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COCOA BEACH, FL New heart procedures are now being performed at Cape Canaveral Hospital that will significantly cut the amount of time until life-saving treatment is available for barrier island and Merritt Island residents as well as the nearly 3 million cruise ship passengers at Port Canaveral each year.
Cape Canaveral Hospital is now among only 25 percent of U.S. hospitals able to perform life-saving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures for patients suffering heart attacks. According to the American Heart Association, PCI is the preferred method for treating STEMI heart attacks, considered among the most dangerous, therefore requiring more immediate treatment.
"Any barrier island community presents its own set of challenges when quickly transporting a patient to the hospital," said Orlando Dominguez, chief of EMS Operations for Brevard County Fire Rescue. "When it comes to cardiac-related EMS calls, time is muscle. The further we have to drive, the greater the risk to the patient. Now having Cape Canaveral Hospital as an option can cut that drive time down by as much as 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. Having Cape Canaveral Hospital as the closest destination also allows us to keep our EMS crews closer to the communities they serve, and available for the next call."
Until now, STEMI patients would either need to be flown from Cape Canaveral Hospital to Holmes Regional Medical Center, or would be transported by ground to other area hospitals as far as 30 minutes away from the original call (depending on traffic conditions).
In addition to performing PCI, Cape Canaveral Hospital is also now able to perform stent procedures by accessing a patient's arteries through the wrist, a newer technique that according to industry experts increases the odds of surviving a major heart attack.
"Most people don't think about it, but being on a barrier island limits your options in an emergency," said Vicki Crosswell, Director of Imaging Services at Cape Canaveral Hospital. "We have always been the closest destination for emergency treatment to the millions of Port visitors and barrier island residents. Now we are the closest destination for emergency treatment when it comes to life-threatening heart attacks."
When minutes count the most, having PCI and stent procedures available at Cape Canaveral Hospital now means patients from Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral and other barrier island communities are only minutes away from life-saving procedures that until now might have been too far, or too late.


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Poison Control: 800-222-1222
After Hours: 772-335-1812
Option 1
What is Lyme Disease?
What causes Lyme Disease?
Who gets Lyme Disease?
How do the bacteria cause disease?
What are the common findings?
How is Lyme Disease diagnosed?
How is Lyme Disease treated?
What are the complications?
How can Lyme Disease be prevented?
What research is being done?
Links to additional information
by Eugene D. Shapiro, M.D.
Yale University School of Medicine
Lyme Disease is an infectious illness that has different manifestations depending on the stage of the illness (i.e., early localized disease, early disseminated disease, and late disease).
A type of bacteria called a spirochete, which is named Borrelia burgdorferi, causes Lyme Disease. The bacteria is transmitted by ticks of the Ixodid species; in the United States, this is usually Ixodes scapularis, which is also known by its common name, the deer tick.
Lyme Disease occurs most commonly in areas where deer ticks are abundant and where the proportion of ticks that are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme Disease is high (20% to 50%)-southern New England, southeastern New York, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, eastern Maryland, Delaware, and parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The majority (greater than 75%) of the reported cases occurs in a small number of counties (less than 70) in these endemic areas.
Lyme Disease is uncommon in the Pacific states because, although the tick found there-Ixodes pacificus (the Western black-legged tick)-can transmit B. burgdorferi, few of these ticks are infected with the bacteria. People with increased occupational, recreational, or residential exposure to tick-infested woodlands and fields (the preferred habitat of ticks) in endemic areas are at an increased risk of developing Lyme Disease.
There are a number of factors associated with the risk of transmission of B. burgdorferi from ticks to humans. First, a tick has to be infected to be able to transmit the organism. The proportion of infected ticks varies greatly both by the geographic area and by the stage of the tick in its life cycle. Even in areas with the highest incidence of Lyme Disease, only about 20% to 30% of nymphal-stage ticks (the stage most likely to cause Lyme Disease) are infected.
Lyme Disease develops after an infected tick inoculates bacteria into the skin of its human victim. The risk of transmission of the bacteria from infected deer ticks is related to the duration of feeding. It takes hours for the mouth parts of ticks to implant fully, and much longer (days) for the tick to become fully engorged.
Experiments with animals have shown that nymphal-stage ticks must feed for 48 hours or longer, and adult ticks must feed for 72 hours or longer, before the risk of transmission of B. burgdorferi from infected ticks becomes substantial. The duration of time that a tick has fed can be estimated from measures of engorgement derived from experiments with animals.
Based on these studies, there is evidence that approximately 75% of persons who recognize that they have been bitten by a deer tick remove the tick less than 48 hours after it has begun to feed. Indeed, the majority of persons who develop Lyme Disease do not recall a tick bite. Unrecognized tick bites probably are associated with a greater risk, since unrecognized ticks may feed longer.
The bacteria cause inflammation in the tissues that are infected. First, the inflammation usually causes a rash in the skin (known as erythema migrans) at the site of the tick bite. The bacteria may then enter the bloodstream and spread to other sites, which include other parts of the skin, the nervous system, and the heart. The bacteria may also infect the joints and cause inflammation that leads to arthritis. Rarely, but particularly in people who have a certain genetic predisposition, an autoimmune inflammatory process may develop in the joint so that inflammation continues even after the bacteria are killed by antibiotic treatment.
By far, the most common manifestation of Lyme Disease is the characteristic reddish rash, erythema migrans, which usually develops 7 to 14 days (and up to as many as 30 days) after the tick bite. This rash occurs in approximately 90% of children with Lyme Disease. It is a circular (or oblong) rash that increases in size over time, sometimes growing to as much as a foot or more in diameter. Although central clearing may occur (causing a characteristic "bull's eye" appearance), it is probably even more common for the rash to be uniformly red. Fungal infections of the skin ("ringworm"), insect bites, and circular or "nummular" eczema rashes commonly are confused with erythema migrans.
Erythema Migrans
Approximately one-quarter of the children with erythema migrans will have multiple erythema migrans, which is a sign that the bacteria have spread through the bloodstream and "seeded" other sites in the skin. The "secondary" rashes are usually smaller than the primary rash, and fever; pains in the muscles, joints, or neck; headache; and/or fatigue often accompany them. Multiple erythema migrans is a manifestation of "early disseminated" Lyme Disease.
Another finding in the "early disseminated" stage of the disease is paralysis of the facial nerve. Rarely, patients may have meningitis or arrhythmia of the heart.
The common manifestation of late Lyme Disease is arthritis. The knee is usually affected (greater than 90% of the cases), but any joint may be involved. Although the joint is swollen, it may be either very painful or it may be associated with relatively little pain, and the patient sometimes is able to pursue most normal activities with little impairment. Fever and other signs, such as headache or fatigue, may or may not be present.
It is important to realize that although patients with Lyme Disease often have non-specific symptoms, such as headache, fever, fatigue, or muscle pain, these symptoms are virtually always accompanied by specific signs of Lyme Disease, such as the characteristic rash, facial palsy, or a swollen knee. These non-specific symptoms, when present without more specific signs of Lyme Disease, are virtually never caused by Lyme Disease.
The most common sign of Lyme Disease-the erythema migrans rash-is usually diagnosed based on its typical appearance; the history of possible exposure to ticks; and the fact that it enlarges over time, if untreated.
Tests for antibodies are not appropriate in persons with a single erythema migrans rash because they usually are negative at this early stage of the illness. By contrast, if the rash is not present, but other signs, such as facial palsy or a swollen knee, are present (and the clinical and epidemiologic history is consistent with Lyme Disease), antibody tests usually are used to diagnose the illness.
It is of critical importance to realize that, because false-positive tests are common, tests for antibodies against B. burgdorferi should not be used as a "screening test" for persons with only non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle or joint pain, or a headache. Use of the antibody tests for Lyme Disease in such situations has resulted in a very high frequency of misdiagnosis of Lyme Disease, and it has helped to perpetuate the myth that Lyme Disease is difficult to diagnose and to treat.
An antibiotic administered by mouth (usually doxycycline or amoxicillin) is very effective in treating Lyme Disease. Occasionally, an antibiotic (usually ceftriaxone or penicillin) is given intravenously to treat infection of the central nervous system, such as meningitis, or in the rare instances in which arthritis does not respond to one or two courses of oral treatment.
