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REGION: Fiji scholar wins $600,000 Marsden research grant on security
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Item: 8178
AUCKLAND (University of Auckland / Pacific Media Watch): A Fijian academic at the University of Auckland, Dr Steven Ratuva, a political sociologist who is on the editorial board of Pacific Journalism Review, has been awarded a Marsden Fund grant worth NZ$600,000 (FJ$850,000) to lead a major research project on Pacific regional security.
Dr Ratuva, of UOA's Centre for Pacific Studies, was the only Pacific Islands scholar to win a 2012 Marsden award.
The Marsden Fund is New Zealand's major research award provided by the New Zealand government and the Royal Society of New Zealand to New Zealand's top scholars to pursue high level research to advance the knowledge and innovation of the country internationally in the areas of science, technology, medicine, arts and social science.
"The Marsden Fund supports the very best investigators to do world class basic research," said Marsden Fund Council chairperson Professor Juliet Gerrard in announcing the funding results.
"It is widely accepted worldwide that the most important breakthroughs are made when the best researchers are funded to work on their most exciting ideas. This is what makes the Marsden Fund so vital for the long term success of New Zealand and makes Marsden researchers such an inspiring community."
Dr Ratuva, who is also president of the Pacific Islands Political Studies Association (PIPSA), an international body of political scientists and diplomats, will focus his research on the interface between state-based and culture-based security systems in the Pacific and the potential of a new synthesis in addressing local, national and regional conflict.
The case studies are Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Tonga - four countriesand territories with different conflict dynamics and security configurations.
Dr Ratuva, who holds a PhD from Britain, is member of a research team of international experts on ethnic conflict and affirmative action commissioned by Duke University in the US.
He is a member of an international team of experts on affirmative action and labour market funded by the British Academy and facilitated by Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
He previously taught at the University of the South Pacific, Australian National University and visiting fellow in a number of international universities as well as advisor and consultant for a number of international organisations.
Last year, he chaired a seminar marking the UNESCO Media Freedom Day in the Pacific at AUT University. He has also contributed articles to PJR and Pacific Media Centre Online.


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April 03, 2006
LOS ANGELES — UCLA Anderson School of Management's MBA program moves up one place to 10th in this year's U.S.News & World Report rankings of business schools. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which UCLA Anderson has risen in these rankings.
"This is yet another indication of the strong standing of the UCLA Anderson MBA degree and the caliber of our students, alumni and faculty," said Judy Olian, dean, UCLA Anderson School of Management.
UCLA Anderson's Fully Employed MBA program was ranked 4th, a position it has held for the last four years. The Executive MBA program also retained its 8th place ranking from last year.
In peer ratings of various academic disciplines and specialty areas, UCLA Anderson continues to rank in the top levels in the following fields:
Finance -7th
Entrepreneurship – 10th
Nonprofit -10th
International – 11th
Marketing – 12th
Production Operations – 12th
Management – 13th
The full U.S.News & World Report rankings list is available at the following Web site:
These rankings results will be published in the 2007 edition of the U.S.News & World Report newsstand book, America's Best Graduate Schools, which will be available on Monday, April 3. Elements of the rankings will also appear in the upcoming weekly edition of U.S.News & World Report, also coming out April 3.
About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management is ranked among the top-tier business schools in the world. Award-winning faculty renowned for their research and teaching, highly selective admissions, successful alumni and world-class facilities combine to provide an extraordinary learning environment.
The mission of UCLA Anderson School of Management is to be a global leader in management education, research and service. Established in 1935, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,400 students enrolled in MBA and doctoral programs, and some 2,000 executives and managers enrolled annually in executive education programs. UCLA Anderson alumni number more than 34,000 graduates around the world dedicated to continued networking, professional development and educational activities.

subset: commoncrawl


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Christopher W. Smith needed a new wordpress theme design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 18 designs submitted by 3 freelance designers.
Magnolia Red
The company is a new venture by three established industry veterans. Magnolia Red is a music artist management and production company with an on-site, multi-million dollar recording studio. They have formerly worked with major-label artists, and are now cultivating relationships with new artists and attempting to market them to major labels and media.
The overall company culture is a fun and less serious environment. Their new offices and studio are a very modern and sleek, clean design with lots of clean industrial feature (brushed metal finishes, polished concrete, etc.).
The target market is both artists seeking representation, and potential media buyers and promoters. The site will have pages devoted to current artists and their catalog. It will also be very heavily tied into several social media services (Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo/Youtube) and have embedded video of performances and video blogs.
The site that best represents a direction they would like to go would be http://www.nettwerk.com/. They are very interested in a clean, simple design, as there may be pages that will be fairly busy with different types of content.
I am attaching files of the proposed pages and layouts of those pages so that you may get a better idea of the wireframing of the site. I am also attaching the company's new logo (I will provide a PSD as soon as it is available to me). The font they are using for the brand identity is Disturbance Regular. They are licensing this font. The color scheme of the site does not necessarily need to stay red, but it should be at least complimentary to it and feature some red elements (The studio and company both have the word Red in the name).
Please be mindful of the different types of pages, and attempt to use web-safe fonts when possible for ultimate SEO and browser compatibility.
Also, please feel free to ask any possible questions. I will attempt to give the most detailed answer possible.


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My Finish Line Road: When "One Day" Becomes Today
What happens when a self-professed "family cheerleader" steps it up with a trip to a Southern start line.
by Allison Pattillo
For years, completing an IRONMAN race was a vague, "one day" concept for me. After completing a handful of IRONMAN 70.3's with my husband, he switched to the real deal, and I became the family cheerleader. I put off discussions by saying that if I did one it would be when I was over 40. There was nothing scientific about my choice—I simply thought that was far enough in the future that I wouldn't have to give it another thought.
And I didn't, until just before my 43rd birthday. As it turns out, all cheering and no racing makes me grouchy. I had been logging long running miles and spending time in the pool. Most surprisingly, I was no longer bored (OK, maybe just a little) on long bike rides, and had even come to appreciate the meditative qualities of spinning on the trainer. So, as a birthday present to myself last year, I signed up for IRONMAN Louisville. The euphoria from clicking the registration button quickly sent me into a nervous sweat, and I called my coach, frantic.
A strict training regimen makes me as contrary as the aforementioned lack of racing, so we decided on a non-traditional approach. The plan was for me to achieve IRONMAN fitness through running races (a half marathon, marathon, 55K and IRONMAN 70.3), long rides (including a "fun" century) and swimming. To establish a base and reduce the likelihood of hurting myself, the pool became my second home. Two- and three-mile swims were the norm, as were two-hour pool running sessions—I'm certain I grew gills.
Drinking champagne with my feet up, calling and texting friends, made for one of the headiest post-race highs I've experienced.
Having several goal races throughout the season was supposed to lessen the oh-my-gawd-I'm-doing-an-IRONMAN pressure. And it worked. By the time I was en route to Louisville, I had exhausted most of my typical pre-race mental craziness—no small feat, I can promise you. Thankfully so, because walking into the pre-race expo was akin to opening the door on an uber-caffeinated, exercise-addicts anonymous, compression-sock convention. I mean, how many pieces of wicked cool gear can one person wear? Despite the blatant reminders of what lay ahead, my personal bubble of denial was a lovely place to be. Later that night, I may have been the only competitor sampling bourbon (just sips) in the hotel bar—I was in Kentucky, it was a must!
Transition set-up was a breeze, and having my very own, incredibly patient volunteer to make sure all was exactly as it should be made me tear up. She calmly answered all of my questions, helped me solidify the game plan for T1 and T2 and waited while I triple (and quadruple) checked my bags.
Related: Destination Louisville
Walking slowly through early-morning darkness to the race start reminded me of a zombie movie, with bananas and bagels instead of bodies. I was grateful to have a friend along for company, the cheerful volunteers, and the sun rise—evidently, in my pre-race delusion, I'd forgotten about that simple, daily given. Who says triathletes become self-centered before a big race?
As for the race itself, here's a stream of consciousness recap I wrote afterwards:
Stress-free start and amazing swim—seriously, I was smiling. Good ride. Roads were a little bumpy in spots and the overall riding novelty wore off by mile 80 or so. Can't say exactly because my computer bounced off and went skittering across the road around mile 12. It wasn't my favorite, so I didn't bother to retrieve it. Ditto with my water bottle—no clue how that was even possible—but it was time for an upgrade. Transition sunscreen volunteers—brilliant! I think I fell in love for a minute. The start of the run was jungle hot, and I was at the "this-sucks-why-don't-I-have-a-different-hobby" stage. Managed to recover on the go, was bolstered by seeing two friends on the course and thoroughly enjoyed the run—all the more so once I realized I was going to finish. Crossed in 13:45 and sub-14 was my goal. I'm an IRONMAN!
Sitting in bed drinking champagne with my feet up, calling and texting friends, and sharing stories with my on-the-ground cheerleader made for one of the headiest post-race highs I've experienced. Even better was realizing that my training approach had worked. Sure, I could focus more, try harder and longer, but for me, this journey is about personal accomplishment and having fun. My training was a blast—not a chore to be endured—and helped me keep things in perspective.
It's undeniable that completing an IRONMAN race is a huge challenge. But it's a challenge that close to 100,000 people accomplished in 2013. This means that with smart training and reasonable goals, it's attainable. I, for one, cannot wait to toe the line again.
Time to get back to the pool to find my gills.
Alison Pattillo is a freelance writer living in Aspen, Colorado. She is currently deciding on her second IRONMAN race.


