text:
Manic Suppression: Now Is Our Chance To Reform Wildfire Management— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Oct 06, 2015 04:24 PM
A team of UC Davis scientists describe unique opportunities to reform forest fire management.
Farmland May Provide Key To Replenishing Groundwater— by Diane Nelson — last modified Sep 09, 2015 08:53 AM
Replenishing supply may benefit everyone in the drought-stricken Golden State.
Lake Tahoe Mobile App Lets Visitors Be Citizen Scientists— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Aug 19, 2015 11:31 AM
Data will help researchers better understand Lake Tahoe's fragile nearshore.
Drought Costs California Money, Jobs— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Aug 18, 2015 10:19 AM
In 2015, the drought will cost California agriculture $1.84B and 10,100 jobs.
Knowledge Roundup— by John Stumbos — last modified Jul 30, 2015 03:02 PM
Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium draws crowd to UC Davis.
Working Together To Manage Drought— by Diane Nelson — last modified Jul 16, 2015 04:08 PM
CA&ES researchers are developing and improving technology to help manage California's scarce water resources.
Sunscreen Nanomaterials Harmful To Marine Life— by Kat Kerlin — last modified May 12, 2015 03:51 PM
Newly published UC Davis study questions the safety of nanomaterials.
Nitrogen Fingerprints Point To Warmer World— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Apr 30, 2015 03:31 PM
Developing an accurate way to forecast nitrogen's effects on the climate cycle.
Smogged Secondhand— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Apr 01, 2015 10:32 AM
Determining the amount of ozone pollution drifting into California.
Finding Hope Amid Enduring Drought— by Helene Dillard — last modified Mar 06, 2015 09:51 AM
Dean Helene Dillard's editorial examines how UC Davis is seeking practical water solutions.
Smothered Oceans— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Feb 10, 2015 03:56 PM
Extreme oxygen loss in oceans accompanied previous global climate change.
'Rice-enomics' In A Drought— by Brad Hooker — last modified Dec 19, 2014 02:18 PM
Deep ties with the area - and UC Davis - are helping one farmer take on agricultural challenges.
Making A Splash— by John Stumbos — last modified Dec 17, 2014 03:56 PM
CalTrout makes historic commitment for endowed chair at UC Davis.
CA&ES Faculty Awarded Fellowships— by John Stumbos — last modified Dec 08, 2014 04:38 PM
Four CA&ES faculty members awarded Hellman Family Foundation fellowships.
Making Connections— by John Stumbos — last modified Dec 01, 2014 04:13 PM
Popular undergraduate research conference hones student skills.
Expanding California's Water Supply— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Nov 21, 2014 12:13 PM
Larger reservoirs do not necessarily lead to increased storage amounts.
Scientists Share Water Conservation Award— by Pamela Kan-Rice — last modified Nov 04, 2014 03:33 PM
National award recognizes the universities' exceptional collaboration on a multistate research project.
Identifying High-Priority Dams For Fish Survival— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Oct 22, 2014 03:49 PM
Scientists have identified 181 California dams that may need to increase water flows to protect native fish downstream.
Not Quite Water Rights— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Aug 19, 2014 12:09 PM
California has given away rights to far more water than it actually has.
State of the Lake: High (Tech) and Dry at Tahoe— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Aug 19, 2014 10:30 AM
Annual report explains how drought, climate change, and other factors are driving lake changes.
Groundwater usage threatens future supply— by Pamela Kan-Rice — last modified Jul 16, 2014 03:03 PM
"A significant number of regions in California won't have groundwater available in another generation or two if we continue business as usual." -- UC Davis scientists Thomas Harter and Helen Dahlke.
Charles Hess to receive 2014 UC Davis Medal— by Pat Bailey — last modified May 30, 2014 08:44 AM
Plant sciences professor: highest campus medal for service and dedication.
Sources on California's drought: UC Davis experts— by Pat Bailey, Kat Kerlin — last modified Jun 18, 2015 11:52 AM
Experts available to the media: drought and water-supply issues in California.
Drought has influenced policy changes before— by John Stumbos — last modified Apr 15, 2014 11:28 AM
Professor Mark Lubell describes weather's role in building support for water projects.
UC Davis No. 1 globally: Agriculture and forestry— by Pat Bailey and Ann Filmer — last modified Mar 03, 2014 09:21 AM
UC Davis again ranks No. 1 in the world for teaching and research in agriculture and forestry.
Drought could be the worst in 500 years— by Ann Filmer — last modified Feb 26, 2014 09:16 AM
Drought will have a multi-year impact on Calif. fruit trees; Ken Schackel, Dept. of Plant Sciences.
UC Davis in nationwide hub on climate change— by Edward Ortiz — last modified Feb 25, 2014 08:56 AM
UC Davis is one of 10 nationwide sites to focus on climate change effects on farms and forests.
Drought— by admin — last modified Apr 23, 2014 01:45 PM
Our scientists are engaged in wide-ranging efforts to address California's severe drought. This work is helping the state's fruit and vegetable farmers stretch limited water supplies, rangeland cattle ranchers in need of management information, and urban dwellers seeking water-saving landscape ideas. Other scientists are monitoring the impact of the critical water shortage on our environment. Here are some examples of what we're doing to make every drop count.
Rustici Endowed Research Project— by admin — last modified Jan 13, 2015 01:36 PM
Summary paragraph
New dean Helene Dillard begins Jan. 27 at UC Davis— by John Stumbos and Ann Filmer — last modified Jan 27, 2014 09:25 AM
The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomes a new dean.
UC Davis in global top 10 for sustainability— by Pat Bailey — last modified Jan 27, 2014 09:19 AM
Of all UC campuses, only Davis made the top 10; UI GreenMetric World University Ranking.
River water diversions threaten green sturgeon— by Pat Bailey — last modified Jan 21, 2014 09:44 AM
Young sturgeon may be killed by unscreened pipes that divert river water.
Wild Campus students create wildlife habitats— by afilmer — last modified Mar 18, 2014 02:35 PM
Student organization at UC Davis creates wildlife habitats on campus and off campus.
Yosemite toad undeterred by grazing cows— by Pamela Kan-Rice — last modified Jan 14, 2014 11:46 AM
The relationship between cattle grazing and numbers of Yosemite toads.
Helene Dillard named dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences— by Pat Bailey — last modified Nov 21, 2013 12:06 PM
Plant disease expert Helene Dillard, who is associate dean and head of Cooperative Extension at Cornell University, has been named the new dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis, and will begin at UC Davis in late January 2014.
For fish and rice to thrive in Yolo Bypass, 'just add water'— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Nov 04, 2013 08:45 AM
Rice fields in California's Yolo Bypass provide a bug buffet for juvenile salmon on their journey to the sea, resulting in fat and fast-growing salmon.
Longer life for humans linked to further loss of endangered species— by afilmer — last modified Oct 31, 2013 01:32 PM
As human life expectancy increases, so does the percentage of invasive and endangered birds and mammals.
New light on how some fish adapt to saltwater— by Pat Bailey — last modified Oct 24, 2013 04:11 PM
Tilapia fish readily adapt to fresh or salty water, making them both good candidates for aquaculture and potential invasive pests.
Urban fish masculinized by hormone-mimicking chemicals— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Oct 23, 2013 12:37 PM
It's a man's world for fish in a San Francisco Bay–Delta estuary.
Engaging tomorrow's agricultural researchers in international development— by Brenda Dawson — last modified Oct 17, 2013 10:50 AM
Grad students answer the question, "What did you do this summer?" with stories of working abroad on agricultural development projects.
Legislative resolution lauds UC Davis for top ranking in agriculture— by Pat Bailey — last modified Oct 17, 2013 10:52 AM
The California legislature honored UC Davis' top ranking in agricultural teaching and research with a unanimous resolution.
Major gift addresses California water problems— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Oct 17, 2013 10:53 AM
The Center for Watershed Sciences received a $10 million gift to build on its success as a center for problem-solving research on California's critical water issues.
Policies worry farmers more than climate change— by Kat Kerlin — last modified Oct 17, 2013 10:54 AM
California farmers feel more threatened by climate policy and government regulations than they do by climate change.
Helping Growers Optimize Irrigation— by Diane Nelson — last modified Sep 11, 2015 10:40 AM
Technology developed at UC Davis is giving growers tools to help irrigate more effectively.


text:
NOTE: Links in the blue box above are not necessarily made in NYS, but they help keep this site free
MadeInNYS.com: Search Results
Your search returned 42 matches.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 [>>]
Category: food
2nd ave deli
The 2nd Avenue Deli is New York City's world-renowned kosher deli, recipient of the "America's Regional Classic Award" from the James Beard Foundation. Established in 1954 in our present East Village location, our regulars include not only New Yorkers, but tourists from other states and countries, as well as the occasional celeb.
Contact info:
2nd ave deli
see website
New York NY .
Phone: (.) .
Website URL: http://www.madeinnys.com/feature1/2avedeli.htm
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Open hours:
County: New York City
Region: New York City
Added: 10-Apr-2004, Hits: 8424
Category: crafts, food, furniture, gifts
The Essence of the Adirondacks in Home Furnishings, Gifts and Food Products, AdirondackCraft.com features 70 different producers from the Adirondack North Country region and over 300 different hand-crafted products.
Contact info:
Mr. Timothy Holmes
PO Box 295
Saranac Lake NY 12983
Phone: (518) 8913139
Fax: 518-891-3139
Website URL: http://www.adirondackcraft.com
Email: email@example.com
Open hours: 24 / 7
County: Franklin
Region: Adirondacks
Added: 27-May-2003, Hits: 34116
Category: food, wine
Arbor Hill
Arbor Hill is an inovator of specialty food products using our own quality wine and grapes as our special product base. Our line includes family made preserves, wine jellies, wine sauces, salad dressings, vinegars, BBQ sauces, mustards, grape juices, grape pie topping & filling and dozens of award-winng wines. John H. Brahm III is the owner and the wine master at Arbor Hill. Our Balsamic Vinegar was featured on the Food Networks "Food Finds" show. Enjoy, Taste after taste, Time after time!
