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Have you ever walked in a restaurant and wished that you had never even opened the door?
Had this experience while visiting my friend Autumn in Long Island this past weekend. We were trying to grab sandwiches on our way to the beach so we made a pitstop at a deli/bagel place. As we walked inside, I looked at the first meat case. It was completely empty. The second meat case contained shrink-wrapped paper towel rolls on display. There were also bottles of Tylenol for sale.
So no food anywhere at the deli, save for a few bagels by the cash register. Something didn't seem right. There was a menu, but it seemed unchanged for eons...
A manager emerged from the backroom, and was enthusiastic enough. "What can I get for you?" he asked. But I didn't want anything particularly from this restaurant, as I value my life. I tried to communicate this with my eyes to my friends. It didn't work. We all stood there hemming and hawing for awhile, trying to leave without insulting the manager too much. An impossible task.
After we escaped and regrouped on the sidewalk, my friend's husband said, "I can't believe we stayed there for that long. Obviously we weren't going to order anything."
Meanwhile, all of us girls had been thinking, "Well, I don't want to eat here, but maybe one of my friends wants to eat here. I should consider her feelings." Too polite!
Just so you don't think my mini-vacation was all suspect delis, here's a picture of the water at Port Jefferson! And another of the fine lobster roll I got at Braun Seafood - $2 more expensive than the Lobster Roll truck in D.C., but I didn't have to wait two hours for it.


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My youngest child is a joiner.
Short Stuff is all about clubs, projects and teams, both in terms of joining them and creating them.
Be it organized sports, the Lego-of-the-month club or simply a burning desire to round up the rest of the neighborhood boys for an us-versus-them Nerf gun battle,
Joining, I'd dare say, is one of his favorite pastimes.
So what's the problem?
He doesn't have nearly the same amount of enthusiasm about the participation aspect.
The kid who pesters me daily to sign him up for baseball and, once I cave, peppers me daily with "Has coach called yet?" has to be dragged to the practice field and forced into his game-day gear.
He's not what I'd call the team's best slugger, but he's not the worst either.
And his catching and throwing skills aren't going to land him on the all-star roster anytime soon.
He wants to be on the team, he assures us, because it's fun.
Maybe so, but it looks, from where I'm sitting, like it's fun of his own making.
While his teammates are at bat, for instance, you can bet your bottom dollar that Short Stuff will be crouched in the corner with a couple of other easily distracted boys engrossed in some fascinating activity like spitting seeds at ants crawling across the dirt floor.
Once they take the field, you'll likely find Short Stuff in right field staring skyward. Don't fool yourself into thinking the boy is watching for pop flies. He's studying clouds and day-dreaming about the Nerf-gun battle he's missing out on.
I engaged in this battle of wills summer after summer because, well, it's what moms do.
Part of it is what I like to think of as selective amnesia. You block out the things that are painful, much like expectant moms "forget" about the pains of labor once they get their hands on that little bundle of joy.
Why else would you have baby No. 2, or 4, or 10?
You also choose to put aside your own wants and desires so your kid doesn't miss out on those childhood experiences, right?
In this case, though, the boys-of-summer memories I had envisioned for my little man were instead shaping up to be the stuff that will make some therapist rich one day.
I can just see a grownup Short Stuff pinning all his adult problems on the times that his fire-breathing momma forced him to leave his air-conditioned home to stand on a mosquito-filled field and play a game he secretly hated.
At least that's the thought that flashed through my mind the day that we bumped into a teammate and his parents in a grocery-store aisle and the dad innocently asked, "Are you playing baseball this summer?"
Short Stuff answered with an enthusiastic "Yes!" before I could open my mouth.
I stayed silent, offered up what I'm sure was more grimace than smile, and tried to will myself into accepting another summer with my pouting player.
But I'm a lot harder to guilt into compliance these days, what with this being my third kid, and I just wasn't buying it.
I finally decided to talk it over with the boy's dad, not that his vote outweighs mine, mind you.
But I do occasionally seek his input. I had expected some initial resistance to a baseball-free summer, knowing how much dads like to relive their youth via their sons' sports prowess.
In this instance, though, I had failed to factor in the fishing fever that has long afflicted my other half.
No baseball leaves Saturdays free for fishing, making the decision a no-brainer as far as he was concerned.
If the boy was going to spend his weekends staring skyward, he said, he could just as easily do it from the boat's deck with a fishing pole in one hand.
So, with apologies to Ernest Lawrence Thayer, I offer you these parting words:
Come this summer, when the sun is shining bright,
The other boys will be getting ready to play with all their might
But absent will be the one with the black hair and big pout.
He's got his pole in one hand, and the gone-fishing sign is out.
Dee Dee Thurston is managing editor of The Courier and Daily Comet. She can be reached at 850-1149 or deedee.thurston@ houmatoday.com.
Trading in bat, glove for fishing pole
My youngest child is a joiner.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This novel Ecocert validated extract contains both the well known tripetrenic fraction and a novel polyphenolic fraction from the Centella asiatica leaves. It mimics very closely the content of biologically active molecules contained in the plant. It has demonstrated optimal DNA protection properties in vitro, as well as a clear anti-glycation effect wich causes the extract to be an efficient and long-acting antiaging ingredient.
Centella asiatica (L.) Urban
≥45.0% of the sum of asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic and madecassic acids by HPLC
Collagen restructurant and
anti-glycation agent
The ingredients described herein are offered for consideration for use in personal care products. The information provided describes historical use, ingredient activity and other information that may be relevant to their use in such products. How each ingredient would contribute to a particular product would be formulation specific
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Notice | Cookie Policy | ©2018 Indena S.p.A. All right reserved Indena S.p.A. | tel. +3902574961 fax +390257404620 | P.IVA 04411780150


text:
Gift Shops
Specialist retailer offering a wide range of unique gifts, exclusive collectables and professional framing services.
Award winning online emporium where you can find gifts for Mum, Grandma, aunts, friends and all the ladies you love to treat.
Gallery Candles is a unique candle shop located in the heart of Worcester situated in the delightful cobbled streets of the city. Stocking unique scents.
Paper cutter and maker of super pretty wall art and jewellery.
Attavanti is an online shop selling beautiful Italian leather, designer handbags, shoulder bags, tote, hobo and grab bags at great prices.
Absolute-Angels is an Online New Age Gift Shop
Store offering cards, gifts, gift wrapping, keepsake ornaments, and much more.
We bring you fabulous pink gifts for any occasion. From Clothes to Accessories, Gift Sets to Hampers, all include free personalisation & delivery.
Gifts work for all occasions! Great ideas for you and for every occasion. We can send gifts to you or we can send them to the lucky gift recipient direct all ready labelled and gift wrapped.


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Poisoned before my second birthday/
When I was about sixteen months old, my stomach was pumped after having swallowed an entire bottle of paregoric. Oddly enough, I never looked into what paregoric was until just recently. It was just one of those family stories that was retold from time to time, without much thought.
After some research, I learned that paregoric is a medication known for its "antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic properties." When I swallowed the bottle in 1972, it was a Schedule V drug, available over the counter, but two years later, it would be reclassified as a Schedule II drug, available by prescription only. Why this bottle was left out for me to swallow is beyond imagination, but my wife had a guess.
It turns out that paregoric was also used as a household remedy in the 18th and 19th centuries to calm fretful and misbehaving children, often resulting in their death. It was rubbed on the gums of babies who were teething to ease the pain, but in some cases, babies were given the medication orally, even though it was not recommended. When I read this to Elysha, her response was immediate. "Your mother was totally trying to chill you out, and things just got out of hand, or you made her so crazy that she accidentally left the bottle out in the open."
I was a difficult baby.
It turns out that she was right. I recently re-connected with my father after almost two decades of estrangement (oddly mirroring the experience of Martin in SOMETHING MISSING), and one of my first questions for him was about the paregoric. He confirmed my wife's suspicion, telling me that he and my mother would administer it to me by the spoonful in order to calm me down.
He reiterated that I was a difficult baby and added that I did not get any easier as I got older.


