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|Greek immigration to, and settlement in, central Illinois, 1880-1930
|Beck, Ann
|Director of Research:
|Anderson, James D.
|Doctoral Committee Chair(s):
|Anderson, James D.
|Doctoral Committee Member(s):
|Span, Christopher M.; Pak, Yoon K.; Barnhart, Terry A.
|Department / Program:
|Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp
|Educational Policy Studies
|Degree Granting Institution:
|University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
|Greek immigrants
Central Illinois
Greek confectioners
Ku Klux Klan
Tuscola, Illinois
Flesor's Candy Kitchen
Greek families
|This dissertation is a micro-history of Greeks immigrants to central Illinois between 1880 and 1930. The study focuses specifically on those Greek immigrants who were involved in the confectionery trade, opening candy stores (often accompanied by soda fountains and restaurants) in the small towns and cities of rural Illinois. The study draws upon, as its primary case study, the life and experiences of my own grandfather, Constantin "Gus" Flesor, a Greek immigrant who settled in Tuscola, Illinois in 1901 and owned a candy store/soda fountain business there for 75 years. In all, this dissertation tells the stories of more than 160 such Greek immigrant confectioners in more than forty towns and cities in central Illinois. Examples from the lives of my grandfather and these other first-generation Greek immigrants are interwoven throughout the dissertation to illustrate particular experiences. The dissertation begins with a discussion of migration theory, which seeks to locate the first-generation Greek immigrant experience in rural areas within the larger theoretical debate that has primarily focused on the urban immigrant experience. Chapter Two provides a geographical and historical background by briefly reviewing relevant features of Greek geography, particularly that of the Peloponnese region from where most of the immigrants in this study originated. This chapter also contains a short history of Greece that helps to frame the important question of Greek heritage and identity. Chapter Three presents an overview of first-generation Greek immigration to America, focusing particularly on immigration to Chicago and St. Louis, the primary cities that served as transit points for Greeks coming to central Illinois. Chapter Four explores education and the Greek immigrant, and specifically how Greek immigrants learned the confectionery business. Chapter Five addresses the question of Greek identity, anti- immigrant hostility during this period, especially the activities of the Ku Klux Klan, and how Greek immigrants in these small towns responded to this prejudice and bigotry. Finally, Chapter Six looks at the lives and businesses of the individual Greek immigrants to central Illinois. In my conclusion I address the questions raised by this study and possible avenues for further research.
|Issue Date:
|Rights Information:
|Copyright 2014 Ann Flesor Beck
|Date Available in IDEALS:
|Date Deposited:
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
Dissertations and Theses - Education
Dissertations and Theses from the College of Education
Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois


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English and Creative Writing
Buy the book from:
Northwestern University Press
Cecilia Corrigan
Winner of the Madeleine P. Plonsker Emerging Writers Residency Prize
"I aspire to imitate television in my poetry."
Cecilia Corrigan's first book, Titanic, is an epic love poem depicting the eternal gothic romance between man and machine.
Alan Turing, cracker of the Nazis' Engima code during World War II, and the father of artificial intelligence, is the protagonist of this savagely witty and performative work of hybrid poetry. Turing escapes his frustrated love life and tragic death into the safe haven of virtual reality. The setting shifts from Snow White's forest, to Ludwig Wittgenstein's seminar at Cambridge, amid various iMessage chats and appearances by a variety of exciting guest stars, from Frank O'Hara and Judith Butler to Katy Perry and Julianne Moore's BMW.
Fearless, feminist, and outrageous, this book will infect its readers with its desperate irony and tragic flipness. Titanic: collide with destiny!
6 x 9 / 166 pp.
Trade Paper $16.95

subset: commoncrawl


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Moyo's Fall From Grace?
Water Resources Minister Joyce Mujuru, the first Zimbabwean to be nominated for the post of vice president, at the fourth annual Zanu-PF congress in Harare, Dec. 2, 2004. (Photo: STR / AFP-Getty Images)
The lifespan of spin doctors is as long as the sturdiness of their spin. As Zimbabwe's minister of information and publicity, Jonathan Moyo's days are numbered, so goes the spin. Moyo — the cunning face of anti-democracy and freedom — was unceremoniously axed from the new Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) Central Committee last December, a slap in the face for his political ambitions.
Many Zimbabweans could not believe their ears when names for the ruling party's decision making Central Committee were announced during the five-day fourth annual Zanu-PF congress in Harare. But it has long been coming that Moyo would one day spin himself out of favor with the party he has zealously defended through a shameless public relations campaign.
Moyo, a former firebrand academic critic turned government apologist came into the public limelight when he was appointed to the government's handpicked Constitutional Commission formed to convince Zimbabweans to back a new constitution. When battered Zanu-PF faced demise after losing the war to win the hearts and minds of the people, Moyo did fit the bill to give the Zimbabwe government a desperate political makeover. With the earnestness of a shrewd planner, mind reader and calculating contriver, Moyo got to work and saved Zanu-PF from political oblivion. He was handsomely rewarded with a junior post of minister of information and publicity in the president's office, a position many doubt he will hold for much longer.
The Zanu-PF congress, whose major score was elevating former freedom fighter and cabinet minister, Joyce Mujuru, to the position of vice president — was the harbinger of bad news for Moyo. First Moyo, a few days prior to the congress, lost a bun fight with Zanu-PF's secretary for information, Nathan Shamuyarira, over the decision to accredit British journalists covering the international cricket series between England and Zimbabwe. Next Moyo took the flack for convening a meeting with six ruling party provincial chairmen in the remote Tsholotsho district. The attendees are said to have discussed plans to support the election of former cabinet minister and speaker of Parliament, Emmerson Mnangagwa, for the second vice-presidency ahead of Mujuru whom Mugabe instructed should be endorsed by all party structures.
The opposition press splashed Moyo's debacle on the front page, including the centrist Sunday Mirror. However, the pro-government press did not rub it in and instead focused on the deliberations of the congress even though Moyo had used the very same press to deny ulterior motives for calling the Tsholotsho meeting that signaled his undoing.
"Zanu PF ditches Moyo," screamed the opposition Standard (Dec. 5, 2004) while its sister publication, the Independent said "Moyo's problems mount" in a headline story (Dec. 3, 2004). Questions remain on whether this is the start of Moyo's fall from grace given that he had single-handedly shut down the independent media in Zimbabwe through the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). If that was not enough, as the only person seemingly with authority to comment on behalf of all ministries and on Mugabe's behalf, Moyo's PR had worsened Zimbabwe's image nationally and internationally.
"No true Zimbabwean is likely to feel any remorse for Moyo because of the way he has single-handedly changed the country's political and media landscape," commented the Standard (Dec. 5, 2004). "Moyo himself must have known that his day of reckoning would come some day, surely as night follows day. ... He symbolized the worst in humanity i.e. destruction of freedom and democracy in this country as well as wickedness, evil, racism and lies."
The weekly paper still had more words for Moyo:
"Zimbabwe has become a pariah state in the eyes of the international community largely because of this man's recklessness and foul mouth. ... His evangelism against the media both local and foreign can never be sustained. The triumph march of freedom can never be stopped."
Moyo is not new to controversy. His departure following a contract in Kenya with the Ford Foundation was not so rosy after allegations of fraud were made against him. Last year, he hogged media spotlight in South Africa after going there on a massive shopping spree at a time his fellow Zimbabweans were starving. Last August, Moyo was caught in a farm purchase row after being found to have bought state land in violation of government policy. As a blue-eyed boy, nothing happened to him.
If Zanu-PF wins the elections next month and Mugabe overhauls his cabinet, it remains to be seen whether Moyo will survive 2005. Time will tell.
View the Worldpress Desk's profile for Julius Dawu.


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Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of death and illness among HIV positive children.
By Catherine Mwesigwa Kizza
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of death and illness among HIV positive children. However, medical experts are divided on whether to provide all HIV infected children with a preventive TB therapy using a drug called Isoniazid. (Isoniazid is a drug used to treat TB but has been found to provide protection from TB infection for HIV positive people).
The issue was a motion of debate at the 6th National Paediatric HIV/AIDs Conference held in Kampala from September 12-14.
Presenting recommendations for preventive treatment of TB among HIV positive children, Dr. Frank Mugabe the Ministry of Health Assistant Program Manager National TB and Leprosy Program told participants that Isoniazid Prophylaxis for Tuberculosis (IPT) reduces the burden of TB, the number of HIV/TB co-infected patients and reduces transmission of TB.
He pointed out that many people had not appreciated the importance of TB in the community yet Uganda is one of the 22 countries in the world with a high TB burden.
Globally there are about 9million people with TB in the world one million of which are children. There are two million TB deaths 250,000 of which are children.
Dr. Mugabe said there weren't enough interventions for HIV-infected children yet timely IPT prevented TB-related deaths associated with HIV.
"The plight of HIV positive children with TB in Uganda should be looked into because the relationship is similar to that of adults and HIV," he said.
"You are playing with a time-bomb. This bomb is TB. We'll be in a problem. Once TB becomes a country problem, it will not be segregative," he said.
Putting up a spirited presentation for the pros of providing IPT to HIV infected children, Prof. Philippa Musoke, a consultant pediatrician said 65% of healthy children exposed to TB bacteria get infected. 85% of these will clear while 15% progress to disease. However in HIV co-infected children, up to 50% of exposed children will end up developing the disease.
She presented several studies that have shown significant positive outcomes for use of Isoniazid among the HIV infected.
She quoted a South African randomized study in which the drug was given to children under two years old in a high prevalence TB area while the control group was given a placebo. The drug reduced death among the HIV infected children's group that received it by 46% and TB incidence by 70%.
Another study in South Africa also among untreated HIV positive children showed that Isoniazid improved survival of the children who received it.
Dr. Musoke also highlighted other benefits: The drug prevents severe TB complications among children like TB meningitis, a very difficult and expensive condition to treat. It would also prevent TB of the spine which causes children to develop bent backs and deformed limbs – conditions that are difficult to treat once they occur.
WHO has made some recommendations on the use of the drug for countries to consider: That all children exposed to TB through the household contacts should begin IPT (Isoniazid Preventive Therapy) even when they do not show evidence of having the disease.
That HIV positive children 12 months and older receive 6 months of the therapy irrespective of TB exposure as part of the HIV comprehensive care package. Children under one year should not receive the therapy.
However, Dr. Eric Wobudeya, another pediatrician in charge of the pediatric TB clinic at Mulago hospital had reservations on the proposal.
Wobudeya said most of the recommendations were not based on strong scientific evidence.
He pointed out that WHO counsels that these recommendations be "carefully considered in the context of the local setting".
He said the Ugandan context was not a conducive environment to adopt the policy to implement IPT.
"We don't have adequate advocacy, communication and social mobilisation on TB. We don't have sufficient information environment to handle IPT. How many health workers are sensitised and trained on TB handling. We are not ready now," he said.
He also pointed out that the HIV and TB programs were not yet linked and that a good TB control program needed a system that guarantees reporting of completion of regimens for TB but tools were not adequate and some were still being developed yet a good monitoring system was necessary for TB care.
Dr. Sabrina Bakeera Kitaka emphasised the importance of educating and sensitising the population on TB management.
"There are so many myths out there which are endangering the children born to mothers with TB," she said.
Other practitioners wondered whether they could be assured of a regular flow of drugs for children, while others pointed out it was cheaper to prevent than treat children with TB.
Some were concerned about side effects, however, Dr. Musoke clarified that children did not get similar side effects from the drug as adults.
TB main cause of death among HIV positive children


