text:
Alternate Names
• d-Mannose
Principal Proposed Uses:
• Urinary Tract Infections
Page Navigation
Therapeutic Doses
Therapeutic Uses
Safety Issues
Mannose is a "six-carbon-sugar," as are the better known and closely related substances glucose and fructose. Relying on evidence that is both exceedingly preliminary and highly inconsistent, some alternative medicine practitioners have popularized mannose as a treatment for urinary tract infections.
Mannose plays an important role in human physiology. However, there is no nutritional need for this substance, as the body can easily produce it from glucose. Nonetheless, significant quantities of it can be found in many fruits and vegetables, including peaches, apples, blueberries, green beans, cabbage, and tomatoes.
Therapeutic Doses
A typical recommended dose of mannose for the treatment or prevention of bladder infections is 1.5 g daily, often divided into three doses of 500 mg each.
Therapeutic Uses
The idea that mannose supplements can help prevent or treat bladder infections derives from a property of the E. coli bacteria. E. coli is one of the common causes of bladder infections. Many, though not all, strains of E. coli have the ability to attach to the mannose present in the wall of the bladder by means of thread-like structures called pili. This process of attachment allows them to initiate the process of infection.
Reasoning from this fact of basic science, medical researchers in the 1980s hypothesized that consumption of mannose as a supplement will increase levels of mannose in the urine to such an extent that this free mannose will saturate the E. coli's mannose-binding pili and thereby make the bacteria unable to grapple onto the cells of the bladder wall.
It is essentially this reasoning that is restated by proponents of mannose for bladder infections. However, the argument has at least four problems. First, one of the main ways that the body's white blood cells recognize and kill E. coli is via these mannose-sensitive pili. 1 When these pili are saturated by mannose, white blood cells (specifically, macrophages) are less able to consume the E. coli bacteria. 2 Second, many species of E. coli , including some of the most dangerous, do not have mannose-sensitive pili at all. 3-4 Third, there are numerous other bacteria that cause bladder infections, and these are not known or suspected to have mannose-sensitive pili.
But perhaps the most important point is that the use of mannose for preventing or treating bladder infections has never undergone any meaningful scientific study in human beings. There is a bit of evidence from animal studies performed in the 1980s, 5 but it is a long way from animal studies to efficacy in humans. Proponents of mannose also cite numerous testimonials, but the placebo effect and related confounding factors are quite sufficient to produce numerous testimonials for any treatment. Only double-blind, placebo-controlled studies can actually prove a treatment effective, and none have been performed on mannose.
The bottom line: There is no meaningful scientific reason to believe that mannose is useful for the prevention or treatment of bladder infections.
Safety Issues
As a sugar widely present in foods, mannose is assumed to be safe. However, the maximum safe dosage has not been established in healthy adults, nor in pregnant or nursing women or young children. Very weak evidence from test tube studies hints that consumption of gigantic amounts of mannose by pregnant women could conceivably increase risk of birth defects in their offspring. 6-8
1. Blumenstock E, Jann K. Adhesion of piliated Escherichia coli strains to phagocytes: differences between bacteria with mannose-sensitive pili and those with mannose-resistant pili. Infect Immun. 1982;35:264-269.
2. Felipe I, Bochio EE, Martins NB, et al. Inhibition of macrophage phagocytosis of Escherichia coli by mannose and mannan. Braz J Med Biol Res. 1991;24:919-924.
3. van der Bosch JF, Verboom-Sohmer U, Postma P, et al. Mannose-sensitive and mannose-resistant adherence to human uroepithelial cells and urinary virulence of Escherichia coli . Infect Immun. 1980;29:226-233.
4. Vaisanen V, Elo J, Tallgren LG, et al. Mannose-resistant haemagglutination and P antigen recognition are characteristic of Escherichia coli causing primary pyelonephritis. Lancet. 1981;2:1366-1369.
5. Michaels E, Chmiel J, Plotkin B, Schaeffer A. Effect of D-mannose and D-glucose on Escherichia coli bacteriuria in rats. Urol Res. 1983;11:97-102.
6. Freinkel N, Lewis NJ, Akazawa S, et al. The honeybee syndrome: teratogenic effects of mannose during organogenesis in rat embryo culture. Trans Assoc Am Physicians. 1983;96:44-55.
7. Freinkel N, Lewis NJ, Akazawa S, Roth SI, Gorman L. The honeybee syndrome: implications of the teratogenicity of mannose in rat-embryo culture. N Engl J Med. 1984;310:223-230.
8. Hughes AF, Freeman RB, Fadem T. The teratogenic effects of sugars on the chick embryo. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1974;32:661-674.
Last reviewed August 2013 by EBSCO CAM Review Board
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright (C) 2011 EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.


text:
SOUTHBRIDGE � On-the-job marijuana use was one of six reasons the town gave for firing an out-of-state vendor 13 months into a three-year contract to manage the state-owned, town-run pool on Randolph Street, the Telegram & Gazette has learned.
Employees of the vendor, USA Pools of Roswell, Ga., allegedly overcharged attendees of the Andrew J. Petro Memorial Swimming Pool and pocketed the extra money, according to the July 10 termination letter written by town counsel Robert G. Caprera, which the newspaper obtained from the town in response to a public records request.
USA Pools employees also allegedly used illegal drugs on the property; worked with minors without having received proper background checks; failed to maintain appropriate levels of pool maintenance chemicals on the work site; and failed to maintain proper levels of pool chemicals in the water.
Matt Satterly, USA Pools' president, did not return a phone message Thursday.
The company manages public pools throughout the country and finds employees who are local to those communities.
Independent of the termination letter, the newspaper also learned that USA Pools had employed as its pool manager Mario Z. Steele, a 27-year-old Worcester man who in 2013 was convicted in a Worcester court of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute.
Mr. Steele was sentenced last year to serve 30 days in the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston, and probation, according to the case file.
The police and town, forced to react after learning of the pool's safety issues, closed the facility earlier than usual on July 7 and reopened it July 15 with new employees.
According to Recreation Director Ron Plouffe, 12 lifeguards were hired, along with four people to man the gate and clean, and two managers. He said the new operation has had "no hitches."
Acting Town Manager Kevin Paicos on July 21 wrote a commendation letter on Mr. Plouffe's behalf for his work averting a disaster for the community.
His actions became "a wonderful example of how a community can respond to a crisis," the manager wrote.
On July 7, police went to the pool to investigate an anonymous complaint that workers smoked marijuana in the chlorine room, an allegation that proved to have merit, a police report said.
In addition, the tipster told police that only two of the employees were certified lifeguards; yet the certified workers never sat in the lifeguard chairs.
The informant went on to tell investigators that employees were "clocking in" when they weren't working, and money collected from customers was placed in a box that was labeled for food, but was used for other purposes, the police report said.
Upon investigators' arrival at the pool, a worker apparently used her walkie-talkie to alert whoever was in the pump room that police had arrived, police said.
A detective said he heard a loud shuffling inside the room, and a back door opened.
After he knocked several times and waited three to five minutes for someone to open the door to the small room, the detective said, the pool manager and another worker were inside the room, which smelled of chlorine and freshly burned marijuana.
Police Lt. Shane D. Woodson said in an interview police had not witnessed anyone overcharging patrons.
But he said he saw a board on which the fee for a pool day pass was listed as $5.
The town's official fee for a day pass is $4.
Lt. Woodson said he asked management about the price discrepancy and was told the employees were using the $1 difference to purchase soda and snacks to sell to pool patrons.
But those items weren't present when police arrived, and the company was not authorized to sell the products anyway, Lt. Woodson said.
Mr. Plouffe, in response to a question about the decision to seek an out-of-state vendor to run the pool, said the state, when it was completing its $3.2 million renovation of the pool last year, had asked if the town was interested in "taking over the pool" for three years.
The state offered to "subsidize" the operation, Mr. Plouffe recalled.
"At the time, the staff that we had in place decided that we really weren't in the pool business, and didn't have the expertise. So we did some researching and found USA Pools," which he referred to as "a big ticket down South."
Mr. Plouffe went on to say that last summer went "very well" using USA Pools.
But most of last year's staff didn't return, he said.
Elsewhere, the company has raised concerns.
According to the acting town manager, an official from Capitan, N.M., called Southbridge's recreation director to say that Capitan also had a bad experience with USA Pools.
According to Mr. Paicos, the New Mexico official called after reading about Southbridge's troubles with USA Pools.
In 2012, officials in Wooster, Ohio, met with USA Pools representatives, putting them on notice about their concerns and contractual shortfalls in the operation of the city's three pools, a story in the Daily Record said.
Meanwhile, Lt. Woodson said, the Southbridge police investigation has been concluded.
The termination letter by Mr. Caprera, the lawyer, stated that the town would seek from USA Pools "all of the money which it is due under the law for your company's breach of this contract."
The extent of monetary damages was unknown at the time of the lawyer's writing, the letter said.
Mr. Caprera said in an interview the town is trying to make the best of a bad situation.
"When you have an asset like that in the town, in the middle of the summer, and you hit this problem, it's like the last thing that anyone would want to have happen," he said.
As of Tuesday, USA Pools had not responded to the lawyer's letter, Mr. Caprera said.
Contact Brian Lee at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BleeTG

