Because the industrial metals are my primary focus, I pay close attention to metrics geared toward industrial activity. This includes Purchasing Manager Indices (PMI), industrial production data and capacity utilization data. I also look at the velocity of money as a signal of inflation. These data points are forward-looking indicators and are a reasonable gauge of the expansion or the contraction in an economy’s industrial base. Additionally, the PMI data in particular gives a more granular look at economic activity including new orders, inventory, prices and output. This granularity is helpful in accurately gauging the expansion or contraction of an economy’s industrial base.
While recent PMI data released out of China confirms that the economy continues to cool down to a more sustainable growth rate, the PMI data in the Eurozone and the U.S. surprised to the Offering High Builder cleaning Services, which is a hopeful sign going forward.
Personal experiences can help to gauge trends outside of official statistics. When I’m on the road, I stop into all types of businesses to get a gauge of the health of that business and, by extension, health of the local economy. On a recent trip to Paris, I happened to go into the flagship Hermès store on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, and was very surprised at what I saw. What really took me aback was that the company had hired salespeople who were fluent in Mandarin and were helping Chinese customers, all of whom were buying. This reinforces one of my core investment theses—that there will be amazing growth in the market that services the increasingly large and affluent, global middle class that has exposure to the international economy. This example in Paris is a single instance and does not make a trend by itself. But experiences like this are valuable pieces of evidence of the rising power of the consumers and the implications for commodities going forward.
When you begin to experience a higher quality of life, it means now you now have something to lose. You’re typically earning more money, paying taxes and you have skin in the game. You have assets and you have expectations of your government to provide basic services. A higher quality of life is like a Pandora’s Box—once it’s been experienced, there is expectation for maintaining, if not improving, quality of life in the future. There is no going back. It is incumbent on governments to do whatever it takes to make sure that their populaces can continue to experience these creature comforts at a reasonable cost.
The uprisings in each of these countries that you just mentioned all stem from different issues. The case of Brazil is instructive. The uprising in Brazil is a surprise to many people, as this country has been one of the powerhouses of global growth, and the middle class has expanded there greatly over the last 10 or 15 years.
Brazil is an example of uprisings happening in a democratic regime. The uprising emanated from an increase in bus fares—approximately a $0.09 fare increase. Tiny in the grand scheme of things but with Brazil set to host the World Cup and also the summer Olympics, the government is spending lavishly on public works. Many Brazilians feel left out and unhappy with having their quality of life impinged upon for the sake of Brazilian authorities worried about public relations in the eyes of the global elite during these sporting events.
The New York Times recently published an article discussing this further, stating that a cheese pizza costs $30 in Brazil due to a host of factors. This is another example of why the average Brazilian citizen is upset.
We’ve seen the effects of a China slowdown in the commodity complex since 2011 when many commodities topped. Since then, commodity prices of all types have suffered. With China as the world’s largest producer and consumer of numerous commodities and the Chinese GDP growth rate targeted for 7.5%, down from 10% just a few years ago, this implies lower demand for commodities.
It’s important to keep in mind that China, growing at 7.5% a year today, is a much bigger economy than China growing at 10% a few years ago. It’s growing from a larger base despite the lower growth rate. China is slowly rebalancing and opening its economy, which is another plus in the longer term. We can see this in a number of ways, most recently with the increasing number of currency swap deals that the country is entering into with other countries like the UK, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, and South Korea. The goal is to begin to establish the Chinese yuan as a trading and, ultimately, reserve currency. This is a positive development in the long run. It’s a positive development for the entire commodity complex.
Let’s also not forget that the emerging middle class extends well beyond China. Although economic growth has slowed in other countries like Brazil, as we have talked about, or Indonesia, the long-term picture for the average citizen in these countries, striving for and attaining a higher quality of life, is still very much intact. I’m a firm believer in the thesis that no middle class has either sustained itself or increased its standard of living without access to reliable and affordable energy. This is why I’m so optimistic about commodities over the longer term, in particular the energy metals that I tend to focus on. This is despite the current economic headwinds.
Prices are certainly less convoluted than macroeconomic data. I think your question speaks to the ability to accurately time the market. Calling a bottom can be very lucrative, but it is very difficult. I prefer to look at economic data in metals or minerals usage to understand when a cycle has turned. It’s possible to bottom and stay there a long time. V-shaped recoveries are preferred, but rare. The quote attributed to John Maynard Keynes comes to mind: “Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.” So this implies the need for patience and courage in your investing discipline today.
One of the most beneficial indicators I use is statements from end users of given commodities and participants along the entire supply chain. As an example, I pay particular attention to statements made by management from Rockwood Holdings Inc. (ROC:NYSE), the largest lithium compound producer in the world. Or I look at a company like GrafTech International Ltd. (GTI:NYSE) or SGL Group (SGL:XETRA) to gauge any imbalances in supply and demand for graphite. Right now, for most industrial metals, I just haven’t seen enough evidence of a turn to convince me that a new metals cycle has begun. With earnings season in full swing, I’m anxious to hear what a number of CEOs across different commodities are seeing in their respective markets.
Despite the underperformance of graphite shares in 2013, the long-term value proposition is still intact. That said, there likely won’t be a need for more than a couple of new deposits to integrate into global supply chains, so speed is of the essence for graphite companies. GrafTech released its Q2/13 earnings this morning and discussed a very challenging environment dominated by declining steel production and overcapacity in the graphite electrode business. Pricing power is a problem and this presents a stern near-term challenge for graphite juniors.
As investors, you can either invest in early-stage companies with lots of question marks that may make discoveries and dramatically increase their share prices, or you can exert patience and invest in more sustainable stories with proven management, advanced studies on their deposits and clarity around capital expenditures. Both methodologies have their pros and cons.
We know a great deal about Northern Graphite Corporation (NGC:TSX.V; NGPHF:OTCQX) and its Bisset Creek deposit. While the company awaits approval of its mining lease, we can also anticipate an updated bankable feasibility study to enhance the overall economics. A new resource model and mine plan will be included as well.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Battles norovirus after 9 deaths
The Victoria care home at the centre of a deadly norovirus outbreak has done all it can to prevent the spread of the disease, says the chief medical health officer for Vancouver Island.The deaths of nine elderly residents at the Selkirk Place care facility have been linked to the gastrointestinal virus since the outbreak started three weeks ago .The region's chief medical health officer Dr. Richard Stanwick has been working closely with the care home to manage the outbreak, which infected 100 patients and 50 staff."We have a 16-page protocol. They have followed all of the protocols we have established," said Stanwick.
Selkirk Place has undertaken constant cleaning, quarantining anyone who shows any symptoms, preventing inside and outside visits and monitoring everyone very closely.Despite this, Stanwick said, he's not surprised at the number of deaths."These are highly vulnerable, fragile people who are being successfully nursed through this event."And while nine did succumb, I think that the remainder of the population, it really is a testimony to the staff and to these people, that we've been able to hold it to this point."
Stanwick said 11 people remain on the sick list, and the facility will not be open to the public until it has gone for 48 hours without any new cases.Norovirus — once known as Norwalk virus — is highly contagious and often spreads in places such as schools, cruise ships and nursing homes. The gastrointestinal virus causes bouts of vomiting and diarrhea that can last for a few days.
A new strain of the virus evolves every two or three years; the latest was identified earlier this year and is known as the Sydney strain.There are no drugs to treat norovirus itself, though it is important to drink lots of fluids to guard against dehydration. It is possible to help stop the spread of the virus by cleaning affected environments and Offering High Standard Cleaning Services.
Surgery is scary. It usually involves having your body cut open, and sometimes things go wrong. You react badly to anesthesia, or suffer breathing or heart problems. Or maybe the surgeon nicks a blood vessel, leaves an instrument inside, or even operates on the wrong body part.
Less dramatic but often as serious and far more common is when things go wrong after you leave the operating room. Up to 30 percent of patients suffer infections, heart attacks, strokes, or other complications after surgery and sometimes even die as a result. That’s what happened to Marvin Birnbaum, a retired New York City court reporter, after he developed an infection following hip replacement surgery, his daughter Jacqueline says.
Perhaps scariest of all, though many hospitals now gather data on those problems, patients for the most part remain in the dark about surgical safety. Industry insiders have access to some of that information because hospitals track how well patients do and report results to state and national officials.
Plus, some hospitals submit data to national registries so that they can see how they stack up against one another. But that safety information remains largely hidden from patients.
“The beauty of this approach is that preventable complications correlate with post-operative length of stay,” says Arnold Millstein, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Clinical Excellence Research Center at Stanford University. He was not involved in our analysis but has studied how hospitals measure and Regular Residential Cleaning Services. “This is about as good as complications measurement can be when using existing claims data,” he says.
Some experts say that may not be good enough. For one thing, factors other than complications can contribute to extended hospital stays. In addition, “we are concerned that the methods used to generate these performance ratings have not been validated against gold-standard measures,” says David M. Shahian, M.D., vice president of the Lawrence Center for Quality and Safety at Massachusetts General Hospital. “They are based on claims data rather than clinical data from patient records.”
Finally, our surgery Ratings are just one indication of a hospital’s performance. “There are a lot of dimensions to hospital quality, and no single measure captures everything,” says Peter Cram, M.D., director of general medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
But we think our Ratings offer vital information to patients and hospitals. “We wish we had access to more comprehensive, standardized information, but this is the best that is available,” says John Santa, M.D., M.P.H., medical director of Consumer Reports Health. “Our surgery Ratings give patients more information so that they can make informed choices before surgery,” he adds. “And we hope that by highlighting performance differences, we can motivate hospitals to improve.”
So Cal Health Services was ripping off taxpayers, part of a pattern of fraud by rehabilitation clinics that collect government funding to help the poor and addicted, a yearlong investigation by The Center for Investigative Reporting and CNN has found. The investigation, which included undercover surveillance and stakeouts, uncovered a rehab racket that continues to this day.
Thousands of pages of government records and dozens of interviews with counselors, patients and regulators reveal a widespread scheme to bilk the state’s Medicaid system, the nation’s largest. Witnesses to the fraud laid out its inner workings in minute detail, some speaking of it publicly for the first time.
In the underbelly of the Drug Medi-Cal program, clinics pad client rolls by diagnosing people like Byers with addictions they don’t have. They round up mentally ill residents from board-and-care homes to sit in therapy sessions they can’t follow. They lure patients in from the street by handing out cash, cigarettes and snacks. They have patients sign in for days they aren’t there.
Selkirk Place has undertaken constant cleaning, quarantining anyone who shows any symptoms, preventing inside and outside visits and monitoring everyone very closely.Despite this, Stanwick said, he's not surprised at the number of deaths."These are highly vulnerable, fragile people who are being successfully nursed through this event."And while nine did succumb, I think that the remainder of the population, it really is a testimony to the staff and to these people, that we've been able to hold it to this point."
Stanwick said 11 people remain on the sick list, and the facility will not be open to the public until it has gone for 48 hours without any new cases.Norovirus — once known as Norwalk virus — is highly contagious and often spreads in places such as schools, cruise ships and nursing homes. The gastrointestinal virus causes bouts of vomiting and diarrhea that can last for a few days.
A new strain of the virus evolves every two or three years; the latest was identified earlier this year and is known as the Sydney strain.There are no drugs to treat norovirus itself, though it is important to drink lots of fluids to guard against dehydration. It is possible to help stop the spread of the virus by cleaning affected environments and Offering High Standard Cleaning Services.
Surgery is scary. It usually involves having your body cut open, and sometimes things go wrong. You react badly to anesthesia, or suffer breathing or heart problems. Or maybe the surgeon nicks a blood vessel, leaves an instrument inside, or even operates on the wrong body part.
Less dramatic but often as serious and far more common is when things go wrong after you leave the operating room. Up to 30 percent of patients suffer infections, heart attacks, strokes, or other complications after surgery and sometimes even die as a result. That’s what happened to Marvin Birnbaum, a retired New York City court reporter, after he developed an infection following hip replacement surgery, his daughter Jacqueline says.
Perhaps scariest of all, though many hospitals now gather data on those problems, patients for the most part remain in the dark about surgical safety. Industry insiders have access to some of that information because hospitals track how well patients do and report results to state and national officials.
Plus, some hospitals submit data to national registries so that they can see how they stack up against one another. But that safety information remains largely hidden from patients.
“The beauty of this approach is that preventable complications correlate with post-operative length of stay,” says Arnold Millstein, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Clinical Excellence Research Center at Stanford University. He was not involved in our analysis but has studied how hospitals measure and Regular Residential Cleaning Services. “This is about as good as complications measurement can be when using existing claims data,” he says.
Some experts say that may not be good enough. For one thing, factors other than complications can contribute to extended hospital stays. In addition, “we are concerned that the methods used to generate these performance ratings have not been validated against gold-standard measures,” says David M. Shahian, M.D., vice president of the Lawrence Center for Quality and Safety at Massachusetts General Hospital. “They are based on claims data rather than clinical data from patient records.”
Finally, our surgery Ratings are just one indication of a hospital’s performance. “There are a lot of dimensions to hospital quality, and no single measure captures everything,” says Peter Cram, M.D., director of general medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
But we think our Ratings offer vital information to patients and hospitals. “We wish we had access to more comprehensive, standardized information, but this is the best that is available,” says John Santa, M.D., M.P.H., medical director of Consumer Reports Health. “Our surgery Ratings give patients more information so that they can make informed choices before surgery,” he adds. “And we hope that by highlighting performance differences, we can motivate hospitals to improve.”
So Cal Health Services was ripping off taxpayers, part of a pattern of fraud by rehabilitation clinics that collect government funding to help the poor and addicted, a yearlong investigation by The Center for Investigative Reporting and CNN has found. The investigation, which included undercover surveillance and stakeouts, uncovered a rehab racket that continues to this day.
Thousands of pages of government records and dozens of interviews with counselors, patients and regulators reveal a widespread scheme to bilk the state’s Medicaid system, the nation’s largest. Witnesses to the fraud laid out its inner workings in minute detail, some speaking of it publicly for the first time.
In the underbelly of the Drug Medi-Cal program, clinics pad client rolls by diagnosing people like Byers with addictions they don’t have. They round up mentally ill residents from board-and-care homes to sit in therapy sessions they can’t follow. They lure patients in from the street by handing out cash, cigarettes and snacks. They have patients sign in for days they aren’t there.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Malta Sotheby’s International Realty
Shortly after the official inauguration of high-end realty brand Malta Sotheby's International Realty in Malta, the much anticipated local website began to generate a great deal of interest in the property industry. CSB Group, who attracted the Sotheby's International Realty? brand to Malta earlier this year were responsible for bringing the site to fruition.
Malta Sotheby's International Realty General Manager Ian Zammit said that the website is performing optimally and is presenting users with a stream-lined, extremely navigable design, allowing people to easily locate real estate suiting their exact specifications.
The website enables buyers and sellers to search for the finest properties as well as the associates who represent them. Covering a full spectrum of lifestyle types and properties among which palazzos, seafront apartments, colonial homes, penthouses and villas, this site displays a sophisticated, yet clean and tidy design.
"The website is a perfect balance between form and functionality and is an exciting tool both for real estate consumers in our market and buyers everywhere who want to purchase property in the market we serve. It also provides the opportunity for our sellers to have listings presented to our global audiences in a user-friendly way. Whether searching for a home in Malta or anywhere around the globe, our portal offers a great way for buyers to begin their property search," Zammit said.
The attraction of the luxury realty brand to Malta aims towards attracting qualified international buyers into Malta, and to further promote the island's USP in as far as wealth in heritage, history, art, cultural and Mediterranean lifestyle are concerned.
Malta Sotheby's International Realty prizes exceptional service above all else and is committed to delivering a high level of service that exceeds clients' expectations working hand in hand with CSB Group have for the past quarter of a century been offering specialised business and commercial services to clients interested in setting up or relocating their business to Malta, among which entrepreneurs, multi-national companies, Get MVP quote, law & audit firms, financial institutions and high net-worth individuals. Together, they strive towards ranking Malta higher on the competitiveness scale.
This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and demonstrates Full Life’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process.
Full Life management, administrative staff, the board of directors, and direct support workers demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality. Full Life, which has offices in Hilo and Kealakekua, has been around since 2000.
According to the CARF survey report, Full Life employs dedicated staff who are knowledgeable about the individuals they support, and search tirelessly for opportunities to advance their dreams. The reports also stated the individuals and their families served have a great deal of input in decisions relating to the programs and services they receive, and that “across the organization, the provision of quality, individualized services is clearly emphasized and staff members are dedicated to helping the participants achieve their individual goals.”