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Provides Opinion & Testimony In:
Background Expert 2280 is an epidemiologist with over 30 years of experience in the life and health insurance industries. She is one of the leading mortality experts in the life insurance industry. She conducts cutting-edge cohort mortality studies for insurance risk assessment, and writes underwriting manuals and policy and procedure manuals for life and health […]
Expert 2280 is an epidemiologist with over 30 years of experience in the life and health insurance industries. She is one of the leading mortality experts in the life insurance industry. She conducts cutting-edge cohort mortality studies for insurance risk assessment, and writes underwriting manuals and policy and procedure manuals for life and health insurance companies.
Expert 2280 has testified in both state and federal court, and has been retained in over 100 cases since 2006 for plaintiffs and defense on an equal basis. She is very credible testifying in deposition and on the stand.
Life expectancy calculations to the standards of the life insurance and life settlement industries. These life expectancies are personalized and accurate, with all risk factors including criminal activity, substance abuse, medical conditions and risky behavior investigated. All of this information is entered into evidence. In addition, by use of Rule 703, these life expectancies can get previously excluded evidence of these risk factors re-admitted (see publication for details). These methods used to calculate life expectancy have been accepted in federal court after a Daubert challenge, and have been successfully used in both state and federal court.
- Expert in bad faith/wrongful denial of life/health insurance claims.
- Expert in life/health insurance underwriting material misrepresentation.
- Expert in medical risk assessment and underwriting issues.
- Expert in life insurance underwriting policies and procedures.
- Approved life expectancy expert with the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Active consultant to the life insurance industry doing cutting-edge mortality studies and underwriting manuals.
- Over 100 articles published on mortality research and underwriting.
- Friendly, clear, concise, objective and quantitative.
Education and Professional Certifications
MSPH University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Occupational Epidemiology, 1981
BA, The Johns Hopkins University, Public Health, 1979
FALU, Fellow of the Academy of Life Underwriting, 1998
ELS, Editor in the Life Sciences, 2003
Principal, Consulting, Inc., 1989 to Present
Providing life insurance and related industry underwriting and market research, product development,
business development and technology, underwriting education and training, and litigation support to multinational clients, including:
AIG American General Life Cos.
American Family Life Insurance Co.
AVS Underwriting
Bank of America
Calypte Biomedical
Canada Life Reinsurance
Charles Schwab & Co.
Clinical Reference Laboratory
Edwards Lifesciences
EMSI (formerly PMSI)
Farmers Mutual Insurance Co.
Federal Home Loan Bank (San Francisco)
First Financial Underwriting Services
General American Life Insurance Co.
Golden Gateway Financial
Hank George, Inc.
Health Net of California
Heritage Labs
HSBC Insurance Services
Independent Order of Foresters
Life Settlement Consulting & Management
Los Angeles County Crime Laboratories
MetLife Canada
MIB Group
Millennium Pharmaceuticals
Mutual of Omaha
North Coast Opportunities
On The Risk – The Journal of the Academy of Life Underwriting
PartnerRe Life (formerly Winterthur Life Reinsurance)
PPO Oklahoma
Protective Life Insurance Co.
Safe Harbor Resources
Sagicor Financial Corporation
Society of Actuaries
Thomson Management Solutions
21st Services
U.S. Department of Justice
Wells Fargo Bank
Western Reserve Life Assurance Co. of Ohio
Xcelerate Corporation
Consulting Projects – Underwriting
•Structured Settlement Underwriting Manual, 2008 to Present Developing underwriting manual for structured settlements based on current processes.
•Life Claims Audit, 2007 Performed random selection of cases and designed case data extraction sheet for large life insurance claims study.
•Critical Illness and Disability Income Training, 2006 Prepared and presented training to life underwriters in critical illness and disability income underwriting.
•Underwriting Manual Research and Writing, 2006 Adaptation of traditional life underwriting manual for simplified life, disability and waiver of premium products.
•Life Settlement Experience Analysis, 2006 Analysis of life settlement mortality to determine predictive factors.
•Life Underwriting Requirements Research, 2004 to Present Providing methodologies, analysis and write-up of insurance testing laboratory data to initiate new products and services.
•Life Underwriting Research, 2001 to 2003 Constructed life tables from medical literature to validate life underwriting guidelines. Produced quantitative and qualitative life underwriting manual guidance.
•Life Settlement Underwriting Research, 1998 to 2004 Provided model and design of automated life expectancy calculation system, data collection instruments, evaluation scoring and impairment risk factor weights.
•Insurance Services Product Development, 1997 to 1998 Provided analysis of disease mortality, incidence and prevalence to develop new insurance services product.
•Pension Underwriting Research, 1994 Provided biostatistical research basis to a multinational consortium for a new type of impaired risk European pension product.
Consulting Projects – Business Development and Technology
•Simplified Products Survey and Report, 2005 Conducted survey of top-selling simplified products for underwriting and business process lessons learned.
•New Business Process Review and Optimization, 2004 to 2005 Examined current life new business processes to identify opportunities for decreasing redundancies, handoffs, and inefficiencies.
•Underwriting Decision Software Development, 2004 to 2005 Product and market development of life underwriting software that uses advanced logic engine
•Freelance Writing and Editing, 2004 Editing and writing summaries of medical articles, medical conferences, and insurance topics for physicians and consumers.
•Underwriting Operations Annual Report, 2004 Assisted in editing, writing and analysis of metrics presented in life underwriting operations report for 2003.
•Business Process Improvement, 2003 Interviewed underwriting and business support staff to prepare future improvement in life insurance business process workflow.
•Online Article Search and Sale Facility, 2002 to Present Design and data input of life underwriting trade journal online keyword search and article sale facility.
•Life Insurance Market Research Study, 2002 to 2003 Designed, managed and analyzed life insurance survey of business process improvements through the use of underwriting expert system software.
•Insurance Inspection Service Market Research Survey, 2000 Designed survey instruments, maintained database, and analyzed client satisfaction in market research study of insurance inspection services.
Consulting Projects – Banking
•Enterprise Technology Plan, 2000 Collaborated on design of three-year technology plan for a Federal bank.
•Financial Services Experience Analysis and Strategy, 1995 to 1998 Provided statistical analysis and models to select business and consumer customers for acquisition and retention programs. Estimated bank account life expectancies using actuarial life table methods.
•Human Resources Automation Plan, 1993 Collaborated in development of plan and prototype for automated human resources management.
Associate Editor, Journal of the Academy of Life Underwriting, 2004-Present
Contributing Editor, Journal of the Academy of Life Underwriting, 1994-1997
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Oakland, California
Medical Economics and Statistics, 1988 to 1989
Converted community-based pricing approach to experience-based rating for a $2.5 billion premium enterprise. Conducted underwriting market study of 20,000 employers. Conducted analyses to determine competitive pricing for 2+ million member optical and pharmaceutical programs.
Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Company, Los Angeles, California
New Business Underwriting Research, 1985 to 1988
Provided analysis of company data and medical literature to support management and underwriting decisions. Developed original methods for actuarial analyses now used for automated systems underwriting $1.5 billion in annual business.
Lincoln National Reinsurance, Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Underwriting Research, 1982 to 1985
Provided analysis of company data and medical literature to support management and underwriting decisions.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Department of Biostatistics, 1981 to 1982
Performed statistical analyses for multinational clinical trials.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
Industrywide Studies Branch, Biometry Section, Summer 1980
Performed proportionate mortality analysis of death certificate data for evidence of excess brain tumors among petrochemical workers. Performed analysis of medical records for evidence of excess birth anomalies among railroad workers exposed to dioxin.
Software and Other Skills
•SAS Mainframe, SPSS Personal Computer
•Litigation support for cases involving medical history misrepresentation, life expectancy calculations
Available Upon Request
Publications – Insurance
Available Upon Request
Publications – Business, Health and Other
Available Upon Request


