News for today's 2018

Lots of Sunshine

4:14 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39A7ugAvCf7ZkVw4b5Egg_aY0XKmKGnaNHmRiwdJe4YjD5pBwfhRCTG0P_ePVt8hpS9Pi73i9xlGpdA6C6Ew2fC9VkyiMcmCgEMHbPl9eTEggux1KqP-xoBLKLi1Zmg7D24ad4E56Sk2L/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39A7ugAvCf7ZkVw4b5Egg_aY0XKmKGnaNHmRiwdJe4YjD5pBwfhRCTG0P_ePVt8hpS9Pi73i9xlGpdA6C6Ew2fC9VkyiMcmCgEMHbPl9eTEggux1KqP-xoBLKLi1Zmg7D24ad4E56Sk2L/s400/Untitled.png" width="400" /></a></div>It's a cold morning to start with most areas at or below freezing.  A lot of the more rural areas well north and west of the city as well as interior New Jersey are in the middle 20's as of 7 AM, where temperatures are a few degrees warmer closer to the city and the Delaware River. For instance, Philadelphia is at 33 (its low for the morning) and areas along the river are around 30 degrees.<br /><br />High Pressure in place today with lots of sunshine.  The High is situated over southern Quebec near Montreal.  This will provide a north to northeasterly flow through the day.  The High will slowly move east and off the coast of New England by tomorrow.  It will also be less windy.  Highs today will be cold for early November with lower to middle 40's in northern most areas and upper 40's to around 50 in the city and points south.<br /><br />Warmer air will move in for tomorrow and Wednesday.

Lots of Sunshine

It's a cold morning to start with most areas at or below freezing. A lot of the more rural areas well north and west of the city as wel...

Tomorrow’s Tube: what next for London’s underground railways? [ BeritaTerkini ]

4:11 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div id="main-content-picture">  <img alt="An older man reading a newspaper on a London underground tube train" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/6/12/1244813233433/An-older-man-reading-a-ne-001.jpg" width="460"><p>A man reads a paper on a London Underground train. Photograph: Peter Johns/Other</p>  </div>  <div id="article-body-blocks">  <p>Not long after the first journey beneath the capital by rail, on January 9, 1863, the Underground began expanding rapidly. People wanted more. In its first year of existence 11.8 million journeys were taken on the Metropolitan Railway’s revolutionary new service, despite the steam and smoke and smell of sulphur. Things moved very fast. The first section of what became the District Line opened in 1868 and by 1884 the Circle Line was complete. Demand was vast. Entrepreneurs jostled to supply.</p>  <p>An appetite for more and better subterranean rail rides also rages today, but the forces driving it have changed. The great selling point of the earliest underground railways was that they (literally) undercut the congestion of the city’s streets. They then fulfilled and fed a desire for fast travel links above and below ground between the city and the cleaner, quieter life of the burgeoning suburbs.</p>  <p>Those sorts of factors continue to be in play, but the big, 21st century push factor is London’s booming population, predicted to soar from the present 8.3 million to around 10 million by 2030. The capital continues to buzz as a global business hub, its economic fortunes and its peoples’ prosperity bound up with this key part of its public transport system. How will all those people get in to London, through it and move around it? How can the Tube and the approaching advent of Crossrail best contribute to making a bigger London a better one too?</p>  <p>Among the planners, underestimates are not an option. Transport for London’s protracted Tube upgrade and improvement programme is still in part a catch-up operation following decades of under-investment. Just keeping pace with rapid change is described as a massive task: earlier this year, TfL commissioner Sir Peter Hendy predicted that when Crossrail opens for business in 2018 “it will be immediately full.”</p>  <p>That’s a daunting thought and raises some large questions. How is TfL running the great race to keep the city’s underground rail services up to speed? What are its ideas and options for coping with the challenge of providing so much more capacity? How large a part of the answer is underground rail compared with other transport modes, notably the London bus? Are the right questions being asked in the first place?</p>  <p>Over the coming weeks, as the London Underground’s 150th anniversary year approaches its end, I’ll be writing a string of articles about its future. Some parts of that future will start unfolding within weeks, others are already underway – have you been to Tottenham Court Road lately? – while some long-term solutions aren’t, as yet, much more than twinkles in visionaries’ eyes.</p>  <p>Tomorrow’s Tube will be shaped by everything from TfL developing new approaches to presenting and sharing information it holds about passenger preferences and behaviour to finding different ways of funding new infrastructure; from the recently-published proposals for re-modelling Bank station to the drawing board development of Crossrail 2 and the zygote notion of Crossrail 3; from managing the introduction of new train and ticketing technology to imagining how Tube stations might further evolve into something other than only transport destinations.</p>  <p>All these things, I think, merit reporting and exploring. But there are, I’m sure, many other angles I haven’t thought of. What aspects of the Underground’s future interest you most? Which parts of the story of Tomorrow’s Tube are you most excited or perturbed by? Is there specialised knowledge, far beyond my expertise, that you can share? The comment thread is open below. My email address is dave.hill@guardian.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you.</p>  </div>    //  <br><br>

Tomorrow’s Tube: what next for London’s underground railways? [ BeritaTerkini ]

A man reads a paper on a London Underground train. Photograph: Peter Johns/Other Not long after the first journey beneath the capita...

