NASA's improbably acronmyed* "Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security – Regolith Explorer" OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has arrived at Florida's Kennedy Space Center ahead of a September launch on an asteroid-sampling mission.
OSIRIS-REx will travel to near-Earth asteroid Bennu, arriving in 2018, and spend two years mapping the approximately 500-510 metre diameter object before collecting a surface sample for return to Earth.
The OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer OTES will collect "mineral and temperature information by collecting infrared from 5 to 50 microns spectral data"
OVIRS "OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer" will, meanwhile, measure visible and infrared light from Bennu.
Finally, the Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer REXIS - developed in collaboration with MIT and Harvard University - will sniff "which elements are present, and how abundant they are, on the surface of Bennu".
The space agency believes it can hoover up 2kg of Bennu - or at least 60g at worst - for return to Earth aboard the Sample Return Capsule SRC - "an aeroshell design container with a heatshield and parachutes".
*Here's the background: "OSIRIS-REx is an acronym that incorporates the mission s major concepts and goals.


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The lessons Mary Bright wants to impart from her father's tragic and untimely death have more to do with how he lived, rather than how he died.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment, introduced by John Barrow (D-Savannah) and Bart Stupak (D-Michigan), to H.R. 6599, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009. This amendment will prevent the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) from increasing the deductible that disabled veterans must pay in order to receive their mileage reimbursement when they travel to get medical treatment.
The regional rural transit system scheduled to start this month may not get rolling until later this year.
The Effingham County Sheriff's Office is searching for Explorers.
Firefighters in Rincon battle more than fires.
A few hundred votes in his former home county could have turned the tide for Ray McKinney.
Georgia Ports Authority's Chairman of the Board Steve Green announced the GPA handled more than 2.6 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent unit containers) in fiscal year 2008, a 14.9-percent increase, setting a record for containers handled at the port of Savannah.
Frustrated citizens voiced their concerns with such issues as the environmental and financial impacts during a public meeting on Guyton's proposed wastewater treatment plant.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., praised the Senate's passage of legislation to stimulate the nation's declining housing market. The legislation passed by a vote of 72-13.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., reacted to the findings by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that Imperial Sugar "egregiously and willfully" violated safety and health standards by allowing excessive amounts of combustible dust to collect in its Port Wentworth facility.
A young man apparently drowned in a pond near Old River Road early Thursday afternoon.
Springfield has been given a loan by the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority for $1.38 million to build a new well and connect the two systems by running water lines down Highway 21.
The Springfield City Council discussed Tuesday night purchasing new Christmas decorations for Laurel Street.
Traffic accidents in Rincon have decreased, and the Rincon Police Department has stepped up its traffic enforcement.
The cities of Rincon, Guyton, Springfield and Effingham County collectively owe over $45 million to the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. And that is just the current numbers.
The Effingham County Sheriff's Office is warning Georgia Power customers about scammers posing as company employees in an attempt to bilk money from people.
For years, Homer Wallace pushed for voting rights and to have Effingham County's own observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Monday morning, the former longtime county commissioner and community activist was recognized and hailed for his work.
Effingham County now has in its hands a $30,000 check, the result of its settlement with King America Finishing.
An off-duty Effingham County firefighter who was one of the first to respond to a tanker-pickup truck collision and fire that claimed the lives of three brothers, and two Springfield firefighters were honored for their efforts in that incident.
With a revised county administrator job description in place, Effingham County commissioners may begin searching for a new day-to-day leader.
A new travel policy for Effingham County employees is set to go into effect, after commissioners unanimously approved its adoption last week.
The quick actions of two Effingham County Sheriff's Office deputies are being credited with saving a man's life Thursday afternoon.
The Effingham County Sheriff's Office reports that Honey Ridge Road is closed at Highway 119 because downed trees and power line.

domain: news


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Conclusion of the Fifth Session of Joint Serbia-Angola Committee for Cooperation in the Field of Defence
The Fifth session of the Joint Serbia-Angola Committee for the cooperation in the field of defence was concluded in a ceremony in the Guard Club in Topčider, during which State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Živković and Secretary of State for Defence Infrastructures and Industry of the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Angola General Afonso Carlos Neto signed the Minutes on the conclusion of the session.
Addressing the present, State Secretary Živković pointed out that the delegations of the ministries of defence of Serbia and Angola had discussed the development of relations between the two countries in the field of military technical, military-to-military, military education and military medical cooperation and that the session had been concluded as highly successful.
Živković stated that over previous four days our friends and partners from Angola had had an opportunity to visit the companies “Jomil”, “Vlatacom”, PC “Planum” and “PC Jugoimport” which he evaluated as a good opportunity to analyse the scope and capacities of business of those companies, and the potential for the establishment of cooperation with Serbian defence industry. Also, State Secretary Živković stressed that the achievements of the partnership that had been made until that moment between the ministries of defence of Serbia and Angola, and joint projects planned for the future, would contribute to the development of the overall bilateral relations between the two countries.
General Afonso Carlos Neto underlined that the signed documents represented the guidelines that would lead to the implementation of the agreed projects and he added that the priority would be given to the activities in the field of military education, meaning the education and training of cadre from the Armed Forces of Angola at the University of Defence and in the Military Technical Institute of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia. General Neto evaluated the visits to Serbian companies and the contacts made as very significant for Angola when it came to the field of military industry, overhaul of the existing materiel and creation of new production capacities of that country.
At the end of his address General Neto expressed his gratitude for the hospitality shown and the friendship, sending the message that the delegation from Angola was very satisfied with everything that had been achieved since 4th October until that day, which is how long the Fifth session of the Joint Serbia-Angola Committee for the Cooperation in the field of defence lasted.


