text:
Life begins at Forty ©
Helmut Hoffman was a problem of his times.
He thought of becoming a surgeon because his father spent several years struggling with a compulsive disorder: he imagined he was Jack Ripper come back with a vengeance. He could not bear the sight of a knife and he thought if he ever took one in his hands it would be the beginning of mayhem. A devout family man when not under the delusion, he let Helmut follow his own bent. Helmut had seen his father in his deep suffering and it made him decide use the scalpel in ways never used before. He began modestly enough: first two years he persevered that it occurred to him that he might be as well able to withstand the rigors of his chosen discipline; He plodded along. Somewhere along it became clear that he had a mission in life; he had found that focus which served as a counterweight to his gypsy-like existence, which followed in wake of death of father who could not bear the struggle and chose a rope to end his life. And then his mother followed her man of whom she had nothing but pity. Pity is not love and they had left its deep scars. That point where youthful dreams one by one went through some wringer marked the end of his fugitive years; instead came his future in some curious symbols which to his relief belonged to a dream state; he could on waking up dismiss those dreams played often against backdrops resembling more like an abattoir. It was his internship. The clarity of his precision cutting at the operating table apparent then somehow in dreams morphed into shambles: blood and gore of it wetted his dreams and its arousal served as a counterpoint to his missionary zeal. He had to acknowledge apart from his surgical skills, which were acquired by sheer drudgery, he was just like every one else. In the end he had come out as a surgeon overqualified and god-like. His problem had just begun.
He won his acceptance from his fellow scholars and his peers alike despite a disability, which however did not affect his skill. He was a mute but his cutting hand spoke instead. He was a mute who made his scalpel speak all that needed to be said of the man. It spoke truth and did not mince words. The scalpel was the man. Technology empowered that scalpel and whether it was guided by laser or a cryogenic medium his cutting hand spoke for him. Only technology needed to show the solution and Hoffman could make it work for him. He still was in control.
The year was 2285. The Space Age For All brought wealth of other galaxies to man. Funding of health care bigger and better than before was not the problem. The problem was man. He was disaster prone and to Hoffman it occurred so early that with so many disasters which the space age had brought he was too qualified for hacking away in some quiet corner. He worked out his own schedule and performed where his terms were acceptable anywhere across the globe. His life's mission had taken a world- view glancing over the imperfections of his times.
It was a time where technology was a solution looking for a problem too.
It was inevitable that Hoffman and technology would come together and redefine their roles. The man who held the scalpel wanted to protect his hard earned skills. He had latched on to technology with as much as ease as lichens could find its nutrients from the rock. If the rock and lichens could find its common ground so could he with technology. His insight into where he was heading for was best exemplified in that section of a rock fossil that he always carried along. It showed some lichens some 64 million years old. In that fossil what minerals which once made up the plant had made its impression; it was thus he wanted himself to remembered: In such a fusion of his soul with technology if any one attributed a selfish motive he would have been the most perplexed; In different times he took long and hard look at himself and he could have said with a clean conscience that no selfish considerations had entered in his calculations in wanting to serve his times. At least till love entered in his personal equations. Himself, technology and love.
Ménage a Trois
Love came to Hoffman much late though he grew up in its midst. He fell in love with Mathilde, his guardian's daughter on whom he at first had not entertained any notion of sharing his life let alone his innermost thoughts. As a medical student he would be at weekends a guest of his guardian, a banker. Sometimes he would be with the family at their vacation house in Cannes. He had from the beginning marked her as a hoyden and neck deep up to mischief. His attention of her, he could later recall with a smile, had begun on a curious disability of her, as the only one in his knowledge who never dreamt.
She was rather vain about it. Her governess did dream and so did all her friends and even the ones who disliked her in school had something nice to tell. She was 13 and she wanted to know if it was a medical condition. He thought she was putting him on so his opinion was merely dismissing such a state did not exist. He did not think it was necessary to give reasons for his conclusion. She laughed it off with a retort, " Why you are only a tyro. I shall ask you the same question when you finish your college. Perhaps you may have another opinion."
He shrugged his shoulders to reply, "Perhaps? Who knows? You may even grow and recall your dreams."
Somewhere along her adolescence she found his presence did much good to her. Her age seemed to bring out its inchoate creases as a matter of course. It was to Hoffman she could throw all doubts. He could distance himself to think from her angle. In matters of great or small he advised her as if it all came from her own. He could dissemble well that she only saw how easily he could think objectively. It was an effort for him. At her coming of age party it was his choice that made great impression on her. 'You are so selfless!" she said hugging him and kissed him which took him by surprise at first. He had nothing against love but he hated being taken in surprise. When he saw her dressed as he had suggested he had to agree that she was right after all. He hated magenta but it did accentuate her skin its right tone. Why did he hate magenta? It was the color of the nylon rope that his father chose for his death. To comment upon that color without its painful associations required great effort. She asked her opinion and he just gave that. Not his opinion.
Matty was 19 when he had finished his college. There were so many days, weeks and months the happy pair spent together and her hoydenish hectoring did thaw his stiffness. He at first took it in good sport and thought she was very inventive and her smile and pranks all set her youth to advantage. Then it was love pure but not simple. He had to agree with Matty that in appearance they were a match and cut of the same clothe. Of medium height but able to carry himself well with aplomb that gave no hint of its depths; if their youthfulness were to be molded by a chisel, would have fitted the hands of Phidias but Rodin would have shown their inner life better.
At that time he had graduated from University of the Nations that sprawled along the Loire Valley where scholars came from Abidjan to Zagreb. Merit was only consideration. It had the pride of place among academic circles as the ultimate in two disciplines, – in particular of molecular biology and medicine. Hoffman entered its halls fully realizing that his life was in his control and he was on a quest, a scalpel that was his holy grail. When he graduated he was ready for his next phase in which marriage was not given a place. Hence at the time our story begins he still held his reservations, a priority. Matty found his excuses of profession having his priority hilarious. One day she with a laugh said that no man could have his whole life mapped out before he was ready to settle down. " In fairness to the man he agreed that she had a point. Life is more than one man's resolves for one's future.
Jurgen Mannheim Griswold ran Griswold Conglomerates with ruthless efficiency to which his daughter had no partiality. He was widowed pretty early in life and he realized as soon as the period of mourning was over that he would not repeat his mistake ever again. He did love his wife too well; he came to observe that his investment in marriage was hardly secure with uncertainties of life that shredded emotions not to speak of time and his energy. So he remained a widower devoting more time for what he loved most. His business.
As soon as his only daughter came of age she took over the role of a hostess to lavish parties he gave at home and were well attended by every recipient of his invitations. These guests were gilt edges to his security as a banker and he loved to keep that image alive by bringing in interesting people from other walks of life. In such fusion the public relations man in Jurgen saw his daughter was an asset and his ward a rising star. They stood out. She was smart and chic. It was this image that Hoffman came to equate with Mathilde.
Hoffman was mute. He did not speak but he communicated through a microchip implanted under his arm which spelt out what he wanted to say through a monitor as large as a pocket book. That chip could send electrical impulses of his brain in a language that spoke as he did; technology had made it sound as masculine as she thought she could fall in love with the voice alone. That voice came to be a signature tune of a man whose strength she saw in his solidity. She could lean on that and feel his heart throbbing with life. She saw his life as twin aspect of her life. He called her butterfly and he could make technology speak caressingly or even in a matter-of-fact tone.
One evening coming from their usual walk from the woods he asked out of the blue, "Do you still think you do not dream?"
"Of course I do not" she replied.
She had held her hand hooked to his and she gave a tug and said, "No matter. You dream on my behalf. It is enough for me."
He to his dismay realized that she was still intent on marriage. What was more she was so besotted with him she wanted the same technology by which they could communicate in a higher plane as she put it. Beyond senses her love sought that mystery of his companionship. Which all nodes his past touched? Death of his parents and a few stray incidents of his pubescent years. Those scatological dreams blood and gore of it mere shadows of his aseptic life style? Did those light and shadow of his memory make her at one with his? She wondered. She well peeked into complexity of his mind and her love didn't wince.
She desired him more than ever. Technology could translate language of senses in a way she could follow: how else could he have talked to her with his clear dark eyes and it said yes? Or with his smell? Her eyes understood him as her smell found in his smell her soul's delight. In implanting the same chip she thought it was like saying their mutual vows at the altar of Technology.
The banker had no inkling that his ward was the object of Mathilde's affections and let him come often, which Hoffman could not always comply with owing to his other engagements. Mathilde was as necessary to him and served his needs as his work and even while he was deep in his tasks he was connected to her. The thought of technology playing cupid added a certain thrill. On her part, she glowed while he did surgery; she could sense as though the way his hands skillfully cut or torched and grafted organs to his patients it was as though she herself was present.