Today's Teamster News 11.04.13

4:06 AM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/15809/osha_weaknesses_force_workers_to_choose_report_safety_violations_or_keep_th/" rel="nofollow">OSHA Weaknesses Force Workers to Choose: Report Safety Violations, or Keep Their Jobs?</a>  In These Times   ... the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspects only 1 percent of workplaces in the United States in a given year. In the absence of inspections, that means more of the burden to report safety abuses falls on individual workers themselves. However, the CEG study shows that due to weak protection laws, many workers find themselves choosing between reporting a safety violation and keeping their jobs—creating a vicious cycle that can lead to workers too fearful to report potentially deadly workplace hazards...<br /><a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/19786-state-department-apologizes-for-calling-unionization-a-security-threat" rel="nofollow">State Department Apologizes for Calling Unionization a Security Threat </a> truthout   ...at a private meeting with labor groups earlier this month, the State Department opened the door to collective bargaining by workers who perform critical services for the American government overseas...<br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2483652/William-Gross-Californian-billionaire-apologizes-wealth-accumulated-workers-expense.html" rel="nofollow">Billionaire apologizes for wealth he accumulated 'at expense of workers' and says rich should pay more taxes</a>  Daily Mail   ...‘Congratulations. Smoke that cigar, enjoy that Chateau Lafite 1989. But (mostly you guys) acknowledge your good fortune at having been born in the '40s, '50s or '60s ... and having had the privilege of riding a credit wave and a credit boom for the past three decades,’ he writes...<br /><a href="http://www.greens.org/s-r/60/60-06.html" rel="nofollow">Inside the Psyche of the 1%</a>  Synthesis/Regeneration   ...Do the rich and super-rich tend to be psychopaths, devoid of guilt or shame? Are the 1% lacking in compassion? Does their endless accumulation of possessions actually bring them little to no happiness? To each of these, the answer is “yes”—but a very qualified “yes” with lots of subtleties...<br /><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/citi-rich-families-are-hoarding-cash-2013-11" rel="nofollow">CITI: Rich Families Are Hoarding Cash</a>  CNBC   ...A new survey of family offices by Citi finds that the wealthy are cash heavy—meaning they may fall short of the investment returns they're expecting...<br /><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/02/u-s-food-banks-struggle-to-meet-new-demand-caused-by-food-stamp-cuts/" rel="nofollow">U.S. food banks struggle to meet new demand caused by food stamp cuts</a>  Raw Story   ...37 million Americans were reliant on food banks to meet their nutritional needs in 2010, up from 25 million in 2006. The numbers have only grown through the recession brought on the deregulation of the financial markets and cuts to social programs...<br /><a href="http://angrybearblog.com/2013/11/another-congressman-and-stunning-subsidies-to-his-district.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Hzoh+%28angrybearblog.com%29" rel="nofollow">Another Congressman and stunning subsidies to his district</a>  Angry Bear   ...AB had a post on Congressman Steve King, an advocate of austerity and shut down yet received $9.17 billion in subsidies 1995-2012 for his district without offering cut backs for his district to share the sacrifices needed for austerity...<br /><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/koch-brothers-harry-belafonte-ku-klux-klan-99282.html" rel="nofollow">Koch brothers slam Harry Belafonte’s Ku Klux Klan remark</a>  Politico   ...“Already we have lost 14 states in this union to the most corrupt group of citizens I’ve ever known,” Belafonte said at the First Corinthian Baptist Church, according to Capital New York. “They make up the heart and the thinking in the minds of those who would belong to the Ku Klux Klan. They are white supremacists...<br /><a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10952" rel="nofollow">Colombian Farmers and Union Activists Under Attack</a>  The Real News   ...In Colombia terror is systematically used as a weapon for social oppression, violence against farmers and unions continues; and while President Santos allowed protests, there are still scars of Uribe government’s alleged violence and ties to paramilitary organizations...<br /><a href="http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/exclusive-govchristie-to-teacher-i-am.html" rel="nofollow">EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: @GovChristie to Teacher: "I Am Tired Of You People!"</a>  Jersey Jazzman   ...Is it not obvious that there has been an enormous amount of frustration and anger building up over Chris Christie's condescension toward teachers, parents, and students?...

OSHA Weaknesses Force Workers to Choose: Report Safety Violations, or Keep Their Jobs? In These Times ... the Occupational Safety and He...

Message from the Pew to the Pulpit: The Expressions of Disgust from Church Member When Lied to About Tithing

4:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPp-fdT3vopIPr6LtkkLPGpvjv7UdUXuwc79X3HoNgmR3lUlfunooq1DhyJHtPJd-zZuW-3i05L6_OM_IGB0ndRFgqHoWCqwoYrnzh3699n-kEclNYharncaLu2NlxNhD2Xt6SAABsBRpW/s1600/Pew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPp-fdT3vopIPr6LtkkLPGpvjv7UdUXuwc79X3HoNgmR3lUlfunooq1DhyJHtPJd-zZuW-3i05L6_OM_IGB0ndRFgqHoWCqwoYrnzh3699n-kEclNYharncaLu2NlxNhD2Xt6SAABsBRpW/s320/Pew.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In the comment section of the <a href="http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2013/10/robert-morris-shakedown-at-lifechurch.html" target="_blank">Robert Morris shakedown article a few weeks ago,</a>, a Watchdog commenter posted a very insightful comment. I have copied and pasted it below in its entirety. <br /><br />Pastors, please read it. I don't endorse everything said, but this comment I think expresses the frustration that many of your church members have when you lie to them and try to convince them that they are some how obligated by God to give 10% minimum of their income to your church as a "first fruits" offering - before even paying for their bills or giving to the poor. They see your efforts as having nothing whatsoever to do with God, but instead as a means of raising funds. <br /><br />Church members like this one are fed up with it, they see through your tactics, and they see the unbiblical and illogical nature of your argument.<br /><br />And worst of all, you're driving people away from the faith that you claim God called you to preach about. You've turned the "Good News" into "Terrible News" in your quest to raise revenue for your organization.<br /><br />So go ahead again this year, pastor, and try to shake down your church  members, attempting to convince them that there is an obligation to give  10%, and that blessings await them at the 10% giving level, and that  the devourer will eat it if they don't give it, so best to go ahead and  just fork it over.<br /><br />Or try something else this year, pastor. Admit to your congregation that tithing 10% is NOT required. Tell them that the "devourer" is not going to eat their resources. Tell them God is NOT waiting to poke holes in their purses unless they fork over 10%. And tell them to be generous, and to give to the church what they purpose in their heart to give. I think there is a verse that says something close to that.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>----------------------------  </b></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><b>"Anything I have that could be construed as a blessing from God, is not  from any local 501(c)(3)church that I attended.  My ability to earn  wealth came from the degrees I earned from the University of Florida.   They also are a non-profit that raises millions of funds.  Yet they  never threaten me with words like "curses", or saying I am not a  Christian, or telling me "you would not have that job if it were not for  us" or "this is where you went to school, you owe us support."  No,  they simply inform me of all the good they are doing and the needs they  have, and I respond out of gratitude and understanding and logic and  reason. They raise billions doing it this honest and upfront way!<br /><br />Who  do I owe my ability to earn income from more: my local church I went to  once a week for an hour or two, or my university where I invested  thousands of dollars and thousands of hours to earn a degree that gave  me job skills to find employment?<br /><br />And health?  My family doctor,  or local hospital, don't send me solicitations telling me I owe my  health to them, even though logically they could, right?  Why would the  latest pastor down at the corner church claim I should give to his  organization because my health is good.  Might my primary care doctor,  who actually examines me and prescribes medication and diagnosis based  on his earned doctorate, have a greater claim?  Of course.<br /><br />And my  children's "blessings" and future?  Again, my investment and support in  giving them the best education I could, and their years of hard work  and academic achievement, isn't that what gives them hope and a future  for financial "blessings" in the future? Or is it the pompous ass  preacher giving a history lesson once a week that is deserving of  monetary donation as a thank-you for my children's success?<br /><br />Think  about it!  Who do you call when you are sick?  Your doctor?  Who do  call when your power gets turned off?  JEA [power company].  Where do you go when you  need money for food, clothing and shelter?  Your job.<br /><br />The church  offers history lessons, fables, and TAKES your time and money from your  family.  It never GIVES YOU any.  But it sure does give your pastor, and  his wife, and his son, and daughter-in-law lots and lots of money,  health care, car, clothing, etc.  So yeah, they do owe it all to the  church. So they make tithing a priority and tell you to give to their  family and business before you give any to your own, or to the poor and  needy. <br /><br />And finally, what about your parents.  Was it not THEM,  that loved you, sacrificed for you, and provided you with food,  clothing, shelter, love, care, teachings on life, etc. Yet they did it  not expecting you to give them even one half of one percent of your  income for the rest of your life!  Honor them with your first fruits if  you feel compelled to say thank you to someone or to God.  Not the local  501(c)(3) on the corner you just love to attend once a week.  I mean,  what parent would put that kind of guilt or logic on their children?   But we are supposed to believe that is what God wants us to do? Really?  Or is it just what the CEO running your church wants so he can have a  bigger campus, more staff, or more money?  <br /><br />No wonder Christians are viewed as non-thinking, illogical, gullible human beings."</b></i></blockquote>

Message from the Pew to the Pulpit: The Expressions of Disgust from Church Member When Lied to About Tithing

In the comment section of the Robert Morris shakedown article a few weeks ago, , a Watchdog commenter posted a very insightful comment. I ha...

Making Hospital Prices Matter - Peter Ubel- Forbes

3:59 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div><br></div><div><p style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;">I recently learned about a company called OpsCost, which has a very user-friendly website designed to help people figure out how much different hospitals charge for a wide range of treatments and procedures. The company makes use of the data that the Medicare program has recently made available to the general public, and then presents those data more elegantly than many other sites I have seen. You can go <a href="http://www.opscost.com/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">here</a> to look at the company website, and you will quickly find yourself looking up prices for hospitals in your region.  (Disclosure: I have not received any money from any price transparency companies, nor entered into any business relationships.)</p><p style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;">For example, I told the website that I wanted to look at hospital prices near Durham, North Carolina, for "Hip & Femur Procedures Except Major Joint Without Complications And Comorbities/Major Complications And Comorbities," and the program showed me a list of hospitals and prices, with a Google map on the right-hand side showing where each hospital was located. Pretty nifty. But is it useful?<br>Consider the information it provided me about the three hospitals closest to Durham North Carolina:</p><table width="507" border="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(60, 60, 60); font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13px;"><thead style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p align="center" style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hospital</strong></p></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p align="center" style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Billed</strong></p></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p align="center" style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reimbursed</strong></p></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p align="center" style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Distance</strong></p></td></tr></thead><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Duke University Hospital</em></strong><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br>2301 Erwin Rd<br>Durham, NC 27710</em></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$40,294</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$14,037</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2.48 mi</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">University Of North Carolina Hospital</em></strong><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br>101 Manning Dr<br>Chapel Hill, NC 27514</em></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$25,457</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$14,860</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">10.80 mi</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rex Hospital</em></strong><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br>4420 Lake Boone Trl<br>Raleigh, NC 27607</em></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$33,850</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$8,426</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">16.44 mi</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;"> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;">If I was a Medicare enrollee, something that won't be true for another 14 years, I would know how much the federal government would have to pay if I needed a treatment like this. But I wouldn't know how much <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Peter Ubel</em>would have to pay. The amount I would have to pay would depend upon what kind of Medicare supplemental insurance I had purchased. For example, if I were required to cover a standard hospital co-pay, for instance, then these three hospitals would cost me the same amount, and therefore Medicare reimbursement – what the <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">government </em>pays to these hospitals – would be irrelevant to me. If anything, this information might make me more interested in going to Duke University Hospital, because I could see that they normally charge a lot more for this procedure, and might therefore conclude that I am getting a real bargain by going there. People, as I have written in an<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/how-price-transparency-could-end-up-increasing-health-care-costs/274534/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">earlier post</a>, might take the billing price as a signal of hospital quality.</p><p style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;">If I had private insurance, then these prices would again be irrelevant to me, because there would not necessarily be any tight connection between what a hospital bills Medicare for, and what they bill specific insurance companies for.</p><p style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;">On the other hand, if I was uninsured, I could see this kind of information making me very wary of both Duke University Hospital and Rex Hospital. But should I be wary? Remember, what I would really want to know here is not the amount these hospitals each bill to Medicare, but the amount they bill to uninsured patients and, much more importantly, the amount they typically settle for when receiving payment from people who lack health insurance.</p><p style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;">So what is the point of a system like the one developed by OpsCost? I think this type of system will become very useful, to a very large number of people, once a wider range of price data become available. In North Carolina, for example, the state legislature recently passed a law requiring hospitals to make several kinds of price information available, including the average amount they settle for when billing uninsured patients, and the average amount they charge to the largest insurers in the state. Massachusetts and New Hampshire have passed price transparency legislation of their own, legislation that was given a grade of A by <a href="http://www.hci3.org/content/transparency-metrics-transformation" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">The Healthcare Incentives Improvement Institute</a>. I expect more states to pass similar legislation, meaning companies like OpsCost will soon have a larger number of numbers to plug into their user-friendly websites.</p><p style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;">Will this improve consumer decision-making? That remains to be seen. With an increasing number of consumers <a href="http://peterubel.com/2013/02/27/more-on-high-deductible-insurance-plans/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">signing up</a> for high deductible health insurance plans, it's easy to imagine a large number of people going to websites like this before deciding where to receive their care. And it may not take much of a shift in consumer behavior to force high cost hospitals to lower their prices, or to make sure to explain to consumers why their higher prices are justified.</p><p style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; word-wrap: break-word;">For better or worse, mainly for better in my opinion, we are entering into a new world, where American hospitals can no longer expect to hide their prices behind a veil of secrecy.</p></div>  <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterubel/2013/10/30/making-hospital-prices-matter/">http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterubel/2013/10/30/making-hospital-prices-matter/</a>

