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editor's note: This "side bar" by Steve Baer ran in an ICT cover story (also by Steve Baer). We repost it today in light of what's happening in Worcester today. – R. Tirella
Elephants and Circuses
By Steve Baer
In June 2000, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, The Fund for Animals, the Animal Protection Institute, and Tom Rider, a former employee of Ringling Brothers, filed a lawsuit against Ringling Brothers in Federal District court under the Endangered Species Act.
The lawsuit charges that the circus uses a stick with a sharpened metal hook on the end (called a "bullhook" or "ankus") to repeatedly beat, pull, push, torment and threaten elephants. This type of aggression should be illegal, and is, but only because the recipients of the beatings were highly endangered Asian Elephants. Other animals in the circus, unfortunately, are not given the same level of protection. The intention of the lawsuit was to immediately stop Ringling's inhumane mistreatment of animals in the circus.
It wasn't, however, until October 2006, a year after a September 2005 court order by a Federal District judge who announced that he will incarcerate Ringling's lawyers and executives if they do not turn over critical veterinary documents that Ringling disclosed their internal veterinary records. The records revealed Ringling Brothers severe abuse of the elephants."[We] hope the spotlight continues to shine on the use of inhumane chains and bullhooks and Ringling's cruel behind-the-scenes treatment of elephants," said Nicole Paquette, G e n e r a l C o u n s e l a n d Director of L e g a l Affairs at the Animal Protection Institute.
" T h e Court has run out of patience for R i n g l i n g Bro t h e r s ' s t a l l i n g ploys," added M i c h a e l Markarian, president of The Fund for A n i m a l s . " This trial will come not a moment too soon, as R i n g l i n g 's e l e p h a n t s continue to suffer every day from abusive discipline and prolonged chaining."
Elephants are not domestic pets. They are wild animals. The same is true of lions, tigers, and bears. To be trained for the circus, an elephant had to have been chained down and had the spirit repeatedly beaten out of him or her by a team of "animal trainers." The "trainers" use baseball bats, metal pipes, ax handles, metal prods, and sticks. The intention of the "trainers" is to show the elephant who is boss. The elephant, being an emotionally sensitive creature, as well as having a sensitive skin, is known to cry during such sessions. The torment, which doesn't end for days, leaves behind a mere shell of the former animal. The elephant suffers emotional scars, and often physical scars too.
One "trainer" for a major circus was caught on under cover video saying "You've got to make them scream – You've got to make them cry!" in reference to how to make an elephant ready for performing in a circus.
According to Henry Ringling North in his book "The Circus Kings," the big cats are "chained to their pedestals, and ropes are put around their necks to choke them down." Writes Mr. Ringling North, "They work from fear." Bears may have their noses broken while being trained to "teach" them to respond to commands, and their paws burned to force them to stand on their hind legs.
Once animals have learned to feel helplessness and have become spiritually drained, they are kept in a state of submission through various mechanisms.
Animals, such as bears, may be forced into tight fitting muzzles so they will remain subdued and discouraged from protecting themselves. The muzzles interfere with vision and respiration. Similarly, tight collars are employed to make animals more manageable. Others have their teeth removed. Chimpanzees and bears reportedly had their teeth knocked out by a hammer. Animals are declawed, defanged, and/or tranquilized to maintain control over them.
Elephants are forced to perform tricks by being hit with the ankus and electric prods. The ankus has a long handle with a sharp metal hook. It is jabbed into the most sensitive parts of an elephant's body – under the trunk, behind the ears, around the eyes, inside their mouth, behind the knees, and in the genital region. Elephants are kept in fear, so they can be easily controlled by the circus.
Frequently an elephant will sustain an injury while being forced to perform an unnatural movement, such as balancing on two feet on a stool. Undercover investigators as recently as July 2006, have videotaped trainers beating elephants. Ringling's own "Animal Behaviorist" in a January 2005 e-mail, recounted to Ringling's General Manager that she saw an elephant named Lutzi "dripping blood all over the arena floor during the show from being hooked" after a handler "hook[ed] Lutzi under the trunk three times and behind the leg once in an attempt to line her up for the Tmount." (A "T-mount" is a stunt where two elephants and at least one person stand on the back of a kneeling elephant.)
An elephant cannot always carry his or her weight on two legs, so a torn ligament is not uncommon. If the injuries are left untreated, it can be disastrous for the elephant.
Make no mistake about it, the whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bull-hooks, and other enslavement tools used during circus acts and training sessions are reminders to you, and to the animals, that they are being forced to perform. Animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, or jump through rings of fire. In contrast to the exciting public relations hype associated with circuses, animals in the circus live a dismal life of domination, confinement, and violent training.
On The Road
Most circus animals usually live and travel in small, barren transport cages. Their cages are often so small that it is difficult for the animals to turn around. The animals are hauled around the country in poorly ventilated trailers and boxcars for up to 50 weeks a year in all kinds of extreme weather conditions. Animals defecate, urinate, eat, drink and sleep in the same small cramped cages. Access to the basic necessities of food, water, and veterinary care is often inadequate. Tigers and lions who naturally secure a territory of 75 to 2,000 square miles are often forced to live and travel in cages only 4 feet wide by 6 feet long by 5 feet tall.
Circus animals who are not confined to cages may often be chained or tethered almost the whole day. Most circuses routinely chain their elephants, while ungulates such as camels, zebras, and horses are tethered or stalled.
Under sworn testimony to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, witnesses and former circus employees have reported that elephants are normally chained by one front leg and one rear leg. Chains are usually, although not always, long enough to permit the elephant to take a step or two forward or backwards, and to lie down. Elephants are also kept chained in enclosed boxcars where they stand in their own excrement and urine for days unable to move around, smell fresh air, or find intellectual stimulation. Reportedly, circus elephants are confined in this way for 20 or more hours each day. The prolonged standing in wet, unsanitary conditions can lead to physical problems – such as arthritis and life threatening foot problems (foot rot, cracked nails, and infected cuticles) – and psychological problems. In the wild, elephants travel tens of miles each day. The inadequate exercise that elephants enslaved by the circus experience contributes to their decline in health.
In sworn testimony, Tom Rider, a former Ringling Brothers elephant barn-keeper stated, "After three years of working with elephants in the circus, I can tell you that they live in confinement and they are beaten all the time when they don't perform properly."
Other former Ringling Brothers employees have spoken out against behind-the-scenes animal cruelty. Former Ringling performer Kelly Tansy commented, "On my very first day with the circus, I witnessed animal cruelty. I saw an elephant being beaten in what appeared to be a disciplinary action. The beating was so severe that the elephant screamed. I have come to realize, through all the circuses that I have worked for, that mistreatment of animals is a standard part of training and is thought to be a 'necessary' part of exhibiting them. Additionally, Tansy reports, "I have seen chimps locked in small cages constantly when not performing; elephants chained continuously; and even animals being beaten during performances."
Animal Psychology
The continual frustration of wild animals who are unable to engage in their instinctive behaviors can lead the animals to some serious psychological problems. Stereotypic actions such as hyper-aggression, apathy, selfmutilation, bar-biting, and pacing are indicative of psychological maladies. Frustrated by the lack of ability to move elephants repeatedly bob their heads and sway back and forth; some repeatedly rattle their chains with their trunks. Both of these actions are signs of neurotic behavior. Animals in the circus are often deprived of food and water to induce them to perform, as well as to prevent untimely defecation while they are in public view.
Even if it was possible to supply circus animals with all their material wants, something vital would still be lacking. What's lacking is the joy that is associated with simply having the ability to evade being forced to do something.
Under natural conditions, in the wild, elephants have a life span of about 60 years. Elephants are normally migratory, traveling over 4,000 miles a year. Elephants have poor eyesight, but all of their other senses—hearing, smell, taste, and touch—are acute. Their trunk is frequently at work picking up scents of food and danger from the ground and air. Elephants can smell water at great distances and can hear certain sounds more than a mile away. Elephants in the wild dine on a wealth of plant parts—leaves, twigs, bark, shoots, fruit, flowers, roots, tubers, and bulbs.
Female elephants are among the few mammals, including humans, that live beyond their reproductive years. The typical cow will end her reproductive years at around 45 years old. During this post-reproductive period between 45 and 60 plus years, she assists in the care of the young of other elephants.
Elephants display complex, highly social behavior, living in tightly knit families headed by the oldest females. These elephants remain together for life. The family also defends the young, sick, old, and disabled from predators. Elephants are highly emotional individuals. They express joy, pleasure, and compassion, as well as sadness and grief. Wild elephants have been known to celebrate births of new elephants and to grieve and even shed tears over the death of a family member.
It is a shame and a travesty of morality that for the sake our children's and our own momentary entertainment we encourage so much distress to come to pass on the families and the young of elephants.
What are we teaching children?
Circuses use animals to appeal to children and the child nature in adults. Observing animals at the circus, however, teaches children nothing about the natural behaviors of other species. They may learn about the size, shape and color of the animals, but behavior patterns, social interactions, intelligence, hunting instinct, maternal care giving, food gathering and movement patterns are absent. Instead, children are presented with images of either ferocious or stupid animals, whose seemingly only purpose is to amuse humans. The child unconsciously takes home from the circus the feeling that it is acceptable to exploit another being… animal or human.
Dr. Michael W. Fox, a veterinarian, animal behaviorist, and former professor of psychology reveals that "Parents have told [him] that they do not take their children to the circus where there are performing animals because they know intuitively, empathically, that it is wrong."
Dr. Fox acknowledges that exposing children to "covert animal cruelty and overt domination, control, and exploitation teaches children that it is culturally acceptable, and the norm, to subjugate other sentient beings [humans included] and make them perform unnatural acts." According to Dr. Fox, "The child's nascent capacity to empathize with other living beings is certainly… crippled." Dr. Fox asserts that "To expose and subject sensitive and impressionable children to the wild animal-abusing circus is child abuse."
Protect yourself. A deadly and highly contagious human strain of tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis or TB) is infecting and killing captive elephants. TB is an airborne disease that spreads through tiny droplets in the air.
According to Dr. John Lewis of the International Zoo Veterinary Group, "[I]f tuberculosis is diagnosed in an elephant there are clear public health implications as the disease can be spread by close contact with infected animals [and] people." Circuses routinely allow members of the public to feed, pet, and ride elephants.
TB is difficult to identify in elephants. Elephants are too large to be x-rayed, skin tests are unreliable, and trunk wash cultures only indicate whether the elephant has active TB. Circuses may also intentionally mislabel trunk wash specimens from infected animals using a TBnegative animal as the donor. No test can determine if an elephant is harboring a TB infection. Infected elephants may exhibit no symptoms of TB or may suffer from chronic weight loss, diminished appetite, chronic nasal discharge, coughing, and intolerance to exercise.
An extremely thin elephant, Lota, was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1996. A photo taken in May 2001 shows a child petting her at a circus. A few months later, this elephant was taken off the road and again given tuberculosis treatment
Most circuses have been cited by the USDA for failure to comply with TB testing requirements for elephants and handlers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has determined that USDA veterinary medical officers and animal care inspectors who conduct elephant inspections may be at risk for TB infection.
Contingency Plans
Two police officers, one a fairly regular looking 5-feet 5-inch tall man and the other a very muscular 6-feet 4- inch tall man, were covering a detail at a circus near Worcester. They were asked by a citizen of the town "If one of the [three] elephants rampage what are you prepared to do." The shorter police officer motions toward the larger police officer and replies, "I'll hide behind him!" In truth there isn't much more most people could do. Once a stressed out elephant rebels against a trainer's physical dominance, the rampage is nearly impossible to stop without lethal force. In the event that an elephant runs amok, circus personnel cannot protect themselves, nor can they protect the general public.
An elephant who went berserk in Florida in 1992 with five children on her back was shot with more than 50 rounds of ammunition before an officer was located who happened to have armor-piercing bullets specially designed by the military to penetrate steel.Would you want your child on the back of an elephant that is being shot at?
In 1994, a stressed out circus elephant name Tyke could not take the abuse any longer. Her deadly rampage lasted an hour in downtown Honolulu. Department-issued semi-automatic pistols were useless. A zoo veterinarian's lethal injections had no effect. The police finally located a high-powered counter-sniper rifle and fired three rounds into her heart. Tyke died after having been shot 87 times.
Where Are the Regulating Bodies?
The only federal law regulating the treatment of most wild animals in circuses is the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA is inadequate and is inconsistently enforced. Circuses that do not comply with the Act are often given several opportunities to remedy violations. The USDA, itself determined that they "cannot ensure the humane care and treatment of animals as required by the AWA."
According to Dr. Peggy Larson, a former USDA inspector and a veterinarian, "Circus animals are poorly inspected under the USDA Animal Welfare Act." Dr. Larson stated that USDA veterinarians, who concern themselves primarily with housing and husbandry, do not know how to diagnose diseases in wild animals. And since neither a large animal practitioner nor a small animal veterinarian is equipped to handle elephants or big cats, circus animals are often not treated when they need care. Dr. Larson concluded, "USDA compliance is at best hopelessly ineffective."
It can not be overstated that the vigilance and help of the public is essential when it comes to identifying and reporting circus animal abuse. If it were not for the help of concerned and compassionate people the truth about Ringling Brothers Circus cruelty and other circuses would still be well hidden and left unchecked.
Many uniformed people see elephants and other circus animals as being something of an American cultural tradition. Often, though, after becoming informed that no circus can possibly provide the right environment or proper care for such creatures, people find it unconscionable to allow an animal circus into town. Over 50 municipalities across the US, from Marin County CA to Weymouth MA prohibit circuses from operating in their community if they have elephants or other wild animals.
Ringling Brothers Circus- The Cruelest Show On Earth Industry Leader
Of all the animal circuses, Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus is the most diabolical and manipulative, not only to the animals, but also to the public.
Ringling Bros. public relations department has been working overtime to deceive the public into believing that animals imprisoned in the circus are "treated like family." But no amount of misleading propaganda can sanitize the circus's horrific record of animal neglect and their sabotage of the work of animal advocacy groups.
Since 1993, Ringling Brothers has been cited for more than one hundred deficiencies in animal care during inspections conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The circus has consistently opposed legislation and regulations to improve the conditions of captive wildlife. In California, for example, Ringling Bros. opposed legislation to limit the time an elephant may be confined in chains in a 24-hour period. Ringling Brothers has been investigated by the USDA as a result of allegations of cruelty to animals made by former circus workers, one of whom testified before Congress about his experiences with the circus. Since late 1998, three former Ringling Brothers employees have stated that the circus's elephants, including the babies, receive regular beatings. The Ringling Bros. circus has been sued by two animal protection organizations for conducting illegal spying operations.To settle one case out of court, Ringling Bros. agreed to turn over custody of older animals.
Ringling Brothers Circus failed to protect a 4-year old Bengal tiger from being shot to death while he was in his cage; killed a 3-year old elephant through neglect and tried to hide the body; forcibly separated two baby elephants from their mothers by dragging the babies away with rope, resulting in rope burn wounds on the rear legs of the babies; overworked a 15-year old horse to the point of exhaustion and death; drowned a 4-year old elephant; tried to cover-up the death of a 2-year-old lion that dehydrated in a circus train that was traveling with no water break across California's Mojave Desert on an overly hot day; euthanized an 8-month old elephant who fell from a pedestal breaking his legs that were bound together during training; caused a wild caught sea lion to die in her transport container, and failed to provide adequate ventilation for their tigers resulting in one tiger injuring his eye and breaking his tooth as he attempted to tear open a cage door and escape from the dangerously high temperatures of the trailer.
But the crimes that Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus commits extend beyond nonhuman animals. Ken Feld, CEO of Ringling Brothers Circus has been caught performing illegal wiretaps on the public, hiring ex-CIA people to illegally monitor and interfere in peoples' lives, manipulating public sentiment against animal protection organizations, and using lobbyists and lawyers to defeat legislation which was designed to protect people from harm. Proof of this information is found in "Smith vs. Feld, civil action case number 98-357-A.
In that document Clair E. George, former Central Intelligence Agency deputy director for covert operations states that "Feld had set up a special unit, much like the Watergate 'plumbers,' to destroy anyone who threatened the image of the circus as wholesome fun-for-the-whole-family, conscientious custodian of animals. Feld's main target was People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)."
PETA had circulated USDA reports that described horrible conditions at Ringling Brothers circus's Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk City, Fla. At the Center USDA inspectors found two tightly chained baby elephants with lesions and scars on their legs, evidently caused by constant friction with their restraints. When USDA inspectors asked about the injuries, the elephant handlers told the inspectors that baby elephants were "routinely" chained to forcibly separate them "from their mothers." The handlers angrily tried to block the inspectors from taking pictures. It was also discovered that about half of the elephants in Ringling Brothers Circus shows in Florida had a form of tuberculosis that was transmittable to human beings.
Animal-Free Circuses
Not all circuses use animals. Good circuses dazzle their audiences solely with skilled human performers who are so talented at their art that they don't need to enslave animals. Some animalfree circuses that have grown in popularity include Cirque du Soleil, Circus Smirkus, Circus Chimera, Circus Millennia, Cirque Eloize, Circus Oz, The New Pickle Family Circus, and Bindlestiff Family Circus. These animal-free circuses make it possible for families to have fun without causing animal suffering.
The number of cities and towns that are banning the use of animals in circuses is growing. People in many communities are realizing that wild animals don't belong in the circus because of harm to the animals and the inherent risk to public safety.
You Can Help
Every individual has the power to limit and even stop the use of animals in circuses. Educate others. Most people would not support the circus if they saw animal trainers beating elephants mercilessly with razor sharp bullhooks behind the scenes or knew that tigers were kept in cages only 4' x 5' for the majority of their lives. Talk to friends, family, and neighbors about the cruel treatment animals endure under the big top. Encourage them to join you in taking a stand against animal circuses. You can also write letters to urge industry leaders and circus sponsors to avoid bringing animal circuses into town; ask your town to ban live animal acts; encourage legislators to support legislation to end exotic animal acts; request enforcement of animal welfare regulations; and report any perceived violations of state and local animal protection laws to the police and animal control.
If you are interested in helping to stop animal circuses from coming into Massachusetts please contact the Animal Protection Institute at 1-800- 348-7387, or go to www.api4animals.org or www.morebeautifulwild.com
Four Fast Facts about Animals in the Circus
1. Every major circus that uses animals has been cited for violating the minimal standards of care set forth in the United States Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
2. Animals born in circus "conservation" breeding programs have never been released into the wild.
3. From 1994 to 2005, at least 31 elephants died premature deaths in the circus.
4. Captive elephant and captive feline attacks on humans in the U.S. have resulted in hundreds of injuries, many resulting in death.


