text:
Adjusting Favorite Recipes to Follow the Glycemic Index Diet
One of the simplest steps in adopting a low-glycemic lifestyle is looking at the foods and recipes you already like to cook and eat. You may find that some are naturally low glycemic and don't need any changes; others may need a little tweaking to fit your new lifestyle. Use the following tips to help you turn a high-glycemic favorite into a low-glycemic meal:
Replace higher-glycemic ingredients with lower-glycemic alternatives. For example, if your favorite stir-fry recipe calls for jasmine rice, you can easily change it to brown rice with little effect on the overall recipe.
Use smaller portions of high- and medium-glycemic foods. For example, if your favorite stew calls for white potatoes, which are high glycemic, you can easily include them but use a smaller amount and increase the amount of other low-glycemic vegetables in the dish.
Add healthy low-glycemic foods to any dish. Instead of eating a dish entirely made up of pasta, add some low-glycemic veggies like broccoli or bell peppers, and/or add some protein like chicken or salmon. Doing so decreases the amount of pasta you're eating to lessen your glycemic load for that meal.


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**Official = NFC championship matchup = RAMS VS SAINTS**
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subset: commoncrawl


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Sunday, December 19, 2010
Rare Exports
Posted by Rot at 8:21 AM
Labels: christmas, horror films, rare exports, youtube.com
4 comments:
- Der Krampus said...
this looks intriguing...
- December 19, 2010 at 9:11 AM
- Rot said...
This was a short film (the second of two) which led to a full length feature. Saw it in Rue Morgue magazine.
The first short is pretty awesome too...but it has father christmas nudity so it was kinda blog-unfriendly.
- December 19, 2010 at 9:27 AM
- GoneferalinID said...
I really enjoyed that. Nothing like a little ultra violence for the holidays.
- December 19, 2010 at 3:47 PM
- Der Krampus said...
A friend of mine saw this at a film-fest not too long ago, apparently the audience loved it, can't wait to see it.
- December 19, 2010 at 5:58 PM
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In 1923, Kyoichiro Tsuge, the founder of Tsuge Pipe Company, served his apprenticeship as pipe maker from when he was twelve. In July, 1936, at his age of 25, he established his own workshop to produce cigarette holders made of ivory. At that time, cigarette holders were essential for smoking because cigarettes without filters are popular. When World War II began, Kyoichiro went to war. Tsuge manufactured stock of gun making use of our full facilities at the request of the Japanese Government. In 1945, when war ended, Although Kyoichiro tried to restart his own business, ivory became hard to obtain.
1948, Tsuge family
However, two things ware happened and, which was a major turning point in our business; the Occupation Army released pipe tobacco in large amount in Japan. It was a great impact on people that Douglas MacArthur was out of plane at Atsugi Airport with corn-cob pipes. For the reason of this, pipe sold well. Tsuge decided to produce pipes instead of cigarette holders in response to the market great demand. The craftsmen who used to make grip of umbrella were employed to create pipes in Billiard and Bent Billiard using cherry wood. As the pipe production volume increased, a number of craftsmen were employed. Tsuge had 120 craftsmen at its peak. At that time, Tsuge was one of the mist stylish workplace in Japan; NHK, a radio station, was broadcasting popular show at our workshop. In the 1950s, Tsuge imported fine quality briar as pipe making material.
1936, Kyoichiro Tsuge (center left)
Kyoichiro had a talented ivory carver engrave pipe bowl using briar or ivory decorated with Japanese traditional motif: Mt. Fuji, Geisha, three monkeys, Tousyougu and so on. They were sold at Imperial Hotel Grand Hotel Yokohama and shops like PX and USO as souvenir for American army. In 1968, Vietnam War started, Tsuge exported a lot of pipes made of Japanese cherry wood to meet demands of American army in Saigon. In the 1970s, we produced our original freehand pipes and exported to Europe and the U.S.
Kyoichiro Tsuge, the founder of the company, was born into a craftsman family, which reflects his talent for managing business from the perspective of craftsman. His mothers family had been running a legendary Japanese sword smith Kanewaka in the domain of Kaga since 16th century.
She was married to Kyoichiro s father whose ancestor was Samurai who was a chief retainer of a feudal lord, Maeda Family. Kyoichiro s mother was clever with her hands and she always made handicrafts for her family and neighbors. Kyoichiro remembers that she drew a beautiful painting of the impression of the play on papered sliding doors. His cousin was a famous Japanese modern painter, Kazumasa Nakagawa (1893-1991). Artistic temperament is also descended to Kyoichiro.
1936, Kyoichiro Tsuge is standing in front of his workshop.
When he was 12 years old, his parents died. He returned to Tokyo from Gyeong-seong (Seoul) and started working as resident apprentice to a maker manufacturing ivory pipe and cigarette holders. After he had worked as craftsman for thirteen years, he set up Tsuge Pipe Company. He said, Making pipes and satisfying customers with our pipes is my great pleasure. This becomes the principle for all our craftsmen.
Tsuge Ikebana P 204 03 24K Gold Cherrywood
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A new leak seems to reinforce claims that Microsoft's next-generation "Durango" Xbox will require mandatory game installation and have an "always on, always connected" internet policy.
The leak, from VGleaks and reported by The Verge, provides screenshots from an Xbox Development Kit (XDK) for Microsoft's upcoming console. Those grabs state that each new console will house a hard drive with enough capacity to "hold a large number of games". Also, "play from the optical drive will not be supported." That lines up with what Kotaku reported last month.
The leak also includes references to the fact that the Xbox will be an "always on, always connected" console. That could add weight to rumours that have suggested that an activation system will prevent users from using second-hand games on the console.
It's worth pointing out that, while the leak seems genuine, the XDK dates back to 2012. So, it may be the case that Microsoft considered an anti-used policy on games but has since abandoned it. Don't hold your breath though. [VGLeaks via The Verge]


text:
Michigan state Rep. Pete Lund, a Republican, is considering re-introducing a bill similar to one being advanced in Virginia that would revamp the way Electoral College votes are allocated in the state.
Lund introduced a similar bill last year that failed in the legislature. The plan would have awarded a vote to the winner of each of Michigan's 14 Congressional districts. The remaining two electoral votes would go to the winner of the statewide popular vote.
Lund's explanation for why it failed, via The Detroit Free Press, is rather revealing:
"It got no traction last year. There were people convinced Romney was going to win and this might take (electoral) votes from him."
In other words, as Kevin Drum observes, the interest in this measure is relating to helping Republicans, not actually improving democracy!
Later in the story, he attempted to explain why he thinks it would make each vote more important:
"Right now, in most states it's like the vote doesn't even matter to presidential candidates," Lund said. "If we do this, all of Michigan won't necessarily be in play, but maybe some of it will."
But The Free Press estimated that under Lund's proposed plan, Mitt Romney would have won nine of Michigan's electoral votes, while President Barack Obama would have won seven.
Obama won Michigan by almost 450,000 votes in 2012.


text: Main Content Act 213 of 1965 friendly link Printer Friendly bills affecting index and updates Search within this Statute for SETTING ASIDE CONVICTIONSAct 213 of 1965AN ACT to provide for setting aside the conviction in certain criminal cases; to provide for the effect of such action; to provide for the retention of certain nonpublic records and their use; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain public agencies and officers; and to prescribe penalties. History: 1965, Act 213, Imd. Eff. July 16, 1965 ;-- Am. 1982, Act 495, Eff. Mar. 30, 1983 © 2017 Legislative Council, State of MichiganThe People of the State of Michigan enact: DocumentTypeDescription Section 780.621SectionApplication for order setting aside conviction; misdemeanor conviction; setting aside of certain convictions prohibited; victim of human trafficking violation; time and contents of application; submitting application and fingerprints to department of state police; report; application fee; contest of application by attorney general or prosecuting attorney; notice to victim; affidavits and proofs; court order; definitions. Section 780.621aSectionDefinitions. Section 780.622SectionEntry of order; effect. Section 780.623SectionSending copy of order to arresting agency and department of state police; retention and availability of nonpublic record of order and other records; providing copy of nonpublic record to person whose conviction set aside; fee; nonpublic record exempt from disclosure; prohibited conduct; misdemeanor; penalty; "victim" defined. Section 780.624SectionSetting aside of convictions; limitation.


