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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Fee For Service
Not too many years ago, as the many-layered onion that is physiciandom brought tears more and more constantly to my eyes, I said, "What the hell, I give up. If this is all just a way to break us down and put us on salary, bring it on. Just tell me how much I'll get, and I'll decide if I want to keep doing it."
Paperwork propagating like potatoes; rules compounding themselves like viruses; payments receding like ice-caps. There's no doubt it affected my enjoyment of my work, steadily plunging the pleasure, the honor, the gift, and the psychic rewards of being a surgeon deeper into the bulb of the allium, harder to find without crying. And yet such thoughts find little if any resonance with the public. Fee for service, it's said, is the root of the economic evils of our health care system. I don't entirely disagree: what we have now is the worst of all possibilities.
There are many ways in which health care doesn't follow other capitalistic models. Attempts at controlling costs have included, for instance, both restricting and increasing the number of doctors produced in medical schools. Neither worked. To date, disguised and dressed in many pretty outfits, the main tool for cutting costs has been reducing payments to physicians and to hospitals. At best, results are mixed: forced to work harder and harder to maintain income, many doctors (speaking) have burned out and quit in their prime. Turned into bean-counters, those that stay have adopted methods that frustrate patients: cramming more visits into an hour, charging for phone calls, etc... Ancillary charges are outrageous: a friend recently wrote me about a $3,500 CAT scan, a charge of $850 for a simple automated blood test. (Not that anyone but the uninsured actually pays them: in some sort of dance macabre, insurers reimburse ten or twenty percent of those fees and the rest is smoke.)
(In a related note, I read that President Obama's doctor isn't happy with Obama's health reform proposals. In the article the good doctor says neurosurgeons get $20,000 for "cutting into the neck" of his patients. Now, I have no idea what goes on in Chicago, but I'd propose that, if twenty grand is an actual fee, like the $3,500 CAT scan, the reimbursement is a small fraction. In this post I don't want to get, yet again, into the frictions between surgeons and real doctors; but such a claim suggests a certain amount of hyperbole in the discussion. On the other hand, he implies he's for a single-payer plan; on that, we agree!)
Pay for doing stuff is the wrong incentive, so we are told. It leads to over-ordering of tests, over-doing of procedures. Can't entirely disagree. Read Atul Gawande in The New Yorker, or Buckeye Surgeon in Buckeye Surgeon. But if it's a problem, what is the solution? Salaries, says Atul. Better docs, says Buck. And me. With the right incentives.
I've said before -- to hoots and snark -- that I don't think many physicians are in it primarily for the money. But I do believe that, as in most other professional pursuits, people willing to work hard and who produce superior results have an expectation of some sort of recognition. Which includes income. And that's precisely why I said above that what we have now is the worst of all possibilities; fee for service with no incentives for quality, no differentiation among bad, mediocre, and excellent providers. For doing a colon resection in half the operative time (saving thousands in OR costs), sending a happy patient home two or three days (or more) sooner than average (saving thousands in hospital costs), with a lower rate of complications, I got exactly the same reimbursement -- from Medicare, from any insurance company -- as the surgeon who did none of those things. If, to a payor, a colon resection is a widget, the only criterion for payment for which is agreement to accept the latest slice in compensation, why bother to do those things? (Getting patients home quickly requires, among other things, making rounds two or three times a day, which most docs no longer do -- but which I always did. Faster operative times result from many things, among which are attention to detail, making sure in advance that what you need is in the room, keeping the team informed of what's coming next. Even helping move the patient and clean the room. Not seen frequently. Since I retired.)
A high percentage of doctors are human beings. That means they often respond like other people. Incentives and disincentives have an effect on behavior. Which is among the reasons "effectiveness research," or whatever the proper name for the effort (the blocking of which is desired by several legislators on the rive droit) to identify best treatments, makes nothing but sense.
I suppose it gets tiresome to read such treati. The bottom line is I think a system works best when there are incentives -- positive and negative -- to do the right thing. Some will, no matter what. (Of those, some have hung it up...) Salaries (at least those with no opportunity for adjustment based on performance) encourage laziness; capitation encourages the withholding of care. Fee for service which makes no allowance for differences in quality encourages abuse. And burnout.
Based on the snippets coming from the halls of Congress, I'm pretty well convinced that whatever so-called reform we get will fail substantively to address the real problems in our system: insurers, excessive or inappropriate "care," reasonable reimbursement across all fields of medicine, costs. And, for the life of me, I can't understand why.
Well, of course, I can.
15 comments:
Since I believe you would endorse a single payer system, how would said system address the pay-for-quality concerns of this post? It almost seems as if that is a conundrum that no one has a real answer for.
I believe that innovation among providers is necessary to assist consumers in determining quality. Other than checking to see if a doctor has any disciplinary action on file with the board of medicine, and word of mouth among peers, how does a consumer know in advance who the quality docs are?
Recently I wanted to find a new dentist in my area. I went to my insurance company's website and did a provider search. All I really got was a list of names. How in the world do I know who is good and who isn't? One answer is the web. I tried to find websites for the dentists, and of all the ones I Googled, I could only find one. That's who I decided to use.
There are so many questions, and yet it seems like there are so few good answers.
- Beach Bum said...
One problem with trying to measure quality and effectiveness is that you have to pay someone to do the measuring. Admin costs would go up.
- Sid Schwab said...
Mike: I don't think a single payer system would make pay for performance any harder than one with insurance companies. In fact, Medicare is already doing it. It's just that the parameters are pretty lame; but it's a start. The issue is the concept of pay-for-quality; there are lots of problems that would need to be overcome, but the payer has little if anything to do with it.
As to your questions about how consumers judge quality: I've always said that if you have a primary care doc that you trust, his/her recommendation of a specialist might be the most important. Not that all motives are pure...
BB: if such a plan were effective, the costs generated to implement it would be far offset by the savings it generated. IMHO, anyway.
- Jeffrey Parks MD FACS said...
nice. wb.
I think you should start cutting health care costs right here on this blog by sponsoring an Ask The Doctor column.
Or to take it a step further, if you're bored in retirement, join up with one of these telemedicine practices.
Are you still able to write prescriptions?
- Sid Schwab said...
Yep, still have an active license.
Sid, I am a 3rd year medical student, and I am worried about what the future is going to be for this profession. It's fairly obvious that when/if the government controls the insurance industry completely that they will also set the wages for doctors. It also seems like most people are completely unsympathetic to the plight of doctor compensation, which means to me it would be very easy politically speaking to cut the wages severely. At some point the pre-meds are going to realize it's not worth it, once the sentiment changes, we will no longer have a quality pipeline of people willing to train. Those people will go industries with less regulations on their income ie law and business. It's also about autonomy, which was one of my big reasons for signing up. What kind of bureaucracy are we going to have to navigate to get things approved with a national insurance? It just seems like the government is setting this up and stepping over the doctors, and saying here is the new system if you don't like it tough. And support for tort reform, but no caps on damages according to Obama's speech to the AMA? So are they also going to nationalize malpractice insurance, or are doctors going to be left holding the bag on that also? I'm intrested to hear your thoughts.
- AlisonH said...
Sid: did you see this? http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-fi-rescind17-2009jun17,0,5975386.story?page=1&track=rss
It's a little off track from your post, but desperately in need of being put out there. The LA Times has been doing a series on insurance companies and attended this congressional subcommittee meeting that a lot of the rest of the media seems to have missed. THIS is part of our health care crisis: private insurers not being required, like HMOs, to cover pre-existing conditions, and therefore going back 20 years in people's records to find anything possible not reported on their applications in order to dump them. And then you have people who have paid their premiums but then are left high and dry when they become ill, and doctors and hospitals going unpaid. While those executives pay themselves many millions that should have gone to patient care.
Meantime, my hospital bills this past winter came to $400,000. My insurance paid half that and it was accepted. My extremely qualified surgeon deserved every dime they paid her and then some, and I was surprised at how low her pay was compared to all the other expenses on the bill that came.
- Sid Schwab said...
Robert, you are expressing concerns I've had as well, and have written. It's hard to know where it's headed. The system is already, as I see it, deselecting highly motivated people.
One thing to keep in mind is that payments to docs are already pretty much controlled by "the government:" medicare sets fees, other insurers follow suit. The difference between what medicare pays and what other insurers pay has narrowed considerably.
That's one of the reasons, among many, that I'm for single payer: physicians already have little influence over reimbursement.
On the other hand, medicare has not been entirely unresponsive: fees have risen is some areas. Docs do have influence, used properly.
Dealing with only one payer would be a huge time-saver for docs, and a money saver as well, at least in terms of overhead.
Also, as I've written, the models for physicians' lifestyle is changing as well. With hospitalists becoming more and more ubiquitous, it makes the demands on other docs far less; and the hospitalists practice in an entirely ordered schedule. In other words, compensating to some extent for the lowered pay is a less demanding lifestyle.
- Sid Schwab said...
Alison: I hadn't seen that article, but I'm already working on a post that's relevant to it.
Glad to see that I could read your opinion on this. It's not a surprise that most physicians feel the same way. This healthcare reform plan is ridiculous, and a miss shot.
@Sid - glad to find this blog. I'm in the middle of dealing with an insurance company who won't pay out for emergency medical care that I needed. I've started to educated myself on the issue.
@Robert - is the potential situation for doctors so dire that they will go bankrupt for providing care? The reason I ask that is because that right now is the plight of the uninsured, such as myself.
Dr. Sid,
1.) In a pay for performance type set-up that rewards things like "good outcomes" and quick dismissals from the hospital, won't doctors just cherry pick younger, relatively healthier patients to maximize their positive outcomes and ensure they get paid. Won't docs possibly shy away from treating/operating on patients who are unlikely to have a good outcome but have no other reasonable options (eg. certain mets cancers, etc)?
2.) How will non-compliant or self destructive patients factor in to this "pay-for-performance" set-up of physician reimbursement?
3.) How much of an effect does a shorter operation time have on a patients recovery (eg. 1 hour vs 2 hour colon resection)?
4.) Is basing payments on shorter surgery times ethical, considering we don't know if surgeons will make more mistakes in their haste?
5.) How can serious "healthcare reform" include cuts in reimbursement & not include med malprax tort reform?
6.) Do you see any hope for a free market solution (similiar to the attached link)? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124476804026308603.html
7.) Do you think limiting some of the govt regulations on health insurance (see attached link)would allow more competitive pricing? http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/06/government_wont_allow_fair_com.html
8.) Is all this reform even worthwhile if it persuades the "best & brightest" to pursue other vocations? (There is only 1 neurosurg in a large portion of my state. A free healthcare card is not useful if there is noone there to treat them)
Thanks for considering my questions.
Precordial Thump
- Sid Schwab said...
P. Thump: good questions, all.
1.) In a pay for performance type set-up that rewards things like "good outcomes" and quick dismissals from the hospital, won't doctors just cherry pick younger, relatively healthier patients to maximize their positive outcomes and ensure they get paid. Won't docs possibly shy away from treating/operating on patients who are unlikely to have a good outcome but have no other reasonable options (eg. certain mets cancers, etc)?
It's already happening, to some degree, especially when such things as mortality rates are released to the public with no criteria for comparison. On the other hand, there are ways to compare apples to apples, by "scoring" co-morbidities. It's not simple, but I think it's doable. Anesthesia, for example, already does it to an extent, assigning levels of complexity to their billings.
2.) How will non-compliant or self destructive patients factor in to this "pay-for-performance" set-up of physician reimbursement?
That's less of an issue for surgeons, but a significant one for primary care. Again, I'd assume there are ways to score such things. The emphasis would have to be on the extent to which guidance is given, and followup arranged, as opposed to cooperation by the patient.
3.) How much of an effect does a shorter operation time have on a patients recovery (eg. 1 hour vs 2 hour colon resection)?
I've written about that in this blog. On average, I'd say the difference is more in cost than in outcome. However, in older and sicker people there's no doubt that the longer the operation, the more difficult and complicated the recovery.
4.) Is basing payments on shorter surgery times ethical, considering we don't know if surgeons will make more mistakes in their haste?
I'm not sure "ethical" is the issue; nor is fast surgery "hasty" surgery. It's about total costs generated. There are ways to shorten hospital stays, and to shorten operative times that don't involve "haste" or short cuts. Until there were objections from surgeons on the short end of the stick, one of the local insurance companies gave bonuses to docs that had lower overall costs per diagnosis.
And, as I said, the bottom line is outcome. That, ideally, is factored in as well. Sacrificing results for lowering costs wouldn't be rewarded.
5.) How can serious "healthcare reform" include cuts in reimbursement & not include med malprax tort reform?
I don't think it can. I just didn't go into it in this post.
6.) Do you see any hope for a free market solution (similiar to the attached link)? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124476804026308603.html
I don't know if I'd call that a "free market solution," at least in the way Congressional republicans have used the term. I'd call that sensible approach using known methods to improve employee health, and I think it's part of a total solution. "Free market," to me anyway, suggests the idea that competition among insurers will solve all problems. Which, clearly, it hasn't.
7.) Do you think limiting some of the govt regulations on health insurance (see attached link)would allow more competitive pricing? http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/06/government_wont_allow_fair_com.html
I'm no expert on regulations. It's another "free market" question. I don't think deregulation has worked in any areas in the last few years. I don't think insurers, for the most part, have patients in mind: their business model (as I'll be saying in tomorrow's post) is about collecting money, investing it, and trying not to give it back to consumers/providers.
8.) Is all this reform even worthwhile if it persuades the "best & brightest" to pursue other vocations? (There is only 1 neurosurg in a large portion of my state. A free healthcare card is not useful if there is noone there to treat them)
As I've said, it's already sending good people out of the profession, as it currently is. A system that rewards excellence might be able to reverse the trend.
Who created the fee for service payment system? Is is a Medicare model that insurance companies have simply copied, or the other way around?
Don't you think if people knew what various tests and procedures cost they might a) comparison shop and b) consider whether or not they really need it? I know I did when my doctor ordered a sonogram (while saying he didn't think it was necessary) because I was having irregular periods. I have an HSA and find I think a lot more about what things cost and how to spend that $ compared to friends with "all you can eat" insurance plans. I know this does not address the other issues such as pre-existing conditions, but I think having some skin in the game would go a long way toward curbing needless expenses. It just seems like common sense.


