text:
State Pilot to Streamline Medicare-Medicaid Patient Care
Medical Economics Feature — May 2014
Tex Med. 2014;110(5):33-39.
By Amy Lynn SorrelAssociate Editor
When San Antonio pulmonologist John Holcomb, MD, treats patients enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, he knows he's dealing with a particularly fragile population that has little to no income and is elderly or has a disability. Neither these so-called "dual-eligible" patients nor the physicians treating them have it easy.
Most patients Dr. Holcomb sees have multiple chronic illnesses, such as respiratory or heart conditions, and mental or physical disabilities, which means higher costs than for other Medicare or Medicaid patients. Because the two health care programs often don't communicate, Dr. Holcomb sees dual eligibles in different venues for different problems. Medicare might cover a patient's office or hospital visit, but Dr. Holcomb must turn to Medicaid for the night-time ventilators or other medical equipment his patients typically need for long-term care at home or in a nursing facility.
"This is a very vulnerable population. They have a lot of health care needs. And it's a very expensive population. Yet care is very fragmented. Sometimes there are duplicate services, and it's a real waste," said Dr. Holcomb, chair of the Texas Medical Association Select Committee on Medicaid, CHIP, and the Uninsured.
The federal government and states are partnering to find a fix to the costly problem. In early 2015, Texas will test a new way to integrate care for dual eligibles by allowing some of the state's Medicaid managed care plans to take over patients' Medicare services and coordinate care across both programs.
The model is the first of its kind with little track record. Texas is among roughly 20 states to take advantage of the new initiative created by the Affordable Care Act. At press time, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) was putting the finishing touches on a plan that could mean fewer walls, more information sharing, and a one-stop shop for physicians, patients, and health plans to manage and pay for dual eligibles' care.
That is, if implementation goes smoothly, says Dr. Holcomb. TMA supports the pilot's goals to improve care and lower costs. But physicians want to ensure patient protection in the process, and fresh bruises from the state's 2012 expansion of Medicaid managed care leave them cautiously optimistic, Dr. Holcomb says. (See "Roadblocks to Medicaid Managed Care," October 2013 Texas Medicine, pages 14-21.)
"I'm all for saving money in a program that's very fragmented. It's crazy to have to go to Medicaid for some things and Medicare for others. And from the patient side, it would be simpler if it works out the way it shows on paper," he said. "But the devil is always in the details, and we just don't have much faith that managed care companies are really going to do what needs to be done to coordinate care for these patients."
More than just money is at stake, adds Sheila Magoon, MD, executive director of the South Texas Physician Alliance, an independent practice association. The proposed enrollment mechanisms, for example, could shift patients into new Medicare plans and disrupt their longstanding relationships with the physicians who have treated their complicated conditions.
"We understand the need for being able to control costs and better coordinate care. But forcing patients into changes may not necessarily be in their best interest. They have developed trusting relationships with their providers, and that should not change," she said.
HHSC officials say the state has made improvements since the last Medicaid managed care rollout and has created additional safeguards in the dual-eligible pilot, such as continuity-of-care provisions. The pilot will run in six counties before going statewide.
Medicaid/CHIP Project Management Director Tania Colon says the state's move to Medicaid managed care helped pave the way for this next step, "and we believe this model will prove beneficial in reducing confusion across the two programs and streamlining administrative processes for providers. It will also make navigating the system easier for clients and ensure the right level of support is available to ensure access to services."
Streamlining Care
Over the past two legislative sessions, Texas lawmakers completed the statewide shift of most Medicaid enrollees from traditional fee-for-service Medicaid into privately run managed care plans. The latest expansions incorporated hospital, pharmacy, nursing home, and other long-term care services for Medicaid STAR+PLUS plans, which cover the elderly and people with physical disabilities, many of whom are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Texas' dual-eligible population stands at roughly 350,000.
Nothing about the new demonstration project changes the current Medicaid managed care structure or what Medicaid and Medicare each cover. However, the state experiment will allow five existing STAR+PLUS plans to take over dual eligibles' Medicare services through their corresponding Medicare Advantage plans. Ms. Colon says the Medicaid plans had to have previous experience with Medicare managed care.
The pilot includes a total of 130,000 patients in Bexar, Dallas, El Paso, Harris, Hidalgo, and Tarrant counties. (See "Dual Demonstration.") Texas and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) each will pay the managed care plans a set fee for their respective Medicaid and Medicare services, in hopes the plans can contain costs for a population, which according to 2013 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) figures, accounts for a disproportionate share of Medicare and Medicaid spending. (See "An Expensive Proposition.")
Physicians will get payment from and coordinate patients' care through a single entity with the help of a "care coordinator." Ms. Colon says STAR+PLUS plans already assign patients a similar contact to track their Medicaid services. For dual eligibles, the coordinator will organize both the acute care that typically falls under Medicare, such as hospital care, and long-term care services such as nursing home needs or disease management programs that fall under Medicaid. The project also hinges on assigning patients a single "medical home" or primary care physician through whom the care coordinator can arrange patients' care.
The state-federal partnership also allows HHSC to access previously hard-to-reach Medicare data through the health plans, Ms. Colon says. That in turn will help the state and physicians see what's happening across the spectrum of care and help avoid conflicts or duplications of services, like hospital readmissions. Medicare managed care, she adds, provides additional benefits, such as hearing or weight management services, typically not included in Medicare fee-for-service or Medicaid state plans.
HHSC has yet to finalize its financial projections with CMS, but based on other state models, the agency expects savings of 2 percent to 4 percent over the three-year demonstration. According to CMS, however, some states have dropped out of the project over concerns they could not achieve such upfront savings, among other reasons.
Patient Choice at Stake
Physicians worry the enrollment process the state plans to use puts patient choice at stake and say the state's poor track record with recent expansion of Medicaid managed care could pose other unintended patient care threats.
Unless patients proactively opt out of the demonstration project or choose their preferred Medicare Advantage plan, the state will automatically enroll them into one that matches their current STAR+PLUS Medicaid plan.
In a 2012 letter, TMA told HHSC that despite the association's "strong support" of efforts to integrate dual-eligible services, the so-called passive enrollment process eviscerates "patients' right to choose their own physicians as well as the health care delivery system that works best for their particular health care needs." Instead, TMA advocates that HHSC conduct a robust outreach campaign to educate dual eligibles about the potential benefits of obtaining Medicare and Medicaid services via a single health plan.
In fact, under federal rules, "any Medicare beneficiary has a fundamental right to choose their delivery system," whether to remain in traditional Medicare or opt into managed care, says Trey Berndt. He is associate state director for advocacy at the Texas chapter of AARP, an advocacy group for retired people, which shares TMA's concerns.
"There are reasonable public policy goals to having better coordination of services, and for some patients managed care is a good deal. But we want to be sure that fundamental right is well communicated and maintained. The bottom line is, this is a big change for this population," Mr. Berndt said.
