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Doctor's orders: Spiked bill has him lauding Obamacare
The Supreme Court's surprise ruling to uphold the highly controversial "individual mandate" component of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, a rule practically requiring all Americans to purchase some health insurance, has one local man hailing the decision as a big win for all Americans, particularly after an incident with his own medical bills.
"This is amazing news," says Craig Evans, an energy consultant who works in downtown Charlottesville, on the morning the Supreme Court issued its ruling. "The Affordable Care Act is good news for people like me who self pay."
The turmoil over the ouster of University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan and the ensuing debate over how UVA should deal with 21st century challenges to the traditional college system wasn't lost on Evans, who has a cautionary tale about his own 21st century experience as an uninsured patient at the UVA Medical Center.
For Evans, the problem started last July, when he went for a routine blood test. He had recently switched doctors, which meant switching from Martha Jefferson to UVA. One thing, however, was not routine: the bill.
Evans who had been paying $91 at Martha Jefferson, found himself facing a $424 bill for the same procedure at UVA. As he began piecing together why he was effectively facing a 450 percent price spike, Evans made some startling discoveries about the small segment of the population who opt to self-pay their medical bills instead of buying in to what Evans sees as an inefficient and often predatory health insurance market.
"The U.S. healthcare budget is bigger than the entire budget of France," says Evans. "Other countries have totally comparable healthcare at a fraction of our cost."
Unlike many of America's 50 million uninsured, who are indigent, careless, or just struggling to pay bills, Evans made his decision to go it alone with deliberation. Not long after deciding to self-insure, in November of 2010, Evans' wife needed gall bladder surgery, and the bill came to $24,000. Big mistake? Evans says he actually saved about $10,000.
Here's how he figures. Evans had been paying an $1,800 monthly premium with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, on top of which he was responsible for the first $5,000 of any non-routine procedure. Throughout 2010, as healthcare became a hot-button political issue and providers anticipated new laws by raising rates, his premiums were soaring, eventually topping $3,400 a month, which meant his annual cost, including deductible, was heading toward $45,000. Despite paying for his wife's surgery out-of-pocket, Evans finished out 2011 by spending about $34,000— a whopping $10,000 less than what he would have paid an insurer.
As for the unexpected price of his blood test, Evans discovered that UVA's cost structure included multiple charges: a physician fee of $146 and a facilities fee of $191– on top of the fee for the test itself.
When Evans complained, his doctor and the lab technician expressed surprise. Evans' doctor, Richard Santen, even raised the issue at a monthly meeting of UVA endocrinologists. According to Evans, Santen noted that UVA not only charges more on average than Martha Jefferson but more than the renowned Mayo Clinic.
Evans figures that a double-charge isn't necessarily unique to UVA, rather that most patients simply don't notice such additional fees since insurers generally cover the majority of any procedure. As someone who scrutinizes every bill, files every invoice, and triple checks every price list, Evans felt his story should be shared to help others.
In an e-mail to Dr. Santen, one leading UVA endocrinology doctor called the hospital's price structure "mostly meaningless." When confronted with Evans' billing woes, this doctor pointed out that the small group of people who forgo insurance are trapped in an "unfortunate game" played by hospitals and insurance companies.
A document prepared by the UVA Medical Center in response to a reporter's questions outlines why UVA patients might see higher street prices than at a community hospital like Martha Jefferson. The document points to UVA's wider range of services— like inpatient psychiatric care and a Level 1 trauma center— and the fact that as an academic medical center it treats a higher volume of uninsured and under-insured patients, many of whom qualify for charity care if deemed unable to pay their medical bills. While the document indicates that UVA aims for the median prices of comparable peer institutions, it concedes that UVA fees are currently above the median.
A recent study from the non-profit Commonwealth Fund found that over half of the insurance plans sold on the individual market would fail to meet the standards put forth by the Affordable Care Act– the so-called Obamacare which aims to overhaul U.S. healthcare by requiring everyone to purchase some minimum insurance, prohibiting providers from denying patients with pre-existing conditions, and establishing higher standards of care. The legislation has been met with heavy criticism from policy experts who question the seemingly opposed goals of improving and expanding coverage while slashing overall costs.
Though small, the shift away from insurance consumption by people like Evans reflects a U.S. healthcare market in distress. Evans' choice to opt out of health insurance could become illegal– and unnecessary, he hopes– under the Affordable Care Act's "individual mandate." But Evans hails the Act and the Supreme Court's June 28 decision.
"The Affordable Care Act is going to help to eliminate the problem I've identified," says Evans. "Hopefully, charges for medical services are going to be made even across the board, and people who don't have affordable insurance can afford insurance."
UVA Board of Visitors rector Helen Dragas highlighted the need to strategically plan for a "rapidly changing health care environment" in a letter e-mailed to UVA students and faculty June 22 that offered a list of explanations for her ouster of Teresa Sullivan on June 10. She wrote about the need for a strategic plan and "very ambitious interim steps."
The dual goals of remaining competitive in the private healthcare sector and staying in the median price range of academic medical centers may call for tough decisions, especially when current costs—of healthcare and health insurance—already place heavy burdens on the public.
After relentlessly pressing his case to the higher-ups at the UVA Medical Center, Evans did get his bill reduced, although this "carrot," as Evans describes it, still left him paying twice as much as he'd grown accustomed to paying at Martha Jefferson. After a subsequent visit to UVA, he did notice that he was no longer getting charged the additional facility fees– a result, he surmises, of someone flagging his account after he so vigorously fought the charges.
He says the lesson to self-payers is clear: when every bill is coming out of your pocket, it pays to crunch the numbers. And it pays even more to make some noise.
"Insurance companies like to play games with the rates," says Evans, asserting that while healthcare and insurance providers may like puffed-up hospital bills, they can become a big loss for those, such as Evans, who would otherwise be better off self-paying.
"There's this small population of people," says Evans, "who slip through the cracks."Read more on: obamacareuva medical center
21 comments
It is like going to a great restaurant with a group of people on someone elses tab. No one really looks at the bill that close...and the hospitals know it.
Interesting article. Thanks.
UVA prices are higher because we have to help pay for the many uninsured patients that come thru their door and they jump on to do unnecessary surgery procedures etc so their residents and medical students can learn. Trust me thats the truth I work there.
UVA overchargin folks - plain and simple.
Lets turn to Thomas Jefferson who so eloquently said "Shake it like a salt shaker"
I totally relate to Mr. Evans. Augusta Health often overcharges and adds fees to its services. Unless you watch the bills like a hawk, you will be ripped off. Unfortunately, their CEO doesn't answer letters or phone calls. The billing staff fights every question and blames the insurance companies for not paying the charges.
UVA should not add charges to cover the services that are often reimbursed by insurance companies. The Heilcopter and the Psych service are covered charges. The State of Virginia reimburses for uncompensated charges from those who are without insurance or the ability to pay. The University took advantage of a Federal program in the 1940's and 1950's called the Hill-Burton Act to build buildings or to purchase expensive equipment. As such, they are required by the Act to provide services to those without the ability to pay. The grants from Hill-Burton were substantial.
These days you really have to shop for health care. I would rank Martha Jefferson first in terms of quality, service and cost. Rockingham in Harrisonburg is a clear second. UVA is a third place finisher, but is uneven across the board. Augusta Health is last place +++for this area. Augusta recently sent a letter to those in the service area stating that they would not join a larger health care organization. Without question, they will be forced to eat that letter and will be forced to join UVA, Sentara or Carillon in the very near future. Their professional staff leadership and their board are not in touch with reality. Cooperation and collaboration are the future of health care. When their professional staff call Augusta "Cornfield General" and express a lack of support for the executive suite, it may be time to put some knowledgable professionals on the Board of Directors. "Nice" people in the community aren't qualified for this important task. Can you say Helen Dragas!
Perhaps with Obamacare, people will stop going into health care to get rich and start going in because they actually care about people. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to trust your doctor and hospital again? To know the tests they order are necessary and not just get-rich-quick schemes.
When the bums on the downtown mall can get free care from the walmart or cvs clinic you will see them lined up to get free vicodin for imaginary back pain. The doctors will do a bunch of tests that won't prove anything so they will make them come back every week for another round of pills and another bill to the taxpayers. The bums will either take or trade the vicodin for booze, get some munchies with their food stamp card and go back to the crash pad they rent with the money they bum and play xbox.
Perhaps a more reasonable approach would have been a catasthophic policy with a 20k deductible for 1000 a month.
This will not turn out well.
Yes, good article. Now, if they could only read it through and stop the voices in their heads.
There's no reason (that I know of) you have to get the bloodwork done at UVA. Get an order from your doctor and go over to one of Martha Jefferson's outpatient labs. They accept orders from my physicians in St. Louis regularly. The results can be sent directly to your UVA doctor's office. Just because your doctor works for one outfit, doesn't mean you can't avail yourself of the facilites available to you. (Unless your doctor refuses...which would be absurd.)
The big game they pay is the old warehouse store "suggested retail price." I recently had a bill for 800 bucks which really was under $100 in what Anthem and I paid in actual cash.
As I understand it the hospital sets the price that high and then negotiates with Anthem so that they can get the $100 they actually need. Then they stick folks like Mr. Evans with the full $800 on the off chance they'll cough it up, although that price bears no real relation to the cost.
Why would Romney or Walker be so against this law?
Insurance exchanges are free market systems that allow customers to select only the plans they want.
Romney is going to look pretty silly in the presidential debates when the subject turns to health care.
Oh wait a minute, it's not about serving the american public, it's about control of power.
I do wish President Obama had used a different choice of words last night. He said "I" did this for the american people.
Not only does UVA charge more than the Mayo clinic for services, but it pays its staff doctors less unless they are administrators and not really taking care of patients.
Actually plenty of people look closely Jimi, the problem is if they ask questions or attempt to shop around, they generally find they can't get staright answers. It's "Well it depends o your insurance company."Ask your insurer? "We can't tell you until we see how they code the bill."
That's part of the fraud that is perpetrated on us. Also the idea that you have 'choice.' You choose to go where your insurance company will pay for it. Have Anthem? Don't go to Augusta ER, because they no longer accept anthem. You'll be out of network.
What a crock.
UVA's top nurse weighs in with an essay on reducing price and improving health with nurse practitioners: http://www.readthehook.com/104409/nurse-practitioners-theyll-save-your-l...
My da lived in another state and just never needed a doctor he thought. A few years back he went into a first med type office for what he thought was an ingrown hair that was infected. Turns out it was an aggresive skin cancer and he was told that he needed surgery to save his life. Well he went into sit down with the billing office to work out the details. The surgery was to be an outpatient surgery. The total cost was over 25gs. He tells them he is going to work out a payment plan ans he also puts 5gs down. The hospital starts dropping the price for each part of the procedure(Dr's fee, OR rental, med equipment, etc.) . They told him tht since he was going to pay by cash they would reduce the cost. Eventually the bill came out to around 11gs. 7 years now and he's alive and well. The question is why the reduced cost for him? Insurance pays for other people and they pick up the entire cost. Seems to me that the Hostpitals and Dr's got for the higher paydays that won't be challenged, just payed along with other patients costs that are submitted. The real reason is the insurance company's double billing are paying for the "charity " cases.
Another example, my uncle went to UVA for a heart attack and had to be admitted. When they checked him into the room there was a small platic tub that was given to him. It was about 16inches x 16inches, covered in saran wrap, and contained a wash cloth, soap, shampoo, a tooth bush, tooth paste, and mouth wash. When he went through the insurance billing the tub was listed as a "wleome tub" or something like that. Insurance was billed $95 for that little item that could put together for about 6-7 bucks from Walmart. Again, more funding for the charity cases.
The are both still alive and well. I'm very thankful for the care they received, but come on be honest. I beleive in helping out my neighbors but don't STEAL from me and my insurance company to pay for charity. Most people get arrested for doing stuff like that.
It is a good article.
Hmm. I keep receiving emails saying there are new comments on this thread, but clearly not. And my comment isn't up either. Glitch?
The hospitals are going broke across the country.
Insurance companies have palaces for headquarters buildings.
Health care companies are paid millions of taxpayer dollars to implement government programs like medicare advantage.
Single heathcare companies have monopolies in some states, and can charge whatever they want.
Why did the republican party offer no alternatives to the affordable health care act???
Simple answer, they like the status quo because health care company lobbyist are filling their coffers.
Still really confused how this fool thinks he'll benefit from obamacare. It's not like everyone who elects not to buy private insurance can all of a sudden get it for free. You have to be needy and below a certain income level, which it sounds like this guy is not. Shows how naive the general public in its knowledge of this program
I happen to be on diability and here is what I have already experienced in Chville: one of my doctors stopped seeing ALL medicare patients, my copays have increased, my cost of supplemental insurance has gone up, my insurance company has FORCED my mail order company to switch my medical supplies by discontinuing to carry the ones I have used for years, doc office visits are now rushed, pay more for lab work which I have do have done on a quarterly basis. Face it folks - healthcare is NOT A RIGHT. Even though public education sucks in this country, we need to do the same in healthcare - what is the minimum we as a society should provide someone - I say vaccinations, pain relief and death with dignity.
Like others, appreciate this good and timely article
Good article. Everyone is discussing the intent of this legislation; however, the reality of its implementation is going be a faulty as every other federal social program that I can think of.
"Other countries have totally comparable healthcare at a fraction of our cost." Cost to the tax payer or cost to the patient? Under the old plan indigent health care is subsidized and under the new plan indigent care is also subsidized. Under the new plan it is estimated that another 16 million will be added to the federal and state rolls of Medicaid. We will learn to do less with highway and education funding. Does the plan say who's going to pay for the health care of illegal aliens?
Question: under the new plan is every medical illness and procedure covered? If not, who decides which are not?


