30 Days of Google #13: Get the hang of a Google+ hangout (plus webinar recording)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VsP27fZOV26Up2FySsh4EIDCTkR6q3HYtf8fnc4AKZD7I5ELMkYEdXQDZxYcMENKKNmY-2EL2WtPIuki60UP2-Ec2a1r0KavhNRVgg5BMrfqzteUpO8A11vRG84dGjptywbJ6OGdlKM/s1600-h/image%25255B7%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jqxpgA1ktf8GsTlIuG6BuIYHAcst6tIPxd913LTXy5nZ_p5Gi7U_Jl3n7jD2TeF1ofOqTOQXA32ih4IO9IbcBCVxa5jyDUVzrOKadziDVAfJDqInopuHxDlcBz0ksJJTTdHLPbDBfxg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="240" /></a></div><br /><u><br /></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>What is a Google hangout?</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google+ is Google's new social networking tool. I have only just discovered its amazing potential since attending the Google Teacher Academy in New York in October. Google has put a lot of funding into developing Google+ and they are committed to making it work well for education, so it will just get better and better I am sure. Once you have created a </span><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Create-Circles-in-Google-Plus" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">circle of friends</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in Google+ you can choose to hang out with them on Google+. This allows you to video chat, IM chat, watch YouTube videos together, and more. </span><br /><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Summary of benefits</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google Hangouts are part of Google+, Google's new free social networking tool. On a Hangout 10 people (possible 15 on Google Apps) can:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*video chat</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*IM (instant message) chat</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*watch YouTube videos together</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*collaborate on a Google Doc</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*use a whiteboard collaboratively</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*add effects for fun</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*record the Hangout directly on YouTube</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*live stream for more viewers</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*A minimum of two people </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*and more… </span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Slideshare showing the steps</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This slideshare was used in the SchoolNet webinar of the same name and shows the steps in creating a hangout.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="356" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15447237" style="border-bottom: #ccc 0px solid; border-left: #ccc 1px solid; border-right: #ccc 1px solid; border-top: #ccc 1px solid; margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="427"> </iframe> <br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/get-the-hang-of-a-google-hangout" target="_blank" title="Get the hang of a Google+ hangout">Get the hang of a Google+ hangout</a> </strong>from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal" target="_blank">Fiona Beal</a></strong></span> </div><strong><u><br /></u></strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Webinar recording:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week SchoolNet had a webinar whih was presented by me (Fiona Beal) on 'Get the hang of a Google Hangout'. Here is the recording</span><u>. </u><br /><a href="http://meet78641452.adobeconnect.com/p6kgz1ndmhz/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">http://meet78641452.adobeconnect.com/p6kgz1ndmhz/</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (22 mins)</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ideas for using a hangout in the the classroom</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Read a story</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Bring in an expert/guest speaker/author|</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Share from a Slideshare</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Homework tutoring</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Professional Development meeting</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Work on a project together</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Virtual penpals</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Global classroom discussions</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Career Day wit panelists</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Attend other hangouts (Google has a whole library of hangouts)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Extended discussion on a class topic</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Subject-related hangouts</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Conduct workshops and seminars</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Additional reading and viewing</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a) A tutorial </span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please note that Google updates its products continually so some features in this video might look different.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7K06lHu4gDk" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>b) Further Reading</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Google%2B-Hangouts">How to use Google Hangouts</a> </span><br />*<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Google%2B-Hangouts-for-Teaching" style="background-color: #f9f7f1; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to Use Google+ Hangouts for Teaching</a><br />*<a href="http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/events/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to create a Google event</a><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>

30 Days of Google 30 Days of Google #13: Get the hang of a Google+ hangout (plus webinar recording)

What is a Google hangout? Google+ is Google's new social networking tool. I have only just discovered its amazing potential since attend...

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Springfield News-Sun; No Longer Relevant, No Longer Local

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfu2MtuDMT0_SC_z9uBNrCX3VLk-3p1yGWwM0fz9OvuzhdNJW9oOEDSYp9QeA4x-gN-40VAQj-dw20DKfWliTz0SVF2pwred2-wZ1ZDkx0gy7Y0vp2d_VR2nY-qdxvQFGluRpSIIBcQY/s1600/Springfield+News-Sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfu2MtuDMT0_SC_z9uBNrCX3VLk-3p1yGWwM0fz9OvuzhdNJW9oOEDSYp9QeA4x-gN-40VAQj-dw20DKfWliTz0SVF2pwred2-wZ1ZDkx0gy7Y0vp2d_VR2nY-qdxvQFGluRpSIIBcQY/s400/Springfield+News-Sun.jpg" width="400" /></a>Cheeeeers, and here with the daily headlines from Bagwine, Ohio is IWS co-host and gadabout town, man about town with your Bagwine, Ohio daily news, Matt-Man.<br /><br />I would like to able to type that in, and mean it, but alas, I cannot.  And do you know why?  Of course you don’t, so please allow me to tell you why.<br /><br />I would like to get my hometown news from our hometown newspaper the <i>Springfield News-Sun,</i> and pass on any interesting local stories contained within the Gray Lady of Bagwine unto you, however…<br /><br />My hometown newspaper, the <i>Springfield News-Sun</i> is no longer local.  It is no longer relevant.  It is no longer the daily ledger of note on which upon its pages, contains the goings on of my city.<br /><br />It has become merely an arm of advertising for Cox Publishing, whose flagship newspaper in this area, is the <i>Dayton Daily News</i>, so what do we now get in our “hometown” paper?  Uh-huh…Dayton daily news.<br /><br />I understand the economics of newspapers.  In this digital age, printed newspapers are to information what Catholic monks were to the Gutenberg press, but c’mon <i>Springfield News-Sun</i> and Cox Publishing…<br /><br />Have a S<i>pringfield News-Sun</i> that reflects the news, notes, and information that is relevant to Springfield, or?<br /><br />If your printed papers of several communities are going to be bellowed out of the Dayton news factory, could you at least hire local folks to keep your websites updated with current local news?<br /><br />Oy Vay…the content on the Springfield News-Sun website is less timely and less topical than Yakov Smirnoff’s appearance in the movie, Buckaroo Banzai, and nearly as dry as his stand-up appearances in Branson, MO.<br /><br />I have felt this way for a long time, but here’s what finally propelled me to write on this topic.<br /><br />On Saturday December 1st, the front page of the <i>Springfield News-Sun</i> sports page featured an in-depth story about a high school basketball game that took place on Friday night.<br /><br />I love it…I love high school basketball…but here’s the problem Mr. and/or Mrs. Cox Publishing…<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52eNgWE-w6A7RT7lesBSs6Bh_t4Rsxt9jSHbNNm7PKcydZATFsb_Xnz5ZfevbZmes2-fLo7ExMVJxynJAcuIIeHDKSZySRxg0YPJmT2cKVe_m38g8tZsUUz_xOkkxEjHUSxPCsYInU-Y/s1600/dayton-daily-news-media-center-dayton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52eNgWE-w6A7RT7lesBSs6Bh_t4Rsxt9jSHbNNm7PKcydZATFsb_Xnz5ZfevbZmes2-fLo7ExMVJxynJAcuIIeHDKSZySRxg0YPJmT2cKVe_m38g8tZsUUz_xOkkxEjHUSxPCsYInU-Y/s400/dayton-daily-news-media-center-dayton.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The game written about was between Chaminade-Julienne and Greenview, neither of which are in Springfield, nor even in Clark County.  Do you really think the 145,000 or so people in Springfield and Clark County care about that game?<br /><br />Of course you know we don’t, but you don’t care, because in this area, Cox Publishing covers Dayton exclusively, and uses Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton and other smaller city newspapers as advertising dumps.<br /><br />Oh sure, each city paper gets a fill-in space here and there, but your newspaper “journalism” is directed by a template and formula that caters not to the local reader, but to the advertising that goes along with your radio and TV stations within the Cox Media Group.<br /><br />The only things local and relevant about the Springfield News-Sun anymore are the obituaries and the pizza coupons, other than that, us yokels here in Bagwine only know for sure that last Friday, CJ defeated Greenview in basketball.<br /><br />And we also know...<br /><br />That the Cox Media Group made its monthly advertising quota.<br /><br /><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><br />Matt-Man<br /><i><a href="mailto:mattmaniws@yahoo.com">mattmaniws@yahoo.com</a></i><br /><i><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@mattman_iws</span></a></i></div>

Springfield News-Sun; No Longer Relevant, No Longer Local

Cheeeeers, and here with the daily headlines from Bagwine, Ohio is IWS co-host and gadabout town, man about town with your Bagwine, Ohio dai...