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Data Warehouse
The data warehouse is a collection of student data which can be accessed by authorized University Executives, Faculty, Staff, Administrators, and Researchers. The data warehouse was developed to provide the institution with the following benefits:
- Timely Information Access – The data warehouse shortens the time span between user reporting data needs and information delivery giving decision makers instant access to historical (static) data through the use of adhoc query and reporting tools.
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- Tools To Combine Data Differently – The data warehouse environment gives users a tool for looking at data differently. This tool allows decision makers to ask new questions and an opportunity to solve problems differently.
- End User Empowerment – The warehouse empowers institutional decision makers by placing inquiry and analysis tools at their fingertips.
Certified Data or Official Institutional Data
The Office of Institutional Research is responsible for providing official university data that is reported to external agencies, including the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
The data warehouse stores historical institutional data extracted directly from University transactional databases such as BANNER. Data taken from BANNER directly will not necessarily match information provided to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or IPEDS. These agencies have various definitions for reporting that are not initially stored in BANNER, and thus are not necessarily imported into the data warehouse.
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Wendy Williams (born 7 November 1934) is a British actress.
She is best known for her work on television, with credits including: Danger Man, Z-Cars, The Regiment, The Pallisers, The Carnforth Practice, Thriller, Doctor Who (in the serial The Ark in Space), Survivors, Poldark, Tenko and The Darling Buds of May. She had a long running role in Crossroads as Mrs. Banks.


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Pearl Izumi Sugar Shorts - Women's
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1/4" NPT drain cock. Prevent rust from ruining your tank by draining your tank daily. Keep an extra around for a spare.
A simple but essential part, the drain cock (or valve) threads into your tank(s) and allows you to drain the tank(s) of water and moisture. Most are 1/8" or 1/4" male NPT and have either a knurled-style knob or wing nut to open/close the valve. Since most are brass or steel, they will rust over time and should be replaced as soon as they start to leak. Be sure to drain the tank after every extended use, as it can save your expensive tank from developing leaks.
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Survivalists all over the world, take heart. You're not the only one hoarding food to prepare for Doomsday. Congress is, too.
And some spicy Doomsday it will be.
Midnight sun reflects off the face of coastal ridges on June 21, 2008 in Svalbard, Norway. (Getty Images)
As reported by The Huffington Post, seven congressmen spent July 4 weekend on a voyage to a remote Norwegian island to place chili pepper seeds in the sub-zero Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
Heard of the vault? If you have, you might be in the minority. The vault, which opened in 2008, hasn't been in the forefront of the climate-change debate. Svalbard contains the seeds of more than 525,000 crop varieties, was built on a Norwegian archipelago near the North Pole deep inside a mountain as "a fail-safe back-up to existing crop collections around the world," according to a statement released by the recent delegation.
The congressmen, led by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), delivered the peppers, as well as melon, peanut and bean seeds, to the vault to be kept safe for centuries. Just in case the end of the world comes knocking.
The seed vault, the final protection for the world's food supply, was built high enough to avoid rising sea levels and deep enough in the mountain to withstand a nuclear explosion. Preserving the seeds at a constant temperature of zero degrees, rest assured that whatever catastrophe might end the world as we know it, these seeds will hang around.
In the statement released by the delegation, Cardin said:
The world is interdependent when it comes to crop diversity, the essential raw material needed for a healthy and robust food supply. As we manage the impact of climate change and other natural and man-made disasters around the world, the seed vault in Svalbard will be the safety deposit box that ensures we can keep that food supply intact.
Sen. Cardin in Sarajevo, June 28, 2009. (Getty Images)
Accompanying Cardin to Svalbard were Democrats Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Udall (D-NM), Reps. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), along with Republicans Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL).
This display of bipartisanship comes at an odd moment in time, as a climate and energy bill remains stalled in the Senate.
Also reported by The Huffington Post, the bill seeks to reduce the pollution affecting climate change by taxing carbon dioxide emissions produced by coal-fired power plants among other large polluters. While Democratic Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman have said that they believe that Americans would be willing to pay less than a dollar a day to curb climate change, Republicans have panned the bill as a "national energy tax."
So while the climate and energy bill remains in a stalemate on the Senate floor, we can rest assured that when Doomsday rolls around, thanks to Congress we at least have a back-up plan.


text:
Homebirth after Cesarean: The Myth and the Reality
Editor's note: This article first appeared in Midwifery Today, Issue 86, Summer 2008.
Subscribe to Midwifery Today Magazine
Photos provided by the author
"Homebirth after cesarean" is a phrase that garners mixed reactions—most of them negative. "Why?" or "Are you insane?" they ask. The people who make these comments, however, usually have no idea about the realities of birth in the US.
My phone rang one afternoon. It was a woman looking for a care provider to attend the birth of her next child at home. I offered to send her the midwives list.
"I won't go back to a hospital unless I am unconscious," she told me.
I gave her the name of the one midwife in the area who attends women who have vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC) at home, wondering why the caller was so adamant about avoiding a hospital.
The next day a friend called and asked me to do a presentation at the next International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) conference on homebirth after cesarean (HBAC).
"Sure," I said. "No problem." After I hung up and realized that I knew little about the issue, I thought what a coincidence it was that these two calls came in a day apart. But was it?
Why is this issue controversial? We used to think that women who have cesareans should continue to have them. Then, in part because of the women who wanted better births, VBAC became a reality in the 1980s after research showed that the risks for birthing vaginally were not as high as previously assumed. Under this backdrop, ICAN was formed.
More recently, flawed research reset the protocols and VBAC once again became rare. In the midst of this confusion women are seeking to have not just VBACs, but HBACs.
What's going on? Has the world gone insane? On the contrary, women are simply learning late in the game to demand the type of birth they should have had in the first place. They are also learning that their chances of a successful VBAC in a hospital are slim. So is it reasonable to have a homebirth after cesarean, or is the risk just too great?
Cesarean vs. VBAC
When I started to research my presentation, I found that no studies had been done on HBAC. Luckily, a sizable study on homebirth was recently published, as well as one on birth center VBACs. So essentially I had to extrapolate data from what was available to arrive at a conclusion. Why is this important?
Many women who want VBACs are so desperate to avoid a repeat cesarean that they choose unassisted homebirth, which we know can be more dangerous than a birth attended by a trained provider. Consequently, in order for midwives to make a decision as to whether or not to accept a VBAC patient for homebirth, we need to assess the real risks, based on what we know at this moment in time. We cannot wait for the perfect study.
I started with some basic facts and history about cesareans and VBACs. As of 2006 the national cesarean rate was 31.1%, an increase of about 5% per year since 1996.(1) Conversely, the VBAC rate has dropped below 10%, falling by 13% from 2003 to 2004.(2) Correspondingly the number of premature and low birth weight babies has increased significantly. Unfortunately, elective c-sections and an increase in the rate of inductions have also contributed to the rising prematurity rate.(3) Interestingly, the March of Dimes is trying to reduce the US prematurity rate, yet they haven't added reduction in cesareans and inductions as part of their project.
There is a cultural myth in this country that cesareans are just as safe as, if not safer than, normal vaginal birth. However, a study by MacDorman et al., published in 2006, specifically looked at infant and neonatal mortality rates and found that the overall neonatal death rate for babies born by c-section is 2.9 times as high as that for babies born via vaginal birth, and 6.7 times as high if the cause of death was intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia.(4) Additionally, maternal mortality is three times as high for women who have c-sections.(5)
Yet the attitude remains that birth by cesarean is safer than VBAC. The oddest part is that studies have shown repeatedly that VBACs are a safe viable option for the majority of moms who have had a previous cesarean. So what gives?
A number of factors have contributed to the decline of VBACs, most notably a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that was touted as proving that VBACs are not safe.(6) Oddly enough, the study was misinterpreted by the editor of the NEJM and subsequently by the media. The study actually showed that inducing labor with synthetic prostaglandins in women who had had prior cesareans significantly increased the rate of uterine rupture. Instead of announcing that using prostaglandin gel is contraindicated in these women, they announced that VBAC is much riskier than previously thought. This led to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG—a professional association of obstetricians) to establish guidelines so strict that many hospitals stopped doing VBACs altogether.(7) Last but not least, insurance costs and medicolegal issues have also contributed to the decline of VBACs.
