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Avant Aesthetics specializes in a number of Transgender surgeries.
Transgender Surgeries
A transgender individual can have many hurdles in their journey to becoming who they really are. Perhaps the most important part of their journey is matching their physical appearance to how they feel on the inside.
Avant Aesthetics understands the desire to match your outward appearance with your inner identity. Our board certified plastic surgeons both offer compassionate care and personalized treatments with the utmost discretion and privacy before, during, and after your transition.
MTF Top Surgery
Hormone therapy may cause small breasts to develop, but in most cases trans women desire implants to make their breasts larger and rounder. Silicone or saline implants can be used to enhance the breast size and shape. The size and positioning of the implants is personalized to each individual.
Breast surgery is often one of the first steps in a transgender woman's transition. Larger breasts can also balance out broad shoulders or a wider chest. It can be performed at any point in your transition.
MTF Brazilian Butt Lift
A shapely behind can also accentuate your womanly figure. Liposuction is used to remove unwanted fat from another area of your body. The fat is then injected into your buttocks for a natural lift.
A Brazilian butt lift is a natural way to alter the size or shape of your buttocks. It is minimally invasive and, in most cases, doesn't require implants or other enhancement. The use of your own fat reduces the risk of infection or other complications, and it provides a natural look and feel.
Facial Feminization
In the transition from male to female, patients want a soft, feminine facial profile. Face and neck feminization may require several procedures, based upon the existing facial structure of the patient, including tracheal shave, lip lift, jaw re-contouring, nose reshaping, brow lift, or cheek augmentation. Our Los Angeles transgender facial implants are meticulously planned and executed – we understand how crucial your facial structure as part of presenting your true gender identity.
Avant Aesthetics works only with the best plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills for facial feminization. Please contact us for more information.
Real Stories
Transitioning is a huge step for any patient. Here are a handful of stories with amazing individuals who've come to Avant Aesthetics to tell us more about their journey (This group is a mix of transgender individuals and one individual who identifies as a gay women in a man's body).
Jaimie Wilson
Jaimie came to us with concerns about his hairline. He also worked with Dr. Liu and Dr. Kwon to address some of the hurdles transgender patients face with transitioning and what resources to look into when it comes to insurance.
Isis King
Isis visited Avant Aesthetics to address issues from a previous liposuction surgery she had at another practice. Dr. Liu and Dr. Kwon worked on her revision giving her the shape she originally envisioned. Video testimonial to come soon.
Abeer Refaat
Abeer came to us all the way from Egypt. She does not identify as a transgender individual, rather a gay woman who sees herself with a masculine upper body. Abeer also had a botched surgery from another practice which Dr. Liu was able to reconstruct.
Still unsure?
That's okay!
Transgender Surgery FAQs
Gender dysphoria is disheartening for many transgender men and women. The disconnect between physical appearance and gender identity can cause depression, anxiety, and lowered self-esteem. Nearly 100% of those who decide to have transgender surgery are happy with their decision. You may experience:
- Boost of self-confidence
- Feeling comfortable in your own skin
- Outward appearance matches your inner feelings
- Feel secure in your sexuality and gender identity
- Decreased anxiety and depression
- No longer feeling that you're "hiding something"
Feeling confident in yourself can also improve your personal and professional life. You may feel more comfortable dating, making friends, taking risks, and putting yourself out there.
- Breast Feminization
- Hip Feminization (Los Angeles Transgender Hip Implants)
- Liposculpture (lipo-assisted body sculpting)
- Facial contouring with fat and/or HA fillers
- Brow Lift
- Cheek Implants
- Orchiectomy
Pricing varies and is tailored to each patients specific needs. Contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation!
At Avant Aesthetics, we are happy to assist and work with your insurance when possible. Please refer to our Insurance & Financing section to learn more!
Dr. Liu and Dr. Kwon have helped many patients struggling with gender dysmorphia. Matching your outward appearance to your inner feelings can be liberating, and Avant Aesthetics offers options for you to express who you truly are. We operate with a high degree of discretion and respect for your journey. If you are considering cosmetic procedures to express your gender identity, come to Beverly Hills for a private initial complimentary consultation.


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Presidents of the USA – News & Australian Tour Special
The Presidents of the United States Of America – 2013 Australian Tour Special:
The Presidents of the United States Of America's Australian tour is about to start. They have already done plenty of press stuff. Interviews, TV show(s) and other tour and music promotion. Of course this blog post covers other Presidential happenings too! Feel free to submit stuff I have missed.
The Presidents played at the Morning Show (Australian TV show):
"American rockers Presidents of the USA perform a special 'Cow edition' of their massive 90s hit 'Lump'." – Click here to view the VIDEO and here's the Youtube one.
Here's Peaches VIDEO from the same show, and "Millions Of Artichokes" VIDEO.
Australian Tour Photos
Gallery of PUSA photos from Australia
Chris Ballew – "We're So Green" Video:
"Chris Ballew (aka Casper Babypants), has teamed up with Seattle's Office of Sustainability and the Environment to produce this Schoolhouse Rock style ditty, "We're So Green" – View full original article
Presidents of the USA interviews
Sorta Rotten And Insane – Great Chris Ballew interview about the 90's PUSA fame.
Interview – Chris Ballew, Presidents Of The United States Of America – January 2013 – magazine.100percentrock.com
We chat with The Presidents Of The United States Of America – tonedeaf.com.au
Presidents of the United States of America – everguide.com.au
PUSA cover video:
Ashes (AU) – Naked And Famous (Presidents of the USA Cover):
ASHES – Rock band from Sydney, Australia doing a acoustic cover of "Naked and Famous" by The Presidents of the United States of America. ASHES will be supporting PUSA on March 15, 2013 at the UNSW Roundhouse. Head to ashesau.bandcamp.com to check out the band's self-titled EP.
Also check out Pusafan at the Facebook (Australian PUSA fan who keeps us entertained with Pusa collector's items, and of course the Presidents visiting Australia)
PUSABASE is also on Facebook (Visit my page)
Here's the commercial part of this blog post:
Support my Presidents of the USA fansite:
I just renewed the domain name for 5 more years! Pusabase site turns 10 years old next month! Some ways to support my efforts with the site
iHerb.com** | DealExtreme | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
*** Get up to $10.00 discount, and use iHerb coupon yourfirst iHerb order via link!
Or simply share the link http://www.iherb.com/?rcode=YUY952 on social media, and tell that it goes to good use. And they'll save up to $10.00! Thanks for the support! 🙂
Some buttons you can smash:

subset: commoncrawl


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The highlight of new hardware release during today's WWDC 2012 Keynote is the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display. As the name indicates, the all new 15-inch MacBook Pro features a stunning Retina display, all flash storage and quad-core processors in a radically thin and light design. Measuring a mere 1.8 cm (0.71 inches) and weighing only 2.02 kg (4.46 pounds), the completely redesigned MacBook Pro sets a new standard in performance and portability for pro users.
The new MacBook Pro Retina display is the world's highest resolution notebook display with over 5 million pixels, 3 million more than an HD television. At 220 pixels-per-inch, the Retina display's pixel density is so high the human eye cannot distinguish individual pixels from a normal viewing distance, so text and graphics look incredibly sharp. The Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 29 percent higher contrast than the previous generation. Featuring a precision engineered aluminum unibody design and an all flash storage architecture, the all new MacBook Pro is the lightest MacBook Pro ever and nearly as thin as a MacBook Air.
The MacBook Pro with Retina display features the latest Intel Core i7 quad-core processors up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.7 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics, up to 16GB of faster 1600 MHz RAM and flash storage up to 768GB. Two Thunderbolt and two USB 3.0 ports allow pro users to connect to multiple displays and high performance devices, and a new HDMI port offers quick connectivity to HDTVs.


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So when Crowley mentioned knowing who Kevin's real dad is, that got me thinking about who it could possibly be and whether they'll explore it on Show or if it was merely a throw-away demon taunt. He seemed to think it was something worth teasing about, something that would bother or upset Kevin to know. We couldn't tell by Ms. Tran's reactions as she was not really conscious, but Kevin did look surprised and concerned.
If they are going to pursue Kevin's parentage as a story line wouldn't it be interesting if John Winchester were Kevin's Dad? He's seventeen, and John's only been dead for 6 or 7 years, so it is possible. Another half-brother for the Winchesters. Maybe they could work on rescuing Adam or at least mention him?
Or how about Bobby? Didn't he say he was getting special Thai massages and implied there was sex involved? Not that Ms. Tran was a sexworker, but who knows right? So Kevin would be a kind of sort of half-brother to the Winchesters.
Or maybe Chuck/God? There are many myths where Gods father children on humans, creating special offspring, like say a Prophet? Perhaps Ms. Tran is actually Mistress Magda, I could see that actually, she was very commanding.
I was going to start guessing angels but if they're supposedly "junkless" then that's a no-go on fathering children.
Would Sam and Dean even bother discussing this at all or would they have forgotten it in them midst of all the fighting and drama of Dean almost killing Crowley!Ms.Tran? Do you have any guesses, or do you think Show is just going to drop this whole thing?