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Home Free

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-decmQ7Tf7RQ/UL0h6631o9I/AAAAAAAADhI/AKZBHGLfpDQ/s1600/home%2Bfree%2Bcookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-decmQ7Tf7RQ/UL0h6631o9I/AAAAAAAADhI/AKZBHGLfpDQ/s320/home%2Bfree%2Bcookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Even though I am eating healthy and exercising I still love to have something sweet, especially chocolate! I received these in my Healthy Surprise box and was craving chocolate so I grabbed a glass of milk and the cookies.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Let me tell you, if you love chocolate and are watching your weight, or have any kind of Gluten allergy then these are for you! They are so good, it's unbelievable.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> They are bite sized chocolaty, crunchy cookies and really helps with the sweet craving! They are the best cookies I have had in a long time! <a href="http://www.homefreetreats.com/"></a></div>

Home Free

Even though I am eating healthy and exercising I still love to have something sweet, especially chocolate! I received these in my Healthy Su...

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30 Days of Google #12: How to send a message and share a circle using Google+

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google circles are a feature of Google+ and they can be very useful for keeping in contact with a group of people. For example I have a circle called Google PD clan.</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How I send a message to the Google PD clan</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whenever I want to send something to that group this is what I would do:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. In my Google+ stream I would write a message. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitljOIfpvghJtSGh-VaS-eumP9zkyHD0HYkHhixo-ZXjEG8Afe7LBASl9gR85uIJwnLd0F9FA7yleFaRJv3VedrCS9ZmT2PNuPtvl6O11gevMQY1PD9Xi6kyfP8BTvA8ps5A55iWakkHE/s1600-h/image4%25255B1%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7ize3J6u8YG1f3E0gzYvqrQma08_obilu94-j983Zj6cA-zAE2MegFsWiXG6m-xRGtGnqSkTHirKPmf4vBCTUvALXGHsjGztcdtSOyQN8_mnQDQgIX1_1JwS_Iv5bSAOLJ1AWd08L5A/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Decide which circle or person I am going to send it to, select them and press ‘Share’ (in this case to a circle called  Google PD clan)</span>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDH_KeC8bMidwkpQQ3o6c0WEpHppcxBIlDUN88ISE6dmI8k3afKktyV05FSolz6jIlox60m8xh1jGS0tS344eoxMnLSRQotswiSxJS2geIwpI7Ur7QrLpboNB692KdkpbIlMQEQafpN8/s1600-h/image8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0DddR6meyhMuKl_zZ1OjAU4if7fqCYHS6XjiuAGAlBJAvZxtnPPakR8CIS5f4xa7UDcgcSlmuMey6D8_7eYGZarE90qNkTTXVKHoezx0U3kVTymha7oobJ5ZpRyrjBqr3KUS83-_rog/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>How would I share the whole circle with the Google PD clan? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If one creates a specific circle for a specific purpose (such as my 'Google PD clan' circle),  I could actually share my my whole circle with the group members.  To do this I would choose the option to '<i>share a circle'</i>.  The group members would then receive the shared circle option/invite but would have to accept it and name it.  </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDjH8pPWmaekMSBvFaWo17r21S0gxjZCJTd_0MjbCTCzrbkfVAt0mEh-AlFmi7PA-aS_DqermKMjk6xTWIEA6zg9IpUvL1JfoK8J8c7CLxIRBrEHQr-ReCliHghVh8ovY0sAHswQPByE/s1600-h/image35.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLBUgR-zj4CzWCxSvQYx1-twd2GFx1lzyNNvHdtKqH8Ar4Lex1tlHUmmFrqFOPyKgK9RXP2j2G1qc-saNP-4LrfuGzARxpYNfdq27wHiDnx8jPqV7lifkhYgtWbp-RQrKUR7qGevLXbI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></a></div><br /><u><br /></u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why not try sharing a circle?</span><br /><u><br /></u></div>

30 Days of Google 30 Days of Google #12: How to send a message and share a circle using Google+

Google circles are a feature of Google+ and they can be very useful for keeping in contact with a group of people. For example I have a circ...

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30 Days of Google #11: How to create a new circle in Google+

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google+ works on the concept of circles each with the level of privacy that you decide on. This post shows you how to create a circle after you have completed your profile in Google+.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Make sure you have joined Google+ (on the top left of your Gmail account) and have filled in your profile.After doing that go to your Google+ page and go down the left side till you get to Circles. Click on ‘Create a circle’. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEdYRP8lnZD3Dnrxu9zhGStq95PBwN_cqoufDOMSIREQfbyzovEKuaY39_ufKZB_62k3lwDfDBV6qQnEBW_f8CkgM-aUPysjlNyVKhvjlJ9GjDTGnUQO2AoDeD_erET4lBDTJLV91g_c/s1600-h/image_thumb62.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image_thumb[6]" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJfGCr7qYXAGsTB_LPLX02-fobenzVEG3ovt88JbhpvBXCq6KleYPfWWPkZpPdP4l8soIt4DVGB94lcfu3hG6F7bN4UMEKwgM69sZf8iBydfOyoMv4iMu8gkRK_WSanL4rYECF-AN9t8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image_thumb[6]" width="242" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Give your circle a name i.e. My technology friends</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvCsQnIp0XYBrGlAxnMCoq_xaBhxWzvT8aE7UItCl43HMYj1w1M3u4W7m9FqtjABbBG_fRdNVO6X1mvKIACM28U0syLwIyj3fAGjKLPjcR5thBnl0V0dbtJRotC1Xgwikm34dx78I7xo/s1600-h/image_thumb82.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image_thumb[8]" border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRWa2ezgbIdPNuksQVNVJYxjorvd9QF-rL9USzoSyoJ890zCmU8_oYuQ_NBCRhfaX0V7v86bES_9WhBcMhDKWXbJ6qVccuXp7lgkHRwaByLcOfn4fdMwzZMu-gsBGvsRtbNO35dTBfo8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image_thumb[8]" width="242" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Now choose how you are going to find people for your circle. Click on ‘Add a new person’</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbinMc06TcGxHFZEA63PFSSrcNdU2e7ecnVRuIWf868r0aLoR9K2kYGbQoxMoOtJ2eSTPpsp_WHk64kGiQqcV1OTiNx9p3UZs4k3GbRViHqbAWWtw0j57qVqV7ZezK2CiQnW411r0yqjE/s1600-h/image_thumb102.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image_thumb[10]" border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRoGBh7kT2hvaMQwiYepOXFb-jgpUqqbdPM-MulCKEmkYuL-63FC_5IUPCHDHIdst1FrRqAFEbq5IMHeie3zdabtS9UjiNLnlnkx_c2qav00Imciko7GqhANItzG8FAi0mpcF-5oiYSI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image_thumb[10]" width="242" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. A number of selections will come up in which case you click on the picture you recognise.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQDe-ZTxa_G7s_f9TcHYDT4BXA9MDAZCrkwpy8d6_3HW7ReTUT7NstCoZTYhXg0A5mDxMSOGTjHElFZDoVhAuPXPeOpVOgAiv9b9alAbUkjs0TSIRCMinO7RA_Ow_f3nmjM9PPW1hrNA/s1600-h/image_thumb122.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image_thumb[12]" border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOzIROZQr9g1FL9odxoJBr1cGDtVBy0zjfMrho62LAl-Ok5BMgs14ZKBXmUdrBtvXLHuVo6gkZWi9QI22-B0kAboGyC2M2XkmZMbW4YM7ERZXVyjQxffqjdRmHSYUbnJBj2AtLttSyMo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image_thumb[12]" width="242" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. However if you don’t know the person which is possible in our case rather use the email address and only one person will show up. Click on the name and add that person.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuQxANVbx_GJGTjfuH8VP5P31Eu3O5drk7AXKmXK11Ywc5BBiKFIBstTjbDUOdt2aZ2sCcV1lx4K8ps3vuSEtZIvcvm5Vpw_2qgwRSPWw682F3bwpqYoSvYTFmKIHPcEkmcNpRcsilDU/s1600-h/image_thumb152.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image_thumb[15]" border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVZ8WyOGb4X3FuLUubuWzO1nLD1HsPlFyTCTM7utxQ1FS6FGfwNfBKhf21VqNBgf2rrTsCab-GQ4Y7glwnG9k6jANZ_4iimw0eRBWrXqHTUEINrIO4wmjPQJ47G7oCPt9CUmH-5cUtuY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image_thumb[15]" width="242" /></a></div><br /><strong><br /></strong><strong><br /></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why not create a circle following the steps above? (Choose a few folk that you know have gmail addresses.)  Then send a message to that circle. To reinforce your learning about circles, here is a video that explains it really well.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QNXd9DAhcZw" width="420"></iframe><br />Further reading<br /><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Create-Circles-in-Google%2B">How to create circles in Google+</a></div>

30 Days of Google 30 Days of Google #11: How to create a new circle in Google+

Google+ works on the concept of circles each with the level of privacy that you decide on. This post shows you how to create a circle after ...

