text:
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I´m definitely for standardization in this case. There is no competitive advantage in this specific area. The problem is that a so-called standard actually only becomes a standard if it is supported by a strong majority. That is not a fact when it comes to the OMTP. The OMTP standard is obviously not a standard for the market, not in this matter anyway, it is only a standard for a minority of the market. In any electronics store that is a retailer for headsets this is proved by the fact that only a VERY small percentage of the headsets is compatible with the SE Xperia Neo.
I have over the years been a supporter of SE (and before that Ericsson). Recently my daughter argued for HTC and Iphone but I defended SE and the purchase of a new phone was postponed. The specifications of the SE Xperia Neo is excellent, but I have to admit that this problem brought second thoughts regarding the next purchase of a phone to a family member. Today we are five of us and each of us have a SE.
It is the consumers that is the loosers in this situation. Our options are severely limited. This is very unsatisfactory.
It is (at least was, not sure how many still are using OMTP) a standard. If others have switched to CTIA there's no reason why we should not be able to as well. I just have no info right now saying we will.
I'll forward your feedback as a request.
Don't think I can get any feedback myself since it would be a pretty big business decision to make (and I don't think I would be given the benefit of bringing the news ).
Just for the record - I am very pro for standardization in most cases. It should be easy to buy accessories without having to compare compatibility and manufacturers.
Hello, I am french ( sorry if my english is not very good ^^' ) and I have the same problem as you since I've got this MH1 headset ( in mid-december ).
I use it on my Xperia Arc, outside and at home.
The drop always occur ( never on the two earphones at the same time ). Sometimes it takes a few minutes, sometimes it's about hours.
It started with the right ear and now that's the left which have the issue.
Do you have the problem both indoors and outdoors?
Does the volume come back to normal after some time? Please describe your problem as detailed as possible.
Your English is fine by the way.
So yeah, I have the problem indoors and outdoors and yes the volume come back after some time but I don't know how.
When unpluged the volume come back to normal after a random delay ( I would say it takes at least between 15minutes and half an hour ).
When reconnected immediately ( once or multiple times, this doesn't change anything ) the problem is lasting.
To make the sound come back I unplug the device, I shake the earphones and I slightly twist the cable but I have no idea if it helps.
Thanks for the info. I've highlighted this thread to the team investigating this so it's very appreciated to get this input.
Hey there,
I'm living in UK. Bought my MH-1 headset new seperate. My phone is Live with Walkman.
Usually use them while riding my bike to or from work. And the volume drops down in right earphone to minimum. It appears in lower temperatures than 10 and usually when its raining.
Today this problem appeared again but noticed that in right earphone volume dropped for hi-mid freq but for low freq it didn't made that big difference. When I got home, after a while, probably 30 minutes the sound slowly returned.
My opinion, that problem is in metal casings that somehow affects speaker. When it's raining, the moisture "helps" problem to appear, because water is better thermal conductor and affect metal by cooling it faster. I will buy balaclava to see if keeping them in warm helps the deal.
P.S. Sorry to say that, but I'm happy that I'm not the only nutcase with this problem. I started to think for buying another pair. This saved my money and nerves.
Hope to hear any response from SE testing labs.
Merry Christmas folks.
I have had the same problem with my headset. I imported the MH-1 headset from the UK through Amazon.UK (I live in the US; I imported this headset because it is not available in the US and I kept reading online reviews that the sounds quality was superb).
Whenever I use the headset outdoors the volume in one earbud drops, then the other earbud follows (usually the right goes first, then the left). And a couple of times I have had the problem in which the volume drops on both earbdus at the same time.
This problem has happened to me 2 times indoors after a prolonged session of music listening, so I'm not sure if this may be a temperature related issue. Perhaps this is a manufacturing problem rather than weather related?
I purchased the headset in the begining of December online (Amazon.UK). The production week is 11W34.
I would like to return this headset, but I am reading that people are having the same problem with their replacements, so I'm not sure there is even a point to it. And the cost for shipping may not be worth it.
This is kind of frustrating because this is the first time I have been let down by the quality of a Sony Ericsson product. They always have great quality when it comes to phones, and headsets, except for this MH-1 livesound.
I am glad, and at the same time dissapointed, that I am not the only one having this problem. Hope SE has a fix for this soon.
By the way, I use a Xperia Ray.
Thanks for adding your experience to the discussion.
It's still being investigated and I don't have any new info on this so far.
A replacement might be a good idea since all LiveSound's don't have this issue. I have personally still not encountered this one single time. I'm using my headset at work, outdoors, at the gym etc.
It's insanely warm here in Sweden for being December so I have so far not exposed it to extreme temperatures.
I can confirm this issue. Is there some noise reduction feature that goes into overdrive or something?
I just had my handset replaced. Before, the volume was low in the right earpbud when used outside for a while. It usually came back after a while of not using the phone. Most of the time it only happend outdoor but one day the sound in the right earbud never came back up again. The left one went quiet too a few days after that. The volume on max was barly audible at that point.
Hope this new set works better, since this issue is a real pain.


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PBS NewsHour Launches: 'The End of AIDS: Far From Over'
Beginning Monday, June 11 and airing on broadcast each night this week (check local listings), PBS NewsHour, launches "The End of AIDS: Far from Over" - a five-part broadcast and digital series on the major challenges that remain in the global fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Even though the medical tools are now at hand to end the epidemic, HIV transmission continues to surge in pockets around the world. PBS NewsHour correspondent William Brangham and producer Jason Kane, in partnership with Jon Cohen of Science magazine and with the support of the Pulitzer Center, traveled to Russia, Nigeria, and Florida to spotlight the political forces, social stigma, economic currents and other factors that continue to frustrate efforts to contain the virus. The series launches as scientists, researchers and public health officials prepare for the International AIDS conference, slated to take place in Amsterdam in July.
HIV Explodes in Russia
Central Asia and Eastern Europe have the world's fastest growing HIV epidemic, and Russia accounts for more than 80 percent of those infections. The NewsHour takes viewers throughout the country to better understand why. HIV treatment often isn't provided to people who inject drugs - a group that accounts for roughly half the new infections.
At-risk populations such as gay and bisexual men are stigmatized and ignored. Nongovernmental organizations working on HIV/AIDS have largely closed up shop because of government harassment and lack of money. And the epidemic is now spilling into the general population; heterosexual couples account for a growing number of new infections.
Mother-to-Child Transmission Rampant in Nigeria
One of the greatest research achievements - and most effective interventions - is the prevention of HIV transmission from a mother to her baby. But Nigeria, a country that has 2 percent of the world's population, accounts for roughly 1 in 4 of all mother-to-child HIV infections. We explore why, and profile an NIH-funded initiative in churches in rural Nigeria that's shown promising success in reversing that trend.
Changing a Faltering Response in Florida
The sunshine state has startlingly high rates of HIV transmission, and infected people who know their status often fail to receive treatment. Miami has a higher rate of new diagnoses than any city in the country, and black, Latino, and immigrant communities are especially hard-hit.
While Florida has an aggressive new plan to combat HIV/AIDS, critics argue the state's response thus far has been slow and underfunded. In many rural parts of the state - as in much of the South - stigma, fear, and isolation keep people from care that could save lives and prevent the spread of HIV.
Online, a website for the series will explore the universal issues that block effective management of the epidemic. In Russia, Nigeria, and Florida, stigma, lack of education, and limited health resources enable the virus to spread among at-risk populations. The site will feature the entire broadcast series and provide snapshots of the people fighting the virus.
On social media, NewsHour will produce a Facebook LIVE and Periscope broadcast with Brangham and Cohen on Thursday, June 14, to include audience Q&As, as well as social videos to publish on NewsHour's social platforms throughout the week. Science magazine has a package of related stories by Cohen with photos by Misha Friedman and charts that capture the state of the epidemic, in print and online at www.sciencemag.org.
This 2018 series is a follow-up to the PBS NewsHour and Science magazine's 2016 series, "The End of AIDS?", which looked at aggressive efforts to end the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa. That series was recognized with an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the prestigious Communication Award from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Condition: Standard
All Product Details
The writers your life won't be complete without.
That neither nature nor nurture bears exclusive responsibility for a child's character is self-evident. But such generalizations provide cold comfort when it's your own son who's just opened fire on his fellow students and whose class photograph with its unseemly grin is blown up on the national news.
The question of who's to blame for teenage atrocity tortures our narrator, Eva Khatchadourian. Two years ago, her son, Kevin, murdered seven of his fellow high-school students, a cafeteria worker, and a popular algebra teacher. Because he was only fifteen at the time of the killings, he received a lenient sentence and is now in a prison for young offenders in upstate New York.
Telling the story of Kevin's upbringing, Eva addresses herself to her estranged husband through a series of letters. Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become, she confesses to a deep, long-standing ambivalence about both motherhood in general and Kevin in particular. How much is her fault?
We Need to Talk About Kevin offers no pat explanations for why so many white, well-to-do adolescents whether in Pearl, Paducah, Springfield, or Littleton have gone nihilistically off the rails while growing up in suburban comfort. Instead, Lionel Shriver tells a compelling, absorbing, and resonant story while framing these horrifying tableaux of teenage carnage as metaphors for the larger tragedy the tragedy of a country where everything works, nobody starves, and anything can be bought but a sense of purpose.
Eva never really wanted to be a mother — and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklyn. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.


