Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, right, talks with mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Christine Assange, during their meeting in Quito, Ecuador, Monday, July 30, 2012. Christine Assange is in Quito to appeal to Ecuador's government to grant her son asylum. The 40-year-old Australian has been holed up inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since applying for political asylum on June 19. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, right, talks with mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Christine Assange, during their meeting in Quito, Ecuador, Monday, July 30, 2012. Christine Assange is in Quito to appeal to Ecuador's government to grant her son asylum. The 40-year-old Australian has been holed up inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since applying for political asylum on June 19. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) ? The mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Monday after meeting with Ecuador's foreign minister that she's worried about her son's health after nearly seven weeks' confinement at the South American nation's London embassy.
"He is under a lot of stress and it's been long-term stress now for nearly two years and in conditions which are similar to detention," Christine Assange told The Associated Press.
Her son took refuge in the embassy on June 19, requesting political asylum after exhausting all legal appeals to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about sexual misconduct allegations.
Julian Assange, who angered U.S. officials by publishing secret U.S. diplomatic cables and military documents, calls the accusations trumped up and says he fears Sweden will extradite him to the United States for trial.
Ecuadorean officials have said they will not announce a decision on the asylum request until after the London Olympic Games end in mid-August.
Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his country is doing "everything possible to protect the life of Mr. Assange."
"For that reason we are engaged in conversation with the Swedish and government and also with Great Britain before speaking to the United States," he added.
Ecuadorean officials are seeking assurances that Sweden and Britain would not allow Julian Assange to be extradited to the United States, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported last week, citing unnamed officials at the country's London embassy.
Patino did not confirm that but echoed the concern expressed by Assange's mother that the WikiLeaks founder would be mistreated if sent to the United States.
"We have received very sensitive information about torture that Australian citizens have received at the (U.S.) Guantanamo base, American citizens, too, and of a possible trial that a grand jury in Virginia is preparing against Julian Assange," he told reporters after meeting with her.
The reference was to terror suspects that the U.S. has kept at Guantanamo and unconfirmed claims by Julian Assange's supporters that U.S. officials plan to indict him, as occurred with U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning, who is accused of leaking documents to WikiLeaks.
Patino said Ecuador's ambassador in Sweden is requesting that Swedish prosecutors visit Julian Assange in the London embassy and question him there.
Christine Assange was asked by the AP if Ecuador would grant asylum to her son if it is unable to secure guarantees from Sweden and Britain that he will not be extradited to the United States.
"I don't know," she said in an interview.
She said she speaks to her son about every 10 days, and they don't much discuss his day-to-day life.
"We are also aware that our phones are being monitored and do not wish to talk about personal matters," she said,.
Christine Assange said her son doesn't get any natural sun light so she is arranging "for thinks like a sunlamp."
She said he has a treadmill to run on for exercise, and friends "turn the music on and encourage him to dance with them."
___
Associated Press writer Frank Bajak contributed to this report from Lima, Peru
To analyze, estimate and forecast the minimally invasive surgical devices market for treating prostate cancer To identify the drivers, restraints and opportunities for the prostate cancer minimally invasive market To identify the trend, burning issues, winning imperatives and growth prospects for the prostate cancer minimally invasive market To identify the major market players and determine their respective market share, core competencies To profile the key market players and analyze their market strategies and recent developments
?Scope The scope of the study is defined as below:
Type of minimally invasive prostate cancer surgery- Laparoscopic, Brachytherapy, Cryosurgery, Robot Assisted and others Types of surgical devices- Endosurgical Equipment, Monitoring & Visualizing Devices, Lasers and more Stage of disease progression- Stage A, Stage B, Stage C and Stage D Geographies covered- North America and Europe
Methodology
Intensive secondary research will be conducted to study the background of the prostate cancer surgery market. It will help in understanding the dynamics of available surgical options and ongoing developments Market will be segmented as per the surgery type, products and disease progression. Drivers, restraints and opportunities with respect to the various segments will be studied to analyze the market trend Key players will be identified and market strategies, product lines, market penetration and other factors will be analyzed to estimate their respective market share Primary interviews with key industry participants like oncologists, Directors, CEOs and Managers from major industry players will be conducted to get the key market information and triangulate the analysis Market will be forecasted considering the ongoing developments andtrends. Strategic recommendations will be provided based on the overall analysis
Stakeholders
Surgical device manufacturers Surgical device distributers Key opinion leaders (KOLs)/ decision makers at various healthcare provider facilities Out-patient surgery clinics Business research and management consulting organizations
Original Post Prostate Cancer Minimally Invasive Surgery Market in North America and Europe (2011 ? 2016) source Researchmoz Market Research Minimally Invasive Surgery Reports
The premise of an alkaline diet is that the nutrients found in supplements, alkalizing foods, and water can? bring the body back to balance. These vitamins, minerals, and herbs infuse the body with new energy, vitality, and better health.
Alkaline foods and water must be consumed in order to provide nutrients the body needs to neutralize acids and toxins in the blood, lymph, tissues, and cells.
When pH balance inside the body is ?out of balance?? the body tries to correct that sensitive pH balance. That process shows up as uncomfortable symptoms,? including colds, flues, allergies, diseases, viruses, and bacteria.
