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The world has changed considerably from the 1980s culture that spawned the original violent cult classic "Red Dawn." The story followed a group of American students embracing their nationalism as they fought a guerrilla war against Soviet invaders in Colorado. Seeing as it was the height of the Second Cold War in the early 80's, a simplistic premise cloaked in jingoistic patriotism was easily embraced by the public. Still, even back then, it was recognised as being a dumb and often silly work.
80's filmmaking titan John Milius brought his far right politics and love of firearms to bear in a story that has lasted better than other efforts of the time. That is partly due to a impressive cast of what would become brat packers like Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey. Mostly though it's because Milius doesn't do things by half, resulting in an incredibly violent and epic scaled bit of nonsense that embraced militarism to the extreme. Why use a pistol when a rocket launcher will do?
In comparison, Dan Bradley's scaled back and contemporary remake is not only far less engaging, you'd be hard pressed to find a worse film this year. Poorly cast, badly acted, terribly scripted and horrifically directed, everything that could go wrong in a film does. Too dour by half, the film lacks the scale, ambition, conviction, satire and kitsch appeal of the original. Instead it's amongst the most generic of action films, trying to please everyone and in the process appealing to no-one.
The ONLY cast member even approaching adequacy is Chris Hemsworth, the Aussie hunk's charisma single-handedly stopping the film from entirely imploding in on itself. Masculine and determined, his Marine character is the only one who feels properly developed, well performed and pragmatic. In comparison there's the greasy looking Josh Peck, a mumbling selfish prick who often endangers others with his stupidity. Peck's character is terrible to begin with, but his performance is quite frankly the single worst acting turn I've seen this year – bar none.
Comparatively Josh Hutcherson, Connor Cruise and Isabel Lucas disappear into the background, same with Adrianne Palicki although she does get the odd scene which helps her stand out a bit more. She and Hemsworth also share a decent chemistry which we sadly never get any time to explore. The film does have plenty of time though for cheap recreations of famous scenes from the original, generic gun fights and hanging around in the woods with the various kids as they argue about what to do.
The project marks the first directing effort of Dan Bradley, a veteran stunt coordinator and second unit director who is mostly known for his good work on the "Bourne" films and his near rape of the Bond franchise with "Quantum of Solace." Taking the big chair, the surprise here is that not only is his handling of the dramatic scenes poor, he seems to be distracted in the action scenes. This results in plenty of uninspiring sequences involving the kids being a nuisance to this oddly small invading force of North Koreans.
Ah, the Koreans. Originally slated to be an invading Chinese army, the villains were digitally altered in post-production to be sourced from North Korea. The resulting adjustments of the flags and dialogue creates its own plot inconsistencies and dubious reasoning. This stretches a story, already considerably lacking in any credibility, well past its breaking point. It's not helped by the baddies themselves getting no development, something this incarnation of the story could have done more effectively than the original.
How this thing cost around $70 million I can't even begin to fathom, it looks like it was done for one-fifth of that. For all its melodramatic kid antics, the Australian country town "Red Dawn"-esque invasion tale "Tomorrow, When the War Began" is a more enjoyable successor to the Milius original than this turkey.


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Coffee fanatics everywhere will rejoice this Thanksgiving because they can have a Thanksgiving Coffee Feast!
We scoured the internet to find traditional Thanksgiving food recipes with a twist- they all incorporate coffee. Below are recipes for the coffee lover this Thanksgiving.
1. Turkey
Turkey is the quintessential Thanksgiving food. This Roasted Turkey with Coffee Rub recipe boasts that it produces "The Greatest Turkey in the History of Thanksgiving." The bird is covered with a coffee rub and slow roasted for a bird that is "succulent and beautifully brown."
I don't know about you, but I would love to be known as the host with the best turkey ever!
For the Roasted Turkey with Coffee Rub recipe Click here.
2. Ham
I know it may sound crazy, but some people do not like turkey. Offer your guests an alternative to turkey (or it can be a welcomed addition to their crowded plate) with this Coffee Glazed Ham. With only 5 ingredients, you can whip this recipe up in no time.
For the Coffee Glazed Ham recipe click here.
3. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Piling a plate with a massive mound of mashed potatoes and then smothering them in gravy is a tradition many people don't skip on Thanksgiving. Guests at your Thanksgiving dinner will be covering not only their potatoes, but they will be looking for other foods to smother (like their turkey and dinner rolls) with this Beef Coffee Gravy. Plus, pair this gravy with the complimentary Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes and you will have a Thanksgiving home run!
For the Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes with Beef Coffee Gravy recipe click here.
4. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes add a vibrant color to your Thanksgiving table, but also make a great addition to all your trimmings. This year dress up your sweet potatoes with this Coffee Infused Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. With ingredients like sweet potatoes, brown sugar, pecans and coffee- we don't see how this won't be a fan favorite at Thanksgiving this year!
For the Coffee Infused Sweet Potato Casserole recipe click here.
5. Pumpkin Pie
It isn't Thanksgiving unless you finish off your meal with a creamy piece of pumpkin pie. Give you Thanksgiving guests a surprise this holiday with a Coffee Pumpkin Pie.
For the Coffee Pumpkin Pie recipe click here.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Weekly Wire:the Global Forum
These are some of the views and reports relevant to our readers that caught our attention this week.
Infographic: The Decline of Global Internet Freedom
PC Mag
Two years after the Internet went dark in protest of a proposed U.S. Internet censorship bill, four out of five people worldwide still don't have access to an uncensored Web. In celebration of the second annual Internet Freedom Day, Golden Frog released an infographic (below) chronicling the worldwide struggle for Internet freedom. "Everything you love about the Internet is at risk," the software firm said, painting a bleak picture of global Web sovereignty. Few countries can claim "mostly unrestricted" access; the U.S., U.K., Australia, and bits of South America, Western Europe, Africa, and Asia (specifically Japan) can freely roam the World Wide Web, without fear of government oppression or censorship. Almost half of the world, however, falls under heavy restrictions READ MORE
Rescuers Sift Through Social-Media Noise to Direct Typhoon Response
Wall Street Journal
In disasters like the typhoon that slammed into the Philippines, sifting through a barrage of confusing and conflicting on-the-ground reports is one of the first problems facing rescue teams. Social-media sites such as Twitter and Facebook can make matters worse. All too often, users recycle what others have posted or retweeted without adding any fresh information. Sorting through all the noise is too much for individual agencies to handle on their own. So Swiss-born Patrick Meier is gearing up to attack the problem with a new approach called social mapping: Using a combination of volunteers and algorithms to filter the chaos and to provide rescue teams with a detailed, data-driven map of what they should be doing, and where. READ MORE


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California's attorney general has launched a broad investigation into whether growing consolidation among hospitals and doctor groups is pushing up the price of medical care, reflecting increasing scrutiny by antitrust regulators of medical-provider deals.
The office of the attorney general, Kamala D. Harris, has sent subpoenas, known as civil investigative demands, to several big hospital operators in the state, including San Francisco-based Dignity Health and San Diego's Scripps Health and Sharp HealthCare. Northern California's 24-hospital Sutter Health system has also received one, as has Santa Barbara-based Cottage Health System, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Subpoenas have also gone to major California health insurers, those people said.
Dignity Health has been tentatively selected to take Ashland Community Hospital into its fold as part of the nation's fifth-largest hospital system that now includes 40 hospitals, 150 care centers and about 65,000 employees. The decision has raised some concerns locally because of the Catholic-affiliated organization's positions on abortions and assisted suicide. Because the hospital operates under a long-term lease with the city of Ashland, the City Council will have a say in approving whatever lease arrangement emerges out of an alliance.
The California attorney general's probe, which has been under way for several months, is examining hospital systems' reimbursement from the insurers, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The regulator appears to be focusing on whether the systems' tie-ups with physicians, as well as ownership of hospitals, have given them the market power to boost prices in a way that violates antitrust law, these people said.
Nationally, health-care providers are rapidly merging into bigger health systems, moves that they say will improve efficiency. The number of hospital deals last year, 86, was the biggest since 2000, according to Irving Levin Associates, a research firm that tracks health-care transactions.
Also, nearly a quarter of all specialty physicians who see patients at hospitals are now employed by the hospitals, according to an estimate from the Advisory Board Co. That is more than four times the 5 percent in 2000. Among primary-care doctors who see patients in hospitals, the employed share has doubled to about 40 percent in the same time frame.
The American Hospital Association said consolidation doesn't routinely drive up prices; the California Hospital Association referred questions to the national group. Hospitals are merging and employing more doctors in order to streamline and improve care, under pressure from health regulators urging a more integrated approach under the federal health overhaul law, said Melinda Hatton, AHA's general counsel.
"The antitrust agencies and national health-care policy don't seem to be really in sync at this point," she said.
Some research suggests that mergers can drive up health-care prices. A 2010 study published in the journal Health Affairs said concentration among health-care providers in California had led to "a definite shift in negotiating strength toward providers, resulting in higher payment rates and premiums."
An evaluation of the Health Affairs study funded by the AHA said it was flawed because it relied on "anecdotal observations" and didn't adequately examine such factors as consumer preference that could lead to differences in hospital reimbursement.
Some state reviews are already in place. In California, takeovers of nonprofit hospitals typically must be cleared by the attorney general's office under laws regulating charities, and if their dollar value is large enough they also get a federal antitrust examination.
The Federal Trade Commission, which has filed several recent suits to block hospital acquisitions, is also closely watching hospitals' purchases of doctor groups, and mergers that combine physician practices, Richard Feinstein, director of the FTC's bureau of competition, said in an interview.
For example, the FTC and the Nevada attorney general recently announced a settlement with Renown Health, a Reno, Nev.-area hospital system that acquired two cardiology practices. The pact requires Renown to release as many as 10 physicians from their noncompete agreements. A Renown spokesman declined to comment.
Some state regulators often work with the federal agencies, but some are also ramping up their own activities. Massachusetts' attorney general has produced reports that warned of some health-care providers' ability to win higher reimbursements. In Pennsylvania, the attorney general in June announced an agreement with the prominent Geisinger Health System, which was acquiring a nearby community hospital, requiring it to keep the new hospital's rate negotiations with insurers separate from those of the system's flagship facility for eight years.
In some transactions, "you're losing the dynamics of competition," said James Donahue III, Pennsylvania's chief deputy attorney general. The Geisinger agreement likely saved local employers millions of dollars, he said.
Frank Trembulak, Geisinger's chief operating officer, said the community hospital was "failing," and its payment rates were inadequate. Geisinger will upgrade it with electronic medical records and other expensive changes, he said. Also, he said, merging it fully with the system would improve efficiency and integration of services.
Reach Wall Street Journal reporter Anna Wilde Mathews at email@example.com.