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Demystifying the $10 Billion Impact
Economic Pulse, 2017, Issue 8
On April 19, 2017, Exxon Mobil and Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) announced a joint project of building the world's largest ethylene cracker plant near Portland in San Patricio County. The chemical products are used to make polyester found in a variety of products, including clothing and construction materials. Capital investment for the five-year construction project is estimated at $10 billion, and the plant is expected to be operated with 600 full-time employees.
This project, known as Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, represents the second largest private investment in South Texas history, exceeded only by Cheniere Energy's $14.5 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility currently under construction also in San Patricio County. How would this development project affect various parts of the economy and local businesses during the construction phase as well as the subsequent operation of the facility?
$10 Billion
Indeed, $10 billion is an enormous amount for the region. That is more than three times the value of entire San Patricio County's annual production estimated at $2.8 billion in 2016. The project team is planning for a total of 11,000 construction job-years during the five-year construction phase, and 6,000 workers on the construction site during the peak time. The construction workforce will most likely be filled by construction companies and contractors in the region, particularly the Corpus Christi metro area. The localized nature of construction activity is key to estimating the ripple effects on the rest of the regional economy.
Ripple Effects
The Gulf Coast Growth Ventures group estimated that the project's construction phase will generate more than $22 billion in economic output, or gross business sales, for the state of Texas. The most popular way to measure the economic impact of any new spending on the region is to estimate the spinoff, also known as secondary or multiplier, effects using an input-output type model, such as IMPLAN.
Input-output analysis has been found to be a reliable tool to evaluate the potential impact of especially large-scale capital development projects on the regional economy. In addition to estimating changes in key economic measures, such as jobs, income earnings and output, the IMPLAN model provides insights into how changes in one industry affect all other industries within the region. Such spinoff effects are key to our understanding the extent to which a large-scale facility affects local businesses.
The plastics manufacturing plant is expected to involve a total of 11,000 local workers on site during its five-year construction period. According to the IMPLAN model for the Corpus Christi metro area, another 2,669 jobs will be created by local businesses that serve as direct suppliers for the construction project, including retailers and professional service companies.
Because of the expanded regional output, which totals about $2.3 billion, those local businesses will hire more workers and replenish their own supplies. As a result, gains among those businesses and their employees in turn contribute to gains in businesses in other industries across the region. Such effects are called secondary economic impacts. According to IMPLAN, the metro area will gain another 7,754 jobs as a result of the 11,000 construction workers hired directly for the project. This means that one more construction job in the area generates another 0.7 job position in other local industries.
Another Tale of Two Counties
As for the region as a whole, how the construction project affects San Patricio County depends on its existing economic landscape as well as its capability to accommodate future growth. Nueces County, which includes the city of Corpus Christi, makes up nearly 90 percent of the regional workforce, whereas San Patricio County accounts for slightly more than 10 percent. Largely due to direct employment on the construction site, the Gregory-Portland area of San Patricio County will experience much of the impact in the region. Still Nueces County is expected to experience a total gain of more than 5,000 jobs.
The following bar chart compares the direct job impacts between the two adjacent counties in the Corpus Christi metro area. The impact estimates are based on where the activity occurs, instead of which county that the affected businesses are located or where their employees live. For this reason, most of the impact on the construction industry occurs in San Patricio County, although a number of construction companies and contractors are located elsewhere.
Particularly for the health care, business services, and trade sectors, the direct impact is relatively higher in Nueces than San Patricio County. Those businesses and providers are concentrated in the city of Corpus Christi, and thus, unlike construction, activity can take place away from the construction site.
Because of substantially fewer businesses and service providers in San Patricio than Nueces County, the latter is expected to reap the majority of the secondary economic impacts. A notable exception is the construction industry, which includes construction of new homes occupied by migrants to the area during the project construction phase. Overall, three-quarters of the secondary job impacts (3,819 job positions) are expected to take place in Nueces County.
The total economic impact of the construction project on the region as a whole is estimated to be $3.2 billion in output or gross business sales. Despite the sizable spillover effect of the construction activity on Nueces County, San Patricio County will experience about 80 percent of that estimated economic impact. Most of the impact will take place in the construction industry itself.
The following bar chart shows the impacts on other industries in the two individual counties. The manufacturing, retail trade, and health care industries are expected to experience the most gains in business activity. The majority of gains in other industries will also occur in Nueces County.
Labor Market Slack
Bear in mind that all impact estimates are based on the assumption that industries are not operating at full capacity, meaning that firms should have sufficient slack to take up more production and purchase orders. For the construction project, the hiring of 11,000 workers on site represents nearly half (45%) of the regional construction workforce. Despite the booming construction activity, the construction industry is still experiencing an unemployment rate of 18 percent, according to EMSI. Construction unemployment is the highest among all industries in the region.
During the first quarter of 2017, the number of unemployed persons who have previously worked in the construction industry is 2,281, which exceeds the number of unemployed persons (2,275) who have no previous work experience. Given that amount of slack in the construction labor market, the region will be more likely to absorb the increased workforce demand.
Plant in Operation
Once construction of the plastics manufacturing plant is completed, the regional economic impact of this facility in operation will be drastically different. At first glance, the plan to hire 600 full-time employees pales in comparison with the estimated 11,000 workers during the construction phase. The two types of employment are, however, drastically different. First, construction job estimates are not measured on a permanent basis because employment will end whenever construction ends. By contrast, the employees who staff the facility are permanent positions.
Second, the size of economic impact from each direct job is substantially higher during the operational phase than during the construction phase. The industrial manufacturing industry pays the highest average wages among all industries. Those 600 employees responsible for the plant's operations are expected to earn an average of $90,000 annually, which is about twice as much as the current average wage earnings in the region.
The higher income earnings of employees working at the plant contribute to a much larger multiplier effect than that from the typical construction worker. According to the IMPLAN model, those 600 direct jobs will generate an estimated total of 2,620 additional jobs as a result of the secondary effects on other industries within the metro area. This implies a job multiplier of 5.4, compared to the corresponding estimate of 1.7 for construction.
The following two charts show the estimated gains in local employment and output that are directly and indirectly related to the plant's operations. The total economic impact of $2.2 billion per year seems comparable to the estimated $3.1 billion impact from construction, but the estimated impacts from the plant in operation are expressed on a permanent basis.
The following bar chart shows the distribution of job impact on different industries between Nueces and San Patricio counties. Because of the jobs directly associated with the plant, most of the impact on the manufacturing sector occurs in San Patricio County. As for the impact from construction, the plant in operation will generate relatively more gains to Nueces County as a whole than to San Patricio County due to different industries' own capacities and resources between the two counties.
Variation by Industry
The following bar chart shows the estimated impacts for different private industries. The trade sectors are expected to realize the most gains, followed closely by construction, transportation, health care, and professional services.
Small businesses, such as those with fewer than 20 employees, are concentrated in the industries of professional services, retail trade and construction. As such, the economic impact will tend to be larger for smaller business establishments particularly in those industries.
Note: This article benefits from conversations with Mark Weaver and Russell Franques at TAMUCC.


