text:
(CNN) - One year after President Barack Obama signed the health care reform bill into law, a new national poll indicates that attitudes toward the plan have not budged.
According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday, on the one year anniversary of the signing of the law, a majority continue to oppose the measure, but some of the opposition is from Americans who think the law is not liberal enough.
Thirty-seven percent of Americans support the measure, with 59 percent opposed. That's basically unchanged from last March, when 39 percent supported the law and 59 percent opposed the measure.
"It's worth remembering that opposition to the bill came from both the left and the right last year, and that has not changed either," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "In 2010, about a quarter of the health care bill's opponents disliked the bill because it was not liberal enough - the same as today. That works out to 13 percent of all Americans who oppose the bill because it did not go far enough. Forty-three percent oppose it because it was too liberal."
The passage of health care reform was seen as the signature domestic achievement of the president's first two years in office. The law was a major issue in the midterm elections and with many Republicans continuing to push to either repeal or defund the plan, health care will most likely remain a very important issue in the 2012 election.
There are two ways to look at the poll's overall numbers. One is that 59 percent oppose the law. The second is that if you add the 13 percent who oppose the law because it's not liberal enough to the 37 percent that support the law, you come up with 50 percent of the American people who disagree with the Republican leadership on the issue. The GOP gained control of the House and many state houses and legislatures in the November election on the basis, many experts said, of their strong opposition to what they said was "government controlled health care."
In what was seen as a largely symbolic move, the GOP controlled House voted earlier this year to repeal the law. At the same time, a number of legal cases that aim to overturn the measure are advancing through the federal court system.
With all this in mind, the poll continues to indicate a partisan divide, but also a gender gap among people who oppose the health care law.
"Men and women dislike the new health care law in equal measure, but not necessarily for the same reasons," Holland says. "Nearly all men who oppose the law do so because it is too liberal. But a third of the women who dislike the law feel that way because it is not liberal enough."
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey was conducted March 18-20, with 1,012 people questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.
Two other polls released in the past week, by Gallup and Kaiser Family Foundation, also indicate that Americans are divided over the health care law.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
This is just one poll...There are many polls that say just the opposite. I wish the far left would go away for a while. They are a bain to those of us in the middle.
As much as the people at CNN wish opinions would have changed about Obamacare, they are forced to admit that the polls continue to show the American people solidly oppose this law. The Democrats were soundly beaten in the mid-terms on the promise to controll spending and the growth of the govt, including the repeal or major change to Obamacare.
Nancy Pelosi infamously said "We will have to pass the bill to see whats in it" . Well now that the public has seen the empty promises unfufilled and all the shady deals for the Dems union supporters and of course the false accounting of the costs it will never earn any more support.
Since only 46% oppose the healthcare legislation out right, you can concluded that the majority of American's want all to have acces to health care. 39% support the bill and the other 13% would support it if it went further in scope. That's 52% folks. Americans DO want this change!
A poll like this is pretty useless, because it makes no attempt to find out how knowledgeable respondents are about the law. All we are seeing are based on what people think they know and/or what they have heard. If people are basing their opinions on false or erroneous assumptions as to what the law says or does, then what does this tell us, and why should anyone regard these opinions as "meaningful"? More likely, the poll may tell us which (mis)information/propaganda machine has been more effective.
This bill was a turkey then, and is still a turkey.
OK, according to the CNN Research Poll 37% approved and 59% opposed, so please tell me how this was passed with everyone in mind, that is Bull. You have less that 40% getting what they want and the other 55 +% paying for it. I don't have a problem helping people get H/Care, but they have to do their part, we can't have people sitting around waiting on everyone else to do the work so they don't have to. We have got to put a stop to all this free-loading. Call me what ever you want, but if you take time to think about it, you might see that I am right. Before you judge me, yes I have lost a job, had to do whatever i could to provide for my wife and (2) small children, so don't give me the "I can't find a job" bit.


text:
Tuesday's NPR round-up: Cheaters never win, but they sure have FUN!!!
May 8, 2012 Comments Off on Tuesday's NPR round-up: Cheaters never win, but they sure have FUN!!!
I don't know who coined the phrase, "Cheaters never win." It was obviously someone who was never elected to office, never practiced law, never worked in banking, never submitted reimbursement requests to MediCare, never was married, or never won the TdF.
To make it strictly accurate, the phrase should be re-worked to say, "Cheaters didn't win on the NPR today."
We had a huge group at the Pier including the usual suspects: G$, Mighty Mouse, New Girl, Bull, Heeleys Dad & Jr., USC John, Fireman, Suze, Cary, Scott Apartmentsyndicate, Gooseman, Chris D., Kramer, Wolfeman, Lisa C., and guest appearances by Roadchamp, DJ, Damien "The Omen," and on and on and on. And on.
Everyone began yelling "Bike path!!" on roll-out, so we stomped up the hill instead and took the Alleyway of Death just to be contrarian. The usual barely-caffeinated drivers backing out of their garages, runners stepping off curbs, huge potholes, and blind roadway entrances kept things lively until we hit Vista del Mar. As the nice 2×2 formation gradually ratcheted up the pace, G$ rolled to the fore and ordered that the pace be cut so that people could catch back on.
I hung my head, scolded, and retreated towards the back. It was a big-ass group.
It's a new sport called Dodgecar
The mechanics of the NPR are kind of funny, because in addition to picking up people along Vista del Mar, once we bend right to go up Pershing there's always a big group of 20-40 people camped out in the parking lot waiting for us to come by. They are stopped. In a parking lot. Unclipped. Around a blind corner. At the bottom of a hill.
We are single file. Coming down a long, fast grade. Through a green light. At about 30.
If we hit the red light, it gives the campers a chance to adjust their maxi-pads, apply the final coat of lip gloss, clip in, and then get started up the hill so that when our light turns green they can meld with the group. If we hit the green light, there is pandemonium worthy of a soccer match between pre-schoolers. Leaping on bikes, flailing cleats clicking into chains instead of pedals, curses, shouts, wobbly starts in the wrong gear, swerving bikes at 5 mph veering out of the parking lot into the middle of the 30 mph swarm…in short, it's the kind of early morning clusterfuck that makes you glad you're on your bike, and makes you determined to be the clusterfucker rather than the clusterfuckee.
This morning, having been relegated by G$, I nosed towards the fore as we approached the light. Red. Just before I touched the brakes…hallelujah!!…GREEN! I mashed it hard as a lumbering SUV in front of me turned on its right-hand blinker. So far so good, but there was nowhere for it to turn, except into the parking lot of campers, who were now wildly flailing to exit and hook onto the tail of the missile.
I easily cruised around the car, but it scrubbed off the 60 or so riders behind me except for Roadchamp and Bull.
Vapor, rolling out of the parking lot at a standstill, was none too pleased. "Hey, wankers! Be careful! And quit attacking while we're stopped!"
Don't piss off the dude who rides tempo at 32
By the time I got to the top of the small hill, I'd been joined by Roadchamp, Bull, Seanergy, and Suze. The Sho-Air dude from a couple of weeks ago was parked on the side of the road, glumly eyeing us as he changed a flat. We pounded on.
At the overpass, the pack was in another county. Roadchamp and Bull were taking gnarly pulls from hell. Seanergy was working. I was wondering how they had spotted my testicles lying in the road while we were going so fast, yet still managed to stop, pick them up, and them stuff them down my throat. Which made breathing hard.
When we hit the Parkway, Sho-Air Shawshank redeemed himself, and then some. He began pulling so hard that our tiny group could barely rotate around him, much less match his speed. Shawshank now had the bit between his teeth, and we had a breakaway. As with other completely futile fantasies grounded in an unfirm grasp of reality, we thought it might stick. No break has ever stuck from the beginning of the NPR.
Come on baby, light my fire
Meanwhile, back in the pack, Vapor was pissed. We'd blitzed him by surprise (though in my own very, very weak defense I always mash it up Pershing) and now we had a huge gap with some horsepower. Vapor began taking pulls that were so fast and sick that Fireman reported entire lungs being coughed up from those unlucky enough to be on his wheel. If you've ever done Tim Roach's Hour of Power at the velodrome and had Vapor show up, you'll know what this was like. The dude can go harder and faster and longer than anything without an internal combustion engine. And when he decides to pour on the coal, the combustion is what happens behind him.
Fortunately, our little cadre of cheaters was soon joined by other cheating wankers. Tree Perkins, who'd been out toodling around, hopped into our group and took a couple of pulls. Adam Tattooed Leg Dude got overhauled, hopped in, and helped out for a lap. Big fat Equipe wanker out for a Parkway pedal joined our team and almost sort of halfway kind of thought about maybe taking a pull before he quit.
And the entire way Roadchamp, Bull, Shawshank, and Seanergy were flogging the big meat harder than a teenage boy on his first visit to pornhub.com.
All good things must end. Bad things, too.
Just before the light at the beginning of the third lap, we all came together, ridden down by the efforts of Vapor and sub-efforts by some of his lieutenants, including G3, Austin Heeley, USC John, and G$. "Cheaters never win!" he yelled.
A spirited discussion between him and Roadchamp ensued. As the cheater-in-chief, I thought it best to keep rolling lest the donkey tail get pinned on me, where it mostly belonged. I glanced around and people looked destroyed. At that moment Mighty Mouse roared to the fore, and I could tell that she'd worn her very best dick-stomping boots to the party. Whatever sausages hadn't been speared and roasted, she proceeded to stomp to a fare the well.
The end was predictable. I made one last flailaway attempt that never even gained separation. The group was shot to shit, and hardly anyone had any gas at all in the finale, except for Vapor and Motorhead. Motorhead took the sprint with what looked like a nice lead-out from Vapor. I was so far back that the only way I got the results was from smoke signals.
Moral #1: Don't piss off Vapor with a sneaky, cheapass move and expect to stay away.
Moral #2: If you're hoping we'll start easy at the bottom of Pershing, you might be disappointed.
Moral #3: That taste of puke in your mouth at 7:30 AM? Well, it beats sitting in traffic.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This ProgBlog article by Make Mothers Matter, was a contribution to the Wikiprogress online consultation - "Reducing poverty is achievable: Finding those who are hidden by inequalities"
Care work is an essential dimension of human wellbeing. It encompasses indispensable domestic services within households, education and childcare, care of the sick, the disabled and the elderly, and services to communities.
Yet it remains, in the vast majority of countries, unrecognized both economically, legally and socially.
Time-use studies indicate that women bear at least 2/3 of the unpaid care work burden. As a result, women, and mothers in particular, suffer from "time-poverty" that prevents them from engaging in income generating activities. This devotion is often a necessity to compensate for the lack of social services available. All too often women have to give up paid work outside the house to care for an elderly or sick child. And in many areas unpaid work also has to compensate for the lack of public infrastructure (water and sanitation, energy, communications, transportation, health services…). Unpaid work is at the root of women's poverty and discrimination.
Still, Nobel Price Laureate Gary Becker famously stated:
"The mother at home raising her children makes a greater contribution to the economy than the father in the workplace" (1998 UN Conference on the Family).
Notwithstanding the recognition of its importance in the Beijing Conference outcome document, and the recommendation that states create "household satellite accounts" that include a valuation of unpaid work into GDP figures for a better indicator of development and wellbeing, unpaid care work remains hidden from most statistics.
It is therefore urgent that:
- countries agree both on a common time-use survey framework and a common valuation methodology that balance simplicity/cost of implementation and comprehensiveness/meaningfulness of results;
- the economic and social value of mothers' caring work for her family be better recognized;
- new statistics be taken into account in development policies, that could notably aim at reducing the burden of unpaid work through the implementation of better social policies and infrastructure.
An encouraging sign is that during the High Level Panel held at the UN during the Commission on the Status of Women on march 12th, many countries have expressed the desire and recommendation that unpaid care work be recognized in national statistics, namely GDP, to underscore its importance and value to society as a whole.
One way to accelerate progress would be to integrate unpaid work in the post 2015 agenda: the implementation of an unpaid work indicator would not only underscore its economic value but also point to its uneven distribution between men and women, forcing states to act.


