text:
Fatal Auto-Immune Disorder Caused By Hepatitis B Vaccine
Today, newborn babies are injected with as many as 30+ vaccines before the age of 3. Within these vaccines is a number of ingredients that are anything but natural and have been shown to be unsafe. Vaccines contain Mercury, Msg, Formaldehyde, Aluminum and are the cause of multiple diseases.
The hepatitis B vaccine has been linked to auto-immune disorders. An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune disorders.
In 2001, a United States court sided with the estate of Tambra Harris who died as a result of an auto-immune disease called systemic lupus erythematosus, (SLE) which resulted from the vaccination. Despite all of the information available, the Hepatitis B vaccine has been approved for all U.S. infants at birth. A $475,000 payment was given after her death when the hepatitis vaccine was determined to cause her injury in the form of an SLE. Despite this case, it is not enough to prevent the administration of the vaccine to infants nor is the danger risk disclosed to parents before hand.
Luckily, parents are becoming well aware about the dangers of vaccinations as the information becomes more popular. One of the challenges is that many doctors take in information from various medical associations without ever questioning the legitimacy of their source.
The Hepatitis B vaccine has also been linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders. Contrary to popular belief, as a parent you do still have a choice whether or not to vaccinate your child. There is plenty of research to help guide you there, you can start here. I encourage more medical professionals to do their research. It is important that doctors are encourage to do proper unbiased research from multiple sources throughout a period of time, as drug company sponsored medical educational research has been shown to be faulty.
In increasing numbers, parents across the country are contacting the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) to report opposition to regulations being enacted by state health department officials that legally require children to be injected with three doses of hepatitis B vaccine before being allowed to attend daycare, kindergarten, elementary school, high school or college. National Vaccine Information Centre
It's amazing to see how fast our planet is transitioning and transforming. Ancient prophecy seems to be holding true, we really are living in apocalyptic times, apocalypse meaning transparency, as the original meaning of the world intended. Human beings are surrounded by a number of products that our corporate world mass markets to us. Everything from cosmetics, to food, goods and services, it seems all major products used by human beings are owned by a handful of people and the corporations they run. Energy, education, food, financial, food and health industries have all been under intense scrutiny over the past few years. More alternative media outlets are appearing and garnering attention from millions worldwide as mainstream media refuses to cover important information. Thanks to all who visit our website and read our articles. Much Love.
More CE articles on vaccinations:
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Alternative News
Big News: Costco To Become First Major Retailer To Stop Selling Roundup Herbicide?
In Brief
- The Facts:
According to the non profit group Moms Across America, Costco is set to stop selling Roundup herbicide.
- Reflect On:
Despite the fact that harmful products continue to be approved across North America, the ultimate power to stop their use is us. When we become aware, we stop buying, and their profits drop. We are the ones that use it. Vote with your dollar.
It's hard to even know where to start with the herbicide Roundup. Despite years of science exposing the inarguable health and environmental consequences of Roundup, federal health regulatory agencies in North America are still approving the herbicide, while multiple other countries have banned it and made its use illegal, citing various health and environmental concerns. Sri Lanka, for example, banned it five years ago due to its link to deadly kidney disease.
Furthermore, the countries approving it are doing so with massive amounts of corruption. These approvals come as a result of corrupt regulatory agencies here in Canada as well as the US, specifically the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The list of examples is very long when it comes to corruption and government connections to corporations like Monsanto, the corporation that created and sells Roundup. This is the only way these products get approved. It's not science, it's simply because of lobbying efforts and shady politics.
"It is commonly believed that Roundup is among the safest pesticides… Despite its reputation, Roundup was by far the most toxic among the herbicides and insecticides tested. This inconsistency between scientific fact and industrial claim may be attributed to huge economic interests, which have been found to falsify health risk assessments and delay health policy decisions." – R. Mesnage (et al., Biomed Research International, Volume 2014 (2014), article ID 179691)
The latest approvals of glyphosate, the main active ingredient in Roundup, came from within Canada as well as Europe.
EU regulators recently decided to relicense glyphosate, a decision that was based on an assessment plagiarized from industry reports. It's quite backwards that, for years, health regulators have been relying on the scientific reports from the companies that manufacture these products instead of seeking out independent scientific studies.
A group of MEPs decided to commission an investigation into claims that Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (bFr) copy-and-pasted tracts from Monsanto studies. You can read more about that here.
In addition, Monsanto colluded with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stifle cancer research that had any connection to their products.
The corruption is never-ending when it comes to the link between corporations and government agencies. In fact, only a few years ago, more than a dozen scientists from within the CDC put out an anonymous public statement detailing the influence corporations have on government policies. They were referred to as the Spider Papers.
Related CE Article: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Explains How Big Pharma Completely Owns Congress
The corruption that plagues our federal regulatory agencies runs deep, and no matter how obvious the science becomes, like the dangers of Roundup, products that negatively impact our health seem to often get approved anyways. But something special on planet Earth is happening, and that's massive awareness. We are finally starting to see through the veil that's been blinding the masses in so many different areas within human life.
Sure, these products may continue to get approved, but we are the ones who are constantly choosing to do so. We don't have to buy them, and that is why awareness is key.
Zen Honeycutt, the leader of Moms Across America, announced this week that Costco will not be selling the glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup Ready.
In a live video update posted on Facebook, Honeycutt stated that she received word that Costco was no longer selling Roundup or glyphosate-based herbicides.
While she's allegedly not received any official word yet from Costco, she stated that she has talked to various people at the headquarters and regional offices confirming this news. This is huge news because, according to a 2015 article in National Geographic, Roundup is the second-best-selling herbicide in the U.S. for home lawn and garden use. Under a lucrative contract with Monsanto, Scotts Miracle-Gro owns the exclusive right to market Roundup in North America and much of Europe. Scotts distributes about $154 million worth (5.5 percent of the company's total sales) of Roundup each year to retail giants including Amazon, Home Depot and Walmart.
So let's hope it's true.
I asked for an official statement and was told that usually, Costco does not issue press releases, etc discussing which items they have discontinued. Despite not hearing back from the Costco PR department, I decided to announce the information anyway. I told them that the 89,000 people who signed a petition to Costco, Home Depot, and Lowe's deserved to have an answer. I knew that they would be happy to know that Costco was doing the right thing. – Honeycutt (source)
It's weird how this is even a debate in some circles. This has been known for a very long time, and we've seen similar happenings with DDT in the past.
"Children today are sicker than they were a generation ago. From childhood cancers to autism, birth defects and asthma, a wide range of childhood diseases and disorders are on the rise. Our assessment of the latest science leaves little room for doubt; pesticides are one key driver of this sobering trend." – October 2012 report by Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) (source)(source)
Glyphosate is really getting a bad name, as this new information regarding Costco is coming off the heels of some bad press for Monsanto (Bayer) as the case regarding school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson was the first lawsuit claiming that glyphosate causes cancer to go to trial. There are thousands upon thousands of similar pending cases. Any jury that reviews all of the scientific evidence will not be able to rule in favor of Monsanto, and Johnson's case was a great example that showed glyphosate caused his cancer.
The Takeaway
At the end of the day, it's us who decide to use these products. Obviously, we've been misled and made to trust our federal regulatory agencies who are supposedly in charge of protecting us from these harmful products. It's the complete opposite, and what these agencies do is actually quite criminal. This is why conscious media is so important. The same powers that control these corporations have a tight grip on mainstream media as well.
This is why this issue goes largely ignored, and the fact that so many people rely on mainstream media for information about what's really happening in the world with regards to health, environment, finance, politics, etc. is why a lot of people are still completely unaware of important issues. This is also why governments have started a war on 'fake news,' which seems to be a cover for protecting corporate and government interests.
Help Support Collective Evolution
The demand for Collective Evolution's content is bigger than ever, except ad agencies and social media keep cutting our revenues. This is making it hard for us to continue.
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Alternative News
New Study Links Acetaminophen (Tylenol) To Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Another damning study indicates it is simply time to pull the plug on this outdated drug.
The study just published in JAMA Pediatrics once again indicated that women who take acetaminophen during pregnancy are more likely to have a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The researchers also found that prenatal exposure to the medication was associated with a higher risk of having children who exhibit other emotional or behavioral symptoms.
Recent detailed analysis of clinical studies on acetaminophen (Tylenol) have concluded that this popular drug was ineffective for low back pain and provided no significant clinical relief of hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain, while quadrupling the risk for liver damage.
All together, the results from all of these analyses further calls into question whether this drug should still be on the over-the-counter market or at all.
Background Data:
Acetaminophen is the only remaining member of the class of drugs known as "aniline analgesics" that is still on the market, as the rest were discontinued long ago. Acetaminophen only blocks the feelings of pain and reduces fever, it exerts no significant anti-inflammatory or therapeutic action.