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Wow - first opps for falling so far behind.
So this Christmas was a little different. Tim is deployed so we celebrated as a family before he left. We put the tree up after Thanksgiving. The kids had a blast doing the ornaments and both of them did fantastic. The boys had a blast. They each got a new iPad mini so they can each have their own and I will be taking back the original one they used to share. Owen got an awesome blaze toy that turns blaze from a monster truck into a race car. He absolutely loves it. Leiland got connect 4 which he needs more practice with and they both got a couple other small things. Tim took Leiland to get me a gift. So freaking sweet and Leiland picked out a kitty. They couldn't take her home that day, so when I called the next Monday about coming to get her they basically said the foster family was keeping her. Bummer.
So because Tim would be gone the kids and I came to Michigan. I planned the trip to leave on the 16th after Leilands 1/2 day of school. I really struggled to get everything I needed to done before I needed to leave. The day before Leilands teacher invited us to his class party. We had a blast but it delayed me packing some and so we got on the road a bit late. We had planned on stopping halfway which we were able to accomplish. The second day we had to stop early but then got the rest of the way and arrived in time to celebrate with my dad and Kris. The next dad we celebrated with Nana and Papa. We had a blast. We went to see Santa. Leiland asked for a bell from his sleigh and Owen was nervous but excited. He wouldn't sit ON santa but did sit beside Leiland and proceeded to talk to Santa the entire time. I was pleasantly surprised by this.
Through the week we tried to visit as many as we could. We arrived with Leiland having a cough which turned into Owen being sick by Christmas and now Elissa has caught the bug. We head home tomorrow and honestly I am so ready to be home. Its so very hard to travel and stay with other people with a fussy baby and sick kids. I miss home thats for sure.
So as far as Christmas goes - oh it was fun. Christmas eve the kids had a blast with the whole family here. Owen was quiet and shy till Anna arrived. He was so happy to see her. They loved the treats. Presents were kinda crazy and overwhelming. Leiland was so excited and happy about everything he got, thanked everyone, and was just a joy. Owen fell asleep around 3 and napped till I tried waking him at 530. Then he wouldn't wake till around 6. He opened his gifts and is SO in love with his new blaze toy and thomas mini's. Ellie was gifted some gorgeous little outfits and I can't wait to put a few on her. The big kids were excited about putting cookies out for Santa and went to bed great. Leiland passed out right away. Kayla got up as stockings were being filled. Oops. Then James got up a bit later. Owen was up all along because he slept so long. He finally went down around 11pm. The next morning the kids got up. Leiland didn't wake me first but thats ok. He came to get me and I woke Owen. Owen took awhile to get in the groove. Leiland LOVED his stocking. He got so excited over every little thing and wanted to show everyone how great it was. Santa brought him the bell from his sleigh and Leiland was overjoyed. Santa also brought Leiland a little art set with an easel and paints. I can't wait to do that when we get back home. Santa brought Owen a very cool big stuffed blaze which Owen bruised off that morning but now loves. Ellie slept through all of it but she was brought a beautiful little bunny. We spent the day hanging out. My mom, Dave, Anna, Jason, and William came by in the afternoon. WE played the wii quite a bit and then we had some Chinese food for dinner. YUMM. We also played quelf and I won. Thats rare. Owen fell asleep early again. He passed out at 4pm on me. I laid him on the couch to not sleep too long but that didn't work. So I put him to bed and he got up for the day at 1am. My bad.
So now Christmas is over. Laura went on vacation right after Christmas and so we stayed at her house till now. So now we are heading home tomorrow. The boys are ready to be home. So exhausted. Ellie is sick and just not feeling great. But she's cute as can be and being so sweet with everyone. She is starting to laugh now which OMG its so precious.
Its crazy to think this time last year is when we conceived her. Yes we were trying but never in my wildest dreams would I expect for it to work. My Christmas wish come true is in my arms this year.
Ill add in pictures once home and caught up a little.
Sweater Weather Sugar Scrub
10 hours ago


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AURA NOIR: 'Out To Die' Packaging Unveiled
The first look at the packaging for "Out To Die", the fifth full-length studio album from Norway's blackened thrashers AURA NOIR, is available below. The CD is scheduled for release on March 23 in Europe and March 27 in North America via Indie Recordings.
Speaking to Terrorizer magazine shortly after a recent listening session in Oslo, AURA NOIR guitarist/vocalist Aggressor stated about the band's new CD, "It feels right. That's all I can say really. I'm not sitting here digging it; it's more like I'm content with having the finished product there, and now we can go play live. Because I think our music comes into its element when we're playing live. For me, a new album is like, 'Okay, we have more songs to play live now.'"
"Out To Die" marks the return of guitarist Rune Eriksen (a.k.a. ex-MAYHEM guitarist/songwriter Blasphemer), who now resides in Portugal and leads his own band AVA INFERI. Eriksen made several trips back to Norway to work on the new AURA NOIR songs with Aggressor and Apollyon (guitar, bass, vocals, drums; also bassist in IMMORTAL).
"I wish we were all living in the same apartment and rehearsing every day, all three of us together, but obviously that's not possible because we have our private lives and everything," Aggressor told Terrorizer. "But it brought about some new ways of working, and it actually worked out okay in the end."
"Out To Die" track listing:
01. Trenches
02. Fed To The Flames
03. Abbadon
04. The Grin From The Gallows
05. Withheld
06. Priest's Hellish Fiend
07. Deathwish
08. Out To Die


text:
Friday Favorites (36)
To Read (and Listen)
17 People On The Most Important Thing They Wish They'd Learned Sooner
The 18 Essential Minneapolis Restaurants. I've only been to three of these--Pizzeria Lola, Brasa, and The Strip Club, but we have a Butcher & the Boar reservation for our anniversary!
We started a book club at The Eighty Twenty and our March picks have been posted! I'll be leading the One More Thing discussion.
I had no idea that Chris Carrabba had a new band but he does and it's everything! Thank you Diana for making me aware of this interview--I've been listening to their stuff all morning and I can't wait to buy the album.
Pretty Things
I'm seriously coveting this bar cart. $950--no big deal, right?
You guys, these sunglasses are $5.80. I bought them in black/brown and wear them every day.
I'm excited to have Philly Loves Lacquer--a vegan, handmade nail polish brand--as a sponsor this month!
This top is seriously springy and cute. I'm ready for fun tops and sandals!
Never in my life have I worn a jumpsuit, but I might give it a shot for this one.
I finally saw the film over the weekend, so I've been all about it this week.
How pretty is this cover of "Let It Go?"
I hate to give this woman any more traffic, but I had to share this incredibly ridiculous and offensive take on the film.
I much prefer (and agree with) this piece.
To Watch
I loved every minute of this Game of Thrones Season 4 Foreshadowing and was sad when it was over.
(Speaking of Game of Thrones, how cute are these guys?)
This weekend, Rob and I are planning another Happy Gnome lunch date and heading to the jeweler to pick up our wedding rings! I also want to read, work out, and get myself organized since I'll be heading to Virginia in just one week! I'm working on a super exciting collaboration with La Crema and I absolutely can't wait to start sharing details with you all!
What are you up to this weekend?


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Every morning we start with our first sport: yoga. During the day we are hard working. And because of this we are allowed to use the pool at Jubilee and swim there - second sport.
In the evening and on all our free days we try to find some new sports like fly fishing, golfing, kajaking and running.


text: Stanford joins Campus Sartorialist! Happy Thanksgiving everyone, we hope you're having a swell time with your family, friends and significant others and that the stuffing and libations are never ending! We'd like to introduce you to Cliff Owl, our newest Campus Sartorialist, who will show us what campus style at Stanford is all about. Cliff is a senior at Stanford University where he studies Psychology. He enjoys long boarding and snapping photos when procrastinating on his studies.Cliff is also a member of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) and works for the school paper at The Stanford Daily. Posted on November 22, 2012 by Campus Sartorialist and filed under "#campusmen", "CA", "Stanford", "guys".


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LED String DC Testing Printable Version
Determining the best voltage to run your LED strings on requires some testing with a variable PSU (Power Supply Unit). This is a different kind of power supply than the simpler (fixed output and no displays) type that you'd normally use in your display.
The examples here are using an ATTEN APS3003S PSU that is available on eBay for approx $95 delivered. There are other models (higher voltage or current) in the range, but this one is the cheapest version and will do fine.
You can use other power supplies of course, but they must have the variable current limiting feature (CC / CV LEDs). Do not try to use a PSU that is adjustable voltage only.
Target Current
LEDs require some care to operate safely and must not have too much current passed through them. A typical LED has a maximum continuous current rating of 20mA (0.02A). As the LEDs in Christmas light strings are made to a (cheap) price, a max current of 10mA (0.01A) would be prudent.
To work out the target current of an LED string, we need to examine the wiring structure. The typical Big W LED strings for example have the LEDs wired in sections of 10 LEDs. For a 200 LED string, this means there are 20 sections of 10 LEDs. See the bottom of page for links to LED string structure.
The overall target current is simply the section current (10mA as stated above) multiplied by the number of sections (20 in the case of a 200 LED string). So, our 200 LED string needs a current of 200mA (10mA x 20) to operate. Because we'll be initially testing only one channel (half) of the string, we need to use half that value (100mA) for setting up the PSU.
Setting PSU Max Current
Start with the PSU turned off and nothing connected to the output terminals. Set the fine current control to max (clockwise), coarse current control to min (anti-clockwise) and both voltage controls to min (anti-clockwise).
Switch the PSU on and turn the fine voltage control up to max. It should read 0.00 on the current display and a few Volts on the voltage display as shown below. The green CV LED should be lit.
Switch the PSU off and turn the fine current control to min. Leave the fine voltage turned up. Now connect a piece of wire between the -ve (black) and +ve (red) terminals of the PSU.
Switch the PSU on and you'll see that the red CC LED is now lit and the green CV LED is off. The current and voltage displays should both read zero.
Slowly turn up the fine current control until the current display reads your target current. In the picture below, it is set to 100mA (0.10A) as calculated in the section above.
Switch the PSU off and remove the wire that is shorting the -ve and +ve output terminals.
You can turn the voltage controls down to zero, but do not touch the current controls now that you have set the max current.
Which Wires?
Now that you've set the maximum current to a safe level, we can set about connecting the LED string to the PSU. But which wire is which?
Step 1
Start with any 2 of the 3 LED string wires and connect one to the PSU -ve terminal and the other to the PSU +ve terminal.
Step 2
Starting from zero, slowly increase the PSU voltage (coarse control) and keep an eye on the LED string. Once you get over about 25 Volts, the string may start to light up. If nothing happens by 30 Volts, it's not going to happen.
Step 3
If it does light up, mark the wire that was going to the PSU +ve terminal (it is the "common" wire) and go to step 4. If the LED string didn't light up, reverse the two connections and try step 2 again. If the LED string still doesn't light up, swap one of the two wires out for the third one and jump back to step 1.
Step 4
By now you should have seen the LED string light up one channel (every second LED). If the LED nearest the input (male) connector is lit, the wire going to the PSU -ve terminal is channel 1, otherwise it is channel 2.
Step 5
Vary the PSU voltage and note the value where the PSU current reaches 100mA (0.1A) and the PSU just changes from CV (Constant Voltage) to CC (Constant Current) mode. That is the voltage required to operate the LED string at full power as per our earlier calculations. Leave to PSU voltage at that level for step 6.
Step 6
Leave the wire going to the PSU +ve terminal where it is. Swap the wire going to the PSU -ve terminal with the spare one. The other channel of the LED string should light instead. If so, all is good and you have identified all 3 wires.
The testing example here was based on the 2010 / 2011 200 count Big W LED strings. Other brands and string types could have different string wiring configurations and this will alter the target current and the voltage at which the string draws that current.
The last photo above show that the PSU voltage was 32.3 Volts at the 100mA target current. That was with a blue string. Other colours will vary so should be checked separately. You may find that a lower voltage (say 28V - 30V DC) gives a good light output across all string colour types. This way you could use the same power supply voltage for all strings.
[category]Category:LED Strings[/category] Categories: LED String pages


