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"Ever heard of SB3341?" is Rick Santelli's opening salvo in today's rantless discussion of the concerns he has with Illinois' 'Precious Metal Purchasing Act'. While passed in the Illinois Senate last year, and moth-balled in the House since, Rick notes that "the long and short of it is is they want an audit trail to any precious metals, whether you're talking coins or bullion." It does not seem too much of a stretch to this Chicagoan to the 1933 Executive Order #6102 that confiscated gold and cleared the way eventually for Nixon's 1971 disconnect of the dollar from gold. As Liberty Blitzkrieg's Mike Krieger notes: "So let me get this straight. First they want gun registration and now precious metal registration? I'm sure the government would only use such information in our best interests, because as we all know: Your Government Loves You. Sounds reasonable, after all, only 'terrorists' buy guns and gold anyway."
From the bill (found here)
...Provides that a person who is in the business of purchasing precious metal shall obtain a proof of ownership, create a record of the sale, and verify the identity of the seller. Provides that a person who is in the business of purchasing precious metal shall not pay for the precious metal in cash and shall record the method of payment.
Requires the purchaser to keep a record of the sale for one year or, if the purchase amount is over $500, for 5 years.


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Atlantic Sailfish Hunting in a pack
Sailfish hunt together in a pack using signals to organize the hunt
Rounding up the sardines
Durring the sardine run the sailfish hunt in packs to keep the sardines in a bait ball and close to the surface while taking turns to eat.
Sailfish Hunting Pack
Multiple sailfish group together hunting sardine bait balls
A sailfish catches and eats a sardine
A sailfish takes a successful turn at the baitball then eats its catch in the waters of Isla Mujeres Mexico
Sailfish Spears a Meal
A sardine become impaled on a sailfish spike during an attack
Sailfish Attacks the Bait Ball
a sailfish charges at a small bait ball of sardines
Photographer in the water swimming with sailfish
A photographer swims with the sailfish and gets a picture of the hunt
Sailfish takes its turn at the baitball
A sailfish swats at the baitball with its bill and stuns a fish
a sailfish swoops up to grab a sardine meal
a sailfish consumes a fish
Multiple Sailfish Chase the baitball
Multiple species of billfish chase the sardines durring the hunt.
Atlantic Sailfish Close Up
A sailfish swims close to my camera showing full color and sail
Sailfish hunt the bait ball of sardines
Atlantic Sailfish chase after a baitball of sardines each taking turns in the hunt
A Sailfish Dives to catch a fish
A sailfish grabs a meal from the sardine bait ball near the surface
Bronze flash of color on a sailfish
light catches the bronze shimmer of a sailfish as they hunt as a pack
Atlantic Sailfish
sailfish with fin relaxed swimming to the left
Sailfish targets sardine fish bait ball
a sailfish makes a move toward a small bait ball
Sailfish and Baitball
a sailfish takes its turn attacking the bait ball

subset: commoncrawl


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When you screw up at work, your job's on the line. When doctors screw up, someone else's life is on the line. Talk about serious pressure. Maybe it's why nearly half of U.S. physicians experience symptoms of burnout — think exhaustion and depression — according to a new study in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. "This is the first study offering a unique window into the problem," says Eric Topol, M.D., director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, and Men's Health advisor.
But does a tired doctor deserve the pink slip? Not necessarily: "It's the doctors who stay up all night worrying about their patients who may burn out, but they also care the most," says Travis Stork, M.D., an E.R. doc and Men's Health advisor.
So how can you know whether your M.D. should stay or should go? Here are four questions to ask yourself.
Is he a team player?
"The model is no longer doctor knows best," Dr. Topol says. And sure, you went to the doctor for a reason, but it's your body. A good doctor presents options, makes a specific recommendation--going with a surgical procedure or medication--and explains why he believes it's the best, says Dr. Topol. Beware of an M.D. who has little time for questions, or says things like, "This is really the only way."
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Does he communicate well?
When it comes to coordinating with other physicians, check that your doctor is talking to other providers involved in your care. If you're being treated for a more serious issue--cancer or a heart problem, for instance--your doc should make it clear that he's consulted with your oncologist or cardiologist and is up-to-date on your health. If your physician is asking whether you've had a certain procedure done or what treatments you've had, it's clear he hasn't reviewed your file.
Is he up to date?
Burnout means exhaustion , which could mean he's behind on recent medical journals or the latest technology. "The biggest recent change is being able to collect your own data--everything from blood pressure to brain waves--with apps and other programs," Dr. Topol says. (Case in point: An app to predict a heart attack may be just years away.) And while you shouldn't sideline a doc for being slow on the latest tech, it's a green light if he asks about a program you're using so he can research it--assuming he actually does. Your physician should be willing to work with information you present him, and share his educated opinion, Dr. Topol adds.
Does he pay attention?
Look for body language that's he's all there--facing you, looking up frequently even when entering information into files, nodding, and maintaining eye contact, says Dr. Stork. "Even if your appointment is 7 to 12 minutes, he shouldn't make you feel rushed," Dr. Topol adds. Another good sign: He asks about you. Even if he doesn't remember ever single patient, a good doctor takes the time to review your file before, Dr. Topol says.
If you need a new doc . . .
Think you're in the market for a new M.D.? Go with a referral. While telling your current doc that you're kicking him to the curb could be awkward, asking something specific you'd like your doctor to provide that your current one isn't able to is easier. Ask if he recommends any docs who offer evening and weekend hours, or ones who embrace the newest technology. If you're usually in the doctor's office for a particular reason, you could also ask: "Are there any local physicians who specialize in urology (or whatever your primary issue is)?" Otherwise, seek online reviews or speak to friends and family who may have gone through similar scenarios.
More links from Men's Health:
8 Things Your Doctor's Not Telling You
10 Questions You Must Ask Your Doctor
© 2012 Rodale Inc. All rights reserved.


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With this post also comes an Official Dumbass News Spew Alert!
If you are currently drinking something, I highly recommend that you disengage said liquid from your mouth. Reading this screed has been known to cause spontaneous spewing thus damaging and possibly rendering inoperative any and/or all electronics with the Specified Spewing Range (SSR). this concludes this Official Dumbass News Spew Alert!
|Victim of British Dental Care System
As a man who has said "I do" on more than one occasion, I can not emphasize to you the importance of maintaining at least a civil relationship with your former spouse. Doing so could save you a shit load of grief and misfortune at a later date. Trust. Me. On. This. One.
I do not speak with one of my former spouses, although I do not hold any ill will towards her. She has her life. I have mine. Our kids are all grown up now and they have and/or are in the process of having their own children. Besides, she lives in the Midwest, I live in New England. That way the shit works out right.
I am Facebook friends with another ex-wife and we get along very well. I actually like her. I know her husband and like him very much, too. He's a great guy. As far as she and I are concerned, I think it's pretty simple. She sees life differently because she was near death after a terrible automobile accident. Me? I see life differently because I quit drinking. Plus, we are twenty years older than we were when we were hitched and I'd like to think that we've both "matured" a little bit over the last two decades.
My current wife, whom I adore, is Eye-talian. I dare not piss her off because she has male relatives named Frankie, Vito, Guido, Vinnie and Sal. Enough said.
These kind of cordial interactions between exes are not always the case.
Let me splain.
Don't Piss Off the Cook
You know the old sayings like "you don't pull on Superman's cape", "you don't spit into the wind", "you don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger" and "you don't mess around with Jim" ( There ya go, Rachel! :) ), I am sure.
I'd like to pass along another "don't piss off..." warning to you. Don't piss off the cook. The cook being the one who is preparing your food and has every opportunity to do vile and disgusting things to your meal should you unreasonably irritate him/her. This Rule of Life is alterable by substituting another word for "cook". Like, let's say, "dentist". Especially a dentist who is your ex-lover/boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband/whatever.
Marek Olszewski learned this lesson the hard way.
Let me further splain.
The Toothache That Lead to Disaster
Some background to the story: Our Pollack friend Marek developed a toothache. He made an appointment with the dentist. But, fellow Dumbasses, this was no ordinary tooth yanker. This particular perturbed puller of pearly whites was Marek's ex-girlfriend! In my humble Dumbass opinion, nothing good could come from this. Not even a bad tooth. A bad tooth and 31 other perfectly good teeth perhaps. Woops! I gave away the punch line.
The ex-girlfriend dentist, Anna, said that she tried to "be professional and detach myself from my emotions, but when I saw him lying there I just thought, 'What a b-----d.'" So, like any spark-spittin' mad bitch with a set of pliers and access to narcotics, Anna set out for revenge. She sedated Marek and carefully extracted his bad tooth. Then she pulled a good tooth. Then she removed another good tooth. And another. And another. Soon, Marek was as toothless as a meth-addicted moonshiner from West Virginia.
Upon completion of the malicious molar mauling, Anna wrapped Marek's face up in bandages so he wouldn't realize that he had NO teefahs left in his head. He did, however, notice that he couldn't feel any teeth in his mouth and Anna told him that it just the numbness from the medication she had given him and that the feeling would wear off when the drugs did.
Enter the mirror.
He Thought She was "Trustworthy"
Looking into a mirror confirmed Marek's worst suspicions. He would be gumming his steaks and burgers for the foreseeable future. There was enough empty space in his mouth, just like his head, to park a 1956 Cadillac Fleetwood. Here's what Marek had to say, "I didn't have any reason to doubt her -- I mean, I thought she was a professional". Famous last words of a Dumbass. "But when I got home I looked in the mirror and I couldn't fucking believe it! The bitch emptied my mouth!"
Dude, trusting a pissed off lady dentist who just happened to be your ex to pull a tooth should have been your first clue that this was not a good idea. The second clue should have been your membership card to "Dumbasses of America".
It Gets Better
This is not the end of this ordeal for Marek. Not only did our Dumbass lose all his teeth in this episode, he also lost his current girlfriend! The reason the current gal pal dumped him? He has no teeth! She said she just couldn't date a man who didn't have any teeth. bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Now that's funny!
I guess asking her for a blow job is out of the question.
Did I mention that this shit took place in England where dental hygiene is right up there with eating Coon Ass (Cajun) food? It. Ain't. Happenin'.
Did I also mention that England has nationalized health care? This is what they deserve for enacting that shit. no offense to Ma and Pa Limey, just the fucking Commies who enacted and run the UK version of Obamacare. See what we are in for, America? But I digress.
Anna Gets Yanked
Anna is under investigation for medical malpractice and could face three years in an English prison playing "hide the suction hose" with other young ladies who have teeth. By that I mean no teeth in the head but teeth in other orifices of their bodies. I'll leave it at that.
Have fun, Anna! By your actions, you have merited the old "broom handles area girl's best friend" treatment.


