text:
I've heard that the US election has been the ugliest in history with attack ads really stretching the envelope of truth.
For today's Funny Friday I bring you an ad paid for by a number of American organizations including the devilish Aerial Moose Hunters for Truth and the dastardly People Against Amnesty for Mexican and Canadian Undead.
I sure hope Obama wins because if he doesn't, where the heck am I going to get my next American brains-fix?
Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!
[Hat tip to my sister and fellow undead Canadian Michal]
Friday, October 31, 2008
When Obama Wins I'll Eat your American Brains!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Coca-Cola states Coke is "Wholesome and Suitable" for Kids!!?
Readers of my blog may remember some time ago when I blogged about the Coca-Cola advertisement found in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that ridiculously claimed that their ads featuring Santa Claus, animated polar bears, New Kids on the Block and more didn't target children,
"Can't remember the last Coca-Cola ad targeted at children? There's a reason. Parents tell us they prefer to be the ones teaching their children about beverage choices. That's why for over 50 years we've adhered to a company policy that prohibits advertising soft drinks to children."The thing is, I didn't just blog about it, I also wrote a letter to the editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal which in turn was published this week along with responses from Coca-Cola and the Journal's editors.
The editors rightly report that the advertisement,
"compl(ies) with the pertinent sections of the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations"and therefore is kosher for publication.
Reading between the lines however would suggest that the Journal agreed that the advertisement went too far, not in the context of their editorial response but rather in their print publication of my original letter along with their contact for and publication of Coca-Cola's response.
Coke's response?
They reiterate their claim and then add a minor parenthetic qualification in that,
"(Any programming or media platform for which 50% or more of the audience is under 12 years of age is considered programming primarily directed to children.)"and then brag that they're founding members of a toothless, voluntary, non-regulated, Big Food sponsored campaign that voluntarily submits advertisements to Advertising Standards Canada, an organization described on their website as,
"The Canadian advertising industry's self-regulatory body"Here's my bottom line:
Claiming that Santa Claus and animated polar bears in Coke commercials don't target children is about as believable as claiming that bikini-clad women in beer commercials don't target men.The story was picked up by Sarah Schmidt of Canwest and will likely hit the newspapers tomorrow and boy did Coca-Cola corporate spokesperson Amy Laski come up with one whopper of a quobesity stating that Coke is,
"wholesome and suitable for kids"I wonder if Amy serves her kids "wholesome", refreshing Coke?
Good lord.
Fixing Health Check - a Simple Recipe
Yesterday I blogged about the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Health Check program's call for proposals to help them review the impact Health Check has had during its ten year lifespan.
In the document, the Heart and Stroke Foundation refers to their "overarching question" that these studies will be meant to answer,
"In what areas does the HC program need to change to be relevant in the current and emerging environment?"Allow me to save them millions of dollars in grants and redevelopment fees with a simple, succinct answer along with a proposed solution.
In order to be relevant in the current environment Health Check needs to provide an evidence-based means for consumers to evaluate all dietary products in participating marketplaces.Health Check's current system, evaluating only those products whose parent companies buy their endorsement means that there may be more nutritious alternatives sitting right beside the Health Check items, with Health Check therefore doing little more than misinforming Canadians about what the healthiest choices are. As well, given that Health Check's meagre nutritional criteria only analyze 3 nutritional components per given item means that it ignores literally dozens of other well-established nutritional determinants of health and consequently has many "unintended consequences".
The solution?
At the recent Centre for Science in the Public Interest conference I had the opportunity to sit and chat with Dr. David Katz, the founder of the Overall Nutritional Quality Index system (now renamed NuVal). The system, which I've blogged about before, uses a complex algorithm developed by 12 of the world's leading nutritional scientists (and updated every 2 years), weighting 25 different nutritional determinants of health to spit out a number from 1-100 to indicate the nutritional score of each particular food.
The system's dead-simple to use - higher the number, the healthier the option.
David told me that in order to calculate an ONQI value all they need is a nutrition facts panel and an ingredients list (or a recipe). He also reported that they'd happily work with anyone on the system.
So what could Health Check do to save themselves millions of dollars in evaluation and reformulation along with years of tinkering?
They could scrap their current product-by-product endorsement system, set up some ties and cobranding with NuVal, and become the Canadian licensee of NuVal's robust, evidence-based scoring system. They could then use their influence and marketplace savvy to sell the program to supermarket chains, (which would be required to score every item up for sale) restaurants, (again, every item gets a score) and industrial food service providers (ditto).
What's in it for NuVal of course is the promotion of their brand by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, which aside from their involvement with Health Check, is a trusted, health-related non-profit organization. What's in it for Health Check of course is the establishment of credibility - credibility they've strained even further this past year by sticking their heads in the sand and digging their heels in against the quite clearly necessary from the ground up overhaul they require to truly be considered nutritionally relevant.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Health Check's Highly Processed Hypocrisy
Recently I read a nutrition column by Heart and Stroke Dietitian Alyssa Rolnick about how to help your child consume less salt.
Amazingly, despite the Heart and Stroke Foundation's endorsement of lower levels of salt in children (the National Sodium Policy Statement the Heart and Stroke Foundation signed off on recommends children under the age of 8 consume no more than 1,200mg daily) Alyssa stuck to Health Check's party line of adopting the far less stringent Health Canada recommendations of the nearly double 2,300mg.
But I'm not blogging today about the inanity of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's lack of adherence to sodium level recommendations that they themselves state are too high (I've done that before here) - no, today I'm blogging about these 3 lines from Alyssa's piece,
"Cook fresh foods One of the best ways to control salt intake is to prepare more home cooked meals."and finally,
"A lot of the excess sodium that we consume is hidden in processed, convenience and fast foods."
"When shopping, look for food items that have the Health Check™ symbol."So first off let me say I agree with Alyssa in that we need to cook our own meals more frequently and that highly processed foods are not only often laden with salt, they're often devoid of the health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy oils.
So can you guess which statement I disagree with?
Yup, you guessed it - her call to use Health Check to guide your choices in kid food shopping.
Why do I disagree?
Because Health Check'ed options are generally highly processed foods with far too much salt.
Don't believe me?
Well how about just asking Health Check folks?
You see just a few weeks ago they released a call for proposals to assess the impact of Health Check on the marketplace after 10 years of operation. One of the areas they want input on is one which they've labeled, "unintended consequences".
Any guesses as to the unintended consequence that they offered up as an example of what they're talking about? Here it is:
"Are Health Check products encouraging the purchase of processed foods over fresh foods?"The answer of course is along the lines of, "Duh", for as Bill Jeffery from the Centre for Science in the Public Interest pointed out in the Canadian Medical Association Journal,
"of the 257 fruit and vegetable products enrolled in the program, 194 are juices, fruit leather and french fries — hardly nutritional superstars — and only 14 are fresh fruits and vegetables."I'll also be happy to continue to explain why the answer is, "Duh" pictorially:
[Hat tip to loyal blog reader Dana for passing along the call for proposals]
Monday, October 27, 2008
Clean Your Plate Club Members Eat 35% More!
Mindless Eating's and USDA's Brian Wansink, one of my favourite researchers, has released some preliminary results from a study he's been working on.
He's been looking at kids who belong to the so-called Clean Your Plate Club and has found that preschool aged members ate 35% more fruit loops than non-club members when given an unlimited portion.
35% more is a lot!
Think maybe the Clean Your Plate Club might play a role in childhood obesity?
The study will be published down the road in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
His advice?
Same as mine. If your kids aren't cleaning their plates perhaps you ought to be offering them smaller portions, or better yet - ensure your child tastes all the foods you offer and then allow them to determine how much they want.
Disband the Clean Your Plate Club!!!
Friday, October 24, 2008
MadTV's Kevin Trudeau Infomercial
Remember Kevin? I blogged about him a few days ago - he's the infomercial king who's been banned from making infomercials and fined over $5 million for being misleading.
Want to see one of his infomercials?
I've seen a few on late night television over the years and this version from MadTV is today's Funny Friday!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Don't Walk to Work, Walk AT Work
Treadmill desks hit the big time (the New York Times).
Promoted by Dr. James Levine and his NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) team as an easy means to combat obesity and adopted by world famous bloggers like bookofjoe's Joe (check out the picture down below to see Joe on his desk) now you can buy one from office furniture maker Steelcase for the not-so-low price of $4,000.
The way it works is pretty straight forward. Instead of sitting, you walk. Apparently walking at up to 1.5 miles an hour generally doesn't cause you to break a sweat and still allows you to type, mouse and talk normally.
My advice?
If you're interested, instead of forking out the big bucks pick up a used treadmill with arms on your local Kijiji or Craig's List and jerry-rig your own version on the cheap.
Here's Joe on his:
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Meat Slammed by Yet Another Major Study
This time it was with regards to its contribution to the risk of heart disease.
The study, run out of Canada's McMaster University by Dr. Salim Yusuf, was not a small study. It analyzed the dietary patterns of 16,000 individuals in 52 different countries and concluded that what we've been saying for years is still true - diets higher in fruits and vegetables and lower in fried foods and animal meat are healthier for you, and in this study specifically healthier for your heart.
Dr. Yusuf, in one of his many interviews with the press had this to say,
"What we've shown is if you eat a healthy diet you can actually reduce the risk of heart attack by about 30 to 40 per cent. That is bigger than most drugs we have for protecting against heart disease. It's even bigger than an angioplasty or bypass"The study was funded in part by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto and Director, Cardiac Prevention Center and Women's Cardiovascular Health at St. Michael's Hospital commented,
"It's a large international study that I would say reconfirms what is suggested in the literature in smaller studies that we are what we eat"I'd agree. It does "reconfirm" what we already know to be true. Here we've "reconfirmed" that meat's in fact bad for your health whereupon folks who ate the most meat (by quartile) had an increased risk of heart attack.
Take this new data and add it to that which concluded that diets higher in red meat are associated with dramatically increased risks of multiple cancers, (colon was the strongest where every 48 grams of red meat consumption beyond a weekly limit of 500grams increased colon cancer risk by 15 per cent) and diabetes (for every increase in the number of daily servings of red meat there was a 26% increase in the risk of developing diabetes), and you've got to wonder how any credible medical or public health organization can actually recommend its consumption.
As I always say, while I think red meat's absolutely delicious I don't kid myself (and more importantly anybody else) into thinking it's good for me. Along those lines, can someone please explain why the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Health Check program, a program they report,
"makes healthy choices easier by helping you quickly identify products that can contribute to a healthy diet"still includes red meat?
So for the scorekeepers out there - here's more evidence, this time from a Heart and Stroke Foundation funded study, "reconfirming" what we already knew about red meat consumption, evidence that states that meat consumption raises the risk of heart disease, and yet here we also have a Heart and Stroke Foundation who happily stamps its Health Check logo all over it and Health Canada who publish a "Food Guide" that doesn't caution against its consumption.
Any guesses when either will change their tunes?
Posted by Yoni Freedhoff, MD at 5:30 am
Labels: Beef, Canada's Food Guide, Health Check, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Research
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Calories on Menus All Across America?
I've certainly blogged before that it's not a matter of if but rather a matter of when the posting of calories on menu boards becomes a country-wide federal law.
Well as of a few weeks ago, the United States are a few steps closer with the introduction of the LEAN (Labeling Education and Nutrition) act by Delaware Senator Tom Carper and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. This bipartisan bill would require that,
"restaurants and grocery stores that serve prepared foods and have 20 or more locations to disclose calories for each menu item so that consumers can see such information before they order their meal. Under the bill, calories will be posted directly on the menu, menu board or in one of the approved alternative ways, such as a menu insert or a sign directly next to the menu board."Good luck Senators!
UPDATE:Sorry I didn't notice it sooner. The reason the Food Industry is supporting this bill is that it would not in fact require calories to be posted directly on menus or menuboards and if passed it would pre-empt more stringent local, county and state labeling laws. Consequently I can't recommend or endorse it.