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Bone marrow hematogones (B-lymphocyte precursors) may cause problems in diagnosis because of their morphologic and immunophenotypic similarities to neoplastic lymphoblasts. The purposes of this prospective, multiparametric flow cytometry study were to quantify hematogones across age groups and a spectrum of clinical conditions, to identify factors that affect the relative quantity of hematogones, and to compare their immunophenotype with that of neoplastic lymphoblasts. A total of 662 consecutive marrow specimens were analyzed for hematogones using one of two 4-color antibody combinations; hematogones were identified in 528 (79.8%). There was a significant decline in hematogones with increasing age (P < .001), but a broad range was found at all ages and many adults had a relatively high number. Specimens processed by density gradient had a higher mean percent hematogones than those processed by erythrocyte lysis (P < .001). There was a direct decline in hematogones with increasing marrow involvement with neoplastic cells. A total of 8% of the 662 specimens contained 5% or more hematogones: 24.6% of specimens from patients aged less than 16 years and 6.3% from those 16 and older (P < .000 01). Increased hematogones were observed most often in patients with lymphoma, marrow regenerative states, immune cytopenias, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Hematogones always exhibited a typical complex spectrum of antigen expression that defines the normal antigenic evolution of B-cell precursors and lacked aberrant expression. In contrast, lymphoblasts in 49 cases of precursor B-ALL showed maturation arrest and exhibited 1 to 11 immunophenotypic aberrancies. Four-color flow cytometry with optimal combinations of antibodies consistently distinguishes between hematogones and neoplastic lymphoblasts.
Hematogones (B-lymphocyte precursors), originally recognized by their morphologic features in bone marrow smears,1 2 are found in small numbers in most marrow specimens analyzed by flow cytometry. They are reported to occur in large numbers in some healthy infants and young children and in a variety of diseases in both children and adults.3-10Hematogones may be particularly prominent in the regeneration phase following chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation and in patients with autoimmune and congenital cytopenias, neoplasms, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).3 7 11-24 In some instances they constitute 5% to more than 50% of cells.3 5 8 25 26
Increased numbers of hematogones may cause problems in diagnosis because of the morphologic features they commonly share with the neoplastic lymphoblasts of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma.3 Their immunophenotype also has features in common with neoplastic B-cell precursor lymphoblasts.5 Single- and 2-color flow cytometry do not reliably differentiate hematogones from leukemic lymphoblasts.4 5 8 17 27-30 However, appropriately applied, 3- and 4-color multiparametric flow cytometry are reported to distinguish between these cell populations in nearly all instances.10 31-33
While several studies on small populations of patients have demonstrated increased numbers of bone marrow hematogones in young children relative to other age groups, no comprehensive prospective study of a large population across all ages has been published. The reports of increased hematogones in specific diseases are mostly retrospective studies based on relatively small patient cohorts, lacking broad control populations.3-5 9 13 Furthermore, in most flow cytometry studies hematogones have been reported as the percent of total lymphocytes or of B lymphocytes8 17 26 34-36 and in only a few reports as a percent of total events.9 10 37 Finally, prior studies have not addressed the effects of the specimen-processing method and marrow involvement with neoplastic cells on the percentage of hematogones.
In this prospective study, 4-color flow cytometry was used to quantify hematogones as a percentage of total events in 662 consecutive marrow specimens across all age groups and a spectrum of clinical conditions. The percent hematogones was compared for density gradient and lysis cell processing methods. The immunophenotype of hematogones was determined using one of two 4-color combinations of antibodies and compared with that of neoplastic lymphoblasts.
Patients, materials, and methods
Patients and specimens
A prospective 4-color flow cytometry analysis of hematogones was performed during an 8-month period at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Flow Cytometry Laboratory. During this period, 706 marrow specimens were submitted; 44 of these could not be assessed for hematogones for a variety of technical reasons, including lack of adequate numbers of viable cells in the sample, omission of appropriate antibody combinations to assess hematogones, or because they were obscured by a predominant population of neoplastic lymphoblasts. The remaining 662 specimens formed the cohort for this study. Clinical information was obtained from patient demographics, submitted clinical diagnoses, and interpretation of the flow cytometry results. Patients were separated by gender and age group of younger than 2 years, 2 to 5 years, 6 to 15, 16 to 50, and 50 years and older. A total of 53 specimens from 49 patients with newly diagnosed or residual/relapsed precursor B-ALL were analyzed during the time frame of the study; 28 of these were assessable for hematogones and are included in the 662 specimens. The other 25 ALL specimens could not be assessed for hematogones for reasons detailed above and were excluded from further analysis of hematogones. However, the immunophenotypes of the lymphoblasts in these 25 cases along with those of the other 28 ALL specimens were compared with the immunophenotype of hematogones.
Flow cytometry methods
Cell isolation and staining procedures.
Prior to staining, samples were processed using either density gradient separation (345 specimens) or erythrocyte lysis (317 specimens). In the density gradient separation technique, the specimen was diluted 1:5 in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and then underlaid with 10 mL Histopaque-1077 (Sigma, St Louis, MO) with subsequent centrifugation for 25 minutes at 1200 rpm. In the lysis technique, erythrocytes were lysed using a standard ammonium chloride lysing solution at a ratio of 1 part sample to 5 parts lysing solution and incubated for 10 minutes or up to 20 minutes if needed for complete lysis.38 Following either technique, the samples were washed twice with a PBS, 0.0455% sodium azide, 0.1% bovine serum albumin solution (PAB), and resuspended in 5% newborn calf serum in RPMI 1640 culture medium. In a few cases processed by density gradient separation, a red cell button was noted during the washing step, indicating inadequate erythrocyte clearance. For these samples a lysis step, as described above, was also performed. Cell counts were performed, and 500 000 cells were washed with PAB and stained with a 4-color combination of antibodies.
Antibodies to the following antigens were used to specifically profile B-cell precursors: CD10 (W8E7) fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), CD19 (SJ25C1) phycoerythrin (PE), CD20 (L27) peridinin chlorophyll protein (PerCP), CD22 (S-HCL-1) PE, CD34 (8G12) allophycocyanin (APC), and CD38 (HB7) APC (Becton Dickinson, San Jose, CA). One of two 4-color combinations was used in each case. One consisted of CD10, CD20, CD22, and CD34 and the other CD10, CD20, CD19, and CD38. Additional antibodies were used to characterize the lymphoblasts in cases of ALL. These included CD1a (HI149) PE, CD3 (SK7) PerCP, CD4 (SK3) APC, CD5 (L17F12) PE, CD7 (4H9) FITC, CD8 (SK1) FITC, CD11b (D12) APC, CD13 (L138) PE, CD14 (MØpq) PE, CD15 (MMA) FITC, CD33 (P67.6) PE, CD45 (2DI) PerCP, CD61 (RUU-PL7F12) FITC, HLA-DR (L243) PerCP (Becton Dickinson), CD36 (CB38) FITC (Coulter-Immunotech, Hialeh, FL), CD64 (10) PE (Ancell, Bayport, MN), myeloperoxidase (MPO-7) FITC (Dako, Glostrup, Denmark), and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) FITC (Supertech, Bethesda, MD). In 38 specimens from 34 patients with ALL, all or most of the antigens listed above were assessed, but in 15 cases a limited panel of antibodies was used. In 13 cases the analysis consisted of only two 4-antibody tubes: CD45, CD3, CD5, and CD7 and CD33, CD10, HLA-DR, and CD19. In one case the study included the above plus CD20, and in another only CD10, CD5, CD34, and CD19 were assessed. A portion of every specimen was stained with isotype-matched fluorescent control monoclonal antibodies.
The amount of antibody added was determined by the manufacturer's recommendations, with titration used when needed. Specimens were incubated at 2°C to 8°C in the dark for 20 minutes. They were then washed with PAB and resuspended in 1% paraformaldehyde in PBS. Data were acquired using a FACSCalibur flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson) with CellQuest software (Becton Dickinson). Data analysis was performed using Paint-a-Gate software (Becton Dickinson).
Flow cytometry interpretation.
Distinct cell populations (clusters) were identified based on any combination of forward and orthogonal light scatter properties and fluorescence intensity with various antibody combinations. Each specimen's event clusters were considered positive or negative compared with the degree of fluorescence of the same specimen stained with the isotypic control antibody, with distinct population shifts interpreted as a positive result. Percentages of cell types were determined based on total events. Immunophenotypic abnormalities within leukemic blast populations were determined on the basis of deviation from normal patterns of B-lymphoid development.37
Statistical analysis
Associations of percentage of bone marrow hematogones with age, sex, method of specimen processing, and degree of marrow involvement by neoplastic cells were analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. The categorical variables were analyzed with 2-tailed χ2 tests. Continuous variables were analyzed with independent-sample t tests. A P value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant.
Patients and specimens
A total of 662 consecutive bone marrow specimens from 598 patients (312 males and 286 females) were analyzed for hematogones using one of two 4-color antibody combinations (see "Patients, materials, and methods"). A total of 551 patients (90.3%) had 1 and 47 (9.7%) had 2 to 5 bone marrow analyses; 54.2% of the specimens were from males, 45.8% from females. Ages ranged from 2 months to 92 years (mean 51 years, median 56 years).
Eleven specimens were from patients aged less than 2 years, 18 from patients aged 2 to 5 years, 32 from 6- to 15-year-olds, 231 from 16- to 50-year-olds, and 370 from patients older than 50. In most cases the marrow was obtained to assess for neoplastic disease in patients with known or suspected leukemia or lymphoma and, in a few cases, for evaluation of blood cytopenias or assessment of a nonhematopoietic neoplasm or infectious disease.
Morphologic features
The specimens submitted for flow cytometry were not systematically studied for morphology, but in most instances Wright Giemsa–stained marrow smears were available; hematogones were frequently present in sufficient number to be recognized. They varied from 10 to 20 μ in diameter, with smaller cells predominating. The nucleus was round or oval and sometimes exhibited one or more indentations or shallow clefts. The nuclear chromatin was condensed but homogeneous. Nucleoli were absent or small and indistinct. There was scant or no discernible cytoplasm; when present, cytoplasm was moderately to deeply basophilic and devoid of inclusions, granules, or vacuoles. There was often a spectrum of size and cytologic features that blended with those of mature lymphocytes. In many instances a portion of the hematogones exhibited features indistinguishable from lymphoblasts of ALL (Figure 1).
Immunophenotypic features
In 528 (79.8%) of the 662 bone marrow specimens, hematogones were identified by flow cytometry. In all instances the hematogone population exhibited a typical complex spectrum of antigens that defines the normal evolution of B-lineage precursors (Figure2). The pattern of sequence and intensity of antigen expression was virtually identical in all cases. Examples of the maturation spectrum are illustrated in Figures3 and 4. The earliest recognizable B-lineage precursors expressed the progenitor cell marker CD34 in combination with CD38, CD19, high levels (bright) of CD10, and low levels of CD22 and lacking CD20. These progressed to the next stages by down-regulating CD34 completely and CD10 partially, prior to progressive up-regulation of CD20. CD22 levels also increased slightly as CD20 was up-regulated. Finally, CD10 was down-regulated completely, CD38 partially, and CD22 upgraded to high intensity. The last stage, in which CD10 is completely down-regulated, is considered a mature stage of B-cell development; cells with this immunophenotype were not included in calculating the percent hematogones. Although not specifically assessed in this study, TdT expression parallels CD34 in the B-cell maturation sequence. The stage of appearance of surface immunoglobulin (sIg) was not assessed; however, in our experience sIg is variable among individual cells in each case, occurring from shortly before to shortly after acquisition of a high level of CD20 expression. Asynchronous expression of the earliest and latest antigens, eg, concurrent CD34 and CD20, and aberrant over- or under-expression of antigens was not observed in hematogone populations.
Relationship of hematogones to age, sex, and method of specimen processing
The scatter plot in Figure 5shows the percentage of hematogones related to patient age for all 662 bone marrow specimens. The mean percent hematogones of total marrow events was 1.62 (SD = 4.21, median = 0.3%, range = 0%-65%); there was no significant difference between males (mean = 1.64; SD = 3.35) and females (mean = 1.60; SD = 5.08) (P = .91). Hematogones were found in highest numbers in marrow from infants and young children, with a statistically significant decrease in their percentage with increasing age as shown by the regression line in Figure 4 (r = 0.21;P < .001). However, a broad range was found at all ages, and many adults, even at advanced age, had a relatively high number of hematogones. There was a significantly higher mean percent hematogones (P < .001) in the 345 specimens processed by density gradient separation (mean = 2.17%, SD = 5.46, median = 0.50%) than in the 317 processed by ammonium chloride lysis (mean = 1.02%, SD = 1.97, median = 0.24%), but the same statistically significant age-related decline was observed in both groups. The mean percent marrow hematogones for each of the 5 age groups is shown in Table1. The differences in mean percent hematogones between the 2 processing methods were significant for the 2 oldest age groupings, which contained most patients. There were no differences in the patient cohorts comprising the 2 specimen-processing groups in age (P = .76), sex (P = .33), or level of bone marrow infiltration by neoplastic cells (P = .82).
Relationship of hematogones to marrow involvement with neoplastic cells
Neoplastic cells were identified by flow cytometry in 230 (34.7%) of the 662 specimens. The neoplasms were mostly acute or chronic leukemias and various types of lymphomas. The degree of marrow involvement varied from more than 90% neoplastic cells to less than 1%. To study the effect of marrow involvement on the hematogone compartment, specimens were separated into 4 categories: no involvement by neoplastic cells (432 specimens), fewer than 25% neoplastic cells (114 specimens), 25% to 49% (42 specimens), and 50% or more (74 specimens). The mean percent hematogones, SD, and range for these 4 categories are shown in Table 2. Figure6 depicts the distribution of hematogones by percent of total marrow events for the 4 categories. There was a significant difference in mean percent hematogones between specimens without involvement by neoplastic cells (mean = 1.99%) and those with 50% or more (mean = 0.14%), P < .001, and between specimens with less than 25% involvement (mean = 1.53%) and those with 50% or more, P < .001. These same differences persisted when the 4 categories were divided into density gradient separation– and ammonium chloride lysis–processed groups (Table 2). The 74 specimens with 50% or more neoplastic cells had a mean percent hematogones of only 0.14; in 50 (67.6%) of the 74 none were identified. When these 74 extensively replaced specimens were excluded from analysis there was a more direct and significant relationship of percent marrow hematogones to age group and method of processing than when all specimens were included (Table 1).
The mean percent hematogones for the 432 specimens uninvolved by neoplastic cells (1.99%) was higher than when all specimens were considered (1.62%). These 432 specimens may most closely represent a reference population for bone marrow hematogones (Figure 7).
Specimens with 5% or more hematogones
Hematogones constituted 5% or more of the total marrow events in 53 (8.0%) of the 662 specimens from 51 (8.5%) of 598 patients; 23 specimens (3.5%) contained 10% or more, and 3 of these had more than 20%. The 51 patients ranged in age from 2 months to 74 years (median 30 years). Figure 8 plots the percent of specimens with 5% or more hematogones by patient age group. There was an incremental decline in the proportion of patients with 5% or more hematogones with increasing age. The difference was significant between the combined groups of patients aged less than 16 years and those 16 and older (24.6% vs 6.3%) (P < .000 01). Nine of the patients had multiple bone marrow flow cytometry analyses during the time frame of the study. Two patients exhibited more than 5% hematogones on each of 2 occasions separated by 3 weeks; 7 had more than 5% once and less than 5% on 1 to 4 other analyses separated by 14 days to 5.5 months. The findings in these 9 cases are detailed in Table 3.
Thirty-seven (10.7%) of 345 marrow specimens processed by density gradient separation contained 5% or more hematogones, compared with only 16 (5%) of 317 processed by ammonium chloride lysis (P = .01). Forty-two of the 53 specimens with 5% or more hematogones were uninvolved by a neoplasm; 9 contained fewer than 25% neoplastic cells; 2 had 25% to 49%; and none had 50% or more.
Conditions associated with increased hematogones
The clinical conditions in which there were 5% of more hematogones are listed in Table 4; lymphomas, various nonneoplastic blood cytopenias, post-chemotherapy, post–bone marrow transplantation, and AIDS were the most common. The degree of association of these conditions with increased hematogones could not be determined because clinical information on many of the 598 patients was insufficient to perform an accurate statistical analysis.
Distinction of hematogones from lymphoblasts of precursor B-ALL
Fifty-three bone marrow specimens from 49 patients were positive for precursor B-ALL during the time frame of the study: 46 of the patients had a single positive specimen; 2 had 2 positive specimens; and 1 had 3. Twenty-eight of the 53 ALLs were assessable for hematogones and are included in the 662 specimens. In most of these, hematogones were not identified or were present in minute numbers. The 25 ALL specimens that were not assessed for hematogones, for reasons detailed in "Patients, materials, and methods," were included with the other 28 ALLs to compare the immunophenotypes of lymphoblasts and hematogones.
The lymphoblasts in all 49 patients with ALL exhibited incomplete maturation and immunophenotypic asynchrony and aberrancy that deviated from the normal, continuous, and complete B-lineage maturation spectrum observed for hematogones. In addition, neoplastic lymphoblasts commonly expressed myeloid antigens. The lymphoblasts from the 34 cases studied with complete panels of antibodies exhibited 4 to 11 aberrancies (Figure 9); the 15 cases in which limited panels were used (see "Patients, materials, and methods") expressed 1 to 4. Without exception the lymphoblasts in ALL could be distinguished from hematogones even when only a small population of neoplastic cells was present. Aberrant antigen expression in the 49 cases of ALL is detailed in Table 5.
In this prospective 4-color flow cytometry study we found a significant decline in bone marrow hematogones with increasing age. Most of the specimens were obtained from persons under evaluation for neoplastic diseases or hematologic abnormalities and, therefore, the subjects would not be considered healthy individuals; the values for hematogones in the various age groups should not necessarily be considered "normal values." Because bone marrow examinations are seldom performed on entirely healthy people, establishing a normal range from adequate numbers of individuals throughout the age spectrum is problematic. Population cohorts in most other reports on the distribution of hematogones have also involved patients with various neoplastic, hematologic, autoimmune, and infectious diseases. Furthermore, most prior studies on the subject have been on relatively small patient cohorts that were limited or selective in patient demographics and disease states. Three studies of relatively small numbers of patients without hematologic or neoplastic disorders have examined bone marrow lymphocyte subsets.8 10 34 The findings in these studies support our observations on age distribution of hematogones. Caldwell and associates in a study of 45 healthy children and adults found that the number of marrow B-cell precursors is greater in children than adults and declines with age.8Rego and colleagues analyzed bone marrow lymphocyte subsets from 44 children from 2 weeks to 15 years of age, without hematologic or autoimmune disorders, and compared results with those from 12 hematologically healthy adults.34 There was a significant difference among age groups in quantity of major types of marrow lymphocytes except for natural killer cells. B-lymphocyte precursors decreased in number after age 4; there were no differences between males and females. Lucio and coinvestigators studied 39 normal bone marrow samples and found a shift in B-cell populations from predominantly immature precursors in individuals aged less than 15 years to mostly more mature B-cell immunophenotypes in patients 15 and older.10
In the present study we arbitrarily designated 5% as "increased" hematogones, recognizing that there are no generally accepted reference ranges. However, at levels of 5% or more they are conspicuous on marrow smears and more likely to be confused with neoplastic lymphoblasts. A total of 8% of specimens (8.5% of patients) contained 5% or more hematogones. We observed an incremental decrease in patients with increased hematogones from the youngest age group to the oldest. A significantly higher percentage of patients aged less than 16 years had increased hematogones than patients 16 and older (24.6% vs 6.3%, P < .000 01). It appears that the propensity for increased hematogones stimulated by certain disease states usually diminishes with aging. However, many adult patients, some at an advanced age, had increased hematogones, an observation that has also been made by other investigators.4 9
The number of bone marrow hematogones may fluctuate with disease status or, in some clinical settings, persistent elevations may be observed.12 17 19 35 van Wering and colleagues observed persistent elevations of bone marrow B-cell precursors for 2 years following cessation of chemotherapy for ALL, and Leitenberg and associates found elevations for more than a year following bone marrow transplantation.19 35 Transient elevations in hematogones were observed in most of the few patients with repeat analyses in our study (Table 3). Factors including variation in the cellularity of the bone marrow between specimens and the degree of hemodilution may have impacted these results.
Hematogones are only rarely detected in blood other than in minute numbers, principally in neonates and in cord blood.39 40Hemodilution of the marrow would generally increase the number of blood lymphocytes in the specimen, particularly T lymphocytes, and diminish the relative number of hematogones.34 The effect of hemodilution on the distribution of major lymphocyte subsets has been demonstrated previously.41-43 While we did not investigate the effects of hemodilution in this study, it was probably a factor in many of the cases with absent or minute numbers of hematogones. The overall effect of hemodilution on the mean percent hematogones for each of the 5 age groups was presumably minimized by the large number of cases analyzed.
In our study, increased hematogones were observed most commonly in patients with lymphomas, in marrow regenerative states following chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation, in various immune and other blood cytopenias, and in patients with AIDS (Table 4). However, the study population was skewed toward patients with these conditions. We were unable to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship between any of these conditions and increased hematogones because clinical information was insufficient in many of the 598 patients to allow an accurate analysis. However, our observations regarding the association of these disorders with increased hematogones are similar to those of several other studies.3-5 9 13-15 17 18 The biological significance of increased marrow hematogones in these conditions is presently unclear, but our findings and those of other investigators suggest that B lymphocytogenesis is stimulated in some diseases and as a phenomenon of marrow regeneration.9 19
The method of specimen processing and marrow involvement by neoplastic cells impacted the relative size of the hematogone compartment. Specimens processed by density gradient separation had a significantly higher percentage of hematogones than those processed by ammonium chloride lysis. The mean and median were approximately twice as high and the percentage of cases with 5% or more hematogones was more than double that of the ammonium chloride lysis group: 10.7% of specimens versus 5.0%. There were no differences between the patient cohorts in the 2 specimen-processing groups in age or level of bone marrow infiltration by neoplastic cells to account for these differences. The higher percentage of hematogones in the group processed by density gradient separation was presumably related to the removal of mature neutrophils, which would have the effect of increasing the relative number of hematogones. There was a decline in mean percent hematogones with increasing marrow involvement by neoplastic cells (Table 2). The reason for the decline is uncertain but may relate to encroachment on the hematogone compartment by the neoplastic infiltrate, although other factors that inhibit B lymphocytogenesis may play a role. When the 432 specimens uninvolved by neoplastic cells were analyzed separately, the mean percentage of hematogones was higher than when all specimens were included (1.99% vs 1.62%); the former group may most closely approximate a "normal" reference population.
In some clinical settings increased marrow hematogones may cause diagnostic confusion because of their similarities to neoplastic lymphoblasts. This is particularly true following treatment for ALL because hematogones are often expanded in regenerating marrow and can potentially be mistaken for residual disease.8 19 24 In the present study hematogone populations always expressed a continuous and complete maturation spectrum by 4-color flow cytometry using either of two 4-antibody combinations. Furthermore, they lacked aberrant or asynchronous antigen expression. In contrast, neoplastic lymphoblasts in all 49 patients with precursor B-ALL deviated from the normal B-lineage maturation spectrum. They exhibit maturation arrest and over-, under-, and asynchronous expression of antigens observed on normal B-cell precursors and often expressed myeloid-associated antigens.
Other investigators have also reported methods for discriminating between normal B-cell precursors and neoplastic lymphoblasts. Farahat and associates, using quantitative double-labeling flow cytometry, found B-lineage ALL lymphoblasts to express fewer TdT and CD19 and more CD10 molecules than did hematogones.18 Weir and colleagues demonstrated quantitative differences in light scatter and intensity of antigen expression between hematogones and lymphoblasts by 4-color flow cytometry; the lymphoblasts in ALL always formed discrete clusters of events falling outside the normal template for hematogones.32 Rimsza and colleagues found a predominance of more mature B-cell precursors in hematogone-rich specimens relative to the least mature (CD34+, TdT+) cells, which predominated in cases of ALL. In addition the adhesion molecules CD44 and CD54 were expressed more heterogeneously on hematogones than on neoplastic lymphoblasts.26 These investigators also showed by immunohistochemical stains that CD34+ and TdT+ cells were dispersed without clustering on marrow sections in normal settings whereas they were in clusters of more than 5 cells in most ALLs with minimal residual disease.16 26
An increase in the least mature (CD34+, TdT+) and decrease in the more mature (CD20+) B-cell precursors have been reported in the earliest regeneration phases of marrow reconstitution following chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplantation.13 19 24 We have also observed a predominance of markedly left-shifted hematogones in some cases in the early stages following bone marrow transplantation. In this setting there is greater potential for mistaking the least mature hematogones for neoplastic lymphoblasts, but even in these cases a maturational sequence is identified and aberrant antigen expression is not observed. With the exception of patients treated with anti-CD20 antibodies (rituximab), we have not encountered cases in which the spectrum of hematogone maturation was incomplete (unpublished observation, 2000). Our findings and those of others suggest that 3- and 4-color flow cytometry can reliably distinguish hematogones from residual ALL in virtually all cases when optimal antibody combinations are used.10 31-33
Robert W. McKenna, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dept of Pathology, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390-9072; e-mail: robert.mckenna{at}utsouthwestern.edu.
The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. Therefore, and solely to indicate this fact, this article is hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. section 1734.
- Submitted March 21, 2001.
- Accepted June 5, 2001.
- Copyright © 2001 The American Society of Hematology


