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Understand What Mental Illness Stigma Is
Mental illness stigma refers to the shame, fear and discrimination still experienced by people living with mental health conditions. It results in negative consequences ranging from social exclusion to healthcare inequity. Here we’ll look at how these attitudes are formed as well as strategies for fighting stigma and encouraging acceptance.
Mental health stigma is a form of discrimination which results from negative attitudes, fears and beliefs that people have about mental illness. It can manifest itself in a variety of ways including through insults or assumptions, avoiding social contact with those affected, declining to provide emotional support, or refusing to hire someone on the basis of their condition. These attitudes can be damaging not only to those directly affected but also to society at large.
If you are dealing with mental health issues, It’s important to know there are amazing truths and support found in Mental Health Bible Verses which can offer valuable insights and solace during challenging times.
Recognize Discrimination Against Those Experiencing Mental Illness
Stigma doesn’t just exist in our minds—it can manifest itself in the form of actual discrimination against those living with mental health issues. It’s important to recognize when stigma is influencing behavior and work to challenge it. This could mean standing up for someone who is being treated unfairly or speaking out against stigmas in informal conversations and social media discussions. We all have a role to play in breaking down mental health stigma.
Take Action to Reduce Stigmas and Promote Mental Wellness in Your Community
The more active you are in promoting mental wellness in your community, the more powerful a difference you can make. Try to identify and challenge any stigmas or attitudes that may be having an effect on how people with mental health issues are treated. Offer support and get involved in conversations about mental health, helping to spread awareness and create a safe, open atmosphere for discussion. Knowledge is power when it comes to reducing stigma—so let’s use it!
According to Wikipedia on Mental Illness, “Stigma and discrimination can add to the suffering and disability associated with mental disorders, leading to various social movements attempting to increase understanding and challenge social exclusion.”
Encourage Media Representation of Those Coping With Mental Illness
Media representation of those coping with mental illness can have a positive effect on how we view their experience. By understanding the stories of those living with mental health issues, people may become more aware and empathetic towards them. Encourage media and entertainment outlets to showcase characters or stories involving mental illness—by doing this you will help to chip away at stigmas about mental health in our society!
Encourage Media to not Blame Crimes on Mental Illness so Fast
Speaking of media outlets, on the negative side, media outlets and news have all too often jumped to blame mental illness when horrific murders have happened, and jump to conclusions that the murder must have been suffering from a mental illness to be able to do that horrible crime. This quick judgement to association of murder and crime to imply its primarily caused by an individual’s mental illness is very dangerous to categorically lump in all “mental illness” like that. There are such a wide range of mental illnesses and none of them in fact actually cause them to want to murder people. There has to be something seriously deranged and evil, some built up and undealt with hate and bitterness.
People need to start holding the media accountable for this wreckless generalization that contributes to the stigma surrounding mental illness in a dangerous way. You can’t send two different messages and expect people to want to get help and not be ashamed of their diagnosis. I wrote more about this in my other post When something bad happens, blame it on mental illness
Educate Loved Ones By Listening and Having Open Conversations About Mental Health Issues
When it comes to fighting the stigma that surrounds mental health, educating yourself and others is essential. Start a conversation with your family and friends about different types of mental illness so they can become better informed and more understanding. The more people are exposed to accurate representations of mental illness, the more likely they will view it in a compassionate light!

domain: psychology


text:
CCM, Aug 1979, vol. 2, iss. 2
- "Signs of Spring This Summer" by Steve J. Thomas
- "National Gospel Radio Seminar"
- "CBA Convention"
- "The Video Disc: Alternative In The 80s" by James E. Willems
Talent:What's New:What's New In Brief:
- "Tempo Distributes Star Song"
Tempo Records, Star Song
- "CCM Canadian Distribution Set"
For more information about CCM
You may be able to find CCM
in a library near you:

domain: library


text:
Disagreements, even fisticuffs, between promoters and artists and their management are about as common as Australian hip-hop tours experiencing difficulties, and the latest visit from West Coast veteran Xzibit has combined the two, leading the rapper to curse out his promoter on stage. New videos show Xzibit in a backstage altercation with his Australian promoter
West Coast hip-hop mainstay Xzibit, who kicks off his highly anticipated 2014 Australian tour this Saturday at Meche in Canberra, has been announced as the headliner for the launch of Miind, a new nightclub located on Sydney’s Oxford Street that hopes to change the city’s night scene. Detonating out of the West Coast rap scene
Exploding out of the West Coast in 1996 with his acclaimed debut album, At the Speed of Life, Xzibit made it known that he was one of the most ruthless and hard-working hip-hop minds in the game. The man behind club classics like Front 2 Back and Multiply will return to Australian shores this April.

domain: artistic


text:
Gallery Of The Modern Unique House Plans
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text:
Nerve conduction study
and Neurologist's opinion
This is an unfortunate accident, rare although.
Yes you should see a Doctor.
The needle to draw a blood are usually no 23 and thin enough not to cause a major injury
to a nerve. Yet it is a better idea to show to a neurologist and get the nerve conduction study ASAP to know the extent of the problems and to start on an appropriate therapy.
I hope this will solve very soon, the nerve conduction study will guide further to know the recovery.
Please do not try anything at home.

domain: medical


The newly inked partnership between the two industry leaders will deliver industry-leading effects and instruments in FL Studio.
FL Studio has teamed up with Native Instruments to bring its producers two sets of carefully chosen inspirational instruments and effects to FL Studio. While these bundles and prices are available through March 19, 2024, the licenses never expire.
With a vision to build the most integrated music operating system, FL Studio is making music production easier and more accessible for all. Tapping into some of the most well-known industry plugs, both bundles serve up a range of iconic synths, creative effects, and advanced mix & mastering processors. Each bundle includes what is arguably the most iconic, genre-defining software synthesizer of all time: Massive X.
Each of the bundles will include:
KOMPLETE Collection for FL Studio
The KOMPLETE Collection for FL Studio offers up 12 inspirational instruments, modern classic synths, and effects, mix and vocal polishing tools, and mastering. Each has been carefully chosen to enhance every FL Studio user’s tracks, all for an unmissable price.
Includes: Massive X, Empire Breaks, Feel It, Utopia, Lo-Fi Glow, Bite, Dirt, Freak, Ozone 11 Elements, Nectar 4 Elements, Neutron Elements, Guitar Rig 7 LE
KOMPLETE Signature Series for FL Studio
The ultimate Native Instruments companion for FL Studio delivers 15 essential instruments and effects. From legendary synths and track-ready riffs to industry-leading mix, vocal, and mastering tools, the KOMPLETE Signature Series for FL Studio is the perfect package for every step of your studio sessions.
Includes: Massive X, Ozone 11 Standard, Guitar Rig 7 Pro, Vocalsynth 2, Nectar 4 Elements, Neutron Elements, Empire Breaks, Feel It, Utopia, Lo-Fi Glow, Cloud Supply, Duets, Bite, Dirt, Freak


text:
50th Anniversary Take Down Limbs
-Handcrafted tips are layered with Hard Rock Maple, black and white fiberglass to accommodate modern strings
-Black and white Fast Flight Flemish Twist bow string
-These limbs are available in two lengths, #1 and #3 limbs
-#1 limbs will make a 56″ bow on A riser and a 60″ bow on a B riser
-#2 limbs will make a 58” bow on an A-Riser and a 62” bow with a B-Riser.
-#3 limbs will make a 60″ bow on a A riser and a 64″ bow on a B riser
Finish: 50th Anniversary Black and White

domain: design


text: So they would have found their dorms...but they got lost. So here they were, wandering around this HUGE building, no clue where to go. Not exactly thrilling and not exactly Jake's idea of the perfect first day. "Uggh," he said, "they need a map in this place. How bout we go downstairs again?" He turned around to Bellarose, who he thought was behind him, listening to music and playng games on her cell phone. But instead he bumped into a different girl.

domain: literature


Naomi Watts still can’t give many details about the cancelled Game of Thrones prequel show she was a part of, but she sounds very passionate about it.
After Game of Thrones ended, HBO quickly got to work making a prequel series. Tentatively titled Blood Moon, the show was to be set thousands of years before the show we know, during the Age of Heroes when the White Walkers invaded Westeros for the first time. It had an expansive, impressive cast, headlined by Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts as “a charismatic socialite with a dark secret.”
That all sounded pretty intriguing, but for whatever reason, HBO chose not to move ahead with the show. They cancelled it after making a pilot, and announced the bad news on the exact same day they revealed they were making House of the Dragon, a different prequel show; savvy timing, that.
Collider recently asked Watts is she could share anything about the series, perhaps about why it didn’t go forward, but her lips are still sealed:
"I can’t say anything. It’s funny because I have an Instagram account and I found something in my memories-pictures that come up-and it was when I was there in costume and I was like ‘Oh! This would be fun to post!’ And I was like ‘No! I can’t do that I’ll get into so much trouble!’ Just the costume, you know? I wasn’t thinking about what I was wearing. It was what I was doing. But anyway. Not allowed to say."
Yeah, some of those pictures may have gotten out anyway…
But while she couldn’t talk about the plot, Watts was happy to praise showrunner Jane Goldman. “She’s fantastic,” Watts said. “She’s a force…you know…her mind is just beyond brilliant. I loved having time with her…way too short and such a shame because she really kind of got me into that world that I never thought I would be a part of. I hadn’t watched Game of Thrones before and I got to binge it and I got heavily into the whole world. I loved it.”
Unlike Blood Moon, or whatever it was going to be called, HBO ordered House of the Dragon straight to series, meaning we’re getting a season of TV no matter what happens. HBO is currently in the process of casting the roles. That show will focus on the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which went down over 100 years before the original show.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels


text:
"be Cointreauversial Show"Event hosted
by Cointreau brand ambassador
Dita Von Teese
The RITZ CARLTON Tokyo
The internationally famous burlesque dancer, Dita Von Teese, who is also a brand ambassador of Cointreau, held a burlesque dance show. She performed a specially choreographed dance called “be Cointreauversial Show” for this special evening.

