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Not to Be Missed: May Recommendations
by Justin B. Moore, PhD, MS
As we welcome in May and increasingly warmer weather, I'd like to bring your attention to two excellent columns and a commentary recently published in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice. The first is The Management Moment from the May/June issue, which is authored this month by Mark L. Braunstein, Martin LaVenture, and Edward L. Baker. In this column entitled "Public Health Informatics Incubators: Accelerating Innovation Through Creative Partnerships Between Informatics Experts and Public Health Agencies," the authors make the case that informatics expertise is needed to improve the collection, use, and sharing of data within public health agencies. In this article, the authors share a potential solution (eg, "public health informatics incubators") that could be replicated nation-wide to enhance decision making and the health of the public.
Another column in the current issue is News From NACCHO, brought to you by Sheree H. Keitt, Julie Alonso, Carol McPhillips-Tangum, Nicole Lezin, and Margaret Carr. In this article entitled "Advancing Trauma Center Injury and Violence Prevention: Public Health and Health Care Working Together," the authors report on a collaborative initiative aimed at strengthening injury and violence preventing programs in hospitals. This innovative program focused on bolstering synergies between hospitals and public health agencies through the sharing of information and resources, and resulted in core standards and indicators for model trauma center programs. These standards are an excellent first step in improving injury and violence preventing programs and improving outcomes in the community.
Finally, I'd like to bring your attention to a commentary in our most recent supplement, Impact of Public Health Accreditation. This commentary by Allison Foster, Laura Rasar King, and Kaye Bender entitled "Are Public Health Academia, Professional Certification, and Public Health Practice on the Same Page?" seeks to dispel the myth that the academic public health, professional certification, and public health practice realms are out of sync. In this article, they make a compelling and persuasive case that the public health profession has been undergoing a rapid transformation over the last decade that has resulted in excellent synergy between these three branches of public health. While acknowledging that work remains to be done, the authors do an excellent job of demonstrating a convergence between academic public health and public health practice.
Justin B. Moore, PhD, MS, FACSM, is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and an Associate Professor in the Department of Implementation Science of the Wake Forest School of Medicine at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Follow him at Twitter and Instagram. [Full Bio]
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So often, we mistake business for living life to its fullest. Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post...
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Jane Somerville: Healer of the Heart
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You need:
popsicle sticks
hot glue gun
double sided tape
wrapping paper
crepe paper
yarn or string
1) Take 4 popsicle sticks and hot glue the ends together to make a square, lining up the corners evenly.
2) Do another set of 4 popsicle sticks.
3) Cut a piece of wrapping paper long enough to fold all the way around your popsicle stick square.
4) Once the sticks are dry and cooled, put double sided tape on the edges of the sticks and line up each square at one end of your wrapping paper. You want each square about half an inch from the edge of your paper.
5) Carefully roll the sticks so that the paper is folded around the square shapes. Secure the end with tape.
6) Cut the crepe paper into fringe and glue it to the outside of your lantern.
7) Hot glue some string the to the popsicle sticks on the inside of your lantern for hanging.
Here's a unit study from Layers of Learning and some ideas for making a China notebook from Walking by the Way.
Here are some other Chinese folktales to enjoy!
Poppins Book Nook Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a copy of the E.H.M. curriculum Journey into the World of Folktales (PDF) and one copy of the book that is required to teach it called Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta to further their learning all about folktales.
Entrants must be 18years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms& conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:


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Monogrammed Knitted Button Down Cardigan Black
Shipping calculated at checkout.
This rib knit cardigan provides a cozy layer she can pair with her favorite tanks or tees.
Product Details
- Button closure
- Round neck
- Cotton
- Machine washable
Once you make your purchase you will be contacted about your monogram selection!


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It's Earth Day 2008. The climate crisis is accelerating, vast sheets of ice are collapsing, islands in the Pacific have been drowned in rising seas, and weather the world over is growing increasingly violent. If we don't take immediate action — all of us, and right now — we face a future unlike anything we've known.
But let's be honest… running a successful and (ideally) profitable coffee house is something of a high-wire act at the best of times. And — economically-speaking — these aren't the best of times. You've got a budget to watch; a creeping expense column can throw things out of kilter. Fast. It's not going to do you or your environmentally-minded customers any good for you to bankrupt yourself in the name of ecology.
That said, there are savings to be found in running a more efficient and sustainable coffee house, coffee shop or espresso bar. Some of these savings can be realized pretty quickly, others require a longer view. If you can, don't just consider today's bottom line, but tomorrow's. And next year's. And — for goodness sake — don't lose sight of the ultimate bottom line here… the planet's climate is in crisis. And it shouldn't surprise you to learn that the viability of specialty coffee is at the forefront of that crisis.
In greening up your coffee house, there are (at least) three distinct areas where you can bring your efforts to bear: reducing energy, increasing sustainability, and making it easier for your customers to go green, too. We'll look at each in turn. There's a lot to slog through here, so I'll get right to it.
Reduce energy.
A coffee shop is an energy sink. You've got lots of things to keep hot, things to keep cool, and excruciatingly specialized equipment to get them all mixed together. Where do you begin?
Start with an energy audit. Chances are your power company will audit your business at no charge, and provide you with a fairly comprehensive list of recommendations. It's a great place to start… and an ideal way to benchmark where your business stands, right now. You'll want that baseline to measure against after you've made some improvements.
While your power company will have lots of tips for you in terms of properly insulating your space (ceilings, walls, windows, doors) and savings you might achieve in terms of lighting (switching to CFL fixtures) and the like, chances are they won't know enough about your specialized equipment — say, espresso machines — to tell you the whole story. You can augment what you learn on an audit report by using a portable or panel-installed power use monitor (think Kill-A-Watt and the like) to measure how much energy your specialized equipment consumes.
You'll find your coffee house has any number of power-sucking commercial appliances. You'll probably learn which of these costs you the most to operate in the course of your energy audit; you may not learn, however, which are the most efficient… or more importantly, which aren't. Lacking any information to the contrary, here's where you might want to start.
- Dishwashers. You probably know you can save energy and water by running your dishwasher only with a full load. (Of course you do!) You may not know that if you invest in an Energy Star rated commercial dishwasher you can see a pretty immediate return on your investment. An efficient dishwasher can save your coffee house up to 90 MBtus, (about $850 a year on your energy bill) and 52,000 gallons of water (probably another $200 a year).1
- Refrigerators and freezers. Today's Energy Star rated chill chests are as much as 35% more efficient2 than the bog standard item of the last 10 years, due to advances in compressor and fan-motor efficiency and new anti-sweat technologies ('cause nobody likes a sweaty fridge.) Your new refrigerator can pay for itself in a little more than a year.
- Espresso machines and brewers. In a great many cases, you can insulate the boilers of your always-on equipment (much like you've insulated your shop's hot water heater, right? Right?) Mind you, if you don't know the internals of your brewers like the back of your hand, it's probably best to have it done by your service-tech. A flaming espresso machine is decidedly not eco-friendly; we're probably talking about kevlar, not simple fiberglass batting.
- Coffee roasters. Clean, clean, clean! A clean roaster is not only a safe roaster, it's also far more efficient than one that's choked up with years of coffee oils, a creosote-filled exhaust and clogged air vents. You may be surprised with the energy savings you realize.
So maybe it's not in your budget to spring for new, high-efficiency appliances this year… there's no reason you can't make sure the appliances you have are operating at peak performance. Clean your fridge's evaporators, condensers, and heat-exchange coils. Replace worn and leaky door seals. Better still, get a regular service regimen going so that all of your equipment is operating well throughout the year.
Increase sustainability.
Greening up entails more than just curbing your shop's power demands. It's also about breaking some bad habits, many of them having to do with things we simply throw away. After decades of disposable everything, we've become conspicuous consumers of our limited natural resources. And it's got to stop.
- Enough with the plastic cold cups already. Bio-polymer alternatives biodegrade in commercial composting landfills inside a month; plastics are forever. Greenware cups from Fabri-Kal make petroleum-based plastic cold cups obsolete.
- Nix those unrecyclable paper hot cups. Look into compostable paper cups like the ecotainer from International Paper, lined with a corn-polymer resin that's compostable and will degrade over time.
- Still double-cupping? Just stop, already. Please. Products like the Java Jacket are pretty much de rigeur and new biodegradable entrants like the ecoSleeve appear to work just as well for cold cups, too.
- Want to take a really big step? Consider getting rid of disposables altogether!
- Recycle! How many gallons of milk does your coffee house consumer every day, and how many plastic jugs do you empty as a result? If you're not recycling, that adds up to a heaping pile of forever in a landfill. Recycle your consumables. More, make it easy — like, really easy — for your customers to do the same.
- Use green cleaning products. Green cleaning agents are safer for your employees to use, and they typically don't contain any VOCs (volatile organic compounds).3 Check with the Green Restaurant Association for a list of endorsed products.
- Buy food locally. When you purchase locally grown foodstuffs, suddenly all of your customers are localvores. More to the point, locally produced milk, fruits and vegetables are fresher, taste better, and your dollars support your own community (rather than some faceless transnational food cartel.)
Make it easier for your customers to go green, too.
People are waking up — finally! — to the stark realities of global climate change. And increasingly, folks the world over want to do something about it. People are setting back their thermostats, choosing cars with better gas mileage, replacing their light bulbs — all the while looking for opportunities to do more. You can help.
- Offer organics. By all means, start by offering a selection of great organic coffees. More, make an organic coffee your house blend; your standard espresso. But don't stop there! Look for local, organic milk and dairy suppliers, bakers and folks who farm great produce. Make organic an every day thing.
- Switch to recycled paper products. From paper towels to napkins to bath tissue, recycled paper products — no longer limited to options of "brown" and "rough" — are an increasingly compelling alternative to virgin fiber sources.
- You know and I know that folks just love those cute little bottles of water. More, we both know those little plastic bottles are just plain stupid, ecologically. So do something about it. Offer ice-cold, filtered water to refill your customer's reusable bottles, to start.
- Encourage customers to use their own mugs. Whether you want to host a wall of customer cups for your regulars, or offer a discount for folks who drop in with their travel tumbler in-hand, get behind your customers' efforts to green up their own lives.
- Educate your customers. Going green isn't one of those private, hair-shirt-wearing sort of things… it's something that you want to make some noise about. Let your customers know that you're going green. And how. And why. By demonstrating your commitment to the environment, and by making it easy for your customers to make good choices in your place of business, you help them make greener, more sustainable choices everywhere.
Final thoughts… and an invitation.
Greening up your coffee house can save you money (in the long run, certainly, even if it may have some up-front costs). And going green can improve the morale of your staff even as it boosts the loyalty of your customers — all of them. Greening up means a safer, healthier place of business, and will ultimately lead to a safer, healthier environment. Most of all, going green is simply the right thing to do.
While I've thrown a lot of ideas into this article, it's really just a start. I welcome your feedback, your ideas, and your stories about how you're greening up your coffee house… the challenges you face, and how you overcame them. We're in this together, after all.
I'm not the only one talking about the intersection of coffee houses and sustainability these days. See also:
- Matt Milletto's Going Green in Your Coffee House, part 1 and part 2.
- Stewart Fritchman's Sustainable Coffeehouse video
- Source: Energystar.gov commercial dishwasher savings guide. [↩]
- Source: Energystar.gov commercial solid door refrigerator / freezer savings guide. [↩]
- See Treehugger.com for more on volatile organic compounds. [↩]