It is well-known that acetaminophen is very hard on the liver. About 40% of regular acetaminophen users show signs of liver damage. Acetaminophen reduces the liver's store of the important detoxifying aid and antioxidant glutathione. When acetaminophen is combined with alcoholic drinks or other compounds toxic to the liver including other medications, its negative effects on the liver are multiplied. It should definitely not be used in anyone with impaired liver function and given the stress the liver experiences during pregnancy, it appears unwise to use it while carrying a child for both mother and the developing fetus.
Acetaminophen is often the drug of choice in children to relieve fever. However, use for fever in the first year of life is associated with an increase in the incidence of asthma and other allergic symptoms later in childhood. Asthma appears to be another disease process that is influenced greatly by antioxidant mechanisms. Acetaminophen severely depletes glutathione levels not only in the liver, but presumably other tissues as well, and should definitely not be used in people with asthma.
Each year acetaminophen causes over 100,000 calls to poison control centers; 50,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and more than 450 deaths from liver failure. In addition, regular use of acetaminophen is linked to a higher likelihood of Alzheimer's disease, infertility, and hearing loss (especially in men under 50 years of age). Acetaminophen use during pregnancy has also been linked to the development of ADHD confirming animal studies showing acetaminophen use in pregnancy can disrupt normal brain development.
New Data:
To more closely assess the associations between maternal prenatal acetaminophen use and behavioral issues in their children, researchers in the United Kingdom collected and analyzed data 7,796 mothers along with their children. The data included acetaminophen use and behavioral assessments of the children were 7 years old. From this data the estimated risk ratios for behavioral problems in children after prenatal exposure to acetaminophen was determined.
The results showed that prenatal acetaminophen use at 18 and 32 weeks of pregnancy was associated with a 42% increased risk of the child having conduct problems and hyperactivity symptoms, while maternal acetaminophen use at 32 weeks was also associated with a 29% increased risk of the child having emotional symptoms and a 46% increase in total behavioral difficulties.
Obviously, the researchers concluded "Children exposed to acetaminophen prenatally are at increased risk of multiple behavioral difficulties, and the associations do not appear to be explained by unmeasured behavioral or social factors linked to acetaminophen use."
The results from this study and others are clear. Stay away from acetaminophen. Most people consider acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) as being an extremely safe pain reliever for both children and adults. The reality is that it can be extremely dangerous and causes significant side effects. The FDA has done a poor job alerting the public to the dangers of acetaminophen. In my opinion, it is a drug that serves no real medical purpose in the 21stcentury. Bottom line, it is time to pull it from the market.
As far as alternatives to acetaminophen during pregnancy, I would recommend ginger. Historically, the majority of complaints for which ginger (Zingiber officinale) was used concerned the gastrointestinal system as well as pain and inflammation. Several double-blind studies have shown ginger to yield positive results in a variety of gastrointestinal issues, especially those related to nausea and vomiting including severe morning sickness. In regards to pain and inflammation, dozens of clinical studies have supported this use with positive results in various forms of arthritis, chronic low back pain, muscle pain, and painful menstruation.
Ginger powder, ginger tea or a shot of fresh ginger juice added to any fresh fruit or vegetable juice is certainly a much better option to acetaminophen anytime, but especially during pregnancy.
My overall interpretation of the study is that depletion of glutathione caused by acetaminophen leaves cells, especially brain cells, susceptible to damage. I believe that future studies will not only show more evidence of a link to ADHD, but also autism as well. Glutathione is absolutely critical in protecting cellular function. Any factor that depletes glutathione is obviously going to alter proper development. In addition to acetaminophen, the following factors can deplete glutathione:
- Alcohol
- Pesticides, herbicides
- Acetone, cleaning solvents, paint removers
- Heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, etc.)
- X-rays, UV radiation, and electromagnetic fields (EMF)
To boost your glutathione level it is important to focus on a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables. Their rich source of antioxidant phytochemicals and nutrients spare the use of glutathione and help to keep cellular levels high.
For additional related research use the following links:
If you want to learn more from Greenmedinfo, sign up for their newsletter here.
Stergiakouli E, Thapar A, Smith GD. Association of Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy with Behavioral Problems in Childhood. Evidence Against Confounding. JAMA Pediatrics. Published online August 15, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.1775
Help Support Collective Evolution
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Alternative News
The Dangers of 5G to Children's Health
Mobile and wireless technologies are a ubiquitous feature of modern life. Most U.S. adults own smartphones, a growing proportion are "smartphone-only" Internet users and over a fourth report being online "almost constantly." As for children, a 2014 survey of high-income nations reported that almost seven in ten children used a mobile phone, and two-thirds of those had a smartphone, usually by age 10. As described by Nielsen, it is now as common to see "a kid with a smartphone in their hand" as it was to see "a kid playing with a yo-yo in the years before the digital age."
The enthusiasm with which the public has embraced each new mobile and wireless technology—most of which have never undergone any appropriate safety testing or standards development—suggests that consumers rarely stop to consider the health implications of the infrastructure shoring up their ability to browse, stream and download anytime and "on the go." Consumers are not entirely to blame for their lack of awareness—it is not easy to disentangle the technologies' health risks in the face of the telecommunications industry's steady and calculated disinformation efforts and a captured Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that "follows the script of fabulously wealthy, bullying, billion-dollar beneficiaries of wireless."
…powerful 5g (fifth generation) networks and technology are about to subject everyone, on a continuous basis, to unprecedented forms and amounts of mandatory irradiation – without prior study of the potential health impact or any assurance of safety
Now, however, a global 5G "frenzy" is upon us and is coming into full force. The rollout of "blazing fast" 5G technology will "dramatically increase the number of transmitters sending signals to cellphones and a host of new Internet-enabled devices." The time is ripe for greater grassroots awareness of the undisclosed tradeoffs between convenience and 5G's potentially catastrophic health effects. Far from a simple "next-gen" upgrade, powerful 5G (fifth-generation) networks and technology are about to subject everyone, on a continuous basis, to unprecedented forms and amounts of what retired U.S. government physicist Dr. Ronald Powell calls "mandatory irradiation"—without "prior study of the potential health impact" or any assurance of safety. Considering that young people (with their smaller body mass and developing brains) are particularly vulnerable to radiation, the Environmental Health Trust has termed 5G "the next great unknown experiment on our children"—and the entire human population.
Early warnings
In fact, the "giant uncontrolled experiment" on children and adults has already begun, despite an urgent international appeal by tens of thousands of scientists, doctors, environmental organizations and citizens calling for a halt to 5G deployment. In 2018, telecom carriers in the U.S. and Europe began rolling out 5G technology in dozens of cities. Focusing (for now) on "dense urban and high-traffic areas" in the U.S., AT&T began positioning its 5G infrastructure in major cities in eight states, and Verizon started offering 5G home broadband service in "select neighborhoods" in a handful of cities.
…health problems such as insomnia, miscarriage, memory problems and other neurological issues, and there are widespread reports of annihilation of insect and bird populations
For the most part, health concerns have ranked as a tiny footnote in the midst of the massive hoopla about 5G's speed and capacity, although trade magazines admit that there may be "some objections" to 5G due to "concerns over potential health risks." In both Europe and the U.S., however, individuals living and working in proximity to newly installed 5G towers and antennas are telling a different story. Many have immediately started experiencing health problems such as insomnia, miscarriage, memory problems and other neurological issues, and there are widespread reports of annihilation of insect and bird populations.
In response to complaints from fire fighters subjected to 5G antennas, the International Association of Fire Fighters has gone on record as opposing "the use of fire stations as base stations for towers and/or antennas for the conduction of cell phone transmissions until a study with the highest scientific merit and integrity…is conducted and it is proven that such sitings are not hazardous to the health of our members."
A United Nations whistleblower recently drew attention to 5G's dramatic impact on health in a widely circulated series of comments about 5G's "seemingly overnight" rollout in Vienna, Austria. Describing 5G as a "silent war," she commented:
"…Children are the most vulnerable to 5G depredation because of their little bodies. Friends and acquaintances and their children in Vienna are already reporting the classic symptoms of EMR [electromagnetic radiation] poisoning: nosebleeds, headaches, eye pains, chest pains, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, tinnitus, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, and cardiac pain. They also report a tight band around the head; pressure on the top of the head; short, stabbing pains around the body; and buzzing internal organs."
Above and below
One of the novel dangers introduced by 5G technology is its reliance on high-frequency millimeter waves (MMWs), a bountiful and not previously commercialized portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. While 5G's enthusiasts are quick to promise support for literally billions of devices, there is one catch—the shorter millimeter wavelengths cannot travel as far as the lower frequencies used for earlier generations of mobile technology. Thus, while there were about 300,000 wireless antennas on U.S. cell towers and buildings as of 2016 (a doubling since 2002), 5G will require "exponentially more"—millions of small cell towers every 500 feet "on every street corner."