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'Prince Valiant'.
John Cullen Murphy, who drew the classic comic strip 'Prince Valiant', is the undisputed heir to the mantle of Hal Foster, who created the strip in 1937. Murphy always wanted to be a baseball player, but he eventually decided to become an illustrator under the guidance of his neighbor, the illustrator Norman Rockwell. Murphy earned a scholarship at the Phoenix Art Institute in New York, and his first assignments were drawing sports cartoons to promote boxing matches at Madison Square Garden. While in the Army during World War II, Murphy drew cartoons for the Chicago Tribune. Back in the States, he began to illustrate for Look, Collier's Sport, Reader's Digest and Esquire.
'Big Ben Bolt'.
In 1949, comic strip writer Elliot Caplin of King Features approached Murphy with the idea for the boxing strip 'Big Ben Bolt'. The strip would last nearly 25 years. John Murphy began collaborating with Hal Foster on 'Prince Valiant' in 1970 and took over the strip when Foster retired the following year. His son, Cullen Murphy, drew the texts from 1979. John Cullen Murphy retired in March 2004. The strip was continued by artist Gary Gianni. Murphy died shortly after his retirement, in July 2004.
John Cullen Murphy was a strong influence on José Delbo, Guy Gilchrist and Primaggio Mantovi.
'Prince Valiant'.