Complications are very rare. The most common cause of failure to respond to treatment is misdiagnosis, that is, the patient either does not have (and never did have) Lyme Disease, or the patient had Lyme Disease in the past, and the current symptoms are unrelated to the previous Lyme Disease. Very rarely, facial palsy may persist (usually only to a very mild degree). Very rarely, an autoimmune arthritis that does not respond to antimicrobial treatment and that is not related to persistence of bacteria may develop in persons with a genetic susceptibility to this problem, especially when antibiotic treatment has been delayed.
Chronic inflammation of the central nervous system with memory loss has been reported as a rare complication in adults for whom treatment was delayed for a long time (often not until years after the presumed time of the infection). Congenital Lyme Disease (transmission from a pregnant woman to her child) has not been documented; likewise, transmission of Lyme Disease via breastfeeding has not been shown to occur.
There are many Internet sites that provide information about Lyme Disease; however, many are not supported by scientifically sound data, including many sites controlled by "patient-advocate" groups or individuals. One worthwhile site is that of the American Lyme Disease Foundation at www.aldf.com. Information also is available through the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/.
About the Author
Dr. Shapiro trained at the UCSF School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and the Yale School of Medicine, where he is currently a Professor of Pediatrics and of Epidemiology and Public Health.
He has conducted numerous research studies of Lyme Disease, the efficacy of vaccines, and bacteremia in children.
Copyright 2012 Eugene D. Shapiro, M.D., All Rights Reserved
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subset: commoncrawl


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After following the recent long and somewhat contentious thread on heat-related risks on Skyline, I decided to comb through RMRU's public descriptions of summertime deaths and rescue missions on Skyline and take some notes. This is in reverse chronological order. I'm sure it isn't a comprehensive list. It's mostly just what I found on RMRU's site.
Mark Alexander, died 2012 May 18, age 54.
High temperature of 92 in Palm Springs. Found on Lykken Trail at 6:10 pm.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/2012052 ... rail-named
Jim Lieser, 2012 May 15, survived
High of 101 in PS. Started hiking down from the tram at 9 am. Made a cell phone call at 4:30 pm at 2500', was helicoptered out.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/2012051 ... ated-hiker
[added May 21 - Ben]
William Carroll, age 65, from Palm Springs, found dead 2009 July 19
Robert Allen Liebler, age 64, from Ft. Collins, CO, died 2009 July 18
High of 116 in PS. Liebler and a hiking partner had intended to start up Lykken Trail at 2 am for a c2c. They actually started up at 3:45 a.m. They got lost multiple times in the dark. At 6 am, about 3 miles in (about 2500-3000'?), Liebler started cramping, so he turned around and told his partner to go ahead without him. Liebler was found dead around noon the following day. He was off the trail, about 200 yards away from a tennis club, sitting upright, with water still remaining in his bottle.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local ... Trail.html
[added May 21 - Ben]
Alexander Todd Major, died 2009 may 17, age 28.
High of 105 in PS. Started up Skyline at 6 am with his girlfriend. They apparently were not in good enough physical condition for the hike, and turned around at about 4000-5000'. He died at 1:30 pm at the picnic tables (1300').
http://www.hikerhell.com/2009/05/man-di ... sert-hike/
2008 Sep 4, survived
Hiker didn't turn left in front of Coffman's Crag, ended up stuck in Chino Cyn. Called 911 on her cell phone, and eventually they talked her out and she exited by herself.
Sean Stewart, 2000 July 1, age 32, survived.
High of 106 in PS. Started up Skyline at 10 am. Turned down Tahquitz Cyn for water. Made a signal fire, which went out of control. Rescued by helicopter.
1997 Jun 15, survived
Got lost descending Skyline, wandered into Tahquitz Canyon. Overdue to exit, RMRU found and extricated him in a helicopter.
Mike Blotter, 1976 Aug 16, survived.
High of 93 in PS. Carrying two army canteens, intending to stay out overnight. Ran out of water at 3800'. Walked out Tahquitz Canyon while RMRU was searching for him on Skyline.
A common denominator is that a lot of these people seem to have started much too late in the day (in addition to the risk factor of attempting Skyline in the summer at all).
I hadn't known how common it was for people in trouble to end up in Tahquitz Canyon, either because they get lost or because they intentionally decide to retreat that way rather than coming back down Skyline. It would be good to get comments from people who know about Tahquitz Canyon about whether this is a reasonable last-ditch survival strategy. Apparently there is water there, and I suppose it might have some shade, so if you're in danger of dying of heat stroke, maybe it makes sense to go there...? But it violates the rule of staying put when you're in trouble so that people can find you, and it also sounds like the majority of these people are unable to get out of Tahquitz Canyon under their own power, and have to be helicoptered out.
A lot of people got lost. Clearly anybody who's not pretty familiar with the trail should not be attempting it alone. I'm sure a lot of people doing it for the first time don't understand that it's really a cross-country route with a use trail along parts of it. They probably hear "Skyline Trail" and imagine a maintained trail.


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[School design] Aedas' four Oldham schools were among the last BSF schemes to escape the axe. The programme's scale, budget and civic ambition are unlikely to be seen again. Greg Pitcher goes back to class
With modular building, standardisation and cost savings dominating education design today, it's sometimes hard to believe Building Schools for the Future (BSF) ever existed.
Education secretary Michael Gove dropped the Labour government's £55 billion estate renewal programme within weeks of coming to office in the summer of 2010.
Of the 1,200 BSF projects, nearly 700 collapsed - some never to be seen again, others resuscitated as cheaper, smaller alternatives without the bells and whistles.
Yet a few lucky schemes, that had advanced far enough, were quietly allowed to continue.
In Oldham, four Aedas-designed schools with what is now a gasp-inducing combined budget of £100 million are starting to fill with pupils.
'These projects represent a moment in time,' says Aedas director Tony Langan. 'You will not see schools of this ilk for many a year.
'BSF was flabby, there were too many hangers-on and it was cumbersome for contractors. But it was a grand project and as architects we love that kind of thing.'
Aedas teamed up with Balfour Beatty for the Newman Roman Catholic College BSF project, and with Willmott Dixon for three academy jobs at the same time.
These academies - for sponsors Oldham College, Oasis and E-ACT - were procured through Partnerships for Schools' (PfS) contractors' framework. With Labour's PfS quango also in charge of BSF, they benefited from the programme's expansive ethos.
Aedas' four schools were an integral part of a plan not only to transform educational attainment in Oldham, but to mend a fractured community. The backdrop to the projects' conception included the race riots of the early 21st century and areas of grinding depravation.
'A key criteria for getting to the top of the queue for BSF funding was the volume of free school meals,' says Langan, who was born in the town and attended one of the schools that Aedas replaced. 'Oldham has some of the poorest boroughs in Europe.'
To aid social healing, schools were moved from existing sites to strategically chosen locations.
Oldham College's Waterhead Academy, for example, was placed where it would bring together previously sparring white and Asian working class communities from the mainly white Counthill and predominately Asian Breeze Hill areas.
Newman College replaced two catholic schools. 'This relocation made the sites quite hard to develop,' says Langan. 'Waterhead was an old mill site with a culvert running through it. Oasis had a right of way that had to be maintained throughout construction.'
The exteriors of the schools were important, and Aedas worked to give them as much prominence as possible within the town.
The Oasis Academy is built with an illuminated facade that can be seen from Manchester city centre. Newman College looms large on the main road that links the M60 with the M62. 'People will see that something is happening in Oldham,' says Langan. 'We wanted to reinvigorate the presence of the town itself.'
The next step was to create schools that children would want to attend.'If you don't get kids through the front door, then they aren't going to learn anything,' says Langan. 'Truancy is a major problem and you have to give pupils the desire to turn up.'
Lessons learned
Social areas were key to the design of all four schools; the philosophy was to attract children to school to see friends and hang out. Various common spaces were created to bring people together. Open-plan interiors were used, along with plenty of glass, to create a sense of togetherness.
A further challenge was encouraging parents, who historically often had troubled relationships with the school their children attended, to lower their guard.
'Encouraging parents is one of the big things you can do,' says Langan. 'We looked at it the way you would a business. Parents are the clients and you try to make them feel comfortable and welcome. That meant open reception areas, cups of coffee and internet access rather than forbidding doors and shutters.'
When it came to creating learning spaces, Aedas was keen not to let technological advances crowd out other forms of learning. Computers increased in quantity and quality but so did flexible teaching opportunities.
'BSF was overloaded with technology,' says Langan. 'I've seen high-performing schools in New York that use bedsheets nailed to the wall for teaching. 'Every child learns differently and you have to tailor teaching to the individual.'
