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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Weight loss surgery does not lower health costs over the long run for people who are obese, according to a new study.
Some researchers had suggested that the initial costs of surgery may pay off down the road, when people who've dropped the extra weight need fewer medications and less care in general.
The new report joins other recent studies challenging that theory (see Reuters Health story of Jul 16, 2012 here: reut.rs/NrQKPU).
"No way does this study say you shouldn't do bariatric surgery," said Jonathan Weiner from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, who led the new research.
But, he added, "We need to view this as the serious, expensive surgery that it is, that for some people can almost save their lives, but for others is a more complex decision."
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, about 200,000 people have weight loss surgery every year.
Surgery is typically recommended for people with a body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight in relation to height - of at least 40, or at least 35 if they also have co-occurring health problems such as diabetes or severe sleep apnea.
A five-foot, eight-inch person weighing 263 pounds has a BMI of 40, for example.
For their study, Weiner and his colleagues tracked health insurance claims for almost 30,000 people who underwent weight loss surgery between 2002 and 2008. They compared those with claims from an equal number of obese people who had a similar set of health problems but didn't get surgery.
As expected, the surgery group had a higher up-front cost of care, with the average procedure running about $29,500.
In each of the six years after that, health care costs were either the same among people who had or hadn't had surgery or slightly higher in the bariatric surgery group, according to findings published Wednesday in JAMA Surgery.
Average annual claims ranged between $8,700 and $9,900 per patient.
Weiner's team did see a drop in medication costs for surgery patients in the years following their procedures. But those people also received more inpatient care during that span - cancelling out any financial benefits tied to weight loss surgery.
One limitation of the study was that only a small proportion of the patients - less than seven percent - were tracked for a full six years. Others had their procedures more recently.
The study was partially funded by surgical product manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. Claims data came from BlueCross BlueShield.
It's clear that surgery can help people lose weight and sometimes even cures diabetes, Weiner told Reuters Health. But it might not be worthwhile, or cost-effective, for everyone who is obese.
That means policymakers and companies will have to decide who should get insurance coverage for the procedure and who shouldn't.
"It's showing that bariatric surgery is not reducing overall health care costs, in at least a three- to six-year time frame," said Matthew Maciejewski, who has studied that topic at the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care at the Durham VA Medical Center in North Carolina, but wasn't involved in the new study.
"What is unknown is whether there's some subgroup of patients who seem to have cost reductions," he told Reuters Health.
In the meantime, whether or not to have weight loss surgery is still a personal decision for people who are very obese, Weiner said.
"Every patient needs to talk it through with their doctor," he said. "It obviously shouldn't be taken lightly, but shouldn't be avoided either."
SOURCE: bit.ly/K8qAyI JAMA Surgery, online February 20, 2013.


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Quote:Another component that I think is neglected in the CM style stuff is the effectiveness of hand fighting and the ability to control an opponents structure via wrist, tricep and bicep tie ups as you enter in the clinch.
Quote:Spending all your time sparring with big gloves on I think can breed a false sense of security as to how vulnerable you can be when you punch for it to be latched onto and then pummelled in on.
Quote:JkogasIf you don't mind. I'd like to jump around to different parts of the RAT beginning with what you prefer to call Resolution. Once you've reached the point of trapping range, you literally have a plethora of techniques you can apply. Vu however, prefers to apply the most simplistic, hard hitting of tools(HKE's). Which is part of his street fighter approach vs martial artist. Easier for non MAist to remember and train.
Quote:Its from trapping that you really begin to explore other avenues from different styles in order to expand on your art? Meaning this is where u can employ, your judo sweeps, wrestling take downs, tai chi throws, and bjj submissions. Dealing with an infinite amount of outcomes. Not to say that the Entry and Pressure portion of the RAT is standardized because as you know it isn't set in stone. As you stated that straight blast is not the only way to create pressure. Assuming I am on the right track so far.
Quote:My question then is, how crucial do you consider the thumbing on the eyes prior to any clinch?
Quote:As for me I can only come up with one conclusion after watching so many MMA fights, and how ineffective the clinch can be w/o attacking the eyes, throat, groin, or shins. Borrowing from that small moment in time similar to the way you make your initial Entry. I don't see the clinch being has successful if one of these critical areas aren't attacked first.
Quote:P.S.As a reminder of my background in PFS, I have never trained with an instructor, all of my knowledge have been though article stacks, and instructional DVD's. I have around 35 Vunak DVD's all are consistent with his main stream approach to street fighting. I practice with a small group of friends most are like myself former TKD practitioners.
Quote:Jkogas, I still have questions regarding your bjj and how much of the art you have implemented into your system.
Quote:Your thoughts on Kino Mutai the uninterrupted art of biting and eye gouging, and Vu's fusion of it with bjj.
Quote:more questions to come about CM, there are Rodney King dvd's available to me, however, I have just been so overwhelmed with Vu's material and excited by it, that I don't wanna add more to my plate.I hope your still around to help enlighten me with this stuff. I really appreciate it.-Tek
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subset: commoncrawl


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PTA to keep buses on roads despite another fire
The Public Transport Authority has ruled out suspending Perth's gas bus fleet despite another fire on one of the vehicles overnight.
It is believed a faulty fuel line sparked the blaze on a bus which was parked at the Welshpool depot.
Firefighters say fuel leaking onto a hot engine started the fire which gutted the bus and caused an estimated $230,000 damage.
It was not in service and no one was on board at the time.
It is the third fire on a Transperth gas bus within four months but the PTA's David Hynes says suspending the fleet is not an option.
"To take them off the road would absolutely cripple the bus service and public transport," he said.
"We have to balance the disruption that would cause, it's very well documented the congestions problems that we have, the disruption that would cause if we were to take somewhere like 40 per cent of the Transperth fleet off.
"It's something we're taking very seriously and watching very closely."
Mr Hynes says fire suppression equipment is being upgraded on all 550 buses in the fleet.
Topics: road-transport, public-sector, perth-6000
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Haitian Father Fed Up With Steven Jo's Abuse & Gives Him An Ol Fashioned Belt Beating!
"Dad Gives Steven Jo THE BEAT DOWN! with a belt!"
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The Main Dish/
In the Age of Information Overload, refinement is key. That was the thought behind The Main Dish - a quick compilation of the most bookmark-worthy links from the Foodable WebTV Network. Aside from our usual daily content, The Main Dish will serve a fresh batch of 5-10 handpicked pieces every Sunday from our editor of the most appetizing lists & literature that you may have missed.


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4 Dec 2013
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About Me
- Burmese Photographer
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- Burmese Photographer, Khin Thandar Aung specialises in fine-art photography across a range of photographic genres.
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This photo was taken at a Village which is situated in Pakockku Township, Magway Division of Central Myanmar. As it was in June, the ...
Camera : iPhone6 Plus Location : Pyu Township, Bago Division, Myanmar.


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Using RDP support to acquire new equipment and machinery for the public kitchen of a small town.
Projects & Practice
Using RDP support to acquire new equipment and machinery for the public kitchen of a small town.
A community centre used support from the rural development programme to enhance its services and premises in order not to exclude people with Dementia.
The project made an Ekso Bionics Exoskeleton available to patients in rural areas. This enables community rehabilitation of patients recovering from spinal injuries, strokes and brain injuries.
The project supported the construction of a water supply network in the village of Reka, ensuring that all inhabitants have adequate access to water.
The Walloon RDP supports the provision of quality healthcare services for ageing inhabitants of rural areas in Belgium.
This project is an example of how villagers can get access to high-speed broadband networks even in remote and sparsely populated rural areas. It is the winning initiative of the 2019 Rural Inspiration Awards in the 'Rural Revitalisation' category.
Rural coworking spaces create opportunities for cooperation and innovation in rural areas while helping to attract new professionals to settle in the countryside.
Turning an abandoned park area and its gardens into a community hub to create opportunities for social interaction, training and employment.
A newspaper offered training and mentoring, so that local people could become correspondents and give visibility to the daily life of small rural communities.
Construction of a new, versatile building consisting of a coworking space, a cultural hall and a tourist office, enhancing the services offered to the residents of a rural municipality.