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Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 12/03/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2012/12/microblogging-and-world?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/intweetable">Microblogging and the world: Intweetable | The Economist</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">"OF THE 264 Twitter accounts belonging to governments and world leaders, and the 350,289 tweets that have been sent from those accounts to their 51,990,656 followers, not a single one was sent by a Chinese leader." says the Economist in their blog about China. In a fascinating article that accuses Chinese leaders of a sort of "state led autism" it talks about how one major social media outlet (Twitter) is ignored and blocked by the Great Firewall of China but how their news service is now not only tweeting but linking to YouTube videos (which is also blocked.) The Economist uses this as a fascinating example of how being so insular is going to harm and ultimately limit the rise of China. If you follow China and current events, whether you like Twitter or not, this is a fascinating read and one you may want to bring to your students as well.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/twitter">twitter</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/government">government</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/government_teacher">government_teacher</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/currentevents">currentevents</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/social_media">social_media</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/china">china</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tumblr">tumblr</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 12/03/2012

Microblogging and the world: Intweetable | The Economist "OF THE 264 Twitter accounts belonging...

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Healthy Surprise

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JJ13BaE8-pY/ULz1tQPPNzI/AAAAAAAADgk/HyJwczFWEBg/s1600/healthy%2Bsurprise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JJ13BaE8-pY/ULz1tQPPNzI/AAAAAAAADgk/HyJwczFWEBg/s320/healthy%2Bsurprise.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">As a child I was always overweight and constantly dieting and exercising as well throughout my teen years. Just last year I decided this is it, I don't want to be this way anymore and made a change. I joined Curves and have lost a total of 74 pounds. I am still eating right and going to Curves. </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I love some of the new healthy snacks I've found recently through a site called Healthy Surprise, think of it as Whole Foods grocery store in a box mailed to your house! When the box showed up one day on the doorstep I was so excited to see what was inside so I dug right in, and wow was I surprised or what with all of the goodies that they sent me! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Some of the products I have tried I loved! In the box I received: </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>That's It Fruit Bars</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>A Lara Bar brownie </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Cocmocorn caramel popcorn</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Hail Mary Almonds </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> Gone Nuts (cashews,almonds and cacao bits)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>bag of Kale Crunch</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> Bobo's Oat bread </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Coconut and Apricot bar</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> Cocoroons Apple pie flavor</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> The best thing about this is it's a monthly subscription and you can get healthy snacks delivered to your door.</div>

Healthy Surprise

As a child I was always overweight and constantly dieting and exercising as well throughout my teen years. Just last year I decided this i...

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Looking for a job: Your wants versus needs

<br /><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -30px; text-align: left;"><div class="hdr_org_bld" style="color: #ff6600; font: normal normal bold 18px/normal arial, helvetica;"><h1 id="articleHeadline" style="color: #000066; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span id="cbArticle_lblHeadline">Looking for a job: Your wants versus needs</span></h1></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">By Susan Ricker, CareerBuilder Writer</span></b><br /><div class="cb_share_more_wrapper"></div></div><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" /><div class="ArticleContent" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="media-image" src="http://artstg.icbdr.com/sites/all/files/styles/large/public/Requirements%20vs%20like--to-haves_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div>When you're job searching, it can sometimes seem like you're in a dysfunctional relationship. It's always about what the companies want and what you're willing to compromise to make them happy. Consider this your intervention: You're in this relationship, too, and it's time to start asking for what you want.<br />When evaluating a position, decide what's on your list of requirements and what items are preferred, but not necessary. This will help you get what you want and increase your chances for long-term career happiness and success.<br /><br /><strong>Career path </strong><br />Are you moving closer to your dream job? When looking for a job, consider what direction you want to take your career. Doing so can help you narrow down which jobs to consider. Ask yourself: Is this relevant to my educational background, does this get me a step further in my career, or can it open up new doors for me? Is having a career important, or am I looking for a job strictly to pay the bills?<br /><br /><strong>Dress code</strong><br />Is your <a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/find-the-job/8-jobs-for-fashionistas/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">inner fashionista</a> a factor in the job you're seeking? Dress code can have more of an impact on career satisfaction than you may think. Does the position you're looking for require you to wear a uniform? Will you be expected to wear a suit most of the time? How much of your salary are you willing to spend on work clothes? Consider what you'd prefer to wear, and look for companies that are compatible with your style.<br /><br /><strong>Education </strong><br />Some companies offer tuition reimbursement and other educational opportunities to their employees, including access to seminars, workshops and certifications. Research the companies that interest you, and find out what they offer. While you'll typically find more opportunities at larger companies, organizations of any size may provide some degree of training.<br /><br /><strong>Insurance and benefits</strong><br />Are you on somebody else's insurance plan, or are you looking for a job with health benefits? Determine which type of insurance you'd prefer and which benefits may not be as important to you. This will help you figure out what questions to ask hiring managers when discussing benefits.<br /><br /><strong>Location</strong><br />Are you willing to relocate for a great job? Is commuting an option for you? Or are you more interested in staying local? Being more flexible may give you more opportunities in your job search. Also, consider if working from home is an option. Is it realistic, and do you have the self-discipline to work independently?<br /><br /><strong>Salary</strong><br />Do you have a certain income that you need to make to pay the bills? How flexible are your salary requirements? Although salary negotiations don't usually happen until after you receive a job offer, keep in mind what kind of budget you have and what your paycheck needs to be.<br /><br /><strong>Travel</strong><br />Are you looking for a job in which you can travel? Consider how much you'd be willing to travel for a job. Some positions require driving long distances or flying, while others only require working at one location.<br /><br /><strong>Wellness opportunities</strong><br />Wellness opportunities such as paid gym memberships or bicycles are increasingly being offered to employees to encourage healthy lifestyles and keep insurance costs low. Are you interested in better managing your well-being? Determine whether the companies you're researching offer wellness opportunities to their employees.<br /><br />After you decide what you want out of your job, you'll have a clearer picture of what positions you should be seeking and which companies offer the most relevant benefits. The key to any good relationship is being honest about what you want and working to get it.<br /><br /><em>Susan Ricker is a writer and blogger for </em><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><em>CareerBuilder.com</em></a><em> and its job blog, </em><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><em>The Work Buzz</em></a><em>. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.</em></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />

Looking for a job: Your wants versus needs

Looking for a job: Your wants versus needs By Susan Ricker, CareerBuilder Writer When you're job searching, it can sometimes seem like y...

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from coast to coast

Happy Monday everybody!<br /><br />It's like spring here today and I'm loving it. The girls and I are going to go outside for a nice long w-a-l-k (shhh. we can't say walk out loud, it sends the dog into hysterics) to the park and finish some outdoor christmas prep. But before we head out I wanted to share a quick before and after with you.<br /><br />Nothing too crazy, but something that has bugged me for years.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizejWnLNDbrSYakaoyOPwoRSTqkiRHZgKA0P_eV6n2NhdjiXf73oZt2Dvq7F1vBIfB3aVsIPLhTLG5G_TKO9vlp7SUio2lHn3AoQDO2VA7fR3PRpytWUKghyphenhyphenirU314s0YL-QT3YG5OtWYk/s1600/P8189130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizejWnLNDbrSYakaoyOPwoRSTqkiRHZgKA0P_eV6n2NhdjiXf73oZt2Dvq7F1vBIfB3aVsIPLhTLG5G_TKO9vlp7SUio2lHn3AoQDO2VA7fR3PRpytWUKghyphenhyphenirU314s0YL-QT3YG5OtWYk/s640/P8189130.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />The stairway down to our finished basement/family room/playroom/doesn't-get-cleaned-often room. It is hard to tell from the picture (as it's an awkward place to photograph) but it is just a big huge vast space of...nothing. And nothing drives me bonkers more than a HUGE blank wall.<br /><br />I know, 'Get off your arse and hang a picture then, big deal'. But a piece of art or a picture that would fill up that space would be mega bucks and a gallery wall is not an option as this requires a crane practically to hang one nail. The hubs would not go for that. And since he's the one that gets up on the ladder, good man that he is, I thought I'd be nice. Want to save up my 'will you please do this crazy project with me' points for bigger spaces.<br /><br />After keeping my eye out for something big and cheap, I finally found a great solution at my favorite salvage place.<br /><br />So the ladder came out,<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zy-8bXq3oEVVGvpFt4PzMFiV-JtW83SiZTRdqF9h4U6zEgsVupy-QwyGUXDCyT2jtDE_wYXRaQqpumXcNHXN_dvvJay264opdfkccyNd-swEK5fnzAHuvwUrsrSmPZeHfcpFuBBgVEP1/s1600/IMG_0263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zy-8bXq3oEVVGvpFt4PzMFiV-JtW83SiZTRdqF9h4U6zEgsVupy-QwyGUXDCyT2jtDE_wYXRaQqpumXcNHXN_dvvJay264opdfkccyNd-swEK5fnzAHuvwUrsrSmPZeHfcpFuBBgVEP1/s640/IMG_0263.JPG" width="472" /></a></div><br />some circ de soleil moves happened,<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzSBxNhwNTGD3ipLSRppC5vfar8vA8pB0MRS5zh0ValFJrxLknY7cwATZ0Oqoah3W7tJQ1cWnUw66a5Hkf7BcWOknK2UbA1hxmHawQVyyEo4ksadLd4D6yU2yEElcXMQWyV9RO2jdvIvh/s1600/Map2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzSBxNhwNTGD3ipLSRppC5vfar8vA8pB0MRS5zh0ValFJrxLknY7cwATZ0Oqoah3W7tJQ1cWnUw66a5Hkf7BcWOknK2UbA1hxmHawQVyyEo4ksadLd4D6yU2yEElcXMQWyV9RO2jdvIvh/s640/Map2.jpg" width="552" /></a></div><br />and problem solved.<br /><br />An old map from a school that had closed in the area. Now we grab a bit of education on our way down to watch TV. And we hung it just high enough so that little hands can't rub, rip, pull or whatever else little hands tend to do.<br /><br />Do you have any area of your house that drives you crazy? Have a precarious spot that you've had to hang something? Wanna come to the park with us?

