Do not chew or drink any hot liquids until the anesthetic has completely worn off.
Be sure to fill any prescriptions given to you.
It is best to take anti-inflammatory medication before the anesthetic wears off. We recommend Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or Aleve. If you can't take these drugs, please consider using Tylenol.
Please favor this side of mouth until tooth is comfortable. It may take up to 2 weeks. Once the tooth feels fine, you may chew cautiously.
Unless the doctor has told you otherwise, you must return to your dentist for a permanent restoration. Failure to do so may result in re-infection of root canal or loss of tooth due to breakdown. We will forward a full report of treatment to your dentist.
Be sure to call the office with any questions of concerns you may have. Our offices are open Monday through Saturday and there is always a doctor on call after hours.
Do not exercise in the first 24 hours as it may result in increased swelling.
Do not eat sharp foods that may injure the surgical area, avoid hot food.
Do not raise your lip to look at the area as it may tear the sutures.
Do not be concerned if you have swelling in your face or discoloration of the skin of your face, as a moderated amount of both is normal after surgery.
Do not rinse your mouth in the first 24 hours after surgery as you may cause bleeding.
Go home, sit up and place an ice bag on the area for at least 4 hours. Remove the ice every 5-10 minutes to avoid irritating the skin.
Take medication for pain as directed. For mild-moderate discomfort, you may take over the counter medications such as TYLENOL or ADVIL. For stronger pain take the medication prescribed by the doctor.
Take antibiotics, if prescribed by the doctor.
Take antibiotics, if prescribed, until all of the pills are taken.
Brush your teeth gently, except the immediate surgical area.
Rinse the area gently with salt water or prescribed after each meal beginning the morning of the day after surgery.
Expect that you will have swelling in the area, which may get larger on the second day.
Call the office in the morning of the day after surgery to report your status or to ask any question.
Call the office at any time if you feel that you are having symptoms that are abnormal.
It is normal for patients to experience slight discomfort for a few days after their endodontic treatment.
If you are experiencing pain, please take both Ibuprofen/Advil [400 mg] and Tylenol [325 mg]. Repeat every 4-6 hours for the first 2 days after treatment, or as recommended by your doctor.
If discomfort continues, please give our office a call at any time.


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Whole Milk is Cool Again!
By Matthew Denis	 August 31, 2021
Attention guys: Hot girls like whole milk. That is, if they're not lactose intolerant, ethically opposed, or just don't like dairy as a rule.
While the non-dairy, milk alternative industry surged during the pandemic, New York Magazine's Grub Street claims that coffee shops and trendy people are going back to full fat, protein-rich whole milk.
"Hot girls are ditching the alternatives and are going back to basics," tweeted @meetka, a downtown NYC-based café server.
There's no end to the non-dairy options out there (soy, oats, almonds, coconut, even brain-cracking mushroom), yet none of them can stack up to that frothed, creamy goodness arising from a cow's udder. Seriously: If you're stomach can take it, try a bite in your oatmeal/cereal or dip a warm cookie in a tall, cool glass to discover what you might have been missing.
Best Protein Shakes
A Guide to Dairy-Free Milk
Best Milk Frothers
While this may be anathema to a food trend that has indoctrinated the culture over the last several years, milk lovers and trendsetters are stepping out from the shadows to proclaim their place in the world again.
Grub Street cites New York's downtown publicist Kaitlin Phillips (@yoloethics) planted her flag at the Abraco coffee shop two weeks ago,
"The real reason I like Abraco is they ONLY have half and half, no fancy milk. Incredible !"
While MSN Money found that butter production is up 6% over the first nine months of 2021 and is on track to top two billion pounds for the first time since 1943, the milk substitute industry seems to be doing just fine itself after riding a pandemic surge.
According to the nonprofit Good Food Institute, investments in alternative food tripled in 2020 to $3.1 billion. This included $2.1 billion for plant-based meat, egg, and dairy. The research group also found that sales of United States meat alternatives jumped 45% in 2020.
There's an argument to be made on both sides. Some plant milks aren't fortified with all of the naturally occurring nutrients in cow's milk, which include calcium, potassium, B vitamins, vitamin D, and vitamin A.
In a previous article for Eat This, Not That!, Lauren Hoover, RD, MS at Shift in Chicago explained that, while oat milk is a great choice for non-lactose guts and vegan diets, it's not necessarily nutritionally superior.
"I would not say that oat milk is healthier than cow's milk, they are just different," Hoover explained. "Cow's milk has more protein and also is a complete protein, meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids."
Whether or not whole milk is indeed making a comeback or is just a quick trend, one thing is certain: Skim milk and 1% are feeling pretty left out nowadays.
Read More: How to Make a Perfect Milkshake at Home
Meet Firelli Hot Sauce Brand Made With Calabrian Peppers
The Beginner's Guide to Going Gluten Free

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Branch members should by now have received an email about our Mental Health Survey please do take the time to fill it in, it'll only take a few minutes and it will help us a huge amount to plan the right campaign for you. It is for all members, not merely those who have or have had mental health conditions, if you've worked with or for someone then it's just as valuable to get your opinion. We want to promote positive steps and attitudes to mental health in the workplace and everyone is part of that. If you haven't received your link to the survey or haven't been able to fill it in for some reason please get in touch with us so we can give you the link or sort out any issue.
Don't forget it's World Mental Health Day on Tuesday October 10th and there will be an event near you – details to follow. If you'd like to be involved with our campaigning then use the link above to get in touch.


A Touch of Klez plays at both public and private events. You can email Ruth Mendell to inquire about the band's availability and fees.
(If clicking her name above doesn't launch your email program,, her email address is rlmendell@hotmail.com.


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Michigan vs. Army score: No. 7 Wolverines survive upset bid with double-overtime win in Big House
by: CBS, Ben Kercheval
Posted: Sep 7, 2019 / 03:41 PM CDT / Updated: Sep 7, 2019 / 03:41 PM CDT
Courtesy of CBS.
ANN ARBOR, MI, (CBS NEWS) – For the second time in as many seasons, Army West Point nearly pulled off the impossible. Last season, the Black Knights forced then-No. 5 Oklahoma to overtime before losing 28-21. This time around, Jeff Monken's surging Army squad came up just short against No. 7 Michigan in a similar situation. In a game of fumbles, it was a strip sack that gave the Wolverines a 24-21 double-overtime victory in the Big House.
The last time Army won a road game against an AP top-10 opponent was 1963 when they topped No. 9 Penn State. Coincidentally enough, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was born in 1963.
While Army should be proud of its efforts, this was a concerning game for Michigan. Harbaugh's team played one of the sloppiest games it could have against the Black Knights, fumbling the ball four times and losing three of them. Michigan also had nine penalties for 58 yards. Among them was an offsides call in overtime that gave Army a new set of downs. Connor Slomka ran for the go-ahead touchdown two plays later.
Additionally, the Wolverines were terrible offensively, averaging 2.4 per rush and twice failing to convert key fourth downs. The first failed attempt — a fourth-and-2 at the Army 19-yard line — could have instead been a field goal attempt that would have given them a 17-14 lead.
Ironically, Michigan's consistently best play during on third-and-long situations. The Wolverines were 9-of-16 on third downs. However, quarterback Shea Patterson missed some wide open throws that could have given his team a much larger lead. In the end, though, Michigan's defense came through just enough to survive and advance.
Nixa rallies past Willard
Bracket set for 36th Tournament of Champions
Sports / 2 weeks ago
Webb City downs Parkview, 67-30
Lady Bears end 2019 in record-setting fashion
Aminu Mohammed leads Greenwood to Gold championship
Hartville stays perfect, wins Blue championship
More Ozarks High School Sports
by STEPHANIE GRAFLAGE / Jan 20, 2020
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Patrick Mahomes has officially knocked New England's Tom Brady off the top spot on National Football League Players Association's player sales list.
The data used to compile the list is based on sales of officially licensed NFL Player-identified merchandise from March 1 through November 30, 2019.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The 50 year drought is over for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs beat the Tennessee Titans in front of a packed Arrowhead Stadium 35-24 to clinch the team's first Super Bowl trip since the 1969 season.
by Matt Vereen / Jan 18, 2020
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Oak Hill Academy (VA) took its all time record at the Tournament of Champions to 12-0 Saturday, topping Paul VI 72-57 to claim the championship.
That marks the Warriors fourth tournament championship in the last six years.


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Metal chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) are among the most promising materials as light harvesters in all-inorganic systems for applications in solar cells and production of solar fuels. The electronic band structure of composite QDs formed by lead and cadmium chalcogenides directly grafted on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surfaces through successive ionic layer absorption and reaction is investigated. Atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) are applied to investigate PbS, CdS, and PbS/CdS QD systems. The variation of the surface potential of individual QDs is measured, investigating the evolution of the electronic band structure as a function of QD size and composition. A shift of the Fermi level toward more negative values occurs when QD size is increased. The shift is more pronounced in CdS than in PbS, while the composite PbS/CdS exhibits an intermediate behavior. The calculated shift is in good agreement with the experiments. These results highlight the ability of KPFM to directly measure the electronic band structure in individual QDs of metal chalcogenide composites. This feature regulates charge dynamics in composite systems, thereby affecting device performance. This work provides valuable insights for applications in several fields, in which charge injection plays a major role.
Direct Measurement of Electronic Band Structure in Single Quantum Dots of Metal Chalcogenide Composites
Benetti, Daniele;Cui, Daling;Zhao, Haiguang;Rosei, Federico;Vomiero, Alberto
https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.201801668