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Fraudsters have purchased personal information including credit card details submitted online by Australians to commit investment fraud, according to a new report from the Australian Crime Commission (ACC).
According to the Serious and Organised Investment in Australia report (PDF), the leads broker market specialises in on-selling personal data that can be used to target people who want to purchase specific products. This data is obtained legitimately from sources such as surveys or competitions.
Using this information, the ACC estimates that criminals have bilked 2600 Australians out of $113 million in the past five years through methods such as telemarketing calls and legitimate looking websites. According to the report, fraudsters have also manipulated search engine sites to move negative feedback about their operations off the top spots.
"Armed with information such as income, superannuation, mortgage and investment details of individuals, organised criminal networks are able to identify those most susceptible to particular schemes, such as serious and organised investment fraud," read the report documents.
The ACC found that the most likely victim in Australia was over 50 years old or retired, male, financially independent or a small business owner.
In addition, the ACC made a number of recommendations in the report for consumers to avoid being a victim of fraud.
Always seek independent financial advice before making an investment.
Check that any company you are discussing investments with has a valid Australian Financial Services Licence by visiting the Moneysmart website.
Alert family and friends to the fraud, especially anyone who may have savings to invest.
Hang up on unsolicited telephone calls offering overseas investments.
Report suspected fraud to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) or local police.
"Any information that can be provided such as the company name, location and contact details will assist with subsequent investigations and enquiries," read the report documents.


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Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine sits down for a chat with Details and reveals his mix-and-match yoga routine that he practices at home, at the recording studio, and on the road. The 32-year-old 'The Voice' judge says in the magazine's December/January issue that he has a room backstage at his concerts just to do yoga. "At any Maroon 5 concert, you'll see a room backstage marked yoga," he admits. Even though at the very beginning Adam stayed away from yoga due to what he calls "the cheesy clichés", he decided to give it a try after all ... Read More


text: All, When Don was running the list, moderation was there to eliminate spam, ever notice how clean this list has been? That is, there is a list of white hats that could always post (old timers mostly) everything else was moderated to check for spam. I assume the list is now running on auto pilot (actually with no pilot) where over moderation is the rule to catch spam and no one has assumed Don's roll of releasing the few true Beowulf messages in the sea of spam (see below) You may find this helpful, (From my list archives, Wed, February 8, 2006 3:54 pm) ----- After having a near-perfect record of keeping out spam and virus email, one slipped through yesterday. It's a good example of why mailing lists can't be auto-moderated. The current elaborate system requires heavy human moderation, and this message still slid past everything and was automatically approved. The message appeared to come from a subscribed user, so it passed the first check. (This is actually common: spammers and viruses use pairs of addresses from the same source, so evil mail is likely to come from someone you have heard of.) The message passed both ClamAV and SpamAssasin (although a compressed zip file should have triggered something). It didn't have any of the keywords that are configured in Mailman's "hold" rules. And finally, that user was approved for auto-post for messages that passed all of the previous rules. Please keep this event in mind before you complain that your message was held for moderation. 95-99% (depending on the day) of inbound mail to the mailing lists is immediately discarded as obvious viruses and spam. Only very low scoring mail from approved subscribers is eligible for auto-approval The rest is held for manual moderation. Only about 2% of those held messages are valid postings. That means about 50 messages manually discarded for each manually approved posting. And except for a few weeks scattered over the history of the list, I've been the sole or primary moderator. The bottom line is that we are considering a message board format to replace the mailing list. It would have required logins to post, and retroactive moderation to delete advertising and trolls. Any opinions? -- Donald Becker -- Doug -- Mailscanner: Clean