Making Hospital Prices Matter - Peter Ubel- Forbes

I recently learned about a company called OpsCost, which has a very user-friendly website designed to help people figure out how much differ...

Doctor, First Tell Me What It Costs - NYTimes.com

3:39 AM Tukiyooo 0

<base><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left;"><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto;">If an <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/antibiotics/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about antibiotics." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none;">antibiotic</a> would cure your infection, your doctor would probably still warn you about the chance of sun sensitivity before prescribing the pill.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But even when the costs of a medical intervention might force patients to choose between paying the bill or keeping up with their mortgages, American physicians rarely discuss that serious side effect with them. One physician recently explained to me that he felt money talk would "violate the doctor-patient relationship."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Given how much attention we have been focusing on health care costs and the Affordable Care Act, now is the time to change such thinking.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In The New England Journal of Medicine last month, two colleagues and I wrote an <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1306826" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none;">essay</a> intended for physicians; we argued that they should discuss out-of-pocket costs with patients just as they discuss any side effects. After all, the financial burden of paying for medical care can cause more distress in patients' lives than many medical side effects, and patients can decide whether any of the downsides of treatment are justified by the benefits.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Take, for example, a patient with <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/colon-cancer/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Colon Cancer." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none;">colon cancer</a> whose oncologist is considering prescribing <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/avastin_drug/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about Avastin." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none;">Avastin</a>. Most physicians would go out of their way to warn that this drug could harm a patient's heart; the data show that it carries a 2 percent risk of cardiovascular toxicity. But few physicians would discuss the price, even though Avastin can cost more than $50,000 per patient, and a <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> patient without supplemental insurance could be responsible for nearly $9,000 of that.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Affordable Care Act will have only a modest impact on patient exposure to health care costs because the limits it sets on out-of-pocket costs are still high compared with most people's resources. And in the last six years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, we've seen a threefold increase in the number of people choosing high-deductible plans.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Center for American Progress estimates that a breast-<a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/cancer/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Cancer." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none;">cancer</a> patient in Massachusetts with a high-deductible plan could face more than $50,000 in medical expenses. That's more than the average lifetime savings of the majority of American families.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In our New England Journal article, we tried to convince physicians that they needed to start incorporating the cost of care into their clinical conversations. But patients should not be afraid to take the lead and ask how much a pill or procedure will cost. Far too often, patients bring up such questions only after they have already experienced treatment-related financial distress. My colleagues and I confirmed that during interviews with <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/breast-cancer/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Breast cancer." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none;">breast cancer</a> survivors; in a number of cases, the physician had told the patient that if she had only mentioned a concern about the cost earlier, the doctor could have suggested less expensive alternatives.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">That kind of lapse should never happen. No one should have to suffer unnecessarily from the cost of medical care. Simply put, discussing costs in the doctor's office is good medicine.</p><nyt_author_id style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="authorIdentification" style="margin-bottom: 2.8em;"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; line-height: 24px; font-style: italic; font-size: 15px !important;"><a href="http://www.peterubel.com/" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; line-height: 22px;">Peter A. Ubel</a>, a professor of medicine at Duke University, is the author of "Critical Decisions: How You and Your Doctor Can Make the Right Medical Choices Together."</div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; line-height: 24px; font-style: italic; font-size: 15px !important;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; line-height: 24px; font-style: italic; font-size: 15px !important;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/opinion/doctor-first-tell-me-what-it-costs.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/opinion/doctor-first-tell-me-what-it-costs.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0</a></div></div></nyt_author_id></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Doctor, First Tell Me What It Costs - NYTimes.com

If an antibiotic would cure your infection, your doctor would probably still warn you about the chance of sun sensitivity before prescribi...

The Future's So Bright I Gotta Rent Tires

3:15 AM Tukiyooo 0

The Future's So Bright I Gotta Rent Tires

June 08, 2013 High prices are driving more motorists to rent tires Eric Malone, who owns eight RimTyme stores in North Carolina, Virginia an...

