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Continuous Service? Dumb Moves from Smart Money
Published on - March 21st, 2009 (by J.D. Roth)
As part of my ongoing effort to bring you interesting and informative personal-finance information, I subscribe to several magazines, including Smart Money. Smart Money isn't my favorite money magazine, but it has some useful articles.
In 2005, I paid $20 to subscribe to Smart Money for two years. In 2007, I paid $20 to subscribe for another two years. Today I received my latest issue, which included this wrap-around "cover" announcing that "as part of our Continuous Service program, your subscription will be automatically renewed unless you tell us to stop":
This is annoying, but it's an annoyance I can live with. Some periodicals (especially newspapers) automatically renew subscriptions. For a variety of reasons, people are more likely to accept the state in which they are required to do nothing. If the default is "the subscription will expire if you do nothing", people will generally let the subscription expire. But if the default is "your subscription will automatically continue if you do nothing", people will generally let the subscription renew.
Dumb money
As I say, this is annoying, but I can deal with it. What made me cranky, however, was this bit at the bottom of the renewal notice:
Smart Money wants to automatically renew my subscription for one year at $20. But I was previously paying $20 for a two-year subscription. They want to use this automatic renewal to double my rate. This is bullshit.
I did some research to see if subscription rates have increased since 2007. They have not. At the official Smart Money subscription page, I found the following deals:
- One year for $12
- Two years for $18
Apparently my reward for being a "preferred subscriber" is that I will pay more for one year of the magazine than new subscribers pay for two years. That sounds like dumb money to me. It gets worse. Using Google, I found an even better deal, also from the official page:
- One year for $11
- Two years for $18
- Three years for $24
And Amazon has an even better price: 24 issues for just $14!
Out of the frying pan
Armed with this info, I prepared to unleash my righteous indignation on a customer service rep. I dialed the phone number on the wraparound cover. But I couldn't reach customer service — only an automated answering system, which offered two choices:
- Stay in the "continuous service" program and renew the subscription.
- Be removed from the "continuous service" program and cancel the subscription.
I didn't want either one. I wanted option three: give me back my lower rate. I gave up and tried the web.
Smart Money actually has a website that purports to let you manage your account. Fine. I clicked on the link to renew my subscription and saw this:
This clearly says: "Fill in the form below to access your subscription account." I understood this to mean: "When you enter your information, you will be able to perform various actions on your account." But no. That's not what it really means. I entered my account number and was greeted with this screen:
That's it. A blank page with the command: "renew your subscription". Can any of you tell me what this means? Checking a different page on the site revealed that by entering my account number, I had actually agreed to renew the subscription.
I hate crap like this. I hate it when businesses treat me like a commodity. Usually when these things happen, a business loses me as a customer forever. (No joke.) But I can't just pretend Smart Money doesn't exist; it's an important part of the financial media. Argh!
Free magazines!
How much does this bother me? So much that I've spent an hour processing images and writing this post. So much that I cancelled my subscription — and then re-subscribed for two years for $14 through Amazon. And so much that I'm going to give away free subscriptions to GRS readers — for Smart Money's competitors.
Six commenters on this article (chosen at random) will receive a one-year subscription to the personal-finance magazine of their choice from those reviewed in these two articles:
The only caveat is that if you win, you cannot choose Smart Money. To qualify, all you have to do is share your own tale of financial frustration in the discussion on this post. (Contest ends at 12:01 am Tuesday morning.)
This article is about Books, Odds and Ends, Real-Life
This happens all the time. Almost with anything that you are subscribed to, the company will have more interest in gaining NEW customers than it has in keeping the existing ones. When I tried to replace my water-logged cell phone with my mobile provider, my "loyal customer for 4 years" allowed my to purchase a replacement phone for $150. But if I signed on as a new customer, I received the SAME phone for free. And both carried a 2-year agreement? The customer service agent could not answer my question why the company she was representing was going to reward a "loyal 4-year customer" who paid every one of his bills on time by charging $150 for the phone whereas a new customer with no billing history would receive the phone for free. She transferred me to a supervisor. What's funny, is that when I said that I would leave and going to another company, because the mobile phone business is set up to acquire new customers rather than keep existing ones, the supervisor said that I would be giving up my loyal customer status – I laughed at his argument because the only thing that my loyal customer status got me was the chance to pay $150 MORE than a brand new customer. Some loyalty I explained. I eventually received the phone for $19.
My tale of financial frustration:
A Time Warner cable salesman was going door to door in my neighborhood. When he came to my house he wanted me to upgrade my plan. I used Time Warner Cable for cable and internet services and was paying $110 for both. He claimed that by adding their phone service I would lower my total bill to $100 a month. I questioned him over and over saying it didn't seem right that I could add another service and lower my bill. But he guaranteed me it was true and put it in writing so I signed up.
A month later I receive my first bill and it's for $142. I immediately call Time Warner and tell the lady I enrolled in a package that costs $100 a month, not $142 a month. She says no way that is possible they would never offer me a deal like that. I say would you like me to fax you the paper work? She says no, theres just now way I got that deal and that the deal I have is their best offer and a great one.
So I ask for a supervisor and he pretty much says the same thing. I should be happy with the $142 I'm paying because it's a great deal. At this point I'm screaming at the guy, but he still refuses to budge.
So the next day I go to their offices and tell them I want to cancel everything. She asks why and I explain the situation and this time am able to show her the guys paper work. She makes a few calls and gets me the rate I signed up for and knocks $10 off for my inconvienance. Why couldn't they do that from the start? Because they suck.
I hate Time Warner. I have nothing but problems with them. Unfortunately they basically have a monopoloy in my area.
Here's my most recent tale of financial frustration, written as an "open letter" to AT&T:
Dear Valued AT&T High Speed Internet Service Equipment Processing Center:
I am formally begging you, for the love of God, to stop to the onslaught of declined rebate notices in my mailbox. Wouldn't you agree you've made your point, now that I can repeat verbatim the five reasons why my rebate for the purchase of high-speed internet equipment was declined? (Not that I initiated this rebate in the first place—it was you who tracked me down with the offer. But that's beside the point.)
Apparently also beside the point is the fact that not one of the five reasons actually applies to me. Now don't get me wrong. You had already convinced me that resistance was futile with the first notice. Sure, I would have preferred to receive a check, but does anyone honestly think they have a better than 50/50 chance of receiving rebates to which they are entitled these days? I'll give you credit for at least trying to justify this petty bait-and-switch scheme by turning the blame on your customers.
Your second and third rejection notices, while annoying, didn't concern me unduly. Mailing errors happen. Notices four and five even elicited a chuckle. Rolled eyes and derisive snorts ensued after notices six and seven. Over the past several months, however, I have become increasingly disturbed and perplexed by the apparently vindictive recurrence of this cockroach-like mailing.
So please, forget I ever asked. Purge my rebate request from your database. Shred my correctly completed, dated, and signed request form. Incinerate my original proof of purchase. I've learned my lesson. For the good of rainforests everywhere, won't you end the madness?
Valued (and Broken) AT&T Customer
P.S. I must point out that the day you reach 54 postcards sent (which appears inexorable, unless a miracle occurs and this humble request is heeded), you will have spent more money on postage informing me of my denied rebate than the actual rebate was worth. Now how does that feel?
This week I received a $200 tax refund and like all government checks, it was deposited directly to my checking account.
My bank's system seemed to think it was a paycheck. Since I automatically withdraw $200 per paycheck for my retirement savings, the computer automatically slapped the entire refund into my retirement savings, when I was planning to put it in my emergency fund.
I called the bank to complain and learned that a computer error — made in just a microsecond — would take a human five business days to fix.
I'm still trying to figure out if the computer is dumber or smarter than the human working on correcting the mistake!
Geez, this must be an annoying new practice magazines are doing!! I also subscribe to SM but haven't had to renew it yet. I did have the same experience as yours, though with Country Living, a nice home mag I've gotten for a few years. Same as you, they automatically renewed at a much higher rate. I searched endlessly for a way to contact them (e-mail, phone) but ended up only being able to return the bill with an ad for 12 issues for $10, not the $20 they wanted to charge. They sent me back a letter stating I could only renew at $20. I cancelled!!! Haven't renewed it yet, don't know if I will.
I'm going through one right now. Check this out: Six months ago my bank hits me with a $5 account fee. I call and ask why as the description is vague: net service fee.
They said it was for too many ETFs. All right, I bought that, I had done several that month. So I reorganized my accounts to do just one a month.
For two months after, no fee. Thought I was good to go. Then suddenly at month 4, fee again!
I called and asked why since it's only one ETF a month. They said then it was for low balance. Flustered, I asked which was it, balance or ETFs? They said balance. I said are you sure. They said yes.
Month 5, kept the balance in the account where they said to keep it. Did two ETFs as apparently this wasn't the problem. Got hit with the fee AGAIN. And this time it blamed on, guess what, doing more than one ETF.
Month 6, higher balance, only one ETF this month. I wonder what's going to happen!
That is terrible. Its great that you took the time to write this article and bring this up to make people aware. You know that here a thousands of people out there that just don't pay attention and fall into this trap.
That's crazy, J.D., but not unlike my experience with Everyday Food Magazine that I have subscribe to since its inception. The difference is that I get e-mails from the company telling me I can get the magazine for $10 per year, but when I click the link it takes me to my account, where "loyal" subscribers pay nearly double for a one year renewal. Reminds me of an old joke my father used to tell where the punchline began, "Such a deal I have for you . . ."
I eventually reached a customer service rep (a real live person based in America!) who finally gave me a slightly better deal since I was renewing gifts as well.
Thanks, American Ingenuity in Marketing. Way to tick off your most loyal customers.
JD – You can send me a subscription to Kiplinger's Personal Finance. I actually read all of these at the local library but as long as you are giving one away, I would like to have it.
I hate this also. Though I have never caught it with a magazine subscription before. Comcast is the bane of my existence, giving intro rates and then jacking them up by over 300%. Why yes, I love to pay $60+ for something that for the past 6months I have only had to pay $20 for. Thank you so much Comcast. Oh, and when your service goes down and I can't get on the internet for a week, don't bother to credit me that would be detrimental to your profits.
For subscription services I use a credit card with "ShopSafe".
This allows me to set the charge amount and how many months the card can be billed.
This eliminates the auto-subscription problem for me.
Heh, alright, I'll give it a go and I think I have a pretty good 'lesson' story. Back in December I was offered a long term IT contract job in a different city and the job market being what it is I moved and took the job. About a month and a half in I found it was not as long term as I thought and in fact was only a 6 month contract, I was rather upset I was lied to but I need the job so I just took the hit and kept working. Three weeks ago they cut my pay, something I didn't know considering I singed a contract, and this last week Monday myself and another guy were given our two weeks notice, another think I was not aware of considering I signed a contract. Anyway, this being my last week of employment there I am spending the weekend looking for jobs and looking into how to file for unemployment if I need it as I have never done it before.
So, financial frustration, pay cut and job loss…I guess I learned something new with this experience and am wiser for it.
Wow this is lame. And as you mentioned, Smart Money is not exactly the best PF mag out there. I used to subcribe to Entertainment Weekly. One time they called and tried to sell me a big book about movies. I was not interested. The Rep got nasty with me. I cancelled EW that day.
I can agree with the article from a similar experience. I was out of the country for a few months and during that time, my local cable company introduced some new TV channels.
Part of the promotion was that everyone would get these channels but you had to cancel before the first month preview ended or would pay an additional $15/mth for this package.
Being away, I did not find out until my monthly bill was in its 4th month. It took a lot of calls to the "no-customer-service" department at which point I finally just cancelled my entire service out of frustration and went with another company.
Never understood their reverse billing strategy from a business standpoint as many people did leave this cable company also.
My husband and I recently subscribed to a marriage magazine that we had been previously enjoying online. The online version didn't have all the articles and we were reading it enough that we felt we should support it. Two issues into our subscription the editorial was a teary eyed farewell to the print version of the magazine. They asked us to continue reading on-line and replaced the balance of our subscription with their women's magazine. We didn't want the women's magazine. That's why we didn't subscribe to it in the first place. Why would a company who knew they were pulling a magazine out of print still accept subscriptions that they had no intention of honouring? If they were backed into the corner with this, why were subscribers not given the option of receiving their money back OR having the remainder of their subscription filled with one of their 14 other magazines. Pre-selecting the women's magazine as our replacement makes a bold statement regarding their perceived readership and perhaps why they went out of business in the first place. We had also given a subscription to another couple as a wedding present. It's just frankly embarrassing to have that gift turn into something else. It's like we gave them a toaster and two months later it spontaneously turned into a potted plant. Still maybe useful, but not what we had in mind.
Must be a trend! I just got a letter yesterday from Kiplinger's to let me know that if I do nothing, my subscription to Kiplinger's Personal Finance will auto renew at the "discounted price" of $19.95 for 12 issues. Their current offer on the web site is $12 for 12 issues (and possibly cheaper elsewhere).
I looked back through my receipts and I paid $12 for 12 issues the past two years and there has never been an auto-renew letter. I put the letter aside out of disgust figuring I would cancel over the weekend and resubscribe after it stops showing up in the mail.
I can see why they do it – it makes them money, but treating repeat customers like idiots doesn't earn them anymore respect than they are showing us.
I like to take advantage of free trials of magazines, rather than shelling out several bucks at the newsstand or committing to a year's subscription. This is a good deal for me, except that the bills and dunning letters start pouring in long before the "free" issue ever arrives. "By now, you've surely enjoyed our fine magazine at our expense, you freeloading deadbeat. Now, do the right thing and pay up, loser." The Atlantic was the most recent culprit.
Even if I had been favorably inclined toward the magazine, by the time it arrives I'm annoyed and peevish.
I called up American Express the other day to pay off my bill. It's phone system tells you how much you owe, so I paid that off. Two weeks later I get a bill for about four dollars, which supposedly constitutes accrued interest during the month. If I call up to pay off the bill, I don't expect to be hit with some residual interest after the fact.
My friend went to Baltimore over the weekend. I went with her. Apparently she lost or had her Key bank card stolen. Somebody rung up a few hundred dollars worth of stuff on the card in a Whole Foods. This put her balance in the red buy about twenty dollars. She discovered that day she lost the card, and canceled it over the Internet. When she got back home to Michigan, she was surprised to learn that somebody had emptied her account and Key Bank has charging her $60 a day in late fees. The Bank expected her to blindly pay this without providing her any accounting of fraudulent charges that were made. Worst, they called her up cussing at her days after this happened to pay. She eventually cleared the matter up at the local branch and didn't have to pay anything. However, she canceled the account with a very bitter taste in her mouth for the Bank.