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The 2016 presidential election campaign reaches a big milestone this week. As of Wednesday, it's 1,000 days to Nov. 8, 2016.
I'm told this by the same iPhone countdown app that reminds me it's 80 days to the Kentucky Derby. The point being that you'll find no disdain here for what higher-minded political commentators call "the horse race." It would be mean to mention that the presidential race is just around the corner, or at least we can see the corner from here, and not make a guess about how it shapes up.
Below is a rough odds line for the White House Derby. First, a few points:
• Even though Republicans say President Obama is destroying America, they're preparing for the next election as if they expect it to happen. There are more Republican hopefuls than Democratic ones.
• Hillary Clinton has a bigger chance to win than any other individual. She leads Democratic polls by more than she did before 2008. But a horseplayer will tell you a 2-1 favorite is no shoo-in.
• This morning line is less a prediction than an approximation of how candidates should do based on the resumes of past winners, very early polls (interesting that Paul Ryan does best of the Republicans in matchups against Clinton) and legal betting with the British bookies (you can get 33-1 on Joe Biden, which is high for a vice president), all subjected to sophisticated mathematical analysis.
These odds will change over the next 1,000 days depending on events, or in the next 10 minutes depending on what Twitter says:
• Hillary Clinton (Democrat), 2-1
• Paul Ryan (Republican), 10-1
• Rand Paul (R), 12-1
• Jeb Bush (R), 15-1
• Chris Christie (R), 15-1
• Joe Biden (D), 15-1
• Elizabeth Warren (D), 20-1
• Marco Rubio (R), 20-1
• Andrew Cuomo (D), 20-1
• Mike Huckabee (R), 25-1
• Rob Portman (R), 25-1
• Martin O'Malley (D), 30-1
• Rick Perry (R), 30-1
• Scott Walker (R), 30-1
• Ted Cruz (R), 40-1
• Rick Santorum (R), 40-1
• Mark Warner (D), 40-1
• Mitt Romney (R), 47-1
• Bobby Jindal (R), 50-1
• Howard Dean (D), 100-1
• Brian Schweitzer (D), 100-1
• Jerry Brown (D), 68 billion-1
• Someone else, 20-1
Who do you like?


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Hjalmarsson, Kruger and Oduya to represent Sweden in Sochiby Staff Writer / Chicago Blackhawks
|Defenseman Johnny Oduya joins Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marcus Kruger on Sweden's Olympic Team. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Sweden announced its roster for the 2014 Sochi Olympics On Tuesday, naming a team heavy on NHL players, including veteran Detroit Red Wings forward Daniel Alfredsson, who gets a last shot at Olympic glory.
The Swedes were upset in 2010 at the quarterfinal stage, losing to Slovakia.
In 2014, Sweden is drawn into Group C, joining Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland.
Here is the full roster:
Goaltenders -- Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres, Jonas Gustavsson, Detroit Red Wings, Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers.
Defensemen -- Alexander Edler, Vancouver Canucks, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Phoenix Coyotes, Jonathan Ericsson, Detroit Red Wings, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks, Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators, Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings, Johnny Oduya, Chicago Blackhawks, Henrik Tallinder, Buffalo Sabres.
Forwards -- Daniel Alfredsson, Detroit Red Wings, Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals, Patrik Berglund, St. Louis Blues, Jimmie Ericsson, Skelleftea AIK (SWE), Loui Eriksson, Boston Bruins, Johan Franzen, Detroit Red Wings, Carl Hagelin, New York Rangers, Marcus Kruger, Chicago Blackhawks, Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche, Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks, Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks, Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks, Alexander Steen, St. Louis Blues, Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings.