Poor luck Senators!
Monday, October 20, 2008
$5 Million Fine for Bogus Weight Loss Claims
Ever hear of Kevin Trudeau?
He's the author of many fantastical books that purport the medical establishment is hiding cures from the general public.
He purports the same to be true about weight management and wrote a book entitled, "The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want You to Know About".
Apparently what we don't want you to know is that the cure includes weekly injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) which certainly to date has never been demonstrated to be either safe or effective for weight loss in any well designed randomized trial.
Oh, and there's also a complicated diet plan to follow.
His infomercials certainly make it seem effortless but the Federal Trade Commission, shockingly, felt differently.
So much differently in fact that they fined Kevin over $5 million and have banned him from making infomercials for 3 years.
20/20 had a kick at Kevin a while back and thanks to Youtube, here's their piece on his remarkable "cures":
Friday, October 17, 2008
A Time Capsule Video of a Young Gordon Ramsay
You know, the Hell's Kitchen chef.
For today's Funny Friday is his take on school lunches from back when he used to eat them.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Can you Eat like an Antarctic Explorer?
Well if you're in London, England anytime soon you could give it a try.
Just head over to the Green Door Bar and Grill where you can take the "Shackleton Centenary Meal Challenge" which allows you to consume a 6,000 calorie meal that current Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition team members may be consuming in their quest to follow in Shackleton's famous boot-steps.
So what will your $150 buy you?
AppetiserThe bellyache of "pride"?
Pork Scratching with a sticky Sweet Chilli Dip 1030 cal
Bottle of Stella 242 cal
A Stew originally prepared by Ernest Shackleton over a methylated spirit burner and consisting of Goose (as a substitute for Penguin) Corned Beef, Oats, Potato and Seasoning 1030 cal
Bottle of Stella 242 cal
Main Course
20oz Aberdeen Angus Rib Eye on the bone 1040 cal
Cauliflower Gratin 300 cal
Mushrooms and Creamed Spinach 300 cal
French Fries 200 cal
250 ml Glass of Red Wine 160 cal
Coke 150 cal
Chocolate Fondant with 2 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream 1000 cal
Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream Shake 500 cal
[Hat tip to loyal blog reader Stefan!]
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Aspartame Doesn't Affect Appetite
The internet's an interesting place providing soapboxes for me and anyone else with an axe to grind.
One of the axes that gets ground regularly is that asparatame is an especially bad and dangerous molecule that is responsible for a myriad of health concerns.
One of the claims made by those who like to vilify sweeteners (including aspartame) is that consuming them causes appetite to increase and so I was pleased to see a talk at the most recent Obesity Society Scientific Assembly on that very matter.
The talk was on an as yet unpublished study that looked at the effects of aspartame, stevia and sucrose (plain old sugar) on food intake, satiety and post meal blood glucose and insulin levels. Basically folks were given standardized breakfasts and before their lunch and dinner meals they were given a blind "preload" of tea and crackers sweetened with aspartame, stevia or sucrose. Participants then reported on their hunger and satiety levels before and after each meal as well as 30 minutes and every hour after lunch throughout the afternoon. They also gave multiple afternoon based blood samples.
The results?
Both stevia and aspartame use reduced food intake over the entire day compared with sugar, and hunger and satiety levels did not differ.
Zero-calorie sweeteners did not affect hunger and when used to replace calories from sugar led to a reduction in total daily caloric intake.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Jamie Oliver's Latest Great Idea (Must See TV)!
Right now it's only airing across the pond (in the UK) but thanks to the magic of the internet, with a bit of effort, you can watch it in North America.
It's Jamie Oliver's new social experiment, The Ministry of Food.
So what's his big new idea?
Go to a city of 250,000 people in Northern England, a city with one of the highest obesity rates in the nation. Once there harness the power of social networking to try to teach the city to cook.
Teach 8 cooks 10 recipes in return for a promise that they each teach two people and each of them two people and so on and in less than 6 months, all of Rotherham ought to be able to cook.
The show provides a fascinating snapshot into the lives of some working class folks out in Rotherham and the pressures surrounding making home cooked meals (do you spend your welfare check on the bus tickets it takes to travel with your two under 6 year old kids to purchase fresh produce or do you save yourself the time and energy and go to a "take-away"?) and it's also a fascinating social experiment.
So far I'm completely captivated by the first two episodes and can't wait to see more.
For a sneak peak, here's a youtube clip of the show's first 10 minutes (sorry, can't embed it).
Find it, watch it, you won't regret it and until then, head over to his website and you 'll find that already his social experiment has sprouted wings as there are 612 bloggers currently blogging about their newest cooking escapades and literally thousands of posts in the forums.
Great job Jamie! Wish you were Canadian!
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Loot Bag Manifesto
My 4 year old came home from a birthday party the other day with a loot-bag that save for one small trinket, contained solely candy.
She's 4.
4 year olds are thrilled with anything. You could put coloured popsicle sticks and cotton balls in a loot bag and they'd be happy - why do you need to send home sugar?
For guests of our daughters we generally raid our local dollar store and buy things like little fairy skirts, wooden puzzles or cars that can be put together and painted with parents, felt doorknockers where we included lettering for kids' names, small dolls, stickers, beading kits for personalized bracelets, pirate hats, squishy balls and play-doh.
Thankfully, my loot bag manifesto is a short one:
I hereby proclaim that an enlightened loot bag contains no candy!
Friday, October 10, 2008
All the Rocky Movies in 5 Seconds Flat!
Better late than never!
Today for Funny Friday are all the Rocky movies in 5 seconds flat. It's not the best Funny Friday video I've ever posted, but hey, it's 5 seconds of your life and worth a quick chuckle!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Dr. Sharma and I have Single Bypasses!
What you see above is a picture of me and my friend and colleague Dr. Arya Sharma (The guy on the left. The guy with the stethoscope? That's the Grill's owner "Dr." Jon) at the Heart Attack Grill (blogged about previously here), but really what you're seeing is a picture of Arya and me practicing what we preach.
You might think that my statement above doesn't make sense, after all, the Canadian Medical Association Journal labeled me a "nutritional watchdog" and I run a behavioural weight management program and Arya, well Arya's the head of Capital Health's Weight Wise - the country's largest tertiary care bariatric centre and the scientific director of the Canadian Obesity Network, how could us eating - "flatliner" fries and "single bypass" burgers reflect our practices?
Simple - we preach that food and calories, while worth monitoring for nutrition and weight, are also used in life for comfort and celebration, and if you can't use food for comfort and celebration from time to time, you're probably on a diet and long-term, it's probably going to fail.
In terms of my lifestyle, excluding vacations and conferences I probably eat out a maximum of twice a month and just like most folks, I enjoy the taste of some foods that are let's say less than optimally nutritious, and sometimes I'll indulge. However what I don't do is give myself a carte blanche during those meals out - instead I choose the healthiest option that I think I'll enjoy so for instance at the Heart Attack Grill I had the single bypass (rather than the double, triple or quadruple), shared a fries with Arya and had water to drink.
As I regularly say weight management and healthy eating - they're about living the healthiest lives you can enjoy, not the healthiest lives you can tolerate. The former's a liveable lifestyle, the latter's just another short-term diet.
So if you're in Phoenix and you're so inclined, the Heart Attack Grill might well be worth a visit, but as the posting on their door states in big, bold, red writing,
"Caution! This Establishment is BAD for your Health!"
[Hat tip to Joe from Active Living magazine who inadvertently reminded me that the Heart Attack Grill was in Phoenix]
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
An APPEAL to end exercise-only obesity interventions!
(Or why it's not about exercise)
The study is entitled, "A Program Promoting Exercise and Active Lifestyle". In it, 196 overweight (average BMI nearly 30) carefully selected for motivation and affinity to start exercising individuals were asked to exercise at moderate to vigorous intensity for 60 minutes a day, 6 days a week, for a year! To ensure objectivity, subjects were provided with logbooks and heart rate monitors and adherence was excellent. Men in the study averaged 370 weekly minutes of exercise, and women 295.
Subjects were not instructed to make dietary changes.
So if weight loss were about exercise, certainly you would expect that after a year of an hour a day, 6 days of week of exercise, that weight would be lost in a dramatic manner.
The results?
Over the course of the year, men lost an average of 3.5lbs and women 2.6lbs.
Readers of my blog will know that I'm all for exercise - reason being is that it's one of the single most important determinants of health and that doing it psychologically bolsters patients who've lost weight and helps them keep their focus on their weight loss behaviours (including dietary changes).
Clearly what it won't do is by itself lead to dramatic weight loss.
Therefore I would argue that studies and public health interventions for obesity that focus exclusively on exercise or increasing day to day activity can no longer be considered ethical as we know that the outcomes will be dismal. My other concern of course is that since we know these interventions are doomed to failure, by throwing public health care dollars at interventions whose success will be measured on the basis of weight, we're going to drain the pot of public health dollars for obesity treatment and potentially make it less likely to receive funding in the future from once burned, twice shy stretched federal, provincial and municipal governments.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
How TVs in Kids' Rooms Raise Obesity Risk
Mea culpa - thanks to the Canadian contingent at this year's Obesity Society conference, I've probably had too many drinks (Thanks to Arya, Dawn, Tara and Danielle) and someone told me once that I shouldn't drink and blog. Of course if you have a daily blog, sometimes you might not have as much choice as you'd want.
Life of course includes occasional indulgences and given that I've got two beautiful little girls and a busy office, my once a month or so nights out are certainly welcome.
The conference was wonderful as always and certainly got me thinking.
I heard a talk the other day regarding childhood obesity and it recounted how dramatically the risk of childhood obesity rises when a child has a television set in their room.
It's such a dramatic increase in risk (I believe in the neighbourhood of a 61% increase in relative risk) that I was never able to understand the mechanism behind it as the studies will generally control for dietary intake and some lifestyle factors suggesting an almost magical response to advertising.
I'm not sure anyone knows the answer but this conference made me wonder, could it simply be that kids with TVs in their bedrooms sleep far less because they're busy watching TV all night long?
Stay tuned this week for some debriefing from the conference, including my review of the Heart Attack Grill.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Scariest Fries Ever?
Came across these beauties on the blog Supersized Foods.
For just $8 you can start a slow death by fries....but oh, the cheesy, potato-y goodness.
For more fried foods available at the LA County Fair (where this shot was taken), head over to the blog that dropped this fry bomb - LAist where they have the photo evidence of deep fried pretty much everything you could imagine from frog legs, to twinkies to of course bricks of cheese fries.
Anyone care to take a guess at the calories?
My guess?
3,500 or so.
Do you think they serve a kids' size?
Friday, October 03, 2008
Are Pink Mohawks an Effective Form of Contraception?
This Sunday is the annual CIBC Run for the Cure.
Over the past 4 years our office has raised over $100,000 to support breast cancer research and programs and this year's no exception - with offline donations we're well over $25,000.
To help the cause Rob Matthews, our fitness director, challenged our team that if anyone raised over $2,500 he'd allow them to shave him a mohawk and dye it pink.
Today for Funny Friday is video evidence that he's a man of his word.
If you like this blog and you haven't done so already, please consider sponsoring Rob in his Run for the Cure effort - anyone willing to get a pink mohawk to support breast cancer research deserves support in my book. Tax receipts are issued and the online run website (run out of CIBC - a major Canadian bank) is encrypted, safe and takes credit cards.
If you'd like to donate to his fundraising efforts, simply click here!
Have a great weekend and good on ya Rob.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
I Say Something Nice about KFC!
Perhaps in his old age the Colonel's getting soft, or maybe he's just seeing the writing on the wall?
Yesterday YUM Brands, KFC's parent company, announced that their restaurants (which also include Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's and A&W) will be voluntarily placing calorie counts on menus at ALL American locations!
This announcement came a day after the State of California passed legislation requiring all chain restaurants (more than 20 locations statewide) to do the same.
Great job Colonel, and frankly smart as given that eventually it's going to be a federal law so why not score some good press by doing it now voluntarily?
Hey Colonel, why not Canadian locations?
[Hat tip to BMI's Lorne]
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Disband the Clean Your Plate Club!
What's one of the worst clubs your kid can join?
The clean your plate club - a club likely born out of war rationing back during WWII.
Here's a thought - if your kids aren't cleaning their plates perhaps you're serving them too much?
Or maybe it's that they've grown accustomed to trying to save their appetites for the tastier stuff offered to them after the meal.....but does dessert really need to be served nightly?
Are there risks to not forcing your child to clean your plate?
None that I can think of - emotionally well-adjusted children won't let themselves starve.
My recommendation?
Lose the club - you can spell "waste" two ways.
Your choice.