The report mentioned how the “team continues to move forward with mission-driven optimism and enthusiasm,” as well as commended Full Life for developing and expanding employment opportunities for the individuals they support; its effective management of resources and fiscal health.
“The G500H is a revolutionary tool to improve situational awareness and significantly reduce our greatest risk. The cost/benefit of this system makes this choice a ‘no-brainer,’” said David Chevalier, chief executive of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. “The greatest risk factor faced by helicopter operations in Hawaii is inadvertent flight into IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) and subsequent CFIT (controlled flight into terrain). Garmin’s synthetic vision technology is a godsend. “
Blue Hawaiian was the launch customer for the EC130B4 in 2001. Since that time the company has logged more than 460,000 flight hours on its all-Eurocopter fleet.
The popular EC130 T2 light single-engine helicopter provides many advantages for aerial tour operators including increased cabin space and comfort with individual seats for Testimonials mvpcleaning, improved visibility through a wrap-around glass cockpit, state-of-the-art avionics and Eurocopter’s advanced main rotor and Fenestron tail rotor technology. The Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine provides increased power with lower specific fuel consumption.
“The double sliding doors significantly improve passenger ingress and egress and the additional engine power is substantial over the EC130B4. The most exciting thing about this aircraft is the expected reduction in operating costs,” said Chevalier.
Blue Hawaiian has been Hawaii’s leader in the air tour industry for more than 25 years. In addition to its scenic flights, Blue Hawaiian also provides charters and utility services such as firefighting, search and rescue, power line patrol and the transportation of external loads.
“Receiving a Level 1 accreditation for both our inpatient and outpatient services represents Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to providing safe, high-quality surgical care for our bariatric patients before, during and following their surgery,” said Mark Yamamura, chief of surgery for Moanalua Medical Center. “Our weight management and bariatric surgery team works closely with our patients every step of the way to provide them with the programs and support to make the kinds of lasting lifestyle changes that are needed to improve their health following surgery.”
The American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program was established in 2005 to advance safe, high-quality care for bariatric surgical patients through the accreditation of bariatric surgery centers that maintain certain physical resources, human resources, and standards of practice, as well as the documentation of outcomes, including improved surgical care, for the bariatric patient. The program accredits facilities in the United States that have undergone an independent, voluntary, and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards. Recognizing that high quality surgical care occurs in a variety of surgical contexts, the program offers five accreditation levels for inpatient hospitals and outpatient facilities.
This past June the American Medical Association, the nation’s leading physician organization, officially declared obesity a disease, which will significantly impact policy, research and treatment approaches to obesity which, in turn, will have a positive influence on health care in the United States. Subsequently, the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act was introduced by lawmakers, which would require Medicare to cover additional obesity treatments such as prescription drugs for chronic weight management and to make it easier to receive weight-loss counseling.
Malta Sotheby's International Realty General Manager Ian Zammit said that the website is performing optimally and is presenting users with a stream-lined, extremely navigable design, allowing people to easily locate real estate suiting their exact specifications.
The website enables buyers and sellers to search for the finest properties as well as the associates who represent them. Covering a full spectrum of lifestyle types and properties among which palazzos, seafront apartments, colonial homes, penthouses and villas, this site displays a sophisticated, yet clean and tidy design.
"The website is a perfect balance between form and functionality and is an exciting tool both for real estate consumers in our market and buyers everywhere who want to purchase property in the market we serve. It also provides the opportunity for our sellers to have listings presented to our global audiences in a user-friendly way. Whether searching for a home in Malta or anywhere around the globe, our portal offers a great way for buyers to begin their property search," Zammit said.
The attraction of the luxury realty brand to Malta aims towards attracting qualified international buyers into Malta, and to further promote the island's USP in as far as wealth in heritage, history, art, cultural and Mediterranean lifestyle are concerned.
Malta Sotheby's International Realty prizes exceptional service above all else and is committed to delivering a high level of service that exceeds clients' expectations working hand in hand with CSB Group have for the past quarter of a century been offering specialised business and commercial services to clients interested in setting up or relocating their business to Malta, among which entrepreneurs, multi-national companies, Get MVP quote, law & audit firms, financial institutions and high net-worth individuals. Together, they strive towards ranking Malta higher on the competitiveness scale.
This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and demonstrates Full Life’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process.
Full Life management, administrative staff, the board of directors, and direct support workers demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality. Full Life, which has offices in Hilo and Kealakekua, has been around since 2000.
According to the CARF survey report, Full Life employs dedicated staff who are knowledgeable about the individuals they support, and search tirelessly for opportunities to advance their dreams. The reports also stated the individuals and their families served have a great deal of input in decisions relating to the programs and services they receive, and that “across the organization, the provision of quality, individualized services is clearly emphasized and staff members are dedicated to helping the participants achieve their individual goals.”
The report mentioned how the “team continues to move forward with mission-driven optimism and enthusiasm,” as well as commended Full Life for developing and expanding employment opportunities for the individuals they support; its effective management of resources and fiscal health.
“The G500H is a revolutionary tool to improve situational awareness and significantly reduce our greatest risk. The cost/benefit of this system makes this choice a ‘no-brainer,’” said David Chevalier, chief executive of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. “The greatest risk factor faced by helicopter operations in Hawaii is inadvertent flight into IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) and subsequent CFIT (controlled flight into terrain). Garmin’s synthetic vision technology is a godsend. “
Blue Hawaiian was the launch customer for the EC130B4 in 2001. Since that time the company has logged more than 460,000 flight hours on its all-Eurocopter fleet.
The popular EC130 T2 light single-engine helicopter provides many advantages for aerial tour operators including increased cabin space and comfort with individual seats for Testimonials mvpcleaning, improved visibility through a wrap-around glass cockpit, state-of-the-art avionics and Eurocopter’s advanced main rotor and Fenestron tail rotor technology. The Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine provides increased power with lower specific fuel consumption.
“The double sliding doors significantly improve passenger ingress and egress and the additional engine power is substantial over the EC130B4. The most exciting thing about this aircraft is the expected reduction in operating costs,” said Chevalier.
Blue Hawaiian has been Hawaii’s leader in the air tour industry for more than 25 years. In addition to its scenic flights, Blue Hawaiian also provides charters and utility services such as firefighting, search and rescue, power line patrol and the transportation of external loads.
“Receiving a Level 1 accreditation for both our inpatient and outpatient services represents Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to providing safe, high-quality surgical care for our bariatric patients before, during and following their surgery,” said Mark Yamamura, chief of surgery for Moanalua Medical Center. “Our weight management and bariatric surgery team works closely with our patients every step of the way to provide them with the programs and support to make the kinds of lasting lifestyle changes that are needed to improve their health following surgery.”
The American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program was established in 2005 to advance safe, high-quality care for bariatric surgical patients through the accreditation of bariatric surgery centers that maintain certain physical resources, human resources, and standards of practice, as well as the documentation of outcomes, including improved surgical care, for the bariatric patient. The program accredits facilities in the United States that have undergone an independent, voluntary, and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards. Recognizing that high quality surgical care occurs in a variety of surgical contexts, the program offers five accreditation levels for inpatient hospitals and outpatient facilities.
This past June the American Medical Association, the nation’s leading physician organization, officially declared obesity a disease, which will significantly impact policy, research and treatment approaches to obesity which, in turn, will have a positive influence on health care in the United States. Subsequently, the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act was introduced by lawmakers, which would require Medicare to cover additional obesity treatments such as prescription drugs for chronic weight management and to make it easier to receive weight-loss counseling.
Stafford's A&E set for closure
It was the hospital that was dubbed by the media as the "Killing Fields" of the NHS. After a highly critical report by the Healthcare Commission in 2009, a handful of elderly-care wards at Stafford hospital and the hospital's accident and emergency unit were universally condemned as patient death traps. Reporting the findings on the now notorious Mid Staffs NHS Foundation Trust the BBC claimed in the three years leading up to 2008 "up to 1,200 people may have died needlessly due to appalling standards of care".
The oft-quoted figure did not appear in the commission's report, but it did appear the day before in the Daily Mail, and has been endlessly repeated since. Partly as a result – and after a public inquiry and one new regulator – four years later the story has reached its denouement: it is expected that on Wednesday permanent closure of the hospital's A&E will be announced. Emergency patients in Stafford will have to travel to Stoke or Wolverhampton for care – and the economic regulator Monitor has already warned in March that the trust is "both clinically and financially unsustainable in its current form".
But despite the furore – stoked by some parts of the Offering High Rug cleaning Services, and fanned by some politicians – the reality is more complex. The response from local residents has been first indignation and then anger at the proposed closure, while the evidence for the 1,200 or so supposed needless deaths is in fact far from certain.
Such has been the outcry locally that after years of patients shunning the hospital and choosing to go elsewhere, there are now a third more people using A&E than a year ago – up from 120 a day to 160. In April 30,000 people joined a mile-long march to save the local hospital in the town. The simmering resentment has also led to Julie Bailey, the woman who led the campaign to expose failings at Stafford hospital, claiming she was "run out of town" and forced to sell her cafe, where her Cure the NHS group used to meet. Some indication of where the town's sympathies lie might be garnered from the fact her cafe is now under new management and sports a "Support Stafford hospital" poster.
This has emboldened staff at Stafford hospital to break cover. Heather Gough, who has spent 40 years at Stafford hospital, largely in A&E, said at the heart of the historic problem lay an overworked workforce using antiquated equipment. Nursing staff had, she says, been shrunk to cut costs so that the hospital could gain elite foundation status. "We reported these things hundreds of times to management. We warned them about equipment. I welcomed the Healthcare Commission investigators. But their results were used to beat nurses with. They said we did not care. Although it was reported that nursing staff intentionally neglected and abused patients, that was not the case," says Gough. "There was poor care in places but it was not intentional."
However, today medics and nurses say the hospital is on the way up, with the Healthcare Commission's successor, the Care Quality Commission, withdrawing all its concerns in July 2012.
The health statistics and research service Dr Foster now rates the hospital as one of the best performers in the West Midlands, in terms of its mortality rates.
In an activist's kitchen, which doubles as the office of the Support Stafford hospital campaign, Mark Saville, a grade 5 nurse, told the Guardian that many of the familiar condemnations were misinterpretations of events inside the hospital. Take the repeated criticism of patients "so desperate for water that they were drinking from dirty flower vases" – an assertion made by David Cameron to MPs in February. But Saville, 53, said that flower vases were kept in a cleaning room and mostly empty. "Only a deranged patient might go in there looking for water. Or else someone who was kept off fluids for medical reasons."
Both Saville and Gough say contrary to persistent claims that in A&E "initial assessments were carried out by receptionists with no medical training" in fact all the front desk did was input in the doctor's notes onto the hospital computer but when they could not read who had signed in patients they simply entered their own name. "Otherwise you could not admit patients," said Saville. However, most damaging of all is the link made between the idea that there was poor care in Stafford with the notion that there were between 400 and 1,200 preventable deaths at the hospital. The man who calculated the figure was Sir Brian Jarman, a professor at London's Imperial College who co-founded Dr Foster.
It was Jarman's "hospital standardised mortality ratio (HMSR)" that suggested at Mid-Staffs there were 1,197 "observed minus expected deaths" over the course of a decade and 492 equivalent deaths between 2005 and 2008. Crucially, though, Jarman's HMSR is a measure of how many "excess deaths" there were in a hospital compared to a national average, but not how many "preventable" ones took place.
To put this in perspective, in 2009 an independent review into 50 contentious patient deaths at Mid Staffs found one that could be described as "avoidable". Jarman, however, used the data to conclude that it set a potential upper limit of 300 preventable deaths a year at Stafford, given the number of admissions at the hospital a year. However, the academic does concede this is the worst case scenario however.
Jarman has appeared regularly in television and print warning that NHS hospitals had high death rates, but he also points out that some newspapers and broadcasters have consistently misconstrued his figures to claim erroneously that 1,200 patients died unnecessarily at Stafford. This is exactly the point Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS's medical director, made last month. He warned: "It is clinically meaningless and academically reckless to use such statistical measures to quantify actual numbers of avoidable deaths."
Standing in his black clinical smock Dilip Dacruz, Stafford hospital's A&E consultant, is fuming about the way "a fictitious number of deaths have been produced to crucify Stafford hospital, which today is as good as anywhere else in the NHS". He says that the figures had been used to close Stafford's overnight emergency service back in 2011. "The end result is that when the A&E now opens at 8am on Monday morning there is a queue of people like at a post office waiting outside to get in. Boys who have injured their ankle playing football. An old person holding his tummy. It's completely unacceptable".
Underlying the controversy is that HMSR is also extraordinarily sensitive to the way a hospital records its mortality data. Jarman says Mid Staffs brought in a "Texan coder" – Sandra Haynes-Kirkbright – to "flatter" its poor HMSR reading, which in 2007 made it the fifth worst hospital in the country.
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The oft-quoted figure did not appear in the commission's report, but it did appear the day before in the Daily Mail, and has been endlessly repeated since. Partly as a result – and after a public inquiry and one new regulator – four years later the story has reached its denouement: it is expected that on Wednesday permanent closure of the hospital's A&E will be announced. Emergency patients in Stafford will have to travel to Stoke or Wolverhampton for care – and the economic regulator Monitor has already warned in March that the trust is "both clinically and financially unsustainable in its current form".
But despite the furore – stoked by some parts of the Offering High Rug cleaning Services, and fanned by some politicians – the reality is more complex. The response from local residents has been first indignation and then anger at the proposed closure, while the evidence for the 1,200 or so supposed needless deaths is in fact far from certain.
Such has been the outcry locally that after years of patients shunning the hospital and choosing to go elsewhere, there are now a third more people using A&E than a year ago – up from 120 a day to 160. In April 30,000 people joined a mile-long march to save the local hospital in the town. The simmering resentment has also led to Julie Bailey, the woman who led the campaign to expose failings at Stafford hospital, claiming she was "run out of town" and forced to sell her cafe, where her Cure the NHS group used to meet. Some indication of where the town's sympathies lie might be garnered from the fact her cafe is now under new management and sports a "Support Stafford hospital" poster.
This has emboldened staff at Stafford hospital to break cover. Heather Gough, who has spent 40 years at Stafford hospital, largely in A&E, said at the heart of the historic problem lay an overworked workforce using antiquated equipment. Nursing staff had, she says, been shrunk to cut costs so that the hospital could gain elite foundation status. "We reported these things hundreds of times to management. We warned them about equipment. I welcomed the Healthcare Commission investigators. But their results were used to beat nurses with. They said we did not care. Although it was reported that nursing staff intentionally neglected and abused patients, that was not the case," says Gough. "There was poor care in places but it was not intentional."
However, today medics and nurses say the hospital is on the way up, with the Healthcare Commission's successor, the Care Quality Commission, withdrawing all its concerns in July 2012.
The health statistics and research service Dr Foster now rates the hospital as one of the best performers in the West Midlands, in terms of its mortality rates.
In an activist's kitchen, which doubles as the office of the Support Stafford hospital campaign, Mark Saville, a grade 5 nurse, told the Guardian that many of the familiar condemnations were misinterpretations of events inside the hospital. Take the repeated criticism of patients "so desperate for water that they were drinking from dirty flower vases" – an assertion made by David Cameron to MPs in February. But Saville, 53, said that flower vases were kept in a cleaning room and mostly empty. "Only a deranged patient might go in there looking for water. Or else someone who was kept off fluids for medical reasons."
Both Saville and Gough say contrary to persistent claims that in A&E "initial assessments were carried out by receptionists with no medical training" in fact all the front desk did was input in the doctor's notes onto the hospital computer but when they could not read who had signed in patients they simply entered their own name. "Otherwise you could not admit patients," said Saville. However, most damaging of all is the link made between the idea that there was poor care in Stafford with the notion that there were between 400 and 1,200 preventable deaths at the hospital. The man who calculated the figure was Sir Brian Jarman, a professor at London's Imperial College who co-founded Dr Foster.
It was Jarman's "hospital standardised mortality ratio (HMSR)" that suggested at Mid-Staffs there were 1,197 "observed minus expected deaths" over the course of a decade and 492 equivalent deaths between 2005 and 2008. Crucially, though, Jarman's HMSR is a measure of how many "excess deaths" there were in a hospital compared to a national average, but not how many "preventable" ones took place.