domain: celebrity


The IPL fever is already on and there’s one thing for sure that drives the entire nation crazy and binds it together and that’s cricket!
In this mad fun and aura around your favourite TV stars are left behind too. The word is enough to pump them up and the it’s all the more an even greater feeling to have met your favourite cricket idol and see them live in action.
So here’s what the enthusiastic sight looked like when your favourite TV stars like Nakuul Mehta posed with Gil Christ, Shaheer Sheikh strike a pose with Kapil Dev and Zain Imam chose to click a selfie with Sunil Gavaskar.
You can see Kapil Sharma with Brett Lee, Arjun Bijlani with Sachin Tendulkar and even Barun Sobti with Sourav Ganguly!
Looks like the these stars are major cricket fanatics, isn’t it?
Well, how can one resist not to keepsake the memories of being in frame with the superstars and masters of this ultimate game?
Here are some shots of the stars of two different world in single frame –
Click through the ‘NEXT’ pages to browse further


The North also announced it has scrapped all agreements with the South on commercial exchange projects and would "liquidate" South Korean assets left behind in its territory, Reuters wrote.
North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental missiles as well. The missiles fired on Thursday flew about 500 km (300 miles) off its east coast city of Wonsan and were likely from the Soviet-developed Scud series, South Korea's defense ministry said.
Japan, which is within range of the longer-range variant of Scud missiles or the upgraded Rodong missiles, lodged a protest through the North Korean embassy in Beijing, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.
North Korea often fires short-range missiles when tensions rise on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang gets particularly upset about the annual U.S.-South Korea drills, which it says are preparations for an invasion.
The U.S. and South Korea remain technically at war with the North because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armed truce instead of a peace agreement.
Around 17,000 U.S. military personnel are participating alongside some 300,000 South Korean troops in what South Korea's Defense Ministry has called the "largest-ever" joint military exercises.
North Korea on Sunday warned it would make a "pre-emptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to the exercises.