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Burberry Carmen BE3128 11098G
About Burberry
Burberry is famously known for its iconic trench coats that never go out of style, but have you heard of its line of glasses? Burberry glasses have this classic British design that combines elegance with a twist of singularity. You can purchase them with your eyes (almost) closed!
About these glasses
The shape of these frames is pilot, which is a perfect model for all face shapes. The frame colour is mostly gold, which will definitely enhance your features and add a little touch of sophistication to your look! The lens colour is grey, which reduces glare and improves colour perception. These glasses have gradient lenses, which means they are darker on the top and gradually transition to lighter on the bottom. Not only is this effect super trendy and stylish, but it's also good for driving and allows for a clearer view from the bottom while inhibiting the bright sky from damaging your eyes from overhead. The material is mainly made of metal, which is highly durable and gives that sleek, stylish look. Would you like to see if these glasses are the perfect fit for you? Get a closer look with our virtual try-on tool! On SaleOriginal products
We sell only original brands and products. When you order glasses from Alensa, they are already in stock and will be delivered to your doorstep in the shortest possble time. We strive for the most complete customer satisfaction. In case our products have not met your expectations, please contact our customer service team who will work to attain the best resolution.
Burberry Carmen BE3128 11098G

subset: commoncrawl


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Miranda Cosgrove Shares First Photo From 'iCarly' Reboot Set
What year is it again?
The cast of iCarly shared the first behind-the-scenes photo from the upcoming reboot and now we're feeling nostalgic.
Miranda Cosgrove, who played the lead role of Carly Shay in the hit teen sitcom, shared the first photo from the set. She can be seen smiling alongside Jerry Trainor, who portrayed Carly's older brother and guardian, Spencer Shay. Also in the photo is Nathan Kress, who played her cameraman and best friend, Freddie Benson. The wooden panel in the background of the photo reads "iCarly Set 1."
"Prepare yourselves," Trainor wrote in his own Instagram post with the same photo. "My people," Kress added. The new show will debut on the future streaming platform Paramount+, set to launch March 4.
iCarly premiered on Nickelodeon in 2007 and ran until 2012. Jennette McCurdy, who portrayed Sam Puckett, has not signed on for the project. After iCarly ended, McCurdy starred in Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande.
McCurdy has become a viral star on TikTok and launched a podcast, Empty Inside. The podcast features deep conversations with celebrity guests. In a number of episodes and on social media, McCurdy has opened about her eating disorder and experiences in the entertainment industry as a child.
Nickelodeon Stars Then & Now