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Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States. Research has shown that second-hand smoke also affects non-users, causing thousands of cancer and heart disease deaths every year. Great strides have been made in lowering cigarette use and initiation, but new, novel tobacco products continue to flood the market. While fewer kids are smoking cigarettes, experimentation with other tobacco products are on the rise. Vaping is the new frontier in the war on tobacco, with recent polls showing that an estimated 10% of adults now using these products. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use costs the United States approximately $170 billion in direct medical costs and $156 billion in lost productivity every year.
Policy levers, such as minimum age restrictions and pricing requirements, are effectively curbing tobacco initiation. Clean air laws have become fairly common place, but holes exist. Newer innovations in the tobacco control fight include local regulations of e-cigarettes, as well as attempts to pass Tobacco 21 laws, where the legal minimum sales age is adjusted to 21. In major cities across the country, advocates have worked with local leaders to address tobacco use in Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums. At the start of the 2017 season, nearly half of the MLB stadiums are tobacco-free, including some located in several BCHC member cities.
Learn what The Big Cities Health Coalition and its members are doing to address the issue.
Preventing young people from ever starting the habit is critical to maintaining declines in tobacco use. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 95 percent of adult smokers started before the age of 21, and 80 percent first tried smoking before 18. A report by the National Academy of Medicine, found that raising the tobacco sale age to 21 nationwide would reduce adult smoking by about 12 percent by the time today's teenagers are adults.
In June of 2009, the Tobacco Control Act was signed into law, giving FDA the authority to regulate the "manufacture, distribution, and marketing" of tobacco products. It included specific and stringent restrictions on sales to minors, particularly related to "traditional" tobacco products, such as cigarettes. Localities across the country, however, are working to further raise the minimum legal age of sale to 21. So-called Tobacco-21 laws are now in more than 200 localities and two states as of May 2017.
For further information on Tobacco 21, please see the CityHealth Project's Tobacco 21 Policies and visit the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium website.
State and local taxes affect the overall price of cigarettes and contribute to prevention. Pricing strategies go hand-in-hand with minimum age laws in preventing youth initiation. According to research from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Chicago is leading the effort of heavily taxing tobacco products with $6.18 per pack tax, with New York City not far behind at $5.85 a pack tax. Raising tobacco product prices effectively lowers demand and can also reduce disparities in tobacco use related to race, ethnicity and income. According to the Guide to Community Preventive Services, a 20 percent increase in the unit price of tobacco products would lower consumption by more than 10 percent. More details on effective pricing strategies can be found through CDC's HI-5 Tobacco initiative.
In the ever-evolving tobacco market, new products, such as e-cigarettes, are being marketed to particularly appeal to youth, with devastating results. These products threaten to undermine progress made in reducing tobacco use. E-cigarette use among high school students increased dramatically "from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 16 percent in 2015 (a more than 900 percent increase)", and poisonings involving e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine have also increased. The creation of new federal regulations represent an important step in addressing this public health threat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized a rule in August 2016 to extend its regulatory authority to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Health warnings will now be required on all newly regulated tobacco products and free samples will be banned. In addition, the rule prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes and other new, regulated tobacco products to minors and will require photo ID verification at purchase. The FDA will also have the authority to evaluate the ingredients, product design, and health risks of these tobacco products. This is an important step: while many local health departments have taken action to curb sales and use of e-cigarettes, not all localities have sufficient regulatory authority. It is important to remember that FDA regulation of these tobacco products does not mean they have been deemed safe to use.
In addition to the FDA regulation, a number of cities are regulating the use and sale of e-cigarettes. Regulating flavored tobacco products, including those used in vaping, and ensuring other tobacco products are taxed equally with cigarettes are additional policy levers. More information, along with a model ordinance, can be found in the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium's March 2017 publication, Regulating Electronic Cigarettes & Similar Devices.
Mass media campaigns come in a variety of mediums and are designed to educate a large portion of the public about health risks. The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds mass media campaigns to have "strong evidence of effectiveness" to decrease initiation and use. Campaigns can be national in nature, such as CDC's Tips From Former Smokers, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' The Real Cost or the National Institute of Health's Smoke-Free Teen campaign. These initiatives can also be spearheaded by local health leaders, as is the case in New York City. The most effective campaigns are not only "hard hitting," but also offer information to help people seek treatment and quit smoking. More details can be found on the CDC's HI-5 Tobacco page.
Smoke-free policies are generally said to be "comprehensive" if they ban smoking in all indoor areas of public places (see Guide to Community Preventive Services), though there are differing definitions of such laws. Some localities, for example, allow smoking in bars, while not in restaurants, and often, these decisions are made based on the authority a local body, such a Board of Health, might possess.
The CityHealth project examined a number of policies affecting health, and rated clean indoor air policies in public places, including restaurants and bars across the largest 40 cities in the country. A number of BCHC member cities achieved a "gold medal," in this area. It is important to note that many jurisdictions are preempted or limited by state statute from locally implementing clean air (or other) laws, while some localities benefit from having strong state statutes.
According to research compiled by the CDC's HI-5 INITIATIVE, comprehensive clean air policies have been shown to not only affect the health of those in the community, but also change social norms regarding tobacco use. Some research shows that clean air policies have real economic implications, while a number of studies have found that smoke free policies do not affect commerce in restaurants, bars, or other such establishments.
In recent years, many localities and states have been contemplating clean outdoor air laws that regulate use of tobacco products at beaches, parks, restaurant/bar patios, transit platforms, and elsewhere.
CESSATION - Helping Those Users Quit
Quitting smoking has immediate and long term benefits for the user's health and financial standing, as well as the health of those around them. According to the CDC, covering evidence-based, comprehensive cessation treatment with little to no out-of-pocket costs for the consumer would decrease tobacco use and medical bills. The agency's 6|18 Initiative outlines relatively simple steps payers and providers (including Medicaid) can take to impact the public's health with regard to tobacco. Largely due to the Affordable Care Act, as of June 2015, Medicaid programs in 30 states covered all seven FDA-approved cessation medications with little or no copayment. A CDC review found that in eight out of 10 studies, the return on investment of such comprehensive coverage outweighed the cost within 10 years.
- Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
- CDC 6|18 – Evidence Summary: Reduce Tobacco Use
- CDC HI-5 – Helping people quit tobacco
- ChangeLab Solutions Model Tobacco Policies
- The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, Editor. 2014: Atlanta, GA
Have questions? Want to share great work you're doing? Email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Note: These are highlights of selected activities going on in cities across the country, and are not meant to be comprehensive.


