text:
Activist film set to air on CNN this weekend uncritically parrots bad theories peddled by a serial exaggerator.
The Hunting Ground—a work of activist propaganda disguised as a documentary about sexual assault on American college campuses.On Sunday night, CNN will air
Among its numerous faults, the film blames the campus rape problem on a plague of serial rapists; expert opinion on this matter comes courtesy of psychologist David Lisak, whose misleading interpretation of his flawed research on serial predators is given center stage throughout the film. (Read Reason's multi-part expose on the research underlying Lisak's dubious theory here, here, and here, and see Linda M. LeFauve's new article examining Lisak's misleadingly constructed video interview with a rapist here.)
The Hunting Ground covers two high-profile sexual assault disputes in great detail. It goes to extraordinary lengths to paint the alleged assailants in these cases as perfect examples of Lisak's model rapist, implying that these men are repeat offenders who plan out their crimes and drug their victims.
But in reality, it's far from clear that The Hunting Ground's accused rapists are even actually guilty—let alone serial sociopaths who stalk and incapacitate their victims.
The "Amazing Lie at the Heart of a Movie Claiming to be a Documentary"
Nineteen Harvard University law professors have denounced the film for (among other faults) misrepresenting the case of Harvard law student Brandon Winston, whose life was put on hold after a night of drunken, drug-fueled sexual contact resulted in his expulsion from the university and criminal charges.
"What our student did is not the kind of violent, repeat sexual assault that the movie claims is both the nature of the problem nationwide and that each of the people in the film are an example of that," said Elizabeth Batholet, one of the Harvard law professors speaking out about The Hunting Ground's errors, in an interview with Reason. "That's an amazing lie at the heart of a movie claiming to be a documentary."
Winston was accused of sexual misconduct by then-student Kamilah Willingham, who gives her one-sided account of the dispute toward the beginning of The Hunting Ground. According to Willingham, she and a female friend had drinks with Winston at her apartment, proceeded to a bar where Winston bought them more drinks, and then all three returned to her apartment in a state of inebriation, where Winston assaulted them while they slept. The clear implication from the film is that Winston is a monster frequently preys on his victims by drugging them and was ultimately able to elude justice because Harvard does not take victims seriously.
"He's a predator," Willingham says in the film "He's dangerous."
But, as Slate's Emily Yoffe discovered in her groundbreaking investigation of the dispute earlier this year, the real story was much different. There is no evidence that Winston drugged the women; on the contrary, Willingham and Winston both consumed cocaine that Willingham herself had supplied. Willingham used a bloody condom she discovered in her wastebasket as evidence that her friend had been violently raped, but DNA evidence ruled out the possibility that the condom had been used by Winston (though it did match Willingham).
Nor is it true that Winston escaped wholly unpunished, as The Hunting Ground implies. Harvard initially recommended his expulsion, and repeatedly placed him on academic leave, but reinstated him after determining that insufficient evidence existed to brand the encounter as assault. A grand jury declined to indict him on any charges having to do with Willingham; he was eventually convicted of a misdemeanor charge of nonsexual touching of Willingham's friend. The film's only reference to these facts is through some text briefly displayed at the very end.
The accusation put Winston's future on hold for three years. A young black man with no history of criminal activity had to suspend a promising education at Harvard law school while both university administrators and the court system adjudicated the accusations against him.
"Three good years of his life have gone solely to this," said Harvard Law Professor Janet Halley, who also rejects The Hunting Ground's narrative, in an interview with Reason. "It's not right for the filmmakers to extend it out to yet another trial in the court of public opinion, when the underlying claims have been so conclusively rejected. It's bad for the overall effort for justice, and it's bad for this young man."
"Major Distortions and Glaring Omissions"
The Hunting Ground's case against former Florida State University star quarterback Jameis Winston (now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; no relation to Brandon Winston) is similarly plagued by inaccuracies. Accuser Erica Kinsman claimed Winston drugged her at a bar, forced her back to his apartment, and raped her on the bathroom floor.
Kinsman says in the film that she's "fairly certain" the drink Winston (or one of his friends) gave her was spiked, but two separate toxicology reports established that there were no date-rape drugs in her system on the night of the incident. Indeed, Kinsman has repeatedly changed the details of her story, first saying she passed out after consuming the drink and was unable to recall how she got into a car with Winston, and later saying she was coerced or intimidated into the car (something investigators thought was dubious, given that there were a lot of other people around at the time). The facts undermine the idea that she was preyed on by Winston, who was eventually cleared of sexual assault during a university hearing run by a retired Florida Supreme Court justice. Winston is now suing Kinsman for defamation.
In a statement chiding CNN for deciding to screen The Hunting Ground, FSU President John Thrasher excoriated the film for its "major distortions and glaring omissions." Its producers have fallen into the same trap as Rolling Stone's editors did with their discredited story about gang rape at the University of Virginia, wrote Thrasher.
"A Film Project That Is Very Much in the Corner of Advocacy"
The makers of The Hunting Ground, of course, are not interested in anything resembling the truth. Indeed, an email from investigative producer Amy Herdy made public confirmed recently this beyond any doubt. In the email, Herdy told Kinsman's lawyer that the makers of The Hunting Ground, "do not operate the same way as journalists—this is a film project that is very much in the corner of advocacy for victims, so there would be no insensitive questions or the need to get the perpetrator's side." In a separate email, Herdy discusses tactics for "ambushing" Jameis Winston.
While the cases against the two Winstons don't stand up to scrutiny, The Hunting Ground does manage to identify a single serial predator: an unnamed man whose face is blurred for his interview with the filmmakers. This man confesses that he was incarcerated for sexual assault and hopes that by coming forward, he is educating the public about how to prevent people like him from committing attacks. His monologue is interspersed with separate commentary from Lisak. Here is a transcript of that part of the film:
Man: "I was incarcerated for six and a half years for sexual assault. I know I was at fault. Like I said, the reason I really wanted to do this interview was to help someone else out. Maybe to have them become aware of what they are doing wrong."
Lisak: "The really practiced sex offenders identify groups of people who are more vulnerable."
Man: "College is the place where lots of alcohol is consumed and the number of victims is endless."
Lisak: "These men select victims ahead of time. It could be a bar, it could be a fraternity party where people are drinking."
Man: "At the parties, like frat parties, I mean people are getting wasted. So it's not like a lot of the time dependent on who they're with. Nobody keeps an eye on them."
Lisak: "The alcohol is essentially a weapon that is used to render somebody extremely vulnerable."
Man: "Alcohol definitely makes it easier to overpower a victim if they're inebriated or under the influence. Less struggle for sure."
Lisak: "Then there is an isolation phase. So if somebody who has deliberately gotten this young woman extremely intoxicated, and at some point he says to her, 'I'll walk you back to your room,' or 'you can sleep it off if you want, we have a bed upstairs.' And that's where the assault occurs."
The film's only case of clear-cut predation, then, is supported exclusively by an anonymous interview that provides no checkable details.
The film also claims eight percent of men in college commit 90 percent of the assaults and that the average number of assaults per rapist is six. The citation, of course, belongs to Lisak's 2002 study, "Repeat Rape and Multiple Offending Among Undetected Rapists." But as Reason confirmed in its previous invesitgations of Lisak's work—and Lisak himself confirmed—that study wasn't actually about college students, and didn't ask participants about crimes committed on campuses.
A Representative Case?
Is The Hunting Ground's anonymous predator—whose crimes are implied, but not confirmed, to have taken place on a campus—a representative case?
The interview bears a striking similarity to one conducted by Lisak decade ago. Lisak allegedly sat down with a serial rapist who was also fraternity brother and interviewed him about is methods. This conversation was later replicated by an actor and passed off as an anti-rape educational material dubbed an interview with an undetected rapist, and known as "the Frank video."
But, as a new investigation by Reason contributor Linda LeFauve reveals, the Frank video is a composite of several conversations with rapists—demonstrating that Lisak's own stereotypical serial predator is a carefully concocted cut-and-paste character.
The validity of Lisak's theory was recently called into question by a new paper authored by Kevin Swartout, Mary Koss, Jacquelyn White, Martie Thompson, Antonia Abbey, and Alexandra Bellis. The authors found the serial predator theory to be based on "surprisingly limited" scientific evidence; their own study that most college rapists did not commit rapes across multiple years.
Lisak and his advocates have pushed back against this study, telling The Huffington Post that it contains significant flaws and ought to be retracted.
Nevertheless, Swartout said in an email to Reason that his team stands behind their work.
"We want to move the field forward by engaging in discussion of the issues through the peer review process," he said.
Co-author Mary Koss told Reason that "no study is above reproach and we were and are open to constructive criticism and the need to make corrections if deemed necessary in the judgment of the editors."
The science behind the serial predator theory, then, remains decidedly unsettled. But people who tune in to CNN on Sunday night won't be treated to a nuanced examination of the question. Instead, they will be hit with a work of activist propaganda that wrongfully portrays college campuses as uniquely dangerous environments where women are literally hunted by sociopathic rapists.
"We who have spoken out at Harvard are completely committed to addressing sexual assault," said Bartholet. "It's horrible that this film is coming out that is now misrepresenting the nature of the problem and diverting attention away from how we can address it."
Photo Credit: The Hunting Ground
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It's not fair?
Witch hunts won't conduct themselves, Robby.
"We want to move the field forward by engaging in discussion of the issues through the peer review process," he said.
Huh? Shouldn't it be:
"We want to make outrageous and dangerous claims, completely unsupported, and then be validated by right-thinking people."
That quote is actually from one of Lisak's opponents.
War on Blacks? By Progs? Say it isn't Wilson.
Someone who worked on the film has apparently been editing Wikipedia entries for several months to make the film appear more accurate.
Alva took particular interest in editing the Wikipedia page of Jameis Winston, the only person named in the film as an alleged rapist. Winston was cleared by three separate investigations, yet activists — and the film — claim this was due to a biased process and investigators seeking to protect a star football player. The film doesn't mention the holes in Erica Kinsman's accusation against Winston and in fact allows her to tell a story that contradicts physical evidence.
On March 31, 2015, Alva edited Winston's Wikipedia page to remove much of the explanatory material surrounding the FSU and Tallahassee police investigations into Winston and to soften the doubt in Kinsman's story.
There are plenty of facts in the Winston case that do not necessarily indicate rape, but make him look pretty scummy (which isn't rape).
I assume this documentary spends a lot of time on the deplorable Vanderbilt football dorm rape, right?
There are plenty of facts in the Winston case that do not necessarily indicate rape, but make him look pretty scummy
We do know that Winston's a serial whiner.
CNN's gone too far to turn back now.
What the hell outfit not named Salon or Jezebel would even touch this?
We always like to believe things are getting better, sanity is getting more popular, but this level of unabashed propaganda being on CNN really humbles those expectations. Soon it will be on PBS, kindergartners will be watching it as part of their sex ed, and the accompanying reading material will be the SCUM manifesto. I think a grade school in Sweden actually already did that once; had the kids read the SCUM Manifesto, that is.
Law suit on Monday.
he was eventually convicted of a misdemeanor charge of nonsexual touching of Willingham's friend
It's against the law to touch people? WTF is "nonsexual touching" and why is it a crime?
Buy me a drink and I will show you. Wink.
Nice try, but even the most casual H'n'R lurker knows that ALL touching is sexual with you.
Any non-consensual touch is technically assault. Though if you call the cops for someone doing so they'll laugh in your face and call you a pussy. On the other hand if you touch a cop he'll likely take it as an opportunity to beat you to within an inch of your life before charging you with assault on a police officer.
Though if you call the cops for someone doing so they'll laugh in your face and call you a pussy.
Wait? I thought that the cops have no choice but to enforce the law as written? Anytime some poor schmuck gets caught up in the criminal justice system on some technicality that is obviously an injustice, we're treated to interviews with cops and prosecutors throwing their hands up in the air and assuring us that doing the common sense thing is simply out of their control...
Victimless crimes? Yes. They enforce those with religious zeal. But because they go around assaulting and robbing people for a living, when someone is assaulted or robbed, the cops will usually tell them that they deserved it. Seriously. I've seen it happen more than once.
Right... Like you saw yourself justifiably convicted of your crime and it's all everybody else's fault
Attribution error, meet Sarcasmic
Yet another 'it's not my fault' douche
The only part that pissed me off was that fact that I had to fix the car that hit me because the cop intentionally omitted the fact that the guy ran a red light. But you know this, and would have done the same thing. So who's the douche? Yeah, the cop. But now I repeat myself.
WTF is "nonsexual touching" and why is it a crime?
If you have to ask...
I thought in the Emily Yoffe article it was revealed he admitted to touching the second woman's breasts while she was passed out.
Basically it's one of those laws meant to give would-be victims and prosecutors and police the ability to have people arrested at will without any of that annoying paperwork. After all, every single day we are all probably guilty of multiple counts of 'nonsexual touching.'
That seems to be the goal of the justice system right now, with an unholy alliance between hysterical progs and 'tough on "crime"' conservatives, there seems to be a strong desire to do to all rights what's been done to money: that is, it belongs to the government, and what of it you get to keep is the sheer generosity of said government. Now we're all criminals, felons even, and every day we aren't arrested is but a gift from our great guardian angels.
There is a word for people who pose as victims to exploit the sympathy of others: beggars.
I prefer plain old "fraud".
They did the same thing with the invisible war or whatever the fuck it was called.
I saw an ad for that show a few days ago and immediately thought "uuhhhh boy...they're doubling down on the Rolling Stone retardation".
And CNN does have some good docs. This one was amazing (and sad).
I would have thought long and hard about paying a visit to that prosecutor if something similar had happened to me.
Fucking prosecutor apologized for "the system" failing Morton. Hope he gets penis leprosy.
Even Krakauer wrote a book about college rape and I do not believe he responded well to it's criticism.
They were going to name it The Raping Fields.
Coincidentally, in the UVA case (the one with the Dean I Think) there is hearing on the Dean's Motion to Compel production of Certain Of Jackie's emails, texts and social media postings.
The coincidental part being that the hearing is today.
They've gotta do something their shattered "narrative". Unfortunately all they know how to do is double down on the lies in the hopes that if they repeat them enough times that enough people will start to buy their bullshit. Worked for AGW, so why not "campus rape"?
*to salvage their shattered "narrative"...
Oooo shiny, we'll get to see if she had help fabricating or did it all on her own.
Dammit. Hearing was postponed until Dec. 4.
It's kind of funny how the serial predator talks about how everyone at college parties get themselves drunk and it makes them easy pickings. While the narrator goes on and on about how rapists target a specific individual and trick them into getting drunk. Difference between taking advantage of a situation that already exists and creating it.
Yeah, because college girls at parties have to be tricked into drinking. We all know that, absent those tricky predators college girls would uniformly be teetotalers.
Well, yeah! Those darn predators spike the lemonade at the quilting bees that the girls all attend!
"alcohol is a weapon" but of course it's "blaming the victim" if we advise women not to get drunk
The producers admit it's agit-prop; of course is spreads lies. That's the intent.
Drug rape myth exposed as study reveals binge drinking is to blame
Not one women in a 12-month testing period who claimed to be the victim of a spiked drink tested positive for a date rape drug.
Bitches need to learn how to handle their alcohol better...
Clearly, the logical conclusion is that doctors are rape-enablists too.
C'mon, everyone knows women don't have agency to make their own choices about drinking and partying and sexy times! Sheesh!
This makes a lot of sense to me. I always wondered how these guys were getting these date rape drugs. There are a lot of slimy people, but it's harder for people to sleep with themselves at night when they preplan a rape as opposed to simply taking advantage of an opportunity. A single individual can do that and a group of individuals can pressure each other into doing that, but it's a lot more unusual for a completely disinterested third party to be willing to help with that when they don't get any sex out of the deal.
Obviously rapists have developed new undetectable date rape drugs.
Didn't we already have one blockbuster rape film this year? 50 Shades of something or other? I don't think rehashing the same material with the thin veil of cinema verite is going to bring them the same level of attention.
Wait, you're saying colleges *aren't* hunting grounds where you get to go and rape coeds without fearing punishment?
You could have told me *before* I spent all that money renovating my basement into a rape dungeon.
Wait, you're saying colleges *aren't* hunting grounds where you get to go and rape coeds without fearing punishment?
Before graduation, yes.
Asking campus admins or God forbid - student govt- to investigate rape makes as much sense as going to the police for a root canal
SOME campus PD's are equipped and trained to do so, but campus admin's should stay the }%}%%# out
CNN should get Sabrina Erdely to introduce the movie to the audience. I doubt she's busy these days...
The lawsuit by Winston against Erica Kinsman is actually a countersuit. Kinsman has filed a lawsuit against Winston for sexual battery. Also, there were flaws in the police work against Winston.. I think the prosecution didn't do a good job, and might have been prejudiced against Kinsman.
Watching the supposed Q&A after the screening on CNN. The CNN host is completely biased and it's obvious that every time critics of the movie get to the meat of their points, the comments are edited or cut off. And, it's 3 against 1.
Pretty shoddy.
They discuss at length about the degree to which colleges are investigating rape cases, but it never occurs to the SJWs that perhaps the fucking police should be investigating rape rather than colleges.
i'm confused. so i'm not in danger of getting raped by a college professor and/or cnn?
I just got paid $6784 working off my laptop this month. And if you think that's cool, my divorced friend has twin toddlers and made over $9k her first month. It feels so good making so much money when other people have to work for so much less. This is what I do,


