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In the last few months, you may have heard people talking about the "DSM-5" which was just published in May 2013 – this is the latest edition of the manual that mental health clinicians use for diagnosing psychiatric disorders. Formally, the DSM-V is The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. The newest addition includes several changes to the way eating disorders are categorized and diagnosed. This post will delve into one of those changes, specifically a new diagnosis called Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (also known as ARFID).
When a person is diagnosed with any type of mental health disorder by a treatment professional, it essentially means they meet a certain number of diagnostic criteria set forth by the DSM-V, in much the same way that someone would meet criteria and be diagnosed with a medical ailment such as heart disease or diabetes. The goal of diagnosing specific disorders is not to label or stigmatize a person but to capture their specific struggles and unique characteristics. This allows treatment providers to develop the best possible treatment plan and apply evidence-based interventions.
The DSM-V provides the following diagnostic criteria for ARFID:
A. An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on the sensory characteristics of food; concern about aversive consequences of eating) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
1. Significant weight loss (or failure to achieve expected weight gain or faltering growth in children).
2. Significant nutritional deficiency.
3. Dependence on enteral feeding or oral nutritional supplements.
4. Marked interference with psychosocial functioning.
B. The disturbance is not better explained by lack of available food or by an associated culturally sanctioned practice.
C. The eating disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, and there is no evidence of a disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced.
D. The eating disturbance is not attributable to a concurrent medical condition or not better explained by another mental disorder. When the eating disturbance occurs in the context of another condition or disorder, the severity of the eating disturbance exceeds that routinely associated with the condition or disorder and warrants additional clinical attention.
So what does all this mean in plain English?
Individuals who meet the criteria for ARFID have developed some type of problem with eating (or for very young children, a problem with feeding). As a result of the eating problem, the person isn't able to eat enough to get adequate calories or nutrition through their diet. There are many types of eating problems that might arise – difficulty digesting certain foods, avoiding certain colors or textures of food, eating only very small portions, having no appetite, or being afraid to eat after a frightening episode of choking or vomiting.
Because the person with ARFID isn't able to get enough nutrition through their diet, they may end up losing weight. Or, younger kids with ARFID might not lose weight, but rather may not gain weight or grow as expected. Other people might need supplements (like Ensure or Pediasure or even tube feeding) to get adequate nutrition and calories. And most of all, individuals with ARFID may have problems at school or work because of their eating problems – such as avoiding work lunches, not getting schoolwork done because of the time it takes to eat, or even avoiding seeing friends or family at social events where food is present. A good example would be a young boy who almost choked on a hot dog one time, but now refuses to eat any type of solid food and can't eat school lunches or even enjoy a taste of his own birthday cake. Another example might be a young girl who seems to have no interest in food, complains that "I'm just not hungry" and, as a result, eventually ends up losing weight.
What ARFID is not…
It is important to be sure that the person's problem with eating is not due to a lack of food or "food insecurity". In other words, children living in poverty who don't get enough to eat (and as a result are not growing as expected) would not be given the diagnosis of ARFID. An individual living in a famine (who loses weight because they are starving) would not be given the diagnosis of ARFID. It is also important to remember that the eating issues in ARFID are not related to a normal cultural or religious practice. For example, a person who is fasting during a religious holiday (such as Lent or Ramadan) would not be given the diagnosis of ARFID.
We know that individuals with anorexia or bulimia struggle with distortions in how they see their bodies and that they have significant concerns about their weight. But this type of thinking does not occur in ARFID – kids with ARFID typically don't fear weight gain and don't have a distorted body image. Also, in ARFID, the problems that people have with eating are not related to underlying medical problems. For example, a child going through cancer treatment might lose her appetite and avoid food because of chemotherapy – but this child would not be given a diagnosis of ARFID. Another example might be a teenager who is obsessed with a fear that he is going to ingest germs and get sick, and therefore refuses to eat any uncooked foods – this teenager would probably be given a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder rather than ARFID.
Filling in the gaps
Although ARFID is being presented as a new diagnosis, it might be more useful to simply consider it as a way of describing symptoms more specifically. A lot of patients with eating disorders don't "fit" perfectly into a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa – and so, prior to the release of the DSM-V, clinicians would often give those folks the diagnosis of Eating Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). Unfortunately, if you say that someone has EDNOS, it doesn't really give us much information about the person's symptoms, other than that they have some kind of eating disorder.
In the past, before the DSM-V, kids with ARFID might have been diagnosed with EDNOS. They also could have been given another diagnosis called "Feeding Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood" (although most clinicians didn't use that diagnosis especially since one of its requirements was that the age of onset has to be before age six). But what about those kids or adults who have restrictive eating not related to fear of weight gain, who may or may not be a normal weight, and whose lives are severely impacted by their symptoms? This is where ARFID can fill in the gaps and help us to better understand those individuals.
As ARFID is officially still a new diagnostic category, there is little data available on its development, disease course, or prognosis. We do know that symptoms typically present in infancy or childhood, but they may also present or persist into adulthood. It is possible that some individuals with ARFID may go on to develop another eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, but again, no research is available yet to give a clear picture of what happens down the road for these individuals. We also are still learning about effective treatments for individuals with ARFID. Although research is just beginning, we believe that behavioral interventions, such as forms of exposure therapy, may be useful. And of course, as in other eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia, treatment of underlying conditions such as anxiety or depression is crucial.
Many kids develop different or strange patterns of eating at some point in their life – refusing to eat vegetables for a few months, or wanting to eat only chicken nuggets for dinner – but for most individuals, those patterns eventually resolve on their own without intervention. For the small subset of individuals who have persistent or worsening problems with food intake, however, the introduction of ARFID means we are now able to better diagnose and describe their symptoms, which should ultimately result in better clinical outcomes.
The most important takeaway point in all of this? Eating disorders come in all shapes, sizes, and symptoms, and if you have questions or concerns, just ask.
* * *
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
Kenney L, Walsh B. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) – Defining ARFID. Eating Disorders Review, Gurze Books, 2013; Vol 24, Issue 3.
Written by Heather Goff, M.D., Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist


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We Didn't Know Why He Was Failing His Classes
We Couldn't Figure Out What Was Wrong
My son liked school, I thought, but around the eighth grade he started getting bad grades. He also started noticing girls, and I thought this was probably part of the problem.
By the second semester I got a call from the school, and I went for a parent teacher meeting. It seemed he got A's in band, and physical Education, and straight F's in all of his other classes. Even though he was going to school, there were classes he was not showing up for, and it was getting worse.
The school wanted me to have his vision tested, and they were going to test him for some other possible disabilities, for even when he did turn in work it was all wrong answers. Now I knew that from previous years he knew how to read, and he comprehended what he read. He understood basic math, so I just didn't quite understand what the problem was.
Another thing I noticed, was that even though he was in eighth grade, he still printed and refused to write in cursive. His printing made him appear to be in about the fourth grade.
The school decided that he just wasn't interested in his classes, or in school, and labeled him lazy. They said that he just wouldn't apply himself, and that there wasn't anything else they could do. The school ended up expelling him for lack of attendance, homework, and flunking on every test. By this time he was also getting quite an attitude, and a mouth that was getting worse and worst so far as respecting the teachers and staff.
I had to put him in a special school for troubled kids, that was a combo of home study and detention. He went to school one day a week, and all other work was done at home.
I Was Confused
The homeschooling went rather well, for he would do all of his assigned work in about two days. It would be correct, neat, and he seemed to be a much happier person. I felt as if he was missing out on some rather important things so far as socializing with kids his own age, and other things, but he was getting good grades.
The next year I was again concerned. The school made him redo the same remedial math that he had the year before, but the teacher said that he just didn't think that my son would be able to do any kind of higher math, that he was barely understanding this math. He was still printing like a third grader, and we were just barely scraping through.
Would I ever figure out what the problem was? I would, but not right away.
He graduated high school, and we talked about him attending a jr. college. He seemed enthusiastic, so we made an appointment for him to sign up. The day of the appointment he went on his own, and when he returned home he showed me the classes he signed up for.
The first one was Calculus. I almost couldn't believe my eyes. I said to him that I thought he should start out with an easier math, for he had not even taken algebra.
He came back with - "They gave me an equivalency test and said it was fine."
Now I was really concerned. But, I didn't say one more word about it and decided to just wait and see. At the semesters end, he had an A in the Calculus class.
In Hindsight it is Always 20/20
The next few semesters went like a fine tuned piano. He took one math class after the next and got straight A's. Trig, Statistics, the works, and not one problem. He went through all of his prerequisite classes, and in the next three years went ahead and earned two BA degrees, one in electronics, and the other in Tech. Communications.
He now works for the government making his own designs for wireless gadgets, and runs his own department.
He wasn't slow at all, it was so simple we just couldn't see it.. He was bored, he wasn't slow. He was gifted, but we just didn't know it. The reason he wasn't getting good grades in public school, was because he was so bored.
The last thing that hadn't been answered yet was why, and he still did it, was he writing like a third grader. He never did learn to hand write, and still printed. When I asked him he stated very simply, I already knew how to write, and why should I waste my time learning to write all ovr again, you can read this can't you?
Very practical thinking, I guess. His IQ tested out to be in the high 160's. I thought he was slow, and he was a near genius. Boy, did I feel dumb......
This article was heartbreaking; check out my hub on "Does Your Child Have a Learning Disability?" So often school districts practice inappropriate placements. Too often gifted students are treated this way.
I am glad things worked out for him the way they did. I can't believe that the professionals in the schools didn't even consider him being gifted-unfortunately someone at the school didn't want to do their job.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sujoso, Anita Dewi Prahastuti (2010) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK STRESS AND VIBRATION AGAINST FATIGUE AND DISCOMFORT AMONG TRAIN DRIVERS AT OPERATION AREA VI OF YOGYAKART. In: Seminar Nasional Mewujudkan Kemandirian Kesehatan Masyarakat Berbasis Preventif dan Promotif , 13-03-2010, Semarang.
|PDF - Published Version
Official URL: http://www.fkm.undip.ac.id/
Background: Nowadays competence and requirements for international standard make occupational safety and health problems as a crucial global issue. Minimum control to work environment leads to the incidence of health problems, the emergence of various diseases and occupational accident. Fatigue as one of declining physical condition symptoms and stamina commonly occurs to manpower. Working condition which is not supported by healthy, comfortable, and secure environment may trigger fatigue. Drivers of public transportation are most likely to encounter fatigue. Vibration on the time of driving have high risk to give on exposure to work environment. Objective: The study aimed to identify the relationship between work stress and vibration against fatigue and discomforts. Method: This was a survey which used cross sectional design with as many as 80 samples. Result and Conclusion: The result of the study showed that work stress had relationship with fatigue (r=0.254, p=0.015), vibration had relationship with fatigue (r=0.260, p=0.023), work stress had relationship with discomfort (r= 0.271, p=0.015), vibration had relationship with discomfort (r=0.473, p= 0.000). The result of multivariable analysis showed that work stress and vibration were significant predictor to the incidence of fatigue and discomfort with effective contribution as much as 12.61% for fatigue and 27.883% for discomfort. There was a significant relationship between work stress and vibration against fatigue and discomfort. Therefore there should be efforts to prevent fatigue and discomfort through monitoring of work environment, health check, and the implementation of occupational safety and health for train drivers in particular.
|Item Type:
|Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
|R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
|Faculty of Public Health > Department of Public Health
|ID Code:
|Deposited By:
|admin FKM undip
|Deposited On:
|06 Aug 2010 09:49
|Last Modified:
|06 Aug 2010 09:49
Repository Staff Only: item control page


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Financial managers to understand time value of money? Calc
This content was COPIED from BrainMass.com - View the original, and get the already-completed solution here!
1) To what extent is it important for financial managers to understand the concept of time value of money? Why? Please explain your reasoning in two to three paragraphs.
2) Calculate the future value of the following:
a. $104,298 if invested for five years at a 7% interest rate
b. $119,112 if invested for three years at a 4% interest rate
c. $211,124 if invested for seven years at an 2% interest rate
d. $699,129 if invested for ten years with a 0.9% interest rate
Please use Table 2 [http://jcooney.ba.ttu.edu/fin3322/Brealey%20Files/Appendix%20A%20-%20Present%20Value%20Tables.pdf]
3) Calculate the present value of the following:
a. $752,126 to be received three years from now with a 4% Interest rate
b. $328,231 to be received five years from now with a 5% interest rate
c. $891,199 to received two years from now with a 12% interest rate
d. $387,111 to be received eight years from now with a 1% interest rate.
Please use Table 1 [http://jcooney.ba.ttu.edu/fin3322/Brealey%20Files/Appendix%20A%20-%20Present%20Value%20Tables.pdf]
4) Suppose you are to receive a stream of annual payments (also called an "annuity") of $493,723 every year for three years starting this year. The interest rate is 4%. What is the present value of these three payments?
Please use Table 3 [http://jcooney.ba.ttu.edu/fin3322/Brealey%20Files/Appendix%20A%20-%20Present%20Value%20Tables.pdf]
6) Suppose you are to receive a payment of $392,201 every year for three years. You are depositing these payments in a bank account that pays 2% interest. Given these three payments and this interest rate, how much will be in your bank account in three years?
If you do not know how to use calculator, please use Table [http://www.principlesofaccounting.com/ART/fv.pv.tables/fvofordinaryannuity.htm]© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com October 10, 2019, 4:56 am ad1c9bdddf
Solution Preview
Your tutorial is attached in Excel, showing an example of faulty decision ignoring the time value of money and giving you the various computations. The tables are imported into Excel with the relevant factors circled in red so you see where they came from. Click in cells to see computations.
Here is the response to the first question:
If financial managers do not understand the time value of money, they will make a number of mistakes that will reduce their competitiveness and the quality of their decisions.
For instance, if the managers are not sensitive to the timing of when the money is obtained, they will be overly relaxed about collecting from customers and not attentive to when they pay their vendors. This will ...
Solution Summary
Your tutorial is 348 words for the first questions and excel computations using tables for the other questions. The tables are imported into Excel with the relevant factors circled in red so you see where they came from. Click in cells to see computations.


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|Is he taking your gambling cash?
So what about the online gaming industry? We've seen several cases of Russian hackers and sophisticated online gaming cheats teaming up to rig jackpots both online and in brick and mortar casinos. How come we haven't heard much of this emanating from North Korea?
Well, I, for one, have read some online articles detailing North Korean hackers partnering with President Kim Jong Un and his nefarious intelligence agency to run online gaming sites that are actually attracting their arch-enemy South Koreans as the bulk of its clientele. If this is true, and it probably is, I can hardly imagine a situation where any online gaming site run by North Korea is not a direct bustout criminal operation.
If hackers are involved, they are simply there to give Kim Jong Un the latest technology to rip off its players as quickly as possible and for as much as possible.
Supposedly North-Korean-run online gaming sites patronizing to South Korean customers rake in more than a billion dollars annually.
And, I, again for one, would trust a North Korean rake as far as I could throw it!


