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Spring Training: Garden to Get Fit
Gardening can be great physical exercise, and it may provide you with the satisfaction of a fabulous lawn or fresh fruits and vegetables to enjoy at your dinner table. Here are some fun facts and helpful tips to keep in mind for gardening season.
- Gardening for 30 to 45 minutes most days of the week contributes to improved flexibility, reduced blood pressure and overall weight reduction.
- Gardening activities can burn from 100 to 200 calories per half hour.
- Lawn and gardening tasks, such as weeding and pruning, use all the major muscle groups of the body.
- Work at your own pace. Gardening activities should be done at your own pace and level of ability. Start light and build up to what you can handle.
- As with all exercise, make sure you warm up first! Even just a brisk walk around the garden will do the trick.
- Stretching before, during and after gardening will help reduce the risk of injury. In particular, stretch your hamstrings, low back and arms. Move until you feel a slight resistance and hold each position for 30 seconds. Do not bounce or perform quick movements.
- The sun is a great source of vitamin D, but don't over do it! Remember to protect yourself by wearing sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Plus, make sure you have plenty of drinking water to keep hydrated.
- Keep your work close to you. Minimize reaching by using long-handled tools. Whenever possible, use ergonomic gardening tools that are designed to fit your body and complement the way you move.
- Hold objects with a light grasp or pinch, avoiding a tight sustained grip.
- Always wear gloves to protect against cuts, scrapes, chemicals and blisters.
- When working with your arms in front of you, remember not to round your shoulders. Keep your shoulder blades together.
- Work with your arms below shoulder level when possible, or perform the task for 5 minutes or less.
- Alternate standing and sitting positions every 30 minutes.
- Use kneepads to protect your knees.
- Work with your forearms in a neutral position (thumbs up).
- Keep your wrist in line with your forearms when pushing, pulling and grasping.
Consider your gardening time as an opportunity to maintain the health of your lawn and yourself!


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Om 2008 keyboard
From Openmoko
Om 2008
Keyboard guide
- Features word prediction
- Sliding your finger left is backspace.
- Sliding your finger right is space.
- Sliding your finger up/down changes between lowercase/uppercase/numbers/special characters.
- Hovering over a letter for more than 2 seconds activates zoom mode, allowing you to type specific letters (including those already typed) without prediction.
Writing something
If the keyboard pops up, just write someting. The word recognition will try to guess the next inputs and displays the word it thinks you want to write. If you click on this word (or slide the finger over the keyboard to the right), it will be transfered to the cursor position in the input field that is currently selected. This is also true if the word recognition cant guess what you are typing in which case it just displays the typed characters.
Deleting text
To delete the word you have typed before you transferred it to the input box, you can erase it by simply sliding your finger left on the keyboard (this writes a backspace, see below)
Changing keyboard layout
The keyboard only displays a subset of the available keys at any one time. To change the keyboard layout to access additional keys slide your finger up or down directly on the keyboard. You have to do this fast that the zoom will not be activated.
The default layout when the keyboard is displayed is the lowercase alphabet but this may be overwritten by the application bringing up the keyboard.
Where is the Backspase or Space character?
You can input a space or backspace by simply sliding with your finger left or right. Sliding left on the keyboard gives you an backspace, sliding right writes a space. Note that to delete a character inside the input box, the word guessing box needs to be empty. If it is not empty, the backspace will first delete the box and you need to slide your finger left again. If something is inside the guessing box, a right-slide will transfer the typed stuff to the input box currently selected (this is the same as clicking onto the typed word).
Keyboard Zoom
If you hover your finger (or stylus) over a letter for more than 2 seconds a magnifiying glass, or zoom mode is displayed that allows you to see the letter you are selecting. This also overrides the prediction feature for this letter, so you can type specific letters with this method.
Reactivating The Keyboard Toggle
Most applications should bring up the keyboard automatically when keyboard input is required, however, advanced users can activate a small 'qwerty' button which can manually toggle the keyboard on and off. See the keyboard toggle tutorial for more information.
Using the Full Qwerty keyboard
If you prefer a full qerty keyboard you have to do some steps:
- backup /usr/lib/enlightenment/modules/illume/keyboards/Default.kbd and /usr/lib/enlightenment/modules/illume/keyboards/Full-QWERTY.kbd
- opkg install http://buildhost.openmoko.org/daily-feed/armv4t/libdbus-1-3_1.2.1-r3_armv4t.ipk
- opkg install http://buildhost.openmoko.org/daily-feed/armv4t/illume_0.0+svnr204-r12_armv4t.ipk
- rename /usr/lib/enlightenment/modules/illume/keyboards/Terminal.kbd to Terminal.kbd.orig
- copy the Full-QWERTY.kbd that you backed up in the first step to /usr/lib/enlightenment/modules/illume/keyboards/Terminal.kbd
- copy the Full-QWERTY.kbd that you backed up in the first step to /usr/lib/enlightenment/modules/illume/keyboards/Default.kbd
- restart x: /etc/init.d/xserver-nodm restart
- enjoy the full qwerty keyboard
All steps can be done automatically with this shell-script: click
If you have problems with illume crashing, make sure that you don't have a copy of the original ASU Default.kbd file laying around (the one with the predictive dictionary).

subset: commoncrawl


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Maher lets fly on the Plame scandal
On another note, it is becoming more and more clear that Abu G lied when he said that he wasn't personally involved in the decision to fire eight US Attorneys. And they wonder why Leahy wants them under oath when they testify. It's because Bush and his gang have lied again and again and cannot possibly be trusted to tell the truth unless they face perjury charges if they do not. (and even then I wouldn't take them at their word.)
"Restore honor and integrity to the oval office" indeed.
25 March 2007
What He Said
Maher lets fly on the Plame scandal
Posted by shadowfax at 2:10 PM
7 comments:
Just when you think this administration can't get any worse...it does just that. Yet they still cling to the same old tired catch phrases to justify their lies and ineptitude.ReplyDelete
And what needs to happen is for the left to give room for those who have been poorly represented by these thugs do move away from them with dignity.ReplyDelete
There are hardworking patriotic people that vote Republican as a result of identity politics. These people don't really think it is okay to out a spy. They don't want to see the federal debt skyrocket. They don't like the idea of US soldiers dying to protect oil companies or establish capitalists regimes in far away places. None of that is the behavior of a conservative administration. It is the behavior of a maniac.
I've started bringing this up a lot, because I think one thing our country needs is for the Republican Party to go back to being a party that represents a point of view found in America. Right now, I don't know what its doing. Its not even helping evangelicals obtain their goals.
My point: George Bush is evil; the people who voted for him are not.
Weird that nobody has been charged (much less convicted) of outing the "spy," despite years of investigation.ReplyDelete
And yet the shrill screeching lies from the left continue.
Um, except the spy was in fact outed, and networks were in fact destroyed. I mean, when they found the stained dress I had to admit that Clinton and Monica fooled around. Wow.ReplyDelete
So, some people on the right love their country, some love their party. I stand corrected.
Wow, I know it's hard to believe that people could dare to have opinions that do not match your own, but welcome to the real world.ReplyDelete
As to the charges in the Plame case: read The Anatomy of Deceit, by Marcy Wheeler, which explains how immunity was given to Armitage in exchange for his grand jury testimony, who was used by Libby and Fleisher and so exposed Plame's identity without knowing she was NOC.ReplyDelete
The sole method to restore dignity and integrity to the Oval Office is to thoroughly strip it of all pests and terminally clean it. Lots of sunlight via testimony under oath will be a good first start.
Did someone say 'shrill screeching'?ReplyDelete
"Eventually, I met with Rove. I arrived at his office a few minutes early, just in time to witness the Rove Treatment, which, like LBJ's famous browbeating style, is becoming legend but is seldom reported. Rove's assistant, Susan Ralston, said he'd be just a minute. She's very nice, witty and polite. Over her shoulder was a small back room where a few young men were toiling away. I squeezed into a chair near the open door to Rove's modest chamber, my back against his doorframe.
Inside, Rove was talking to an aide about some political stratagem in some state that had gone awry and a political operative who had displeased him. I paid it no mind and reviewed a jotted list of questions I hoped to ask. But after a moment, it was like ignoring a tornado flinging parked cars. "We will fuck him. Do you hear me? We will fuck him. We will ruin him. Like no one has ever fucked him!" As a reporter, you get around—curse words, anger, passionate intensity are not notable events—but the ferocity, the bellicosity, the violent imputations were, well, shocking. This went on without a break for a minute or two. Then the aide slipped out looking a bit ashen, and Rove, his face ruddy from the exertions of the past few moments, looked at me and smiled a gentle, Clarence-the-Angel smile. "Come on in." And I did. "