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Friday, March 23, 2012
Spring Hopping
Welcome to the My Scrapbook Nook Spring Blog Hop! Thanks for stopping by! Hiding among the blogs from the list below are 5 prizes and one HUGE Grand Prize! We're giving away FIVE $10 prize packs and ONE prize pack valued at $150! So be sure to leave a comment on EACH blog's post, because you never know which blogs have these prizes hidden. To qualify for a prize, comments are due by Midnight PST on Wednesday, March 28th, and all winners will be announced on the My Scrapbook Nook blog on Friday, March 30th.
Here are the blogs from start to finish!
Stacey: You are here!
Here is a layout I did a couple of weeks ago using the Feb. kit~I just received my April kit full of Crate Paper's Storyteller and can't wait to use it! Look at how awesome it is!
In the meantime, here is why I love the Nook kits:
Here are a couple of reminders you don't want to miss:
Don't forget that the Nook April special is that new 12-month subscribers get the April kit for FREE and then after their subscription is over they receive ANOTHER kit for FREE!
This month's April Grab Bag is valued at over $55, but only $10 for kit subscribers.
Guess what ELSE is happening at the Nook right now? We're having a DT CALL!!! Be sure to check out our message board to find out more info!
Thanks for hopping with us!
92 comments:
Cool page! Love your chevron stripes! :)ReplyDelete
I love your layout Stacey and I'm so happy you're still part of Nook. I will without a doubt hop around in these blogs.ReplyDelete
Totally a cool layout! I love the chevron for sure!!ReplyDelete
Great layout with chevrons ! love itReplyDelete
I so love this layout! Your style is fantastic!ReplyDelete
love your page Stacey! :)ReplyDelete
I love how you made your own chevron stripe. Great photoReplyDelete
Great layout Stacey! Love how you placed the chevrons!ReplyDelete
Love the chevrons - such a cool look!!!ReplyDelete
Cool page!! Love how you did the chevron.ReplyDelete
love the layoutReplyDelete
What a fun page, great chevrons, and I love that zip strip on the far left!ReplyDelete
Really cool LO - boyish and playful and fun! :DReplyDelete
This is a cute boy page!ReplyDelete
Hopping along it is nice to see a boy layout for a change. I also took a look around your blog and i love your 'Jammies Equal Joy' layout. Your work is lovely.ReplyDelete
very cool page, but i love everything you do :)ReplyDelete
Great page once again, love the chevron design!ReplyDelete
Oh how I love chevrons!! And Im always on the lookout for great BOY page ideas. Thanks for the inspiration today!! and for the chance to win.ReplyDelete
Great layout. I love your boy page. The colors and the use of chevron are amazing. THanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
great boy page - love the design and brights on the kraft b/gReplyDelete
Great layout! I love the color combo!ReplyDelete
How fun ! It's all good !ReplyDelete
You know I am going to look into these kits you all are talking about. For if you can make all these Beautiful layouts and things than maybe I can.ReplyDelete
oooh such a lovely page.ReplyDelete
love it !!!
Fab layout & design. Love those chevron strips :)ReplyDelete
I love the rustic colors and of course the hip-chevron!ReplyDelete
absolutely wonderful. I got to start subscribe. I wish I could have it done sooner. Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
XoXo Mela
This is such a lovely and cute layout! Love the stripes!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous photos...love how you've picked up the colours from them & used that in your LO...totally FAB:):):)ReplyDelete
Love that LO - and your blog! :)ReplyDelete
Love the chevron. You are always an inspiration.ReplyDelete
great page, i´m here a lot but i´m not that great of leavin´ commentsReplyDelete
i forgot my name i lena hallqvist and i´m a nookgirlReplyDelete
Really great layout! Great to see a 'boy' layout - thanks for the inspiration. Am loving the chevron.ReplyDelete
I just adore your pages!!!ReplyDelete
gorgeous page Stacey!..in love with chevron at the moment! GxReplyDelete
Fun page! I love the chevron strip you made!ReplyDelete
Love the layout with the colors and the way you added the Chevron pattern :)ReplyDelete
What a great layout. I appreciate seeing an idea I can use in an album for my son.ReplyDelete
Love your design, and that chevron!!ReplyDelete
love those chevrons stacey, amazing, masculine page!ReplyDelete
The layout is wonderful!! I really like the chevrons across the page!!ReplyDelete
Precious pics and lo! love your handwriting!ReplyDelete
I love your layout!ReplyDelete
I love this layout! Chevrons are so cool!!!ReplyDelete
Oh, I LOVE the chevron pattern you created!! Such a cool boy layout! I'm bookmarking your blog :)ReplyDelete
Love the chevrons!ReplyDelete
Very cool layout! I love your style!!ReplyDelete
Love this....love kraft backgrounds and I love the mist splashes you used! Very cute!ReplyDelete
I love your layout. The chevrons are way cool.ReplyDelete
Awesome layout, love the chevrons!ReplyDelete
love the chevrons!!ReplyDelete
Awesome page! I love the Chevrons!ReplyDelete
So cool layout, love the colorsReplyDelete
Love your layout! I think I'll be checking out that DT call! Love Penny Scrap-ahoilc.blogspot.comReplyDelete
Love how you made the chevron stripes, Stacey. And you surely have an eye for those pretty details! TFS!ReplyDelete
Great page. Love the way you used the chevron strips. Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
love the way you created chevrons !ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 25, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Lovely! Love how you made your Chevrons! Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
simply stunning as usualReplyDelete
Love your LO...ReplyDelete
This is SO cool! Love the chevron!ReplyDelete
Love chevrons! beautiful LO!ReplyDelete
Great layout!ReplyDelete
With so many girlie layouts on this blog hop it ....Love seeing your boy theme. (Nice quote also)ReplyDelete
Awesome layout...I really love how you created the chevron across the page...very clever!ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for a chance to win!
I Love this little boys lo!!! I always draw a blank when it comes to boys! Thanks for the inspiration!ReplyDelete
Stunning page Stacey! Love it!ReplyDelete
My name is Erika, I am Brazilian and I do bookbinding craft. Some covers are made scrapbook style.
It is a pleasure to be here looking at your blog.
Thank you for inspiring me.
I love your layouts so much Stacey, such a great style. Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
LOVE THIS!!!! I have boys, so I'm always stoked to find amazing boy layouts!!! The colors are so rich and vibrant against the kraft background and the photo just gushes with happiness!!! Thanks so much for the inspiration!ReplyDelete
Stace, you rock the Nook kits out of this world! I love seeing your take on them, and can't WAIT to see what you do with April.ReplyDelete
I always adore your layouts, Stacey and this one is just awesome! I love how you made those chevrons!ReplyDelete
Still love this, especially that little cluster on top. I think it would be like a dream getting to be on the same DT as you!ReplyDelete
Great layout!ReplyDelete
I love the chevron design you made=)ReplyDelete
What can I say. You rock...ReplyDelete
Great page! Love their grins on the picture!ReplyDelete
absolutely love the zigzag!!!ReplyDelete
cute LO! love the chevron strips.ReplyDelete
I so like hand written journaling and you hand writing is beautiful.ReplyDelete
love your page Stacey! TxReplyDelete
Love that layout!!!ReplyDelete
Love the chevrons. I must give them a go.ReplyDelete
fab idea with the zig zag pattern - love it - hoppetihoppReplyDelete
Awesome zigzags :)ReplyDelete
So gorgeous. I love the lo. i lso love the later one about your day. thanks so much for the inspiration and for giving us the opportunity to win some goodies!!ReplyDelete
This blog hop is so fun! Great LO. Love the kit too!ReplyDelete
love the chevrons! Great LO!ReplyDelete
Oh Stacey, I see why you love this kit too! Your layout is delightful down to the last detail! You've highlighted these sweet boys having fun in a wonderful way! TFS and helping make this a grea blog hop that I'm sad is almost over! Hugs xoxoReplyDelete
Great LO! I lvoe the splattered paint and the chevrons!ReplyDelete


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New Crop Farm-Direct Guatemala Arrives
Ah, springtime is here, which means the arrival of new crop coffees from Central America and Africa. Last week, we unloaded a container from Ethiopia, including some lovely Yirgacheffe from the Kochere district, and today saw the arrival of our very own farm-direct Guatemalan coffee beans from Finca Nuevo Vinas. (Take a look at the source report and photos from our trip to Guatemala back in February.) The ripe cherries were harvested less than two months ago; this farm-direct coffee is extra fresh.
We are in the process of cupping and developing roast profiles for these coffees, and we'll let you know when they are ready to brew and pour. Stay tuned!
Posted by Caffe Vita


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Tyler Olsen Skater Profile
Sponsors: Enjoi (flow), Neff (flow), DC (flow), Crossroads
Hometown: North Ogden Utah, Stance: Regular, Age: 25, Status: Am
Last Update: Friday, June 19, 2015 Submit an Update
Tyler Olsen Contest Results History
Phoenix Am 2014 Qualifiers, Saturday, April 5, 2014, placed 187 out of 201 skaters.
Damn Am Costa Mesa 2013 Friday Qualifiers, Friday, March 8, 2013, placed 77 out of 83 skaters.
Tyler Olsen Comments
Other Skater Links
- Full Skater Database - 6000+ skater profiles.
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- Skate News and Videos - daily skate news and videos from around the web.
- Media Coverage - we log all major magazine coverage by skater and photographer.
- Skate Photographers - we log all major magazine coverage by skater and photographer.
- Contest Results - over a decade's worth of contest history.