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Matilda White Riley
April 19, 1911 - November 14, 2004
Matilda White was born in Boston on April 19, 1911. She spent her early years in Maine before venturing to Radcliffe for college. Her doctorate came later, following years of work as a research assistant in the newly formed Department of Sociology at Harvard University, management of a market research company, a position during World War II in the War Production Board, more than a decade as executive officer of a professional association, several university professorships, and finally a role in charge of social science research in the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.
She attended high school at Brunswick High School in Maine, where she met a young man named Jack Riley was her constant friend. They were married in 1931 and enjoyed 70 years together. In 1986, Riley noted that "Jack and I have been fortunate, since our two careers have often run parallel courses and provided opportunity for collaborative publication." They were frequent co-authors of professional papers, starting in the 1930's with the publication of a joint scientific paper on contraceptive behavior.
Riley later earned D.Sc. degree from Bowdoin College in 1972, and L.H.D. from Rutgers University in 1973. In 1985, Riley and her husband served as co-Presidents of the District of Columbia Sociological Society.
Matilda White Riley served the ASA in many capacities during her professional life. She served as Executive Officer of the ASA headquarters from 1949 to 1960, and later she was elected to serve as the 77th President of the Association. Her Presidential Address, " On The Significance of Age in Sociology ," was delivered at the organization's annual meeting in New York City in the summer of 1986.
Riley's world changed forever in early 2002 when Jack Riley died, ending their 70 year collaboration as personal and professional partners. She lived in Maine until her death in the fall of 2004.


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How to Use
the Readings
Inquiry Question
Reading 1
Reading 2: Arrival at Cornish
In his autobiography Saint-Gaudens described his arrival in Cornish, New Hampshire:
Now let me turn to other pleasures, and among them to my coming in 1885 to Cornish, New Hampshire, or Windsor, Vermont, as it is often called since that is the town in which we obtain our mail. For this coming made the beginning of a new side of my existence. I had been a boy of the streets and sidewalks all my life. So, hitherto, although no one could have enjoyed the fields and woods more heartily than I when I was in them for a few days, I soon tired and longed for my four walls and work. But during the first summer in the country, I was 37 at the time, it dawned upon me seriously how much there was outside my little world. We hit upon Cornish because, while casting about for a summer residence, Mr. C.C. Beaman told me that if I would go up there with him, he had an old house which he would sell me for what he paid for it, five-hundred dollars. However, all this side of life was so secondary to my work at that time that I refused to assume any responsibility of the kind, insisting that I was not wealthy enough to spend that amount. Especially was this feeling active when I first caught sight of the building on a dark, rainy day in April, for then it appeared so forbidding and relentless that one might have imagined a skeleton half-hanging out of the window, shrieking and dangling in the gale, with the sound of clanking bones. I was for fleeing at once and returning to my beloved sidewalks of New York. But as Mrs. Saint-Gaudens saw the future of sunny days that would follow, she detained me until Mr. Beaman agreed to rent the house to me at a low price for as long as I wished.
To persuade me to come, Mr. Beaman had said that there were "plenty of Lincoln-shaped men up there." He was right. So much for the first summer. But as the experiment had proved so successful, I had done a lot of work, and I was so enchanted with the life and scenery, I told Mr. Beaman that, if his offer was still open, I would purchase the place under the conditions he originally stated. He replied that he preferred not, as it had developed in a way far beyond his expectations, and as he thought it his duty to reserve it for his children. Instead he proposed that I rent it for as long as I wished on the conditions first named, which were most liberal. But the house and the life attracted me until I soon found that I expended on this place, which was not mine, every dollar I earned, and many I had not yet earned, whereas all of my friends who had followed had bought their homes and surrounding land. So I explained to Mr. Beaman that I could not continue in this way, and that he must sell to me, or I should look elsewhere for green fields and pastures new. The result was that for a certain amount and a bronze portrait of Mr. Beaman, the property came to me.
As I have said, despite its reputation, my dwelling first looked more as if it had been abandoned for the murders and other crimes therein committed than as a home wherein to live, move, and have one's being. For it stood out bleak, gaunt, austere, and forbidding, without a trace of charm. And the longer I stayed in it, the more its puritanical austerity irritated me, until at last I begged my friend Mr. George Fletcher Babb, the architect: "For mercy's sake, make this house smile, or I shall clear out and go elsewhere!" This he did beautifully, to my great delight. Inside he held the ornament of one or two modest mantels, which seemed pathetic in their subdued and gentle attempt at beauty in the grim surroundings, while outside, as our idea was to lower and spread the building, holding it down to the ground, so to speak, I devised the wide terrace that I know was a serious help for, before its construction, you stepped straight from the barren field into the house. As it is now, my friend, Mr. Edward Simmons, of multitudinous and witty speeches declares that it "looks like an austere, upright New England farmer with a new set of false teeth...."
Questions for Reading 2
1. Why did Saint-Gaudens agree to rent and then buy this property if he was initially appalled at the place?
2. What was unusual or different about the terms of sale that Saint-Gaudens made with Mr. Beaman? Do you think a sale such as this could be enacted in American society today? Why or why not?
3. What was it about the house that Saint-Gaudens did not like at first? How did he ask the architect to change it?
Reading 2 was excerpted from Homer Saint-Gaudens, ed. The Reminiscences of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, vol. 1 (New York: The Century Company, 1913).


