subject to a surcharge of up to one and a half percent (1.5%) of the amount paid.
4.6 GST and other taxes and duties that may be applicable shall be added to the Price except when they are expressly included in the Price.
5.1 At Nord's sole discretion delivery of the Goods shall take place when:
(a) the Client takes possession of the Goods at Nord's address; or
(b) the Client takes possession of the Goods at the Client's nominated address (in the event that the Goods are delivered by Nord or Nord's nominated carrier).
5.2 At Nord's sole discretion the costs of delivery are in addition to the Price and, where applicable, charged to the Client's account.
5.3 The Client shall make all arrangements necessary to take delivery of the Goods whenever they are tendered for delivery. In the event that the Client is unable to take delivery of the Goods as arranged then Nord shall be entitled to charge a reasonable fee for the storage and/or redelivery of the Goods.
5.4 Nord may deliver the Goods by separate instalments. Each separate instalment shall be invoiced and paid in accordance with the provisions in these terms and conditions.
5.5 The failure of Nord to deliver shall not entitle either party to treat this contract as repudiated.
5.6 Nord shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever due to failure by Nord to deliver the Goods (or any of them) promptly or at all, where the failure is due to circumstances beyond the control of Nord.
6.1 Irrespective of whether Nord retains ownership of the Goods nonetheless, all risk for the Goods passes to the Client on delivery.
6.2 If any of the Goods are damaged or destroyed following delivery but prior to ownership passing to the Client, Nord is entitled to receive all insurance proceeds in respect of the Goods. The production of these terms and conditions by Nord will be sufficient evidence of Nord's rights to receive the insurance proceeds without the need for any insurer or other third party acting on behalf of the insurer to make further enquiries.
6.3 Where the Client expressly requests Nord to leave Goods outside Nord's premises for collection or to deliver the Goods to an unattended location then such arrangement shall be at the Client's sole risk and it shall be the Client's responsibility to ensure the Goods are adequately insured or at all.
7.1 Nord and the Client agree that title to the Goods shall not pass until:
(a) the Client has paid Nord all amounts owing for the particular Goods and the cost of installation; and
(b) the Client has met all other obligations due by the Client to Nord in respect of all contracts between Nord and the Client.
7.2 Receipt by Nord of any form of payment other than cash shall not be deemed to be payment until that form of payment has been honoured, cleared or recognised and until then Nord's ownership or rights in respect of the Goods shall continue.
7.3 It is further agreed that:
(a) where practicable the Goods shall be kept separate and in manner that makes them readily identifiable as Nord's Goods until Nord shall have received payment and all other obligations of the Client have been met; and
(b) until such time as title to the Goods shall pass from Nord to the Client Nord may give notice in writing to the Client to return the Goods or any of them to Nord. Upon such notice the rights of the Client to obtain ownership or any other interest in the Goods shall cease; and
(c) Nord shall have the right of stopping the Goods in transit whether or not delivery has been made; and
(d) if the Client fails to return the Goods to Nord then Nord or Nord's agent may (as the invitee of the Client) enter upon the Premises and take possession of the Goods; and
(e) the Client is only a bailee of the Goods and until such time as Nord has received payment in full for the Goods then the Client shall hold any proceeds from the sale or disposal of the Goods, up to and including the amount the Client owes to Nord for the Goods, on trust for Nord; and
(f) the Client shall not deal with the money of Nord in any way which may be adverse to Nord; and
(g) the Client shall not charge the Goods in any way nor grant nor otherwise give any interest in the Goods while they remain the property of Nord; and
(h) Nord can issue proceedings to recover the Price of the Goods sold notwithstanding that title to the Goods may not have passed to the Client; and
(i) until such time that title in the Goods passes to the Client, if the Goods are converted into other products, the parties agree that Nord will be the owner of the end products.
8.1 In this clause:
(a) financing statement has the meaning given to it by the PPSA;
(b) financing change statement has the meaning given to it by the PPSA;
(c) security agreement means the security agreement under the PPSA created between the Client and Nord by these terms and conditions; and
(d) security interest has the meaning given to it by the PPSA.
8.2 Upon assenting to these terms and conditions in writing the Client acknowledges and agrees that these terms and conditions:
(a) constitute a security agreement for the purposes of the PPSA; and
(b) create a security interest in:
(i) all Goods previously supplied by Nord to the Client (if any);
(ii) all Goods that will be supplied in the future by Nord to the Client.
8.3 The Client undertakes to:
(a) promptly sign any further documents and/or provide any further information (such information to be complete, accurate and up-to-date in all respects) which Nord may reasonably require to:
(i) register a financing statement or financing change statement in relation to a security interest on the Personal Property Securities Register;
(ii) register any other document required to be registered by the PPSA; or
(iii) correct a defect in a statement referred to in clause 8.3(a)(i) or 8.3(a)(ii);
(b) indemnify, and upon demand reimburse, Nord for all expenses incurred in registering a financing statement or financing change statement on the Personal Property Securities Register established by the PPSA or releasing any Goods charged thereby;
(c) not register a financing change statement in respect of a security interest without the prior written consent of Nord;
(d) not register, or permit to be registered, a financing statement or a financing change statement in relation to the Goods in favour of a third party without the prior written consent of Nord; and
(e) immediately advise Nord of any material change in its business practices of selling the Goods which would result in a change in the nature of proceeds derived from such sales.
8.4 Nord and the Client agree that sections 96, 115 and 125 of the PPSA do not apply to the security agreement created by these terms and conditions.
8.5 The Client hereby waives its rights to receive notices under sections 95, 118, 121(4), 130, 132(3)(d) and 132(4) of the PPSA.
8.6 The Client waives its rights as a grantor and/or a debtor under sections 142 and 143 of the PPSA.
8.7 Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by Nord, the Client waives its right to receive a verification statement in accordance with section 157 of the PPSA.
8.8 The Client shall unconditionally ratify any actions taken by Nord under clauses 8.3 to 8.5.
9.1 Despite anything to the contrary contained herein or any other rights which Nord may have howsoever:
(a) where the Client and/or the Guarantor (if any) is the owner of land, realty or any other asset capable of being charged, both the Client and/or the Guarantor agree to mortgage and/or charge all of their joint and/or several interest in the said land, realty or any other asset to Nord or Nord's nominee to secure all amounts and other monetary obligations payable under these terms and conditions. The Client and/or the Guarantor acknowledge and agree that Nord (or Nord's nominee) shall be entitled to lodge where appropriate a caveat against land owned by the Client and/or the Guarantor, which caveat shall be withdrawn once all payments and other monetary obligations payable hereunder have been met.
(b) should Nord elect to proceed in any manner in accordance with this clause and/or its sub-clauses, the Client and/or Guarantor shall indemnify Nord from and against all of Nord's costs and disbursements including legal costs on a solicitor and own client basis.
(c) the Client and/or the Guarantor (if any) agree to irrevocably nominate constitute and appoint Nord or Nord's nominee as the Client's and/or Guarantor's true and lawful attorney to perform all necessary acts to give effect to the provisions of this clause 9.1.