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Customer Reviews
All reviews are from people who have redeemed deals with this merchant.
What You'll Get
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach him to genetically engineer his own fish and—by the gods, what has science done? Evolve your mind with this Groupon.
$69 for One Year of On Demand Courses ($1,400 Value)
FranklinCovey's series of 77 On Demand courses covers a wide range of leadership and business skills such as time management and trust building, and incorporates concepts from the popular books of Stephen R. Covey and Stephen M. R. Covey, including The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The Speed of Trust. Four of the 77 classes include CEU credit, for a total of four hours of possible CEU credit; there is no certificate of completion included with the program. Customers can watch courses as many times as they like throughout the year.
Click here for a full listing of available courses.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Oct 17, 2013. Amount paid never expires. Limit 2 per person, may buy 2 additional as gifts. Valid online only. Must activate by the expiration on your Groupon; courses expire 12 months from date of activation. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About FranklinCovey
FranklinCovey—a company that focuses on improving performance through changes in human behavior—is the product of a 1997 convergence of two different lines of thought regarding time management: Hyrum Smith's Franklin Day Planners and the philosophy behind Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. FranklinCovey has been expanding its multidisciplinary approach ever since then to generate new modes of thinking about the meaning and nature of effectiveness. Nowadays, this approach includes their On Demand interactive online courses, live workshops, and the same books that brought them recognition in the first place. The philosophies guiding these products has also expanded from the core imperatives of Stephen's 7 Habits to include trust-building concepts from The Speed of Trust by Stephen's son, Stephen M. R. Covey.


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After months of conferring with fretful employers, the Obama administration announced Tuesday that it will delay enforcement of the Affordable Care Act's so-called "employer mandate" until 2015.
A signature provision of the federal health care overhaul, the contentious measure would have required firms with more than 50 full-time employees to provide affordable health insurance or face a penalty of $2,000 per employee in 2014, when the law was set to be fully implemented.
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Ninety-six percent of U.S. businesses have fewer than 50 employees and are already exempt from the mandate. The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 94 percent of firms with 50 to 199 employees already provide coverage – as do 98 percent of firms with 200 or more workers.
But those numbers don't tell the whole story. Employees who work 30 or more hours per week are considered "full time" under the law. But one-third of nearly 900 employers surveyed last month by the health care consulting firm Mercer don't offer coverage to those employees.
These businesses and those with workforces hovering near the 50-employee threshold faced a host of important financial decisions about their health plan enrollment that had to be made by October, when employees begin choosing their coverage for 2014.
The deadlines have left firms large and small scrambling for answers and somewhat bewildered by the red tape, potential costs and tax implications of the new provision. Hamstrung by funding shortages that have limited its outreach efforts, the Obama administration has not done a good job of explaining the legislation to employers.
In announcing the delayed enforcement of the employer mandate, White House special adviser Valerie Jarrett said employers needed more time to comply with the new rules, which require extensive reporting about the specifics of employees' coverage in order to assess the penalties.
"As we implement this law, we have and will continue to make changes as needed," Jarrett said in a statement. "In our ongoing discussions with businesses we have heard that you need the time to get this right. We are listening."
The delay is the latest and most significant move by the Obama administration to slow enactment of the sprawling health care overhaul, which is seen as the major legislative achievement of the Obama presidency.
Although born of conservative ideology, the law has been opposed from the outset by Republicans and has only survived thanks to a surprising 2012 Supreme Court decision that upheld the law's "individual mandate," which requires that most Americans obtain health insurance or pay a penalty for noncompliance.
News of the decision to delay the employer mandate sparked unanimous praise from the business community.
"The administration has finally recognized the obvious – employers need more time and clarification of the rules of the road before implementing the employer mandate. . . . We applaud the administration's step to delay this provision," said Randy Johnson, senior vice president of labor, immigration and employee benefits at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The National Retail Federation, which has called for the regulations to be delayed, was equally appreciative.
"The one-year delay will provide employers and businesses more time to update their health care coverage without threat of arbitrary punishment," said Neil Trautwein, the federation's vice president and employee benefits policy counsel. "We appreciate the administration's recognition of employer concerns and hope it will allow for greater flexibility in the future."
Republicans on Capitol Hill weren't nearly as gracious about the administration's concession. House Speaker John Boehner called the law a "train wreck" that should be repealed.
"I hope the administration recognizes the need to release American families from the mandates of this law as well," said Boehner, R-Ohio. "This is a clear acknowledgment that the law is unworkable, and it underscores the need to repeal the law and replace it with effective patient-centered reforms."
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., also called for the law's repeal "before any more damage is done to our economy or the health care families depend on. The best delay for Obamacare is a permanent one."
"Rather than continuing to delay the predictable pain until another election day has passed, we should scrap this entire law," Cantor said.


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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.
Birnam House was designed by noted architect Bruce Price for Mr. & Mrs. Robert Schell, wealthy New Yorkers captivated by Northfield's views. Completed around 1900 it had 125 rooms and a private chapel. To develop the property into a full-fledged estate, the Schells bought up the surrounding land. The result was a gilded age castle with a 125-acre estate, complete with a sunken garden, artificial lakes, and landscaping. The Schells used Birnam House during the summer months until Robert's death in 1928. It was then deeded over to Northfield Hotel, becoming the pioneer station of the Youth Hostel organization.
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Location: Craigleith Heritage Depot - 113 Lakeshore Rd. East
Take your writing skills to the next level with the Blue Mountains Writer's Group.
Bi-weekly meetings will allow for networking, lively discussion, feedback, and stretching your writing skills. Whether you have published or unpublished work, write fiction or non-fiction, or just want to explore the craft.
All genres and experiences welcome.
Learn, share, and create together.
Every 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month at the Craigleith Heritage Depot.
Phone: 519-599-3681 x 3
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
This page is populated from the Blue Mountains Public Library's Events Calendar.


