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Constitutional Myths and Realities
Stephen Markham
Stephen Markman, who teaches constitutional law at Hillsdale College, was appointed by Governor John Engler in 1999 as Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and subsequently elected to that position. Prior to that he served as United States Attorney in Michigan (appointed by President George H. W. Bush); Assistant Attorney General of the United States (appointed by President Ronald Reagan), in which position he coordinated the federal judicial selection process; Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution; and Deputy Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Justice Markman has written for numerous legal journals, including the Stanford Law Review, the University of Chicago Law Review , the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform and the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. The following is adapted from a speech delivered on April 29, 2003, at a Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar in Dearborn, Michigan.
The United States has enjoyed unprecedented liberty, prosperity and stability, in large part because of its Constitution. I would like to discuss a number of myths or misconceptions concerning that inspired document.
Myth or Misconception 1: Public policies of which we approve are constitutional and public policies of which we disapprove are unconstitutional.
Governments may, and often do, carry out unwise public policies without running afoul of the Constitution. As a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, I often uphold policies that have been enacted in the state legislature, or by cities and counties and townships, that I believe are unwise. But lack of wisdom is not the test for what is or is not constitutional, and lack of wisdom is not what allows me—a judge, not the adult supervisor of society—to exercise the enormous power of judicial review and strike down laws that have been enacted by "we the people" through their elected representatives. Redress for unwise public policies must generally come as the product of democratic debate and at the ballot box, not through judicial correction.
Myth or Misconception 2: The Constitution principally upholds individual rights and liberties through the guarantees of the Bill of Rights.
Many of the Founders, including James Madison, believed that a Bill of Rights was unnecessary because the Constitution's architecture itself was sufficient to ensure that national power would not be abused. As Alexander Hamilton remarked in Federalist 84, "the Constitution is itself, in every rational sense, and to every useful purpose, a Bill of Rights." And practically speaking, until 1925, the Bill of Rights was not even thought to apply to the states, only to Congress; yet the individual rights of our citizens remained generally well protected.
Myth or Misconception 3: The national government and the state governments are regulated similarly by the Constitution.
Today the Bill of Rights has been construed by the U.S. Supreme Court to apply to the states, creating more uniform and more centralized constitutional policy. It remains true, however, that the impact of the Constitution upon the national and state governments varies substantially.
Myth or Misconception 4: Federalism is the same thing as states rights.
In popular use, "state's rights" has had a checkered history. Before the Civil War, it was the rallying cry of southern opponents of proposals to abolish or restrict slavery. By the 20th century, it had become the watchword of many of those who supported segregation in the public schools, as well as those who criticized generally the growing power of the central government.
While I share the view that federal power has come to supplant "state's rights" in far too many areas of governmental responsibility, "state's rights" are truly rights only where an examination of the Constitution reveals both that the national government lacks the authority to act and that there is nothing that prohibits the state governments from acting. There is no "state right," for example, for one state to impose barriers on trade coming from another, or to establish a separate foreign policy. These responsibilities are reserved to the national government by the Constitution.
Myth or Misconception 5: The Constitution is a document for lawyers and judges.
One reason I believe that the Constitution, as well as our laws generally, should be interpreted according to the straightforward meaning of their language, is to maintain the law as an institution that belongs to all of the people, and not merely to judges and lawyers. Let me give you an illustration: One creative constitutional scholar has said that the requirement that the president shall be at least 35 years of age really means that a president must have the maturity of a person who was 35 back in 1789 when the Constitution was written. That age today, opines this scholar, might be 30 or 32 or 40 or 42. The problem is that whenever a word or phrase of the Constitution is interpreted in such a "creative" fashion, the Constitution—and the law in general—becomes less accessible and less comprehensible to ordinary citizens, and more the exclusive province of attorneys who are trained in knowing such things as that "35" does not always mean "35."
One thing, by the way, that is unusual in the constitutional law course that I teach at Hillsdale College is that we actually read the language of the Constitution and discuss its provisions as we do so. What passes for constitutional law study at many colleges and universities is exclusively the study of Supreme Court decisions. While such decisions are obviously important, it is also important to compare what the Supreme Court has said to what the Constitution says. What is also unusual at Hillsdale is that, by the time students take my course, they have been required to study such informing documents as the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, Washington's First Inaugural Address—and, indeed, the Constitution itself.
Myth or Misconception 6: The role of the judge in interpreting the Constitution is to do justice.
I recall one judicial confirmation hearing a number of years ago when I was working for the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nominee was asked, "If a decision in a particular case was required by law or statute and yet that offended your conscience, what would you do?" The nominee answered, "Senator, I have to be honest with you. If I was faced with a situation like that and it ran against my conscience, I would follow my conscience." He went on to explain: "I was born and raised in this country, and I believe that I am steeped in its traditions, its mores, its beliefs and its philosophies, and if I felt strongly in a situation like that, I feel that it would be the product of my very being and upbringing. I would follow my conscience." To my mind, for a judge to render decisions according to his or her personal conscience rather than the law is itself unconscionable.
Myth or Misconception 7: The great debate over the proper judicial role is between judges who are activist and judges who are restrained.