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One of the most disturbing aspects of our nation's current response to cyber attacks is a creeping passivity that permeates discussions surrounding the topic. Fueled by less-than-robust, defense-oriented national and DoD cyber strategies, some of the leading voices in the US's national security establishment seem to have given up the fight without even entering the arena. Such attitudes are not only counter-productive, they undermine our current cyber security efforts as well as the nation's security as a whole. There is plenty the nation can do to secure its cyber infrastructure and those efforts should be championed by the national security establishment.
It is certainly true that our cyber infrastructure needs to be better protected. Numerous studies have pointed to vulnerabilities within both governmental and private sector IT networks that could be exploited by those wishing to do us harm. The sheer number and severity of recent hacking and phishing incidents is worrisome enough. Therefore, the idea that there should be uniform cyber security guidelines for both private and public elements of the critical national infrastructure has merit. There should be a public-private partnership to craft and enforce these guidelines. Current cyber security efforts by the government and the private sector are only beginning to address this problem.
While the Department of Homeland Security has the lead responsibility for domestic cyber security, the Department of Defense also has a significant role to play both in protecting the homeland and in integrating the cyber component into our offensive and defensive military capabilities. To be sure, the new DoD cyber strategy unveiled this summer discusses how the military can help protect the nation's IT infrastructure. However, this so-called strategy has one fatal flaw. It completely omits any discussion of offensive cyber capabilities that could be brought to bear on an adversary and it (at least in its unclassified form) does not provide a strategic foundation for the military to develop a sound cyber doctrine. In short, the DoD cyber strategy is one in name only. It does not tie the ends we seek with the ways and means we hope to use to achieve those ends.
That brings me to a meeting of cyber security experts held earlier this week in Washington. Among the attendees was Richard Clarke, former counterterrorism advisor to three past presidents and a cyber security advisor to former President George W. Bush. During the conference, Mr. Clarke commented that any National Security Advisor worth his or her salt would warn the President that we could not attack other countries "because so many of them – including China, North Korea, Iran and Russia – could retaliate by launching devastating cyberattacks that could destroy power grids, banking networks or transportation systems."
That would be like Secretary of War Henry Stimson telling FDR in the run-up to World War II that we couldn't fight the Nazis because they had tanks and ours weren't as good as theirs. One can only imagine how that would have gone over with the Greatest Generation.
Now, to be fair to Mr. Stimson, he would have never said such a thing. He was as much an anti-Nazi as anyone in Roosevelt's administration. What, then, would prompt Mr. Clarke to assert that our cyber vulnerabilities are so bad that we could not risk attacking another country? More importantly, does he have a point?
Mr. Clarke certainly knows how vulnerable our national infrastructure is to cyber attacks. Our banking system, power grid, transportation system and other aspects of our infrastructure are quite vulnerableto those attacks. A failure of one or more of these infrastructure components would have significant implications for our nation's security and our way of life. In certain cases it could even result in mass casualties among the civilian population.
For the military, the loss of its ability to communicate via satellite, to use GPS, or to gather and fuse intelligence using cyberspace would be devastating as well. The potential loss of these capabilities could change the way America wages war – and not for the better.
All of this is true, especially if nothing is done to protect our core national infrastructure. But, the fact is that much is being done both within the government and in the private sector to mitigate and, eventually, overcome these dangers.
It turns out the federal Government is actually working this issue. On the same day that Mr. Clarke made his assertions, the head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Regina Dugan, spoke of the need for the military to have "more and better options" to meet current and future cyber threats. Fully aware that many of the products we use in our daily lives depend on unfettered access to the cyber domain, DARPA is seeking to create the tools we need to ensure that continued unimpeded access.
Oddly, in a seeming contradiction, Mr. Clarke also spoke of punishing China and other nations who purportedly use cyber attacks "to steal high-tech American data." The problem with that line of reasoning is that you cannot punish someone if you're reluctant to use coercive force against them.
The implications of Mr. Clarke's policy prescription of not being able to even threaten action against nations waging cyberwar against us would be devastating. Nations and non-state actors seeking to do us harm in cyberspace would, if we followed his advice, act with impunity against us. The nightmare scenario of our banking, transportation and other infrastructure systems not working would come to pass. A military overly reliant on GPS and other aspects of its cyber infrastructure would be rendered useless. The military, the rest of the government and the private sector need to develop ironclad responses and true "work-arounds" to actual and potential cyber attacks. We must develop a coherent national strategy to make these "work-arounds" possible and to employ them when necessary.
While we should not advertise our specific offensive cyber warfare capabilities, we should put potential adversaries on notice that there will be consequences to cyber attacks on our country. The key to our security in all dimensions of warfare (land, sea, air, space and cyber) is to ensure that such adversaries fear our potential reaction. That is why the military must develop redundant capabilities, some of them harkening back to the pre-cyber era, so as to ensure the flexibility of our responses. The more difficult it is for adversaries to predict what our reaction might be, the less willing they will be to put their own critical national infrastructure at risk.
These adversaries should know that our offensive cyber capabilities have the potential to wreak at least as much havoc on their IT infrastructure as they may plan to wreak on ours. Such a deterrent would give pause to rational state and non-state actors. but we also have to be prepared to deal with those who are undeterred, whether they are rational or irrational international actors. The development of a robust suite of offensive cyber capabilities is, therefore, a national imperative.
It may be instructive to think of cyberspace as being similar to the sea or to space. There is a "commons" to protect; an area shared by all nations that allows each of them freedom of navigation. It also facilitates travel and communication. A "commons" is often protected by a consortium of powers. We see this in the world's reaction to the Somali pirates plying the Indian Ocean. Nations as diverse as the United States and China are working together to stop piracy in this region and to ensure freedom of navigation. That tells me that every effort should be made to establish agreed-upon international norms of behavior in cyber space. Once we achieve those, then the job of securing the cyber domain will become every nation's responsibility.To get there, though, we need to show our resolve to protect our interests in this rapidly evolving domain.
It is absolutely imperative that we develop both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities to protect our national infrastructure. And we need to let those who attack us know we have the ability to cripple or destroy them. Waving the white flag of surrender because we fear what others may do to us in the cyber world is not an option. Acquiescing to international cyber bullies will only embolden them and it will harm our efforts to secure the cyber commons. Now is the time to craft the tools, policy and doctrine that will insure our unfettered access to cyberspace.
Cedric Leighton, a retired career Air Force intelligence officer, is now a consultant. He is president of Cedric Leighton Associates.


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The Best Russ Tamblyn Movies
List Rules Vote for your favorite
List of the best Russ Tamblyn movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Russ Tamblyn's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Russ Tamblyn movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Russ Tamblyn movies will be at the top of the list. Russ Tamblyn has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Russ Tamblyn movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Russ Tamblyn films to end the squabble once and for all.
If you think the best Russ Tamblyn role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Russ Tamblyn performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.
List is made up of many different films, including Running Mates and The Kid from Cleveland."This list answers the questions, "What are the best Russ Tamblyn movies?" and "What are the greatest Russ Tamblyn roles of all time?"
Quentin Tarantino and Cecil B. DeMille have both worked with Russ Tamblyn over the years, as have plenty of other well-known directors.


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text: Megabyte makes another attempt at grabbing Mainframe's energy and this time he nearly succeeds. But problems occur after a game cube lands, sealing the energy inside the game with the sprites. So what does this mean for Bob? If the User wins, they lose, but if they beat the User, they lose! Either way, Mainframe's energy will go with the game – it seems to be a no-win situation! However, with the aid of Enzo and Frisket, and even Megabyte's lackeys, Hack and Slash, Bob has a chance to get the energy back – so long as the User doesn't win the game first!


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I grew up in an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church in Walls, MS. I went to First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana for their youth conferences as a teen. I planned on going to their college, Hyles Anderson College, but was so abused by graduation that the thought of staying would make me physically ill.
At this Baptist Church, I underwent such horrors that it has taken over ten years for me to overcome the abuse. I tried to play along with their rules and fit in by sticking with friends who wore pants or were feminine because it helped take the spotlight off of my own gayness. I cannot count how many times that I attempted suicide throughout high school. I just knew that if they had found out that I was gay, they would kill me. I believed this because it was what Phil Kidd, a prominent Evangelist in the movement taught them to do.
One teacher at school, S.B., noticed I was gay when I was 16. How I knew that he knew was from the day he asked me to stay after class and forced himself into my mouth in the classroom then took my virginity on his desk. After he was done, I was told that if I ever said a word, the church would all know that I attacked him and that was why I was killed. I never said a word until years later because I knew I wouldn't be believed. After it all happened, it became a regular thing for him to take me into his office and use me up until I stopped crying. I'm okay now, and I knew I was gay before this happened. I just pray that the ones this is happening to in other churches today could know that if they speak up, they can get help. You don't have to be called an abomination and be forced to take the abominations that you are being given. I pray that, if God is real, that he will save our world from the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement and take these hate mongerers down.
My parents thought they were helping me to find God. It took me so long to forgive them for sending me to that school. I finally realized that they meant well and just wanted me to have a foundation of Christ to build my life upon. They had no idea what darkness laid before us. Had they known how horrific that place was, I know they would've saved me. Today, I am proud of who I am and the fact that not only did I survive this church, but that I came out of it stronger and with the knowledge that no matter what I may be told, I am an amazing man who is loved by his friends because of the strength and dignity that I possess. This IFB Church was the worst thing that happened in my life, worse than the cancer, but, in a way, it was the best. I learned to love myself despite the hate of others. That is the most freeing lesson.
I apologize for the less than eloquent writing I've done here. I'm going on three hours sleep and am not quite myself. But either way, thanks for allowing me to share.