MedPAC echoed those concerns: "Some dual-eligible beneficiaries and their caregivers are actively engaged in managing their care. These beneficiaries may have already established their network of providers within FFS [fee-for-service Medicare] and may choose to opt out of the demonstrations. Other beneficiaries may not have regular access to care in FFS. These individuals should be made aware of their choices and that passive enrollment into a health plan that increases access to care and coordinates care would be to their benefit."
Dr. Magoon adds many dual-eligible patients already struggle to understand how Medicare and Medicaid work together, and passive enrollment will only add more confusion.
According to state figures, only 20 percent of Texas' dual eligibles are enrolled in a Medicare managed care, or Medicare Advantage, plan, which according to TMA's letter "indicat[es] a clear preference [among patients] for [Medicare] fee-for-service." Only one-third of those participate in the same Medicaid/Medicare plan.
Mr. Berndt, a former HHSC policy advisor, says Texas already experienced similar difficulties transitioning dual eligibles to a more complicated Medicare Part D drug program in 2006. (See "D Is for Drugs," June 2005 Texas Medicine, pages 26-31.) That shift involved only one benefit versus the spectrum of care under the dual-eligible demonstration.
In Massachusetts, which launched its pilot in January, about half of enrollees have selected their own plans, early numbers show. Of those automatically enrolled, 61 percent stayed with their assigned plan, 2 percent switched to a different one, and 25 percent opted out.
For physicians like Dr. Holcomb, who does not participate in Medicaid managed care, the passive enrollment process almost certainly means the dual-eligible patients he's been seeing for years likely will get reassigned to a Medicare plan he does not accept.
La Joya family physician Javier A. Saenz, MD, experienced that firsthand during the 2012 rollout of Medicaid managed care in the Rio Grande Valley. Despite his participation in several Medicaid networks, the state erroneously reassigned his long-standing patients to different doctors.
"All of a sudden I'm out of network, and my patients were assigned to doctors in Harlingen and Weslaco when I had been their doctor for 15 years. And being out of network means being paid out-of-network fees, which is sometimes nothing," Dr. Saenz said.
He also worries that the state's plan could undermine his Medicare shared-savings accountable care organization (ACO), Rio Grande Valley Health Alliance, which has similar goals of improving care and reducing costs through a single medical home, care coordinators, and preventive services. Dual eligibles must remain in fee-for-service Medicare to stay with an ACO. If the state moves them to managed care, he says, "it would kill our ACO," which, along with another one in the area, has more than 11,000 Medicare patients, many of whom are dual eligibles.
Physicians also question whether the Medicaid/Medicare managed care plans will have adequate physician networks and medical home infrastructure to achieve the pilot's quality improvement and cost-containment goals, particularly in light of the state's recent dual-eligible payment cuts. (See "TMA: Restore the Dual-Eligible Payment Cuts.")
Nothing about the demonstration reverses those cuts, which almost drove Dr. Saenz out of business. Other physicians weren't so lucky. TMA officials also expressed concern over Medicare Advantage plans' recent decisions to terminate physicians from their networks to meet the ACA's cost-cutting demands. (See "A Bitter Pill," March 2014 Texas Medicine, pages 39-44.)
Dr. Holcomb adds that despite the state's plan to rely on medical homes, many dual-eligible patients rely heavily on specialists.
"Primary care physicians would have to send them my way anyway. And we already know [some health plans] do not have adequate networks [of specialists] in Uvalde where our rural clinics are. So network adequacy is going to be a very critical issue for this unique population," he said.
And he has yet to receive a call from a care coordinator among the existing Medicaid managed care plans. "My patients don't even know they have a care manager, and nobody's ever called me," Dr. Holcomb said.
Mr. Berndt says even before the demonstration project, Medicaid plans were expected to assign care coordinators to organize all patients' services. For dual eligibles, that would include Medicare.
"When we dug into the reality, we found that service fell far short of what was envisioned," he said, adding that plan models also vary.
Texas AARP found that according to the state's own surveys, only 20 percent of 400,000 Medicaid managed care enrollees reported having a service coordinator; 40 percent of those who did not have a coordinator said they'd welcome the help.
Mr. Berndt says state standards have since improved. For example, plans must name a coordinator for certain high-risk patients — but the 20-percent figure holds steady. "The issue becomes even more important that services are coordinated for [dual eligibles] with a lot of chronic conditions or needs."
State Safeguards
Ms. Colon says HHSC is working closely with CMS to identify physicians already caring for dual eligibles and plans to give federal officials a comprehensive list of Texas Medicaid doctors serving this population. The same list will go to state Medicare/Medicaid plans, which HHSC says must invite each of those health professionals to participate in their networks.
TMA officials clarify that under Medicaid rules, plans must give "significant traditional providers" — in this case, primary care and long-term care health professionals serving a majority of dual eligibles — the opportunity to participate for at least three years. But physicians must meet the plan's credentialing requirements and be willing to accept the contracted payment rates and terms.
"We want those providers to be included in the managed care plan to be able to provide those services, and we are working with health plans on that," she said.
The state also will notify patients 60 and 30 days before enrollment in the demonstration. But Ms. Colon reiterated patients can opt out or switch plans at any point during the demonstration.
"Where there have been previous authorizations of services, whether by Medicare or Medicaid, we often transfer those things in as part of the enrollment process to make sure there is no break in treatment. All of those pieces are going to be worked out in detail in our [health plan] contract requirements to make sure we have continuity of care. That's very important to us," she said. Those contracts also likely will include some provisions for out-of-network care, "but what we would really try to do and have health plans work to do is get providers in the network to enroll and provide those services."
With the recent Medicaid managed care expansions, HHSC officials say they've also beefed up oversight of plans and contracts, including network adequacy and prompt payment provisions, and will conduct "readiness reviews" to make sure plans meet those standards before launching the pilot. CMS also will monitor network adequacy "so there will be a lot of eyes on this to make sure clients have access to the providers they need for treatment," Ms. Colon said.
Neither UnitedHealthcare nor Molina, two of the participating health plans, were available to comment for this story. In written responses, both plans said they will draw on their years of experience serving Medicare and Medicaid populations in Texas and other states.
"Our goal is to ensure any changes to the program are seamless and without disruption of care," United officials said.
Molina shares that goal and will "make use of the many lessons learned in the implementation of other programs both in Texas and other states to make the rollout as smooth as possible. There is a focus on achieving savings, but the program is structured to accomplish savings through better care management and coordination."
Molina also acknowledges some of the challenges health plans likely will face reaching dual eligibles and engaging them in care management programs. The plan may rely on community health workers, for example, to visit patients in their homes, community centers, even cars, if they don't have a stable home address or phone number.
"We will work with CMS and HHSC to ensure that our patients and providers are aware of the changes. There are continuity-of-care provisions that are designed to prevent interruptions in on-going episodes of acute care. As always, our preference is for beneficiaries to exercise their right to choose a health plan and a physician," Molina said.
TMA officials add the onus is on state officials, too, to regularly communicate with and engage physicians and patients in the rollout of the dual-eligible pilot. TMA will participate in statewide HHSC stakeholder meetings on the project and continues to advocate for Medicaid program improvements through several other state advisory groups.
