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38-1 Nitrogen and Irrigation Effects on Seed Yield, Oil Content and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Camelina.
Monday, October 23, 2017: 8:05 AM
Marriott Tampa Waterside, Grand Ballroom B
Camelina (Camelina sativa) has been suggested as an especially drought tolerant and low-N requiring biofuel feedstock suitable for dryland systems. Efficient targeting of promising crops requires a precise assessment of crop response to water and N. We conducted a two-year study in Maricopa, AZ under a linear-move overhead sprinkler system with 10 water levels (irrigation fraction 0.5 to 1.1) and five N fertilizer rates (38 to 150 kg N ha-1). Camelina cultivar ‘Robinson’ was planted on the 16th and 4th of December, in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied in three split applications as 320 g N kg-1 urea ammonium nitrate with a high clearance tractor and variable rate fertilizer nozzles. Irrigation amounts were 125 to 380 mm, and in-season rain was only 70 and 50 mm in the two seasons, 2012-2013, and 2013-2014, respectively. Seed yields of camelina were maximum at water level 8 (Irrigation fraction 1.0) in 2013 at 1850 kg ha-1. Maximum seed yields were 1600 kg ha-1 at water level 10 (irrigation fraction 1.1) in 2014, which was a warmer winter than 2012-2013. Nitrogen fertilizer response did not plateau in 2013 above water level 3 (irrigation fraction 0.6). In 2014, the optimal N rate was 113 kg N ha-1. Oil concentration was maximum at 40 %, declined with N rate, but was not affected by irrigation level. This study suggests that high camelina seed yields can be obtained with modest N and water inputs the Western US.
Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>

domain: agronomy


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Botox Cosmetic is America’s number one non-invasive cosmetic treatment. It garners great reviews, great results, and affordable access. With its ever-increasing popularity, sometimes we forget a few truths about this mainstream treatment.
Truth #1: A full treatment is 84 units
According to the studies submitted to the FDA by Allergan, the recommended full treatment is 84 units. 20 units will be used for the glabella (area between and slightly above the forehead) lines, 24 units will be used for crow’s feet and 40 units will be used for the forehead lines.
FDA study here – link here – https://www.allergan.com/assets/pdf/botox_cosmetic_pi.pdf
Truth #2: A full treatment is better than partial treatment.
Can you get fewer units? Yes, patients ultimately choose how much Botox they want. If you are on a budget, we recommend focussing your budget on getting a full treatment in your desired areas. For example, if you only want to spend on 40 units, then you can choose forehead lines OR crow’s feet and glabella. Do not try to spread the units to all areas or you will not get any results.
Truth #3: 10-15% of patients will not see improvement in facial lines
Like with any medical treatment, results can vary based on biology and results are not always 100% predictable. The study linked above treated subjects with the full dose of Botox and assessors graded line improvement. What they observed was that 10 – 15% of subjects had no noticeable improvement.
Truth #4: 57% of patients will be satisfied with their treatment
Even with optimal dosing, Botox Cosmetic will achieve desired outcomes 57% of the time. The study doesn’t go into why patients aren’t more satisfied with their treatments; However, our collective experience can perhaps shine some light. We recently spoke to a patient who was curious about Botox Cosmetic because she had a few lines on her forehead. Her question was “Will Botox Cosmetic help with this line?”. After asking her to do a few expressions we observed that her forehead lines were creased. This means that even without expression, the line is still visible. In this case, Botox Cosmetic will not help erase those lines. It will help prevent new lines from forming but creased lines will not see any improvement. We believe there is a disconnect in what and what cannot be accomplished with Botox Cosmetic.
If I do have creased lines, what can I do about it?
Improving your creased lines is accomplished using one principle: force your skin to produce more collagen to repair itself. Luckily, there are various ways to stimulate collagen production:
- Topical Retinoids or Niacinamide. These topical products work by speeding up the cell turnover process from the bottom up. After several months of usage, the result is new skin on the topmost layer of your skin.
- Laser Resurfacing. Laser resurfacing works by buffing away the creased lines using an intense laser. Keep in mind that this is a very intense treatment where great care must be taken in the healing process.
- Exfoliation. Similar to the laser option above but much more mild and uses a mechanical device versus a laser. A common treatment is microdermabrasion. Although effective over the long run, it will take a year’s worth of consistent microdermabrasion treatments to achieve the same results as the laser option listed in point two.
The last piece of advice for patients looking to improve creased lines is the following:
Combination treatments work best!
The best results and the most satisfied patients approach creased lines with a combination of topical products, laser resurfacing, and exfoliation treatments. Improving creased lines takes commitment, consistency, and science.

domain: health


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Picking flowers :D
Found an awesome swing!
They were curious who lived in there.
"Taylor will not hug me!"
I know, I know...I have a ton of pictures of Taylor. I have been taking Taylor on photography adventures during preschool days so I can just play with my camera, practice, snap away and not worry about getting the perfect shot. And besides, can't you see this girl LOVES the camera.

domain: hobby


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Payment Acquirer: PaypalPlus Implementation
Base module for donations
Manage recurring donations
Accrued expenses based on subscriptions
OCA Financial Reports
Comprehensive GST software solution (India)
Technical core for other modules
Lets hide Tax from Accounting
Pagare payment methods and pagare printing
Product Gross/Net Price
1. Use the live chat to ask your questions.
2. The operator answers within a few minutes.

domain: economics


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Zayn is back to blonde in his latest video, Vibez, released on January 8. The video is just under three minutes long but already has more than seven million views. Specifically mixed with 360 Reality Audio, the song sounds extra immersive with headphones on.
The video depicts Zayn on the stage of a theatre, sitting in a bedroom set having a quiet evening. It’s evident he’s bagged some brand deals by flashing a sweet Omega watch and turning on a massive LG TV 30 seconds in.
There’s a surreal element to the video as the set shifts and changes around him. A painted city skyline hangs in the background as he “drives” a cardboard car. Trees move past him as he “walks” through a forest in a cosy-looking camel coat. He rows a boat and waves to a wooden whale en route to a sofa in the middle of nowhere.
He’s dropping his full album, Nobody is Listening, on January 15. We presume he might have written at least one or two songs about his daughter and his experience being a new father.
Zayn and his and long term girlfriend, model Gigi Hadid, had their baby girl back in September 2020. They’ve said they want to raise their daughter in privacy, but we’ve been blessed with snippets of her here and there.

domain: artistic


Structural transformations in a single-crystal Rb2NaYF6: Raman scattering study
Article first published online: 2 MAR 2013
Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Journal of Raman Spectroscopy
Volume 44, Issue 5, pages 763–769, May 2013
How to Cite
Krylov, A. S., Vtyurin, A. N., Oreshonkov, A. S., Voronov, V. N. and Krylova, S. N. (2013), Structural transformations in a single-crystal Rb2NaYF6: Raman scattering study. J. Raman Spectrosc., 44: 763–769. doi: 10.1002/jrs.4263
- Issue published online: 10 MAY 2013
- Article first published online: 2 MAR 2013
- Manuscript Accepted: 11 JAN 2013
- Manuscript Revised: 1 JAN 2013
- Manuscript Received: 19 OCT 2012
- structural phase transition;
- hydrostatic pressure;
- lattice dynamics
This paper reports Raman spectroscopy investigation of phase transitions in Rb2NaYF6 crystal. The experimental spectra were compared with the calculated one. The spectra were obtained in temperature range from 8 to 300 K. The Raman spectra shows anomalous temperature-dependent behavior at T1 = 154 and T2 = 122 K. Soft mode restoration has been found, which allows us to attribute first transition at 154 K to displacive type. Detailed analysis temperature dependencies of the line positions and widths have been performed. We found no effects of possible lattice disorder anywhere, except narrow (about 20 K) range above the T1 temperature. The Raman spectra of Rb2NaYF6 crystal have been obtained and analyzed under hydrostatic pressure up to 4.33 GPa (at T = 295 K). The high pressure experiment up to 4.33 GPa did not disclose any effects associated with phase transitions. The lattice vibration spectra were calculated up to 10 GPa. The calculation has been demonstrated that the Rb2NaYF6 does not undergo high pressure phase transition. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


testo 512-0 – differential pressure meter 0…200 Pa | 2…17,5m/s
- Over/under/differential pressure
- Air velocity calculation when measuring with prandtl tubes
- Adjustable damping
- Density compensation
Finns i lager
Finns i lager
The testo 512 with a measurement range from 0 … 200 Pa can be used to help you perform quick and easy filter checks when carrying out checks on ventilation and air conditioning systems. Differential pressure measurement is carried out to determine if filters are still working properly or if they are worn out and clogged and need to be replaced.
The differential pressure meter is ideal for measuring with pitot tubes in air ducts with medium and high air velocities or when the air stream is heavily polluted. The compact, robust meter displays both pressure and air speed and has a measurement range from 2 to 17.5 m/s.
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
The adjustable average attenuation function can be individually programmed while the density compensation is already integrated.
The pitot tube you need to perform your airflow measurements can be ordered together with your differential pressure meter. Seven models to choose the type best suited to your measurement needs. The pitot tube is inserted into the air duct where it measures the airflow quickly and reliably.
There is also a Ps tube for measuring static pressure in ventilation ducts and a measuring hook for measuring pressure in ventilation devices.
testo 512 displays pressure and air flow rate at the same time. You can choose between two different units of measurement – m/s and fpm – to indicate airflow speed and eight different units – psi, kPa, hPa, Pa, mm H2O, mmHg, inch H2O and inch Hg – to measure pressure.
By investing in some of the handy accessories, you are also taking a step towards ensuring that you will be able to get the most out of your differential pressure gauge for years to come. The carrying case protects your meter during transportation and storage and the TopSafe case protects the meter from shocks, dirt and water ingress.
And last but not least, there’s a quick printer that can give you quick and easy printouts of metrics, time and date while you’re still on site.
INCLUDED IN DELIVERY
The testo 512 differential pressure gauge (measuring range 0 to 200 Pa) and batteries.
Please note that this is an expired item sold at a reduced price as is and is not covered by normal warranties.