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Last week, we shared Chapter Seven of the terrific novel, Through the Open Window by talented novelist Anne Faye. Join us each Monday as we watch this incredible story unfold.
Chapter 8
Mike drove me home. I was ticked off at him, though I knew I had no reason to be. He had never offered anything but friendship, and I had told him that I wasn't interested in anything other than that as well. Why was I trying to make it into something more? Maybe I was just setting myself up to get hurt again, but spending time with him made me feel alive. That was something I hadn't felt in quite a while.
The month was quickly rushing by. I was still working on my novel – every day but Saturday. It had become a ritual. The story was coming along. I was determined to hit that 50,000 word mark if it killed me. On some days, I was convinced that it just might. Some days the words just flowed and I was convinced that I was born to be a writer. Other days, every word was a painful struggle and the word count barely seemed to budge. I knew I was one of the lucky ones in the sense that there was very little to distract me from writing. After all, I lived alone. I really only had to answer to Lady at home, Rachel at work, and my mother on the phone. Lady only asked that I feed her and walk her and let her sleep next to me. As long as I showed up for work when I was supposed to, Rachel didn't care what I did with my free time (although she was still sure something was going on between Mike and me.) My mother cared, but I hadn't told her about the novel project, or about Mike for that matter. I wasn't ready for disapproval on either front. I love my mom and we get along well, but, she is my mom and her opinion matters, especially when it is critical of me. I just didn't need that right now. She was still trying to get over the fact that I had picked up and moved 300 miles away. I was going home for Thanksgiving. Perhaps I would tell her then.
In the meantime, I kept myself busy, which not only helped the pages of my novel to take shape, but also helped to keep my mind off both Mike and Alan. Well, at least I was trying. There were still a lot of things I was attempting to sort out.
"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two years since my last confession." I knelt in the darkness of the confessional, ready to bare my soul. There was the option of going face-to-face, but I preferred the anonymity of being behind the grille. It didn't hurt that this priest had never seen me before, and wouldn't recognize my voice. I never enjoyed going to confession. It was always painful. It is tough to be honest with yourself – tougher to be honest with someone else, whether they are sitting in the place of God or not. It was totally humiliating, but the odd thing was, afterwards, I always felt better, like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders. There is something to be said for hearing the words, "I absolve you from all your sins."
"Father, I need some help."
"How can I help you?"
"I'm mad at God. I've tried not to be, but I just can't stop," I reluctantly admitted.
"Anger can be healthy. God knows how we feel. We can't hide from Him, no matter how hard we try. What happened?"
I told him the condensed version of all that had happened.
"I think that your anger is normal," Father said, "But you need to try to put it behind you. When you feel angry with God, tell him. Offer it up, but try not to dwell on it. Try to concentrate on the good that is in your life now. God will show you the path your life should take. You need to trust that He has your best interests at heart. I don't know why all this has happened to you, but there is nothing so bad that God can't bring some good out of it."
I thought about his words as I prayed in the quiet of the church. I felt like a little girl again when my mother would take me to our local church to light a candle and pray. There was something so comforting about the candle's gentle glow in the darkness. My mother used to say it would burn all day, carrying our prayers up to heaven long after we left the church. I missed my faith. I suppose Mike was right, once a Catholic, always a Catholic. The priest was right, too, God hadn't left me, no matter how much I felt like He had. He was just an easy target for my anger, because the only other person to blame was dead and being angry at him didn't seem to do much good. If Mike had done nothing else for me, he had convinced me to come back to Church. It felt good to be back.
I went back to the children's mass Sunday morning, although this time I sat in the last pew. I could see Mike, Sara and the boys sitting in the front row. I wasn't there for them, though. I was there for me. Despite that fact, I caught myself staring at the back of Mike's head much more than I cared to admit. Why was it whenever he was near I could think of little else? He hadn't called or stopped by the library to see me all week. It bothered me, no matter how much I tried to pretend that it didn't. This had to stop. When mass was ended, I hurried out of the church before he could see me.
The next day, I was sick as a dog. That's a strange expression, isn't it? After all, as far as I could tell, Lady almost never got sick. In any case, I could barely get out of bed. My head pounded, my throat was burning, and every muscle in my body was sore. I wanted my mommy! This was one thing that stunk about living alone. There was no one to take care of me when I was sick. Alan had always taken good care of me when I was ill. He would read to me while I lay in bed, and make me chicken soup, and even take care of the laundry. As badly as things ended for us, I had actually enjoyed being married, and I had loved Alan. I had loved him more than I had ever loved anyone else. I didn't like being alone. Lady was great, but she couldn't take the place of a real live person.
The following day, when I had actually managed to move to the couch, wrapped in my tattered flannel bathrobe, my doorbell rang.
"Go away!" I hollered. Well, hollered might be an exaggeration, seeing that I could barely talk. The doorbell rang again and again. It wouldn't stop. Lady was barking like a wild banshee. Apparently, whoever it was just wasn't going to go away. I dragged myself off of the couch, picked up Lady and answered the door. Mike was standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers and a small box.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered.
"I went by the library to see you. Rachel told me that you were sick."
"Come on in. I need to go sit down before I fall down." He followed me into the living room.
"This is a nice place that you have here."
"Yeah, it's no Victorian mansion, but its home." I fell back onto the couch. He stood awkwardly over me. "Sit down. You're making me nervous." He sat in a chair across from me.
"Man, you look awful."
"No, I didn't mean that way. I mean, you look really sick, that's all."
"What are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you afraid you're going to catch it?"
"Nah, I got my flu shot."
"Yeah, I'll have to remember to do that next year."
"These are for you." He held out the flowers.
"They're lovely. Thanks. Unfortunately, I can't smell them at the moment. Do you want to put them in some water for me? I have a vase in the kitchen."
"Sure. I'll go do that." He got up, leaving the box on the chair.
"What's in the box?" I asked when he returned. He handed it to me. "Here, take a look."
"It's my bowl! Thanks for bringing it to me."
"Didn't it come out great? I love the blue color. What are you going to use it for?"
"Umm – I'm not sure. I'll have to give it some thought. Could you put it up on the shelf for me?" I requested, pointing in the general direction of the bookcase. He took the bowl, and I wrapped my blanket closer around me.
"Are these your parents?" he asked, holding up a photo he found on the shelf.
"Uh- huh," I nodded.
"And who is this?" He held up another photo.
"That's my brother and his wife."
"Is this you as a little girl?"
"Yeah. I had just learned how to ride that bicycle. I wasn't very coordinated. It took me a long time to learn. My Dad wanted to preserve the moment forever."
"You were adorable! I love the pigtails."
"Thanks. I wasn't dying of the flu then."
"You do look awful. Is there anything I can get you – maybe some hot tea or something?"