text: I have been wondering about this subject for several years but have never had an answer for it: Theoretical Setup - Bass, Preamp, Amplifer (1000 Watts) If my amplifier's level control is @ 50% then my amplifier should be pushing roughly 500 Watts irrespective of my preamp and bass volume settings? How does the gain settings on the preamp and the volume control on the bass affect the actual wattage being sent to the speaker cabs. If I have them maxed out, does the cab actually see more wattage (i.e. potential damage) due to the increased signal levels I am assuming that the speaker cab sees 500 watts @ a nominal gain level. Thanks, Brandon

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I am a little bit disappointed with my box this month. I don't mind it being all skin care but what i don't like is that I got two anti-wrinkle products. I have tried Lulu's time bomb I got in November Carmine box and it did not work for me. I don't think my skin needs anti-wrinkle cream as of yet and I don't want to use it just for the sake of it. I am excited to try other products from this "New Year, New You" themed box.
- Lierac Extreme age-defense firming care - my friend Janet can expect a little gift from me :)
- Lierac wrinkle smoother - this goes to Janet too :)
- GreenPeople Make-up remover and cleanser - it will be good to see if it can beat my Bioderma at removing eye make-up
- Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion - I have got way too many body lotions at the momment but I really liked Caudalie face cream so I'm glad i can try this body lotion
- Phyto Express Conditioner - my hair are in desperate need of some good conditioning and I've heard great things about Phyto
- Dead Sea Magik Salt Scrub - always good to do a bit of scrubbing!
Dose of randommness:
- I am putting myself on a shopping ban!
- You can expect a lot of reviews and make-up looks, less hauls. I need to use the stuff I have got cause it is getting out of control
- I had an awesome weekend! Me and my friends went for my birthday night out! It was in December but I celebrate it in January cause of the Christmas. It felt sooo good to throw some shapes on the dance floor :)
- Scratchy (my cat) sleeps in weirdest positions possible. He looks like he broke all of his legs and a neck in order to be comfortable :)


