text:
Ambulance response times are worse for low-income people
by University of California, San Francisco
A nationwide study of more than 63,000 cases of cardiac arrest found that ambulances on average took nearly four minutes longer to handle calls from low-income areas than high-income communities.
In what is believed to be the first national study evaluating disparities in 911 responses for cardiac arrest in high-income and low-income neighborhoods, a team led by researchers at UC San Francisco examined whether socioeconomic disparities were associated with longer ambulance responses and transport times for cardiac arrests occurring outside hospital premises. The study appears Nov. 30, 2018 in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed, open-access medical journal.
"When it comes to a cardiac arrest, every minute counts," said lead author Renee Y. Hsia, MD, a professor of emergency medicine at UCSF and an emergency physician at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. "We found that emergency medical services response times were 10 percent longer in the poorest neighborhoods.
"That stacks the odds against survival for low-income patients," Hsia said. "As a society, we might hope that public services, such as ambulances, would be equally accessible, but our results show that this is not the case, even for deadly conditions like cardiac arrest."
The Institute of Medicine has documented that unequal access to medical care is a primary contributor to health care disparities in vulnerable communities. But amid a spate of hospital and ER closures across the country, as well as the closures of privately-owned ambulance companies, poorer neighborhoods and vulnerable populations have even less access to care.
"The repercussions of the loss of these services may be particularly detrimental in low-income communities, which rely more heavily on prehospital care and have a higher increased incidence of severe, life-threatening illnesses," wrote the authors of the new analysis.
The cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2014 National Emergency Medical Services Information Systems. Altogether, 46 of 50 states (92 percent) contributed data. Massachusetts, Texas, Louisiana, and Delaware did not.
The authors said they focused on cardiac arrests in part because of the high mortality rate of the life-threatening condition and because heart attacks require immediate attention. Emergency medical services provide a vital role in stabilizing and transporting sick patients, but the association between ambulance response and income levels has not been widely studied.
They examined four time measures: from ambulance dispatch to arrival at the patient's location; from arrival to departure from the scene; from departure at the scene to arrival at the hospital; and total emergency medical services time. While EMS performance metrics are not nationally standardized, many systems have adopted benchmarks to arrive on scene in less than 4, 8 and 15 minutes, with the goal of delivering CPR to patients with cardiac arrest within 5 minutes of arrival and defibrillation within 9 minutes.
In total, the team analyzed 63,600 cardiac arrest encounters in the U.S. The study sample was nearly 58 percent male, with a mean age of about 60. The authors reported that high-income areas had a greater proportion of white, male patients with private insurance, while low-income areas had a greater proportion of Medicaid-insured patients. Median incomes in the most affluent zip codes ranged from approximately $57,000 to $113,313, while the lowest ranged from $20,250 to $42,642.
The researchers found that EMS responses were more likely to meet 8-minute and 15-minute national benchmarks in high-income areas than in low-income communities. They also found that average emergency response time was 37.5 minutes in the highest income zip code, compared to 43 minutes in the lowest income zip code.
Additionally, the mean EMS response times, on-scene times, and transport times were 10 percent longer in low-income communities, even after controlling for such differences as time of day.
"Each minute of delay increases the odds that a patient will not survive a heart attack," said Hsia, who is also with the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF. "Our findings are particularly concerning given the time-sensitivity of conditions like cardiac arrest, in which the heart has ceased functioning and immediate medical care is required to restore function and circulation.
"Our findings show that health care disparities exist at the system-level, including ambulance transport times," she said. "As hospital closures and the cost of health care continue to rise, we must examine how to ensure access to care for our most vulnerable."
More information: JAMA Network Open (2018). jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman … etworkopen.2018.5202
Journal information: JAMA Network Open
Provided by University of California, San Francisco
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Dive Master, and underwater Photographer, Trying to bring my underwater journey through my camera camera lens.
demitry organ (demitry) Studying marine biology and biodiversity conservation in the United Kingdom. grew up in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai). fascinated in hawks-bill turtles. worked for W.W.F (E.W.S) and Atlantis Dubai. interested in conserving what is left of the marine world.


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Q: How to show git colors on Zsh? I recently started to use Zsh as my default shell. One thing that I like in git is the colors, for example, the git status and git diff used to have colors (additions in green, and deletions in red).
Now with Zsh it is all white (the default color). How can I put colors on git outputs in Zsh?