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Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.
Rosenheck RA, Neale MS. Cost-effectiveness of Intensive Psychiatric Community Care for High Users of Inpatient Services. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1998;55(5):459–466. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.55.5.459
© 2019
This 2-year experimental study evaluated the effectiveness and cost of 10 intensive psychiatric community care (IPCC) programs at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers in the northeastern United States.
High users of inpatient services were randomly assigned to either IPCC or standard Department of Veterans Affairs care at 6 general medical and surgical hospitals (n=271 vs 257) and 4 neuropsychiatric hospitals (n=183 vs 162). Patient interviews every 6 months and national computerized data were used to assess clinical outcomes, health service use, health care costs, and non–health care costs.
There was only 1 significant clinical difference between groups across follow-up periods: IPCC patients at general medical and surgical sites had higher community living skills. However, at the final interview, IPCC patients at general medical and surgical sites showed significantly lower symptoms, higher functioning, and greater satisfaction with services. Treatment with IPCC significantly reduced hospital use only at neuropsychiatric sites (320 vs 513 days, P<.001). Total societal costs, including the cost of IPCC, were lower for IPCC at neuropsychiatric sites ($82454 vs $116651, P<.001), but greater at general medical and surgical sites ($51537 vs $46491, P<.01). When 2 sites that incompletely implemented the model were dropped from the analysis, costs at general medical and surgical sites were $38 lower for IPCC (P=.26).
At acute care hospitals, IPCC treatment is associated with greater long-term clinical improvement and, when fully implemented, is cost-neutral. At long-stay hospitals treating older, less-functional patients, it is not associated with clinical or functional improvement but generates substantial cost savings. Intensive psychiatric community care thus has beneficial, but somewhat different, outcome profiles at different types of hospitals.
EXPERIMENTAL studies published during the past 15 years have reported that concentrating treatment resources in community-based assertive community treatment (ACT) teams or intensive case-management programs can result in improved clinical status of severely mentally ill patients at no additional cost.1-6 Some studies, however, have found case management to be associated with no clinical change and/or increased service utilization and cost.7-11 Three recent reviews12-14 concluded that intensive community treatment frequently reduces hospital use but does not always achieve net cost savings, and far less consistently achieves clinical improvement.
Most published controlled trials of ACT were conducted at single sites as specially funded research or demonstration programs implemented by leaders in the field. Although these demonstrations illustrate the potential value of intensive community treatment under optimal operating circumstances, the applicability of their findings to ordinary conditions is uncertain.15 There is, in addition, a need to identify clinical settings in which such programs are consistently cost-effective.
In this article we evaluate the effects of 10 intensive psychiatric community care (IPCC) programs on the clinical status, community adjustment, and total costs to society (health care costs and non–health care costs) of high users of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) psychiatric inpatient care. The study is distinctive because it involves multiple sites comprising 2 distinct types of facility, neuropsychiatric hospitals and general medical and surgical hospitals, and was implemented under routine circumstances, as would be the case with dissemination across large public health care systems.
Veterans were eligible for the study if they: (1) were currently hospitalized on a VA psychiatric inpatient unit, (2) had a primary psychiatric diagnosis (as determined by the primary clinician) other than substance abuse or organic brain disorder, and (3) met criteria for high recent psychiatric inpatient utilization (see below). Patients who met these criteria were referred to the research team by their inpatient clinicians. Recruitment occurred from 1987 to 1990 and the last follow-up interview was completed in mid 1992. Virtually all patients referred for screening met the eligibility criteria and 85% agreed to participate in the study. After giving written informed consent to participate, patients were randomized to IPCC or standard VA treatment by the coin-flip of an independent research coordinator. Those assigned to IPCC were introduced to their clinicians shortly after randomization. Control patients continued their prior inpatient treatment until they were determined on clinical grounds to be ready for discharge.
Two contrasting types of VA facilities were involved. Neuropsychiatric sites, typically located in suburban or rural settings, are large facilities that provide long-term mental health care to severely disabled patients. General medical and surgical sites are located in urban centers and provide shorter-term, crisis-oriented inpatient care.
Utilization criteria for program entry were site type–specific because of very different utilization patterns.16 Entry criteria required 180 days of hospitalization during the previous year or 4 or more prior admissions at long-stay neuropsychiatric facilities; and 40 or more days of psychiatric hospitalization or 2 prior admissions at general medical and surgical sites.
The IPCC program was designed through a comprehensive literature review supplemented by consultation from national experts in the Wisconsin ACT program. The IPCC program was designed to operate under 4 core principles: (1) Intensity. Patients were to be seen as frequently as clinically indicated and case loads were to be low (7-15 patients per clinician). (2) Flexibility and community orientation. Clinicians were urged to provide the majority of contacts in community settings where maximal clinical leverage could be obtained. (3) Rehabilitation focus. A broad range of rehabilitation services was emphasized, such as training in practical problem solving and adaptive skill building. (4) Continuity of care. The IPCC teams were to be a "fixed point of continuing responsibility,"17 assertively maintaining contact with even the most reluctant patients, although parallel involvement in other VA services was not discouraged.
Most team members were masters-level social workers and nurses, and each team was staffed with a part-time psychiatrist. Teams met to review cases at least weekly (in some instances daily), although team focus was not emphasized in the IPCC program as much as it has been emphasized in recent writing about the Wisconsin ACT model.18 Staff were available to other VA clinicians and to clients after hours and on weekends.
Standard VA care provided to controls included inpatient psychiatric and psychopharmacologic treatment, outpatient psychiatric treatment, and rehabilitation services, such as work therapy. These services did not differ programmatically between general medical and surgical and neuropsychiatric sites. There was substantial fiscal and administrative pressure for both IPCC and standard-care patients to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible.
Program implementation was monitored using weekly clinician logs, structured clinical summaries completed on each case every 6 months, and a standardized rating instrument of team operation based on a checklist of 23 ACT program characteristics, previously shown to predict program effectiveness.18-20 These data allow evaluation of program implementation at each site with respect to: (1) the frequency, intensity, and location of clinical contacts; (2) the types of services provided; (3) duration of involvement; and (4) overall fidelity to the ACT model.16
Data on clinical status and community adjustment were obtained through face-to-face patient interviews conducted by independent interviewers every 6 months. Interviewers received 3 days of intensive training in the use of all instruments at the beginning of the project and periodically thereafter.
Psychiatric symptoms were assessed with both an observer-rated instrument, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS),21 and a self-report symptom measure, the Brief Symptom Inventory.22 Substance abuse was evaluated with the alcohol and drug composite indices of the Addiction Severity Index.23 Functional status was assessed with the Global Assessment Scale (GAS) (although scores on this measure are somewhat contaminated by symptoms)24 and with a self-report measure of community functioning that documented capability to shop, socialize, and perform other basic activities independently. Satisfaction with services was evaluated with a series of 5-point Likert-type questions (ranging from 0=very dissatisfied to 4=very satisfied) that addressed satisfaction with IPCC treatment and other VA and non-VA mental health services.
Community tenure was assessed by subtracting all known days of hospitalization or other days residing in controlled environments (such as nursing homes and jails) from 730 days (2 years).
Health care costs were estimated by multiplying the number of units of service by their estimated unit costs. Veterans Affairs service use was determined from national computerized workload databases and both medication and non-VA service use from interviews. Use of non-VA services may have been undercounted owing to recall difficulties during a 6-month period. Unit costs for VA general psychiatry, substance abuse, medical and surgical, inpatient, and outpatient care (including group treatment and day hospital care) were estimated for each medical center from site-specific cost data available from the local cost distribution report and computerized workload data, using methods described elsewhere.16,25,26 Reported non-VA costs were minimal (<3% of all costs) and unit costs were estimated on the basis of published data from private hospitals.
Interview data were also used to estimate non–health care service use and costs including: (1) the administrative costs of transferring payments (eg, disability and welfare)27,28; (2) criminal justice system costs (police contacts, arrests, court appearances, nights in jail, and probation visits)29,30; and (3) productivity (estimated by employment earnings, included as negative costs).
Cost data were summarized and analyzed from the perspectives of the health care system (VA and non-VA, inpatient and outpatient, psychiatric and medical and surgical, plus drug costs) and society (health care costs plus all non–health care costs, minus productivity).
Analyses were based on intention-to-treat principles including all subjects as randomized. Although 83% of planned interviews were completed at general medical and surgical facilities (88% among IPCC patients vs 77% among controls) and 77% at neuropsychiatric facilities (77% for IPCC vs 76% for controls), primary longitudinal outcomes were analyzed using random effects regression models31 to maximize statistical power for testing hypotheses with longitudinal data. These analyses were conducted using the PROC MIXED function from the SAS statistical computer software package, version 6.09 (SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC). These models accommodate correlations among the repeated observations and missing data at some assessment periods. The significance of differences between treatment conditions was tested using the likelihood ratio χ2 statistic. Specifically, we compared a model that included the effects of time, time squared, and treatment condition to a model that adds group × time interactions. The hypothesis of interest is the group × time interaction. A secondary analysis of outcomes was conducted using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) comparing groups at the final follow-up interview, controlling for baseline status on the follow-up measure. Follow-up rates for this interview at general medical and surgical facilities were 82% for IPCC patients and 73% for control patients and 71% for IPCC patients and 67% for control patients at neuropsychiatric facilities. At general medical and surgical sites, patients who were followed up had higher GAS scores (P<.009) and were more likely to be married (P<.03) than patients who were not. At neuropsychiatric sites, those who were followed up had lower BPRS scores (P<.02) and were also more likely to be married (P<.01).
Cost data were analyzed in their raw form and with natural log transformation using ANCOVA, controlling for utilization and cost during the 6 months before study entry.
Findings were also summarized as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, the ratio of the incremental cost of the treatment (the average cost of IPCC minus the average cost of standard VA care) to the incremental effectiveness of the treatment (the average effectiveness of IPCC minus the average effectiveness of standard VA care).32,33
Table 1 shows that patients at neuropsychiatric sites were older, less likely to have been married or working, and less likely to have substance abuse problems (which were relatively infrequent at both types of site). The cohort had substantial hospitalization histories, averaging 452 days during the 2 years prior to program entry at neuropsychiatric sites and 123 days at general medical and surgical sites.
Comparison of sociodemographic and baseline clinical characteristics of experimental and control patients showed no significant differences on any of 21 measures at general medical and surgical sites, but significantly different scores on 2 measures at neuropsychiatric sites: the BPRS (mean=16.0 for IPCC patients vs 19.6 for controls; t=2.97, df=273, P<.01) and the GAS (mean=42.1 for IPCC patients vs 37.9 for controls; t=3.05, df=340, P<.01).
Across the entire IPCC program, caseloads averaged 13.2 patients per clinician. The IPCC patients had face-to-face clinical contacts with their IPCC clinicians during 60 of the 104 weeks (58%) of the study, and averaged 1.9 contacts per patient per week and 41 minutes per contact during those weeks. More than half (64%) of face-to-face clinical time took place in community settings. Seventy-eight percent of patients were receiving at least 1 type of rehabilitative service after 1 year (the midpoint of the study) and 75% after 2 years. Only 12% of IPCC patients dropped out before the study period was over.
The fidelity of IPCC treatment to the ACT model was compared with 14 model ACT teams implemented under closely supervised conditions and a set of standard mental health clinics. Intensive psychiatric community care programs (mean score=3.7, SD=0.55 [potential range, 0-5]) were substantially more ACT-like than the control programs (mean score=2.4, SD=0.36), but slightly less ACT-like than the model programs (mean score=4.0, SD=0.39).20
Site-by-site implementation data presented elsewhere16 showed that 2 general medical and surgical sites saw patients only once every 3 weeks during the 2-year period, as compared with about twice every 3 weeks at the other sites. These 2 sites also had the lowest proportion of time spent seeing patients in community settings (43% and 0%, as compared with 72% at other sites), and the lowest scores on the ACT fidelity measure (3.1 and 2.4), both more than 1 SD below the mean of other IPCC sites.
Table 2 presents data on clinical and social adjustment outcomes at baseline and during the 2 years following study entry. Comparison of outcomes at general medical and surgical sites across all time points using random regression analysis showed significant differences on only 1 measure (community living skills), with better functioning for IPCC patients (χ2 test=8.65, df=2, P<.01). There were no significant differences between IPCC clients and controls on any measures at neuropsychiatric sites.
Figures in the "Comparative Change" columns of Table 2 show the difference between IPCC and standard VA treatment in the amount of change from baseline. Differences are minimal at most time points, but substantial differences favoring IPCC appear at general medical and surgical sites at the 2-year assessment on several measures. Significant differences favor IPCC treatment on total symptoms (BPRS) (F=8.27; df=1,402; P<.004); community living skills (F=11.62; df=1,366; P<.001); global functioning (GAS) (F=11.12; df=1,409; P<.001); and satisfaction with services (F=5.93; df=1,324; P<.02).
Comparison of IPCC and standard VA care on total days living in the community showed no significant difference at general medical and surgical sites (591 days for IPCC vs 579 for standard VA care; F=1.12; df=1,525; P=.29), but substantially greater community days at neuropsychiatric sites (375 days for IPCC vs 224 for standard VA care; F=23.7; df=1,342; P<.001). All but 2 of these differences remain significant even after reducing the standard significance level to .004 to adjust for 14 comparisons.
Table 3 shows that there were no statistically significant differences at general medical and surgical sites in inpatient or outpatient service utilization during the 2-year follow-up period. Analysis of cost data also showed no significant differences between groups on standard inpatient or outpatient health care costs. However, adding the cost of IPCC treatment ($5793 at general medical and surgical sites) increased total health care costs for the IPCC group by about $5000 over the standard care group (P<.002). Non–health care costs were relatively small in magnitude and not significantly different across groups with 1 exception—the administrative cost of transferring payments was larger in the IPCC group, probably reflecting the case managers' facilitation of access to benefits. In the final intention-to-treat analysis of societal costs at general medical and surgical sites, IPCC was about $5000 more expensive than standard VA care (P<.01).
At neuropsychiatric sites there were significantly fewer hospital days and significantly greater outpatient visits for IPCC (Table 3). The most dramatic difference is noted for non–mental health hospital days reflecting care on long-term "intermediate care" units, a level of VA hospital care between acute hospitalization and nursing home care. Differences in hospital utilization at neuropsychiatric sites were attributable both to a greater proportion of patients having been discharged (82% for IPCC vs 57% for standard VA care; χ2 test=24.9, df=1, P<.001) and to reduced hospital utilization among those who were discharged (average days, 216 for IPCC vs 275 for standard VA care; t=2.2, df=241, P<.02).
These differences in inpatient use resulted in more than $35000 lower inpatient costs for IPCC patients, and modestly increased outpatient costs. Total societal costs averaged $34000 less for IPCC patients at neuropsychiatric sites (P<.001).