text:
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Katy Returns
It's very nice to see you, Katy!
This morning while I was listening to our Brad's sermon on Youtube, I clicked over to find out whatever happened to the singer Raffi. Do you remember him? We've been listening to him in the car. Sam and Plum call him "that nice man" and they know all of the songs on the one album we listen to. He's still around! From the website it did not appear that he is doing shows anymore. He is a goodie, that Raffi. I bought Bananaphone so I could listen to some different songs on my walk.
Look at the funny crows hiding in the branches! I like crows better than magpies. Magpies travel in huge crowds and they sound annoying. I'm sorry but I do not like them. I DO like crows because they have a nice shape.
It was warm outside and my flip flops were squeaking. I thought about calling Bill to bring the car and give me a lift. Well, my camera was getting heavy, too. I didn't. I kept going.
This summer we do not have as many flowers as we have had in the past. Next year we will have fewer cucumbers (none) and more blooms.
I made some soup and it's meant to be for dinner but I think that I need a bowl of it right now. Three grands are coming for dinner and their mother is bringing some leftovers from a dinner they had a few nights ago (pork roast, roasted potatoes) because I feel sure the vegetables in the soup will not be tantalizing to them. Ha!
I'm going to walk the trail with a friend in the morning and I have a bit of clerical work to do, but I'm hoping the urge to clean strikes me or the urge to write letters. But then, I have a few good books I'm reading AND some very fun knitting to do.
Thank you for popping by again so soon.
Happy Sunday! Happy walking!
I'll be back here very soon.
21 comments:
- Marcie said...
Oh such wonderful color! Thank you for strolling! :)
- August 28, 2016 at 2:25 PM
You saw lots of pretty things on your walk. Hope you have a good week ahead!
- August 28, 2016 at 6:30 PM
- GretchenJoanna said...
Lovely places to walk! But I'm concerned about you taking walks in your flip-flops... don't your feet, legs, etc. complain about that?
- August 28, 2016 at 8:28 PM
- Wood Fairy said...
Hi, crows are lovely things, did you know they are the same family as magpies? we have lots of magpies here, they do make a very annoying noise sometimes when territorial but I think them so very pretty, especially when justs taking off in flight - all symmetrical black and white. I like symmetry - it was the only thing at school that really captured my attention! I like seeing pictures of your neighbourhood, garden and home. More please! Betty
- August 28, 2016 at 11:33 PM
- Julie said...
Your photos are so beautiful dear Pom Pom .... & your sky is so very blue!! I have a grey overcast sky here today :-) I hope the urge to clean strikes me today too .... I also have a rather good book that is tempting me.
- August 28, 2016 at 11:55 PM
- Chel at Sweetbriar Dreams said...
So many beautiful images here. I do love the porcelain Cavalier though (I wonder why?!). Have a wonderful week and I do hope the flip flops stop squeaking :) xx
- August 28, 2016 at 11:55 PM
- Kim said...
It seems the word has spread in kaydid land that your lovely place is the place to visit each year. Lovely Summer blooms. Your garden is alive with glorious colour.
- August 28, 2016 at 11:57 PM
- Elizabethd said...
Such lovely colourful flowers on your walk.
- August 29, 2016 at 12:47 AM
- Fat Dormouse said...
What lovely things you saw on your walk. Very beautiful. Thank you for sharing them.
- August 29, 2016 at 1:49 AM
- Nancy McCarroll said...
A nice walk with pretty and colorful blooms. I wonder if that LS the same Katy.
Will check out Bananagram, or was it Banaphone, will recheck your post.
- August 29, 2016 at 5:17 AM
- Henny Penny said...
The flowers are so pretty! I like crows too, but don't know if I've ever seen a Magpie before. That sweet baby picture in your header always catches me by surprise and makes me smile. It is simply adorable.
- August 29, 2016 at 6:20 AM
- Farm Girl said...
What a nice walking place you have. I love the blue sky and all of the many different kinds of flowers. No pickles next year? That makes me chuckle.
I like seeing the Katydid. We will start seeing them now on the outside too.
It sounds like your Monday will be nice.
Have a lovely week!
- August 29, 2016 at 6:54 AM
- Weekend-Windup said...
You have captured colorful pictures on your walk. Enjoyed seeing them:)
- August 29, 2016 at 6:59 AM
- Melanie said...
Pretty photos. I don't know the difference between a magpie and a crow. I guess I always thought they were the same thing. I have a photo somewhere that I took a couple of years ago with 20 some crows perched on the top of a tree beside my home. It was a bit eerie! It sort of reminded me of that Alfred Hitchcock movie - "The Birds" Have a great day.
- August 29, 2016 at 8:15 AM
- elizabeth said...
how nice! I love soups. I do wish my husband shared more deeply in this love! :) it's so nice that you get to see so many flowers!! :)
- August 29, 2016 at 11:18 AM
- Happyone said...
Beautiful colors from your walk. You walk in Flip Flops!? : )
Always like to hear that others are walking too. : )
- August 29, 2016 at 1:20 PM
- Kezzie said...
The crows are really cool as are your myriad marigolds!
- August 29, 2016 at 4:02 PM
- Lisa Richards said...
Thanks for the nice walk! It sounds like you have lots of fun options for things to do! Enjoy!
- August 29, 2016 at 5:19 PM
- Granny Marigold said...
I love the rich autumnal tones of many of the flowers in your photos. I'm really thinking Fall now ( although it got quite hot again today and it was NOT forecast).
Can't believe I'm tired of hot sunshine but I am.
We had vegetable soup today too. Yummy!
- August 29, 2016 at 6:18 PM
- Maggie said...
That was a long walk you took but what lovely flowers and amazing shadow captures along the way.
- August 29, 2016 at 9:25 PM
- M.K. said...
I do not get as much done as you do, Pom, although maybe it sounds like it on the farm blog :) You do so much with your grands, which is wonderful!!! I checked out Raffi on youtube. He sounds nice.
- September 12, 2016 at 6:13 AM


text:
The April project for United Cardinal Bloggers is to pick your two candidates for the Cardinals' HOF and explain your choices. From the first moment I saw the list of candidates, I knew who my two choices were going to be. I am going to surprise people I imagine, because from the outset I knew I was not going to choose fan favorite Willie McGee. I love Willie, make no mistake about that. He was my David Freese of the 1982 World Series. But while I would have voted for Willie eventually, because he deserves to be in, I could not pick him over the two players that I believe were better players and deserve to be in the first selection year. My two choices and my rationale for my choice, follow.
1. Ted Simmons
I am an Older American, and therefore had the chance to see Ted Simmons play during his best years. During my late high school and early college life, 1977-1980 to be exact, I watched Ted Simmons give the best performances of his career (he was no slouch before that either) . During those 4 seasons, Simmons hit 90 HRs, drove in 360 runs, and OPS'ed .908, .889, .876, and .880 respectively. Simmons was a better defensive catcher than he often got credit for. He never rose to the Yadier Molina level but he had a decent arm, catching base stealers at a career rate of 34%. That isn't terrible, by today's standards that is higher than league average. Sadly, Simmons was traded to the Brewers after the 1980 season and his career went into a decline after that. This was probably more normal age related decline than anything to do with the trade, as Simmons was in his age 32 season when he started with the Brewers.
There are many people who believe Simmons belongs in Cooperstown, including me. His numbers were borderline, and the baseball writers obviously believed they didn't measure up. Simmons fell off the ballot in his first year of eligibility, garnering only 3.7% of the vote. Catchers have traditionally fared poorly with HOF voters. Many think despite his impressive offensive numbers (He is second in hits all time for catchers, behind Pudge Rodriguez) his non-elite defensive numbers ruined his chances. This has always seem short sighted to me, because he was not a bad defensive catcher. Perhaps the Veterans Committee will right this wrong someday, as they have for 5 other catchers now enshrined in the Hall.
Despite the snubbing from Cooperstown, Simmons belongs in the Cardinals HOF. The best years of his career were wearing the Birds on the Bat. Unfortunately, many fans today never saw Simmons play and do not understand what a superior player he was. It is unfortunate in my opinion that popularity will most likely prevail over actual baseball performance, but there it is.
2. Jim Edmonds
Boy, do I love good defense. I love good offense as well, and Jim Edmonds provided both in spades. During his prime years with the Cardinals, 2000-2005, Edmonds provided power from the left side and gold glove defense in center field. Six gold gloves with the Cardinals, as well as one Silver Slugger award, 3 All Star appearances and one World Championship are Edmonds' contributions during his Cardinal years. His offensive numbers during those years were gaudy; 210 HRs, 490 RBIs, OPS'es of .994, .974, .981, 1.002, 1.061 and .918. On the defensive side, his average UZR for the years 2002-2005 (2000 and 2001 numbers not available), was 7.325, and he had 12 Defensive Runs Saved.
Edmonds was a fan favorite, and for good reason. The man just dazzled. In his last two seasons with the Cardinals, health issues, and a public tiff with manager Tony La Russa led to Edmonds being traded in 2007 to the San Diego Padres in exchange for David Freese. Edmonds' career never revived, but in 2011 Edmonds mended fences with La Russa and officially retired from baseball as a Cardinal. Edmonds now periodically does pre and post game shows for the Cardinals on Fox Sports Midwest and remains a part of the St. Louis community.
Edmonds was a top tier center fielder. He was a better player than his earlier counterpart, Willie McGee, which is why I cannot choose Willie over Edmonds. Edmonds is a MLB HOF candidate, McGee is not.
Those are my two picks for the Cardinals HOF. Sadly, I don't think Simmons has a chance this year, despite his superior talents over other candidates. Hopefully he will get in in a future year.
Thank you for reading.


