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Monday, March 21, 2011
Thoughts of Jelly (Resources Included)
12 comments:
- Becky K. said...
I tried my hand at strawberry freezer jam thinking I couldn't possibly mess it up. Well, I was wrong. However, a very good thing came from it....strawberry ice cream topping. Yum!!!! I now have a whole batch in the freezer ready to be pulled out on a whim.
- Mon Mar 21, 10:32:00 AM CDT
- Old Centennial Farmhouse said...
I am a jam believer from wayyy back! It's one of the most fun things to can, in my opinion, because the fruit smells absolutely heavenly!
PS: I am enjoying your series on preparedness...I think all serious American's are hopping on that train... - Mon Mar 21, 12:32:00 PM CDT
What are we supposed to be preparing for?
- Mon Mar 21, 01:12:00 PM CDT
- said...
First I just wanted to let you know I am very proud of you for opening up the subject of preparation in such a friendly way. So many times people hear about preparing and jump right to apocolypse fearing Survivalists in full camo stockpiling arms. So Thank You from one prepping family to another.
Lastly, this year I was a bit sneaky with my family and didn't make all the jam right away. If I go and make it all in the summer, by March we don't have any jam left due to overzealous binging. So instead of trying to hide it, I took quart jars and filled them with the slightly soft/heated fruit and syrup. Then, at the end of February, I took those quarts and cooked them down into pints jam by dumping all the softened fruit into my jam pot. Now we will have enough to make it to the summer fruit season again!
But again, thanks for making a rather tough subject for many so accessible to all. - Mon Mar 21, 01:58:00 PM CDT
- Unknown said...
I used to make jams and jellies every year when all the kids lived at home, now that's it's just us, sugar is so high and the house we bought came with a glass top stove and I'm too chicken to can on it! lol Freezer jams are a good way to go too!
- Mon Mar 21, 02:47:00 PM CDT
- Laura said...
I made concord grape jelly for the first time last fall. The place we rent has an enormous grape vine in the back. It was so much fun to do the whole thing from scratch. I gave several jars away as gifts. Now I can't wait for this year's grapes!
- Mon Mar 21, 07:44:00 PM CDT
Dear Brin,
somehow, I'd lost the link to your blog...maybe when bloglines switched over. Anyway, so happy to have found you again. I've been reading through the posts I missed. So happy (as Granola Girl said) to see you handling the subject of preparedness in such a friendly way. I'v been thinking about this myself, along with many others it seems, for some time now. You don't have to have visions of an "apocalypse" of some sort, to believe in being prepared. The reasons to be prepared are many, losing your job, illness in the family, world ecomomy crashing, just to name a few.
Thank you for your posts on this. Please keep them coming.
I am a devoted follower :) - Mon Mar 21, 11:54:00 PM CDT
- Brin said...
Fair question, so here goes:
Living with nothing "in store"... with no more than a days worth of food, water, medicine, etc., is something new. Our great/grandparents, for the most part, didn't live this way. They had food canned. They had access to water that wasn't dependant on utilities. They gardened, or knew someone who did. Running to the store several times a week is something recent, and can be a drain on time, gas and money.
We're preparing for things that happen to everyone at some point: power outages (brown/black outs) and utility service interrupted. It happens frequently here due to tree limbs falling, water mains busting, etc. Having something quick to eat- and water to drink, flush, and brush teeth is awesome. No running to the store and standing in line at WalMart. :)
We're preparing in case of another storm that means we can't get out for a few days. Having alternate light and heat sources, cooking methods and supplies means storms are easier to cope with, instead of being cold, hungry, and in the dark.
I live not too far from the Gulf of Mexico. Everytime there's a hurricane, folks end up here. It's comforting to know I have extra food, toiletries, blankets, etc., when family and friends show up with little on hand and need to stay... sometimes for days/weeks.
People are preparing in case of layoffs or job loss, or an illness or situation that prevents us from working. I know firsthand, and have heard from MANY OTHERS, who have been able to fall back on things put back for rainy days... because the rain came. Because I buy extras of things when I can and when they're available, I have enough to see me through a financially challenging time... and help others who are going through theirs, too.
Many people (www.survivalblog.com), prep because they see writing on the wall: the world is changing. Times are changing. The economy is changing. And we've seen that the government and others folks have relied on for help can't meet our needs... especially in times of crisis.
There are those who prepare because they think the world's coming to an end. 2012 and hype like that. Do I? Hardly. Do I believe we're in for tough times ahead? Yes. Does my faith... and belief in God and His Word, the Bible... tell Christians that a period of trouble is coming upon the earth? Yes, it does. But we're also told not to be afraid, not to worry, because God LOVES US, is WITH US, and is FOR US, along with all who call on His name. A verse I like is Psalms 3:3, "You, O Lord, are my Helper, my glory and the lifter of my head." The entire world could go up in flames, but I have something to hope in. I have a Helper. And I'm not special. He can, and wants to be, your Helper, too.
I prepare because I want to be someone who aids... not NEEDS aid... in times of inconvenience, lack, or trouble. It's important to me to know that I'm doing what I can to make sure my family and close friends have food, water, medicine, sanitary and hygiene items, and comforting things in case they need them. In case they lose things to fire, storm, or job loss. But if a flood hits me tomorrow... if a tornado blows all my stuff away tonight, it doesn't change the reality that God is my supplier, my helper, and my ever-present help in time of trouble. (Psalm 46:1).
And as a final note, I really like preparing for days like today: I'm stuck at home waiting on the internet installation guy. If I didn't have serious chocolate and Kotex stored up, I'd be in trouble. :)
So that's why I prepare. But ask every prepper and they'll give you a different take on the world and their situations.
Have a great day, okay?
Brin - Tue Mar 22, 09:20:00 AM CDT
- Patricia said...
I love to make jam, too. Strawberry-rhubarb is my favorite. But like Becky K., I've made a few ice cream toppings in my day by mistake. The good news is ... it's delicious and never goes to waste. It's also good warmed up and served over waffles :o)
- Tue Mar 22, 11:59:00 AM CDT
- Chanda said...
I've turned into a bit of a "prepper" myself this year. I have always canned and harvested as mush as I can form my garden and such, but know I find myself drawn to storing up other necessities. I won't argue with my instinct, I've learned to just run with it. Todays troubles in this world should makes us all stop and think about preparing for harder times ahead. Do you ever listen to blog talk radio network on the Internet? They have a good selection of prepper shows on there. My favorite is kendra from New Life On A Homestead Show. She has a blog also. Her show and several great have been great for me to learn from.
Good luck and have fun with the jam making. - Tue Mar 22, 05:10:00 PM CDT
I really like your comment - thanks so much for sharing it. I'm thinking a lot about preparedness lately, though I'm kind of new to it all (beyond a full pantry cupboard) This year I'm going to try jam-making and canning fruit for the first time. I recently learnt how to make soap, and I'm stockpiling old towels and linnens so that I have plenty to offer anyone that comes to stay.
I am loving your current series and would really enjoy anything more you have to add, so please do feel free to share it, and know that you are encouraging and inspiring people like me to kick my minimal/basic-prepping up a notch ;)
Also, I was re-reading a few of your old posts recently...love your blog. It's just ace.
God bless,
r xxx - Wed Mar 23, 04:34:00 AM CDT
- Cindy Brick said...
'Pore,' honey -- 'pore!'
I love your blog -- only wish you would write more often. Please fill us in on how you are decorating your new home. Would love to hear more about that. (The recipes are great, too, when you provide them. And I enjoyed the canning post, too. I just like it when you talk about home dec.)
I come from a long line of pioneer women who all did their own canning. I don't much because The Mama does it for us. But that doesn't mean my family doesn't enjoy it!
Canning tomatoes is a regular part of the summer, though...
Thank you for sharing yourself with us. - Wed Mar 23, 08:10:00 PM CDT