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Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a very promising gene therapy vector in pre-clinical and clinical trials. However, recent studies have demonstrated that the AAV2 capsid can induce a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response via both classical antigen presentation and cross-presentation pathways, thereby raising concerns associated with immune response to AAV vectors. In particular, it has been suggested that capsid specific CTLs eliminated AAV2 transduced liver cells and resulted in therapeutic failure in a hemophilia B clinical trial. The goal of this proposal is to understand the mechanisms of presentation of AAV capsid antigens in vitro and in vivo and more importantly, to devise strategies to evade the immune response. Our long term goals are to enhance the safety and efficacy of AAV vectors through formulation of novel immune evasion strategies. Since data from animal models have contradicted clinical observations outlined above (possibly due to poor immunogenicity of the AAV capsid in mice), we have integrated a strong immune domain OVA epitope SIINFEKL into the VP3 protein of the AAV2 capsid (AAV2-OVA). Decreased transgene expression was seen in mice with memory OVA CTLs following liver transduction with AAV2-OVA vector. In the current proposal, we will use AAV2-OVA vector to investigate the kinetics and mechanisms of AAV capsid cross-presentation in transduced cells in vitro and in vivo (Aim 1 and 2). Through these studies, we expect to thoroughly characterize the CTL response to AAV capsid proteins in mice that more accurately represents data obtained in humans. After AAV vector binds on cell surface, via endosomal uptake, AAV2 capsids must uncoat enroute to the nucleus prior to vector genome transcription. This trafficking route suggests that antigen presentation of capsids after transduction may follow a classical MHC-class I pathways. Many viruses (For example herpes, EB) evade host immune response by synthesizing small peptides called viral proteins interfering with antigen presentation (VIPR), we propose that integration of VIPR into AAV capsid evade host CTL mediated elimination of AAV transduced target cells (Aim 3). By engineering VIPRs into AAV2 capsid proteins, we will ensure that antigen presentation will be attenuated only in AAV2 transduced cells without systemic side effects on the immune system (as would be the case with immunosuppressive drugs or application of regulator T cells). These experiments rely on predetermined domains in AAV capsid proteins for incorporation of VIPR domains. A timely understanding is critical for the continued use of AAV therapy under the current protocols (i.e. without immunosuppression addendums).
Lay summary Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has been used in over 50 clinical trials and proves to be very promising for gene therapy, due to long-term therapeutic gene expression after delivery of AAV vectors. Recently, data from one clinical trial for hemophilia B suggested that AAV2 could induce an immune response and thus eliminate AAV2 infected liver cells. However, the results from a mouse model study did not support these findings. One explanation of these contradictory results could be the weak immunogenic activity of AAV capsids in mice. To more accurately mimic the clinical trial and establish an appropriate mouse model, we propose to insert a strong immunogen into AAV2 capsid and use these mutant AAV capsids to make recombinant virus. After injection of these viruses into mouse, we will investigate whether immunogen specific CTLs eliminate AAV2 transduced target cells in mice. Additionally, to reduce any immune response elicited by the AAV capsid, we will insert the Epstein-Barr virus product EBNA-1 into a non-essential region of the AAV capsid. We will test whether EBNA-1 will mediate inhibition of an immune response and prevent eradication of AAV infected cells. The long-term goals of this proposal are to critically evaluate the immune response to AAV-infected cells and to develop a novel AAV vector that will evade an immune response without compromising function, thus improving AAV as a gene therapy tool and enhancing its therapeutic value.
|Hastie, Eric; Samulski, R Jude (2015) Recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors in the treatment of rare diseases. Expert Opin Orphan Drugs 3:675-689
|Hastie, Eric; Samulski, R Jude (2015) Adeno-associated virus at 50: a golden anniversary of discovery, research, and gene therapy success--a personal perspective. Hum Gene Ther 26:257-65
|Nicolson, Sarah C; Samulski, R Jude (2014) Recombinant adeno-associated virus utilizes host cell nuclear import machinery to enter the nucleus. J Virol 88:4132-44
|Bartus, Raymond T; Weinberg, Marc S; Samulski, R Jude (2014) Parkinson's disease gene therapy: success by design meets failure by efficacy. Mol Ther 22:487-497
|Mitchell, Angela M; Hirsch, Matthew L; Li, Chengwen et al. (2014) Promyelocytic leukemia protein is a cell-intrinsic factor inhibiting parvovirus DNA replication. J Virol 88:925-36
|Qiao, Chunping; Li, Chengwen; Zhao, Chunxia et al. (2014) K137R mutation on adeno-associated viral capsids had minimal effect on enhancing gene delivery in vivo. Hum Gene Ther Methods 25:33-9
|Johnson, Mark C; Garland, Alaina L; Nicolson, Sarah C et al. (2013) *-cell-specific IL-2 therapy increases islet Foxp3+Treg and suppresses type 1 diabetes in NOD mice. Diabetes 62:3775-84
|He, Yi; Weinberg, Marc S; Hirsch, Matt et al. (2013) Kinetics of adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) and AAV8 capsid antigen presentation in vivo are identical. Hum Gene Ther 24:545-53
|Li, Chengwen; He, Yi; Nicolson, Sarah et al. (2013) Adeno-associated virus capsid antigen presentation is dependent on endosomal escape. J Clin Invest 123:1390-401
|Hirsch, Matthew L; Li, Chengwen; Bellon, Isabella et al. (2013) Oversized AAV transductifon is mediated via a DNA-PKcs-independent, Rad51C-dependent repair pathway. Mol Ther 21:2205-16
Showing the most recent 10 out of 23 publications


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Joe Torre is juggling World Series duties and his nerves about this weekend's Breeders' Cup Classic.
He co-owns Game On Dude, a gelding that was made the early 8-5 favorite for Saturday's $5 million race at Santa Anita.
Torre was in St. Louis on Monday for Game 5 of the World Series between the Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. He is an executive with Major League Baseball, having retired from a managerial career that included overseeing the Dodgers and the Yankees.
Bob Baffert, who trains Game On Dude, called Torre on Monday.
''Bob, everything OK?'' Torre said in answering the call, which interrupted his meeting with the umpiring crew. Assured it was, Torre called Baffert back later.
''When you have a good horse and your trainer calls, you got to take this call,'' Baffert said. ''He's really excited about it. This horse pumped him up at Del Mar.''
That's where Game On Dude won the $1 million Pacific Classic in August by a record 8-1/2 lengths.
''I was jumpy as all get-out,'' Torre said at the time. ''I can't tell you how exciting it was to watch him.''
Even if the World Series goes to a Game 7 on Thursday, Torre will be clear to attend Saturday's Classic, the richest race in North America.