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Background Minimally invasive surgery in cervical cancer has demonstrated in recent publications worse outcomes than open surgery. The primary objective of the SUCCOR study, a European, multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study was to evaluate disease-free survival in patients with stage IB1 (FIGO 2009) cervical cancer undergoing open vs minimally invasive radical hysterectomy. As a secondary objective, we aimed to investigate the association between protective surgical maneuvers and the risk of relapse.
Methods We obtained data from 1272 patients that underwent a radical hysterectomy by open or minimally invasive surgery for stage IB1 cervical cancer (FIGO 2009) from January 2013 to December 2014. After applying all the inclusion-exclusion criteria, we used an inverse probability weighting to construct a weighted cohort of 693 patients to compare outcomes (minimally invasive surgery vs open). The first endpoint compared disease-free survival at 4.5 years in both groups. Secondary endpoints compared overall survival among groups and the impact of the use of a uterine manipulator and protective closure of the colpotomy over the tumor in the minimally invasive surgery group.
Results Mean age was 48.3 years (range; 23–83) while the mean BMI was 25.7 kg/m2 (range; 15–49). The risk of recurrence for patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery was twice as high as that in the open surgery group (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.35 to 3.15; P=0.001). Similarly, the risk of death was 2.42-times higher than in the open surgery group (HR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.30 to 4.60, P=0.005). Patients that underwent minimally invasive surgery using a uterine manipulator had a 2.76-times higher hazard of relapse (HR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.75 to 4.33; P<0.001) and those without the use of a uterine manipulator had similar disease-free-survival to the open surgery group (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 0.79 to 3.15; P=0.20). Moreover, patients that underwent minimally invasive surgery with protective vaginal closure had similar rates of relapse to those who underwent open surgery (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.15 to 2.59; P<0.52).
Conclusions Minimally invasive surgery in cervical cancer increased the risk of relapse and death compared with open surgery. In this study, avoiding the uterine manipulator and using maneuvers to avoid tumor spread at the time of colpotomy in minimally invasive surgery was associated with similar outcomes to open surgery. Further prospective studies are warranted.
- cervix uteri
- surgical oncology
- neoplasm recurrence, local
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Minimally invasive surgery in patients with FIGO 2009 stage IB1 cervical cancer increased the risk of relapse and death.
Patients that underwent minimally invasive surgery using a uterine manipulator had a 2.76-times higher hazard of relapse.
Avoiding uterine manipulator and implementing a protective vaginal closure was associated with disease-free-survival similar to that of open surgery.
On November 16, 1898, in Vienna, Dr. Ernst Wertheim – who was 34 years' old at the time – performed the first radical abdominal hysterectomy for cervical cancer in Europe.1 Since then, early cervical cancer has been successfully treated by radical hysterectomy over the past 120 years. Initially, by open or vaginal approach, and more recently (since 1991), by minimally invasive surgery,2 3 either by laparoscopy or robotic surgery. For 25 years, multiple retrospective publications reported the feasibility, advantages, and oncologic safety of this minimally invasive approach.4–7 However, two recent manuscripts published in October of 2018 in NEJM (the LACC trial and a large epidemiologic study involving women from Cancer-Accredited hospitals in the United States)8 9 demonstrated higher rates of recurrence and death in patients that underwent minimally invasive radical hysterectomy. Subsequently, a number of retrospective studies corroborated these findings,10–15 resulting in a recent modification of the NCCN, European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO), and ESMO guidelines.16–18
The unexpected results of the LACC trial and other retrospective studies led to an ongoing discussion regarding the ideal surgical approach in patients with early cervical cancer. Also, the potential of implementing new trials containing a minimally invasive approach arm has been difficult, given the challenges of offering an option of treatment that has been deemed oncologically inferior. Moreover, the reasons for the inferior outcomes of minimally invasive surgery have not yet been elucidated.19
In 2019, the ESGO conducted a survey named “after LACC trial”, attempting to understand the perspective of their members on this topic. The study showed that 83% of respondents did not expect these results, and 4 months after the publication of the LACC trial, 56% had changed their surgical approach from minimally invasive surgery to open radical hysterectomy.20 In Europe, there was a lack of updated information regarding the outcomes on the surgical approach of radical hysterectomy. With this in mind, we designed the SUCCOR (Surgery in Cervical Cancer, Observational, Retrospective) study, comparing minimally invasive vs open abdominal radical hysterectomy in patients with FIGO 2009 stage IB1 cervical cancer. The goal of this study was to determine disease-free survival of radical hysterectomy between the two surgical approaches in Europe. Second, we aimed to explore the risk of relapse between the two approaches, with a particular focus on the surgical maneuvers (use of uterine manipulator, protective closure of colpotomy over the tumor). Lastly, we also wished to analyze the influence of the aforementioned variables based on tumor size.
Study design and endpoints
The study was a European, multicenter, observational, retrospective, cohort study spanning from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014 with the primary goal of comparing disease-free survival at 4.5 years in patients who underwent a laparoscopic or robotic radical hysterectomy vs abdominal hysterectomy for FIGO 2009 stage IB1 cervical cancer. The secondary endpoints included a comparison of overall survival at 4.5 years between groups and to explore the association between specific surgical maneuvers and the risk of relapse. More specifically, we aimed to determine if the use of a uterine manipulator and protective vaginal closure over the cervix to avoid tumor spread at the time of the colpotomy might impact the outcome of patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery. Lastly, we investigated the influence of tumor diameter on oncologic outcomes. Disease-free survival was defined as the time from the date of the radical hysterectomy to time of relapse or last contact. Overall survival was calculated from the date of the radical hysterectomy to the time of last contact or death from cervical cancer. We inquired on the use of the uterine manipulator given previously published data suggesting its use as an etiology for the worse outcomes in minimally invasive surgery.21 22 The protective vaginal closure over the tumor has been advocated to avoid contact between the cervical tumor and the abdominal cavity after the colpotomy.23
We registered the study at ClinicalTrials.gov with the Identifier NCT03958305.24 A copy of the protocol is provided in the online supplementary appendix. All authors contributed meaningfully to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the study. The authors confirm the completeness and accuracy of the data and analyzes, the fidelity of the study to the protocol, and the final approval of the version to be published.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
We designed a list of inclusion-exclusion criteria to define a homogeneous population. Patients were eligible if they underwent a radical hysterectomy in a European Institution for stage IB1 cervical cancer (FIGO 2009), from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014. Inclusion criteria included patients age 18 years' old or older and squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous carcinoma. A pelvic MRI confirming a tumor diameter less or equal than 4 cm with no parametrial invasion and a preoperative CT scan, MRI, or PET-CT without extra-cervical metastatic disease, were mandatory. The operative report had to describe either a Type B–C radical hysterectomy by minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic or robotic) or by open surgery with a bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy, including at least a total of 10 pelvic nodes. Those who only underwent sentinel lymph node mapping were allowed in the study. There had to be documentation of tumor size, margins, and nodal status.
Patients were excluded when any other histological type was diagnosed; if tumor size was larger than 4 cm; and when there was a past history of any invasive tumor, previous chemotherapy or radiation, suspicious lymph nodes, or metastatic disease on preoperative imaging. Conversion from minimally invasive surgery to laparotomy was cause for exclusion. Finally, patients with cervical conization prior to radical hysterectomy were excluded from the primary endpoint analysis. Reasons for not including patients with the previous conization were as follows: cone biopsies were often performed at outside institutions thus leading to missing critical pathological information; insufficient pathology report to stage the tumor adequately; lack of consensus on measurement of tumor size when cone biopsy and final specimen both had residual disease; consideration that conization might be a source of bias given that, if no residual tumor, then risk for tumor dissemination may be lower than that of patients with gross tumor; and lastly, we are currently working on an additional manuscript that focuses on this patient group within the SUCCOR database.
Accrual and data source
We invited all ESGO members to participate in this study. Researchers from 126 institutions in 29 European countries registered and contributed to the project. After obtaining ethical consent from our central IRB, we required a Certificate of Approval or a Letter of Exemption by the local Ethical Committees from all the investigators. An anonymized complete Case Record Form, including 123 items (online supplementary file 1), was sent to all the investigators. After completing the case collection, all researchers signed a final declaration affirming that all the submitted data matched the data in the patients' charts. As far as the researcher was able to analyze, data included all cases operated on at the respective institutions.
In our primary analyzes when comparing open vs minimally invasive surgical approach, we hypothesized 10% of relapse in the group that underwent open surgery. Assuming a two-sided alfa error of 5% and an 80% of statistical power, 261 women were needed in each group to detect a difference between groups of 9% in the risk of relapse. We used inverse probability of treatment weighting based on propensity score to construct a weighted cohort of patients who differed with respect to surgical approach but were similar with respect to other measured characteristics.25 To calculate the inverse probability of treatment weights, each patient’s propensity to undergo open hysterectomy was estimated using a logistic regression model that included predictor variables that had been selected based on their a priori possibility of confounding the relationship between surgical approach and survival (largest tumor diameter, tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, depth of invasion, margins status, nodal status, and adjuvant therapy).26 We assigned patients who underwent open surgery a weight of 1/(propensity score) and those who underwent minimally invasive surgery a weight of 1/ (1 − propensity score). To reduce the variability in the inverse probability of treatment-weighted models, we used stabilized weights in all the analyzes. To explore whether the observed associations differed according to largest tumor size, we performed a subgroup analysis.
In the secondary analyzes, we calculated the inverse probability of treatment weights considering open surgery, minimally invasive surgery without uterine manipulator, and minimally invasive surgery with a uterine manipulator. We used a multinomial logistic regression model with the same predictors in the primary analysis. We obtained three propensity scores and assigned each patient weight of 1/(the correspondent propensity score). Finally, we followed the same calculations considering open surgery and minimally invasive surgery with and without vaginal protective closure. We applied the same multinomial logistic regression model with the identical predictors in the principal analysis. Besides, we obtained three propensity scores as in the evaluation of the uterine manipulator use.
Participants with missing values in quantitative variables were excluded from the analyzes. Missing values in qualitative variables were classified into a new category. Distributions of categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test in the unweighted cohort and weighted logistic-regression models in the weighted cohort. Quantitative variables were compared using the student t-test in the unweighted cohort and weighted linear-regression models in the weighted cohort.
We compared disease-free survival and overall survival using the inverse probability of treatment-weighted log-rank test and plotted weighted incidence functions using Nelson–Aalen survival curves. We estimated the hazard ratio (and 95% CI) for disease-free survival and overall survival after each of the different surgical approach using open surgery as the category of reference. After analyzing the proportionality of hazard with the specific test and assessing surgical approach was not a time varying covariate, we used weighted Cox proportional-hazards models in all the analyzes. The analyzes were performed with Stata 15.0. and SPSS v26.0. P-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
From May 15 to November 15, 2019, we received data from a total of 1272 patients that underwent a radical hysterectomy in Europe for stage IB1 cervical cancer during 2013–2014 (Figure 1). A total of 156 patients did not meet the inclusion-exclusion criteria or had missing information on follow-up and were excluded: of the remaining 1116 patients, 37.9% (423 patients) had undergone a cone biopsy previous to radical hysterectomy and were excluded from the analysis. Data on 693 patients was analyzed for the primary endpoint. Of these patients, 291 underwent minimally invasive and 402 an open radical hysterectomy (see online supplementary appendix). Among patients in the minimally invasive surgery group, 228 (78.5%) underwent laparoscopic surgery and 63 (21.5%) robotics surgery. Patients in the minimally invasive surgery group had more favorable prognostic features. They were more likely to have smaller tumors, a lower percentage of positive nodes, and less frequently received adjuvant therapy. The final cohort was composed of 693 patients (open surgery, n=402; minimally invasive surgery group n=291) and, after weighting, did not show statistical differences between groups in the selected covariates (Table 1).
Survival analysis based on surgical approach
Patients in the weighted cohort had a median follow-up of 59 months (range; 1–83), 56 months in the minimally invasive surgery group, and 60 months in the open group. At 4.5 years of follow-up, there were 60 (20.6%) relapses in 291 patients in the minimally invasive surgery group while in the open surgery group there were 47 (11.7%) relapses in 402 patients. Disease-free survival at 4.5 years was 79% in the minimally invasive group and 89% in the open surgery group (P=0.0003). The risk of recurrence for patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery was twice that of the open surgery group (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.35 to 3.15; P=0.001) (Figure 2A). We confirmed those differences in the subgroup of patients with tumors greater than 2 cm (HR, 2.31; ; 95% CI, 1.37 to 3.90; P=0.002) while in the group of patients with tumors smaller or equal than 2 cm those differences were not significant (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 0.79 to 3.40; P=0.19)
Minimally invasive surgery was also associated with a lower rate of overall survival than open surgery. A total of 28 patients died in the minimally invasive surgery group while 21 patients died in the open surgery group. The risk of death was 2.42-times higher than in the open surgery group (HR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.34 to 4.39; P=0.004). At 4.5 years, the proportion of living patients was 89% in the minimally invasive and 97% in the open surgery group (Figure 2B). Again, these differences were significant in patients with tumors greater than 2 cm (HR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.18 to 4.36; P=0.014) but not in patients with tumors smaller or equal to 2 cm (HR, 2.77; 95% CI, 0.91 to 8.47; P=0.072)
Impact of uterine manipulator in minimally invasive surgery
A weighted cohort was built with the same covariates used in the surgical approach analysis, 652 patients (open, n=402; minimally invasive surgery without manipulator, n=106; and minimally invasive surgery with the manipulator, n=144). After the inverse probability of treatment weighting, survival analysis demonstrated a negative impact of uterine manipulators on disease-free survival. The manipulator group experienced 38 (26.3%) relapses in 144 patients compared with 17 (16%) relapses in 106 patients without a manipulator. The disease-free survival at 4.5 years was 73% in the uterine manipulator group and 83% in those without (P=0.0001). The patients that underwent minimally invasive surgery with a uterine manipulator had a 2.76-times higher chance of a relapse compared with those in the open approach (HR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.75 to 4.33; P<0.001) (Figure 3A). The adverse effect of the uterine manipulator significantly impacted patients with tumors greater than 2 cm (HR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.73 to 5.38; P<0.001) while tumors less or equal than 2 cm did not show differences (HR, 2.25; 95% CI, 0.96 to 5.26; P=0.06). Patients that underwent minimally invasive surgery without the uterine manipulator had similar rates of relapse to those who underwent open surgery (HR, 1.58; 95 % CI, 0.79 to 3.15; P=0.20). The use of a uterine manipulator adversely impacted overall survival in patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery (HR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.60 to 5.63; P=0.001). In this case, the overall survival was significantly lower in all tumor sizes (tumors greater than 2 cm (HR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.22 to 5.89; P=0.013) and tumors smaller or equal to 2 cm (HR, 3.84; 95% CI, 1.11 to 13.26; P=0.033) (Figure 3B) (See online supplementary file 1).
Protective vaginal closure in minimally invasive surgery
Lastly, we constructed a new weighted cohort to explore the impact of protective vaginal closure (Figure 4A). We used the same covariates used before (largest tumor diameter, tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, depth of invasion, margins status, nodal status, and adjuvant therapy) to balance the three groups of patients: minimally invasive surgery patients with and without protective vaginal closure, and those with open surgery. Within this weighted cohort, 52 (25%) of 207 patients had a relapse among those without protective vaginal closure, while only 3 (7%) of 43 recurred amid those that underwent this protective surgical maneuver (P<0.001).
Disease-free survival at 4.5 years was 93% with protective vaginal closure and 74% in those without (P<0.001). Minimally invasive surgery patients without protective vaginal closure had a 2.58-times higher risk of recurrence than the open approach (HR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.70 to 3.95; P<0.001). Moreover, those who underwent minimally invasive surgery with vaginal closure had similar rates of relapse to those who underwent open surgery (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.15 to 2.59; P<0.52) (Figure 4B). These differences remained in patients with tumors >2 cm (HR, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.78 to 5.00; P<0.001). but were not found in those with tumors ≤2 cm (HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 0.91 to 4.27; P<0.09).
Minimally invasive surgery patients without vaginal closure had 2.85-times risk of death when compared with those that underwent an open approach (HR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.59 to 5.15; P<0.001). We observed these differences in patients with tumors >2 cm (HR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.35 to 5.46; P=0.005) and those with tumors ≤2 cm (HR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.06 to 10.46; P=0.039).
Our study showed that in a European population, minimally invasive surgery increases the risk of relapse and death among patients with early cervical cancer. There was a 10% difference at 4.5-year disease-free survival between surgical approaches, which is consistent with the results of the LACC trial. This outcome particularly pertained to tumors >2 cm in diameter. However, one should note that the absence of statistical significance in small tumors does not translate to an absence of effect, given the lower incidence of events in this low-risk group. In addition, in this study, avoiding the use of uterine manipulator and a protective vaginal closure to prevent tumor spillage leads to oncologic outcomes that are similar to those of open surgery.
As it pertains to the findings on the uterine manipulator in the minimally invasive procedure, it should be highlighted that although it technically facilitates the procedure, it increases the risk of relapse by 2.76-times. Interestingly, patients that underwent a radical hysterectomy by minimally invasive surgery without the uterine manipulator had comparable outcomes to those with open surgery. This was noted in patients with tumors >2 cm but not in those with tumors ≤2 cm. In our study, patients that underwent minimally invasive surgery with protective vaginal closure showed similar rates of relapse to those who underwent open surgery.
Recently, two large nation-based retrospective studies, one from Denmark and the other from the Netherlands, failed to show differences in disease-free survival and overall survival comparing the open vs minimally invasive approach.27 28 The Danish study compares two periods before and after the introduction of robotic surgery from 2005 to 2017. Compared with SUCCOR, the groups were metachronous with a significantly different median follow-up in both groups (113.0 vs 42.4 months). In that study, the percentage of different surgical approaches in each study group is not clearly defined and conization was not considered a potential confounding factor. The Dutch study evaluates the outcome in a weighted cohort with a propensity matching score. Unlike our study, it did not include adjuvant therapy, margin status, nor previous conization for the weighted cohort design.
Overall, the strengths of this study include a collaborative effort of 126 European institutions from 29 countries where comprehensive data was collected on 1272 patients. Our project gathers one of the most extensive groups of radical hysterectomies ever collected in Europe in patients with stage IB1 cervical cancer, who underwent surgery within 2 years. We designed a strict list of inclusion and exclusion criteria to minimize the implicit bias of a retrospective study. We required mandatory preoperative imaging and a list of fundamental pathological findings for inclusion. Also, we excluded all cases with previous cone biopsy. We believe that the best way of investigating the action of a specific surgical approach in early cervical cancer is in the untouched-entire tumor even though this is still a hypothesis. Another strength of our study is the use of an inverse probability of treatment weighting based on propensity score in an attempt to balance confounders between groups, such that selection bias for the surgical procedure was minimized. We recognize that our study still has not entirely answered why minimally invasive surgery was associated with worse survival in patients undergoing radical hysterectomy. However, findings from our study on uterine manipulator and protective maneuvers are hypothesis-generating and may offer some light to the etiology of the outcomes from the LACC trial.
SUCCOR is an observational retrospective study and thus we recognize a number of limitations. However, observational studies may contribute valuable evidence supporting causal associations when designed and conducted using rigorous methods. The flaws are dependent on outdated methodology, confounding factors, heterogeneity of reporting of results, lack of replication, and a failure to interpret findings within the limitations of observational research methodology29–31 Overall, the results reflect that in this large European population findings were consistent with recently published prospective data and confirmed by several retrospective population-based analyzes published since the LACC trial.8–15
There are two prospective randomized trials exploring the role of minimally invasive surgery in patients with cervical cancer. The first is the RACC trial,28 a Swedish multicentric prospective trial comparing robotic vs open surgery for the treatment of early-stage cervical cancer. The use of uterine manipulator is not allowed, and the closure of the vagina before colpotomy is recommended but not mandatory. The second one is a multicenter randomized controlled trial designed in China.32 Again, in their protocol, the use of uterine manipulator and the method of vaginal excision is to be reported.
In summary, our study showed worse disease-free survival in patients undergoing minimally invasive radical hysterectomy when compared with the open approach. We also found that avoiding the use of the uterine manipulator or closing the vagina over the tumor might hypothetically improve the results of radical hysterectomy by minimally invasive surgery. These findings should be confirmed with prospective data. However, it is questionable whether one can genuinely repeat a prospective randomized trial in this patient population based on increasing physician hesitation to offer minimally invasive surgery or patient willingness for randomization. We conclude that in the SUCCOR study, in a European population, minimally invasive surgery was associated with significantly worse oncologic outcomes than open surgery. Avoiding the uterine manipulator and a meticulous closure of the vagina over the tumor to prevent tumor spillage may improve the outcomes of minimally invasive surgery. We look forward to the results of the ongoing randomized trials.
We thank our colleagues, Dr. Matias Jurado, Dr. Antonio Gil and Dr. Antonio Gonzalez-Martin, for their invaluable support when designing this project. A special recognition to the Medical Editor of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer for his continuous assistance in improving this Manuscript. We thank the ESGO Council for the diffusion of the SUCCOR study among our members
Twitter @#lchiv4, @email@example.com, @RasiahBharathan, @Juan_L_Alcazar
Presented Plenary Session at the 21st European Congress on Gynaecological Oncology on November 2-5, 2019 in Athens, Greece.
Correction notice This article has been corrected since it was published Online First. The collaborator names Elif Aksahin, Fuat Demirkiran, Meelis Leht and Arno Uppin were written incorrectly and Özgür Akbayir was omitted from the list. This has been corrected.
Collaborators On behalf of the SUCCOR study Group: Nabil Abdalla, Özgür Akbayir, Sedat Akgöl, Elif Aksahin, Shamistan Aliyev, Maria Alonso-Espias, Igor Aluloski, Claudia Andrade, Nikola Badzakov, Rosa Barrachina, Giorgio Bogani, Eduard-Aexandru Bonci, Hélène Bonsang-Kitzis, Felix Boria, Cosima Brucker, Laura Cárdenas, Andrea Casajuana, Pere Cavalle, Jorge Cea, Benito Chiofalo, Gloria Cordeiro, Pluvio Coronado, Maria Cuadra, Javier Díez, Teresa Diniz da Costa, Santiago Domingo, Lukas Dostalek, Fuat Demirkiran, Diego Erasun, Mathias Fehr, Sergi Fernandez-Gonzalez, Annamaria Ferrero, Soledad Fidalgo, Gabriel Fiol, Khadra Galaal, José García, Gerhard Gebauer, Fabio Ghezzi, Juan Gilabert, Nana Gomes, Elisabete Gonçalves, Virginia Gonzalez, Frederic Grandjean, Miriam Guijarro, Frédéric Guyon, Jolien Haesen, Gines Hernandez-Cortes, Sofía Herrero, Imre Pete, Ioannis Kalogiannidis, Erbil Karaman, Andreas Kavallaris, Lukasz Klasa, Ioannis Kotsopoulos, Stefan Kovachev, Meelis Leht, Arantxa Lekuona, Mathieu Luyckx, Michael Mallmann, Gemma Mancebo, Aljosa Mandic, Nabil Manzour, Tiermes Marina, Victor Martin, María Belén Martín-Salamanca, Alejandra Martinez, Gesine Meili, Gustavo Mendinhos, Liliana Mereu, Milena Mitrovic, Sara Morales, Enrique Moratalla, Bibiana Morillas, Eva Myriokefalitaki, Maja PakižImre, Stamatios Petousis, Laurentiu Pirtea, Natalia Povolotskaya, Sonia Prader, Alfonso Quesada, Mikuláš Redecha, Fernando Roldan, Philip Rolland, Reeli Saaron, Cosmin-Paul Sarac, Jens-Peter Scharf, Špela Smrkolj, Rita Sousa, Artem Stepanyan, Vladimír Študent, Carmen Tauste, Hans Trum, Taner Turan, Manuela Undurraga, Arno Uppin, Alicia Vázquez, Ignace Vergote, George Vorgias and Ignacio Zapardiel.
Contributors All authors contributed meaningfully to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the study. The authors confirm the completeness and accuracy of the data and analyses, the fidelity of the study to the protocol, and the final approval of the version to be published.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data availability statement Data are available upon reasonable request. Data will be available upon the requirement of the reviewers at any time.