Finally, I am a bankruptcy attorney. One of the stupidest things I see credit card companies do is raise the interest rates of customers who 1) are in good standing, but have fallen behind on payments to other merchants, or 2) raise the interest rates for being late (that is what a late penalty is for). These things more then anything else force many folks into bankruptcy, causing the companies a complete loss to people who otherwise probably would have paid off the debt if given time.
Great post, JD. I'm with you on "Usually when these things happen, a business loses me as a customer forever. (No joke.)" The Internet seems to be exacerbating this trend, as do endless voicemail prompts on "customer service" phone lines. The more I'm treated like a numerical entity instead of a person, the less I am inclined to participate at all. Which might not be a bad thing!
I belonged to a gym that decided to raise rates, but they were not just going up in price every September there would be an additional equipment fee. All they would say is that the equipment fee was going to be the same as the monthly fee or slightly higher. I have feeling that meant always higher.
I should thank them I have found some great hiking/ snowshoeing trails nearby. I never have a reaction to chemicals when I take a swim in the lake.
That's ridiculous JD, and I'm glad you canceled the subscription and renewed through your usual method. Personally I only subscribe to a few magazines, and I ignore ever single email/snail mail they send me, even if it means that my subscription at some point gets canceled. If I really enjoy the magazine I will go onto Amazon.com to re-subscribe (best prices around). Letting the subscription fail forces me to evaluate whether I really need/want the various magazines.
These phone menus that go nowhere frustrate all of us. The situation worsens when you're in a time critical mode trying to find out coverage for an emergency medical procedure, and no matter what menu item you choose, you can't make contact with a live person.
Another maddening item are voice commands that don't work.
Consumer Reports automatically renewed my online subscription one year. I didn't know about it until I received an email after the fact. I was a bit upset but went ahead and took the second year subscription (no I didn't complain). I ended up keeping an eye on it and canceled right before the end of the second year. I've since received 'we want you back' emails. I suppose I should let them know that of all consumer magazines, I'm surprised that they would take part in this practice.
Arggh — I hate this stuff too. Call me old fashioned but I always thought that companies who really wanted to do well in the long run had to work to keep their customers happy, not try and slip things by them, especially in this economic environment. In fact I just finished fighting with my credit card company who had decided to raise my interest rate despite my sterling history with them — ridiculous! I honestly think that if companies were up front about things, and treated their customers more respectfully and earned their trust, they'd probably do a lot better. But alas, that doesn't seem to be the case these days. Anyway, thanks for writing this up and putting it out there. Hopefully that will teach them not to try and pull stuff like this!
I stopped reading Money magazine for a different reason – all the families they profiled as having these big money problems always made over $150k a year. Now, I realize there are some people out there like that, but how about some variety! It got old reading every month how Dick & Jane can't make it on their 6-figure incomes.
I get all my info off the web now – it's cheaper and I don't have a bunch of old magazines sitting around. How green of me!
I cancelled my subscription to Smart Money last year. I never saw the "Smart" in it. It dealt a lot with funds investing (which I don't do) and it featured high end items like articles on Cadillacs, very expensive watches, and overpriced vacations. Some people may find these items as money savers, but I knew this magazine just didn't appeal to me and what I wanted from life.
Nice move you're making with this give-away. I hope you've also forwarded this post to Smart Money!
I agree with your assessment of this magazine … I received a subscription as a gift, but found nothing of interest to me in the issues. Like you said, the magazine's focus seems to be geared towards high income individuals who want to spend and be seen.
My tale of financial frustration deals with DirecTV. The reception of some channels on ONE of our two TVs was severely degraded. Calling "customer service" I learned I'd need to pay a $20 service fee for a repair person to come out. I asked to speak to a supervisor (wanting to ask for a no fee visit), only to be told the fee would be $80!!
I ended the call, and called several days later, and this time was told it would be $35!!!
My husband and I had been throwing around the idea of getting rid of our TV service anyway, and this was the impetus we needed. We cancelled our service and have been saving $69.78 every month since last July!!
Well, I don't want the magazines. But what a creative way to go about things. I hope this has effect.
My latest similar experience was a month trial of audible. I was expecting to cancel before the month was up, but poor tech support and a "stuff you, just pay up" approach made quite sure of it. Also that I won't be trying them again in the next several years.
I used to subscribe to a magazine that one of my professional organizations put out. It was a great magazine but cost about $100 a year so after a while I wanted to drop it. I couldn't find a phone number to call to do it and their web page didn't have a means for canceling it. I did enjoy the magazine so I didn't try beyond that, after two more years the expiration date on the credit card they were charging changed, so I figured I would stop getting it, I still got it for 6-8 months after that before the magazine called me to asked for the new expiration date. I had a very hard time explaining to the caller that I didn't want the magazine but still wanted my membership in the organization. Now, when I subscribe to things that auto renew, I use which ever credit card is going to expire first.
My frustration came when I wanted to purchase a hybrid bike from Target. It was on sale for $199 down from $229 (about a 10% discount). Of course when I got there, they were sold out of them. The impulse shopper in me wanted to take a bike home that day so I spotted a very similar one on the rack. It's price was $249 but not on sale. I asked the manager of the department if they could give me 10% off the bike that was in stock and she said no very quickly and walked away. I thought is was a fair trade but I guess they just did not want my money that day!
To anyone who wins, I recommend subscribing to Portfolio, great magazine with terrific articles.
I have not had a problem with magazines, but have had problems with my newspaper. I chose to let my newspaper subscription lapse, but did they ever stop sending me the newspaper? No! They continued to send the newspaper, that I never read and then tried to charge me an enormous amount for a service I no longer wanted. I tried to cancel the newspaper three times but they never got the hint. Now, finally I get only the Sunday paper at an extremely discounted rate.
I have business and personal accounts with a credit union. If my personal checking account gets too low to clear a check, it automatically pulls from savings. I was told the same applied to my business accounts — until it didn't happen. I double checked and was told they had corrected it.
Then my check to the IRS bounced in January (with about double the amount due in my savings). The IRS tried twice, and the CU never e-mailed or called but mailed notices that I received 9 days after the fact. I know this is common BANK practice, but my CU said it wasn't the case. I waited, but IRS didn't re-present the check. I called the IRS and was told all is fine. I waited some more, with the money now in checking (despite assurances that NOW my accounts are set to transfer). I had to pay $50 in NSF fees to the credit union (though it came from their mistake/misinformation). The IRS finally sent me a form that I had to pay via certified check (can't blame them) — and I owe penalties for the payment now being late. I wrote a letter explaining my reasonable cause of why I should not owe penalties, so we'll see what the verdict is. I'm hoping this won't put me on an audit list!
Re: your frustration, sometimes you can find a way to reach a person via phone at http://www.gethuman.com. I don't see Smart Money on there, but The Wall Street Journal is listed.
I'm interested in the homesteading journals. I was thinking about a subscription to one of them already, so a free one would be awesome.
This just happened yesterday…we recently refinanced with Bank of America (BoA). Our first payment is due on April 1. I went on their website to see how I can pay my mortgage online. After browsing their website for half an hour, I wasn't able to find the way. I decided to call the customer service. This is when the disaster begins. The rep somehow hung up on me the first try (after inputing numerous information like account number, zip code, etc.) The second call, I was transferred to one department, back to same department that tranferred me, transferred back (this time I made the customer service rep walk through with me). She actually sighed audibly couple of times! hahahaha! transferred to two more departments before I got a simple question answered 45 minutes later.
I had a somewhat similar surprise when I got my latest statement from the Chicago Tribune. I pay via automatic payment from my checking account so all I get is a notice of the impending deduction. The latest one added $8 to the subscription price, not only for the upcoming period but for the last one (already paid for), as well. I got on the phone and let the Trib know that I wasn't going to pay a retroactive price increase. After a bit of fiddling with the telephone rep I got the charge removed, and also got a lower weekly delivery rate to boot.
I wonder how many people called to complain? In these times it makes sense to read each and every bill that comes to make sure you're only paying for what you get.
DH is a AAA member. I hadn't renewed it for him last year as early as usual so they gave him a call, or at least he thought it was AAA calling. It was actually a AAA reseller. He renewed AND signed me up, without telling me. I didn't know until the cards arrived in the mail. He was charged more than the regular membership fee for my dues – it was cheaper on the AAA web site. Plus, I already have roadside assistance through my car warranty so I don't need AAA. I called to cancel and spent half and hour arguing with them, they kept telling me there were no refunds. Finally I told them I would dispute it with my credit card company and they relented. But they prorated my refund and kept the amount for the first 15 or so days – those days that I didn't even know I was a AAA member. I should have disputed that amount. I know I will never deal with them again, sheesh.
If I had to pick from the list of your best financial mags I'd pick Consumer Reports (already get Kiplingers,it was a free promotion), and Backwoods Home for a self-sufficient one, as we already get Mother Earth News (luvin' that one). I'd love to have a couple more to page through each month…
I ditched Smart Money after an entire article about how you should TRY to pay off your car in a couple years when you're in your 30s.
This seems like a relatively new phenomenon. I don't remember ever dealing with this before.
Entertainment Weekly just did this to me. I never noticed the "auto renewal" thing they sent me or ignored it. Then they started sending me bills for $45 with late notices and saying the were going to start charging me interest!
I finally called them and they change my account balance to $0. I probably won't subscribe again soon.
Also, I just went with Verizon FIOS. They had a deal where you got HBO/SHO/Etc for free for 1 month (I swore they told me 3 months, but whatever). Instead of just removing your access to those channels after one month, they auto-subscribe you after 30 days and charge you for it!!
Where I live this is called "negative billing" and it is illegal. It became controversial here about 10-15 years ago when cable companies started adding new channels to subscribers' cable line-ups and billed subscribers unless they called to cancel the new channel within 30 days.
It caused a huge uproar and backlash and we now have legislation preventing this practice.
Spot on JD… give'em hell!
My favorite magazine – Sports Illustrated – recent did this crap to me on a gift subscription I gave to my nephew last year.
Fortune ran a similiarly crappy deal… I had subscribed for about 15 years and they started sending me urgent renewal 2nd and 3r notices a full 6 months before my last subscription elapsed.
Nutty behavior and NOT full service.
Thanks for sharing and riling us up as well!
My husband and I recently realized that we spend a crapload on phone, internet, and tv cable that could be greatly reduced if we combined all three. We're in Canada and have two real choices: phone company or cable company.
Because we don't want to deal with changing our email addresses and because we like the cable company better than the phone company we'd like to use the cable company. BUT their bundle for the equivalent is $20 a month more than the phone company.
So we call to have them price match. They run around saying that the service isn't equivalent if we have more than one tv (nope) or don't like the phone company's one year contract (don't mind) or want their local cable channel (nope) or need a service call (I'd better not be paying $20 a month for service calls).
They won't directly match the bundle pricing but then they start saying they can throw in all this stuff for free (digital cable-that I don't want) or more tv channels or faster internet (we're pretty light users so that doesn't appeal either).
I counter-offer that I'll downgrade my package to light speed and basic cable and he can give me a free upgrade to high speed and classic cable (which is what we have now). No dice.
He then or offers me the phone for $15 a month.
At that point, I realize that with the phone at $15 a month our monthly rate will jump to ABOVE their own bundle rate. ARGH.
I said point blank to the guy "I'm a loyal customer who is going to cancel this service if you don't do this and you're telling me you can do nothing for me?"
It's still not resolved. I'm going to get my husband to call today to see if he has better luck and, if not, we'll cancel and go with the phone company. I really didn't want to but for $20 a month we have to.
A few years ago, I signed up for Billpay online at Wachovia.com. I had been a faithful customer of Wachovia for over ten years. The bill pay service was pretty user-friendly, and things were smooth sailing. I got to control when, where, and how the bills were paid. One month after paying my utility bill, out of the blue, I get a returned check from another county's utility company. My local utility, never received payment, even though I had manual entered the correct utility's mailing address. I was slapped with a fine by my utility for late payment, and Wachovia just shrugged their shoulders at the mistake. So long to Wachovia Billpay. I'll pay my bills the old fashioned way.
This is pretty much Standard Operating Procedure in the magazine world. Many years ago I had a similar thing happen with AutoWeek. I would subscribe for a year for $10 or something, and then a year later they'd want me to re-up for $20. After a few years I just began letting the subscription lapse every year and then waiting for the phone calls asking me to resubscribe at a "special rate", which I would do. I'd miss a few issues, but so what.
I never understood the magazine industry's penchant for punishing existing subscribers with higher rates.
By the way, while I appreciate the free magazine offer, I don't have time to read the ones I get now, if you happen to randomly choose my name, feel free to pick someone else instead. Thanks!
I love the outrage. What is outrageous to me is that, most likely, at the corp offices of smart money, people devised this and someone signed off on it. Not so "Smart".
Our firm been charged a fee for over 2 years that wasn't supposed to be charged for one of our pieces of equiment. My boss was on the phone for 2 hours trying to get this straightened out. He was persistant to say the least but he ended up getting the charges reversed and credited to our account, saving the company over $2,000.
I used to get Mother Earth News in the 80′s and 90′s, but now only pick an issue if I happen to think about it.
I've always enjoyed Consumer Reports too and have bought a couple of issues of Shop Smart that were equally good.
Sounds like quite an ordeal….i wonder how much Smart Money has to pay Amazon for the referral?? And how much its costing them vs. if they had just kept you paying $20 every 2 years!
My biggest frustrating with magazines is when they send you the renewal forms even when you are not due for referral…but don't tell you how many months you have already paid for, thereby giving the impression that you need to renew! The one that i've noticed does this the most is "Parents".
However my favorite personal finance magazine is probably Forbes.
I am just SO relieved I am not the only person who finds this stuff incredibly galling and who goes through the trouble of calling around and checking ebay/magazine websites/amazon for cheaper prices. (BTW, magazines.com has good rates usually and if you use Fatwallet you currently get 5% back in a rebate check, sometimes they have 30% rebates.)
I have had this happen with several subscriptions and have always been able to beat the price online then call the company and get them to match the lower price. It's ridiculous they don't offer their repeat subscribers the best deal in the first place–nothing like punishment for being a loyal reader!
Pretty soon all the glossies will be kaput just like our local newspaper the Seattle PI. RIP.
How clever of them…take more of your money to keep you in a state of less money, which makes you want to read their magazine to learn how to keep more of your money. Personally, I'd take a homesteading magazine.


