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To report an emergency in progress, call 911.
October 26, 2012
We understand, though, the road to recovery will not be easy, and we will continue to struggle to find solutions as new, complex challenges present themselves along the way.
That is why the Board of Supervisors and County staff are working on an innovative, long-term plan to determine where Placer County should head over the next five years and how best to get there. Without identifying a target, how can you know what you are aiming for?
The board has several overriding goals.
Costs must be kept under control to preserve the County's fiscal health. That goal is vital because County revenue is beginning to rebound from recession-era lows, but not fast enough to keep pace with expected cost increases.
Priorities must be set, so that we use the County's limited resources to meet the most important public safety and service needs.
The board must make sure its policy goals are met to place the County in a position to deal effectively and decisively with the next economic downturn.
The task is daunting, but we already are making good progress.
One of the board's first priorities was finding someone to oversee the effort as county executive officer. Our recruitment efforts led us to new CEO David Boesch, who has just the kind of background and expertise we were looking for.
One of David's first tasks was to help oversee development of a critical piece of the puzzle: a five-year budget strategy for keeping revenue and costs in balance. Placer County already is making headway in achieving two of the strategy's goals: reducing the use of one-time revenues to fund ongoing operations and bolstering our depleted reserve funds now that County revenue is beginning to recover.
Another important piece of the puzzle is an innovative, all-inclusive and overdue effort to identify needed infrastructure projects and to fund critical construction and maintenance projects.
Placer County has individual infrastructure plans in place for several types of projects, including facilities, public works, information technology, and fire facilities and equipment.
The new comprehensive funding plan will consider those types of projects, plus others such as open space, sewer and solid waste facilities, and the utilities needed to support County services.
On July 10, the board approved proceeding with the funding plan, authorizing CEO Boesch to set up a County Infrastructure Investment Committee to develop criteria for use in drafting the plan.
The plan is critical because Placer County had no choice but to reduce funding for infrastructure projects during the recession years. Now, it is time for us to make infrastructure investments a higher priority again—not a top priority, but a higher priority.
The funding plan will include a focus on infrastructure projects that will help the construction industry get moving again and generate jobs. Areas of particular interest for our economic development efforts include the Sunset Industrial Area between Rocklin, Roseville and Lincoln and the Placer County Government Center in North Auburn, a complex commonly known as the DeWitt Center.
Placer County's efforts to increase cost sharing with employees are another critical part of the drive to keep revenue and costs in balance. Employees now pick up larger shares of their pension and health insurance costs than they used to, and new hires receive fewer benefits under a two-tier system that will help the county make sure benefit costs are sustainable long term.
Placer County also is making progress in reducing its unfunded liability for medical, dental, vision and other benefits that generally are known as other post-employment benefits, or OPEB.
Under a plan approved by the board in 2006, the County placed $25 million in an interest-earning trust account over three budget cycles. It sets aside funds when new employees are hired to cover part of their projected OPEB costs and has helped reduce the unfunded liability through increased cost sharing with employees for health insurance. The County also joined the California Employer's Retiree Benefit Trust Fund operated by CalPERS, obtaining higher investment earnings than it could get on its own.
The County is having success in another important area: trying new, innovative approaches to provide public services that are both cost-effective and high-quality. Health and Human Services is leading the way, using an entrepreneurial approach that maximizes the use of federal and state funding and contracts with private-sector partners to provide client services in many cases.
Placer County also is gearing up for another effort that will be critical in the coming years: succession planning. Many of our employees at all levels are at or nearing retirement, and the County needs to make sure our bench is deep enough for the change that is inevitable.
We are at a very important point in local government. Due to declining revenues and a shrinking employee base, we are not as capable as we once were in some areas. Looking forward, we have a chance to reorient priorities to meet changed public service needs. Public involvement will be critical and I ask for your help in moving our County forward.
Last but not least, my sincere thanks to everyone who chooses to participate in ensuring your local county government is as responsive and nimble as possible in the coming years.


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CAIRO — With their nation's future at stake, Egyptians lined up Saturday to vote on a draft constitution after weeks of turmoil that have left them deeply divided between Islamist supporters of the charter and those who fear it will usher in religious rule.
The referendum caps a nearly two-year struggle over the post-revolutionary identity of Egypt after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime.
The vote has turned into a dispute over whether Egypt should move toward a religious state under President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and ultraconservative Salafi allies, or one that retains secular traditions and an Islamic character. But many Egyptians said they were mainly looking for stability.
Many also fear the newly empowered Muslim Brotherhood and more ultraconservative Islamists are taking advantage of their current political dominance to adopt a charter that will be nearly impossible to amend.
According to the draft, articles 217 and 218 state that the president and parliament have the right to make a "request" to "amend an article or more," then parliament must discuss the request within 30 days. Two thirds of parliament members are needed to pass the request. Then parliament has 60 days to finalize the amended articles, and a third of parliament is needed to pass the final text before putting them to a national referendum.
Highlighting the tension in the run-up to the vote, nearly 120,000 army troops were deployed on Saturday to protect polling stations. Clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents over the past three weeks have left at least 10 people dead and about 1,000 wounded.
Monitors from opposition parties and rights groups have so far a wide range of irregularities in Saturday's vote, but no systematic fraud.
"The times of silence are over," bank employee Essam el-Guindy said as he waited to cast his ballot in Cairo's upscale Zamalek district. "I am not OK with the constitution. Morsi should not have let the country split like this."
El-Guindy was one of about 20 men standing in line. A separate women's line had twice as many people. Elsewhere in the city, hundreds of voters waited outside polling stations for nearly two hours before stations opened at 8 a.m.
"I read parts of the constitution and saw no reason to vote against it," said Rania Wafik as she held her newborn baby while waiting in line. "We need to move on and I just see no reason to vote against the constitution."
Morsi, whose narrow win in June made him Egypt's first freely elected president, cast his ballot at a school in the upscale Heliopolis district. He did not speak to reporters, but waved to dozens of supporters who were chanting his name outside.
In Cairo's crowded Sayedah Zeinab district, home to a revered Muslim shrine, 23-year-old engineer Mohammed Gamal said he was voting "yes" although he felt the proposed constitution needed more, not less, Islamic content.
"Islam has to be a part of everything," said Gamal, who wore the mustache-less beard that is a hallmark of hard-line Salafi Muslims. "All laws have to be in line with Shariah," he said, referring to Islamic law.
Critics are questioning the charter's legitimacy after the majority of judges said they would not supervise the vote. Rights groups have also warned of opportunities for widespread fraud, and the opposition says a decision to hold the vote on two separate days to make up for the shortage of judges leaves the door open for initial results to sway voter opinion.
The shortage of judges was reflected in the chaos engulfing some polling stations, which by early afternoon had led the election commission to extend voting by two hours until 9 p.m.
The violations reported by monitors included polling centers without judges to oversee the process, civil employees illegally replacing the judges, ballot papers not officially stamped as per regulations, campaigning inside polling stations and Christian voters being turned away.
Mohammed Ahmed, a retired army officer from Cairo, said bearded men he suspects of being Muslim Brotherhood members were whispering "vote yes" to men standing in line outside a polling center in Cairo's poor district of Arab el-Maadi.
"The Brotherhood wants to turn Egypt into its own fiefdom," he said. "I have no confidence in the whole process and I know they will be able to forge the results," he said.
In Cairo's Darb el-Ahmar, judge Mohammed Ibrahim appeared overwhelmed with the flow of voters, many of whom had to wait for close to two hours to cast their ballots. "I'm trying hard here, but responsibilities could have been better distributed," he said.
Egypt has 51 million eligible voters, half of whom are supposed to cast their ballots Saturday and the rest next week. Saturday's vote is held in 10 provinces, including Cairo and the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, the country's second largest and scene of violent clashes on Friday between opponents and supporters of Morsi.
"I am definitely voting no," Habiba el-Sayed, a 49-year-old house wife who wears the Muslim veil, or hijab, said in Alexandria. "Morsi took wrong decisions and there is no stability. They (Islamists) are going around calling people infidels. How can there be stability?
Another female voter in Alexandria, 22-year-old English teacher Yomna Hesham said she was voting 'no' because the draft is "vague" and ignores women's rights.
"I don't know why we have become so divided … Now no one wants to look in the other's face," said Hesham, who also wears the hijab, after voting. "This will not end well either way. It is so sad that we have come to this."
Another newspaper, the pro-opposition al-Watan, published photographs of Morsi's supporters in Alexandria armed with knives, swords and sticks on the front page of its Saturday edition. "A referendum on their constitution," read the headline, alluding to the Islamists.
Egypt's latest crisis, the worst since Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising in February 2011, began when Morsi issued a decree on Nov. 22 giving himself and the assembly writing the draft immunity from judicial oversight so the document could be finalized before an expected court ruling dissolving the panel.
On Nov. 30, the document was passed by an assembly composed mostly of Islamists, in a marathon session despite a walkout by secular activists and Christians from the 100-member panel.
If the constitution is approved by a simple majority of voters, the Islamists empowered when Mubarak was ousted would likely gain even more clout. The current upper house of parliament, dominated by Islamists, would be given the authority to legislate until a new parliament is elected.
If it is defeated, elections would be held within three months for a new panel to write a new constitution. In the meantime, legislative powers would remain with Morsi.
The opposition has called on its supporters to vote "no," while Morsi's supporters say the constitution will help end the political instability that has roiled Egypt since the autocratic Mubarak was overthrown. Clerics, from the pulpits of mosques, have defended the constitution as a document that champions Islam.
Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei wrote Saturday on his Twitter account: "Listen to your conscience and the voice of reason and say 'no.'"
Morsi's opponents say minority concerns have been ignored and the charter is full of obscurely worded clauses that could allow the ruling Islamists to restrict civil liberties, ignore women's rights and undermine labor unions.
"At one point in our history, Cleopatra, a woman, ruled Egypt. Now you have a constitution that makes women not even second-class but third-class citizens," said businesswoman Olivia Ghita. "This constitution is tailored for one specific group (the Muslim Brotherhood). It's a shame. I am very upset."