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Navy Football
Navy Athletics
AP Poll Top 25: Navy Midshipmen left out despite dominance
Many felt that the Navy Midshipmen were snubbed from the AP Top 25 despite their impressive resume.
By Gavin Jernigan Oct 30, 2019, 7:00am PDT
Share All sharing options for: AP Poll Top 25: Navy Midshipmen left out despite dominance
Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports
Let's take a deeper look at who made it inside the Top 25 and whether the Midshipmen really deserved a spot.
First, we will examine Navy's resume in order to use it as a reference in making the argument.
The Midshipmen are 6-1 on the year. Their lone loss came during an away, Thursday night game, against the Memphis Tigers. This same Memphis team is 7-1 including a win against an SEC opponent (Ole Miss) and only loss was by two points on an away game (Temple). The Midshipmen have an average margin of victory of 24.5 points and have scored over 40 points in four of their games for a total average of 37.9 per game. Additionally, they lead to country in rushing with an average of over 350 yards per game.
Consecutive games scoring at least 30 points:
Alabama, Ohio State, SMU 8
Air Force, Baylor, Louisiana Tech, Ohio, Oregon, UAB, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Washington State 3
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 28, 2019
The argument against them is that Navy has only played seven games, vice the majority of the rest of the Top 25 having played eight. Also, the Midshipmen do have a loss to a conference opponent who, themselves, are no longer undefeated. Lastly, their strength of schedule isn't amazing by any means.
We should start of by focusing on the bottom five teams in the AP's ranking. This will keep us realistic in our approach and not go down too many rabbit holes.
25. San Diego State (7-1)
24. Memphis (7-1)
23. Wake Forest (6-1)
22. Kansas State (5-2)
21. Boise State (6-1)
We'll start from No. 21 and work our way up. Boise State is actually one of the least deserving teams at out these five based on their resume alone. They beat Florida State in the season opener by five. Initially, the win appeared impressive. However, we now know that the Seminoles aren't really any good. The Broncos beat Air Force, but it was in Boise and were losing at halftime. Furthermore, they beat Hawaii, but still gave up 37 points at home. Their lone loss came last week to BYU, who has been incredibly inconsistent this season. Overall, No. 21 is way too high. If Navy had the "Boise State" name, there's no doubt they would be in the Top 25.
Kansas State beat Oklahoma last week. They also have wins over Mississippi State and TCU. These are all good teams. The Wildcats have proven they can beat anyone and deserve to be where they are.
Don't get me started on Wake Forest. Okay, I'll start. The ACC is bad. Wake Forest has wins over Utah State, Rice, North Carolina, Elon, Boston College, and Florida State. If you exclude the Elon game, their average win margin is only seven points. They've had three of their six wins be decided by three or fewer points. AND, their loss was at home to Louisville, a team that many considered to be in a massive rebuilding year. Considering all this, there is no way they should be ranked above the Midshipmen.
Yes, Memphis deserve to be ranked ahead of Navy. They won. It's simple.
Lastly, the San Diego State Aztecs beat Weber State, at home, 6-0, on two field goals. Do I need to say more? The fact that they are 7-1 is what carried them into the Top 25. Also, wins over UCLA, Wyoming, and San Jose State are distracting and seem like "quality wins".
Navy and UConn Meet Friday Night Under the Lights in Primetime Showdown@NavyFB https://t.co/5mDyu1C5Cf pic.twitter.com/AdCXcTLnOU
— Navy Athletics (@NavyAthletics) October 28, 2019
On Friday, the Midshipmen travel up to UConn to take on the Huskies. While this should be a smooth way for Navy to improve to 7-1, I have a weird feeling I should start writing another one of these articles when the Mids are inevitably left out of the AP Poll, again. Maybe the first College Football Playoff rankings that come out next Tuesday (Nov. 5) will have Navy inside their Top 25.


The time has finally come for us to refurbish!
For the thirty years we've been open, we've always faced the question of whether or not to upgrade our existing premises. Many of our customers have informed us that a large part of our appeal is how 'retro' we feel, for that reason we've resisted updating our decor for fear of upsetting this fine balance that we seem to have struck by accident. As much as our roadside location does keep us isolated to a certain extent we can't say that we're completely immune to outside influences.
We're well aware that our tomato-shaped ketchup dispensers are considered to be 'kitsch' by many and that our laminated menus are out-dated, but we believe that there are certain things about the Engine Inn that simply shouldn't change.
Bless him, our Jax never likes to complain about his kitchen although he has every right to. Everything in the kitchen from the toaster to the tiles on the walls has remained the same for the last two decades. We attribute our continued success not to the surprising longevity of this kitchen, but to the ingenuity of our young chef and his ability to adapt to a kitchen that has admittedly fallen into a state of disrepair.
We thought we'd give Jax free reign to pick what appliances he wanted in his kitchen so he's spent the last few weeks with his head firmly jammed in catalogues umm-ing and aah-ing over potential dishwashers, sandwich grills and new hobs. In the mean time we've been busying ourselves fitting the kitchen out with the kind of modern infrastructure that will make it a much more pleasant place to work in.
In order to bring the Engine Inn up with modern standards we've fitted out the kitchen with brand new tiling and stainless steel kitchen work surfaces, this should make the space easier to clean and should make Jax feel like he's cooking in the 21st Century, as opposed to a simulacrum of a 1980s canteen. We've also located a bargain price industrial extractor fan to improve the ventilation for our cooks, so hopefully we'll be able to see them for the smoke during a busy breakfast shift!
Despite all of these changes we're being careful not to disturb the fine balance that we've been able to hold onto for so long.
It's all go here at the Engine Inn!
The schools are due to be breaking up in a couple of weeks time and we're making preparations for the Summer Holiday rush.
When Lynn first opened the Engine Inn, over thirty years ago, she didn't have to worry about setting up a website or scheduling social media announcements. Lynn's responsibilities didn't extend beyond making sure her urn was full and that she had plenty of coffee and tea to keep her in business. Unfortunately for us we run a 21st century business that demands a little more than just picking up a big drum of instant and a crate of tea from the local wholesalers!
Lynn often laughs when she comes to visit us here. When she opened her roadside cafe in 1988 she had no other intentions than making a living and meeting some interesting people. There were three things that she didn't quite bargain on though. One was her excellent choice of location and the other was how quickly the UK's biker community would get behind her little Portakabin. Thanks to the hard work our Lynn put in we now have a thriving community of regular customers who make us one of their regular stops on their summer road trips – which makes this time of year rather busy for us!
For years our customers have been satisfied with our breakfast menu. After all, what more could hungry travellers want than a simple Full English? Over the years breakfast culture has changed and we've been surprised to find out that biker culture has changed with it! More and more long-distance lorry drivers and biker crews have been sheepishly asking for poached eggs instead of fried; tentatively inquiring about our Gluten-Free offerings and peering around for a 'Specials' board. We knew that that time had come to make a change.
Our chef Jax is proud to announce his new menu which includes, amongst other 'posh' menu items: 'Eggs Benedict', 'Gluten-Free Breakfast Bun' and 'Vegan Brunch Hash'. Jax has been chomping at the bit to create some new food and he's very excited to be cooking something other than Full English Breakfasts. In light of this 'Food Revolution' we've also had the chance to take a look at updating our premises a little.
Of course you can't make such grand changes to a menu without making a few adaptations to your kitchen. Jax's 'studio', as he likes to call it, has remained largely unchanged since Roger and Lynn left so understandably there are a few changes that need to be made. For years our chefs have put with what Mike would call 'vintage gear' which has served their purposes fine, however now that we're changing our output and asking more of the kitchen it's only fair that we give Jax a few more toys to play with.
In the next fortnight we're going to be installing some new gear, as well as sending James out on the road to check out the competition.
Keep updated by checking back on the blog regularly!


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Q: Building a vertical crossfilter chart Starting from the basic Crossfilter example, i'd like to create an alternate visualization that displays the barcharts vertically instead of horizontally.  That is, essentially flip the axies of the barchart.
It's easy enough to modify the original barChart function to swap the bars in the chart.  I've been able to do that with these following changes:
var width = x.range()[1],
    height = y.range()[0];

Becomes
var width = x.range()[1],
    height = y.range()[0];

and in the nested barPath method
path.push("M", x(d.key), ",", height, "V", y(d.value), "h9V", height);

becomes
path.push("M", 0, ",", x(d.key), "h", y(d.value), "v9H", 0);

These minor changes get the bars printed nicely, but it doesn't handle the x axis with it's ticks, nor does it handle the selection brushes.  Is it possible to flip the brushes on their sides?  If so, how would I go about doing that?
Thanks in advance!

A: An easiest way would be to rotate the "g" container of each chart by 90 in chart().
Something like this:
g = div.append("svg").attr("width", width + margin.left +
margin.right).attr("height", height + margin.top +
margin.bottom).append("g").attr("transform", "translate(" +
margin.left + "," + margin.top + ")"+ "**rotate(90)**");