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North Carolina Business History |
History of Business in North Carolina Overview
This is the historic and economic story of the Old North State, from Colonial times to the 21st Century. The early history of business in North Carolina is much more complex and developed than has previously been reported. This lack of recognition could have been caused by relatively few surviving journalistic publications of the period and the disruption caused by the Civil War. This site will provide detailed histories of industries (click for specific industries) and individual businesses, as well as biographical entries on some of the major business leaders in North Carolina. (Note: We have started the research in the antebellum period, which requires the most research, and will add information on later periods as we have time.) North Carolina began as an agricultural colony and state. One problem affecting commerce through the 17th and early 18th centuries was the limited transportation, with much of the state's products having to travel down river through Charleston and South Carolina or through Virginia. Early Industries Examples of early rural industries included wagon making, grist mills, cotton gins, saw mills, cane mills, cabinet/furniture making and much more. In 1790, North Carolina ranked third in population in the U.S., but steadily slipped to fifth place by 1820. The population basically stayed level until 1840 due to ongoing emigration from the state to new states. In 1810, the state was one of the leading industrial states, outranking Massachusetts. But reliance on agriculture, closing of British ports and economic malaise caused the state to drop well down the industrial list by 1830. For example, a great depression set in prices for North Carolina products during the 1820s and early 1830s. The loss of West Indies trade has lessened demand for lumber and heavy British taxation on tobacco depressed that market. North Carolina cotton began feeling the impact of new cotton fields in Gulf Coast states. Poor transportation exacerbated the problems. Few navigable rivers and little road building had the state and residents at a serious disadvantage. Transportation Steamboats first appeared in North Carolina waters in 1812, with a local steamboat building business starting in 1818. Between 1818 and 1870s, many steamship companies were founded easing transportation in the eastern portion of the state. Freight rates dropped on river routes. But rivers in the state were generally small and difficult to navigate. The result restricted steamboats to the east with one exception. More than 100 merchant steamboats plied North Carolina rivers and sound between 1812 and 1860. Strategic canals were built to aid water transport. In the 1840 census, there were 379 North Carolinians working on steamboats and river boats, as well as 327 people on ocean-going ships. The coming of railroads would gradually impact river transportation business, however, an additional 100+ steamboats would be built and used to serve portions of the state into the early 1900s. The first railroad was chartered in 1834 and construction began in mid-decade. By 1840, the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad had 161 miles of track in operation, while the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad had 81 miles in operation. The effect generally was to lower transportation costs. The North Carolina Railroad open for business by 1856 with 223 miles of track connecting the other two railroads. Local wagon, carriage & buggy manufacturers continued to expand in towns across the state. In the 20th Century, North Carolina became home to national trucking firms (such as Carolina Freightliner) and aviation companies (Piedmont Airlines). Growth of Business & Industry During the 1820s and 1830s, entrepreneurs created cotton mills, built mills, constructed forges, organized gold mines, opened carriage factories, ran stores and engaged in other businesses. Agriculture was the leading pursuit. The nation's first Gold Rush propelled that industry with up to 20,000 workers and the state's second largest business during the 1830s. By 1840, there were more than 3,400 manufacturing establishments primarily mills of different types in the state with 14,322 people working in these establishments. There were 1,734 North Carolinians working in mercantile firms. There were 1,068 retail dry goods and other stores in the state. Of course, the vast percentage of the working population was engaged in agriculture. There were 3,689 manufacturing establishments in the state in 1860. In 1870, there were 3,642 firms with 13,622 employees. Some of these operations included 1860 NC Manufacturing (selected sectors) & Employment
While the number of facilities remained static over the decade of the 1860s,, the Civil War gave a boost to the state's manufacturing facilities. New and expanded cotton and woolen mills, tool making, foundries, medicines and other businesses were created. The manufacturing firms in 1870 were much larger and their output had twice the value compared to 1860. Leading industries in 1870 (with more than $1 million in output) were building materials, cotton goods, food and food preparations and lumber. Sectors with almost a million dollars in output were naval stores and tobacco, with carriages/wagons, shoes/boots, iron and leather goods all having nearly a half million dollars each in output. The 1870s show both a financial panic (depression of 1873) and an emerging industrial revitalization in 1879. Agriculture Agriculture would remain the leading industry through today. The leading crops over the years were cotton and tobacco. By 1860, there were more than 67,000 farms in the state with two-thirds under 100 acres. By 1900, there were 224,637 farms and in 1925 there were 283,482 North Carolina farms. By the end of the 1920s, North Carolina led the nation in production of cotton textiles, wooden furniture, and tobacco products. Cotton The cotton crop remained static between 1860 with 145,514 bales and 1870 with 144,935 bales. But other crops declined. For example, tobacco dropped from 32.9 million pounds in 1860 to 11.2 million pounds in 1870. Other crops showed similar declines, such as wheat, oats, corn, rice, sweet potatoes. By 1900, North Carolina was producing 433,000 bales, which accelerated in the early 1900s to match the explosive growth of the textile industry. By 1925, North Carolina was producing 1,102,000 bales of cotton. Tobacco Tobacco manufacturing grew rapidly in Durham and Winston area after the Civil War, while the furniture industry built factories in High Point during this same period. Tobacco was mostly small farmer product and home manufactured during the years preceding the Civil War, although 97 such factories were operating in 1860. One of these firms had more than 50 workers. James R. Greene bought R. F. Morris' tobacco factory in 1862 and continued to produce Spanish Smoking Tobacco during the Civil War that was popular with Confederate soldiers. At the end of the war, Union soldiers discovered the company's products.. Orders came rolling in after the war causing Greene to add W.T. Blackwell as a partner to provide additional capital. With other brands calling themselves Spanish smoking tobacco, Greene needed a new brand and the company coined "Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco." In 1870, there were 111 tobacco factories employing 1,465 employees and producing 11.2 million pounds of tobacco. In 1900, North Carolina produced 127.5 million pounds of tobacco which grew to 380.2 million pounds in 1925. In 1920, Winston-Salem and Durham factories produced 20% of all tobacco products sold in the U.S. Gold Mining & Iron Forging But there were extractive industries (iron and gold mining) beginning in 1770s and growing through the 1850s. For example during the revolutionary war, James Milles managed the iron furnace on Tick Creek, Chatham County, NC, for the Revolutionary government of North Carolina during 1777. With the discovery of the "Big Ore Bank" east of Lincolnton, Lincoln County in 1789, iron making became a significant industry, beginning about 1815 in the Piedmont and lasting through the 1870s. There are still ongoing iron and steel manufacturing in the state. The discovery of gold in 1798 in Cabarrus County and subsequent gold mining successes made the state the leading producer of gold in the U.S. until 1849 and the California gold strike (1848). America's first gold rush occurred in the North Carolina Piedmont during the late 1820s and early 1830s. Gold mining was the second leading occupation (behind agricultural) before 1860. Some coal mining attempts were made just prior to the Civil War but never amounted to much. Textiles With the creation of the first textile mill around 1815 by Michael Schenck in Lincoln County, North Carolina began a long process towards building manufacturing industries. Schenck's first mill operated around 1815 (construction may have started in 1813), followed by a second mill from 1816-1819 with partner Absolom Warlick on McDaniel's Spring (just east of Lincolnton). He then built another mill on the South Fork of the Catawba River (just south of Lincolnton) with partner John Hoke and Dr. James Bivings (1819) which remained in production until 1863. Henry A. Donaldson built the second and third textile mills in the state (in Edgecombe and Cumberland counties). An 1822 report on textile manufacturing warned: "our citizens must turn a portion of their labours and enterprise into other channels of industry (other than agriculture and extractive efforts); otherwise, poverty and ruin will fall on every class of our community." Textile mills spread throughout the Piedmont region, such as the Spray mills and industrial complex first started in 1839. There were about 45 textile mills in operation by 1860 39 cotton and 7 woolen mills. These antebellum textile mills were small water-powered operations that generally did not survive the Civil War. However following the war, many were restarted by pioneering textile families on the same sites. Textiles would rebound leading to the First Cotton Mill Campaign during Reconstruction. By 1870, 85 textile firms manufacturing various cotton and woolen goods were operating in the state, employing more than 3,000 workers, with nearly $3 million in capital and about $3 million in products. There were 118 such firms in operation by 1890. In 1899, North Carolina had 177 textile mills with 30,273 workers and 1.1 million spindles - ranked behind the nation's leader Massachusetts, Rhode Island, South Carolina and New Hampshire. The state produced $28.4 million in textile products, slightly behind South Carolina with $29.7 million and far behind Massachusetts with $110.5 million. That order would all change by 1925. In 1923, there were 351 mills in North Carolina, employing 81,041 workers producing $326.5 million in goods. Only Massachusetts would edge the Old North State. The 20th Century saw the rise and dominance of North Carolina in the textile industry. As the 20th Century closed, problems had began to multiple for the textile industry severe price competition from foreign products and weak economic conditions at both the beginning and end of the 1990s. The result was the bankruptcy, reorganization and liquidation of many textile firms. Tens of thousands of textile jobs disappeared. Furniture Manufacturing There were many local cabinet (furniture) makers during the colonial and early statehood period, but little organized industry. One of the largest furniture making business prior to the Civil War was operated by Thomas Day, a free black living in Milton, NC, from the early 1830s to about 1857. During the business' most prosperous years, he employed as many as 80 workers providing furniture to many influential people in both North Carolina and Virginia, as well as winning contracts with state government in the design of several building interiors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But large-scale furniture manufacturing would wait till the 1880s. Access to raw supplies and inexpensive labor propelled the growth of the furniture industry in North Carolina. In 1911, the Southern Furniture Manufacturers' Association was founded with headquarters in High Point, NC, "to promote harmony among manufacturers of furniture, secure concessions in freight rates... and further the interests of its members." The annual and then semi-annual furniture markets in High Point helped propel the state into the leadership role for the business. Banking & Financial Services Early banks chartered by the state were the Bank of Cape Fear (1804), the Bank of New Bern (1804) and the State Bank of North Carolina (1810). By the start of the Civil War there were about 20 state banks. These banks generally closed immediately after the conflict with the canceling of state war debt. Following the Civil War, new banks were launched with federal and state charters. Federally chartered banks at the time could not make loans with land as the security, plus limits on loans to any one person posed a significant impediment to those harvesting and marketing cotton and tobacco, which required large funds at certain seasons. With the expansion to interstate banking in the 1980s, North Carolina banks began expanding, often picking up banking operations in trouble in other states. Today, Charlotte is the second largest banking center in the U.S., following only New York. Both Bank of America and Wachovia are headquartered in the city and are among the top five banks in the country. |
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Facepunch Studios is an independent game developer based in Birmingham, UK. It initially rose to fame with the release of Garry's Mod in 2006, followed by the Rust and Chippy games, all of which regularly feature in the top 10 most popular Steam games, and are amongst the best-selling Steam games of all time. To date, the studio has sold 38.6 million games and currently employs 50 people worldwide.
In 2022, Facepunch moved its offices to new premises in Birmingham's prestigious Colmore Row area. The company wanted to be able to facilitate BYOD conferencing collaboration, with easy and reliable wireless presentation capabilities, across all office spaces.
While facilitating game development was key, as a company known for its strong visuals, Facepunch wanted its new offices to deliver a real "wow" effect. To this end, it wanted to have huge media walls in the reception area showing larger-than-life game footage, plus a large interactive screen enabling dynamic product advertisements.
The company had a clear vision for the AV equipment and capabilities it wanted throughout the new offices, specifying a fully automated boardroom with wireless presentation and multi-platform VC (Video Conferencing), interactive displays, zoned audio, and high-end executive offices with BYOD conferencing capabilities. A key target was to minimize hardwiring, so an IP-based solution was preferred.
Kramer AV equipment was chosen by Vision On AV Systems, the project's system integrator, for its flexibility, reliability, and excellent product support available from Kramer's local UK team.
The IP-based solution required a new, segregated, and highly stable AV network to provide solid wireless access from all over the office. Ubiquiti Enterprise Layer 3 switches were used, and the AV network was carefully planned to ensure minimum disruption to service and expedient commissioning.
For control purposes, the AV system was split into four spaces: Media Wall No.1, Media Wall No.2, Boardroom, Office Audio and Remote Control Stations. The central communications room serves as the hub of the AV solution. It comprises the KC-BRAINware-5 for overall control, encoders, audio-video sources, and multi-zone audio amplifiers/mixers, with all devices connected via Ubiquiti Enterprise network switches with fiber links.
Individual rooms have VIA wireless collaboration and conferencing platforms, interfaces, decoders, and local amplifiers. BYOD video conferencing was implemented in most rooms using the VIA Connect2 collaboration platform and VIA Versa virtual camera drivers, while the fully-automated boardroom uses VIA Campus2, and a camera-speaker bar. Additional decoders were added to meeting rooms, the boardroom, game development area, bar, and interactive spaces.
To create the "wow" factor for the 3X3 video walls in the reception area, an encoder/decoder solution was chosen for its great flexibility and because it allowed setup, easy source and audio changes, and remote device control using RS-232.
One of the main challenges was readying the system for testing before the main network was fully operational. Using a simple router and a single SL-240C, Vision On AV Systems was able to commission the floor space-by-space, before moving over to KC−BRAINware once the network was fully commissioned, with external access to the Kramer servers.
The new Kramer-based AV solution has been instrumental in improving collaboration across Facepunch Studios, facilitating the simple and seamless video conferencing that is essential for the success of an international team.
"It's very easy to set up a room for a BYOD meeting, and easy to set up a fully hosted meeting in the boardroom," says Leigh Holmes, Operations Manager at Facepunch Studios. And similarly, wireless presentations are simple and productive.
This allows for the level of communication required for working on some of the most cutting-edge gaming technology around – enabling creative juices to flow, while enhancing meaningful interactions that foster productivity. With full BYOD compatibility and excellent AV quality, conferencing is quicker, easier, and more fluid, helping employees engage, even with colleagues overseas. The intuitive interface and automated start-up, resets, and shutdowns of the AV system in each room make using the AV system simple and assured.
Stills from Facepunch games are used as the backgrounds on the user interfaces in every space and room, creating a high-impact branded experience.
"The two media walls in the reception area really do have the wow factor we were after," says Leigh. "They're very simple to operate and give visitors plenty to talk about."
The feedback from everyone involved in the AV project has been exceptional – from Facepunch Studios management and employees alike, as well as other companies involved in the build.
As Alex Bird, Business Development Manager, at Vision On AV Systems concludes: "Facepunch is delighted with the end result and benefits from seamless wireless presentation, flexible conferencing, and a reception area with a real wow factor."
Now all that's left to do is watch how this whole new level of interactive collaboration plays out as its fans around the world eagerly await the next Facepunch game.