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Hawa Abdi
There are few things in the world more depressing than the knowledge that a 65 year-old Somali gynecologist has bigger balls than you could ever hope to achieve even if you gave yourself steroid collagen injections to the scrotum every night and set up an induction port that allowed you to inflate them with an air pump like a basketball or those high-top sneakers from the early 90s.
Meet Hawa Abdi. A woman who has never raised her fist in anger against another human being, but also one who could perform three C-sections on dirt-poor women, wash her hands, then go straight outside, stare down an army of gun-toting hardcore fanatical Somali militiamen, and with four words send them running for their lives on a light-speed rainbow of shame and self-loathing without even fucking blinking. A woman once appropriately described once as "one part Mother Teresa, one part Rambo."
You don't have to on the Digitally-Enhanced Deluxe Double-Stuffed Special Edition Director's Cut Remastered Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack Quarter Pounder with Cheese version of Black Hawk Down to know that Somalia is a pretty righteously fucked-up cesspool of soul-crushing misery that, in terms of gigantic screaming hellholes, falls somewhere in the realm of Satan's asshole, Eastern New Jersey, and that river of lava beneath Mount Doom that melted the One Ring and flayed Gollum alive Terminator 2 style. This is nothing against the people who live there, many of whom are honest, upstanding people who really want nothing other than to live their lives without having to worry about some hash-smoking dope fiend child soldier smacking them in the back of the face with an unsharpened machete, but any time you're talking about a country that has been officially designated by the United Nations as "Totally Boned" you've got to at least consider the argument that maybe this nation isn't the best place to host Girls Gone Wild Spring Break Drunken Debauchery Dance Party 2013. The longest running failed state on the planet, Somalia is a war-torn wasteland of anarchistic warlord-controlled destruction so miserable that the UN has referred to it in official documents the "worst humanitarian crisis on the planet" and a place so totally fucked that all international aid groups have completely pulled out of the region due to safety concerns and a complete lack of cooperation from local leaders. The capital city, Mogadishu, is in ruins. 1.5 million people have been displaced. It's the sort of thing to make you almost think twice about not bitching and crying just because you can't get decent enough service on your Verizon iPhone to upload your Comic-Con photos to Facebook (almost).
Unlike many of those people trapped in this war-shredded country without any hope of escape, Hawa Abdi doesn't have to put up with this bullshit. She's rich. She's respected. She's an internationally-recognized physician trained in some of the best medical schools in the world. Any country in the world would grant her asylum. But fuck that – Somalia is her home, saving peoples' asses is what this woman does all day every day, and she'd rather die than turn her back on a countryman in need.
A typical grocery store parking lot in Mogadishu.
Mama Hawa was born in Mogadishu in 1947. Born to a wealthy family, she got a good education, received a full scholarship to study medicine in Soviet Ukraine, earned a law degree, survived having a tumor removed from her brain, and then went on to become one of her country's first female OB/Gyns (this is a big deal in a country under Sharia law, where some dudes don't really see the point in a woman doing anything other than cooking dinner and shooting out babies). In 1983, fresh off her successes in Mogadishu and looking to set up her own practice, Mama Hawa opened up a tiny, one-room free clinic for women and children on her family's farmland, 15 miles from Mogadishu, offering cheap, good health care to dirt-poor families who would never have been able to afford it otherwise.
People traveled from across the land to see her, some women carrying their infants for days on foot across the countryside, and before long Mama Hawa was seeing hundreds of patients a day. That number increased exponentially after basically the entire fucking country exploded into civil war in 1991 and roughly every single man in Somalia picked up a rusty AK-47 and proceeded to bash all of his enemies to death with it. As if it wasn't enough that the entire country became enveloped in an unbelievably-violent death feud of furious anger, other neighboring countries like Ethiopia tried to take advantage of the fucking anarchy and invade, further throwing the country into an epic downward spiral of violence and brutality.
Dr. Hawa didn't blink. She sold all of her jewelry, liquidated her assets, sold off parts of her land, and pleaded for humanitarian aid from NGOs. Despite the destruction, war, and subsequent famine ravaging the land all around her, Hawa Abdi spent the next 29 years providing a safe haven for the displaced, turning her tiny one-room shack into a 400 bed hospital, and her 1,300-acre farm into a refugee camp where 90,000 displaced Somalis received free food, clean water, free health care, and a clean place for women to give birth. She built a school that educates 850 children between the ages of 7 and 18. She negotiated for fishing boats and farmland so her people could grow and fish for their food. She personally spent 12-hour days, 7 days a week, delivering babies, treating gunshot wounds, and setting up IV lines for malnourished children, and she's done it all through donations and her own personal funds, without hardly any international funding or aid.
Oh, and this isn't even the badass part yet.
Despite all the good this woman was doing for the displaced people from her country, apparently there are some pretty magnificent pieces of human garbage who felt like it was totally bullshit how this woman was using her own money to help people – over the last 20 or so years about a dozen local warlord douchebags tried to shut her operation down at gunpoint solely for the sake of being basically the biggest asshole pricks the world has ever seen. They've blocked aid, raided her camp with machine guns, and threatened her life dozens of times.
Hawa Abdi could give a shit. She's not impressed by dickless bullies preying on the weak and the wounded, and she's more than prepared to lay it all on the line for the sake of defending her people and exposing these spineless asshats for the chumps they truly are. In the early 2000s, when an International Red Cross aid truck was blocked by a local militia band, Dr. Hawa rolled up her sleeves, walked out there alone, stood between the militia and the Red Cross trucks, and told those jerkwads she was going to personally take the food to her people – if they wanted to stop her, they were going to have to put a bullet in her. The militia leader protested, Dr. Hawa argued back, shook a finger at them disdainfully, and told them to slow their fuckin' roles, and when the sun set that night not only had the militia troops allowed the aid to come through, but they personally gave the good doctor's supply convoy a full military escort all the way to the hospital.
Cute guns, but Hawa Abdi is not impressed.
One of the biggest threats to Hawa's camp came in May of 2010, when a rampaging band of 750 Somali pirate motherfuckers showed up at her front door with AKs, RPGs, and mortar launchers, demanding that Dr. Hawa come out and surrender the hospital. Hawa Abdi, 63, unarmed, walked out there to meet them. She told them to get lost. They said they needed to talk. She invited their leaders to dinner – a pretty generous offer that I have no doubt had all of those assholes' heads spinning. While they were considering the offer, she sent the word out for the women in the hospital to get their shit together and sneak out as quickly as possible, a move that probably saved a shitload of lives.
At dinner, the leaders of the militia told Mama Hawa that since she was a woman she had no business running anything. She told them, "I've been working for the country for the past 20 years. What have you done?"
This didn't go over well.
The militia terrorist baby-kickers attacked, opened fire with machine guns, mortars, and rocket launchers, shot the place up, looted everything worth looting, broke every generator and piece of medical equipment they could find, beat a bunch of people up, and took the men, women, and children inside prisoner. Dr. Hawa was thrown under house arrest, barricaded in her room by armed guards. They told her to sign the papers and hand over her shit. She told them to get fucked. They told her not to do interviews. She got a cell phone and gave interviews to anyone who would listen.
You're gonna have to do better than that.
Between the international media, a national outcry among the Somali people, Dr. Hawa's own outcry, and a fiery revolt among Dr. Hawa's imprisoned people that bordered on full-scale rioting, the bullshit militia suddenly started to lose their nerve. They came to Hawa and told her they'd leave and let her run the joint, but only if she signed over the rights to the place to them. She told them to piss off. Then they said they'd leave and let her keep the place, if she'd just get it up and running so that the militia troops would stop getting heat from the media and the populace. She told them she'd only re-open the place if she got a public written apology from the militia leader, a dude who has been on basically every NSA terrorist watch list of the last decade.
She got it.
The militia left, she got a written letter apologizing for the damage, rebuilt the place, got the hospital generators back on-line, and went to work saving lives once again. Since 2010 she's fought off another rebel attack on her hospital, and is currently battling some bullshit attempt by rich fucks to seize her land, but a woman like this isn't one who's going to back down from a fight, especially when there are tens of thousands of lives hanging in the balance.
She's just been nominated for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.
Donate to the Foundation
Interview with Dr. Hawa
Under Siege in Somalia Interview
Glamour Person of the Year
The Atlantic
The Guardian
Another Guardian Article
NY Times Column
The Complete List
About the Author
Miscellaneous Articles


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Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts had surgery in December to repair a sports hernia but says he is fully recovered and is already back doing baseball activities.
The 35-year-old Roberts, who underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip in August, had been rehabbing since September in preparation to start the 2013 season. His rehab in Sarasota, Fla., had been going well, he said, but he began feeling some discomfort and inflammation in his abdomen area.
On Dec. 19, he was examined by Dr. William Meyers, a sports hernia specialist in Philadelphia who has performed surgeries on the Orioles' Nick Markakis, Brian Matusz and Ryan Adams, among others. Meyers diagnosed the hernia – something Roberts says often "runs parallel" with the hip injury and rehab – and because the recovery time was estimated at only one month, Roberts decided to have the procedure the next day.
"If I was going to have any type of surgery, it's probably the best one to have," said Roberts, who talked with Matusz and Markakis before the procedure. "I knew it really wasn't going to affect me much."
Roberts said he often shuts down his workouts around Christmas and New Year's, so he really didn't feel like he lost any time at all.
"I've probably hit more this offseason that I have hit in an offseason in 10 years," Roberts said. "I feel like I'm in a really good place all around. I have to work on certain things, sure, but I am in a really good place."
Orioles manager Buck Showalter had mentioned on Thursday that Roberts had had a small setback, but was back to full strength. Roberts said he wasn't hiding the fact he had surgery, but he just didn't think it was an issue.
"It didn't affect my preparation," he said.
Roberts, in the last year of a four-year, $40 million contract, said he is a "full-go" for the spring.
A two-time All-Star, he has played in just 115 games over the past three years due to various injuries. After nearly 13 months away, Roberts made a triumphant return to the Orioles lineup last June, getting three hits and driving in a run in his first game back. But his season ended abruptly three weeks later due to the hip injury.


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Our mission is to strengthen the family unit.
To build strong families, we:
The Building Strong Families: Challenges and Choices program helps families find their strengths, build on those strengths, and learn skills to create stronger families, improve relationships, and increase communication. The program covers 13 topics and uses hands-on activities to involve participants.
Currently, 733 facilitators from Extension and various agencies (e.g., Community Action, Head Start, schools, social services) in Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Louisiana, Utah, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Alabama have completed certification training. To date 29,168 adults and 8,025 youth have participated in the program.
Building Strong Families is based on research showing family members can make significant changes in their behavior by focusing on strengths rather than on problems.
Building Strong Families covers:
Building Strong Families:
A team from University of Missouri Extension developed the Building Strong Families: Challenges and
Choices program in 1997.
If you have any questions or need information, contact:
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Health and Safety
Local Boards of Health; Health Programs
Subchapter III. Autism Surveillance and Registration
§ 221 Purpose.
The intent of the General Assembly is to establish and maintain an autism surveillance system and registry for the State.
Responsibility for establishing and maintaining the system and registry is delegated to the Department of Health and Social Services, along with the authority to exercise certain powers to implement the system and registry. To ensure an accurate and continuing source of data concerning autism, the General Assembly by this subchapter requires certain health-care practitioners and all hospitals and clinical laboratories to make available to the Department of Health and Social services information contained in the medical records of patients who have a suspected or confirmed autism diagnosis. All confirmed autism shall be classified and coded using the medically recognized system of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM), as well as the 6-digit modified British Pediatric Association system (BPA/ICD-9), and all subsequent revisions to these publications which are used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is intended that the product of these efforts will be a central data bank of accurate, precise and current information regarding all autism diagnosed or treated, or both, in this State.
§ 222 Definitions.
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this subchapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the content clearly indicates a different meaning:
(1) "Autism" means any structural or biochemical abnormality, regardless of cause, diagnosed at any time before or after birth, that requires medical or surgical intervention or that interferes with normal growth or development.
(2) "Department" means the Department of Health and Social Services.
(3) "Registry" means a central data bank containing collected, classified, coded and stored data relating to autism in children.
(4) "Surveillance" means the process of identifying and investigating autism in children.
§ 223 Autism Surveillance and Registry Program.
(a) The Department may adopt, promulgate, amend and repeal any rules and regulations necessary to accomplish the purpose of this subchapter. These rules and regulations may include provisions for:
(1) The establishment and maintenance of an up-to-date registry that shall document every diagnosis or treatment, or both, of autism in any child in this State;
(2)a. The establishment of a procedure for reporting to the Department, within 30 days of initial diagnosis of every occurrence of autism in any child in this State. The procedure shall include the reporting of specified information, through a combined system of active and passive surveillance, on every child under 18 years of age with autism. Specified information shall be deemed necessary and appropriate to accomplish the purpose of this subchapter and in accordance with the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for the following reasons:
1. To identify risk factors for autism;
2. To investigate the causes and prevalence of autism;
3. To develop preventive strategies to decrease occurrences of autism;
4. To analyze incidences, prevalence and trends of autism through epidemiological studies; or
5. To investigate the morbidity and mortality rates resulting from autism;
b. Those required to report to the Department occurrences of autism shall include:
1. Any physician, surgeon, dentist, podiatrist or other health care practitioner who diagnoses a child with autism;
2. The designated representative of any hospital, dispensary or other similar public or private institution that diagnoses or provides treatment, or both, for children with autism;
(3) The establishment of a procedure for the publication and distribution of forms, instructions and notices required by this subchapter or necessary to accomplish the purpose of this subchapter; and
(4) The establishment of a procedure to obtain follow-up information from those required to report occurrences of autism pursuant to this subchapter. Any follow-up information, including family, physician, hospital or laboratory contact deemed necessary by the Department, shall be submitted to the Department at least 1 time each year by those required to report occurrences of autism.
(b) The provisions of this subchapter and any rules or regulations issued pursuant to this subchapter shall not apply to any person or private institution that, as an exercise of religious freedom, treats the sick or suffering by spiritual means through prayer alone.
(c) A parent, custodian or guardian of an infant having any autism may refuse disclosure to the surveillance system and registry of the infant's name and identifying information on the grounds that such autism identification is contrary to the religious tenets and practices of the infant's parent, custodian or guardian.
§ 224 Confidentiality of reports.
(a) Any report of the diagnosis of autism made pursuant to this subchapter shall not be divulged nor made public in any way that might tend to disclose the identity of the person or family of the person to whom it relates. However, patient-identifying information may be exchanged among authorized agencies as approved by the Department and upon receipt by the Department of satisfactory assurances by those agencies of the preservation of the confidentiality of such information.
(b) No individual or organization providing information to the Department in accordance with this subchapter shall be deemed to be liable for or held liable for divulging confidential information.
§ 225 Compulsion prohibited.
Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to compel any person to submit to any medical or public health examination, treatment or supervision.
§ 226 Violations.
Any person or entity who is required to report the diagnosis or treatment, or both, of autism in any child and who violates any provision of this subchapter shall be fined up to $100 for each violation. Justices of the Peace Courts shall have jurisdiction of any offense under this subchapter.