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Vehicle 2.0 Podcast Highlights: Walter Sullivan of Designated Driver
posted 10 April, 2019 by Jackson Balling
Vehicle 2.0
On this week's episode of the Vehicle 2.0 Podcast, we are fortunate to get a closer look at the evolution of autonomous vehicles with Walter Sullivan, Chief Technology Officer at Designated Driver. In this position, Walter is responsible for the technical and product vision of the company, which provides real-time, human-operated control of autonomous vehicles in unfamiliar situations, such as when driving through road construction or inclement weather.
We're excited to offer a selection of highlights from our interview with Walter below. If you're interested to hear more, give the episode a listen and subscribe to stay tuned for future episodes!
Walter on what Designated Driver offers the autonomous vehicle space
Scot: So let's talk about Designated Driver. I know the name from the context of if you're out drinking and you need a designated driver, but tell me more about what you guys do.
Walter: The name does come a little bit from that idea. Designated Driver is really about providing what we call tele-operations for autonomous vehicles, and let me break that down just a little bit. We're sort of moving into this world of autonomy. Vehicles that are carrying passengers are good and many of them will start to become more and more autonomous. Which is I think great from a shared mobility perspective and a usage perspective. And you know what to think. There's a lot of promise for the technology, but we're actually getting closer to the commercialization of that. The realization is that there's still some scenarios where we just haven't been able to train or develop autonomy systems to handle correctly.
This is where it Designated Driver comes in; we provide the designated driving services of a human for an autonomous vehicle that needs that human assistance, essentially. And so the name is a play a little bit on the concept of you've been out drinking too long and you're really not safe for you to drive home because there are situations where maybe it isn't safe or just not feasible for an autonomous vehicle to drive itself. So that's the basic background.
Walter on the in-cabin experience of remote-controlled autonomous cars
Scot: What's the passenger experience like? Can I talk to you kind of like an Onstar type of scenario or can I see a little video of my operator?
Walter: Yeah, it's pretty much exactly that. The passenger experience we developed entails screens in the rear seats of the car, so the passengers essentially would sit in the back seat. I was actually sitting in the front seat talking to them and answering questions. The screens show a real time position of the vehicle, they show the state of the vehicle whether the vehicle is driving autonomously or whether there was a remote operator controlling the vehicle. And when a remote operator takes control of the vehicle, there's a kind of series of introductory screens. So the passengers most likely, at least in the scenario we were talking about there, which was the autonomy system encounters some sort of failure, the passenger of the vehicle is most likely going to recognize that there was a failure.
So we thought, let's have the remote operator introduce themselves and establish a video link into the car, and they can sort of make the passengers feel comfortable that someone is taking control of the vehicle. We're going to maneuver the vehicle into a safe location, everything is sort of being taken care of. As a passenger, you don't need to worry about the fact that maybe that was a failure in the vehicle and sort of establishing this human connection would help maybe ease the anxiety of people who might be in their vehicle. Ultimately, I think the passenger experience will be defined and determined by the company who is operating that vehicle. So, if you imagine, maybe it's a riding company like the ones that many of us probably use every day. They might have a specific passenger experience that they want to have it in their cars and we would certainly help them implement that. But for us it was a two way video link to the remote operator so passengers could see them, talk to them, and ask them questions.
Walter on the growing market for alternative car ownership options
Scot: Where do you see car ownership going? You're kind of living in the heart there where most people don't own cars anymore and they're using the ride shares. It seems like we get contacted by a new company trying a different type of car sharing pool and there's seems to be like 80 different models under test right now. Do you see car ownership kind of leaving from individuals to kind of more of a fleet model over that same kind of timeline we talked about with AVs?
Walter: I think that there are certain environments and certain people who car ownership, remains for decades. If you're in a city like San Francisco, Chicago, New York or a densely populated city, the benefit of owning a car is a little bit questionable. But when you go to start a family, you move out in the suburbs and suddenly a car becomes much more utilitary than in the city. And certainly, if you're even in more rural environments, having access to or ownership of your own vehicle makes a lot more sense. I see car ownership surviving for quite a while, actually.
However, what I think is clear is that people younger than you or I are much more happy with different kinds of mobility services and they're delaying the purchase of their first car or even their driver's license. I certainly would expect that to continue. Well, younger people who, at least earlier in their lives, are living in more urban environments and they're probably making a wise decision just not to bother with a car. Especially when you have such convenient point to point mobility services of available. When do we reach a tipping point of car ownership? I have no idea. That's a really good question, which I don't know how to speculate on.
We here at Spiffy were thrilled to have Walter as a guest on the Vehicle 2.0 Podcast. His foray into the automotive startup world with Designated Driver has a lot of potential with their unique autonomous technology, and we look forward to seeing how the company performs and evolves from here.
If you don't want to miss a future episode of the podcast, then be sure to subscribe via your favorite podcast app or website and stay tuned for new releases every week!
Posted in Vehicle 2.0


