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Multiresistant pathogens in geriatric nursing – infection control in residential facilities for geriatric nursing in Germany
Multiresistente Erreger in der Altenpflege – Infektionsschutz in stationären Altenpflegeeinrichtungen in Deutschland
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|30. September 2014
Background: The increase of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) causes problems in geriatric nursing homes. Older people are at increased a growing risk of infection due to multimorbidity and frequent stays in hospital. A high proportion of the elderly require residential care in geriatric nursing facilities, where hygiene requirements in nursing homes are similar to those in hospitals. For this reason we examined how well nursing homes are prepared for MDROs and how effectively protect their infection control residents and staff.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on infection control in residential geriatric nursing facilities in Germany 2012. The questionnaire recorded important parameters of hygiene, resident and staff protection and actions in case of existing MDROs.
Results: The response was 54% in Hamburg and 27% in the rest of Germany. Nursing homes were generally well equipped for dealing with infection control: There were standards for MDROs and regular hygiene training for staff. The facilities provided adequate protective clothing, affected residents are usually isolated and hygienic laundry processing conducted. There are deficits in the communication of information on infected residents with hospitals and general practitioners. 54% of nursing homes performed risk assessments for staff infection precaution.
Conclusion: There is a growing interest in MDROs and infection control will be a challenge in for residential geriatric nursing facilities in the future. This issue has also drawn increasing attention. Improvements could be achieved by improving communication between different participants in the health service, together with specific measures for staff protection at work.
Hintergrund: Die Zunahme multiresistenter Erreger (MRE) stellt für die Altenpflege ein großes Problem dar. Ältere Menschen haben eine höhere Infektionsgefährdung durch Multimorbidität und häufige Krankenhausaufenthalte. Ein großer Anteil älterer Menschen wird in stationären Altenpflegeeinrichtungen versorgt. Hygieneanforderungen sind ähnlich denen von Krankenhäusern. Aus diesem Grund haben wir untersucht, wie gut die Einrichtungen auf MRE vorbereitet sind und was zum Schutz der Bewohner und Mitarbeiter getan wird.
Methodik: Eine Querschnittsuntersuchung zum Hygienemanagement in stationären Altenpflegeeinrichtungen wurde 2012 deutschlandweit durchgeführt. Der Fragebogen erfasste wesentliche Merkmale der Hygiene, Fragen zum Bewohner- und Personalschutz sowie zum Umgang mit MRE.
Ergebnisse: Die Response in Hamburg betrug 54% und im Bundesgebiet 27%. Im Hygienemanagement sind die Einrichtungen allgemein gut aufgestellt. Standards und Vorgaben sind meist vorhanden, Hygieneschulungen werden regelmäßig durchgeführt. Zur Infektionsprävention wird immer Schutzkleidung zur Verfügung gestellt, häufig werden erkrankte Bewohner isoliert und Wäsche hygienisch aufbereitet. Probleme werden in der Kommunikation mit Krankenhäusern und Hausärzten genannt. 54% der Einrichtungen berichten über die Durchführung einer Gefährdungsbeurteilung.
Fazit: MRE ist ein bedeutsames Thema in der stationären Altenpflege. Der Infektionsschutz wird auch in Zukunft eine große Herausforderung darstellen. Verbesserungspotential lässt sich insbesondere in der Risikokommunikation und beim Arbeitsschutz erkennen.
Because of the increases in life expectancy, many older people are cared for in facilities for geriatric nursing. In addition, demographic changes have led to an increase in the proportion of older people who require medical care. More and more patients are released early after inpatient hospital care, but then require outpatient or residential care in geriatric nursing facilities [1]. In 2011, 2.5 million people in Germany were in need of care. 30% of these were full-time residents in nursing homes. 85% of nursing home residents were at least 85 years old [2].
Older people are at increased risk of infection, for reasons including chronic diseases, multimorbidity, immune deficiencies, limited mobility and frequent admissions to hospital. As the function of the immune system decreases with age (immune senescence), an increase in nosocomial infections must be expected [3]. At the same time, it has been observed that antibiotic-resistant pathogens are increasing in hospitals [4]. This is presumably the reason that older people are increasingly being found to be colonised or infected with multiresistant pathogens (Multidrug-Resistant Organisms – MDROs) when they are transferred from hospital into a facility for geriatric nursing.
Nosocomial infections or healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are a special problem in geriatric nursing facilities. In the EU-wide point prevalence study HALT (Healthcare Associated Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities), infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts and of skin and soft tissues were most frequently reported [5]. In Germany, the study found that urinary tract infections were the most frequent HAIs [6]. Infections with resistant pathogens repeatedly present new medical challenges. They also prolong the duration of treatment and increase mortality and treatment costs [7], [8], [9].
The hygiene requirements in geriatric nursing facilities are similar to those in hospital [10]. As early as 2005, the Robert Koch-Institute published recommendations on the prevention of infections in long-term care facilities [11]. However, several studies have shown that the quality of infection control in residential nursing facilities is inferior to that in hospitals [12], [13].
Hygiene is regarded as the primary preventive measure against the transfer of infections. Infection prevention is a critical issue for the staff of nursing homes. On the one hand, it is important to maintain the residents' living areas and privacy and to permit them an appropriate quality of life. On the other hand, staff must consider hygienic issues related to the prevention of infection, if they are to counteract the spread of MDROs within the facilities. Effective infection control should consider all these aspects and minimise the risk of infection in residential facilities for geriatric nursing – for both residents and staff. In this context, a study was performed in which infection control in residential geriatric nursing facilities was considered more closely. This was to examine how geriatric nursing facilities are prepared for MDROs and how effectively their infection control protects residents and staff.
In 2012, a cross-sectional study was performed on infection control in residential geriatric nursing facilities throughout Germany. The study included geriatric nursing facilities in which older people (over 65 years) are given residential care and qualified nurses are present 24 hours a day.
A comprehensive questionnaire was developed for the study, which recorded important parameters of the facility (number of staff, number of residents and levels of care), essential characteristics of infection control in the hygiene plan – including training and laundry processing, procedures for residents with MDROs and staff protection.
The survey was organised by two different institutions. The public health service in Hamburg (Gesundheitsamt Hamburg-Nord) wrote to 157 facilities for geriatric nursing, with the request to complete the questionnaire. 426 facilities for geriatric nursing in the rest of Germany were requested by a university research institute to participate in the study. For this purpose, two random samples were taken. The first sample consisted of 189 North German facilities (Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania), in which a personal interview was performed with the management of the facility, the nursing manager, or another competent person in the facilities. In the second sample, letters were sent to 237 facilities for geriatric nursing throughout Germany, with the request to complete the questionnaire.
The statistical evaluation was descriptive, with a comparison between the Hamburg and the all-Germany samples. Differences were examined with Fisher's exact test. The level of significance was specified as p<0.05.
A total of 194 questionnaires on infection control could be evaluated from facilities for residential geriatric nursing. From Hamburg, questionnaires from 86 facilities for geriatric nursing were included (response 54%). In North Germany, an interview based on the questionnaire was performed in 55 facilities (response 29%). 60 questionnaires were evaluated from the all-Germany postal survey (response 25%). 7 questionnaires had to be excluded from the evaluation due to missing basic information (total number of residents) (see Figure 1 [Fig. 1]).
In Hamburg, mostly larger geriatric nursing facilities took part in the survey; 45% of the facilities had more than 100 residents. In contrast, in the other federal states, most participants (81%) were smaller facilities, with up to 100 residents. The residents in the individual facilities were distributed over all levels of nursing. In the geriatric nursing facilities surveyed in Hamburg, there were more residents in each level of nursing. There were parallel differences in the numbers of nursing and cleaning staff, as well as the numbers of general practitioners (GPs). The essential characteristics of the participating geriatric nursing facilities are summarised in Table 1 [Tab. 1].
The other results are similar for the two investigations; there were only isolated differences between the surveys in Hamburg and in the rest of Germany (see Table 2 [Tab. 2]). In general, the geriatric nursing facilities were well equipped for dealing with infection control: In 98% of the facilities there were standards for dealing with MDROs, which are contained in the hygiene plans. There are regular hygiene training sessions – at least annually or related to special events. Also audits or inspections by trained hygiene staff are performed regularly. Medical visits are mostly accompanied by nursing staff, although interdisciplinary case discussions are performed in only 73% of facilities.
There are major differences in the processing of the residents' laundry. In approximately 40% of all facilities, the service is provided by external suppliers. 20% of facilities wash the laundry themselves, predominantly with an industrial washing machine. The laundry of infected residents is mostly processed with a disinfecting detergent.
When a resident is transferred (or returned) from hospital to residential geriatric nursing, 71% of the surveyed facilities in Hamburg are provided with information about the presence of MDROs. In the rest of Germany, only 41% were provided with this information, although half the participants reported that they were at least usually provided with this information. Problems in communicating information about MDROs were most often thought to be located at the interfaces between the geriatric nursing facility and the hospital or between the geriatric nursing facility and the GPs.
If MDROs colonisation or infection develops, the affected resident is usually isolated. This was more frequent in Hamburg (p<0.05). This was most often in a single room (>96%), which is feasible in most buildings. Barrier nursing (wearing additional protective clothing) was also frequent (Hamburg 78%, other 69%), in contrast to cohort isolation (Hamburg 16%, other 29%). In about 80% of all geriatric nursing facilities, the residents were given training on hand disinfection; this was either regular or related to events, e.g. after an outbreak. When MDROs had developed, the residents and particularly their families were almost always informed orally and, in most cases, also in writing.
In 94% of geriatric nursing facilities, work clothes were worn. However, the employer only provided this clothing in 77% (Hamburg) or 75% of the facilities (other federal states, either fully or partially). On the other hand, all surveyed facilities provided adequate protective clothing for the care of ill or infected residents. In 21% of the facilities, staff with chronic skin diseases gave care to residents with MDROs. Only half of all facilities (54%) performed a risk assessment for staff infection. (These questions were not asked in Hamburg).
There is growing public interest in multiresistant pathogens. This issue has also drawn increasing attention in residential geriatric nursing. This study on infection control has shown that MDROs is a current problem during daily work in residential geriatric nursing facilities. The hygiene plan is regularly performed. Various efforts are also made to prevent infection, such as isolating infected residents, hygienic laundry processing, hand disinfection training for the residents and information once a MDROs case has been reported. There are deficits in the communication of infection risk between the various participants. There is also scope for improving protection at work.
