text:
Species In-Depth
At the Aquarium
The lights in our Diving Birds Habitat are operated by a computer program that changes the amount of light in the exhibit to match that in their far north natural environment where the summer days of the breeding season are long and the winter at sea days very short. During the winter the habitat becomes dark at about 4 PM.
Geographic Distribution
Summer: Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands, Bering and Chukchi Seas, Sea of Okhotak, Kuril Islands, rarely British Columbia. Winter offshore in the central and north Pacific Ocean. Rarely in southern California in late spring.
The open ocean is the winter habitat for Horned Puffins. In the breeding season, they seek out coastal islands and rocky cliffs. Juveniles spend one to two years at sea before coming to land to molt
Physical Characteristics
These medium sized sea birds have a stout body, short wings, and feet placed far back on the body.
Breeding (Alternate):. Adult Horned Puffins are black with a large white patch on each side of the face and white underparts from the breast to under the tail feathers. They have a large, parrot-like, oversized bright yellow to reddish-orange bill, the end third of which is red. Their legs are yellowish-orange to reddish. Their eyelids are red. There is a small leathery 'horn' extending upward from above each eye.
Non-breeding (Basic): The white face patches become a smoky grayish-brown in front and silver gray in back. The bill is smaller, duller, and the plate that makes up the outer bill covering is lost. The horn is also absent and feet become a pale fleshy color. Body plumage becomes blackish-gray above and brownish-gray below.
Juveniles have coloration similar to that of adults in basic plumage; however, their face patch is smoky black, their bill is shorter, narrower, and entirely grayish-brown, and their upper body plumage is a dull blackish-brown with the underparts dirty white washed with a brownish-gray color.
Adults are 35.6 to 38.1 cm (14 to 15 in) long and weigh 400 to 600 g (14.1 to 21.1 oz).
These birds forage in small flocks, diving underwater to depths of 80 m (262.4 ft) for prey that is usually fish such as capelin, sand lance, herring, and lanternfish. Squid and other invertebrates; and zooplankton can also be part of their diet. Gathering food for its chick, the adult lines up the small fish crosswise in its bill with the heads and tails dangling out either side of the parent's mouth. They are able to add a fish to the catch without losing any in the lineup as a results of spines on a puffin's tongue and the roof of its mouth that act as hooks both to enable it to capture, kill, and hold prey.
Puffins breed in colonies. Socially monogamous, they form pair bonds that often last for many years. They arrive at the breeding grounds either in pairs or form pairs shortly after arrival. Courtship usually takes place on the water and begins with the male lifting his bill straight up, opening and closing his mouth, and jerking his head while the female hutches over low to the water keeping her head and neck close to her body. These actions are followed by billing in which the two birds face each other, waggle their heads, and touch bills repeatedly while opening and closing their mouths.
Horned Puffins nest in rock cervices in fragments of rocks at the base of a cliff (talus or scree), among beach boulders, and in cracks and crevices in cliff faces. On a few Alaskan Islands, they also nest in earthen burrows. They excavate and clean their burrows or crevices using their feet, and occasionally the bill. Nesting materials include grass, twigs, feathers, and even materials picked up at sea such as floating algae and plastic fishing line and nets. It is not known whether the male, female, or both prepare the nest.
Usually only a single whitish-colored egg that may have faint markings, spots, or scrawls is laid. Both partners share incubation duties for 40 to 53 days and then share feeding duties. The hatchlings are semiprecocial. At birth they are covered with down and their eyes are open. Parents brood the pufflings until they are able to maintain a body temperature of 39.5o C (103.1o F). This usually occurs at six days of age. The chicks stay in the nest or at the edge of the nest for 37 to 46 days until they are ready to fledge. They leave the nest at dusk or during the night, walking or flying from the nest directly to open water. The adults do not accompany them.
Puffins preen on land and in the water. They rub the side of the bill repeatedly on their oil gland and then smear the secretion over the body feathers to waterproof them. Wing-flapping is a common behavior in which the puffin lies to one side on the water so that one wing is under-water while the other is held in the air vertical to the water and flapped three to four times in the air. Satisfied that one side is clean; the bird turns onto its other side and repeats the wing-flapping. These behaviors can be watched at the Aquarium's diving bird habitat in the Northern Pacific Gallery.
Horned puffins fly in small groups of 2 to 15 birds between nesting and foraging grounds at altitudes of 10 to 30 m (32.8 to 98.4 ft). While their flight is graceful and powerful, they are better swimmers than flyers. They lack good maneuverability and are often involved in mid-air collisions. Before landing at the colony, they circle the intended landing area a few times and then fly directly to the nest-burrow entrance—hopefully. They often do, however, crash into tall grass, rocks, and rocky slopes during landing.
They walk on rocky surfaces in an upright poison clinging to the uneven path with the clawed feet that they also use in nest preparation.
Fights take place frequently, even on rocky slopes, usually when another puffin is perceived to be invading the occupant's territory. The intruder is threatened with an open bill that exposes the brightly colored mouth lining, head shaking and flicking (head jerked upward and bent toward the back), and side-to-side body rocking.
Puffins are well-suited to life at sea. Their feathers are waterproof to keep out the cold water in which they dive to feed. Their short, stiff wings help them to "fly" underwater in search of prey. Their bones are very strong to withstand the pressure underwater. They can store oxygen in their body tissues and also use anaerobic respiration to enable them to make long dives.
While there is little information on the life span of this species, there have been reports that some Horned Puffins have lived as long as twenty years.
Horned Puffins are protected in Alaska, where their populations seem to be stable. This is not true in the Lower 48 and British Columbia where numbers have declined as a result of bycatch in gillnets used in coastal waters, pressures of pollution (especially oil spills), and decreasing availability of fish. Populations of capelin, a nutritious fish, both fed to the chicks and eaten by the adults, are declining in Alaska, forcing the puffins to seek out less nutritious prey such as pollock and squid. The decline may be caused by global warming of waters near breeding sites. Encroachment and disturbance of nesting sites continues to be a problem in Alaska as does predation by Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, red fox, river otters—all of which prey on adult birds. Common Ravens attack nesting chicks. Although the US Fish and Wildlife Service protects Horned Puffins, Native Americans can legally harvest adults and eggs for subsistence in most coastal areas of Alaska, especially in the Bering Strait region. The take is minimal due to the inaccessible location of most of the nesting sites.
Special Notes
Historically, puffins were used for food and clothing by some Alaskan and Canadian native people such as the Aleuts and the Inuits. Reversible parkas made from the skins of about forty-five puffins were worn feathers outside in rainy weather and feathers inside in cold dry weather. Bills were used as ornaments on clothing, in children's rattles, and on mittens worn in ceremonial dances.


text:
Welcome to the October homepage edition of i2P - Information to Pharmacists.
Well it seems that change in pharmacy will be continuous and will come from unexpected quarters each time it strikes.
The only way pharmacy can survive this continuous change is to either embrace it with a strong new business plan, sell out or amalgamate with partners who see strength in a strategic partnership.
And while many pharmacists are finding the key to successfully selling clinical services, the lead time to bring a single service on line may be too long to make a suitable financial contribution.
Coupled with the fact that the AMA will fight tooth and nail to prevent pharmacy making any inroads whatsoever, the time has come to take them on.
Vaccination services could be the first disputed service as the AMA has already voiced strong opposition to the possibility of pharmacists providing these services.
Volume 1 Number 1
Volume 1 Number 2
Volume 1 Number 3
Volume 1 Number 4
Volume 1 Number 5
Volume 1 Number 6
Volume 1 Number 7
Volume 2 Number 1
Volume 2 Number 2
Volume 2 Number 3
Volume 2 Number 4
Volume 2 Number 5
Volume 2 Number 6
Volume 2 Number 7
Volume 2 Number 8
Volume 2 Number 9
Volume 2 Number 10
Volume 2 Number 11
Volume 3 Number 1
Volume 3 Number 2
Volume 3 Number 3
Volume 3 Number 4
Volume 3 Number 5
Volume 3 Number 6
Volume 3 Number 7
Volume 3 Number 8
Volume 3 Number 9
Volume 3 Number 10
Volume 3 Number 11
Volume 4 Number 1
Volume 4 Number 2
Volume 4 Number 3
Volume 4 Number 4
Volume 4 Number 5
Volume 4 Number 6
Volume 4 Number 7
Volume 4 Number 8
Volume 4 Number 9
Volume 4 Number 10
Volume 4 Number 11
Volume 5 Number 1
Volume 5 Number 2
Volume 5 Number 3
Volume 5 Number 4
Volume 5 Number 5
Volume 5 Number 6
Volume 5 Number 7
Volume 5 Number 8
Volume 5 Number 9
Volume 5 Number 10
Volume 5 Number 11
Volume 6 Number 1
Volume 6 Number 2
Volume 6 Number 3
Volume 6 Number 4
Volume 6 Number 5
Volume 6 Number 6
Professional Pharmacists Australia Spokesperson: Professional Pharmacists Pay Tribute to Carol Bennett | open full screen
Regular weekly updates that supplement the regular monthly homepage edition of i2P.
Access and click on the title links that are illustrated
The birth of the first drugstore in 1929 in the USA represented a big revolution for that time: an innovative store design, a new concept of retail store, fair pricing and a wide exposition of products. 84 years have passed by and nothing has changed in the today's American pharmacies, with the exception of the most important factor: the customers!In fact, while the new technologies, the computers and the smart phones have created far more attentive, curious, and informed customers, the drugstores and the American pharmacies remained the same: big, wide exposition of products in low gondola shelving without any customer service or help during the buy.
That pharmacy is in need of a renewal process is not in dispute.
That every man and his dog become instant pharmacy experts when a debate on pharmacy is opened is an expected phenomenon.
And when it is perceived that the "experts" have little knowledge of pharmacy but want to reduce pharmacists' incomes (already and constantly under siege), without engaging the range of aspirations pharmacists already hold, they wonder why it suddenly becomes a non-event.
If a discussion paper emerged that had genuine pharmacist input I would think that most pharmacists would participate in discussion of it.