text:
|Sochi 2014
Winter Games Athletes
A two-time world champion and the reigning Olympic silver medalist, Asada is a true icon in Japan and one of the favorites to win gold in Sochi. Asada is the fifth woman in history to land a triple axel in an international competition, and the risk associated with that rare move has made her a figure skating legend and one of her country's most popular athletes. She's finished off the podium just six times in 38 international tournaments, winning gold in 19 of those - including seven in eight events over the last two seasons. Asada has dominated the Japanese championships, winning six golds and three silvers from 2004-12. Her lone misstep of the past few years, though, came at nationals in December. Asada finished third behind fellow Olympians Akiko Suzuki and Kanako Murakami, and there's a belief that her signature triple axel is no longer the benefit that it used to be. Lately, she's either fallen, put her hands on the ice too soon or not completed the required 3 ½ rotations, hurting her overall score. She was landing the triple with regularity at the 2010 Vancouver Games - Asada nailed three overall, including two during her long program - but still couldn't come close to South Korean rival Kim Yu-na, who set a world record in cruising to the gold. That second-place finish has stuck with Asada for the past four years, and she has come back strong despite contemplating retirement after her mother's death in 2011. But improving on her silver from four years ago won't be easy with Yu-na again the favorite going in. Asada may have to land the triple axel multiple times to stand a chance at unseating Yu-na, but she'll absolutely be expected to finish on the podium again in what will be her last major competition before hanging up her skates for good.


text:
Recently, I was reading some of the readers' postings on this Web site. Some of these postings expressed fairly strong opinions about how one should best manage his or her diabetes. Of course, one of the many good things about living in the United States is our right to freedom of speech, and postings such as these certainly get people thinking. However, it's all too common for misconceptions about diabetes to abound. Whether it's the belief that eating sugar causes diabetes, or that starting on insulin can make you go blind, or that having to start taking diabetes pills or insulin means that you're a "bad diabetic," as a dietitian and diabetes educator, I feel compelled to set the record straight whenever I can.
So, what's the best way to control diabetes? When it comes to Type 1 diabetes, which accounts for 5% to 10% of all diabetes cases, that's a no-brainer. A person with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin to survive. His pancreas has—to put it
simply—"pooped out," meaning that it no longer makes enough insulin. Of course, a person with Type 1 diabetes has choices as to how he takes insulin. The choices nowadays range from the traditional vial and syringe to an insulin pen to an insulin pump to an inhaler. The future holds more possibilities for insulin delivery as well. People with Type 1 diabetes must still incorporate meal planning and physical activity into their daily management.
About 90% to 95% of people with diabetes have Type 2. But Type 2 diabetes is a little less clear-cut in terms of how it's best managed. The reason is that Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition. When someone is first diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the cornerstones of management are often, initially, what many health-care professionals term "diet and exercise," or, more appropriately, "lifestyle changes." In other words, a person in the early stages of Type 2 diabetes may be able to control his blood glucose levels nicely by following a carbohydrate- and calorie-controlled meal plan, losing some weight (if necessary), and fitting regular physical activity into his or her schedule. At this stage of the game, the body is still making enough insulin, and healthy eating and activity help the body use its own insulin quite efficiently.
Over time, however, diabetes progresses, and lifestyle changes simply aren't enough anymore to control blood glucose levels. At this point, a person with Type 2 diabetes will likely need to start taking medicine in addition to continuing with those healthy lifestyle changes. Medicine is usually in the form of one or more diabetes pills. Many people with Type 2 eventually go on to require insulin.
People with diabetes often feel like they've failed because they have to go on diabetes drugs. The truth is that their pancreases have failed them. It's not their fault. If you're looking to place the blame on someone, look to your family tree. Genetics plays a big factor in who gets Type 2 diabetes and who doesn't.
The natural course of Type 2 diabetes is for it to progress to a point where, if the person lives long enough, he or she will have to take insulin. No one is to blame, nor is eating that piece of cheesecake or failing to take a walk after supper. There's evidence that incorporating healthy lifestyle behaviors may stave off the need to take medicine or insulin for a while, and it's important for people with Type 2 diabetes to work with their health-care teams on these behaviors. But the bottom line is that Type 2 diabetes will eventually take its course. Family, friends, and coworkers can best help the person with Type 2 diabetes by being supportive and encouraging instead of being hurtful or disparaging.