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Jump to content
Any Lacquer Paint Lovers?
17 replies to this topic
Posted 20 November 2011 - 06:09 PM
I have been reading and learning a lot here, but I still have not made any baits yet.
I have a couple of airbrushes laying around and a whole shop full of tools.
The only thing I need to get on hand is paint.
It seems Createx has the biggest following, but I keep thinking about using lacquers. I'm not concerned about odor, I have the facilities to spray in. I like the lacquer paint because I think it would cure faster.
Am I leaning the wrong way?
I know it's a loaded question and everyone has their own favorites, but I would like to hear your opinions.
Posted 20 November 2011 - 07:22 PM
Lacquer does dry fast, but, that is the only advantage I see.
Posted 20 November 2011 - 10:33 PM
I have been making bait only a few years . I use lacquer airbrush paints by wildlife creations these are the paints used by taxadermist . I tried the createx water base paints a did not like them at all .
Posted 20 November 2011 - 10:56 PM
Many of us never get into lacquers because of the toxicity but having seen lacquer painted lures, my impression is they make for some very nice baits with vibrant colors. If you have the facility and already have a "lacquer skill set", there's certainly no reason to avoid them.
Posted 21 November 2011 - 03:56 AM
Suggest you set up a paint test to test what key colors you want to see and what traits you want your lures to show. You can test water based vs. lacquer and/or vs. other paints like epoxy, enamel, etc.
If your lures will be made of wood, you can buy small quantities of water, lacquer or whatever paints for test. Using Plaster of Paris sickle sticks you can dip or spray sanding sealer, primer, color, and top coats and let them cure between coats. While your tests are curing, you can compare the sticks and see which tests meet your criteria. For example if you want a bright white and Plaster of Paris sickle stick tests show white is off white, or pearl white or maybe polar white, you can clearly see what is best for you.
Meanwhile as your paint test is underway, you can start making lures and start painting a few to see how your colors works.
Oh yeah, if you want to add tests, you can drill a hole in each Plaster of Paris sickle stick of a given test, insert a piece of braided line and tie them all together. This will let you compare overall or color by color say Createx with Badger, Testors, Tamiya and so on. You may find that you like say yellow from Createx, red from Badger or something else from other suppliers. You may also find that the top coat you like works well over one color but not too good over another color. You can accelerate wear by heating, hanging in Sun outside or lighting up test rings of Plaster of Paris sickle sticks. Also the test rings are good to refer back to years later when a supplier suddenly discontinues one of the colors you want.
Posted 21 November 2011 - 09:08 AM
we use lacquers.
they are great for fast dry and hold well. remember on wood lures seal the wood. then use a good lacquer prime. from there you can apply any other paints,enamels,,water base over your base coats.
been working for us over 20 years.
Posted 21 November 2011 - 08:10 PM
Hey guys I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. I've been lurking here for months and it i thought it looked like a great community of helpful people, and you have proven that!
I am a custom furniture maker by trade so I deal with toxic finishes on a daily basis so squirting a little extra lacquer on a Sunday to paint a couple baits is not an issue for me personally.
The taxidermy lacquers are exactly what I was thinking about ordering, but I may order some water based airbrush paints to experiment with as well.
The suggestion to do some samples and test durability over time is a great idea too.
I doubt I will ever get around to doing some of the highly detailed realistic paint jobs I see some of you guys doing. For now I will be happy to make a few utilitarian baits. I have made tons of things out of wood over the years. Pretty soon I will be able to add baits to my done it list.
Thanks again, this site and all you guys have been a huge source of useful information.
Posted 26 November 2011 - 07:41 PM
I work with lacquer everyday as do you and just from feed back of clients and custumers as to what happens to cabinets and furniture when they come in contact with water! Or the wife screams at ya for not using a coaster under your beer! that being said, lacquer and water hate each other, I agree that sealing and priming your baits with solvent based materials can be an advantage maybe even your color choices but for final clear I would gaurrentee failure at some point.Lacquer is to britol and does not have any give or Flex. I am currently in the process of the change over to waterbourne lacquers in a couple of shops and will be trying out dipping my cranks in it to test but typically they are intended for interior use so I think you would be asking for problems using it in water all day long not to mention temp change constantly from sun to cool water.. Just my 2 cents I'm knew to TU also and learning a ton of stuff! There are some pros on here with serious talent and tested waters far beyond what i know but I do know lacquer of all brands and types and their characteristcs. Do you use conversion varnish at all it might hold out longer as its a little tougher.
Posted 26 November 2011 - 10:56 PM
I didn't mean to suggest using either lacquer or water based acrylic paints without topcoating it with a durable waterproof clearcoat. On my crankbaits, I figure any kind of paint or coating will stay on the lure if you topcoat it with a moisture cured urethane, epoxy, or automotive clearcoat (provided the various coatings are compatible enough not to bubble).
Posted 27 November 2011 - 09:08 AM
I should have been more clear in my original post.
I was looking at using lacquer paints only, not as a topcoat.
I have been looking at polytranspar and other taxidermy lacquers. I'm starting to see an advantage to createx type paints. They are available in small quantities. I could see myself experimenting with paints and buying five gallons to paint two three inch poppers....lol
Posted 27 November 2011 - 11:06 AM
I've been using House of Kolor paints since 06 and have never had a problem with adhesion nor ill effects from water intrusion. Automotive lacquers are very different than cabinet finishing products, as well they will be top coated. Aside from the drying time advantage, these paints can be reduced far beyond any water based product, and still remain useable. This results in a very fine pigment useful in shading and blending. These products are available in 2 and 4 ounce ready to spray bottles at a similar price range. One disadvantage is color selection, they have fantastic metallics and pearls, but you'll have to mix your own natural colors,( That's where the fun begins!) I have had good results top coating with both automotive urethanes and hobby epoxies. The best advice is to test for yourself side by side before you make an expensive investment. Good Luck,
Posted 27 November 2011 - 04:08 PM
Yea it's hard to find chartreuse and such in the taxadermist paints .
Posted 29 November 2011 - 06:53 PM
I learned about lacquers from Kermett Adams, and I use the Testors R/C colors, and Jannsnetcraft vinyl. They are compatible. The only colors of vinyl I use are clear, white, green chartreuse, and pearl white. I use these in combo with all the killer Testors colors, and its a simple and versatile system of painting plugs. They Plaster of Paris! All are cut with acetone.
Posted 29 November 2011 - 07:39 PM
I was thinking the testors paints were enamels not lacquer.
Posted 29 November 2011 - 08:41 PM
No. These (Testors R/C) are used to paint Lexan bodies on R/C cars. Fast cure. I'll do scale patterns with tule fabric in an embroidery hoop, and I can carefully handle the bait within seconds (15-30?)to do the other side. Kermett Adams has one of the best E-books on the net for making AND painting plugs. I think its around 20$? Dont care, cause its worth every penny.Covers the whole thing on lacquers, using the system I mentioned. The pearls and metal flakes are super. Thanx Kerm!
Posted 29 November 2011 - 08:41 PM
I use lacquer. Polytranspar, Lifetone and fingernail polish. You can also thin enamel with acetone or lacquer thinner.
Posted 29 November 2011 - 11:29 PM
Most everything I shoot is lacquer based thinned with acetone or lac thinner...
One thing no one mentioned is buying a big can of a quality clear lacquer, thin down to spray through your airbrush, and then possibilities are unlimited... I use auto or worm pouring pearls,powder pigments and metalic powders, micro glitters and flip flops... mix them into the clear, as well as any tints or dyes, like worm or lure dye, even Ritt dye to get great trans colors. Once you get comfortable with the system, you can even mix in other paints and pigments to hot lacquers with good results... Enamels actually work well to pigment the lacquers and spray nicely in thinned clear or white lacquer with near instant drying qualities.
Always do this in well ventilated area!
Edited by CatchingConcepts, 29 November 2011 - 11:31 PM.
Posted 03 December 2011 - 06:35 AM
I've been to busy to try painting yet, but all this great info is getting me fired up.
The clear coat suggestion sound like it could open up a bunch of possibilities.

domain: artistic


Jazz on the organ? And on the basis of the originals? This comes over marvelously well with the music of the legendary Bill Evans - as this new recording by David Schollmeyer impressively demonstrates. Schollmeyer has selected pieces from all the creative periods of this unique jazz pianist. Along with an illuminating overview of Evan's oeuvre, the result is an engaging organ portrait on Schollmeyer's "home organ" in Bremerhaven. Evans's outstanding skills as a pianist often inspired admiration; they were expressed not so much in artistic virtuosity as in his extremely fine sense of sound. His magnificent solos were mostly limited to one part, and here the saxophonist Lee Konitz was his great model. The organ restores the wind character to these improvisations - for many a jazz fan, with pleasant listening surprises in store! Evans was a great fan of the jazz waltz, and Schollmeyer's collection includes five such gems. Already in the original version the incomparable "Peace Piece," a free improvisation on a single ostinato measure, evokes the organ. Like a concentrated passacaglia or an English ground, this famous piece develops an uncommonly suggestive effect on the organ. The bass foundation is mostly formed by the extremely precise speaking of the Prinzipal stop on the Beckerath organ in the Große Kirche in Bremerhaven. The electric couplers also guarantee absolute rhythmic cogency even in a full registration - an essential prerequisite for the groove that Schollmeyer so marvelously maintains.


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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
THE GREAT GATSBY, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.
Yup, three stars. Again. I don’t know why I thought it’d be different this time. This book is always ruined for me by the completely uninspired main character. Does he have a single thought within his head? Nope. He’s nothing but an outside observer to the frenetic chaos that rages all around him. And because of this, I always feel detached from the story and the drama surrounding Daisy and Gatsby.
Womp, womp. I wonder if there are retellings of this…

domain: library


Many of our 70's and 80's Porsche models have used this 2-pin, female connector (aka Junior Power Timer connector). The problem is they get brittle with age and need to be refreshed. We offer these connectors at less than half the price of other vendors and ours are built with a pig tail - so you don't need to buy the expensive pin crimper. We also include an easy-flex boot that fits perfectly.
Some examples of uses:
Porsche 944: Fuel Injector connectors.
Porsche 928: Fuel Injector connectors, air auxiliary valve & Cold start injector.
Porsche 911 (mid-years): Fuel Injector connectors, air auxiliary valve, cold-start Injector, Air Fuel Meter safety switch.
Note: we also have the male connector available.
This product was added to our catalog on Friday 16 September, 2016.


Cristiano Ronaldo has rejected accusations he said he is "sad" at Real Madrid to get more money from the club.
Ronaldo, 27, refused to celebrate either of his goals in Sunday's 3-0 win against Granada and revealed his disquiet to reporters after the match.
Several theories have been put forward to explain his mood, but Ronaldo denied his motives are financial.
"I am accused of wanting more money, but one day it will be shown that this is not the case," the forward said.
It has also been suggested that the Portugal international was upset by a perceived lack of support from his club in his bid to be named World Player of the Year for a second time and because Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta was selected as Uefa's Best Player in Europe last week.
Ronaldo has made a huge impact since joining Madrid from Manchester United for a world record £80m fee in 2009. His 46 La Liga goals last season played a key role in helping Real becoming Spanish champions.
Ronaldo insisted that his "motivation, dedication, commitment and desire to win all competitions will not be affected" by his feelings.
He added that he had "too much respect for myself and for Real Madrid to ever give less" than he is capable of.
Real team-mate and former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa offered his support to Ronaldo.
He said: "If Cristiano is sad and needs the support of his team-mates, then of course he is going to get it. And if it is the support of the fans, I am sure they will give it.
"In Real Madrid, we are a family. When one member is not as happy as he should be we help him. When things are not right we all help."