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http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=n ... px=MTYyODM
Here is Unreal Engine 4 running natively in firefox without any plugins. It uses OpenGL as the renderer and WebGL as the graphics API.
Hardware used is Nvidia. It just makes the streaming of games from PC to an android device more transparent or simply put: broadening the local area Cloud.
This is probably the first step in making an Operating System oblivious to a users need/demand.

subset: commoncrawl


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Simpson Hall
Simpson Hall was the first building built at Nyack College's current location to accommodate the growth of the college, then a Missionary Training Institute based out of New York City. Construction began on April 17, 1896. The four-storied building, standing on four acres, measured 250 feet by 70 feet. The building was rebuilt on its original stone foundation in 1981, retaining its striking Victorian design.
Simpson Hall currently has a bed space of 193 (39 double rooms, 29 triple rooms, and 14 double rooms with private bathrooms) and is equipped with air conditioning and an elevator. The building is divided into two wings, the North Side and the South Side, with the elevator located on the North side. Passage between the two wings is available on the 1st, 2nd and 4th floors. Each floor, with the exception of the first floor, is equipped with four communal bathrooms, two in each wing; the first floor has one communal bathroom in each wing. Simpson Hall is the only residence hall that is handicapped accessible.
Moseley Hall
Moseley Hall was acquired by the college in 1956, having previously been a country club. A wing was later added to the north face of this building to make room for a growing student body.
Moseley Hall is divided into two wings: Moseley North (four floors) and Moseley South (2 floors). Moseley North currently has a bed space of 136 (1 single room, 58 double rooms, 1 triple room, and 4 quad rooms) arranged dormitory style with one communal bathroom per floor. Moseley South has a bed space of 69 (3 single rooms, 23 double rooms, 4 triple rooms, and 2 quad rooms) arranged suite style with a shared bathroom in between two rooms or directly outside a group of three rooms. Moseley South is non air-conditioned; Moseley North has window fans in each of the rooms.
Christie Hall
Christie Hall dormitory was built in response to overcrowded conditions in Simpson Hall. Christie Hall's cornerstone was laid in 1945 and the new dormitory was ready for occupancy by September 1946. The red-brick structure has four floors and three sections designated as South, Center, and North.
Christie South (four floors) currently has bed space for 68 (20 single rooms and 24 double rooms); Christie Center (three floors) has bed space for 57 (21 single rooms and 18 double rooms); and Christie North (four floors) has bed space for 68 (20 single rooms and 24 double rooms). Each floor has one communal bathroom. Christie Hall is non air-conditioned.
Dunbar Apartments
Dunbar is an apartment style housing with bed space for 60 (15 quad rooms). Each apartment has a front room and back room, with a private bathroom located in the hallway between the rooms. Dunbar Hall is air conditioned.


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A pharmacist testified Monday that Dr. Conrad Murray bought 255 vials -- about four gallons -- of a powerful anesthetic during the three months before Michael Jackson died.
Pharmacist Tim Lopez testified Monday at a preliminary hearing that Murray purchased four shipments of propofol between April 6 and June 10, 2009.
Murray, the physician who was with Jackson at the time of his death, returned to court Monday for the second week of the hearing. Murray, 57, is accused of administering the powerful anesthetic propofol to the singer to help him sleep on June 25, 2009, then failing to monitor him.
Jackson, 50, died of acute propofol intoxication, according to the coroner's office.
U.S. & World
The pharmacist testified that the propofol was among a number of drugs ordered by Murray, who advised that he had a clinic in the Los Angeles area. Murray never disclosed the names of his patient or patients, according to the pharmacist.
Last week, a woman with whom Murray had a son in March 2009 testified that Murray received some packages at her Santa Monica apartment while he was staying there at various times between March 2009 and June 2009.
"He always informed me if there was something coming," Nicole Alvarez testified Friday, noting that she understood the packages were not for her and that there was no reason for her to examine them.
Hearing Could Last Through Week
The preliminary hearing is expected to last three to four more days, including testimony from 20 to 30 prosecution witnesses. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor will then decide whether there is enough evidence for Murray to stand trial on the involuntary manslaughter charge, which could land him in prison for four years.
Earlier Monday, a judge ruled data from the cell phone of the doctor can be admitted as evidence in a preliminary hearing.
Murray's defense attorney, Ed Chernoff, described some of the data as brief voicemails. He also said there were 12 screenshots found on the phone that may be used as evidence.
Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor made the ruling before testimony was to resume at the hearing of Dr. Conrad Murray. Pastor said some of the information is protected by attorney-client privilege, but most is not.
A prosecutor said he intended to use some of the information, which was disclosed to attorneys handling the case late last week, when he calls his first witness of the day.
Last week, prosecutors presented witnesses who testified that Murray and security personnel at Jackson's rented Holmby Hills estate collected drug vials before calling 911. Paramedics who eventually responded to the home and doctors at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center -- where the singer was pronounced dead -- testified that Murray never told them he gave Jackson propofol, which doctors said is normally used only in a hospital setting.
Other witnesses said Murray made a series of telephone calls the day Jackson died, including several after he administered the propofol.
Los Angeles police Detective Dan Myers testified that Murray -- who had two cellular phones in his name -- had made or received 11 calls totaling just under 90 minutes between 7:01 a.m. and 11:51 a.m. June 25, 2009. Prosecutors contend that Murray administered propofol to Jackson at the singer's rented home between 10:40 and 11 a.m.
Myers said the doctor's phone calls that morning included a 32-minute call to his practice in Las Vegas. They also included an 11-minute call made just before the doctor called Jackson's personal assistant at 12:12 p.m. to report that the singer had a ``bad reaction,'' according to cell phone records presented by Myers.