Travel news round-up: Peru’s coast, Norway made easy, a [ BeritaTerkini ]

3:12 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div id="main-content-picture">  <img alt="Sea view at the Arennas Mancora hotel, Peru" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Travel/Pix/pictures/2013/10/30/1383146443896/Sea-view-at-the-Arennas-M-008.jpg" width="460"><p>Just beachy … a sea view from a room at the Arennas Mancora hotel, Peru</p>  </div>  <div id="article-body-blocks">  <h2><strong>Escapism</strong></h2>  <p>New tour operator Miraviva is tipping Máncora, a small fishing village in northern Peru, as a hotspot. Surfers and backpackers dominate the centre, but Las Pocitas, 10 minutes’ drive away, has sophisticated hotels such as honeymoon-friendly Arennas Mancora.<br>  • <em>From £1,125pp (based on two sharing)</em> <em>for four nights including flights</em> from London<em>, internal flights, transfers and breakfast with</em> <em>miravivatravel.com</em></p>  <h2>What’s new?</h2>  <p><span class="inline wide"><br><img alt="Bubble tent" height="277" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Travel/Late_offers/pictures/2013/10/31/1383238486381/Bubble-tent-001.jpg" width="460"><span class="caption"><br>  A bubble tent at Cabanes de la Romaningue<br></span><br></span></p>  <p><strong>Accommodation</strong><br>  Sleep among the trees at Cabanes de la Romaningue – a new collection of caravans, pods and cabins in the Gironde vineyards near Bordeaux, France. Futuristic bubble tents with a terrace start from €130 a night. There are also three treehouses, one accessed via zipwire, also from €130.<br><em>•</em> <em>cabanes.laromaningue.fr</em></p>  <p><strong>Flight connection</strong><br>  The little-known international airport at Cambridge is now offering one-stop connections to a number of US destinations, including LA and New York, via Paris or Amsterdam. And thanks to an agreement between Cambridge carrier Darwin Airline and Air France, passengers can check their bags in at Cambridge and have them sent straight to a final destination airport in America, with just a short layover in Paris.<br><em>•</em> <em>cambridgeairport.com</em></p>  <p><span class="inline wide"><br><img alt="Reinefjorden, Norway" height="277" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Travel/Late_offers/pictures/2013/10/31/1383238635950/Reinefjorden-Norway-001.jpg" width="460"><span class="caption"><br>  Reinefjorden, Norway. Photograph: Ethan Welty/Getty Images<br></span><br></span></p>  <p><strong>Website</strong><br>  The fjords, ski resorts and northern lights of Norway have long made the country popular with tour groups. But a new website aims to help make its attractions easier to access for independent travellers too. Flydrivenorway.co.uk lists restaurants, hotels, car hire companies and weather forecasts for the whole country, and offers discounts on partner accommodation, car hire and flights booked through the site.</p>  <h2>Snow watch</h2>  <p>Hot on the heels of acro-yoga and yog-aqua comes ski-yoga, a dubious-sounding mix of meditation and stretching carried out atop a mountain – while still on your skis. Four-day packages at the swish Grand Hotel Kronenhof in the Swiss resort of Pontresina cost from £885, including daily indoor and outdoor yoga sessions, lift pass and massages in the hotel’s spa, but not flights.</p>  <h2>Cheap date</h2>  <p>Starboard is a new collection of luxury boats from self-catering specialist Hoseasons. The 20 vessels – at four bases in Norfolk and Oxfordshire – come with a champagne welcome pack, binoculars, iPod docks, nice linen, and even space for your bikes, all from £549 a week for four people, £365 for a short break. Booking from December.<br><strong>•</strong> <em>0844 847 1100,</em> <em>hoseasons.co.uk</em></p>  <h2>Travel trash</h2>  <p>Don’t forget to pack your Sled Buddies if you’re taking the kids somewhere snowy this winter. The cute penguin- and polar bear-shaped sledges are light (500g), fit into a suitcase (they’re 90cm long) and, crucially, feature “Arctic Groove Technology”. Whatever that might be.<br>  • For ages eight and over, £24.99, atbshop.co.uk</p>  <h2>Win a holiday</h2>  <p>The Guardian Cottages and Villas website, which lists more than 1,400 self-catering properties in the UK and Europe, is offering three readers a cottage stay worth up to £350. Winners can take their prize at any property on the site. Enter now at theguardian.com/cottage-competition.</p>  </div>    //  <br><br>

Travel news round-up: Peru’s coast, Norway made easy, a [ BeritaTerkini ]

Just beachy … a sea view from a room at the Arennas Mancora hotel, Peru Escapism New tour operator Miraviva is tipping Máncora, a ...

Porridge and pumpkin seeds

3:06 AM Tukiyooo 0

Porridge and pumpkin seeds

The weather has turned colder here in Ireland. It's time to start eating porridge to warm me up in the morning. This morning, after a w...

U-192

2:35 AM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-192">German submarine U-192</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>During her maiden voyage in May 1943 she disappeared without a trace, along with her 55 crew.</i></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KuStsFW4EmQ" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><i style="color: #666666;">Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?</i> - Oddball<br /><br /><b>October 30, 2013</b><br /><a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/10/29/port-columbus-september.html">Passenger traffic fairly flat at Port Columbus last month</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>There were 501,354 passengers in and out of the local airport, an increase of <span style="color: red;">192</span>, which is less than one-tenth of 1 percent.<br /><br />For the year so far, the number of passengers is down 3 percent at Port Columbus, a trend that has been noted at airports across the country.</i></div><br />Shouldn't have gone down the negative waves path. Should have said something righteous and hopeful for a change. Perhaps it is not too late.<br /><br />These 192 extra people will no doubt lead to all sorts of exciting extra retail sales and employment opportunities for the one person with a well positioned food truck! So what if the trend is down at airports across the country! Gotta keep the faith!

U-192

German submarine U-192 During her maiden voyage in May 1943 she disappeared without a trace, along with her 55 crew. Why don't you knock...