There have been several studies in Germany on hygiene and infection protection in geriatric nursing facilities. These studies have focused on different problems, depending on the client and the objectives. As a result, comparison is limited and restricted to individual points (if at all). For example, the studies performed by the Frankfurt am Main Health Office should be mentioned. The experience from these studies and the results on hygiene monitoring in geriatric nursing facilities have been published and are continuously updated [14], [15], [16]. In addition, Hansen et al. [17] have studied the hygienic problems of dealing with laundry and rubbish. Other studies have recorded the prevalence rates of nursing-associated infections in nursing facilities [6], [18] or deal with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [12] and only discuss comparable questions peripherally.
The 2011 amendment to the Law on Protection from Infection [19] is intended to improve the basic conditions for preventing and combating nosocomial infections, particularly MDROs, and provides legally binding instructions at the federal level. This serves to strengthen the recommendations published by the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infectious Disease Prevention (KRINKO). Moreover current scientific knowledge can be used to support decisions with legal liability [20]. In 2005, KRINKO published recommendations on infection prevention that were directly tailored for nursing homes [11], and which can still be used as a basis. In 1999 KRINKO provided recommendations for preventing the particular antibiotic-resistant pathogens MRSA in medical facilities [21]. Now these are replaced [22].
Infection control
The geriatric nursing facilities provide their residents with the domestic centre of their lives. The feeling of privacy is strengthened when they wear their personal clothes. In this context, processing the laundry and eliminating possible pathogens is of essential importance. For laundry hygiene, KRINKO recommends a disinfectant procedure for bedclothes, as these are usually not restricted to the individual resident. In contrast, the residents' personal laundry can be washed within the domestic area. In the event of an outbreak or MRSA colonisation, a disinfectant washing procedure is recommended for the affected resident's laundry with body contact – underclothes, towels and flannels [11]. In our study, the laundry was predominantly processed by external companies – at least partially. Only 20% of the facilities exclusively washed the laundry themselves. Hansen et al. [17] found similar results: 50% of the surveyed facilities had the clothes cleaned by external laundries and only 25% processed the laundry themselves. Our study found that more than 80% of the facilities had an industrial washing machine available for washing within the facility. In contrast to domestic machines, industrial machines guarantee that the desired temperature is reached and that the disinfectant is precisely dosed [23].
Infection prevention/actions taken when MDROs is found
The study showed that there are frequently problems in transmitting information between the various participants in the health service – particularly with the hospitals and GPs. Problems that were often mentioned include information on residents' MDROs colonisation or infection on transfer or return from hospital. This was often provided too late, or not at all, which led to organisational difficulties in the geriatric nursing facilities. As early as 2005, the KRINKO recommendations on preventing infection in nursing homes stated that, when a patient is referred or transported, information should be provided that permits appropriate protective or hygienic measures [11].
The medical care of the residents is exclusively provided by GPs, so there could be problems with this interface too. The facilities felt that the GPs often failed to understand their difficulties when having to deal with MRSA colonisation or infections. In some cases, the sense and necessity of some hygiene or disinfection procedures and taking control swabs were called into doubt or were simply refused. One possible explanation for the problems with smears may be that payment for the medical service of MRSA smears was only introduced in April 2012 and even afterwards is only accepted under specific conditions (§ 87 Abs. 2a SGB V).
To prevent infection in geriatric nursing facilities, the KRINKO recommends consistent adherence to standard hygiene measures, which normally suffice to counteract further spread of the pathogens. If there are risk factors, the measures may have to be adapted to the situation. Thus, isolation of the colonised or infected residents is not demanded in principle, but it is recommended that this should be considered in the individual case [11]. In our study, the great majority of facilities reported that they isolated their residents in the event of MDROs disease. This was almost always single room isolation, with 70–80% barrier nursing. The exact details remain unclear. As most facilities have enough rooms, single room isolation is easy to implement. It is not clear from our study results whether this also includes isolation from social contacts. In the context of infection prevention, it is important to find the balance between the residents' domestic environment and the necessary medical or hygienic measures to avoid infection transmission. Although isolation measures for MRSA have been found to be effective in hospitals, this is not always necessary for geriatric nursing facilities [24]. Isolation can lead to severe depression and anxiety [25], particularly in older people [26].
Staff protection
With MDROs, staff protection is also important. For employees in the health service, MRSA prevalence rates between 2% and 15% have been observed in non-outbreak situations [27]. One study found the MDROs prevalence rate of 6.3% in geriatric nurses; 3.1% of the staff were colonised with MRSA, 3.1% with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and 1.6% with vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) [28]. Current statistics from the Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW) confirm that the risk to staff is relevant. Between 2007 and 2011, a total of 389 suspected cases of occupational disease from MRSA were reported to the BGW. Within the same period, the infection was recognised as an occupational disease in 42 cases [29]. In general, the risk of an occupational MRSA infection appears to be rather low. However, the consequences of an MRSA infection can be severe and can even lead to years of unfitness for work [30].
Hand hygiene is regarded as the basic hygienic measure for personal protection and to avoid pathogen transmission [11]. Hygienic hand disinfection is simple, cheap and effective, although compliance is not always adequate [31]. As an additional measure, the employer must provide staff with adequate protective clothing [32]. The issue of work clothes is a controversial matter in geriatric nursing. Our study showed that work clothes are not worn everywhere and, particularly, that they are not always provided by the employer. In Frankfurt am Main, 85% of the surveyed facilities provided their staff with work clothes [16]. Hansen et al. [17] made similar findings: in approx. 90% of the facilities, work clothes were worn and in 74% the employer provided the staff with work clothes – at least in part. However, the facility did not always process the work clothes. In an earlier study from the Frankfurt Health Office, wearing private clothes rather than work clothes was felt to be a problem [14]. Other authors have pointed out the necessity of proper processing to achieve complete decontamination of pathogens [33], [34].
The present study has some limitations. The low response rate and the difficulties in recruiting geriatric nursing facilities that are willing to participate have also been reported by other authors [17]. It can be assumed that only "good" facilities – those with functioning infection control – responded, so that the result is distorted by selection bias. There may also be an interviewer bias, as the facilities were more likely to respond and to give the desired answers when the questions were put by the Health Office (the special authorities) with their legal responsibilities, rather than by the university research facility.
The questionnaire was unable to consider all aspects that would also be important in considering infection control in geriatric nursing facilities. For example, there was no information on the proportion of residents with dementia in each facility, as it can be assumed that their compliance with protective measures would be limited [17]. Our survey is also unable to distinguish between urban and rural geriatric nursing facilities. The survey also failed to cover laundry processing in certified laundries or data on the processing of work clothes. Information on the proportion of geriatric nurses and hygiene staff with professional qualifications could provide additional information on the proper implementation of the KRINKO recommendations on infection control in geriatric nursing facilities.
In geriatric nursing, there is growing interest in MDROs and the related issue of infection prevention from appropriate control. The implementation of specific measures for infection protection will be an important challenge in the future. Improvements could be achieved by improving communication between the different participants in the health service, together with specific measures for staff protection.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Dynamic's HCC Analytics Solution Helps Medicare Advantage Plans Identify Inaccurate Risk Adjusting CPT Codes
Irvine, CA – February 7, 2017– Dynamic Healthcare Systems, a leading provider of enterprise-wide solutions to health plans participating in Medicare Advantage, Managed Medicaid, and Marketplace programs, today announced a new enhancement to its Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) Analytics solution. The enhancement focuses on identifying and remediating the risk of adjusting Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes that may lead to inaccurate CMS payments for Medicare Advantage health plans. Dynamic's solution identifies CPT codes that are traditionally filtered out. CMS could factor those codes into the plans' payments which could result in substantial CMS overpayments and possibly steep penalties. Prior to the transition from Risk Adjustment Processing System (RAPS) encounter submissions to Encounter Data System (EDS) encounter submissions that is currently taking place, health plans did their own RAPS filtering which allowed more control for the plans carrying the risk. Under EDS, CMS now applies the filtering logic including CPT codes, which increases the risk of an overpayment to the plan. Dynamic's advanced algorithms help Medicare Advantage health plans optimize their risk-based revenue by helping the plans identify and remediate encounters that are at risk of triggering CMS overpayments.
"We are helping our clients identify areas where the CMS filtering logic may be putting them at risk for overpayments. We are assisting them with correcting those issues," said Lonnie Hardin, Chief Operating Officer of Dynamic Healthcare Systems. "To many health plans, increased EDS risk scores might look like a good problem when, in fact, they may represent significant overpayments that can result in substantial fines" Hardin added.
Dynamic's robust solutions, including HCC Analytics, provide Medicare Advantage health plans with an enterprise-wide platform that enables plans to automate operations and meet the varied and growing Medicare reporting requirements while also identifying opportunities to maximize revenue. Dynamic's solutions integrate various sources of health plan and provider data to create a single view of a Plan's membership. This single view facilitates the delivery of high-quality managed care while helping health plans meet compliance and revenue management challenges.
About Dynamic Healthcare Systems
Dynamic Healthcare Systems, Inc. delivers comprehensive enterprise software solutions and services for health plans with Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Marketplace lines of business striving to succeed amid new and evolving regulatory requirements. Headquartered in Irvine, California, the company brings world-class innovations to companies serving the government-regulated healthcare population. For more information, visit http://www.dynamichealthsys.com or call 949.333.4565.