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Passover is in the air! Here's a healthy and nutritious menu, including a variety of salads and not much frying. Avail yourself of fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. With a little ingenuity, one can easily create great healthy meals aiding to avoid the unnecessary weight gain that seems almost inevitable every Passover.
Click here for more great Passover recipes.
Salmon with sweet and sour leek sauce
I served these salmon fillets recently and got rave reviews. Tasty while easy to prepare.
6 salmon fillets
2 Tbs olive oil
3 leeks, well washed and chopped
3 Tbs brown sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ tsp salt
Sauté chopped leeks in olive oil on a medium flame until soft about 10 minutes, add brown sugar and lemon juice and allow to caramelize for another 10 minutes. Place salmon fillets over this mixture and broil for 10 minutes on each side. Remove from oven and serve, or allow to cool and cover for later use. Tastes great hot or at room temperature.
Serves 6
Preparation 20 minutes
Matzah Ball Chicken Soup
What's Passvoer without chicken soup and matzah balls?
Some like their soup full of vegetables while others serve it clear. Some serve soup with lots of little matzah balls while others like one per bowl. Whichever way you enjoy it here is a delightful recipe that can accommodate every taste.
1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken, cut into quarters or if you prefer use chicken carcasses at 1 per quart of water
2 to 3 celery ribs, chopped or a small celery root
1 onion, cut into quarters
2 cloves garlic
1 parsnip
1 turnip or parsley root
3 to 4 carrots
2 zucchini
Sea salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Bring chicken and 6 quarts cold water to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove foam with a slotted spoon as it rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour.
Add celery and next 6 ingredients. Cover and simmer 2 more hours, for a strong chicken flavor.
Allow to cool. Skim fat. Remove chicken from bones, and return meat to soup. If using the carcass remove them from the pot and reserve for other dishes. Add matzah balls, and serve.
Matzah Balls
The best matzah balls are made with the Passover matzah meal. Their texture is special while the color is somewhat darker than with regular matzah meal.
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup oil
½ cup seltzer
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups matzah meal
Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add matzah meal, and mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 hour.
Wet hands, and shape matzah mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls. (They will double in size when cooked.) Chill matzah balls 20 minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add matzah balls gently to boiling water, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Matzah balls can also be cooked in the chicken soup for added flavor
Prep: 30 minutes
Chill: 1 hour 20 minutes;
Cook: 20 minutes.
Yields 20 yummy matzah balls
For those that do not Matzah balls during the first days of Pesach, take some of the blintz sheets and slice very thinly and add some strands to the bowl of chicken soup.
As an alternative, I use stranded spaghetti squash as a healthy substitute for noodles.
Chuck Eye Roast
Chuck eye roast is a very tender roast that is tasty and soft. However, feel free to choose your favorite cut of meat, such as minute steak, Miami ribs, or butcher flanken for equally tantalizing results.
1 3-5 lb Chuck eye roast
1 chopped Spanish onion
½ cup wine vinegar
3/4 cup honey
½ tsp fresh ginger grated
¼ tsp black pepper
3 cloves garlic crushed
Place onions on bottom of roasting pan. Place roast over onions. Combine remaining ingredients and smear over all sides of meat. Bake covered 2-3 hours at 350°. (Generally, I calculate ½ hour per lb. of meat), serve over a bed of mashed potatoes, or nokedlech.
Preparation 20 minutes
Serves 8-12
Nokedlech- Dumplings
This recipe became a real winner in our family, it is easy to make and complements any soup as well as any meat, poultry or mock tomato sauce, feel free to double the recipe and keep it on hand to use at a later meal, as it freezes very well.
4 potatoes boiled and mashed
4 raw eggs
1- cup potato starch
Salt to taste.
Combine mashed potatoes with eggs, salt and pepper. Add potato starch until mixture forms sticky dough. Boil salted water in large pot to allow for nokedlech to expand and drop tiny bits of dough into boiling water, passing it through a square holed potato grater is a good and foolproof idea, as pieces will be more even; simmer for twenty minutes so water will not run out. Nokedlech tend to rise to the top of the water. After 20 minutes of cooking, remove with a slotted spoon. Great mashed potato makeover.
Serve with roast chicken, roast or meat loaf gravy.
Preparation 10 minutes
Serves 8-10
Chicken Nuggets
This is one of the most popular dishes with kids as well as adults. It is from the few dishes that I deem necessary to fry, because it is so delicious. Serve hot or cold
6 chicken breasts
1 1/4 cups potato starch
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbs oil
Mix together the eggs, potato starch, salt and oil.
Cut the chicken into nugget-sized pieces and dip into the batter. Fry in oil until done.
***Note: If the batter seems a little thick, add a few drops of water. If too thin, a little more potato starch dissolved in a tiny bit of cold water. This mixture can also be used to coat fish, eggplant, zucchini or sweet potato or your favorite vegetable.)
Sweet and Sour sauce
½ cup red cooking wine
¼ cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
Bring to a boil, and pour over the chicken nuggets, or use as a dipping sauce.
Note: Use this mixture whenever sweet and sour sauce is called for.
Passover Specialty Layered Salad
Every year I end up with too much grated maror- horseradish, so one year I decided to put my leftovers of the bitter herb to good use. I discovered that maror's sharpness could give some punch to salads and dips. Delight your company with this wonderful and elegant salad that is almost a whole meal in one dish.
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups finely chopped iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup finely chopped radicchio
1/2 cup thinly sliced Belgian endive (about 1 small head)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped English cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped kohlrabi
1 cup finely shredded carrot
½ cup shredded horseradish for added pizzazz (optional)
1 cup diced seeded plum tomato (about 4 tomatoes) peeled
1 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cups diced, cooked beets
3 hard-cooked large eggs, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
To prepare the dressing, combine the first 7 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Set aside.
To prepare the salad, arrange the romaine in the bottom of a 2-quart glass bowl or trifle dish; top with iceberg. Layer radicchio, endive, cucumber, kohlrabi, carrot, peeled tomato, and red onion, evenly over lettuces. Drizzle with dressing. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.
Before serving arrange beets over red onions; top with eggs. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Preparation 45 minutes
Serves 10
Kohlrabi, Carrot, Squash slaw
Kohlrabi is a good substitute for cabbage, which lends itself in many delectable dishes and being part of the cruciferous family has the same healthy properties.
1 large kohlrabi or 2-3 smaller ones.
1 large carrot
1 medium summer squash.
½ cup moror (horseradish)
1 small onion
Grate kohlrabi, carrots squash and moror. Cut onion in strips and toss lightly. Serve over your favorite green salad, or as is. You may also stir-fry these ingredients and serve it as a side dish for fish or meat.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves 2-4 people
Kosher for Passover Mayonnaise
This mayonnaise is easy to make and it is a real winner with young and old. It is great for a salad dressing. I make two batches because I have many uses for it.
1 egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small onion
½ cup moror
½ tsp. sea salt or salt substitute
2 cups oil
Blend 5 first ingredients in a food processor with the all purpose blade, until well mixed. Add 2 cups oil slowly, until mixture thickens. Add oil if needed.
With lemon juice, it will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Yield: approximately 3 cups
Preparation: 10 minutes
Never Fail Blintzes Sheets
This recipe has become standard in our circle of friends because it never fails and yields at least 50 perfect blintzes that can be used in a variety of recipes. Use them thinly cut in the soup, or fill them with your favorite vegetable filling, chicken, minced meat or whatever else you have on hand. These blintzes freeze well and can be adapted even for cheese blintzes, when substituting the salt for sugar. Make sure the ones frying the blintzes don't eat them all up.
24 eggs
2 tsp salt
½ cup oil
2 cups water
2 cups sifted potato starch
Whisk eggs salt and oil until well blended. In a separate container mix potato starch and water and then blend both mixtures. Ladle out a small amount to cover a heated oiled crepe pan. I usually use two pans to get faster results. They get done in 2 minutes, and need to be turned over for 1-2 minutes longer.
Preparation 20 minutes
Yields 50 perfect blintzes
Filling for Potato blintzes
This recipe was brought to us by our daughter who adapted it from her mother in law.
4 potatoes peeled and cooked
1 medium onion sautéed
2 eggs slightly beaten
Salt to taste
Sauté onions until translucent, cook potatoes until tender mash and mix with onions, beaten eggs and salt until smooth. Fill blintzes with this mixture .These blintzes freeze very well. To warm up, remove from freezer and fry in oil before serving, or warm up in the oven, for a dietetic version.
Yields 8-10 blintzes
Vegetable Nut Patties
Grate your choice of root vegetables, (1 medium celery root, 2 zucchini, 2 carrots, 1 large Russet potato, 1 rutabaga, 2 oz. moror). Add 1-cup ground nuts of your choice, filberts or walnuts).That will yield 8-10 patties.
Add ½ cup mayonnaise into your mixture
Form into patties and dip into additional ground nuts.
Place the patties into a greased baking dish. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes on one side and 10 on the second side, until golden brown and tender.
Chocolate Ice Cream
8 eggs separated
3 cups water
2 Tbs potato starch
2 Tbs cocoa
¾ cup sugar
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Beat egg yolks until light and creamy. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a medium pot cook water and potato starch add 2 Tbs cocoa, stirring constantly until it thickens. Fold gently into beaten egg whites. Combine both mixtures and add 3 Tbs oil. Lastly add nuts, mix well and freeze in a 9x13 baking dish.
Serve with sliced oranges
Preparation: 20 minutes
Wishing all our readers a wonderful Passover!