While Helmut stayed away from parties he could picture Matty just as well from where he labored, as a hostess at the mansion at Princehof Plaza Hamburg. It had no history but wealth had created its own which was clear from the moment one drove in and left one's carriage into garage and let oneself led by the liveried servants into its primly pruned front garden enclosed by high walls. One may not more than cast a cursory look at the old fragments from ruins of other ends of the world and proceed to the portico that made its statement. Had one paused to look closely at the grey figures sprawling here and there one would have realized that a few of the victims of that volcanic eruption which devastated Pompeii have become objets d'art in Hamburg! Wealth of the banker had revised history of Pompeii to suit his own needs. If the grounds of his villa spoke of his interest in archaeology the house spoke of his indefatigable industry. What is kitsch to a serious art collector to the banker was something to take his mind from serious aspects of his profession. He let them merely to rest his weary eyes from looking no more than cursorily. For the very reason he shut his eyes from every impressionist or post impressionist painter of the nineteenth century. Wealth of Jurgen was hard won and in expending it over frivolities served its purpose. Marble and gold plated accessories all filled its occupant and master with a feeling that he had arrived. If there were banquets and people wore formal and made small talk it was the hostess who made it all fit. Her down to earth liveliness and poise allowed the formal enjoy without letting their hair down.
Did Helmut felt bound to marry and settle down for all that ? Well no! She brought some sort of purity in his life that his work could not provide. He had a goal of becoming freed from his past. In that age where nations had learned to think as one to which their Space Age For ALL was a case in point, his parents had funded Cybernetics Applied Industries and they left it to Jurgen. He wisely lent for expanding the business when at a time space programs had hit a bad patch. He saw to CAIN had created robots with AI to assist them in their Interplanetary Research Programs. There were too many casualties and heavy loss in human lives. But accidents were beyond one Bank's sole purview. It was then he had floated Space Age for All ( SAFA) for the public and was underwritten by all the nations to tap every interstellar galaxy for its mineral wealth that initially showed great promise. Then crises one after the other at a point did unnerve Jurgen. If the Bank did not foreclose rather too soon CAIN could still be operative. Perhaps not. Anyway it always hung like a bad cloud in his mind. He undertook custody of Hoffman and his career owed solely to his financial support. Hoffman felt no embarrassment in receiving aid from one who had killed his parent's dream. He considered that he was his own man only after he had carved a name for himself, He had money too he took possession of all those robots and other properties held in custody of the Bank. He had discharged outstanding arrears to the last cent and he got rid of all except those robots. They were part of his ménage in the house set in the new up market section of Pretzen Ober Rijn. It was large with rooms modestly furnished but with great subtlety to which he had only to thank Matty who had become his second best interest outside the aseptic surgical wards.
She was connected to him by her physical desires and by technology. Thereby she had cast out the parental hold over her. Only after he had come into his own and secured the dream child of his parents he started thinking of marriage seriously.
One morning the divine surgeon to his shudder realized that he made a slip up at the operating table. The operation was what in other times he could have done blindfolded and his knot had slipped. In the next try he had got it right. None had noticed but it brought home on what uncertain ground he had his reputation built up. It took greater part of the day to leave its bruise from his mind. So when Mathilde suggested that evening he might as well make the robots earn their keep he looked at her wondering if she had sensed his near fall from grace.
"I had a difficult day," he said as he flopped in his favorite chair. After some time he wanted to know what was about the robots that she found so remarkable.
" These seven make me feel as if I am Snow White" she commented, "don't you think it is a good idea to make them specialize?"
Helmut knew she had caught up with him very fast. He asked her what she meant and she explained and said finally," It shall not compete with you. Only you need map out different aspects of surgical procedures and guide them through a transponder. You are still the master."
He just stared on. He had thought about it earlier and it was now coming back to him. He could not help smiling at her new found interest in a field, which was till now totally alien to her world. She had switched her position from that of a technophobe. Neither she nor he did go overboard except to squeeze as much out of technology for their main goal. She added," If our chip implant is good for us it could be good for them too?" She was right.
One of the balmy days of spring Matty and Hoffman called on Elvirez Da Cunha who specialized in robots. He came around one day to take a look at the seven robots and he said that they could be restructured for their specific requirements. Elvirez worked out a detailed program and estimates that they agreed upon. Code Med was his solution. He said it worked in tandem as a system. Each unit had its own identity and receives its own signals to work independently or work as part of the herd in which each robot has specific scaled down function.
" Each letter in Code Med stands for specific signals. It is a self-contained unit. C has its character as distinct and different from O and so on." Elvirez said with emphasis.
"What of letters E and D which figure twice?" Hoffman cut in.
"E coded blue is the shepherd dog to the herd. It processes the signals from individual units and interfaces with D which is linked to your transponder." Turning to Mathilde he added, " The other D is what connects to you. You can scan from your notebook."
"While I engage D suppose Mr. Hoffman wants to contact me will that be a problem?"
"No," replied the expert," The system will automatically transfer the call what E coded yellow, receive. One is for receiving and the other for sending signals which you both can clue in." He added, "If needed it can be linked to a network for feedback if second opinion is required."
He explained other essential features, which made the specific strength of one as the strength of all. Code Med he said has its abilities to convert non –verbal clues of its handlers, "in this case you both which derives from the common transponder." He explained," I can see you are wondering if it would not be an invasion of your privacy. Yes it is." Elvirez paused to allow them to digest implications of what he had just said. He continued," Your transponder is your world which is all the more indispensable because of Mr. Hoffman. If your transponder makes your interior world into a verbal mode Code Med taps it in order to perform as intended. One unit will always maintain its capacity to sense from signals of microchip implant and convert into a verbal mode." The pair who listened intently their expressions ranging from surprise wonder had come to admire its immense potential. They looked at each other to say," Our world is private and yet the outside world is only a signal away!"
Elvirez held his hands up to correct," Your private world will always remain inviolate." He said with a chuckle, "You may want a second opinion but what leaves your work station is edited thoroughly, automatically of course."
Hoffman wanted to know more about the manner Code Med perceived non- verbal cues. Elvirez explained once over and said, "What you might read from thought patterns of your wife has its particular fingerprint as she has her own value system. Code Med has to set down a coherent text, and right too for specific problems, considering value systems of each being different. These they do from data available from what is perceived for given time and context: each of you serves as database. Code Med will search and make sentences." They heard Elvirez explaining working modalities in silence. Elvirez could realize the last bit was far out for them to take in. "I know you must be thinking that the machine has undue control over processing its data. No! We should always be in control. Shouldn't we?" They nodded.
In the end he said with a chuckle. "I have provided a sting which the system cannot get at. " He explained in so many words it considering they have gone farther than their level permitted. A few days later to a query that Matt asked on the sting system he said thus:" It is an active digitizer which retrieves the parameters it has employed in setting a text and scanning the worksheets we will know if Code Med has done a proper job or not. It cannot tamper with signals AD collates from it"
"Why such a precaution?"
"Code Med is an assembly of AI and its different facets. It can pose conundrums such as an independent mind can pose from so many alphabets to stump its handlers. But in keeping its transcript in its development we can trace the source and intents."
"Then there is darker intents possible?" Hoffman asked curtly.
Human intelligence has its downside so will what is artificial given its state of the art." Elvirez replied.
He produced a digital pen and he admitted that he had it assembled since their last session that he could understand had made them somewhat uneasy. He patiently explained. "Each of the signals, which Code Med sends in-house and for the network is recorded by it. What this scores over others is its leaving markers through their transcripts for a handler to draw his or her own conclusions." In the end they were happy that they had a system which made their world dovetail into each other efficiently.
One morning the banker asked for an interview. He had found the time when Matty would not be around. She had that day left for Paris to shop around for her trousseau. Perhaps it were merely a casual meeting between two men who had nothing common except some mutual interests which an alliance would entail in some roundabout way. Helmut could guess what was in his mind and did not feel any perturbed. The banker made it understood that he was complete in agreement with his daughter's wishes and came to the point.
After he defended his actions briefly which had killed the dream of his, he said the CAIN would not have survived long given the down turn of events. "IPR died its natural death and what I did was to soften the blow that hung over your parents' dream."
Hoffman well knew every argument even before it was laid out. He patiently heard him out.
Jurgen said: " It was not any guilt that made me appoint myself as your guardian. I saw that you represented future. Investment in one who has a future always brings its returns. I believe it as a banker. I will swear by that. You are the future son."
Hoffman replied that if he had any animosity to him he would have not let him take the role of his benefactor. "Besides hatred is a powerful emotion. As a surgeon I cannot afford its luxury."
The banker understood him. He made it clear in so many indirect hints that Matty was his heir presumptive and her mother had left a sizeable fortune to her. Hoffman heard him out as he got through a painful interview with his customary good nature which left the older man realize that he was indeed superior to him.
Hoffman had pushed his work back of the mind as he discussed the coming wedding. The Banker wanted to give them as wedding present Code Med which as he facetitiously said, 'was his contribution to the health care.'
It was thus while the wedding took place their nest was all in disarray with a family wing added to the existing which was to house Code Med.
For honey moon the couple went to Egypt. Sailing down the Nile they went back in time and thence to Aegean islands. Hoffman had a passion for rocks, which he collected and it was his way connecting with the past. He showed fossils of sea creatures that were ferreted from the rocky cliffs. Matty was a willing pupil as he was of her world. She looked at him in wonder that his mind had found a varied diet of natural world as stimulating as the sanctity of his theatre. They communicated still because of his disability but technology gave them much more nuances to it. Their personal digital window opened to soul of the other. In her notebook his thoughts were sentences and speech as virile as she had imagined of him to be. He could read between lines of her words her soul. She held nothing of her fathers home.
One week after returning from honeymoon it was like coming home. Pretzen villa was her own nest and even the strange places they traveled together at a leisurely pace did not remove altogether her tryst with domesticity. With love which each felt from pulse of other made its prosaic features more attractive with each day.