from coast to coast

Happy Monday everybody! It's like spring here today and I'm loving it. The girls and I are going to go outside for a nice long w-a-l...

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Jayman is Ready to Lead the Hogs to Victory!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Hola y’all! As you may or may not know, the University of Arkansas is in the process of hiring a new head football coach. I don’t know what was so bad about the one they had, but I guess they felt the need to get a new one. Oh wait. I do know what was so bad about him. Never mind on that. Anyway, I thought I would use this wildly popular blog as a way of publicly applying for the job. I have many great qualities that I think the UofA should be looking for. <br /><br />- I can spell both “Arkansas” and “Razorbacks” without any assistance.<br /><br />- I can find Fayetteville, AR on a map as well as at least 12 of the other 13 teams in the SEC. I’ve never made any attempt to find out where Auburn is, so I would have to look that school up.<br /><br />- I have a southern accent so I will fit in.<br /><br />- I LOVE fried chicken and potato salad so I’ll have no problem going all the football banquets all over the state.<br /><br />- As a world famous internet radio star, I have excellent communication skills and would have no trouble dealing with the brutal Arkansas media.<br /><br />- I have the most sincere and undeniable dislike of the University of Alabama of any candidate for the job.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYpA0_29TNC4338htobz0ocTyJHk_YK2VsupfSdtoEC2vdV7HWZTBh5YDal78-_H7_2_piGOJfx4ItRPrf8rvBJy4yOnnkaWaJ5wWgA3MDwmEmZ_8E6QmEZpxQgceoGHq2vyWwBfcUhE/s1600/Erin+Andrews+Nude+Legs+Hot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYpA0_29TNC4338htobz0ocTyJHk_YK2VsupfSdtoEC2vdV7HWZTBh5YDal78-_H7_2_piGOJfx4ItRPrf8rvBJy4yOnnkaWaJ5wWgA3MDwmEmZ_8E6QmEZpxQgceoGHq2vyWwBfcUhE/s400/Erin+Andrews+Nude+Legs+Hot.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>- I can be trusted not to embarrass the school by hitting on Erin Andrews publicly.<br /><br />- I totally understand the whole four downs and 10 yards to get a first down stuff.<br /><br />- I get the concept that credit cards are for school expenses and cash is for strippers and players.<br /><br />- I would give much better advice on a color scheme for the new uniforms than the previous coach did.<br /><br />- I’ll take exactly half of what the new coach is asking for. Half the pay, half the housing allowance, half the car allowance, half the bonuses, etc. (This excludes the health insurance benefits. I would have to demand 100% of that one. I’m sure you understand.)<br /><br />- You won’t have to worry about me having an affair with some chick that works for the school or the Razorback Foundation as I’ll be too busy dating strippers.<br /><br />- I can use my skills as the aforementioned international radio star to promote the UofA and all the <strike>players</strike> student athletes and get the UofA lots and lots of publicity.<br /><br />- I have plenty of red shirts already so you won’t have to spend too much on my clothing allowance. But, I would like a really sweet pair of red and white checkered polyester pants like Lou Holts used to wear by in the 70’s.<br /><br />- I’ve got all the football coaching clichés like “give it 110% at all times” and “we’re scrappy” and “we’re tough to beat” and “that guy is a threat to take it all the way on any play” and “we’ve got some good match ups we can take advantage of out there” and all the others down pat. The media will always get a good quote from me.<br /><br />- Unlike everyone else I love that big, silly blow up hog head that the players come running out of before home games, so you don’t have to worry about my getting rid of that since it seems like the UofA’s top brass is totally committed to keeping it anyway.<br /><br />- I can use my internet savvy and social media experience to knock down and/or start rumors on message boards as needed.<br /><br />- If, after three years and several millions of dollars in salary paid, things aren’t working out, I will graciously and quietly accept a reasonable buyout and step aside for someone else. I think the guarantee of no lawsuits (assuming a fair buyout) is something that should take a lot of pressure off school officials and be my top selling point.<br /><br />So, as everyone can see I am very clearly a legitimate candidate for this position. I can’t imagine why the UofA would pass an opportunity like this up. I will keep my phone close to me as I await Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long’s phone call.<br /><br />Jayman<br /><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayman_iws" target="_blank">@Jayman_IWS</a><br /><br /></div>

Jayman is Ready to Lead the Hogs to Victory!

Hola y’all! As you may or may not know, the University of Arkansas is in the process of hiring a new head football coach. I don’t know what ...

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MiniManuscript

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; ">Imagine if each person in the world took just a few papers and read them, between us we could cover the lot. And that's exactly what MiniManuscript does - we've created a worldwide academic superbrain (Jake had a dream about that once) that uses a collaborative approach to reading papers so we can pool our resources, increase efficiency and free up valuable time for the finer things in life, like data collection (or Facebook). MiniManuscript is a website where users write summaries of research papers that they've read. By reading the summaries, you can spend 2 minutes rather than 2 hours deciding whether a paper is relevant to you.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; "><br></span></div><a href="http://www.minimanuscript.com/">http://www.minimanuscript.com/</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

MiniManuscript

Imagine if each person in the world took just a few papers and read them, between us we could cover the lot. And that's exactly what Min...

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Today's archidose #636

Here are some nighttime photos of the <a href="http://www.perotmuseum.org/">Perot Museum of Nature and Science</a> in Dallas, Texas, by <a href="http://www.morphosis.com/">Morphosis Architects</a>. The building opened yesterday. Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/"> Masako Fujinami</a> (aka fake_plastic_earth).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/8239021372/" title="Perot Museum of Nature & Science by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="Perot Museum of Nature & Science" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8200/8239021372_bf8e27e7b4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/8237952493/" title="Perot Museum of Nature & Science by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="Perot Museum of Nature & Science" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8207/8237952493_2ce5cee823_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/8239021252/" title="Perot Museum of Nature & Science by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="Perot Museum of Nature & Science" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8341/8239021252_636b24e1ac_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/8239021160/" title="Perot Museum of Nature & Science by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="Perot Museum of Nature & Science" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8239021160_cc605f6f73_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/8237953011/" title="Perot Museum of Nature & Science by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="Perot Museum of Nature & Science" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8237953011_7a79b226de_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/8239020690/" title="Perot Museum of Nature & Science by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="Perot Museum of Nature & Science" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8239020690_234519ce02_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/8237952785/" title="Perot Museum of Nature & Science by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="Perot Museum of Nature & Science" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8059/8237952785_f09bd2bf21_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/8239020968/" title="Perot Museum of Nature & Science by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="Perot Museum of Nature & Science" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8064/8239020968_8b662ec900_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #636

Here are some nighttime photos of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas, by Morphosis Architects . The building opened ye...