Aedas created rooms that could be opened up or closed in at will, so teachers could create large or small spaces depending on the lesson and the class. Balconies and covered outdoor spaces gave further, accessible options for changing the mood of a lesson.
'To engage pupils, teachers need to be able to think on their feet,' said Langan. 'They need all the armoury they can get.'
The practice visited schools as far apart as Scandanavia, Australia and Thailand to hone its vision for Oldham's secondary education estate. It picked up lessons from all those places, but ultimately tailored its designs to the specific needs of the individual schools and the town as a whole.
Three of the four schools have opened their doors to pupils since September, with E-ACT's Oldham Academy North to open after Christmas.
Pupils moving from one lesson to the next this winter are unlikely to pause to reflect that they are standing in buildings that are at once brand new yet strangely historic. And though it is too early to gauge whether the schools will quickly achieve their lofty aims, these buildings - unlike their prefabricated predecessors thrown up in the 1950s and 1960s buildings - have been designed to last.
Labour councillor Hugh MacDonald, cabinet member for education and safeguarding who was involved with Oldham's initial £200 million BSF bid said: 'These beautiful schools will easily last for 60 years. I don't think I will be around to see them replaced.
'They don't look flimsy, even though there is lots of glass. It all seems long-lasting stuff. They are well-proportioned, well-designed and adaptable.'
For MacDonald each of the new schools is 'iconic', providing 'loads of room for the kids to breathe in'. He concluded: 'I wouldn't change anything about the BSF programme, only that it should have been left to run to its end. In 12 months the programme would have finished in Oldham and we'd have gained so much value. [This country] doesn't do long-term thinking. '
Indeed, it is likely to be a long time before architects are given such an opportunity to use school design to benefit an entire community again.
A teacher's view
Liz Mitchell, deputy head teacher at Newman Roman Catholic College
We were chosen for BSF funding because we represented the population of Oldham. We had to think of a totally different way of teaching children.
We are already beginning to see the effects of using different ways of engaging children.
If one thing from BSF can be taken into the new era it is that…. social spaces are important. [In our school] pupils feel they are being given a privilege.
Also, creating flexibility through operable walls or other barriers means you can have six children working or 100 listening to a teacher. Teachers have to realise that standing at the front for 50 minutes is not the only way to teach.
We have winter gardens where pupils can do physical activities without getting hot and bothered. We can hold classes in busy central spaces while people are walking past because the acoustics are good.
It is important to have a member of staff with an understanding of learning involved in the design process. Otherwise you will get someone else's idea of what a school should be like.
Our teachers went to Holland and were impressed by the use of glass that allows staff to passively calm children down just by being visible. Our school is all open-plan and the children would not contemplate trying anything they wouldn't do in any public arena. Behaviour is a lot better as a result.
We also had children come on to the site during the building process to contribute their ideas. We have stained glass windows in the school that were designed by the children.
The pupils don't appreciate how state-of-the-art it all is, but they like the computers and being able to see open spaces. Overall, they love the new school.'
Model pupil: Walters & Cohen
Constructing the team: Patel Taylor's Lowther Primary School
Reschooling Oldham: Aedas
Oval teenies: dRMM's Four Dwellings Primary School
Hampshire of the north: Highland Council's Ben Wyvis Primary
Scotland's best school: Holmes Miller's Heathfield Primary
Extracurricular: Pollard Thomas Edwards' Tidemill Academy
New tricks: Capita Symonds' St Silas Primary
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Home > Back to Search Results > Colonial currency from Pennsylvania...
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Colonial currency from Pennsylvania...
Item # 639344
April 10, 1777
Colonial currency: Pennsylvania, three pence note dated April 10, 1777. A decorative border plus an engraving of the Penna. coat-of-arms along with the text. The reverse has: "To counterfeit is DEATH" along with "Three Pence, Philadelphia, printed by John Dunlap" and the year 1777. John Dunlap was also the printer of the Declaration of Independence. One signature, measures 2 1/4 by 2 3/4 inches, minimal rubbing, more so on the reverse, generally good condition.
Category: Documents & Broadsides


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5 questions on the IRS debacle
A classic Washington scandal is unfolding — complete with accusations of lies, abuse of power and questions about coverups.
To add to the intrigue, it involves one of the most hated government agencies: the Internal Revenue Service.
Story Continued Below
It all started Friday, when an IRS official — in an apparently off-handed remark — acknowledged and apologized for wrongly targeting conservative groups seeking nonprofit status.
( Also on POLITICO: IRS knew of tea party targeting)
A firestorm quickly ensued and only deepened over the weekend with revelations that senior IRS officials have known about the targeting practice for several years. Republicans, meanwhile, are calling for additional investigations.
Here are five big questions on the rapidly evolving scandal:
1. What did senior IRS officials know; when did they know it; and were any laws broken?
This is what's clear: Low-level employees in the IRS's Cincinnati office began flagging conservative groups as early as 2010, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Lois Lerner, who directs the agency's tax-exempt groups unit, said applications were scrutinized if they included words such as "patriot" or "tea party."
( Also on POLITICO: Bill would penalize IRS lawbreakers)
For now, it appears that the Cincinnati employees took the initiative on their own to start flagging the applications. Lerner has vehemently dismissed GOP accusations that political motivations fueled the program.
She said the IRS often centralizes applications that need more study when there's a sudden growth in similar requests for nonprofit status, but that process wasn't carried out appropriately this time.
Ultimately, about 75 groups were subjected to additional review.
Lerner has so far declined to say when she first learned of the targeting practice and told reporters on Friday she didn't remember when she notified her bosses.
( Also on POLITICO: GOP outrage at IRS grows)
But a TIGTA report due out this week will say that senior IRS officials knew about the activities as early as 2011. That would seem to contradict testimony then-IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman provided to Congress in 2012 when he told lawmakers that the agency wasn't providing extra scrutiny to groups because of their political affiliations.
Meanwhile, the details of what the IRS was after are becoming more clear. Lerner said that some of the groups, for instance, were asked for member or donor lists, which isn't a typical IRS practice.
Lerner said it's not illegal for the IRS to flag groups for extra review when the agency notices a spike in applications from the same type of organizations.
2. What does this mean for the Obama administration?
The IRS developments couldn't come at a worse time for the White House, which has spent months courting GOP support for everything from gun control to an overhaul of immigration laws.
If the administration's recent GOP charm offensive bought any goodwill, it seems to be on short supply now.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is exactly the type of moderate lawmaker who might support the administration's policy goals. But she made clear on Sunday that she isn't pleased with how the White House — and President Barack Obama in particular — is handling the IRS debacle.
"I think that it's very disappointing the president hasn't personally condemned this and spoken out," Collins said on CNN's "State of the Union." "The president needs to make it crystal clear that this is totally unacceptable in America."
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has called for Obama to order a "transparent, governmentwide review" to see if similar practices are happening elsewhere in the administration.


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Freelance 3D modeller and games artist. Commenced my games industry career over 10 years ago, starting out at Warthog on the sci-fi FPS Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter, and a space shooter of Battlestar Galactica. Most recently worked in house for Sumo Digital on a Tennis release for Sega, Virtua Tennis 2009 for PS3, Xbox 360 & the Wii, and I also worked on Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing. I have recently begun to teach 3D modelling and how that relates to games at several educational institutions including the University of Bolton on a part-time basis. Mod work includes development team leader, lore advice and modelling work for the Battlefield 2142 Star Wars themed mod First Strike.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
Some sample 2d storyboard art based on some First Strike Star Wars based fiction.


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Groupon and LivingSocial succeed because consumers perceive them as great deals. But is that true?
Perhaps not.
Thumbtack.com called 10 vendors offering daily deals (five from Groupon and five from LivingSocial) and found eight instances where they were quoted a price over the phone that was cheaper than the advertised regular price being offered.
All five of Groupon's prices were higher than the same merchant's price when called, and three of the LivingSocial ones were.
Granted, this is an extremely small sample size, but it is worth noting. Part of the reason people like buying Groupon and LivingSocial so much is the fact that they are saving a huge percentage. By inflating the regular advertised price, the companies can increase the percentage saved.
Some of the most egregious examples from the Thumbtack.com post:
- On August 24, 2011, Groupon offered carpet cleaning for a 200 sq. ft. room in San Francisco for $45, a discount of 78% from the regular price of $200. The price we were quoted? $160 for 300 sq. ft. of carpet cleaning, or $0.53 per sq. ft. At $0.53 per sq. ft., the cleaning for a 200 sq. ft room would cost $106.