text:
16 U.S. Code Chapter 26 - ESTUARINE AREAS
- § 1221. Congressional declaration of policy
- § 1222. General study and inventory of estuaries and their natural resources
- § 1223. Agreements with States and subdivisions; equitable sharing of costs; development improvements; availability of appropriations; State hunting and fishing laws applicable
- § 1224. Commercial and industrial development considerations; reports to Congress; recommendations
- § 1225. State consideration of protection and restoration of estuaries in State comprehensive planning and proposals for financial assistance under certain Federal laws; grants: terms and conditions, prohibition against disposition of lands without approval of the Secretary
- § 1226. Federal agency authority to carry out Federal project within an estuary unaffected
The table below lists the classification updates, since Jan. 3, 2012, for the contained sections. If there are multiple sections, they are presented in section number order (original document order).
The most recent Classification Table update that we have noticed was Tuesday, August 13, 2013
An empty table indicates that we see no relevant changes listed in the classification tables. If you suspect that our system may be missing something, please double-check with the Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
|Description of Change
|Session Year
|Public Law
|Statutes at Large
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I was curious about what you described as Senator Lindsey Graham's claim that "semi-automatic weapons are essential for personal protection" ("Prospects limited for gun control," Page A1, March 7). Graham, a South Carolina Republican, "used post-Katrina New Orleans as an example, saying, 'If my family was in the crosshairs of gangs roaming around neighborhoods . . . the deterrent effect of an AR-15' is greater than a shotgun."
My initial reaction was to wonder why Graham wouldn't have evacuated his family prior to a Katrina-like disaster, as most citizens of means did. Next, I wondered how many New Orleans families actually did have to protect themselves from roaming gangs.