Uterine Rupture
I found that obstetricians' fear of uterine rupture was the greatest barrier to VBAC and is seemingly the pivotal excuse for denying them. Add to this a propensity of doctors and hospitals to set up impossibly strict protocols for women wanting VBACs, and we have a no-win situation for women. These protocols set up a cascade of failure regardless of what the woman wants. Ignorance and fear play a major factor in women's acceptance of these rules. As a result, VBAC "failure" is high in hospital settings. So what's a woman to do?
First, let's look at the research on uterine rupture. Studies by Lydon-Rochelle (8) and Delany (9) clearly showed that any form of induction increases the risk of uterine rupture. The well-known Landon (10) and Bujold (11) studies, which failed to control for induction of labor and may have had selection bias, also both showed a connection between induction and uterine rupture risk.
When I spoke with Dr. Landon at the 2007 ICAN conference he freely admitted this connection and had even addressed it in a further study on VBAC after multiple cesareans, which was published in 2006.(12) In an e-mail communication, Dr. Bujold also agreed that induction of labor was found to increase the uterine rupture rate.(13) My conclusion: Avoid induction and you remove a major part of the risk.
Despite recent changes in care provider opinion regarding VBAC, the facts haven't changed. In women with lower transverse uterine incisions who are not induced, the chances of uterine rupture range from 0.2% to 0.5%.(14). The 2006 Landon study showed a 0.7% chance of uterine rupture in women with only one c-section and 0 .9% in women with more than one c-section.(15) The Lieberman birth center study of VBAC (2004) showed that the combined uterine rupture and fetal/neonatal death rate among women with a single previous c-section and who were less than 42 weeks was 0.2%.(16) That study also found that "half the uterine ruptures and 57% of perinatal deaths involved the 10% of women who had had more than one previous cesarean delivery and no previous vaginal births, or who had reached a gestational age of 42 weeks+."(17)
At The Farm birth center, Ina May Gaskin (who screens carefully) had no ruptures in 2100 births.(18) The last study I looked at, the Johnson and Daviss homebirth study, didn't mention a uterine rupture rate.(19)
I identified six risk factors for uterine rupture:
- Previous infection of uterine scar site (weakens scar). Note: Use of catgut for suturing seems to contribute to a higher rate of infection.(20)
- Pregnancy less than 24 months after previous c-section.(21) Other studies have shown <18 months.(22)
- Induction of any kind creates a 50% (or higher) increase in uterine rupture risk depending upon type of induction.(23)
- Placenta covering uterine scar.(24)
- Being 42 weeks+ gestation.(25)
- More than one previous cesarean (without previous vaginal birth).(26)
Single vs. Double Closure
Next I looked at single versus double closure suturing of the uterine scar. This is a hotly debated issue for those who provide care for women planning a VBAC, to the point that some will not attend a VBAC in a woman with a single-layer suture. The only evidence I found that one is better than the other in regard to preventing future rupture is that single closures had a lower rate of infections, which can be a contributing factor in risk of rupture in future pregnancies.(27)
Gretchen Humphries, DVM, gave a fascinating lecture providing her analysis of the literature on this subject, which showed that the type of stitch and the material used—rather than the number of layers—may be the deciding factors. Apparently, preliminary data show that "if closure is done with synthetic suture in a non-interlocking pattern, the increased rupture risk doesn't appear to exist."(28) However, more research needs to be done in this area to confirm these conclusions.
General Cesarean Risks
Since we are talking about risk, I had to include the risks of c-sections to balance things out a bit.
Short-term risks for mother:
- Maternal death
- Thromboembolism
- Hemorrhage
- Infection
- Incidental surgical injuries
- Extended hospital stay
- Emergency hysterectomy
- Pain
- Poor birth experience
Long-term risks for mother:
- Adhesions
- Re-hospitalization
- Risk of future c-section
- Infertility
- Placenta accreta
- Placenta previa
- Uterine rupture
Risks for baby:
- Neonatal death
- Respiratory difficulties
- Asthma
- Iatrogenic prematurity
- Trauma
- Breastfeeding difficulties
- Dental disease(29)
We don't know true impact of this high rate of c-sections on the future of women and birth. Sadly, the increase in elective c-sections is now providing us with enough data to judge this, and the picture isn't good. Keep in mind that no studies exist on totally natural VBAC in a hospital setting.
Homebirth After Cesarean
So what does all of this mean for women who want a homebirth? As mentioned previously, several of the reasons for choosing HBAC over a hospital VBAC include: high failure rate of hospital VBACs, difficulty finding a care provider to attend a VBAC, poor treatment, and trauma related to previous hospital experience.
I was honored to have Rochester midwife Meg Grindrod join me to speak about the reality of a practice that includes homebirth for women with prior cesareans. She talked about how common hospital interventions, such as electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), lead to a higher rate of c-section. With a rate of 99.8% false positives for non-reassuring fetal heart rates (30), EFM does not improve maternal or infant outcomes, but leads to more c-sections.
She talked about how VBAC labors are longer and how the hospital setting contributes to emotional dystocia. She also spoke briefly about the political and legal contributions and ramifications. Meg noted that the spiritual and emotional health of the family play the most important part and that removing these elements from birth in a hospital setting causes more harm than we know.
She believes that homebirth avoids repeat c-sections by removing the iatrogenic aspects of hospital birth, as well as emotionally and spiritually supporting mother/baby dyad.
According to 10+ years of studies, homebirths are as safe as, if not safer than, hospital births.(31) However, since no studies are available specifically on homebirth after cesarean I had to extrapolate data from studies on hospital VBACs, general homebirth studies and one birth center VBAC study. To do so, I analyzed the three most recent and controversial studies—Pang 1996 (Washington study) (32), Lieberman et al. 2004 (birth center study) (33) and Johnson and Daviss 2005 (homebirth study) (34).
I found poor controls and great misinterpretation of the Washington study.(35) The data were taken from birth certificates, and the authors failed to control for unplanned or emergency births and planned home birth/deaths. (Some families that find out that their baby is likely to die during or immediately after birth, often due to congenital anomalies, choose a peaceful, family-centered homebirth/death.) The study should have included only data for low-risk women and planned homebirths. Although used as the defining study in the medical world, for our purposes those flaws invalidate it and remove the study from this discussion.
This left me with the homebirth and birth center studies, which I analyzed for a number of factors:
Statistics on Transfer (Home to Hospital or Birth Center to Hospital)
- Homebirth study—12.1% transfer rate.(36)
- Birth center study—24% transfer rate.(37)
We have to assume that transfer means a requirement of some sort of medical assistance. Note the doubled transfer rate for the birth center study. Why is that? We don't know. However, I did note that in the birth center study women with previous vaginal birth(s) who were planning a VBAC had one-third the transfer rate of those with no previous vaginal birth(s).(38) Unfortunately we don't know if any women in the homebirth study had prior cesareans; they may have. So I had no data available on comparison of transfer rate of VBACs in homebirth. Interestingly enough, the 12% transfer rate is comparable to other population studies.
Next I looked at the individual rates of medical interventions and found that interventions occurred in homebirths at a rate of less than half that in the hospital.(39) This was "whether compared with a relatively low risk group (singleton, vertex, 37 weeks or more gestation) that will have a small percentage of higher risk births, or the general population having hospital births. Compared with the relatively low-risk hospital group, intended homebirths were associated with lower rates of medical interventions" [overall].(40) Unfortunately, the birth center study did not discuss specific interventions.
Incidence of Complications
The birth center study had a 1.4% incidence of complications (uterine rupture and other adverse events), and 0.9% of that total were serious.(41) This number dropped to 0.2% when controlled for by eliminating women who were at greater than 42 weeks gestation and/or had had more than one previous c-section and no previous vaginal birth(s).(42)
Five minute Apgar scores lower than 7 were also assessed as a means of determining outcome.