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Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson (10 December 1830 – 15 May 1886 / Amherst / Massachusetts)
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I signed up to get Michael Moore's latest documentary Slacker Uprising a few weeks ago and this morning I received an email telling me it was now available. The documentary covers Moore's failed bid to oust Bush the Lesser from office by giving out Raman Noodles and clean undies. With none of the emotional impact of Sicko and none of the laughs of An American Carol Slacker Uprising is being distributed online for free (or $9.95 for the DVD). The movie can be watched on Blip.tv, iTunes and Lycos or downloaded from Amazon, iTunes and Hypernia.
However, despite the free-love goodness and the clear support for Obama, Michael Moore has failed to take a page from the Obama social media playbook and leverage social media to get the movie's message out. The Slacker Uprising site has
no way to embed or super-distribute the movie (missed the button) no way to comment or rally support around it, there isnt even a means for people to indicate support or provide any feedback on the film. All fairly standard social media tools, which would extend the viral distribution of the film, defray some of the cost and amplify its message.


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Reign Man Freestyle In His Gym
Roy reports "Yes this Phillys Music Man bring you Reign Man aka IZZIE FAREAL Let him tell you the story"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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Browns, burnt reds, creamy golden whites – the colours of the closed eye. I'm on my back and K is beside me, lying on a bed of pine needles and crunchy dried leaves. I open them as a black beetle bustles past a bottle of sunblock at the base of a tree trunk. Layers of world; our soft bed a lifetime of confines and cavities for it to clamber over and through.
It doesn't know the world above it that we inhabit – the regularly spaced trees like columns in a brown basilica. The air is cool, streaked with rays of sunlight and dusted with buzzing insects. Above us, if I raise my head and look sideways, a different space – brighter and higher; a world of virile greens, the blue of the sky breaking through here and there.
If I lay my head back down on the forest floor I can look up at and somehow out onto yet another space. A vast and ferociously lit universe. The very tips of the trees and above them the glaring void. The extremity of the light, the sheer difference in the strength of it as it falls on things up there bathes them in the same strangeness things have when seen underwater. It is a quiet world today – none of the usual air-and-leaf laments; "windstill", K calls it. More


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The Most Effective Teachers:
Are In A Class Of Their Own
ScienceDaily (July 6, 2009) — Knowledgeable, innovative, skillful, fun-loving, caring, supportive, task and pupil centred – it's official – the most effective teachers are in a class of their own. They stimulate a pupil's imagination, challenge their views, encourage them to do great things and motivate them through tailored teaching practices to ensure that every pupil feels a sense of achievement and valued as part of the class community. These are the latest findings of research funded in primary and secondary schools by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) into what makes good teachers even better.
The two year Effective Classroom Practice (ECP) was conducted by Professor Christopher Day, Professor Pam Sammons and Dr Alison Kington at the School of Education University of Nottingham from 2006-2008 and funded by ESRC.
The principal investigator, Professor Christopher Day believes the research provides a unique picture of the more effective teacher.
"More effective teachers create a positive climate for learning by challenging pupils' ideas, inspiring them, being more innovative in their practice and differentiating amongst pupils according to their abilities and interests where appropriate". This means, according to Professor Day, "Pupils have more control over and engagement in their learning and more opportunities for success".
The results show the best teachers are not necessarily those with the most experience. The best teachers are the ones with enthusiasm for their work, high aspirations for the success of every pupil, positive relations, high motivation, commitment and resilience. Combining good knowledge of their subject and teaching practice and providing support tailored to the individual needs of each child, these teachers focus on building self esteem, engendering trust and maintaining respect.
The two-year study built on previous work by the research team on the work, lives and effectiveness of 300 teachers to investigate the classroom practice of teachers from schools whose pupil exam results were either typical or better than expected. It involved 81 teachers (45 primary and 36 secondary), 38 head teachers and 3,000 pupils and included a series of teacher and pupil questionnaires, observations of classroom practice and post-observation tools to allow in-depth probing of issues relating to data strands, such as teacher effectiveness, leadership issues, teacher identity, professional life phase and teacher efficacy3.
"By including the collection and analysis of different kinds of observational data it was possible to get below the surface", he explained, "to reveal the interactions between classroom practice, teacher characteristics, professional life phase, school contexts and effectiveness as defined by pupils' context value added scores which take account of prior learning and a range of socio economic factors, together with teacher and pupil perceptions of effectiveness".
The main impact relating to teaching practice has been for training and development purposes. The research points to the importance of providing teachers in service with structured, regular opportunities to reflect on their roles and classroom practices and learn from examples of best practice in a variety of school and classroom settings. It points to the value of classroom observation and feedback as part of this process.
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As Twitter and Facebook's impact on television continues to grow in this country and abroad, in France it went dark this month.
The home of flaky croissants and escargot has put the kibosh on television and radio news programs from using the words Facebook and Twitter on air unless the reporters are referring directly to a story involving the two companies.
The new law means that no longer can an anchor say "follow us on Twitter" at the end of a newscast.
France's Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel, which regulates the airwaves in the country, said using the names of the companies is a form of "clandestine" advertising for the two Bay Area-based social networking sites, which violates a 1992 French law prohibiting the promotion of commercial enterprises on news programs.
The French ban comes as Twitter and Facebook's importance to television is growing amongst American and British television executives.
Cable news networks in the US have built entire shows around feedback on Twitter and Facebook.
The social networking mediums give executives the instant feedback they need on how a show is being perceived or talked about.
Gone are the days of waiting to see what the water cooler banter would be and in is the era where television producers want to see their shows trending on Twitter or getting liked on Facebook.
France's Facebook, Twitter Ban Comes at Pivotal Time
As Twitter and Facebook's impact on television continues to grow in this country and abroad, in France it went dark this month.