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Posts Tagged 'Oregon'
San Diego police officer protects and serves
In what was a timely follow-up to my analysis of the Toronto Sun story published earlier this week, Rebecca Woolington of The Oregonian brings us a story profiling a San Diego police officer hosting a four-hour training session for fellow police officers in Oregon's Washington County. The training is far from standard, as Brian Herritt will be instructing police officers on how to respond to autistic children. The father of an autistic child himself, Herritt's inspiration began when his son eloped at the age of three and he found himself relying on police to find him. While his son was discovered safely, Herritt noticed police may be unprepared to handle autistic children, his experience as a parent and law enforcement official created a dedication to teaching cops how to recognize signs of autism and deescalate situations. Conversely, he also wants to teach parents the mentality of police officers.
The Autism Society of Oregon is funding the training session, and one likely subject will be the potential of confusing symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (people talking to themselves or fixating on objects) with socially awkward behaviors that exhibit signs of drug and alcohol use. Herritt also explains how to best take autistic people into custody, what crimes they are most likely to commit or fall victim to, and to avoid assuming someone isn't cooperating because they're not responding to questions or orders (as explained many times on this site, some autistic people don't communicate verbally).
Autistic people must follow the laws like everyone else, but after the ordeal I dissected in Toronto, Herritt's mission is the perfect antidote to solve issues surrounding lack of awareness of autism in law enforcement. One training session won't make police experts, but because Herritt is a fellow officer with an autistic child, his ability to communicate to both parents and cops is more effective. He understands the wishes of parents to accommodate autism spectrum disorder when approached and the rapid responses officers must sometimes make on or off-duty. As I mentioned in the last story, there will be increasing encounters between autistic people and police officers as the autism population grows and ages, which likely means Herritt won't be the only cop to offer this training in the future.
There's also a possibility of a follow-up story in The Oregonian as the training session doesn't take place until next Wednesday, creating a set-up to report the response of attendants. Many are representatives of the sheriff's office and local police departments in Oregon, so finding ties for the reading audience would not require much effort. Continuing to cover this story could also reveal Herritt's future plans for these training sessions; the fact he is traveling to Oregon from the San Diego area brings forth the desire to promote a subset of knowledge to a group who most likely will need them on future assignments. Outside the region, other news editors and reporters may find citizens similar to Herritt who share his goal.
Woolington spends the first half of the story explaining Herritt's background and his drive to educate other officers before switching to local sources for their reaction regarding his Oregon visit. Woolington indirectly highlights why autism training will matter to any kind of safety official in the long-term: parents already in the business are getting a first-hand experience with the disability.
Autism service dog leads own experiment
FOX affiliate KPTV in Portland recently published a story about an autism service dog who found himself at the center of an experiment. Jordan Givens, a 10-year-old autistic fourth-grader, has started bringing his service dog, a German shepherd named Madison, to Patterson Elementary School in Hillsboro. Although the Hillsboro School District originally disallowed Madison to sit with Jordan in class because they said Jordan was adequately achieving his goals in his individual education plan, they are now allowing Madison in Jordan's classes to find out if the German shepherd helps Jordan function more effectively in school.
Wendy Givens, Jordan's mother, already believes Madison is a metaphorical portal. She says Madison is trained in behavior disruption, which means he helps Jordan's bouts with aggressions and calms his senses. The school's principal says Jordan's teacher is considering the dog's effect on other students, adding that his classmates appear prepared to adapt Madison into their routine. The experiment also has the support of the U.S. Attorney in Oregon.
The story points out the continuing efforts to spread autism awareness throughout all communities. Normally, dogs aren't allowed on school grounds unless there are mitigating circumstances. Usually, such circumstances involve physical disabilities, which autism is not. Recall that the disorder can be difficult to detect with the naked eye, so even if Jordan's school district is aware of his condition, there's a possibility the school district may not see what's wrong with him, and that may have caused the small ordeal about allowing Madison in school.
Madison has served as the Givens' service dog for three years, although we aren't told much about the shepherd's impact with Jordan. The story's focus was why the dog wasn't allowed in school, so it's not surprising that little information about the bond between Madison and Jordan is divulged. TV news stories have short windows for stories, so unless they're airing a longer feature, broadcast reporters can't spend much time on topics related to but not about the primary theme.
Depending on who comes across this story, Madison may not be just the center of a local experiment, but a regional or perhaps national one. Approaching autistic students still leaves school officials and parents scratching their heads because of low data for accommodations outside of special education classes. The development between Madison, Jordan and his classmates could provide some insight on the success of additional resources.
No (therapy) dogs allowed?
There are two issues to the story I'm about to present. Autism is clearly one of them, but the other is something we'll likely hear more about as more parents consider getting a therapy dog to assist their autistic children: are they truly service animals or well-trained pets?
The most recent episode is covered by The Oregonian. An autistic boy with severe complications, which includes attempting to hit other classmates and teachers at the elementary school he attends, gets assistance from a therapy dog his parents got for him. Madison, a two-year-old German Shepherd, mitigates the boy's symptoms by stopping him when he attempts to run away (a common side effect caused by a lack of environmental awareness), and lying on him when he suffers an emotional meltdown (also common because they often lack knowledge on less violent alternatives to express emotional distress). However, the Hillsboro School District won't allow Madison to go to school with his owner, saying the boy is doing fine on his own.
The refusal to allow Madison in school has led to the U.S. Justice Department investigating a complaint from Disability Rights Oregon that could affect other families seeking therapy animals for assistance. The school district argues that it's a matter of process, saying there is no need for a service animal if there's a student doing well in school. Therapy dogs aren't covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but are growing in popularity. Still, fully-trained dogs helping autistic students in public schools are rare. The Autism Society of Oregon says that school districts will fall back on basic policies because therapy dogs are new territory for them.
From a social perspective, it's a two-pronged pitchfork. It's not unusual for neurotypicals to go with the simplicity route. They don't hold a vendetta against the disabled, but they sometimes lack an understanding of that community because they don't have to deal with them on a daily basis. The school district was also concerned about allergies and students who fear dogs, but the Hillsboro superintendent dismissed them as primary issues. The story's lead would contradict what the school district is suggesting, and if that's indeed true, the school district's statement also raises questions about what constitutes "doing well" in school. Is he doing well academically, or doing well because he's removed from a mainstream setting where other students would be at risk from the boy's behaviors. One solution to resolve this dispute is adopting what the Beaverton School District did and have the dog go to school with the boy on a trial basis, making observations on how the boy behaves with the dog versus without him.
Human rights aren't the only issue here. The story also reflects how people define service animals. Parents who use therapy dogs for children with autism would most likely claim that therapy dogs are service animals, along with the trainers who send therapy dogs to families once training is completed. It gets murky with everyone else, and opinions are reached on mostly personal levels versus scientific ones. The place where Madison was trained, 4 Paws for Ability, says the German Shepherd received 500 hours of training before he was assigned to his family in Oregon.
The article presents some new ingredients that will likely be used as the autism debate evolves. The story does more than cite arguments from both sides of the story. Otherwise, we wouldn't have learned that Oregon has dealt with this issue before in the Portland area. Don't be surprised if you see a similar story appear sometime in your local newspaper or TV station; it's a fresh look that avoids rehashing what most reporters have already told us about autism. Even I haven't considered the debate about service animals and autism because I never required the use of a therapy dog, but this story shows us that civil rights in the autism community aren't limited to humans.


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Breakout Games - #1 Escape Room in Atlanta
Play the top Atlanta escape rooms. For 60 minutes, experience 5-star immersive entertainment with friends and family, escape normal life, and be the hero of the story. Explore an island, find the kidnapper, restore ancient relics to their rightful owner. Each Breakout location has unique challenges.See Atlanta Rooms
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A Life-Sized Game of Twists & Turns where your team searches for clues and solves puzzles to accomplish your mission and escape before time expires.
Escape rooms are perfect for birthday parties, team-building, a couples night out, and more.
We recommend the free parking at the back of our building.