On September 19, 2011, Groupon offered two hours of home cleaning services in Phoenix for $49, a discount of 67% from the regular price of $150.
The non-discounted price for the cleaning advertised by Groupon? $150. The price we were quoted for two hours of home cleaning? $80.


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While I've tried to avoid selecting straw men for this analysis, I haven't been terribly rigorous in my selection criteria - the selection is in any case limited by the need to choose studies which are freely available to, thus checkable by, the public. To address this potential source of actual or perceived bias, I will make this commitment: should Hitchens care to propose, in comments to this post, any other paper which he considers invulnerable to my objections, or should any author of a paper on the topic propose theirs, I will respond with a post dedicated to analysing that paper.
The two papers represent the two specific sources of error which I discern in this area of research: first, the existence of a common predisposition, in the sense outlined previously, that influences both cannabis use and the emergence of schizophrenia; and second, the confusion of transient cannabis-related phenomena with evidence of schizophrenia.
Before proceeding, I'll mention two other matters.
First, a merely illustrative example of the context in which this research is proceeding. A review paper published in the Lancet, Moore et al., Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review, states that
There is now sufficient evidence to warn young people that using cannabis could increase their risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life.
This is of some interest for two reasons: first, the statement is couched in terms which suggest that a long-sought objective of gaining 'sufficient evidence' has been reached. Second and perhaps more importantly, the standard of evidence reached is low. The best that can be said is that it is sufficient to warn young people that using cannabis could increase their risk. If doctors are to warn of everything that 'could increase risk', they are going to be spending a lot of time issuing warnings.
Cannabis and cancer
Second, in my previous post I did my best to answer Hitchens by honestly laying out the strongest case against cannabis that I consider justified. I said I've already mentioned that smoking cannabis carries a risk of cancer. It hardly need be added that I would assume it imposes the other major risks associated with smoking. In any case, in Europe cannabis is most commonly smoked mixed with tobacco
These remarks were cursory, since my primary concern was not with any cancer risk (as indicated by the quote I supplied from Hitchens: As for the risk of cancer, while it undoubtedly exists, it is not my principal concern).
Since reading my previous post, Hitchens has shown some early signs of shifting his emphasis - as is his unquestioned prerogative - from mental health to smoking-related dangers. In a recent comment he states: As for cannabis being a poison, it is plainly injurious to its users in many ways, especially when smoked ( as Mr Wilkinson concedes in his latest posting).
So to nip this in, so to speak, the bud, I'll slightly expand and clarify my remarks on cancer and cannabis. Any smoking almost certainly imposes - causes - an increased risk of cancer. Many things contain carcinogens (I seem to remember reading that bracken is among them). Smoke and other products of burning organic matter are among these: smoked meats and burned toast are believed to increase cancer risk, for example. So the likelihood is that cannabis smoke does the same. However, Cancer Research UK make it clear that the specific risks of cannabis smoke are not understood and are probably lower than those of tobacco.
Ben Goldacre, in his Bad Science column, points out that science correspondents - and indeed general reporters - seem to have averted their magpie eyes from a particularly bold and sensational claim for the low incidence of harm from cannabis smoking. I would approach this claim with caution, which is why I opted not to mention it in my previous post. But the report is out there, and while I'm going beyond a quick statement of my own best guess, I should mention it:
For textbook bad science we'd also want to see the media distorting research: overstating the stuff it likes, and ignoring stuff it doesn't, especially negative findings. We used to read a lot about cannabis and lung cancer in the papers. The largest ever study of whether cannabis causes lung cancer reported its findings recently, to total UK media silence. Lifelong cannabis users, who had smoked more than 22,000 joints, showed no greater risk of cancer than people who had never smoked cannabis.
While no journalist has written a single word on that study, the Times did manage to make a front page story headed "Cocaine floods the playground: use of the addictive drug by children doubles in a year," out of their misinterpretation of a government report that showed nothing of the sort.
All this is of course about smoking. Cannabis, unlike tobacco (which, for example, causes mouth cancer when chewed) does not appear to be carcinogenic when it is not burned.
The tobacco-based component of the cancer risk associated with smoking is of course avoidable. If, as appears likely, the risks from cannabis smoking are in fact less than those of tobacco, this should be made public, and conditional advice offered: if you are going to take cannabis, don't smoke it; if you do choose to smoke it, don't add tobacco. Of course this presupposes well-informed and honest advice uncorrupted by the noble aim of churning out one-sided propaganda and squeamishly avoiding anything that might be seen as 'encouraging' or 'promoting' cannabis use.
Note also that if cannabis were legalised, vaporiser technology would no doubt be improved. Furthermore, in the longer term, other smokeless delivery mechanisms for THC might well be developed.
Oh yes - one more thing. The cancer research site (final paragraph) also mentions the sensational news that the active constituents of cannabis have been found to kill cancer cells. Unlike most initial findings about possible cancer cures and antagonists, this does not seem to have been widely reported in the press. The bad news is that smoking draw is not thought to increase house prices, though since I've mentioned the possibility, it would be irresponsible not to speculate.
Back to the analysis of Reefer Madness studies:
Common predisposition
The past few decades' hunt for a causal relationship leading from cannabis use to schizophrenia was prompted by some findings from a cohort study of Swedish conscripts. This, in the classic pattern, was an exciting result which has been followed by a 'decline effect'. I will focus on a follow-up study which purports to address the obvious issues with the initial finding.
Zammit et al., 'Self reported cannabis use as a risk factor for schizophrenia in Swedish conscripts of 1969: historical cohort study'
This paper seems to avoid the problem of transient cannabis-related effects:
It is unlikely that cases diagnosed as schizophrenia in this cohort were either toxic psychoses induced by cannabis (or amphetamine) or acute, transient drug induced psychoses, given the restrictive tradition in Sweden regarding the diagnosis of schizophrenia.17 Satisfactory validity of schizophrenia diagnoses in a small sample from this cohort has been observed,8 and ICD-8 diagnoses from the register have shown high specificity with criteria for schizophrenia as defined in DSM-III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition).
However, I shall argue that the paper not only suffers from a failure adequately to control for 'common predisposition', but exhibits positive signs of being compromised by that failure. Along the way, I'll point out some other problems which I consider typical of this research programme, and which in some cases tend to indicate the influence of a certain degree of confirmation bias.
These findings, say the authors, are in keeping with accumulating evidence that cannabis has detrimental effects on mental health in some people
The use of the expression 'In keeping with' may be somewhat revealing. It suggests that conforming to that conclusion is seen as tending to validate the findings presented - the analysis has succeeded! This is related to the phenomenon of publication bias discussed before - in the 'honeymoon' period, the only interesting finding is one that appears to support the promising new hypothesis. Given that an ongoing longitudinal study permits re-analyses of what is for the most part the same previously analysed data, one must hope that no prejudice has been allowed to influence the choice of refinements to the analysis.
So, what did this study (one of many derived from the same data set), find? Let's look first at the summary (which is all that most people who cite the paper will probably read):
Results: Cannabis was associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia in a dose dependent fashion both for subjects who had ever used cannabis (adjusted odds ratio for linear trend of increasing frequency 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 1.4, P<0.001), and for subjects who had used only cannabis and no other drugs (adjusted odds ratio for linear trend 1.3, 1.1 to 1.5, P<0.015). The adjusted odds ratio for using cannabis >50 times was 6.7 (2.1 to 21.7) in the cannabis only group. Similar results were obtained when analysis was restricted to subjects developing schizophrenia after five years after conscription, to exclude prodromal cases.
These result mentions dose dependence: this is regarded as a key concept in assessing causality (though not by any means either necessary or sufficient to establish it) in contexts such as this. The 'adjusted odds ratio for linear dependence' is meant to be a summary measure of the differences in odds between members of any one usage category and those of the one immediately above it.
The higher figure for this linear relationship between 'dose' and frequency of schizophrenia - 1.3 - comes from the subset of data that relates to those who had not reported taking common illegal drugs other than cannabis. The idea of separating out this data is not made entirely explicit - but would seem to be aimed at eliminating any confounding by use of other drugs such as methamphetamine. If that is the case, then such a decision ought to be committed to before running analysis. Instead, the approach seems to have been: analyse both sets of data , take a sneaky peek, and only then decide which one to draw attention to. Such an approach would utterly undermine the evidential validity of any findings. The figure of 6.7 has been cherry-picked on this basis, the corresponding figure for all drugs (3.1) not being reported.