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Discovering The Very Best Hotels For Great RatesIf you are planning to travel, finding a good hotel to stay in is an important part of the process. However, finding an affordable hotel that is still of good quality can be difficult. You need to know where to look to find the best deals. For some great tips, keep reading.
To make sure that you don't have an allergic reaction to the soaps and shampoos that you find in hotel rooms, bring your own, particularly if you have sensitive skin. While it's nice to find the freebies, the rash that sometimes results is quite unpleasant. Take along your own things to keep things clean.
Look for a closet safe in your hotel room, and use it for any expensive electronics you may have brought with you. Put all of your valuables and small electronics into the safe, such as your jewelry and iPad. They'll be safe in there and you can leave the hotel room without worry.
Best hotel hospitality supplies by Hotels For Humanity
7910 E Camelback Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, USA
Prior to emptying out your suitcase, carefully look over your room. Is it clean? Are all bathroom fixtures in proper working order? Are you given the linens and towels that you're going to need? If you have any questions or notice any problems with the room, immediately call the front desk and report them so that they may be handled. You may also asked to be transferred to a new room if the problem is serious, such as mold or mildew.
Check the Internet for the best deals before you book a hotel room during your next trip. The hotel representative is unlikely to inform you there are better deals online. It is your responsibility to find these discounts. Check out websites such as Jetsetter, RueLaLaTravel, and SniqueAway.
Visit several online travel websites and compare hotel room prices. These online travel websites do not always offer the same price for hotel rooms at a specific location. By choosing 1888 mills news or three different online travel websites, you can assure you are getting the best deal possible. Also, booking close to your travel date will usually net you a better price.
Top renovation ideas that will help your hotel stand out and increase revenue
The first thing you should do when starting your renovation project is to focus on creating a unique, dynamic multi-use space in your lobby if you want to leave a great first impression on your guests (since first impressions are the most lasting.) Your new hotel lobby should provide a multi-use space for both casual and formal talks. This means that you have to create space segmentation in order to provide intimate, casual zones for socialization as well as comfortable and functional working areas. After dividing the space and creating different zones, you should first decide on what you want to achieve with the new look. Top renovation ideas that will help your hotel stand out and increase revenue
There are membership programs that hotels offer for those that stay frequently at their chains. Just like frequent flyer mile programs, these hotel programs offer you points for your stay. They add up to free nights, discounts at hotel restaurants, show tickets, spa deals and a whole lot more.
Think about these three things if you plan to bring a pet with you during your hotel stay. Find out if the hotel you have selected is pet-friendly. Additionally, bring along a few plastic bags suitable for cleaning up after your animal. Also, request a room away from other guests so that your pet does not bother them.
Use social media to your advantage if you want to get fresh deals on hotel stays. Many hotels offer deals and freebies to people that "Like" their page. In addition, giving them praise on social media is a great way to snag an upgrade and/or a special rate that has not been advertised.
Book your hotel room as far in advance as possible. You will be surprised at how quickly hotels fill up, especially in smaller towns with few hotels. If you wait until last minute, there is a good chance you may not even be able to book a room. So, be sure to reserve your room as soon as you know you need one!
Vacation "green" if you are worried about the environment. The number of "green" hotels is steadily growing. Some of the newer hotels were built with green standards in mind. Many older hotels are environmentally aware and have eco-friendly measures in place. Check online or ask a travel agent for help.
If your hotel offers a kid's club, and you are considering leaving your child there, take a few precautions. Find out if the staff has undergone background checks and ask about the child to adult ratio. In addition, ask what the procedure is for picking up the child. You want to make sure that someone can't just walk up and leave with your little one.
Do hives from hotel sheets smoke? If so, it is important that you are aware of a hotel's smoking policy in advance. A lot of hotels have rooms designated for smokers. So if you are a smoker, be sure to ask for one of those rooms. If they find you have smoked in a non-smoking area, they may charge you a fine.
It is often helpful to choose a hotel that includes a free breakfast. While many of the breakfasts are not elaborate, they offer you a way to start your day off right without having to search for a place to eat. Many hotels offer a continental breakfast that includes, coffee, tea and pastries while others offer cereal, eggs, pancakes, waffles and other breakfast foods.
If you book a room during a heavy occupancy period, don't be surprised if you have a mandatory stay of a few days or more. Hotels often charge early departure fees. When you make your reservation, the hotel can't offer the room to someone else, so they lose money if you leave early. Make sure you understand that you might be charged for an early departure.
If you plan to use the telephone provided in your hotel room, know what to expect as far as charges. Some hotels offer free local calls, but others charge for each call. In addition to any long distance charges, the hotel usually adds an extra fee. Use your cell phone to make calls from your hotel room when possible.
If possible, don't check out earlier than intended. If you do, you may be charged a fee for early departure. A booked hotel room is taken off the market, meaning your early departure would cost them money. They will charge a departure fee so they get back what they lose.
It is often a good idea to book rooms with brand new hotels, just open for business. Newer establishments are often eager to please their customers. Their first customers are the ones who will spread good word of mouth about the hotel. Savvy hotel quality sheets thread count realize this and stay at newer places.
Always ask for a room upgrade at check-in time. You may be able to upgrade to a larger room or one with a better view by simply asking. Other times you may be able to get an upgrade to a room for a small fee. The best time to check-in is either right at check-in time or late night.
A good hotel is a valuable thing to find when you are on the road, far from home. The last thing that you want is to have to sleep in a smelly, run-down hotel where you do not feel safe. To make sure that you find the right hotel, just remember the tips you have read here.

domain: travel


Microsoft vs Google: Two approaches to the technology-driven office
At the first mention of a technology company, many will often jump to Microsoft or Google, given that they’re well established household names. For years, these two companies have been at the centre of many technological innovations on the internet, in computing and in a number of other areas.
Balance is key when trying to create a modern office.
While we often hear about how they’re technological utopias to work in and prime examples of the modern office done right, is this actually true?
In this article, we’ll take a look at these two companies in order to find out whether it’s the office decor or something else entirely that makes them great places to work.
Makers of Windows, Office, Bing and numerous other technologies, Microsoft has been at the centre of many devices and systems that millions of people now use on a daily basis. Based in Redmond, Washington (the state, not the city), the company has managed to build a technology hub.
It’s certainly one of the largest tech companies in the world, with a massive number of different divisions that cover every conceivable technology.
Each building at Microsoft features unique designs, whether it’s the workplace of the future building that demonstrates new technologies or the Commons building, where a giant elephant sculpture sits next to a window. Other rooms feature pinball machines and spaces for live music throughout the day.
So in this drive to have an office layout that’s friendly and engaging, is there actually any space to get work done? Thanks to unique office spaces, the answer is yes. According to Business Insider, on a tour of the Redmond campus in 2013, a standard office setup is quite rare. While certain departments use standard desks lined up, many opt for offices that look more like lounges.
In one space, large windows surround couches and other flexible work spaces to facilitate collaboration and working together as a team. In another, the workers took advantage of large computer displays to make their particular job easier, while others used smaller screens.
It’s clear that this Redmond campus is well suited to the needs of Microsoft, especially given the large number of projects that are often underway at any given point.
Google would seem to be behind many of the major web developments of recent years, just like Microsoft, and the technologies created by this company are also used by millions every single day.
Also like Microsoft, Google has managed to build technology hubs across the globe. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the New York HQ of the massive organisation.
Insightful Travel & Tours was able to visit this office, and took a look at what made it different from other workplaces. The travel company noted that the main objective was to encourage creative and innovative thinking, and the workplace reflected this. Certain individual spaces could be changed by moving glass walls around in order to get teams working together.
Overloading technology usage could mean staff find it difficult to work productively.
Another area of the office had an IT bar where staff could bring their devices to get fixed by expert Google staffers. The company also provides scooters to allow people to move around the massive space faster.
Like the Microsoft Redmond campus, this office in New York reflects the culture of the company that runs it, and also makes use of new technologies and flexible ways of working to encourage productivity.
What can businesses take away from this?
It’s clear to see that a balance is key when trying to create a modern office, as overloading technology usage could mean staff find it difficult to work productively.
So, when it’s time to choose the furniture for an office space or new computers and video conferencing solutions, ensure that there’s a good balance. After all, you only have to take one look at Google and Microsoft to see that the companies are doing something right.
If you’re looking to modernise your office, contact us and we can start the process today!