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Check Out Kate Hudson's Engagement Ring!
Peter Kramer/NBC (2)
When Kate Hudson announced her engagement on Today this morning, she told Matt Lauer she'd kept the big news under wraps for a week because she was "waiting for someone to notice." But with a ring like this, we're surprised it took so long! Hudson flashed her sparkler during her segment — she was promoting her latest film, Something Borrowed — and proudly announced that rocker beau Matthew Bellamy had recently popped the question. "It was very sweet," the actress said, without giving away details. "It was very romantic." Later on in the day, Hudson and son Ryder strolled into New York City's Greenwich Hotel, where fans wished her well. "[She] smiled when onlookers outside the hotel screamed and asked to see her engagement ring," a witness tells PEOPLE. As well they should: the emerald-cut diamond, flanked by two sparkling baguettes, is definitely something to scream about. —Reporting by Mary S. Park


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|Related Documents
|Translated versions
|ESMA proposes rules on derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories
|Press Releases
|Press Release
|The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has launched a consultation on its technical standards under the Regulation on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (EMIR), which is aimed at improving the functioning of OTC derivatives markets in the European Union (EU). EMIR aims to achieve this by reducing risks via the use of central clearing and risk mitigation techniques, increasing transparency via trade repositories (TR) and ensuring sound and resilient central counterparties (CCPs).
|ESMA begins detailing central clearing of OTC derivatives
|Press Releases
|Press Release
|The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has launched a Discussion Paper to prepare the regulatory technical standards (RTS) which will implement provisions of the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) regarding the obligation to centrally clear OTC derivatives. The consultation is aimed at assisting ESMA in developing its approach to determining which classes of OTC derivatives need to be centrally cleared and the phase-in periods for the counterparties concerned. EMIR introduced provisions to improve transparency, establish common rules for central counterparties (CCPs) and for trade repositories (TRs) and to reduce the risks associated with the OTC derivatives market. It provides for the obligation to centrally clear OTC derivative contracts or to apply risk mitigation techniques such as the exchange of collateral.
|ESMA registers trade repositories
|Post Trading, Press Releases
|Press Release
ESMA registers DDRL, KDPW, Regis-TR, and UnaVista as trade repositories The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has approved today the registrations of the first four trade repositories (TRs) under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). The following entities are registered as TRs for the European Union (EU): DTCC Derivatives Repository Ltd. (DDRL), based in the United Kingdom; Krajowy Depozyt Papierów Wartosciowych S.A. (KDPW), based in Poland; Regis-TR S.A., based in Luxembourg; and UnaVista Ltd, based in the United Kingdom. Steven Maijoor, ESMA Chair, said: "Registering the first European trade repositories is an important component in making derivative markets more transparent and resilient. TRs play a fundamental role in the surveillance of derivatives markets and in risk monitoring. The data gathered by TRs will enable regulators to identify and reduce the risks associated with derivative markets. "ESMA's TR supervision will ensure more robust market infrastructures and benefit investors, fi-nancial markets and the economy as a whole. Trade reporting to start mid-February TRs are commercial firms that centrally collect and maintain the records of derivatives contracts reported to them. The registration of these TRs means that they can be used by the counterparties to a derivative transaction to fulfil their trade reporting obligations under EMIR. The registrations will take effect on 14 November 2013, with the reporting obligation beginning on 12 February 2014, i.e. 90 calendar days after the official registration date. The registered TRs cover all derivative asset classes –commodities, credit, foreign exchange, equity, interest rates and others – irrespective of whether the contracts are traded on or off exchange. ESMA now assumes supervisory responsibility for the TRs who must continue to comply, on an on-going basis, with the regulatory requirements set out under EMIR. ESMA is currently processing further TR applications. Press release ref. 2013/1629
|ESMA finalises clearing and risk mitigation obligations for non-EU OTC derivatives
|Press Releases
|Press Release
|ESMA finalises clearing and risk mitigation obligations for non-EU OTC derivatives The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued final draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) related to derivative transactions by non-European Union (EU) counterparties. The RTS implement provisions of the Regulation on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (EMIR). EMIR provisions regarding central clearing and risk mitigation techniques also apply to those OTC derivatives entered into by two non-EU counterparties which have a direct, substantial and foreseeable impact on EU financial markets. Ensuring that risks posed to the EU's financial markets by non-EU transactions are addressed by regulation and supervision is key in ensuring safer markets. ESMA's draft RTS clarify that OTC derivative contracts entered into by two counterparties established in one or more non-EU countries, for which a decision on equivalence of the jurisdiction's regulatory regime has not been adopted, will be subject to EMIR where one of the following conditions are met: • One of the two non-EU counterparties to the OTC derivative contract is guaranteed by an EU financial for a total gross notional amount of at least €8bn, and for an amount of at least 5% of the OTC derivatives exposures of the EU financial guarantor; or • The two non-EU counterparties execute their transactions via their EU branches and would qualify as financial counterparty if established in the EU. ESMA's draft RTS will cover OTC derivative contracts concluded after the date the RTS becomes applicable. Non-evasion clause The draft RTS also specify cases of transactions aimed at evading EMIR's regulatory requirements, which would be the case for derivatives contracts or arrangements concluded without any business substance or economic justification, and in a way to circumvent the clearing obligation and risk mitigation provisions. Next steps ESMA's draft RTS have been submitted for endorsement to the European Commission on 15 November 2013. The Commission has three months to decide whether to endorse the final draft RTS and must then submit the endorsed RTS to the European Parliament and the Council. Notes for Editors 1. 2013/1657 - Draft technical standards under EMIR on contracts with a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union and non-evasion. 2. Regulation (EU) No.648/2012 on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories. 3. ESMA is an independent EU Authority that was established on 1 January 2011 and works closely with the other European Supervisory Authorities responsible for banking (EBA), and insurance and occupational pensions (EIOPA), and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB). 4. ESMA's mission is to enhance the protection of investors and promote stable and well-functioning financial markets in the European Union (EU). As an independent institution, ESMA achieves this aim by building a single rule book for EU financial markets and ensuring its consistent application across the EU. ESMA contributes to the regulation of financial services firms with a pan-European reach, either through direct supervision or through the active co-ordination of national supervisory activity. Press Release 2013/1661 Final Report 2013/1657
|ESMA registers ICE TVEL and CME TR as trade repositories
|Press Releases
|Press Release
|ESMA registers ICE TVEL and CME TR as trade repositoriesThe European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has approved today the registrations of two further trade repositories (TRs) under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). The following entities have been registered as TRs for the European Union (EU):• ICE Trade Vault Europe Ltd (ICE TVEL), based in the United Kingdom; and• CME Trade Repository Ltd (CME TR), based in the United Kingdom.Trade reporting to start mid-FebruaryTRs are commercial firms that centrally collect and maintain the records of derivatives contracts reported to them. The registration of these two TRs means that they can be used by the counterparties to a derivative transaction to fulfil their trade reporting obligations under EMIR. These registrations will take effect on 5 December 2013. Following the registration of a first group of TRs on 7 November 2013, which became effective on 14 November 2013, the reporting obligation start date for all asset classes will begin on 12 February 2014.Following today's registrations, there are now six TRs registered in the EU, which can be used for trade reporting. ESMA registered DDRL, Regis-TR, UnaVista and KDPW on 7 November and it has not received any further application for registration. Notes for editors1. EMIR introduced provisions to improve transparency, establish common rules for central counterparties (CCPs) and for trade repositories (TRs) and to reduce the risks associated with the OTC derivatives market. It provides for the obligation to centrally clear OTC derivative contracts or to apply risk mitigation techniques such as the exchange of collateral. It also provides for the direct supervision and the registration of TRs by ESMA as well as the recognition of non-EU TRs.2. The two trade repositories approved by ESMA today are part, or subsidiaries of, bigger groups. More detail on the parental relationships:• ICE Trade Vault Europe Ltd, based in the United Kingdom, is a subsidiary of the IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE), based in the United States;• CME Trade Repository Ltd, based in the United Kingdom, is owned by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME), based in the United States.3. For more details on the list of registered TRs and the derivative asset classes which are covered by the registration, please refer to the following list:http://www.esma.europa.eu/page/Registered-Trade-Repositories4. ESMA is an independent EU Authority that works closely with the other European Supervisory Authorities responsible for banking (EBA), and insurance and occupational pensions (EIOPA), and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).5. ESMA's mission is to enhance the protection of investors and promote stable and well-functioning financial markets in the European Union (EU). As an independent institution, ESMA achieves this aim by building a single rule book for EU financial markets and ensuring its consistent application across the EU. ESMA contributes to the regulation of financial services firms with a pan-European reach, either through direct supervision or through the active co-ordination of national supervisory activity.
|Trade Repository Supervision Work Plan 2014
|Post Trading
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is publishing a summary of its 2014 supervisory work plan in relation to trade repositories (TRs) with the aim of enhancing the transparency of its actions regarding TRs in the European Union. TRs centrally collect and maintain the records of derivative trades and play a central role in enhancing the transparency of derivative markets and reducing risks to financial stability. In November 2013, ESMA registered six TRs. The obligation for counterparties to report their derivative trades to registered TRs began on 12 February 2014. Under Titles VI and VII of Regulation EU 648/2012 (EMIR), the direct supervision of TRs has been entrusted to ESMA, who has started to supervise the six registered TRs. Supervision of TRs by ESMA is crucial to ensuring that TRs comply on an on-going basis with all EMIR requirements, thereby enabling regulators to access data and details of derivative contracts in order for them to fulfil their respective mandates.
|ESMA defines central clearing of interest rate and credit default swaps
|Press Releases
|Press Release
|The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has launched a first round of consultations to prepare for central clearing of OTC derivatives within the European Union. The two consultation papers seek stakeholders' views on draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) for the clearing of Interest Rate Swaps (IRS) and Credit Default Swaps (CDS) that ESMA has to develop under the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). With the overarching objective of reducing systemic risk, EMIR introduces the obligation to clear certain classes of OTC derivatives in central clearing houses (CCPs) that have been authorised (European CCPs) or recognised (third-country CCPs) under its framework. To ensure that the clearing obligation reduces systemic risk, EMIR specifies a process for the identification of the classes of OTC derivatives that should be subject to mandatory clearing. This includes the assessment of specific criteria that the relevant classes of OTC derivatives have to meet. ESMA is required to draft RTS on the clearing obligation within six months of the authorisation or recognition of CCPs. ESMA has analysed the classes from several CCP notifications and has determined that some IRS and CDS classes should be subject to the clearing obligation. Following the difference in timing of the corresponding CCP authorisations, the IRS and CDS classes are covered in two separate papers and consultation periods, with a large overlap between the two to give the opportunity to stakeholders to review them and provide feedback at the same time. These two consultation papers may be followed by one or more on other asset classes.Basis, fixed-to-float, forward rate agreements and overnight index swaps to be centrally cleared Regarding IRS, ESMA's draft RTS propose the following four classes, on a range of currencies and underlying indices, to be subject to central clearing: • Basis swaps;• Fixed-to-float interest rate swaps; • Forward rate agreements; and• Overnight index swaps. European untranched index CDS to be centrally cleared Regarding CDS, ESMA's draft RTS proposes European untranched Index CDS (for two indices) to be subject to central clearing.Draft standards built on swaps already offered for clearing ESMA defined the IRS and CDS classes to be subject to central clearing following an analysis of all IRS and CDS classes which are currently offered for clearing by European CCPs. In addition, for equity and interest rate futures and options which are offered for clearing, ESMA decided that a clearing obligation is not necessary at this stage. Next steps The IRS Consultation Paper is open for feedback until 18 August 2014 and the CDS Consultation Paper until 18 September 2014. ESMA will use the answers received to draft its final RTSs on the clearing obligation for IRS and CDS and send them for endorsement to the European Commission. The clearing obligation will take effect following a phased implementation, with the current proposal ranging from six months to three years after the entry into force of the RTS, depending on the types of counterparties concerned.