10.1 The Client shall inspect the Goods on delivery and shall within seven (7) days of delivery (time being of the essence) notify Nord of any alleged defect, shortage in quantity, damage or failure to comply with the description or quote. The Client shall afford Nord an opportunity to inspect the Goods within a reasonable time following delivery if the Client believes the Goods are defective in any way. If the Client shall fail to comply with these provisions the Goods shall be presumed to be free from any defect or damage. For defective Goods, which Nord has agreed in writing that the Client is entitled to reject, Nord's liability is limited to either (at Nord's discretion) replacing the Goods or repairing the Goods except where the Client has acquired Goods as a consumer within the meaning of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cwlth) or the Fair Trading Acts of the relevant state or territories of Australia, and may therefore also be entitled to, either a refund of the purchase price of the Goods, or repair of the Goods, or replacement of the Goods.
11.1 Returns of stocklist items or Goods will only be accepted at Nord's sole and absolute discretion, and provided that:
(a) the Client has complied with the provisions of clause 10.1; and
(b) Nord has agreed in writing to accept the return of the Goods; and
(c) the Goods are returned at the Client's cost within seven (7) days of the delivery date; and
(d) Nord will not be liable for Goods which have not been stored or used in a proper manner; and
(e) the Goods are returned in the condition in which they were delivered and with all packaging material, brochures and instruction material in as new condition as is reasonably possible in the circumstances.
11.2 Non-stocklist items or Goods made to the Client's specifications will not be accepted for credit or return.
12.1 Subject to the conditions of warranty set out in clause 12.2 Nord warrants that if any defect in any workmanship of Nord becomes apparent and is reported to Nord within twelve (12) months of the date of delivery (time being of the essence) then Nord will either (at Nord's sole discretion) replace or remedy the workmanship.
12.2 The conditions applicable to the warranty given by clause 12.1 are:
(a) the warranty shall not cover any defect or damage which may be caused or partly caused by or arise through:
(i) failure on the part of the Client to properly maintain any Goods; or
(ii) failure on the part of the Client to follow any instructions or guidelines provided by Nord; or
(iii) any use of any Goods otherwise than for any application specified on a quote or order form; or
(iv) the continued use of any Goods after any defect becomes apparent or would have become apparent to a reasonably prudent operator or user; or
(v) fair wear and tear, any accident or act of God.
(b) the warranty shall be rendered void and of no force or effect if the Goods are repaired, altered or overhauled without Nord's prior written consent.
(c) in respect of all claims Nord shall not be liable to compensate the Client for any delay in either replacing or remedying the workmanship or in properly assessing the Client's claim.
12.3 For Goods not manufactured by Nord, the warranty shall be the current warranty provided by the manufacturer of the Goods. Subject to the Price being fully paid, Nord shall take whatever steps are necessary to transfer the manufacturer's warranty to the Client.
13.1 Where Nord has designed, drawn or written Goods for the Client, then the copyright in those designs and drawings and documents shall remain vested in Nord, and shall only be used by the Client at Nord's discretion.
13.2 The Client warrants that all designs or instructions to Nord will not cause Nord to infringe any patent, registered design or trademark in the execution of the Client's order and the Client agrees to indemnify Nord against any action taken by a third party against Nord in respect of any such infringement.
13.3 The Client agrees that Nord may use any documents, designs, drawings or Goods created by Nord for the purposes of advertising, marketing, or entry into any competition.
14.1 Interest on overdue invoices shall accrue daily from the date when payment becomes due, until the date of payment, at a rate of one and a quarter percent (1.25%) per calendar compounding monthly.
14.2 In the event that the Client's payment is dishonoured for any reason the Client shall be liable for any dishonour fees incurred by Nord.
14.3 If the Client defaults in payment of any invoice when due, the Client shall indemnify Nord from and against all costs and disbursements incurred by Nord in pursuing the debt including legal costs on a solicitor and own client basis and Nord's collection agency costs.
14.4 Without prejudice to any other remedies Nord may have, if at any time the Client is in breach of any obligation (including those relating to payment) Nord may suspend or terminate the supply of Goods and Services to the Client and any of its other obligations under the terms and conditions. Nord will not be liable to the Client for any loss or damage the Client suffers because Nord has exercised its rights under this clause.
14.5 Without prejudice to Nord's other remedies at law Nord shall be entitled to cancel all or any part of any order of the Client which remains unfulfilled and all amounts owing to Nord shall, whether or not due for payment, become immediately payable in the event that:
(a) any money payable to Nord becomes overdue, or in Nord's opinion the Client will be unable to meet its payments as they fall due; or
(b) the Client becomes insolvent, convenes a meeting with its creditors or proposes or enters into an arrangement with creditors, or makes an assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or
(c) a receiver, manager, liquidator (provisional or otherwise) or similar person is appointed in respect of the Client or any asset of the Client.
15.1 Nord may cancel any contract to which these terms and conditions apply or cancel delivery of Goods at any time before the Goods are delivered by giving written notice to the Client. On giving such notice Nord shall repay to the Client any sums paid in respect of the Price. Nord shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from such cancellation.
15.2 In the event that the Client cancels delivery of Goods the Client shall be liable for any loss incurred by Nord (including, but not limited to, any loss of profits) up to the time of cancellation.
15.3 Cancellation of orders for Goods made to the Client's specifications or non-stocklist items will not be accepted, once production has commenced.
16.1 These terms and conditions are to be read in conjunction with Nord's standard ASIAL monitoring agreement (where applicable). If there are any inconsistencies between the two documents the terms and conditions in this document shall prevail.
17.1 The Client and/or the Guarantor/s (herein referred to as the Client) agree for Nord to obtain from a credit reporting agency a credit report containing personal credit information about the Client in relation to credit provided by Nord.
17.2 The Client agrees that Nord may exchange information about the Client with those credit providers either named as trade referees by the Client or named in a consumer credit report issued by a credit reporting agency for the following purposes:
(a) to assess an application by the Client; and/or
(b) to notify other credit providers of a default by the Client; and/or
(c) to exchange information with other credit providers as to the status of this credit account, where the Client is in default with other credit providers; and/or
(d) to assess the creditworthiness of the Client.
The Client understands that the information exchanged can include anything about the Client's creditworthiness, credit standing, credit history or credit capacity that credit providers are allowed to exchange under the Privacy Act 1988.
17.3 The Client consents to Nord being given a consumer credit report to collect overdue payment on commercial credit (Section 18K(1)(h) Privacy Act 1988).
17.4 The Client agrees that personal credit information provided may be used and retained by Nord for the following purposes (and for other purposes as shall be agreed between the Client and Nord or required by law from time to time):
(a) the provision of Goods; and/or
(b) the marketing of Goods by Nord, its agents or distributors; and/or
(c) analysing, verifying and/or checking the Client's credit, payment and/or status in relation to the provision of Goods; and/or
(d) processing of any payment instructions, direct debit facilities and/or credit facilities requested by the Client; and/or
(e) enabling the daily operation of Client's account and/or the collection of amounts outstanding in the Client's account in relation to the Goods.