To put this in perspective, in 2009 an independent review into 50 contentious patient deaths at Mid Staffs found one that could be described as "avoidable". Jarman, however, used the data to conclude that it set a potential upper limit of 300 preventable deaths a year at Stafford, given the number of admissions at the hospital a year. However, the academic does concede this is the worst case scenario however.
Jarman has appeared regularly in television and print warning that NHS hospitals had high death rates, but he also points out that some newspapers and broadcasters have consistently misconstrued his figures to claim erroneously that 1,200 patients died unnecessarily at Stafford. This is exactly the point Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS's medical director, made last month. He warned: "It is clinically meaningless and academically reckless to use such statistical measures to quantify actual numbers of avoidable deaths."
Standing in his black clinical smock Dilip Dacruz, Stafford hospital's A&E consultant, is fuming about the way "a fictitious number of deaths have been produced to crucify Stafford hospital, which today is as good as anywhere else in the NHS". He says that the figures had been used to close Stafford's overnight emergency service back in 2011. "The end result is that when the A&E now opens at 8am on Monday morning there is a queue of people like at a post office waiting outside to get in. Boys who have injured their ankle playing football. An old person holding his tummy. It's completely unacceptable".
Underlying the controversy is that HMSR is also extraordinarily sensitive to the way a hospital records its mortality data. Jarman says Mid Staffs brought in a "Texan coder" – Sandra Haynes-Kirkbright – to "flatter" its poor HMSR reading, which in 2007 made it the fifth worst hospital in the country.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/Rug-cleaning_p10.html.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Students want ‘big-money jobs’
While the CNMI’s private and public sectors are heightening efforts to craft programs that will develop the island’s future workforce, the latest survey among public middle and high school students show that careers available on the islands are not among their top choices.The results of the PSS Occupational Survey have dismayed education officials, who discovered that most students dream of “big-money jobs” that they believe they will find outside the Commonwealth.
The expected exodus of foreign workers from the CNMI next year due to new immigration policies has spurred efforts to prepare the local workforce to take over jobs that will be left vacant. With tourism being the islands’ main industry, the field of food preparation and service is one area that directly ties with tourism. However, majority of those surveyed, who are on the cusp of being the islands’ next generation of Mattress Cleaning Services, are not interested in these lines of work.
This then begs the question: Who will take over the jobs of the islands’ foreign workers when these workers are phased out come December 2014?Also, with tourism on the rebound and more hotels expected to open up in the years ahead, the need for cooks, waiters, bartenders, and other entry level positions are expected to surge and the lack of interest for these jobs among the young could affect the ability of tourism-related businesses to find sufficient workers for their operations.
According to Michaelle Mu?a, the students’ representative on the Board of Education, the low interest for some of the career choices may be due to the students’ limited knowledge and exposure to these fields.She said that many students want to pursue higher education to achieve their dream careers, which she described as “big-money jobs.”
Although the data speaks about the intention of many students to pursue higher education, Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, Ed.D., said there remains a concern that many of them want to pursue fields and careers that are not either available on island or are not much needed in the CNMI.According to the survey, the student’s lack of interest in many of the career options were tied directly to their perception that these jobs offer low pay compared to the amount of effort put in to the actual work.
Because PSS offers various career technological educational courses at its secondary schools, BOE chair Herman T. Guerrero pointed out the need to “go deeper” into the result of the survey in order to better gauge students.The survey provided student-respondents 10 different occupations that are not only available but are very much needed by existing industries in the CNMI. These include food preparation and serving related; management; installation, maintenance, and repair; office and administrative support; construction and extraction; building, ground cleaning and maintenance; sales and related; major title production; protective service; and business and financial operations.
Of the total 2,956 respondents, the results show that only 165 students want to be in the food preparation and serving related field. In comparison, 474 respondents want to be in Offering Best Upholstery Cleaning Services, which includes fields such as police and investigation agents.Another notable result is that only 60 students out of the nearly 3,000 respondents are willing to work in construction with.
At Marianas High School, out of 940 respondents, a total of 511—or 54 percent—say they want to pursue postsecondary education and have no plans of immediately working in any of the given occupational opportunities.Generating the most interest among the occupational choices was “protective service” where 127 students—or 14 percent—say they want to work in the future.
Those who reported that they want to work in installation, maintenance, and repair work totaled 83 students—a mere 9 percent. Other areas like business and financial operations got only 7 percent while food preparation and serving related got a minuscule 4 percent, Management had 3 percent; sales, 3 percent; and construction and building/ground maintenance, 1 percent each.
At Saipan Southern High School, out of the 398 respondents, a large bulk of 181 students—or 45 percent—say they will pursue college; 63 students (16 percent) want to be in protective services; 40 respondents said they want to work in business and financial operations; while 26 students want to work in the field of management.
The results for Kagman High School also showed a similar trend, with 41 percent of respondents wanting to pursue higher education and many students picking the field of protective service among their top option. In KHS, 360 students responded to the survey.In middle schools, a total of 216 out of 720 students say they want to pursue college while 91 aim to be in protective service one day. Chacha Oceanview had a total of 213 respondents, of which 51 want to pursue higher education while a big bulk of students (72) want to become police and investigative agents. Only 23 students want to be in food preparation.
Students in Rota and Tinian secondary schools also want to pursue higher education and, no surprise here, protective service also came out as their top career choice.Tinian Junior & Senior High School had 134 respondents, of which 56 want to go to college; 22 want to be in protective service. Only 10 want to be in food preparation, while only a few want to be in other fields such as construction, sales, and maintenance.
The events included a meeting Friday with supporters in Glenarden for which people were asked to bring supplies for a Capitol Heights shelter for women and children, restoring a playground in Silver Spring on Saturday, cleaning up marshlands in Cambridge on Sunday and reading with campers at a summer program in Baltimore on Monday.
“When they did she would swoop screaming, ‘Who brings cookies into a building?’ It got much darker later,” Ruby says but that isn’t something she is ready to share.While Ruby has long known the seeds of her despair were sown in childhood she came to realise that analysing the past was not preventing repeated episodes of depression. She decided the answer lay in probing the mind itself rather than repeatedly dissecting the often dark thoughts it produces.
“I have always been very curious about this stuff,” she says. In fact long before she ran away to England in 1977 and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company she studied psychology and drama at Berkeley, University of California.
She had heard about mindfulness and five years ago when the signs of another descent into depression began she sought out Mark Williams, an international authority and Professor of clinical psychology at Oxford. “He kind of knew I was in trouble,” she says and agreed to take her through an eight-week course to teach her the basics.
The expected exodus of foreign workers from the CNMI next year due to new immigration policies has spurred efforts to prepare the local workforce to take over jobs that will be left vacant. With tourism being the islands’ main industry, the field of food preparation and service is one area that directly ties with tourism. However, majority of those surveyed, who are on the cusp of being the islands’ next generation of Mattress Cleaning Services, are not interested in these lines of work.
This then begs the question: Who will take over the jobs of the islands’ foreign workers when these workers are phased out come December 2014?Also, with tourism on the rebound and more hotels expected to open up in the years ahead, the need for cooks, waiters, bartenders, and other entry level positions are expected to surge and the lack of interest for these jobs among the young could affect the ability of tourism-related businesses to find sufficient workers for their operations.
According to Michaelle Mu?a, the students’ representative on the Board of Education, the low interest for some of the career choices may be due to the students’ limited knowledge and exposure to these fields.She said that many students want to pursue higher education to achieve their dream careers, which she described as “big-money jobs.”
Although the data speaks about the intention of many students to pursue higher education, Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, Ed.D., said there remains a concern that many of them want to pursue fields and careers that are not either available on island or are not much needed in the CNMI.According to the survey, the student’s lack of interest in many of the career options were tied directly to their perception that these jobs offer low pay compared to the amount of effort put in to the actual work.
Because PSS offers various career technological educational courses at its secondary schools, BOE chair Herman T. Guerrero pointed out the need to “go deeper” into the result of the survey in order to better gauge students.The survey provided student-respondents 10 different occupations that are not only available but are very much needed by existing industries in the CNMI. These include food preparation and serving related; management; installation, maintenance, and repair; office and administrative support; construction and extraction; building, ground cleaning and maintenance; sales and related; major title production; protective service; and business and financial operations.
Of the total 2,956 respondents, the results show that only 165 students want to be in the food preparation and serving related field. In comparison, 474 respondents want to be in Offering Best Upholstery Cleaning Services, which includes fields such as police and investigation agents.Another notable result is that only 60 students out of the nearly 3,000 respondents are willing to work in construction with.
At Marianas High School, out of 940 respondents, a total of 511—or 54 percent—say they want to pursue postsecondary education and have no plans of immediately working in any of the given occupational opportunities.Generating the most interest among the occupational choices was “protective service” where 127 students—or 14 percent—say they want to work in the future.
Those who reported that they want to work in installation, maintenance, and repair work totaled 83 students—a mere 9 percent. Other areas like business and financial operations got only 7 percent while food preparation and serving related got a minuscule 4 percent, Management had 3 percent; sales, 3 percent; and construction and building/ground maintenance, 1 percent each.
At Saipan Southern High School, out of the 398 respondents, a large bulk of 181 students—or 45 percent—say they will pursue college; 63 students (16 percent) want to be in protective services; 40 respondents said they want to work in business and financial operations; while 26 students want to work in the field of management.
The results for Kagman High School also showed a similar trend, with 41 percent of respondents wanting to pursue higher education and many students picking the field of protective service among their top option. In KHS, 360 students responded to the survey.In middle schools, a total of 216 out of 720 students say they want to pursue college while 91 aim to be in protective service one day. Chacha Oceanview had a total of 213 respondents, of which 51 want to pursue higher education while a big bulk of students (72) want to become police and investigative agents. Only 23 students want to be in food preparation.
Students in Rota and Tinian secondary schools also want to pursue higher education and, no surprise here, protective service also came out as their top career choice.Tinian Junior & Senior High School had 134 respondents, of which 56 want to go to college; 22 want to be in protective service. Only 10 want to be in food preparation, while only a few want to be in other fields such as construction, sales, and maintenance.
The events included a meeting Friday with supporters in Glenarden for which people were asked to bring supplies for a Capitol Heights shelter for women and children, restoring a playground in Silver Spring on Saturday, cleaning up marshlands in Cambridge on Sunday and reading with campers at a summer program in Baltimore on Monday.
“When they did she would swoop screaming, ‘Who brings cookies into a building?’ It got much darker later,” Ruby says but that isn’t something she is ready to share.While Ruby has long known the seeds of her despair were sown in childhood she came to realise that analysing the past was not preventing repeated episodes of depression. She decided the answer lay in probing the mind itself rather than repeatedly dissecting the often dark thoughts it produces.
“I have always been very curious about this stuff,” she says. In fact long before she ran away to England in 1977 and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company she studied psychology and drama at Berkeley, University of California.
She had heard about mindfulness and five years ago when the signs of another descent into depression began she sought out Mark Williams, an international authority and Professor of clinical psychology at Oxford. “He kind of knew I was in trouble,” she says and agreed to take her through an eight-week course to teach her the basics.
Treasury Board will enter arbitration
Treasury Board has agreed to enter into binding arbitration to end a controversial strike by Canada’s foreign service officers, but not without conditions.After nearly two months of picketing outside government offices around the world, the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) requested the government enter into third-party binding arbitration last week. The union’s offer was set to expire Tuesday at noon.
In a statement Tuesday, moments before noon, Treasury Board President Tony Clement said the government is willing to enter into arbitration, “under certain conditions.” However, those conditions will not be made public as they are subject to negotiation confidence, he said. “We will continue to bargain in good faith and we appreciate the bargaining agent’s efforts at finding a resolution to the strike,” said Clement. “Our goal is to have diplomatic, consular and other services to Canadians fully restored as quickly as possible.”
Clement’s Press Secretary Matthew Conway said there is no deadline for the arbitration process.In a statement Tuesday afternoon, PAFSO said it is reviewing Treasury Board’s conditions and follow up directly with the department.“PAFSO will need to assure itself that any arbitration mechanism allows for a full and fair hearing of arguments on both sides – an objective we are sure the Government shares,” said the union in an email.
The union said that until an agreement to begin arbitration is reached, there will be no change in PAFSO’s job actions, including rotating strikes and Regular Residential Cleaning Services . PAFSO said it will provide an update when there is more information to share.PAFSO, which represents 1,350 non-executive-level Canadian diplomats, has been in a legal strike position since April 2 and without contract since June 2011. The union is demanding equal pay for equal work because some junior diplomats earn up to $14,000 less than colleagues doing the same work in Ottawa.
Hundreds of PAFSO members have been picketing outside of government offices, including major embassies, around the world over the past two months. Members have also been participating in rotating strikes aimed at missions and sections where job action will have the strongest impact.“Over the summer, we are going to be targeting mainly visa and immigration processing because this is the peak season for those files, whereas the political and trade diplomatic calendar slows down over the summer,” PAFSO President Tim Edwards told iPolitics.
As Treasury Board and PAFSO attempt to come to an agreement, the effects of the strike are being felt around the world. According to Edwards, visa issuance has been heavily impacted, especially in major processing centres such as Beijing, Delhi, Manila, Mexico City. He said targeted missions have seen a 60 to 65 per cent drop in visa issuance and a 25 per cent drop system wide.Although PAFSO has been in informal contact at the official level with Treasury Board, with whom it is negotiating the contract, Edwards said the union has not officially sat down with the government since June 5.
Treasury Board has said it believes PAFSO members have been presented with a fair offer — something Clement maintained in his statement Tuesday.In prior statements, Treasury Board has highlighted some of the perks, known as Foreign Service Directives, PAFSO members are entitled. These include a reimbursement of up to 50 per cent for dry cleaning expenses, the shipment of personal vehicles and household items such as furniture to the diplomat’s posting, and a foreign service incentive allowance recognizing the challenges associated with living abroad. Treasury Board said it invests $126 million a year in said Foreign Service Directives, most of which is dedicated to PAFSO members.
But the union has said Treasury Board’s reference to the Foreign Service Directives is irrelevant to the negotiations currently at stake, which are focused on issues of pay.
"Hertz is committed to providing customers with the best cars and best fleet in the industry," commented Mark P. Frissora. "While most of our cars were already non-smoking, the vast majority of customers, as well as Hertz employees who transport cars, now indicate that they prefer to drive a smoke-free vehicle every rental. For that reason, the time is right to transition our fleet to non-smoking. Incorporating customer and employee feedback is a critical step to ensure we provide the most valued car rental experiences. By moving to a non-smoking fleet, car rental customers, car sales buyers and employees will be even more assured that Hertz vehicles are clean and safe."
Previously, the vast majority of Hertz's fleet was classified as non-smoking. With the entire fleet converting to the new policy, implemented based on strong customer preferences for non-smoking vehicles, all cars have been classified non-smoking. The company has adopted a $100 cleaning fee assessed for vehicles returned with evidence of smoking. To make customers aware of the new policy, Hertz locations display non-smoking signs and non-smoking stickers have been installed on each car in Hertz's fleet. Should a customer inquire at the time of reservation, they will be advised of the new policy.
To provide the cleanest cars in the industry, Hertz vehicles undergo a 36 point cleaning and service process. In addition, Hertz employees responsible for cleaning vehicles are professionally trained in car cleaning, general operations and safety. Hertz also uses commercial grade car washes at its airport locations, that recycle 80% of the water used, and the Company uses biodegradable and environmentally friendly cleaning products and Fresh Wave IAQ, a non-toxic, natural odor eliminator. Additionally, cleaning processes have been standardized to ensure that no task is overlooked and cars not meeting standards are set aside for additional cleaning or servicing if needed. The addition of the non-smoking policy ensures Hertz continues to offer the finest fleet available for rent.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/.
In a statement Tuesday, moments before noon, Treasury Board President Tony Clement said the government is willing to enter into arbitration, “under certain conditions.” However, those conditions will not be made public as they are subject to negotiation confidence, he said. “We will continue to bargain in good faith and we appreciate the bargaining agent’s efforts at finding a resolution to the strike,” said Clement. “Our goal is to have diplomatic, consular and other services to Canadians fully restored as quickly as possible.”
Clement’s Press Secretary Matthew Conway said there is no deadline for the arbitration process.In a statement Tuesday afternoon, PAFSO said it is reviewing Treasury Board’s conditions and follow up directly with the department.“PAFSO will need to assure itself that any arbitration mechanism allows for a full and fair hearing of arguments on both sides – an objective we are sure the Government shares,” said the union in an email.