- Homebirth study—1.3% 5-minute Apgar scores <7 (43)
- Birth center study—1.0% 5-minute Apgar scores <7 (44)
Keep in mind that Apgar scores do not necessarily indicate problems later in life (45); instead, they indicate the need for medical assistance at that moment in time. Midwife Grindrod mentioned that she likes to do a 10-minute Apgar score, which she finds indicative of problems or the need to transport.
Comparing studies when they control for different things and don't report on others is challenging. The homebirth study did not discuss particular adverse events or complications. The birth center study looked at only certain events: 1) maternal or perinatal death; 2) the need for hysterectomy; 3) five-minute Apgar score less than 7; 4) frequency of uterine rupture.(46)
Cesarean Section Rates
The cesarean section rate was low in both studies when compared to all other studies that have been reported.
- Homebirth study—3.7% (47)
- Birth center study—13% or lower (48)
The birth center study did not note the c-section rate for the 24% who were transferred to the hospital, but did mention that not all of those women had repeat c-sections. Having had a previous vaginal delivery was associated with a higher VBAC success rate: 94.4% vs. 80.9% for those with no previous vaginal births.(49) Still, an 87% VBAC rate is exceptional in this day and age.
The cesarean rate for intended homebirths was 8.3% among primiparous women and 1.6% among multiparous women, with an average of 3.7.(50) We can extrapolate that a safe c-section rate would fall somewhere below 13%, but above 4%, which is consistent with the World Health Organization recommendation of a c-section rate around 10% or lower.(51)
Dr. Marsden Wagner discussed statistics from WHO (from a cross-section of countries around the world) noting that when the c-section rate (for all women) fell below 10% or rose above 15% the maternal and infant mortality rates rose.(52) The number of women with high-risk pregnancies is higher in undeveloped countries, which would increase the need for cesareans.
Neonatal Mortality Rates
The authors of the homebirth study concluded that comparing neonatal mortality rates among all studies is difficult due to differing population sizes and study designs.(53) Among all studies (both in-hospital and out-of-hospital) I found the range of neonatal mortality rates to be 0.5% to 3.5% across the board.(54) Essentially this means that regardless of where a woman births, the chances of her baby dying are the same in both in-and out-of-hospital settings, removing the issue from this discussion.
Given no differences in perinatal mortality it must be noted that the natural approach shows significant advantages with respect to lower maternity care cost as well as reduced mortality and morbidity from unnecessary cesareans and other obstetric interventions, and significant benefits from avoiding negative long-term consequences from unnecessary obstetric interventions and procedures. These advantages of the natural approach are of such a large order of magnitude as to raise serious doubts concerning the appropriateness of conventional 'obstetric' treatment for low-risk childbirth.(55)
Maternal Mortality Rates
No maternal deaths were reported in either the homebirth study or the birth center study, although maternal death rates are known to be higher in the hospital setting.(56) Perhaps that is to be expected, as that is where high-risk moms should be. The biggest difference in VBAC versus cesarean is the maternal mortality rate: 36/100,000 cesarean vs. 9/100,000 VBAC. Oddly enough, the authors of the birth center study, despite finding a high rate of vaginal births and very few uterine ruptures, "advise both birth centers and women with prior cesarean deliveries against attempting VBACs in any nonhospital setting."(57)
What We Don't Know
Is HBAC more successful than hospital VBAC? The birth center study showed an outstanding 87% success rate, but what defines success in HBAC?
In a casual analysis of statistics from an ICAN e-mail list I noted that among 74 women who planned an HBAC:
- 82% birthed at home
- 6% transported and had vaginal birth
- 11% transported and had another cesarean
- 0% ended up scheduling repeat cesarean
Among 64 women who planned a hospital VBAC:
- 65% had vaginal birth
- 31% had cesarean
- 2% ended up scheduling repeat cesarean
While not scientific, it does mirror the experiences of the local Rochester chapter of ICAN: Women planning an HBAC are much more likely to have one than women planning a hospital VBAC.(58)
Identifying Uterine Rupture Signs and Symptoms
The ability to identify uterine rupture symptoms is a key element in assessing HBAC safety. In discussions with local midwives we identified several factors that should be established or assessed:
- One to one care during labor—allows the midwife to truly assess each individual woman and her labor
- Checking maternal pulse every 15 minutes—this can be an early signal of problems
- Monitor fetal heart rate regularly—every 30 minutes in early labor; every 15 minutes in active labor; after every push
- Mother's reported sensations (common hospital pain medications can mask symptoms of problems)
- Sudden hemorrhage or excessive blood loss early in labor
- No well-structured studies on HBAC are currently available
- Further studies need to be done (using all of the referenced data in this article as a guideline)
However, HBAC seems to be a viable option at this point in time, if women are screened carefully for low risk points and risk factors (see sidebars). Midwife Grindrod made a point that these should be guidelines rather than rules and, more importantly, that they serve as guidelines for future research.
By teaching women to stay healthy and low-risk through education, nutrition, exercise, choosing birth place and care provider wisely, we can reduce the chances of medically necessary cesareans. All these factors have a significant impact not only on cesarean prevention but also on successful VBAC. If care providers assess each woman individually for risk factors and restrict VBACs based only on individual findings, HBAC is a healthy choice for many women who have previously had cesareans. Last, but not least: Avoid primary c-section!
We live in a time where birth should be the best of both worlds: Homebirth for most and the technology to prevent or to help those in trouble if necessary. The ability to help women stay healthy and low-risk, the knowledge to identify problems in advance (prevent or deal with them naturally) and the technology to safely deal with emergencies should create this best of all possible worlds, but it hasn't. The medical model is still at war with the midwifery model, and things are getting increasingly worse. As a result of the unnecessarily high cesarean rate, we now must deal with the issue of VBAC and an increase in the demand for HBAC. Frankly, if interventions and surgeries had not become so common we would still have a 10% or lower c-section rate and not be here today discussing VBAC, much less homebirth VBAC.
- Martin, J., et al. 2006. Births: Final Data for 2004. National Vital Statistics Report 55(1): 3. Center for Disease Control. 29 Sep 2006. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_01.pdf.
- Zweifler, J., et al. 2006. Vaginal Birth after Cesarean in California: Before and After a Change in Guidelines. Ann Fam Med 4(3): 228–34; Martin et al.
- Declercq, E., F. Menacker and M. Macdorman. 2006. Maternal risk profiles and the primary cesarean rate in the United States, 1991–2002. Am J Public Health 96(5): 867–72; Fogelson, N.S., et al. 2005. Neonatal impact of elective repeat cesarean delivery at term: a comment on patient choice cesarean delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 192: 1433–36; National Institutes of Health. 2002. Even Moderately Premature Birth Poses Risk for Developmental Delays. NIH News Release. 17 Jan 2002.
- MacDorman, M.F., et al. 2006. Infant and neonatal mortality for primary cesarean and vaginal births to women with "no indicated risk," United States, 1998–2001 birth cohorts. Birth 33(3): 175–82.
- Deneux-Tharaux, C., et al. 2006. Postpartum Maternal Mortality and Cesarean Delivery. Obstet Gynecol 108 (3, part 1): 541–48; Plante, L.A. 2006. Public Health Implications of Cesarean on Demand. Obstet Gynecol Surv 61(12): 807–15.
- McMahon, M.J., et al. 1996. Comparison of a trial of labor with an elective second cesarean section. NEJM 335(10): 689–95.
- International Cesarean Awareness Network. 2004. www.ican-online.org/. Accessed 12 Mar 2008.
- Lydon-Rochelle, M., et al. 2001. Risk of uterine rupture during labor among women with a prior cesarean section. NEJM 345(1): 3–8.
- Delaney, T., and D.C. Young. 2003. Spontaneous versus induced labor after a previous cesarean delivery. Obstet Gynecol 102(1): 39–44; Kieser, K. E., and T. F. Baskett. 2002. A 10-Year Population-Based Study of Uterine Rupture. Obstet Gynecol 100: 749–53.
- Landon, M.B., et al. 2004. Maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with a trial of labor after prior cesarean delivery. NEJM 351(25): 2581–89.