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Current Location: Crown Bay Marina, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 9
Weather: Mostly sunny, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Mark and Terry went snorkeling first thing this morning around the small island in Christmas Cove. Saw a couple of sand rays, one eagle ray, and a nasty-looking barracuda, but not many fish, and coral was mostly dead. Breakfast back on the boat, then dropped the mooring ball around 10AM and motor-sailed over to Buck Island to find some turtles. Grabbed a mooring ball around 11, then Mark and Diana went snorkeling while the rest of us had some lunch and relaxed. Saw lots of turtles, a couple of rays, and quite a few day-charters in and out of the mooring field. We hung around until about 2:30, then headed over to Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas, last stop for the Kingsley clan. Docked and secured by 3:30, relaxed on the boat for a bit, then headed over to the local pub (Tickles) for drinks, dinner, and to watch some of the NCAA basketball games. Back to the boat around 7PM to relax, reminisce, and celebrate a wonderful week together in the Virgin Islands.
Christmas Cove and Pizza Pi
Current Location: Christmas Cove Mooring, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 10
Weather: Mostly sunny, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Early morning hike back up the Johnny Horn trail for some pictures, then off to Christmas Cove, arriving around 2:30, where we grabbed the last available mooring. Relaxed and read during the afternoon, then over to the famous Pizza Pi boat to pick up pizzas for dinner. Played dominos again after supper, where revenge was achieved by the old folks. Watched tarpon gather in the blue lights under the boat, and enjoyed the last super moon of 2019 before turning in for the night.
Welcome Aboard Diana, Tom, and Mark
Current Location: American Yacht Harbor Marina, Red Hook, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 4
Weather: Mostly sunny, calm (5-10), low-80s
Highlights: Finished cleaning and organizing the boat this morning to get ready for our next guests, then dropped the mooring ball at 1PM and motored over to the marina. Arrived around 1:30, but our assigned slip was still occupied, so we had to circle around outside the harbor for awhile until they cleared out. Finally backed into the slip at 2PM, with Diana, Tom, and Mark arriving just in time to catch our lines for us. Got the boat secured, luggage aboard, guests settled in and oriented with drinks in hand, checked into the marina, then relaxed and enjoyed the weather on the boat. Quick trip to Moe's (grocery store) before dinner, then Amy (with Diana's help) fixed us a fabulous dinner of sweet sausage, peppers, and onions over pasta. Terry and Tom did a quick trip to Moe's to pick up some ice cream to top off brownies for desert, then a game of 3-13 (where the youngster beat up on the old folks) before turning in for the night.
Down Day in Magens Bay
Current Location: Magens Bay Anchorage, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 0
Weather: Mostly sunny, breezy (15-20), low-80s
Highlights: Ran the watermaker for a couple of hours this morning, did a load of laundry, and caught up on emails, reading, and other chores the rest of the day. Crab salad sandwiches with avacado/mango salad on the side for dinner, then watched The Butterfly Effect on DVD before turning in for the night.
Current Location: Christmas Cove Mooring, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 8
Weather: Mostly sunny, breezy (15-20), low-80s
Highlights: Leisurely breakfast, then took the dinghy into the beach and hiked (more of a walk, really) the Johnny Horn trail up the hill overlooking the bay, then across to the next bay. Some beautiful views of the islands, plus two interesting ruins to explore, but nothing too challenging or exciting, and we were back to the boat around 11AM. Had a light lunch before dropping the mooring ball and motor sailing under full genoa around the NW coast of St. Johns and across to Christmas Cove, picking up the last remaining mooring ball around 3PM. Read and relaxed the rest of the afternoon, then picked up a couple of pizzas from the Pizza Pi boat for dinner. Played one game of dominoes after dinner, watch the tarpon play in the UW lights under the boat, then turned in early after a beautiful last day of vacation for David and Helen.
Welcome Aboard David and Helen
Current Location: American Yacht Harbor Marina, Red Hook, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 3
Weather: Mostly sunny, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Dropped the mooring ball late morning and motored around the point into Red Hook, arriving at AYH around noon. First slip they assigned to us was too narrow, which caused a bit of stress for us, but no harm done, and we settled into our 2nd assigned slip around 1PM. Got secured, connected, and checked in, then walked over to the grocery store (Buddy's) to stock up for the week. Back to the boat around 3:30, just in time to welcome David and Helen aboard from their long trip from Maryland. Got them settled in, unpacked, and comfortable with drinks and snacks, then relaxed on the boat until dinner time. Walked over to the Brew and Tap for take-out burgers and fries, then back to the boat to eat, relax, and get caught up on family and friends. Early bedtime for everyone after a long travel day.
Current Location: Christmas Cove Mooring, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 15
Weather: Mostly sunny, breezy (10-20), low-80s
Highlights: We were running low on water, so hauled out the watermaker and added about 50 gallons to our tanks. With the generator fixed, watermaker seems to be working fine also, so that's a relief. Raised anchor around 10:30 and headed over to Christmas Cove, with a scheduled "touch and go" along the way to drop a bathroom key off at Crown Bay marina. Arrived at Christmas Cove around 1PM, grabbed one of the last mooring balls available, then ordered lunch from the famous Pizza Pi boat that resides here in the cove. Pizza wasn't the best we've ever had, but was pretty cool doing a pick-up by dinghy (yes, they also deliver). While we were enjoying lunch, Captain Tim on Meow motored in with a boat full of partiers and dropped anchor nearby. We took the dinghy over to say hello and catch up, but he had his hands full, so we didn't stay. He and Judy are still together, but she's currently in Boston visiting with a new grandbaby. We defrosted the fridge this afternoon (didn't really need it, but figured with guests on board the next few weeks, we should get it done), then lazed around the rest of the afternoon and evening. Tomorrow we'll head over to AYH marina to provision and pick up David and Helen.
Current Location: Brewer's Bay Anchorage, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 0
Weather: Mostly sunny, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Cleaned out some closets and cupboards today, did a load of laundry and some spot cleaning on the deck, and continued the never-ending job of polishing the stainless steel. David and Helen will be visiting us for a week, so we're trying to get the boat ready before they arrive this Sunday. Napped and read during the afternoon, then Amy fixed beef stroganoff over pasta for dinner tonight. Read and watched a bit of TV before bedtime. Tomorrow, we'll head over to Christmas Cove and see if we can find a free mooring ball for the night - we stayed there a couple of nights back in November 2016 when we chartered with Captain Tim on Meow.
Exploring STT North Shore
Current Location: Brewer's Bay Anchorage, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 15
Weather: Mostly sunny, occasional showers, windy (15-25), high-70s
Highlights: Decided after breakfast that it was time to go exploring and lobster hunting, so pulled up anchor and headed out the bay and sailed west along the north shore of St. Thomas. We were looking for a calm bay where we could drop anchor and snorkel, but winds were too strong and seas were pretty high. Checked out Santa Maria Bay, Little Bordeaux Bay, and Botany Bay, but waves were breaking all the way into shore, so we finally went all the way around Botany Bay Point and found a quiet spot on the south side of West Cay. Dropped anchor and snorkeled around the boat; saw clear water, lots of fish and some cool rock formations, but no lobster to be found. Had some lunch, raised anchor, then motored into strong headwinds into Brewers Bay, dropping anchor again around 4PM. Beef and veggie shish kabobs on the grill with rice and apple sauce for dinner tonight, then light reading and watched some TV before turning in early.
Last vacation day for our guests
Current Location: American Yacht Harbor Marina, Red Hook, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled: 8
Weather: Partly cloudy, showers, windy (15-25), mid-70s
Highlights: Last vacation day for Karen and Steve today. We're booked at the AYH marina tonight, but couldn't check in until 2PM, so lazed around the boat until around noon. Dropped the mooring ball, raised the sails, and headed over to St. Thomas. Wind was directly behind us, and we were trying to sail wing-and-wing, but a rain shower with very gusty winds caught us flat-footed, and we had a few dicey minutes trying to get control of flapping sails. Pulled in the jib, and for a bit we motor-sailed with just the main, but even that seemed very unstable, so finally dropped the main and motored the rest of the way over. Arrived at the marina around 2:30 and topped off the fuel tanks before finding our slip. Spent the rest of the afternoon filling the water tanks, doing laundry, and getting Karen and Steve packed up before dinner. Pizza night at the Island Girl Pub for dinner, with ice cream back at the boat for dessert before turning in.
February 2022


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Ending Human Sacrifice
All early peoples sacrificed human beings. One has only to remember Agamemnon's sacrifice to angry Artemis of the most beautiful thing he possessed, his daughter Iphigenia. But this was a story of the Greek Iron Age, no more present to the Romanized world into which Patrick was born than public executions are to ours. For us, it is a strain to find any surviving elements of sacrifice—cut flowers, Christmas trees, vigil lights, and the Mass may be the last vestiges—but in the Roman world animal sacrifices were still offered.
It seems that at some point in the development of every culture, human sacrifice becomes unthinkable, and animals are from then on substituted for human victims. The story of the binding of Isaac in Genesis may constitute symbolically just such a turning point in the history of the Jews—when Abraham's God tells him it is no longer required that he sacrifice his only son but may substitute a ram instead. The Irish had not reached this point and were still sacrificing human beings to their gods when Patrick began his mission.
They sacrificed prisoners of war to the war gods and newborns to the harvest gods. Believing that the human head was the seat of the soul, they displayed proudly the heads of their enemies in their temples and on their palisades; they even hung them from their belts as ornaments, used them as footballs in victory celebrations, and were fond of employing skull tops as ceremonial drinking bowls. They also sculpted heads—both shrunken, decapitated heads and overbearing, impassive godheads—and a favorite motif was the head of a tri-faced god, for three was their magical number, and gods and goddesses often manifested themselves as three.
Why do human ...
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Flor Necklace
This is a statement piece, very sophisticated yet versatile. This necklace design features eight long triangular pendant beads on silver plated chain and colors I used complement each other making it a beautiful, chic necklace.
Tagua is organic, sustainable and lightweight making it very comfortable to wear.
- Rhodium plated brass chain
- 18" long, 2" extender
- Tagua is Fair trade from Ecuador
- Handmade in Canada
Note: All designs are handmade. Due to the nature of Tagua being an organic material, size and color may vary slightly from the image.