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OneAsia, High1 Resort Open, Matthew Griffin Leads September 08 2012
Mathew Griffin
Mathew Griffin of Australia leads the OneAsia High 1 Resort Open after the third round with a -2 under par 69, for a tournament total of -9 under par. Mathew now has a two shot lead going into the final round, and is in pole position. PARK, Sang-hyun is alone in second place with a score of -7 under par. Tied in third place at -6 under par are KIM Bi-o and Aaron Townsend.
The tournament organizers decided to shorten the 10th hole at the 2012 CharityHigh1 Resort Open on Saturday when fog and low cloud threatened to play havoc with the third round. The hole was shortened to a 135-yard par three when fog kept swirling through the original 10th teeing area, which prevented players from seeing the fairway. The course card was changed from a par 72, to 71 for the third round.


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Weber State 65, UC Irvine 51
OGDEN, Utah — Daman Starring scored 15 points for the Anteaters in the nonconference game at the Dee Events Center Saturday night.
Adam Folker had six points and eight rebounds for UCI (4-6) as the Anteaters lost for the fifth time in their last six games.
Alex Young and Will Davis II also scored six points each, with Davis and Michael Wilder snaring six boards apiece. Wilder hit a three late in the first half to tie Chris Brown for fourth all-time at UCI with 170 career threes.
The Wildcats (4-2) won their 20th straight home game, the fourth-longest streak in the nation.
UCI plays at Fresno State Saturday night at 7.
Vanguard 67, Chapman 59
ORANGE — Taylor Kelly scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Lions to the nonconference win Saturday at Chapman.
Preston Wynne added 13 points and Chris Gorman scored 11 points for Vanguard (7-4). Kelly hit three of three from three-point range, while Wynne was three for seven on his three-pointers.
The Lions led, 31-29, at halftime.
Chapman is 3-3.
Vanguard plays at West Coast Baptist in Lancaster Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Cal State Bakersfield 71, UC Irvine 64
IRVINE — Camille Buckley recorded her first double-double with a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Anteaters in the nonconference game Sunday. It is the first double-double for an Anteater player this year.
Buckley, a forward, was seven for 10 from the floor and four for six from the free-throw line. She also added two blocks.
Junior guard Jennifer Tsurumoto added 15 points. She tied her career-high with five assists. Forwards Methlyn Onogomuho and Jasmine Bernard had eight points each, while guard Anete Klintsone came off the bench to total seven points for UCI (2-7).
The Roadrunners (2-7) outscored the Anteaters, 13-6, in the final three minutes.
UCI will take the week off for finals and resume action Dec. 18 at Utah State.