Analyses were repeated excluding the 2 general medical and surgical sites that did not adequately implement the IPCC program. Although clinical outcome results did not change, hospital days at the remaining sites were lower for IPCC patients (99.8 hospital days for IPCC vs 128.9 for standard VA care; F=6.01, df=1,344, P<.02), as were inpatient costs ($27776 for IPCC vs $35570 for standard VA care; F=5.21, df=1,344, P<.05). Community days were significantly higher for IPCC patients (605.0 for IPCC vs 577.2 for standard VA care; F=3.7, df=1,344, P<.05). Societal costs dropped to $44772 for IPCC and $44810 for standard VA care, a nonsignificant difference of $38.
At general medical and surgical sites cost-effectiveness ratios reveal costs of $1705 per unit of improvement on the BPRS (95% confidence interval [CI], −$1200 to $4609); and $1268 per unit of improvement on the GAS (95% CI, −$880 to $3416). However, with the 2 poor implementation sites excluded, cost-effectiveness ratios at general medical and surgical sites become −$13 per unit of improvement on the BPRS (95% CI, −$2494 to $2520) and −$10 per unit of improvement on the GAS (95% CI, −$880 to $3416). Negative ratios are not unambiguously interpretable, because large negative ratios could reflect either greater cost savings (a desirable result) or less effectiveness (an undesirable result). A negative cost-effectiveness ratio thus means that the treatment has greater cost-effectiveness but does not reflect its relative magnitude. The large CIs about the cost-effectiveness ratios are due to the characteristically large SDs of the cost data. Cost-effectiveness ratios were not calculated for neuropsychiatric sites, at which IPCC yielded no significant gain in effectiveness.
Although IPCC is one of the most thoroughly studied psychosocial interventions for people with severe mental illness,1-14,16-19 the present study adds to our understanding of this approach in 5 ways.
First and most broadly, this study confirms findings of other experimental studies by demonstrating that IPCC is a cost-effective treatment associated with long-term improvement in psychiatric status, social functioning, and consumer satisfaction at acute care sites and no deterioration at neuropsychiatric sites. After excluding sites that did not fully implement the program, both health care and total societal costs were equivalent at general medical and surgical sites and significantly lower at neuropsychiatric sites. Thus, IPCC is a cost-effective treatment that merits implementation among high users of hosptial services of the type sampled here.
Second, because the programs evaluated in this study were implemented under more typical administrative arrangements than those in previous studies, our results suggest that the benefits of IPCC can be obtained under ordinary conditions, even when programs are not implemented by their original innovators. The IPCC program was implemented without either a detailed manual or extensive and continuous training. It thus appears to be effective as well as efficacious and illustrates the specific contribution of effectiveness evaluation to psychiatric research.34
Third, this study illustrates the importance of tracking program implementation and, albeit unintentionally, demonstrates the relationship of faithful implementation of IPCC to program effectiveness. The 2 general medical and surgical sites that failed to implement an IPCC program also failed to demonstrate the desired effect on hospital utilization. One of them, in fact, had the opposite of the intended effect, generating considerably greater hospital use among IPCC patients than among controls. Increased hospitalization has recently been reported in another study of case management, with the interpretation that when programs are poorly implemented, case managers tend to facilitate hospital admission for their patients because they are aware of the depth of patients' pain but have only hospital care to offer.35 These data suggest that costly interventions for vulnerable populations should not be implemented without appropriate training and continuous monitoring of structure, process, and outcomes of service delivery.
Fourth, we observe that even when the clinical benefits of IPCC are not apparent for as long as 18 months of treatment, they may yet appear after further treatment. This finding underlines the importance of long-term follow-up and demonstrates the potential for delay in improvement with patients with severe and persistent mental illness.
Fifth and finally, the study shows that the effects of IPCC programs may be quite different in settings that treat different types of patients. The IPCC-related improvement in clinical status and social adjustment was only observed at acute care facilities treating younger, higher-functioning patients with greater subjective distress—patients who were more likely to have the capacity and motivation for change.
Total cost savings, in contrast, were significant only among the patients treated at neuropsychiatric facilities—older patients who had longer hospital stays. A study of deinstitutionalization at Northampton State Hospital, Northampton, Mass, also found older longer-stay patients to be least vulnerable for rehospitalization after community placement.36
Perhaps the most important lesson of this study, in this respect, is that intensive, high-cost interventions must be carefully targeted at appropriate patient subgroups. In a previous article,37 we showed that savings potentials are substantial only among psychiatric patients with the highest health care costs. It can not be overemphasized that all patients treated in this study were high service utilizers, representing the upper 5% to 10% of VA resource consumers. While many patients might derive clinical benefit from IPCC treatment, only those with high levels of inpatient service use are likely to show cost savings.
Before concluding, several methodological limitations must be addressed. First, although raters were not part of the clinical team, their ratings were not conducted under double-blind conditions and it is possible that rater bias influenced the results. We think this is unlikely because 2 of the measures that showed significant response to IPCC treatment (community functioning and satisfaction) were based on self-report data and were therefore less subject to such bias. Second, it is possible that patients who were lost to follow-up were doing more poorly than others, artificially inflating ratings at the final interview. Follow-up rates at 24 months, however, were quite reasonable (78% at general medical and surgical facilities 69% at neuropsychiatric facilities) and were in fact somewhat higher than at some earlier time points.
A final limitation is that the study was conducted entirely at VA facilities in the northeastern United States, in a sample of older men with limited substance abuse comorbidity, and thus may not be generalizable to the other settings. Further studies of this type are clearly needed to test the generality of our findings in other health systems and for other subgroups.
Accepted for publication November 18, 1997.
We would like to thank the many Veterans Affairs staff members (program directors, clinical, clerical, and evaluation staff) and the hundreds of veterans at Intensive Psychiatric Community Care demonstration sites who made this project possible. In particular, we are grateful for the support of the following people: M. Hahn, ACSW; N. Pazienza, PhD; and M. Coppola, ACSW, Albany, NY; N. Denton, MSW; J Winarski, LICSW; D. Bitman, PhD; D. Chew, MSW; and W. Penk, PhD; Boston, Mass; M. Tsuang, MD, PhD; J. Simpson, PhD; E. Brown, PhD; G. Lockwood, MSS; N. Noel, PhD; J. O'Connor, OTR; M. Hastings-Procaccino, MSW; and J. Spoltore, PhD, Brockton/West Roxbury, Mass; D. Heimowitz, MSW; D. Harris-Cobbinah, CNS; S. Rochester, CNS; S. Gentile, MA; and E. Mayer, BSW, Bronx, NY; S. Krishnaswamy, MD; J. King; J. Jordan, MSW; C. Shams, RN; L. Smith, MSW; C. Glair, RN; and R. Sullivan, MSW, Buffalo, NY; B. Lewis, RN; R. Linares, MD; D. Fogarty; R. Davis, MS; and T. Roach, BA, Canandaigua, NY; A. Russo, MSW; E. Garrett, RN; and J. Ammazzalorso, Montrose, NY; L. Lantinga, PhD; G. Kline, MA; and M. Baker, Syracuse, NY; L. Harkness, PhD; J. Brady, LPN; D. Deegan, MSW; B. Johnson, MSN; C. Sweeney, RN; H. Spencer, MA; and M. Cinquanta, BA, West Haven, Conn. We also acknowledge R. Baldino; D. Thompson, BS; B. Zigler, MS; A. Ackles, BS; and D. Showalter, BS, of the Northeast Program Evaluation Center, West Haven, Conn, for critical assistance with data preparation and analysis. Philip Leaf, PhD, and Robert Milstein, MD, PhD, assisted with the design of the study. Alan Fontana, PhD; Donald Hedeker, PhD; Marilyn Stolar; and Weichun Xu, PhD, assisted with statistical analysis and Linda Frisman, PhD, and Henry Dove, PhD, with cost estimation methods. Finally, we are grateful to Paul Errera, MD, VA Central Office; Donald Burnette, former Director, VA Eastern Region; Al Washko, former VA Region 1 Director; and Ted Stefos, PhD, for their continuous encouragement and support. Boris Astrachan, MD, provided valuable advice at many junctures. Elizabeth Brown, PhD; David Gittleson, DSW; Terrence Keane, PhD; Stephen Price, MD; and Ming Tsuang, MD, PhD, served on the advisory Northeast Regional Mental Health Task Force during the implementation of this project.
Reprints: Robert Rosenheck, MD, Northeast Program Evaluation Center, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT 06516 (e-mail: email@example.com).
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Coming Cars that Can "Take It" (Mar, 1938)
Coming Cars that Can "Take It"
Is the crashproof car a dream? Read this prophetical article.
by Frederick Russell
SAFE because it's unbreakable—is that the picture of the automobile as it will be in the near future?
Many engineers say "yes," pointing to the greatly fortified 1938 car as evidence The majority of them agree that if cars can be built with sufficient strength to withstand today's punishment it should be but a short step to a car that can take a bad spill and not be any the worse for it.
The idea that cars should crack up when they collide is coming to be regarded as a relic of pioneer days in motordom. Many years ago engineers decided that unless they built what is known as a high "factor of safety" into each of the car's major units there could be no real endurance. Cars would not be practical with rear axles breaking down at every abrupt start or with springs collapsing every time a bad bump came along. Now the demand is for greater security against the possibility of damage from collisions of all kinds.
This is indicated in the offering of grille guards and special bars for use in reinforcing the bumpers. It is not improbable that we will witness a revival of one of the features of the erstwhile Marmon car, in which the steel running boards served as side bumpers.
One of the popular attractions at amuse-parks is the midget automobile which is surrounded by a continuous bumper. So much strength is provided by this simple arrangement that the driver can strike the wall or collide with another car without risk to either the car or himself. It is the unbreakable car of the future in miniature.
A few years ago a pioneer along these lines startled New York by striking "L" posts at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. With a special bumper on the front of his car he was able to laugh off the usual collisions with these immovable objects which have meant so much grief to motorists in Manhattan. The bumper took the shock gracefully, allowing the car to dissipate its momentum and come to rest without too much confusion. What the driver lacked then he now has with the
newer cars—a carefully designed safety interior with no sharp protrusions and no controls that are apt to spear him. The combination at that time would have accelerated the trend now so evident toward the car that can "take it."
It isn't that drivers want to be able to crash into things without paying the penalty, but simply that they demand protection against that small, but always present, group of thoughtless operators who continually threaten to crash into them. At the present time any serious head-on collision is certain to result in expensive repairs not only to the front end assembly but to the engine itself. It is a popular wisecrack to refer to the engine of the modern car as the front bumper. This may be a factor in hastening general adoption of the rear-engined car.
We have gone a long way with the all-steel body, non-scatterable glass and low center of gravity, but the car has had too many "arms and legs" that can be maimed in even minor accidents. There will be a tendency toward bodies of heavier gauge steel so that the body itself will help the chassis remain in alignment. Glass is now being perfected that will not even shatter when it receives a blow. The best we have today is glass that does not scatter when broken. Building the engine and chassis lower to the ground has done much to save upsets, but the next step is designing cars which cannot upset. Possibly motordom may borrow an idea from the familiar ash stand which can be tipped over but which will not stay upset.
The automobile industry knows no such word as "can't." It meets every challenge Today motorists are beginning to wonder why they should have to pay big repair bill if, through some miscalculation or misfortune, they have not been able to keep the car to a safe course. Motorists long since refused to consider a car so weakly constructed that the roughest useage would crack the frame Now they want a frame that will be equally shock-resistive in a collision.
The shock-proof car can be done in quantity production because it is already being done on special order. One of the manufacturers of high-priced cars recently exported to Asia a remarkable vehicle for use by a foreign potentate. The car is entirely bullet-proof and is so strong that no ordinary collision could best it. There is no way anyone can gain access to its interior except with the use of a special key. It is said to be armored motoring de luxe.
This does not mean, however, that we will have to carry around tons of steel in order to enjoy this new security awheel. We are going to benefit by the amazing new developments in metallurgy. Stronger but lighter materials will find their way into the picture. The camera is playing an important role in the study of the structure of metals. Weaknesses in steel are quickly detected through the micro-camera photo. And steel will be but one of the metals used in the fashioning of the car that will be impervious to collision.
In fact, some go so far as to predict that rubber may be the answer to this new security. Many experiments along these lines are engaging the attention of those who are building tomorrow's automobiles today. Rubber is being used for so many pails formerly reserved for metals and wood it is not at all improbable that it will play a role in providing the answer to the problem of building parts that will withstand shock without breaking or without getting out of alignment. Rubber now is used for battery-cases, spring shackles, motor supports and many other parts which are subjected to extra strain. Success may lie in meeting the shock of impact by means of flexibility, resiliency, elasticity. It is exactly what they have done in solving the problem of excessive engine vibration.
Translate floating power into the effort to provide an unbreakable car and we see rubber in a new light. Perhaps the shock-proof car of the future will absorb impact, bending and yielding in accordance with the nature and severity of the blow, but without any serious consequences.
It is the low pressure tire that has done so much to lessen the annoyance and danger of puncture. High pressure tires banged over the road, forcing nails and glass through the tread to the inner tube. Today the low pressure tire actually rolls over many sharp objects, yielding but not picking them up.
Shock absorbers were first introduced in America in 1904. Their virtue largely lies in controlling spring action by checking excessive compression and recoil of the springs, but the "shocks" are a part of the stabilizing process, joining with the anti-away bar in helping the car fight a million collisions with the road surface. It is incredible that with such remarkable strength and endurance under the car we still have extremities that fold up like a piece of cardboard when under any extra strain. All the driver need do is scrape a bit of high curbing and he has a badly mashed fender to show for it.
We are, of course, dealing with terrific forces when we aim to make cars immune to collision damage. A mass of two to four thousand pounds is something to reckon with when it is shooting through space a mile a minute. Did you know that at the modest speed of 20 miles an hour a car is shaken up as much when it runs head into something as it would be if it dropped 13.4 feet? Most collisions are of the glancing blow type wherein the actual forces of impact are greatly lessened, and it is largely in this field that engineers hope to save motorists those endless bills for straightening fenders, repairing frames and aligning wheels. Most of the collisions also are with other vehicles rather than with immovable objects. That increases the force of impact and complicates matters still further. But the unbreakable car will come into existence because it is needed. It will take its place along with the fireproof office building and the dwelling that is immune to hurricanes.
Certain it is that the future will find cars wearing bumpers on all four sides. These would be ornamental as well as protective. They will be covered with special rubber bonded to the metal. It would not be surprising to find another continuous bumper running from the radiator bottom to the license plate holder over the hood and top. This would help protect the car in event of a forward upset, or roll.
These bumpers would be useful in concealing the radio antenna, and could also be used to carry fuel, water and oil for long distance travel. If the engine finally is mounted in the rear it may be the special continuous hollow bumper that will become the elongated gas tank. We are witnessing this year the first elongated battery box. It is suggestive of the new trend toward re-shaping many of the conventional parts of the car.
As developments proceed it will also be necessary for engineers to expand their work to make a car a safer place in which to be jostled about. It may even be necessary to strap in the driver and his passengers. Part of the security in the protected collision of tomorrow will be the importance of remaining in position during the impact and the possible after-roll. This is part of the secret of success with stunt drivers who manufacture their own collisions to demonstrate the strength of modern cars.


