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Transcript 5831
Hospital Epidemiology What is it and what is it good for? Edward O'Rourke, M.D Harvard University Harvard Medical School 1 "It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm" Florence Nightingale 2 Nosocomial infection = Any infection that is not present or incubating at the time the patient is admitted to the hospital 3 History of infection control and hospital epidemiology Pre 1800: Early efforts at wound prophylaxis 1800-1940: Nightingale, Semmelweis, Lister, Pasteur 1940-1960: Antibiotic era begins, Staph. aureus nursery outbreaks, hygiene focus 1960-1970's: Documenting need for infection control programs, surveillance begins 1980's: focus on patient care practices, intensive care units, resistant organisms, HIV 1990's: Hospital Epidemiology = Infection control, quality improvement and economics 2000's: ??Healthcare system epidemiology modified from McGowan, SHEA/CDC/AHA training course 4 Why do we need hospital epidemiology?? Hospitals are complex institutions where patients go to have their health problem diagnosed and treated But, hospitals and medical/surgical interventions introduce risks that may harm a patient's health 5 Consequences of Nosocomial Infections Additional morbidity Prolonged hospitalization Long-term physical, developmental and neurological sequelae Increased cost of hospitalization Death 6 Challenges to the hospital epidemiologist Make a hospital safe – Prevent harm to the patient and employees • initial focus on infectious diseases • increasingly all adverse (harmful) events are targets Improve hospital efficiency – Eliminate unnecessary costs – Eliminate wasteful practices 7 What is hospital epidemiology? The fundamental roles of hospital epidemiology are to: – Identify risks – Understand risks – Eliminate or minimize risks 8 What is the role of hospital epidemiology? Identify risks to patient's health Find nosocomial infections – surveillance Identify and study risk factors for nosocomial infection – understand epidemiologic principles and methods • case-control and cohort studies, bias, confounding – understand nosocomial pathogens – what is it about hospitalization that increases risk? 9 What is the role of hospital epidemiology? Eliminate or minimize risks to a patient's health organize care to minimize risk – eliminate risk factors – work around risk factors – develop improved policies and procedures educate physicians and nurses regarding risks study risk factors to learn more about them and how to eliminate them 10 Responsibilities of the Infection Control Program Surveillance of nosocomial infections Outbreak investigation Develop written policies for isolation of patients Development of written policies to reduce risk from patient care practices Cooperation with occupational health Cooperation with quality improvement program Education of hospital staff on infection control Ongoing review of all aseptic, isolation and sanitation techniques Monitoring of antibiotic utilization Monitoring of antibiotic resistant organisms Eliminate wasteful or unnecessary practices 11 Areas of interest to a hospital epidemiologist Surveillance for nosocomial infection – – – – bloodstream infections pneumonia urinary tract infections surgical wound infections Patterns of transmission of nosocomial infections Outbreak investigation Isolation precautions Evaluation of exposures Employee health Disinfection and sterilization Hospital engineering and environment – water supply – air filtration Reviewing policies and procedures for patient care 12 Areas of interest to a hospital epidemiologist Antibiotic use Antibiotic resistant pathogens Microbiology support National regulations on infection control Infection control committee Quantitative methods in epidemiology 13 Organizational topics in hospital epidemiology Relationship of Hospital to External Agencies and Organizations Personnel Who does the hospital epidemiologist report to? Authority Resources 14 Authority of Infection Control Program Accreditation mandates: Must meet for accreditation (example in USA: JCAHO) – Infection Control Program – Infection Control Committee – Authority statement OSHA mandates: Safety regulations Infection Control Department reports to Hospital Administration, not Medicine/Surgery or Nursing Enhanced authority through cooperation, mutual respect, and shared goal of improving patient outcome 15 QI versus Regulatory Strategies in Infection Control Regulatory approach External organizations establish rules and regulations Data collection for comparison with outside standards Inspections for compliance Penalties for noncompliance TQM/QI approach Internal organization of hospital staff to develop goals and methods Data collection for internal review Continuous efforts to improve Failure belongs to the entire system, not an individual 16 Organizing for Infection Control Requires cooperation, understanding and support of hospital administration and medical/surgical/nursing leadership There is no simple formula: – Every hospital is different – Every hospital's problems are different – Every hospital's personnel are different The hospital must develop its own unique program 17 Changes in Nosocomial Infection Rates in Hospitals with or without Effective Programs Infection site and patient risk Hospitals with very effective programs Hospitals with ineffective programs Surgical Wound High risk Low risk Urinary Tract High risk Low risk Pneumonia Surgical patients Medical patients Bloodstream All patients % -48.0 -23.6 % +13.8 +21.3 -35.8 -41.6 +18.5 +30.7 -7.3 -7.7 +9.3 +10.0 -27.6 +25.5 SENIC Study, CDC 18 Essential Components of an Effective Infection Control Program (after SENIC) One full time infection control practitioner per 250 beds – optimal ratio may be different A physician with training and expertise in infection control Surveillance and feedback of rates to clinicians Control activities (interventions, policies, training) 19 Personnel Hospital Epidemiologist – MD with clinical training – Usually part time salaried by the hospital for infection control duties and part time as infectious diseases clinician – Training in infection control Infection Control Practitioner – Usually a nurse but can be a microbiologist – Has clinical experience before entering infection control – Full time in infection control, no other clinical or administrative duties – Training in infection control 20 Organizing for Infection Control Main elements – Develop an effective surveillance system – Establish policies and regulations to reduce risks • Develop with clinicians (physicians and nurses) – Develop and maintain a program of continuing education for hospital personnel – Use scientific (epidemiologic) method to study problems and test hypotheses 21 Organizing for Infection Control Additional elements of an effective program – Antibiotic monitoring and control – Microbiologic laboratory liaison – Antibiotic susceptibility data dissemination – Occupational health – Provide resource to other departments for quality improvement study design and data analysis 22 Key elements of surveillance Defining as precisely as possible the event to be surveyed (case definition) Collecting the relevant data in a systematic, valid way Consolidating the data into meaningful arrangements Analyzing and interpreting the data Using the information to bring about change adapted from R. Haley 23 Infection Control Committee Purpose Advisory – Review ideas from infection control team – Review surveillance data Expert resource – Help understand hospital systems and policies Decision making – Review and approve policies and surveillance plans – Policies binding throughout hospital Education – Help disseminate information and influence others 24 Infection Control Committee Committee Representatives – – – – – – – – – Hospital Epidemiologist Infection Control Practitioners Administrator Ward, ICU and Operating room Nurses Medicine/Surgery/Obstetrics/Pediatrics Central Sterilization Hospital Engineer Microbiologist Pharmacist 25 Infection Control Committee Qualifications to be on the committee – Interest – Represent group in hospital – Experts in their field – Diplomatic – Good communicators 26 Resources: Where to get more information or help Training Courses – Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America (SHEA) – Association of Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) – National courses and congresses Books – Textbooks: Bennett and Brachman - Wenzel - Mayhall – APIC Curriculum and Guidelines – CDC Guidelines Journals – Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology – Journal of Hospital Infections – American Journal of Infection Control Consulting services – National: CDC, Ministry of Health – Colleagues 27 What is Hospital Epidemiology good for? Infection control Quality improvement Controlling costs An effective hospital epidemiology program can help achieve all three goals 28 Risk factors for surgical wound infection Age Obesity Malnutrition (low albumin) Diabetes Steroids/immunosuppression Prolonged pre-op hospitalization Infection at another site Prolonged procedure Drains Urgency of surgery Foreign body Skill of surgeon 29 Strategies to develop effective patient care practices Team collaboration Staff education Communication 30 Identify problems with polices and procedures Example: Pre- and Post-Operative Care Problem Area Skin shaved the night before surgery Inappropriate peri-op antibiotic prophylaxis Instruments used for dressing changes submerged disinfectant Large containers of antiseptics, no routine for cleaning and refilling Recommendation Eliminate shaving of skin the night before surgery Single dose peri-op antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines Use individual sterile packs of wound care instruments Use small containers of antiseptics; clean and dry containers before refilling 31 Methods to reduce cost of nosocomial infections Reduce incidence Reduce morbidity Shorten hospital stay Reduce costs of treating infections Reduce costs of preventative measures Stop ineffective control measures 32 Eliminate waste Example: Unnecessary nursing techniques Dressing change of aseptic wounds Daily dressing change of venous catheter dressings Daily change of intravenous infusion sets Preoperative shaving Routine changing of urinary catheters Twice daily urinary catheter care Protective gowns except for care of infected patients Daschner, F. J Hosp Infect (1991) 18, 73-78) 33 Eliminate waste: Unnecessary microbiologic monitoring Routine environmental cultures of walls, floors, air, sinks, or other hospital surfaces Routine cultures of healthcare workers nose and hands Clinical cultures which are not available to clinicians in time to help with decision making Also: Failure to generate annual summary of culture data to provide clinicians with data for empirical selection of antibiotics 34 Cultures of Walls, Floors and Other Smooth Surfaces All hospitals have some bacterial colonization of environment What is the evidence that the environment directly infects the patient? – Hospitalized patients infect the environment – Poor technique, poor handwashing, poor disinfection have all been shown to infect the patients but these are all related to poor practice not the environment directly Floors, Walls, Tables, Beds etc. should be cleaned properly but not cultured 35 Environmental Culturing: U. of Wisconsin Hospital Experience O ld H o s p ita l N e w H o s p ita l N e w H o s p tia l 1979 1979 1980 # P o s itiv e C u ltu re s N o s o c o m ia l In fe c tio n R a te While maintaining standard hygiene and cleaning, degree of environmental contamination had no effect on infection rate 36 Prolongation of Hospital Stay due to Nosocomial Infections in the USA Infection Site Excess Days Surgical Wound 6.0 Urinary tract 1.2 Pneumonia 4.0 Bacteremia 7.0 Other sites 4.2 Adapted from Dixon, Ann Int Med 89:749, 1978 37 Annual Costs and Benefits of Infection Control Program in a Hypothetical 250-bed Hospital Estimated reduction of direct costs from infections prevented Estimated infection control program expenses $246,700 Hospital savings $186,700 $60,000 Each $1000 invested in infection control will return $3000 in net direct cost savings 38 Annual Nosocomial Infection Cost Savings by Introducing Effective Infection Control Program to a 250-bed Hospital Infection site Infections without any program Infections with effective program Infections prevented Average cost per infection $ Total savings $ Surgical wound Urinary tract Respiratory Bacteremia Other sites 186 283 74 34 136 120 195 58 22 92 66 88 16 12 44 1944 318 1540 2268 1113 128,304 29,574 24,640 15,216 48,972 TOTAL 713 487 226 $246,706 39 Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Surgery Potentially an important part of surgical wound infection prevention May also be a significant expense for the hospital What is the cost-benefit of prophylactic antibiotics? – What is cost of wound infection? In money? In suffering? – How effective is prophylaxis? – How much can we spend to prevent a case of wound infection ? 40 Cost of Surgical Prophylaxis with Cefonocid in a Boston Teaching Hospital Assuming $10 per course: – $178 to prevent one breast infection – $539 to prevent one herniorrhaphy infection – $1,515 to prevent one readmission for breast infection – $622 to prevent one readmission for herniorrhaphy From: Platt et al. NEJM 322:153, 1990. 41 Impact of Cefonocid Prophylaxis (per 1,000 patients) Routine use for breast surgery would prevent – 56 infections – 23 definite wound infections – 16 UTIs Routine use for herniorrhaphy would prevent: – 19 infections – 13 definite wound infections from: Platt et al. NEJM. 322:153,1990. 42 Organization and support A. Institutional support – Infection control as a department – Placement in the organization – Authority – Personnel – Other resources 43 Organization and support B. Infection control committee – membership – support by the medical staff – participation by other disciplines – annual planning 44 Organization and support C. Infection Control Program – quality assessment – information for clinicians – educational/informational resource – surveillance data – outbreak investigation – assurance of appropriate asepsis, sterilization, disinfection – minimize risk from invasive procedures/devices – use of isolation – occupational health 45