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PlayStation 3
What do you need help on?Cancel X
TerRover launches players into a surreal mash-up of unique cartoon graphics and a 2-D physics universe available exclusively on the PlayStation Network. TerRover�s gameplay is based on navigating a terrain rover through over forty stages of puzzling arcade levels in five different vivid 2-D art styles including the icy vistas of Congelata, the all-tech surfaces of Mechanica, the strange vegetation and terrains of Acor and Aura, and the treacherous volcanoes and lava of Volcanus! Drivers must use the vehicle�s wheel rotation, pivot center, gravity system and various weapons to overcome challenging obstacles and barriers. TerRover features three local multiplayer modes for up to four people, leaderboards and PlayStation Network trophies.
Game List Statistics
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HVACR contractors must stay in touch with the legislative activity that's taking place in Washington, D.C. and within their own states. Their very success could depend upon it.
That's according to Talbot Gee, vice president for Heating, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), in a wide-ranging keynote speech during the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES) "Lean and Green" Conference in Bloomington, MN, Oct. 27-31.
Gee said HVACR contractors' awareness and understanding of government affairs is crucial, due to the changing legislative and regulatory landscape. That landscape includes ever-increasing levels of government interest and involvement over refrigerants, health care reform, labor laws and taxes, and energy legislation.
"There's a strategic positioning that government affairs must have in an HVACR business today, whether you're a contractor, distributor, or manufacturer. This isn't background noise anymore," Gee said. "Those who understand the indicators, and position their companies the right way, will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace."
Gee emphasized that the usual approach of lobbying federal legislators is now just a fraction of what contractors must do to operate efficiently in an era of increased legislation and regulation, brought on in part by a new Administration, and by existing and potentially new refrigerant phaseout mandates established by the Montreal Protocol or other international accords.
"This is about running your business day in and day out, and how you can use policy information to your best advantage, even though you may not agree with a lot of it," Gee said. "And while there are challenges, there's almost always an opportunity for quality contractors. Perhaps maybe you need to toot your horn a little bit more." Gee said quality contractors are perhaps in the best position to benefit from what will almost certainly be a need among customers for more information and assistance related to the R-22 phaseout, refrigerant selection, and energy efficient practices and equipment.
Channel Dynamics are Changing
According to Gee, policy discussions related to climate change and other environmental issues are causing a significant change in HVACR industry channel dynamics. Today, all segments of the industry must stand up and be heard, not only the manufacturers.
"HVACR manufacturers did a phenomenal job of representing our entire industry for decades," Gee said. "Unfortunately, a lot of the policy debates have shifted downstream. Manufacturers literally can't represent the industry on every issue being tossed around in various policy proposals. And that's not an indictment on them in any way. The rest of us have to step up."
Gee said business owners must become involved at the "macro, grass tops" level educating not only lawmakers and agencies, but also our own employees; and now's the time to do it, before key bills become laws or important regulations are finalized. "If you're not engaged with your congressmen and senators, and helping them understand exactly how your small business will be impacted by these proposals, then shame on you," Gee said. "These are game changers. Cap-and-trade and health care reform are perhaps the two biggest policy game changers since Medicaid and Social Security. If you're not engaged, regardless of whether you agree or disagree, why not?"
Fortunately, not all developments in Washington are bad news, Gee said. The most favorable changes include unprecedented government energy efficiency and workforce development incentives, utility incentives, and the resultant market opportunities. "Legislation must be acknowledged, understood, fought when appropriate, and melded and shaped in the best possible way, so that it doesn't become too burdensome, and have a negative impact on employment, profits, or growth. The way you approach your business will have to shift fundamentally as a result of this," he said.
California Legislation a Litmus Test?
Gee told RSES attendees of some progressive refrigerant management regulations that are being considered in California. Those regulations would require the reporting of everything that takes place at a building facility, including system registrations and reviews of system service reports.
"This would have the state trying to track what's going on in the refrigerant market, and perhaps regulating it more in the future," Gee said. His warning to the HVACR industry: be prepared, because historically, California legislation is often a litmus test for other states. Most importantly, thanks largely to aggressive involvement over the last two years by RSES, HARDI, and others, the proposed regulations have been vastly improved since they were first drafted. These important improvements will reduce burdens on distributors and contractors, improve the effectiveness of the regulations, and provide a better refrigerant management template for the rest of the country.
Two energy-related juggernauts on everyone's radar are the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (Waxman-Markey) in the House, and the Senate's Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. Both have garnered much attention, and criticism from those who have actually taken the time to read the bills.
"In addition to phasing down HFCs and capping national CO2 emissions, Waxman-Markey contains a national energy code provision, with carrots and sticks to encourage states to adopt it," Gee explained. "States that don't adopt and rigorously enforce the more stringent codes up to 90% compliance within nine years or risk losing Federal funding and state's control of their energy codes." Gee warned that the Waxman-Markey bill could do away with "consensus-based" codes, such as those found in ASHRAE Standard 90.1, and would grant unprecedented authority over states to the federal government. "It gives the Department of Energy the authority to become the standards writer for energy codes. I don't think that's an authority we want them to have. That's an absolute game changer," he said. "The concept of an energy code is fine; however, some states could be required to have an energy code that's 30 then soon 50% more efficient than current codes, which may not have adopted by several states in the first place, and have 90% compliance in nine years. That would put a serious damper on the construction and renovation industries in those states, and proliferates enforcement and compliance issues such as the ones plaguing California contractors today."
Gee said pending energy legislation could result in HVACR contractors needing to be more integrated with other trades. Building retrofits could be subject to energy audits, and contractors could receive incentives based on improved total building system performance. Those audits, however, could delay final payments to HVACR contractors and increase total project costs.
"Due to the energy audits that would be required, the HVAC contractor won't necessarily be able to walk away from the project immediately after it's completed," Gee said. "You won't be able to wipe your hands of it if the other trades don't perform up to par. Your compensation could be more closely tied to the work performed by the other trades." Regarding "green jobs" development, Gee said organizations such as RSES have a valuable message that politicians need to hear: why spend money trying to train a new green workforce when we have an existing workforce who can learn the new technologies?
Appliance Standards Could Become Law
Gee also addressed a proposed, regionalized residential appliance efficiency standard for home comfort systems. Recently, HVAC manufacturers, led by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) gathered together with representatives from The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), as well as other energy efficiency and environmental advocates, to sign an agreement that calls for regional efficiency standards for the most common residential HVAC equipment to replace a quarter century of national standards. The agreement also allows equipment more efficient than the minimum standard to be considered in more stringent building codes for new construction and major renovations. (See CB, Nov. 2009, p. 18.) "This is an agreement between those organizations at this point," Gee cautioned.
"They've drafted language they will try to insert into one of the energy/climate bills that's being debated. If passed, it would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to adopt the terms of the agreement. However, just because they have the agreement, that doesn't mean it's a done deal so there will still be a continuation of the scheduled DOE rulemaking that started last summer. They're also going to try to get terms of the agreement into the DOE's proposed rule, however the DOE currently lacks the authority to implement all of the agreement's terms without Congressional approval. The fact that they made the agreement is significant regardless because it signals a major shift in industry policy for appliance standards. If the terms of the agreement were passed by Congress and adopted by the DOE, the new standards for furnaces go into effect in 2013; standards for other systems would take effect in 2015. The agreement sets different standard levels for gas furnaces and central air-conditioners in three climate regions — North, South, and Southwest with the Southwest region having minimum requirements for both SEER and EER performance. Efficiency standards for other residential equipment would remain national and increase from the current standards.
Gee said many questions have yet to be answered related to how the standards would be implemented or enforced, but added that HVACR distributors and contractors and their associations will have to play a very significant role since they will be most affected.
Challenges Require Strategic Planning, Swift Response
Other issues that Gee said will continue to offer challenges to contractors include:
• The cost of doing business is increasing because of regulations. "You have to factor that in, including travel to Washington if you believe it will help," Gee said. "If you don't weigh in, legislation could come out worse than you expected. It could prohibit what you sell, who you sell to, and possibly, the price at which you sell it."
• Changing codes and standards require contractor involvement in meetings that serve to establish codes and standards, such as those set by ASHRAE or AHRI.
• An uncertain business climate. "We don't know what the final tax or labor policies will be. However, knowing about it will give you an advantage. You can understand it if you read the tea leaves and plan accordingly," Gee advised.
In closing, Gee emphasized the importance of inter-industry collaboration and advocacy in the establishment of legislation and regulation that's more favorable to the HVACR industry. "You have to be involved in your own industry association meetings as well as in your own state legislatures and on the Hill," he said. "All organizations in our industry must be quicker at setting strategy, quicker in delivering information, and quicker at making decisions. We have no choice."


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A.J. Foyt keeps his team together: Sato, Halliday, Prados returning
A.J. Foyt is keeping his team together for a second straight IndyCar season.
Article continues below ...
On Tuesday, the team owner and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner said driver Takuma Sato, chief engineer Don Halliday and performance engineer Raul Prados will all be back in 2014.
The Japanese driver won at Long Beach, giving Foyt's team its first victory since 2002. He also took the pole at Houston, giving Foyt's team its first pole since Billy Boat won it at Indianapolis in 2008. Sato acknowledged there's a special bond with this team that has given him a confidence boost.
Foyt said the team he believes the continuity will help his team improve.
Foyt also announced he had successful knee replacement surgery Dec. 12. He had hip replacement surgery in July.


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Smythjohn needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 99 designs submitted by 26 freelance designers.
Must Know TV
Must Know TV is a product for viewing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on a TV screen
e.g. if you have specific monthly targets Must Know TV breaks down the targets daily and shows how you are performing to that target on a daily basis.
Initially it is aimed at the motor Industry to monitor the sales and servicing of cars.
Edit for clarification: As well as being available on TV, the product will also be viewable by clients via a members area on a website. The product in general relies on red/amber/green charts to portray target achievement.
Audience will typically be business managers, initially in the motor industry.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Happy Repeal Day! I'm going to have a couple or three posts today, but I'll start briefly.
The Times, this morning, continues to trip merrily through the spirits world with a piece on absinthe. The piece, by Pete Wells, opens with a bit of surprise, at least to me–the first American-produced absinthe of the revival. St. George Spirits, from Alameda, has cleared all regulatory hurdles and should be on the market soon.
Wells then samples the absinthes of Lucid, Kubler, and St. George (which provided him an early sample) and judges the St. George the most complex of the lot. The piece, with quotes by Ted Breaux and St. George's Lance Winters, is worth a read, although absinthe aficionados probably won't find anything new.