One month away from their villa was keenly felt since Mathilde could feel the need as much as her husband who had revised his busy schedule and could not stay away any further. She felt as if she were deprived from her own busy schedule. Still fresh with glow of their honeymoon Hoffman wanted to know on the morning after the night if she did dream." No, I didn't." He shot a searching look at her." Is it possible?"
" Why should I now bother with dreams? It is more likely that the robots may see dreams before I."
"Would you mind?"
"Oh no." was her answer.
Matty kept the house while Hoffman traveled distant places; wherever he went she traveled with him via the robot that he took along and he could assist in performing specific functions. Where she was redundant her actual value derived from her surrogate whose AI made her role more than a homemaker. She was in a manner of speaking had become susceptance, the imaginary part of the complex surgical procedures which bound her husband to a robot.
Six months after they were married Hoffman had gone for three days on a case, which she knew was exacting and demanded much from him. Besides death anniversary of his father came in its middle. She was before her work- station catching up with the news. It was O who took her call and in an instant she was beside him. Her implanted chip made her scan his thoughts had she had to smile," A case of burns. Trying out skin graft." The essentials came out as if he dictated right then in the middle of it "Be back on Friday. For funeral."
Suddenly her expression froze. She knew somewhere an error had got in.
"What was the funeral you talked about?" she asked when he had come from his trip. He thought for a while and scowled. He could not remember of any funeral. It was while he checked his watch for their evening party with some of their friends he thought what it could be. Funeral of his father was on a grey November. The date was exactly 24 years ago. "What Code Med has to do with reminding funeral or any other engagements?" Hoffman was astonished. It was as if one intruded into their private space for no reason.
Hoffman later in the evening recalled all those painful recollections, which had attended his last rites. She pressed his arm as he fidgeted while they had a nightcap. " You can talk to me about it if you want to." She said. He merely shook his head and she understood from her notebook that he was a trifle irritated. "Let lying past alone. Love." She knew that his parents were mere shadows and Code Med merely raked in dead ashes. Hoffman talked of his case at hand and O had interpreted wrongly. Their tragedy was merely dragged in by some strange malapropism.
Next day Mathilde referred into transcript. Hoffman had not logged in as yet. They brought fresh to her mind her conversation with her husband and it was exactly true.
Only one line seemed a mistake which after she had rearranged read as, "Helm/ hath/ no/ fury/ like/ a/ woman/ scorn'd/" This had crept in the text whose continuity could have been discernible only from the slight variation of its typeface from the rest. All those words when set in order were clear enough. The clue to its intention was clear from the usage of old English hath instead of 'has'. That evening Matty had it before Hoffman and they had a laugh over the pun. Matty said, "I know the line is from Shakespeare, Bob," he agreed. He commented, "Code Med has an attitude."
They dismissed outright as too ridiculous for notice.
For a week everything seemed working all right. Then came a series of errors, which warranted Elvirez to come in. He checked the whole system and found that AI had indeed its own fingerprint. "From the incident it may look as if the system recognizes the presence of our sting operation." It was the way of Code Med to make outsider take a bum rap. They had ganged on the digitizer to make it seem redundant."
He continued, "I could abort the sting operation if you want to."
"Oh no," Hoffman said as if it was a preposterous suggestion," Active Digitizer is crucial to us as Code Med. We are not afraid of our own dreams or work of our hands. It shall remain at our control."
"Do you think it can ever get out of hand?" Matty wondered when they were alone, " Suppose it read our thoughts wrongly? She asked her husband. He hugged her and said, "We think better than they. Do we not? Then what is the problem?"
Matty smiled and he said, " They are not here to correct us but for our convenience."
Two years of their marriage was idyllic and Matty could enjoy in her husband's success as much as she were an associate who did equal contribution to Health Care. They bought a vacation villa on the isle of Elba. He was at the point was onto something big. He was day and night devising a sustainable recovery program for age related damages to the brain. As a surgeon he thought in terms of technique and background information, which he needed of neuronal dysfunctions he could tap from Code Med. He needed it for his development in research as Mathilde who smoothened every wrinkle of frustration. But for her constant encouragement he would have had left off half way. She was his ear to various schemes in its inception. She was also present as it evolved into a workable stage. If he scrapped it in the middle for being too complex to be of practical use she could understand that his reasons were right. She stood by inspiring him to give it another try and yet another. Code Med was part of their world in making their togetherness more rewarding than ever.
The first holiday was like going back in time. Their sailboat the Eight Bells carried them and their dreams. One week was all that they could take from their self- imposed research program. Two years he had allowed himself no break from his profession and he had said, 'my life really would begin at 40.'
Matty to her disappointment saw that her husband was more like a man possessed since it was clear to them that two years will not be sufficient for putting the research complete. Hoffman assured that it is but natural that much time spent in his research, from initial stage to a break- through would not show as worthwhile. " Every day wasted over the preliminaries is absorbed in that final moment of breakthrough. So back to square one." Matty could understand it was still gnawing his mind since his ability to make love had almost ceased. She knew him well and she knew that he would be all the more embarrassed to be confronted with it at that moment. She recalled those early days and he was as exciting and overpowering, which was as if his speech disability had sent every available resource as if in compensation to her fulfillment. She let herself carried along by his intense concentration that was infectious to say the least. Her husband's mission had rubbed on to her.
One morning Hoffman logged in his notebook and he was mystified by what Code Med had transcribed from her conversation to him. She was away on a sailing holiday. She had been to their villa to check the ongoing renovation that the contractors had promised to finish in a month. In such a straightforward prosaic detail there were a few garbled information. Code Med was at it again. The pieces when put together made him wince. It was a bad joke. "Able/ was/ I/ ere/ I/ saw/ Elba/" Matty
Hoffman knew that Code Med had palmed off a corny palindrome in this case. In putting Matty's name it merely showed its bad attitude. He in his reply casually mentioned to her that Code Med had slipped again.
What upset Matty was that she could not get out of these taunts of Code Med because it was too vital for Hoffman than for her. To expect him to work on without it was to undo all those years, which had made him an extension of it as she was. It was only in matter of degrees. Such unequal partnership to it made any suggestion for its removal as unfair.
Her mind was in turmoil and to her surprise while she was in the villa she saw a dream for the first time which she could recall after she awoke. She wrote it in essential details and sent it over to her husband. If he did not take it as unusual it was different for her. It was a dream. Nevertheless it was hers. She could not get rid of it and in its simplicity and surrealism she felt that she was as marked as by a brand of iron. She wanted to be near her husband. "Perhaps it will cease to be of any consequence with my love around."
That noon she set sail to the mainland. Hoffman knew that she coming home and he had decided to take the day off.
He knew that she had cut short her vacation in haste. She needed him as much as he needed her. What he did not understand what set off a full-blown dream so late? Was it any premonition of sorts which he should take note of?
That night he went to bed early since he had to be at the airport to receive her.
Hardly he had drifted into sleep he awoke with a start. "I saw a dream!" he said loud. It took a second too late to recognize that he could speak again. The gift of speech was not so fresh or meaningful as the sting of his dream. He shivered and blurted out, " I saw her dead."
He spoke the truth. News came to him that the Eight Bells was found drifting in the sea and Mathilde was dead when she was found. "Cause of death is unknown. No foul play is suspected." It said.
"Is my speech as result of it, her gift?" Hoffman was too stunned to think of it further. He collapsed under shock.
The Orion
Hoffman did not realize, as one week after Mathilde's funeral that she left a void which nothing could replace. Her death had connected to his own loss; and with his parents. But it had not prepared him for what lay ahead. The living and his own dreams. His life and hers had touched much more than he had any inkling of. It still left him incomplete.
He was still connected to Code Med which merely brought fresh his past and it was intolerable. The first task, which signaled that his mourning was at an end, was when he asked Elvirez to check Code Med for worms. "It seems to me that it was not any virus but worms which gave its attitude." The surgeon came straight to the point.
Elvirez stared at Hoffman as if he was incoherent. He asked, "What makes you say as if it is a fact?"
Hoffman said, "I had a dream." The expert could not believe it.
One week later Elvirez came back to him to say he was right after all.
He explained that the culture of worms, which he said was hatched between the robots and had passed on between them to pass detection.
"Who could have thought you would see it in a dream!" The expert was dumbfounded," it took me almost four days of sweat."
Hoffman nodded to say, 'yes it seems so.' What Hoffman did not say was it was Mathilde who dreamt of the conspiracy of robots. It was all that one dream, which her life could hold on to. It must have affected her beyond belief that she cut short her vacation. She had said, "I need a hug so bad that I can cry." What it had lead to! Mathilde needed a window into her lover's soul. She had wished for a dream. She had often told him in their most intimate moments that.
She had realized her dream. It was only that it was to Code Med that she opened her window instead. It made him shudder.
Elvirez asked a favor from him to report of the worms 'Code Med' in a scientific journal. He agreed.
In the end he instructed Elvirez to break up Code Med into individual units to serve him for surgery alone.
He said to the banker who had called on him to enquire that he was through with his research. "I shall stick to my profession and nothing more." Before parting he asked him a personal question, which made the banker a shade embarrassed. "Do you dream?" Hoffman asked him
"No," the older man replied with a somber expression," unfortunately no." Then he was gone.
Later On his fortieth birthday he was invited to take up control of the Orion which he did. It was the answer to the accident-prone age of his. A ship of immense size and a law unto itself. It was entirely in his control. A floating Health care entirely manned by robots made sense to him. In the appointment order one line made him smile inwardly. 'To one who dream this will come as no surprise."
It was the Banker's manner of apologizing for that curious disability which was somehow passed on to his daughter.
The End