text:
by Mark Montieth | firstname.lastname@example.com
February 16, 2013
var switchTo5x=true;stLight.options({publisher:'27ece164-32c3-401c-84c5-129105109cc2'});
This is Part Two of a two-part feature on Paul George. Read Part One »
His freshman season at Fresno, along with his play in a couple of summer camps that followed, enhanced his self-image and ambition. He averaged 14.3 points and 6.2 rebounds while hitting 45 percent of his three-pointers, which, given his raw athleticism, put him within the radar of NBA scouts. He stepped up his workouts following that season, obtaining the keys to the school's practice facility and going in for late-night work on his shooting and ball-handling.
Until then, the NBA had been a dream. He had always told his mother he was going to play in the league, but she shrugged it off as childhood fantasy. Now it was looking like a genuine possibility, but hardly a given. His sophomore season at Fresno brought improvement in most areas, as he averaged 16.8 points and 7.2 rebounds and shot 91 percent from the foul line, but his other shooting percentages dropped because defenses were more focused on him. Fresno finished just 15-18, and he was a second-team all-WAC selection, hardly an eye-catcher for NBA teams. It wasn't until he had a chance to show off his athleticism and skills in individual pre-draft workouts that he solidified his position within the first round.
Nobody figured him going to the Pacers, though. The various 2010 pre-draft reports pointed out that he had been turnover-prone, and some questioned his shot selection. A few even doubted his work ethic because of his laid-back demeanor. The consensus of the 12 leading mock drafts that year had him going 11th, and none had him going to the Pacers at 10. (Remember that when the next batch of mock drafts filter out in June and people start weighing in on mock draft picks.) George woke up on the morning of the draft in New York City expecting to have to go to work for Memphis or Toronto, who had the 12th and 13th picks.
Certainly Pacers president Larry Bird didn't tip his hand. Even within the organization, nobody knew who Bird would draft until he announced his decision. Bird doesn't just keep information such as that close to the vest, he internalizes it. An X-ray machine would be required to see it. "There's only two people who know who Larry's picking," assistant coach Dan Burke once joked. "Larry and God."
It turned out to be the savviest decision of Bird's run as team president. George is the first member of his draft class to be named to an All-Star team, although No. 1 pick John Wall might have done so if not for injuries. The players the draft "experts" had the Pacers taking that year - Gordon Hayward, Luke Babbitt, Epke Udoh, Ed Davis – have had varying levels of success in the NBA, but none have approached George's status as one of the best two-way players in the league. George leads the Pacers in scoring (17.6) and steals (1.8) and ranks second in rebounding (7.8) and assists (4.0). He also qualifies as a lock-down defender. For endorsements, check with Rudy Gay of Memphis and Toronto, who has hit 19-of-64 shots in three games against George's defense. Or Chicago's Luol Deng, who has hit 9-of-33 shots in two games. Or Houston's James Harden, who hit 5-of-19 in one game.
The only Pacer in franchise history who can match George as a two-way threat is Ron Artest, who averaged 18.3 points and was voted Defensive Player of the Year in the 2003-04 season. Artest, though, was not nearly the rebounder George has become, and self-destructed shortly after his lone All-Star season.
George, at 22, shows uncommon maturity and has years of upside remaining. But there have been growing pains. With Danny Granger, the leading scorer of the past five seasons out with a knee injury, George seemed uncertain how to handle himself offensively in the early going. He wasn't the team's only scoring threat and was playing with two former All-Stars in David West and Roy Hibbert. Should he charge ahead and show all he can do, or respect his elders and let the offense come to him? Was he being selfish if he drove the ball to the basket and tried to create, or merely assertive? It would take time to figure out.
One of George's defining characteristics is that he responds well to adversity. In college, he sprained an ankle and missed four games his sophomore season, then scored a career-high 30 points in his first game back against New Mexico State. This season he reached double figures in the first 11 games, but then scored just six points at Washington. He followed that by scoring a career-high 37 points, with nine three-pointers, in the following game against New Orleans. More recently, he scored just five points on 1-of-10 shooting against Brooklyn on Feb. 11, and responded with his first career triple-double against Charlotte heading into the All-Star break.
The ultimate comeback, however, came after his infamous scoreless outing in a loss at Golden State on Dec. 1. Rarely do NBA players have such concise turning points in a season, if not a career. George took just seven shots in that game, five of them three-pointers. He spent most of the game on the perimeter, waiting for opportunities to come to him. He sat with teammate Orlando Johnson on the red-eye flight home that night, and received some sage advice from the rookie.
"I told him you can never take yourself out of the game," Johnson said. "You're too great a player to limit yourself to what you do offensively. I told him not to settle as much, to get to the free throw line. I wanted him to be more aggressive and get free throws or something to get himself going instead of relying on that jump shot."
George's rebuttal was one of the best games of his career: 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting, along with nine rebounds and three steals, in a road win at Chicago. Before that happened, though, George had gone to work. He didn't sleep on the 4½ hour flight home, but fatigue hadn't dulled his anger. He drove straight from the airport to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse practice court, arriving about 7 a.m. With the help of a shooting "gun" that gathers shots in a net and kicks out rebounds, he put up 501 shots – not just three-pointers, but mid-range shots and free throws, too – and made 375 of them. He finally headed home about 9:30.
The success that followed in Chicago convinced him to change his pre-game preparation. He had been doing the standard thing until then, arriving early enough to get up shots, but he became Reggie-like from that point onward. He would be the first player in on game days and put up dozens and dozens of shots in a more structured fashion.
"I knew I needed to change the way I prepare for games," he recalled. "You hear about the guys who are great in this league and their work ethic. I felt I was doing the job an average player would do … but I want to be elite at this game. Whatever it takes, I was up to do it."
But will he be doing it when he's a graying or balding veteran, as Miller did?
"This is how I'll prepare for every game from here on out," George said matter-of-factly.
George has never met Miller, but Miller has been a vague presence and influence over the years. When George was a freshman and sophomore in high school and visiting Teiosha at Pepperdine in the summer, he would hang around the basketball arena. Occasionally he would peek through the curtain surrounding the concourse and watch Miller working out with Pepperdine's players. The memory of watching the veteran NBA star scrimmage and go through drills with the college kids stuck with him. Earlier this season, when he hit those nine three-pointers, breaking by one Miller's franchise record, on his way to 37 points in the win over New Orleans, Miller issued a congratulatory tweet to his 200,000-plus followers, adding "that's what I call ON FIRE!!!!!" And when Miller was in Bankers Life Fieldhouse to broadcast the Pacers' win over New York on Jan. 10, he told TNT viewers that George was "becoming the face of this franchise."
There's another way George reminds people of Miller. He leads by example rather than locker room declarations or pre-game speeches. Beyond that, he associates equally well with everyone on the team. That overnight flight conversation with Johnson was telling. He could have sought out David West or George Hill, or a coach, but he had his heart-to-heart with the second-round draft pick who had barely played to that point.
He's been that way since high school.
"He brought a real family feeling to our team," his high school coach, Hegre, said. "That had a lot to do with how close he was growing up with his family and what a positive impact they had on him. That kind of carried over to our team his senior year."
There's also another difference from Miller. Miller is shy by nature, but was edgy and emotional as a player and responded to the big stage like a sunflower to sunlight. It worked for him. George is less shy but also calmer and more accommodating. While Miller passed through side doors and back hallways to avoid the media, George takes it all in stride. Miller was as elusive for reporters in a postgame locker room as he was for defenders on the court, making them wait until he was fully dressed and then taking only a handful of questions. At the first pause, or the first uncomfortable question, he was up and gone, leaving behind a stream of thank you's. George returns from the showers, wraps himself in towels, sits in front of his locker and calmly takes on every question.
There will be many of them in the years to come, as he continues to develop. His sisters, his high school coach, Pacers coach Frank Vogel, Walsh … everyone agrees that his potential has not fully been tapped, and what lies ahead can only be imagined.
"I told him, understand you're getting better and better, but there's always going to be a level to get to above this one," Walsh said. "But you can get to it. If you keep working the way you're working with your talent level, you can get to it."
Jermaine O'Neal holds the Pacers' franchise record with six All-Star selections, but George figures to have enough time and talent to surpass that, barring unforeseen calamity. Once again, it comes down to lasting devotion. Will he return to Indianapolis feeling satisfied, or will he be hungry for more.
The early indications are promising. In an interview on the day he signed his contract in 2010, he made his intentions clear: "I don't just want to be on the roster," he said. "I want to be a name – a household name you can talk about years later." He still talks that way.
"I definitely want this to be a perennial thing," he said. "Moving forward I want to be a starter, not just a reserve."
Then he caught himself.
"I really want to win, though," he said. "The team we have here is set up for the long run as far as being able to compete for a championship."
Miller would have liked that one.
This is Part Two of a two-part feature on Paul George. Read Part One »
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.
Have a question for Mark about Pacers past, present, or future? Email him at email@example.com for a chance to be featured in a mailbag article.


text:
The Jacked Crusader! Ben Affleck has been cast to play Batman opposite Henry Cavill's Superman in the planned Man of Steel sequel — and the Oscar-winning hunk, 41, has already begun intense training to fill the iconic superhero's suit. A source tells Us Weekly that the actor, director and father of three has been working hard to get buff — training two hours a day to transform his physique.
Affleck's surprise casting in the DC Comics-based film was announced late Thursday, Aug. 22 by Warner Bros. "We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics' most enduringly popular superheroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent,," explained Greg Silverman, Warner Bros.' president of creative development and worldwide production.
The Runner, Runner star has tried the superhero thing before: He played the titular role in 2003's widely panned Daredevil (where he and now-wife Jennifer Garner first met), and he played George Reeves, the actor who played Superman in the 1950s TV show Adventures of Superman, in 2006's Hollywoodland.
Director Zack Snyder, who helmed this year's Man of Steel with Cavill and is returning for the July 2015 sequel, added: "Ben provides an interesting counterbalance to Henry's Superman. He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can't wait to work with him."
Affleck follows in the footsteps of many famous men who've played Batman/Bruce Wayne on the big screen over the past quarter century: Christian Bale, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Michael Keaton.
Tell Us: Is Affleck the best choice for Batman?
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!


text:
Your current session is about to expire. For your security and protection, JPay sessions automatically expire. Your current session will expire in:
**Please note, payment availability is subject to depositor validation in accordance with federal and state regulations.
Each typed page of text cost one stamp.
Each attachment costs 1 stamp(s).
Fees for funding debit account and for buying Friends and Family AdvanceConnect
phone time.
All credit/debit card transactions are limited to $100.00.
*MoneyGram payments are limited to $1,000.00


text:
Caught during winter testing in northern Michigan, the 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super (pictured at right, top) will be unveiled at the New York auto show later this month, GM said today. It has a new front, the grille is larger than the present model, and its vertical bars are taller and set wider apart. However, it looks like the fenders and hood are unchanged, reflecting Buick's decision to save money by restricting the changes to the grille, front fascia and lower air intake.
As goes the fascia of the LaCrosse, so goes the front of the Lucerne (pictured at right, bottom). This Buick is sporting a new, more aggressive snout. The grille frame has sharper corners, rather than the current car's soft curves and oval shape. There are also few bars in the grille. These changes are being made to help rid the big Buicks of their conventional car image. —Jim Dunne
Spy shot: 2008 Buick LaCrosse (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
More From Popular Mechanics
Spy shot: 2008 Buick Lucerne (CLICK TO ENLARGE)


text:
Q: Can you run a Linux kernel on the Netstation A: Depending on the type you have you can get linux running. Both 2200 and 2800 models are running Linux out of the box. As of november 2002 we have a succesful boot of a linux kernel on an IBM Netstation 1000. I'm waiting for feedback on the 110, 300 types. The 100 is not running linux at the moment, it has no MMU so therefore the Linux port is a bit more difficult.
Q: Are there any mailing lists about the Netstation A: Take a look to the Other Usefull Documentation part in this howto ..
Q: I have a 2200 or a 2800 and the instructions in your HOWTO don't work QM The 2200 and 2800 are not based on the PPC architecture anymore , they have a more frequently used chipset which is supported by Linux and these things run Linux natively.
Q: I have no AIX available how can I unpack the kernel A: There is a new section in the howto that describes how to use another way to do this.
Q: I get an Invalid Kernel Type while trying to boot the NC. A: You didn't run the agree script on your aix machine.
Q: I log in at the remote host and my keyboard settings are incorrect. A: I use no /.Xmodap when working on the NC. This keeps my keyboardsettings perfect.