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It wasn't Katherine Drahnak's plan to become a mother at 22. It didn't seem like the ideal time to start a family: Drahnak was single, waiting tables part time and living at her mother's Edgewood house. But life had other plans, and so did Javier, who was born June 21, 2005.
Being among Pennsylvania's 900,000 adults without health insurance, the costs of the prenatal care she received, the emergency Caesarian section she had to have and Javier's time in the neonatal intensive care unit could have destroyed Drahnak financially.
But state and federal dollars earmarked for pregnant women and uninsured children kicked in as soon as she got her first positive pregnancy test from Magee-Women's hospital in Oakland.
"There really is a lot of help out there if you don't have money," Drahnak says.
Once a woman is pregnant in Pennsylvania, the rules change for obtaining Medicaid, government-funded health insurance for low-income people. She has to be living at or below 185 percent of the poverty level for her family size ... and her unborn child is counted as part of the family.
Having qualified for state pregnancy assistance, a poor woman's pregnancy and birth experience can be just as rich with options as a wealthy, insured woman. Drahnak, in fact, says she was able to tailor her experience to suit her own notions of how the experience should go.
"I'd always wanted to have a natural childbirth," she says. And halfway through her pregnancy, Drahnak realized she could make use of Magee's midwife program.
During her labor, complications arose and doctors had to take over. Javier was coming out upside down, and got stuck in the birth canal. After attempts to budge him with a vacuum extractor failed, the decision came down that she would have to have an emergency Caesarian. Then, when he was finally born, he had difficulty breathing and had to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit.
After mother and child finally went home, 72 hours later, there were still problems. Drahnak's C-section wound split and was leaking pus. A home health-care aide came out, twice a day, to clean and change the dressing.
All this care was covered by Medicaid. Drahnak got prenatal vitamins and care. Javier, today a rambunctious 2-year-old, will have health insurance covered by the state until he is 18 or Drahnak's income increases drastically.
Still, advocates for low-income mothers say, providing such care is hardly easy with a deficit-strapped government and an increasingly overburdened health-care system. And even a best-case scenario like Drahnak's is only a qualified success. While Javier's health costs are covered, if Drahnak needs to see a doctor for her own health, she's on her own: Having delivered her child, she is back among the uninsured.
Up on the eighth floor of East Liberty's faded Medical Center East, the waiting room has pamphlets and magazines on almost every available surface. There are copies of POZ magazine for people living with HIV, pamphlets about nutrition and breastfeeding, and a nauseatingly effective poster about various sexually transmitted diseases that calls to mind the singing STD Muppets from Dave Chappelle's Show.
The staff here -- a nurse practitioner and a handful of medical assistants -- sees about 160 patients each month. Patients range in age from 13 to the over-55 set. Some have been coming to the clinic, managed by nonprofit provider Adagio Health, for years. Others are first-timers coming in for free walk-in pregnancy testing. The agency provides free care to those who qualify, and to all women under age 17.
Just don't call the facility -- or any of the 70 locations Adagio manages in 23 western Pennsylvania counties -- a "clinic."
"We've stopped calling our sites 'clinics,'" says Caren Caldwell, Adagio's director of health network services. "The offices are wonderful-looking places. They don't have the appearance of being for poor people." But, she says, perception is still a barrier.
Gwen Lindsey, who oversees the East Liberty office, agrees that the stigma of charity care is a powerful barrier. The quality of care at her office, Lindsey says, is just as good as that of a private doctor. Still, some women would rather sacrifice their own care than set foot in a place that appears to serve charity, she says -- even though Adagio also accepts most private insurance.
"Most of the people we serve are uninsured," Lindsey says. "That's one of our biggest struggles -- a lot of them don't want to go and apply for Medical Assistance because it's like a slap in the face. It's a pride issue."
Many of Adagio's clients are working, Lindsey adds, but their employers don't offer insurance. It can be so tough to overcome that pride, she says, that women will neglect their own health, putting off getting a routine test like an annual Pap smear, which can detect cervical abnormalities before they risk becoming cancerous.
She says that many women using the East Liberty location come from as far as Penn Hills; they'd rather not seek free care in their own neighborhoods.
"If people don't have insurance, they don't want to get [free care] in their own neighborhoods," Lindsey says. "They tend to travel."
There's also a perception among some women that if their situations change and they become insured, they should seek care elsewhere. "People think, 'You're not a doctor, why should I bring my insurance here to see you?'" Lindsey says. "I don't understand why we're good enough to see you when you don't have health insurance but we're not when you do. We accept insurance!"
In fact, the office needs insured patients. Their bills help to cover some of the cost of treating uninsured women. And that in itself says something about the plight of health care for lower-income mothers ... because the federal government has a program intended to help uninsured people manage their reproductive health.
The program is called Title X. It was introduced by then-Senator George H.W. Bush and enacted in 1970 under President Richard Nixon as part of the Public Health Service Act. Title X provides birth control and STD testing and treatment for men and women, allowing clinics to provide those services for free or on sliding scales according to a client's income, regardless of their insurance status. In 2006, 5 million men and women nationwide were treated using Title X dollars.
That money is dispersed to 87 grantees nationwide, which disperse the funds to a total of 4,400 community-based public and private nonprofit clinics; Adagio handles Title X dollars in Western Pennsylvania. Founded in 1971 and formerly known as Family Health Council, Inc., the nonprofit also receives other state and federal grants, as well as money raised privately from donations and foundations. Each year, Adagio serves more than 100,000 people in Western Pennsylvania.
The organization does outreach into communities through fairs, churches and other gatherings. In addition to birth control and STD care, Adagio provides screenings for breast and cervical cancer.
But those working in the system say that funding has not come close to keeping up with inflation, let alone need. According to data from the Guttmacher Institute, a nonpartisan reproductive policy think-tank, once you take inflation into account, funding for Title X has dropped 61 percent since from 1980.
Still, Title X has attracted little attention in Washington, D.C. "Right now with the Iraq war and immigration taking the focus of everyone on the Hill," Caldwell says, "[funding] has been level, flat, for the last 8 years."
Providing health care to poor families would seem the ultimate family-friendly policy. But some "family values" conservatives object to funding Title X because it provides contraception; Concerned Women for America says it "seduces children."
"The federal government should stop funding the moral demise of our children and our culture," reads a position paper from the conservative, pro-life group.
The health care provided to low-income expectant mothers "should not be a political hot potato," Ilene Schwartz, Adagio's VP for development and communications. But, she says, "'family planning' has grown to have bad connotations." Among those connotations, of course, is abortion. But that, Schwartz says, is a moot point.
By law, Title X money can't be spent on abortions. The infamous "gag rule" of 1988, in fact, tried to forbid care providers receiving the money from even talking about abortion as an option. The rule was overturned during the Clinton administration in 2000, but while clinics can provide counseling on abortion, they don't always do so. Schwartz says counselors won't even bring the subject up if a woman seems excited about a pregnancy.
In fact, Adagio provides extensive support to women who want to put an unplanned baby up for adoption. Options counselor Kathryn Tomkowski takes about 80 calls a month from Western PA, Ohio and West Virginia, and presents callers with three options: parenting, abortion or adoption.
"A lot of people don't know about adoption," she says. "Usually people know 'I can parent or terminate.'"
Despite all this, say Schwartz and Caldwell, conservative complaints about Title X have gained traction -- in part because many lawmakers simply don't recognize what the funds are really for.
"Part of our burden is to educate legislators," says Caldwell. "People want to make it about abortion. The fact that women don't have access to basic care is an abomination."
"We're talking about lives, peoples' real lives, and it becomes a shouting match," Schwartz says. "The essence of what we're trying to do gets lost in the fray. It's frustrating -- you go to Washington, they're quibbling over a tiny increase."
Last month, in fact, a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee approved the largest increase in Title X funding in 25 years, up $27.8 million to $311 million. Guttmacher says that increasing funding for Title X to $566 million would allow it to serve 1.4 million new clients, potentially preventing 244,000 unwanted pregnancies and averting 98,000 abortions, saving the government $794 million.
Still, advocates welcome the additional money, and note that even tiny increases in funding for things like contraception have ripples in society. According to Guttmacher, for every dollar the government designates to Title X, $3.80 is saved in costs associated on pregnancy and newborn care.
That $3.80 has to come from somewhere -- whether it's from other taxpayer-funded welfare spending or increased medical costs passed on to others. But advocates say it's hard to get people who do have health insurance to pay attention to the plight of the uninsured. There's a perception, says Caldwell, that "This isn't about me; it's about poor women."
Still, local clinics are finding ways to serve both the insured and uninsured at once.
With a 12-foot-tall pregnant woman painted on the side of its building, the Midwife Center in the Strip District sticks out far more than East Liberty's anonymous clinic.
The center is housed in an old house and has been decorated with the handiwork and paintbrushes of women who work there. Inside clinical director Nancy Niemczyk's office, for example, there are windchimes and art prints along with a plastic model of a pelvis resting on its desk.
Similarly, the Midwife Center itself combines a practical approach to health care with a respect for women's wishes.
Midwives are the traditional assistants to a woman in labor, attending the birth itself and also assisting mothers throughout pregnancy. (The term "midwife" derives from "with woman.") Most, but not all, midwives are women; many are mothers themselves. In Pennsylvania, being a midwife requires state licensing: To hold the job, a midwife must be a registered nurse and have further training in midwifery.
Midwifing has become an increasingly popular option, and it is often seen as a kind of "boutique" health-care option for women who want a more holistic and natural approach to childbirth and gynecological care. Indeed, most of the Midwife Center's clients are insured. But the center also receives Title X dollars and provides care for those without means.
Birth options abound -- mothers can have their babies in one of three themed birthing rooms with Jacuzzis, for example. Women can also have as few or as many people attending as they wish; one woman had her entire church choir sing her through her birth.
(Religious folks, in fact, make up a large portion of the center's clientele. "There are heroic midwives in the Bible," Niemczyk says, noting that many evangelical Christians are clients. She says care can be tailored to those with particular religious views, like Catholics who don't believe in genetic testing, or Orthodox Jews whose laws forbid a husband from touching his wife after her water has broken. A sizable Mennonite population uses the center as well; while they may be uninsured, their beliefs typically bar them from taking public assistance.)
Katherine Drahnak found such options appealing when she was a 22-year-old expecting mother enrolled in a UPMC midwife program. She wanted her mother, sister, best friend and Javier's father and his mother in the delivery room with her. "That felt like the way I wanted to bring my child into the world," she says.
Not every woman that uses the Midwife Center for prenatal care gives birth there, however. The center is not equipped to handle high-risk births, to perform Caesarian section births, or to administer epidurals or other types of anesthesia. Should a need for those services arise, women go to Allegheny General.
But as Drahnak's experience shows, having a midwife on hand can be useful even in an emergency C-section. Hospital regulations permitted only two people to be present in the delivery room, but Drahnak's midwives stepped in on her behalf. Eventually her family members were permitted in as well.
"It felt like they were coming from a place that was more organic," Drahnak says of the midwives. They also helped her choose a pediatrician for Javier. "They were helpful with that, knowing I had more natural or hippie views on health care."
Such preferences may seem like luxuries, the sort of thing that government shouldn't be expected to pay for. But Niemczyk can justify the program in language that even bottom-line-conscious bureaucrats can understand.
Midwives, she says, "have much lower utilization of resources." For instance, in a typical hospital setting, most women giving birth have epidurals -- a localized anesthetic which entails more cost and more risk. Not so at the center. The center also doesn't give regular ultrasounds. If a midwife detects something awry, she won't hesitate to order an ultrasound, but in low-risk pregnancies, "There's no research that says there's any benefit to routine ultrasounds," Niemczyk says.
And some data does show a benefit to the midwife approach. According to the Midwife Center, in 2006, the rate of low birth-weight babies born at the center was 2.4 percent -- much lower than the 8.2 percent national average. The center's Caesarian rate was 16.5 percent of pregnancies; nationally, it was 30.2 percent.
Even so, the dollars have yet to catch up to the results. Though the government reimburses the center for treatment provided to low-income women, the amounts are far less than private insurance provides. "We couldn't run a birthing center with just [government-assisted] clients," Niemczyk says.
The center also takes a hit providing service for women who don't qualify for assistance. Such women can work out an upfront fee based on a sliding scale, but the center usually doesn't break even on them, either. Providing pregnancy care, birth and follow-up appointments costs the center around $7,000 per birth, Niemczyk says; the sliding-scale fee begins at roughly $1,500. To make up the difference, the Center must rely on fund-raising from foundations and other private sources.
The federal money that does come in, meanwhile, often has strings attached. The Midwife Center provides a range of gynecological care, including a Friday afternoon walk-in clinic that offers STD treatment among other things. But only two or three brands of oral contraception and one type of IUD are covered under the Title X regulations; methods such as the birth-control patch aren't available at all. The federal system is "extremely complicated to navigate," Niemczyk says.
Federal regulations also make it hard to serve the center's most vulnerable clients.
One afternoon a month, the regular Friday-afternoon walk-in hours are staffed by Spanish speakers, and Niemczyk acknowledges that some of these clients may be undocumented -- those "illegal aliens" you hear so much about these days.
A woman who is not a legal citizen of the U.S. cannot qualify for any kind of public assistance for her pregnancy. But despite anti-immigrant rhetoric, Niemczyk says curtailing prenatal care for women is shortsighted. Such women might go without a doctor's care throughout their entire pregnancy, until ending up in labor in an emergency room. In that scenario, even a textbook delivery with no complications will cost at least $15,000 -- a cost that is often largely absorbed by the hospital and, again, passed on to other patients and their insurance companies.
Moreover, any child born on American soil qualifies as a U.S. citizen and is entitled to assistance under the law. And if the mother had no prenatal care, the child is much more likely to suffer from problems like low birth weight. Such problems can cause an added financial burden to the welfare system if the child does enter it. "We might prevent problems by paying for the prenatal care," Niemczyk says.
For now, however, such thinking seems outside the bounds of the political discussion. And as frightening as it can be to lack insurance, Caldwell and Schwartz say it's almost as daunting to provide health care to those without it. Many low-income people are unaware their services exist, they say ... and too many politicians still don't see the point of providing the services at all.
"You don't want people going to the emergency room," Schwartz says. "As much money is invested in [Title X], millions more are [being] saved [for] an already burdened health-care system."
For more on the services available to women locally, contact Adagio at www.adagiohealth.org or call 1-800-215-7494. More information on the Midwife Center is available at www.midwifecenter.org or 412-321-6880.