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Space Junk (Overdrive)
$169.00 Sold Out
** LIMITED RELEASE ** This hand-built pedal will be available in limited runs. Stay tuned to our Insta / Twitter / Facebook for availability. **
Space-Junk Overdrive
The user manual for this guy should have just one instruction - play it loud!
The Space Junk circuit is very much inspired by the way the It Kills me to have to Overdrive Circuit sounds at high gain settings. Like The Smith Street Band overdrive, it combines a high impedance J-FET input buffer, so that your guitar sounds like your guitar on the way in, and a BJT output buffer to enhance the grit on the way out. We've also kept the responsive and crunchy asymmetrical LED clipping circuit and the trusty old 4558 op-amp.
Here's where we changed things up; we've shifted the gain profile up - so you get a bunch more grit at lower gain settings. Turning the drive control all the way up pushes a lot more current through that clipping circuit - and that my friend means crunch. The wide-band gain filters have been focused to suit the higher gain of the Space Junk pedal - so the detail won't disappear in the mix when your drummers wailing on the cymbals.
If you want things to pop just that bit more, the tone circuit has been tuned to let you really boost the top end without things getting nasty.
Make no mistake, this is a beast.


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- Home
- Town Government
- Departments
- Public Works
- Garbage & Recycling
Garbage & Recycling
Garbage and recycling pick-up service is a franchise granted by the Town through the South Bayside Waste Management Authority to Recology.
225 Shoreway Road
San Carlos, CA 94070
(650) 595-3900
Trash, Recyclables and Organics Collection
Trash, recyclables and organics are collected weekly.
Residents are encouraged to place the recycling containers at the curb no sooner than the evening prior to the pickup and to remove them as soon as possible after pickup, but no later than the evening of pickup.
To find out when your regular collection day is you can visit the Recology website Service Day Look Up or download the map (PDF).
Complaints About Service
Residents should first contact Recology at (650) 595-3900 about their concerns. In general, most problems can be resolved with a phone call. The Town's franchise requires Recology to be responsive to residents' needs, and procedures are in place for the Town to fine Recology for patterns of poor customer service.
Mandatory Commercial Recycling - AB 341
The new California Assembly Bill (AB) 341 requires all businesses that generate four (4) or more cubic yards of garbage per week to recycle by July 1, 2012. The specific statutory language for AB 341 can be found in the State's Public Resources Code: PRC Division 30, Part 3, Chapter 12.8, Section 42649.
Businesses include, but are not limited to:
- Office buildings
- Retail
- Restaurants
- Non-profits
- Strip malls
- Government offices
- Schools
The purpose of the new law is to:
- Reduce garbage from landfills
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
For more information please visit the Rethink Waste website.
Other compliance
In addition to having recycling services services provided by Recology, customers can also self-haul the recyclables or arrange for their pickup.
Construction and Demolition Debris
Atherton requires applicants for demolition and building permits to execute and adhere to a Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan. Contact the Town's Building Department for additional information.
South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA) - www.rethinkwaste.org
The Town is a member of a joint powers authority that includes 11 other public agencies. The SBWMA owns the Shoreway Environmental Center where all trash, recyclables and organics is delivered after collection from the Town.
For additional information about recycling programs contact:
SBWMA (South Bayside Waste Management Authority)
San Mateo County Recycling Program 1-888-442-2666
San Mateo County Household Hazardous Waste (650) 363-4718


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News__ Saturday Selection
| By Zyanna
Every Saturday we'll be selecting a photo from our Flickr pool to be featured on hearty.
Congratulations to ƒenk, who is our very first Saturday Selection! And no he didn't win because he had a picture of something similar to a pool. Check out more of ƒenk's beautiful photos here.
If you want to be featured in our Saturday Selection please submit your photos to our Flickr pool here! Dive on in.


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Thanks to 20th Century Fox here's a brand new trailer of The Martians, the upcoming science-fiction drama movie starring Matt Damon as a resourceful astronaut stranded on planet Mars:
"During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring the Martian home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible, rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney's safe return."
What would you if you were stranded on Mars? Would you just give up and wait for death? Or would you fight to stay alive?
The movie The Martian will be released on October 2, 2015.


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I barely spotted this place over a berm of dirt from the road. I wasn't sure at first exactly what condition it might be in, but I doubled back and parked next to the water tower. Then I circled around the tower and came onto the property from behind.
What I found appeared, at first to be a motel. As it turns out, after speaking with some of the locals, this was in fact an outdoor roller rink. Today, however, it appears it's a favourite place for the local kids to party, drink, read porn, and worst of all, skateboard.
Some of the graffiti on the back wall was interesting. Overall, the place is worth a look if you happen to be wandering by.
UPDATE May 14, 2013: During a drive-by today, I noticed this structure has been demolished.


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Guilty Pleasures.
I'm sitting here eating my third piece of cake this weekend thinking about what I want to write for my #loveblog prompt, guilty pleasures. Yes, third piece of cake. Saturday it was a rollerskating birthday party for my son's step-cousin with a gorgeous unicorn cake with amazingly delicious fondant and icing, Saturday night it was the fried cheesecake I finished off for my son after his birthday dinner, and tonight it's the slice of Oreo Blizzard cake to belatedly celebrate my son's birthday from last week. Yup, I did it all, dove right in. I can't say I won't feel the affects of it when I step on the scale tomorrow morning but I'll say it felt good to let loose this weekend and gobble it up! Guilty pleasures don't have to be life ending, actually I think it's healthy to have some guilty pleasures, whether it's just on special occasions or it's something that you can make part of your weekly routine, it's important to have some of those that you can indulge in, something that makes you feel good. I think having a (healthy or not-too-bad) guilty pleasure is good for you. Maybe it's long, relaxing bubble baths, or allowing yourself to buy that expensive bag you've had your eye on for a while (saving up for it of course – I'm not suggesting you skip paying a bill to purchase it), or having that dessert once in awhile, it's important to allow yourself to have things in your life that really bring you joy. We call them guilty pleasures but do they really need to be? Do we have to feel guilty about something that brings us pleasure? (Now all this goes with saying that it's not something that is destroying your life…I'm going to be frank here, if it's harmful to you or others then it has lost its shine and it's stepped past the boundaries of just being a guilty pleasure.) I'm the kind of person that believes that our lives should be lived with passion, pleasure and joy. We should be setting out to do things that feel rewarding to us, that make us smile, that bring light to our eyes.
I drink way more hot tea than I probably should in one day – like 8-10 cups per day is kind of my normal.
I can Netflix binge for days on if I didn't ever have to leave the house.
I have a bit of a collection of paintings I've done filling corners in my bedroom and I'll keep on painting and stacking them up.
I love brownie batter…so I just don't keep the mix in the house too often…like I'll mix it up just to eat the batter, I am perfectly happy skipping the cooking part.
I collect quotes like it's nobody's business…they're in all of my notebooks, scribbled in my planner, taped on my wall…anywhere I can write or stick a quote I will.
I kind of like the word sh** – maybe it's because I was a Navy brat and well it was my first word, in context from what my parents have told me (my toy wasn't working so out of frustration I slammed it down and yelled "sh**")…it's just stuck I guess, I'm sorry…come on, it could be worse.
The truth is, my guilty pleasures can vary from day to day or week to week, it depends on what presents itself, it depends on how my day is, or what's happening in my world. Sometimes after a long week, my guilty pleasure is turning my phone on silent, staying in bed and disappearing from the world for a bit. And I'm okay with that, sometimes I need that to recharge. I need to give into my guilty pleasures now and then, I need to allow myself that freedom, that flexibility to be me and only me.
What guilty pleasures do you have? How often do you allow yourself to give into them, to enjoy them?
Tonight's post was prompted by my participation in Brita's #LoveBlog2018! I am so excited to have the opportunity to participate again this year! This series has opened some wonderful thought processes for me in which I was able to learn more about myself and tell my story to my readers in a new light. Check out this year's prompts here.
Meet Your Hosts
Brita from bellabrita.com. Brita Long is the pink and sparkly personality behind the Christian feminist lifestyle blog, Belle Brita. While her first love will always be Paris, she lives happily with her husband Daniel Fleck in the Atlanta area.
Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
Laura from dofivethingsaday.com. Laura is a big dreamer, full time marketing manager, blogger, and part-time artist. She aspires to inspire people in their everyday lives and help them to live towards their dreams and making the most out of every day by sharing her own experiences and stories.
Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
Ivana from provocativejoy.com. Ivanna is a registered nurse who loves expressing her creative side. She enjoys thrifting, learning about sustainable living, and anything purple. She writes on Provocative Joy about living unconventionally, and loves to inspire people to realize their potential to be world-changers.
Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
Link Up


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We are a Victorian charity, committed to improving the health outcomes of Victorians with disability through sport and recreation.
Health is a basic human right. Everything we do is to help Victorians with disability live happier, more active lives.
Our Vision
A community where there is access and equity for all.
Our Mission
To provide and promote positive health outcomes for people with disability, through participation in sport and recreation.
We are a registered disability service provider, state sporting association, TAC community group program provider and a registered charity.
Thanks to the generous donations and support of the Victorian community, we can continue to make healthy choices easy choices for all Victorians.