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by Maura Campbell ’22
On Sept. 18, the Providence College Coalition Against Racism held a press event addressing issues within the Providence College Department of Elementary and Special Education.
Members of the student body and faculty received an email on the same day from Dr. Hugh Lena III, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, addressing this press event and its content.
At the press event, members of the Providence College Coalition Against Racism argued that the discriminatory practices of the Department of Elementary and Special Education contribute to the low percentage of teachers of color in the state of Rhode Island.
According to the press release, these practices include denying equal access to the major “based on race, ethnicity, and bi-lingual status.”
Kai Burton ’18 said at the press event, “While I never thought that it would be this difficult, I recognize that the adversity I’ve been facing has been deficit-based criticism, racially charged rhetoric, and feeling powerless throughout the entire process.”
The press release contains several other personal stories from students detailing their own experiences of discrimination within the ESE department.
It also states that the department uses a two-track policy that privileges white students over students of color. This policy, according to the press release, includes issues such as the department encouraging white students who are struggling while discouraging students of color who are facing similar difficulties. Additionally, white students are being placed in “positive student-teaching classrooms” while students of color are placed in “deficit-focused classrooms and required to take non-college courses.”
In 2019, the Elementary and Special Education graduating class consisted of 53 students, only two of whom were students of color. A year earlier, in 2018, there were only four students of color in a graduating class of 59.
Dr. Anthony Rodriguez, professor of elementary and special education, also spoke at the press event, describing some of the issues and discriminatory practices within his department. He said that the department “over many years, in a controlled, focused and deficit-oriented manner, removed people of color from the Elementary and Special Education program.”
Later, he spoke in further detail about these issues. In particular, he spoke about the department itself and its administration, saying that they “are not owning the problem and admitting harm,” which he says is crucial to solving the problem itself.
Rodriguez also spoke about issues of bias within the Elementary and Special Education Department outside of the classroom, saying that when he suggested a study abroad program in Latin America, rather than in Europe (where many study abroad programs in the ESE department are currently held), he was told that “these countries are dangerous and that there are no rigorous academic programs in Latin America.”
Dr. Jennifer Swanberg, dean of the school of professional studies, spoke about these concerns and explained her efforts to resolve some of these issues since arriving at PC in August of 2018.
Two of her priorities, she says, are to create “a learning, living, and working environment where everyone feels included and has equitable opportunities for success” and to “work toward creating a fully inclusive and equitable school that embodies the principles of equity and inclusion.”
In light of these priorities, Swanberg noted several efforts that have been made to recruit and retain students in the major, including “addressing the cost burden of the required admission tests, ongoing curriculum changes, removal of biases in state-required admission criteria, and the establishment of a ‘first-year experience’ for ESE students.”
Rodriguez, on the other hand, says that these types of efforts are not enough; rather, that they are intended to “manage” the problem rather than truly address it. Students, he says, are “feeling disheartened regarding the lack of response by the administration” and are still discussing how they are “spotlighted in class and treated as ‘the other.‘” He argues that if the department were truly changing, students would notice a difference. Instead, they continue to feel as if they are being ignored.
Swanberg says, “Their [students’] voices have not been ignored nor dismissed,” their input “has been used to inform change,”and that she continues to seek input from everyone on these issues.
In regard to the efforts put forth by the department, Swanberg notes that addressing issues within the Elementary and Special Education Department itself is not an immediate transformation. “Changing organizational culture and climate is hard work. It requires transformation at the individual and institutional levels, and it is developmental, iterative, a long-term process, and a work in progress.”
Rodriguez says that the Providence College Coalition Against Racism “hope[s] that the administration is acting and doing the work necessary for real structural changes in the ESE department so that any student can be themselves, work toward their dreams, and be a teacher without discrimination or retaliation.”


In a composting plant, every single component must be designed for a long service life, because moisture and organic acids severely damage the plant. At the AVG (Abfallentsorgungs- und Verwertungsgesellschaft Köln mbH) plant, igus has now installed two energy chain systems for the transfer units in the central composting hall, which were configured precisely for these applications. Both systems were designed identically.
AVG's composting plant in Cologne processes bio-waste from Cologne households, green waste from gardens and forests, and organic waste from businesses into compost in various classifications. The central process step on the way from waste to compost takes place in a huge hall divided into two fields. Each field is about 26 metres wide and 150 metres long. An automatic heap handling device, similar to an indoor overhead travelling crane, travels above it, distributing the source material evenly in the hall with a conveyor unit.
These perform all essential functions in the composting hall fully automatically. In order to supply the crane bridges and transfer units with energy and signals, chains and guide troughs from a competitor were previously used, which after ten years of continuous operation showed strong signs of wear and even led to the failure of the system. The reason: The heap handling equipment was supplied via a normal gliding chain - that such a chain shows wear with this length and its own weight is unavoidable and does not correspond to the latest state-of-the-art technology.
Furthermore, the careful selection of materials is an essential prerequisite for a long service life, because the atmosphere in the composting hall is very corrosive: organic acids are released during the composting process. Together with the very high humidity, this creates a type of climate that many materials cannot cope with: Even galvanised metal components corrode quickly here.
After the bad experiences with the competitor's gliding energy chain, the management was looking for a replacement. The most obvious solution was to ask the supplier to replace the chain. At the same time, however, they also made enquiries at igus. The specialists looked around on site and projected an alternative solution according to the current state of the art in a very short time. The fact that a gliding chain shows wear in the application given its length and dead weight is unavoidable and does not correspond to the latest state-of-the-art technology. Therefore igus suggested distributing the weight over two chains that travel reverse. An energy chain of type 5050R with roller guide was therefore used to supply the crane bridges and transfer units with energy and signals, together with a guide trough of almost 150 m in length. This system also proves itself in dirty and humid environments - and it was designed for long travels. A flexible interior separation ensures that the cables are guided in an orderly manner during movement. The cables within the chain are thereby responsible for the mobile media, energy and signal supply of the system. To take into account the aggressive environmental conditions, care has been taken to ensure that the guide trough is made of 316 stainless steel, which is resistant to corrosion in the long term.
With these advantages, it is not surprising that AVG opted for the solution from igus - especially as igus had experience in equipping a similar composting plant in Erftstadt, 30km away. The igus project team was also convincing in terms of speed. Michael Tegetmeier: "We were under time pressure because we wanted to install the new energy chain at a time when there was little compost." Speed was also the order of the day during installation so as not to delay the composting process. This task was taken over by the operating staff under the guidance of a supervisor from igus.
The new system was installed without any difficulties and completed the continuous operation without any problems. Michael Tegetmeier is satisfied with the collaboration - and with the new energy chain system as well: "AVG can be sure that it is using the latest and most reliable technology here. Despite the rather unfavourable environmental conditions, the system is expected to have a long service life. An annual inspection by igus will ensure that the user's expectations are at least met, if not exceeded, in these aspects as well.


text: Dedicated southerners greet fall and spring by changing out their textiles, but who among us actually welcomes the season of discontent? Fleetwood Mac. Ansel Adams. Henry David Thoreau. They've all paid homage to bare trees. While many people prefer their trees cloaked in color-drenched leaves or sprightly spring blossoms, the mood of the moment in design seems to be focused on withering heights. Showing up on everything from Amenity's Twig duvet to Bodo Sperlein's Black Forest china and vases, these long-limbed arboreal beauties, some shedding and some already denuded, needn't add a chill to your decor. Their graceful lines and lyrical shapes mix well with plush fabrics and nubby textures, and, because they are minimalist, they can be thrown with any style from baroque to Arts and Crafts. So if you'd like to welcome in the season but can't stomach another bough of holly, try adding a bit of kindling to light up your decor.

domain: design


"The article begins with a definition: media literacy is the ability to access, analyse, evaluate and create messages across a variety of contexts. This four-component model is then examined for its applicability to the internet. Having advocated this skills-based approach to media literacy in relation to the internet, the article identifies some outstanding issues for new media literacy crucial to any policy of promoting media literacy among the population. The outcome is to extend our understanding of media literacy so as to encompass the historically and culturally conditioned relationship among three processes: (i) the symbolic and material representation of knowledge, culture and values; (ii) the diffusion of interpretative skills and abilities across a (stratified) population; and (iii) the institutional, especially, the state management of the power that access to and skilled use of knowledge brings to those who are ‘literate’."
Via Howard Rheingold