subset: commoncrawl


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As a game that went through months of rumours and speculation, with regards to a Switch release, not only did Nintendo confirm the port to be true, but the game released yesterday and it has hit the ground running.
Fornite may not have broken the eShop, but having been able to catch up with Reggie Fils-Aimé, the Nintendo of America President, confirmed to Polygon that Fortnite has already surpassed 2 million downloads. Last time we heard about a game doing remotely that well, was just the other week when it was revealed Pokémon Quest had already surpassed 1 million. Here is Reggie's statement in full:
"Fortnite's launch went extremely well – we had more than 2 million downloads in less than 24 hours. I think that speaks to the power of the franchise, the engagement of our players and the resonance of being able to play it anytime, anywhere."
Source: Polygon


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Nowack, a tuning company based in Germany, are offering three tuning packages for the Mini Cooper S.
The first package, the N210, involves an ECU remap and freer flowing air filter to push the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine up from 184bhp to 208bhp. The second level, N230, takes that a step further by fitting a new sports exhaust to push power up to 228bhp.
The final upgrade, N260, is more extensive in its changes. The conversion includes Nowack's own high performance sport camshafts, a Nowack downpipe, a completely prepared flow optimised cylinderhead, a stainless steel sport exhaust system, and modifications to the intercooling system and intake air flow, as well as the re-programmed ECU. The final result is an impressive 257bhp from the 1.6-litre engine, and Nowack stress that the extra power is delivered in a smooth and linear fashion.
Lowering springs are available, as well as a replacement coilover suspension. Nowack also offer some cosmetic upgrades, including 18-inch alloy wheels and new leather interior.
Check out the Nowack Motors website for more information.


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F-Stop Media Gallery is an impressive but easy picture and video organizer as a way to simply change your inventory gallery app. F-Cease is instantly drawing near 1 million downloads with a higher than 4 famous person ranking and Lifehacker even selected F-Cease as one among its favourite gallery substitute apps.
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* Keep tags and scores immediately into JPG pictures and/or write sidecar information (PRO)
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* Fast hyperlinks mean you can put your favourite folders, tags, albums or rankings instantly on the navigation drawer
* Simply exclude folders to eliminate album artwork displaying up on your gallery
* Disguise media from different apps with password safety
* Slideshow mode with a couple of transition sorts
* Strengthen for file varieties [1]: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WEBP, WEBM, MP4, 3GP, AVI, MKV, MTS, WMV, FLV, MPG, MPEG, TS, MOV, M4V and M2TS
What's New
– Worm fixes