text:
After a massive consolidation of the region's health care industry, Community Health Systems has become the largest private employer in Northeast Pennsylvania.
With about 6,500 employees at eight area hospitals and nonhospital entities, Community Health Systems has even surpassed Tobyhanna Army Depot, which has about 5,400 workers.
"Whenever you have an employer that size, clearly that has a huge impact on the economy, not just for the people we employ, but those folks go out and buy houses and cars and gas," said Cornelio Catena, CEO of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and Commonwealth Health, the umbrella group for Community Health Systems' area hospitals.
"It's a huge economic contributor to our area."
Geisinger Health System isn't far behind. With about 4,000 workers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming and Monroe counties, Geisinger more than doubled its worker base since 2002.
William Moore, president and CEO of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, said both health systems have a significant economic impact "that hits us every day."
Community Health Systems and Geisinger both provide jobs that "run the gamut from entry level to highly skilled qualified doctors, nurses and administrators with a wide range of salaries," Mr. Moore said.
"This leads to local purchases and major purchases such as housing, appliances and durable goods," Mr. Moore said. "There are good-paying jobs in the industry."
Satyajit Ghosh, Ph.D., a University of Scranton economist, said it is not surprising that health care organizations are becoming more important, "particularly given the fact that as a nation, we spend the most on health care in the world."
"Manufacturing used to provide a lot of jobs. Now, many of the large manufacturing employers are gone," Dr. Ghosh said. "During the recession, industries suffered when the economy wasn't doing well, but that's not the case with health care industries. They aren't linked with the recession. Ups and downs don't affect the health care industry at all. The health care industry has provided steady employment."
CHS increases holdings
Wyoming Valley Health Care System, which includes Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, was sold to for-profit Community Health Systems Inc. in 2009 for $271 million.
Franklin, Tenn.-based CHS has subsequently increased its local holdings to eight hospitals, snapping up the Regional Hospital of Scranton, Special Care Hospital in Nanticoke and Tyler Memorial Hospital in Tunkhannock last year for $150 million and Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton and Mid-Valley Hospital in Blakely for $152 million in late December.
Hospitals under the Commonwealth Health umbrella also include Berwick Hospital Center and First Hospital in Kingston. Its non-hospital entities include Inter Mountain Medical Group, Physician Health Alliance and Community Counseling Services.
Commonwealth Health has continued to recruit physicians in various medical specialties, Mr. Catena said. From 2009 through this year, Commonwealth has recruited and plans to recruit at least 26 physicians at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, he said.
A $53 million expanded emergency department and heart and vascular institute tower that recently opened at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is expected to increase its volume of patients and create a need for more employees in the future, Mr. Catena said.
Community Health Systems affiliates own, operate or lease a total of 135 hospitals in 29 states, with an aggregate of approximately 20,000 licensed beds, according to its website.
Geisinger grows
The health system, based in Danville, has increased its presence locally. In addition to launching new services and attracting specialists to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp., Geisinger acquired Community Medical Center in Scranton earlier this year.
Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton now employs 1,603, a number that has grown because of higher patient volumes since the hospital joined Geisinger in February, said spokeswoman Wendy Wilson.
CEO Robert Steigmeyer anticipates an additional 80 support staff employees and 25 new physicians and physician assistants will be hired in the next year. In the next five years, they intend to hire 60 mid-level providers, which includes physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants and 160 new support staff.
"The growth really has been quite remarkable," Mr. Steigmeyer said. "The next five years will be radically different than the last five years for job creation and economic development."
Geisinger Northeast - covering Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wyoming and Monroe counties - has recruited 89 physicians and 200 registered nurses in the last three years and 49 physician assistants and certified nurse practitioners in the last two years, said Geisinger spokesman Matt Van Stone.
Within the next five years, Geisinger Northeast plans on recruiting 95 physicians, including 23 primary care physicians, Mr. Van Stone said.
In all, Geisinger Health System employs more than 14,000 people. The system serves more than 2.6 million residents throughout 44 counties in northeastern and central Pennsylvania.
Hospitals top employers statewide
Statewide, hospitals are among the top employers in 55 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, according to a recent study by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
"Hospitals do continue to play a very important role as economic contributors in their communities," said Julie Kissinger, spokeswoman for the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
"Hospitals are particularly important in rural communities where you may have fewer large job providers," she said. "Hospitals and health systems make a total direct and indirect contribution of nearly $100 billion on the state's economy and that is a result of both direct and indirect economic spin-offs in construction, food services and other businesses that work with hospitals."
According to the state Department of Labor and Industry, health care industries in Luzerne County, including hospitals, ambulatory health care services and nursing and residential care facilities, employed 19,513 people in 2011 who earned an average wage of $43,174. In Lackawanna County, 16,674 people worked in the health care industry in 2011 and the average wage was $42,627. Statewide, the health care industry employed 786,029 in 2011 and the average wage was $47,898.
According to the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital was the third top employer and Geisinger was the fifth largest in Luzerne County in the most recent data from the fourth quarter of 2011. Wilkes-Barre General Hospital employs 1,950 people. Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp. and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre employ a combined total of 1,770 people.
The top two employers in Luzerne County in the fourth quarter of 2011 were the federal and state governments. Luzerne County government was ranked number four.
In Lackawanna County, Geisinger Community Medical Center was ranked the fourth top employer and Moses Taylor Hospital was ranked fifth in the fourth quarter of 2011. Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton now employs 1,603; Moses Taylor employs 1,189. The top employers in Lackawanna County were the state government, Allied Services Foundation and Scranton School District.
Nationwide, industries and occupations related to health care, personal care and social assistance, are projected to have the fastest job growth between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While overall employment in manufacturing is projected to decline by 1 percent, the health care and social assistance industry is projected to create about 28 percent of all new jobs created in the U.S. economy.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the Affordable Care Act, all Americans will need to have health insurance by 2014 and Dr. Ghosh said that will mean more job growth in the health care industry.
"The health care reform essentially will bring in more uninsured individuals. Insurance companies and health care organizations will essentially have more customers to deal with," Dr. Ghosh said. "Health care industries have always been important given the lack of job growth coming from other companies and other industries. Their relative importance has grown in the region and for years to come, we will see that trend continue."
Economic development
At Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp., a $9.5 million project to expand the critical care building is under way. The 24-bed unit expansion will add about 20,000 square feet of space. The project likely will be completed in February, said John Buckley, chief administrative officer of Geisinger Northeast. Plans also are underway to build a medical office building on Geisinger's Plains Twp. campus, he said.
"As we expand facilities, we are looking to recruit additional doctors," he said. "As we have more doctors and more space, we need more staff to go with that."
The $53 million emergency department and heart and vascular institute tower, which recently opened at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, is part of $96 million in investments at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital since Community Health Systems bought the nonprofit Wyoming Valley Health Care System in May 2009, Mr. Catena said. The investment is part of Community Health Systems' commitment to spend a total of $135 million over seven years.
Other major capital improvements at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital have included a $5 million new inpatient rehab unit; a robotic surgery program costing $5 million and a more advanced robotic surgical system costing $1.8 million; a $2 million pharmacy system; $3.6 million in investments in imaging services and radiation oncology, $5 million in information systems and $2 million in cardiac catheterization laboratories.
Additionally, Community Health Systems recently opened a new $4.5 million medical office and outpatient facility in Wright Twp. and is looking at opening a similar facility in Nanticoke, Mr. Catena said.
Geisinger has also committed to an $80 million facility expansion of GCMC, $25.7 million to construct a new physician office building in Scranton and a $20 million project underway to upgrade the hospital's information technology system.
The $80 million expansion, scheduled to begin next year, will include 14 new operating rooms and new critical care facilities. The $25.7 million physician office building will be located at the Mount Pleasant Corporate Center near Scranton High School, replacing Geisinger's current community practice facility at Lake Scranton.
"These are two very substantial projects which will employ a lot of different people, including architects, engineers, contractors and subcontractors," Mr. Steigmeyer said. "It will have the basic multiplier effect. When we create more jobs here, which are well-paying jobs, people will spend money in the community and we will retain people here who don't go to other markets."
Contact the writer: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Edith Waddell's vibrant, surreal paintings form beautiful, symmetrical imagery filled with otherworldly flora and fauna. Her work combines feminine motifs, strange creatures, and delicate, pastel colors to create hybrid imagery. Full of symbolism and feminine spirituality, Waddell's work does not just depict elements of the natural world, but the emotional, inner self. Her choice of colors seem to glow in neon hues, creating intense visuals that almost seem hallucinatory. Each composition blooms in beautiful symmetry, as they resemble inkblots tests one might see at a psychiatric exam. This resemblance reflects upon our inner psyche, as Waddell often pulls inspiration from imagery often found in her dreams. Many of her compositions resemble the female anatomy, with heavy maternal symbolism expressing the womb. Although whimsical and vivacious, there is an element of darkness that can be found in her work, like the reoccurring skull and the all-seeing eyes. There is a conflicting nature present, as there are elements of life in her budding flowers, but also death in the skulls and bones.
Originally hailing from Peru, Edith Waddell is now based out of LA. She is an artist of many talents, as she not just a painter, but an illustrator and printmaker. She often combines collage, digital, and traditional paintings to create her crossbred, botanical imagery.
"My goal is to make visible that which is overlooked, confronting the public with the dark and mysterious aspects of their own psyches, emotional struggles, and their relationship with the natural environment. My work is an invitation to make an introspective examination and reflection into our own existence, both physical and spiritual."
-Edith Waddell