subset: commoncrawl


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U.S. Women's Olympic Games Gold Medal Match Preview
Bill Kauffman
USA Volleyball Communications
Phone: 719-228-6800
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
LONDON (Aug. 10, 2012) – The 2012 Olympic Games women's volleyball gold-medal match has some striking similarities to the Beijing Games four years ago as the top two teams in the world – United States and Brazil – meet once again for the title in London on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. PT).
Brazil won the Beijing gold-medal meeting four years ago in four sets as the top seed and favorite to win, while the U.S. entered the Olympics as a dark horse to win a medal. Brazil won its first-ever Olympic gold in 2008, while the United States walked away one win from its first Olympic gold medal with its second silver and third overall medal.
Shift four years to London, the U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team has supplanted Brazil as the top-ranked team in the world and a favorite to win gold. The Americans have reached the title match in dominating fashion. Team USA, now 7-0 at the 2012 London Games and 30-1 overall this year, advanced through Pool B with wins over No. 15 Korea (3-1), No. 2 Brazil (3-1), No. 3 China (3-0), No. 7 Serbia (3-0) and No. 8 Turkey (3-0).
The U.S. advanced to the semifinals with a sweep over NORCECA rival Dominican Republic in the quarterfinal round without its starting setter in Lindsey Berg (Honolulu), who came back in the semifinals to help the Americans claim a 3-0 win over Korea to reach the title match. She helped set the Americans to an amazing 52.6 kill percent and .400 hitting efficiency in the win over Korea.
"I thought (Lindsey) did a great job tonight," McCutcheon said. "We were very happy with her performance. Of course there were doubts (on whether she would play). She was hurt. We will evaluate tonight and see how she looks and maybe even see how she is tomorrow. She ran around a little last night and it looked promising. We chatted late last night and early this morning and things seemed to be on plan so we decided to go with it."
"I feel amazing," Berg said after the match. "My team helped me out a lot and I didn't have to run around. I feel way better than I expected. I am just going to give it my all. If I can't walk after Saturday's match, I really don't care. It's game time and I feel great. I am so excited for Saturday."
Meanwhile, Brazil's path to the gold medal in 2012 has been a roller coaster. In addition to its loss to the United States on the second day of pool play, the South Americans lost to Korea in straight sets and were pushed to five sets against Turkey and China before winning. On the final day of pool play, Brazil was on the verge of not making it out of pool play. However, Team USA defeated Turkey to end group play and Brazil took care of business against Serbia to claim the last spot out of Pool B to reach the quarterfinals with a 3-2 record. Once in the playoffs, Brazil lost the first two sets to Pool A winner Russia and fought off six match points in the fifth set before winning an exhausting 21-19 tiebreaker to advance to the semifinals in which they captured a straight set win over Japan.
"When we lost against USA and Korea and were almost knocked out, I felt like it was an embarrassment to our country," Brazil head coach Jose Guimaraes said. "I think we really hit the bottom against Korea. That had to happen so that we would start helping ourselves. There's nothing worse than Brazil losing and having ended in between ninth and 12th (place)."
In the much anticipated Olympic Games Pool B match, the No. 1 U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team defeated No. 2 Brazil 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21 on July 30. Team USA first-time Olympian Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) scored a match-high 23 points with 22 kills on 45 swings and a block. Jordan Larson (Hooper, Neb.), also a first-time Olympian, contributed 18 points with 16 kills on 36 attacks and two blocks. Four-time Olympian Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah) charted 12 points, all on kills from 27 attacks with just one error. Brazil's Sheilla Castro led her team with 15 points, while Thaisa Menezes added 11 points.
Team USA has now won the last six matches against Brazil, including twice in the recent 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix, once in the 2011 FIVB World Cup and in the final of the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix. Brazil and USA will be crossing paths for the ninth time in the Olympic Games with each team winning four times.
"As a team we played well and improved from the first match (against Korea)," Tom said immediately after Team USA's preliminary match with its South American rival. "Brazil is good technically and is fiery, so when they got ahead it was hard to catch up."
In the preliminary round match, Team USA's attacks kept Brazil off balance.
"We suffered a lot with the USA's spikes," Guimaraes said. "We now need to defend against them like we defended here (Thursday versus Japan) and then we will see."
"We need to have a better match against USA compared to the first one (in the preliminary round)," Thaisa said. "We know that we can do better in attack. It is going to be a very tough match, but if everybody plays well, everything is going to be fine. I think that USA thinks that we are much stronger and we are improving."
With the U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team one win away from its first-ever gold in the Olympics or any other major season-ending tournament such as the FIVB World Championship or World Cup, thoughts are staying in the present – not what has happened or what could happen.
"I don't want to think about it – we have a lot of business left to take care of," Berg said in regards to winning an Olympic Games gold medal. "I saw Misty (May-Treanor) and Kerri (Walsh) win (on Aug. 8) the beach volleyball gold medal, and saw all the emotion and hard work they put in to win."
"As far as pressure, the athletes hold themselves to a high standard in training every day," U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand) said. "As far as others' expectations, that is just noise. That certainly is not our problem. Our problem is finding a way to beat who is on the other side of the net. The notion of pressure comes more from outside looking in as opposed to being inside. We have been through big situations. Our whole preparation is trying to be the best we can be on Saturday for the gold-medal match."
McCutcheon, who led the U.S. Men to the 2008 Olympic Games gold medal before switching over to the women's side, is attempting to become the second coach to lead both genders to an Olympic Games gold medal. Guimaraes also led Brazil men to Olympic gold in 1992 Olympics and Brazil women to Olympic gold in 2008 Olympics. However, McCutcheon deflects the reason behind his squad's success thus far in in the current quadrennial.
"I don't think I am the difference – I think the team is the difference," McCutcheon said. "I am just happy I have had the privilege to work with them and maybe help them out on one or two things along the way. The biggest thing is this group of athletes and their quest or journey to try to win Olympic gold. The fact I was there the last time (with the U.S. Men) and I happen to be here this time is not the main part of it. I think the main part of it is this group of special athletes, all 12 of them, the way they have worked together, they way they have fought, played for each other and their country. Hopefully they get a chance to win gold."
As McCutcheon said, the dream journey to Olympic gold runs deep through the team, which it will take to reach that goal.
"I hope we get there, but it is going to be a battle," Berg said. "We are expecting nothing less than a battle (with Brazil). I try not to get ahead of myself. This team has been so amazing to be on and we have been so successful that it is hard not to imagine (winning gold) because I believe this team is a gold-medal team. We believe it, but we know what it takes and we know that we have to work hard. Of course I dreamt it and it was an incredible dream, but I am trying to make it a reality."
"We need to focus on each other and don't worry about little things," Hooker said. "The team has got what it takes to win. Hopefully, we will come out on top."
"It's been an amazing experience, I've been dreaming about it for a long time," U.S. middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Fla.) said about reaching the Olympic Games title match. "As long as we play our game, we should be okay. We need to reduce our errors. We have been playing good volleyball and relying on each other. We work well as a team and we should be ready for the final."
"We've worked four years for the gold medal match," U.S. middle blocker Christa Harmotto (Hopewell Township, Pa.) said. "We still go in with the same approach. We play together and it's important to continue that process."
Team USA's offense has been paced by three first-time Olympians in Hooker, Akinradewo and Larson. Hooker, who has become a dynamic and terminating opposite, leads the U.S. offense at the Olympics with 147 points on 123 kills, 21 blocks and three aces for second place in Best Scorer. Hooker leads all players in Best Spiker with a .389 hitting efficiency (123-23-257) and is tied for second in Best Blocker with a 0.91 average.
Meanwhile, Akinradewo has added 84 points (59 kills, 22 blocks, 3 aces) for 12th in overall scoring. She ranks atop the Best Blocker category with a 0.96 block average. Larson has contributed 76 points (64 kills, 9 blocks, 3 aces) for 17th place while ranking sixth in Best Spiker with a .317 hitting efficiency. Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah), a four-time Olympian, has tacked on 61 points.
Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.), the starting libero, ranks fourth in Best Digger with a 3.83 dig average, while Tom averages 2.61 digs for 11th place. Davis also ranks third in Best Libero with an average of 7.87 digs and excellent receptions that includes a 74.4 excellent reception percent for fifth place in Best Receiver. Berg, despite missing the quarterfinal round, still ranks fourth in Best Setter with a 9.91 running set average.
As a team, the U.S. holds a 2012 Olympic Games leading .347 hitting efficiency, while Brazil is second with a .325 hitting efficiency. The Americans also lead all squads in blocking with a 3.35 block average, while Brazil is third with a 2.96 block average. Brazil leads the tournament in team reception with a 76.0 excellent reception percent while the U.S. is fifth with a 70.5 excellent reception percent.
Individually, Brazil is led by Sheilla Castro's 125 point, which is fourth best in the Olympics. Thaisa Menezes has added 103 points for seventh place and Fabiana Claudino has charted 81 points for 13th place. Thaisa and Fabiana are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively in Best Blocker at 0.86 and 0.82 per set. Sheilla ranks first in Best Server with a 0.36 ace average (10 aces total). Fernanda Rodrigues holds a 81.3 percent on reception for the lead in Best Receiver.
2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team
# - Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
2 - Danielle Scott-Arruda (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
3 - Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Opp, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
4 - Lindsey Berg (S, 5-8, Honolulu, Hawaii, Minnesota)
5 - Tamari Miyashiro (L, 5-7, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Washington)
6 - Nicole Davis (L, 5-4, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
10 - Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Neb., Nebraska)
11 - Megan Hodge (OH, 6-3, Durham, N.C., Penn State)
13 - Christa Harmotto (MB, 6-2, Hopewell, Pa., Penn State)
15 - Logan Tom (OH, 6-1, Salt Lake City, Utah, Stanford)
16 - Foluke Akinradewo (MB, 6-3, Plantation, Fla., Stanford)
17 - Courtney Thompson (S, 5-8, Kent, Wash., Washington)
19 - Destinee Hooker (Opp, 6-4, San Antonio, Texas, Texas)
Head Coach: Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand)
Assistant Coach: Karch Kiraly (San Clemente, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Paula Weishoff (Irvine, Calif.)
Assistant Coach/Technical Coordinator: Jamie Morrison (Dana Point, Calif.)
Technical Coordinator: Giuseppe Vinci (Casteggio, Italy)
Team Manager: Ken Sullivan (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
Consultant Coach: Marv Dunphy (Malibu, Calif.)
Athletic Trainer/Medical Support: Jill Wosmek (Silver Lake, Minn.)
Doctor: Dr. William Stetson
2012 Olympic Games Women's Volleyball Schedule
Pool A Standings:
Russia (14 points, 5-0)
Italy (13 points, 4-1)
Japan (9 points, 3-2)
Dominican Republic (6 points, 2-3)
Great Britain (2 points, 1-4)
Algeria (1 points, 0-5)
Pool B Standings:
USA (15 points, 5-0)
China (9 points, 3-2)
Korea (8 points, 2-3)
Brazil (7 points, 3-2)
Turkey (6 points, 2-3)
Serbia (0 points, 0-5)
July 28: Japan def. Algeria 25-15, 25-14, 25-7
July 28: China def. Serbia 16-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-12
July 28: Russia def. Great Britain 25-19, 25-10, 25-16
July 28: Italy def. Dominican Republic 25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 25-15
July 28: USA def. Korea 25-19, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21
July 28: Brazil def. Turkey 25-18, 23-25, 25-19, 25-27, 15-12
July 30: China def. Turkey 25-20, 25-20, 29-31, 25-22
July 30: Korea def. Serbia 25-12, 25-16, 16-25, 25-21
July 30: Russia def. Dominican Republic 25-23, 25-15, 24-26, 25-22
July 30: USA def. Brazil 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21
July 30: Italy def. Japan 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22
July 30: Great Britain def. Algeria 22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 15-8
Aug. 1: Japan def. Dominican Republic 25-20, 25-19, 25-23
Aug. 1: Russia def. Algeria 25-7, 25-14, 25-15
Aug. 1: Turkey def. Serbia 25-20, 25-12, 25-21
Aug. 1: Italy def. Great Britain 27-25, 25-12, 25-12
Aug. 1: USA def. China 26-24, 25-16, 31-29
Aug. 1: Korea def. Brazil 25-23, 25-21, 25-21
Aug. 3: Brazil def. China 25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 28-30, 15-10
Aug. 3: Russia def. Japan 27-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-19
Aug. 3: Turkey def. Korea 25-16, 21-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-12
Aug. 3: Dominican Republic def. Great Britain 25-9, 25-18, 25-19
Aug. 3: USA def. Serbia 25-17, 25-20, 25-16
Aug. 3: Italy def. Algeria 25-11, 25-12, 25-17
Aug. 5: Dominican Republic def. Algeria 25-15, 25-16, 25-13
Aug. 5: China def. Korea 28-26, 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10
Aug. 5: Japan def. Great Britain 25-19, 25-14, 25-12
Aug. 5: Russia def. Italy 26-28, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, 15-11
Aug. 5: USA def. Turkey 27-25, 25-16, 25-19
Aug. 5: Brazil def. Serbia 25-10, 25-22, 25-16
Aug. 7: Japan (Pool A3) def. China (Pool B2) 28-26, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 18-16
Aug. 7: Brazil (Pool B4) def. Russia (Pool A1) 24-26, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22, 21-19
Aug. 7: USA (Pool B1) def. Dominican Republic (Pool A4) 25-14, 25-21, 25-22
Aug. 7: Korea (Pool B3) def. Italy (Pool A2) 18-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18
Aug. 9: USA def. Korea 25-20, 25-22, 25-22
Aug. 9: Brazil def. Japan 25-18, 25-15, 25-18
Medal Round
Aug. 11: Korea vs. Japan 11:30 a.m. (Bronze)
Aug. 11: USA vs. Brazil, 6:30 p.m. (Gold)
Aug. 11: Women's Gold Medal Ceremony, 8:20 p.m.