Anyway, let's take a look at the figures from which this linear relationship is derived, using odds ratios for each usage category as adjusted for some potentially confounding factors.
Cannabis only
[*no instances of schizophrenia - dividing by zero means the sums won't work, but intuitively the probability would, if anything, come out as zero]
I don't think anyone is going to suggest that this is a series from which one would expect to derive a finding of a positive linear relationship indicating dose-dependence. The central portion of the series suggests a flat or gently declining relationship, assuming - charitably - that the '11-50' figure is a fluke, as the confidence interval (0.1 - 6.9, reflecting the fact that the result derives from a single instance of schizophrenia) might suggest. However, the cardinal rule of statistical evidence - as opposed to exploratory analysis, which should be clearly labelled as such - is that you don't second-guess the results of the predetermined analysis, so if the authors have followed this basic methodological precept, one must accept this result as one finds it, simply noting that the 95% confidence interval covers the range from 1.0 to 1.5.
(As with most of these studies, I wouldn't have started from here. Distinguishing between 'once, '2-4 times' and '5-10 times' seems to impose at least one more distinction than any real differences could justify.)
The one figure which (or rather the data underlying which) is clearly responsible for the finding of a positive linear relationship is the last one - 6.7. Indeed, as we've seen, this figure is reported on its own, so impressive is it. Since the authors of the paper seem happy to give this figure special attention rather than sticking to (what one hopes was) the predetermined plan of calculating a linear relationship, I'll feel free to take an exploratory rather than evidentiary approach.
As we've seen, this is more than twice the corresponding figure for those who had taken other 'street' drugs. But the point of excluding poly-drug-users was to remove a source of confounding - that is, use of other drugs is expected to be associated with increased statistical risk:
The association between cannabis and schizophrenia persisted even after adjusting for use of alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs, all of which are likely to be indicative of risk taking behaviour. This implies that a shared risk factor (be it biological, genetic, or through personality traits) for developing schizophrenia and for using psychoactive substances does not adequately explain the association observed.
Yet the finding is that risk - for the heaviest use category - is much lower in the 'any drugs' group.
What could account for this? It seems vanishingly unlikely that taking other drugs would directly halve the risk. So, clinging as we must to the idea that the figures are meaningful at all, we can only conclude that there is something else about those who take only cannabis that increases their risk level. It's not - so far as the data can tell us - that they take more cannabis.
The authors do not mention this point, despite drawing special attention to the result - a result which as we've seen, Murray subsequently touted in the press. Why not? Surely some comment is called for in the course of this - exploratory and speculative - discussion of a single figure.
One important possibility is that the behaviour pattern of using cannabis relatively heavily without trying any other drugs is associated with personality traits or other psychological factors which are precursor or prodromal forerunners of schizophrenia, or otherwise associated with it. In other words the data suggests that the common predisposition hypothesis would be worth investigating.
The authors recognise that common predisposition is an important possibility which needs to be addressed. They do not join me in speculating that this specific pattern of use might be especially relevant, nor that further investigation would be in order - common predisposition, for a true believer like Murray, is a possibility to be eliminated, not entertained.
So in an attempt to eliminate common predisposition as a factor, the authors re-run the analysis deleting all those subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia within five years of the initial survey in which drug use was assessed.
But this branch of the analysis did not exclude subjects who had used drugs other than cannabis. One wonders why this should be, since the point of that exclusion was supposed to be to control for the confounding effects of such poly-drug use. The appearance is of sleight of hand. Open the left hand - nothing in here. A bit of fumbling behind the back, and - nothing in the right hand either!
But perhaps the authors forgot to try this analysis on 'cannabis only' data. I must point out for the benefit of suspicious observers that there is no evidence to suggest that they did try it, but gave in to the ever-present temptation to discard inconvenient - too low, or implausibly high - results as 'anomalous' or 'implausible'. I would caution against even suggesting that this may have happened, since not only would that invalidate these results, but it would tend to cast a long shadow of impropriety over all the authors' work in this area.
In any case, the authors say Similar results were obtained when analysis was restricted to subjects developing schizophrenia after five years after conscription, to exclude prodromal cases ('prodromal cases' here corresponding to what I refer to as common predisposition).
So how similar were those results? Here are the results in which the dependent variable (schizophrenia diagnosis) is not stratified according to time of diagnosis (remember, this is data that includes those who had taken other drugs):
Diagnosis at any time:
And here are the results from which subjects diagnosed within five years are excluded
Diagnosis after 5 years:
This time, a sanity check by inspection of the adjusted figures appears to confirm - rather than flatly contradict - the proposed linear relationship, at least. Notice though that according to these odds ratios, taking cannabis up to four times actually appears to be associated with a reduction in chances of being diagnosed with schizophrenia. But of course no-one is going to suggest that a low level of cannabis use might protect one from schizophrenia!
But note too that notwithstanding the authors' description of the findings as 'similar', the odds ratio is lower in the second data set. Where has that effect size gone? Well, obviously it's lurking in the data that was excluded. Although they choose not to draw too much attention to it in their executive summary, the authors also ran the analysis for data that excludes those diagnosed after five years. That is, they looked directly at those cases diagnosed within five years, in which - and this is the whole point of this part of the analysis - common disposition is considered to be a potential factor. Let's have a look at that data.
Diagnosis within 5 years:
We can see that the effect sizes are indeed substantially higher than the data for diagnosis at any time. This is a group which the authors themselves chose to sequester as potentially subject to confounding or reverse causation arising from a 'common predisposition' effect. They give the clear impression that this stratification of the data has no significant effect (comparable results were 'similar' despite it). And yet this is not the case. There appears to be a substantial difference here, which confirms that the main analysis and thus the results reported, does not adequately control for common predisposition.
At least it seems to confirm this, if we accept that the whole point of this analysis is to check that common predisposition has been eliminated as a factor. If this is a test which can eliminate but not establish the presence of this source of error, it seems a handy kind of test.
Certainly the authors explain this finding away:
The association between use of cannabis and schizophrenia was stronger in subjects who were first admitted within five years of conscription. One explanation is that subjects with a prodrome of schizophrenia at conscription may have increased their cannabis use, perhaps as a means of self medication. But all subjects were screened at conscription, and we adjusted for other psychiatric problems recorded at that time. The relation with cannabis use was also observed in the later onset group, admitted more than five years after conscription. It seems more likely that the reduced association in the group with later onset is due to misclassification, as the number of people who discontinued cannabis use accumulated over time.
The authors mention common predisposition as just 'one explanation' despite the fact that testing for that phenomenon was the whole point of the exercise. They then provide reasons for disregarding the possibility: but if those reasons were good enough, there would have been no point in performing the exercise of stratifying by time of diagnosis. The actual explanation offered for the difference in the figures would actually be quite a convincing one - except that no attempt is made to quantify the effect (discontinuation of cannabis use) suggested, so it is impossible to determine how large the difference would have to be before the authors would accept that their data had failed the test - a test they specifically introduce - for robustness to the hypothesis of common predisposition.
These observations expose the analysis as dodging one of the main issues which need to be addressed, and which it purports to address, and thus to have greater validity than past studies. The explanation offered for this failure is not substantiated, and consists of the hypothesis that since initial data gathering, there will be a tendency for cannabis use to drop off over time. In the absence of any evidence to support the applicability and extent of such an effect, though, the explanation is of doubtful import.
The authors also discuss the major problem of inadequate data in more general terms. One might well have concluded at the design phase that the data has simply not captured sufficient information for further attempts at extracting a conclusion to be worthwhile. The authors instead state rather baldly that the poor quality of the data is not likely to be a problem:
We are limited in that we have only data regarding use of cannabis before conscription. But if the pattern of increased initiation and reduced cessation of drug use seen in the schizophrenia group persisted after the time of conscription, this would result in us underestimating the effect size of cannabis.
And again:
Fewer subjects in this cohort claimed to have used cannabis and other illicit drugs compared with similar cohorts that used anonymous questionnaires. The effect of under-reporting would again result in an underestimate of the true effect size.
Does this amount to anything more than special pleading? Are the authors just saying that since this data is not much good, the inconvenient result is not to be trusted, while other results are sound? Certainly the fact that the problem is explained away so cursorily (in fact, not only explained away but even described as tending to strengthen the findings!) leaves something to be desired.