text: My mail server is built largely using "how to" information here, and it is providing POP3 mail serving via Courier. User data is in MySQL and I'm using ViMbAdmin to manage the MySQL data. This works fine for plain text passwords. But if I change the passwords to being encrypted (ViMbAdmin uses MD5) then the password is rejected. With diagnostics turned up, there is a message in the log, which simply quotes the plain text password submitted by the mail client, and says it does not match the encrypted password (which it quotes) extracted from the database. The Courier configuration file giving the MySQL information is being modified to contain a reference to encrypted passwords at the same time as the field in the database was changed to encrypted. Is the wrong encryption being used? Or does Courier need some further configuration?


text: Need help finding a Cat dealer near you? To use the Cat dealer locator below, simply enter your address and select the type of equipment you're looking for. Or, if you already know the name of the dealer you're searching for, you can type in the dealer's name for a list of locations.


text:
Sacramento Kings (9 - 31) @ Golden State Warriors (18 - 23)
Start time: 7:30 PM PST @ The Oracle Arena
Local TV: CSN Bay Area
Probable starters for the Golden State Warriors:
C - Andris Biedrins
PF - David Lee
SF - Dorell Wright
SG - Monta Ellis
PG - Stephen Curry
Probable starters for the Sacramento Kings:
C - Jason Thompson
PF - DeMarcus Cousins
SF - Donte Greene
SG - Tyreke Evans
PG - Beno Udrih
Team leaders:
PPG - M. Ellis (25.7) | T. Evans (17.1)
RPG - D. Lee (9.6) | D. Cousins (7.7)
APG - S. Curry (5.9) | T. Evans (5.4)
SPG - M. Ellis (2.3) | T. Evans (1.8)
BPG - E. Udoh (1.1) | S. Dalembert (1.6)
Game Thread: Sacramento Kings @ Warriors 2011-01-21
Talk about the upcoming Warriors game here
Moderators: Mr. Crackerz, JREED, Guybrush, 32
- Posts: 1027
- Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 10:07 pm
All Star
we gotta keep rolling, get a nice streak going
many of our guys have forgot how it feels to win. :\
many of our guys have forgot how it feels to win. :\
- Posts: 1119
- Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 4:53 pm
All Star
We need to keep the winning going. The other teams copeating for the 7th and 8th spots are winning too so we are still 4 games out of the playoffs, with Memphis the only team that lost tonight in contention for those spots. Clippers play at Portland tomorrow, so at least one of those teams will lose... hopefull portland.
- Posts: 1119
- Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 4:53 pm
All Star
8th ave wrote:hope we take it to cousins... hate that kid
Yeah, after that whole choking thing, I think he deserves it. Hope we win by a lot!
Smart and his strange rotations, SMH
JREED wrote:we are clearly the better and more talented team, we just have streaks of poor offensive execution and stupid decision making.
Fact, warriors playing like they have a hangover this half, hope they smooth it out next half.
Last edited by warriorsstepup on Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Posts: 159
- Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 8:12 pm
8th ave wrote:JREED wrote:we are clearly the better and more talented team, we just have streaks of poor offensive execution and stupid decision making.
+ giving up 2nd chance points....
what's up with tyreke... he's missing layups! oh well, good for us
Tyreke has Plantar fasciitis which really hinders him when stepping which is good for us Warrior are keeping it close, but they will make a surge towards the second half. The Kings can't keep up this pace Tyreke is going to wear down and I don't see the other players on the Kings to step up late to help Kings to win over the Warriors.
Get that weak sauce out of here Cousins. lol
Steph major quarter, much needed.
Steph major quarter, much needed.


text:
When he was five, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen had his tonsils removed. Since then, he has undergone zero surgical procedures, despite a lifetime of playing football.
That'll change, eventually. Now that Minnesota's season has ended with a one-and-done playoff appearance, Allen will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.
"It's not good," Allen said after last night's game, via Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com. "My inside game wasn't as good as I would have liked for it to have been just because I really didn't have as much power in my hump. . . . But you fight through it and you're never fully healthy. I'll get it cleaned up."
He plans to delay the surgery until after an upcoming trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. Some may wonder whether Allen should risk aggravating the condition. But given the level of intensity displayed during the game, he'd probably be putting the thing at greater risk by trying to kill a horsefly with a rolled-up newspaper.


text:
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Meet your fellow owners in our Owners Clubs
Chevrolet Cobalt Prices Paid and Buying Experience
Karen_S Posts: 5,093A national newspaper is looking to speak to consumers who financed through GMAC and got approved or tried to finance through GMAC and didn't get approved. Please send your daytime phone number and the vehicle you own to [email protected] by Thursday, July 30, 2009.0
Sticker 17,500, after discounts and loyalty OTD 12200.
Automatic coupe with a few bells and whistles. Dealer was left with a row of unsold 09s after the first of the year , and obviously wanted a sale on a snowy day.0
OK, its six months later and found a 2010 sitting on a lot.
9850 OTD for an LS XFE Coupe- jumped on it.0
moparbad Posts: 3,870What was the price of the car before tax, title, license, doc fee, dealer prep, etc.?0
Kirstie_H Posts: 11,076A reporter wants to interview people who are focused on achieving 30mpg or better in their next car puchase. Please reply to [email protected] by Fri, Oct 15, 2010 with your daytime contact info and a few thoughts on the subject.
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Need help navigating? [email protected] - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews0
frugalcarguy Posts: 1Above and beyond my GM credit card points of $3500, I have refused to pay more than $7500 out of pocket for a new car, especially since the bail out. They are clearing the lots of 2010's at this point. Wanted as cheap a vehicle as I could possibly get basically just to get to and from work (20 miles each way). Rochester, NY area dealership, base cobalt coupe XFE, price $15710, minus rebate and customer appreciation of $5810, minus GM credit card points $3455, minus trade in $500 (98 prizm with 160,000 miles) ( yeah, I feel like I got screwed on that part because I loved that car) = $5945. Then add tax, and fees of $1250, and final price out of pocket $7200. I tried the same deal back in April, but could not get total out of pocket below $8400 ( I had same amount of GM credit card points at that time also). So I am happy that I paid less than $7500 out of pocket including tax and fees. I am ticked that 2 months ago I had $3800 GM credit card points (lost some through expiration). Happy with the price but drive away in this car thinking that my grandkids will still be paying back for the bail out.0
That 2010 never happended. Short Story - History.
So I went out in search of another leftover 2009 coupe. Auto Air spoiler, MSRP 17895.00
Car was 12600 out the door. black, grey interior. LS. Thats the one I ended up buying Sept 7th. That makes two cars in 6 months. So now I have Silver Moss and Black,
I also priced 201 XFE base coupes . 11300 out the door was the bottom line on that piece. I opted for the 2009 auto air car.
Could I have done better? Really don't know - but I have the car.
Clincher- The last car in the house gets replaced before the end of the year. Now I am shopping for that Base XFE. Want a used low mile unit, no hit coupe.
If I find one for 9k out the door, I'll pull the trigger. Any of the 4 colors. Doesn't matter.0
Patience paid off on the third car-
2009 pontiac G5 ...stick XFE...8000 miles. Like brand new...in fact I test drove it when it was new....and passed on it because the original selling dealer wanted 12,300 plus 1000.00 tax back in Oct of 2009.
Found it at a GMC truck lot as a trade in- and they wanted it gone.... ended up buying it for 9800.00. I traded in the last of my J bodys, an old Sunfire, which gave me another 3000 off. Add tax...and I was at 7250.00 OTD. Car originally stickered for 17,300.
When the G5s closed out, they had 6500.00 rebates on the hood, and many were discounted...so it basically was a $10,000.00 car a year ago. I only could have done better if I owned a time machine.0
Gas popped 4 bucks a gallon and I happened upon a 2010 XFE BASE coupe for 9000. 14k miles and clean as a pin (in white this time).
With the other 2 Cobalts and the G5 having assigned drivers, it was my turn to drive a Cobalt.
So that's 4 of these cars . All coupes.
Two 09 LS automatics, an 09 G5 XFE , and a '10 Cobalt XFE.0