17.5 Nord may give information about the Client to a credit reporting agency for the following purposes:
(a) to obtain a consumer credit report about the Client;
(b) allow the credit reporting agency to create or maintain a credit information file containing information about the Client.
17.6 The information given to the credit reporting agency may include:
(a) personal particulars (the Client's name, sex, address, previous addresses, date of birth, name of employer and driver's licence number;
(b) details concerning the Client's application for credit or commercial credit and the amount requested;
(c) advice that Nord is a current credit provider to the Client;
(d) advice of any overdue accounts, loan repayments, and/or any outstanding monies owing which are overdue by more than sixty (60) days, and for which debt collection action has been started;
(e) that the Client's overdue accounts, loan repayments and/or any outstanding monies are no longer overdue in respect of any default that has been listed;
(f) information that, in the opinion of Nord, the Client has committed a serious credit infringement (that is, fraudulently or shown an intention not to comply with the Clients credit obligations);
(g) advice that cheques drawn by the Client for one hundred dollars ($100) or more, have been dishonoured more than once;
(h) that credit provided to the Client by Nord has been paid or otherwise discharged.
18.1 Where the Client has left any item with Nord for repair, modification, exchange or for Nord to perform any other Service in relation to the item and Nord has not been paid the whole of the Price, or the payment has been dishonoured, Nord shall have:
(a) a lien on the item;
(b) the right to retain the item for the Price while Nord is in possession of the item;
(c) a right to sell the item.
18.2 The lien of Nord shall continue despite the commencement of proceedings, or judgment for the Price having been obtained.
19.1 Nothing in this agreement is intended to have the affect of contracting out of any applicable provisions of the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payments Act 1999 of New South Wales, except to the extent permitted by the Act where applicable.
20.1 If any provision of these terms and conditions shall be invalid, void, illegal or unenforceable the validity, existence, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not be affected, prejudiced or impaired.
20.2 If any provisions of these terms and conditions are inconsistent with the PPSA, the PPSA shall prevail to the extent of that inconsistency.
20.3 These terms and conditions and any contract to which they apply shall be governed by the laws of New South Wales and are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Sydney, New South Wales.
20.4 Nord shall be under no liability whatsoever to the Client for any indirect and/or consequential loss and/or expense (including loss of profit) suffered by the Client arising out of a breach by Nord of these terms and conditions.
20.5 In the event of any breach of this contract by Nord the remedies of the Client shall be limited to damages which under no circumstances shall exceed the Price.
20.6 The Client shall not be entitled to set off against, or deduct from the Price, any sums owed or claimed to be owed to the Client by Nord nor to withhold payment of any invoice because part of that invoice is in dispute or as a result of a defect occurring.
20.7 Nord may license or sub-contract all or any part of its rights and obligations without the Client's consent.
20.8 Neither party shall be liable for any default due to any act of God, war, terrorism, strike, lock-out, industrial action, fire, flood, storm or other event beyond the reasonable control of either party.
20.9 The Client must not assign, or attempt to assign, or otherwise transfer, any right arising out of this agreement without the prior written consent of Nord.
20.10 The failure by Nord to enforce any provision of these terms and conditions shall not be treated as a waiver of that provision, nor shall it affect Nord's right to subsequently enforce that provision.


text:
WisdomTree launches six ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange
The American asset manager, focused on the ETP market, WisdomTree has listed six ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange, providing exposure to large and small-cap European, US and, Emerging Markets equities. All will be traded in CHF.
The ETFs, which have a Ucits compliant, have previously been launched on the London Stock Exchange in October 2014, Borsa Italiana in January 2015, Deutsche Börse Xetra platform in February 2015.
The six ETFs track WisdomTree indices with multi-year track records. The indices are designed to be an alternative to market capitalisation-weighted indices, which weight stocks on price alone.
In detail, WisdomTree Europe Equity Income Ucits ETF and US Equity Income Ucits ETF have a TER of 0.29%. Their index dividend yields reach respectively 6.3% and 3.8%. WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Ucits ETF and US SmallCap Dividend Ucits ETF have a TER of 0.38%. Their index dividend yields are 3.5% and 3.2%.
The TER is 0.46% for WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income Ucits ETF, with index dividend yield of 6.6%, and 0.54% for WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Ucits ETF with index dividend yield of 4.4%.
Hector McNeil, co-CEO of WisdomTree Europe, commented: "Swiss investors are leading the charge on the adoption of ETPs as the investment product of choice and we believe we will enjoy the success in this market with the listing of these WisdomTree Ucits ETFs. We have ambitions to be the leading provider of smart beta ETFs to Swiss investors."
WisdomTree, which has launched its first funds in 2006, is currently the fifth largest ETF provider in the US with $51.2bn in AUM (€47.6bn) as of 06 March 2015.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
On one hand, it sounds good, as long as you can finish writing, polishing, and shopping around the story before the fad is past. {bite lips} That's the trick: getting it into shape and sold while the subject is still popular now, and hasn't fallen out of popularity. {bite lips}
That's why neither of my two major mentors liked writing for popularity. Both Vivian L. Thompson (author of many children's picture books and retellings of Hawaiian legends for all ages) and my father, Roger E. Baldwin (author of an introductory genetics text and Hawai'i's Poisonous Plants) taught me that trying to write to popularity is entirely too good a way to end up holding half-finished and half-polished manuscripts about things that used to be popular, but aren't any more. {half-smile}
They also taught me another approach to writing for publication. It's not as glamorous than being part of Today's Big Thing. However, it doesn't leave you stuck with Yesterday's Big Thing either. {Smile}
They both suggested following publishing's "conventional wisdom" until you've become established. The conventional wisdom is the set of rules that "everyone knows" in publishing, book selling and libraries. They're pratically never based on systematically gathered information, or even unscientific polls. They're usually explanations somebody thought of for some pattern of book-choosing they thought they saw. As such, they're very often wrong, sometimes ridiculously so. Even when they do have a point, they often miss something. {half-smile}
I don't know them all; there are a lot, and I'm terrible at memorizing. However, a few I've run into recently include "boys only read books about boys, while girls read books about both boys and girls;" "no one wants to read about handicapped people being handicapped;" "teens don't want to read about old folks in love;" and "Don't kill off a good guy in a kids' book."
When you're first trying to get published, it's best to follow most conventions whether they're right or wrong. Publishers and agents have heard them so often that breaking the conventional rules of publishing will usually make them look at a manuscript, and say "Well, I like it, but..." and rattle off which ever rule you broke. When you're new, you want to avoid that "but." It will make them set aside your manuscript "to think about it." It is possible they'll pick it up again, but they're more likely to reject it than a manscript they like that doesn't make them say "but." {half-smile}
You don't have to follow these rules forever. Once you're established, you can start breaking some of them. But first you have write a few successful stories. I think - and Dad agrees - that means writing at least three. The first story shows you can write a successful story, the second shows that you can do it again, and the third shows that the second wasn't just riding the coat-tails of the first. {lop-sided smile} If one of those
three wasn't as successful as you think the publisher would like, wait
another book or even two before you start breaking the rules. Still,
three, four, or five books isn't forever. Eventually, you can start
breaking rules, because the publisher knows you write books that sell.