text:
Welcome to the WL7LP Web Store. We are WL7LP - Russ Ely located in North Pole, Alaska. This is my Web store and is the store for KL7SC - Santa Amateur Radio Club and for the Alaska Morning Net. Most of the items here are Ham radio related from one or all of the for mentioned above. other items will also be sold here from time to time, such as jewelry, clothing etc. that are either hand made or received from a third party vendor.
We hope you enjoy the site and look forward to serving you in the future. should you need to contact us. you can do that by clicking on the contact link on the site.
... Shipping Information ... Orders are usually shipped out the same day or the next day. After we
ship, allow 2 to 7 working days for delivery.once we receive payment. Shipping generally takes 3-5 days for you to receive your order. Holidays will delay the time.
After we ship, we assume no liability for delay in delivery. We do not ship any orders to Post Office Boxes. Orders that was purchased with Checks or Money orders will
not be shipped right away, until they have cleared the bank. once cleared. we will ship the order and notify you by email when the order was shipped so you will have
an idea as to when to expect it. Thank you for ordering with us and look forward to seeing you again.
... Return Information ...
Items that have been damaged in shipping are not covered by us as the damage happened beyond our control. any damage found to our fault (damaged before it was shipped
and was not noticed) will be either refunded or replaced. If the product has been found to be damaged by the customer eg; you opened up the product with any type of tools, devices etc and modified, alter etc, in any way no return will be given.
Customers can shop with conficense, we have to most up to date security software installed and updated daily. you can shop with conficense knowing that your date is safe and secure. Payment options currently is set up for Pay-Pal only. We will be adding other forms of payment at a later date. Credit cards, Debt cards, Echecks, money orders and normal bank checks will be coming soon.
Product 2/2
This product was added to our catalog on Sunday 11 December, 2016.


text:
The Following Japanese Drama Shotengai no Pianist (2022) Episode 11 English Subtitle Now Released. Watch Online Latest Shotengai no Pianist Japanese Drama Show Epv 11 Eng Sub at Dramacool And Kissasian Dailymotion Netflix will always be the first to have the new episodes. Kissasian and DramacoolAsia provides all the new episodes of top trending best rated ongoing AsianDramas, Chinese Dramas, Korean Dramas and KDramas online for free.Native Title:商店街のピアニスト
Also Known As: Shopping Street Pianist , Pianist in the Shopping District , Shotengai no Pianisuto
Visit daily for the latest updates!!! Now Enjoy a free download.
Episode 11 will be uploaded soon. Stay tuned</strong
If there any errors appear, please reload the page first. If errors re-appear then report to us.
Please Bookmark this Site For Latest Episodes


text:
This blog has moved. Please visit us at www.preparednesspro.com.
By Kellene Bishop
Why don't I believe someone who says they don't have food storage because they can't afford it? Because chances are, these are the same folks who wouldn't focus on food and water preparedness even if they had the funds. Sad but true. Why do I say this? First of all WATER STORAGE is FREE and yet I rarely see a person who has even a semblance of the amount of water they need. Surely they have empty 2-liter bottles that they can use to store clean water in the event of an emergency. And if they don't, they sure as heck know someone who does. I even see some folks who have EMPTY 55 gallon drums just sitting in their back yard or in their basement. But the second reason I really don't buy this excuse is because FOOD STORAGE is FREE. That's right. By paying attention you can find PLENTY of instances in which you can obtain FREE food storage and in some instances even get PAID to acquire it. Perhaps you think I'm nuts to state something so bold. But not only will I PROVE this to you, I will show you how using this strategy can help your entire personal budget as well, and earn your part-time efforts an average of $40 to $75 dollars an hour—AT HOME!
Nope, this isn't some multi-level marketing schpiel. It's called being aware of what's going on around you and taking advantage of it. More simply, it's called using coupons! Before you roll your eyes at the thought of clipping a 25 cent off coupon for a store that's 5 miles away, allow me to clarify, because that's certainly not what I'm talking about.
Yesterday I obtained enough groceries for a couple weeks worth of meals in an emergency. While these meals would be minimalist perhaps, they will bring me peace of mind in the event of a crisis. I traveled a total of 2.25 miles. I was PAID $20 to acquire nearly $100 worth of food storage and other perishable items for my home. I don't care what kind of income you make. Free food storage is GREAT. And getting paid to do it FREE is even better!
So I'm going to spell out for you how I did this. I printed out several coupons from Kraftfoods.com. In addition to this I receive the Sunday newspaper. In fact, due to the value I get in following this productive strategy, I actually purchase FIVE Sunday newspapers each week. Believe me, it's worth it even to the most ardent penny pinchers—you'll see why in a minute. I've even known some to buy as many as FIFTEEN Sunday newspapers each week just to maximize their coupon benefits. (Check with your local newspapers to find out if they have a special multi-paper price and what their maximum allowed number of newspapers per week is.) So in the Sunday newspaper, Albertson's had several "double the value of your coupon" specials. This meant that any coupon I presented up to a dollar, they would recognize it as double that discount.
So, off to Albertson's I went, armed with my coupons and a strategically prepared shopping list. While that may sound annoying to you to think of taking all of that time to create, you should know that I actually subscribe to a FREE service in my area where I can simply click on the specials that I want, in the stores that I want, and for the product types that I want, and when I'm done it automatically prints off an itemized shopping list for me. (For you Utah folks visit www.savvyshopperdeals.com) This kind of service or similar to it is available in other regions of the country.
Upon arriving at Albertson's, I went to the condiments aisle. Let me break this down for you:
- A large box of Ritz Crackers was on sale for only $2.89. I had a dollar off coupon of any size Ritz. So if I doubled it, making my Ritz crackers 89 cents.
- In addition to that I had another coupon that gave me a FREE box of any kind of Wheat Thins with the purchase of a box of Ritz Crackers. Yup. My 89 cent box of Ritz Crackers qualified me for my husbands free Multi-Grain Wheat Thins. And of course I had two of each of these coupons.
- I also had $1 dollar off coupons for any Kraft BBQ sauce, which was already on sale at Albertson's for only 68 cents. And yes, they applied the difference to my other purchases.
- I also had a previous coupon, courtesy of Johnson and Johnson for any grocery purchase of $10 or more the next time I shopped at Albertson's. I used that to buy some canned chicken which was also on sale.
- I also purchased Kraft Ranch dressing, on sale for 99 cents, with my dollar off and $1.50 off coupons.
- I got Chinet brand paper plates for only 9 cents after my coupons.
- That day I also got celery on sale, eggs on sale, Kool-Aid and jarred Planter peanuts—all dramatically reduced.
Bottom line, when I was done purchasing everything, I paid a whopping $8.92. But wait, there's more. I also had $20.00 worth of rebates from a couple of beer companies redeemable if I purchased "salty snacks" and other kinds of goodies. (Note: in the state of Utah it's illegal to require a purchase of alcohol in order to receive a rebate. So no alcohol purchase was necessary.) My total money spent that day for so much in groceries? NEGATIVE $11.08. Total time spent with coupons, driving and shopping—3.5 hours. Average value of that time–$40, and to think I'm actually rather new to this whole process! I could have saved more time if I'd been more aware of where things were in the grocery store, if I had invested in a better binder for my coupons so when they fell on the floor they didn't fly everywhere, etc. 🙂
So, my emergency preparedness menu based on yesterday's shopping will consist of canned chicken mixed in either BBQ sauce or Ranch Dressing, served atop crackers, (warm or cold), with some Lemonade on the side. Of course I'll supplement that with the hugely discounted peaches and green beans I have previously purchased, and viola! You've got an easy emergency meal while conserving your own energy and money.
Now tell me again how you can't afford to gather food storage? I'd say if you can get free food storage or nearly free, you can't afford NOT to. And please fill up those water barrels!
Other good coupons sources: Boodle.com, pinchingyourpennies.com, grocerysmarts.com. Be sure to subscribe to your local grocery store's e-mails for unadvertised specials. There's an average of 1,000 unadvertised specials EVERY week in your grocery store!
Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.
Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!


text:
Long Beach's Adrift Hotel Goes Green
Looking for a guilt-free getaway?
At the "shabby chic" Adrift Hotel & Spa on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula construction is underway to install six solar hot water panels on both of its buildings.
Since sun isn't guaranteed in the Northwest, a temperature regulator will also be installed to make sure hot water is a constant for guests. In addition, a 2,500-gallon tank will be set up to catch rainwater for laundry.
Adrift's owners, Tiffany and Brady Turner,say they're committed to doing their part to grow the sustainability movement. When they reclaimed the hotel from its previous Edgewater Hotel domain, they used recycled materials. They also added in-room recycling and earth-friendly cleaning supplies to their list of necessities.
"We want to do now what's best for the future as we live a little dream in our corner of the world," T. Turner said in a press release.
Though Adrift is not the first business to begin practicing sustainability on the 28-mile-long peninsula, it is its first hotel to shift toward "renewable-resource reliance." The Turners believe that choosing to live where they live means protecting the resources as best as possible. The hope is that this common goal will build a strong and lasting community.