text:
Interviews & Essays
Who Killed Health Care?
Jack Morgan needed a kidney transplant. His loving daughter volunteered to donate one of her kidneys and Jack had health insurance.
What could go wrong?
Jack never got the transplant. Debilitated by his kidney disease, Jack Morgan died.
Who killed him?
The U. S. health care system: All the parties in health care whose role was to help him—the health insurers, hospitals, corporate human resource personnel, the U.S. Congress, and the health public policy academics—killed Jack Morgan.
They meant well, but they were more interested in protecting their own welfare than his. Along the way, they diminished and depressed the roles of doctors, the one group most capable of protecting Jack.
With its gargantuan costs, the U.S. health care system is killing our economy too, choking the global competitiveness of American firms and the welfare of future generations of Americans.
If we become sick, all of us are potential Jack Morgans, the victims of our self-serving, bloated health care system.
We can correct these problems; but only if you and I, and our doctors, take control and implement a consumer-driven health care system.
Who Killed Health Care?
Who Killed Health Care? tells the story of how the third parties in health care—neither doctors nor patients—seized control of the money we pay for our health care system and how we can get it back and use it to create the efficient, effective system we need.
This essay is an attack on our present health care system as well as a presentation of a new, future health care system that differs from everything we have today. I am not conducting a minor skirmish or merely suggesting adjustments to your insurance plan's benefits or adding customer-friendly practices to your hospital. This is a full-blown attack on the structures and the architects of our present system.
Our $2 trillion health care system is as large as the economy of China. And yet, despite all this spending, millions of people cannot get the care they need because it costs too much or because our fragmented health care system cannot efficiently supply integrated, multifaceted treatment for their chronic diseases or disabilities. If they are uninsured, our primarily nonprofit hospitals all too often gouge them with the highest prices they charge and then use criminal-like collection tactics to ensure payment.
You may not realize it, but we all pay for all of this. If we are employed, our boss takes part of our salary and uses it to pay for this system.1 If we are self-employed, we pay horrendously high premiums for insurance plans. And as taxpayers, we funded the government's 44 percent share of 2004 health care costs.2
The system giveth and the system taketh away. It takes your money, time, and health, and it gives generously to Wall Street and fat-cat businesspeople and hospital executives who earn millions of dollars. Dr. William W. McGuire, the former CEO of United-Healthcare, one of the country's largest health insurers, not only received $1.7 billion worth of stock options during his tenure,3 but also had a jet at his disposal and a red carpet reportedly rolled out to meet his limo so his tootsies did not have to meet the same ground on which we ordinary mortals step.4 This money, or at least some of it, could have provided better health care or lower costs for United-Healthcare's enrollees, but instead it wound up in Dr. McGuire's very large bank account and literally fell under his feet.
I am not suggesting that we put more money into our health care system. At close to $2 trillion, or nearly 20 percent of our economy, we put more than enough money into it. Nor do I think that we must set up yet another bureaucracy that will take our money and then ration our health care. All of us can likely have all the care we need with current spending levels. What I am advocating is using the money we currently spend differently and more effectively so that we can get the health care we want and even cover those who are now forced to go without health insurance because they cannot afford it.
The solution I will discuss here goes by the name consumer-driven health care. It's a term that I popularized, and it's become a common way to describe this new health care solution. Google it and see for yourself.
Consumer-driven health care empowers individuals and brings their force to bear on the offerings of doctors, hospitals, and insurance and pharmaceutical companies. It converts the entire system to one that is responsive to you and me as the ultimate consumers of its goods and services.
As I show in the course of the book, there are consumer-driven health insurers that give you the health care you need at a price you are willing to pay; there are lower-cost hospitals that do not treat you like a slab of meat; and there are governments that do what they are supposed to—help the poor, provide transparency, and protect against fraud and abuse—rather than telling your doctor how to practice medicine. There is a way to create dynamic markets for health services that are more effective, more efficient, and more responsive to the patient-consumer—and her doctor—than anything we have today. The last chapters are devoted to describing that system, how to make it work, the proper roles of government and business in creating and sustaining it, and the benefits and good health it will bring to you.
Who Killed Jack Morgan?
The day I learned Jack Morgan had died of kidney disease was the day I knew our health care system had died along with him.
The kidney is the body's filtering system. Kidney disease victims are essentially poisoned and drowned. The filters in Jack's kidneys, which were functioning at less than 20 percent of normal, could not effectively remove waste and keep his fluids regulated.
When the disease first struck, the people around Jack, who was normally a lean bundle of energy, noticed that he had become lethargic and puffy. His usually glowing skin was dry and scaly. His HMO doctor thought he was depressed, and he gave Jack a prescription for a generic drug. But, after repeated visits, when his symptoms did not improve, Jack was correctly diagnosed. An artificial kidney, called a dialysis machine, replicated the function of his natural kidneys. But after many years of dialysis, it was no longer enough. Jack needed a new kidney, a good one, transplanted into his body.
What could go wrong? Everything. Everything went wrong, and Jack never got the transplant. Instead, he died of his disease. His death was not painful, at least not for him. He died quickly, poisoned by his own waste, drowned by his own fluids. But it was painful for the many people who loved him because they knew his death was premature. With a new kidney, Jack could have lived another 20 or more years.
Jack was killed by an inept, malfunctioning, costly health care system that he thought was protecting him. A system that for all intents and purposes is dead. He was killed . . .
Who exactly killed him? And why?
Remember the book and film Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie's story of a man murdered on a train? It turns out that all the passengers had a hand in his death.5
That's what happened to Jack Morgan—every part of the health care system failed him. Unlike the killers in the Christie mystery, they didn't mean to do it, but they did it anyway. They were so caught up in their self-interest that they forgot what their work was all about—Jack Morgan's health. In the U.S. health care system, and in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Canada, trillions of dollars are spent on health care, but no one gives a voice to its consumers. In these nations, this means that you and I are not being heard. Jack could not speak for himself, and there was no ombudsman to speak for him.
The killers work in insurance and hospital firms that have lost their souls, firms that have become more interested in money and perpetuating themselves than in providing health. Employers, as well as the U.S. Congress and a bevy of health policy academics, are also implicated. They were satisfied with substituting simple, utopian abstractions, like the idea that an insurer or a government can "manage health care" cheaper and better than your doctor, for the thousands of complex interactions that should guide the practice of medicine.
The problem begins with the hospitals—the bloated behemoths that account for the largest part of our health care system, nearly a trillion dollars' worth, and represent the major reason for its cost increases. Their costs rise at a pace that generally exceeds the growth of their services. They have managed this through shameless manipulation of their nonprofit image and massive political contributions. The hospitals have convinced the U.S. Congress to suppress potential competitors, such as physician-controlled specialty hospitals, which could provide better and cheaper services, and to grant them valuable tax exemptions. They've also persuaded local judges and juries to strangle competition by allowing mergers of hospitals and other consolidations.
Clearly, the term nonprofit when applied to these hospitals is a joke. The reality behind the saintly caregiver image they like to promote is startling. These supposedly altruistic institutions earn hundreds of millions of dollars in profit, keep billions of dollars in cash reserves, and pay their executives millions in salary. They play hardball, screwing the uninsured with inflated charges and collection tactics worthy of criminals.
Outrageous hospital costs have gravely injured the employers who buy their employees' health insurance. Since 2000, health insurance premiums have increased by 73 percent compared to cumulative increases in inflation and wages of about 15 percent.6 Although they themselves are victimized by the system, employers, in their turn, have become killers.
Some employers, especially small ones, no longer can afford to offer health insurance. As for the other larger employers, in an effort to control costs, they have allowed their human resources (HR) staffs to restrict employees' choice of health insurance plans, frequently offering only one—a managed care insurance plan. The HR types believe that by restricting choice and giving the insurance companies a large volume of enrollees, they can achieve meaningful cost control. But they are profoundly wrong in their belief: to the contrary, choice supports competition, competition fuels innovation, and innovation is the only way to make things better and cheaper.
The paternalistic HR staff became convinced that the managed care insurers would control costs better than the consumers or the doctors. But they put their faith in the wrong institution; the managed care sector has strayed from its early spiritual roots in the Kaiser organization that originally created the concept of "managed care" as a fundamentally different way of providing better, cheaper health care. As managed care organizations transitioned into an industry, rather than a movement, they lost their souls—all too many were focused on profits at the expense of their enrollees' health care.
Next, the U.S. government's Congress and executive branch enabled this series of disastrous events not only by helping hospitals suppress competition but also by passing legislation that forced U.S. employers to offer managed care options whether they wanted to or not. In addition, the Congress has wrung vast, unwitting subsidies out of us to shower on the managed care insurers and drugs they favor. As a final blow, our Congress has begun to practice medicine, through "pay-for-performance" schemes that reward health service providers who follow Uncle Sam's medical cookbook.
Former government executives who sit on the boards of directors of insurance and health services firms keep congressional relationships well oiled. They are well compensated for their work. The person who once ran the U.S. government's massive Medicare program, for example, was a member of the board of directors at United-Healthcare that approved $1.6 billion in payments to Dr. William McGuire, the firm's former CEO and chairman. She did pretty well herself—earning nearly $15 million in stock, in addition to other compensation, for her board services.7
The health policy academics also enabled Jack's death, motivated by their self-interest and belief in their superior intellects to advocate for a large role in the control of the system. They paved the way, through their intellectual discourse and public policy papers, for technocrats to oversee physicians and usurp their judgments and
treatment preferences—the ugly core of managed care and pay-for-performance
The academics succeeded in blaming the failures of health care in this country on the doctors who actually treat patients. They claimed that practicing physicians made mistakes that would be eliminated if they were controlled by academic researchers who, somehow, know how to practice better medicine. Their efforts were all about placing the individual doctor under their control or that of their technocrat surrogates. The last few recent studies of the Institute of Medicine, one of the National Academies and a group of health policy experts set up to advise the U.S. Congress, focus on how terrible the doctors are.8 Their solution? Just give us more power to tell the clinical docs how to do it right.
But, presently, medicine is more art than science. Unlike the powerful, universal laws of physics that inform the practice of engineering, there are few inviolate rules in the sciences of biology and biochemistry to inform the practice of medicine. Scientists are just beginning to understand how our bodies function, as new human genome research decodes the uncertainty of our biology, fate, and health. So where is the science that will enable some bureaucrat to tell your doctor, who knows you so much better than the bureaucrat, how to practice medicine on you? It does not exist.
Some academics accuse the practicing doctors of unbridled greed too, claiming that they give patients medical services they do not need just to jack up their income. Yes, some do, but the majority do not.9 To the contrary, many doctors lie to insurers only to make sure that their patients can get the medical care they need, and two-thirds donate 11 hours each month of their time to patients for free.10
The academics and policy makers had their way. After decades of brainwashing with this kind of academic preaching, the U.S. Congress passed a whole set of laws, twice as long as the King James Bible of 1,377 pages, that constrain doctors who want to go into the health care services business.11 But in its rush to pass these restrictive laws, Congress was abandoning this nation's passion for innovations and the entrepreneurs who bring them to life. Many of our most important companies were founded by businesspeople who deeply understood their core technologies, in the way that doctors, and only doctors, understand the practice of medicine. Thomas Edison was not only the brilliant businessman who started General Electric; he was also a brilliant inventor. Henry Ford not only founded the Ford Motor Company; he was also a genius mechanical engineer who in only eight years slashed the price of automobiles by more than half with his technological and managerial innovations.12 Bill Gates was not only the visionary founder of the great business, Microsoft, but also an excellent software writer. But if these guys were doctors, they would likely not be allowed to create the same sort of excellent, effective, efficient businesses in health care.