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Easy Red, White, and Blueberry Salad (Video)
This Easy Red White and Blueberry Salad is perfect for holiday parties! This salad with fruit is the kind of recipe I’d consider a healthy treat for a special occasion, and it’s gluten-free, meatless and South Beach Diet friendly. Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one.
Watch the video to see if you’d like to make Easy Red, White, and Blueberry Salad!
This Easy Red White and Blueberry Salad (with strawberries, banana, and blueberries) is such a perfectly colored salad for a patriotic holiday. And the Fourth of July is just around the corner, a perfect occasion for red, white, and blue food, so I wanted to remind you of this favorite salad as an idea for your holiday menu! (I’d also recommend Low-Carb Loaded Cauliflower Mock Potato Salad as a Fourth of July party dish; that recipe is already popular even though I just posted it last week!)
You may be surprised to see a fruit salad on my blog, and it’s true fruit has much more sugar than vegetables so this is one of those recipes that I consider a healthy treat that you’d eat for a special occasion. But lately I’ve been hearing a lot about the health benefits of berries, and luckily they’re some of my favorite fruits.
I did use a lot of blueberries and strawberries and very little banana in this Easy Red White and Blueberry Salad (since bananas are much higher in sugar.) I also use low-carb vanilla yogurt for the dressing, or if you don’t want artificial sweetener, you can make your own dressing with plain fat-free Greek yogurt with a touch of vanilla and agave nectar. (I tried both, and I think I prefer the homemade dressing.) This is probably too high in carbs for most of my readers to make often, but it’s a wonderful treat for a holiday meal.
I used this whole container of blueberries from Costco, which was about 3 cups of blueberries. You’ll also need 3-4 cups of strawberries, cut up into same-size pieces. Cut up one banana into pieces about the same size as the strawberries. Mix together the strawberries, blueberries, and banana in a bowl.
This low-carb yogurt makes a good dressing for the salad; you probably only need one container unless you really like a lot of dressing.
Or make your own dressing by combining plain fat-free Greek yogurt, a little bit of light Agave Nectar (or another sweetener of your choice) and a little vanilla. (Bad blogger, I forgot to take a photo of the salad ingredients mixed with the dressing, but I’m pretty sure you can figure that out!)
More Recipes for Red, White, and Blue Food:
Red, White, and Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles ~ The View from Great Island
Red, White, and Blue Presssure Cooker Cheesecake ~ Pressure Cooking Today
Red, White and Blue Quinoa Fruit Salad ~ Well Plated
Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream ~ Boulder Locavore
Patriotic Jello Jars ~ Southern Plate
Easy Red, White, and Blueberry Salad
This Easy Red White and Blueberry Salad is perfect for the Fourth of July!
- 3 cups fresh blueberries (slightly over one pound)
- 4 cups fresh strawberries, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 banana, cut into bite sized pieces
- 6 ounces low-carb vanilla yogurt (or more)
Yogurt Dressing Ingredient:
- (if not using low-carb vanilla yogurt as a dressing)
- 6-8 oz. plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1 T light Agave Nectar (or more) or another sweetener of your choice
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla (or a little more, to taste)
- Pick through the blueberries and remove any bruised or spoiled ones. (Most blueberries don’t need to be washed, but if they do, rinse in a colander and then let dry well, patting dry with paper towels if needed.)
- Cut the stem out of each strawberry and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Peel banana and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Put the blueberries, strawberries and banana pieces in a bowl and gently stir to combine.
- If you’re making your own dressing, whisk together the Greek yogurt, agave, and vanilla, tasting and adjusting the flavor with a little more agave or vanilla as desired.
- Stir the dressing into the fruit and gently combine. Serve right away.
- This can be kept in the fridge for a few hours, but it will get watery if it sits too long.
This recipe created by Kalyn.
This recipe created by Kalyn.All images and text ©
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Blueberries and strawberries are relatively low-glycemic as far as fruits go, but this Easy Red White and Blueberry Salad is still probably Phase 3 for the South Beach Diet. Salads with fruit can’t be low-carb but you can make it lower in carbs by using low-carb yogurt like I did or making your own dressing and just using a small amount of banana.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
If you want nutritional information for a recipe, you can sign up for a free membership with Yummly and use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information. Another option is entering the recipe into this Recipe Nutrition Analyzer, which will calculate it for you.