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Application security is not easy - we know that. But we also know there are steps we can take to mitigate the risk of security failures. If we are network engineers, we invest in knowledge of network partitioning and packet filters. If we program in C, we protect against buffer overflow. If we program in Java, we consider running our application under the protection of a security manager. In each case, we use knowledge of best practices to give ourselves an advantage over inadvertent system failure.
The security provisions for Java applications are well-documented, and form a superset of the discussion in this article. Our discussion focuses on aspects of Java security managers, a topic which is a small subset of the Java security architecture.
A security manager is a class that is or extends java.lang.SecurityManager, and which checks certain application actions for permissibility during runtime. Once under the control of a security manager, the application can only perform actions that are specifically allowed by an associated security policy. By default that policy is specified in a plaintext policy file. The actions in question include writing files to specific directories, writing system properties, and making network connections to specific hosts, to name only a few. It takes no more than a simple JVM command line option to force a Java application to run under a security manager, and the policy file is easily created with any text editor.
While editing such a security policy file and adding the various rules of interest is not difficult, getting the policy right can be more challenging. And although no one can get that policy right for us, we can use tools to help us understand what that policy should be. Developing and using such a tool is what we are about to undertake. And once we have the broad, fine-grained policy it discovers, we can use it as a starting point in developing a production runtime policy or simply study it to better understand and appreciate our application's security needs.
The core code of this article is a custom security manager whose use requires Sun's JSE 5 JVM. The JSE 5 requirement derives from the security manager's dependence on the Java Reflection API to acquire private member data from a particular Java system class. Use of the Reflection API is required because of a lack of public access to certain private member data which the manager needs to function. The consequence of using reflection of private members is that the manager becomes strongly bound to the JVM internals on which it runs. This is not a serious consequence, however, as the manager is a development tool, not a production component. Once the manager has suggested a policy starting point, we can take that policy and run our application subject to it on any modern JVM.
The Default Java Security Manager
The vast majority of Java code we see written, discussed, and invoked in the contemporary literature represents the application that does not run subject to a security manager. Such applications therefore have full access to all machine resources, including disk, network, and application shutdown. Such broad access is easily restricted, however. An application can be forced to run under the default Java security manager simply by setting the -Djava.security.manager option on the JVM command line.
Consider this simple application, designed to read and print the user's home directory
public class PrintHome {
public static void main(String[] argv) {
Compile the code, and run it subject to the default security manager
$ cd $HOME/Projects/CustomSecurityManager
$ javac PrintHome.java
$ java -Djava.security.manager PrintHome
Exception in thread "main" java.security.AccessControlException:
access denied (java.util.PropertyPermission user.home read)
at PrintHome.main(PrintHome.java:5)
whereupon the application fails to acquire and print the user.home property, and where we have omitted most of the stacktrace for readability. The application fails to execute because the default security manager running with the default security policy forbids accessing the property user.home. This privilege must be granted explicitly in a runtime policy file.
Creating a policy file policy.txt containing the single rule
grant codeBase "file:/home/cid/Projects/CustomSecurityManager/"{
permission java.util.PropertyPermission "user.home", "read";
and rerunning the application with a reference to that policy file solves the problem of read access to user.home:
$ java -Djava.security.policy=policy.txt -Djava.security.manager PrintHome
Note that we refer the JVM to the policy file by setting the system property java.security.policy=policy.txt. We also assume the class PrintHome resides in the directory /home/cid/Projects/CustomSecurityManager. The rule in the policy.txt file permits any code contained in a file in that directory to read system property user.home. As a result, the rule allows PrintHome to run as intended. The file in which code is contained is termed a codebase. A codebase is therefore a class or jar file.
A Security Policy Profiler: ProfilingSecurityManager
As we mentioned earlier, creating a security policy file by hand is not difficult, even though utilities like policytool are available to assist. And there are syntax shortcuts allowed in the policy file that are quite powerful, allowing the creation of very expressive, efficient rules. Using such advanced rules notation, we can specify, for example, codebase URLs that refer recursively to entire directory trees. While such recursive URL specification is quite useful and convenient, it can also mask to the human reader the true, fine-grained depth of the resource needs of the application. It is precisely this detail that we seek.
So our goal is two-fold: Firstly we are interested in running our application subject to a security policy, or at the very least we want to determine the security needs of that application. Secondly, we want a programmatic method of determining those needs.
With those goals in mind, we introduce the custom security manager secmgr.ProfilingSecurityManager. This class extends java.lang.SecurityManager, but does not enforce a security policy in the sense discussed thus far. Instead, it reports what that security policy would be if the application were granted access to everything it requests at runtime. We can then take that reportage and cast it into a starting point for a runtime security policy. Thus, both our goals are satisfied.
To use ProfilingSecurityManager, we first compile and strategically place it by itself in its own jar file (the source code can be found in the resources section). Placing ProfilingSecurityManager alone in its own jar file will allow us to filter and suppress outputting rules that arise from actions originating in its own jar file codebase. ProfilingSecurityManager is aware of its own unique codebase via
if( url.toString().equals(thisCodeSourceURLString) ) {
return null;
and can therefore prevent reporting on itself. Compile and jar the tool:
$ mkdir -p classes lib
$ rm -rf classes/* lib/*
$ javac -d classes ProfilingSecurityManager.java
$ jar cf lib/psm.jar -C classes secmgr/manager
$ rm -rf classes/secmgr/manager
Before we proceed too much further, we should say something about how to activate ProfilingSecurityManager as our application's security manager. Recall earlier, we forced our applications to run subject to the default Java security manager by setting the system property -Djava.security.manager specifically without a corresponding property value. We need to take this one step further and specify the custom security manager as the security manager by assigning a value to the system property: -Djava.security.manager=secmgr.ProfingSecurityManager. Thus activated, ProfilingSecurityManager will write to System.out the rules needed in a policy file that will allow the application to run without throwing security violation exceptions. However, these rules cannot be processed into a final, useable form until the application has completed its run under ProfilingSecurityManager. Why? Because only then is it known that the application has finished requesting access to checked resources. So for processing and tidying the rules when the application has finished running under ProfilingSecurityManager, we provide a simple Perl script parsecodebase.pl (also in the sample code) to aggregate, format, and output the rules in a readable format, sorted and grouped by codebase.
OK, so running the simple PrintHome application with ProfilingSecurityManager specified as the security manager and with the rules output processed by parsecodebase.pl produces
$ java -cp .:lib/psm.jar -Djava.security.manager=secmgr.ProfilingSecurityManager PrintHome > raw.out
$ parsecodebase.pl < raw.out > policy.txt
$ cat policy.txt
grant codeBase "file:/home/cid/Projects/CustomSecurityManager/" {
permission java.util.PropertyPermission "user.home", "read";
$ java -cp . -Djava.security.manager -Djava.security.policy=policy.txt PrintHome
So we see again the ProfilingSecurityManager satisfies both our design goals:
* Our application runs under a security manager with a well-defined application-specific policy
* We determined that policy programmatically
How does ProfilingSecurityManager work? ProfilingSecurityManager overrides both versions of java.lang.SecurityManager's checkPermission method. The two forms of this method are the central chokepoints for examining to which resource or action the application requested access. The overridden checkPermission methods always return without throwing exceptions -- essentially meaning "access allowed" -- but not until they build and output the rule to allow the action responsible for their being called in the first place.
A More Complex Example: Profiling a Tomcat Web Application
With that simple example behind us, let us examine a nontrivial use of ProfilingSecurityManager: profiling a Tomcat web application. Tomcat can be made to run under the default Java security manager by passing the -security option to the standard startup script:
$ $CATALINA_HOME/bin/startup.sh -security
Passing the -security option to startup.sh leads to the calling of $CATALINA_HOME/bin/catalina.sh with the same -security option. $CATALINA_HOME/bin/catalina.sh is the script that actually calls java to run the Tomcat bootstrap class org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap, and furthermore in this case subject to the default policy specified in $CATALINA_HOME/conf/catalina.policy. If we leave the invocation at that Tomcat will run under the default Java security manager subject to the default shipped policy. But we need to do a bit more work to profile Tomcat and the webapps it may contain. To profile the webapp using ProfilingSecurityManager, we must develop a new Tomcat startup script. The new startup script is a temporary device, and will be used only for profiling, then discarded.
Make a backup copy of $CATALINA_HOME/bin/catalina.sh. Insert the shell command set -x in $CATALINA_HOME/bin/catalina.sh near the top of the script, and start Tomcat. Save the displayed shell executed command to a file that will hold the temporary startup script. Stop Tomcat, and edit the temporary script, specifying ProfilingSecurityManager as the security manager and modifying the classpath to locate it.
Under Tomcat 5.5.17 under Linux, here is what the temporary startup script looks like before we edit it for purposes of using ProfilingSecurityManager, with a bit of tweaking and formatting
/java/jdk/jdk1.5.0_06/bin/java \
-Djava.util.logging.manager=org.apache.juli.ClassLoaderLogManager \
-Djava.util.logging.config.file=/home/tomcat/tomcat/conf/logging.properties \
-Djava.endorsed.dirs=/home/tomcat/tomcat/common/endorsed \
-classpath :/home/tomcat/tomcat/bin/bootstrap.jar:\
/home/tomcat/tomcat/bin/commons-logging-api.jar \
-Djava.security.manager \
-Djava.security.policy==/home/tomcat/tomcat/conf/catalina.policy \
-Dcatalina.base=/home/tomcat/tomcat \
-Dcatalina.home=/home/tomcat/tomcat \
-Djava.io.tmpdir=/home/tomcat/tomcat/temp \
org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap start >> $log \
2>&1 &
After editing for purposes of using ProfilingSecurityManager, the startup script looks like this:
PATHTOPSM=$HOME/lib/psm.jar # make sure the profiler jar file is here
/java/jdk/jdk1.5.0_06/bin/java \
-Djava.util.logging.manager=org.apache.juli.ClassLoaderLogManager \
-Djava.util.logging.config.file=/home/tomcat/tomcat/conf/logging.properties \
-Djava.endorsed.dirs=/home/tomcat/tomcat/common/endorsed \
-classpath $PATHTOPSM:/home/tomcat/tomcat/bin/bootstrap.jar:\
/home/tomcat/tomcat/bin/commons-logging-api.jar \
-Djava.security.manager=secmgr.manager.ProfilingSecurityManager \
-Djava.security.policy==/home/tomcat/tomcat/conf/catalina.policy \
-Dcatalina.base=/home/tomcat/tomcat \
-Dcatalina.home=/home/tomcat/tomcat \
-Djava.io.tmpdir=/home/tomcat/tomcat/temp \
org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap start >> $log \
2>&1 &
The two scripts differ in that the new temporary version
1. augments the classpath to point to where the ProfilingSecurityManager class resides, namely in $HOME/lib/psm.jar
2. specifies ProfilingSecurityManager as the security manager in the -Djava.security.manager parameter
Now we can start profiling. Start Tomcat with the temporary startup script. Put the web applications of interest through their paces by forcing them to cover code that would be covered in a production scenario. Code-covering the web applications is admittedly a tall order, and may only be partially achievable. Stop Tomcat, and run $CATALINA_HOME/logs/catalina.out through parsecodebase.pl, as shown below, with the processed rules saved to policy.txt.
$ parsecodebase.pl < $CATALINA_HOME/logs/catalina.out > policy.txt
Listing 9. Processing the rules generated by Tomcat and any executed web applications contained by it.
Be aware that ProfilingSecurityManager can only generate rules for code executed during profiling. It does not examine bytecode in class files, probing all code branches that can in theory be reached during an arbitrary runtime instance. Such bytecode analysis could be an area of future work, and would complement, but not replace, the runtime analysis done by ProfilingSecurityManager.
An examination of the policy file $CATALINA_HOME/conf/catalina.policy that ships with Tomcat reveals that Tomcat ("Catalina") system codebases are granted all platform permissions. ProfilingSecurityManager, in fact, will discover these same rules for Tomcat system classes, but will specify them in a fine-grain fashion. The rules ProfilingSecurityManager discovers about Tomcat system classes should be manually pruned from policy.txt.
The rules that remain in policy.txt after pruning Tomcat system rules are the starting point for our production security policy. These rules represent our web application's security requirements. Each of these rules should be examined carefully to understand what it does and to confirm that it is consistent with our application's goals. When we are confident we have a good draft policy, make a backup copy of $CATALINA_HOME/conf/catalina.policy, and incorporate the new draft rules from policy.txt into it. Then revert back to the original Tomcat startup script with the -security option set, and continue testing.
Running our applications under a Java security manager can increase the robustness of our code. And while getting the security policy right will be challenging, doing so provides peace of mind that our code is running subject to security constraints we prescribe. ProfilingSecurityManager can help us get that policy right by giving us full visibility into the set of resources to which the application has requested access.