In other words don't insult our intelligence by placing us in a pecking order that is uninspiring or menial in its approach.
But do approach us with intelligent conversation that has no hidden agendas and is honest in its approach, and do not try to impose your view of the pharmacist's role from your limited perspective.
Then we can all get on with some form of positive collaboration.
The Consumer Health Forum has responded to a recent i2P article on the resignation of Carol Bennett.
The article can be found at:
Approximately two weeks ago a Dr David Smith published an opinion piece in an online medical publication that was very derogatory towards pharmacy's professionalism.
It is one of many articles that seem to be "planted" in unison with other articles or events.
For example, the release of a Grattan Institute paper titled "Access All Areas", hinting at an expanded role for pharmacists in primary health care.
The article was authored by Dr David Smith who describes himself as "a GP and a consultant in clinical and corporate ethics".
Smith's comments are certainly a bit rich when you consider that pharmacy has always been involved with primary health care and when you further consider his client base he loses all credibility.
In a submission to the Australian National Audit Office review of the 5th Community Pharmacy Agreement, Pharmacist and PR Consultant Rollo Manning has advocated for a "new way" of supplying Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines and services to Australian Taxpayers that will:
Editor's Note: Judy Wilyman is a dedicated researcher working her way towards a doctorate in science.
Her research concerns vaccinations but mention the word vaccination, and suddenly the board lights up with what I call "the Skeptic Lunatic Fringe" who spring into action and attack anything that detracts from their "party line".
They will throw out statements like "proven to be discredited" and "not evidence-based"like confetti in the breeze.
The irony of their efforts is that their own statements are not evidence-based, nor are the people involved qualified in any medical discipline. Some statements border on defamation, while others are just outright lies.
One critic making comment on i2P calls himself a doctor.
He is entitled to do, but he is not a medical doctor, having earned his doctorate in another discipline.
Add deception for the lunatic fringe as well.
i2P would like to congratulate Judy on receiving funding to present her current research at the 3rd World Congress on Cancer Science and Therapy to be held in San Franciso in October 2013.
It may prove to be an important wake up call to governments (including the Australian government) who promote and subsidise this form of treatment.
There is an increasing awakening among business owners - big, small and micro - that the consequences of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the end of the capital expenditure mining boom and the debt dilemmas of Europe have included unintended, undocumented and non defined changes in business cultures, philosophies, policies and practices.
Customer service standards, relationships and instances of referrals have all been adversely affected
One of the major reasons why you start and build or buy a business is to be able to sell it at some time in the future for a profit.
What are the factors that will maximise your selling price?
It's really important to understand this early so that you can put in place the necessary systems to ensure that you build a business that is saleable.
Most of us experience low back pain (LBP). When it persists, we look for ways to alleviate it. In Australia, back problems are the most frequently seen musculoskeletal condition by General Practitioners (GPs) and the seventh most common reason for seeking care. National guidelines from the UK suggest that patients should try acupuncture, manual therapy or an exercise program. A range of medical devices are promoted for pain relief. Are they all placebo treatments or do some work?Comments: 1
My name is Mark Neuenschwander. I have been a patient and I am a consultant in the field of pharmacy automation.
It was 27 years ago that Wrigley's opened the door by putting a barcode on a pack of chewing gum. It was really a statement of faith because grocery stores and drugstores didn't have scanners. But their faith was not in vain. Within a decade, virtually every item on the shelves of those drugstores and supermarkets had a barcode, and the vast majority of checkout stands were equipped with scanners to read them.
I've always been a city boy – I can't even coax a weed to grow.
But I discovered a national treasure, practically in my own back yard, which makes me wish my thumbs were greener.
It was predictable that Steve Hambledon, AMA president, would be negative to the primary health care solutions as proposed in the Grattan Report published recently.
In my response to the paper Access All Areas co-authored by Stephen Duckett, I pointed out that having pharmacists involved in areas of diagnosis and prescribing produces an extreme response from the AMA plus inferred derogatory comments relating to pharmacy.
As I said in my response, pharmacists are fed up with the medical profession.
Editor's Note: Recently, in my own home town, the Cancer Council organisation decided to change location to a new office approximately 45 minutes away. The office was well fitted out with quality furniture and computer equipment, plus miscellaneous office items that included filing cabinets, shredders and photocopiers.
The surprised incoming tenant (an allied health professional) was told that she was now the proud owner of all these assets free of charge so that the Cancer Council could avoid the problems and costs of cartage and storage of the above items.
The value of all the items was estimated at around $25,000.
Needless to say the offer was gratefully accepted but I personally, no longer donate to Cancer Council charity programs.
It seems that in different forms, this phenomenon may be global.
OHMS Newsletter October 11, 2013.
Commentary by Ralph Campbell M.D.
Recently, our local paper promoted a 3K walk/run for "a cure for heart disease" with photos of participants of all sizes and shapes.
For enjoying the camaraderie and the feeling of sacrifice for a good cause, the participants paid a $25 entry fee that went to the American Heart Association (AHA) to promote awareness.
Pharmacy could be on the verge of a very exciting and rewarding professional pathway with some useful research being conducted in Scotland where 3D printing technology is being married up with stem cells and genomics to produce your own tissue for personalised drug testing and then modifying your drug to create a smooth journey through any lifestyle disorder anticipated in your genes.
The printing technology is cheap.
To create a professional business opportunity, all you are required to do is prepare yourself over the next five years by absorbing suitable education and plotting some medium term investment.
i2P believes that this technology is so important that pharmacy leadership groups should begin immediately to seize the high ground for this issue and not let the opportunities slip away to other health practitioners.
It will be one of the best opportunities to have a "hands-on" participation at the centre of primary health services.
Editor's Note: We have previously highlighted Covad Health Insurance as a product pharmacists should consider supporting.
Health insurance has always had a natural fit with pharmacy and there is no doubt that if pharmacists get behind this product, it will be a major success.
The income stream available as commissions on premiums would be a welcome addition in these times of difficulty in achieving financial stability and well-being.
i2P believes that this could also represent an opportunity for a health insurance business to advocate for, and champion, pharmacy clinical services and develop a real working partnership.
That might represent a promising future for both sides of the relationship equation.
Kay Dunkley - BPharm, Grad Dip Hosp Pharm, Grad Dip Health Admin, MPS, MSHPA
Editor's Note: It is becoming quite noticeable that business confidence has depleted in pharmacy ranks since economic environments have become tougher.
Poor leadership has also made a contribution.
As conditions for pharmacy employers and employees tighten, stress-related illness begins to emerge as everyone adjusts to the new economic uncertainties.
Depression is the outcome of prolonged stress and anxiety.
Recently, newspaper reports have surfaced relating to an incident involving the chiropractic treatment of a young child.
It was reported that a four-month-old Melbourne baby sustained a fracture to the upper cervical vertebra following an adjustment
In both Sydney and Melbourne papers, an allegation was made that a Chiropractor broke the baby's neck. The CAA issued a release to all media outlets in all States within hours of the publication rejecting the allegation.
The allegation was subsequently investigated by AHPRA. No finding of inappropriate treatment was made. No finding was made that any treatment performed by the Chiropractor caused a fracture as alleged.
Professional Pharmacists Australia Spokesperson
Professional Pharmacists Australia today congratulated Carol Bennett on her time as the CEO of the Community Health Forum, wishing her all the best in her future endeavours.
It's not easy implementing a clinical service program and success is related as to how close the service offered is to traditional dispensing and counselllng services.
Also how long a pharmacist has personally known a patient and how trusted the relationship is with that particular patient.
It shows how much pharmacists have collectively fallen down, because I have found strong relationships are sparse in my own world, and those of my colleagues.
Any attempt to fast-track a relationship is viewed with suspicion and apparent mistrust.
So it's the long haul that has to be put in place first and forward pharmacy has to be implemented and seen to be in place, well before a new service is able to be sold.
Editor's Comment: What pharmacy leadership organisation has the role of actually driving pharmacy practice?
The number of real opportunities (including that of 3D printing as illustrated in the following article) are multiplying as new disruptive technologies emerge.
3D printing represents the ultimate in drug compounding and pharmacy needs to be front and centre here.
How can these technologies be harnessed and absorbed into some form of future pharmacy strategy
that could really advance the profession of pharmacy instead of perpetually "running on the spot"?
Surely there is some sort of practice research going on?
University of Adelaide researchers have developed a process for turning waste plastic bags into a high-tech nanomaterial.
The innovative nanotechnology uses non-biodegradable plastic grocery bags to make 'carbon nanotube membranes' ? highly sophisticated and expensive materials with a variety of potential advanced applications including filtration, sensing, energy storage and a range of biomedical innovations.
A new Australian-based research study into sweet sorghum has shown the huge potential of the crop as a single source of energy, food and animal feed.
Sweet sorghum is receiving significant global interest because of its potential as a multi-product crop, however there has been minimal research under Australian growing conditions or using Australian processing facilities, until now.
Pharmacists have always been notorious for their penchant for leaving "sticky" notes attached to dispensing benches, cash registers and various other places. While efficient for the moment, long-term display of old notes looks very untidy and eventually deteriorates to inefficiency.
The cloud-based productivity tool, Evernote, (which I believe is a pharmacy essential) has extended its reach into another important branch of note-taking through a partnership with the classic 3M Post-It Notes. In a move similar to the Evernote Moleskine notebook, which was released last year, the note-taking and organization software company is blurring the line between digital and analog again, enabling users to preserve their real-world jottings and access them from anywhere.
Purpose of App Review
* to review the utility of Common Symptom Guide App for a clinician
* to evaluate the medical evidence this App uses
Editor's Note:
The world's legislator's are finally waking up and discovering a very useful and economic health worker called a pharmacist.
Continually overlooked because of medical lobbying, it looks as though medicos are finally pricing themselves out of business.
Initiated in California, a new bill allowing a wider scope of practice in primary health care has been passed and is likely to spread throughout the US and most western economies.