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View cruising times &
get going with the Cougar Line
Book with the Cougar Line
& enjoy the experience
Walk, Bike or Kayak?
How many days you wish to spend on the track? Many visitors choose to hike the track over 4 days / 3 nights, or choose a guided or unguided walk or bike where everything is arranged.
Choose your accommodation
Reservations are ESSENTIAL - choose from campsites, backpackers, resorts & lodges or comfortable homestays along the track.
Book your transport
Use our EASY booking/enquiry form to book your Cougar Line transport for the duration of your stay on the track. We carry your pack each day free of charge to your accommodation along the track.
All transport departs from Cougar lines centrally located office on the waterfront in Picton, or by arrangement from the ferry terminal. Travel is aboard one of the Cougar Line's luxury catamarans.
All track destinations can be accessed at least twice daily on our scheduled services. Special charters are available by appointment. The Cougar Line operates 7 days a week, 365 days a year and has no minimum passenger number requirements.
The Cougar Line's daily scheduled departures offer a chance for casual visitors to book a one way passage to the track.
In the summer there are up to four daily departures to choose from. As the track can be accessed at many different entry points the prices and times vary from bay to bay. The more popular drop-off locations are: Ship Cove • Resolution Bay • Endeavour Inlet (Furneaux Lodge, Endeavour Holiday Resort or Punga Cove) • Torea Bay • Mistletoe Bay
Cougar Line offers a complimentary pack transfer service for every biker or walker booking a Round Trip Track Pass.
Your luggage will be transferred each day to your accommodation of choice along the track. You need only carry a day- pack each day.


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We are preparing to host another green home tour to a group of local high school students soon, so I've been thinking about all of the sustainable features in our home that I like to highlight on tours. It's been a while since we've hosted a student or scout group, so it will be nice to do a showing for education again.
One of the topics that came up as I created my outline - one that I often forget about when discussing sustainability - is "Longevity as Sustainability." One of the important concepts about building a sustainable home is making sure that you get what you really want and that it lasts a very long time, so that you don't have to replace things and contribute to the landfill problem. For example, our exterior metal siding and roofing each have a 50 year warranty on the finish, and a lifetime warranty on the structure of the metal panels. There's no asphalt roofing shingle on the market that can come close to that, so bam! I never have to worry about my roof. Ever. That's nice, let me tell you. Because now that my kids are older, I spend all of my time worrying about who's supposed to be where for what, at what time, and did they bring the right gear and enough snacks and water - know what I mean? Who has time to worry about a roof, right?
The other instance of longevity I thought about was in terms of the overall structure, not one specific component. Since it's been a little while since we've hosted a tour, I had forgotten one of the main aspects of our home: the entire first floor is accessible. That means that it was designed for restricted or limited mobility. The front sidewalk gently slopes up to the front door with no steps, all of the walkways and hallways throughout the house are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, the microwave is housed below the kitchen counter instead of above the stove, and there's an accessible master bath, bedroom, and walk-in closet on the first floor. In addition, all faucets and door handles are lever type, instead of knobs - to accommodate someone who might have dexterity issues because of an injury, arthritis, or simply from aging. We also built extra wood blocking into the stud walls in the bathrooms where toilet and shower grab bars could be installed later if we need them.
An additional bit of design ingenuity of our home is the fact that there are really two master bedrooms - the main master on the first floor, and an additional master with a walk-in closet on the second floor that currently belongs to our teenage daughter. The thought process for the second master was the fact that both my husband and I are the oldest siblings in our families. We feel a sense of responsibility that if one of our parents ever needed constant care, we could reasonably allow them to move into our first floor master bedroom and bath, while we could comfortably move to my daughter's room upstairs without having to sacrifice bedroom or closet space! We have an additional spare bedroom up there where my daughter could move to, or we would hope that any such moves would take place after she's left for college and out on her own. See? Longevity.
What longevity really amounts to is a design term that's hot right now called Aging in Place. This is actually a design specialty now with a certification that goes along with it: CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist). You can do an online search to find out more about Aging in Place and accessible or even Universal Design. You can also search to find a CAPS professional in your area as well. Some builders have CAPS qualifications and can build you a home or addition that is ready for Aging in Place. Other CAPS designers can work with you to make changes or renovations to existing homes to make them more Aging in Place compliant. The idea is to allow people, if they so choose, to stay in their homes as long as physically possible. (Longevity.)
Accessible, Universal, and Aging in Place Design are much needed specialties in my field, but there's an additional, newer specialty that can either be seen to conflict or support these others. It's called Active Design. The idea of Active Design is to keep people active as long as possible, and it takes design ideals from large cities, Europe, and other parts of the world, and integrates them into spaces in a unique way to encourage more mobility. Because of obesity being such an epidemic in the U.S., architects and designers are trying to encourage more active lifestyles on a more subliminal level. Concepts in Active Design include placing beautifully designed stairways in prominent locations in the design - while elevators are more hidden or less convenient to access. Workplace users are actually encouraged to walk more, take more mini-breaks from sitting at their desks, and so on. The trends in homes over the past few decades has been a shift to single story or Ranch style homes or at least homes (like mine) with a master bedroom on the main level, however, Active Design encourages daily trips up and down stairs to maintain a higher activity level, which keeps muscles and bones of the body stronger and encourages more . . . . longevity. Urban planners are encouraging biking or walking within neighborhoods by including bike racks, trails, paths, and bike lanes on roadways to encourage more activity as well.
Well, that's all I have for you to ponder today. Have a great day and why not spend a little time thinking about your own longevity. What type of design is for you? Aging in Place, Universal Design, Active Design? Perhaps a combination of all three? There are no rules - it's your space, as long as you . . . Live Well and Dream Green!
(This week's post comes from Krista Nutter, LEED AP, MS Arch. Her home was on the USGBC Cincinnati Green Home tour in 2015. Learn more about it at the house blog.)
If you liked this post you might like, "Green Education for Our Youngest Citizens."
Interested in learning more? Here's the "Greenest Home in the World."


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followingmitohongkong hong kong travel
EXPLORING HONG KONG IN DENIM SHORTS AND BASEBALL CAPDecember 16, 2015
I totally forgot to post these pictures from my Hong Kong trip a few months ago on my blog. I am working on a throwback blog ...
I totally forgot to post these pictures from my Hong Kong trip a few months ago on my blog. I am working on a throwback blog post where I am sharing my personal favorite fashion trends this year, and I thought this post might serve as a good introduction as you can see some of my favorite things I wore in 2015.
Usually when I travel I most likely gravitate towards denims shorts, tshirt, sneakers and a base ball cap (I am lazy when it comes to putting on SPF). I think, when you once found the pair of denim shorts that fit you perfectly, it is hard to let go and not actually wear it throughout the entire week during summer. Same with me when I purchased these mom denim shorts from asos. Asos has been my number one source when it comes to shopping, especially online shopping. You can find some of the latest fashion piechttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84WIaK3bl_smes on asos at an affordable price. But not only do they have the newest trends but also great basic items such as denim shorts and great white tshirts (I love their petite basics).
After walking around Kowloon, we finally made it to the MIDO Cafe which I discovered on the internet. Many people recommended it, and since I didn't had the chance to visit the Goldfinch restaurant that day which is the location to my favorite movie by Wong Kar Wai, I decided to try this spot. If you go there for the first time, you won't be able to spend too much time studying their large menu (service is not really patient with new foreign guests) but for me personally this means that I need to go there again until I tried the best of the best from their menu!
I am wearing asos denim shorts and baseball cap | uniqlo t-shirt | adidas sam smith (which I left in Tokyo when I moved out of my apartmen. They served me well!) | choies bag


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It's clear that Jeremy Shockey appreciates the New York Giants' most enthusiastic, buoyant fan, Sondra Fortunato. Meadowlands security personnel, however, do not, as Sondra was ejected on Sunday while dressed as a Santa.
Ms. Fortunato has been a fixture at Giants games for 30 years, routinely delighting fans and players alike with her enthusiastic antics. These have included, from time to time, large signs and small outfits. But two weeks ago, Fortuna ran afoul of stadium security. All of a sudden her act is forbidden.
"Last Sunday, Sondra, whose niece, Paula, is divorcing Sumner Redstone, arrived at the Meadowlands in a tiara, fishnets, a Santa outfit, a bathing-suit bottom and high-heeled boots. "Nothing was showing," she insisted. "You couldn't even see my underwear. I don't flash!"
She carried a suitcase containing Christmas presents, and held a pair of 11-by-17 signs. One read, "Go Giants." The other, "Have a No Guns Christmas." Then, Sondra was escorted to the security office — "where all the alcoholics and drunks and people ejected from the stadium stay."
There is a no-signs policy at Meadowlands for Giants games, but Sondra says that the team routinely ignores it. Now all of a sudden, she's being singled out.
The Giants maintain that Sondra was ejected because she violated rules against signs and baggage.
Well, signs can be successfully stopped at the gate, I suppose. But there are some things that the Meadowlands are powerless to stop from being smuggled in. Oh, and our Sondra does get around, eh?
Giants Fan Ejected For Having Large Breasts [Don Chavez]
Knocker Blockers [New York Post]