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The Purse Is Mightier Than the Sword
An apazine published by Bill Bridget for LASFAPA.
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Why is it assumed that just because someone is an atheist, that they have to be a liberal? In essence, There are 2 sets of issues in politics. Fiscal and Social. That is at the extreme basic level..Money and Morals, if you can call them that. What happens if you have a 50/50 view with each of the major parties? What if you believe in low taxes and limited government? Well, then you are a Republican, right? What if you are an Atheist, but believe in low taxes and limited government? That does not make you a liberal.
I think that Atheists and homosexuals always think they have to align themselves with Democrats, because they are the opposite of "right-wing religious wackos"..To me that is not the case. I see most Liberal Democrats as a welfare mongering, hate spewing, illogical people. The party is generally filled with people with blinders on that think they have to oppose anything with an "R" in front of it. They think that all repulicans are going to overturn Roe v. Wade and impose religious rule on the country. I am sure there are those types in the Republican party, maybe more than we think..but, all in all, I doubt they could ever get anything like that through congress. So, you basically have to think about what issues are important to you, and what issues are likely to be pushed on the agenda. There is no perfect party for me..I have generally considered myself a Libertarian, but they have a few "planks" that are based in religion also..only difference is, they believe in personal liberty FIRST.
I guess most people choose which things are more important to them and align with those. Being without religion does not make me necessarily ANTI-religion. I could care less what people want to believe as long as they don't infringe on my rights doing it.
That being said, I choose to focus on Fiscal issues, and not social ones when I vote. Religion should stay out of politics. I am FISCALLY conservative, and SOCIALLY tollerant.!! I have gay friends, I have religious friends, I have preacher friends, I have minority friends. Strangely, I don't think I have atheist friends..at least none that claim to be...and none that really know I am. Only my family. I guess I am a closet atheist, but that is my business. It is no ones business what my beliefs are. I believe that being without religion is not a stance that I have to make a major part of my existence..I don't have to make sure others think like me..or make sure that I am an activist for the cause. To me, it is not a "cause", it is just who I am.
But, I most certainly am NOT a liberal. I believe that the current administration has done more to harm this country in 3 years than the previous bunch did in 8 years. I am also NOT a Bush fan, didn;t vote for him either time..he was a borderline Socialist himself. Thanks for listening and please don't consider this an attack on anyone that is a liberal. It is your decision alone, I just implore people to think and not just accept the "default" position..just because someone is a christian does not mean they are stupid in all aspects of thought.
Views: 1061
I think you hit the nail on the head in that theres a problem with a 2 party system. I have voted "third" party many times in elections, but doubt that will ever come to pass in the US. Reading the definition of "liberalism" that you linked above I would say that I do not think it is anywhere near correct in the aspect of liberals in America. The values that are represented in that page are not what I see from liberals and democrats in this time period. I think that most liberals have grouped themselves in with progressives more and more. The current state of the government is progressive, and more and more young people have progressive tendancies. That is scary. Government is not here to provide for redistribution of wealth and social equality. Those are human responsibilities. Government is not here to give you things that you should be striving to obtain yourself. I don't need government to tax me to give to the "poor"..I do that myself. And, I would bet I do it with much more efficiency than the government. Congress is filled with crooks under the veil of compassion..truth is, most liberal/democrat controlled cities/states are worse off than others. Detroit being a prime examlple. Always been democratically controlled and has always been poor, unemployed, etc.
Anyway, none of this has anything to do with Atheism, so I will drop it..just wanted to state that just because I am an atheist does not mean I have to follow in the Liberal / Democrat footsteps.
Problem is, the alternative is voting Republican / Conservative, and I dispise the "christian coalition" overtones that that brings. There needs to be a party that can leave Social issues to the people and just take care of what the Constitution says..
I'm fortunate to be liberal enough in general that I don't often have to qualify "Except I don't agree with this". And the majority of the atheists I know, online and offline, are as liberal as myself or in many cases quite a bit more so. There are a few exceptions, doing a political mapping test and comparing the group is a fun and interesting exercise, so long as you don't have violent weirdos trying to convince everyone they're all wrong merely because they weren't placed the same. Oh wait, that was me. :P
I have taken the "Worlds Smallest Political Quiz", or whatever it is called..I always land in the "right leaning Libertarian" area. Problem with all parties is they all have some sorta stance on religion that does not need to be part of government. There does not need to be a "how do you feel about gay people" in a party platform. It is no one's business what gay people do. There should be no "hate crime" legislation. Murder is murder and should be punished as such...period.
I agree that we all need to be openly expressing ideas and realizing that others do not necessarily believe the same things. That is their right to do so...and attacking others for that view makes us just like the outspoken believers that think they can yell at us until we accept christ.
Crap, that was supposed to be above with "Jezzy" reply..
A. Noni Moose:
I don't intend to be confrontational, but think it important to begin by saying that someone with the attitude of "I see most Liberal Democrats as a welfare mongering, hate spewing, illogical people." Has an alarmingly skewed understanding of what liberalism is as well as an unrealistic view of Liberal Democrats. While the vast majority of my friends, relatives & acquaintances are politically conservative Christians, I do know several Liberal Democrats (like myself), and none of them even approach the cartoonish extremes you describe. Most are fiscally responsible (which is not necessarily the same as fiscally conservative). They donate time, energy & money to charitable causes, and want our government to behave fairly, responsibly and sustainably. I know of not one who has tried to game entitlement programs or cheat on taxes. Certainly these things happen, but they're rarer than you seem to believe, and occur among those in both political camps -- I'd guess almost equally.
Why so many atheist fall on the liberal side of politics is an interesting question. Religion is a social construct reliant on preservation of ancient wisdom and/or revealed truth that resists challenge. That's a deeply conservative concept, even when it embraces founding principles that were originally liberal, as does Christianity. Said differently and way too simplistically, wanting to preserve the status-quo = conservatism. Wanting to change things = liberalism. We need both, just as a car needs both throttle & brake if it's to stay on any course that makes sense. When I'm driving I try to minimize use of the brake by thinking ahead because that's a more efficient way to drive. When I'm voting I tend to vote liberal because I think that's a more efficient way to live in a society.
I largely live as a libertarian because I'm a hermit way up in the hills and what I do or think doesn't much affect anyone else, or so I hope. But humans in general are social critters, and as such are, or should be (genetically), mainly concerned with how our actions interact with those of others in promoting the general welfare (as someone said in some old document that might be worth conserving). The problem I have with big "L" Libertarianism is that it seems to try to insulate the individual from our natural social proclivity. If we cut ourselves off from social responsibility (as I have) and proclaim the individual as king, pretty soon we'll nothing but a chaos of kings. If we do that we will have lost what it means to be human.
Beautifully written Ted Foureagles.
There is more than a little irony in the comment "I see most Liberal Democrats as a welfare mongering, hate spewing, illogical people. "
"fiscally responsible".? Maybe in belief, but not in actions. That is why we now have a 15 trillion dollar debt with nothing to show for it. The very idea of liberalism may be different, but in practice it is just as filled with paybacks and cronyism as Republican Party has always been accused of. Trying to shape the economy does not work. Just because you pour money into Green energy does not make it viable in the free market. Some thought has to be put into things and a real outcome thought through. If it were at all viable, some entrepreneur would have invested in it long before the government got the idea.
Truth is, I guess, that there is no perfect party. I do try to keep myself open to voting for ideas rather than party affiliation..I guess that is about the best I can hope for.
I think it laudible that you remain open enough to vote for ideas rather than party affiliation. I find it hard to maintain such openness lately. When you say "fiscally responsible".? Maybe in belief, but not in actions.", are you taking about people you know? I ask because this sounds like the sort of thing I hear from those who derive their world view from Fox News rather than, well, reality. As I said above, most of the people I know are conservative Christians -- just a matter of local demographic. Within that context, I'll offer some examples of what I see, and I''m really trying to be honest here and not cherry-pick.
My neighbor across the street is some sort of big whoop-de-do in the local Baptist Church. He's also a member of the Ku Klux Klan. He's been on disability for some reason that I can't discern for the 15 years I've known him, and his check amounts more than I earn. He is solidy in line, "in belief, but not actions" with right wing politics.
One of my main clients is chairman of his county's Republican party, and is a devout Morman. Hiis annual income is in the low millions, and he proudly says that he hasn't paid any taxes in his adult life. He told me yesterday that he can't wait for a rich white guy to back in the White House.
My sister is a liberal, agnostic lesbian. She has her own engineering firm that employs a couple dozen people working with companies like GE, Michelin, Caterpillar, etc. She's also on the board of more things than I can keep up with and donates very generously to several charities and causes. She also pays her full tax bill without fudging and still manages to provide pretty decent health care to her employees.
OK, maybe those examples are not representative -- I don't know -- it's just what I see from here, and it seems almost opposite of what you've implied.
As for shaping the economy working or not, I offer the GI Bill post WWII. It was a huge entitlement program that shaped our economy more than perhaps any other, and paid exponential dividends in promoting a large educated middle class just when it was needed. There are things like green energy that are best handled economically by society rather than a pure free market, or at least substantially boosted. Such industries are loosley analogous to the railroads in 19th century US. They were very heavily subsidized -- orders of magnitude beyond anything today (except the security industry), because it was understood that they couldn't happen if private industry had to front the cost and kill the Indians by itself.
Yes, of course real outcomes have to be thought through -- no argument with you there. Private industry is often best at that, but usually in the short term. For big things like connecting the continent with railroads or highways or internet, or going to the moon, or even sustaining a military, pure libertarian individualism wastes it's most vital energies competing against itself and can never accomplish those larger goals.
Purely selfish competition works on the level of the gene. At the level of a complex organism, cooperation is necessary to generate anything beyond slime. Once those critters evolve into sociial species it begins to dawn on them that individual selfishness is counterproductive. This of course proceeds by fits & starts, exemplified by two-party political systems.
Independent here! Conservative on some issues, liberal on others. Gun owner with a large collection. NRA firearm supporter. Pro abortion, pro gay marriage, and I believe in small government. I'm also pro law enforcement, pro military and anti I'm anti-religion in the sense of government. Secular governments are the only ones that work. I believe you work for what you have, and if you don't, you shouldn't live off the government just because you can. But what I can say that usually works for everybody I talk to is this: I have an open mind and I listen to everyone's opinion. I don't pretend to hear and start on my argument. If you have a valid point on a certain issue, I'm all ears. I think as atheists, we naturally need to have a more open mind on all issues. Isn't this what we are trying to ask of religious people?
Very good reply Andy Reid..only thing I'd disagree with is "pro abortion"...I am not PRO abortion, I am however pro CHOICE. I believe there are things that shape that choice that no one can know without being in a certain position. That is what enrages me about the pro-lifers..there is not an absolute like they try to believe.
I guess I worded that wrong. I am pro-choice. I don't support getting one just for the hell of it. Things will factor in that nobody can predict, so I can't be on the absolute "no" side of things. Thank you for putting that to my attention. I completely agree with you.
I am of the same mind here, though normally I vote Democratic because of the social issues (I'm actually a fiscal conservative). I voted Obama in the last election, then in the mid-terms voted Democratic again. I didn't flip out when Repubs regained control of the House, because I think it's a bad idea for one party to have control over everything.
However, at the state level (and I'm talking governors and state Houses of many different states, not just my own), many Republicans who were voted in because they claimed to have a way to fix the economy started right in on enacting legislation supporting their social agenda. Right now in TN, all kinds of craziness (though admittedly some good stuff too on the fiscal side) has been passed. So I really need to decide what is more important when I vote: fiscal or social issues. Unless I vote for Ron Paul in the upcoming election (and I'm seriously considering it), there is a significant trade-off.
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When we first started to pull this month's issue together I felt like I had a pretty good idea about the hot topics in the world of lighting. But after reviewing the articles submitted by our outside contributors and helping the editorial team pull together staff-written stories, I must admit I was somewhat humbled by all of the recent developments taking place in this exciting field — developments I really wasn't as up-to-date on as I should be.
Driving much of this activity is the international, federal, and state energy codes and standards being adopted by local governments. If you're not aware of Title III of the Energy Conservation and Production Act, ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, California's Title 24, or the International Energy Conservation Code, you're in the same boat I am — the slow boat to obsolescence. As outlined in the cover story on page 50, these are the codes and standards driving the latest lighting designs. If you don't keep up with them, get ready to watch your competitors take work away from you.
Speaking of lighting designs, are you up to speed on why some daylight-harvesting projects succeed and others fail? Do you know how to properly design systems to either manually or automatically integrate daylight in to a lighting control system? If not, I suggest you turn to page 60 and read what The Weidt Group, a Minnetonka, Minn.-based firm, discovered during a recent study of dozens of commercial projects.
Installed any control systems in commercial buildings lately? If not, make sure you read Craig DiLouie's article on emerging trends in building lighting control systems, starting on page 22. He points out the merits of occupancy sensors, building automation systems, and lighting control panels and discusses the differences between traditional centralized control systems and distributed control systems.
I hope you take the time to stay on top of the latest trends in lighting now and in the future — and find this month's editorial lineup as enlightening as I did.