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Old news, but: Do you think Melo's wife was huge factor in Melo coming to Knicks?
Anthony's wife, LaLa Vazquez, won't be in Denver for the game, preventing potential ugliness in the stands in what's expected to be an emotional night for fans. There is wide perception that Vazquez was the driving force behind Anthony's desire to become a Knick. She is a New York native, an actress and television host who landed her own reality show once back in New York.
Anthony said that perception about his wife is far from the truth.
"It wasn't mutual at all," Anthony said. "Actually, she didn't want me to go. I would never put my wife out there on the line like that. She had nothing to do with the trade. Nothing at all."
Why did Anthony want to go to New York so badly? Other than the huge marketing opportunities a large market like New York offers, he says the other big reason was that teammates Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby and possibly Chauncey Billups (team option) were going to be free agents in 2011, likely going elsewhere and he didn't want to be on a rebuilding team.
-- Yahoo
Re: Old news, but: Do you think Melo's wife was huge factor in Melo coming to Knicks?
I know I may be biased but I think if you ask most people, they'd rather live in NYC over Denver. Just sayin. I've never heard Denver be called the best city in the world lol
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I really like making dream catchers.. Making the webbing always kinda goes wrong because of my need to just swing most of it. But I really loved the idea of having a spider webby catcher and I found this video from youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdvWjCP0f78
It pretty much covers the whole web part in detail.
After shopping around the city center, I decided I wanted to go to the flea market. So my boyfriend dropped me off there. I wanted to walk home afterwards but it was really pouring ice cold water straight to my face and I was soaking wet and my head was freezing. I had a hood, but I could not keep it up since the wind blew it down right away. I gave up after like 500 meters of walking and called for a pickup.
At least I didn't get soaking wet for nothing.. I found this long dress and a hat. Both are probably from H&M originally. I kinda have a similar hat already, but this one has a bigger... flopper. Haha!
I really want to walk to another flea market tomorrow so I hope it won't rain. At least I'll take a umbrella with me. And I'll probably wear these, so you can see how they look on me on the next post!


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How to Run an Effective GiveawaysPlay to win
How to Run an Effective Giveaways
Everyone loves getting something for nothing. That's why giveaways have long been one of the most powerful ways for businesses and organizations to engage with their audience. Now, with the help of our technology, running an attention-getting Giveaways is simpler than ever.
A giveaway can do more than create a short-term buzz around your business: it's also one of the best ways to gain subscribers and keep your customers coming back.
The Basics
So a giveaway is a great promotion. But how does an SMS Giveaways work?
Let's say Sally wants to attract attention to his new pizzeria and bring in more customers. She can do so by running an SMS-based giveaway. Not only will it generate public awareness and engagement, but Sally will also collect valuable mobile contacts he can use to keep his business thriving.
To get started Sally sets up a keyword and advertises his Giveaways in his window, on his menus, and on
every table:
to {{AssignedNumber}}
for a chance to win
a FREE iPad
and get cool pizza deals
sent right to your phone!
Jill walks by Sally's Pizzeria and the large "FREE iPad!" sign captures her attention. Impulsively, she texts the word PIZZA (known as the keyword) to {{AssignedNumber}} (Sally's Long Code). Instantly she receives an automated confirmation message thanking her for entering Giveaways.
That's it! In a matter of seconds she's entered the Giveaways, submitted her contact information, and began a meaningful engagement with Sally's Pizzeria.
Now, not only is Jill excited aboutSally's giveaway, but by sending a text message she's made a memorable, significant, and even somewhat intimate contact with the Sally's business. Perhaps she walks in for a slice, where she would have otherwise walked on by.
Even if she keeps walking, Sally has successfully gathered her contact information and can send her promotional messages with coupons, specials, and other enticing offers, ensuring that Jill becomes a regular in no time.
Why are you giving something away?
A Giveaways offers much more than the immediate effect of generating interest in your business.
By collecting a large number of SMS subscribers, the long term effects of an effectively run Giveaways are even more valuable. Long after the winner has been drawn, you retain a large pool of potential customers who are only a text message away.
By sending contest entrants regular messages about discounts, upcoming events, or new products, you're able to connect to your audience through an immediate, intimate, and inviting medium, keeping your business busy months after the conclusion of your contest.
Choosing a Prize
First things first. What are you giving away?
Whatever prize you decide, it should be something that your audience will be excited about winning. Generally, it'll fall into one of two categories:
to {{AssignedNumber}}
for a chance to win
Prize is an exciting item unrelated to your business.
to {{AssignedNumber}}
for a chance to win
a FREE MOTORCYCLE!
There are pros and cons of each prize to consider. With the first, you're getting people excited about your own product. An unrelated prize, however, may bring in more subscribers: winning a free motorcycle is a lot more exciting than a free game of bowling.
Another important element to consider is the price of your prize:
A more expensive prize will generate more entrants subscribed to your SMS campaign. The more subscribers you collect, the greater the dividends your giveaway will pay down the road.


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It's embarrassing now, but back in 1976, there was a show call "The Hardy Boys Adventures" on TV. It starred Shawn Cassidy and Parker Stevenson. Yes, they were cute. Yes, my friends and I all had major crushes on them. Of course, we started writing fan fiction, back before it was called fan fiction. Back then, we would never have dreamed of publishing our stories because they were a direct rip-off of something already copyrighted. I still have that story.
Shows came, and went, some inspired other stories. Eventually, I started making up my own stuff. Usually under 10,000 words, nothing major. I met a bunch of artists when I made my first website (no longer there- the web company went under) We started forums and decided the best way to challenge ourselves was to try challenging each other to create works based on themes. Those forums are gone, now, as are most of the artists that were present. They didn't die, they just sort of drifted away.
Then blogging became more popular. My circle of influences became larger. I love that the internet is a place where you can interact with people from anywhere in the world. It broadens the possibilities. So, now, I still write offline, but my online activities help to bring a wider experience than I would have had if the internet hadn't become a part of my life. I hadn't realized until a few days ago that I had been a closet writer for so long. It was just something there that I didn't think about very much until someone asked the question.


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The latest issue of the Woodcote Correspondent is available to download here.
Selected photographs on this website courtesy of Alan Copeland.
The Neigbourhood Plan Advisory Group is a sub group of the Parish Council. It is comprised of Woodcote residents who volunteered at the extraordinary meeting of the Parish Council held in the Village Hall on 5th September 2011 or who subsequently contacted the Parish Clerk.
|Committee Members
|Associate Members
|John Ballanger
|Martin Gold
|Anna Bartlett
|Angela Botting
|Nicky Bridge
|Carol McDougall
|Geoff Botting
|Krissy Millican
|Jerry Green
|Joanne Lillywhite
|David Humphris
|Helena McBride
|Bob Lewin
|David Jones
|Mark Lillywhite
|Tim North
|Caroline Svendsen
|Mike Todd
|Christopher Quinton
|Kevin Grady
|Will Nicholl
|Ian Adams
|David Croft
Site Identification - Identifying and listing possible sites for inclusion on the SHLAA.
Site Seletion Criteria - Criteria applied to a SHLAA site to determine if it is suitable for inclusion in the draft Neighbourhood plan.
Housing Mix - Type, size and ownership mix of houses to be built.
Housing Design - Style, Features & Facilities of houses to be built.
Communications - Website, Mailing List, Events, Posters & Flyers, Workshops
Sustainability - Ensuring the Neighbourhood Plan meets the Sustainability and Environmental Sustainability Criteria
You can contact the committee via the Parish Council directly or write to us at:
The Chairman of the Neighbourhood Planning Team
c/o The Parish Clerk at the Parish Council Office
Village Hall
Reading Road
Woodcote RG8 0QY
The companies listed below have assisted the neighbourhood plan by providing prizes or facilities at no charge and for no influence or gain. Thank you kindly.
This website is funded by Woodcote Parish Council. If you would like to contribute or update any part of the site please contact the webmaster - email@example.com.


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That is Hello Kitty's kitten CharmmyKitty. She was given to Hello Kitty as a gift from her boyfriend Daniel. She even wears a bow on her right ear just like Hello Kitty. I think she is so cute.
That's Hello Kitty hugging a little teddybear. The flowers in the back round give it a spring time look.


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Frazier: Audit will provide needed oversight of High Speed Rail
SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Jim Frazier, D-Discovery Bay, chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, released the following statement today after the California Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved an audit of the state's High Speed Rail project.
"I am pleased the Joint Committee approved this audit. Having the State Auditor look into contract management and methods for future cost containment is a great first step to improving the project. High Speed Rail is the largest infrastructure project in the nation and this oversight is necessary to ensure that voters who approved this are getting what was promised to them."
Assemblymember Frazier represents the 11th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.
CONTACT: Andrew Bird (916) 319-2011


text:
The third president to be born in Lebanon, Malcolm Kerr, was born on October 8, 1931 at the American University Hospital. His father Dr. Stanley Kerr was for a long time professor of biochemistry at AUB, and his mother Mrs. Elsa Kerr served for a while as dean of women. He completed high school in the US, then enrolled at Princeton University where he earned a BA in political science.
returned to Beirut where he continued his studies at AUB receiving an MA
in Arab studies in 1955. He returned to the US to further his studies at
Johns Hopkins University, and in 1958 received a PhD in international
relations. He and his wife, the former Ann C. Zwicker, then returned to


text:
This is a first-aid field dressing that is 4 x 7 inches. The dressing is dyed and sterilized. The cardboard box has been opened, however the interior contents are still wrapped in their original brown paper wrapper and then sealed in a plastic outer wrapper. The interior plastic wrapper indicates that the dressing is camouflaged.The dressing was manufactured by Lily White Sales Co in New York.
18 other shoppers are interested in this item
Eclectic, Unique and Whimsical Antique and Collectible Items for the discerning collector.
Proudly selling exclusively on Ruby Lane for 15 years.


text:
Okay, so Princess Bookie is hosting Contest Craze, a fun event at her blog full of fun mini challenges by other bloggers. One of the mini challenges is the lucky number 7 challenge by Jessi from The Elliott Review.
So what exactly is the lucky number 7 challenge? Well, you open up to the book you are currently reading, go to page 7, look at the 7th word (if it is an article like a, an, the you go to the next word)and type that word into the Google search bar.
The book I picked is Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. The seventh word happens to be witch.
So here is my picture and my book!
I though it was pretty cool that it came up with a Puritanical witch image. Kind of Salem Witch Trials -esque.
Anyways, make sure to go see the other mini challenges and do your lucky number seven!
Love always,


text:
Spring sale!
I am selling some clothes that are too small or too big for me. It's a great chance for you to get something very cheap :)
Jeśli ktoś z Polski chciałby kupić - zapraszam na Allegro :)
This entry was posted on at 5:01 AM and is filed under sale. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can