While the Congress and academics pounded away at the practicing doctors' failures, they did not celebrate their successes. Some of the leaders in the physician community also lost sight of the purpose of health care, having been caught up in the politics. But of all the many participants in the health care system, it is the doctors who have more steadfastly adhered to their ethics as professionals. Through scientific innovations in the practice of medicine, we have witnessed a dramatic increase in life span and decrease in illness. Yet physicians' inflation-adjusted incomes dropped by 7 percent from 1995 to 2003, while those of professional and technical workers increased by 7 percent.13 And, increasingly, physicians are asked to follow medical care recipes concocted by insurers and government bureaucrats. With their professional autonomy and financial well-being compromised, small wonder that the number of applicants to medical schools decreased by nearly 20 percent between 1996 and 2006.14 When I ask my MD students why they have enrolled in the Harvard Business School for an MBA, many say, "I cannot practice medicine anymore."
The kind of system that exists now hates innovation. It hates outsiders with good ideas. Yet sometimes, against all odds, the outsiders succeed. Two brilliant scientists who helped Jack to stay alive as long as he did fit into that category. Their genius profoundly altered the pattern of care for kidney disease.
One was the classic academic—a wiry Dutch MD/Ph.D. with a long face, big nose, and Euro-style goatee, clad in the scientific researcher uniform of rumpled chinos, T shirt, and sneakers. Willem Kolff is his name, and he is a raving genius. When I met him, a decade ago, he was a twenty-something in vitality and intellect boxed into an eighty-something body. He invented an artificial kidney that filters the blood of impurities in a lengthy, painful, but life-saving process called dialysis. The second was more your idea of a good doctor—grandfatherly, pious, smiling, noble Joe Murray, from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. He introduced kidney transplantation from a living donor.
Mother Nature is the best of engineers: because kidneys are so important, she has given us two of them. But, despite the security blanket, they may both fail, largely because of diabetes (nearly half of new cases) and/or high blood pressure (25 percent).15
Transplants are a great solution. Joe Murray performed the first transplant of a kidney taken from a living donor. But as recently as August 15, 2006, there were 67,328 people waiting for a kidney but only 13,268 kidneys available. Sadly, the demand far outstrips the supply.16
Dialysis, which rids the body of impurities, is the only alternative to transplants. Roman sweat baths were likely among the first sites for dialysis. Romans who sweated impurities from their bodies were purified but desiccated, trading profound thirst for kidney failure.
The key to an artificial kidney lay in the most mundane of materials—plastics: a membrane so porous that it allowed the impurities in the blood to leach out but sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure created by the flow of blood. During World War II, in Nazi-occupied Holland, Willem Kolff found this membrane in sausage casing made of cellulose acetate. He wound yards and yards of it around a drum, seated it in a vat of liquid, used an engine scavenged from a lawn mower as a power source, and thus created the first artificial kidney.
No good deed goes unpunished in health care. Sure, these two helped people with kidney disease to live good and useful lives, but these doctors also took a lot of abuse along the way. They persevered in the face of unrelenting opposition to their innovations in kidney disease treatment by the status quo medical establishment. You'll hear more about that later.
In the course of my attack, you will meet some other riveting personalities amid the hundreds of thousands of faceless businesspeople, hospital executives, politicians, academics, and bureaucrats who created this destructive system. One was the Prince of Darkness, former President Richard Nixon, who kick-started the managed care insurance movement with legislation that forced employers to offer HMOs as health insurance options to their employees and supported these HMOs with massive federal government subsidies that were funded by the taxpayers and that lowered the prices of the HMOs. They also include the Odd Couple who created Kaiser, a large California HMO—a can-do, huffing, puffing entrepreneur, Henry Kaiser, and Dr. Sidney Garfield, who so admired Kaiser, 24 years his elder, that he married the sister of Kaiser's wife so he could become Kaiser's brother-in-law. Believe it or not, there are some heroes, too, such as doctors Willem Kolff and Joe Murray, whom you've already briefly met, and Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, a Mississippi plaintiff lawyer who, despite his boyish nickname, is as huggable as a shark. Scruggs is bringing the hospitals to their knees in suits about their outrageous overcharges of uninsured patients.
A Bold New Consumer-Driven Health Care System
We have incrementalized our way, one law at a time, into the health care system that killed Jack Morgan. U.S. health care costs too much, and it does too little for too few. Let's toss out the old laws that empowered all the third parties who helped to kill Jack
Morgan—the employers, hospitals, insurers, Congress, and academics. We need bold new laws that empower us and the entrepreneurial medical care providers who provide our health care so we can make the system work the way it should.
For political, policy, and corporate leaders, for families and children, for all of us who need and who practice health care, we are only a few major actions away from a consumer-driven system in the United States and from seeing similar benefits in Canada and Europe. In the United States, these actions will involve our federal and state governments, but most of all they will involve all of us as individuals using our influence to convince our governments to heal our $2 trillion health care problem.
To cure our health care problem, we need innovators and laws that sweep away the obstacles. Incremental changes to our laws without a clear vision of what we are trying to attain got us into this mess; for example, Richard Nixon's ad hoc stabs at health care public policy entangled us with managed care and congressional management of the care for kidney disease. Incremental changes to our laws will not solve the problem. We need vision and boldness, not politics as usual.
A consumer-driven health care system can keep the Jack Morgans hale and healthy without breaking the back of our economy or the spirit of our doctors. When you control the money in the health care system, the institutions that helped to kill Jack Morgan will either change their behavior or find themselves replaced by new, entrepreneurial, consumer-driven ones.
Consumer-driven insurers will design consumer-friendly insurance policies that give you the benefits, coverage, and doctors you want at a price you are willing to pay. If you want managed care, OK; but if you want another kind of policy, you will have access to that too. Consumer-friendly hospitals will take part in integrated teams that give you everything you need for your disease or disability. They will abandon their quest to dominate the health care delivery system.
Consumer-friendly employers will direct their HR staff to give you back the part of your salary that they used to buy your health insurance, and then they will help you choose from the many new varieties of policies that become available.
The U.S. Congress will pass laws that enable you to buy your health insurance with tax-free income, help to create information about the quality and prices of medical care providers, and transfer money to the poor so they can shop for health insurance like all other Americans. Senators and representatives will stop practicing medicine and setting prices. They will get out of the way, and let the doctors do the doctoring and us do the shopping.
Last, the academics will research how to make this consumer-driven market work better, just like the Nobel Prize-winning economists who help to uncover inefficiencies in the financial markets and devise ways to correct them.
Consumer-Driven Health Care: The Bold Laws That Can Make It Happen
Consumer-driven health care has powerful enemies, the status quo fat cats or single-payer ideologues who spin powerful, seductive tales about its dangers.
The only ones who can make it happen are you and I.
So I am ending this essay not with the literary equivalent of a flurry of drums but with a list of the five points that we should ensure are in the legislative plans that will make consumer-driven health care happen.
If we want excellent health care and insurance for all Americans at a price that citizens and taxpayers can afford, here then is the bold legislative solution, to be implemented in state legislatures and the U.S. Congress, that will create it:
- Everyone is required to buy his or her own insurance, using tax-sheltered income. This step creates a consumer-driven system. To protect against bankruptcy because of medical needs, individuals are required to purchase health insurance that covers all expenses exceeding some percentage of their income and liquid assets. Employees get back, in salary and employer contributions, the sums that their employers currently use to pay for their health insurance and other health care needs. The employees do not pay taxes on this sum as long as they use it for health insurance and related medical needs.
- Government helps those who cannot afford to buy health insurance by subsidizing them. This step enables the poor to buy health insurance just like everybody else.
- Providers are free to bundle care as they want to and to quote their own prices. This step enables market-based pricing so that entrepreneurial providers can innovate freely without asking for permission to do so from insurance or government bureaucrats. This will prevent smothering new ideas with requirements for government-issued new codes, coverage, or payment schemes for every innovation. If entrepreneurs create integrated bundles of care, for example, for the needs of a kidney disease victim in his fifties and price that bundle at, say, $65,000 a year, they will be motivated to offer preventive care and to assist the patient in managing his illness. The reason? There are many, but one good one is that when they receive a total price for the bundle of care, they can earn more profits as their patient's health improves. The ideal bundle would be a long-term payment so that the providers are motivated to take a long-term view of the patients' health.
- Government requires publication of data on the performance of all medical providers. This step enables consumers to make informed decisions and protects them against providers who skimp on care, are incompetent, and/or deliver a bad value for the money.
- Prices are risk adjusted. This step ensures that while sick people pay the same price for their insurance as everybody else, providers and/or insurers will receive more money for treatment of the sick. They are thus financially rewarded for attracting the sick. Because the sick account for the bulk of health care costs, we want providers to be interested in innovating cost-effective delivery systems of care for them and insurers to be interested in covering them.
To your good health and prosperity!
- Alain C. Enthoven and Victor R. Fuchs, "Employment-Based Health Insurance:
Past, Present, and Future," Health Affairs, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 1538-1547.
- Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, A Data Book: Healthcare Spending and
the Medicare Program (Washington, D.C.: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission,
June 2006), p. 3.
- Laura B. Benko, "McGuire's Billion-Dollar Exit: Investors Are Sad to See UnitedHealth
Chief Go," Modern Healthcare, October 23, 2006, p. 8.
- George Anders, "Health-Care Gold Mines: Middlemen Strike It Rich,"
"Rewarding Career: As Patients, Doctors Feel Pinch, Insurer's CEO Makes a
Billion," "UnitedHealth Directors Strive to Please 'Brilliant' Chief;" and "New
Questions on Options—Selling Trout for 40 Cents a Pound," Wall Street Journal,
April 18, 2006; and James Bandler, Charles Forelle, and Vanessa Fuhrmans,
"CEO Aims to Halt Stock-Based Pay at UnitedHealth—Move Comes Amid
Scrutiny of Options Timing, Gains," Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2006.
- Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express (New York: Putnam, 1985, first
published in 1933).
- Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust, Employer
Health Benefits, 2005 Annual Survey (Menlo Park, Calif.: Henry J. Kaiser Family
Foundation, 2005), p. 16.
- "Controversy, Salaries Rise," Modern Healthcare (July 31, 2006), United Health-
Care, 2006 Proxy, p. 13.
- Institute of Medicine (IOM), "Crossing the Quality Chasm: The IOM Health
Care Initiative" (Washington, D.C.: The National Academies, iom.edu, accessed
January 10, 2007).
- Rachel M. Werner et al., "The 'Hassle Factor': What Motivates Physicians
to Manipulate Reimbursement Rules?" Archives of Internal Medicine, vol. 162,
no. 19 (May 27, 2002), pp. 1134-1139.
- Center for Studying Health System Change (CSHSC), Tracking Report No.
13 (Washington, D.C.: CSHSC, March 2006).
- Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1989: Law and Explanation, as passed by Congress
on November 22, 1989 (Chicago: Commerce Clearing House, 1989); Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing
Office, 1993); Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995: S.1357 to provide for
reconciliation pursuant to Section 105 of the concurrent resolution on the
budget for fiscal year 1996 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office,
1995); and C. I. Scofield, ed., The New Scofield Reference Bible, Authorized King
James Version (New York: Oxford University Press, 1967).
- Allan Nevins, Ford: The Times, The Man, The Company (New York: Scribner's,
1954), pp. 646-647; Price Per Capital Income column: Robert F. Martin,
National Income in the United States, 1799-1938 (New York: National Science
Foundation Conference Board, 1939).
- Ha T. Tu and Paul B. Ginsburg, Losing Ground: Physician Income, 1995-2003,
Tracking Report No. 15 (Washington, D.C.: Center for Studying Health System
Change, June 2006).
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), "Medical School Applications
May Be on the Rise," December 2002, and "Medical School Enrollment
Rises," November 2006 (aamc.org, accessed January 1, 2007).
- Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), "Donors Recovered
in the U.S. by Donor Type" and "Overall by Organ" (www.optn.org, date
accessed May 15, 2006).
- Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, "PARA Waiting Times,
1997-2000," "Donors Recovered in the U.S. by Donor Type," and "Overall by
Organ" (www.optn.org, accessed May 15, 2006).