subset: commoncrawl


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New Community Program: SoundCloud Heroes
The varied contribution in the community of now more than 10 million SoundClouders around the world keeps blowing our minds every day. We've seen so many different ways you've all made an impact in one way or another: whether they're through meaningful connections formed, experimental collaborations, offline or online evangelists and supporters. The spirit of community has always been at the heart of who we are. In the past, some of you have stepped up as leaders within the community. To us, you are heroes and we've got something for you. Welcome to our new Community program: The SoundCloud Heroes. With the SoundCloud Hero program, we're building a global network of local offline & online volunteer SoundCloud ambassadors.
Who are we looking for? You're an inspiring connector, communicator and leader in your community who gets things done. You understand SoundCloud's mission to unmute the web with all forms of audio. You see sound as the missing element on the web for expressing yourself. You're enthusiastic to support SoundCloud's mission on a local level with a global impact.
What you'll be doing:
- Local user collaborations
- Speaker series (e.g. spoken word nights at your favorite local cafe)
- Sound theme events and "missions" that can be collaborated with the other local SoundCloud heroes
- Or simply grabbing some brews with other local SoundClouders at a meetup
Whatever great and impactful ideas and goals you have in mind that are specific to expanding the SoundCloud community in your city, we want to help you! We'll provide you with guidance to help you on your way. To say thanks, we'll hook you up with some sweet swag, some of which includes:
- A trip to meet and work with our team in either San Francisco or Berlin
- Limited edition t-shirts
- Official cards with your name on it
- Supply of pins, stickers and t-shirts
- More surprises to be added throughout the year!
Where? We're starting our search for heroes in US metropolitan cities like Austin, San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. If you're not in one of these US cities or outside of the US but think you can still bring the SoundCloud game to your city, let us know where you're at and why you'd make a great hero. Don't worry! We'll be in touch when we're ready to expand the program throughout the year.
How do I apply? Apply here. The SoundCloud Community Team will review all applications and choose people we feel will best represent SoundCloud in their local communities. The program will be ongoing and we're not limiting the number of SoundCloud Heroes in each city. Good luck! If you have any questions, reach out to heroes[at]soundcloud[dot]com


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Sale on canvas prints! Use code ABCXYZ at checkout for a special discount!
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by Helena Tiainen
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Dress it up, dress it down, or use it to stay organized while you're on the go. Our zip pouches can do it all. They're crafted with 100% poly-poplin fabric, double-stitched at the seams for extra durability, and include a durable metal zipper for securing your valuables.
Our zip pouches are available in three different sizes and with two different bottom styles: regular and t-bottom.
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The Joy of Design Mandala Series Puzzle 8 Arrangement 6 by Helena Tiainen is a compilation created with 64 panels of scanned original acrylic... more
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Maya Bukhina
Fascinating work !
Helena Tiainen replied:
Thank you Maya Bukhina!
The Joy of Design Mandala Series Puzzle 8 Arrangement 6 by Helena Tiainen is a compilation created with 64 panels of scanned original acrylic paintings in her The Joy of Design Series of handmade paintings. In the case of this Puzzle, number 8, eight images were each used 8 times to create this and all the other variations of puzzle number 8. This fun and very creative and nearly limitless project is ongoing with many completed Mandala Series Puzzles. See more by clicking on the Galleries that have TJOD or The Joy of Design in their title.
All rights to this art belong to Helena Tiainen globally. No watermarks will ever show on any of the printed products you can buy here at FAA/Pixels.
Welcome to my pages and thank you for your interest in my art and the POD products offered! I consider these pages on FAA/Pixels to be almost an archive of the art I have created in the past twenty plus years, both original and digital. Just about anything I have considered worth publishing is here. Contact me if you are interested in buying any original works. I also now have a website at https://www.helenatiainen.com, where the focus is mainly on original art by me and where you can read my most current blogs. You can as well find my art and designs at https://www.redbubble.com/people/helenatiainen where you can now obtain some of my art on currently over 50 home decor and personal items and apparel, including tops, dresses and leggings...


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HLO invertebrates
These images are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported license. You may share and adapt these works, but only with attribution ("by Hank L. Oppenheimer") and only for non-commercial purposes unless permission is obtained from the copyright-holder (contact firstname.lastname@example.com). These images are also categorized by taxon: http://hear.smugmug.com/SpeciesRead More


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Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving! (Video)
30 comments:
Happy, Blessed ThanksgivingReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving! May you all enjoy oodles and oodles of turkey.ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving!ReplyDelete
We will take you advice and party like it's 1621. tee hee Happy Thanksgiving!ReplyDelete
what a fun video Caren! Happy Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.ReplyDelete
Lisa, Madison and Abigail
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you...ReplyDelete
pawhugs, Max, Bugsy, Knuckles and HH
Happy Thanksgiving to you - have a wonderful day!ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving from Sheila and Joey the red tabby!ReplyDelete
Y'all are looking good! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from all of us!ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Have a wonderful celebration--definitely with lots of turkey leftovers. :-)ReplyDelete
@Fuzzy Tales thank you and the same to all of you!!! Not cooking so no leftovers, making my turkey breast this weekend, I need the inviting smells in MY kitchen!ReplyDelete
@Brian right back at ya!!!!! ((((hugs))))) to all of you!
@Sheila, Joey and Red Tabby thank you and the same to you!
@Ingrid thanks so much and to you as well!
@Max right back at ya and HUGE HUGS!!!
@Lisa, Madison and Abigail, thanks so much! Glad you liked it! I wasn't in the mood for anything "heavy" on the blog today...that is on my Facebook status...didn't want everyone to have to read too much when I know most of their minds are on TURKEY, LOTS & LOTS of TURKEY!!! Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!!!!! xoxoxo
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you too. Hope you have a great day. The video was just purrfect. Take care.ReplyDelete
Marg thank you!!!!! I hope you have a great day too!!!!!!!! Thank you!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your babies!!! xoxoxReplyDelete
★ ° . ..☾°☆.*●¸.★°:.•○°★.*..°.●.°°☆¸.●.★ ★°☾ ¸. ¸★:.. •○°★.*..¸ .°¸.*●¸.°°¸.●¸.★°:..•°.*:..*¸ . ●¸★★°★.♥.°☆.●¸.★°.•○°★.♥*.☾°¸* ●¸°°☆.*¸. ★Sprinkling you with Peace, Love, & Happiness! ★°..♥*.☾°☆.*●¸.★°:..•○°★.*♥.°.● .♥*°☾°☆¸.●.*★♥★°☾☆¸.¸★:..•○°★.*..*¸ .♥°¸.*●¸.°☾°¸.●¸.★°:..•°.*:..¸.●¸★★..°☆ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving purrs to your whole family (with & without fur!)ReplyDelete
Oh my Cat!!! That was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!! Now I want to do one. Is it free, or how much does it cost?ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Hope your day is purrfect.
Hi Julia I am so happy you liked it! Some of JibJab's stuff is free, some isn't. I think this was though (I do belong to JibJab though) but I think this was free! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well!ReplyDelete
@layla thank you!!!!!!!!!!! The same to you! Just got home from the football game and are heading out for turkey now!
@The Cat From Hell that was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!! Thank you!!
We enjoyed that! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!ReplyDelete
Cute vidoe :)
Happy day to you all!ReplyDelete
That video was hysterical-just bookmarked Jib Jab!ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Happee ThanksgivingReplyDelete
Benny & Lily
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Caren and Cody! We love you guys! :)ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I like the part when you lost your pants. HAH!ReplyDelete
We hope you all are having a Happy Thanksgiving!ReplyDelete
@The Island Cats thanks so much! We went to the Lions game...grrrr....did you see it on TV? Then we went to my sister-in-laws for a super nice Thanksgiving, I ate too much! Hope you had a great one!ReplyDelete
@Cathy Keisha thank you! To you as well! lmao I know, that part was funny!
@meowmeowmans awwwwww thank you!!! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! We love you too! Can't go around to the blogs today but am hoping to catch up tomorrow!
@Benny and Lily thank you! Hope you had a good one!
@Bocci isn't JibJab great? I love it! Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
@Mrs Tuna thank you! To you as well!
@Priscilla thank you!
@Eric and Flynn thanks so much!!! Glad you liked it!!
OMG! That was hilarious! Happy Thanksgiving Caren and family :)ReplyDelete
@Alittlesprite I am so happy I could make you laugh!!! xoxoxo Thank you! We had a great one!ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving Dear Friends! We hope it was wonderful!ReplyDelete
Oh, you crazy kids!! Loved the JibJab and love you guys so much!! We are so blessed to have you in our lives and hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.ReplyDelete
xoxo - Deb, Dan, Zee, Zoey, Mia, Peanut, Rolz, Harley, and Jazz