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Oct 26, 2015
Picturesque Month ~ 08'15
~ I actually managed to take my bike to work regularly in August. Found a route via Komoot that took me off the big streets to make the ride more comfortable and less stressfull. You do not want to ride a bike through Alexanderplatz in rush hour!
~ Beautiful sunset view from our balcony.
~ The husband made some sun tea. Just put some black tea, lemon juice and sugar in a glass container and let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours. Serve with lots of ice! Finally a use for this glass pitcher we got for our wedding cocktails.
Got to see the hilarious Amy Schumer and Bill Hader live at the Social Movie Night for their movie Trainwreck. We were at the Cinestar at Kulturbrauerei on a very hot day and it was still hot even in the movie theatre, maybe that's why Amy was wearing this outfit that looked like it's supposed to be underwear ;)
Because the Social Movie Night is made by Youtubers there were a bunch of cameras filming the actor's every move, so Bill Hader went and chased them all in a corner. Pretty cool dude!
~ Made a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for the husband's birthday.
~ When the husband goes into the water at the lake that means it's really really hot. We had some lovely visitors for the weekend and took our saturday brunch to the lake.
~ Brought home a Matcha drink from America. Too bad it had sugar in it, but this way you can dissolve it in cold water to have a refreshing drink at the office. Loving my mason jar mug <3
One of the weirdest concerts I ever went to happened this month: The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit in concert. It was at Waldbühne and the inner circle that is usually filled with the standing crowd at big rock concerts was covered with fake grass, a hobbit house and a huge ring. There were a bunch of costumed people on the grass that were mostly just sitting there during the concert and occasionally dancing. My favorites were a couple of trees in brown body suits, I think they were drag queens :P On the stage was the orchestra that played our favorite melodies from the movies and Mark Hadlow, who played the dwarf Dori in the Hobbit narrated the whole thing. It was supposed to be Sir Christopher Lee, but sadly he passed away earlier this year.
The weird thing about it was that they started with this endless intro that even contained a marriage proposal between a bearded warrior and a plus sized elf. The concert itself was quite random mixing scenes from all movies together in the wrong order and showing movies scenes that don't really match the music. Some songs they played multiple times like the Ed Sheeran song "I see fire" and the Hobbit celebration where everyone on the grass danced around like crazy. I think they just hired some fans with costumes as decoration.
Dear Claudi from Pixeltrash3000 came all the way from Halle to see this concert and it was kind of underwhelming after all. We spend the rest of the evening sorting LEGO's and watching The Return of the King, so a fun day all in all.
~ We had another showcase at work, the band was called Royal Republic and they definitely rocked our cantina! 5/5 Bazooka Points for the acoustic version of their Dick-Song.
~ Going to the Pure&Crafted Festival was an excellent & spontaneous idea. I was helping a friend move on the day and didn't even plan on going to the festival, but the move went by so fast that I was feeling really energized and ready to party. Dear Lu from LuLovesHandmade was very excited I could make it, because she was at the festival by herself. Actually thanks to her I didn't even have to pay to get in because a friend of her's had a guest list to spare. We saw The Refused and The Hives on the big stage outside of Ostbahnhof. Great shows indeed!
~ On the other end of the venue was a big fairground with all kinds of vendors and a huge round building called the Motodrom where the "Wall of Death" took place. Look at this! We came out with shaking knees! Crazy bastards.
~ I had such a great time with this lovely lady. I have seldom been more glad to be spontaneous and we actually danced until 3am in the morning. So much fun!
~ Spent the next day on our bed fort in the living room watching Youtube videos while the husband played Metal Gear Solid.


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St Jude Patient of the Month!
Elizabeth has been fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia since age 1 and she
is the Patient of the Month.
Elizabeth's parents, both professionals in the medical field, are no strangers to a medical crises. But they never expected one to hit so close to home.
Last summer, their little blonde daughter, not even 2 years old, ran a fever off and on for weeks. They took her to the pediatrician, but it always seemed to be just a virus. Then, Elizabeth started bruising heavily. When she developed petechiae that spread down her legs, her mother realized what it could mean. It could mean leukemia.
Another visit to the pediatrician and a complete blood count confirmed her family's fears: Elizabeth suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer. Her mother's thoughts raced. "I thought, is this the last time I'm going to see her? Is she going to die?"
Elizabeth's doctor immediately referred her to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude has increased the survival rates for Elizabeth's type of leukemia from 4 percent before opening in 1962 to 94 percent today — the world's best.
By the time Elizabeth arrived at St. Jude just eight hours later, her white count had already doubled. "She probably would have been dead in 72 hours," says her mother.
St. Jude doctors quickly brought the cancer under control with chemotherapy. Now about a year into treatment, Elizabeth has responded well. Her cancer is in remission, but she still has to undergo another year-and-a-half of chemotherapy to be sure the cancer doesn't return.
Being so familiar with hospital environments from their work in medicine, Elizabeth's parents have been amazed by the upbeat and child-friendly atmosphere at St. Jude. "People here at St. Jude love their jobs, and they're great with the kids," says Elizabeth's mom. "And that makes it so much easier to be here."
Elizabeth's mom is grateful for her daughter's progress — and grateful her family will never see a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. Thanks to people who donate to St. Jude, she says, "Children who were never going to have a chance in life now have a chance. Your money is being put to good use."
Elizabeth is a tough and independent little girl with a bright future ahead.
To help give hope to children such as Elizabeth who are fighting life-threatening illnesses, please become a Partner In Hope monthly donor. Click here to donate now.


text:
Super Goku Wallpaper provides a complete collection of the latest and cool pictures of Sun Goku characters. and you can make wallpaper on your tablet and smartphone.
Features :
- Goku ultra instinct Wallpaper
- Goku Instinct Wallpaper
- goku Wallpaper HD
- ultra instinct goku wallpaper
- goku super saiya blue Wallpaper
- No need Internet connection to view the images!
- Set images as wallpaper
- All is completely FREE
Don't forget to rate and review us.
To use: Home -> Open -> Set Wallpaper
or You can save the image first then you can set wallpaper from your galery
We truly appreciate your kind comments and high star ratings. Thank you so much for you contributing, using and sharing!
NOTE: This is an Unofficial App. All trademarks and copyright protected to the respective owners.
All in-games content are copyright and or trademarked to their respective owners and usage for this wallpaper app falls within fair use guidelines. This app is intended purely for the fans of the game and help them to find an easier way to set images as their mobile phone wallpaper.
Verze programu
Poslední aktualizace od vývojáře
4. 1. 2018 2018-01-04
Počet stažení
0 ×
Web autora
Podporované jazyky
- Angličtina


text:
Transcend Drivepro 200 Dashcam Review
At the time of writing, this is currently the #2 Car Driving Recorder on Amazon UK, and that is especially impressive when you consider that the #1 and #3 Driving Recorders cost £10.39 and £23.99 respectively. The owner reviews are overwhelmingly positive as well, so even though it's already been on sale for six months, I decided that it's a camera I really should take a look at.
You can download a full PDF manual from the Transcend website here. and the product page is here.
For Downloadable Samples CLICK HERE
Click on the image below to if you want to buy one from Amazon in the UK.


text:
This is the course website for the Algorithms course 2ILC0.
|16 Nov
|All course administration moved to Canvas and this page has become obsolete. Please visit the page in Canvas at https://canvas.tue.nl/courses/406.
|16 Nov
|Handout for backtracking available from the link in the schedule.
|9 Nov
|First version of the 2016-2017 website online.


text:
Accreditation by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) demonstrates a facility's clinical excellence and its commitment to the highest quality patient care when providing diagnostic ultrasound services. To become accredited, a practice must undergo a rigorous and detailed application process.
There are no state or federal laws overseeing the performance of diagnostic ultrasound. AIUM accreditation, which is a voluntary process, gives patients the assurance that a facility is qualified to perform their ultrasound examinations.
A patient who goes to an AIUM-accredited practice for an ultrasound examination can be sure of the following:
This information was taken from materials distributed by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.


text:
Hi there! I am so glad you stopped by.
I am so excited and honored to part of "Finch's Holiday Boutique", the first week in December. I have never done this before and honestly am a
lot little scared.
If you are looking for great gifts or decorating items, this is the place you will want to go.It is being hosted by my amazingly talented cousin, Elisa. Many of you already know of her through my bragging about what a talented little lady she is. I am very proud of her!
If you are interested you can find information on facebook at "Finch's Holiday Boutique" or at Elisa's blog at finchsboutique.blogspot.com.
My Christmas Centerpiece.
I started this little project by going to Michael's and buying a small Christmas wreath. I am not adding a picture of the plain wreath because you all know what that looks like. Here is what it looked like after I added some berries, pinecones, a few red bulbs and some stars.
I took a glass cylinder candle holder and added some burlap ribbon, twine and another one of those rusty stars (I'm in love with rusty old looking things). I filled the bottom with pinecones and red bulbs. The top has a glass insert where I placed a votive candle, also from Michael's.
I went to Walmart and picked up a glass bowl to put in the middle to add, you guessed it, more pinecones and red bulbs and the candle holder in the middle.
And, Taa Daa! A centerpiece for the Christmas Season.
I would love to hear what you think of this. Do you like it? Would you put it on your coffee table, kitchen table, vanity?
Thanks you so much for stopping by. It means the world to me!