Thanks.

A: git config --global color.diff auto
git config --global color.status auto

A: Migore,
My .gitconfig is set up like this:
[color]
  diff = auto
  status = auto
  branch = auto
[color "status"]
  changed = yellow
  added = green
  untracked = red

A: I was searching for the solution in the zsh side. But it turned out that git has a solution for that.
Just add this to your .gitconfig file
[color]
    ui = auto

A: If see escape code like "ESC[33mcommit" in the text instead of colors, try setting the PAGER variable in your .zshrc to something like this:
#export PAGER=${PAGER:-less}
export PAGER='less -r'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Do you have to have several thousand employees to afford a clinic?
No. Employer-sponsored clinics have been operated successfully by employers of 150 employees with part-time clinic hours. An employer or combination of employers with 350 or more employees can easily operate a clinic.
We don't have the resources or expertise to get into the medical provider business.
Employers contract with a vendor to operate the clinic on a contract basis. Doctors and clinic staff are the employees of the contractor.
What about all of that liability?
The employer is indemnified and the clinic operator is responsible for all risks associated with the operation of the clinic.
I've seen those clinics in the lobby of a grocery store. What if our employees won't use a second-rate clinic?
These clinics are first-rate, often nicer than what people are used to. The facility itself is the least costly aspect of the clinic operation. All equipment is state-of-the-art and brand new. A site tour of an existing clinic will completely change any negative perceptions about the clinic.
Would really good doctors ever want to work at this sort of a clinic?
Sadly, doctors are very frustrated with the state of medicine. In a recent survey of 12,000 physicians, only 6% reported positive morale. Openings for clinical staff in these clinics receive very high interest from very highly-experienced and qualified doctors. Great care is put into selecting the staff that is a good cultural fit for your population.
Do people have to change their doctors?
No. First, clinic use is optional. Members are encouraged to maintain relationship with current doctors. However, it has been our experience that employees are happy to save money and time by using the clinic for most primary care concerns. The clinic staff will keep your regular doctor informed of your care at the clinic.
This clinic is a clinic in every right. It is subject to the same standards of professionalism and federal HIPAA regulations as any other medical provider.


Vitamin D plays a vital role for the good health and it is important for not just the health of the bones but for the functioning of many other systems of the human body. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is found naturally in the food such as mushrooms, egg yolk, and fish oil. It can also be produced through ultraviolet rays when the skin gets exposed to sunlight. Apart from maintaining the health of the bones, Vitamin D is also involved in different processes such as regulation of cellular growth, immune function, glucose metabolism and neurological disorder. When the body doesn't get enough Vitamin D to keep the body healthy, this condition is known as Vitamin D deficiency. Numerous studies have proved that the deficiency of Vitamin D is one of the causes of sexual dysfunction or specifically, erectile dysfunction. Men who have a low level of Vitamin D are more susceptible of having erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction is a problem with erections and erections is a complex phenomenon that involves coordination among the neurological, vascular and tissue compartments. Erectile dysfunction can be defined as a condition in which men experiences their incapability to achieve or maintain a satisfactory penile erection. This is one of the most common sexual dysfunction in men and a large number of men are suffering from this problem.
Numerous studies have suggested that the deficiency of Vitamin D is highly associated with the decreased testosterone level in the human body and testosterone is vital for the functioning throughout the man's life. Vitamin D plays a role in maintaining the status of testosterone. The development of the condition of erectile dysfunction is related to low testosterone as testosterone is important for the normal erections, due to its impact on the production of nitric oxide. Testosterone controls every component that is involved in erectile function, from sexual desires to smooth muscle relaxation.
Advancing age is not the only factor that causes erectile dysfunction. Instead, there are many factors that affect the erectile function. Some of the factors that are known to throw major impact on the erectile function are stress, depression, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and drinking. There are some pieces of evidence that directly or indirectly Vitamin D is associated with the factors that cause erectile dysfunction. Depression is one of the most common causes of erectile dysfunction and low level of Vitamin D is found in people suffering from depression. Reduced level of Vitamin D have been reported in various psychiatric disorders and depression is one of such disorders. Depression is a serious condition that involves symptoms like difficulty in concentrating, lack of confidence and self esteem, loss of interest in enjoying things, and sadness. It is believed that Vitamin D has many properties that throw a positive impact on mood.