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Global Agribusiness, SARS and Swine Flu
Mike Davis
Mike Davis, whose 2006 book The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu warned of the threat of a global bird flu pandemic, explains how globalized agribusiness set the stage for a frightening outbreak of the swine flu in Mexico.
The Spring Break hordes returned from Cancún this year with an invisible but sinister souvenir.
The Mexican swine flu, a genetic chimera probably conceived in the fecal mire of an industrial pigsty, suddenly threatens to give the whole world a fever. Initial outbreaks across North America reveal an infection rate already traveling at higher velocity than the last official pandemic strain, the 1968 Hong Kong flu.
Stealing the limelight from our officially appointed assassin–the otherwise vigorously mutating H5N1, known as bird flu–this porcine virus is a threat of unknown magnitude. Certainly, it seems far less lethal than SARS in 2003, but as an influenza, it may be more durable than SARS and less inclined to return to its secret cave.
Noah's ark. With climate change threatening in the background, Pig Flu, standing with his buddies Mad Cow Disease and Avian Influenza, asks the humans who are seeking refuge, "Why haven't you taken better care of this place?" Courtesy of Hankyoreh.
Given that domesticated seasonal Type-A influenzas kill as many 1 million people each year, even a modest increment of virulence, especially if coupled with high incidence, could produce carnage equivalent to a major war.
Meanwhile, one of its first victims has been the consoling faith, long preached in the pews of the World Health Organization (WHO), that pandemics can be contained by the rapid responses of medical bureaucracies, independent of the quality of local public health.
Since the initial H5N1 deaths in Hong Kong in 1997, the WHO, with the support of most national health services, has promoted a strategy focused on the identification and isolation of a pandemic strain within its local radius of outbreak, followed by a thorough dousing of the population with anti-viral drugs and (if available) a vaccine.
An army of skeptics has rightly contested this viral counter-insurgency approach, pointing out that microbes can now fly around the world (quite literally in the case of avian flu) faster than the WHO or local officials can react to the original outbreak. They also pointed to the primitive, often nonexistent surveillance of the interface between human and animal diseases.
But the mythology of bold, preemptive (and cheap) intervention against avian flu has been invaluable to the cause of rich countries, like the U.S. and Britain, which prefer to invest in their own biological Maginot Lines, rather than dramatically increase aid to epidemic frontlines overseas–as well as to Big Pharma, which has battled Third World demands for the generic, public manufacture of critical antivirals like Roche's Tamiflu.
The swine flu, in any case, may prove that the WHO/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) version of pandemic preparedness–without massive new investment in surveillance, scientific and regulatory infrastructure, basic public health and global access to lifeline drugs–belongs to the same class of Ponzified risk management as AIG derivatives and Madoff securities.
It isn't so much that the pandemic warning system has failed as it simply doesn't exist, even in North America and the EU.
Perhaps it is not surprising that Mexico lacks both capacity and political will to monitor livestock diseases and their public health impacts, but the situation is hardly better north of the border, where surveillance is a failed patchwork of state jurisdictions, and corporate livestock producers treat health regulations with the same contempt with which they deal with workers and animals.
Similarly, a decade of urgent warnings by scientists in the field has failed to ensure the transfer of sophisticated viral assay technology to the countries in the direct path of likely pandemics. Mexico has world-famous disease experts, but it had to send swabs to a laboratory in Winnipeg (which has less than 3 percent of the population of Mexico City) in order to identify the strain's genome. Almost a week was lost as a consequence.
But no one was less alert than the legendary disease controllers in Atlanta. According to the Washington Post, the CDC did not learn about the outbreak until six days after the Mexican government had begun to impose emergency measures. Indeed, the Post reported, "U.S. public health officials are still largely in the dark about what's happening in Mexico two weeks after the outbreak was recognized."
There should be no excuses. This is not a "black swan" flapping its wings. Indeed, the central paradox of this swine flu panic is that while totally unexpected, it was accurately predicted.
Six years ago, Science dedicated a major story (reported by the admirable Bernice Wuethrich) to evidence that "after years of stability, the North American swine flu virus has jumped onto an evolutionary fast track."
Since its identification at the beginning of the Depression, H1N1 swine flu had only drifted slightly from its original genome. Then, in 1998, all hell broke loose.
A highly pathogenic strain began to decimate sows on a factory hog farm in North Carolina, and new, more virulent versions began to appear almost yearly, including a weird variant of H1N1 that contained the internal genes of H3N2 (the other type-A flu circulating among humans).
Researchers whom Wuethrich interviewed worried that one of these hybrids might become a human flu (both the 1957 and 1968 pandemics are believed to have originated from the mixing of bird and human viruses inside pigs), and urged the creation of an official surveillance system for swine flu. That admonition, of course, went unheeded in a Washington prepared to throw away billions on bioterrorism fantasies while neglecting obvious dangers.
But what caused this acceleration of swine flu evolution? Probably the same thing that has favored the reproduction of avian flu.
Virologists have long believed that the intensive agricultural system of southern China–an immensely productive ecology of rice, fish, pigs, and domestic and wild birds–is the principal engine of influenza mutation: both seasonal "drift" and episodic genomic "shift." (More rarely, there may occur a direct leap from birds to pigs and/or humans, as with H5N1 in 1997.)
But the corporate industrialization of livestock production has broken China's natural monopoly on influenza evolution. As many writers have pointed out, animal husbandry in recent decades has been transformed into something that more closely resembles the petrochemical industry than the happy family farm depicted in schoolbooks.
In 1965, for instance, there were 53 million American hogs on more than 1 million farms; today, 65 million hogs are concentrated in 65,000 facilities–half with more than 5,000 animals.
This has been a transition, in essence, from old-fashioned pig pens to vast excremental hells, unprecedented in nature, containing tens, even hundreds of thousands of animals with weakened immune systems, suffocating in heat and manure, while exchanging pathogens at blinding velocity with their fellow inmates and pathetic progenies.
Anyone who has ever driven through Tar Heel, N.C., or Milford, Utah–where Smithfield Foods subsidiaries each annually produce more than 1 million pigs as well as hundreds of lagoons full of toxic shit–will intuitively understand how profoundly agribusiness has meddled with the laws of nature.
Last year, a distinguished commission convened by the Pew Research Center issued a landmark report on "industrial farm animal production" underscoring the acute danger that "the continual cycling of viruses…in large herds or flocks [will] increase opportunities for the generation of novel virus through mutation or recombinant events that could result in more efficient human-to-human transmission."
The commission also warned that promiscuous antibiotic use in hog factories (a cheaper alternative to sewer systems or humane environments) was causing the rise of resistant Staph infections, while sewage spills were producing nightmare E. coli outbreaks and Pfisteria blooms (the doomsday protozoan that has killed more than 1 billion fish in the Carolina estuaries and sickened dozens of fishermen).
Any amelioration of this new pathogen ecology, however, would have to confront the monstrous power exercised by livestock conglomerates such as Smithfield Foods (pork and beef) and Tyson (chickens). The Pew commissioners, chaired by former Kansas Gov. John Carlin, reported systemic obstruction of their investigation by corporations, including blatant threats to withhold funding from cooperative researchers.
Moreover, this is a highly globalized industry, with equivalent international political clout. Just as Bangkok-based chicken giant Charoen Pokphand was able to suppress investigations into its role in the spread of bird flu throughout Southeast Asia, so it is likely that the forensic epidemiology of the swine flu outbreak will pound its head against the corporate stone wall of the pork industry.
This is not to say that a smoking gun will never be found: there is already gossip in the Mexican press about an influenza epicenter around a huge Smithfield subsidiary in the state of Veracruz.
But what matters more (especially given the continued threat of H5N1) is the larger configuration: the WHO's failed pandemic strategy, the further decline of world public health, the stranglehold of Big Pharma over lifeline medicines, and the planetary catastrophe of industrialized and ecologically unhinged livestock production.
This article was published at SW on April 28, 2009.
Posted at the Asia-Pacific Journal on May 1st, 2009.
Recommended Citation: Mike Davis, "Global Agribusiness, SARS and Swine Flu," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 18-1-09, May 1st, 2009.
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ILCOR & ECC have issued new guidelines for CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
The new guidelines recommend that chest compressions be the first step when reviving victims of SCA (sudden cardiac arrest.)
The old guidelines, implemented in 1966, and updated regularly since, recommended the "ABC's of CPR" Airway, Breathing, Circulation – which meant that rescue breathing, frequently referred to as "mouth-to-mouth," come first, then chest pumping.
"We have recognized 'Compression Only CPR' as a valid alternative for untrained rescuers for some time," states Gloria Bartlett of American CPR Training. "The bellows action of the chest compression can draw in oxygen rich ambient air, as well as possibly dislodging any foreign body airway obstruction."
International Standards for CPR have been graduating away from breaths and toward more compressions and advanced care since the turn of the century.
"Since joining American CPR in 1998, I have participated in CPR Standards changing several times," explains Bartlett, "It makes perfect sense – Since most Adult CPR is performed due to SCA, it is important to pump the heart for the victim, oxygenate with the average 21% oxygen rich ambient air and move toward advance care like the use of an AED. This is why the standards have changed toward more compressions with each CPR update, and why we at American CPR were the first to change from ABC CPR to ABCD CPR, including Defibrillation as a part of our bystander Adult, Child, & Infant CPR curriculum since 2000."
New CPR guidelines call for CAB CPR (Compression, Airway, Breathing,) instead of the long-time ABC (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) and have simplified by removing the "Look, Listen & Feel" step as well as recommending Compression Only CPR for rescuers not formally trained in full CPR Methods.
- Read more about the New CPR Guidelines
- Get a Quote from a CPR Instructor for Group Training at your location
- See the Simple Steps of Compression CPR for Adult Victims
- Join a CPR Class Near You
- Learn about AEDs
- Become a CPR / First Aid Instructor
- Links