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Wow. I may have just set a record for fitting the most parentheses in a post title. Success!
So, last week Kailey wrote a post on the concept of balance. In short, what I got from her post was that balance doesn’t truly exist—at least not in the sense that it should. Instead, she noted that it’s generally more effective to be flexible, to roll with the punches and see where life takes you. She mentions that, some days, it’s better to just give up the predetermined plan that you’ve set for yourself and go with the flow. This idea has stuck with me for the past week, and it got me thinking about where balance fits into my own life.
Life is pretty busy right now. I work full time, I go to graduate school part time, and I’m in a long-distance relationship. I’m also a daughter, a sister, and a friend, and I try to have some semblance of a social life. Every one of these commitments takes time, effort, and attention to maintain; often I notice how easy it is to get caught up in the craziness of everything and to forget to take time for myself every day.
I realized very quickly this year, as soon as I started my grad program, that if I was going to be successful at everything (or, at the very least, remain sane), I deserved the time and the things that would keep me feeling like myself. If I didn’t do that, I knew I would fall apart (and subsequently NOT succeed at all of the things I had going on in my life).
Admittedly, I thrive on structure and a schedule. I know that this isn’t the case for everyone, but it is definitely what works best for me. There are some non-negotiables in my daily life, including exercise and sleep. I know this makes me sound mildly crazy and seriously anal, but at least six days a week, I need to sweat and I need a LOT of sleep. I don’t need these things for arbitrary reasons, or even for vanity purposes; in order to feel my best (and by my best, I mean my happiest, healthiest, strongest, most awake and energized self), I know I need those two things.
I sleep significantly better on days that I workout, and I need a freakish amount of sleep to feel rested (most people need eight hours; I feel fully rested after about nine and a half. I know, I’m like a toddler. Forgive me). Most days, finding time for exercise and the amount of sleep I need means giving up other things, but most of them are trivial (I mean, really, do I need to watch another re-run of The Hills?) I know that, in the long run, giving myself what my body craves will have a positive impact in the long and short run.
Now, this is not to say that I’m not a fan of spontaneity and flexibility, or fun for that matter! I absolutely see the importance in being flexible and, more importantly, in being open-minded and willing to try new things even if they aren’t part of my plan that particular day. Meeting friends for drinks at the end of a long day can be just as (if not far more) relaxing than going for my scheduled run, and I’m happy to do it! Staying up late talking with Nick or (party-animal alert!) finishing a great book can easily take precedence over my normally early bedtime. Bottom line is, I think part of being “balanced” is knowing what’s best for you on any given day and on treating yourself to what you really, truly want. So…
What works best for you? Balance? Flexibility? Or something entirely different?

domain: psychology


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What a great day…the sun is shining…only a few more days until Friday…what more can we ask for? WELL, Designer Debbie Standard has some layouts for you today.
This layout brought a smile to my face today. First up the Cosmo Cricket Woodgrain background…and the colors…yellow…gray…and that pop of red are just awesome! Oh and you cannot forget about the Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Seasonal Impressions. Debbie hand cut those details for her title and subtitles.
And how cute is this??? Debbie was inspired by all the sunburst layouts she has been seeing on Pinterest. SPEAKING of Pinterest…make sure you follow us on our page HERE! What a great way to use up those scraps of Core you have in your bin. AND all those lush embossed (and sanded of course!) designs are gorgeous, gorgeous!
Debbie cut, embossed and sanded each section and then created the sunburst effect along the top. Then she added the Stacy Julian Core Impressions pre-embossed words along the side. Then she added some clouds that she die cut using the Whitewash collection which makes really great clouds by the way because you can lightly sand them and bring out the blue tones.
Stacy Jullian collection
White Wash Collection 6 X 6
Embossing folders – numerous
Sand It Gadget
Queen & Co. Washi tape and gems
Hi Everyone! Ellen here today with a Father’s Day card I made…well two of them. And they are very different! I was inspired this week by two different things.
First up, I was working with some Couture Creations dies and after my cut I realized unfortunately that my sandwich was wrong. So it didn’t cut all the way through. That happens to me from time to time and I just put them in my recycle bin. WEll not this this time! I thought…I can do something with that…and I did! You have to check out their Doily dies..they are AWESOME! And versatile….
There was no way I could cut this with craft knife because it was too detailed so I grabbed my Sand it Gadget and I sanded and sanded and sanded a bit more and the “etched” image created starts to pop off the card. It’s subtle but I think it works AND I saved some scraps
Aly Dosdal from the WRMK Design Team originally did the video so I had to try it out because I just KNEW that Core w0uld be awesome with this tutorial. I used Core Essentials for the shirt, Chocolate Box for the tie and background and a David Tutera Celebrate card for the base. I cannot get enough of these square cards! For the original video check out the WRMK blog .
I gotta tell you…I did it on the FIRST try so it wasn’t that hard. You will need your Scor-Pal or scoring tool of some sort.
And here is the inside of the card. You can open it up and put something in there.
Only TWO days left of our Design Team introductions! Time flies, doesn’t it?
Before we get started today, we wanted to let you know about ANOTHER fun week next week filled with MORE inspiration, MORE fun and MORE giveaways!!! So don’t go far. If you love Core, stamps and ribbon come back Monday.
Today we are introducing Gail Linder!
My name is Gail Lindner and I live in sunny Queensland, Australia. I have a wonderful, hardworking husband, a beautiful (and energetic) 5 year old daughter and gorgeous 20 month old baby boy.I’ve been scrapbooking for over 12 years now and I can’t imagine my life without it! I started scrapbooking in 1999 on a trip to the USA. I picked up a scrapbooking magazine and the rest is history! I immediately knew it was the hobby for me as it encompasses everything I love – memories, photos, memorabilia and (let’s face it) pretty things! I’m mostly inspired by my photos and the stories I want to tell. I love the idea of conveying my thoughts and experiences in my scrapbooking for my daughter to read in the future. I like to keep my layouts fairly uncluttered and balanced, with the photos the main focus. My style includes lots of distressing, inking, layering and sewing. Apart from scrapbooking I enjoy blogging, organising and shopping (all related to scrapbooking of course!)
Check out her blog here for more fabulous inspiration!
Now, let’s chat about this layout for a second…see those stripes? NOT patterned paper. Nope..those are sanded strips of Black Magic! How cool is that? Here is a little bit about this layout from Gail:
Those stripes in the Black Magic are brilliant!
AND…since we have been all about the Black Magic on Gail’s layout…why don’t we give some away today!
And our winner of the Tim Holtz Kraft Core from yesterday is………………..
Hi Clare, gotta say I love the paper ruffles on your card. And love the colors in this collection as well. Don’t think I have seen any paper packs I did not like
Did you know that we are offering the BRAND NEW Tim Holtz Shattered collection in 6×6? Oh yeah!
And, since we are in the purple mood today….how about another layout from Design Team Member April Derrick. For this layout April paired her Shattered Cardstock with some Tim Holtz Kraft-Core. These two lines were designed in the exact same color scheme (No. 1, No.2, etc) so they core’dinate perfectly!
AND our Tim Holtz Kraft-Core is available in 6×6 now, too!!!!
April used a stencil from The Crafters Workshop to sand the base piece of Kraft Core. Just put your Core on top of it and sand and you get a really cool design!
This is the last day of our week with SCOR PAL. Do you have one of these? Well, if you are a paper craft you better. AND if you love Core, then you BETTER! Scoring, then sanding with Core’dinations ColorCore Cardstock is the only way to go. We hope that you have found some new and exciting ways use your Scor-Pal.
Scoring raises the cardstock so you can sand it and release that inner Core. It’s gorgeous AND both design teams are going to show you easy and fabulous ways the Scor Pal products and Core’dinations can add interested to your papercrafting projects.
Did you know we have a Scoring Video? Check out our Technique videos for some awesome ideas on what you can do with Core, including the scoring video.
PLEASE make sure you check out the Scor Pal blog for some iNcReDiBle designs this week (I think there might be a prize over there ). They SIMPLY rock. You know we always have something up our sleeve for you when we do these fun blog events so keep commenting for a chance to win some great Core’dinations Cardstock!
Design Team Member April Derrick created this cool envelope for her layout to keep Core Tags with her journaling and some photos. Brilliant!
Don’t forget your Scor Tape!\
EEEEK! May Arts Ribbon!
Some more scoring….

domain: design


MF-190 Heat Flux Sensor
The MP-190 is a large area (310 x 310mm) flexible thin foil heat flow sensor. It can be easily rolled on a curved surface and attached to large surface areas. Due to its large sizes it gives properly averaged thermal conductivity results for large areas without the potential risk of measuring local hot spot effects or thermal bridges.
For the measurement of:
- Evaluation of floor heating Research on heating efficiency of various lamps and other light sources
- Investigation of the heating efficiency of drying machines, heating systems, etc.
- Measurement of radiative heating and heating absorption of various parts of an automobile
- Research of radiative heating of various plants
The low output Voltage of the heat flow sensor can be easily converted to a 4-20mA current or higher Voltage using the MS-4..20mA converter. The mV/mA converter can be pre-programmed and optimized within the operating range compatible with common measurement equipment.
|Thermal resistance (m2・°C/W)||3.04 x 10-3|
|Operating temperature range (°C)||-30°C ~ +120°C|
|Size (L x W x T, mm)||310 x 310 x 0.7|
|Sensitivity (mV/W/m2) at 20°C||0.20|
|Impedance (Ω)||Approx. 600 ~ 900|
|Reproducibility (%)||+/- 2|


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Child Theme of Businesso. This is a Boxed Layout of the Parent Theme Businesso. This theme supports Custom Background and Background Color. Note :- If you wants to active our child theme then please install first our parent theme of this child theme so you can see or enjoy our child theme variation.
ويينې و نه موندل شوې. بل څه ولټوئ.