|Press release- ESMA defines products, counterparties and starting dates for the clearing of interest rate swaps
|Post Trading, Press Releases
|Press Release
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has today issued final draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) for the central clearing of Interest Rate Swaps (IRS) which it is required to develop under the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). The RTS define those types of IRS contracts which will have to be centrally cleared, the types of counterparties covered by the obligation and the dates by which central clearing of IRS will become mandatory for them.
|Press release- ESMA launches centralised data projects for MiFIR and EMIR
|MiFID - Secondary Markets, Press Releases
|Press Release
|ESAs- main risks to EU financial market stability have intensified
|Risk Analysis & Economics - Markets Infrastructure Investors, Press Releases, Joint Committee
|Press Release
|The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) published its fifth Report on Risks and Vulnerabilities in the EU Financial System. Overall, the report found that in the past six months, risks affecting the EU financial system have not changed in substance, but have further intensified. The EU's economic performance improved slightly in early 2015, however the financial sector in general continues to be affected by a combination of factors such as low investment demand, economic uncertainty in the Eurozone and its neighbouring countries, a global economic slow-down and a low-interest rate environment. The main risks affecting the financial system remain broadly unchanged from those identified in the report's previous edition, but have become more entrenched. The major risks include: • Low growth, low inflation, volatile asset prices and their consequences for financial entities; • Search for yield behaviour exacerbated by potential rebounds; • Deterioration in the conduct of business; and • Increased concern about IT risks and cyber-attacks. Despite these risks, a number of ongoing policy and regulatory initiatives are contributing to improving the stability and confidence in the financial system as well as facilitating additional funding channels to the real economy. These include ongoing regulatory reforms in the securities, banking and insurance sectors such as the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) and Regulation (MiFIR), the work on the implementation of the Capital Requirements Directive and Regulation (CRDIV/CRR), the work on the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), the Deposit-Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGS) and the Solvency II Directive, as well as the European Commission's plan for a Capital Markets Union (CMU). Steven Maijoor, Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the current Chairman of the Joint Committee, said: "The Joint Committee has noted some improvement in overall market conditions; however, the recovery is not yet sustained and is exposed to risks related to broad macroeconomic conditions, in particular the low interest environment and resulting search-for-yield behaviour. Additionally regulators continue to have concerns about the operational risks generated by some financial institutions' inappropriate business conduct, as well as those risks posed by inadequate management of IT risks. "However, recent regulatory initiatives across the banking, insurance and securities sectors, such as the Comprehensive Assessment, the insurance sector stress test and Solvency II along with, the ongoing MiFID, EMIR and PRIPS reforms are contributing to improving the stability and confidence in the EU financial system." Key Risks Identified The identified risks in the Report can be divided into macro risks to the EU financial system and economy and operational risks. Macro Risks The key macro risks identified relate to: 1. Risks from weak economic growth and low inflation environment, which include: • Adverse effect that low interest rates and uncertainties about the economic recovery have had on the outlook for the financial industry; • Higher valuation and market liquidity risk has raised concerns about the outlook for financial entities' stability in the event of reversals in interest rates and asset prices; 2. Low profitability is motivating financial institutions and other investors to search for yield, which requires increased supervisory attention to the viability of business models, related restructuring activity and adequate management of risks. However, the promotion of sound and innovative business models for market-based funding structures could help to deliver additional stimulus; and 3. Some continued doubts on the comparability and consistency of banks' calculations of risk weighted assets. Operational Risks The key operational risks relate to: 4. Business conduct risk remains a key concern with the Report recommending that supervisors should include misconduct costs in future stress tests where appropriate, while financial institutions should strengthening product oversight and governance frameworks. Further improvements in the regulatory framework and supervisory practices to address conduct risks are also warranted. In addition, further progress needs to be made on benchmark reforms where continuity and integrity remain a source of concern even if key panels remained stable; and 5. IT operational risk and cyber risk remain of great concern and pose challenges to the the safety and integrity of financial institutions. IT risk increased due to costs pressures, outsourcing, the need for additional capacities and a mounting number of cyber-attacks. The adequate integration of IT risk into overall risk management is a key policy for mitigation.
|Press Release- ESMA calls for modification of UCITS Directive
|Fund Management, Press Releases
|Press Release
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The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published four reports focused on how the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) framework has been functioning and providing input and recommendations to the European Commission's (EC) EMIR Review. Three of the reports are required under Article 85 of EMIR, and cover non-financial counterparties (NFCs), pro-cyclicality and the segregation and portability for CCPs. The fourth report responds to the EC's Review including recommendations on amending EMIR in relation to the clearing obligation, the recognition of third country CCPs and the supervision and enforcement procedures for trade repositories. Steven Maijoor, ESMA Chair, said: "EMIR is a key component of the EU's regulatory reform package in response to the financial crisis affecting many elements of OTC derivatives markets. While its implementation is still underway we recommend a number of changes, based on our experiences, to improve and streamline the regulatory and supervisory framework and to ensure that the objectives of stability and investor protection are met." ESMA's Response to European Commission EMIR Review This report provides input to the EC's consultation on the EMIR review with recommendations to amend the EMIR framework in a number of areas including: • Clearing obligation - in order to strengthen the EMIR framework and to better respond to changing market conditions, ESMA proposes amending EMIR in order to streamline the process for determining clearing obligations and to introduce tools allowing the suspension of the clearing obligation when certain market conditions arise. It also proposes removing the frontloading requirement; • Recognition of third country CCPs - regarding the recognition of third-country CCPs, ESMA is proposing to rethink the entire equivalence and recognition process to increase its efficiency and effectiveness and to better respond to regulatory differences between third countries. ESMA proposes that the jurisdiction decision be governed by Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and that any recognition process should also include additional risk-based considerations allowing it to deny or suspend the recognition of a third country CCP; and • Trade Repositories (TRs) – in order to improve the supervision of TRs, the report makes proposals for changes to ESMA's supervisory and enforcement powers and procedures including increases in fine levels, broadening the enforcement decisions available to ESMA, appropriate timeframes to consider applications in the registration process and clarifying TRs' obligations in relation to data quality and reconciliation and supervisory reporting. ESMA's Reports under Article 85 of EMIR • Non-Financial counterparties (Report No.1) ESMA recommends removing the hedging criteria from EMIR and to use other measures to determine the systemic relevance of NFCs, as this would allow regulators to identify the few NFCs with the highest systemic importance while greatly simplifying the process and reduce the compliance costs for the majority of small and medium NFCs, which pose limited risks to the system overall. • Limiting Pro-cyclicality (Report No.2) ESMA recommends further specifying the rules for implementing the counter-cyclical tools adopted by CCPs for margins and collateral, including regular testing and transparency on the results to further improve their effectiveness. • Segregation and Portability (Report No.3) ESMA has identified some differences in CCP practices in the implementation of the relevant provisions. In order to promote convergent practices and achieve a level playing field, it recommends introducing clarifications and more detailed requirements by RTS along with incentives related to margin period of risk depending on the safety of the chosen account structure. ESMA also proposes monitoring the take-up of the different types of account models to confirm adequacy and efficiency.
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ESMA fines DTCC Derivatives Repository Limited €64,000 for data access failures
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has fined the trade repository DTCC Derivatives Repository Limited (DDRL) €64,000, and issued a public notice, for negligently failing to put in place systems capable of providing regulators with direct and immediate access to derivatives trading data. This is a key requirement under the European Markets and Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) in order to improve transparency and facilitate the monitoring of systemic risks in derivatives markets.
This is the first time ESMA has taken enforcement action against a trade repository registered in the European Union (EU). DDRL is the largest EU registered trade repository.
ESMA found that DDRL failed to provide direct and immediate access to derivatives data from 21 March 2014 to 15 December 2014, a period of about nine months in which access delays increased from two days to 62 days after reporting and affected 2.6 billion reports. This was due to its negligence in:
DDRL's failures caused delays to regulators accessing data, revealed systemic weaknesses in its organisation particularly its procedures, management systems or internal controls and negatively impacted the quality of the data it maintained.
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Mastozoología neotropical
versión impresa ISSN 0327-9383
Mastozool. neotrop. vol.19 no.1 Mendoza jun. 2012
New record of Peropteryx leucoptera and first record of Peropteryx pallidoptera (Chiroptera-Emballonuridae) form Colombia
Andrés F. Suarez-Castro1,3, Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves2, Miguel E. Rodríguez-Posada1,3 and Javier García4
1 Laboratorio de Mamíferos, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45 #26-85, Sede Bogotá D.C., Colombia [Correspondence: Andrés Suarez-Castro <email@example.com>].
2 Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Evolutionary Biology: Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Germany and University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
3 Grupo de Investigación en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
4 Fundación Herencia Natural, Carrera 69f #64h-85, Bogotá, Colombia.
Recibido 17 mayo 2011.
Aceptado 27 octubre 2011.
Editor asociado: UFJ Pardiñas
ABSTRACT: We present new records of Peropteryx leucoptera from two localities in the Colombian Llanos. For this species these records constitute both the northern-most record and the first time it has been found in a different ecosystem such as the savannas of the Orinoco. In addition we report the first record of P. pallidoptera from the eastern Andean slopes in the Amazonian foothills of Colombia, which constitutes the northern-most known record for this species.
RESUMEN: Nuevo registros de Peropteryx leucoptera y primer registro de Peropteryx pallidoptera (Chiroptera-Emballonuridae) para Colombia. Presentamos nuevos registros de Peropteryx leucoptera de dos localidades de los Llanos Orientales de Colombia. Para esta especie, estos reportes constituyen los registros más al norte y la primera vez que es encontrada en un ecosistema diferente como lo son las sabanas del Orinoco. Adicionalmente presentamos el primer registro de P. pallidoptera en la vertiente oriental de los Andes, piedemonte amazónico de Colombia, que constituye el registro más al norte que se conoce de esta especie.
Key words: Amazonas; Bats; Colombian Llanos; Distribution extension; Orinoco.
Palabras clave. Amazonia; Extensión de distribución; Llanos de Colombia; Murciélagos; Orinoquia.
The doglike bats of the genus Peropteryx Peters, 1867, are restricted to the Neotropics and currently five species are recognized (Lim et al., 2010; McDonough et al., 2011). The bats of this genus are differentiated from other representatives of Neotropical Emballonuridae by the absence of dorsal lines or hair tufts in the skin; wing-sac present and located near the anterior border of the propatagium; wing attached to the leg on the ankle; the skull with a basiesphenoideal pit not divided by a longitudinal septum and spicule-like anterior upper premolar (Sanborn, 1937; Jones and Hood, 1993; Hood and Gardner, 2008). Hitherto, three species of Peropteryx have been registered in Colombia (Alberico et al., 2000; Simmons, 2005; Hood and Gardner, 2008): Peropteryx kappleri Peters, 1867; P. leucoptera Peters, 1867; and P. macrotis (Wagner, 1843)
P. leucoptera inhabits the greater Amazon basin of Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and eastern Brazil (Jones and Hood, 1993; Hood and Gardner, 2008; Lim et al., 2010; McDonough et al., 2011). In Colombia, P. leucoptera is known from one specimen captured in undisturbed lowland tropical forest of Campamento Chamusa, Serranía de la Macarena, Department of Meta, where it was roosting alone in a tangle of roots under an overhanging stream bank of the Río Duda (Lemke et al., 1982). The species is easily distinguished from other Neotropical Emballonuridae by the presence of white wings; ears connected by a low band of skin across the forehead and a skull large and robust for the genus with the basisphenoideal pit between two large, deep pterygoid pits separated by a mesopterygoid extension (Hood and Gardner, 2008; Lim et al., 2010).