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Narrow your search
The pixel-dense Dell XPS One 2710 is one of the best Windows-based all-in-ones available and, barring a new iMac, an easy high-end recommendation.
HP tried to capture some high-end Windows 8 excitement for the Spectre One, but it falls short on both features and value.
The high resolution, 27-inch Dell XPS One 2710 is faster than the current high-end iMac, and has the same pixel-dense display.
Much has been touted about cloud computing's effects on the commoditization (and commodification) of IT resources and services. However, what the effects of that process would look like to the end user may not be what you think.
Leases that cut the big upfront cost of solar-panel installation will become commonplace, argues SolarCity CEO. The company is betting on a high-tech, integrated approach to stand out.
Hypervisors for server virtualization are being acquired today in two distinctly different ways.
Can Oracle-Sun be successful in an age of "good enough" hardware? Or will the company pull the ripcord on the hardware business in the near future?
A reader writes in asking if Blu-ray is becoming a commodity, and while CNET doesn't think Blu-ray is there yet, it won't be long until it is.
The Restroom Cultural Park showcases loos from around the world. Drop in to the Mr. Toilet House and, er, unload.


text:
RATHDRUM, Idaho -- Rescue crews in Rathdrum put on a huge mock crash to show teens the realty of DUI accidents.
Idaho State Police Chaplain Anita Kronvall organized the event. She also walked parents to their children's bodies during the fake scene. It was her job to notify them that their children weren't coming home, as part of the exercise.
"It's too hard to watch," said Leanna Horne, a parent. "It doesn't matter that it's fake. It just hurts. I pray to God I never have to live this for real and this is all to help these kids understand."
"Its your worst nightmare. It's something you never want to do," said Liz St. Mark, another parent.
Chaplain Kronvall's daughter was killed by a driver high on drugs in 2002.
"I have a button with my daughter's picture. It's the last picture I have of her," Chaplain Kronvall said. "My mission is to save a life when I can. It's a good thing to make them wake and see what can happen. It can happen to anybody."


text:
White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup
Warm snowless winters don't make me crave the hearty soup staples of a Wisconsin winter any less. And this dish fits the bill. Fresh sage and thyme are the only way to go, since they provide such crucial bursts of flavor. Pureed white beans provide a thick, hearty base, and roasted mushrooms give a sweet, fleshy thank you for going through the trouble of making a soup from scratch and not just popping open a can of Campbell's.
This soup begs to be served with piece of crusty sourdough bread.
And like many soups of the hot and hearty variety, this is much better the 2nd and 3rd day.
White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup (from She Wears Many Hats)
-16 oz. mushrooms, halved or quartered
-2 large sweet onions, quartered
-3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
-1-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
-1 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
-8-10 fresh sage leaves
-8-10 stems + 1 tablespoon leaves fresh thyme, divided
-48 oz. chicken broth (vegetable broth can be substituted for a vegetarian version)
-3 15 oz. cans white beans, not drained (I prefer cannellini beans)
-Additional salt and pepper for seasoning
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss mushrooms, garlic and onion in olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. (You may want to keep mushrooms separate on baking sheet for roasting, because you'll have to separate later. So, separate now, or later.) Spread on baking sheet. Add sage leaves and stems of thyme. Roast in 450° F oven for 10 minutes, toss and roast for additional 15 minutes.
3. While vegetables are roasting, add broth, beans, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves to a large stock pot over medium heat and simmer.
4. When vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly. Separate mushrooms from other roasted vegetables (if not already separated).
5. Retrieve 2 cups of the white beans, and 1 cup of broth from the stock pot, add to a blender along with the roasted onions, garlic and herbs. Cover and blend until smooth.
6. Add pureed bean mixture back to stock pot, whisking in until smooth. Add roasted mushrooms to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Warm over low heat until ready to serve.
-6-8 hearty servings
6 comments:
- Pistachio and Rose said...
That soup looks great, just what we need here in the UK with all the snow!
- February 20, 2012 at 12:17 PM
- Kirby said...
wow this is tempting me to give it a try.
i will make it tomorrow for sure :)
thanks for sharing.
- February 20, 2012 at 8:15 PM
- Silvia @ Maidscream said...
oh mushroom. i really hate it but my husband love it. Now i wonder now what your mushroom taste like. just waiting for my hubby to off from his work.
looking forward for the next post dear. thank you.
- February 23, 2012 at 1:22 AM
- Mary said...
Heather, this sounds like a fabulous combination and the soup looks delicious.I'm new to your blog, so I took sometime to browse through your earlierentries. I'm so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
- March 11, 2012 at 8:04 AM
- Quinn B said...
I want some of this right now! I might just have to make it tomorrow for supper. I wish my brother liked mushrooms. Thank you for this recipe!
- April 11, 2012 at 7:21 PM
- Lori said...
That looks so freaking good. I ave to make this. It has been way too long since I visited your site. Your pictures are incredible and I am loving everything you are making. It all looks so good.
- September 3, 2012 at 5:57 PM


text:
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Expand your search by removing criteria below:
Pediatrics Daly City (Southgate) Pediatrics Portuguese
Pediatrics Daly City (Southgate) Pediatrics Portuguese
Doctors 1 - 1 of 1
Rachel L. Malina, M.D.Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Daly City (Southgate) Pediatrics
1500 Southgate #104
Daly City, CA 94015
(650) 992-4200
Location(s): Daly City (Southgate) Pediatricswww.pamf.org/dr-rachel-l-malina.html
Accepting new patients
Offers My Health Online This provider offers Sutter Health's electronic health record with the following online services: Email your doctor's office, Prescription refills, View test results, Proxy access for caregivers, Track immunizations, Secure mobile access, Schedule an appointment*, Pay bills online*. * Services with an asterisk vary by doctor.
Doctors 1 - 1 of 1


text:
Looking for photos?
If you saw me taking pictures at an event, the photos I took will show up here. It does take me a while to process the photos I take. Besides going in and deleting the ones that are obviously out of focus or blurry and culling the weak shots, I also try to straighten, crop, and tweak the photos that make the cut before putting them online.
Over on the right column are direct links to my various photo albums. Almost all the photos can be linked to Facebook, Twitter, etc for free and are also available as prints or can be downloaded for a buck or two.