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51. CAKE DESIGNER TABLE
Manuela Michieli Thursday 1p-9p $275
Creating this 1:12 scene will teach you different skills.
As it happens in all of my workshops, but most definitely in this one, every item has been carefully chosen to teach how to use a material or to learn a specific technique that I am sure you will treasure in the future for creating original miniatures by your own.
For this reason different materials will be used: polymer clay, paper, thin metal foil, dimensional paint etc.
Particularly attention will be given to some new creative materials on the market and a special care will be given in creating unbreakable very tiny details, such as flowers.
Besides creating tools from scratch, IGMA Artisan Silvia Cucchi has kindly given us a few others that she has created, along with her real turning cake turnable.
Everything needed (table, materials, tools and accessories) to create the scene you see in the picture is included into the kit that will be given each student.
Beginners are very welcome, teacher will guide in the making of this miniature scene step by step.
Please feel free to bring you own basic set of tools if you wish (small scissors, pointed tweezers, xacto knife, a small paintbrush) and a box for safe travel bringing your table home.
ALL SUPPLIES ARE PROVIDED BY THE INSTRUCTORS EXCEPT AS INDICATED,
HOWEVER, STUDENTS ARE WELCOME TO BRING THEIR OWN TOOLS & SUPPLIES.


The insurance company’s “explanation of benefits” explains nothing. In fact it often confuses matters more.
Also: People believe their insurance companies are paying more than they really are, because quite often the explanation of benefits leads to that conclusion.
When I founded this company, in fact, a major impetus was the fact that no one could understand an explanation of benefits. Or a bill. Sometimes it seems that there’s a conscious effort to hide information, just as there is in the old street-con card-hustler game called “three-card monte” (see an example in this Youtube video).
And in fact there is. Discussing the explanation of benefits, an insurance executive told me once, “We make them confusing intentionally, so people can’t understand them.” Anyone who has taken even a passing glance will say that confirms a suspicion: “This is not a bill” and “This page intentionally left blank” and “You may owe your provider” are all common occurrences.
This paperwork is described as “a mismanaged, tangled, screwed-up and incompetent mess,” by Dave deBronkart, a.k.a. ePatient Dave, in this blog post: It takes off from a New York Times piece on the labyrinth of medical bills by Tara Siegel Bernard.
We’ve seen a lot of these, especially in our recent partnership reporting on and crowdsourcing health prices with our award-winning journalist partners, investigative reporter and anchor Lee Zurik at WVUE FOX 8 Live and Jed Lipinski and Manuel Torres at NOLA.com I The Times-Picayune, and their teams. To read about this partnership and to see our work, go here; to read about other national partnerships at ClearHealthCosts, go here.
Because we’ve seen a lot of them and can show you the results, without revealing patient’s personal health information but using their shared paperwork to enlighten you, we’re doing this blog post with some examples.
- Insurers are paying a lot less than people think they are, and the EOB is designed to perpetuate that confusion. Often the insurer imposes a discount (or writedown or reduction) off the billed price, then adds the “discounted amount” and payment, and puts them on one line. This makes it look like the discount off the contracted rate is part of the payment. Time and again, people assume that the discount and the payment add up to the insurer’s contribution. That is not true.
- Many insurers don’t identify what procedure actually took place. They often leave out the procedure name and the procedure code, leaving the patient with only a date of service and a provider name. This seems intentionally obfuscatory. Lipinski wrote about this practice at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana in this post. We have seen it before, and we think it’s widespread in the industry — and a way of obscuring what really happened.
- Often the numbers on a bill don’t add up. It seems sometimes that a string of chimpanzees are typing random numbers into a bill. This adds to the general confusion.
- Anyone who’s tried to explain or argue a bill with the help of an insurer or a provider knows that hours on the phone in phone-tree and voice-prompt hell, and listening to hold music, are required to even ask a question. Asking the question seldom guarantees a straight answer.
So here are some examples of bills, part of our continuing effort to shed light on billing and explanation of benefits practices.
The insurer applied a “discount” to the billed price, but did not pay anything. The patient paid the allowable or discounted price in full.
So how much did the insurance company pay? The payments/adjustments total $359.95, but how much was payment and how much was adjustment? The patient thought the insurance company paid the entire sum.
Exactly the same thing on exactly the same day? Two abdominal ultrasounds, one transvaginal and one not. And both are billed to her, with the insurer paying nothing. She has polycystic ovary syndrome, so this test must be done regularly, and she was shocked at this year’s bill.
Same patient, same procedure, preceding year: Only one. That time, the plan paid $110.64, and only one was authorized.
A $2,130.90 bill. Insurance “discounts” of $1,432.03. Insurer paid nothing. Patient owes $698.87. The patient thought the insurer paid $1,432.03.
So the payments and adjustments (discounts, or whatever you want to call them) on this colonoscopy totaled $14,586.41. But what did they really pay? Also, it’s a colonoscopy, so how could the charge be labeled “Pharmacy”? By the way, the patient believed, once again, that the insurer had paid the entire $14,586.41.
Discounts AND reductions from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas on this MRI. So Blue Cross wrote off or discounted $921.38, nearly 50 percent of the charge of $1,997.75. Our database shows you could have this MRI for cash in the New Orleans area from multiple providers for less than half the covered amount. Note “amount covered (allowed)” footnote refers to “the savings we’ve negotiated with your provider for this service.”
The numbers don’t add up: Charge, $307. Contract savings, $147. Insurance paid, $0. Patient paid, $80. But $147+80=$227, not $307. So patient pays $80, twice? And what’s the meaning of the denial code “bundled”? Confusing.
It’s a bill for a brain MRI of $6,349. The insurer approved just $380.23; they paid $201.13, while the insured person paid $175. And what is the mysterious “sequestration” of $4.10″ ? Glad you asked! Look here and here: Automatic, across-the-board spending cuts from 2011. And that blood test — provider billed $98, plan approved nothing, and charged patient nothing. Mysterious.
She said it was an “extracranial study” with a CPT code of 93880. On a bill of $1,171, they paid $238.73. She pays $592.30 in combination of deductible and coinsurance.
The insurer paid nothing on this long string of blood tests (partial bill). “There was an adjustment because I did have insurance,” she wrote “the adj. of $1252.91 left me with the bill of $627.85. This was part of a physical that is fully paid by the insurance. I did not give permission to do tests that were not part of the covered physical exam but somehow still was billed for this.”
Her note: “I got three stitches.” Bill: $1,124. No insurance discount, no payment, no explanation — just instructions on how to pay.
“I have medical billing experience and even I can’t understand or be certain of some of the things I am billed for,” she wrote. “I know that I had a colonoscopy where 2 benign polyps were removed but I have no idea what the actual CPT code is that was submitted. While I know that a procedure may have many different CPT codes, can’t the insurance company give at least a broad breakdown of these costs so that I can at least attempt to understand if I am being charged for the correct service? Additionally, I know that this charge does not include the charge for the pathology analysis of the polyps that were removed and I’m not entirely sure that the Anesthesiologist charge is included.”
Emergency room charge: $2,130.90. Insurance paid nothing, but applied a $1,432.03 discount. She paid $698.87.
Gall bladder removal. Of the $10,577.10 charge, Blue Cross discounted $6,214.85 and paid $3,489.85; patient paid $672.46.
“This bill was for a CT scan of the elbow. I recieved a separate bill from the doctor that administered the meds during the CT scan.”
Chest X-ray for $265.78. Compare others here, from $20 to $988.
MRI at Sloan-Kettering. Fairly clear. Billed $5,329.69, plan paid $1,659.01, patient paid $184.33.
The insurer paid nothing. Instead, they just adjusted it down by the $120.38 — the sum is clearly marked as a “contractual adjustment” although the column heading says “Payment/adjustment.”
Allergy test office visit. Charges $411; payment-adjustment together $341 — so what did they actually pay? No way to know.
A discount off a fancifully high sticker price does not necessarily mean you saved money. This procedure, an echocardiogram with Doppler, can be found under $400 on cash at many places in the neighborhood of Clearwater, Fla., where this procedure took place. Here’s a search on our site for cash prices in that locale.
What did the plan actually pay? This emergency room visit shows “Plan Savings,” which is clearly different from “Plan paid.” But what did the plan pay? Nothing? And was the $449.86 applied to the patient’s deductible?
A colonoscopy. The community member told us: “I received a cost estimate from Kaiser of $1,200 for the total cost of the procedure prior to the procedure. They billed the procedure at $16,047.10.” The bill from Kaiser is not illuminating: $9,414.14 is a combination of “Paid by Insurance/Adjustments/Discount” — leaving the patient responsible for $6,632.96. Again, she had no way of telling what they actually paid, but thought it wast he $9,414.14.
Sometimes, though, the bills can be pretty clear. Here’s one for an emergency room visit: clearly marking the charge, the discount, the amount due to provider, what the insurer paid and what the individual is responsible for. The fact that it’s clear lets us see that — once the explanation is matched up with the bill — that the patient was asked to pay $278 for a chest X-ray, the only radiology charge here; the insurer allowed $205.72 for that, after plan discount. That chest X-ray can cost $35 or so many places. In hospitals, it’s more expensive.
Read the notes, and compare carefully. This woman had a colonoscopy, and the hospital initially sought to charge her for an anesthesiologist. She refused well before the procedure, so was sure no anesthesiologist had been used. The insurer refused to pay for the non-existent anesthesiologist, saying in its footnotes when that claim was denied that it was part of the “contracted and/or case rate paid to the provider. She was also charged a facility fee, medical services fee and recovery room fee at the same time. The insurer figured her total responsibility for all of this at $1,999, noting that “medical service” and recovery room were part of the facility fee charge. (See first screenshot here.) She asked to be billed properly — so the insurer re-billed, omitting the anesthesiologist but still figuring her total responsibility as $1,999. (See second screenshot here.) So she got a new bill, but it didn’t change what she was asked to pay.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: A discount off a fancifully high charged rate is not a savings. But a bill that looks like this makes it seem that it is a savings. The really big number saying “Amount you saved” is the first thing you see, and the first thing you might take away: “Gosh, I’m glad my insurance company took care of that.” Essentially, that’s the insurance company’s writedown of the initial charge from the hospital to the insurer’s contract rate. Also, the man who input this bill into our database was certain that his insurance company had paid upwards of $10,000 for the echocardiogram in the second screenshot, too. As it happens, the insurer paid nothing; he paid the entire $1,176.61.
For a discussion of “anchoring” a person’s mind on a high price, see this blog post referring to seminal behavioral economics work by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky.
This person was absolutely sure that the insurance company had paid $857.49 + $352.23 = $1,209.72, though the bigger sum was clearly labeled “payment” and the “contractual adjustment” was labeled as such.
Is it a payment or an adjustment? Wait, it’s both! This bill clearly identifies the sum of $722.13 as both a payment and an adjustment. The vertical “payments” column is quite clear. Just as clearly, there was no payment at all, judging from the horizontal selection.
Check out the notes: We’re not paying this! Hospital bill for a hernia operation in Arizona.
Second bill for the above hernia operation, this one for the anesthesia.
Third bill for the hernia operation, this one for the surgeon.
Three stars for clarity. Charge is for “58110 Bx done w/colposcopy add-on.” But the code for the procedure is nowhere visible on the bill. Other points: Plan discount, amount allowed, plan paid, fairly clear. Also what’s deductible, copay, co-insurance. We’re confused by the coinsurance, though: Of the second surgery charge, $18.86 is deductible and, coinsurance is $11.33? We’d have to see the plan document, deductible status (how much was spent) and then the coinsurance language — do they pay X percent of the remainder after the deductible is spent? Anyway, this is a pretty clear EOB — aside from the fact that they don’t say what this is all about in anything like standard medical coding language. San Francisco Gynecology, San Francisco.
Very clear: Charged price, discount and payment are easy to understand. Why the system works this way is less clear, but at least some things are obvious — if you know what “Blue Cross discount” and “allowed amount” actually mean.
Multiple duplicate charges. This seems designed to confuse: All the duplicate charges in the red boxes make it clear that the total is the total only of some of the charges, the ones with *** notations. What possible value comes from listing them twice?
Payment clear, LOA seems to be the write-down. This was for treatment of an ectopic pregnancy. Fairly clear.
Confusing: No information on what kind of tests these were.
We’re just not going to pay. That is all. This is an EOB for removing impacted ear wax. Note that there is a “provider discount” and then “excluded charges,” with the notes explaining first that the insurer threw out $20.05 because this is “maximum benefit paid per schedule” and then threw out $19.62 because it is “not a listed policy benefit.” Also catch the wording under the triple asterisks: “The company does not waive and specifically reserves its right to assert and rely upon any/all reasons for which coverage for this claim may not be available under the terms of your coverage.” What language is this? What does it mean?
Remicade infusion at a Kaiser facility. How much was paid? Not at all clear; “Paid by insurance/ Adjustments/ Discount” are all together on one line. Note here that Kaiser is both provider and insurer, so they are essentially billing themselves, and granting an adjustment/discount to themselves, and paying themselves.
That’s a pricey doctor visit, at Swedish Cherry Hill in Seattle. “Doctor actually spent 10-15 minutes with me. And the problem was light pain in wrist”
Again, the insurer paid nothing. This is such a common occurrence, it seems almost routine: conflating the payment and adjustment to make it seem that the insurer paid. Of course, the insurer paid nothing. In this case, at least you can see it; in other cases, there is no clarifying breakdown at all. The person who received the bill felt certain that the insurer had paid.
Sometimes it looks as if chimpanzees are typing in a random string of numbers. Note here that the “contractual discount” either equals the total billed, or is greater than the charge of $2. And in the final entry, the total billed, minus contractual discount, should be the total allowed. Nope. This was an emergency hospitalization, so the “bill does not match authorization” note makes little sense.
What are all these $1 charges for? They clearly perform some function from the provider (a hospital) and the insurer, but it’s a complete mystery otherwise. “Service is Never Pay” doesn’t actually tell us much. The final one, a charge of $1 with a contractual discount of $842, is a real head-scratcher.
At least adjustments and payments are separated out. What’s less clear: The bill of $1,079.00 results in total payments of $109.65, almost a 10x markup. Note how confusing it is that the charges all wind up in the “you pay” column — and then the adjustments and insurance payment are removed, insuring confusion. Notice too that it’s impossible to determine what the insurer paid for any test. And why are the Vitamin B and Vitamin D tests so expensive? In fact, at a second glance, all of these charged prices are high. These are routine tests from an annual physical.
Again, the “adjustment” is interpreted by the patient as the insurer’s payment. People just don’t see — or don’t correctly decipher — the fact that the Payment column is empty while the Adjustment column has a number in it. This was a brain MRI with and without contrast — and please note that the charge for the contrast material went directly to the patient. The patient also could not identify the procedure — there’s no CPT code, and he identified it as “other,” not the brain MRI without contrast described here.
There’s information in the footnotes. The $292.95 is not what the insurer paid, but rather the insurer’s discount. See footnote 066. The patient construed this as a payment from the insurer, once again thanks to misleading EOB design.