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Your skin problems solved!
Taking care of your skin is a little like playing a pop-up arcade game. The minute you squelch one eruption, a sun spot appears. And when that splotch fades, another mark shows up—uninvited. Yes, 84 percent of women have at least one complexion complaint, indicates a survey by Obagi Medical Products in Long Beach, California. Ready to take control of the action? These at-home tips, pro treatments and camouflaging how-tos will arm you with strategies to outsmart unwanted guests and get the smooth skin you deserve.
Skin saboteur: scars
Fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after injury
Conceal! Wait until your scar has done some initial healing, which typically takes about a month. To camouflage a mark that is red, your best bet is to mix two concealers—one that matches your skin tone and one that's a few shades darker—and use a foundation brush to tap the concoction over the scar. For marks that are raised or textured, stick to matte powders (a new one: BareMinerals SPF 15 Matte Foundation, $28).
Conquer! Most scars are fully developed after six months, "but formation can occur until then, which is why marks change color from red to brown to white as they heal," says Joely Kaufman, M.D., a dermatologist in Miami. "You have a window of time of about three weeks to make any scarring less dramatic. Keeping the wound moist and covered for the first few weeks has been shown to speed healing for a less noticeable spot." Dab antibacterial ointment (such as Neosporin + Pain Relief Ointment, $6) on the area, then lock in hydration with a silicone bandage, which Kaufman says is particularly effective at healing thicker scars that typically itch.
Skin saboteur: Spider and varicose veins
Red weblike lines that form when blood flow slows in veins due to poor circulation and genetics
Conceal! To create the illusion of even-toned legs, rub tinted moisturizer over any visible veins. Follow all over with a bronzing lotion that contains luminizing particles. self editors like Lorac Tantalizer Body Bronzing Luminizer, $30, which has enough coverage to hide veins and leaves a slimming sheen.
Conquer! Tiny, superficial constellations of spider veins can disappear after about four treatments ($300 to $400 each) with an intense pulsed light laser. You need surgery, however, to remove varicose veins, the thick, often painful squiggles and bulges that appear deeper in the vascular tissue of your legs.
Skin saboteur: Birthmarks
An overgrowth of blood vessels in the skin that usually appears within the first month after birth
Conceal! Makeup artists swear by formulas with a dense texture for the neck down (a good one: Kryolan Body Cover, $26), but an undereye concealer is a nice option for a fast, natural-looking fix. Opt for one that has peach tones, which "neutralize purplish discoloration in most skin types," says Susan Giordano, a makeup artist in New York City. For a seamless look, blend the color with a damp sponge in a crisscross motion, lightening the amount of makeup you apply as you approach the outer edge of the mark.
Conquer! There's not much you can do on your own to erase these "beauty" marks, but dermatologists have had success using lasers on various types of spots, including hemangiomas and port-wine stains. Five or so treatments with a ruby laser (about $500 to $1,000 per session) "can eradicate marks by destroying blood vessels and, therefore, the pigment in them," says Katie Rodan, M.D., a dermatologist in Oakland, California.
Skin saboteur: Sun spots
Pigmented brown blotches often found on your face, hands and chest that result from excessive UV rays
Conceal! You can easily minimize discoloration on the face by applying a thin layer of foundation or tinted moisturizer, Giordano says. If you're intent on getting fuller coverage and want a heavy-duty option, use your finger to pat on a water-based foundation such as long-lasting MAC Face and Body Foundation, $32.
Conquer! Give splotches the one-two punch with a topical cream containing both exfoliating and bleaching agents. "My favorite is prescription Tri-Luma, which has Retin-A and hydroquinone to slough off dead cells, because it temporarily stops pigment production," says Leslie Baumann, M.D., a dermatologist in Miami Beach. "If you use it daily, you'll start to see fading in four weeks." No time to see a doc? Nab more modest results in six weeks with an over-the-counter version such as Olay Pro-X Discoloration Fighting Concentrate (laced with mark-inhibitor glucosamine), $47.
Skin saboteur: Stretch marks
Silvery lines caused by elastic tissue breaking down; weight gain or loss can be a culprit
Conceal! Self-tanners (a good one: Nivea Sun-Kissed Firming Moisturizer, $8) hydrate skin and help obscure lines.
Conquer! If you think that OTC creams can erase marks, take note: "Nothing applied topically has been proven to improve their texture or color, but using moisturizer daily can help soften the look," says David J. Goldberg, M.D., a dermatologist in NYC. You can reduce the lines' appearance with about five in-office laser treatments ($800 to $1,500 per session) with Fraxel, a fractionated beam that stimulates collagen.
Skin saboteur: Broken capillaries
Blood vessels that have become visible due to sun exposure, which weakens and thins skin tissue
Conceal! Disguise them with light-deflecting foundation. (Look for luminous or soft finish in the name.) "These bases illuminate skin by diverting light away from capillaries," says Tim Quinn, a makeup artist in NYC for Giorgio Armani Beauty.
Conquer! Head to your doc for two or three treatments (about $400 each) with a pulsed dye laser such as VBeam; it will blast the walls of these blood vessels, causing them to dissipate and fade in about four weeks. Dr. Rodan also advises using sunblock daily (at least SPF 30) to prevent broken capillaries. "Try physical blockers such as zinc oxide; they reflect UV rays and keep the skin surface cooler and less prone to damage," she says.
Photo Credit: Stephanie Rausser


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Paladin Spells
1st-Level Paladin Spells
- Bless: Allies gain +1 on attack rolls and +1 on saves against fear.
- Bless Water: Makes holy water.
- Bless Weapon: Weapon strikes true against evil foes.
- Create Water: Creates 2 gallons/level of pure water.
- Cure Light Wounds: Cures 1d8 damage +1/level (max +5).
- Detect Poison: Detects poison in one creature or small object.
- Detect Undead: Reveals undead within 60 ft.
- Divine Favor: You gain +1 per three levels on attack and damage rolls.
- Endure Elements: Exist comfortably in hot or cold environments.
- Magic Weapon: Weapon gains +1 bonus.
- Protection from Chaos/Evil: +2 to AC and saves, counter mind control, hedge out elementals and outsiders.
- Read Magic: Read scrolls and spellbooks.
- Resistance: Subject gains +1 on saving throws.
- Restoration, Lesser: Dispels magical ability penalty or repairs 1d4 ability damage.
- Virtue: Subject gains 1 temporary hp.
2nd-Level Paladin Spells
- Bull's Strength: Subject gains +4 to Str for 1 min./level.
- Delay Poison: Stops poison from harming subject for 1 hour/level.
- Eagle's Splendor: Subject gains +4 to Cha for 1 min./level.
- Owl's Wisdom: Subject gains +4 to Wis for 1 min./level.
- Remove Paralysis: Frees one or more creatures from paralysis or slow effect.
- Resist Energy: Ignores 10 (or more) points of damage/attack from specified energy type.
- Shield Other F: You take half of subject's damage.
- Undetectable Alignment: Conceals alignment for 24 hours.
- Zone of Truth: Subjects within range cannot lie.
3rd-Level Paladin Spells
- Cure Moderate Wounds: Cures 2d8 damage +1/level (max +10).
- Daylight: 60-ft. radius of bright light.
- Discern Lies: Reveals deliberate falsehoods.
- Dispel Magic: Cancels spells and magical effects.
- Heal Mount: As heal on warhorse or other special mount.
- Magic Circle against Chaos: As protection from chaos, but 10-ft. radius and 10 min./level.
- Magic Circle against Evil: As protection from evil, but 10-ft. radius and 10 min./level.
- Magic Weapon, Greater: +1 bonus/four levels (max +5).
- Prayer: Allies +1 bonus on most rolls, enemies -1 penalty.
- Remove Blindness/Deafness: Cures normal or magical conditions.
- Remove Curse: Frees object or person from curse.
4th-Level Paladin Spells
- Break Enchantment: Frees subjects from enchantments, alterations, curses, and petrification.
- Cure Serious Wounds: Cures 3d8 damage +1/level (max +15).
- Death Ward: Grants immunity to death spells and negative energy effects.
- Dispel Chaos: +4 bonus against attacks by chaotic creatures.
- Dispel Evil: +4 bonus against attacks by evil creatures.
- Holy Sword: Weapon becomes +5, deals +2d6 damage against evil.
- Mark of Justice: Designates action that will trigger curse on subject.
- Neutralize Poison: Immunizes subject against poison, detoxifies venom in or on subject.
- Restoration M: Restores level and ability score drains.