Dr. Holcomb acknowledges the dual-eligible pilot involves significantly fewer patients than were affected by the statewide rollout of Medicaid managed care. But unless the state gets it right, the next phase, which would include even harder-to-reach dual eligibles in rural Texas, could prove even more difficult.
Amy Lynn Sorrel can be reached by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1392, or (512) 370-1392; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email.
Dual Demonstration
In early 2015, Texas will test new ways to integrate care for the state's dual-eligible population, which stands at roughly 350,000. The pilot will roll out in the following areas, where patients will enroll in a single Medicare/Medicaid managed care plan to take care of their needs.
County Enrollment Participating Managed Care Plans
Bexar 21,352 Amerigroup, Molina, SuperiorDallas 21,142 Molina, SuperiorEl Paso 16,634 Amerigroup, MolinaHarris 38,402 Amerigroup, Molina, UnitedHealthcareHidalgo 23,556 HealthSpring (Cigna), Molina, Superior Tarrant 11,522 Amerigroup, HealthSpring
Source: Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Back to article
An Expensive Proposition
Because patients who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid tend to be poor, elderly, or have a disability, and often have chronic physical and mental health problems, they continue to make up a disproportionate share of Medicare and Medicaid spending. That's why states like Texas are experimenting with new ways to care for this population.
According to a 2013 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission report, dual eligibles:
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission also reports that:
TMA: Restore the Dual-Eligible Payment Cuts
Fully restoring the cuts the 2011 Texas Legislature made to dual-eligible payments in a budget-saving maneuver remains a TMA priority.
Last year, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) partially reinstated some of the money to care for these patients eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. But the remaining payment reductions continue to squeeze physicians who care for this population, forcing a growing number of them to lay off staff, curtail services, or take out personal loans rather than stop seeing these patients.
In 2011, the legislature ordered a two-part reduction that eliminated Medicaid's full payment of patients' annual Medicare Part B deductible — $147 in 2014 — and stopped payment of dual-eligibles' coinsurance if the Medicare Part B payment for a service exceeds the Medicaid allowable, which is almost always the case for physician services. Together, the new policy resulted in more than a 20-percent payment reduction for physicians who care for these patients.
May 2014 Texas Medicine ContentsTexas Medicine Main Page
May 13, 2016
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text:
Advice for the Young at Heart
It's 2011 and 1958 and London is rioting. Candice is ordered by her gang-leading boyfriend to lure Clint into a honeytrap. Haunted by her grandfather's mistakes, she stands at a crossroads. Will she do as she's told, or will she learn to be true to herself before history repeats itself?
A modern tale for riotous times, commissioned and developed by Theatre Centre, Advice for the Young at Heart examines 2011's unrest against the background of the 1958 race riots, exploring themes of race, family and misguided loyalty. A new play for young people aged 14+.
Advice for the Young at Heart was first performed at Redbridge Drama Centre, London, on 12 September 2013.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
These products are available as nasal sprays, nose drops,
tablets, and liquids.
In some states, medicines containing pseudoephedrine (such
as Sudafed) are kept behind the pharmacist's counter or require a prescription.
You may need to ask the pharmacist for it or have a prescription from your
doctor to buy the medicine.
Decongestants reduce swelling of the
mucous membrane in the nose and sinuses associated
sinusitis by constricting blood vessels and reducing
the blood supply to nasal mucous membranes. This reduces nasal congestion,
stuffiness, and runny noses.
Unlike oral decongestants, nasal
decongestants constrict blood vessels only in the nose and not in other parts
of the body. So they rarely cause the side effects that oral
decongestants do. Unfortunately, use of nasal decongestants is safe only for a
short period of time, because their use can lead to further swelling of the
sinus membranes as they wear off, creating more congestion, which in turn
requires higher doses of medicine (called
rebound congestion).
Decongestants are used to treat
symptoms caused by nasal blockage and sinusitis. They may be used along with
antibiotics and home treatment.
Decongestants do not cure sinusitis,
but they may reduce symptoms.1
sprays cannot reach the mucous membranes deeper in the nose and inside the
sinuses. Oral decongestants may be needed to reduce swelling in these
All medicines have side effects. But many people don't feel the side effects, or they are able to deal with them. Ask your pharmacist about the side effects of each medicine you take. Side effects are also listed in the information that comes with your medicine.
Here are some important things to think about:
Call 911 or other emergency services right away if you have:
Call your doctor if you have:
Common side effects of this medicine include:
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug
Reference is not available in all systems.)
Nasal sprays containing
decongestants should not be used for more than 3 days in a row. If used for
longer periods, you may have rebound congestion.
Saline (saltwater)
nasal sprays and washes may help clear up a stuffy nose. Both are available at pharmacies without a prescription. A
humidifier may also help thick or dried mucus to drain.
Decongestants may not be safe for young children or for people who have certain health problems. Before you use them, check the label. If you do use these medicines, always follow the directions about how much to use based on age and in some cases weight.
Talk with your doctor before you use
decongestants if you have other health problems such as:
Medicine is one of the many tools your doctor has to treat a health problem. Taking medicine as your doctor suggests will improve your health and may prevent future problems. If you don't take your medicines properly, you may be putting your health (and perhaps your life) at risk.
There are many reasons why people have trouble taking their medicine. But in most cases, there is something you can do. For suggestions on how to work around common problems, see the topic Taking Medicines as Prescribed.
If you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning to get pregnant, do not use any medicines unless your doctor tells you to. Some medicines can harm your baby. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbs, and supplements. And make sure that all your doctors know that you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning to get pregnant.
Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.
Complete the new medication information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.
CitationsSuh JD, Chiu AG (2012). Acute and chronic sinusitis. In AK Lalwani, ed., Current Diagnosis and Treatment Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 3rd ed., pp. 291–301. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Last Revised:
September 12, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine & Donald R. Mintz, MD - Otolaryngology
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text:
Ocarina no more: Killerina. I am T-pain no more: I Kill T-Pain. And Leaf Trombone? Liver Trombone! This Halloween, Smule have been possessed by the horrible deamons behind the horrid creeper, Attack of the Zombie Bikini Babes from Outer Space. Not sure what happened, but damn, things are titillatingly ugly. The undead attackers acutely resemble Marina Orlova of hot for words;Â in fact, I reckon they may have cloned her! At this point, maybe it doesn't matter because with the horrible holiday on its way, there is just time enough to grab yer guns… er, yer slingshots and blast them baddies who creep out from the graves.