text:
Commissioner for vitality Kadri Simson is speaking to media. EU international locations are debating new steps to cope with the vitality disaster.
Thierry Monasse | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
A number of EU member states should not proud of the bloc’s proposed cap on pure gas costs — at 275 euros per megawatt hour — which goals to stop sky-high prices for customers.
Introducing a cap on gas costs has been one of many extra controversial measures for Europe amid an acute vitality disaster following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
associated investing information
The 27 EU leaders gave political backing to the idea in late October, after a number of months of discussions. However, a handful of nations are demanding concrete safeguards earlier than greenlighting the proposal, whereas others say the cap is simply too excessive.
“A price cap on the ranges that the fee is proposing isn’t actually a price cap,” Kostas Skrekas, Greece’s setting and vitality minister, advised CNBC’s Julianna Tatelbaum Tuesday, hours after the proposed stage was set by the European Fee, the chief arm of the EU.
“So [a] price cap at 275 euro isn’t a price cap, no person can, can stand shopping for gas at this costly price for a very long time. We absolutely imagine that the price cap beneath 200 euro, between 150 and 200 euro could be extra real looking,” he added.
EU vitality ministers are attributable to meet Thursday to debate the price cap proposal.
Poland, Greece, Belgium and Spain are among the many nations supporting the cap. The Netherlands and Germany have been extra skeptical about the advantages of the measure. Presenting a cap that appears robust to implement, in follow, might be a means for the European Fee to carry all of the 27 nations collectively on the problem.
“Will probably be a gathering with grumpy individuals,” an EU official, working for one of many member states and who most popular to stay nameless because of the delicate nature of the discussions, advised CNBC concerning the upcoming assembly.
The identical official stated the fee must current additional ensures on how the measure won’t distort markets.
Talking at a press convention Tuesday, Kadri Simson, the European commissioner for vitality, stated the proposal is “balanced” and it’ll assist the bloc keep away from excessively excessive costs.
A bunch of vitality exchanges in Europe, Europex, additionally stated earlier this week it was “deeply involved” a few market correction mechanism, given it might influence monetary stability — but in addition safety of provide.
Simson stated the proposal, generally known as the Market Correction Mechanism or MCM, has taken this into consideration and “the dangers are minimal” for provide.
The fee proposed the introduction of a cap when costs on the front-month Title Switch Facility [TTF] — Europe’s major benchmark for pure gas costs — reaches 275 euros per megawatt hour and when costs are 58 euros ($59.53) larger than the LNG reference price for 10 consecutive buying and selling days inside the two weeks. Each situations must be met for the cap to be triggered.
Dutch TTF costs reached a historic excessive of 349.9 euros per megawatt hour in August. Underneath the proposal, the price cap would haven’t been triggered because it was solely a quick spike.
“This isn’t a silver bullet,” Simson stated at a press convention Tuesday. She added, nonetheless, the measure gives “a strong device that we are able to use once we want it.”
“All people is conscious of the potential dangers however there’s a clear expectation. We are going to ship indicators that regardless of the troublesome state of affairs, we won’t pay at regardless of the market platform will carry to market individuals — prefer it occurred in August,” she stated.
European pure gas costs closed at 124.5 euros per megawatt hour on Tuesday night.