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Hindjuvet Canyon Hiking Trail
Hike along the canyon of river Hinde to the highlands of Hindflya
Essential info
- Destination: Jotunheimen National Park
- Season: June-October
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 10.3 kilometers (out‑and‑back)
- Elevation Gain: 580 meters
- Duration: 2.5-4 hours
About Hindjuvet Canyon
The hike along the small river Hinde leads you up to the highlands Hindflya. The small river made a deep and impressive canyon - there is a new view in the canyon with every heigh meter you climb. At the end of the route you are standing on the highlands and have a full view to the 2000 meter peaks of East Jotunheimen. Easy orientation as the route follows the river.
Getting there
From Oslo, the drive to Hindsetær takes about 4.5 hours. Start by taking road E6 towards Trondheim. Drive all the way up to Sjoa before you head into Heidal on road 257. Take a left at road 51 towards Beitostølen when you reach Randsverk. Drive another 15 kilometers until you reach Hindseter Hotel.
During summer you can also access Hindsetær from Fagernes across Valdresflya. Valdresflya is the stretch between Bygdin and Gjende on road 51, and it is usually closed from December to April. You can see the road status at Vegvesen.no or you can call for road updates (in English): +47 815 48 991.
From Oslo, take the NOR-WAY 161 Valdresekspressen route to the stop "Hindseter" a few hundred meters south of the hotel. Note that this bus route only operates during summer.
Trail description
Head southwest from the hotel following the signs towards Hindjuvet. You have follow the main road 20 meters and then take the gravel road, which leads through the small camp site "Hindvangen". After 200 meters you reach the river Hinde. Do not cross the bridge, but follow the signs on the north side of the canyon. The trail is easy to find as it is parallel to the canyon. Enjoy the views down to the canyon while slowly gaining height. After 500 meters you already pass the tree line, and have nice view over the Sjodalen Valley in addition to the canyon.
When you reach 1.140 meters above sea level, you pass a small wooden bridge - this one was actually built for sheep, so they could pass the canyon in early spring time, when the snow still covered the natural bridge, just 5 meters below the wooden bridge. The brigde looks small, but is safe. If you do not trust it - try the natural bridge below! Here you are standing in the middle of a very deep and narrow part of the Hinde canyon.
Continue the marked trail on the north side - at 1.300 meters above sea level the canyon suddenly opens up and becomes a wide river valley. The trail continues to a point when you reach the top of the higlands Hindflya at 1.450 meter above sea level. Enjoy the wonderful view to the majestic peaks of Russli Rundhøe, Nautgårdstind, Stornubben, Austnubben and Hindnubben (all above 2000 meters above sea level).
Turn around and return the same way. Enjoy the view over the valley on your way back, and a lot of different views into the canyon from above.
It is possible to extend this trail both for a longer hike on the Highlands, or to climb one of the higher peaks, ask in the reception of the hotel for information.
Where to stay
Questions or comments? Let us know.
Nearby adventures
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Product Review: Cocotherapy's Coconut Chips
We have all been hearing about the coconut oil craze, and how fantastic it is for our hair and mouth health as well as used for internal health. Have you also heard about giving coconut oil to your dogs & cats? Lets talk a bit about why coconut oil is good for both humans and their pets, along with the products and brand we recommend.
Coconut oil is composed of a unique group of saturated fats. Now, don't freak out just yet! Not all saturated fats are bad! Saturated fats are broken down into two categories: long-chain fats, and short/medium chain fats.
Coconut oils made up of about 64% medium-chain fatty acids. The most abundant with lauric acid is breast milk. The medium chain fatty acid in breast milk is very similar to the one found in coconut oil. Coconut aids in the absorption of nutrients as well as digestive function. It also helps:
*Regulate blood sugar
*supports immune system health
*Acts as an antiviral, antifungal, and antiparasitic
*GREAT for skin and hair health!
Coconut oil has 0% cholesterol, and since it is a medium chain fatty, it is used for energy production (thus seldom ending up as body fat, when taken as directed).
The brand we highly recommend for pets is CocoTherapy, a family-owned business that grows, harvests, and manufactures their own coconuts. Since the higher the quality of the coconut, the more effective it is, we feel that CocoTherapy produces the best on the market at this time.
There are 2 main factors that CocoTherapy recommends you look for when it comes to selecting your brand of coconut oil:
1. Coconut oil should have the highest LAURIC ACID content possible, using organic, non-GMO and non-hybrid coconuts.
2. Coconut oil should have the lowest possible moisture content. The mehtod used to extract the coconut oil determines how low the moisture content is in the oil.
An experiment was done to compare CocoTherapy's coconut chips with a brand found in big-box grocery stores. When water was added to both sets of chips, the CocoTherapy chips started to break down within 30 seconds. The other brand had NO CHANGE. Within three minutes, the CocoTherapy chips absorbed all of the water, and had a smooth, soft texture. There was STILL no change in the other brand! Feeding your pet something that does not break down in water can cause digestive upset, not to mention the wasted money (since the store brand does not break down very fast, your pet is missing out on all of the health benefits of properly absorbing the nutrients in the coconut).
Aimee's black lab suffers from chronic ear infections and has been using CocoTherapy coconut chips in her meals. Her ear infection completely resolved in a month, and has not returned. We now add CocoTherapy to ALL of our dogs' food at least three times a week.
CocoTherapy has many great products that I highly suggest for your pet. Please feel free to contact us at www.barks5thave.com for more information on how this GREAT product will work for your pet!
Aimee is the Nutrition Specialist at Barks 5th Avenue in Houston, TX. Aimee has a passion for canine nutrition, and loves helping families find the best food for their dogs!


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The United States of America, acting under the direction of the Attorney General, brings this civil action to obtain equitable and other relief and alleges as follows:
1. The United States seeks to enjoin a transaction that would combine under single ownership over 80% of the attapulgite clay mining and processing business in this country.
2. Today, Engelhard Corporation ("Engelhard") and Floridin Company ("Floridin") are the two largest attapulgite clay companies in the United States and are each other's most significant competitor. They compete vigorously to lower the costs of mining and processing attapulgite clay, to produce and sell the best quality product at the lowest prices, and to provide the best technological, marketing, and customer support services. Engelhard and Floridin have proposed a transaction that will leave the already highly concentrated attapulgite clay business with one overwhelmingly dominant mining and processing company -- Engelhard.
3. An integral part of Engelhard's plan is the closing of its Attapulgus, Georgia manufacturing plant, a facility that since 1921 continuously has produced high quality attapulgite clay for use in important sectors of the U.S. economy. The loss of this manufacturing facility likely will lead to higher prices for clay customers and reduce product innovation, service, and quality improvements.
4. Engelhard and Floridin attempted a similar transaction in 1987 but abandoned it after the United States announced that it would challenge the acquisition as violative of the antitrust laws. In an effort to avoid or overcome an antitrust challenge this time, Engelhard has devised a contract that it offers to substitute for the existing competition in an attempt to "fix" its illegal acquisition. The proposed fix enlists the aid of ITC Industrials, Inc. ("ITC"), currently a distributor of Floridin's attapulgite clay products outside of the United States. Simply put, the Engelhard/ITC arrangement essentially is a supply contract that gives ITC little more than the right to be a distributor of a portion of the gel clay that Engelhard will process at Floridin's plant.