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PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's acquisition of consulting firm Booz & Co., completed this week, has U.S. regulators eyeing the potential for conflicts of interest in the auditing industry — again.
The deal, one of the biggest by a major accounting firm in recent years, has focused new light on an aggressive push by the industry into more lucrative consulting work. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the oversight board for auditors are taking note, pledging to step up their scrutiny to prevent any impact on independent audits.
"This is a problem that will not go away," said James Doty, chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which was set up in the wake of the Enron Corp. accounting fraud.
It has been a little more than a decade since Enron auditor Arthur Andersen was indicted and collapsed after being accused of going easy on the energy trader's books because of the substantial consulting fees it reaped. A rash of other scandals followed and large accounting firms, including PwC, rushed to spin off their consulting arms.
Doty said he remains concerned that companies will put pressure on auditors by enticing them to cut fees in exchange for more consulting work. The PCAOB has been discussing the issue privately with the largest accounting firms and may hold a public hearing later this year, Doty said.
Accounting firms globally have announced about 36 acquisitions of consultants since June 2012, according to one regulator's estimate. The deals have stirred debate in Washington over whether auditors should serve investors as well as corporate clients. At the major firms, revenue growth from auditing, which spiked after Congress passed the Enron-inspired Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002, has slowed.
U.S. securities laws require independent audits of publicly traded companies, and accounting firms fall under SEC oversight and enforcement authority. The five-member PCAOB was created as a front-line auditing regulator by Sarbanes-Oxley, which overhauled corporate accounting rules.
The law also limited the kinds of work that firms can do for audit clients. As a result, much of the consulting done by the big accounting firms is for companies they don't audit.
Conflicts Prevented
Such protections have helped prevent the kind of conflicts seen before Enron's bankruptcy, said Daniel Goelzer, a former PCAOB member now at law firm Baker & McKenzie in Washington.
"It's not clear to me personally that this is a problem," Goelzer said.
Some longtime accounting industry observers disagree, saying it seems the firms are taking advantage of Washington regulators' short memory to, in essence, go back to the future.
"I've seen this movie before," said James Cox, a Duke University School of Law professor who has written books about accounting and securities regulation and calls the consulting trend "an accident waiting to happen." Audit firms "wouldn't have thought about doing this 10 years ago," he said.
PwC, which is renaming Booz "Strategy&," said it bought the company to obtain a deeper set of consulting services for clients and a larger presence around the world. The Booz deal adds 3,000 employees to PwC's 184,000 employees in 157 countries.
Even before the acquisition, PwC had been in regular talks with Doty's board and the SEC to explain its views on the growth in consulting, said Bob Moritz, U.S. chairman and senior partner at the New York-based firm.
The purchase of Booz will help PwC maintain high-quality audits by diversifying revenue, and bringing in new technology and expertise, Moritz said.
"The world has changed dramatically" since the accounting scandals in the early 2000s, he said in a telephone interview. "The obligation is on the profession to make sure that we continue to invest in the audit business and comply with Sarbanes-Oxley."
PwC went through a painstaking review to identify conflicts between its auditing clients and the consulting firm's business, Moritz said. In the end, it dropped a small number of audit clients and decided to forgo "significant" consulting revenue, he said.
While Moritz declined to name the clients, one of those companies, Hillshire Brands Co., said in a securities filing in February that PwC was no longer its auditor. The company cited a consulting agreement with Booz as the reason.
$32.1 Billion
PwC reported $32.1 billion in revenue last year. Less than half of that came from its assurance arm, which includes the auditing business. The firm didn't disclose the terms of the Booz deal.
As closely held partnerships, accounting firms only provide general financial information to the public. That has also troubled some regulators.
Last month, PCAOB member Steven Harris called for firms to release audited financial statements, in part so regulators can monitor the impact of consulting fees.
In his speech, Harris said the four largest firms — PwC, Deloitte LLP, Ernst & Young LLP and KPMG LLP — announced 19 acquisitions of consulting businesses in the U.S. from June 2012 to November 2013, and 36 acquisitions globally. Consulting revenue was up 33 percent over the past five years for the firms, while auditing revenue increased by 6 percent, he said.
"How these diversified lines of activity affect audit quality, auditor independence, conflicts of interest and investor protection is something I believe the board must carefully monitor and analyze," Harris said.
Critics express concern that the drive to expand consulting could take the focus off delivering top-caliber audits. That could happen, for example, if consulting partners get better pay packages or firms begin to promote leaders that aren't steeped in auditing.
The worry "is auditors not recognizing that they are auditors," said Paul Miller, an accounting professor at University of Colorado Colorado Springs. "If they wanted to be entrepreneurs, they should have gone into a different business."
In December, the SEC's chief accountant Paul Beswick told an industry audience that "the public considers audit firms to be gatekeepers and not consultants." The expansion into consulting, he said, had the potential to distract firms' leaders from "providing the appropriate attention to their audit practice."
Beswick didn't propose any policy changes, saying he wanted his remarks to "encourage reflection" in the industry.
The PCAOB's Doty said in the interview that the board's inspectors will monitor the impact of consulting on auditor independence and will call out any problems to the firms if they see them.
The board's options may be limited because the law only allows it to supervise a firm's auditing.
"They are in charge of their business model," Doty said. "We are sitting there as an umpire, a judge."
Bloomberg News


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I found myself fascinated by this new concept of cheering the villains that Roddy Piper had sparked in me, so I started looking in stores at wrestling magazines for info on this guy (no Internet at this point, I know, I'm old), but for the most part, I couldn't find ANYTHING with direct info on him, only conjecture about what he MIGHT be up to by a columnist who didn't appear to know him personally.
It wasn't until years later that I discovered how WWF contracts worked with regards to exclusivity and that by and large, you could only find "real" information about WWF superstars through WWF magazines. These other magazines seemed to have ENDLESS information about some other promotion called the NWA, but little WWF information to feed my WWF appetite and since NWA wasn't live or broadcast in the Southern Ontario area, it really didn't seem to matter that much.
These magazines went on and on about strangers named Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, The Road Warriors (OK, THOSE guys looked impressive!), the Koloffs, Magnum T.A., Tully Blanchard and a bunch more. However, without a familiar face for me to read up on, they stayed on the shelf when I left the store.
One day Jamie came home with one of these wrestling magazines in hand and I asked him why. These were all wrestlers we had never heard of (nothing local and very little WWF) so wasn't it just a waste of money?
He said it looked interesting, so why not?
I think he read about four pages and gave up, but I picked it up to give it a cursory glance but wound up reading it and read cover to cover SEVERAL times! By the end of the afternoon I knew about the Dusty/Tully feud over Baby Doll and the TV title, how Nikita Koloff was going to destroy Magnum TA for the United States title and was introduced to a bona-fide wrestling legend (no relation)... Ric Flair!
For the next few years I spent a small fortune (compared to what I was making in part-time jobs, I considered it a large percentage of my disposable income so it was a "small fortune" to me!!) buying EVERY wrestling related title on the racks EVERY month, reading up on EVERY promotion I could and every wrestler currently plying his trade somewhere in the world. I would wager that it was at THIS point that I saw a larger world out there than:
a) WWF, and
b) my local promotion, and actually considered the possibility of attempting to make a living at it.
In all honesty, I've always been TERRIFIED of four walls (I never liked school and HATED looking at the same classrooms everyday, though in hindsight, I really missed out on a lot of opportunities to advance myself with regards to knowledge. I had a wealth of information at my fingertips and a staff of people I didn't even have to pay, trained to fill my head with new, old and interesting thoughts and instead I raced home to watch music videos. What a cement-head, eh?) and the thought that I could go out and see the world on someone else's dime, make a TON of money (yes, I was QUITE naive), meet LOADS of hot women (again NAIVE!!) and be a champion really appealed to me.
However, I didn't know where to start.
How do you get involved?
Who do I talk to?
Where do you go?
Is this thing on?
So I formulated a plan so intricate, so cunning, so devious in it's intricisies that NO ONE could unravel my web of intrigue. Thus, I would outsmart the smartest, out think the geniuses and wrench the knowledge I so desired from their very grasp without fear of reprisal!!
In other words, I figured I'd try and catch one of the wrestlers coming out of Scarborough Arena at the next event and just ask 'em.
So, after The Sheik was able to slink out of the ring again with the title (through DUBIOUS means, I'm sure), I convinced my dad to stay in the parking lot with my brother and I so "Jamie could get an autograph." Hey, I needed a reason to talk to one of these guys but I had to look cool in the process! Yeah, "cool"... waiting in a parking lot!
Either way, out comes George "The Animal" Steele who was actually about three or four weeks away from returning to WWF and makes his way in the dark to his car. My brother and I hurried up to meet him before he sat down and closed the door.
"This is my chance," I thought.
"This is where I find out which direction the rest of my life will go," I anticipated.
"I'm gonna be World Champion," I dreamed.
How could he say "no" to an eight-year-old boy like my brother who stared at him with stars in his eyes? How could he deny two minutes to fans SO devoted that they would wait patiently after the events just to tell him how admired he was?
Actually, kinda like this...
"Nah, some other time".
And he drove away.
What a jerk.
I felt this was unforgivable as I couldn't imagine why someone in his position couldn't see how much something so simple and easy could bring a smile to the face of a child... ESPECIALLY a child whose parents had spent quite a good chunk of change supporting this local promotion who in turn, kept HIM employed!!
I didn't quite know what to say to my brother, but whether you're eight or 80, you know when you've been given the cold shoulder and you feel stupid for being supportive of someone who would be so callous to you in return.
Truthfully, my brother didn't really care all that much as it was really my pushing him to get the autograph in the first place. He wasn't a "George Steele" fan. But then again, he might have been had "The Animal" taken 30 seconds to put a smile on a kid's face and sign a piece of paper.
But I was REALLY mad at the fact that I couldn't make any moves forward in to getting in to the wrestling business! My dad was pretty mad about what happened and decided to take us home straight away and who could blame him? Why stick around to meet "stars" if they're only going to be rude to your children.
He was a little bit more reluctant to take us to the matches at Scarborough arena after that.
However, the first WrestleMania had just come to pass, and Hulk Hogan was going to come to Toronto and defend his championship against one of his foes from the main event of that spectacular: "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff!
Dad asked if I wanted to go as a friend of his from work was bringing his daughter and they figured on making it a big night out for the kids.
How could I say no?
I couldn't.
It was at THIS point, that I felt like I was called up to the majors. My love affair with all things WWF was about to begin...
But I'll get in to that next time.
All the best and God Bless.
Joe E Legend
EDITOR'S NOTE: Joe E. Legend's column will run whenever he delivers on SLAM! Wrestling. Be sure to visit every day to see if he's come through! For more on Legend's career, see his biography in our Canadian Hall of Fame. The best place to figure out where he is in the world at the moment is his website www.legendwrestling.com. Email Joe at email@example.com.