"Would you be willing to make me some chicken soup? I've been wanting some, but I haven't had the energy to actually get up and make it. I have some cans in the cupboard. You can make yourself a bowl, too, if you'd like."
"That sounds good." I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember was Mike setting up a tray near me and putting the soup on it. "I'll help prop you up." He grabbed some extra pillows and put them behind me.
"Thank you. You are being very kind. You really don't need to be here."
"I know. I wanted to be. I knew you lived alone. I figured that you could use the help."
I nodded weakly. "I'm not very good company today."
"That's OK. You don't need to be." He smiled as he tucked the blankets around me. "Where's Lady's leash? She looks like she could use a walk."
"I'm sure she could. I've been barely able to put her outside. Her leash is over on the counter." Lady jumped up happily as Mike put on his jacket and picked up her leash. She was ready to go. "Come on, Lady. You can show me the neighborhood. We'll let Lucy get some sleep."
I finished my soup and then lay back. It felt good to get some food in my stomach. It was so kind of Mike to come. So kind . . .
When I woke up, it was three hours later. Mike was sitting in the chair, reading a book. Lady was curled up next to him. "You're still here?" I said groggily. "I didn't even hear you come back in."
"You were sound asleep. I didn't want to wake you."
"You don't need to stay. I'm sure that there are a million things you could be doing. I'll be fine."
"You don't look fine. And besides, this gives me a good excuse to procrastinate on my novel."
"Ugh . . I haven't worked on mine at all the past two days. I'm going to be way behind in word count."
"You're right. You should be working on your story. Suffering from the flu should be no deterrent to writing! I once wrote half of a novel when I was sicker than you are right now."
"Are you serious?"
"No, I'm just giving you a hard time. Of course you shouldn't be writing! You're sick. You need to take care of yourself."
"OK. I think I'm going to fall back to sleep now."
"OK. I'm just going to sit here."
"OK," I murmured as I drifted back into my fever-induced sleep.
I awoke to the feeling of a cold compress on my head and the morning light streaming through the window. I could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen. "You've been here all night? You must be exhausted."
"I rested in the chair. Anyway, I wanted to make sure you were OK. You had me scared there for a while. You kept tossing and turning and talking in your sleep."
"Oh, geez, I don't remember what I was dreaming about. Did I say anything embarrassing?"
"No, I couldn't really make out what you were trying to say – just that they were supposed to be words."
"That's good. I can't have you knowing all my secrets!"
"So, how are you feeling this morning?" he asked. "You're looking a little better – you have a little more color in your cheeks."
I reached up and pulled off the cold compress. "I do feel better. I'm starting to feel human again."
"I already called Rachel and told her that you wouldn't be at work today."
"She must be so mad at me."
"No, she understands. She doesn't want you to come in and share all your germs."
"Maybe I'll be able to go in tomorrow."
"Let's see how you get through today." he responded.
"You sound like my mother."
"Speaking of which, she called last night. She left a message on your machine."
"I'm surprised you didn't answer it."
"No, I figured you'd have a hard time explaining what a man was doing answering your phone at that time of night."
"Yeah, you're right. She would've had a fit. Thank you for your restraint."
"No problem. I have parents, too."
"Do you think we'll ever turn into our parents?"
"No, it's just not possible."
"I bet that's what everyone says, and then it happens anyway."
"You might be right about that."
"I think I'm going to try to get up. I'm feeling ambitious."
"Here, let me help you." He came over and supported my arm as I stood up. "How are you doing?"
"My legs feel a little shaky, but I think I'll be OK. I'm just going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." I successfully navigated my way there. When I looked in the mirror, I scared myself. I hadn't showered in over three days. My hair was greasy. I was pale. I looked like walking death. I was surprised Mike hadn't run from the room screaming.
"Man, I do look bad." I said as I shuffled my way back to the couch.
"Yes, you do."
"I need a shower."
"You don't always need to agree with me."
"I don't. Only when you are right!" I threw one of my pillows at him. It hit him in the head.
"You must be feeling better! Do you think you'll be all right if I go home for a little while? I'd like to take a shower myself and change my clothes."
"Sure, I'll be fine."
"OK. I'll get going then. I'll come back later to check on you and take Lady out for another walk."
"She's going to love you forever."
"Good. Somebody needs to," he said as he patted her head. He directed his attention back at me. "I know you're feeling better but don't try to overdo it. I'll be back later."
"OK, thanks," I said as he headed out the door.
I was feeling better and decided to take advantage of the time he was gone to make myself look somewhat presentable. It took some effort, but I did shower and get dressed. Then, worn out from that activity, I took another nap. I woke up to the phone ringing. It was late afternoon.
"Hi, it's Mike. You answered the phone. I'll take that as a sign you are up and functioning."
"Well, I'm up. Functioning is another matter."
"How are you feeling? Do you want some company?"
"Sure. Lady has been waiting for you to come back."
"Great! Do you want me to bring over something to eat? I could grab some take-out on the way." I briefly considered making him dinner, but decided he probably didn't want my germs all over his food.
"That would be great."
"Anything in particular?"
"No, I probably won't eat that much, so anything you want is fine."
"Is pizza OK?"
"Sounds good"
"Alright, I'll be by in about an hour."
Lady was looking up at me expectantly as I hung up the phone. "Yes, your friend is coming over." She wagged her tail happily. I bent down to pet her. "You like him, huh? Yeah, I like him, too. But, we'll keep that our little secret, OK?" I got her a treat. "Here you go. Good girl." She took her treat to her favorite spot to eat – right in the middle of the living room.
I tried to tidy things up a bit before Mike came over. Yes, I realized he had seen the house a total mess just a few hours before, but I was half-dead at the time and couldn't do anything about it. I was now only a quarter-dead and my domestic guilt had returned. In living with Alan and seeing the way Mike lived, I had come to the conclusion that most men don't suffer from that particular ailment. They are perfectly happy to live in a mess. Despite that fact, however, I still felt the need to clean up the dishes that had been piling up in the sink and wipe down the bathroom before his arrival. Mission accomplished, I once again retreated to my couch, Lady by my side, trying desperately to stay awake so that he wouldn't find me sound asleep once again. I drifted in and out of consciousness.
Alan was with me. We had just started dating. It was summer and he was holding my hand. We were walking down by the brook that ran through my parents' property. It was one of my favorite places. I went there often when I wanted to think or just relax. I could hear the water babbling over the rocks. I took off my shoes and socks and began to walk through it. Alan did the same. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, turning me toward him. He bent down to kiss me. His kisses were always so soft. I was so happy with him. When he pulled away, I looked up into Mike's face. How did he get there? "I can't," I whispered. "I'm married." But his blue eyes were so crystal clear. I leaned against him. I could hear his heartbeat. The church bells started to chime. It must be noon. I could hear a dog barking. Lady was running to the brook. No, it wasn't church bells. What was it? Oh, yes, that's right, I realized as I forced my eyes to open. It's the doorbell.
I tried to shake the cobwebs from my head as I got up and moved to the door. Lady was barking up a storm and I could smell the pizza before I even got there.
"Hi! Come on in."
"Were you sleeping?" Mike asked. "I was ringing the doorbell for quite a while. I thought Lady was going to try to jump through it."
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I had dozed off. I was having the strangest dream."