5. The purported fix fails to remedy the harm to competition from Engelhard's acquisition because it gives ITC no assets or ownership interest in the attapulgite clay reserves or processing facilities, gives ITC only limited control over its own costs, and provides no product development or research facilities for ITC. As a result, the proposed fix fails to preserve any ongoing competition in mining, processing, or product improvement. The purported fix is further flawed in its attempt to preserve marketing and price competition because it would allow Engelhard and ITC opportunities to coordinate marketing and pricing decisions to a much greater extent than Engelhard currently can with Floridin. Moreover, while this industry is now over 100 years old, the ITC contract will terminate in 10 years, leaving Engelhard with the business.
6. If consummated, the proposed acquisition, even accounting for the ITC supply contract, is likely to increase prices to customers and reduce product innovation and quality improvements. As a result, the proposed acquisition violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 18.I.
7. This action is brought under Section 15 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 25, to restrain the violation by the defendants of Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 18.
8. Engelhard, a Delaware corporation with principal offices in Iselin, New Jersey, owns property, transacts business, and is found within the Middle District of Georgia, Thomasville Division. Engelhard owns and operates an attapulgite clay processing plant in Attapulgus, Georgia. It also owns, leases or has mineral rights for about 10,000 acres of land in the southwestern part of Georgia and the northwestern part of Florida.
9. Floridin is a Delaware corporation with principal offices in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of U. S. Silica, a Delaware corporation with principal offices in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. U.S. Silica is a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Borax, a Delaware corporation with principal offices in Valencia, California. Floridin, and through it, U. S. Silica and U.S. Borax, own property, transact business and are found within the Middle District of Georgia, Thomasville Division. Floridin operates a plant in Quincy, Florida that processes attapulgite clay. It also owns, leases or has mineral rights for approximately 11,000 acres of land in the southwestern part of Georgia and the northwestern part of Florida.
10. The defendants are engaged in interstate commerce and in activities substantially affecting interstate commerce. Engelhard and Floridin supply processed attapulgite clay to customers located throughout the United States.
11. The Court has jurisdiction over this action and the parties pursuant to 15 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1337. Venue is proper in this District under 15 U.S.C.§ 22 and 28 U.S.C. § 1391(c).II.
The Relevant Markets
12. Attapulgite clay is a mineral that is mined in the United States only in the southwestern part of Georgia and the northwestern part of Florida. There are two basic types of attapulgite clay -- gellant quality attapulgite clay ("gel clay") and sorbent quality attapulgite clay ("sorbent clay"). Sorbent clay and gel clay have significantly different properties and are processed into various products that are sold for different end uses. Although sorbent clay and gel clay are both present in any attapulgite clay reserves, most of the processing of each type is done with different equipment at the Engelhard and Floridin plants.
13. Gel clay is used as a thickener or suspension agent. Many products in the construction, agriculture, and petroleum industries need the addition of such a thickener or suspension agent to maintain the proper consistency for application and prevent the separation of solids and liquids before, during or after application. For many of these products, such as asbestos-free asphalt coatings, ready-mix tape joint compounds, certain kinds of paint, molecular sieves, suspension fertilizers, and oil and gas well drilling fluids, the thickener or suspension agent of choice is gel clay.
14. Gel clay is processed into several grades based in substantial part on particle size and moisture content. Gel clay list prices vary widely from approximately $115 to $720 per ton, depending on the grade. The grade a customer desires depends on its intended end use.
15. The mining, processing, and sale of gel clay is a relevant product market under the Clayton Act. There are no reasonably interchangeable substitutes for gel clay to which a significant number of gel clay customers would switch in response to a small but significant, nontransitory increase in the price of gel clay.
16. The relevant geographic market is the United States. Customers in the United States can obtain gel clay only from producers located in southwestern Georgia and northwestern Florida. Gel clay is not imported into the United States.Competition and Entry
17. The United States gel clay market is highly concentrated, with only three producers. Floridin is the largest company in the market with approximately 49% of 1994 dollar sales. Engelhard is the second largest firm with about 34% of 1994 dollar sales. The third company that produces gel clay in the United States is Milwhite, Inc., which accounts for the remaining 17% of the market.
18. The United States gel clay market would become substantially more concentrated if Engelhard acquired Floridin's gel clay reserves and processing facility. As a result of the transaction, Engelhard would own the reserves and facilities that accounted for 83% of the United States gel clay market last year, resulting in a significant increase in concentration. Using a measure of market concentration called the "HHI" (defined and explained in Appendix A), the transaction will increase the HHI in the United States gel clay market by nearly 3,400 points to a post-acquisition level of about 7,200 points.
19. Engelhard and Floridin are the two strongest and most significant competitors in the United States gel clay market. Milwhite, the third competitor, is not as significant as either Engelhard or Floridin, and for some customers, only Engelhard and Floridin gel clay products are acceptable. Aggressive competition by Engelhard and Floridin has given customers lower prices and improved quality for gel clay products.
20. New entry into the United States gel clay market would require the acquisition and permitting of reserves, the construction of a processing plant (with necessary permitting), and the development of a marketing presence and reputation for quality that would allow for significant sales. Such entry would be costly and would not be timely, likely or sufficient to counteract or deter a price increase or deterioration in service or product quality resulting from the loss of competition caused by the proposed transaction.III.
21. On June 5, 1995, Engelhard, Floridin, and U.S. Borax agreed that Engelhard will acquire Floridin's attapulgite clay reserves and processing plant no later than April 3, 1996. Their agreement followed nearly 18 months of negotiations that began around January of 1994.
22. On March 22, 1995, Engelhard entered into a ten-year contract with ITC, conditioned on consummation of the proposed acquisition of the Floridin assets. Under the ITC contract, none of the assets or research and processing facilities will be owned by ITC. Instead Engelhard will own the attapulgite clay reserves and processing plants of Engelhard and Floridin, and it will operate what is now the Floridin plant. ITC would have little more than the right to distribute and market for ten years up to approximately 50% of the gel clay capable of being produced by the Floridin plant. ITC would also receive certain "audit rights" to monitor the costs it pays Engelhard for gel clay.
23. The ITC contract with Engelhard will not replace the substantial competition that would be eliminated by Engelhard's acquisition of the Floridin assets and the closing down of Engelhard's plant. ITC's contract with Engelhard fails to address adequately many important dimensions of the now vigorous competition between Engelhard and Floridin, including competition in mining, processing, and product improvements. Even in the area of distribution -- where the proposed fix is claimed to preserve competition -- the contractual rights granted to ITC are limited and insufficient to accomplish that purpose. In short, ITC, operating under the contract, cannot effectively compete independently of Engelhard. ITC would not be nearly as effective a competitor as Floridin currently is with its own plant and reserves.
24. Unless restrained, Engelhard's proposed acquisition of Floridin's attapulgite clay reserves and processing plant is likely to substantially lessen competition and to restrain trade unreasonably in the United States gel clay market in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act, even if Engelhard enters into the contemplated contract with ITC, in the following ways:
The United States requests (a) adjudication that Engelhard's proposed acquisition of Floridin's attapulgite clay reserves and processing plant would violate Section 7 of the Clayton Act, (b) permanent injunctive relief preventing consummation
of the proposed acquisition, (c) an award to the United States of the costs of this action, and (d) such other relief as is just and proper.
Dated: June 12, 1995