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This spectacular Irish icon, comprising huge columns of basalt, is claimed to be 60 million years old. Yet the columns are evidence of huge amounts of molten lava cooled by a massive flood of water, causing them to crack in neat patterns.
View all tracts on this storeView/Download all tracts


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- 2 cups Great Northern beans
- 2 cloves plus 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups washed and dried arugula leaves (lightly packed)
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, drained
Place beans in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and soak overnight. The next day, drain off the soaking water and cover beans with fresh water to cook. Add 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and rosemary to saucepan, cover, and boil for 45–50 minutes, until the beans are tender. Check occasionally to ensure that there is adequate water to avoid burning. Drain beans and cool in refrigerator until beans are at room temperature. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 clove minced garlic. In a large salad bowl, combine arugula leaves, chopped tomatoes, kalamata olives, and cooled beans. Pour in dressing and toss to distribute throughout the salad. Serve immediately. (This salad may be served at room temperature.)
Yield: 9 cups.
Serving size: 1 cup.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 162 calories, Carbohydrates: 27 g, Protein: 9 g, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Sodium: 42 mg, Fiber: 9 g
Exchanges per serving: 1 1/2 starch, 1 nonstarchy vegetable, 1/2 fat. Carbohydrate choices: 2.
Sharon Palmer is a registered dietitian and freelance writer in Southern California.


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C2G Cat5e Molded Shielded (STP) Network Patch Cable - Patch cable - RJ-45 (M) - RJ-45 (M) - 25 ft - STP - CAT 5e - molded, stranded - blue (27266)Item#:� YYT2-96102C �|�Model#:�27266
- Price:
- $17.99
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C2G Cat5e Molded Shielded (STP) Network Patch Product Details
For maximum protection against EMI/RFI interference, use the Cat5E shielded patch panel (#03864) and Cat5E shielded keystone jacks for complete end-to-end protection.
Network Cable Type: Patch cable - CAT 5e
Technology: STP
Wiring Scheme: T568B
Shielding Material: Foil
Jacket Material: PVC
American Wire Gauge (AWG): 24
Wires per Cable: 8 wires
Pairs per Cable: 4 pairs
Plated Connector: Gold
Features: Molded, stranded
Length: 25 ft
Color: Blue
Connector: RJ-45 - male
Connector (Second End): RJ-45 - male
Compliant Standards: UL
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support: Limited lifetime warranty
Additional Resources: Product Manuals
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Manufactured by: C2G
Warranty provided by: C2G
UPC No: 757120272663
Mfg Part No: 27266
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( Length:0, Width:0, Depth:0)
Shipping Weight: 0.6400 pound(s)
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- C2G logos are registered trademarks of C2G. All others trademarks and copyrights mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.


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I'm still catching up on my life after being away for a few days (seems it takes longer to recover from travel the older the kids get, no?) I thought I'd pass along a few random notes from my trip today to Orlando and last week to Sao Paulo:
– On the flight last week we pulled away from the gate at Newark and headed toward the runway. We stopped for a bit and were then told that a brakelight was malfunctioning. We returned to the gate, a SWAT-team of mechanics came on board and quickly determined that they weren't going to fix the issue in 10 minutes. Luckily an extra (?) 767-400 was parked at the airport and 2 hours later we boarded that plane. I mention that background for this reason: We began boarding that plane at 12:30am with gate agents saying, "If we aren't off the ground at 1:20am, the crew times out. So hurry." They (we?) boarded a full 767-400 and had us IN THE AIR in 35 minutes. I don't mean we boarded in 35 minutes, I mean we were off the ground. Moral: Where there's a will, there's a way.
– Most of the business class cabin still elected to eat dinner at 1:30am and the crew was kind enough to keep the lights on in the cabin until 2:30am so those folks could get a thorough view of the food they were eating. Moral: bring eyeshades.
– That was quite possibly the first time I had ever faced a significant flight delay and 100% did not care. I had basically no plans on the other end that day. Moral: if you just chill out during a delay, it goes much faster.
– I had originally planned to spend the first night in Asuncion, Paraguay, and had gone as far as too book the tickets and hotel. I would have missed that connection anyway, so this point is moot. But I mention this because a week or so before that flight I thought I should check the weather in Asuncion: it was 109 degrees. And not a dry 109. Moral: I have no idea.
– My flight this morning was at 8:55am and for reasons that aren't so obvious right now I thought I could get picked up at my apartment at 7:30am while it was snowing and make it to Newark Airport on time. When I was saying goodbye to my wife at 7:30am she asked what time my flight was. I told her it was at 8:55am, she laughed at me. Well, Sooz, who's laughing now? I arrived at the airport at 8:41am, went through TSA Pre lane, cut in front of the people waiting to put their crap on the x-ray lane (MY FLIGHT IS IN 5 MINUTES!), and ran to gate 92 like my ass was on fire (?). I arrived at 8:46 and, because I had apparently the world's most wonderful gate agent, they let me on the plane. Bravo. Moral: Just because your wife is right doesn't mean you can't get on the plane.
– I accept that part of my fate as a United Silver is that I will never again see the front cabin of the plane. Except, apparently, for flights from Newark to Orlando, where I was upgraded. Moral: I'm so unappreciative, apparently, that I jeopardized that by showing up at the gate at 8:46.
– I basically spend all 365 days of last year agonizing over the fact that given my presumed travel schedule, I would not make United Gold this year (I care mostly about being able to choose Economy Plus seats when I book, which I cannot do as a Silver). I was constantly re-calculating my chances, booking connections on US Airways to get extra miles in here and there, and I was still wildly short. I considered mileage runs and in the end just accepted my fate. Contrast: My wife got an envelope from United last week that contained her Silver Elite card. Susan, to me: "Huh, look at that. I didn't know I made Silver." Moral: Opposites attract.
– I actually had the Seinfeld situation with my rental car at Avis. When I got there, they did not have any cars, despite my having a reservation ("anyone can TAKE a reservation….it's the HOLDING the reservation…"). This conversation (more or less) ensued:
AVIS: We only have a minivan.
Me: I don't want a minivan
AVIS: We also have a pickup truck. You want a pickup truck?
Me: No
AVIS: We have a sled.
Me: No.
AVIS: It's being pulled by a pack of dogs.
Me: No
AVIS: We have a plank of wood with 4 midgets rolled up into balls underneath it.
Me: No
AVIS: Oh wait, we do have a midsize car.
Me: I'll take that.
Moral: Anyone can take a reservation.


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Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks
Contained within the National Parks, 1961 to 1994, Atlas of Canada series, is a map that shows Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks. This large, bilingual map refers to two national parks in southern British Columbia. The map shows general reference data such as roads, railways and...
Natural Resources Canada
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Calendar of Events and Availability!
To reserve your event date call 317-760-8778 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. Use the arrows to scroll to your event date. For the most accurate availability call us. A deposit is needed to hold your date, no exceptions. View our Pricing page here. Follow us on facebook for updates about the Bay Horse Inn. View our "Community Events" page for how to buy tickets to upcoming events.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: December 8Reserved - Mibor
Later Event: December 12Reserved