text:
The standalone components of SQL Compact 3.5 are now available for download. These components allows you to use and develop solutions based on SQL Compact 3.5 and ADO.NET Sync Services 1.0 without requiring Visual Studio 2008.
Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 for Windows Mobile
Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 Books Online and Samples
Update 30-11-2007:
Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 Server Tools
The "SQL Compact Server Tools" download does not appear to be available yet.
No sign of the "Data Migration Wizard", or reference to same in Books OnLine.
No sign of the Windows CE 6.0 cab files either...
The Windows CE 6.0 cab files are in the wce500 folder! From 3.5 Books OnLine: "Note The CAB files and DLL files under the folder %Program Files%\Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition\v3.5\Devices\wce500 are also used to install SQL Server Compact 3.5 on Windows CE 6.0 and Windows Mobile 6.0 devices."
The file version of all the SQL Compact files in the web downloads are: 3.5.5386.0
The contents of %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition\v3.5 after installation of these downloads:


text:
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Have you considered VoIP? Please provide details: Not yet selected No -- not yet considered. Yes -- not planning to use. Yes -- currently using VoIP Yes -- planning to use VoIP


text: To expand upon that slightly. Here's explorer mode vs non explorer mode for 30, 50, and 80%. Pretty much, if the GM controls a token with vision, it's highlighted. Otherwise it dims. With explorer mode, the dimming has additional translucence. Which... seems like it's probably just a bug and shouldn't be there. I would probably argue that we shouldn't need to enable vision on our monsters in order to see them too - but it's at least acceptable when explorer mode is turned off. Normal: Explorer Mode: This is a GM-only issue. For all 6 of those examples, the player sees exactly the same thing:


text: On Nov. 2nd, Heloise will be leading a workshop at The Austin Women's Conference & Show, sponsored by the Statesman Co., which includes the Austin American-Statesman. This conference at the Austin Convention Center features keynote sessions and workshops providing communication skills, leadership strategies, and tools for balancing work and life. More than 200 exhibits will offer products and services for business and home. There also will be live entertainment and book signings.


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You have only to download this file and to unzip it. Then you shall run the program UnboundBible.exe and have your selected module on your computer.
If you want to add other modules, you have to add from the right and after selecting the desired module the page will load again. After this you will be able to download the mixed bundle.
Have a nice study!


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Monday, January 5, 2009
Craft Project: House Key Hider
To make the key hider just glue a rock to a prescription bottle. I recommend using e6000 glue because it's strong and water resistant. Now just follow the rest of the directions below.
40 comments:
- alittlebitofscrap said...
Great idea!
- January 5, 2009 at 10:52 AM
- Piggy said...
Haha.. This is so cool :) Here's a great way to hide your keys especially when you lock yourself out of the house :)
- January 5, 2009 at 11:12 AM
omg, so clever. thanks!
- January 5, 2009 at 11:28 AM
- Amber M. said...
THAT is a cool idea.
- January 5, 2009 at 12:01 PM
- Ashley said...
Cool idea. We actually have a rock that has a niche cut INSIDE it for a key :)
- January 5, 2009 at 1:44 PM
- pdxknitterati/MicheleLB said...
Brilliant, and easy, so I might even do it!
- January 5, 2009 at 5:41 PM
- Michelle Frae Cummings said...
i used to be a "latch key kid" and this idea is fantasctic!
- January 5, 2009 at 6:58 PM
What a fantastic and practical idea! I appreciate all of the ideas on your blog and am happy to have found your space online :)
- January 5, 2009 at 9:48 PM
- Rachael Hutchings said...
Seriously? GENIUS!
- January 5, 2009 at 10:35 PM
- Bel said...
That's marvellous. Clever you! :)
- January 5, 2009 at 11:59 PM
- Unknown said...
We once locked ourselves outside and had to break open the window to get the keys, so this is definitely a good idea...only hope I can remember which rock..:D
- January 6, 2009 at 12:38 AM
Depending on your yard, could maybe use a large pine cone instead of a rock.
- January 6, 2009 at 1:13 PM
- Unknown said...
Wow that is a great idea!
- January 6, 2009 at 3:33 PM
love this. I stumbled it!, it is so great.
- January 6, 2009 at 4:27 PM
- Nesa said...
Great idea, though I have no worries about getting into the house as my house owner always at home, my rented room spare key's is still hiding behind my clock in the bathroom.
- January 6, 2009 at 5:35 PM
- emily said...
terrific idea! and the e6000 is my favorite super adhesive!
- January 6, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Decent idea, but if you're Canadian you'll need to know where to bury in the snow to get at the rock :)
- January 6, 2009 at 8:56 PM
- Jennifer said...
Clever! Much better than the magnetic key keeper for under the car (think it was a 70s thing).
- January 7, 2009 at 7:14 PM
- Par said...
wow that is such a great idea! - January 8, 2009 at 12:55 AM
I totally need this! Especially after recent experiences where I left my keys at work and since I don't have keys to the office yet, I had to traipse all over town to get my work mate's keys. This would've saved me a lot of time :)
- January 8, 2009 at 2:24 AM
- Ashlee said...
I stumbled and found your blog. It is extremely cute and fun! :) My husband was an exchange student in japan for a year of college, and I cant wait to make him some fun stuff that will remind him of his trip! Thanks! <333
- January 8, 2009 at 8:17 AM
Great, until some ants decide to live under the rock
- January 8, 2009 at 12:33 PM
- Lifestylewithlove said...
wow, brilliant idea!
- January 8, 2009 at 8:50 PM
- Jennifer said...
What a fantastic idea! Love it.
- January 11, 2009 at 9:07 PM
Plus you can hide some pills in it too!
- January 19, 2009 at 12:03 AM
Great idea! I used this tip to rob people's homes!
- January 29, 2009 at 11:08 AM
It's -20 outside with 2 meters of snow. I just discovered I forgot my keys at the office downtown....I REALLY NEED TO GET INTO THE HOUSE!
still, a really cool idea :-)) - February 6, 2009 at 9:51 AM
Can all of you, who is going to do this, leave your address as well, so I can come and steal your things?! ;)
- February 19, 2009 at 6:12 AM
- Unknown said...
can you please give dad one for his upcoming birthday? he's always losing his house keys...or they're getting stuck in the lock.
- February 27, 2009 at 2:37 AM
- Terra the Reuser said...
Saw this post a long time ago and always wanted to post it to my blog. Finally did! Thanks for the great idea. Reusing.blogspot.com
- April 5, 2009 at 7:27 PM
- juliecache said...
looks like a geocaching container.
- April 23, 2009 at 3:56 PM
- Gina @ MoneywiseMoms said...
Very clever! I've been looking at hardware stores/HD for a rock hideaway key thing, but no one has them. I'll just make my own!
- May 17, 2009 at 8:22 AM
- ladylagomorph said...
great idea! I always lock myself out of my apartment and I have to break in and it really scares my dog, I'm definitely going to make this!
- May 25, 2009 at 10:00 PM
What a great idea! I (unfortunately) go through 6 prescription bottles every month and every time I throw one out I say to myself "I wish I could think of some way to reuse these". Everyone I know will be getting these in their stockings at Christmas!!!
- August 31, 2009 at 5:29 PM
Be careful! if you've ever seen "It takes a Thief". . . or are a thief, you know rocks, (esp. those that you buy from stores) are one of the first places you look for a hidden key. Maybe a better idea would be to glue the bottle to an evergreen tree or other native plant (fake?) that wouldn't look as suspicious instead.
- August 31, 2009 at 9:36 PM
Helpful idea. I also like the ideas of using a pine cone and fake plant too.
- September 20, 2010 at 9:51 AM
- Ms. Fiddlesticks said...
Use many rocks in the planter that all look alike so it would not be noticeable. No worries.
- April 20, 2011 at 5:51 PM
- November 14, 2011 at 2:11 PM
- Taryn@pinsandprincesses said...
LOVE this! On my Spring Break to do list! Shared it here
http://pinsandprincesses.blogspot.com/2012/04/trash-to-treasure-or-at-least-useful.html - April 7, 2012 at 6:08 AM
- 4Given said...
Paint the bottle brown, so it blends in with the dirt
- July 18, 2013 at 7:23 PM