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Paramedics show the way
How hundreds of villages in Bangladesh have overcome child and maternal mortality 10 years before the MDG deadline
Last Updated: Tuesday 20 October 2015
Paramedics visit ailing people at their homes (Photo: Kundan Pandey)
Two girls, in their late 20s, knock on the door of Subhash Barman, a fisherman living in Gopinathpur Malopada village, about 35 km from Dhaka. The family welcomes them warmly. Shilpi Barman, wife of Subhash, is in her seventh month of pregnancy. These girls cut Shilpi's nails and check her blood pressure. They then inspect her bedroom to check whether the bedsheets are clean and also collect her urine sample.
These girls are paramedics from Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK), a non-profit, which provides community healthcare to the marginalised. Started in 1972, GK has today reached more than 1.5 million rural people in 647 villages through over 1,100 employees, 43 primary health centres (PHCS), five referral hospitals and one medical college.
Their efforts have helped achieve the targets under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for child and maternal mortality in hundreds of villages in Bangladesh, 10 years before the MDG deadline of 2015. GK's success was highlighted by a World Bank report, To the MDGs and Beyond: Accountability and Institutional Innovation in Bangladesh, in 2006. It says, "GK has already exceeded the MDG for infant mortality a decade ahead of time, while the rest of the country remains at a level two-thirds higher. On maternal mortality, GK has achieved a rate of 186 per 100,000 live births, 42 per cent lower than the national average in 2001 when the decline for country as a whole was much less." Besides, GK provides multiple health facilities to vulnerable people.
Tracing the model
GK began as a field hospital for the wounded freedom fighters and refugees during the liberation war in 1971. Realising that millions of people in the rural areas had no access to any kind of healthcare facilities, these survivors established GK on April 27, 1972.
Graduating doctors serve in rural areas and get their certificates only after completing their internship period
The GK model relies primarily on paramedics who knock on the doors of poor people in villages providing healthcare. "We identify pregnant women, ailing children and the elderly in villages with the help of the bai (traditional midwife)," says Devi Haldar, one of the GK employees visiting Shilpi.
The paramedics at GK are mainly young girls, hailing from local communities, who are trained for a period of six months at GK's medical college in Savar, around 30 km from Dhaka. And if Shilpi is to be believed, these paramedics help them a lot. "This is my third pregnancy and all deliveries have been normal so far. My kids are healthy too," adds Shilpi (see 'Networked model').
Bangladesh has one paramedic for every 7,200 population, while GK has one paramedic for every 5,000-6,000 population. "The team of paramedics is the face of the organisation," says Rezaul Haque, director, rural health and training, GK. They are trained to treat general illnesses like fever, headache, dehydration and diarrhoea. "If we receive a serious case, we refer it to the local PHC," says Haldar. For every six paramedics, the organisation has one field supervisor, who reports to the health in-charge.
Similarly, the organisation has one intern for every 30,000-40,000 population who treats patients in PHCs or referral hospitals.
These interns are graduating doctors of GK's medical college located in Savar. At present, the organisation has around 153 interns and 34 physiotherapists. These interns serve in the rural areas as mandated in their course. They get their certificates only after completing their internship period. "We are not a doctor-dependent organisation, but paramedics-driven. Here, doctors are only to assist," says Manzur Kadir, coordinator of GK.
The organisation takes care of antenatal care and postnatal care of patients at the local PHC, and delivery, child care, immunisation, care for disabled, elderly and destitute at their homes. GK also organises health camps every month or two for patients who need special care. Such camps help reach poor people and minimise consultation fees, diagnostic costs, travel and hospital stay costs, making healthcare affordable.
Innovative insurance
When it began work, GK charged all income group households a flat rate of 2 Taka per year. Over the years, the organisation realised that this was a burden for poor households. After conducting a socio-economic survey to categorise the populations, GK devised an insurance model in which the premium varied depending on the categories: upper and middle class who pay a higher premium and ultra poor, poor and lower-middle class who pay very little, yet receive comprehensive healthcare coverage.
The insured families get inpatient coverage and discounts on medications. For specialised services, the cost varies depending on their categories. But poor households, whether insured or not, can access PHC services, including preventive and reproductive healthcare services free of cost. "People are willing to pay money, but they need proper and quality facilities," says Kadir.
"We have decided to audit every birth and death," says Zafrullah Chowdhury, founder of GK. "I see sustainability in terms of accessibility, irrespective of whether people use the services or not." Organisations like GK are literally hand-holding the Bangladesh government's rural health-care system.
Networked model
The village traditional midwife or bai keeps a tab on the general health of people in the village, including pregnancies and childcare
They inform the visiting paramedics of GK on the status of cases
The paramedics visit the homes of ailing people to provide care and guide them about treatment and medications
If a paramedic feels a patient needs intense care or specialised treatment, he/she refers them to PHCs
Graduating doctors from GK's medical college are posted at every PHC. They provide basic treatment to patients
If patients need specialised treatment, they are guided to the health camps, where they are taken care of by specialists
Maternal Health Child Health child mortality maternal mortality MDGs Healthcare Primary Health Care rural healthcare South Asia Health Personnel Health World
MDG-led healthcare policy not comprehensive, says report
Pink mobile campaign to reduce maternal mortality
Health ministry merges TB programme with rural health mission
Out of pocket health spending has risen in rural India: study
Programme for maternal and child malnutrition gets Rs 300 crore
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David Climenhaga's Alberta Politics Blog
Home / Alberta Politics / Another Alberta spring day: Premier lectures, Speaker apologizes, dissident pastor's secret sermon revealed as anti-vaxxers chant 'lock 'er up!'
Alberta Speaker Nathan Cooper is really sorry about signing that letter criticizing Premier Jason Kenney's COVID-19 policy (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).
Another Alberta spring day: Premier lectures, Speaker apologizes, dissident pastor's secret sermon revealed as anti-vaxxers chant 'lock 'er up!'
David Climenhaga
Posted on April 13, 2021, 2:14 am
Jason Kenney had barely decided what to do about his United Conservative Party's dissident COVID-denial caucus when a mob of three or four hundred anti-vaxxers turned up on the steps of the Alberta Legislature yesterday and started yelling that Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw ought to be locked up.
People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier was even on hand to egg on the unmasked crowd, coronavirus be damned, obviously hoping to resuscitate his faltering far-right political career by jumping on the anti-lockdown bandwagon.
People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier addresses the maskless mob at the Alberta Legislature (Photo: Rachelle Elsiufi, City News/Twitter).
To be fair, there's no evidence Mr. Bernier was among those crying for Dr. Hinshaw to be locked up. He just called on the mob to defend "our way of life and our western civilization values," a pretty obvious dog-whistle to supporters of his views on immigration.
It's startling to think how close that man came to becoming leader of the Official Opposition in Ottawa!
This was just before it was revealed that Pastor James Coates, the self-styled martyr of GraceLife Church, held secret Sunday services at an undisclosed location while members of another crowd of 300 or so COVID deniers tried to tear down the fence around his rolled-steel cathedral southwest of Edmonton.
So maybe it was true there weren't very many of his congregants in the mob on Range Road 262, just like the church's lawyers said! Were Pastor Coats's covert COVID congregants praying to the Almighty to inspire new ways to torment Premier Kenney? Or just trying to figure out a safer way to make their message go viral? You can't rule any of it out!
Yesterday was a cold Alberta spring day, just like the one seven years ago, the last time an Alberta premier was overthrown by her own party, and you couldn't make this stuff up if it wasn't all happening and being reported in real time on social media.
About five and a half years ago a crowd of basically the same people was on the steps of the Legislature screaming "lock 'er up" about Rachel Notley and demanding an immediate #Kudatah against her NDP government. Now they're back with signs calling for Dr. Hinshaw to be locked up for locking up GraceLife Church after weeks of Sabbath defiance of the chief medical officer of health's COVID-19 suppression measures.
What's different is that Premier Kenney spent at least the last three years empowering this group, peddling the conspiracy theories they thrive on, and welcoming them to the bosom of the UCP, the Frankenparty he helped create. As a result, they are considerably less marginalized than they were in 2016.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is scrambling to get his party's rebellious COVID caucus under control (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr).
Now they've turned on their premier because he's not throwing the doors completely open to the coronavirus, while he lectures them on Twitter that "spreading misinformation, conspiracy theories, and making threats is beyond the pale."
"It is increasingly clear that many involved in these protests are unhinged conspiracy theorists," the premier said. "Their words and actions are unacceptable."
Well, it's hard to disagree with Mr. Kenney about that, although it's illuminating to consider his own role in nurturing them over the past few years.
Meanwhile, new members of the UCP's turbulent anti-lockdown caucus continue to be discovered, with 18 MLAs now known to have either signed the original letter damning their own government's efforts to restrict social or business activities to stop the virus or posted their own versions of the same thing on social media.
The latest to come to light is Jackie Lovely, MLA for Camrose, who described the return to tighter restrictions on April 6 as "a profound disappointment to rural Albertans" in an April 7 post on Facebook.
With more than a quarter of his caucus publicly opposing the government's COVID-19 policy, Mr. Kenney had to do something more than threaten to call a snap election the UCP was sure to lose to save his skin and get his dissident MLAs back into line. With so many of them, he could hardly boot them all out of caucus.
GraceLife Church Pastor James Coates (Photo: GraceLife Church).
The target he picked pour encourager les autres was Olds-Didsbury MLA and Speaker Nathan Cooper, who unwisely signed the letter despite the tradition that Speakers must hold themselves above all partisanship.
It was a shrewd choice by the premier. First elected for the Wildrose Party, Mr. Cooper was interim leader of the UCP before Mr. Kenney had a seat in the Legislature and is rumoured to still harbour ambitions to lead the party should the premier decide for any reason to move along.
Early yesterday, therefore, Mr. Kenney ripped the Speaker, telling a reporter, "the long-standing convention, of course, is for Speakers to scrupulously maintain their neutrality and in my 24 years as a parliamentarian, I cannot ever recall the Speaker having violated that until last week."
Later in the day in the Legislature, Mr. Cooper publicly apologized. "In haste, I engaged on a matter of political discourse that may have raised questions about the impartiality of the chair. Upon quiet reflection, and given the benefit of time, I have regret for my error in judgment," he said. "I apologize to each and every one of you for crossing a line that the Speaker ought not cross."
Notwithstanding his grovelling tone, sometimes in politics you can eat your cake and have it too. Presumably Mr. Cooper's original message was heard and acknowledged by his rural voters, and he is unlikely to suffer much permanent damage once his knuckles stop stinging.
Alberta politics Anti-Vaccination Sentiment Canadian Politics COVID-19 GraceLife Church Jason Kenney Maxime Bernier Nathan Cooper United Conservative Party
Hundreds of maskless demonstrators, apparently none from GraceLife congregation, protest COVID-defiant church's closing
More flimflam than usual in yesterday's four-province news conference touting small nuclear reactors
The Day After: Alberta heavy crude prices squirt upward in wake of Rachel Notley's production cap announcement
Climenhaga / Dec 4
Jim Dinning 6.0: how Jason Kenney is repeating the same failed Tory strategy, and expecting different results
Climenhaga / Aug 24
Appalled maybe, but no one should be surprised by the ugly threats against Rachel Notley
Climenhaga / Feb 15
Good union jobs! Green jobs! UCP supporters need not panic, they're not for anyone around here!
Climenhaga / Aug 6
19 Comments	to: Another Alberta spring day: Premier lectures, Speaker apologizes, dissident pastor's secret sermon revealed as anti-vaxxers chant 'lock 'er up!'
What a disgrace these protesters are. They really do not care about anyone but themselves. Maxime Bernier is basically a cast off from the CPC, and tried to keep himself relevant, because he fouled every portfolio he was given in the CPC. Leaving classified government documents at your girlfriend's place, and one who has ties to the Hell's Angels, is never a good idea. The PPC were basically an enhanced version of the Reform Party, and Canadians saw right through that, and flat out rejected the PPC. As for Nathan Cooper, he has to resign, as must the entire UCP. Nathan Cooper set a very bad example. Jeanne and Peter Lougheed were the ones who did great things for Alberta. Premiers, like Ralph Klein, and the Liberal turned Reformer, who is Alberta's premier now, were abhorrent, and ruined what Peter Lougheed created and stood for. Peter Lougheed wouldn't like what the UCP are doing, if he were still around.
Maybe after getting Mr. Cooper to fall meekly into line, the rest of the happy gang will also follow back like sheep and Mr. Kenney's crisis of the week will be averted, or not. I sort of feel the UCP is not quite ready to jump into the abyss just yet, but perhaps that is a rational analysis of a crowd that is far from rational at these days.
I feel that perhaps one of Kenney's biggest mistakes was that he believed he could easily manipulate and control others in his party. It might have worked well when they were mostly in agreement, but he ought to know they also have strongly held views. In many cases he chose them exactly for that.
The ongoing Grace Life drama does not help Kenney, whether they are still holding secret large scale gatherings or not. Mostly it is all out of his control, but he gets blamed anyways regardless. Either way, it makes him look impotent and weak.
So, I suppose another lesson on the politics of division – ultimately you can reap what you sow. Just like in the US where it failed and blew up in the faces of those trying to gain politically from it. Stirring up an angry base, is not such a good idea as it once seemed.
I doubt Kenney can really change his character or tactics much at this point, but perhaps our future leaders will try to appeal more to moderation and good sense. It may surprisingly work much better.
Mike in Edmonton
Kenney's been trying the Strong Man act, but it's not working well. (It helps, of course, if you're actually strong.) Instead, he comes across as a school-yard bully who wilts when someone pushes back.
This time, Kenney knows he's backed himself into a corner. The old Wildrosers and wanna-be Wildrose Independence Party types have left Kenney no choice but to push back–hence the bluff about a snap election.
But it's only a bluff; first, there are stil two years for things to improve–if vaccinations reduce the need for masks etc and–AND–if the economy improves, the good ol' boys of Oilberduh will forget all and forgive Kenney his sins. Second, right now the UCP are so badly self-wounded that Notley would probably win the election. Not gonna happen, folks. Kenney knows he can bide his time, assuming the extreme-right can be whipped back into their kennels.
Don't expect a change in tactics from The Leader, though. He learned how to control a fractious political party from the best. Stephen Harper kept the old Reform Party hacks from beaking off in public. Kenney tries, but he doesn't have the force of personality to overawe the loudest yahoos.
I'm sure all the attention will turn away from the old fiascos to the UCP's latest fiasco du jour, which is to impose random camping fees, not randomly, but because they heard "loud and clear" from Albertans who want more fees for everything. Next up: fees for breathing the air. It's a laugh a minute with these guys, although rumor has it that laughing, especially the "loud and clear" variety, will soon become subject to multiple fees because it was in their election platform, and who are they to deny Albertans what Albertans voted for in their election platform?
Every near-riot will lead to more fees for everything imaginable, Alberta, so you'd better watch out. Old Grinchy Claus will create provincial fees for parking your vehicles on roads near GraceLife Church, and fees for bringing your lawn chairs to the legislature, which iare both random camping, aren,'t they? Loud and clear, people, loud and clear. You get what you voted for in the UCP election platform, under "Random Acts of Covid".
I'm sure the UCP would take issue with your view they would like to impose "fees for breathing the air." No, they will be offering us "choice" thanks to "market-based breathing solutions." DJC
If there was even a smidgeon of honour amongst the UCP, Nathan Cooper would have resigned already. He has blundered along as Speaker, often showing a blatant lack of impartiality. Having watched him and Nixon (the elder) do their "buddy" routine while in Opposition, he has continued that schtick on while in government.
Just listening to his rather pompous "apology" yesterday, which he oddly attributed to his grandmother's teaching, it was clear that he was likely more in favour of holding on to his handsome $181,404 salary, plus expenses, than doing the right thing.
#ResignCooper
Neil Lore
I like how he found a way to blame a woman for his actions.
"Freedom" is a deceptive word that our politicians love to use against us. It sounds like a good thing, but it's always relevant to a particular person/group of people and a particular action. When we run our mouths about "freedom" we mean "x is/are free to do y," not "everyone is free to do everything." So whose freedom is important in Alberta?
White supremacists. Covid deniers. Corporate welfare bums. Climate change deniers. Far-right extremists. Oligarchs.
I've got some theories about dog-whistles in contemporary far-right (ie:Albertan) politics I'm interested in sharing.
"Hard-working" = "someone I think should be allowed to keep some of wealth their labour produces"
"middle class" = "excluding the poor"
"Freedom"="shut up and accept the God-given right of your betters do what they please and pray they don't decide to do it to you"
"Law and order"="let's put more non-white people in jail"
"Support our troops"="stop criticizing the war that's killing the troops"
"Patriotic"="Willing to spout socially harmful propaganda without critically examining it"
"Radical environmentalist"="someone who cares whether our species has a future or not"
"Leftist"="anyone left of Tucker Carlson"
"Radical left"="anyone left of Jason Kenney"
"Alt-left"="like radical left but with 30% more dog whistle and the bonus effect of normalizing 'alt-right'"
"communist/terrorist"="someone I think should be an acceptable target of state violence"
"lock her up"="we should be allowed to use violence to overrule the results of democracy as long as we have the decency to use it on a woman"
It is becoming more and more embarrassing every day to admit to being an Albertan.
These people could not be worse then they are! Why? Because they truly believe they're the best! Seig? Fail! But just try to convince them of that!
Scotty on Denman
Oh, it's just "another Alberta spring day." Heh, I get it: sounds like just another ordinary day—but in Alberta, 'ordinary' means 'crazy.'
You just gotta keep up your sense of humour: these are hard times and, in Alberta, in many ways tragic. Nothing can be made light of that; nonetheless a little levity is good for mind and soul and is helped by a broad comedic cast featuring biker bro-soldiers, who worship the pagan Norse god Odin, kickin' the buh-Loki outta a police cordon around the Christian Church of the Industrial Turkey Barn, as charismatic-cum-crypto cultists speak in tongues in fugitive hideouts (an intercourse virally conducive of plagues of Biblical proportions—and, strictly speaking, not recommended) while pretenders to the far-right dukedom of extremist pseudoCondom come from far and wide to rally anti-choice freedom fighters, anti-vaxxer, anti-masker, anti-antifa, pro-fringe petrocentric climate-change deniers, conservative vigilantes, anti-socialist rough-justice warriors and sundry goths infringing the natural copyright of decorum with displayed misappropriations of Celtic, Roman, Maltese and Jain crosses to mob up and chant their infamous "Lock Her Up" hymn.
The spectacle is nothing without reliably sterling analyses with a certain wit and fitting amount of relief, as tragic as much of this pandemic is.
It's just another day in Alberta and, naturally, the UCP are doing their arch-critical, keystone best to cleverly perform funny, UCP Punch-&-Judy vignettes of high production value and serial broadcast. There's some pretty good stuff in the script: "mental, spiritual and economic crises," is typically over the top. I got that one from Drew Barnes, UCP MLA from Medicine Hat, during his MoCo Radio interview this morning. Although his equivocating rhetoric challenging the official Covid policy of his own governing party didn't sound very genuine, his posited "spiritual crisis" quite preposterous, and his concern for the number of opioid overdoses he blames on pandemic restrictions quite insincere, what is actually tragic got a little comic relief when he stumbled over his renegade talking points and accidentally agreed with the CBC host that, yes, many Albertans are "very concerned about the mental health of the 50,000 constituents I have the honour of representing."
Well, okay: sometimes you gotta search for the thinnest silver lining—at the risk of having to explain the joke —which of course diminishes its humour.
An Edmonton medical expert was interviewed next to rebut, the unenviable task of taking the slightest glimmers of silver off of an number of Barnes' mildly ridiculous quips like: obey the Covid rules but never stop speaking out against them (which got a chuckle outta me, at least). In the cold parlance of medical science it fell quite flat, though.
Barnes got cut short just as he seemed to suddenly remember to include rote scapegoating of the federal Liberals. Maybe it's so rote amongst UCP virtue signallers that somebody forgot to put it on the usual laundry list of lame, luny laments that Barnes recited forwards, then backwards, then over again, scrolling to one or another part whenever questioned about the science of his claim that these alleged mental health and spiritual crises "are at least a serious" as Covid. The brief cat-and-mouse seemed a mildly humorous, if ultimately a little frustrating: Barnes never did cop to the fact that, yes, gyms have been identified as super-spreaders, nor that the hospital in his own city is approaching ICU capacity —like, when they have to start deciding who gets to be saved and who's left to die. What kind of a punchline is that?…
Barnes was asked: What about Alberta's status as worst per capita Covid infection number in Canada? Oh! But the mental health and spiritual crisis and overdosing —oh, Lordy! Way worse n Covid! "We gotta keep having this debate." He kept careening down the highway of hackneyed hype, frequently changing from on lame lane to the other, the virtual turn-signal blinking back and forth.
Barnes cited a number of geographic areas in his riding, rectangles in kilometre lengths and widths, presumably to argue that the cases of Covid are very few on the carefully parsed, parched, sparsely settled prairie. As far as I was concerned, these weak, cherry-picked gerrymanderings totally bombed. Too contrived to hit the funny-bone, I guess. I don't think even a laugh-track could have helped.
The take-away from the rebuttal of Barnes' position was that once an issue gets as polarized as Covid has in Alberta, it gets almost impossible to organize cooperation and coordination across the divide—I found that more frightful than funny.
So yesterday happened to be our warmest day this year-two of Covid. Sunny but still a thin coat of snow gleaming white on the Beaufort Range across on the Big Island (it'll be gone by mid-summer instead of staying year round like it used to not so long ago). What a relief to get out and meet people at safe distance outside! I was surprised, after such a long winter of isolation, to see so few people down there. Fortunately for me, they were all friends of mine. One had just finished his two-week quarantine after returning from Brazil (I didn't even know he was gone). Said he's been tested several times since two weeks before departing until just the other day. Another, an airline pilot who used to fly a Hawaii milk-run, lamented being laid off ( he's from Alberta and has family there). Another had to get back to work (houses are sprouting up around here like mushrooms, despite everyone buying at what looks like the height of a bubble—a real estate bubble, I mean—and 2 X 4 studs are $12, half-inch plywood $75… all-found construction cost $300 per square foot…). Then me with my connections to Ontario (where a close relative is in quarantine with Covid) and another friend from Quebec (with his connections there), both of us retired. Five middle-aged dudes wan from hibernation. But the conversation was hearty, lively, relieving, contentious, friendly and satisfying. Thank goodness for spring.
The question became, after long deliberation: so, if our jurisdiction did a One-Big-Shutdown and got to Covid-Zero, then what? Depends if you got a Bolsonaro or a Kenney next door.
We didn't agree on a lot of Covid stuff, but neither did we concoct absurd rationalizations for our respective points, nor plan to protest en mass anything —despite the number of Covid shortcomings we all agreed exist in various ways and places. I'm the oldest: I get my shot on this weekend. The others will get theirs soon.
As for the alleged "spiritual crisis" these holy roller scofflaws cite (we have our own here in BC, too), we resolved to defer the debate until—well, maybe today or tomorrow when it's forecast to be sunny and warm. At that we departed our separate ways with the question, a rhetorical one, I guess: Should a congregation who prays together quarantine together! I liked the quip: "Lock 'em up!" A fortnight in the Church of the Industrial Turkey Barn would make isolating at home look pretty good despite the spiritual crisis currently claimed.
I mean, what else can you do at such a time? You gotta remember to laugh when you can.
And of course remember the old Vera Lynn number: "Keep smiling through/ Just like you always do/ And blue skies chase the dark clouds away/…'Cause I know we'll meet again some sunny day."
Good luck, my friends!
Those of you who would like to hear the old Vera Lynn number referenced by Scotty, a recording is found here. DJC
jerrymacgp
"Gentlemen! You can't fight in here… this is the War Room!" Makes you wonder about the level of decorum in the Canadian Energy Centre lol.
In all my time in Alberta, I discovered one thing that's true about it. There are many who would sacrifice anything because they really want to be a lost appendage of Texas. https://youtu.be/dJP6w4N1FuY
So let me Understand this – Cooper boy was approached to sign the letter against health measures and he does not even know that the Speaker of the House has to be impartial?
He had a dumb moment or is he very well embedded in the brain crippled MLAs group in the Legislature and should be let go as a Speaker? Get rid of him – one less to have to listen too.
Carlos…ever the cynic, I'm not so sure. My MLA (normally a compliant back-bencher) is one of these signers. I can't help but feel like the outcast Wildrosers are starting to flex a bit…
Putting out the fire started by Cooper will not save the Crying & Angry Midget's career.
I have no doubt Kenney is already planning his departure from Alberta's political scene, to return to the fruitful pastures of Ottawa. Kenney never liked Alberta, apart from allowing him to pad a political career for himself. I'm sure Kenney has already set his sights on another federal riding, not in Alberta, and currently in the hands of a CPC MP with little in the way of advancing his career, at the moment. Besides, Kenney grew up in that riding, so he can pretend to have a stronger attachment to the area than he ever did to Alberta.
I'd like to know which "constituents" the UCP back-benchers have been talking to? How many are small-business owners, how many are farmers, how many are retired, how many live in town? The comments I've seen in CBC blogs have mostly been negative. (Full disclosure: I refuse to pay for Postmedia news, so I'm not getting the right-wing views espoused there.) I wonder how many people are saying, "Well, I dunno who they're talking to, but they sure haven't asked ME!"
I can't help but suspect the UCP are representing a minority of their constituents, probably the most vocal group. I wonder if the "silent majority" who are usually present are just waiting for a chance to vote "Anything But Conservative."
"… once his knuckles stop stinging". Won't that have to wait until they stop dragging along the pavement?
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Medication synchronization legislation heads to the desk of Governor John Kasich!
After two years of legislative work on the issue, we are pleased to report that HB 116, legislation aimed at expanding patient access to pharmacist-provided medication synchronization services, has passed both the Ohio House and Senate unanimously!
HB 116, sponsored by Reps. Tim Brown (R-Bowling Green) and Tim Ginter (R-Salem), would allow patients with prescriptions for chronic diseases or conditions (including, but not limited to, heart disease, cholesterol, COPD, high blood pressure, etc.) to permissively participate in a process with their physician and pharmacist to align their medications to be refilled on the same day. The process, referred to as "medication synchronization" or "med sync," can help improve patient adherence by having all the patient's prescriptions ready for pick up on the same date each month. In addition to minimizing disruption of treatment through delayed or missed refills, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) says that med sync boosts patient adherence rates by more than 30 percent.
Specifically, HB 116 would require commercial plans and Medicaid to offer coverage of med sync services to patients, while also providing for coverage of partial drug refills with pro-rated copays, plus full dispensing fees for pharmacies, in order to achieve synchronization and allow the pharmacist to receive the customary dispensing fee for filling a partial script.
It is estimated that 21 percent of Americans use three or more medicines and 10 percent take five or more medicines. Using multiple medications increases with age, with almost 40 percent of U.S. adults aged 65 and older using five or more medicines. Patient and caregiver lives are simplified by eliminating multiple trips to the pharmacy each month and streamlining the refill process.
It is also estimated that at least 125,000 Americans die annually due to poor medication adherence. As adherence declines, emergency room visits increase by 17 percent and hospital stays rise 10 percent among patients with diabetes, asthma, or gastric acid disorder. Data shows that as many as half of all patients do not adhere faithfully to their prescriptions, and the result is more than $290 billion spent each year on avoidable medical treatment.
OPA feels HB 116 is a significant step in improving medication adherence, lowering health care costs, and reducing hospitalizations in Ohio.
Having received the necessary votes to advance through the legislature, HB 116 now moves to the desk of Governor John Kasich!
For additional information, please see the sponsor testimony from Reps. Ginter & Brown on the bill, which spoke of the benefits of med sync and the boosted adherence rates that studies attribute to the service. Also, OPA gathered supporters to testify in support of the bill in the House & Senate, including OPA Executive Director Ernie Boyd and OPA member and Vice President of Regulatory Compliance at Exact Care Pharmacy, Todd Donnelly. Both Ernie and Todd discussed the benefits of medication synchronization for patients, and the value of pharmacists moving to a more appointment-based model where patients receive all their medications at the same time, and the pharmacist has a better opportunity to counsel them on their therapy.
Additionally, those submitting proponent testimony in favor of HB 116 included OPA members AJ Caraballo with The Hometown Pharmacies and Steve Ferris with Discount Drug Mart; Larke Recchie with the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging; Jeff Stephens with the American Cancer Society Action Network; Thomas Houston with the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians; Tim Maglione with the Ohio State Medical Association; Jimelle Rumberg with the Ohio Foot & Ankle Medical Association; Michael Podgurski with Rite-Aid; Matt DiLoreto with the National Community Pharmacists Association; and Tom Menighan with the American Pharmacists Association.
We would like to thank our members who have been a crucial part of advancing this bill through the legislature. Through your meetings, phone calls, legislative days, and letters, we were able to achieve unanimous votes, despite the pushback from opponents. Now, the bill is in Governor Kasich's hands. Stay tuned!