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How to simplify the challenges of modern ITSM
- Written by Gerry Sweeney on Apr 21, 2016
In this series of blog entries, I'll be looking at how ITSM has fallen behind the rapid pace of technological change and the heightened expectations of modern end-users and service desk agents. We'll also discuss some limitations of the traditional service desk and offer some strategies for overcoming them.
The explanation for the gap between user expectations and the typical level of service provided by ITSM teams lies in the consumerization trend. "Consumerization" refers to the way consumer technologies affect businesses by changing the way people expect to use technology. In ITSM terms, end-users and service desk agents now expect to work with the same style of IT products and services that they enjoy in their personal lives. For example, service desk agents want an intuitive interface and ease of installation, together with the ability to collaborate and share information. Both end-users and agents now expect to be able to use functionality immediately without training, via their preferred device. End-users in particular, given the choice, will often self-serve before contacting the service desk.
At present, the ITSM reality falls short of these expectations. Many IT service desks are stuck in the 2000s or even the 1990s. The tools they are using often have a dated look and clunky user interface. In addition, these tools tend to be complex and process-driven, and force users to adapt their way of working to the limitations of the tool, rather than vice versa.
Many service desk managers recognize the value in meeting today's user expectations. As well as giving agents and end-users the experience they want, it will make a service desk more productive and increase the value added to the business. However, it's not always easy to do this in practice with the legacy ITSM tools at their disposal.
In my next post, I'll look in more detail at a problem that sometimes prevents service desks from keeping pace with user expectations – the functionality gap caused by difficulty in upgrading – and at the consequences of falling into this trap.


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Eli Brooks leads unranked Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team to 73-64 upset of No. 6 North Carolina
By AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Eli Brooks and his Michigan teammates kept rolling off screens, whipping the ball past defenders and burying shots with ease against a flummoxed highly ranked opponent.
"Share the game," first-year coach Juwan Howard calls it.
The plan is working perfectly, too, for these new-look Wolverines, who took down sixth-ranked North Carolina to give Howard his first marquee win.
Brooks matched his career high with 24 points and Michigan ran off 19 unanswered points in the second half to score a big upset, beating the Tar Heels 73-64 on Thursday to reach the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.
Michigan will face No. 8 Gonzaga today in the title game. Gonzaga beat No. 11 Oregon 73-72 in overtime in the second semifinal.
Isaiah Livers added 12 points for the Wolverines (6-0), who led by five early in the second half before exploding for a huge run that turned the matchup into an unexpected rout. Then the Wolverines held on amid the Tar Heels' frantic rally in the final 8 minutes.
Howard inherited a program from John Beilein that made regular deep pushes in the NCAA Tournament, though there were plenty of new faces after losing its top three scorers from last year.
No matter. The Wolverines have experience, size and a bunch of guys willing to make the next pass to seek out a better shot.
"Granted, they've been very successful in the past," Howard said. "But to embrace a new staff and to be all in, I'm very thankful for that because each and every one of them, they didn't have to. It was a choice, but it was a choice because they trusted the staff, they trusted us as men to help lead them and teach them and develop them.
"But I must say they're inspiring to watch compete."
Michigan's 19-0 burst included a dazzling run of five straight made shots to build a huge margin.
"I think that goes off shot selection, just sharing the ball," Brooks said. "We take good shots. People aren't afraid to share the ball because they know the next person's going to do their job."
The Tar Heels (5-1) didn't have much of an answer.
At one point, Brooks buried a 3-pointer to push the lead to 19 and left UNC coach Roy Williams standing on the sideline with both hands on top of his head. Yet Franz Wagner followed with another, then Brooks added a runner that pushed the lead to 60-36 with 11:18 left and finally forced the timeout-hoarding Williams to burn one.