I would prefer to characterize the contemporary judicial debate in terms of interpretivism verses non-interpretivism. In doing this, I would borrow the description of the judicial power used by Chief Justice John Marshall, who 200 years ago in Marbury v. Madison stated that it is the duty of the judge to say what the law is, not what it ought to be (which is the province of the legislature). For the interpretivist, the starting point, and usually the ending point, in giving meaning to the law are the plain words of the law. This is true whether we are construing the law of the Constitution, the law of a statute, or indeed the law of contracts and policies and deeds. In each instance, it is the duty of the judge to give faithful meaning to the words of the lawmaker and let the chips fall where they may.
One prominent illustration of the differing approaches of interpretivism and non-interpretivism arises in the context of the constitutionality of capital punishment. Despite the fact that there are at least six references in the Constitution to the possibility of capital punishment—for example, both the 5th and 14th Amendments assert that no person shall be "deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law," from which it can clearly be inferred that a person can be deprived of these where there is due process—former Justice William Brennan held, in dissent, that capital punishment was unconstitutional on the grounds apparently that, since 1789, there had arisen an "evolving standard of decency marking the progress of a maturing society" on whose behalf he spoke. Purporting to speak for "generations yet unborn," Justice Brennan substituted his own opinions on capital punishment for the judgments reached in the Constitution by the Founders. His decision in this regard is the embodiment, but certainly not the only recent example, of non-interpretivism.
Myth or Misconception 8: The Constitution is a living document.
Our Constitution would be an historical artifact—a genuinely dead letter—if its original sense became irrelevant, to be replaced by the views of successive waves of judges and justices intent on "updating" it, or replacing what some judges view as the "dead hand of the past" with contemporary moral theory. This is precisely what the Founders sought to avoid when they instituted a "government of laws, not of men."
There is no charter of government in the history of mankind that has more wisely set forth the proper relationship between the governed and their government than the American Constitution. For those of us who are committed to constitutional principles and fostering respect for that document, there is no better homage that we can pay it than to understand clearly its design and to take care in the manner in which we describe it.
Copyright © 2005. Reprinted by permission from IMPRIMIS, the national speech digest of Hillsdale College, www.hillsdale.edu.
Copyright 2003 by David Rodeback.


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There's nothing more relaxing than having a cup of tea or coffee while enjoying the beauty of nature in the great outdoors. there's always that perfect-size kettle to prep you up– the Overmont Camping Kettle.
This sturdy pour-over kettle is safe to use for everyone since it has no hidden chemicals. it is FDA certified and made from food-grade materials. Its construction is that of hard-anodized aluminum, which makes it last for years to come. Likewise, this kettle has a durable anti-slip bottom that is resistant to wear and high temperature.
The safety and comfort of the user are at the forefront of the design of the Overmont Camping Kettle. Insulated plastic encased the ergonomic handle to protect the hand from the heat, thus preventing burns.
Moreover, the edges of the lid and mouth have a rolling design that prevents water from sputtering over when it's boiling and the spout has a pointed continental shape for an easy steam exit. All these measures ensure safety and prevent the risk of injury from scalding water.
As for its functionality, the Overmont Camping Kettle heats water fast. It only takes 3-5 minutes to boil water on an open fire. It is lightweight at just a pound and comes in two sizes. The small size is just 7.8 ounces while the large kettle weighs 11.1 ounces, with a water capacity of .8L and 1.2L, respectively. It is also travel-friendly and has its own carrying case that fits in your backpack.Buy Here
Photos Courtesy of Overmont

subset: commoncrawl


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Reagan Elementary celebrated Hmong New Year yesterday. One of our teachers has a collection of authentic Hmong dress and much of the staff dressed up for the occassion. We had a huge Hmong potluck and great assemblies. Kari came over in the morning to take a picture with me and the boys. It was a fun day to celebrate an amazing culture!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Happy Hmong New Year!
Posted by Robb at 6:42 AM
1 comment:
- jennifer said...
the picture is great, of course
the costumes are great - where did you get them all?
did any ladies wear a hat like that for the duration of the school day?
i think my favorite part of the picture is the line of shoes across the bottom. it looks like you posed everyone's feet just right as if you planned especially to to a panoramic banner on your blog.
- December 18, 2008 at 9:03 PM
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Filter plates
Filter systems with large filtration areas employ flat elements in the form of filter plates. The vast majority of these are operated as precoat filters.
GKD produces new filter plates as spare parts for these systems and also offers repairs of used filter plates. We use conventional production methods such as riveted plates, yet also employ our innovative Neverleak production technology. The required filters and supporting meshes are produced at GKD and comply with the strictest quality standards in terms of exact retention rates and mechanical strength.
Technical details and services
- Available for all standard Niagara filter systems, such as AMA, US filters
- LFC and Mahle
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- Production of new units and repair of used units
Do you need advice or more info?
Then contact a GKD specialist now.Write e-mail


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Element: Fire
Quality: Fixed
Color: Gold, Yellow, Orange
Day: Sunday
Ruler: Sun
Greatest Overall Compatibility: Aquarius, Gemini
Lucky Numbers: 1, 3, 10, 19
Date range: July 23 - August 22
Leo, you are a true pleasure seeker, and 2017 promises to bring you a great deal of that which you love most, my friend. Your rewards will come as you show the Universe that you can control your ego and lessen the drama in your life. For you, Leo, all of life is a stage! Sometimes, this point of view works very well for you, as it brings you all of the wonderful attention that you crave, but at other times, this dramatic philosophy brings you distress.