Contact info:
Mrs. Sherry Brahm-Orlando
6461 Route 64
Naples NY 14512
Phone: (585) 374-287
Fax: 585-374-9198
Website URL: http://www.thegrapery.com
Email: email@example.com
Open hours: 10-5 Mon.-Sat. 11-5 Sun./Open weekends only from Jan. 1st -May 15th
County: Ontario
Region: Finger Lakes
Added: 14-Feb-2006, Hits: 15022
Category: coffee, food
Bistro New York International
Bistro New York International, Inc., gourmet coffee shop chain, was established in New York City in 1993. Today, Bistro New York distributes several lines of coffee and coffee related products under the Bistro New York label, such as Bistro New York Premium Coffee Beans, Bistro New York Ground Coffee and Bistro New York Coffee Biscuits.
Contact info:
Bistro New York International
see website for more info
New York NY 11105
Phone: (.) .
Website URL: http://www.madeinnys.com/feature1/bistrony.htm
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Open hours:
County: New York City
Region: New York City
Added: 09-Apr-2004, Hits: 14352
Category: food
Blakes Jerky
Blake's Artisanal Kosher Beef Jerky is made from the finest quality Kosher meat and ingredients. Taste The Difference!
Contact info:
Mr. avi cyperstein
82-52 Abingdon road
kew gardens NY 11415
Phone: (347) 6204532
Fax: 3476841155
Website URL: http://www.BlakesJerky.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Open hours:
County: New York City
Region: New York City
Added: 25-Feb-2016, Hits: 2016
Category: food, gifts, manufactured products, other-merchandise
Blank Slate Kitchen
Blank Slate Kitchen crafts ingredients for people to explore, develop and realize their kitchen creativity. Our luxuriously flavorful Rich Simple Syrups are available in four flavors – Palm Sugar, Vanilla, Black Pepper and Thai Bird's Eye Chili. Distinct from other cocktail-focused syrups, they are thicker, more concentrated, and a better value. Ideal to use in place of honey or maple syrup, they are great additions to cocktails, coffee, tea, homemade soda, desserts, breakfast, and more.
Contact info:
Mr. Alex Sorenson
Old Chelsea Station PO Box 1327
New York NY 10113
Phone: (646) 9025265
Website URL: http://www.blankslatekitchen.com
Email: email@example.com
Open hours:
County: New York City
Region: New York City
Added: 15-Feb-2016, Hits: 6657
Category: clothing, crafts, food, gifts, jewelry, maple syrup, other-merchandise, other-services, toys
BMR Acres Country Farm Store
Specializing in Luxurious Alpaca products, fiber, yarn. We also carry local artisan products such as wood crafts, soaps, lotions, creams, candles, honey, maple syrup. We also carry Melissa & Doug Toys. Gift baskets made to order. Gift Certificates Available. We raise & sell alpacas, miniature donkeys and Babydoll Sheep.
Contact info:
Mrs. Mary Ellen Rose
2542 Pine Ridge Road
Canastota NY 13032
Phone: (315) 6975476
Fax: 315-697-8458
Website URL: http://bmracres.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Open hours: Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5, evening hours by appointment, farm visits by appointment.
County: Madison
Region: Central Leatherstocking
Added: 25-Nov-2008, Hits: 10377
Category: food
Brighton Honey
Brighton Honey provides raw unfiltered organic local honey with no preservatives, pesticides, or antibiotics. Brighton, Rochester, NY 14623
Contact info:
Edward Graham
106 Norman Rd
Rochester NY 14623
Phone: (585) 7581060
Website URL: http://www.brightonhoney.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Open hours:
County: Monroe
Region: Finger Lakes
Added: 01-Feb-2015, Hits: 3336
Category: food, wine
Cascade Mountain Winery & Restaurant
Cascade Mountain Winery offers the best of New York's foods and wines at its highly rated restaurant. So come and dine in rural splendor while you sample the Empire State's best of everything
Contact info:
Mr. William Wetmore
835 Cascade Rd
Amenia NY 12501
Phone: (845) 3739021
Fax: 845 373-7869
Website URL: http://cascademt.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Open hours: seasonal
County: Dutchess
Region: Hudson Valley
Added: 05-Jun-2003, Hits: 15219
Category: food, wine
Cascade Mountain Winery & Restaurant
Cascade Mountain Winery & Restaurant was the first farm winery in New York State to feature the foods and wines of the region. Our wines have won numerous awards in both national and international competitions. Our restaurant has been rated "Very Good" by the New York Times and very good to excellent by Zagat's. Come and taste for yourselves.
Contact info:
Mr. William Wetmore
835 Cascade Rd
Amenia NY 250
Phone: (845) 373902
Fax: 845
Website URL: http://www.cascademt.com
Email: email@example.com
Open hours: seasonal,please call
County: Dutchess
Region: Hudson Valley
Added: 12-Aug-2003, Hits: 14608
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 [>>]
| Quick Search - Get Listed | Advanced Search | Log Off - homepage |
Database Powered by Gossamer Threads Inc.
NOTE: Links in the blue box above are not necessarily made in NYS, but they help keep this site free

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Feature Story
Keeping bacteria out of the bag
October 2001James P. AuBuchon, MDMiriam F. Leach, MS, MT(ASCP)SBB
Report of bacterial contamination
The era of modern blood banking began during World War II when anticoagulant solutions were developed that made it possible to store whole blood. Blood was collected in glass bottles in what today would be called an open system, and units in which bacteria had proliferated during storage were often infused, with catastrophic results.1
The development and commercial introduction of plastic bags for blood collection not only made large-scale production of components possible but also reduced the potential for external contamination of the blood. As a result, reports of bacterial contamination dropped sharply, and the problem was generally believed to have disappeared. With viral contamination of the blood supply garnering the lion's share of attention in the 1980s, bacterial contamination received scant notice. However, now that the risks of viral transmission have become vanishingly small, the ever-present threat of bacterial contamination has become recognized as one of the greatest risks of post-transfusion morbidity and mortality.
Sources of contamination
Most bacterial contamination emanates from the collection process rather than from the bags or their manipulation. Occasional instances of lots of collection bags being contaminated with an organism have been reported,2 but, thanks to Good Manufacturing Practices being applied to the bag manufacturing and sterilization processes, this is a rare event.3 Contamination arising from manipulation of units is essentially unknown in recent times because of the short periods during which components can be held after the closed system is violated4 and the ability to connect plastic tubing while maintaining a closed system and thus avoid contamination from the environment.5
Although donors must pass a stringent health history assessment before they are accepted for donation, some apparently healthy donors have a low-level bacteremia. Inoculation of even a few bacteria into a blood component may lead to proliferation to lethal levels during storage. The organisms contaminating blood units through donor bacteremia are usually gram-negative "enteric" pathogens, such as Yersinia enterocolitica, Escherichia coli, or Salmonella. Attempts to identify and interdict donors who are at higher risk of carrying these organisms, through historical screening, have proved to be relatively insensitive and nonspecific.6,7 As a result, such questioning has not been widely adopted. This source of contamination probably remains as the primary source for red blood cell units containing gram-negative organisms.
The most common source of contamination, however, is the skin of the donor. Ineffective antiseptic cleansing of the skin could lead to collection of skin organisms. The dimpling of skin that occurs with frequent donation may make it difficult to sterilize the phlebotomy site. Compounding the problem is the frequent "coring" of skin and subcutaneous structures that occurs with large-bore needles. These "skin plugs" may carry into the unit of blood bacteria harbored in adnexal structures.8 Consideration is being given to altering the construction of collection bags to divert the first 20-100 mL of blood into a separate bag to prevent contamination of the unit. Though this may provide additional safety, it is not likely to eliminate the bacterial contamination problem entirely because of the volumes that can be diverted without causing significant additional donor red cell loss.9,10
Therefore, most bacterial contaminations occur without suspicion when collecting blood from donors who appear to be healthy.
Fate of bacteria
Not all bacteria that enter a unit of blood survive to multiply due to soluble and cellular antibacterial mechanisms. Many gram-negative bacteria are inactivated by a complement-dependent mechanism11 such that more than 99 percent cannot be recovered after two hours at room temperature.12 Donors may also have preformed antibodies directed against specific bacteria or classes of bacteria that may lead to the clearance of contaminating organisms.13
Leukocytes are, of course, an important effector in antimicrobial defenses, and leukocytes remain active at least for several hours post-collection.14 While refrigeration retards their subsequent activity, some European blood collecting agencies have delayed refrigeration for up to 24 hours to allow leukocytes to phagocytize as many contaminating bacteria as possible. As leukocytes undergo cellular death during storage, however, they may release phagocytized bacteria that were not killed in their lysosomes, thus setting up the potential for bacteria to proliferate several days after storage begins and at a time with reduced leukocytic and complement activity to provide an effective defense.
Adsorption filtration to reduce the content of leukocytes in cellular blood components may also remove bacteria from units. Leukoreduction filtration within the first several days of storage may also reduce the risk of leukocytes releasing viable bacteria later in storage. In addition, some bacteria demonstrate adherence to some leukocyte filters directly when suspended in certain solutions.12 Thus, several laboratories have demonstrated that units subjected to adsorption filtration of leukocytes early in storage after intentional inoculation at collection have lower (or at least not higher) rates of bacterial proliferation than those not leukoreduced by filtration.15,17 These salubrious effects of leukocyte filtration cannot, however, guarantee sterility of a leukoreduced unit because not all species of bacteria at all concentrations are reliably removed.16
Leukocyte reduction by other means has the potential to increase the risk of bacterial contamination. Inoculation of bacteria into units that had already undergone leukoreduction resulted in accelerated bacterial growth compared with leukocyte-replete units.18 From a logistic point of view, this observation is not a practical problem for whole blood-derived platelet units because leukoreduction filtration is performed after, rather than before, the point that almost all contaminated units are seeded with bacteria. However, several manufacturers' recent developments in plateletpheresis technology allow a therapeutic dose of platelets to be collected from a single donor with so few leukocytes (usually less than 105) that the unit qualifies as "leukoreduced" without having to undergo filtration. If bacteria have been introduced into the unit via phlebotomy or via the donor's bloodstream, there are fewer leukocytes available to phagocytize and kill them.