text:
eBay also did very well in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
from InternetNews.com:
We'll we haven't gone as far as Phil Wolf is thinking but eBay is finally embracing RSS. Yeh!
Scoble writes:
Knarf.ca is a weblog for eBay sellers. Thier tagline is "Helping you auction more effectivelly."
They have advice on photos, shipping, image hosting, Paypal, a nice review of Selling Manager Pro:
"So How do I like Selling Manager? One of the tools available from eBay. I thought that it was a good tool to simplify the selling process. Was it the best tool for the job? That is yet to be determined. Here is what selling Manager does:
Goatsilk, an art studio in Montana, is presenting and selling a show on eBay:
"The e-bay show uses artwork purchased on the internet to reveal the internet itself as a work of art. No other technology has comparable power to change the way we live or is so widely used as the internet, which is very young. The e-bay show introduces new possibilities for the dissemination of art and thus captures the infinite number of developments and effects that the internet might bring. For technology always signals a portent of the future. It [eBay] effects our psyche like an effective art. What interests and troubles us is the tendency for people, artists in particular, to judge technology as depersonalizing or destructive while at the same time remaining committed to art."
"Goatsilk is an artist run exhibition space existing in a 1000 square foot garage which was once a used for storing semi-trucks in the winter months. Our name, Goatsilk, comes from an experimental material currently being produced in Canada, where scientists have fused spider genes with the goat genome to raise female goats that produce spider silk in the milk from their udders. We feel that this practical yet bizarre implementation--and its sense of possibility-parallels the dynamisms in the art we strive for. As the only art space of its kind in Montana, Goatsilk is devoted to providing a unique forum for ideas, art, and action."
I just discovered another eBay blogger, Jeffrey McManus.
Here's his bio from the O'Reilly Open Source Conference:
Jeff was also at the recent O'Reilly Foo Camp.
"Right now, there is a huge glut of dolls for sale on eBay. With eBay in operation for well over five years, more and more sellers have joined eBay to run auctions. This means that even wonderful dolls can be overlooked by buyers, and that sellers have to work extra-hard to get their product noticed and have it sell for top-dollar." [Denise Van Patten of About.com]
ComputerWorld: "The U.S. Postal Service and eBay are offering online access to postal products, services and shipping tools to make it easier to sell goods at the auction site."
There's an interesting discussion about why "Tivo hasn't tipped" at customerevangelists.com.
Has anyone read their book? It looks interesting. I like the fact that they sell a signed unabridged version on CD read by the authors.
CNET News.com: "A writer who's typing a bibliography in a Word document, for example, could click on the name of a book to get catalog information or cover art from Amazon.
Microsoft is making a major effort to encourage partners to build online services that exploit the new Office's XML capabilities, as service providers see Office as a familiar interface that will encourage greater consumption of Web services. Early backers include Factiva, a Dow Jones-owned online research service, and online payment services from eBay's PayPal. "


text:
Category: Environmental Management ×
Subcategory: Environmental Management ×
Keyword: management software ×
Location: Africa ×
Location: Somalia ×
Rivo Software Ltd.
Rivo Software is a world leading enterprise safety, security and sustainability platform. We unlock value by providing technology for managing safety, security and sustainability, resulting in increased efficiency, performance and protection of people, assets and reputations. We use our expertise to continually evolve our technology platform maintaining superior quality ...
BREEZE Software and Data / Trinity Consultants
BREEZE® modeling software predicts the impact of air emissions, fires, and explosions. Air dispersion models such as AERMOD/ISC and CALPUFF include many productivity-enhancing features such as fully integrated GIS capabilities. BREEZE Incident Analyst and LFG Fire/Risk products are used to analyze numerous accident scenarios including dense/jet gas releases, LNG ruptures, ...
Lakes Environmental Software
Lakes Environmental is a world leader in the air dispersion modeling and emissions inventory field, committed to supplying robust and easy-to-use software solutions. Lakes Environmental software products can increase productivity, reduce errors, and provide unique solutions to the challenges you face.
Accupoint Software
Accupoint Software is a global provider of innovative API compliance management solutions. Our comprehensive solutions help oil and gas manufacturing concerns not only maintain their API compliance programs, but transform their disconnected compliance information into knowledge that impacts the bottom line.Founded by a group of operations and IT professionals, Accupoint ...
Since its foundation in 1901 as the Engineering Standards Committee, BSI Group has grown into a leading global independent business services organization providing standard-based solutions in more than 140 countries. BSI Group: develops private, national and international standards. certifies management systems and products. provides testing and certification of products ...
IHS Global Inc.
IHS is the leading source of information and insight in critical areas that shape today's business landscape – including environmental, health, safety and sustainability (EHS&S). Businesses and governments worldwide rely on IHS software, content and expertise to manage a broad spectrum of critical EHS business challenges, including operational risk, product stewardship, ...
eConserve Software
Founded in 2012, eConserve Software has maintained a pattern of financial stability, solid growth and product innovation throughout its history, A customer-centric business model helps ensure relevancy and value as our products and services evolve to meet changing business needs.We strongly believe that it is the quality of our Products and Services, which has build the ...
Metrix Software Solutions (Pty) Ltd
Metrix Software Solutions (Pty) Ltd is a focused risk solutions provider and offers IsoMetrix as its premium risk management software application. Metrix is a South African owned enterprise that has worked with a wide range of customers and clients, from large corporations to smaller businesses. We are widely recognised as a leading provider of risk management ...
Esdat Environmental Data Software
ESdat is a specialist environmental database system; used to validate, import, analyse and report your data. View your data on Exceedance Tables, Trend Graphs, Maps; as statistics and more.
PROGIS Software GmbH
PROGIS Software GmbH is a GIS-software developing expert, dedicated to the developments of applications for the rural area-sector. Based on the core-product WinGIS, a Windows based object oriented, hybrid GIS, PROGIS is offering a wide range of applications for agriculture, forestry, ecology and rural area management. Included are tools for logistics, community ...