I have often commented in i2P that pharmacists started to become invisible in primary health care around the year2000, and despite energetic lobbying by pharmacy leadership groups, the debate seemed to be consigned to oblivion.
The wheel is turning finally and we may yet see an energetic and useful health system evolve from pharmacy ranks.
As a sometimes controversial figure to some leadership segments of pharmacy, Carol Bennett attempted to inflict change upon pharmacy that was not always well-founded.
She co-opted two other partner organisations to assist, both known to be anti-pharmacy in sentiment.
A petition was organised by the CHF to promote their point of view, but it was a dismal failure beside the Pharmacy Guild petition promoting a somewhat opposite view (over 1 million signatures).
On top of this, early enquiries by pharmacists wishing to join the CHF uncovered the fact that the CHF was not a representative forum for individual consumers at all, but an aggregate of large associations and businesses whose interests would not necessarily reflect those of individual consumers.
By Suzanne Newman
SHPA is sad to learn that Carol Bennett has resigned as CEO of the Consumers Health Forum.
SHPA has enjoyed a good working relationship with Carol and has valued her leadership and advocacy for health consumers.
With social media reaching into every aspect of Australian lives, the Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) has secured international expert Jye Smith to present key insights on "Social Media and the Healthcare Consumer" at its annual conference in Sydney on Thursday 14 November.
The systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of vitamin D supplements on bone mineral density conducted by the University of Auckland should not discourage Australians from taking a preventative approach to osteoporosis, the Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) said today.
Consumers can continue to have confidence in the quality and safety of complementary medicines (herbal medicines, nutritional and dietary supplements) that are legally sold in Australia, the Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) has today advised.
The Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) will leverage the international experience of pharmacist and licenced naturopathic practitioner Michael Smith at this year's conference to explore the evolving role of complementary medicines in preventative health.
In Australia, vitamins, mineral and supplements (known as complementary medicines) represent the largest and fastest growing segment in the non-prescription sector, with two-thirds of Australians taking them regularly to optimise their health and wellbeing.1
Editor's Comment: What pharmacy leadership organisation has the role of actually driving pharmacy practice?
The number of real opportunities (including that of 3D printing as illustrated in the following article) are multiplying as new disruptive technologies emerge.
3D printing represents the ultimate in drug compounding and pharmacy needs to be front and centre here.
How can these technologies be harnessed and absorbed into some form of future pharmacy strategy
that could really advance the profession of pharmacy instead of perpetually "running on the spot"?
Surely there is some sort of practice research going on?
Editor's Note:
Pharmacy leaders, academics and education providers have suddenly become alert and attentive to a paper recently released by the Grattan Institute.
Although I personally remain cynical as to where the recommendations within that paper (titled Access All Areas ) will take pharmacy, nonetheless it has created a spark of activity across an otherwise bleak landscape.
Governments have long squandered opportunities that have been available to them through the profession of pharmacy.
This has probably come about because of the top heavy list of advisers drawn from the medical profession over a long period of time.
Could this be a signal that policies may finally be changing to embrace the potential that pharmacists could be unleashed over the primary health care community.
I have asked Mark Coleman to comment on the following Pharmacy News media report item that contains a response from both the PSA and the PGA.
Mark Coleman
Mark is a semi-retired pharmacist.
Recently, newspaper reports have surfaced relating to an incident involving the chiropractic treatment of a young child.
It was reported that a four-month-old Melbourne baby sustained a fracture to the upper cervical vertebra following an adjustment
In both Sydney and Melbourne papers, an allegation was made that a Chiropractor broke the baby's neck. The CAA issued a release to all media outlets in all States within hours of the publication rejecting the allegation.
The allegation was subsequently investigated by AHPRA. No finding of inappropriate treatment was made. No finding was made that any treatment performed by the Chiropractor caused a fracture as alleged.
Recently, newspaper reports have surfaced relating to an incident involving the chiropractic treatment of a young child.
The matter was eventually reported on in the Queensland Parliament by Mrs Jo-Anne Miller, the Shadow Minister for Health.
Quoting Hansard:
Chiropractic Safety
Mrs MILLER (Bundamba—ALP) (9.06 pm): Many thousands of Australians seek relief from
spinal related health problems through treatment by qualified chiropractors. Chiropractors are now nationally registered, five-year university trained health professionals. Recently, constituents in my electorate of Bundamba have raised with me concerns about the safety of chiropractic treatment following sensationalised media reporting.
I wish to assist my constituents and chiropractic patients across Australia to make up their own minds about the facts behind these media reports on the safety of chiropractic care, particularly in relation to the care of children. On 29 September the Sydney Sun
Herald and the Melbourne Age carried prominent stories under the banner headlines 'Call for age limit after chiropractor breaks baby's neck' and 'Chiros warned off treating children'.
The stories related to the supposed outcome of an investigation by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, AHPRA, into a Melbourne chiropractor's treatment of a four-month-old female child.
The media reports stated of the child that 'one of her vertebrae was fractured during a chiropractic treatment'.
The safety of children is paramount and it is AHPRA's statutory responsibility to uphold the highest standards for all health professions in order to maintain public safety and confidence in our health system.
AHPRA did indeed properly investigate this matter, and I table the independent expert report
received by AHPRA, along with the consulting radiologist's report and a CD containing copies of the MRI, CT scans and X-rays taken of the child.
Tabled paper: Copy of diagnostic report regarding CT cervical spine.
Tabled paper: CD in relation to copy of diagnostic report regarding CT cervical spine.
All documents have had all names and other identifying information removed in order to protect the identity of the child and the family. It is important that people have access to factually correct information so that they can make informed decisions about their choice of healthcare treatment options. This is why I have tabled these documents today. I now quote from the radiology diagnosis—
CONCLUSION: No evidence of fracture. The appearance of pedicles at C2 is consistent with bilateral spondylosis.
In plain terms, the child suffers from a congenital condition which prevents her spine hardening in the normal way. The symptoms of this condition can be confused with what is called hangman's fracture, but the radiology report right from the beginning of this matter made it clear there was no fracture. The child's father suffers from a similar condition. The chiropractor did not and could not have broken the child's neck because there was never a broken neck to start with.
There are clear lessons here about the need for effective communications between health practitioners from different health professions treating the same patient.
(Time expired)
The Chiropractors Association of Australia (CAA) have sought an apology from the newspapers but have been advised by a defamation expert, the only persons who may have standing to commence defamation proceedings are the parties to this matter.
A defamation class with standing will not extend to all Melbourne chiropractors or Melbourne chiropractors who care for children.
The online publication Medical Observer has carried a number of stories about the incident, the most recent carrying the following statement:
"Spinal surgeon Mr John Cunningham said he and his colleagues had no doubt the child suffered a fracture.
"The radiology report promoted by the CAA was a CT performed around the time of the injury," he said.
"I strongly suspect that the injury was through the congenital defect, the weak point, which would have contained cartilaginous tissue. This would not be visible on the initial CT as cartilage is simply not seen.
"A second CT, performed some weeks later, clearly indicates new bone formation and healing of a concurrent fracture."
Mr Cunningham said the CAA must have appreciated the significance of the second CT scan.
"What I find disingenuous is the manner in which they only released to the press the first CT report," he added.
He said the Queensland parliament had been misled by a poor quality investigation by a chiropractor into the actions of their own.
The CAA countered the claims today releasing the findings of an "internationally renowned medical radiologist" from North America, who declined to be named for "regrettable fear of retribution".
CAA president Dr Laurie Tassell (Chiro) said the radiologist had examined the material, including x-rays, CT scans and MRIs and confirmed "no features on any images to confirm there has been a fracture, with no oedema of the bone, cleft or surrounding tissues".
"The child did not have a fracture as alleged; [the child] had a congenital condition known as congenital spondylosis and the chiropractor could not and did not cause any injury to the child," Dr Tassell said.
Bitter antagonism has existed for a long time between the medical profession and the chiropractors with the medicos trying to disrupt chiropractic educational systems and issue media releases constructed to be highly critical of chiropractor treatments by using a very flimsy fact base.
Organisations such as the Friends of Science in Medicine have also been leading campaigns to discredit the chiropractic profession.
The behaviour exhibited on the medical side leaves a lot to be desired.
It has taken a Queensland parliamentarian to sort out fact from fiction.
Staff Researcher: Research shows huge potential of sweet sorghum as a multi-product crop | open full screen
Kay Dunkley - BPharm, Grad Dip Hosp Pharm, Grad Dip Health Admin, MPS, MSHPA: Mental Health Week – pharmacists looking after pharmacists | open full screen
Marie Kelly-Davies: International digital media expert Jye Smith to guide industry on navigating social media at ASMI's 2013 Conference | open full screen
Marie Kelly-Davies: Herbal medicines sold legally in Australia assured of high quality | open full screen
Marie Kelly-Davies: Advancing Complementary Medicines in Australia: International regulatory expert Michael Smith to share insights at ASMI Conferen | open full screen
Staff Researcher: Electronic Biometrics Devices Could Assist Pharmacy Clinical Services | open full screen
If any difficulty is found in subscribing, please use the "Contact Us" panel found in the navigation bar with the message "subscribe" and your email address.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Medical / Medicare / Medicaid Fraud Experts Serving New Brunswick
Change State | Show all New Brunswick experts
Find a Medical / Medicare / Medicaid Fraud Expert
Experts in all aspects of Medical Fraud, including cases relevant to Medicare and Medicaid plans. Medical / Medicare / Medicaid Fraud experts serve as expert witnesses and forensic consultants in New Brunswick legal matters, and provide expert reports and testimony for judges, attorneys, lawyers, law firms, insurance companies and government agencies in Federal and state court trials and arbitrations in New Brunswick.
The listings below are of Medical / Medicare / Medicaid Fraud experts serving New Brunswick.
Featured ListingsCoding Continuum, Inc.
Christina Melnykovych, BS, RHIA, CFE, AHFI
Tucson, AZ
Coding Continuum, Inc. provides litigation support and expert testimony regarding Coding and Billing of Medical Claims. Areas of expertise include Civil and Criminal Fraud, Forensic Audits, Document Analysis, Medical Coding (ICD-9-CM, CPT, E/M, HCPCS coding), RAC audits and analysis, operational assessments, and patient account analysis.