Past success trumps these rules most of the time. {Smile}
So that's the method I was taught. I don't think it's actually not incompatible with trying to write something popular. You can do both at the same time or not, as you choose. Myself, I'll follow this. I rather not get stuck with a bunch of stuff that used to be popular. {Smile}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin


text:
Ready To Get Started On Your Finished Basement?
If you are like many modern homebuyers, the basement can be a make it or break it feature of a house. That is because of the incredible amount of options that a finished basement can provide. From common areas and entertainment spaces to additional bedrooms and bathrooms, the basement is quickly becoming the revolutionary home setting that homeowners are seeking. If you are ready to finish your basement and add an entire other layer to your home, you might be wondering exactly where to start. We hope that this guide will lend you a slew of tips and considerations to ponder when designing your finished basement.
Step One: Analyze, Inspect, and Repair
Whether your unfinished basement is comprised of concrete slabs and open wood frames or is a little more prepared, your first step is to ensure that any pieces of the unfinished basement that are not in top shape are found and repaired before beginning to finish. Doing this will prevent you from having to do costly demolition later on in order to fix leaks or cracks in the foundation that you missed.
First, if you have one, start with the open foundation. You are looking for sealing issues in your basement. Lay down a thin plastic sheet and tape it to as large an area of the foundation as you can. Leave for a few hours. When you return, if there is condensation formed under the sheet then your foundation has a sealing issue. If condensation has formed on the top, there is likely a sealing issue in the walls or a humidity issue forming somewhere else. While this can likely be fixed naturally when the basement floor and walls are being finished, the condensation can still collect on the unseen side and cause damage.
Next, check the open wood framing for any insect damage or water rotting. This can be a massive issue later on as you will have to take down the sheetrock or whatever you used to seal the walls in order to access the damage. Make sure to take care of termite problems or water leaks before sealing your finished basement!
Step Two: Designing Your Finished Basement Layout
Alright, this is considered by most to be the best part (apart from actually experiencing the finished basement)! Now is when you can begin to let your imagination fly. Really, what you do with the unlimited possibilities of your basement is up to you. However, there are a few general tips to consider when planning your finished basement.
Naturally, lighting can really assist with creating a homey feeling in your finished basement. However, natural lighting can be less decisive than you might think. When guests or potential home buyers enter your finished basement, they don't need to be tricked into thinking it is just another part of the house by trying to focus on natural lighting. Simply ensuring that there is enough artificial lighting to fill the whole space is enough to impart a home-like feeling.
At the same time, if there is a large egress window that provides a great deal of light then that might be a good option to center a gathering space (such as a common area or bar) around. At the same time, a darker area of the basement could be a perfect place for a home theater or entertainment center.
Speaking of windows, it is important to remember that a bedroom must have an egress window to be considered an actual bedroom on a house listing. Make sure to plan your finished basement bedrooms around egress windows if you plan on them adding value to the house. If you are considering adding a bar or bathroom, it is important to center them near a place that you can cut into a water pipe and drain.
When designing the layout of your finished basement or remodel, it is also important to prepare for possible issues such as flooding. If there is a water pipe issue that induces flooding, the basement is the likely candidate to be filled with water. Making sure you have a sump pump installed that can be turned on to suck water out of the basement and back outside is the best way prepare for flooding. In fact, it's really not a bad idea to have a back up too!
Step Three: Get To Work!
Now it is time to dig deep into your unfinished basement and bring out the elbow grease. Finishing the walls first is the typical process. Make sure to leave plenty of space between appliances and leave a way to access them. Insulate all pipes before adding drywall or sheetrock. The floor will be the next step. An easy and beautiful way to create a basement floor is through inexpensive hardwood sheets.
Remember, while it is possible to finish your basement yourself, you can ensure proper remodeling and value addition by going with experienced basement finishing companies such as the Denver-based Affordable Basement Finishing Co.


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CBP Ineffective at Monitoring High-Risk Rail Shipments from Canada and Mexico
Posted March 20, 2015
A recent report from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General found that U.S. Customs and Border Protection needs to improve its targeting and examination of rail shipments entering the U.S. from Mexico and Canada. CBP may have failed to target or properly examine rail shipments that were at an increased risk to contain contraband or dangerous materials, the report states, and has no assurance that decisions to release these high-risk shipments into U.S. commerce were appropriate. These shortcomings are of particular concern considering that from 1999 to 2013 U.S. trade by rail more than tripled with Mexico (from $20 billion to $69 billion) and nearly doubled with Canada (from $57 billion to $105 billion).
Targeting Criteria
Effective Aug. 26, 2009, ports of entry with rail crossings were required to use specific Automated Targeting System criteria for threshold targeting. If the shipments meets or exceeds a specific ATS threshold or score after applying this criteria, the shipment is determined to be high risk and subject to an exam. However, out of 254 shipments the OIG reviewed at six ports of entry, CBP officers used incorrect targeting criteria 23% of the time. Officers said they were unaware of the correct criteria, insufficiently trained in using ATS or inadvertently used inapplicable criteria. Supervisory officers also did not ensure that the officers were using the correct criteria.
Radiation Detection Equipment
A May 2012 CBP directive requires officers to conduct all mandated ATS targeted exams using available large-scale non-intrusive inspection technology and requires the use of a radiation isotope identifier device to fulfill the radiation screening requirement. However, the OIG found that 72% of the 222 shipments it evaluated were not examined by RIID. Officials at one port said the rail unit did not have a dedicated RIID, while officers at two other ports said that they only used an RIID when their personal radiation detector alerted them to higher levels of radiation or that they believed PRDs were an acceptable way to examine high-risk shipments.
Cargo Enforcement Reporting and Tracking System
CERTS is a sub-module within ATS that allows CBP officers to record all exams and any applicable findings of cargo and cargo conveyances. Rail ports were mandated to use CERTS effective April 13, 2011, CERTS records must be created to document the results of both NII and physical exams, and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that officers input all cargo exam and findings data into CERTS within four hours after completing the exam. However, the OIG found that out of 222 shipments sampled that required CERTS records, CBP officers did not create NII exam records for 69% and did not create physical exam records for 16%. This issue occurred because some officers were not sufficiently trained to use CERTS and supervisory officers did not routinely ensure that exam results were recorded in the system.