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Game 123: Tampa Bay at Toronto
After Ricky Romero's outing against the Red Sox on Tuesday, when the rookie left after allowing six runs in just 3.2 innings, Blue Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg decided to switch things up for the pitcher.
"Right after my last start against Boston," Romero recalled, "as soon as I went into the dugout, he was like, 'We have nothing to work on. You're not going to throw a bullpen this week.'"
So, Romero listened and skipped his usual between-start mound workout. Instead, he did one light flat-ground before taking the mound again on Sunday. Romero then limited the Angels to two runs over six innings en route to his 11th win of the season.
Romero said the lighter work load helped. The young lefty noted that he felt much stronger as the game went on against Los Angeles.
"I did," he said. "I was talking to some of the guys about it. In the sixth inning, I was throwing kind of hard, as opposed to last week I think I ran out of gas pretty quick. My velocity was down a little bit, so people were wondering what was going on. I wanted to come back and kind of show them that I'm good."
Going forward, Romero said he may or may not be throwing bullpens between outings — it'll depend on how he feels. This week, an off-day on Thursday will help and he is scheduled to make his next start on Saturday — not Friday. That will give him an extra day to rest his arm, which has logged 145.2 innnings between Triple-A and MLB this year.
After they pitch on Sept. 4-5, respectively, the Jays plan on shutting rookie lefties Brett Cecil and Marc Rzepczynski down for the season due to innings limitations — roughly 150 for Cecil and 160 for Zep. Romero does not face a similar problem. His career-high in innings is 164.1 in '08 and he'll likely fall around 190 this season.
That is if Romero averages roughly six innings per start down the stretch. Having 30-40 more innings than the previous season is what the Blue Jays try to shoot for with their young arms (see: Cecil and Rzep). Romero said he feels great right now health-wise and plans on pitching through the end of the year.
"I already told them that I'm fresh," Romero said. "I'm ready to go through the whole year. I just look at it as, if i'm going to be one of the guys here, I feel like I need to go the whole year and kind of get on that consistent year-to-year thing. My arm is fresh. It feels good. I haven't had any arm problems all year and I bounce back pretty quick."
OTHER ITEMS: The Blue Jays activated LHP Scott Downs from the 15-day disabled list prior to Monday's game against the Rays and placed Edwin Encarnacion (left hamstring/knee) on the 15-day DL. Downs moves into the bullpen, but might not be used as the closer right away. RHP Jason Frasor has held that role since Downs has been out. … Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said that ace Roy Halladay will make his next start on Sunday in Boston, giving the right-hander an extra day of rest.
Today's lineups:
Third place AL East, 10.5 GB
1. Jason Bartlett, SS
2. Carl Crawford, LF
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Ben Zobrist, 2B
5. Carlos Pena, 1B
6. Pat Burrell, DH
7. Gregg Zaun, C
8. Gabe Gross, RF
9. B.J. Upton, CF
Starter: RHP Jeff Niemann (11-5, 3.71)
Fourth place AL East, 20.0 GB
1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, LF
4. Lyle Overbay, 1B
5. Vernon Wells, CF
6. Randy Ruiz, DH
7. Rod Barajas, C
8. Travis Snider, RF
9. Jose Bautista, 3B
Starter: RHP Roy Halladay (13-6, 2.78)
Don't forget, you can follow me on Twitter: @MLBastian
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22 Comments
The very best way the hitters can help Ricky is beat up on Jeff Niemann, who is also a rookie and in a virtual tie with Romero on all stats.
So let's put 7 runs up on Niemann in the first inning, and help Romero get closer to the rookie of the year award. lol
Not the greatest start from Halladay, time for the offense to pick him up.
Well, I did ask for 7 in the first inning, BUT 6 in the first 3 works and raises Niemann's era to 3.96 versus Romero's 3.91. We could sure use another couple in the next inning and finish him off.
Guys I am scared
Whats going on with DOC
he doesn't look like himself for quite a few many games
has he lost his edge?, he was always too good to be true, i think he has lost that passion for playing for toronto, that attitude and focus
I just hope he is able to regain it
and i hope he gets traded soon, its better for everyone and I want to see him win a championship.
I completely agree with you about Doc.
Ever since the trade deadline came and went he doesn't seem very focused. With all that talk about being traded to a contender like Philly, It must be hard to finish your season off here, especially after seeing Rolen and Rios go.
I know Doc is a complete pro, but i'm not sure that even he can keep focused now.
By the way, Cliff Lee this year with Cleveland:
7-9 3.14 era 107k in 165innings.
In his short time with Philly:
4-0 0.82 era 34k in 33innings.
His numbers in Cleveland aren't that bad, but he's been on fire in Philly. Amazing what a change of scenery can do for a veteran pitcher, i'm sure Doc wishes that he had that chance.
Although, I think it's way too early to be concerned about Doc, it could be he's lost some focus or it could be, he's just simply going through a tough patch, which he seems to do each year.
Whatever it is, it seems to be catching, Josh Beckett just had two games back to back where he gave up 15 runs. Burnett gave up 9 runs in his last outing and 7 in a game earlier in the month. Sabathia had his two game hemorrhage earlier in the month and gave up 10 runs.
I think the dog days of August wears everyone down, but it is also a warning sign, which I harp on all the time when Doc or some other pitcher gets over used. These guys all wear down and pitch count is damn important. It wasn't the brightest thing in the world to leave Doc in there last night for 113 pitches, when the fact is he could use some rest. The game was lost, why overuse your most valuable asset.
Time to move Ruiz to the 4th hole, he has certainly showed he can handle major league pitching. This guy can just plain hit, what a break for the Jays- a low cost power dh, who hits both sides and under control for the next few years. The way Ruiz is hitting right handers (.350/.409/.630), he's like another left handed power bat.
I'd like to see us try the lineup below when we face a right hander and when we face a left hander swap Snider for Overbay
EE or Baustista
I agree with you about Doc. I have never read or heard him complain about having "tired" arm syndrome or just being tired in general . I think this is a case of him being mentally tired and his frustration with this team is starting to take its toll . He hasn't been himself since being thrown into the 3 ring trade circus. As I said earlier , Jay management took a quiet, hard working pitcher and tossed him to the sharks with no intention of trading him . I think the constant questions from the media, along with people being in his face 24/7 has effected him and he seems to have lost his focus. I believe some things went on during the trade talks that upset Doc but he is loyal and too much of gentleman to shed light on those things . I for one , hope Doc can be traded in the off season and he goes to a team that will give him the chance to play Oct ball .
Doc talked about the "dead arm issue" a number of times, that's on the record. I also doubt if it's coincidence that most of the top pitchers in the AL including Burnett (2 games-16 runs), Beckett( 2 games-15 runs), Sabathia ( 2 games-10 runs), Buehrle( 4 games-22 runs),Greinke( 2 games-10 runs, etc., all struggled in a similar fashion over the last month. It happens every year to all of them, albeit it sometimes at different times.
However, it could also be he's simply disillusioned as you mentioned. No question, the circus caused by JP made the Jays look like amateurs and caused Doc some discomfort, I have posted that multiple times. I hope that's not the cause for his current performance though, because if that's the case it seriously impacts his trade value and Doc's ability to get a large contract as a free agent.
The Jays made a huge mistake by not trading him at this past trade deadline, because we will never get what we could have gotten and we lower Doc's chances of getting a ring.
I have read pretty much every article on Doc and have yet to see one where he mentions having the "dead" arm issue so I would be more than happy if you could send me a link for one of them ….thank you .
If Doc gets traded ( I hope he does for his sake) then he has control of where he goes ( his no trade clause) . It may lower his value of return to the Jays but not his choice of destination . He could still go to a good contending team next year and still win a ring . Jays management weren't ready to trade him and I agree they should have.
Here's an interview with Sabathia on the same issue, I'll find one on Halladay.
C.C. Sabathia threw 241 innings for the Cleveland Indians in 2007, going 19-7 to win the American League Cy Young Award. But by October he was a different pitcher. In three starts against the Yankees and the Red Sox, he was 1-2 with an 8.80 earned run average, with 13 walks and 14 strikeouts. That winter, Sabathia said, he made an adjustment he came to regret.
?I threw a lot of innings and I kind of pushed my throwing back, and I kind of suffered for it,? Sabathia said of 2007. ?I got a dead arm later in the spring and I went into the season with a little bit of a dead arm.?
It showed. In his first four starts of last season, Sabathia was 0-3 with a 13.50 earned run average. He recovered to fashion another sterling season for the Indians and the Milwaukee Brewers, working 253 innings and making his final four starts (including one in the playoffs) on short rest.
Here's another
Zambrano recently told the Cubs' official website that he's going through a "dead arm" phase.
"I've been doing all my things and my work and have been working out," Zambrano said. " Everybody goes through these, and I just have to wait for my arm strength and my arm power to come back, so I can do a good job for my team."
Zambrano's arm isn't too dead to hit home runs and take curtain calls.
Zambrano still is a must-start pitcher because you never know when he'll snap out of it. Arizona's Brandon Webb went through a similar "dead arm" period earlier this year. It lasted about five starts, and Webb has been his usual self ever since.
I've been talking about the American League Cy Young race ad nauseam recently (I promise this will be the last post on the subject for some time), but Roy Halladay's performance last night against the Tampa Bay Rays begs discussion.
He lasted just six innings, surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on 12 hits and a walk; he struck out eight. Halladay has been my Cy Young pick for some time, but today I had to think about it a little more. His ERA ballooned to 3.03, .59 behind the leader, Zack Greinke. His WHIP is still a respectable 1.14 over 184 innings with a 6.63 SO/BB. Here is an interesting statistic, however: opposing batters are hitting .263 against the Toronto ace. That, to me, seems pretty high for Halladay.
His career BAA is .255–not bad, not great for the supposed best pitcher in baseball. But his 2009 BAA is up from recent years; last season it was .237. Halladay gives up hits. But he walks no one. Even last night, he gave up twelve hits, but just one walk, over six innings.
So, what's up with Roy Halladay? The control is obviously still there to a certain extent (note the limited walks). But he is giving up more hits than normally. So perhaps he is missing his location within the strikezone.
Perhaps he is tired; he has gone on the DL before with a dead arm. Perhaps he is emotionally defeated after GM J.P. Ricciardi's very public, very stupid trade spectacle. It could be a combination of those things or it could simply be that he has been missing his spots more often recently without any specific reason.
Why is it that Cito cant find room for JMac now that they seem to be out of the running for anything? I do realize that Scutaro is haveing a GREAT year..not just a good one, but it seems that Cito just doesnt think that possibly the best defensive SS in baseball deserves to play more. He is the only utility guy with less than like 20-25 starts in baseball.
I know dead arm is a serious issue ( link below ) and can only be healed with plenty of rest or in some cases surgery . I was asking for an article on Doc because I can't recall him ever being shut down with arm problems or shoulder problems . Last year Posada was shut down for dead arm and eventually had surgery . There is a difference between fatique and so called dead arm . Not trying to be contrary ( ok maybe I am , woman's perogative……lol.. ) I am hoping Doc is not injured which will effect his value
I am sure all players go through fatique but even the article on Jays' site posted after last night's game, Doc claims he is tired but feels good . I honestly believe going through that whole trade debacle has effected him . As Harry said he seems to have lost focus . It has to be frustrating for Doc to go out there and pitch knowing at years end the team will be no further ahead and its been that way every year. That the management let Rios go for nothing and found Rolen a new home , after he asked to be traded to be closer to his family . Yet the Jays Ace pitcher , who has stated he wants to atleast try to pitch for a contender, can't be given what he wants . Jays management was given what appeared to be some decent offers but they weren't blown away , now they will get less if Doc is injured . I would love it if Doc stayed with the Jays but I think a change of scenery is what he needs . Management may have shot themselves in the foot by not trading him earlier
Gaston is an offence guy and JMac's numbers in that area aren't great but I am not sure how they are suppose to improve if you are never given the chance . Why send down Accardo when he is pitching well and keep Camp ? I realize Accardo still has options and Camp would have to clear waivers but you have weakened the BP . Look at Tallet , he gets bounced around between starter and reliever . He has pitched so many innings this year if anybody should have dead arm it should be him …..lol……it's a wonder his arm is still attached to his body . Guess we would have to be a manager to understand some decisions .
Of course, you're being contrary, country girls always are. lol If you go back and review Doc's records from past years, there's always a few games where he doesn't perform. The worst, I think was in May of 2007 when he gave up 16 in two games.
The good news though is Doc and Romero are both getting an extra day off, so hopefully that helps the case for Doc and gives Romero a breather as well. We will likely know about Doc then, because if it's focus, expect another crap outing, if it's fatigue, hopefully this extra day does it for him.
Don't misunderstand something, one way or the other we now get less from Doc, the Jays blew it, end of story. JP compounded the problem by taking the whole scenario public and both the Doc and the Jays pay for this clown's incompetence.
I think I posted a statement that said having JP negotiate this deal was like sending a kindergarden kid to negotiate a stock sale with Warren Buffet-I stand by that statement today. BUT, I must say I wasn't impressed that Beeston didn't muzzle JP or take control of all communications.
Actually , Doc was shut down in 2004 for a few weeks with arm/shoulder fatique . I forgot about his ugly year after he won the Cy …..age is catching up with me …..huh…lol..
I think Beeston is as much to blame as JP for the trading circus . I have noticed JP has been uncharacteristically quiet lately
My hometown team , the Redsox ( they should change their name …..lol.. ) have made the finals again . …..GOOOO Redsox …..only time you will see me type that here
From Bastian's blog:
Blue Jays farmhands playing in the AFL: J.P. Arencibia, David Cooper, Brad Emaus, Adam Loewen.
So where is Brian Dopirak in this, why isn't he going to the AFL? Does JP actually think Cooper is still going to become a power hitting first baseman? Do cows fly? Even Blue Jay's own scouting reports state his max power ceiling is 10-15 home runs per year.
Cooper is going to end up being another nice player we pissed a bunch of cash away on, like Tolisano, Ahrens and Jackson in Dunedin-all 3 dismal performers.
Between these 4 first round picks by JP, the Jays spent over $4 million US dollars in signing bonuses. If anyone wants to see how dismal they are just check out their stats in Dunedin.
Dopirak is ready to go. For the year of 125 games between AA and AAA, Dopirak is hitting .313/.360/.560 with 39 doubles, 26 home runs and 92 rbi's.
Cooper, in AA all year is hitting .256/.337/.385 with 30 doubles, 8 home runs and 59 rbi's in 113 games.
And Adam Lowen, what's that about. That experiment isn't working, so why invest more in him. He's already 25 and failing in Dunedin, with poorer performance than 4 other outfielders there, never mind the crop of good looking young outfielders in Lansing hitting Dunedin next year. Another waste of time and money decision by JP.
Hey, you're not getting older just wiser and better. lol