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The Dark Thrills of 'True Detective'
"Oh, yeah, Rustiiiiin Cohhhhhhle," drawls a delighted Matthew McConaughey. It's the day after the annual Oscar luncheon, where the nominees mingle and have a group photo taken, but he's not talking about Dallas Buyers Club. Today, his mind is on Rustin "Rust" Cohle, the brilliant but deeply troubled Louisiana homicide cop he plays opposite Woody Harrelson in True Detective, the stunner of a debut show from a former college professor with little TV experience named Nic Pizzolatto. McConaughey was the first actor to sign on to True Detective (the first season wraps March 9th), and was instrumental in getting the show on the air. "I loved the writing," he says. "I read the first two episodes, and I said, 'I'm in.' It's like Mark Hanna in Wolf of Wall Street or Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club. These are characters with clear obsessions, and that's what I've been choosing. Somebody where I could grab ahold of their obsessions and get drunk on them."
Matthew McConaughey Reveals What He Stole From Leonardo DiCaprio
Just a few years ago, Pizzolatto – an intense, hyperverbal dude with a serious Faulkner jones – was in a very different place. Before he became the creator and showrunner of True Detective, before he persuaded fimmaker Cary Fukunaga to helm every episode (Fukunaga's badass thriller Sin Nombre helped seal the deal for McConaughey), way before he became drinking buddies with his movie-star leads, Pizzolatto was the author of a little-read novel, Galveston, about a cancer-stricken criminal and a teenage prostitute stumbling around the Gulf Coast, and had a tenure-track job teaching literature and creative writing at tiny DePauw University, in Greencastle, Indiana. "I was really desperate and hungry to get out of academia," Pizzolatto, 38, recalls, cruising into town from his house in the desert two hours outside L.A. "I had been interested in writing for television, but I never had any kind of window into that world."
But when his novel was published in 2010, it was optioned "for just a little bit of money" – which put Pizzolatto in touch with a couple of Hollywood agents. He asked them how to break into screenwriting. The answer was surprisingly simple: Write screenplays. "Within a week I sent them a spec script for Justified, which suited my voice really easily, and an original pilot," he says. "In about a month I had written six scripts – and one of them was the pilot for True Detective."
Pizzolatto moved his family to L.A. that year, renting a house in Van Nuys and converting the garage into a writing studio. Work came right away: a development deal with HBO for a rodeo-show pilot that didn't work out, but got him in the door; a writing job on AMC's The Killing; offers to buy True Detective, which producers imagined franchising off, Law & Order-style. "You could have True District Attorney, True FBI," he says. "But I held on to that one – it was special to me."
Like American Horror Story, and basically unlike every other series on TV, True Detective was conceived as an anthology show, each season telling a discrete story with a different locale and group of characters. For the first season, Pizzolatto set his tale in a place he knows well: the swampy, oil-refinery-studded coast of Louisiana, where he grew up in a deeply Catholic family, obsessed with comic books and The Twilight Zone.
'True Detective' and 60 More Reasons to Love 2014
The show follows two head-butting homicide detectives, the cerebral Cohle and Harrelson's good ol' boy Martin Hart, over a span of nearly two decades. The structure is almost psychedelically complex: In 1995, Cohle and Hart, then partners, investigate the murder of a young female prostitute who had been dosed with LSD and methamphetamine, crowned with a set of antlers and arranged in a prayer pose with a creepy little twig sculpture.
Seventeen years later, the pair, no longer with the force (and having had an ominous falling out), are separately interviewed by detectives investigating similar murders. Those interviews drive the story foward with a slippery, shifting perspective, from Cohle's account to Hart's, as flashbacks slowly reveal what actually went down.
"The walls of the converted garage where I was writing were covered in hundreds of Post-it notes," says Pizzolatto, who, unusual for TV, wrote the entire season alone. "I'm not against a writers' room, but I had such preconceptions of what I wanted, and I got so deep into it so quickly that I couldn't figure out a way that other people could help me. So I just barreled through it, like you would a novel."
As the season unfolds, Cohle and Hart are drawn into a world of shady evangelical preachers, hillbillygenius meth cooks, missing women and children, neo-Nazi bikers, and a conspiracy that seems to rise all the way to the top. Playing Cohle, McConaughey is arguably even more transformed than in Dallas Buyers Club. In 1995, he's sober, precise, hyperanalytical. By 2012, he's slouchy and shattered, a guy who, says McConaughey, "lived longer than he'd hoped." And along the way, Cohle is forced to go back undercover – becoming a coke-and-meth-fueled maniac who goes by Crash.
To keep track of where his character is throughout the 17-year story, the actor created a massive document: "I made this 450-page kind of graph of where Cohle was and where he was coming from," he says.
Throughout, Cohle remains deeply dubious about human nature, referring to a well of self-taught philosophy, from Nietzsche to the Romanian pessimist E.M. Cioran, to the annoyance of Harrelson's Hart. "Woody and I have always done comedy together," McConaughey says. "As Woody puts it, he hits the ball to me, man, I hit it back harder, and we volley back and forth. But this is about opposition, about not being on each other's frequency."
So does Pizzolatto share Cohle's dark worldview? "Well, I'm like Cohle in the things we tend to reject, although I am not as broadly misanthropic," he says. "I have friends and I enjoy the fellowship of man. But what is Cohle's real relationship to the philosophies he espouses? If Cohle is a supposed nihilist, he is a phenomenally unsuccessful nihilist. He's too passionate."
Pizzolatto has started to dig in to Season Two, which, once again, he's tackling by himself. "I've got three characters I love right now, and they're all unique, and neither of them is Cohle or Hart," he says. But is there any worry that he can't maintain the near-kitchen-sink insanity of Season One? "That's the least of my concerns," Pizzolatto says. "I actually feel more free. Now I can really start to bend things."
This story is from the March 13th, 2014 issue of Rolling Stone.
More News
Jack Harlow Flying First Class to 30 Rock to Co-Host 'The Tonight Show'
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Pre-work Haiku
Hi. Today might blow
Because free toys will always
melt humanity.
My coworker just came in this morning and dumped a pile of Advil on the reference desk. There is a lot going on today. And it is all for the kids. I'm glad the kids will be happy but I'm still working on a way to have only kids allowed and not their parents. Because, and no offense meant whatsoever to non-annoying parents out there, sometimes parents ruin everything. Most kids are happy with the box the toy came in. And I get that parents want the best for their kids. I'm just mildly suggesting that perhaps a free toy giveaway at the library is not the place to flex those "I want the world for my kids" muscles. Perhaps you could cast a vote for a politician that has your children's interests at heart? Or maybe, I dunno, teach by example to not expect things worth having just handed to you? Or just teach them some gratitude when something IS just handed to you? I'm just spitballing here. Also, when something is free, it automatically precludes any and all complaints regarding the quality of the item. I mean if you are given something for free and it turns out to be good quality, go ahead and be happy about it. It is unexpected and that's how it should be. I can envision already later today that people will complain about the "quality" of the FREE toy their child was GIVEN...for free. You may think I am jumping the gun with this complaint since the toy giveaway hasn't happened yet. However, you'd be wrong because during sign ups for this program, the complaints already began. Just...hold me.
And maybe bring me a waffle. A FREE one.


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VPhone is a SIP client made by a company called Matrix which will allow you to utilize a VoIP service provider on your mobile handset, the iPhone version was just released today.
Voice calls and SMS are routed through the internet connection of your iPhone, basically it's translated to data packets rather then being seen as "voice" or "sms" by your mobile carrier. So if you have a hefty data plan, then this is the software for you.
International calls are where this comes in as a cost-effective product where mobile phone carrier LD rates for international destinations are practically insane. With a VoIP provider, you could literally save thousands off your phone bill each year.
The VPhone application is really targeted to VoIP Service Providers (VSP's) that provide the voice services to their customers and would add VPhone as an ancillary service to their existing offerings. However, it will work just the same if you are inclined to configure it with your VoIP providers settings.
V Phone 1.01 is $1.99 (USD) and can be purchased and downloaded from the iTunes App Store. It is already available for Symbia S60 3g, Android and Windows Mobile devices.
What's your long distance bill like on your mobile phone? Do you use VoIP at home?


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Hoka One One Arahi 3
The HOKA ONE ONE Arahi 3 is a lighter weight everyday running shoe designed for moderate to severe overpronators.
As one of the lightest and softest stability shoes available, the HOKA ONE ONE Arahi 3 continues to provide a unique running experience for overpronators.
With each update to the Arahi the ride has improved and with this third edition, the refined midsole offers an even smoother transition from heel to toe. Additionally, the Arahi continues to guide the foot through its natural gait cycle without the use of rigid and unforgiving technologies.
Finally, the new lightweight upper offers an improved midfoot lockdown and increased breathability. If you're an overpronator looking for a lightweight and comfortable stability option, add the Arahi 3 to your lineup.