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Tagged: Northumbria University
NE solicitors to join nationwide boycott over legal aid cuts
Solicitors in the North East will join a nationwide boycott that could see criminal courts grind to a halt.
Lawyers in the region have backed an unprecedented protest over the government's cut to legal aid, which comes into force today.
They said a planned 8.75% cut to the publicly funded criminal legal aid budget was "uneconomic" and "unsustainable".
Mass meetings of solicitors and barristers who specialise in criminal work were originally held in Liverpool but later also in Newcastle, London, Manchester, Leeds, and other cities.
All agreed not to take on any legal aid cases as of today, but will continue to do duty work to avoid breaching their contract.
Legal aid is the help given to people that may not otherwise afford their own lawyers and is a big source of income for many firms.
Solicitors in the Northumbria area, which includes, Newcastle, Northumberland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Sunderland and Gateshead, have backed the nationwide action after they held a meeting at Northumbria University on Monday night.
Lewis Pearson, deputy vice-president of the Newcastle Law Society and partner at Pearson Caulfield solicitors, in Newcastle, said the boycott was a last-ditch effort to save legal aid.
Full story : http://northstar.boards.net/thread/164/solicitors-join-nationwide-boycott-legal
Scottish referendum saw a boom in border inspired art works
Art works inspired by the border between England and Scotland blossomed around the referendum, a North East based academic has claimed.
Northumberland's cultural and social relationship with Scotland was enriched by political events, according to Northumbria University Professor of Art History, Ysanne Holt, and she hopes the focus on the 'borderland' area continues for a long time to come.
Prof. Holt, who studies the cultural landscape of the Anglo-Scottish border region, said:
"The referendum clearly drew sharp attention to this region and its cultural identity, and let's hope the focus remains. The events of last year caused valuable reflection on the longstanding interconnections across the border, fostering for many a sense of wanting to develop further collaborations, not just in terms of shared resources such as tourism, forestry, roads, rail and so on, but in the arts and culture as well."
Full Story : http://northstar.boards.net/thread/69/scottish-referendum-border-inspired-works
Election Candidates urged to back pledges on homelessness
A North-East think-tank is calling on parliamentary candidates to support a series of pledges to tackle the region's homelessness crisis.
Research by the North East Homelessness Think Tank (NEHTT) has shown that many more people are at risk of homelessness today than at the time of the last general election in 2010, and that the numbers of people falling victim to homelessness are rising.
These trends are particularly worrying because of recent changes to housing and welfare policies and potential plans for further cuts to public spending.
NEHTT, of which Northumbria University is a founding member, is asking candidates to sign up to its charter to support specific action by the next Government.
NEHTT is a regional group comprising academics, researchers and policy officers.
Key partners include Northumbria University, Youth Homeless North East, Homeless Link, Shelter, Barnardo's, Northern Housing Consortium, Changing Lives, IPPR North, Oasis Aquila Housing and the NE Regional Homelessness Group, as well as independent specialists.
The pledges are:
*Appropriate housing with adequate support services will be provided for vulnerable people making access to sufficient social housing a priority.
*Housing benefit will be retained for under 25s
*It will be compulsory to find settled accommodation for offenders leaving prison or who are homeless within the community.
*All houses in multiple occupation and B&Bs which cater for homeless people will be inspected and must provide good quality facilities.
The statutory definition of homelessness will be improved by ensuring that all forms of homelessness – rough sleeping, those in temporary accommodation and 'sofa surfers' – are officially recorded.
"The pledges are based on the knowledge we have, from a wide range of research evidence, about what would make a real difference to address the key issues encountered by many homeless people, and in particular about homelessness amongst single people and under-25s."
So far, signatories include four Labour candidates and six Green candidates. Further support has also come from two Labour front bench MPs, and two Conservative candidates.
Source – Northern Echo, 10 Apr 2015
Newcastle marchers protest over George Galloway's presence at counter demo to Pegida
Demonstrators against an anti-Islam march planned for Newcastle city centre have expressed concerns over the presence of maverick MP George Galloway.
It comes after Mr Galloway announced plans to join a counter demo in the city on February 28 against Pegida UK's first British rally.
But in an open letter other counter demonstrators have highlighted concerns that the Respect MP's "divisive public figure" is raising issues among those hoping to take a stand against Pegida.
Gary Spedding, 24, a human rights advocate and Northumbria University student, said in the letter:
"This is highly problematic for us wishing to attend and support the demonstration against Pegida.
"Whilst we appreciate organisers have made it clear that they are aware his politics are not agreeable with everybody who will be in attendance, we do believe there are vital aspects which have been overlooked."
The letter, co-signed by Lizi Gray, Women's Representative for Northumbria University, goes on to outline concerns over Mr Galloway's stance on the Israeli-Palestine conflict, as well as his alleged past comments suggesting Julian Assange was accused of nothing more than "bad sexual etiquette".
Mr Assange is currently wanted in Sweden to face allegations – which he denies – of sexual assault made by two women.
But the open letter has angered Mr Galloway who today said he planned to take action in relation to it.
He said:
"I'm extremely disappointed that two individuals with their own agenda, in a highly-defamatory letter over which I am taking action, are effectively undermining the opposition to Pegida."
> Aint that what so often happens, though ? And all the people who aren't pushing their own agendas but just, you know, think it right to protest against a right wing organization like Pegida, they just get fed up and don't bother anymore.
The MP last week revealed plans to come up and be part of a counter-demonstration where he will stand "beside the hundreds of other anti-Fascists against this highly-provocative incursion by Pegida which can only be intended to stir up racial hatred."
Pegida have said the are planning a "peaceful" demonstration not associated with any extreme Far Right organisations and picked Newcastle because they already had a number of followers from the area.
The counter demonstration, organised by multi-cultural organisation Newcastle Unites, is expected to include representatives from a number of anti-fascist organisations.
In the open letter, Mr Speding goes on to say:
"We hope that organisers will disinvite Mr Galloway, or if too late for a disinvitation, then at the very least consider not giving him a platform."
> I, for one, hope they don't.
Northumbria Police have now confirmed they have spoken to Pegida in relation to arrangements for the planned march.
A spokesman added:
"We have spoken to the organisers and they have informed us they plan to hold their event on February 28.
"We are aware there are also plans in place for counter events to be held in the city on the same day.
"We will now speak to all of those involved, our partners and our local communities and over the coming days agree on plans for the events.
"Northumbria Police respects the right to peaceful protest and takes a neutral standpoint, not supporting or endorsing any groups or individuals.
"Our role is to protect, reassure and support our communities as well as the safety of everyone – those attending any events, those protesting, the general public and those policing them."
Source – Newcastle Evening Chronicle, 16 Feb 2015
South Tyneside Council to bring in Living Wage
South Tyneside Council has confirmed plans to introduce the national "living wage" for around 1,000 staff.
A meeting of borough council last night saw members agree to move forward with the phased implementation of the Living Wage.
From April, the local authority will delete spinal column points 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the national government pay scale, so that no employee will be paid less than £7.29p per hour.
Following the implementation of phase one, the council will then look towards the implementation of the full national living wage rate (outside London) of £7.85 per hour.
Coun Ed Malcolm, Lead Member for Resources and Innovation at South Tyneside Council, said:
"We are working towards permanently protecting our lowest paid workers for the future.
"This is not about giving staff pay supplement which could be taken away at any point – this is about making significant, lasting changes to our salary structure. Staff affected will not only benefit from the extra money in their wages but also from additional benefits like increased pension provision.
"As a council we are committed to the social justice agenda and trying to bring real change to the lives of people in South Tyneside.
"There is a compelling case to introduce a living wage because it brings dignity and pays families enough to enjoy a basic but acceptable standard of living. However it is important that we consider this very carefully in the context of ongoing Government budget cuts and our commitment to protecting vital services in South Tyneside."
The council set up an Independent Wage Commission in June last year to examine the benefits and challenges of adopting a living wage in South Tyneside, which found that a living wage would make a positive contribution to reducing poverty and promoting well-being among low paid workers.
It also said that affordability would be a challenge in the current economic climate, with South Tyneside hit by Government funding reductions.
Coun Malcolm added:
"Of course we would have liked to implement the full living wage with immediate effect but given the unprecedented cuts imposed on the authority we have had to take a prudent approach.
"When we have further information on our future funding, we will sit down with our trade union colleagues to consider the affordability of implementing the full Living Wage from 2016 with a view to eliminating low pay across the council's workforce."
Professor Keith Shaw of Northumbria University and chair of South Tyneside's Independent Living Wage Commission said:
"South Tyneside Council's support for the Independent Commission's recommendation to introduce a Living Wage will make a real difference to the lives of people living and working in South Tyneside.
"In recommending its introduction, the Commission were convinced that increasing the income of the lowest paid employees would make an important contribution to reducing the scale of in-work poverty, have a positive impact on the life chances of families, young people and women and, by increasing local spending power, also boost the local economy in South Tyneside.
"The council are to be commended for their support of such an important initiative."
Latest figures show that nearly a quarter of all workers in South Tyneside are paid below the living wage.
The living wage is set independently, updated annually, and is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK.
Source – Shields Gazette, 05 Dec 2014
Living wage joy for 1000 South Tyneside Council staff
A thousand South Tyneside Council workers will begin to be paid a national living wage from next year, it was confirmed today.
The authority is the first in the North East to commit to working towards the implementation of the full national living wage value of £7.65 per hour – £1.34 above the national minimum wage of £6.31 an hour.
The historic move is a major financial boost to borough cleaners, school lunch supervisors and catering assistants in schools, residential homes and leisure facilities – 95 per cent of whom are women.
And it means those workers, who are currently paid £6.54 an hour, will eventually see their hourly rate rise by £1.11.
Pending full council approval in December, from April next year the process of introducing the wage on a phased basis will begin.
Today Coun Ed Malcolm, the council's lead member for Resources and Innovation, said there was a "compelling case" for making the change, which will cost the authority an estimated £700,000 to implement.
He said:
"As a council we are committed to the social justice agenda and trying to bring real change to the lives of people in South Tyneside.
"This is not about giving staff pay supplement – this is about radically changing our salary structure.
"We are working towards permanently protecting our lowest paid workers for the future. Staff affected will not only benefit from the extra money in their wages but also from additional benefits like increased pension provision.
"There is a compelling case to introduce a living wage because it brings dignity and pays families enough to enjoy a basic but acceptable standard of living.
"However it is important that we consider this very carefully in the context of ongoing Government budget cuts and our commitment to protecting vital services in South Tyneside."
The council established an Independent Wage Commission in June last year to examine the benefits and challenges of adopting a living wage in the borough.
That commission found that a living wage would make a positive contribution to reducing poverty and promoting well-being among low paid workers.
Now the local authority will look to implement a phased introduction of the new hourly rate.
From April 2015 its the lowest paid employees will receive £7.11 per hour – representing an immediate increase up to a maximum of 67p per hour.
Coun Malcolm added:
"Of course we would have liked to implement the full living wage with immediate effect but given the unprecedented cuts imposed on the authority we have had to take a prudent approach.
"When we have further information on our future funding, we will sit down with our trade union colleagues to consider the affordability of implementing the full Living Wage from 2016 with a view to eliminating low pay across the council's workforce."
Rachel Reeves MP said:
"It's brilliant that South Tyneside council is making this important commitment. It shows that even in tough times when there is less money around we can make choices that help build a fairer society."
Professor Keith Shaw of Northumbria University, chair of South Tyneside's Independent Living Wage Commission, said:
"South Tyneside Council's support for the Independent Commission's recommendation to introduce a Living Wage will make a real difference to the lives of people living and working in South Tyneside.
"In recommending its introduction, the commission were convinced that increasing the income of the lowest paid employees would make an important contribution to reducing the scale of in-work poverty, have a positive impact on the life chances of families, young people and women and, by increasing local spending power, also boost the local economy in South Tyneside.
"The council are to be commended for their support of such an important initiative."
Source – Shields Gazette, 17 Oct 2014
The young and unemployed invite David Cameron to the region to see what it is really like
Prime Minister David Cameron has been given an open invite to visit the region's young unemployed to stop him labelling them benefits scroungers.
The Tory leader announced plans to 'combat' youth unemployment by stopping benefits after six months for those aged 18 to 21 to wean them off a life of 'dependency'.
While it played well to the gallery at the Conservative party conference, it left young people at the sharp end angry at how it seems to portray them.
Katie McLaren, 21, graduated with a degree in Performing Arts three months ago from Northumbria University and has still to find work.
"I'm trying to get on the employment ladder, be an adult, but there aren't a lot of work opportunities out there," she said. "Believe me I'm trying.
"Why doesn't he speak to the young unemployed to find out what the situation is like? I think there's a lack of understanding between the south and the north as well as politicians with the people they are supposed to represent. If he wants to come up here he is more than welcome."
The region has one of the worst jobless rates for young people in the UK, running at 25% or about one in four.
And the figure for all ages in the North East is about 10%, the worst in the UK by a considerable margin.
Neil Burke of Youth Focus North East, a charity which aims to improve the life of young people across the region, said: "There might be lots of jobs in London but there aren't loads of jobs up here, as the figures show."
Speaking about Mr Cameron's proposal, he said: "What about young people who have come from vulnerable circumstances?
"They can be socially isolated and getting them out of the house to train them can take four months which could be great work. And then have them find work in two months?
"It's a one-size fits all policy. Many might have been let down by the education system and haven't left school with the skills to get a job and sometimes it can take more than six months to get them ready for work. It seems to me the six month figure has just been plucked out of the air."
Under the plan, unemployed 18 to 21 year olds will be given six months to find work or training before their jobseekers allowance (JSA) is withdrawn, and replaced with a 'Youth Allowance' which would be set at the same level as JSA, £57.35.
This would be time-limited of six months, after which young people will have to take an apprenticeship, a traineeship or do community work – such as cleaning up local parks – to earn their benefits.
Young mum Amy Ormston, 22, from Gateshead dropped out of college to have daughter Mya. She is now training to become cabin crew.
She said: "I don't agree with the plans to cut benefits at all. If it happened to me how would I be able to feed Mya?
"There aren't jobs but there is plenty of voluntary work going round – how many of those lead to a permanent job?
"He is tarring young people with the same brush. Stigmatising them as if all we want to do is just to be on benefits."
Lizzie Crowley of the Work Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation providing research on work, said similar schemes have been introduced in the US and Australia and have not been successful – unless the intention was to save money on benefits payments.
She said: "People have just left the system before the time period is up. It can lead to homelessness or relying on your parents even more. That's people who have stable family relations."
Katie said she has family to go back to in Hartlepool. However she added: "I don't think that would be fair on them and I'd feel a failure if I had to."
Source – Newcastle Evening Chronicle, 01 Oct 2014
North East – Welfare Reform Puts Single People At Risk Of Homelessness
This article was written by Adele Irving and Sheila Spencer, for theguardian.com on Wednesday 11th June 2014
Because there is no requirement to measure single homelessness in England, it is extremely hard to find direct evidence of the impact of reform. But welfare reform is leading to a rise in the number of risk factors for homelessness, and our study found these risks were escalating fast in the north east of England.
There is a shortage of one bedroom flats in many parts of the region, with sharp competition between individuals trying to move on from supported housing, and those faced with having to downsize to avoid the bedroom tax or risk falling into arrears.
We are also seeing a slide into food poverty. Single people without disabilities tend to have much smaller incomes at their disposal. Many are now economising on food in order to pay basic household bills. Use of food banks is growing and some local authorities and housing providers say they are becoming part of a standard response to poverty, rather than a last resort.
Tough benefit sanctions are disproportionately hitting vulnerable young and homeless people. Rent arrears have increased in the region, though some housing providers say they have now begun to stabilise. When sanctioned, claimants often do not understand the complex rules that can protect housing benefit payments and are being plunged into further debt unnecessarily. Increases in money lending are also reported.
There is already additional pressure on advice services. The Citizens Advice Bureau says the number of people asking for help because of council rent arrears is up by more than a third and the number looking for advice about discretionary housing payments (DHPs) – used by government to offset the impact of the bedroom tax – has doubled.
Benefits is now the biggest category for services, and many advice providers are struggling to cope with demand. But, as one agency noted to researchers: "No amount of advice is going to replace the entitlement that has been lost"
Crime levels are increasing. Two north east police forces report an increase in burglaries and shop thefts, and some homeless people are turning to crime instead of applying for hardship payments when sanctioned.
Other emerging effects of welfare reform are deteriorating physical and mental health, worsening relationships with families and increasing numbers of people who are found to have complex needs.
Local authorities and housing providers are putting significant resources into helping affected households, particularly those struggling to pay the bedroom tax.
An Ipsos MORI survey of predicted housing association spend reported an average of £109,000 per household affected by March 2014. The irony is that this expenditure may not have been necessary. One local authority, which in July 2013 had just 54 customers affected by overcrowding (1% of the total on the housing register), commented: "We've spent over £4m fixing a problem that never existed."
There is also growing evidence that the welfare reforms have failed to encourage people into work. A series of reports show that homeless people and young people in the north east want to work, but face significant barriers. Increased conditionality appears to actually be discouraging engagement with government support and removing people from benefit claims altogether, rather than improving their chances of securing employment.
Agencies across the north east have called for action to understand the cost-effectiveness of welfare reform, campaigned against the proposed loss of housing benefit for under-25s and challenged DWP to work more closely with agencies supporting vulnerable homeless people. Wouldn't government funding be better spent supporting vulnerable people into work and investing in social housing?
Adele Irving is a research fellow at the Centre for Public Policy at Northumbria University. Sheila Spencer is a housing consultant
Source – Welfare News Service, 11 June 2014
North East arts funding fight goes to Westminster
Arts organisations have hit out at the London bias which is starving cultural bodies outside the South East of funds – and demanded a better deal for the North East.
Theatres, local authorities and actors' union Equity told MPs that the concentration of resources in London and the south had to stop, not only because it was unfair but because it damaged the economy.
They issued the demand in submissions to a Commons inquiry looking at the work of the Arts Council.
It follows the publication last year of a hard-hitting report backed by senior arts figures including Melvyn Bragg and producer David Puttnam which warned that London receives £563.9m a year in culture funding from the Government and the Arts Council while the rest of the country gets £205.1m.
Latest Arts Council figures showed that arts organisations in the North East received £5.59 per head a year, compared to £21.33 per head in London.
And the study also found that the North East had received £86.22 per head in arts lottery funding since 1995, while Londoners received £165.
The report's authors included Peter Stark, professor of cultural policy and management at Northumbria University.
Speaking at Westminster, he told the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee: "We have an enormous potential out there and the resources are in the wrong place."
He added: "There is just something wrong that Westminster is benefiting to the tune that it is while County Durham is benefiting to the extent that it is, and something must be done about it."
In a written submission to the inquiry, the North East Cultural Partnership, a body backed by 12 local councils and North East Chamber of Commerce, warned that unfair funding "has led to networks of artists and organisations in some parts of England, which, for all their strengths, are smaller and less powerful than we need".
Funding bodies such as the Arts Council should look for ways to make funding decisions locally instead of in London, it said.
The Touring Partnership Ltd, which represents nine theatres across the country including the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, said: "The gulf between the current per capita investment of the nation's funds for culture in London … compared to the rest of England … is unacceptable by anybody's reckoning.
"Even when the funding to those key national institutions is removed from the analysis, the inequity remains extreme and, in the interests of basic democratic fairness, should be redressed."
Actors' union Equity highlighted the economic importance of the arts, telling MPs: "An independent Economic Impact Assessment of ten of the North East's leading cultural organisations showed that £4.06 of GVA is generated within the region for every pound of subsidy received."
However, it said it would have concerns about simply cutting funding for the south to shift the money north.
But the Association of British Orchestras, which represents Royal Northern Sinfonia at Sage Gateshead among others, warned: "We would respectfully point out that criticisms of the perceived imbalance between Arts Council funding in London and the regions is a distraction from the more critical issue of maintaining local authority investment in arts organisations when this funding is so under threat."
The inquiry continues and MPs will present their findings later in the year.
Source – Newcastle Journal, 26 March 2014
Driven to the brink of suicide: Tyneside Mind launch short film highlighting real experiences
A powerful new film captures the desperate real experiences of being judged "fit for work" for people with mental health problems.
Tyneside Mind launched a short film highlighting the real experiences of three local people with mental health problems undergoing Work Capability Assessment.
The film 'But I'm here for mental health – three stories of the Work Capability Assessment' used actors to tell the genuine stories of individuals who were deemed 'fit for work' by Atos Healthcare despite the severity of their mental health problems and the significant barriers they face to get into work.
Local MP's were invited to the showing which was be aired for the first time at Northumbria University Cinema last week.
The film tells the story of two men unfairly dismissed from work due to ill health and one woman whose sleep apnoea and depression prevent her from being able to work. In a particularly poignant moment in the film one man, who can't write because he has carpal tunnel syndrome, has to admit to his elderly mother that he has contemplated suicide since losing his job as she fills in the application form on his behalf.
Another scene depicts a lady standing on a bridge thinking about ending her life because she has been told she is fit for work.
"It's been really traumatic and very confusing for people," said Oliver Wood, vice chairman of Tyneside Mind, who has himself now been back in work for two years after claiming benefits due to a mental health problem.
"They don't really understand the process or how, when they are really very unwell, seeing senior hospital consultants and receiving support from mental health services, they are being declared fully fit to work because they are physically capable."
Currently 37% of all North East appeals against decisions to change or remove Employment Support Allowance are successful, which rises to more than two in five for cases involving mental and behavioural disorders.
But Oliver points to Department of Work and Pensions figures for Northumberland, Tyne and Wear which suggest that over the past eight months an average of 2,200 claimants a month – including many with mental health problems – have had their benefits sanctioned and 1,700 a month have given up their claims.
One fear is that many people with mental health problems may be suffering in silence, due to the increasing "stigma" of being on benefits.
The film uses reconstruction to depict service users' real stories, interspersed with verbatim quotes from Tyneside Mind service users.
With funding from The Millfield House Foundation and support from Helix Arts and Tyneside Mind, the film has been produced by Meerkat Films to help raise awareness of the devastating impact this assessment process can have on vulnerable individuals with complex and fluctuating conditions.
The release of the film also coincides with the Litchfield Review – the fourth annual Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, which is currently used to determine eligibility for the out-of-work benefit Employment and Support Allowance.
Over a third of assessments involve people who have applied primarily due to a mental health problem and many more applicants experience a mental health problem alongside other illnesses or disabilities. Yet, the film aims to show that the assessment is not suitable for people with mental health problems, and often actually pushes many people further away from the workplace by exacerbating their mental health problems and directing them to inappropriate support and expectations.
Stuart Dexter, Chief Executive of Tyneside Mind, said: "At Tyneside Mind we help people every week with benefits-related enquiries, and our resources are increasingly stretched.
"The people we represent are still not getting a fair outcome from the Work Capability Assessment. The assessment process is not sensitive enough to recognise the impact a mental health problem can have on someone's ability to work, and can cause a great deal of stress, especially for those who get an unfair decision and then have to go through a lengthy and costly appeals process. This film aims to highlight what it's really like for the many individuals subjected to this process and urge the Department for Work and Pensions to urgently improve the system."
Steve, whose name has been changed, but who speaks of his experience of the Work Capability Assessment in the film, said: "The whole assessment process was so traumatic that I really didn't think I'd be able to recover from it, let alone talk about it.
"Unfortunately I know that there are so many others like me who have felt humiliated and had their views neglected.
"Tyneside Mind suggested I get involved with this project and I wanted to help because I feel it's so important to raise awareness of the way vulnerable people are being treated. I hope this film will help change things so nobody else will have to endure what I did."
Source – Newcastle Journal, 27 Dec 2013