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Always connected, always sharp
Paper slitting machines from American machine builder JSI are well-connected indeed. By using HMS technology, JSI can remotely access and control the machine via the internet and also enable wired and wireless communication between different parts of the machine. All this allows JSI to offer an even more competitive and connected machine.
Providing our customers with a truly connected machine gives us an advantage as it allows for easier maintenance and lower service costs.
Aaron Bloy, Owner and Vice President of Operations
As the Industrial Internet of Things is moving from a concept to reality, American machine builder JSI in Georgia has found a smart and easy way to get their paper slitting machines connected. By using technology from HMS Industrial Networks, and system design by Millennium Controls, they have realized IIoT and built a truly connected machine.
The round slitter blades that cut the paper in JSI's machines are extremely sharp and can be dangerous to handle manually. Therefore, JSI and Millennium Controls designed a robotic blade-changing system using a robotic arm from Fanuc Robotics.
The robot changes the sharp blades automatically, without operators having to touch them. Even if the blades can be changed automatically, operators still have to go up to the HMI of the machine which put them in close vicinity to the sharp blades. Therefore, JSI and Millennium Controls looked for a way to access the machine from a distance.
To access the machine remotely, JSI and Millennium Controls installed an eWON Cosy from HMS – a remote router which allows users to access the machine via the Internet to do machine monitoring or even programming and maintenance. This means that operators can change blades from a safe distance inside a plant or indeed from anywhere in the world.
With many moving parts in a machine, cabling can be difficult and cumbersome. By mounting an Anybus Wireless Bolt on the paper slitting machine, JSI can offer wireless communication between the PLC cabinet and different parts of the machine. The Wireless Bolt can communicate via Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and Wireless LAN enabling a very robust industrial wireless connection within a range of 100 meters.
The Allen Bradley PLC controlling the machine communicates uses EtherNet/IP —the preferred network of Rockwell Automation-based systems. The PLC communicates seamlessly with most other systems and components in the machine, but JSI wanted to use a stacklight to show the current status of the machine, and this stacklight used Modbus-TCP communication. To enable the stacklight to communicate on EtherNet/IP, Millennium Controls suggested HMS's EtherNet/IP Linking Device, which acts as a translator between the stacklight and the PLC enabling them to communicate.
All in all, the implementation of the robotics and the HMS connectivity solutions took no more than 4 months and has provided JSI and their customers with several benefits.
"This is a project that we first developed as a showcase for the Rockwell Automation Fair 2016 in Atlanta, but this is already something we offer our customers going forward," says Aaron Bloy, Owner and Vice President of Operations at JSI. "Providing our customers with a truly connected machine gives us an advantage as it allows for easier maintenance and lower service costs since both we and our customers can troubleshoot and do maintenance remotely."