"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked as he put the pizza box down on the counter.
"No. I can't really remember what was going on. It didn't make much sense. The pizza smells good. I'll get us some plates. There is some soda in the fridge if you want some.
"You'll get my crusts, I promise," I said to Lady whose tail was going a mile a minute.
"I like your dog," Mike said as he bent down to pet her and give her a piece of pepperoni. "She is so good-natured."
"Yes, she is. I never had a pet before."
"You're kidding?"
"No, it's the truth. There were lots of animals on the farm that I helped take care of, but they were there for the food they provided. My parents always told me not to get too attached to them. I couldn't help it, though. I had my favorites. Still, Lady is my first in-the-house, let-me-share-your-lap, kind of pet. She's such a faithful companion. I don't know what I'd do without her. How about you? Did you ever have any pets?"
"Oh yeah, I always had animals when I was a kid. We had cats and dogs and a few fish. The fish never faired particularly well."
"I'm sorry to hear that. What was your favorite?"
"I had a mutt named 'Buster' who I loved. He followed me home from school one day and my mom let me keep him. He only lived for a couple years after that, but while he was around, he was my best friend. I used to take him to the park and let him swim in the duck pond or go running. He loved it."
"That sounds like fun. Lady doesn't like water much, which is odd considering she is part Lab. I tried to take her to the pond over at Heritage Park during the summer. She wanted nothing to do with it."
"Well, dogs are like people. They each have their own personality."
"Yeah, I guess you are right. So, how come you don't have any animals now?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. It just wasn't something that came up. Sara's kids have been asking for a dog. She is still considering the idea, but maybe I can talk her into it. I'd like to have an animal around again. In the meantime, I can borrow yours."
"Are you done with your pizza? I can put your plate in the dishwasher."
"Thanks. Do you feel up for a walk or do you want me to take Lady out myself?"
"Um, I don't know. I'm definitely feeling better and it would be good for me to get some air. Do you mind if we just go for a short one?"
"Sure. We can just go around the block. If you start feeling tired, we can come right back."
"Great. I'll get my coat." It felt good to step out into the fresh, cool air. Mike had Lady on the leash. She was happily pulling him along.
"I can't believe how quickly November is going by," I remarked.
"I know. This always happens. Every year when November begins, I think I will have so much time to write my novel, and then the weeks just fly by. Right about now, I start to panic, thinking that I am never going to have time to get it done. I have to always take a few deep breaths and remind myself that it will get done. It always gets done, and even if it doesn't, it isn't the end of the world."
"How is your story coming along?"
"It's doing alright. My stories always seem to be better in my head then they are on paper."
"I thought you were supposed to shut off your inner critic," I teased.
"Oh sure, throw my own words at me! I do try. It's just easier said than done. Every year, I hold out the hope that this year I'm going to write a great work of fiction and it just never happens."
"I'm sure it can't be that bad. If you write anywhere near as well as you paint, I bet your words are wonderful."
"Yeah, there is a reason I paint for a living, instead of write. How about you? How is your story coming?"
"About the same," I admitted. "I've been enjoying the writing, though. It's been fun to get back to doing something I used to love so much."
"And do you still love it?"
"When it is going well," I laughed. "Sometimes the words just flow and it is as easy as breathing and the words come pouring out. Other times, it is so painful and it feels like the words are never going to come again."
"Yeah, that sounds about right." We turned the corner at the end of my street. "Are you feeling OK?" he asked. "I don't want you to overdo it."
"I feel a little tired. My legs still aren't too steady. How about we just go to the next corner and then turn around."
"OK. If you need to, you can lean on me."
"Thanks. I just may do that. It does feel good to get some air, though."
"Oh, before I forget. Sara wanted me to invite you over for Thanksgiving. It's nothing formal. It will just be her and the kids, and me, of course. My parents won't be coming to visit until Christmas. We'd love to have you. I wouldn't want you to be alone for Thanksgiving. You can even bring Lady if you want to. I'm sure the boys would love to play with her."
"That's so sweet! Be sure to thank Sara for me, but I won't be able to make it. I'm going home for Thanksgiving."
"Are you really? That's great. When are you leaving?"
"Next Wednesday. I have to work until four that day, but then I'm going to head straight up. I should get there by eight."
"Are you looking forward to it?" he asked as we turned around to begin heading back home.
"Yeah . . . well, sort of. It's the first time I will have been back since I moved here. I'm looking forward to seeing my parents, but I'm nervous, too. It will be weird to be back. I've been trying so hard to put everything that happened behind me and now I'm going back to where it all happened. I'm not sure how I'm going to feel. I'm not sure how people are going to treat me."
"I can imagine that will be pretty hard. Are you going to tell your mom about what you found out before Alan died?"
"I'm still thinking about it. I don't know if I should or not. I haven't made up my mind yet."
"I think you should."
"How come?"
"Because she is your mom and you love her and I'm sure that she loves you. You should tell her the truth so that she can understand."
"Yeah, maybe you're right. It's just a hard thing to bring up in conversation."
"You told me."
"Yeah, but you're a relative stranger. You didn't know Alan."
"I know enough to know he was stupid for what he did to you. He may have died doing a good thing, but he never should have hurt you like that."
"Everything happens for a reason. I mean, God can bring good out of something bad, right?"
"Now you sound like me," he grinned.
"No, I sound like Father O'Malley. I actually broke down and went to confession last Saturday."
"You did?! That's great."
"Yeah, it had been a while. It did me good. I went back to church on Sunday, also."
"It was you! I thought that I saw you in the parking lot when we were leaving, but you were all the other way on the other side and I wasn't sure. Why didn't you come sit with us?"
"I didn't want to impose. You were so kind to take me the week before. I didn't want you to think I was trying to put myself into your Sunday routine."
"Don't be silly. We'd be happy to have you sit with us. You are always welcome. Next time you come, you come sit with us. OK?"
We walked along in silence for a few steps. We were almost back to my house, but my legs were feeling like lead. "Do you mind if I take you up on your offer to lean against you? I'm feeling so tired."
"Sure, come here." He wrapped his arm around me and helped to hold me up. He was so warm to lean against. I could get used to this. At the moment, though, all I wanted to do was lay back down on my couch. "Are you going to make it?" he asked. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."
"No, I'm glad we walked. I just think I overdid it a bit. I just need to go back to sleep."
"Alright, we'll get you back to bed. Just a few more steps." I somehow managed to make it up the stairs and into the living room where I did not even bother to take off my coat before I fell on the couch.
"Do you want to take your coat off?"
I shook my head "No."
"Well, at least let me take your shoes off." He took off my shoes. "Did you make this?" he asked, as he pulled up one of my quilts to cover me. I nodded weakly. "It's beautiful."
"I'm going to get going now so you can get some rest." I saw him start to walk toward the door.
"Mike," I said.
"Yes?" he turned toward me.
"Thanks so much for today, for taking care of me."
"No problem," he smiled. "I'll call you tomorrow to see how you are doing." He was such a kind man. I was lucky to have him around.
Join us next week for the next chapter of Through the Open Window. Can't wait for more? Check out Through the Open Window at Amazon!