text:
The Indonesian Forestry in Economic, Ecosystem and Legal Perspectives
Forest and forestry are strategic factors, because the forest existence in Indonesia as the world lung and it can maintain ecosystem equilibrium. A destruction in Indonesian's forest can also affect and result in destruction in living environment.
The forestry of Indonesia is in fact, especially in Borneo region has largely reduced and destructed. Its biological heterogenity has substantially been eliminated, too. This instance is, among other, caused by people's shifting cultivation, illegal cuttings by local peoples, illegal cutting and logging by the Forest Managing Rights and its slash and burn.
This article is written from literature research findings presented in analytical descriptive form. The objective of this article presentation is to provide an illustration and true condition about the Indonesian's forest as an important strategic factor, where the forest itself and forestry has valuable role and serve as medium for maintaining the ecosystem equilibrium and preserve the world environmental life, especially in Indonesia itself and the most important objective of this research may be contribute a valuable benefit for entire scientific world and especially for the science of law.
For preventing of the continuous forestry destruction and its recovery, it is important to make protective steps through legal instruments by appropriate and fair sanction enforcement, pursuant to the 41 Act of 1999 about Forestry, formulation of legal offense and the forestry criminal acts contained in Article 50. The heaviest sanction is 15 years in jail punishment and its highest fine is Rp. 10 billions and rehabilitation by reforestration.
Full Text:PDF
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/jpag.v4i1.5450
Copyright (c)
Journal of Public Administration and Governance ISSN 2161-7104
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Copyright © Macrothink Institute
To make sure that you can receive messages from us, please add the 'macrothink.org' domain to your e-mail 'safe list'. If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox', check your 'bulk mail' or 'junk mail' folders.


text:
U.S. Drone Missiles Reportedly Kill Four In Tribal Area Of Pakistan
A U.S. drone missile strike has reportedly killed at least four suspected militants and wounded two others in Miramshah, Pakistan, the main city in the tribal area of North Waziristan, according to Pakistani officials. The United States does not normally confirm its drone strikes.
From Islamabad, Julie McCarthy filed this report for our Newscast unit:
According to the office of the political agent, the drone missiles struck a house and a nearby parked car in Miramshah as residents were beginning the pre-dawn Ramadan fast.
The U.S. administration insists that drone attacks have helped degrade the terror networks that use Pakistan as a sanctuary, including al-Qaeda. U.S. officials also say that they are a precision weapon that causes few civilian casualties.
Others dispute that. Dennis Blair, who was director of national intelligence from 2009 to 2010, wrote in The New York Times Monday that "as the U.S. drone campaign wears on, hatred of America is increasing in Pakistan."
The drone attack came one week after a U.S. drone attack killed at least 21 militants in North Waziristan. And last month, strikes conducted by drone craft killed at least 30 people in less than 24 hours in the area, the BBC reports.
The recent attack may bring the ire of the Taliban, which has issued a decree that bans klling in Miramshah during Ramadan. The ban, being enforced by two clerics, carries a fine of 500,000 rupees — around $5,770.
America's tactics in the fight terrorist groups in Afghanistan are being discussed on Tuesday's Fresh Air, as guest host Dave Davies talks with Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt about their book Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
The Abjad API for Formalized Score Control extends the Python programming language with an open-source, objectoriented model of common-practice music notation that enables composers to build scores through the aggregation of elemental notation objects. A summary of widely used notation systems' intended uses motivates a discussion of system design priorities via examples of system use.
Abjad: an open-source software system for formalized score control


text: June 1, 2010World water markets: High investment requirements mixed with institutional risksRegion:InternationalFurther research articlesTopic:Economic and european policy, Sectors and resourcesAnalyst:Eric HeymannPDF 480kFacebookTwitterXingLinkedInWorld water markets: High investment requirements mixed with institutional risksEric HeymannThe world's water markets are confronted with major challenges.The world's water markets are confronted with major challenges. The increase in the world's population and higher incomes in developing countries and emerging markets are going hand in hand with a rise in demand for food, energy and other goods. This is resulting in increased demand for water. Climate change will amplify many water-related problems and create new ones. We put the annual investment required in the global water sector at about EUR 400-500 bn. Governments will not be able to raise the funding needed on their own. For this reason, we believe it makes sense for governments and the private sector to cooperate more closely. Makers of "water technologies" will have huge sales potential awaiting them in the coming decades. We have used a scoring model to rank the attractiveness of various countries for investments in the water industry. Among the economies that ranked best are many countries from the Middle East, but also the heavily populated countries of China and India as well as the US and Germany. In principle, though, all countries require a substantial amount of investment in the water sector. [more]Deutsche Fassung ➜


text:
When we showed up at the race track for the Yeehaw It's Texas 24 Hours Of LeMons last weekend, the LeMons Supreme Court spotted an Orion II with TARC markings in the paddock. We knew right away: Pace Bus!
An endurance race doesn't really need a pace car, but we've found it helps to keep the hoons under control as they circulate for transponder testing prior to the green flag a-droppin'. This ex-Louisville transit bus (complete with CHURCHILL DOWNS in the destination sign) hauled the members of the Tetanus Neon to the track, and the team was kind enough to let us borrow it for Pace Bus duty.
Naturally, everyone wanted to ride in it, and that made for some interesting handling on the tighter turns. The driver- wearing a helmet, as required by track regs- took to calling out "LEAN RIGHT!" or "LEAN LEFT" as he approached turns at much higher speeds than TARC drivers ever contemplated (we hope), and the passengers would all dash to the appropriate side of the bus and hang on for dear life.
Thanks to MSR corner-worker Wayne Hill for the top photo!
[gallery 5393322]


text:
Getting in Touch
What is your address?
We have physical offices across the state, in the Lowcountry, Midlands and Upstate. Reach us here:
- Lowcountry office: 1802 Dayton St., Suite 101, North Charleston, SC 29405
- Midlands office: 1612 Marion St., Suite 301, Columbia, SC 29201
- Upstate office: 35 Cessna Court, Suite A, Greenville, SC 29607
Event Questions
How do I buy tickets for your events?
All tickets are purchased by credit card online via SquadUp. Utilize the Register button on our Event pages to purchase tickets.
What should I wear?
Business or business-casual attire is appropriate.
Are tickets refundable?
Tickets are nonrefundable unless under extraordinary circumstances.
How do I nominate someone for your award events?
When we begin accepting official nominations, we will publish the information in our publications and post it on our website. Here are the approximate dates that we will begin receiving nominations:
- Forty Under 40 – Lowcountry: Early April for an August event
- Roaring Twenties – Statewide: Early March for an October event
- Health Care Heroes – Lowcountry: Mid-July for a November event
For any other event-related questions, contact Kathy Allen at 864-720-1225.
Subscription Questions
How do I subscribe to the print publications?
To subscribe, click here, click the Subscribe button at the top of the page, or call Kim McManus at 843-849-3116.
Do you have a digital edition of the newspapers?
We offer daily digital newsletters that complement our print content. Sign up here.
How do I change my mailing address?
Click the manage account button at the top of the page or call Customer Service at 1-877-615-9536.
How do I change my email address for the digital newsletters?
Use the Preferences link at the bottom of any digital newsletter to update your information. Alternatively, call Kim McManus at 843-849-3116.
Why am I no longer receiving your digital newsletters?
Several things can affect the delivery of email to your inbox. The most common scenarios are:
- Your email was stopped by a spam filter. Check your Spam or Junk folder to see whether our digital newsletters ended up there. Check with your IT department about whitelisting our domain.
- For Gmail users, check the Social and Promotions tabs. Sometimes our digital newsletters are automatically rerouted to these secondary inboxes.
- You may have opted out of receiving messages from us or a digital newsletter might have bounced back to us in the past. This puts your email address on a do-not-send list. To sign up again, contact Kim McManus at 843-849-3116.