…Even in the home environment, 5G technology (will) blast through walls and cribs, making a mockery of the notion that 'your home is your castle in which you are supposed to be safe
Organizations concerned about the health hazards of wireless radiation note that "Right now, you don't have to live next to a cell tower….but once they have these [5G] cell antennas everywhere, you won't be able to [move away]." Unfortunately, the "nowhere to hide" aspects of 5G are even more serious, because ground-based 5G systems will be supplemented by satellite-based systems. In March, 2018, the FCC approved the initial launch of over 4,400 low-Earth-orbit 5G communication satellites, to be followed by thousands more over the next two years—with the eventual result being 11 times more satellites orbiting the Earth than currently. The satellites will send "tightly focused beams of intense microwave radiation at each specific 5G device that is on the Earth," while each device then sends "a beam of radiation back to the satellite."
In practical terms, this means that in crowded locations such as airports, individuals' bodies "will be penetrated by numerous beams of radiation as they walk or as other people walk around them with their 5G smartphones." But even in the home environment, "5G technology [will] blast through walls and cribs," making a mockery of "the notion that 'your home is your castle' in which you are supposed to be safe."
More than skin-deep
Scientists, doctors and experts from around the world have issued repeated warnings about 5G's risks, drawing on published research on MMWs as well as thousands of studies showing the harms caused by other mobile and wireless technologies.
In this context, industry and government claims that 5G technology is safe are completely disingenuous. In fact, the health effects of MMWs are already quite familiar to the U.S. military and defense agencies around the world. The U.S. has at its disposal non-lethal crowd control weapon systems (euphemistically named Active Denial Systems) that use millimeter waves to penetrate the skin of targeted individuals, "instantly producing an intolerable heating sensation that causes them to flee." In research commissioned by the U.S. Army "to find out why people ran away when the beam touched them," they discovered that targets "feel like [their] body is on fire." Researchers also have warned that "the same parts of the human skin that allow us to sweat also respond to 5G radiation much like an antenna that can receive signals."
Moratorium urgently needed
When the FCC endorsed the transition to 5G in 2016, then-Chairman Tom Wheeler (a former telecom industry lobbyist) vowed "to allow new [5G] technologies and innovations to evolve and flourish without needlessly prescriptive regulations." Thus, even though 5G represented a radical shift in technology, the FCC proposed no further safety studies, instead continuing to rely on its "outdated, excessively permissive, and thus widely criticized, radiation-exposure guidelines that…are based primarily on a 30-year-old analysis…many years before the emergence of most of the digital wireless technology in use today." A recent government study by the National Toxicology Program—which determined that cell phone radiation causes cancer—deemed the three-decade-old guidelines "unprotective."
…children who began using either cordless or mobile phones regularly before age 20 had more than a fourfold increased brain tumour risk.
5G poses risks to all life on the planet—people, animals, insects and plants. However, it is clear that fetuses and children are among the most vulnerable members of the human population. Even prior to 5G, Swedish researchers concluded that "children are indeed more susceptible to the effects of EMF exposure at microwave frequencies" and reported that children who began using "either cordless or mobile phones regularly before age 20" had more than a fourfold increased brain tumor risk. Describing brain cancer as "the proverbial 'tip of the iceberg,'" the researchers also observed that "no other environmental carcinogen has produced evidence of an increased risk in just one decade."
The UN whistleblower states, "People's first reaction to the idea that 5G may be an existential threat to all life on Earth is usually disbelief and/or cognitive dissonance. Once they examine the facts, however, their second reaction is often terror. We need to transcend this in order to see 5G as an opportunity to empower ourselves, take responsibility and take action." Some of the actions that people have taken include signing the International Appeal; learning about the multiple reasons to be concerned about 5G radiation and telling others; talking to legislators about why rushing legislation that streamlines the deployment of 5G small cells is a bad idea (and also raising the awareness of legislators and state utility commissions about the risks of smart meters); and changing their relationship to their devices, including using wired rather than wireless Internet connections (or turning off WiFi routers at night) and adopting other simple steps.
5G promises to create an even "denser soup of electrosmog," with incalculable health effects. In fact, any sane person who examines the evidence must concur with the authors and over 40,000 signatories of the International Appeal to Stop 5G on Earth and in Space, who agree that the rush to blanket the planet with 5G "constitutes an experiment on humanity and the environment that is defined as a crime under international law."
Sign up for free news and updates from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Children's Health Defense. CHD is planning many strategies, including legal, in an effort to defend the health of our children and obtain justice for those already injured. Your support is essential to CHD's successful mission.
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The demand for Collective Evolution's content is bigger than ever, except ad agencies and social media keep cutting our revenues. This is making it hard for us to continue.
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Release Date: Oct. 20, 2017
Players: Nintendo 3DS: 1 player; Nintendo Switch 1-2 players*
Genre: Action, Role-Playing
Developer: KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
This special edition comes with the Nintendo Switch game, plus three CDs with music from the game. Fans also will receive character art cards on 5-by-7-inch premium card stock, and a slip case to hold the cards. Finally, the special edition will come with a dual-sided poster showing the first Fire Emblem games the characters appeared in. One side of the poster will be in English, while the other will be in Japanese.
More: http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/fi ... ion-switchFire Emblem Warriors will also release on the New Nintendo 3DS XL, New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 2DS XL systems. Please note that it's not compatible with other systems, including Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, and Nintendo 2DS.
Will you be getting the Special Edition version of Fire Emblem Warriors?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A ResponseSeptember 10, 2004
Jeff Croft points to an article published on ZDNet last week which implores standards advocates to drop the religion. It's a pretty big church…
In response to the launch of the Web Standards Project's Browse Happy campaign a few weeks back, John Carroll shared some thoughts about what alternative browsers ought to be doing to topple IE's lead.
Boiling down John's article reveals only a very small grain of actual suggestion: to challenge IE, other browsers must duplicate all its proprietary features. His final conclusion appears to be that standards are good, but slow, so why not use IE as the de facto standard and let the W3C play catch-up?
I'll tell you why not.
Because the legion of developers and designers clamoring for Microsoft to improve their standards support is growing daily. No one is begging Mozilla to implement ActiveX and the rest, John's pet issues aside.
Always remember the wisdom of Monkeyboy.
Reader Comments
I do understand that. I said the exact same thing, didn't I?
Erm, guys — I think a few of you are getting confused. Jeff Croft didn't write the article on ZDNet, he merely reported it.
I apologize, since this really offers nothing to the argument, but I felt like someone had to say it.
All I know is that playing by the rules (standards) should count for something. Is it fair to make up your own rules in the face of competition—as Microsoft did with Netscape? Isn't there something to be said for doing things the right way? And who really believes that caving to IE's shoddy implementations would really stir up new competition with Microsoft? Ooh, they'll be shakin' in their shoes!
There's a reason why alternative browsers are getting noticed—because they do things right and they do them well. But that's not enough, it's up to us designers and developers to ensure that standards are upheld.
I think I said it all in the reply I posted on ZDNet:
"… it's my opinion that browsers should follow standards, allowing the internet to progress to newer and better standards, rather than standards following browsers …"
Although, to be honest, it doesn't really surprise me that people are writing articles like this - I remember defending NS 4 18 months ago (then I discovered the Zen Garden - thanks Dave) - but what does surprise me is that semi-influencial websites like ZDnet are publishing it when it's blatantly Wrong.
Oh well…
Well said Dave! That ZDNet article was the twittiest thing I've read in quite a while! John Carroll has obviously never paid any attention to standards. It is much easier to follow the standards, then try to comprehend the behaviour of IE's many extensions.
One of his arguments for why users switched from Netscape to IE is because pages built for IE weren't rendering correctly in Netscape. Of course, that is one of the only things he wrote, that seems even close to being correct, but he has a point. I've been saying it for a while now, it's about time we, as a community, dropped support for IE, and allowed our pages to degrade gracefully — that *is* how CSS was desinged. The only problem is getting the idea past the marketing people that run the businesses; however for personal sites, there's nothing holding us back.
If users start to find that sites are just not rendering properly in IE, and are advised that it would render in a standards compliant browser such as Mozilla, Opera or Safari, then I believe they would start to switch. Of course, there are still some sites that require IE, but thanks to the Moz, Opera and Safari development teams, that number of sites has been significantly reduced.
Lachlan; I find it far more likely that most IE users will simply assume your site is broken and stop visiting it. I'd be surprised if more than 10% of people would be prepared to switch browsers all by themselves, and I'd be surprised if a majority of people even knew what a browser was.
He finishes saying that standards are necessary, but somehow completely misses the point of having them in the first place. Now this might be because I don't use IE anymore and know little of its ghastly proprietary features, but it seems that it's IE that needs to catch up to the standards and not the other way around.
"HTML standards, as standards-compliant HTML/CSS sites DO render well in IE"
They do? I spend the majority of my time fixing IE's buggy problems.
File this guy under "tool"
"HTML standards, as standards-compliant HTML/CSS sites DO render well in IE"
That's only because developers spend so much time working around IE's incompetent rendering so the site will render well to IE users.
The guy perhaps needs to make better use of the "view source" function.
You know, perhaps Moz. and the others should support IE's worthless proprietary features. Then we could all be vulnerable to malicious ActiveX applets and we'll get to see the fancy gradients on the Microsoft's homepage.