The union said that until an agreement to begin arbitration is reached, there will be no change in PAFSO’s job actions, including rotating strikes and Regular Residential Cleaning Services . PAFSO said it will provide an update when there is more information to share.PAFSO, which represents 1,350 non-executive-level Canadian diplomats, has been in a legal strike position since April 2 and without contract since June 2011. The union is demanding equal pay for equal work because some junior diplomats earn up to $14,000 less than colleagues doing the same work in Ottawa.
Hundreds of PAFSO members have been picketing outside of government offices, including major embassies, around the world over the past two months. Members have also been participating in rotating strikes aimed at missions and sections where job action will have the strongest impact.“Over the summer, we are going to be targeting mainly visa and immigration processing because this is the peak season for those files, whereas the political and trade diplomatic calendar slows down over the summer,” PAFSO President Tim Edwards told iPolitics.
As Treasury Board and PAFSO attempt to come to an agreement, the effects of the strike are being felt around the world. According to Edwards, visa issuance has been heavily impacted, especially in major processing centres such as Beijing, Delhi, Manila, Mexico City. He said targeted missions have seen a 60 to 65 per cent drop in visa issuance and a 25 per cent drop system wide.Although PAFSO has been in informal contact at the official level with Treasury Board, with whom it is negotiating the contract, Edwards said the union has not officially sat down with the government since June 5.
Treasury Board has said it believes PAFSO members have been presented with a fair offer — something Clement maintained in his statement Tuesday.In prior statements, Treasury Board has highlighted some of the perks, known as Foreign Service Directives, PAFSO members are entitled. These include a reimbursement of up to 50 per cent for dry cleaning expenses, the shipment of personal vehicles and household items such as furniture to the diplomat’s posting, and a foreign service incentive allowance recognizing the challenges associated with living abroad. Treasury Board said it invests $126 million a year in said Foreign Service Directives, most of which is dedicated to PAFSO members.
But the union has said Treasury Board’s reference to the Foreign Service Directives is irrelevant to the negotiations currently at stake, which are focused on issues of pay.
"Hertz is committed to providing customers with the best cars and best fleet in the industry," commented Mark P. Frissora. "While most of our cars were already non-smoking, the vast majority of customers, as well as Hertz employees who transport cars, now indicate that they prefer to drive a smoke-free vehicle every rental. For that reason, the time is right to transition our fleet to non-smoking. Incorporating customer and employee feedback is a critical step to ensure we provide the most valued car rental experiences. By moving to a non-smoking fleet, car rental customers, car sales buyers and employees will be even more assured that Hertz vehicles are clean and safe."
Previously, the vast majority of Hertz's fleet was classified as non-smoking. With the entire fleet converting to the new policy, implemented based on strong customer preferences for non-smoking vehicles, all cars have been classified non-smoking. The company has adopted a $100 cleaning fee assessed for vehicles returned with evidence of smoking. To make customers aware of the new policy, Hertz locations display non-smoking signs and non-smoking stickers have been installed on each car in Hertz's fleet. Should a customer inquire at the time of reservation, they will be advised of the new policy.
To provide the cleanest cars in the industry, Hertz vehicles undergo a 36 point cleaning and service process. In addition, Hertz employees responsible for cleaning vehicles are professionally trained in car cleaning, general operations and safety. Hertz also uses commercial grade car washes at its airport locations, that recycle 80% of the water used, and the Company uses biodegradable and environmentally friendly cleaning products and Fresh Wave IAQ, a non-toxic, natural odor eliminator. Additionally, cleaning processes have been standardized to ensure that no task is overlooked and cars not meeting standards are set aside for additional cleaning or servicing if needed. The addition of the non-smoking policy ensures Hertz continues to offer the finest fleet available for rent.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Merkley, a liberal lion with no roar
In a recent profile, The New Republic described Merkley as “a liberal lion,” albeit one “with no roar” because of the partisan gridlock that has prohibited the Democratic majority from passing bills or winning confirmation of presidential nominations.Despite the Senate’s dysfunctionality, the New Republic notes that Merkley has been involved in “every matter of even marginal relevance to progressives, from civil liberties to housing to LGBT rights to agriculture to banking to climate change to the war in Afghanistan.”
The list left out some of Merkley’s issues, but the description is accurate. So is the observation that in another era, one in which an obstructionist minority didn’t impede the public’s business, Merkley might have a list of accomplishments “a mile long.”Merkley has had some notable successes. They include his work on the Dodd-Frank financial reform package. His legislative proposals on energy efficiency and electric vehicles have been incorporated into the president’s budgets.
The magazine also notes Merkley’s lead role in calling for the repeal of the “Monsanto Protection Act” and Senate passage of his resolutions calling for expedited withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Then there is his high-profile role in questioning the federal government’s sweeping surveillance programs and his “made-for-TV” moment when he brandished his cell phone at the head of the National Security Agency, demanding to know why his data was being tracked.
The article also notes Merkley’s championing of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, gay rights legislation that was handed off to him by Sen. Ted Kennedy before his death.Kennedy remains the Offering Best Upholstery Cleaning Services most Americans think of when they hear “lion of the Senate.” But Kennedy was a lion with a very loud roar, and that was because he spent most his years in a different Senate, one in which comity and compromise were the norm.
Merkley — the guy really does seem to be everywhere — recently has taken the lead in reforming the Senate’s much-abused filibuster rule, and this change, if he succeeds, could go a long way toward ending the Senate’s dysfunctionality.Kitzhaber won some more time on the issue last month, when the state Supreme Court backed his decision to give a reprieve to Oregon death row inmate Gary Haugen, convicted of two murders. Haugen didn’t want the reprieve, but the court ruled that Kitzhaber was within his powers.
Kitzhaber opposes the death penalty. He intervened weeks before Haugen was scheduled to die by lethal injection in 2011; at that time, the governor vowed to block any execution during his term in office and urged a statewide vote on abolishing the death penalty.The problem is that the Legislature wasn’t particularly interested in dealing with the issue this session — and, truthfully, Kitzhaber didn’t seem that interested in spending much of his political capital on it.
It adds up to another missed opportunity for Oregonians interested in finally ridding the state of the death penalty — although the issue may still be a hot one in the 2014 campaign, for reasons Kitzhaber may not have anticipated.After the court ruling, the governor reiterated his opposition to the death penalty: In a statement, he said that capital punishment “has devolved into an unworkable system that fails to meet the basic standards of justice. . I am still convinced that we can find a better solution that holds offenders accountable and keeps society safe, supports the victims of crime and their families and reflects Oregon values.”
But, if Kitzhaber chooses to run for another term, the issue could reclaim center stage. The governor pointedly declined to commute Haugen’s death sentence, although that would have been within his powers. He also has said that he will not allow an execution to take place while he’s governor — even though the death penalty remains the law of Oregon, and Kitzhaber has taken an oath to uphold those laws.
If he runs for re-election, Kitzhaber owes Oregon voters a clear statement about what he would do with death penalty cases that reach his desk during a new term. He’s succeeded in keeping the issue at bay thus far in his term, but we expect more from the governor. Here’s an instance where vigorous leadership could make the difference in reshaping Oregon values for the better.
In Douglas County, 77 percent of the timber harvest came from privately owned forest lands that make up about 44 percent of our land base. While those landowners pay county and state taxes and employ folks who do the same, their contributions alone can’t bridge the gap left by the lack of revenue from state and federal timber harvests.
The state and federal forests that count for 55 percent of Douglas County’s land saw another decline in harvest. On state lands, harvests dropped 45 percent. That translates to less money feeding into the Common School Fund, since receipts on state forests, like the Elliott State Forest near Reedsport, are dedicated to that fund.
On Bureau of Land Management forests, the harvest dipped by 13 percent in the Roseburg district. That means the BLM has once again failed to achieve its mission of providing economic stability to counties.
We cannot stop managing our federal forests altogether. Sure we want clean water and prime habitat for fish and wildlife. We also want to encourage camping, hiking and other recreational uses. We’re all Oregonians who treasure those aspects of our beautiful state.
Just this week, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio had to press the federal government to fully fund its hazardous fuel reduction projects. The program — proven to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire — routinely falls more than $200 million short of the budget authorized by law, leaving rural communities at risk.
We’ve mentioned many times our interest in seeing a viable plan for managing our federal forests, especially the Oregon and California Railroad lands unique to Western Oregon. The lopsided state of sustainable timber harvests in Oregon is another reminder of how important it is for Congress to devise a solution.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/Cleaning-service_c1!
The list left out some of Merkley’s issues, but the description is accurate. So is the observation that in another era, one in which an obstructionist minority didn’t impede the public’s business, Merkley might have a list of accomplishments “a mile long.”Merkley has had some notable successes. They include his work on the Dodd-Frank financial reform package. His legislative proposals on energy efficiency and electric vehicles have been incorporated into the president’s budgets.
The magazine also notes Merkley’s lead role in calling for the repeal of the “Monsanto Protection Act” and Senate passage of his resolutions calling for expedited withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Then there is his high-profile role in questioning the federal government’s sweeping surveillance programs and his “made-for-TV” moment when he brandished his cell phone at the head of the National Security Agency, demanding to know why his data was being tracked.
The article also notes Merkley’s championing of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, gay rights legislation that was handed off to him by Sen. Ted Kennedy before his death.Kennedy remains the Offering Best Upholstery Cleaning Services most Americans think of when they hear “lion of the Senate.” But Kennedy was a lion with a very loud roar, and that was because he spent most his years in a different Senate, one in which comity and compromise were the norm.
Merkley — the guy really does seem to be everywhere — recently has taken the lead in reforming the Senate’s much-abused filibuster rule, and this change, if he succeeds, could go a long way toward ending the Senate’s dysfunctionality.Kitzhaber won some more time on the issue last month, when the state Supreme Court backed his decision to give a reprieve to Oregon death row inmate Gary Haugen, convicted of two murders. Haugen didn’t want the reprieve, but the court ruled that Kitzhaber was within his powers.
Kitzhaber opposes the death penalty. He intervened weeks before Haugen was scheduled to die by lethal injection in 2011; at that time, the governor vowed to block any execution during his term in office and urged a statewide vote on abolishing the death penalty.The problem is that the Legislature wasn’t particularly interested in dealing with the issue this session — and, truthfully, Kitzhaber didn’t seem that interested in spending much of his political capital on it.
It adds up to another missed opportunity for Oregonians interested in finally ridding the state of the death penalty — although the issue may still be a hot one in the 2014 campaign, for reasons Kitzhaber may not have anticipated.After the court ruling, the governor reiterated his opposition to the death penalty: In a statement, he said that capital punishment “has devolved into an unworkable system that fails to meet the basic standards of justice. . I am still convinced that we can find a better solution that holds offenders accountable and keeps society safe, supports the victims of crime and their families and reflects Oregon values.”
But, if Kitzhaber chooses to run for another term, the issue could reclaim center stage. The governor pointedly declined to commute Haugen’s death sentence, although that would have been within his powers. He also has said that he will not allow an execution to take place while he’s governor — even though the death penalty remains the law of Oregon, and Kitzhaber has taken an oath to uphold those laws.
If he runs for re-election, Kitzhaber owes Oregon voters a clear statement about what he would do with death penalty cases that reach his desk during a new term. He’s succeeded in keeping the issue at bay thus far in his term, but we expect more from the governor. Here’s an instance where vigorous leadership could make the difference in reshaping Oregon values for the better.
In Douglas County, 77 percent of the timber harvest came from privately owned forest lands that make up about 44 percent of our land base. While those landowners pay county and state taxes and employ folks who do the same, their contributions alone can’t bridge the gap left by the lack of revenue from state and federal timber harvests.
The state and federal forests that count for 55 percent of Douglas County’s land saw another decline in harvest. On state lands, harvests dropped 45 percent. That translates to less money feeding into the Common School Fund, since receipts on state forests, like the Elliott State Forest near Reedsport, are dedicated to that fund.
On Bureau of Land Management forests, the harvest dipped by 13 percent in the Roseburg district. That means the BLM has once again failed to achieve its mission of providing economic stability to counties.
We cannot stop managing our federal forests altogether. Sure we want clean water and prime habitat for fish and wildlife. We also want to encourage camping, hiking and other recreational uses. We’re all Oregonians who treasure those aspects of our beautiful state.
Just this week, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio had to press the federal government to fully fund its hazardous fuel reduction projects. The program — proven to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire — routinely falls more than $200 million short of the budget authorized by law, leaving rural communities at risk.
We’ve mentioned many times our interest in seeing a viable plan for managing our federal forests, especially the Oregon and California Railroad lands unique to Western Oregon. The lopsided state of sustainable timber harvests in Oregon is another reminder of how important it is for Congress to devise a solution.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/Cleaning-service_c1!
Schoeller Allibert to Sponsor Retail Industry Awards
The Retail Industry Awards recognise and reward excellence across all areas of the grocery retail sector, and Schoeller Allibert’s sponsorship will cover three categories: Multiple Fresh Produce Retailer; Independent Fresh Produce Retailer and Symbol Group Fresh Produce Retailer of The Year.
Simon Knights, Regional Sales Director – UK/Ireland, explains: “With fresh produce vital to the economy and of increasing importance for a healthy lifestyle, retailers in this sector are constantly under pressure to provide high quality, fresh and clean produce. Sponsoring these prestigious awards was an obvious choice for Schoeller Allibert, as we work with fresh produce suppliers and grocery retailers on a daily basis to ensure their products reach the shelves in the best possible condition for consumers, and we look forward to congratulating the winners.”
Schoeller Allibert’s range includes a variety of products aimed especially at the fruit and vegetables and fresh produce sector which offer maximum ventilation, durability and protection - cushioning produce from knocks and bumps - to preserve quality and ensure hygiene from field or food processor to retail point of Offering Stream Carpet cleaning Services.
Simon adds: “When supplying fresh produce, speed is of the essence in preventing decay. Where cardboard or solid wood or plastic crates are used, the lack of air circulation speeds up this deterioration rapidly, whereas with RTP product cooling and ventilation is much improved. Additionally, our containers can withstand high-temperature washing to minimise the risk of contamination and promote hygiene, and the reusable nature of the product delivers considerable environmental benefits over disposable packaging.”
Helen Lyons, the Retail Industry Awards organiser, said: “We are delighted that Schoeller Allibert joined the Retail Industry Awards and will sponsor three fresh produce categories. The company is a fantastic example of how continuous innovation and sustainable packaging can work together brilliantly – both for consumers as well as grocery retailers, ensuring that products offered in shops are fresh and maintain that nutritious goodness we all look for.”
Maxinest, developed specifically to meet demands from growers, food processors, logistics operators and supermarkets, is one of many Schoeller Allibert products which helps retailers to cut costs, reduce packaging waste and deliver greater efficiency in the supply chain. Designed to offer a cost-effective way of delivering fresh produce, the crates also meet the food processing and grocery industry’s strict requirements for quality, durability and care for the environment.
From 2009 through 2012, at least four people died in craft brewery accidents in the United States, compared with two deaths at large breweries that make 10 times more beer, according to a Reuters analysis of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration data and local media reports.
There were also nearly four times as many safety violations at craft breweries in recent years than at large breweries. And brewery experts say the safety oversight at smaller companies is worse than official statistics might suggest because injuries, even severe ones, often go unreported.
The craft brewing industry has grown from a niche market 20 years ago into a $10.2 billion business in 2012, according to the Boulder, Colorado-based Brewers Association, which represents 1,797 U.S. craft and larger beer makers. The association is not aware of safety issues unique to the craft brewing industry, Chris Swersey, its technical brewing projects coordinator, said in an email to Reuters.
Matt Stinchfield, a brewery safety consultant for insurance companies, said that as the industry scrambles to meet the exploding demand for craft beer, employee safety has sometimes been overlooked. “You have a few eager entrepreneurial spirits, and they don’t come with an industrial safety background,” he said. “There is still some growing up to do.”
Last year, for example, an employee of Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, died when a keg he was cleaning with compressed air exploded and hit him. An OSHA investigation found the air line lacked a device that would keep the pressure in the keg at safe levels. The brewery’s owner, the Craft Brew Alliance, was fined $44,000 for that and a series of other safety violations.
Sebastian Pastore, vice president of operations for the Craft Brew Alliance, said the incident was a “freak accident” involving a plastic keg dropped off by a customer to be refilled.The company subsequently re-examined safety issues at the brewery. It has stopped filling plastic kegs and hired an outside consultant to review safety procedures at its breweries. It now has a dedicated safety consultant for the Portsmouth brewery.