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Crying Tiger: Thai Recipes from the Heart" features over 100 easy-to-prepare Thai recipes, many with photos, as well as an illustrated guide to ingredients and equipment used in Thai cooking. The recipe for the dish "Crying Tiger", a Northeast Thai favorite, is included along with a special section on Thai cooking for kids.
Supatra Johnson is the owner of Supatra's Thai Cuisine, a Thai restaurant located in Saint Paul, MN. Supatra has been teaching Thai cooking classes for over 5 years at Twin Cities area schools. She is the former owner of Jasmine Market, an Asian grocery located in Burnsville, MN, which is where she first started teaching cooking classes.
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Jasmine Market (April 2004)
Language: English
Copyright © 2004 - 2019 GroceryThai.com


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If you do not find what you are looking for let us to seek it
The Personal Shopper accompany the buyer or lessee during the home visit.
To be personal shopper search for homes in your area of residence or work activity and press the button Colaborate.
Once we received your request , we will ask you personal information, CV,..and if you are suitable for the colaboration , we will approve it
Once validated as a personal shopper, whenever there is a visit to the house in which you collaborate you will receive a notification to accompany the buyer or lessee.
All the information about your activity as Personal Shopper is availble in the menu: Collaborations, visits, prizes…
When the buyer or lesse buy or rent a house, we will notify you the prize to bill. The information will appear in the control panel (Prizes)
Promoting houses is to recommend the houses published in tudomus to your contacts or RRSS
Search homes that may interest to your friends or contacts, press the promote button and share in facebook, twitter, linkedin or email
If any of your contacts, buy or rent a house in tudomus, you will earn the prize promote that appears on the information of the house
You can access to all information of your activity as a promoter in the control panel: Board, House of friends, Promotion request, Your promotions, Offers an Prizes
If you have no contacts interested in buying or renting, but you know someone who is selling or renting a house, you can also invite him to list the house in tudomus. Once listed if he house is sold or rented, you will earn the prize for promoting it.
Move the map to search. Delimits the area you search for better results.
Invite your contacts to publish a home in tudomus and win the promoter prize for sale or rent
For those users who want to collaborate selling houses sporadically, but can not choose to register as self-employed, nor start regular economic activity, we recommend you to register in a cooperative of freelance.
When you sell or rent a house and have to claim your payment, we will enable a link in your private view so you can attach your invoices. Previously, you must have registered in a self-employed cooperative in order to generate the invoices you need. Once the invoice is generated, the cooperative will send the invoice to tudomus and we will pay your commission with the corresponding taxes. Once the cooperative receives from tudomus the billing will notify you by email, and will make the payment in your bank account.
Price of house
*The calculator results are indicative, the money you earn appears in each of the houses to promote
*The calculator results are indicative, the money you earn appears in each of the houses to collaborate
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since I am fighting for a standardized kook proof system on all bars/kites, I would like to hear from everyone, which brand has which system?
Which should be the best? Which does the majority already use? Which brands don't have any kook proof system?
Let's solve this problem!
Let's use this to make things clear:
Talking about the end of the flying lines coming from the bar, just where you attach it to the kite.
back lines: knot
front lines: eye
back lines: eye
front lines: knot
no kook proof
Here I will list what we have found out so far:
Cabrinha: B
Core: B
Eclipse: B
Naish: A
Nobile: B
North: A
Ocean Rodeo: A
Takoon: A


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Studies show that audiences want more from their theaters than simply what they see on the stage, however well-done.
They want engagement, they want a social dynamic, they want to feel connected to the art as well as each other. They want to feel invested in the theater.
One of the tried-and-true ways that theaters have traditionally done this (more tired-and-true in so many cases) is the post-show discussion.
But perhaps theaters can take a cue from their counterparts in the dance and symphony worlds by having pre-show discussions.
At the end of show -- especially a long one -- audeinces generally want to exeunt al.
But getting an audience to understand the world of the play before they see might be another matter and make for a richer experience once the show begins. And a happier exit once it's over.
This, I think, would be most effective in historic or classic works. Imagine attending a discussion about William Shaklespeare's "The Tempest" or Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" or Moliere's "The Misanthrope" led by a talented theater person (with some stage presence, please; perchance the director who might have the most enthusiasm for the production).
Suddenly the context of the play's times, the copm;lexiyties of nthe narrative and even the nuances the production so wants to acjheve might actually be appreciated rather than resting on the thin hope that theater-goers are reading those ambitiously designed program notes.
Of course you wouldn't want to give anything away in the play and original shows may be best just to experience without any pre-conceived notions. But maybe not.
For some works, pre-show connection might just be one way to further bond with an audience.
There are more ways, too ,and I will be writing about them in the coming months. What are your thoughts -- and ideas.