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- TypeModern
- BandSteel Bracelet
- Case MaterialSteel
- ConditionBrand New & Mint
- MovementAutomatic
Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 600 - Ceramic
Used but brand new looking condition Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 600. It comes complete with box and papers. It was originally purchased in March 2017 and has the balance of the manufacturer warranty remaining. The retail price is £725, It is the best selling Christopher Ward watch that has had a comprehensive upgrade. The re-engineered 316L marine-grade stainless steel case now incorporates a zirconia (ZrO2) ceramic unidirectional bezel for scratch resistance, while the watch is watertight at depths of up to 600 metres (2,000ft) - twice that of its predecessor. The dial retains the guilloche wave pattern of the first Tridents but the new indexes are now deep-filled with SuperLuminova SLN T C1 for additional luminosity. The all-new crown is easier to use, while the backplate has the Trident motif deep-stamped and prominent. And If the self-winding movement is the same it's only because there's no better available mechanism for this watch.
Technical details
• Diameter: 43mm
• Height: 13.30mm
• Case weight: 108g
• Calibre: ETA 2824-2/Sellita SW200-1
• Vibrations: 28,800 per hour
• Timing tolerance: +20/-20 seconds per day
• Case: 316L Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 60 bar
• Bezel: Zirconia dioxide ceramic
• Dial Colour: Green
• Lume: SuperLuminova SLN-T-C1
• Strap width: 22mm
• Lug to Lug: 51.5mm
• Swiss made
• Self-winding mechanical movement
• 38 hour power reserve
• Date calendar
• Central hacking seconds
• Anti-shock system
• 43mm marine grade, stainless steel case
• Uni-directional green aluminium bezel
• Water resistant to 600m/2000ft
• Screw-down deep-stamped 3D back plate
• Screw-in crown
• Unique engraved serial number
• 3.4mm anti-reflective sapphire crystal
• SuperLuminova indices, bezel marker and hands
• Guilloche wave pattern dial
• Signature Trident counter-balance
• Adjustable marine-grade stainless steel bracelet with diver's extension
• Luxury presentation case and owner's handbook


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Researchers at CERN have observed particles 'flipping' between matter and antimatter. But why is the universe made of one and not the other?
A person and an antiperson would mutually annihilate each other on contact
One of the experiments at CERN has observed D-mesons 'flipping' between matter and antimatter.
Antimatter is identical to normal matter but with opposite charge, spin and other quantum numbers. Mesons are a type of particle made up of a quark and an antiquark. Quarks are the particles that make up the protons and neutrons found in atomic nuclei, and come in six 'flavours' – known as 'up', 'down', 'strange', 'charm', 'bottom' and 'top'.
The D-mesons in the CERN experiment are made up of one charm quark and one charm antiquark. The physicists have witnessed the D-mesons oscillating between being a normal particle and an antiparticle, a process that has previously been observed in K-mesons (composed of a strange quark and an up or down antiquark) and B-mesons (a bottom antiquark and any of an up, down, strange or charm quark). When this happens, the constituent quark becomes an antiquark and vice-versa, so for example the antimatter partner to the K-meson is made up of a strange antiquark and a 'normal' up or down quark.
But in some cases this flip-flopping happens at different rates depending on whether a meson is transforming into an antimeson or the reverse is happening. Experiments in the 1960s showed that K-mesons are more likely to change from their antiparticles to their normal particles than the other way round, and some observations at Fermilab up to 2010 have suggested that the same is true of B-mesons.
This is an example of what is known as CP violation – an exception to the principle that physical laws should be the same for a particle as they are for an antiparticle with its direction reversed. This may help to explain why the universe appears to be made entirely of matter with no antimatter except that which is created in high-energy particle collisions.
One would expect the Big Bang to produce equal amounts of matter and antimatter, and, since the two annihilate one another on contact, this should have led to a universe with no particles, filled only with radiation.
This problem can be solved if there exists some process that favours matter over antimatter, leading to the excess that we see today.
Alternative explanations include the possibility that there are regions of the universe made of antimatter – which is thought to be unlikely since any overlap with matter regions would produce easily detectable radiation – and the suggestion that antimatter also exhibits gravitational repulsion, which would keep such regions separate.


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They call him The Boss for a reason.
Showing there's no need for a backing band to bring out his outsized charisma on stage, Bruce Springsteen took a rapt audience on a personal music history journey. He also gave young rockers insightful advice in an often hilarious tour-de-force keynote speech that was one of the most anticipated events at the South By Southwest Music Conference and Festival this year.
"Good morning, good morning, good morning," Springsteen said after taking the stage at 12:30 p.m. "Why are we up so (expletive) early. How important is this speech if we're giving it at noon? Every musician in town is asleep, or they will be by the time I finish this speech."
The latest news from around North Texas.
The Boss on Thursday takes over Austin. Besides the speech, he's putting on an exclusive show later in the evening. He got off to an often riotous start as he name-checked all the musicians that have inspired him over the years from Elvis to James Brown and Woody Guthrie to Johnny Rotten. He marveled at the unfathomable diversity at SXSW and led a sing-a-long of "This Land is Your Land."
Springsteen is hot with his new album, "Wrecking Ball," debuting at No. 1 in 14 countries after its release last week and with a world tour scheduled. It's his first tour since last year's death of his saxophonist and main on-stage sidekick Clarence Clemons.
Those musicians who managed to wake up and catch the speech got a lesson in how to approach your career and a long list of influences to check out. About 1,000 SXSW attendees filled a ballroom in the Austin Convention Center for the 50-minute speech and NPR carried it live via Internet stream.
Among those attending was Juanes, the Colombian rock star who saw Springsteen live for the first time just last Friday at The Apollo. He loved Springsteen's riff on creativity most of all.
"It was great," said Juanes, who sang in English in public for the first time during a tribute to Guthrie before the speech. "It was like a lesson if you go to a university. He's got the whole career. I was thinking and thinking, it's like inside me, many things that he was saying. I feel the same, how we're so connected."
Springsteen marveled at the diversity in 21st century pop music, almost rapping a long list of genres that would have boggled the mind of that young boy in New Jersey in the 1960s who had just 10 years of rock `n' roll history to draw his influences from.
"Just add neo- and post- to everything and mention them all again. Oh, yeah," he said as an afterthought, "and rock `n' roll."
He talked about first seeing Elvis and his pelvis on "The Ed Sullivan Show," the exquisite agony of Roy Orbison, the way The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Animals set music free, and the rise of punk rock and soul music as forces of change in the 1970s. He related often hilarious and poignant personal stories about each along the way.
Springsteen also talked about the profound importance of Guthrie and his personal idol Pete Seeger before leading the audience in a sing-a-long of a rare verse from "This Land is Your Land." Though Springsteen talked of their significance both to him and American history, he stayed away from discussing the social concerns that fill his new album.
In closing, he urged all "10,000 bands" in Austin to bring it hard every night. That, he said, is the key to success.
"Here we are in this town, young and old, celebrating each perhaps in our own way a sense of freedom that was Woody's legacy," Springsteen said. "So rumble, young musicians, rumble. Open your ears and open your hearts. Don't take yourself too seriously and take yourself as seriously as death itself. Don't worry. Worry your ass off. Have ironclad confidence, but doubt. It keeps you awake and alert. ... And when you walk on stage tonight to bring the noise, treat it like it's all we have. And then remember it's only rock `n' roll. I think I'm going to go out and catch a little black death metal."