This year, Leo, only accept the starring roles, and learn to weed out all of the bad scripts. In February, with Jupiter retrograde in Virgo, you will begin to be tested, as a number of obstacles will face you, involving money, family and career. Don't get overheated, angry and demanding, my fiery friend, during these trials. Instead, take a softer approach and try to listen to the other side. This approach will help you sail smoothly through these trials. In August, you will find yourself feeling on fire, Leo. You will be burning to try something new, whether it be in love or business, but this is not the time to blaze, my friend.
Take it easy and don't be too aggressive with any endeavor. You will find a less aggressive approach will bring you more reward this time. When December rolls around, Leo, you can relight your fire. This is the time to try that crazy, new adventure which you have recently been pondering. This year, it's all about you learning to control your fire. There will be times to burn bright and times to let your embers cool. You will discover the difference throughout 2017, Leo, and your heart, mind and body will be stronger than ever before!
Leo Yearly Prediction 2018
The year is to offer encouraging opportunities to make lateral as well vertical growth in your pursuit. At the same time some obstructive forces are also to be there, cautions the Leo Horoscope 2018. You need to be prepared to accept new challenges and take more responsibilities here.
Leo 2018 Horoscope in a Nutshell
Lion being king likes to dominate, steal the show and make his presence being acknowledged, according to the 2018 Leo Horoscope. Planets at the beginning seem to be well aligned to push ahead your prospects in general. All the same, some strong obstructive forces are also to be at work, cautions the Leo Yearly Horoscope 2018. Lack of coordination at work place in day to day activities can slow down process of progress. You are to have your lesson to learn here, as per the Leo in 2018 Horoscope. Just do not rush on viewing lucrative looking opportunity. Remember the saying "Bite only which you can chew" comfortably, informs the Leo Horoscope 2018. This means access your capacity well enough before signing the contract, instructs the Leo 2018 Horoscope. Benevolent Jupiter is to keep facilitating opportunity for growth throughout the year. At the same time presence of tough task master Saturn in own earthly sign Capricorn, is to make you learn lesson in practicality, indicates the Leo Yearly Horoscope 2018. Ignore Saturn's prompting at your own risk. Notable transits this year is about transit of dashing Mars (being most favorable planet for your sign) and dear Venus. Transit of Mars through its sign of exaltation Capricorn and last of fixed natured airy sign Aquarius is to play substantial role in keeping your busier to keep your stocks afloat, feels the Leo in 2018 Horoscope. Venus enters its own sign that cultured airy sign Libra from second week of August, informs the Leo Horoscope 2018. From here on period till end of the year is to give enough fresh opportunity to work upon for enhancing your prospects in general.
Leo 2018 Horoscope: Mars Transit
Most favorable planet for your sign aggressive Mars enters last of airy sign Aquarius, in the seventh house from around mid of May.
Mars turns retrograde from around 27th June and enters its sign of exaltation Capricorn in retrograde mode from around mid of August, in the sixth house.
Mars becomes direct in motion from around end of August and reenters Aquarius from around mid of September, in the seventh house.
Leo 2018 Horoscope: Venus Transit
Venus enters its other own sign airy Libra in the third house from seventh August.
Around tenth September Venus enters watery sign Scorpio and turns retrograde therein from sixth October. This is in the fourth from your sign.
Venus reenters own sign Libra, in retrograde mode from second November. Venus becomes direct in motion from 16th November in Libra.
Venus reenters Scorpio from around 3rd December and remains therein till end of the year.
Leo 2018 Horoscope: Jupiter Transit
Benevolent Jupiter remains in a passionate and mystical fix natured watery sign Scorpio along with Ruler of the sign Mars in the fourth house, from your sign, at the beginning.
Jupiter turns retrograde from around ninth March. Jupiter becomes direct in motion from around eleventh of July.
Jupiter enters own sign that dual natured, highly optimistic fiery sign Sagittarius from ninth November, in the fifth house from your sign.
Leo 2018 Horoscope: Saturn Transit
Wily Saturn is in charge of seventh house related to confirmed relationship and day to day activities. Saturn is in own sign that overly cautious, earthly Capricorn in combust state along with Combust Venus and mighty Sun, in the sixth house, at the beginning. Saturn comes out from state of combustion from second week of January.
Saturn turns retrograde from 18th April and becomes Direct from around sixth September. Saturn remains in Capricorn for whole of the year, and posited in the sixth house.These predictions are based on your Sun Sign, so you may not get the detailed picture about the entire year.
Leo 2018 Horoscope: Rahu-Ketu Transits
Rahu (north node) is in a fiery sign Leo and Ketu is in Aquarius in the first and seventh house respectively at the beginning of the year.
Rahu changes sign to enter a movable watery sign Cancer and Ketu shifts into Capricorn in the 12th and the sixth house respectively.


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Previously on Once Upon a Time… Anna of Arendelle seeks to find new answers about where her parents went, and she comes to realize that they were looking for a way to control her sister, Elsa, and her hidden magic. On the surface Elsa appeared to be just like every royal princess, but deep inside her magical powers compelled her parents to protect both themselves and her from her magic. Meanwhile Regina, the once cruel and self righteous queen, sought the help of her son Henry in finding the author of the Once Upon a Time book, in order to write herself a happy ending. But at what cost to everyone else? Lastly, and most prominently in this episode, Hook reveals his knowledge about the dagger Belle has as being a fake.