From practical experience, however, the removal of leukocytes during apheresis does not appear to pose a greater risk of post-transfusion sepsis. Not only have the rates of sepsis following transfusion of platelets, pheresis not increased during a time that leukoreduction has been achieved to greater degrees, but the risk of morbidity and mortality are reduced 80 to 90 percent when using (primarily leukoreduced) platelets, pheresis rather than platelet concentrates derived from whole blood units.19 Single-donor platelets appear to provide platelet support with a significantly reduced risk of bacterial contamination.
Magnitude of the problem
The exact magnitude of the problem of bacterial contamination is difficult to define. Some studies have performed surveillance cultures on large numbers of units shortly after collection.20,21 The reported rates of contamination (as defined by bacteria recovery) were about 1:1,000 to 1:10,000 units. However, these studies may lack relevance and sensitivity. Detection of an organism does not equate with the clinical consequence of sepsis or even infection since the organism may not have proliferated under blood bank storage conditions. On the other hand, these results may underestimate contamination problems because they usually involve culture of small volumes that may fail to include one of the few contaminating organisms in the unit. These studies do document, however, that the risk of a unit containing bacteria is several orders of magnitude higher than the risk of a unit containing the commonly feared bloodborne viruses.
A more clinically relevant approach to defining the magnitude of the problem emanates from observations of clinical reactions attributable to bacterially contaminated units. However, the problem is likely to be underreported from the bedside of the patient. While contamination of red blood cells with gram-negative organisms and the endotoxin they generate is not likely to go unnoticed, contamination of units with gram-positive organisms may not lead to acute decompensation. Development of symptoms or infection at a later time may then not be etiologically connected with the earlier transfusion. Furthermore, many recipients of platelet units are immunosuppressed and neutropenic; as a result, they are susceptible to infection with the same types of organisms found to contaminate platelet units most often, and the association with transfusion may be missed. Because of their decreased resistance to infection, these same patients are often placed on prophylactic antibiotics, again making it difficult to recognize a contaminated transfusion.
Concerted efforts in many countries in the past several years to set up "hemovigilance" systems to detect all untoward occurrences following transfusion are yielding more complete information about the magnitude of the risk of bacterial contamination. A report from the French system for the first two years of operation (Nov. 1, 1996-Oct. 31, 1998) noted that six of the 10 transfusion-related deaths detected had been attributable to bacterial contamination of units, and the transfusion of 15 percent of all bacterially contaminated units had resulted in fatalities (see box).22
Other European countries have reported even higher contamination rates. Bacterial risk in Germany has been reported to be 400 per million (0.04) for red blood cells and 1,300 per million (0.13 percent) for platelet concentrate units. In Spain the reported risk is 320 per million (0.032 percent) for platelet concentrates.23,24 Recent reports of the results of routine culturing of units have documented that 10 of 5,046 (0.2 percent) plateletpheresis units were documented to contain bacteria in Belgium25, the same frequency noted in a Dutch study.26 To place these results in the context of the U.S. blood banking system, one might extrapolate the French results to expect approximately 30 deaths to occur annually as a result of bacterial contamination in addition to the morbidity associated with less severe reactions, or perhaps even higher if the German and Spanish observations are applicable. These projections would imply that the U.S. Study of Transfusion Reactions Caused by Bacterial Contamination of Blood and Blood Products (BaCon), which was being conducted with the cooperation of all major blood banking associations and agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is not capturing all the occurrences of this problem.27 Data from the first 18 months of the BaCon study extrapolate to a case rate of 9-16 per million platelet units. The fatality rate is projected at 0.25-1 per million units. Concurrently, a study at a U.S. institution documented a contamination rate of one per 1,500 platelet units.28 Thus, U.S. contamination rates are similar to those reported from other countries and document the universal nature of this problem in transfusion medicine.
These risks should be placed in context with other, more commonly reported risks, such as the risk of HIV at approximately 1:1,000,000 units and of hepatitis C at approximately 1:500,000 units.29,30
Methods of detection
A variety of techniques have been proposed to detect units that harbor potentially dangerous levels of bacteria. Those that pertain to platelet units relate primarily to means of detecting bacterial growth through consequences of bacterial metabolism. All detection techniques suffer from the inherent problem that bacterial concentrations are very low early in the storage period; the earlier the method is to be applied during storage, the closer its sensitivity limit must approach one organism/bag.
Bacteria consume glucose and produce organic acids through their metabolic cycles. Although platelets perform the same processes, their greater dependence on aerobic metabolic processes and their use of other substrates allow for detection of decreases in glucose concentration and falls in pH that are more rapid in bacterially contaminated units. Burstain and colleagues and Wagner and colleagues documented greater than 95 percent sensitivity using simple chemistry "dipsticks" to test stored platelet units for decreased glucose and pH levels during five days of storage.31,32 This success must be tempered, however, with the realization that the bacterial levels at which these tests extended beyond the reference range for sterile units approximated at least 107 bacteria/mL, well into the range considered to be potentially lethal for patients. Thus, although these techniques can be used to detect some units that contain bacteria prior to issuance for transfusion, they cannot be relied on in all circumstances. An additional problem is that these tests detect a large number of units that are not bacterially contaminated, adding expense and creating inventory management problems.28
A related approach is to examine platelet units for "swirling." An opalescent, shimmering appearance of the unit is observed with mild agitation and by holding the unit up to the light, so long as the platelets retain their normal, discoid form. With drops in the pH to < 6.0-6.2, platelets become spheroidal and thus lose their ability to align with the flow of the suspending medium. Since bacterial contamination usually leads to a drop in pH, the loss of shimmering can be used as a means to detect contaminated units.32,33 While the technique is not readily suitable for automation, it can be taught so as to be applied in a reproducible manner. However, even in experienced hands, observing platelet units for shimmering has a sensitivity to detect bacterial contamination that is not substantially better than using chemistry dipsticks32 and may yield an unacceptably high false positive rate.34
Taking a sample of the unit shortly before issuance and reviewing it for bacteria by a gram stain or other staining technique has also been reported to be beneficial.35 However, the detection limit for gram stain is approximately 106-107 per mL, and the sensitivities of fluorescent staining techniques, such as acridine orange, are only an order of magnitude better; most do not consider these techniques to be sufficiently sensitive to be relied on to ensure sterility. In addition, these stains can be difficult to interpret because of the small size of both platelets and bacteria, thus leading to reduced sensitivity and poor specificity.
A number of nucleic acid amplification techniques have been developed for this purpose. These are able to detect approximately 104-105 bacteria per mL, which is several orders of magnitude better than staining techniques and probably below the threshold for severe acute morbidity on transfusion.36,37 The techniques are relatively rapid (less than one hour) and could be used in a transfusion service laboratory. None have been commercially developed to the point of FDA approval, however, and are not generally available.
Blood centers have not implemented routine screening in this country because of the inability to culture a large enough volume early in storage to be able to document bacterial sterility. While early cultures might detect some units,23,38,39 only one study40 has documented the ability of such an approach to guarantee sterility by reculturing units at the end of the storage period. Furthermore, U.S. blood centers appear reluctant to release a unit at a time when a test result is still pending, as would have to be the case given the time required (80th percentile: 48 hours) for a culture to be detected as positive when beginning with a low-level inoculum.41
Culture of a component is regarded as the gold standard of highest sensitivity, but it must be applied properly to attain this sobriquet. As the initial bacterial content of a unit may be as low as one organism per 10-100 mL, the volume cultured and the timing of the sampling are critical. Optimal sensitivity would be obtained by culturing the entire unit's volume, but this is obviously not practical. Culturing a smaller volume risks missing the presence of the bacteria. While logistics would recommend culturing at the time all other tests are performed, the largest volume would need to be cultured earliest in the storage period. Delaying culturing to a later time increases the likelihood that the volume cultured would contain bacteria but increases the chance that a unit will be transfused with clinically significant concentrations of bacteria before the culture is obtained or found to be positive.
The surveillance studies reported in the literature21 generally have cultured 2-10 mL at the beginning of the storage period, finding 1-10/1,000 units contaminated. However, postponing culturing to the second day should provide greater predictive value of a negative result. Kinetic studies in plateletpheresis units inoculated with commonly encountered organisms to one colony forming unit (CFU)/mL and then subjected to repetitive 5 mL automated cultures illustrated that cultures were 100 percent sensitive beginning on the second day of storage.33 A similar study using a variety of organisms illustrated growth in all but one sample (sensitivity >99 percent) when cultures were taken at this point.40 However, it is recognized that some slower-growing organisms, such as some Staphylococcus epidermidis, may still occasionally be missed.42 Cultures taken for the purpose of quality control sterility checks can, of course, be collected at the end of the storage period; cultures taken to ensure sterility before release must be done early enough to be useful but late enough to be sensitive. Culturing on Day 2 may be a practical yet sensitive compromise between these competing requirements. In practical application of Day 2 culturing in a hospital transfusion service laboratory, the technique has shown to have a false positivity < 1/200 and allowed safe and effective use of units beyond the usual five days of storage.43
1. Mollison PL, Engelfriet CP, Contreras M. Blood Transfusion in Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. Oxford, England: Blackwell Science; 1997.
2. Heltberg O, Skov F, Gernere-Smidt P, et al. Nosocomial epidemic of Serratia marcescens septicemia ascribed to contaminated blood transfusion bags. Transfusion. 1993;33:221-227.
3. Food and Drug Administration. Current Good Manufacturing Practice for Finished Pharmaceuticals. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; April 1, 1999. 21CFR211.