When the pH level in our body is unbalanced, almost any area of the body can be affected. For example when the nervous system is effected as the result of unbalanced pH balance it shows up in the form of the depression. When cardiovascular system is effected we could have heart disease or experience other heart-related problems, including thickening and hardening of the arteries, coronary heard disease, pain or discomfort in the chest, stroke, high blood pressure, and heart failure. When muscles are effected we often feel fatigue and lack of energy. When skin is effected by improper pH balance we age quicker than normal.
When the body?s pH level is in balance, the body reaches ideal weight and corrects negative health challenges naturally.
Transition to a more alkaline healthy diet requires a shift in attitude towards food. The important point to remember is that small changes go a long way. Add more alkaline foods to your diet gradually.
7 Sure-fire ways to make alkaline diet benefit you:
1) Reduce the consumption of sugar and products made from sugar, including soda pop, pies, ice cream, jello, jams & jellies, artificial juices, puddings, doughnuts, corn syrups, chewing gum, sweetened drinks, cookies, breakfast cereals, liqueurs, mixed drinks.
3) Avoid cooking and heating foods and drinks in microwave.
4) Avoid dairy, meats, fried foods and fast foods.
5) Increase your consumption of raw vegetables and raw fresh fruits (without sugar). You should include raw vegetables in every meal. If your breakfast is so small that you only eat toast or cereal, stop eating toast and take fresh fruits or vegetable juices instead. If your lunches? usually consist of sandwiches,? try to substitute it with a raw salad or a vegetable juice. Have a large salad before you eat a heavy entree at dinner. This way, you will be sure to eat all of the salad instead of finding yourself too full to finish it.
6) Grains form the base of a balanced diet and are important in maintaining the alkaline balance in the body. Grains are great source of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients, including folic acid, fiber, carbohydrates antioxidants and phytoestrogens. The Department of Food and Science and Nutrition at University of Minnesota determined that consumption of whole grains reduces the risk of chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular disease. By eating grains you can eat less but feel full. Grains should comprise about 20% of your diet.
7) Don?t forget to hydrate. Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of good quality of water each day. Add liquid minerals to increase the quality of water.
If you follow these easy 7 steps it will allow you to create the proper alkaline balance within your body.
Creating the proper alkaline balance within your body will bring you increased quality of life. You?ll start seeing immediate improvements in your health. Your energy will increase, your concentration will be stronger. You?ll build strength, stamina, and resistance to diseases. Your entire body will function more efficiently just like it was meant to do.
Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and his wife Sandra were arrested on Friday on suspicion of domestic battery in front of a child. The couple were [...]
JACKSONVILLE -- If ever there?s a place to see if Democratic enthusiasm for Barack Obama in 2012 matches that of 2008, it?s Duval County.
One of Florida?s top battlegrounds, this longtime Republican stronghold is also one of the most confounding and unpredictable electorates you?ll find.
Drive 30 minutes from any area in this New South, Navy town and you meet every stereotype imaginable: lifelong, white Democrats with horses and pickups, inner-city African-Americans fretting about street crime, social conservatives in a Baptist church encompassing nine blocks, northeastern retirees in flip-flops on the beach, or socially moderate Starbucks Republicans mingling in trendy restaurants.
?It?s one of the most misunderstood counties in Florida,?? said Democratic pollster Dave Beattie of Fernandina Beach, north of Jacksonville in Nassau County.
In this bastion of conservatism, the past two Republican mayors of Jacksonville raised taxes and fees significantly, while the new Democratic mayor has tea party activists hailing his fiscal conservatism. It?s a county that statewide Republican candidates routinely win by more than 15 percentage points, but can be nail-bitingly close with the right Democrat on the ballot.
?People think that Republicans win here by gigantic margins, that Duval compensates for the Democratic strongholds in South Florida. Republicans do consistently win, but it can be close,? Beattie said.
George W. Bush beat John Kerry in Duval by 62,000 votes in 2004, while former Jacksonville resident John McCain squeaked past Obama in 2008 by less than 8,000 votes.
Few people expect President Obama to match his performance from four years ago, however.
?His supporters are not going to be as fired up this time,?? predicted attorney Kenneth Boston, inhaling a stogie while sporting a bow tie and glistening an Obama watch at a Jacksonville Beach watering hole. ?It?s impossible to match the excitement of last time. It was a first then, it was historic.?
The question is not whether Obama can win Duval, but rather how close he can keep it. If the campaign can?t keep Duval closer than 7 or 8 percentage points from Republican Mitt Romney, it becomes harder to make up those votes elsewhere in the state.
?He did a great job turning out people who usually don?t vote, and the question is whether he can do that again,?? said Florida Republican Party chairman Lenny Curry of Jacksonville. ?For us, the Republicans for Mitt Romney, it?s a necessity to have a pretty good margin to offset our losses in other parts of the state.?
The African-American vote is key. Nearly 28 percent of Duval?s 530,000 voters are African-Americans who overwhelmingly vote Democratic. The data-driven Obama campaign four years ago saw that tens of thousands of registered black voters hadn?t been showing up at the polls and launched the biggest voter mobilization ever in the area. Obama campaigned in Jacksonville three times in 2008, including the day before Election Day.
This year, Obama is ramping it up still more, with one campaign office opened in January and two more to open within weeks. Obama and the first lady have each visited Duval County in the past three months. The administration recently sped up the arrival of a battleship, the USS New York, to Jacksonville?s Naval Station Mayport and fast-tracked a study of deepening Jacksonville?s ship channel.