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Weight loss programs designed for individuals less than 30 may not be appropriate for those of us over 40.
There is no news here, it is just common sense.
As we age, beginning around age 30, among other things our hormonal balances change. These change in hormones impacts anything from male pattern baldness, loss of muscle mass and the ability to get pregnant.
Specific solutions and programs may be required for these changes. Not everything has to be different to restore hormonal balance to restore muscle mass or create a Pregnancy Miracle.
Hormone levels begin to change, which affects the amount of weight we gain as well as the ease by which we lose it. Unfortunately, the weight loss industry has many unscrupulous individuals who would like us to believe that we can lose up to 75 pounds in 12 weeks!
Yeah, right.
In the United States today approximately 2 out of every three adults is now overweight. It's not surprising then that the weight loss industry is thriving and is currently a multibillion-dollar business. Instead, the real question is why do so many people keep returning to weight loss programs that don't work instead of doing what it does take to maintain a healthy weight?
Realistically, the answer lies in the attraction to the novelty of the new weight loss program and the desire for a quick fix. Today everyone wants it fast. We want fast cars, fast food and fast weight loss, all without the need to do any work.
Research and physicians support the fact that there is a traditional way to successfully lose weight whether you are less than 30 or over 40. The difference lies in the amount of energy it takes in order to lose the weight over 40 or to maintain an appropriate weights. There just is no easy fix that works.
There are several facts that we do know about weight-loss strategies for individuals who are over 40. First dieting alone, without any exercise, is very likely to be ineffective in the long term. Individuals will probably be able to lose five or 6 pounds but any diet without exercise will likely have you re-gaining pounds within the first couple of years. Researchers have also found that there is a greater chance that non-exercising dieters will end up weighing even more than they did before they began dieting.
This yo-yo weight effect is actually more detrimental to the health of the individual than maintaining an unhealthy weights to begin with.
The second fact that is important to understand for everyone is that in order to lose weight you consume fewer calories than you burn. This means that the number of calories you eat each day in the foods you consume must be less than the number of calories you burn each day doing your daily activities, exercise or just breathing. That difference can be as few as 200 calories per day but there must be a negative difference.
The greater the negative difference, the faster the amount of weight that will be lost in a shorter amount of time. Weight that is lost at a modest pace has a much better chance of staying off for good. The aim is to lose not more than a pound, possibly two, per week but never more.
A third fact that is the crux of the many weight-loss programs is the addition of behavioral support with either counselors or other diet participants. Even support over the Internet appears to be promising for short-term weight loss. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association published in 2008 researchers compared the effects of Internet weight-loss program alone versus the addition of behavioral counseling using e-mail as a provider for one year. They found that adding e-mail counseling to a basic weight-loss intervention program significantly improved weight loss and adults who are at risk for diabetes. 1
While it may be fun to try the newest diets used by celebrities in Hollywood or recommended by your closest friend the basic design of any weight loss program used to:
- Change the way you think. You're not dieting you are changing your eating habits for a lifetime.
- Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables as well is raw foods in your diet which will decrease the amount of calories you consume and increase your perception of being full.
- Add exercise to your program, even if it's walking for 30 minutes every day. This will help you to get into a negative calorie burn, even if it's only 200 calories each day, and will help you to maintain your weight loss in the long term.
- Weight-loss strategies for individuals who are over 50
- Baystate Health: Baystate Adult Weight Loss http://baystatehealth.com/Baystate/Main+Nav/Clinical+Services/Departments/Weight+Management
- Wellspring Camps http://www.wellspringcamps.com/
- Johns Hopkins School of Public Health: Successful Long-term Weight Management http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/weight-management-center/


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Yet another patient called me today to say that her doctor wants to order an MRI, but her insurer will not cover the cost, calling MRIs experimental for the purpose of breast cancer detection.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) says "Breast MRI is not used for routine breast cancer screening, but clinical trials (research studies with people) are being performed to determine if MRI is valuable for screening certain women, such as young women at high risk for breast cancer. MRI cannot always accurately distinguish between cancer and benign (non-cancerous) breast conditions."
I would welcome comments and advice from either side of this discussion.


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SEAMAN, Ohio — After hanging out with bikers for the weekend, Vice President Joe Biden has joined the Hells Angels.
The internet is abuzz with a picture of Joe Biden grabbing a female biker and putting her on his lap at a stop at Cruisers Diner. She had no place to sit, so Biden waved her over, telling her, ''I know who runs the show.'' He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in for a conversation as photographers snapped away.
Here's the picture:
Biden then turned to the bikers and said: "Can I borrow one of your bikes? They don't let me ride anymore," Biden said.
"Probably not," Jeff Cook, one of the diners, said.
The vice president then told the bikers that he rode with the Oakland Hells Angels once. He even showed them a picture:
This brought back old memories for Biden – days of "easy riding", "drinking malt liquor" and "having sex on a bike"… so Biden went to the local Hells Angels chapter and signed up. "He's a Hells Angels now," said the Hells Angels representative. "That's all we'll say."
Biden said he loved the motto of the Hells Angels and thought it should be the new motto for the Obama re-election campaign. Here it is: "When we do right, nobody remembers. When we do wrong, nobody forgets".
Biden also encouraged President Obama to join the Hells Angels. He had a member of the Florida chapter try to personally persuade the President to join:


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Diddy Talks About Obama! "Its Life Changing, Its History"
Diddy talks about the historic impact of Barak Obama becoming the presumptive Democratic Nominee
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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What do chickens, pigs and vegetable seeds all have in common?
They're Gifts of Love and Hope that you, as a ChildFund International supporter, can give to families this spring to improve their quality of life.
When you purchase chickens, ducks and other livestock for families in our program countries, not only do you ensure that children receive nutritious food from meat, milk and eggs, you also provide families with a sustainable, renewable resource.
ChildFund trains families in animal husbandry for increased production, which generates income to help parents send their children to school, purchase supplies and medicine to keep them healthy.
Think of the chickens, ducks, cows, goats and pigs in our catalog as "living gifts." They live on, helping others long after your initial purchase.
Believe it: the gift of livestock can change an entire community.
With the gift of vegetable seeds or fruit tree seedlings, families in Mexico, Mozambique, The Gambia and other program countries support one of ChildFund's basic building blocks: good nutrition.
When families join forces in a community to build flourishing vegetable gardens and fruit orchards, they maintain a healthy, stable source of nourishing food for their families.
Healthier families lead to a healthier, more prosperous community. As children grow, they acquire vocational skills to expand the gardens and orchards into a sustainable source of income.
To jump into spring and purchase your own Gifts of Love and Hope for children and families in need, click here.


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Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, and Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, gathered in Lower Manhattan as Mr. Bharara's prosecutors were considering criminal charges against Mr. Dimon's bank for turning a blind eye to the Ponzi scheme run by Bernard L. Madoff. Mr. Dimon and his lawyers outlined the bank's defense in the hopes of securing a lesser civil case, according to people briefed on the meeting.
But at the cordial meeting in Mr. Bharara's windowless conference room lined with law books, the prosecutors would not budge. Mr. Bharara — flanked by his own lieutenants, including Richard B. Zabel and Lorin L. Reisner — made it clear that he thought the wrongdoing was significant enough to warrant a criminal case.
On Tuesday, Mr. Bharara announced the culmination of that case, imposing a $1.7 billion penalty stemming from two felony violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, a federal law that requires banks to alert authorities to suspicious activity. The prosecutors, calling the amount a record for violating that 1970 federal law, will direct the money to Mr. Madoff's victims.
The outcome of the case and the tenor of the settlement talks underscore the significant leverage prosecutors wield when negotiating with Wall Street's biggest firms. Even though JPMorgan had defeated a similar private lawsuit just months earlier, bank executives were unwilling to gamble against the government.]]>


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I've been making some models in 3ds max 5, and when making buffs, the most annoying thing happens. When I try the model ingame, and place it on a unit, the model changes facing as that unit does. As the modes is constructed from a plane, much like the Inner Fire, this just looks dull.
How can I make the model having a static facing point, no matter of the unit to which it is attached to? There must be some settings in 3ds max 5!
EDIT: I've found the solution, bilboarding. You can lock or delete this thread.


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Melons are alkalinizing, blood anticoagulant, antioxidant, cleansing, diuretic, hydrating, laxative, rejuvenative, and yin tonic. They cool heat in the body and can benefit lung ailments. Melons have been used therapeutically to improve arthritis, blood deficiency, constipation, fever, high blood pressure, kidney and bladder disorders, obesity, rheumatism, and skin diseases. In China cantaloupe is used to treat hepatitis.
Being round and orange color, they correspond to The Earth Element in oriental medicine, benefiting the stomach and spleen. Melons are about 94% water, yet their sugar content makes up only about 5% of its weight, compared to an apple, which has twice the sugar amount. Melons contain highly mineralized distilled water. Orange fleshed melons are high in cancer preventing beta-carotene. Most melons are rich in the fiber, pectin, vitamin C, flavonoids, vitamin B6, potassium, carbohydrates, and protein. When eaten close to the rind, they provide silicon. Cantaloupe, contain adenosine, which is being used as a blood thinning agent in modern medicine.
Ideally melons should be symmetrical in shape, have an even color, and be heavy for their size and a warm floral aroma. Melons are best with, where the stem was attached, a hollow remains. Melons that make a watery sound when shaken are overripe or have a wet or soft stem end are on their way out. They are a high pesticide residue fruit, when grown commercially.
Melons are delightfully low in calories. They make the ideal food for breaking a fast, being one of the easiest to digest foods. "Use melons alone. Or leave them alone." is an oft-repeated phrase. They do mix well with other melons. Those with diarrhea or feeling chilled would be best for saving melons for another time.
Freeze watermelon and run through a juicer for an instant sorbet. Freeze melon juice in Popsicle holders for kids of all ages.
Melon slices can be applied topically to burns or to give a nourishing facial. Seeds are eaten in Central America to get rid of worms, in The Philippines to deter cancer. Return their abundant seeds to the earth, as compost or bird feed. Growing morning glories with melons improves melon germination. They enjoy being cultivated in the shade of corn or sunflowers.