text:
[Editor's note: The following article is part of our Which Mac is right for you? series.]
It used to be that if you were a "pro," you needed a Mac Pro—it was hands-down the fastest Mac you could buy, and it was the only Mac that was truly expandable. In fact, the iMac was so much less powerful and so limiting in comparison that many home users opted for the Mac Pro.
I'm a perfect example: I rarely perform complex rendering, mathematical, or scientific tasks, and I only occasionally process video beyond using iMovie. As a technology writer, most of my time is spent using writing and publishing software such as BBEdit, Word, and InCopy; Internet-related programs such as Web browsers, e-mail clients, and RSS readers; image-editing and management apps such as iPhoto, Acorn, and, occasionally, Photoshop; and media software such as iTunes and HandBrake. But I also test scores of other applications each month, and I regularly have 20 or more programs running simultaneously. I occasionally play games on my Mac, and I can't work efficiently without at least two displays. Just a few years ago, an iMac would have been woefully inadequate for my needs. So I got a Mac Pro.
Boy, times have changed. Today's iMacs are, for most people, no longer compromises. They use powerful processors—indeed, today's iMacs offer the best bang-for-the-buck of any Mac model—they can hold up to 16GB of RAM, and you can even equip them with a capacious, 2TB hard drive and a speedy, solid-state drive (SSD). They use high-quality, LED-backlit, IPS (in-plany switching) displays and include a discrete video card with up to 1GB of video memory. They even sport a handy SD-card reader. Call these the semi-pro Macs—the high-performance Macs for the rest of us.
I've talked to more than a few Mac Pro owners who've made similar observations and have decided that their next Mac will be a "downgrade" to an iMac. I recently made that switch myself, trading in my 2006 Mac Pro for a Core i7-equipped, 27-inch iMac (alas, sans SSD).
It wasn't a decision I made lightly: Unlike many computer users, I actually took advantage of the Mac Pro's expandability by using most of its RAM slots, installing an eSATA card and an additional optical drive, and filling all four hard-drive bays. I can live without the second optical drive, but my work requires that I have several media-storage and bootable hard drives, and the current iMacs each have only a single FireWire port (and no eSATA).
On the other hand, the Mac Pro has some considerable disadvantages of its own: It's big, it's noisy, it uses gobs of power, and it can heat up a room faster than a small space heater. The lastest iMacs, on the other hand, are relatively quiet, run much cooler, and use a fraction of the electricity.
And, of course, there's the price: A 2.93GHz Quad-Core i7 iMac, tricked out with a 2TB hard drive and 12GB of third-party RAM, costs about $2,600—just $100 more than the entry-level Mac Pro, which sports a 2.8GHz Quad-Core Xeon processor, 3GB RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. But the iMac is faster at many tasks and includes a 27-inch display—a $999 option for the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro's expandability means it may last a year or two longer, but in, say, two years, I could sell the iMac and upgrade to the latest and greatest at a reasonable cost—and that new iMac will likely be quite a bit faster than a two-year-old Mac Pro.
In the end, I opted for the iMac for all these reasons, turning to a couple dual-bay FireWire 800 enclosures for my extra drives. With the i7 processor, 12GB of RAM, and 2TB of internal storage, the new iMac has more than enough horsepower for my needs; it lets me connect my existing Apple Cinema Display for acres of screen real estate; and it's saving me money on both electricity and (during the summer months) air-conditioning bills.
Bottom line: If you work in one of the few fields where eight or 12 processor cores, PCI slots, multiple hard-drive bays, and more than 16GB of RAM will truly make you more productive, the Mac Pro is the way to go. But for the "semi-pro" user like me, today's iMac is mighty appealing.
[Dan Frakes is a Macworld senior editor.]
21.5-inch Core i3 iMac/3.06GHz
Read our full 21.5-inch Core i3 iMac/3.06GHz review
27-inch Core i5 iMac/2.8GHz (quad-core)
27-inch Core i3 iMac/3.2GHz
21.5-inch Core i3 iMac/3.2GHz


text:
The Hope and Optimism Portfolio is a unique global art project. It has no geographical,
political or cultural boundaries. Launched in 1990, it comprises some 100 different original,
limited, signed and numbered graphics from almost as many different countries (see the
list of Participating Artists).
The Portfolio is a charitable project with the benefactors being Magdalen College, Oxford, and art and artists around the world. Accorded the Haut Patronage of UNESCO and with the support of leading National Galleries and Cultural institutions and artists from around the world (see Correspondence), it is of such a vision and hope as likely never to be repeated or emulated again.
The theme, Hope and Optimism - in spite of Present Difficulties, is derived from the linocut by the late Namibian artist John Muafangejo (click on the image to enlarge).
The National Gallery or equivalent body in each country of the world was approached to nominate a leading artist to represent that country. The resulting portfolio not only spans the world culturally but spans the major technical range of the graphic medium. (see The Concept for more information).
What you have here is indeed a scaled down version of my vision. I did want every single country to participate. This just proved impossible. I did want to set up Hope and Optimism centres on each continent and I did have the hope that once every decade a Portfolio like this could be created - and all it needed was one sponsor at about £1million, or for each country to fully pay their artist's costs. Perhaps one day. The Essay was a unique three part source: a questionnaire I compiled based primarily on the Proust questionnaire for artists; an essay of around 1500 words on each country; and a statement/interview with each artist which I had also hopen to publish. Some of these have been completed, including one with John Armleder who was representing Switzerland but who has not yet contributed his image. I have included only three examples chosen at random, and none of the actual interviews. Perhaps one day? Perhaps this millennium.
Having taken almost 10 years to create the portfolio, the next step now is to ensure that the Portfolio can be seen by the public all over the globe. This webpage was set up to give you the opportunity to take a look at All the Prints in the Portfolio, and to inform you about the history of the project and the ideas behind it.
We would like to see the Portfolio find a home in each participating country, ideally as part of a museum's collection or that of a public corporation or private person with a public spirit . Owing to the generosity of the artists, who entered into the spirit of the project by making no personal charge for their time and ability.
If you are interested in purchasing, do let us know. May we also trouble you to give us your views or advice as to how we can secure a portfolio to become 'resident' in your country, preferably at a museum or other public or cultural institution.
Orde Levinson
Gerrit Kempeneers


text:
It would appear that Beyoncé and Jay-Z finally got round to watching their dear pal Gywneth Paltrow's star turn as a corpse in Contagion, because now they're asking anyone who comes in contact with their precious Blue Ivy™ to wear surgical masks and gloves. They're clearly shit out of luck if the wee one actually has a latex allergy. Now, clearly this news-o-tainment should be taken with several large grains of salt – which then need to be crushed, cooked up in a teaspoon and injected directly into your bloodstream – but let's roll with it. Those truth-tellers over at the National Enquirer had this to say about this new strain of epic helicopter parenting: "Taking NO chances with their beautiful, newborn baby girl Blue Ivy, ultra-protective parents Jay-Z and Beyoncé are obsessively determined to keep their infant germ-free - so before family or pals are allowed to hold their precious prize, they must first don surgical masks and gloves." [Celebslam]
Though he gets a large chunk of the population tingling in their magic area, Ryan Gosling said he needed to read books when it came to learning how to score with the opposite sex – specifically lads mags and preying-on-women-with-low-self-esteem bible, The Game. But before your brain short circuits, it was for his role as serial creeper in Crazy, Stupid, Love. "I just tried to follow all the rules that men's magazines give you, like all the ways you're supposed to dress, all the exercises you're supposed to do, and all the things you're supposed to say. Just follow the letter of the law," he said. "I read that book, The Game. I like to call it The Lame. Or that TV show, The Pick Up Artist. I watched that. I don't know whether seduction can be taught or not. But these gentlemen seem to think that they have something to say, and they have devotees." I think the word "gentlemen" is a bit of a stretch in this instance. [The Sun]
Hearing the mega-wealthy complain about being tired never really goes down well, but maybe we should cut Victoria Beckham a break when she defends herself against people who say she looks like a miserable cow. "Look, if people want to say I'm miserable then so be it. I'm really not. I have a lot on my plate. I'm not going to lie about it, I'm tired. I'm really tired but I'm also very happy with my life," she said. "I'm not getting much sleep at all. Harper's not sleeping that great, and I've been taking Skype business calls throughout the night, too, because of the collections. I'm up with the baby as all mums are, and I wouldn't have it any other way. There's not a team of people doing it for me." [US]
It may not be true but let's pretend for a minute that all celebrity gossip is right all the time: Usher has officially joined the ranks of the ridiculous by pulling an entitled asshole move while eating at Cleo in Hollywood. People say he decided to act like a spoilt 10-year-old by wearing sunglasses inside at 10pm and being nothing short of a painful prick for staff. "Apparently the staff was not allowed to speak to him directly," said someone. "All interaction had to happen through one of his staffers." Though, to be fair, if I was famous I'd try this once just to see if I could get away with it – before revealing that I was just fucking around and leaving a generous tip. [Page Six]
Violence is never the answer – unless of course it's an official sporting pastime betwixt two willing participants. With this in mind, some aspiring fighter is challenging "nonprofessional intergender boxer" Chris Brown to a duel to "prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that he is a spoiled child who refuses to make amends for his mistakes, and to see people who worship or even accept him reconsider their opinion and ask why we glorify people like CB." The glove has been thrown and this guy demands satisfaction! [Hypervocal]
And that guy's not the only one picking a fight, with WWE's CM Punk requesting a male-only duel – with Chris hitting back that Punk has a small, 'roidy dick. [TMZ]
We know they're making music together and are friends again, but Chris Brown still managed to cause a stir by wishing Rihanna happy birthday on Twitter. [NYDN]
Broadcasting Whitney Houston's funeral was always going to be a touchy subject. Some say it should have been a private family matter, others that she was a public figure and it was a celebration of her life. When it comes to her family's thoughts one thing is now clear, they did it to raise some money for Bobbi Kristina. Thoughts? [TMZ]
And she's going to need that money if she's to abide by her father Bobby's wishes and check into rehab. [Radar]
Here is some footage of Whitney dancing at Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show. Which is kind of sad now. [TMZ]
Chris Cornell is one of a number of musicians who have played tribute to the icon. [NYDN]
David Gest says that Whitney wanted to marry Michael Jackson and would probably still be alive if she'd gotten her way. What a classy, well-timed thing to say. [Contact Music]
- If you're going to bring your own food to restaurants à la Alex Rodriguez why bother going at all? [Page Six]
- More on the diet front, Kim and Khloe Kardashian are under fire for pimping out diet supplements that are choc-full of caffeine. [Page Six]
- Robin Thicke keeps on keeping on after he got busted for weed by partying it up in Vegas. [Page Six]
- Attention aspiring kept boys: David Geffen is single once more. I repeat, David Geffen is back on the market. [Page Six]
- She's weathered a storm of hate but Lana Del Rey is still very fashionable among the sartorial set and played at the Mulberry after party. [Page Six]
- He's spoken about this before but for those who aren't aware and feel a need to be on top of all things gossip David Cross once did some blow in the same room as Obama. [NYDN]
- Real estate porn: the Kyra Sedgewick and Kevin Bacon edition. [US]
- Deadliest Catch's Elliott Neese has been accused of engaging in "textual harassment" by his ex – which sounds like an adorable pun but really isn't. [TMZ]
- Some people aren't into her, and I can understand, but Bethenny Frankel's frankness wins me over every time. Like when speaking about the fact she and husband Jason Hoppy aren't fucking: "It's cliché but you're so much less concerned with romantic bubble baths and lingerie with your husband because your kid just took a shit on the floor." [Radar]
- What happened to Jessica Simpson when she tried to use her pregnancy to cut in line at a Mexican joint: denied! Though it was a nice try. [Radar]
- Before you fly into a murderous rage because someone said that the second season of Downton Abbey sucked, know that they said it doesn't matter and downgrade to maim. [Vulture]
- Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have a baby – babies having babies! — for the day. [The Sun]
- Now's he's divorced Katy Perry, Russell Brand is free to fulfil all of his sexual desires — which include a romp with Prince Charles, apparently. [Mirror]
- "Icon of femininity" Christina Hendricks reveals she was a goth in high school and so hated that people used to spit on her. [Mirror]


text:
Sandra Brand. Age: 25. I am very pleased that you have found the way to me and you take your precious time for the next few minutes, to you, maybe here with your dreams and you like later on.
Andreea. Age: 39. Hot brunete willing to make your dreams come true Your place or mine! I'm very intelligent and well-mannered, but also very open-minded and always ready for new experience, full of fantasy.