Adam C. Smith can be reached at asmith@tampabay.com.
In Massachusetts, 'individual mandate' led to decreased hospital productivityPublic release date: 30-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Connie Hughes Connie.Hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health
Costs of individual mandate portion of the National Health Care Reform may be higher than initial forecasts, suggests study in Health Care Management Review
Philadelphia, Pa. (July 30, 2012) - As the "individual mandate" of the Affordable Care Act moves forward, debate and speculation continue as to whether universal health insurance coverage will lead to significant cost savings for hospitals. The assumption is that providing appropriate primary care will improve the overall health of the population, resulting in less need for hospital services and less severe illness among hospitalized patients. Findings from a recent study published in Health Care Management Review challenge that assumption. Health Care Management Review is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
The new study reports that mandatory individual insurance coverage in Massachusetts was followed by a significant near-term drop in hospital productivity. The results raise the possibility of similar decrease in U.S. hospital productivity once the individual mandate is implemented as part of national health care reform. "As such, current cost estimates of the Affordable Care Act's impact on overall health spending are potentially understated," write Mark A. Thompson, PhD, of Texas Tech University and colleagues.
Hospital Productivity Drops after Mandatory Insurance
The researchers used economic models to evaluate the effects of mandatory insurance coverage on hospital productivity. The analysis focused on the impact of the universal insurance coverage mandate implemented in Massachusetts in July, 2007.
Data from 2005 to 2008 was used to compare trends in productivity at 51 Massachusetts hospitals, 197 matched hospitals and other 2,916 hospitals across the United States. The analysis first used "propensity score matching" techniques to match hospitals in Massachusetts with the hospitals with comparable characteristics.
From 2005 to 2006--before passage of the Massachusetts health care reform legislation--productivity decreased slightly for all hospitals. However, the largest and only significant decrease (2.4 percent) was seen among hospitals in Massachusetts. During the transition period, all hospitals again saw a slight decrease in productivity in 2007 compared to 2006, but Massachusetts hospitals had a significant decrease which was more than twice that of their matched hospitals.
In 2008--immediately after the mandatory insurance law took effect--Massachusetts hospitals had a significant 2.5 percent increase in productivity over the previous year. This increase was than for the comparison hospitals, but less than for hospitals across the United States.
From 2005 through 2008, the Massachusetts hospitals had an overall productivity loss of 3.5 percent, compared to a 1.6 percent loss among the comparison hospitals and a 4.1 percent gain in productivity among all hospitals.
Unexpected Effect on Productivity May Reflect 'Pent-Up Demand'
In Massachusetts, it was expected that mandatory insurance coverage would "bend the health cost inflation curve"--making hospitals more productive and lowering the overall cost of public programs. However, the costs of providing universal insurance in Massachusetts have been higher than expected, raising questions about whether the "individual mandate" actually led to the predicted increase in hospital productivity.
"Based on the Massachusetts experience," Dr Thompson and coauthors write, "legislating mandatory health insurance coverage at the national level is likely to be accompanied by a near-term decrease in overall hospital productivity
and a concomitant increase in overall health care costs." They speculate that increased access to health care may lead to "release of pent-up demand" for costly discretionary hospital services. The researchers add, "In the long-term, universal coverage should lead to significant savings for hospitals if they can shift non-emergent care away from their emergency departments."
In the meantime, Dr Thompson and coauthors urge realistic expectations about how increases in demand associated with universal coverage are likely to affect hospital productivity. They write, "In the face of policy change at the national level, the healthcare industry will undergo process and outcome transformation that may mimic Massachusetts."
###
About Health Care Management Review
Health Care Management Review (HCMR) disseminates state-of-the-art knowledge about management, leadership, and administration of health care systems, organizations, and agencies. Multidisciplinary and international in scope, articles present completed research relevant to health care management, leadership, and administration, as well report on rigorous evaluations of health care management innovations, or provide a synthesis of prior research that results in evidence-based health care management practice recommendations. Articles are theory-driven and translate findings into implications and recommendations for health care administrators, researchers, and faculty.
About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes. LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2011 annual revenues of 3.4 billion ($4.7 billion).
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
In Massachusetts, 'individual mandate' led to decreased hospital productivityPublic release date: 30-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Connie Hughes Connie.Hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health
Costs of individual mandate portion of the National Health Care Reform may be higher than initial forecasts, suggests study in Health Care Management Review
Philadelphia, Pa. (July 30, 2012) - As the "individual mandate" of the Affordable Care Act moves forward, debate and speculation continue as to whether universal health insurance coverage will lead to significant cost savings for hospitals. The assumption is that providing appropriate primary care will improve the overall health of the population, resulting in less need for hospital services and less severe illness among hospitalized patients. Findings from a recent study published in Health Care Management Review challenge that assumption. Health Care Management Review is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
The new study reports that mandatory individual insurance coverage in Massachusetts was followed by a significant near-term drop in hospital productivity. The results raise the possibility of similar decrease in U.S. hospital productivity once the individual mandate is implemented as part of national health care reform. "As such, current cost estimates of the Affordable Care Act's impact on overall health spending are potentially understated," write Mark A. Thompson, PhD, of Texas Tech University and colleagues.