Recently, Lim et al. (2010) described P. pallidoptera from the lowlands of the western Amazonia of Ecuador and Peru. This species was confused previously with P. leucoptera (McDonough et al., 2011). Although the wings of this species are pale and mostly similar to the white wings of P. leucoptera, the ears are not joined above the head. Additionally, P. pallidoptera is similar to P. macrotis in body size and cranial morphology and the lateral pteygoid pits are not as large and deep as they are in P. leucoptera. In P. macrotis, the pterygoid pits are separated by a basisphenoideal pit, while in P. pallidoptera are separated by a mesopterygoid extension (Lim et al., 2010; McDonough et al., 2011). Given that specimens of P. pallidoptera were previously misidentified as P. leucoptera (McDonough et al., 2011), we reexamined the specimen reported by Lemke et al. (1982) as P. leucoptera to verify its correct taxonomic assignation. Furthermore we report the first records of P. leucoptera from the savannas of the Colombian Llanos; these specimens constitute the first records of the species in an ecosystem distinct to the lowland tropical rainforest from the Amazonas basin. In addition, we report the first record for Colombia of P. pallidoptera from the Amazonian foothills of the Andes.
The specimen of Lemke et al. (1982) is housed in the Instituto de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt (IAvH). Our new records have voucher specimens deposited in the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales (ICN) of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Appendix). External measurements (mm) were taken from the specimens in the field, including total length (TL), length of tail (TV), length of hind foot (HF), length of ear (EAR), length of tragus (TR), and length of forearm (FA). Cranial measurements were recorded with digital calipers to the nearest 0.1 mm including greatest length of skull (GLS), condylo-incisive length (CIL), breadth across zygomatic arches (ZB), breadth across mastoids (MB), breadth of braincase (BBC), breadth across postorbital constriction (POC), length of maxillary tooth row (CM3), and breadth across upper molars (M3M3). Measurements were taken according to Lim et al. (2010) and McDonough et al. (2011).
We confirm that the Lemke et al. (1982) specimen belongs to P. leucoptera. Although the skull is broken and we could not confirm cranial measurements, and the skin has lost its original color, we can distinguish that the dactylopatagioum are white, in addition to an evident interauricular band. This combination of morphological characters is diagnostic for P. leucoptera and any other species described as Peropteryx present these characters (Sanborn, 1937; Jones and Hood, 1993; Hood and Gardner, 2008; Lim et al., 2010; McDonough et al., 2011).
Two P. leucoptera were collected by Ramírez- Chaves (HERC) and Rodríguez-Posada (field numbers HERC 768, HERC 769) in a mammal inventory in the Pacific Rubiales Inc. Kifa Este oil concession block (Fig. 1, Appendix) in October 2009. Bats were caught with mist nets 6 m in length, with a mesh diameter of 36 mm, set at a height of 3 m above the ground inside the forest. Specimens were preserved in 96% ethanol and the skull of HERC 768 was extracted for taxonomic identification. The vegetation in this area is dominated by savannas adjacent to riparian forest, and palm swamps (Fig. 2a, b). The forest where these bats were captured has a canopy height of about eight meters, and constitutes a small isolated fragment crossed by a stream (where the net was placed) surrounded by grasslands. Other species collected at Kifa Este and deposited in the ICN collection were Saccopteryx lectura (Schreber, 1774), Desmodus rotundus (É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1810), Phyllostomus elongatus (É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1810), Chrotopterus auritus (Peters, 1856), Mimon crenulatum (É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1803), Micronycteris megalotis (Gray, 1842), Trachops cirrhosus (Spix, 1823), Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766), Carollia brevicauda (Schinz, 1821), Rhinophylla pumilio Peters, 1865 and Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823).
Fig. 1. Distribution of records of Peropteryx leucoptera and P. pallidoptera from Colombia. 1. P. leucoptera (FSC 107 and 193); 2. P. leucoptera (HERC 768-769); 3. P. leucoptera (IAvH 2241 Lemke et al. 1982); 4. P. pallidoptera (JGV 015 and 021). Black region represents the Eastern foothills of the cordillera Oriental. Regions adapted from Ferrer-Pérez et al. (2010).
Fig. 2. Locality record of specimens of Peropteryx leucoptera in the Orinoco region, Colombia: a) general landscape; b) forest fragment at the Pacific Rubiales Inc.'s Kifa Este oil concession block, Puerto Gaitán, Meta; c) and d) vegetation physionomy of forest fragment at the Cubiro's Alange oil concession block, San Luis de Palenque, Casanare.
Two additional P. leucoptera were collected by Suarez-Castro (FSC, field numbers FSC 107, FSC 193) in the Alange Energy Corp Cubiro oil concession block, in the municipality of San Luis de Palenque, Department of Casanare (Fig. 1, Appendix) in September 2009 and January 2010. P. leucoptera was one of 31 species of bats captured in that survey (Suárez-Castro and Sánchez-Palomino, 2011). Vegetation consists of savannas and disturbed gallery forest surrounded by agricultural and pasture areas. Most of the land is used extensively for livestock; crops are scarce and limited to subsistence farming; and much of the native vegetation has disappeared (Castellanos-Castro et al., 2011). Bats were captured with mist nets of 9 x 2.5 m set at 3 m above the ground in a riparian forest with no vertical stratification, and a canopy height of 10 m (Fig. 2c, d). Specimens were preserved as skin and skull preparations.
All specimens of P. leucoptera here reported match all diagnostic characteristics for the species, including white wings; ears connected by a band (Fig. 3a), and the skull with large pterygoid pits separated by a mesopterygoid extension (Sanborn, 1937; Jones and Hood, 1993; Hood and Gardner, 2008; Lim et al., 2010; McDonough et al., 2011) (Fig. 3b). The external and cranial measurements of our voucher specimens of P. leucoptera fall within the range of size variation documented for other localities (Lim et al., 2010; McDonough et al. 2011) (Table 1).
Fig. 3. Photograph of a female Peropteryx leucoptera (HERC 768) showing: a) band across the forehead connecting the ears; b) wings apparently white; c) dorsal, ventral and lateral views of the skull, showing large pterygoid pits (Pp) separated by a mesopterygoid extension (Me). Scale = 10 mm.
Table 1. Skin and skull measurements (mm) of specimens of Peropteryx leucoptera reported in this study in comparison to the mean and range (parentheses) for specimens of Peropteryx leucoptera reported in previous studies. Measurements from the holotype of Peropteryx leucoptera cyclops housed in the British Museum of Natural History (BMNH) were obtained from Lim et al. (2010) and McDonough et al. 2011. Abbreviations of measurements as explained in the text.
Finally, two P. pallidoptera were captured by Garcia (JGV, field numbers JGV 015, JGV 021) in Department of Caquetá, municipality of Montañita, adjacent to "El Oso" stream (Fig. 1, Appendix) on 24 January 2007. The captures were made in a small cave (0.5 x 0.3 x 1m) with entomological nets. The cave is adjacent to a multi-stratified forest with a canopy height of 25 m, in a typical Caquetá foothill landscape, which constitutes a transitional zone between the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental and the Amazonian basin.
Voucher specimens of P. pallidoptera conform in all respects to previous descriptions of the species (Lim et al., 2010; McDonough et al., 2011), including the small pterygoid pits separated by a mesopterygoid extension (Fig. 4), wings with paler tips and ears not connected by a lower band of skin. Our specimens are smaller than the average in most measurements of specimens from Ecuador and Peru (Table 2).
Fig. 4. Lateral (bottom), dorsal (center) and ventral (top) views of the skull of Peropteryx pallidoptera (JGV 021); note the small pterygoid pits (Pp) separated by a mesopterygoid extension (Me). Scale = 10 mm.
Table 2. Skin and skull measurements (mm) of specimens of Peropteryx pallidoptera reported in this study in comparison to the mean and range (parentheses) for specimens of Peropteryx pallidoptera reported by Lim et al. (2010) and McDonough et al. (2011) from Ecuador and Peru. Abbreviations of measurements as explained in the text.
The records here presented show the distribution of P. leucoptera into a different kind of ecosystem such as the savannas of the Orinoco. Previously the species was known only from Neotropical rainforest of the Amazonian and Orinoco basins. In contrast the vegetation in the sites of our records are dominated by extensive savannas mainly composed by herbaceous vegetation, principally grasslands; and the arboreal vegetation is represented by riparian forest along streams and rivers without water shortage in the dry season. For these reasons our report, some 450 km beyond the known range, appears to be the northern-most record of this species. It therefore represents an important ecological extension of the habitat of the species and large increase of area and ecosystem potentially used by the P. leucoptera.
We report the first record of P. pallidoptera for the country, also a northern-most known record for this species (280 km from the next closest record). The ecological conditions of the vegetation in the site of our record are similar to those previously reported for the species (Lim et al., 2010; McDonough et al., 2011). As Lim et al. (2010) stated, it seems probable that these species are widely distributed and will soon turn up at other sites where appropriate survey methods are used to inventory bat diversity. Species of Peropteryx have been collected in a variety of habitats, including cavities along stream banks; dark spaces under large fallen trees; within hollow trees; and in mistnets placed in forest (Sanborn, 1937; Lemke et al., 1982; Brosset and Charles-Dominique, 1991; Simmons and Voss, 1998). It is important to emphasize that all our specimens were captured in areas that are under strong anthropogenic pressure, specifically large development projects that could cause a strong impact on ecosystems and biodiversity loss (Rourke and Connolly, 2003; Hooper et al., 2005). It is essential to develop more inventories, which constitute the first step in assessing management and conservation plans. The information here presented is important for establishing morphological and morphometric patterns among species of white and pale winged Peropteryx across their continental-wide distribution.
FSC records were obtained during the project: "Inventario de los mamíferos y reptiles silvestres del área de explotación petrolera Cubiro de la empresa Monctez S. A. en los municipios de Trinidad y San Luis de Palenque (Casanare, Colombia)". FSC thanks David Andrés Marín Cardona and Pedro Sánchez-Palomino for their assistance in his study. HERA thanks Raul Pedroza and Jonh Jairo Mueses for the collaboration in the Kifa´s field trip. We thank Susan Cousineau (MEME Programme) for revision of the English text. We also thank the curators of the ICN and IAvH mammal collections. Julio Betancur facilitated the use of the stereoscope for taking photos of skulls. Finally, we thank to Miguel Pinto, Carlos Delgado- V., Hugo Mantilla Meluk and Burton K. Lim for their comments on the manuscript.
1. ALBERICO M, A CADENA, J HERNÁNDEZ-CAMACHO and Y MUÑOZ-SABA. 2000. Mamíferos (Synapsida: Theria) de Colombia. Biota Colombiana 1(1):43-75 [ Links ]
2. BROSSET A and P CHARLES-DOMINIQUE. 1990. The bats from French Guiana: a taxonomic, faunistic and ecological approach. Mammalia 54:509-559. [ Links ]
3. CASTELLANOS-CASTRO C, L PINZÓN PÉREZ, A CARDONA CARDOZO, C MORA FERNÁNDEZ, and O VARGAS RÍOS. 2011. Estado de conservación de la vegetación del Bajo Río Pauto, Casanare (Colombia). Pp. 155-190, in: Mamíferos, Reptiles y ecosistemas del Bloque Cubiro (Casanare): Educación Ambiental para la Conservación (T León Sicard, P Sánchez Palomino and O Vargas, eds.). Universidad Nacional de Colombia Instituto de Estudios Ambientales - Departamento de Biología [ Links ]
4. FERRER PÉREZ A, M BELTRÁN, AP DÍAZ-PULIDO, F TRUJILLO, H MANTILLA-MELUK, O HERRERA, AF ALFONSO and E PAYÁN. 2010 "2009". Lista de los mamíferos de la cuenca del río Orinoco. Biota Colombiana 10:179-207 [ Links ]
5. HOOD C and AL GARDNER. 2008. Family Emballonuridae Gervais, 1856. Pp. 188-207, in: Mammals of South America, Volume 1, Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews and Bats (AL Gardner, ed.). The University of Chicago Press [ Links ]
6. HOOPER DU, FS CHAPIN, JJ EWEL, A HECTOR, P INCHAUSTI, S LAVOREL, JH LAWTON, LODGE DM, M LOREAU, S NAEEM, B SCHMID, H SETALA, AJ SYMSTAD, J VAN DER MEER and DA WARDLE. 2005. Effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning: A consensus of current knowledge. Ecological Monographs, 75:3-35 [ Links ]
7. JONES JK Jr and CS HOOD. 1993. Synopsis of South American bats of the family Emballonuridae. Occasional Papers, The Museum of Texas Tech University 155:1-32 [ Links ]
8. LEMKE TO, A CADENA, RH PINE, and J HERNÁNDEZ-CAMACHO. 1982. Notes on opossums, bats, and rodents new to the fauna of Colombia. Mammalia 46(2):225-34 [ Links ]
9. LIM B, MD ENGSTROM, FA REID, NB SIMMONS, RS VOSS, and DW FLECK. 2010. A new species of Peropteryx (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from western Amazonia with comments on phylogenetic relationships within the genus. American Museum Novitates 3686:1-20 [ Links ]
10. MCDONOUGH MM, BK LIM, AW FERGUSON, CM BROWN, SF BURNEO and LK AMMERMAN. 2011. Mammalia, Chiroptera, Emballonuridae, Peropteryx leucoptera Peters, 1867 and Peropteryx pallidoptera Lim, Engstrom, Reid, Simmons, Voss and Fleck, 2010: Distributional range extensions in Ecuador. Check List 6(4):639-643 [ Links ]
11. ROURKE DO and CONNOLLY S. 2003. Just Oil? The distribution of environmental and social impacts of oil production and consumption. Annual Reviews of Environmental Resources 28:587-617 [ Links ]
12. SANBORN CC. 1937. American bats of the subfamily Emballonuridae. Field Museum of Natural History, Zoological Series 20:321-354. [ Links ]
13. SIMMONS NB. 2005. Order Chiroptera. Pp. 312-529, in Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference, 3rd edition (DE Wilson and DM Reeder, eds.). The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. [ Links ]
14. SIMMONS NB and RS VOSS. 1998. The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana: A Neotropical lowland rainforest fauna, Part 1. Bats. Bulletin American Museum of Natural History 237:1-219 [ Links ]
15. SUÁREZ-CASTRO AF and P SÁNCHEZ PALOMINO. 2011. Diversidad de mamíferos presentes en el bloque Cubiro y amenazas para su conservación. Pp. 277-290, in: Mamíferos, Reptiles y ecosistemas del Bloque Cubiro (Casanare): Educación Ambiental para la Conservación (T León Sicard, P Sánchez Palomino and O Vargas, eds.). Universidad Nacional de Colombia Instituto de Estudios Ambientales - Departamento de Biología. [ Links ]
Specimens examined:
Peropteryx leucoptera: COLOMBIA, Meta, Puerto Gaitán, Campo Rubiales, bloque Kifa Este (03º50`N; 71º57`W, 350 m), October of 2009; HERC 768 adult female (fluid, skull removed); HERC 769 juvenile male (fluid, skull removed); Casanare, San Luis de Palenque, vereda La Venturosa, finca El Jordán (5º12'16,2'' N; 71º 20'22.9''W, 350 m), September of 2009, FSC 107 male (skin and skull) ; January of 2010, FSC 193 male (skin and skull). IAvH 2241: Meta, Río Duda, Campamento Chamusa (2º42' N, 74º10'W, 250 m), female (skin and skull).
Peropteryx pallidoptera: COLOMBIA, Caquetá, Montañita, vereda Las Juntas, hacienda Las Delicias, quebrada El Oso, cueva La Virgen (01º30'9.6"N; 75º22'5.9"W, 274 m), January 24 of 2007, JGV 021 female and JGV 015 male (skin and skull).