Continue reading below if you want to see what becomes of the sisters Anna and Elsa and the bond of love that compels them to see the good in each other. Also, now that Operation Mongoose is in effect, what will Henry and Regina discover in Regina's vault, and how will they start to reveal the true identity of the author of the Once Upon a Time book. Lastly, with Emma and Hook coming to terms with the risks that are involved in them being a couple, what will Hook demand of Rumple now that he can black mail him to Belle.
This week we'll delve deep into the Once Upon a Time universe, and see the highlights of this weeks chapter. We see some conflicts and how they have some short term implications and long term ramifications. We'll also consider the stories that were planted this week and what they may mean towards the story as a hold. Lastly, what might be in treat for us over the course of the rest of the season.
The strongest element of this show this week, being the Disney fan that I am, was when the Fantasia episode of the Sorcerer's Apprentice came to the fore front and Sorcerer's Mickey's hat made an appearance. With that appearance they started to unveil the driving factor behind the new season, which is the power that the sorcerer's hat embodies. The great thing was that the hat was used in the initial scene to show the history behind the previous Dark Ones who had tried to get a pandora's box of sorts in order to take the hat.
Rumplestilskin revealed by the end of the episode that the power of the sorcerer's hat and that was to take away magic from others, and with it out of the hands of it's protector that nothing would stand in his way. To what ends, one could only imagine how far the Dark One would go. This throwback to the early days of Walt Disney Animation Studios, really made me appreciate Adam and Eddy's ingenuity in bringing something new to each season. How this hat will be used in future conflicts is something worth exploring further.
The main conflict in this episode was Captain Hook coming to terms with his inner bad boy, or swash buckling matey of sorts, in order to become the man he believes Ms. Emma Swan longs for him to be. At the beginning of the episode, Hook revealed that he wanted to have the sweet sensation of touch by his love interest, Emma. So since Hook knew about Rumple lying to Belle about the fact that she didn't have the real dagger, Hook convinced Rumple to give him this hand back.
With that though he planted the seed that with his hand, his alter ego as the rugged commanding pirate would prevail, and that Emma would see Killian aka Captain Hook for whom he actually was. Over the course of the episode Killian's violent and impulsive streak did come out, and although he ended up giving his hand back to Rumple, it was revealed that the hand had no magical properties and that Captain Hook's inner dark side had started to come out, despite his attempts to be Emma's dream man he soon became beholden to Rumple rekindling their bitter rivalry and the conflict with it.
One of the stories that they planted this week was the opening of the Operation Mongoose storyline, and how Regina will seek to redeem her name, to what ends or with what her intent is in writing herself a happy ending only time will tell, but it is clear the Henry and Regina's familial relationship will play a role. This week Regina made it preeminently clear that she "didn't have anything that could cure Maid Marion's curse". Yet it was only a matter of time before Henry "came to the decision" that he should befriend Mr. Gold, his biological grandfather, and start gathering intelligence around his grandfather's pawn store. This will have long term implications to Henry's relationship to Emma his biological mother because Regina may rewrite Henry's relationship with Emma entirely. In terms of the Snow Queen who knows how this book, or it's author, may be used against the Snow Queen, Elsa, or the citizenry of Storybrooke as a whole.
One of the long term dynamics that they created in this episode was the relationship between Anna and Rumplestiltskin and how far he will go to use his contract that she signed with him towards his own ends. As we continue to look back into time and make sense of where Anna is or what happened to her after Elsa had last saw her, the founding of the relationship between the Dark One and Anna seemed to have some true intensity as Anna broke down feeling completely helpless as Rumple pushed her to her breaking point as he sought to gain control of the pandora's box that controlled the Sorcerer's Apprentice's hat. When Anna finally makes her appearance in Storybrooke, we will see how the binding relationship between Anna and Rumplestiltskin will impact her upon her return into Elsa's life.
Looking forward into the Halloween themed episode it seems like there is nothing but all of the subconscious coming to the fore as Emma and Regina's relationship comes into question. Lastly, the most haunting thing was that the Snow Queen told Elsa that "she was going to build a snowman" alluding to the popular song "Do You Want To Build a Snowman?", demonstrating the wickedness of the Snow Queen. Finally the only big reveal from this week was that the Snow Queen had come to our realm before the curse was first cast. How was that possible considering the Fairytale Characters had never even heard of our realm. Tune in next week to find out more about Emma's connection to the Snow Queen, and what came of Elsa's sister Anna.


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We are open - safety is our top priority!
Smile Gallery
Smile Makeovers are a popular means of giving you the smile you've always dreamed of. You can see examples of smile makeovers in both the Porcelain Veneers and Aesthetic Crowns sections.
Aesthetic Crowns
Porcelain fused to metal crowns rarely look good on front teeth. They're too opaque.
Much better!
Carmen did not want a full smile makeover. Her main concern were the crowns on her two front teeth.
Much more natural looking!