domain: medical


About Andy Middlebrook
Specialist Heritage Locksmith. Keys made and locks made or restored. Traditional "one off" Light Engineering for mechanical objects.
Heritage Lock Smithing, making otherwise unavailable key blanks, cutting keys, making historic locks and specials. Restoring historic locks. Light engineering turning milling hand filing and shaping of "one off" & "small batch's " of metal and other materials to produce parts and detail for most mechanical & historic objects. Maker of springs, hand forging, silver & and soft soldering, I run forge experience days monthly and on request for up two people where we use a hand blown forge and belt driven machinery to give an insight into working as an Edwardian lock maker at the Locksmiths House Museum, originally the home and workplace of the Hodson family of lock manufacturers.
Open to the Public?
Yes, by appointment only
Provides Course / Training


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Stipend and Dates
Up to $15,000. for study related time and travel (multiple payments)
|All dates & times are tentative and may change.||Cohort 14B|
|Day -1 Admit||Oct 05, 2023|
|Day 15 Discharge||Oct 20, 2023|
|Day 17 Outpatient visit||Oct 22|
|Day 20 Outpatient visit||Oct 25|
|Day 24 Outpatient visit||Oct 29|
|Day 28 Outpatient visit||Nov 02|
|Day 32 Outpatient visit||Nov 06|
|Day 36 Outpatient visit||Nov 10|
|Day 40 Outpatient visit||Nov 14|
|Day 45 Outpatient visit||Nov 19|
|Day 50 End of study visit||Nov 24|
Or call 210-225-5437 for more information
Healthy Non-Smoking Females
BMI: 18 to 32 kg/m2
Adequate kidney function (GFR): greater than 90 mL/min
Indication: The investigational drug is being developed as a treatment for HIV-1 infection.
Route of Administration: Oral
Washout from previous study: Participants must not have been in any other study or received an investigational drug within 30 days prior to study dosing for this study.
Acceptable Birth Control for Females (if Childbearing): Child bearing Females must use a highly effective contraceptive method during the study beginning at the screening visit until final follow up, after the last dose of investigational drug.
Acceptable methods of birth control for use in this study are:
• Non-hormonal IUD
• Bilateral tubal occlusion (documents required)
• Vasectomized partner (documents required)
• Sexual Abstinence when in line with the preferred and usual lifestyle
Females of childbearing potential must also refrain from egg donation and in vitro fertilization during treatment and until the end f contraception requirement.
Unacceptable Birth Control Methods include periodic abstinence, withdrawal, spermicides only, and lactational amenorrhea method. A female condom and a male condom should not be used together.
Females of childbearing potential must also refrain from egg donation and in vitro fertilization during treatment and until final follow up, after the last dose of investigational drug.
- 8 hours fasting is required for lab work (only water is allowed)
- If taking medications, bring them to your screening appointment
- Bring a valid, non-expired photo ID with you when you attend your screening visit. We accept a government issued identification card such as a driver's license, state issued ID card or passport. You will be required to show this same photo ID at all study visits
- Arrive 30 minutes before your appointment to complete paper work.
- GI 22630-22630x MAD C13 & 14
- Healthy Females Only
- Payment amount
- Up to $15,000
- 18 - 45


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Here's Harriet Hare for Eden. Have to finish her curtains and do the bunting then send her a parcel she is waiting for.
Lammy with Love X
- LAMMY'S WORLD OF QUILTING & SATCHELS
- Hi Guys - Welcome to Lammy's World of Quilting & Satchels. I'll update my blog with info from the World of Lammy as often as I can, so drop in for news about my latest quilting projects and to see my One-Off! Satchels that I'm working on or have completed. HAPPY BLOGGING! Lammy with love X
- ▼ September (5)
- ► 2010 (37)