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If you are not redirected within five seconds, you may follow this link to be redirected now.
You can also return to the SIGTARP site.
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SIGTARP site.
Senior Staff
Members of the Senior Management Team
Peggy Ellen, Deputy Special Inspector General
Peggy Ellen is Deputy Special Inspector General at SIGTARP. Ms. Ellen has more than 25 years of experience as a prosecuting attorney and joined SIGTARP from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). At the SEC, she held positions in several sections including as an attorney in the Division of Enforcement, Special Counsel to the Director for Collections and Distributions, and as a senior attorney advisor in the Office of the Executive Director. Prior to her eight years at the SEC, Ms. Ellen was Chief of the Economic Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and was earlier Deputy Chief of the Grand Jury Section of the Superior Court Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office. She began her career as an attorney with the Federal Energy Administration.
Ms. Ellen graduated cum laude from Barnard College, holds a J.D. with honors from the George Washington University Law Center, and is a member of the D.C. Bar.
Brian Sano, Senior Policy Advisor
Brian Sano is Senior Policy Advisor to the Special Inspector General at SIGTARP. Mr. Sano joined SIGTARP from the law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP where he worked within the firm's Securities Litigation and Enforcement, Financial Institutions, and Investigations and Criminal Litigation groups. Prior to WilmerHale, Mr. Sano was Senior Counsel within the Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Enforcement and investigated cases central to the financial crisis and various violations of the U.S. securities laws including accounting fraud and insider trading. During that time, he also served as a special assistant U.S. attorney within the Business and Securities Fraud Unit of the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Earlier in his career, he served within the Litigation Bureau of the New York State Office of Attorney General.
Mr. Sano is a graduate of Hamilton College, holds a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law, and is licensed to practice law in New York and Washington, D.C.
Cathy Alix, Deputy SIG - Operations
Cathy D. Alix is SIGTARP's Deputy Special Inspector General for Operations. Prior to joining SIGTARP, Ms. Alix served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Management. Ms. Alix brings more than 30 years of management experience to SIGTARP. Her public service experience has included both federal and state-level positions, including two years of service at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for management and administration. Her private sector experience has concentrated in communications and included positions at Icon Solutions Inc., Fleishman-Hillard, Shandwick Public Affairs, and several broadcasting companies.
Ms. Alix attended Braxton Business College in Richmond, Virginia.
Scott Rebein, Deputy SIG - Investigations
Scott F. Rebein is Deputy Special Inspector General and head of the Investigations division at SIGTARP. Mr. Rebein has more than 25 years of experience as a federal special agent and joined SIGTARP from the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), where he was Director of Special Investigative Techniques. In that role, he oversaw all covert operations conducted by IRS-CI nationwide.
Mr. Rebein began his federal law enforcement career in 1987 as a special agent with IRS-CI and spent time in both the Richmond, Virginia, and Los Angeles field offices. He later served as a supervisory special agent in the IRS-CI Louisville Field Office and as an analyst at IRS-CI headquarters in Washington, D.C. He rose to senior leadership with IRS-CI in 2001 as Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Miami Field Office and then as Special Agent in Charge in the Indianapolis Field Office.
Mr. Rebein earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
Mia Levine, Deputy SIG - Reporting
Mia Levine is SIGTARP's Deputy Special Inspector General for Reporting and previously served as Chief of Staff from 2011 to 2012. Ms. Levine joined SIGTARP from the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division where she served for 14 years with the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. She worked first as a line prosecutor and was most recently an assistant chief of the section's litigation unit. Ms. Levine prosecuted several noteworthy cases, including prosecutions of financial institutions and individuals who violated money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act statutes. In 2009, Ms. Levine led the prosecution of Lloyds TSB Bank for violations of U.S. sanctions laws, resulting in a deferred prosecution agreement with the bank and a forfeiture of $350 million. Ms. Levine also supervised several other notable prosecutions of financial institutions, including Barclays Bank, Credit Suisse AG, and the former ABN AMRO Bank for violations of U.S. sanctions laws and Union Bank of California and American Express Bank International for violations of Bank Secrecy Act statutes. Prior to the Department of Justice, Ms. Levine worked for three years in private practice at the law firm of Zuckerman, Spaeder, Goldstein, Taylor & Better in Baltimore.
Ms. Levine received a Bachelor of Arts from the Johns Hopkins University and holds a J.D. from Tulane University Law School.
Roderick Fillinger, General Counsel and Deputy SIG - Legal and External Affairs
Roderick H. Fillinger is General Counsel and Deputy Special Inspector General for Legal and External Affairs at SIGTARP. Prior to SIGTARP, Mr. Fillinger served as Chief Counsel to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). Before joining TIGTA in 2000, Mr. Fillinger worked for the Internal Revenue Service's Office of Chief Counsel in Atlanta and in Cincinnati, providing legal support to the IRS related to federal employment law, government contracting, ethics, criminal tax, and other matters. He also litigated on behalf of the IRS in the United States Tax Court and served as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Ohio.
Mr. Fillinger holds a J.D. from Northern Kentucky University and a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati.
Joseph Cwiklinski, Director of Legislative Affairs
Joseph Cwiklinski is Director of Legislative Affairs for SIGTARP. Prior to SIGTARP, Mr. Cwiklinski was a policy advisor for the Congressional Oversight Panel (COP), a bipartisan committee created by Congress to review the current state of the financial markets and regulatory system as well as the government's response to the financial crisis. Before COP, he was Deputy Legislative Director for Senator Chuck Hagel and a subcommittee staff director for the senator. Mr. Cwiklinski began his career as a professional staff member for the U.S. Joint Economic Committee and later served as an economist for the Senate Banking Committee and a legislative assistant for Senator Lamar Alexander.
Mr. Cwiklinski holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Illinois.
Troy D. Gravitt, Director of Communications
Troy D. Gravitt is Director of Communications for SIGTARP. A veteran of the Washington public affairs community, Mr. Gravitt has held various roles within the federal government, on Capitol Hill, and in private industry. He was most recently Director of Media Relations and corporate spokesman for FBR Capital Markets, an Arlington, Virginia-based investment bank and brokerage. He has advised various federal agencies and multinationals on communications strategy and crisis communications.
Mr. Gravitt earned undergraduate degrees in political science and sociology from Virginia Tech and a graduate degree in public administration, also from Virginia Tech. He holds a master's in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Members of the Senior Staff
Michael J. Rivera, Chief Investigative Counsel
Michael J. Rivera joined SIGTARP in August 2010 and is Chief Investigative Counsel in SIGTARP's Investigations division. As Chief Investigative Counsel, Mr. Rivera leads a team of highly experienced white-collar lawyers engaged in conducting criminal and civil investigations into complex banking, securities, mortgage, and other frauds involving the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Mr. Rivera and his team work closely with SIGTARP's law enforcement agents and numerous other federal, state, and local agencies to assist prosecutors and regulators in investigating and prosecuting crimes involving TARP. Mr. Rivera joined SIGTARP after practicing law with the firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP for more than 17 years. Mr. Rivera was a member of the Securities Enforcement and Regulation practice group at Fried Frank and has extensive experience handling regulatory, compliance, and enforcement matters for companies and individuals involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and various stock exchanges. From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Rivera worked as a staff attorney in the Enforcement Division of the SEC in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Rivera received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and graduated magna cum laude from St. John's University. He is admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia and in New York.
Bruce Gimbel, Assistant Deputy SIG - Audit (Acting)
Deborah Mathis, Associate Deputy SIG - Chief Financial Officer
Deborah A. Mathis is Associate Deputy Special Inspector General and SIGTARP's Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining SIGTARP, Ms. Mathis worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and served for five years as the Financial Effectiveness Officer for the Coordinating Center for Infectious Disease. Over the course of her 20-year career at the CDC, she also served as Budget Officer and Associate Director for Management and Operations. She was also a nine-year member of the CDC Federal Credit Union's board of directors.
Ms. Mathis holds an undergraduate degree in public health from James Madison University and a graduate degree in human resource management from Pepperdine University.
Lynn Perkoski, Associate Deputy SIG - Special Programs, Operations
Lynn Perkoski is Associate Deputy Special Inspector General for Special Programs within SIGTARP's Operations division. Ms. Perkoski has 35 years of federal experience with enterprise-wide knowledge, cross-functional disciplines, and collaborative experience in information technology, employee relations, EEO, customer service, marketing, strategic planning, Section 508 compliance, policy, and employee training. Ms. Perkoski joined SIGTARP from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) where she served as a policy advisor and senior technical advisor to the CIO, deputy CIO, associate CIOs, and other senior department officials, ensuring regulatory compliance with all applicable statutory and federal requirements. Prior to DOT, she was a manager with the U.S. Postal Service.
Ms. Perkoski double-majored in sociology and political science at George Washington University, where she graduated with high honors. She holds a master's degree with high honors in information sciences from Johns Hopkins University.
Sally Ruble, Associate Deputy SIG - Human Resources
Sally Ruble is SIGTARP's Associate Deputy Special Inspector General for Human Resources. She joined SIGTARP from the U.S. Department of Transportation where she worked in the Human Resources Office for the Office of the Secretary for 20 years. Prior to the Department of Transportation, Ms. Ruble worked in human resources for the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Justice for 18 years.
Ms. Ruble holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Sangeeta Saraf, Associate Deputy SIG - Chief Information Officer
Sangeeta Saraf is Associate Deputy Special Inspector General and SIGTARP's Chief Information Officer. Ms. Saraf oversees all of the agency's mission critical information technology needs. She joined SIGTARP in 2009 and has more than 20 years of IT experience. Prior to joining SIGTARP, Ms. Saraf served as an IT consultant for clients throughout the federal government and was a manager for mission critical support systems at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Prior to her federal service, Ms. Saraf cultivated an independent IT consulting business serving both federal and industry clients and was a subject matter expert for capital expenditure planning and tracking systems.
Ms. Saraf holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from Jadavpur University, India; a Master of Science from the University of Virginia; and completed all coursework toward a Ph.D. in environmental science and public policy at George Mason University. She also holds an associate's degree in information technology from Strayer University.
Maryann Haggerty, Managing Editor
Maryann Haggerty is SIGTARP's Managing Editor and is in charge of developing SIGTARP's Quarterly Report to Congress. She is a former financial journalist who spent most of her career with The Washington Post, including nearly a decade as the newspaper's Real Estate Editor. Prior to joining SIGTARP, she was Managing Director for the federal Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which investigated the causes of the 2008 financial crisis.
Ms. Haggerty earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
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Overnight Lodging Convenient to Children's Medical Center
These nearby hotels and motels offer Children's Medical Center medical discount rates. Please notify hotel staff at check-in that you have a child hospitalized at Children's and are requesting the Children's Hospital / Children's Medical Center, Patient-Family Medical Rate. The information listed was current when printed, but cannot be guaranteed. Please verify information with individual hotels. To view this information, open the following list in PDF format. You can also save and/or print this list for later use.
Overnight Lodging — Children's at Dallas
Overnight Lodging List — Children's at Legacy
Overnight Accommodations
Hotels close to Children's offer discounted rates to patient families. Families or physician office staff members may call 214-456-2300 for assistance with overnight lodging. A list of discounted hotels is available through a toll-free lodging line by calling 800-955-ROOM.
Ronald McDonald House of Dallas
Home-away-from-home overnight accommodations, including three meals a day and transportation to and from the hospital, is provided by Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. This is a warm, supportive environment where families with a hospitalized child can remain together and draw strength and comfort from others in similar situations. Children must be 18 years old or younger and be receiving treatment at Children's. The family must live more than 40 miles from Children's. Initial referral must be made through the social work department at Children's, 214-456-2300. After the family has had an initial referral and visit, they can make their own arrangements. Families may be placed on a waiting list and prior contact does not guarantee reservations.