text:
100% Premium Ironbark Firewood
* Pricing From:
100% Premium Ironbark The locals choice Available in the following sizes or contact us for a quote: 1M/ Half Bay 2M/ Full Bay 4M/ Two Bays 6M/ Three Bays Kindling Bags...
Have questions? Contact us for more information:
(02) 6353 1608
100% Premium Ironbark
The locals choice
Available in the following sizes or contact us for a quote:
1M/ Half Bay
2M/ Full Bay
4M/ Two Bays
6M/ Three Bays
* Delivery 6 Days or Pick Up
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* Delivery Portland - Lithgow - Katoomba - Blaxand - Mt Wilson Mt Wilson - Mt Irvine - Mt Tomah- Kurrajong and in between - call for other areas.
* Terms and Conditions Apply. Prices subject to change without notice
Size |
1M / half bay, 2M/ Full Bay, 4M/ Two Bays, 6M/ Three Bays, Bulk a Bag |
Based in Little Hartley we deliver to most areas: Lithgow, Katoomba, Bathurst, Oberon, etc - Interstate is possible.
Please contact the store for more details and a quotation.
Jelss Pty Ltd ACN 624 512 901About our Shipping Policy
Thanks for taking the time to read our shipping policy (Policy), we are Jelss Pty Ltd ACN 624 512 901 trading as Erin's Quality Outdoor Power Centre (Erin's, we, our, us and other similar terms). The following information sets out the terms and conditions regarding delivering products to you.
Please consider our Policy prior to making a purchase. If you have any questions, or customer service matters you would like us to address, contact us via the details set out at the end of this Policy.
Processing your order
After you make your order, where you provide an email address, we will send you a confirmation email. After your payment is authorised and verified, we will process your order, confirm our stock, and prepare the delivery information. We will send you a notice when your order has been dispatched.
Most products promoted on our website or in our catalogue are available from our local store. However, those products temporarily out of stock, or those which are subject to a special order, will need to be fulfill by our suppliers. Were we anticipate delays, we will contact you and provide further details.
Arrangements can be made for shipping within Australia. Where products are made available for purchase via our website, shipping options may be presented at checkout. All prices presented on our catalogue and website are exclusive of shipping costs. Large and special-order items may be shipped directly from our suppliers. Packaging and handling fees may apply.
Please note that unless otherwise agreed in writing, we cannot deliver to PO Boxes or parcel lockers and do not offer international delivery.
You are required to provide us with a correct delivery address at time of purchase. Deliveries may be delayed, and further costs incurred, if incorrect details are provided. You agree to pay the cost of re-shipping in such circumstances.
We reserve the right to dispatch the goods you purchase in more than one delivery.
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Where possible we will provide a range of delivery options and endeavour to deliver products to you as soon as possible. You may choose from the options at checkout if one suits you. Alternatively, please contact our friendly staff who will endeavour to assist you with alternate shipping options.
Any delivery time advised is to be used as a guide only and is only valid as at the time it is communicated to you. The delivery time commence from the date of shipment, not your order date. You acknowledge and agree there are many unforeseen circumstances that may impact the actual delivery time, such as the availability of stock, severe weather, health pandemics, industrial action and the action or inaction by a government authority.
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On delivery, you will be required to check the condition of the packaging and confirm that the correct products in your order have been delivered. You must notify us within 5 business days of any error with or damage to your order.
Damaged goods and delivery problems
If goods arrive damaged, please contact us as soon as possible. We will provide you with further instructions. Where the goods can be posted or otherwise easily returned to us then you are responsible for returning the product to us. If you are unable to return the product for any reason, we will provide you with further instructions when you contact us. Any product which you say was damaged during delivery must be returned to us in the condition in which you received it.
Contacting Us
You can contact us by:
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Telephone: (02) 6353 1608
Post: 2464-2468 Great Western Hwy, Little Hartley NSW 2790
We aim to respond to any queries or requests of delivery within 7 business days of having received them.
2464-2468 Great Western Hwy, Little Hartley, NSW 2790, Australia
Trading Hours: Mon - Sun 9:00-17:00


text:
Tip 573 Printable Monobook Previous Next
created October 3, 2003 · complexity intermediate · author Charles E. Campbell, Jr. · version 6.0
The :RS /pattern/subpattern/{flags} command+function as shown below allows one to repeat a RS-substitute after the current cursor position.
For example:
" The cursor position is indicated with '^' on next line. one two three one two three one two three ^ :RS /two/TWO/ one TWO three one two three one two three ^ move cursor: one TWO three one two three one two three ^ (I think tip author intended to repeat :RS here?) cursor ends up: one TWO three one two three one TWO three
Put the following into your vimrc if you'd like to be able to do this.
" RS: repeat substitution command com! -range -nargs=* RS call RepeatSubst(<q-args>) " RepatSubst: fun! RepeatSubst(subexpr) if a:subexpr != "" let g:repeatsubst= a:subexpr endif let curcol= col(".") let sep = strpart(g:repeatsubst,0,1) let pat = substitute(g:repeatsubst,'^.\(.\{-}\)'.sep.'.*$','\1','') s/\%#./\r&/ let curcol= curcol + matchend(getline("."),pat) exe "s".g:repeatsubst norm! k j! exe 'norm! '.curcol.'|' endfun


text:
The sale and acquisition of architecturally significant homes requires a unique level of skill and knowledge that few Realtors can provide. Steve and Lisa Haussler are an award-winning team of real estate professionals with extensive experience in historic architecture, renowned for uniting buyers and sellers of exceptional properties in Altadena, Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, La Cañada Flintridge, Glendale, Eagle Rock and the surrounding communities.
Channeling his passion for architecture and his commitment to the preservation movement into a 35-year career in real estate, Steve has built a solid reputation based on his unparalleled knowledge of the range of styles in the area, from wood Bungalows to glass Moderns. Blending innovative marketing, effective technology and a sense of humor, he has developed a winning formula for success.
Lisa brings a wealth of experience in business and finance, through an accomplished career as an investment banker and management consultant. By applying the world class techniques used by successful corporations, she designs customized action plans for each client that optimize and simplify the buying and selling process.
You will quickly see how the convergence of these top tier approaches to the real estate process assures a memorable and successful transaction. Steve's intuitive ability to recognize the needs of buyers combined with his understanding of design enables him to identify suitable homes quickly. For sellers, his passion for architecture allows him to identify the best qualities of fine homes, particularly in photographs and the development of print and online marketing materials. Throughout the financing, negotiation and closing phases, Lisa will oversee every detail and ensure that any challenges are met with equitable solutions.
Contact Steve and Lisa Haussler today to take advantage of their significant experience, considerable resources and keen eye for historic homes. Feel free to read more about this unique team on the website, as well as to learn more about the many architecturally significant properties available across the San Gabriel Valley.
Areas of Expertise Altadena Real Estate | Altadena Homes For Sale | Altadena Property | Homes In Altadena | Altadena Traditional Homes | Altadena Home Listings | Pasadena Real Estate | Pasadena Homes For Sale | Old Homes In Pasadena | Pasadena Modern Homes | Pasadena Architectural Properties | Pasadena Bungalow Home | Property For Sale In Pasadena | Eagle Rock CA Real Estate | Glendale Homes | La Canada CA Homes | San Marino Real Estate | Old Homes In South Pasadena | South Pasadena Homes For Sale |


text:
Does government funding give the government an advantage in shaping the news?
As daily newspapers continue to shed Washington bureaus and severely slash their staffs, fewer reporters than ever are serving as watchdogs of the federal government. Rare is the reporter who is assigned to cover one of the many federal departments, agencies or bureaus that are not part of the daily news cycle. . . . Networks and cable television news outlets certainly have reporters in Washington, but they concentrate on politics and the story of the day out of the White House, the Capitol and the most visible departments, such as Defense, State, Justice and Homeland Security. National Public Radio has beefed up its Washington coverage the past several years, and its reporters--many of them former newspaper writers--do have time for enterprise. Yet when it comes to departments, it sticks to the same handful as television. . . .
Labels: governmentcontrol, indoctrination, Media, mediabias