CBP Response
In response to OIG's recommendations for improvement, CBP said it anticipates issuing by April 1 an updated National Cargo Targeting Policy that will include mandatory criteria for rail targeting, reiterate that supervisory officers are responsible for confirming the use of mandatory rail targeting criteria and ensuring that exam results are properly entered into CERTS, require exam results to be recorded in CERTS, and reflect that the port director or his/her designee will be accountable for intermittently reviewing CERTS reports to identify noncompliance and taking corrective actions. CBP is also developing system enhancements that will enable CERTS to generate reports to identify high-risk shipments not in compliance with policy.
Click here to download the Inspector General's report.


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Coordinator Jean-Pierre Schmitz has been busy in discussions with colleagues in Aparecida, Brazil. Preparations are steadily making progress. Jean-Pierre has given contact addresses for organisations who should receive priority invitations to attend.
Plans are being made for twin meetings in Europe and Aparecida in the summer with a Skype connection between them.
Associated organisations in France have begun fundraising for the Forum.


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On his show last night, CNN's Don Lemon lashed out at Trump supporter Kayleigh McEnany for accusing the media of turning the Orlando shooting into a gun control platform. Despite evidence to the contrary from his own network, Lemon insisted that the media was not pushing an anti-gun narrative. "No, the media's not trying the make this about guns," he repeated twice after the McEnany said it.
On CNN Tonight, Thursday, Lemon brought on GOP strategist Ana Navarro, Democratic strategist and former Hillary Clinton adviser Maria Cardona as well as Trump supporter Kayleigh McEnany as his guests, where they discussed Donald Trump accusing Hillary Clinton of wanting to abolish the 2nd Amendment. Lemon argued that this claim was "completely false" citing left-leaning fact-checker Politifact's rating it as such.
McEnany responded that the defense Lemon gave for Clinton's actions was just "semantics" and she thought it was a fair point Trump made to bring up. She added:
"[B]ut I really don't think that's the point right now Don, because the media's trying desperately to make this about guns, this is about the Islamic terrorism"
Lemon then cut her off, arguing back-and-forth with her that the media was not making Orlando about gun control.
LEMON: No, the media's not trying the make this about guns. It's not---
MCENANY: Yes--
LEMON: Kayleigh---
MCENANY: Yes, you are, because we are having this --
LEMON: Kayleigh the media's not trying to make this about guns. I am speaking for the family members who I have been sitting down with since Sunday who are upset. Some are Republicans, some are Democrats, some are independents, all of them say that they believe in the second amendment, but they are tired of this partisan bickering as Ana says about the second amendment. Donald Trump says that every turn that Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the second amendment, and if that is a lie, then we are obligated to point it out. It is not true, and you should not come on national television saying it is true when it is not. That is who is making this a partisan thing.
The media's not making this terrorist attack about guns like they do with every tragedy? Really? Because it seems like that's all even just CNN has been doing this week. From Chris Cuomo pressing Rep. Steve King about proposing more aggressive gun laws, to Ashleigh Banfield acting flabbergasted that those on the FBI watch list can buy guns, to Carol Costello asking pro-gun grabber Shannon Watts of Moms Demand Action, "Is this the turning point?" There really is no shortage of pro-gun control advocacy in the media.
Lemon finished the cross-talk with McEnany after she insisted the media was ignoring Islamic extremism, "the root of the problem." Lemon responded in frustration, "No one is ignoring the extremism, and the whole show has been about Islamic extremism."


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For the past 3 years, the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting has included a session called "Food and Brain,"[1] a whirlwind look at how diet can influence mental health. Only this year there was a twist: raw oysters shucked live at the podium.
"Some people think 9 AM is too early to have fresh oysters, but we don't," commented co-chair Drew Ramsey, MD, assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, before announcing that throughout the presentation questions would be posed to the audience; get a question correct and walk to the front of the room to gulp an oyster.
Oysters, it turns out, are incredibly good for the brain, as Dr Ramsey reminded the audience throughout his presentation. And for the next hour and half, he and session co-chair, Emily Deans, MD, a private-practice psychiatrist in Massachusetts and a part-time instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, walked the audience through what, besides bivalves, constitutes a healthy-brain diet and why.
Dr Ramsey, in collaboration with the new International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry, is in the process of developing a standardized "brain food diet." "Food is a very effective and underutilized intervention in mental health," he started off. "We want to help our patients have more resilient brains by using whole foods…by helping get patients off of processed foods, off of white carbohydrates, and off of certain vegetable oils."
Though the field is in its infancy, food psychiatry is increasingly being embraced by clinicians and researchers, as a paper[2] published earlier this year in the Lancet Psychiatry attests. "Although the determinants of mental health are complex," the authors wrote, "the emerging and compelling evidence for nutrition as a crucial factor in the high prevalence and incidence of mental disorders suggests that diet is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology, and gastroenterology." Other recent work found that simply discussing diet with a counselor for just 6 hours over the course of 2 years dropped Beck Depression Inventory scores by 40% in elderly patients with depression.[3]
"The data are very promising that we can positively influence mental health through dietary interventions," commented Dr Ramsey.
Dr. Deans then took the mic took to explain how evolution has shaped the human diet. "Hominid diets have changed drastically through millions of years of evolution. We started with plants, insects, and larvae; but around 2 million years ago we began incorporating meats into our diets, contributing to the development of the advanced hominid brain," she explained. "Then 1 to 2 million years ago we added tubers and bulbs. Finally, around 6000-10,000 years ago, agriculture was developed and we added grains, dairy, and legumes to our diets."
But only in the past 100 years has our diet drastically switched from a whole foods diet to one that is more processed and high in refined carbohydrates; that includes more vegetable fats rather than meat fats; and preservatives, emulsifiers, and other additives, which appear to have contributed to a decline in our collective health.
The backstory of 20th century grain processing, specifically, is an inane one. Once-nutritious kernels were stripped of their nutrients as new refining practices emerged, only to have specific vitamins added back artificially, given the health problems associated with overly refined grains. Grains and other foods have been processed and preserved for thousands of years, but by using much healthier means. For example, fermentation of grains—and letting them sprout—increases nutrient availability.
The first quiz question then flashed on the screen: What food group is most closely associated with Homo sapiens' brain evolution?
Answer: Shellfish.
Early humans evolved in the African Rift Valley, which is near a seacoast. It's possible that whatever evolutionary spark occurred that made us human occurred here, in part due to reliable access to seafood—oysters in particular—which glutted our brains with omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol (our brains are composed of 60% fat).
Oysters and other mollusks are also very high in nutrients, including B12, which is commonly deficient in people consuming vegan or vegetarian diets and is necessary for myelin and neurotransmitter function. As Dr. Deans pointed out, oysters can be an option for some people avoiding meat for moral reasons; oysters don't have a highly developed nervous system, so if they do feel pain—and many scientists believe that they may not—it's most likely scant.
Dr. Deans then pointed out that despite focusing on specific nutrients or foods when considering nutrition, there has been a refreshing and hopefully more effective trend recently among experts to focus the influence of dietary patterns on brain health. Enter the Mediterranean diet.