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Welcome to this our latest edition of Product Review Friday. Today we welcome yet another innovative company to our review effort. Join me in saying hello to the Canadian company, BodiSpa. You'll be seeing several more products from them in coming weeks, but today Dr Dick Review Crew members, Kevin & Gina are here with our first review.
Let's go see what they're up to, shall we?
The Almighty —— $169.95
Kevin & Gina
Gina: "Here's a little known fact: I'm a massage therapist. Actually, I've been practicing massage and bodywork for over five years, it's just that I haven't identified myself as such in this venue."
Kevin: "I tell you this woman has the most talented hands! I have been on the receiving end of her miraculous touch for years now. I am like putty in her hands."
Gina: "Oh, that's so sweet! Thank you for that. I am super proud of my talent and, this might come as a surprise, I have my grandmother to thank for this gift. My mother suffered from migraine headaches and my grandmother was able to relieve most of her suffering with head and neck massages. She taught me the power of therapeutic touch."
Kevin: "It's amazing to think that this healing talent is locked up in all of us. Gina has been kind enough to pass on some of her techniques to me and now I can make a cuddle session on the couch a way of relieving her stress."
Gina: "He's awesome! But wait, we're not here to talk about my skill set, we're here to introduce you to a truly amazing instrument of pleasure and therapy. This giant is called Almighty. And it is aptly named too. I say giant, because this wand-type, hot/cold massager is a whopping 16.5" tall. Its ergonomically shaped head is 4" wide and it weighs in at almost 3 pounds. It's a monster with a long, cordless handle."
Kevin: "The Almighty is not a toy, nor is it specifically for sex. In fact, I had to check with Dr Dick about this. 'How did you score this thing? It's not really a sex toy, now is it?' He assured me that the BodiSpa people knew we did sex toy reviews and they wanted to have our take on it."
Gina: "As soon as I held the Almighty in my hands for the first time, I knew it was something special. I immediately knew that I would be able to incorporate the Almighty into my massage practice. It's that good. Why, this vibrator is so strong that you can use it through clothing, which is wonderful, because some of my clients come to me only for a neck and shoulder massage and they don't get undressed for it."
Kevin: "There are so many wonderful features to the Almighty. It is made of ABS, a super durable plastic, which is phthalate free. It is beautifully designed to last. Gina mentioned earlier that it is cordless. In other words, it's rechargeable."
Gina: "The thing that won my heart is the Almighty not only delivers two speeds of deep and penetrating vibrations, it also heats up or cools down depending on your preference. You see, there is a metal plate in the head of the massager and this is what delivers the heat and cooling. This feature further extends the therapeutic nature of the vibrations. Think about it, 104-122 degrees Fahrenheit of warmth to relieve arthritis and other joint and muscle pain. And 50-59 degrees Fahrenheit of chilling power to reduce muscle spasms and swelling. Both the vibration speed and the hot/cold intensity are regulated with easy-to-use dials in the handle."
Kevin: "Speaking of swelling, and since this is sex toy review, the Almighty is brilliant at making my cock swell and my balls tingle, as well as making Gina's pussy tingle and her clit engorge. So there's that."
Gina: "Thank you for adding that. I don't want our readers thinking this whopper is an all work and no play massager. You know how we often talk about hot/cold sensation play using some of our glass or metal toys? Well the Almighty has that feature built in AND it vibrates. It's the best of both worlds. And just so you know, this vibe is super-powerful. I can place the head of the Almighty on my spine, between my shoulder blades and it will deliver vibration so deep and heavy that my teeth chatter. That's powerful!"
Kevin: "Although the Almighty isn't waterproof, it is still easy to sanitize after each use. Simply wipe it down with a lint-free towel moistened with mild soap and warm water. Then wipe it down again with another lint-free towel moistened with peroxide, rubbing alcohol or a 10% bleach solution."
Gina: "The Almighty gets my highest rating. Sure the $170 price tag is a lot, but consider all the fantastic features you are getting all rolled into one product. I mean you can easily spend nearly that much on a high-end vibe that is neither as powerful or as versatile."
Read Full Review HERE!


text: Chestnut Hill U9 girls team runners up in championship Posted on November 19, 2012 by Kevin Dicciani Runners up: In their first trip to the Hempfield Fall Soccer Classic, the Chestnut Hill U9 Girls Blue Lightning Team reached the final championship game, finishing runners up in their bracket. Team members are (front row, from left) Kayla Walker, Campbell Donovan, Charlotte Hodgson, Dylan Ragas, Annie McLaughlin and Sophie Mercier (second row) Bluma Hammerhead, Mikaela Finlay, Maggie McDevitt, Claire Meyer, Lane Murray, Sadie Hammerhead and Ingrid Haskell. Coaches are (from left) Craig Hodgson, Nathan Haskell and Tom McLaughlin


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Tuesday, August 21, 2012
And finally, some thoughts on Brad Mills
Let's take the timing into account. If you read the comments made by Jim Crane and Jeff Luhnow about Mills, they really didn't have much negative to say. "The Chemistry Wasn't Right" sounded to me like it was the, "It's not you, it's me" excuse that I heard all too often in high school and college. How heartfelt those words are, only Crane and Luhnow know.
Buster Olney ripped the Astros in his Insider-Only blog post from yesterday (you can find it on your own, if you so choose) for the timing of the Mills firing, coming on the heels of Arizona's bi-annual nut-punching of the Astros, so that it looked as though Mills was being fired for losing a 12-4 game at home, and it was DISRESPECTFUL, and HOWDARETHEY....
I honestly do not believe that was the Astros' objective. Keep in mind that the new Apparatus has a fairly keen sense of timing. Jim Crane set Houston abuzz by floating the possibility of a name change in the middle of January. In retrospect, it was genius (even if it took me a few days to see it as such). The Texans were done. There was nothing on the horizon in the Houston sports landscape when Crane had his press conference. All of a sudden, everyone was talking about the Astros in January. Most likely, more people were talking about the Astros in January than they are now.
So I don't believe Olney's critique, for no other reason than it seems like he only pays attention to the Astros in terms of "THE ASTROS HAVE LOST ELEVENTY-NIX GAMES IN A ROW." If you take Crane and Luhnow's statements at face value, the Astros had been pondering a move for about a week. Yet they fired Mills and two coaches on Saturday night, after the loss.
If they wanted to make a spectacle of the whole situation, they would have done it when it made the most sense - yesterday, during an off-day. Yet they did it on Saturday night, about 11pm. What had just finished? The Texans' 2nd preseason game. And what do the overwhelming majority of Houston sports fans care about now? The Texans. My own father, who loves the Astros (and Mariners - he's going to have a hard time next year), called me yesterday and said, "When did the Astros fire Mills?" He totally missed it, because he was watching the Texans game, and the post-game reaction. How the Astros treated Mills felt - to me, and you're welcome to disagree - like a mercy killing. It was a back-door out of the Astros in a way that would bring as little publicity as possible.
Still, it's Mills' legacy that is the most troubling. Brad Mills' .383 win% is the worst winning percentage in team history among managers who were at the helm for more than 13 games (Dave Clark has the record at .308, going 4-9 filling in for Cecil Cooper at the end of 2009). That's worse than 1962-1964 inaugural manager Harry Craft, who won 20 more games (in 27 more games managed) than Mills. Was Mills a bad manager?
Who knows? Mills signed up to manage Bourn, Berkman, Pence, and Oswalt. After leading the Astros to a 76-86 record in his first full season, he actually finished 6th in the NL Manager of the Year voting - the only manager with a losing record to receive a vote that year. And that was after dealing with the loss of Berkman and Oswalt. Then came the loss of Bourn and Pence mid-season 2011. All that was left was a replacement-level Carlos Lee, and then Lowrie got hurt. Also remember that, though Jed Lowrie hasn't played since July 14, he's still leading the team in homers. What manager could have done more with what he was given? He didn't sign up to be the manager of a complete rebuild. But herein lies Mills' legacy:
He could have been The Hero. By the time he was fired, Mills had been around longer than anyone else in the organization, except for Wesley Wright. Mills could have been the rock. He could have embraced his role as the caretaker of a decrepit mansion - and likely been embraced by the fans. We love a good steam-rolling story. A guy comes in, does his job, gets flat-out rolled by circumstances, yet keeps his head up, he earns the respect of his fans.
No fan spent any amount of time looking at the Astros' Pythagorean Record and thought, "By God, if we had a halfway decent manager, we'd be 44-78!" Mills had been given every opportunity to take a pass, and ultimately - years down the road - be the hero for sticking it out through the lean years.
Every GM has the right to hire their own guy - they'd be silly not to. But Mills had been given an extra year to make his case to be The Guy and, somehow, nutted it. We have no idea how much of Mills' strategy, movement, lineups were in response to what he was being told by the Organization. A well-placed interview (call us, Brad Mills) would clear an awful lot of that up. He won't, because he seems like a class guy. For God's sake, he went to Panama to tuck Carlos Lee in at night, and make sure he knew when his plane left for Kissimmee. Yet the bunting, defensive positioning, and lineup creation enraged fans - fans who honestly weren't expecting the Astros to win.
I ultimately think that what happened to Mills was a result of a host of numerous external factors, and like a young hitter, could not adjust to the adjustments.
4 comments:
In my head I imagine two scenarios. One where Luhnow watched Mills call for a sac bunt in the bottom of the eigth, when losing by two runs on Friday night. He started throwing things at the tv and wanted to fire him immediately, but called Crane to get permission and Crane was already sleeping, so they waited til after Saturday's game.
In my second scenario, Luhnow saw Mills had penciled in Saturday's lineup with all right handed bats. Luhnow went down to inform him that he wants Wallace playing everyday and Mills began to relecture Luhnow on the importance of of batting .240 righties against LHP. Luhnow gauranteed that Wallace would out hit any of the righties playing in his place, and offered a bet where Mills could pull either Pearce or Gonzalez and Wallace would outhit the other. Mills said, "Done!" put Wallace in Marwin's spot in the six hole and asked, "What are we playing for?" Luhnow said, "You're job," and walked out the door. Wallace went 2 for 4 and that was all she wrote.
It's hard to blame Mills for any one thing that went wrong, but it's even harder to find something to give him credit for doing right.
- August 21, 2012 at 9:35 AM
- farmstros said...
Good piece, James. I saw my parents who live in Houston Sunday afternoon. They get the paper, but like you mentioned knew nothing about the Mills firing.
- August 21, 2012 at 10:11 AM
Regardless of how little talent the team has, maybe it was Luhnow not once but twice this season witnessing Mills asking Justin Maxwell of all people to lay down a suicide squeeze that finally made Luhnow have enough.
- August 21, 2012 at 12:21 PM
I live in San Antonio. I was at the game Saturday. After the loss I was too disgusted to read anything Astros related. I woke up to a Facebook message from my son reporting that Mills had been fired. My son is in the Navy and currenty underway. The firing was under the RADAR.
- August 21, 2012 at 4:48 PM