domain: food


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Good to know
|Distance to city centre||0,7 km|
|Nearest airport||Bologna Guglielmo Marconi|
|Distance to airport||6,1 km|
|"Super helpful and friendly staff"||(in 118 reviews)|
|"Good breakfast, friendly staff!!."||(in 29 reviews)|
|"The hotel was very comfortable ."||(in 30 reviews)|
Time of year
Show reviews that mention
|bit chilly||in 21 reviews|
|centre of bologna||in 16 reviews|
|certainly lived||in 3 reviews|
|clean room||in 57 reviews|
|close shops restaurants||in 5 reviews|
|enjoyed our stay||in 15 reviews|
|friendly staff||in 142 reviews|
|good breakfast||in 50 reviews|
|great location||in 93 reviews|
|quiet side street||in 14 reviews|
|stay at the hotel||in 56 reviews|
|train station||in 50 reviews|
|twin beds||in 5 reviews|
|walking distance||in 9 reviews|
Near train station, makes it easy to visit nearby cities.
What I expected. The only snag shower cubicle too tight. Staff friendly and make you welcomed. Definitley recommend.
Great location in the city center, but still the close surroundings were quiet. Clean and reasonably spacy room. Modern bathroom. Friendly staff who spoke good English. The breakfast was rich and did not only include pastry, jam & coffee, but also a buffet of e.g. yoghurts, fruit, bread, sausage, etc. All-in-all, this hotel provided great value for money (we paid 70 EUR/night for a doubleroom incl. breakfast)!
As highlighted by other reviewers, the shower cabin could be a bit larger - but it was still no big challenge to take a shower.
Premier location, good breakfast, excellent staff. One of the best stays me and my wife have ever had
Excellent hotel in the city center. Very nice staff. All around positive experience
Great location just around the corner from finestrella and main shopping strip. Within easy walking distance from railway station and piazza maggiore, staff very welcoming and friendly, lovely touches in the room to welcome the guests. Our flights were early evening so despite Checkout being 11:00 am they kindly allowed us to leave our luggage in a store room A++++++
No issues it was ideal for our stay Father and daughter
With a stay at Hotel Paradise, you'll be centrally located in Bologna, within a 10-minute walk of Fountain of Neptune and Two Towers. Featured amenities include dry cleaning/laundry services, a 24-hour front desk, and multilingual staff.
based on 1 037 reviews
Things to know
- Near city centre
- Great reception
- Train station is close
- Friendly service
Policies vary by room type and provider.
FAQs when booking at Hotel Paradise
Where is Hotel Paradise located?
Hotel Paradise is located at Vicolo Cattani 7 in Santo Stefano, 0,7 km from the centre of Bologna. Towers Garisenda and Asinelli is the closest landmark to Hotel Paradise.
When is check-in time and check-out time at Hotel Paradise?
Check-in time is 14:00 and check-out time is 11:00 at Hotel Paradise.
Does Hotel Paradise offer free Wi-Fi?
Yes, Hotel Paradise offers free Wi-Fi.
Does Hotel Paradise offer free parking?
No, Hotel Paradise does not offer free parking.
Does Hotel Paradise offer free airport shuttle service?
No, Hotel Paradise does not offer free airport shuttle service.
How far is Hotel Paradise from the airport?
Hotel Paradise is 6,1 km from Bologna Guglielmo Marconi. Hotel Paradise is 77,3 km from Florence Peretola.
Can you bring pets to Hotel Paradise?
No, pets are not allowed at Hotel Paradise.
Does Hotel Paradise have a pool?
No, Hotel Paradise does not have a pool on-site.
Reviews about Hotel Paradise
Most popular landmarks
- Towers Garisenda and Asinelli 0,5 km
- Fontana del Nettuno 0,5 km
- Parco della Montagnola 0,5 km
- Piazza Maggiore 0,5 km
- Santuario di Santa Maria della Vita 0,6 km
- Palazzo dei Notai 0,6 km
|Bologna Guglielmo Marconi||6,1 km|
|Florence Peretola||77,3 km|
|Bologna S. Donato||370 m|