- Bujold, E., et al. 2005. Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes Associated With a Trial of Labor after Prior Cesarean Delivery, J Midwifery Womens Health. 50(5): 363–64.
- Landon, M.B., et al. 2006. Risk of Uterine Rupture with a Trial of Labor in Women with Multiple and Single Prior Cesarean Delivery. Obst Gynecol 108(1): 12–20.
- E-mail correspondence with E. Bujold, Autumn 2006.
- "Risk of Uterine Rupture during Labor Higher for Women with a Prior Cesarean Delivery"; National Institutes of Health News Release, Jul 2001. www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2001/ninr-04.htm. Accessed 23 Apr 2008; Gaskin, I.M. 2000. "Cytotec: Dangerous experiment or panacea?" Salon Online Magazine. http://archive.salon.com/health/feature/2000/07/11/cytotec/index.html. Accessed 20 Apr 2008.
- Landon, Risk of Uterine Rupture, 14.
- Lieberman, E., et al. 2004. Results of the national study of vaginal birth after cesarean in birth centers. Obstet Gynecol 104(5, Pt 1): 933–42.
- Ibid., 937.
- Gaskin.
- Johnson, K.C., and B.A. Daviss. 2005. Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America. BMJ 330(7505): 1416–1419.
- Durnwald, C. 2003. Uterine rupture, perioperative and perinatal morbidity after single-layer and double-layer closure at cesarean delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 189(4): 925–29; Slome Cohain, J., 2004. The Many Ways to Sew Up a Uterus. Midwifery Today 70: 32.
- Bujold et al.; Lieberman et al.
- O'Brien-Abel, N. 2003. Uterine Rupture during VBAC Trial of Labor: Risk Factors and Fetal Response. J Midwifery Womens Health 48(4): 249–57; Stamilio, D.M., et al. 2007. Risk of Uterine Rupture and Complications of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery. Obstet Gynecol 110: 1075–82.
- Lydon-Rochelle et al., 3; Delaney and Young; Landon et al., Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes; Bujold; Landon et al. Risk of Uterine Rupture, 14–15.
- Lieberman et al., 940.
- Ibid., 938
- Landon et al., Risk of Uterine Rupture; Lieberman et al.
- Durnwald.
- Humphries, G. 2007. "One-layer vs. two-layers. Much ado about something?" International Cesarean Awareness Network, 25th Annual Conference, Apr 2007, Syracuse, New York.
- Bernstein, P.S. 2005. "Complications of Cesarean Deliveries" Cesarean Risks. Medscape Today. www.medscape.com/viewprogram/4546. Accessed 22 Apr 2008; "What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know About Cesarean Section." The Childbirth Connection. www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10164. Accessed 12 Mar 2008; Plante, L.A. 2006. CME: Public Health Implications of Cesarean on Demand. Obstet Gynecol Surv 61(12): 807.
- Nelson, K.B., et al. 1996. Uncertain Value of Electronic Fetal Monitoring in Predicting Cerebral Palsy. NEJM 334(10): 613–18.
- Weigers, T.A., et al. 1996. Outcome of planned home and planned hospital births in low risk pregnancies: prospective study in midwifery practices in the Netherlands. BMJ 313(7068): 1309–13; Schlenska, P.F. 1999 "Safety of Alternative Approaches to Childbirth." PhD dissertation, Stanford University. www.vbfree.org/docs/meadsum.html. Accessed 18 Feb 2007; Johanson, R., M. Newburn and A. Macfarlane. 2002. Has the medicalisation of childbirth gone too far? BMJ 324(7342): 892–95.
- Pang, J.W., et al. 2002. Outcomes of Planned Home Births in Washington State: 1989–1996. Obstet Gynecol 100(2): 253–59.
- Lieberman et al.
- Johnson and Daviss.
- Pang et al.
- Johnson and Daviss, 1417.
- Lieberman et al., 936.
- Ibid., 936.
- Johnson and Daviss, 1417.
- Ibid.
- Lieberman et al., 937.
- Ibid.
- Johnson and Daviss, 1417.
- Lieberman et al., 938.
- The Apgar Score. 2006. American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement, Pediatrics 117(4): 1444–47. http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/pediatrics;117/4/1444. Accessed 22 Apr 2008.
- Lieberman et al., 938.
- Johnson and Daviss, 1417.
- Lieberman et al., 938
- Lieberman et al., 936.
- Johnson and Daviss, 1417.
- World Health Organization. 1985. Appropriate Technology for Birth. Lancet 2(8452): 436–37; Betrán, A.P., et al. 2007. Rates of caesarean section: analysis of global, regional and national estimates. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 21: 98–113.
- Wagner, M. 2006. Born in the USA: How a broken maternity system must be fixed to put women and children first. Berkeley: University of California Press, 42, 46–47.
- Johnson and Daviss, Table 4.
- Ibid.
- Schlenska, V.
- "Cesarean Section Quadruples the Risk of Maternal Death" October 1, 2003. Coalition for Improving Maternity Services; www.motherfriendly.org/news/Sep2003/c-sec-maternal-death.pdf; ACOG. Weighing the pros and cons of cesarean delivery. ACOG News Release, 31 Jul 2003.
- Lieberman et al., 941.
- Compiled by Krista Cornish Scott, ICAN, Rochester, New York.


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Apartment Allod-Park
up to 6 guests
3 rooms
2 bedrooms
1 Bathroom(s)
Distance to centre closeby
Distance to ski / mountain lift 600 m
Proximity to public transport 100 m
Proximity to golf course 2 km
Pets allowed
Washing machine
Balcony / Terrace
Baby cot
Community garage
Accommodation alert
3-room apartment 75 m2 on 3rd floor, north-west facing position. Living/dining room with cable TV and radio. Exit to the balcony. 1 room with 1 double bed (2 x 90 cm). 1 room with 2 x 2 bunk beds. Kitchen (oven, dishwasher). Bath/WC. Facilities: telephone. Internet (WiFi, free). Please note: apartment street side. Maximum 1 pet/ dog allowed.House/Residence
Davos-Platz: Comfortable apartment block "Allod-Park". In the centre, in a central, quiet position. For shared use: park. In the house: reception, restaurant, bar, WiFi, lift, storage room for skis, central heating system, washing machine, tumble dryer (for shared use, extra), ski boot dryer. Bread roll service, beverage service and breakfast possible. Motor access to the house. Parking, communal covered parking (extra). Dimension: height 210 cm. Supermarket 800 m, shopping centre 400 m, bus stop 100 m, railway station "Davos-Platz" 1.2 km, outdoor swimming pool, indoor swimming pool 200 m. Golf course 2 km, tennis 4 km, indoor tennis centre 4 km, riding stable 5 km, sports centre 200 m, cable car 1.5 km, mountain railway 600 m, ski bus stop 50 m, ski school 1.5 km, children's ski school 1.5 km, cross country ski track 1 km, ice field 200 m. Toboggan run Schatzalp-Davos. Garage spaces on request: in summer 35.00 CHF / week, in WINTER 70.00 CHF / week. Wi-Fi at or near the reception. Specials: raclette and fondue weekly evenings. Meals can be ordered at the restaurant. Tickets reservation for event is necessary.
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1'558 - 2'840 m a.s.l. >>With the guest card you get free use of the local buses and discounts at various sports and entertainment facilities. Small, well-known, busy town, mountain health resort, climatic health resort, summer holiday resort and winter sports resort with 13'000 inhabitants, in the centre of the region. In the resort: shopping centre, supermarket, shops, grocery, butchery, bakery, boutiques, post office, restaurant, bar, disco, night club, casino, concerts, museum, cinema, attractions. Hiking, indoor aquatic centre. Besides: pharmacy, doctor. Sights Kirchner Museum, lakes nearby, coach tours, toboggan run.Summer
Bathing lake. Outdoor swimming pool. Sailing, surfing, rowing. Tennis (4 indoor courts), squash, golf course 18 hole, 2 more golf courses within a radius from 20 - 50 km. Minigolf. Riding. Fitness course. Fishing. Paragliding, total 8 mountain lifts and cableways. Mountain tours. 114 km bicycle paths, 115 km mountain bike routes, bicycles and mountain bikes for hire. Children's playground. The guest card permits free use of the mountain railways, car park, local bus, various sport and entertainment facilities.Winter
Ski-region Davos/Klosters Mountains. 2 mountain lifts, 9 cableways, 4 cable cabins, 10 chair lifts, 29 drag lifts, 2 children's ski lifts. 103 ski runs, total length 307 km (20 % easy, 42 % intermediate, 38 % difficult), snowboard slope, snow park, halfpipe. Ski school (downhill, cross country), snowboard school, children's ski school, ski kindergarten. 110 km cross country ski tracks in the region (3 km illuminated), ski walking paths, winter walking paths 84 km. 6 toboggan runs (long 24 km). Ice rink, artificial ice rink, curling.