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Editor's note: This is the second in a two-day look into solving the problem of suicide. Today a look at the challenges facing military veterans.
SALT LAKE CITY — As an Army combat medic, Leslie Zimmerman spent four years trying to patch up wounded comrades and friends. She was in Korea for a year and then sent to Iraq the day the war began.
She returned home in 2004, and the battles didn't stop. She said she actually wanted to go back to Iraq because she didn't know how to handle day-to-day life without the military.
"It was really, really difficult," Zimmerman said. "I wanted to go back because there I didn't have to think about anything, because you just do what you're trained to do, and you don't have to worry about how you feel because you don't have time to feel. It's not part of the job to feel."
She said she couldn't really talk to her husband at the time about anything because she couldn't figure out where she fit into her old life. She was dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Her thoughts turned to suicide.
"When I got home, it was quiet and calm, and then you have everything left over. It doesn't just stop. You remember everything," Zimmerman said of Iraq.
Zimmerman said she was lucky to have a regular physician ask her about her mental well-being, and she was set up with a psychologist. She still goes to counseling once a week and spends time with other veterans "who get it."
But many are not so fortunate. Of the 18 Utah soldiers who died in 2013, at least 13 are confirmed suicides, said Ryan Wilcox, a former Utah state legislator.
Newly released numbers by the Pentagon reveal there were 289 suicides among active duty troops in 2013, down from 343 in 2012. The majority were in the Army, with the Pentagon reporting a 25 percent decline in the Navy (59 to 44). The Marines and Air Force were nearly the same year-over-year, dropping by three Marines and two Air Force servicemen.
The drop comes after military suicides steadily increased for about a decade, possibly because of better tracking and U.S. military involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
A National Institute of Mental Health study of 2004 to 2009 showed the rates of deployed soldiers doubled to more than 30 suicide deaths per 100,000. The rates for non-deployed soldiers tripled to about the same rate. The average civilian rate for similar ages and demographics remained at about 19 for every 100,000.
The reported drop in suicides in 2013 indicates more is being done to help service members. But these are still personal struggles impacting American families at an alarming rate.
Leslie Zimmerman found a way through the darkness.
Lessons from Leslie
"I have kids now, so it's not just about me," Zimmerman said. "There's things preventing me from committing suicide, but I'm not going to lie that I don't feel like that sometimes. Some days are better than others, but my kids and my family are enough."
Now 32 and living in Pleasant Grove, Zimmerman says she has been married to a supportive husband for six years, and they have three children, ages 6, 4 and 3.
Reaching out and finding someone to trust and then talking about it is important because it makes it "less of a reality, less plausible," she said. When she hears what she's saying, she realizes what a bad idea suicide is.
Zimmerman said coping gets easier. Working out, running and mountain biking early every morning helps her feel alive. She then spends time with her kids until they go to bed. They ride bikes and work on kindergarten homework and play games.
To people struggling in similar situations, Zimmerman said, "Just think about tomorrow because yesterday might be dark, and today might be dark, but there's nothing saying tomorrow won't be light."
Understanding symptoms
Dr. Craig Bryan, executive director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah, said the chance of having an immediate or delayed onset of PTSD is about 50/50 for those who are going to manifest severe symptoms. He said there's a common sequence that leads to suicide: first PTSD, then substance abuse as a way to cope with trauma symptoms, and then depression because the first two affect things like mood, sleep and social relationships.
Military service members come home from a life where they have power, control, status, adrenaline rushes and a support system of people who understand.
They experience a loss similar to a civilian retiree, explained Gary Blair, suicide prevention case manager for the Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System.
"When you come home, how to deal with going back to civilian life, that's pretty hard and things are a lot different when you come home, depending on how long you've been away," said retired Staff Sgt. Lonnie Jorgensen of Roy, who served two consecutive nine-month tours in Iraq.
Jorgensen said he came home to an independent wife who was used to doing things on her own, so he felt "kind of worthless" and that he wasn't needed.
"It's hard to adapt to going back to mowing the lawn, doing the grocery shopping, and stuff like that," Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen said he was advised to stay away from alcohol and buying guns or a motorcycle for a year, but many soldiers come home and do dangerous things for the exhilaration.
"They want to match that adrenaline rush they had when they got in that firefight or when that vehicle was blown up," he said. "It took about a year to where my driving habits got back to normal. I still don't trust people. I see people on an overpass and I get worried that they're going to throw a bomb at me."
Managing stress
It's not necessarily deployment and combat stress that contribute to the high rates of suicide among military service members and veterans, Bryan said.
"Deployment in and of itself doesn't really seem to carry much risk," Bryan said. "It's what's happened to them while they were deployed."
Often those deployed on peace-keeping or humanitarian missions have more mental health issues than those deployed on combat missions because of all the suffering and atrocities they see.
As with all mental health concerns, it is a matter of resiliency. Military service men and women have the same risk factors civilians have — relationship problems, financial woes, legal troubles and employment stress. Bryan said these factors are often more closely associated with mental health problems and suicide than deployment and seeing combat.
"What seems to be different is just there's something about the military culture that serves as a barrier for seeking out health care and makes them less likely to want to talk to others about the problems that they're having," Bryan said.
The stigma surrounding suicide is one of the biggest barriers keeping people from seeking mental health help, according to Kim Myers, suicide prevention coordinator with the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
"Get help," said Adam, a 34-year-old veteran from West Jordan, who asked that only his first name be used. "It's hard to get help because you feel kind of weak, but the strength you gain from it is so much better."
Jorgensen, whose friend was one of the soldiers who died by suicide last year, said soldiers may not seek help while they're in combat because they don't want to be pulled from missions or leave their "battle buddies," so they just "tough it out." For some, asking for help is accepting defeat or letting their buddies down.
"The stigma is that you can't be trusted if you seek help, you're crazy, you're weak if you seek help, but it takes a strong person to go get help, to realize they need help," Jorgensen said.
The military is trying to eliminate that stigma and improve suicide prevention efforts.
"It's not weak for you to seek help. If you even feel depressed or you can't get over something that happened and you're feeling like you're in a corner, seek help," Jorgensen said.
Training and treatment
Capt. Dave Wood, a psychologist for the National Guard, said the Army goes through an annual "suicide standown," basically a briefing on suicide prevention. Soldiers learn about risk factors, resources, hotlines, what to do and where to go.
"The idea that we really heavily rely on is the grass-roots buddy to pay attention, to act, and to get that person to safety," Wood said.
Another training effort is the comprehensive soldier fitness program. In the Army, each company has at least one master resiliency trainer who gives monthly training on resiliency skills. The efficacy isn't certain yet, as the program just started rolling out a few years ago, but Wood has noticed the training filtering into soldiers' daily lives.
"There has been a little lag time from when the problem spiked and then when the response came. I wouldn't say that we're there yet, but we're working really hard," Wood said.
Wood also said there is suicide intervention skills training, commonly called suicide first aid. He said it increases a person's readiness and willingness to intervene.
"In most cases, if we can get in and talk to them, we can work with them and keep them safe," Wood said. "It's the ones that don't talk to us that fall through the cracks."
Military members have to be willing to talk during annual health assessments and post-deployment assessments, which are mandated right after deployment and again within six months.
"There is hope. It's absolutely curable. It's something you can live through," said Emily Hoerner with the Utah Chapter of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
They and their families can attend free classes provided by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Utah and attend therapy groups at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute.
"Today is not your whole life. What's going on today is not your whole life, no matter how bad it is, no matter how dire your situation may be," Adam said.
Adam's story
Adam said he felt great at first when he got home and everything was better just because he didn't have enemy fire coming at him anymore. But it didn't take long for things to start heading downhill.
When he came back from Iraq in 2004 after five years of Army service, he didn't have much support. He said the resources soldiers have now were essentially nonexistent at the time.
His PTSD symptoms were aggravated by the stress of moving to Iowa, starting a new job, being away from his two kids and receiving divorce papers in the mail. Adam could sleep only about two hours a night because he was waking up in cold sweats after having nightmares that were "exponentially worse" than what he actually saw in Iraq.
One horrendous night, he said, he "cracked." He woke up after passing out and drove to the VA hopsital and received help.
The solution: He realized he had something new to fight for.
"I fought for my country. I fought for what I believed was right, and I basically changed my game plan," Adam said. "I fought for my kids and I still fight for my kids. I found a new war."
Adam said he is remarried to a woman who has been his "rock," and he puts his focus on his four children — 11, 10, 6 and 6 months.
Helping others
War is people being as sane as they can in an insane situation, said Blair of the VA, who called it a "sacred privilege" to help veterans and others in the emergency room or through the crisis line.
A host of factors can contribute to a person considering suicide: substance abuse, health issues, a history of abuse, loneliness, relationship issues, worthlessness, mood instability, anger, anxiety, homelessness, unemployment, legal issues, financial stress and poor support.
When these things happen, people's emotions and feelings are depressed. They are in a "dark place" and don't see other options.
"Generally the only emotion that can come out is anger, and, usually, it's anger toward themselves or others," Blair said. "And so, because of limited options somebody has, they really do want somebody to step in and help take charge of their life. People who attempt suicide or complete suicide generally do not want to die. Suicide is a permanent solution to a problem that's generally short-term."
Individuals and their loved ones can look for warning signs: people thinking about hurting themselves, preoccupation with death, and self-destructive or risky behavior, particularly if it involves weapons, drugs or alcohol.
Factors that can help prevent suicide include positive social support, spirituality, family responsibility, life satisfaction, engagement in treatment, positive coping skills and children in the home.
"Always ask the question," Blair said. "It's never wrong to ask if they're suicidal. It won't put that idea in their head."
Blair also said eliminating secrecy and attending the VA are both big protective factors.
Said Adam: "You're always going to have a war inside, but that doesn't mean you have to fight your battles alone."
How to get help
Veterans and their family members needing help can call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-82551-800-273-8255 and press 1, send a text to 838255 or chat online at veteranscrisisline.net.
Anyone struggling with substance abuse, mental illness or any crisis can call a county crisis hotline, the Statewide CrisisLine at 801-587-3000 and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). People in crisis can also call 911 or go to an emergency room.
Email: [email protected], Twitter: Madeleine6