Smort, Attack of the Zombie Bikini Babes From Outer Space, 0.99$, 17.9 MB


text:
Trust is just one of these funny things. When you first got it, you first got it. When you ain?t first got it, you?re in many trouble. So have a drug like aspirin. This is a neat medication with all of types of different uses. It?s a painkiller well, for minor aches, it reduces inflammation
helping to lower your temperature. Most importantly, for individuals vulnerable to a stroke or cardiac arrest, it thins the blood and reduces clotting. This is all major mojo yet everyone within the world is trusted by using it. You can enter pretty much any pharmacy or supermarket, and pick some from the shelf. No-one asks you for any prescription. It?s sold ?over-the-counter? OTC for brief by anyone who is actually within the store. What did all of us caused by justify this trust? Well, that?s tough to say. People who overdose on aspirin can die. Children are particularly in danger. Even though not at lethal levels, additionally, it may cause serious nausea. So it?s nothing like this can be a completely safe drug to depart available the home. Yet despite the fact that an incredible number of guys have been using the little blue pill because it came available on the market a few years ago, and it is safety record is first rate there has been a lot more than 120 numerous studies, it?s only accessible on prescription. For those men with no initiative to purchase this excellent cure for erection dysfunction online, which means a trip using their local doctor to gather a prescription
after which among those slightly embarrassing trips right down to town pharmacy where all of the counter staff nudge one another and smile while you are available in for the repeat dose. So, it?s been interesting to look at Pfizer?s application in Europe to market this possibly safer than aspirin drug over-the-counter. The plan ended up being to result in the 50mg dose of viagra available without prescription in pharmacies. But the the European Medicines Agency EMA was concerned when men could walk in from the streets and purchase this drug, they could be putting themselves in danger. Yes, unless all males are instructed to visit a physician, there can be a fatal delay within the proper diagnosis of the actual reasons for their erection dysfunction. It could be diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease. A medical exam prior to the prescription ensures they stay good enough to savor the sex. It?s reassuring to understand the EMA has everyone?s interests in mind. The second reason that has related to younger men getting their on the job this drug for recreational purposes, is every bit unconvincing. So until good sense prevails on
every side, men will just have to purchase their viagra online where it?s less than on Main Street anyway. If they have other symptoms, most men could be trusted to visit possess a check-up eventually.
Estados Financieros
Peaje Río Sogamoso
Servicios en la Vía
Seguridad Vial
Unidades Funcionales
Unidad Funcional 1
Unidad Funcional 2
Unidad Funcional 3
Unidad Funcional 4
Unidad Funcional 5
Unidad Funcional 6
Unidad Funcional 7
Unidad Funcional 8
Unidad Funcional 9
Contratación y compras
Portal de Contratación
Portal de Compras
Sala de prensa
Notas de Prensa
Video institucional
Galería 2016-2017
Galería 2018
Galería 2019
Gestión Social
Servicio al Ciudadano
Notificación por Aviso
Atención al usuario
Oficinas Móviles
Cultura vial
Capacitación de la comunidad aledaña al proyecto
Gestión socio-predial
Apoyo a la capacidad de gestión institucional
Vinculación de mano de obra
Capacitación al personal vinculado al proyecto
Marco Legal
Trabaje con nosotros


text:
Summary of M&A in a Changing World
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text:
This section answers common questions about serial communications with FreeBSD. PPP is covered in the Networking section.
Which multi-port serial cards are supported by FreeBSD?
There is a list of these in the Serial Communications chapter of the handbook.
Most multi-port PCI cards that are based on 16550 or clones are supported with no extra effort.
Some unnamed clone cards have also been known to work, especially those that claim to be AST compatible.
Check uart(4) and sio(4) to get more information on configuring such cards.
How do I get the boot: prompt to show on the serial console?
How do I tell if FreeBSD found my serial ports or modem cards?
As the FreeBSD kernel boots, it will probe for the serial ports in your system for which the kernel was configured. You can either watch your system closely for the messages it prints or run this command after your system is up and running:
Here is some example output from the above command:
sio0: <16550A-compatible COM port> port 0x3f8-0x3ff irq 4 flags 0x10 on acpi0 sio0: type 16550A sio1: <16550A-compatible COM port> port 0x2f8-0x2ff irq 3 on acpi0 sio1: type 16550A
This shows two serial ports. The first is on
IRQ 4, is using port address
How do I access the serial ports on FreeBSD?
The third serial port,
You use
How do I enable support for a multiport serial card?
Again, the section on kernel configuration provides information about configuring your kernel. For a multiport serial card, place an sio(4) line for each serial port on the card in the device.hints(5) file. But place the IRQ specifiers on only one of the entries. All of the ports on the card should share one IRQ. For consistency, use the last serial port to specify the IRQ. Also, specify the following option in the kernel configuration file:
options COM_MULTIPORT
The following
hint.sio.4.at="isa" hint.sio.4.port="0x2a0" hint.sio.4.flags="0x701" hint.sio.5.at="isa" hint.sio.5.port="0x2a8" hint.sio.5.flags="0x701" hint.sio.6.at="isa" hint.sio.6.port="0x2b0" hint.sio.6.flags="0x701" hint.sio.7.at="isa" hint.sio.7.port="0x2b8" hint.sio.7.flags="0x701" hint.sio.7.irq="12"
The flags indicate that the master port has minor number
Can I set the default serial parameters for a port?
See the Serial Communications section in the FreeBSD Handbook.
How can I enable dialup logins on my modem?
Please read the section about Dial-in Services in the FreeBSD Handbook.
How can I connect a dumb terminal to my FreeBSD box?
You can find this information in the Terminals section of the FreeBSD Handbook.
Why can I not run
On your system, the programs tip(1) and cu(1)
can only access the
Alternatively, you can let everyone on your system run tip(1) and cu(1) by typing:
All FreeBSD documents are available for download at http://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/doc/
Questions that are not answered by the
documentation may be
sent to <email@example.com>.
Send questions about this document to <firstname.lastname@example.com>.


text:
Cute Husky Puppies First Time Howling And Barking
These cute little puppies need a loving home. As soon as you look into their expressive eyes you will
want to make them your own! Pet and cuddle them. Their faces move and they even breathe, just like
a real animal. These super adorable pups are just waiting to be adopted by you!
Check out these cute puppy barking videos. Puppies barking in this dog barking videos compilation.
Also try out other funny videos on the channel. Cats are the most awesome and funny pets so check out
funny cats or funny cat videos compilations. Animals are so funny you just can't stop laughing so a funny
animal compilation will make you laugh. Subscribe for the greatest and funniest animal moments because
animals and pets are humorous and hilarious
if you will, living your entire life in a dirty pen through summer, through winter, through fall,
through spring. You have little knowledge of the human race other than sometimes, they might throw over
a bite of food for you, but most of the time, they don't bother
This is where we spent the next 45 minutes. This person decided to turn the camera on so that you all could witness the beginning stage of his recovery
process. Her only goal for the day was to let him know that human touch was safe.
You are snared and placed into a crate ending up at a strange place where they poke you with needles, stick a probe up your butt, take your blood, remove
your testicles and give you funny pills that upset your stomach. You are then picked up by a transport van and
driven to your new unfamiliar temporary home where excited humans who seem like aliens greet you with love
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Annine Unger started dancing at the age of 3 taking ballet, jazz and tap. She competed in her first competitive talent show and placed second at age 5 and was a first place contestant at age 13. She became a professional dancer at age 9 performing in CINDERELLA at the Irvine Barkley. She later joined a competitive dance team called Talent Troupe where she traveled and competed against other dance studios. Also, at age 9 she started to place in Beauty Pageants and won the title Miss Southern California as well as placing Nationally in Las Vegas at the Sands Hotel. When she turned 10 she completed John Robert Powers study and was picked up by Cunningham Escott Depinni agency and landed a commercial that aired in Texas. At age 12 her cheerleading squad placed first as state champions.