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As Iraq winds down, U.S. Army confronts a broken force
WASHINGTON — When Lt. Col. Dave Wilson took command of a battalion of the 4th Brigade of the 1st Armored Division, the unit had just returned to Texas from 14 months traveling some of Iraq's most dangerous roads as part of a logistics mission.
What he found, he said, was a unit far more damaged than the single death it had suffered in its two deployments to Iraq.
Nearly 70 soldiers in his 1,163-member battalion had tested positive for drugs: methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. Others were abusing prescription drugs. Troops were passing around a tape of a female lieutenant having sex with five soldiers from the unit. Seven soldiers in the brigade died from drug overdoses and traffic accidents when they returned to Fort Bliss, near El Paso, after their first deployment.
"The inmates were running the prison," Wilson said.
What Wilson had to deal with, however, was hardly an isolated instance.
With the U.S. drawdown in Iraq, the Army is finally confronting an epidemic of drug abuse and criminal behavior that many commanders acknowledge has been made worse because they'd largely ignored it during nearly a decade of wars on two fronts.
The Army concedes that it faces a mammoth problem.
A 350-page report issued in July after a 15-month investigation into the Army's rising suicide rate found that levels of illegal drug use and criminal activity have reached record highs, while the number of disciplinary actions and forced discharges were at record lows.
The result, the Army found, is that "drug and alcohol abuse is a significant health problem in the Army." Where the Army once rigidly enforced rules on drug use, it got sloppy in the rush to get soldiers ready for the battlefield, commanders say. Officers who once trained soldiers on everything from drug abuse to financial planning had only enough time to get their troops ready for battle.
The number of misdemeanors that soldiers committed — including traffic infractions, drunk driving and being absent without leave — rose to 50,523 in fiscal year 2009 — a sign, the report said, that "good order and discipline" were declining in the ranks. Five years earlier, the number was 28,388.
No disciplinary action was taken in at least 15,074 of the 2009 cases, the report said.
From 2001 to 2009, only 70 percent of DUIs and 61 percent of positive drug tests were referred to the Army's substance abuse program, and drug testing became haphazard, as well: In 2009, 78,517 soldiers went untested for illegal drug use. Statistically, the Army estimated, that meant that 1,311 offenders probably escaped detection.
Sexual assault more than tripled in the same period, from 302 cases in 2001 to 1,015 in 2009.
The increase in drug abuse and bad behavior came at the same time that the Army enlisted thousands of recruits who in previous years would have been ruled ineligible because of drug or other criminal convictions. According to the report, nearly 20 percent of the soldiers who've enlisted in the Army since 2004 — perhaps as many as 10,000 — would "not have been eligible for entry into the Army before."
"I think we've got to understand that the force we have today is different from the force we had 10 years ago," said Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the vice chief of staff of the Army, who oversaw the study and is heading up the Army's response to it. "We've got kids that are going to have some behavioral health issues. The real hard part for us is to determine, 'OK, I am willing to help this kid with behavioral health issues, but how long can I help him? How long can I do that and make sure I have a force capable of doing whatever the nation asks it to do?' "
Chiarelli said that simply discharging soldiers with drug and behavioral problems wasn't an option.
"We can't use these people up, have them develop a problem and then throw them away and not take care of them. There is no way. I can't be part of an organization like that," he said. "Part of the reason they're having the problem is the situation we put them into."
Wilson said he found a failure of leadership to be a major factor in the deterioration of his unit.
When the brigade returned from Iraq in December 2007, many commanders were moved to other units, and new soldiers were rushed through the system to get them to the battlefield quickly, without the proper guidance.
As a result, 37 of the 69 drug abusers in Wilson's battalion belonged to one company of 200, he said. When he was a company commander a decade ago, having five soldiers test positive would have been considered a lot, he added.
"We found that we had leaders that were dealing with combat stress issues as well. So when you have sick leaders, that leader can't care for the soldiers properly," said Wilson, who commanded 1,163 of the brigade's 3,800 soldiers. "The drug problem was just a symptom of the disease."
Wilson said he turned his unit around by keeping leaders in place, disciplining soldiers and making time during combat training for things such as leadership and the perils of drug abuse. He had them read the motivational books "Who Moved My Cheese?" and former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz's "Winning Every Day." Positive drug tests later fell to five a year.
The brigade also kicked 200 soldiers out of the Army.
"There were times I walked out of my headquarters at 2 and 3 in the morning and went back in an hour and a half later for PT," or physical training, Wilson said. "There are times the Army requires us to give up a little more juice than normal."
Chiarelli said he was hopeful that the drawdown of American troops in Iraq would give the Army more time to address the issue.
"As our soldiers start to spend more time at home, we can start to dust off some of the things we used to do ... and start tracking these kids, make sure we are taking care of them," he said.
Read the Army report, Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, Suicide Prevention
Army suicides: Poor leadership, not repeat deployments blamed
Army suicides expected to rise for 5th straight year
Army suicides rise again despite new focus by military
Follow national-security developments at Nukes & Spooks


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Yes, and outlaw apple pie as well
(Published Sept. 23, 2008)
In a hard-hitting direct-mail piece to its members, the National Rifle Association detailed an alleged plan by Sen. Barack Obama to transform gun-ownership regulations.
Obama's "plan" appeared on a section of the mailer designed to be cut out and carried around in a wallet. The front of the wallet card said, "Barack Obama's Ten Point Plan to 'Change' the Second Amendment." The reverse listed the 10 parts of the alleged plan, starting with, "Ban use of firearms for home defense."
An NRA spokeswoman confirmed the authenticity of the mailer, which first appeared in early August 2008, but would not provide details of what its claims were based on. For that, she referred us to various NRA Web sites.
We could find no support on any of them for the allegation that Obama has a plan to ban the use of firearms for home defense. What we did find, and what we suspect is the root of this allegation, was information about a vote Obama cast as an Illinois state senator in May 2004. (See this essay by NRA executive vice president officer Wayne LaPierre.)
The bill in question was a response to the case of Hale DeMar, a Wilmette, Ill., man who shot and wounded a burglar in his home in December 2003. Prosecutors did not charge him for the shooting, since they determined that he acted in self-defense, but they did fine him $750 for violating the local handgun ordinance. An outcry of sympathy for DeMar prompted the state legislature to take up a bill that would let people claim a self-defense protection for using a gun in their homes in violation of local weapons bans.
Obama voted against the measure. The legislature passed it, and later overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Like Blagojevich, Obama framed that debate as a home-rule issue. He told the Associated Press at the time that he voted against the measure out of respect for local governments' authority to set gun policy.
Here's what LaPierre wrote about the vote: "When Obama turned thumbs down on the bill, he voted against the most basic element of the Second Amendment — the right of defense of self and family — the reason that millions of Americans own firearms."
That's a bit of a leap. In concrete terms, Obama's thumbs-down was a vote against the state legislature tweaking a local gun ban. In any event, there's no fair way to interpret it as evidence that Obama has a future plan to ban the use of firearms for home defense.
Moreover, there's ample evidence to the contrary. Here's Obama speaking at a forum sponsored by WJLA-ABC7 and Politico.com on Feb. 12, 2008: "I think we have two conflicting traditions in this country. I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of handgun ownership and gun ownership generally. And a lot of people — law-abiding citizens use it for hunting, for sportsmanship, and for protecting their families (emphasis added). We also have a violence on the streets that is the result of illegal handgun usage…We can have reasonable, thoughtful gun control measures that I think respect the Second Amendment and people's traditions."
That doesn't sound to us like someone planning to "ban use of firearms for home defense." Quite the opposite, actually.
Ignoring that sort of evidence, and instead extrapolating from one vote on a jurisdictional debate in Illinois a broad-ranging plan to ban guns for home defense, is not just misleading, it's intentionally dishonest. That is, Pants on Fire wrong.