domain: news


text:
Talking Tax – Issue 197
By Adam Dimac
In this issue of Talking Tax, we consider the Full Federal Court case of Commissioner of Taxation v Apted, where it was found that the Commissioner could not narrow the scope of a discretionary power through the publication of extrinsic guidance material.
We also consider whether an automatic overpayment of a tax refund by the ATO is recoverable in Commissioner of Taxation v Auctus Resources Pty Ltd, and whether land rented to a third party by the Melbourne University was subject to land tax in University of Melbourne v Commissioner of State Revenue (Vic).
Lastly, we provide updates on the ATO’s new independent audit review program and its new data-matching program with the Department of Home Affairs.
JobKeeper applicant saved by Federal Court having been granted additional time to reactivate ABN
In Commissioner of Taxation v Apted  FCAFC 45 (24 March 2021), the Full Federal Court found in favour of the taxpayer, holding that the AAT did not err in exercising a discretion which would allow the JobKeeper applicant (Mr Apted) to hold an ABN after 12 March 2020 for the purpose of qualifying for the JobKeeper scheme.
Importantly, the Court held that the Commissioner of Taxation (Commissioner) could not alter the nature of a discretionary power by issuing public guidance as to when the discretion may be exercised.
It remains to be seen whether this decision will have a broader impact for the Commissioner in respect of public guidance purporting to dictate when a discretionary power afforded by statute will be exercised (such as those relating to the remission of administrative penalties and interest).
Overpayment of tax refund is recoverable
The Full Federal Court in Commissioner of Taxation v Auctus Resources Pty Ltd  FCAFC 39 (19 March 2021) unanimously held that a tax refund arising from an automatic research and development (R&D) tax offset paid by mistake was recoverable under s 8AAZN of the Tax Administration Act 1953 (Cth) (Administration Act).
This case highlights the importance of interpreting legislation literally, affording primacy to the natural and ordinary meaning of words.
ATO independent audit review program extended to small business
Following a successful pilot program, the ATO has now formally introduced an independent audit review program for small businesses, under which the taxpayer will be provided with an opportunity to resolve issues in dispute before proceeding to the objection process.
This program is similar in many respects to independent review programs which have been available to larger taxpayers for some time.
The finalisation of an audit will ordinarily lead the crystallisation of a tax debt for a taxpayer, notwithstanding any subsequent objection or dispute, which can cause a myriad of commercial issues. Adding a further layer of review before the objection process is a welcome introduction for small business taxpayers, and it is expected that many will take up the opportunity if it is available.
Who is eligible?
Small business taxpayers with a turnover less than $10 million may be eligible to access the independent review panel in relation to disputes concerning:
- income tax;
- luxury car tax;
- wine equalisation tax; and
- fuel credits.
How to access the independent audit review
When an audit is close to finalisation, taxpayers will be contacted by their ATO audit case officer to confirm that they are eligible for an independent review. The final audit letter issued by the ATO audit team (often referred to as an audit position paper) will be accompanied by a written offer for independent review.
A request for an independent review must then be made within 14 days of the final audit letter.
What to expect at the independent review
An independent officer who has not previously been involved in the audit matter will review the audit material, including the ATO audit position and taxpayer’s position. A case conference will then be arranged (generally within three weeks of the review request) between the taxpayer and the audit team in order to confirm agreed facts, and narrow the issues in dispute.
After the case conference, the ATO independent reviewer will provide written recommendations on each issue in dispute, and the audit team will finalise the audit in line with those recommendations.
No new facts, materials and evidence will be considered, however the independent reviewer may request additional material to understand an issue in dispute.
Participation in the independent review process does not affect a taxpayer’s objection rights under Part IVC of the Taxation Administration Act 1953.
Melbourne University accommodated with charity defence in land tax appeal win
The Supreme Court of Victoria in University of Melbourne v Commissioner of State Revenue (Vic)  VSC 156 has decided in favour of the University of Melbourne, holding that the University was not subject to land tax on land that it rented to a third-party company for student accommodation.
In its decision, the Supreme Court applied a broad statutory interpretation to the relevant provisions, and held that the lease to the third party and the subsequent use of the property for profit (by the third party) did not prevent the relevant charitable exemption from applying.
The ATO teams up with the Department of Home Affairs in new data-matching program
The ATO will now access data from the Department of Home Affairs on the movements of passengers from 2016-17 to 2022-23 financial years, in an attempt to ensure greater compliance with taxation and superannuation laws.
The data collected will include:
- full name;
- personal identifier;
- date of birth;
- arrival date;
- departure date;
- passport; and
- migration status type.
The ATO has flagged that it estimates it will obtain approximately 670,000 records under this program, and that it intends on using the data to identify ineligible tax and superannuation claims and develop administrative strategies to improve voluntary compliance.
You might be also interested in...
Tax | 9 Apr 2021
In this issue of talking tax we consider Qantas’ recent Full Federal Court win in its JobKeeper stoush with the union, and the interpretation of who is entitled to the COVID-19 cash flow boosts following from the AAT’s decision in Slatter Building Group Pty Ltd and Commissioner of Taxation.
Tax | 19 Mar 2021
In this issue of Talking Tax, we consider the case of San Remo Heights Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation  AATA 4023.

domain: finance


text:
COMPETITION PROGRAM OF FILMS FOR CHILDREN 1
Slovenia, 2023, 08:30
Director: Timon Leder
Production: Jure Bizjak, Maja Zupanc, Polona Kumer
A gluttonous mouse traps himself in a cheese wheel while his starving friend stranded outside must contend with a hungry cat.
Let's uncork the fantasy
Italy, 2023 , 03:30
Director: Irene Tedeschi
Production: Istituto Comprensivo Nord 1 – Brescia
Over the years, the teacher Catia has collected hundreds of colored caps of all shapes and sizes. When the time came for her and her classes to make a stop-motion film, she had no doubts: our caps will come to life! Girls and boys have trained for a long time by creating and recreating complex characters using them as pieces of a mosaic. At the animation set, with concentration and seriousness, they gave life to those colorful scraps, creating an animated choreography.
Croatia, 2023, 10:34
Director: Ana Horvat
Production: Igor Grubić, Kreativni sindikat
An extremely untalented bunny Darko takes singing lessons from Zvonko the cricket. Their lessons are a total failure. Both the teacher and the pupil are devastated. Željko the hedgehog brings a new perspective to the problem, turning Darko's flaws into advantages.
Before the Dark
Russian Federation, 2023, 02:37
Director: Pavel Pogudin, Maks Kulikov
Production: USUAA, Svetly Story
Twilight is the most enigmatic time of the day. The stones come to life a few minutes before nightfall on this shore. At the same time, the first stars appear in the sky.
Spin & Ella
Belgium, 2023, 07:05
Director: An Vrombaut
Production: Annemie Degryse
Ella is a spider fairy. She lives with her best friend Spider in Twig City, a busy forest that looks a bit like a metropolis. Ella has a magic wand that she can use to draw spider webs. But she can't do this on her own; she needs Spider’s help! The two are inseparable - literally because they are connected by a spider thread - until the moment Ella and Spider each want to draw a different picture. They’re both stubborn and turn their backs on each other. The spider thread breaks in two. Ella and Spider each go their separate ways and make spider web drawings on their own, but this doesn't work out too well. Ella becomes frustrated. To make matters worse, her magic wand goes haywire. It doesn’t take long before Twig City becomes a jumble of knots. Ella wants to clean up the tangled mess and starts to wind the spider thread into a tight ball, but this is a big chore... Meanwhile, Spider has started the pursuit of the runaway wand. He jumps on it, manages to get the wand under control and steers it towards Ella. Spider and Ella are reunited on top of a huge spider-thread ball.
A Tiny Voyage
France, 2023, 07:45
Director: Emily Worms
Production: Reginald de Guillebon, Nicolas Burlet
John sees an extraordinary sight: Titi, his parakeet opening the door to his own cage, all by himself! Yet the bird doesn’t fly away… So John decides to help Titi overcome his fears, as the pair set out on a tiny voyage.
Latvia, 2023, 12:00
Director: Dace Rīdūze
Production: Māris Putninsh, Animacijas Brigade Studio
Andulis, the little bat, wakes up at the wrong time and discovers that he, unlike his fellow bats, loves sunlight and warmth. After making friends with Little Mouse who looks almost like him, Andulis is surprised to find out that unlike in the bats house everything is not upside down in Little Mouse’s house.
Russian Federation, 2023, 03:21
Director: Maria Afonina
Production: Boris Mashkovtsev
A story of one morning when Egor got lost.
Czech Republic, 2023, 12:33
Director: Jan Mika
Production: Michal Podhradsky, Nicolas Schmerkin
A boy fantasizes about becoming a famous footballer, playing in big stadiums - but first he has to win a match in a small backyard against a goose.