subset: commoncrawl


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We are pleased to offer you the latest tool in breast cancer screening -- Breast Tomosynthesis or 3D Mammography. To learn more we invite you to read these frequently asked questions and answers.
Where is 3D mammography available?
Wake Forest Baptist Health Medical Plaza - Clemmons was the first location in the region to offer 3D mammography.
Wake Forest Baptist Imaging offers 3D mammography and other imaging services in Winston-Salem.
Wake Forest Baptist Health Comprehensive Cancer Center
Wake Forest Baptist Health Lexington Medical Center
Wake Forest Baptist Health Wilkes Medical Center
Wake Forest Baptist Health Cornerstone Imaging - High Point
What is a 3D mammography breast exam?
3D mammography is a revolutionary new screening and diagnostic tool designed for early breast cancer detection. It is performed in conjunction with a traditional 2D digital mammogram.
During the 3D part of the exam, the X-ray arm sweeps in a slight arc over the breast, taking multiple images. Then a computer uses these images to produce a 3D image of the breast tissue, providing greater detail for the radiologist.
What are the benefits of 3D mammography?
Earlier and easier detection -- With conventional mammography the radiologist is viewing the breast tissue in a flat image. Sometimes this tissue appears overlapped, making it difficult to see all the individual structures. 3D mammography allows the doctor to better see the different structures as well as the location, size and shape of any abnormal tissue, such as small cancers.
Fewer call backs -- In the past, if the radiologist saw an area that was questionable, the patient would be asked to return for additional imaging. By being able to see the breast tissue in smaller, thinner sections, the "second look" might not be necessary.
Are there any risks with 3D mammography?
Very low X-ray energy is used during the exam. This means the amount of radiation is below the recommended guidelines of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and is just slightly higher than digital 2D mammography alone. Breast Tomosynthesis is approved for use by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Can I choose not to have this exam?
3D mammography (breast tomosynthesis) is an optional addition to our traditional 2D digital mammography exam.
Is there an additional cost for 3D mammography and will my insurance company cover the additional charge?
Even though 3D mammography is FDA approved, most insurance companies are not yet reimbursing for this exam. Patients choosing to have the additional 3D mammography imaging performed will be asked to pay $60 at check-in. The remaining costs associated with the 2D mammography portion of the exam will be billed to your insurance (any outstanding balance from the 2D exam will be billed to you once your insurance has paid).
Where can I schedule my screening mammogram to get 3D mammography?
To schedule your appointment please call 336-716-SCHD (7243). If you have questions or would like more information, please contact our Mammography Coordinator at 336-713-6721.
Appointments 336-716-WAKEAppointments: Toll-Free 888-716-WAKEInformation 336-713-3200Fax 336-713-3181Breast Screening and Diagnostic Center 336-716-7243
Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.


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Circle of Gentlemen Reggy Shirt Lt
Beautiful Premium quality Circle of Gentlemen shirt in Blue Stripe. Made from 100% Cotton for a soft luxurious feel. Contrasting colour throughout. True to size, good fit on the shoulders, with a slightly tapered body. A must have for your smart casual wardrobe for weekends away or a busy day in the office.
Pictured is a Size 15.5" Collar
Size 15.5 measures 22"/56 cm from Armpit to Armpit
Size 15.5 measures 33"/84 cm from collar to Hem
Available in Sizes 15.5 to 18 Collar
Free Delivery within mainland UK when you spend over £99.00 otherwise £5.95 will be charged
If you live within mainland UK then you do not need to pay any delivery fees if you spend more than £99.00 otherwise £5.95 will be charged. - All orders placed before 3pm Monday to Friday will be dispatched that day for arrival the following day. All orders from Friday will be delivered the next working day.
If your goods have to be packed separately i.e. more than one parcel, you will not be charged any additional delivery charge nor will you pay if we have to send your order in more than one dispatch.
If there is a problem with your order and we cannot dispatch for any reason then you will be contacted immediately.
International Shipping to Europe & the Rest of The World.
We offer a 14 Day money back guarantee from the date of purchase, with exceptions to Christmas time, when we extend the return time to January 8th. All goods must be in the condition they were sold. All tags and labels must be present and attached as originally supplied, any garments with tags and original packaging removed may not be refunded.
If you return your order to us after the 14 Day money back guarantee has run out we will give you a complimentary Credit Note for further purchases to the value of the garment/s ordered.
This does not affect your Statutory rights.
A Return form will be included in your consignment
Please ensure that all parcels are completely secure.
Any refund does not include the cost of any delivery charge.
Any package lost or damaged in transit, Michael Stewart Menswear will not be held responsible for.
We recommend you to use Royal Mail Special Delivery for any returns as they will insure any product up to £500.00 if your parcel is lost or damaged in transit.


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hydraulic fracturing
How Much Water Does Fracking Use?
Energy: New Oil
Beneath the Surface
The United States holds enough oil and gas to power the country for hundreds of years, and Colorado is at the center of the search for energy resources. Using a controversial process called hydraulic fracturing—better known as fracking—and new drilling techniques, oil and gas companies are able to extract these previously inaccessible fossil fuels. These technologies may be the biggest step yet toward securing our energy independence. But at what cost?


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Judge Dumps EPIC's Ridiculous Lawsuit Trying To Force FTC To Stop Google's Privacy Policy Changes
from the not-how-it-works dept
I'm really at a loss over EPIC's strategy here. No matter what you think of Google's privacy policy change (and I'm not a fan, though I think it's been blown out of proportion by some, including EPIC), pissing off the FTC (who has said it may still do its own investigation) seems like a pretty silly move, unlikely to do any good whatsoever.
In this case, plaintiff cannot point to any indication that Congress intended courts to monitor the FTC's enforcement of its own consent decrees; the statute is devoid of any "law to apply" or "guidelines" that would signal that judicial review may be undertaken or that set out the governing standards.Why not just let the FTC do what it thinks is appropriate. And, if you don't like Google's privacy policies... um... maybe don't use it?


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6489 Main Street
Office Building Two, 3rd Floor
P.O. Box 329
Gloucester, Virginia 23061
Phone: 804-693-2355
Fax: 804-824-2450
Contact Us
Hours: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Monday - Friday
*see Office Closings for holidays
Special Events
150 Anniversary Civil War
7th Virginia Encampment
Beaverdam Haunted Events
Beeline Community Calendar
Christmas and Holiday Parade
Concerts on the Green
Daffodil Festival
July 4th
Other Events
Quilts of River Country
Renaissance Festival
Contact Us
Although special programs are offered for seniors and disabled citizens, all programs are open to any citizen. Some programs do require meeting age and ability requirements. Please check program details.
Website updated by 3/19/18
For updates on activities or cancellations, call the PLAYLINE at 693-5811.
County Office Building One
6467 Main Street
Gloucester, Virginia 23061
Phone: 804.693.4042
Office hours:
Monday - Friday *see Office Closings for holidays
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM *see department's website for exceptions
Department Contact List Home Page
Contacts for specific services
Location Maps
Office Closings


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To better serve my customers,
this page has moved to its new and permanent location at:
Next time I have to change ISPs (Internet Service Provider),
I won't have to relocate my pages again (so this should
be a permanent move).
Please update your bookmarks and links to use the new page instead of this old page.
You will automatically be taken to the new page in
30 seconds
Or click the above new link to go there now.
Or click the above new link to go there now.
If you have been using the NetMinder MindIt service to automatically notify you when this page has changed, then you will need to register again with NetMinder to see changes to the page in its new location. To do this, go to the new page and enter your Email address where it prompts you "Register to receive Email ...".