text:
The following is a cross-post of my contribution to the Kaggle blog, made after winning the Deloitte/FIDE Chess Rating Challenge: a contest for developing a new predictive system for ranking chess players, sponsored by Deloitte Analytics Australia and the world chess federation FIDE.
My name is Tim Salimans and I am a PhD candidate in Econometrics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. For my job I constantly work with data, models, and algorithms, and the Kaggle competitions seemed like a fun way of using these skills in a competitive and social environment. The Deloitte/FIDE Chess Rating Challenge was the first Kaggle contest I entered and I was very fortunate to end up taking first place. During the same period I also used Kaggle-in-class to host a prediction contest for an undergraduate course in Econometrics for which I was the teaching assistant. Both proved to be a lot of fun.
Chess rating systems
The first thing to do when tackling a new problem is to look up what other people have done before you. Since Kaggle had already organized an earlier chess rating competition, the blog posts of the winners were a logical place to start. After reading those posts and some of the academic literature, I found that chess rating systems usually work by assuming that each player's characteristics can be described by a single rating number. The predicted result for a match between two players is then taken to be some function of the difference between their ratings. Yannis Sismanis, the winner of the first competition, used a logistic curve for this purpose and estimated the rating numbers by minimizing a regularized version of the model fit. Jeremy Howard, the runner-up, instead used the TrueSkill model, which uses a Gaussian cumulative density function and estimates the ratings using approximate Bayesian inference.
I decided to start out with the TrueSkill model and to extend it by shrinking each player's rating to that of their recent opponents, similar to what Yannis Sismanis had done in the first competition. In addition, I introduced weights into the algorithm which allowed me to put most emphasis on the matches that were played most recently. After some initial experimentation using the excellent Infer.NET package, I programmed everything in Matlab.
Using the match schedule
The predictions of my base model scored very well on the leaderboard of the competition, but they were not yet good enough to put me in first place. It was at this time that I realized that the match schedule itself contained useful information for predicting the results, something that had already been noticed by some of the other competitors. In chess, most tournaments are organized using to the Swiss system, in which in each round players are paired with other players that have achieved a comparable performance in earlier rounds. If in a Swiss system tournament player A has encountered better opponents than player B, this most likely means that player A has won a larger percentage of his/her matches in that tournament.
In order to incorporate the information present in the match schedule, I generated out-of-sample predictions for the last 1.5 years of the data using a rolling 3-month prediction window. I then performed two post-processing steps using these predictions and the realized match outcomes. The first step used standard logistic regression and the second step used a locally weighted variant of logistic regression. The most important variables used in the post-processing procedure were:
- the predictions of the base model
- the ratings of the players
- the number of matches played by each player
- the ratings of the opponents encountered by each player
- the variation in the quality of the opponents encountered
- the average predicted win percentage over all matches in the same month for each player
- the predictions of a random forest using these variables
This post-processing dramatically improved my score and put me well ahead of the competition for some time. Later, other competitors made similar improvements and the final weeks of the competition were very exciting. After a long weekend away towards the end of the competition I came back to find that I had been surpassed on the leaderboard by team PlanetThanet. By tweaking my approach I was able to crawl back up during the next few days, after which I had to leave for a conference in the USA. Upon arrival I learned that I was again surpassed, now by Shang Tsung. Only by making my last submissions from my hotel room in St. Louis was I finally able to secure first place.
Much of the contest came down to how to use the information in the match schedule. Although interesting in its own right, this was less than ideal for the original goal of finding a good rating system. To my relief, the follow-up data set that Jeff Sonas made available showed that my model also makes good predictions without using this information. Finally, I would like to thank both the organizers and the competitors for a great competition!


text:
Carrie Underwood will get a chance to tell us about a few of her favorite things with her latest role.
The singer is set to play Maria von Trapp in the made-for-TV broadcast of The Sound of Music. The three-hour show, which is based on the original Broadway version, will be broadcasted live on NBC next year.
This isn't the American Idol artist's first acting role. She previously appeared on a 2010 episode of How I Met Your Mother and played a church leader in the 2011 movie, Soul Surfer.
No word yet on who will join the country singer as Captain von Trapp. Perhaps one of the artists under consideration is Billy Ray Cyrus? He has, after all, been working the Broadway stage this fall as Billy Flynn in a production of Chicago.
Do you think Carrie is a good choice to fill the very big shoes of Julie Andrews, who played Maria in the Academy Award-winning 1965 movie?
– Shannon Carlin, CBS Local