4. Food and Drug Administration. General Biological Products Standards. Dating Periods for Licensed Biological Products. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; April 1, 1999. 21CFR610.53.
5. AuBuchon JP, Pickard C, Herschel L. Sterility of plastic tubing welds for components stored at room temperature. Transfusion. 1995;35:303-307.
6. Grossman BJ, Kollins P, Lau PM, et al. Screening blood donors for gastrointestinal illness: a strategy to eliminate carriers of Yersinia enterocolitica. Transfusion. 1991;31:500-501.
7. Katz L, MacPherson JL, Zuck TF. Yersinia and blood donation [letter]. Transfusion. 1992;32:191.
8. Perez P, Bruneau C, Chassaigne M, et al. Multivariate analysis of determinants of whole blood donation bacterial contamination [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S116-S117.
9. Wagner SJ, Robinette D, Fridman LI, et al. Use of a precollection diversion arm to reduce bacterial load in whole blood units. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S12.
10. Bruneau C, Perez P, Chassaigne M, et al. Efficacy of a new collection procedure for preventing bacterial contamination of whole blood donations [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S116.
11. Gong J, Rawal BD, Hogman CF, et al. Complement killing of Yersinia enterocolitica and retention of the bacteria by leucocyte removal filters. Vox Sang. 1994;66:166-170.
12. AuBuchon JP, Pickard C. Leukodepletion and bacterial proliferation [letter]. Transfusion. 1993;33:533-534.
13. Gong J, Hogman CF, Hambraeus A, et al. Transfusion-transmitted Yersinia enterocolitica infection. Protection through buffy coat removal and failure of the bacteria to grow in platelet-rich or platelet-poor plasma. Vox Sang. 1993;65:42-46.
14. Wagner S, Moroff G, Katz A, et al. Bacterial levels in components, prepared from deliberately inoculated whole blood held for 8 and 24 hours at room temperature [abstract]. Transfusion. 1994;34(suppl):S9.
15. Buchholz DH, AuBuchon JP, Snyder EL, et al. Removal of Yersinia enterocolitica from AS-1 red cells. Transfusion. 1992;32: 667-672.
16. Buchholz DH, AuBuchon JP, Snyder EL, et al. Effects of leukocyte reduction on the resistance of blood components to bacterial multiplication. Transfusion. 1994;34:852-857.
17. Kim DM, Brecher ME, Bland LA, et al. Prestorage removal of Yersinia enterocolitica from red cells with white cell-reduction filters. Transfusion. 1992;32: 658-662.
18. Hogman CF, Gong J, Eriksson L, et al. White cells protect donor blood against bacterial contamination. Transfusion. 1991;31: 620-626.
19. Ness PM, Braine HG, King K, et al. Single-donor platelets reduce the risk of septic platelet transfusion reactions. Transfusion. 2001;41:857-861.
20. Blajchman MA. Bacterial contamination of blood products and the value of pre-transfusion testing. Immunol Invest. 1995;24:163-170.
21. Goldman M, Blajchman MA. Blood product-associated bacterial sepsis. Transfus Med Rev. 1991;5:73-83.
22. Perez P, Salmi RL, Folléa G, et al. Transfusion-associated bacterial contamination: description of 41 cases from the French National Case Control study (BACTHEM) [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S2.
23. Walther-Wenke G, Doerner R, Montag-Lessing T, et al. Bacterial contamination of blood com-ponents: results of a two-year
survey in Germany working party "Microbiological Investigations in Transfusion Medicine" of the Advisory Board of the German Ministry of Health ("Arbeitskreisblut") [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S34.
24. Castro EM, Bueno JL, Gonzalez R, et al. Implementation of an automated bacterial culture of platelet products in the blood bank routine [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S75.
25. Schelstraete B, Bijnens B, Wuyts G. Prevalence of bacteria in leucodepleted pooled platelet concentrates and apheresis platelets: Current status in the Flemish Blood Service [abstract]. Vox Sang. 2000;78(S1):370.
26. Claeys H, Verhaegle B. Bacterial screening of platelets [abstract]. Vox Sang. 2000;78(S1):374.
27. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Red blood cell transfusions contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica—United States, 1991-1996, and initiation of a national study to detect bacteria-associated transfusion reactions. JAMA. 1997;278:196-197.
28. Mhawech PY, Werch J, Stager C, et al. Detecting bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates using reagent strips—application in a major cancer center blood bank [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S36.
29. Hotaling S, Kolk D, Baker D, et al. Significant closure of the HCV detection window with the TMA HIV-1/HCV assay [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S67.
30. Kolk D, Hotaling S, Baker D, et al. Significant closure of the HIV-1 detection window with the TMA HIV-1/HCV assay [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999; 39(suppl):S70.
31. Burstain JM, Brecher ME, Workman K, et al. Rapid identification of bacterially contaminated platelets using reagent strips: glucose and pH analysis as markers of bacterial metabolism. Transfusion. 1997;37:255-258.
32. Wagner SJ, Robinette D. Evaluation of swirling, pH, and glucose tests for the detection of bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates. Transfusion. 1996;36:989-993.
33. Leach MF, Pickard CA, Herschel LH, et al. Evaluation of glucose and pH test strips for detection of microbial contaminants in apheresis platelets [abstract]. Transfusion. 1998;38:S89.
34. Bertolini F, Murphy S. A multicenter inspection of the swirling phenomenon in platelet concentrates prepared in routine practice. Transfusion. 1996;36:128-132.
35. Yomtovian R, Lazarus HM, Goodnough LT, et al. A prospective microbiologic surveillance program to detect and prevent the transfusion of bacterially contaminated platelets. Transfusion. 1993;33:902-909.
36. Brecher ME, Hogan JJ, Boothe G, et al. Platelet bacterial contamination and the use of a chemiluminescence-linked universal bacterial ribosomal RNA gene probe. Transfusion. 1994;34:750-755.
37. Brecher ME, Boothe G, Kerr A. The use of a chemiluminescence-linked universal bacterial ribosomal RNA gene probe and blood gas analysis for the rapid detection of bacterial contamination in white cell-reduced and nonreduced platelets. Transfusion. 1993;33:450-457.
38. De Korte D, Welle F, Marcelis J, et al. Determination of the prevalence of bacterial contamination of whole blood collections using Bacti/Alert. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S20.
39. Schelstraete B, Bijnens BJ, Wuyts G. Prevalence of bacteria in leuco-depleted pooled platelet concentrates and apheresis platelets: a 3 year experience [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S88-S89.
40. Castro EM, Bueno JL, Gonzalez R, et al. Implementation of an automated bacterial culture of platelet products in the blood bank routine. Vox Sang. 2000;74(suppl 2).
41. Brecher ME, Means N, Jere CS, et al. Evaluation of BacT/Alert (BTA) microbial detection system testing of platelets [abstract]. Transfusion. 1999;39(suppl):S75.
42. Brecher ME, Means N, Jere CS, et al. Evaluation of an automated culture system for detecting bacterial contamination of platelets: an analysis with 15 contaminating organisms. Transfusion. 2001;41:477-482.
43. AuBuchon JP, Cooper LK, Leach MF, et al. Bacterial culture of platelet units and extension of storage to seven days. Transfusion. 2001;41:1S.
Dr. AuBuchon and Miriam Leach are in the Department of Pathology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH.
Dr. AuBuchon is vice chair of the CAPTransfusion Medicine Resource Committee.


text:
Eastbourne wanderings - a random Battleaxe day out
We have been to Eastbourne loads of times, but somehow never get familiar with the place.
|Elm tree in Eastbourne
We started off with coffee in the Towner Gallery. I have written plenty of posts about previous visits, and how it compares with the Jerwood in Hastings, so I won't go on about it. This time, there was an exhibition of truly enormous monochrome sea paintings by John Virtue. We quite liked them, but after a bit, seen one and you'd seen them all... Here's an example.
|John Virtue - seascape in the Towner
Then there was work by Ori Gersht, an Israeli who photographs places where really horrible things have happened. Philosopher and I were much struck by 'The Forest', a film made in Ukraine, in a remote clearing where many Jews were shot in WW2. At first, the forest seemed beautiful and tranquil, but then trees crash down, one after another, some silently, some with deafening crashes. I read that it relates to:
'If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?'
This is more Philosopher's department.
One of my favourite things about the Towner is the view out of the window to the tennis lawns.
|Looking out of the Towner window
|Hare card by Mark Heald
|Fish flask by Allister Malcolm....
|....in Battleaxe's downstairs loo
We also saw this, of houses near us in Old London Road, Ore, by local artist Graham Sendall. It is not a very good photo but I am including it because of local interest.
|Sunbeam Terrace - Graham Sendall
Next, Waitrose - still have to look on Google maps to find the quickest way. There are some interesting little shops in the streets behind the supermarket, incredible Arts and Crafts houses in the residential roads nearby, and the Manor Gardens, entered through an unaccountably spooky gateway, opposite.
|This Ravilious woodcut, Manor Gardens 1927, from the Towner collection, is possibly the same place?
|Countin House pub - handy for Waitrose
|Buccaneer pub, near the theatres
|Deco style Pearl Court, Cornwallis Terrace


text:
Welcome to Shoe Lane Antiques and Collectables
This is a newly established antique shop which opened in April 2014. It is owned by David Webb who previously spent 37 years as a solicitor. After dealing in antiques and collectables for some 10 years as a hobby he decided to open this shop.
There is a constantly changing selection of items including furniture, porcelain, silver, glassware, paintings, clocks, lights and other collectable items
I am able to offer house clearance, furniture restoration and valuations
Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or queries. Alternatively do send an email.
The shop is open six days a week closing on Sundays.


text:
Interesting, must read:
Elon Musk personally cancels blogger's Tesla order after 'rude' post | Technology | The Guardian:
Night clubs has bouncers to keep out the unruly customers, most would agree that is a good rule?
Elon acting as bouncer himself IMHO could be the most respect he could give to what he considers as unruly customer.