Media release: P.A.D.S. Community Network is a group of unhoused people, community members, and volunteers sharing space at Chebucto and Dublin Streets (at the space formerly known as Meagher Park now renamed People’s Park).
PSA: The amazing Dartmouth North Public Library is trying to host FREE KIDS HAIRCUTS for Back-to-School so kids in the neighbourhood can look good and feel good heading back to class, regardless of their income. The funding they were expecting has not materialized and now we need to raise $1,000 by Friday or else it will be cancelled.
Sunil Sarwal reflects on the forceful eviction by Halifax police and city of poor people living in tents and crisis shelters.
Renters looking unsuccessfully for a place to live in Nova Scotia may have more to blame than just bad luck and a lack of affordable housing. Members of Nova Scotia ACORN have found that there are at least two “bad tenants” blacklists maintained by landlords in Nova Scotia.
Equity Watch: The most violent police conduct occurred in the front yard of the former (now empty) Halifax public library on Spring Garden Road. The library, which has been vacant for more than five years, could be home to scores of Haligonians without homes.
PSA: As an agency providing housing and support to those involved in the justice system—we are troubled by a response to homelessness that employed punitive strategies which were harmful and traumatizing.
Brenda Thompson on the city’s long history of pushing poor people out of sight on the very site of this week’s violent evictions. “The crappy treatment of poor people on this piece of land is historic.”
News release: Nova Scotia Parents for Public Education denounces the actions taken by the city and Halifax Regional Police on Wed, August 18. We are disappointed and dismayed at the flimsy excuses and lies offered to explain their actions.
Media release: No More Warehousing: The Nova Scotia Association for Inclusive Homes and Supports strongly condemns the brutal actions taken by the Halifax Regional Police on August 18th. We also condemn the demonstrably untrue responses made by Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, Police Chief Dan Kinsella, and members of the HRM Municipal Council.
There’s lots wrong with Wednesday’s efforts by the city to push the unhoused out of sight, but there is hope in the way its citizens’ responded, writes Brooklyn Connolly.


text:
Telecharger john janeiro fichier online vostfr francais
John J. Janeiro, MD, FACS. Urology. Education. Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA; Residency: Lahey Clinic Medical . See what patients have to say about Dr. John Janeiro, MD, a highly rated Urology Specialist in Nashua, NH. John Janiero, Director: Cream Pie Squad 9. John Janiero was born in the USA. He is an actor and director. Afficher les profils des personnes qui s'appellent John Janeiro. Inscrivez-vous sur Facebook pour communiquer avec John Janeiro et d'autres personnes que. Dr. Janeiro, MD is a practicing Urologist in Nashua, NH. Dr. Janeiro graduated from University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1982 and has been. Dr. John Janeiro Jr., MD is a urologist in Nashua, New Hampshire. He is affiliated with St. Joseph Hospital and Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. Dr. John J. Janeiro is a Urologist in Nashua, NH. Find Dr. Janeiro's phone number, address, insurance information, hospital affiliations and more. Dr. John James Janeiro Jr, MD. Is this you? Claim your profile. Urology. 10. Leave a review. Lahey Urology At Nashua. 17 Riverside St Ste 201, Nashua, NH, . Jacobi (John George) (Frederic Hem Jacobine Monks (set minican) . Jami, or Djjamy Jamieson (John) Janeiro, Rio dc (see Rio de Janeiro) Janiculum, or Mons . United Kingdom Aarseth, Sverre Grainge, Keith Osborne, John Adamson, Andrew Gray, Norman Osborne. Julian Ade, Peter Gray, Meghan Oudmaijer, Rene .
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Found 14892 matches for
ERGO is launching ALERRT, a multi-disciplinary consortium building a patient-centered clinical research network to respond to epidemics across sub-Saharan Africa. ALERRT aims to reduce the public health and socio-economic impact of disease outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa by building a sustainable clinical and laboratory research preparedness and response network.
Information about Student Wellbeing and Support Services, includes relevant links
Information for staff about Wellbeing and Support Services, includes relevant links
Slide of Rogier van Doorn presentation for TropMed webinar on AMR surveillance, October 2020
PDF slides of Paul Turner from our COMRU unit in Cambodia telling us about the pressing need for quality laboratory data in low and middle income countries, for better antimicrobial resistance surveillance. TropMed webinar on AMR surveillance, October 2020


These are electronic series spring clamp double level Terminal Blocks with built in diodes and LED. The built in diode acts as a free wheeling diode which is connected across the inductive load such as relay coils, solenoid valves, contactor coils to eliminate or suppress sudden voltage spike which appears across the load when its supply voltage is removed. CXDL2.5(E)LD1 Terminal Block has a built in LED circuit for online indication. CX2.5/4(E)D1 is specially designed 4 wire spring clamp Terminal Block with a built in diode. This Terminal has a built in 1N4007 diode for reverse polarity protection and also allows uni directional flow of current.


New mental health guideline published New sentencing guideline 04 August 2020 Following consultation, the Sentencing Council has published a new guideline for sentencing offenders with mental disorders, developmental disorders and neurological impairments. The ‘Overarching principles: Sentencing offenders with mental disorders, developmental disorders, or neurological impairments’ guideline applies when sentencing adults who at the time of the offence and/or at the time of sentencing have any disorders or impairments such as: Mental disorders – conditions like schizophrenia, depression or post traumatic stress disorder Developmental disorders – autism or learning disability Neurological impairments – acquired brain injury or dementia The guideline stipulates that, when assessing whether an offender’s impairment or disorder will have any impact on sentencing, the court should take an individualistic approach. The fact that an offender has an impairment or disorders should always be considered by the court, but it will not necessarily have an impact on sentencing. The guideline outlines factors the courts should consider, which include: Whether culpability may be reduced if an offender was at the time of the offence suffering from an impairment If there is sufficient connection between the offender’s impairment or disorder and the offending behaviour Whether the impairment or disorder experienced may be relevant to disposal, in particular disposals under powers contained in the Mental Health Act The guideline will come into force on 1 October 2020, and can be found here. The MA response to the consultation can be found here. Previous Article Requirement to state nationality rescinded Next Article The impact of Covid-19 on probation Print Tags: Mental health sentencing guideline Please login or register to post comments.


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Here is one of the very simple seafood preparations I made for Christmas Eve and Lunch.
1 kg Fresh Mussels, de-bearded and cleaned (Clams or Pippies can be substituted or added)
1/2 Bottle White Wine (Buy a reasonable white wine)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Garlic
1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Ginger
1 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Lemon or Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Butter
Fresh Herbs of your choice
Good Crusty loaf of bread (sourdough is a treat)
Using a wok, dump in all of the Mussels. Pour the rest of the ingredients, down to and not including the lemon or lime juice, and toss together. Put the heat to the wok and cover.
As soon as the liquid comes to a rolling boil, take the Wok off the heat and remove the lid. Toss everything together to loosen up the mussels, and they should be opening up. If none open, give them another 1 minute of boil and steam (with the lid on), but no more.
Start sorting the mussels and putting the opened ones into one bowl, while the closed ones get discarded (tap the closed ones first, as they might spring open). Ones that are just opened slightly can be used. If you want, you can separate the meat from the shells, but I prefer not to. I like to use the shells as tongs to extract the meat while I am eating, and love the sauce that gathers in the shell.
Strain the remaining juice (called liquor) and put it back in the wok. Add the lemon juice, then the butter a small piece at a time, stirring until melted. Yep, you’re making a sauce.
Add the sauce back to the mussels with the herbs and toss one last time. Serve hot with the loaf of bread and the rest of the chilled white.
As with all seafood, the key here is not overcooking. the mussels will continue to cook in the bowl with the residual heat, so better to undercook them slightly. If you could, you’d be tossing the mussels in the wok and removing them the instant they crack open. The other key is the wine. Do not use a wine that you would not drink. Don’t spend more than $20 either (I try to keep it at just over $10 if I can).

domain: food


text:
Scaling Laws for the Conformation and Viscosity of Ring Polymers in the Crossover Region around M-e from Detailed Molecular Dynamics Simulations
DG Tsalikis and PV Alatas and LD Peristeras and VG Mavrantzas, ACS MACRO LETTERS, 7, 916-920 (2018).
We present results from detailed, atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of pure, strictly monodisperse linear and ring poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) melts under equilibrium and nonequilibrium (shear flow) conditions. The systems examined span the regime of molecular weights (M-w) from sub-Rouse (M-w < M-e) to reptation (M-w similar to 10 M-e), where M-e denotes the characteristic entanglement molecular weight of linear PEO. For both PEO architectures (ring and linear), the predicted chain center-of-mass self-diffusion coefficients D-G as a function of PEO M-w are in remarkable agreement with experimental data. From the flow simulations under shear, we have extracted and analyzed the zero- shear viscosity of ring and linear PEO melts as a function of M-w.
Return to Publications page

domain: chemistry


text:
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domain: geography