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Encounter with an ESL "Rock Star"!
We were at the New York State Association of Bilingual Education Conference (NYSABE) on Thursday and Friday and had the pleasure of meeting Keynote Speaker, Ana Uhl Chamot, the co-designer of the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA), an instructional model for English Language Learners. (if you haven't heard). We were like groupies, got our books signed and took lots of pictures. We even got to talk shop a little.
Of course, we discussed the use of technology with ELLs and how it aligns perfectly with the CALLA model. Many tech tools encourage metacognitive development and reinforce the use of differentiated learning strategies.
E-Book readers are good examples. They make it easy for students to practice their reading skills with links to additional content, one touch access to word definitions, instant highlighting, and note-taking tools. iPods are great too, as you can teach study skills with electronic flashcards and applications such as iQuiz.
We know that our students learn best when they have a repertoire of learning strategies to draw from and when they are reflective, critical thinkers. As Ana Uhl Chamot mentioned, the CALLA model encourages showing students how to practice vs. practicing more, breaking down tasks and modeling what the outcome will look like.
This allows students to practice strategically and identify the thoughts and actions that they use to help them complete a learning task, especially when they are struggling with a concept. Having many learning strategies means more use of higher order thinking skills which equals more success for our students!


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First of all Alisa Bingo can be attained for free. Therefore, you would not have to fear about any hidden costs. Alternative versions are offered for both Android and iPhone, thus this is an additional concern that you can forget about.
The next point that should astonish you about Alisa Bingo is that it is pretty secure. There's no need to stress about your private data being borrowed if this is the game that you opt for.
On top of that, it features you a broad number of Free Gifts, and for that reason you would be spoilt for possibilities. It is not likely that you won't be able to find something that would fit your requirement as the option of Free Gifts is also available.
If you do not like a certain game, you can switch to a different one.
By the way, don't forget to check our Facebook.


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Understanding Vettel's dog act
Against team orders, Red Bull F1 driver Sebastian Vettel snatched the lead in the final laps of the Malaysian GP, despite his teammate, Mark Webber, who was leading after the final pit stop, being told by the team to turn his engine down and coast it home.
Those not completely familiar with 2013 F1 racing, perhaps, and rightly so, lament that it's not about the fastest driver anymore.
Should Mark Webber or Sebastian Vettel have won the Malaysian GP?
Long story short, welcome to Europe.
But there are some reasons for the madness that went on last Sunday, not that I'll try and convince you they're legit.
The story: Mark had the race in the bag, and yet against team orders, and after Mark had been instructed by the team to turn his engine down, the German Vettel made a dangerous overtake, took the lead, won, and for which he later apologised.
Seasoned F1 fan or not, that last paragraph just reads so wrong doesn't it?
Here's why.
The average punter would expect that drivers in race cars drive, er, like race car drivers.
But that isn't "possible" in F1 anymore.
The main factors: Tyres, fuel, engines, gearboxes, money.
Essentially, they're rubbish. That's ironic, considering the best tyre manufacturer, Pirelli, is producing them. Here's the kicker. They're rubbish on purpose. Pirelli could easily produce an awesome tyre that could perform perfectly for three races, but they've been contracted to produce chewing gum. This is because F1 ceased refueling some years back, but the sport decided some pit stop excitement and uncertainty was important for the fans. And teams only receive a limited number of tyres for the weekend. End result? Drivers have to nurse their cars more than they can race them, especially in the latter stages of a GP.
Fill that gas guzzling fucker up! No refueling stops. Obvious reasoning was safety in the pit lane… and people have been badly burned by invisible F1 high octane fuel in the past, so it was difficult to mount a decent counter argument. The trade off? Cars are now much harder on the tyres thanks to all the extra weight, the tyres suck even more on top of that, and the number of tyres you can use per weekend is limited. Again, we're looking at nurses as much as we're looking at drivers. This means it's all so much more up to the team to strategise and tell a driver that he has to cool it.
F1 was at the point whereby teams like Ferrari were able to pour essentially unlimited amounts of money into their car, and other teams simply could not compete. This was the time of Michael Schumacher's five in a row world championships. Even Michael was getting bored and the FIA governing body saw a need to shake it up. Hence teams are allowed a mere eight engines a year, less than one for every two races. This means cars have to be managed very carefully throughout the year. You can't drive it like you stole it anymore. A general rule of thumb has evolved whereby after the last pit stop, it's not about racing, but rather about preservation. This is why Mark Webber was "slow" in the latter stages. It had nothing to do with his driving ability, and everything to do with nursing that car home… under strict team orders no less.
Gearboxes: As with the engines, teams are severely limited. Nurse!
Money: Rightly or wrongly, the money-pit teams were getting to dominate to a point whereby there was no point for anyone else. According to F1, something had to be done. So they capped team budgets, limited the numbers of engines and gearboxes, scrapped the fuel thing which ended up burning the less resourceful teams, and made sure the tyres would have to be changed around three times per race… all in an effort to even things out a bit, give a leg up to the struggling teams.
Plus, on top of that, it's the constructor's championship where all the money is made, not the driver's championship. So whilst us fans will cheer for our favourite driver, the fact of the matter is the team has to concentrate on… the team. And a huge part of that is maintaining a car that will last the entire season.
So what does that all translate, too?
It means drivers cannot drive flat out, anymore.
Races are so much more based on strategy by the team rather that the vroom of the driver.
It's about managing the car rather than driving it, particularly when you get to the final stages of a race and massive points – for the team – are up for grabs.
And though Vettel is indeed a dog, considering the parameters he's working within, there are factors… not least driver instinct which is so severely curtailed in modern F1.
Not least that Mark was told to turn down his engine… because of fuel, tyres and all that crap, and then got dogged by a bloke….
When querying the teams decision to turn his engine down, Mark was assured twice that he'd be safe from an attack from his teammate.
Had Mark not trusted his team, he would have kept his engine on high and raced to a victory.
But he he trusted his team, and he trusted his teammate… He did what was right for the team, and what is right for the car over such a long season.
But his teammate is a young arrogant punk from Germany…
Who shows no respect.


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John Eustace header sinks QPR in Championship clash
The experienced midfielder's first-half header at the iPro Stadium ensured Steve McClaren's fourth-placed side closed the gap on their opponents to just a point.
On-loan forward Patrick Bamford had an early chance to open the scoring when he raced clear but took too long to get his shot away and Richard Dunne intervened.
Derby were the better side in the first half and Eustace ended his goal drought after 20 minutes with a header that looped over Rob Green after the former England goalkeeper could only palm away a Will Hughes corner.
Lee Grant did well to keep out Aaron Hughes header before half-time and Harry Redknapp's side had the upper hand in the second half, but were toothless in the absence of top scorer Charlie Austin and Derby dug deep to secure three precious points.
Rangers missed the chance to go back above Burnley into second spot as Derby enhanced their chances of securing automatic promotion.


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KI brand bid proving a challenge
Interstate companies cashing in on the 'Kangaroo Island' tag should be prevented from using the label, producers on the island say.
The Kangaroo Island Futures Authority began a push to trademark the name of the island last year.
The authority has been discussing its options with Federal intellectual property authority IP Australia.
Chairman of a local food industry group Justin Harman says businesses on the island have worked hard to raise the island's profile and should be offered the protection of a trademark.
"Producers over here have been value adding for about 20 year and over those 20 years the value of our brand's increased significantly," he said.
"Certainly over the last five to ten years there's been different instances come up where the name is used by other businesses and so forth.
"It's a very difficult area to get a blanket coverage of the use of 'Kangaroo Island'.
"Anyone can effectively register a business name with 'Kangaroo Island' in it and have no association with the island.
"We're looking at all different options, one of which includes working with IP Australia in trademarking certainly specific industries who produce products on Kangaroo Island."
Mr Harman says the fact that the name is not exclusive to the island makes it harder to restrict its use.
"There's a number of tiny little islands scattered around Australia that already have the name 'Kangaroo Island' as well as our quite large island," he said.
Mr Harman says a compromise might involve forcing those using the name on foods to disclose the origin of all the ingredients.
"Over the last six to 12 months we've been focusing on the use of the name across both the food sector and also through the tourism sector," he said.
"The current labelling laws do provide some protection but it's more about truth and labelling as far as ingredients.
"The point of origin is a slightly more difficult area to try and protect."
Topics: food-and-beverage, sa, kingscote-5223, port-pirie-5540, adelaide-5000
First posted


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NBC chief says Apple 'destroyed' music pricingNBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker on Sunday urged colleagues to take a stand against Apple's iTunes, charging that the digital download service was undermining the ability of traditional media companies to set profitable rates for their content online.
"We know that Apple has destroyed the music business —in terms of pricing —and if we dont take control, theyll do the same thing on the video side," Zucker said at a breakfast hosted by Syracuses Newhouse School of Communications.
His comments Sunday were the most aggressive yet since NBC informed Apple last month that it had decided not to renew its contract to sell digital downloads of television shows on iTunes after this year.
NBC originally claimed to be seeking more control over the pricing of songs and videos that it was selling on iTunes, in addition to better piracy controls and more flexibility to bundle video content in an effort to increase revenues.
For its part in the bitter feud, Apple responded by saying NBC was asking for a twofold increase in the wholesale price of its TV show content, which would have resulted in the retail price to iTunes customers increasing to $4.99 per episode from $1.99.
Answering questions at the breakfast Sunday, Zucker offered substantially more color on the iTunes matter, explaining that it was a relatively easy decision for NBC to walk away from the Apple download service because it had only earned about $15 million from the service last year in spite of accounting for about 40 per cent of the videos sold on the store.
He said NBC routinely propositioned Apple to breach its standard pricing model and experiment with higher pricing for one hit show such as Heroes by raising the price from the iTunes standard $1.99 to $2.99 on a trial basis.
We wanted to take one show, it didnt matter which one it was, and experiment and sell it for $2.99, he said. We made that offer for months and they said no.
The NBC chief also revealed that in addition to more pricing flexibility, his firm was also seeking a cut of Apple hardware sales —such as the iPod and iPhone —which were capable of viewing content downloaded from the iTunes Store.
"Apple sold millions of dollars worth of hardware off the back of our content and made a lot of money," he said. "They did not want to share in what they were making off the hardware or allow us to adjust pricing."
Zucker's comments also arrive just as NBC and NewsCorp. are launching their joint online video venture, Hulu.com, which aims to compete with iTunes by offering streaming TV and other commercial video content to viewers under an ad-supported model.
He said that 50 million streams of TV shows accessed on NBC.com during the month of October are proof that there is a demand for traditional TV series on the web.
Its extraordinary, he said. Its like a small cable channel in our universe that is becoming very successful.