"After dancing professionally my whole life I started to dance in the underground dance scene by the name Floetic1. I danced from age 13-26 on and off." She has danced with a rapper named Germfree and 2mex on the Girl on Girl tour and PMS crew, which stands for Prime Ministers Of Slam; the all girl crew. By the age of 18 she graduated with honors and decided to major in dance. She specialized in choreography where she choreographed two of her own 5 minute dances by Black Eyed Peas and Madonna. "Me and my salsa partner won best choreography in our Spring show!" At 19 she made it on a pro dance team called Fire and Ice where they danced at the San Diego sports arena and on ice for a San Diego hockey team. She also worked the Comic Con Convention for Dreamworks productions for the release of the Transformers 2007. She was on TV guide promoting the movie.
Annine decided to get her beauty college license and become an Esthetician, makeup artist, and wax specialist. She went to New York to be her godmothers image specialist. Her godmother owns the Debt Connection Symposium and expo shows and business. She met Jim Belushi at a gala her godmother put on which he hosted. Jim ended up using her in his act where she improvised and danced. He then asked her to go on tour with him. A week later she was flown to Las Vegas where she performed as an audience plant for THE BLUES BROTHER TRIBUTE BAND with Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
She also went on tour with The Sacred Hearts Band which is The House of Blues traveling house band. "My good friend Jim Belushi invited me to join the cast of According 2 Jim which is a sitcom he starred in on channel 5 CBS, where I was able to receive my 3 special features and SAG card."
At age 24 Annine was again asked to join the cast of The Defenders with Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell. She was on the show as an extra for about 8 months. This sitcom was also held at CBS where her head shot was in the head casters office. She has continued in her career since then as a model. "I was in OC Magazine where I was featured and had my own Annine poster for sale online. Since then I have co hosted events for friends like GLORY clothing and DITCH the rapper. I starred in two music videos "Lay em Down" with Ditch and "Ridin Tonight" with Young Foe."
Ditch the rapper and Annine have been on the Bishop don Juan radio show on Conair radio. She now models for Kym Couture clothing and attends many events and is recognized and noticed as a model. She attended the BET awards CHRIS BROWN after party where she was interviewed for being model of the month for Hansum magazine. That night she was on CNN-I reports front page for standing out and looking so beautiful. As well as giving TRENDSETTAH gift bags to Chris Brown and Dj drama.
Annine also was featured in an article with Nick Cannon and Chris Brown from CPC live as well as interviews on INDIE POWER. She has recently been featured on radio as the next Sharon Stone and looking like Carmen Electra. She attended the Players Toast Awards with Rappun 4tay and the Intercepterz, our fam, Ditch and Bishop all made CNN-I report that night as well. Naluda magazine then noticed her and has written four articles about Annine.
"I'm making appearances everywhere and am coming out in September's issue of Hansum magazine. I am model of the month and plan to throw a big celebration bash at HEAT ULTRA NIGHT CLUB. I hope to continue this success with the support of all my fans, thank you!"
Published on Sep 09, 2013


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What can investors learn from Leicester City's chase for the Premier League title?
What can investors learn from Leicester City's chase for the Premier League title?
If you thought the most important investment-related news story of 2016 so far was Brexit, Donald Trump, China, the oil price, or politicians' tax return revelations, you'd be wrong on all counts. It's Leicester City FC and its quest to win its first Premier League title.
Loss aversion
I don't make this statement to trivialise or belittle either the fortunes of our clients in uncertain markets or the potential success of a proud football club.
Our clients' success is ours, given our goals are completely aligned with theirs: the creation of long-term value to assist them in meeting their future financial needs. And the conviction, patience and support shown by UK football fans could be a timely reminder of core values for struggling investors in tough times.
The reason I believe Leicester City's story relates so closely to markets and investment is due to the behavioural psychology that those fortunes reveal.
It was Matthew Syed at The Times (The Game, Monday 14 March 2016) who first highlighted this parallel; Leicester City, in trying not to lose the race for the Premier League rather than playing to win it, will face the challenge of loss aversion and the paralysis it can cause.
It's the equivalent of the fund manager's temptation to lock in gains too soon and become overly protective, or an advisory client's counter-productive desire to avoid losses at all costs without understanding risk as manifested by volatility.
In the case of Leicester City, it has affected those fans cashing out on their start of season bets at 5000-1. Locking in a gain becomes very tempting when so much is at stake and I don't blame them for that.
Committing to the cause
What our clients need is assistance to differentiate when they are selling out of conviction, as opposed to the fear of losing a gain, and an advisory reminder of the importance of a long-term financial plan.
Loss aversion, first demonstrated by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, is the most pervasive of all behavioural biases, mainly because people have always had a tendency to prefer avoiding losses to acquiring gains.
For those advisers facing clients who insist on trying to time the markets and sell at the first sign of increased volatility, here is the Schroders 3 Step Journey to Rational Decision Making:
- Take the Schroders incomeIQ test and encourage your clients to do likewise. The test uses a simple set of multiple choice questions, which should take no more than five minutes to complete at www.schroders.co.uk/incomeIQ. Then talk about the results and make a (genuine) holistic financial plan.
- Remember that capacity for loss goes far beyond a number and an objective definition.
- "The easiest way to increase happiness is to control your use of time." (Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, 2013) Give clients permission to do things to increase their overall life satisfaction and reduce the worry that loss aversion can cause.
Sticking by long-term tactics
We all make choices that don't make sense – it's human nature.
Mix in the fact that clients are often over-confident in their own financial acumen (our recent research found that 65% of investors are confident in their ability to make sound investment decisions) and you have a potent, destructive force that can de-rail your financial plans and advice.
Our value fund managers frequently talk about their unemotional appraisal of risk and reward, and their conviction in the value style.
With five games to go, if Leicester City sticks to its long-term, tactical success with low squad turnover and an absence of fear, its chances of beating loss aversion and winning the league will surely increase.
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Educational Mission
The educational mission of the department is related to teaching in the medical, graduate and undergraduate curricula. Teaching excellence is a priority of the department and the faculty put much effort into their lectures and practical science teaching. The programs of study are in the Master of Science in Pharmacology and Toxicology and the Ph.D. programs in Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Sciences. The master's program is a research-based program that recruits students from universities as well as the military and industrial sectors.
Research Mission
The research foci of the department are:
- Pharmacology of disease processes – hypertension, diabetes, stroke, pain, neurological and others
- Disease Mechanisms – cellular physiology, cell signaling, ion transport, volume regulation, behavior and wound healing
- Toxicology – behavioral, immunological, cardiovascular and nanoparticles
The methods used in these experimental approaches are molecular genetics, gene therapy, mass spectroscopy (proteomics), gene microarray expression, integrative cardiovascular biology and confocal microscopy.