Hospital Productivity Drops after Mandatory Insurance
The researchers used economic models to evaluate the effects of mandatory insurance coverage on hospital productivity. The analysis focused on the impact of the universal insurance coverage mandate implemented in Massachusetts in July, 2007.
Data from 2005 to 2008 was used to compare trends in productivity at 51 Massachusetts hospitals, 197 matched hospitals and other 2,916 hospitals across the United States. The analysis first used "propensity score matching" techniques to match hospitals in Massachusetts with the hospitals with comparable characteristics.
From 2005 to 2006--before passage of the Massachusetts health care reform legislation--productivity decreased slightly for all hospitals. However, the largest and only significant decrease (2.4 percent) was seen among hospitals in Massachusetts. During the transition period, all hospitals again saw a slight decrease in productivity in 2007 compared to 2006, but Massachusetts hospitals had a significant decrease which was more than twice that of their matched hospitals.
In 2008--immediately after the mandatory insurance law took effect--Massachusetts hospitals had a significant 2.5 percent increase in productivity over the previous year. This increase was than for the comparison hospitals, but less than for hospitals across the United States.
From 2005 through 2008, the Massachusetts hospitals had an overall productivity loss of 3.5 percent, compared to a 1.6 percent loss among the comparison hospitals and a 4.1 percent gain in productivity among all hospitals.
Unexpected Effect on Productivity May Reflect 'Pent-Up Demand'
In Massachusetts, it was expected that mandatory insurance coverage would "bend the health cost inflation curve"--making hospitals more productive and lowering the overall cost of public programs. However, the costs of providing universal insurance in Massachusetts have been higher than expected, raising questions about whether the "individual mandate" actually led to the predicted increase in hospital productivity.
"Based on the Massachusetts experience," Dr Thompson and coauthors write, "legislating mandatory health insurance coverage at the national level is likely to be accompanied by a near-term decrease in overall hospital productivity
and a concomitant increase in overall health care costs." They speculate that increased access to health care may lead to "release of pent-up demand" for costly discretionary hospital services. The researchers add, "In the long-term, universal coverage should lead to significant savings for hospitals if they can shift non-emergent care away from their emergency departments."
In the meantime, Dr Thompson and coauthors urge realistic expectations about how increases in demand associated with universal coverage are likely to affect hospital productivity. They write, "In the face of policy change at the national level, the healthcare industry will undergo process and outcome transformation that may mimic Massachusetts."
###
About Health Care Management Review
Health Care Management Review (HCMR) disseminates state-of-the-art knowledge about management, leadership, and administration of health care systems, organizations, and agencies. Multidisciplinary and international in scope, articles present completed research relevant to health care management, leadership, and administration, as well report on rigorous evaluations of health care management innovations, or provide a synthesis of prior research that results in evidence-based health care management practice recommendations. Articles are theory-driven and translate findings into implications and recommendations for health care administrators, researchers, and faculty.
About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes. LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2011 annual revenues of 3.4 billion ($4.7 billion).
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Coming across a rodent or insect infestation in your house can be quite distressing. You can get in touch with pest control Phoenix professionals to help you get rid of the nuisance. When dealing with professionals always ask to see proof of their credentials so as to be sure they can handle the problem. In addition, you can take various measures to minimize chances of a re-infestation.
One of the best ways to find a legitimate company is to talk to individuals who have had the same experience before. This is because they are more likely to know some professionals who can handle the job well. Even so, you need to compare the services of different companies and go for the one you are convinced will do a good job. Make sure that they offer cost effective solutions.
So that you know what you are dealing with, talk with the professional so as to know how severe the problem is, the kind of rodents or insects you are dealing with and the solutions that they will apply. Find out the amount of time it will take to get rid of the pests and other preventative measures you can put in place so as not to have the problem again. Check out the credibility of the company with the local authorities in your area and if they are licensed to offer their services.
You can purchase different types of traps such as mouse traps to help you get rid of rodents. These can be cheaply purchased from a hardware store near you. Use peanut butter or bacon to act as bait. Use fly spray to help you get rid of insects. You may be surprised to learn that hairspray is just as effective if you have run out of fly spray.
Another option is to use mosquito nets to keep away flying insects. You can spread the net around your bed at night before you go to sleep. They can also be spread over your front porch. Putting nets over your windows also helps to minimize insects getting into the house.
Placing wired nets on your windows will prevent insects getting into the house even during the day. Make sure the net does not have any holes. Check if there are any openings around your house that rodents and insects can use to get into the house and have them sealed as soon as possible.
Just because a company claims to exterminate pests does not mean they will do a good job. That is why you need to know if they are credible. Get opinions from more than one company about how severe the problem is and the best way to deal with it.
If you have small children or pets around then be very careful which pest control Phoenix preventative measures you utilize. This is because some products used can be toxic to human beings and animals. Ask the opinion of a toxicologist or your regular doctor to know if it is safe enough to use certain chemicals around your home.
You can find complete details about the reasons why you should hire an exterminator and information about a pest control Phoenix professional at http://www.pestcontrol-phx.com/ now.
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Bruce Springsteen hit the stage in London over the weekend to headline the finale at the Hard Rock Calling festival held at Hyde Park in London Saturday. Taking the stage with him for the finale was none other than the knighted Beatle himself, Sir Paul McCartney.
Apparently the status of the two rock legends wasn't enough to extend the concert being held in one of London's largest outdoor parks.