What is the schizophrenia group, in which it is suggested the pattern of increased initiation and reduced cessation of drug use...[might persist]...after the time of conscription? The authors seem, despite themselves, to be saying that those who will turn out to be diagnosed with schizophrenia are more likely to start and less likely to stop using cannabis - that is, that the schizophrenia outcome determines the degree of cannabis use. This is how one would frame it if one were to presuppose reverse (schizophrenia -> cannabis) causation, or more generally the common disposition thesis. These people are going to get schizophrenia, therefore they are more likely to use cannabis.
That is the only justification for supposing that unmeasured cannabis use would be found to be greater among the 'schizophrenia group' than among the rest of the sample. Without that assumption - an assumption directly at odds with the authors' claim to have eliminated this source of error - there is no justification for supposing that the unknown data would strengthen the findings.
Transient effects of cannabis
Murray also had a hand in in one rehashing of the data from the Dunedin multidisciplinary health and development study conducted in New Zealand: Arseneault et al., 'Cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis: longitudinal prospective study'
The study attempted to control for the common predisposition effect by the inadequate method of examining self-reported 'psychotic symptoms' at age 11. I won't go into this further.
The more interesting aspect of the study is in the measurement of outcomes other than clear diagnoses of schizophrenia. The paper states:
Logistic regression analyses showed that people who used cannabis by age 15 were four times as likely to have a diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder at age 26 than controls. After psychotic symptoms at age 11 were controlled for, the risk for adult schizophreniform disorder remained higher among those who used cannabis at age 15; however, this risk was reduced by 31% and was no longer significant.
'Schizophreniform disorder', as I understand it, differs from schizophrenia in that it is diagnosed on the basis of a single month's symptoms, and is less serious in terms of functional impairment. It is often an interim diagnosis in reponse to early stages of schizophrenia, but one third of those diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder do not develop schizophrenia. This is an instance of the slippage in severity of measured outcomes which I mentioned in the previous post, and which would tend to, in a memorable phrase, 'hide the decline' in effect sizes. Still, this is a relatively unimportant point.
Rather, the key issue here is that After psychotic symptoms at age 11 were controlled for... - that is, once the statistical analysis was completed - ...this risk was reduced by 31% and was no longer significant.
Statistical significance is, as the name suggests, the sine qua non of statistical inference - and again, this is only based on a crude and inadequate control of 'psychotic symptoms' at age 11.
Having failed to find an increase in risk of schizophreniform disorder, the authors turn to other symptoms:
Multiple linear regression analyses showed that cannabis users by age 15 and by age 18 had more schizophrenia symptoms than controls at age 26 (table). These results remained significant after psychotic symptoms at age 11 were controlled for. The effect was stronger with earlier use.
Looking at the table of results, it uis clear that just as in the case of the Zimmer study examined above, two different sets of factors were adjusted for: here, other drug use, and self-reported psychotic symptoms at age 11. And just as in that study there seems a curious coyness about adjusting for both factors together. But the key point here is that these statistics were based on a study which assessed psychiatric symptoms at age 26 with a standardised interview schedule to obtain DSM-IV (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition) diagnoses
This sounds impressive, but in fact what it means is that the data was gathered by lay interviewers using a standardised diagnostic checklist. Such a checklist aims to gather sufficient information for a statistical algorithm to generate diagnoses, without the need for the opinion of a medic. In order to do this, many minor and peripheral 'symptoms' are included. This is useful if these symptoms are properly weighted and then tested against a threshold to determine the presence or absence of a certain condition (one may certainly question the validity of this approach to diagnosis, but that is not my point here). It is not however very useful when the individual symptoms are counted outside the diagnostic framework, and used to determine degrees of schizophrenia-likeness. That project is deeply questionable - it is not too much of a simplification to say that we are dealing with diagnosing people as being 'a little bit schizophrenic'.
The specific problem with this approach is that many of the minor 'symptoms' or indicators are likely to be slightly better represented among those who are under the influence of cannabis, or have been so recently, or are such heavy users that their daily functioning has become impaired in ways that have no connection to schizophrenia. This was not controlled for in this study, and given that we are talking about very small numbers and marginal statistical trends, seems highly likely to have provided false positive findings of schizophrenia-likeness.
This concludes my remarks on scientific evidence of cannabis-related harm, for this round of debate anyway. In the following paper, I will address moral and policy arguments, including Hitchens's own non-scientific theories about certain social harms which he attributes to cannabis.


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$ 198.00 $ 75.87
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Romantic Getaway
Overnight accommodation in Spa Suite (1 person spa) featuring a KING size bed! Restaurant Breakfast (continental, one hot Ala carte choice & coffee per person), chocolates and a bottle of our house wine. *7 day cancellation*
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Student Loans Entice Borrowers More for Cash Than a Degree
Low-Cost Debt Proves a Draw for Some Caught Up in Weak Job Market
Some Americans caught in the weak job market are lining up for federal student aid, not for education that boosts their employment prospects but for the chance to take out low-cost loans, sometimes with little intention of getting a degree.
Take Ray Selent, a 30-year-old former retail clerk in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was unemployed in 2012 when he enrolled as a part-time student at Broward County's community college. That allowed him to borrow thousands of dollars to pay rent to his mother, cover his cellphone bill and...


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Thanks so much for visiting.
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Thanks for hosting! Sounds like your life is super busy, it's good to stop and think about the things that make you smile & feel good. Hope you enjoy your weekend x
Yay for you for hosting. Happy Friday night to you :)
Well, hello there lovely lady! Hostess with the mostess this week, huh?
Love it.
That's nice that your hubby is giving you some more time. Lovin' that.
Have a great weekend, hon.
I really enjoy taking a look around once a week for all the good in my life. It's lovely to feel positive going into the weekend!
Oh I love the grateful posts too.
Your hubby is gold !
and thanks for hosting!
i have been enjoying the grateful linky so much, it really is having an impact on my week in terms of me remembering to be thankful for what I have got, like you - it didn't seem to be something I did openly all that often
and I still struggle a little with feeling that I sound "cheesey"...but i am finding that embracing the cheese is actually quite liberating!
It's just plain nice...
So glad you have got to have some me time. Mich x
Your husband sounds lovely :) I've linked up this week xxx
So glad you're hosting! For some reason the linky isn't working for me... I will try again later :)
thank you for hosting this week..
what a fab little blog you have here!!
husbands are a funny breed.. i'm so grateful for mine too!!
have great weekend!!
So nice of you to host. I lvoe your gratefuls and i love, love, love your blog header! Those pegs are gorgeous!!!
Lovely to be over here today x
I have to agree - how good is old school service! And husbands who give up things too for us and our children :) thanks for hosting.
Thanks so much for hosting today! Such a lovely list you have there, and here's 'cheers' to more time to you!
love your grateful list and so super dooper that your hosting too!!! Yay for more of that "me time" your getting and good on your man for sacrificing his!! That's so lovely ;-)
Gina, I have linked you (twice). The first doesn't work but goes to your site. The second does. Sorry for confusion (you had an extra hash in your address!)
Yay another B/G twin Mummy. I am grateful for that x
I am so hearing you!! Mumminess can make me grumpy too.....time to myself is so rare & precious these days. Thanks for hosting today now I have another blog to add to my list of daily reads!! Sarah XO
What a great list of things to be grateful for ♥
Lovely to be visiting your blog for the first time:)
Don't you just loooove old fashioned service. It really does make the world go round - so do beautiful flowers for that matter!
Great list! I just love husbands and partners who understand the importance of busy mama's having time out too :)
Have a wonderful weekend x
So nice to come and visit you on a sat for a little change!! My hubby gave up his sat morning for me today...but unfortunately it was so I could go to work (ahhh the pocket money is nice though!!)
I hope your house smells lovely with all those nice fresh flowers :-)
Hey host... so nice to see you joining in the weekly gratefuls. I actually think that it's good for the soul and actually can make us happier to be grateful. Love your gratefuls. My best friend has been in orienteering for quite a while. She LOVES it. Hope you love it too. xx
Thank you for stopping by. I was given two bunches of flowers this week and just having them in the house has brightened my mood. Something special about beautiful flowers I agree.
I really liked Andre Agassi's book too. It was unexpectedly good wasn't it? I can't imagine doing something I hated for so long, or so well either. In answer to your question I can't pick a specific autobiography/biography but I LOVE any that are about the Mitford girls and I re-read Alastair Campbell's memoirs frequently.