Expert ListingsElite Medical Experts, LLC
Tucson, AZ
Elite Medical Experts specializes solely in medical litigation. From Stanford to Yale, and from all medical and surgical fields, Elite secures top university Professors as expert witnesses. Our experts understand issues of billing, compliance, and federal regulation. Please call today for a case analysis by an in-house physician or nurse. Elite Medical Experts works directly with legal teams and does not accept inquiries from private parties.
Michael Arrigo
Michael Arrigo
San Francisco, CA
Medicare eligiblity and Medicaid eligibility and maximum out of pocket costs for past, present and future medical care in life care plans. Expert in matter before FTC, ICD-10 and CPT coding, computer assisted coding, E.H.R., subrogation and claims processing. Evaluation, report on usual, customary and reasonable (UCR) medical, prescription charges for personal injury plaintiffs. Healthcare Practices and Records, Medical / Medicare / Medicaid Fraud,Medical Billing, Coding and Insurance, HIPAA Privacy and Security, Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records and False Claims Act.
Analysis & Inference, Inc.
William B. Fairley, PhD
Springfield, PA
Founded in 1979, Analysis & Inference, Inc. provides statistical consulting services for law firms, corporations and government agencies. Dr. William Fairley has frequently been retained as an expert consultant and witness. Expertise in Statistics, Discrimination, Economic Consulting, Medical / Medicare / Medicaid Fraud.
Coding And Physician Reimbursement Analysts Inc.
L. Neal Freeman
Viera, FL
Expert: Physician + Coder + Medical Auditor -- Dr. L. Neal Freeman is a practicing physician and surgeon and is additionally certified as both a Coding Specialist-Physician-based and a Professional Medical Auditor. He provides expert services in medical coding, reimbursement, and compliance across all specialties. He is available for consultation, research, analysis, report generation, deposition, and trial testimony as an expert witness. He has been retained as an expert for plaintiff and defense. Excellent communication skills and responsiveness. Expertise: Medical coding and reimbursement, Coding compliance, Coding guidelines, Medicare, Medicaid, Private insurance, CPT coding, ICD-10 and ICD-9 coding, National Correct Coding Initiative, Bundling Modifiers, Fraud and abuse, False Claims Act, Personal Injury Protection (PIP), DRGs, Fair and reasonable value, Usual, customary, and reasonable (UCR) value.
Health Law Network
Lamar Blount
Atlanta, GA
HLN consults in civil and criminal cases involving: UCR, reasonable charges & reimbursement; forensic audits; provider & payor disputes; medical record & billing documentation; ICD & CPT coding; compliance programs; business damages; and Medicare, Medicaid and Insurance fraud. MD, RN, RHIA, CPC, CFE, ChFC, MHA and CPA experts available.
Britton & Associates LLC
Wendy Britton Knau
Ankeny, IA
I am a Registered Nurse, Certified Professional Coder(CPC) and former Medicare Fraud Manager.
Experiences include expert witness consulting for Medicare/Medicaid criminal/civil cases, for the Dept. of Justice, and plaintiffs & defense attorneys. I have testified regarding Usual, Customary & Reasonable fees for medical services provided.
 Specific Experiences 1/1/12 thru 1/14/20: Testified at trial 11 times. Deposed 31 times. Provided expert opinion on 192 cases(75% Defense/25% Plaintiff).
Provided expert consulting for 2 criminal cases. Assisted fraud audit & voluntary disclosure to the OIG resulting in $1,250,00 OIG settlement.


text:
For the uninitiated: If We Don't, Remember Me — aka IWDRM — is a tumblr dedicated to artfully crafted GIFs (called "cinemagraphs," if you're a pedant) of iconic movie scenes. Head Like an Orange is basically the same thing, only it features GIFs of wilderness and nature.
HLaO was created by Marinus, who, from the looks of it, crafts each of the GIFs that appears on the site. While most of the animations aren't quite as on par with IWDRM's (at least from a technical standpoint), the majority of them are still really, really wonderful. A few of our favorites [click to enlarge]:
G/O Media may get a commission
More at Head Like an Orange.


text:
I have just submitted the following further post HERE:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogI ... 7676409348
"There have been cases where my pre-moderated comments under these blogs have only finally appeared around 10 DAYS after I posted them. Why is pre-moderation operating in such a fashion? Is it because you hope that no other YECs from outside your site might read my comments?
And now I see that Risner has responded to my comment dated 2 July more than TWO WEEKS after I submitted it. Why? Are you hoping that I will fail to see your rejoinder and thus will fail to respond to it? Especially since you play the game of asking me to list something - hoping I will not see the challenge and will not reply to it thus suggesting that you 'won'. Especially since your new blog dated 23 July blatantly ignores my argument here.
As you know full well Steve, YECs deny 'deep time'. They of course claim is it false and therefore 'not' a scientific discovery. But that IS denial.
And your comment that Newton - who was into alchemy and the occult and was a complex character (possibly bisexual or homosexual too) with apparently few close friends - would be a Christian and biblical creationist if alive today because "he was exceptionally intelligent and this leads an honest person to God" is both weak and speculative and also not very biblical looking if you look closely at 1 Corinthians 1:26-27! (I do not consider it very honest to REMAIN a YEC Christian today - which of course is why SOME YEC Christians then move to OEC to TE - why ELSE would anyone do this if they are evangelicals. (Some abandon Christianity altogether.)
I suggest that you and Charlie should ask yourselves how you would feel if you were on the receiving end of your repeated accusations, frequent condescending 'superior' tone, and highly dogmatic claims and whether such posts would be likely to lead a person to Christ (or back to Christ).
For instance, you demand of me: "when you say confirmed do you mean "prove?"". Yet YECs insist that when THEY use the word 'confirm' they DON'T mean prove. So why should I respond to your attempted cross-examination suggesting that I really meant 'prove' not 'confirm'? I used the word 'confirmed' CONSCIOUSLY, CAREFULLY and DELIBERATELY. Please stop trying to tell me that I 'really' meant, or meant to write, something DIFFERENT to what I actually wrote. Please stop MANIPULATING.
"You've been given many warnings. I feel like a bad parent for not following through." The problem is all yours. My - much delayed by you - post fully met the stated rules for commenting on this site.
And the rest of your rant is despicable. I know WHY. You cannot deal with my points - so you are searching hard for an 'excuse' to permanently ban me. YECs ALWAYS behave like that when under pressure - their position is based on dogma in spite of known facts and when their claims are clearly shown to be mere faith and anti-scientific they become angry and harden their hearts against their critics. Your rant also ignores the most important word near the end of my post dated 2 July. The word 'IF'. The person having a 'tantrum' at the time of your post dated 17 July was NOT me.
Since because of my previous experience here I do not trust you or Wolcott, because you routinely either CENSOR me or DELAY publishing my posts for up to TWO weeks, I have SAVED this post. I intend to always do so in future as well.
I have no respect for you or Wolcott. None. I have respect for Christians who do not behave as you - and other YECs - do.
I will continue to expose your manipulative behaviour at the BCSE community forum or by email."
And I have just submitted the following post HERE (new blog):
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogI ... 3715643912
"I only glanced at those comments by Tyler Francke you link to (which have already been responded to in detail by YECs from various quarters) but I am unimpressed by your all pleading in blogs like this one. Since you have DELETED ie SILENTLY CENSORED my attempted detailed responses to allegations and attempted refutations made by yourself and by Wolcott against/towards me under two of the most recent WWs blogs dated 10 and 16 July. Attempted responses which CAN however be read here - since I took the trouble to save my text beforehand (text which did not mock and ridicule and did not break the stated rules for commenting at this site):
Despite having a 'comment' option under your blogs, it would appear that you are more interested in demonising those who oppose YEC claims than in having a proper dialogue with them should they come upon this site. That is the sort of behaviour commonly exhibited by fundamentalists - their main aim appearing to be to 'rouse' their own supporters against all those who disagree rather than expose themselves fully to scientific realities and the resulting pro-science beliefs held by the 'other' Christians, and non-Christians or former Christians, that you encounter online.
You also write: "It's also noteworthy to mention that many of the greatest minds science has ever known were creationists". But your behaviour is somewhat manipulative. Since I previously described on 2 July - you DELAYED publishing my comment for almost TWO WEEKS and then made a sneaky very late response to it which I have only just discovered - under your blog post dated 2 July: "There is a difference between DENYING scientific discoveries as modern YECs routinely do, and NOT KNOWING about discoveries that were made after one's lifetime. You CANNOT know that eg Newton would be a YEC - or even a Christian - if he was a practising scientist today."
http://worldviewwarriors.blogspot.co.uk ... eptic.html
I have of course now attempted to publish my immediate response (upon discovering it) to your very late post of 17 July replying to me under your previous blog. But the main point for here is that you are falsely trying to claim that being a creationist when eg Sir Isaac Newton was alive is NO DIFFERENT to being a creationist (the YEC kind) TODAY. Unfortunately it is necessary to deny facts such as 'deep time' for today's YECs. Whereas for Newton and his contemporaries the issue was simply a lack of relevant knowledge.
Most YECs make the same basic sorts of claims on origins matters that you make above. Whereas opponents of YEC claims (whether in the church or elsewhere) come from a range of stances. But one thing which unites quite a number of them is a wish to defend science when it comes under attack from vested interests. Thus, although I comment under his blogs, please don't assume I am a 'Tyler Francke disciple' or some such."


text:
Christ Is Risen!