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It is a saga of tragedy, struggle and triumph.
Following the bloody 1929 massacre of Jews in Hevron at the hands of Arab terrorists, hundreds of survivors were confined to just a few rooms by the British authorities. Traumatized and horror-struck, they were denied sufficient food and water. Two days later, they were evacuated to Jerusalem.
As a result of the barbaric events in Hevron, which occurred over the span of a few hours, Hevron was left devoid of its age old Jewish community.
As Hevron's Jews left, plunder by local Arabs ensued and Jewish owned property was transferred into Arab hands as squatter's rights. Synagogues, some that were used for centuries, were torn down or turned into community toilets. Large parts of the Jewish cemetery were turned into farmland.
As the Hevron victims were brought to the cemetery, Arabs - neighbors - watching the procession began to sing in celebration.
The British authorities' response at the time of the pogrom was slow and inadequate, furthering the continuously growing friction between Jewry and the British Government. When the Hevron Chief of Police, Major Raymond Cafferata was asked to protect the community threatened by violence, he reportedly replied, "The Jews deserve it. You are the cause of all troubles." Only when the massacre was in progress did he act.
In New York City, 35,000 Jews displayed their horrified reaction as they marched in lower Manhattan to the British Consulate General at 44 Whitehall Street in protest. Some carried banners with anti-British slogans along with American and Zionist flags draped in Black. One slogan read, "If England can't fulfill her mandate, let her give it to us."
In response to the massacre, Arab propagandists accused the Jews of manufacturing evidence, charging the Jews with spreading falsehoods.
The Supreme Arab Council deflected guilt over the horrific events by accusing the Jews of enticing the Arabs to revolt. Realizing the negative publicity, the "Arab Executive Committee" released a statement in response to the British High Commissioner, John Chancellor, on September 1, 1929, who described the violence as "Acts of unspeakable savagery." Their published denials were entitled, "Scandals of Jewish Propaganda." It was an audacious attempt to refute the media reports of savagery at the hands of Arabs by claiming that medical examinations by Jewish doctors of the victims were "not impartial".
As in Eastern Europe, where Jews were so often blamed for causing the destructive pogroms perpetrated against them, so too in Hevron.
The Times of London, which was supportive of Jewish Statehood, demanded a committee of inquiry into the violence, "It is the Government's duty to make clear that our policy in Palestine is not decided by one Group that wishes to control another. (the Jews)
Six months later, a memorial service was held in Jerusalem for the Hevron victims, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the devastated Hevron Yeshiva, which was being relocated to Jerusalem.
Rabbinic leaders present addressed the crowd, urging the re-establishment of the Jewish community of Hevron. The Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Yaakov Meir, offered a prayer and called for the rebuilding of Hevron. "We must rebuild and greatly expand the Jewish settlement in Hevron. The merit of Hevron's martyrs will protect the settlement so that no more devastation will be heard in the land."
He was followed by Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, who called on the people not to forget the city of the patriarchs. "Despite the terrible calamity that befell us in Hevron, we proclaim loud and clear that we are as strong now as we were then, (during time of conquest of Biblical Israel) and we will not budge from our land of our aspirations. We must raise the dignity and increase the strength of Hevron, for our roots are planted there." He concluded his words, "We must rebuild Hevron and increase vim and vigor, while ensuring the peace and safety of every single Jew. Then, with Hashem's help, we will see Hevron rebuilt on its original site, speedily in our days."
Two years later, a group of thirty families, totaling 161 individuals led by Rabbi Chaim Bajaio returned to Hevron. However, their mission was short lived as they were evacuated by the British in 1936 when Arabs again perpetrated wide scale riots in the Land of Israel. Again, as in 1929, the unjust denial of Jewish rights by the British was an act of capitulation and appeasement. One family managed to remain and they would be forced to leave after the UN voted partition of the land on November 29, 1947--Yaakov Ezra and his son Yosef.
As the State of Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, Hevron was again devoid of a Jewish presence.
On June 8 1967, the fourth day of the Six Day War, Hevron was liberated by the Israel Defense Forces. For the first time in 2000, years, Hevron was under Jewish sovereignty. For the first time in 700 years, the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron was again available for Jews to visit.
The 7th step leading to the Cave of the Machpela, beyond which Jews were prohibited by the authorities to ascend for those 700 years is still in its place as a monument to the past.
No longer are the Jews of Hevron second class citizens, denied basic rights. No longer are visitors around the world, Jews and non-Muslims, denied the right to visit the holy site.
Today's Jewish community which was officially reinstituted in 1980 continues to grow despite limited space granted to the Jewish community.
The Israeli cabinet's recent approval of 31 new homes for construction in the Hezekiah Quarter is another step in building the Jewish connection to Hevron. This is the first such permission for construction granted in the H2 section of Hevron in 16 years.
Today's Jewish community of Hevron is the heir of the ancient legacy that connects the Jews to their holy city. They are returnees who came back in the aftermath of the massacre and expulsions of Hevron's Jews in the early part of the last century.


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You are hereForums / ADS Forums / Open Threads / Activism and Diplomacy Yield Progress in Myanmar/Burma
Activism and Diplomacy Yield Progress in Myanmar/Burma
November 27, 2009
Activism and Diplomacy Yield Progress in Myanmar/Burma
by Arn Specter, Phila. (Twitter)
The following six (6) articles on Myanmar/Burma in November
help bring us up-to-date on developments there and in the region.
I believe we are seeing progress being made; fruits of our labor,
so to speak, from our activism in recent years to diplomacy by
the US to reprimands by the United Nations, slowly the military
junta is becoming more responsive to meeting and talking with
two US diplomats, Secretary of State Clinton and President Obama...
Some of the European Union 27 member states also spoke up
against the repressive measures of the junta.
Over the last few months we've seen many new developments in Burma.
Aung San Suu Kyi received a visitor, a US man who apparently swan
across a lake to visit with her. (?) She was arrested and charged with
crimes, and convicted, sentenced to another 18 months of house arrest.
Obviously the whole charade was meant to further keep her from participating
in next years elections. The "events" did, however, engender worldwide
media coverage and strong protests which alerted many more people to
the cause of the need for justice and democratic rights for her and the 2,000
Burmese political prisoners.
The US had been keeping firm on a policy of sanctions against the junta
up until those developments. Then, in conjunction with the Obama
administration's policy of bi-lateral diplomacy the US State Department
began more serious overtures to the junta. Meetings were set up and held.
Two senior diplomats, Sec'y of State Hillary Clinton and even President
Obama met with the military leaders and with Aung San Suu Kyi, under the
scrutiny of the media, broadcast worldwide. These were the highest level
meetings between the countries in 14 years.
The US maintained sanctions while requesting an opening of democratic
gestures by the junta to release the political prisoners and Suu Kyi, the
democratically elected president of the National League for Democracy
party, winning the election of 1990. The junta did agree to talk but has not
released any prisoners. Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the last 20 years under
house arrest, a crime against humanity issue that warrants legal attention
by the International Community, and Courts of Justice.
In the meantime an Asian Summit was held in Singapore and the US
lobbied the 10 nations to help lobby the junta. Too, the United Nations
took a stand and passed a resolution denouncing the junta's failure at
maintaining an acceptable level of human rights in the country. Suu Kyi,
for her part, wrote two letters since September to the head of the military government, Than Shwe, spelling out her desire for a lifting of the inter-
national sanctions, a shift from her previous position. It is not known if
she was coerced into making this unusual gesture.
So, we can see that there has been much activity in and about Myanmar/
Burma this month. It would appear that diplomatic progress is being made
thanks to efforts made by many people outside of that country. More
pressure has been applied within diplomatic efforts and resolutions
for the restoration of human rights for the Burmese people. On the local
scene in Philadelphia, Penna. USA a fine Thanksgiving holiday dinner was
held supporting the Burmese refugees and their families, now staying in
the city.
Arn Specter, Phila. (Twitter)
November 11, 2009
Clinton: No Conditions on Myanmar for Better Ties, by Vuay Joshi, AP, Yahoo News. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said,"the US is now committed to engaging the generals rather than ostracizing them." Last week, two senior US diplomats went to Myanmar for talks with the junta and also had a private meeting with Suu Kyi. It was the highest level US visit to Myanmar in
14 years. Clinto told reporters that China, India and the 10 nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations also must play a greater role in pushing Myanmar's junta toward democracy.
November 11. 2009
US Urges Asian Nations to Push Myanmar on Elections
by Lachian Carmichael, AFP News. Myanmar's generals are preparing to hold the first elections in two decades next year, but democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a boycott, calling them a sham designed to legitimise the junta.
Clinton said, "It is also important to recognise that left alone the international problems within Burma are not confined within Burma's border, refugees have flowed into Thailand, Malaysis, Indonesia and Australia."
November 15, 2009
Obama Tells Myanmar Junta to Free Suu Kyi by Vuay Joshi, AP Writer
Obama called on Myanmar to free his fellow Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, and end oppression of minorities. He addressed Thein Sein, top leader of the ruling military, at a summit with leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations, ASEAN. US made clear that economic snctions won't be lifted unless Suu Kyi is released.
November 20, 2009
Myanmar's Suu Kyi Proposes Cooperation With Junta, AP, Grant Peck in Thailand, NYTimes. "In a letter (dated Nov.11) to junta chief Senior Gen. Than Shwe released Tuesday, Suu Kyi has requested a meeting to explain how she would cooperate in tasks 'beneficial to the country'... too, in Sept. she wrote to Than Shwe ...to have international sanctions eased, an apparent shift in her position...
November 22, 2009
UN Committee Urges Myanmar to Free Suu Kyi, Nov. 20, 2009
"A key UN committee strongly condemned human rights violations in Myanmar and urged the government to release more than 2,000 political prisoners and open the upcoming elections to all political parties." Calls on the government to reveal the whereabouts of people who have been detained or disappered. Sets actions to be taken if planned elections next year are to have any international credibility.
November 27, 2009
Signs Emerge for Progress in Myanmar: EU Envoy, Piero Fassino, Italian Politician, EU Special Envoy to Myanmar. He cites, "a window of opportunity with regards to the Myanmar dossier seems to be opening up as a result of the recent encouraging events'. Also, the new policy of the US to engage the Junta; November letter from Aung San Suu Kyi to the chief of the junta; and a UN commision issued a resolution this month expressing "grave concern" over widespread rights abuses in Myanmar and detention of political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.
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Every year I put out lists of my favorite albums and songs. I base them solely on what I listened to on repeat. This year Australia and North Carolina artists lived in my ears and topped my charts. I don't know what it says about these locations, if they are the heart of emergence or if their sound is the reflection of the year I had.
It was a phoenix kind of year for me. I wrote the first draft of a novel out of the ashes of a pile of words that once told the story of retribution but became a beautiful tale of self-discovery and hope. I wrote essays, poetry, and flash that spit flames and sparked some interest.
One of the bands that I listened to over and over, used for kindling is Phantastic Ferniture, a young Australian super group: Julia Jacklin and her friends Elizabeth Hughes and Ryan K. Brennan. Their songs fueled an inner "fuck all bad assery" attitude that I used to get my self out of cold and dark piles of questioning doubt.
One of my go-to, crank-it-up songs is "Dark Corner Dance Floor." Throw this log on your bonfire and let it burn into you, warrior paint your face, strike the page with your words and see what ignites, what lights up.
(Song recommendation by Erin L. Cork)