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Kingwood Branch Library
Branch Location & Contact
Kingwood Branch Library is located at the intersection of Bens View Lane and Bens Branch Drive. From Highway 59 N take the Kingwood Drive exit. Turn right onto Kingwood Drive and travel approximately 4 miles to W. Lake Houston Parkway. Turn right onto Lake Houston Parkway. Travel approximately half of a mile and turn right onto Bens View Lane. The library is directly ahead. (Key Map #337F) This branch is served by METRO's 255 Eastex Corridor commuter service bus route and the 259 Kingwood/Eastex/Townsen route (Midday or Late Evening). For schedule information, please call 713-635-4000 or visit www.ridemetro.org.
Phone: 832-927-7830


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Last December, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta declared the end of the war in Iraq. Whether there will be an end to repercussions from that war remains to be seen.
One such repercussion involves a wounded photojournalist named Sarah and her reporter boyfriend James in "Time Stands Still," a 2010 play by Donald Margulies that opens Everyman Theatre's season this week.
"America has been at war for 10 years," says Everyman artistic director Vincent Lancisi. "We're going to see a lot more plays like this."
For much of the past decade, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have not dominated the daily news cycles or kitchen table conversations.
"Margulies is very aware that Americans have little appetite for even being aware of what's going on in a war far away," said Jason Loewith, director for the "Time Stands Still" production. "That's a struggle the characters are facing, too."
In the play, Sarah returns to New York after being badly injured by a roadside bomb. Her attempt to resume her life with James is complicated by many factors, not the least of which is his guilt about leaving Iraq before Sarah did.
Their relationship is tested further by the visit of another couple — an editor and his much younger new girlfriend.
"At first, the play feels like an investigation into how a faraway war hits home," Loewith said. "As you go deeper and deeper, it becomes an intense domestic drama about [a man and woman] who can't commit to each other."
"Time Stands Still" marks the third Margulies work presented by Everyman since 2007.
"He's one of the best writers we have crafting realistic dramas that have to do with human relationships," Lancisi said. "He understands the complexities of subtext. Actors have to be up to snuff to do his plays; it's a minefield of subtext they're walking."
Those inner issues in "Time Stands Still" include the nature of journalism in war, the role of the chronicler and observer — how, as Lancisi put it, "your job is to take pictures, not change the picture."
"Bearing witness, even when no one is looking, is an incredibly selfless act," added Loewith, "and Sarah is a junkie about it. The question being asked by Margulies, and the question that will be asked by the audience, is: How do you walk nobly in the world?"
Another question may pop up from some folks in the audience: How come the play isn't being done at Everyman's new home on Fayette Street?
The 2011-2012 season was supposed to be the last in the Charles Street venue, but slowdowns in construction and fundraising pushed the opening date at the new theater to mid-January 2013.
"The delay gave me a chance to program a season for two spaces," Lancisi said. "I'm actually digging it. You know how you can experience a moment in time when nothing is the same after? It's a moment of transition, when 'time stands still.' That's where Everyman sits right now."
Time has been flying for Loewith while working with Beth Hylton (Sarah), Eric Messner (James) and the rest of the cast for the season opener.
"I only nudged the actors a little one way or another," the director said. "I felt like roadkill on a freeway full of Porsches. They just zoomed past. That's how much grit and determination and concentration these artists had."
Lancisi is likewise upbeat.
"It's a great cast," he said, "and a great play. Serious theater-goers are going to eat this up. It's a story you can sink your teeth into."
If you go
"Time Stands Still," which opened Wednesday, runs through Oct. 7 at Everyman Theatre, 1727 N. Charles St. Tickets are $10 to $50. Call 410-752-2208 or go to everymantheatre.org.


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Jeff Patterson's bigfoot video from Salt Fork State Park.
against the sasquatch's head. The gully it ran into
is behind and down from the tree.
Just a few days before, Chief Little Soldier found prints of the smallest individual on one of the trails nearby. While Chief Little Soldier was filming his recreation, I sneaked off to try to find the footprint. Using the directions Chief Little Soldier gave me, I soon located a very faint yet obvious footprint right on the same stretch of trail I was directed to. It had been several days, and rain had occurred, but the print was worthy of a photograph, no matter how poorly the picture turned out.
Enjoy some other pictures from my adventures in Ohio:
this Amish buggy. It was very cool.
Thank you!


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USA Network Activates Syndication Platform Allowing More than 95 Million Viewers to Access USA Content Across Popular Mobile Apps Including Shazam, Viggle, zeebox, NextGuide
NEW YORK - April 1, 2013 - USA Network announced today the results of its first event, utilizing an expanded version of "USA Sync" which syndicates content across the web, mobile and social channels. Powered by Watchwith, USA Sync went live during the telecast of PSYCH's 100th episode, which also activated viewers with its first ever, choose-your-own-ending vote. USA Sync gives more than 95 million users access to custom content across popular mobile apps including Shazam, Viggle, zeebox, and NextGuide. On March 27th, almost 40,000 fans interacted with PSYCH games, short-form video, animated GIFS, editorial commentary, voting and polling in real-time, extending their experience beyond the linear broadcast. USA will continue to engage other partners in syndication deals to expand its distribution footprint.
The launch event generated impressive engagement across the syndication network, with fans spending an average of more than 13 minutes in the app of their choice - in some cases this was an exponential increase, depending on the app.
"The strong fan response shows that viewers want to consume compelling content on the devices and apps of their choice," said Jesse Redniss, SVP of digital, USA Network. "We are taking the success of our in-house innovation, partnering with the best offerings in the space and amplifying our reach - offering our partners valuable customized and branded content and giving our fans more of the great USA content they love."
USA Sync's syndication offering includes:
· Live Fan Response: Fans can engage in a more meaningful way with show content through voting and polling activations that relate to what fans see on-air. PSYCH's alternate-ending vote is an example of how fans can have an actual impact on live programming.
· Gamification: Fans can play second screen games that are closely tied to on-air content, providing a real-time companion experience that rewards them with affinity points and prizes and allows them to share accomplishments with others in their social network.
· Real-Time Connections: The social activations powered by the Sync offering drive live engagement that encourages fans to commune around the on-air program and expands the definition of what television-viewing can be.
USA Network is using Watchwith's metadata syndication platform to enable the network's in-house producers to create and distribute the USA Sync experience.
The #1 network in all of basic cable for seven consecutive years, USA Network is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. USA is a leader in scripted programming with a powerful stable of originals, spectacular live television and is home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, a broad portfolio of acquired series and entertainment events. Viewers come to USA to find television's best in critically-acclaimed and award-winning original programming, such as BURN NOTICE, ROYAL PAINS, WHITE COLLAR, COVERT AFFAIRS, PSYCH, SUITS, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS and WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW, as well as the highest-rated acquired originals, includingHOUSE, NCIS, LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT and CSI. A trailblazer in digital innovation and storytelling, USA is defining, driving and setting the industry standard for Social TV. USA is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal. The award-winning website is located atwww.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.


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Spring officially arrived this morning at 9:57 AM Pacific Daylight Time. This gratifying event was first reported by Mrs. Dorothy Stetson of Freeport, Long Island, who promptly telephoned the Mayor.
The Society for Affirming the End of the World at once went into a special session and postponed the arrival of that event for TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.
All honor to Mrs. Stetson for her public spirit.