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Wednesday, January 4, 2017
A tasty use for leftover cranberry sauce
The condiment with the ham is nothing more than whole berry cranberry sauce stirred with yellow mustard. I served this with ham the other night, and it was a hit. It's a sweet-tangy sauce, much like a honey mustard.
While I used yellow mustard, this would be yummy with Dijon mustard.
I blended about 1 part yellow mustard with 2 parts cranberry sauce.
It was delicious with ham, but would also be a good dipping sauce for chicken strips or pretzels.
A super simple use for leftover cranberry sauce.
16 comments:
Sounds delicious! Would you believe we almost never have leftover cranberry sauce? My kids love the stuff! But I could open a can just for this sometime.ReplyDeleteReplies
Hi Cat,Delete
You know, I saw cans of cranberry sauce on markdown, yesterday. I still have several cans, so I didn't by any. We eat cranberry sauce, year round, here, too.
Have a great day, Cat!
- AnonymousJanuary 4, 2017 at 5:41 AM
That sounds yummy! I'll remember this the next time I have some cranberry sauce left over. We love sweet and tangy sauces at my house. A favorite Christmas Eve appetizer of ours is meatballs simmered in a mixture of chili sauce and grape jelly.ReplyDelete
Have a great day!
Hi Angie,Delete
I had meatballs, last week, in a strawberry jam sauce. They were delicious, so I can see how yummy a sauce of grape jelly and chili sauce would be!
I hope you day is off to a great start, too, Angie!
This "recipe" is a great reason for buying extra cranberries. Thank you for this yummy condiment.ReplyDeleteReplies
Hi Jayne,Delete
you're welcome! It's very tasty, and easy as can be. I hope you enjoy it.
Have a great day!
Ha. I have an actual recipe for this. It's a turkey meatball recipe--on a bed of egg noodles, topped with cranberry sauce with Dijon mustard stirred in. My kids don't care for the cranberry sauce, which means more for hubby and me!ReplyDeleteReplies
Hi Kris,Delete
Oh, that sounds delicious, and so easy! I'll remember this for meatballs made with turkey. And yes, all the more for you and your husband!
Have a great day, Kris!
- AnonymousJanuary 4, 2017 at 9:07 AM
I love honey mustard, one of my favorite dipping sauces with chicken nuggets when ordering at fast foods. Never tried making it myself. Thank you for the idea. I have a packet of honey sauce that came with our spiral ham, since I didn't use it as intended. It is still in the refrigerator (about 5 days), not sure whether I should throw it away. But now you have given me an idea, maybe I could use it with mustard to make a honey mustard sauce?ReplyDelete
Always learning something new at your blog, and being encouraged to think outside the box!! Have a nice day!!
Hi YHF,Delete
Oh yes, I'd use that packet. And any that doesn't get eaten right away, if you're concerned that it came in contact with the meat on the ham, freeze the leftovers, in small portions. It should be fine. Hams, themselves keep for several days after cooking, in the fridge, anyways. Sounds yummy to me!
have a great day, YHF!
- AnonymousJanuary 4, 2017 at 9:27 AM
On another note, I mentioned last year, if I recall correctly, that I spent less than the previous year, about 7K less. This year, we spent $7,445 less than last year again. So a total of about 15K less in the past two years. This is pretty much apple to apple comparison, because we have not made large purchases in any of the years. While we didn't go on our vacation this year, we partly gifted the forgone trip to our daughter so they could have a winter vacation with the family, and spent considerably more with our grandchildren throughout the year since we watched them more often. That said, there is still room for improvement in some key areas that I have identified, however, I have committed to helping our daughter with our grandson's college years, so maybe not. I don't want to take away their responsibility in providing for his tuition, etc. but we can be backup to ease the stress.Delete
Good work, YHF! I know how important this is to you. You and your husband are doing some very generous things for your kids and grandkids. For our own kids, I know it's taking 3 generations to put them through university (grandparents, us and the kids's jobs plus scholarships). So that's a real blessing you're providing by helping with savings for college for your grandson. You're blessing your daughter as well as grandson.Delete
Have a great day, YHF!
- AnonymousJanuary 4, 2017 at 3:45 PM
Thanks, Lili:)Delete
I am more than willing to sacrifice the LITTLE things in daily living, so our children and grandchildren can avoid taking out those monstrous, infamous student loans. My husband told me he didn't feel deprived one bit, and was surprised we were able to pare our expenses by that much without much pain and sacrifice. To save, I made sure nothing was overlooked. I invoked warranties (for two tablets that needed repair, lifetime faucet and tool replacement, etc), rebates, credit card perks, and all that humbug stuff, in addition to the everyday sales and coupons. A big help was SYWR points, but it was not without its own problems. The good thing with frugality is once the path is ironed out, it becomes easier to follow without having to relearn the wheel. Hopefully, as I age, I can still do most of it just by sheer habit.
Again, off topic, but I wish everyone could learn to be more frugal for the sake of avoiding debt.
YHF, it sounds like you're doing really well with adjusting your finances. I'm sure you'll continue to do well in the years ahead!Delete
Sounds yummy! We are not big ham eaters, but it would be good with chicken or turkey. Hope you are having a great 2017!ReplyDelete
Hi Patti,Delete
Did you see Kris's comment above? She uses the same sort of sauce on turkey meatballs. It sounds very tasty! You might like that one.
we're onto the 5th day of 2017, already. Time is flying by! Have a great day, Patti!
Thank you for joining the discussion today. Here at creative savv, we strive to maintain a respectful community centered around frugal living. Creative savv would like to continue to be a welcoming and safe place for discussion, and as such reserves the right to remove comments that are inappropriate for the conversation.


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This just goes to show how much I am not paying attention to games news: I only just found out that Greg Costikyan won the Maverick Award at this year's Game Developers Choice Awards for his work at Manifesto Games. Congratulations! You can read his acceptance speech here.
Intelligent Artifice
Games & interactive entertainment: design, production, industry and related topics.


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Rape and revenge films often strive for feminist empowerment over the male violators of the protagonists' womanhood. The power coming to these wronged leading ladies after the perpetrators' forced penetration on them. The female gaze is in full effect here in the Canadian production 'American Mary' as the title character Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle in a brilliant turn) finds her strength in her furious anger right in the aftermath of her heinous drug raped ordeal. This leads straight away to a brutal cold merciless drawn out revenge on the vile monster that has caused her pain as she makes him nothing more than a helpless object play toy of torture for her cruel vengeful wrath. Rendered powerless just as she was for his depraved pleasure.
This swift retribution serves as her realization to her true calling in life when a chance situation just previous to her transition into a woman not to be fucked with brings out a talent that turns out to be a very profitable business in providing her unique skills to the clientele of a bizarre underground sub-culture. However, tragically Mary's newfound strength and niche in life comes at the price of her morality due to the torment of her trauma. Completely removed, her empathy for people is forever lost and her newfound profession brings deadly consequences.
Mary (Isabelle) is a medical student training to be a surgeon a field in which she has a gifted talent. However, she is flat broke struggling to make ends meet unable to pay the bills for her apartment so she applies for night work at a strip club. During her interview there telling the club's owner Billy Barker (Antonio Cupo) that she is studying to be a surgeon he takes her down to the basement presenting to her a man who has just been tortured offering her $5,000 to save his life. Desperately needing the money, she agrees to do the surgery. She returns home in panic and is disgusted by what she has just done.
A week later, she receives a visit from Beatress Johnson (Tristan Risk in the other stand out performance here) an unforgettably unique character and a stripper at the club who has had herself surgically modified to resemble Betty Boop. She offers Mary a large sum of money an offer Mary knows is too good to turn down despite her reservations about the ethics involved to perform surgery on Betty's friend Ruby Realgirl (Paula Lindberg) who is also dedicated to the art of body modification. In this case, the completion of her work in dollification to look like a living Barbie doll by having her nipples and the labia of her vagina removed. Despite these characters' freakish appearances, the screenplay approaches them in a non-judgemental non-exploitive manner never once poking fun at them fleshing them out and treating them as real human beings from a sympathetic viewpoint.
During her hospital residency, Mary is invited to a party with several other male surgeons. It is here that she is drugged and raped by her former lecturer the despicable Dr. Grant (David Lovgren) in an excruciatingly harrowing scene. Soon afterwards, she uses her connections at the strip club to hire enforcers to kidnap him and exacts her sadistic revenge. Dropping out of medical school, she goes into the full-time work of body modification surgery in which she becomes renowned for her craft. The person she was before though is lost, she is pursued by Detective Dolor (John Emmet Tracy) investigating the disappearance of Dr. Grant, Billy starts to fall in love with her and her skills are not appreciated by all inciting dangerous anger.
Following-up their ultra-low budget but high-spirited good time debut 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk' (2009), writers and directors The Soska Sisters Jen and Sylvia's softmore effort at first unravels at a slow burn pace in a character study piece that then explodes with a punch to the gut impact. Incorporating sub-genres of the aforementioned rape and revenge and body horror it adds lashings of black comedy to the proceedings perfectly timed at the right moments not corrupting the seriousness of matters in an overall unconventional tone. Beautifully shot, the movie fully realizes the new world Mary has found herself in.
Mary Mason is a complex and evolving character played with such conviction by Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps trilogy) in a powerhouse performance and is one of the best leading female roles I have seen in a modern horror film for sometime. A wonderfully written character, her portrayal starts as a naïve medical student playing by the rules to achieve her goals but is crippled by the financial woes that it costs to see her through her determined journey that introduces her to this strange sub-culture. It is these rules that then betray her when playing the game forcing her to operate outside this norm and strike back at it with a defying vengeance. This underground way of life considered not normal by the male dominated society she tried to fit in with but rejected her by defiling her treats her much better giving her a supreme sense of worth with her new powers - respect and a true belonging. Therefore, what is normal and what is not? Although, her violent actions blur the line between what is wrong and what is right on the moral compass.
The only thing that disappointed me about the movie is that it does not take advantage of some of its subject matter in not using the full potential that the material has to deliver a visceral intense extreme experience in explicit nastiness. For example, the brutality of Mary's revenge on Dr. Grant is done off camera with close-up shots of the illustrations plastered around her apartment of what she plans to do to him taking place of what we see rather than letting us view the actual mutilations. We do though see the results in photographs and when Mary pays him a visit in a warehouse she is keeping him in, as she continues her work on his suffering. This is just a minor gripe really, as there are sequences of a graphically gory nature when the film delves into its other body horror elements with the procedures of the body modification on Mary's clients of this underworld. Although, filmed in a matter of fact fashion these depictions never once come over as exploitative at the expense of these freaky but real people. The Twisted Twins Jon and Sylvia have fantastic cameos as such characters.
'American Mary' is dark, funny, uncomfortably horrifying and tragic in equal proportions mixing up an intriguing and provocative cocktail. It has a genuine heartfelt emotional lending to the story a pathos that is rare these days in modern genre cinema but Jen and Sylvia Soska have pulled it off nicely. Two features in and The Twisted Twins are proving to be an endlessly interesting filmmaking duo.
*** out of ****
Dave J. Wilson
©2013 Cinematic Shocks, Dave J. Wilson - All work is the property of the credited author and may not be reprinted or reproduced elsewhere without permission.