text:
Foundations of Health Care Management
Leaders and managers throughout the health care system are facing ever more challenging changes in the way care is delivered, paid for, and evaluated. Foundations of Health Care Management: Principles and Methods offers an innovative, concise, reader–friendly introduction to health care management and administration. It addresses the need for new skills in managers of health care facilities and for those planning to enter health care management positions. The book covers such critical topics as leadership training, change management, conflict management techniques, culture building, quality improvement, and communications skills, as well as collaboration in the improvement of population health.
Foundations of Health Care Management also concentrates on innovations and describes steps in the transition to more decentralized and creative approaches to the management of health care facilities. The book covers physician management from the physician′s viewpoint, a valuable perspective for health care managers.
The book serves important dual purposes for faculty and students by providing both insights into the health care field as well as foundational content on essential management and leadership competencies. A full set of support materials is available for instructors at the book′s companion Web site.
Tables and Figures xi
Introduction xvii
The Authors xxi
The Contributors xxiii
Introduction to Health Care Management
Chapter 1 Critical Issues for the Future of Health Care in the United States 3
Health Care Reform Legislation 11
Errors in Health Care 12
Changing the Health Care System 13
Emphasis on Effi ciency in Health Care Delivery 19
Building a New Process for Health Care Delivery 21
Productivity and Prioritization in Health Care 28
Chapter 2 Health Care Management 33
Management Theory 35
Management Innovation 44
Managerial Skills 46
Management Functions 47
Self–Managed Work Teams 50
Health Services Management 53
Management of Technology 58
Managing the External Environment
Chapter 3 Strategy and Structure: Choosing the
Path to Success 67
Strategic Management and Structure 68
The Strategic Management Process 72
Organizational Design and Structure 86
Physician Organizations: A Closer Look 98
Technology and Structure 100
Managing Human Performance in Organizations
Chapter 4 Leadership as Plural 105
Leadership Basics 108
Leadership Theory 112
Employee Participation 119
Creating a Vision of Health Care Delivery 120
Empowerment and Responsibility 122
Improving Health Outcomes 123
Leadership and Culture 125
Adding Value in Health Care Delivery 131
Chapter 5 Change, Motivation, and Innovation: Creating a Culture of Excellence 135
The Change Process in Health Care Delivery 138
The Secret of Motivating Health Care Employees 142
The Need for Innovation in Health Care 148
The Effects of Culture Development on Motivation, Innovation, and the Facilitation of Change 154
Chapter 6 Communication: Can You Hear Me Now? 161
Communication Methods and Skills 165
How to Build Trust in Relationships 172
Communicating to Build a Thick Culture 176
Communicating to Motivate 178
Communication Problems and Medical Errors 182
Communicating to Innovate 185
Communicating to Add Value to Health Care Delivery 186
Chapter 7 Physician Management 191
Changing Environment for Physicians 195
Physician Management Concerns 201
Physician Reimbursement Issues 207
Patient Quality of Care Concerns 212
Physician Concerns 215
Professional Ethical Concerns 225
Political and Legal Affi liations and Concerns 228
Physician Management Models 231
Physicians as Managers 234
Creating a High–Performance Workplace
Chapter 8 Human Resources Management and Health Care 245
The Role of Human Resources Professionals in Organizations 247
Rights of Employees and Employers 250
Critical Employee Attitudes Toward Work 257
Unions and the Health Care Industry 263
Evaluating the Management of Human Resources 269
Chapter 9 Staffi ng Health Care Organizations: Recruitment and Selection 281
Beginning the Staffi ng Process 282
Recruitment 289
Selection 302
Chapter 10 Employee Performance Improvement: The Pursuit of Quality Care 317
Employee Orientation and Mentoring 318
Employee Training 321
Performance Appraisal 334
Special Areas of Health Care Management
Chapter 11 Health Care Marketing: Speaking the Language 351
The Marketing Process 352
Key Marketing Concepts 355
The Health Care Consumer 372
Marketing Strategy 374
Using Marketing Research in Health Care Delivery 378
Emerging Trends in Health Care Marketing 384
Chapter 12 Financial Management: Show Me the Money 389
Our Health Care System: What We Fund 391
The Cost of Health Care, and Historical and Projected National Spending 394
Government Health Care Intervention Efforts and the History of Health Insurance 402
Characteristics of Health Care Finance 406
Financial Challenges Confronting Providers, Third–Party Payers, and Patients 409
Cost–Effectiveness and Reform 412
Chapter 13 Ethics, the Law, and Doing Good 423
Ethics in the World of Health Care 425
Autonomy 427
Nonmalefi cence and Benefi cence 430
Justice 433
Morality 435
Codes of Ethics 439
Ethics Committees 441
Discrimination Issues in Health Care 443
Technology and Ethics 447
Chapter 14 A Look into the Future of Health Services 455
Economic Issues in Health Care 458
Reengineering Health Care Delivery 459
The Role of Leadership in Reengineering Health Care 467
The Importance of Organizational Culture in Reengineering Health Care 470
Consumer Empowerment 472
Innovation in Health Care Delivery 475
The Importance of Trust, Brand, and Reputation 478
Other Signifi cant Forces Facing the Health Care Manager 480
References 485
Index 521
Marc C. Marchese