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
O.K., I can see that [limiting EO-OO virtual "fisticuffs"]... there's enough conflict in that arena without opening new doors! I did make the unexpected discovery that the Greek text of St. Matthew 26:39 does not seem to contain the term for "Will" (Thelo, long final "o"; sorry that my font and diacritical marks are lacking from the computer I am using...) except for the fist initial mention (relating to the Father, cf. prior posts above)...It still seems to me that a two-will definition can't be based on this text alone, in translation. [nor a single one; I wouldn't suggest that, as it may derive from the sentence structure in koine Greek, or one of a thousand other variables...]... but your exposition is most helpful; as also the recommendation of the "Pyrrhus" text - I'll look into it!Thanks for sharing your knowledge & insights.Not a Monothelite, just seeking understanding...,Rustaveli
Demetri,Read the agreed statement at Chambesy and see what would appear to some to be a waffling on the issue.anastasios
I think everyone here, and most especially Linus could do with a good dose of Fr. Seraphim Rose. I'm no disciple - I just appreciate his love for everyone. To quote him, "I myself fear the cold hearts of the "intellectually correct" far more than any errors you might find (in Augustine). I sense in these hearts a preparation for the work of the Antichrist (whose imitation of Christ must also extend to "correct theology". I feel in Augustine the love of Christ." (from a letter of his in 1981)
Rustaveli,I am not sure of exactly what you are trying to say above, but +++¦++-ë (the/lo) was one of the first words I learned in Greek as a tyke, and it has always meant in my understanding "I want" as in the active volition sense of will. There are other words to say "I want"(am in need of) or "I want"(simple statement of lack).Demetri
An excellent point!I'm therefore unsure of using such a text as a proof-text of the theological definition of the "diophysite" & / or "diothelyte" school...(although, the root "+++¦++-ë (the/lo)" is clearly used in the latter...)
Huh?If I understood Aristokles correctly, he just said that word means "will."
[divine] will + [human] will = 2 wills
It seems here Linus confesses that Christ is in two hypostases. You say that the Will is associated with Nature. Therefore was Christ's human will the will of the entire human nature? Just as Christ's Divine Will is the common Will of the Godhead, so then you must believe that the human will is the common Will of the whole human race!If on the other hand Christ's human will was His own unique instance of a human will, then that human will must be hypostatic. If Christ's human will is hypostatic and you say Christ is IN TWO WILLS, then He must be in TWO hypostases.Is this really what EO believe?In Christ who is One,Raouf
Welcome back and PEACE Raouf,I will post later a definition of "hypostasis" ( or a link to one) in the classical Greek sense that will help clear this definition bottle-neck.Demetri
Christ has two natures and two wills, that is othodox teaching, the teaching of the Ecumenical Councils.
Raouf: Why did Chalcedon reject these existing formulas and insist that the NEW formula is the ONLY Orthodox expression?
Because "one nature" is incorrect.Our Lord is one Divine Person and Hypostasis with two natures, human and divine.
To speak of one nature from two implies mixture or confusion, despite protests to the contrary.
To say "it is impossible to speak of two natures after the union" implies a "before the union" for the humanity of Christ, a thing which in effect tears our Lord in two.
There was no "before the union" for our Lord's human nature. How could there be?
The humanity of our Lord came into being as a result of the hypostatic union. Its existence is due to it; its center and subject is the One Person and Hypostasis of the Word.
For our Lord's human nature there is nothing but "after the union."
Thus, if it is impossible to speak of our Lord's human nature after the union, then it is impossible to speak of our Lord as a human being at all.
"One nature" is also incorrect in terms of Trinitarian theology.Our Lord Jesus, as the Second Person of the Trinity, shares His divine nature with the Father and the Holy Spirit. How could he make that nature divino-human in His case alone without rendering himself different in essence from the other two Persons of the Holy Trinity?
[Cyril] Well, Godhead is one thing, and manhood is another thing, consideredin the perspective of their intrinsic beings, BUT in the case of Christ theycame together in a mysterious and incomprehensible union without confusionor change. The manner of this union is entirely beyond conception.
I've just received a copy of Fr. V.C. Samuel's volume The Council of Chalcedon Re-Examined, which was quite highly recommended in another thread. Hee, hee![/b] Should be a good read...
Enough has, I think, been said about essence and hypostasis. But the name 'nature' is sometimes taken in place of essence', sometimes in place of hypostasis. For even the whole of mankind we call comprehensively 'nature', as it is indeed written: -½For all natures of beasts and of birds, and of reptiles and of things that are in the water are subjected and are made subject to human nature-+: and again we speak of one nature in reference to a single man, Paul for example or Peter, or maybe James. Where therefore we name all mankind one nature, we use the name 'nature' generically in place of 'essence'; but, where we say that there is one nature of Paul, the name 'nature' is employed in place of 'individual hypostasis'. So also we call the Holy Trinity one nature, employing the term 'nature' in place of the general designation 'essence'; as Gregory the Theologian the bishop of Nazianzus also said in the sermon on the Holy Pentecost: -½Confess the Trinity to be of one Godhead, my friends; or, if you like, of one nature; and we will ask for you from the Spirit the expression 'God'-+. But, when we say 'one incarnate nature of God the Word', as Athanasius the prop of the truth and the apostolic faith said in the books on the Incarnation of the Word, we use 'nature' in place of 'individual designation', denoting the one hypostasis of the Word himself, like that of Peter also or of Paul, or of any other single man. Wherefore also, when we say 'one nature which became incarnate', we do not say it absolutely, but by adding 'one nature of the Word himself clearly denote the one hypostasis. But the very men who blasphemously call the one Christ two natures use the name 'nature' in place of 'individual designation', saying that the Word of God is one nature, and the man as they say from Mary another. For they do not reach such a height of fatuity as to say that they are using the name 'natures' in place of 'general designation', I mean in the same sense as essence: for, if the Holy Trinity is one nature, and all mankind one nature, in the same sense as anything which is shown to be so on this principle, the Holy Trinity will be found (to say a very absurd thing) to have become incarnate in all mankind, that is the human race."
"Do you call the flesh possessing an intelligent soul, which God the Word voluntarily united to himself hypostatically without any change, a specimen or a generality, that is one soul-possessing hypostasis, or the whole human generality? It is manifest that, if you wish to give a right-minded answer, you will say one soul-possessing body. Accordingly we say that from it and the hypostasis of God the Word the ineffable union was made: for the whole of the Godhead and the whole of humanity in general were not joined in a natural union, but special hypostases. And the holy and wise Cyril plainly witnesses to us in that in the third chapter or anathema he spoke thus: -½Whoever divides the one Christ into hypostases after the union, associating them in association of honour or of authority only, and not rather in junction of natural union, let him be anathema-+. And again in the Scholia the same says: -½Hence we shall learn that the hypostases have remained without confusion-+. Accordingly the natural union was not of generalities, but of hypostases of which Emmanuel was composed. And do not think that hypostases in all cases have a distinct person assigned to them, so that we should be thought, like the impious Nestorius, to speak of a union of persons, and to run counter to the God-inspired words of the holy Cyril, who in the second letter to the same Nestorius speaks thus: -½But that it should be so will in no way help the right principle of faith, even if some men spread about a union of persons. For the Scripture did not say that God the Word united to himself the person of a man, but that he became flesh-+. When hypostases subsist by individual subsistence, as for instance, those of Peter and of Paul, whom the authority of the apostleship united, then there will be a union of persons and a brotherly association, not a natural junction of one hypostasis made up out of two that is free from confusion. For this is what those who adhere to the foul doctrines of Nestorius are convicted of saying with regard to the divine Humanization also. They first make the babe exist by himself separately, so that a distinct person is even assigned to him, and then by attaching God the Word to him impiously introduce a union of persons into the faith. This Gregory the Theologian also rejected by saying in the great letter to Cledonius: -½Whoever says that the man was formed, and God afterwards crept in is condemned: for this is not a birth of God, but an escape from birth-+. But, when hypostases do not subsist in individual subsistence, as also in the case of the man among us, I mean him who is composed of soul and body, but are without confusion recognised in union and composition, being distinguished by the intellect only and displaying one hypostasis made out of two, such a union none will be so uninstructed as to call one of persons. Though the hypostasis of God the Word existed before, or rather was before all ages and times, being eternally with God both the Father and the Holy Spirit, yet still the flesh possessing an intelligent soul which he united to him did not exist before the union with him, nor was a distinct person assigned to it. And the great Athanasius bears witness, who in the letter to Jovinian the king says: -½As soon as there is flesh, there is at once flesh of God the Word; and, as soon as there is soul-possessing and rational flesh, there is at once soul-possessing rational flesh of God the Word: for in him also it acquired subsistence-+. And the holy Cyril also testifies, addressing the impious Diodorus as follows: -½My excellent man, I say that you are shooting forth unlearned words much affected with what is abhorrent. For the holy body was from Mary, but still at the very beginning of its concretion or subsistence in the womb it was made holy, as the body of Christ, and no one can see any time at which it was not his, but rather simple as you say and the same as this flesh of other men-+. Following these God-inspired words of the holy fathers, and confessing our Lord Jesus Christ to be of two natures, regard the distinct hypostases themselves of which Emmanuel was composed, and the natural junction of these, and do not go up to generalities and essences, of the whole of the Godhead and humanity in general: for it is manifest that the whole of the Godhead is seen in the Trinity, and humanity in general draws the mind to the whole human race. How therefore is it anything but ridiculous and impious for us to say that the Trinity was united in hypostasis to the race of mankind, when the holy Scriptures say more plainly than a trumpet, -½The Word became flesh and dwelt in us-+, that is that one of the three hypostases who was rationally and hypostatically united to soul-possessing flesh? But neither do we deny, as we have also written in other letters on different occasions, that we often find men designating hypostases by the name of essence. Hence Gregory the Theologian named hypostatic union union in essence in the letter to Cledonius which we have just mentioned, speaking thus: -½Whoever says that he worked by grace as in a prophet, but not that he was united and fashioned together with him in essence, may he be bereft of the excellent operation, or rather may he be full of the contrary-+. And the wise Cyril in the second letter to Succensus calls the manhood which was hypostatically united to God the Word essence, saying: -½For, if after saying 'one nature of the Word' we had stopped and not added 'incarnate', but set the dispensation as it were outside, they would perhaps in a way have a plausible argument when they pretend to ask, 'Where is the perfection in manhood? or how was the essence after our model made up?' But, since the perfection in manhood and the characteristic of our essence has been introduced by the fact that we said 'incarnate', let them be silent, since they have leaned upon the staff of a reed-+"
Page created in 0.091 seconds with 25 queries.