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So I'm fresh off my first extremely embarrassing loss in Endless Space and I need a little guidance so I don't repeat the showing. I mainly researched the exploration and expansion tree and I found myself horribly under-equipped weapons-wise. So after watching ship after ship get shredded under the guns of the enemy, I figured I needed to spend some time on the military tree. That didn't work in time. Which was bad.
SO... how much do I need to divide up my researches to maintain a viable balance? I also noticed that I go some military hardware on the tree I was traveling down, mainly increased ship sizes, but I hadn't grabbed them as I went past. Are those the things meant to keep the tech tree viable?


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Latest News
Violence is rising as date for Sudan's partition draws near
JUBA, Sudan — The closer Sudan's big divide gets, the more and more precarious it appears.
With only one month to go until the new nation of South Sudan is born, events in wider Sudan seem to be careening further and further out of control, as border violence escalates and tensions mount.
Since the south's overwhelming vote for independence in January, tensions have risen steadily between Sudan's Arab northern and African southern governments. In the past few weeks, that friction has erupted into a wave of violence that threatens the peaceful gains years of international diplomacy.
"The escalating violence around the north-south border brings the two sides closer to war than they have been in years," said Jon Temin, Sudan program director at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
The latest series of clashes began in earnest on May 21, when northern Sudan forces invaded and captured the southern-held disputed border district Abyei. The northern government has refused to withdraw from the area, despite international condemnation.
Then, the northern government issued a June 1 ultimatum for all forces previously aligned to the southern military in two key northern border states, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, to withdraw south of its border. Nearly all of these forces were African northerners who fought as part of the southern rebel force to create a united, democratic Sudan, but are now caught between the seceding south and the despotic north.
This ultimatum passed without resolution, and, on June 5, clashes began in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, and spread throughout the Nuba Mountains area, which during the war was subjected to Darfur-like ethnic warfare. The clashes began when the northern army began to forcibly disarm Nuba soldiers who previously allied with the southern rebels.
According to an eyewitness, heavy northern machinery — tanks, machine gun-mounted trucks, rocket-propelled grenades_ clashed in the Kadugli streets with the Nuba fighters, who eventually had to flee the city.
The conflict has since spread across the Nuba Mountains.
"The security situation in Kadugli and its surroundings remains volatile and tense," said Kouider Zerrouk, the acting spokesman for the United Nations mission in Sudan. Heavy artillery was heard in Kadugli vicinity Thursday and Friday, he said, and aerial bombing struck a number of Nuba areas Thursday.
The fighting followed weeks of rising political temperatures in the central highlands flashpoint, after the opposition Nuba-backed political party refused to accept state election results which declared Ahmed Haroun — indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur — as gubernatorial winner by a slim margin over former rebel leader Abdulaziz al Hilu.
In a rare foreign media visit to the Nuba Mountains by McClatchy in April, al Hilu said that President Omar al Bashir's party would never relinquish control over the state, and warned Haroun had plans to "repeat the same attempts of genocide, of extermination of the people" as he allegedly committed in Darfur.
Al Hilu and much of the Nuba find themselves in a difficult squeeze. They fought within the southern rebel group that now holds power in south Sudan, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, during Sudan's 21-year civil war that ended in 2005. But their homeland is undisputedly in northern territory.
Technically, the concerns of the Nuba rebels were supposed to be addressed in the 2005 U.S.-backed peace accord, which ended the war and promised elections to be followed by a state legislature-led negotiation process with the national government. But after their May election defeat, and with their friends in the south choosing to secede, al Hilu and the Nuba are now left holding what they now consider an empty document.
All this is only raising the stakes for Sudan's epic split in July.
South Sudan's leaders are likely to resist retaliating against northern provocations until at least July 9, when the world is set to recognize the Republic of South Sudan as the world's newest nation.
This strategy also has required the south's military to distance itself from the actions of its former Nuba soldiers — whom it says have deserted and are no longer under command — to avoid giving the north a pretext to declare war on the south.
On Thursday, however, northern planes bombed the southern military base of Jau on the border between South Kordofan and South Sudan's Unity state. Most of the Nuba fighters still in the southern army were based there, though most are believed to have deserted. The bombs also hit an adjacent southern village, killing five civilians, according to local authorities. More bombings were reported on Friday.
After July 9, says Temin, the south may decide to launch a counter-attack on Abyei. Or, he says, the conflicts in Abyei and South Kordofan could soon merge and expand as part of a wider border war.
"Ultimately, much depends on the north's end game — whether their intent is to secure only what they consider to be their own territory, to try to push the border further south into some of the nearby (southern) oil fields, or if they are primarily maneuvering for negotiating advantages," Temin said.
The U.S. is urging the two sides to not trample the grueling, years-long peace process.
"The situation is grave, but it is not hopeless," said Sen. John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who's active in Sudan diplomacy in a statement Friday. "Both sides can re-engage in the month before separation to fulfill the promise of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement."
Nonetheless, the violence compounds the troubles for a land of already battling deep war-inflicted poverty, where inhabitants live in mud huts and survive on subsistence farming.
According to the U.N., 100,000 southerners are displaced from the fighting in Abyei. An internal U.N. human rights assessment report dated May 29, obtained by McClatchy, described the north's actions there — burning and looting homes to drive out a single ethnic group — as "tantamount to ethnic cleansing."
In South Kordofan's Kadugli, up to 40,000 people — or more than half its residents — have fled, according to the U.N. Around 7,000 people have sought refuge outside the U.N. compound on the outskirts of town. Other major towns are also reported to be deserted.
"The Sudanese government must urgently put a stop to these indiscriminate attacks, and in particular must stop the bombing of areas populated by civilians and allow humanitarian agencies access to deliver assistance to the civilian population," said Erwin van der Borght, Africa program director for Amnesty International.
(Boswell is a McClatchy special correspondent.)
How Sudan used the Internet to crush protest movement
Surge in Sudan violence raises worry independence won't bring peace
Angry Southern Sudanese destroy U.N. vehicles over peace talks
Wave of violence raises worries about Southern Sudan
As Sudan makes split official, popular anger sweeps north


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Oliver Bryan was the oldest child of Albert and Ann Parker Bryan. He was born in 2 October 1951 in Jefferson County Iowa. In 1860 Oliver and his family were living in Poweshiek County, Iowa. I have been unable to find Oliver in the 1870 census. Oliver is in Rawlins, Kansas for the 1880 census. Then Oliver married Mary Emma Doyle in December 1880 in Rawlins County, Kansas.
Oliver and Mary Emma had six children. Myrtle died as an infant and Oliver Herman died when he was about 17. These children were born in Kansas.
John Albert Bryan (1882-1975)
Myrtle Bryan (1884-1884)
Sylvia Augusta Bryan (1885-1973)
Alma Viola Bryan (1888-1974)
These two children were born in Iowa, so obviously the family moved.
Bertha Jane Bryan (1890-1943)
Oliver Herman Bryan (1893-1910)
By the time the 1900 census was recorded the family was living in Kansas again. Then in 1910 Oliver and Mary were living in Colorado. They moved again before 1920 because they were enumerated in California, where they continued to live until their deaths. Oliver died in 1944 in Pomona, in Los Angeles County. I don't know where Oliver was buried and I don't have a copy of his death certificate.


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Difference between revisions of "Pre-Meeting Findings & Recommndations"
(→Connectivity and Regional Library WANs)
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==Bob B.==
==Bob B.==
Revision as of 23:34, 3 April 2007
- 1 Nancy
- 2 John
- 3 Bob B.