Vitamin D plays an important role in treating many diseases including diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is considered to be one of the major factors that cause erectile dysfunction. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that develops when the blood sugar level of the body becomes too high. It is basically a result of the progressive autoimmune destruction of pancreatic islets. Diabetes mellitus is of two types, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Vitamin D has the immunomodulatory effect and this effect points out the role of Vitamin D in decreasing the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Vitamin D promotes the functioning of the pancreatic cells through direct way and an indirect way. It directly enhances the insulin secretion and regulates the effects of cytokines. Vitamin D can also indirectly affect insulin secretion by regulating calbindin. Vitamin D regulates calbindin which is a cytosolic calcium binding protein. Calbindin modulates the depolarization stimulated insulin release through the regulation of intracellular calcium.. Other immune modulating effects of vitamin D include inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation, development and regulation of cytokine expression. These effects of Vitamin D provides an additional protection from the diseases.


Before you get to use your hard earned money to expand your fleet or just upgrade on your car, you need to carry a little planning. You need to accurately know why a certain vehicle is different from the other, and this will help you get the real as well as the learning experience of the best one of them. We have free general guidelines that will help you in buying your best limousine car.
There is a need to know that establishing your needs is very important. In case you think you will have lots of customers who will be taken to the airport, wedding events and hotels then a stretch limo would be the best one of them. There is need to know exactly where most of your clients will be going so that you buy a limo that focuses on the needs that you have for the limo that you need. You should have one that will be waiting in your park as the other is on the roads.
You need to know exactly how far your limo can stretch. It is important that you know that buying a stretcher limo is different from buying an ordinary car, choose one that helps you enjoy the best deals. Take your time and ensure that you know exactly the best car that you buy and if it has been bound by the laws and regulations in your state. You may also look at how the streets are and how the limo would be able to negotiate if being operated as you carry out your daily activities, you would need easy procedures to be used so that you do not stay long on the roads.
Having a budget that works for you is very important in helping you know the right ideas in choosing a car that is suitable for you. You have speculated on a budget that will work for you, ensure that you know that the main needs need to be put on your wish list and then have a limo that is suitable. Take time to also know the operation costs of the limo that you are buying, do not just look at how it costs as there are parts needed and those people who will be working using it. Making a good decision will be a profit to your business, and this is what you are looking at mostly.
Generally limo owners will often choose black or white colors for their fleets as it can be considered in official tours or casual ones. Be sure to consider those limos that are pink or red if you are going for outs and wine places with your clients as this serves as the best deal. If you are buying a personal limo, you may need to choose white or black or another pleasing color that would be used in all your occasions and every day needs.


Today I am at my home and it is quiet and peaceful and I'm feeling blessed to be here. The kids are sleeping soundly (and late woohoo!!) I debated if I should enjoy this blissful quiet asleep or awake. I opted for awake. So rarely do I get a moment of solitude and quiet. I'm so thankful!
For the past 4 months we have been staying with family and I cannot say how thankful I am for it. But it would be a lie to say it hasn't been difficult, stressful and exhausting on many levels. And it would definitely be a contradiction of all that I've been sharing for the past few months in my blog. Sometimes blessings can be difficult. The blessing of a place to stay during our transition is huge, the stress of that blessing is also huge.
Sometimes I wonder if a blessing can't also be a burden. I'm sure there are many that will disagree with me because it sounds wrong to say a blessing can be a burden, but I believe it's true.
I think I've known for a long time that I can find a blessing even in my burdens, but I haven't flipped it around before. I haven't realized that my blessings can sometimes be burdens as well.
But the more I've pondered, the more I'm thinking this is true.
Parenting is absolutely a blessing, but I cannot deny it is a burden to be sure. Dealing with my children and the responsibility of raising them well can most definitely be a burden. A welcome burden, but a burden nonetheless.
As a parent, I burden my children with chores to give them the blessing of understanding the value of work done well, of responsibility, and of being part of a family. I'm fairly certain that none of them would refer to those things as blessings…well, at least most of the time.
A home is a blessing, but when there are issues it can most definitely be a burden. Broken things, dripping things, creaky things, wobbly things…just lots of things that aren't fun, but I'm sure thankful for the shelter.
Work is a blessing, but it seriously can be a burden.
It's a bit embarrassing to think that at the moment I'm having to remind myself to be thankful for my blessings.