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The Importance Of Awareness And Training
After Ann's husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and her mom was diagnosed with dementia, Ann became involved in both awareness campaigns. Ann is an advocate for hospital care for people with Alzheimer's disease, and stresses how important training is for the people that are giving care to the people who have this disease.
Listen to Ann's story in the video.
Police K-9 Sniffs Out Elderly Man Who Wandered Away From Family Home: Click "Next" below!
The Alzheimer's Site is a place where people can come together to support those whose lives have been affected by Alzheimer's disease. In addition to sharing stories of hope and love, shopping for the cause, and signing petitions, visitors can take just a moment each day to click on the purple button to help provide care for those living with Alzheimer's disease and research for a brighter future. Visit The Alzheimer's Site and click today - it's free!


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At Nameberry, Pamela Redmond Satran has commented on a sign that there is more upcoming "gender equality" in naming: a popular girl's name inspiring the use of its masculine form(s), such as the example she gave of Emma for girls lending the way to Emmett for boys. She also commented on how she thought a generation or two ago that a boy's name being similar to a girl's name would be a minus for its usage on the boy's side. Actually, as I will demonstrate in this blog, that has not always been true. Indeed, many of the classic "unisex nicknames" get started first by the feminine form(s) being popular, and then following along or trailing are the masculine form(s).
The first one I'll take a look at is one that is still fairly popular and fashionable: Sam (Samantha, Samuel). Samantha's entrance into the mainstream name pool can be pinpointed to the TV series Bewitched, which premiered in 1964. Over the next quarter-century the name climbed the charts, and ended up being the fourth most popular name for girls in the 1990s. Although now given to less than a third of the number of babies as at its peak and slowly falling in popularity, Samantha still ranked at #17 in 2011 (which not qualifying as a true classic can certainly qualify as a "modern classic"). The masculine for, Samuel, does qualify as a true classic though (never being out of the Top 100 and a popularity spread ratio of less than 1-4 from its least to most popular years). Samuel's re-ascent in popularity happened almost right along with Samantha's (although less steeply), which goes to show that parents debating on Samuel for a boy did not let the prospect of also knowing girl Sams deter them. In fact, Samuel's peak was after Samantha's and while the feminine form is dropping the masculine form has remained fairly steady.
The next one is a name prefix that many parents-to-be grew up with a lot of: Chris (Christine/Christina/etc., Christopher/Christian/etc.). Christine was the leader of the pack, peaking in the 1960s. Christina and Christopher were the 70s/80s hits (thus being another case where the feminine forms led before the masculine ones). The Chris- names are largely in fashion limbo for girls (with all forms now well out of the Top 100), but Christopher for boys dropped more slowly (still ranked at #21 last year) and the other common masculine form, Christian, saw its heyday during the 90s and 2000's decade (starting to fall but came in at #30 in 2011). Although probably not the best example of feminine-to-masculine inspiration, it's still another example that boys and girls have not minded sharing nicknames even in the past.
The last one I'm examining is Pat (Patricia, Patrick). Patricia saw a huge rise from being semi-obscure at the start of the SSA list to one of the most popular names at the time of the post-war baby boom, and afterwards slowly but surely fell to become uncommon again among modern baby girls. It took a bit longer for the masculine form, Patrick, to see its peak (which was nowhere near the feminine form's) in the 1960s and remained fairly steady through the 1980s. This makes Patricia-Patrick a good example of feminine-to-masculine inspiration (and a case where the females that a typical boy Pat shared a nickname with were not his female classmates but his friend's mothers, teachers, aunts, etc., also considering that a Generation X/Y Patricia would be more likely to use one of the "back-end" Tricia-type nicknames than one of the Pat-type ones). (This might be good news for unisex names like Kelly, Robin, and Shannon now that they sound dated for girls and thus a modern boy with a name like one of those would have a low chance of sharing it with a female classmate, although he may well share it with an adult woman that he knows.)
(I apologize to Pam if she doesn't like that I used a tool from a competing name site to show the stats, but since that tool makes it easy to make the cross-gender comparisons on a single graph like I did I thought it was the best equipped for this job. I use ideas from both parties' name sites to build upon my ideas.)
Addendum: Although this one isn't nickname-based like the others, I thought of another (currently in-style) name in which the masculine form is climbing in the shadow of the feminine one (Olivia, Oliver). Olivia's been near the top of the charts for several years now, while (in the U.S.) Oliver is just starting to catch up (although at a pretty fast rate).
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Boy's Names Inspired By Their Feminine Forms
Labels: Baby Names, Gender issues
2 comments:
- AnonymousFebruary 15, 2013 at 8:14 PM
Ha! I was just thinking of Olivia and Oliver!ReplyDelete
Another one from popular names in Australia: the name Reuben is rising quickly in popularity. I suspect one reason for that is that it sounds like a male form of Ruby, which is #1 in several states. Some people even spell it Ruben as if to make the connection clearer.
- AnonymousApril 15, 2013 at 12:58 AM
Another Australian example I thought of is Kyle - this name only became popular here for boys after the success of the female name Kylie in the 1970s.ReplyDelete
A lot of non-Australian name books try to claim it is the opposite way around, and that Kylie must be "just an attempt to feminise the name Kyle".
However, the stats clearly show that Kyle didn't even begin charting here until Kylie was already massively popular.
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Bus to St Peters SchoolWednesday, June 26th, 2013
I am looking for anyone who goes to St Peter's school, on the bus from Quedgeley (Tesco's).
I live in Kingsway Village and I don't know anyone who goes to St Peters, as my son currently goes to school in Stroud. He will be starting St Peter's school in September and I would like to find someone who would be kind enough to meet up with – and see him safely onto the bus, and to make sure that he gets on the bus home – for a couple weeks until he gets used to it.
I know this is a big ask, but as I have to drop off another child to school in Stroud and be at work by 9am, the timetable of the bus leaving Quedgeley makes it impossible (without being in two places at the same time)! So if anyone could help this would be really appreciated.
Thanking you in anticipation.


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More than 5,000 children's products contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive problems, according to reports filed with the Washington State Department of Ecology.
An analysis of the reports by the Washington Toxics Coalition and Safer States found that makers of kids' products reported using a total of 41 chemicals identified by Ecology as a concern for children's health, including toxic metals such as cadmium, mercury, and antimony and organic compounds such as phthalates.
Major manufacturers who reported using the chemicals in their products include Walmart, Gap, Gymboree, Hallmark, J.C. Penney, and H & M.
Examples of product categories reported to contain toxic chemicals, according the groups' analysis, include:
- Hallmark party hats containing cancer-causing arsenic.
- Graco car seats containing the toxic flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A or TBBPA.
- Claire's cosmetics containing cancer-causing formaldehyde.
- Walmart dolls containing hormone-disrupting bisphenol A or BPA.
"The data shows store shelves remain full of [of products containing] toxic chemicals that we know are a concern for children's health," said Erika Schreder, science director for the coalition. "These reports are critical for understanding the presence of toxic chemicals in our homes and the marketplace."
The chemical reports are required under Washington State's Children's Safe Products Act of 2008, which requires major companies making children's products to report the presence of toxic chemicals in their products. The reports cover certain children's products sold in Washington State from June 1, 2012 to March 1, 2013.
Major findings from the reports include:
- More than 5,000 products have been reported to date as containing a chemical on Washington state's list of 66 Chemicals of High Concern to Children.
- Products reported include children's clothing and footwear, personal care products, baby products, toys, car seats, and arts and craft supplies.
- Toxic metals such as mercury, cadmium, cobalt, antimony, and molybdenum were reported, with cobalt being the metal most often reported.
- Manufacturers reported using phthalates in clothing, toys, bedding, and baby products.
- Other chemicals reported include solvents such as ethylene glycol and methyl ethyl ketone and a compound used in silicone, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane.
"Too many products contain chemicals that do not belong in items we give our kids," said Schreder. "To truly protect children, manufacturers need to identify safer ways to make their products and stop using harmful chemicals."
A Washington state bill that would have required manufacturers to stop using toxic flame retardants in children's products and to identify safer ways to make their products failed to pass the legislature before the end of the regular session on April 28.
The bill, called the Toxic-Free Kids and Families Act, was opposed by a coalition led by the American Chemistry Council, Walmart, and the Association of Washington Business.
In the groups' analysis of the Ecology reports, Walmart reported a total of 459 products containing chemicals including arsenic, cadmium, phthalates, BPA, and mercury, she said.
"It is particularly disturbing to see the large numbers of products reported by Walmart at the same time the company has been working to defeat Washington's bill that would address some of the most problematic uses," said Laurie Valeriano, executive director of the coalition. "Companies like Walmart need to show they're serious about children's health by getting toxic chemicals out of their products and supporting common-sense legislation."
Washington state is the first state to have a comprehensive chemical reporting program.
The analysis conducted by the groups of Washington state's chemical use reports is available at http://www.watoxics.org/chemicalsrevealed.
A searchable database of chemical use reports filed with the Washington State Department of Ecology is available at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/cspa/search.html.
For more information for boomer consumers, see my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.