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O2 tariff rejig bundles tethering with data
Re-introduces 12-month contract too
O2 has revamped its pay monthly mobile phone package structure, adding a one-year contract option for existing customers.
O2 already offers a 12-month contract, but it only applies to Sim-only deals - what you'd choose if you decide to keep your current phone when your existing contract ends.
The new one-year contract allows customers to upgrade their handset too. You pay as much as you do on a monthly basis for an 18-month contract. If you want lower monthly payments, you'll need to take out a new two-year plan.
Standard packages run from 50 minutes of airtime and 250 text messages - £15.50 per month for 12- and 18-month deals, £10.50pm for a 24-month contract - to unlimited messages and minutes for £62pm and £57pm, respectively.
You can opt to pay an extra £3, £6 or £10 per month for 100MB, 500MB or 1GB, respectively, of data, which now includes phone tethering a no extra cost. Until now, it cost you £7.65 extra. That's handy for folk who want to use their iPhone 4's newly gained Wi-Fi hotspot feature, or the same on an Android handset.
The basic tariffs do not include data, so a bolt on is essential for mobile access to the web, email, apps and so forth.
You can view a full breakdown of O2's new pay monthly tariffs here. ®


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SOURCE: Ingen Technologies, Inc.
January 10, 2013 08:15 ET
RIVERSIDE, CA--(Marketwire - Jan 10, 2013) - Ingen Technologies, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: IGNT), an emerging medical device manufacturer with patented proprietary medical technology for the growing $55 Billion US home healthcare industry, is pleased to announce that its Quebec-Canada export distributor, MMT Inc., has given Ingen verbal commitments of approximately $3 Million in product purchases.
The company received notification from William Mourad, CEO of MMT Inc., specifying that its export partners have agreed to purchase up to $3 Million of Ingen products, inclusive of the Smart Nasal Cannula and Oxyview Flow Meter. The notification further stated that the purchase orders will be sent later this month.
The company is prepared to immediately ship 140,900 units in value of $1.8 Million. These units include 53,500 Oxyview Flow Meters, and 87,400 Smart Nasal Cannulas.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: www.ingen-tech.com or FACT SHEET AT: http://ingen-tech.com/files/documents/ignt-1112.pdf
ANALYST RESEARCH REPORT: http://www.otcmarkets.com/financialReportViewer?symbol=IGNT&id=95782
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements. While these statements are made to convey to the public the company's progress, business opportunities and growth prospects, readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements represent management's opinion. Whereas management believes such representations to be true and accurate based on information and data available to the company at this time, actual results may differ materially from those described. The company's operations and business prospects are always subject to risk and uncertainties. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ are and will be set forth in the company's periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ingen Technologies, Inc.
Riverside, California
Gary Tilden
951-688-7840www.ingen-tech.comEmail Contact
Ingen Technologies, Inc.
Riverside, California
Gary Tilden
951-688-7840www.ingen-tech.comEmail Contact
See all RSS Newsfeeds


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All Items : Breweriana : Steins : Pre 1990 item #1315217 (stock #safn-5675)
1989 Miller High Life Celebrates Great American Achievements series stein. Fourth 4th stein in the series. Condition is Mint with no chips or cracks. Stein is approximately 7" tall. Carolina Collection.
Ahoy there, This is a Wonderful maritime Seafaring Sailboat gold-tone and aqua Rhinestone Brooch with a Double Masted Sloop and Rhinestone Hull Ready to wear with your favorite nautical outfit. This Dreamy piece has a heavy gold Tone Finish and measures 2 1/2" x 2". Complete with a Rhinestone Flag, No makers mark but identical to another listed in one of the popular cyber-malls at $272.00 This is a real pretty pin, very collectible, and in wonderful condition.
All Items : Toys and Games : Pre 1950 item #1252633 (stock #safn-4854)
Vintage 1940's wood ship model of a Destroyer by Ship Shape Famous Ships miniature ship models Perkasie, PA. Full size plans with shaped redwood hulls. Box states "This type destroyer has served in two wars. These were the ships that kept the Atlantic open in the dark days after Pearl Harbor". Everything intact and ready to assemble with instructions. Model S151.
Lovely crystal mug with the clipper ship cutting by Javit. Mug is 5 1/4" tall and has a heavy bottom with a nice roomy handle. Perfect condition. I have 2 available. Price is per tankard
Sherrys Antiques* Collectibles* Frivolous Necessities
$65.00 set
$65.00 set
Vintage Lenox Crystal Etched Lighthouse Pitcher and 4 footed Glasses, Set. Makes an impressive gift for the Lighthouse Collector on your list. The pitcher is 7 1/4 inches tall with a thick heavy bottom. The glasses 4 1/2 inches hold 8 0z. MADE IN ITALY for Lexox Crystal.Crystal clear with etched frosted lighthouses repeating around the pitcher and glasses. Discontinued pattern. all pieces are PERFECT.
All Items : Vehicles and Transportation : Boats : Pre 1970 item #1194894 (stock #safn-4211)
VISTA ALEGRE porcelain dish representing a former military Gunboat 1798) with the brand of "Maritime Museum - Lisbon on the back. Measures 4 1/4" x 6 1/2". Perfect condition, gold edge trim.
All Items : Collector Plates : Pre 1990 item #1182869 (stock #safn-3348)
"The Ship Builder" Knowles collector plate from the Rockwell Heritage collection. This Limited edition hand numbered collector plate of "The Ship Builder" is from the Knowles Company. It is approximately 8 1/2" diameter. It is in excellent condition. It is produced on hard-fired porcelain to the highest quality and artistic standards of the Bradford Exchange in 1980. This is the 4th issue in the "The Rockwell Heritage Collection" by Norman Rockwell...
Blue and white porcelain souvenir dish or tray featuring The cruise ship CROWN ODYSSEY from the Norweigian Royal Cruise Line in the 1980's. Underside marked - ROYAL COPENHAGEN DENMARK with initials and symbols. I believe this is a tip or pin tray or dish. Measures 3 1/3" x 5 1/8". Perfect condition with no damages.
All Items : Postcards : Divided Back Era : Pre 1960 item #1158038 (stock #safn-3276)
NAVIGATION - SWEDEN - SVERIGE SHIP " STELLA POLARIS " by Clipper Line. A great opaque postcard, cm. 15 x 10 Never POSTALLY USED. No writing,postmarks or stamps. Postcard in extremely nice condition No bends or creases either.Printed in Sweden. AB Alhem, Malmo
All Items : Postcards : Divided Back Era : Pre 1960 item #1158037 (stock #safn-3275)
NAVIGATION - SWEDEN - SVERIGE SHIP " STELLA POLARIS " by Clipper Line. Great opaque postcard, cm. 15 x 10 Never POSTALLY USED. No writing, stamps or postmarks. Only a "BY AIRMAIL" inkstamp postcard in extremely nice condition. Printed in Sweden. AB Alhem, Malmo
A great vintage necklace to accentuate your summer wardrobe. Red, White, and blue glass beads, alternating with gold plated sailboats and cork beads. Made in Portugal. Great for 4th of July too. Measures 30" when unclasped, end to end. Nice condition.
All Items : Breweriana : Decanters : Jim Beam : Pre 1960 item #1067610 (stock #safn-2047)
This lovely decanter was produced by Jim Beam in 1963. It features a painting of Dutch sailing ships (in blue and a reddish hue) on the front and on the back an embossed windmill scene, and some refer to it as The Windmill Bottle. It is made of opaque glass, measures approximately 13 inches high. The bottle is beautiful, curvaceous and detailed,and in perfect condition, making a wonderful addition to any collection!
All Items : Wall Decor : Pre 1980 item #1034376 (stock #safn-1651)
A wonderful limited art print hand signed and numbered by the artis. Number 24 of 500. "Spanish Galleon" Professionally framed and matted. This great piece measures 22 x 28 overall measurement. Jim Campbell, well known nautical artist born in Detroit Michigan in 1928. In the course of his sailing ship research, he has become a historian as well. He revels in the telling of tales and debunking myths created by authors to suit their stories...
Sherrys Antiques* Collectibles* Frivolous Necessities
$10.00 ea
$10.00 ea
Unknown to me who the maker of these lovely glasses are. Heavy bottom and made of crystal. Cut pattern of a clipper sailing ship with seagulls flying. Measures 6 1/4" tall and in perfect condition. I have 5 available. Price is for each. Great for that old pirate and his nautical themed bar.
All Items : Vehicles and Transportation : Boats : Pre 1970 item #1022871 (stock #safn-1428)
Take a look at this wonderful large plate or round platter. Measures 13 3/4" in diameter and is made of heavy thick glass with frosted reverse cut outs of sailboats. Nice and deep 1 5/8". No chips or cracks, but there are a couple of scratches over the smaller boat from the reverse side. Would be a wonderful serving platter for a nautical themed kitchen. Not sure of the maker. I thought it may have been made by Fostoria.
All Items : Breweriana : Decanters : Pre 1960 item #996852 (stock #safn-42)
A great figural whiskey decanter by OBR. All original stickers and seals. Decanter is green with lots of gold trim, and is empty. Someone has marked 1968 date on the bottom. Nice condition with no chips or cracks. Measures 5 3/4" tall and is 10" long. This is a nice paddle boat with the name River Queen.
All Items : Vehicles and Transportation : Boats : Pre 1960 item #994584 (stock #safn-9934)
Sherrys Antiques* Collectibles* Frivolous Necessities
$35.00 ea
$35.00 ea
Compliments of Norwegian American Line, this heavy china plate features a Norwegian sailing ship from the 18th C, Anna Maria. Her history is on the back. We guess this is from a series given to or bought by cruise patrons as a souvenir. The border of viking ships and NAL monograms are especially nice. 10 1/2 inch diameter. Made by Porsgrund Norway, Circa 1960's. Pristine condition. No dings, chips, cracks, repairs, utensil marks or wear. I have 2 available. Price is per plate.
Reverse painted rectangular candy dish or ashtray from the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Portrays one of the ocean crusers on the water. and their logo " Royal Caribbean Cruise Line M/S Song of Norway, M/S Nordic Prince, M/S Sun Viking". Measures 4 5/8" x 6 5/8". Gently turned up edges. Nice condition with a couple of faint scratches on the back (clooud area). Not noticeable until you hold them up to the light. White on the photo is just glare from the camera & light.