Central vac systems create healthier living and work environments by cutting down on allergen and pollution levels. True, that’s an incredible benefit. True, regular vacuums can become horrifically annoying obstacle courses with their cords and hoses. And yes, they are heavy, backbreaking machines that are difficult enough to lug from room-to-room, on a single floor, not to mention hauling it up and down the stairs of a multi-level home or building… they are pains to store… rearranging closets and rooms to find a place for it… GEESH! It’s tiring even thinking about it and there is no need to continue on. – The central vacuum system not only eliminates all of those problems, but provides several financial benefits, as well.
No matter how you slice it, vacuums are expensive! The least expensive vacuums, while may be appealing in price, also come with numerous negative aspects. Cheap vacuums are just that – CHEAP! They break easily or even die out completely, within a matter of a year or two, if not months, depending upon the level of use. They also tend to have a low performance as far as suction levels go, defeating the purpose of trying to suck up as much as possible. The more expensive vacuums may have better suction, be more durable, and offer better warranties, but it is almost a guarantee that an individual will go through numerous vacuums throughout the course of his/her lifetime. – While installing a central vacuum system may be more costly in the short-term, the systems have less defects and problems than regular vacuums. They are created to endure the test of time and to be extremely durable. Unless truly abused, there is no reason a central vac system should require additional costs. Finally, central vac systems are noted for using less electricity/energy than standard vacuums, thus making it a cost worthy investment by the way of repairs, replacements, and energy.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/Cleaning-service_c1!
Simon Knights, Regional Sales Director – UK/Ireland, explains: “With fresh produce vital to the economy and of increasing importance for a healthy lifestyle, retailers in this sector are constantly under pressure to provide high quality, fresh and clean produce. Sponsoring these prestigious awards was an obvious choice for Schoeller Allibert, as we work with fresh produce suppliers and grocery retailers on a daily basis to ensure their products reach the shelves in the best possible condition for consumers, and we look forward to congratulating the winners.”
Schoeller Allibert’s range includes a variety of products aimed especially at the fruit and vegetables and fresh produce sector which offer maximum ventilation, durability and protection - cushioning produce from knocks and bumps - to preserve quality and ensure hygiene from field or food processor to retail point of Offering Stream Carpet cleaning Services.
Simon adds: “When supplying fresh produce, speed is of the essence in preventing decay. Where cardboard or solid wood or plastic crates are used, the lack of air circulation speeds up this deterioration rapidly, whereas with RTP product cooling and ventilation is much improved. Additionally, our containers can withstand high-temperature washing to minimise the risk of contamination and promote hygiene, and the reusable nature of the product delivers considerable environmental benefits over disposable packaging.”
Helen Lyons, the Retail Industry Awards organiser, said: “We are delighted that Schoeller Allibert joined the Retail Industry Awards and will sponsor three fresh produce categories. The company is a fantastic example of how continuous innovation and sustainable packaging can work together brilliantly – both for consumers as well as grocery retailers, ensuring that products offered in shops are fresh and maintain that nutritious goodness we all look for.”
Maxinest, developed specifically to meet demands from growers, food processors, logistics operators and supermarkets, is one of many Schoeller Allibert products which helps retailers to cut costs, reduce packaging waste and deliver greater efficiency in the supply chain. Designed to offer a cost-effective way of delivering fresh produce, the crates also meet the food processing and grocery industry’s strict requirements for quality, durability and care for the environment.
From 2009 through 2012, at least four people died in craft brewery accidents in the United States, compared with two deaths at large breweries that make 10 times more beer, according to a Reuters analysis of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration data and local media reports.
There were also nearly four times as many safety violations at craft breweries in recent years than at large breweries. And brewery experts say the safety oversight at smaller companies is worse than official statistics might suggest because injuries, even severe ones, often go unreported.
The craft brewing industry has grown from a niche market 20 years ago into a $10.2 billion business in 2012, according to the Boulder, Colorado-based Brewers Association, which represents 1,797 U.S. craft and larger beer makers. The association is not aware of safety issues unique to the craft brewing industry, Chris Swersey, its technical brewing projects coordinator, said in an email to Reuters.
Matt Stinchfield, a brewery safety consultant for insurance companies, said that as the industry scrambles to meet the exploding demand for craft beer, employee safety has sometimes been overlooked. “You have a few eager entrepreneurial spirits, and they don’t come with an industrial safety background,” he said. “There is still some growing up to do.”
Last year, for example, an employee of Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, died when a keg he was cleaning with compressed air exploded and hit him. An OSHA investigation found the air line lacked a device that would keep the pressure in the keg at safe levels. The brewery’s owner, the Craft Brew Alliance, was fined $44,000 for that and a series of other safety violations.
Sebastian Pastore, vice president of operations for the Craft Brew Alliance, said the incident was a “freak accident” involving a plastic keg dropped off by a customer to be refilled.The company subsequently re-examined safety issues at the brewery. It has stopped filling plastic kegs and hired an outside consultant to review safety procedures at its breweries. It now has a dedicated safety consultant for the Portsmouth brewery.
Central vac systems create healthier living and work environments by cutting down on allergen and pollution levels. True, that’s an incredible benefit. True, regular vacuums can become horrifically annoying obstacle courses with their cords and hoses. And yes, they are heavy, backbreaking machines that are difficult enough to lug from room-to-room, on a single floor, not to mention hauling it up and down the stairs of a multi-level home or building… they are pains to store… rearranging closets and rooms to find a place for it… GEESH! It’s tiring even thinking about it and there is no need to continue on. – The central vacuum system not only eliminates all of those problems, but provides several financial benefits, as well.
No matter how you slice it, vacuums are expensive! The least expensive vacuums, while may be appealing in price, also come with numerous negative aspects. Cheap vacuums are just that – CHEAP! They break easily or even die out completely, within a matter of a year or two, if not months, depending upon the level of use. They also tend to have a low performance as far as suction levels go, defeating the purpose of trying to suck up as much as possible. The more expensive vacuums may have better suction, be more durable, and offer better warranties, but it is almost a guarantee that an individual will go through numerous vacuums throughout the course of his/her lifetime. – While installing a central vacuum system may be more costly in the short-term, the systems have less defects and problems than regular vacuums. They are created to endure the test of time and to be extremely durable. Unless truly abused, there is no reason a central vac system should require additional costs. Finally, central vac systems are noted for using less electricity/energy than standard vacuums, thus making it a cost worthy investment by the way of repairs, replacements, and energy.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/Cleaning-service_c1!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Forestville interpretive program shows farrier's services
"They get new shoes every six to eight weeks if they're used for riding a fair bit. The shoes are for traction, support and protection," said Cresco farrier Jarred Lund, speaking to visitors at Historic Forestville's new "New Shoes for Horses" interpretive program last Saturday as he inspected, filed and shod a horse as part of a demonstration meant to illustrate what is necessary to fit horseshoes to horses, animals which were the main source of transportation in 1899.
Lund showed program attendees how a horse's hoof is first cleaned, then filed on the sides and bottom. "You clean the foot and get it ready, go ahead and trim it. Proper maintenance keeps hooves healthy. They shed their hoof wall about two to three times a year, on average, and it's best to keep them trimmed to keep bacteria out, so top-dressing them is as important as anything - if a hoof starts getting long, it puts pressure on the tendons and ligaments. The hoof grows out as far as it is wide and down the same length, so if you don't keep that filed, you don't have a healthy 'frog'...a tight foot is a healthy foot, so keeping shoes on a horse helps keep the horse supported."
Lund has been in the business for the past 11 years and trained in Kentucky because "it's hard to find a horse shoer, and even then, a good horse shoer...plus, I don't want to work in an office or on someone else's hours, so I might as well do something I enjoy."
Mass-produced horseshoes were first made during the mid - to late-1800s, and that changed slightly how they were put on horses. Instead of having to forge a whole new shoe for each hoof, farriers like Lund were able to shoe each horse in less than two hours by simply cleaning and filing hooves, then by heating the manufactured shoes on a forge, "hot-shaping" or fitting them to the hoof while still hot off the forge, then "cold-shaping" them, or putting the shoes back in the forge after hot-shaping them and then hammering them into shape on an anvil.
Once the shoes are shaped, they are nailed to the hooves, then the nails are trimmed using a tool called a "clincher." "Once you've got the shoe shaped the way you'd like it, you can put it on the horse. The clincher bends the nail over into a groove that I made...it helps get a good flush hoof wall so that the nail won't catch on anything."Lund pointed out that there are different sizes of nails to be used with the Cleaning sydney, and that they're "beveled so that they go in faster." Additionally, he stated that there is a difference between standard shoes and shoes for draft horses, noting that "there's a lot more steel in draft horseshoes."
The farrier's services on display as a demonstration were part of Historic Forestville's efforts to show village visitors what different parts of daily life might have been like for those who lived there. This is, in addition to its existing programming which includes tours of the Thomas Meighen house and store, the wagon barn and the farmyard as they might have been in 1899, the year that staff at the site interpret through events such as its bread and butter-making day, its garden planting and harvesting, its preservation and canning event and its "By the Light of the Lantern" late-evening Saturday leisure event. The site is also marking the commemoration of the Civil War's sesquicentennial, this year with "Days of '63," a Civil War encampment that is set for Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28.
He realizes that the business is in its infancy, and that it takes time to build a base. “I’m a supporter of all things local,” he said. “I like that it’s based in the Twin Cities and that it’s free.”Malinis also likes the idea of being the megaphone for small businesses. “I really wanted to promote the dog walker I use and get the word out about how happy I am,” he said.He’s written half a dozen reviews of businesses so far, including a painter and a house cleaning service.
Linstroth said the site made a deliberate decision to include only positive reviews. There are a lot of high-quality skilled service workers who are humble and aren’t good at marketing, he said.“We wanted to pass the word around for those great businesses, like the bike repair guy who works out of his basement.”
While Heroic doesn’t deliberately focus on one- or two-person businesses, that’s been the majority of businesses that have been reviewed so far.Users writing only about the good eggs, not the bad apples, makes for a smaller number of reviews, eliminating the average and below-average companies. Most of the companies listed at Heroic have only a handful of reviews.
That’s troubling to Robert Krughoff, founder and president of the nonprofit Center for the Study of Service, which publishes the ratings magazine Consumers’ Checkbook in seven metro regions, including the Twin Cities.A larger sample of reviews improves the consumer’s odds, he said. Twenty people giving a company good reviews is preferable to one person’s kudos, who may have just had good luck, he said.Krughoff said the most-helpful consumer reviews are for hotels or products, but service providers can be trickier. That, he says, is why 10 or 20 or more reviews are better than a handful.
“Some consumers wouldn’t know a good plumber from a bad one,” he said. “The important thing if you’re using Facebook friends as evaluators of service is to narrow the group down to friends who are consumer-savvy and don’t want to waste money.”
Peek at any social media platform during DST and you'll see thousands of parents bitching mightily about the horrible injustice of having to set the clocks forward or back. It screws up their kid's sleep schedule for weeks. It's totally pointless. It's the worst. I was like that too, until the beautiful year came when I could just send my kids to bed and whether or not they fell asleep right away didn't affect me at all. Now I can't wait to set the clocks forward because it signifies the end of the Pacific Northwest season of Just Kill Me when it's dark out at 4 p.m., and I'm sorry, I cannot muster the energy to care that it's not universally loved by my fellow parents.
The fascinating thing about having children is how your world expands overnight -- yet somehow everything simultaneously narrows. In those early months, I think everyone has a sort of tunnel vision where it's all about just making it through the day. We react with fury to things that disrupt the flow, even though they're usually perfectly innocent.
Click on their website www.mvpcleaning.com.au.
Lund showed program attendees how a horse's hoof is first cleaned, then filed on the sides and bottom. "You clean the foot and get it ready, go ahead and trim it. Proper maintenance keeps hooves healthy. They shed their hoof wall about two to three times a year, on average, and it's best to keep them trimmed to keep bacteria out, so top-dressing them is as important as anything - if a hoof starts getting long, it puts pressure on the tendons and ligaments. The hoof grows out as far as it is wide and down the same length, so if you don't keep that filed, you don't have a healthy 'frog'...a tight foot is a healthy foot, so keeping shoes on a horse helps keep the horse supported."
Lund has been in the business for the past 11 years and trained in Kentucky because "it's hard to find a horse shoer, and even then, a good horse shoer...plus, I don't want to work in an office or on someone else's hours, so I might as well do something I enjoy."
Mass-produced horseshoes were first made during the mid - to late-1800s, and that changed slightly how they were put on horses. Instead of having to forge a whole new shoe for each hoof, farriers like Lund were able to shoe each horse in less than two hours by simply cleaning and filing hooves, then by heating the manufactured shoes on a forge, "hot-shaping" or fitting them to the hoof while still hot off the forge, then "cold-shaping" them, or putting the shoes back in the forge after hot-shaping them and then hammering them into shape on an anvil.
Once the shoes are shaped, they are nailed to the hooves, then the nails are trimmed using a tool called a "clincher." "Once you've got the shoe shaped the way you'd like it, you can put it on the horse. The clincher bends the nail over into a groove that I made...it helps get a good flush hoof wall so that the nail won't catch on anything."Lund pointed out that there are different sizes of nails to be used with the Cleaning sydney, and that they're "beveled so that they go in faster." Additionally, he stated that there is a difference between standard shoes and shoes for draft horses, noting that "there's a lot more steel in draft horseshoes."
The farrier's services on display as a demonstration were part of Historic Forestville's efforts to show village visitors what different parts of daily life might have been like for those who lived there. This is, in addition to its existing programming which includes tours of the Thomas Meighen house and store, the wagon barn and the farmyard as they might have been in 1899, the year that staff at the site interpret through events such as its bread and butter-making day, its garden planting and harvesting, its preservation and canning event and its "By the Light of the Lantern" late-evening Saturday leisure event. The site is also marking the commemoration of the Civil War's sesquicentennial, this year with "Days of '63," a Civil War encampment that is set for Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28.
He realizes that the business is in its infancy, and that it takes time to build a base. “I’m a supporter of all things local,” he said. “I like that it’s based in the Twin Cities and that it’s free.”Malinis also likes the idea of being the megaphone for small businesses. “I really wanted to promote the dog walker I use and get the word out about how happy I am,” he said.He’s written half a dozen reviews of businesses so far, including a painter and a house cleaning service.
Linstroth said the site made a deliberate decision to include only positive reviews. There are a lot of high-quality skilled service workers who are humble and aren’t good at marketing, he said.“We wanted to pass the word around for those great businesses, like the bike repair guy who works out of his basement.”
While Heroic doesn’t deliberately focus on one- or two-person businesses, that’s been the majority of businesses that have been reviewed so far.Users writing only about the good eggs, not the bad apples, makes for a smaller number of reviews, eliminating the average and below-average companies. Most of the companies listed at Heroic have only a handful of reviews.
That’s troubling to Robert Krughoff, founder and president of the nonprofit Center for the Study of Service, which publishes the ratings magazine Consumers’ Checkbook in seven metro regions, including the Twin Cities.A larger sample of reviews improves the consumer’s odds, he said. Twenty people giving a company good reviews is preferable to one person’s kudos, who may have just had good luck, he said.Krughoff said the most-helpful consumer reviews are for hotels or products, but service providers can be trickier. That, he says, is why 10 or 20 or more reviews are better than a handful.
“Some consumers wouldn’t know a good plumber from a bad one,” he said. “The important thing if you’re using Facebook friends as evaluators of service is to narrow the group down to friends who are consumer-savvy and don’t want to waste money.”
Peek at any social media platform during DST and you'll see thousands of parents bitching mightily about the horrible injustice of having to set the clocks forward or back. It screws up their kid's sleep schedule for weeks. It's totally pointless. It's the worst. I was like that too, until the beautiful year came when I could just send my kids to bed and whether or not they fell asleep right away didn't affect me at all. Now I can't wait to set the clocks forward because it signifies the end of the Pacific Northwest season of Just Kill Me when it's dark out at 4 p.m., and I'm sorry, I cannot muster the energy to care that it's not universally loved by my fellow parents.
The fascinating thing about having children is how your world expands overnight -- yet somehow everything simultaneously narrows. In those early months, I think everyone has a sort of tunnel vision where it's all about just making it through the day. We react with fury to things that disrupt the flow, even though they're usually perfectly innocent.