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Ben Nelson Latest Elected Official to Ask Catholic Bishops to Give Their Approval to US Law
Just in case you had any doubt about the direct--and I mean direct--intervention of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in curtailing women's rights in US health reform legislation, here is the latest evidence of how some representatives are working at what appears to be the behest of the bishops. Ben Nelson is holding a Senate Stupak Amendment until the Bishops "have time to review it."
Just in case you had any doubt about the direct–and I mean direct–intervention of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in curtailing women's rights in US health reform legislation, here is the latest evidence of how some representatives are working at what appears to be the behest of the bishops.
Congressional Quarterly reports:
Ben Nelson hardened his stance on abortion language Thursday, stating
he would not vote for a health care overhaul unless the bill's proposed
restrictions on insurance coverage for abortions are tightened. [Though] he had said earlier in the week that abortion language was not a make-or-break proposition in the debate.
If the Stupak Amendment is not passed, Nelson has stated he will join a Republican filibuster against the bill.
Sex. Abortion. Parenthood. Power.
The latest news, delivered straight to your inbox.
Without Nelson, Reid will need at least one Republican to reach the 60
votes he needs to limit debate on the health care overhaul and bring it
to a vote. The likeliest candidate is Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, who
voted for a version of the legislation approved by the Finance
But to win their votes Reid will have to:
yield to Snowe's demands on another contentious issue in the health care debate: the government-run insurance plan, known as the "public option," that many Democrats want to create to compete with private insurers. Snowe is skeptical of the proposal and has said she will support a public option only if it is structured as a fallback, triggered solely in the event that private insurers fail to offer coverage considered affordable.
Discussions are underway to reach a compromise position in creating a public option similar in some respects to the plan Snowe has outlined.
Nelson and Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) appear to have engaged in a sort of pissing match on who owns the strategy of taking away women's rights in the Senate bill.
Nelson reportedly wanted to offer his amendment this week, but held off after Hatch said he thought that the measure was being rushed to the floor. Why? Because Hatch wanted his name to be first.
Hatch had expected to be the lead sponsor of the amendment, and he said he thought it was "discourteous" that Nelson was preparing — apparently at the behest of his leadership — to call up the amendment without Hatch's consent.
To be fair, Hatch was "there" first. He offered a version of the Stupak Amendment to the evolving health reform bill in committee this past summer. It failed.
For his part, Nelson said that the amendment's language was not finished, and that groups opposed to abortion — notably the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — needed more time to review it.
So there we are ladies: Your lives in the hands of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a small group of men who don't even represent the majority of their own faith much less the majority of Americans.
And the Senators in question are not even shy about admitting it.


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YvaYoga is a community studio for anyone curious to start a yoga or meditation practice. It is a space free of judgment where compassion and kindness lead the practice. We also offer fitness classes.
Classes are based in breath-synchronized movement and growth of body structure awareness. Postures come step by step in a personalized manner to assist one with their own transformations.
Self-understanding through personalized progressions offer a process which allows you to cross your limits, safely break from comfort zones.
Semi-private group classes provided for corporate offices, co-op or condominium studios and private gyms. We will come to your space. Class options include Barre, Fitness Classes, Pilates Mat, Yoga and Zumba. If need be, we can assist your choice & purchase of any necessary equipment for your space.
Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT)
MAT is a strength and mobility assessment system which we employ to help clients better identify and understand their specific exercise and yoga asana needs. In a class setting, while many may attempt the same yoga posture, no two individuals will achieve the position in exactly the same way. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and MAT helps individuals to identify and prepare their body for the activities they wish to engage in based on their specific strength & flexibility needs.
● Improvements in attitude
● Improved body awareness
● Better self observance
● Breath Control
● Improved appetite and digestion
● Better posture, stability and mobility
● Enhanced senses
"Such beautiful space filled with beautiful proper! Thank you." Martina
Feel free to contact us with any questions or inquiries, or to learn more about our class schedules.
285 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11205, United States
08:00 am – 08:30 pm
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Entertainment Internet Tech News
YouTube Launches Fundraising Tools for Charity
YouTube has launched YouTube Giving, a suite of tools designed to help YouTubers and viewers raise money for charity. All but one of the YouTube Giving tools are being launched in beta, so these features are likely to evolve over time based on results.
Plenty of YouTubers The YouTube Starter Kit: 20 YouTubers Worth Watching There's a treasure trove of original content on YouTube. However, it's difficult to know where to begin. Let us help you with our list of 20 YouTubers that form the perfect YouTube starter kit. Read More already align themselves to charities, normally for causes close to their hearts. They're then able to leverage their audiences to raise money for those charities. YouTube Giving is YouTube giving YouTubers support to accomplish that.
The Four Elements of YouTube Giving
As explained on the YouTube Creator Blog, there are four elements to YouTube Giving:
Fundraisers are exactly what you'd expect. They allow YouTubers and U.S.-registered nonprofits to create fundraising campaigns alongside their videos. Viewers can donate via a "Donate" button, with YouTube managing the logistics and payment processing.
Community Fundraisers are the same thing, expect multiple YouTubers can host the same fundraiser. This basically pools YouTubers' resources, allowing them to team up to collectively raise funds for good causes. Again, YouTube manages the back-end stuff.
Announcing: Super Chat for Good! Creators in US & CA can now use Super Chat to raise funds for non-profits! 100% proceeds automatically routed. More details: https://t.co/djGeYpKZV8
— BarbaraEMac ? (@BarbaraEMac) August 30, 2018
Campaign Matching is tied to Fundraisers and Community Fundraisers. As the name suggests, it allows the creators of those to receive matching pledges. These will be displayed within the fundraiser in order to inspire others to donate money.
Super Chat for Good is the same Super Chat you may already be familiar with, but with money made from purchases going directly to a nonprofit of the YouTuber's choosing. As with normal Super Chats, these will be available on live streams and Premiere videos.
YouTube Giving Is a Work in Progress
YouTube Giving is currently a work in progress, and therefore only available to a small percentage of YouTubers. However, YouTube states it will "listen to your feedback on these beta features and continue to expand access to more creators."
YouTube isn't the only way to give money or resources to charity. You can use these apps and websites to give money to charity 7 Apps and Websites to Help You Give Money to Charity Give more money to charity and become a more engaged human citizen by using these 7 apps and websites. Read More , and there are some amazing Christmas charities 5 Online Christmas Charities You Can Donate To The are other ways to give when you are unable to volunteer your time during Christmas. Here are five Christmas charities where you can make a difference with a small donation. Read More to donate to. You can even mine cryptocurrency for charity Donate Spare CPU Cycles and Mine Cryptocurrency for Charity You can now donate to a charity of your liking just by leaving a browser tab open all the time! Read More these days!
Image Credit: Tom Small/Flickr
Related topics: Charity, YouTube.
Affiliate Disclosure: By buying the products we recommend, you help keep the site alive. Read more.


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City of ClaremontHome Menu
Social Services
If you, a family member, or someone you know is in need of a helping hand, refer to following resources:
| Type of Service
|Resource Directories
Community Resource Directory [PDF]
This is general list of food, clothing, shelter, utility relief, employment, health care, legal, and financial education resources for families and seniors in Claremont and surrounding areas.
Adult Living Options [PDF]
A listing of senior apartments, assisted living, skilled nursing, home, health, adult day care, and hospice in the Claremont area.
|Case Management, Resources & Referrals
A variety of resources and referrals are offered to seniors and families in the Claremont community regarding age-related concerns:
Joslyn Center
L.A. County Food Bank
The L.A. County Food Bank distributes FREE food to qualified seniors; food is prepared to meet the specific nutritional needs of senior citizens.
Call the Food Bank to Apply: (323) 234-3030 ext. 168
Joslyn Center
Monday of each month
|Inland Valley Hope Partners Food Pantry and Family Stabilization Program
Inland Valley Hope Partners Food Pantry and Family Stabilization Program provides food, shelter and supportive services to the Community.
Joslyn Center
Community Emergency Fund
One-time emergency funds are available for Claremont seniors and families experiencing difficulty paying their rent/mortgage or utilities bills due to an emergency or crisis. The money for this fund comes solely from donations and is not federally funded.
Applications are accepted Monday - Thursday at the Joslyn Center.
Contact the Joslyn Center for more information.
Phone Assurance Line (PAL)
Available to seniors who are:
Volunteers make daily telephone calls to eligible seniors who live alone to offer socialization and monitor their well-being. In addition, these seniors have easy access to the services provided by the Claremont Senior Program, which contributes to a good quality of life.
Contact the Joslyn Center for more information.
Free Legal Services For Low-Income Seniors
Legal services are available to low-income seniors. Both Bet Tzedek and Neighborhood Legal Services are scheduled at Palomares Senior Center one day a month.
To make an appointment, call Palomares Senior Center at 909-620-2324.
Meals On Wheels
This is a private, nonprofit, all-volunteer organization and community service, delivering nutritious hot midday meals, Monday through Friday, to people living independently but who are unable to shop/cook for themselves and who have no alternative source of meals.
For more information, call 909-621-4018 or visit www.claremontmealsonwheels.org.
Postal Alert
There are some older residents and disabled persons in Claremont who have no family or friends who can routinely check on their welfare. This program is designed to identify those who may need that extra contact or help.
For more information, call the Claremont Police Department at 909-399-5411.
AgingNext (formerly Community Senior Services)
AgingNext is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect people, information, resources, and communities to enrich the lives of older adults. Programs and services include:


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INMARSAT IsatPhone 2
IsatPhone 2 is a global satellite mobile phone provided by Inmarsat. You can also use voice messages, short messages, e-mail, GPS position information, etc. In addition to being equipped with the longest battery among our handled satellite telephones (as of January 2017), talk time (up to about 8 hours), standby time (maximum about 160 hours), large color LCD, impact resistant With sex IK04 (Note 2), waterproof / dust-proof IP65 (Note 4) and tough design, you can easily and conveniently operate with a large keypad that can be dialed even with gloves.
※ This product is a corporate only terminal. We do not offer to individual customers.
Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 network image
Inmarsat service is available from Inmarsat satellite mobile phone.
INMARSAT satellite mobile phone INMARSAT IsatPhone 2
※ "IsatPhone 2" is a trademark or registered trademark of Inmarsat Global Limited.
The are two modes available - formal and informal. It is possible to easily switch between the two modes, with no need for a manual, to ensure that the functionality is appropriate for your meeting,.
- Formal mode: useful for formal meetings that require a showing of hands and agreeing on meeting notes etc.
- Informal mode: useful for casual meetings in small groups where particpiants can write notes without need for show of hands etc.
Smart and smooth synchronous document display
- Smart: memo-taking, document marking as well as zoom functions are displayed synchronously on all devices.
- Smooth: make memos on devices in a user-friendly manner.
Device authentication for high security
Realize high security by using dedicated user IDs/passwords as well as device authentication which only allows access from pre-registered devices. Store meeting documents on servers so data is not kept on individual devices, further reducing the risk of information leakage.
Operation Environment
Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (recommended)
Windows 8 Desktop [1]
CPU Dual Core minimum 2GHz, Core i5 2.3GHz (recommended)Memory minimum 2GB, 4GB (recommended)
Image size
Dual Core2GHz and more (minimum), Core i5 2.3GHz (recommended)
Web browser
2GB and more (minimum), 4GB (recommended)
WXGA (1280×720) or higher resolution
- *[1] Professional edition (or higher) of each OS
Smart Device
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 7 and higher, Apple Safari
TeleOffice exclusive software (install is available without administrative right). Net 3.5, Silverlight 4.1
iOS 5.1, iOS 6.0 and higher (iPad and iPhone [2])
Android 3.0 and higher (Android tablet [3])
Android 2.3 and higher (Android smartphone)
TeleOffice exclusive software (download from each OS marketplace)
Network Environment
Connection by internet
Internet access is required for TeleOffice to work.
- *We can propose connectivity solutions if desired.
Network bandwidth
Upload 300k-1Mbps and Download 500k-2Mbps per terminal
- *Time to upload / download documents and video resolution may vary based on available bandwidth
Port opening
We recommend opening the following ports.
- *Please set the UDP timeout on the network interface to be as long as possible


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How Plants Could Impact Global Warming
Biodiversity influences climate at local, regional and global levels, yet most climate models do not take biodiversity into consideration because its variables and effects are too diverse and complex to compute. Two recent studies, however, demonstrate the importance of being able to consider the response of vegetation to elevated levels of carbon dioxide in climate models as we try to predict our climate future.
Scientists at the Carnegie Institution for Science found that carbon dioxide's direct effects on vegetation contribute to global warming. Through the pores called stomata in their leaves, plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that they use for photosynthesis. They then give off water through the stomata in a process called evapotranspiration which cools the plant just as perspiration cools human beings. Evapotranspiration also cools the surrounding air—a tree can transpire up to ten gallons of water on a hot day. But when carbon dioxide levels increase, plants' stomata shrink, releasing less water into the air and reducing the cooling effect.
Carnegie scientists Long Cao and Ken Caldeira doubled the level of carbon dioxide in their model and found that globally the reduced evapotranspiration was responsible for 16 percent of the land warming; the rest was due to CO2's heat-trapping effects. In North America and Asia, more than 25 percent of the warming was due to the impact of increased CO2 on vegetation. "There is no longer any doubt that carbon dioxide decreases evaporative cooling by plants and that this decreased cooling adds to global warming," said Cao. "This effect would cause significant warming even if carbon dioxide were not a greenhouse gas."
Another effect of the doubled CO2 is increased runoff from the land as more precipitation bypasses the plant's evapotranspiration system and makes its way directly into streams and rivers.
The Carnegie study did not take into consideration other effects of increased carbon dioxide such as an increase in leaf area, variations in vegetative distribution and resulting changes in albedo (the reflectivity of Earth's surfaces which affects how much solar radiation is absorbed). These aspects were fixed in their model. But they cited earlier research on increased CO2 that showed that cooling due to increased leaf area produced an overall cooling effect over land, and that a decrease in albedo due to the expansion of coniferous forests resulted in land warming.
"These results really show that how plants respond to carbon dioxide is very important for making good climate predictions," said Caldeira. "So if we want to improve climate predictions, we need to improve the representation of land plants in the climate models.
A new NASA study that did take plant growth into consideration found that doubling the level of CO2 resulted in a cooling effect. The model used by Lahouari Bounoua of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., was innovative in its consideration of a reaction that plants have to increased CO2 called "down-regulation." Down-regulation is the process that enables plants to use water and nutrients more efficiently when there is increased CO2, so that they are able to maintain previous levels of photosynthesis, which can ultimately boost leaf growth.
The increased leaf area resulted in more evapotranspiration globally, and thus created a cooling effect. The amount of cooling in the study measured -0.6 degrees C (-1.1 F) over land, compared to models that didn't include down-regulation.
Bounoua stressed, however, that the cooling was not enough to offset the warming trends that are predicted.
Climate models usually factor in a doubling of CO2 to simulate global warming, and scientists generally agree that under this scenario, temperatures would increase from 2 to 4.5 degrees C (3.5 to 8.0 F). Bounoua's model found a warming of 1.94 degrees C globally without the inclusion of down-regulation. The range in temperature results from unknowns about various "feedbacks," i.e. how the various systems on Earth such as clouds, plant growth, methane release, the water cycle, albedo, etc. might respond to warming and interact with each other.
Bounoua and her colleagues also looked at how plant growth is stimulated by warmer temperatures, increased precipitation in some areas, and the plants' more efficient use of water and nutrients when CO2 is doubled. The results suggest that in the long term, increases in vegetation due to elevated CO2 might reduce temperatures after CO2 levels stabilize.
"As we learn more about how these systems react, we can learn more about how the climate will change," said the study's co-author Forrest Hall. "Each year we get better and better."
New climate models are being designed to consider dynamic global vegetation that allows plant types to shift interactively with climate, and ecosystem demography that accounts for how communities of diverse plants might respond to climate change over time.
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"A new NASA study that did take plant growth into consideration found that doubling the level of CO2 resulted in an overall cooling effect." That's a misleading sentence. If you say "an overall cooling effect", it sounds like you mean that when all known processes are taken into account, the overall effect of doubling CO2 is to cool the planet! But that's not what you mean. Indeed later you write "Bounoua stressed, however, that the cooling was not enough to offset the warming trends that are predicted." Otherwise, a great article! I don't mean to nitpick, but some so-called "climate… Read more »
Ever thought someone could invent us posts or like that of lamp posts that can spray water/mist on the streets to give us some coolness in the air?
And other than that some of us [url=http://thinkrant.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/global-warming]always wear sunblock[/url], we could just wear coats that give us some cooling effect from underneath those cloth like that of plants? Because wearing sunblock also can destroy our skin.
Just having some wild ideas after reading this. It's the first time I heard about plants having the ability of "evapotranspiration". It wasn't taught to us when we were in primary school.
There is no longer any doubt that carbon dioxide decreases evaporative cooling by plants and that this decreased cooling adds to global warming," said Cao. "This effect would cause significant warming even if carbon dioxide were not a greenhouse gas
I'm confused. I thought that with increased temperatures, stomata will be closed to prevent water loss, therefore reducing the evapotranspiration effect. So how can there be a cooling affect in a tropical rainforest? Whereas a boreal forest has a warming affects?
Hi, I Wld like to understand why would the plants' stomata shrink with increase level of CO2?
"But when carbon dioxide levels increase, plants' stomata shrink, releasing less water into the air and reducing the cooling effect."
Thank you.
In another website, it had said that when there is a lot of CO2 the plants defense systems against insects are less and some plants lose their ability to photosynthesize. Does this do with the shrinking of stomata?
water vapor is the largest greenhouse gas responsible for much, much more than CO2
You lie by omission. Higher CO2 levels are increasing plant density and range. You can see it now by comparing satellite images of the African deserts over recent years. Plants THRIVE at these higher levels. Have you not considered that the shrinking stomata and reduction in evapotranspiration represent increased efficiency of the photosynthetic process? This increased plant coverage certainly will result in lower albedo, but the energy is not released as heat in the troposphere. It is converted into energy (biomass). You do a great disservice to your field of study by ignoring and even vilifying those who question your… Read more »
thanks for providing information about climate change
we are conducting conference on plant science and molecular biology on may 18-19,2020
we will provide more information about plant disease and natural culture and plant tissue culture etc…………… on our conference subject expertise will come and join our conference
for details feel free to contact us we will provide you more information on our conference
conference email id :email@example.com
best regards
Luis Fonsi
As a potential solution, has any engineering been attempted to manipulate plants to take in more CO2 and produce more oxygen by genetic engineering?
nice information
we are conducting a conference on plant science and molecular biology conference on May 18-19,2020 in New Zealand


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Hey ho!
I wanna create an XML file which will be in UNICODE format, otherwise EXCEL won't read the local diacritic chars (e.g "ń", "ś", "ć" etc). The chars are in the file after generation but due to some reason EXCEL does not understand it as a compatible XML format. I always need to open the file in notepad manually and change the coding from ANSI to UNICODE (just save as UNICODE) and only then i can open it in EXCEL.
Is there any way of doing this already when the file is created in my program ?
I use this:
I tried CreateFileW as well as e.g. _T(filename) but the file is always generated as ANSI...Code:HANDLE plik = CreateFile( filename, GENERIC_WRITE, 0, NULL, CREATE_ALWAYS, 0, NULL );
any idea?
would be grateful for any hint.