domain: geography


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In an effort to support prices of expensive homes, Congress has voted to increase the FHA loan limit to $729,750 through the end of 2013.
Irvine Home Address … 3531 PECAN St Irvine, CA 92606
Resale Home Price …… $639,900
Cheap is small and not too steep
But best of all cheap is cheap
Circumstance has forced my hand
To be a cut price person in a low budget land
Times are hard but we'll all survive
I just got to learn to economize
I'm on a low budget
I'm on a low budget
The Kinks — Low Budget
When the conforming limit for GSE and FHA loans went down in October, borrower spending power went down with it. In response to the dramatic drop off in demand, Congress has voted to increase the FHA loan limit back to $729,750 through 2013.
Congress votes to raise FHA loan limits
By Margaret Chadbourn
WASHINGTON | Fri Nov 18, 2011 2:43pm EST
(Reuters) – The U.S. Congress on Thursday approved a bill to raise the maximum size of mortgages the Federal Housing Administration can insure and sent it to President Barack Obama to sign into law.
The measure would push the so-called FHA conforming loan limit in the highest-priced real estate markets back up to $729,750 through 2013, from $625,500, a sign of lawmaker concern over the still-depressed state of the housing sector.
It's far more than a sign of concern, it's an acknowledgement of the weakness in the market for high wage earners, a market that didn't used to get government support.
The FHA has been perverted. It used to provide home ownership opportunities for low and middle income Americans. It was never intended for supporting overpriced markets dominated by high wage earners like here in Irvine. Markets with prices requiring loans over $417,000 are supposed to be supported by savings and equity from previous sales. Since most Americans have no savings, and since home equity has been largely wiped out in the crash, the markets for high wage earners are looking for the government to bail them out.
This policy will undoubtedly cause more FHA losses because prices will continue to decline, and with the tiny down payments on FHA loans, borrowers will go underwater and many will strategically default. In short, this policy will shift losses from the private lenders and investors to the taxpayer — to you.
The limits, which vary from market to market, were temporarily raised for FHA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the financial crisis when banks became reluctant to lend. They automatically dropped back on October 1.
Lawmakers decided not to raise the loan level for Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) and Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB), which have soaked up about $169 billion in taxpayer aid, as they sought to strike a balance between supporting the market and starting to shrink the government's housing footprint.
The only silver lining to this policy is that it does not apply to GSE loans. It creates an unusual situation where FHA loans will proliferate despite their higher costs due to the FHA insurance.
Many buyers who don't have a 20% down payment (or who aren't willing to put that much down) can now bid up prices using FHA loans assuming they have the qualifying income. This will be an advantage to high wage earners who haven't saved much.
Of course, it is another government prop, and when it is removed, the artificial demand it creates will disappear with it, so buyers thinking of using this financing should beware.
Seeking to avoid a polarizing debate, members of the House and Senate decided to link the mortgage measure to must-pass legislation that includes funding for a large swath of federal programs, from food inspection to law enforcement.
The bill passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on a 298 to 121 vote, and passed the Senate by a vote of 70 to 30.
This was “must pass” legislation, so that washes their hands of responsibility, right? Political posturing is bullshit. These idiots just passed a measure which will certainly result in major losses to the FHA — the same FHA facing a government bailout soon. This is a stealth bank bailout nobody has the courage to take responsibility for.
FHA, which does not make loans, provides mortgage insurance to borrowers without enough of a down payment to qualify for prime loans. With an FHA loan, home buyers can put down as little as 3.5 percent.
The agency, which is mainly funded through insurance premiums it brings in, backed about one-third of loans used to purchase homes last year.
FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have seen their share of the mortgage market swell as private lenders retrenched; they now back about 90 percent of all new residential loans.
The measure to raise the FHA loan limits still has to pass the Senate before becoming law; Senate approval could come as early as Thursday night with lawmakers laboring against a November 18 deadline, when current government funding expires.
The Obama administration and many lawmakers of both parties want to reduce the government's role in supporting the housing finance system, and the White House sees expiration of the higher loans limits as a first step.
Some Republicans splintered from their party's general consensus that the government should no longer risk the cost of subsidizing home loans on a grand scale. Lawmakers from states with pricey real estate markets, such as California and New York, argued that withdrawing support could hurt the market.
California Republicans should hide their faces in shame. This is appalling. These Republicans call for reducing the footprint of government and simultaneously vote to keep the house prices inflated in their districts with more government largess.
The housing industry and consumer advocates mounted an intense lobbying effort to convince officials the time was not yet ripe to reduce government support.
The NAr will always argue for more government support. The mistake was made by the congressmen who listened to them.
Some conservative groups fought raising the loan limits, with the influential Club for Growth warning that the government was distorting the market and impeding a recovery.
Yes, it is distorting the market and impeding the recovery. This is a mistake.
FHA, which traditionally has supported low-to-moderate income households, said on Tuesday that its capital reserves had dwindled over the past year. But it rebutted the contention of some analysts that it will likely need to turn to the U.S. Treasury for a bailout.
(Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Dan Grebler)
The FHA will likely need a bailout despite their assurances to the contrary. As I reported recently, the only way they will avoid a bailout is if the market bottoms shortly and their legions of underwater loan owners do not strategically default. When their market prognostications prove to be wishful thinking, they will go back to congress for a bailout and claim no one could have foreseen the continuing fall in prices. Idiots.
Countrywide encouraged a peak-buying Ponzi
This house illustrates how fortunes are made and lost during a Ponzi scheme. Two owners ago, this property was purchased on 12/13/2004 for $695,000. Only 15 months later on 3/3/2006, the owner sold the property for $853,000 pocketing over $100,000 after commissions for his one year of ownership. That's the fun part.
The owner that followed was the bagholder… or was he. He paid $853,000 but he did it with Countrywide's money. He put nothing down. In fact, Countrywide didn't think that deal was good enough, so five months later, they gave him a new $748,000 first mortgage and a $93,500 HELOC. Then a few weeks later, they increased his HELOC to $187,000 enabling him to pull nearly $100,000 out himself — after only owning the house less than six months.
It isn't hard to see why houses were so popular and why Countrywide went out of business.
This property is available for sale via the MLS.
Please contact Shevy Akason, #01836707
Irvine House Address … 3531 PECAN St Irvine, CA 92606
Resale House Price …… $639,900
Sq. Ft.: 2505
Property Type: Residential, Single Family
Style: Two Level, Traditional
Year Built: 1974
On Redfin: 9 days
Rare highly upgraded, Turnkey REO in College Park. Double family rooms with fireplace. New Carpet and Paint, Newer cabinets with granite counters in kitchen and baths, Newer dual-pane windows, crown molding and much more. This home has a large open floor plan and has beautiful flooring throughout. This home sits on a large lot with a spa in the back yard. Low HOA dues and no Mello Roos. Hurry with your highest and best offers because this gem will not last long.
Proprietary IHB commentary and analysis
Resale Home Price …… $639,900
House Purchase Price … $489,000
House Purchase Date …. 9/20/2001
Net Gain (Loss) ………. $112,506
Percent Change ………. 23.0%
Annual Appreciation … 2.6%
Cost of Home Ownership
$639,900 ………. Asking Price
$127,980 ………. 20% Down Conventional
4.02% …………… Mortgage Interest Rate
$511,920 ………. 30-Year Mortgage
$123,592 ………. Income Requirement
$2,450 ………. Monthly Mortgage Payment
$555 ………. Property Tax (@1.04%)
$0 ………. Special Taxes and Levies (Mello Roos)
$133 ………. Homeowners Insurance (@ 0.25%)
$0 ………. Private Mortgage Insurance
$55 ………. Homeowners Association Fees
$3,193 ………. Monthly Cash Outlays
-$397 ………. Tax Savings (% of Interest and Property Tax)
-$735 ………. Equity Hidden in Payment (Amortization)
$179 ………. Lost Income to Down Payment (net of taxes)
$100 ………. Maintenance and Replacement Reserves
$2,340 ………. Monthly Cost of Ownership
Cash Acquisition Demands
$6,399 ………. Furnishing and Move In @1%
$6,399 ………. Closing Costs @1%
$5,119 ………. Interest Points
$127,980 ………. Down Payment
$145,897 ………. Total Cash Costs
$35,800 ………… Emergency Cash Reserves
$181,697 ………. Total Savings Needed
This says more about the state of our corrupt political system than it does about the housing market. Score another one for the banks! They truly deserve kudos for that lobbying win. The sad part is I would’ve been surprised if the ceiling hadn’t been raised again.
Yes, it’s pretty clear that the corrupt puppets in Washington answer to the lobbyists for the powers that be. With a 10% approval rating, Congress could care less about making decisions that will be good for the country from a financial standpoint.
The majority of these turds will get voted right back in!
I suspect raising the conforming limit on GSE loans will be the next shoe to drop.
Huge resistance to raising the GSE limits. Congress wants the Agencies gone as soon as possible. They carved out the GSE limit increase from the whole legislation, a clear signal that the GSE’s aren’t going to get higher limits anytime soon.
I’m OK with a higher FHA limit, but not if they continue to have such loose guidelines. A 620 FICO and a 48-50% DTI is A-OK with HUD (enough abbreviations for you?) which is mind numbing. Ratchet up the scores and lower the DTI and you’ll get high quality, low risk buyers. Had a $350kpy newly minted Doctor contact me last week. He had 10% down, perhaps 15%, but not 20% on a $800k home, a perfect candidate for a high balance FHA loan. If more of these borrowers were approved and less of the dregs, FHA wouldn’t be in the position it’s in today.
I’m one of those new doctors. >400kpy salary but with student loans and saving 20-40% for down payment, I won’t be in the market til late summer/early fall 2012 or beyond. Wife not too happy to live in apt longer but she understands. Can’t predict the bottom of the market but many have mentioned, there is probably 10-20% correction at the high end still needed (which would wipe out my dp if I bought now). Personally, I would never do FHA loan.
Small world. I started my own practice last year. P&L looks good despite the economy. I paid taxes on about 870K last year. Still renting though I am buying investment properties and have my eyes on a restaurant buyout. Wife is fine with it.
Precisely what the housing market needs!
Just when the sickly patient was about to get off his gurney and stumble out the doors of Sunnyside rehab, Washingdumb offers him a “freebie” to pep him back up.
Smiling Congressman to zombie debt patient: “Man, thank goodness we arrived! Where would you be without us”?
“California Republicans should hide their faces in shame.”
I’m surprized that you’re surprized. Republicans have obviously jumped on the debt reduction issue as a political tool to make Obama a 1-term president specifically, and reverse Democrat gains generally, no matter what the cost to the country and anyone less than the super-rich. Look at where most of the deficit came from (Republican presidents and policies which bothered them not a bit at the time), and not what they say now. Or, check out the actual chance of Ron Paul to get the Republican nomination.
Republicans control the House, and if they wanted to block government help for rich people buying overpriced houses and some hidden flow of money to the banks they certainly would have. Too bad the Democrats aren’t clever enough to pick up the fiscal responsibility baton when it has been dropped. It’s a Bush tax cut issue now – none of them has the guts to kill it, just keep extending it time after time until some magical future moment when “the time is right”.
“Too bad the Democrats aren’t clever enough to pick up the fiscal responsibility baton when it has been dropped.”
Yes, this could have been a defining moment for Democrats when they got back on the correct side of an issue which has dogged them for decades. Instead, they gave us more of the same. What we have now is neither party truly cares about fiscal responsibility. They only care about diverting government money to the constituency that gives them the most campaign contributions. There is no principled governance any longer. I foresee a massive increase in government spending, an ever-expanding federal budget, and more government debt and printing money to pay for it all.
Andrew Jackson is rolling over in his grave.
In my linked article Stocks Rally Strongly As Wolfgang Schaeuble Says The Goal Of The EU States Is A Stability Union, I relate Neoliberalism’s ponzi lending has reached its extreme — credit has reached its full expansion. Sovereign insolvency means the end of ponzi financing and the beginning of debt servitude.
We are witnessing the last vestige of the minting of money as the Milton Friedman Free To Choose Regime is history. In this regime, bankers, and government ministers waived magic wands of finance and created wealth. What we are seeing is only zombie financing.
The Beast Regime of Neoauthoritarianism is rising out of the Mediterranean Sea profligates, Italy and Greece. In this regime, bankers and government ministers waive clubs and beat people into debt servitude.
> Congress has voted to increase the FHA loan limit to $729,750 through the end of 2013.
I guess Washington can and will do anything to re-inflate bubble pricing.
Foreclosure auction pricing shows that without easy credit, Cali house prices would be almost half.
You have to wonder what BofA executives were thinking when they bought Countrywide. BofA had experience with dozens of mergers, yet made 2 huge investments in a steaming pile.
A female correspondent on NBR last week was asked, “BofA shares have declined. What is the risk in buying BofA shares?”
She replied, “None, since BofA is too big to fail.”
I wanted to throw up.
Unfortunately, her assessment is probably accurate.