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Paid Summer Internship
Paid Internship opportunity available with Verizon Wireless at their Wilmington, NC location they are looking for a Reporting and Analytics intern to help with the creation of database development projects in addition to other tasks. Â The contact person for this opportunity is Sergio Palacios recruiter for the staffing firm called TeamPersona. Â All interested students please apply with their resume, via email, to email@example.com.
This is great opportunities for students who are interested in the IT field to get experience with a large and successful company.
Reporting & Analytics Intern
A request for an intern that currently has experience in database creation and is familiar with the languages and methods we currently use. The intern will assist with the creation of database development projects that will allow for more accurate measurement of training initiatives. Responsibilities will also include conducting field focus groups on current tools for potential updates/changes or other needs.
The intern will assist with the following:
Database Creation Assist with creating solutions for our customers that are lower on the priority list and need to be completed
Conduct Focus Groups with current customers to assess tools and any ideas of improvement
Process Documentation
- Candidate must have minimum 2 yrs. experience with the following languages: SQL; C#; ASP.NET
- Experience with Microsoft Visual Studio/Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio
- Experience with Visio for DB Architectural design
- Well-developed PC Skills and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, & PowerPoint) applications are required
- Excellent analytical, organizational skills, writing and communications skills
- Solution oriented/Ability to identify customer needs in advance and create solutions that meet/exceed those needs
- Ability to speak to Business partners openly to create solutions that work and advise of roadblocks and/or challenges
- Self-motivated individual, who can work under minimal supervision, has the ability to work with a group as well as individually and is a team player
- Enrolled in an Accredited School BA/BS program. Computer Science/Information Systems major preferred.
Intern will conduct a presentation on their key learningÆs.
An intern will take on many of the tasks that have fallen on the priority list due to other initiatives, allowing us to focus on the more urgent requests to support the business. Partnering with an intern will also allow for information sharing. The intern will get hands on development experience in the field and VZW will identify new/improved ways to create tools that support our customers. Â
Primary Skill Requirement:
Reporting & Analytics Intern


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Obama condemns 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan
Posted by msrb on December 2, 2009
Submitted by a reader
Once Again Americans Are Shafted Major
Presidential Trojan Horse Commits 30,000 Troops to Afghan Insanity
America's Serial Wars Have Nothing to Do With National Security: Spot The Difference [sic]
Korean War (1950-1953) – More than 300,000 US forces were deployed in Korea. During the last year of the conflict, about 37,000 US troops were killed in action.
Vietnam War (1961-1975) – The United States escalated the war in Vietnam. By April 1969 543,000 military personnel were fighting in Vietnam. [Of the American troops 58,159 were killed; 2,000 are missing; 303,635 were wounded.]
Many other wars, conflicts and military operations followed throughout the world… Then came Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada (1983); Operation Just Cause, Panama (1989); Operation Desert Storm, Iraq (January and February 1991); Operation Restore Hope, Somalia (1993); Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan (2001-2002); Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq (2003-present); Operation Obama's Vietnam, Afghanistan (2009 to way beyond)
U.S. President Barack Obama poses for photos with cadets at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, December 1, 2009. Obama plans to send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan over six months in a bid to beat back the Taliban and bring a quicker end to a costly and unpopular eight-year war [sic.] REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT). Image may be subject to copyright.
Who Benefits From the War in Afghanistan?
In NO way do the American public (We the People), the US troops, the Afghan people, or even the Taliban benefit from the war in Afghanistan financially, materially, ecologically, socially, ideologically, morally, emotionally, intellectually or otherwise.
The war in Afghanistan, like the war of occupation in Iraq, is NOT about the US national security, or national interests; it's the latest chapter in America's dark book of serial wars that are fought for and on behalf of the empire's elite—the Security-Industrial-Congressional Complex.
The Money
At a time when at least 49.1 million Americans (1 in 6 people) go to sleep at night on an empty stomach, the $100 billion which the Security-Industrial-Congressional Complex will have appropriated in 2010 from the US taxpayer for the cost of War in Afghanistan could have gone a long way to provide food, health and education for our fellow Americans.
Taliban Threat to the US National Security
Like the "Iraqi insurgents," the Taliban are as much of a security risk to the US as are President Obama's Muslim relatives in Kenya. A plethora of scientific evidence has proven beyond any doubt whatever that the tragic events of 9/11 were perpetrated by insider terrorists.
The Security-Industrial-Congressional Complex (SICC) and the War Racket
Within just a few weeks of attacking Afghanistan, and with far fewer soldiers, the US-UK militaries ousted the Taliban government in 2001. The new phase of war, however, has taken eight years and at least $300 billion to UNWIN the war.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the Security-Industrial-Congressional Complex, the only party that profits from war, can only continue to enrich itself from the War Racket if the wars are actually being fought. They don't profit from wars that have been won. That's why the post-Taliban Government fight has taken 8 years with no end in sight.
Who Are the Taliban Masterminds
So, How does the Security-Industrial-Congressional Complex (SICC) keep the War Racket ongoing? It's elementary: By making sure they control both sides of the war. The spoils of war and trappings of Office are usually sufficient to induce most politicians to become war pimps.
In fact, during the last presidential election, it wasn't so much the case of voting for Mr Obama, an aspiring war criminal, but that of voting out a known war criminal and Sarah Palin. It was all about the art of nominating.
[Any future political activity by Sarah Palin on behalf her party could correctly be interpreted as a political plot by those who do the nominating to help Obama win a second term.]
Unsurprisingly, only 49 percent of Americans approved of Obama's job performance, a major Gallup Poll revealed. His approval rating after taking office in January was just short of 70 percent.
It's neither necessary nor possible to brainwash every single member of Taliban to conspire with the War Racket. The SICC needs to train only a handful of the Taliban masterminds to succeed.And the war-torn, disease-ridden, poverty-stricken, yet opium-rich Afghanistan is a fertile breeding ground for ambitious young men who would happily train as and play the role of Taliban leaders.
Does the life of so many American troops killed in far-away places mean anything to SICC?
Ask any of the 37,000 US troops were killed in action in Korea, or the 58,159 soldiers who were killed ingloriously in Vietnam (additional 2,000 are missing), or …
What About the Military Top Brass? Aren't they supposed to protect the troops against fighting "bad wars?"
A soldier with no brain, mindless and unable to think, a soldier without a conscience and honor, void of reason to fight and without moral instructions is as good as a dead soldier. The military claims that West Point is the best military academy in the world, and that's precisely why our voted-for-by-default President chose the venue to deliver his unintelligent justification speech on the troop surge in Afghanistan.
Yet, as if a bunch of zombies and automatons, not a single officer made a protest about the "bad war."
As for the top brass, they are no warriors; they are, like their Commander in Chief, war pimps.
Is the Afghan War Winnable?
Isn't that a loaded question? The fact is the SICC has no intention of winning the war. SICC intends to destabilize the region and profit from the ensuing chaos, and there is ample historic precedence, as well as mountains of evidence to establish its intentions.
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Police: La Marque woman held husband hostage
LA MARQUE — Police say a 73-year-old woman held her husband hostage at home and kept tactical-unit officers at bay for six hours before finally surrendering.
The incident happened on Wednesday in La Marque.
Police Lt. Kirk Jackson said a woman was reported holding her husband at home against his will shortly before 10 a.m. Police Sgt. Shawn Spruill said when officers reached her by phone, she hung up on them. Police surrounded the house and evacuated neighboring houses. About three hours later, a Texas City police tactical squad was summoned.
Finally, a family attorney was able to talk the woman into surrendering. She was taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation.
It was unclear if a weapon was involved.


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On Exhibit: Monterey Bay Habitats
Animal Facts
Scientific Name
Dendraster excentricus
Animal Type
crustacean larvae, small copepods, detritus, diatoms, algae
to 3 inches across (7.6 cm)
sea urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers; Phylum: Echinodermata
low intertidal to about 130 feet (40 m) from Alaska to Baja California
Natural History
The familiar exoskeleton of a sand dollar—often found cast up on a beach—is white, with an obvious five-pointed shape on the back. But a live sand dollar has a different look. Densely packed, tiny, dark purple spines cover live sand dollars and hide the star design.
In their sandy seafloor habitat, sand dollars use their fuzzy spines, aided by tiny hairs (cilia), to ferry food particles along their bodies to a central mouth on their bottom side. They capture plankton with spines and pincers (pedicellariae) on their body surfaces. A tiny teepee-shaped cone of spines bunched up on a sand dollar's body marks a spot where captive amphipods or crab larvae are being held for transport to the mouth. Unlike sea stars that use tube feet for locomotion, sand dollars use their spines to move along the sand, or to drive edgewise into the sand. On the upper half of the sand dollar's body, spines also serve as gills.
In quiet waters, these flattened animals stand on end, partially buried in the sand. When waters are rough, sand dollars hold their ground by lying flat—or burrowing under. In fast-moving waters, adults also fight the currents by growing heavier skeletons. Young sand dollars swallow heavy sand grains to weigh themselves down.
The sandy seafloor seems to be barren—until you look closer. Diversity is low, but species concentration is high. Sand dollars are usually crowded together over an area—as many as 625 sand dollars can live in one square yard (.85 sq m).
Detritus and microscopic organisms settled on the sand provide food for scavengers and filter feeders—like burrowing anemones. Above the sand, crabs scurry for food. Flatfishes, skates and some sharks hide in the sand.
The sandy seafloor is a valuable resource and needs protection. Bottom trawling causes damage to seafloor habitats and accidentally catches and kills tons of marine life every year. The good news is that some states have enacted laws regulating trawling. Visit the Seafood Watch section of our web site to learn more about trawling and choosing seafood wisely.
Cool Facts
The sand dollar's mouth has a jaw with five teethlike sections to grind up tiny plants and animals. Sometimes a sand dollar "chews" its food for fifteen minutes before swallowing. It can take two days for the food to digest.
Scientists can age a sand dollar by counting the growth rings on the plates of the exoskeleton. Sand dollars usually live six to 10 years.
California sheepheads, starry flounders and large pink sea stars prey on sand dollars. When threatened by pink sea stars, sand dollars bury themselves under the sand. Observers have seen a pink sea star leave a wide path of buried sand dollars as it moves across a sand dollar bed.