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Key Points for the Public
• Over 53,000 U.S. residents die each year from colorectal cancer.
• 1,900 deaths could be prevented each year for every 10% increase in colonoscopy screening.
• Only 36% of men and women without health insurance are up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening.
• Additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns.
Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: email@example.com. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail.
Vital Signs: Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Adults Aged 50--75 Years --- United States, 2008
CDC Vital Signs is a new series of MMWR reports that will announce the latest results for key public health indicators.
On July 6, this report was posted as an MMWR Early Release on the MMWR website (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr).
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and the leading cause of cancer deaths among nonsmokers. Statistical modeling indicates that, if current trends in health behaviors, screening, and treatment continue, U.S. residents can expect to see a 36% decrease in the CRC mortality rate by 2020, compared with 2000.
Methods: Every 2 years, CDC uses Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to estimate up-to-date CRC screening prevalence in the United States. Adults aged ≥50 years were considered to be up-to-date with CRC screening if they reported having a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) within the past year or lower endoscopy (i.e., sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy) within the preceding 10 years. Prevalence was calculated for adults aged 50--75 years based on current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations.
Results: For 2008, the overall age-adjusted CRC screening prevalence for the United States was 62.9% among adult respondents aged 50--75 years, increased from 51.9% in 2002. Among the lowest screening prevalences were those reported by persons aged 50--59 years (53.9%), Hispanics (49.8%), persons with lower income (47.6%), those with less than a high school education (46.1%), and those without health insurance (35.6%).
Conclusions: CRC screening rates continue to increase in the United States. Underscreening persists for certain racial/ethnic groups, lower socioeconomic groups, and the uninsured.
Implications for Public Health Practice: Health reform is anticipated to reduce financial barriers to CRC screening, but many factors influence CRC screening. The public health and medical communities should use methods, including client and provider reminders, to ensure test completion and receipt of follow-up care. Public health surveillance should be expanded and communication efforts enhanced to help the public understand the benefits of CRC screening.
Despite recent declines in both incidence and mortality, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second most common cause of cancer deaths after lung cancer in the United States (1) and the leading cause of cancer deaths among nonsmokers. In 2006 (the most recent data available), 139,127 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 53,196 people died (1). Screening for colorectal cancer is effective in reducing incidence and mortality by removal of premalignant polyps and through early detection and treatment of cancer (2). CRC screening prevalence has improved over the past decade (3); however, in 2006, approximately 30% of eligible U.S. residents had never been screened for CRC (3). This Vital Signs report updates screening prevalence in the United States using data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey for persons aged 50--75 years, based on recommendations for up-to-date CRC screening from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) (4).
BRFSS is a state-based, random-digit dialed telephone survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized adult population that collects information on health risk behaviors, preventive health practices, and health-care access in the United States (5). Every 2 years (in even numbered years), respondents aged ≥50 years are asked whether they have ever used a "special kit at home to determine whether the stool contains blood (fecal occult blood test [FOBT])," whether they have ever had a "tube inserted into the rectum to view the colon for signs of cancer or other health problems (sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy)," and when these tests were last performed. CDC calculated the prevalence of adults who reported having had an FOBT within the past year or lower endoscopy (i.e., sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy) within the preceding 10 years, as was done in previous reports (3). Based on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening age, this analysis was restricted to persons aged 50--75 years (4). Data were aggregated across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Respondents who refused to answer, had a missing answer, or who answered "don't know/not sure" were excluded from analysis of the question.
The median Council of American Survey and Research Organizations (CASRO) response rate was 53.3%, and the median CASRO cooperation rate was 75.0% (5). Data were weighted to the age, sex, and racial/ethnic distribution of each state's adult population using intercensal estimates and were age-standardized to the 2008 BRFSS population.
The 2008 BRFSS survey was administered to 414,509 respondents, of whom 201,157 were aged 50--75 years. The overall, age-adjusted combined up-to-date CRC screening (FOBT and lower endoscopy) prevalence for the United States was 62.9% among adult respondents aged 50--75 years (Table). Among the lowest screening prevalences were those reported by persons aged 50--59 years (53.9%), Hispanics (49.8%), persons with lower income (47.6%), those with less than a high school education (46.1%), and those without health insurance (35.6%). Similar patterns were noted for FOBT in the preceding year and for lower endoscopy in the preceding 10 years. The percentage of persons up-to-date with CRC screening ranged from 53.2% in Oklahoma to 74.1% in Massachusetts (Figure 1). States with the highest screening prevalence were concentrated in the northeastern United States. CRC screening increased from 51.9% in 2002 to 62.9% in 2008 (Figure 2). During that period, use of endoscopy increased, while FOBT use declined from 20.9% of CRC screening in 2002 to 14.1% in 2008.
Conclusions and Comment
The results in this Vital Signs report indicate that the prevalence of up-to-date CRC screening in the United States is continuing to increase. An increase (from 38% in 2000 to 53% in 2008) also has been reported using National Health Interview Survey data (6). However, in 2008, certain populations in the United States remained underscreened, including those with lower socioeconomic status, Hispanics, and those without health insurance. Multiple factors might explain these differences, including patient education and income, as well as provider and clinical systems factors. As in previous surveys, the 2008 survey indicated notable geographic differences in CRC screening prevalence. The reasons for these geographic differences remain unknown, but screening capacity, lack of physician availability, and patient factors including income, education, and lack of awareness have been proposed as reasons (6).
CRC screening rates continue to increase in the United States. Additional improvements in screening prevalence might have substantive impact on CRC mortality. Statistical modeling indicates that, if current trends in health behaviors, screening, and treatment continue, U.S. residents can expect to see a 36% decrease in the CRC mortality rate by 2020, compared with 2000 (7).
Insufficient evidence exists to recommend "one best" test for CRC screening. Several proven, effective tests exist and are recommended by USPSTF, including annual FOBT, sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, and colonoscopy every 10 years (4). In addition to maximizing prevalence of CRC screening to reduce morbidity and mortality, ensuring proper follow-up of abnormal results is important to maximize the benefits of screening (4).
The findings in this report are subject to at least three limitations. First, because BRFSS is a telephone survey of residential households, only adults in households with landline telephones are represented; therefore, the results might not be representative of the U.S. population. Evidence suggests that adults living in wireless-only households tend to be younger and have lower incomes, and are more likely to be members of minority populations, which might result in either underestimates or overestimates. Second, responses are self-reported and not confirmed by review of medical records. Finally, the survey response rate was low, which increases the risk for response bias.
Policy changes in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are expected to remove financial barriers to CRC screening by expanding insurance coverage and eliminating cost sharing in Medicare and private plans, but additional barriers remain (8). Evidence-based, systems-change interventions, including client and provider reminders to ensure test completion and receipt of follow-up care, have been shown by the Guide to Community Preventive Services* to increase CRC screening; however, these approaches have not been widely adopted in clinical practice. Physician recommendation remains an important but underutilized facilitator of CRC screening. Improving cancer screening benchmarks in clinical practice should be a high priority for new patient-care improvement models such as the patient-centered medical home (9). Case management approaches such as patient navigation models to maximize patient participation and ensure adequate follow-up also appear promising (10). Utah has used multiple approaches to improve its CRC screening prevalence. Reported use of CRC endoscopy increased from 32.1% in 1999 to 51.9% in 2005 through the use of small media (e.g., videos, letters, brochures, and flyers) and large media campaigns and by providing CRC screening tests (mainly FOBT) for those who could not afford it.†
CDC's CRC screening program, funded in 2009, places emphasis on population-based approaches to increase CRC screening.§ The program is based on the recommendations of the Guide to Community Preventive Services, which has identified evidence-based interventions to increase cancer screening in communities by targeting providers and the general population. Full implementation of these recommendations, including a focus on reaching disadvantaged populations, can achieve the goal of more complete population coverage.
Surveillance of cancer screening and diagnostic activities currently is limited to population surveys and is only collected every other year by BRFSS. Additional surveillance efforts might guide population-based outreach, identify and target unscreened populations, and ensure adequate follow-up (10). CDC and state and local health departments should develop and monitor centralized population-based registries of persons eligible for screening, provide appropriate outreach, and ensure adequate follow-up. These registries could be developed to track and promote screening awareness and subsequent utilization through communication media (e.g., telephone, mail, or electronic reminders) or use of peer outreach. Registries of underserved populations, including Medicaid enrollees and those without a regular provider, could be used to promote screening among persons in vulnerable populations at greater risk.
Reported by
LC Richardson, MD, SH Rim, MPH, M Plescia, MD; Div of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC.
- US Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States cancer statistics: 1999--2006 incidence and mortality web-based report. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, and National Cancer Institute; 2010. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/uscs. Accessed June 23, 2010.
- Winawer SJ, Zauber AG, Ho MN, et al. Prevention of colorectal cancer by colonoscopic polypectomy. The National Polyp Study Workgroup. N Engl J Med 1993;329:1977--81.
- CDC. Use of colorectal cancer tests---United States, 2002, 2004, and 2006. MMWR 2008;57:253--8.
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for colorectal cancer. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2008. Available at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspscolo.htm. Accessed June 20, 2010.
- CDC. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2010. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss. Accessed June 20, 2010.
- American Cancer Society. Cancer prevention and early detection facts and figures 2010. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society; 2010. Available at http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsfigures/cancerpreventionearlydetectionfactsfigures/index. Accessed July 6, 2010.
- Edwards BK, Ward E, Kohler BA, et al. Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975--2006, featuring colorectal cancer trends and impact of interventions (risk factors, screening, and treatment) to reduce future rates. Cancer 2010;116:544--73.
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Pub. L. No. 111-148. Available at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3590enr.txt.pdf. Accessed June 20, 2010.
- Wender RC, Altshuler M. Can the medical home reduce cancer morbidity and mortality? Prim Care 2009;36:845--58.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. A practical guide to increasing screening colonoscopy: proven methods for health care facilities to prevent colorectal cancer deaths. New York, NY: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; 2006. Available at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/cancer/cancer-colonoscopy-guide.pdf. Accessed June 20, 2010.
* Additional information available at http://www.thecommunityguide.org/index.html.
† Additional information available at http://health.utah.gov/ucan/partners/pub/pdfs/utahcancerplan080206.pdf.
§ Available at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/crccp.
FIGURE 1. Percentage of respondents aged 50--75 years who reported receiving a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) within 1 year or a lower endoscopy* within 10 years, by state --- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), United States, 2008†
* Sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
† Percentages standardized to the age distribution in the 2008 BRFSS survey.
Alternate Text: The figure above shows the percentage of respondents aged 50-75 years who reported receiving a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) within 1 year or a lower endoscopy within 10 years, by state in 2008. The percentage of persons up-to-date with CRC screening ranged from 53.2% in Oklahoma to 74.1% in Massachusetts.
FIGURE 2. Percentage of respondents aged 50--75 years who reported receiving a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) within 1 year or a lower endoscopy* within 10 years --- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), United States, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008†
* Sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
† Percentages standardized to the age distribution in the 2008 BRFSS survey.
Alternate Text: The figure above shows the percentage of respondents aged 50-75 years who reported receiving a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) within 1 year or a lower endoscopy within 10 years in the United States in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008. States with the highest screening prevalence were concentrated in the northeastern United States. CRC screening increased from 51.9% in 2002 to 62.9% in 2008 During that period, use of endoscopy increased, while FOBT use declined from 20.9% of CRC screening in 2002 to 14.1% in 2008.
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Google+ seemed like a boys club at first, but recent estimates point to a growing number of women using the Internet search giant's social networking service.
Just this week, Paul Allen of FamilyLink and Ancestry.com fame said a third of Google+ users are now female.
That's a big jump from previous guesses that put the percentage at a quarter, a tenth or even less. Allen's estimates, which use census data and statistics on the frequency of certain last names occurring within the overall U.S. population, have proven to be surprisingly accurate. Previously, Allen correctly predicted that total Google+ users would soon exceed 10 million.
"The poster of 18 men in a hot tub that has been passed around for the past week or two is not reflective of reality and is not what Google+ is going to end up being," Allen wrote on Google+.
But even if Allen's numbers are right, the percentage of Google+ users who are female would still lag the percentage of users of other popular social networking sites who are female.
A Pew report puts the split of Twitter users at 64 percent female. Pew says MySpace and Facebook also have 57 percent and 58 percent female users, respectively. Only LinkedIn has a male majority, with just 37 percent female users.
One theory on the dearth of women on Google+ has to do with the nature of the field test.
From the beginning, it has been dominated by tech industry insiders, and in particular by engineers, according to a survey that found it to be the most popular profession among Google+ users. Both the tech industry and especially software and hardware engineering tend to be dominated by men.
But as the social network has gradually expanded and more friends, family and colleagues are invited, the percentage of women has risen.
Regardless of how women are finding their way to Google+, they're arriving and they're beginning to organize. The site "Women of G+" has emerged with the declaration that "33 percent of Google+ users are women and 100 percent of us are awesome."
Amen. Er, A-women.