The industrial wires produced in Çokyaşar Rope facilities are used in many sectors, ranging from construction and textile to heavy industries and animal breeding.
Çokyaşar Rope offers a wide portfolio of products for the sector, ranging from binding wires used in construction to products for ensuring perimeter security.
Çokyaşar Rope is happy to have always been there for the employees of the fishing industry with powerful solutions.
Balyalama için üretilen tellerden çevre güvenlik çözümlerine kadar farklı ürün gruplarında yılların vermiş olduğu deneyim ile ürün üretmekteyiz.
The high strength and long life of our wires are among the most important reasons behind the popularity of our products.
Çokyaşar Rope hasbecome one of the leading companies of our country with the innovative solutions it offers to the furniture sector.


Like nowhere else in the world, the Everglades is a natural area of tropical wetlands in Florida. The area extends from just south of Orlando to the southern tip of the state. Everglades National Park encompasses 20 percent of the Everglades. Each year, more than a million visitors explore the park. If you're looking for a fascinating vacation, you may want to join them.
Given its large size and many recreational opportunities, you may be wondering what to do in this beautiful wilderness area. Because you probably don't have a limitless supply of money or vacation time, though, you may wonder which of the many activities in the Everglades National Park are a good use of your resources.
That's where we come in. We'll discuss 10 great things you can do in the Everglades National Park. And while we realize that everyone has specific interests, we've tried to include something for everyone.
Read on to see which activities we think you simply must do before you head for home.
The Everglades National Park offers a tremendous number of recreational opportunities. We have ranked the 10 best in our opinion. Still, while our list is comprehensive, it isn't exhaustive.
To get the most out of your trip to the Everglades, use our list in conjunction with other resources. With a bit of effort, you can likely have a perfect vacation in the park.
The Everglades National Park isn't only a vast recreational area, but it is also an animal preserve. Whether you stay on the edges or venture deep into the region, you are virtually certain to see a variety of animals. You may even see species that don't live anywhere else on the planet.
Alligators are common throughout the park, but they aren't the only large reptile you can see when visiting the Everglades. You may also see crocodiles, which are biologically distinct from alligators.
Additionally, snakes are common in the region. In fact, there are 26 types of snakes that call the Everglades home. These range from the small pygmy rattler to huge pythons, which are not indigenous to the region. Before venturing into the park, be sure you understand basic rules of reptile safety.
If snakes, alligators, and crocodiles aren't your thing, you aren't out of luck. Thousands of furry creatures call the Everglades home. You may see bobcats, deer, raccoons, rabbits, foxes, and other mammals.
Or, grab a pair of binoculars and do some birdwatching. From flamingos to sparrows, the park boasts nearly 350 species of feathered creatures.
Some of the best places to view wildlife in the Everglades National Park are the Flamingo, Shark Valley, and Royal Palm regions. When visiting the Everglades National Park, you must be aware of your safety and the safety of animals. Never approach a wild animal or try to feed one.
Also, remember not to contaminate the park with trash and always stay on marked trails. If you plan to visit the backcountry, educate yourself about animal safety procedures before you leave civilization.
While animals are exciting, you can't underestimate the natural beauty of the Everglades National Park. If you enjoy flowers, trees, and other plants, you are in for a treat when you visit the park. Before hitting the trail, pick up an Everglades plant guide. Then, try to identify some green vegetation on your trip.
The Everglades has more than 120 varieties of trees. Some are tall, while others are tiny. Additionally, the region has colorful flowers, bright-green ferns, fruits, and other green vegetation. These plants attract a seemingly endless number of insects, including vibrant butterflies and moths.
You must remember, however, that some plants can cause skin irritation. Even worse, insect bites can ruin your trip. To avoid a nasty rash or unpleasant sting, stay on marked trails. Also, be sure you carry insect repellent and a first-aid kit with you on your adventure.
When visiting the Everglades, you can combine recreation with exercise by taking a hike. The Everglades has hundreds of miles of hiking trails. To get the most out of your vacation, pick up a trail map. These are available either in paper or digital format. Of course, because cellphone service can be spotty in the Everglades, carrying a paper map with you is advisable.
While most hiking trails in the Everglades are improved and maintained, some are wild. Generally, park administrators choose not to maintain trails to better protect endangered species. If you intend to hike an unimproved trail, you must be careful. These paths are generally remote and overgrown. As such, your chances of injuring yourself or encountering a wild animal are higher there.
Even though a million people visit the Everglades every year, the park remains a wilderness area. When hiking in the park, you must exercise caution. The best way to stay safe on the trail is to understand the environment and carry supplies.
Also, always inform someone of your intended path. If you happen to get lost in the park, this information will help rescuers find you.
Hiking isn't for everyone. If you prefer to cover dozens of miles in the afternoon, biking the Everglades National Park is perfect. Many of the park's hiking trails easily accommodate bikes. If you prefer to ride on modern trails, the Everglades park has those too.
Best of all, you won't have to bring a bicycle with you because many rental outfitters exist outside the park to help you choose the perfect machine for your biking adventure.
The Shark Valley bike trail is one of the most popular in the park. Whether you opt for this trail or one of the dozens of others, you need a trail map. Grab one at the visitors' center or purchase one from a retailer to plan the perfect adventure.
There is something thrilling about water. If you want to see parts of the park that are inaccessible from hiking or biking trails, consider renting a kayak. Then, stick to one of the many kayak trails or go out on your own.
f you fall in love with seeing the park in a watercraft, graduate to longer treks.
With hundreds of species of fish in and around the Everglades, you can likely catch a fish you have never caught before. As with all national parks, you must obtain a fishing license before casting your line.
To fish like a pro, consider contracting with an outfitter. Fishing guides often have the gear, knowledge, and skill to help you successfully catch some of the many fish lurking just below the water's surface.
One of the best ways to see the Everglades is to camp. Whether you are a first-time or life-long camper, you have a seemingly endless number of options inside the Everglades National Park. Pitch a tent or park your RV in one of the many campgrounds in the region.
Or, leave the beaten path for a back-country camping adventure.
Camping gear is available for rent or purchase near the park. As you may suspect, though, the park can get busy. Therefore, look into campsite reservations before you arrive.
Note that many campgrounds are available on a first-come basis, so your best bet for landing a spot at one of these is to arrive early.
While most of the activities on our list are daytime events, we have an unmissable after-dark activity for you. Leaving the city and heading into the Everglades gives you the opportunity to clearly view stars. There are so many visible in the night sky that you may be surprised at how many you can spot.
From workshops to music festivals, the Everglades has special events you may want to put on your travel calendar. The best way to find out about these is to check with local organizations or browse the park's website to check the various schedules.
The best part of trekking into the wilderness is finding yourself. Instead of worrying about social media, the internet, and other modern conveniences, use the opportunity to meditate, reflect and think.
If you want, invest in a journal to document your experiences. After a few days, you may be surprised by the life lessons you have learned.
Tourists who visit the Everglades National Park often fly into Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or one of the other nearby airports. The park is easily accessible by car as well.
Regardless of how you get there, you are sure to enjoy your trip to the Everglades. To fully appreciate the experience, though, you must plan ahead. By remembering the park is a wild place that has opportunities for everyone, you can take full advantage of our list of the 10 great things to do in the Everglades National Park.