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In his book, "Boy
Meets Girl", Joshua Harris enumerates five qualities of a Christian
courtship. He says it better than I can so I'd like to peak your interest if you haven't read it already or give you a recap if you have read it.
Harris concludes this chapter in "Boy Meets Girl" with a very
insightful thought. "When we each stand before God, He won't ask, "Did
you date or did you court?
What will matter in eternity is whether our lives and our pursuit of romance brought glory to our Father.
If God's glory is your goal, you don't need to worry that you've done something wrong because your situation is different than someone else's. No matter where we are today or what mistakes we've made in the past, He has given us everything we need to glorify Him right now. If you haven't read "Boy Meets Girl" I highly recommend it.
Return to "Boy Meets Girl" by Joshua Harris - review of chapter 2
see also a review of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris - review of chapter 2
Marriage Myths Christian Views on Marriage Christian Courtship
Stay Connected!


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SIN Night & DJ Dae Dae – 10PM
December 15 @ 10:00 pm - 11:30 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 10:00pm on Sunday, repeating until December 29, 2019
Event Navigation
Each Sunday is service industry night!
Plus! Enjoy music from DJ Dae Dae!
Sundays | 10PM


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Legislative Update
The following is a summary of fiscal 2001 state budgets for schools and highlights of final education-related action in legislatures. The figures for the state budget and for precollegiate education spending include money for state education administration, but not federal, flow-through dollars. Percentage increases are based on rounded numbers, and estimated enrollment reflects the state's projected public school enrollment for 2000-01, unless otherwise noted. Depending on the state, figures may or may not include prekindergarten spending and enrollment.
Governor: Thomas R. Carper (D)
FY 2001 state budget: $2.2 billion
FY 2001 K-12 budget: $720.23 million
FY 2000 K-12 budget: $666.70 million
Percent change K-12 budget: + 8.0 percent
Estimated K-12 enrollment: 114,000
- Budget allots $3.1 million toward implementing new educator-accountability system passed by legislature earlier this year. In part, funds will help create new, three-tiered certification system for teachers.
- Another $2 million will go for professional development and "skills and knowledge" supplements as required under Educator Accountability Act.
- Spending plan provides $1.2 million to hire new reading specialists for every school district, to help train teachers in reading instruction and help students firsthand.
Governor: Tom Vilsack (D)
FY 2001 state budget: $4.9 billion
FY 2001 K-12 budget: $1.93 billion
FY 2000 K-12 budget: $1.84 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: + 4.9 percent
Estimated K-12 enrollment: 497,000
- For first time, state government will help local districts pay for school facilities under $50 million grant program to help schools meet fire and health codes over next three years. Districts are required to match state grants up to 50 percent, depending on their ability to raise money locally.
- In another first for Iowa, lawmakers added $7 million to help districts with secondary school students deemed at risk of school failure. Another $10 million will be added for early-intervention programs and smaller classes.
- House rejected Senate bill to allow up to five charter schools statewide chartered by local districts, and another five chartered by state. House also killed strict new rules to prohibit 3rd graders more than a year behind in mathematics or reading from promotion to 4th grade.
Governor: Mike Foster (R)
FY 2001 state budget: $9.2 billion
FY 2001 K-12 budget: $2.42 billion
FY 2000 K-12 budget: $2.45 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: - 1.2 percent
Estimated K-12 enrollment: 730,000
- Given budget shortfall in Louisiana, state is seeing a slight decrease in education spending this year.
- Though Gov. Foster vowed in his 1999 re-election campaign to bring teacher salaries up to Southern regional average, final budget did not contain any money to accomplish that goal. But this fall, voters will consider referendum that would restructure state tax system to produce an estimated $200 million annually in additional revenue, most of which would go for pay raises at public schools and universities.
- Budget contains $12.3 million for remedial education, summer school, early intervention, testing, and other parts of state's new accountability program, far below roughly $30 million originally requested.
- Also, budget allocates $14.3 million for K-3 reading and mathematics initiative, short of $19.5 million originally sought by governor.
Governor: Lincoln Almond (R)
FY 2001 state budget: $3.4 billion
FY 2001 K-12 budget: $665.56 million
FY 2000 K-12 budget: $617.98 million
Percent change K-12 budget: +7.7 percent
Estimated K-12 enrollment: 155,000
- Budget includes about $4 million to support state intervention and assistance in Rhode Island's largest district, 25,000- student Providence public schools. In allocating funds, legislators joined officials from Providence schools and state education department in signing an "education compact" in which city school leaders accepted responsibility for improving student achievement in exchange for additional state aid.
- State funding for charter schools rose from $2.5 million annually to $4 million.
- Efforts to equalize school funding between rich and poor school systems included $7.4 million in additional funds to be distributed to districts based on their local tax effort in support of schools.
- Lawmakers also agreed to phase out residency rules that have required public school teachers to live in municipalities where they work.
Governor: Howard Dean (D)
FY 2001 state budget: $1.25 billion
FY 2001 K-12 budget: $879.70 million
FY 2000 K-12 budget: $833.66 million
Percent change K-12 budget: + 5.5 percent
Estimated enrollment: 104,000
- State is in third year of implementing Act 60, which overhauled its school finance structure. This year's budget contained no changes to plan, as it had in years past.
- Special education funding was a major concern for legislature this year. Budget increases special education spending from $46.8 million to $55.8 million per year.
- Budget also includes $1.2 million for new measure to contain
special education costs by setting up state systems to help districts
share information and resources. Annual statewide expenditure targets
for special education also have been set for 2002 through 2004. And
legislature plans to review system of providing aid to districts for
special education.
Vol. 19, Issue 43, Page 28Published in Print: August 2, 2000, as Legislative Update
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Media and investment firms grab space in this prime Manhattan location
September 23, 2016 – (New York) – RXR Realty, a leading real estate operating and investment company in the New York Tri-State area, announced today the completion of leases with four new tenants at its property at 1330 Avenue of the Americas. The new tenants in the 534,000-square-foot, Class-A tower include two from the world of media and entertainment and two investment firms.
Signing leases were:
RXR was represented in the transactions by the Cushman & Wakefield team of Tara Stacom, Bruce Mosler, Mike Nahmias, Peter Trivelas, Michael Biraldi and Heather Thomas. Lauren Ferrentino and Alexandra Budd of RXR represented ownership interest in addition to the Cushman team.
"We are pleased to welcome our new tenants and expect to have more leases to announce in the coming weeks," said William Elder, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of RXR's New York City division. "We have seen a lot of interest and activity at 1330 Avenue of the Americas, as potential tenants realize it is one of the most prominent and best-located high-end, boutique office buildings in New York City."
About RXR Realty LLC
RXR Realty LLC ("RXR") is a vertically integrated private real estate operating company with expertise in investment management, property management, development, design, construction, leasing and financing. RXR's core growth strategy is focused on New York City and the surrounding tri-state area markets. The Company is one of the largest owners, managers, and developers in the New York Tri-State area. RXR's operating platform manages 89 commercial real estate properties and investments comprising 25.2 million square feet, with an aggregate gross asset value of $14.7 billion, as of June 30, 2016. In addition, RXR has a residential development pipeline of approximately 3,000 residential units in the New York metropolitan area.
Media Contact for RXR Realty:
Diana Kashan – DKC Public Relations
212 981 5161
The RXR platform manages 71 commercial real estate properties and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $20.5 billion, comprising approximately 31.4 million square feet of commercial properties, inclusive of approximately 6.0 million square feet of buildings securing debt and preferred equity investments, a multi-family residential portfolio of approximately 2,500 units under operation or development, and control of development rights for an additional approximately 3,700 multi-family and for sale units in the New York Metropolitan area as of June 30, 2019. Gross asset value compiled by RXR Realty in accordance with company fair value measurement policy and is comprised of capital invested by RXR and its partners, as well as leverage.


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Human Measurement > Strength Testing
The unique design of the Lafayette Hydraulic Pinch Gauge frees the client to perform a true pinch pattern because the therapist, not the client, supports the weight of the gauge. A highly accurate pinch-force measurement is the result. It measures pinch force up to 45 pounds. Includes instructions and carrying case.
Lafayette Instrument also calibrates the Lafayette and JAMAR Pinch Gauges. If you are interested in this service, check out our Calibration Return Form.
* Displayed price is subject to change based on shipping location.
3700 Sagamore Pkwy N
Lafayette, IN 47904
Phone: (765) 423-1505
Fax: (765) 423-4111