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With scorching summers, its always good to have an extra shade or two for the home, patio, garden or terrace. Thats where our Folding Arm Awning will come in handy.
Measuring 4.5m x 3m, our folding arm awning comprises a powder-coated aluminium frame and a high-quality 300gsm polyester fabric shade. Both frame and shade are made UV-resistant and designed to be durable and longlasting in all kinds of weather conditions(Only for normal weather condition,extrem weather condition is excluded).
To open or retract the shade, a hand crank is provided for easy operation. Mounting the frame and shade is also made simple with the included wall brackets.
So dont let the sun get to you with its harmful UV rays. Keep them at bay with our Folding Arm Awning always. Get yours today.
Note: The fixings supplied are for brick walls and concrete walls only. For other structural fixing, please contact your local qualified buiilder or hardware store for recommended fixings. For safety reason, we strongly recommend using a qualified builder to install your awning.
Folding and retractable
Powder coated aluminium frame
UV resistant and waterproof fabric
Dirt and dust repellent
Wall brackets included
Comes with hand crank
Fabric material: Polyester
Fabric weight: 300gs/m
Frame material: Aluminium
Dimensions:4.5m x 3m(size include brackets)
Assembly Required:Yes
Pls note:This item comes in 1 package.
Package Content
(1) Folding Arm Awning x1
(2) Wall Bracket Set x1
(3) Hand Crank x1
This product comes with 1 year warranty


text:
Ag-Chem Research Facility Site Re-Development
Property Acquisition and Management
TASK is providing environmental assessment and remediation services and site re-development support for a property used historically for farming and agricultural chemical research. After arsenic was detected in the soil during a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) conducted by others, TASK conducted an extensive site assessment to sample soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment to characterize the site. We developed a remediation strategy to cost-effectively manage contaminated media, to facilitate development of the property. We continue to support our client in the site re-development process.


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MAG Laundry Equipment have been supplying this sector for many years. We fully understand the importance of laundry equipment in all Food environments.
The food industry demands the utmost level of cleanliness and efficiency and we are dedicated to providing only the very best laundry equipment to all our customers.
All our commercial laundry equipment meets all the up-to-date national care standard WRAS approval and of course the Health and Safety Guidelines HSG(95)18 programs are as standard on all our commercial washing machines.
World renowned sugar manufactures Tate & Lyle fully understand the importance of Hygiene and cleanliness in the working environment. We installed a commercial washing machine to cope with their high volumes of staff workwear.


text:
ALLDOCK Classic Walnut and Chrome
Universal multi-USB charging station for smartphones and tablets
The ALLDOCK Classic Walnut and Chrome is a flexible cell phone charging station in a timeless design. All cables are hidden in the box and all your devices can be easily docked. You have one central place for all your electronic devices. The ALLDOCK-IQ-Technology even charges your devices extra fast.
Every ALLDOCK charging station is immediately ready to charge, convertible, expandable and also upgradeable in the future. Simply plug in your own device cables, expand with original alldock accessories or upgrade with more modern components in the future.
- Outer Case Medium: 220 X 142 X 61 mm
- Inner Rail Length : 210mm (Will not hold IPad Pro in portrait)
- Number of Docking Rails : 4
- Docking Rail Width: 14mm front 3 Rails (Please check your cases). Wider 18mm back rail.
- 4 port USB Charger
- Input: AC 110V-240V 50-60Hz1.5A
- Single output: DC Max 5V/2.4A
- Total output: DC Max 5V/9.6A
Note : Cables are not included.
The flexibly adaptable device charging station
The elegant ALLDOCK charging station with a natural timber surface gives you the opportunity to charge smartphones, tablets or laptops in a stylish and safe way. Your devices can recharge here and even much faster than with conventional standard solutions. The cables of your devices disappear in a visually appealing housing and thus a silent cable clutter in your home is avoided.
Each ALLDOCK Classic is equipped with a charger with 4 fast and powerful USB ports. Each port provides a stable power output that can optimally charge almost all of your devices. Of course, safety is also guaranteed with ALLDOCK. It uses a sophisticated integrated circuit that protects your hardware from overload, overvoltage and overheating. In addition, the integrated charger is made of fire-resistant and high-quality polycarbonate.
Charge your Apple watch up to 6 times on the go!
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text:
As the sun rose over Latin America this morning, we're getting a clearer picture of how Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio — now Pope Francis — was viewed in his home of Argentina and what the first pope from the New World could mean for the continent.
We've read through dozens of news outlets from the region to bring you highlights:
-- Mexico's El Universal sums up a conversation María Elena Bergoglio, Francis' sister, had with the Argentinian television station C5N. María Elena said after she learned her brother had ended up second last time around, "I prayed he wouldn't be chosen."
"By the grace of God, I had the opportunity to travel and meet Pope John Paul II. When it was my turn to kneel and kiss his ring, I lifted my head to look at him and found a gaze so full of love and so full of loneliness, the two things at the same time," she said.
"I feel like we have to pray a lot for [Francis], because we are living in a tough world, in a tough moment for the church and he needs help from God permanently " María Elena added.
-- Perhaps the most insightful piece we've read comes from the Agencia Informatica Católica Argentina — or the Catholic wire service in Argentina. The agency spoke to priests and coordinators in slums that surround Buenos Aires.
Pope Francis, the service reports, has already been termed "papa de los villeros" or "the pope for the slum dwellers."
The service reports that during his tenure as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis multiplied the number of priests serving the slums.
"Now his limits won't be the archdiocese," Father Pepe told the news outlet. "Now it's the world and he will have to take up the task in other places like Africa, where there are many who work in favor of the poor."
Francis, others recount, visited the slums frequently, celebrating mass and washing the feet of drug addicts.
"Everyone here felt very close to him," the slum priests program coordinator said. "They talk about his way of being. The poor in general are very close to him. He'd visit jails and hospitals; he'd ride the bus and subway. He had a closeness with the street."
One thing that's worth highlighting is that in many of the interviews of this piece, the focus is on Francis' ministering, not necessarily his charity work.
This goes hand in hand with what he said during his first homily today in Rome.
Reuters reports that he urged the church "not to forget its primary mission of proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ or risk being reduced to what he called 'a compassionate NGO.'"
-- Nicaragua's La Prensa reports that the chair of the Archdiocese of Managua, father Boanerges Carballo, riffed on that same issue saying Francis' election is "transcendental and demands that the church in the region be more dynamic in its missionary life and service to the poor."
-- Argentina's El Clarín sheds a little more light on Francis' time during Argentina's military dictatorship. As Mark noted this morning, there have always been grumblings that "Francis did not protect his Jesuit priests the way he should have."
El Clarín spoke to Alicia Oliveira, a friend of Francis' who was a judge during the coup d'état.
Oliveira tells the paper that when she was pushed out by the military, Francis stood by her.
"When I became totally unoccupied, Jorge sent me flowers to be with me at that moment," she said.
Oliveira also says that two priests who went missing during his tenure were at a different slum than he was and he had warned them to leave the country because it was too dangerous.
-- Argentina's La Nacion reports Pope Francis already has a doll in his likeness.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Designed for RHCP drummer Chad Smith, the 17" AA Holy China in Brilliant Finish is a monster of loudness and cut, the loudest cymbal on the SABIAN roster! The Holy China is not for the faint of heart. The combination of 51 holes in the 19" model, large raw bell, high profile and wide lip creates a unique and explosive package. SABIAN AA cymbals are all about classic sounds. Rock. Funk. Jazz. Blues. It's about tradition, about what made history. And it's about making history again. Bright, explosive energy, the vintage bright sound for today.
Double click to zoom