As I said on my site, non-standards features aren't inherently a bad thing. Let's not forget that Mozilla has a whole boatload of "-moz" attributes in CSS. But, the Mozilla implementation clearly varies from Microsoft's. The difference is three-fold:
* Mozilla uses the -moz prefix as a way of delineating their non-standard features from those baseline, standard features that can are supposed to be able to count on.
* The Mozilla extensions were created with the purpose of getting them into the baseline CSS standard standard at some point — not with the intention of creating diversity so that developers would choose it over IE (which is clearly Microsoft's plan).
* And the biggest, and most important difference is this: Mozilla made sure it had it's ducks in a row with basic standards support before worrying about bonus features. It's obvious that the Mozilla team puts baseline CSS support first, and any "bonus" features second. And that's the way it should be.
I am saddened by this sort of thinking, and wrote a rebuttal far too long for a comment. You can read it at http://www.randypeterman.com/wordpress/index.php?p=787.
I have my default charset set to utf-8. Upon visiting the article I was faced with a page dotted with invalid characters.
I didn't bother reading the article. If they can't get the basics right, why should I listen to anything they have to say?
"Lastly, recognize that developers will favor a technology that serves 95 percent of their target market"
Actually, developers will favor a technology that they know will be around for awhile AND serves a majority of the market, because they don't like rewriting their site/application/system/whatever every year. This means a more popular subset of what IE supports (vis. standardized HTML). If developers used IE's proprietary extensions, there is no guarantee that IE will be the dominant browser for the future. His whole argument hinges on that 95% rule.
But what happens when IE is no longer 95% simply due to browser dilution? After all Microsoft has clearly stated that development will pretty much stop for IE until IE7 comes out for longhorn (yes, I am familiar with the latest IE service pack). What will happen to the browsing landscape for the next 3 years? Will more people adopt alternative browsers because they need the features? Or will web users stagnate on IE 6? If "everybody getting viruses" is used as a motivating factor to switch browsers, I ask you, just look at how many people see it as SOP to reformat & reinstall windows every few months.
Jeff, you were invited to the party, we will welcome you with open arms, dont feel left out, bub!
You lost me. Huh? :)
Well said Dave. And Jeff, please understand, it's Microsoft who needs to step up, not the rest.
About moz's proprietary -moz- properties; its syntax, too, is based on a standard :)
And a lot of them are just CSS3 properties with a leading -moz- (like border-radius, http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/WD-css3-border-20021107/#the-border-radius), which makes sense considering it's still a draft, and thus subject to change. At some point the -moz- part could then simply be dropped.
There's a bit of truth in one of the last paragraphs though. Non standard things (like innerHTML and overflow-x/y) can sometimes be just what the standard missed. Standards are good, but you don't always have to *agree* with them. Individual browsers can sometimes have some ingenious feature that should become a standard.
john carroll's points seem to contradict themselves. he says:
"If makers of alternative browsers are truly serious about challenging IE's dominance, then they need to ditch the standards religion and make their challenge credible. They need to support EVERY feature of Internet Explorer, at least as it pertains to the rendering of HTML pages."
this makes no sense. in his little history lesson above that, john omits microsoft's tactics in securing explorer's dominance after it took the lead, which was by implementing a slew of proprietary html features, and more recently, css properties, with the intention of making both designers and users reliant on them. microsoft uses their dominance to perpetuate itself and strongarm the online community into doing whatever they feel like, official standards be damned. don't think for a second that they want to be a good citizen and work with the w3c at the sacrifice of their marketshare.
regardless of whether any of these live features are a good idea, conforming to explorer's pseudostandards will do anything but topple its lead. the only logical action is a boycott of all proprietary rules and markup, including the ones in gecko. like someone already said, -moz properties are basically working demonstrations and in my opinion shouldn't be taken as anything more.
now i don't mean to say that including working extended features as a proposal of sorts is a fundamentally bad idea, because this happens with other softwares and gives good results. for example, apple often rolls popular third party add-ons into future releases of os x. the main difference though is control. apple is one company with one development team setting one list of standards for their operating system. the web is thousands of joe schmoe developers and no enforceable quality control of any kind. if every one of them made proposals via rendering engine the industry as we know it would collapse. the world of web development is a particular case where there is either one standard, or there is no standard. no gray area allowed.
"The presence of non-standard features is not a bad thing, but is a reflection of the fact that standards cannot hope to encompass all that is possible in software. Standards are designed as a means to ensure interoperability when such interoperability is necessary, not a limiter on progress."
standards are not about invention, rather they aspire to guarantee that existing technologies will operate and interoperate how they are intended, which is always both desireable and necessary. i submit that there can be no significant progress unless standards exist. nonstandard features are indeed a bad thing in that they undermine any progress we could hope for. falling in line with unofficial features feeds the entropy machine.
i would also like to note that john carroll is a software engineer and screenwriter, who specializes in the design and development of distributed systems using java and dot-net, as stated beneath the article. where does one see anything about web design and development? would you say this man is qualified to be asserting such outlandish rhetoric? what would you say his rant is really worth?
Boy, can someone please lend this guy a clue? If I would describe the browser zeitgeist, I'd say that Firefox is the current thing, and IE has long lost the edge. Apparently, same thing goes for online techie mags:
The reality is that the MOS browsers have to walk a fine line.
It's easy to forget that for every one of us who is a devoted reader of Mezzoblue, there are ten designers who simply test in IE and deploy if it works.
Yes, these people suck. Yes, I personally would be thrilled if these people would make some effort to edumacate themselves. But unfortunately, these people not only exist, but they produce the vast majority of the sites out on the web. Any modern browser that doesn't make *some* attempt to recognize this fact is toast.
So you pick and choose your battles. Mozilla and Safari do not mimic IE's craptastic CSS behavior, thank goodness. But Mozilla and Safari *do* implement XmlHttpRequest. Is that evil? Or pragmatic? You tell me.
"Imagine that you bought yourself a new car and it runs just fine and then you start getting berated by some motor engineer trying to tell you that your driving experience would be 2% better if you installed a new third party suspension all by yourself. Would you bother? Neither would most other people."
Standards aside, a user makes it his/her business when faced with a hijacked home page, annoying pop ups and pop unders, as well as being redirected to unsolicited sites. Thanks to IE activeX and scripting for vulnerabilities that plague any user equiped with IE. Don't you consider spamware softwares as third party to augment an already existing anti virus program in your desktop?
What reaction would you get from a regular user when you say.. "Hey you know… you wouldn't need spamware so and so if you used Firefox. You'll save atleast $30!"
I wonder which reaction it would be. Would it be googly eyed or the dropped jaw?
I love this bit, right at the top of the article: "Avoiding a browser used by 95 percent of Web surfers will make you less likely to get hit by viruses which target it."
Very logical. Explains why there are so many more exploits targeting Apache than IIS. I always wondered why that was…
IE is bundled as part of the Windows operating system. That's why it's the dominant browser, because most people don't know how to change it, probably couldn't be arsed to change it even if they know how, and may well just end up getting errors even if they did.
So long as it's integrated into the OS it's here to stay with a huge share of the market. I don't like it anymore than the next person, but it's time to deal with that fact, get over it, and move on.
Imagine that you bought yourself a new car and it runs just fine and then you start getting berated by some motor engineer trying to tell you that your driving experience would be 2% better if you installed a new third party suspension all by yourself. Would you bother? Neither would most other people.
It is not that hard to design something that works across the browsers and you all know it.
Get over it, move on.
i think you're taking this too lightly, golightly. a two percent better experience may be accurate for all i know, but it's only that low because developers put elbow grease into things so users don't have to. oh wait, sometimes they don't!
also, i agree that designing for all browsers isn't hard, but i think it's harder than you're thinking it is. an anecdote:
i've been struggling recently with a design where several overlapping background images are pinned to the bottom and bottom right. any time you're dealing with 100% heights in css, things can get difficult.
first, firefox does whatever you tell it. good boy. test in ie win, doesn't work. find a workaround for ie win, it breaks firefox. rework the layout and finally manage to get both to agree, you're thinking it's all downhill now, then opera win mangles it. ie mac and safari don't like min-height, and every workaround you try has no effect so there's not much you can do. frustration. consider using tables, or making a new design from scratch.
this being said, i think the real debate here is adherance to standards, not design practices.
this brings up another thing i meant to mention about john carroll's article. he refers to old netscape and ie as if they're separate software platforms or something. designing specifically for one or the other, and even giving up on netscape in the end because ie was making bigger advances and rendered pages correctly that were meant for netscape.
it's all one web, john. design with standards, then make sure it works in everything under the sun. if browsers of old were competing with each other instead of running towards the goal line, then they had lost sight of the grand scheme. since then moz has woken up, but microsoft has not.


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We are ordinary and extraordinary people because we are living, working, or care about the mental health of children and youth.