domain: economics


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Big data is making decisions about your future behind the scenes, and it’s likely you don’t even know it. This article outlines how big data has the potential to be one of the biggest threats to the liberties we’ve seen in a long time.
- Customer and uses of digital payments
- Regulation of DFS
- Technology and operational enablers
- Webinars and Podcasts

domain: finance


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A week on, victims discuss what it's like to watch men tear apart allegations of sexual assault online.
″”Innocent until guilty” is a common response that comes up in response to allegations of sexual violence against famous and powerful men – it was popular online during the #metoo movement too – but its usage is a problem."
"I told him his actions were unacceptable and he’d caused me irreparable harm."
Why we all need to think about our response to allegations of sexual abuse.
Most Republicans are sticking by ex-President Donald Trump even after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse.
"After three years of intensive therapy and a lifetime of denying the reality of my past, I can finally say it out loud," Christian Weissmann shared with HuffPost.
The Grammy-winning musician revealed he never told anyone about the abuse he suffered "for 30 years".
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein.
Vicky Foxcroft has spoken up for the first time about being sexually abused as a child at the hands of her mother's abusive ex-partner.
After decades of accusations, the R&B singer is facing his second trial related to his alleged sexual abuse crimes against minors.

domain: law


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I know I’m a couple of days late to the 2014 Recap post. It’s been a busy month and I’m just starting to wind down from all the holiday craziness. I wanted to take some time to reflect on the year’s events.
- I started off the year with a major change: a career change. I went from teaching middle & high school children about literature to teaching lawyers about the importance of social media. I was nervous at first; change can be tough. But I quickly realized that I made the right decision. And a year later (today actually!) I am happier than I have been in a long time. I love the company I work for, the people I work with and the work that I do. I learn something new every day and I’m growing as a professional and as a person.
- In February, I turned 32. I celebrated with my closest friends over some drinks and appetizers. I love celebrating my birthday and it usually lasts for at least a week (or two).
- On May 4th, my husband and I celebrated our ONE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! Time flies when you are in love and having fun.
- We traveled to Montauk in June for a long weekend getaway to celebrate our anniversary. This was my second time visiting Montauk, but I have fell in love with the quaint, beach town. We hope to make this an annual trip.
- Mid-summer, I decided to take another leap of faith and start blogging! I was nervous at first to put my words out there for others to read, but this was a great choice. I love writing and I like to write about my experiences, great restaurants I have visited, great recipes I have cooked, positive quotes, throwback memories, and other random ramblings. My friends and family are super supportive, and I appreciate the feedback, the shares and the favorites. I have exchanged emails and comments and tweets with some of the best writers out there. The blogging community is friendly, supportive and loyal. I continue to learn from them daily and I’m appreciative of the friendships I have made through this process.
- Babies, Babies, Babies! So many babies were born this year and I couldn’t be happier for my friends and family! We welcomed Frankie, Charleigh and Harper into this crazy world. It is surreal to watch my friends become parents. I am one happy Aunt! 🙂
- It was the year of trying new fitness regimes: personal training (two different trainers), Soul-Cycle, Hot Yoga, the Bar Method, Color Run 5K… I’ve tried them all. I was proud that I stepped outside the box and tried things I normally would never do.
- Cowgirl Mel gets hitched! I traveled to Nashville in August for the first time for Melanie’s bachelorette and then watched as she married the man of her dreams in September. We danced the night away and had such a great time.
- With such busy schedules, it’s hard to get together with all my girlfriends. In December, we booked a weekend getaway to Atlantic City. Honestly, it was one of the best weekends of the year.
- After a push from my husband, family and friends, I opened up my own Etsy shop in August. It feels great to have yet another creative outlet. The shop was a huge hit and by December, I was knee deep in wedding invitations, ribbon, hot glue and Christmas ornaments.
- I couldn’t think of a better way to end the year. We cruised the last week of December through the Caribbean: Grand Cayman, Honduras, Cozumel and Bahamas. I soaked up the sun, the sand and the great food and drinks aboard the Princess Ruby. I snorkeled in crystal blue water, walked on warm, white beaches, zip-lined from the jungle to the beach and swam with stingrays.
Whew! What a great year! Top that, 2015! 🙂


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A quadcopter drone flown by an amateur flyer found an elderly man with Alzheimer’s in a bean field only 20 minutes after joining the search effort.
BBC News reports that 82 year old Mr DeVenecia, who has Alzheimer’s went missing on July 16th from his residence in the city of Fitchburg, CO. Large search teams including police, search dogs, helicopters and other volunteers engaged in the 5 day search effort.
However, Mr Lesh’s drone found him only 20 minutes after going up in the air. Initially purchased for filming videos and taking photos of him snowboarding, Mr Lesh volunteered to join the search and rescue effort in finding the old man with dementia.
After being missing for 5 days, Mr DeVenecia only had mild dehydration and he believed he had only been out for a short walk. He has now returned back home.
Did Mr Lesh and his drone just happen to be in the right place at the right time or does this show the untapped potential of the commercial use of drones?

domain: news


Most Car engine parts makers are accredited for exports. Additionally, there are exporters for such products. To partner with the manufacturers or trading companies is based on the requirements. They both have benefits. Wenzhou Wellgude Auto Parts Co.,Ltd., which has rich knowhow on export industry and has exported products to many countries and regions, is this exporter.
With years of investment in the R&D and manufacture of ac alternator, WGD Auto Parts has grown into one of the most competitive manufacturers in the industry. WGD Auto Parts provides a wide range of armature for customers. The product is user-friendly. According to the principle of ergonomics, it is designed to fit the characteristics of the human body or actual use. Our company mainly exports regulators, rectifiers, ignition coils, rubber parts, and other auto parts. By adding charm and beauty to the wearer, the product will definitely boost their confidence about self appearance, which eventually motivates themselves. Based on automobile and motorcycle parts in China, our main export regulator, high voltage wire, rectifier ignition coil, is a modern enterprise of industrial and trade integration.
WGD Auto Parts would like to make friends with our customers and bring more benefits for them. Welcome to visit our factory!


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I have a love for sewing and quilting that was started when I was a small child. I was encouraged by my mom, grandma and great grandma. I had excellent teachers!
"Here comes Peter Cottontail.... hoppin down the bunny trail...."This applique design can be put on a tea towel like the directions instruct or used as a quilt square, appliqued pillow, baby quilt, wall hanging or any project that your imagination can think up. This festive Spring applique tea towel pattern will be a joy for both the beginner and experienced quilter and sewer. It's a quick and easy project that when finished would make a great gift! ***2 pages of directions in US measurements.
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Chew Court, a diminutive thoroughfare, extended north from the 400 Block of Mount Vernon Street, accessible through an arch flanked by 407 and 409 Mount Vernon Street. It derived its name from William J. “Billy” Chew, the proprietor of a nearby saloon. The emergence of Chew Court in City Directories can be traced back to 1871. Curiously, only two structures ever bore a Chew Court address – #1 inhabited by the Louis Smith family and #2 by the William Jones family.
The Christopher A. Bergen School, which opened in the autumn of 1891 and was named after prominent Camden lawyer Christopher Augustus Bergen, found its place on the northern edge of the 400 block of Mount Vernon Street, near Chew Court.
Chew Court appeared in City Directories between 1887-1888, 1888-1889, and 1890-1891. Smith and Jones remained residents of the same houses during the 1900 census, with an interesting development: after the 1890 Directory, #1 Chew’s Court became 1016, and #2 Chew’s Court transformed into 1014.
By the compilation of the 1904 City Directory, both families had moved from Chew Court. The court garnered attention in local newspapers during the 1890s and 1900s due to arrests linked to lottery law violations, commonly referred to as “policy” or later as the “numbers racket”.
In September 1932, E. Allen Hughes, a reporter for the Courier-Post, authored a three-part series exploring the narrow streets, alleys, courts, and spaces of Camden, which included Chew Court.
Chew Court vanished from records and memory, absent from the 1924 and 1947 Camden City Directories. Its existence was completely erased when the Ulysses S. Wiggins School was erected.