Springsteen is known for his marathon sets and in the climax of the three hour show McCartney and Springsteen were playing an old Beatles favorite ?Twist and Shout? when the plug was pulled on them. The time was 10:40pm and according to London's Westminster Council, Springsteen was given until 10:15 to finish his set.
Fans were left unsatisfied and baffled by the actions and it was later confirmed by officials that they had cut the power to the event, claiming they ?were sticking to their license for the event.?
A new method for mixing gels lets you hide secret messages in pools of unassuming goo, but it could also help create artificial spines.
Gels are made through a process called polymerisation, in which small molecules known as monomers join together in a tangled network. This makes mixing two gels while retaining their individual properties difficult, as the two different monomers end up combined in a single network. One solution is to polymerise the two gels first and then combine them, but that leads to a weak join between the two materials.
Now chemists at the University of Maryland have a better idea. It turns out that thickening the gel monomers with small particles of clay before polymerisation prevents them from mixing together while also providing a strong and seamless join.
The team demonstrated their new method by writing the letters "UMD" in one gel and surrounding them with another in a Petri dish, resulting in a smooth clear disc with no letters visible. The message is only revealed when viewed through polarising lenses, as the two gels polarise light differently. Another version of the same experiment using different gels only revealed the message when the disc was heated.
Hiding message isn't the real aim of the research, however, as hybrid gels have a number of other uses. Gels are currently used as scaffolding for growing tissue from stem cells, such as a new windpipe, and combined gels could be used to create mixes of different tissues. They could also replicate other organic materials that are known to be mixtures of gel-like substances, such as spinal discs.
That was the unusual plea published in an editorial in The Times of London on Saturday, a measure of Britons' growing frustration with months of miserable weather.
"Let us make our position crystal clear: We are against this weather," the venerable newspaper wrote in an unsigned opinion piece. "It must stop raining, and soon."
The U.K. is slogging through some of the wettest conditions in recent history. Nearly every day seems to bring showers, sprinkles, drizzles, or downpours. On Saturday alone, England's Environment Agency registered some 75 flood alerts and warnings across the country, including the west England county of Shropshire, where fire and rescue officials received an anguished phone call from a woman who found herself waist-deep in water overnight.
Area manager Martin Timmis said he was seeing flash floods almost every week as storms dumped more water on the already-saturated ground of a country not unused to wet weather.
"What's unprecedented is that this is becoming a regular occurrence," he said in a telephone interview. "The rain comes down and it's got nowhere to go."
The soggy scenario has been repeated around the U.K., with summer music festivals washed out, sporting events soaked, and spirits dampened by the non-stop precipitation. Earlier this month the MFEST music festival in the English city of Leeds ? where The Human League, Texas, Bob Geldof and Cher Lloyd were all booked to perform ? was canceled due to the foul weather.
This week the Hit Factory Live, scheduled to feature pop princess Kylie Minogue, was canceled after London's Hyde Park was turned into a mucky quagmire.
Last week torrential downpours forced organizers to turn fans away from qualifying rounds of the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. Rain also delayed play and forced the roof to close at Sunday's Wimbledon tennis final, which saw Andy Murray lose out to Roger Federer as disappointed fans camped out in the mud outside Centre Court.
Britain's Meteorological Office says the jet stream, the narrow band of fast-moving wind which flows west to east across the Atlantic, may be in part to blame for the run of foul weather. In a blog post the weather service explained that the jet stream generally resides north of Britain during the summer months, guiding unsettled weather systems away from the country. This year, however, the jet stream has been stubbornly stuck to the country's south, "guiding those systems straight to us" and leading to the wettest June on record.
In its editorial, The Times lamented that the country was full of discounted swimwear, unsold garden furniture, and unused barbecues. It even said that the country's potato harvest has been affected ? pushing up the price of chips ? or fries, to Americans.
"When the proverbial cheapness of chips comes under threat, The Times says enough is enough," the editorial said.
"The British climate is supposed to be unpredictable," it continued. "At the moment, it is anything but. If sustained sunshine is too much to ask for, most of us would settle for a little bit of fickle."
Met Office spokeswoman Sarah Holland was apologetic, saying in an email that while the weather was disappointing, "unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it."
Holland said that "some more pleasant conditions" were forecast over the next month, when the Olympic Games get underway, although there was little sign of that in London on Saturday, where the skies were a threatening whitish grey.
Holland added that Sunday "will be a much brighter and sunnier day than today," but then she added, "with only light showers at times."
___
Online:
The editorial: http://thetim.es/OEOgKG (subscription required)
The Met Office explains Britain's soggy summer: http://bit.ly/MmNVgW
___
Raphael Satter can be reached at: http://raphae.li/twitter
It would be an exaggeration to say I'm a pretty 'even keel' guy. ?I have 4 businesses in the middle of nowhere and a lot of high expectations from our clients on day to day basis, and I expect a lot from myself. ?But obviously, I'm able to strike a reasonable balance between kicking ass and keeping the show moving, and the delicate nature of sales, town interactions, community relations and customer service that demands a certain level of savvy and moderation. ?If not, we would be like most other businesses in the Catskills, - residing squarely in the trash heap of 'nice tries'.