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IWS Babe of the Week: Christmas Chicks Bearing Gifts

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Welcome to December and to the joy of the Christmas Season.  One doesn't have to think hard to figure out who some of the hottest babes of the Yuletide time of year are.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There's that little vixen Cindy Lou Who, whose sheer sultriness can melt not only a man's heart, but the Grinch's heart as well...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CbwIvy6SlnQFj-LJj8IVUmXLxAlgXOcr7srjJklHPq-eB_Zf_tn09WrviajK8dEjkieAKvrFgq8oUnx4ElLGJS1ZCypv_T41ZTmsUdIj6Mzkjq8YJLZY9HpTmwZRWf5B5EZ-xSKsx-E/s1600/Cindy+Lou+Who.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CbwIvy6SlnQFj-LJj8IVUmXLxAlgXOcr7srjJklHPq-eB_Zf_tn09WrviajK8dEjkieAKvrFgq8oUnx4ElLGJS1ZCypv_T41ZTmsUdIj6Mzkjq8YJLZY9HpTmwZRWf5B5EZ-xSKsx-E/s400/Cindy+Lou+Who.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Did you really think Frosty the Snowman began to melt because of the heat?  No, no my friends.  He began melting because that hot ingenue, Karen, loooooooved to ride him bareback...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qz9aj5pGq6h-UxexzdgTzuM-fd8fHljSZff1anwElW4Ielo7VifgdjQcGyV_nYkf0yWUuQNfJdiUi9UMJ1AvIM1vnYDypm0lH7XhLpaobQNM6X86MpjFLFlkRVwpogFb7o33bSutocQ/s1600/Frosty+the+Snowman+Karen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qz9aj5pGq6h-UxexzdgTzuM-fd8fHljSZff1anwElW4Ielo7VifgdjQcGyV_nYkf0yWUuQNfJdiUi9UMJ1AvIM1vnYDypm0lH7XhLpaobQNM6X86MpjFLFlkRVwpogFb7o33bSutocQ/s400/Frosty+the+Snowman+Karen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Lucy and Violet, the two raven-haired hotties of Charlie Brown fame always get a laugh from Snoopy when the raspily ask Chuck, <i>"Is that a Christmas tree in your pocket, or are you expecting to have a three-way with us?"</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC91hf0mX9dcRFUVcBglG_okot_hCexlfW7qkpxVCDUCq-twn5cjShJSGHNdl9NgS8SpcCmmVFz1Me6gl19xXaMHmj4LixZBiqs9bLU96gKyLi1wQVxz5LZGUGLK9CbyqEnv0qXkzMJv8/s1600/Lucy+Charlie+Brown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC91hf0mX9dcRFUVcBglG_okot_hCexlfW7qkpxVCDUCq-twn5cjShJSGHNdl9NgS8SpcCmmVFz1Me6gl19xXaMHmj4LixZBiqs9bLU96gKyLi1wQVxz5LZGUGLK9CbyqEnv0qXkzMJv8/s400/Lucy+Charlie+Brown.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Of course it's not all about Christmas this month, the Jews will be celebrating Hanukkah.  And who better to drain the oil from my menorah than the uber-Jewalicious, Scarlett Johansson...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZl6ssMc1EDHgAWOsXdxryPvaIyvT2aPx0luwhm0lCrT3G8Y2u8Ed5NkrAEqOv03Mf_uDDNm34b7CnFsMXqQ-kT5dqqCgyZ7G4723GlEhPDV1akGH_JP4mWGO6aFjaFlkANHiqwZKtyfs/s1600/Scarlett-Johansson-Hot+Sexy+Nude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZl6ssMc1EDHgAWOsXdxryPvaIyvT2aPx0luwhm0lCrT3G8Y2u8Ed5NkrAEqOv03Mf_uDDNm34b7CnFsMXqQ-kT5dqqCgyZ7G4723GlEhPDV1akGH_JP4mWGO6aFjaFlkANHiqwZKtyfs/s400/Scarlett-Johansson-Hot+Sexy+Nude.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh hell yeah...December may be my favorite month of the year!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In other news...Jay and Matt went late night as they broadcast the kick-off to the 16th Annual War on Christmas last night on Blog Talk Radio.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In case you were asleep and missed the fun and frivolity live last night, you can catch THE Number 1 comedy show on BTR by listening right cheer:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="105" id="143577" name="143577" width="210"><param name="movie" value="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3Fshow_id%3D4082681&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf" flashvars="file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3Fshow_id%3D4082681&autostart=false&shuffle=false&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=210&height=105&volume=80&corner=rounded" width="210" height="105" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" wmode="transparent" menu="false" name="143577" id="143577" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object></div><div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;"><br /></div></div>

IWS Babe of the Week: Christmas Chicks Bearing Gifts

Welcome to December and to the joy of the Christmas Season.  One doesn't have to think hard to figure out who some of the hottest babes ...

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Folk Medicine - Photo Essay - NYTimes.com

Dr. Ye Jiangsheng's home in Nanping Village, in Yixian county, is also his office, where, like nearly everyone else in the ancient town, he cultivates silkworms. A sign outside says "No. 2 Clinic" in Chinese, with "The Doctor's" written in English. The town is a warren of narrow alleys, stone and carved wood, ideal for kung fu heroes to jump from rooftop to rooftop or for tragic characters in Chinese costume dramas to wander from one darkened room to another. It's no surprise that the director Zhang Yimou is one of many to use Nanping Village as a film set.<br /><br><br /><br>A gray phalanx of fortresslike walls and terra- cotta roofs opens onto interior courtyards, Hui-style, as the local architecture is called. Life in Nanping Village unfolds inward, revolving around these age-old atria, like so many town squares, which locals decorate with paintings of the mountains they can't see over their windowless walls.<br /><br><br /><br>In Iwan Baan's photographs, Ye, the perfect country doctor, attends to his garden under his skylight, makes house calls over the cobblestones on an old bicycle, dons a lab coat to check a patient's sore throat and retires with his wife to sleep in a tiny, pitch-black bedroom, which, with its curtained platform below an enormous painted canopy, is like the insideof a lacquered puzzle box.<br /><br><br /><br>The peripatetic Dutch-born Baan went to capture this scene of a vanishing China for a photo festival last month. Chinese officials canceled the festival at the last minute, as they often do. But Baan was determined to show the pictures anyway.<br /><br><br /><br>Baan is prized as an architectural photographer and knows how architecture speaks formally. But whether documenting a vertical slum in an unfinished office tower in Caracas or Lower Manhattan blacked out by Hurricane Sandy, Baan photographs not just steel, brick and concrete. In the umbrella hung from the weathered wood screen in a patient's courtyard, as in the jumble of homely remedies on the bedside table, Baan celebrates real lives lived, architecture as humanity.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/02/magazine/nanping-village.html?ref=magazine">http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/02/magazine/nanping-village.html?ref=magazine</a>

Folk Medicine - Photo Essay - NYTimes.com

Dr. Ye Jiangsheng's home in Nanping Village, in Yixian county, is also his office, where, like nearly everyone else in the ancient town,...