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Tomorrow is World Elder Abuse Prevention Day. It's a day to appreciate that elders in our society endure abusive behavior every day and to consider how we might remedy this deplorable situation.
We hear of instances in which families, caregivers or others physically assault or verbally abuse elders in their care. Whether these instances arise from criminal pathology, frustration or plain meanness, we should all be on the lookout for such abusers, report them to authorities and encourage punishment.
Compassion & Choices focuses on other forms of abuse — the ones most commonly and even routinely — inflicted on elders. These forms are rarely recognized as abuse and are never punished. I'm talking about the pain, torture and invasion of bodily integrity from "heroic" and futile medical procedures associated with end-of-life care.
Most elders in this nation die in acute medical facilities. Even those whose deaths are anticipated following a long battle with cancer, heart failure or lung dysfunction do not die in the peace of their homes. Even they, the long-time dying, must endure the cold mechanical interventions of intensive care. Often in violation of express wishes stated in an Advance Directive for Healthcare, our elders must bear insertion of tubes to measure arcane pressures, tubes to breathe, to siphon throats, to empty urine, to drain fluids, to administer food and fluids. They must submit to the constant clicking, humming, droning and ringing of the machines and alarms at their bedside.
Add to this scene severe and unnecessary suffering from inadequate treatment of pain. Add to this a rampant failure to acknowledge and palliate agonizing symptoms like breathlessness, itching, hiccoughs, nausea, dizziness, bedsores and draining wounds of surgery .
What emerges is a picture of widespread, systematic, Medicare-supported torture of our elderly, dying citizens. Shame, shame on us for using taxpayer's money in this indefensible manner.
When an 85-year old man like William Bergman, dying of mesothelioma, moans in pain with every breath, as his daughter pleads with doctors to prescribe more effective pain medication, that is elder abuse. Compassion & Choices won a court judgment to that effect, the first of its kind, in 2001.
When an 82-year old woman like Margaret Furlong receives full cardio-pulmonary resuscitation in violation of her Advance Directive, and endures ten days of intensive care despite squeezing her son's hand to communicate her desire to have her hands untied and machines discontinued, that is elder abuse. Yet when Compassion & Choices helped bring this case as elder abuse and failure to honor an advance directive, it was thrown out of court.
When medical providers encourage irrational hope in endless rounds of chemotherapy for advanced, end-stage cancer, that research indicates are unlikely to extend life but sure to degrade its quality, that's elder abuse.
When institutions withhold vital information about medical practices like terminal sedation or aid in dying, which they deem immoral, and hold patients hostage to their own beliefs in the redemptive power of suffering, that is elder abuse, and abrogation of informed consent principles. Catholic facilities that enforce gag rules and bar conversations about legal aid in dying, even when a patient inquires, are doing just that in Oregon and Washington.
Compassion & Choices is not alone in naming such examples "abuse" and "torture" and citing them as human rights violations. International conventions, treaties and courts demonstrate an understanding of the veracity and gravity of such charges. Numerous internationally recognized principles address patient care and the right to bodily integrity.
The European Charter of Patients' Rights for example sets out, "Each individual has the right to avoid as much suffering and pain as possible, in each phase of his or her illness. The health services must commit themselves to taking all measures useful to this end, like providing palliative care treatment and simplifying patients' access to them." Policies restricting opioid availability and causing patients to suffer unnecessary pain abridge the human right to be free of torture.
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, has stated, "[E]very competent patient…should be given the opportunity to refuse treatment or any other medical intervention. Any derogation from this fundamental principle should be based upon law and only relate to clearly and strictly defined exceptional circumstances."
This year, let's acknowledge our national habit of over-treatment at the end of life for what it is: elder abuse, torture and a violation of human rights. Let's stop withholding information, ignoring wishes and inflicting elders with futile, painful treatment and unnecessary pain and suffering. And certainly, let's stop using Medicare taxes to pay for this national scandal.


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Friday night, one glass of wine into firing the grill for steak with a pile of farmers'-market string beans in the sink, I decided to kill some time Frenching.
The plan was to stir-fry the beans in olive oil with lots of garlic and shallots until droopy, then add tomato wedges, cover, and let them stew just long enough to release some juice but not their skins. Off heat, I'd stir in a handful of basil leaves from the back yard, adjust the seasoning, and serve at room temperature. Splitting the beans lengthwise—like fancy canned and frozen green beans—would help the pods soften and absorb flavor, and I liked the idea of getting random bites with baby seeds.
My ad hoc by-hand technique varied: For straight beans, I lined the business side of the knife on top and pushed down with conviction, pretending not to care when the odd end slipped free of the hack. If they were curved, I used the seam on the bean as a guide to run the tip of the blade from the middle outward in both directions, turning each between strokes. I'm pretty fast with a knife and like the practice but apparently you can also lay them horizontally in the feed tube of a food processor and let the slicing disk do the work.
Whatever your method or recipe, try Frenching at least once this season. There's a reason why they're cut that way for green bean casserole. This quick braise had all the freshness you want from summer vegetables, without the squeaky stick-to-your-teeth chalkiness of lightly cooked green beans. Instead their exposed insides provided a silky counterpoint to the crisp skins. And the leftovers can become anything from a three-bean salad or toast topper to a rich frittata.
– Kerri Conan


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NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A prestigious Connecticut boarding school says it will appeal a $41.7 million jury award to a woman who sued after her attorneys said she contracted a tick-borne illness on a school trip to China that left her brain damaged and unable to speak.
The federal jury in Bridgeport reached the verdict Wednesday in favor of Cara Munn and against The Hotchkiss School.
Attorneys for Munn, now 20, say she was 15 when she went on a school trip to China and suffered insect bites that led to encephalitis.
Munn's attorneys say the school failed to take precautions.
The school says it cares deeply about its students and makes every effort to protect them.