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Oxford Shirt
The Essential - Oxford of The GoodPeople is a light blue shirt. Simple and clean. That's all you need sometimes. Keep it concealed or roll the sleeves after hours to bring a touch of character to your outfit. Wear yours to formal days at the office or casual days in the weekend! It's your choice!
Style: The Essential - Oxford
Fit: Regular Fit
Material: 100% Cotton
Made in: Portugal
Color: Light blue


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9" Acme, Lull & Porter Cast Iron Mortise hinges, Unfinished (2 pair Set)HDW-088378
9" Acme, Lull & Porter Cast Iron Mortise hinges, Unfinished (2 pair Set)Code: HDW-088378
Product Return: Restock Fee Applies
Usual Processing: 1-2 Business Days
Ship: Wrightsville, PA
9" Acme, Lull & Porter mortise hinges
- Finish: Raw cast iron
- Size: 9" when open; 6 1/4" throw from casting
- Usually ready to ship in 1-2 weeks.
- Screws are not included.
Acme, Lull &Porter hinges. Each set contains 2 left-hand hinges, 2 right-hand hinges, and 2 sets of fasteners -- enough shutter hardware to complete one window.
Note: This product is cast iron and does not have a finish on it. You should use a Cold Galvanizing Compound (Rust-Oleum or another brand) to coat the raw cast iron before priming and painting the hinges. There is no warranty on this product against rusting and we do not warranty your paint finish under any circumstance.
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Back in May, Lenovo indicated that the company was working on a ThinkPad tablet running Windows 8. Details were sparse, though–all we knew at the time was that the tablet would have an Intel processor and tie into a cloud service Lenovo is building.
Detailed specs for the ThinkPad Tablet 2 have allegedly been unveiled, thanks to anonymous tipsters (or perhaps just one) leaking internal Lenovo slides to Techin5 and The Verge.
The 10.1-inch tablet will reportedly run on a dual-core Intel Clover Trail processor, have a 720p (1366 by 768 pixel resolution) display, and come with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
That's twice the memory offered in competing tablets, such as the iPad and Lenovo's Android-based ThinkPad Tablet. However, because the ThinkPad Tablet 2 runs Windows 8, I can't help but wonder if it's enough memory–the tablet-optimized version of Windows 8, Windows RT, may be less RAM-dependent than the full-blown desktop version, but this ThinkPad Tablet 2 appears to run Windows 8 Pro.
For the Windows 8 Developer Preview, 2GB of RAM was the minimum required for 64-bit systems. That said, other leaked specs for Windows 8 tablets, such as a Dell version, are also unimpressive in the memory department.
Lenovo will be targeting business users with the ThinkPad Tablet 2. Features such as support for Active Directory, device management tools, SD card encryption, and a fingerprint reader reflect this market. A keyboard dock–complete with Lenovo's iconic red pointing stick–turns the tablet into a pseudo-laptop.
Like the Android-based Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 is said to offer optional support for pen input vi an active digitizer.
At the moment there's no word on pricing or availability, but Lenovo may release this tablet on or around the October 26 Windows 8 release date to compete with the Microsoft Surface and other business-oriented tablets.
Follow Melanie Pinola (@melaniepinola) and Today@PCWorld on Twitter


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Handmade cabochons "Labradorite Pietersite Stone Mix (Set #9)" made from polymer clay by my own unique technique. Each cabochon is sanded by hands and buffed to a shiny effect.
– Quantity: 4
How to use cabochons for making jewelry
These cabochons you can use for beading techniques, polymer clay techniques, as well as for leather working techniques.