text:
PHOENIX – When the Army Air Corps launched an experiment allowing black servicemen to fly planes during World War II, Robert Ashby said he jumped at the chance to be a pilot.
"It intrigued me. I said, 'Great, I can fly just like anybody else,'" said Ashby, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen.
A retired lieutenant colonel now living in Sun City, Ashby was among six surviving Tuskegee Airmen attending a State Capitol ceremony Thursday honoring their service. Participants also celebrated a new law establishing an annual Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in Arizona.
Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill designating the fourth Thursday of March to recognize the men and women who formed the first black military wing in the Army Air Corps.
"We celebrate the many battlefield accomplishments of this groundbreaking aviation unit," she told the group. "We celebrate their bigger message about the human spirit, about how, regardless of circumstance, brave and persistent men and women can and will overcome barriers and burdens to show the world what they're made of."
In all, nine surviving Tuskegee Airmen have Arizona ties, according to the Archer-Ragsdale Arizona Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc.
Ashby, who didn't serve overseas during WWII, said most people associate the Tuskegee Airmen with pilots.
"That's not how we fliers think of the Tuskegee Airmen," he said. "Everyone that participated in this program, experimental program – cooks, bakers, maintenance, clerks – we stood on their shoulders. They went into this program with the same purpose that we did: This program is not going to fail."
State Sen. Al Melvin, R-Tucson, who sponsored the legislation creating Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in Arizona, said he wanted to recognize that group's commitment to fight for a cause greater than self.
"Edmund Burke during the Revolutionary War said, 'The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing,'" Melvin said. "Obviously these airmen stepped up and helped the United States win that war."
Brewer said she hopes society can learn from history and grow to become what the Tuskegee Airmen fought on the battlefield and the homefront to create.
"We're all truly and enormously proud of all the airmen and their accomplishments and their courage during and after their years of service to this nation," she said.


text:
Manchurian Incident
Manchurian Incident or Mukden Incident, 1931, confrontation that gave Japan the impetus to set up a puppet government in Manchuria. After the Russo-Japanese War (1904–5), Japan replaced Russia as the dominant foreign power in S Manchuria. By the late 1920s the Japanese feared that unification of China under the Kuomintang party would imperil Japanese interests in Manchuria. This view was confirmed when the Manchurian general Chang Hsüeh-liang, a recent convert to the Kuomintang, refused to halt construction of railway and harbor facilities in competition with the South Manchurian Railway, referring Japan to the Nationalist central government. When a bomb of unknown origin ripped the Japanese railway near Shenyang (then known as Mukden), the Japanese Kwantung army guarding the railway used the incident as a pretext to occupy S Manchuria (Sept., 1931). Despite Japanese cabinet opposition and a pledge before the League of Nations to withdraw to the railway zone, the army completed the occupation of Manchuria and proclaimed the puppet state of Manchukuo (Feb., 1932). See Sino-Japanese War, Second.
See T. Yoshihashi, Conspiracy at Mukden (1963); S. N. Ogata, Defiance in Manchuria (1964).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Chinese, Taiwanese, and Mongolian History


text:
Show horses need protection from abuse, supporters tell Congress
WASHINGTON — With lawmakers divided over a bill to stop the abuse of show horses, advocates for the measure brought the animals to the Capitol on June 18 for a demonstration designed to pressure Congress to ban some of the painful procedures, known as soring, used to make horses step higher in the ring.
The bill by U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., would forbid the use of "action devices," such as chains that rub on horses' legs made sensitive with chemicals, and pads that hurt the hooves to achieve the crowd-pleasing exaggerated high gait known as the "Big Lick."
The measure would end the industry's self-policing, and has attracted 291 co-sponsors, drawing support from both parties. But other influential lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., say the bill goes too far.
Its future is far from certain, with time running out to pass this year, given a congressional calendar that includes the upcoming monthlong August recess and other breaks before the midterm elections in November.
"I'm frustrated right now because when you have this kind of support and that many organizations supporting you, normally you can get a bill to the floor," Whitfield said at the June 18 rally in front of the Capitol.
Six trained horses, with riders in full equestrian apparel, demonstrated their signature gaits in front of the reflecting pool at the entrance to the U.S. Capitol, a sight that rally organizers said showed what the horses can do "without the horrible devices" Whitfield's bill seeks to ban. Tourists stopped by to watch, fanning themselves as temperatures soared into the 90s with high humidity.
Horse trainer Jeannie McGuire said the same sweet, calm temperament that allows the horses to perform in the middle of Washington, D.C., without getting spooked makes it easier for unethical trainers to hurt them in order to make them step higher.
"That quality that we love is also a quality that allows people to abuse them," she said. "They tolerate it."
Soring for horse shows is illegal under the federal Horse Protection Act. But supporters of Whitfield's bill say it has big loopholes and that soring is still widely practiced in the walking horse industry. The 86-year-old author of the law, former Democratic Sen. Joseph Tydings of Maryland, appeared at the rally and said his law has been crippled through lack of federal funding and enforcement.
Whitfield's bill is stuck in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where it's opposed by the committee's vice chairwoman, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. There's a better chance for the Senate version of the bill, introduced by Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. Her bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee and has 55 co-sponsors, only five short of what's needed to guarantee enough support.
The Senate bill still may not reach the floor for a vote, though, and has influential opponents among Kentucky and Tennessee senators, who say banning the pads and chains will cost jobs by decimating the walking horse industry's performance show classes.
Texas' senators, a state where horse shows also are popular, have not joined their colleagues in co-sponsoring the Senate bill.
The Texas State Horse Council and the Texas Veterinary Medical Association are supporting the effort to ban pads and chains. The Senate offices of Texas Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz did not respond to questions on June 18 about their position.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has introduced a competing bill he said would stop soring without devastating the industry. The Humane Society and the American Horse Council say Alexander's bill is not tough enough, however, because it does not ban the "action devices" such as pads and chains and, they maintain, his proposal would still lead to too much self-policing by the industry.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has backed Alexander's bill, as has Kentucky's McConnell, the leader of the Senate Republicans.
"The legislation Sen. McConnell supports would give state officials and experts, rather than the federal government, the authority to ensure reduced instances of soring by providing adequate oversight of inspections of Tennessee Walking Horse shows," said McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer.
Horse advocates at the rally dismissed Alexander's bill as a "Trojan horse" that would keep the abuse of soring alive. The rally was put together by the All American Walking Horse Alliance, a group of horse owners, supporters and others.
Keith Dane, who handles horse protection issues for the Humane Society of the United States, said horses are being abused for the sake of a blue ribbon. He said he hopes the demonstration in D.C. will show people that the horses have a beautiful natural gait.
"Senators and congressmen hold their future in their hands," he said.