text:
About This Activity
The Color Run is coming back to ST. LOUIS, MO September 15th, 2013. The only question is, Are you ready for the craziest, colorful, 5k of your life? You bet you are. Race it solo or form a Color Team. Check out more race details at thecolorrun.com & well see you all squeaky clean at the start line.
Event schedule and times
Start time is 9:00 AM


text:
Former pupils of Rev. Lawrence Dickerson are planning a reunion and picnic, to be held at Armilda on Monday, July 5th, which promises to be one of the most pleasant social affairs in the county next month.
Rev. Dickerson was born and raised in Wayne County and spent years teaching here. He was recognized as one of the foremost educators of his time, and numbered among his former pupils are scores of men and women who have gone out into the world and made good in a number of endeavors. Rev. Dickerson how resides at Prospect, Ohio, where he is a minister in the Baptist church, but he still retains strong affection in his heart for Wayne county and Wayne county people and always visits the folks "back home" at every opportunity.
For the past few years he has looked forward to a reunion of all of his former pupils, but not until recently was a date and place decided. Since July 4th comes on Sunday, Independence Day will be celebrated on Monday, which will make the day of the reunion and picnic a legal holiday, thus enabling many folks to come who would otherwise not be able to be there. The reunion will be held on the grounds around Armilda Graded school on the Wayne-East Lynn road.
Rev. Dickerson is anxious to see nearly all of his former pupils at the reunion. Every former pupil is cordially invited and expected to attend. Each one should bring a basket dinner which will be eaten on the ground at noon and this promises to be one of the big features of the day.
It should be a great occasion for all of Rev. Dickerson's former pupils. Each one of them should make arrangements now to be there without fail and enjoy good eats, fine fellowship, and a pleasant reunion of friends and class-mates.
Those attending the picnic are requested to assemble at 9 o'clock. Adjourment will be about 4 o'clock p. m.
Rev. Dickerson began teaching years ago at Bartram Fork. He was always well liked by his pupils. A prominent feature of the reunion will be the playing of games of days-gone-by by the former pupils. Rev. Dickerson will join with them in such play as Puss Wants a Corner, Jumping the Rope, etc. In writing about his plans for the reunion, Dickerson says in part:
"Sure we are going to play the old games again, even though some of us are a little stiff and complain of rheumatism and other ailments once in a while. We especially want to have an old fashioned game of Base so that Tom Mills can have a chance again to fall in Twelve Pole."
June 14th, Buryl Cyrus cut the first cabbage grown in Wayne County this year for market. Mr. Cyrus was the first one last year to put tomatoes on the market, and indications are that he will be the first this year. Last Monday, June 14th, he sold cabbage on the Huntington market for 8 cents a pound. Only three of the South Point, Ohio, growers were as early as he, and the South Point growers are regarded as the earliest in the Tri-State region.
Last Saturday the first maximum car of cabbage left North Kenova for Pittsburgh. R. R. Gillette and Buryl Cyrus, both truck growers of near Wayne, helped load the first car. They also helped load the car that left Tuesday of this week.
Wayne truck growers are having meetings every Monday evening at the County Agent's office at the Court House at Wayne. . .
Transcription by June White
Wayne County News


text:
"Artists' Books" designed by 15 Hope art students are being featured in a display in the Van Wylen Library at Hope College through Friday, Feb. 24.
The works—a variety of pieces crafted from old books, some retaining their original form and others rendered into completely different objects like a teacup or compass rose--offer an imaginative reinterpretation of the way that books traditionally relate language and images, each reflecting the vision of the individual artist. The exhibition's statement describes the medium as "Neither an art book nor a book on art. The 'Artist's Book' is a work of art on its own, conceived specifically for the book form and often published by the artist."
The pieces were created by students in the college's "Applied Design II" class. One of the volumes will be selected for the library's new "Artists' Book Collection."
The students with work in the display, which opened on Friday, Feb. 3, are: Gretchen Baldwin, a December graduate from Portage; junior Leah Carroll of Holly; senior Chris Cox of Grand Rapids; junior Kristen Dunn of Grand Rapids; sophomore Susan Haigh of Carmel, Ind.; sophomore Michael Harbert of Williamston; senior Amy Hattori of Hacienda Heights, Calif.; junior Becca Hawkins of Williamsburg; junior Justin Korver of Sioux Center, Iowa; sophomore Luis Marin of New Era; sophomore Matheus Matioli of Kijabe, Kenya; sophomore Natalie Meissner of Hartland, Wis.; freshman Elizabeth O'Connell of Geneva, Ill.; senior Audrey Schultz of Grand Haven; and freshman Katelyn Szmurlo of Barrington, Ill. The course was taught by Stephanie Milanowski, who is the Howard R. and Margaret E. Sluyter Assistant Professor of Art and Design at Hope.
The Van Wylen Library is regularly open Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to midnight, Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to midnight. In conjunction with the college's Winter Break, which begins the evening of Friday, Feb. 10, and continues through Tuesday, Feb. 14, the library will be open on Friday, Feb. 10, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11-12; open on Monday, Feb. 13, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and open on Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 8 a.m. to midnight.
The Van Wylen Library is located at 53 Graves Place (11th Street), between 10th and 12th streets on College Avenue.