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International Update, June 2012
Download entire publication (0.3 MB)
In This Issue
- Europe
- The Americas
- Africa
- Reports and Studies
On May 16, Austria's Parliament passed a law that amends the Pension Fund Act governing voluntary funded occupational pension funds (known as Pensionskassen) to provide employers and employees with more pension options that supplement the pay-as-you-go public (PAYG) pension system. The financial burden of the PAYG system on the government is growing because the benefits are generous (80 percent of final salary with 45 years of contributions) and the population is aging rapidly. With only about 20 percent of the labor force (approximately 800,000 workers) covered by some type of funded pension provision, the new measures are expected to encourage more voluntary participation.
The amended law, expected to become effective in 2013, is based on recommendations made by a recent government pension reform commission. The law creates two new types of benefits for defined contribution (DC) plans: (1) a "security pension" with a conservatively invested portfolio that offers a lower but guaranteed pension benefit and (2) a life-cycle fund option that adjusts the portfolio to an age-based risk profile. Other measures of the new law include the following:
- Providing employers with greater flexibility in pension plan design and allowing them to adapt contribution levels to business needs and changing economic conditions.
- Permitting DC plan members to transfer to another type of occupational plan.
- Reducing the vesting period for employees to qualify for a pension from 5 years to 3 years.
- Improving information disclosure requirements to provide greater fund transparency and allow participants to more easily compare different vendors.
Since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008, pension fund (mostly DC plans) member benefits have decreased. (Under the Pensionskassen system, pensions may be reduced when investment returns are lower than the calculated rate negotiated in the original contract.) In 2011, investment returns for occupational pension funds declined by 3 percent on average. However, the historical annual rate of return (since 1991) is just over 5.5 percent.
According to current rules, occupational retirement plans in Austria (both defined benefit (DB) and DC) may be set up by a single employer or a group of employers through a collective bargaining agreement with their employees or another financing vehicle, such as internally financed book reserves or pension insurance contracts. Industry experts estimate that current retirement savings in Austria amount to roughly 50 billion euros (US$63 billion) in traditional life insurance products, 15 billion euros (US$19 billion) in Pensionkassen, and 22 billion euros (US$28 billion) in other savings vehicles.
The Americas
On May 2, a new law entered into force that creates a second-pillar defined contribution (DC) pension program for federal employees. The new second pillar supplements the first pillar pay-as-you go (PAYG) public pension program for federal employees, which underwent major reforms in 2003. (Federal employees hired since the 2003 reform was implemented have to work longer and will receive a less generous benefit than under the old rules.) Despite continuing opposition to the proposal to set up the DC program (first introduced in Congress in 2007), the bill was passed because of the rising financial burden of federal employee pensions on the government. New federal employees hired since May 2 are covered by the new DC program as well as the reformed first pillar. Current employees under the 2003 rules have 24 months to opt in.
The new law requires the government to set up the Complementary Social Security Foundation for Federal Public Servants (Fundação de Previdência Complementar do Servidor Público Federal or FUNPRESP) with one fund for each branch of the government: executive, legislative, and judicial. PREVIC, the regulatory agency for private pension plans, will oversee FUNPRESP.
The new law also introduces a ceiling on earnings used to calculate contributions to the first pillar, currently 3,916.20 reais (US$1,940) per month. To receive a higher benefit, an employee has to contribute to FUNPRESP and can choose what percentage of income to contribute each year, up to a maximum of 26,000 reais (US$12,877). The employer (government agency) provides a matching contribution of up to 8.5 percent of an employee's earnings (up to the same maximum). In addition, the 2012 Budget contains a government start-up contribution of 100 million reais (US$49.5 million) to FUNPRESP: Half goes to the executive fund and the other half is divided equally between the other two funds. At retirement, a worker will receive an annuity based on the account balance in FUNPRESP.
South Africa
On May 14, the government released "Strengthening Retirement Savings," which describes its proposals in the 2012 Budget to improve household and retirement savings in the country. The paper—which begins a consultation process with trade unions, retirement funds, and the public—provides an overview of technical discussion papers to be released later in the year.
The paper highlights the following four main areas of concern with the current private pension system in South Africa:
- Inadequate retirement savings. Only about 10 percent of current South African pensioners can maintain their preretirement standard of living. Based on the results of a 2010 private-sector survey, only about 10 percent of current workers who are members of a pension fund are projected to have enough money to live on in retirement.
- Low levels of asset preservation and portability. About 80 percent of workers withdraw their retirement funds when changing jobs. In recent years, the outflow of assets from funds, both pre- and postretirement, appears to have been greater than total new contributions to retirement funds.
- High fees and charges. Multiple types of charges (administrative and investment management) and fees (brokerage, advisor, and performance-related) make comparisons across companies difficult. The relatively high cost structure of South Africa's retirement industry can significantly erode benefits over time.
- Low levels of annuitization: Currently, workers are required to purchase either a conventional or "living annuity." Most workers opt for a living annuity, a phased withdrawal retirement savings account with no longevity risk protection.
Technical papers (to be released in the coming months) will consider reforms in those areas. Among the key proposals are the following:
- Reducing retirement fund costs. Standardizing retirement products to increase competition on price rather than product design, mandating charging structures to prevent price discrimination against small firms or employers of lower-paid workers, and harmonizing disclosure requirements.
- Reforming the annuities market. Developing cost-effective and accessible standardized products, which share risks between providers and plan members and could serve as default options with an automatic enrollment feature.
- Requiring preservation and portability. Phasing in a preservation requirement so that employees who change jobs may either keep their account balances with the previous employer's fund or transfer them to the new employer's fund, rather than withdrawing the balance as a lump sum.
- Improving fund governance and the role of trustees. Putting in place a documented code of conduct and statutory training requirements for trustees, an investment statement, a communication strategy for plan members, and a performance appraisal system for trustees.
- Creating tax incentives to promote retirement and other investment products. Introducing a new tax-preferred savings vehicle, similar to the Roth individual retirement account in the United States, that would target middle-income workers. Additional measures would aim to increase savings among low-income workers.
According to the paper, the current retirement system (occupational pensions) in South Africa favors employed higher earners. However, even though South Africa has the most developed private pension system in the region, more than half of the formal labor force is not covered; the level of coverage depends on the industry and the trade union. The country has no earnings-related public pension system; it only provides a means-tested pension benefit.
Reports and Studies
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
ECLAC released "Ageing, Solidarity and Social Protection: Time for Progress Towards Equality," during the Third Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean. The main focus of the report is the role of social protection in achieving equality for individuals aged 60 or older throughout the region.
According to the report, in general, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have not adapted to the rapid aging of the population (which is occurring at a much faster pace than in the developed world) and have not increased coverage for a large proportion of the older population that is underprotected. The region's population aged 60 or older represents 10 percent of the total population and is expected to double by 2040 and rise to nearly 36 percent by 2100. In addition, the current dependency ratio (potential workers per person aged 60 or older) of 6 to 1 is projected to reach 3 to 1 by 2040 and 1.5 to 1 by 2100. Regarding low rates of coverage, in 2009, 40 percent of individuals aged 65 or older in the region received some kind of retirement benefit (compared with 75 percent in developed countries), and 11 percent of older men and 25 percent of older women in urban areas had no source of income.
The report found that during the recent economic crisis, countries with higher rates of coverage for the older population (an average of 65 percent in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay) fared better economically than countries with much lower rates (close to 14 percent in Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Bolivia.) The latter countries have weak social security institutions that prevented them from responding quickly enough to help the vulnerable older populations. The report warns that if those countries do not improve their social security systems in a timely manner, they are not likely to reduce inequality because access to the system is related to formal employment. Throughout the region, a large percentage of workers are not covered because they are in the informal sector.
The report concludes that pensions funded by general revenues are effective in reducing poverty for the indigent who are generally excluded from social security. The basic principle for any pension program for that group should be that all older people are entitled to a minimum basic level of income. A government could establish a basic pillar that provides a minimum benefit, expands an existing program, or consolidates other noncontributory programs in operation. The report supports a universal pension for all older individuals regardless of income level or amount of other social benefits they already receive. ECLAC estimates the average cost of such a program in the region at 1.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), ranging from 0.8 percent of GDP in Panama to 2.6 percent of GDP in Nicaragua.
For more information about social security programs in these and other countries, please see Social Security Programs Throughout the World.
International Update is a monthly publication of the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) Office of Retirement and Disability Policy. It reports on the latest developments in public and private pensions worldwide. The news summaries presented do not necessarily reflect the views of SSA.
Editor: Barbara E. Kritzer.
Writers/researchers: John Jankowski, Barbara E. Kritzer, and David Rajnes.


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Even Facebook Employees Hate the Redesign
The feedback on Facebook's new look, which emphasizes a stream of Twitter-like status updates, is almost universally, howlingly negative. Why isn't CEO Mark Zuckerberg listening to users? Because he doesn't have to, he's told employees.
A tipster tells us that Zuckerberg sent an email to Facebook staff reacting to criticism of the changes: "He said something like 'the most disruptive companies don't listen to their customers.'" Another tipster who has seen the email says Zuckerberg implied that companies were "stupid" for "listening to their customers." The anti-customer diktat has many Facebook employees up in arms, we hear. (Anyone care to send us the full memo?)
"Disruptive" is a good description for the changes Facebook made. Unlike past changes, like the controversial introduction of Facebook's News Feed — a summary of friends' activities on the site, including status updates — or the tweaks Facebook made last fall, Facebook's new "Stream" takes away far more than it adds. No wonder even Silicon Valley insiders, normally the biggest champions of anything and everything brand new, hate it.
Damn the critics, full speed ahead! That's what Zuckerberg seems to be saying. if our tipster is right, Zuckerberg would rather Facebook be "disruptive" than, say, popular, useful, or successful.
What's a good example of a disruptive company? Why, Twitter, which Zuckerberg tried to buy for $500 million in cash and stock. Having failed to grab Twitter, Zuckerberg has redesigned his website in its image — a steady stream of real-time updates which are impossible to follow unless you stay on the website all day long. Which sounds great, unless you have a job, a family, or a life.
The notion that Facebook should not listen to its customers contradicts what Zuckerberg was saying just a month ago when he was reacting to a groundswell of criticism over Facebook's new terms of service, which seemed to imply Facebook could keep publishing users' text and photos even after they deleted their accounts. At the time, Zuckerberg took listening to feedback to a loopy extreme, promising the online equivalent of a constitutional convention for Facebook users to decide how the site's legalese should read.
There's no such user convention promised over Facebook's design, however. But who would expect a 24-year-old to be anything but fickle and inconsistent?
Here's the question: If Zuckerberg is no longer listening to Facebook's users, who is he listening to? We hear that Facebook's top executives are furious over Zuckerberg's close personal ties to former Facebook executive Matt Cohler (pictured to Zuckerberg's left, above).
Cohler, an early Facebook employee who helped direct the company's strategy, left last fall to join Benchmark Capital, a prominent Silicon Valley venture-capital firm best known for backing eBay. But he has remained, to this day, on Facebook's payroll as a special advisor to Zuckerberg.
Last June, that seemed untroubling. But last month, Benchmark invested in Twitter at an eye-popping $230 million valuation. And Zuckerberg's conscious, obvious mimicking of Twitter is the best endorsement he could have given the startup.