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The Cumbria Clock Company Ltd special in all aspects of work connected with church clocks and public clocks .
We undertake inspection and supply reports and quotations FREE of charge and without obligation.
We will maintain and repair the smallest church or village hall clock upto the magnificent clocks at Salisbury Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace and the countries largest clock dials on the Royal Liver Building, Liverpool.
The CCC are responsible for the maintenance of the country's oldest clock in Salisbury Cathedral, they have undertaken the repairs and automatic winding of the most important astronomical clock at Hampton Court Palace, as well as major restorations at Leeds Town Hall, the large clock at Manchester Town Hall, Manchester, Durham, Hereford and Worcester cathedrals.
In 2007 the Company manufactured and installed a temporary drive unit to the Westminster clock better known as Big Ben. For twelve weeks this unit kept the world's most famous clock showing the correct time, until the restoration of the mechanical clock had been completed.


text:
Updated March 24, 2021 at 8:54 PM ET
As of Wednesday, more than 5,000 unaccompanied migrant children and teens are in Customs and Border Protection custody, according to Department of Homeland Security data viewed by NPR. The data also shows an average of 590 teens and children arriving across the border each day over the last three weeks, with an increased pace in the last week. And thousands of children — 3,300 — have stayed in the CBP facilities for more than the 72-hour benchmark, with the children staying an average of 131 hours.
There has been no media access inside the warehouse-like facilities on the border set up for adults and run by CBP where hundreds of minors have been held for more than 10 days, longer than the 72 hours allowed by law.
A CBP official told NPR that it does not provide daily numbers, which are considered "operationally sensitive" because they fluctuate.
The official said Border Patrol stations are not meant to hold children long-term and that children are immediately put at the front of line for processing.
"CBP works closely with [Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement], and everybody's focus is on moving [unaccompanied children] through as quickly as we can" the official said in a statement. "Even a few hours in custody is more than we want for children that Border Patrol apprehends at the border."
A team of White House officials did allow very limited media access on Wednesday to one Texas shelter where the Department of Health and Human Services is housing teenagers who crossed the border without their parents.
A network TV crew was allowed into the facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, which was opened last month to house 700 unaccompanied teenagers, and those images and reporting are being shared with other outlets. The White House officials were also joined by some members of Congress on the trip.
While there have been concerns about the administration reopening the Carrizo Springs shelter, it isn't the source of as many concerns as those on the border that resemble warehouses and have been overcrowded. The HHS shelter is set up for children, with bunk beds, educational programs, recreation and a medical clinic.
NBC News Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez shared details from inside the facility, where he reports there are currently 766 minors housed, all males between the ages of 13 and 17. The facility has a capacity of 952, with the daily population fluctuating and some beds reserved for isolation if a child tests positive for COVID-19.
Children are given clothing and hygiene kits in a duffel bag as they enter, and they are tested for the coronavirus. NBC reported that 108 of the children currently in the facility (14%) tested positive as they entered and were isolated in dormitories with negative air pressure systems. The state of Texas announced that 261 children in Texas migrant facilities have tested positive since March 5, according to Houston Public Media.
Children were observed by the NBC crew playing soccer and receiving virtual physical education instruction at the HHS facility. They are also offered legal services virtually.
The Biden administration has denied journalists access to the CBP detention areas, but did release photos and video of two South Texas facilities being used to process children and families following concerns raised by Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas about young migrants being crammed into "pods" divided only by plastic tarps.
He also raised concerns about seeing "terrible conditions for the children" at one of the facilities in Donna, Texas.
The Biden administration is under increasing pressure to address the challenges at the border. The new administration largely blamed the Trump administration for handing over a broken system and describe steps they've taken to accept the new influx of unaccompanied minors into the country and end controversial programs that require migrants to remain in Mexico as "a moral imperative."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Richard S. Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based journalist from San Francisco,
California, reporting news from Asia since 1978 and winner of Columbia
University's Foreign Correspondent's Award. He co-authored three
non-fiction books about Thailand, including "'Hello My Big Big Honey!'
Love Letters to Bangkok Bar Girls and Their Revealing Interviews," "60
Stories of Royal Lineage," and "Chronicle of Thailand: Headline News
Since 1946." Mr. Ehrlich also contributed to the chapter "Ceremonies
and Regalia" in a book published in English and Thai titled, "King
Bhumibol Adulyadej, A Life's Work: Thailand's Monarchy in
Perspective." Mr. Ehrlich's newest book, "Sheila Carfenders, Doctor
Mask & President Akimbo" portrays a 22-year-old American female mental
patient who is abducted to Asia by her abusive San Francisco
His online site is:
(profile #2)


text:
"The Eye of the Beholder"
Written by David P. Harmon
Directed by Hal Sutherland
Season 1, Episode 15
Production episode: 22016
Original air date: January 5, 1974
Star date: 5501.2
Mission summary
The Enterprise is in orbit around Lactra VII, an M-class planet where a science crew of six disappeared. A recording shows that acting commander Lt. Commander Markel went against the book and beamed down the last three teammembers, himself included, for a rescue mission and were never heard from again. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy decide to repeat history and investigate. What could possibly go wrong?
Read the rest of this entry »


text:
Razer reminds us that PC gaming is 'not dead'
New website heralds new gaming PC?
Peripheral manufacturer Razer has launched an Anonymous-style site to counter arguments that PC gaming is dead, even though it blatantly isn't, and these arguments don't actually exist.
The website, PCGamingIsNotDead.com, features a retro, 1980s-style PC accompanied by a robotic voice-over discussing notions that "console gaming will take over all gaming".
The voice-over goes on to say that "there is something terribly wrong with gaming today," and lists "lack of innovation and shoddy console ports" as those wrong things.
Whatever Razer is promoting seems to offer sanctuary for PC gamers, stating that there are "more than 300 million PC gamers in the world," and that "there are more of us in silence together than there are console gamers combined."
'Part of the problem'
The idea of PC gaming being in its death throes is an ancient one, and one that has never held much water. The majority of gaming titles are released on all formats, and the popularity of digital download services like Steam make it clear that the PC as a gaming system is very much alive.
We asked Tim Edwards, editor of PC Gamer, if PC gaming was dying. He said, "If you're asking the question, you're part of the problem."
What, then, is Razer hoping to promote with its ill-thought-out marketing campaign? "I'm presuming it's for the Razer Switchblade, which looked like a very cool small form factor gaming PC," said Edwards.
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"The specs for the original version didn't look strong enough to run anything particularly decent, but mobile graphics chipsets have come a long way since they announced it."
Razer's netbook-sized machine could well capture the portable PC gaming market, but we don't think it's going to be the saviour of PC gaming - which is a platform that doesn't need saving anyway.
Anyway, stay tuned for whatever it is Razer has up its sleeve - all will be revealed on 26 August.
Via Engadget


text:
Magnetic rotational-speed sensors, for use in hydraulic drives with pressures up to 275 bar, feature a 14.7-mm insert depth. The device's heavy-duty brass housing keeps dirt and moisture out. The sensors operate over a 0.1 to 20,000-Hz range and guarantee high EMC stability. The sensors also feature a measuring surface pressure resistant to 275 bar.
Rheintacho Messtechnik GmbH,
+49 (0)761 45 13 0,