So when hurdles come my way I'm pretty prepared to deal with them. ?This morning the 25,000 lb spray foam truck broke down at 7am halfway to the job 1.5 hrs away, and a series of other issues complicate my day and cut to shreds my 'best laid plans'. ?With 4 businesses, 13 employees and 10 house builds underway plus another couple under design, plenty of room for lots of shit to hit the fan on a minute to minute basis.
However, everyone has their breaking point, where just being a human overwhelms all the professional training and experience one has under their belt, and mine came at 7:15am this morning when Brandi Merolla, better known as "Spice" at the local inn, once again got in my face with her complaints, slander, manipulation and outright lies. ?For over a year the neighbor of the Big Barn has been harassing us over non-existent issues or trivialities that even the fussiest neighbor typically overlooks or understands.
So let's take it from the top. ?It was long ago that I stopped thinking keeping our noses clean, doing a good job, creating tons of jobs, investing $500,000 a month into local businesses month after month (and that's just during construction - when we are done, our clients then typically blow a bunch more dough around town while furnishing their homes), measurably increasing Town ?and School real estate taxables which each new home we build, and typically increasing the real estate values of the area around our homes means something. ?It doesn't - at least in Sullivan County.
Weiden Lake Estates is a perfect example. ?A late 90's subdivision, land sales were currently stagnant, maybe a new home was built every few years, could not sell a house or a piece of land to save your dying grandmother. ? And along we come and buy a piece of land and build a house (thanks Matthew - Cottage 36 - , now on the board at Weiden Lake), then another (thank you Joe and Katie), then another (thank you Mimi and Eammon - Farm 11) and then another (thank you Bill and Veronica - Barn VI) then another (thank you Cactus and Jean - Big Barn) then another (thank you Kerry and Jamie - Farm 18) and then another (thank you Joe and Robin- Farm 19). ?So here we took this worthless land on a nice street and made it worth something, introduced new neighbors and families and children and animals and guests, and worked with 3 different building inspectors, and 2 new town boards and dozens of neighbors and no one complains about us at all - not even once- until Brandi Merolla comes into the picture. ?8 homes on Lake Ridge Road and 7 homes on intersecting Weiden Lake Road, -within 2 years - and not a peep of a complaint even though we were working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, with big noisy equipment up and down the street.
Sure, we aren't perfect. ?When you are working with literally dozens of companies, and they all have several if not more employees, people are going to do stupid shit like through speed, throw coffee cups out windows and leave garbage and around what have you - but look around at Barker Road, Tuthill Road, Lake Ridge Road, Weiden Lake Road, and you will find pretty clean roadways and road shoulders - actually, for all the dufuses going in and out of the job site, it's remarkable.
But it's not an accident. ?I send patrols out looking for garbage, I freak out if my job sites are messy, I regularly fire people for upsetting neighbors and town employees. ?I typically break new guys in by seeing how they react to 'road duty'. ?So when Brandi Merolla called the first time with a 'I'm finding garbage bags full of garbage along the roads' I personally, immediately, got in my car, drove 10 miles and checked it out. ?And found nothing other than an odd piece of trash here and there - far below any outlier metric to get me terribly concerned. ?Our guys are good.
So when she calls back the next time a month later loudly complaining about the garbage again, I call my man Brian and tell him to take a few guys and clean up the road and shoulder and he reports back that not much is out there I know he means 'not much is out there'. ?At this point, I know she's 'one of them' - no problem, we deal with it all the time.
But what's weird now, is I find her on my property and in the houses I'm building, all over our properties, her and her weird husband with the bad haircut and band-aide permanently on his neck walking their dogs, letting their dogs shit on our properties, grazing them at will. ? So now I know I have a winner - complaining about us and trespassing without hesitation on our properties. ?In fact, as I drive by at different times of the day, I see them purposely using our lands for their dogs to shit on. ?Real nice, right? ?But do I say anything? ?A resounding 'no'. ?I've been known to buy neighbors' gift certificates at the local restaurant and other nice gestures since I know construction can be disruptive. ?When we did the cottage on yankee lake, on 1/4 of an acre, we had neighbors complaining right and left (rightfully so half the time) and we navigated that just fine. ?Over at York Lake we got in big trouble for working on the weekends but that was smoothed over with a friendly phone call. ?But their complaints were real, and hence a solution was possible.
So then a month or so later, after we institute daily road patrols to ensure the garbage is at an absolute minimum (and I would suggest much less than any other regular road), we get another call saying our trucks are running all over her yard and leaving HUGE divots and on and on. ?So I get in my car again, and go check it out. ?And she's right - if you count the road shoulder, within feet of the actual road, - if you count that as your property, then I did see some light marks where maybe on of the hundreds of vehicles might have had to extend their turn around radius. ?So what do I do? ?I go out that night, buy stakes and stake the entire front of her yard (which is not her yard but actually the road and is at least 150' from her house). ?Now bear in mind that the whole year we are working there her dogs are barking and disrupting the neighborhood, trying to break out of the doublewide trailer they live in, the one house design blemish on an otherwise pristine street of nice houses - the type of house we causes me to think twice about before buying the property next door. ? The type of house that homeowner covenants are meant to discourage.
So now we have addressed 4 calls about non-existent garbage, and nearly impossible to avoid use of the road shoulder, and now I start to get feedback from the local building department that this person who is trespassing on our land while routinely complaining about us is now making complaints to the town about the structures, and by default, the 1 percenter who will be living there. ?It's too big, the garage is actually a house, there's a bathroom in the garage - all these neat little accusatory trouble-making details that someone who lives in a trailer would have no idea about and actually wouldn't be able to even know about unless then venture an 1/8 of a mile into my property to snoop and explore.