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The Vegetarian Option: Spring Street Natural
Dining out meat-free.
Lunch is the best time to eat at Spring Street Natural in Soho. You can grab a seat near one of the large windows that line the dining room and watch the busy intersection of Spring and Lafayette Streets. You can also enjoy some of their lunch-only specials, which include several vegetarian and even vegan options.
The daily specials include two soups, which on the day of my visit were both vegetarian. I chose the minestrone ($6), made with a vegetarian tomato-based broth. It's ideal comfort food for winter, chock full of vegetables like kale, carrots, and celery, not to mention two kinds of beans: chickpeas and white.
There are several specials available for lunch; one offering on my visit was a Vegetarian Gyro ($12). Instead of lamb there are chunks of seitan seasoned with spices like cumin and oregano. When topped with tzatziki sauce and served on a warm pita-like wrap, it's as good as a veggie gyro gets, down to the mushy out of season tomato.
Along with the lunch sandwiches you get an order of the sweet potato fries, which are crispy and salty on the outside and soft and sweet within. The housemade ketchup is sharp and sweet, a nice counterpoint to the fries.
The vegan options continue on the dessert menu, and they don't skimp on flavor. The warm pear, grape, and apricot crisp ($8.50), served with a scoop of mango sorbet, is one such vegan treat. Crack the crust with your spoon and mix the gushing juices with the sorbet for a mix of tart, sweet fruit, and crunchy nuts. It's proof positive that you don't need butter or cream to make a satisfying dessert.
Spring Street Natural has kind of an eclectic menu; tossed in among the mostly Mediterranean specialties there are also many Asian-sounding dishes like spring rolls and stir-fried vegetables. Based on my experience with similar menus elsewhere, I'd suggest skipping them and focusing on the more Mediterranean food. It's paid off for me, especially at lunch.
Spring Street Natural
62 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012 (map)
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Trade News
Murray Hill, New Jersey, U.S., February 23, 2010 – Linde North America has signed AWESCO of Albany, New York, as a new distributor in its Platinum Partner Program.
Linde North America is a member of The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company. With its corporate headquarters in Albany and a branch location in Kingston, AWESCO, an independent gases distributor, has been selling industrial, medical and specialty gases in the Capital and Hudson Valley Regions of New York State for 70 years.
Pat Murphy, president, Linde North America, said, "AWESCO has a great history of providing high quality products and services to gases users in the area. The company has developed great relationships with its customers because of its service and commitment to the community it serves. Linde is very excited about this new partnership, which we believe will be beneficial to both companies."
AWESCO President and CEO J. David Mahoney said, "As the largest, independent supplier of specialty, medical and industrial gases and technologies for New York's Tech Valley, AWESCO is extremely pleased to partner with Linde so we can continue our long tradition of providing cutting-edge products and services to the region's leading businesses in the medical, scientific and industrial markets.
"Tech Valley" is so-called because of the high number of technically oriented companies located in this area of New York State – including chemical, pharmaceutical, biomedical and electronic manufacturers, as well as laboratories and universities. Since 1977 Linde has operated an air separation plant in Selkirk, New York, producing and supplying oxygen, nitrogen and argon to these customers.
"AWESCO and Linde share the core values of excellence in service and commitment to the community that have been the cornerstones of our mutual success. As AWESCO continues to expand and grow in the region, the partnership and its resources will offer opportunities to reach new customers as we build upon our reputation as the very best total solution provider in the market," Mahoney said.
The Linde Platinum Partner Program is designed to create a true partnership between Linde and independent gas and welding distributors. In addition to Linde supplying AWESCO with gas products, the two companies will work together to develop marketing programs and sales leads, as well as jointly visit customers and prospects in the region.
The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion (USD 15.9 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.
Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
For more information about Linde in North America visit http://www.lindeus.com
Jon Lederman
Linde corporate communications