text:
The National Corn Growers Association on Thursday announced the formation of a new group called the Soil Health Partnership in effort to demonstrate how soil health impacts farmers' bottom lines.
The partnership includes support from the Walton Family Foundation and Monsanto, in addition to NCGA.
The partnership aims to kick start ag sustainability by discussing and demonstrating the economic and environmental benefits of soil health.
The initial objectives of the program, NCGA said, include:
• Building a network of demonstration research farms in key corn states;
• Developing recommendations to farmers on a variety of soil management practices aimed at improving productivity, profitability and environmental outcomes;
• Increasing adoption of those recommendations beyond the network of demonstration farms; and
• Increasing the visibility and importance of sound soil management.
"The health of a farm depends on the health of its soil, and that's what makes this new program an important one for our organization," said NCGA President Martin Barbre. "We developed the Soil Health Partnership with our partners to help our growers be the best farmers they can be, and ensure that their farmland remains valuable and productive for future generations."
Technical support for the project is provided by the Science Advisory Council, the Nature Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund.
"We look forward to helping demonstrate and measure how different conservation practices can improve soil health and simultaneously lead to increased yields, profitability and environmental performance," said Sean McMahon, The Nature Conservancy's North American Agriculture Program Director. "We hope that this innovative partnership will help lead to widespread adoption of conservation practices that improve soil health and ultimately improve water quality at a watershed scale."
A key part of the success of the Soil Health Partnership is the Science Advisory Council, Barbre said, the experts who will advise the partnership about the identification, measurement and evaluation of best practices that can improve soil health while boosting yields and improving environmental outcomes.
Related: NRCS Launches National Soil Health Campaign
Members of the SAC include Doug Karlen, Ph.D., Supervisory Soil Scientist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment; C. Wayne Honeycutt, Ph.D., Deputy Chief for Science and Technology of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Jerry Hatfield, Ph.D., Lab Director at the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment; Charles W. Rice, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor of Soil Microbiology at Kansas State University; Mike Plumer, Ph.D., Consultant with Conservation Agriculture and Coordinator of the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices; Daren Harmel, Ph.D., Supervisory Agricultural Engineer at the USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory; Eileen J. Kladivko, Ph.D., Purdue University Department of Agronomy; Peter C. Scharf, Ph.D., Professor in the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri; and Harold M. Van Es, Ph.D., Professor, Crop and Soil Sciences at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.


text: Recently, after 9 months of owning and loving my DroidX, I rooted with Z4, Superuser, and Bootstrap. Now I am in heaven with the custom Rubix 2.0 rom. Life is good. Very happy. That is until today. I need help. I am worried. For no reason, while sitting in the DroidX docking station, charging, the phone started accessing my weather channel widget. I saw this happening because I the docking station is on my desk and I watched all of this happen. when I would exit out, it would immediately go back in. Then, it exited to the desktop and started laying widgets (all by itself) on the desktop. No matter how many times I would hit the home button it would just start over. So I pulled the battery. Since then, nothing. Its quite and works wonderfully. Was I hacked? Did the custom rom make this more likely? Can I stop future attacks? Do I need to return the Phone to stock? or should I buy an AV program? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance


text:
Vape – a new trend, an alternative for smokers not to use a nicotine-filled cigarette tobacco product. Though it was thought that vapes produces less harm to users, recent studies suggests that it isn't the case.
As further research flourished, new evidence came to suggest that vapes are just as harmful as its traditional counterpart. In fact a new study revealed that vapes produces harmful chemicals – a potential carcinogenic byproduct of vaporizing chemical contents of two commonly food-safe solvents found on e-cigarette liquids. through heat, these chemicals are vaporized and emits toxic chemicals with two of them arepropylene oxide and glycidol, a potential carcinogens.
Under testing, it was found that e-cigarette devices that produces low heat emits lower level of harmful chemicals but that doesn't mean that it's better than other. furthermore,devices having a higher voltagetend to produce more toxic smoke which also gave the same results when vapes aren't cleaned and maintained in a regular basis even though they are low powered, thus using a vape whether they are low-temp or produces higher temps still produces toxic smoke that can be harmful and might even be deadlier than a pack of cigars.
Related articles
- Vaping Is Far From Harmless(pbs.org)
- Medical News Today: E-cigarettes might lead to oral disease, study suggests(medicalnewstoday.com)
- E-cigarette Industry Global Analysis by Region, vendors, Market challenge and Technology Forecasts 2020(newsmaker.com.au)
- E-cigarettes might lead to oral disease, study suggests(sott.net)


text:
America's worst congressman, Tom Tancredo, caused quite a stir recently when he aired a television ad for his presidential campaign. The ad features a man in a hooded sweatshirt detonating a backpack bomb in a shopping mall, then cuts to scenes of carnage from terrorist attacks in Europe.
"There are consequences to open borders beyond the 20 million aliens who have come to take our jobs," a voice intones. "Islamic terrorists now freely roam U.S. soil, jihadists who froth with hate, here to do as they have in London, Spain, Russia. The price we pay for spineless politicians who refuse to defend our borders against those who come to kill."
"I approve this message because someone needs to say it," Tancredo announces. You'll get no politically correct mealy-mouthed prevaricating from Tancredo. If you're looking for some good old-fashioned nativist fearmongering, he's your man, or more precisely your GOP presidential candidate.
It's worth emphasizing that Tancredo is not a racist nut exposing his paranoid delusions on some fringe Web site. He's a racist nut who has made his paranoid delusions the centerpiece of a bona fide Republican Party presidential campaign. (Actually I don't know if Tancredo himself is a racist, and the question holds no interest for me. Regarding immigration, he talks and acts exactly like a racist would and, when judging a politician, that's the only thing that matters).
And, with the exception of Mike Huckabee, all the first-tier Republican candidates are competing to sound just as "tough" on immigration as the decidedly second-tier Colorado member of Congress. (Don't be surprised if whoever wins the nomination runs ads very similar to Tancredo's next fall.)
A couple of ironies will leap out at anyone who isn't trembling at the thought of backpack-wielding jihadists disguised as hooded Mexican gangbangers blowing up Santa and his reindeer at the local Galleria during this busy holiday season.
The first is that by far the most successful terrorist movement in American political history was inspired by the same nativist and racist ideology that underlies Tancredo's radical immigration views.
I refer to the history of the post-Reconstruction South, where a decades-long terrorist campaign carried out by private citizens, often with the tacit support or active participation of local government and law enforcement, managed to undo much of what was accomplished during the Civil War and the years immediately afterward.
The post-Goldwater Republican Party, of course, has drawn much of its electoral strength from the resentment and rage the modern civil rights movement engendered when it conducted its own war on terror, and rolled back the legal aparthied the Southern terrorists and their sympathizers had imposed on African-Americans for nearly a century.
The second irony is captured nicely in a quote from a 1939 Life magazine story on Joe DiMaggio, brought to my attention by Matt Yglesias: "Although he learned Italian first, Joe, now 24, speaks English without an accent and is otherwise well-adapted to most U.S. mores. Instead of olive oil or smelly bear grease he keeps his hair slick with water. He never reeks of garlic and prefers chicken chow mein to spaghetti." The article includes a photo, captioned "Like Heavyweight Champion (Joe) Louis, DiMaggio is lazy, shy, and inarticulate."
Tancredo, whose grandparents were Italian immigrants, doesn't need to be reminded that, until fairly recently, Italian-Americans were considered only imperfectly "white," and indeed were credited with the same virtues (musicality, athleticism, passion) and vices (laziness, promiscuity, criminality) attributed traditionally to black people.
Now we've come so far that Rudy Giuliani, a philandering blowhard with lots of corrupt friends and a taste for authoritarianism, can be the leading contender for the Republican nomination, despite his unambiguously Italian name.
That, I suppose, is a kind of progress.
© Rocky Mountain News


text:
Want To Learn To Play Drums…?
Then you've come to the right place!
Complete beginners can start learning straight away with no previous knowledge or experience necessary.
You will be given a solid foundation upon which to build your studies, using what you learn straight away by playing along to songs.
If you have experience then we can pick up where your previous studies left off and fill in any gaps in your knowledge as we go.
What Can I Expect To Learn In My First Few Lessons?
- Basic rock grooves (rhythms) that you would have most likely heard before in the music you listen to.
- Fills, which are breaks in basic rhythm where you get to show off what you can do.
- How to hold your sticks correctly and basic technique for both the hands and feet.
- How to play along to a track using a suitable rhythm which complements what the other instruments are doing.
- Drum Rudiments and basic practice techniques that you can use between lessons.
Where Does It Go From There?
Once basic patterns have been learnt, the emphasis is very much upon your own creativity. You will be given the tools you need to create imaginative and unique patterns, and will be encouraged to tailor and expand your own original approach to playing the drums.
Grades can be pursued, Rockschool and Trinity Rock & Pop are currently the most enjoyable, and provide good milestones to gauge students progress and keep them moving forward. Alternatively (or additionally), you can focus on playing real songs and explore the rhythms that drive your favourite songs.
Eventually you will be encouraged to explore different styles of music, learn to read drum music and charts, learn contemporary and classic songs and find other musicians to practice with and form a band!
What Do I Do Now?
If you'd like to know more or if you're ready to book a lesson, please call or email me using the contact details at the top of the page.
If you'd like to learn a few things about the drums before you have your first lesson, please take advantage of my complimentary introductory lessons by clicking here.
Being a complete beginner, I was a little bit concerned but Sam has endless patience and makes every lesson enjoyable. I'm not taking my exams, but we are following the Rockschool Drums course, so I can gauge my progress. I should have taken it up years ago and would recommend Sam to anyone thinking of taking up drumming.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where are you based? Langley Vale, Epsom (Surrey)
2. Do you travel to students homes? Only under special circumstances, please contact me for details. I prefer to teach at my home studio as I have two drum kits set up side by side so there is no need to keep swapping places during lessons to demonstrate new things.
3. Are you CRB/DBS checked? Yes, for your peace of mind, I hold an enhanced CRB check.
4. How do I book a lesson? By phone or email (my contact details are at the bottom of the page)
5. Do you offer discounts for block bookings? Yes, lesson costs are reduced if you choose to book blocks of 5 or more lessons. For example, 5 Studio Lessons = £125 (save £25)
6. How long are the lessons? Lessons are normally one hour long. Two hour sessions are also available. Shorter lessons are not available.
7. How frequently should I have my lessons? Lessons are booked on a weekly basis.
8. What is the your cancellation policy? Cancellations must be made 24 hours before the lesson. Cancellations with less notice will incur the full lesson fee. To discontinue lessons, a written notice period of no less than 5 lessons must be given.
9. What levels do you teach? Beginner and Intermediate Levels
10. What styles do you teach? Beginners start with basic rock patterns, then move on to funk, pop and jazz styles. I also offer tuition in jazz independence, drum and bass, advanced rock, hip-hop and latin to more advanced students.
11. What ages do you teach? Over 10's
12. I've just got a new drum kit, can you come to my home and set it up/tune it? Yes. The standard cost for drum kit setup and tuning is £40 for two hours. Please contact me for details. Price may vary depending on my travel time and your requirements
13. I want to start playing the drums but I can't afford/don't have space for a drum kit. Can I still learn? Obviously you can progress faster if you have access to a drum kit, but it certainly won't stop you learning to play. There are a few possible solutions: - find a friend with a drum kit who's happy to let you play once in a while - go to a rehearsal studio, many have dedicated drum rooms, or you can rent a kit and room for a reasonable price.
14. How long does it normally take to master the basics? Students can expect to achieve a solid foundation on the drums within 3 to 6 months depending on how much they can practice and how quickly they can progress. You will learn lots of cool patterns and techniques within your first month, but mastering these will take a little longer.
15. I don't read music, is that a problem? Not at all, students are encouraged to read drum music from their first lesson but it is not required. Drum music is different to standard music because each part of the stave represents a different part of the drum kit.
16. I've always wanted to have a go at playing drums. Can I just come along for a taster session? Of course, you can get a full introduction to the drums in just 1 hour and then decide if you would like to continue learning.
Why Learn To Play The Drums?
Practicing any musical instrument gives us a sensitivity and discipline that enriches all other areas of our lives. Playing the drums is truly a skill that takes a lifetime to master, but it is also one of the most rewarding and exciting instruments to learn.
To play a drum groove for the four-minute duration of an average song requires a strong clarity of mind and a healthy body. Both physical and mental wellbeing are a by-product of learning the drums