Ryanair blames lower fares for latest profit warning [ BeritaTerkini ]

2:12 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div id="main-content-picture">  <img alt="CEO of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, gesturing during a media conference at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, Hahn, Germany." height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/11/4/1383551041563/680dab2b-6516-45c4-bee4-cb6302e60603-460x276.jpeg" width="460"><p>CEO of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, during a media conference in Germany. The airline has cut its profit forecast for the full year. Photograph: Thomas Frey/EPA</p>  </div>  <div id="article-body-blocks">  <p>Ryanair is on course for its first fall in profits in five years, saying that increased competition and a weak economic backdrop will force it to cut fares by up to 10% for the winter months.</p>  <p>The budget airline issued its second profit warning in as many months after average fares fell 2% during the first half of the financial year. It said fares were likely to fall by up to 10% by the end of the financial year to 31 March 2014, despite slightly higher forward bookings.</p>  <p>The Irish budget airline cut its full-year profit guidance to around €510m (£432m) from €570m, “due entirely to this lower fare environment”. It would be Ryanair’s first fall in profit since 2009.</p>  <p>“People have less money to spend,” chief financial officer Howard Millar told Bloomberg. “We had a strong August, since then we’ve started to see a weakening environment.”</p>  <p>The bad news sent its shares down 10% and hit the wider airline sector, with easyJet and British Airways group IAG shares both sharply lower.</p>  <p>Ryanair had already hit investors with a surprise profits warning in September, cautioning at that time that profits might fall at the lower end or below its previous range.</p>  <p>Chief executive Michael O’Leary told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting in the same month that he recognised the need to address the “abrupt culture” at the airline, known for its no frills service and raft of additional charges.</p>  <p>“We should try to eliminate things that unnecessarily [annoy customers]. I am very happy to take the blame or responsibility if we have a macho or abrupt culture. Some of that may well be my own personal character deformities,” he said at the time.</p>  <p>O’Leary said on Monday that the airline had responded to the dip in forward fares and yields by lowering it full year traffic target to just under 81 million from over 81.5 milliob.</p>  <p>“We also released a range of lower fares and aggressive seat sales to stimulate traffic, load factors and bookings across all markets,” he added.</p>  <p>“Market pricing remains weak, so we will continue to promote low fare seat sales throughout the remainder of both Q3 and Q4.</p>  <p>“Forward bookings are running slightly ahead of last year, but the softness in fares and yields continues.”</p>  <p>Profit after tax rose 1% to €602m in the first six months of the year to 30 September, with passenger numbers up 2% at 49m.</p>  <p>Revenue increased 5% to €3.25m.</p>  <p>Ryanair completed €177m of share buy-backs in the first half, and said it would press ahead with its plan to return up to €600m to shareholders through buy-backs and special dividends before the end of the 2015 financial year.</p>  </div>    //  <br><br>

Ryanair blames lower fares for latest profit warning [ BeritaTerkini ]

CEO of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, during a media conference in Germany. The airline has cut its profit forecast for ...

DIY supernatural cold, flu and even plague tonic elixir

2:07 AM Anonymous 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><img alt="http://api.ning.com/files/nZlGunqFOj5U7QaUYLaJb3ASjsugo8Yv5ibInv3*zVAT0pXsk*Jw40vIzrqtyQhYCJ8xDWLEZsIUuF0J85nICp-jwzrvufW7/newmoontonic.jpg" class="decoded" height="300" src="http://api.ning.com/files/nZlGunqFOj5U7QaUYLaJb3ASjsugo8Yv5ibInv3*zVAT0pXsk*Jw40vIzrqtyQhYCJ8xDWLEZsIUuF0J85nICp-jwzrvufW7/newmoontonic.jpg" width="400" /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">'The cold and flu season has officially arrived. Are you adequately  prepared? Presumably, you’ve tossed Big Pharma’s toxic, deadly flu shots  and side effect-laden, symptom-suppressing, over-the-counter (OTC) cold  and flu medications into the trash.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">Yet a nagging concern remains: What would you do if you or your loved  ones were exposed to a killer viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic  infection that conventional remedies or even popular, alternative  medicine couldn’t handle?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">What if I told you that you could easily make an inexpensive,  powerful, immune-boosting, modern day plague tonic on your kitchen table  from herbs and vegetables readily available at most food markets?'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Read <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/042737_do_it_yourself_natural_healing_Master_Tonic_elixir.html">more... </a></span>

DIY supernatural cold, flu and even plague tonic elixir

'The cold and flu season has officially arrived. Are you adequately prepared? Presumably, you’ve tossed Big Pharma’s toxic, deadly fl...

Lymphoma, Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Healed with Laetrile (Sandi Rog)

2:05 AM Anonymous 0

Lymphoma, Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Healed with Laetrile (Sandi Rog)

“I am not a doctor, nor is vitamin B17 approved by the FDA. All I know is that I am cancer free because of taking this simple vitamin.” S...

10yr old Amish girl flees U.S. to escape chemo. Exclusive Interview.

2:02 AM Anonymous 0

10yr old Amish girl flees U.S. to escape chemo. Exclusive Interview.

'I have an exclusive interview with Isaac Keim, grandfather of Sarah Hershberger, the 10 year old Amish girl who has fled the US to esca...

Greek coffee & the secret to longevity

2:01 AM Anonymous 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://photo.ekathimerini.com/kath/engs/img/NEWS/2013/03/greek_coffee.jpg" class="decoded" height="271" src="http://photo.ekathimerini.com/kath/engs/img/NEWS/2013/03/greek_coffee.jpg" width="400" /></div>Photo Credit:www.ekathimerini.com<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">'Greek Coffee… The Secret Of Long Life! We all heard both good and bad reviews on coffee, but Greek coffee is part of the Mediterranean diet daily for many generations. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">A study of the people of the island of Ikaria, who are ten times more likely to live to the age of ninety than other Europeans, found that people who consumed Greek coffee had better health and longer life that those who didn’t drink coffee, or who drank other kinds of coffee.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Greek coffee seems to offer excellent health benefits, in particular, endothelial function, which protects the all important blood vessels, leading to improved circulation and blood pressure.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Read <a href="http://ybertaud9.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/greek-coffee-the-secret-to-longevity/">more... </a></span>

Greek coffee & the secret to longevity

Photo Credit:www.ekathimerini.com 'Greek Coffee… The Secret Of Long Life! We all heard both good and bad reviews on coffee, but Greek co...