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If you read the previous post, you may remember that I left you knee deep in Burton, Nebraska.
So what?
The last time we visited Burton the population sign read "9" so you can imagine how surprised I was when this man told me his wife was from Burton!
In 1992, the Burton commercial district looked like this:
Although it wasn't always that way. Fifty years earlier, you could postmark a letter from Burton.
The Horton home was in Burton back in the day. Later, that house was moved to the neighboring Springview.
I mean, seriously, what are the chances? After all, we are standing in Vantage, WA, which Google tells me is 1257.9 miles from Burton,NE. While centrally located in our state, Vantage, like Burton, is not exactly networking central. I-90 is a mile or two south of where we are standing and rarely do people exit the freeway for anything but gas and a very quick bite to eat. You can tell by this deserted campground and the shuttered businesses that promise to open again sometime. When I called to make reservations, the clerk laughed, said they were wide open and finished with "Come on over."
What are the chances?
This couple had not driven I-90 on their return trip from Seattle to their home in Eastern Oregon. Instead, they followed a back road between Ellensburg and Vantage, which is why they passed by the campground in the first place.
And seriously, what are the chances that this Oregonian would be wearing a shirt with the Nebraska Big Red logo on it? Seriously! There are way too many Huskies, Cougars, and Ducks, yes Ducks!–in this area!
And what are the chances they would be interested in replacing their 32 year old Casita trailer with something like ours?
And what are the chances they would see our little Escape, turn their car around to come back and look? Not everyone is that curious! I am, but that's another story!
And what are the chances we would be still be camping there–we had talked of moving the trailer to another location–and furthermore, what are the chances that we would even be at the trailer? Hadn't we been out exploring for seven hours already today?
Carol, the wife, told us that her mother is 98 and still lives in the Burton area. Carol's husband relayed that mom keeps busy maintaining the graves and supplying flowers for headstones at the local cemeteries.
He mentioned the Jordan Valley Cemetery where my grandparents are buried.
Now seriously folks, this is no urban cemetery located right on the highway. I remembered the ordeal to find the place. Desperate to locate my grandparents headstones before nightfall, we finally asked a woman emerging from the local bar in the neighboring town of Springview. She directed us according to fields, mailboxes and country lanes on how to find the last resting spot of the Hortons–my family, the Outhouses–her family and one other family, whose name was not quite so memorable.
Now Carol and I share a bit of family history. I have a sense that her mother may have been a student in my grandmother's classroom! Small world. I mention that my grandmother, the local teacher, married the president of the school board–something that wouldn't raise eyebrows in the early 20th century.
My grandmother, shown above, with her son sometime during the early 1940s.
I share how my grandfather had owned multiple farms which he lost during the depression. She shared how at her grandfather's funeral hundreds of people arrived that the family did not know. Turns out he was the local banker who had saved their farms.
Later, I pondered. Why did my grandfather not go to his neighbor, the local banker, for help? I will always wonder that. Could our grandfather's farms have been saved?
So you are probably asking how this fits with the topic of process and more particularly my process that I hope to turn into a product in the near future?
For the second day in a row, I was on the blessing end of an unlikely encounter. Very unlikely this time. What are the chances? Haven't I been writing on how we gain momentum in life not by pressing, pushing and shoving, but by simply doing the next thing? This encounter sought me out. I didn't hunt it down.
Yesterday, as I safely walked in our local non-rattlesnake infested woods, I sensed God whispering in my heart that these two encounters are training wheels for my faith. They were given to let me know that I am in His time and place. He will set up more connections in the future that will surpass my expectation. If He announced them today, I would deem them impossible.
So–the application for you is–whatever you are believing God for in your process, take heart. He is the absolute best networker in the universe. He can put you in touch with the most unlikely people who will have the next clue for your life's great adventure. Just do the next thing.
Marlee Huber ~ For Your Flourishing Life