Some of the facilities available to the faculty and students are molecular biology, a genomics expression center, a proteome analysis laboratory, an imaging facility, a conference room, student offices and designated space within the Laboratory Animal Resources facility. Research support comes from the NIH, American Heart Association, Office of Air Force Research, Department of Defense, Department of Education, and Colgate Palmolive.
The department will continue its growth in the coming years with the addition of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and visiting faculty and students. There are close ties with the research scientists at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (Air Force and Navy Research Laboratories) and Battelle Inc. in West Jefferson, Ohio. Many of these scientists participate in teaching and research programs as adjunct faculty. They have definitely enhanced our toxicological research and training opportunities.
Department Newsletter
The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology has started a newsletter to keep our alumni and the Boonshoft School of Medicine and Wright State University apprised of the happenings in the department. This newsletter will be issued three times per year. Each issue will also contain a "Spotlight" section that highlights a faculty colleague or a program. To get on the departmental mailing list to receive an electronic version, or to provide suggestions as to content, please contact Catherine Winslow at email@example.com.
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Fall 2019 (PDF)
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Spring-Summer 2019 (PDF)
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Winter 2019 (PDF)
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Winter 2018 (PDF)
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Fall 2017 (PDF)
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Summer 2017 (PDF)
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Spring 2017 (PDF)
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Winter 2016 (PDF)
- Pharmacology & Toxicology Update, Fall 2015 (PDF)


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Mail on Sunday
The winners of UK Theatre Awards 2012 will be announced on October 28. In the category "Best Horror Performance" Oxford professor Stephen Emmott, head of Microsoft's Computational Science Laboratory, should easily be the winner. Emmott's one-man show "Ten Billion", devised by theater director Katie Mitchell, has had a successful two-week run at the Royal Court Theater in London.
Liberal and "progressive" audiences were apparently mesmerized by professor Emmott's tale of an "unprecedented planetary emergency" (due to human induced global warming and overpopulation):
"I'm here because I'm concerned," the computer scientist began his presentation in somber tones to hushed, expectant audiences in London. "I'm concerned about the state of the planet."
He proceeded to narrate his vision of a world that is a "living hell" in which we are at war over land, food, and water as a world population of 10 billion scrabbles over resources.
Indeed, migration will be motivated not by choice or economic necessity by the end of the century, but by human survival.
"By 2100, the terms 'climate conflict,' 'water wars,' and 'resource conflict' will become highly likely in parts of the world," Emmott told CNBC. "I envisage a world of severe land, agricultural and water stress as a result of population growth, land degradation, and climate change."
Emmott believes global average temperatures could rise by as much as 6 degrees Celsius (around 11 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100, an "utterly catastrophic" possibility.
As people flee to cooler climes, Britain will develop militarized borders to stave off mass immigration. "Climate migrant" could become an everyday term, he said.
Indeed, "we are screwed" when the world population hits 10 billion unless we stop having children and curb our rampant use of energy and water, Emmott said, reeling off everyday facts to exemplify the energy use we take for granted every day.
The production of a single cup of coffee requires 100 liters (26 gallons) of water, while a chocolate bar draws upon 27,000 liters (7,132 gallons). Even a simple computer search for www.CNBC.com consumes the same energy as boiling a kettle.
"People say we can 'technologize' our way out of this, but I am unconvinced of this ... to avoid some catastrophic outcome, we are going to radically change the way we live, and our economies, principally, consuming much, much less."
He added: "[I'm not] confident at all, to be honest."
Read the entire article here
If professor Emmott's chocolate bar computation is true, Greenpeace, the Friends of the Earth and other envirofundamentalist NGO's should immediately stop their campaigns against fracking (which they are blaming for wasteful use of water) and start a global anti-chocolate movement instead. After all, the water needed for fracking pales in comparison with the production of choco bars!
Of course Dr. Emmott's show also has an official sponsor, the European Commission, an institution that lavishly supports almost any project featuring human caused "climate change" .


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Atheists with ADD/ADHD: Ever gotten in trouble for pretending to be an airplane during church? Been possessed by demons? Not to worry! That's not Beelzebub; it's just your ADD.
Members: 80
Latest Activity: Aug 21, 2016
Started by Edward Teach Aug 10, 2012. 0 Replies 0 Likes
I took it for the first time today. I don't ever remember having such mental clarity and energy.http://www.modafinil.com/modafvamphet.html…Continue
Started by Sean M Hebner. Last reply by TAdamson Nov 11, 2010. 35 Replies 0 Likes
So...Rumor has it that a lot of us with the ADD tend to like Techno...a lot.I LOVE techno, Industrial, and New Age music. not that I dislike everything else...I'm honestly a Metal Head at heart. But…Continue
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anyone have any experience with vyvanse?
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SO there is so many more of us now...that I think I need to stat a new topic.VIDEO GAMES!!What do you like? how long would you play if you had the free time?Continue
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For all those suffering with ADD, there are ways that it can be an extremely valuable gift. Do you know of any?Here are the gifts ADD has brought to me. In no particular order:Conferences and or…Continue
Started by OutlawGirl. Last reply by Tedster May 21, 2010. 29 Replies 0 Likes
Everybody has their forgetful moments, but we seem to have them more than most. For example I've been known to microwave pizza for dinner and find it still sitting in the microwave, stone cold the…Continue
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OK so in yet another atempt to jumpstart a conversation, I will as you, what is it about food any way..do you know what I mean??? huh huh ?? THAT guy knows what I mean!(ps I hate Jerry…Continue
Tags: yummy
Started by Wonderist. Last reply by Wonderist Jan 31, 2010. 7 Replies 0 Likes
I think I may be noticing that caffeine is actually interfering with my medication (Dexedrine). Before I was diagnosed I used to use exclusively caffeine to try to concentrate at work. Usually Coke,…Continue
Tags: interactions, medication, caffeine
Started by Tedster. Last reply by Wonderist Jan 16, 2010. 4 Replies 0 Likes
Do any people find that it is more difficult to remain rational due to ADD?
Started by Wonderist. Last reply by Wonderist Dec 30, 2009. 3 Replies 0 Likes
If you go to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie, go expecting an over-the-top silly fantasy version of the venerable character. That way you won't be disappointed at how over-the-top, silly, and…Continue
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text:
|La Bella Addormentata
From Wanted in Rome (I don't know why Venice is listed under Rome, but so it is:)
Royal Ballet of Flanders. In The Sleeping Beauty, choreography by Marcia Haydée.
Building on the solid foundation of Petipa and Tchaikovsky, Marcia Haydée has chosen to concentrate on the dramatic content of the work. She has added depth to the character of Carabosse, transforming her into a much rounder character who actually carries the piece.
Nonetheless, Haydée's Sleeping Beauty is also faithful to Petipa in the sense that it represents a struggle between good and evil, and it is Carabosse, the personification of evil, who is eventually defeated. New company director Kathryn Bennetts and Marcia Haydée have aimed to restore this well-known fairytale ballet to its former glory, whilst answering the question of why a company that privileges a contemporary repertoire should choose to revisit this classical romantic piece.