Mental Health is complicated, but things don't need to be so complicated. We have seen and experienced the uncomplicated things that make such a difference. Maybe you have, too. We are focused on what some people call the 'small stuff' or the 'soft stuff', but it is what makes the hard work possible – get involved.
Click to learn more about the story of how FamilySmart™ came to be …
"Caring gives you courage, caring gives you hope. Those are the things that matter most to families, and they changed our lives." – Keli Anderson
The Institute of Families seeks to create and promote caring experiences and greater outcomes for child and youth mental health. We strive to build FamilySmart™ practice with the same honesty and integrity that we bring to all our work, to achieve better mental health for this generation and generations of the future.


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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Update: Possible Postponement of TRICARE Access for Gray Area Retirees
Director of Legislation and Naval Services
Last week ROA met with representatives from the TRICARE Management Activity, where the Association and other organizations were briefed on the implementation of TRICARE Standard for Gray Area retirees. This was in response to a request by ROA, and a follow-up to an article published in Military Times, where ROA was quoted on its disappointment about a proposed DoD time schedule announced by DoD Health Affairs that would have implementation complete in 11 to 18 months.
The briefing shared that the new benefit should not be referred to as TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) for Gray Area Retirees, as TRS is viewed as a separate program. This new benefit will be given a new name, and is viewed as a major implementation process, because it affects many different aspects of the military health program and military data collection such as Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). Reassurances were made that the timetable is not linked to the new TRICARE contracts that will begin in about a year, and that the implementation team is being proactive. A draft of the interim federal rules have already been completed, and will be reviewed by the leadership of the various offices being affected by this new program.
The legislative language enacting TRICARE Standard for Gray Area retirees said "that the monthly amount of the premium ...shall be the amount equal to the cost of coverage that the Secretary determines on an appropriate actuarial basis." A number of sources, including the briefing, have indicated that the gray area population is a higher health risk, and the premiums will likely be higher than the estimates published by ROA earlier. The current premiums for drilling Reservists are $47.51 for individuals and $180.17 for families. ROA was warned that at a minimum the Gray Area premiums will be at least 4 times that amount. The drilling premiums could also be increased by DoD in January as is allowed by the original law.
ROA continues to voice its concern over the delays in implementation and feels that actuarial adjustments for an older group are not what was intended. This group doesn't have a lot of the health care costs that younger serving members do who are just starting their families. One of the intentions of including the gray area into the TRICARE system was to take advantage of the group risk pool reduction to save premium costs. National Guard and Reserve retirees should not be paying extra to cover DoD health care costs, when the Pentagon has yet to analyze where its health care money is being spent.
ROA has also voiced the concern to members of The Military Coalition and the National Military and Veterans Alliance that if one group is allowed by Congress to be targeted for higher TRICARE premiums, the other active retirees groups will be targeted for TRICARE fee increases as well.
13 comments:
- December 9, 2009 at 4:45 PM
So, let me get this straight. Congress is working overtime right now to provide universal health care to everyone, but they can't even get a much simpler health care plan like this off the ground for military who served at least 20 years? And, it's going to take a year (or more) to program and cost over $700 a month for a family? What a joke - - why bother?
- December 9, 2009 at 11:15 PM
I'm surprised but then again, the average cost of health care insurance for those who dont have employer's footing the bill is very high usually. This is probably meant as a possible alternative for those who dont have other insurance or cant get other insurance. I imagine the vast majority of us have other jobs and other insurance.
- December 10, 2009 at 12:27 AM
With more than a year to go before turning 60 and becoming retired with pay, and being unemployed for the first time in 25 years with no unemployment insurance benefits, I need reasonably priced ($50 or less per month) health insurance now, today, without waiting days, weeks or months for bureaucrats to write regulations, guess at how risky our health is as a group (my opinion is that I and many others in our group are relatively healthy and probably lower-risk than the statistically "average" american), and put our names on the list of covered persons as soon as we sign up online or in response to a mailer. Our information is in DEERS, so all they have to do is download our data to the Tricare contractor's computer system, if it is not already on their system. There are thousands of us that are eligible since the passage of the legislation, and we are being denied equal protection and equal treatment under the law. Some may have other coverage available at a reasonable cost, but some may be paying high rates for COBRA plans or individual health plans, and some have no coverage or they can't afford their coverage without undue hardship. The law is on the books, and there are no legitimate excuses. Delay means more financial hardship and mental anquish, more illness that will go untreated, more deaths from illness and suicide that could have been avoided. I pose the question to DOD today: What is your answer? We don't need more excuses and delays. If DOD continues to deny gray area retirees equal protection of the law, law suits may be required to force the issue and the cost of attorney fees, compensation to those whose illnesses were aggravated or lives that were lost will far exceed the normal costs of providing the health insurance benefit.
- December 10, 2009 at 2:44 AM
I agree DOD needs to get this done asap. That said, regardless of the price, one advantage will be portability so you are not dependent on an employer. Concerning price, a reasonable price based on group size etc would be $325 single, $470 husband & wife, and $680 family with very low deductbles and reasonable copays. $50 per month is not realistic.
- December 13, 2009 at 8:38 AM
I will bet that two years after this program is implemented there will be less than 1500 Retired Reserve Sponsors sign up for this premium based healthcare program. Any takers?
- December 15, 2009 at 11:59 AM
TRICARE Program for Gray Area Reservists On Its Way
December 17, 2009
No. 09-76
FALLS CHURCH, Va. - A new program will offer "gray area" reservists the opportunity to purchase TRICARE health care coverage.
While qualified members of the Selected Reserve may purchase premium-based coverage under TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS), retired National Guard and Reserve personnel did not have TRICARE health coverage options until they reached age 60.
Under a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010, that's all changed.
The new provision will allow certain members of the Retired Reserve who are not yet age 60 ("gray-area" retirees), to purchase TRICARE Standard (and Extra) coverage. TRICARE Extra simply means beneficiaries have lower out of pocket costs if they use a network provider.
"We're working hard to coordinate all the details of eligibility, coverage and costs, and expedite implementation of this important program," said Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, deputy director of the TRICARE Management Activity. "This is a major benefit program with implementation on the same magnitude as TRS. It will require detailed design, development and testing, but qualified retired reservists should be able to purchase coverage by late summer or early fall of 2010."
While the health care benefit provided for gray-area retirees will be TRICARE Standard and Extra – similar to TRS – the new program will differ from TRS in its qualifications, premiums, copayment rates and catastrophic cap requirements. The program is tentatively called TRICARE Retired Reserve.
The new statute requires premium rates to equal the full cost of the coverage. That is the major difference contrasted with TRS, where the statute provides that Selected Reserve members pay only 28 percent of the cost of the coverage. Premiums for the new gray area retiree program will be announced after program rules are published in the Federal Register.
This new program offers an important health coverage option for Reserve and National Guard members who served their country honorably before hanging up their uniforms at retirement, said Hunter. For more information about TRICARE benefits go to http://www.tricare.mil.
About TRICARE Management Activity and the Military Health System
TRICARE Management Activity, the Defense Department activity that administers the health care plan for the uniformed services, retirees and their families, serves more than 9.5 million eligible beneficiaries worldwide in the Military Health System (MHS). The mission of the MHS is to enhance Department of Defense and national security by providing health support for the full range of military operations. The MHS provides quality medical care through a network of providers, military treatment facilities, medical clinics and dental clinics worldwide. For more about the MHS go to www.health.mil.
- December 17, 2009 at 11:35 AM
maybe the cost could be lowered by the understanding that the retired soldier would have VA coverage at no cost for anything related to the years of combat and selfless service. Most of the families spoken of would have grown children so we covering the wives for $800 a month; as a retired reservist I would like it known that my country owes these women more than that! Anyone hear me?
- March 17, 2010 at 12:43 AM
If the cost is around $700 a month for a family, then my guess would be that very few people would take this. I guess the Government and DoD could feel good about "offering" a program, but being aware of the typical family's budget, they would HAVE to know that they basically be offering something that really isn't feasible for the average veteran. So then really, the true end result of rolling something out priced like this is simply just to anger people who dedicated themselves to a Reserve career of service to their country. On many levels, it's VERY insulting to even announce such a program!
- May 3, 2010 at 4:58 PM
- May 7, 2010 at 4:20 PM
I'm not quite so outraged as y'all because I'm currently paying more than $1,100 a month for a high-deductible BCBS policy on a family of three. With the deductible, we pay up to $18,000 a year for health care - by far the largest item in our budget. This TRICARE option might actually be an improvement.
- July 7, 2010 at 3:52 PM
Sadly, this has turned into an insult. Premiums for family coverage for CY 2011 are $1020/month - about $200- $300 more than what was anticipated. There are better and less expensive plans under various insurers. It seems that the government deliberately set this up so that there would be few if any participants. We are considered a burden, and our service to our nation is not appreciated by the program managers who calculated these rates. There is a 60 day period to express your opinions and concerns - do so - especially to your congressional representatives, ROA, MOAA, etc. These rates are an insult.