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Tuesday, 12 February 2008
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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As reported here earlier this week, Rick Bennett was being courted and seriously considering running for Chair of the Republican Party. According to a source inside the party, the vote just occured and Rick was formally elected this morning. It occured on the first ballot and he won easily over former House Rep Jon McKane.
As I learn more details, you will be the first to hear.


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Fans and people inside the industry are usually pleased when the mainstream media gives pro wrestling some attention. To some, it serves as a way to legitimize the whole endeavor.
That being said, those same people can't be too happy with the press a bunch of wrestlers have been getting over the past few days. When Sports Illustrated reporters Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim broke the story about the latest findings in the investigation of a steroid distribution ring, they didn't hesitate to name names. It just so happens that those names belong to Randy Orton, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Edge and Gregory Helms. Then, the Associated Press, ESPN.com, Fox Sports and just about anyone who had a sports-related website picked up the story.
I suppose such an article is intended to solicit feelings of outrage. As any baseball fan knows, steroids have been a cause c�l�bre of the sports media for the better part of this decade. Eleven pro wrestlers named in a sting of an illicit drug network... that's just the type of juicy, sensational headline that is the journalistic equivalent of one of Mick Foley's famous cheap pops.
Some may be upset when they read the story, but to call it something that will "rock the sports world" (as one internet headline has already claimed) is going way too far. I'll stop short of saying it's not news, because steroids are, in most cases, against the law. But as far as pro wrestling is concerned, it is, as my editor Greg Oliver put it, a non-story.
To understand why, consider the two groups of readers who come across one of the articles. The first group consists of mainstream sports fans who read Sports Illustrated or ESPN.com regularly and don't care for wrestling. In their minds, wrestlers are just jacked-up muscle-heads participating in a scripted farce.
It only confirms the preconceived notions of these folks when they find out wrestlers are taking steroids. At worst, it gives them another reason to turn their noses up at people who do enjoy wrestling. For this group, Llosa and Wertheim are preaching to the choir.
The other group, of course, is made up of wrestling fans. I'd be very surprised if anyone except the youngest and most innocent of regular viewers is floored by the revelation that some of the biggest names in the industry are taking something to help them out.
Expecting performers who have no time for normal workout and recovery periods to have bodies that look like they are chiseled out of granite without any chemical assistance? That requires either an enormous dose of denial or an equally large amount of naivet�. If the modern wrestling schedule was carried out without any steroids, human growth hormone or the like, we'd likely have a whole roster full of guys with bodies like Foley.
With all due respect to Mick, something tells me the industry would not be as large as it is today if that was the case. Perhaps it's pressure from wrestling fans who want their grapplers to look like Greek gods that makes some of them take steroids despite the risks, but that's a separate issue. What's relevant to this discussion is that most of the public isn't going to be surprised by the findings of the SI.com report.
That brings us back to the motivation for airing out the names of the wrestlers in the first place, and here's where some questions are raised. The last time SI.com covered pro wrestling for any reason other than a performer's ties to mainstream sports was back in June 2006, when Arash Markazi did a piece on WrestleMania 22. Outside of an occasional mention in one of Bill Simmons' columns (and he's been a WWE fan since his youth), I couldn't find the last one on ESPN.com.
If the inherent hypocrisy isn't clear, I'm more then happy to spell it out. Most of the time, pro wrestling is more entertainment than sport for these publications and their websites. Now that steroids are involved, wrestling is conveniently a sport, pro wrestlers are referred to as athletes and Orton's name gets top billing in the headlines.
The WWE brass often gives off the impression that any publicity is good publicity, but their actions show that they can sometimes be swayed by negative press. Now that we've explored the reasons why the fallout from the SI.com report are unlikely to sway many opinions, all that's left is to see if the people running the federation agree.
It's tough to see what more the WWE can do -- at least publicly. The company line already states that performance-enhancing drugs are against the rules, and the Wellness Policy is in place. If the fed wants to do anything else to stop its employees from taking steroids or HGH, it will have to be a philosophical change that takes place behind the scenes.
For what it's worth, I think that would be a good idea. I happen to share the opinion that using steroids can be harmful to the human body, and I think it's reasonable to suspect that their widespread use has contributed to the abnormal number of former wrestlers who pass away at relatively young ages. If it takes the sudden interest of reporters who normally wouldn't touch wrestling to make a change, then the problem is much worse than I ever imagined.
It might be hypocritical for wrestling fans to look the other way knowing the men they're cheering are taking potentially harmful substances just to entertain them. But isn't it just as bad for members of the press to call attention to the wrestling business only when a steroid scandal is on the table? I'm not sure what it says about us as a society, but I think that it is.
Nick Tylwalk has been a SLAM! Wrestling contributor since 1998, and his column, Walkin' That Aisle with Nick Tylwalk, appears most Mondays. Comments, compliments and complaints can be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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As a child, I was afraid of ghosts. During that phase — where "phase" is defined as "from my earliest memories until high school" — I was convinced that invisible, malevolent forces were coming to "get" me whenever I was alone.
It started innocently enough when I saw a "Bewitched" episode in which an enchanted chair moved around by itself. That was supposed to be amusing? A possessed chair is funny? For years, I refused to enter the dining room by myself.


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|"I shwear, offisher, I'm a skilled artisan."
Sunday, February 3, 2013
More artisanal crap
11 comments:
A friend of mine just are a burger from A sustainably driven pop up burger joint with an artisan approach to British street food.. Do I have to dissolve our friendship?
Their burgers appears to be so artisan that their website doesn't have so much as a menu on it.
- February 3, 2013 at 7:55 AM
- PediNP said...
Funny you should post this, just last week I wanted to buy italian bread to go with pasta--but I don't like the mushy white crap they sell at the store. I found a "rustic" loaf labeled "artisan" bread and commented to my husband that anything not bland is labeled artisan. I guess it is supposed to make the consumer feel "special".
- February 3, 2013 at 8:50 AM
On the Jewelery: Artisan Day TV listing, if the TV show is featuring people who hand-make jewelry, such people ARE artisans.
- February 3, 2013 at 11:51 AM
I can't find the pic I took of it, but the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle has signs up describing what some workers are doing in the penguin exhibit- collecting waste so they can sell artisanal penguin poop for fertilizer.
- February 3, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Forget the artisanal for a minute - why would anyone want to eat "wild rocket"? (the salad mix)
That sounds more like the name of something I might put into a sports car than in my body.
- February 3, 2013 at 1:31 PM
- Ami said...
For Charles... don't ignore the implications that Wild Rocket might be the effect on your intestinal tract.
My son, who works for a major grocery chain, has been asked for 'Artesian' bread from the bakery department more than once.
So maybe people are just saying it wrong and thinking it's really special?
- February 3, 2013 at 1:42 PM
- CrayonEater said...
I think we've lost entirely the meaning of this word. It is now the new buzzword.
- February 3, 2013 at 4:45 PM
- Griffin3 said...
Especially the lettuce, though -- the entire packaged lettuce industry appeared after they started using machines like this. Which is the real reason you can buy quality machine-processed lettuce (the same machine takes it into the bag, right there as it rides the rows, in some cases.
"It has a capability to harvest 12,000 pounds of Romaine per hour into totes and up to 24,000 per hour in a bulk loading version."
- February 4, 2013 at 9:10 AM
My parents have an artesian well in their backyard, but they don't brag about it.
- February 4, 2013 at 3:21 PM
Arugula means rocket in Italian. I think the reason the lettuce is named arugula is because of the shape of the leaves.
- February 4, 2013 at 9:27 PM
Ami, I used to work with someone who constantly referred to "artesian" bakeries. Somehow, I always pictured they were fishing faux-country, poorly-shaped loaves out of a well..
- February 10, 2013 at 12:44 PM