Shouldn't that be a given? Unfortunately, I think it has been easier for me to focus on the burden aspect of the blessing than the blessing part of the blessing.
Maybe I'm throwing that blessing word around too much…but I can't think of a good synonym for blessing. Benediction doesn't really work. Approval and encouragement don't really apply either. Merriam-Webster defines blessing as "something that helps you or brings happiness." I suppose saying that something that brings me help or happiness is a burden is a bit odd.
But in God's economy, maybe not.
I attend a great Bible study on Sunday nights. The teacher said that when we pray for things, such as patience or courage, God is going to give us opportunities to exercise patience or be courageous. The blessings of patience and courage are going to come with the burden of experiencing situations that require us to be patient and courageous. (That is one of those think-well-before-I-pray-this-prayer prayers!) The blessing of being a patient, courageous, kind, or loving person comes with the burden of having to develop those traits.
We have all probably experienced the phenomenon that blessings don't always come in the ways we expect them. Many of the blessings I've experienced have come by way of difficulties and trials. Those blessings are some of the most precious. Just like labor and delivery – the pain and discomfort brings forth a great blessing!
Maybe the housing situation, although difficult, is not just a blessing of shelter, but a blessing of character-building, of refining, of eye-opening.
Maybe a job, although time-consuming and stressful, is not just a blessing of provision, but a blessing of purpose and ministry.
Maybe parenting, although exhausting and overwhelming at times, is not just a blessing of children, but a blessing of understanding the Father's love for us.
Maybe all the things in our life are so much deeper and richer because God uses everything – those things we perceive as "good" and those things we perceive as "bad" – to bless us both in the present and the future.
I'm blown away right now. I have been so easily frustrated and upset by things in my life and haven't been able to see the good in much. And if I do happen to notice it at all, I'm quickly overtaken by all the feelings of discouragement that keep me from focusing on the blessings for what they are….blessings. It has been entirely too easy for me to see only the burden and miss the blessing.
I'm not sure that I know exactly how to "fix" myself, but God does. He has definitely given me some great ideas in His word.
And once again, I'm brought back to the word of God. Back to the strength and perspective offered there. Back to the power of His word…the power of Jesus.
I was reminded recently of one of Paul's prayers in Ephesians 1:15-23 – maybe this is the prayer we can pray for ourselves and for each other.
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you,remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
You know, I just have to include the other prayer in Ephesians 3.
Immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…There really isn't more to say is there? What a mighty loving God we serve!
Previous Article I Need Therapy…of sorts.
I think it's normal for you to find it hard to rejoice. Go ahead and rejoice and thank and praise, but don't be too hard on yourself. Nobody in your situation would find it easy to rejoice and be "up" all the time.
Paul and others told great people to rejoice – he wouldn't have said that if it were natural for everyone to be rejoicing all the time. So I think that the great saints in the early church, David, and maybe even Joseph went through times went they weren't singing and dancing.
Linda, Thank you so much! What a blessing to me to know that God uses my words to encourage!


text:
David Livingston/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Jessica Simpson's Take On The 10 Year Challenge Is A Hilarious Ode To The Downsides Of Pregnancy
By Alana Romain
Jessica Simpson may be super excited about the prospect of welcoming her third child into the world soon, but as is so often the case, being pregnant again has clearly come with its share of challenges for the star. In a recent Instagram post, Simpson shared a pic revealing that she was suffering from some majorly uncomfortable pregnancy-related swelling in her legs and ankles, and now, it looks like her current situation has inspired her own unique take on the "10 Year Challenge" that's been making its way around social media. While pregnancy discomfort may not be any fun, Jessica Simpson's take on the 10 Year Challenge is one that will make pregnant woman everywhere totally crack up.
Although third trimester swelling isn't easy to deal with, Simpson has clearly opted to roll with it as best she can. Though she initially posted the photo in order to ask for advice, according to People, it seems she must have learned the swelling was otherwise harmless, because in her latest Instagram Thursday, Simpson posted the pic again alongside a throwback image of her formerly super-toned legs, and it shows she definitely has a great sense of humor about everything she's going through.
Her current swollen legs may feel like a pretty far cry from her former self, but Simpson, at least, isn't afraid to keep it real when it comes to the less-than-glamorous aspects of pregnancy. And given that so much of what's generally shared about pregnancy on Instagram seems to be coming from women who somehow manage to make gestating a human look easy and effortless, it's honestly pretty refreshing.