text:
Policy Protecting Competitively Sensitive Information
I. Scope
Allegheny Health Network (AHN) adopts and is ultimately responsible and accountable for the administration and enforcement of this Policy Protecting Competitively Sensitive Information (CSI) in compliance with the Highmark Health Policy Protecting Competitively Sensitive Information for the Highmark Health System as defined in that policy and including all companies designated on Attachment A to this Policy as periodically updated. All AHN Personnel, including all directors, officers, other employees, trainees, volunteers, and independent contractors are subject to and shall strictly comply with this Policy.1
II. Purpose
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (Department) has raised the concern that the corporate affiliation of Highmark Inc. (Highmark) Companies (as buyers of healthcare medical services), Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Companies (as sellers of healthcare medical services), and Highmark Health (as the parent company) could result in one or more of these entities obtaining or sharing information on the terms and conditions of rival contracts. The Department expressed concern that the result could be a reduction in competition, competitive innovation or pricing between the now affiliated companies and their rivals at one or more levels. To prevent such potential adverse competitive effects, the Department requires that the System develop, implement and strictly comply with Firewalls to restrict Highmark Companies' knowledge of and ability to influence AHN Companies' negotiations with rival insurers. Similarly, development, implementation and strict compliance with Firewalls is required to restrict AHN Companies' influence on Highmark Companies' negotiations with rival hospitals.
Accordingly, AHN has determined that the adoption of this Policy will serve to protect CSI against inappropriate access, use or disclosure, as required as a condition of the Department's Approving Determination and Order issued on May 29, 2013, Order No. lD-RC-13-06. This Policy is implemented and will be enforced in accordance with the Department's Approving Determination and Order. A copy of that Order may be found at http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server/pt/community/industry_activity/9276/application_materials/1014652. This Policy sets forth the requirements and processes to safeguard against such inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI between and among companies within the System and their respective Personnel.
This Policy is not intended to replace Highmark Policy 132, titled "Information Use, Management and Disclosure," but to supplement it, particularly with respect to the imposition of procedures to accomplish the objectives of that Policy. To the extent that there are inconsistencies between this Policy and Highmark Policy 132, the provisions of this Policy shall control and supersede the provisions of Highmark Policy 132
III. Definitions
- Competitively Sensitive Information (CSI) protected under this Policy includes the following categories of non-public information held by the System: Past, present and future reimbursement rates and rate schedules; contracts with providers; contracts with payers; any term or condition in a payer-provider agreement that could be used to gain an unfair commercial advantage over a competitor or supplier, including but not limited to discounts, reimbursement methodologies, and provisions relating to performance, pay for performance, pay for value, tiering of providers, cost data and methodologies including specific cost and member information and revenue, or discharge information specific to the payer or provider; contract negotiations or negotiating positions, including but not limited to offers, counteroffers, party positions, and thought processes; specific plans regarding future negotiations or dealings with payers or providers; and claims reimbursement data
- Firewalls refer to safeguards that restrict unauthorized access, use and sharing of CSI. Firewalls segregate and protect CSI through procedures, training and behavioral guidelines and processes applicable to all System Personnel in their interactions with one another. Firewalls also include software-based and hardware-based tools and equipment to protect CSI and create additional barriers to unauthorized access. Firewalls prohibit the sharing of CSI in any form, whether oral, written, electronic or otherwise
- Highmark Health is the parent entity of both Highmark and AHN.
- Highmark is a subsidiary of Highmark Health. Highmark and the companies it controls conduct the insurance business of the System. The Highmark companies identified in Attachment A as periodically updated are referred to in this Policy as "Highmark Companies."
- AHN is a subsidiary of Highmark Health. AHN and the companies it controls conduct the provider services of the System. The AHN companies identified in Attachment A as periodically updated are referred to in this Policy as "AHN Companies."
- System is the collective reference to Highmark Health, Highmark and AHN and any other subsidiary of Highmark Health that receives CSI from Highmark Health, Highmark and AHN.
- Personnel includes any director, officer, other employee, trainee, volunteer, independent contractor or consultant performing services on behalf of the System or any company within the System.
- AHN Personnel includes any director, officer, other employee, trainee, volunteer, independent contractor or consultant performing services on behalf of AHN.
- Director of Privacy is the individual responsible for privacy oversight for AHN or Highmark respectively and who is directly accountable to the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer.
- Senior Privacy Official is the AHN employee responsible for privacy oversight of the AHN.
IV. Roles and Responsibilities
- AHN's President and Board shall be ultimately accountable and responsible for the adoption, implementation, monitoring and strict enforcement of this Policy. The Audit Committee of the Board, or those performing the audit function, shall require periodic reports regarding compliance with this Policy and shall report that information to the full Board.
- Subject to A above, the following shall be responsible for administration of this Policy:
- Director of Privacy, and/or Senior Privacy Official for AHN
- Senior Auditor and Compliance Officer, AHN
- Senior Legal Officer, AHN
- Senior Information Security Officer, AHN
V. Policy and Administration
- All AHN Personnel must strictly observe the following Policy to protect against the inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI:
- Highmark Personnel who have access to, or are in possession of, any CSI of any Highmark Company shall not disclose such CSI to AHN or to any Personnel of an AHN Company.Example; Mabel works as an account service manager in the National Accounts area of Highmark. In providing plan administration reports to her self-funded group accounts, Mabel regularly sees claims reimbursement and utilization reports for nonaffillated providers who treat members of the group account. Mabel rides the bus everyday with Sandy who works in Physician Services for AHN and is responsible for assisting in the recruitment of new physicians into the network. During their ride to work one morning, Sandy asks Mabel if she could research a particular physician practice and share their utilization and reimbursement information with her so that she can determine if they are a good recruiting target. Mabel is prohibited from sharing any of the billing, claims reimbursement and utilization reports of Highmark nonaffillated providers with Sandy because it is CSI.
- AHN Personnel who have access to, or are in possession of, any CSI of any AHN Company shall not disclose such CSI to Highmark or to any Personnel of a Highmark Company;Example: John is Associate Counsel at AHN and one of his responsibilities is to negotiate the terms and conditions of third party payer contracts. After a long and protracted series of negotiations, John successfully reaches a good deal for AHN physicians, and concludes the contract negotiation with Acme Health Insurer. That afternoon, John has lunch with his friend Ben who works at Highmark. John cannot discuss the negotiations, his thoughts and impressions, and the results of the negotiation with Ben because sharing the information would violate this Policy and compromise Competitively Sensitive Information.
- Highmark Personnel who have access to, or are in possession of, any CSI of any Highmark Company shall not disclose such CSI to AHN or to any Personnel of an AHN Company.
- All AHN Personnel must take mandatory CSI Policy training and all newly-hired AHN Personnel must do so before performing any work. There will be no exceptions to this mandatory requirement. AHN shall provide periodic refresher training regarding the protection of CSI, at least annually, and supplemental training as necessary. CSI Policy training shall be developed, designed, facilitated and administered by the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer. At the completion of the mandatory training session and after each refresher training session, all AHN Personnel shall be required to certify completion of the program and comprehension of the materials presented.
- All AHN Personnel must excuse themselves from participation in any activity where their participation would necessarily involve the inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI. Any individual who comes in contact with CSI from either Highmark or AHN in the 5 ordinary course of his or her function cannot use that CSI in performing any activity or service for the other company. If that activity requires sharing or reference to the CSI, the individual must excuse himself or herself from that activity.Example: James is an executive of Highmark Health and also serves as a director of AHN. In his executive position and in the course of his job function he properly receives CSI from Highmark regarding recent rate negotiations with Hospital A, a competitor of AHN. At the next AHN board meeting, James must not disclose that CSI and must excuse himself from AHN board discussions or actions that would involve the use or disclosure of that CSI.
- All AHN Personnel are encouraged to contact the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer or AHN Director of Privacy or the Senior Privacy Official for AHN if they have any questions about their responsibilities or other matters pertaining to this Policy.
VI. Infrastructure and Physical Safeguards
- AHN shall continue to observe current safeguards and adopt any additional safeguards sufficient to assure that access to CSI is properly controlled and protected. Such safeguards include:
- Role based access
- Control and Management of User IDs
- Separation of servers or data stored on servers as appropriate
- Monitoring systems for unauthorized access
- Other necessary technical controls to accomplish segregation of duties, businesses and roles.
- AHN shall continue to use security tools that include electronic interface with the Human Resources systems to provide information regarding the identity of authorized AHN Personnel in each business area, including updates on terminations, new hires, transfers and other position and organization changes.
- Strong PC/workstation controls shall continue to protect CSI from unauthorized access or transmission.
VII. Monitoring and Auditing
- The Highmark Health Privacy Department shall work in collaboration with the Chief Information Security Officer to monitor the System, including AHN, to assure that CSI has not been accessed, used or disclosed in an inappropriate manner.
- Highmark Health's Internal Audit Department shall develop and implement an audit plan to assure that proper controls are in place for the protection of CSI and that all policies and procedures are followed. The Internal Audit Department shall conduct regular audits of the System, including AHN, to ensure compliance with this Policy. Audit findings and observations shall be reported to the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer for appropriate remediation and mitigation, and ultimately reported to the Highmark Health Audit Committee, which shall report to the full Highmark Health Board, and to the Audit Committee of the AHN Board or those performing the audit function, who shall report to the full AHN Board.