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LONDON (MarketWatch) — In retrospect, it wasn't hard to see that the markets were becoming dangerously unstable. Germany had just adopted a new monetary system, and Europe was being flooded with cheap German money. Greece had signed up to a monetary union with Italy and France but was struggling to hold it together.
Financial markets had been deregulated. New technologies were transforming production and communications, allowing money to move across borders at lightening speed.
And a massive new industrial power was flooding the world with cheap manufactured goods, blowing apart old industries.
When it all fell apart in an almighty crash, it was only to be expected.
A prophesy for London, New York or Berlin in 2012? Not exactly. It is a description of Vienna in 1873. In that year, in one of the great crashes of all time, the Austrian markets triggered collapses across Europe, swiftly followed by an equally spectacular collapse in New York. It was the start of what economic historians call the Long Depression, a prolonged period of volatility, unemployment and slumps that lasted an epic 23 years, only coming to an end in 1896.
I have been researching that episode for my new e-book "The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008 to 2031." The parallels with our own time are fascinating. German unification, and the adoption of the gold standard, had led to a boom in that country, and cheap German money had flooded Europe. Greece had just joined the Latin Currency Union, an ill-fated attempt to merge currencies across Europe. Banking had been deregulated, which was partly why so much German money was invested on the Vienna bourse. The telegraph created instant communications, allowing the European crash to spread to New York. The U.S. was industrializing, transforming the global economy as much as China has transformed the present era's economy in the past decade.
All those factors came together to create an almighty bubble, followed by an even worse crash. The slump that followed — although it is hard to measure these things precisely — lasted more than two decades. If the slump following the crash of 2008 is anything like that one, then this one is going to last until 2031.
True, historical parallels are never precise. We won't replay the Long Depression of 1873 to 1896 exactly, nor will this slump necessarily last as long. It is, however, a far more instructive episode than the Great Depression of the 1930s. And there are five key lessons we should learn from it.
First, depressions can last a very long time, and when their origins are in a debt bubble they should be measured in decades not years. For a century or more, depressions have been relatively short, sharp episodes. They are like having a tooth pulled, rather than a chronic sickness — painful, but over quite quickly. But it doesn't have to be that way. In the U.K., for example, this is already the longest recession since records began — in the sense that output is still below its 2008 peak. It is more enduring than the depression of the 1930s. That is true of many other countries, as well. If, as seems likely, Europe, and perhaps the U.S., slips back into recession in 2012, it will be clear to everyone we are witnessing something far longer than the conventional economic textbooks allow for.
Second, this depression is structural. The Long Depression of the 19th century had its roots in financial speculation, technological change, and the arrival of a massive new player in the global economy. Our current depression likewise has its roots in three huge crises coming together at the same time. We have a debt bubble that had been building up over three decade and which burst spectacularly in 2008. The dollar is in long-term decline as a reserve currency, and as the anchor for the global monetary system, but there is still not much sign of what will replace it. And in the euro, the biggest single economic bloc has created the most dysfunctional monetary system in human history, threatening financial collapses on an unprecedented scale. Think of it as the world economy's suffering a heart attack, then a stroke, then getting picked up by an ambulance that crashes on the way to the hospital — it is hardly surprising the patient isn't in good shape.
Three, it's uneven. The Long Depression of the 19th century was a sustained period of lower growth compared with what came before and what came afterward. Germany, for example, grew 4.3% annually between 1850 and 1873 and then at 4.1% between 1896 and 1913. But in the Long Depression years, it only managed a growth rate of just over 2% a year. It was similar in other countries. The markets remained volatile, with repeated booms and busts, regularly collapsing back into recession. They did grow occasionally, just as Japan has sometimes grown in what is now its second decade of slump. But the growth is never sustained.
Four, good things are still happening. It isn't all doom and gloom. In the Long Depression, some countries were largely unscathed. New technologies and industries were being created. The telephone was invented, and the foundations of new industries based on the petrol engine and electricity were put into place. The people who got it right still made huge fortunes, and the workers in the right industries prospered. Overall, however, times were hard. And you had to position yourself carefully.
Five, it won't be fixed easily. The parallel with the 1930s is dangerous, because it has convinced bankers and policy makers that if you can just pump up demand, everything will be OK. It won't.
Sure, demand is important — there is no point in letting it collapse. But this won't be over until all three structural problems get fixed. Debt needs to be paid down to manageable levels, a new reserve currency needs to be created, and the euro needs to be put out of its misery. None of these are simple tasks, and none will be done quickly.
The global economy will eventually get back to normal growth. But the truth is, it is going to be a long, hard haul — and a lot of work needs to be done it get back on track.
Matthew Lynn is chief executive of Strategy Economics, a London-based consultancy. His latest book 'The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008-2031' is published by Endeavour Press.


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HILLIARD, Ohio (November 3, 2011) – Continuing a long and successful relationship that began with the famed manufacturer's first-ever Indy Car race, Rahal Letterman Lanigan announces today that it will partner with Honda for the 2012 IZOD Indy Car Series season, running the new turbocharged 2.2-liter Honda Indy V-6 engine as part of an anticipated two-car full-season entry.
"We are pleased to once again be partnering with Honda," said team co-owner Bobby Rahal. "We have a storied history with Honda and respect its tradition of excellence in motorsports. In putting together our plans for 2012, we felt that having the full support of a proven winner such as Honda would aid us in building a strong program and we intend to represent Honda in the best manner possible."
Rahal Letterman Lanigan has played a major part in the success of Honda's championship Indy Car program in its 17-year history, introducing the Japanese manufacturer to Indy cars beginning in the 1994 season. RLL scored Honda's first podium with Rahal's second-place finish in Toronto in '94 and also earned Honda its first-ever Indianapolis 500 victory with Buddy Rice at the wheel in 2004.
"Many fans already know that the roots of Honda's relationship with Bobby Rahal and his team extend to our initial entry into American open-wheel racing in the early 1990s," said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development and vice president, corporate planning and logistics for American Honda. "In addition to being our first partner when Honda entered Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition in 1994, the Rahal team also joined us when Honda entered the IndyCar Series in 2003 and joined us in Victory Circle with driver Buddy Rice for Honda's first Indianapolis 500 win in 2004. We're looking forward to continuing our long and successful relationship with Rahal Letterman Lanigan as IndyCar begins a new era of multi-manufacturer competition in 2012."
Honda was the exclusive provider of engines to the IZOD Indy Car Series since 2006, and has taken up the challenge of not only building a new turbocharged engine for 2012, but also facing direct competition from other manufacturers. In all, RLL has earned four wins, 10 poles, 19 podiums, 39 top-five finishes and led 702 laps in 232 starts with Honda engines in its Indy cars throughout the years.
The team is currently finalizing its program for 2012 and beyond and will be announcing its sponsor and driver lineup in the coming months.
"We are in conversations with several drivers and having Honda as a partner is obviously a plus for anyone driving for our team," Rahal said. "There are some very talented drivers available for 2012 and we are working very hard to put together the strongest package possible for our partners, sponsors and fans."
About Rahal Letterman Lanigan:
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and co-owned by three-time Indy Car Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan and CBS LATE SHOW host David Letterman, has been competing for nearly two decades, compiling 25 victories, 38 poles and three series championships (1992, 2010-11) as well as claiming an Indianapolis 500 victory (Buddy Rice in 2004). In 2009 the team joined BMW of North America in the American Le Mans Series and in 2010 won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category. In 2011, the team defended both of those titles and added the Driver's Championship to its resume.


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Pocono Mountain Regional Police are looking for a customer who was present during a fight that broke out Thursday at Stylez barber shop on Route 196 in Tobyhanna.
Pocono Mountain Regional Police are looking for a customer who was present during a fight that broke out Thursday at Stylez barber shop on Route 196 in Tobyhanna.
It was shortly after the physical confrontation with another barber, Shawn Steven Develvet, that 34-year-old Quentin Dequan Thomas died, according to authorities. Both men are from Tobyhanna.
Police said the unidentified customer left prior to the arrival of police, who are asking this person to come forward as a witness.
On Friday, former customers and friends mourned Thomas' death, setting up a makeshift memorial outside the barber shop.
"I moved from the area but still for years I would go there if I needed a haircut and he'd fix me up every now and then but he was a real chill dude," said Shamar Dozier, formerly of A Pocono Country Place. "It's shocking to hear he died after an argument. I can't imagine him in a heated argument. He was a good guy. Sad situation."
And in a tweet Friday, Pocono Mt West Bball, referred to Thomas by his nickname: "Q was a good dude & a proud & caring parent. This is a damn shame."
Hollie Bell of Pocono Lake was placing flowers at the scene Friday morning. "(Thomas) was a friend of our family. He's been a friend for a long time, he's our barber, but he's our friend," Bell said.
Describing Thomas as a kind, quiet guy, Bell said, "He's cut my kids hair when we didn't have any money, and we had to pay him later, several times. He would do that."
Develvet, 48, was arrested after being questioned by Pocono Mountain Regional Police.
Mikasa Williams, a witness who was identified as Thomas' girlfriend, told police she had been in the barber shop when a fight broke out between Thomas and Develvet, according to court papers.
Williams told police that Develvet choked Thomas with Thomas' shirt while he was on top of him. She said Thomas was face down.
Williams told police that Develvet was repeatedly punching Thomas in the side of the head, according to court papers. She told police that Develvet bit Thomas' thumb, causing bleeding.
Mikasa said when the two men tired, they broke up and stopped fighting. She said Thomas walked outside the building and had difficulty breathing. That's when she called 911.
Police were called to a fight at 2:49 p.m.
When police arrived, Thomas was in a chair at the front of the business. He was wearing a white T-shirt that was covered in blood and had difficulty speaking and maintaining consciousness, according to records.
Police said his condition rapidly deteriorated and he was transported by Pocono Mountain Ambulance to Pocono Medical Center. He died en route.
Court papers say that when police arrived, Develvet was in the barber shop cleaning bloody evidence from the barber chairs and the floor. He initially told police that an unknown black man entered the barber shop and assaulted Thomas.
Develvet said he jumped in to assist Thomas and then got assaulted himself. Develvet had bruising on his head, arms and hands, according to court papers.
Police said Develvet voluntarily went to police headquarters for questioning and at that time said he was watching television and was dozing off when a black male entered the barber shop and started to assault Thomas.
After further questioning, Develvet said he had gotten into an argument with Thomas over something trivial. He said Thomas swung at him so he swung back.
He admitted that he bit Thomas' thumb and at one point he had been on top of him with all his weight, court records say.
An autopsy was conducted Friday morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital. The cause and manner of death are pending the results of additional medical testing on tissue samples and toxicology results.
According to Monroe County District Attorney David Christine, Thomas was on work release from the Monroe County Correctional Facility. He was serving time for driving with a suspended license and his second driving under the influence charge.
Develvet is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and false reports to law enforcement.
Develvet is in Monroe County Correctional Facility without bail. A preliminary hearing is set for May 15.
Keith R. Stevenson, David Pierce and Camilo H. Smith contributed to this report.


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Third and Adams streets, Hillsboro
Jerry Don Jost, 76, 108 S. Washington St., Hillsboro; struck a parked vehicle owned by Kristi L. Lackey at 3:50 p.m. July 7 near Third and Adams St. No injuries were reported. Both vehicles had to be towed.
Deer strikes
Joyce E. Ashley, 62, of Goessel, struck a deer at 12:50 p.m. July 5 on Indigo Road south of 160th Road. She was driving her 2007 Mercury sedan.
Matthew McKenna, 33, of Wichita killed a deer at 9:45 p.m. July 6 on K-15 south of U.S. 56. He was riding his 2010 Honda motorcycle.