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Republicans postpone House vote on breast cancer bill
Republican leaders delayed a House vote Tuesday on a bill raising money for breast cancer research over anger that some of the funds would go to a group that has worked with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which supports abortion rights.
Under the legislation, the government would raise up to $8 million by minting and selling thousands of pink-tinted gold coins. The government's profits would be divided evenly between the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a private group that raises research funds.
About 16 chapters of the Komen foundation finance breast cancer services at local Planned Parenthood clinics, said Komen spokeswoman Andrea Rader.
The bill had 307 co-sponsors, including 142 Republicans. Its chief sponsors were Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Pete Sessions, R-Texas. The research foundation is in New York while Komen is based in Dallas, Texas.
But the legislation devolved into another largely partisan battle over abortion.
GOP support for the bill eroded after an anti-abortion group, the Center for Medical Progress, released a video it said showed a Planned Parenthood official discussing the sale of organs from aborted fetuses. In addition, the conservative group Heritage Action for America pressured lawmakers to oppose the bill because of the connection to Planned Parenthood.
In a written statement, Planned Parenthood spokesman Eric Ferrero criticized what he called a "heavily edited, secretly recorded videotape that falsely portrays Planned Parenthood's participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research." He said Planned Parenthood helps patients who want to donate organs for scientific research, as do other health care providers.
Republicans said they planned to revive the bill after they find another group, instead of Komen, to which they can assign some of the breast cancer research funds.
Explore further
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


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This 4 mm precious metal bracelet with a 1.5 inch gold bar is handmade in my Melbourne Beach studio.
Bracelet Included | One
- 4 mm 14k gold filled bracelet with a 1.5 inch gold bar
Bracelet Sizing
- Please make sure to check the size guide before placing your order. The bracelets are handmade custom for each order and we want everyone to be happy with their sizing.
- The curve of the bar is the same on every bar. Larger sizes may not match the bend of the bracelet.
Bracelet Notes
- Care should be used to avoid unnecessary over-stretching.
Gold Filled
- Gold filled is not to be confused with gold plating as filled has 100x more gold than gold plating. Gold filled is much more valuable and tarnish resistant. It does not flake off, rub off or turn colors. If properly cared for, your gold filled product can last a lifetime and thanks to its durability, there's no need to worry about wear and these can even been worn in the water. Our high quality gold-filled pieces have the same appearance as high carat gold, and gold-filled items, even with daily wear, can last 10 to 30 years.
Please be sure to reference the sizing guide as all sales are final.


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Comedian W.C. Fields famously rejected it as the medium in which fish conduct their reproductive activities, but he couldn't escape it entirely.
After all, it comprised more than 60 percent of his body, 70 percent of his brain, 80 percent of his blood and nearly 90 percent of his lungs.
What "it" is, is water.
Every living thing needs water to live — humans, who can go a month without food, die after just a week without their H2O — and every living thing contains it to a significant degree. Water makes up 75 percent of the average chicken and tree, for example, and 80 percent of a pineapple.
To the extent that it exists outside of us, it is very, very old. The same amount of water exists today on Earth as existed 3 billion years ago, and, thanks to the "water cycle," it's the same water, moving unendingly from sea to clouds to rain to earth and back again.
Could the raindrops that tomorrow run the mascara of a fashionable New Yorker be the same drops that once bathed the unruly hair of a Neanderthal man? Well, yes.
Water, water, everywhere ...
Water is also ubiquitous and abundant. Consider:
- About 70 percent of the Earth is covered by water.
- The total water supply of the planet is estimated at 326 million cubic miles. (One cubic mile of water equals more than 1 trillion gallons.)
- If all of the planet's water was poured in the United States, it would cover all the land in an ocean with a depth of 90 miles.
- An estimated 3,100 cubic miles of water is in the planet's atmosphere at any one time, mostly in the form of vapor. If it were all dumped in the form of rain, the entire surface of the earth would be covered in one inch of water. (In the "Did you know?" category: Water is the only natural substance that can exist in all three states — liquid, solid and gas.)
- The continental United States receives anywhere from 3.5 to 4 cubic miles — 12 trillion gallons — of precipitation each day.
That's a lot of water to be sure. However, when it comes to the fresh water needed by humans and other creatures to survive, Samuel Taylor Coleridge seems to have got it about right when he wrote, "Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink."
Fully 97 percent of the Earth's total water supply is the salt variety found in oceans and seas. As for the fresh 3 percent, most is stored in the 7 million cubic miles found frozen in glaciers and ice caps; another 2 million cubic miles is underground, most within one-half mile of the surface. The most available fresh water supply — in lakes, inland seas and rivers — accounts for only 60,000 cubic miles.
Humankind's great thirst
Still, this relative lack of freshwater does not prevent the human race, and especially its U.S. denizens, from using water with scant regard for conservation.
Americans use more than 400 billion gallons per day of both surface and ground water, much of it consumed in and around the home. Some facts to consider, courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency, next time you're brushing your teeth or listening to a leaky faucet in the middle of the night:
- The average American uses about 160 gallons of water a day at a cost of 27 cents.
- Two-thirds of the water used in an average home is used in the bathroom, much of it consumed by the toilet, which requires four to six gallons per flush.
- The average person uses 2 gallons of water per day to brush his teeth.
- A 10-minute shower uses about 55 gallons of water.
- Lawn watering accounts for at least 50 percent of a typical household's water consumption.
- Automatic dishwashers require approximately 9 to 12 gallons of water per load of dishes, compared with the 20 gallons required to do the same dishes by hand.
- If every household in America had a faucet that dripped once each second, 928 million gallons of water a day would leak away.
Industry, too, likes its water, expending 39,000 gallons to manufacture the average domestic automobile and 300 million gallons to provide American newspapers with the newsprint they need for a single day. And the next time you enjoy a Quarter Pounder at McDonald's, realize that it took about a gallon of water to process your burger.
Though the water supply is static, the demands on it are increasing with population and all the associated human activities. But as long as an 8-ounce glass of water can be refilled 15,000 times for what it costs to buy a six-pack of soda, don't expect anyone to voluntarily go without it.
Philipp Harper is a freelance writer living in south Georgia.


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Package of veteran's mementos makes it home after 4 years
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – The owner of a UPS store in Minnesota spent four years searching for the intended recipient of a package filled with mementos before he found the man living in Georgia.
The package ended up at Randy Holst's UPS store in Golden Valley after several failed attempts to deliver it. Holst finally opened it and discovered a military veteran's mementos: a framed military flag, spent shell casings, newspaper clippings and other items.
"You wouldn't toss a memory like that," said Holst, whose father was a veteran. "I can't imagine anyone would."
The name of veteran Carl Burnett Burchell was on several items, so Holst called the Department of Veterans Affairs looking for information about the man. When the agency couldn't help, Holst took his search to the internet.
He sent more than 40 Facebook messages to people with potential ties to Burchell. He finally reached the wife of a man named Tim Burchell on Facebook last month. Tim Burchell confirmed that the items belonged to his father, a Navy veteran who died of cancer in 1988.
"It's just priceless," Burchell said of the parcel's contents. "Obviously the flag is just a treasure trove right there."
The box also contained old family photos, letters from Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan thanking the elder Burchell for his military service, and a game of Scrabble, which Burchell's dad played while receiving chemotherapy.
It turns out Burchell's stepsiblings had mailed the box to an incorrect address in 2012, after Burchell's stepmother died. Burchell wasn't expecting the box, so he didn't know it was missing, and his stepsiblings themselves then moved.
Burchell, who lives in St. Marys, Georgia, said he's incredibly grateful Holst took the time to find him.
"I want to make sure he gets the credit he deserves," Burchell said. "One little touch of kindness is contagious."