domain: history


By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
For the third time in a week, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka sat down this afternoon to talk with a group of West Seattle constituents.
Last Wednesday, it was the District 1 Community Network; last night, it was the Admiral Neighborhood Association; today, it was a group of more than a dozen people, primarily small-business proprietors, gathered by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Saka heard a lot about public safety and street disorder. But he also got an earful about the effects of a relatively new city law co-sponsored by his D-1 predecessor Lisa Herbold – the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance that took effect in January, which some restaurateurs say has resulted in delivery costs going up and business going down.
Today’s gathering was part of a small-business-focused “listening tour” that Saka says is spanning the five neighborhoods in D-1; he’s already been to Pioneer Square, SODO, and Georgetown, and will finish the tour in South Park. Today’s West Seattle participants gathered with Saka (who was accompanied by chief of staff Elaine Ikoma Ko and district-relations director Leyla Gheisar) at Realfine Coffee‘s 35th/Kenyon shop.
After some introductory chatting and coffee orders, the group trooped a few doors down to The Westy to hear from Saka, followed by Q&A.
He assured the group that his intent was to pay more attention to them, saying their “voices haven’t been given enough attention at City Hall,” though “your perspective as small-business owners matters … I recognize your contributions.”
The businesses represented included Alki Beach Academy, Distinguished Foods, Easy Street Records, Elliott Bay Brewing, Papa Tony’s Hot Sauce, Realfine Coffee, Snip-Its Haircuts for Kids, The Grove, and The Westy, as well as three organizations, the WS Chamber of Commerce, WS Food Bank, and WS Junction Association. Saka was introduced by the chamber’s executive director Rachel Porter:
As he’s told other groups, Saka said he’s “laser-focused” on transportation and public safety (as chair of the council committee dealing with the former, and vice-chair of the committee handling the latter). but also deeply concerned with the smaller issues affecting people (yes, potholes included) – the “nitty-gritty stuff.” Porter acknowledged that public safety is the top issue of concern among local businesses. One attendee, Easy Street Records‘ Matt Vaughan, talked about dealing with some “smashes, no grabs” vandalism at the corner that’s like “the windows to the world” for The Junction. And he said he’s had to install more security equipment – more to protect his staff than his stuff.
Several participants mentioned dealing with people in crisis; the Junction Association‘s Chris Mackay said one man who had harassed and assaulted people had recently been arrested. Realfine’s Julie Mierzwiak, who has two West Seattle shops and one on Capitol Hill, said staffers have to deal with “volatile” people who need help, but don’t know how. Mackay mentioned hearing CARE Chief Amy Smith say last week in West Seattle that her department’s crisis responders will eventually expand services to West Seattle – how soon? she asked Saka. He responded with a long explanation centering on the city’s looming quarter-billion-dollar budget deficit, though he promised that public-safety services would be last on the list for cuts to deal with it. He later also clarified that the city’s current hiring freeze does NOT include public-safety jobs – those positions are funded and will continue to be. Issues with police hiring, he noted, include the process challenges that came to light at the committee meeting we covered yesterday, as well as “morale” – he said officers are disheartened by the “catch and release” that may result after they arrest suspects. Saka also made mention of Councilmember Bob Kettle‘s term “permissive environment” and said it was “branding” that many people appreciated.
That’s when the city ordinance’s effects on food delivery arose. Claiborne Bell, who hosts businesses at his Distinguished Foods Kitchens in The Triangle (including his own Seattle Sorbets), said that both restaurants and drivers are being hurt by fewer orders as an unintended result. The legislation is explained here – intended to guarantee app-based workers a minimum wage. According to citywide outlets’ reports, the app companies added fees to cover what they are now required to pay – and that in turn has led to a customer rebellion. Bell says that of the seven “virtual restaurants” based in his kitchens, their volume is down 30 percent to 50 percent. Porter added, “Restaurants are taking a huge hit.” But some don’t use the delivery services at all – Elliott Bay‘s Todd Carden says he’s in that camp – or minimize their use.
It’s not just that ordinance complicating operations, Saka was told by several participants – the city has added so many new rules, it’s difficult to keep track and comply, but if they slip up, they face sizable fines; more education was suggested to help entrepreneurs understand what’s expected. Vidican noted that the rules seem to give the advantage to corporate entities, because they can cope by scaling up with management layers, purchasing power, etc., compared to small-business entities where proprietors have to wear many hats. Added Bell, “You have to be an expert in so many things … we’re already wearing 37 different hats.”
Saka reacted with sympathy: “We can do so much better as a city … you need a better partner (in) the city, I’m hearing that.” That includes being aware of “unintended consequences” of actions, he said. And, “the best thing I can do is create conditions where you can be successful … and (we can) get out of your way.” He promised he would be “an advocate … I think we vilified businesses for too long – if half, three-quarters of small businesses closed up, that would create havoc.” At that point he also briefly mentioned big business, expressing concern that 75 percent of the JumpStart tax revenue (the city’s payroll-expense tax, explained here) is reported to result from 10 employers.
Not long after that, the conversation veered back to public-safety issues including the frustration many have with the juvenile-justice system, citing the infamous case of teenagers who have long been reported to be harassing people inside local businesses and don’t seem to be facing consequences. Saka said his family had witnessed this firsthand and suggested that the system is failing the troubled youth as well as victims: “I’m committed to doing better for them and for you.”
The last topic before the group broke up was city resources – Kimora Lee of Snip-Its wondered if the city Office of Economic Development was a good place to turn for help as she deals with the effects of construction next door and road work out front. Short answer offered by the councilmember, his staff, and the Junction Association: Yes. Though city departments report to the mayor and not the council, Saka clarified, he’s found them responsive to issues, so far.
WHAT’S NEXT: As the meeting closed, Saka’s chief of staff told the group he’s interested in a district-wide small-business summit. Meantime, the Chamber’s next lunch meeting is tomorrow, with a guest speaking to the topic of dealing with people in crisis via Mental Health First Aid – more info here.


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Aug 5, 2008USDA Announces $28.4 Million for Hort Crop Research
The Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service announced June 16 that it “anticipates a Specialty Crops Research Initiative funding opportunity,” signaling university and other research horticulturists to get ready to submit proposals for research projects.
On July 11, the application forms were not yet ready but Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that the funding had arrived – $28.4 million for research and Extension projects in fiscal year 2008. That year ends Sept. 31, and the money needs to be allocated by then.
“This is a substantial investment in scientific research and technology for production of specialty crops that will advance their large contribution to America’s agriculture both domestically and in world markets,” Schafer said.
Funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative was authorized through the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (the Farm Bill). It provides $50 million each year for fiscal years 2009 through 2012 for a total of $230 million over the five years of the Farm Bill.
The Specialty Crop Research Initiative has five focus areas: 1) plant breeding, genetics and genomics research to improve crop characteristics; 2) efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases; 3) innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening; 4) efforts to improve production efficiency, productivity and profitability; and 5) methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production and processing of specialty crops.
The U.S. specialty crop industry is comprised of producers and handlers of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and nursery crops, including floriculture. The industry accounted for 10 million harvested cropland acres in 2004 and a combined value of more than $50 billion in sales.

domain: agronomy


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The Oakland Raiders had a terrible first quarter of the season. Aside from a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which now seems to have been an aberration, the Raiders looked like one of, if not the worst team in the NFL. Their offense went from one of the league's best in 2011, to something that a pee wee league coach would be embarrassed of in 2012. Meanwhile, the defense that was one of the worst in the league in 2011, seems intent on repeating that in 2012.
Now that the Raiders have had a bye week to try and figure out what has gone wrong over the first four weeks of the season, they will have to come back from the bye with a very difficult game on the road. This Sunday, the Raiders will travel to play the Atlanta Falcons, one of the NFL's best teams early in the 2012 season. While it is good for the Raiders to test the things they worked on over the bye week, taking on one of the best teams in the NFL is not something any team looks forward to, regardless of how their season had been going.
Matt Ryan, the quarterback for the Falcons, is having a great season and is likely looking forward to what will be an opportunity to have a great game, statistically, against one of the worst secondaries in the league, against the Raiders. Not to mention the fact that Michael Turner has to be licking his lips at what the Raiders rather generously refer to as their run defense.
The Raiders had a lot to work on during their bye week, and only a big turnaround in a lot of different areas will allow the Raiders to get back on the path to a good season. But with both the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos suffering losses this past weekend, the Raiders still have slim hopes of competing for the AFC West crown.


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Sweet & Healthy Salad
If you are following the Weight Watchers plan, you will know what I mean when I say "free".
Please feel free to use whatever fruit you like. It is also very tasty made with sliced pears.
- 2 c
- romaine lettuce leaves
- 1 c
- baby spinach
- 1/2 c
- grapes, seedless, halved
- 1/2 medium
- apple, braeburn or gala, thinly sliced
- 1/4 c
- 2 Tbsp
- almonds, slivered
- 1/4 c
- feta cheese
- 3 Tbsp
- raspberry vinaigrette, (kraft lite)
For Example: 4 T. of Dressing is 3 Points Plus, but as long as you stick with 3 T. it is only 2 Points Plus.
You could also reduce the PP value by using low fat or fat free feta cheese.
I have also lowered the PP value by using olive oil and lemon juice instead of the Raspberry Vinegarette. Still very tasty!


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Last Updated on
Rievaulx Terrace is an area of woodland and grassland created by the Duncombe family in the 18th century for entertaining. Here, they built a Tuscan Temple and an Ionic Temple for fine dining. There are spectacular views of Rievaulx Abbey and the valley below.
Tip - ideal for picnics. There is also a good circular walk which takes in Helmsley Castle, Rievaulx Abbey and Rievaulx Terrace.

domain: travel


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Co-founder & CEO of Nix & Kix
Julia is the Co-founder & CEO of Nix & Kix. NIX&KIX is a Bcorp pending company and make refreshingly fruity, naturally zingy, lightly sparkling soft drinks which are a sugar tax exempt and HFSS compliant, vegan soft drinks which come in unique flavours with a little zing from cayenne. Their range of cans, small and large bottles have successfully launched with Sainsbury’s, Bidfood, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Foodservice, food lead chains as well as internationally in The Netherlands and Ireland.
Julia’s previous experience consists of 13 years is in innovation, Supply Chain, Operations and Program Management in various industries.


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UP’s Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Bhanu faction) on the Delhi-Noida border has ended its agitation against the new agricultural laws of the central government. Union Defense Minister Rajnath spoke to the farmers’ organizations on Saturday night. An agreement has been reached between the farmers and the government to set up the Agriculture Commission. The farmers then withdrew from Sector 14A Chilla Border in Noida. The farmers were agitating here since December 1.


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This photograph taken at kaluthara beach in Sri Lanka
Uploaded: Mar 17, 2016
Tags: See Views, Beautiful backgrounds, Sunshine
Clock in the forest
Beautiful sunsets, Beautiful views, Beautiful pictures,Powerful sunsets
Smart Backgrounds In Sri Lanka
Beautiful Darkness Background
Kad gledaš, uvijek ćeš vidjeti ono što osjećaš. When you watching, you will always see what you feel.
New Sun of Early in the morning
Lovely Beach Place In Sri Lanka
Daisy Flower Wonderful in Summer
Summer landscape. "Russian field."
Reflection of fountain