text:
Send Results to This Email:
Street Address:
Street Address:
Agape Child & Family Services on Tuesday, Aug. 20, welcomed back award-winning photojournalist and author Linda Solomon and her nationally acclaimed program, "Pictures of Hope," for the second straight year.
Children selected for the program live in homeless shelters or are in at-risk situations. They take pictures with donated cameras that express their "hopes and dreams" for better lives.
Photojournalist and author Linda Solomon this week brought her "Pictures of Hope" program to Agape Child & Family Services, where participants, including Bernard Nory, got to try out her camera.
(Daily News/Andrew J. Breig)
"It's important to show kids that their dreams matter," said Solomon, who explained that the program helps children build self-esteem and puts them on the path toward achievement. "I was so touched by the devotion to the kids last year here in Memphis that we had to come back. Agape is such an outstanding agency with what they do for families that I suggested to Chevrolet that we come back for a second year."
Memphis is one of 13 cities chosen for the program this year, and the children are selected from the more than 10,000 that are served at the various Agape locations around the city.
"We pick the children either through our community-based programming called Power Lines or our transitional housing program called Families in Transition, which is for homeless women and their children," said Lori Humber, Agape volunteer coordinator responsible for all of the center's event planning. "This is probably the first exposure to photography for most of these kids other than on their smartphones."
Solomon is partnering with Chevrolet for the third year on the program, with the goal of helping homeless and under-resourced children across the country express their hopes and dreams.
"Last year's event was incredible, and we feel fortunate to have been selected to participate for a second year," said Henry Hutton, president and general manager of Chuck Hutton Chevrolet, which also supports local schools and other charitable interests throughout the year. "Hopefully we can convince her to come back again next year."
"Pictures of Hope" has been featured on "The Oprah Show," the CBS Evening News twice, ABC World News and in People Magazine, USA Today, and numerous local newspapers and magazines across the country. Solomon has received numerous awards and honors for "Pictures of Hope" and was inducted in 2011 into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
"I'm inspired because these kids express true values – life lessons for us as adults," Solomon said. "They only hope for things that truly matter, and generally not for materialistic things like toys."
One 10-year-old boy at the Agape event said that his hope was "to show people that I'm not a nobody."
The group of 14 children (aged 7 to 12) were surprised with free digital cameras provided by co-sponsor Walgreens, and Solomon gave a photography lesson with examples of her work, including shots of Beyoncé, Will Smith, Usher, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.
Immediately following the event, the children went on their photo assignments at the University of Memphis campus with their volunteer mentors to capture and reveal their hopes and dreams. Between 17 and 20 volunteers helped, including members of the Memphis Photography Club and the Memphis College of Art senior photography class.
Photojournalist and author Linda Solomon brought her "Pictures of Hope" program to Agape Child & Family Services this week. Here, participant Javion Holt gets his new camera from Henry Hutton.
The photos will be collected and turned into Christmas card sets that will be sold in the fall by Agape and local Chevrolet dealers. Last year sales of the sets generated an estimated $9,000, all of which went back to Agape.
Last year local Chevrolet dealers also went one step further to help the kids in the program by donating money for holiday gifts specifically tailored toward their passions, along with other winter necessities like coats, socks, underwear and hygiene products for their families.
"These kids touched my heart last year, and I wanted to do something special for them," said Cynthia M. Johnson, Chevrolet district sales manager. "I can remember a point in my life where my family had to reach out to the Salvation Army, and I still remember the baton that I got."
The dealership plans to do something similar this holiday season for the kids in the program.
Solomon will return to Memphis on Nov. 25 to attend a "Pictures of Hope" celebration at Chuck Hutton Chevrolet on Mount Moriah Road, where the children's photography will be on display and Christmas card sets will be available for purchase.
Copyright 1995 -
by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


text:
Our Zune is here, with Microsoft's big entry into the digital music market set for its official release tomorrow. We'll post a more detailed review once we can test it with other Zunes, and once we have access to the Zune Marketplace download service, but here are initial impressions from Popular Mechanics' Upgrade editor:
It's bigger, boxier and less shiny than the iPod. In my book, that's a bad thing, as is the bizarre brown color and even more bizarre semi-translucent green tones at the corners.
The control pad is straightforward, and reassuring—it clicks in four directions, with a central button that drives you deeper into the interface and confirms selection choices. The back button is useful, and so is the play/pause button, but it's hard not to miss the iPod's blazing-fast, touch-sensitive wheel. The Zune's interface isn't bad, and it certainly looks good onscreen, with menu options that zoom in and out, and clearer choices at hand than with the iPod (creating a "Quick List" is easier than compiling an "On-The-Go" list on for the iPod). But there's nothing innovative here.
More From Popular Mechanics
We're getting used to it, but comparing the same song ("A Pillar of Salt," from The Thermals) on both the Zune and an iPod, the Zune sounds slightly muffled. There's more bass, but that's not always a good thing, since the guitars seem significantly pulled back.
The Zune's screen isn't of a higher quality than the iPod, but, wow, this is much bigger. Turned sideways to watch videos, it's almost a viable video player. Much, much better than videos on an iPod.
This thing doesn't seem to be compatible with my iMac. The included software won't run at all, and I'm now investigating a runaround to actually get files on and off the player. For now, I'm trying out the pre-loaded songs and videos.
Until we can try out the Wi-Fi functions and the Zune Marketplace, it's not completely fair to deliver a verdict…but we will anyway. This isn't a great music player, but it's a very decent video player. Unless the Wi-Fi features are phenomenal, the Zune is the husky, ugly cousin of the iPod.
More to come. –Erik Sofge
UPDATE, Nov. 17: The Zune Marketplace is Microsoft's attempt to clone iTunes—a tough proposition considering it has no revolutionary objective other than offering another media library application (with a subscription fee).
And while the Marketplace's design and functionality actually aren't bad, its payment structure stands out. Compared to iTunes' powerfully simple philosophy—one 99-cent click and play—Microsoft's points system is unnecessarily complicated.
Why does it feel like you have to buy Microsoft Money software to download music on this thing? See if you can keep track: $5 gets you 400 points, which equals a five-song purchase with a five-point balance. The biggest problem is—and you think this would be obvious—you can't buy a single point or even 79 points (the price of an individual track). To buy your first Zune track, you have to spend $5, seemingly leaving the rest of your balance to Bill Gates.
Money aside, Zune's Marketplace works—well, most of the time. It crashed my PC, but the program does what it needs to when syncing media from the Zune to your computer, and fast. Missing in the Marketplace is iTunes' 30-second sample; instead of listening to a track or album before charging my credit card, I kept getting a server error when clicking on a track. –Anthony Verducci
The Zune's screen isnt of a higher quality than the iPod, but, wow, this is much bigger. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
And while the Marketplace's design and functionality actually aren't bad, its payment structure is is unnecessarily complicated. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)


text:
Need Help? Call our office at
Need Help? Call our office at
Need Help? Call our office at
We are dedicated to ensuring that art remains a vibrant part of the creative fabric of the Coachella Valley – from art in schools to lifelong learning.
The individuals we touch through art include families in need, kids in after-school programs, individuals with special needs, seniors and veterans.
Meet our dedicated board members that bring Old Town Artisan Studios and its mission to our beloved community.
Our 4-week classes allow students of all ages and levels to dive into the areas of Ceramics, Painting, Fused Glass, and more.
Try a one-day workshop to learn a new skill, test out a medium you are curious about, or simply have a good time!
Paint Your Own Pottery is a fun experience for all! Choose from several ceramic items and paint to your heart's delight.
Looking for a fun way to beat the heat? Join us for Summer Art Camp! A week-long camp for young artists, ages 7-15.
A listing of all free and fee-based happenings at OTAS!
A fantastic community event for all to take part in holiday fun!
Join us for a spectacular evening of music, festivity & celebration
Art all 10x10x10 in. or smaller featured in our annual raffle.
A monthly series featuring musicians from near and far.
An annual auction highlighting ceramic eggs by various artists.
A chance for all levels and ages to perform.
Visit the Leland Gallery featuring local artists.
With your valued support we are able bring art to our friends who need it most.
We need Ambassadors to help us spread the word about our work and mission.
Your time and skills are an incredibly important part of the work we do. Come lend a hand!


text:
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contaminated tattoo ink caused at least 22 skin and soft tissue infections last fall in four U.S. states, according to an analysis released on Wednesday.
The infections prompted an investigation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that uncovered 22 confirmed cases, 4 probable cases, and 27 possible cases of contamination-related infections in New York, Washington, Iowa and Colorado.
Products from four companies were implicated during the probe. None of the companies are identified in a CDC report, released in conjunction with a New England Journal of Medicine study of the New York cases.
"People who get tattoos must be made aware of this risk and seek medical attention" if they get a rash or other abnormalities as the site, according to a commentary in the journal from a team led by Pamela LeBlanc of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The bacteria reportedly got into the containers when the manufacturer used distilled or reverse-osmosis water, which is not necessarily sterile. In the New York case, which led to a recall by the Arizona-based manufacturer, the water was used to dilute black ink into various shades of gray.
The New York cases involved infection with a bug called Mycobacterium chelonae, which caused reddish or purple raised bumps in the areas tattooed with gray. The infection can mimic an allergic reaction and be difficult to treat.
"They were not getting better" with standard care, said Dr. Byron Kennedy of the Monroe County Department of Public Health, the chief author of the New England Journal of Medicine study. "You had some folks who were on treatment for 6 months or more."
The FDA does not directly regulate tattoo ink because it is regarded as a cosmetic, but it can intervene when a product has been adulterated or is regarded as unsafe.
Currently, no FDA regulation specifically requires tattoo ink to be sterile, but some local jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles County, do require that sterile water be used when inks are diluted, according to the CDC report.
CDC is encouraging doctors to keep track of such infections and report them to the FDA.
About one in five Americans has tattoos, according to a 2012 Harris Interactive poll.
The case surfaced in January when the Monroe County Department of Public Health received a call from a dermatologist who was treating a persistent rash on the arm of a 20-year-old man.
The infection was traced back to an unnamed artist and a new, hand-blended "gray wash" ink designed to give shading and a three-dimensional quality to the image. The ink contained no lot number and came from black ink that had been diluted.
A check of other tattoo parlors in the county found that none had used the ink or reported a similar rash.
"This is an uncommon thing," Dr. Amy Derick, a dermatologist at Northwestern University in Chicago told Reuters Health. She coauthored a 2006 study of tattoo and piercing practices that found "the complication rate was pretty low."
"It's not super-dangerous, but it requires multiple months of antibiotics" that can be very expensive, she said. "Sometimes it needs to be cut out, so it's not desirable by any stretch."
The lesson for patients, said Kennedy, is "if they notice they have a rash that's not going away, they should go to their primary care provider and not just self-care."
SOURCES: http://bit.ly/PwHriF New England Journal of Medicine, August 23, 2012, and http://1.usa.gov/10AZNP MMWR, August 22, 2012
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contaminated tattoo ink caused at least 22 skin and soft tissue infections last fall in four U.S. states, according to an analysis released on Wednesday.