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My office is a good place to see praying mantises, grasshoppers, dragonflies , frogs , butterflies etc. I work from home most of the time . I spend sometime in the small garden in front of the office each time I go there. I was in a meeting with the manager when I observed this wasp moving in and out of the door frame.
To my surprise it was building a nest which had quite a few caterpillars inside . These caterpillars are paralyzed and a single egg is laid on it. Once the larva of the wasp comes out it feeds on these caterpillars and grows into an adult and then comes out of the nest.
I could not go very close to the wasp as they are aggressive and their sting is supposed to be painful
The wasp leaving the slot to get more clay.It was indeed a delight to watch this wasp going in and out of the slot to bring clay and caterpillars.
A closer look at the nest shaped perfectly like a pot.
The pot is closed after it lays the egg.
I tried to dissuade it because the nest was any way going to be crushed once the office was locked . But this wasp was persistent and tried to attack me .So I had to give up ,to my dismay it started building a second nest over the first on as seen in the picture.
A sad end for this wasp which worked untiringly to build this nest. Though we were watching this happen, we could not do anything to save the nests.
Our Manager says that she has discovered a way to make my office visits more frequent. She would keep a watch for the wild happenings in the office and keep me informed . I am happy I have company to watch wild happenings at my work place.
The next day I visited to check the debris of the nest. I was amazed to see that the nests were crushed but the caterpillars were missing. I checked thoroughly for the caterpillars and on interrogating the cleaning staff I found that this wasp had been visiting the nest this morning.Probably the caterpillars have been shifted by the smart wasp to a different nest.
Smart Wasp !