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Search Result
Search Tags: paula wolfson
Study finds migraine sufferers are stigmatized
Those who experience migraines have to deal with a lot more than pain. It turns out many migraine sufferers ache in silence, due to the stigma attached to the headaches.
Tags: migraine, migraines, Paula Wolfson, Headaches, stigma, Dr. Simon Fishman, Integrated Neurology Services in Northern Virginia
When should you take exercise inside?
Through the heat and the haze of the Washington region, you can spot some hardcore fitness fanatics running, walking, cycling or playing golf or tennis outside. But there comes a time when it's best to take physical activity inside.
Tags: heat, exercise, heat index, Paula Wolfson, City Fitness Gym
Many area African-Americans seek 'a healing place'
The not-guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial touched a raw nerve for many in the African-American community. The morning after the acquittal, they sought solace at church.
Tags: Trayvon Martin, Hillcrest Heights, Paula Wolfson, Community of Hope, churchListen
MedSTAR Transport: Saving lives in Washington area for 30 years
Thirty years ago, the helicopters in the small MedSTAR Transport fleet would land near accident scenes, stabilize the victims and then get them to a trauma care center. Today, a MedSTAR helicopter patient is more likely to be someone who is in critical condition at a small community hospital and in dire need of life-saving, specialized care.
Tags: MedSTAR 1, MedSTAR Transport, medevac, trauma, Paula Wolfson, Natalie Tomlin, helicopterListen
Summer heat can be dangerous to breathe
The summer weather is uncomfortable for most people in the Washington area, but for those with asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions, the season can be downright dangerous.
Tags: air pollution, summer, respiratory illness, Paula Wolfson, air, health
Heat, anti-inflammatory drugs are dangerous mix
Combining over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs with hot-weather exercise or alcoholic beverages can have serious implications for your kidneys.
Tags: anti-inflammatory drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, NSAID, Dr. Stuart Seides, Paula Wolfson
National Mall's Fourth of July alcohol ban a boon for holiday safety
The National Mall's Fourth of July alcohol ban is helping keep the local emergency rooms less hectic on the holiday.
Tags: Paula Wolfson, alcohol, National Mall, Fourth of July, fireworks, Dr. Robert Shesser, George Washington University Hospital, US Consumer Product Safety Commission
Protect against food poisoning at your next cookout
Food is a central component to many Fourth of July celebrations. And cooking and eating outside in the sunny summer weather is a popular way to enjoy the holiday. But this can mean trouble. Food that sits in the heat too long can be a breeding ground for the bacteria that causes food poisoning.
Tags: cookout, Grilling, july 4th, Paula Wolfson, food, sick, food poisoning, Fourth of July, diarrhea
Study: Avatars encourage women to lose weight
Researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services say a computer-generated figure - or avatar - can serve as an alter ego for dieters, enabling them to gain the skills necessary to drop pounds.
Tags: weight loss, george washington university, Melissa Napolitano, Journal of Diabetes and Science and Technology, Paula Wolfson, dieting, avatar
Taking too many NSAIDs could cause heart trouble
To many people, they are wonder drugs, but a class of common painkillers can do real damage when used to excess.
Tags: Paula Wolfson, ibuprofen, painkiller, medicine, Washington Hospital Center, Stuart Seides
Hi: 75 °F | Lo: 57 °F


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The body of a missing Yeadon Borough woman was found last week, police said Monday.
The body was found Tuesday partially submerged in a creek. Coroners have not yet made a cause of death ruling.
Fannie Gayee, 26, went missing from her home in Yeadon Borough, Delaware County on Nov. 3. Fannie had a bipolar disorder and was taking medication. She leaves behind a 2-year-old son.


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John Block has dedicated his professional career to the fields of agriculture, food and health.
I was down on the farm in Illinois last week. What a relief to escape the political wars in Washington, D.C.! Just to look at those fields of rich black soil just waiting to be planted. I can't remember when it was more exciting to anticipate a big corn and soybean crop. The markets are volatile but the market is calling for us to grow a big crop. That's what we want to do.


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February 11, 2013, 11:11 AM — Mobile commerce has tons of potential, but like so many high-upside technology trends (smartphones, tablets, cloud computing, social media), paradigms don't change on overnight.
Today, the mcommerce success story is Asia. In many Asian countries, people have skipped right over the PC era to the smartphone and tablet one. Thus, any sort of e-commerce in Asia is by definition mcommerce.
Even in Asia, though, mcommerce success looks more like what we're all used to than anything revolutionary. Mainly, you can order things out of vending machines from your smartphone, or you can shop from your phone or tablet instead of from your PC.
Research by Neilson commissioned by PayPal found that both Singapore and Hong Kong are experiencing spikes in mcommerce, but when you drill into the details, mcommerce in Asia looks a heck of a lot like ecommerce in the U.S.
Which points to one of the reasons mcommerce is failing to deliver on its lofty promise: mcommerce is tracking too closely to its ecommerce ancestors.
"When retailers built their ecommerce sites, they did so without talking to customers," says Eric Feinberg, senior director, Mobile, Media and Entertainment for ForeSee, a marketing analytics firm. "As a result, mobile wasn't a factor when they built those sites out, which was a big mistake."
According to Feinberg, only a small percentage of ecommerce sites--or any Websites at all for that matter --are optimized for mobile. As a result, when consumers visit a site and find it to be, say, a Flash-heavy pig, they'll bail before the page is even finished loading.
"Transactions over mobile can take longer than over broadband Internet," says Dave Berg, Senior Director of Product Management for Shunra Software, an application performance monitoring company. "Slow or under-performing apps, even if they do not slow the entire system down, will result in reduced sales and unhappy customers."
According to Berg, a performance delay of 250 milliseconds is perceptible to a consumer and a delay of less than half a second will cause a consumer to select one mcommerce site over another. After three seconds, 40% of users will abandon a mobile site if it has not loaded. After 10 seconds, 60% of mobile users will not only abandon that site or app, but also never return to it again.
"One bad performance experience and the mobile user has left your business for the competition," Berg says.
Mobile POS Systems Provide a Bridge


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By Christian Blauvelt, Hollywood.com Staff
Fans of HBO's Girls, today's your lucky day. That's because you're likely about to get not one but two further seasons of young, money-challenged twentysomethings struggling to survive in New York. According to Judd Apatow in an interview with DP/30, a third season of the Lena Dunham comedy, for which Apatow serves as an executive producer, is about to go into production. HBO hasn't officially confirmed the news but a rep at the pay cable network tells Hollywood.com in a statement, ""We're looking forward to the launch of season two and hope to have good news shortly thereafter.""
The move would be unprecedented for HBO because they almost always greenlight an additional season of a series after the current season has already premiered. (See: Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire.) Girls' second season doesn't even bow until January 13. But it seems the network was heartened by the intense media attention given to the show earlier this year and also by the five Emmy nominations it received in July.
Excited by the news?
[Photo Credit: Jojo Whilden/HBO]
HBO Renews 'Girls' and 'Veep' for Second Seasons
Emmys 2012: How Did 'Girls' Win Nothing?
TV Network Swap: What if 'Girls' Were on Fox?
From Our Partners:'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' Star Kristen Stewart on 'Twilight' Finale: I'm 'Desperate' For a Job Now (VIDEO)
'The Voice' Top 12 Performance Show: 8 Things You Didn't See On TV


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from PinoyStitch
PDF Digital Download
Have you made this pattern?
Share with the Craftsy community.
Mini Cross Stitch Pattern: Vintage King of Spades Playing Card
Design Source: Antique Playing Cards
DMC Floss Colors: 14
Stitch Count:95x144
Approximate Finished Size on Recommended Fabric:*
14count =7wx10hInches
16count =6wx9hInches
18count =5wx8hInches
22count =4wx7hInches
*Patterns are in black and white symbols. Sizes do not include margins. Ideally you should add 3" on all sides. Uses full stitches, and backstitches for accents.
Pinoy Stitch is an offspring of my two loves--Art and Cross Stitch. As a young child, my mother was a great influence in teaching me all kinds of handicraft. She taught me that the greatest gift you can give another is something that you have made by hand.
So this is my love of cross stitching and art! Enjoy stitching everyone!


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Scientist – Method Development (1403446)
July 2, 2014
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.
One shared journey is moving us forward at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Around the world, we are passionate about making an impact on the lives of patients with serious disease. Empowered to apply our individual talents and ideas so that we can learn and grow together. And driven to make a difference, from innovative research to hands-on community support. Bristol-Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced plans for an expansion of its large-scale biologics manufacturing facility in Devens, Massachusetts. The expansion will create a mammalian cell biologics center of excellence through the introduction of biologics development and clinical trial manufacturing capabilities to the site. Both represent new capabilities for Devens, a site that in its early years has focused solely on large-scale, bulk biologics manufacturing.
The ideal candidate will execute assay development activities within Analytical development and Testing network laboratories. The ideal candidate will develop fit for purpose analytics for Novel Biologics candidates for LC and CE based analytical platforms. The candidate will be involved in a continuous improvement of all analytical development activities. The candidate will help establish data trending and assay maintenance programs. The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills, is a team player, and have in-depth and broad experience in Bioanalytical techniques as they apply to Biologics Product Quality and related process impurities. The role will provide Analytical Development support multiple mid and late phase molecules within Analytical Development and Testing organization. The candidate will work closely with PDA team members.
- Plan and execute analytical development activities for DS and DP
- Develop, evaluate, qualify and transfer Bio-analytical techniques for monoclonal antibodies and recombinant Proteins to support late phase drug development activities
- Write SOPs, transfer reports, assay evaluation/development and qualification reports
- Contributes selected analytical section in IND and BLA filings
- Assist in the establishment of Analytical Development labs in Hopkinton and Devens
- Represent Analytical Development within Process Development project team and inter-functional teams
This newly formed role will initially be located in Hopkinton, MA, which will transition to the New Biologics development site in Devens, MA towards the end of 2015.
- PhD in Analytical biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Biotechnology, Protein Chemistry, Automation and Analytics
- 3 to 5 years experience in Analytical Development or Process Analytics environment
- Experience in HPLC/UPLC with multiple modes of separation (RP, IX, SEC, HIC) and detection including UV, FL, MS, MALLS, RI and CAD
- Experience in Capillary Electrophoresis (PA800plus, iCE-IEF, Caliper and traditional gel techniques)
- Experience with 1D and 2D western blot and immunoassays is highly desirable
To apply click here:


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Members of the House of Representatives will vote this week on Rep. Justin Amash's amendment to defund the National Security Agency. Amash, R-Mich., announced the news on his Facebook page, writing, "I want to thank Speaker Boehner for working diligently toward resolving significant concerns over the amendment process with respect to NSA."
Amash's amendment would defund NSA programs that collected data and records from individuals who were not under official investigation. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court would be required to provide a statement confirming that the data being collected by the NSA is from a person under investigation.
Concerns surrounding the amendment process were resolved late Monday when the House Rules Committee voted to allow NSA amendments to the Department of Defense appropriations bill.
Previously, the Rules Committee had planned to limit the number of amendments to be included in the bill to avoid controversial amendments like Amash's and amendments regarding Syria and Egypt.