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Episode 117: Big Beta Sensei
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NEW YORK, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- In 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana use. Another 15 states have decriminalized the drug. And 19 states allow it for medical purposes.
An increase in readily available and legal pot -- researchers at New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research conclude -- means high schoolers will be more likely to toke up.
Researchers surveyed nearly 10,000 high school seniors on their attitudes toward pot. Ten percent of those who said they'd never before used marijuana claimed they try the drug if it was legal. The study was recently published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
Researchers inferred that if other states follow in the path of Washington and Colorado, pot use among young people would go up, despite the 21-and-up age restriction at licensed shops.
"What I personally find interesting is the reasonably high percentage of students who are very religious, non-cigarette smokers, non-drinkers, and those who have friends who disapprove of marijuana use -- who said they intended to try marijuana if it was legal," explained Dr. Joseph J. Palamar, author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Medical Center. "This suggests that many people may be solely avoiding use because it is illegal, not because it is "bad" for you, or "wrong" to use."
For these reasons, researchers say the problem of drug abuse should be addressed as more of a public health issue and less as an issue of morality.
Attorney General Eric Holder has previously voiced his opinion that marijuana legalization won't affect the drug's prevalence among minors. "People cannot buy alcohol I guess now until you're age… age 21, but young people find ways to get alcohol because adults can have access to it," Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month. "I'm not sure that we will see the same thing here given what we have said with regard to our enforcement priorities."


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Wilkes Bashford, In Memoriam 1933-2016January 16th, 2016
Wilkes Bashford, show more of Wilkes Bashford photos or correct name Thaderine MacFarlane, show more of Thaderine MacFarlane photos or correct name Ken McNeely show more of Ken McNeely photos or correct name
Perfect for printing with no watermark up to 8x12. If you need something larger, we can usually do a custom print.
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For a commercial or editorial license, please email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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A butterfly is a rare sight in the urban setting of the old town of Marrakech. So imagine our delight at the arrival of this welcome guest at Riad Papillon.
It was cunningly photographed by our eagle eyed guardian Abdelatif as it inspected the newly opened Riad. As the Moroccans say 'Baraka', what a wonderful omen!


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Best known as a painter of neo-medieval and classical paintings on a large and imposing scale, Burne-Jones produced only a few, distinctive illustrations. The most interesting were published in the 1860s. Unmistakeably connected with his paintings, and clearly in the artist's style, these images were nevertheless highly eclectic, the product, it can be argued, of a series of influences.
Burne-Jones's earliest work, a frontispiece and title-page for The Fairy Family (1857) are remarkably nave. Unsigned, they represent the artist's initial attempts to discover a personal style. The main influence, however, is Pre-Raphaelite archaism. The figures are gawkily drawn in the manner of early Pre-Raphaelite painting; there is a conscious effort to avoid conventional representations of beauty, especially in the emphasis on unappealing faces; space is flattened; and detail seems to overwhelm the whole.
Pre-Raphaelite archaism is also a key feature in Burne-Jones's later, more accomplished designs for Good Words, King Sigurd the Crusader (1862) and The Summer Snow (1863). Both of these are versions of Rossetti, and closely reflect the impact of Rossetti's watercolours of the 1850s. The calculated angularity, elongation and expressive distortion of the figures is a deliberate echo of those in The Wedding of St. George and Princess Sabra (1857, Tate Britain, London), and The Tune of Seven Towers (1859, Tate Britain, London). Conceived as airless spaces and congested surfaces, both designs are imposing works in black and white, their intensity owing at least as much to the Dalziels' dense printing as they do to the artist's original design.
Such bold imagery recurs in his single work for the Dalziels' Bible Gallery (dated 1881; published 1880). The Parable of the Burning Pot shows that Burne-Jones was capable of dramatic story-telling, even though the majority of his illustrations are curiously static; presented as reveries on the nature of beauty, they reflect his lifelong fascination with the still and the meditative.
Works Consulted
Goldman, Paul. Victorian Illustration: The Pre-Raphaelites, the Idyllic School and the High Victorians. Aldershot: Scolar, 1996
Reid, Forrest. Illustrators of the Eighteen Sixties. 1928; reprint, New York: Dover, 1975.
Suriano, Gregory. The Pre-Raphaelite Illustrators. London: The British Library, 2000.
Last modified 20 January 2002


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AWL's Veterinarian Clinic has set up a "Fast Track" Wellness Program right in our parking lot! From 1:30-4:30pm, clients in need of vaccinations for their pets, preventative medicine, heartworm tests, preventative medicine, ear cleaning and suture removals, may visit our Outdoor Trailer. No Lines… No Waiting!
Flu Vaccinations are available.
Get your pet to the vet… make sure your best friend is up to date on vaccinations this Spring! For more information, give us a call at #708-636-8586 x254.


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Setting a limit of $55, we ordered 22 "gourmet" baskets with a mix of sweets and savories, candy assortments, and popcorn tins from online sites. We rated ease of ordering, resemblance to the website photo, "wow" factor out of the box, value for the money ounce for ounce, and most highly, quality of the food. Sound like fun? Think again. We spat out paté (cat food?), rancid nuts, crackers and popcorn that had stood way too long on storage shelves, "Brie" that tasted like Velveeta, and chocolate chip cookies that couldn't hold a candle to supermarket chippers.
The good news: We found a few that were not only impressive when unpacked but that contained real treats! Be sure to see our review of the winners. If you do venture into the world of gift basket giving, here are some helpful tips to help you find good value for your money.
- While we expected to find a small hidden gem, we found well-established brands offered more consistent quality of ingredients. Plus their websites require fewer steps to place an order and are more intuitive to navigate.
- Order from a company that you're familiar with or from a gourmet store that will let you customize the basket with products that you know, love, and think are of high quality.
- If you're ordering a gourmet basket which contains cheese or a spread, make sure it also includes crackers to serve with it.
- In general, avoid gourmet baskets with small quantities of pretzels, peanuts, and popcorn. They don't add much value for your money.
- Read the information about the gift card carefully. Often it's simply a message on the packing slip where it could easily be missed and discarded. Consider paying a little extra for a real card, giving the recipient a heads-up that a basket's on its way, and/or following up if you don't get a thank you.
- It's worth setting-up an account with the website from which you're ordering. It makes it easier to track your order.
For other gift ideas, be sure to see our ideas for everyone on your list.
Want to learn how we put consumer products to the test and keep you safe? Sign up for a tour of the famous Good Housekeeping Research Institute. If you visit, be sure to say hello when you visit the Kitchen Appliances & Technology Lab.


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|Okay, that pic is from Deities & Demigods,
which isn't getting a reprint. It's one of
my better attempts to make my AD&D
books look cooler, though.
That's not what I'm here to talk about, though. I want to talk about the other products I want to see reprinted. Most of the ones I want to see reprinted are not from the 1st edition era, but I still think they deserve to see print again, especially if D&D Next makes using old material as easy as people are speculating.
Here's my list:
- D1-D3 (Descent into the Depths of the Earth, Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, and Vault of the Drow): I've never seen a copy of these in person, but I'd love to play through them. I'm a huge fan of the drow, and I would really enjoy getting to see what they were like in the earliest days (aside from the entry in Fiend Folio, which I once owned).
- Poor Wizard's Almanac (all three volumes): At one point, I owned volume three and loved it. I've never gotten the chance to read the first two, though.
- Drow of the Underdark (2nd Edition, 1991): This is one of my all-time favorite D&D accessories, and I still pull it off the shelf from time to time even though we haven't played 2nd Edition since the nineties. Needless to say, my copy is falling apart.
- Night Below: An Underdark Campaign: I've never gotten to run this all the way through, and my copy of this super module is MIA. I'd love to get my hands on a copy that isn't beat to crap or insanely expensive.
Okay, I'm a little heavy on drow content here. What can I say? Maybe I'm just a sucker for red eyes...
Honestly, though, what I'd really like to see is a series of "Across the Editions" compilations. Give me a big thick book called "Dwarves Across the Editions" that includes all of the info from the various PHB's and splatbooks. Slap a cool pic on the cover and include a page or three about how the different editions of material can be incorporated in D&D Next (if that info isn't already in the DMG or something), and I'm in. I'd pay $50 or more for that... although I don't know if anybody else would.