John's front teeth were dark and chipped. When there are several different shades going on with a patient's smile, the ideal approach with smile makeovers is to restore all of the visible teeth. Sometimes finances rule that option out. Here is a good example of treating a minimal number of teeth, and finding a shade that "blends in" to the many different shades nearby.
Empress crowns look very natural!
Norma's case is very similar to Carmen above. She did not want a smile makeover, but only a few crowns.
CEREC CAD/CAM technology has been under continuous development since the mid-80′s. It can be used to make several different types of all-ceramic restorations, such as full or partial coverage crowns, porcelain veneers, and porcelain inlays (fillings). The vast majority of the time we only need a single visit to complete the case.
These restorations can be polished to a very high shine, and look very nice. However, if the doctor has his own porcelain oven with a variety of porcelain tints/shades, the results can be spectacular. Dr. Quevedo has the full set-up to custom match most shades and then glaze the restoration to make them look and feel so much better than merely polishing them.
Notice the vertical cracks!
Pre-Op side view
The Cerec crown after glazing
After bonding in place
Carlos presented with a molar cracked in several different places. It was in danger of splitting in two!
Richard walked in with a missing L Porcelain Veneer two days before Christmas!
We scanned the R lateral incisor and the computer generated a mirror image of it
Post Op
Notice how it makes the two lateral incisors symmetrical.
Richard came to our office two days before Christmas for the very first time. He had abnormally small lateral incisors that had been restored with porcelain veneers 2-3 years earlier…and now the left one had fallen off. Since it was broken he did not bring it with him. Here's how he looked. With Cerec, Dr. Quevedo was able to scan the veneer on the right side and make a mirror image of it to place on the left side. Thanks to Cerec AC, Richard did not have to worry about looking snaggle-toothed for all those Christmas pictures! When you need a crown or veneer in a hurry, absolutely nothing solves the problem as easily as Cerec.
My dental assistant Joy wanted me to replace some of her old amalgam fillings with porcelain inlays. Here are the before and after photos of some we did on the top as well as some on the bottom arch.
Clear Aligners
Clear aligners such as Invisalign and Clear Correct are a great way to correct mild to moderate orthodontic issues without dealing with brackets and wires. The results are not as predictable as using brackets and wires, but not everyone is willing to go that route. Here are some cases to let you see how great you can look.
Learn more about clear aligners
Composite and Porcelain Fillings
Dr. Quevedo's first prize winning anterior case. Pre-op.
Composite resins (white fillings) look great, and have many advantages over dental amalgam (silver-mercury) fillings. They are more technique sensitive to do than amalgams…but when done properly…they last a long time. The best, most natural composites are created in layers that mimic not only the shade of the tooth, but the opacity versus translucency of the tooth. We'll begin by showing you the four front teeth Dr. Quevedo did for Steve, which were entered into an international competition. Dr. Quevedo's first prize winning anterior case.
Additional Examples
Direct Bonding
Skye is a pretty young lady who accidently bumped her front tooth. She is too young to ever consider porcelain veneers or crowns….so bonding some composite resin directly onto the teeth makes perfect sense.
Mayra also broke her right front tooth. She also has excessive wear on her left front tooth that has caused it to look uneven. Mayra did not want her gap closed or the left front tooth bonded to level it out yet. We'll get to that when she's ready.
We'll begin with the front six. Rome wasn't built in a day!
Decay removal begun
Close up of decay removal
He can keep these clean now!
Mike is an extreme case. Years of neglect had done a lot of damage. We began with four of his front teeth, knowing that it was the beginning of a LONG journey. When things get this bad, you need to focus on removing decay and creating smooth contours and surfaces that can be more easily cleaned/maintained. As you might imagine, flossing is impossible when you have big holes on the sides of your teeth! You'll notice there wasn't much left of his left lateral incisor after removing all the decay. Dr. Quevedo had to literally "free hand" this patient a new tooth out of composite resin. Not an easy task. This patient ultimately needed crowns for most of these teeth, along with treatment for the gum disease. As I already mentioned, the patient needs to look nice in the interim and they also need to be able to adequately clean their teeth. This is easier to do with smooth, clean surfaces.
Laser Dentistry
We have two lasers in our office that allow us to do many different types of procedures. The Powerlase AT is both a hard tissue and soft tissue laser, which means it can cut hard things like teeth and bone, as well as soft things like the gums.
We do many of our small to medium sized fillings with no anesthesia using the Powerlase AT. Our amazing Periolase MVP-7 is used only for treatment of soft tissues, especially with respect to treating periodontal infections. With either of these lasers we can:
- Treat canker sores and fever blisters. Laser treatment takes away the pain and clears them up in about half the time.
- Remove small growths called fibromas.
- Do frenectomies…removing those thin little pieces of skin that tie down the lips or tongue in some patients.
No shots were needed to comfortably remove this fibroma.
No bleeding and no stitches, either!
Learn more about laser dentistry
Porcelain Veneers & Smile Makeovers
First of all, we had to remove those four dark bonded bridges, and then close the spaces and correct rotated teeth with Invisalign.
Then we whitened her teeth with Opalesence and began the process of placing new crowns and porcelain veneers as described above.
Donna is a good example of a Smile Makeover. Her old dentist removed all four of her first premolars and filled in the gaps with dark bonded metal bridges. She was very unhappy with them, and wanted to lighten her teeth and get a prettier smile while she was at it with some porcelain veneers. You can see her video testimonial on the Testimonials page.