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Jordan Smith, from Team Adam Levine, was named season nine winner of "The Voice" Tuesday.
Second place went to country vocalist Emily Ann Roberts of Team Blake Shelton and third to Team Blake's Barrett Baber. Jeffery Austin (Team Gwen Stefani) was awarded fourth place once America's final votes were tallied.
It's the third "Voice" win for Coach Adam. Smith was awarded a recording contract with Republic Records. Each finalist received a new Nissan car.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
Smith was quickly dubbed the season's "unicorn" for his pitch-perfect ability to scale and descend the octaves. Hailing from Harlan, Kentucky, the 22-year-old attends an evangelical college in Tennessee and became the season nine front-runner due to his unique vocal stylings on current and classic hits such as "Chandelier," "Halo," "Climb Every Mountain" and "Somebody to Love." Smith's rendition of the latter dethroned Adele from the No. 1 spot on iTunes' Singles list mere hours after he performed the Queen anthem during the live show rounds.
"Obviously, my voice is different," Smith said when sharing his story during the initial audition. "I've had to learn that being different is actually what makes me special. It's my gift. This is an amazing opportunity to share that it's OK to be different, and it's OK to be yourself. Because you're made that way, and that's how God intended you to be."
During Monday's final showdown performances, Coach Pharrell revealed his hopes for Smith's future. "My greatest hope for you is that [your] dream is realized, but in the proper way. Maybe go to a label that really understands everything that you need and everything that these [fans] have come to fall in love with," Pharrell said in his final critique. "You know, not becoming something else, not chart-chasing. Just being Jordan Smith."
Peppered with special guest live performances by Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Missy Elliott, Sam Hunt and The Weeknd, Tuesday's finale also featured the finalists performing duets with some of music's biggest names.
Roberts was joined by Ricky Skaggs to sing "Country Boy," while Baber sang "No One Else on Earth" with Wynonna Judd. Austin performed "Hollow" with Tori Kelly, while Smith tackled "Without You" with help from former "Voice" coach Usher.
Catch the season nine winner of "The Voice" on "Today" on Thursday morning on NBC.
"The Voice" will return in the spring.


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Crunch Fitness brings its brand of unique programming to the Bally family.
The agreement calls for Bally to issue approximately 3 million shares of its common stock together with cash and other considerations.
CHICAGO — The country's biggest club chain has just gotten bigger. Nearly 20 clubs bigger.
In a cash/stock transaction valued at approximately $90 million, Bally has acquired Crunch Fitness, a respected brand of 19 clubs based in New York City. Crunch will operate as a separate Bally brand.
Doug Levine, Crunch's founder and chairman, will stay on board as a consultant to Crunch and Bally, concentrating on marketing and business development. He sees the deal as a win-win for both companies.
"We have what they didn't have, and they have what we didn't have," Levine said. "There's not a lot of duplication between the two companies."
Levine pointed out that Bally gives Crunch an outstanding back office, great IT support and access to a large amount of capital — everything necessary to grow the Crunch name. And, as part of the larger Bally family, Crunch employees will have more room for advancement, especially as the company continues to expand.
What does Bally get out of bargain? Crunch brings five things to the table, according to Bally COO Paul Toback: a great brand, talented management, a strong membership base, a profitable business and excellent locations. (Regarding the latter, Toback pointed out that many of Crunch's facilities are in Manhattan, where real estate is hard to find.)
And that's not all Crunch delivers. "Crunch has a business model that has shown that it's second to none in selling ancillary goods and services within the four walls of the gym," Levine said. "Crunch has shown that, second to none, it is able to expand its brand outside the four walls of the gym through radio stations, magazines, apparel, CDs, videos, books and so forth."
Bally's plans for Crunch are almost immediate. Bally intends to shore Crunch up in its stronger markets (such as New York and Atlanta), increase its foothold in other markets (Los Angeles, for example, home to one Crunch club), and expand Crunch into areas with a large, young, urban, upscale market — Crunch's key demographic.
"Our feeling is that Crunch is a great platform, and we are looking to grow it by 20 clubs, doubling it in size, over the next five years," Toback said.
But if Crunch locations start spreading, won't they begin to compete with Bally? No, according to Levine.
"They are very different concepts, and they will remain very different concepts," Levine said.
Toback agrees. "The Bally market is really a mid-market consumer, and the Crunch customer is more upscale and more high-end," he said. "So we do believe those clubs could exist in situations very close to one another."
Still, that doesn't mean there will be a wedge keeping the two brands completely apart. There could be some overlap — depending on the circumstances. "We want to maintain the distinction because they serve different market segments," Toback emphasized. "On the other hand, to the extent that one company is doing something a little bit better that could enhance the other without stealing from its true character and nature, then I think we could look to incorporate some of those elements into the other business."
Since all of Crunch's management team is staying on board, there will be an opportunity for sharing these business elements and ideas. However, since both Bally and Crunch management are accustomed to different markets, could there be a conceivable clash in styles?
"I see it as a complement rather than as a clash," Toback answered. "They have done some really great, creative, innovative marketing and programming, and we are excited about that. That kind of innovation is good for the industry, and it pushes all of us in the industry to be more creative. We are happy for them to be part of us."
And vice versa. Levine believes this acquisition is beneficial for all involved. "I think it's going to be a wonderful thing for the industry because it is going to improve the Bally brand, which is a mass-marketing brand, and I think I have some great ideas to forge that brand forward, and it's going to grow Crunch more rapidly without the need for us to grow the back office," he said.


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Software generally have means to detect errors, like catching exceptions, and these can be categorized :
- App cannot run, some prerequisite not met.
- App failed to start.
- App started but some parts aren't functional.
- Instant: User clicks something (expected for something to happen), but it didn't.
- Time consuming: User starts a task, but it fails in between.
- Everything works, but with some warnings.
- Something critical went wrong, app will crash.
Now, how shall one decide which error are to be notified, and which ones logged silently ?


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First, go behind the doors of one of the last privately owned mansions on Central Park. This $30 million New York City abode is truly breathtaking (Watch the video above). Next, learn how to live in style even with kids running around. We've got tips on how to achieve cool and functional design (watch video below). Then, interior designer Mark Cutler shows us how he created an updated look on a traditional American colonial home (Watch video below). Later, architect Mark DiGanci takes us through a spectacular custom home in Highland Park, IL, the one home in the city that includes a beach house and boat launch (Watch video below). Finally, join interior designer Steve Somogyi in his Chicago condo for a beautiful bedroom make that was done in just one day (Watch video here). Tune in!
Are you following Open House on Twitter? Follow us here.
This episode of Open House was hosted from 16 East 95th Street, New York, NY. For more information on this property, please contact Cathy Franklin or Alexis Bodenheimer of Brown Harris Stevens at 212-906-9236 or 212-906-9230.


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"Another Wrongful Death In The Name Of Women's Rights," says Dr. King
This past Friday Tonya Reaves, 24, died from a hemorrhage after an abortion at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Chicago. While we are deeply saddened by her senseless death, we are also deeply saddened to report that Ms. Reaves joins the ranks of perhaps of hundreds if not thousands of women harmed by legal abortion.
Many people may think that this is a rare occurrence but nothing can be further from the truth. Botched abortions happen all the time and yes some even result in death. Unfortunately, the abortion industry is so under regulated that many of the complications from abortions go unreported or are reported without adding the cause of abortion in the component.
Ms. Reaves unfortunate death is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. The CBS Chicago article states, "Tonya Reaves, 24, died late Friday night from a hemorrhage, with a cervical dilation and evacuation, as well as an intrauterine pregnancy as contributing causes, according to the medical examiner's office. People, she didn't die because she was pregnant, she died because she was butchered. Thus terminology may be offensive to some, but her death is more offensive.
"She died after she'd had an abortion at Planned Parenthood at 18 S. Michigan Ave," according to the medical examiner's office."
"Her death was ruled an accident." Accident, as in they messed up and killed her?
And what did Planned Parenthood have to say about her death?
In a written statement, Planned Parenthood of Illinois CEO Carole Brite said "We were shocked and saddened upon learning of a tragic development at a nearby hospital. Our hearts go out to the loved ones of this patient.
"While legal abortion services in the United States have a very high safety record, a tragedy such as this is devastating to loved ones and we offer our deepest sympathies. Planned Parenthood of Illinois cares deeply about the health and safety of each and every patient. We do not publicly discuss private patient matters and we follow HIPAA laws that forbid the disclosure of patient information."
But will Planned Parenthood be held responsible? Probably not. Should they? Absolutely.
As Operation Rescue writes in their article, "Abortion deaths like this are completely avoidable. When a woman bleeds to death after an abortion, it is usually an indication of error on the part of the abortionist coupled with a delay in calling for emergency assistance. Planned Parenthood should be held accountable," said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation. "Our heartfelt prayers go out to the victim's family at this time of tragic loss."
Carol Everett, an ex. abortionist speaks out in Bloodmoney and tells of the many incidents of botched abortions and the industries lack of care for the safety of the women. Their main goal was to make money, laws and rules be damned.
The mainstream media doesn't report many similar cases, do the abortion lobby continues to get away with murder.
Only when something as horrific as the case of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who ran an abortion clinic so macabre that it was called a "House of Horrors" will the media report on it. But check out a pro-life website like Operation Rescue and you will see report after report of botched abortions.
We must start demanding that regulatory agencies start doing their jobs and inspect abortion clinics and if they are found in violation of the law, shut them down.
Women need to be protected from predators that are more interested in the almighty dollar than they are about the safety of their patients.
For years Silent No More Awareness and other concerned citizens have been reporting about the harmful effects of abortion and unnatural birth control remedies. Breast cancer, strokes, heart attacks and other maladies such as the serious and fatal injuries and ultimately deaths are all part of the lies behind the masks of false compassion the abortionists wear.
More civil wrongs in the name of women's rights. God forbid.