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Japan Atomic Safety Rules May Keep Reactors Closed for Years
By Tsuyoshi Inajima & Yuji Okada - Jan 31, 2013 6:34 PM GMT+0800
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority approved safety standards for atomic power plants that may require years of reinforcement work for some reactors idled after the Fukushima disaster.
Nuclear power plants will need to build secondary control centers at least 100 meters from reactor buildings to manage emergency cooling systems and radiation filter vents, according to the rules. They also stipulate tougher tsunami defenses.
"Some plants may have to undergo large reconstruction" to meet NRA requirements, Tomoko Murakami, a nuclear analyst at the Institute of Energy Economics Japan, said by phone today. For those sites, "it may take several years before they can restart."
A group of scientists led by Toyoshi Fuketa, the regulatory agency's commissioner, approved the requirements today in Tokyo, said Tatsuya Taguchi, an NRA official who attended the meeting. The rules will be implemented in July after inviting public comment, according to the NRA.
Quake and TsunamiEarlier this week, another NRA panel led by Kunihiko Shimazaki, a seismologist and agency commissioner, approved rules for assessing earthquake and tsunami risk.
Currently, power companies are required to assess geological faults using rock and earth samples from the last 120,000 to 130,000 years, or the Late Pleistocene era. The new rules require investigation of faults going back 400,000 years if study of Late Pleistocene geology is inconclusive.
The NRA is investigating quake faults under nuclear plants owned by Kansai Electric Power Co., Tohoku Electric Power Co., Japan Atomic Power Co., Hokuriku Electric Power Co. (9505), and Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The widened definition may prompt the regulator to investigate faults under other nuclear power plants, Murakami said.
Geological faults under Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant, the world's biggest, could be judged active, Kyodo News reported last week, citing the NRA's earlier draft of the safety rules.
Tepco FutureRestarting the Kashiwazaki Kariwa reactors is key to reviving Tokyo Electric, which was taken over by the government because costs stemming from the Fukushima disaster threatened it with bankruptcy.
On tsunami defenses, utilities must estimate tsunami risk based on the latest scientific assessments, according to rules approved by the Shimazaki panel. Tsunami defenses such as seawalls and watertight doors must be able to withstand the largest estimated tsunami, under the rules.
After Fukushima, it was revealed Tokyo Electric's own research showed the plant could be hit by a tsunami more than 10 meters (33 feet) high, while its defensive seawall was only 5.6 meters high. The March 11 tsunami that wrecked the plant reached 13 meters.


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New Names, Same Game
Free agent spree aside, Jerry Reese is still building from within
For the first time in the Jerry Reese era, there's a free agent frenzy in New York. The cash-strapped Giants cleared enough cap space to improve the offensive line, pluck one of the top free agents on the market from Denver, and totally revamp their secondary and return game. For Giants fans, this isn't the norm.


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Much like the deafening Tim Tebow storm, Peyton Manning's decision to join the Denver Broncos has proven to be media gold for all involved, generating online page views and heavy social media traffic at the mere mention of the future Hall-of-Famer quarterback.
So can you blame a savvy Denver cultural institution for getting in on the action?
Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art has already established itself as a risk-taker with its edgy, often just plain absurd (but delightfully so) event programming and general PR tone, so it was no surprise to see this press release in our inboxes yesterday: "If you are looking for some fun things to do with Peyton Manning this Spring, invite him to MCA Denver March 30."
OK, MCA: You've got our attention. What would you propose Manning do at your fine institution?


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Testimonials SUM
NAFC Field Test Results
Overall Rating: 7.5-wasn't higher because the price was published wrong. It's a lot lower now.
Scale: 1-10 (1 being poor and 10 being excellent)
Design: 7.5
Ease of Use: 8.8
Quality: 7.7
Versatility: 8.2
Appearance: 7.0
Effectiveness: 8.4
Rated against similar products: 7.0
Visibility: 9.0
"Recently, at the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, I was privileged to spend a day on the water with classic contender Shaw Grigsby. The forecast for the day called for 20 degree temps with a mix of sleet and snow. I knew that ripping across the water at 70+ MPH was going to be miserable. Thankfully I remembered to bring my Save Phace mask. Even with the extreme conditions the mask held up and protected me from the elements. Thanks Save Phace."
Mike, Big Cabin, Oklahoma
"I bought my husband one of these last year and he LOVES it, so he had me to purchase one for his co-angler's Birthday last night. He said they work amazing in the rain when he's driving his bass boat! Thanks!!!"
T.J., Lexington, South Carolina
"Thanks again you have a great product I purchased two masks one for myself and one for my partner. We used to fish the team circuit ABA of Eastern PA & NJ, and we took the masks everywhere we went. I also have several different lenses. Never leave home without them, I have allergies and let me tell you, if I make even a short run without my mask I will pay for it all day long. My eyes get so itchy I just wanna rip them out of my head. If I can't see I can't fish........PERIOD!! My Save Phace mask is the only thing that works when I am on the water no b/s. Thanks again."
Jim Thompson
"I recently purchased your Dictator mask for our fishing tournaments. I really have had a hard time breathing and seeing when we are up on plane and running. I LOVE THIS MASK !!!! No more trying to hide behind the windshield !!! JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU 5 STARS AND A HUGE THUMBS UP!!! THANKS FOR A GREAT PRODUCT."
Lisa Holbert, Elkview, West Virginia
"I recently purchased one of the SUM's to use while riding my SeaDoo. I went out last weekend, 12/11/2010, water temp 52, air temp 41 and wind 25 gusting to 35. Usually I just wear goggles so the rest of my face would get painfully cold, not anymore, the SUM is fantastic and absolutely 'Zero' fogging."
Scott, Lake Texoma, Texas
"Purchashed mask on 12-16-11 went to river on 12-17-11, 30 degrees that morning, we ran 30+ miles at speeds of 80+, Worked Great!"
Tim Smith, Alabama
"To whom it may concern, Im a veteran of 14.5 yrs in the Army and currently deployed to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. Im an avid bass fisherman and fish many tournaments throughout the year while home. Ive been deployed now for 9 months and I have spent a total of 3.5 yrs here in Iraq since 2005. The main reason why I am contacting you is to thank you guys for making such a great product. I have one of your Save Phace masks and its worth its weight in gold. Ive been fishing and had numerous things bounce off my mask and realized the benefits of having the mask to protect my face/eyes. I believe in letting others know about such great products, such as yours, so Ive told many other fisherman about your products. All I ever hear is great things concerning your masks. Thank you and take care......"
SSG Richard Bies
"I own one of these and they are great on a motorcycle. I rode 185 miles last Saturday in 39-51 degree weather and my glasses did not fog up, nor did the lenses of the mask and it kept my face and cheeks warm all day." -
Howard Padgett Jr. Assistant Store Manager Bass Pro Shops World Outdoors
"Staci, I received the masks yesterday. For lack of a better term 'They are F*ckin Awsome'. The images are nice and bright and full of subtle colors, they are just excellent!!! I was a bit hesitant, I admit, after seeing what I think was one of your masks in a Bass Pro up here and it was no where close to the image clarity with the two I just received. I cant wait to get to the lake and try them out..... maybe I'll just wear one driving on the highway with the window down and my head sticking out..... that would be quite the site eh" :)
"This mask is the epitome of facial protection! Not only does it protect you against the elements, it will turn heads and have people asking, "what the hell is on his face?" I love this thing!!!"
Jason Ladd, Spring Hill, Tennessee
"I have no issue paying for quality product and I definitely have no issue paying an additional 40% duty for these, the masks are definitely worth the total cost I paid for them. Thank you very much!!!"
Darren, Ontario, Canada
"In all seriousness, we were at Kentucky Lake and had 30-40 mph gusts and we were getting beat around in the boat and getting sprayed and rained on. When the wind blows there, it can be like the Gulf of Mexico. It made all the difference in the world. When I got home one of my friends who had been contemplating ordering an SUM called me and asked how it worked, I said put in your order today. He is now a proud owner and had a tournament this past weekend (and it was cold) and loved it. It's nice having a boat console in front of you, but there is only so much of a wind and rain block that it can provide. I would suggest to any fisherman, boater or non boater to buy an SUM........I wish I would have bought it two years ago. Thank You."
Josh Leonard, North Vernon, Indiana
"I tryed out my new Terminal (Skull) Face Mask On a 400 Mile Trike (motorcycle) ride in the Arizona Heat and sunny Skies this weekend we had high winds and my face didn't get sunburnt or wind burned and my eyes didn't dry out. I enjoyed the ride greatly, and I will definitely tell other Motorcycle & Trikers about this."
Gary Hicks. Shorty, Arizona State Director Of the Brothers of the Third Wheels, Mesa, Arizona
"Hey folks, Just wanted to let you know my new mask paid for itself yesterday. Heading to the ramp for weigh-in, the rain and sleet that had been coming down changed to penny-sized hail stones. I was on plane and doing about 60mph, and never even blinked! The mask stayed fog-free and allowed me to run full speed into the hail while other guys were having to slow down and cover their faces. Best $60 I ever spent."
Doug Roberts, Paris, Tennessee
"Just had to let you know this...I bought 2 masks from Bass Pro and just had a chance to use them. I can't tell you what a hero I am with my wife. She is thrilled with the Save Phace mask, and wanted to know what took me so long to get them. By the way, I also impressed, they just make the ride so much more pleasurable..." -
Robert Martin, St. Charles, Minnesota
"Great product, eliminates ALL problems of vision when running at speed. It's simple to put on, light weight, comfortable, and does not fog up. Doesn't hamper your hearing either, (if you can hear over the motor noise). In short I like it and can't wait for bug season".
Ed Olsen
"Last thursday I was running back in the evening at Grand Lake, a duck swooped into me and hit me in head while I was running wide open, triton 21 with a 225, it was incredible, the lense popped out but I was not hurt at all other than a very sore neck.I want to thank you for your Mask, I bought two years ago, have used them very often."
- Bud McIntyre
"We have found that your product has not only met our expectations but exceeded them by far. Thanks again for having a product that stands up to the way its described. Your product proved worth its weight in gold. Today we were subjected to a sand storm, and alot of sun and wind. The mask kept me protected from the elements and comfortable in performing my mission. The soldier who took the photo was getting an unwanted free facial from the effects of the sand blasting him at 60 mph. We have found that your product has not only met our expectations but exceeded them by far. Thanks again for having a product that stands up to the way its described."
Sgt. Leadingham, Iraq
"I drive a Bullet 20XD with a Merc Racing 280HP capable of speeds in excess of 107mph. At these speeds it is absolutely imperative that you maintain perfect vision of the water, both ahead and to the sides of your course in all weather and lighting conditions. It is also equally important to feel the boat with all your senses. I have spent 100's on what was promised to be the solution to this problem, helmet, goggles, and specially lined glasses all of which were a disappointment and unsafe. The Save Phace mask is the answer to both high and low speed safety. In my opinion, Save Phace should be as standard as your PFD and required equipment for all tournaments both large and small."
Randy T. Subjeck
"I just used my mask down at Clark Hill resevoir last week where the weather was terrible with temps at 27 degrees and some rain and wind up to 30 to 40 mph. Riding in the boat was tolerable due to the mask. I am not sure what I would have done without it."
John Yarbrough
"As a professional bass fisher person, I am impressed with the face mask. It really works well..."
Wanda & Bill Rucker - Team Rucker
"...I used it the other morning at take off it was 22 degrees outside. I love this thing! There was some jealous anglers checking it out."
Mark Phillips
"We took off and was doing about 55 mph when some of the branches flew back and hit me in the face. If not for my Save Phace mask, I would proably have a face or eye injury. Thanks to Save Phace I'm OK..."
Russell Labarge
"I used my Fish Hedz for the first time on Saturday ... and it was great. We took off in the morning and were cruzin' at 68 mph. My face was nice and warm the entire time. I've used a helmet in the past and my face was always cold, especially my neck and chin. With the Save Phace I'm able to keep my hood on and not worry about the wind chill."
Steve Skanderson
"I just wanted to compliment yall. I bought one of your masks at the bike show here in town I believe it was about 3 years ago. I have nothing but great things to say! I've been hit by bugs, rocks, and been through some rough storms and the mask and me have pulled through. I recently was in a wreck wearing my mask and as I know it is not DOT rated my head and mask came through with but a small scratch! I pass the word of your web site anytime some shows interested! Thank yall again for your great product." Daniel Metcalf, San Antonio Texas
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Materials & Coatings
Brochure Introduces an Alternative to Acid-Pickled Strip
A brochure from Red Bud Industries introduces the Eco Picked Surface (EPS) process as an environmentally friendly direct replacement for acid pickling. Comparatively, EPS lines consume less floor space and are less expensive to operate. The process uses a slurry mixture of water and steel grit propelled onto the strip in a uniform stream to remove surface scale.
The EPS process also can reduce common mill imperfections such as roll marks, pitting and silicon streaks. And, according to Red Bud, EPS-processed steel resists rusting longer than does pickled steel, and it can be shipped dry to customers, eliminating the need to oil the material.
The brochure goes on to explain the benefits of the EPS process when welding, stamping and rollforming.Red Bud Industries: 618/282-3801; www.redbudindustries.com, www.epsprocess.com
See also: Red Bud Industries, Inc.
Related Enterprise Zones: Materials/Coatings