Thank you for hosting and nice to meet you. Getting me time is so precious, I'm glad you got to have a bit of time to yourself. Have a lovely weekend.:)
So glad to hear you're getting the chance for more 'me' time. And thank you for your comment love and support. I always feel special when you've stopped by my blog. xx
I love 'old school' service...it's often lacking these days.
Lovely gratefuls
I LOVE your blog! You're Hilarious!!!
I will link up to the grateful post later today.
I'm a new follower.
Amy's Life @
Hi, husbands are wonderful creatures especially when they are being generous with their time!
Thanks for hosting! Sorry I didn't get here sooner was extremely busy yesterday! <3 Will pop around to the other blogs tonight!
Love extra time and loving that your hubby can give you some extra 'me' time <3
I love grateful posts as it's a lovely reminder that when it's all going down the gurgler, there is still a bit of lovely happening somewhere too.


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Subscribe To High School Musical Director To Helm Remake Of Dirty Dancing Updates
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Back in 2007 it was reported that Kenny Ortega, best known for directing all three High School Musicals, had been hired to helm a remake of Footloose. From that point on it was a series of ups and downs, with Zack Efron signing on for the lead role and then leaving the project. Though Ortega said the project would continue without Efron, it eventually fell apart and the director decided to leave. Since then, of course, Craig Brewer picked up the project and now it's set to be released on October 14, but don't fret for Ortega: he's found another singing-and-dancing movie to remake.
A press release has been sent out announcing that the filmmaker has signed on to direct a remake of Dirty Dancing, the 1987 Emile Ardolino film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. The twist of the story is that Ortega was actually the original film's choreographer and also directed two episodes of the Dirty Dancing television series that aired from 1988-1989. The original film was about a girl (Grey) who travels with her family to upstate New York and falls in love with a dancing instructor (Swayze). The project is being backed by Lionsgate, which has decided to restart the franchise after the disaster that was 2004's Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. The feature will be Ortega's first since High School Musical 3: Senior Year and first movie since the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It.
So I understand that Ortega is a natural choice because of his connection to the original movie, but there's still one important question that needs to be answered: why do we need a remake of Dirty Dancing? Has anyone ever watched that movie and thought to themselves, "You know what this needs? More hip hop!"? I'm willing to bet the answer is no.


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Prof. Conrad mentioned in a recent answer that most of the (introductory?) books on reductive groups do not make use of scheme theory. Do any books using scheme theory actually exist? Further, are there any books that use the functor of points approach? Demazure-Gabriel's second book would have covered general group schemes in this way, but it was never written, and it's not clear whether or not it would have covered reductive groups anyway. There is a lot of material in SGA 3 using more modern machinery to study group schemes,
but I'm not aware of any significant treatment of reductive groups in that book (although I haven't read very much of it).
Correction: Prof. Conrad has noted that SGA 3 does contain a significant treatment of reductive groups using modern machinery.


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We all wish to have our dream home, but what we may not realize is that a dream home can be made with small changes in the details of our houses.
The very first step to creating an impression and making your dream home just the perfect place to seek solace starts with the front door.
The front of your home speaks volumes about your style, taste, preferences for living, and depicts the person you are. The entry into your house through which visitors are welcomed is also perceived as a gateway to your heart.
Choosing the right door hardware adds to your interior decor, enhances the curb appeal, creates a good first impression on welcoming guests, exudes sophistication in lifestyle and living and provides better security. Wow! All of that from a few pieces of well designed metal!
Appropriately chosen door hardware grabs instant attention and adds more value to your home. There are a myriad of products available in gold, silver, or bronze finishes.
Knobs and push locks are available in the market which may make the decision making process a little overwhelming. On selecting knockers affixed along with knobs, you can add flare and grace to the regular door.
When it comes to door hardware, even choosing the right hinges does matter as they allow you to open and close with ease and without that terrible screeching sound.
Reasons to Get New Door Hardware
1. The first one being security. Safety and security is a primary need of every human. Hence locks and tough equipment is needed for your front door. Strong hardware can be beautiful too.
2. The other most important reason being the need for design that can create wonders by adding grace to overall curb appeal of your home. You want the front of your house and your entryway to be maintained and beautiful and strong.
Before choosing appropriate door hardware, there are some important factors that need to be considered like:
1. The type of door you have (does it swing open or slide), the height, measurement of the knob and width, all play a vital role in the decision making process for purchasing new door hardware.
2. Look around for the latest trends and fittings in door hardware to accessorize your door.
3. The door should not be difficult to open or handle. Attention should be paid to special needs for a round knob, a lever handle, or a traditional entry set with thumb press.
4. Besides the handle and lock, there is so much you can do to dress up your front door: knocker with viewer, peephole with 160 and 180 degree, aluminum closer, chain guard with key, push plate, kick plate with screws, pull plate, ring bolts, beauty plates, spring and solid door stops, adapter plates, swing bar guards, spring loaded hinges, door fillers and knob guards. Whew! Just one or two of these can really make your entry shine.
Door hardware is available in a variety of materials, styles and finishes. Understand the importance of door hardware and create an everlasting impression on friends and family while you secure your home.
Door hardware that is strong, well designed, and beautiful can make your home shine. For more information about the designs and finishes available, visit CKI Lock online at http://www.ckilock.com/


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The Sun City Senior Doubles Championships tennis tournament is scheduled for June 13-16.
Registration is open through June 7 with a $38 fee.
The event is a USTA Level 3 tournament with first-match consolation in all divisions. Matches will be two of three sets, with a 10-point tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set.
The tournament is open to age groups 50-75, with men's, women's and mixed divisions.
For more information, go to sctennis.com/suncity.
Beginner tennis clinic offered in Sun City
The Sun City Tennis Association will host a free "Intro to Tennis" clinic 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Southside tennis courts.
The class, which is open to all Sun City residents, is for anyone who has never played organized tennis.
Registration will be held May 1-12 at the Logo building. The first 25 registrants will be accepted and participants must wear appropriate tennis shoes. Racquets will be available.
The clinic will be run by Wes Pipkin and Di Seggie. For more information, contact Pipkin at email@example.com or 705-7521.
Nontelle wins Moss Creek's Governors Tournament
Deon Nontelle defeated Audrey Burke to win the Women's Governors Tournament at Moss Creek Golf Club on April 16.
Barbara Kindred and Kathi Layton were semifinalists in the match play tournament. Joanne Reynolds, Joy Gibbons, Camille Beck and Ann Madigan were quarterfinalists.
Spring volleyball practice scheduled
Bluffton High School spring volleyball practice will begin at 4 p.m. May 1.
Practice will continue each weekday through May 21, starting each day at 3 p.m. These practices are open to female students at Bluffton High and rising ninth-graders at H.E. McCracken Middle School.
For more information, contact coach Al Stern at 705-5293 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Lifeguarding courses in May
Beaufort County Parks and Leisure Services will hold an American Red Cross lifeguarding course at the Charles "Lind" Brown Outdoor Swimming Pool in Beaufort.
Participants must be 15 by the last day of the course and take a prerequisite swim assessment before being accepted into the class. The assessment will be 3-6 p.m. May 2 at the Beaufort Indoor Swimming Pool. Only the first 12 participants that pass and pay will be eligible for each class due to space limitation.
Courses will be held 3-8 p.m. May 8-10, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 11 and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 13. The registration fee is $160 cash or check by May 2, which includes all class materials.
For more information, visit www.bcgov.net/PALS or call Anny Binette at 255-6795.
Water rescue course May 9-10
Beaufort County Parks and Leisure Services will hold an American Red Cross basic water rescue course at the Battery Creek Swimming Pool.
Participants must be 14 or older to participate in the class. There are no prerequisites for this class, although participants should be comfortable in chest-deep water.
Classes will be held 5-7 p.m. May 9-10.
The registration fee is $35, cash or check, before the class. This class is limited to the first 10 paid participants.
For more information, visit www.bcgov.net/PALS or call Yolanda Middleton at 255-6760.
Golf results
• Results from the Men's White Tee tournament held April 15 at Moss Creek Golf Club (individual low net format): 1. W. Richman (45).
• Results from the Men's Day tournament held April 16 at Moss Creek (individual stableford format): Flight 1 - 1. (tie) T. Andres, D. Dahl (47); 2. (tie) R. Obrig, S. Leonhardt (37). Flight 2 - 1. P. Resetar (42), 2. D. Muller (37), 3. J. Layton (36). Flight 3 - 1. J. Mazareas (40); 2. G. Grindrod (37); 3. (tie) R. Hudson, S. Potter (34). Flight 4 - 1. G. Kaiser (38); 2. P. Joseph (35); J. Morris, G. Solari (33).