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User Reviews
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The body of a beautiful young Estonian woman is found in a lake in rural Lancashire. Is it murder or a tragic accident? As Inspector Steve Carmichael begins to look into the dead woman's life, he discovers a wealth of secrets and embarks on a murder enquiry.
Lillia Monroe was a woman who had expensive tastes and apparently had the money to satisfy them. Who did she meet regularly at a local hotel? How did she finance her love of fine things? And what does her diary reveal about her liaisons and her true feelings about the men in her life?
Steve and his team must learn to look beyond the obvious and strip away layers of deception to reveal the motive behind Lillia's murder. As the dramas in his own family are played out, Steve's investigation into Lillia's death becomes a race to stop the killer striking again.


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Like many readers, I expect, I first heard of Kevin Baker following the publication of his 1998 novel, Dreamland. That book, set in New York City in 1910, was "a wild amusement-park ride on a continuous loop," to quote from Thomas Mallon's review in The New York Times. Dreamland, he continued, "is historical fiction at its most entertaining and, in a number of
spots, most high-handed." Kirkus Reviews, meanwhile, focused on the book's "generous display" of historical detail:
The various facets of New York and Coney Island, where the ornate park of the title is located, are scribed in intimate detail: the notorious jail The Tombs, City Hall, the Triangle garment factory, immigrant housing, whiskey bars, and strip joints, all are nicely animated. Meanwhile, dozens of characters stroll through these various locales: Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung visit New York and observe the vulgarity of America; Trick the Dwarf tells of the bizarre and the humane at Dreamland — the dwarfs and the bearded ladies — which is the most familiar world he knows; and Esther, a garment worker alienated from her immigrant family, takes an active role in the labor movement. Also on hand are Gyp the Blood, a small-time criminal; Big Tim, the Tammany politico, plus Kid Twist and Sadie and Clara.
Before it was engulfed by flames in 1911, Dreamland was one of Coney Island's most grandiose, and in some ways most eccentric, public entertainments. Baker's own Dreamland was hardly less ambitious, and made me hungry for more of his work. Fortunately, the author has satisfied my appetite on a fairly regular basis ever since, releasing Paradise Alley in 2002, Strivers Row (featuring a fictionalized Malcolm X) in 2006 and, in 2013, The Big Crowd — which
was finally issued in paperback this fall.
A fairly exceptional New York history blog called The Bowery Boys explains
that The Big Crowd turns on the mystery of the 1941 "suicide" of Abe Reles, aka Kid Twist, a successful mob hit man who died, tumbling from a hotel room window, while in police custody — and in the midst of testifying
against some of the city's most notorious gangsters. However, the emotional center of The Big Crowd is largely dominated by Charlie O'Kane, a bigger-than-life character based openly on William O'Dwyer, a former district attorney who won national celebrity through his prosecution of organized-crime figures, and was elected in 1946 as New York City's 100th mayor — only to later be brought down by controversy having to do with police
The Bowery Boys opines that "while their biographies are nearly the same … O'Kane is a lustier, more mysterious figure, escaping America and becoming an almost godlike figure [and a U.S. ambassador] in Mexico City." It's to Mexico, then, that Charlie's much-younger brother, Tom, with the Brooklyn D.A.'s office, goes in the early 1950s to ask the former mayor questions about his possible involvement in Reles' demise. His hope is to stand up for this brother he once idolized and clear Charlie of wrongdoing. But Baker's yarn offers no such easy satisfactions. What he finds in Mexico City is a sibling trying to put his best face forward, but haunted by the troubles and compromises of his past. Charlie is also contending with an estranged and headstrong second wife, Slim Sadler — a quondam model increasingly dissatisfied with her Mexican exile — for whom Tom O'Kane has long had feelings, but who's presently carrying on too publicly with a matador. Reviewing The Big Crowd for
The New York Times, author Scott Turow pointed out that "All the O'Kanes — Charlie and Tom and even Slim — are patterned after real people: the former New York mayor William O'Dwyer; the fashion model he married while in office, Sloan [or Sloane] Simpson; and O'Dwyer's brother, Paul, an activist lawyer who was once elected City Council president. Baker is clearly trying to unravel the enigma of how a figure like William O'Dwyer could fly into office on the wings of hope only to find himself sunk in scandal."
(Left) Author Kevin Baker.
(Photograph by Nina Subin.)
Accomplishing that task leads Baker to skip about through the early 20th century, and across borders, as he retraces Charlie O'Kane's rise to power, the uneasy relationships he establishes with powerful and corrupting figures in New York City, the costs of his ambition and the depths of treachery
to which some people will sink to exploit his weaknesses.
I had the opportunity recently to address questions, via e-mail, to Kevin Baker about his latest novel, and didn't hesitate to take it. We discussed his interests in historical fiction, the rich immigrant story of William O'Dwyer and his brother, crime and social optimism in post-World War II Manhattan, and a great deal more.
J. Kingston Pierce: You weren't born in New York City, but rather in New Jersey. Yet after attending Columbia University there, you never left. Was there something about old Gotham that made it easier for you to imagine your future there than anyplace else?
Kevin Baker: Actually, it was much more the New York of the time, 1970s New York, that drew me. The city had many problems then, but it was also a very exciting, vibrant place to be; a very cheap place for an aspiring writer or artist to live.
I had ties to the city already. My mother was born in Washington Heights, my father on Fordham Road. I had some idea of what it was like already, and I couldn't wait to go live there.
The love of its history only came later, as I began to know, and wonder how it had come to be what it was.
JKP: Your official bios all seem to leave a huge gap between your earning a degree in political science and your becoming a novelist. Can you briefly explain what happened during those "lost years"? Did you ever use that political science degree?
KB: Hardly! Columbia was (and is) a great, great school. Going there was one of the best
decisions I ever made, but I regret that poli sci degree. I would have been better off, I think, majoring in straight-out history, or English. But thanks in part to the college's core curriculum, I was exposed to any number of great thinkers and writers I had no inkling of when I went there as an 18-year-old — which is why the core is so important.
No, the "gap" just reflects my doing whatever sort of work I could — largely freelance writing, copy-editing, proofreading — while I tried to write and sell fiction. I began writing five pages a day on a novel the week I started college, thinking I would surely publish my first book before I graduated. Instead, it took me 15 years before I sold a lick of it!
JKP: I'm not sure that E.L. Doctorow opened up these floodgates with Ragtime (1975), but there are certainly many historical novels nowadays featuring real-life characters in either starring or secondary roles. Do you think this
is a valuable trend? And are there risks that novelists run in featuring historical figures in their fiction?
KB: That's a very good point, I think Doctorow did indeed open up the floodgates with Ragtime. He's really been the father of modern historical fiction, I think. One thing I love about his take on the genre is that he's completely unapologetic about any of it. He feels the fiction writer should write about whatever he pleases, and I think he's right about that.
This gets back to the whole argument over just what "historical fiction" is, and I think we're very wrong to separate it, and ghettoize it as we do in this country. It's just as legitimate as any other form of fiction, and in fact through much of history it's been the dominant form of fiction.
The ancient Greeks didn't keep writing about, say, Odysseus, as "historical fiction," the Romans didn't write about Aeneas as historical fiction. These were central, founding myths of their societies, and assessing them, and reassessing them was a critical element in how they debated what
their society was, and what it should be.
Sure, the genre's been mightily abused over the years through bodice rippers, and bad detective stories, and hero-worshipping … but what form of literature hasn't been? Why shouldn't we be able to write stories about prominent, or simply intriguing, public figures of the past?
Naturally, one needs to think it out, because as the famous L.P. Hartley quote goes, the past's another country, they do things differently there. I would never have a real-life figure saying or doing something in opposition to all that we know about him, or get too far off in flights of fancy about what he might do.
But then, we all paint from life. Why is it legitimate to, say, write a contemporary novel based on one's father, but not to write a historical novel based on a founding father?
JKP: There's always a tendency, when writing a novel based on extensive research, to include as much of that research as possible in the finished product. How do you combat such a tendency in your own fiction-writing?
KB: I don't combat it very well! I find that's always difficult — and I think that's where
Mr. Doctorow and I differ in our approaches. I was told by one of his former students that he advises, "Do as little research as you can get away with," when writing historical fiction, and certainly that works for him.
For me, I find it's always the things I wasn't looking for that say so much, and that's why I'm happy to do so much research. For instance, in this case I had no idea that Sloane Simpson, the real-life second wife of William O'Dwyer, actually learned how to bullfight while they were in Mexico.
Or the whole story of William McCormack, the "Mr. Big" in the book. He was a fascinating individual, and he wielded enormous power in New York, controlling the largest port in the world with an iron fist. But he was virtually unknown by the public in his own time, and is pretty much forgotten today.
Characters and details like that are not something you even necessarily know are out there when you start, and they become vital to the work. They not only tell you so much about a time and place, they also fill in all the gaps, and complete the puzzle of your characters.
But I do tend to get carried away with it, which is where I have to fight myself. And fortunately, I've always had terrific editors to help me, in this case Andrea Schulz and Nicole Angeloro, at Houghton Mifflin.
JKP: So let's talk about Mayor O'Dwyer. When did you first become interested in his checkered career? And what was it you found most interesting about him?
KB: I first became interested in him when I discovered, many years ago, that he was the
(much) older brother of Paul O'Dwyer, who was such a political icon in New York for so many years: the last fighting liberal, always taking on one cause or another, no matter what the odds.
(Left) Mayor William O'Dwyer
And when I learned that William O'Dwyer had more or less had to live in Mexico in exile for years, I thought how can it be that Paul had this disgraced older brother? Accused of some very serious things — of having helped to kill probably the greatest mob witness of all time; of being a tool
of the mob, of the political machines when they were at their most venal and corrupt. What sort of conflicts must there have been there?
I went into this initially to tell a story of two brothers. The fact that the real-life Paul O'Dwyer would never say a word against his brother in public, always maintained his innocence, only whetted my appetite.
What I found most interesting about William O'Dwyer was that he has this great immigrant story behind him, somebody who came here as a seminary dropout with no money, worked his way up as a hod carrier, a cop on the beat. Went to law school at night, became a district attorney, even a war hero. He comes back from World War II and gets elected mayor, marries the hottest fashion model in the country after his wife dies … and then it all unravels.
It's the classic immigrant story — all gone wrong.
JKP: Has this novel made you reassess your views on O'Dwyer?
KB: He was much deeper, much harder to read than I imagined. It was not so much that he was a deeply complicated man — because he wasn't — but that he did a great deal of dissembling throughout his life. You peel back layer after layer, but he remains evasive, and I suspect he did even to those closest to him.
There is, I would say, something ultimately false about the man. Something slightly fabricated. One of the themes I tried to get across in the book is that he almost seemed like a cinematic creation — a sort of cardboard cutout of the crusading D.A., the all-American boy, the immigrant boy
made good.
And yet, under any close examination, it all crumbles away. He was constantly erecting façades of himself, I think, to shield his real self from the public, from the people closest to him, his wife and his brothers, and I think in the end he may have believed in those make-believe O'Dwyers himself.
JKP: You brought up "the classic immigrant story." Because New York was very much a city of immigrants, you've touched on that experience in all your novels set there, I think. But The Big Crowd really exploits the subject. How did you intend to use the history of immigration as a theme in exploring New York City's mid-20th-century development?
KB: Well, it's somewhat different from the earlier, 19th-century waves of immigration, because now the Irish, especially, have a solid foothold on the city.
Previously, in books like Paradise Alley and Dreamland, I was writing about how Irish and Jewish immigrants came here and had to really fight their way up with nothing. By the time Charlie O'Kane gets here, a few years before World War I, there's already a power structure, there are very strong Irish political machines in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx.
He has to sort of plug himself into it — which is no easy thing, but not quite the life-or-death struggle being an immigrant was.