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© ® The Nobel Foundation
IPCC honoured with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
Phone: +41-22-730-8208/84 e-mail:
There is an accumulating body of evidence of observed impacts relating to regional
climate changesprimarily rising temperature across a broad range of affected
physical processes and biological taxaand widespread geographical distribution
of reported effects (see Figure 19-2 and accompanying
notes). In many cases, reported changes are consistent with functional understanding
of the climate-impact processes involved. Cases of no change or change in unexpected
direction are noted, as are possible alternative explanations and confounding
factors, where available.
Figure 19-2: Observed impacts of temperature-related regional
climate change in the 20th century:
Studies that cover large areas and use remote-sensing methods are indicated.
About 50 studies were selected, according to the following criteria: (1)
hydrology/sea-ice studies that report long-term trends in observed variables
(time periods of studies range from ~20 to 150 years), and (2) terrestrial
and marine ecosystem studies that associate trends in observed change(s)
with trends in regional climate data for 20 years (time periods
of studies range from ~20 to 50 years). Of the ~100 physical processes
and ~450 biophysical species that exhibited change, more than 90% (~99%
physical, ~80% biophysical) are consistent with well-known mechanisms
of system responses to climate.
Sources: Hydrology and Glaciers, and Sea
IceAmes and Hastenrath (1996), Cavalieri et al. (1997), Dettinger
and Cayan (1995), Dowdeswell et al. (1997), Dyurgerov and Meier (1997),
Greene et al. (1999), Groisman et al. (1994), Haeberli and Beniston (1998),
Hastenrath (1995), Johannessen et al. (1999), Kaser (1999), Kratz et al.
(2001), Magnuson et al. (2000), Maslanik et al. (1996), Rothrock et al.
(1999), Schindler et al. (1990), and Vinnikov et al. (1999); Animals and
PlantsBarber et al. (2000), Bergmann (1999), Bezzel and Jetz (1995),
Bradley et al. (1999), Brown et al. (1999), Crick and Sparks (1999), Crick
et al. (1997), Cunningham and Moors (1994), Dunn and Winkler (1999), Ellis
(1997), Ellis et al. (1997), Fleming and Tatchell (1995), Forchhammer
et al. (1998), Fraser et al. (1992), Gatter (1992), Grabherr et al. (1994),
Hasenauer et al. (1999), Jarvinen (1994), Loeb et al. (1997), Ludwichowski
(1997), Mason (1995), McCleery and Perrins (1998), Menzel and Fabian (1999),
Pauli et al. (1996), Parmesan (1996, 2001), Parmesan et al. (1999), Post
and Stenseth (1999), Post et al. (1997), Pounds et al. (1999), Ross et
al. (1994), Sagarin et al. (1999), Slater (1999), Smith (1994), Smith
et al. (1999), Sparks (1999), Thomas and Lennon (1999), Visser et al.
(1998), Winkel and Hudde (1996, 1997), Zhou et al. (1995).
The hydrological cycle is expected to respond to regional climate warming through
changes in the energy balance of glaciers and the depth and extent of snow cover,
earlier snowmelt runoff, seasonal changes in freezing and thawing of lakes and
rivers, and intensification of precipitation and evaporative processes. For
the most part, evidence of regional climate change impacts on elements of the
hydrological cycle is consistent with expected responses to warming temperatures
and intensification of hydrological regimes (see Chapters
4 and 5, and TAR WGI).
Evidence for such changes in the 20th century includes recession of glaciers
on all continents (e.g., Hastenrath, 1995; Ames and Hastenrath, 1996; Dowdeswell
et al., 1997; Dyurgerov and Meier, 1997; Haeberli and Beniston, 1998; Greene
et al., 1999; Kaser, 1999; Krabill et al., 1999; Serreze et al., 2001). There
have been decreases in the extent of snow cover (10% since the late 1960s and
1970s) in the northern hemisphere (e.g., Groisman et al., 1994; Serreze et al.,
2001). Since the late 1940s, snowmelt and runoff have occurred increasingly
earlier in northern and central California (Dettinger and Cayan, 1995). Annual
duration of lake- and river-ice cover in the middle and high latitudes of the
northern hemisphere has been reduced by about 2 weeks and is more variable (Schindler
et al., 1990; Magnuson et al., 2000; Kratz et al., 2001).
Also reported is increased frequency of extreme rainfall in the middle and
high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, including the United States (Karl
and Knight, 1998), the UK (Osborn et al., 2000), and most extratropical land
areas except China (Groisman et al., 1999).
Ecological theory predicts several types of species and community responses
to changing regional climate in plants and animals: changes in ecosystem structure
and dynamics, including shifts in ranges and distributions; altered phenology;
effects on physiology; and genetic evolutionary responses (see Chapters
2 and 5). Changes in disturbance (e.g., fires, wind
damage) also may be occurring but are not included in this review (see Chapters
5 and 6). Evidence from plants and animals documents
all of these types of ecological responses to regional warming, especially poleward
and elevational shifts in species ranges and earlier timing of reproduction.
Reviews of recent changes in biological systems also have documented examples
of these different types of responses, consistent with process-level understanding
(Hughes, 2000).
Much of the evidence of vegetation change relating to regional climate change
comes from responses to warming at high-latitude and high-altitude environments,
where confounding factors such as land-use change may be minimized and where
climate signals may be strongest (see TAR WGI Chapter
12). Increases in species richness were found at 21 of 30 high summits in
the Alps; remaining summits exhibited stagnation or a slight decrease (Grabherr
et al., 1994; Pauli et al., 1996). However, Körner (1999) suggests that
grazing, tourism, and nitrogen deposition may be contributing to such observed
migrations. Hasenauer et al. (1999) found significant increases in diameter
increments of Norway spruce across Austria related to increased temperatures
from 1961 to 1990. In North America, Barber et al. (2000) linked reduced growth
of Alaskan white spruce to temperature-induced drought stress, and Hamburg and
Cogbill (1988) propose that historical declines in red spruce in the northeastern
United States are related to climatic warming, possibly aggravated by pollution
and pathogen factors.
In more temperate ecosystems, Bradley et al. (1999) documented phenological
advances in flowering date in 10 herbaceous and tree species and no change in
26 such species related to local warming in southern Wisconsin over the periods
1936-1947 and 1976-1998. Menzel and Fabian (1999) document extension
of the growing season for 12 tree and shrub species at a network of sites throughout
Europe, which they attribute to warming temperature. Alward and Detling (1999)
found reorganization of a shortgrass steppe ecosystem in a semi-arid site in
Colorado related to increased spring minimum temperatures, although the responses
of C3 and C4 species did not occur as expected.
Regarding regional changes in precipitationwhich are much more uncertain
with regard to future climatereorganization of a semi-arid ecosystem in
Arizona, including increases in woody shrubs, has been associated with increases
in winter precipitation (Brown et al., 1997); retraction of mesic species to
areas of higher rainfall and lower temperature has been attributed to a long-term
decline in rainfall in the West African Sahel (Gonzalez, 2001).
Temperature change-related effects in animals have been documented within all
major taxonomic groups (amphibians, birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates)
and on all continents (see Chapter 5). Terrestrial evidence
in animals that follows process-level understanding of responses to warming
includes poleward and elevational changes in spatial distribution, alterations
in species abundance and diversity, earlier phenology (including advances in
timing of reproduction), and physiological and genetic adaptations.
Poleward and elevational shifts associated with regional warming have been
documented in the ranges of North American, British, and European butterfly
species (Parmesan, 1996; Ellis, 1997; Ellis et al., 1997; Parmesan et al., 1999),
birds (Thomas and Lennon, 1999), and insects (Fleming and Tatchell, 1995). Prop
et al. (1998) found that increasing spring temperatures and changes in agricultural
practices in Norway have allowed barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) to move northward
and invade active agricultural areas. Changes in species distribution and abundance
of amphibians, birds, and reptiles in Costa Rica have been associated with changing
patterns of dry-season mist frequency and Pacific sea-surface temperatures (SST)
(Pounds et al., 1999; Still et al., 1999).
Earlier timing of reproduction has been found for many bird species (Mason,
1995; Crick et al., 1997; McCleery and Perrins, 1998; Crick and Sparks, 1999;
Slater, 1999) and amphibians (Beebee, 1995; Reading, 1998) in the UK and Europe
(Winkel and Hudde, 1996, 1997; Ludwichowski, 1997; Forchhammer et al., 1998;
Visser et al., 1998; Bergmann, 1999). Zhou et al. (1995) found a warming trend
in the spring to be associated with earlier aphid flights in the UK. Also in
the UK, Sparks (1999) has associated arrival times of bird migration to warmer
spring temperature. Bezzel and Jetz (1995) and Gatter (1992) document delays
in the autumn migratory period in the Alps and Germany, respectively.
In North America, Brown et al. (1999) document earlier egg-laying in Mexican
jays (Aphelocoma ultramarina) associated with significant trends toward increased
monthly minimum temperatures in Arizona. Dunn and Winkler (1999) found that
the egg-laying date of North American tree swallows advanced by as much as 9
days, associated with increasing air temperatures at the time of breeding. Bradley
et al. (1999) document phenological advances in arrival dates for migratory
birds in southern Wisconsin, associated with earlier icemelt of a local lake
and higher spring temperature.
Post et al. (1997) and Post and Stenseth (1999) document differential selection
of body size in red deer throughout Norway from 1965 to 1995. Male red deer
have been getting larger and females smaller, correlated with warming trends
and variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Post and Stenseth (1999)
also report on the interactions of plant phenology, northern ungulates (red
deer, reindeer, moose, white-tailed deer, musk oxen, caribou, and Soay sheep),
and the NAO. Jarvinen (1994) found that increased mean spring temperatures in
Finnish Lapland are associated with mean egg volume of the pied flycatcher.
De Jong and Brakefield (1998) found shifts in color patterns (black with red
spots versus red with black spots), most likely related to thermal budgets of
ladybird beetles (Adalia bipunctata) in The Netherlands, coinciding with an
increase in local ambient spring temperatures. The potential for rapid adaptive
responses and their genetic costs to populations has been studied by Rodriguez-Trelles
and Rodriguez (1998), who found microevolution and loss of chromosomal diversity
in Drosophila in northwestern Spain as the local climate warmed.
In coastal zones and marine ecosystems, there is evidence of changes in physical
and biological systems associated with regional trends in climate, especially
warming of air temperatures and SST (see Chapters 4, 5,
and 6). However, separating out responses of marine ecosystems
to variability caused by large-scale ocean-atmosphere phenomena, such as ENSO
and NAO, from regional climate changes is a challenge (e.g., Southward et al.,
1995; McGowan et al., 1998, 1999; Sagarin et al., 1999). Variations caused by
ENSO and NAO per se are not considered climate change, but multi-decadal trends
of change in ENSO or NAO frequency and intensity are climate changes, according
to the IPCC definition.
Changes in the physical systems of coastal zones related to regional warming
trends include trends in sea ice and coastal erosion. Since the 1950s, Arctic
sea-ice extent has declined by about 10-15%; in recent decades, there has
been about a 40% decline in Arctic sea-ice thickness during late summer to early
autumn and a considerably slower decline in winter (e.g., Maslanik et al., 1996;
Cavalieri et al., 1997; Johannessen et al., 1999; Rothrock et al., 1999; Vinnikov
et al., 1999; Serreze et al., 2001). No significant trends in Antarctic sea-ice
extent are apparent (see TAR WGI).
Table of contents
IPCC Homepage


text:
August 20. 2013 10:30AM
Manchester police say man pushing daughter in stroller attempted to rob home
MANCHESTER – A city man was pushing his young daughter in a stroller when he tried to break into a Bismark Street home, police said.
The man, identified by police as Aaron Todd, 34, of 412 Notre Dame Ave., was spotted by a neighbor who called police.
The incident happened Friday. A neighbor, who lives on Brock Street, first saw the man in the front yard of his neighbor's 229 Bismark St. home but didn't think much of it because he was pushing a young girl in a stroller.
A short time later, however, the neighbor saw the man again, this time in the rear of his neighbor's home and pulling hard on one of the doors, according to police.
The neighbor yelled out through his window and then ran downstairs and outside to confront the man.
The man fled the scene, but the neighbor found him hiding behind a five-stall garage near the wood line, still with the child in the stroller, police said.
Officers ultimately arrested Todd on Varney Street and charged him with attempted burglary.


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Burt's Tiki Lounge on Friday, Feb. 3 (21-and-over); Free: It's shows like this that make me long for my 21st birthday, which is one month, one week and three days from the moment this Alibi officially hits the streets. (But who's counting?) This one finds Santa Fe songsmiths The Hollis Wake trading in their tube amps for some good, clean, unplugged fun in the form of Friday night's acoustic showcase at Burt's Tiki Lounge. The acousticity of the show should make the band's irresistible harmonies take an even larger chunk of the center stage while scaling back some of the external fuzzy-drone that finds its way into many of THW's tracks.
In October, the band walked away with the 2005 New Mexico Music Award for Best Musical Production for alternative rock, which came a year after their 2004 release Lo-fi Highs/Hi-fi Lows received critical acclaim from publications statewide. Joining The Hollis Wake is emo ensemble Feels Like Sunday, who are no slouches when it comes to lofty vocals themselves. Up-and-comers Sincerely and Face Across the Floor round out the bill.