So the week after I post stakes all across the front of her yard to mitigate minor shoulder issues, the month after I implemented a weekly road cleanup plan, she is calling the building department trying to shut us down and stop the project.
Now, to a builder- and to a homeowner, this is a tactic or action that requires addressing, since that is more or less declaring war, even if you can turn the cheek on the other nuisance actions - these are fighting words since typically hundred of thousands of dollars are on the line as well as the near-term 'want to live in the house' aspirations of the clients - so now she is really pushing a button that necessitates a response. ?And she didn't stop when she was told we were in total compliance (like we always are), she continued to call the next week, and the next - requiring the building inspector to fend off her calls on a weekly basis. ?So, yes, you got it right. ?Her dogs are being walked and allowed to shit on our property at will, she's complaining about non-existent garbage, she's calling the building inspector and that not the end of the story.
Now, of course, time is passing, so I've been dealing with this nonsense for not weeks, but months, even going on a year. ?And then I hear she's going around telling friends of my wife's (sure most of you know she's more or less my ex at this point, but still a big supporter) friends and telling stories about how big of a jerk I am but leaving out like 7/8th of the real story, like her part in it. ?But it's disheartening to find out that Spice is telling Tina and one of our homeowners up the street these crazy out of context stories and the like. ?But, like I said earlier in the post, I knew I had a winner and winners are renowned for being unpredictable, irrational and mean.
So when this morning, I'm driving Lucas back to his Mom's at 7am, stopping by a few houses like we alway do (had to meet Norm at Farm 19 to lay out the septic and clearing), I see Brandi Spice and her husband 25' into our properties, letting their dogs do their thing. ?Having never met her, but thinking I know who it is, I roll down my passenger window and tell them not to be on our property and definitely not to have their dogs on the property, especially since their property is right across the street. ?You would think some sort of embarrassment or contrition would occur to these dimwits but no - Mr Band-aide on his neck rushes over to the car cursing and swearing about this and that like I've been the one harassing them, instead of the reverse. ?Literally using words Lucas never heard before. ?And for a moment I went red with rage - a year of pent up receiving end of doing a good job and being harassed by some white trash trouble-maker cursing in front of Lucas.
And listen to the best part - they are on my property, they are yelling at me, they are frightening Lucas, their dogs are shitty on my property, and they go home and call the cops. ?And just like they did with my wife's friend and my client up the street, they weaved a tale to the state cop that erased any action on their part that might have placed them in the situation they found themselves in. ?According to their story each time, they are victims of a raging, bipolar lunatic - and since I have a business to run, and a reputation to protect, I typically let these things go - but Brandi Spice Merolla, you and your husband have pushed too far, for no reason, to the detriment of the neighborhood, and now this diatribe rant of mine will forever be a part of your internet profile and neighborhood profile. ? And it was well-earned and deserved on your part. ?
As the World Turns at Catskill Farms - where we take the punch for our customers.
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Another contest-qualifier, completely unedited and written in something like twenty six minutes. Feel free to tear it apart!
It?s three AM and he can?t sleep.
He?s lying there, bare except for the dark comforter wrapped around him, offering a contrast of skin and fabric, with her sleeping, just as bare beside him. Near him. On him. Her breathing presses her closer to him, head on his shoulder, hair wild and curly, her mind taking her places he?s never been but wants to know about. And it?s dark, cozy. It?s three A.M.
And he can?t sleep.
On nights like this, in a different bed with different sheets and familiar things surrounding him, he?d distract himself. He?d watch a horror, or play some Xbox or read. Or sometimes, when these things failed and he could cross them off like a grocery list, he?d curl his body around an imaginary one. He?d picture hair and smooth skin and soft breaths. He?d picture those things and slowly let his mind shut down, drift off. But now he has the real thing, he?s not pretending. Still, it?s three A.M.
Still, he can?t sleep.
His mind moves fast, too fast for him to catch up. He wonders if he?s using her, taking advantage of soft hair and softer eyes, of a gigawatt smile and a bubbly giggly personality that goes well with his, belongs next to his own. She looks good on his arm, her hand fits well in his. He wonders, as his eyes rake over unfamiliar surroundings, taking in the tiles of her ceiling and the cracks in her walls. He wonders if he?s good enough. He wonders, and he knows that it?s still three A.M.
He just can?t sleep.
She is porcelain in the moonlight as she lets out a soft sound he likes to think is his name. She is an angel slumbering as she buries her face into the crook of where shoulder meets neck, her breath exploding on a quiet sigh. Why is she here, sleeping on him? He?s clumsy and loud. He?s insecure and inappropriate. Why? The one syllable word booms through his mind, cannon fire on the waves of his thoughts. Why her? Why him? Why here? Why three A.M.?
Why can?t he sleep?
At the moment he feels the questions mount like a chorus of onlookers at an execution, threatening to consume him and ruin what little amount of confidence this night as achieved, at the breaking point, boiling point, point of no return, he feels a stir. The sound he liked to think was his name becomes his name, her lips forming the words on his neck, her hand finds his, lying on his bare stomach, clenched from the tension.
A small flex, and her hand is holding his. Her fingers filling the voids between his, completing them both, fulfilling them both, just like that.