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Borderlands 2 Playable at PAX East
2K Games has announced that they'll have a playable demo of Borderlands 2 at this year's PAX East. Penny Arcade's gaming convention runs from April 6th through 8th and if you're in Boston you can fight the crowds to play one of the two new characters in the demo- Salvador the Gunzerker or Maya the Siren.
As you probably know the Gunzerker is a brand new class that's basically a Berzerker who uses his guns instead of his fists. He can dual-wield weapons and has a range of new abilities that amp up his gun skills. You'll take Salvador and Maya through a new level known as "Caustic Caverns". Every gamer who plays the demo will walk away with an exclusive baseball tee complete with the Vault logo from the game. Head to booth #236 to check it out.
Developer Gearbox Software is also hosting their own panel on Sunday April 8th at 4:30 pm in the Manticore theater, where they'll be talking about Borderlands 2 and some other games they're working on- possibly Aliens: Colonial Marines (!) and Brothers in Arms 4. Expect this to live-stream on 2K's site.
Borderlands 2 doesn't come out till September so this may be your only chance to try the sequel to one of the best co-op games of this generation.
[Via 2KGames]


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Renee Montagne
Renee Montagne is co-host of NPR's Morning Edition, the most widely heard radio news program in the U.S. She has hosted the newsmagazine since 2004, broadcasting from NPR West in Culver City, California, with co-host Steve Inskeep in NPR's Washington, D.C. headquarters.
Montagne is a familiar voice on NPR, having reported and hosted since the mid-1980s. She hosted All Things Considered with Robert Siegel for two years in the late 1980s, and previously worked for NPR's Science, National and Foreign desks.
Over the years, Montagne has done thousands of interviews on a wide range of topics: Kurt Vonnegut on how he transformed surviving the WWII firebombing of Dresden into the novel Slaughterhouse Five; National Guardsmen on how they handle the holidays in Iraq; a Hollywood historian on how the famous hillside sign came to be; Toni Morrison on the dreams and memories she turned into novels; and Bud Montagne, Renee's father, remembering the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Montagne traveled to Greenwich, England, in May 2007 to kick off the yearlong series, "Climate Connections," in which NPR partnered with National Geographic to chronicle how people are changing the Earth's climate and how the climate is impacting people. From the prime meridian, she laid out the journey that would take listeners to Africa, New Orleans and the Antarctic.
Since 9-11, Montagne has gone to Afghanistan five times, traveling throughout the country and interviewing farmers and mullahs, women and poll workers, the president and an infamous warlord. She spent a month during the summer of 2009 reporting on the Afghanistan politics and election. She has produced three series: 2002's "Recreating Afghanistan"; 2004's "Afghanistan Votes"; and 2006's "The War: Five Years On."
In the spring of 2005, Montagne took Morning Edition to Rome for the funeral of Pope John Paul ll. She co-anchored from Vatican City during a historic week when millions of pilgrims and virtually every world leader descended on the Vatican.
In 1990, Montagne traveled to South Africa to cover Nelson Mandela's release from prison, and continued to report from South Africa for three years. In 1994, she and a team of NPR reporters won a prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for coverage of South Africa's historic presidential and parliamentary elections.
Through most of the 1980s, Montagne was based in New York, working as an independent producer and reporter for both NPR and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Prior to that, she worked as a reporter/editor for Pacific News Service in San Francisco. She began her career as news director of the city's community radio station, KPOO, while still at university.
In addition to the duPont Columbia Award, Montagne has been honored by the Overseas Press Club for her coverage of Afghanistan, and by the National Association of Black Journalists for a series on Black musicians going to war in the 20th century.
Montagne, the daughter of a Marine Corps family, was born in California and spent much of her childhood in Hawaii and Arizona. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, as a Phi Beta Kappa. Her career includes serving as a fellow at the University of Southern California with the National Arts Journalism Program, and teaching broadcast writing at New York University's Graduate Department of Journalism.