text:
✔77 cheap front yard landscaping ideas that will inspire 45
The Most Popular Cheap Front Yard Landscaping Ideas Some folks aren't so proficient at applying ideas so that they utilize a landscape designer. Simple landscaping ideas can vary is dependent upon the style of each individual. Simple backyard landscaping ideas are appropriate for you whether you want to get a contemporary kind of backyard. There are several simple and affordable landscaping tips that you can have for your very own high impact without a simple backyard tags. Backyard Patios Ideas is among the design ideas you can utilize to reference your Patio. Backyard Patios Ideas is among the pictures inside the class of Patio and a lot more images inside that category. If you're helped by the notion of the article Backyard Patios Ideas, don't neglect to share with your pals. The New Angle On Cheap Front Yard Landscaping Ideas Just Released A garden should be planned dependent on the herbs you must grow. Or if your garden is a bit more hilly or landscaped uneven, you can make a small stone bridge. A big shade garden is challenging to look after, especially if you want to execute each the gardening work yourself. Depending on the space available, you would… Continue Reading Read More


text:
Patricia E. Clawson
Perhaps more than most of us, Stephen Slack and Mark Richline understand what it means to be an adopted child of God. That's because both were adopted as infants by godly families in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Now their own families belong to the OPC.
These are their stories.
Growing up, Stephen Slack, 26, often forgot that he was adopted, even though he is African American and his family is Caucasian. "The cool part was even though this is so, I still most of the time don't even remember I'm adopted," said Stephen.
When he was at River of Life Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where his father, William Slack, was (and still is) the pastor, Stephen was just treated as the son of their minister, which was fine with him. If he acted up, which wasn't often, they would call him out. "My local church was awesome in helping to raise me," remembers Stephen. "The church was just as loving and accepting as my family. Most of all, they always encouraged me—constantly!"
Stephen, now a personal trainer, husband, and father, was five weeks old when he was adopted. His nineteen-year-old birth mother knew it would be a struggle to raise a child after the seventeen-year-old father left, so she placed him for adoption. She also requested that her baby to go to a Christian household. At the same time, William Slack and his wife, Tina, had three children and considered taking in foster children. "My father knew my mother's heart for children and that she would struggle with giving her foster kids away, so he urged her to consider adoption instead," said Stephen. "My very first recollections are of nothing less than full acceptance and being just another Slack."
This fact later gave him a special understanding of his spiritual adoption as God's son. "Due to the fact that I would forget I was adopted most of the time, this gave me insight into the fact that God's love for his adopted children is just as potent—to the point of no recognizable difference between adopted and natural children. It's pretty amazing how close Christ's sacrifice made us to God—to the point of being a member of his family!"
Growing up in the church, Stephen was taught the truths of the Bible from a very young age. He advises adoptive parents to "be honest from the beginning and raise the child as God encourages and raises his children." He also encourages church members to treat adopted kids like any other children. "Treat them as if they were not adopted, but this doesn't mean you don't tell them, because truth and love are inseparable."
Stephen's understanding of both earthly and heavenly adoptions helps him as a parent: "I want to be there for my kids because I realize certain situations could have put them in need for adoption. In other words, I try to enjoy each moment with them because they are a gift, not a right."
If you ask Mark Richline, our OP missionary to Uruguay, who he is, he'll tell you he's "an adopted child of God." He has been engrafted not only into the body of Christ, but also into the Richline family.
His story begins with his birth mother, who became pregnant by a married man while in her twenties. A member of a Reformed church, she repented and never considered having an abortion, but her parents and church rejected her. Hours before giving birth, her pastor said her sin condemned her. After Mark's birth, she visited him weekly in foster care and wrestled in prayer. Convinced that the Lord was calling her to surrender Mark, she placed him with Bethany Christian Services and promised God never to search for Mark unless God opened the way.
Meanwhile, Charles and Norma Richline had been unable to have children. As members of Calvary Community Church (OPC) in Harmony, New Jersey, they were advised by their pastor, Lewis Grotenhuis, to apply for adoption through Bethany Christian Services. They adopted Mark when he was three months old and later his sister, Denise.
Knowing he was adopted, Mark was secure in his parent's love, although sometimes he needed reassurance that he was a permanent part of the family. Once when he was eight, he spoke with his father about his adoption. His doubts were erased when his dad looked him in the eye and said, "Son, you are mine. You belong to me. If anyone comes looking for you to take you away from me, I will run away with you and they won't find us." At the age of ten, Mark told his mother he always wanted to live with them and never leave home. She smiled and explained that they knew he was "on loan" from the Lord, and that their labor of love was to prepare him to leave home and serve the Lord.
Mark's second adopted family was his church. "My church was a safe place for me because I knew I was loved," said Mark. "Looking back, I appreciated how no one either looked down on me or treated me special simply because I was adopted."
Unbeknownst to Mark, his birth mother and father, with the blessings of her parents and the church, eventually married, had another son, and lived only forty-five minutes from where he grew up. But for twenty-four years, his mother quietly celebrated Mark's birthday, and cried over and prayed for him.
Then one morning in October 1992, she felt convicted that she should write a letter to Mark. Mark was completing his service as a missionary associate in Japan when his parents called to say that his birth mother had sent him a letter via Bethany Christian Services.
"I was absolutely blown away by their news," said Mark. He postponed answering until he could talk face-to-face with his parents. "I would not risk crushing my parents to begin a relationship with my birth mother," said Mark. He was amazed when his parents encouraged him to meet her.
The night he called his birth mother, he dialed the number, let it ring twice, then slammed the phone down, unsure of what to say. "I stopped to pray and told the Lord that this would be much easier if I knew she was a Christian," said Mark. Then he dialed again. "I later learned that at that very moment she was standing with her hands raised in prayer, asking the Lord to let the phone ring from me. Suddenly it rang and she answered. I said, 'Hello Mrs. Saltenberger. My name is Mark, and I'm your son.' She responded to me with, 'Praise the Lord!' From that moment, we were reunited by the grace of God."
Mark's birth mom, Joyce Saltenberger, describes her amazement at God's providential grace. "Answered prayer beyond measure by a heavenly Father who knew fully well, that as I signed the adoption papers, upon inspiration from him, that he would bring us together again, not only in the body, but also fully in the Spirit. It doesn't get better than that."
Since then, they have spent hours together on visits, on the phone, and in e-mails. He preached at his birth father's funeral and officiated at his blood brother's wedding. "I continue to be amazed at how gracious both my parents and my birth parents have been to me and to each other over these past twenty years," said Mark.
Mark was twenty-six when he began seeing his spiritual adoption in light of his earthly adoption. He was adopted into a peaceful home, declared by the courts to be a Richline, received a new name, gained brothers and sisters, and knew his father disciplined him to shape him. "I soaked myself in the reality of the God of the universe placing me in his family, declaring to me, 'You belong to me now. All I am is yours. All I possess belongs to you.'"
May we, like Stephen and Mark, also marvel at our adoption in Christ.
The author is the editorial assistant for New Horizons. New Horizons January 2014.
|© 2020 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Chaplains and Military Personnel


text:
© Pam Koch
Project FeederWatch turns your love of feeding birds into scientific discoveries. FeederWatch is a winter-long (November-April) survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Participants periodically count the birds they see at their feeders and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. Your bird counts help you keep track of what is happening in your own backyard and help scientists track long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. With FeederWatch, your observations become part of something bigger. Click here to join.
Anyone interested in birds can participate. FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs. You can count birds as often as every week, or as infrequently as you like: the schedule is completely flexible. All you need is a bird feeder, bird bath, or plantings that attract birds.
New participants are sent a Research Kit with complete instructions for participating, as well as a bird identification poster, calendar, and more. You provide the feeder(s) and seed. Then each fall participants receive our 16-page, year-end report, Winter Bird Highlights. Participants also receive access to the digital version of Living Bird, the Cornell Lab's award-winning, quarterly magazine.
Project FeederWatch is supported almost entirely by its participants. The annual participation fee is $18 for U.S. residents ($15 for Cornell Lab members). Canadians can participate by donating any amount to Birds Canada. The participation fee in the U.S. and donation in Canada covers materials, staff support, web design, data analysis, and the year-end report (Winter Bird Highlights). Without the support of our participants, this project wouldn't be possible.
Click here to join today!
Project FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. Since 2016, Project FeederWatch has been sponsored by Wild Bird Unlimited. We thank them for their support!
When thousands of FeederWatchers in communities across North America count birds and send their tallies to the FeederWatch database, the result is a treasure trove of numbers, which FeederWatch scientists analyze to draw a picture of winter bird abundance and distribution.
FeederWatch data show which bird species visit feeders at thousands of locations across the continent every winter. The data also indicate how many individuals of each species are seen. This information can be used to measure changes in the winter ranges and abundances of bird species over time.
With each season, FeederWatch increases in importance as a unique monitoring tool for more than 100 bird species that winter in North America.
What sets FeederWatch apart from other monitoring programs is the detailed picture that FeederWatch data provide about weekly changes in bird distribution and abundance across the United States and Canada. Importantly, FeederWatch data tell us where birds are as well as where they are not. This crucial information enables scientists to piece together the most accurate population maps.
Because FeederWatchers count the number of individuals of each species they see several times throughout the winter, FeederWatch data are extremely powerful for detecting and explaining gradual changes in the wintering ranges of many species. In short, FeederWatch data are important because they provide information about bird population biology that cannot be detected by any other available method.
Population sizes of many species vary from year to year. Downward trends for two, three, or even more years may not indicate actual population declines; in fact, such trends may simply reflect short-term weather patterns or other variations in natural food supply and abundance. Sometimes, however, the data reveal a long-term population decline of a particular species. When bird population scientists become aware of such a trend, they evaluate what they know about the species, its habitat, and other factors that may be causing its decline. For example, is the species' food in short supply? Has the amount of suitable habitat changed on the species' breeding or wintering grounds? Has a potentially competitive species shown a population increase?