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Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
DeSean Jackson - Eagles/Redskins
DeSean Jackson could have taken his time on picking a team, maybe filling his Instagram account with photos from places such as San Francisco, Carolina and Oakland. All right, maybe not Oakland. But give Raiders fans credit, as #DJaxtoOakland nearly toppled Twitter. But in the end, Jackson chose to sign with the Redskins. A move, no doubt, motivated to show Chip Kelly just what he will be missing this season.
Associated Press/NFL
Wes Welker - Broncos/Patriots
Welker didn't feel the love from the Patriot Way so he joined Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Welker scored a victory when the Broncos beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. But I have to believe Bill Belichick and Tom Brady chuckled and high-fived after the Seahawks snot-kicked the Broncos in the Super Bowl. Mainly, I just want to believe Belichick and Brady hung out together to watch the Super Bowl. Could you just imagine Gisele pulling Tom into the kitchen to whisper, "Seriously, he has to wear a sweat shirt into our home?"
Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press
Jared Allen - Vikings/Bears
Jared Allen is your newest member of the Chicago Bears. A move that seemingly came out of nowhere since it seemed like Allen was going to join the defending Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks. But Allen instead will join the Monsters of the Midway. It will be strange for Allen to go from Vikings purple to the navy and orange of the Bears.
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Julius Peppers - Bears/Packers
When the Bears agreed to terms with Jared Allen, they were just responding to an opening volley in free agency this year when Julius Peppers signed with the Green Bay Packers who think he can be a big help on defense. Although, some could say Peppers already helped the Packers win when he couldn't corral Aaron Rodgers before the tossed the winning touchdown pass to Randall Cobb in the season finale. Some could say, not me necessarily.
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
Darrelle Revis - Jets/Patriots
Darrelle Revis has done seemingly the unthinkable (at least to most New York Jets fans) and joined the New England Patriots. This has to be the biggest nightmare for Jets fans. Well, until Revis intercepts a pass from Geno Smith. And really, just using the singular pass was very, very generous on my part.
Associated Press
Marcus Allen - Raiders/Chiefs
Allen still remains to this day one of the most popular players in Raiders history. A Heisman Trophy-winning tailback at USC, Allen jumped immediately to the Los Angeles Raiders, who would win a Super Bowl in 1983. Yet, for reasons undisclosed, Allen fell out of favor with owner Al Davis and the relationship never thawed. Allen joined the Chiefs. Those Monday night games with Allen running wild on the field and Davis' steely gaze looking down were some of the most riveting NFL moments of the 1990s.
Associated Press
Brett Favre - Packers/Vikings
This one is likely still fresh in our mind. Favre retired, returned and then retired again. And then there was something where he went to the Jets, got Eric Mangini fired and the team ended up with Mark Sanchez. Sorry, that part gets fuzzy. Favre did eventually sign up with the Vikings and the look of him in Minnesota was one of the most surreal of my football memory.
Associated Press
Deion Sanders - Falcons/49ers/Cowboys
Sanders became one of the first mercenaries in current NFL free agency when he went from the Falcons to the NFC West-rival 49ers. After he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl title, Sanders then joined San Francisco's rival at the time, the Dallas Cowboys, and helped them to the Lombardi Trophy.
Associated Press
Ken Norton, Jr. - Cowboys/49ers
Norton was a key cog in the middle of the Cowboys teams which won Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII. Then he did the unthinkable when he joined the rival 49ers in the middle of this great feud. Norton's switch paid off immediately when the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX. As an added twist, the UCLA alum then became a coaching assistant at USC before he followed Pete Carroll to Seattle.
Associated Press
Adam Vinatieri - Colts/Patriots
When Vinatieri was unceremoniously dumped by the Patriots (notice a trend) one of the first things he wanted to do was stick it to his former team by joining Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. And it should be noted the Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl without him.
Associated Press
Rod Woodson - Steelers/Ravens
There was a buffer between spots with a quick trip out to San Francisco. But Woodson did the unthinkable when one of the Steelers all-time greats jumped to the other side of this bitter blood feud. Even more sickening for Steelers fans, he helped the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in 2000.
Associated Press
Bill Belichick - Jets/Patriots
Belichick was the hand-picked successor for the New York Jets when Bill Parcells stepped down after the 1999 season. Belichick was actually hired as the Jets coach, but in one of the strangest scenes in NFL history Belichick used his hiring press conference to announce his resignation. He then went on to the Patriots and, well, you know the rest.
Associated Press
Curtis Martin - Patriots/Jets
Martin started his Hall of Fame career with the Patriots, but as a restricted free-agent in 1998, he signed a deal with the New York Jets to rejoin his former coach Bill Parcells. Just adding a further wrinkle to this rivalry.
Associated Press
Thurman Thomas - Bills/ Dolphins
Thomas was one of the lynchpins in the high-powered Bills offense which won four AFC championships to kick off the 1990s. But when Thomas' run was over in Buffalo, he tried to keep the magic going for one more season in Miami in 2000.
Associated Press
Lyle Alzado - Broncos/Raiders
All right, Alzado was traded from the Broncos to the Browns. And then it was Cleveland who traded him to the Raiders. So, it's not like he signed with them. But just to share a story from his first week with the Raiders, Alzado had trouble keeping his helmet on during practice as it kept popping off his head. As Alzado further mused, he felt it was some force in the universe which tried to keep a Raiders helmet off his head.
Associated Press
Isaac Bruce - L.A. Rams/49ers
There aren't many indignities for fans of the Los Angeles Rams to suffer through, especially since the St. Louis version already won a Super Bowl. But the final gut-punch came when the very last of the Los Angeles Rams signed a deal with the San Francisco 49ers. That, friends, was too far.
Amy Sancetta/Associated Press
Art Monk - Redskins/Eagles
Redskins fans wished Monk well when he left the team after the 1993 season and joined the Jets the following year. It's the business of football. A lot of those fans didn't quite understand when Monk joined the Eagles in 1995.
Associated Press
Emmitt Smith - Cowboys/Cardinals
All right, all right, to see Smith go from the Cowboys to the Cardinals didn't jolt you as if, say, he went to the Redskins, Giants or Eagles. But still, this was a NFC East rival. What, you aren't buying this? Fair enough.
Associated Press
Greg Jennings - Packers/Vikings
Following in the footsteps of his erstwhile gunslinger, Greg Jennings decided to make the trek across the border and leave behind the Frozen Tundra for the Metrodome. Green Bay fans will likely miss Jennings and his crazy commercials, but not as much as Jennings will miss Aaron Rodgers. He won't find it quite as easy to catch passes in bed when they're delivered from erratic arm of Christian Ponder.
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Shinedown to Release Unique E-Book With Upcoming Album 'Amaryllis'
To accompany the release of their highly anticipated fourth album 'Amaryllis,' Shinedown are planning to come out with a unique e-book. Being the first of its kind, the "completely interactive" e-book will contain commentary, video footage and other exclusive content from the band.
Shinedown singer Brent Smith described the concept and reasoning behind the upcoming e-book in detail during an interview with The Pulse of Radio.
"Back in the day, like when you used to go in and buy records, for people that are a little bit more digital consumers, this e-book is something that brings you back to that element of getting a record and then going inside of it," says Smith. "But it's really going inside of our minds, you know, during the making of the record, and there's so many different storylines inside of all the different aspects of the making of the record. It's a doorway into the mind of all of us."
Shinedown have already released video for the songs 'Unity' and 'Bully' from 'Amaryllis,' the latter of which is currently No. 1 on the active rock chart. The full album is set for release on March 27.
The band will also be headlining the upcoming 2012 Avalanche Tour, with fellow rockers Adelitas Way, New Medicine and Art of Dying coming along as openers.