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Family Law Practice Group
May 16, 2018 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pmFree
Philadelphia VIP provides volunteers handling family law cases and volunteers interested in handling such cases with the opportunity to have their questions answered and to learn about the experiences of other volunteers.
This monthly practice group will be led by members of VIP's Family Law Advisory Council, who are experienced family law practitioners.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch. Additional light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
To attend, please fill out the registration form provided below.
To receive a confirmation, please fill out the RSVP section at the end of the form with your information.
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Charter Academy gets $2.6 million grant
Posted by Walter Geiger in News
Monday, December 5. 2011
The Lamar County school system has received $2.6 million in grant funding for the Lamar County College and Career Academy, according to Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
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#1 Cathy on 12/06/11 at 06:09 AM
Usually I don't post negative ideas and maybe this is not so negative. Do you think the proofreader could be a student at the "College and Carer Academy"
#2 Billy Bob on 12/06/11 at 08:08 AM
Interesting pairing of stories.
Local man wins lottery.
Charter school gets funding.
Whats wrong with public schools in Lamar County?
Why didn't the public school system receive this state windfall?
Oh I know -Republicants hate public schools.
Local man wins lottery.
Charter school gets funding.
Whats wrong with public schools in Lamar County?
Why didn't the public school system receive this state windfall?
Oh I know -Republicants hate public schools.
#2.1 Anonymous on 12/06/11 at 09:02 AM
dear socialist bob, the charter school is a form of a private school. its saying the private sector can do a better job than the government, the only problem is that its still paid for with tax payers dollars. one other problem , its just a way to have a better school for the teachers kids and the people from the chamber and banks kids , so they can say my kids go to public schools. if Reagan hadnt fired those air traffic controllers , lamar co. schools would have been so much better off.
#2.2 Anonymous on 12/06/11 at 09:12 AM
i understand bob u were not supporting charter schools but you are supporting the socialist public school system, that supports perverted homosexuals, the twisted sicko theory of evolution, and will not allow the name of Jesus in there halls but will let you study about islam all day. you can triple your taxes if you want to or just donate all your teacher retirenment to the school system if you want to. i instead will sacrifice and send my kids to a Christian private school.
#2.2.1 Anonymous on 12/06/11 at 10:40 AM
#2.2 -- you and your type are what is wrong with this country...I am Christian, and you give all of Christianity a bad name ...
#2.2.2 Billy Bob on 12/07/11 at 01:24 PM
Some Christians sure say the most un-Christian things. Jesus was all about love. Did you miss that part of the gospel?
#220.127.116.11 Anonymous on 12/07/11 at 04:26 PM
what was un christian bob ,Jesus does love all but that doesnt mean we are to condone sin or the rampant socialism that is taught in public schools everyday. also im sure he would like for his name to be mentioned in the public schools some times. im a sinner too bob just like you and the rest of the world but we are forgiven by grace, but that isnt being taught in the public school system. instead what is being taught is tolerance of all . i havent found it in the gospel yet that i should support wastefull spending , maybe in the gospel of obama and oprah, but not the one and only gospel.
#2.3 Missy Kendrick on 12/06/11 at 01:04 PM
Our Charter and Career Academy is a "school within a school" and is open to every student at the high school. The Charter Career Academy is designed to improve graduation rates as well as to better prepare our graduates with the skills they will need to enter the workforce. I believe one of the reasons we received the grant was because of the unique inclusiveness of our approach. I would encourage any of you who are interested in learning more about our local efforts to better educate and prepare our children, please call our school system central office and speak with Dr. Truby.
#2.3.1 Anonymous on 12/06/11 at 02:55 PM
These nitwits can't understand those concepts, Missy. They're all a bunch of 'Negative-Nancies'. Just move forward, because you can't fix stupid.
#3 Anonymous on 12/06/11 at 03:25 PM
As a mother with 3 children in the Lamar County school system, I am thankful for the grant we have recieved. Our Superintendent and Board are doing a great job with the schools. Lamar County is making great strides in the education system. The Charter School and other programs as such is giving our children many choices to better themselves and their education early on. The opportunities are there and should be taken, not complained about.
#3.1 Anonymous on 12/06/11 at 07:50 PM
but i have to pay for them, instead of you supporting your childrens education and i supporting my childrens education
#4 Anonymous on 12/06/11 at 09:27 PM
I do support my childrens education. I pay plenty in property taxes, lunch money, school clothes, supplies for my kids and extra for the classrooms...and anything else that comes up. You made your choice to pay for private school so stop whining. Your children are no better than any others. They all deserve and should have a good education whether it be public or private.
#4.1 Anonymous on 12/07/11 at 04:32 PM
i dont mind paying for my child to go to private school and i wouldnt mind paying my fair amount for others children to go to a christian school also but everyone should pay something. why should i have to payfor a school that teaches almost everything that i dont believe in. i do mind having to pay more than most in this county to support the wastefull spending at the public schools.
#5 Anonymous on 12/07/11 at 04:47 AM
More money for the money pit. Meanwhile still no jobs in Lamar county.
Neat automated warehouse they are building in Griffin though. More jobs and taxes Lamar county WON'T get.
Neat automated warehouse they are building in Griffin though. More jobs and taxes Lamar county WON'T get.
#6 Anonymous on 12/07/11 at 07:48 AM
so if all the present students elect to go to the academy instead of their present public school; can we close the public school and stop paying the school taxes we are paying now?
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I will never understand the allure of sharing a stretch of beach with thousands (literally) of people. Or to be more accurate, tens of thousands of people along the entire barrier island on which I am currently situated. And then there is the heat and humidity under a blazing hot sun.
For me, it's entirely unbearable, made more so by the fact that I live in a vast forest preserve, aka: the Adirondack Park, to which tourists flee to escape the summer heat and crowding of city living. Hell, even the word "vacation" originated, in the late 1800s at the onset of Summer, from the question expressed by the NYC upperclass, "When are you vacating the city?" And, more often that not, that meant vacating to their Great Camps in the Adirondacks.