Yet at the same time, it's a moment when the old Irish-dominated machines were fading. They had been what [W.E.B.] Du Bois calls "folkways," means to help the Irish survive, and fight their way into the power structure of this country.
But as Charlie comes to power himself, the machines are losing their reason for being. The country's gotten rich, there's more opportunity, there's a social welfare state in place. People can go to college, they have Social Security, they don't need the machine to get them a job, or give them
the proverbial turkey on Christmas.
Now, all the other immigrants want in, as well. New York by this time is no longer a city that can just be run by a few men in a room, and it never will be again. It can no longer be run just on some understanding between a few powerful politicians and businessmen, maybe a mob boss or two.
We're all Americans now — and everybody wants in.
JKP: As you said before, this is very much a novel about brothers, two quite different people with different approaches to life, who wind up supporting and disappointing each other. What was it about the relationship between Tom and Charlie O'Kane that you found most curious or illuminating? And did the story of these brothers unroll differently, during the course of your writing, than you'd originally expected it would?
KB: It was somewhat more complicated than I had originally envisioned — which I think is
I think a lot of the dialogue they're having is about what it means to be a moral person. How do you get the power to do anyone any good, without first getting corrupted? What do you owe to your family and friends, and what do you owe to the people all around you, to the city in general?
Tom is much more the idealist, at least at first, and Charlie is trying to show him practical ways to get power, and to do good with it. But you know, it's so easy after awhile to confuse what you're doing for the people, and what you're doing for yourself.
JKP: What do you see as the role of Slim Sadler in this novel?
KB: Slim is based closely on Sloane Simpson, who was a fascinating individual, somebody who came from old money and very high society. Her father was a Rough Rider with Teddy Roosevelt, one of her mother's family was a Founding Father, they had cattle empires, and banking empires.
But then her father lost all his money, and she had to go make a living as a model. And she was very good at it, she was considered a great actress on the runway. She moved in very high circles in New York society, and really loved that life.
She was 23 years younger than O'Dwyer when they met, and she became his second wife, with all of the complications that such circumstances usually entail. She was always flirtatious, and gregarious, and he was very jealous, and that just aggravated everything.
(Right) Sloane Simpson in Life,
May 29, 1950
Then, down in Mexico, she was very unhappy in this sort of straitened, exiles' existence they were living. She loved the country, and she loved the culture, but she couldn't stand being boxed up with this jealous, bitter old man, and she started acting out — learning to bullfight, having affairs.
The real Sloane did not do all the things I have the fictional Slim Sadler doing in the novel, which I feel a little bad about because I really liked the real Sloane. She sounds like she was a remarkable person, a real fighter and a hell of a lot of fun. But she said about herself, "I've had the morals of an alley cat" — she really did have a penchant for getting into trouble.
I think what she represented to William O'Dwyer, and to both O'Kane brothers in the book, was the promise of America. She was the golden girl, from money and position, and to get her was to attain the dream.
But then of course, when you do get her, you find out the dream's not all it's cracked up to be, and it's a bit of a lie, and all you can do is worry about losing it.
JKP: The Big Crowd makes postwar New York seem like a particularly optimistic place. Or is that your romantic side coming through?
KB: Oh, I think it was a very optimistic place! You have to understand, New York was the only great world city that had not been bombed or occupied during the war. It had emerged, almost overnight, as the leading city on the world scene, replacing the old European capitals as the leader in art, and literature, and fashion.
It was absolutely dominant economically — far and away the world's leading financial center, the country's largest wholesale and retail center, with over a million manufacturing jobs still. Something like 40 percent of the nation's commerce came through its port. It had easily the highest buildings in the world, the largest population of any city, anywhere.
It was incredibly vibrant, incredibly exciting — and incredibly cheap. It was still a great middle-class and working-class town, where you didn't have to have a lot of money to experience all sorts of things: go hear the best jazz in the world, see some of the greatest art — watch Willie
Mays play baseball.
That scene I have in the book, where Toots Shor, the legendary saloonkeeper, walks arm-in-arm down the middle of his
restaurant one night with Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey on one arm, and Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby on the other, that really happened. And Toots Shor's was not some exclusive nightclub, it was
where pretty much anyone could go, and did, and I think it was extremely exciting for people to be in the middle of this, and see everything that was going on.
At the same time, there were still people who were excluded from the big party, still restrictions on all sorts of people, that would have to be addressed. Black people still weren't allowed into most of the leading hotels and restaurants, women were still second-class citizens, gays and lesbians were still outcasts. Columbia, like all the Ivy League schools, had quotas limiting how many Jews could be admitted. Italian-Americans, such a young Mario Cuomo, could not get an interview with white-shoe law firms.
So there was all that which needed to be dealt with, and there were fissures of corruption spreading all underneath this lovely structure. And the men at the top were still refusing to deal with it, still clinging to their own power, and enriching themselves.
JKP: At the same time as this is a book about siblings, and politics, and familial
relationships, it's a story about urban crime. Were there depths or misconceptions of the New York underworld of that period that you were hoping to address?
KB: The misconception about organized crime is that it's generally not that organized,
or as powerful as people make it out to be. But this was the period when the crime families in New York had more political influence than they ever had before, or ever would again.
Historically, gangsters had been controlled and used by the politicians in New York. But with Prohibition, the mob made so much money that, once [Mayor Fiorello] La Guardia left office [in 1945], they were all set up to turn the tables. Now, it was the gangsters who provided the money that kept Tammany
Hall going, and they called the shots.
This didn't last, and in a place the size of New York City there are always competing, countervailing political forces and influences. But while it did, the criminals did tremendous, long-term economic damage to the city. For instance, they really brutalized and impoverished the tens of thousands of men who worked on the waterfront, and they stole so much that they pretty much wrecked the old port.
JKP: As someone who loved Dreamland, I was delighted to see the character of Kid Twist pop up again in The Big Crowd. But this isn't the adult version of that criminal tyke from Dreamland, is it?
KB:Thank you! But no, this is not the same Kid Twist.
It was the longtime habit of New York gangsters to "honor" one another by taking on the name of some particularly famous, dead mobster. Hence, Arthur Flegenheimer was rechristened "Dutch Schultz" after a previous thug.
There were, incredibly enough, two Kid Twists, and they both met their end on Coney Island.
JKP: The "Kid Twist" in The Big Crowd is, in fact, Abe Reles, a mob enforcer who eventually became a government witness against Murder, Inc. and died mysteriously in a fall from the Half
Moon Hotel on Coney Island. Despite a grand jury concluding that Reles had perished accidentally, there seems every reason to believe that he was murdered by his former gangland pals. From your research, what do you think happened to Abe Reles?
KB: Oh, I think he was definitely pushed! The idea that he was trying to escape, or play some prank, as the police speculated at the time, is just ludicrous. Reles was a seriously ill man, and he was desperately afraid for his life. There is no way that he was trying to lower himself down from a ninth-story window on a set of tied-up bed sheets — something I make plain in the novel.
He was a terrible little man, a top assassin for Murder, Inc., the legendary Brooklyn mob, who was thought to have killed over 60 men during his career.
Murder, Inc. was a sort of early triumph of niche marketing in the underworld. These were gangsters, Jewish and Italian, who hired themselves out to do hits for bigger
mobs, all over the country. The advantage of this was that the target, especially in another city, would never see you
They were truly ruthless, horrible men. But they were very much small-fry — just low-life killers. O'Dwyer, as D.A. of Brooklyn, broke them up. Thanks to Reles, the most successful mob witness in history, he sent seven members of Murder, Inc. to "the Dance Hall" — the electric chair — up at Sing
Sing, including "Lepke" Buchalter, to this day the only mob leader ever executed in the United States.
Reles gives invaluable testimony against these individuals, his old friends, and clears up dozens of murder cases around the country. But then, just as he's about to testify against Albert Anastasia, who really is a big deal, the muscle William McCormack uses to control the longshoremen's union and thereby the Port of New York … out the window Reles goes. Despite the fact that he was being held in a wing of the Half Moon Hotel,
out on Coney Island, with a 17-man, 'round-the-clock police guard, behind an iron door.
As everyone wanted to know at the time, how could this have happened? Who did it? Was it crooked cops? The other four mob witnesses Reles was being held at the Half Moon with? Who ordered it? The mob? McCormack? O'Dwyer?
Again, there's something very phony about everyone's role, all through it. This case became the heart of the Kefauver
Hearings, the first, televised corruption hearings in history, and they held Americans riveted to their brand-new television sets — and helped wreck O'Dwyer's reputation.
Was he involved? Who did it? It's the greatest mystery in the annals of the mob.
I offer a solution that is very closely based on the real facts of the case and, I think, holds up pretty well. Read it and find out!
JKP: I know you're penning fiction here, but is it really credible that a district attorney would assign Tom O'Kane to investigate his own brother in relation to Reles' "suicide"?
KB: Yes, that does strain credulity, I'll admit. But I wanted Tom to have some real power
over his brother, maybe even life-or-death, in this matter. I wanted the stakes to matter.
And, I wanted to introduce the legendary Manhattan D.A. of the time, Frank Hogan. I see this book as the first of a planned "City of Gold" trilogy focusing on New York in the 1950s, with Tom investigating three of its iconic scandals: the Reles murder and waterfront corruption; college basketball point-shaving cases; and the quiz show fix.
JKP: I have to admit, as I was reading The Big Crowd I kept remembering Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men. Is Charlie O'Kane your Willie Stark?
KB: Thank you, that's a tremendous compliment! But where Penn's Willie Stark, being based on Huey Long, is much more a force of nature, someone whose ambition and ruthlessness puts him on a fatal course, Charlie O'Kane is much more a hesitant character, a man whose fears about the terrible nature of the world as he saw it in the Depression and World War II, whose self-doubts and whose vanity leaves him prey to being manipulated by more pitiless, determined men.
JKP: I was intrigued to see, in a short post you put together for the blog My Book, the Movie, that you'd like to see Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston in the role of Charlie O'Kane. That would be wonderful casting, I agree. But have you actually seen any Hollywood interest in The Big Crowd? Have filmmakers taken much of an interest in your previous books?
KB: I think Bryan Cranston could play anything, and particularly a politician, after seeing him not only in Breaking Bad, but also in that wonderful Robert Schenkkan play about LBJ, All the Way.
I haven't heard much about [Hollywood interest in] The Big Crowd yet, just a few murmurings. I've had some more serious bites regarding Dreamland. But in general, I'd say all my books would be better as TV shows than movies, because they take place over time, and they're pretty
intense investigations of specific times, and conflicts, and crimes. And I'd be fine with that, I love what's going on with TV right now.
JKP: What other novels do you think do an especially fine job of illuminating New York City's history?
KB: Oh, there are so many! My favorite Doctorow is World's Fair, although I also loved The Waterworks and Billy Bathgate. Peter Quinn wrote a great novel about the draft riots, Banished Children of Eve, that everyone should read. I greatly enjoyed the old Louis Auchincloss novel The Embezzler. I'm sure I'm forgetting some great ones …
JKP: And I'd be remiss if I didn't ask: What are you writing next?
KB: Right now, I'm finishing up a history of New York City baseball, tentatively entitled The New York Game, for Pantheon, which has been very patient about it. Then, I'm writing a history of the United States between the world wars, for Houghton Mifflin, so it's real segues into
non-fiction for a time.
But I have many more novel ideas, a couple of which I noted above, and I suspect I'll be returning constantly to New York and its past.
ALSO CHECK OUT: A video profile of Mayor William O'Dwyer.
2 thoughts on "Of Brothers and Big Shots, Crime and Coney"
I first became aware of Mr. Baker through his time travel baseball book – Sometimes You See It Coming, and I have looked forward to each successive novel. It is a rare talent that can evocatively bring to life times gone by. Mr. Baker and Mr. Doctorow both have this talent in spades, but I would like add Jack Finney to that list. His novel Time and Again predated Ragtime by some five years and is a wonderful example of historical fiction.
I just picked up a copy of Baker's Sometimes You See It Coming–the only one of his novels I have not read. I look forward to cracking it open soon.