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Chuck Daly: The Ultimate Bad BoyMarch 7, 2009
Anyone with any type of connection to the Detroit Pistons will tell you that the greatest coach in the franchise's robust history is one Chuck Daly.
While he never got the love or fanfare of some of his coaching counterparts, there is no denying the impact that he had on the game of basketball and how it is played today.
Daly and the Bad Boys ushered in a new style of play, focusing on defense, rebounding, and toughness. They turned basketball from a wide open, artsy game, into a man's game.
So why was he so successful in doing this?
Daly was a great motivator and had the ability to get his players to buy into what he was trying to accomplish.
When people think about dynasties, and yes, the Bad Boys were a dynasty, there seems to be a central figure that makes the team go. While Isaiah Thomas was one of the three greatest point guards of all time, the Bad Boy Pistons were the consummate team.
When a coach can convince the likes of Vinnie Johnson, Mark Aguire, and John Salley to come off the bench and buy into the system, it becomes evident that the players believe in what he is trying to do.
Players didn't gripe about lack of shots or minutes, and if they did it never got out into the public. Yes, times have changed and sports are more a part of mainstream media now, but I still believe that Daly was the type of coach who would address situations before they became harmful to the team.
A team's play reflects its' coach. If you are a laid-back coach, your team will play that way. If you are an intense and fiery coach, your team will play that way. It was evident that the Bad Boys reflected their coach.
But Daly was not just a basketball coach, he was a trend-setter, and a leader of men.
These kind of people are once in a generation types of personalities. He was stern without compromising the player's integrity. He was sarcastic and witty, and never took himself too seriously. Most of all, players loved playing for him, and I implore you to find any former player of his that will say a negative word about him.
Friday, before the Pistons defeated the Golden State Warriors, we discovered that the 78 year-old Daly had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. For those of you who aren't familiar with this specific type of cancer, the prognosis is bleak.
If we have learned anything from watching Daly's professional and personal life, we know that he will not go down without a fight. That's how he coached his team, and that's how he lives his life.
Daly, our thoughts and prayers go out to you during this trying time. Get well soon.


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Flying Coffins of Air New Zealand
Come Fly Air New Zealand! Choose where you want to crash: From the Antarctic, to Mediterranean sea.
Flying to New Zealand despite the environmental toll and moral hazard? Then there's something else you ought to know:
A 2004 study of accidents between 1990 and 2002 found that New Zealand had five times the rate of small aircraft crashes than the US, and four times that of the UK. [NZ Govt Stats]
A partial list of 'significant' New Zealand air disasters or crashes which killed five people or more:
- May 1938 – Two crew members of a Union Airways Electra that crashed at Māngere, Auckland, were the first people to die on a scheduled air service in New Zealand.
- May 1942 – Five people were killed when their aircraft hit Mt Richmond near Nelson. [New Zealand pilots are mountain blind?]
- June 1942 – Eleven Americans were killed when their aircraft crashed on take off at Whenuapai in Auckland.
- Sept, 1942 – Hudson bomber crashes near Tasman Bay, six people were killed.
- 1942 – Liberator bomber crashes near Whenuapai, killing 14.
- August 1944 – Two Hudson bombers disappear, killing 15.
- August 1948 – An NAC DC3 freighter hit a ridge overlooking Tory Channel killing two crew.
- October 1948 – Thirteen people were killd when an NAC Electra flew into Mt Ruapehu.
- March 1949 – Lodestar flying from Auckland crashed on landing approach at Paraparaumu, killing all 15 onboard.
- Mar 18, 1949 – NAC Lodestar crashes on approach to Paraparaumu, 15 killed.
- Nov 21, 1961 – Aero Commander crashes into Mt Ruapehu, six killed.
- Feb 12, 1962 – Dragonfly crashes in Fiordland, five people were killed.
- Jul 3, 1963 – NAC DC3 crashes in the Kaimai Ranges, killing 25.
- Mar 19, 1979 – Cessna crashes near Turangi, six were killed.
- November 1979, an Air New Zealand DC10 crashed on Mt Erebus in Antarctic, killing all 257 passengers and crew.
- Dec 9, 1982 – Helicopter crashes at Turoa skifield, Mt Ruapehu, killing five.
- Jan 2, 1986 – Cessna crashes on takeoff near Picton, killing seven.
- Oct 4, 1986 – Cessna hits powerlines and crashes into sea in Tory Channel, killing eight.
- May 12, 1988 – Piper crashes into hills near Wanganui, killing nine.
- Feb 14, 1989 – Helicopter hits power lines over Shotover River and crashes, five were killed.
- Aug 8, 1989 – Britten-Normander Islander crashes between Milford Sound and Wanaka, killing 10.
- Dec 39, 1989 – Two Cessnas collide over Milford Sound, one crashes, killing seven.
- Oct 25, 1993 – Nomad 23 crashes near Franz Josef Glacier, killing nine.
- Oct 29, 1994 – Helicopter crashes near Fox Glacier, killing seven.
- Mar 29, 1995 – Beechcraft crashes near Hamilton, six were killed.
- June 1995 – Ansett New Zealand Dash 8 crashes near Palmerston North, four killed.
- January 3, 1997 – Cessna crashes near Queenstown, six killed.
- January 29, 1996 Cessna Caravan crashes near Picton, killing five.
- Aug 19, 1998 – Cessna 402 crashes in Foveaux Strait, five killed.
- Apr 12, 1999 – Helicopter crashes at Lake Poteriteri, five killed.
- Apr 18, 1999 – Cessna floatplane crashes in Fiordland, five killed.
- Mar 8, 2000 – Helicopter crashes at Manapouri, killing six .
- Jan 19, 2001 – Cessna 207 crashes in Fiordland, killing eight.
- Jun 6, 2003 – Piper Chieftain crashes near Christchurch Airport, eight were killed.
- November 2008 – Airbus A320 crashed into the Mediterranean sea killing everyone onboard.
Related News Links:
- Five NZers given no hope of surviving plane crash
- Airbus the largest New Zealand-owned aircraft to crash
- Small aircraft accidents
Related Links:
- Air New Zealand Flying Coffin Crashes in the Mediterranean
- One mid-air near-miss every 3 weeks
- Another NZ Joke …
- Air New Zealand Exposes 84 to Potentially Fatal Virus
- How Air New Zealand Killed 257 People …
Air NZ won't apologize to Erebus families for negligent homicide
- Another Air NZ Flying Coffin Catches Fire Mid-air
- Another Air New Zealand Flying Coffin Forced to Land
- Flying Air New Zealand?
- Air NZ receives $76m 'crash cash'
- Flying Coffins
- Top 10 Most Dangerous Airlines in 2009/2010
- Proudly Killed in New Zealand [Most recent toll only!]
- 10 Worst Places
- New Zealand Death Clock
- New Zealand Air Crash Kills 9
- Pilot Error Downed Air New Zealand Airbus!
- Another Near Miss For Air NZ Flying Coffins
- Sick as … Air New Zealand!
- Best News of the Day for the Environment!
- Flying Coffins
- Bend Over, Spread Your Legs and say Baa . . .
Don't Miss:
The Moderators have been expecting another Air New Zealand Airbus A320 to plunge into the sea (again), based on the airline's safety statistics, but Air France beat the kiwis to it!
10 Responses to "Flying Coffins of Air New Zealand"
December 27, 2008 at 05:43
[…] Flying Coffins […]
February 25, 2009 at 01:00
[…] Flying Coffins […]
January 11, 2010 at 03:39
[…] Flying Coffins […]
January 29, 2010 at 20:45
Interesting facts, but there's a few things you need to remember about New Zealand. Having flown helecopters and planes over the past few years and knowing the country like the back of my hand I think i'm experienced in this area – [govt-like propaganda edited. Mod]Weather plays a large part in crashes. As the weather comes mainly from the Tasman Sea from the west, the weather is very unpredictable. As it hits the mountain ranges, wind drafts are damgerous and a lot of people forget this. Helecopters are susceptiable and need to be more than experienced to fly around the drafty mountains which tourists want to do. We have many toens and cities situated in mountainous areas and people want to be flown there or site see. The risks in New Zealand are obviously going to be high than in other areas like the deserts and flat lands of Australia, Amercia and England. Englands highest land mass is about the same as 10% of NZ average mountains…. And also, the last airbus crash was an airbus on test after maintance and not in NZ and fault was held to be with overseas maintance crews…. Food for thought !!!
February 10, 2011 at 00:24
[Uhhh… But first, one has to take one's head out of one's tushi to see the facts. Moderator]
June 26, 2011 at 23:39
[You were right. Unintelligent comments and offensive language are moderated. Moderator]
September 6, 2012 at 02:27
[see official stats. Moderator N]
April 2, 2013 at 06:30


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Rick Blumenthal will give the presentation "A House as a System" at the next meeting of the Kitsap Chapter for the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.
Blumenthal is the lead energy advisor with RePower Bainbridge and has more than 34 years experience in residential and light-commercial construction, and construction consulting.
He has an undergraduate degree in environmental conservation and planning with post-graduate training in building science, sustainable construction and building performance, and is a certified Energy Star third-party verifier and Built Green third-party verifier.
The Kitsap Chapter will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 at the offices of RePower Bainbridge, 400 Winslow Way E, Ste. 210 (at the corner of Winslow and Erickson Avenue). Parking is available under the building.