Question lies in whether like night clubs if he has set the rules of what is acceptable and what is unruly. This article could have asked a better question, rather than using sensationalism regarding wealth and rudeness?
@ElonMusk is brave, brilliant, but may have wrong goals in spending billions in sending people to Mars, when he could have spent the money and intelligent to help save our Earth, but that is another question altogether.
(I think Elon rightly consider that the blogger is rather influential and most people would not read further than the headline, because apparently "His post ends up with praise for Tesla and its Model X". )
not sure if you agree?
Thursday, 4 February 2016
#AskTheRightQuestion #ElonTheBouncer=best respect? Question should be what is Rude? my comments on Guardian re Elon Musk personally cancels blogger's Tesla order after 'rude' post | Technology | The Guardian
Posted by Gareth Wong at 14:29
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
What to Know About: Insurance »
In the event of a disaster that affects your home and property, what are your options?
YP - The Real Yellow PagesSM - helps you find the right local businesses to meet your specific needs. Search results are sorted by a combination of factors to give you a set of choices in response to your search criteria. These factors are similar to those you might use to determine which business to select from a local Yellow Pages directory, including proximity to where you are searching, expertise in the specific services or products you need, and comprehensive business information to help evaluate a business's suitability for you. "Preferred" listings, or those with featured website buttons, indicate YP advertisers who directly provide information about their businesses to help consumers make more informed buying decisions. YP advertisers receive higher placement in the default ordering of search results and may appear in sponsored listings on the top, side, or bottom of the search results page.
12751 W Bell Rd Ste 137, Surprise, AZ 85378
Serving the Phoenix area.
4416 E Mcdowell RdPhoenix, AZ 85008
2820 W Dunlap AvePhoenix, AZ 85051
4712 E Thunderbird RdPhoenix, AZ 85032
1270 W Elliot RdTempe, AZ 85284
8515 S Emerald DrTempe, AZ 85284
10150 W McDowell RdAvondale, AZ 85392
422 E Broadway RdMesa, AZ 85204
5735 W Bell RdGlendale, AZ 85308
6233 E Southern AveMesa, AZ 85206
1479 N Dysart RdAvondale, AZ 85323
2835 N 16th St Ste 8Phoenix, AZ 85006
From Business: Acceptance means value. From offering fast-and-free quotes at the lowest possible rates to handling claims as quickly as possible, we are dedicated to providing y…
5845 S Central AvePhoenix, AZ 85040
From Business: Acceptance means value. From offering fast-and-free quotes at the lowest possible rates to handling claims as quickly as possible, we are dedicated to providing y…
8129 N 35th Ave Ste A4Phoenix, AZ 85051
From Business: Acceptance means value. From offering fast-and-free quotes at the lowest possible rates to handling claims as quickly as possible, we are dedicated to providing y…
2316 W Bethany Home Rd Ste 105Phoenix, AZ 85015
From Business: Acceptance means value. From offering fast-and-free quotes at the lowest possible rates to handling claims as quickly as possible, we are dedicated to providing y…
2929 N 75th Ave Ste 14Phoenix, AZ 85033
From Business: Acceptance means value. From offering fast-and-free quotes at the lowest possible rates to handling claims as quickly as possible, we are dedicated to providing y…
10215 N 28th DrPhoenix, AZ 85051
4555 E Cactus RdPhoenix, AZ 85032
6534 N 27th AvePhoenix, AZ 85017
MV Acceptance has always treated me professionally and fairly. The only auto loan experience I've had where I knew where I stood as far as what I ow…
2828 N Central AvePhoenix, AZ 85004
3925 W Adams St Ste 1Phoenix, AZ 85009
14601 N Cave Creek RdPhoenix, AZ 85022
My experience was very pleasant. She was very educational on something I had no idea about. Super friendly :) definitely recommend going there :)
4135 W Indian School RdPhoenix, AZ 85019
301 W Mohave StPhoenix, AZ 85003
3025 W Van Buren StPhoenix, AZ 85009
5126 N 51st AveGlendale, AZ 85301
2629 N Scottsdale Rd Ste 100Scottsdale, AZ 85257
1208 W Broadway RdMesa, AZ 85202
4515 S McClintock Dr Ste 212Tempe, AZ 85282
4232 W Bell Rd # C6Glendale, AZ 85308
From Business: Acceptance means value. From offering fast-and-free quotes at the lowest possible rates to handling claims as quickly as possible, we are dedicated to providing y…
1990 N Alma School RdChandler, AZ 85224
From Business: Acceptance means value. From offering fast-and-free quotes at the lowest possible rates to handling claims as quickly as possible, we are dedicated to providing y…
In the event of a disaster that affects your home and property, what are your options?
Insuring your wedding ring saves you headache and heartache in certain situations, but is it really worth it? Find out the pros an…
Home security comprises a number of different technologies, tools and techniques. Choose one that fits your needs and your budget.
I purchased a AV adapter which was faulty. I tried to return it and was told numerous times to wait 3 day to hear back from them. I returned the item and continued to try to contact them. In addition I was given the wrong numbers repeatedly and again was told to return the previously returned item. This process started in April 2018, as of today 5/21/2018 I have not received a replacement or been contacted by this business.
I have two business and they did a great job helping me, and they also did my car and home insurance.
I have been with this company for years and they have gone straight down the crapper. When began it was okay and convenient, but now I find my rate skyrocketing and I cannot get anyone on the phone or anyone calling me back after multiple messages. They neglected to tell me that the company they signed me up with for insurance had rate changes every six months and even with a perfect driving record I was subject to these changes, so my rate went from $133 a month with the lowest possible coverage with comprehensible glass to over $160 and the agent at the insurance informed me that I did nothing wrong, but the agency I used neglected to tell me that. My policy expires tomorrow and Insurance Savers has not returned any of my calls or answered them for that matter. Do not use this place. Do your own research!
I GOT MY PROGRAMMED BLANK ATM CARD TO WITHDRAW A MAXIMUM OF $5000 DAILY. I AM SO EXCITED BECAUSE I ORDERED AND PAID FOR DELIVERY, DIDN'T GET SCAMMED, AND I NOW OWN MY HOME,MY BUSINESS HAS GROWN BIGGER. GEORG BEDNORZ (email@example.com) IS THE NAME OF THIS USA HACKER THAT GAVE ME THE CARD AND ALSO HE IS OFFERING ALL KINDS OF LOAN WITH ONLY 2% INTEREST RATE.
The Availability of Staff is Awesome! The office was always very pleasant. They were available when we needed them to answer our questions.
I've been getting insurance here for a while now. No complaints. I often get messages saying they need more information, I never really respond to those.
Our latest experience with Nanette from State Farm was when our car wouldn't start when we went out for dinner. We called State Farm & they sent out a roadside assistance person who determined that it wasn't our battery & we would need to be towed. State Farm made arrangements to have our car towed to our dealership the next morning.
They we're really amazing they helped me with my auto loan and the whole time. I felt that they really appreciated me doing my my business with them.
I experienced a number of different issues with this agency. The biggest problem was that they grossly under quoted me for a personal articles policy (wedding rings). In December of 2013 my policy with Nationwide expired, and so I decided to transfer the policy to State Farm because my auto and renters insurance was transferred to them earlier in the year. When I called Erik's office for a quote, the receptionist/secretary had me send in my appraisals for the rings, worth just under $13,000. The woman on the phone said, "Any articles $13,000 or below only costs $30 for an annual premium." I thought this sounded too good to be true, but why argue?They write up the policy and the rings are covered for a year, but actually until late January. Without ANY phone call or e-mail, I randomly get this bill in the mail for $86 with no explanation as to why I was getting it, stating I must pay the bill within 1 month or my personal articles policy will expire in the beginning of March. Confused and surely thinking this was a mistake, I call Erik's agency. I specifically ask to be transferred to Erik (mind you this is the first time I ever actually spoke to Erik even though I had been his customer for nearly a year). Erik told me he would look into it and get back to me.Two weeks pass and no word from Erik, so of course I call back because my payment deadline for this bogus $86 is approaching, I am set to leave the country for my wedding in a couple days, and I do not want my rings to go uncovered. I reach his secretary and she states he is on the phone and he will call me back in a minute. I get a phone call about five minutes later from the secretary and she said Erik had to leave after he got off the phone (it was around lunch time). The woman stated, "State Farm will not let us change the quote because you have articles at a value around $13,000 and to pay only $30 for an annual premium just isn't going to happen. If you cannot pay by March 4th, your policy will expire on March 10th." Um, excuse me? You are the ones who under quoted me. How is this my problem?An unexpected bill for $86 on top of the $30 I already paid for the policy was not welcome news or very manageable. My total bill was now $116, nearly 400% of the original quote. The agency should have assumed responsibility and absorbed the loss. On top of that, this all occurred just a few weeks before my wedding outside of the country. So amidst all of the costs associated with the wedding and the planning of my wedding and honeymoon, I had this BS to deal with.Been a customer with them since April 2013 (11 months). Went with the agency after moving to Arizona because they offered me a lower premium than Nationwide for my auto and renters policy. I was formerly through Nationwide. From April to December, any time I called the agency I NEVER actually received service from Erik (except for the one time mentioned above when I specifically requested him). His secretaries/receptionists handle all of the business and act as his gatekeepers I suppose. My Nationwide agent was always the one and only person I spoke to when I would call with any issues. Erik was apparently too busy to be a respectable agent and tell me the bad news himself about my policy because he had to go to lunch. Awesome, thanks for the great service.