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Since the foundation, in 80s at Vic (Barcelona), by Francesc Bellvehí Busquets, AEE offers integral services in the hydraulic sector.
In the beggining of the 90s, they specializes in the hydroelectrical microcentral - providing low power equipment - and bring an alternative technical, economical and ecological in the field of the self consumption instalations.
Nowadays, AEE is specialized in the achivement of the studies, the project's implementation, the maintenance, the reparation and the management of the hydroelectrical centrals.
AEE offers all the servicies about hydroelectrical instalations, since point repairs (mechanical, oilhydraulical, electrical, etc.) to the implementation of new projects.
The same as our technique and administrative office, our workshop is located in Vic, a city which is 60 km north of Barcelona. In Barcelona we can find the civil engineering.
The workshop has a surface of 1400 m2, in which one we have two bridge crane and the machinery necessary to repare, to maintenance and to construct any infrastructure in the shortest time as possible. That machinery is compound for lathe, machinery to perforation, cutting and milling machinery, press brake and other things.
We have specialized staff, a fleet of workshop-vehicle to mounting and reparate the instalations in every side of Spain. At the same time we have the skills to do any type of international job. Also our company is formed with preparated staff to do any job about immersion with the technique and the proficiency for the diagnosis and for the reparation of breakdowns.
Being a especialized enterprise in energy projects, AUXILIAR D'EXPLOTACIONS ENERGÈTIQUES S.L. offer their services to companies of hydroelectric domain both state level and world level.
A través de Minicentrales Hidroeléctricas (MCH) se está promocionando la implantación de nuevos proyectos en América del Sud. AEE conjuntamente con ERHCONSULT ha implantado con éxito el proyecto C.H. Diuto (Chile) de 3,3 MW y, en este momento, se está trabajando para la implantación de nuevos proyectos en Chile, Ecuador, Perú y México.
AEE, ha llevado a cabo proyectos, hasta el momento, en España, Portugal, Francia e Italia, a nivel de Europa; en Sud América se han realizado proyectos en Chile y también en Perú y en Sud África, en Marruecos.
Instaled power
SEER Group
The SEER Group takes six companies of the energetic sector which have more experience offering integral services about hydrualic, hydrolectric and solar engineering, to more than 280 customers from Spain and Latin America.
Founded at 1979 by Francesc Xavier Bellvehí Busquets in Barcelona, group these companies: AEE, Auxiliar d'Explotacions Energètiques, ERH Consult S.L., IMSHYDRO, MCH, Minicentrales Hidroeléctricas Limitad, Saltos del Pirineo S.L. and El Salto de la Villa S.A.
Nowadays, AEE is specialized realizing studies, implementing projects, the maintenance, the repairs and the management of the hydrolectric plants.
AEE offers all the services that hydroelectrical plants needs: from pointing repairs (mechanical, oilhydraulical, electrical, etc.) to the implementation of new projects.
ENERGIA Y RECURSOS HIDRAULICOS, CONSULTORIA TÉCNICA, SL (ERH Consult)
Born in 2012 by an initiative from some engineers with a high experience in the field of renewable energy, in the hydraulical and in the tecnology about water's treatment. Has the objective to be a specialized engineering in the development of each project about water and energy.
Company dedicated to exploitation, maintenance and management of hydrolectrical plants in Chile.
Born form the union between a team of engineers with high experience in the world of valves (since 1979) and a technical team specialized in hydromechanical equipment (AEE).


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Easy Date and Time Entry in Excel
Q. How do I format a cell so that I can input 08212007 with no dashes or slashes and have it appear in the spreadsheet cell as 08/21/2007? No matter how I try to format the cell I get diffe rent numbers that bear no relationship to the date I want. Maybe I need a formula? Any help would be greatly appreciated.Sheila Stark
Q. I have an Excel spreadsheet in which I often have to enter times in the 24-hour format. I was wondering if there was a way to format the cells so that when I type "124" it interprets it as 1:24. It would also need to see "2245" as 22:45.Jeremy Williams
A. Interestingly, these two questions arrived within a couple of days of each other. If you have to enter a ton of dates or times, it makes perfect sense to avoid typing the backslashes and colonsespecially the colons, which require hitting a Shift key. Configuring Excel to display date and time digits that you've entered without punctuation is a simple matter of defining the correct custom format. However, changing the formatting doesn't change the actual data. Even when you see 08/21/2007 displayed, Excel will still treat the data as the number 8,212,007. If you want to use the date or time values in calculations, you will need to add a column containing formulas that will translate them into actual dates and times for Excel.
To set up a worksheet so that you can enter dates as MMDDYYYY with no slashes between, first click the column header for the column that will contain the dates. Now right-click the column header and select Format Cells from the pop-up menu. On the Number tab choose Custom and enter the following custom format in the Type box:
00\/00\/0000. The forward slash has special meaning in a custom format, so you must precede it with a backslash to tell Excel that you want the literal character, not its special meaning.
Now insert a column just after this column to hold the actual date for use in calculations. Let's say the eight-digit dates were in column A, starting in cell A2. Then you would enter this formula in cell B2 and copy it down the whole column:
=DATE(MOD(A2, 10000), TRUNC(A2 / 1000000), MOD(TRUNC(A2 / 10000), 100)). The MOD function returns the remainder when dividing its first argument by its second. Thus the first sub-expression returns the last four digits of your numberthe year. For the month, we divide by 1,000,000 and use the
TRUNC function to throw away any fractional part. And for the day, we do a combination of the two.
To enter HH:MM time values without the colon, you'll simply use a different custom format. The format
0\:00 will give one- or two-digit hours, while the format
00:\00 will always give you two-digit hours, left-padding with a zero if necessary. A formula like this one would convert the typed value into an actual time value for use in calculations:


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By Year
By Month
Brazilian Federal Revenue Office publishes new rulings on cross-border transactions with software06/04/2017
The Brazilian Federal Revenue Office ("BFRO") has recently published new rulings on the tax treatment applicable to payments remitted abroad in consideration for the licensing of software developed or held by foreign parties.
According to Solução de Divergência No. 18/17 from the General Coordination of Taxation ("COSIT" – Coordenação Geral de Tributação), payments remitted abroad as compensation for software distribution or commercialization licenses are deemed royalties, therefore subject to Withholding Income Tax ("WTH") at a 15% rate, as per section 710 of Income Tax Regulations (Decree No. 3,000/99). Also, such ruling sets forth that no CIDE (Contribution for Intervention in the Economic Domain) should be levied on remittances of payments for distribution/commercialization licenses, as no transfer of technology (i.e.: transfer of the source code) is verified in such cases.
One should comment that the rulings published so far by the BFRO used to focus on either licenses to use software or software acquisition for resale, and affirmed that payments remitted abroad should be subject to WTH (and to 10% CIDE, when applicable) or that no WTH should be levied, respectively. Indeed, Solução de Divergência No. 18/17 is the first ruling to clearly analyze the license for the distribution/commercialization of software in view of the applicable intellectual property law and tax regulations.
The BFRO also published Solução de Consulta COSIT No. 191/17, which was the first to address remittances abroad as compensation for the so-called Software as a Service ("SaaS"). According to such ruling, SaaS are deemed technical services that depend on specialized computing knowledge and derive from automatic structures with clear technological content, thus they should be taxed by WTH (15%) and CIDE (10%).
It should be stressed that the abovementioned rulings aim at standardizing tax authorities´ understanding on the analyzed matters and must be followed by the BFRO agents when carrying out tax inspections and by taxpayers that remit payments as compensation for SaaS or for the license for distribution/commercialization of software.
Please note that said rulings did not analyze the applicable tax treatment when said remittances are made to Countries that executed Double Taxation Avoidance Treaties with Brazil, which dispositions should be considered whenever applicable, nor if PIS/COFINS-Imports should be collected on such payments. Finally, it should be emphasized that the WTH rate commented above is increased to 25% if the remittance is carried out to a beneficiary residing in a jurisdiction blacklisted as a tax haven*.
In view of the foregoing, it is highly recommendable to proceed with an analysis of the agreements executed in software-related transactions and their respective tax treatment.
Felsberg Advogado's tax consulting and intellectual property teams are at your disposal to advise in these regards. For further assistance, please contact Ivan Campos (firstname.lastname@example.com), Thiago Medaglia (email@example.com), Gabriel Paranaguá (firstname.lastname@example.com) or Andrea Faria (email@example.com), partners and senior associate of the tax consulting teams and coordinator of the intellectual property department, respectively.
This article is of a solely informative nature, and does not contain any opinion, recommendation or legal advice from Felsberg Advogados concerning the subject matter covered.
*Currently, the following Countries and jurisdictions are considered to be tax havens according to Normative Instruction No. 1,037/10: American Samoa; Andorra; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Ascension Island; Bahamas; Bahrain; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; British Virgin islands; Brunei; Campione D'Italia; Cayman Islands; Channel Islands (Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and Sark); Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Curacao, Cyprus; Djibouti; Dominica; Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis; French Polynesia; Gibraltar; Grenada; Hong Kong; Ireland; Kiribati; Labuan; Lebanon; Liberia; Liechtenstein; Macao; Madeira; Maldives; Isle of Man; Marshall Islands; Mauritius; Monaco; Montserrat; Nauru; Niue; Norfolk Island; Panama; The Pitcairn Island; Qeshm Island; San Marino; Seychelles; Singapore; Saint Helena; Saint Martin Islands; Solomon Islands; St. Pierre and Miquelon; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; St. Lucia; Sultanate of Oman; Swaziland; Tonga; Tristan da Cunha; Turks and Caicos; United Arab Emirates; US Virgin Islands; Vanuatu; Western Samoa.