- All AHN Personnel shall certify annually that they have read and understood this Policy and that they are in full compliance with it. In addition, all AHN Personnel shall certify their responsibility to report actual or potential inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI with the understanding that such reporting will not result in retribution or retaliation by any company or Personnel within the System. Highmark Health's Internal Audit Department shall monitor these annual certifications to insure compliance with this Policy. All annual certifications will be reported to Highmark Health's Chief Privacy Officer for inclusion in the annual report on System compliance.
- All AHN Personnel shall also affirmatively acknowledge that failure to report actual or potential inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI may subject the individual to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
VIII. Violations and Enforcement
- Inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI is subject to corrective action up to and including termination of employment or contractual arrangement, or removal from the Board, consistent with Highmark and AHN disciplinary procedures.
- All AHN Personnel are required to immediately report actual or suspected inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI to the AHN Senior Privacy Official, who shall notify the appropriate Director of Privacy, who shall notify the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer. The Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer, the appropriate Director of Privacy and the AHN Senior Privacy Official shall investigate and take appropriate remedial action including determining the cause(s) of any inappropriate access, use or disclosure, mitigating the effects of such access, use or disclosure, taking corrective action to prevent 7 future occurrences, and engaging Human Resource areas as necessary to determine appropriate sanctions.Example: Tricia, a data analyst in the AHN provider financial operations area sits in the cubicle next to her colleague Glen. One afternoon Tricia overhears Glen talking on the phone to Helen who works as an analyst in Highmark Informatics. Glen thanks Helen for the report she generated and sent to him containing Highmark Health BCBS memberlevel data pertaining to specific cost and reimbursement rates for particular drugs and the associated prescribing provider information. Concerned that competitively sensitive information was compromised, Tricia contacts the [Sub] Senior Privacy Official.
- In any case in which any individual has violated or is suspected to have violated this Policy, the AHN Senior Privacy Official, the appropriate Director of Privacy and the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer shall notify AHN Human Resources and provide case-specific information to enable AHN Human Resources and AHN business unit management to administer appropriate disciplinary measures. In any case in which a director or executive officer of AHN has violated or is suspected to have violated this Policy, the AHN Senior Privacy Official shall notify the appropriate Director of Privacy, who shall notify the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer, who shall oversee the investigation. If inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI is found, the Board with appropriate authority shall discipline the director or officer as it deems appropriate. There is zero tolerance for intentional inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI in violation of this Policy.
- Failure to report known or suspected violations of this Policy shall constitute a violation.
- Where inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI is determined by the Chief Privacy Officer to have occurred, the Chief Privacy Officer is required to report the occurrence to the Department within ten (10) business days of the date the Chief Privacy Officer becomes aware of the occurrence.Example: Paula is a data analyst supporting the Care Model Redesign initiative at AHN. She has prepared a deck slide containing de-identified discharge summaries for two hundred recent cardiac patients at AHN. The report contains CSI as it includes aggregated reimbursement rates. She sent the report, via secure email to Dana at Highmark Health as Dana is working on a strategic project with the goal of improving outcomes for cardiac patients at AHN. Seconds after Paula sends the email, she notices she sent the email without first checking the recipient field and accidentally sent it to her friend Deana who works for Highmark. Paula immediately calls Deana and alerts her to the error advising her not to open the email, and to delete it from her inbox. Deana deletes the email before opening it. Paula then calls the technical assistance center (TAC) and the Privacy Department and advises both of them of the mistake. The TAC confirms that the email is no longer in Deana's Outlook file. Because no inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI occurred, the matter is not required to be reported to the 8 Department. However, if Deana had opened the email, inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI would have occurred and a report to the Department within ten (10) business days after the Chief Privacy Officer became aware of the occurrence would have been required.
IX. Filing a Complaint
- Complaints and reports may be made in any of the following ways:
- directly to the AHN Senior Privacy Official or the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer,
- by calling toll-free: 1-877-959-4160,
- or by email to email@example.com.
- The Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer shall have ultimate responsibility for the administrative enforcement of this Policy. The Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer, the appropriate Director of Privacy and the AHN Senior Privacy Official shall promptly investigate and ensure that necessary and appropriate remedial action is taken in response to all reported violations. The remedial actions taken shall include determination of the cause(s) of the violation, mitigation, corrective action that is required to prevent future occurrences, and facilitating appropriate workforce sanctioning if applicable.
X. Policy Against Retaliation
AHN is committed to protecting all Personnel, health care providers with whom any Highmark company contracts, and members of the general public (collectively referred to as "Individuals") from interference with making a good faith disclosure that this Policy has been violated, from retaliation for having made a good faith disclosure, or from retaliation for having refused a direction or order in conflict with this Policy, AHN encourages all Individuals to report good faith concerns about potential inappropriate access, use or disclosure of CSI. No Individual or entity who in good faith reports a violation of this Policy, or who participates in the investigation of a reported violation of this Policy, will suffer harassment, retaliation, adverse employment or other adverse action as a result of the Individual's report and/or participation. Any AHN Personnel who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation of this Policy in good faith, or who has participated in an investigation of a reported violation, is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment or contractual arrangement or removal from the Board.
Example: Community Hospital A, in attempting to negotiate its provider contract with Highmark has evidence that Highmark knows the terms and conditions of Community Hospital A's provider contract with other insurers. In the event that Community Hospital A files a complaint against 9 Highmark, Highmark may not take any negative action with respect to its relationship with Community Hospital A as a result of this complaint.
Example: Kathleen works at West Penn Hospital where as part of her duties, she gathers materials to assist the team that negotiates the hospital's rates with insurers. As she is preparing information about the hospital's recent experience providing services to subscribers of National Insurer, she finds an email from her supervisor to an employee of Highmark attaching West Penn's current agreement with National Insurer. Kathleen reports her findings to the Highmark Health Chief Privacy Officer, which triggers an investigation and results in serious discipline of her supervisor. Neither the supervisor nor any other System Personnel may take any negative action toward Kathleen for complying with her obligations under this Policy.
XI. No Exceptions
There are no exceptions to this Policy regarding improper access, use or disclosure of CSI.
XII. HIPAA Compliance
Nothing in this Policy is intended to prohibit or otherwise prevent disclosure of information that may include competitively sensitive data elements if the disclosure is necessary, appropriate and required to comply with the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement and Breach Notification Rules under HITECH, GINA and other modifications to the HIPAA Rules as set forth in 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164.
XIII. Amendments
Any amendments to this Policy are subject to approval by the Department.
Highmark Health shall report any changes to this Attachment A to the Department within 10 business days of that change.
- Highmark Inc.
- United Concordia Companies, Inc.
- United Concordia Life and Health Insurance Company
- United Concordia Dental Plans of Pennsylvania, Inc.
- Davis Vision, Inc.
- DavisVision IPA, Inc.
- HVHC Inc.
- VisionWorks of America, Inc.
- VisionWorks, Inc.
- VisionWorks Enterprises, Inc.
- Empire Vision Center, Inc.
- VisionWorks of America, Inc.
- Highmark Select Resources Inc.
- Highmark Choice Company (f/k/a Keystone Health Plan West, Inc.)
- HM Life Insurance Company
- HM Health Insurance Company
- Highmark Senior Health Company
- Highmark Coverage Advantage, Inc.
- Highmark Benefits Group, Inc.
- HM Centered Health, Inc.
- United Concordia Companies, Inc.
- HMPG Inc.
- Klingensmith Inc.
- Monroeville ASC LLC**
- West Penn Allegheny Health System, Inc.
- Alle-Kiski Medical Center
- Canonsburg General Hospital
- Canonsburg General Hospital Ambulance Service
- Allegheny Medical Practice Network
- Allegheny Clinic
- Physician Landing Zone
- Lake Erie Medical Group PC
- Premier Medical Associates, PC
- Physician Landing Zone
- Allegheny Clinic Medical Oncology (f/k/a West Penn Allegheny Oncology Network
- JV Holdco, LLC
- Peters Township Surgery Center, LLC**
** Currently there is no Board in place for these entities. Once a Board for each entry is appointed, the CSI policy will be adopted.
- Jefferson Regional Medical Center
- Prime Medical Group PCG 1
- Primary Care Group 2, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 3, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 4, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 5, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 6, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 7, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 8, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 10, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 11, Inc.
- Primary Care Group 12, Inc.
- Family Practice Medical Associates South, Inc.
- JRMC-Diagnostic Services, LLC
- The Park Cardiothoracic and Vascular Institute
- Grandis, Rubin, Shanahan & Associates
- Steel Valley Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine
- Jefferson Hills Surgical Specialists
- JRMC Specialty Group Practice
- JRMC Physician Services Corporation
- Pittsburgh Bone, Joint & Spine, Inc.
- Pittsburgh Pulmonary and Critical Care Associates
- South Pittsburgh Urology Associates
- Saint Vincent Health Center
- Regional Heart Network
- Saint Vincent Health System
- Clinical Services, Inc.
- Saint Vincent Rehab Solutions, LLC
- Saint Vincent Consultants in Cardiovascular Diseases, LLC
- Saint Vincent Affiliated Physicians
- Saint Vincent Medical Education & Research Institute, Inc.
- Clinical Services, Inc.
- Allegheny Health Network Home Infusion, LLC
- Regional Home Health and Hospice
1 Each adopting company will adjust this model policy only as necessary to reflect the organizational structure of that company.