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Rabbi Lauren Eichler Berkun former JTS fellow
The beautiful and famous words of this week's parashah have always touched my heart. This year, I read the following passage with new lenses, as I immerse myself in the month of Elul and the spiritual preparations for teshuvah. The Torah teaches:
"Surely, this Instruction (Ha-Mitzvah Ha-Zot) which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, 'Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who among us can cross the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?' No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it" (Deut. 30:11-14).
Most commentators understand this teaching as a reference to the observance of Torah as a whole. "This Instruction," Ha-Mitzvah Ha-Zot, is the life of Torah and mitzvot. It is not beyond our reach. It is not merely for the elite scholars. It is not only for the most pious. But each and every one of us contains within ourselves the ability to embrace the Torah. As a Jew who became religiously observant in my young adulthood, these verses spoke powerfully to my own experience of learning how to incorporate traditional Judaism in my life.
However, as I reflect on this season of repentance, I am drawn to the other rabbinic understanding of this passage. Ramban (1194-1270) argues that these verses refer to the specific mitzvah of teshuvah, repentance. The passage opens with the words "This mitzvah which I command you today..."(Deut. 30:11). The previous ten verses describe the process of teshuvah, in which the exiled Israelite nation will return to God and be restored to its land. The root for the word teshuvah ("return") is repeated seven times in these verses. Therefore, Ramban concludes that it is the very process of teshuvah which is the mitzvah "which I command you today."
This perspective introduces a fascinating interpretation for the words of the Torah. Teshuvah itself is "not in the heavens...nor beyond the sea" but rather "very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it." As we approach the High Holidays, the daunting prospect of reviewing our past year, standing in judgment for our sins, and striving to overcome our shortcomings may overwhelm us. However, the process of returning to God is neither too lofty nor too deep. The Torah encourages us that teshuvah is very near to us, in our mouths, in our hearts, and in our actions. This teaching also reflects the rabbinic understanding of repentance. Maimonides teaches:
"What constitutes teshuvah? That a sinner should abandon his sins and remove them from his thoughts, resolving in his heart never to commit them again...He must verbally confess and state these matters which he resolved in his heart" (Hilchot Teshuvah 2:2).
Therefore, teshuvah involves speech, heartfelt internal resolve, and renewed action — it is "in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it" (Deut. 30:14). We all possess the ability to verbalize our transgressions before God, to feel remorse over our past actions, and to strive for better deeds in the year ahead.
May we all embrace the path of teshuvah in the coming weeks. May we gain confidence in our power to return to God with our mouths, with our hearts and with our actions. God is very near to us, and God is waiting with unending patience and forgiveness.
When we pray, what is closest to our hearts and minds, beyond the words and feelings is the Tallit that we wrap our selves in. The tallit above is among those made from narrowly woven Kente cloth by weavers near Kumasi, Ghana. They are decorated with embroidered atarot (collars) and corners made by Ben Baidoo, the tailor in the Jewish community of Sefwi Wiawso. "Kente cloth," as we understand it today, dates back to the late 17th-early 18th Century among the Asante people. The trend of using Kente cloth for royalty was initiated by Osei Otu 1, and has been used in political regalia ever since. The cloth is handwoven in 4 1/4-inch strips which are then stitched together. Kulanu's tallitot incorporate 4 to 6 strips for a width of 17 to 25.5 inches. Proceeds from the sale of these tallitot benefit the Jewish community of Ghana.


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Amalfi - Mens
AMALFI | Spring Summer 2019
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Amalfi - Mens
Feather-light fabrics in bold colour combinations headline our Amalfi collection for Spring Summer '19. Against the crisp, bright backdrop of the iconic Italian coastline, Belize Cotton, softest Cashmere and Cashmere Silk pieces make the perfect addition to any summer wardrobe. Our lightest ever blanket scarf drapes beautifully and offers the ultimate versatility, worn as elegant beach wear or as a voluminous accessory. The Tissue Blanket Scarf is 100% cashmere, its spirited hues radiating the essence of summer.
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Californians are being told the defeat of Proposition 30 would be the end of the world.
But the truth is that the defeat of 30 might be a beginning: The beginning of a big -- and much delayed -- debate over bigger reform in the state.
That debate is likely to start with a big argument about the state's tax system.
U.S. & World
Over the past few years, there have been two major efforts to remake the tax system. One, a state commission appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the legislature, came up with a plan. So did the Think Long Committee for California, convened by billionaire Nicolas Berggruen.
The plans were similar. Each group proposed to expand the tax base while attempting to lower rates. The state commission proposed a new kind of tax called a business net receipts tax. Think Long proposed expanding the current sales tax, which now covers only goods, to include services as well.
One person who was on both bodies, Gerry Parsky, spoke last week at a conference put on by the Public Policy Institute of California. Parsky indicated he would pursue a similar plan if Prop 30 loses.
"That reform is waiting for Prop 30 to fail," Parsky said at the PPIC event.
But what if Prop 30 passes? Tax and other reforms would have a tougher road, since Brown and his backers would likely declare the state's budget and revenue problems solved (even though they wouldn't be, given the broken budget system and the fact that the tax revenues in Prop 30 are only temporary).
In this context, the choice over Prop 30 looks harder: Vote yes and grab some short-term revenues and fixes, or vote no and touch off a big, but scarier conversation about real reform.