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AmeriHealth offers a number of health insurance plans through its family of companies: AmeriHealth Pennsylvania, AmeriHealth New Jersey, AmeriHealth Caritas, AmeriHealth Administrators and AmeriHealth Casualty Services. From these various companies, it insures individuals and employers, both locally and nationally.
The companies' insurance plans are backed by Independence Blue Cross. Most of the health plans have received NCQA Health Plan Accreditation, an indication of high quality in the marketplace.
AmeriHealth and Drug Rehab Coverage
AmeriHealth provides drug rehab coverage included in its Behavioral Health Program. Coverage levels are available at a number of different levels. This family of companies offers both partially funded and full coverage plans.
Subscribers are responsible for paying the cost of any services not covered under the insurance plan. If the plan has a deductible, the subscriber must pay this amount before the insurance company will pay any amount for drug rehab coverage.
The insurance company may require a doctor to evaluate a subscriber and recommend substance abuse treatment. AmeriHealth needs to authorize all inpatient drug treatment before a subscriber starts a program.
Summaries of Benefits for Individual Plans
The following summaries of benefits are all taken from a sample AmeriHealth insurance plan.
There are multiple levels of deductibles and copays, with benefits for both residential and outpatient treatment services. The amounts and percentages vary. Deductibles can be as low as $1,000 or as high as $6,000, with copays ranging from $50 for an outpatient visit all the way up to $500 per day for inpatient treatment.
There are many more policy options, and the level of coverage for substance abuse can vary from detox to residential and outpatient care. To find a rehab program that might take your AmeriHealth plan, contact us today.