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Concordance evaluations are important to conduct to determine if there are any allelic dropout or "null alleles" present in a data set. These studies are performed because there are a variety of commercial short tandem repeat (STR) multiplex kits with different configurations of STR markers available to the forensic community. The placement of the markers can vary between kits because the primer sequences were designed to amplify different polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product sizes. When multiple primer sets are used, there is concern that allele dropout may occur due to primer-binding-site mutations that affect one set of primers but not another. These null alleles become evident only when data sets are compared. Multiple concordance studies have been performed at NIST with a standard sample set using various STR multiplex kits, including Identifiler®, MiniFiler™, PowerPlex® 16, ESX 17 and ESI 17 Systems, and in-house assays. Various discordant results have been identified using concordance software developed at NIST, confirmed by DNA sequencing and reported to the forensic community on the null allele web page of STRBase.
Carolyn R. Hill, Margaret C. Kline, David L. Duewer and John M. Butler
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Biochemical Science Division, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
There are multiple commercial STR multiplex kits for DNA typing available to the forensic community. Most of these STR kits simultaneously amplify the same markers or subsets of the same markers for genotyping. There are two different strategies when designing kit configurations with many of the same STR loci. The first is to use different PCR primer sequences that place the loci in different positions within the separate kits. This allows concordance testing to be performed to compare results between kits and thus detect allelic dropout or "null alleles" within the data due to primer-binding-site mutations. It is then possible to redesign primer sequences to avoid these mutations, resulting in the correct genotype.
The second strategy is to keep the PCR primer sequences the same and use mobility-modifying non-nucleotide linkers, or "mobility modifiers", allowing the markers to be located in different positions. These mobility modifiers permit amplified alleles from one member of a pair of closely spaced STR loci to be shifted relative to the other, preventing overlapping size ranges
. By using this technology in STR multiplex development, primer sequences can be maintained to amplify STR loci with optimal interlocus spacing within the various color channels. This enables comparison of data sets between kits with overlapping markers without the concern of discordant results. There are advantages and disadvantages of using either strategy, which are summarized in Table 1.
There are two primary vendors of STR multiplex kits: Applied Biosystems (Foster City, CA) and Promega Corporation (Madison, WI). The kits from these two companies have different configurations of many of the same STR markers. To enable this difference in marker placement, primer sequences were designed to amplify PCR products with sizes that vary between kits. In addition to differences in kits distributed by different vendors, Promega has redesigned or changed primer sequences for many loci between PowerPlex® versions, including PowerPlex® 16, ESX 17 and ESI 17. The amplicon sizes in base pairs (bp) are different for many overlapping loci in these multiplex PCR systems. The size differences were determined for each locus in PowerPlex® 16 and ESI 17 and Identifiler® (Applied Biosystems) kits relative to the PowerPlex® ESX 17 System and are listed in Table 2
In contrast, Applied Biosystems alters the configurations of their multiplex PCR kits by using mobility modifiers and preserving primer sequences. One exception is the MiniFiler™ kit in which primers were redesigned as compared to the Identifiler® kit to allow normally large amplicons to be made smaller. A concordance evaluation was conducted at NIST and reported on previously
The U.S. national DNA database stores only genotype information for a sample, relying on input from different STR kits such as PowerPlex® 16 and Identifiler®. The use of the same kit or kits with unchanging primer sequences makes concordance studies unnecessary since the data sets will be the same and null alleles would be undetected (Table 1). However, when other kits are used with different primers, null alleles could potentially result in discordant results being entered into the database. To overcome this problem, the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) software permits moderate- and low-stringency matches when searching an evidence sample against the DNA database of convicted offender profiles
. However if these samples were tested with the same kit, they would provide the same result; thus, a primer-binding-site mutation would not be a problem in this case.
Even though concordance studies are important to find null alleles between data sets, discordant results rarely occur for most primer sets. At NIST, concordance evaluations have been performed for over 150,000 allele comparisons. In the MiniFiler™ concordance study
, 99.7% full concordance was observed, and in the PowerPlex® ESX 17/ESI 17 study
, full concordance was seen for >99.8% in all comparisons performed.
Concordance studies are necessary when comparing data sets resulting from STR multiplex kits that have varying configurations of the same loci. These markers can be in different positions because they have alternative primer sequences. Because of this, there is the potential for allelic dropout or a "null allele" if a primer-binding-site mutation affects one of the primer pairs. The purpose of concordance testing is illustrated in Figure 1. The use of nonoverlapping primers permits the detection of allele dropout. Null alleles are a concern because this could result in a false-negative or incorrect exclusion of two samples that come from a common source (only if different PCR primers are used). A base pair change in the DNA template at the PCR-primer-binding region can disrupt primer hybridization and result in a failure to amplify and detect an existing allele
To test for concordance between data sets, our strategy at NIST is to use standard samples, software, sequencing and STRBase—what we might term the four "S"s of concordance. Ultimately, the information can be used by kit manufacturers when designing new STR multiplexes to either add an extra (degenerate) primer or redesign primers away from primer-binding-site mutations in the final kit configurations. Some kit manufacturers decide not to change the primer sequences and rely simply on the documentation or publication of the reported null alleles
as illustrated in Figure 2.
Concordance testing is a multistep process to compare the results of a standard sample set when run with different STR multiplex kits. The first step is to determine which samples will be used for concordance evaluations. At NIST, there are several in-house U.S. population samples (~1450 total) that have been run with a variety of STR multiplex kits, including MiniFiler™
and Identifiler®
from Applied Biosystems, as well as PowerPlex® 16, ESX 17 and ESI 17
from Promega. Many in-house assays also have been tested, including the nonCODIS (NC) miniSTR assays
and NIST 26plex
. A summary of the comparisons performed and allele discordance observed with the NIST data sets is shown in Figure 3. Genotyping data from these studies are or will be available at: www.cstl.nist.gov/biotech/strbase/NISTpop.htm
The number of disconcordant results observed during each comparison is indicated.
Comparisons of data sets are made possible with software developed at NIST using Excel® (Microsoft®, Redmond, WA) macros. These programs can be found at: www.cstl.nist.gov/biotech/strbase/software.htm. There are two programs of note that are valuable for concordance evaluations. The first is called STR_ConvertFormats, which converts output files from GeneMapper® ID (Applied Biosystems) to a universal input file. The primary concordance program used in our studies is called STR_MatchSamples and is an Excel®-based tool developed to aid comparison of STR genotypes from two or more data sets. The "Exact Match" function creates a list of all samples that are fully concordant at all loci between the samples being compared. The remaining discordant samples are highlighted for further review.
With every discordant result identified in the NIST concordance software, DNA sequencing was performed to validate the result and determine the exact cause of the allele dropout. Most of the examples were due to primer-binding-site mutations; however, in some cases there was a difference in allele calls between two primer sets due to an insertion or deletion in the DNA template. This occurred in three samples for the CSF1PO, D7S820 and SE33 loci. Differences detected between discordant loci within the kits compared over the past few years are shown in Table 3
. Information on variant and null alleles that have been sequenced at NIST can be found at STRBase at: www.cstl.nist.gov/biotech/strbase/STRseq.htm
The underlined, bolded alleles exhibited allelic dropout or an insertion or deletion. Not all discordancies are within one multiplex kit. Instead, they span four kits tested (PowerPlex® ESX 17, Identifiler®, MiniFiler™ and SE33).
An example of discordance due to a null allele was observed at the D19S433 locus. The Identifiler® genotype was a 14,14, and the genotype for both PowerPlex® ESX 17 and ESI 17 was a 13,14, indicating allelic dropout in Identifiler® (Figure 4, Panel A). All three kits have different primer sequences for this marker (Table 2); thus, the null allele is most likely due to a primer-binding-site mutation in one of the Identifiler® primers. DNA sequencing was performed on these samples, and a G→A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was observed 32bp downstream from the repeat that affected reverse primer binding with Identifiler® (Figure 4, Panel B). There is a higher frequency of this mutation for D19S433 in Asian populations than others, which was reported previously
. Interestingly, all null alleles found in the NIST data set for D19S433 were with Asian samples.
Panel A. Peak heights and peak height ratios (PHR) for the discordant locus are shown. Panel B. DNA sequence of the D19S433 template to illustrate the G→A SNP 32bp downstream from the repeat in the reverse primer-binding site.
Once null alleles and discordant genotypes are verified through DNA sequencing, these results can be reported on the NIST STRBase web site. Laboratories may contribute confirmed null alleles from their sample sets through a link on this page. It also contains a section called "Results from Concordance Studies", which summarizes all discordant results that have been identified at NIST and submitted from the forensic community. In addition, this null allele page on STRBase has links to variant alleles, tri-allelic patterns and a comprehensive listing of relevant literature. This web site can serve as a useful tool to validate discordant findings when performing concordance studies.
Concordance evaluations are useful to identify null alleles in data sets. They are especially important when developing new STR multiplex kits when primer redesign is involved. If allelic dropout is seen in one data set as compared to another for a certain marker and DNA sequencing confirms a primer-binding-site mutation, there are ways of improving the final kit configuration by adding an extra (degenerate) primer or redesigning the primer to move a primer away from a high-frequency mutation before a kit is released to the forensic community. In some cases, an additional PCR primer can be added to the assay to hybridize properly to the alternative allele when it exists in a sample. In other instances, primer redesign is the best course of action to overcome allele dropout issues. Sometimes in occurrences of rare mutations, no improvements are made and the null alleles are carefully documented for future reference. In all situations, concordance studies are a reliable way to determine if a null allele is present to avoid misinterpretation of data.
This work was funded in part by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) through an interagency agreement 2008-DN-R-121 with the NIST Office of Law Enforcement Standards. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Certain commercial equipment, instruments and materials are identified in order to specify experimental procedures as completely as possible. In no case does such identification imply a recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology nor does it imply that any of the materials, instruments or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose.
Scientific Style and Format, 7th edition, 2006
Hill, C.R. et al.
Strategies for Concordance Testing.
[Internet] 2010. [cited: year, month, date]. Available from:
American Medical Association, Manual of Style, 10th edition, 2007
Hill, C.R. et al.
Strategies for Concordance Testing.
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Accessed Month Day, Year.
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Dubai, UAE, July 16, 2013: On July 10th, friends of Blancpain, special guests of DivePhotoGuide.com and the National Geographic Society gathered for an evening reception in the exhibit gallery of the United Nations in New York to acknowledge Oceans, an underwater photography exhibition.
The opening ceremony included remarks by Mr. Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, United Nations Under- Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information and Master of Ceremonies; Ms. Patricia O'Brien, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, The Legal Counsel; Mr. Adam Bossi, Blancpain US Brand Manager; Mr. Alain Delamuraz Blancpain Vice-President and Head of marketing and Dr. Enric Sala, National Geographic In-Residence Explorer for the Pristine Seas Expeditions with Blancpain.
The exhibition highlights the ecological and economic importance of healthy oceans and the need to protect their fragile ecology and submarine life. Oceans invites the public to study, respect, and protect our oceans for future generations. Speaking about the importance of observing World Oceans Day, for which the United Nations General Assembly in 2008 designated June 8, Ms. Patricia O'Brien explained that "the theme of World Oceans Day chosen for 2013 is "oceans and people", to highlight the important role oceans play in our lives. The oceans and seas provide us with food, minerals, employment, tourism, transport possibilities, energy sources and potentially much more."
Blancpain's commitment to the underwater world dates from the creation of the Fifty Fathoms watch in1953. As Alain Delamuraz said, 'Blancpain contributed to the discovery of the ocean and to our knowledge of the underwater world. Today, Blancpain continues its commitment by supporting scientific and conservation projects around the globe such as the Pristine Seas Expedition conducted by National Geographic explorer Enric Sala and his team.' The oldest watch brand in the world wishes also to thank the sixteen photographers related to Edition Fifty Fathoms whose work is featured in the Oceans exhibit. Their generosity and their passion for the underwater universe made this exhibition possible.
Additional to the photographers, videos from National Geographic and Projet Gombessa from Laurent Ballesta were displayed. Conscious that no organization alone can achieve the desired positive change in ocean protection, today, by the side of the National Geographic Society, Blancpain fully supports the Pristine Seas Expeditions. This program explores, survey, and helps protect some of the last healthy, untouched places in the ocean. Dr. Enric Sala shared his personal experiences encountered during the last explorations. 'The last pristine places in the ocean can show us what we have lost, but also point to what the future of the ocean could be like.'
Blancpain once again helps increase the number of people knowing about and feeling concerned by this fascinating underwater universe.