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Reviewed By Abner C (KAPOLEI, HI) Reviewed for a 2008 Toyota Tundra —11/6/2012 8:18 PM
Awesome kit !!! Great quality build!!! Tundra rides and handles well with great response! Order shipped quickly from belltech est..3days but arrived in 2day and that's to Hawaii once order was confirmed! Belltech quality products, Autoanything best prices!


text:
Accountable Care Organizations: With So Many (Unanswered) Questions, Providers and Suppliers Should Start Shaping the Answers Now
By Mark S. Hedberg, Hunton & Williams LLP, Richmond, VA
A recent report indicates that "Medicare officials are preparing to draft regulations for one provision under health reform that policymakers hope will help achieve" a transformation in the method by which hospitals and doctors are paid. 1 The regulations, which will implement the "Medicare Shared Savings Program" created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("PPACA"), 2 will be vitally important. As anyone who has attempted to create an accountable care organization ("ACO") based on PPACA alone well knows, new § 1899 of the Social Security Act ("SSA") raises many unanswered questions, and until regulations are issued those seeking to structure eligible arrangements are to some extent shooting in the dark.
Structuring ACOs Is Currently a Challenge
That is particularly true when it comes to defining and documenting the ACO's financial arrangements. Being able to present a clear picture of how the money will flow to the physicians and other participants in an ACO would seem to be a prerequisite to successful recruitment by the ACO. There are two very good reasons for those who wish to establish ACOs to want to fill out their provider panels quickly -- the limitation restricting physicians (and other suppliers or providers) to participation in only one shared savings program 3 and the potential (if not likelihood) that the Secretary's assignment of patients to an ACO will be based on the primary care physicians the ACO has signed up. 4 One can imagine that such considerations could make for some very competitive negotiations in some markets, but at this point there is little that can be said with certainty about the most important issue: money.
Financial Details Are Lacking
One of the requirements an ACO must satisfy to participate in the shared savings program is to "have a formal legal structure that would allow the organization to receive and distribute payments for shared savings under subsection (d)(2) to participating providers of services and suppliers." 5 Presumably this requirement carries through to the other payment models permitted by the amendments in Title X of PPACA 6 such that an ACO will need to have a formal legal structure that will permit receipt and distribution of shared savings, partial capitation or any other payment model implemented by the Secretary. But designing such a structure in the absence of regulations will be difficult.
The initial difficulty is that although the statute authorizes virtually any payment method, it says very little about how Subsection i payments will work. The only detail included is a limitation that precludes payments under a Subsection i model from exceeding the payment that would have been made had the ACO been paid under the shared savings model. 7 But the statute does not reveal the basis on which such payments will be made, the scope of "at risk" items and services will be under partial capitation, or whether similar delineations will be made under some other payment model of the Secretary's choosing. Not knowing how and why payments will come in makes it a real challenge for ACOs to design an appropriate mechanism for their distribution.
The second difficulty is that just about any distribution method an ACO could contemplate has the potential to implicate the prohibition on payments to induce the reduction or limitation of services, 8 the Medicare Antikickback Law, 9 or the Stark Law. 10 To address these limitations, the shared savings program grants the Secretary broad waiver authority:
The Secretary may waive such requirements of sections 1128A and 1128B and title XVIII of this Act as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. 11
Here again, though, in the absence of regulations outlining how this authority will be implemented (by regulation or through an advisory opinion-like process) and establishing the criteria that must be satisfied for waiver to apply, structuring distribution methodologies presents practical difficulties.
Providers and Suppliers Should Begin Shaping CMS's Thinking Now
According to the Preliminary Q&As, CMS will be holding a "listening session" to hear stakeholder ideas about ACOs in the summer of 2010, 12 and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is to be published in the fall. Hospitals, physician groups and others interested in developing ACOs should consider providing input at this session or to the CMS Office of Legislation. Stakeholder views on alternative payment models that might be implemented by the Secretary and on workable distribution mechanisms should be welcomed by the Secretary so that she might take them into account as she considers her payment model and waiver options. It seems obvious that the payment models implemented and distribution mechanisms authorized by the Secretary will need to vary so that differences in the range of health services and the extent of competition at the hospital, physician and non-physician levels in particular markets (among many other things) can be taken into account. Advance input from the providers seeking to form ACOs will help the Secretary flesh these issues out.
Id. § 1395nn.
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Calendar Reminde
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click on photographs to enlarge for better viewing
This poignant memorial was discovered while searching for my great-grandparents in Holy Rosary Cemetery. The seven little lambs remind us of how tenuous life was during our early history.
We have several family lines where many of the children did not survive to adulthood, but nothing of this sad magnitude.
Several yards away from the little ones stands this memorial. One feels as if the angel is mourning the flock.