Nyda's smile pre-op
Nyda's new smile!
Nyda had a fairly nice smile, but the shape and shading was irregular from tooth to tooth, so she wanted a smile makeover to even things out.
John's smile pre-op
John's new smile!
It isn't only the ladies who want a more esthetic smile! John had some dark teeth that were chipped. A combination of whitening his teeth and then placing some porcelain veneers and one crown was all it took!
Audrey's smile at the beginning
Audrey's new veneers made a huge difference!
Audrey also wanted to brighten up her smile and take care of some old, stained resin fillings.


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2014 Acura MDX
The 2014 Acura MDX is the third generation of the seven passenger, 3-line, luxury crossover SUV. In 2013 North Show American International cars, Acura introduced the new 2014 MDX as car model and did not show in the truck, but did not provide many details about the features that the new 2014 MDX offer when it goes on sale in the summer of 2013.
For Acura, a key focus for 2014 Acura MDX improves fuel economy. To ensure this next generation version of the popular crossover achieves better fuel efficiency, design automaker used what they call "Sculpture Aero" which improves aerodynamics by 16% over the previous model said. 2014 Acura MDX will seat seven passengers in what Acura reputation as an interior more spacious and quiet. Although Acura showed no instance in MDX, the automaker stated that the 2014 MDX model wheelbase is longer, helping to increase legroom in the back seat and improve access to the third row of seats crossover organization.
2014 Acura MDX Features
Acura did not disclose details about the 2014 Acura MDX r discuss alignment standard and optional equipment in great detail. However, the automaker confirmed that the all-wheel drive is optional 2014 Acura MDX instead of the standard, and that the new crossover SUV new JewelEye offer LED headlights as an option. Acura also plans to offer high-quality audio system as well as several new safety technologies.
2014 Acura MDX when it goes on sale this summer, will have a new direct injection 3.5-liter V -6 engine delivers power to the front wheels of the vehicle. Horsepower and torque ratings were not disclosed in Detroit, however, 2014 Acura RLX now joins a new engine, which produces 310 horse-power and 272 lb.-ft of torque. Variable Cylinder Management technology turns off half the cylinders of the engine under management under load, such as when driving at high speed at times, road or afford, in an effort to save fuel.
Acura Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive System – (SH – AWD) is optional to 2014 Acura MDX. However, the automaker does not clarify whether the SH-AWD is standard engine with V – 6, 2014 and the new RLX flagship sedan, or included as part of the propulsion and more powerful and fuel-efficient gasoline-electric hybrid.
2014 Acura MDX Safety
2014 Acura MDX says he's going to be a structure II Advanced Compatibility Engineering body, designed to enhance the protection of the residents of the truck in the collision. In addition, the 2014 MDX offered a collision warning system in front – line departure warning system, Lane Keeping Assist System, an information system and blind spots, and work control system and low speed cruise capability continuously.
2014 Acura MDX Technology
The 2014 Acura MDX is drawn to connect the new generation and Acura-Link telematics system, technology integration, smart based on the cloud that enables a Pandora streaming internet radio, SMS text messaging and email capabilities, real-time traffic and road surface information condition, and services such as stolen vehicle tracking and notification of airbag deployment.


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The space and facilities at Astor Center continue to make for the best venue to attend food related events in New York City. Ruhlman and Keller were fun to watch, even if Ruhlman did occaisionally sound like the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer from Saturday Night Live:
"Mr. Keller, you mean to tell me that you seal food in plastic bags and put them in hot water? Won't we die of botulism or PVC poisoning? Your modern cooking techniques frighten and confuse me. Which demons did you sell your soul to in order to remove all of the oxygen from that bag."
Yes, I know, this was a softball so that Keller could hit a home run on the safety answer for a crowd that probably does think like The Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. It was still entertaining.
Usually I think of sous vide as a temperature precise poach utilizing vaccuum sealed product. Keller's definition of sous-vide was broader than that, and slightly more focused on 'things you can do with vacuum sealing':
- Storage. Everyone is familiar with this. Vacuum sealing is common in food that we buy in grocery stores.
- Compression. Utilizing professional vacuum sealers to break down food by putting it under even amounts of pressure. You cannot achieve this with food savers/seal-a-meals.
- Marination. Utilizing a vacuum sealed environment to increase the effectiveness and reduce the amount of time of marination.
- Cooking. The classic sous-vide definition (see above, or see this post).
Keller did say that he thinks sous vide for the home will be available in applianceform within 5 years. Which is something I totally agree with. Of course, he has the advantage of having spoken to Kenmore and Viking about the subject.
The book is beautiful, and I am sure I am going to learn a lot when I read the whole thing. At first glance, it isn't particularly useful for the home chef, even the ones forward thinking enough to own an immersion circulator or a PID controller like Auberins or Fresh Meals Solutions products.
Why? Because the book also makes heavy use of compression, a technique that requires a chamber vacuum sealer, which costs about $2000 and also takes up a fair amount of space. Which is kind of weird, because I am going to guess that about 10% of the audience has a shot of using this cook book. I doubt you are going to see Carol start a 'Carol Under Pressure' blog... Drats.
The fact that Keller and Ruhlman wrote this book makes one thing abundantly clear:
Sous vide cookery is simply an idea whose time has come.