A number of studies have linked the Mediterranean diet (high in fish oils, nuts, and grains and including maybe a little red wine) with advantageous effects on neurologic and mental health. Dr. Deans cited recent work reporting that adults who followed the Mediterranean dietary pattern the closest over 4.4 years had a significantly reduced risk of developing depression (40%-60%).[4]Also, a 2014 meta-analysis[5] by Felice Jacka, PhD, of Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues found that 47% of the randomized controlled trials included reported improved depression outcomes with dietary interventions, levels comparable to those of drug trials. These data are doubly promising given that dietary interventions are relatively low-risk.
When taken together, most of these dietary pattern studies, which have been conducted all over the world, consistently show that traditional, pre-processed diets are the healthiest, including for the brain. To that point, Dr. Deans presented the case of a patient she had treated: a 37-year-old psychologist with a long history of treatment-resistant depression, severe allergies, and asthma. After being started on the paleo diet—a diet mimicking what our hominid ancestors would have eaten (e.g., meat, nuts, berries) —not only did she lose 40 pounds, but her depression resolved without adjunct medications, and her allergy symptoms improved too.
Next, Dr. Deans presented the second quiz question: Which two dietary patterns are associated with higher rates of anxiety during pregnancy?
Answer: Vegetarian and high-sugar diets. (More on these later.)
To elaborate, Dr. Ramsey presented his simple rhyme for remembering a healthy brain-food diet: Seafood, greens, nuts, and beans (and some occasional dark chocolate). "We see it in clinical practice all the time: With a [healthier brain diet] people's focus improves," he said, "people's energy improves, their self-confidence improves, and their involvement in their own self-care improves."
Dr. Ramsey also acknowledged that it's not as simple as telling someone to go eat kale and anchovies; clinicians should be helping patients incorporate these foods into their overall dietary patterns, including discussing how to prepare them in desirable ways. "People are often mainly eating for heart health; they're counting calories rather than nutrients and are avoiding red meat. These are all rules of avoidance that aren't actually helping put nutrients on a patient's plate," he commented.
So how does Dr. Ramsey encourage his patients to eat healthier in the interest of mental health?
"You don't have to do some extensive food survey," he says. "I'll just say 'Hey, let's talk about food for a few minutes because it plays a big role in mental health.'" Dr. Ramsey will ask his patients what they've had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the past few days; he'll sometimes even ask them to send him photos of their meals. If they're not necessarily abiding by the healthiest dietary pattern, he'll try to elicit brain-healthy foods that the patient does like and discuss working them into the patient's diet. A recent patient of his didn't realize that red peppers and eggs were so good for the brain; she loves them both.
"It's not our job to say, 'Eat vegan' or 'Eat paleo'; it's to partner with our patients based on where they are and help them select more nutrient-dense foods," says Dr. Ramsey. "Look for allergies, aversions, and even ask about what their childhood dinner table was like—looking for how people eat food and where improvements can be made."
He also cautions to be on the lookout for too much beige: pizza, pasta, and rice. "Eat the rainbow," he says, given that bold, bright colors in nature tend to signify valuable vitamins and phytonutrients (the reds, purples, and greens in particular).
Dr. Ramsey is currently co-developing a brain food manual to provide clinicians with key points about food groups and specific ingredients to help them talk to their patients. Part of the project entails developing a mathematical scale to rank the healthiest brain foods. The list is still in development. Despite all of the buzz around kale lately, however—including Dr. Ramsey's successful book 50 Shades Of Kale—the trendy vegetable appears bested by a number of other vegetables, including mustard greens. In terms of meat and dairy, oysters, clams, and spleen will probably land near the top of the list. Spleen recipes aren't exactly filling the pages of Bon Appétit, but given the recent foodie resurgence in organ meat, it is starting to appear on menus. Incidentally, most animals when hunting go for the organs first because of their nutritional value.
"Just have your patients circle two or three foods that they like and have them put that on the fridge," Dr. Ramsey recommends, after which he'll encourage patients to work these foods into their diet by swapping them for less healthy foods. A patient of his with a thing for white chocolate–covered pretzels—essentially nothing but refined carbohydrates—successfully transitioned to dark chocolate–covered almonds, two of the top brain foods. Almonds are a top source of vitamin E and have lots of monounsaturated fats, while dark chocolate (the higher percentage of cacao the better) is a major source of iron and flavanols. Another way to swap: "If somebody loves hamburgers," says Dr Ramsey, "how about suggesting beef and vegetable stew instead?"
Dr. Ramsey then explained the specific health benefits of the major categories of brain foods, meaning those that are nutrient dense in ways that benefit the brain.
Seafood: Seafood is packed with brain-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats are also abundant in plants like chia and flax, but plant-based sources aren't as efficiently converted to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an important structural component of neuronal membranes. DHA also influences the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which can benefit people who have mood and anxiety disorders. Bivalves like mussels, oysters, and clams are the top source of vitamin B12 as well as zinc: Six oysters (only about 10 calories each) provide 240% of our recommended daily B12 intake and 500% of our recommended zinc intake! Seafood is also a leading dietary source of vitamin D (we don't get it all from the sun) as well as iodine and chromium. Although many people worry about mercury in fish, Dr. Ramsey provided an easy way around the concern: Eat small fish like sardines, anchovies, and herring, which typically don't accumulate toxic levels.
Leafy greens: A great base for a brain-food diet, leafy greens are a good source of fiber, folate (derived from the word foliage), magnesium, and vitamin K. Perhaps surprising, kale, mustard greens, and bok choy provide the most absorbable form of calcium on the planet, more so than milk. Greens also provide flavanols and carotenoids that have beneficial epigenetic influences (e.g., including upping hepatic toxin processing). One cup of kale provides 600% of daily vitamin K, 200% of vitamin A, and over 100% of vitamin C—all for only 33 calories. For those who are greens-phobic, Dr. Ramsey ran through a list of preparation methods to make them more appetizing: sauté them with olive oil and garlic; put them in a smoothie; bake some kale chips.
Nuts: Nuts had a bad rap for a while because of their high fat content. But, as Dr. Ramsey revealed, "There's great news here. We've overestimated the caloric content of nuts. Anytime you look at the calories in nuts, take off 25%." Nuts are packed with healthy monounsaturated fats. They help keep us full and also aid in absorbing fat-soluble nutrients. Nuts also provide fiber as well as minerals like manganese and selenium. A serving of 22 almonds (just 162 calories) contains 33% of our recommended vitamin E, plenty of protein, and minerals, including iron. One study[6] from 2013 found that the Mediterranean diet augmented with nuts is associated with significantly higher BDNF levels in patients with depression.
Legumes: Dr. Ramsey is pro-meat, but he acknowledges that many people are eating far too much and the wrong types of meat, and that nuts and legumes are a great alternative source of protein and nutrients. Small red beans in particular are the top antioxidant-containing food, while just 1 cup of lentils contains 18 g of protein and 90% of the recommended daily folate intake. "It's a requirement in my practice that you get a slow cooker and an oyster shucker," said Dr. Ramsey to laughs from the audience.