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It�s a tough pill to swallow � apparently. Seventy-five percent of North Americans don�t take their much-needed meds as directed or skip them entirely. And almost 15 percent of folks 40-plus with chronic medical conditions get a failing grade for mismanagement of important medication!
This matters � big time. One study of people on high blood pressure medication found skipping doses boosts the risk for deadly strokes two- to five-fold. But only about half of you take those meds as prescribed. Another example: If you�ve had a heart attack or other cardio event and you have recently stopped taking clot-blocking, low-dose aspirin (many of you have), you raise your odds for a nonfatal heart attack 60 percent. And it�s estimated that up to half of folks on statins don�t take them regularly or at all, denying themselves protection from heart attack and some cancers.
But heart-related meds aren�t the only ones that go untaken. Only 30 percent of teenagers stick with their asthma-control regimen, with potentially lethal consequences. And most startling, less than 2 percent of adults with diabetes do regular blood-glucose monitoring, take their medications as prescribed and follow recommended dietary guidelines. That leads to a roster of complications, including cardiovascular disease, neuropathy (nerve pain or numbness), blindness, amputation and kidney disease, not to mention impotence and brain dysfunction.
Solution No. 1: Slash the cost. You may not take your meds because they are too expensive, but boycotting them can seriously increase your long-term health expenses.
Talk to your doctor about taking generics � the health-giving benefits are generally the same as brand-name drugs (only a few are known to not work for some people), but the price tag is 30 percent to 80 percent lower.
Use the website Pharmahelper.com to find trustworthy online drugstores; they can be cheaper.
But stay away from online cut-rate, out-of-North-America pill pushers.
And if you have health insurance with drug coverage, chances are the company offers mail-order pharmacy services that are cheaper than if you go to the corner chain store for your monthly prescription. Also, ask your doc if you�re taking the most affordable drug for your condition. It�s a conversation just 1 in 20 people have! And take advantage of coupons, rebates and special assistance programs by checking with NeedyMeds at www.needymeds.org and Partnership for Prescription Assistance at www.pparx.org.
Solution No. 2: Set up a reminder system. Using a pillbox with compartments for each daily dose can also increase your success 58 percent. Or invest in electronic caps for your pill bottles. They light up, play a tune or send a phone call, text or e-mail alert when it�s time for your next dose.
Solution No. 3: Talk about side effects. Ask your doc about the range of potential side effects with different drugs � you may be able to switch from one drug to another until you discover the one with the least disruptive side effects.
Solution No. 4: Be inspired. You can�t feel the benefits of many important medications � such as those for thinning bones and high cholesterol. So track your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers to get proof the meds are working. You�ll be more motivated to do the right thing.
Solution No. 5: Simplify. Still feel like your medicine schedule is too complicated? Talk with your doctor and pharmacist about streamlining it so that you can take medications less often during the day. (Don�t do this on your own!) Pharmacists are a very knowledgeable and underutilized resource.
Solution No. 6: Write a do-it-yourself Rx. A stellar diet, regular exercise and weight loss might let you reduce your dose or go off your meds. Start loading your plate with produce, whole grains and lean proteins. Replace fatty meats and whole dairy with good fats, such as olive and canola oil and nuts. Take a 30-minute walk every day. Get plenty of sleep, and slash stress. After a month or two, see your doc for a follow-up.
We bet your test results will be worth celebrating.
Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of �The Dr. Oz Show,� and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chairman of the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.


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STOCKTON - She looked at him with adoration in her eyes, slowly leaned in and gently kissed the hand she's been holding for more than half a century.
STOCKTON - She looked at him with adoration in her eyes, slowly leaned in and gently kissed the hand she's been holding for more than half a century.
Their life together hasn't been the same since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2001. They don't travel like they used to and only see each other when he visits her memory care facility on Sundays.
Relatives and caregivers said she doesn't even remember they are married, but John and Jean Laufman still share a love that was evident Saturday when they renewed their wedding vows after 60 years.
"She grabbed me by the hand, and she never wanted to let go," John said.
They sat together under a gazebo draped in grape vines, surrounded by family and residents of the Golden Haven residential care facility in Stockton. She couldn't say "I do" because her illness has limited her ability to speak, but the words were written all over her face.
"This is the way every woman wants to be loved, truly in sickness and in health," said Rowena Ramirez, Golden Haven's medical director.
John is 87. Jean is 88. Tracy resident Janet Farmer, one of the Laufmans' three children, said her mother no longer remembers how she is related to loved ones, but she knows certain relationships are special.
"She knows that I'm familiar and my dad is familiar," Farmer said. "To her, my dad might be her brother or her uncle or her cousin, but I think there's some memory of what it feels like to hold each other's hands even if she doesn't remember a lot of other things."
Gabby and Christina Farmer said it was touching to watch their grandparents renew their wedding vows, noting how much they still love each other.
"It was beautiful," said Christina Farmer, 16. "Grandpa does everything for her, and I think she still loves him. They will never stop loving each other. It's true love."
Gabby Farmer, 19, agreed.
"He talks about her all the time," she said. "At least once a day he tells me the story of how they met."
It was the early 1950s. John Laufman had joined the Army and was stationed on Staten Island. Jean was a volunteer for United Services Organizations Inc., who helped organize dances for soldiers in New York. They met at one of those dances, but it was a chance encounter that almost never happened.
Jean wasn't feeling well the night of the dance and didn't want to go, but her friends convinced to anyway. John didn't like to dance and didn't want to go. His friends dragged him along, too.
The USO had a strict rule forbidding volunteers from fraternizing with the soldiers, but John and Jean began to fall in love that night. They wrote to each other for months after John was discharged and returned to Los Angeles. Eventually, John asked Jean to marry him, and she did Feb. 9, 1953.
They flew all over the state together in an airplane that John built and traveled the country in motor homes. They spent a lot of time in Naples, Fla., rural Pennsylvania and Jean's native New Jersey, where they frolicked on the Jersey Shore.
John cared for Jean at their home in Redding for several years after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, giving up his hobbies to be there for her around the clock.
"My dad is such a great guy," Janet Farmer said. "He just stopped doing everything he wanted to do, golfing and all that, to become a short-order cook and caregiver 100 percent of the time."
Jean's condition began to worsen in 2006. She moved into a care facility in 2007.
John has since moved into his daughter's home in Tracy, which allows him to be closer to his beloved wife. He visits her at least once a week, usually on Sundays.
"Her face lights up when he comes in the room," Ramirez said. "It's really touching to see because, no matter what impairment they may have with their cognition or their memory, they can still feel love and you can see that connection when they interact with each other."
Contact reporter Jason Anderson at (209) 546-8279 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/crimeblog.


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The Cross and the Crescent
What are the differences between Christianity and Islam? In today's culture, the distinctions have been obscured. In this investigative series, Dr. R.C. Sproul and former Muslim Abdul Saleeb demonstrate how Christianity stands in stark contrast to the claims …Read More
The Dark Side of Islam
In this informative interview, Dr. R.C. Sproul and Abdul Saleeb discuss the differences between Islam and Christianity. Saleeb, a former Muslim from the Middle East, is the co-author of Answering Islam and is a Christian missionary to Muslims in …Read More
Abdul Saleeb
Rev. Abdul Saleeb is co-author of The Dark Side of Islam with Dr. R.C. Sproul. He pastors a Muslim-convert fellowship in the United States and is intimately involved with churches in the Middle East.