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Feline Stomatitis
My 3 1/2 spayed female cat has been diagnosed with feline stomatitis. One vet said this is a gum/immune disorder and prescribed 5mg of prednisone every other day and 1/2 cc metronidazole syrup twice a day. She also said that we are looking at removing the cat's teeth from the canines back (she has already removed the four back molars, two top, two bottom). Also this tooth extraction may not help at all. I took my cat to another vet for a second opinion. Vet #2 said this is a jaw bone disorder and to continue on the 5 mg of prednisone and also prescribed antibiotics of 0.5 mL antirobe aquadops once a day. He also said that there is no cure and he does not recommend pulling any of the cat's teeth. Continue the 5 mg prednisone eod as long as possible (i.e., until the stomatitis gets really bad, her liver fails, etc. and we have to put her down).
Both vets agree that this is a little known and understood problem.
What are your thoughts on feline stomatitis? I thank you very much.
Hi Cleo Wa, welcome to pets.ca!
I don't have any personal experience with stomatitis, but I do know that it can be a very frustrating condition to deal with. I've never heard of it referred to as a jaw bone disorder. It tends to be looked upon as an immune system disorder. As drastic as it sounds, from what I know from others who have been through this with their cats, sometimes pulling most of the teeth is the only option. Here are some previous posts on the topic:
And another link:
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb
We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies. ~ Gretchen Wyler
Thank you!
Thank you, Sugarcatmom!
You have given us much more information than I thought we would ever receive - and so quickly too! I appreciate you taking the time to answer and to send the many links. I will have much reading to do and information to discuss with our vets.
The jaw-bone info given by our second opinion vet was from a recently published article written by D.H. DeForge, VMD in Veterinary Practice News, Nov. 2008.
Again as I sit at the computer my kitty is on my lap, purring so loudly you may hear her!! She has not lost any weight; her coat is very silky and clean. And she prefers crunchy food to soft canned food which surprises us greatly. She does not have bad breath anymore, and where she licks my hands there is no residual odor either. Good! She is very alert, plays constantly, "hunts and stalks" birds and mice but rarely catches either. I think she just likes the game of chase!
I think that one of the necessary things we must do is to routinely clean the plaque from her teeth. I will speak to the vets about this. We certainly do not want to pull her teeth, but if that is what must be done then it is what must be done. We do worry about what continued use of prednisone will do to her system.
Again THANK YOU! I am so glad to have found this site for information and sharing.
Prednisone does have it's risks, but so does letting the stomatitis get out of hand. It's always a good idea to weigh the risks when using ANY medication and pick the lesser of 2 evils. If the pred is working for her, you can deal with problems as they come up, if they ever do.
I"m off to go read that article by Dr. DeForge. I have to admit that I'm rather fascinated by stomatitis. I hope your kitty continues to do well, and please keep us updated on her progress.
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb
We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies. ~ Gretchen Wyler
Which brings me to a couple options you might want to consider. There is something called Transfer Factor that can help balance an out-of-whack immune system. More info on that here: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/tf.htm
Then there is Lactoferrin. Here was a study done on it's use in cases of feline stomatitis:
As for maintaining oral health, there is a product called Biotene Antiseptic Oral Gel which can be effective at dealing with inflamed gums and mouth infections.
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb
We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies. ~ Gretchen Wyler
Hello again. I've been online most of the afternoon looking up the many links for feline stomatitis. I feel very fortunate to have found pets.ca because of the wealth of information about this disease and its treatment and to know that our cat, Cleo, is not alone. There are more medicines out there than what my vets have talked to me about. I can assure you that we will be discussing different ideas for Cleo's treatment; rather than a "quick pull of her teeth". Just as in being your own advocate when you see your physician, you the owner of your pet must be their advocate to see that the treatment that they are receiving is the correct one for that time in their illness/health. Thank you again to sugarcatmom! You were the one to help my research become much more successful. Also Cleo looks like your kitty's picture. Because Cleo's eyes are rimmed in "mascara", my husband thought the name Cleopatra was "purr-fect"!
I've also never dealt with stomatitis but have more links for you:
I have however dealt a little with Feline Resorption Lesions more info here WSAVA 2001 Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions. As it is a fairly common dental problem in older cats I'm wondering if this is why the original molars were pulled.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do
The Spirit Lives As Long As Someone Who Lives Remembers You - Navaho Saying
Vindication ~ For all those pets who became sick or lost their lives from tainted pet food
Thank you for the links for feline dental info
Thank you for helping us with Cleo's stomatitis. For the moment she is doing quite well. She is finishing her antibiotics and Prednisone and next week or the following week we will be taking her in for another exam on her teeth, and probably a cleaning. When I "peak" into her mouth, her gums look so much better. Just wish they would stay that way!
I have recommended this website to several of my friends. They have found it quite useful too.
Again THANK YOU!!
Glad to hear Cleo is doing better
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do
The Spirit Lives As Long As Someone Who Lives Remembers You - Navaho Saying
Vindication ~ For all those pets who became sick or lost their lives from tainted pet food
I attended a lecture by a vet who practices traditional chinese med and western meds and stomatitis in cats was one of the topics. She stated that aside from genetics, it is believed that diet may be the reason for it. Commercial diets that acidify their food to eliminate crystals may be causing enamel wear on the teeth.
Best thing: raw diet with bones, but she did caution that cat's digestive system is very sensitive and MUST be fed a properly prepared diet. She recommended NO kibble, especially those high in grains/corn.
Cat maid to:
Jasper, male Ragdoll ?? (approx 10 yrs)
Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 7 yrs)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)
In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb
While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. Stephen R. Covey
I have 1 beautiful DSH tabby. 15 years old.
(and one sweet piti. 1.5 years old)
Last edited by meow; February 5th, 2009 at 02:55 PM.
Stomatitis experience
Harrison was brought to me from a woman who had many cats and was outrunning an abusive husband. Harrison is HIV positive and has stomatitis. After trying everything, we did the extreme on removing the teeth. Over time the stomatitis calmed down. The key was moving to a raw diet. I use TCFeline plus w/liver, add two egg yolks (never the raw whites for cats), raw turkey that i don't grind, Costco, Sam's club, whatever works great. Mix up a big batch. Freeze and defrost as needed. Cats are obligatory carnivores as stated around the kibble issue. Mr. Harrison is now eating without pain and once in a while a depo shot is required. He loves his food. My aversion to raw was overcome based on I don't grind everything and by the way, ground food with bones in it would be too harmful to a stomatitis mouth, mix and serve within minutes. Now, not all the cats are the same and will respond the same.Every condition is unique. But I do think it more than coincidental that he has improved so much on the raw. The very very back of his mouth gum lines show some inflamation, but not anything like it was. Now removing the teeth immediately does not stop the inflamation, but now his gums look so good, he doesn't drool except a tiny bit and he is calm and happy. I thought we would have to put him to sleep but with the help of some good vets and changing my aversion to raw, we are trending healthy. Hope this helps. And the TCFeline raw premix changed everything. From Harrison and Susan
Last edited by Moogie; January 28th, 2013 at 04:00 PM. Reason: typo
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Pittsfield man joins Internet tax fray to make online merchants collect sales taxesBy DAVE SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader
December 01. 2012 8:31PM
Joe Cortese knows a few things about Internet sales.
A Pittsfield-based coin and stamp dealer, he started selling on eBay soon after the online sales giant was launched in the mid-1990s. He's the founder/chairman of the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance and co-founder/chairman of the eCommerce Merchants Trade Association.
So when opponents of online sales taxes decided to form a national coalition three months ago, they turned to Cortese to be a founding member. He signed on with "We R Here," which stands for Web Enabled Retailers Helping Expand Retail Employment.
The group's debut was well-timed, as efforts to force Web sellers to honor state sales taxes are picking up steam. Last Wednesday, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., second-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership, filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2013 that would attach his Marketplace Fairness Act to the national security legislation.
The act would enable states to compel online and catalog retailers - no matter where they are located - to collect sales taxes at the time of a transaction. States would be required to simplify their sales tax laws to enable collection and payment across the country. Twenty-four states have voluntarily adopted the simplification measures in anticipation of the law's approval.
States seek passage
On Wednesday, hundreds of state legislators, anxious for additional sales tax revenue, will converge on Capitol Hill to urge passage of the bill, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
The Hill, a congressional newspaper with a special focus on business and lobbying, reported last week that supporters of the measure are increasingly confident they have the votes in the Senate if they can get the measure on the legislative calendar. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in July.
New Hampshire consumers would not be directly affected by a tax on Internet transactions because the state is one of only five in the country that does not have a sales tax, the other four being Oregon, Montana, Alaska and Delaware. But the state has a thriving online business community that feels seriously threatened by the proposal.
For example, if the proposal became law, a New Hampshire online retailer who sold a product to someone in Texas would have to charge the buyer the Texas sales tax in addition to the product's price. The tax portion of the sale would go to Texas.
Recent census data show that New Hampshire is in the top 10 nationally when it comes to online sales as a percent of all retail activity, at 3.10 percent, with 2,951 employees working for 191 different online retailers.
"The costs and complexity associated with collecting these taxes would put a damper on Internet sales," said Cortese. "I think merchants have enough to do in their daily workflow without having to collect taxes for 13,000 tax jurisdictions throughout the country. You are going to see online businesses lining up to close shop, rather than take on new employees, in the climate of risk this would introduce."
An uphill battle?
Cortese and like-minded online retailers realize they are now fighting an uphill battle.
"We're the underdog. No question about it," said Phil Bond, executive director of We R Here. "The big-box guys have been working on this for years at the state and federal level. These are huge companies with dozens of retained lobbyists working on it very hard, and the small guys don't have the resources to do that. So nine weeks ago, we put together this coalition."
Since then, Bond said, the group has attracted 10,000 members. "We are tapping into a community that felt left out and is now starting to realize they are threatened by this effort from the big-box stores that have been phenomenally successful in taking market share from the smaller retailers."
Cortese argues that companies doing millions of dollars in Internet sales across state lines are already equipped to deal with the law, and see its implementation as a way of driving out the little guy, increasing their market share even further. Amazon with its massive international infrastructure supports the bill, while eBay, which relies on millions of individual sellers like Cortese, opposes it.
The rift is evident in New Hampshire, where the state's Retail Merchants Association has been unable to develop a consensus on the matter.
"Our board, two years ago, voted not to take a stance on the issue," said Nancy C. Kyle, the association's president and CEO, explaining that the board is made up of small independent retailers and major corporations. "The major corporations all support this while the smaller board members feel that there should be an exception for states that do not have a sales tax."
The question of exemptions for the five states with no sales tax remains unresolved.
Even though Cortese's sales are just below the $500,000 threshold, and he is based in a state that could qualify for an exemption, he remains strongly opposed. "There are much larger questions at stake here than just my individual interest and concerns," he said. "This is something that, if implemented, would impact the entire economy."
Effect on Internet sales
Bond argues that the effect on Internet sales would be severe, for minimal gain to state coffers. About 40 percent of e-commerce taxes are already being collected, he said, because of activity by large companies.
The 60 percent left to be collected would only improve the revenue picture for states with sales taxes by one-third of one percent, he said.
"It is not really that big in the overall picture, but it is a matter of life or death to the small online retailer. We are trying to alert folks that this would be a good time to let their congressmen and senators know how they feel about this."
States have been unable to enforce their own sales taxes on sales by out-of-state catalog and online sellers since a 1992 Supreme Court decision that the Marketplace Fairness Act seeks to reverse. Backers of the measure say it would address the unfair advantage that online retailers have over local brick-and-mortar shops in sales-tax states.
Durbin's amendment may not make it onto the defense reauthorization bill, which passed the House overwhelmingly earlier in the year, but without any Internet tax amendment. Even if it is not included in the defense authorization bill, it is likely to come up for a vote in some fashion.
Lawmakers from New Hampshire have lined up against the measure.
"I strongly object to the consideration of the Durbin sales tax legislation and will do everything in my power to make sure this is not rammed through," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte. "This issue is about state sovereignty, especially for a non-sales tax state like ours.�... An attempt to rush this proposal through in the waning days of Congress would be just as objectionable as the proposal itself, particularly when we have a fiscal cliff looming over our economy."
Last fall, Ayotte introduced a bipartisan resolution with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., co-sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., opposing any federal legislation that would give states the authority to impose new tax collecting requirements on Internet businesses and entrepreneurs. U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass, R-N.H., is the cosponsor of similar legislation in the House of Representatives.
Ayotte testified at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in August, citing the Supreme Court's Quill v. North Dakota case in 1992, which held that requiring remote vendors to collect such taxes would place an unconstitutional burden on interstate commerce.
Bond hopes his group, with help from Ayotte, Bass and other sympathetic lawmakers, can at least delay action on the legislation until a new Congress is sworn in and the lobbying machine in favor of the bill has to go to work with a new cast of characters.
"By all indications, retailers are coming off of their best Black Friday and Cyber Monday ever," he said. "So it is puzzling that some in Congress are still insistent on helping big-box retailers crush their small-business competition by saddling them with new tax collection burdens."
Business Human Interest Labor General News Pittsfield Top Section Stories Featured Business


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About Pushpamala N.
Photo- and video-performance artist Pushpamala N. plays the subject in images that critique female stereotypes in India and the reductive classifications furthered by ethnographic documentation. Drawing attention to the constructed nature of the image, Pushpamala reenacts historical representations of women in order to subvert them; in one series she embodies the seven moods traditionally associated with women in northern India poetry and painting, including sad, happy, and erotic. Her work, which has been compared to Cindy Sherman's, also references Bollywood archetypes and narratives.
Indian, b. 1956, Bangalore, India, based in Bangalore, India


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Capcom released a first gameplay video for Remember Me showing over 7 minutes of footage.
Hmm...Might be interesting but I dunno. The brain hacking looked more like a "click this fail then click this win" type deal. Hope that isn't the case, otherwise there's not much point in it if you can't fail due to rewinds. Maybe it's just a Tutorial level.
Finally, a new IP from Capcom, and it looks halfway decent, I'm looking forward to seeing more, this game looks right up my alley.
First off I wanna say the gameplay looks fantastic and the game looks promising overall.
secondly I may sound like nitpicking but @ 2:00: Big wanted poster with her picture flashes up on building then goes climbing on the same building... yeah The lack of awareness from the NPC's is totally killing the immersion. Had they showed some reaction,the game could have totally be different more tense and more interesting (as in how are you gonna the complete the mission now that you've been spotted). I really long for days when NPC's aren't just Background decoration but actual living being.