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Captain's Report
For the last several years Formula has been creating their new models for the 21st century and this year Formula targeted its efforts on the 290. Every inch of this boat has been redesigned and retooled from the keel up. The 290 Sun Sport replaces the old 280.
The Formula 290 Sun Sport has a 22-degree deadrise and lines that would make Pininfarina proud.
This is not a bowrider – what one is seeing forward (with X-Ray vision)
is the interior of the 290 Sun Sport cuddy.
Designed for Big Water
First of all she has a 23-degree deadrise, slightly deeper than the old model, and just two-degrees away from the 24-degrees that is found on the best offshore race boats. Two degrees may not seem like much, but when it comes to high-speed rides in a stiff chop, it makes a big difference. The other reason that Formula chose to go with the deep-V is because many of their customers use their boats in "blue water." So one can have the biggest sports yacht on the lake, or a high-performance – and comfortable -- sportboat on saltwater.The Love Boat
Formula has placed the companion seat next to the helm seat and it is individually adjustable. We like this for a lot of very obvious reasons. Adjacent to the helm on the port side is seating for two facing the helm. We can't recall seeing this before in this class of boat, and we think of it as a "love seat" – sort of like the kind that might have in a living room. We're not sure Formula is happy with that description, but the fact is that it is a cozy place for two people to sit – close together – and it's a nice place to be with one's honey talking to the captain and his honey! Or, if a family has this boat, mom and dad can be with the kids.All the New Innovations
Every year Formula evolves all of their models and of course the 290 has all of the latest tricks such as swing down arm rests, the folding sun pad aft, RTM, closed molding for hatches, etc. While lots of equipment comes standard on Formulas that is usually optional on other brands, the builder has also expanded its option list. And there are some new interesting things on it this year, for example, the pull-out drawer refrigerator for the cockpit and the Captain's Call thru-transom exhauster diverter.As Shiny as a Formula
If one has ever had the feeling that the gel coat on a Formula is shinier than on other brands, that's because it is. But those beautiful colors that is seen on a Formula are not in the gel coat – they are in the Imron paint. Not only that, but Formula buffs its Imron paint and the gel coat up to 18 times before a boat is approved for shipping. But that is only half the story.
While at one time boat builders had to make their own hull tooling and molds, years ago most builders started farming out that unpleasant, and incredibly labor-intensive chore to third parties who could do it faster, cheaper and – they will tell the boater – better. The folks who own Formula disagree with the "better" part, and insist on making their own plugs and molds. And when it comes to faring hull plugs (from which the mold is made) there is no substitute for hundreds of hours of sanding with fine grit paper no matter who does it.
Formula credits the incredibly glossy and fair finish of their boats to "elbow grease" and plenty of it. Next time one sees a Formula, look along the hull and let the light play over it, and one will see a fair hull. This is one of the reasons that Formula boats cost more than many other brands.5 to 10-Year Warranties
Formula is one of just a handful of boat builders which offers a comprehensive 5-year warranty on virtually everything in the boat, and it is transferrable. There is a 10-year warranty on the hull. These two warranties not only offer piece of mind, but also make the boat worth more at retail.Built By Hand
Virtually all boats by all companies are built by hand simply because production numbers are so low robotics are limited even among the highest volume builders. But some hands are better at what they do than others. Formula is located in a small town in northern Indiana where the work force is stable and the same people have been working there for decades. They know what they are doing and how to do it. Also, Formula's corporate culture has a lot to do with their extremely high fit and finish. Anything less than the best is just not acceptable and all of the workers take pride in their product.The Price
The MSRP of the 290 with a single Volvo Penta V8-380 C engine is $187,270. As we look over the options, very few are really necessary, but some would add to the fun or ease of handling of the boat. All up, then, the boater might be looking at about $200k MSRP.
Standard and Optional Features
Marine Electronics
|VHF Radio
|Air Cond./Heat
|Battery Charger/Converter
|CD Stereo
|Head: Fixed
|Trim Tabs
Exterior Features
|Carpet: Cockpit
|Outlet: 12-Volt Acc
|Swim Ladder
|Swim Platform
|Transom Shower
|Wet bar
|Bimini Top
|Cockpit Cover
Full Warranty Information on this brand coming soon!
(It's quick and FREE!)


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- Premier League
AVB: Bale needs better referee protection
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas believes Gareth Bale deserves more protection from Premier League referees after narrowly avoiding a dangerous challenge in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Norwich at Carrow Road.
Bale, 23, scored the equaliser for Tottenham with a tidy finish after a mazy run through the Norwich defence, although he was lucky to avoid a tackle from Alex Tettey which Villas-Boas perceived as potentially ankle breaking.
On his way to goal, Bale dodged Tettey's outstretched leg and the Spurs boss claims that officials must crack down on hazardous tackles or risk losing some of the game's most exciting players.
"It was a beautiful goal but he was extremely lucky to avoid Tettey's challenge, which could have broken his ankle," Villas-Boas said. "I'm extremely disappointed he didn't get a yellow or red card.
"You have to protect the unpredictability, passion and emotion of the British game but you have to be aware that, if people go over the top, players like Gareth could get an injury that takes him out for six months. I showed the referee my disappointment. I'm extremely disappointed with that incident.
"Obviously pushing and shoving and duels are in the nature of the game but sometimes it gets over the top. It looks like you don't want to referee this situation because you don't really know what is happening, so you just let the game go on and pretend that a couple of fouls are part of the game. But I don't think that is so.
"And there's such a discrepancy of refereeing styles. Credit to them because they bring passion to this league by letting the game go on but sometimes it's just over the top."
Canaries manager Chris Hughton failed to understand Villas-Boas' concerns, claiming his own defenders did not even come close to stopping Bale as he broke through.
"I'm surprised by that [Villas-Boas' comments]," he said. "There didn't seem to be much wrong with [Bale] as he went past everyone."
Tottenham missed a chance to move within two points of third-placed Chelsea after the Blues surrendered a two-goal lead to draw at Reading. Although his side's defence were culpable for Wes Hoolahan's 32nd minute opener, Villas-Boas commended their improved attitude after the break.
"It was a difficult game," Villas-Boas said. "Norwich put in a really good first half performance and our second half performance was very good as well. At half-time the players recognised that they wanted to change their attitude and they really made the difference in the second half.
"It was an extremely good second half - the power, the ambition and playing attacking football in difficult circumstances. After we made it 1-1, we had chances to make it 2-1 and it's a pity that didn't happen. Hopefully the second half will be a good example of what we want to do at West Brom."


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LIVERMORE — A 33-year-old Lodi man died after he was impaled by a metal rod that burst through his windshield on westbound Interstate 580 early Wednesday morning, police said.
A spokeswoman from the Alameda County Coroner's officer identified him as Michael Cox.
Cox was alone in the car and no one else was injured, said a spokesman from the California Highway Patrol.
CHP officers responded to I-580 about a half-mile west of Grant Line Road shortly after 8 a.m. to investigate a Volvo station wagon crashed into a median, said CHP Officer John Bautista. Officers approached the car and found that a metal pipe had flown through the windshield, hitting the driver in his upper torso and head area.
Cox was pronounced dead at the scene. The metal object, not the subsequent car crash, appeared to be the cause of death, authorities said.
The metal object, which was later identified as a tool used to ratchet down truck loads, appears to have come from a truck or a trailer, Officer Tyler Hahn said.
"Whether it came bouncing off of a trailer or if it was kicked up off the ground from another car, we don't know," Hahn said.
It was not immediately known if police had been able to track down the driver of the truck or trailer.
Reach Erin Ivie at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/erin_ivie. Reach Kristin J. Bender at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/kjbender.


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Au Naturel (video tutorial)
We affectionately call this look the No-Make-up Make-up, straight from the runways. It's also a great way to bring out your best features while looking like you're naturally flawless.
• Cover any redness, blemishes or dark circles with foundation or concealer.
• Leave your brows bare.
• Lightly coat your lashes with brown mascara.
• Lightly swirl the apples of your cheeks with a light peach blush.
• Finish with a sheer tinted lip balm.
XO Amy Nadine