The reason is, as Marc Haegeman puts it in Danceviewtimes, that this is not an "old-fashioned and dusty museum piece" but a work that "still inspires today's artists as well as audiences. And what's more, it takes an academically schooled company like the Royal Ballet of Flanders – the only one left in Belgium – to dance it."
|The Evil Fairy Carabosse
photo at Koninklijk Ballet Vlaanderen
We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty, the beautiful Princess Aurora blessed with good wishes at her christening from her fairy godmothers. The evil fairy Carabosse arrives and, angry at not being invited, curses the baby Aurora and says she will prick her finger at age 16 and die. However, the Lilac Fairy, who has not yet given her blessing, softens the curse and says that instead of dying, Aurora will sleep for 100 years until she is awakened by the kiss of a prince.
Most of us know that story, but many of us do not even know where Flanders is. With all the focus on the European Union lately, perhaps we should review some history, especially because the headquarters of both the Europe Union and NATO are based in Flanders. This is from a Flanders tourist website:
Many things go on up there in Flanders that affect the lives of all of us who live in Europe, and the US, too, so it's probably a good idea to know exactly where it is. The Royal Ballet of Flanders is located in Antwerp, about forty minutes by train from Brussels. If you just skimmed the above description, please go back and read it again, slowly.
Most of us know that story, but many of us do not even know where Flanders is. With all the focus on the European Union lately, perhaps we should review some history, especially because the headquarters of both the Europe Union and NATO are based in Flanders. This is from a Flanders tourist website:
|Map at Principia Cybernetica
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, as well as those of several other major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 10.8 million people. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish, and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons, plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A small German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia.
Many things go on up there in Flanders that affect the lives of all of us who live in Europe, and the US, too, so it's probably a good idea to know exactly where it is. The Royal Ballet of Flanders is located in Antwerp, about forty minutes by train from Brussels. If you just skimmed the above description, please go back and read it again, slowly.
|Photo Ballet van Vlaaderen
Now that we've established some geographics, I think that Marcia Haydée's decision to develop the character of Carabosse, the evil fairy, really worked. I loved when the green magical curtain came down, and then, on top of it, down came another black gossamer curtain that Carabosse draped around himself (the sex of the evil fairy was ambiguous; but since it was played by a man, I will use the masculine pronoun). Especially chilling were Aurora's childhood interactions with the Lilac Fairy. Aurora grew up, playing with dolls, seemingly happy and protected by the Lilac Fairy, while waiting in the background, unseen, was Carabosse fluttering his black gossamer curtain. If Aurora was not conscious of the curse awaiting her, the audience most certainly was.
The costumes by Pablo Nunez were ravishing, with fine details that made each character stand out -- Nunez and Marcia Haydée were also responsible for the lighting. Benjamin Pope conducted the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice, expertly transporting Tchaikovsky's vibrant notes to our ears. Pablo Nunez must be some kind of genius because in addition to the costumes and lighting, he was also was responsible for the whimsical sets, creating a fairy tale wonderland on the stage of La Fenice. The dancers were superb. The members Royal Ballet of Flanders come from all over the world. The night I saw the performance, Aurora was played by Altea Nunez from Spain, the Prince by Ernesto Boada from Cuba, Carabosse by Yevgeniy Kolesnyk from the Ukraine and the Lilac Fairy by Maria Seletskaja from Estonia.
The way things are going on the planet, I had been worried that humanity might be losing its ability to even perform traditional ballet, but after witnessing the Royal Ballet of Flanders, I am happy to report that not only is ballet alive and well, there were plenty of young people from the Royal School of Ballet in Antwerp and the Centro Artistic L'étoile in Pisa livening up the stage.
|Photo Ballet van Vlaanderen
The Royal Ballet of Flanders is today one of the best companies in Europe. It has dynamic, top-notch dancers and a repertory that achieves, with effortless flair, the balance between traditional and modern that every ballet troupe seeks. In the last six years it has toured the world, won awards and garnered rave reviews. It is, surely, considered a jewel in the Belgian cultural crown.
Or is it? In October the Flemish Culture Ministry announced that the company would merge with the Flemish Opera, with both under a state-appointed administrator, or intendant. As the ballet company's artistic director, Kathryn Bennetts, sees it, this would mean a loss of artistic autonomy, hamper international touring and mire her already underfinanced company in greater practical and financial difficulties.
"I am absolutely outraged at the minister for making such an ignorant and arrogant decision," she said on Belgian national television after the announcement. "The minister of culture," she went on, referring to Joke Schauvliege, "shouldn't pretend to know anything about the arts — she doesn't." Ms. Bennetts declared that she would resign if the merger occurred.
|Photo giornaledelladanza
Needless to say, Ms. Bennetts did not resign. I don't know the current status of the company, but I think that the Royal Ballet of Flanders is a national treasure of which Belgium should be proud. They should travel all over the world, spreading good will, culture and delight, inspiring humanity with some the finest qualities that mankind has to offer.
Ciao from Venice,
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
Ciao from Venice,
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog


text:
Indigital Solutions, LLC v. Mohammed, 2012 WL 5825824 (S.D.Tex. November 15, 2012)
Plaintiffs alleged that one or more unknown defendants used malware to gain access to plaintiffs' email account, web hosting account and domain registration account. From a message in plaintiffs' email account, the defendants acquired an image of one of the plaintiff's signature, which defendants used to forge a domain name transfer agreement. Plaintiffs sued under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and other theories. They sought leave to take expedited discovery to learn the identity of the unknown defendants. The court granted the motion.
The court found that plaintiffs had made a prima facie showing of harm by setting forth a valid claim under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The discovery request was specific, in that they sought third party subpoenas to specified recipients seeking particular information. All alternative means of discovering the defendants had been exhausted, and the case could not move forward without the information. And the court found no privacy interest on the part of the defendants to be at stake, especially given the evidence that the defendants were not U.S. citizens, thus not subject to any First Amendment interest in anonymity.


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SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has signed goalkeeper Evan Newton and defender Josh Suggs. Per league and team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Newton was with the Houston Dynamo a season ago, but he did not make any league appearances for the 2011 MLS Cup finalists after being selected by the club in the first round (No. 7 overall) of the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft. Newton joined FC Tampa Bay of the North American Soccer League (NASL) on loan on May 5, and played all 90 minutes of two league matches, making 12 saves and recording a win and a tie, including a 4-0 clean sheet at Atlanta on Aug. 6.
Newton, who now joins veteran starter Jon Busch and second-year professional David Bingham as the Quakes' goalkeeping contingent in 2012, spent five years at Old Dominion University in his native Virginia, leaving as the program's all-time leader in saves (254) and shutouts (36). He was a two-time NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region and three-time All-Colonial Athletic Association honoree, guiding the Monarchs to three NCAA Championship berths and the 2007 CAA title.