For example, FeederWatch data from Florida showed that the winter population of the Painted Bunting declined steadily since the 1980s. This information, combined with complementary data from the Breeding Bird Survey (showing that breeding populations of Painted Buntings have declined at a rate of about 4 percent per year) led the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission to begin a systematic monitoring program of bunting populations so they could learn how to protect them.
So, by combining all they know about a species from monitoring data and intensive research projects, scientists can begin to understand why a species is declining, and to make recommendations for its recovery before it is too late.
Project FeederWatch data are used to document and understand the distribution and abundance of birds that visit feeders in North America. In 2017 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Project FeederWatch, the Cornell Lab's Living Bird magazine published an article highlighting some of the things researchers have learned from FeederWatch data over the years.
The massive amounts of data collected by FeederWatchers across the continent help scientists understand
FeederWatch information and results are regularly published in
FeederWatch data were used for a book about backyard birds called Birds at Your Feeder. Sample pages of the book can be seen on Google Books.
FeederWatch data are also used to help Project FeederWatch participants and Lab of Ornithology members learn more about feeder birds through the project's annual publication, Winter Bird Highlights, which reports results from each season.
Project FeederWatch had its roots in Ontario in the mid-1970s. Through Canada's Long Point Bird Observatory, Erica Dunn established the Ontario Bird Feeder Survey in 1976. After a successful 10-year run with more than 500 participants, its organizers realized that only a continental survey could accurately monitor the large-scale movements of birds. Therefore, Long Point Bird Observatory decided to expand the survey to cover all of North America.
Realizing they would need a strong partner in this venture, Long Point approached the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and a perfect match was soon made. The Cornell Lab's connection to thousands of bird enthusiasts across the United States, its sophisticated computer systems, and Long Point's experience at managing feeder surveys made Project FeederWatch a hit from the start.
In the winter of 1987-88, more than 4,000 people enrolled. FeederWatchers represented every state in the U.S. except Hawaii and most provinces in Canada, especially Ontario. The dream to systematically survey winter feeder birds over a wide geographic range was in place.
Since then the number of project participants has grown to more than 20,000. Project FeederWatch continues to be a cooperative research project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada (formerly the Long Point Bird Observatory and later Bird Studies Canada).
Today, FeederWatch is a proven tool for monitoring the distribution and abundance of winter bird populations.
"Project FeederWatch taught me so much in such a short time. I loved feeding and watching the birds before, but now it is much more interesting and useful." Deborah Yesko, Cornelius, NC.
"Thank you for providing us with a motivation to really pay attention to our local bird populations. Winter weekends, especially snowy ones, go by very quickly when watching for birds!" Kathy and Steve Olsen, Holden, MA.
"We always wondered what kinds of birds were coming to our feeders, but it was hard to identify them with the books we have. Project FeederWatch was a fun way to learn their names, and your poster made it easy." Christopher Love, Latrobe, PA.
"Not only is our son learning from FeederWatch, but so are we! We have been amazed by what he can tell us about the birds at our feeder." Allison McLendon, Irmo, SC.
"When I became seriously injured in a car accident, I thought I would be unable to do FeederWatch. But I managed to maneuver my wheelchair to my 'bird watching window' to do my counts. It meant the world to me to be able to participate." Elizabeth Mescavage, Northampton, PA.
"I have 144 sixth grade students who FeederWatch. They are thrilled that scientists really use their data." Bob Welch, 6th grade teacher, Greenville, OH.
"Project FeederWatch gives our visitors another fun reason to bird watch at our nature center. Our volunteers work hard to count and record our birds, and they love it." Rebecca Hill-Larsen, Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, Liberty, MO.
Participants across North America are at the core of Project FeederWatch. But besides the army of citizen scientists collecting information on birds at their feeders, several people in the United States and Canada are responsible for archiving and analyzing the data and the day-to-day operation of the project. Project FeederWatch is administered in the United States by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and in Canada by Birds Canada.
Emma Greig, Project Leader, U.S.: Emma Greig joined Project FeederWatch in 2013. She manages all aspects of the project as well as reviewing flagged records, analyzing data, and writing scientific journal articles.
Anne Marie Johnson and Holly Faulkner, Project Assistants, U.S.: Anne Marie Johnson and Holly Faulkner do a great job of keeping FeederWatch running smoothly. Both write and edit printed materials, web pages, and eNews messages; answer email, phone calls, and letters; and much more. In addition, Anne Marie makes sure that research kits, renewal reminders, and other materials are designed, printed, inventoried, and mailed out while Holly coordinates and maintains our BirdSpotter Contest and Facebook page.
Kerrie Wilcox, Project Leader, Canada: Kerrie Wilcox took over Project FeederWatch at Birds Canada in the fall of 2005. She supervises all aspects of the project in Canada, as well as corresponding with participants, reviewing flagged records, and writing FeederWatch reports.
Kris Dobney and Rosie Kirton, Project Assistants, Canada: Rosie Kirton and Kris Dobney provide participant support. They mail out FeederWatch kits, inventory materials, answer calls about membership and more.
Volunteers, U.S.: In addition to relying on work study students and seasonal temporary staff, the successful operation of FeederWatch, particularly the processing of data forms, is absolutely dependent upon the generous help of volunteers. Shirley McAneny and Larry and Susan P. Newman help us process data and correspondence that come through the mail, ship research kits to participants, and many other things. We are deeply indebted to the service all the volunteers provide.
Additional Staff Support
The scientific and educational aspects of FeederWatch are overseen in the U.S. by the director of Citizen Science, David Bonter.
We are grateful to Wesley Hochachka for the tremendous scientific support he provides.
The online data entry was created by Birdsource staff, and the web pages and FeederWatch database are managed and maintained by Cornell Lab programmers.
The colorful and informative materials you see may have been written by the project staff, but the communications staff at the Cornell Lab often edit and design the materials before they hit the press. They also distribute press releases and help to promote the project.
All things must start somewhere, and your participation in FeederWatch usually starts at the membership office. The membership personnel in both countries enter your contact information into the database and ensure that your kits are sent to you after you sign up.
FeederWatch is truly a team effort. Many thanks to those who are involved every step of the way!


text:
Hello all!
It has been a while since I have posted here. I stop in fairly regularly to see if there is any action on Poco or Barca - I'll take either! - but I haven't seen anything in quite a long time unfortunately.
I was a frequent poster here a few years ago but I stopped using Pocomail when it became too difficult to continue without a few features that I really need: full HTML support and IMAP support.
I am using Thunderbird currently - but I'd really rather not. I purchased a Postbox lifetime license but I stopped using Postbox a few months after starting. It has a few features that Thunderbird doesn't, but very few actually. Sadly it also is missing a number of features that Thunderbird v.3 has and it cannot use most Thunderbird extensions. So I reluctantly went back to Thunderbird.
None have the features I miss most from Pocomail/Barca though. I would gladly pay for a new version of either if it had the features I need. I'm not that fussy - honest!
Slaven, Eric, Robin: I miss "talking" with you guys!
Take care and have a fantastic new year!


text:
New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. ~Hamilton Wright Mabie
I said this about last year, but I can't believe I'm already looking back on 2009. It was another fast year and another year full of knitting.
I finished a sweater this year:
Sadly, I haven't worn it because the yarn grew a lot and it's just too big. At some point I plan on ripping it out and using the yarn for a different sweater. (I adore this shade of green.)
I knit a blanket for a friend's baby:
I knit a dog walking hat for a friend's husband:
2009 was mostly the year of socks. I spent the first half of the year unemployed and I spent most of that time (when I wasn't job hunting) knitting socks:
I have more socks on the needles.
This pair is almost finished:
I'm anxious to finish these socks because I love the color:
I'm also anxious to finish these socks because I love this pattern and this yarn:
I started this scarf and hope to finish it by next winter (I'm back to being obsessed with socks so it's taken a back seat):
I started out the new year with my 365 project and the intent to document the year by posting one picture every day. I lasted 139 days before my camera broke. When the camera was repaired I had lost interest in the project. So, 2009 taught me that I'm not as interested in photography as I thought I was. I do like to take pictures, but (if forced to make a choice) I would rather do other things.
When I did my end-of-the-year post on 12/31/08, I had one big wish for 2009: to get through the year without any of my pets dying. I'm happy to say that my wish came true.
Sadie has lost 18 lbs. since I adopted her and has discovered that she loves to run:
Kishka spent a lot of time this year doing the things that she loves most.
Rolling in the grass:
Keeping the tennis ball away from Sadie:
And digging holes (note the dirty nose):
What did Romeo do this year? He bossed around his sisters and surveyed his kingdom.
I'll end this post (and this year) with one of my very favorite pictures. It was taken in the car on the way home from the dog park. They were both exhausted.
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. ~ Aristotle
Fall is in the air, so it's the perfect time for a new pair of socks to come off the needles.
These socks are called the Colorado Sunset socks. That's because these socks began as a picture I took last spring.
A couple of days later I set out to recreate the sunset colors in yarn.
The sock blank looked promising.
The socks delivered on that promise.
Never let the demands of tomorrow interfere with the pleasures and excitement of today. ~ Meredith Willson, The Music Man
My camera arrived home last week and I immediately broke in the new lens by (what else?) taking pictures of the dogs:
Shortly after the camera returned the dogs and I went hiking. Here are my favorite pictures (and video) from that trip:
Have you ever tried to pose a dog in front of a waterfall? It's quite amusing ("Sit. Stay. Look pretty. Good girl. No, stay. Don't look at the waterfall. Good girl. Stay there. Look at me. Good girl").
The entire photo/video set is here.
I have been on a sock knitting kick for months now and lately I've stopped being monogamous and have been spreading my sock love around. (I guess you could say I'm a sock knitting hussy.)