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Evidently, Kyle Busch hasn't learned his lesson when it comes to retaliation. Busch, who was fined and suspended last season for intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in a truck race, warned Ryan Newman to watch his back after the two got together during the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.
Busch had been fighting for grip all afternoon when Newman closed in on him. Busch went low to protect the bottom, and Newman ran up the back of him, getting both cars a little bit loose.
"Then he ran into the back of me and spun me out," Busch said. "There's still 80-something laps to go. I don't know what that was for or why or whatever, but I'm glad he's wrecked along with me, and he'll get another one here before the year is out."
Busch finished 31st at Kansas, and Newman 30th. Neither driver qualified for the Chase this season.
Busch was fined $50,000 and parked by NASCAR for his incident involving Hornaday at Texas Motor Speedway. He ended up having to miss the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races that weekend, and spent the remainder of the season on probation.
After winning 18 times over NASCAR's top three series last season, things haven't gone nearly as smooth for Busch for this year. His only victory came in the Cup race at Richmond in April.
Then there's the fact that Kansas has been especially bad for him. His average finish in 11 races is 21st, and twice he's been in title contention when he's been wrecked.
"It's impatience," he said. "You've got to be patient enough to know there's 80 laps to go."
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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LOS ANGELES – A former leader of a gang known as the Asian Boyz, who fled to the Philippines for 10 years after playing a part in the deaths of eight people in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, should be convicted of murder and other felonies, a prosecutor told a jury today.
"I told you I would try to show you a man who would try to erase who he is," Deputy District Attorney Hoon Chun said of 37-year-old Marvin "Shy Boy" Mercado. "But don't let him fool you. It may be justice delayed, but it's still justice."
Chun made his remarks during closing arguments in the Los Angeles Superior Court trial of Mercado, who was a fugitive when seven one-time cohorts of the gang's Van Nuys clique were tried, convicted and sentenced to no-parole life prison terms in June 1999.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Mercado.
Defense attorney Donald Calabria said Chun is trying to have Mercado convicted largely on the testimony of four witnesses granted immunity for serious crimes in exchange for their testimony.
"You're dealing with the kind of people who you can't take what they say at face value," Calabria said. "Testimony is only as good as the person giving it."
Mercado was arrested in the Philippines in 2007, where he was living under an assumed name, and eventually extradited.
During the seven-defendant trial, the 64-year-old father of one of the prosecution's key witnesses, Troung Dinh, was shot to death at the door of his San Jose home.
Dinh, a convicted felon who admitted to detectives that he was with defendants during some of the crimes, testified in 1999 and took the stand again in the current trial, once again under a grant of immunity from prosecution.
Dinh is one of the prosecution witnesses whose testimony should be carefully scrutinized, Calabria said.
"The point is this, he's not believable," Calabria said.
According to Chun, Mercado either had a direct role in the eight killings or aided his colleagues, including being the driver in a car-to-car shooting on an El Monte freeway in which three people were shot to death.
One of the shooters leaned out onto a window frame on one the assailants' car and fired across the roof into the victims' vehicle, Chun said.
On another occasion in Van Nuys, Mercado tossed a hand grenade into a crowd of people attending a party, Chun said.
"Imagine you're at a party and coming toward you is a hand grenade," Chun said.
Mercado did not know at the time that the device was not real and was disappointed it did not go off, the prosecutor said.
Despite the failure of the explosive, one party-goer, Anthony Nguyen, was killed with a shotgun fired by one of Mercado's accomplices, Chun said.
Chun said the crimes the prosecution has linked to Mercado began in April 1995 and ended in March 1996, beginning when two members of a rival Latino gang were shot numerous times at an apartment complex on Valerio Street in Van Nuys on the lunar New Year.
Chun said that although the Latino gang had been there longer, members of the Asian Boyz, who hung out at a nearby location, eventually grew upset with their presence.
The victims, Armando Estrada and Miguel Limon, were ambushed as they tried to run from Mercado and others who chased them into an alcove of the apartment building, where their escape was blocked by a locked door, the prosecutor said.
"How in the world do we call this anything other than a cold, calculated decision to kill?" Chun asked. "No one should have to die like that, with their brains oozing out on a concrete alcove."
Estrada was shot seven times, and six bullets hit Limon, Chun said. The prosecutor said the two victims were gang members, but most who died in the crimes were not.
The El Monte shootings claimed the lives of Cheng Peng, Paul Vu and Ben Liao on Aug. 1, 1995, while a fourth passenger, Michael Fortescue, then 17, ducked for protection and survived, Chun said.
"It's still a miracle he survived with all of these red hot pieces of metal coming through the car," Chun said. "They didn't expect anybody in that car to survive."
The victims were followed by three carloads of Asian Boyz gang members as they left a Peck Road cafe, got on the westbound 10 Freeway and then were attacked near the Temple City Boulevard offramp, Chun said. The pursuers mistakenly thought the victims were members of a Taiwanese-based gang, according to the prosecutor.
Fifteen of 17 shots fired hit the victims' car, Chun said. After the shootings, Mercado and the others returned to one of their hangouts in El Monte and talked about the killings as they were broadcast on the news, Chun said.
"They were celebrating and bragging about doing it," Chun said.
Within a five-day period in late September 1995, Mercado and his fellow gang members were responsible for the shooting death of a Reseda man, John Gregory, during a home-invasion robbery and the wounding of another man Robinson Mata, while he was riding in a car with his girlfriend in Canoga Park, Chun said.
Neither victim was a gang member, the prosecutor said. Gregory was not the intended victim during the home invasion and the intruders were actually looking for another man who no longer lived there, Chun said.
In the Mata shooting, Mercado held a handgun sideways like a gangster and fired seven shots at the man and woman, Chun said. Robinson was hit in the jaw and his girlfriend, who he later married, was unhurt after a bullet lodged in her seat, he said.
"I don't know if the Matas will ever fully appreciate how close they came to dying in this case," Chun said.
The previously convicted defendants are Buntheon Roeung, Sothi Menh, David Evangelista, Roatha Buth, Son Thanh Bui, Ky Tony Ngo and Kimorn Nuth, who then ranged in age from 19 to their mid-20s. The charges against them and Mercado were handed up by a grand jury in May 1997.
The Asian Boyz were made up of members with various Asian nationalities. Mercado's ethnicity is Filipino and three of the defendants in the first trial were Cambodian. One had spent his early years in the work camps during the Khmer Rouge communist regime. A psychologist and psychiatrist testified that the experience left him with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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I have always said it that waiting in line to receive a service is one of the most unnerving things. Emergency rooms are not any different. People waiting in line to receive a service tend to grow impatient sometimes and when the frustrations overwhelm their patience levels, they simply leave even without being seen. We sought to find out why it is that people are willing to leave emergency rooms without being seen. Here is a short report on our findings.
We have been observing emergency room trends from late 2013 and we noticed something which is undoubtedly worrying. There has been a steady increase in the number of emergency room visitors since 2013. Actually according to our research, there has been a 15% increase from 2013 to 2016. In three years, there has been an increase of about 15 million visitors and with the number of emergency rooms pretty much the same, it only means that there has been increased pressure on the emergency rooms. This means that there has been a drastic increase in the number of hours that people have to wait for in line before they are served. This is where the friction starts to build now. Not all people are waiting to wait in line for too long before they can receive treatment. There are those who are patient enough to wait, but not for too long. So we sought to find out how long patients are willing to wait in the emergency department before leaving without being seen.
The average waiting time in a typical emergency room in America is about 37 minutes during off peak hours but the same can stretch up to 3 hours during the peak hours. Yes, you might have to sit in an emergency room for upto 3 hours without being seen. According to a recent study, 65% of all medical emergency room visitors in America are only willing to wait to in line for upto 2 hours before leaving without being seen. Another 25% are willing to give it another half hour before they can finally call it quits and go away unattended to. The other percentage are the resilient people who are willing to wait until it is their turn to get service. Here are some of the factors which contribute greatly to increased numbers of people walking away without being seen;
Medical Condition and Triage
Emergency departments are places that have waves of people coming in by ambulance, by private car, on foot, and, in some cases, by helicopter. These people have all kinds of problems with all levels of severity. The severity of your medical condition will therefore have an effect on the priority you will get from the doctors in the emergency room. Using triage, the doctors are able to assign priorities to medical emergencies depending on the urgency of the condition.
In America, priority is given to more serious and life threatening conditions like trauma and heart attacks. When people are in such conditions, the facility always strives to ensure that they attend to them first before they can think about the other conditions like headaches and sneezing. This does not mean that the other ailments are not treated with seriousness, no, every patient has a right to be treated but following triage, you will have to bear with a little waiting in line if your condition is not as severe. People whose conditions are not deemed as urgent are therefore given more waiting time and will most likely walk away before they are examined by the physicians. Those whose conditions were deemed to be of higher acuity were among the 35% that was willing to wait past the 2 hour mark to receive attention. This disconnect might have been due in part to conveyance to the patient by the triage nurse, purposeful or not, as to the level of severity of his/her presenting illness. This might have influenced the patient's decision. Interestingly, we did not find the same willingness to wait among patients who classified themselves as being in severe discomfort and/or having a high level of concern for their symptoms.
Doctor: Patient Ration
The other thing that will affect the amount of time that you will have to wait before receiving medical attention in an emergency room, is the ratio of medical practitioners to the number of patients. In most emergency rooms, the number of patients overwhelms the number of doctors. This means that the patients have to wait for longer before seeing the doctor. When this happens, some people will snap midway through the wait and walk away even before they are seen by the doctors.
In conclusion, it is important to note that high numbers of patients walking away without being seen should be worrying. Worrying because some people end up leaving with serious medical conditions which prove to be detrimental in the end. The high numbers also make people lose faith in service offered in emergency rooms. Emergency rooms should therefore put measures in place to ensure that they reduce the number of hours that people have to wait in line before getting a service.


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Telepresence For the 1%
Telepresence is something beyond any kind of desktop video calling/conferencing. I get that. A recent update to a post at Telepresence Options details Polycom's band new Immersive Studio. Reading through the post I must say that I am intrigued and even impressed. However, the $426K starting price suggests that I never actually see one of these installations in person. These sorts of environments are clearly for the 1%.
That said, there are some notable things about the Immersive Studio, things that may be transferable to the rest of us. For example, they use 84" 4K LCD displays. They don't intend to pass 4K video between sites, at least not yet. They still have 1080p cameras, up-scaling the video for display.