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We assess the student's capabilities and strengths in particular areas, which helps us to identify various options for the students. And thus students can choose a program from these options and identify institutions of their choice. Many students feel that they cannot do IT or Computer Science programs if they have their degrees in the fields other than Computer Science or IT. But it is not true as there are programs through which students without Computer or IT background can do their studies at master level in Computer or IT fields.
There are a number of other queries, such as the outcome of the course, value for your money and so on, which we believe cannot be answered through correspondence. Therefore, we encourage students and parents to meet us personally and have answer to all of their questions. However we are providing info on some of the most common questions from students.
Our services such as E-lodgements of visa applications are FREE OF COST.
Interested students should advise us of their address so that we can invite them for free counseling during the next visit of our Director or Senior Counselors to their cities.


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Happy New Year! Yeah, I know I'm late to the New Years party, but time to write is scarce these days. Better late than never, am I right?
2016 was a DOOZY. Surgeries and goodbyes and re-immigration and last-minute-border-runs and house buying and destroying and rebuilding and a new school and new friends and new boys and wow. Good job, 2016, you definitely gave us a run for our money.
Upward and onward! Welcome, 2017!
I'm one of those people who loves the fresh start of a new year. I'm not super disciplined. I'm not terribly organized. BUT, I love the chance to start again. I like making New Years Resolutions. I know that I'll fail at some (or most) of them, but why not give them a go? At least I'll do well for part of the year…and that's better than not doing well at all…right? And sometimes the resolutions stick, and then our whole family is better for it.
For me it's not so much about making a set list of resolutions, as much as it is reprioritizing and rebalancing the craziness that is our overseas life. It feels like there is so much of our lives that is out of our control in every way: residency documents, government officials, new laws, cultural differences, blah blah blah. I think it's good to find a balance and try to do better with the things in our life that we DO have control over: how we spend our time, how we spend our money, how we raise our children….and on and on. I love the new year for a fresh look at those things.
This year I have two personal goals that I really want to focus on: Improving my Ukrainian language (spoken and written) and faithfully spending time in God's Word.
I have other goals involving mothering and being a wife, but I won't go into those at the moment.
Oh Ukrainian language, why do you haunt me so? Why you gotta be so dang hard? Why you gotta have so many endings and conjugations? Oh Zhytomyr, why you gotta be so linguistically confused? Why can't everyone in this city speak the same language? WHY????
Those are the questions I ask myself approximately 473 times per day. You have no idea how often I yell out in anger: "Why can't we live in some place like France where all the people SPEAK FRENCH?????" Ha! This post makes me sound like I have anger issues…and when it comes to language learning, maybe I do. Don't judge.
You see, we live in a region of the country that is linguistically "in-between". You can travel to Eastern Ukraine or Southern Ukraine and find many people speaking Russian. You can travel to Western Ukraine and find many people speaking Ukrainian. You travel to our region (the middle'ish') and get a mix of it all (I can't vouch for that website, I just linked to the map as a visual). Well, no matter where you go in Ukraine you will find a mix, honestly, it's just not very cut and dry anywhere. On any given day I will hear conversations in full-on Russian, then full-on Ukrainian, then, most of the time, in full-on Surzhyk. Surzhyk is the name of the mix of Russian and Ukrainian together. It would be extremely rare to hear someone speaking clean Ukrainian in our city. Most people who speak Ukrainian around these parts actually speak a form of Surzhyk. So, in all actuality, we need to learn two languages, and then learn to mix them. Shoot me now.
We study Ukrainian instead of Russian because our kids go to school and school is taught in Ukrainian. Our team mostly all speak Russian to each other, so that stinks, but as a family we all have to be learning the same language. We just have to. After some hit and miss lessons over the past couple of years I have decided to really dig in to language studies with my whole self. I have found the most amazing teacher that I love love love. I love her as a person and as a teacher. She 'gets' me and my learning style. She thinks outside the box and really challenges me. I ADORE our lessons together. Thank you Jesus for the gift of my teacher! A good language teacher is the best thing ever. My language has exploded since we started our lessons and I'm just so happy. I go to lessons twice a week and then am committed to study for at least one hour 5 days per week. It should be more than that, but I also go to Romaniv and have five kids and we're building a house and yeah, let's not shoot too high. I so desperately want to be able to share my heart with people. I want to be known, and language hinders that so much. Language is everything and when you don't have it…well your quality of life really suffers. Wish me luck!
Let's be honest: I have always stunk at reading my Bible. I know the Bible. I know so much about it. I was raised in a Christian home and went to Christian school. I know all the stories, I know tons of verses, I know who wrote which book and all that jazz. I'm well versed in the Bible. (did you catch that one? hehe) BUT, as an adult I have never gone for more than a month or two at a time of faithfully reading my Bible. It has been hit and miss for years. I never know what to read. The Bible is so big! There are lots of boring parts and lots of parts that I've read lots of times so my eyes just kind of glaze over. I'm always unsure so I usually end up in James because I like him the best. He's a straight shooter. 🙂
Enter, The Daily Audio Bible! Yeehaw!