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Hacking By Numbers Cadet Edition is being offered for the first time ever this year as an introduction to the art and science of computer hacking. Even if you have no experience whatsoever Cadet Edition will equip you with the basic thinking and technical skills necessary to start exploring this fascinating world.
Cadet Edition is an introductory course for technical people with no previous experience in the world of hacking. The course will present you with background information, technical skills and basic concepts required to get you going. This includes some coding and scripting, networking and Internet technologies, basic methodologies, essential thinking skills, tools and current hacking techniques.
Cadet Edition is the ideal training ground to prepare you for the HBN Bootcamp, further self-study or other hacking courses.
Cadet Edition is designed for technical people who have no skill or experience in hacking. The course remains technical however, and students are expected to have a solid practical grasp of computer operating systems, networks and databases. SensePost will provide fully configured laptop computers as well as CDs with all the tools and materials used in the course
This course is the first in the Hacking By Numbers series. It's aimed at beginners and serves to prepare students for the Bootcamp Edition. Cadet and Bootcamp Edition can be taken back-to-back. There is a small amount overlap between the courses.
Who Should Attend
Information security officers, system and network administrators, security consultants, government agencies and other nice people will all benefit from the valuable insights provided by this class.
Free Additional Tools Workshop
After the first day of the course SensePost offers a free additional workshop on using their suite of hacking tools, including Wikto, Aura, Suru, Crowbar, BidiBLAH and others, copies of which will be distributed to all students. The tools workshop is open to all attendees of any SensePost course and run in the evening after training on Saturday 28 and Monday 30 July. Precise times and locations will be announced during the training courses.
Haroon Meer is currently SensePost's director of Development (and coffee drinking). He specializes in the research and development of new tools and techniques for network penetration and has released several tools, utilities and white-papers to the security community. He has been a guest speaker at many Security forums including the Black Hat Briefings. Haroon doesn't drink tea or smoke camels.
Charl van der Waltis a founding member of SensePost. He studied Computer Science at UNISA, Mathematics at the University of Heidelberg in Germany and has a Diploma in Information Security from the Rand Afrikaans University. He is an accredited BS7799 Lead Auditor with the British Institute of Standards in London. Charl has a number of years experience in Information Security and has been involved in a number of prestigious security projects in Africa, Asia and Europe. He is a regular speaker at seminars and conferences nationwide and is regularly published on internationally recognized forums like SecurityFocus. Charl has a dog called Fish.


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by Harlan Coben
Publisher: Dutton
An ordinary snapshot causes a mother's world to unravel in an instant. Grace Lawson is living a happy, straightforward life in the suburbs withher husband, Jack, and two young children. After picking up her two young children from school, Grace Lawson looks through a newly developed set of photographs. She finds an odd one in the pack: a mysterious picture from perhaps twenty years ago, showing four strangers she can't identify.
But there is one face she recognizes—that of her husband, from before she knew him. When her husband sees the photo that night, he leaves their home and drives off without explanation. She doesn't know where he's going, or why he's leaving. Or if he's ever coming back. Nor does she realize how dangerous the search for him will be. Because there are others interested in both her husband's past and that photo, including Eric Wu: a fierce, silent killer who will not be stopped from finding his quarry, no matter who or what stands in his way.
Her world turned upside down, filled with doubts about her herself and marriage, Grace must confront the dark corners of her own tragic past she struggles to learn the truth, find her husband, and save her family.


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Progressive/Atmospheric Black Metallers FEN have been confirmed to support the USA's AGALLOCH on a 28 date European Tour during April and May of this year. Commenting on the addition of FEN to the lineup AGALLOCH had this to say: "We are proud to announce that joining us on our upcoming European tour will be our long time friends FEN (UK). We've played with FEN numerous times already in the UK, Belgium, and the US and are very pleased they'll be with us for this extensive European tour…We are confident that our European fans will be blown away by the band's fierce live show and their genuine and emotionally powerful music". FEN, who will be the only support on the tour, will be promoting their newly released album "Dustwalker". AGALLOCH will play a set of around 2 hours which will include a performance of their new EP "Faustian Echoes" in full for the first time in Europe.
Routing for "Lucifer Over Europe" tour, which includes 16 countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe and Scandinavia is as follows:
21.04.2013 DE – Berlin / K17
22.04.2013 BE – Aalter / Kadans
23.04.2013 FR – Nantes / Le Ferrailleur
24.04.2013 ES – Bilbao / Sala Rockstar
25.04.2013 PO – Barroselas / SWR-Fest
26.04.2013 ES – Madrid / Sala Caracol
27.04.2013 ES – Barcelona / Sala Apolo 2
28.04.2013 FR – Luynes / Le Korigan
30.04.2013 DE – Stuttgart / Club Zentral SOLD OUT
01.05.2013 DE – Leipzig / Moritzbastei
02.05.2013 PL – Wroclaw / Asymmetry-Fest (AGALLOCH only)
03.05.2013 LT – Vilnius / New York Club
04.05.2013 EE – Tallinn / Tapper
05.05.2013 FI – Tampere / Klubi
06.05.2013 FI – Helsinki / Korjaamo
07.05.2013 FI – Oulu / Nuclear Nightclub
08.05.2013 SW – Umea / Scharinska Villan
09.05.2013 NO – Trondheim / Familien
10.05.2013 NO – Oslo / Parkteatret
11.05.2013 SW – Göteborg / Sticky Fingers
12.05.2013 NL – Arnhem / Willemeen
13.05.2013 DE – Köln / Werkstatt
14.05.2013 DE – München / Backstage
15.05.2013 SL – Nova Gorica / Mostovna
16.05.2013 IT – Roma / Traffic Club
17.05.2013 IT – Travagliato / Circolo Colony
18.05.2013 AT – Vienna / Viper Room
19.05.2013 CZ – Ostrava / Barrak
"Dustwalker",which is FEN's third full-length album, was released this month on the Code666 label to almost universal critical acclaim from both critics and fans. FEN's style of Black Metal has been variously described as "progressive", "atmospheric", "post-rock" and "shoegaze". But however you choose to describe it, the sound created by the trio of The Watcher (guitars and vocals), Grungyn (bass and vocals) and Derwydd (drums) is hauntingly and unmistakeably FEN. It is a sound and an atmosphere that is uniquely influenced by the desolate, windswept region of England known as the Fens and conjures up feelings of isolation, abandonment, loss and yearning.
More information about FEN can be found on the band's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fenofficial
Five tracks from FEN, including the newly debuted "Consequence" from "Dustwalker" can be heard on the band's SoundCloud page at http://soundcloud.com/fen-uk/sets/fen
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fenofficial
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/fenband


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We're Giving Away A Book A Day (Starting...Now!)
From time to time, publishers will send books to our business office in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Since we don't typically run book reviews, we're never exactly sure what to do with them. But Toby Maloney, who just happens to live upstairs from the office, had an idea. To say thanks to our loyal readers (and to reclaim some of that shelf space), he thought it would be nice to give these books away. So that's exactly what we're doing weekdays in January.
First on the list is Dry Manhattan: Prohibition in New York City, by Michael Lerner (Harvard University Press). It's a new paperback that made the Washington Post Book World Top 100 Nonfiction Books of the Year.
How does one go about winning this intriguing paperback? Each day's contest will be different until we get lazy and start repeating ourselves. Since we're still in the new part of the New Year, let's talk about resolutions. You may be vowing to eat less food and do more pull-ups, but those resolutions aren't going to win you this book. We want your _flossiest resolutions "" promising to visit the birthplaces of your five favorite Nobel Prize winners, or pledging to memorize pi to 314 decimal places. (Note: Your resolutions will have to be a whole lot better than those.) If you haven't made a particularly _flossy new year's resolution, now is the time.
We'll name a winner tomorrow afternoon, then give away another book. And so on. Good luck!


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WALLDORF — SAP AG today announced that the SAP Cloud for Travel solution, designed to effortlessly manage travel and expenses, is offering additional convenience for business travelers with new open booking capabilities enabled by integration with Traxo, a Web-based travel management provider, as well as out-of-the-box support for 20 countries. With these updates, in addition to recently added analytic and mobile capabilities, SAP Cloud for Travel is designed to allow financial officers and business travelers to handle the end-to-end process of travel and expense management faster and with lower cost while staying in compliance with corporate policies. The announcement was made at GBTA 2013, being held August 4-7 in San Diego, where SAP is onsite at booth #2737.
"SAP Cloud for Travel is a fully integrated solution that helps us eliminate excessive administrative work and reduces travel expenses," said Tony Velleca, chief information officer, UST Global. "We've already witnessed tangible business ROI since our implementation of SAP Cloud for Travel, and now with open booking, we are looking forward to retaining visibility of travelers' behavior while providing flexibility for arranging trips."
Through integration with Traxo, SAP Cloud for Travel provides business travelers with the choice to manage booking their way while still giving companies the visibility and control needed to help ensure compliance. When travel transactions happen outside a corporate travel system, it is difficult for financial teams to match up expense reports and credit card data. In partnership with Traxo, SAP Cloud for Travel now aggregates travel data from all relevant channels and seamlessly and securely sends this information back into a company's financial and travel system. Traxo also captures reservations of flights and hotels that are booked anywhere online. It then combines the reservations into digital itineraries available on SAP Cloud for Travel. To learn more about the integration of SAP Cloud for Travel and Traxo watch a video: "Manage Your Itineraries with SAP Cloud for Travel and Traxo."
"In partnership with SAP, Traxo offers a rescue tool that helps eliminate travel chaos and produce a smooth, easy outcome for employees and employers alike," said Andres Fabris, CEO and founder of Traxo. "With open booking from SAP Cloud for Travel and Traxo, employees are empowered with greater freedom, choice and flexibility. Employers enhance their visibility into the critical travel information they need to run their business — everyone benefits."
Global capabilities of SAP Cloud for Travel are expanding with out-of-the-box support for 20 countries and integration with leading online booking tools, which help customers configure the solution to fit their company's travel policy and ensure compliance. The 20 countries currently supported by the solution include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and U.S.
To learn more about SAP Cloud for Travel, visit the SAP Cloud for Travel demo center. For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews and @SAPCloudTravel.
Media Contacts:
Andrea Meyer, SAP, +1 (415) 370-7329, firstname.lastname@example.com, PDT
Rachel Leamon, Burson Marsteller, +1 (617) 912-5411, email@example.com, EDT