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Another 90 days in the books and a lot to report on!
We activated another $9.0MM of client investments, including the addition of two new private LP investments.
- Mid-market lending with an immediate 11.1% return, and subsequent 7.77% annual cash flow.
- A roll-up of the waste management industry, currently paying out 8.7%, and targeting 15%+ per year long-term return.
We were able to initiate 65 new placements for clients, while also increasing the avg club member to $67K per year of cash flow.
Our first successful exit is on the horizon within the next 3-6 months – stay tuned!
Finally, we are working hard behind the scenes to create and offer our own direct funds in early 2018.
LGA IncomePlus Funds will reduce costs, improve diversification, include bespoke investment opportunities, and enhance returns.
Check back in to see our progress…
…or better yet, come start your own cash flow machine by clicking here: Contact Us
(Inside Scoop: We have 5 currently open funds closing in the next 3-4 months – hurry if you'd like to get in before it is too late!)
Lotus Club Program Highlights (90 day progress)
- 76 Club Members with $0.7 billion of net worth (3 new Members)
- 463 total private placements (65 new placements)
- $50.6 million of private investments ($9.0 million added)*
- $5.12 million of annual cash flow (up $0.61 million)
- $67K of annual cash flow per Member (up $5K per member)
* LotusGroup now manages over $120 million in assets across both private and public strategies
If you'd like to learn more about joining Lotus Club and whether you qualify, please complete and submit our simple form here:
If you know of someone else who would like to get on our mailing list, just have them send their email to [email protected] and we will start sharing deals and details.


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I miss my bike. I've logged a remarkably low number of miles this summer, especially compared to last year.
It's a result of a confluence of factors. I've been traveling, both for fun and work. I've had a lot of other activities – comics conventions, relatives visiting, and parties. On the weekends I didn't have anything planned, we had rolling thunderstorms. And of course, there's been multiple mishaps with my bike. In the beginning of the season, the lock on my bike broke, leaving it stranded in Bethesda, and lately I've had a slew of flat tires. I'm still terribly slow at fixing flats, so I need a good half-hour of daylight to get it done. I thought I had fixed the most recent one after I pulled out a tack, but then it flatted again less than a mile into the ride. Perhaps most importantly, I wasn't training for anything. Last summer, I had two different major rides for which I needed to maintain a minimal level of fitness. This year, nothing was motivating me except my own desire to get on the bike.
Until now, it's been a low-level frustration. I'll occasionally think, "Wow, I haven't ridden in forever." Or if I'm feeling guilty, "I'm a terrible cyclist for taking so long to fix my bike." In fact, I haven't written about it because I'm a bit ashamed. Perhaps the Bike Blogging Police will take away my license.
But in the past few days, it's developed into more of an existential ache, like something is physically wrong. I've felt more tired, even though I've had the same level of sleep deprivation as usual. I haven't had enough exposure to nature. Even though I walk to the Metro every morning, I'm not awake enough to appreciate the natural world. My base level is more grumpy and stressed. Even yoga is less enjoyable, less meditative. I have bicycle withdrawal and the symptoms are only getting worse.
So I've committed to fixing the problem. This week, my bicycle will be enjoying some quality R&R. I tried to drop it off this weekend, but they were full up, so we'll do it on Tuesday instead. I hope that will resolve the fact that I haven't been able to put the bike in its hardest gear for about a month. They'll also be able to repair my tire problem, which just inspires groaning every time I think about doing it. I know I should learn to fix flat tires more efficiently, but when you're actually revved up for riding is a terrible time to practice.
I hope I can go for a bike ride again soon. Now, I realize that you appreciate the benefits of biking the most when you aren't doing it.
Have you gone through a period when you haven't rode and missed it terribly? What got you started again?


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Benderloch and Appinisle of lismore in the distance
Five miles short of Oban in the village of Connel, you find the impressive canilevered bridge over the entrance to Loch Etive and above the Falls of Lora. This is the road that leads North to Ballachulish, Appin and Fort William, but first it leads to the beautiful area of Benderloch. The first landmark is the North Connel Oban airport, before you find the Ledaig caravan park. It is worth coming here if only for the most idyllic setting from which to watch the sunsets over the Firth of Lorn towards Mull, perfectly framed by Dunstaffnage castle to your left and the Isle of Lismore to your right. After Ledaig, you enter the village of Benderloch with its useful village general store which accesses the Tralee penninsula, (and the Karting track) before the road takes you to the Sea Life Centre and on to Barcaldine and Appin, the gateway to Lismore. Benderloch in many ways has much more to recommend it as an area to visit than Oban town in that you feel more connected to the stunning rugged beauty of the West.
Ancient Castles
There are two great ancient castles in the Benderloch and Appin area: Dunstaffnage Castle and Castle Stalker. The later requires you to book on a tour as you have to be taken over a short stretch of water by boat.
There are a couple of decent gardens worth visiting in the Benderloch and Appin area: Ardchattan Priory and Garden, Kinlochlaich House Gardens, with its associated plant centre and Druimavuic House gardens.
Tourist Attractions
Private House Stays recommends the beauty spot of Glen Dubh, the walks on Beinn Lora, the Argyll Pottery, and a couple of attractions for entertaining children in The Oban Sealife Centre, Tralee Rally Karting and The Bonawe Iron Furnace.
Popular Properties
Druimneil House
Druimniel House is in a beautiful location on the coast of Appin, north of Creran as it meets the sea. Druimneil House was built in 1850 and has many off the original features. - Find out more


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A gas cell filled with argon gas under pressure is placed in a tightly focused laser beam to provide a limiter for laser pulses above a certain peak power, corresponding to the optical breakdown threshold for the creation of a laser-induced plasma. Measurements of the threshold intensity as a function of argon gas pressure are given for a laser wavelength of 1.064 μm (Nd:YAG) and a pulse length of 6.4 ns. Threshold intensities for optical breakdown in fused silica were measured with the same optical system, enabling a relative comparison of breakdown thresholds, of interest for protecting fused-silica optical components in fiber-optic delivery systems for laser material processing applications. The threshold intensity was measured to 220 GW/cm2 in Ar at 1.0 × 105 N/m2 (1 atm), 80 GW/cm2 in Ar at 8.0 × 105 N/m2 (7.9 atm), and 55 GW/cm2 in fused silica. Even though the threshold in argon is higher than that in fused silica, the limiter will protect the optical components if the laser beam is focused to a tighter spot in the gas cell than at the input end of the fiber.
© 2003 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
OSA Recommended Articles
N. T. Nguyen, A. Saliminia, W. Liu, S. L. Chin, and R. Vallée
Opt. Lett. 28(17) 1591-1593 (2003)
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Appl. Opt. 42(30) 5971-5977 (2003)
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Appl. Opt. 29(15) 2303-2306 (1990)


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September 17, 2015
Finally, a new case. You started to wonder what happened to ghosts and paranormal creatures in the past weeks because there were no incidents. At least till now. You got a call a few hours ago, an abandoned house is being haunted by an evil spirit. The workers can't go in and start the work until the ghost is there. It throws objects at them. Go there and smash that ghost. This is what you're good at and this is what you do for a living. However, it's true you don't get to work every day so sometimes you have to save up your money, but it's fine. Let's go to work!


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You're Listening to LikeFlint Radio!
About LFR
LikeFlint Radio (LFR) is a Christian podcast show that examines both historical and current paradigms from a Biblical perspective, drawing its hosts from FutureQuake South Africa (FQSA), FutureQuake Southern Hemisphere (FQSH) and American Amnesia.
Our shows focus on topics, which at their core, all have a theological, philosophical or historical theme.
LikeFlint Radio is part of the Revelations Radio Network. | more
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Weather-Pro Weather Stations are a tool for the observation and recording of meteorological data. The stations can monitor air temperature, humidity, pressure, light intensity, wind speed and wind direction. With the addition of optional probes, the stations can also monitor rainfall, leaf wetness, ground temperature, Soil moisture and others. Updated April 2014.
Hover over or click on parts of this image.
With the Weather-Pro-Gsm the data is sent to the weather-pro web site every 5 minutes and stored in a database on
the web. This can then be viewed at any time using a PC, laptop, Tablet or Smartphone.
The station can be configured using text messaging and alarms can be setup to send text messages to specified phones.
With the Weather-Pro-Rf, communication is via a radio link to a local PC using a USB radio dongle.
The computer or Weather-Pro application can be stopped leaving the station
to record historic data autonomosly. At any time the computer can be reconnected to display
meteorological data in real time, show trends and download the historic data.
Historic data can be listed, graphed, exported and analysed from statistical and periodic reports.