domain: library


text:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rachel Santos is clear about one thing: Distance learning did not work for her.
“There was always Zoom meetings, and I couldn’t really focus on that, because I get easily distracted and there’s a lot of stuff going around in my house,” she said. Without any in-person support, she added, she had what she described as “mental breakdowns.”
So when her district, Providence Public Schools, gave students a choice in September to come back into their classrooms, Rachel, 15, and her mother jumped at the option.
“My kid just regressed a lot” during many months of remote instruction, her mother, Ramona Santos Torres, said.
Students like Rachel have helped make Providence something of an outlier among American cities like New York and Chicago where, given the choice, Black and Latino families have by and large elected to keep their children learning from home.
In Providence, more than 70 percent of the district’s roughly 22,600 students have returned to their classrooms. The district is 68 percent Latino, 15 percent Black, 6.5 percent white and 4 percent Asian. Eighty-five percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
A key part of what has made Providence different has been Rhode Island’s governor, Gina Raimondo, who pushed strongly for schools to reopen for in-person instruction, saying that remote learning was leaving disadvantaged students behind.
Every district in the state but one has offered at least some in-person instruction since the fall, even as Rhode Island went from having very low case numbers during the summer to having one of the worst outbreaks in the country.
In Providence, the state’s largest district, elementary students can attend school five days a week, while most middle and high school students can attend every other day.
This is in stark contrast to other cities in the Northeast, where rates of infection were lower than in Providence in the final months of 2020.
In New York City, only elementary school students can currently attend school in person, and many of them go fewer than five days a week. In Boston, even fewer students are in classrooms — only 1,900 out of a total of roughly 52,000 — although the district has said it will bring back more students beginning next month.
Parents and experts cite several reasons that a majority of Providence parents might have sent their children back to classrooms. As in other districts, many parents work outside the home and are unable to supervise their children during the day; many are also immigrants who do not speak English and cannot help their children with online schoolwork.
But Ms. Raimondo, who has been nominated by President Biden to be the next commerce secretary, has provided an additional boost, not only in her advocacy for in-person school, but also by building trust with parents by not downplaying the dangers of the virus or rushing to reopen the economy. Rhode Island has had a mask mandate in place since May, for instance.
Despite the district’s efforts to keep students in classrooms, there is little doubt that the pandemic has exacted a toll on learning. Nearly half of current fifth graders who were deemed as meeting or exceeding expectations based on the state English language arts test in the spring of 2019 were rated as “at risk” or “emergency” on a literacy baseline test this past fall.
Teachers also say they struggle to engage students who are learning from home — both those taking classes remotely full time, and the in-person middle and high school students who are home every other day.
“The days they are in front of us, there is better engagement, and we have better control over providing them support with their learning,” Arzinia Gill, the principal of DelSesto Middle School, said of her in-person students. “And the days where they’re asynchronous — that means when they are not in front of us — it can be a challenge.”
The district, which has a history of high absenteeism, has seen attendance drop even further this year: The attendance rate was 81 percent in November, down from 91 percent in November 2019.
When Audra Cornell, 28, a math and English language development teacher at DelSesto, walked into a seventh-grade math class late one December morning, only two of the six students who were supposed to be there had shown up.
As Ms. Cornell led the students through a lesson on proportional relationships, one student’s mask kept slipping off his nose — when he hadn’t removed it to snack on crackers or chips. At one point, when Ms. Cornell went over to answer a question, she said calmly, “Can you cover your nose when I’m over here?” He complied.
In an interview, Ms. Cornell said that she felt like her students were benefiting from having some face-to-face instruction, but that their progress was slower because they weren’t in school every day.
“They don’t retain the same amount going back and forth from working in school to working at home,” she said.
The Providence Teachers Union opposed reopening, saying that the district’s buildings were unsanitary before the pandemic and now were unsafe. In November, the union sued the district, seeking to close a middle school that had experienced several cases; a judge rejected the request.
There have been hundreds of coronavirus cases among Providence students and school staff members this fall, but no instances of widespread transmission inside schools, district officials said. And in contrast to many districts elsewhere that have kept schools open even as cases have surged in the community, Providence has not had to shift entire schools to distance learning because of staff shortages — though delays in contact tracing have forced some classrooms to temporarily go remote.
The district mandates masks and requires students to have their temperatures taken, and to complete a symptom check, either before they get on the bus or when they arrive at school.
In late November, with the case rate in the community soaring, the district temporarily shifted 10th and 11th graders to distance learning for six weeks to reduce density in high schools. The district also shifted all students to distance learning for roughly a week before and a week after winter break, to allow families to quarantine before and after holiday gatherings.
Ms. Cornell, who has been quarantined twice for an in-school exposure, said in December that she felt safe coming to school. But in mid-January, as she was preparing to return, she was feeling less sure that in-person instruction was a good idea.
The district was starting to conduct twice-monthly surveillance testing of students and staff, which she said was a positive. But she said teachers were getting more anxious, as more people they knew got sick.
“It was nice to have a break from it,” she said of the vacation and the virtual learning days.
For Rachel Santos, who is in ninth grade, and her mother, the fall was challenging. Rachel’s 24-year-old sister, who lives with them, tested positive for the virus just after Thanksgiving, forcing Rachel and her mother into quarantine.
Combined with the winter break and the distance learning week that followed it, Rachel was away from school for more than a month.
“She had a bunch of missing assignments,” her mother said shortly after her daughter returned to school on Jan. 11.
“She was struggling a lot emotionally,” Ms. Santos Torres said. “I am grateful that she’s back in person.”
Maria Jiménez Moya assisted with interpreting in Providence.


text:
Bummer with the Russian loan allows a new look at the situation, which hit Belarus after December 19.
If the U.S. and the EU have reacted sharply to the post-election crackdown, stopped the dialogue between the official Minsk and the West, many media reported that the situation has returned two years ago, before August 2008. That is a familiar scheme: a conflict with Western countries, the friendship with Russia.
Externally, it looks really alike. But as you know, history does not repeat itself, you can not enter the same river twice.
I want to remind you that the policy dialogue with the EU, balancing between Russia and Europe began after, How to change Moscow's position on the Belarusian issue. As a result, oil and gas war at the turn of 2006-2007, it became clear that Russia is not only in words but in deeds committed itself to a significant reduction in subsidies to Belarus. And for the sake of the Belarusian social model needed new points of support, new sources of credit and investment, without which the economy can not keep up to par. And for thawing relations with the West had to release political prisoners and hold the presidential election campaign in a new, more liberal format. Also after 2007 intensified relations with China, Venezuela.
But the current conflict between Belarus and the West does not mean automatically that improved relations between Minsk and Moscow. They are the same tense conflict. Return to full-scale subsidization of the Belarusian economy, as it was before 2007,
Russia is not going to. A vector in the absence of a European policy of Minsk allows Moscow to more effectively achieve its goals in Belarus. And testified that the situation with the credit. You can also note: to avoid dialogue with the West, the current situation in the Belarusian economy could be formed only two years ago.
As for the current situation with the credit. Apparently, the first Russia was going to highlight all of the Belarus $ 3 billion it had requested. This is evidenced by a fairly positive statement to that effect and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, and Russian Ambassador Alexander Surikov. Even more optimistic look no comments Belarusian officials. The parties allegedly discussed the stimulus package offered by the Government of Belarus, and publicly promised that within 2-3 weeks, with the credit issue is resolved.
Against this background, Kudrin's statement looks sensational. So what happened? On what stumbled allies?
Obviously, Belarus failed to meet some conditions that put Russia. Publicly, the mouth of the Russian Federation Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin spoke only of the need to develop a program of anti-crisis reforms in the Belarusian economy. It is unlikely for this issue could be big differences.
Most likely, the two sides did not find agreement in question
privatization of Belarusian enterprises of the Russian capital. Although it is not publicly exposed as a condition of granting the loan, but some indirect evidence that this particular issue has become a major obstacle in the negotiations.
Back in February, visiting Minsk, Putin said the merger KAMAZ and MAZ into one holding a decided issue. But then Lukashenko denied this. May 5, talks between the leadership of KAMAZ and MAZ, but, apparently, they ended inconclusively.
Delivering a message to the National Assembly, Lukashenko has expressed skepticism about the privatization. As usual, he said that he can not give away public property. In response, the Russian Ambassador Alexander Surikov even entered into a dispute with the Belarusian leader.
And Kudrin said a statement on May 11, said, that Belarus to privatize a number of objects that are of interest of foreign investors, and it would get about $ 2 billion from privatization.
Thus, Russia claimed credit for the Belarusian enterprises. Lukashenko has not yet agreed. How long can he resist? As long as the currency crisis to erupt into social.