• Results from the Ladies Day tournament held April 17 at Moss Creek (individual gross and net format): Flight 1 - 1. (gross) S. Brainard (87), 1. (net) D. Cawthon (64), 2. (net) L. McCarron (71). Flight 2 - 1. (gross) C. Beck (102), 1. (net, tie) J. Sawyer, T. Haley (76). Flight 3 - 1. (gross) B. Kindred (101), 1. (net, tie) D. Dahl, S. Thompson (71). Flight 4 - 1. (gross) M. Reeves (106), 1. (net) M. Malmsheimer (76), 2. (net) P. Finnie (77).
• Results from the Spring Fling tournament held Thursday at Moss Creek (better ball format): Flight 1 - 1. (tie) Shirley Boppe, Joyce Eastman; Gail Clarke, Elaine Himes (20); 2. Marie League, Janet Crudden (19). Flight 2 - 1. Mary Jane Reeves, Wendy Robinson (24); 2. Joanne Moss, Katy Doran (22); 3. Marjorie Barrell, P.J. Leonhardt (20). Flight 3 - 1. Betsy Hill, Michelle Chenard (23); 2. Judy Patnaude, Marcia Muzinich (15); 3. Ede Birkett, Ruth Ellen Phillips (12).
• Wally Stone had a hole-in-one at No. 12 Saturday at Hidden Cypress Golf Club. He used a 27-degree hybrid from 140 yards. Witnesses were Bill Goubeaux, Jim Podraza and John Day.
• Results from the Men's White Tee tournament held Monday at Moss Creek (individual low net format): 1. Al Varian (34), 2. Tom Elssaser (37).
• Results from the Sun City Men's Golf Association scramble event held April 10 at Hidden Cypress: Flight 1, member tees - 1. (tie) John Hencken, Al Ferraro, Bill Goubeaux; Peter Bonanno, Bob D'Augustine, Rob Lang, Bob Dadich; 3. Neal Reetz, Bob Pentico, John Butzer, Donald O'Connor. Flight 2, member tees - 1. Warren Baudendistel, Andy Corcoran, Dieter Murowski, Mike Schwartzkopf; 2. (tie) Tom Temple, Fredrick Wolf, Daniel Picciano, Peter Gorden; Walt Palechka, Larry Johnson, Walt Martens, Clint Young. Flight 1, club tees - 1. (tie) George Lynch, Dennis Rizardi, Joseph Piazza, Bill Di Rugerious; Dennis Meggett, Ken Mugford, Scott Caldie, John Lukasik; 2. (tie) Paul Tupper, Bart Druery, John Aukema; Mal Elrod, Milton Perron, Bob Krivicich, Scott Elmore; Lennard Wolfson, Scott Pauzer, John Riordon, David Cullen. Closest to the pin: Bob Lamatina (No. 7), Milt Perron (No. 12).
• Results from the Sun City Women's Golf Association N.O.S.E. even held Thursday at Hidden Cypress: Flight 1 - 1. Vicki Vik, 2. Christine Putnam, 3. Jan Muhrenberg, 4. Jan Wagner. Flight 2 - 1. Tina Climo, 2. Gerri Albert, 3. Ginny Steptko. Flight 3 - 1. Caroline Reneau, 2. Bonnie Dreyer, 3. Peggy Marino, 4. Nancy McLaurin, 5. Harriett Schwartz, 6. Joyce Durand. Flight 4 - 1. Sharon Butzere, 2. Diane Foster.


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As Seen On...
Chicago Blind Cafe | October 23 - 25, 2017
Tickets On Sale Now!
Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday | Two shows per night 5PM & 8:00PM |
@ Northbrook Court 2171 Lake Cook Road Northbrook, IL 60062
What is The Blind Cafe?
The Blind Cafe is a fiscally sponsored positive social change organization, that uses the concept of darkness to create innovative and imaginative ( pop-up ) events held entirely in the pitch dark ( no blindfolds ). Our events are facilitated by professional trained 'legally blind staff'' and designed to change the way you 'see' the world. Since 2010, The Blind Cafe has had over 11,000 people through the dark and continues to innovate life-changing experiences in the dark world wide.
What happens in the dark at The Blind Cafe?
Our signature program, 'The Blind Cafe' is a pop-up event, an award winning community awareness concert, discussion & dinner in the dark, no blindfolds! This is NOT just another dinner in the dark…it's a community experience where people connect, learn and break bread together without their visual conditioning, social etiquette and cell phones. There are three components to The Blind Cafe Experience:
A Social Dinner Experience In The Dark
What's on the menu? Community... locally sponsored (vegan & gluten-free) friendly food, dark chocolate, good friends, inspiring stories, live music and meaningful conversation all in the dark. A passionate and dedicated Blind Cafe Chef. We hire a local professional Chef in each city to help design the menu encouraging them to connect with local farms, locals business's and build relationships in the community. We source, as much as possible, the food we serve from local farms and business's relying largely on donations from the community.
A Discussion In The Dark
Our award winning community awareness discussion, you will participate in a group discussion Q & A, between the audience ( you ) and our amazing warm heart felt legally Blind keynote speakers/ servers who will share their personal stories with you and you will have the chance to ask questions, and discuss blindness in the dark with the entire room all paying
A Music Performance In The Dark
Ever wonder what it like to experience a live music performance in complete pitch darkness? Blind Cafe Music Productions brings one of the most emotionally powerful music listening experiences possible. These unique and intimate performances bridge the gap between the artist and their audience as they're empowered to participate in an active music listening experience, in the complete and total pitch dark! Learn what it was like to experience live music without the distraction of your visual conditioning, social etiquette and cells phones.
Read this before you buy tickets to our experience.
The Blind Cafe is NOT a blind awareness organization.
The Blind Cafe is a fiscally sponsored 'Arts & Social Change' organization, operating under the 501(c)3 of the Boulder County Arts Alliance. The Blind Cafe was started by Colorado musician Rosh in 2010, to explore using the concept of live music & community discussion in total 'darkness' as a positive social change exploration, in how people relate to one another without their visual conditioning, social etiquette & their cell phones. The Blind Cafe Experience has a 'blind awareness' component facilitated by legally blind keynote blind speakers that we are very proud to present but it's not the only focus of The Blind Cafe Experience.
The Blind Cafe is NOT a fund-raising event.
The Blind Cafe is a fiscally sponsored project under The Boulder under the 501(c)3 of the Boulder County Arts Alliance. Our events are designed to initiate social change while providing an awesome entertaining and educational experience touching on various social change subjects. Donations collected at our events or through our fiscal sponsor, as grants or private donors go towards continuing and expanding our reach, to bring these impactful event worldwide.
We are NOT simulating what it is like to be blind!
You will get an insight into blindness by hearing the stories of our awesome legally blind staff and participating in a discussion together but you are NOT going to experience what it's like to actually be a blind person, that's just not possible to be in another persons shoes like that.
The Blind Cafe Experience is NOT just another dinner in the dark!
The Blind Cafe event you are about to sign up for is NOT, a regular dinner in the dark! If you want a regular dinner in the dark, there are some restaurants in California and New York where it is solely about the food and you sit with the table mates you come with and it's like a regular restaurant but in the dark.
The Blind Cafe Experience is a social experience, of music, socializing and learning through community, where you will literally break bread with other attendees at 6 - 8 person tables.
In addition, there will be a group discussion between the audience ( you ) and our amazing warm heart felt legally Blind keynote speakers. As well, you are signing up for a live music listening concert, performed with the intention of helping you to remember how to feel and listen, to music without your visual conditioning and social etiquette and cell phones!
You are signing for thought provoking, socially challenging & entertaining music experience
The Blind Cafe can be a very powerful experience and at times challenging, but that's what you signing up for right? You will be in the pitch dark for several hours without your habitual ways of checking out as you might in a lighted setting. You will literally have to relinquish control. Uncomfortable feelings may come up for you in the dark. If this happens, stay present, breath and bring attention to whatever is coming up for you emotionally and use this upset as an opportunity to learn about yourself and expand your comfort zone. Your experience will depend on your ability to be with yourself, when you don't know what to do.
Remember whatever comes up for you in the dark, make room for it ;)