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Lonely Planet's 'must visit' destination, this part of Ireland really does have it all – from bustling towns and cities to peaceful lakelands, lush green forests, towering cliffs, heart stopping beaches and world class attractions.
There's a great energy in Northern Ireland right now and the area is literally crammed full of breath-taking sights both natural and man-made. The Sperrin Mountains, bounded by Strabane and Magherafelt are threaded with streams and small roads; while the granite Mountains of Mourne in County Down are so awe-inspiring that they have been deemed an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and boast over 350 ancient monuments dating from around 7000&-35000 BC.
The Great Outdoors is at its very best here, so add some activity to your holiday - whether you crave gentle strolls with plenty of fresh, clean air along Helen's Bay, in North Down; exhilarating water-sports around the glistening Fermanagh Lakelands; cross-country cycling around Gortin Glen Forest Park in County Tyrone; fly fishing around Corbet Lough, County Down or even sailing around white water coastline at Portrush, County Antrim.
A land rich in history, there are unique cultural traditions embedded in this part of the country, including the Ulster-Scots language of Ullans and the dulcet tones of the Lambeg Drum, fife and fiddle accompanying melodic square dancers and marching bands. Christian Heritage also reverberates around Northern Ireland, with the island's Patron St. Patrick founding his first church in Armagh during the 5th century, and Downpatrick becoming his reputed burial spot after he introduced Christianity to the Irish people.
Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, is a city bursting with life and energy. Take a wander around the city and visit the fashionable Cathedral Quarter. Don't forget to visit the Titanic Quarter, take a boat trip on the river and see where the famous ship was constructed.
Further to the northwest, meanwhile, the historic walled city of Londonderry boasts scenic views over the River Foyle and the award-winning Tower Museum, which enriches visitors with its insight into the city's colourful and remarkable history. So follow Lonely Planet's advice and put this amazing place on your must visit list now.
Take the Causeway Coastal Route from Belfast via Carrickfergus, checking out its 800 year old castle on the way, then the A2 to Larne. This route has been rated one of the top five road trips in the world. From here travel north and enjoy the spectacular scenery - at times you're just metres from the sea spray. As you continue on your journey the nine Glens of Antrim will unfold before you. Stop off to explore them, along with the white, windswept beaches. At Glenariff Forest Park take a pit-stop to enjoy the glorious woodland walks. There are beautiful villages dotted along this coast, and we recommend you stop for lunch at the picturesque village of Cushendun. From here, take the road hugging the coastline to Torr Head for views over to the Mull of Kintyre. Returning to the Causeway Coastal Route, head towards Ballycastle before taking the coast road to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, where walking across and back over an 80ft chasm will give you a pure adrenaline rush. Head towards Bushmills, where you can take a tour of the Distillery, and perhaps a dram of whiskey once you've parked your car for the night.
Total mileage: 142km
In the morning head back along the coast road to the Giant's Causeway - you''ll need time to appreciate this awesome feat of nature. Legend has it that the Irish giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. Heading west take in the ruins of medieval Dunluce Castle, teetering out over the ocean, or breathe in the fresh air at the beaches of Portrush or Portstewart. Look out for the glorious Mussenden Temple overlooking the 9 mile long Benone Strand, before heading on to Londonderry city for an overnight stay.
Total Mileage: 74km
Take time out to walk Londonderry's city walls lined with cannons, taking in the richness of the sights and attractions scattered around the city, which hark back to another era entirely. Then head south on the B48 and A32 towards Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. There's plenty to enrich your journey as you pass through the gloriously scenic Sperrin Mountains; and you can take a small detour to visit the Ulster American Folk Park, just outside Omagh, County Tyrone, which is one of the best open-air museums of its kind, detailing why two million people left Ulster for America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Nearby, Gortin also has a magical forest where the flora and fauna can be viewed in all their glory. Finish your day in Enniskillen by visiting its impressive castle.
Total Mileage: 131km
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Potter around the Fermanagh Lakelands for a while, as you're perfectly placed for magnificent Lough Erne and even a day on the water, where you can savour the purity and wildlife that surrounds you. Then it's time to head towards Portaferry in County Down (via A4, M1, A49, A24, A25) where you can stay overnight in this pretty waterfront village. Access to the village is via the car ferry from Strangford.
Total Mileage: 166km
Portaferry lies on the edge of Strangford Lough, a breath-taking sea lake. For an insight into this waterway, pop into Exploris Aquarium, where you can find a seal sanctuary for injured or abandoned pups, excellent discovery pools and a space to get up close to marine life. Head north up the east coast for more stunning views. Enjoy watersports or a boat trip, then relax at one of Greyabbey's teashops and Mount Stewart House, with its much admired gardens. Then it's back to the buzz of Belfast city where your journey began.
Total Mileage: 46km
And if you have more time…
- Take a wander around Castle Coole, County Fermanagh – one of Ireland's most sumptuous stately homes; or explore the Marble Arch Caves, County Fermanagh, an underground world of tunnels, rivers and waterfalls.
- Stargaze at the Armagh Planetarium, where you can get stellar with meteorite impacts and space robots.
- Get interactive at W5, the award winning discovery centre at Belfast's Odyssey, with over 160 exhibits in four dynamic exhibition areas.
- Visit Belleek Pottery on the banks of the River Erne. Home to the world-famous Belleek Fine Parian China.
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Hexagonal columns, a wishing chair and a giant's foot? There's magic at the Giants Causeway. Or should that be science?
Capital chic and heaps of tradition - a winning combination
Packed with variety - discover a land filled with outstanding natural beauty
From towering cliffs to serene sands - this is the stuff that dreams are made of
If you are thinking of holidaying in Ireland and are considering hiring a rental car have a look at our sample 10-day...
Romantic and rugged - fall in love with the hauntingly beautiful land
Holiday ideas, news, offers… sign up for our ezine and we'll keep you in touch with Ireland.
Excited your interest? There are airports throughout the Island with international arrivals. Discover airlines flying to Ireland from your location.
Want to know more? Ask a question in our Community, they're the people who know Ireland best.
For more information on travel, accommodation and attractions have a look at our brochures and maps.
If you're a visitor from the island of Ireland you may want to visit one of these sites… Otherwise proceed to Ireland.com
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Tokyo is my true love. Kyoto is a temptress.
Walking Kyoto's mundane Japanese city streets, a temple or an old house emerges that gives a glimpse of a thousand years of history. Sitting pondering a sea of stone at Daitoku-temple, listening to the wind and cicadas, I lose track of time. The people walk more slowly, savoring their conversations, stretching out the vowels at the end of sentences.
I was in Kyoto see Yuyake Lamp play at Kibune Shrine up in the hills north of the city. Kibune means something like 'holy boat'--the tale is that a goddess took a boat up a river and left it in the shrine grounds. It's a shrine of engagement, marriage and birth. Somewhere in the grounds are two trees whose branches have joined together, a symbol of marriage.
Yuyake Lamp played on a wooden Noh stage overlooking a creek. Wearing yukata, they performed for an hour with keyboard, flute and cajon. The river's rustle below and the ringing cicadas were a harmony to their songs.


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Big Head Rico [Belly "The Movie" Spoof]
"This is a spoof from the movie "Belly" with DMX and Nas. The character being portrayed is Tyrin Turner. He played Rico in the movie and is most known for playing the role of Caine in "Menace to Society." IF you've never seen Belly then search for the scene at "Belly - Big head Rico""
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Dining with Dara: Chickens move over, there's a new egg (or two) in town
Easter is this weekend, and across Minnesota kids and families are busy dyeing eggs. Most are dyeing good old traditional chicken eggs, but there are new eggs in town: quail eggs, duck eggs and even naturally green eggs. Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, MPR News' regular food and dining correspondent and Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine's senior editor, talks about the new egg scene boiling away these days in Minnesota.
Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl: This week, I bring you news both big and small. The big news: duck eggs. These have become popular over the last two or three years at Minnesota farmer's markets and co-ops, and they're a little bigger than ordinary chicken eggs. Now, the small news: quail eggs — they're tiny, about the size of a teaspoon.
Tom Crann: These duck and quail eggs have become popular. With whom, and why?
DMG: The duck eggs are big with bakers, who say they make the richest and most tender cakes. The quail eggs are mainstays of elite sushi bars. It's traditional to add a raw egg to something like raw, minced tuna, for extra richness, but they're also big at white tablecloth restaurants where chefs poach them for salads, or serve them with rare beef. Both are increasingly popular with "locavores," who like them because they're something new to cook with and they're delicious.
Tom Crann: If they're popular with sushi chefs, are they flown in from Japan?
DMG: No, they're utterly local. The quail eggs in local supermarkets almost all come from a single farm in Owatonna, Johnson Quail. Roger Johnson started raising quail about 17 years ago for zoos and the Raptor Center — evidently falcons, owls, and eagles really like quail — and the business took off. The duck eggs in supermarkets in the Twin Cities almost all come from one farm not too far from Hudson, Wis. It's called Living the Dream, it's run by a young couple who have about 300 laying ducks.
Tom Crann: What are the differences between quail and duck eggs, and good old chicken eggs?
DMG: I'm glad you asked. I brought in a couple for you to taste, just hard-boiled. The duck eggs have an orange yolk and they're incredibly rich, almost like a custard, right out of the shell. The quail eggs taste a lot like chicken eggs, but much cuter.
Tom Crann: All right, let's try them.
DMG: Aren't those quail eggs cute? They're even cute in the shell, the quail eggs are speckled and brown, when you peel them you find the inside of the shell has a blue tint, like a robin's egg. And speaking of blue, there's another sort of egg you'll find in local farmer's markets: a naturally blue or green chicken egg. They're from a heritage breed called Araucana, and a lot of farmers and chicken hobbyists raise them. They taste a little richer than standard chicken eggs, but the big selling point is the color. They're just fun. I went to three co-ops this morning looking for them but struck out. I think people have snapped them all up for Easter.
Tom Crann: Or maybe they've been snapped up by fans of the Dr. Seuss book "Green Eggs and Ham."
DMG: Will you eat them on a plane, will you eat them on a train? If you will, you could have a very memorable Easter basket.
To purchase duck eggs: Try the Seward Co-op, Mississippi Market, or Heartland Farm Direct Market, or join the duck egg CSA offered by Living the Dream Farm.
For Johnson Quail eggs, visit Burnsville's Valley Natural Foods, the Seward Co-op, or Mississippi Market.