text:
If an internist has a patient who is complaining of chest pain the doctor will refer the patient to a cardiologist. It is the cardiologist's job to determine if the chest pain the patient is experiencing is the result of a serious heart condition or perhaps only the result of indigestion. Cardiologists will ask the patient to describe the quality of the pain. Questions asked might be does the patient experience the pain during certain activities, how often do the they experiencing pain, or how long have they been experiencing discomfort. After taking the medical history, the cardiologist performs a physical examination. This is their first opportunity to listens to the patient's heart. Often a cardiologist can tell if there is a problem by listening to the rhythm of the heartbeat.The most common procedures performed by cardiologist are the electrocardiogram (EKG), echocardiography (ECG), and cardiac catheterization. These procedures are used to aid in evaluation and diagnosis of the heart.
Maddahi Jamshid MD
Dr. Mehran Khorsandi
Dr. Shaun S. Daneshrad, MD, FACC
Dr. Kamran Shamsa, MD
Apex Cardiology
Dr. Michael J. Wong M.D.
Dr. Lisa Matzer, M.D., an internist-cardiologist
Los Angeles Cardiology Associates
Urman Mark K MD
Cardiology Care Of The Heart Patient Inc.
Epic Cardiology
Dr. Richard F. Wright, MD
Greater Los Angeles Cardiology: Hendel Jeffrey MD
Foothill Cardiology California Heart Medical Group, Inc.
Coast Cardiology Medical Associates: Kennedy John MD
Dr. Edwin Lee
James R. Katz M.D., F.A.C.C.
Wilshire Cardiology Group
Los Angeles Cardiology & Associates: Ho Ivan C MD
Dr. Donna M. Gallik, MD
Robert M Davidson Inc: Davidson Robert M MD
Dr. Joseph Ghazal
Yzhar Charuzi, MD, FACC
Cardiovascular Medical Group: Samuels A Bruce MD
Cardiovascular Medical Group
Dr. Ming W. Liu, MD
Beverly Hills Heart Center: Yashar Payam R MD
Guilda Sarraf, M.D., Inc.
Cardiology Consultants Medical: Naiem Shahram MD
Harris & Batra Cardiology: Batra Narinder S MD
East Los Angeles Cardiology
Ong James MD
Women's Cardiovascular Institute: Chaikin Michael L MD
Dr. Ibrahim Helmy, M.D.
Los Angeles Cardiology & Associates: Pollick Charles MD
Shervin Eshaghian, MD
Dr. Kamran Matin, MD
Cardiovascular Medical Group: Bhatia Satinder J MD
Coast Cardiology Medical Associates
Diana Kim MD, Cardiologist
Preciado Cardiology
Dr. Michael S. Lee, MD
Interventional Cardiology Med: Cohen Benjamin MD
Goodman Jeffrey MD
Stanley Wishner, MD
Shearer Cardiology Medical Group
Cardiovascular Medical Group: Elad Yaron MD
Choi Myunghae MD
Vita Medical Center: Reznik Gary MD
Anna Milstein MD
Zouheir H Elias Md
Dr. Ravi H. Dave, MD
Ladenheim Marc L MD
Dr. Leo Polosajian, MD
Dr. Prediman K. Shah, MD
Cardiology Consultants Medical: Wohlgelernter Daniel MD
Ophthalmology Associates-Valley: Farshi Ramin MD
Dr. Isaac L. Wiener, MD
Robert J. Siegel MD
Kar Saibal MD
For more results of Cardiologists in Los Angeles,California click here: http://us.wowcity.com/losangeles/?what=Cardiologist
Cardiologists are often called in to assist other doctors. Cardiac surgeon often request cardiologists to consult in the preoperative phase of treatment. If a patient is known to have a preexisting heart problem, a surgeon will consult a cardiologist before, during, and after a surgery to track the patient's health.Cardiologists do more than treat existing problems. They also provide information and advice to their patients regarding the prevention of cardiac disease. This advice is best known early on; many of the patients who see cardiologist are advanced in age and find it difficult to change their behavior. The earlier a patient is reached, the better chance preventive measures such as a healthy diet and daily exercise can be adapted into that patient's lifestyle.


text:
Export 815 results:Author Title Type [ Year]
Filters: Spatial-hedonic-analysis-effects-wind-energy-facilities-surrounding-property-values-uni is [Clear All Filters]
Open Access Technology International, 2019.
"Describing the users: Understanding adoption of and interest in shared, electrified, and automated transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area." Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment (2019)..
"Distribution system versus bulk power system: identifying the source of electric service interruptions in the US." IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution 13.5 (2019) 717-723..
"Evaluating the Effects of Missing Values and Mixed Data Types on Social Sequence Clustering Using t-SNE Visualization." Journal of Data and Information Quality 11.2 (2019) 1 - 22..
"Exploratory analysis of high-resolution power interruption data reveals spatial and temporal heterogeneity in electric grid reliability." Energy Policy 129 (2019) 206 - 214..
"Frontiers in the Economics of Widespread, Long-Duration Power Interruptions: Proceedings from an Expert Workshop." Frontiers in the Economics of Widespread, Long-Duration Power Interruptions 2019..
IEA Wind TCP Task 26‒Wind Technology, Cost, and Performance Trends in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, the European Union, and the United States: 2008‒2016. . 2019..
"Spillover as a cause of bias in baseline evaluation methods for demand response programs." Applied Energy 250 (2019) 344 - 357..
Utility Investments in Resilience of Electricity Systems. . Vol. FEUR Report No. 11. 2019..
"Accelerating the Deployment of Anaerobic Digestion to Meet Zero Waste Goals." Environmental Science & Technology 52.23 (2018) 13663–13669..
Assessing the PACE of California residential solar deployment: Impacts of Property Assessed Clean Energy programs on residential solar photovoltaic deployment in California, 2010-2015. 2018. LBNL-2001143..
Barriers and Opportunities to Broader Adoption of Integrated Demand Side Management at Electric Utilities: A Scoping Study. 2018. LBNL-2001110..
The Cost of Saving Electricity Through Energy Efficiency Programs Funded by Utility Customers: 2009–2015. 2018..
Creating Pathways to Success for Supersized Wind Turbine Blades: 2018 Workshop Summary Report. 2018..
Diffusion of Innovations: Interplay of Social, Economic, Technological, and Policy Drivers in the Solar Industry—Summary of UT Austin Student Capstone Research Projects. 2018..
"Distinguishing Among the Sources of Electric Service Interruptions." 2018 IEEE International Conference on Probabilistic Methods Applied to Power Systems (PMAPS). Boise, ID, USA: IEEE, 2018..


text:
Professor Marlena Kruger, from the Institute of Food Nutrition and Human Health, was awarded $500,000 in funding by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Japan Science and Technology Agency for a research program of which the study forms part.
Professor Kruger says post-menopausal women over 50 are vulnerable to osteoporosis because of the estrogen loss during menopause.
"Estrogen replacement therapy is effective at maintaining bone health, but there is research that shows it may have undesirable side effects and even cause breast cancer," she says.
Some plants, including soybeans, produce phytoestrogens - estrogen-like molecules - that may be an alternative to the standard replacement therapy.
"Isoflavones, which are the most studied phytoestrogens related to bone health, have been shown in studies of older Asian women to be protective against fractures," she says. "However, to be effective one of the isoflavones, Diazein, needs to be broken down in the intestines and Caucasian women do not seem to be able to do this as well as Asian women."
There is evidence that by changing gut bacteria with natural foods - in this case green kiwifruit - the digestion of the isoflavones can be improved. Professor Kruger is now seeking participants from the Manawatu region for a 16-week trial.
"We need 60 female post-menopausal women for the study, who will take tablets of soy isoflavones with or without kiwifruit."
Samples of blood and urine will be taken and tested as part of the study.
Similar trials have been done by partner researchers in Japan. Professor Kruger then hopes to develop products in conjunction with New Zealand food manufacturers that can curb osteoporosis by combining phytoestrogens with other active ingredients in functional foods.
Figures from the International Osteoporosis Foundation show in New Zealand there were an estimated 84,000 osteoporotic fractures in 2007, with 60 per cent of these occurring in women. The total cost of osteoporosis in New Zealand is estimated to be more than $1.15 billion per year, and it is estimated that both the number of osteoporotic fractures and the cost of healthcare associated with osteoporosis will increase by more than 30 per cent between 2007-2020.
CC AutoTriage5rn-130823-30FurigayJane-4464449 30FurigayJane
(c) 2013 Targeted News Service


text:
Water Resistant Watches are sealed to witstand some pressure.
Water resistance is tested in measurements of atmosphere (ATM). Each ATM denotes 10 meters of static water-pressure. This is not the depth to which a watch can be worn. Many watch cases will list the basic measurement of 1 ATM as "water-resistant." These watches will withstand small splashes of water but should not be worn while washing the hands or submerging the hands in water.
Remember, water resistance is tested under static conditions. Wearing a watch which is 50 metres water resistant in water will expose the watch to a much greater pressure than during a 50 metre static test. Therefore the number of metres shown on the watch does not indicate the depth that the watch can be taken to.
Here is a general guide
50M = 5ATM = Shower Proof - it\'s ok to get it wet a bit.
100M = 10ATM = Extended Water Exposure good for swimming or snorkeling.
200M = 20ATM = Pressure Resistant made for Scuba and Skin Diving.
Q: A 100M watch is surely strong enough on a shallow dive?!
A: No! It isn\'t because it has not been high pressure sealed. 100M watches are only good for Snorkeling!
Q: What will happen if I try to dive with a watch that is less than 200M Resistant?
A: The watch\'s seal will be broken, it will flood and break..irrepairably.
Q: So which watch to buy?
A: Think about what you need it for and bear in mind that Scuba Watches (200M) look really cool but tend to be very heavy, which makes them uncomfortable for everyday use.