Then again, Simpson is one celeb who has already had to endure a fair amount of public criticism during her pregnancies, as the expectation for celebrity women in particular is that they make it to their due date without gaining any unnecessary weight, and presumably without experiencing any unwanted symptoms. The outcome, at least for Simpson? It seems to have only boosted her sense of humor.
At the same time though, she's also definitely had to grow a thick skin. During her first pregnancy with daughter, Maxwell, in 2012, Simpson became the target of all kinds of nasty criticism over her looks and how much weight she was thought to be gaining. But it wasn't just from anonymous internet trolls: a Florida OB/GYN even went as far as to tells Slate that she felt "no one should ever look like Jessica Simpson" while pregnant, before adding, "she's an absolute porker."
As ridiculous and unfair as it is to criticize any woman like that, let alone one who is pregnant, Simpson later explained to Redbook in 2014 that she "never [listens] to it," according to People, and said, "I wasn't going to let the media take away from what was one of the happiest times in my life."
It's likely that attitude that led Simpson to take such a good-natured approach to her Ten Year Challenge photo — but it's actually not the first time she's joked about missing her pre-pregnancy body. In December, she posted a throwback pic wishing her BFF Cacee Cobb a happy birthday, and quipped, "I'm posting this pic because in my heart we will always be this young and skinny," while back in June, she shared a photo from 2003 MTV Movie Awards red carpet and wrote, "I loved my #2003 body double."
It makes sense, of course, that most people have approached the Ten Year Challenge as an opportunity to show off the fact that they've somehow either managed to mostly look the same, or possibly even better, over the past decade. But for most of us, things like having children have meant our bodies really do look different — especially if we've had to deal with totally normal things like swelling and weight gain.
Sure, many celeb moms are somehow able to end up still looking perfect even in the late stages of pregnancy, but Simpson, for one, isn't afraid to share that there is a lot about carrying a child that isn't cute or glamorous. And the fact that she's willing to joke about just makes her that much more relatable and awesome.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The explain_eventfd_or_die function is used to call the eventfd(2) system call. On failure an explanation will be printed to stderr, obtained from the explain_eventfd(3) function, and then the process terminates by calling exit(EXIT_FAILURE).
The explain_eventfd_on_error function is used to call the eventfd(2) system call. On failure an explanation will be printed to stderr, obtained from the explain_eventfd(3) function, but still returns to the caller.
The initval, exactly as to be passed to the eventfd(2) system call.
The flags, exactly as to be passed to the eventfd(2) system call.
The explain_eventfd_or_die function only returns on success, see eventfd(2) for more information. On failure, prints an explanation and exits, it does not return.
The explain_eventfd_on_error function always returns the value return by the wrapped eventfd(2) system call.


text:
Triple murder follows dogfighting raids that net 62 suspects and 120 pit bulls
April 1, 2013 juanitoG	Leave a comment
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2013:
Walking inside, the unidentified man found the bodies, and a two-month-old baby girl beneath Carter's arm. "It looked as if she was protecting the baby when she was killed," Oneida County Sheriff Jeff Semrad told media. Sheriff's deputies found 64 pit bulls chained in two dog yards. Both dog yards were visible in photographs taken from two county highways intersecting near the scene, and found 38 marijuana plants, with a cumulative street value estimated at $95,000. Bruce Christensen, brother of Brent, told media that Brent had served prison time for drug-related offenses.