- 4 Mark
Ideas for ALA Brainstorming Session - April 3-4, 2007 - Submitted by John Windhausen - Telepoly Consulting
1. The private sector has little understanding of the needs of the libraries. Both cable and telephone companies consistently maintained that broadband services are available and anyone can connect that wants to connect. We were constantly educating the companies about the libraries' broadband needs.
2. The most organized states also had the best connectivity. Organization is either at a statewide level (Missouri) or regional level (Ohio and Michigan). Idaho was particularly noteworthy for the disorganization of the state government (several state agencies each building their own state network).
3. Libraries' broadband connectivity was often adequate until video streaming. This will only get worse.
4. Biggest problem with broadband connectivity is the "last mile." Many states have backbones already, and are finding solutions to the "middle mile " (extending the reach of the backbone into each community). The last mile link connecting the library to that link in the community is the most expensive.
5. The most successful libraries were those able to aggregate demand into a regional consortium and issue an RFP for service. Private sector was more likely to respond.
6. Investment in broadband was worst in rural areas served by a Bell Company. Rural areas served by rural telephone companies often had greater investment because of federal universal service funding; Bell companies serving metropolitan areas often had a large enough demand to invest without special programs. But many rural areas are served by a Bell Company that receives no subsidies.
1. Establish a Libraries' Broadband Advocate (LBA): Each state should have its own library broadband advocate, much like the Consumer Advocate in most states. Librarians often do not have the technical expertise or the relationships with the telecom providers, causing libraries' broadband connectivity to be unknown. Most telecom companies are completely unaware of the libraries' demand for broadband. Some states created educational networks but did not include the libraries because nobody was championing the libraries' cause. A Broadband Advocate could liaison with the industry, ensure that libraries are included in any state-funded network or broadband policy proposal. An advocate could also help organize libraries aggregate their demand into regional consortiums or cooperatives to obtain better terms from broadband companies (i.e. Upper Peninsula of Michigan).
2. Geek Squad for Libraries: This is related to the idea of an Advocate (above), but is more technical. Individual librarians, especially in rural areas often need basic help connecting computers to the network, installing wireless (Wi-Fi), monitoring demand, alerting the broadband providers to their needs and requesting the right kind of new capacity when needed. The geek squad needs to be travel the state to go to the library sites sometimes to install the equipment or negotiate with the local telephone or cable representative. (Texas set aside LSTA money for technical assistance)
3. Funding: There is simply no substitute for money. Often, the broadband capacity is available, but the library simply cannot afford to purchase the necessary capacity. Sometimes, the broadband capacity is not within reach of the local library because there is no "last mile" capacity to connect the library to the backbone network. The e-rate only goes a part of the way to satisfying this demand. Some creative ideas should be developed to make sure libraries and rural companies have the funding they need to deploy and purchase broadband, such as :
a. Micro-loans
b. State library connectivity funds, funded either by general state revenues or a state "universal broadband for libraries fund" (UBLF).
c. Require telcos to contribute to a fund in return for deregulation (Ohio), merger approval (California), or video franchise legislation (?)
d. Matching grant program for broadband companies (Idaho)
4. Encourage Centralization of E-Rate Applications: The E-rate is the single most effective policy currently in place to help libraries obtain broadband, but libraries are unable to take full advantage of the E-rate in part because of the complexity of the application process. State Librarians' offices are overwhelmed trying to provide e-rate assistance while working on many other issues, and there is considerable frustration with a program that should be regarded as a tremendous benefit. ALA attempts to provide e-rate training, but this is difficult to do on a national level. Ohio has a single person dedicated to help libraries fill out e-rate applications, and Missouri files a state-wide e-rate for all the schools and libraries in the state. Either model can be effective and help to maximize libraries' funding.
5. Create public-private partnerships: The private sector will fight to the death over government mandates, build-out requirements, government funded networks. On the other hand, a "laissez-faire" approach (simply trusting the market to work without government prodding) is dangerous because the private sector does not understand the libraries' needs. The state government can stimulate greater deployment by working with industry to develop goals, plans, maps, etc. ConnectKentucky is a useful model, as is the effort of states to award large contracts to carriers (Kentucky Educational Network, Ohio, California), and creating task forces and study groups to explore broadband connectivity (California, Ohio, Kentucky, Idaho)
No Recommendation:
1. Video franchise legislation: impact on broadband is uncertain. A state bill may remove roadblocks, giving Bell companies greater incentives to invest. On the other hand, cities often require companies to serve libraries as a condition of the granting a cable franchise, and this benefit would be lost if the state assumes control over the franchise process.
2. Funding to create a statewide library network: The problem with broadband connectivity for libraries is largely a "last-mile" issue. A statewide network is nice, and might allow the library to offer more appealing content or coordination with other libraries (increase the demand), but this may clog the library's local broadband connection even more.
3. Further rate deregulation of telephone companies: Broadband facilities are already largely deregulated. Deregulating POTS (Plain old telephone service) is not likely to stimulate new investment in broadband.
4. Supporting Municipal networks, or statewide networks: This might be helpful to libraries, but creates enormous opposition from the private sector (cable and telephone companies likely go to war against the Gates Foundation) and tie the idea up in political knots.
1. Negotiate for postalized (non-distance-sensitive) rates
2. Ensure libraries are included in any state contracts for state and local government telecom services
3. Aggregate demand to obtain lower prices
4. Set goals
5. Consider signing multi-year contracts to convince private sector companies to deploy last-mile facilities.
6. Take advantage of free broadband services offered by many cable companies
7. Encourage mapping and publication of broadband services and facilities (Connect Kentucky approach) is useful because libraries (and the industry) are often unaware of the broadband services and facilities that already exist.
Bob B.
ALA Broadband Study: Some Thoughts and Suggestions
In response to Rick's email of March 20, I have outlined below my thoughts on findings and possible interventions. While there are always exceptions, my thoughts below are based more on what appears to be the general "rule" on library broadband connectivity and not the "exception." As I noted while in D.C. two weeks ago, it is important that we realize there is not a single "magic bullet" solution that will fix every library's BB issues. I think my focus on regional library WANs is a good place to start for many libraries but it is certainly not going to be a viable option for all libraries.
Connectivity and State Networks
First big finding: As a rule, states that have statewide networks that obviously include libraries have fewer problems or issues with library connectivity and libraries having sufficient bandwidth. There are also related benefits of statewide networks. For example, it is often not the libraries responsibility to determine problems or issues with the library's circuit or to work directly with the underlying carrier provisioning those circuits to resolve any issues. Most (all?) state networks operate network operations centers (NOC) to handle issues. Even in Wisconsin with 85 LECs provisioning circuits as part of our statewide network, there is a single toll-free number to call to get a problem fixed. There is no finger pointing. (Except for fiber cuts, the average time to restore a down circuit is just under 2 hours.) Considering the success of state networks, one obvious answer to the broadband connectivity issue is to work with states that have no state network to help get one created. But the impediments to doing this are daunting and I question whether the state network model is replicable in many states. There are many roadblocks but two principle ones I see are:
1. Commitment: There is a need for a strong commitment from all parties involved. This includes, the highest levels of state government, the state's higher education and K-12 communities, local units of government and the carriers. I do not see this happening in Michigan, the state I visited. And in reading through the notes from several other states, it also appears that the statewide approach will be an uphill climb at best.
2. Time. Even with a commitment of key parties, state networks often take several years (minimum) to come to fruition. I do not think the library community has the leisure of time to address its bandwidth issues via the state network option.
Second big finding: Another big finding is the commitment needed to place the BB issue at the top of the library's agenda and keep it there until it is resolved. This commitment includes key staff and the library's board. In the regional approach that I advocate below, this type of commitment and leadership must also come at the regional level.
Connectivity and Regional Library WANs
Many of the benefits of statewide networks can be realized by working at a regional level. Most states have some type of regional library consortia or library cooperatives. In states with no statewide network, it appears that the most successful addressing of the library connectivity issue has been made in areas where the regional consortia have been proactive in creating and maintaining regional WANs. These are then often used for Internet connectivity and for the regional shared Integrated Library System.