text:
Soon after giving birth to a daughter two months premature, Terri Logan received a bill from the hospital. She recoiled from the string of numbers separated by commas.
Logan, who was a high school math teacher in Georgia, shoved it aside and ignored subsequent bills. She was a single mom who knew she had no way to pay. "I avoided it like the plague," she says, but avoidance didn't keep the bills out of mind.
"The weight of all of that medical debt — oh man, it was tough," Logan says. "Every day, I'm thinking about what I owe, how I'm going to get out of this ... especially with the money coming in just not being enough."
Then a few months ago — nearly 13 years after her daughter's birth and many anxiety attacks later — Logan received some bright yellow envelopes in the mail. They were from a nonprofit group telling her it had bought and then forgiven all those past medical bills.
This time, it was a very different kind of surprise: "Wait, what? Who does that?"
RIP Medical Debt does. The nonprofit has boomed during the pandemic, freeing patients of medical debt, thousands of people at a time. Its novel approach involves buying bundles of delinquent hospital bills — debts incurred by low-income patients like Logan — and then simply erasing the obligation to repay them.
It's a model developed by two former debt collectors, Craig Antico and Jerry Ashton, who built their careers chasing down patients who couldn't afford their bills.
"They would have conversations with people on the phone, and they would understand and have better insights into the struggles people were challenged with," says Allison Sesso, RIP's CEO. Eventually, they realized they were in a unique position to help people and switched gears from debt collection to philanthropy.
What triggered the change of heart for Ashton was meeting activists from the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011 who talked to him about how to help relieve Americans' debt burden. "As a bill collector collecting millions of dollars in medical-associated bills in my career, now all of a sudden I'm reformed: I'm a predatory giver," Ashton said in a video by Freethink, a new media journalism site.
After helping Occupy Wall Street activists buy debt for a few years, Antico and Ashton launched RIP Medical Debt in 2014. They started raising money from donors to buy up debt on secondary markets — where hospitals sell debt for pennies on the dollar to companies that profit when they collect on that debt.
RIP buys the debts just like any other collection company would — except instead of trying to profit, they send out notices to consumers saying that their debt has been cleared. To date, RIP has purchased $6.7 billion in unpaid debt and relieved 3.6 million people of debt. The group says retiring $100 in debt costs an average of $1.
RIP bestows its blessings randomly. Sesso says it just depends on which hospitals' debts are available for purchase. "So nobody can come to us, raise their hand, and say, 'I'd like you to relieve my debt,'" she says.
Yet RIP is expanding the pool of those eligible for relief. Sesso said that with inflation and job losses stressing more families, the group now buys delinquent debt for those who make as much as four times the federal poverty level, up from twice the poverty level.
A surge in recent donations — from college students to philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, who gave $50 million in late 2020 — is fueling RIP's expansion. That money enabled RIP to hire staff and develop software to comb through databases and identify targeted debt faster.
New regulations allow RIP to buy loans directly from hospitals, instead of just on the secondary market, expanding its access to the debt.
Sesso says the group is constantly looking for new debt to buy from hospitals: "Call us! We want to talk to every hospital that's interested in retiring debt."
Sesso emphasizes that RIP's growing business is nothing to celebrate. It means that millions of people have fallen victim to a U.S. insurance and health care system that's simply too expensive and too complex for most people to navigate. As NPR and KHN have reported, more than half of U.S. adults say they've gone into debt in the past five years because of medical or dental bills, according to a KFF poll. A quarter of adults with health care debt owe more than $5,000. And about 1 in 5 with any amount of debt say they don't expect to ever pay it off.
RIP is one of the only ways patients can get immediate relief from such debt, says Jim Branscome, a major donor. Policy change is slow. Numerous factors contribute to medical debt, he says, and many are difficult to address: rising hospital and drug prices, high out-of-pocket costs, less generous insurance coverage, and widening racial inequalities in medical debt. The pandemic, Branscome adds, exacerbated all of that.
The "pandemic has made it simply much more difficult for people running up incredible medical bills that aren't covered," Branscome says. He is a longtime advocate for the poor in Appalachia, where he grew up and where he says chronic disease makes medical debt much worse. It undermines the point of care in the first place, he says: "There's pressure and despair."
For Terri Logan, the former math teacher, her outstanding medical bills added to a host of other pressures in her life, which then turned into debilitating anxiety and depression. Now a single mother of two, she describes the strain of living with debt hanging over her head. She had panic attacks, including "pain that shoots up the left side of your body and makes you feel like you're about to have an aneurysm and you're going to pass out," she recalls.
Some hospitals say they want to alleviate that destructive cycle for their patients. Heywood Healthcare system in Massachusettsdonated $800,000 of medical debt to RIP in January, essentially turning over control over that debt, in part because patients with outstanding bills were avoiding treatment.
"We wanted to eliminate at least one stressor of avoidance to get people in the doors to get the care that they need," says Dawn Casavant, chief of philanthropy at Heywood. Plus, she says, "it's likely that that debt would not have been collected anyway."
One criticism of RIP's approach has been that it isn't preventive; the group swoops in after what can be years of financial stress and wrecked credit scores that have damaged patients' chances of renting apartments or securing car loans. (The three major credit rating agencies recently announced changes to the way they will report medical debt, reducing its harm to credit scores to some extent. However, consumers often take out second mortgages or credit cards to pay for medical services.)
"A lot of damage will have been done by the time they come in to relieve that debt," says Mark Rukavina, a program director for Community Catalyst, a consumer advocacy group.
Rukavina says state laws should force hospitals to make better use of their financial assistance programs to help patients. "Hospitals shouldn't have to be paid," he says. "Basically: Don't reward bad behavior."
Most hospitals in the country are nonprofit and in exchange for that tax status are required to offer community benefit programs, including what's often called "charity care." Depending on the hospital, these programs cut costs for patients who earn as much as two to three times the federal poverty level. But many eligible patients never find out about charity care — or aren't told. They are billed full freight and then hounded by collection agencies when they don't pay.
Recently, RIP started trying to change that, too.
RIP CEO Sesso says the group is advising hospitals on how to improve their internal financial systems so they better screen patients eligible for charity care — in essence, preventing people from incurring debt in the first place. Ultimately, that's a far better outcome, she says.
"We prefer the hospitals reduce the need for our work at the back end," she says. "I would say hospitals are open to feedback, but they also are a little bit blind to just how poorly some of their financial assistance approaches are working out."
Terri Logan says no one mentioned charity care or financial assistance programs to her when she gave birth. Nor did Logan realize help existed for people like her, people with jobs and health insurance but who earn just enough money not to qualify for support like food stamps.
The debt shadowed her, darkening her spirits. "I don't know; I just lost my mojo," she says. "But I'm kinda finding it," she adds. Logan's newfound freedom from medical debt is reviving a long-dormant dream to sing on stage.
Her first performance is scheduled for this summer.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Hair & Beauty
Dessata Mini Detangling Brush. Old Gold
Dessata Mini Hair Brushes are designed to gently untangle hair with vastly reduced tugging and breakage and are effective on all hair types, even dry unconditioned hair!
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Innovative design and function
Made from a special silicone gel Dessata Mini hair brushes reduce static electricity and help keep hair tangle and fly-away free.
Care Instructions:
Dessata hairbrushes can be used on all hair types. We will be happy to answer any hair care questions you may have on our hair care blog or from our contact page.


text:
Municipal Library
Agia Kiriaki Square, Chora, Mykonos, Cyclades, Greece, 84600
About Library
Over 8,000 volumes are housed in an 18th century mansion on Ayia Kyriaki Square in Chora. The library also contains a vast collection of 18th and 19th century photographs, documents and Cycladic coins and old seals as well as sketches and books from the personal library of the American artist John Ratekin.
The library is a small, charming space, really only two large rooms, and all the walls are lined with dark wooden shelves. There are chairs laid out to sit and read and the lady who runs the place is very friendly, knowledgeable and is willing to share many exciting facts.
Library Features
Luxury Level: | |
Popularity: |


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Oak Ridge's Titan Claims No. 1 Spot on TOP500 List
Advanced reports that Oak Ridge National Laboratory was fielding the world's fastest supercomputer were proven correct when the 40th edition of the twice-yearly TOP500 List of the world's top supercomputers was released on November 12, 2012. Titan, a Cray XK7 system installed at Oak Ridge, achieved 17.59 Petaflop/s (quadrillions of calculations per second) on the Linpack benchmark. Titan has 560,640 processors, including 261,632 NVIDIA K20x accelerator cores.
In claiming the top spot, Titan knocked Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Sequoia out of No. 1 and into second place. Sequoia, an IBM BlueGene/Q system, was No. 1 in June 2012 with an impressive 16.32 Petaflop/s on the Linpack benchmark. With 1,572,864 cores, Sequoia is the first system with one million or more cores.
Rounding out the top five systems are Fujitsu's K computer installed at the RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science (AICS) in Kobe, Japan (No. 3); a BlueGene/Q system named Mira at Argonne National Laboratory (No. 4); and a BlueGene/Q system named JUQUEEN at the Forschungszentrum Juelich in Germany (No. 5), which was upgraded and is now the most powerful system in Europe.
The other new system in the Top 10 is Stampede, a Dell PowerEdge C8220 system installed at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas in Austin. It uses the brand new Intel Xeon Phi processors (previously known as MIC) to achieve its 2.6 Petaflop/s.
In all, there are 23 systems with petaflop/s performance on the latest list, just four-and-a-half years after the debut of Roadrunner, the world's first Petaflop/s supercomputer. In spite of delivering petascale performance on applications, the Cray Blue Waters system at NCSA at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, chose not to submit a Linpack benchmark performance figure.
Here are additional highlights from the 40th list, which can be found at www.top500.org:
• A total of 62 systems on the list are using accelerator/co-Processor technology, including Titan and the Chinese Tianhe-1A system (No. 8), which use NVIDIA GPUs to accelerate computation and Stampede and six others, which are accelerated by the new Intel Xeon Phi processors. Six months ago, 58 systems used accelerators or co-processors.
• Systems with multi-core processors dominate the list — 84.6 percent of the systems use processors with six or more cores and 46.2 percent with eight or more cores.
• Intel continues to provide the processors for the largest share (76 percent) of TOP500 systems. Intel is followed by the AMD Opteron family with 60 systems (12 percent), the same as six months ago. IBM Power processors are used in 53 systems (10.6 percent).
• InfiniBand technology now provides interconnects on 226 systems, up from 209 systems, making it the most-used internal system interconnect technology. Gigabit Ethernet interconnects are now found on 188 systems, down from 207 six months ago.
• The U.S. is clearly the leading consumer of HPC systems with 250 of the 500 systems (compared to 252 on the June 2012 list). The European share (105 systems — down from 106 last time) is still lower than the Asian share (124 systems — 122 last time).
• The number of systems installed in China has now stabilized at 72, compared with 68 and 74 on the last two lists. China occupies the No. 2 position as a user of HPC, ahead of Japan, UK, France, and Germany. When it comes to performance share of the list, however, Japan holds the No. 2 position, ahead of China.
• European presence on the list is almost equal among UK, France, and Germany, with 24, 21 and 20 systems respectively.
• The entry level to the list moved up to the 76.5 Tflop/s mark on the Linpack benchmark, compared to 60.8 Tflop/s six months ago. The entry point for the TOP100 increased to 241.3 Tflop/s from 172.7 Tflop/s in six months.
20 Years of the TOP500 List
With the release of the 40thlist, the TOP500 project marks its 20th anniversary of providing insight into HPC performance. The first version of what became today's TOP500 list started as an exercise for a small conference in Germany in June 1993. Out of curiosity, the authors decided to revisit the list in November 1993 to see how things had changed. About that time they realized they might be on to something and decided to continue compiling the list, which is now a much-anticipated, much-watched and much-debated twice-yearly event. To mark the 20th anniversary and the 40th edition of the list, A special poster display highlighting each of the 15 systems to top the list was featured at the SC12 conference held November 10 to 16 in Salt Lake City.
About the TOP500 List
The TOP500 list is compiled by Hans Meuer of the University of Mannheim, Germany; Erich Strohmaier and Horst Simon of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and Jack Dongarra of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.


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New to premerger notification?
- Start by reading Introductory Guide I, What is the Premerger Notification Program? (PDF) and Introductory Guide II, To File or Not to File (PDF), for background about the program.
- Then review Frequently Asked Questions for help with basic inquiries about the HSR filing requirements.
- For help in determining whether to file, check out Steps for Determining Whether an HSR Filing is Required and the Aggregation Summary.
- When you are ready to fill out an HSR Form, refer to the HSR Style Sheet, the Form Tip Sheet (PDF), the NAICS Overview, and the Checklist for Filing.
You can find more detailed information and form tips on the HSR Resources page. If you still have questions, contact the PNO staff at email@example.com.