Brent L. Christensen was also reputedly a professional dogfighter. "Evidence at the scene suggests dog fights were held at the site," reported Debbie Bryce of the Idaho State Journal. "So, we have a dog fighting ring going on here and pretty good grow operation. And so we just don't know right now. Is it drug related, or not? Maybe it's not related to either one of those things," Semrad said. "We believe that they knew who the killer was. There's no evidence there was a robbery." Semrad said the investigation had discovered names of interest from other parts of southern Idaho and northern Utah. The Oneida County Sheriff's Depart-ment in August 2007 found as many as 34 pit bulls believed to have been bred for fighting on the premises of alleged marijuana growers Andy Ray Willard and Tiffany Willard, near Malad, the only incorporated city in the county. Both Willards were convicted in November 2007 of manufacturing a controlled substance. Andy Willard was sentenced to serve two years in state prison; Tiffany Willard was eligible for probation after serving 180 days. Dogfighting charges were not filed, after the 34 pit bulls disappeared soon after the Willards were arrested. Semrad indicated that the murder victims were not involved in the Willard case, but the Willard case did involve other suspects. "These are dangerous people, and the individual we arrested [apparently Andy Willard] has told us that. That's why he doesn't want to cooperate and give names, because he's scared," Semrad said soon after the dogs vanished. "We did locate what we thought possibly were some of the dogs that were stolen but the attorneys for the Willards would not allow them to cooperate with us and identify the dogs, because they were worried about federal charges," Semrad told KPVI News, of Pocatello, in November 2007. Oneida County Commissioner Max Firth donated food for the pit bulls who were impounded after the murders. The pit bulls had apparently not been properly fed in some time. "Occasionally they would grind up the meat of a dog who died and feed that to the other dogs," Semrad e-mailed to Local News 8, of Idaho Falls. "We found a dead dog in the freezer and a grinder nearby," Semrad said. Removing the pit bulls from the premises on April 8, the Idaho Humane Society reported on April 9 that most were "in very poor body condition," malnourished, with open wounds and skin, eye, and ear ailments resulting from neglect of basic care. Some had untreated broken bones. The Best Friends Animals Society reportedly offered to take the dogs for possible rehabilitation for adoption. Unclear was whether the Idaho killings were connected with the dogfighting raids of the preceding weeks. Possible motives might include silencing suspected witnesses or retaliating against suspected informants. But there were earlier hints that some of the alleged dogfighters involved in the raids had homicidal inclinations. As many as 10 shots were reportedly fired early on Easter Sunday near Benton, Mississippi when more than 100 officers and agents with the Marshall, Benton, and DeSoto county sheriff's departments and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations closed in on a dogfight that allegedly included "major players" in dogfighting nationally. "I don't know if it was a lookout [firing shots to warn the dogfight participants] or if it was a psycho who realized at 2:00 a.m. in a crowd of 200, he could shoot into the woods and maybe kill a cop with no one being able to figure out who did what," Humane Society of the U.S. director of animal cruelty policy John Goodwin told ANIMAL PEOPLE. "A bunch of guys got away," as many as 70 according to local police, "and we suspect the weapon that was fired got away too," Goodwin said.
Hardcore fighters
"This was definitely a gathering of some of the most hardcore dogfighters in the country," Goodwin added. "Since the Benton County jail couldn't hold everyone, they were spread around a tri-county area," delaying release of a master list of the 52 suspects who were arrested at the scene. Fifteen to 20 pit bulls were also taken into custody, according to the Benton Clarion-Ledger. Other reports said as many as 26 pit bulls were seized. Among the suspects were 13 Texans, 12 Misssissippians, six Alabamans, five people each from Tennessee and Florida, three Arkansans, two people each from Illinois and Ohio, and one man from Louisiana. Five more suspects and 18 pit bulls were rounded up on April 5, 2013 from locations in Tracy and Carmichael, California. The California suspects were charged with possession of fighting dogs, drug and weapons-related offenses, and child endangerment. "These are the kind of guys who operate under street names," said Goodwin. "This wasn't the old school, big-name dog man crowd, but rather the core of the new high roller gang-affiliated dogfighters. They came of age when the underground magazines [published by and for the "old school" dogfighters] were starting to disappear, and are much harder to track." But HSUS senior law enforcement specialist Eric Sakach remembered the oldest of the California arrestees, James Leiva, 60. "I testified against Leiva in a dogfighting case in Lake County, California, in 1999. He was found guilty and served 16 months in state prison," Sakach said. The Benton raid came a week after the biggest seizure of alleged fighting dogs in nearly four years, disclosed on March 25, 2013, brought the total number of alleged fighting dogs seized by law