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Search for Weiss
Walt Weiss
Walt Weiss was born in 1963, on the 28th of November. He hails from the USA and his hometown is Tuxedo. Walt broke into the big leages on Sunday 12th July 1987. By 1st October 2000 he'd finished with baseball, that being the date of his final game.
1987 Oakland Athletics 1 DH 2
1988 Oakland Athletics 1 SS 147 254 431 15 83
1989 Oakland Athletics 1 SS 84 106 195 15 44
1991 Oakland Athletics 1 SS 40 64 99 5 21
1993 Florida Marlins 1 SS 153 229 406 15 80
1994 Colorado Rockies 1 SS 110 157 318 13 69
1998 Atlanta Braves 1 SS 96 97 257 12 63
1999 Atlanta Braves 1 SS 102 108 203 12 41
2000 Atlanta Braves 1 SS 69 63 1584 84 199 15 38 0.816
1988 Oakland Athletics ALCS SS 4 108 7 10 0 3 0
1989 Oakland Athletics ALCS SS 4 87 5 9 0 2 0
1995 Colorado Rockies NLDS1 SS 4 108 6 12 0 4 0
1998 Atlanta Braves NLCS SS 4 105 4 11 0 4 0
2000 Atlanta Braves NLDS1 SS 1 18 2 1 0 0 0
1987 Oakland Athletics 1 16 26 3 12 4 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 0 0 1 0
1988 Oakland Athletics 1 147 452 44 113 17 3 3 39 4 4 35 56 1 9 8 7
1989 Oakland Athletics 1 84 236 30 55 11 0 3 21 6 1 21 39 0 1 5 0
1991 Oakland Athletics 1 40 133 15 30 6 1 0 13 6 0 12 14 0 0 1 2
1992 Oakland Athletics 1 103 316 36 67 5 2 0 21 6 3 43 39 1 1 11 4
1993 Florida Marlins 1 158 500 50 133 14 2 1 39 7 3 79 73 13 3 5 4
1994 Colorado Rockies 1 110 423 58 106 11 4 1 32 12 7 56 58 0 0 4 3
1996 Colorado Rockies 1 155 517 89 146 20 2 8 48 10 2 80 78 5 6 14 6
1997 Colorado Rockies 1 121 393 52 106 23 5 4 38 5 2 66 56 3 2 7 1
1998 Atlanta Braves 1 96 347 64 97 18 2 0 27 7 1 59 53 0 3 12 3
1999 Atlanta Braves 1 110 279 38 63 13 4 2 29 7 3 35 48 1 3 6 4
2000 Atlanta Braves 1 80 192 29 50 6 2 0 18 1 1 26 32 1 3 3 3
1988 Oakland Athletics ALCS 4 15 2 5 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
1989 Oakland Athletics ALCS 4 9 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0
1995 Colorado Rockies NLDS1 4 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 1 1 0 0
1998 Atlanta Braves NLCS 4 15 0 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 5 0 0 0 0
2000 Atlanta Braves NLDS1 1 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Year tie notes