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If you have or know a solar project, please submit it to us for consideration as a featured project using Submit an Item. http://www.solaripedia.com/302/submit-an-item.html
A solar updraft tower is a renewable-energy power plant, first proposed in 1903. It combines three proven technologies: chimney effect, greenhouse effect and wind turbines. Air is heated by sunshine and contained in a very large greenhouse-like structure around the base of a tall tower; the resulting convection causes air to rise up the updraft tower. This airflow drives turbines, which produce electricity. The Australian company EnviroMission proposes to build the world's tallest solar updraft power plant, or chimney, in Arizona. With a 2,600-foot tall tower that would be the centerpiece of this giant non-polluting power plant, it would be the second tallest structure on the planet (as of 2011) – only 100 feet shorter than the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai UAE. The generating ability of a solar updraft power plant depends primarily on two factors: the collector area and the chimney height. With a larger collector area, a greater volume of air is warmed to flow up the chimney; collector areas as large as seven kilometers (4.3 mi) in diameter have been considered. With a larger chimney height, the pressure difference increases the stack effect; chimneys as tall as 1,000 meters (3,281 ft) have been considered. The EnviroMission tower is expected to be completed in 2015 and will provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of 200,000 homes. (Scroll to bottom for additional resources)
The EnviroMission design consists of a giant, round greenhouse-like structure, under which air becomes trapped and gets very hot -- around 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The hot air naturally rises, and would rush toward the tall tower in the center, passing through 32 turbines, whose turning blades would run generators and create electricity. Heat can also be stored inside the collector area greenhouse or inside tubes filled with water to be used to warm the air later and increase energy storage as needed. Turbines can be installed in a ring around the base of solar updraft towers, with a horizontal axis, as planned for the Arizona project, or—as in the prototype in Spain—a single vertical axis turbine can be installed inside the chimney.
Typically carbon dioxide is emitted only negligibly while operating, but is emitted more significantly during manufacture of its construction materials, particularly cement. Net energy payback is estimated to be 2–3 years. A solar updraft tower power station would consume a significant area of land if it were designed to generate as much electricity as is produced by modern power stations using conventional technology. Construction is optimized in hot regions with large amounts of very low-value land, such as deserts, or otherwise degraded land. A small-scale solar updraft tower may be an attractive option for remote regions in developing countries. The relatively low-tech approach could allow local resources and labor to be used for its construction and maintenance.
First Prototype in Spain
In 1982, a small-scale experimental model of a solar draft tower was built in Manzanares, Ciudad Real, 150 km south of Madrid, Spain. The power plant operated for approximately eight years. The updraft tower's guy-wires, which were not protected against corrosion, failed due to rust and failed in a storm. This caused the tower to fall over, and the plant was decommissioned in 1989. Inexpensive materials were used in order to evaluate their performance. The solar tower was built of iron plating only 1.25 mm thick under the direction of a German engineer, Jörg Schlaich, funded by the German government. The chimney had a height of 195 meters and a diameter of 10 meters with a collection area (greenhouse) of 46,000 m² (about 11 acres (45,000 m2), or 244 m diameter) obtaining a maximum power output of about 50 kW. Different materials were used for testing, such as single or double glazing or plastic (which turned out not to be durable enough), and one section was used as an actual greenhouse, growing plants under the glass. During its operation, optimization data was collected on a second-by-second basis with 180 sensors measuring inside and outside temperature, humidity and wind speed. This was an experimental setup that did not sell energy to produce income.
Other Solar Updraft Tower Examples
Jinshawan Updraft Tower - world record - In December 2010, a solar updraft tower in Jinshawan in Inner Mongolia, China started operation, producing 200-kilowatts of electric power. The 1.38 billion RMB (USD 208 million) project was started in May 2009 and its aim is to build a facility covering 277 hectares and producing 27.5 MW by 2013. The greenhouses will also improve the climate by covering moving sand, restraining sandstorms.
Ciudad Real Torre Solar - There is a proposal to construct a solar updraft tower in Ciudad Real, Spain, entitled Ciudad Real Torre Solar. If built, it would be the first of its kind in the European Union and would stand 750 metres tall – nearly twice as tall as the current tallest structure in the EU, the Belmont TV Mast – covering an area of 350 hectares (about 865 acres). It is expected to put out 40 MW of electricity.
Botswana Test Facility - Based on the need for plans for long-term energy strategies, Botswana's Ministry of Science and Technology designed and built a small-scale solar chimney system for research. This experiment ran from 7 October to 22 November 2005. It had an inside diameter of 2 m and a height of 22m and was manufactured from glass-reinforced polyester material, with a collection base area of approximately 160 m2. The roof was made of a 5 mm thick clear glass that was supported by a steel framework.
Namibian Proposal - In mid 2008, the Namibian government approved a proposal for the construction of a 400 MW solar chimney called the 'Greentower'. The tower is planned to be 1.5 km tall and 280 m in diameter, and the base will consist of a 37 km2 greenhouse in which cash crops can be grown.
Turkish Model - A model solar updraft tower was constructed in Turkey as a civil engineering project. Functionality and outcomes are obscure.
Mountainside Solar Draft Tower - In 1926 Prof Engineer Bernard Dubos proposed to the French Academy of Sciences the construction of a Solar Aero-Electric Power Plant in North Africa with its solar chimney on the slope of a large mountain. A mountainside updraft tower can also function as a vertical greenhouse.
Arctic Solar Draft Tower - A Solar updraft power plant located at high latitudes such as in Canada, could produce up to 85 per cent of the output of a similar plant located closer to the equator, but only if the collection area is sloped significantly southward. The sloped collector field is built at suitable mountain hills, which also functions as a chimney. Then a short vertical chimney is added to install the vertical axis air turbine. The results showed that solar chimney power plants at high latitudes may have satisfactory thermal performance.
Conversion rate of solar energy to electrical energy
The solar updraft tower has a power conversion rate considerably lower than many other designs in the (high temperature) solar thermal group of collectors. The low conversion rate of the Solar Tower is balanced to some extent by the low investment cost per square meter of solar collection.
According to model calculations, it was estimated that a 100 MW plant would require a 1000 m tower and a greenhouse of 20 km2. A 200 MW power plant with the same 1000-metre-high tower would need a collector 7 kilometres in diameter (total area of about 38 km²). One 200MW power station will provide enough electricity for around 200,000 typical households and will abate over 900,000 tons of greenhouse producing gases from entering the environment annually. The 38 km² collecting area is expected to extract about 0.5 percent, or 5 W/m² of 1 kW/m², of the solar power that falls upon it. Note that in comparison, concentrating thermal (CSP) or photovoltaic (CPV) solar power plants have an efficiency ranging between 20% to 31.25% (dish Stirling), although these approaches do not attain 100% utilization of land area which should be considered when contemplating efficiency versus foot print. Because no data is available to test these models on a large-scale updraft tower there is uncertainty about the reliability of these calculations.
The performance of an updraft tower may be degraded by factors such as atmospheric winds, by drag induced by the bracings used for supporting the chimney, and by reflection off the top of the greenhouse canopy. It is possible to combine the land use of a solar updraft tower with other uses, in order to make it more cost effective, and in some cases, to increase its total power output. Examples are the positioning of solar collectors or photovoltaics underneath the updraft tower collector. This could be combined with agricultural use.
Design of Commercial Solar Updraft Tower Systems (498 kb)


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105 Supersmart Strategies
Here's our comprehensive look at the best ways to travel: how to find a deal, avoid lines, pack, fly, tip, and more.
Check in at home
The longest lines at airports aren't at security; they're at check-in. You can check in for a flight and print your boarding pass 24 hours beforehand, and you should do it. (This applies more if you're only carrying bags on; if you're checking bags, it may or may not help.) It's especially foolish to hesitate with airlines such as Southwest, where those who check in early can board first and get their choice of seating.
A frequent flier's best friend
Do yourself a favor and purchase noise-canceling headphones, which make flying way more pleasant. If you're buying Bose's, go for the QuietComfort 2. They're superior to the newer QuietComfort 3 (and $50 cheaper, too).
Never check bags!
Carrying your bags on will save you time on the front and back ends of your journey. If you've printed your boarding pass at home and you're not checking bags, you can arrive at the airport an hour early for domestic flights and two hours for international trips. Yes, the official recommendations are an hour more for each. Those are the rules for people who don't know what they're doing.
Airplanes are flying buses
You get little more than a little seat; now quit whining and take responsibility for your comfort. Assume that food, entertainment, blankets, and pillows cost extra, if they're offered at all. Rather than get nickel-and-dimed, carry on anything you want.
Yes, it's a race
Whenever you deplane from an international flight, walk fast. Passing 10 people during the long trek to the immigration checkpoints can spare you at least five minutes of waiting in a tedious line.
Jump to the front
If you're at the airport and your flight is canceled, call the airline's 800 number while you're walking to the airline counter (and stay on when in line); this increases your chances of getting on the next flight.
Hands off the call button
The vast majority of flight attendants have a Pavlovian reaction to the call button: When they hear it, they snarl. About the only time it's acceptable to push the button is when you or your seatmate is having a heart attack.
Ever seen how bags get handled?
If you must check a bag, take a photo of it in case the airline loses it, and put your itinerary and contact info inside in case it doesn't arrive with your flight and the airline needs to get it to you. Mark the bag with a sticker or colorful strap so it stands out: You may be able to recognize your bag, but the schmo on the other side of the carousel may not. And never, ever check anything valuable or fragile.
Someone gets stuck with the middle seat
That someone need not be you. Always reserve a specific seat when you book a flight or a package. Use SeatGuru.com to scope the plane's best and worst rows. (The closer you sit to the lavatory, the more likely you'll smell like it even after you've deplaned.) If you end up with a bum seat, try to switch to a better one at check-in. And if that still doesn't work, try again at the gate, and again when you're on board the plane.
Airport security for beginners
1. At home, place gels and liquids (in 3-oz. containers) in a quart-size Ziploc. Wear slip-on shoes, and don't forget socks (going barefoot is gross).
2. In the security line, remove everything except your ID and boarding pass from your pockets.
3. When you're three people from the front of the line, take off your shoes and jacket, and remove your laptop from your bag.
4. Try to be patient with everyone who didn't do it this way.
Go self-service
The kiosks let you sign up for standby, change seats, check luggage, and sometimes upgrade cheaply.
Got a big carry-on?
Then you'd better be at the front of the line for your boarding group. Once you're on the plane, if it looks busy up ahead, stash the bag in any open overhead space. Never allow the bag to end up behind your seat, or you'll have to wait for the entire plane to empty before you'll be able to retrieve it.
If we learned one thing from JetBlue's recent meltdown...
When you board a plane, you have to assume you're going to spend at least the next three hours in your seat--so have what you need at hand, and visit the bathroom before boarding.
Twenty bucks a day is $140 a week
Airports charge a fortune for parking. AirportParkingReservations.com lists off-site options, which may even let you reserve a spot. And if you spend a night at a nearby hotel, it may let you park there for free.
Call someone who cares
To reduce the number of cars circling the arrivals area, airports are creating "cell phone parking lots" where people meeting an arriving passenger can wait for that person's call. The lots are the best thing to happen at airports since Auntie Anne's pretzel-wrapped hot dogs.