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Follow-up: Easy to know HIV infection from symptoms if you know whats going on & what to look for!
Hope you are doing good.
Just a quick comment, i have since infection 12 weeks ago, actually, physically felt rapid viral replication in my blood (via pathogenic irriation, whether or not you believe in it), followed by infection spreading to brain, testicles, the thymus gland area, followed by week or two of "bone-deep" pathogenic irriation, specifically in ribs/arms/skull/legs when infection was establising itself in the bone marrow.
All of this happened well before the body was able to produce antibodies when i felt slow and significant reduction of HIV plasma viral load at around 7-8 week post exposure mark, which is why i am sure as can be that my 14 week post test a couple of weeks from now will be positive as opposed to my 5 and half weeks post test which was negative.
And since reduction in plasma viral load, have felt active intermittent ugly pains/discomfort in neck/armpit lymph nodes and thymus, which have persisted throughout anyway. Indicating infection not eliminated from there.
Best Regards; K.
Hello K,
You have a very vivid and overactive imagination. Have you considered a career as a science fiction writer?
Dr. Bob
Follow up: Not Psycosomatic, Just trying to save my life. I somehow had accidental exposure for sure.. Nov 2, 2010
Hi dr.bob;
You're a great man dr.bob and I deeply appreciate your continued effort to put up with my follow up posts! You are the only person i have to guide me through this. I'm very calm and collected, rationally thinking so there is nothing psychosomatic about my symptoms. I have increasing dizziness on daily basis, sort of brain fog.
As i mentioned in my first post, i got violently ill about 5 years ago after acquiring an unknown viral infection. This happened after i used a possibly contaminated sex toy. STD screening out to 4 months was negative for all STD's. Took me almost a year to fully recover from that infection. developed shotty submental, axillary and submandibular nodes and chronic throat inflammation after recovery. Was perfectly healthy and fine since then, got married, been happily married for 5 years till now when suddenly my life comes to a standstill! The agony is unbearable.
Now, as a result of my recent HIV infection, these normally not so hard shotty nodes intermittently get rock hard, then recede to a size less than my previous chronic shotty node size. The slow but inevitable recession towards zero node size is allowing my old infection to take hold, chronic throat inflammation dying out slowly and HIV forced shotty node size reduction are inducing a sort of brain fog which is getting worse day by day.
This along with permanent atropy of subcutaneous fat from areas of my soles, arms, legs, head, development of recent eosinophilic folliculitis on arms/abdomen, loss of scalp folliculutis infmallation and itching, continued severe to moderate discomfort in thymus area, bouts of node and lymph vessel pains make for a perfect HIV diagnosis. yet you wrongly pass me off as a case of anxiety and mania! You couldnt be more wrong, i cannot think up any of my numerous symptoms!
Please note, my random muscle or fat (i cant quite tell which) flutters continue, even though i am not anxious and am perfectly calm.
P.S. There should be a way for patients/potential patients to post photographs along with posts on this site to help them and the experts guiding them.
At 11 weeks, 2 days post incident. Regards. K
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hello K,
Your post did not pose any additional questions or provide any new information. My assessment and recommendations remain unchanged. See below.
Please note I'm not denying you have symptoms; I'm merely advising HIV is not the cause. What you consider a "perfect HIV diagnosis" makes absolutely no sense whatsoever from a medical perspective. Your problem is anxiety, irrational fears surrounding HIV, depression and guilt. I continue to urge you to seek the help of a psychiatrist. Show your therapist your many posts and my responses. It will help focus your treatment and speed your recovery.
I have no doubt your definitive three-month HIV test will be negative. I also have no doubt you will have difficulty accepting the result.
Dr. Bob
Follow up question: Why wont you admit you could be wrong Dr.Bob? Process of simple elimination! Oct 18, 2010 Hi dr.bob;
K here with you. Just a quick follow up, at 10 weeks post exposure, have had chronic dry cough since 6 weeks post exposure. Developed vomitting and diahrrea at 7 weeks post, vomitted twice on that same day, but it ceased after that. had fever/fatigue that evening that resolved within 36 to 48 hours. Could this be ARS? No rash observed. The diahrrea is intermittent now since that day 3 weeks ago. the dry unproductive cough continues.
I do not know of any infections that can induce such sickness or cause such widespread symptoms as i mentoned in previous posts. CMV/HBV/XMRV seem to be the only other STI's i can think of. By simple elimination, HIV is the only explanation. Arm/leg thinning continues slowly but my weight has remanied stable throughout since incident. Heel pad thinned significantly, shoulders and knees also thinned.
Please note my chronic scalp folliculitis is pretty much gone now! Impossible without antibiotics! which i havent taken! I've had it for 6 plus years on daily basis! no more imflammation on my head, no more pimples! classic loss of inflammation associated with HIV!. also slowly losing my chronic throat inflammation with reduction of shotty neck nodes after bouts of pain in those nodes over last 2 months, same thing hapenning all over body in different nodes. though my neck and armpit nodes were the only nodes i could feel shotty for years since before incident.
You're making a diagnostic mistake in my case and its only a matter of time before i prove you wrong.
Wishing you all the best.
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hello K,
As I have stated before, no matter how many times you write in or how absolutely certain you are that you are HIV positive and that I am wrong, my assessment and advice will not change. I again ask you to hold off on sending more posts until you get a definitive HIV test result at the three-month mark. I'm extremely confident it will be negative. In the interim you can follow up with your general medicine doctor for all of your various symptoms (many of which may be anxiety related or psychosomatic in nature). You would also benefit from psychiatric/psychological counseling to help with your anxiety and irrational fears.
Dr. Bob
RE:Infected after "protected" hand/boob-job. Laying out why i know what is going on & why you're wrong yet again.!Oct 4, 2010
Dear Dr.Bob;
Thanks for your reply to my 37 day test question. I can understand it is difficult to reach a conclusion or get an idea over a post without actually seeing or feeling the changes i describe below. I'll lay out why i know you are wrong.
2 months post incident now and following has actually happened during this long incubation period, whether you believe it or not.
- Significant Loss of adipose fat tissue from soles of feet, wrists, hands, forearms and head. Visible thinning of arms, legs & upperbody along with reduction in waist size by 3 inches over last 2 months..losing body fat used to be a near impossibility for me before incident and now i dont have to do anything for it.
Random "fluttering" in various parts of body (legs, arms, neck, back, hands, feet) at random intervals for random durations of time. has started only AFTER incident 8 and half weeks ago and continues till this day
I've had diagnosed eczema on hands since i was a kid, never completely went away, but did so completely within i think a week or two post infection, without any treatment for it, never to return.
I've had diagnosed scalp folliculitis since past 6 or 7 years and used to get many pus filled pimples on head as a result regularly. Pus has now, since infection, largely dissapeared from any pimples on my body, including head. I now get pus-less pimples. which has never happened with me before in my life. Pus used to be abundant in my facial and head pimples. I now get pusless pimples that take too long to heal. Pus is largely GONE and any pimples i get are healing so slow as if they will never go away! First time in my life. What a coincidence these things all hapenning since AFTER incident!
I've had for a few years, a viral skin infection of a scrotum which normally stays under control and flares up sometimes if my immune system get weakened temporarily. This time since a week or so post infection, i have had a major flare up that has not gone away, got so bad that i had trouble walking due to the skin rash. been 8 weeks now..
Intermittent pain in various lymph nodes all over body, started with groin, moved up to armpits, and now in neck/head over course of last 8 weeks. Not a single day passes without this node pain.
Make of it what you will.
8 weeks, 3 days and counting...
As always, love & respect.
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hello K,
No matter how many times you ask or how certain you are that I am wrong, my assessment and advice will not change. So hold off on writing back until you get a definitive test result at the three-month mark. It will undoubtedly be negative and I will be delighted to WOO-HOO with you at that time. OK?
Dr. Bob
RE:Infected after "protected" hand-job/boob-job, fatigued and suicidal...help me dr.bob! Oct 3, 2010
I continue to feel overly fatigued and not refreshed after sleep, various lymph node pain and body muscle twitches continue at random. Please help me understand my 37 day post exposure test results:
Patient Value: 0.041 Cut-off value: Positive > 1.0 S/CO Result: Negative.
My question is, do i need further testing? Also i continue to feel overly tired all the time, fatigue, have had considerable loss of lymphatic drainage as evident by permanent thinning of my upper arms/wrists, feet/ankles/lower legs. Is partial or considerable loss of lymphatic drainage ever HIV related at any stage of disease or is it indicative of any systemic viral infection? And what about my all body fasciculations? they dont seem to stop! started a few days after incident and continue till now at 7 & half weeks post exposure! PLease note, i have not yet had HIV rash/fever/lymph node swelling as yey. My question is, since what i have narrated above is physically happening, what could be causing it since it is too much of a coincidence to happen after incident and continue...i feel infected physically! i dont feel the same, dont feel fresh and trust me its not a mental issue! could i haver picked up another, virus instead? like HTLV 1, HTLV 2, XMRV or CMV?
As always, an admirer of your work, looking for your guidance & support!
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hello again K,
You want me to help you understand your 37-day post-exposure test results? OK. Well, it says "Result: Negative." So exactly what aspect of "result negative" are you having difficulty understanding?
As for do you need additional testing, as I've already mentioned (see below), a three-month test would be necessary if you want a definitive result. (HIV-antibody tests taken before the three-month mark are not considered to be conclusive.)
Regarding "loss of lymphatic drainage," I have absolutely no idea what you are referring to, as "loss of lymphatic drainage" makes no sense medically speaking.
Finally, you state, "trust me it's not a medical issue." Sorry K, I disagree. I think you are becoming a worried-wreck fluffernutter. Symptoms such as fatigue, random "body twitches," fasciculations, suicidal thoughts, etc. are very consistent with anxiety, not HIV!
No matter how many times you ask, my assessment (not HIV infected) and advice (see a psychiatrist) will not change!
Dr. Bob
RE: Infected after "protected" hand-job and boob-job - You are wrong dr.bob! Aug 13, 2010
Dear Dr.Bob;
I appreciate your positive comments, but with respect, i firmly believe you are wrong in my particular case. I know you may have heard than a zillion times before.
General statistics do not apply to individual cases. I could have accidentally acquired the infection even though medically i shouldn't have. The condom could have failed without my realising it. I guess abstinence is the only sure way to escape this nightmare!
My testicles are swollen and somewhat enlarged, my thymus area is tender and somewhat enlarged, my throat doesnt hurt at the moment but is inflamed, raw and refuses to heal. I have lost a kilogram of weight before any seroconversion illness has even begun! these are all real points i am experiencing upto day 6 post exposure! Expecting a hellish seroconversion soon!
I remember i also had a small cut on the index finger on the hairy side of my hand, the cut measuring 1cm in length and about 1mm in depth which had dried blood on it when i examined it by chance after the activity. I did not however, use that finger for any insertive purposes.
Anyhow, i will prove it to you after getting an antibody test at the 3 month mark or even an ELISA earlier than that.
Love your work and wishing you the best of health!
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hi K,
You are convinced I'm wrong and that you did acquire HIV from a protected hand-job and blow-job. Hmm. Yes, I have heard similar claims "a zillion times before." Yours makes it a zillion and one!
Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see if the "hellish seroconversion" you are expecting actually arrives and if you have indeed acquired the virus. But I have to tell you K, the chances are about the same as a virgin birth. (Then again some folks believe this as well!)
I have your WO-HOO on hold and look forward to presenting it to you in three months.
Good luck (although in your case it isn't even necessary!).
Dr. Bob Infected after protected hand & boob-job! Aug 10, 2010
Dear Dr.Bob;
First of all, i'd like to thank you for your invaluable support in providng information and care to those in dire need. I am a regular reader and I apologise for the long description but i hope you can help me with your expertise.
I am K, a married 28 year old south-asian male.
If you can, please include this post in the questions asked section because this should be a very rare case of HIV acquisition i belive, in your opinion. I am so convinced i have acquired the infection (due to very early actual symptoms) that i am no longer worried about "might be or might not be" infected.
4 days ago, i engaged in protected "hand-job" with a hotel prostitute of unknown status. This proceeded to a "boob-job". She used a lubricant which could be anyhing. The total activity lasting for no more than 10 minutes. I did not ejaculate nor was there any anal/vaginal or oral penetration. She did "kiss" the tip of the penis over the condom a couple of times and also rubbed her hand over her vagina and then rubbed it over my already slightly inflamed scrotal skin. She may or may not have been menstruating.
Please note that i have a pre-existing unknown chronic viral infection that has lead to a chronic inflammation of my mucosal membranes. (this may have aided my infection)
Moving on, I have had an elevated metabolic rate (avg bpm 90-100) since the day after the activity, my normal resting rate is 60-70bpm. I am right now having off and on, pain in various lymph nodes in my body. Neck/armpit/groin. And i have started to have intermittent fatigue, hot flashes, night sweat on one ocassion and am unable to fall asleep due to my elevated metabolic rate, probably caused so early in the HIV incubation stage due to my pre-existing unknown infection. I feel a general strong irritating discomfort within my body and my arms/legs are somewhat swollen.
There is no doubt i in my mind i have acquired HIV. Because i feel deathly discomfort and illness.
You might say i am at no risk and the symptoms are too early, but an already supressed or activated immune system can cause early symptoms or incubation symptoms right?, and i have no way of knowing if the condom failed or not. Also i shall prove the risk factors wrong by getting tested after my seroconversion illness which i can truly feel "is in the post" due to my constantly elevated non-stress related metabolic rate as confirmed by a doctor, and my thymus/lymph node intermittent pain.
Again i thank you for your work doctor bob. i can feel how difficult it is living with the disease and managing all these tasks. I myself feel like quitting my job after the extreme fatigue i have been having since 4 days.
Please let me know how in your opinion i should proceed, should i get tested? Could i have been infected with something other than HIV as it is definitely some pathogen, i feel so ill overall that i know a seroconversion illness is just around the corner! Should i refrain from unprotected sexual relations with my wife in the mean time as we were trying to have a child? I have already levelled with her but she is unsure what to do. The consequences can be devestating. I need your kind assitance dr.bob. and if possible please let me know how i can reach you by phone or personal e-mail?
Thanks and regards K.
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hello K,
Even though you are "so convinced" that you acquired HIV from a protected hand-job and boob-job with a hotel prostitute, I'm quite certain you did not! Despite your "pre-existing unknown chronic viral infection," "elevated metabolic rate," and other symptoms, your HIV-acquisition risk was nonexistent and consequently you could not have HIV. Your problem is most likely related to anxiety and guilt. We have an entire chapter of situations similar to yours in the archives devoted to anxious folks who are 100% convinced they have acquired HIV. Check it out! Also, I should point out none of these folks actually turned out to be HIV infected!!! None!
I would advise that you do not quit your job. Your fatigue is most likely related to depression, anxiety and guilt. I suggest you level with your wife. It's not only the best way to confront your guilt; it's also the right thing to do. I also suggest you consult a psychiatrist to help you cope with your anxiety and depression. Although HIV testing is not medically warranted for such a non-risk, a single three-month HIV-antibody test might be helpful psychologically. The results will undoubtedly be negative. Write back with your definitive negative HIV test results and I'll include your follow-up post in our archives to help others in similar situations. Phone or personal e-mail contact is not warranted (or available). I am an HIV specialist and you do not have HIV. I am not a psychiatrist and that is the physician specialist you do need.
Good luck.
Dr. Bob