Spicy pumpkin hummus

1:59 AM Anonymous 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="spicy pumpkin hummus photo" class="slide" height="266" src="http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2013/09/JJH_8597-1-2.jpg.662x0_q100_crop-scale.jpg" width="400" /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">ED NOTE: I stick with including garlic - yes! Just sample from the food processor as you mix.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">'A great appetizer that captures the spirit of autumn, and takes only a couple minutes to make!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I've never succeeded in making a good hummus before. Though hummus recipes seem simple at first glance, getting the balance of ingredients just right is harder than you might think. For this recipe, the only change I made was leaving out the fresh garlic. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Though that's a key ingredient in most hummus recipes, it's also what usually ruins a recipe if you don't get it just right. Leaving it out actually worked really well, and this hummus turned out to be the best I've made.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I topped it off with a sprinkle of paprika and sesame seeds, and paired it with some black pepper crackers. It's delicious!'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Read <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/easy-vegetarian-recipes/spicy-pumpkin-hummus-vegan.html">more... </a></span>

Spicy pumpkin hummus

ED NOTE: I stick with including garlic - yes! Just sample from the food processor as you mix. 'A great appetizer that captures the spiri...

https://news.google.com/news/feeds?q=herbal [ BeritaTerkini ]

1:27 AM Tukiyooo 0

https://news.google.com/news/feeds?q=herbal [ BeritaTerkini ]

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The Sound Of Dianne Feinstein Sniveling In Impotent Rage Is Music To My Ears

12:29 AM Tukiyooo 0

Good Lord I can't stand that woman.<br /><br />I did get a major kick out of her whining that she can't pass a gun control bill no matter how badly she wants to;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/03/dianne-feinstein-gun-control_n_4209892.html"><b>Dianne Feinstein: 'Gun People' Hold A 'Hammerlock' On Gun Control Reform </b></a><br /><br />You know damn good and well that the TSA shooter using a "Military and Police" version of a semi auto and her inability to use this golden opportunity to further her gun grabbing agenda is just eating her guts out.<br /><br />BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!<br /><br />Good.<br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>Three days after a shooting at Los Angeles International Airport left one TSA agent dead, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she believed "deep down" in reforming gun control legislation.<br /><br />“Would I do a bill? Sure I’d do a bill. I believe this down deep in my soul,” Feinstein said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday. But the senator said firearms supporters will prevent such legislation from passing.<br /><br />“I think there’s a hammerlock on the Congress by the gun owners and gun people, and it doesn’t matter," she said.<br /><br />Feinstein noted that the gun used at the Los Angeles airport was the same model as the gun used in the 2012 Aurora, Colo. movie theater shooting that left twelve dead and 70 injured.<br /><br />“The weapon was a .223 MP-15, where the MP stands for military and police,” Feinstein said. “Clearly designed not for general consumption, but through practice now for general consumption—same gun that was used at Aurora.”</blockquote><br />Who the fuck is she trying to kid?<br />That woman's soul is as black and shriveled up as a raisin in the Sahara Desert.<br /><br />Another thing, this "Military & Police" scary talk?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_795547_-1_757786_757784_757784_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y">Umm, about that</a>;<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyo7X9AED5b7bEMHQAq9JRxj4zHGgtL56pkMMc_bQh24GaL5j0ZO4THQlNbVa7kKpSeJhuMku4RUvXNPxCtISGwLMpzIVgxnkpMEha3161wIY9TxpQ_GC-NWIMX5nhjp0paoo71ktRnhN/s1600/811051_01_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyo7X9AED5b7bEMHQAq9JRxj4zHGgtL56pkMMc_bQh24GaL5j0ZO4THQlNbVa7kKpSeJhuMku4RUvXNPxCtISGwLMpzIVgxnkpMEha3161wIY9TxpQ_GC-NWIMX5nhjp0paoo71ktRnhN/s640/811051_01_md.jpg" /></a></div><br />Must be a San Francisco Special.<br /><br /><br />Yep, the reality that gun control died on the table earlier this year and has no future in sight is making her crazier than a shit house rat.<br /><br />Also Good.<br /><br />Wallow in your misery woman, I am enjoying it.<br />I hope it makes you so bitter that you won't even be able to stand to be around yourself,which should take another five minutes.<br /><br />I am sick and tired of this geriatric nanny state bitch shoving her version of morality down my damn throat, the hypocritical snuntch.<br /><br />Yeah, us peons have to put up with her draconian bullshit yet she lives by a very different set of rules.<br />It is bullshit, her and her ilk telling me what I can and can't do just because they say so while they turn and laugh because these laws she is so fond of passing don't apply to her or them.<br /><br />Fuck that noise.<br /><br /> You spoke the truth when you said that no gun control law would pass and that is the way it is going to stay for the forseeable future.<br /><br />You just keep tilting at those windmills though, Dianne Quixote.<br /><br />It keeps you too busy to get into some other mischief.<br /><br /><br /><br />Now STFU and go poison some apples you old witch.<br />

The Sound Of Dianne Feinstein Sniveling In Impotent Rage Is Music To My Ears

Good Lord I can't stand that woman. I did get a major kick out of her whining that she can't pass a gun control bill no matter how b...