text:
Some people move every year and become experts along the way but most of us move infrequently and it's hard to know where to start. With changing demographics and rapidly evolving service expectations of young urban-to-urban movers in Duval County, small moves and apartment moves are becoming more popular. Don't worry about operating a large, unfamiliar rental truck cross country — fly or drive in your personal vehicle, and rest assured that your belongings are safe and secure. Movers specializing in small moves can also move your furniture, electronics, antiques, artwork, and other items. There are many movers out there that charge a minimum weight of the household goods to be packed up and transported to their destination which in specific cases may not be the best solution for you.
Best Small Load Moving Companies in Murray Hill, Florida
Some examples of small moves are the contents of a single room, a studio apartment, a storage unit, a server rack, or a few large pieces of artwork. We specialize in the packaging and shipping of small and mini moves. We can handle everything from pianos, fine art, crystal and antiques to electronics and computers with full-service door to door inside delivery and pick-up. We know moving can be incredibly stressful and we want you to know selecting a moving company to work with doesn"t have to be. Your movers in Duval County 32205 will be trained and uniformed employees. We can move your entire house to your new home with an attention to detail that makes small move an exceptional value. You still get the full security of Atlas paired with a dedicated team and faster service. We also never combine households.
Movers For Small Moves near Murray Hill
These moving companies in Murray Hill specialize in the packing and shipping of small households. We will handle your small-scale move with the same level of professionalism and care as if it were a full-size move. Whether you are shipping a few items to a location cross country, or you are selling furniture or other items at a auction, you want to make sure your small shipment arrives at the destination intact and for an economical price. You will not have to worry about wrapping your items in protective material. We are trained, professional movers in Florida, which means you receive door to door inside delivery with full blanket service just as though you had a large load. We"d like to thank you for the chance to earn your business. A clean, well-kept enclosed moving box truck with thick moving pads for your furniture.
How to move small loads across the country?
Our crews are quick and courteous and our small trucks operate easily in urban settings and apartment complexes with restricted access for large trucks. Sometimes, small moves are considered "non-traditional" because they don"t fit the relocation business model. Options for when you don't have much to move. Moving just a few items is a very different from moving an entire house. Full-service moves are the most common type of residential moving where the hired moving company takes care of all or almost all aspects of move itself. Movers in Florida offers all of these small moving options in and more to almost any domestic or international location in the world. We also provide mini shipping containers for moving as well. Because you are sharing the space on a van with others you are "sharing the cost", the cost of moving a whole truckload is shared with other customers. At times, we offer unwanted furniture disposal service.
- Avondale
- West Jacksonville
- Riverside
- Edgewood
- Saint Johns Park
- Brooklyn
- Grand Park
- Lake Shore
- Grand Crossing
- Normandy
- College Park
- Hart Haven
- Biltmore
- Ideal Trailer Park
What is the best moving solution in Murray Hill for small loads cross country?
Cross-town or between floors in your building, we deliver efficient, affordable local moving services. If you"re only moving small loads, or moving a small apartment, local movers answers specifically with your moving needs in mind. Small load moving companies have various ways of determining how much your move will cost. If you have a small household or only need certain objects to be moved, you should consider hiring small movers. As a result, you won't lose any money if the overall weight of your items is less than 2000 lbs. Each of these services can be customized to help with any difficulties you may be experiencing. Very few moving companies specialize in small moves. Please don"t hesitate to call, as no moving job is too large or small, and we serve all of our neighbors in cities all over Murray Hill, Florida.


text:
CHICAGO – He spent the last several months lobbying through actions, with his play as a Kansas shooting guard, and then Ben McLemore finally said it.
He is the best player in the draft.
"Deep down I think I am," he told NBA.com as the pre-Draft combine got underway with physical testing in advance of most players, but not McLemore and other top prospects, taking the court Thursday and Friday. "I have that mindset that I am. Just going out there and showing my abilities.
"People know what I did in college and know what I can do throughout my career. A lot of people know I really haven't reached that point in my basketball life, so I know deep down inside that I have it in me. I've just got to keep working."
The pre-Draft combine will be televised on ESPNU (10 a.m.-2 p.m. ET) and ESPN2 (2-3 p.m. ET) on Thursday and again on Friday at the same times and on the same channels.
Whether McLemore is actually first off the board on June 27 will depend partly, if not largely, on the results of the lottery – the winner will likely go for Nerlens Noel of Kentucky if it needs a big man and for McLemore if it needs a shooting guard. Neither has distinguished themselves enough to be the dominant figure of the Class of 2013.
Some teams might take Noel regardless of position because of the value of a defensive-presence at power forward or center, but others could be scared away by the risk of using the No. 1 choice on a player coming off knee surgery. On health reasons, McLemore is a safer bet and has a lot of upside as well.
"I think it'd be important to me, especially being the No. 1 draft pick and that a shooting guard [hasn't] been a No. 1 draft pick for a while, for years," McLemore said. "It'd be very important to me to make history to me. It would be great to be No. 1, being able to help my family out."
Meanwhile, injuries continue to create problems for teams hoping to begin to arrange individual workouts with possible first-round picks. With Noel, Anthony Bennett and Alex Len already out because of health issues that are scheduled to sideline them through summer league, Louisville center Gorgui Dieng and San Diego State shooting guard Jamaal Franklin were both in walking boots Wednesday. Dieng, No. 17 in the latest NBA.com ranking, reported a sprained right ankle suffered in a training session, Franklin a sprained left ankle in similar fashion.
Both described their injuries as relatively minor, though also enough to possibly delay the start to individual workouts. Dieng said he is scheduled to see a doctor on Monday and hopes to ramp up his conditioning with an eye toward full practices and scrimmages soon after.
Duke guard Seth Curry is also here to meet with teams, but estimated he is a month away from being able to return to contact work while recovering from the stress fracture in his right shin. The brother of Stephen and son of Dell is a possibility for the second round.


text:
To increase or decrease the magnification of a web page, press Ctrl and '+' (plus) to zoom in or Ctrl and '-' (minus) to zoom out. To return the page to its original size, press Ctrl + 0.
You can also scroll the mouse wheel up and down while holding Ctrl to increase/decrease zoom level.
Use your email address after upgrading
We apologise for the inconvenience.
The page you have tried to reach no longer exists.
The page has either been removed, or replaced by an alternate page.
Please click here to go to the Morgans home page where we hope you will be able to either find or search for the information you were trying to find.
Or alternatively, visit our Contact us page where you can find details on how to contact the most relevant person to assist you.
Kind regards,
Print this page


text:
Hey everyone, everything is great and hello. It's time to start the show.
I really don't know what will happen this week, but only time will tell.
Does anybody have any good ideas?
Shots brought up a stock IFSL. That is certainly something to look at and Bass's IDGI.
Does anybody have any others?
I am going to scan the most actives tomorrow and try and dig some up for us to look at.
Scottrade Elite has a dandy section with the right at the moment most active stocks. I know that Ray has that also.
Does anybody else use Scottrade Software on here, or Scottrade Elite Software?
Basically, I am up for anything. Throw some ideas out and our team can go over them.


text:
Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon
Read The Book of Mormon along with links to the commentary
Features of Interest – Navigation Aids
Preface – The Challenge – Title Page
Copyright © 1996 by Alan C. Miner
All Rights Reserved
Design and Implementation
by Dan Tyrrel
Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon is a compilation of research information pertaining to Mesoamerica/Book of Mormon relationships.
The scientific research covers such areas as geography, archaeology, linguistics, ancient history, geology, customs, traditions and many other cultural aspects.
Priceless gems of knowledge have been extracted and summarized from hundreds of research articles by scholars of Book of Mormon culture..
Along side the Commentary is the full text of the Book of Mormon. Every cultural word, phrase or verse in the Book of Mormon is highlighted and linked to corresponding commentary and visa versa..
There are Approx.2752 pages in the Cultural Commentary. Approx.740 pages in the Covenant Story commentary..Approx.1092 Bibliographic citations.Approx162 authors cited in Volume 1. Approx.301 authors cited in all.
Indexes are linked to their content.


text:
Story highlights
- Maria Sharapova powers past world No.1 Victoria Azarenka to win WTA clay-court tournament in Stuttgart
- Azarenka troubled by a wrist injury was no match for the Russian who claims her first title of 2012
Maria Sharapova produced a powerful performance to defeat world No.1 Victoria Azarenka in the final of the WTA clay-court event in Stuttgart on Sunday.
The Russian took just 84 minutes to blow the Belarusian off court in straight sets 6-1 6-4 and claim her first title of 2012 and the 25th of her career.
Azarenka wasn't at her best and needed treatment for a wrist injury in the first set, but Sharapova showed no mercy ramming home the advantage and closing out the set in 30 minutes.
The reigning Australian Open champion was more resolute in the second but a break of serve for Sharapova in the seventh game enabled her to go on and take the match without hindrance.
"I am just happy to win, it's a good tournament with very good players. It's a shame she was injured and couldn't play her normal game. I am just happy to have won the tournament," the world No.2 said afterwards.
"I came to Europe a bit earlier than normal before the French Open and was just going to use this tournament as a warm-up, but it works for me."
The win was revenge for Sharapova who lost to Azarenka in the Australian Open final in January and more recently in the final of the Indian Wells tournament in California.
Azarenka said her wrist had been troubling her all week but wasn't looking for excuses in defeat.
"Congratulations to Maria, she's had a good week here. I am disappointed, of course, but I had a good week here as well and I am looking forward to coming back next year," Azarenka said.
Sharapova takes home a cheque for $115,000 and a new sports car.