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Other Health Sites Chiroweb.com Dynamicchiropractic.com Chirofind.com Acupuncturetoday.com
Many women who used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to combat the symptoms of menopause stopped taking these hormones after a large study last year showed that they increased a woman's risks for heart attack, breast cancer and stroke.
As part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), over 16,000 women ages 50 to 79 were randomly selected to receive either estrogen plus progestin or a placebo (essentially a sugar pill); neither the researchers nor the participants were aware which each had been given. Measures of quality of life were recorded initially, one year later, and after three years (in a smaller subset of these women).
Estrogen and progestin pills did not provide any significant improvements in the women's health in any quality-of-life area, including memory; sleep; sex life; depression; pain; energy levels; or emotional health. Hormone therapy was considered effective for treating hot flashes and night sweats only in 50- to 54-year-olds suffering these symptoms, however.
In another blow to HRT, this study from The New England Journal of Medicine shows that it does not appear to offer any meaningful effects to a woman's quality of life. Black cohosh and other herbs, as well as soy products, have shown some ability to safely fight menopausal symptoms, but there is still no consensus on their effectiveness. Despite the lack of many viable alternatives, hormone replacement therapy is not the way to go.
Hays J, Ockene JK, et al. Effects of estrogen plus progestin on health-related quality of life. The New England Journal of Medicine 2003:348(19), pp. 1839-1854.
To learn more about women's health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/women.html.
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SP+ is driven by Our Promise, "Making Every Moment Matter for a World on the Go." Our team understands that time is scarce, so we are intentional about putting ourselves in the shoes of those we serve. The result is a unique combination of talented people and industry-leading technology that enables SP+ to prioritize each and every moment, recognizing that the time colleagues, clients and customers invest in us must always matter.
Basic Function - This position is involved with facility maintenance duties and customer interface. Previous experience is preferred, but not required in all positions. Individual must be able to perform with minimum supervision. Other duties may include: equipment service and general housekeeping tasks.
Qualification Requirements: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education/Experience: High School Diploma or a combination of experience and education. May require facility maintenance, electrical and or painting experience and or skills training depending on the job assignment and facility.
License Requirement: The employee will be required to have and maintain a valid state-issued driver's license with a current address and acceptable driving record.
Availability to Work: Special shift requirements, if any, will vary depending on a location's hiring needs. If applicable, availability to work 3rd shift and/or week-ends may be a requirement.
Oral Communication: Speaks clearly; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions.
Written Communication: Writes clearly and informatively; Able to read and interpret written information.
Customer Service: Maintains positive attitude. Responds to requests for service and assistance.
Adaptability: Adapts to changes in the work environment; Able to deal with change, delays, or unexpected events.
Judgment: Exhibits sound and accurate judgment.
Professionalism: Reacts well under pressure.
Language Ability: Ability to read, write and interpret the English language. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers.
Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and fingers and to communicate with customers and fellow employees. The employee is frequently required to sit; reach with hands and arms; stand or walk for long periods of time (up to 8 hours). The employee is also frequently required to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, and crouch. In addition, the employee is required to of twist, turn, stretch, and bend on a frequent basis. The employee must be able to lift and move 50 pounds or more regularly. The employee must be able to move in a relatively quick manner. Specific vision abilities required by this job include Close vision, Peripheral vision and Ability to adjust focus. Ability to withstand working with dust, chemicals and other possible irritants and work in extreme weather conditions (rain, snow, cold, heat).
SP+ is an equal opportunity employer committed in policy and practice to recruit, hire, train, and promote, in all job classifications, without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, disability or other classes protected by federal or state law. SP+ does not tolerate harassment or retaliation against any employee or applicant based on these characteristics or because the individual exercised their EEO rights.
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The Southern Health & Social Care Trust provides integrated patient / client centred services to a population of approximately 370,000 people in the local areas of Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon, Dungannon, South Tyrone, Newry and Mourne .
The Trust provides a wide range of hospital, community and primary care services. General acute in-patient hospital services are located at Craigavon Area Hospital and Daisy Hill Hospital and acute mental health and learning disability in-patient hospital services are located in the Bluestone Unit also on the Craigavon Area Hospital site. Working in collaboration with GPs and other agencies, Trust staff provide locally based health and social care services in Trust premises, in people's own homes and in the community. The Trust purchases some services, such as domiciliary, residential and nursing care and day care from private and voluntary organisations.
The Trust employs approximately 14,000 staff and has an annual income of about £678m, spending approximately £1.86m per day delivering care to local people.
In 2017/18 the Southern Trust treated:
- 145,817 Emergency Department Attendances
- 59,760 Inpatients
- 371,537 Outpatient Appointments
Each year across the Southern Trust area we support people to remain independent in their own homes within our community through:
- 6,000 people supported by Domiciliary Care Services in their own home
- 2,223 Residential and Nursing Home placements
- £1.5m annual expenditure on community equipment


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Glorious Return: American Flatbread
By last weekend we really were in need of a little getaway, so we got in touch with Kazi and decided to do a daytrip down to Vermont in search of fresh air, New England scenery, artisanal cheese, and a pizza or two. Our route was plotted out based largely around a number of Northern Vermont creameries—Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Cabot Creamery in Cabot, and the Vermont Butter and Cheese Co. in Websterville—but the real goal of our little escapade was to get ourselves in close proximity to Waitsfield by around 4:30 in the afternoon so that we could sign ourselves up for a table at American Flatbread. We didn't quite make it to Websterville—we ran out of time—but we made our two other stops on our creamery tour easily (more on this here), and we had no problem doing what it took to make our rendezvous in Waitsfield. All three of us had been to American Flatbread before and it's safe to say that we'd all had memorable experiences there. We had plenty of incentive to guide us.
Michelle and I had been to American Flatbread about two and a half years earlier. It was July of the summer of 2003 and we'd set out on a much more "adventurous" daytrip than last weekend's, one that began in Saratoga Springs, NY with a trip to the Saratoga Race Course to play the ponies. Several hours later, after a near-miss on a 44 to 1 longshot (!), lunching at the cantina that catered to the Mexican migrant workers that tend to the thoroughbreds, and a lovely drive up Hwy 4 along the Hudson and then into Vermont, we found our way to American Flatbread on the grounds of the Lareau Farm in the Mad River Valley. It was probably about 6:30 by the time we got to American Flatbread that evening, and we were familiar with the lore that surrounded their pizzas--which is why we'd been trying to make it there "early"--but we definitely weren't prepared for the carnival we found when we got there. We'd taken Hwy 4 all the way to Hwy 100, and the drive got more and more sleepy and more and more photogenic the further we headed north along the 100. But when we made that sharp turn into the dirt driveway that leads down from the 100 to the Lareau Farm we suddenly found more cars than we'd seen since we passed Rutland an hour or two earlier. The parking lot was packed and there was quite the crowd gathered on the porch of the big old refashioned farmhouse, hanging out around a big wood fire in the firepit, traipsing across the meadow behind the farmhouse, and dining in the outdoor seating area. Michelle made her way into the restaurant to add our name to the list and when she came back she announced that there was a three to three and a half hour wait for a table. I said, "Excuse me?" Neither of us had ever heard of such a wait, so we balked for about 30 seconds or so, but then we decided, hey, we came all this way, and it really is a beautiful evening out (because it was, it was the perfect summer evening, warm and humid, with clear skies above and a gorgeous sunset in the works), and we don't have any other place to go to, and, after all, American Flatbread is located in a town called Waitsfield, so what the hell. We ordered a couple of beers from the bar inside, brought them out to the porch, fetched a couple of books and the New York Times crossword from the car, and settled in to our surroundings. Before we knew it, a couple of hours had passed by, and by that time the sun was setting, the stars started to appear, and the fireflies were joining them over by the meadow. We were absolutely, perfectly relaxed by the time our name got called (a little earlier than expected, as it turned out), and we moved to our outdoor table and had one of the most memorable meals of the last few years. The food was great, no question about it, but this was one of those meals that was more about the all-around experience than just the food. It had to do with the weather, and the scenery, and the farmhouse, and the kids running across the meadow, and the conversation around the firepit, and the stars, and the fireflies, and the locally and organically grown ingredients used by the kitchen, and the sense of community that filled the air.
This year we talked and talked about going back, especially on another warm summer night, but, sadly, our glorious return to American Flatbread never really materialized. They're only open for dining two nights out of the week—Friday and Saturday—and, between the two of us, we were working both of those days all summer long. Suffice to say, we were overdue for a visit by the time last weekend rolled along.
This time around there was definitely no warm, humid weather, there sure weren't any fireflies, and things at Lareau Farm were quite a bit more subdued than they had been in 2003. We showed up right at 4:30, right at the time that the staff at American Flatbread starts taking names for the evening's dining, and we had no problem getting ourselves put near the top of that list. We hadn't really eaten since we filled up at Cosmos early in the morning, so we opted to be seated at the first available seating time, 5:30. With an hour to relax, we decided to do a little tramping across the meadow and through the snow. Night was coming on quickly and things were getting pretty dark, but one of the hosts was kind enough to lend us a headlamp (he even went out to his truck to grab it for us!), so off we went.
45 minutes later we ambled up to the firepit, where once again a fire was burning, and we spent 10 minutes or so warming up. Then we went into the farmhouse and ordered three beers at the bar and waited for our name to get called. We got seated right in front of American Flatbread's massive and beautiful wood-burning oven--the perfect position to watch the action as well as to warm up some more after our walk in the woods. The oven occupies the central position in the dining room at American Flatbread--the high vaulted ceiling has the effect of making it look like a kind of altar, fittingly enough. Like everything else at American Flatbread, the oven was made from local ingredients like Vermont fieldstone and soapstone (which is particularly well-suited for evenly distributing heat), but, interestingly, the oven was modeled after the clay-domed ovens that were traditional in rural Quebec in the 18th and 19th centuries. I've come across pictures of these ovens like this one that was featured in The Art of Eating No. 69
and places like Au Pied de Cochon here in Montreal incorporate their own modern take on these ovens as part of their charm, but in my travels across Quebec I've yet to come across one as authentic as the one at American Flatbread. On their web site the folks at American Flatbread claim, "These clay domes are considered by many master bakers to make the very best bread." This indicates that there's an entire tradition of bread baking unique to Quebec that was completely extinguished during the push towards modernization. American Flatbread uses only the finest local and organic ingredients in everything that they make, but that oven alone is enough to distinguish their work from that of so many other pizza makers across North America. At the very least you need a well-seasoned oven; American Flatbread's oven is not only well-seasoned, it's also a work of art, a labor of love, and a focus for the sense of community, the commonweal, they've developed over the last couple of decades.
When it came to ordering, we were definitely happy to have Kazi along because it meant that we could order a second pizza and try out another combination or two. On our first visit to American Flatbread we'd tried a half and half New Vermont Sausage and Punctuated Equilibrium pizza and we absolutely loved it. The New Vermont Sausage pizza was especially deluxe--it featured "Hadley Gaylord's naturally raised Waitsfield pork in a nitrate-free maple-fennel sausage," mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes (dried and prepared on premises), caramelized onions, and a blend of cheeses, and that bright fennel-maple flavor was truly something else. The Punctuated Equilibrium, on the other hand, consisted of Vermont chèvre, red onions, roasted red peppers, black olives, herbs, mozzarella, and garlic--as the name suggests, perfect balance shot through with the pungency of that goat's milk cheese and the brine of the olives. We were so impressed by these two combos and we'd been craving them for so long that we decided that ordering them again was the only possible option. This time around we ordered a full New Vermont Sausage pizza along with a half and half Punctuated Equilibrium and Pepperoni and Peppers pizza. We were intrigued by the thought of having a quality pepperoni pizza (for once), one made with an "all natural nitrate-free pepperoni," and we were pretty sure that each half's Mediterranean vibe would complement the other. How right we were! Our Mediterranean Special was a great match--maybe even too good of a match--and ordering a full New Vermont Sausage was one of the best decisions I've ever been a part of. Halfway through our pizzas we found ourselves gazing over at the woman to the left of the oven with fascination and covetousness in our hearts (Who was she? A reviewer? An heiress?). She was sitting at her table solo with a bottle of red wine and not one, but two pizzas on her table. She had about 4 or 5 pieces of her pizzas, drank most of her bottle of wine, and then waltzed out of the restaurant with the loveliest assortment of leftovers you ever saw. Hmm...
Even the desserts were impressive last Saturday night. Kazi and I split the homemade apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream and Michelle ordered a double order of mignardises, which wound up consisting of two chocolate-covered toffee candies and two chocolate-covered caramel candies. We'd had their excellent apple pie before, but we'd never had their candies and, like everything else, they were both thoughtful and delicious. We accompanied our desserts with two cups of coffee, and it was time to head off into that starry Vermont night and face up to our drive back to Montreal.
Heading down to Waitsfield, VT for pizza might seem like an awfully long way to go for pizza, but when you take into account the quality of American Flatbread's pies, the sad state of pizza affairs in Montreal, and the fact that even New Yorkers regularly make the trek up to the Mad River Valley solely for one of American Flatbread's justly famous pizzas (!), well, to our minds, it seems perfectly reasonable.
American Flatbread is located just south of Waitsfield, VT along Hwy 100. They're open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. Unless you show up at 4:30 and make a booking for yourself at 5:30, you should be prepared for a healthy (and potentially relaxing) wait. They're only open twice a week and their pizzas are very, very good. You do the math. Waitsfield is about a 3-hour drive from Montreal.