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Just to let you know that I am not intending to post over the Holy Week and Easter break.
However, as I 'close' I would like to share with you some quotes which Nick shared with me today:
Blessed John Paul II speaking in 1980.
"We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too- distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it, because it is only in this way that the Church can be effectively renewed. How many times, indeed, has the renewal of the Church been effected in blood? This time, again, it will not be otherwise. We must be strong, we must prepare ourselves, we must entrust ourselves to Christ and to His Mother, and we must be attentive, very attentive, to the prayer of the Rosary."
Cardinal Karol Wojtyla in 1976
"We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think the wide circle of the American Society, or the wide circle of the Christian Community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the Gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the antichrist. This confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is therefore, in God's Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously
In turn here are some quotes I would like to share with you from Cardinal Ratzinger's book, To look on Christ: Exercises in Faith, Hope and Love.
"(Agape) demands practice, patience, and also the acceptance of continual setbacks. It presupposes that in the life of faith I come to the inward exchange of my ego with Christ so that his 'yes' really penetrates into my being and becomes mine… it is only in this kind of risk-taking, at first still unaccustomed and perhaps a little frightening, that the power to do so grows and the Easter connection becomes ever more recognizable : this crucifixion of oneself – self-denial – leads to a great inner joy, to "resurrection.""
"Real hope does exist beyond all our potential and possibilities, hope in the unbounded love that at the same time is unbounded power".
I take this opportunity to wish everyone a prayerful Holy Week and all the blessings of the joy of the resurrection.


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located within the following watersheds: Lake Tarpon Watershed, Old Tampa Bay Watershed
Explore general as well as scientific information about the movement, chemistry and biology of area surface water environments.
Vegetation sampling is the identification and quantification of plant species and communities. Vegetation sampling is a tool used in environmental assessments and can inform a myriad of assessment goals including biomass availability, water quality concerns, management benchmarks, and determining the introduction and establishment of invasive species. Sampling can be conducted via destructive or non-destructive methods. Learn more about vegetation sampling from the links and documents listed below.


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People love using the iPad for work. But they might love it better if they could have this cool gesture-based keyboard.
Editing text on an iPad is slow and clunky, says Daniel Hooper. So he built a prototype for a faster, better keyboard and he wants people to lobby Apple to use his ideas.
Take a look.
Here's how to ask Apple for a better iPad keyboard. Go to this web page at Apple: http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html. Fill out the form. Under feedback request click "Enhancement request" and tell Apple to check out the video and make it happen.
Don't miss: Here's Everything We Know About Microsoft's Attempt To Beat The iPad
Want to learn more about the mobile industry? Check out our featured articles:
- Mobile Trends for 2020
- Mobile Banking Market
- M-Commerce & Mobile Shopping
- Mobile Wallet Payment Ecosystem
- Mobile Payments Technologies


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Tag: becoming-animal
Radical Transubstantiations: The Mutation of Fortune by Erica Adams
by megan milks on Aug.29, 2011
I have much enthusiasm for this book, and I think a lot of you will too.
The Mutation of Fortune is a collection of short tales narrated by an inquisitive, resilient young woman who experiences — and herself produces — a series of strange and fantastic encounters over the arc of the book. Many of these are violent, quite horrifying, and wonderfully grotesque: in "The Only Rule," the narrator tells us her sister "has something living inside that comes out only for me" — it has "hair and a big mouth that bites me on different parts of my body." Other tales tell both of encounter and escape — "From the Throat" describes the narrator's corporeal resistance to her parents' pressure to marry:
I began to cough, and felt a thread issuing from my throat. I took hold of this thread with my hand and pulled from my throat the body I had. And as I pulled my old body from my throat I became a beast once more, and lived this way for the rest of my days.


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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
In 1926, Newt Scamander arrives at the Magical Congress of the United States of America with a magically expanded briefcase, which houses a number of dangerous creatures and their habitats. When the creatures escape from the briefcase, it sends the American wizarding authorities after Newt, and threatens to strain even further the state of magical and non-magical relations.
ActorsStarring: Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Carmen Ejogo, Jon Voight, Ron Perlman, Josh Cowdery, Ronan Raftery, Faith Wood-Blagrove, Jenn Murray, Johnny Depp, Zoë Kravitz, Gemma Chan, Peter Breitmayer, Kevin Guthrie, Kamil Lemieszewski, Fanny Carbonnel, Sean Cronin, Christine Marzano, Lasco Atkins, Lucie Pohl, Joelle Koissi, Flor Ferraco, Dino Fazzani, Jason Newell, Jorge Leon Martinez, Cristian Lazar, Lobna Futers, Karl Farrer, Abi Adeyemi, Sam Redford, Akin Gazi, Solomon Taiwo Justified, Todd Boyce, Chloe de Burgh, Andrei Satalov, Tim Bentinck, Edd Osmond, Bart Edwards, Matthew Sim, Miroslav Zaruba, Elizabeth Moynihan, Gjevat Kelmendi, Jason Redshaw, BF Mulvey, Adam Lazarus, Anthony J. Sacco, Kirsty Grace, Ashley Hudson, Anne Wittman, Daniel Smales, Anick Wiget, Lee Asquith-Coe, Bernardo Santos, Andreea Paduraru, Gino Picciano
The CGI stuff was expertly executed, but we wouldn't expect anything less given this film's pedigree. The beasts were ingenious and the small details in almost every scene were clever and smile inducing. A couple of times I was reminded of Mary Poppins, think carpet bag and the tidying up scene. However, the storyline was thin with too many tails and by the end it felt like an overlong trailer for the four sequels to come. Although there was little character development maybe this will be a slow release over the duration of the franchise if they continue with the same cast. Overall it was average, hopefully the next one will be meatier. Special mention for Alison Sudol for a luminous, almost Monroe-esque performance.


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Giant, Realistic Cat Head Helmets Are All Kinds Of Adjectives
If you've ever wanted to be… well, not a cat, but a person with a giant cat head (which is an odd desire, but no judgement from us!) then Japanese artist Housetsu Sato is starting to sell those realistic cat head helmets we featured last year. He partnered with Japanese store Dwango to sell the helmets but, be warned—they ain't cheap.
Each head is hand-made, taking about a month to fabricate, and features unique markings much as a real cat would. They're made from wool and so are soft to the touch, and they can even make one based on an actual cat if you send in a photo.
Ah, but the price! They cost 648,000 yen, or approximately $6,220 US. That's quite a log of wonga, so you'd better really want to look like a cat if you're going to drop that kind of money. Check out more photos of the helmets below.
(via RocketNews 24)
via FashionablyGeek http://ift.tt/oFcpR3
July 30, 2016 at 05:00AM