domain: politics


Thousands turned out Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., for a march and demonstration against Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in Burnaby.
BURNABY, British Columbia — Thousands of opponents of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain oil-pipeline expansion filled the streets of metro Vancouver on Saturday in the biggest pushback yet against the $7.3 billion project.
Planned along the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby, the expansion already approved by the federal government of Canada is intended to nearly triple the volume of diluted bitumen oil flowing from Alberta to Burnaby in British Columbia to slake overseas markets’ thirst for oil. But the project has hit a buzz saw of opposition from First Nations and tribes on both sides of the border, the province of British Columbia and municipalities from Burnaby to Vancouver to Victoria.
Rooted in concern over climate change, oil spills, species extinction and indigenous rights, the battle lines are drawn — just as they were at Standing Rock in North Dakota, where thousands of Native peoples and their allies sought to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.
What to watch for next
Court cases challenging the pipeline expansion, including an appeal of the National Energy Board’s approval, pending in Canadian federal court, and a lawsuit brought by the Province of British Columbia to stop the project.
First Nations challenges asserting they were not adequately consulted before project approval.
Political opposition by the Province of British Columbia, municipalities of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Victoria, and civil-disobedience movement to block the pipeline launched by First Nations members and their allies.
“I will lay down my life to stop this,” Cedar George-Parker of the Tulalip and Tsleil-Waututh nations said of Trans Mountain pipeline, as demonstrators massed at a rally at the end of the march.
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Not just a one-day march but an ongoing movement, the Protect the Inlet campaign that launched Saturday is intended to keep pressure on the expansion project until it is stopped, by delay, disruption and ongoing civil disobedience.
The march terminated near a clearing in a cedar grove in the shadow of Kinder Morgan’s tank farm, where opponents erected a cedar structure, Place to Watch From. Opponents vowed to occupy and utilize the house as a ceremonial encampment to stop the pipeline.
Kinder Morgan said the structure is in its right-of-way and that it would request the city of Burnaby to issue a stop-work order. The company supports the right to peaceful protest but also is certain the project can be built safely and in accordance with the values of all Canadians, said spokeswoman Ali Hounsell.
Indigenous women from Canada’s interior have launched The Tiny House Warrior movement and are building structures in the path of the pipeline. The wave of civil disobedience follows a turnover of the government of the Province of British Columbia, which has filed a lawsuit to overturn permits from the previous government.
Another 15 lawsuits have been filed, including by First Nations who assert they were never adequately consulted and that the project crosses unceded territory without their consent.
“There are three ways this could be stopped: political, the courts, or through some kind of direct action, and all three are coming to a head right now,” said Kennedy Stewart, member of Parliament for Burnaby South, the neighborhood where the protests were held, as he marched arm in arm with First Nations leaders Saturday. “The company says it’s a done deal. It is far from that.”
The pipeline would run for more than 700 miles — alongside a line that has been in service since 1954 — and would move 890,000 barrels a day from Alberta tar-sands deposits to the coast.
More oil means more oil-tanker traffic, increasing from about five tankers per month to about 34 using the shipping route from Vancouver Harbor to Victoria, B.C., to enter the Strait of Juan de Fuca then turn toward the open Pacific.
Kinder Morgan says the expansion can be run safely and will provide economic benefits, including jobs.
The strategy of delay
If the opposition movement in British Columbia and Washington state has a totem animal, it is the critically-endangered southern resident killer whale that travels the waters even more tankers will use if the pipeline is built.
Demonstrators marched through Burnaby carrying giant inflatable orca whales, salmon-shaped wood cutouts on sticks waved high over their heads in schools of opposition, and they hoisted multiple pods’ worth of orca fins, moving them through the river of people coursing through the streets.
Will George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and spokesman for Protect the Inlet, said opponents intend to stop the project by every means possible. “Our plan is to delay them, delay them and delay them, until their investors back out,” George said.
The crowd was estimated at about 5,000 people, said Cpl. Daniela Panesar, media officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Burnaby. There were no incidents or arrests.
Unlike in the U.S., many First Nations in British Columbia that oppose the project did not sign treaties ceding their lands, and a series of Canadian court decisions has increasingly found in favor of tribes asserting their right to free and informed consent to projects that affect them.
As volunteers sawed and hammered to erect the 18-by-21-foot cedar structure Saturday morning, George said he was called by his elders to occupy the Watch House. And he has no intention of leaving until the pipeline is stopped. He invited supporters to join him, saying this is everyone’s fight, across the border in Washington, too.
“It is the same body of water,” he said of the Salish Sea. “You eat the same salmon. You harvest the same food as us, and it is just as important as it is to us. The same landscape. I encourage everybody to come up here.”
Jay Julius, chairman of the Lummi Nation, said his tribe is backing the resistance. “Environmental degradation knows no boundaries,” Julius said. “When an oil spill takes place — and it is when, not if — it is going to affect Lummi Nation, it is going to affect the Salish Sea. We only have one Earth, one Salish Sea.”
Lummi and the Suquamish, Tulalip and Swinomish tribes all were formal intervenors in the case before the National Energy Board, arguing the project endangered their lands and waters and treaty-protected fishing rights. The board approved the project in May 2016, with 157 conditions.
From stoking climate change with more fossil-fuel production, to threatening the lives of animals the tribe regards as relatives, the tar-sands oil-pipeline project is a mortal threat, said Fred Lane, a member of the Lummi Indian Business Council.
“This is our home,” Lane said of the shared waters of the Salish Sea. “We speak not just for human beings, but for the four-legged ones, the winged creatures, for the salmon.”
In downtown Vancouver, B.C., supporters of the project turned out to rally for the jobs and economic boost they want the project to provide.
“We need leadership from government to ensure not only that the pipeline gets built, but that democracy and the rule of law are respected,” said oil-field worker Bernard Hancock. “Our jobs and perhaps even our (Canadian) confederation depend on it.”
In approving the expansion in 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the project was in the national interest to provide market access for Canadian crude to export markets that shippers hope will bring higher prices than in the U.S., which is awash in its own oil supplies.
The primary purpose of the project is to add transportation capacity for crude oil from Alberta to markets in the Pacific Rim including B.C., Washington state, California and Asia, said Hounsell, the Kinder Morgan spokeswoman. “We basically are leaving money on the table every time we send a barrel to the U.S. rather than international markets,” Hounsell said. “What the pipeline does is help all Canadians get the maximum benefits from our resources, as we are no longer tied to just one customer, the U.S.”
The company has begun some work at Burnaby, but lawsuits have prevented full-tilt construction.
“We want a clear line of sight before we can start into full-swing construction,” Hounsell said.
The Washington Department of Ecology has put Canada on alert as to Washington’s concern that it meet or exceed the state’s own oil-spill prevention standards and response capacity, said Dale Jensen, Ecology spills-prevention program manager. Canada’s readiness isn’t quite there yet.
“We are seeing encouraging progress,” Jensen said. “But you never know until it really happens.”
As part of its approval for the expansion, Kinder Morgan is committed to $150 million in enhancements to Western Canada’s spill-response capacity for the coast, Hounsell said. This includes future additional tug escorts for laden tankers leaving its terminal and keeping escort pilots along for longer parts of the journey.
For all its green identity and aspirations, Washington is a major customer of Canadian bitumen oil, already taking anywhere from 40 percent to more than 50 percent of the oil coming through Trans Mountain’s existing pipeline to four Washington refineries making jet fuel, gasoline, diesel and other products. The nation’s fifth-biggest refinery state, Washington has managed to move some 20 billion gallons of oil around every year arriving by rail, tanker, barge and ship, yet maintains one of the lowest spill volumes in the country, Jensen said.
If the pipeline expansion is built, some 350 more tankers a year will cruise the Salish Sea. That, Jensen said, increases the risk.


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Virtual Reality – what better way to describe the current state of the world’s tech capital, if not the entire world itself? Almost overnight, to slow the spread of COVID-19, school, work, and social gatherings have turned virtual to maintain social distancing guidelines. Faced with this new lifestyle, everyone seems to be scrambling to understand the long-term effects of conducting reality virtually.
At the heart of this question are the teens – for whom this experience will be their introduction to life in the real world. But as the merits and consequences of a virtual reality continue to be debated, today’s teens have done what they do best – use technology to adapt to and influence the changing circumstances.
Although social media has long been denounced due to research showing that it weakens interpersonal connections, in a time when such applications of technology are the only lifeline to social interactions, teens are finding creative ways to put it to use. Since the beginning of shelter in place orders, Instagram challenges have taken hold as ways to not only keep busy, but also to participate in a collective activity. One such challenge aimed to empower women by encouraging them to post solo pictures of themselves – and then tag their friends to continue the chain. A similar challenge was #finodomani (italian for “until tomorrow”), in which whoever unknowingly liked a silly picture posted on a friend’s Instagram account for 24 hours (hence the title) had to pass the challenge on by posting one themselves. Also prevalent have been Bingo templates that list common experiences for people in various groups (clubs, school, etc.) and ask members to mark the ones they have done as a way to look back fondly on the organizations we are each a part of. Although not always the focus when spreading these messages, the challenges highlight an effort on the part of teens to spread positivity and remind ourselves of what we share in a time where the face-to-face interactions that facilitate empathy are not possible.
Beyond uniting teens around the world, social media has turned into a platform to advocate for mental health awareness. Daily posts from school organizations and mental health resources reach and engage a majority of students in a way administrator communications never could, ensuring that teens have a support system in place, even if it is virtual. Moreover, peers are reaching out to one another, encouraging friends to take care of themselves and sharing their new normals to send a reminder that nobody is alone. Now more than ever, social media collectively seems to be sending a message to take a breath and focus inwards, in a mission that was once the antithesis of what it symbolized.
Furthermore, social media has allowed teens to maintain an important but underappreciated aspect of being at school – the acquaintance relationship. What used to be side conversations during or between classes with classmates have been lost as instruction moved online. Although social media is not the same, it does provide contact with a wider network of peers than our closest friends, and through posts and stories we can continue sharing the small, insignificant moments of daily life and support each other as we decide where the next stages of our lives are taking us.
Whether it is continuing challenges, reaching out to friends, or just staying in touch, teens are using social media to bridge the distances that have formed today. With it they are reshaping the virtual molds that now must preserve the human connections at the basis of our reality.