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Research has shown that periodontal (gum) disease can affect the health of your whole body. Evidence suggests a relationship between severe gum disease and cardiovascular disease ("cardio" – heart; "vascular" – blood vessel), conditions that lead to heart attacks and strokes. There is also a relationship between gum disease and pregnancy; mothers with severe gum disease have a higher incidence of pre-term delivery and low birth-weight babies. To understand gum disease, you may find the following facts helpful. How many are you aware of?
- Periodontal disease — Any disease that affects the areas around the teeth. The word comes from the Latin "peri" meaning around and Greek "odont" meaning tooth. Periodontal disease, or gum disease as it is commonly called, is really a group of diseases with the same outcome: destruction of the periodontal tissues, loss of supporting bone and ultimately the loss of your teeth.
- Dental plaque (Biofilms) — A bacterial film that forms on teeth at the gum line, and the reason we brush and floss. Its daily removal is necessary to keep your teeth and gums healthy. A biofilm is a biological film comprised of colonies of living organisms that are generally specific to a particular eco-system. Plaque is one type of biofilm.
- Gingivitis ("gingiva" – gum; "itis" – inflammation) — A response of the gum tissues to plaque biofilm that is left undisturbed (due to ineffective, or inadequate oral hygiene). It is the first stage of periodontal disease.
- Pocket formation — Just like a pocket on your clothing, pocket formation is the result of separation of the gum tissues from their normally healthy tight attachment to a tooth. Pocketing allows the introduction of bacteria, which perpetuate gum disease.
- Abscess — A collection of pus that forms within diseased periodontal tissues. It is experienced as pain, swelling, and discharge of pus from the gum tissues and is an advanced sign of periodontal disease.
Important Tip — Bleeding Gums when brushing teeth or flossing is not normal. It is a warning sign of early gum disease that you should bring to the attention of our office.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment to discuss your questions about periodontal disease. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article "Understanding Gum (Periodontal) Disease."


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John MacLaughlan Milne, (1885 - 1957)
John MacLauchlan Milne was born in Edinburgh in 1885, the son of the Scottish landscape painter Joseph Milne. He studied at the Edinburgh College of Art, later moving to Kingoodie near Dundee until the outbreak of the First World War. After serving in the Royal Flying Corps he returned briefly to Dundee before going to Paris where he painted a series of street scenes.
Between 1919 and 1932 Milne spent a substantial part of the year in France. He worked in the South of France with his French wife at Lavardin and benefited from a stipend paid by the Dundee marmalade manufacturers Keillers, who took up a proportion of his work. Milne often stayed at Cassis at the same time as F.C.B. Cadell, S. J. Peploe and Duncan Grant. He also spent considerable time in St. Tropez, still in those days an unspoilt port. Almost all of his exhibits of the 1920s were landscapes of the Mediterranean.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Milne returned to Scotland and settled in the hamlet of High Corrie on the isle of Arran where he remained until his death in 1957. The landscapes of the West Highlands and in particular, High Corrie, constitute the bulk of the work of his maturity.
Milne painted in a light and broad manner reflecting the influence of the Colourists and van Gogh, especially in his flower paintings. Milne was elected ARSA in 1934 and RSA in 1938. From 1912 to 1954 he exhibited annually at the Royal Scottish Academy, except during the First World War years. His work was also exhibited at the Glasgow Institute and in London (Reid and Lefevre, 1929) and in New York (N.Y.World Fair, 1939).
Maclaughlan MilneDelphinium in a vase Oil on canvas Signed 23 x 20 inches £28,000 |


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Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20551
Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.
Publication type: Electronic Source
How Big Pharma Is Killing Americans
Truthout 2013 Apr 29
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Each year, millions of Americans are dealt the devastating news that they have cancer, and each year, millions of Americans, many of whom are uninsured, have to figure out how to pay for the life-saving treatments that they need.
And unfortunately, that decision can be a very hard one.
Thanks to America's for-profit health insurance industry, prescription drugs are a big business.
In fact, in 2012, the top 11 global drug companies made nearly $85 billion in net profits.
They made these profits by slapping extraordinary price tags on the prescription drugs and health treatments that Americans are forced to rely on in order to survive devastating diseases like cancer.
But while drug companies have been largely able to get away with robbing Americans left and right for the past several decades, more and more people are speaking up about the outrageous costs of lifesaving treatments.
A group of more than 100 leading oncologists from across the globe have penned a journal article, announcing their plans to start a campaign to force drug companies to slash their profit margins.
In the article, the groups of oncologists ask, "What determines a morally justifiable price for a cancer drug? A reasonable drug price should maintain healthy pharmaceutical industry profits without being viewed as 'profiteering'."
But cancer drugs aren't the only drugs on the market that are gouging the wallets of Americans.
Last year, 11 of the 12 new-to-market drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration were priced above $100,000 per-patient per-year.
And, Americans pay nearly 50% more for comparable prescriptions in the United States than they would in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and a host of other developed nations.
For instance, look at Nexium, a drug commonly prescribed to treat acid reflux.
In Spain, a prescription for Nexium costs, on average, $18. In France and the United Kingdom, Nexium costs, on average, $30 and $32 respectively.
But here in the United States, a prescription for Nexium costs, on average, a whopping $187, six times as much as it costs in France and the UK.
Lipitor is another commonly prescribed medication in the United States, used to treat high cholesterol. In New Zealand, a prescription for Lipitor costs, on average, just six dollars. And in South Africa and Spain, it costs $11 and $13 respectively. But here in the United States, a prescription of Lipitor costs, on average, $100.
These are just two of the commonly used drugs that are bankrupting Americans.
Other commonly used medications, like Nasonex, Cymbalta, Vytorin and Celebrex also cost far more in the United States than in other countries in the developed world.
Prescription drug pricing in the United States is unregulated, which means that Big Pharma can charge whatever it wants for prescription drugs.
If you ask executives at America's top pharmaceutical drugs about the high costs of prescription drugs, they'll tell you that high and increasing drug prices are needed to sustain research and development efforts. But numerous studies have debunked those claims.
One study, by the group Families USA, found that America's major drug companies are spending more than twice as much on marketing, advertising and administration than they do on research and development.
The report also found, not surprisingly, that the total profits of America's top pharmaceutical companies far exceed their research and development costs.
Make no mistake about it. Lifesaving medications and commonly prescribed drugs in America today are absurdly expensive here – and only in this country – because Big Pharma is ripping off Americans.
So what can we do about this? How do we drive down the costs of prescription medications?
Right now in Canada, drugs cost a fraction of what they do here.
That's largely because in Canada, there is a single-payer insurance program that negotiates prescription prices.
As the group Physicians for a National Health Program (a group of doctors campaigning for a single-payer healthcare system) points out, when all patients are under one healthcare system, the payer, or the American citizen, has a lot more clout and influence over the pharmaceutical industry.
For example, the Veterans Administration gets a roughly 40% discount on prescription drugs because of its large buying power. Imagine if that buying power were spread to all Americans. Instead, Republicans put into Medicare Part D that it is illegal for Medicare to negotiate with the drug companies for discounts – they have to pay full retail.
Competition and negotiation – what some would call "the free market" – are the great fears of Big Pharma, and why Big Pharma is so opposed to a single-payer system.
But isn't it about time that we put the lives of Americans ahead of the padded wallets of Big Pharma's executives and stockholders?
It's time to save lives.
We already have a single-payer non-for-profit healthcare system in America – it's called Medicare. All we need to do is reduce the eligibility age to birth, and give it the ability to negotiate prices with the drug companies.
I call it Medicare Part E – E for Everybody. It could be done with a two-page piece of legislation, and has been proposed repeatedly in Congress only to be blocked by Republicans.
Wake up your friends and neighbors and tell them about it, and call your legislators. Medicare for everybody!