Some data suggest that vegan and vegetarian diets are associated with improved mood.[7] But as previously mentioned, these dietary patterns can result in B12 deficiency, which has been associated with brain atrophy and developmental delay. Hence, supplementation is important in this population. Vegetarianism has also been linked with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, as well as increased healthcare utilization and worse quality of life.[8,9] These negative associations also could be due to the fact that it's harder to absorb nutrients like zinc, iron, and certain omega-3s from plants.
"The notion that the vegan diet is the healthiest diet on the planet is probably incorrect," said Dr. Ramsey, before explaining that he just feels that we should approach meat in our diets differently.
The average American consumes over 200 pounds of meat and fish per year. "That's not sustainable for the planet," commented Dr. Ramsey, "especially if you look at the amount of beef we consume. We want to help patients use beef and seafood more as flavorings on top of a plant-based diet." This type of diet echoes Thomas Jefferson's approach to nutrition, now en vogue with many nutrition experts: "I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that not as an aliment, so much as a condiment for the vegetables which constitute my principal diet."
A modest amount of meat in the diet has its benefits, including nutrient availability: Hemoglobin-derived iron is up to 40% more absorbable than plant-based iron. Unlike most plants, meat provides all of the amino acids necessary for protein synthesis. Dr. Ramsey emphasized the importance of seeking out leaner, grass-fed meats if one has the means. Aside from the grim state of large-scale meat companies—the packed cages, animal cruelty concerns, the overuse of antibiotics—industrially raised animals reared on corn instead of grass have excessive intramuscular fat to a degree not found in nature, which is not as healthy for us.
"We want to get people off of this stuff," concluded Dr. Ramsey.
Dr. Deans took the stage to discuss one of today's trendiest health issues: gluten.
"There are some real issues," she began, "but I think most people can tolerate whole grains and gluten quite well." About 2% of Americans have celiac disease and are allergic to gluten, even in microamounts. Gluten sensitively is a bit more controversial; it's reportedly found in up to 6% of adults, yet 11% of adults now purchase gluten-free foods.[10]
One related area that may deserve particular attention is the possible relationship between gluten and psychosis. The CATIE trial[11] demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia have significantly elevated antigliadin antibodies (gliadin is a component of gluten); over 23% of schizophrenic patients had moderate to high antigliadin antibodies compared with just 3.1% of controls. "Maybe we should be checking our psychotic patients for celiac disease," commented Dr. Deans, before walking the audience through an anecdotal case.
A very skinny, 37-year-old woman with no psychiatric history had become increasingly paranoid and psychotic within 1 year. She had lost her job, become homeless, and alienated family and friends. She underwent numerous drug treatment trials to no avail. Eventually she arrived at the hospital, and because of her weight, an endocrinologist suggested celiac disease. Though initially skeptical, the patient agreed to go to the state hospital where she was kept on a gluten-free diet for 3 months. She stabilized.
Subsequently she consumed a gluten-heavy meal and her antigliadin antibodies skyrocketed again; she ended up back in hospital. "They called and asked me about meds," recounted Dr. Deans, "but I said, 'No meds; just keep her gluten free.'" Once again, the patient quickly remitted.
"I just think that if we're going to start recommending things like MRI for first-episode psychosis, screening for celiac disease is a lot cheaper and might be good to think about," said Dr. Deans. But for most people, she commented, going gluten free probably won't have much of an effect. "All of these gluten-free options are great for people with celiac disease, but otherwise I don't think that a gluten-free muffin is particularly healthier than your white flour muffin in terms of brain health."
Like gluten, discussion of the microbiome now appears almost daily in lay and professional media. "A gastro friend of mine thinks we should play a drinking game," joked Dr. Deans, "where anytime someone mentions the microbiome, we take a drink."
Our microbiomes contain well over 1 million genes, compared with our 23,000 genes. Furthermore, the commensal microbiome accounts for 90% of the cells in our bodies. Among other functions, these gastrointestinal symbiotes help form and maintain our immune system and aid in digestion, so their health is critical to our health. The understanding of how microbiota contribute to our mental and medical well-being is rapidly advancing.
For example, there is considerable overlap between irritable bowel syndrome and depression and anxiety. "My contention is that they are the same pathology that are expressed in different phenotypes," posited Dr. Deans. Gut pathogens cause inflammation and increase factors like IL-6 and interferon gamma—findings also seen in depression—ultimately reducing the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. Dr. Deans wonders whether chronic inflammation might be at the core of conditions such as depression and anxiety and introduced the concept of psychobiotics, or the idea that microbiota can influence the mind and mental health.
One of the most powerful interventions to alter our microbiome is diet. Research shows that stressed mice experienced changes in the gastrointestinal microbiota, reflecting the gut-brain relationship.[12] There are 260 million neurons connecting the gut and the brain; furthermore, many commensal gut bacteria make neurotransmitters and communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve. "I don't know what they're saying to us," joked Dr. Deans, "but let's just say that if you get a fecal transplant, you want to get if from a happy, mellow person."
Although the science of probiotic therapies is relatively young, it's clear that these commensal organisms co-evolved with us and are adapted to our diet. One study out of The Netherlands found that a 4-week regimen of multispecies probiotics can reverse cognitive reactivity to sad mood.[13] Another study[14] explored what would happen if a group of African Americans in Atlanta swapped diets with a group of rural black South Africans. The investigators were curious to see whether dietary differences could help explain the drastically differing rates of colon cancer between the two populations (65:100,000 in African Americans vs < 5:100,000 in rural South Africans). The South African diet was high in fiber and prebiotics, while the American diet was much higher in junk food, refined carbohydrates, and animal fats. Within 14 days of switching to the South African diet, healthy butyrate-producing microbial species increased by 258% in the American population. Butyrate is a byproduct of bacterial fermentation in the colon and is thought to protect against colon cancer.
Dr. Deans then mentioned the recent media coverage of a geneticist who put his son on a 10-day all-McDonald's diet and measured his microbiome before and after. It was found that the son reduced the diversity of his microbial species by 40%, as assessed by three different labs. (In all fairness, he was restricted to burgers and fries and not the healthier options that McDonald's offers.)
Finally, to close out the session, Dr. Ramsey returned to the stage and asked, "So, can you eat to build a better brain? We think that you can if you focus on dietary patterns and not a single food here or there." He also reminded the audience to help their patients identify and increase their consumption of nutrient-dense foods and to "eat the rainbow," assuming, he cautions, that the rainbow doesn't include bright red Gummi Bears.
"I don't know of anything else that can potentially decrease the risk of depression in a population by 40%,[3]" he concluded. "Perhaps diet is the closest we've come to prevention in psychiatry."
Following the talk, the packed room had lots of questions. Below are the highlights.
Question 1: What's healthier: raw food or cooked food?