domain: sociology


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Microsoft said on Wednesday that Kevin Johnson, who as president of Microsoft’s largest business division spearheaded the company’s pursuit of Yahoo, is leaving the software maker.
Microsoft will undergo a reorganization, splitting the division that Johnson runs—platforms and services—into two groups, one focusing on the Windows operating system and the other on search and other online services.
Johnson’s departure is the latest hurdle to a possible transaction between Yahoo and Microsoft, a few days after the Web company and investor Carl Icahn settled a looming proxy fight to force Yahoo to strike a deal with Microsoft. A source briefed on the matter said Johnson will leave to become the chief executive at Juniper Networks, which makes equipment for communications networks.
The departure of Johnson, who worked closely with Ballmer during its on-again, off-again negotiations with Yahoo, is another setback for Microsoft’s online business, where the company is trailing Google. Three executives working in the Windows division will report directly to Ballmer, while the company said it will conduct an internal and external search to find a new head for its online services business.
The head of Microsoft’s online advertising group and Web search operations will remain in place. The new structure will allow the online business to be more agile and more focused, Ballmer said in a news release.
The last few months were hectic for Johnson. In February, Microsoft offered more than $40 billion to buy all of Yahoo. When the Web pioneer rejected that initial offer, Microsoft countered with a proposal to buy only Yahoo’s search business but that offer was also turned down.
Johnson, known as “KJ” within the company, was in the inner circle of Microsoft executives who tried desperately to clinch a deal with Yahoo in order to build up its search market share and strengthen its online advertising business. Microsoft even sided with billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who was seeking to replace Yahoo’s board. However, earlier this week, Yahoo and Icahn settled their dispute, granting the investor three board seats to defuse a proxy battle. Yahoo investors took that as a sign that there would be no imminent deal with Microsoft and Yahoo’s shares fell.
Johnson joined Microsoft in 1992 and worked his way up to being the head of worldwide sales. He was then put in charge of the Windows business and tasked with incorporating the online services business with its traditional software groups. Microsoft’s platform and services division accounted for about a third of Microsoft’s revenues and included its most profitable business, Windows, and its weakest link, online services.
A source close to Microsoft said that Johnson has been searching for an opportunity to run his own company. Johnson’s departure is another sign of a changing of the guard within Microsoft’s top ranks. Bill Gates, Microsoft’s non-executive chairman, stepped down from day-to-day duties at the company at the end of June to focus on philanthropy.
Jeff Raikes, who had led Microsoft’s Office business, announced earlier this year that he also planned to leave the company. He later accepted the CEO job at Gates’ charitable organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Microsoft did not announce when Johnson would leave.
Juniper declined to comment. The company, which has been searching for a chief operating officer, is reporting quarterly earnings on Thursday.
(Reporting by Daisuke Wakabayashi. Editing by Andre Grenon, Gary Hill and Carol Bishopric.)


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The Last of Us Demo Preview
By Max Roberts
One word describes The Last of Us demo: Atmosphere. Naughty Dog’s games excel at immersing their players in vibrant, living worlds. From Crash Bandicoot with its colorful, cartoon levels to the cinematic adventures of treasure hunter Nathan Drake, Naughty Dog always makes a world that you want to be in. The Last of Us seems to be the pinnacle of 19 years of creating worlds with an immersive atmosphere.
The demo released on May 31, 2013, to my knowledge, is an entirely new demo, that not even the press has played until today. It is titled “The Outskirts”. The level seems to take place shortly after Joel, Tess, and Ellie escape the quarantine zone. The mood is set immediately. Rain is pouring down, the city is destroyed, and the tension is thick between Joel and Tess. Their goal? To cross downtown area and get to the capital building. As far as story goes, that is all you get from this demo, which is fantastic for players interested in the games’s plot, but want to try the game out. As soon as I had control over Joel, I wanted to explore. I wanted to see what had happened and what was left in this new world. The rain and thunder drew me in, making the game seem alive. As we walked toward a skyscraper, Ellie made comments, asking questions about the world before the infection. She had never seen a skyscraper up close before. Her comments really made the stark difference between our world and theirs profound. Just adding more layers to the atmosphere.
Controlling Joel is a familiar feeling for those who have played Uncharted. Where the two part ways is in the inventory and health mechanics. Naughty Dog wanted to make this experience as realistic as possible. Rather than a regenerating health system like in Uncharted, Joel has a set health bar. To heal, you have to stop, create a med kit out of your collected supplies, and then wrap yourself up. While the process may sound long, it is not too long, it simply prevents healing on the fly and adds a layer to your combat strategy.
The inventory system is a crucial part of both the game’s combat and the immersive experience Naughty Dog is trying to achieve. As you explore the world, you’ll find supplies. Tape, bottles, and cloth, among other things are all scattered about. Once enough items are gathered, supplies, like health kits or shivs, can be made. Other than crafting tools for survival, pre-made health kits and ammo may be found in dark corners or on corpses. Ammo is scarce. Naughty Dog wasn’t kidding when they claimed that in previous press statements. With every enemy encountered, you must weigh the choices and consequences. Is this shot worth it? Will the noise be too loud? Can I sneak around for a stealth attack? These are the questions you will be asking yourself in combat scenarios.
Speaking of combat scenarios, they only type you’ll encounter in this demo is one with The Infected. Only the two types previously announced, Clickers and Runners, make an appearance here. Clickers have been infected with the fungus for years and it has grown fully out of their eyes. To make up for their blindness, the creatures use echolocation to hunt prey. As long as your still, they can’t see you. Runners, on the other hand, are newly infected and charge when they spot you. When both are present, you have to think of how to attack. A headshot to the closest Runner may eliminate that threat, but the noise will attract the Clicker and other Runners. Using your environment and silent kills is crucial for survival. If you happen to get caught up in a open fight, melee attacks with pipes and homemade shivs end up saving your life. The combat definitely is strategy intensive. You won’t be able to go guns blazing in this game, not if you plan on surviving.
Atmosphere. That is the word I want you to walk away with from this preview. Atmosphere. Naughty Dog seems to have done it again, creating a world that needs to be explored and experienced over and over again. With a strategic look on third-person shooters and a gripping tale to tell, The Last Of Us is shaping up to be one of the year’s best titles.

domain: game


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By THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
A second open casting call will be held in Bakersfield Friday and Saturday for an upcoming Disney film based on the story of McFarland High's championship cross-country teams of the 1990s, appropriated titled "McFarland."
According to a press release from Walken/Jaffe Casting and Disney, the film's casting director is specifically seeking Hispanic men and women ages 17 and over for various supporting roles. Bilingual speakers a plus.
'McFarland'open casting call
When: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Holiday Inn, 3927 Marriott Drive, Bakersfield
The film will be based on a 1997 Los Angeles Times article about high school coach Jim White, who inspired students by forming a cross-country team at McFarland High. The school won nine state cross-country titles between 1987 and 2001, including five during the 1990s. The program was also the subject of a Sports Illustrated feature in 2004.
While several stories have circulated over who would be starring in the film, actors Kevin Costner and Maria Bello have been confirmed in the film's leading roles as coach Jim White and wife Cheryl.
Director Niki Caro will be directing the film. Caro's previous credits include "Whale Rider" and "North Country."


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Read Paw patrol, and paw squad against the wolves from equestria. !Trashed! novel written by the author Campfire on Webnovel, This serial novel genre is Martial Arts stories, covering romance, action, adventure, modern, mylittlepony. ✓ Newest updated ✓ All rights reserved
Want A fan fiction of what mlp and paw patrol would be like if they came together? Well, you came to the right place.

domain: entertainment


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Indian shares track global markets higher; financial stocks gain
BENGALURU — Indian shares edged higher on Thursday as signs the government is ready to step in to support state-run banks supported financial shares for a second day, adding to a broadly more positive global mood.
The NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.4% to 9,348 by 0346 GMT, while the S&P BSE Sensex gained 0.34% to 31,714.29.
On Wednesday, Indian shares ended over 3% higher, fueled by a more than 7% surge in the banking index.
Asian shares and U.S. stock futures rose on Thursday as growing optimism about economic recovery from the pandemic trumped immediate concerns about a standoff between the United States and China over Hong Kong. (Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)


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Motel 6 Pittsburgh - Cranberry
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In the final stages of planning our August 24 month long adventure in France. We will be landing in Paris at CDG airport on the morning of the 25th and trying to somehow find our way to the train station where we will get a train to Amiens - our first stop on our adventure.
Want to experience the adventure of traveling without preset places to stay, but geez luize it is kind of scary so am trying to put together a loose itinerary with lots of freedom built in - ...
... go with the flow throughout. This made me feel as though we were superheroes. It helps that Zac and I have always been this way, we don't follow the norm of you have to be home promptly for naptime or bedtime, meals aren't always planned and sometimes stuff just happens to throw everything off, we make sure Annie's happy but in turn make sure she joins our life not vice versa. I think France will definitely be a test but wouldn't have it any other way. Here's to ...
... with you all. I'm
hoping to be able to update it periodically, but once we are in the
Eastern Region and out in the field working in the clinics I'm not sure
how much internet access I will have. But I'll do my best!
Aaron (and Matt)
... on the road again (note the country misic reference!) and head towards Fallingwater, the location of the last house that we were visiting. The drive was through some lovely country, a state park, away from the city. The house is set in the middle of a forest and a stream runs under it....stunning. Google it and you'll see what I mean. About an hour later we hit the road again and stop at a small cafe where we noticed some Harleys parked ...
... only Baldwin Wallace University. Myself and eighteen other students are presently enrolled in a stringent curriculum investigating the origins of conflict and methods of reconciliation. I haven't studied this much since majorly struggling with tying my shoes in Kindergarten, but the academic stimulation has been awesome!
After two months of service work in Northern Ireland and South Africa, I am embarking on a European backpacking tour ...

domain: geography


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Description / What it’s For
The Skechers Garton boots feature an unusual design with curved elastic gussets that make them easy to pull on. They are made of tough genuine leather and double-stitched for durability. Skechers’ own comfort technologies include air-cooled memory foam insoles and Skech-Air shock-absorbing midsoles to support the feet. Complete with flexible rubber traction outsoles, these short boots offer comfort and style when you’re looking for ideal casual footwear.
Features / How it works
LEATHER OVERLAYS AT HEEL AND SIDES
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SKECH-AIR SHOCK-ABSORBING SUPPORTIVE MIDSOLE
FLEXIBLE RUBBER TRACTION OUTSOLE


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Taking advantage of online slot games is a good way of practicing on ways to play the game. Most of the professional slot machine players today have gained so much knowledge on playing casino slots by playing it first over the online market place before actually going inside casinos. Quite a bit internet sites available which will show you how to play online free of charge.
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