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I take the train here in Chicago a lot. As such, I have a lot of images taken at train stations. It is an ever changing landscape of imagery... And "special" characters.
When one finds some trash or other discarded item, it is easy to imagine how it came to rest in that place. A soda can thrown away because no trash can was near, a glove dropped by an unknowing pedestrian, but this rose caught my attention because I couldn't entirely imagine the complete story. Why is the stem cut? How did this one rose manage to cling to the platform so close to the edge? Why is there only one?
The story of this rose may never be known. What do you think its story is?


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Patricia Veen
Online Specialist (Training)
Thomson Reuters
How Patricia helps Westlaw users
"I deal with variety: a wide variety of people with an equally wide variety of specific needs and challenges. And that's what I love about what I do. No two customers are the same.
"Westlaw is used by people from law firms (ranging from large to solo practitioners), and barristers to multiple government departments, state sector agencies and legal teams in diverse organizations such as corporate environments, hospitals, charitable organizations and unions. Every user has their own set of requirements - what information they want, how they want to access it, where they want to access from, how they want it displayed, how they want to share it across their organization… The variations are enormous.
"In my training role, it's my challenge to ensure that regardless of the size of the customer's account and the degree of their digital competency, their needs are met. That means we need to be ultra flexible, our approach can never be one size fits all.
"We have an adaptable selection of training options ranging from self-service of varying types (videos, downloadable User Guide pdfs, and top tips), webinars and one-on-one training conversations, available via our Training website. Site visits for group training are also made regularly. We shape what we do and how we deliver training in direct response to customer demand and the feedback we get from them.
"Training is an investment and it's one of those things where the more you learn, the more value you receive. Westlaw is never going to be mastered in a one-off session - there are always going to be changes and enhancements to the product. That's its nature. It will evolve."
While that may frustrate users who want to "get the training over and done with", using Westlaw effectively is a journey. And that's exactly what Patricia values about her role. There is always something new, and someone new to teach.
Patricia's Training journey
Patricia has been involved in training for over twenty years, watching the products evolve from CD to online. It's a role she became fascinated by when she was employed as the Judge's Associate to Chief Justice Rt Hon Sir Thomas Eichelbaum (1989-1999).
She recalls the transition from purely paper based office systems to increasingly computerized ones, which included the beginnings of online legal research. While some struggled, she didn't and was soon seconded to train the judiciary and their support staff. Realizing how much she enjoyed her new role, she decided to commit herself fully to it by completing a teaching diploma.
"It's never just training. It's always about people; how best to ensure they get what they need to use all the features of Westlaw and get the benefits. That's always good!"


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Walmart and Amazon Enter the Same Battlefield
Walmart and Amazon both share the same common goal: be a consumer's primary destination for in-store and online shopping. From clothing and food to toys and tech, both are developing their companies into hybrids of online and brick-and-mortar shopping centers.
To increase its online advertising footprint, Walmart utilizes its brick-and-mortar shopping data to fuel targeted third-party ads the way Amazon does with its consumer shopping data.
Amazon Wants to Be Your Shopping Assistant
Amazon has made itself into a formidable threat to take some of the ad spend out of the duopoly Facebook and Google currently hold. While Amazon ads only account for about two percent of the total market, it's still in the early stages of its future advertising plans. By comparison, Google and Facebook control over 60 percent of the market.
Amazon is a threat because it has amassed a large amount of information about consumer purchase behavior. Google and Facebook both have shopping marketplaces but still see users leave to make purchases on Amazon.
"While Google knows what people are searching for and Facebook knows what people are interested in and who they are connected to, Amazon knows the specific products that customers are purchasing and how frequently they are purchasing these products," said Daniel Salmon Equity Research Analyst at BMO Capital Markets.
Walmart's Strength is Amazon's Weakness and Vice Versa
Walmart and Amazon have strengths the other doesn't, and each company is investing significantly in their respective weaknesses. Amazon touts far and away the largest eCommerce marketplace while Walmart is still the largest brick-and-mortar retailer.
To expand its eCommerce presence, Walmart is building more robust online advertising capabilities. They now serve programmatic display ads with sponsored products listings in order to drive online sales.
To expand into brick-and-mortar retail, Amazon bought Whole Foods Market. It is also developing its Amazon Go concept, which is a grocery store that allows customers to make purchases without going through a checkout line. The first Amazon Go store prototype opened in the company's headquarters in Seattle last December.
Both Walmart and Amazon bring unique weapons to this face-off over the consumer's shopping experience. Both titans are formidable but which one will invade the other's turf more effectively? Time will tell and the battle will be fascinating to watch.


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Patent Pending - Pre-filed Greeting Cards
Now you might think this idea already exists, greet cards generally already have something written in them, but it is always impersonal and you have to write something additional. My idea is greeting cards that are already completed with personal messages, that look like they were handwritten.
This could work for individual cards, but I think the key to the market is the business world.
Here is an example:
Frank is leaving work, but lots of people are out of the office, or too busy to sign Frank's leaving card. Instead of giving Frank a card with no messages in it (figure 1 below), you can go to the website, order a leaving card, enter the names of some colleagues, and the next day (or same day pick up from lots of locations? Or maybe even self printing options?) a card is delivered with handwritten (or at least looking like that) messages from all of Frank's colleagues (figure 2 below).
(Sorry to anyone named Frank?)
This would work with everything, birthdays, pregnancies, redundancies, deaths - any occasion you can think of you can now have a full card of warm wishes.
On an individual level you could also have cards with longer messages in them.
There would be a form you could complete that has lots of options questions about key facts about the person (they like sports, they travel lots, they are accused of crimes etc), you fill in as many as you want and our special algorithm makes the message is more relevant.
I imagine Hallmark has already made me a bank transfer to buy this. It is the best money making idea for them since they invented Arbour Day.