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Guest Post by Michelle Mather
Last week we picked up four new "ready to lay" hens from our local feed mill. They are the same type of chickens as our first four - I believe they are called "Red Sex Link" as they are a cross between a Rhode Island Red Chicken rooster and a Delaware Chicken hen. We had thought about getting some "exotic" looking chickens for our second batch, but in the end we decided to stick with what is working so well. Our original four hens, Henny, Penny, Flora & Belle, are now about 19 months old and laying quite regularly and consistently.
Also, our rooster "Colonel" is pretty flamboyant looking, so our desire for exotic colouring has been satisfied with his addition to our flock.
I picked up the new "ladies" last Wednesday. I have a rather large cat carrier and so we put a towel down and off I went to Napanee to pick up our new chickens. Last year when we picked up our chickens the fellow ahead of us had ordered 3 but hadn't brought anything to put them in. So he grabbed a feed bag and instructed the feed mill employees to just stuff the chickens into the sack. Needless to say, our chickens had a much nicer ride home!
Once we arrived home I decided to let the older 4 and the rooster out to free range and I put the cat carrier inside the pen and opened the carrier door. It took a few minutes but finally one of the new girls stuck her head out and began pecking at the ground in front of the carrier. Soon all four of them were out of the carrier and exploring their new territory.
Eventually I herded them into a new section of the pen that Cam had fenced off where they could see the other, older chickens but they couldn't touch each other. When we put the older ladies and the Colonel back into the pen they made some aggressive moves towards the new, young ones, but they couldn't get through the fence to hurt them.
On the first night we tried following some advice that I had found online. We waited for the rooster and the older chickens to get settled in the coop and then we tried sneaking the new ones into the coop. No go! What a ruckus! The rooster in particular seemed incensed that we would allow these intruders into his coop! So we tucked the four new girls back into the cat carrier (with some straw on the bottom) and put the carrier on our enclosed back porch, safe from predators.
The next day we put the new girls back into the new side of the pen, but this time we left an open spot in the fence between the new section and the old section. The new girls could come and go from the new side as they pleased, and during the day they would often visit the old section of the pen but run back to the new section whenever they were chased by one of the "old gals." There were some squabbles during the day but the youngsters quickly learned to run and climb a hay bale to get away. We made sure to provide them with food and water on their side of the fence too.
On the second night we decided to keep Colonel out of the coop. We put the new hens into the coop, closed the door and then waited for the older ladies to show signs of wanting to go to bed. Pretty soon they were prowling around the base of the "gangplank" wanting to retire for the night. Eventually we let them in, there was a bit of squabbling, but pretty quickly the 8 hens all settled down. We locked Colonel out of the coop that night and instead I left the cat carrier in the pen and he tucked himself in there for the night. Once again we put the carrier on the enclosed back porch, safe from predators, and he seemed to have a fine sleep that night.
By the third day we were able to open up the fence between the old and new section of the pen. There was still some squabbling between the old and the new birds, but much less than on the first two days. We really got a chuckle that evening when we noticed that Colonel was the first one into the coop to put himself to bed! It seemed like he was saying "There's no way I'm sleeping in that cat carrier again tonight!" He jumped up on top of the nesting boxes and hunkered down. The older ladies soon joined him. The younger ones hung out at the bottom of the gangplank and as soon as things seemed quiet in the coop, they too headed to bed. There was a few complaints but we quickly closed up the door and they all settled down. Phew!
We haven't named all of the new girls yet. We are calling one of them "Feist" (after the singer) because she is such a feisty little thing! She doesn't take any guff from any of the others and even if one of the older ladies or the Colonel tries to chase her, she holds her ground!
Last year it took our hens a couple of weeks before they began laying eggs. One of the new ladies has already started laying! Two days ago she escaped from the pen and tucked herself under a raspberry bush. I only knew that she was there because Colonel managed to escape too and he stood guard over her. I put her back in her pen and she escaped again and the second time I found a tiny little egg under her!
Yesterday she again escaped and again we found her under the raspberry bush. This time we tucked her inside the coop and closed up the door. About 20 minutes later I came back and there was an egg! Her eggs are teeny tiny but she is laying already! I'm hoping that she gets the hint that we'd prefer that she lay in the nesting boxes!
As you can tell, we continue to enjoy life with our chickens! They love a bowl of oatmeal first thing in the morning. I take a quarter cup of instant oatmeal, add some hot water from the tap and dump it into a bowl for them. They fight over it! They love grapes and sliced bananas and chopped up apples. Cooked pasta is one of their favourite treats and it's pretty funny watching them grab a long string of spaghetti and run around the coop trying to keep it from the others.
On my recent birthday I was given a lovely little book called "Minnie Rose Lovgreen's Recipe for Raising Chickens." (Thanks to Shirley for the book!) The woman who wrote this book was born in 1888. She first published her little book in 1975. According to my math she would have been 87 years old at the time! After a lifetime of raising chickens, she says "The main thing is to keep them happy." This wisdom seems to be working with my chickens!
Our cat Lizzie likes to hang out with the chickens too!
Michelle & Cam have written a book about their move from the city to their off-grid home in the country that they call "Sunflower Farm." The book is called "Little House Off the Grid" and is available from Mother Earth News or from www.aztext.com


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Thanks for the comment, although, as I said in my original post, not really looking for any X-files jokes or "Gee I dunno there could be UFO's" type comments.
PS: You also imply that because the "demons/angels" theory was from the 70's it is some kind of old wives tale, and thus a "joke" like some view the phenomenon. I think if you actually did some research on the subject and look at the arguments for this conclusion, you would stop laughing.
Sorry that my seeing a UFO in the desert wasn't good enough for you.


text:
Bar Docket No. 14253
In the Matter of PAUL D. LEADER,
In a letter dated February 2, 2006, to the Clerk of the Appellate Courts, respondent Paul D. Leader, of Wichita, Kansas, an attorney admitted to the practice of law in the state of Kansas, voluntarily surrendered his license to practice law in Kansas, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 217 (2005 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 309).
At the time the respondent surrendered his license, there were eight complaints set for formal hearing before a panel of the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys. The complaints contained allegations of lack of competence, lack of diligence, failure to communicate with clients, failure to return unearned retainers and files upon discharge, dishonesty, failure to comply with discovery, and failure to cooperate in the disciplinary process in all eight counts.
This court, having examined the files of the office of the Disciplinary Administrator, finds that the surrender of the respondent's license should be accepted and that the respondent should be disbarred.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Paul D. Leader be and he is hereby disbarred from the practice of law in Kansas and his license and privilege to practice law are hereby revoked.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of the Appellate Courts strike the name of Paul D. Leader from the roll of attorneys licensed to practice law in Kansas.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this order shall be published in the Kansas Reports, that the costs herein shall be assessed to the respondent, and that the respondent forthwith shall comply with Supreme Court Rule 218 (2005 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 315).
DATED this 9th day of February, 2006.


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The U.S. health care system will continue to rely on a fee-for-service payment model for at least the next eight to 10 years, making it incumbent on policymakers to work on fixing flaws in the system for the short term. That's the opinion of health policy expert Robert Berenson, M.D., a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, who spoke as part of a panel on Medicare physician payment during the Family Medicine Congressional Conference here May 14-15.
Health policy expert Robert Berenson, M.D., far left, discusses physician payment models with former AAFP President Rick Kellerman, M.D., far right, and AAFP Director Rick Madden, M.D., during the 2012 Family Medicine Congressional Conference.
"It is going to take us a while to move to something new, and I would guess there will be parts of the country in which fee-for-service will be with us for a very long time," said Berenson. "We probably will not have the organization developed to take on new payment models and the collaboration and integration that most of these payment models envision in the near future."
Regarding newer and more innovative payment models, such as the patient-centered medical home and accountable care organizations (ACOs), Berenson said, "I do not disagree with those who say we need to be moving to new payment systems." However, he noted, these payment models typically are based on the building blocks of fee-for-service. Thus, the widespread misvaluation within the fee-for-service system may inherently flaw the newer payment models, as well. "You have to fix fee-for-service before you can end it," said Berenson.
"We are not going to have these new payment models tomorrow," he noted. "In the meantime, we have some crisis in health care delivery right now, especially around primary care."
Berenson is a firm believer in the ability of integrated health care groups to improve quality, enhance patient access and control costs. "I think we would be a better system if we had ACOs," he said.
But the ACO concept will not work unless the disparities between high-end subspecialists and primary care physicians are narrowed, he added. "You are not going to get cardiologists to participate in an ACO if they can make $500,000 a year in the fee-for-service system."
Berenson also called for population-based payment models in which a health care organization or a medical practice assumes responsibility for the health of a population of patients who are associated with the organization or practice.
"That used to be called capitation," Berenson said. "That is a dirty word. It is now called global payment."
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