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Cats Eye Chrysoberyl Gemstone Information
Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl is both a popular and extremely valuable gemstone that is genuinely rare, being found only in a few deposits in the world. The chrysoberyl, with its hues ranging from honey-colored to mint green, is a popular gemstone, and one which is esteemed by gemstone lovers the world over. Cat's Eyes are particularly popular in men's jewelry. Cat's Eyes color ranges from a golden honey to mint green, with the rich gold colors generally being the most valued.
The attribute that gives this stone its popularity and name is the phenomena known as chatoyancy, also known in the gem trade as "the cats eye effect". The reason for this fascinating phenomenon is very fine inclusions within the stone. When a light source is directed on these inclusions it creates a bright strip that appears and runs perpendicular to the inclusions. This strip will then glide across the surface of the stone when turned over. Though other gems exhibit this cat's eye effect,they are not as defined and distinct, giving only Chrysoberyl the privilege of having the Cat's Eye name. All other gemstones displaying chatoyancy must have their given name preceding, such as Quartz Cat's Eye.
Another interesting attribute that Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl displays is what is known as the "milk and honey" effect. When a light source is directed at the side of the stone, one side of the eye will be a milky color and opposite side will remain gold. When the stone is rotated, the colors switch.
The most important factor to consider when evaluating Cat's Eye is the strength and sharpness of the eye. The eye of the stone must have a fine line running through it that is distinct and easily recognized. The depth of the stone's color and the level of transparency are also important factors and considerably impact upon the stone's worth. These unique and astonishing characteristics along with its rarity makes Cats Eye a popular choice for connoisseurs and gemstone collectors alike.
The prices and value of Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl can vary tremendously, depending on the size and quality of the gemstone. AJS Gems is your source for the highest quality Cats Eye Chrysoberyl and many other precious colored stones from across the globe, available at Bangkok direct wholesale prices. Creating the finest jewelry starts with finding the best gemstones, and the best gemstones are found at AJS Gems.
Why Buy Loose Gemstones Instead of Pre-Set Jewelry?
There are many reasons, but mainly it comes down to value and choice...
When buying your Cats-Eye Chrysoberyl gemstone loose instead of a pre-set stone, you can be sure that you are getting the best value for your money. Loose gemstones are less expensive, a better value, and you can really see what you are paying for. The most important part of getting the right price and finding the best value is to first see what you're getting. A jewelry setting will hide the inclusions inside a gem, and can deepen or brighten its color. With a loose stone you can much more easily inspect the gem and see it for what it really is. In this way you can get a better idea of its true worth and be sure you are paying a fair price.
The second advantage of buying a loose gemstone is choice. You are free to pick the exact color, cut, shape and variety of the stone for the setting of your dreams, be it yellow gold, white gold, platinum or silver; prong set or bezel set with diamond accents. You can experience the joy of creating your very own, one-of-a-kind jewelry design. Choose from a variety of jewelry settings and styles to create a completely original presentation that will perfectly suit your individual gemstone and will be as unique as you are!
|Brazil, India, Myanmar, China, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, USA (Colorado)
|Yellow, rich gold, honey-brown to apple green
|Refractive Index
|Chemical Composition
|Crystal Structure
Translucent yellowish chatoyant chyrsoberyl is called cymophane or "cat's eye chrysoberyl". Cymophane has its derivation also from the Greek words meaning 'wave' and 'appearance', in reference to the chatoyancy sometimes exhibited. In this variety, microscopic tubelike cavities or needlelike inclusions of rutile occur in an orientation parallel to the c-axis producing a chatoyant effect visible as a single ray of light passing across the crystal. This effect is best seen in gemstones cut in cabochon form perpendicular to the c-axis. The color in yellow chrysoberyl is due to Fe3+ impurities.
Cats eye chrysoberyl is a very hard material, with a hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale. Chrysoberyl has distinct cleavage and a vitreous surface luster. Chrysoberyl has a refractive index of 1.745. The refractive index (RI), measured using a refractometer, is an indication of the amount light rays are bent by a mineral. Birefringence is the difference between the minimum and maximum RI. When birefringence is high, light rays reflect off different parts of the back of a stone causing an apparent doubling of the back facets when viewed through the front facet.
Most gems have a crystalline structure. Crystals have planes of symmetry and are divided into seven symmetry systems. The number of axes, their length, and their angle to each other determine the system to which a crystal belongs. Chrysoberyl crystallizes in the orthorohombic crystal system, forming in slender prisms and usually has a "tabular" crystal habit. Crystal twinning is common.
The popular cat's eye chrysoberyls come in many nuances between lemon and greenish yellow, and in honey colors and shades from mint green to brownish green, with rich gold colors generally the most valued. The most important value factor is the strength and sharpness of the eye.
Fine cats-eye chrysoberyl gems often also shows the "milk and honey" effect. When a bright light source is directed at the side of the stone, one side of the eye will be milky white and the other remains gold. When the stone is rotated, the colors switch.
Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl gemstones are always cut as cabochons for it is the only cut that will allow the spectacular cats eye effect to be displayed. When cutting a cabochon, gem cutters will center the cats eye slit so that it bisects the stone. The vast majority of cats eye gems have been native cut with uneven bottoms, but this is not a sign of haphazard work or poor lapidary skills. Specialists in cutting these gems are great masters at revealing and centering an eye, which frequently necessitates such unevenness.
Chrysoberyls exhibiting weak chatoyancy are commonly faceted. Faceted Chrysoberyl has a honey-gold color and is found in shapes such as ovals, cushions, rounds and emerald cuts. It may remind you of yellow sapphire, topaz, or citrine. Faceted chrysoberyl is transparent, with few visible inclusions.
Loose Cats Eye Chrysoberyl gemstones can sometimes be irridated in order to improve color and chatoyancy. But this treatment is quite rare.
AJS Gems fully discloses any and all treatments to our gemstones.
Cat's eye chrysoberyls are mostly found in the gemstone deposits of Brazil, Sri Lanka ( Ceylon ) or East Africa. Most chrysoberyl is found as an alluvial deposit in river sands and gravels but can also be found in metamorphic deposits of marble and corundum. Cats eye material is found as a very small percentage of the overall chrysoberyl production wherever chrysoberyl is found.
A cat's eye chrysoberyl crystal rough weighing an astounding 317 carats and a finished gem of 72 carats were displayed at a gem & mineral show in 1997. Both pieces reportedly originated in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Despite these rare finds, this particular form of chrysoberyl is among the rarest gems on earth. The future of the cat's eye chrysoberyl remains uncertain.
The name Chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words "Beryl", meaning green and "Chryso", meaning golden. The two words combined mean "gold colored beryl". In spite what the name implies, Cat's Eye is not actually a Beryl at all. The name Cat's eye is derived from the phenomena displayed by this stone known as chatoyancy, which in French literally means "cat's eye".
Cats Eye Chrysoberyl gems have been treasured for many centuries, particularly in Sri Lanka ( Ceylon ), where it is believed to be a powerful protective stone, particularly against evil spirits. Chrysoberyl has long been considered a good luck charm in numerous cultures.
As mentioned, Cats Eyes are effective protective stones and talisman. They are believed to induce positive thoughts and help promote tolerance and harmony.
Cats Eye Chrysoberyl gems have been treasured for many centuries, particularly in Sri Lanka ( Ceylon ), where it is believed to be a powerful protective stone, particularly against evil spirits. Chrysoberyl has long been considered a good luck charm in numerous cultures.
As mentioned, Cats Eyes are effective protective stones and talisman. They are believed to induce positive thoughts and help promote tolerance and harmony.
Also because of it's golden hue, it has often been associated with wealth.
Chrysoberyls are known to be associated with discipline and self-control. They are said to promote concentration and the ability to learn and to help the wearer with striving for excellence.
In addition to this, they bring peace of mind, clearer thinking, and increased self-confidence helping one become more understanding of the fact that they have everything they already need to succeed.
A dream of cat's-eye chrysoberyl foretold the coming of a treacherous moment.
Cat's-eye chrysoberyl is the international gemstone of Sri Lanka ( Ceylon ).
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
earthquake #2
So about an hour ago I experienced my second earthquake. According to the LA Times, it was a 5.4 and its epicenter was about 35-40 miles from where I live. It's been almost exactly a year since my first earthquake. Hmmm . . . Anyway, it still scared the hell out of me. I was all shaky. The thing was, it was a lot longer than the first one. It was at least 20 seconds--my metronome was on, since I was practicing! I didn't even put my instrument down, it didn't occur to me, so I just stood in the door of my room with it in my hand. And even seconds can feel like forever. Some CDs fell off my bookshelf. The ceiling light fixture in our living room shook a lot. And I got a jolt of adrenaline that is still wearing off. It was kind of hard to practice afterwards. Actually, running through an audition list right after an earthquake would be great practice--it feels kind of like the adrenaline from an audition. Too bad I don't have anything ready yet. And I was practicing EH, not oboe. Meanwhile, the construction workers on the street didn't appear to notice and just kept drilling. No car alarms went off. But seriously, such an unnatural feeling. The earth is the one thing my body thinks it can count on to stay still! It is SOOO WEIRD when it starts to move. Although, in some ways, how it feels makes sense. I imagine enormous plates of the earth grinding past each other, and that I'm on those enormous plates, and it's basically a big, bumpy ride. But I never want to be an anything bigger than that one, thank you.
2 comments:
- Patty said...
Good to hear that you're okay! I wondered, after hearing from my daughter (she works at UCI). Whew!
I was here when the big one hit in 1989. NEVER want to feel something like that again. Shaking earth is sort of hard on my brain, as I like my ground to be solid, thank you very much.
Anyway, breathe deep ... and I guess be ready for aftershocks too ...??
- July 29, 2008 at 1:12 PM
- Gabrielle said...
thanks, patty! yeah, i definitely don't want to be in anything bigger than a 5.4, i can't imagine what the 89 quake was like. or rather, i can, and it's scary!
so far i haven't felt any aftershocks, thankfully.
- July 30, 2008 at 9:44 AM
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I was setting-up a computer as a DOS machine when I got the bright idea of flashing the BIOS... :o
I know "If it aint broke..." but I'm usually not that much of an idiot. :o :o
Anyway, something went wrong.
I tried the BIOS recovery mode using the jumper settings on my mobo.
When I turn on the computer, there is a brief disk activity then nothing. Nothing is displayed.
Do I have a newfound paperweight?
Dell XPS R400
Phoenix Bios
Any help is appreciated