Because the focus is more at a regional level the daunting tasks of a statewide commitment needed for a statewide network are brought down to a more manageable level. I think it is easier to build a coalition of the willing at the regional level. (This is not to imply it is easy, but it is easier relative to a statewide effort.) Below are several ideas on how to implement the regional model.
• Using results from the visited or interview states, work with the State Library to identify 2-3 regions in their respective states where, at a minimum, there is a high level of commitment already in place to address the regions' BB issues.
• Do some preliminary contacts and background work to winnow this list to 8-10 regions nationwide.
• Assist these regions to do a needs assessment (see model assessment below) to see where the 8-10 are in their broadband WAN development/implementation.
• Based on the assessment, winnow the list further down to 3-4 regions that show the most promise of success in a relatively near-term timeframe.
• Develop a team of experts in various topical areas that will work directly with the 3-4 selected regions to reach the goal of sufficient BB connectivity. This team would include experts in facilitation/problem resolution and coalition building; telecommunications both the regulatory aspects and more specific WAN engineering; legal issues including contract negotiations; procurement; funding, including E-rate.
The Gates foundation can help in funding all of the above activities or actions needed to bring the WAN to fruition. I also suggest an ongoing foundation commitment of two years in subsidizing circuit costs and providing technical support.
States Networks or regional WANS with connectivity issues:
In some states with state/regional networks, there are still issues in procuring sufficient bandwidth. To assist libraries in these states, I suggest working with the State Library, the state and/or regional library networks to identify the specific libraries that are having broadband issues. In straightforward situations, in which circuit capacity is available but costly, Gates' funding could be used to pay for the additional bandwidth for a two year period. At the outset, the library board would be required to make an upfront commitment that after two years it would make a concerted effort to replace the Gates $$ with other funds. One requirement for Gates $$ is that the library would have to apply for E-rate on its bandwidth.
In areas where additional circuit capacity is not available, Gates funds could be used to provide technical help to work with all parties (telcos, library) to determine the impediments to higher bandwidth. I doubt if the foundation wants to get into funding any needed telco CO switch upgrade, but there may be other ways to assist on this issue.
Public Relations Effort
Another area I think the foundation can be very helpful with is in conducting an aggressive, nationwide PR campaign on the need for adequate library connectivity. I know it cannot actively lobby, but an awareness campaign targeted at local and state government officials and the telcos could be very helpful. Such a campaign should be coupled with statements that the foundation, working in cooperation with ALA, will be actively working to address this problem.
Broadband Connectivity Assessment for Multi-library WANs
The table below is an attempt to try and measure where libraries or regional consortia are on establishing or sustaining regional WANs. There are almost endless ways to construct this. The important issue is to have a mechanism or methodology to assess the status of WAN development in regional consortia, identify the issues, and develop solutions accordingly.
In the table below a straight (horizontal/vertical) reading of the x and y axis show a linear progression. But when comparing between cells diagonally, you cannot always assume a linear progression. For example, a consortium may rank high on planning but they've done enough background work to realize that funding is doubtful and thus they rank low in this area.
Collaboration with others is an important factory. In most situations where libraries and other entities were connected, the libraries were collaborating with each other and/or other entities. Further, in some states that weren't well connected, there was a lack of coordination/collaboration at any level to connect libraries and/or other entities to broadband. Further, a champion or group of champions is key to the establishment continuing success of deployment.
There is a lack of understanding on behalf of a lot of the stakeholders as to the needs of broadband to libraries and some don't understand the role of the library in the 21st century. When we talked to stakeholders, some didn't quite get that there was an issue when it came to broadband deployment. They were not aware of the services libraries provided and the extra need for broadband because libraries need access to support both their staff work and for public access.
Many models exist for the creation of networks (in this case meaning broadband networks for connecting public libraries.) Various success factors for connecting entities include:
• The organization who builds the network negates with the ISP on behalf of the libraries
• The networking entity applies for E-Rate on behalf of the libraries it connects
o The entity that applies for E-Rate is able to apply for the telco circuit discount separately from the Internet access charge, which allows libraries to receive E-Rate without having to be CIPA compliant
• The networking agency was in the best position to provide for their clients. In some cases, this was a state agency (OH, KY), a non-profit (MO) or regional consortiums (MI and KS).
Broadband speed is contextual. Different libraries require different amounts of bandwidth based upon the number of computers and the usage of these computers. One thing that was constant throughout was that current connection speeds to libraries is increasing exponentially with video and other applications that are upcoming that aren't anticipated (one of which is higher quality video).
769 Kbps is not sufficient bandwidth for public libraries now or in the future. In many focus groups, they indicated that not even a full T1 (twice the speed) is sufficient. Further, provisioning this amount of bandwidth for libraries may cost just as much as a T1. To quote Elwood Downing of MERIT:
"In Michigan, provisioning of a 768K telco circuit connection is the same cost as a T1 (1.5M bps)circuit. When Merit places an order for a fractional T1 service with the Telecommunications provider in Michigan they install a T1 circuit to the Library. However, it is the Internet Service Provider that will provision the through-put on the circuit to be 768K bps instead of a full T1 1.5M bps."
Fund a project to increase collaboration between libraries and other entities. The level at which this collaboration takes place will vary from state to state (based upon the political environment.) I am not sure if this collaboration should be at the regional or state level, but it would appear regional is the most feasible. Through regional consortiums that exist in several states, they can aggregate demand to make a bigger investment case for and help libraries negotiate with ISPs and help apply for E-Rate. If no regional consortiums exist, perhaps the state? One thing that would be great is to fund a position at a state library that works with other agencies within the state to ensure libraries are considered in broadband strategies and partners with other agencies to get connected to ongoing projects.
Build tomorrow's broadband connection today. Whatever project we end up funding to help increase deployment needs to ensure a scalable connection, so that as demand goes up, the bandwidth is available. Deploying a technology, such as T1 or a DSL line, will help libraries in the short run, but only up to a point because each one has a maximum speed. In states of high connectivity, they have maximized usage of these technologies and are struggling to find their next act. As whatever we fund works to increase deployment, we need to ensure that it scales easily.
As part of the current advocacy activities, it is important to help show the case for broadband connectivity to libraries. I do not know the plans for advocacy activities, but specific groups need to be targeted to ensure that they receive the message that libraries are important when considering broadband deployment to communities and to help them to understand the needs of the libraries. The groups to be targeted include many of the groups we were talking to during our visits. Further, one option that has worked is to have 'dog and pony shows' whereby stakeholders are gathered at the library to discuss broadband deployment. One suggestion would be to work with elected officials to invite people to the library and have library staff express their need. Another is to initiate demonstrations of broadband within a public library.
Increase librarian's knowledge on broadband. Librarians need to understand that broadband is important and in many cases do not understand how to maximize the usage of their connection. Further, they may not know how to use the broadband effectively, how to adequately plan for connectivity, how to effectively apply for E-Rate, negotiate with ISPs, and a host of other broadband specific issues. A program to increase librarians' knowledge of broadband and technology
Finally, I would like to emphasize that we don't always have to think big. Occasionally, small things can have an impact on deployment (e.g. One Economy's strategy to require broadband in housing developments increased deployment in poor areas and low-income housing). Therefore, simple policy statements can have a great impact. One such suggestion would be to re-write zoning laws to make it a requirement to deploy fiber (and no copper) to every new house, business or library that is built for telecommunications. Such a policy shift could help spur deployment of fiber to residential areas and to libraries. As we talk over the next several days, it is important to not always think big thoughts.


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September 23rd – October 7th 2019 by VK South Pacific IOTA Expeditions
A35JT DXpedition to Tonga (OC-049) AG28hw > 2017: E6AG OC-040 Niue > E6AG on Niue – The Wrap Up! (Part 2 of 2) > _1450492 (Large)
November 23, 2017
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|Release 4.0
ChaosPro Formula Database
There are several people writing formula files. In order to provide a central collection point for formula files and in order to coordinate the various releases of formula files, these pages have been set up.
Here you can browse the current formula collection online, you can make modifications to your own formula files stored in the database (requires registering and login) or you can simply download the formula collection (as a whole or recent changes only).