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Looking for the perfect gift to buy your friend or family member for Christmas? Look no further than these Top 20 Gifts for Foodies, ranging from $5 – $250!
It's December y'all, a time for eating, drinking and gift giving!
I don't know about you, but I've spent the last 3 days going back and forth between e-mails, text messages and conversations with my boyfriend and family on what to get each other! Gift giving can be so stressful!
After all of the decision making for my family, I thought, "hey, my friends reading WhitneyBond.com probably need a little gift guidance too", so I decided to put together this guide of the top holiday gifts for foodies! I included 4 different price ranges to help you find the perfect gift at the perfect price!
I also, added a list of "recipes made with this gift" below each one. You can easily hop over to two or three of these recipes, print them out and include them with the gift! Your friends and family will love that they have a new kitchen toy to play with AND a couple of new recipes to go with it!


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Media Alert
For Immediate Release
Ann Smith-Tate
Economic Development Manager
City of Independence
Tom Lesnak
President, Independence Economic Development Council
(816) 463-3510
Independence, MO, April 21, 2014: iNforce Business Protection Network, powered by Nextdoor.com is a partnership between the City of Independence, MO, Independence Economic Development Council, Independence Tourism Department, nextdoor.com and local business leaders. The new initiative will connect businesses through a fresh and innovative medium while rethinking the possibilities of how businesses function and communicate within a community.
"iNforce, powered by Nextdoor.com is a private social network for our business community to interact online for free. Business representatives can sign up within their defined district and interact with their neighboring businesses. Thousands of neighborhoods are already using Nextdoor.com to build happier, safer and better connected neighborhoods," said Tom Lesnak, President of the Independence Economic Development Council.
iNforce Business Protection Network will use nationally recognized website and mobile application, Nextdoor.com, to create an online network of business owners within designated districts in Independence. The 40 highway corridor will serve as a pilot business district, using nextdoor.com to start building a stronger, more proactive crime reporting system among neighboring businesses.
"Citizens have identified the redevelopment of 40 Hwy and southwestern Independence as a top priority. This begins with increased safety and security and building relationships between business owners, property owners, and law enforcement. iNforce was created as a no-cost way for businesses to effectively and proactively deter crime and disorder and send a message that Independence is a city united around public safety," City of Independence Mayor, Eileen Weir.
Connecting business owners online through Nextdoor.com allows real-time communication with other businesses within their district. This effort parallels well with the Community Oriented Problem Solving (COPS) initiative activated by the Independence Police Department. Along with the implementation of an online business protection network, the iNforce initiative includes Business Academy classes presented by the Independence Police Department. The police department will offer four classes, (June 12, July 10, August 14 and September 18) to area business owners seeking information on how they can better work with the department to help prevent future crimes or how to self-protect their business assets and engage in local community policing programs.


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Ex-cop and murder suspect Christopher Dorner references journalists in manifesto
Fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner — wanted in connection with a deadly shooting rampage in Southern California — wrote a rambling manifesto referencing a number of TV hosts and journalists.
In the document attributed to Dorner, the man accused of killing three people promises to "bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty" and also praises several journalists:
Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough, Pat Harvey, Brian Williams, Soledad Obrien, Wolf Blitzer, Meredith Viera, Tavis Smiley, and Anderson Cooper, keep up the great work and follow Cronkite's lead. I hold many of you in the same regard as Tom Brokaw and the late Peter Jennings. Cooper, stop nagging and berating your guest, they're your (guest). Mr. Scarborough, we met at McGuire's pub in P-cola in 2002 when I was stationed there. It was an honor conversing with you about politics, family, and life.
Willie Geist, you're a talented and charismatic journalist. Stop with all the talk show shenanigans and get back to your core of reporting. Your future is brighter than most.
Revoke the citizenship of Fareed Zakaria and deport him. I've never heard a positive word about America or its interest from his mouth, ever. On the same day, give Piers Morgan an indefinite resident alien and Visa card.
Dorner also picks out dozens of celebrities and other figures in the document. The LAPD believes Dorner wrote the manifesto because of details in it that only he would know, The Associated Press reported on Thursday. A copy of the manifesto can be found at KTTV-Fox 11 News, the Fox owned-and-operated television station in Los Angeles.
And on Thursday, CNN reported that Dorner also sent a package to CNN's Anderson Cooper. Inside the parcel was a hand labeled DVD with a post-it note reading in part "I never lie," and a souvenir LAPD medallion shot through with bullet holes. The package arrived Feb. 1, but Cooper said it was not opened by him and he first learned of it today.


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A Look at the Progress City Model- Then and Now
The Progress City model was once a spectacular site. Housed on the second level of the Carousel Theater at Disneyland above The Carousel of Progress, it was often visited but not-so-often photographed or filmed. It was a large model with many moving parts and electric lights.
What you see today while riding the Magic Kingdom's TTA is only a piece of the original model. Not only did a relatively small section of the model survive, a very small amount of movement and lighting remain today. There are fewer houses, far fewer cars and the landscaping is almost nonexistent compared to the original. The thing was literally sliced up in various places to fit it's new space at Walt Disney World.
The blue lines below indicate the area of the model you see today.
A Chance to Restore the Model
A few years back I was asked if I'd like to help restore this old model city. I wet my pants a little and said, "Sign me up! I'll come in early and stay late if I have to, just don't change your mind". Life stinks sometimes, the lousy bums changed their minds.
– "It's a matter of ownership. We don't actually know who 'owns' the model".
Yeah well I'd been up there a few times before to climb around and my old model train city I made as a kid with my mom's hot glue gun and little hobby shop fake trees was in better shape.
– "Well we think it belongs to Decorating and they ain't interested in doin' notin' wid it."
– "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Give me their number. You are saying that even if I volunteer my time to save this piece of history, you aren't gonna let me because no one wants to deal with the thing?? IT'S OLDER THAN ALL OF DISNEY WORLD!"
- "Yeah well, we isn't interested in the best interest of stuff around here. Go finish yurr work on that Small World doll."
Good thing I like working on Small World dolls. As it turns out, 'Decorating' had already been there. No need to clean the model or fix the broken buildings. Definitely no need to fix the double ferris wheel that once moved round and around.
Now that brings me to something that not everyone seems to quite understand. Imagineering doesn't maintain everything you see at the parks. Hardly. There are loads of other departments who are assigned to various pieces of the attractions and parks in general (Engineering Services, Decorating, Artist Prep, Creative Costuming, Buildings, Custodial, even Buena Vista Construction Company, etc.).
The Fantasy of EPCOT-style Living
I'd always loved the WEDWay PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom (now TTA) in large part due to the view of Progress City. I liked to dream of the life I could have had in the low-density residential outer rings of a city patterned after EPCOT.
While riding past the model I'd spot nifty looking mid-century modern ranch-style houses with PeopleMover stations out the back door and with views of the towering cosmopolitan hotel and convention center. A little amusement area and schools for the kids, pedestrian walkways separate from the motor ways, a Monorail traveling through the center of town... What could be better?
The wife and I could meet up for ethnic food while she shops in the retail district just below my office building. Once inside, weather conditions good and bad would be safely out of reach, yet visible though the domed glass skylights. Walt Disney would be walking around pointing at stuff and I'd say 'hi' to him. Herb Ryman would be at the next table sketching on a napkin. Then he'd give me his sketches and we'd discuss the look of transportation systems of the future.
Why the Tiki Lounge in the City of the Future?
Doesn't seam to fit in, or does it? Remember, the peak of America's fascination with all things 'tiki' was the 1950s and 60s. The phenomenon began with returning WWII soldiers who had served time in the Pacific. Hawaii had not been opened to tourist travel by jet plane for all that long. The war ended in the mid 40s and i presume many of the W.E.D. staff had spent time in Polynesia. And remember that Progress City focussed on all areas of life, including leisure. What better way to relax than in some tike restaurant on the marina? Maybe someone just liked tiki stuff and added it to the plans?? Either way, this piece is still on the model and boy is it cool to think about.
A Hacked Model
You can compare the model in its two locations and the pieces that still stand today. You'll notice the little PeopleMover tracks no longer have moving PeopleMover cars on them. The tracks were hacked, therefore no longer operational. They appear to have been made of simple slot car technology. Just like the slot car tracks you had as a kid.
Let's give give credit where credit's due. Though the model is in a very dilapidated state after all these years, it's presented in a way that makes it look pretty good. I'd love to see moving parts and fewer broken pieces, but from a moving WEDWay car, in a dark tunnel, behing glass, the thing doesn't look half bad.
Some of these photos were taken without show lighting and with the use of flash. Some are with show lighting, no flash.
I'd Give My Right Eye
I've been looking for video or imagery of the upper level of Disneyland's Carousel of Progress forever now. After the final act of the show, guests would exit though the stage area and ascend to the second floor to see the Progress City model. I've found very little. I would love to see exactly what that experience was, including the viewing area of the model.
So PLEASE send anything you have showing these things.
Photos by Fritz, Mitch and Hoot. A special thanks to Hoot who has done a heap of research and investigation involving the model. He was the one who showed me door to get to the model and the catwalk above. Photos were taken on assignment and with permission. Please don't attempt to access the model.
Related posts:
Tomorrowland '67 [Part 3]
EPCOT City Model [Part 1]
Lake Buena Vista: The Other Prototype City with a Peoplemover


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While the Nokia Lumia 1020 for AT&T is a stellar Windows Phone for checking your emails, posting to Twitter or listening to music, that's not why you want to buy one, right? Nope, it's for those 41MP images (and oversampled smaller ones).
As a preview to our review, here are some sample photos that we took today. The images posted here are the smaller 5MP photos with Nokia's oversampling i.e. these are the ones you would share. They're also resized to fit your computer display.
Fear not pixel peepers as we have the originals, in their full HD glory, right here for downloading (via SkyDrive). Warning though, it's an 85 MB ZIP file.
All photos were taken using Auto for settings, except for the purple toy, where we used manual focus (it was getting dark).
Things to draw your attention to:
- Outstanding color
- Nice contrast
- Images looks sharp and clean
- Details
Impressed? Not Impressed? Sound off in comments! Missed our unboxing and first impressions of the Lumia 1020? Then head here to catch up!