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Lithuania sends alleged Russian arms dealer to US
A Lithuanian court on Wednesday ordered the extradition of a Russian man suspected of illegal arms dealing to the United States.
The Vilnius Court of Appeal said Dmitry Ustinov, who was arrested at Vilnius International Airport in April at the request of the U.S., should be handed over to American officials within 10 days. The decision cannot be appealed.
Prosecutors said the 47-year-old Ustinov is suspected of smuggling and operating a group that attempted to export military equipment illegally. The criminal charges could send him to prison for up to 20 years.
The decision was condemned by the Russian government, which had demanded that Ustinov not be extradited.
Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's envoy on human rights and legal matter, called the court's decision unacceptable. He said it was part of a pattern of U.S. law enforcement agencies getting Russians detained in third countries on what he said were false pretexts.
"We do not intend to accept this lawlessness in relation to our citizens, who have become victims of this specific form of American `justice,'" Dolgov said in a statement. "We hope that Washington will think about the consequences of its actions."


text: The MacDev Clone GTi is a spool valve paintball gun that boast high rates of fire that is both accurate and efficient on air. Russian Legion has made this their gun of choice that helps them dominate the European and American series of tournaments! The Clone GTi has many new features with now able to read out the pressure within the board and also a new valve that let's the gun operates at an even lower pressure that is softer on paintballs! Pick this gun up and get shooting any grade of paintballs with less trip to the air fill station!


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Following the comments in other topics, we have updated the features of the dictionary.
What's new:
- new home page with other options and links.
- all links are now blue and easier to see.
- the previous and next words are back, but slightly different in format.
- classes of objects are added (bone, artery, vein etc.) as well as the subject (anatomy).
- new subject pages that list in columns (we think this is better than on the old OMD pages).
Your comments and suggestions for further improvements are most welcome....


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At the beginning of last month, tmatt highlighted the main framing device in the news and commentary in the battle over the Obama Administration's mandate requiring employers to provide coverage for abortifacients, sterilization and contraception even if they have religious objections:
(1) The White House says this is a story about birth control and women's health. Thus, this is a story about birth-control debates between a small number of traditional Catholics and the rest of the nation, including most Catholics.
(2) The nasty Catholic bishops and GOP candidates are attempting to frame this story as a battle over the First Amendment and religious liberty — but that's just politics, not doctrine. In other words, that's mere right-wing political spin.
(3) Thus, the vast majority of news reports are framing this as a birth-control battle, perhaps with a few conservative voices thrown into the mix. Many journalists, it seems, have decided that even mentioning "religious liberty" and related Constitutional issues is forbidden, since that would raise the issue of whether religious traditionalists in all faiths have a valid point worthy of fair and accurate coverage. The "religious liberty" nuts are sort of the flat-earth people in this scenario.
More than three weeks later, we can see that this is as true as ever. And after three weeks of being told that the HHS mandate forcing religious and other conscientious objectors to do something against their will is a "contraception battle," it almost seems quaint to remind people that not everyone agrees with this.
So let's look at the New York Times piece headlined, shockingly, "Senate Nears Showdown on Contraception Policy." (Got it?
Religious Liberty, abortifacients, sterilization contraception-contraception-contraception!)
The 2010 health care law requires most insurers to cover preventive services without co-payments or deductibles. Under the administration policy, most health plans must cover birth control for women — all contraceptive drugs and devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration — as well as sterilization procedures.
Church-affiliated universities, hospitals and charities would not have to provide or pay for such coverage. Instead, the White House says, coverage for birth control could be offered to women directly by their employers' insurance companies, "with no role for religious employers who oppose contraception."
Mr. Blunt said, "The president's so-called compromise is nothing more than an accounting gimmick."
Do you see the problem(s) with this portion? It is certainly true that the Obama administration has spun its HHS mandate in the way that the New York Times reports as fact: "Church-affiliated universities, hospitals and charities would not have to provide or pay for such coverage."
But beyond the issue of whether the so-called compromise ever made it into the mandate -- I don't see it in the published regulations, do you? -- should this Obama spin be recorded as fact? If so, why?
Let's look at the relevant line again:
Church-affiliated universities, hospitals and charities would not have to provide or pay for such coverage.
Now, if you said that your father in no way provided for your college tuition because the college savings plan he set up with his own money paid for your college tuition, you would be laughed at, right? (Please tell this former econ student you would be laughed it.)
If you said that your mother didn't pay for her own assisted living facility because the retirement plan she set up with her life savings paid for her assisted living facility, you would be laughed at, right?
But if you say that religious organizations don't pay for sterilization, abortifacients and birth control because the insurance plan they purchased (which was forced to cover those things) provides such coverage, that's worthy of the seal of approval from the paper of record? It insults the intelligence of New York Times readers, no?
Again, I get that it's spin from the Obama Administration.
But note how Obama's HHS argument is reported as fact while Blunt's contention that it's just an accounting gimmick is quoted but in no way explained. Why is it not explained? It certainly wouldn't require much work, would it?
Over at Reason, Jacob Sullum points out many of these problems, and even goes through some of the arguments against the so-called "compromise," before offering some sample language that the New York Times could use:
I don't expect the Times to endorse these critiques. But it should at least clarify that the issue of whether church-affiliated organizations still have to pay for birth control coverage is contested, and maybe even explain why. Here is a short version:
The Obama administration says its new policy means church-affiliated universities, hospitals and charities won't have to provide or pay for such coverage. Blunt says "the president's so-called compromise is nothing more than an accounting gimmick" because the cost of the coverage will be reflected in the premiums employers pay.
Here is an optional addition:
The administration says the contraceptive mandate won't raise premiums because it will save insurers money by preventing pregnancies. Even if that's true, critics say, church-affiliated organizations still have to pay for health plans that cover products and services they consider immoral.
Indeed, not difficult at all! I would only add that the above bolded line is just flat-out wrong as it relates to self-insured organizations, which includes many colleges and hospitals.
New York Times readers are not stupid. They don't need to be spoon-fed partisan talking points and hidden from the actual nature of the disagreement in this religious liberty, er, I mean, contraception battle.