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Adderall, a Drug of Increased Focus for N.F.L. Players - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><nyt_text style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div id="articleBody"><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The first time Anthony Becht heard about Adderall, he was in the Tampa Bay locker room in 2006. A teammate who had a prescription for the drug shook his pill bottle at Becht.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">" 'You've got to get some of these,' " Becht recalled the player saying. "I was like, 'What the heck is that?' He definitely needed it. He said it just locks you in, hones you in. He said, 'When I have to take them, my focus is just raised up to another level.' "</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Becht said he did not give Adderall another thought until 2009, when he was playing in Arizona and his fellow tight end Ben Patrick was suspended for testing positive for <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/amphetamines/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about amphetamines." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">amphetamines</a>. The drug he took, Patrick said, was Adderall. Becht asked Patrick why he took it, and Patrick told Becht, and reporters, that he had needed to stay awake for a long drive.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Those two conversations gave Becht, now a free agent, an early glimpse at a problem that is confounding the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_football_league/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about the National Football League." class="meta-org" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">N.F.L.</a> this season. Players are taking Adderall, a medication widely prescribed to treat<a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">attention deficit hyperactivity disorder</a>, whether they need it or not, and are failing drug tests because of it. And that is almost certainly contributing to a most-troubling result: a record-setting year for N.F.L. drug suspensions.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">According to N.F.L. figures, 21 suspensions were announced this calendar year because of failed tests for performance-enhancing drugs, including amphetamines like Adderall. That is a 75 percent increase over the 12 suspensions announced in 2011 and, with a month to go in 2012, it is the most in a year since suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs began in 1989.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">At least seven of the players suspended this year have been linked in news media reports to Adderall or have publicly blamed the drug, which acts as a strong stimulant in those without A.D.H.D. The most recent examples were Tampa Bay cornerback Eric Wright and New England defensive lineman Jermaine Cunningham last week.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The N.F.L. is forbidden under the terms of the drug-testing agreement with the players union from announcing what substance players have tested positive for — the urine test does not distinguish among types of amphetamines — and there is some suspicion that at least a few players may claim they took Adderall instead of admitting to <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/steroids/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about steroids." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">steroid</a> use, which carries a far greater stigma. But Adolpho Birch, who oversees drug testing as the N.F.L.'s senior vice president for law and labor, said last week that failed tests for amphetamines were up this year, although he did not provide any specifics. The increase in Adderall use probably accounts for a large part of the overall increase in failed tests.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"If nothing else it probably reflects an uptick in the use of amphetamine and amphetamine-related substances throughout society," Birch said. "It's not a secret that it's a societal trend, and I think we're starting to see some of the effects of that trend throughout our league."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Amphetamines have long been used by athletes to provide a boost — think of the stories of "greenies" in baseball clubhouses decades ago. That Adderall use and abuse has made its way to the N.F.L. surprises few, because A.D.H.D. diagnoses and the use of medication to control it have sharply increased in recent years.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">According to Dr. Lenard Adler, who runs the adult A.D.H.D. program at New York University Langone Medical Center, 4.4 percent of adults in the general population have the disorder, of which an estimated two-thirds are men. Birch said the number of exemptions the N.F.L. has granted for players who need treatment for A.D.H.D. is "almost certainly fewer" than 4.4 percent of those in the league.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The rates of those with the disorder fall as people get older; it is far more prevalent in children and adolescents. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using input from parents, found that as of 2007, about 9.5 percent or 5.4 million children from ages 4 to 17 had A.D.H.D. at some point. That was an increase of 22 percent from 2003. Boys (13.2 percent) were more likely to have the disorder than girls (5.6 percent).</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Of children who currently have A.D.H.D., 66.3 percent are receiving medication, with boys 2.8 times more likely to receive medication. Those 11 to 17 years old are more likely to receive medication than younger children.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But Adderall, categorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule II controlled substance because it is particularly addictive, is also used by college students and even some high school students to provide extra energy and concentration for studying or as a party drug to ward off fatigue.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Dr. Leah Lagos, a New York sports psychologist who has worked with college and professional athletes, said she had seen patients who have used Adderall. She said she believed the rise in its use by professional athletes mimicked the use by college students. Just a few years ago, she said, it was estimated that 1 in 10 college students was abusing stimulants like Adderall and <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/ritalin_drug/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about Ritalin." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">Ritalin</a>. That estimate, Lagos said, has almost doubled.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"It's certainly a performance-enhancing drug," Lagos said. "College kids call it the Superman drug. Take someone who is tired after a long practice, give them a stimulant. It amps up their mood and energy. It really enhances their focus, and for football players, that's crucial.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"Athletes are often taking it to fight fatigue and exhaustion. It's almost like taking 100 cups of coffee. They can take it during training camp when their bodies are especially fatigued, and the other is right before a game, to boost them. Those are two patterns that are being reported most frequently. But there is the party scene, too, and that's happening on a larger level."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The long-term effects of taking Adderall are not well understood, doctors said. While doctors prefer Adderall with a sustained release to treat adults with A.D.H.D. — so that it calms them throughout the day — Adler said that data on students who were misusing diverted medication indicated they were often using a shorter-acting version of Adderall with effects that lasted just three to five hours.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"It may not get you through a game," Adler said.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Even if it does, the players union has tried to warn its members that substances like Adderall are banned unless a player receives a therapeutic-use exemption from the league. That process includes a review of an A.D.H.D. diagnosis by an independent administrator and other specialists.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">There is a poster in each locker room about banned substances, and the union sent out a memo in October that emphasized that prescription drugs like Adderall are prohibited. Birch said efforts to make players aware of banned substances had been ample, though the league wishes the union would allow it to reveal what players test positive for. Officials think that it would be a deterrent and that hearing what others are caught for reminded players of what substances were banned.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">George Atallah, a union spokesman, said he expected the number of positive tests to drop because of the greater attention being paid to Adderall. Players who have recently been suspended were tested earlier in the year, before Adderall became a topic of conversation throughout the league.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"It's a reflection that the system we have in place works," Atallah said. "Given the amount of suspensions we've seen this year, we have made a greater emphasis on making players aware of the policy on this particular substance."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Will Hill, though, said he did not think the N.F.L.'s Adderall problem would go away anytime soon. Hill, a safety for the Giants, served a suspension this season for Adderall use. Hill began using Adderall for A.D.H.D. in the spring and he said he did not realize it was on the league's banned list until he had already started taking it without getting the required waiver.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Hill said that beginning in high school, he needed extra tutors because of his limited <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/mental-status-tests/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Mental status tests." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">attention span</a>. He added that he could not stay still until he began taking Adderall. With Adderall, he is calm and able to focus on his tasks, on and off the field. On Thursday, Hill said he knew many people in and out of football who needed Adderall to function properly.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Hill was suspended in October; he has since watched one player after another blame Adderall for his positive test. He guessed that among players who use Adderall, "it's 50-50" whether they need it for A.D.H.D. or are using it because it is a powerful stimulant.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Hill said that he was troubled that there were players without the disorder who take Adderall for the jolt of energy and the extreme focus it provides, and by the idea that some players may be blaming the drug when they are instead taking steroids.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"It foggies everything up," Hill said. "This person can say it's Adderall, and how do we decipher the fakers from not? When you try to get an advantage over the next person, that's why we get into these situations we're in."</p><nyt_correction_bottom><div class="articleCorrection" style="margin-bottom: 2.8em; "></div></nyt_correction_bottom><nyt_update_bottom></nyt_update_bottom></div></nyt_text><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; "></span></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/sports/football/adderall-a-drug-of-increased-focus-for-nfl-players.html?&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/sports/football/adderall-a-drug-of-increased-focus-for-nfl-players.html?&pagewanted=print</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Adderall, a Drug of Increased Focus for N.F.L. Players - NYTimes.com

The first time Anthony Becht heard about Adderall, he was in the Tampa Bay locker room in 2006. A teammate who had a prescription for the dr...

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My twin sister's blog!

<span style="font-size: large;">My twin sister blogs too!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">For her take on Dublin life, hop on over <a href="http://amydublinia.blogspot.ie/">here</a>!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I love her blog!  She writes really well about very interesting topics and her pictures are also super too......</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-vkwFhjKzFG_QVmvkSgAcJCyBBuINotAChxhNNiV4nsEb_jDoqxPYtKezbZ_XIm4QbjuoPtqBuSJTCzF25jmEy97GPWaJbqMcXxXXGLaiDQJwS2GvDAWPCdsSZur41HIRp40T51eFqRG/s1600/Amy&Enid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-vkwFhjKzFG_QVmvkSgAcJCyBBuINotAChxhNNiV4nsEb_jDoqxPYtKezbZ_XIm4QbjuoPtqBuSJTCzF25jmEy97GPWaJbqMcXxXXGLaiDQJwS2GvDAWPCdsSZur41HIRp40T51eFqRG/s320/Amy&Enid.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>

My twin sister's blog!

My twin sister blogs too! For her take on Dublin life, hop on over here ! I love her blog!  She writes really well about very interesting to...

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 12/02/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://wappwolf.com/dropboxautomator">Automate your Dropbox</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">A super duper Dropbox, google drive, evernote, Facebook Automator. Called "ifttt for Dropbox."</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/News">News</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/productivity">productivity</a></p> <ul class="diigo-comments"> </ul> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 12/02/2012

Automate your Dropbox A super duper Dropbox, google drive, evernote, Facebook Automator. Called &quo...