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CA ABC Provides Additional Coronavirus Regulatory Relief; CA ABC and TTB Postpone Due Dates for Certain Payments and Filings
Over the past forty-eight hours, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control ("CA ABC") has provided additional regulatory relief to licensees, including information relevant to industry members engaged in fundraising in connection with Coronavirus-related charities. In addition, CA ABC and the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ("TTB") announced that industry members will be permitted to delay certain payments and filings. We have summarized each of these notices below, but the full text of these notices can be accessed through the links below:
CA ABC Second Notice of Regulatory Relief
CA ABC Notice re Renewal Fees
TTB Industry Circular re Postponement of Payments and Filings
1. CA ABC Second Notice of Regulatory Relief
CA ABC issued a Second Notice of Regulatory Relief on April 1, 2020 (the "Second Notice") temporarily loosening it's enforcement of certain regulations during the period that shelter-in-place restrictions are in place.. CA ABC had previously announced certain regulatory relief measures in its first Notice of Regulatory Relief ("First Notice") on March 19, 2020 and we summarized that notice in this blog post.
Below is a summary of ABC's Second April Notice.
FREE DELIVERY OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES TEMPORARILY ALLOWED: ABC has temporarily provided licensees that can ship or deliver alcoholic beverages, whether pursuant to the ABC Act or pursuant to the First Notice, the right to deliver or ship to consumers for free, without violating Business and Professions Code Section 25600, which prohibits licensees from providing any "premium, gift, or free goods" in connection with the sale or marketing of alcoholic beverages.
DELIVERY HOURS OF ALCOHOL TO RETAILERS EXTENDED TO MIDNIGHT: Licensees (including manufacturers, winegrowers, and wholesalers) may now deliver alcoholic beverages to retailers between 12 AM and 8 PM (rather than starting at 3AM). The prohibition against Sunday deliveries remains in effect. Note that if a retail licensee has a condition on its license limiting the hours during which it may allow deliveries, such condition shall remain in full effect.
CERTAIN CHARITABLE PROMOTIONS RELATED TO SALES OF ALCOHOL: The CA ABC is relaxing its enforcement of restrictions on charitable promotions during this challenging time. Manufacturers, wholesalers, or other supplier-type licensees may advertise that a portion of the purchase price of the alcoholic beverages will be donated to a specified charitable organization related to Coronavirus-related relief, subject to the following limitations:
The donation and promotion involve a bona fide charitable organization providing relief related to the COVID-19 pandemic;
The promotion is in connection with the sale of sealed containers and does not encourage or promote the consumption of alcoholic beverages; and
The donation and promotion do not identify, advertise, or otherwise promote or involve any retail licensee.
Any promotions under this provision must conclude no later than June 30, 2020. ABC has stated it will reassess this measure at that time and determine if it should be extended further.
ABC previously stated in its FAQs that donations to nonprofits benefiting restaurant and hospitality workers in general are permissible, so long as it is just a donation to an organization and does not identify or involve any quid pro quo with specific retailers. In addition, gifts or donations (such as meals or gift cards) may not be made directly to retailer employees.
DISTILLED SPIRITS MANUFACTURERS PROVIDING HIGH-PROOF SPIRITS FOR DISINFECTION PURPOSES: Licensed distilled spirits manufacturers (Type 04) and craft distillers (Type 74) may produce denatured high proof spirits if such distilled spirits are produced for use in accordance with guidance from the Food and Drug Administration, which may be found in the FDA's Policy (PDF). Undenatured distilled spirits are not included in this relief as they are considered alcoholic beverages. Licensees may provide such distilled spirits for free to any person, including retail licensees, if they are not used to promote the manufacturer's alcoholic beverage products and are not provided in exchange for an agreement to purchase anything produced or distributed by the manufacturer.
Licensees should note that all of the above changes are only temporary and ABC will provide the industry 10 days' notice before these guidelines terminate. And although these provisions relax ABC's enforcement of certain provisions of the ABC Act, the ABC did remind industry members that "[a]ll provisions of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, including …tied-house and trade practice restrictions, remain in effect and subject to enforcement unless the Department has provided express notice that specific provisions will not be enforced."
As we noted in our earlier post, local regulations and restrictions may restrict the ability of licensees to engage in these activities, so you should always confirm that any activity in which you engage is permitted by local zoning or use permits.
2. CA ABC Grants 30 Day Grace Period for License Renewal Fees and Penalties
The CA ABC is providing licensees a 30 day grace-period for paying their annual renewal fees.
For Licensees who have previously missed their license renewal deadline and owe penalties as a result of failing to pay their renewal fee in a timely manner, the ABC is also granting a 30 day grace period.
The ABC has provided helpful tables in its notice that lay out the exact deadlines that have been extended and new due dates for license renewals.
3. TTB Postpones Tax Payment and Filing Deadlines
To help ease the burden on the alcohol beverage industry dealing with the impact of COVID-19 the TTB is postponing several filing and payment due dates for 90days where the original due date falls on or after March 1, 2020, through July 1, 2020. The TTB's relief actions include:
Postponing tax payment due dates for wine, beer, distilled spirits, tobacco products, cigarette papers and tubes, firearms, and ammunition excise taxes.
Postponing filing due dates for excise tax returns.
Postponing filing due dates for submission of operational reports.
Postponing filing due dates for claims for credit or refund by producers.
Postponing filing due dates for claims by manufacturers of non-beverage products.
Postponing due dates for submission of export documentation.
Considering emergency variations from regulatory requirements for affected businesses on a case-by-case basis.
Reviewing requests for relief from penalties based on reasonable cause.
For a list of Coronavirus related resources, please see our Resources Page.
If you have any questions regarding alcohol beverage licensing, please contact John Trinidad or Bahaneh Hobel.
John Trinidad and Bahaneh Hobel at 12:11 AM
Tags: ABC • Coronavirus • COVID19 • TTB
Topics: Alcohol Beverage • Wine Law
New Law on Winery Social Media Ads for Certain Retailer-Hosted Events
Governor Brown recently signed into law AB2452, a bill that grants wineries broader privileges in the use of social media to promote certain events held at retailer premises, such as winemaker dinners. The bill was introduced by Assembly member Cecilia Aguilar Curry, co-authored by State Senator Bill Dodd, and sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners.
The new law amends three tied-house exceptions in the California ABC Act that govern the organization and promotion of certain events held at on- and off-premise retailers that involve supplier-side licensees (ABC Act Sections 25503.4, 25503.56, and 25503.57). Those laws restricted how the participating supplier could advertise and promote those events. For example, the advertisement could only list the name and address of the retailer and expressly prohibited pictures or illustrations of the retailer's premises.
The new bill allows suppliers (including wineries) to now include the following in their advertisements of those permitted retailer-hosted events:
ADDITIONAL RETAILER INFORMATION – The supplier's advertisement for the event can now include an expanded range of information about the host retailer (including the retailer's website address and "other electronic media") so long as such information is "relatively inconspicuous in relation to the advertisement as a whole."
PICTURES & ILLUSTRATIONS – The new bill allows participating suppliers to include "pictures, illustrations, and depictions of the retailer's premises, personnel, and customers" in the event advertisements. Videos, however, are expressly prohibited.
REPOSTING OF SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS – Participating suppliers are now allowed to repost social media posts that advertise the event, including posts by the host retailer, provided that the reposted advertisement complies with all other content restrictions in the ABC Act.
Wineries and other suppliers should note that these expanded advertising privileges only allows them to advertise in connection with specific events governed by ABC Act Sections 25503.4 (wine-related events, including winemaker dinners), 25503.56 (instructional tasting event at off-sale retailer premises under a Type 86 license), and 25503.57 (instructional events at on-sale retailer premises). It is not a blanket permission to begin photographing and posting about retailers on supplier social media accounts.
The new law goes into effect on January 1, 2019.
If you have any questions about the new law, tied-house issues, or winery use of social media, please contact John Trinidad.
DISCLOSURE: DPF represents Napa Valley Vintners on a variety of matters, and advised on the proposed legislation.
John Trinidad at 4:47 PM
Tags: ABC • Tied House Law • Wine Advertising • wineries
CA ABC Issues Warning About Potential Scam
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has issued a warning that licensees are being targeted by a possible scam. Apparently, licensees have been receiving calls from someone claiming that, as a result of an ABC violation, the licensee must pay a fine. In short, the ABC does not operate in this manner, and if you receive such a call, check in with your local ABC office before submitting any payment or credit card information. Also, the ABC is asking licensees to help uncover these fraudsters. If you are contacted by these scammers, asking for their name and contact information, and pass that information on to the ABC.
If you need to find the contact number for your closest ABC office, it is available at this link.
John Trinidad at 10:00 PM
Tags: ABC • fines • scam • warning
Topics: Alcohol Beverage
Avoid Penalty Flags from the ABC During Super Bowl 50
In anticipation of Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, February 7 in the Bay Area, and given the large number of both retail and supplier-side licensees that are participating at the Super Bowl, and in events and promotions in the week leading up to the game, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has issued an advisory providing guidance to licensees participating, selling and/or serving alcoholic beverages at Super Bowl related events.
The takeaway from ABC's advisory? All the same rules apply. If you were not permitted to do something before, you are not permitted to do it now just because it's Super Bowl.
However, a little reminder from the ABC about the rules never hurts, so here is a brief summary of their do's and don'ts to help you avoid penalty flags during Super Bowl week.
The Super Bowl is not a "time out" for licensees. All current laws and regulations remain in effect during Super Bowl and no new laws have been passed regarding the sale, service, consumption, or marketing of alcoholic beverages for Super Bowl.
Just because it's the Super Bowl doesn't mean after parties are allowed at licensed locations. It is still illegal (a misdemeanor) to sell or serve alcohol between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. ABC guidelines also specifically say that purchasing alcohol ahead of time or in bulk to be served after 2 a.m. on a licensed premises is not permitted.
In case you forgot, it is unlawful to serve alcoholic beverages to minors under the age of 21 (even if they look like football players) and it is unlawful to serve alcoholic beverages to obviously intoxicated persons (even if they look like football players that just won the Super Bowl). Make sure to keep checking IDs and monitor your customer's behavior before selling or serving them any drinks.
All of your sales and service activities, and your location, need to be licensed, even though it might be a lot more fun to do something different "because its Super Bowl." You can only sell and serve alcoholic beverages in the areas covered by your existing licenses. And you can only sell alcoholic beverages if you are licensed to do so. This includes charging admission fees or pre-selling tickets that include alcohol in the admission or ticket price.
You can only sell what you are normally allowed to sell. You are not permitted to sell an amazing Super Bowl inspired Vodka cocktail at your licensed premises if your license only permits you to sell wine or beer.
ABC is out and about, especially during big events like the Super Bowl, so just operate in accordance with the rules and regulations that are normally applicable to your license to ensure that you and your employees don't fumble.
Super Bowl will bring a lot of business and potential new customers to industry members. Keeping the above tips in mind will help ensure a winning Super Bowl for all involved (except maybe the losing team).
For more information on the rules and regulations governing the sales, service and distribution of alcoholic beverages, please contact Bahaneh Hobel via email.
Bahaneh Hobel at 6:12 PM
Tags: ABC • ABC rules • advisory • Alcoholic Beverage Control • super bowl 50 • supplier-side licensees
For more information, or if you have any questions about this blog, please contact us.
This blog is made available for general informational purposes only and none of the information provided should be considered to constitute legal advice.
Copyright 2023 Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty P.C.


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'''

    test_encipher.py

    A module to test the enigma-encipher routine

'''

def test():
    ''' Run the test '''
    pass

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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USC chemists turn greenhouse gas into hydrogen fuel
The new method generates hydrogen and stores it efficiently, and without further polluting the environment
BY Emily Gersema
A future with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and hydrogen-powered smartphones is much closer to reality.
USC researchers have found a clean method of turning greenhouse gas into hydrogen fuel, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature Communications. They believe they are the first to have developed this method.
Researchers had been stuck on a significant challenge holding up the development and commercialization of this technology: generating and storing hydrogen effectively, and without further polluting the environment.
Chemists at the USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute found a way to produce hydrogen while also recycling harmful carbon dioxide through the dehydrogenation of formic acid. And, unlike prior methods, the catalyst that they developed in-house releases hydrogen without involving more pollutants.
Formic acid occurs naturally in the venom of bee and ant stings or through the decay of vegetation. It also can be made by reacting carbon dioxide with hydrogen. So it appeals to scientists as a carrier and storage reservoir for hydrogen.
"Formic acid is important as a hydrogen carrier because we can make it efficiently from carbon dioxide, which is at the center of the global warming problem," said Travis J. Williams, a lead author of the study and associate professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
'Wicked problems'
Climate change is one of the "wicked problems" that researchers throughout USC — from earth sciences to biology — study and address through innovative research, testing and development. Williams and other chemists at the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute are dedicated to finding solutions that will turn carbon dioxide into clean, reusable energy and materials.
In prior studies, scientists sought ways to store hydrogen in formic acid while minimizing toxicity and maximizing energy content, but with limited success. This dehydrogenation method appears to fulfill those objectives, and it is safe and sustainable, Williams said.
"Dehydrogenation is a good way to go if you don't want to combust the fuel in your engine, for example, in a desktop device," Williams said.
The chemists developed a new iridium-based catalyst to release the hydrogen that has some significant pluses. It won't degenerate when exposed to air, making it ideal for vehicles or other devices. Also, the catalyst is reusable – perhaps inexhaustible.
"In fact, we think it might never die. We've demonstrated it through 2.2 million turnovers over several months. At that point, the catalyst was still alive, but we were bored with the experiment," Williams said.
Big money-saver
That would be a big money-saver for anyone who wants to generate and store hydrogen as fuel, he said.
For their study, the researchers specifically used "neat" formic acid.
"Like scotch, 'neat' means no added water or solvent," Williams explained. "This is a big deal, because when you're releasing energy from a liquid fuel, it's important to have as little extraneous mass in the fuel as possible. If there is twice as much fuel in the liquid per pound or per gallon, then your car will go twice as far on a single tank."
Other study co-authors included Jeff Celaje, Zhiyao Lu and Nicholas Terrile – all of the USC Dornsife and the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at USC – as well as Elyse Kedzie and Jonathan Lo of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Hydrocarbon Research Foundation.
More stories about: Research
The carbon dioxide-to-methanol process (Illustration/Courtesy of Surya Prakash)
Turning air into fuel: USC scientists convert carbon dioxide into methanol
The research could one day create a sustainable fuel source from greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers think emissions from volcanos, such as the one seen here, may have led to a dramatic rise in CO2 leading to a mass extinction 200 million years ago. (Photo/NASA Earth Observatory)
Ancient volcanoes could be key to predicting impact of climate change
A new study strengthens the case that a prehistoric disaster is a good model for studying the potential effect of rising carbon dioxide levels.
Air pollution may affect the way the brain ages and functions
Investigating the impact of air pollution on the human brain is a new area of environmental neurosciences, Keck School researcher says.
Trichodesmium is one of the few organisms in the ocean that can "fix" atmospheric nitrogen gas. (Photo/Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)
Climate change will irreversibly force key ocean bacteria into overdrive
Scientists demonstrate that a key organism in the ocean's food web will start reproducing at high speed as carbon dioxide levels rise, with no way to stop when nutrients become scarce.