Click on their website www.mvpcleaning.com.au.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Excessive restroom cleanliness?
You’ve probably heard about how we might be becoming too clean in the United States. Some researchers think the rise in the number of kids suffering from allergies and asthma might be because they aren’t exposed to the sorts of irritants that would allow their immune systems to develop robustly. It’s called the hygiene hypothesis.
“The Amish basically live as if it were 1860,” Holbreich told me. “They’re very clean. They have indoor plumbing. Their houses are immaculate. Their children get vaccinated, but they spend time — and their mothers spend time when pregnant — in the barn around all kinds of things: cow manure, food for the animals .?.?.”In other words, these aren’t the kind of people who go everywhere with a bottle of Purell in each pocket. For whatever reason, the Amish have a very low rate of asthma and allergies when compared with the rest of the population.
Not that things were necessarily better in the 19th century. “Look at what it was like in 1860: people dying from dysentery, typhoid fever, diphtheria, polio, measles,” Holbreich said. “The upside is, through hygiene, better public sanitation and immunization, we’ve essentially eliminated the major killers of the 1860s, which were infections. The trade-off is, yes, maybe by having a cleaner environment and fewer infections, we’ve brought on more allergies.”
Please note that Holbreich is not saying that parents shouldn’t immunize their children. They should. The Amish do. He just wonders what exactly it is about the Amish lifestyle that translates into fewer allergies and whether it’s replicable for more modern Americans, short of keeping a cow in our living rooms.
But you are no doubt wondering about my research. It is based on careful observation in men’s rooms over the past 30 years. Back in the 1980s a typical restroom had, in addition to toilets and urinals, a sink or two, some soap and a towel.
At the low end, the soap may have been a scary-looking, grayish slab of Lava resting on the sink’s cracked rim. The towel may have been one of those continuous roller things that you pulled down on, exposing what you prayed was a clean section of fabric but suspected was just a bit someone had used before you that was finally rotating back around.
Then certain pantywaists among us decided that the real problem with the public restroom was the doorknob you touched on the way out. About 15 years ago, I noticed the floors of restrooms starting to become mysteriously littered with paper towels just near the exits. Men (and I assume women) had decided that it was safer to open the door with a paper towel and then scoot out, even if that meant leaving a mess behind.
At The Washington Post, janitors started positioning a trash can near the door, so these germophobes could at least toss their waste in a bin.And now it’s come to this: Not long ago, I was in the restroom of a fancy office building. In addition to a trash can on the floor near the door, there was a wall-mounted dispenser full of squares of paper towel. These towels were too small to dry your hands with and existed only to use in grasping the door handle. This was a sanitary door-opening system.
My God, people, are you that afraid of bacteria? What’s next in the anti-infection arms race? Disposable gloves that you put on after washing your hands, then remove and dispose of in an incinerator after leaving the bathroom? A Barbicide emergency shower and eyewash station?
Microsoft has always been a giant castle with many fortresses. Internal battles and power struggles have led individual divisions to focus on their own success to the detriment of collaboration. Over the years, it's resulted in a number of false starts, delayed products, and departures of key employees. CEO Steve Ballmer, it seems, has finally reached his breaking point. Microsoft announced some major management and structural changes on Thursday. In an email to employees, Ballmer outlined the far-reaching measures under the slogan "One Microsoft."
Processors designed by the folks at ARM have been around for ages, but they've mostly inhabited computing devices you probably didn't particularly like: sluggish GPS units, slow-as-molasses in-flight entertainment systems, digital picture frames, and the like. For a time, these devices were relatively cheap and becoming more common thanks to the magic of Moore's Law, but they didn't have much else to recommend them. Then, of course, the iPhone happened, and everything changed seemingly overnight. With the rise of smartphones and tablets, the arc of consumer computing has been radically altered.
On the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta, two Italian hackers have been searching for bugs -- not the island's many beetle varieties, but secret flaws in computer code that governments pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn about and exploit. The hackers, Luigi Auriemma, 32, and Donato Ferrante, 28, sell technical details of such vulnerabilities to countries that want to break into the computer systems of foreign adversaries. The two will not reveal the clients of their company, ReVuln, but big buyers of services like theirs include the National Security Agency...
Click on their website http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/Cleaning-service_c1.
“The Amish basically live as if it were 1860,” Holbreich told me. “They’re very clean. They have indoor plumbing. Their houses are immaculate. Their children get vaccinated, but they spend time — and their mothers spend time when pregnant — in the barn around all kinds of things: cow manure, food for the animals .?.?.”In other words, these aren’t the kind of people who go everywhere with a bottle of Purell in each pocket. For whatever reason, the Amish have a very low rate of asthma and allergies when compared with the rest of the population.
Not that things were necessarily better in the 19th century. “Look at what it was like in 1860: people dying from dysentery, typhoid fever, diphtheria, polio, measles,” Holbreich said. “The upside is, through hygiene, better public sanitation and immunization, we’ve essentially eliminated the major killers of the 1860s, which were infections. The trade-off is, yes, maybe by having a cleaner environment and fewer infections, we’ve brought on more allergies.”
Please note that Holbreich is not saying that parents shouldn’t immunize their children. They should. The Amish do. He just wonders what exactly it is about the Amish lifestyle that translates into fewer allergies and whether it’s replicable for more modern Americans, short of keeping a cow in our living rooms.
But you are no doubt wondering about my research. It is based on careful observation in men’s rooms over the past 30 years. Back in the 1980s a typical restroom had, in addition to toilets and urinals, a sink or two, some soap and a towel.
At the low end, the soap may have been a scary-looking, grayish slab of Lava resting on the sink’s cracked rim. The towel may have been one of those continuous roller things that you pulled down on, exposing what you prayed was a clean section of fabric but suspected was just a bit someone had used before you that was finally rotating back around.
Then certain pantywaists among us decided that the real problem with the public restroom was the doorknob you touched on the way out. About 15 years ago, I noticed the floors of restrooms starting to become mysteriously littered with paper towels just near the exits. Men (and I assume women) had decided that it was safer to open the door with a paper towel and then scoot out, even if that meant leaving a mess behind.
At The Washington Post, janitors started positioning a trash can near the door, so these germophobes could at least toss their waste in a bin.And now it’s come to this: Not long ago, I was in the restroom of a fancy office building. In addition to a trash can on the floor near the door, there was a wall-mounted dispenser full of squares of paper towel. These towels were too small to dry your hands with and existed only to use in grasping the door handle. This was a sanitary door-opening system.
My God, people, are you that afraid of bacteria? What’s next in the anti-infection arms race? Disposable gloves that you put on after washing your hands, then remove and dispose of in an incinerator after leaving the bathroom? A Barbicide emergency shower and eyewash station?
Microsoft has always been a giant castle with many fortresses. Internal battles and power struggles have led individual divisions to focus on their own success to the detriment of collaboration. Over the years, it's resulted in a number of false starts, delayed products, and departures of key employees. CEO Steve Ballmer, it seems, has finally reached his breaking point. Microsoft announced some major management and structural changes on Thursday. In an email to employees, Ballmer outlined the far-reaching measures under the slogan "One Microsoft."
Processors designed by the folks at ARM have been around for ages, but they've mostly inhabited computing devices you probably didn't particularly like: sluggish GPS units, slow-as-molasses in-flight entertainment systems, digital picture frames, and the like. For a time, these devices were relatively cheap and becoming more common thanks to the magic of Moore's Law, but they didn't have much else to recommend them. Then, of course, the iPhone happened, and everything changed seemingly overnight. With the rise of smartphones and tablets, the arc of consumer computing has been radically altered.
On the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta, two Italian hackers have been searching for bugs -- not the island's many beetle varieties, but secret flaws in computer code that governments pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn about and exploit. The hackers, Luigi Auriemma, 32, and Donato Ferrante, 28, sell technical details of such vulnerabilities to countries that want to break into the computer systems of foreign adversaries. The two will not reveal the clients of their company, ReVuln, but big buyers of services like theirs include the National Security Agency...
Click on their website http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/Cleaning-service_c1.
Sun, sand and style
At first glance, the Italianate-style home, with its wrap around porch and copper-topped cupola, looks as if it has stood on Cape May's Washington Street since the 1870s, the same time its neighbor, the Emlen Physick Estate, was constructed.But its owners, the people who fell in love with the nation's first seaside resort, married there 11 years ago and have decided to make their home there, have yet to move in.
The Cavalier Cottage, a 2,800-square-foot house with a 900-square-foot wraparound porch, was built in 2013. And before Ioanna Illiopulos and Tom Cataldo can call it home, it will be known — through Oct. 31 —as Cape May's Eighth Annual Show House.When the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities, which sponsors the show house, decided to return to the fundraiser after a year off, the cottage seemed a perfect fit.
Designers selected their first and second choices from 17 areas, inside and out, that are featured in the show, said Anne Gibboni, show house manager. They submitted preliminary sketches and ideas, and were assigned spaces raging from the front porch, to the breakfast room to the grounds.An on June 11, after the final coat of finish on the 3,000 square-feet of Brazilian teak that covers the floors of the house and porch was dry, the designers and their builders went to work. Three weeks later, the finished product opened to the public, and it will remain so through Oct. 31.
Even before visitors go inside, they know they're at a special place. Oversized, custom-made mahogany doors with windows that look out onto Washington Street greet them off the porch, which sports ornately carved teak benches on either side of the entrance.Once inside, they are drawn to the study/dining room area, a collaboration of Joseph Tenaglia Jr. of Joseph Design in Wildwood Crest and Lisa Iannucci of Living Ingredients in Cape May.
Together, they have created a space that Tenaglia calls "real and naturalistic." Using pieces that Iannucci has recreated or refurbished from vintage furniture and accessories, the rooms, which feature soft, seaside hues, mix modern style with a nod to the Victorian.The dining table is made from wood that came from a circa 1840 Leesburg, Cumberland County, barn. Under its glass top are shards of barn wood and tufts of cotton, offering a truly rustic feel. Burlap cording on the legs serves as an accent.
The upholstery on the dining chairs uses swatches of fabric from vintage men's suit, cut and stitched together in a chevron pattern. The chair backs are chicken wire, while vintage glass doorknobs add an interesting touch.Built-in shelving is painted with automotive paint; the result is a wood-like appearance.Off the dining room is the sunporch, which is a testament to the beauty in found items.
Designer Carole Roach has used woven seating from Barlow Tyrie in Moorestown as a focal point in the white-and-blue space, which is filled with repurposed and inexpensive items.Lamps, now sporting new shades, were found on one of Roach's trash night forays. (The designer is known as "The Dumpster Diva.") Accent tables cost $7 at IKEA; decorative wall hangings came from the dollar store.
The view, however, is worth a million dollars: Both the front porch and the backyard gardens can be seen beyond the blue and white striped fabric that hangs in the room's many windows.About that front porch: Designed by Sandra McDowell of New Interior Creations in Egg Harbor Township, it also features Barlow Tyrie furnishings, including a cafe table and chairs and teak seating made plush with colorful cushions and pillows.
Hanging baskets filled with ferns and petunias finish the setting.The kitchen, by Ocean Interiors of Rio Grande, while totally modern with stainless steel appliances and an oversized white porcelain sink, has a bit of the old Cape May: A tile backsplash featuring a vintage area map.Brown, white and gray are the predominant colors here, while the walls are painted a shade of teal.
Steps away, the breakfast nook by Wanderlust of Cape May, has a round pedestal table that screams "cozy" with caster mini-chairs covered in earth-toned linen. Three large windows overlook the backyard patio and garden.A by-the-sea theme is strong: The placemats feature a seashell design, while throw pillow are a starfish pattern. Vintage mermaids, many of which are salvaged, accessorize the area.
Making good use of the space underneath the stairs, the nearby first floor bath, called "Birds of a Feather" by Rita Cipolla of Accessories Plus in Williamstown, is all about the vanity. A robin's-egg blue cabinet inspired the mosaic tile floor made of Carrera and Thasso marble inlaid with circles of robin's egg blue glass.The marble-and-glass pattern is repeated in the shower.
In the family room, Janis Schmidt of Dragonfly Interiors in Cape May has created a beach-themed retreat in sand and aqua hues. Fish and sea coral designs turn up on accessories, artwork and fabrics throughout the space.Next door, the study, also designed by Schmidt, focuses on a beach theme as well. Navy and white are the predominant hues, while a 1,000-pound mirror, fashioned from a series of irregular circles, takes over one wall.
On the home's second floor are three bedrooms and two baths, including one that has features dual access.Bedroom, nicknamed "Artsian" by artist Victoria Revoir, features recycled furniture — headboard, side tables — enhanced with colorful shards of vintage china.A chair and hassock with their pattern of oversized loops of fabric, sit in a corner awaiting a good book and someone to read it.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/End-of-lease-cleaning_p3.html!
The Cavalier Cottage, a 2,800-square-foot house with a 900-square-foot wraparound porch, was built in 2013. And before Ioanna Illiopulos and Tom Cataldo can call it home, it will be known — through Oct. 31 —as Cape May's Eighth Annual Show House.When the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities, which sponsors the show house, decided to return to the fundraiser after a year off, the cottage seemed a perfect fit.
Designers selected their first and second choices from 17 areas, inside and out, that are featured in the show, said Anne Gibboni, show house manager. They submitted preliminary sketches and ideas, and were assigned spaces raging from the front porch, to the breakfast room to the grounds.An on June 11, after the final coat of finish on the 3,000 square-feet of Brazilian teak that covers the floors of the house and porch was dry, the designers and their builders went to work. Three weeks later, the finished product opened to the public, and it will remain so through Oct. 31.
Even before visitors go inside, they know they're at a special place. Oversized, custom-made mahogany doors with windows that look out onto Washington Street greet them off the porch, which sports ornately carved teak benches on either side of the entrance.Once inside, they are drawn to the study/dining room area, a collaboration of Joseph Tenaglia Jr. of Joseph Design in Wildwood Crest and Lisa Iannucci of Living Ingredients in Cape May.
Together, they have created a space that Tenaglia calls "real and naturalistic." Using pieces that Iannucci has recreated or refurbished from vintage furniture and accessories, the rooms, which feature soft, seaside hues, mix modern style with a nod to the Victorian.The dining table is made from wood that came from a circa 1840 Leesburg, Cumberland County, barn. Under its glass top are shards of barn wood and tufts of cotton, offering a truly rustic feel. Burlap cording on the legs serves as an accent.
The upholstery on the dining chairs uses swatches of fabric from vintage men's suit, cut and stitched together in a chevron pattern. The chair backs are chicken wire, while vintage glass doorknobs add an interesting touch.Built-in shelving is painted with automotive paint; the result is a wood-like appearance.Off the dining room is the sunporch, which is a testament to the beauty in found items.
Designer Carole Roach has used woven seating from Barlow Tyrie in Moorestown as a focal point in the white-and-blue space, which is filled with repurposed and inexpensive items.Lamps, now sporting new shades, were found on one of Roach's trash night forays. (The designer is known as "The Dumpster Diva.") Accent tables cost $7 at IKEA; decorative wall hangings came from the dollar store.
The view, however, is worth a million dollars: Both the front porch and the backyard gardens can be seen beyond the blue and white striped fabric that hangs in the room's many windows.About that front porch: Designed by Sandra McDowell of New Interior Creations in Egg Harbor Township, it also features Barlow Tyrie furnishings, including a cafe table and chairs and teak seating made plush with colorful cushions and pillows.
Hanging baskets filled with ferns and petunias finish the setting.The kitchen, by Ocean Interiors of Rio Grande, while totally modern with stainless steel appliances and an oversized white porcelain sink, has a bit of the old Cape May: A tile backsplash featuring a vintage area map.Brown, white and gray are the predominant colors here, while the walls are painted a shade of teal.
Steps away, the breakfast nook by Wanderlust of Cape May, has a round pedestal table that screams "cozy" with caster mini-chairs covered in earth-toned linen. Three large windows overlook the backyard patio and garden.A by-the-sea theme is strong: The placemats feature a seashell design, while throw pillow are a starfish pattern. Vintage mermaids, many of which are salvaged, accessorize the area.
Making good use of the space underneath the stairs, the nearby first floor bath, called "Birds of a Feather" by Rita Cipolla of Accessories Plus in Williamstown, is all about the vanity. A robin's-egg blue cabinet inspired the mosaic tile floor made of Carrera and Thasso marble inlaid with circles of robin's egg blue glass.The marble-and-glass pattern is repeated in the shower.