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The "Miles to Go" podcast just launched its 36th episode and has been a great success! I originally wrote about this a few months ago when episode 18 was launched, but 18 edpisodes later I wanted to share all the new episodes that have been released since! These podcasts are put together by a fellow blogger and friend Ed from Pizza in Motion and interview many other experts in the travel space. You'll find me on many of the episodes talking about various travel deals that are worth looking into!
- Episode 19: Problems Plaguing Points People & Miles Mistakes (to) Miss
- Episode 20: All About Citi ThankYou Rewards
- Episode 21: Hyatt's New Credit Card, Toy Story Land & $100 free on Amazon –> you can find me at the 18:10 time stamp discussing ways to earn free money at Amazon simply by having an American Express credit card (this type of promotion we see quite often from Amazon!)
- Episode 22: #PlaneBae, Airline App Secret Prices & Hyatt Status Short Cuts –> you can find me at the 25:00 time stamp on how to earn Hyatt status even faster (unfortunately though this promotion has ended)
- Episode 23: Passenger Rights in the EU & Wyndham's New Promo –> you can find me at the 18:13 time stamp discussing an old Wyndham promotion (while this promotion has ended it is a very common promotion Wyndham runs from time to time, so still a good listen in the good chance that we see this promotion pop up again)
- Episode 24: Newest Cruise Ship To Alaska, New Hyatt Promo & Flight Delay Compensation Win! –> you can find me at the 9:00 time stamp talking about Hyatt's 10% rebate promotion (although this promotion has ended it still includes good tips on how to utilize this promotion when it pops up again)
- Episode 25: New SPG/Marriott Credit Cards and Free Concert Tickets From Hilton –> you can find me t the 16:20 time stamp discussing how to redeem very few Hilton points for in exchange for free concert tickets
- Episode 26: Zach Honig, 333K Mile Man & A Low-Cost Carrier Flies The A380?
- Episode 27: Find Award Flights Easier & 5 Breathtaking Destinations You Can Afford
- Episode 28: African Safari for Under $100 a Day & Fixing Pizza's Credit Card Choices
- Episode 29: Making Travel Fun No Matter The Budget & IHG Credit Card 101
- Episode 30: British Airways Hacked, Marriott Slacked, Dubai Cracked
- Episode 31: Hotels, Promos & Cards, Oh My! –> you can find me at the 2:04 time stamp listing out all of the current hotel promotions
- Episode 32: Disney Cruises, Hilton Status Matches & Australia To-Do's –> you can find me at the 19:01 time stamp discussing how to get Hilton status through a lucrative station match opportunity
- Episode 33: United 1k Pain, Amex Offers & Transitioning To Family Travel –> you can find me at the 22:20 time stamp talking about one of my favorite topics – Amex Offers!
- Episode 34: Free Signed Book, Free Car Rentals & More United Premier 1k Pain –> you can find me at the 15:30 time stamp discussing how to receive free National Car Rental status
- Episode 35: Maximizing Miles to Hawaii, AMEX Gold Card Promos & UNICEF in Action –> you can fine me at the 18:00 time stamp talking about how to get the highest offer from the newly launched Amex Gold Card
- Episode 36: The 411 on Preferred Seating Fees & Basic Economy Fares –> you can find me at the 34:05 time stamp talking about Wyndham's new status match promotion
Listen to the podcast:
I hope you all really enjoy listening to the podcast. I know I have thus far! And just remember to give it a (good) rating and subscribe!


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Just in time for back-to-school: New distance learning resources are available on Wide Open School.
Breakout EDU is a physical game kit and platform where students work together to solve various puzzles to open a locked box, similar to an escape room. You can use Breakout kits in every subject area and grade level. Make sure to scour through the existing games on the site -- you'll find games on geometric shapes, literature, physical education, computer science, and the library, and even team development. Or spend some time to create your own; team up with other teachers to create a multidisciplinary experience. No matter how the game is created, be sure to use the classroom management tools (hint cards, timers, etc.) that Breakout provides to keep students focused on building the critical-thinking and social and emotional skills necessary to solve these complex problems.
To supplement the physical kit, play or create a Breakout digital game (on the web or through an iOS or Android app). The online format allows teachers to track progress and set time limits for students. These digital games are geared more toward warm-ups and homework and can be completed individually. Students can also design their own digital games that can be approved by the teacher and added to a classroom library.Continue reading Show less


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something's brewing...
KrisFlyer is Singapore Airlines Group's frequent flyer programme. Members can earn miles when they travel on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Scoot, other partner airlines or from non-airline partners such as banks, hotels, travel services and retail.
DBS PayLah! is the latest lifestyle app that allows you to do more than performing fund transfers via mobile number. It allows you to shop, dine or ride by scanning a QR code. To enable you to do more, you can book movie tickets and travel insurance plans while on the go.
ChopeDeals allows you to save on your meals with 1-for-1s and up to 55% off dining deals. From all-day breakfast spots to affordable buffets, and even Michelin-starred restaurants, we've got over 700 restaurant deals to satisfy any craving.
"For the woman you are, and the woman you want to be."
Love, Bonito is Singapore's largest local fashion brand with a growing online and retail presence in Asia-Pacific. Touted as the go-to brand for modern Asian women, the label produces all designs in-house with a focus on affordable quality apparel suitable for both work and casual everyday wear.
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Shop at Lazada, the number one online shopping and selling destination in Southeast Asia, offering the widest range of products in categories from beauty, fashion, and consumer electronics to household goods, toys, sports equipment and groceries.


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A piece of Pullman, Washington, has been on the scene for ESPN's Saturday morning flagship (pun intended) program College Gameday. The show itself, however, has never made its way to the Palouse.
That changes in Week 8 of the 2018 season.
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER … PULLMAN, WE'RE COMING TO YOUR CITY! pic.twitter.com/G7VToavDPG
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 14, 2018
A Washington State flag is as ubiquitous on an edition of College Gameday as Lee Corso's mascot-head pick. Last year, the program dedicated both an advertisement…
…and a segment honoring the 200th consecutive appearance of the crimson flag.
And yet, as indelible as that representation of Washington State football has been for most of the show's 25 years traveling around the country, Gameday never actually making it to Pullman seemed to become its own running gag.
Circumstances always seemed to intervene — like in 2015, when a matchup with Stanford on Halloween night to determine first-place in the Pac-12 North coincided with an unlikely, Top 20 showdown between Notre Dame and Temple.
Gameday going to Philadelphia instead of Pullman really wasn't a disappointment in the way yet another visit to Tuscaloosa or Ann Arbor or any number of traditional power programs would have been. Temple had a season for the ages, and never hosted the program ever in its own right.
What's more, the ABC broadcast that Halloween night emanated from Philadelphia. Temple made the most sense schematically.
The schematics of getting to Pullman certainly make for a difficult travel destination. Teams visiting for road games typically fly into Spokane and bus the two hours to the Palouse. Washington State's a remote outpost on the college football map — and that's exactly why it's such an excellent destination for College Gameday.
Keeping a program fresh after nearly 30 years with a similar format requires effort, and in this case, venturing off the beaten path is the most intriguing option. Many of the show's most memorable episodes in recent years include the first-ever visit to The Grove at Ole Miss, rare trips into FCS Country for broadcasts at North Dakota State and James Madison, and even the unorthodox Times Square installment a season ago.
I love the idea of Gameday dedicating an entire season to first-time and unusual destinations. Perhaps an electric scene at Pullman will provide the impetus for a not-too-distant-future visit to Ames and Iowa State. An edition airing from a marquee matchup in HBCU football could showcase performances from the competing teams' bands. The possibilities are as endless as the rich history of college football itself.
And as long as I'm suggesting segments for Gameday, the Oct. 27 edition *must* include a mini-documentary chronicling Kirk Herbstreit's voyage from Pullman to the ABC prime-time broadcast in West Lafayette.