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Beppe Grillo's protest movement wins Italian hearts
Mar 01, 2013, 3:54 PM EST
(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
ROME (AP) — It says a lot about the political mood in Italy that when an unidentified package arrived at comic-turned-political leader Beppe Grillo's house, the bomb squad was called.
The package, delivered Thursday, actually contained bottles of Sardinian liquor — a congratulations gift for his group's meteoric rise in Italy's latest election. The vote did not deliver a clear winner but showed Grillo's anti-establishment 5 Star Movement to be the top vote-getter among political parties.
One thing is clear: Three-party gridlock creating the first hung parliament in modern Italian history has raised political tensions even as Italy's economic situation continues to deteriorate. New figures released Friday show the recession-mired Italian economy contracted 2.4 percent last year, while Italian unemployment rose to a record 11.7 percent in January and 39 percent for youths.
No party won a clear majority in both houses, but Grillo and his grass-roots movement captured a deep vein of anger against Italy's political elite.
"If there was a winner in this election, it was surely Beppe Grillo. Grillo did well from Piedmont to Sicily. He did well in all regions of Italy. With few exceptions, he surpassed 20 percent of the vote and in some places 30 percent. It is a national party, it did well everywhere," said Edoardo Bressanelli, a political science professor at Rome's LUISS University.
Grillo himself appeared surprised by the breadth of his success.
"He expected to be important, but he thought he would be a hard opposition. He didn't expect to be a big player," Bressanelli said.
A total of 163 "Grillini" have won seats: 109 of 630 seats in Italy's lower house and 54 of 315 seats in its upper house. They rode a wave of popular anger at the government's austerity measures, its privileged political class, a series of corporate scandals and an underlying absence of public morality. They are not numerous enough to form a government — Pier Luigi Bersani's center-left coalition won control of the lower house and is expected to get the first shot — but those loyal to Grillo certainly will have a key say in how Italy's new government is formed.
Grillo won't hold office himself due to a manslaughter conviction for a 1981 traffic accident that left three dead.
Despite market unease over Italy's political gridlock, it will be weeks until President Giorgio Napolitano begins convening the parliamentary groups to form a government, after the newly elected parliament convenes on March 15 and elects its leaders.
In the jockeying ahead of the new legislature, the 64-year-old Grillo hasn't given up his edgy, biting tones or his uncompromising positions. So far he has been unwilling to become an ally of either of Italy's traditional parties — the center-left led by Bersani or the conservatives led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi — that he has harangued from his comic's stage for years.
"Bersani is a dead man talking," Grillo wrote on a blog post after the Democratic Party leader made overtures toward him. Grillo went on to call Bersani "a political stalker" for making "indecent proposals instead of stepping down, as anyone in his place would do. He managed to lose while winning."
Grillo says his forces will not vote to support any new government formed by either Bersani or Berlusconi, but would back legislation by conscience, one piece at a time. The withholding of a confidence vote limits the possibilities of forming a solid majority in the Senate, where the votes are split.
Bressanelli said one possible outcome is that Grillo could form a limited alliance with the center-left to achieve very specific agenda items before going into a new election relatively soon.
Meanwhile, Milan prosecutors in one of Berlusconi's ongoing legal battles on Friday asked an appeals court to uphold a four-year sentence for tax fraud — a politically damaging case. Another judicial front opened against him: Investigators in Naples have called Berlusconi for questioning next week in a case alleging he paid a lawmaker supporting the then-center-left government of Romano Prodi €3 million to defect and join his party in 2006. Also, Berlusconi's trial on charges of having paid for sex with an under-aged teen is reaching its final stages.
Grillo has been clear about his goals. He wants to cut the number of parliamentarians in half, reduce their salaries, pay unemployed Italians a "citizen's stipend" of €1,000 ($1,300) a month, pass an anti-corruption law, and create incentives to help the small businesses that power Italy's economy.
He also has called for a referendum on the euro currency shared by Italy and 16 other European nations.
The Grillini lawmakers indicate they will shun the traditional perks of office, in which politicians spend lavishly on hotels and expensive dishes such as caviar pasta while in Rome. Instead, they will share accommodations and seek out vegetarian fare.
But all lack experience, making them an unknown quantity.
"We know nothing, absolutely nothing" about these new lawmakers, noted political commentator Sergio Romano.
For all the revolution his forces promise to bring, the former comic also is showing new signs of reasonableness.
After criticizing Italy's president for years, he praised him Thursday for defending Italy amid cutting remarks from a German politician who said Italy had elected "two clowns " — a reference to Grillo and Berlusconi.
Napolitano, in Germany on a state visit, canceled a dinner with the politician after the comment.
"In these years he has been criticized for many, in my opinion, mistaken choices," Grillo wrote on his blog. "But in Germany I saw my president of the republic. An Italian who stood up straight. Hats off!"
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.


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Some people ponder if affiliate marketing is something they would benefit from, whether for a company website or a personal blog. Affiliate marketing is a tactic where a person or business can become an affiliate of another business, and the affiliate person or business will earn rewards for bringing customers to the other business.
Many websites and blogs invest in affiliate marketing because they can easily send customers to another company through a simple link. Affiliate programs offer companies an extra way to make money, but they do take time and effort in order to be successful. The following are a few things to know about affiliate marketing that can help you determine if it's the right fit for you.
1. It decreases inventory.
As an affiliate marketer, you do not have to keep inventory in your possession. Instead, you market a product or service, and send your customers to a third-party website to place the order. Once the order is complete, your company receives a reward, which is usually a percentage of how much profit they gave the company. As an affiliate marketer, you are simply a middle man, and there's no need to take or keep inventory ever again.
2. It's not a guaranteed profit.
Some companies do have success by becoming an affiliate marketer, but more people tend to fail because they don't generate as many click-throughs or they simply forget to include the links on their blogs or websites. If you are only becoming an affiliate marketer because you think it will bring overnight success, you may be shocked at the amount of work you have to put in to get results.
3. You can focus only on marketing.
As an affiliate marketer, your sole purpose is to market the products or services of the other company. This means that you are free of other responsibilities, such as customer service, budgeting and keeping your employees happy.
4. Don't believe the hype.
There are a lot of companies out there who will offer affiliate programs to other companies and claim that they will earn millions overnight. This is not true. If a company promises you the world by becoming an affiliate, it is typically some type of scam. Make sure to only become an affiliate to trustworthy companies.
5. It's a commitment.
In order to be successful with affiliate marketing, you have to commit to the practice. If you become lackadaisical with your efforts, you will not reap the benefits of a committed and thought out process. In fact, most affiliate marketers see better results when their links to other companies flow naturally in the copy of their own website or blog. If it seems like an ad placement, people will not be as inclined to click through.
If you're considering become an affiliate marketer, make sure that you have the time and dedication to commit to it. You also need to understand that being an affiliate marketer will not make you a millionaire overnight, but it can rid you of inventory and customer service responsibilities. It is always best to weigh the pros and cons before jumping into it to make sure that it is something your company will truly benefit from.
Gavin Lee is a business student at the University of Texas with a passion for writing and giving advice. He is also very picky about his writing and refuses to submit any schoolwork without first running it through a grammar checker. His friends tell him he has an unhealthy obsession with pecans, but he readily ignores them.


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When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, 11 years ago this week, there were only three disease modifying therapy (DMT) drugs available for people with MS — the "ABC Drugs." Today, those first line drugs have been joined by more, and another small handful are in the final approval stages.
As Caryn and I have nearly completed our decision making process as to what to do next for my MS — something I intend to share with you once we've finalized our intentions and talked with my MS team about it — I thought it might be a good discussion to have. New readers are always finding us and this, you'll remember, is one of the many difficult choices to be made in those first, scary days.
I remember poring over thick binders of drug info passed on to me by my specialist at my first visit. While we all have our reasons for choosing a med, mine seem thin at best when I reflect on them. But the important part was that it was my decision to make; my doc answered all of my questions, but when it came time to pull the trigger it was my finger alone.
The rudimentary science of how the drugs work (and why) is still far from understood by the research community. How then is a person of moderate intelligence supposed to pick a drug that they'll likely need for the rest of their life?!
I don't think it's a secret that my first med was Betaseron (the "B" in the ABC drugs) — an interferon based medication — which I mixed and injected every other day for over 18 months.
Why only 18 months is a topic for another blog post. Why I picked this drug over another was based — when I really think about it — on fear.
It wasn't a fear of needles — though every other day was more appealing to me than daily injections. Rather, when comparing all of the side effects, I noted that there was a lower rate of suicide with one drug over the others. Not by a lot (in fact, I think it was maybe one person fewer when I read the data) but while my mind raced at what MS might do to my body, mind, and spirit, the last thing I wanted to think about was if the med I was hoping to control my MS might leave me out of control of my senses.
The science behind my decision was based on my understanding of how the meds worked. Copaxone is a protein that "looks like" myelin. I saw this (and again, this was in my very early hours of this disease. It will sound odd, but I'm trying to illustrate that we all make our personal choices for very personal reasons) as "chumming the waters" to get my immune system to attack the drug's protein rather than my brain. "What if I have to go off the drug?" was the question that raced through my head. "Then I'm left with a 'hungry' bunch of T-cells!"
What I'm getting at is that we all made decisions as to which drug (or none) to take for our MS. While some have made the choice from the get go to take no meds, and others have since decided to go off DMTs, I'd like to focus on the decision making process so those going through it right now (and in the future — ya gotta love blogs that live on the web forever!). Share your experience so that others might learn.
Wishing you and your family the best of health.
Don't forget that you can also follow me via my Life With MS Facebook page, on Twitter, and our new group on MSConnection.org. Check out our bi-monthly blog I'm doing for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of the United Kingdom, A Yank's Life With MS, as well as our very special new monthly blog for the National MS Society.