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A's edge Yankees in 18 innings to complete 3-game sweep
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Maybe a game-winning, broken-bat hit against baseball's career saves leader in the 18th inning will get Nate Freiman in a nice groove again.
Freiman singled home the winning run against Mariano Rivera, lifting the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday for a three-game sweep.
"It was his deal," Freiman said of the cut fastball he saw. "That one he always throws."
As a day game after a night game turned into a night game after a day game, John Jaso singled off Preston Claiborne (0-1) to start the decisive rally and went to third on Seth Smith's soft single to shallow left field against Rivera.
Rivera issued only the 39th intentional walk of his 19-year career to Jed Lowrie before Freiman ended the 5-hour, 35-minute game on New York's getaway day to Anaheim for a weekend series with the Angels.
"A little broken-bat blooper over the third baseman, and the other one the same place," Rivera said. "You can't do anything about it."
Freiman knew he had it, raising his right arm in triumph.
"I knew that was not getting to the left fielder. I knew it was falling," he said.
Moments later, Freiman received a celebratory whipped cream pie in the face following his first career game-ending hit -- and Oakland's fifth of 2013 after compiling a major league-best 14 walk-off wins last year. He had entered the game in the top of the 16th.
The AL West-leading A's (41-27) won their 11th in a row at home, 21st in 26 overall, and moved a season-best 14 games above .500 to extend their best start since 1990. They became the first American League team to play two 18-inning games in one season since Oakland and the Washington Senators did so in 1971.
Freiman's wife, LPGA golfer Amanda Blumenherst, quickly congratulated her husband on Twitter: "Ahhh!! Nate just ended the 18 inning game! Bases loaded, single!! Pie in the face! Athletics win!"
Each team used seven pitchers and threw 255 pitches. In all, 137 batters came to the plate -- short of the season high of 156 during Oakland's 19-inning win over the Angels in April and also the 20-inning game between the Marlins and Mets on Saturday.
"It was very taxing even winning the game. To lose could have been demoralizing," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "These are awful games to lose."
New York made a dramatic play in the bottom of the 15th to keep the game going.
Pinch hitter Coco Crisp singled to left with one out and Vernon Wells made a perfect throw to catcher Chris Stewart, who blocked the plate and absorbed a collision to prevent Brandon Moss from scoring the winning run.
The A's had already begun streaming out of the dugout to celebrate.
The Yankees had runners in scoring position in each of the extra innings through 14, stranding 11 baserunners. They left 13 on base in all while dropping their seventh in a row at the Oakland Coliseum.
Pitching for the first time in eight days, Jesse Chavez (1-0) struck out seven in 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
Chavez fanned Kevin Youkilis and Wells with two on to end the 13th, then Travis Hafner and Wells in the 15th.
Jerry Blevins escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 11th with two strikeouts. Pat Neshek worked out of trouble with runners on first and second in the 12th.
Robinson Cano hit a two-run homer in the first as New York ended a season-long five-game stretch without a long ball, but the Yankees didn't score again on another day of missed opportunities.
"I think it's probably a little more frustrating because you can look at how you had an opportunity here and an opportunity there," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "A lot of guys probably look at that, but it doesn't change the result."
It was the longest day game in Coliseum history.
Neither A' starter Jarrod Parker nor New York counterpart Hiroki Kuroda got a decision after a nice pitchers' duel hours before the game ended.
After Smith's tying, two-out double in the third, Oakland didn't reach base again until Jaso's bloop single leading off the ninth.
Oakland won the season series 5-1 for its second-best mark against the Yankees in franchise history. The 1990 club went 12-0.
The A's tied it at 2-2 in the third on a close play at the plate. Smith doubled off the wall in right and the relay throw was on target to Stewart, who tagged Jaso with his glove but had the ball in his bare hand.
Jaso was called safe by plate umpire CB Bucknor, drawing an argument from Girardi.
Earlier in the inning, Derek Norris' RBI groundout scored Chris Young, who drew a leadoff walk. Eric Sogard followed with a single before the A's pulled off a double steal.
Parker, riding a three-start winning streak, was helped by a pair of double plays in the first four innings.
Kuroda's winless stretch reached five starts since he beat Toronto on May 17. He became the third Japanese-born pitcher with 1,000 innings in the majors, joining Hideo Nomo and Tomo Ohka.
Girardi bumped Jayson Nix up to the No. 2 spot in the batting order from eighth a night earlier to shake things up and get the Yankees going, but Nix went 1 for 5 with a strikeout to end the 12th.
Game notes
Yankees captain Derek Jeter had his surgically repaired left ankle examined by Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C., and was cleared to resume baseball activities and running. ... Crisp (bruised heel) and LF Yoenis Cespedes (tight left hamstring) were held out of the starting lineup. ... Rivera received a surfboard and a bottle of white wine from Napa Valley from the A's in a pregame ceremony, along with a $10,042 donation to his foundation. ... The A's are 7-0-2 in their last nine series. ... New York agreed to contract terms with Notre Dame 3B Eric Jagielo, who signed for $1,839,400. He was the 26th overall pick in last week's draft and one of three first-round selections by the Yankees.
OAK Wins 3-0
Game Information
- Umpires:
- Home Plate Umpire - CB Bucknor
- First Base Umpire - Bill Miller
- Second Base Umpire - Todd Tichenor
- Third Base Umpire - Dale Scott
2023 American League East Standings
2023 American League West Standings
|Los Angeles


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Politics For DummiesExplore Book Buy On Amazon
Like handlers, pollsters may work for a variety of candidates running in many different states for many different offices, but they generally stay on one side or the other of the political fence — Republican or Democrat.
Who gets polled?Scientifically conducted polls randomly select the voters interviewed. Randomness is the factor that permits a few hundred people to speak for all the voters within a statistical margin of error. In other words, you are as likely as any other voter in the district to be asked to participate in the poll. No sample is perfectly random, but pollsters try to make their survey as close to random as possible because that's the way the sample is most reliable.
Methods to their madnessRandom digit dialing is one technique used to ensure a sample's accuracy. In random digit dialing, telephone numbers are randomly connected to each working telephone exchange. This method is especially accurate and has the benefit of reaching voters with unlisted numbers, but it's expensive because the pollsters charge for the numbers they dial that aren't working or aren't the numbers of registered voters.
If the area being polled doesn't have clear exchange boundaries, like a city where different legislative districts represent people in the same exchange, random digit dialing may not be cost effective. That's because there is no way to separate out the phone numbers of people in the district of interest to the poller. If the poll is for a primary race with low turnout, random digit dialing may not be cost effective either because the pollster will reach so many people who don't plan to vote in the primary.
When random digit dialing doesn't work, pollsters use voter file lists that have been phone matched. This method may not be as accurate as random digit dialing because some groups of voters don't have phones in proportion to the number of people in the group who vote. Older voters, mobile voters, rich voters, and young voters tend to be undersampled when this method is used.
No method of selecting the voters to be polled is perfect, but pollsters try very hard to make the sample as representative as possible. After all, the candidate makes important decisions based upon the answers you give.
Fitting a certain profileIf you get called for a poll, it's probably because your number came up at random. On the other hand, you may have been selected because you fit a certain profile. You may still have been selected at random, but from a small subgroup of the voting population.
For example, suppose that Harry Handler thinks a position taken by the opponent will anger women under the age of 50. Harry may believe that publicizing this position will lose the opponent votes among that age and gender group. He wants to test that theory before spending any resources getting the word out to voters. It's not worth spending the money if the opponent won't lose votes.
Your name may have been selected from among those who fit the profile of the interested subgroup — women under 50. The answers you give to the pollster's questions tell the handler whether or not to spend money getting the word out to other voters like you.
If you get that call . . .Only a few hundred people are asked their opinions on these questions. Those few hundred people have a significant impact on the message and strategy for the campaign. Their answers help decide which programs a candidate supports or opposes during the campaign. They tell a candidate whether her message is getting through or needs to be refined.
No campaign will spend money finding out what you think if you are not a registered voter. If you want an opportunity to shape political campaigns, make sure that you're registered to vote when that pollster calls you.
If you are polled and take the time to respond, you can shape the approach and content of a campaign. You are one of only a few hundred people in your congressional district or state who get to speak about a broad range of issues while the candidate listens. You are in a position of influence. The candidate wants to know what you think. The candidate is paying the pollster good money, and lots of it, just to hear your views. You are a political pooh-bah. And all you did was register to vote and answer your phone! Of course, you also missed Jeopardy! — but now real folks, not just the television set, have had the benefit of your wise answers to questions.
Who polls?Any campaign with sufficient money uses polls these days. The level of the office being sought doesn't matter — county and legislative candidates use polls, too. Polling is advisable whenever an office involves policy or a campaign is going to be anything more than "I'm Carly Candidate; vote for me!" A well-run, well-funded candidate tests his message before he spends money communicating it.
Sometimes candidates for less visible offices pool their resources and poll together. Sometimes party organizations pay some or all of the costs. Occasionally, special interest groups use polling to convince candidates or officials of the wisdom of supporting the special interest position on an issue. Special interest groups use polls to show candidates that their ideas are popular or that an issue they are opposing is unpopular.