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Dubai: West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine was suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment of his action was deemed illegal, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Sunday.
The assessment revealed that all variations of his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations. The test was performed on November 17 at the ICC's accredited testing centre in Loughborough University, England.
He was reported after the third One-Day International (ODI) match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in November.
Read Also: Windies' Sunil Narine hauled up for suspect action
"In accordance with Article 6.1 of the regulations, Narine's international suspension will also be recognised and enforced by all National Cricket Federations within domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction, save that, with the consent of the West Indies Cricket Board, Narine may be able to play in domestic cricket events played under the auspices of the West Indies Cricket Board," an ICC statement said.
"The player can apply for a re-assessment after modifying his bowling action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions."
Narine was playing against Sri Lanka after a gap of more than a year in international cricket. He is currently the No.1 ranked bowler in the ODI and T20 rankings


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Logo Designs by Brendan Prince
Great logo design work by Brendan Prince, a designer from Rochester, New York.
"I studied Fine Art for two years in college before transferring to Graphic Design. I've been trying to experiment with different mediums and techniques, which will always continue. I am very easily inspired, which I am extremely thankful for."
– Brendan Prince
via Behance Brendan Prince's websiteBranding Graphic Design Logo Design Typography Posted on December 2, 2012


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ARTIST / BAND: Lykke Li
ALBUM (mp3): The lost sessions vol. 1
FILE UNDER: Indie Pop, electroacustic,
INFO: I'd thought I'd give you this to put in your little players, either stick it in your ears or play it loud when the lights are low, mind weary and days rainy.
Remember; life is a process, no feeling is final.
There is no end and no beginning.
Yours truly always,
Lykke Li
PS: If you like it you are welcome to spread it on those little Internet waves. Maybe send it like a little gift or a kindly flu filled kiss. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. VOL . 1 ( !!!!!)


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Normally I avoid politics here on STORMBRINGER - it generates Dark Energy within me - but I draw the line when dead American G.I.'s are used for political purposes. -S.L.
Liz Cheney was asked about this Thursday by John Gibson at Fox News radio. He said, "Seventeen of the 18 families of the fallen denied Obama his photo-op at Dover,"
Here's what Liz Cheney said:
"I don't know why he went to Dover. I think that clearly it is very important for a commander-in-chief whenever he can, in whatever way possible, to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers, our fallen military, folks, but I think, you know, what President Bush used to do was to do it without cameras, and I don't understand sort of showing up with the White House press pool with photographers and asking family members if he can take pictures. I mean, that's really hard for me to get my head around. I think it's an honorable and important thing to pay tribute, there's no greater sacrifice people make to the nation. It was a surprising way for the president to choose to do it. I would also point out that the best way to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed is to win the war."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
This year the Taliban mounted their biggest counter-offensive since we removed them from power; Obama shows leadership by saluting a flag-draped coffin. Nothing like that to inspire victory!
If Obama sincerely wanted to defeat the Taliban he would have granted the professionals' requests for reinforcements made so many months ago.
This photogragh was a shrewdly calculated political stunt, using a dead American serviceman as a prop. Obama is deliberately setting the stage for his Adminitration's approach to Afghanistan - although "withdrawal from" will be more accurate.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Posted by STORMBRINGER at 13:02
Labels: casket, Dover AFB, Drill and Ceremony, flag, flag-draped casket, FM 3-21.5, Obama, war dead
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§ Mrs. Roche
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which regulations have been repealed under the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994; and which of them applied to firms with(a) under 100 employees, (b) under 50 employees and (c) under 10 employees. [13099]
§ Mr. Freeman
Two orders have been enacted under the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. They contain a number of measures to assist the greyhound industry and building societies. Both measures benefit industry as a whole and were not targeted specifically at small businesses.
A further 19 proposals have been laid before the Parliamentary Committees which will ease burdens on a wide range of industrial sectors including Scottish salmon fishers and private companies.


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Those are the words of Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham, and they echo a theme often repeated here. While some of you certainly think that answers to our many problems lie in extreme left or right politics, most of us prefer the "can do" common sense approach of leaders like Charlie Dent, Arlen Specter, Don Cunningham and John Stoffa. Most of us, like them, detest the partisan bickering that all too often has resulted in gridlock in Washington and the land of midnight payraises.
The most powerful voices in this country, and certainly in the Lehigh Valley, are those who speak from its independent center. That's why, six years ago, when Specter was threatened from the right by Pat Toomey, I briefly switched to Republican so I could vote for him.
Now that this feisty old warrior is being threatened on the left, I'm gratified to learn that the Lehigh Valley's top Democrats will publicly endorse Snarlen' Arlen tomorrow, 9:45 AM, at Allentown's Four Point Sheraton. Don Cunningham will be joined by Northampton County Exec John Stoffa, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Easton Mayor Sal Panto and the party bosses from Northampton, Lehigh, Carbon and Bucks County.
I note that Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan is not among those listed. He's probably worried that publicly admitting his support for Specter will cost him votes from the left.


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I love summer. It brings back memories of childhood spent at my grandparents' house on the beach and pool parties, scavenger hunts, miniature golf, croquet tournaments and big family parties filled with delicious food. I celebrate summer today with BBQs at my own house, marshmallow roasts on our patio, attending my nephew's baseball tournaments, time spent with friends and the abundance of fresh produce available at the farmer's market and the grocery store. But I also love summer because of YARD SALES! We can hardly be in the car for five minutes on a weekend outing without me yelling to Rolland "Pull over! There's a SALE!" Beyond the crazy stuff I'm always looking for – vintage linens, mid century furniture, old paintings of people and/or dogs, vintage Barbie dolls – I love finding old church and hospital guild cookbooks or boxes and notebooks stuffed with handwritten recipes, or items ripped from magazines and newspapers and glued onto index cards. They're entertaining – who would EAT this stuff?! – and every so often, I find something I want to try out.
If I had to choose a comfort food, it would be rice – yes I like brown rice, wild rice, pilaf and risotto, but give me a steaming bowl of white rice with some butter, salt and pepper, and I'm a very happy guy. So I'm constantly looking for new ways to eat my favorite food, and right now I'm on a salad kick. I'm also wanting to find something that require minimal cooking because it's been unusually hot for a Seattle summer and the last thing I want to do is heat up my tiny, un-air conditioned house any more than it already is. When it gets this hot, I find I want to cool down with something citrus, so to combine rice with citrus is a home run for me.
This recipe was inspired by one of those recent yard sale cookbook finds – I streamlined it a bit and made a couple changes (a few too may canned vegetables in the original for my taste), and I love the result. The colors are so fresh and vibrant! Now I have to admit this is similar to a salad I made before with mint, oranges and rice, but it used a vinaigrette to dress that and the flavor profile is pretty different. I like the vintage taste of this with the mayo dressing. They're both delicious and you should try the other one too and you can get that recipe HERE. But back to this rice salad…
You start with 2 cups of uncooked white rice – I use the juice and zest of a lime in this dish, so start with the juice of your lime in your measuring cup, then add water to make 4 cups, add a teaspoon of vegetable oil and cook for 15-20 minutes. You want to cool the rice after it's done – if you're using a metal pan to cook your rice in, remember that metal is a heat conductor, so it won't cool quickly in the pan. Just spread it out on a plate – it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to cool enough to use in the salad.
There aren't a lot of complicated steps to this dish – HOORAY! – so while the rice is cooling, get out two stalks of celery, three green onions and a large can of Mandarin oranges. I like to use no sugar added because Rolland is diabetic and the sugar in the oranges along with the carbs of the rice is plenty for him, but if you prefer to use oranges in syrup, that's fine. Drain the oranges really well….
…chop the celery and onions – I like to split the stalk of extra-wide celery and then cut it. When you're done cutting it up, toss the vegetables into a large bowl with the oranges…
…next you'll add the cooled rice to the bowl and stir gently to combine. Don't worry, the oranges are going to start breaking apart as you mix it up. That means you're going to get that delicious orangey taste throughout the salad rather than in just big bites of orange segments…
…now add 1/2 cup mayonnaise, the lime zest, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and stir everything to combine. You should let this chill at least an hour, but if you're like me, you'll already be sampling it before it gets to the fridge…
…just before serving, put the rice in a favorite serving dish and garnish with a little of the green part from the onion – beautiful and DELICIOUS!
- 2 cups uncooked white rice
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- zest and juice of one lime
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 green onions
- 1 15 oz. can Mandarin oranges
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Put the two cups rice into a saucepan – put the juice of the lime into a large measuring cup then add water to make 4 cups. Cook 15-20 minutes until tender. Pour onto a plate to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Drain the Mandarin oranges well while you chop the celery and green onions, then them all into a large bowl.
- Add the cooled rice and mix it all together gently.
- Add the mayonnaise, lime zest, salt and pepper and mix them gently into the salad ingredients.
- Chill for at least an hour.
- Before serving, adjust seasoning, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with green onion of desired.