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(AP) Seattle overcomes mistakes to beat Titans 20-13
By TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer
Tired of the comical errors, Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman did all the right things and the Seattle Seahawks remained perfect at home.
Lynch ran for two touchdowns and had 155 all-purpose yards, Sherman got his third interception of the season early in the fourth quarter, and the Seahawks finally shook the Tennessee Titans for a 20-13 victory.
Seattle (5-1) won its 11th straight at home despite a long list of mistakes that allowed the Titans (3-3) to hang around. There was a careless turnover, missed defensive assignments and a comical muffed field goal attempt that led to the Titans' only touchdown on the final play of the first half.
But the Seahawks made enough plays thanks to Lynch, quarterback Russell Wilson and Sherman's interception to remain on top of the NFC West.
Lynch finished with 77 yards rushing, including touchdown runs of 1 and 3 yards, and a career-best 78 yards on four receptions. Wilson was 23 of 31 for 257 yards, and Seattle dominated in total yardage, outgaining the Titans 404-223.
Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 17 of 29 passes for 171 yards and threw two interceptions. None was more costly than his decision to challenge Sherman on the first play after Seattle took a 13-10 lead. Sherman didn't bite on Nate Washington's fake.
Seattle immediately turned the interception into points, with Lynch scoring from the 3 for a 10-point lead.
Chris Johnson was limited to 33 yards on 12 carries. Fitzpatrick also scrambled for 33 yards.
Steven Hauschka kicked field goals of 31 and 29 yards in the second half for Seattle, but only after being injured in the first half, a development that led to a major special teams blunder and Tennessee's only touchdown.
Hauschka was plowed by Darius Raynaud during the kickoff return following Lynch's first TD midway through the second quarter. Just before halftime, Hauschka went to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.
He missed a memorable special teams mistake. Chris Maragos, a reserve safety, was asked to hold on a short field goal attempt by punter Jon Ryan on the final play of the half. Maragos caught the snap cleanly, but lost the ball as he went to place it down. Instead of falling on the ball, Maragos tried to make a play. He was stripped by Michael Griffin and Jason McCourty picked up the loose ball and raced 77 yards to give the Titans a 10-7 halftime lead.
On Seattle's first possession of the second half, Sidney Rice caught his first pass of the game, only to expose the ball as he was spun to the ground. Moise Fokou knocked the ball free and Griffin recovered.
Eventually the mistakes subsided for Seattle. Hauschka returned to hit both field goals to give Seattle the lead, but the second came after a lucky bounce.
The Seahawks opened the fourth quarter with three straight chunk plays that covered 78 yards, including Wilson's 55-yard pass to Lynch.
On first down at the 2, Lynch ran to the left and had the ball knocked free by Fokou. The ball bounced perfectly for Zach Brown, but instead of falling on it he tried to pick it up and run. He never had control and it caromed from Brown's hands into the arms of Wilson chasing the fumble. Instead of another costly red-zone turnover, the Seahawks had second down at the 11. Hauschka eventually hit his second field goal.
Tennessee tried to rally late, with Rob Bironas hitting his second field goal with 2:18 left, but the Seahawks ran out the clock.


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Quote: "Conquer by this."
Emperor Constantine (c. 272 - 327) was the first Christian emperor. Or was he? Whether he was a sincere believer or only used religion as a talisman or as a way to unite his empire has been debated for centuries. The historian Eusebius records the story of Constantine's vision of a cross in the noon-day sky, one of the most well-known conversion accounts in Christian literature—if it is indeed a conversion account.
The date is October 28, 312. The setting is the ancient stone Milvian Bridge that spans the Tiber River near the gate of Rome. Constantine is nervous. His troops are outnumbered by the army of Maxentius stationed behind the walls of Rome with enough provisions to withstand a long siege. The prospects of winning are not good for the pagan general. Then at noon he sees a cross above the sun with the words "Conquer by this."
Why Maxentius came out of town to do open battle with his adversary is a mystery to military experts. In the end, due to his poor strategy or to the intervention of God, the victory belongs to Constantine, paving the way for him to become the sole emperor of both East and West.
As a Christian emperor, Constantine gets high marks for the Edict of Milan in 313 that secures toleration of Christianity and ends the persecution that began with Nero. But while ending persecution from pagans he disregards the Christian pacifist tradition and inaugurates a long history of Christian fratricide. He sends troops to North Africa to attack the Donatists, a breakaway sect of Christian purists.
Constantine's sins also include murder—and not merely murder of his distant enemies. He arranges the murder even of his son and one of his wives. His Christian credentials are found wanting in other matters as well. Before he professed to follow the Christian God, he was partial to the sun god, a god who continued to be in good standing with him long after his cross-above-the-sun vision. His coins featured the sun god on one side and the name of Christ on the other. Thus Sunday, so-called by Constantine, was on his orders set aside as the day of worship.
Constantine's delayed baptism also throws a damper on any claim to his saintliness. Apparently fearing the sacrament would not take because of his wicked ways, he postpones it until he is on his deathbed in 337. Then he contacts Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia to officiate. Setting aside his imperial purple garb, he dresses in white and rests on a white sofa to symbolize his new spiritual status. That Eusebius is an Arian is one final snub by the emperor to Athanasius and orthodoxy in the Western church. In an effort to rectify the matter, however, an apocryphal account was later circulated that falsely claims that Constantine was baptized in Rome by Pope Sylvester. The end for Constantine comes, according to Eusebius, at "about the time of the midday sun," reminiscent of the vision a quarter-century earlier—symbolism fitting an emperor.
Constantine's life illustrates the malevolence and messiness of this era—an era that set the stage for orthodox faith for the ensuing centuries. Saintly heroes were in short supply. Sin and shame had free reign, then as now.
Today's reading is from Parade of Faith: A Biographical History of the Christian Church by Ruth Tucker. © 2010 by Zondervan. Used with permission. All rights reserved. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media.


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For the most reliable performance from your Newell, we recommend a visit to our service department in Miami, Oklahoma, at least once a year. But there may be times when you need assistance closer to home or while you're on the road. Below is a list of preferred service facilities located throughout the U.S. and Canada. You can also find lists of vendor-approved service centers in some of the owner's manuals provided with your coach.
For EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE from a trained Newell service technician day or night, call the Newell 24/7 Service Hotline: 1-888-3NEWELL (1-888-363-9355).
The Cummins Coach Care and Caterpillar RV Center networks appear on the list of preferred service facilities. Each center provides 24/7 emergency service assistance, a service lounge, and trained technicians to service your coach engines and generators.
To obtain roadside assistance from Caterpillar, or to find a Caterpillar dealer near you, call the Cat Engine Call Center at: 1-877-777-3126, or use the Caterpillar website.
To obtain Cummins road side assistance, or to find a Cummins dealer near you, call 1-800-DIESELS (1-800-343-7357) or go to the Cummins website.
If you are obtaining services covered under your Newell warranty, please have the service facility contact us before they start the repairs. For repairs that qualify for warranty coverage, we will issue a confirming purchase order, and when possible, arrange for direct payment by credit card.
You or a repair facility can contact us for technical assistance and warranty authorizations at: 1-888-3NEWELL (1-888-363-9355).
For EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE from a trained Newell service technician day or night, call the Newell 24/7 Service Hotline: 1-888-3NEWELL (1-888-363-9355).


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Anne Hathaway could have been a double winner at the Oscars last year (13) if she hadn't dropped out of Silver Linings Playbook due to creative differences with director David O. Russell.
The film's producer, Harvey Weinstein, has revealed Hathaway was the first choice to play mentally-unstable Tiffany Maxwell in the movie, but she fell out with Russell and was replaced by Jennifer Lawrence.
Both women won Oscars - Lawrence took home a Best Actress award and Hathaway a Best Supporting Actress honor for Les Miserables.
Weinstein tells radio host Howard Stern, "Silver Linings Playbook was originally going to be with Anne Hathaway and Mark Wahlberg... and then Anne wasn't doing it. And she's marvellous, and wonderful and she was my choice, I love her.
"We had Annie and then we had Mark... (and) then whatever happened, happened... David and Anne had some creative differences. They didn't see eye-to-eye.
"Then Jennifer Lawrence and two or three other actress came in, and the minute we saw Jennifer Lawrence's tape...
"I said, 'How the hell are we gonna replace Annie?' And then this amazing creature walked in."
Wahlberg's role went to Bradley Cooper, who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his performance.