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Leveraging the simple, yet powerful concept of maximizing the percent of your calories from whole plant foods — still in nature's package
Taking charge of our health for most people is a simple matter of eating a superior, health-promoting diet for the rest of their lives. 4Leaf for Life was designed as a simple tool to help people focus on maximizing their consumption of the healthiest of foods — whole plants still in nature's package.
- Printer-friendly 4Leaf Chart PDF
- One-page 4Leaf Survey PDF
This 4Leaf website. Launched in June of 2012, this site is dedicated to the 4Leaf brand and all of the tools, recipes and guidelines involved. Here is a preview of what you will find at the page tabs just below the banner above:
- 4Leaf 101. This page is dedicated to the definition of 4Leaf for Life. It features several pages and links to many blogs on this topic.
- Consulting. We're now offering cost of healthcare reduction programs for any size organization. Quite simply, we lower costs by promoting health.
- Potluck Parties. Learn how to launch a 4Leaf Potluck Supper Club in your area; a great "support system" for newcomers to the concept.
- Recipes. From Lisa's 4Leaf kitchen, this page features ALL of the recipes that have been posted to date—with the most recent listed first.
- Take Survey. This 2-minute self-scoring survey will provide a fairly accurate estimate of the percent of your daily calories that are derived from whole plants. Optimal would be 100%; our 4Leaf level begins a 80%.
- The Blog. This page will eventually contain all of the blogs involving 4Leaf.
Primary Blog Site. We encourage you to visit my blog website at www.hpjmh.com, where you can learn all about "the big picture" regarding our food choices and the incredible impact they have on our world, beginning with our health.
Vegan or vegetarian? A truly healthy diet is all about what you ARE eating — not what you're avoiding. And while we don't recommend the consumption of any animal products, this program is not necessarily vegetarian or vegan. After all, you could eat nothing but potato chips and Diet Coke and call yourself a vegetarian — but that would definitely not be a healthy diet.
As Dr. Joel Fuhrman has said many times, " You must get the majority of calories from unrefined plant food for optimal health." He adds…"Following a strict vegetarian diet is not as important as eating a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables." So that's the "positive" advice we want to build on in this program — focusing purely on maximizing the percent of your calories from the healthiest foods — and not worrying about having an occasional piece of fish or cheese. Want to estimate where you now stand on our 4Leaf scale?
Take our 2-minute 4Leaf Survey to find out
Using 4Leaf Survey results to improve your diet & health
Introducing our 5-part series on 4Leaf eating. So, to get started with 4Leaf eating, cruise through the following 5-part series (2 minutes each) and you'll have a pretty good idea how this program works.
- 4Leaf eating, Part 1–Intro & Chart
- 4Leaf eating, Part 2–Current diet
- 4Leaf eating, Part 3–Fat & sodium
- 4Leaf eating, Part 4–Shopping
- 4Leaf eating, Part 5–Outside the home
4Leaf for Life is just a simple tool to help you promote vibrant health, protect yourself against chronic disease and very likely prevent you from ever having to spend a single day in the old nursing home.
Introducing the 4 leaves of health. Recognizing that the achievement of vibrant health includes more than just your choice of food, on 11-7-11, we included the other three major drivers of our health:
- Leaf #1 — Diet (Eating at the 4Leaf level every day)
- Leaf #2 — Exercise (Preferably outside doing something you love every day)
- Leaf #3 — Rest (Give your body the 7 or 8 hours sleep that it needs)
- Leaf #4 — Purpose (Find the passion in your life)
Most Recent 4Leaf Blog Posts in Chronological order
- Effortless weight-loss — on the "4Leaf" road to vibrant health (posted 11-08-11)
- 4Leaf Thanksgiving; "Harmony hike" + healthy feast-to-remember (posted 11-28-11)
- 4Leaf — a simple, flexible and powerful path to vibrant health (posted 12-21-11)
- In the quest for "vibrant health," weight-loss is just a bonus. (posted 12-27-11)
- Getting started on the 4Leaf path to vibrant health…(posted 12-30-11)
- 4Leaf Mentality — Subconscious awareness of the optimal (posted 1-6-12)
- Widespread 4Leaf Transition. It's going to take some time. (posted 1-7-12)
- Massachusetts 4Leaf Challenge — Update on Day 7 (posted 1-10-12)
- 5Leaf for lunch, 4Leaf for the road and 4Leaf with friends. (posted 1-18-12)
- 4Leaf Health Improvement Programs…lowering costs & more. (posted 1-30-12)
- World's first 4Leaf Potluck Dinner Party–January 28, 2012 (posted 2-1-12)
- Dan's "Down & Dirty" 4Leaf Meal Plans for Men (posted 2-6-12)
More 4-Leaf Posts to check out
- Sailors Daily 4Leaf Oatmeal my favorite meal of the day (uncooked)
- Sailors Super 4Leaf Lunch (or dinner) easy, delicious and super healthy
- Effortless weight-loss — on the "4Leaf" road to vibrant health
- Holiday Eating. Gaining weight or losing? It's your choice.
- FIRST EVER "news" about our book and 4Leaf Program
- "Vibrant health" via the simple, positive "80-20," 4Leaf Program
- Why does it all have to be so confusing? A reader asks…
- Keeping it simple with 4Leaf…
- Transforming a beautiful meal into a "4Leaf" meal…
- "4Leaf Restaurant Challenge;" creative chefs = great taste!
- Texas 4Leaf meal…not an oxymoron
- Turning not-so-healthy meals into 4Leaf meals
- Breakfast in the garden…and other ideas for "4Leaf eating"
- Eating a near optimal 4Leaf diet…in a toxic world
- Some "not-so-healthy" foods — a reminder (series of six posts)
- An unsupportive spouse…the single biggest challenge to eating 4Leaf
- Readers call for "Recipe Help" in establishing a "4Leaf" habit
- Celebration! not deprivation…discovering the complete joy of eating
- Our brand new "4Leaf" logo — representing the world's first…
- "Vibrant health" via the simple, positive "80-20," 4Leaf Program
- Keeping it simple with 4Leaf…
- Brown vs. Yale — in the first ever "4Leaf Challenge"
For the record, we didn't develop our 4Leaf Program in a vacuum. Rather, we built it on the solid foundation of the following common ground — and well-documented body of knowledge: the works of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, as chronicled in The China Study, and the trail-blazing work of five traditional MD's who learned about the power of plant-based nutrition long after their medical school days were over.
That common ground is best summarized by Dr. Campbell's statement, "The closer we get to a diet of whole, plant-based foods that better off we will be." You can read about the five brave medical pioneers who have put that statement into action by visiting Common Ground Among Medical Experts. Want to hear from a doctor who just completed the 4Leaf Program? Check out the PS below…
—J. Morris Hicks…blogging daily at heatlhyeatinghealthyworld.com
PS: Here's what a 43-year old doctor (a recent 4Leaf grad) in the Boston area had to say about our program..
Thanksgiving of 2010, while visiting my family for the holiday, I decided enough was enough. At that moment, I had to do something to change the direction I seemed to be going over the course of the past couple of years. I had topped the scale at my heaviest weight in 10 years, my cholesterol was high, I was tired all the time, and had absolutely no energy.
Fortunately, I joined a local gym and J. Stanfield (Jason) Hicks, my personal trainer, introduced me to the 4Leaf Program. To put it simply, it has changed my life and continues to be the eating portion of my permanent healthy lifestyle. To date, I have lost 33 pounds (lowest weight since I was 15 years old) and my cholesterol is back in the "normal" range though I would like to achieve the heart healthy level of less than 150. For those of you committed to getting healthy, look NO further. From Brian H., a happy subscriber to this daily blog, Want to tell your friends about 4-Leaf? Just tell them to go directly to www.4leafprogram.com and that will take them directly to this page.
If you like what the 4Leaf lifestyle is doing for your health, you may want to Visit our new "4Leaf Gear" store for some unique logo items.
Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to firstname.lastname@example.com
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Want to receive some occasional special news from us? You may wish to Join our periodic mailing list. For daily updates you can choose to "FOLLOW" at the top of the right column.
If you'd like to order our book on Amazon, visit our BookStore now.
For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa's 4Leaf Kitchen.
Got a question? Let me hear from you at firstname.lastname@example.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.
Please SHARE and rate this post below
Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.
—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation


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To make reservations by phone, dial freephone 0800 221 222 in the UK, 1 800 409 929 in Ireland, or view our regional telephone reservation numbers.
Reservations required
The Priory Restaurant is an award-winning restaurant that features traditional British fare cooked with modern techniques and fine wines.
Wide range of lighter meals available