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Free Entry
The Great Barrier Reef coral fringes Keswick and provides magnificent snorkelling, especially at Connie Bay and Coral Gardens.
Keswick's coral reef offers something for everyone, from swim-through caves and deep canyons to wide shallows, teeming with marine life.
Green, Hawksbill, Flatback and Loggerhead turtles can be found in the waters around Keswick Island and these are also home to some of the most exciting, exotic and rare marine life in the world. Whilst snorkelling, spotting a manta ray is an unforgettable experience. These gentle giants, measuring up to four metres wide, are at times found swimming gracefully around Keswick.
Snorkelling equipment (snorkel, mask, fins and stinger suit) available for hire Saturdays and Sundays.


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WALTHAM, Mass. – Playing upstairs in Shapiro Gym for the first time since 1990 while the Gosman Center track undergoes renovations, the Brandeis women's basketball team defeated visiting Husson University, 63-46, in a non-conference matchup today. The Judges improve to 7-3 with their fourth-straight win, while the Eagles fall to 2-6 with their third consecutive loss.
This was Brandeis's first game in Shapiro Gym since a 77-39 win over Wellesley in the final home game of the 1989-90 season. The Judges played their games at Regis College in 1990-91 and the first semester of the 1991-92 season. The Brandeis men played in Shapiro as recently as the 2002-03 season when a bent rim during warm-ups in Red Auerbach Arena was unable to be repaired in time.
Brandeis used a dominant performance on the boards, especially the offensive glass, to earn the win. The Judges outrebounded Husson, 52-29, overall, while a 22-8 advantage on the offensive end led to a 25-8 edge in second-chance points and 30-10 edge in points in the paint.
Sophomore Samantha Anderson (Johnsonville, N.Y/Hoosic Valley), making her second collegiate start, led the way on the glass with a career-high 12 rebounds. Six of her 12 boards came on the offensive glass, matching her previous career-best for total rebounds in a game, set twice this season, including last time out against Eastern Nazarene College. Anderson also scored six points and set a career-high with three assists, tied for team best.
Rookie Janelle Rodriguez (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veteran's Memorial) grabbed a career-high eight boards off the bench, while senior forward Amber Strodthoff (DePere, Wisc./DePere) had six. The each contributed three offensive boards to the effort.
Offensively, junior guard Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable) led all scorers with 17 points, the eighth time in 10 games she topped the Judges. Kendrew scored 10 of her 17 points in the second half. She connected on 6-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-9 from downtown, and both of her free throws. Rodriguez added nine points, seven in the first half, when she and Kendrew combined to match the entire Eagle output with 14 points. Rodriguez fell two rebounds and one point of Brandeis's first double-double of the season.
Husson did get a double-double performance from junior forward Brianna Hanscom (Mattawamkeag, Maine/Mattanawcook Acad.), who had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Hanscom had six boards and four points in the first half. She shot 5-for-11 from the field for the game, but missed all four of her free throws. All of her rebounds came on the defensive glass. Eagle senior guard Noelle Lincoln (Dixmont, Maine/Nokomis) had nine points, all on second-half 3-pointers, while junior guard Amanda Gifford (Lee, Maine/Lee Acad.) had a game-high seven assists and tied for game-high honors with three steals. Husson outscored Brandeis, 19-15, in points off turnovers, including 16-4 in the second half when they twice cut a 19-point Brandeis lead to 12, but were never able to get any closer.
Brandeis closes out its non-conference schedule on Tues., Jan. 4, at 7 p.m., when they travel across Route 30 to Lasell College before opening University Athletic Association play on Saturday, Jan. 8 at home against rival NYU at 1 p.m. Husson takes on the University of Southern Maine for the second time this season on Weds., Jan. 5, at 5:30 p.m., in Gorham, Maine.


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Highboy Bar height Table
60″ Round Table
6 FT Silver Satin Rectangular Tablecloth
8 FT Silver Satin Rectangular Tablecloth
White Luxe Line High Back Sofa
Onyx Black Luxe Lounge Line Sectional Sofa
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Event Rentals from Our Point of View
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Atlanta Soccer Con would like to thank you guys for helping us out.
Tables were delivered on time and picked up within the window.
We will definitely keep you all in mind for our future events.
Thanks | Atlanta Soccer Con
Dear Luxe Event Rental Team,
On behalf of all of us at The Center for Civic Innovation, I wanted to thank all of you for a great cotton candy rental experience! Your team was very helpful, and the cotton candy was a HUGE hit at our summer fundraiser- would not have been possible without your help! Thank you again and we're looking forward to future rentals with you all.
Alex C. | Center for Civic Innovation
This has to be one of my favorite event rental company because I rarely stray from what's familiar to me BUT I am really glad I did. I was in Atlanta for MY god-daughter's birthday and I was responsible for putting together her birthday party for family and friends. Event planning is not my thing…it really gives me the hives but I do appreciate a good party. It was awesome to work with Luxe and express what I wanted and they delivered! I was the best godmother that day! Lol.
Please accept our sincerest gratitude for your efforts to make the West Highlands Open House Tour a HUGE success. There were 125+ curious homebuyers in attendance, all enlightened by the valuable assistance you graciously provided. The feedback has been positive and productive, and the excitement about the 20 PLUS affordable homes at West Highlands continues to build. Our phones and inboxes are buzzing! Thank you so much for all you do. We look forward to working with you on upcoming IA Homeownership events!
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text:
Fragrance Notes Top notes include green, apple and fruit. Middle notes include apple, pear and floral. Bottom notes include apple, grass and floral.
Natural links: Cucumber Melon, Fresh Watermelon, Graple-Berry, Pomegranate, Sunflower
For over 20 years, Gold Canyon has been improving the quality of homes across the country. From the most fragrant jar candle on the market to our groundbreaking scent delivery systems, Gold Canyon's products are made to elevate your everyday!
This item has temporarily sold out.
Gold Canyon provides families and communities life-changing products and opportunities.
By setting the Gold Standard of Quality for candles, scented products and home decor, we've helped millions of people make their home and lives better.


text:
Just a thought - we haven't really updated any of the site art of Galacticus since we started; the background picture, the profile pictures, even the gallery art hasn't really been touched. s'that okay with everyone... or should we do some serious updating here? :3
I'm just a little paranoid about it because I update my Stitches site just about every weekend, but Galacticus remains the same... :S


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I have recently purchased an 800cc dune buggy but unfortunately it doesn't come with a RPM sensor so I have been looking at my options in terms of installing one. In the process I have found that the way that engines typically measure RPM is through a crankshaft position sensor (please correct me if I'm wrong).
So could someone advise how I would go about determining if my engine supports the installation of such a device and how I would go about purchasing one that would be compatible with my engine?
Any guidance would be highly appreciated.


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Photos from a press junket held on Saturday, August 22 in New York City have been added to the gallery. Along with an interview from USA Today and the Associated Press.
An additional image from the Los Angeles Times interview of last month has also been added.
And even more pics from work on The Bounty in New York City.
A whole series of clips, b-rolls and TV spots has been released by Lionsgate for GAMER. They can all be viewed at Trailer Addict in various sizes and HD.
Watch a few of them below:
A new clip called "Van Rescue":
TV Spot "Inside":
B-Roll 1, 2 and 3:
A preview of GAMER, along with an interview with Gerard will air on Spike TV on Friday, August 28 at 9pm during the broadcast of Resident Evil. Check your local television provider for channel information in your area.