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Doctors Who Work for Hospitals Face a New Bottom Line - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><nyt_text style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div id="articleBody"><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">or decades, doctors in picturesque Boise, Idaho, were part of a tight-knit community, freely referring patients to the specialists or hospitals of their choice and exchanging information about the latest medical treatments.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But that began to change a few years ago, when the city's largest hospital, St. Luke's Health System, began rapidly buying physician practices all over town, from general practitioners to cardiologists to orthopedic surgeons.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Today, Boise is a medical battleground.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">A little over half of the 1,400 doctors in southwestern Idaho are employed by St. Luke's or its smaller competitor, St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Many of the independent doctors complain that both hospitals, but especially St. Luke's, have too much power over every aspect of the medical pipeline, dictating which tests and procedures to perform, how much to charge and which patients to admit.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">In interviews, they said their referrals from doctors now employed by St. Luke's had dropped sharply, while patients, in many cases, were paying more there for the same level of treatment.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Boise's experience reflects a growing national trend toward consolidation. Across the country, doctors who sold their practices and signed on as employees have similar criticisms. In lawsuits and interviews, they describe growing pressure to meet the financial goals of their new employers — often by performing unnecessary tests and procedures or by admitting patients who do not need a hospital stay.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">In Boise, just a few weeks ago, even the hospitals were at war. St. Alphonsus went to court seeking an injunction to stop St. Luke's from buying another physician practice group, arguing that the hospital's dominance in the market was enabling it to drive up prices and to demand exclusive or preferential agreements with insurers. The price of a <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/colonoscopy/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Colonoscopy." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">colonoscopy</a> has quadrupled in some instances, and in other cases St. Luke's charges nearly three times as much for laboratory work as nearby facilities, according to the St. Alphonsus complaint.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Federal and state officials have also joined the fray. In one of a handful of similar cases, the Federal Trade Commission and the Idaho attorney general are investigating whether St. Luke's has become too powerful in Boise, using its newfound leverage to stifle competition.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Dr. David C. Pate, chief executive of St. Luke's, denied the assertions by St. Alphonsus that the hospital's acquisitions had limited patient choice or always resulted in higher prices. In some cases, Dr. Pate said, services that had been underpriced were raised to reflect market value. St. Luke's, he argued, is simply embracing the new model of health care, which he predicted would lead over the long term to lower overall costs as fewer unnecessary tests and procedures were performed.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Regulators expressed some skepticism about the results, for patients, of rapid consolidation, although the trend is still too new to know for sure. "We're seeing a lot more consolidation than we did 10 years ago," said Jeffrey Perry, an assistant director in the F.T.C.'s Bureau of Competition. "Historically, what we've seen with the consolidation in the health care industry is that prices go up, but quality does not improve."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; "><strong>A Drive to Consolidate</strong></p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">An array of new economic realities, from reduced <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/medicare/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about Medicare." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">Medicare</a> reimbursements to higher technology costs, is driving consolidation in health care and transforming the practice of medicine in Boise and other communities large and small. In one manifestation of the trend, hospitals, <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/p/private_equity/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about private equity." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">private equity</a> firms and even <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/health_insurance_and_managed_care/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about health insurance and managed care." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">health insurance</a> companies are acquiring physician practices at a rapid rate.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Today, about 39 percent of doctors nationwide are independent, down from 57 percent in 2000, according to estimates by Accenture, a consulting firm.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Many policy experts praise the shift away from independent practices as a way of making health care less fragmented and expensive. Systems that employ doctors, modeled after well-known organizations like Kaiser Permanente, are better able to coordinate patient care and to find ways to deliver improved services at lower costs, these advocates say. Indeed, consolidation is encouraged by some aspects of the Obama administration's <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/health_insurance_and_managed_care/health_care_reform/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival news about healthcare reform." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">health care law</a>.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"If you're going to be paid for value, for performance, you've got to perform together," said Dr. Ricardo Martinez, chief medical officer for North Highland, an Atlanta-based consultant that works with hospitals.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The recent trend is reminiscent of the consolidation that swept the industry in the 1990s in response to the creation of health maintenance organizations, or H.M.O.'s — but there is one major difference. Then, hospitals had difficulty managing the practices, contending that doctors did not work as hard when they were employees as they had as private operators. Now, hospitals are writing contracts more in their own favor.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"Hospitals are constructing compensation in ways that are based on productivity and performance," said Steve Messinger, president of ECG Management Consultants, which advises on physician acquisitions.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But the consolidation of health care may be coming at a hefty price. By one estimate, under its current reimbursement system, Medicare is paying in excess of a billion dollars a year more for the same services because hospitals, citing higher overall costs, can charge more when the doctors work for them. Laser eye surgery, for example, can cost $738 when performed by a hospital-employed doctor, compared with $389 when done by an unaffiliated doctor, according to national estimates by the independent Congressional panel that oversees Medicare. An echocardiogram can cost about twice as much in a hospital: $319, versus $143 in a doctor's office.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Conflicts over the changes are numerous. One Florida primary care physician said he could earn a $5,000 bonus for keeping patients in the hospital for less than three days, according to a lawsuit he filed this year. Hospitals, which are typically reimbursed a fixed amount of money for treating a specific illness, can make more money if patients stay for shorter periods of time.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Last month, the Justice Department reached <a title="A Justice Department news release." href="http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/November/12-civ-1320.html" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">a $9.3 million settlement</a> with Freeman Health System, a hospital group in Joplin, Mo., which was rewarding doctors it employed partly based on how many tests they ordered. Freeman says that it alerted regulators to the potential violations and that patient care was not affected.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Recently, the Office of Inspector General at the Health and Human Services Department sent a letter to emergency physicians across the country asking for information about inappropriate admissions. Federal regulators are also examining the higher numbers of physician contracts being created, searching for violations of laws that prevent hospitals from rewarding doctors for admitting patients or for ordering lucrative tests and procedures.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Health Management Associates, a for-profit hospital chain; EmCare, a Dallas-based emergency room staffing company for hospitals; and other hospitals have disclosed that they are the subjects of federal investigations. Regulators are looking into whether the hospitals improperly pressured physicians to admit patients.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; "><strong>Pumping Up Admissions</strong></p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">According to two emergency room doctors who worked at Carlisle Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania, the message could not have been clearer: more patients needed to be admitted.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The doctors were employed by EmCare, whose parent company <a title="A news release about the acquisition." href="http://www.cdr-inc.com/news/releases/2011-05-24_cdr_completes_acquisition_of_emergency_medical_services_corporation.php" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">was later acquired</a> by the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2011 as part of a $3.2 billion deal. EmCare, in turn, was under contract to provide emergency room doctors for the hospital, which is owned by Health Management Associates. In interviews, doctors said that hospital administrators created targets for how many patients they should admit. More admissions translated into more dollars for the hospital.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Dr. Jean-Paul Romes, one of the physicians, recalled getting phone calls in the middle of the night questioning why he had not admitted an older patient whose hospitalization he could easily have justified. "The pressure to admit was so high," he said. Dr. Romes left the hospital last year.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">After another physician, Dr. Cloyd B. Gatrell, raised concerns that the hospital had too few nurses to keep patients safe, an EmCare executive warned him to "back off," according to a lawsuit Dr. Gatrell filed last year. EmCare later fired him at Carlisle's request, according to the suit. Dr. Gatrell's wife, Kathryn, a nurse at Carlisle, had been fired earlier and also filed a lawsuit. Both Gatrells maintained they were fired for bringing up patient safety concerns, according to Dr. Gatrell's lawsuit.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Health Management, which operates 70 hospitals, said <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/u/united_states_attorneys/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about United States Attorneys." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">United States attorneys</a>' offices in seven states were investigating physician referrals, including financial arrangements and the "medical necessity of emergency room tests and patient admissions."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">EmCare said in an e-mailed statement that it could not comment on continuing legal matters involving it or its clients, but that its "first concern is the well-being of the patient."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Health Management is also the target of a suit filed last year in Florida state court by a former executive who says there were improper admissions. The executive, Paul Meyer, an officer in the company's compliance office, was a longtime employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He said in his lawsuit that he was fired from H.M.A. in 2011 in retaliation for raising questions about what he felt were improper admissions at four of the chain's hospitals. H.M.A. said its overall admission rate from the emergency department had remained constant in recent years and that its practices were in line with those of other hospitals. It also said there was no indication that Carlisle admitted any patients unnecessarily. Admissions are "based solely on what is best for patient care," it said in an e-mailed statement.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The company said that it had addressed all of Mr. Meyer's concerns, and that he was fired for what the company said was a failure to cooperate in an internal investigation. Health Management fired the Gatrells, it said, "for performance issues," an accusation Dr. Gatrell strongly denied.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Doctors at other hospitals also say they have faced pressure to meet financial targets. Dr. Manuel Abreu said his contract with All Care Medical Consultants, a practice in Clearwater, Fla., allowed him to earn a bonus as high as $5,000 if he kept patients' hospital stays to an average of no more than three days, according to a copy of the contract included with a lawsuit he filed in Florida state court this year. The parties reached a settlement and the case was voluntarily dismissed, court records show. Calls to Dr. Abreu's lawyer and a lawyer for All Care were not returned.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Other physicians say they are pushed to ignore what is best for patients by referring them to doctors working for the same hospital. Dr. Victoria Rentel, a family practice doctor near Columbus, Ohio, recalled feeling pressured when she was employed by a local hospital to send her patients to doctors there for tests and procedures.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"I routinely got reports about the money I kept in the system," Dr. Rentel said, detailing how much revenue she was generating for the hospital through in-house referrals. "I tended to refer to specialists I knew who would deliver better care." The hospital eventually closed the clinic where she worked.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Some physicians also complain about quotas. Dr. Patricia F. White, an emergency room physician who worked at Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Fla., said that starting in 2010, her compensation was partly calculated based on the number of patients she saw an hour, according to a lawsuit she filed in August against the hospital and Emergency Resources Group, which provided emergency room staffing to Baptist.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The staffing group said it had no choice but to agree to the hospital's demands. "If we don't comply with their wishes as good partners, there is a termination notice in our contract," wrote Paul Davidson, administrator for the group, in a series of e-mails that were included with Dr. White's lawsuit.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">In an e-mailed statement, Baptist Health said that patients expected timely access to quality care and that an emergency room physician's "productivity and efficiency are vital components to delivering good patient care as well as ensuring patient safety and satisfaction." A lawyer for Emergency Resources Group echoed those sentiments in an e-mailed statement, adding that efficiency was only one component of physician compensation.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Doctors at numerous hospitals said it was often difficult to criticize the policies instituted by hospitals or investor-owned physician groups because, as employees, they could easily be fired.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"We all have families, and we have mortgages," said an emergency room physician. "If you get fired, it looks bad and it's hard to get another job."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; "><strong>Rising Medical Costs</strong></p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">It was about three years ago that Dr. Julie A. Foote, who has been an endocrinologist in Boise for 18 years, began noticing the ads in the local newspaper.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Each week, another advertisement appeared, heralding the hire of a physician or a practice group by either St. Luke's or St. Alphonsus, which is part of Michigan's Trinity Health, one of the nation's largest hospital systems. "The playing field wound up being divvied up pretty aggressively," Dr. Foote said.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">In the last four years, St. Luke's acquired 22 physician practices in the area.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Dr. Mark Johnson, a family practice physician who has worked in Boise for about 25 years, was part of a five-person practice that sold itself to St. Luke's. Among the factors behind the decision were the high cost of adopting an electronic health records system, and a concern that the group members would not be able to find younger doctors willing to buy them out of the practice.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"But probably the driving reason was the changing landscape of health care delivery and the uncertainty around that," Dr. Johnson said. "The thought was that we were going to be in a safer position if we were aligned and affiliated with a network."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But as St. Luke's moved forward with its plans to acquire most of the Saltzer Medical Group — a practice of about 50 doctors in Nampa, Idaho, about 20 miles west of Boise — St. Alphonsus filed an injunction to block the purchase.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">St. Alphonsus argues that St. Luke's dominance is hurting its business because it has experienced steep declines in hospital admissions and referrals from physicians acquired by St. Luke's.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">St. Luke's says it is positioning itself to compete better by improving its ability to coordinate patient care. It recently filed an application with Medicare officials to become a so-called accountable care organization. Hospitals <a title="A government fact sheet about A.C.O.'s." href="http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/03/accountablecare03312011a.html" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">designated as A.C.O.'s</a> can usually keep a portion of any savings they generate. They cut health care costs by avoiding unneeded procedures and tests or by keeping patients out of the hospital, while still meeting quality targets.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But St. Luke's remains under investigation by state and federal authorities for possible antitrust violations. While most physician group purchases are too small to draw regulators' attention, concerns have been raised about whether consolidation is resulting in higher prices and fewer choices for patients.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; "><a title="News release from the F.T.C." href="http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/07/carilion.shtm" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">In 2009, the F.T.C. forced the sale</a> of two outpatient clinics that had been acquired by Carilion Clinic, based in Roanoke, Va., saying Carilion's fee structure would have increased patients' out-of-pocket expenses for a brain imaging test, for example, to $350 from $40.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">In another case, the F.T.C. and the Nevada attorney general ordered Renown Health in Reno to release 10 cardiologists from their noncompetition agreements after the hospital system bought the two largest cardiology groups in the area, giving it 88 percent of the market.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">In Boise, doctors are pressured to refer only within their own system, according to St. Alphonsus in its complaint. It reported a 90 percent drop in admissions to its hospitals by physicians employed by St. Luke's. In one community, independent doctors often send patients 40 miles away for CT scans because prices at St. Luke's are 60 percent higher, the complaint said.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Mr. Pate, the St. Luke's chief executive, disputed the notion that physicians employed by St. Luke's were prohibited from referring patients to outside doctors.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"My own wife was referred by a St. Luke's physician to a St. Al's physician for her particular condition because he felt the St. Al's physician was the best for this problem," he said. "If the wife of the C.E.O. is being referred to a physician at another hospital, that should prove that our physicians send many referrals over there."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Mr. Pate acknowledged that prices for some services had risen, but he said this was only because they had been severely underpriced. In the long run, he argued, overall costs will decline as St. Luke's is better able to coordinate care, avoiding expensive emergency room visits and redundant tests.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But some people remain skeptical that patients will be better served.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"I'm not certain what all this means is that patients are getting cost-effective care, which is how the nation is painting this evolution," Dr. Foote said. "If this is better quality for less price, I want to see the less price."</p><nyt_correction_bottom><div class="articleCorrection" style="margin-bottom: 2.8em; "></div></nyt_correction_bottom><nyt_update_bottom></nyt_update_bottom></div></nyt_text><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; "></span></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/business/a-hospital-war-reflects-a-tightening-bind-for-doctors-nationwide.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/business/a-hospital-war-reflects-a-tightening-bind-for-doctors-nationwide.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Doctors Who Work for Hospitals Face a New Bottom Line - NYTimes.com