I saw the Daily Audio Bible a couple years ago when searching for a Bible reading plan ('cause I never know what to read!), and I gave it a try. It was okay, but I thought the guy who read it was a bit cheesy, and I just never stuck to it. Surprise, surprise. But, this year I knew something HAD to change, so I decided to give it another try. I'm always listening to something as I wash the mountains of dishes that come with a family of 7 and no dishwasher, so why not let that something be the Bible?
I'm in love.
Okay, at first I was feeling again like the guy was cheesy, but I was determined to give him a fair shot. It only took about a week, and I grew to really like him! Brian is endearing and I really can tell that he loves God's Word. He reads with feeling and I like that. When I'm listening I'm more prone to actually take in every word because I can't just start skimming when things get boring. (guilty) I like that Brian introduces each book before he starts to read it, to give it a bit of context, and then at the end he does a little devotional. It's great! They also have people call in at the end and pray and stuff, but honestly, I skip that part. 🙂
We started listening to the Old Testament portion in the morning during breakfast, and then we listen to the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs portions in the evening before we do our family read-aloud. It has been awesome! Our whole family is getting God's Word every day and I am just so blessed by it. I usually listen to the whole reading another time during the day so I can hear the devotional as well. It's really been beautiful for our family so far. Brian is our family friend now, even though he doesn't know it- cheesiness and all. The kids will remind me "We haven't listened to Brian today!" We'll see if the enthusiasm continues when we get into some of the more intense books…but hopefully we'll have our routine down by that point and we can just charge on through.
So, those are my New Year goals and how I plan to work toward them.
What about you? Do you like New Year Resolutions? Have you made any this year? Do tell!
The pics are of the kids' school during the holidays. Sweet, right?


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There was a bag of these delicious caramels in my stocking last Christmas. I unwrapped one right away, obviously, and took a bite: butter, honey, salt. Heaven. And I knew that Beth had made them. You know Beth, of The Perfect Granola?
I had to have the recipe.
Funny thing, it turned out to be mine, from these caramel apples. Flattered, yes, but there's this one thing. She made them with the honey from her own bee hive.
I thought these would be the perfect treat to send to my April Leftovers Club partner, Shashi of Runnin' SriLankan. In return she sent me the most wonderful Breakfast Biscotti. Imagine something really nutritious: oats, flax seed, coconut - and then douse it in white and dark chocolate. Yum.
When you make these caramels, and you should, you'll need just four things on your grocery list: honey, heavy whipping cream, salt, and vanilla. You'll also need a little bit of patience. Every time I make caramel, or any confection, I end up tapping my candy thermometer and thinking, "Is this thing broken?" Every. Time. But, be patient, 255 degrees will come, in 20 minutes or so. And it will be well worth the wait.
Salted Honey Caramels
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- kosher salt or other flaky salt (like Maldon) to finish
- Line an 8-inch x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, allowing parchment to line sides as well as the bottom. On one side, fold the parchment in so that the width is 5", otherwise the caramels will be too thin.
- Cut out 40 parchment wrappers, about 3 ½ inches wide and 2 inches long.
- In a narrow, heavy saucepan heat the heavy cream and salt to a simmer – don't allow the cream to boil. Stir in honey. Heat to boiling and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, for 20-25 minutes, until the mixture reaches 250-260F degrees. (Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature)
- When the caramel reaches 250-260F degrees, remove from heat, add vanilla and stir.
- Carefully pour caramel over parchment in pan, taking care to keep the width to about 5 inches.
- When the caramel is nearly cool, sprinkle with kosher or other flaky salt.
- Allow caramel to cool completely and then transfer, with parchment, on to a cutting board.
- With a lightly oiled, sharp knife cut caramel lengthwise into 10, ½-inch strips. Then cut crosswise into 4, 2-inch strips.
- Place one caramel on the edge of a parchment wrapper and roll up. Twist ends to seal. Repeat with remaining caramels.


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When it's chilly outside, the emergence of the sun from behind the clouds can quickly brighten your spirits and warm you up. Depending on the time of the day and the direction that you're driving in, it can also make it difficult for you to safely maneuver your vehicle.
Sunrise and sunset are the two times of the day when you're most vulnerable to being blinded by the sun as you attempt to drive. The glare that it creates can make it difficult for you to stay in your lane and limit your ability to swerve to avoid hazards that come into your path. This may make you more vulnerable to becoming involved in a crash.
Motorists who are blinded by the sun in a school zone may inadvertently strike a child because they're unable to see them.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), there are a few different measures that you can take to improve your ability to drive in the sun.
While your sun visor can block some sunlight, it doesn't completely do away with the glare on your windshield. If you regularly clean your windshield and avoid putting papers along the dashboard, then the glare will be significantly reduced. Wearing polarized glasses may also be effective in helping you minimize your sun exposure.
When you're driving through a sunny area, you may want to try to identify lane markings and use them to guide you. If you're having difficulty in finding them, then you may want to create a buffer between you and the surrounding cars. This can give you additional time to respond to hazards that come into your path. If you drive with your headlights illuminated, then it may make it easier for others to notice you as well.
We often hear about drowsy, reckless and distracted drivers causing crashes. The truth is that the sun can affect a motorist's responsiveness on a similar level to someone who is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If a motorist who was impaired by sunlight crashed into your vehicle and hurt you, then an Augusta motor vehicle accident attorney may advise you that you're eligible to file an injury claim against them.