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A friend says, "you just need an excuse to get another blog".
Well, he's right. I thus present adriannatan.com, which will be my new home for all writing about business, tech, entrepreneurship, the tech business, the startups I'm trying to run, and other things like that. I aim to try to write an essay there every Tuesday. Check it out.


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The Eternals. The Defenders. The Champions. Alpha Flight. The Invaders. The Marauders. Power Pack. The Sinister Six. The Elementals. X-Force. Squadron Supreme. Guardians of the Galaxy. Cloak and Dagger. Power Man and Iron Fist. Marvel has had plenty of team-ups over the years besides The Avengers and The X-Men. But unless you read every issue of every Marvel monthly you may have missed some of the more obscure groups of superheroes. Which may explain how audiences have been in favor of familiar characters as they hit the big or small screen in movies for The Avengers or The X-Men, or even Daredevil. But Marvel has had a tougher time maneuvering the TV waters for its superheroes than DC Entertainment. One of the reasons for DC's success may very well be the fact that its Justice League of America has for so long been the flagship title for the publisher and it incorporated so many supporting superheroes into its stories over the decades that even the general public can name several. So more of general audiences have heard of and accepted Green Arrow and Black Canary, The Flash, The Atom, and Supergirl when they emerged in our living rooms over the past five years. As for Marvel, unlike Marvel's Luke Cage–Netflix's excellent and loyal update to the classic comic book series–Marvel's Iron Fist hasn't garnered similar acclaim. Why? Because of the story? The production values? The character? The marketing? Marvel's Luke Cage demonstrates an obscure superhero can succeed if it brings to audiences a compelling story, talented actors, and high production quality. Which brings us to the next new TV series from Marvel, Marvel's Inhumans.
Marvel's Inhumans is coming later this summer to ABC, from showrunner Scott Buck, the same creator that brought Marvel's Iron Fist to Netflix. Most people haven't heard of the Inhumans, and even long-time Marvel readers may not be familiar with the characters in the Royal Family of the Inhumans, including Medusa, Maximus, Karnak, Gorgon, Crystal, Triton, and Auran. So it makes sense that audiences witnessing the team for the first time don't have enough to be excited about–yet. As for its general appearance Marvel's Inhumans arguably looks like Marvel's Iron Fist, but it also looks like Marvel's Legion, a somewhat overlooked yet well-received X-Men series hidden in the 500-channel cable line-up on the FX Network earlier this year. So how will Marvel's Inhumans fare?
The greatest challenge is one of story and character development. Black Bolt is now the King of the Royal Family of the Inhumans, who were superhumans descended from humans experimented on by the Kree in Marvel lore. Played in the new series by actor Anson Mount, Black Bolt doesn't speak, or else he might bring forth a powerful shockwave that could level a city. So a difficulty of the first trailer released for the series is conveying that fact, while showing plenty of scenes with the actor who will be the male lead of the series. In the first show trailer we get a bunch of silent expressions by Mount just as his irritated (irritating?) brother Maximus (played by Iwan Rheon) does most of the talking. How long can an eight-episode series run with the lead keeping his mouth shut? It's also difficult to immediately have any empathy toward royalty of any variety, especially those looking so formal and shown with a certain level of arrogance. Another current series, BBC's Class, has had trouble gaining traction with viewers, and it also follows a lead male who is an alien royal who is troubled and arrogant.


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Californians will decide on Tuesday whether to keep Gavin Newsom in office as a recall election that has left the Democratic governor fighting for his political life draws to a close.
The gubernatorial recall effort is only the second in California's history to make it on to the ballot and a rare chance for Republicans to seize control in a deep blue state. Voters are being asked two questions: should Newsom be removed from office, and, if he is recalled, who should take his place? Millions of Californians have already cast their ballots, either by mail or at early voting locations, and registered voters will have until Tuesday evening to make their choice, in a special election that is costing the state $276m.
Newsom, who has been a broadly popular governor since he was elected in 2018, found himself in a peculiar position after a Republican-led recall effort gained steam amid the worst of the state's pandemic.
He appeared confident heading into the final stretch, spending Monday campaigning with Joe Biden. Polls that had signaled peril for him during the summer have recently given him a more comfortable lead. Meanwhile, the leading Republican challenger, the rightwing radio host Larry Elder, has been laying a groundwork of misinformation to falsely imply that the election, if he loses, was rigged against him.
Early returns show that of those who have already cast their votes, most have been Democrats who are likely to oppose the recall. More Republicans are expected to vote in person on election day.
No major Democratic candidates are running against Newsom, who has encouraged supporters to leave the question of his replacement blank on their ballots. If even a hair more than 50% of voters opt to boot the governor, Elder or any other challenger with a plurality could take office and upend politics in an overwhelmingly Democratic state.
Such an outcome would cause national reverberations by placing a potentially antagonistic Republican leader at the helm of the nation's most populous and economically productive state, and potentially dooming Democrats ahead of the midterm elections. The implication that a Republican could unseat a Democrat in deep-blue California would fuel criticism that the party is out of touch with voters. An upset in the Golden state "could also encourage recall elections potentially around the country", said Mindy Romero, who heads the California Civic Engagement Project at the University of Southern California.
After initially dismissing the recall as a Republican-led distraction, Democrats and Newsom's campaign have pivoted in recent weeks to characterizing it as a referendum on Trumpism in California, one with "life or death" consequences. Meanwhile, big-name Democrats in California and in Washington DC, including Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar, the progressive representatives Barbara Lee and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Vice-President Kamala Harris, have all come to Newsom's aid.
Elder has vowed to do away with mask and vaccine requirements, appealing to recall backers whose efforts gained steam last winter amid the worst of the state's pandemic surge, which forced businesses closed and kept public schools shut. Among those who support the recall, 38% of likely voters said they preferred Elder, in a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released Friday. The former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, a moderate Republican whom the Los Angeles Times endorsed as the "least bad option" to replace Newsom, was by contrast backed by just 8% of likely voters. More than 40 candidates are running against Newsom, including the reality TV star and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner and YouTube personality Kevin Paffrath.
At campaign rallies, Newsom has emphasized that his early lockdown measures and first-in-the-country statewide mask mandate for schools have saved lives. But the governor is still working to live down several missteps: under Newsom's watch, the state's unemployment department struggled with major backlogs, while paying out an estimated $31bn in fraudulent claims. The state's vaccine rollout was initially chaotic and slow – leaving some of the most vulnerable frontline workers behind.
An ill-timed, lobbyist-laden dinner at the Michelin-starred French Laundry restaurant, and the governor's choice to send his own children back to private school before many public schools had reopened, added fuel to residents' frustrations. Meanwhile, following California's worst year of wildfires on record in 2020, and as catastrophic fires continue to blaze across the state, Newsom has attempted to quell concerns that he vastly overstated wildfire prevention efforts.
Voters who remained lukewarm on Newsom said they still saw him as the better of bad choices. "I'm with a lot of people who might like to recall Gavin, but aren't necessarily in favor of having Larry Elder in there," said John Friedrich, a retiree living in Stockton, California, about an hour south of the capital, Sacramento.
"There's just all kinds of stuff going on this past year – just devastating stuff," he added. "Any governor would have a tough job."