Accident was 6/16/17. It was finally on 7/3/17 that I was "approved" to take my "not-drivable" vehicle to the shop. I took it in on 7/5 and not was not completed until 7/26. It sat there for 3 weeks, while I paid for a rental car out of pocket. The body shop said they called Legacy multiple times a day with no response. They called both John and his supervisor Edgar. NOTHING. I was calling, and not called back to the number I requested a dozen times. When I did get through, I was verbally accosted and verbally abused twice by John Camargo. After filing a report on him and his hostile behavior to his supervisor and his company, he had to gall to leave me a nasty, very condescending voicemail just a few days ago.The poor people at the Abra Body Repair and Glass body shop had some choice words to use in reference to John, Edgar, and Legacy. Legacy finally cut the checks, but shorted the amount that was actually due. The auto body shop was so done dealing with them, they just decided to 'eat' the extra cost just to avoid anymore contact with Legacy. John Camargo (ext 2094) and his supervisor Edgar Gullien (ext 2220) need to be written up at MINUMUM, but probably just fired. If they did it to me, they're doing it to others, They need to be held accountable. Based on how horribly I was treated, how they disrespected and refused to call the auto body shop back, and then for me to get a retaliatory message from John... are you kidding me? Luckily for me, I saved EVERYTHING. So when I received a letter back from Annette Garcia, QA Claim Analyst Manager, Ext 2626, she took no responsibility, no accountability, and did not even bother to apologize for my mistreatment, how I was put out, how they shorted the auto body shop, and how I got a retaliatory response from John after filing a formal complaint. She blatantly lied to me and the BBB by stating all phone called were returned quickly, and everything was handling in a timely and professional manner.
To mitigate the risk of loss, people purchase insurance policies from a company. When buying a policy, the person agrees to pay a premium, which is small, regular payment based on the losses that may occur. If the insurance provider determines there is a greater chance of risk as compared to the average policy, the premium is usually higher. Premiums are often paid monthly, and can add up over time up to be greater than the expense of replacing the insured item.
Many types of insurance only cover a certain amount of risk on an item. The amount the policyholder must pay before an insurance policy begins covering an expense is called the deductible. In the event of damage or loss to whatever the policy covers, the policyholder is responsible for the deductible no matter what. If the cost of damage or loss is less than the deductible amount, the insurance company does not pay anything. If the cost is greater than the deductible, the policyholder only pays the deductible, while the insurance pays the rest. Generally, the deductible amount is related to your premium, with a higher deductible usually requiring a lower premium, and vice-versa.
Insurance Agents
Selecting the right insurance involves careful research and evaluating many different options for coverage. This is why many people use an insurance agent to assist with making the right choice depending on their needs and financial situation. Agents often interview potential or current clients to get an idea of which insurance policies would benefit them the most. Based on their needs and individual risk, agents can often give potential customers a quote, which serves as a cost estimate for a specific policy. This is only a rough idea of what the policy will cost, because evaluating the risk associated with a given customer can take time. Insurance companies often compile an insurance score to quantify the risk an individual poses and calculate premiums accordingly. Credit scores play a major role in insurance scores, but past insurance-claim history is also taken into account.
While agents often specialize in a particular category of insurance, some sell several different types of insurance. Agents can work for a larger insurance company or operate independently, selling policies from several different insurers.
Almost anything of value can be insured to protect against loss due to a variety of circumstances. Insurance policies are very specific in the items they protect and in what event the policy holders will be reimbursed. Some of the most common insurance policies cover things we all use.
Automotive Insurance
Millions of Americans drive a car to get from place to place each day, so it makes sense that auto insurance is one of the most commonly used types. In most states, the law requires drivers to maintain an active insurance policy on any car, up to a certain amount. Most car owners are required at minimum to purchase liability insurance, which protects against damage for which the policyholder is at fault. Liability insurance covers damage to property as well as any injuries sustained in an accident. It's important to note liability insurance only covers damage or injuries of others, not the policyholder themselves. In addition to liability insurance, car owners can also purchase coverage for their own vehicle and medical expenses in the event of an accident. For this purpose, liability, vehicle and medical coverage are often packaged together in a single policy.
Insurance can also be purchased for other vehicles, like motorcycles, ATVs, boats or RVs, and generally functions similarly to car insurance. Policies for alternative vehicles may have higher premiums if they are considered more dangerous, or might include other coverage options specific to the vehicle. Many companies that provide auto insurance will also offer coverage for motorcycles, ATVs, boats and RVs.
Homeowners Insurance
Your home, condo or apartment is probably the most valuable thing you own or otherwise pay for, so it makes sense to get it insured. Homeowners insurance is important not just for the security of the house itself, but for its ability to cover possessions inside the home as well. Many mortgage lenders also require an active home insurance policy.
Like auto insurance, homeowners insurance is typically bundled together with policies covering many different items or categories of items. The primary coverage type is for the dwelling, insuring the house itself and all structures attached to it. Policies may also cover property within the home, with premiums varying depending on the value of all assets. Personal liability may also be included for damage or injuries sustained on your property that you are responsible for, much like auto insurance.
Property insurance also may cover certain major events outside of your control. These are known as perils, and may include fire, flooding, natural disasters and other catastrophic events. You may want to purchase insurance against one or more of these perils if you live in a high-risk area. Flood insurance is an exception, however, and can be purchased through the government-sponsored National Flood Insurance Program. Your lender may require this if you live in a flood-prone area.
Health Insurance
To help pay for medical expenses, many people rely on their health insurance. With the passing of the Affordable Care Act, almost every American is required to enroll in a health care plan, or they face a penalty. Health insurance works similarly to other forms of insurance, although it is probably used to cover expenses more often, since car accidents and home damage are relatively rare compared to doctor visits and the need for medicine. Health insurance also operates on a premium-deductible model, and policyholders can choose what level of coverage works best for their lifestyle. For example, if you visit doctors very infrequently, you may consider a plan with a low premium and a higher deductible. On the other hand, people who require regular medical care may wish to pay a higher premium in exchange for more coverage from their deductible. Dental and vision care are sold as separate plans and are not required by law.
Life Insurance
When someone dies unexpectedly or is injured severely enough to be unable to work, it can be a financial disaster for their family or loved ones. Many people choose to purchase a life insurance policy to support their family in the event their regular income is suddenly lost. Life insurance comes in two basic types: term and universal. With a term life insurance plan, you pay a premium for a predetermined amount of time, usually 10 years or more. If you die at any point in that timeframe, your family receives a death benefit. If you're still around when the term is over, the coverage is canceled and you receive nothing. Universal life covers your entire life, and usually delivers a minimum benefit at death.
Travel insurance
Travel insurance is available for individuals who want to protect against unexpected setbacks in the course of travel, whether it's losing luggage or medical treatment abroad. Travel insurance may prove particularly useful for people who travel a lot for work or often visit remote locations. Travel insurance can take the form of either specific or blanket coverage. Specific coverage is useful for covering only certain risks, like medical emergencies or unexpected trip cancelation. Blanket coverage may cover some or all of your expenses for your entire trip.
Pet insurance
Pet insurance is a relatively new product that may help cover the costs of medical care for a dog, cat or other domestic animal. Medical care for animals can be very costly, particularly because insurance for them is rare. By paying into a premium, you can help offset the cost of unexpected emergencies as well as routine checkups and medication. While virtually unheard of a few years ago, pet insurance has become more popular as the cost of veterinarian care has continued to rise.
Umbrella insurance
Umbrella insurance is extra coverage from liability for other insurance policies, usually home or auto insurance. Consumers may choose to purchase an umbrella policy if their home or car is more expensive than a typical policy would be able to cover. For example, most car insurance liability policies cover at least $25,000 per person or $50,000 per accident. But if the accident involves a very valuable car, or the victim is willing to pursue legal action, insurance may not even begin to cover the full cost. You may want to hedge your risk by purchasing umbrella insurance to add extra protection to your existing policy.
To receive a payout for an insurance policy, the policyholder must file a claim with the insurance company. The basics of the process are straightforward, but can vary depending on the type of insurance.
Claims Adjusters and Examiners
A claims adjuster or claims examiner is an employee of an insurance company, and the person responsible for evaluating claims and determining if the company will reimburse the policyholder at the amount provided. An adjuster inspects claims related to property damage, as in the case of auto or home insurance policies. Claims examiners are typically involved in health and life insurance, and review medical records to determine the proper payout for major medical procedures.
How To Make a Claim
Filing an insurance claim can be stressful and confusing, but you need to begin the process as soon as possible to make certain you can recover your losses. It's important to note that in the case of emergencies, you should always call 911 first. The safety and health of yourself and others takes precedent over insurance.
Auto Insurance Claim: If you're involved in an accident, you need to call the police right away and have them document the situation. You can file a claim upon obtaining the police report. It's also a good idea, if possible, to take your own notes at the scene. The most important things to record are what happened before the accident, the date and time, traffic signs in the area and road conditions. Also be sure to get the other driver's name, address, license plate number and insurance information. Even photos taken with a cell phone camera can help the claims process. Once you have this documentation, call your insurance company right away.
Homeowners Insurance Claim: In the case of damage, take pictures of the affected area as soon as any safety or health emergencies are resolved. Take note of what happened and all the relevant circumstances and report to your insurer as soon as possible. If any of your possessions were damaged, use an inventory of your important assets and make note of this in the claim. Once an adjuster has made their own report, review it for accuracy.
Life Insurance Claim: Send your insurer a claim form for each beneficiary in the plan, as well as a certified copy of the policyholder's death certificate. With the proper information, life insurance claims are generally straightforward. Problems may arise if the policyholder has died within two years of opening the policy. In this case, an attorney may be needed to settle the claim.
Insurance is a wise investment, but it can make a dent in your monthly budget. Thankfully, there are a variety of ways to trim the fat off your premiums and make certain you are paying only as much as you need.
Shop and Compare
Perhaps the best way to save on any insurance policy is to take the time to compare prices between as many companies and plans as possible. Even after you've chosen a plan and started paying into it, consider looking around again when it comes time to renew the policy. Consider using an independent agent when searching for a new insurance policy. While traditional agents can still find a good deal, independent agents can choose from a variety of providers and tailor your coverage to your specific needs. The Internet has also made comparison shopping easier than ever before. Potential customers can often get free quotes online very quickly.