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Build the habit of running into your life with a 9-week challenge. This gentle intro will help you do it the right way, ultimately reaching a level of consistency you'll be able to maintain long after the 9 weeks are up. Before you start, If you're new to running, it's okay to take walk breaks. The point is to get out there and make it a habit! This is the perfect opportunity to take control of your health, get outside more often, and release those endorphins to make you feel great. Ready to blaze new trails? 🛋🥔➡🏃♀💪
You can also join this program via the mobile app. Go to the app


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Repost from The San Francisco Chronicle
Global marches draw attention to climate change
By VERENA DOBNIK and MICHAEL SISAK, Associated Press, September 22, 2014NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of thousands of activists walked through Manhattan on Sunday, warning that climate change is destroying the Earth — in stride with demonstrators around the world who urged policymakers to take quick action.
Starting along Central Park West, most came on foot, others with bicycles and walkers, and some even in wheelchairs. Many wore costumes and marched to drumbeats. One woman played the accordion.
But their message was not entertaining:
"We're going to lose our planet in the next generation if things continue this way," said BertGarskof, 81, as a family member pushed his wheelchair through Times Square.
He had first heard about global warming in 1967, "when no one was paying much attention," said Garskof, a native New Yorker and professor of psychology at Connecticut's Quinnipiac University.
Organizers said more than 100,000 marched in New York, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Evangeline Lilly. They were joined in midtown Manhattan by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Vice President Al Gore and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
On Tuesday, more than 120 world leaders will convene for the United Nations Climate Summit aimed at galvanizing political will for a new global climate treaty by the end of 2015.
"My sense is the energy you see on the streets, the numbers that have amassed here and in other cities around the world, show that something bigger is going on, and this U.N. summit will be one of the ones where we look back and say it was a difference maker," de Blasio said.
Ban agreed.
"Climate change is a defining issue of our time and there is no time to lose," he said. "There is no Plan B because we do not have planet B. We have to work and galvanize our action."
The New York march was one of a series of events held around the world to raise awareness about climate change.
In London, organizers said 40,000 marchers participated, while a small gathering in Cairo featured a huge art piece representing wind and solar energy. In Rio de Janeiro, marchers at Ipanema Beach had green hearts painted on their faces.
Celebrities in London including actress Emma Thompson and musician Peter Gabriel joined thousands of people crossing the capital's center, chanting: "What do we want? Clean energy. When do we want it? Now."
"This is important for every single person on the planet, which is why it has to be the greatest grass roots movement of all time," Thompson said. "This is the battle of our lives. We're fighting for our children."
In New York, a contingent came from Moore, Oklahoma, where a massive tornado killed 24 people last year, as did hundreds of people affected by Superstorm Sandy, which the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the British meteorological office said was made more likely by climate change.
In Australia, the largest rally was in Melbourne, where an estimated 10,000 people took to the streets with banners and placards calling on their government to do more to combat global warming.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was a particular target of the protesters. Abbott's center-right coalition has removed a carbon tax and has restricted funding for climate change bodies since coming to power last year.
Associated Press writer Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.


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Pope Francis is spending the third day of his visit to Iraq in the north of the country, where an ancient Christian population is dwindling after the city of Mosul and the Nineveh Plains were shattered by militants from ISIS.
The pope led prayers in a Christian area of Mosul, where participants sang, prayed and held olive branches in a square still ruined by the devastating battles that unfolded in the country's second-largest city.
Francis emphasized not just the forced displacement of many Christians but "harmonious coexistence," speaking of the assistance that Christians received from Muslims as they gradually returned to the city. He also prayed for the ethnic minority Yazidis, who were particularly brutally targeted by ISIS.
He then traveled to the largely Christian town of Qaraqosh, where the Church of the Holy Immaculate Conception was gutted by ISIS but has been renovated ahead of his visit. The congregation's priest, the Rev. Ammar Yako, told NPR Francis will be the first to lead prayers in the newly-finished church.
Christians in the Nineveh Plains area trace their roots back almost as far as the time of Jesus, but many had left even before ISIS tore through the area in 2014. Despite the rebuilding of Christian areas and help from international aid and Christian charities, many are reluctant to return, fearing the extremists could come back.
John Pontifex, of the charity Aid to the Church in Need, said the papal visit could strengthen people's resolve to stay or return.
"Given the length of their history and unbroken record, or presence, stretching right back to those early, early days, for the pope to come in the midst of that is very important," he said.
Father Boulos Thabet Habib, a Chaldean Catholic priest in the village of Karemlash traveled to nearby Mosul to participate in the prayers there. A choir from his church, Mar Addai, sang and a cross placed in the square was made of wood from his and other churches burned by ISIS.
Rev. Thabet, as he is known, said that the pope's visit would recognize the work of the local church in rebuilding broken communities and burned churches since ISIS was pushed back from the area.
About half of the population has returned to Karemlash, he said. Others remain displaced in Baghdad or in the Kurdish north of the country.
"We hope all the families living in Kurdistan and in Baghdad as refugees will return back to Karemlash soon," he said, seeing the papal visit as an encouragement. "We hope after the visit of the pope, many of them will return back."
The papal visit will, "encourage the Iraqi people to be brothers," he said.
Francis has one day remaining on his visit to Iraq — the first ever papal visit to the predominantly Muslim nation. On Saturday, he traveled to the ancient site of Ur, believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, where he preached a message of unity among different religions. He also visited with the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, in the city of Najaf. The pope will attend a farewell ceremony in Baghdad on Monday before returning home.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Paris | Signature
- Dimensions : 48 | 22 | 148
- The frame is made from High quality bio-acetate from Mazzuchelli
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The Aleutian Islands
Home to 86 species of cold-water corals
The Aleutian Island chain extends for more than 1,900 km from the Alaskan Peninsula to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. The Islands separate the Bearing Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Recent seabed surveys around the Aleutian Islands have revealed a highly diverse community of cold-water corals.
In fact, the Aleutian Islands may be one of the most diverse cold-water coral regions in the world, with corals including stolon corals, true soft corals, sea whips and sea pens, gorgonian corals, stony cup corals, hydrocorals and black corals. To date, a total of 86 different taxa (genera, species or subspecies) of cold-water corals have been collected, with 25 potentially endemic to the islands (found nowhere else).
These corals form "coral gardens" - a vibrant and colourful ecosystem providing habitat for many other species including fish and invertebrates. The coral gardens are found in great abundance due to strong tidal currents that pass between the islands, exchanging nutrients between the Pacific Ocean and Bearing Sea.
Recent studies have found the corals of the Aleutians to be heavily impacted by bottom fishing. In moves to protect these valuable habitats, the American government has banned bottom contact fishing in 370,000 square kilometres around the Aleutian Islands.
The authors thank Dr. Alberto Lindner (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil) for donating the amazing images of the Aleutian Island coral gardens.


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Nordic Pure 16x16x1 MERV 10 Plus Carbon air filters are made of a dual material where the MERV rated material has been fused together with a carbon layer. This results in less flow restriction and 33% more surface area for cleaner smelling air. It will help eliminate unwanted odors as well as trap most airborne dust and particulate matter for fresh, clean air. Odorous gases and vapors (VOC) are attracted to and held by the activated carbon material while maintaining excellent air flow properties. With each pass through the pleated furnace air filter, the air in your living environment improves.
Our high efficiency activated carbon AC filter helps eliminate smoke particles, lint, household dust, pollen, dust mites, pet dander, virus carriers, allergens, bacteria, mold spores and other contaminants. All Nordic Pure pleated air filters are manufactured using a heavy duty, moisture resistant beverage board frame. There is a metal mesh support grid bonded to the pleats for extra support. Our air filters use permanently electrostatically charged material that acts like a magnet to help dust cling to the air filter. Our Nordic Pure anti-microbial air condition filter media will not permit the growth of bacteria or mold resulting in a healthier environment. MERV 10 Plus Carbon air filters are comparable to air filters with the rating of MPR 900-1000. This high-performance HVAC replacement filter will outperform non-electrostatic fiber-glass filters, washable filters, poly disposable filters, and will help keep your air conditioning and heating systems running efficiently, saving money on utilities and costly maintenance.
The effective life of your AC air filter depends on both the inside and outside conditions in which you live. It is important to regularly change your furnace air conditioner filters especially during any home improvements for fresh, clean air in your home or office. We recommend that you change your air filter every 30-90 days to maintain maximum efficiency and economy.
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Two-Day License Exam Prep Course, via Zoom, (May 1-2, 2021)
May 1, 2021 - May 2, 2021
$350.00** This course will be held online via Zoom due to COVID. Login information sent the week prior to the course.
Two-day intensive in-person course designed for recent MSW graduates and experienced practitioners taking ASWB Social Work Licensing Examinations. The SWES Exam Prep course focuses on test preparation AND content review of all major clinical areas and social work content. In partnership with NASW/CT. Tuition is $350 and includes the three-volume Comprehensive Study Guide.
With experienced, highly qualified instructors, information-packed sessions, and using our unique test-taking methodology, SWES' Social Work License Exam Prep Course will help you feel confident and more relaxed about taking the ASWB licensing exam.
SWES is widely known for our in-person exam prep courses. Trusted by universities throughout the country, many schools of social work use our methodology and materials for their own courses, and additionally, we have partnered with NASW chapters throughout the country as the official provider of licensure exam prep.
• One-day and Two-day intensive in-person course offered throughout the year
• Designed for recent MSW graduates and experienced practitioners taking ASWB Social Work Licensing Examinations.
• The Exam Prep course focuses on test preparation AND content review of all major clinical areas and social work content
• Registrants receive the three-volume Comprehensive Home Study Guide at the time of Registration. The Study Guide contains complete content review and over 1600 sample multiple-choice questions including Four practice exams. (The Comprehensive Study Guide is also offered as our stand-alone home study program.
• Information-packed sessions focused on passing the licensing exam.
• Comprehensive reviews of social work practice and theory.
• Highly qualified faculty: experienced and knowledgeable lecturers.
• Course content regularly updated to reflect changes in the exam.
• Practice exams provided to sharpen test-taking skills by increasing speed and accuracy in answering multiple-choice test questions.
• Convenient weekend and weekday sessions.
• Clinical Practice with Individuals and Groups – including ethics and laws affecting social workers.
1st day: 9:00am – 5:00pm.
2nd day: 9:00am – 3:30pm.
Regular breaks are provided throughout the day.