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Shape Of My Heart is the 3rd book in the Heartthrob series. Unfortunately I missed out on Book #2, but did read All I Ever Wanted earlier this year. I didn't really miss out on too much by skipping book #2, as each book focuses on a different one of the Heart brothers and his love life. This one focused on Jimmy. The book starts with Jimmy outside on his balcony trying to write a song while his neighbor Maggie's dog will not stop barking interrupting his train of thought. He ends up throwing a pretzel at the dog in an effort to shut it up, which set Maggie off as the dog was not to ever have people food! Jimmy asks for a few treats in an effort to win the dog over – and as you can probably guess – he starts to win Maggie over as well.
Maggie is well aware of who Jimmy is – she had quite a crush on him during Heartbeat's hey day but is trying to play it cool like she has no idea he is a famous pop star. The chapters alternate between Jimmy and Maggie telling the story from their point of view, which I really like because you can kind of get into each of their heads and see where they are at in the relationship. It took a while, but Jimmy finally gets Maggie to cave and have dinner with him… and things progress from there.
I really enjoy this series and am kind of bummed I missed out on Book #2 and #4 on NetGalley 🙁 I'll have to see about finding It's Gotta Be You and As Long As You Love Me on Amazon!
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Cricket Creek series returns with this third title in her fun and flirty Heartthrob series, following the quiet songwriter of the Heart brothers as he meets a feisty young adult author who may just be his match.
Meet the Heart Brothers: formerly the members of the cult-phenomenon boy band Heartbeat, now they're all grown up and back together for one last reunion tour. Trends may come and go, but a group of sexy brothers with a penchant for song and dance never goes out of style…
Jimmy Heart, affectionately known as the quiet one of the group, was never completely comfortable on stage. He prefers writing songs on his balcony in his high-rise condo overlooking the sea. But when a noisy neighbor moves in next door, Jimmy's muse goes on strike, leaving him no other choice but to confront Maggie Murphy and her little dog, too.
But the sassy author of empowering novels for teen girls refuses to pipe down, creating an ongoing battle along with an underlying sizzling attraction they both can't deny. And when Jimmy learns that feisty Maggie has gone through emotional turmoil as a teen, he's touched by her bravery and he vows to show her the depth of his unconditional love.
With her "rich and unique voice" (Romance Junkies), LuAnn McLane crafts another sweet and spirited novel that is perfect for fans of Anna Todd and Katy Evans.


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ABC57 wins national Edward R. Murrow award
ABC 57 News is proud to announce we have won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for Making Picture Perfect Memories in the Feature Reporting category.
The award is presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) for excellence in electronic journalism.
Making Picture Perfect Memories documents the heartbreaking, yet inspiring story of a mother who must deliver a baby knowing it will not survive. An organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep helped the family document the birth and precious hours Joshua lived. The family gave ABC57 News complete access to the delivery and Joshua's funeral.
Click here to watch the full story
"It is a great honor to be recognized by our peers in the television news industry for the work ABC57 News is doing. I am very proud of our team, not just for this story, but for the work we do every day," said ABC57 News Director Aaron Ramey.
Steven Farber, the Senior Vice President-Operations for Weigel Broadcasting Co. said, "This award recognizes the highest standard of journalism our team aims for in Michiana every day."
The Murrow Awards are named for the iconic journalist and broadcast innovator Edward R. Murrow.
The ABC57 team will receive the award on October 12 at an awards ceremony in New York City.


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The coverlet's commemorative design features a central woven image of the clock tower building on the Veterans Affairs at Mountain Home, Tennessee, campus, the site of the museum.
See Pictures of The Coverlets...
Made of 100% cotton and available in three "classic" colors against a cream background: Hunter Green, Cranberry Red, and Navy Blue, making it a great gift measuring 50" x 69". Proceeds benefit The Museum at Mountain Home.
Cost of Coverlet: $50.00
(Other charges that may apply):TN Sales Tax (residents only):
$4.25 Shipping & Handling: $5.00 + $1.50each additional.
To purchase please print and fill out this PDF Order Form
We also have a sale on slightly irregular coverlets at a discount price! If you are interested, please print and fill out this PDF Order Form.


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TV One has announced via press release that, after just over 1 year (she assumed the role in May 2011), CEO Wonya Lucas will vacate that position at the end of the month, and will be immediately replaced by Alfred Liggins, president and CEO of Radio One, TV One's parent company.
Lucas became CEO of the African-American targeted network in May 2011.
Statements released from both Lucas and Liggins suggest an amicable split. No reasons were given.
By all accounts, TV One's new programming, under Lucas' watch, has been much appreciated by audiences – especially its docu-series lineup, which includes Unsung, Life After, and Find Our Missing; it's also ventured into original scripted sitcoms with The Ricky Smiley Show, whose debut delivered the highest rated original series premiere in TV One's history, setting a record.
By the way, Comcast also owns a huge stake in TV One.
Stay tuned…


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Yesterday afternoon, I traveled with three fellow Book Swap pals to Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City, where we attended a reading and signing by "Everything You Want Me to Be" author Mindy Mejia. First off, I wanna say that Mindy is hilarious. She told us how, while making breakfast for her two young children … Continue reading Author Mindy Mejia demonstrates new dance move, discusses "grip-lit"
Everything You Want Me to Be
Winter Bookish Bingo update
BINGO! As you can see, I've gotten two bingos since the last time I posted about WBB (which has been far too long ago!). Not YA: "Everything You Want Me to Be" by Mindy Mejia White Cover: "Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk" by Kathleen Rooney FREE SPACE Science Fiction: "Three Years with the Rat" by … Continue reading Winter Bookish Bingo update
January wrap-up
My goodness! Where did January go? In terms of reading during the first month of 2017, I was incredibly busy – 12 books! I'm slacking a bit with my blog and my reviews lately ... still need to review two of the books I finished in January. In my defense, there's been a lot of … Continue reading January wrap-up
Winter Bookish Bingo update
It's been over a week since my first progress report on Winter Bookish Bingo, so I thought I'd give you all an update. I've filled three more spots on my WBB card since New Year's Day: Not YA: "Everything You Want Me to Be" by Mindy Mejia Survival: "Instrumental: A Memoir of Madness, Medication … Continue reading Winter Bookish Bingo update
Review: "Everything You Want Me to Be"
"Everything You Want Me to Be" by Mindy Mejia Atria/Emily Bestler Books (ebook), 352 pages Published Jan. 3, 2017 ISBN: 1501123424 "What could happen to any of us if we pursue our darkest desires? What do we lose of ourselves when we cross that line? What does it cost those around us?" High school senior Hattie … Continue reading Review: "Everything You Want Me to Be"
Happy New Year!
Happy 2017, all! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve/Day. On Saturday, Jared and I had a late lunch with his parents (mainly to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday). Then, we spent the evening with friends – eating more food, drinking delicious beverages, playing Jackbox games and laughing ourselves silly. Yesterday was … Continue reading Happy New Year!


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Studiopress slashes the price of Genesis Pro Plus package by $50, So now you can get it for just $299.95. The price reduction is to celebrate upcoming big release : Genesis 2. We already saw about Genesis 2 features and its due to be released within ... Read Further ➟
Archives for July 2013
Disable Annoying Self Pingbacks in WordPress [With or Without Plugin]
Pingbacks is a good way to notify someone you have linked in your article,It will help you to build a friendship with the niche bloggers.If you are lucky enough they may do same for you and it helps to increase Page Rank of your blog. Whenever ... Read Further ➟
Increase your Income by Automatically Linking Amazon Affiliate Products
Constant revenue is what makes bloggers alive.Though there are many ways to make money online,nothing can be more powerful than Affiliate marketing. Surely trafic plays a key role in making money but a right links in right place can be more effective ... Read Further ➟