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Tara Benson has not received any gifts yet
Hi Tara, how are things. And welcome to Atheist Nexus.
Thanks for entering the debate, it has forced me to research even more into the subject of Vegemite and Capitalism, than I had initially intended. So thanks for that.
Hello Tara.
Welcome to the world wide nexus of truth and peace---far from the god-worshipping superstitious masses.
"If freethinkers could reason with the believers, there would be no believers." True common sense and science inevitably lead to atheist wisdom.
We invite you to make good friends by joining the busy group "ORIGINS: Universe, Astronomy, Life, Earth, Humans, Religion, Gods, Atheism, Evolution, Darwin..." with 500 discussion topics and 3000 members.
Welcome, Tara! Glad you could join us. :D Semi-crunchy? We weren't planning to nibbling on you.
Please consider joining a group to meet people and talk about anything that's on your mind, Hang With Friends.
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San Francisco: Casey's Pizza Shines Indoors and Out
Casey's Pizza
A mobile pizza operation, follow him on twitter (@CaseysPizza) or at Caseyspizzas.com for locations
Pizza style: Twelve-inch New York-Neapolitan
Oven type: Gas-fired Little Black Egg or countertop Baker's Pride
The skinny: This nomadic pie-man turns out excellent crust and a very good Margherita
Price: Pies, $13 to $17
San Francisco doesn't offer an easy climate for a pop-up purveyor of pizza. Tending to your pies outside means dealing with fog and wind four seasons a year, not to mention temperatures that often require a jacket no matter how hot your oven burns. Casey Crynes of Casey's Pizza often braves these conditions several days a week, cooking pies in his home-made Little Black Egg. Though, recently, he's been escaping the elements at least one night a week to cook inside Vinyl, a local wine bar that plays host to pop-up vendors for dinner. It doesn't matter where you catch him—Crynes consistently turns out a very nice roster of pizzas, highlighted by a really good Margherita.
I first tried Crynes' pizza at his regular Wednesday night gig at the Upper Haight Farmer's Market. There, he cooked in the gas-fueled, modified Weber grill he built following instructions for the Little Black Egg. The little oven is usually cranking at 700 degrees on the deck and 750 ambient, turning out pies in two-and-a-half minutes.
Crynes refers to his pizzas as old New York-style, and calls places like Di Fara and Lucali his touchstones. His dough, the product of a 24-hour cold ferment, consists simply of a mix of Giusto's flours (including just a touch of whole wheat), commercial yeast, and salt. The end-crust comes out lightly speckled with char, equal parts crisp on the exterior and tender on the interior. The underside of the slices had a bumpy topography, and despite their thinness, also boasted that crisp-tender combination. No tip sag here, just satisfaction.
On the Margherita I tried at the farmer's market, the mild sauce of raw California plum tomatoes, sea salt, and a dash of black pepper struck a nice balance between tangy and sweet. Crynes applies a mixture of cubed aged mozzarella and little chunks of fior di latte with restraint, giving the crust, sauce, and some aromatic leaves of basil plenty of space to do their work. This was a standout Margherita.
The next night, I followed Crynes to Vinyl Wine Bar in the Lower Haight, where he cooks his pizzas indoors in a countertop Baker's Pride oven. The little contraption doesn't burn quite as hot as his home-made rig, and so pies stayed in about a minute longer. The extra cook time resulted in an end-crust that was crisper and airier—though still nicely tender—and with more char underneath than his outdoor pies. Honestly, the carbon count got a touch too high for me in a few places, but I dug the extra flavor he'd pumped into his crust by giving this batch of dough an extra day to ferment in the fridge.
Crynes has said that he doesn't do "weird toppings," so I'll assume the Cinco de Mayo pizza he was slinging that night with chorizo on top was just a one-off. Still, Crynes isn't immune to the pull of the California-style toppings that surround him, and says that he has been working on pies with a variety of greens and even some Latin-inspired flavors. I stuck closer to the standards, ordering up a Vinyl, with Crynes' raw sauce and mixture of mozzarella topped with Zoe's pepperoni and mushrooms. The cheese sat on this pie just a bit thick, becoming rubbery as it cooled, but this is otherwise a winning combination.
The Funghi pizza was a bit skimpy on the crimini mushrooms, which was too bad, because they had a nice meaty flavor. The sauceless pie came together on the strength of a scattering of fresh thyme.
With gigs two or three days a week, Crynes now calls pizza his permanent employment, though it wasn't that long ago that he would have checked the box next to "Web Producer" on his tax return. Crynes says that, one day, he envisions owning a pizzeria, but he's giving himself time to perfect his craft and build a customer base. He says to expect even more pop-ups in the future. And to all you Slice'rs in Europe, Crynes is even working to help a brother-in-law who lives in Cork, Ireland, build his own Little Black Egg, so the Casey's Pizza brand may go global even before it has a single bricks and mortar location.
In the meantime, I'd go as far as to say that when the char-o-meter hits the right spot, Crynes is making makes one of the better crusts around town. I'd likely venture out in some pretty lousy San Francisco weather—you know, 50 degrees and foggy in the middle of July—to get a slice of Crynes' Margherita.
(One more thing—Casey's Pizza will be having a pizza throwdown with several other nomadic pizza operations this Friday evening to benefit Japan. Go try Casey's Pizza for a good cause!)
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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When you have decided that professional counseling is indicated, inform the student in a gentle yet direct, concerned, straight-forward manner. Because many students initially resist the idea of counseling, it is useful to be caring, but firm, in your judgment that counseling will be useful. Be clear and concrete regarding the reasons you are concerned. However, except in emergencies, it is important to allow the student to accept or refuse counseling.
Suggest that the student call or come in to make an appointment. Give the Counseling Center phone number (410-617-2273) and location (Humanities Center, one flight up in the turret). Remind the student that our services are FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL.
Sometimes it is useful or necessary to assist the student more directly in the appointment-setting process. In these instances, you can offer the use of your phone, or call the receptionist yourself, while the student is in your office. In an immediate emergency, you may decide to actually walk the student over to the Counseling Center. If possible, a call that you are bringing a student would be appreciated. Since a student can best be helped by counseling if he or she is self-motivated, reserve the more direct approaches of referral for instances that you believe to be emergencies.
Finally, if you are concerned about a student but unsure about the appropriateness of the referral, feel free to call the Counseling Center at 410-617-2273 for a consultation.
A FINAL NOTE ON CONFIDENTIALITY: We are required by law and by professional ethics to protect the confidentiality of all communication between psychologist and client (except in cases where harm to self or harm to others is indicated). Consequently, we cannot discuss with others the details of a student's situation or even indicate whether the student is, in fact, in counseling. In order for information about the student to be released to you or others, we must first get the written permission of the student. However, students are typically more trusting of the counseling relationship if they believe that their privacy and confidentiality are maintained by their counselors. Therefore, it is not our usual practice to request a release of information from a student when he or she is referred for counseling. You may, however, wish to follow up with the student about your referral.
How Flexible Are You??


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Apr 2, 2019
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From the voyages and raids of the Viking tribes in the 10th century to the healing sought by Vietnam War soldiers decades after the conflict, today's deal presents a collection of stories about war and its aftermath. Today's thought-provoking books are from $1.99 each (up to 89% off). Here is the list of these books:
1. Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II (P.S.) by Mitchell Zuckoff
2. The Only Thing Worth Dying For (P.S.) by Eric Blehm
3. The Long Ships (New York Review Books Classics) by Frans G. Bengtsson, Michael Chabon, Michael Meyer
4. We Are Soldiers Still by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway
5. Tonight We Die As Men PB: The Untold Story of Third Batallion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Toccoa to D-D (General Military) by Ian Gardner
6. Red Eagles: Americas Secret MiGs (General Aviation) by Steve Davies and General J. Jumper
7. SEALs: The US Navy#s Elite Fighting Force (General Military) by Mir Bahmanyar
8. No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland?s Forces in World War II (General Military) by Kenneth Koskodan
9. Runescape: Betrayal at Falador by T. S. Church
Also Amazon offers Hero Dad by Bryan Langdo, Melinda Hardin just for $1.99.
Some superheroes wear rocket-propelled boots, drive super-powered cars, and have X-ray vision. But other superheroes wear army boots, drive tanks, and go away for long trips to make the world a safer place. It's a tough job, but that's what superheroes have to do. With Melinda Hardin's simple text and with Bryan Langdo's endearing watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, Hero Dad makes a difficult and tender subject more accessible to children with parents serving far from home.
Some words about the Auhtors
Author Melinda Hardin lives in Clinton, Massachusetts. She received a degree in secondary education from Western Michigan University. She has traveled extensively and enjoys time with her family. Hero Dad is her first book and is about being the child of a military father, from the child's point of view.
Illustrator Bryan Langdo lives in New Jersey. He has illustrated nearly thirty books for children, and wrote two of them.
Stunt Bunnies Circus is a free application for your Kindle Fire for today only.
The Stunt Bunnies Circus is in town and Jet Bunny needs your help! Wow the crowd and pluck the tumbling circus rabbits from certain death.
Ringmaster Claude Reynard, like all sly foxes, cares little for the safety of the cute Stunt Bunnies troupe. With each show he introduces more fiendish death defining acts for them to perform. Fail in your task and they'll be cooked with the carrots.
Stunt Bunnies: Circus is the first in a series of cute, pick up and play action-packed games featuring cute Bunnies hell-bent on self-destruction whatever the setting.
With a single finger tap, players send Jet Bunny flying through the air to catch his falling furry long-eared friends. Chain together saves to score more points and land safely to earn your coins. The stunts will become more and more complex, involving cannons, tight ropes, flaming torches, lions and a variety of funny bunnies with different behaviours. There's a small set of unlockable power ups that can make Jet Bunny's job easier: Crash mats, Fire jackets, Rocket fuel and the magical 'bullet-time' green carrot!