In the family room, Janis Schmidt of Dragonfly Interiors in Cape May has created a beach-themed retreat in sand and aqua hues. Fish and sea coral designs turn up on accessories, artwork and fabrics throughout the space.Next door, the study, also designed by Schmidt, focuses on a beach theme as well. Navy and white are the predominant hues, while a 1,000-pound mirror, fashioned from a series of irregular circles, takes over one wall.
On the home's second floor are three bedrooms and two baths, including one that has features dual access.Bedroom, nicknamed "Artsian" by artist Victoria Revoir, features recycled furniture — headboard, side tables — enhanced with colorful shards of vintage china.A chair and hassock with their pattern of oversized loops of fabric, sit in a corner awaiting a good book and someone to read it.
Read the full products at http://www.mvpcleaning.com.au/End-of-lease-cleaning_p3.html!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Vida Loafman Driscoll
Vida Loafman Driscoll, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend, died in Viroqua on Saturday, June 22, 2013. She was 98 years old and remained active, independent and alert up until the last few days of her life. Born on Jan. 20, 1915, to Martin and Elfrieda Freeman Loafman at Reading, near Worthington, Nobles County, Minn., she was the third of four siblings: Milo, Cleo and younger brother Russell. The family lived for a time in Wheatland, N.D., before moving to Sheldon, Iowa, where “Vi” graduated high school in 1932, and soon after worked for the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company as a "number please" operator, when one-, two- and three-digit phone numbers connected people and informed of emergency situations. Vi, herself, proved a crucial lifeline for several callers in dire emergency situations.
In 1939, Vi married her high school sweetheart Paul H. Driscoll. He was a beloved and respected high school coach and teacher in Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota, and was later mayor of Clarkfield, Minn. They shared 61 years of happy life together until Paul passed away in Viroqua in 2001. Together they raised three sons, Robert Bob Russell, Charles Chuck Loyd and John Paul. Also included in Vi and Paul's immediate family is niece, Gladys Noack Duckson.
Vi was a loving wife, caring mother, glittering friend, intrepid entrepreneur, consummate political activist and ardent football fan. She owned and operated dry cleaning establishments in Marshall and Clarkfield, ran the popular Vi’s Café in Clarkfield, and founded Vi’s Uniform Shop in Brainerd, Minn. With her usual high energy and abundant good cheer, she redefined the uniform business with fashion merchandising, store décor and high level customer service. She set new industry standards and was recognized as a trendsetter by uniform manufacturers throughout the country.
As chair of the Clarkfield Housing Authority, Vi successfully fought to obtain the necessary funding and city and federal support that resulted in the construction of Valhalla, a Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD apartment complex, which provided homes for low-income seniors, and was dedicated Sept. 19, 1971. Vice President Walter Mondale spoke of Vi as “a futuristic thinker and one of the early activists to recognize the need for low-cost housing for the elderly in the rural areas of America.”
Vi was an avid fan of high school and professional sports. She thoroughly understood the game of football and was a longtime Minnesota Vikings fan, and in recent years, after moving to Wisconsin, was also a devoted Green Bay Packers supporter. Vi organized “Packer Parties” among the residents of Park View Plaza and wore her favorite sequined Packers jersey every Saturday during the football season. She founded a Walking Club for exercise and conviviality at Park View, where she lived for the last 12 years. The club measured the length of the building’s hallways and calculated walking distances to neighboring towns and beyond. Keeping track of steps and distance, Vi compiled enough steps to have "walked" to and from Minneapolis. Three days before her passing she tallied a mile of pedaling on a stationary bike.
Vi’s earliest memory was of the Armistice Celebration marking the end of World War I. As an adult, she wrote to presidents, senators and representatives and supported military troops with care packages of baked and useful goods and letters of encouragement from World War II to Afghanistan. She maintained a lively and abiding interest in current events, enjoyed telling stories and commenting on politics, and making and cherishing friendships wherever she lived. She was a Past Matron of Eastern Star, of which she was a member for more than 50 years, and she mischievously enjoyed being a longtime member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles.
Vi is survived by and will be deeply missed by her three sons and daughters-in-law, Bob of Granite Falls, Minn., Chuck and Jean of Viroqua, John and Marylyn of New York City and Gladys and Bob Duckson of Burnsville, Minn. Vi also leaves grandchildren, Daniel and Cindy of Los Angeles, Amy of Viroqua, Emily of New York City and Gillian of Austin, Texas, as well as great-grandchildren, Emilia, Isabel, Adeline, William and Owen Driscoll. Also surviving are nieces, Mary Olive Gary Japenga of Sanborn, Iowa, Donna Plato of San Francisco, Mary Ann Driscoll of Corning, Calif., and nephews, Chris Loafman of Cupertino, Calif., Steve Driscoll of Seattle, Wash., and Tom Driscoll of San Francisco. Services will be announced at the convenience of the family.
New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial and senatorial candidates have found a point of agreement: They all blame Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the big banks for mishandling the state’s foreclosure crisis.A host of Democratic politicians gathered on a sunny side street in Newark’s Vailsburg neighborhood to support Grace Alexander, a medical aide locked in a four-year struggle with Bank of America over the fate of her home.
The event, organized by the labor union to which Alexander belongs, gave state Sen. Barbara Buono, the party’s gubernatorial standard-bearer, and four competing U.S. Senate candidates the chance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and cut loose before a throng of television cameras.Buono said slow action by the state caused “families to be displaced from their homes” while whole neighborhoods have been undermined by lowered property values due to vacant homes. This is “preventing our economy from coming back,” Buono declared to applause.
But it was city officials who told residents what they most wanted to hear. They threatened to use eminent domain powers to take over properties that are vacant or in foreclosure limbo, in order to clear them to be put back on the market.Using eminent domain against bank-held mortgages has stirred controversy elsewhere in the nation, but some speakers suggested it in April at a Newark council committee hearing.“The barriers in our way include a governor who will not do his job,” Councilman Ron Rice Jr. said to cheers. “But there are certain things that communities can do of our own volition, using our own powers.”
While stopping short of Rice’s endorsement of the eminent domain tactic, Councilman Darrin Sharif said he is ready to consider the move. Mayor Cory Booker, considered the front-runner for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination, hinted at supporting the idea but did not endorse it directly.“We’re going to explore all the tools in the toolkit” of municipal powers to fight the tide of foreclosures swamping much of the city, Booker said. These neighborhoods suffering from foreclosures includes Alexander’s traditionally stable, working-class neighborhood, the local officials noted.
In the financial wreckage left by the Great Recession, banks and investors have purchased large swaths of housing in Newark and other urban areas. In April, Communities United New Jersey presented a report estimating vacant properties cost the city $56 million in police, fire, health and other costs from 2008 through 2012.Groups like CUNJ and 1199 Service Employees International Union Health Care Employees East, which sponsored the press conference, fear those properties are being held off the market to inflate prices artificially.
In 1939, Vi married her high school sweetheart Paul H. Driscoll. He was a beloved and respected high school coach and teacher in Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota, and was later mayor of Clarkfield, Minn. They shared 61 years of happy life together until Paul passed away in Viroqua in 2001. Together they raised three sons, Robert Bob Russell, Charles Chuck Loyd and John Paul. Also included in Vi and Paul's immediate family is niece, Gladys Noack Duckson.
Vi was a loving wife, caring mother, glittering friend, intrepid entrepreneur, consummate political activist and ardent football fan. She owned and operated dry cleaning establishments in Marshall and Clarkfield, ran the popular Vi’s Café in Clarkfield, and founded Vi’s Uniform Shop in Brainerd, Minn. With her usual high energy and abundant good cheer, she redefined the uniform business with fashion merchandising, store décor and high level customer service. She set new industry standards and was recognized as a trendsetter by uniform manufacturers throughout the country.
As chair of the Clarkfield Housing Authority, Vi successfully fought to obtain the necessary funding and city and federal support that resulted in the construction of Valhalla, a Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD apartment complex, which provided homes for low-income seniors, and was dedicated Sept. 19, 1971. Vice President Walter Mondale spoke of Vi as “a futuristic thinker and one of the early activists to recognize the need for low-cost housing for the elderly in the rural areas of America.”
Vi was an avid fan of high school and professional sports. She thoroughly understood the game of football and was a longtime Minnesota Vikings fan, and in recent years, after moving to Wisconsin, was also a devoted Green Bay Packers supporter. Vi organized “Packer Parties” among the residents of Park View Plaza and wore her favorite sequined Packers jersey every Saturday during the football season. She founded a Walking Club for exercise and conviviality at Park View, where she lived for the last 12 years. The club measured the length of the building’s hallways and calculated walking distances to neighboring towns and beyond. Keeping track of steps and distance, Vi compiled enough steps to have "walked" to and from Minneapolis. Three days before her passing she tallied a mile of pedaling on a stationary bike.
Vi’s earliest memory was of the Armistice Celebration marking the end of World War I. As an adult, she wrote to presidents, senators and representatives and supported military troops with care packages of baked and useful goods and letters of encouragement from World War II to Afghanistan. She maintained a lively and abiding interest in current events, enjoyed telling stories and commenting on politics, and making and cherishing friendships wherever she lived. She was a Past Matron of Eastern Star, of which she was a member for more than 50 years, and she mischievously enjoyed being a longtime member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles.
Vi is survived by and will be deeply missed by her three sons and daughters-in-law, Bob of Granite Falls, Minn., Chuck and Jean of Viroqua, John and Marylyn of New York City and Gladys and Bob Duckson of Burnsville, Minn. Vi also leaves grandchildren, Daniel and Cindy of Los Angeles, Amy of Viroqua, Emily of New York City and Gillian of Austin, Texas, as well as great-grandchildren, Emilia, Isabel, Adeline, William and Owen Driscoll. Also surviving are nieces, Mary Olive Gary Japenga of Sanborn, Iowa, Donna Plato of San Francisco, Mary Ann Driscoll of Corning, Calif., and nephews, Chris Loafman of Cupertino, Calif., Steve Driscoll of Seattle, Wash., and Tom Driscoll of San Francisco. Services will be announced at the convenience of the family.
New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial and senatorial candidates have found a point of agreement: They all blame Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the big banks for mishandling the state’s foreclosure crisis.A host of Democratic politicians gathered on a sunny side street in Newark’s Vailsburg neighborhood to support Grace Alexander, a medical aide locked in a four-year struggle with Bank of America over the fate of her home.
The event, organized by the labor union to which Alexander belongs, gave state Sen. Barbara Buono, the party’s gubernatorial standard-bearer, and four competing U.S. Senate candidates the chance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and cut loose before a throng of television cameras.Buono said slow action by the state caused “families to be displaced from their homes” while whole neighborhoods have been undermined by lowered property values due to vacant homes. This is “preventing our economy from coming back,” Buono declared to applause.
But it was city officials who told residents what they most wanted to hear. They threatened to use eminent domain powers to take over properties that are vacant or in foreclosure limbo, in order to clear them to be put back on the market.Using eminent domain against bank-held mortgages has stirred controversy elsewhere in the nation, but some speakers suggested it in April at a Newark council committee hearing.“The barriers in our way include a governor who will not do his job,” Councilman Ron Rice Jr. said to cheers. “But there are certain things that communities can do of our own volition, using our own powers.”
While stopping short of Rice’s endorsement of the eminent domain tactic, Councilman Darrin Sharif said he is ready to consider the move. Mayor Cory Booker, considered the front-runner for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination, hinted at supporting the idea but did not endorse it directly.“We’re going to explore all the tools in the toolkit” of municipal powers to fight the tide of foreclosures swamping much of the city, Booker said. These neighborhoods suffering from foreclosures includes Alexander’s traditionally stable, working-class neighborhood, the local officials noted.
In the financial wreckage left by the Great Recession, banks and investors have purchased large swaths of housing in Newark and other urban areas. In April, Communities United New Jersey presented a report estimating vacant properties cost the city $56 million in police, fire, health and other costs from 2008 through 2012.Groups like CUNJ and 1199 Service Employees International Union Health Care Employees East, which sponsored the press conference, fear those properties are being held off the market to inflate prices artificially.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Statement by Egypt's military chief
"The armed forces couldn't plug its ears or close its eyes as the movement and demands of the masses calling for them to play a national role, not a political role as the armed forces themselves will be the first to proclaim that they will stay away from politics.
The armed forces sensed - given their sharp vision - that the people sought their support, not power or rule but for general services and necessary protection of the demands of the revolution. This is the message that the armed forces received from all over urban Egypt, its cities, and its villages; it (the military) recognized the invitation, understood its intentions, appreciated its necessity and got closer to the national scene hoping, willing and abiding by all limits of duty, responsibility and honesty.
The armed forces have exerted lots of efforts over the past few months, directly and indirectly, to contain the internal situation and carry out a national reconciliation among all political forces including presidency starting on November 2012. It started with a call for national dialogue that all political forces responded to and was rejected by the presidency at the last moment. Then invitations and initiatives followed and continued since this time until this date.
The armed forces presented more than once their strategic assessment of the situation internally and outside the country, including the challenges and the dangers that are facing the nation on the security, economic, political and social levels along with the vision of the armed forces as a national institution on how to contain the causes of the social divisions and remove the causes of congestion and confront the challenges and the dangers to get out of the current crisis.
As part of the follow up to the current crisis, the general command of the armed forces held a meeting with the president of the republic at the Qasr al-Qobba presidential palace on June 22, 2013, during which it presented the opinion of the general command and its rejection of harming the national and religious state institution. And it assured its rejection of terrorizing and threatening the masses of the Egyptian people.
There was hope of achieving national reconciliation, developing a future plan and providing causes of confidence, assurances and stability to the people in order to achieve their ambitions and hopes. But the president's speech last night and before the end of the 48-hour ultimatum didn't meet or agree with the demands of the people. The situation prompted the armed forces, given their national and historic responsibility, to consult with some of the symbols of the national, political and youth forces without excluding or alienating anyone. The participants agreed on the future plan, which includes the initial steps to achieve a strong, coherent Egyptian society that doesn't alienate of its sons and movements and end the state of struggle and divisions.
“We look forward to building on the combined strengths of our organizations,” said Michael Bernstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone. “These include ReD’s operating wind power facilities and development pipeline and team, and Capstone’s sizable Canadian power portfolio, proven financing capability and broad network of relationships in Canada and internationally. In addition, by combining our companies, we will further bolster Capstone’s ability to successfully source, pursue and execute earlier-stage power opportunities. With ReD’s advanced-stage development projects, which are expected to enter into construction in 2013, and the surplus cash Capstone is building up over 2013 and 2014, we see this transaction as a solid strategic match that will contribute to cash flow growth for Capstone. We are confident about the combined team’s ability to realize long-term value for shareholders from our collective businesses.”
Jeffrey Jenner, ReD’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “By combining Capstone and ReD, we are creating a unique company with almost 550 MW of operating and contracted power development assets in Canada. We see this as a strong and complementary fit for both our assets and our team. Capstone’s diversified asset base delivers strong stable cash flow that will allow us to build out our existing development projects and position our combined company for growth in the years ahead.”
Following the completion of the Transaction, it is anticipated that Mr. Uwe Roeper, currently a member of ReD’s Board of Directors, will join Capstone’s Board of Directors. Since 1999, Mr. Roeper has served as President of ORTECH Consulting Inc., a consulting and advisory business that provides technical consulting services related to development and operation of wind power and water power facilities. From 2000 to 2005, he served as Director and Co-founder of Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation, a developer, builder and operator of a hydroelectric project in Ontario and numerous other projects, including several hundred megawatts of wind and small hydro developments. Mr. Roeper currently serves on the boards of several private power project development companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering and Master of Science degree in Water Resource Engineering from the University of Manitoba and is a Professional Engineer.
Capstone expects to integrate members of ReD’s team to help oversee the development of the combined company’s project pipeline and to fulfil asset management responsibilities at the operating facilities. ReD’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Jenner, will support the integration of the two businesses and continue to oversee development and delivery of the project pipeline for the balance of 2013. The current executive management team of Capstone, including Michael Bernstein as President and Chief Executive Officer and Michael Smerdon as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will be unchanged.
Click on their website www.mvpcleaning.com.au for more information.
The armed forces sensed - given their sharp vision - that the people sought their support, not power or rule but for general services and necessary protection of the demands of the revolution. This is the message that the armed forces received from all over urban Egypt, its cities, and its villages; it (the military) recognized the invitation, understood its intentions, appreciated its necessity and got closer to the national scene hoping, willing and abiding by all limits of duty, responsibility and honesty.