"What could be more human than a cooking fire, right?" asked Dr. Deans rhetorically. She explained that cooking tends to increase nutrient availability and decrease toxins, and that many grains as well as potatoes are actually poisonous raw. "I'm not a huge fan of this raw-food movement," she said, "but some foods—greens especially—can be healthier raw because cooking breaks down nutrients." Dr. Ramsey then chimed in: "I recommend a mix of cooked and raw foods to my patients. But we invented fire and started cooking for a reason."
Question 2: Should we worry about recommending too many high-cholesterol foods like oysters, particularly in people with high cholesterol?
"Dietary cholesterol really doesn't affect blood levels of cholesterol that much," responded Dr. Ramsey, "One of the main drivers of heart disease is high triglycerides, which come heavily from eating glucose and fructose." But he did caution that if patients have high cholesterol or an abnormal cardiovascular condition, then it's important to get a patient's primary care doctor or cardiologist involved.
Question 3: We hear a lot about certain spices being healthy. Can you comment on this?
"That's a great point," answered Dr. Ramsey, "You can't just tell people to eat grass-fed beef; spicing is important both for flavor and possibly health." Evidence suggests that curcumin, an ingredient in turmeric, increases BDNF.[15] Other research has found that populations that eat more curry have a decreased risk for dementia,[16] while rosemary extract may help prevent cognitive impairment.[17] "Many spices seem to have healing properties," Dr. Ramsey commented.
Question 4: Is coffee and tea consumption healthy?
The data on coffee are very good. "I had a patient who was drinking nine Diet Cokes a day," recalled Dr. Ramsey. "I switched him over to coffee. It's still a low-calorie drink, but now he's getting healthy flavonoids. And tea is one of my favorite ways to try to get people off of soda; there are so many teas available with antioxidant properties." Earlier this year, a study out of Japan reported that higher consumption of green tea is associated with a lower risk for dementia or mild cognitive impairment.[18]
"Most coffee data have been positive, even with high intake," commented Dr Ramsey, though, as he pointed out, transient increases in blood pressure and anxiety can occur.
Question 5: Is milk healthy for the brain?
"Milk consumption is an interesting adaptation in the human race since the advent of agriculture," explained Dr Deans, "and lactase persistence in adults—meaning you can digest lactose into adulthood—has evolved six separate times over the past 6000 years. Clearly there's an evolutionary population advantage to it." Milk consumption may help explain why modern humans are so much taller than other hominids.
Dr. Ramsey then mentioned the fact that people started avoiding dairy in part as reaction to the "China study,"[19] a large epidemiologic study that reported a correlation between dairy and cancer. "But this is one of those cases where we take a correlational study and go crazy with it," he said. "The data have also been called into question." Dr. Ramsey explained that milk is reasonably nutrient dense and that he's not pro- or anti-dairy.
Question 6: What about fasting?
Although the "Food and the Brain" session at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting focused on what to eat in the interest of brain health, intermittent fasting might also be beneficial for the brain. In addition to helping maintain a healthy weight, fasting induces ketosis. Ketone metabolism has been shown to be beneficial for the brain and improve cognition in patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer disease.[20] Keep in mind that fasting can come with risks for some people, particularly diabetics, and should be discussed with a healthcare provider.
Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/847304_1
Consuming 4 oz romaine juice made of dark green romaine
is enjoyable, may add a little carrot for better taste. Drank this drink 3-4 times daily, before or between meals for about
6 weeks made a huge difference in my iron level, cleared up
a decade long bad eczema, did not come back at all for the last 14 years and some bad warts completely disappeared never to come back.
So happy to see that God's original plans regarding greens
is reentering into our sick nation.
thanks for the Pingback


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Ying Han (GER) vs. Ai Fukuhara (JPN) at the 2013 German Open Championships
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Play Against Conventional Wisdom
Conventional wisdom is usually correct that's why it's conventional. The problem is that if everyone follows conventional wisdom, opponents get used to it, and so become strong against what should give them trouble. Equally, they become weak against things that they should be strong against, because they don't see it very often.
The classic case is the long pips player. Many players know that if you give spin to a long pips player, you get your own spin back. So if you use a tricky spin serve against a player with long pips, you get your spin back. Instead, they usually serve no-spin against the long pips player. It is generally a good strategy.
However, because everyone does it, two things happen. The long pips player gets used to no-spin serves; and he becomes weak against spin serves, since he rarely sees them. Result? They may become very good against these no-spin serves, and yet people keep giving it to them; they may lose the ability to read spin serves and become weak against them, but few players take advantage of it.
So be ready to go against conventional wisdom sometimes.
Webmaster Note: Larry has an outstanding daily blog worth visiting regularly and bookmarking.


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The analysts forecast the global construction robots market to grow at a CAGR of 5.41% during the period 2016-2020.
Construction robots are mainly used for basic tasks in building construction and civil engineering projects. These tasks include concreting, building, connecting, attaching, coating, covering, jointing, positioning, finishing, demolishing, drilling, tunneling, earthmoving, scaffolding, inspecting, and repairing elements.
Construction robots improve productivity, quality of end-products; reduce manual operations, leading to less errors; shorten construction time; reduce costs; and increase safety in hazardous working environments. The productivity of the construction robots is high when the construction materials are standardized and work processes are repeated. These robots were introduced in 1980s to improve working conditions and enhance productivity and work efficiency. However, the diffusion of robots was slow and the technological progress was low compared to its manufacturing counterparts.
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Covered in this report
The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global construction robots market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from sales and aftermarket services of construction robots.
The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:
• Americas
The report, Global Construction Robots Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.
Key vendors
• Brokk
• Fujita
• ULC Robotics
Other prominent vendors
• Construction robotics
• Hanool robotics
• Skanska
• Taisei
• Shimizu
Market driver
• Increased urbanization
• For a full, detailed list, view our report
Market challenge
• Reluctance of construction companies to adopt construction robotics
• For a full, detailed list, view our report
Market trend
• Rise of modular constructed buildings
• For a full, detailed list, view our report
Key questions answered in this report
• What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?
• What are the key market trends?
• What is driving this market?
• What are the challenges to market growth?
• Who are the key vendors in this market space?
• What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?
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Table Of Contents – Major Key Points
PART 01: Executive summary
• Highlights
PART 02: Scope of the report
• Market overview
• Top-vendor offerings
• Other prominent vendors
PART 03: Market research methodology
• Research methodology
• Economic indicators
PART 04: Introduction
• Key market highlights
PART 05: Market landscape
• Market size and forecast
• Five forces analysis
PART 06: Market segmentation by application
• Global construction robots market for heavy/civil construction
• Global construction robots market for building construction
• Global construction robots market for nuclear dismantling and demolition
• Global construction robots market for other applications
PART 07: Geographical segmentation
Construction robots market in APAC
Construction robots market in the Americas
Construction robots market in EMEA
PART 08: Market drivers
PART 09: Impact of drivers
PART 10: Market challenges
PART 11: Impact of drivers and challenges
PART 12: Market trends
PART 13: Vendor landscape
• Competition business overview
• Competition business focus
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