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Miller test
The Miller test (also called the Three Prong Obscenity Test) is the United States Supreme Court's test for determining whether speech or expression can be labeled obscene, in which case it is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and can be prohibited.[1]
History and details
The Miller test was developed in the 1973 case Miller v. California.[2] It has three parts:
|Look up prurient in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- Whether "the average person, applying contemporary community standards", would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest,
- Whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct or excretory functions[3] specifically defined by applicable state law,
- Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.[4]
The work is considered obscene only if all three conditions are satisfied.
The first two prongs of the Miller test are held to the standards of the community, and the last prong is held to what is reasonable to a person of the United States as a whole. The national reasonable person standard of the third prong acts as a check on the community standard of the first two prongs, allowing protection for works that in a certain community might be considered obscene but on a national level might have redeeming value.
For legal scholars, several issues are important. One is that the test allows for community standards rather than a national standard. What offends the average person in Manhattan, Kansas, may differ from what offends the average person in Manhattan, New York.[5] The relevant community, however, is not defined.
Another important issue is that Miller Test asks for an interpretation of what the "average" person finds offensive, rather than what the more sensitive persons in the community are offended by, as obscenity was defined by the previous test, the Hicklin test, stemming from the English precedent.
In practice, pornography showing genitalia and sexual acts is not ipso facto obscene according to the Miller test. For instance, in 2000 a jury in Provo, Utah, took only a few minutes to clear Larry Peterman, owner of a Movie Buffs video store, in Utah County, Utah, a region which had often boasted of being one of the most conservative areas in the United States. Researchers had shown that guests at the local Marriott Hotel were disproportionately large consumers of pay-per-view pornographic material, accessing far more material than the store was distributing.[6]
Less strict standard may lead to greater censorship
Because it allows for community standards and demands "serious" value, Justice Douglas worried in his dissent that this test would make it easier to suppress speech and expression. Miller replaced a previous test asking whether the speech or expression was "utterly without redeeming social value".[7] As used, however, the test generally makes it difficult to outlaw any form of expression. Many works decried as pornographic have been successfully argued to have some artistic or literary value, most publicly in the context of the National Endowment for the Arts in the 1990s.[8]
Problem of definition
Critics of obscenity law argue that defining what is obscene is paradoxical, arbitrary, and subjective. They state that lack of definition of obscenity in the statutes, coupled with the existence of hypothetical entities and standards as ultimate arbiters within the Miller test (hypothetical "reasonable persons" and "contemporary community standards") proves that federal obscenity laws are in fact not defined, do not satisfy the vagueness doctrine, and thus are unenforceable and legally dubious.[9]
Problem of jurisdiction in the internet age
The advent of the Internet has made the "community standards" part of the test even more difficult to judge; as material published on a web server in one place can be read by a person residing anywhere else, there is a question as to which jurisdiction should apply. In United States of America v. Extreme Associates, a pornography distributor from North Hollywood, California, was judged to be held accountable to the community standards applying in western Pennsylvania, where the Third Circuit made its ruling, because the materials were available via Internet in that area. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled in United States v. Kilbride that a "national community standard" should be used for the internet, but this has yet to be upheld at the national level.
See also
- Artistic merit
- Dost test
- I know it when I see it
- Literary merit
- Nitke v. Gonzales - a case involving Barbara Nitke and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom regarding internet obscenity
- Jack Thompson
- ↑ "Three Prong Obscenity Test", Professionalism in Computing, Virginia Tech, retrieved June 28, 2010<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Text of the decision and dissents, from findlaw.com
- ↑ The syllabus of the case mentions only sexual conduct, but excretory functions are explicitly mentioned on page 25 of the majority opinion.
- ↑ This is also known as the (S)LAPS test- [Serious] Literary, Artistic, Political, Scientific.
- ↑ Godwin, Mike (October 2001). "Standards Issue – The Supreme Court, "community standards," and the Internet". Reason Foundation. Retrieved 11 October 2012.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Egan, Timothy; Gary Ruskin (24 October 2000). "Wall Street Meets Pornography".<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Roth v. United States, 1957.
- ↑ "Public Funding of Controversial Art". The First Amendment Center. February 1996. Retrieved 2011-11-16.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "There is no Such Thing as Obscenity". The Ethical Spectacle. February 1996.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>


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I got a netbook, namely the HP Pavilion dm1 which have been excruciatingly slow after it got upgraded from the original operating system.
Being a netbook, with an Atom processor at that, it is of course not supposed to be a speed demon by any means – but it seemed to be one process in particular that used up a lot of the CPU power, namingly audidg.exe. Most of the time it would be using in between 30-70%, making the rest of the system slow down to a halt.
Apparently, audiodg.exe is the audio engine for Windows 7 (and Vista). Basically the audio hardware drivers can use this engine to apply effects to the sound to make it sound better. On this netbook in particular I just used the default Windows 7 drivers, and by default it seems that several effects are enabled by default.
I then moved on to disabling these enhancements in the following way:
- Right-click the speaker icon in your taskbar (next to the clock).
- Select Playback Devices.
- A menu with the available playback devices will appear.
- Double-click on the device with a green mark.
- The Properties window for that particular device opens.
- Click on the Enhancements tab.
- Disable all enhancements (or uncheck all of them).
Having all the enhancements disabled could degrade the sound, but it is not really noticeable on this computer, and the computer now performs way faster than before!
Apparently, the reason for audiodg.exe using so much processing power is old/crappy drivers, so an upgrade of the drivers could help if you have this problem but would like to/need to keep these effects enabled. For me, having the effects disabled is really not an issue.


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Other name(s):
free radical scavengers
General description
Antioxidants help prevent free radicals from damaging the body. It does this by neutralizing them.
A free radical is an atom or molecule that contains one or more unpaired electrons. These unpaired electrons want to bond to atoms or molecules. So, they do easily. This bonding process harms your body. Many things can cause free radicals. These include radiation, environmental toxins, and tobacco smoke. Your body also makes free radicals when it converts fat to energy.
Antioxidants come in many forms. These include enzymes, vitamins, and minerals.
Coenzyme Q-10
Glutathione peroxidase
Methionine reductase
Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
These are not antioxidants on their own. But they work with oxidative enzymes.
Ginkgo biloba
Grape seed extract
Green tea extract
Medically valid uses
Antioxidants have been studied to check how they affect cancer, cancer prevention, heart disease, and arthritis. There have also been studies of their impact on diseases due to aging. These include macular degeneration.
The results of these studies have been mixed. Some studies have shown an increase in lung cancer among smokers who took beta carotene. Another study showed that selenium and vitamin E supplements did not decrease the risk of prostate cancer. It also found that men taking vitamin E alone had an increased risk of prostate cancer.
It also isn't known if taking man-made (synthetic) antioxidant supplements has the same effect on the body as eating foods rich in these substances. The Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study (studying women 45 years and older) looked at vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. It found that these substances didn't prevent heart disease or stroke in women under 65 years. But it did decrease the risk in women 65 and older.
Antioxidants, especially vitamin C, vitamin E, and carotenoids, may delay the onset of macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is an eye disease. It's a leading cause of blindness in people over age 65. The macula is the part of the retina responsible for sharp and acute vision.
Antioxidants interfere with these disease processes by stopping free radicals.
Unsubstantiated claims
Please note that this section reports on claims that have not yet been substantiated through scientific studies.
Experts agree that antioxidants from fruits and vegetables reduce the risk for many diseases. They also affect the onset of age-related illnesses. However, it isn't known if antioxidants from supplements has the same effect. Research on this topic has had mixed results.
Antioxidants come in many forms and dosages. Check the package label and ask your healthcare provider for guidelines.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should talk to their healthcare provider before taking any supplements.
Side effects, toxicity, and interactions
The side effects of antioxidants vary based on the individual antioxidant.
There are no significant food or drug interactions linked with antioxidants.
March 21, 2017
Reviewed By:
Poulson, Brittany, RD,Wilkins, Joanna, R.D., C.D.


text: AskMen.com are excited for the release of Horton Hears a Who! they're not as excited about sharing the viewing with a theater full of sniveling children, but they're willing to endure it to relive their own sniveling childhood memories. Get your full preview of Horton Hears a Who! through their dedicated microsite.


text: NEWPORT – The man accused of crushing six sheriffs' cruisers and a transport van with a huge tractor was in court Friday. Roger Pion, 34, sat in shackles and restraints in Orleans Superior Court next to attorney David Sleigh. Pion, held at Northern State Correction Facility in Newport, did not enter a plea but had to appear before a judge within 24-hours of his arrest.He will enter a plea at his arraignment on Tuesday.Court personnel scrambled to find a judge Friday morning. Finally, Judge Howard VanBenthuysen joined by phone. He set bail at $50,000. The state wanted Pion held without bail. If Pion makes bail, he would be released into the custody of his father, Armand Pion, and have several conditions of release including a curfew, not to possess a firearm, and not to harass the Orleans County Sheriff's Department. Pion is facing many years in jail and large fines.On Tuesday, Pion will also answer to a charge of possession of marijuana and resisting arrest from a separate incident that occurred on July 3.A source related to Pion said his father owns farm equipment and works for area farmers, and that Roger Pion works with him and has access to the equipment.Friday, Pion drove a red Case MX255 full size tractor that has eight tires into the sheriff's department parking lot, lined up seven vehicles, rolled over them monster truck rally-style, then backed over them again. He apparently moved a civilian vehicle out of the way and it sustained only minor damage. Fortunately, no one was in the vehicles and no firearms, located in the trunks, were discharged. The damage, estimated at between $250,000 and $300,000, included the vehicles, cages, firearms, radios and radar equipment.No one in the sheriff's department heard the ruckus outside; they were alerted after a witness called 9-1-1.That afternoon, two Newport City Police officers were in the area not far from where the red tractor was headed after the rampage. The officers followed the tractor in their cruiser, according to an affidavit by Detective Trooper Lyle Decker with the Vermont State Police. Pion allegedly looked back and saw the police cruiser behind him. He allegedly stopped the tractor and began to back up towards them. The cruiser then backed up, hitting a car behind it. The Newport officers got out of their vehicle and approached the tractor with guns drawn. Pion was taken into custody without incident, according to the affidavit. A loaded handgun was found in Pion's possession during the arrest. Pion was taken in for processing but did not make a statement, according to the affidavit.No person was reported injured in the incident.Pion is facing 13 charges including several counts of unlawful mischief, aggravated assault with a weapon, reckless operation of a vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash, impeding a public officer, and committing a crime with a weapon.