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The Tyneside Irish advance 1st July 1916. 'Y' Sap crater in the background
Officially sanctioned by the War Office on 14th October 1914 the respective committees of the Tyneside Scottish and Tyneside Irish continued to recruit men into their brigades well into 1915 in response to Lord Kitcheners call to the colours. The Tyneside Irish were the first to complete a brigade of four battalions including a depot company for each. A total of 5,400 men for each brigade, although the actual number raised was much higher due to deficiencies in many men. The total number raised for both brigades is probably closer to 13,000 men. The first big test for both brigades was at La Boisselle on the fateful day of July 1st 1916. The beginning of the Battle of the Somme, and the worst single day in the history of the British Army which ended in nearly 60,000 casualties. Figures for the Tyneside Brigades were amongst the worst of any units recorded, the Scottish suffering over 2,400 casualties and the Irish almost 2,100. This is a brief outline of their story.
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Former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, writing in the U.K. Guardian, had some interesting observations. Noting that "throughout the 80s [bin Laden] was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan," Cook called bin Laden "a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies." And while not everybody agrees that it was an accidental miscalculation, the fact that he worked with the U.S. government and other Western powers is beyond dispute.
But how and why did bin Laden and the loose confederation of Muslim extremists known as the Mujahideen — supported by the U.S. government and its allies at various other times in recent decades, too — ultimately become so rabidly anti-American? The answers, as with everything about bin Laden, are complicated and debatable.
Bin Laden was born into a life of privilege in Saudi Arabia, the son of a supremely wealthy businessman with a construction empire. After developing a passion for Islam, likely during his college years, he became outraged by the Soviet infidel invasion of Afghanistan. Like other men of faith, he saw the communist menace as a threat to his religion. So bin Laden traveled to the region, recruited soldiers, and played an important role in defeating the barbaric communist occupation and its puppet regime.
In a 1995 interview, bin Laden boasted that his Islamic fighters in Afghanistan were trained by U.S. forces. "I created my first [military] camps, where these volunteers underwent training led by Pakistani and American officers," he told a French newspaper. "The arms were supplied by the Americans.... Our objective was the Islamic Revolution." Ironically, the CIA lessons in terror, combat and sabotage provided to the Jihadists were laced with fanatical Islamic teachings.
And there was probably a reason for it. "These [establishment-backed] regimes [like the Taliban] and organizations [such as bin Laden's] are serving a hidden — though increasingly visible — purpose ... built into menacing perils to, among other things, justify the transformation of the UN's blue helmets into global gendarmes capable of enforcing UN dictates on all peoples and nations," William Jasper wrote in a 1998 cover story about bin Laden and "American-made terrorists" for The New American magazine.
As it turns out, the U.S. government was deliberately sending the most aid to elements of the Mujahideen that were especially rabid in their anti-American and anti-Western sentiments. One of the largest Mujahideen recipients of U.S. support — the Hekmatyar — was actually collaborating with the communist invaders the CIA was supposedly trying to expel. The U.S. government sent stinger missiles, heavy weaponry, money, and trainers to the Muslim fanatics in massive convoys. And the biggest beneficiaries of the assistance were probably the worst suited to receive it.
After the Soviet Union was expelled from Afghanistan, bin Laden and his men would eventually turn on their former allies — using their U.S.-provided weapons, ideology, and training on new targets. It appears that the problems may have started when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in the early '90s and the Saudi dictatorship became concerned that its own kingdom might be next.
Bin Laden offered to do everything in his power to repel a feared Iraqi assault on Saudi Arabia. But, he was adamantly opposed to inviting foreign troops onto what Muslims believe is holy soil. The Saudi royal family, however, allowed U.S. and allied forces into the country anyway for what then-President George H.W. Bush called an effort to forge a "New World Order" by repelling the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Bin Laden was enraged, or so the story goes. And finally, after government pressure failed to silence him, he was exiled from Saudi Arabia, taking refuge under the hard-line Islamic dictatorship ruling the Sudan. It was there bin Laden reportedly decided that eliminating corrupt Arab dictatorships and replacing them with true Islamic governments free of Western influence would require attacks on the source of their power: the Western regimes — and the U.S. government in particular — that were propping them up.
In the mid '90s, bin Laden moved back to Afghanistan and reportedly announced "Jihad," or Holy War, against the U.S. government. His primary goal, he said, was to drive American troops from Islamic lands and eliminate U.S. and Western support for the corrupt regimes terrorizing much of the Muslim world.
The name al-Qaeda, which in Arabic means "the base," was originally applied to the CIA's database of thousands of friendly Muslim extremists who were recruited, armed, and trained by the U.S. government. But under the al-Qaeda banner, bin Laden would inspire legions of Muslims angry at American meddling in the Middle East to unleash a reign of terror upon his new-found enemies.
As part of the loose alliance of Islamic fundamentalists labeled al-Qaeda — though without any true global organizational structure such as the one mythologized in the press — bin Laden and his men reportedly struck at America 1998. According to a federal indictment, they were involved in the bombings of two American embassies in Africa. After that, bin Laden's men reportedly drove C4 explosives into a U.S. Navy ship. They were also suspected in other bombings.
But incredibly, the U.S. government and various Western intelligence agencies were once again helping bin Laden's Islamic warriors in the late '90s, even as then-President Clinton was pretending to show concern about bin Laden by bombing a pharmaceutical plant in the capital of Sudan. This time around, the American assistance to the Islamic extremists was provided in the former Yugoslavia via the al-Qaeda-linked Kosovo Liberation Army.
"Many members of the Kosovo Liberation Army were sent for training in terrorist camps in Afghanistan," former Canadian ambassador to Yugoslavia James Bissett told the Canadian National Post. "There is no question of their participation in conflicts in the Balkans. It is very well documented." Afterward, many Islamic extremists and Mujahedeen stayed in the region, even receiving passports from the U.S.-backed Muslim government in Sarajevo.
After 2001, the story of bin Laden's becomes particularly murky. Credible sources have been reporting his death since late 2001. At the same time, however, other sources — including U.S. officials — have claimed that bin Laden was deliberately being allowed to escape by high-level authorities in America, Pakistan, and other nations on more than a few occasions.
According to the official assassination narrative, which has continued to change dramatically since May 1, bin Laden managed to elude capture for more than a decade. President Obama said he was shot in the head after finally being tracked down to a compound outside the capital of Pakistan.
Where bin Laden may have been during that decade — assuming he was actually alive — is currently unclear. Obama's terror czar suggested he was in the Pakistani compound for the last five or six years. But even if he had been alive and hiding there, he almost certainly was not any sort of leader any longer, according to analysts.
But Islamic fundamentalists affiliated with what has come to be known as al-Qaeda are still around. And almost incredibly, they're still receiving support from the American government in Libya and elsewhere.
The reality is that bin Laden and his fellow Muslim extremists enjoyed — and in many respects Muslim extremists continue to enjoy — a sort of love-hate relationship with the American government. The militants are often useful to Washington, pursuing the same goals as the U.S. foreign policy establishment from time to time. Even today, the American government is arming, funding, training, and supporting Islamic extremists in the joint effort to oust former U.S. ally Muammar Ghaddafi in Libya.
As The New American reported, senior al-Qaeda leaders were among the first to openly back the rebellion in Libya. The U.S. government, NATO, and the United Nations came in later, providing air support and weapons to the militants. Some of the leaders of the uprising are in fact associated with al-Qaeda by their own admission. The U.S. government admits it, too.
In fact, a former "high risk" Guantanamo Bay detainee assessed as a "probable" member of al-Qaeda and affiliated terror groups is now a U.S. ally and a leader in the Libyan rebellion. Another al-Qaeda fighter from Guantanamo was actually working for British and Canadian intelligence while blowing up churches in Pakistan. And the leader of another al-Qaeda-linked organization that was sending fighters to battle U.S. and international forces in Iraq is also leading the Libyan uprising.
Critics of America's foreign policy have been sounding the alarm about the dangers of supporting terrorists, extremists, and dictators for as long as the U.S. government has been doing it. But under Republican and Democratic control alike, the unconstitutional U.S. government meddling around the world has only been accelerating. Today, America is involved in three openly announced wars in foreign countries and many more covert ones. And unfortunately for the American people, the consequences can be deadly.
Photo of Osama bin Laden: AP Images
Related articles:
Pakistan: Treacherous "Ally" Exposed — Again
Why Did It Take 10 Years to Get Bin Laden
Pakistan, Aid Scrutinized After Bin Laden Killing