Buy Only What You Need
Insurance agents will often try to "upsell" on various extra products that may be useful for certain people, but are generally excessive for the average consumer. Stick with basic plans that cover as much as you need without any additional costs. For example, if the annual cost of your auto insurance is 10 percent or more of the total value of your car, drop all but the most essential coverage. This is especially applicable if the car you drive is older and could be replaced with savings. Otherwise, you are paying for insurance that will never actually benefit you in the event of a serious crash. It can help to create a budget and know exactly how much income you have to work with before making a decision on a new policy.
Take Advantage of Discounts
Insurance providers offer a wide variety of discounts for all kinds of special customers or circumstances. In one of the most basic discounts, many companies will offer lower rates for customers who purchase home, auto and life insurance policies from the same provider. Car owners may get a rebate from taking a safe driving course. For those with teenagers on their plan, good grades can earn a small discount as well. Insuring multiple cars with the same provider may also lower premiums. Some providers will offer lower rates for military personnel, federal employees, teachers, first responders and their families.


text:
Tablets (Winter 2010)CNET's Donald Bell walks you through the highs and lows of picking the right tablet computer, ranging from the Apple iPad, Android devices, e-book readers, and Windows slates.
Tablets, they're like a combination between a Smartphone and a laptop only not nearly as practical. So, what? The whole world has iPod fever and you wanna know what other Tablets are out there, which ones are the best and what to avoid. I'm Donald Bell and I review Tablets here at CNET and I'm here to give you my best advice when in comes to buying them. Okay. First of, take a minute to step back and really figure out what you want to accomplish with the Tablet. If web browsing is important, something with a 10-inch screen like the iPods comes in handy. So, you're not wasting your time zooming in and out of web pages. If mobility and E-book reading are the big draws, a 7-inch screen offers a nice book like feel and better portability than a 10-incher. For all the fun stuff, music, video, games and apps, Apple just dominates. There's no contest. If you're on a budget, don't rule out the iPod Touch. It doesn't have the iPod name or the size, the added score is essential the same thing. On the other end of the spectrum, if you really wanna use a Tablet for business and traditional document and spreadsheet editing, Windows Vista Tablets and Convertibles are still your best option. Once you've figured out what you want to accomplish, figure out your budget. If it's $400 or less and you're hoping to get more than E-reader with some email, web and media playback capabilities, you're probably going to be disappointed. Apple priced the iPod with a pretty tighten margin in order to dominate the market and it worked. So far, products I've seen in that 200 to $400 range have all cut-corner somewhere. Also, keep in mind that you can still get a decent laptop or a NetBook in that $500 to $800 range. Sometimes, people get so focused on the Tablet, they forget that laptops offer a much better value. Okay. So, now you know what you want a Tablet for. You know what you wanna for it. Now, ask yourself, how soon do I really need it? You gotta have it. That's fine. If you're thinking about the iPod and you don't wanna buy one right before they come out with a new one, know that Apple typically releases on a yearly cycle. They-kicked off with an April release and they'll probably keep to that each year. Now, if you're thinking about an Android Tablet of some other OS, my advice is to give it sometime. These guys are playing catch up and waiting can only help you. For 2011, Rim's got their Blackberry Playbook. HP has their rumored Web-OS Tablet and Google is promising a Tablet optimized version of Android. If you want more choices you won't have long to wait. Now, taking all of my advice and warnings and just throwing them out the window, let's say you wanna figure out some Tablet you've come across as worth buying. Here are 4 things you should consider right after that. First, can you easily return it? There's a lot of lame Tablets out there and you don't wanna get stuck with one. Second, if you're buying it as fix and wrapper, you're probably gonna get burned. Don't let your geek-hacker pride get the best of you. Third, stay away from 2-year contracts. This is a category that is moving too fast for a 2-year window. Finally, no matter how good the spec sheet looks, you need to try out the keyboard. There's a lot of complex factors that go into making a touch screen keyboard work. Key layout, multi-touch support, key size and spacebar with. Even among Android devices, everyone seems to do it a little bit differently. If it's not jiving with you, it's a deal breaker. So, there you go. That's all of my Table buying wisdom, condensed under 5 minutes. For CNET.com, I'm Donald Bell.


text:
London, 7 February 2016/IHQ/ - The Salvation Army is supporting people affected by the 6.4 magnitude earthquake which struck the island of Taiwan in the early hours of Saturday 6 February 2016. The quake, which had its epicentre close to the southern city of Tainan, has caused several buildings to collapse and interrupted power and water supplies. Many Taiwanese people had travelled to the city this weekend ahead of Monday's Chinese New Year celebrations, swelling the numbers involved. Media reports suggest that 26 people died and 500 were hurt, although the number of deaths is expected to rise.
A Salvation Army team from the Tainan Corps (church) - which itself sustained structural damage during the tremors - attended an evacuation centre which is accommodating 45 tenants of a collapsed four-storey residential block. Currently, the centre has sufficient supplies and warm blankets. No injuries were sustained by Salvation Army personnel.
The Salvation Army is also supporting efforts by churches and the Chinese Christian Evangelistic Association to provide grants to families affected by the disaster and to visit casualties who have been hospitalised.
The Regional Commander for The Salvation Army in Taiwan, Lieut-Colonel Jennifer Groves, has asked that Salvationists and friends be in urgent prayer for those who have been affected, the city of Tainan and the area as a whole. 'Many have been shaken emotionally by this earthquake,' she explains.
'Please join us in prayer for the people of Tainan,' she continues, 'particularly those families who have suffered loss through the death of family members and/or the loss of their homes. We need God to be our courage, comfort, strength and hope at this time. Your prayers will be of great support to us.'
Salvation Army officers in Tainan will continue to be in dialogue with local groups in the coming days to assess what further Salvation Army response may be necessary.
Report by IHQ Communications
International Headquarters


text:
Product and Asset Creation
Inventor is parametric design software that allows us to create custom blocks with intelligence for use in AutoCAD environments for our manufacturing customers and family of parts for our Architecture Revit customers. This streamlines our process on both the design side and training side. With Autodesk Inventor, we just need one piece of software that can be integrated into our customer's software with no translation issues.


text:
Jessie Jane Duff, a retired Marine Gunnery Sgt., and Senior Military Advisor for Concerned Veterans for America, said that France has led more in Iraq than the United States.
"Sadly we are leading from behind again. Leave it to the French to raise the flag and have us standing in the back ground just waving at our failed policies … we are standing in the back while the French lead" she said on Wednesday's "America's Newsroom" on the Fox News Channel.
Duff also urged the US to give arms to the Kurds and argued that there is "tensions" between different parts of the federal government on foreign policy "we have great tension now going on between the Department of Defense, the Secretary of State and we also have tension with the White House. Because once again the military is being asked to resolve a solution because of failed diplomacy and as a result they don't have any long-term range plans. So if the military is going to be asked to support this they need to be free to do so accordingly, at that, they're being limited. Their hands are tied."
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett


text:
Real Estate
Buying and selling property can be far more complicated than it seems. Often one of most significant financial transactions in an individual's lifetime, the purchasing or selling of a home involves binding contracts and should be reviewed by a qualified real estate lawyer for your own protection.
The real estate lawyers and staff at Seif Law Firm have extensive experience and provide insight, advice and guidance to ensure that your rights and interests are protected.
Helping to alleviate some of the stress associated with these types of transactions, our experienced team offer convenient flat fees and an online estimate so that you can plan for all of the various disbursements you will incur in any real estate transaction. Just click on the Legal Closing Cost Calculator located at the bottom of this page. Whether you are buying or selling a new home, a used residential property, or a condominium we will work with you to ensure your real estate transaction closes smoothly.
(Note: include a land transfer tax calculator link as well as legal closing cost calculator link)
If you are looking to buy, sell or refinance a home anywhere in Ontario and need a real estate lawyer, you can depend on SEIF LAW FIRM to ensure your deal closes successfully and without any complications.
Security & peace of mind are key in hiring a real estate lawyer. We understand that Buying or selling a home and moving are very busy and stressful times for most people, and that is the reason why we make every effort to give you peace of mind until the deal is done and you get your keys in your hand on closing.
Personal Service to you is our top priority. In fact, we built our entire real estate business team around you.
- We have extended working hours, so you will never have to take time off work to visit us.
- We have staff who can communicate with you in many different languages.
- Our team possesses the know-how and the resources to handle and troubleshoot nearly any legal matter related to residential and/or commercial real estate. We are on your side.
- We provide predictable REASONABLE FLAT RATES and let you know all your home legal costs upfront!
- We can travel and come to where you are or a place that is convenient to you.


text:
It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
"Calling All Angels"
I need a sign to let me know you're here
All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere
I need to know that things are gonna look up
'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup
When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head
When you feel the world shake from the words that are said
And I'm calling all angels
I'm calling all you angels
I won't give up if you don't give up [Repeat x4]
I need a sign to let me know you're here
'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me
When children have to play inside so they don't disappear
While private eyes solve marriage lies cause we don't talk for years
And football teams are kissing Queens
and losing sight of having dreams
In a world that what we want is only what we want until it's ours
[Chorus x2]
Calling all you angels [Repeat till fade]
Angels are real, they intervene when allowed to.
"What is your name?" I asked him.
"Azar' the angel said, "I'm the one who answers when you call for help."
"Don't you want to know why you're here?" he asked. He smiled at me and spoke quietly, "The Creator of the universe desires your company. Don't keep Him waiting."
The Angel Shama
Without missing a beat, the angel on the path beside me said, "I am Shama."
I saw no reason to give my name, for he seemed to know almost as much about me as I did myself.
"Shall we walk?" he continued.
Almost stumbling, I moved forward.
He had long, straight, silver hair that was caught at the base of his head and hung down his back. He was very muscular, and although his hair was silver, he looked perhaps forty. He wore a full-length white robe, which looked as though it had been stained with blood or the juice of red grapes. This stain was on the hem of the robe and on the cuffs of the long sleeves, discoloring the garment to the knees and elbows.