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borrowing all the hours that you gave to me
it's when they wrap their tiny little fingers around mine, future wife
i… have no explanation for this one
she's got one of those names that only a southern girl could pull off
why i shouldn't write while brain foggy
Listen, don't mention the war! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it all right.
sometimes i just sit and type with no plan
this one somehow got a little fliiiirrrrty, future wife
remember how sometimes i find completely silly things in my draft folder?
in the pools of light there, go wherever you choose
Pick-up lines you should look out for at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ (Now at Universal Orlando!)
whispers in its woven twilight best
there should be a U in team, future wife
even her middle name is pretty
the road in front of us is long and it is wide
continuing my "super cute girl and tall goofy guy hanging out in bed" series
let's go shopping, futurewife!
last night a little dancer came dancin' to my door


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A DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) request is what people who want to protect their copyrighted material have to fill out when removing items from Google.
Basically, a company will find a copy of their material, i.e. a photograph, some video, music etc, and then they can fill out a DMCA request through Google Webmaster Tools.
Google will then be the judge on whether the content does or does not infringe copyrights and then will either take down the content, or leave it up.
Google tries to be as transparent as possible with this process and releases regular reports on this subject. You can view a summary of their reports but you can also view all requests.
Over at TorrentFreak they're suggesting that Google now process over 1,000,000 DMCA requests a day.
DMCA requests are increasing exponentially at this moment as you can see by the graph below:
Despite the massive growth of these requests, people are still accusing Google of not doing enough. One Anti-Piracy campaigner was quoted as saying:
"Every day produces more results and there is no end in sight, We are using a bucket to deal with an ocean of illegal downloading."
Blog Post by: Greg McVey


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Elections (1)
2017 Election Results
18 Jan 2018Written by Big Lakes County
Three new faces sit on the Big Lakes County Council - Councillor Fern Welch, Councillor Richard Simard, and Councillor Donald Bissell. On October 24, 2017 the new council was sworn in during the Annual Organizational Meeting. Congratulations to Reeve Ken Matthews and Deputy Reeve David Marx on being re-elected as…


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Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
Whether you're planning a complete home renovation or you're just looking for simple ways to cut down on your energy bill costs, investing in energy-efficient elements for your home can pay off more than you'd think. From replacing single-pane windows to adding insulation, to even just installing a smart thermostat, there are lots of ways to go green that will reduce your carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency and the value of your home.
A common misconception among homeowners is that in order to have an energy-efficient home, style must be sacrificed. This isn't true at all, since the surge in demand for all things green has increased so much, it's getting easier and easier to find efficient systems and products that will seamlessly integrate into your home and complement surroundings.


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• "I've had the tremendous fortune to learn about the goodness and beauty of Islam. As a College Student in the 1970s, I spent a summer traveling through Indonesia. Like the President [Obama] during his childhood years, I came to see Islam for what it is, a faith of peace and tolerance and great diversity." – CIA Director, John Brennan
• "Muslim Brotherhood-linked Congressman Keith Ellison Wants Anyone But Straight White Men To Apply For Internships" (read more)
• "Muslim Brotherhood Plan For America" (video)
• "Black Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison Allied With Louise Farrakhan Who Has Said, "White Race, A Race Of Devils… Their Purpose Evil… Deserve To Die"" (read more)
• "Keith Ellison CONFRONTED About Domestic Violence Allegations" (video)
"…the apostle [Muhammad] said, "Whoever wants to see Satan let him take a look at Nabtal b. al-Harith!" He was a sturdy black man with long flowing hair, inflamed eyes, and dark ruddy cheeks." – The Life of Muhammad, pg. 243
By Breitbart, 8/15/2018
Media outlets began to call the Democratic Primary for Minnesota attorney general with just over 20 percent of the vote counted Tuesday night. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) has won in a landslide.
Ellison looks to have secured a comfortable majority of Democratic primary votes in a five-candidate field in which he had by far the most prominent public profile.
Ellison, one of Congress's most left-wing Democrats, was heavily favored to win the race for his party's nomination for the top law enforcement office in the Land of the Sky-Blue Water. The sitting U.S. representative from Minneapolis sought the chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) last year, but settled for the deputy spot after former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez edged him out in the leadership election. He then opted to run for Minnesota AG rather than seek reelection to Congress.
"As the People's Lawyer, I will be on the front lines to defend the rights and freedoms of all Minnesotans," Ellison said in a statement after clinching the nomination.
Join The Fight Today!
Camelot Daily is one of a few independent news agencies willing to expose the 'synagogue of Satan's (S.O.S.) assault on civilization. More people than ever are receiving our message. However, S.O.S. controlled monopolies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter etc. "96% of the World's Media," have eviscerated our advertising revenues, using government subsidized unconstitutional, Maoist like, schizophrenic censorship. It's noteworthy to mention that Israeli scientists discovered 99.9% of Ashkenazi Jews have a 40% chance of developing schizophrenia, certainly not the type of people you want creating policies that effect the whole world and yet social media giant Facebook, 800lb search engine gorilla Google and the web's most ubiquitous discussion network Disqus are all controlled by individuals who may be schizophrenic. The Camelot team, humbly ask our readers from around the world to support us by sharing our articles, supporting our advertisers, purchasing one of our liberty themed t-shirts at: TreasonTees.com and by donating to Camelot at PayPal.Me/silvanusmedia or to donate bitcoin, copy and paste the following Bitcoin Wallet Address: mqGTT5X4BrVTdhbhxX93ojcaumSSXXFHSr Thank You!
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MHA and the affiliated Maryland Patient Safety Center enhance patient safety and the overall health status of the communities served by Maryland's hospitals.
Our current efforts include work on catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated blood stream infections, hand hygiene, sepsis, surgical site infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia.
In effort to support enhanced collaboration and the accurate measurement of reductions in complications, MHA has convened a series of work groups to develop standard definitions for certain diagnoses identified by the hospital field:
MHA has secured a commitment from 3M and HSCRC to meet regularly with physicians and hospital clinical and quality leaders to discuss concerns regarding the appropriateness of aspects of 3M's software, which defines potentially preventable complications – the basis for Maryland's Hospital Acquired Conditions (MHAC) program.
The following documents summarize the issues raised by the hospital community and the responses from 3M.
Files are members-only. Please log in to view them.
Summary of 3M Determinations - 2017
May 2016 Meeting Summary of Issues & Determinations
Resolved Issue List - 2015
On April 29, 2014, MHA, in partnership with the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care, held a statewide meeting to address the specific quality and performance requirements of Maryland's new Medicare waiver.
© 2014 Maryland Hospital Association
6820 Deerpath Road, Elkridge MD, 21075 | Tel: 410-379-6200 | Fax: 410-379-8239 | Google Maps


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LBJ: Part Two
Revisit the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson who used his mastery of the legislative process to shepherd a collection of progressive programs. An accidental president, LBJ set out to make his mark by pushing through historic social legislation of a scale that rivaled FDR's New Deal. But Johnson's vision was shattered by the increasing debacle of Vietnam, and his presidency began to unravel.


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Most of people in India love to meet their favorite celebrity once in their life. However, many people don't know how to meet celebrities in India. It is not a difficult thing to meet your favorite film star, cricket player, boxing player, politician, and religious leader. You just need to know some of the common ways to meet your favorite celebrity without spending much money.
In this article, we have provided some of the best ways to meet celebrities in India. So, let's read our common tips to meet celebrities in India especially in big cities.
4 Best Ways to Meet Celebrities in India
Request an Appointment
It is the most common and simple way to approach any celebrity in India. We are recommending you to try this step first, if failed, and then try other methods. You should write a letter to particular celebrity stating the reason why you are interested to meet him/her. Please mention the reason clearly.
Do not write a letter which states that you are his/her big fan and want to meet him. Mostly, they would not reply you back for this silly wish. It is better to find a good reason and then write him/her to take an appointment.
Event Venue
Many celebrities in India are widely accessible in event venues. For example, cricket players are accessible when they do match practice in the ground. You should approach them before the real match starts. Most of the time, they meet their fans during the practice match. You would see many fans taking selfies with them outside the ground or inside the ground. However, you should have little bit contacts to meet your favorite celebrity at the venue site in India.
Charity Programs
Many Indian celebrities are involved in charity related work. For example, Nana Patekar is involved in solving the problem of farms in Maharashtra. You should approach him when he arrives at the charity program venue. Most of the celebrities in India participate in charity events. Thus, you should contact the organizing committee before the arrival of celebrity.
Contact Their Office
If your favorite celebrity is located in your home city, then it is the easiest way to meet him/her. Just visit his/her office, and ask the staff members when and how to approach the celebrity? What is the best time to meet him/her?
Please note that, you should have at least some basic level contacts in the celebrities office. If staff members are good, then you would get good information from them. For example, to get Shahrukh Khan Contact details, you can find here. For more celebrity contact details, check this portal https://contactinformation.in/
So, best of luck for your efforts and if possible, share your experiences with us through the comments!
Do not forget to share this article on popular platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Hike, and Twitter.


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So I went to Philly for a Coldplay concert, and the trip was awesome. It was a beautiful day, and lovely clouds. I didn't really get to see much else as my girlfriend wasn't feeling well because of the humidity. I did manage to get these shots just the same. I will be returning for sure.
J. Rounds (c)2016 ~Peaces of Me


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Forum Post: How to stop the Empire--the Citizens United version
Posted 6 years ago on Jan. 25, 2014, 11:38 a.m. EST by mrbadexample
from Brooklyn, NY
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
This is an updated version of my play HOW TO STOP THE EMPIRE WHILE KEEPING YOUR DAY JOB. It has some specifics about Citizens United. 'Jerry' doesn't have much faith in the citizens campaigns and the petitioning to overturn Citizens United, and he gives out his top ten list of means of resistance because "we need a Plan B". Link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGzx-7PGJYs