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Ever find yourself trying to come up with the perfect text to send that girl you really like? If so you might be wondering what the answer is to the question "what to text a girl you like?" A lot of guys have trouble figuring out what they should text the girl they like. With a little practice and a push in the right direction always knowing what to text a girl will become natural to you.
Many guys have trouble knowing what to say over text. With a few topics in mind you can easily come up with some great content right from your own life experience. Whether it be about your interests or the girl you are interested in. There are really good questions to ask a girl you like over text. One of my favourite questions has to do with what she is passionate about. You might find yourself trying to figure out how to tell that special girl how much you really like her. Finding the right words to text can be a challenge. So lets take a look at some things to text a girl you like.
What to text a girl you like
Talk about your passions. A great way to show genuine interest is to ask her about what she is genuinely interested in. This is a great topic to text about since you can find out what she is really interested in. If you both share a common interest you will have so much to talk about right away. Maybe she has a passion you want to learn more about. This will help you think of lots of questions you can ask her on the topic. If she isn't giving you very much to work with you can always share what you are passionate about with her. She might follow up by showing interest in your hobbies too. When you want to know what to text a girl you like try starting with your passions.
Telling a girl you like her over text. This is a complicated topic to text about. Telling a girl you like her over text isn't usually the best idea. Whill very useful to know.en telling a girl you like her for the first time you are probably much better off telling her in person or over the phone rather than through text. If you do want to tell her you like her over text be warned that this can sometimes come off as needy. Some girls will straight up stop texting you if they feel like you like them more than they like you. If you can tell she is into you then telling her you like her should feel natural. All you have to do is tell her how you feel. If you can't tell if she likes you or not maybe hold off for a while until you have a better idea. When you both like each other you can show her happiness by showing her you like her over text from time to time. This is more to do with how to text a girl you like rather than what to text a girl but st
When trying to decide what to text a girl you like keeping in mind these two topics will give you a good place to start. Finding content related to the things you are passionate about will be easy and natural to you. You should have a lot to say about your hobbies and interests since they are so familiar to you. Talking about your feelings with the girl you like should be natural to you too since you don't have to make anything up. This will help you get a good idea of what to text a girl you like.


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Taylor Swift poses as the Disney Princess Rapunzel in this brand new Disney Dream Portrait promo image.
The 22-year-old entertainer's picture, which was photographed by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz last year, is titled "Where a world of adventure awaits".
Also pictured inside are some behind the scenes images of Taylor's photo shoot, including one of her holding her guitar and one of her and Annie hugging!
Meanwhile, Taylor shared some great news on Twitter.
"It's official–'I Knew You Were Trouble' is #1 on pop radio!! You guys are unbelievable. I'm smiling SO big right now." she wrote. Congrats, Taylor!


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Modesto, CA
Michael H. Juarez Sr.
April 13, 1952 - September 1, 2013
Michael H. Juarez Sr. 61, born April 13th 1952 of Modesto, California went to be with the Lord on
September 1st, 2013. Michael was born in Oakland, California. He was a foster child to Joan Sparks of
Modesto and
had 7 siblings, the closest being
(Sister) Alana Juarez of Clearlake, California. He is survived by 6
children: Maria Juarez, Michael H. Juarez Jr., Matthew Michael
Juarez, Malinda Marie Juarez, Kyle Joseph Valdez, Sarah Nicole Benjamin and 9 grandchildren.
Michael H. Juarez Sr. was employed at Phil Waterford's Manteca Ford as the Quick Lane Manager for the past 4 years. He received many prestigious accolades during his tenure in the automotive industry which include, Master Advisor, ASE Certified Master Technician and Smog Technician. He was a hard worker and never complained about anything. Michael has always had a passion for buying cars and trucks and working on them, especially Fords. He really enjoyed working with the entire team at Manteca Ford.
He loved the Lord, his children, grandchildren, and former wife Stacy Densmore. His favorite past time was playing with his grandchildren, traveling, playing Chess, Pool, Poker (Texas Hold'em) and listening to Motown music from the 60's. His favorite colors were
Silver and Black. Raider fan!
Michael's infectious smile and positive attitude helped to foster a positive atmosphere for everyone. We will miss his uncanny sense of humor along with the genuine love and passion he showed for others.
A beautiful memorial and celebration of life will be held Sunday, September 29th at 1 pm at Manteca Ford located at 555 North Main Street in Manteca. For more information please call (209) 239-3561. In lieu of flowers, please make your donations to The
American Heart Association.


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The baseball season is finally over, and the New York Mets did not win it all.
Yes, the Kansas City Royals, a truly better team won the World Series.
I remain proud of my Mets. Who wouldn't be, when your favorite team won a National League pennant for the first time since 2000?
However, more important, for me, are two players from the Mets who really stood out as heroes and role models for our kids.
A few Saturdays ago I had to take my time getting back home because of tourists lurching down the road on Segways. That's right, Segways in Quincy.
Until then the only place I had seen them used by sightseers was in downtown Chicago.
I think the Porchfest organizers deserve kudos for continuing the quirky tradition of live music outdoors at private homes and for the teamwork that brought the Segways here.
"Semper Paratus" is the U.S. Coast Guard's motto; it means "always ready." It has been one of my life's guiding principles to live by.
Humility is another of the goals I strive for on a daily basis.
Trying to be humble, when I am able, requires much continual prayer.
Sept. 23 marked the 56th anniversary of the day I entered the Coast Guard on active duty.
My long association with the outfit has made more of an impact on my life than anything.
I hope you are one moved in a positive way to the beauty and splendor of autumn and able to observe the spectacular changes of color at this wonderful time of year.
Most Floridians, outside of Gadsden County would probably have to drive fairly long distances to view the fall foliage.
My wife and I missed viewing the fall colors while we lived in Florida.
Before I left New England, I was always awed by the beauty of autumn and the graceful falling of the leaves of red, brown, green and yellow.
Many South Carolinians living in Aiken County have lost their homes or can't gain access to them because of high flood water.
Judy and I have once again been spared from the wrath of nature, or could it be the wrath of God?
Too often lately I'm convinced that our God, for reasons too deep to fathom, has spared us from peril or loss of our home and property.
I'm certain one day soon none of us will be spared from the wrath of God and mankind will no longer exist on this wonderful planet we call Earth.
When is the last time you've been read to?
Was it a pleasant, soothing experience?
Some of us are fortunate enough to remember our mothers or dads reading to us, especially at that greatest time of all, just before going off to sleep.
At our house we had a set of books called the Junior Classics.
Each of my brothers and sister had a favorite story my mother would read.
I bet she would be a little upset with herself if she knew that ever since she made the comment, way back in May: "Those glasses are awful; they don't do a thing for you," that I've been going crazy switching them back and forth with another pair she found acceptable.
I don't even see well with the pair she favors.
Oh well ...
Yes, faithful readers, I do remember I recently wrote about eye glasses.
Claire Roxann Willis Collier is my only sister, and she's
Is pizza your favorite food as it is with so many Americans?
It's been mine ever since Butch Santy's mother served me some of her own, homemade style, back in the early '50s.
Of course, Mrs. Santy was Italian, and she probably grew up making pizza as so many Italian women did in those days.
It's a good thing my father was as crazy about pizza as his kids were or we'd have suffered big time.
In my section of central Connecticut there were pizza o,r Italian restaurants on just about every street corner it seemed.
Copyright © 2019
The Gadsden County Times is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Gadsden County and Quincy, FL, and the surrounding area.


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Kolar Tire & Auto is the leading tire and auto repair shop in Helena, Montana - serving the surrounding areas of Great Falls, Bozeman, Missoula, and the surrounding areas of Lewis and Clark County. We offer trusted and dependable auto service and preventative maintenance, name brand tires and wheels. We are also a towing service, providing roadside assistance and recovery to drivers throughout Helena. Kolar Tire & Auto employs a well-trained staff of experienced mechanics specializing in the sale and installation of passenger car, performance, light truck, or SUV tires. Custom wheels are also available at Kolar Tire & Auto. Take this opportunity to browse our website website and then call us to schedule your next auto service. Stuck on the roadside? Call our Euclid Ave shop at (406) 459-3135 or our Centennial Dr shop at (406) 465-2442 for assistance.


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Top London Days Out provides details of free things to do in London.
For London visitors wondering what to do in London we have many suggestions for cheap London sightseeing and places to visit in London.
The majority of London attractions listed are free to visit and include London art galleries, London Zoos (petting), London events, London museums, London parks, the Royal Parks and many other London attractions.
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London Wildlife and Nature
London Wildlife - Places to visit in London


text: I've been doing more programming lately, primarily in Java because I am writing several books that teach the language. I have a few big announcements coming soon about those projects. My current coding effort is an application that turns a no-longer-updated WordPress blog into a set of static HTML pages. The goal is to make it easier to retire a blog while keeping the content available in the form that's most likely to be future proof and extremely simple to move around. WordPress can export a blog's pages, ... read more


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14 Seafood Dishes for Your Memorial Day Grill
Memorial Day is usually associated with burgers and hotdogs, but if you're looking for more sophisticated grill grub, look to the sea. Spicy grilled fish, Cajun shrimp skewers, scallops and even grilled lobster are different and flavorful options for your summer grilling repertoire. We've even got a grilled octopus recipe if you're feeling adventurous.
So grab a couple seafood friendly bottles of wine (or any friendly wine, beer and/or cocktail will do) and check out the recipes. Click through the slideshow for some aquatic inspiration, or go straight to the links below.
Get the Recipes!
- Grilled Garlic-Lime Shrimp
- Grilled Fish in Parchment
- Grilled Lobster with Lemon Shallot Butter
- Shrimp Boil Skewers
- Grilled Halibut with Spicy Red Onion Relish
- Grilled Shrimp with Chive Polenta Cake
- Tilapia Fish Tacos
- Planked Whitefish with Cilantro-Lime Butter
- Grilled Sardines with Lemon and Paprika
- Grilled Scallops with Mint Pesto and Balsamic Syrup
- Blackened Catfish with Creole Sauce
- Grilled Rare Tuna Salad with Basil Tapenade Vinaigrette
- Chili-Lime-Brandy Grilled Shrimp
- Grilled Octopus
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