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This is Episode 111 of The Seen and the Unseen, the weekly podcast hosted by our editor, Amit Varma.
What are the hidden dynamics of the India-Pakistan conflict? What are the possible ways of resolving it? Historian and foreign policy analyst Srinath Raghavan joins Amit Varma in episode 111 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the game theory and geopolitics of this messy situation.
Also check out:
Srinath Raghavan's books on Amazon
Unlike Vajpayee & Manmohan, PM Modi thinks prudence in conflict is a self-imposed fetter — Srinath Raghavan
Uncle Sam in South Asia — ep 93 of The Seen and the Unseen
Strategy: A History — Lawrence Freedman
Not War, Not Peace — George Perkovich and Toby Dalton
Images of Terror — Philip Jenkins
Posturing For Peace — Vipin Narang
To Escalate or Not? This is Modi's Zugzwang Moment — Amit Varma
Follow The Seen and the Unseen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Tunein. You can also listen to us on Spotify and the Saavn app.


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Recipe adapted from: Sweetapolita
Ingredients - cake (20cm (8 inch) round cake)
345g flour
400g white sugar
19g baking powder (1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
240mL milk
60mL orange juice
170g cold butter
Zest from 2 oranges
Ingredients - orange buttercream
454g butter (room temperature is best)
565g icing sugar
60mL strained orange juice
Method - cake
1. Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F). I did this in a two layer cake, so I buttered and lined two 22cm round tins, but you can use three for a three layer cake if you like!
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment.
3. Chop the butter into rough cubes. With the mixer on a slow speed, add the cubes one at a time, waiting a few seconds in between.
6. Mix the whole eggs and the egg yolks with a fork, then add them gradually to the batter and beat until combined.
7. Finally, add the orange zest and mix gently.
9. Let the cakes cool in the tin then turn them out onto wire racks.
Method - orange buttercream
1. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. I use the paddle attachment on my mixer.
2. Add the icing sugar and orange juice, and beat until the icing is light and fluffy. This will take a few minutes.
3. If desired, tint the icing with food colouring. For this cake, I left some buttercream un-coloured and tinted some a pale peachy orange.
Assemble the cake by sandwiching the cake layers with buttercream, then fully icing the outside of the finished cake.
I made an attempt at Sweetapolita's beautiful swirly gradient decoration (video tutorial here) with my peach coloured and white buttercream, and I feel pretty good about how it turned out! I gave the top of the cake an extra bit of colour by swiping some of the peach coloured buttercream around the outside in a circle, then finishing off with some orange sprinkles.


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The youngest and I are having Mr. B's New Orleans' style BBQ shrimp (which isn't bbq, at all, it's heaven, though! read that recipe, it's bonkers with butter even after I cut it to about 3/4 of a stick) with spicy zucchini (sprinkle slices with cayenne, black & white pepper, salt and a bare hint of cumin before roasting or sauteeing, then finish with the sinful shrimp & sauce). Oh, and a cuke salad with balsamic-dijon vinaigrette to cut the butter a bit. Totally on-point with my daughter's favorite meal AND my low-carbing (which is going well enough to have presented me with a great problem: jeans don't fit).(Only on Atkins can a recipe involve a stick or three of butter and be called "dieting.")
UncleK is shellfish-allergic, so he'll have a steak & baked potato and salad.
We're kind of whupped after a softball double-header today but this faaaaannnnnncy little surf & turf will go together in about 30 minutes, which is a huge plus.
What's going on for you tonight?
ETA: Time to cook & watch a movie, carry on and don't hate me if I don't reply, AuntK Out!


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Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira
Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira is produced by the Luxardo family distillery, which was founded in 1821. "Amaretto" – a combination of the Italian words for "bitter" and "love" - has a romantic history. Di Saschira refers to Luxardo's practice of using almonds from southern Sicily. After aging for 8 months, it develops notes of marzipan, black tea and toast. Historically a digestif, a staple in fine pastries, and most familiar in an Amaretto Sour or Godfather.
Price: $58.00


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I was in the store the other day looking for slime supplies when I came across this Elmer's Gel Glue, so I had to buy it! It's a beautiful clear glue with a light blue color. The texture is somehow different than white glue. It's more similar to the clear glue but fluffier. After making the slime using the Elmer's Gel Glue I let it sit for a few days and it became more clear, as shown in the picture below. I really like it, it's pretty and stretchy.
I don't think adding food coloring to gel glue slime would look good, but you can try. I would add some beads to make it crunchy, like the polyester beads to make slushie slime, or I could try adding instant snow to make ICEE slime. I will try it soon and show you how it turns out! But for now here is the 2 ingredient recipe to make slime using Elmer's Gel Glue, so easy and fun!
- 1 bottle of Elmer's Gel Glue
- borax
Slime recipe using Elmer's Gel Glue
- Make the borax mixture by adding 1 teaspoon of borax powder to 1 cup of warm water (hot tap water will work). Stir well to combine. Set aside.
- Pour out the entire contents of Elmer's Gel Glue into a bowl.
- Add some of the borax mixture to the bowl and stir. Keep adding until it begins to form. Use as much activator as you need to make the slime stretchy and not too sticky.
- Put it in an airtight container and let it sit for at least 2 days so it becomes more clear.


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Seventy-nine per cent of consumers do not believe energy prices are cheaper than they were a year ago, the latest survey by PRWeek/OnePoll has revealed. This comes despite price-cut announcements by all of the 'big six' energy firms in the past couple of months, and media stories that these cuts have contributed to a drop in the rate of inflation.
In fact, trust in the big six energy firms does not seem to have grown significantly since PRWeek's last reputation check (4 March 2011) on the sector. This year, 86 per cent of those asked said they did not trust energy providers to pass on any savings they made to customers in the form of price cuts, compared with 90 per cent last year.
Indeed, trust may have declined. Last year, 62 per cent of respondents said energy providers had not done all they could to keep prices low, but the figure this year was 79 per cent. The survey showed a clear correlation between age and opinions. The older a respondent was, the more likely they were to have an opinion on the energy providers, and the more likely it was this opinion would be negative.
For example, when asked whether they thought the big six did all they can to make their pricing simpler to understand, 54 per cent of those aged 18-24 said 'no'. This rose to 61 per cent for 25- to 34-year-olds, 74 per cent for 35-44, 79 per cent for the 45-54 group and a huge 87 per cent for those aged over 55.
British Gas had the best reputation overall, followed by E.On, but 46 per cent were unable to rate one provider over the other.
Survey of 2,000 members of the public conducted by global research agency OnePoll
The results showed an undeniable trust deficit towards the big six. As the utility companies continue to announce strong profits and household energy prices keep changing, this is hardly surprising.
What is striking is the high level of consumer apathy. While 65 per cent of respondents would consider switching providers, Ofgem data revealed only 15 per cent of households switched last year, down from 20 per cent in 2007. With so little differentiation between the big six on price and customer service, consumers are still left indifferent.
This does not bode well for government initiatives, such as smart meters and the Green Deal, which will be partly reliant on the utilities making a case for consumers to trust them. The initial response to Which?'s Big Switch campaign and Energy Secretary Ed Davey's call for trusted organisations in the UK to encourage people to bulk-buy their energy are also warning signs that the utilities surely cannot ignore.
Soft Approach
79% of respondents said the Government was not strict enough on energy companies
Weak Regulator
72% said energy regulator Ofgem was not strict enough on energy providers
Moving Account
65% said they would consider changing their energy supplier in the next 12 months
Do you think that your energy bills are cheaper now than they were a
year ago?
Yes: 12
No: 79
No opinion: 9
Do you think energy companies do all they can to keep prices low?
Yes: 8
No: 79
No opinion: 13
Do you think the big six energy companies do all they can to make
pricing easy to understand?
Yes: 10
No: 74
No opinion: 16
Do you trust the big six energy companies to sell you the cheapest deal?
Yes: 8
No: 77
No opinion: 15


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The July 13, 2002 Edition of Velocity is a Professional wrestling television show of World Wrestling Entertainment, which took place on July 9, 2002 at the in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- Dark Match: Rey Mysterio defeated Funaki
- Billy Kidman defeated Chavo Guerrero
- Tajiri defeated Shannon Moore
- Randy Orton defeated Albert
- Big Valbowski defeated Test
Ring Announcer
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