U.S. girls keep hitting puberty earlier [ BeritaTerkini ]

12:12 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div id="yom-ad-LREC" class="yom-ad yom-ad-LREC">  <center>  <div id="yom-ad-LREC-iframe" class="yom-ad"></div>  </center>  </div>  <p><br></p>  <p>By Genevra Pittman</p>  <p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Girls are developing breasts at younger and younger ages, a new study confirms. And upward trends in childhood obesity seem to be playing a major role.</p>  <p>Researchers found African American girls started getting breasts just before they turned nine, on average. Among white girls the average age was about nine and a half – a few months earlier than in the 1990s.</p>  <p>The findings “confirm an ongoing downward trend in pubertal timing among U.S. girls,” said Dr. Anders Juul.</p>  <p>“It’s been worrying for the U.S. as well as the rest of the world,” Juul said. He heads the Department of Growth and Reproduction at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, and wasn’t involved in the new report.</p>  <p>The data come from a long-term study of more than 1,200 girls in and around San Francisco, Cincinnati and New York City. Girls were enrolled in the study between ages six and eight and followed with annual or semi-annual visits.</p>  <p>At each visit, staff assessed breast development using Tanner stages, which measure how far along a young person is in puberty.</p>  <p>African American girls first showed signs of breast development at eight years, 10 months, on average. That compared to nine years, four months among Hispanic girls and nine years, eight months among white and Asian girls.</p>  <p>For white girls, puberty hit about four months earlier than in a 1997 study that also measured breast development. That study concluded girls were entering puberty earlier than in the past.</p>  <p>Heavier girls tended to start developing at younger ages. Rising obesity rates seem to be a “prime driver” behind breast development starting earlier, Dr. Frank Biro and his colleagues wrote Monday in Pediatrics.</p>  <p>Still, Juul’s own work has suggested obesity isn’t behind earlier breast development among Danish girls.</p>  <p>Researchers said how much exercise girls get, diabetes precursors and chemicals in the environment that can mimic hormones may all play a role in pushing up the onset of puberty.</p>  <p>“One of our challenges is going to be, there are literally hundreds of chemicals that could be candidates,” Biro said. He works in the adolescent medicine division at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.</p>  <p>Where girls live, meat and dairy in their diets and family stress have also been tied to earlier development, Marcia Herman-Giddens wrote in a commentary on the report. She studies maternal and child health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.</p>  <p>The study didn’t look at when girls started getting their periods, or at other measures of puberty.</p>  <p>The researchers said maturing at a younger age could come with long-term risks for some girls.</p>  <p>For instance, those who hit puberty earlier could be at higher risk of breast and other cancers because their bodies spend more years making and being exposed to estrogen.</p>  <p>They also tend to start having sex or using drugs and alcohol at younger ages and are more likely to become depressed or develop low self-esteem.</p>  <p>“You’ve got a 10-year-old who looks like a 14-year-old. We interact with kids based on the way that they look,” Biro said. “Kids interact with each other that way also.”</p>  <p>“One of the things the parents of these early maturing kids need to do is they need to monitor them more closely,” he told Reuters Health. That includes talking about sex earlier.</p>  <p>But Juul said parents shouldn’t be overly worried. The data about early puberty and problems down the line come from studies that asked women when they first got their period, he said.</p>  <p>That typically happens two to four years after breasts start developing. And it’s unclear whether that age is dropping at the same pace as the age of breast development, Juul said.</p>  <p>“I think the scary part is not (for) the actual girl, because we don’t know what it means for her,” he told Reuters Health. “It is a warning that something is influencing our child population and it calls for concern and continued studies.”</p>  <p>SOURCE: http://bit.ly/cxXOG Pediatrics, online November 4, 2013.</p>  <ul id="topics" class="hidden">  <li>Health</li>  <li>Family Health</li>  <li>puberty</li>  <li>breast development</li>  </ul><p></p>    //  <br><br>

U.S. girls keep hitting puberty earlier [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Girls are developing breasts at younger and younger ages, a new study confirms....

Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger Available On Download From Today

11:41 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiCVBh6NSrIZTryCpyFJhknUOvMdu4qwKdHxQ1Hw266iXJzZVclQucvVfgnlI71lIAw_r1WmHyTnEBZDt05CLVL59cVSt9S0ZnBw9eNkQrp9oxEANVdgZs1EVxL7N77pr3S2qB6q84rC-/s1600/Nativity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiCVBh6NSrIZTryCpyFJhknUOvMdu4qwKdHxQ1Hw266iXJzZVclQucvVfgnlI71lIAw_r1WmHyTnEBZDt05CLVL59cVSt9S0ZnBw9eNkQrp9oxEANVdgZs1EVxL7N77pr3S2qB6q84rC-/s640/Nativity.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Festive comedy <i>Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger! </i>is available to purchase as a download in the UK from today. The 2012 movie, created and directed by Debbie Isitt stars David Tennant in a dual role as supply teacher Donald Peterson and his twin brother, successful composer and conductor Roderick. The film also sees the return of favourite characters from the original <i>Nativity!</i> including Gordon Shakespeare (Jason Watkins),Mrs. Bevan (Pam Ferris), Bob (Ben Wilby) and, of course, the inimitable Mr.Poppy (Marc Wootton).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Plot Summary</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sparkle and shine of Christmas once again comes to life in this home-grown gem for all the family, starring a host of British favourites, including David Tennant, Marc Wootton, Joanna Page and Pam Ferris. This Christmas, the unforgettable pupils of St. Bernadette’s are heading to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Wales</st1:country-region> to compete in the National Choir Contest; “A Song for Christmas". New supply teacher Mr Peterson has the unenviable task of trying to curb the hysterical enthusiasm of the kids - not to mention Mr Poppy – but reluctantly finds himself getting swept along. Over land and water, charting mountains and caves and with a donkey in tow, the gang learn to conquer their fears and work as a team in their quest to get to the competition in time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The film is available through iTunes at £13.99 in HD and £9.99 in SD</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/nativity-2-danger-in-manger!/id709350160"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Click here for more details and to buy</b></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The film will also be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 18th November and will also be made available to rent online via iTunes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/dtennant-21/detail/B00APK6KEK"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Click here to order the DVD</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/dtennant-21/detail/B00APKSVDS"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Click here to order the Blu-ray</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.david-tennant.com/2009/id171.html">Read more about Nativity 2 on our website</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Watch the trailer here:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MmqB5ZRhWA0" width="640"></iframe>             </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

David Tennant film iTunes Marc Wootton Nativity 2 Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger Available On Download From Today

Festive comedy Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger! is available to purchase as a download in the UK from today. The 2012 movie, created and di...