These three pairs of socks are being knit from yarn that I dyed:
This pair is from a sock blank I received in a swap:
I am test knitting this pattern for the designer (isn't it fantastic?):
I also have a blanket freshly on the needles:
I was absolutely overwhelmed and a little gobsmacked at the comments and emails that encouraged me to continue with my photo-a-day project. Thank you so much for your kind words and the inspiration to continue. I really appreciate it and you almost talked me into continuing the project. However, I have decided not to continue the project.
I enjoyed taking a lot of photos and I did learn a lot in the short time that I took a picture every day. However, the bottom line is that the commitment the project required ended up sucking a lot of fun out of both blogging and photography. I had many days where I happily snapped a ton of pictures. But, I also had more than a few days where I absolutely didn't feel like taking a single picture and did not enjoy the process at all.
The project did teach me something, though. Before the project I always had pictures I wanted to toss up on the blog, but I felt like if I posted a picture I needed to do a whole blog post about it and sometimes I just don't feel like talking (seriously). This project taught me that I can just post a picture and people will find it interesting.
So, moving forward I will sometimes do a 'proper' blog post and sometimes I'll just post pictures that I've taken.
But, before we move forward, I'm going to look back for a moment. I went through all of my photos of the day and these are my favorites:


text:
This short video was filmed at a class in July 2011. It looks at an application for the sequences immediately following the first "spear hand" strike in Kushanku (Kanku-Dai).
The sequence begins by controlling the enemy's arm and pushing it across. It is important to keep the enemy's arm high (i.e. the karateka's arm position should be similar to the kata) in order to open up one side and to prevent the enemy launching an effective strike with the other hand by making it difficult for them to turn inward. At the same time an open-hand strike is delivered to the enemy's kidneys (or base of skull in the Shotokan version).
A kick is then delivered to the shin. While the kick is often higher in the kata, it is important to remember that in application low kicks are more effective. The kata then instructs us to strike the base of the enemy's skull with the forearm and then pop the arm forward to add impact to a rising strike the face.
The chin and top of the head is then gripped as the body drives upward to aid the finishing neck crack. It should go without saying that this is a very dangerous technique and the neck should not be actually cranked in practise (notice how I let go). It's also important to remember that trying to attack the neck like this is unlikely to be justifiable in anything but the most extreme of circumstances and is presented here solely for information purposes.
I hope you find this quick clip of interest and I'll be sure share more with you all soon.
All the best,
PS If you would prefer to watch the video on Youtube, please click HERE
- 6354 reads


text:
Yamaha-built, low-emission single cylinder 60° incline OHV
Cooling system - Forced cooling
Splash-style positive oil
Oil capacity - 1.16 quart (1.1 l, 1,100 cc), Yamalube 10W -30 l
Overall with suntop - 71.81 in. (182.4 cm)
Overall without suntop - 48.54 in. (123.3 cm)
Front - Tru-Trak II™ fully independent automotive-style strut
Rear - Unit swing arm with DUAL RATE coil springs over hydraulic shock absorbers
Front - 20x10-10 4-ply Monitor K389
Rear - 20 x 10-10 4-ply Monitor K500
Front wheel tread - 40.27 in (102.3 cm)
Rear wheel tread - 40.19 in (102.1 cm)
Cargo bed capacity - 800 lb.
Cargo bed size (L x W x H) - 41.1 x 45.9 x 11.9 in.
Maximum forward - 19.5 mph (31.4 km/h)
Maximum reverse - 17.5 mph (28 km/h)
Glacier White
Jasper Metallic
Noble Orange Metallic
Carbon Metallic
Blue Aqua Metallic
Evergreen Metallic
HybriCore™ chassis features a robotic welded automotive ladder-style steel frame protected with a multi-step full-immersion phosphate treatment, electro-deposition epoxy-based coating, and an electrostatic applied polyester/urethane powder topcoat
Body - Custom-formulated thermoplastic olefin painted with a two-part top coat of high-luster automotive-grade polyurethane
Price, if shown and unless otherwise noted, represents the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) or dealer unit price and does not include government fees, taxes, dealer vehicle freight/preparation, dealer document preparation charges, labor, installation, or any finance charges (if applicable). MSRP and/or final sales price will vary depending on options or accessories selected; contact dealer for more details.
Images, where available, are presented as reasonable facsimiles of the offered unit and/or manufacturer stock images. Non-standard options or features may be represented. No guarantee of availability or inclusion of displayed options should be inferred; contact dealer for more details.


text:
The French election on Sunday went as expected, with a victory for Emmanuel Macron, a centrist with no real political experience.
A few days before the election, his opponent, the very conservative Marine LePen, said that one week later France would have a female leader, either Ms. LePen or Germany's Angela Merkel. As if to prove the point, Mr. Macron's first promise, to issue joint Eurobonds, was quickly over-ruled by Germany's leader. Germans are far more frugal than most other nations – the idea of issuing joint bonds with France is not going to come to fruition.
Macron is a very successful investment banker, with considerable personal wealth. He is likely to be successful in moving France's economy forward. He will certainly be an improvement over his socialist predecessor who is leaving office with a 4% approval rating. But he is not likely to solve France's immigration problem or the connected problem of domestic terrorism. In fact, he doesn't even seem to see these two problems.
The movement that brought him to power (En Marche – "On the move") is only now starting to form a political party, with only a few days before the elections for the French parliament. It is quite conceivable that Ms. LePen's National Front could dominate parliament and give M. Macron a hard time. M. Macron hasn't started yet, while Ms. LePen certainly isn't finished.
Macron has also been speaking out against Brexit, describing it as a "crime." That shows little respect for British democracy. A French lawyer is also trying to get Brexit cancelled on the grounds that the referendum was "illegal" – in effect, both men are saying that no matter how bad Europe is, you have to stay in it! The EU's dictatorial nature is becoming more and more apparent.
It is also increasingly clear that every nation in Europe has to bow to Berlin. Note the following:
Macron to hold talks with Merkel in Berlin on first day of new job Oliver Gee * email@example.com , 12 May 2017, The Local
Emmanuel Macron will head to Berlin on Monday – the day after he is inaugurated as the new president of France – to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The German leader had welcomed Macron's win in France, saying he "carries the hopes of millions of French people and also many in Germany and across Europe."
The 39-year-old had stressed his "common ground" with the German chancellor on economic reform, fiscal discipline and Europe's future. The former economy minister had also wanted to strengthen ties with Germany. The symbolism of Macron meeting Merkel on his first full day as president won't be lost on the far right Marine Le Pen who had criticized Macron for being pro-EU and said if he won then France will remain under Merkel's rule.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Thursday underlined common ground with Macron in Germany and France's bid to bolster the European Union, which has been buffeted by Britain's decision to quit the bloc.
Schaeuble said both he and Macron are in favor of creating a parliament for the 19-country eurozone. "A eurozone parliament could be set up, made up of European parliamentarians, which would have consultative powers" for moving forward the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)," Schaeuble said. (https://www.thelocal.de/20170512/macron-to-meet-merkel-in-berlin-on-first-day-of-new-job)
Germany's growing ties to Turkey are highlighted below. It brings back memories of the alliance between Germany and Turkey forged immediately prior to World War One. Germany seems to be replacing the US as Turkey's chief ally – a situation that will receive a further boost now that the US is supplying arms to the Kurds in the war against ISIS. Turkey has its own problem with the Kurds and does not want them to receive arms.
Germany is negotiating new arms deals with Turkey German-Foreign-Policy.com newsletter , 11 May 2017
BERLIN / ANKARA (Own report) – The German government is negotiating new German-Turkish arms deals, as was confirmed by the German Ministry of Economics. Brigitte Zypries (SPD), Minister of the Economy, spoke with the CEO of Rheinmetall weapons manufacturer about upgrading the Turkish Leopard battle tank. "In principle," such deals with NATO partners "can not to be restricted," according to Berlin. The German government is also seeking to re-invigorate German-Turkish economic cooperation, to strengthen bilateral relations. Germany does not want to lose Turkey as a "bridge" connecting Germany and the EU to the Middle East. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ankara is not only strengthening the country's economy and, in the long run, making it one of the world's top ten economies ("Vision 2023"), he is also planning to transform the country into an independent regional power, forming alliances as it chooses – no longer dependent on the western states.
The reorientation of its foreign policy is accompanied by the country's transformation into a presidential dictatorship.
Following the resignation of the OVP party leader from the governing coalition, another election in Austria is likely. This time, the right wing People's Party is doing well in the polls, which show they have more than 30% of the population behind them. The party, like other right-wing parties in Europe, is against Islamization and the arrival of millions of Muslim immigrants.
With the French and Dutch elections, we saw that European countries are out of line with the US and Britain.
We also see the remaining 27 countries of the EU sticking together – it's increasingly unlikely that any other nations will break away, especially as the EU seems determined to punish the UK for leaving the organization.
Thirdly, a clearer picture is emerging of Berlin's role as the leader in Europe.
Europe now is a German led super power, with a greater economic role than the US and with the potential to play a much bigger military role.


text:
Registration is now open for WKA's final Race Official Training and Certification in 2013.
The training will take place on Friday, April 5, and is being held in conjunction with the Manufacturers Cup and National Road Racing Series events at Carolina Motorsports Park.
The seminar will begin at 4:30 p.m. and should conclude by 8 p.m., including time to take the SFI/WKA certification exam. This schedule will allow any event competitors who wish to attend to complete Friday's practice session prior to reporting for the seminar.
This seminar is designed for national, divisional and local race and event officials. It is conducted in an interactive format allowing for questions and interaction with other participants.
Included are job descriptions for virtually every position on the event team including:
Race director
The cost for the WKA Race Official Training Seminar is $125. That includes the seminar, the SFI/WKA Certification examination and a WKA 2013 Technical Manual.
Those participants successfully completing the exam will receive a clothing patch and an ID card, and their names will be included on the list of SFI/WKA Certified Race Officials. The certification is good for two years.
To register for this seminar, call Marie Borsuk at WKA Headquarters, 704/455-1606 ext. 11. Participants must be WKA members in good standing and register in advance to attend.
For more information, visit www.worldkarting.com.
Search Site By Keyword
Recent News