text: Porsche Panamera Hybrid Yeah, yeah. We know. It isn't bad enough that Porsche built a sedan. No, it had to go and make a hybrid sedan. The hive mind maintains that the Panamera is the biggest affront to good taste and Porsche values since the Cayenne. The hive mind can get stuffed. Like its SUV brethren, the Panamera is one of the most engaging drives on the planet. When Porsche sets its mind to something, it does it right and the best automotive engineers in the world do not disappoint (even if the stylists did). The Panamera Hybrid can hum along on electric power at more than 50 mph, the chassis is exceptional and the level of comfort is off the hook. When you need to haul four people and all their stuff over the Alps, this is the car for it.Nissan Juke It's a freak. An organic, insectine mini-SUV brimming with personality and coated in compromise. But it delivers something no other cute-utes can: fun. The steering is a perfect combination of light weight and connected feel. The turbocharged 1.6-liter engine needs to be wrung out like a wet sponge and the CVT is the bane of performance-minded drivers, but once the Juke gets its momentum up, it's the only ultra-compact crossover that's as fun to drive as it is to look at. And if you give Nissan a little more than half a million bucks, it'll shoehorn the drivetrain and suspension from the all-conquering GT-R into it.Mitsubishi iMiEV If there's a poster child for the electric vehicle as appliance, the iMiEV is it. It's dinky, underpowered, and has barely enough juice for a round-trip to the grocery store. It also looks like a jellybean. But for green-minded urban dwellers on a budget, it's leaps and bounds more practical than the Smart ForTwo, cooler than a Toyota iQ and cheaper than a Nissan Leaf. Add up all the incentives and you're looking at just over $21K for an oh-so-Japanese bit of mobile kitsch cute enough to give Hello Kitty a run for her money.Mercedes G-Wagen It's blocky. It's crass. And compared to every other Mercedes, completely unrefined. The G-Wagen also is thoroughly awesome, particularly the utterly bonkers G55 AMG version, with its twin-turbocharged 500-horsepower V8. If that isn't insane enough, there's also a twin-turbo V12 version with 630 ponies. One look at this vault on wheels tells you it was originally a military vehicle. But when you're as rich as the Shah of Iran and own as many M-B shares as he did, Mercedes listens to you when you suggest the world really needs a super-luxe civilian version. The styling has remained pretty much the same since the G-Wagen came along in 1979, but the engines have gotten bigger and the performance better. Sure, it's like driving a leather-clad barn, but all those hip-hop moguls can't be wrong.Range Rover Evoque The Evoque is the SUV of 2025. It's angular and angry, squat and purposeful. It's also a Range Rover, which means it'll spend more time in the dealer's garage than your own. But still ... it's freakin' gorgeous. Like the Karma, the Evoque looks like it rolled off the auto show concept stand and onto the road, taking all of the high-style design cues and masterfully making them street legal. The 240-pony turbocharged four-banger is decidedly un-SUV-like but provides plenty of pickup. If the five-door design is too traditional, choose the three-door. It looks like a lifted, luxed-out Volkswagen GTI.Ford F-150 Raptor Give a rabid band of pickup engineers truckloads of money and about as much Red Bull and this is what you get. The Raptor is an off-roading wunderkind, one just as capable at tearing up Baja as taking the kids to school. Opting for the extended cab gives you even more space to scare kiddies on the way to soccer practice, even if its oversized 6.2-liter V8 drinks more than a post-rehab Lindsay Lohan.Fisker Karma The Karma has dealt with its fair share of woes in the last year — there was that whole catching on fire thing — but that doesn't change the fact that it's among the most stunning vehicles to be produced in this new century. Just look at it. But despite its plug-in hybrid powerplant and jaw-dropping exterior, the Karma is a four-wheeled compromise. It gets mediocre (for what it is) fuel economy. The interior is high art and low function, and the rear seats are suitable for sub-5-foot amputees. But look at it. Fisker had to start somewhere, and as Hollywood's favorite alternative to the Toyota Prius, it succeeds ... for now.BMW 760Li The standard BMW 7 Series starts at a few ticks over $70,000. So why would you drop more than double that for something that looks nearly identical to its lesser siblings? Five syllables: twin-turbo V12. More is always more. But beyond six liters of glorious turbocharged displacement and 535 horsepower, it's the way this car dances that keeps us grinning. An adaptable air suspension, rear-wheel steering and electronically actuated anti-roll bars makes this long-wheelbase limo take corners like a sedan half its size. And there's something to be said for driving a 17-foot-long Q-ship that can run to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. Something like, "Wow."Guilty pleasures. Everybody's got 'em, and these are ours. They're automotive junk food, they're the rolling equivalents of that '80s pop-infused playlist you hide from your friends. We love these cars, even though we know better. Some are pretentious and ostentatious, most are overpowered and occasionally underwhelming, and they all come from automakers with far cooler cars we'd kill to have. But after a year of driving some of the latest and greatest cars, trucks and crossovers, these 10 hold a special place in our hearts, even if our brains, let alone our wallets, could never justify actually owning one. Bentley Continental GT The latest Continental GT looks pretty much like the last Continental GT, and that's because not much has changed since the original GT debuted in 2003. It's still powered by an absurdly oversized 6.0-liter W12 putting down 616 horsepower and a grin-inducing 590 pound-feet of torque. It remains masterfully crafted on the inside, with hand-stitched leather, rare wood and aluminum trim lining the cabin. And it's still the rich person's Toyota Camry. Seriously. These things are everywhere. It's the embodiment of nouveau riche — a de facto choice for the well-heeled and under-cultured. But it's also a magnificent beast of a car, sucking up long swathes of pavement in a single gulp while keeping you mercifully isolated from the plebeian world. It's just a shame that the navigation system is about as modern as a 386 PC.Volvo C30 In the world of hatchbacks, the Volkwagen Golf reigns supreme. But there's a squat, overlooked 'lil hatch from Sweden that always impresses us. The Volvo C30 isn't the fastest, most engaging or least expensive way to get into a three-door runabout. But what it lacks in features and speed, it makes up for with an achingly attractive exterior, a chassis that's a perfect blend of comfort and composure and that Swedish aesthetic that takes bland and boring and transforms it into minimalist and modern. It isn't the second coming of the P1800 wagon, but it'll do.


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Revolution is Inevitable!
|ECONOMY & MARKETS | October 14, 2016
What Declining Earnings Continue to Tell Us
By Rodney Johnson, Senior Editor, Economy & Markets
'Tis the season. Earnings season, that is, and I don't think we're getting any presents.
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In an age of drink defined by sleek bars with house-infused vodkas and incessant techno beats, it can be difficult to comprehend a spirit that last enjoyed broad popularity back when the Ziegfeld Follies was the hottest show around. Fragrant and robust, with a character like a ragtime record played on an old Victrola, rye whiskey is a bottled anachronism. But more than 80 years after Prohibition ended rye's moment in the spotlight, the preferred whiskey of the saloon era is re-emerging.
Spicier and leaner than bourbon, its more familiar younger sibling, rye was the most popular whiskey in the country before Prohibition. Made from a mash of fermented rye grain—often with barley, corn and other grains mixed in—rye whiskey has a more assertive flavor than the rounder, sweeter bourbon, and its taste inspired the creation of some of the most regal cocktails in mixology, such as the Sazerac and the Manhattan. Ten years ago, only a small handful of rye whiskies existed, but thanks to a growing interest in bourbon and other whiskies, bartenders and curious drinkers are increasingly seeking out the lost flavor of rye.
"What a fantastic drink a glass of rye is," says Mike Miller, owner of Delilah's, a bar in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. With more than 350 types of whiskey on the shelf—including an estimated 22 ryes—Delilah's is one of the best-stocked bars in the country. Miller says many customers come to him for a whiskey education—and recently, they've been coming for the rye.
In colonial days, rum was the favored tipple; when the revolution brought the rum trade to a halt, thirsty Americans sought spirits made closer to home. The eastern markets proved attractive to Scottish and Irish settlers in western Pennsylvania and Maryland, who for decades had been distilling whiskey from the abundant rye grain. By the 1780s, around 5,000 log stillhouses were operating in Pennsylvania's Fayette, Allegheny, Westmoreland and Washington counties, producing the fragrant liquor that came to be known as Monongahela rye. Following the Whiskey Rebellion in the early 1790s—prompted by an excise tax on distilled spirits—a number of farmers packed up their stills and headed to Kentucky, where they helped create the corn-based whiskey that became known as bourbon. Still, rye remained dominant.
Over the years, distinct styles emerged. The sweeter, more robust Monongahela rye—also called Pennsylvania rye—was sold under brand names such as Schenley, Old Jupiter, Good Old Guckenheimer's and Large (which evolved into Old Overholt, a brand still available today). Maryland ryes, such as Sunnyside, Susquehanna and Maryland Union Club Rye (actually made in New York City), tended to be brighter in flavor, with a grassy character. When Prohibition shuttered the nation's distilleries in 1920, drinkers turned to whatever was available, such as the lighter-flavored Canadian whisky supplied by bootleggers. (Canadian whisky is still often called "rye," though very few Canadian brands are true rye whiskies.) By the time of repeal in 1933, tastes had changed. Rye was considered an old man's drink; it was the cheap hooch in a hip flask in 1930s gangster movies, the rotgut Ray Milland binged on in The Lost Weekend, the 1945 chronicle of an alcoholic on an epic bender. Rye had fallen from Park Avenue to Skid Row.
Fast-forward six decades to the 1990s, and only a few brands of rye remained, produced by bourbon distillers in Kentucky that made the venerable spirit almost as an afterthought. "We spill more bourbon in a day than we sell rye in a year," says Larry Kass, director of corporate communications for Heaven Hill, a Bardstown-based distiller that makes three brands of rye: Rittenhouse, Pikesville Supreme and Stephen Foster. Kass describes sales of rye as "just a drop" in the overall liquor market, and he estimates that even Heaven Hill's most popular rye, a 100-proof version of Rittenhouse, sells less than 1,000 cases per year.
That may be changing. Last April, the 100-proof Rittenhouse was named "North American Whiskey of the Year" at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and the whiskey has become a staple at influential New York bars, such as Pegu Club and Milk & Honey. Kass says he now receives daily e-mails from people across the country, desperate to find the suddenly popular spirit. "And that's for a $13 bottle of whiskey," he says.
Rittenhouse's overnight leap to rock-star status comes at a time when distillers are discovering the potential of well-crafted ryes. The trend started in 1996, when San Francisco-based Anchor Distilling released an artisan crafted, small-batch, single-malt rye whiskey called Old Potrero, available in differently aged 18th- and 19th-century styles. "I liked rye because it was out of fashion, and I saw an opportunity to make our mark," says Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor Distilling. Maytag jump-started the craft brewing movement in 1965 with Anchor Steam Beer, in part by scrapping modern shortcuts and instead going back to age-old processes of production, with spectacular results. "I think we'll go down in history as doing the same thing in American whiskey distilling that we did in beer, and we're very proud of it." Maytag says.
Old Potrero's critical acclaim prompted a reassessment of rye, and today, a crop of new premium ryes is appearing on the market. Among them are the latest whiskey from Anchor Distilling, Old Potrero Hotaling's Whiskey, an 11-year-old limited-edition rye released last year to commemorate the centennial of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. This fall, Heaven Hill unveiled a 21-year-old, single-barrel version of Rittenhouse, available as a very limited, one-time bottling. Michter's, a venerable brand originally from Pennsylvania, has a premium 10-year-old rye on the market; Van Winkle, one of the most esteemed names in bourbon, distributes a 13-year-old rye whiskey; and another bourbon notable, Hirsch, bottles a delicious 21-year-old straight rye. Sazerac makes an 18-year-old rye that is one of the most highly-rated whiskies in the country, and in October, the distillery released an unfiltered, barrel-proof version called Thomas Handy Rye. October also saw the release of a 23-year-old rye from Black Maple Hill—which has been selling an excellent 18-year-old rye for the past four years—and Templeton Rye, named for a type of Iowa moonshine popular among Chicago bootleggers during Prohibition, will debut early this year.
Rye's distinctive flavor made it a perfect mixing whiskey during the early years of the cocktail, and today's mixologists are rediscovering its magic. "There's a mixability to ryes, a spiciness in their flavor profile, that I find really interesting in cocktails," says Jackson Cannon, bar manager at Eastern Standard in Boston. "It makes for a more interesting drink than bourbon." Cannon says he's educating customers about rye's unique qualities through modern classics, such as the Red Hook, which Cannon describes as a "knock-knock" drink that bartenders order from each other. He's also using rye to reintroduce customers to familiar classics like the Sazerac. "Rye is critical to making that drink go," Cannon says. "If you make it with bourbon, you lose that wonderful diffuse nature of the drink. In the Sazerac, you're taking rye down to its most subtle component."
Bartenders are also introducing customers to rye using the king of all whiskey cocktails, the Manhattan. "We've found rye makes a better Manhattan, and a lot of people trying rye Manhattans for the first time have agreed," says Greg Lindgren, co-owner of Rye, a bar in San Francisco. Rye carries 10 or 11 ryes, and bartenders use it in classics as well as in new (though classically inspired) cocktails, such as the Golden Rye Flip and the Rye Cobbler.
It's too soon to tell if today's unexpected resurgence will lead to a long-term rye renaissance, but Jackson Cannon and others see echoes of the recent past in today's interest in rye. "It reminds me of about 10 years ago, when bourbon broke and people were becoming aware of the Maker's and the Booker's and the Basils," Cannon says. "There's now this awareness of rye. It's fun that the dialogue is advancing."