- August 13, 2010 at 8:18 AM
You are kidding us. We would have to pay over $1000.00 for a family. Remember if it was not for putting our lives on the line daily we would be speaking another langauge. Wake up people!!!
- February 20, 2012 at 5:00 PM


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On April 15, everyone's in favor of tax reform.
Nobody can survive the ordeal of preparing a federal income tax return without concluding that there must be a simpler, fairer way to pay for the federal government.
And so — as inevitably as death and, well, you know — the presidential campaigns promise us some kind of tax reform.
President Obama spent much of last week promoting his "Buffett rule," a proposal to require anyone who makes more than $1 million year to pay federal taxes at a minimum of 30%. It's a matter of basic fairness, he says.
Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican candidate, rejects the Buffett rule — and all other tax increases, for that matter. He says he'd reform the system by lowering tax rates for everybody and pay for it by reducing tax deductions and cutting federal spending.
And there's the problem: Both candidates claim they want "tax reform," but when they say those words, they're really talking about other things.
Obama's Buffett rule wouldn't clean up the tax code; in fact, it would add more complexity. It's a campaign talking point framed as an easily understandable appeal for equity, and one that also takes a swipe at Romney, who paid an effective tax rate of about 14% in 2010.
Obama says he's for comprehensive tax reform, but he's never actually offered a full-scale tax plan, merely a bare-bones list of principles (lower rates, simplification) stapled to proposals that don't always easily fit them (higher rates for the wealthy, the Buffett rule).
Romney's "reform" isn't much better. His proposal is really about reducing the burden on upper-income taxpayers and shrinking the federal government, not fixing the tax code. It's an appendix to his overall budget plan, which would reduce federal domestic spending by at least $500 billion (by 2016) while increasing military spending.
Romney says he wants to limit the deductions, exemptions and credits that upper-income taxpayers can claim, a laudable half-step toward tax efficiency. But his plan doesn't specify anything, which means, in the end, that it's not much simpler or more specific than Obama's proposals.
So what sounds like a campaign debate over taxes is really just 2012's version of the perennial argument over the proper size and scope of the federal government. How we pay for it — the shape of the tax system — is an afterthought. Oddly, that may not be a bad thing. As Obama's former economic advisor Larry Summers wrote recently, an election campaign is a bad place to make wise tax policy.
"The more tax issues are discussed during the campaign," Summers wrote in the Financial Times, "the more the candidates will be driven to make ... pledges that might make tax reform that much more difficult."
And it is difficult. But not because the sides are miles apart. Among policy wonks and thoughtful politicians, there's a fair amount of bipartisan consensus that, to achieve efficiency, fairness and simplicity, we need fewer tax incentives that distort economic decisions. Even Obama and Romney agree in theory on the basic principles: establish lower tax rates (on most taxpayers, at least) and a broader tax base (meaning fewer deductions and exclusions).
The problem with getting it done is this: Everyone loves lower tax rates. But almost everyone also loves his or her favorite tax deduction.
The easiest, most efficient way to lower tax rates and streamline the tax system would be to eliminate "tax expenditures," the deductions and exclusions that shelter big chunks of income from taxation. That would make your tax return much simpler and bring in billions of dollars of new revenue.
But look at the three biggest tax expenditures last year. First comes the tax-free treatment of health insurance premiums paid by employers; in 2008, Republican candidate John McCain proposed abolishing it as a sensible economic move, and Obama denounced that as a heartless attack on healthcare. Second, the mortgage interest deduction, which the real estate industry promotes as help for first-time home buyers even though it also subsidizes million-dollar vacation homes. Third: tax deductible contributions to 401(k) retirement plans. No politician is eager to wade into the buzz saw of protests that would greet a proposal to abolish any of those.
That helps explain why our last big tax reform, in 1986, came between presidential elections. It took a second-term president, Ronald Reagan, who was broadly popular; a House of Representatives with a secure Democratic majority; a healthy economy; and a declining federal deficit to eliminate dozens of loopholes and reduce the top marginal tax rate to 28%. (It crept back up to 39.6% by 1993; it's currently 35%.)
Could the next president take us there again? Don't bet on it. A second-term President Obama isn't likely to get much help from Congress if the House of Representative stays in Republican hands. A first-term President Romney would hesitate to take the electoral risks that real tax reform demands.
So when the presidential candidates tell you they're all for tax reform, take it with a grain of salt. What they mean is this: They're for shifting the tax burden up (Obama) or down (Romney); for increasing revenues (Obama) or shrinking government (Romney). Fixing our tangled, infuriating, inefficient tax code? Sorry. That will just have to wait for another day.


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Lynn Ger needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 132 designs submitted by 27 freelance designers.
Yogurt Munch
Am a young mother and all of my family member loves frozen yogurt with the self serve fun toppings. It represent a healthy treats for all ages but particularly attracts more youngsters. We feel fresh and good after treating ourself with different kinds of fruits flavors and toppings. We want the logo to capture all passersby curiosity of varieties yogurt taste and its freshness to point of they want to come in our store and try the yogurt, as well as the logo can come across as healthy snacks.
We targeted mostly to youngster from 3 to 25 yrs old, but the area we located is in busy industry areas with lots of professionals and technical engineers. The logo will have the fresh and healthy appeals to all ages. The Yogurt store will looks kind of in between starbucks (cozy) and blush organic frozen yogurt.
Looking for a Logo represent our Self Serve Yogurt Store - Yogurt Munch.
We would love to have the logo incorporate fresh fruits (halves or whole) munch or crumbs (here are a few things to think about):
1. No Cartoons - we want it to be playful but not cheap or childlike
2. Nothing too elegant - we do not want to come across as being fancy. We want the locals to feel like they can afford to eat here a couple times a week.
3. The typeface should be clear, simple and bold. We want something that stands out. Again being careful not to be too fancy.
4. Logo appears fresh, healty, fun and cheerful. Not too similar with an round fruit with 2 leaves (all too common).
Here is an example of a logo that we like:
Here is an example of what we are trying to avoid:
http://www.goldenspoon.com/ --- a bit colorless and boring...
Please feel free to experiment with colors! I have some sample of colors that might help you to create :D
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Your browser does not support iframes.
Have you ever had a really fantastic meal at a restaurant that you wish you could duplicate at home? If only you knew the exact ingredients…how to prepare that special sauce…and how long to cook it. No matter what, there will be an ingredient or two that you've left out, or it just doesn't taste quite the same as what you had in the restaurant.
The 2012 Coastal Uncorked Chef's Challenge took place on Sunday, April 28, at the site of the Old Pavilion in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Four area chefs competed to cook against Chef Eric Masson in the last round.
Masson, having won the title in 2011, was allowed to skip the qualifying rounds and face off with the challenger for the title of winner of the Coastal Uncorked Chef's Challenge.
All of us enjoy a takeout meal once in a while, and one of my favorites is Chinese takeout. While clearing the table after dinner recently, I noticed the container of white rice that came with our takeout hadn't been touched. Nobody ever touches it. It usually gets put in the refrigerator only to be thrown away a week or so later.
Lean and boneless, a flank steak is one of only two steaks cut from the underside of a steer, the other being a skirt steak. A thin, oblong-cut mingled with tough meat fibers, a flank steak is loaded with great flavors and responds well to marinades and to high-heat cooking, if only for a brief amount of time.
It's best when eaten medium-rare, so be sure to take it off the heat while it's still rare and allow it to set for a few minutes to retain its juices. For maximum "chewability," flank steak should be cut into thin slices across the grain.
Lightly steamed, boiled or roasted, fresh asparagus is a tasty, nutritious side dish.
In this area, fresh asparagus season begins in March or early April and ends around late June or when the hot summer weather begins.
Asparagus, imported mostly from Mexico, Chile or Peru, is now available all year round, but you'll find a good supply of fresh "homegrown" asparagus in local supermarkets this time of year.
With our warmer-than-normal temperatures in recent weeks, it's no surprise that strawberry season has arrived just a wee bit earlier this year. Strawberries typically peak during May in the South and in June in the North.
Here are lunch menus for Brunswick County's seven Senior Nutrition Sites for next week.
Monday, April 16
Sloppy Joe, corn casserole, green beans, fruit cocktail, hamburger bun/whole-wheat bun, beverage.
Tuesday, April 17
Turkey tetrazini, field peas/snaps, baby carrots, Mandarin oranges, whole-wheat bread, beverage.
Wednesday, April 18
Barbecue pork, baked beans, cole slaw, fresh orange, hamburger bun/whole-wheat bun, beverage.
Thursday, April 19
Unlike most other vegetables, carrots are available all year long. Related to the parsley family, with feathery green leaves and an orange root, carrots can be eaten either raw or cooked. Not all carrots are orange; some are purple, yellow, or even white in color.
Omelets aren't as difficult as they look. I've been making them for a long time and have enjoyed them for breakfast, lunch and even dinner.
Fillings and toppings range from meats, vegetables and seafood to cheese and even leftovers.
Since omelets take no more than a couple minutes to cook, the key is to work quickly while the egg mixture is setting.
"Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French; sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek; soy sauce makes it Chinese; but garlic makes it good."
—Alice May Brock of Alice's Restaurant fame
Copyright © 2019
The Brunswick Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Brunswick County, North Carolina and surrounding areas.


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A few of New England's hidden pizza gems
I've not yet tried enough pizza places in New London to definitively declare my favorite. But I have to say I've developed a real affinity for 2Wives on Huntington Street.
I ordered takeout from there recently, which reminded me of just how impressive the pizza is. It's a thin crust but it has enough crisp to keep it from getting floppy and soggy like some pizzas tend to. The toppings are also top notch and always fresh-- plus they offer whole wheat crust for the health conscious eater (myself not included).
The other day I ordered the vegetable pizza, which comes with a nice pesto sauce under the cheese. What I like about this pizza is the vegetables appear to have been roasted ahead of time. Often pizza places put the veggies on raw and the result is a soggy, watery slice. Totally gross.
2Wives seems like the type of place that's great but probably doesn't attract too much attention outside of southeastern Connecticut. This got me thinking...People far and wide seem to know about Pepe's and Sally's in New Haven, but there are some other places in New England that are also worthy of great praise.
So I made a brief list for your future reference. (Send some of your own picks in and I'll add them below.)
Naples Pizza in Farmington: Growing up in Farmington, this was a favorite of many in the central Connecticut area. Thin crust, conservative on the tomato sauce and always delicious. The best bet here is to get a few boxes of just plain cheese and see how many slices you can eat. At least that's what I did when I was 16.
Luna Pizza in Simsubry: When I was younger, families were often separated by a dividing line of pizza allegiance. While some went with Naples, others living closer to Avon and Simsbury liked Luna Pizza. Fortunately for me, my family members were equal opportunity pizza eaters. Luna always had a delicious thin, crispy crust. Taking a trip down memory lane on their website today, these pizzas stuck out to me: white salmon, clams casino and BBQ chicken.
Bob & Timmy's Legendary Grilled Pizza in Providence and North Smithfield, R.I.: Bob & Timmy's, as most call it, is probably my favorite pizza place in Rhode Island's capital city. The pizza here gets a hard-to-describe, but wonderful, flavor from the grilling process. Some suggestions: the BBQ chicken pizza with smoked gouda, parmesan and Romano cheese, or the portabella primavera with portabella mushrooms, garlic, parmesan, spinach and sautéed red bell peppers.
Providence Coal Fired Pizza: This relatively new pizza joint is located downtown and a short walk from the Dunkin' Donuts Center, if you're there for a game or show. As the name would suggest, it's coal fired pizza (and prepared expertly). My favorite is the baby bella with oyster mushrooms, truffle oil, ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
Penguin Pizza in Boston: A while back, there was a great place I loved in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston called Pig's Pizza. Based on what I'm seeing online, Pig's spun off into Penguin Pizza, which appears to be carrying the torch for quality pizza. They carry a Tuscan fig and prosciutto pizza made with goat cheese and caramelized onions; there's also the Ultimate Penguin, which somewhat resembles a pizza once found on the Pig's menu: bacon, ham, meatball, braised duck leg, sausage, roasted potato, hot cherry peppers, cabbage and caramelized onion.
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The Next Wave of Fast, Futuristic, and Damn Sexy Cars
**Electric Finally Made Elegant **
Tesla's first car, the fast-but-frivolous Roadster, proved that battery power is not the exclusive province of the pious. Now, with the Model S, Tesla's informing the world that an all-electric sedan can outdrive—and outsex—the German luxury contingent.
The top-end Performance model costs over ninety grand (before a $7,500 federal tax credit). But for that money, you get a paradigm-busting battery pack that lasts up to 300 miles on a single charge—as far as most Americans drive in a week. Or if you use those electrons for fun, you can hustle the Tesla S from zero to sixty faster than a Porsche 911 Carrera.
For those with thinner wallets, the S will be available in an entry-level model that's $35,000 cheaper with half the battery range, and a Goldilocks version that splits the difference.
Fortunately, all three variants wear that same sumptuous mesomorphic body and come kitted out with impress-your-friends details, like a giant touch screen embedded in the console and door handles that pop out of the body when the car senses you're close by.
That said, the highlight of owning the Model S is the whisper rush of silence you experience when you floor the, um, gas pedal and accelerate into the future.—Brett Berk
Price: $84,900
0–60 mph: 4.4 sec
Top speed: 130 mph
Range: 300 miles
No engine means the Tesla has both a trunk in the back and a handy storage compartment—a.k.a. a frunk—under the front hood.
The cabin's dominated by a seventeen-inch touch screen, which resembles an iPad that's been double-tapped to expand.
Backseat passengers get to stare up through a massive pane of glass.
Concepts Come to Life
Lamborghini Urus (coming 2015)
Meet the SUV that every Russian oligarch and Arab oil baron will be driving in three years. The Urus blends the meth-head intensity and origami design aesthetic of a more ground-bound Lambo with enough cabin space for two entitled progeny and the spoils of a daylong Prada shopping spree.
Price: $200,000*
0–60 mph: 4.5 sec*
Horsepower: 600
Top speed: 170 mph*
Imagine it with the top chopped off and you're looking at next year's F-Type—a small, nimble convertible that'll pack a supercharged V-6 and the old Jaguar XK-E's sex appeal.
The plug-in hybrid i8, Tom Cruise's ride in Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, looks like a car from the future should look.
The Demon Spawn Returns
The last-generation Viper was proof that Detroit could build a drool-worthy, world-beating supercar—albeit one with the interior of a used LeBaron and the driving dynamics of the Saturn V rocket. Not surprisingly, a barely controllable ber-car wasn't a priority during the bailout years, so Chrysler shut down the Viper program in 2009.
Design chief Ralph Gilles wasn't ready to see it die, so once the company settled its merger with Fiat, he asked his new Italian boss, Sergio Marchionne, about reviving the car. Marchionne didn't quite say yes, but, Gilles says, "he gave me a wink."
What Gilles drew is now called the SRT Viper—the Dodge name is gone. It has the same wide stance, double-bubble roofline, and stupid-powerful V-10 engine as the original, but this is a whole new species of snake.
It's less suicidal this time around, thanks to the addition of stability control. And the interior doesn't look like it came from a Goodwill store: Where once there were acres of plastic, you'll find soft leather and Kevlar-impregnated fiberglass racing seats from the same company that supplies Ferrari's thrones.
Not that Chrysler's new Euro bedmates deserve the credit. "People on the Internet keep saying, 'Nice job, Italy,' " says Gilles. "That annoys me. This is an American car."—Josh Dean
Price: $95,000*
0–60 mph: 3.3 sec*
Horsepower: 640
Top speed: 206 mph
*based on Motor Trend estimates
Hidden through the cabin are inlaid maps of racetracks where the Viper has kicked ass, like this one of California's Laguna Seca raceway in the console.
Stomp the gas and the Viper's new logo beams back from the tachometer when you approach redline.
Slots in the seatbacks are for the shoulder straps of a four-point racing harness.
Think the 640-pony Viper is excessive? These five cars have almost 6,000 combined horsepower. Don't even ask about the fuel mileage.
If you're in Nevada and pull up to a Prius with odd hardware bolted to the body and two people inside who aren't paying attention to the road, don't worry—the car is part of Google's autonomous-vehicle program, and it's doing all the driving.
Google's motivated by safety; of the more than 1 million automobile-accident deaths that happen each year in the world, it says up to half could be eliminated by taking control from the error-prone meat sack behind the wheel. A robo car could also ease traffic and the tedium of commutes, freeing us to safely sext-and-drive.
Google's Priuses follow maps in their computer brains and use radar, lasers, and cameras to detect their surroundings. In over 200,000 miles of testing, there's been only a single accident—and it wasn't the car's fault.
Sadly, we're years and years away from buying an autonomous ride at a dealership. In the meantime, enjoy cruise control.—J.D.
Jaywalker Surprise
If Volvo's Europe-only V40 hatchback thinks you're about to hit a pedestrian, an air bag pops out from between the hood and the windshield.
Shake That Ass
Cadillac's Safety Alert Seat vibrates (on the left side, the right, or both) to warn you of danger—like, say, you're drifting out of your lane or about to ram a fire hydrant.
Automotive ESP
The Infiniti JX crossover's Backup Collision Intervention system will brake for you if you're about to back over the neighbor's dog. Unintentionally.—J.D.
I was driving next to a black sedan with a sharp, swoopy nose accented in chrome, and I couldn't quite make out the badge. I wondered: Is that an Audi? Some new Lexus? And then: Holy shit—it's a Kia.
Specifically, it was the Optima, a Camry-fighter and a game changer. Kias were always the rolling equivalent of pleated khakis. But this four-door sedan had some swagger.