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The Interactive Self Inventory (ISI) was designed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of key dimensions of social interaction. The eight dimensions of this instrument are correlated with various levels of EEG coupling and are intended to predict general qEEG patterns of power and magnitude distribution. The instrument was also designed to determine what steps can be taken to improve social accuracy as well as support the neurofeedback protocol being used concurrently to re-establish an optimal coupling zone and neural efficiency and timing. This allows neurofeedback pracitioners to evaluate the impact of social systems and interaction on the training process, such as the family system, and harness those systems for a more integrated approach. It can also be used as a measure of transformation and preparedness for meditation training. The presentation will look at social accuracy as the key concept behind the ISI and how it relates to the concepts of approach and avoidance behavior. The 16 subdimensions of approach and avoidance will be reviewed in detail and related to qEEG patterns of distribution of magnitude and power. Important aspect regarding face validity, external and internal validity, sampling, dimensional orthagonality, instrument sensitivity, and cross validation will be addressed. Uses of the ISI for various forms of assessment will be considered. In addition the manner in which the ISI can be used to guide individuals through specific steps to change leading to positive transformation will be discussed in detail.
Other Products by Richard Soutar
1) Measuring Transformation
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Interhemispheric EEG Training: Discussion and Demonstration


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ARK: Survival Evolved Gets a Price Raise and Retail Release Date
Good news if you bought the game early!
Way back in 2015, a game called ARK: Survival Evolved entered early access for PC players through Steam. Because of its popularity, it was then sent to the consoles, Xbox and PlayStation to be exact (sorry Nintendo fans). It's been widely successful, but no one was quite sure when ARK would be leaving early access and get a full retail release.
Well, the hour is upon us. ARK: Survival Evolved has just got it's priced upped on Steam from $29.99 to $59.99. This would be a good indication that the title will be departing from its early access stage soon, but no one had to do any guessing or theorizing about the sudden price increase. The Twitter page for ARK made it official. In fact, on August 8, ARK will leave early access behind. So long and thanks for all the fish.
So what does this mean? For everyone who bought the game before its full release, you won't need to spend another dime. You'll own the full game day one. But if you didn't take part prior to this price jump, sorry to say you missed the boat and will have to shell out about 60 bucks for the game now. Either way, look forward to riding on the most majestic, extinct creatures when they stomp out from early access and into your game libraries August 8!
Check Out More
- Independence Day Goodies Are Still Up For Grabs in The Division
- Nintendo Is Focusing Its Efforts on Additional Novelty-Style Games
- Gears of War 4 July Update Offers Two More Maps and Bug Fixes


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Well, the first round of Confederation Cup games has successfully concluded and to the amazement of many, things came off pretty well. Brazil soundly defeated a tired Japan team 3 x 0 in Brasilia. Dilma was roundly booed, as were the other "authorities". Rio got to see Italy push past Mexico fairly convincingly at 2 x1 with a full Maracana. Spain defeated Uruguay 2 x 0 and showed why it is ranked number 1 and will be a very serious contender for the title next year. The game in Recife had a minor glitch after the keys to one of the arenas were lost. Finally, Tahiti debuted with its first goal on the big stage of international competition but the Nigerians prevailed 6 x 1 in Belo Horizonte. All in all, the stadiums pretty much functioned as expected but there were some glitches like the 3G not working in Brasilia.
Outside the stadiums, the picture has been a bit different. Sao Paulo attempted to raise bus fares by about 10 U.S. cents. Fare hikes usually draw attention. But now there have been large and, at times, violent conflicts. Sao Paulo has been the epicenter, but the protests have spread to other Brazilian cities, including Rio, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia and Salvador.
There is a small organized group calling for free public transportation and most people see this as fairly romantic and unrealistic. But the movement has been a catalyst for more generalized discontent. Everyone sees the soccer tournaments as a world stage with lots of media potential. Brazil's government also continues to suffer from a lack of legitimacy, even now 25 years after the end of the military dictatorship. This discontent hangs around in spite of regular elections and is driven by the perceived lack of responsiveness of the political class to the "real needs" of the "people".
Young people, students, and some politicians are taking up the banner that the World Cup is wasteful and that Brazil has other priorities. Indeed, protests that began over bus fare hikes have grown to include striking teachers, policemen, and other public servants who are unhappy over poor salaries and awful working conditions.
More diffusely, there is general unrest due to all of Brazil's well-known weaknesses, including too much corruption. The high cost of living and prices increasing even more during international soccer events in Brazil, including the high costs of tickets to the games, have cast a spotlight on inequality in Brazil.
Add to this the shortage of good roads and schools, the lack of doctors and health-care professionals, paltry pensions for private-sector employees, and a minority of overpaid and underworked high-profile public sector executives (known as 'Marajas' in Brazil), and the list seems nearly endless.
The attempted bus fare raise coalesced this diffuse malaise with the aid of social media and even the regular media which cannot afford not to publish the sensationalist pictures of instances of police brutality and depredations (some caused by protestors but some caused by the very forces which are suppose to be protecting public order).
The question everyone is raising, including high-ranking government officials, is where all of this is headed. President Dilma, wisely said today that peaceful protests are legitimate. So far the workers unions, largely allied to the state and the PT, have not joined the protests. (How much they might benefit is unclear as workers in the formal sector have "vale transporte" or free subsidized use of bus service already). So without more massive popular support and without union resources, the federal government can push the problem back on to the state and municipal authorities who are in charge of local services.
Right now, the movement is too diffuse and there is no clear leadership and the goals are not well articulated. There are no generals to overthrow. There is only a popularly elected leftist civilian government which only partially can deliver the demands of protestors and others in Brazil. The Confederations Cup, World Cup and Olympics may seem like bread and circus, especially to the traditional middle class, but most people are proud that Brazil has the events and are willing to put up with the accompanying waste and the ongoing opportunities for illicit gain.
Until Brazil's political culture evolves to a much higher level of maturity, it is unlikely that the current protests will have much impact and little will remain after the tear gas has cleared, except the very slow process of institution building.
So if you are going to the games, plan around the protests. If you are out protesting, be prepared to run from the police, their batons, smoke bombs and tear gas. If you are part of the police force, please don't kill anyone and that goes for the protesters as well. There may be groups out there seeking to create a martyr. I hope Brazil is beyond that, but you never know.


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Billfold Wallet


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Never Run Out of Things to Say with Girls
Learn how to never run out of things to say with girls in this useful video. The trick sometimes is to prepare a good line of questions and memorize it, and also listen carefully to her responses, because those could open up new topics that you could dive into. For example, if a girl tells you she is a lawyer from Dallas, you can talk about her profession or the city she's from and build a conversation around those two topics.


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OUTFRONT Media
We Get You America
At OUTFRONT, we understand that to brands audiences are everything. We provide an integrated platform to connect brands to their desired audiences, as they live their lives. We are famous for the unrivaled impact and creativity of our medium. We champion the power of the largest canvases across North America to grow advertisers' businesses through driving engagement, fame, and trust. Intelligent OOH makes brand's messaging more relevant and their digital investments work harder.


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SAN MATEO, Calif., July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRO) today announced that it will release its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020, after the market closes on August 6, 2020.
GoPro management will host a conference call and live webcast for analysts and investors on August 6, 2020 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. Eastern Time) to discuss the Company's financial results. Management commentary will be posted on the "Events & Presentations" section of the Company's Investor Relations website at https://investor.gopro.com prior to the start of the conference call.
A live webcast of the conference call will also be accessible on the "Events & Presentations" section of the Company's Investor Relations website. The webcast will be recorded and the recording will be available on GoPro's website approximately two hours after the call and for 90 days thereafter. To listen to the live conference call, please dial toll free (800) 353-6461 or (334) 323-0501, access code 2952876, approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call.
About GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRO)GoPro helps the world celebrate and share itself in immersive and exciting ways.
GoPro, HERO, and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of GoPro, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, visit www.gopro.com . GoPro users can submit their photos, raw clips and video edits to GoPro Awards for social stoke, GoPro gear and cash prizes. Learn more at www.gopro.com/awards. Connect with GoPro on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and GoPro's blog The Inside Line.
View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gopro-schedules-second-quarter-2020-financial-results-for-august-6-2020-301094605.html
SOURCE GoPro, Inc.


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Anyone can put their head down and power through life, however, it takes a mature person to understand that how you live is equally important as what you accomplish. -The Five Be's
We sat in the Officer's Club at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho: three lieutenants with cold beers in hand trying to impress each other with the hours we were working. It was a perverse matter of pride for us–and lots of others at the time–to brag about the amount of time we were working. Bragging about children's birthdays missed, anniversaries spent away, and late nights was a badge of honor.… Read the rest