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This bowl is MUD Australia's latest addition to the popular Pebble Bowl series.
The production and firing process ensures each piece has it's own character with emphasis on the glaze and shape.
Designed as a large serving piece for special events, it also works as a standalone object for the dining or coffee table.
Available in a spectrum of colours.
Dimensions: 100 x 50cm
Material: Porcelain
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Your porcelain can be safely used in the oven, microwave and dishwashers. Sudden changes in temperature (e.g. from freezer to oven) are likely to cause thermal shock, which will damage your porcelain. We recommend placing very hot items onto either wood or cloth.
To avoid glaze scratches ideally your MUD porcelain will be stored in plate racks or with linen/felt between each item (we sell the felts).
Irregularities in size, glaze and texture, reflect the many human touches received during the making process.
There are five premium colours: Red, Plum, Slate, Orange and Ink. These are a higher cost because of the materials used to create these colours.
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At 31, Marcia Mantell was thrilled to step into retirement. Not her own — but the burgeoning financial services' retirement industry. The year was 1992.
That's when she joined Fidelity Investments' in-house ad agency as account manager for its retirement products group. As it happened, she'd just witnessed a number of friends who were invested solely in company stock lose their entire retirement nest eggs when their employer, Polaroid Corp., went belly up.
"It was heart-wrenching. But suddenly I was working in retirement, and I realized that you can control your destiny if you learn how to invest for the future. It was so surprising and one of those unexpected bright lights that goes off in your career journey," says the upbeat Mantell, based in Needham, Mass.
For two decades now, the industry vet has specialized in retirement business strategy. After 13 years at Fidelity, she opened her own practice, Mantell Retirement Consulting, in 2005, to help financial institutions focus on retirement. She is particularly enthused about enabling advisors to gain expertise and grow their retirement business.
"Marcia is very objective-driven but in a way that's people-sensitive," says Boston consultant Farrell Dolan, a former Fidelity colleague and now a Mantell client. "She presents her knowledge and understanding of issues in a way that really sparks a thought process."
A popular speaker at industry conferences, such as Pershing's Insite, Mantell guest-lectures at Bentley University and in March will present at the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) 401(k) Summit conference. With members of Congress and the IRS, she has discussed retirement strategies for small business owners.
At Fidelity, where she rose to vice president-marketing and product development, Mantell led the creation and launch of the firm's Advisor Retirement Income Program. Now, a key concentration of hers is developing strategies for wirehouses, banks, mutual fund companies, insurance companies and the like to help FAs specialize in retirement income distribution. Unlike the accumulation phrase, it requires adding a totally new skill set, Mantell says.
"Retirement income distribution goes beyond investments. But if advisors are serious about keeping their older clients and transitioning into a retirement income business, they need to learn this," she says. "Most advisors have expertise in accumulation. But once the client stops working and gets to retirement income, it's a whole new set of situations — not only investing but lifestyle and aging issues. The approach is very different."
Mantell creates training programs, brochures, seminars and webinars, online content, retirement tools and more. Often she personally conducts FA training in the field.
To advisors who are targeting a retirement income-centric practice, Mantell serves up this important heads-up: "You need to develop deeper relationships with clients and have those tough conversations that come with aging."
Moreover, FAs must choose products for portfolios that are structured around retirement income. And they need to make clients understand that certain decisions — like when to begin Social Security benefits — are theirs alone to make, she says. But that's not saying FAs shouldn't be knowledgeable about Social Security and Medicare. In effect, the advisor becomes a coach, while "learning how to integrate into their practices [components] that aren't products and not directly monetized," she says.
Mantell's own mantra? "Never say 'no'." "Even if you're overburdened and have no time, when an opportunity comes your way — if, for example, your boss asks you to take on a new project — I've found it's always better to say 'yes' because you learn so much more to fill your tool bag, and to fill the company's as well."
As a student at the University of Rochester, in New York, the Binghamton, N.Y.-born Mantell had no yen for a financial services career. She wanted to become a chemical engineer. However, halfway through her studies, she came to the conclusion that she wasn't cut out to be an engineer. The only electives she could take, though, were other science classes. Her degree: a B.A. in geology.
"Every time there's an earthquake or tsunami, I recall my earthquake term papers!" she says.
Right after graduation, she moved to Minneapolis, where husband Daniel Mantell received a Ph.D. in chemistry (he's now a money manager). In Minnesota, Marcia started out with a job in direct marketing at Fingerhut. When the Mantells moved to Massachusetts for Daniel's job relocation, she joined a small catalog company as marketing manager.
But within a few years, she was ready for a fresh challenge. That's how she "fell into this phenomenal opportunity" in retirement at Fidelity, she says. At the time, IRA rollovers were just starting to be implemented.
Soon Mantell was responsible for product management, as well as developing and marketing IRAs and small business products to investors. Later, she joined the advisor channel.
Today, apart from helping FAs beef up their retirement accumulation business, she is empowering motivated advisors to focus on income distribution. And that, she jokes, involves yet another new skill to learn: marriage counseling.
But seriously: "If the clients are a couple with two different sets of goals and desires for the back-half of their lives, this is a challenge in your practice that wasn't necessarily there before. The numbers piece doesn't go away," she says, "but now you absolutely need to add that relationship component."
Off-hours, Mantell comes up with creative family dinner celebrations like "Taco Tuesday." Then there's always that old standby, "Freezer Challenge": "Let's clean out the freezer and see how long until we have to go to the grocery store," she explains. "My two teenage daughters say, 'Oh, no! Please, Mom — not Freezer Challenge!'"


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Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. The original painting is a framed 18 X 24 oil on Stretched Canvas. This painting was completed over several years and I consider it one of my best pieces. If you are interested in buying the original painting, go to my website at jerrymcelroy.com. Thank you!
Hello! I have been a photographer all of my adult life after graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. I have been painting for the last 18 years. I am mostly a self taught painter but have attended several workshops over the years. Most of my paintings center around the subject matter of the desert southwest, although lately have been exploring seascapes. My fine art photography has been published and collected by numerous corporations and private collectors for more than 25 years. My images have been used to illustrate many book covers, annual reports, magazines, and advertisements. My art has been accepted, and won awards in major art shows and includes a 'Best of Show' in the Cheyenne County Annual Spring...
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Rooms range in size from small to large, they are in an acceptable condition. The Edinburgh House Hotel does not have a restaurant facility. The hotel is based in a nineteenth century Victorian townhouse, it is set over three floors and many of the original period features are still visible. The lobby is small and located directly inside the front door in front of the stairs to the first landing. There is a small reading room off to the left. This hotel is a good choice for the budget conscious traveler who is looking for an affordable base to explore Edinburgh. Ideally located and very competitively priced. Please note that Hotel is open only until 22:30. If passenger arrives later they would need to ring the bell at the main entrance and they will be let in. Late check in fee is 10 GBP per booking.
90-92 Pilrig Street, Edinburgh EH6 5AY , Edinburgh (United Kingdom). The Edinburgh House Hotel is situated on a safe and quiet side street in Edinburgh Pilrig residential area. Approximately a mile form the centre of town it is about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the city centre and buses do run regularly to attractions such as Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile as well as the city centre's shops, bars and restaurants. 2 kms to city centre 10 kms to the nearest airport (edinburgh airport) 2 minute walk to the nearest metro station (st andrew bus station) 2 km to the nearest station (waverely station) 2 minute walk to the nearest bus stop
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