Suggs last played for the Los Angeles Blues of the United Soccer Leagues Professional Division (USL PRO) during the league's inaugural season in 2011. The outside defender previously played four years at Humboldt State, like star Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski's alma mater Chico State an NCAA Division II member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association. As a midfielder and forward for the Lumberjacks, Suggs tallied 22 goals and seven assists over 73 games, earning All-CCAA recognition his last three years and finishing No. 6 on the program's all-time scoring chart.
Suggs played the full 90 minutes of a 1-0 loss at Vancouver Whitecaps FC for the Quakes reserves in an MLS Reserve League match on Sept. 6, 2011, while on a week-long trial with the club, earning an invite back for training camp.
Transactions: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) – Earthquakes sign GK Evan Newton and D Josh Suggs.
Evan Newton
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6-2
Weight: 185 lbs.
Born: April 1, 1988, in Virginia Beach, Va.
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.
Last Club: Houston Dynamo
College: Old Dominion
Citizenship: USA
Josh Suggs
Position: Defender
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170 lbs.
Born: April 26, 1989, in Las Cruces, N.M.
Hometown: Las Cruces, N.M.
Last Club: Los Angeles Blues (USL)
College: Humboldt State
Citizenship: USA


text:
New Volkswagen Models for Sale in Gainesville, FL
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MPG Disclaimer:
Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
Price is plus sales tax, $184.00 private tag agency fee and titling, any dealer installed accessories and dealer service fee of $899.00, which represents cost and profits to the selling dealer for items such as cleaning, inspecting, adjusting new vehicles and preparing documents related to the sale. Online discounts may include incentives derived from financing with dealer. Please contact dealer for details.
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If you are a science fiction fan like I am, you may have seen some of the old "serial" movies like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers (both from Universal Pictures). Every week, the hero would appear to have reached an impossible situation and was facing certain doom at the movie's end. Next week, the hero would somehow escape and continue on to new adventures until the end when he'd face another sure death. Apparently, in silent movies it was common for the hero to hang over the edge of a cliff, and thus this type of ending is called a "cliffhanger."
Last week, I was talking about a different kind of serial – a USB serial port. I used Qt to communicate with a pulse output device (actually a PIC running special firmware). Qt is cross-platform, but unfortunately it doesn't support the serial port. So while the software ought to run anywhere Qt can handle, the serial port code was strictly Linux only.
However, the code used a simple abstraction layer to communicate with the serial port consisting of just a few calls (open, close, read, write, and ready). By replacing these simple calls with Windows-specific code, the software can run under Windows with a simple recompile.
If you recall, I borrowed the Linux serial code from another project named the GP3, and the same project provided the Windows code. Just like the Linux side, I placed the code in a C++ file even though it's straight C. I also protected it with QT's macro that indicates the target platform is Windows:
#include <QApplication> #if defined(Q_OS_WIN32)
The Windows code really isn't that much different from the Linux code. It simply uses different names for the same concepts. Here's the open code, for example:
int gp3openport(const char *port) { DCB dcb; COMMTIMEOUTS cto; DWORD rv; size_t count; wchar_t wport[64]=L"\\\\.\\"; mbstowcs_s(&count,wport+4,sizeof(wport)/sizeof(wchar_t)-4,port,_TRUNCATE); comport=CreateFile(wport,GENERIC_READ|GENERIC_WRITE,0,NULL,OPEN_EXISTING, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL,NULL); if (comport!=INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) { SetupComm(comport,128,128); cto.ReadIntervalTimeout=0; cto.ReadTotalTimeoutMultiplier=100; cto.ReadTotalTimeoutConstant=0; cto.WriteTotalTimeoutMultiplier=0; cto.WriteTotalTimeoutConstant=100; SetCommTimeouts(comport,&cto); dcb.DCBlength=sizeof(dcb); GetCommState(comport,&dcb); rv=BuildCommDCB(TEXT("baud=9600 parity=N data=8 stop=1"),&dcb); dcb.fBinary=TRUE; dcb.fDtrControl=DTR_CONTROL_DISABLE; dcb.fOutxDsrFlow=FALSE; dcb.fNull=FALSE; dcb.fRtsControl=RTS_CONTROL_ENABLE; dcb.fOutxCtsFlow=TRUE; dcb.fDsrSensitivity=FALSE; dcb.fOutX=FALSE; dcb.fInX=FALSE; rv=SetCommState(comport,&dcb); if (!rv) { CloseHandle(comport); comport=INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE; } }
The CreateFile call corresponds to an open call on Linux. For low-numbered COM ports, you can simply use the name (like COM1). But this code is meant for a USB COM port and these could have high port numbers. In that case, the correct syntax is \\.\COM12 (or whatever). Although this syntax is required for large port numbers, it works for any port number so the code simply appends this prefix to the name before calling CreateFile.
After the port is open, calls to SetupComm and SetCommTimeouts set the buffer sizes and the timeout behavior, respectively. The DCB (Device Control Block) is how you configure the baud rate and other parameters. Once it is filled out, the SetCommState call makes the change.
The rest of the code is wholly anti-climatic. ReadFile, WriteFile, and CloseHandle do all the work. You can find the source code online.
Probably the trickiest part of the whole thing is providing the drop down with the port names in the user interface. On Linux it is easy to just scan the /dev directory for this pattern:
The Qt QDir object makes that very simple.
Windows isn't quite so easy. If you really wanted to do it right, you can scan the Windows registry under HARDWARE\DEVICEMAP\SERIALCOMM and learn the serial port names. I decided it was easier to just set the combo box to hold COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4. The combo box allows you to type anything you want in it, so if you have COM20 or something you just have to type it in. Once you enter a port, the program will remember it in the future.
// populate COM ports #if !defined(Q_OS_WIN) // note System needed for Dev files! QDir dev("/dev","tty[SU]*",QDir::Name,QDir::Files|QDir::Readable|QDir::Writable|QDir::System); QStringList devices; devices=dev.entryList(); ui->comPort->addItems(devices); #else // just stick a few in, the user can edit if needed ui->comPort->addItem("COM1"); ui->comPort->addItem("COM2"); ui->comPort->addItem("COM3"); ui->comPort->addItem("COM4"); #endif // get saved port QSettings set("awce.com","gp9demo"); #if defined(Q_OS_WIN) QString portsel=set.value("option/port","COM1").toString(); #else QString portsel=set.value("option/port","ttyS0").toString(); #endif // if we have one make sure it is in the list and select it if (!portsel.isEmpty()) { int idx; idx=ui->comPort->findText(portsel); if (idx<0) { ui->comPort->addItem(portsel); idx=ui->comPort->findText(portsel); } if (idx>=0) ui->comPort->setCurrentIndex(idx); }
You might wonder what other cross-platform options are available. Java had fair support for serial ports, but there was little official support for it after it was introduced. However, the RXTX library provides the same API and is actively developed. Some time ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find that some C# code I wrote under Windows worked great using Mono (including the serial port) as long as I allowed the user to enter port names like /dev/ttyS0 instead of COM1.
The moral of the story is that USB-to-serial adapters are a viable way to get a little more life out of your serial code libraries. The next step, of course, is to figure out how to actually make "real" USB devices. How's that for a cliff hanger?