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SOUTHERN California retailers finally achieved a level playing field with online behemoth Amazon.com on Saturday, when online sites begin collecting sales tax from California customers.
It's a victory more than a decade in the making for local brick-and-mortar shop owners, who for years have been educating consumers about products they later buy online to avoid paying sales tax. For California and its cities and counties, the reward will be $300million in new revenue to help close the chronic budget deficit that forces service cuts each year.
Gov. Jerry Brown should take a bow. With the help of the Legislature, he forced Amazon to the negotiating table last fall and called the online bully's bluff when it threatened to abandon its 10,000 California affiliates, as it did in other states that had the temerity to pass online tax laws.
Now Amazon.com is supporting legislation before Congress to allow every state to collect sales taxes on all online purchases. This was part of the California deal. A national solution will be far better than the state-by-state laws that have advanced in fits and starts, ultimately forcing Congress to act.
The national legislation is getting bipartisan support. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is the latest Republican to jump on board, pointing out that this is not a new tax. Buyers were supposed to be paying it on their own all along.
Twenty years ago, when e-commerce burst onto the scene, states didn't care whether they collected sales tax on it. Even in the late 1990s, when Amazon was taking in a paltry $150 million a year, the state was happy to support a new industry. Besides, back then there was no simple way for online retailers to calculate the sales tax for buyers in different cities and states.
Now the technological problem has been solved, and Amazon took in more than $34 billion in 2010. It doesn't deserve the nearly 10 percent edge on price it has over retailers in California. It's local stores that tend to support schools and other nearby causes, including the benefit of being able to actually see products before buying.
Last year, Brown pushed for the law to make major online retailers collect taxes. When Amazon threatened to take its marbles and go elsewhere, the governor held his ground, knowing the company needed California's business. They struck a deal last fall, granting a one-year online sales tax moratorium in exchange for Amazon agreeing not to pursue a referendum to get its way. The upshot is increased revenue and some new jobs. As part of the agreement, California opened the way for Amazon to build two huge warehouses in Patterson and San Bernardino that will employ nearly 2,000 people.
California stood up for local businesses and struck a deal that's fair to everyone. In today's my-way-or-the-highway political environment, it's a refreshing reminder of the way government used to work.


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Hey Folks,
Any hair left on your heads (and no I am not talking about the mandatory trip to the ingame Barber)?
As would be expected with any WoW "patch" this size, addons are continuing to break and evolve as those breakages are being reported to the Addon authors, so…
Stick with it, chin up and all that stuff
Report the errors you see so that things can get fixed
OK, now more specifically to Auctioneer.
Error Reporting
One of the nice things about Auctioneer is it's error reporting frame, which nicely captures errors which may (or may not be) related to Auctioneer.
When they come up, don't do the Human thing and dismiss them, do the Gnome thing and copy them (Ctrl-C), paste them into a text document for a moment, and then report them to the Addon authors at thier sites as soon as you get the chance.
In the case of Auctioneer, go to the Support forums and do you bit in the War against defects. Remember to search the forums first so you aren't just duplicating the same report as 100's before you.. and you may find a work around or update to the problem.
Tips for error reporting are covered in the post Bug Report with Auctioneer? Read this thread before posting!
Frequent Updates
Next thing is, since I first reported that AA was available in it's new version, there have been several patches to the download. So if you are having problems, a quick return visit may solve your problems… no promises, but personally I think things ae working out quick well this patch.
Patch Day Blues FAQ
Finally, there is a Patch Day Blues – An Upgrade and New User FAQ wiki page up at Auctioneer, see if it answers your questions… I know it answered a few of mine.
Gnomer and Out!


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It's easy being green when building a church
It's not as difficult—or expensive—as you might think to build a green parish.
Church design is evolving as people reawaken to the ancient wisdom that the environment is a series of exquisite interconnections. Forward-looking congregations are building and renovating in ways that reflect the belief that God resides in the world and all creation resides within God.


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Police Rescue Man Who Jumped Off Mathis Bridge
An unidentified man is in the hospital after jumping off the Mathis Bridge into the icy water Wednesday evening.
Police responded to a "suspicious male near a vehicle" at the emergency cut off just after 8 p.m. As police approached the man he jumped off the bridge into the water.
Numerous officers along with fire personnel from Toms River and East Dover responded to the man in the water.
Corporal Pal Burkhardt entered the water after putting on a police ice suit. A Toms River Fire Boat and its crew pulled the man from the cold water who clinged to a piling for about twenty minutes.
The man was taken by Toms River First Aid Squad to Jersey Shore University Hospital.


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The race is on to capture the fledgling smartwatch market but to the extent that there's already a winner, it seems to be Samsung.
A new report by market researcher Strategic Analysis finds that smartwatch shipments grew 250 percent from Q1 2014 and that Samsung dominated.
"The market was driven heavily by Samsung and its Galaxy Gear model, which is outperforming all major rivals like Motorola and Pebble," writes analyst Neil Mawston.
Mawston calculates that retailers and other stores ordered 700,000 smartwatches worldwide from all vendors and 500,000 of those were Samsung models, VentureBeat's Michael Leibel reports.
Note that these shipments don't indicate how many smartwatches people actually bought. That number is likely far lower. Business Insider Intelligence forecasts that 91.6 million smartwatch units will sell globally in 2018. With an average selling price of about $100, that translates to a $9.2 billion market.
But, if Apple's iWatch really does appear later this year as is rumored, in the next few years, the smartwatch could become even more popular. BI Intelligence also predicts that about 1 in 20 smartphones will be paired in some way with smartwatches as smartwatches add fitness features, and absorb the smart-fitness-bands market.
Though it's hard to find a smartwatch gracing the arm of someone outside of Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley, through just the first half of 2013, the Kickstarter-launched Pebble watch shipped 93,000 devices and took over 275,000 preorders.
So demand is certainly there, if these watches can become more fashionable, and add some killer, must-have apps.


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I have Window XP Pro on my laptop, got Partition Magic 7.0 and I will like to partition my hard drive. This is in order to install Linux on the second partition.
I know I have to do a full system backup, but I do not have an external hard drive.
It is save to partition the hard drive without a back up using Partition Magic?
Thanks in advance for your help.


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PERTH, Australia (AP) Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic led Serbia into the Hopman Cup final, winning their singles matches Friday over Germany.
Djokovic beat Tommy Haas 6-2, 6-0, while Ivanovic lost only 15 points in defeating Tatjana Malek 6-0, 6-1.
The Serbs will face Spain in Saturday's final.
``It's been a great performance from beginning to the end,'' Djokovic said. ``I was really focused from the start and I just felt drastically better than in the first few days.''
Djokovic took a 4-0 lead in the first set but was broken by Haas in the fifth game. The German held his serve for the only time in the match in the next game. Haas had three break points when trailing 2-0 in the second set but he couldn't convert.
``Right now I believe I am where I need to be,'' Djokovic said. ``Still not 100 percent, physically also, but I'm getting there. We're still working on some things in particular that will make me feel 100 percent for Melbourne in 10 days.''
In mixed doubles, Haas withdrew, citing a toe injury.
In the women's match, Ivanovic didn't face a break point against Malek, who had been brought in to replace the injured Andrea Petkovic after the first of the round robin matches.
``I didn't do much wrong,'' Ivanovic said. ``I really put my head down to work hard for this match and from the first moment I stepped on the court I really put a lot of pressure on her. I was really dominating and striking the ball well.''
Earlier, South Africa beat France 2-1 when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had to retire in the deciding mixed doubles match with a left hamstring injury Neither team had a chance of advancing to the final.
Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa beat Mathilde Johansson 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 before Tsonga defeated Kevin Anderson 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), including winning the final five points of the first-set tiebreaker. During the singles match, Tsonga injured his leg while stretching for a shot.
Tsonga also withdrew from next week's Sydney International. His retirement was a precaution to ensure he doesn't worsen the problem before the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on Jan. 14th.