Just like that.
He huffs a laugh out, squeezes her hand. The insecurities flutter with the wisp of sound, ejected fo the night. He smiles in the moonlight.
Carrying around a charging cable is a fact of life if you use your smartphone for more than just the occasional call. But instead of packing the bulky cables that came with your iPhone or Android handset, just slip this tiny USB adapter onto your keychain for emergency battery top-offs. More »
ScienceDaily (July 11, 2012) ? Living organisms have developed sophisticated ways to maintain stability in a changing environment, withstanding fluctuations in temperature, pH, pressure, and the presence or absence of crucial molecules. The integration of similar features in artificial materials, however, has remained a challenge -- until now.
In the July 12 issue of Nature, a Harvard-led team of engineers presented a strategy for building self-thermoregulating nanomaterials that can, in principle, be tailored to maintain a set pH, pressure, or just about any other desired parameter by meeting the environmental changes with a compensatory chemical feedback response.
Called SMARTS (Self-regulated Mechano-chemical Adaptively Reconfigurable Tunable System), this newly developed materials platform offers a customizable way to autonomously turn chemical reactions on and off and reproduce the type of dynamic self-powered feedback loops found in biological systems.
The advance represents a step toward more intelligent and efficient medical implants and even dynamic buildings that could respond to the weather for increased energy efficiency. The researchers also expect that their methodology could have considerable potential for translation into areas such as robotics, computing, and healthcare.
Structurally, SMARTS resembles a microscopic toothbrush, with bristles that can stand up or lie down, making and breaking contact with a layer containing chemical 'nutrients'.
"Think about how goosebumps form on your skin," explains lead author Joanna Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. "When it is cold out, tiny muscles at the base of each hair on your arm cause the hairs to stand up in an insulating layer. As your skin warms up, the muscles contract and the hairs lie back down to keep you from overheating. SMARTS works in a similar way."
Natural materials like skin are incredibly dynamic and can maintain control in a wide range of environments through self-regulation. By contrast, synthetic materials cannot easily replicate homeostasis. Even the "smartest" materials -- like eyeglasses that darken in sunlight, or a piezoelectric sensor that converts the vibrations of an acoustic guitar into a digital audio signal -- typically only react to one specific environmental stimulus and do not self-regulate.
"By building dynamic feedback loops into SMARTS from the bottom up, we were able to integrate the desired regulatory features into the material itself," says co-lead author Ximin He, a postdoctoral fellow in the Aizenberg lab at SEAS and at the Wyss Institute. "Whether it is the pH level, temperature, wetness, pressure, or something else, SMARTS can be designed to directly sense and modulate the desired stimulus using no external power or complex machinery, giving us a conceptually new robust platform that is customizable, reversible, and remarkably precise."
To demonstrate SMARTS, He, Aizenberg, and the team chose temperature as the stimulus and embedded an array of tiny nanofibers, akin to little hairs, in a layer of hydrogel. The hydrogel, similar to a muscle, can either swell or contract in response to changes in the temperature.
When the temperature drops, the gel swells, and the hairs stand upright and make contact with the 'nutrient' layer; when it warms up, the gel contracts, and the hairs lie down. The key aspect is that molecular catalysts placed on the tips of the nanofibers can trigger heat-generating chemical reactions in the 'nutrient' layer.
"The bilayer system effectively creates a self-regulated on-and-off switch controlled by the motion of the hairs, turning the reaction on and generating heat when it is cold. Once the temperature has achieved a pre-determined level, the hydrogel contracts, causing the hairs to lie down, interrupting further generation of heat. When it cools again below the set-point the cycle restarts autonomously. It's homeostasis, right down at the materials level," says Aizenberg.
The researchers anticipate that with further refinement the technique could be integrated into materials for medical implants to help stabilize bodily functions, perhaps sensing and adjusting the level of glucose or carbon dioxide in the blood. Furthermore, the oscillating mechanical motion of the hairs could be put to work or used for propulsion, like cilia in a living organism.
"In principle, you can turn anything -- heat, light, mechanical pressure -- into a chemical signal within the gel. Likewise, the reactions triggered by the moving hairs can produce many different types of compensatory responses. By matching signals and responses, we can, in principle, create a wide variety of self-regulating feedback loops," adds He.
Beside its technological applications, SMARTS is also an ideal "laboratory" to study the fundamental properties of biological and chemical systems, such as how living systems are able to so efficiently convert between chemical and mechanical processes.
"We found a new way to think about materials and created a fascinating system to look at some fundamental, deep questions about how living things maintain a stable state," says Aizenberg.
Aizenberg and He collaborated with Michael Aizenberg, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard; Olga Kuksenok and and Anna Balazs, University of Pittsburgh; and Lauren D. Zarzar and Ankita Shastri, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University.
The authors received support from the Department of Energy under award DE-SC0005247 and the National Science Foundation under award CMMI-1124839.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Ximin He, Michael Aizenberg, Olga Kuksenok, Lauren D. Zarzar, Ankita Shastri, Anna C. Balazs, Joanna Aizenberg. Synthetic homeostatic materials with chemo-mechano-chemical self-regulation. Nature, 2012; 487 (7406): 214 DOI: 10.1038/nature11223
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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Public release date: 30-Jul-2012
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(Image: Macromolecules, DOI: 10.1021/ma300859b)