There's an easy explanation. In 2006, Kia poached head of design Peter Schreyer from Audi, and he immediately set in motion a makeover that would have Tim Gunn clapping with joy. Gone were the copy-of-a-copy knockoff designs. In were complex curves and mold-breaking details. (Check out that strip of chrome arcing over the side of the Optima that continues past the end of the windows.)
And it's not just Kia. Korean compatriot Hyundai evolved from the doorstop-shaped Excel of the '80s to today's sculptural Sonata sedan and baller Equus, a $60,000 country-club stretch sedan.
So kudos, Korea! For the past fifteen years, you've made utterly dependable appliances on wheels with all the personality of Ryan Seacrest. But now people buy your cars not because they have to—but because they really want to.—J.D.
Price: $21,200
0–60 mph: 7.6 sec
Horsepower: 200
MPG: 22/35 (city/hwy)
How to explain what happens when car companies go off their meds and go insane? Visual math!—_Jon Wilde _
**The Ultimate Ultimate Driving Machine **
For forty years, BMW has slapped the M badge on its most rarefied, most outrageously engineered cars, and the M6 Convertible is no exception. Under its concave prow resides an obnoxiously eager twin-turbocharged V-8 engine that can slingshot all two-point-five tons of German beefcake past the speed limit before you can say "austerity measures."
But just because the M6 is capable of going batshit-fast, that doesn't mean it must. Unlike the average M-badged Bimmer, the drop-top is uncharacteristically cool with playing it cool. Various earth-conscious technologies do their best to preserve fuel (it gets a not-horrible twenty miles per gallon on the highway), and the seven-speed transmission keeps the car congenial as you cruise down a beachfront boulevard.
What you get in the M6 Convertible is the ideal blend of aggression and leisure. Or, in the words of one sage poet, it's a lady in the street and a freak in the bed.—Michael Spinelli
Silver Is So Last Year
If your khakis can be red, why limit yourself to boring paint jobs like silver, white, and black?
Take this BMW M6. It's silver, sure, but it's a matte silver. Two years ago, you might've seen a gloss-free paint job on some rapper's customized Lamborghini. Now you can order one on certain Bimmers and Benzes, and even on a Hyundai.
And brown, last seen on Granddad's Oldsmobile, is the season's freshest luxury color. Trust us when we say that a Bentley Continental GT slathered in shimmering Havana or a Porsche 911 wearing Mahogany Metallic can make a navy-blazer-and-blue-oord man weak in the knees.—B.B.
Buttons surrounding the shifter let you adjust everything from the suspension to the steering feel.
Those two bos in front of the engine hold the intercoolers that chill out the twin turbochargers.
The blue-and-white BMW roundel on the trunk flips up to reveal the rearview camera.
It all started when BMW relaunched the Mini in 2002, but the trend toward micro hot hatches—extra-small cars that go easy on your wallet yet love to be driven hard—took off this year.
The star of the show has to be the new $22,000 Fiat 500 Abarth. Under the hood's scorpion emblem sits a tiny turbocharged engine with roughly 60 percent more power than your garden-variety 500's. The adrenalized version is still every bit the cleverly packaged runabout, able to seat four and parallel park in spaces half the size of a Chevy Suburban. Except it makes a trip to the supermarket less of a chore and more of an excuse to take the back roads.
Of course, we could just as easily be singing the praises of the Chevy Sonic Turbo or the Hyundai Veloster Turbo, two other welterweights that punch as hard as Pacquiao. Like the Fiat, they don't care for gas stations, and they never shy away from a set of corners.
You're never going to take a Mustang off the line in a micro hot hatch, but you will get the satisfaction of a small car that doesn't feel like a compromise. Get behind the wheel and you realize that buying an affordable ride doesn't mean buying a boring one.—Jamie Lincoln Kitman
Price: $22,000
0–60 mph: 6.6 sec
Horsepower: 160
MPG: 28/34 (city/hwy)
For very little you get a lot: 201 horses and a Best Buy's worth of tech, like a seven-inch touchscreen and Blue Link, Hyundai's version of OnStar.
Price: $21,950
0–60 mph: 6.9 sec
Horsepower: 201
MPG: 26/38 (city/hwy)
Chevy's entry isn't as fast as the Fiat or as gadget-packed as the Hyundai, but its taut lines make it the handsomest of the hot hatches.
Price: $16,495
0–60 mph: 7.6 sec
Horsepower: 138
MPG: 29/40 (city/hwy)
The word hybrid is shorthand for the brown rice and broccoli of cars, like the Prius and the Volt. Leave it to Porsche, then, to realize that battery power can also add lightning quickness. The upcoming 918 Spyder (due next year) supplements its 500-horsepower V-8 with two electric motors for a total of 770 rampaging hybrid horses. But even better than sheer power is how all three engines work together: There's an all-electric mode good for a twenty-mile range. Or you can cruise the highway and get seventy-eight miles per gallon. Or for moments of fuel-be-damned, go-go-gadget urgency, turn on sport mode to hit a 200-miles-per-hour top speed.
And the hybrid party doesn't stop there: Acura's next NSX and Ferrari's upcoming Enzo replacement will be packing batteries, too. Welcome to the future: where you can save the trees and burn some rubber.—Dennis Tang
It's about damn time. We've been promised a flying car for, oh, six decades or so, and finally we're ready to give gravity the middle finger.
Soon, Terrafugia will make its first deliveries of the $279,000 Transition, "an airplane you can keep at home," according to co-founder and CEO Carl Dietrich. It's street-legal, hits highway speeds, and runs on unleaded fuel. It fits in a one-car garage, thanks to the folding wings. Hell, it even gets thirty-five miles per gallon on the road.
But since you'll need a pilot's license to fly the Transition, it's more driving plane than flying car. Which means most of us are stuck on asphalt...at least until Google develops autonomous flying cars.—J.D.


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The future of health care claims processing
Health care organizations look to data-driven analytics to target payment integrity issues
By Julie Malida, Principal, Health Care Fraud Solutions, SAS
In an effort to contain costs, health care organizations (HCO) are changing the way they pursue claims overpayments. Traditionally, the focus was mainly on fraud. But today – in a process more broadly labeled payment integrity – plans are seeking to uncover a wider range of abuse, waste and errors in claims processing. And data-driven analytics is making that possible.
The past
Historically, HCOs had few tools for uncovering fraud and most of them did not involve analytics. Along with tips from law enforcement, outlier models and business rules, HCOs relied heavily on claims adjusters to spot anything suspicious. But keeping adjusters up to date on the latest fraud schemes requires ongoing training.
The [insurers] that survive in the new world will be the ones that can trim waste to offer the most competitive rates.
Also, in order for a claim to qualify as fraudulent, you must prove in court that an intent to deceive for the purpose of financial gain existed. Less than 10 percent of the money lost to fraud was ever recovered this way. What's more, fraud accounts for only a fraction of the total loss due to billing errors. According to Stonegate Advisors, in the US alone, payment integrity issues point to a staggering $800 billion in health care losses each year.
That's why many HCOs are moving away from the pay-and-chase model. Now, they are looking beyond the claims department and taking an enterprisewide approach to spotting errors, abuse and waste throughout the entire claims process. The goal is to spot fraud and billing issues earlier in the cycle and stop losses before they occur.
The present
Payment integrity covers a broad spectrum of behavior from organized crime to simple mistakes in filling out a form to eligibility fraud. It also covers subrogation, where another company is responsible for a piece of the claim – for instance, an auto accident where liability should be split between the medical insurer and the auto carrier.
A key enabler in payment integrity is data-driven analysis. Analytics can quickly search though unstructured textual data in claims. It can mine through electronic medical records, call center logs and information from provider offices. Analytics can also analyze third-party data and point to possible collusion – for example, a doctor's office making large purchases from a medical supply store it also owns.
Analytics can provide insight into complex schemes that are difficult or impossible to understand with traditional techniques. Analytics also builds consistency and creates a common platform for decision-making between various departments within an organization. In other words, analytics gives you a single version of the truth.
The future
Why is payment integrity so important? Because it plays a key role in helping HCOs contain their costs. Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed in 2012, insurers have had to price plans in a way that keeps customers happy yet still produces a profit, albeit a thin profit.
The ACA includes a number of strict regulations that put tremendous pressure on HCOs to reduce costs. For example, the act requires insurers to pay out that 80 to 85 percent of premiums on claims. That leaves only 15 to 20 percent left for administration and profit.
Many insurers are merging in an effort to gain the benefits of size and scale to help manage costs. At the same time, HCOs are competing on public exchanges. The ones that survive in the new world will be those that can trim waste to offer the most competitive rates. Advanced analytics is helping provide an answer.
SAS and Stonegate Advisors LLC interviewed executives at 13 of the largest US HCOs to gain insights into the current reality of fraud and improper payments and to review strategies and tactics that can be put in place in anticipation of reform. Read the paper to learn about the major trends uncovered in this research that signify a fundamental shift in HCOs' approach to improper payments.
Read More
To fight fraud effectively, HCOs must continually improve claims review to identify and investigate individuals (providers, patients, suppliers) and networks of individuals involved in collusion.