"You delight in God," he continued. "I have watched you and have seen that you desire nearness to Him. However, do you not know that disobedience creates a wall between you and Him. It is a wall of your own making because you cannot curb your natural desires. He will replace with Himself every delight you push away, Anna." In looking at me, his eyes caught sight of a hill slightly beyond us. "Come with me," he said.
As we walked up the hill, he continued, "There is a type of suffering in obedience, but the rewards far, far outweigh the pain."
Anna Rountree - The Heavens Opened (PDF, Word, and MP3 formats)
Originally posted by wildtimes
reply to post by Jodlum66
Angels are real, they intervene when allowed to.
I was taught that they are always awaiting instructions.
My life and experiences have shown me they are certainly real....
I don't know that any 'evil' angels have intervened.....
but, so far, so good. I think I'll go ahead and believe that I can discern the helpful from the malevolent.
edit on 7-2-2013 by wildtimes because: (no reason given)
logical7, I can understand why it would surprise you!
We created man and We
know what his own self
whispers to him. We are
nearer to him than his
jugular vein. And the
two recording angels are recording, sitting on the
right and on the left. He
does not utter a single
word, without a watcher
by him, pen in hand!
(Surah Qaf, 16-18)
Standing over you are
guardians, noble,
recording, who know
what you do. (Surat al-
Infitar, 10-12)
Everyone has a
succession of angels in
front of him and behind
him, guarding him by
Allah's command. Allah
never changes a people's state until they
change what is in
themselves. When Allah
desires evil for a people,
there is no averting it.
They have no protector apart from Him. (Surat ar-
Ra'd, 11)
O Children of
Adam! Let not
Shaitan (Satan)
deceive you, as he
got your parents
[Adam and Hawwa (Eve)] out
of Paradise,
stripping them of
their raiments, to
show them their
private parts. Verily, he and
Qabiluhu (his
soldiers from the
jinns or his tribe)
see you from
where you cannot see them. Verily,
We made the
Shayatin (devils)
Auliya' (protectors
and helpers) for
those who believe not.
Originally posted by wildtimes
Please, friends and adversaries alike....
can we try to move forward?
Those verses appear to be part of the "universality" of spiritual beliefs. I like them. My issue has never been with whether or not there are unseen 'spiritual beings' around and with us..... it is the absolutism of literal interpretation.
i would disagree but not in the essence of it. My opinion is that there is a straight path, there may be others but as the basics of geometry, a straight line is the shortest path to 'Unity'
There is no one path to Unity. For each human being alive, there is a unique road -- a path through the forest.
No other person (or false "personification" of God such as in most Western faiths) can be our way. We MUST find our own way. Each of us is completely unique - why would one "faith" suit everyone? No, the key is to find the common points in which all religions agree. We really are One. We are all connected, eternally.
The translation of Surah Ikhlas (Holy Qur'an 112:1-4) is:
Say: He is Allah, the One
and Only! Allah, the
Eternal, Absolute; He
begetteth not nor is He
begotten. And there is
none like unto Him.
Surah Ikhlas is a very important
Surah from the Holy Qur'an because
it proclaims the Oneness (Tawhid)
and Absolute nature of Divine
Essence. This concept is presented
in the first ayat. The second ayat declares that Allah is Eternal, i.e., He
is beyond the bounds of time and
space. The third ayat describes that
Allah does not give birth nor is He is
given birth and the last ayat
declares that Allah is beyond comparison. Surah Ikhlas directly
supports the first declaration
(shahadah) of Islam: "There is no
god but Allah". In this context,
Islam is based on belief in one God
(monotheism). In his memoirs, Imam Sultan
Muhammad Shah, also known as
Aga Khan III, has defined the principle of Islam as follows: "Once man has thus
comprehended the
essence of existence
there remains for him
the duty, since he
knows the value of his own soul, of making for
himself a direct path
which will constantly
lead his individual soul
to and bind it with the
universal Soul of which the Universe, as much of
it we perceive with our
limited vision, is one of
the infinite
manifestations. Thus
Islam's basic principle can only be defined as monorealism and not as monotheism." This insight into Islam's basic
principle sheds a new light into the
interpretation of Surah Ikhlas. In
the first ayat, Allah commands the
Holy Prophet to declare that Allah is
One. From the above quotation, the Islamic principle of Oneness is not
limited to the the declaration that
there is but one God but extends to
all realities. In other words, all
realities merge into One Reality. This
absolute reality is called Monoreality. Therefore, Allah is
Monoreal. The second ayat declares that the
Monoreal is Eternal. This means that
the Monoreal is above time and
space because, in human terms,
time is related to the movement of
stars and planets. This implies that the Monoreal is not affected by the
past, present and future. The third ayat declares that the
Monoreal does not give birth or
take birth because it is Eternal and
the only reality. The Monoreal is
immortal and it does not need to
give birth or take birth. The last ayat declares that there is
none equal to the Monoreal
because the Monoreal is unique.
Human beings live in the world of
duality where each object or
concept has an opposite. Some examples of duality are good and
evil, male and female, small and
large, and so on. In contrast to this,
the Monoreal is absolutely unique
because it consists of all realities
and there is nothing left except Itself. Therefore, the Monoreal is
beyond comparison. Surah Ikhlas is a short surah with a
powerful message. The Holy
Prophet has encouraged Muslims to
recite this surah to purify their faith.
Originally posted by wildtimes
reply to post by logical7
thanks for another contribution.....
this thread, however, is about calling our angels to bring us together....
and the Unity of humanity.
I believe there is no adequate description of 'God.' But, let's ask our angels - our intermediaries and active forces - to pitch in toward world peace.
Originally posted by wildtimes
Please, friends and adversaries alike....
can we try to move forward?


text:
Canine Selection
Canine Selection
Environmentally Strong
Our K9 selection process is based on each canine breeds' natural characteristics and successful history as detection and/or working dogs. AMK9 selects dogs with the highest level of environmental tolerance along with a high level of hunt and play characteristics. Dogs with these types of characteristics are a pleasure to train because they are undistracted in a robust environment with exceptional endurance, enthusiasm, and motivation for performance activities. AMK9 bases the breed(s) selection on what breed is best for the job.
For these reasons, AMK9 generally chooses German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Labrador Retrievers.
Quality and Performance
AMK9 selects only the highest quality canines with proven working dog bloodlines from our exclusive European sources. Each dog is handpicked following strict guidelines and according to its ability to meet our quality and performance standards. We use senior trainers and subject matter experts to perform hands-on assessments and testing of each dog, looking especially for:
- High-drive
- Overall Health
- Genetics/Breeding
- Workability and Endurance
AMK9 also screens working dogs for "personality", or superior working dog traits like:
- A stable and approachable disposition;
- The ability to behave appropriately around people, at all times;
- Eagerness to exhibit obedience to verbal or signaled commands;
- Above average hunting and retrieval instincts;
- Exceptional intelligence and acuity;
- Prolonged enthusiasm for play;
- Focused and fervent desire to search for an inanimate object or reward toy; and
- Consistent and appropriate behavior through all circumstances, including loud noises.
Typically, less than ten percent of the canines screened will pass the initial evaluation and be approved for training at one of AMK9's facilities. Once the dogs are at AMK9, our team of K9 trainers carefully evaluate each young dog, assessing it for stamina, drive and level of aggression. This step is especially important. For example, while one dog may be better suited for canine detection, another would make a quality personal-protection dog.
AMK9 uses the highest standards within the industry to evaluate our canines and ensure we are meeting contractual requirements and customer expectations. Our standards meet and/or exceed the most commonly used standards within the industry.


text:
Mortgage Advisor
Our client, a leading High Street Bank are currently recruiting for an experienced, fully CeMap qualified Mortgage Advisers to join their growing team to cover branches across Whitehaven. This would be an excellent opportunity for those looking to develop and further their career in Mortgages.
As a Mortgage Adviser you will consistently provide an excellent service to customers delivering tailored solutions to meet their mortgage and protection needs. You will work in close partnership with the local management team and will be accountable for providing a high quality, compliant service to the existing client base, as well as meeting the needs of and prospecting new clients.
The successful candidate will be fully CeMap qualified with strong sales and customer service experience. You will have in depth knowledge of mortgage and life insurance products with wide spread knowledge of mortgage regulations and compliance requirements.
In return for you hard work you can expect an excellent salary with a wide range of benefits including Dental Cover and Private Medical Benefits & Bonus
Reference: 35661499
Bank or payment details should not be provided when applying for a job. reed.co.uk is not responsible for any external website content. All applications should be made via the 'Apply now' button.Report this job
Replace a job alert
Replace a job alert
Get Job Alerts straight to your inbox
"Office Assistant jobs in London"


text:
Date Revised:
The assessment is free and your local council will use it to decide what support to give you.
Don't be put off by the word 'assessment'. It is not a test about how good you are at caring. It is to work out what can be done to make life easier for you. No one will judge you.
The assessment is usually a face to face meeting with someone from your local council, or from another organisation on behalf of your local council.
In Scotland, a carer's assessment (for adults) is called an Adult Carer Support Plan. Your council might still refer to it as a carer's assessment.
How to get a carer's assessment
In some areas other organisations may carry out the assessment for the local council but you should still contact your local council to ask for one.
Find your local council on Gov.uk and get in touch with them to find out more.
If your circumstances change you can ask for your assessment to be done again.
This is particularly important if you can no longer provide the same level of care you have done in the past or if the needs of the person you care for change.
Is it hard to find time for your partner?
Before you have your carer's assessment have a think about how caring affects you and your partner. Are you so exhausted by your caring role that there's very little emotional energy left for your partner? Or perhaps you look after your partner and your relationship is adjusting what this means for you both.
Have a look at our new relationship guide for carers. It include loads of information about how to maintain health relationships and top tips about how to do this. Ideas in here might be able to help you say more clearly during your assessment what could be done to help support your caring role and your relationships.
Find out more about relationships with your partner, family and friends.
Next update due: June 2017