The armed forces have exerted lots of efforts over the past few months, directly and indirectly, to contain the internal situation and carry out a national reconciliation among all political forces including presidency starting on November 2012. It started with a call for national dialogue that all political forces responded to and was rejected by the presidency at the last moment. Then invitations and initiatives followed and continued since this time until this date.
The armed forces presented more than once their strategic assessment of the situation internally and outside the country, including the challenges and the dangers that are facing the nation on the security, economic, political and social levels along with the vision of the armed forces as a national institution on how to contain the causes of the social divisions and remove the causes of congestion and confront the challenges and the dangers to get out of the current crisis.
As part of the follow up to the current crisis, the general command of the armed forces held a meeting with the president of the republic at the Qasr al-Qobba presidential palace on June 22, 2013, during which it presented the opinion of the general command and its rejection of harming the national and religious state institution. And it assured its rejection of terrorizing and threatening the masses of the Egyptian people.
There was hope of achieving national reconciliation, developing a future plan and providing causes of confidence, assurances and stability to the people in order to achieve their ambitions and hopes. But the president's speech last night and before the end of the 48-hour ultimatum didn't meet or agree with the demands of the people. The situation prompted the armed forces, given their national and historic responsibility, to consult with some of the symbols of the national, political and youth forces without excluding or alienating anyone. The participants agreed on the future plan, which includes the initial steps to achieve a strong, coherent Egyptian society that doesn't alienate of its sons and movements and end the state of struggle and divisions.
“We look forward to building on the combined strengths of our organizations,” said Michael Bernstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone. “These include ReD’s operating wind power facilities and development pipeline and team, and Capstone’s sizable Canadian power portfolio, proven financing capability and broad network of relationships in Canada and internationally. In addition, by combining our companies, we will further bolster Capstone’s ability to successfully source, pursue and execute earlier-stage power opportunities. With ReD’s advanced-stage development projects, which are expected to enter into construction in 2013, and the surplus cash Capstone is building up over 2013 and 2014, we see this transaction as a solid strategic match that will contribute to cash flow growth for Capstone. We are confident about the combined team’s ability to realize long-term value for shareholders from our collective businesses.”
Jeffrey Jenner, ReD’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “By combining Capstone and ReD, we are creating a unique company with almost 550 MW of operating and contracted power development assets in Canada. We see this as a strong and complementary fit for both our assets and our team. Capstone’s diversified asset base delivers strong stable cash flow that will allow us to build out our existing development projects and position our combined company for growth in the years ahead.”
Following the completion of the Transaction, it is anticipated that Mr. Uwe Roeper, currently a member of ReD’s Board of Directors, will join Capstone’s Board of Directors. Since 1999, Mr. Roeper has served as President of ORTECH Consulting Inc., a consulting and advisory business that provides technical consulting services related to development and operation of wind power and water power facilities. From 2000 to 2005, he served as Director and Co-founder of Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation, a developer, builder and operator of a hydroelectric project in Ontario and numerous other projects, including several hundred megawatts of wind and small hydro developments. Mr. Roeper currently serves on the boards of several private power project development companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering and Master of Science degree in Water Resource Engineering from the University of Manitoba and is a Professional Engineer.
Capstone expects to integrate members of ReD’s team to help oversee the development of the combined company’s project pipeline and to fulfil asset management responsibilities at the operating facilities. ReD’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Jenner, will support the integration of the two businesses and continue to oversee development and delivery of the project pipeline for the balance of 2013. The current executive management team of Capstone, including Michael Bernstein as President and Chief Executive Officer and Michael Smerdon as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will be unchanged.
Click on their website www.mvpcleaning.com.au for more information.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Oklahoma man not giving up fight for chance to raise Baby Veronica
Her trembling finger tapped a cellphone as she called her husband, Matt, who was working at Boeing. I think we won.She twirled across the living room of her James Island home, next to a chair embroidered with Veronica. Her last dance was with the little girl she called her daughter.
But for a year and a half, theyve been apart. Mr. Potato Head, a toy kitchen set and a pile of stickers lined the floorboards, but Veronica wasnt there to play with them.Veronicas father had used a federal law to block the Capobiancos attempt to adopt her because of their shared American Indian blood. What the couple heard Tuesday was their best news yet during the 18 months of legal wrangling to get her back. The court ruled that parts of the law didnt apply because the father never had custody. But her return wouldnt be a sure thing: Thats up to state judges, and none of their options seems more likely than the others.
Its been a lot of ups and downs, Melanie Capobianco told The Post and Courier. But this was the biggest up. Its nice to have hope again.A thousand miles away, Dusten Brown operated heavy rigging outside Tulsa, Okla. His wife cared for Veronica at home.
He knew the court could rule any second, but he wasnt worried. He thought the odds were in his favor. The Indian Child Welfare Act the heavyweight in this fight, the federal law that overruled state laws was in his corner. Other members of the Cherokee Nation and tribes elsewhere stood with him too.
His phone rang. He heard his attorneys voice: He had lost the legal case. He hadnt lost Veronica, but the thought filled his mind the thought of losing the girl who chases two pet geese named Phineas and Ferb through the yard, the child whom he calls boss, the little person who calls him, Daddy.
Im going to keep fighting, he told the newspaper during an interview. This is her home and her life. This is where she belongs.
Legal historians will remember the case of 3-year-old Veronica. To some, it tempers a fear for prospective adoptive parents of Indian children that biological fathers will thwart their plans. To others, it signifies stripping fathers of a chance to step up and care for their own flesh and blood.
But Veronicas fate isnt set in stone. South Carolina judges will write the next chapter in her life, the one about who will raise her.
Justice Samuel Alito ordered Friday that they address the case within seven days. It was a rare move done only one other time in the past decade that nodded at the Capobiancos desire to quickly reunite with Veronica.
Its unknown how long the process will take. Browns parental rights never were terminated, and his attorneys still could invoke other portions of ICWA that were not challenged in Washington.Attorney Shannon Jones opened her eyes Tuesday morning in a southern California hotel room. As Browns lawyer from the start in Charleston County Family Court, she had been invited to talk that day to 400 attorneys, social workers and American Indians who handle ICWA cases.
But Jones knew the Veronica ruling could come that same day. It was 7 a.m. as she stared at a blog that covers the Supreme Court.What would she tell the audience members if the court struck down the federal law? Such a ruling could leave them jobless. It was an unlikely scenario, but it floated in her mind.This device will allow you to change the information on magnetic stripe Offering Stream Carpet cleaning Services.
The first bit of information flickered on Jones computer screen. She saw that Alito, a conservative justice, had written for the majority. The news wouldnt be good for her.
She feverishly read the opinion, knowing she would be speaking about it four hours later. She told the conference attendees that the ruling was a loss for her client and a setback for ICWA, but the law still stood.Clarence Thomas was the only justice who deemed the act unconstitutional. He thought it was absurd that Congress could tell states to change their custody laws just because a child has Indian blood.
So this wasnt the end, Jones told the packed conference room. If anything, the court had raised more questions showing an even greater need for specialists who defend ICWA,We Best Carpet Cleaning Services with competitive price and first-class service. which was enacted in 1978 to stop the forceful removal of Indian children from their homes.The conferences attendees stood and clapped. Some cried. Some sang prayers.
The mood was somber, but it was a call to action, Jones said. Theyre more determined than ever to fight for their rights.Alito based his opinion on a literal reading of the law. He saw a provision that said it guarded continued custody from being interrupted. Brown never had Veronica, so the laws provisions preventing Browns rights from being terminated didnt apply.
But his ruling didnt force a change in custody. The Supreme Court doesnt have that authority. But he pointed out a state law that a childs unwed father has no parental rights.The decision was close, 5-4, and Justice Stephen Breyer seemed to be the wild card the swing vote that tipped the court against Jones client.
Breyer, known for his more liberal leanings, agreed that Brown wasnt protected by ICWA, but he feared that too many dads would lose their parental rights because of the ruling. The justice asked: What if a father who, unlike Brown, had paid child support and visited occasionally? He, too, could be stripped of those rights because he never had custody.
Fifteen years ago, Moore successfully fought back a biological fathers attempt to take his twin sons through ICWA. The boys had some Indian blood but no link to a tribe. Nobody had expressed interest in them until Moore tried to adopt them.
Now a child welfare advocate in California, he helped form the Mount Pleasant-based Coalition for the Protection of Indian Children & Families. It rallies support around people like him and the Capobiancos.In Los Angeles recently, a family tried to adopt an 18-month-old with little Indian blood. But relatives from another state stepped in.
Time and time again, the tribe is in charge and can do whatever the tribe wants, he said. I hope this makes the judges put the best interests of the child first.
After the ruling, Christinna Maldanado, the biological mother, didnt feel as helpless as she had.She had given up her parental rights to let the Capobiancos adopt Veronica, so when Brown stopped the proceeding, she had no say.At least initially, the only issue for the states top judges will be the finalization of the couples adoption. They can go about that a number of ways.
They could ask a Family Court judge to rewind two years and hear the case again as if nothing in the past 18 months mattered except for the high courts decision.
What seems more likely to John Nichols, who fought for Brown in the S.C. Supreme Court, is that the justices will send the case back to Family Court. Judges would be ordered to abide by Alitos decision, reconsider the facts and decide on the Capobiancos adoption petition.
However it goes, it wont be easy for anyone.We are in uncharted waters, Nichols said. We have been from the very beginning. The map is still not complete.The proceedings could occur out of the public eye as they did in 2011.The state bars people involved in a custody case from leaking certain information, including court documents. Thats why Mark Fiddler, a Minnesota attorney who argued for the Capobiancos in the S.C. Supreme Court, said he couldnt talk about what he had in store this time around.
But the privacy guarded by the law is all but gone for Baby Veronica. Readers and viewers of major newspapers and television networks have seen her face and heard her story.Attorneys for Brown think a family judge should unseal past court documents and open the proceedings.
Judge Deborah Malphrus, who heard the Veronica case during her first week on the bench, wrote a detailed ruling in the case that irons out some disputed facts. If people knew more about how Brown had tried to marry Veronicas biological mother and start a family with her, theyd understand that he hadnt entirely given up his desire to be in the girls life, Browns attorneys said.
But for a year and a half, theyve been apart. Mr. Potato Head, a toy kitchen set and a pile of stickers lined the floorboards, but Veronica wasnt there to play with them.Veronicas father had used a federal law to block the Capobiancos attempt to adopt her because of their shared American Indian blood. What the couple heard Tuesday was their best news yet during the 18 months of legal wrangling to get her back. The court ruled that parts of the law didnt apply because the father never had custody. But her return wouldnt be a sure thing: Thats up to state judges, and none of their options seems more likely than the others.
Its been a lot of ups and downs, Melanie Capobianco told The Post and Courier. But this was the biggest up. Its nice to have hope again.A thousand miles away, Dusten Brown operated heavy rigging outside Tulsa, Okla. His wife cared for Veronica at home.
He knew the court could rule any second, but he wasnt worried. He thought the odds were in his favor. The Indian Child Welfare Act the heavyweight in this fight, the federal law that overruled state laws was in his corner. Other members of the Cherokee Nation and tribes elsewhere stood with him too.
His phone rang. He heard his attorneys voice: He had lost the legal case. He hadnt lost Veronica, but the thought filled his mind the thought of losing the girl who chases two pet geese named Phineas and Ferb through the yard, the child whom he calls boss, the little person who calls him, Daddy.
Im going to keep fighting, he told the newspaper during an interview. This is her home and her life. This is where she belongs.
Legal historians will remember the case of 3-year-old Veronica. To some, it tempers a fear for prospective adoptive parents of Indian children that biological fathers will thwart their plans. To others, it signifies stripping fathers of a chance to step up and care for their own flesh and blood.
But Veronicas fate isnt set in stone. South Carolina judges will write the next chapter in her life, the one about who will raise her.
Justice Samuel Alito ordered Friday that they address the case within seven days. It was a rare move done only one other time in the past decade that nodded at the Capobiancos desire to quickly reunite with Veronica.
Its unknown how long the process will take. Browns parental rights never were terminated, and his attorneys still could invoke other portions of ICWA that were not challenged in Washington.Attorney Shannon Jones opened her eyes Tuesday morning in a southern California hotel room. As Browns lawyer from the start in Charleston County Family Court, she had been invited to talk that day to 400 attorneys, social workers and American Indians who handle ICWA cases.
But Jones knew the Veronica ruling could come that same day. It was 7 a.m. as she stared at a blog that covers the Supreme Court.What would she tell the audience members if the court struck down the federal law? Such a ruling could leave them jobless. It was an unlikely scenario, but it floated in her mind.This device will allow you to change the information on magnetic stripe Offering Stream Carpet cleaning Services.
The first bit of information flickered on Jones computer screen. She saw that Alito, a conservative justice, had written for the majority. The news wouldnt be good for her.
She feverishly read the opinion, knowing she would be speaking about it four hours later. She told the conference attendees that the ruling was a loss for her client and a setback for ICWA, but the law still stood.Clarence Thomas was the only justice who deemed the act unconstitutional. He thought it was absurd that Congress could tell states to change their custody laws just because a child has Indian blood.
So this wasnt the end, Jones told the packed conference room. If anything, the court had raised more questions showing an even greater need for specialists who defend ICWA,We Best Carpet Cleaning Services with competitive price and first-class service. which was enacted in 1978 to stop the forceful removal of Indian children from their homes.The conferences attendees stood and clapped. Some cried. Some sang prayers.
The mood was somber, but it was a call to action, Jones said. Theyre more determined than ever to fight for their rights.Alito based his opinion on a literal reading of the law. He saw a provision that said it guarded continued custody from being interrupted. Brown never had Veronica, so the laws provisions preventing Browns rights from being terminated didnt apply.
But his ruling didnt force a change in custody. The Supreme Court doesnt have that authority. But he pointed out a state law that a childs unwed father has no parental rights.The decision was close, 5-4, and Justice Stephen Breyer seemed to be the wild card the swing vote that tipped the court against Jones client.
Breyer, known for his more liberal leanings, agreed that Brown wasnt protected by ICWA, but he feared that too many dads would lose their parental rights because of the ruling. The justice asked: What if a father who, unlike Brown, had paid child support and visited occasionally? He, too, could be stripped of those rights because he never had custody.
Fifteen years ago, Moore successfully fought back a biological fathers attempt to take his twin sons through ICWA. The boys had some Indian blood but no link to a tribe. Nobody had expressed interest in them until Moore tried to adopt them.
Now a child welfare advocate in California, he helped form the Mount Pleasant-based Coalition for the Protection of Indian Children & Families. It rallies support around people like him and the Capobiancos.In Los Angeles recently, a family tried to adopt an 18-month-old with little Indian blood. But relatives from another state stepped in.
Time and time again, the tribe is in charge and can do whatever the tribe wants, he said. I hope this makes the judges put the best interests of the child first.
After the ruling, Christinna Maldanado, the biological mother, didnt feel as helpless as she had.She had given up her parental rights to let the Capobiancos adopt Veronica, so when Brown stopped the proceeding, she had no say.At least initially, the only issue for the states top judges will be the finalization of the couples adoption. They can go about that a number of ways.
They could ask a Family Court judge to rewind two years and hear the case again as if nothing in the past 18 months mattered except for the high courts decision.
What seems more likely to John Nichols, who fought for Brown in the S.C. Supreme Court, is that the justices will send the case back to Family Court. Judges would be ordered to abide by Alitos decision, reconsider the facts and decide on the Capobiancos adoption petition.
However it goes, it wont be easy for anyone.We are in uncharted waters, Nichols said. We have been from the very beginning. The map is still not complete.The proceedings could occur out of the public eye as they did in 2011.The state bars people involved in a custody case from leaking certain information, including court documents. Thats why Mark Fiddler, a Minnesota attorney who argued for the Capobiancos in the S.C. Supreme Court, said he couldnt talk about what he had in store this time around.
But the privacy guarded by the law is all but gone for Baby Veronica. Readers and viewers of major newspapers and television networks have seen her face and heard her story.Attorneys for Brown think a family judge should unseal past court documents and open the proceedings.
Judge Deborah Malphrus, who heard the Veronica case during her first week on the bench, wrote a detailed ruling in the case that irons out some disputed facts. If people knew more about how Brown had tried to marry Veronicas biological mother and start a family with her, theyd understand that he hadnt entirely given up his desire to be in the girls life, Browns attorneys said.
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