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red rocks
Post offers for legally distributable EC music, memorabilia, tickets, etc.
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- supplydavid
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red rocks
I am going to be in Denver now and thought I would go along but sold out and crazy stub hub prices, anyone got a spare for sale?
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Our Name says EXACTLY What We Do!!!!
We are a small privately owned automobile and cycle transporting company. We provide door-to-door enclosed auto transport and motorcycle shipping service to all 48 states.We have our own company enclosed trucks and trailers as well as being fully licensed to be your "Vehicle Travel Agent" for both enclosed non-stacking and stacking transport. If our company enclosed trailers timing doesn't accommodate your auto transporting needs we are ready to arrange your motorcycle or auto transport with one of our licensed and insured enclosed sub-contractors. We look forward to answering your questions and helping you with your motorcycle or auto transport. Please take a moment and let us show you why we are the right choice for you. Don't hesitate to request a free quote or call us with any questions you may have.Thank you, we look forward to transporting your investment.
You buy that new toy at a Car Show or online at Hotrodhotline... We'll get it headed home for you!!!
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We Make Payment EasyWe Accept All Major Credit Cards
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Guide to writing Penang Hokkien in the TJ System
Discussions on the Hokkien (Minnan) language.
1 post • Page 1 of 1
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 8:26 am
Guide to writing Penang Hokkien in the TJ System
I realise that in the past, I have created lessons for beginners, for visitors to Penang, for expatriates, for EVERYBODY except for the people who already speak Penang Hokkien. So, finally, a lesson specially for people who have been speaking Penang Hokkien as their mother tongue, and wish to move towards literacy in the TJ System. Everything is totally FREE. No need to attend classes, no need to buy dictionary or textbook, everything is provided free for you to learn at your own pace, and you can do it whether you are in Penang or Pennsylvania!
If you have already known a different system for writing Hokkien, but are keen to learn this system, I would urge you to park your existing knowledge. Take the advice of Master Yoda and, "Unlearn what you have learned," so that you don't allow your existing knowledge to intrude and confuse you.
Imagine for a moment being able to communicate with your children studying overseas, or with your parents back home, in the language you speak at home. While you can use English and Mandarin, there's nothing like the intimacy of writing in your own household language.
In the past, Penang Hokkien speakers simply transcribe the sound of Hokkien words, expecting the reader to glean the meaning from context. This form of communication has a high margin of ambiguity. Take, for example:
Wah beh cit ciak kau.
Is that "I buy a dog", "I sell a dog", "I buy a monkey" or "I sell a monkey"? Without the benefit of context, anything is possible. The TJ System that you are about to learn disambiguate such sentences, leaving no doubt over their meaning.
long kaw knia
If someone writes the above sentence, does he mean "small drain" or "hit a little puppy"? We do not know. However, if he is literate in Penang Hokkien, he would not be transcribing sounds. He would use the exact words for the meaning he wishes to convey. If he wants to say "small drain", he would write "long3kau3 knia4", if he intends to write to mean "hit a little puppy", he would write "long3 kaw1 knia4"
So now, if you want to end a life of Penang Hokkien illiteracy, and start writing the language so that someone else who understand this system understands you, go to the lesson now: http://www.penang-traveltips.com/learn- ... okkien.htm
1 post • Page 1 of 1


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Winter sets in
Winter finally came to the Garmin Hamble Winter Series in time for the final race, to show crews just how lucky they've been throughout the unseasonably warm event.
A brisk, cold westerly wind that fluctuated between 10 and 25 knots gave the assembled sailors a challenge when it came to choosing a sailplan, not to mention working out how to make their boat go quickly upwind in a nasty chop. The regular finishing positions in many classes were turned on their head as boats came from behind after a windy series' practice to beat the top-placed boats.
In many classes, the overall series winner has been obvious for some weeks now – and in these classes the real battles were for the remaining podium places, especially in the Sigma 38 class, where Persephone of London and Pavlova III were tied neck-and-neck for second place, and in IRC 4, where Peter Slimming's Anne Louise and Allan Fraser's Sigma 33 Prospero of Hamble have been fighting tooth and nail for third place overall. Pavlova III pulled out all the stops and won their race to take second overall, behind Chris and Vanessa Choules' With Alacrity. Anne Louise beat Prospero of Hamble in IRC 4 to take third overall, behind Impala 28s Polly and Trudi.
In IRC 0, Andrew Howard's Belladonna carried on her run of firsts to take the top spot, but having only sailed three races this series, this could only take her up to 6th overall – leaving Paul and Julia Aisher's ultra-consistent Tangent Minus One to win overall. Similarly, in IRC1, Jim MacGregor's Premier Flair crossed the line first, but it was the consistent Visit Malta Puma that takes the overall prize.
Despite electrical and engine problems on the way to the startline, Mike Bridges' Elan 37 Elaine won IRC2. That puts them equal on points with overall winner Steady Barker, which retired from the race after a navigational error but wins overall on countback.
In the J/109 class, David Richards' Jumping Jellyfish won, with overall winner, Richard and Valerie Griffith's OutraJeous finishing sixth. In IRC3, ImaDjinn beat J/97 Jika-Jika, but this wasn't enough to stop Jika-Jika taking the overall prize. And, as ever it was a match between J/80 Jester and Hunter 707 Turbulence in the Mixed Sportsboat class, with Jester taking the day's race, but Turbulence taking the overall class prize.
Day prizes were provided by MDL, and that rounds off the 2011 Garmin Hamble Winter Series nicely. All that's left is the prizegiving next Saturday, at 1800 in the HRSC clubhouse. Now winter has finally set in, we'll see you there for some much-needed warmth!
Next year's series will be run from 7 October–2 December.
Full results here


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Munir Uz Zaman / AFP - Getty Images
Bangladeshi Muslims offer prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan at the National Mosque of Bangladesh, Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka on Aug. 17, 2012 ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival.
Andrew Biraj / Reuters
A Muslim worshipper cries as he prays in front of the national mosque on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Dhaka, Bangladesh Aug.17.
Aamir Qureshi / AFP - Getty Images
Pakistani Muslims offer Jummat-ul-Vida, last Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan at the grand Faisal Mosque in Islamabad on Aug. 17.
Abir Sultan / EPA
Israeli border police officers on duty stand by as female Palestinian worshippers cross from the Kalandia checkpoint outside Ramallah into Jerusalem to attend the last Friday prayer of Ramadan in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Aug. 17.
Muslim devotees took part in the last Friday prayers ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival marking the end of the month of Ramadan. The three-day festival, which begins after the sighting of a new crescent moon, marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, during which devout Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk.
Millions make a crowded (sometimes dangerous) journey home for Eid al-Fitr


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Is Jerry Brown too old to lead the big transformation in governance California needs?
If you look to China for evidence, the answer is no.
Brown turned 74 last month. As I learned in reading Harvard Professor Ezra Vogel's powerful new biography, Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader, was 74 when he finally came to full power in 1978 -- and launched the revolution that modernized China and made it the global power it is today. Deng's era in power extended until 1992, when he was 88.
U.S. & World
Your blogger was reading the Deng biography because Vogel is in Sacramento tonight (Tuesday night, May 8) for a free, public event (sponsored by the California Council for the Humanities) I'm moderating that asks the question of whether democracy is too slow for this fast-moving age.
Countries with authoritarian governance -- from China to Singapore -- have made enormous progress, while democratic places -- like California -- often seem stuck, paralyzed by gridlock and partisanship.
This may seem like an academic debate -- California is supposed to be a democracy after all -- but it isn't.
One of the biggest, most persistent policy debates in California over recent years has been whether -- in the face of crisis -- certain leaders should get more power to act unilaterally.
Many of the proposals for budget reform, for example, have suggested giving the governor more power to break stalemates and balance budgets himself. (That was true of both Schwarzenegger-era initiatives and of a new measure from the California Forward Action Fund).
And the recent report of the Think Long Committee for Calfornia, convened by the billionaire Nicolas Berggruen, argued for empowering a committee to think long-term, with term limits.
One reason China has made a decision is that it too is largely governed by a committee whose members are not elected by the public, but are subject to term limits. The argument for this undemocratic set-up is that it encourages long-term decisionmaking.
As for Brown, he doesn't have Deng's power, and that's a good thing.
But it is striking to see how Deng drew on a lifetime of work -- a lifetime that included study and work overseas, underground work for communist causes, fighting, leading troops in battle, conducting purges, being purged -- to make big, determined decisions.
He let no one stand in his way in modernizing China (most tragically, Chinese citizens who protested corruption and one-party rule), and embraced science, technology and the best thinking of countries around the world in his effort.
For Californians, his example ought to be food for thought, and a reminder that 74 isn't too old to turn over a new leaf.
Lead Prop Zero blogger Joe Mathews is California editor at Zocalo Public Square, a fellow at Arizona State University's Center for Social Cohesion, and co-author of California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It (University of California, 2010).
Send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


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Washington, DC – The Secular Coalition for America today encouraged participation in broad efforts by the nontheist community to assist with relief in the aftermath of storm "Sandy," which battered the East Coast earlier this week.
"Our hearts go out to the families of those who lost their lives in the storm," said Edwina Rogers, executive director of the Secular Coalition for America. "The nontheist community is rallying together to lend a hand to those affected by the storm."
Organized efforts are underway in the nontheist community to assist in disaster relief and include:
The community has been encouraged to donate blood. A list of blood donation agencies can be found here, organized by state.
- Foundation Beyond Belief has organized a donation drive for Team Rubicon, a disaster response organization that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with medical professionals to rapidly deploy emergency response teams into crisis situations here in the U.S. They have also organized donations for International Medical Corps to assist with disaster relief efforts in Haiti. Donations can be made through the organization's Humanist Crisis Response page.
- The Freethought Society has partnered with the Texas Freethought Convention to collect and distribute money to help where needed. United Coalition for Reason and American Atheists have joined this effort. View their video requesting funds here. To donate, please visit the Emergency Relief Fund page on the Freethought Society website. Encourage others to donate by liking and sharing their Facebook page.
- The New York City Atheists will hold a blood drive on November 6. For more information check their website in the coming days, which will be updated as power is restored to New York City.
- Members of local chapters of Secular Coalition for America member organizations and endorsing organizations have been encouraged to check with their group leaders to see how they can help with local relief efforts.
"Disasters like this are an opportunity for all Americans to recognize our shared humanity and come together to help those who are in need," said Rogers. "As nontheists we don't pray for help, we recognize that the burden falls on us as human beings to act. All of us, regardless of our religious beliefs, should take action by donating blood, supporting relief efforts and helping to rebuild the communities devastated by this storm."
CONTACT: Lauren Anderson Youngblood, SCA Communications Manager at [email protected] or (202)299-1091 ext. 205, cell (202)630-9725