or decades, doctors in picturesque Boise, Idaho, were part of a tight-knit community, freely referring patients to the specialists or hospit...

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Pricing the "Ring of Life"

Today I just learned about the "Ring of Life," a monument under construction in Fushun, China. Attention has been directed at its form, its function (or lack thereof), and its cost; I'm most intrigued by the last of these three. Before delving into that, I think that <a href="http://www.archdaily.com/297846/architectural-icons-and-landmarks-on-the-rise/">ArchDaily inadvertently hit on a potential inspiration</a> for the form in mistakenly calling it the "Ring of Fire." A quick search for that term brings up numerous images of an annual solar eclipse that is visible in China; <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120520-solar-eclipse-2012-ring-of-fire-annular-sun-science-how-see-where/">this photo at National Geographic</a> shows a slight shift between inner and outer circles similar to the photo of the Ring of Life below.<br /><br /><img alt="fushun-ring.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/fushun-ring.jpg" title="Ring of Life under construction in Fushun, China" /><br />[Ring of Life under construction in Fushun, China | image <a href="http://blog.buzzbuzzhome.com/2012/11/chinas-giant-ring-that-serves-little-purpose.html">source</a>]<br /><br />The prevailing view of the object's (<a href="http://blog.buzzbuzzhome.com/2012/11/chinas-giant-ring-that-serves-little-purpose.html">lack of</a>) function is <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5961049/what-the-hell-is-china-building-here">summed up at Gizmodo</a>: "According to Fushun Municipal Government's officials, this titanic structure does absolutely <em>nothing</em> except serve as an elevated sighting position." [Italics in original.] It seems that people are using a fairly narrow definition for the term, ignoring that symbolic function can be just as important as practical function. And clearly the description quoted recalls a historic precedent that also serves to only present an elevated sighting position—the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Arch">Gateway Arch</a> in St. Louis. Of course, close to 50 years after the completion of Saarinen's design, very little criticism is levied at the purposelessness of the "gateway to the west." (And didn't Aldo Rossi write about the importance of monuments—of which the Ring of Life clearly is one—<i>not</i> having a function?)<br /><br />So what about the cost of the project, which is reportedly $16 million? Gizmodo, again, talks about that figure in these terms: "The Chinese media has been harsh about the building after a blogger posted [some] photos on Sina Weibo, which is the country's 'largest microblog platform.' Not surprising, since this thing costs $16 million." Is this to say that $16 million is a lot of money to spend on the monument? It seems to be worded that way to me, but I think that figure is very low for a construction of this scale (515 feet/157 meters high).<br /><br />In comparison, Wikipedia quotes the cost of realizing the Gateway Arch at $13 million in 1960s U.S. dollars, approximately $96 million today. The arch in St. Louis is about 100 feet taller, but the variance is nevertheless clear. While some of the difference can be ascribed to China's relatively cheap labor, that doesn't really explain why people are making a big deal about the cost of the Ring of Life. Compare the $16 million Ring of Life with the $220 million <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_pavilion_at_Expo_2010">China pavilion at Expo 2010</a> in Shanghai, which one could argue is just as purposeless, and was temporary, to boot. It seems like the Ring of Life is a pretty good deal after all.

Pricing the "Ring of Life"

Today I just learned about the "Ring of Life," a monument under construction in Fushun, China. Attention has been directed at its ...

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