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St Blaise Frame
Gold-colored framed picture of your favorite saint.
Here at A Blessed Call to Love, Ireland we are introducing our new products that are made with creativity and passion towards spreading the love of our Saints around the world.
You can place the frame in your house to assist you in your prayerful devotion to your favorite saint. The gold St Blaise Frame enhances the design to draw attention to the saint. This also inspired by using unique backgrounds that show how God created those beautiful sceneries.
If you want these religious images and frames at the best prices, then you might consider buying these at A Blessed Called to Love.
Each new image of the saints is original and beautiful. The prayerful contemplation of our saints' lives and their love for God can help us open our hearts to a rich encounter with the Lord. When we look at an original image it reminds us and helps to recall the example of the life of the saints and their love for God.
Shipping: every framed image is professionally packed and couriered to ensure that it arrives to you on time and in perfect condition.
We ship worldwide. Each framed picture carefully hand-packed The pictures are colourful with beautiful backgrounds and scenery/ inside a modern gold frame. Has a very traditional look about it, suitable for any décor in any room or hallway.
It can placed in a prominent place on any mantelpiece or wall or office. It can be useful as an aid to a prayer group or meeting place giving a focal point to assist in the intended spiritual atmosphere.
A lighted candle from our collection would also contribute to the ambiance in stillness and prayer. And an oil dedicated to the particular saint in the image would be a lovely gift to anyone. Also a reminder to say the prayer on the card that comes with the oil. We also have a range of oils dedicated to saints from around the world.


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Climate Solutions:
- 13 Best Energy Policy Ideas (And a Couple of Duds)
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13 Best Energy Policy Ideas (And a Couple of Duds)
Investment in energy projects will total $16 trillion in the next two decades. Sarah van Gelder lays out over a dozen sustainable energy policies and technologies that can make our infrastructure more climate friendly.
Investments in energy projects will total $16 trillion in the next two decades. That investment—along with spending for long-lived buildings, transportation, manufacturing, and public works—could lock us into climate chaos. Or it could set us on the path toward a sustainable future. How can we make sure that this new infrastructure is climate friendly? For starters, it will have to be both highly efficient and powered by renewable energy—the sun, wind, earth, or ocean. A combination of the right policies and the right technologies can get us there. Here are our picks for the best (and a few of the worst) ideas:
Put a Price on Carbon
What: Carbon pollution costs the polluter nothing; all the rest of us pay the price. Carbon taxes and "cap & trade" mechanisms make it expensive to be a carbon polluter. Carbon taxes can be matched by reductions in income taxes to offset the higher prices consumers pay for energy and energy-intensive products.
Why: Making carbon emissions expensive encourages a switch to less carbon-intensive energy.
Examples: Sweden taxes CO2 emissions, carbon-based fuels, and domestic flights, and cut taxes for labor and green fuels.
Ban the Bulb
What: Ban incandescent bulbs.
Why: Changing a 100-watt bulb to a compact fluorescent (CF) bulb cuts the equivalent of burning about 100 lbs. of coal.
Examples: Australia is banning the sale of incandescent bulbs as of 2010, and Canada, as of 2012. Brazil has replaced half its bulbs with CFs. New York is replacing traffic lights with ultra-efficient LEDs.
Net Metering, Feed-In Tariffs
What: Require utilities to buy renewable energy produced by households or independent energy producers at a price set in advance.
Why: A known market with a set price provides certainty that spurs investment. A decentralized clean energy system results, which taps the entrepreneurship of many diverse players.
Example: As a result of Germany's Renewable Energy Act of 1999, which includes a feed-in policy, renewable energy jobs are up to 200,000, renewable energy is at 12% of total energy production, and annual installation of solar PV systems exceeds those in all other countries combined.
Localize Economies
What: Make, service, buy, and sell locally whenever possible.
Why: Cuts the climate costs of long-range transport. Local economies support long-term jobs, living within ecological means, diverse cultural expression, resilience, and decentralized power.
Also: Use scarce energy for essential transport, not for shipping Florida oranges to California.
Shift the Subsidy
What: Shift government subsidies from climate-trashing fossil fuels to climate-friendly renewables and energy efficiency. Each year, U.S. taxpayers subsidize the oil and gas industry to the tune of $39 billion and the coal industry by $8 billion.
Why: You get what you subsidize.
Examples: Belgium, France, and Japan have phased out subsidies for coal. China, Indonesia, and Nigeria have cut subsidies.
Grow Trees
What: Preserve forests as part of ecosystems. Plant trees in cities and suburbs—especially fruit and nut trees.
Why: Trees sequester carbon, underpin diverse life-supporting ecosystems, reduce the heat in population centers, feed people, and provide vital resources.
Examples: Ecuador is seeking international help to preserve virgin forests, home of indigenous peoples.
Caution: Forests should be managed to enhance local ecosystems, indigenous control, and water and soil conservation.
Tax Credits for Renewables
What: Tax credits for those who install climate-friendly technology.
Why: A tax credit makes renewables affordable and builds the market to achieve economies of scale.
Examples: A tax credit of up to $2,000, available under the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, helped to achieve a growth rate of 83% in PV installations in 2007, according to the Earth Policy Institute.
Profits for Efficiency
What: Build incentives for conservation by de-coupling utility profits from sales.
Why: If utilities can profit through selling efficiency, they will do so.
Examples: California, Oregon.
Livable Communities
What: Compact communities where people can walk, bike, or take the bus.
Why: This is the most efficient way to live. It builds community and improves quality of life, especially for youth and elderly. And it can have major carbon benefits.
Examples: Most of Europe, where quality of life is high and emissions are half those of the United States.
Nuclear Guarantees
What: Using taxpayer money to subsidize nuclear power.
Why: Investors know that nuclear power isn't economical without subsidies to cover waste disposal and catastrophic insurance. Nuclear power is expensive, a potential target for terrorism, and a source of nuclear weapons materials.
Make Fuels from Waste
What: Transform landfill methane, animal manure, or straw and other agricultural wastes into fuel.
Why: These produce energy without competing with food production. Methane capture reduces emissions of a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO2.
Cautions: Genetically modified microbes designed to break down cell walls in order to convert agricultural waste into a fuel are possible sources of life-destroying super bugs. Also, in some cases, agricultural waste may be more valuable as organic fertilizer, displacing artificial nitrogen fertilizers that emit nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas.
Plug In Cars, Scooters, Bikes, and Trains
What: Plug-in hybrids and electric cars are efficient and—when powered by renewables—climate friendly.
Build Smart Grids
What: It's like the Internet, only for electricity. Smart grids can transport electricity from many, decentralized sources—including wind, solar, and other sources whose output varies over time—to where the demand is, in real time.
Why: Smart grids facilitate transition to renewable energy and vehicle-to-grid storage schemes.
Get Efficient
What: Efficiency upgrades for appliances, cars, electronics, industry, buildings. Recycling. Waste reduction. This is the low-hanging fruit.
Why: These are the cheapest and least challenging to the American Way of Life, and can cut associated carbon emissions by half or more. Long-term jobs for efficiency retrofits strengthen the economy.
Also: Germany and Japan require some cars, appliances, and office equipment to be recyclable.
Coal Plants
What: Allow new coal plants only after sequestration technology is proven and required, and only if mountain-top removal is ended. Meanwhile, clean up and increase efficiency of old coal plants—or shut them down.
Why: Coal-fired plants account for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions from electricity production. Technology to safely capture CO2 from the coal stack remains unproven.
Examples: Germany has cut coal use by over a third since 1990 through increased efficiency and by substituting wind power.
Food-Based Biofuels
What: Ethanol, palm oil, soy oil, and other food crops yield little net energy, drive up food costs, use up scarce fresh water, and harm the environment.
Also: A new study shows that just under half the biofuels studied cause more environmental disruption than fossil fuel burning.
Sarah van Gelder is a co-founder and columnist at YES!, founder of PeoplesHub, and author of The Revolution Where You Live: Stories from a 12,000-Mile Journey Through a New America.


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Each year fifteen million Americans engage in the practice of yoga. Many of the same Americans own some of the over seventy-three million dogs owned in the United States. If you put yoga and dogs together, you get doga (pronounced DOH-gah). Doga is sweeping the nation including large American cities
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