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SUDBURY, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 13, 2014) - A province-wide campaign launched last month against Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak will be rolling into Sudbury with an urgent all-union meeting on Tuesday, March 18. Calling Hudak's claim that he has shelved his anti-worker scheme a dishonest tactical maneuver, Ontario's labour movement is forging ahead with plans to travel the province and expose Hudak's hidden agenda.
"Mr. Hudak's entire platform is centred on dismantling the labour movement to clear the way for a low-wage economy," said OFL President Sid Ryan. "He isn't fooling anyone. No matter how he tries to massage his message, Tim Hudak is still committed to the same extremist policies that would divide our workplaces, weaken workers' voices and drive down wages for everyone."
The Ontario Federation of Labour and regional labour councils across the province are currently planning upwards of 20 regional meetings to train workers to educate their colleagues, families and neighbours about Hudak's hidden agenda. Hundreds have packed meeting halls at each of the previous campaign stops and the Sudbury meeting is expected to draw similar numbers.
While the meeting itself is closed to reporters, photo opportunities will be provided and a media conference will be held immediately preceding the meeting to address questions about the campaign. Interviews will also be available with participants at the meeting.
|Media Conference in advance of the Sudbury Regional Meeting to Stop Tim Hudak
|6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, 2014
|United Steelworkers Local 6500, 66 Brady St, Sudbury
|For more information about the campaign, visit: http://www.rightsatwork.ca/
Hudak believes that workers in the Sudbury Region should be competing with workers in low-wage jurisdictions in a race to the bottom. He wants to eliminate the workplace rights that stand in the way of his plan," said Jamie West, President of the Sudbury and District Labour Council. "We are going to bring this message to every union member. Together, we will mobilize; telling our co-workers, friends and neighbours exactly what a Hudak government has in store. Knowledge is power. If any of our allies have voted for the Conservatives in the past, they will be saying 'not this time, Mr. Hudak.' "
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow the OFL on Facebook and Twitter: @OFLabour.
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I attended the Iowa State Fair last week with Roll Call Politics Reporter Alexis Levinson to cover the Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. The candidates running for the seat are Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley and Republican state Senator Joni Ernst. I've have enjoyed taking photos of politicians at the fair in the past, but it proved tricky this time with the volume of people following them.
Braley delivered his stump speech on Thursday and then walked the grounds with a motley crew in tow, including: staff, reporters, filmmakers, opposition trackers, hecklers holding signs and random hangers-on. Luckily, I was the only still photographer from the media. However, if the candidate did something that would make a good picture, it was hard to get into position, and nearly impossible to exclude all the extraneous people. At that point, as a photographer, you have to try to make a photo that shows everything going on. These two frames are typical of what was going on – staffers for the candidate were constantly trying to block opposition protesters and trackers.


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Hispanic churches back Obamacare
Under the big evangelical tent where tens of millions of Americans worship, Hispanic churches are embracing Obamacare despite the concerns about religious freedom that have tarnished the law for many of their fellow believers.
Pastors have encouraged support since enrollment for health coverage began in October. Their take is that the law's positives outweigh its negatives, especially for the one in three Hispanics without insurance, the highest uninsured rate of any racial or ethnic group. Many of the uninsured are eligible for major new health benefits plus subsidies to help them afford coverage.
On the eve of the first sign-up deadline Monday, church leaders are still working hard to get out the word about how much the Hispanic community will gain. Some draw parallels between the suffering the law is intended to ameliorate and the church's core mission.
( PHOTOS: 25 unforgettable Obamacare quotes)
"Jesus was a healer," noted Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition. "The health care law can be improved, but I think in its present form it does more good than harm to Latinos around the country."
Given the robust growth of evangelicalism within the nation's Hispanic population – 13 percent of adults now identify themselves as evangelical – this slice of support could be potent.
Yet embrace of the health law puts Hispanic evangelicals at odds with other evangelicals as well as religious conservatives across denominations. They have opposed Obamacare primarily because of its provision requiring businesses to cover contraceptives in employee health plans, including the morning-after pill.
( Understanding Obamacare: POLITICO's guide to the ACA)
Unlike the Catholic Church, evangelicals do not oppose contraception per se. But they contend that the mandate violates the individual religious values of many employers – the constitutional issue that in fact will be argued before the Supreme Court next spring.
Although the contraceptive requirement may cause many evangelical Hispanics discomfort, they seem to have made their peace. "Our commitment has always been to strike a balance between religious liberty and individual liberty," Salguero said.
In doing so, they've aligned with the mainline congregations that have been at the center of most of the Obama administration's faith outreach. That months-long effort has included online seminars, meetings in churches nationwide, mailings and even special tutorials for missionaries on the specifics of the complex health law.
( PHOTOS: 12 Democrats criticizing the Obamacare rollout
NLEC, which has about 3,000 member churches, has mounted its own outreach through webinars and pastor trainings and still has events planned in January in Orlando, Las Vegas, Chicago and Puerto Rico. Other programs have been organized at more of a grass-roots level.
The law is "a start," said Abraham Hernandez, northeast vice president for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. He believes Obamacare's expanded benefits will advance a key conference principle. "If Hispanics in the nation can have access to health care, it indeed preserves life. We believe that access to health care is very critical," he said.
Hernandez, who also serves as associate pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Connecticut, has long worked for greater health access and other reforms in his state. This fall, a group of religious leaders he helped to mobilize organized dozens of Obamacare question-and-answer sessions in churches. They targeted the major population centers of Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport, where most Hispanics in Connecticut live.
Rhona Cohen, a local health care advocate, led trainings in about 15 churches around the state on behalf of the group. Churches are a great place to do outreach, she said, because people tend to talk more freely about the law.
"I've found that people are willing to be a little more open about their concerns, because these are communities of folks who come together regularly and work together regularly and also have a focus on their own community within the church…so they already are sort of creating a culture of care," she said.
She's found that evangelicals express the same principal concern about Obamacare as other Hispanics — namely, whether they'll be able to afford the coverage offered to them. Rarely does she hear the contraception mandate raised.
"Yes, there are broader theological questions the pastors bring to the conversation, but the laity on the whole are worried about economics," she said.
Hernandez and other Hispanic evangelical leaders say they have been careful to acknowledge the issue of religious beliefs. But they've also stressed the law's overall benefits. "To know that people who are below the 400 percent poverty level will get help…it's a significant number," Hernandez said. "Folks will have a subsidy that can at least help them go see a doctor."
Salguero said his goal is always to give people a full, accurate picture.
"If we're doing our job right as pastors in churches, we're presenting the Affordable Care Act as it is with its strengths and weaknesses and people can make a decision," he said. "As evangelicals, we need to explain it to the best of our ability."


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Boasting waterways with names such as Rumrunner Lake and Lake Wonderland, it's easy to see the appeal of Mermaid Waters, a canal community which sits at the elbow of Mermaid Beach.
Australian surveyor John Oxley first came to the area in 1823 and gave it its name after the cutter ship Mermaid on which he travelled. Primarily a residential suburb, it's worth a wander here to check out the luxury homes situated along the canals and lakes. There's a wide range of Asian and European restaurants in this area, which offers easy access to nearby Mermaid Beach.
The Mermaid Waters Hotel is a bit of an accommodation icon around these parts which is also home to a range of apartments, resorts and backpackers. In the Gold Coast fairytale, where Surfers Paradise would be cast as Cinderella, if there was to be a Little Mermaid, then Mermaid Waters would most certainly fit the bill.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Forza Horizon and the micro-transaction floodgate
Forza Horizon's single-player micro-transactions point to a monetization trend that could affect triple-A gaming at its core. You may have to accept the inevitable, says Patrick Garratt.
Micro-transactions headlines
Dust 514 to use micro-transactions, wont require subs to play
CCP revealed over the weekend at it's Fanfest event in Reykjavik that it's upcoming console MMO shooter Dust 514 won't be requiring subscriptions in order to play the game. However, the game will instead use micro-transactions via a virtual items marketplace. From Eurogamer. Some new shots and impressions of the game went live this morning. […]
Louis Castle departs EA's Westwood Studios for InstantAction
Louis Castle, co-founder of EA's Westwood Studios has left the firm for free-to-play games company InstantAction where he will act as CEO. InstantAction specializes in third-party 3D browser-based games funded through advertising and micro-transactions. Castle, who founded Westwood with Brett Sperry in 1985, became general manager of EA's Blueprint Studios after Westwood was acquired by […]
BattleForge now $29.99 and no subscription fee
EA has announced new pricing for BattleForge. You can now get the RTS for $29.99 and no subscription fees. That's $20.00 off the original price. The game comes with four faction decks and 3000 BattleForge points, which allows you to buy an additional 12 booster packs bringing the box total to 160 cards. Use points […]
Dream of Mirror Online to allow same-sex marriages
Aeria Entertainment's free-to-play MMO Dream of Mirror Online will give players the option to marry, no matter if couples are the same sex. Virtual wedding bands are available in the game, purchased via micro-transactions. More on GamePolitics.
Episodic move away from "hard goods" desirable, says Zelnick
Speaking at the Piper Jaffray consumer conference in New York yesterday, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick admitted that the company is actively pursuing interests in episodic content, saying the model takes a lot of the risk out of retail. "If we can get a good model for episodic content for high quality titles, that should be […]
Micro-transactions latest
Dust 514 to use micro-transactions, wont require subs to play
Louis Castle departs EA's Westwood Studios for InstantAction
Episodic move away from "hard goods" desirable, says Zelnick


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