enforcement in the first 100 days of the year to more than twice as many as were impounded in all of 2012. The American SPCA took custody of nearly 100 pit bulls found by the FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office, and Missouri State Highway Patrol, during weekend raids on sites in Kansas, Missouri, and Texas. Pete Davis, 38, and Melvin Robinson, 41, both of Kansas City, Kansas (across the Missouri River from Kansas City, Missouri) were indicted for interstate animal trafficking in connection with animal fighting. "For years, the wails and cries of dogs troubled" Davis' neighbors, reported Tony Rizzo of the Kansas City Star. "Numerous calls to the city about the home reported suspicions of animal abuse and neglect. Neighbors said they sometimes glimpsed dogs inside the garage hanging by their necks. Because they were pit bulls, neighbors suspected that the dogs were used for dogfighting." In September 2011 one of Davis' dogs mauled two small dogs being walked by neighbor Brandi Oude Alink and her seven-year-old daughter, Davis was fined $400. "Kansas City Municipal Court records show three other convictions against Davis for violating animal ordinances," Rizzo wrote. The raids resulting in criminal charges against Davis and Robinson came about six weeks after the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Federal Drug Administration, and local sheriff's deputies seized 99 alleged fighting pit bulls from seven sites in five North Carolina counties. The North Carolina raids were assisted by the Humane Society of the U.S. Law enforcement activity in response to dogfighting soared after the April 2007 discovery of a dogfighting operation at the Surrey, Virginia home of football star Michael Vick, but fell off after the Humane Society of Missouri and the ASPCA in July 2009 took custody of 378 pit bulls who were seized in raids on alleged dogfighting operations in five states. Puppies born to those pit bulls raised the count to 407 dogs in custody, of whom 237 were reportedly rehomed. "We do not feel like there has been any decline in animal fights," ASPCA vice president Tim Rickey told Maria Sudekum of Associated Press. "There is better awareness, but there continues to be a lack of enforcement because they're very difficult to investigate." "A lot of the big breeders of game dogs complain about sales being off by half. Based on what metrics we have," Goodwin told ANIMAL PEOPLE, "dogfighting indeed shrank and hasn't gone back to pre-Michael Vick levels. That said," Goodwin added, "there is still a lot more happening in the shadows than people suspect." Conventional belief, when the Michael Vick case broke, was that pit bull proliferation was driven by dogfighting demand, and that cracking down on dogfighting would help to reduce the numbers of pit bulls killed in animal shelters, the numbers of pit bulls involved in non-dogfighting-related cruelty and neglect cases, and the numbers of fatal and disfiguring pit bull attacks on humans. The numbers of pit bulls killed in U.S. shelters fell from 2007 to 2009, rebounded in 2010, then dropped somewhat in 2011. ANIMAL PEOPLE is still collecting the data from 2012. Arrests for non-dogfighting-related cruelty to pit bulls and impoundments of neglected pit bulls dropped in 2009, but rebounded in the next two years. Arrests for non-dogfighting-related cruelty to pit bulls fell by two-thirds in 2012, even as the numbers of pit bulls impounded for neglect more than doubled, largely due to the collapse of several large pit bull rescues. The combined total of fatal and disfiguring pit bull attacks on humans in 2007 was the lowest since 1999. But pit bull attack fatalities doubled in 2008 and have remained at or above the 2008 number. Disfigurements post-2007 have nearly sextupled. ANIMAL PEOPLE analysis of dogfighting participation data suggests that there are fewer than 800 actual dogfighting trainers in the U.S., of whom only 60-90 are professionals. Most or all of the professionals appear to make money mostly by breeding pit bulls of purported "champion" pedigrees for sale to would-be dogfighters and status seekers.
Cockfighting
Much more of the money in cockfighting appears to be derived from actually staging fights. While organized dogfights are usually seen only by people known to the trainers, cockfights are often open to almost anyone who shows up with the admission fee. Far fewer cockfighting arrests in recent years than circa 12 years ago might mean less cockfighting, or might reflect changing law enforcement priorities. There are now only about 1,700 active gamecock breeders in the U.S., down from about 8,000 at peak, Goodwin believes. But the remaining breeders appear to have much bigger operations. More alleged fighting birds were seized in 2012 than in any year on record except 2007. Three of the top five annual totals of alleged fighting bird seizures have come since 2007. Responding to an exotic Newcastle disease outbreak that raged through southern California and Arizona in 2002-2003, believed to have been spread mainly by cockfighters but causing the deaths of 3.7 million laying hens, the USDA paid $11.4 million to buy and kill 144,000 gamefowl. This disrupted the normal patterns of activity among cockfighters, gamefowl breeders, and law enforcement against cockfighting for more than two years. If the USDA in 2002-2003 culled 70% of the potentially infected gamebird flocks, the minimum percentage necessary to cull or vaccinate to stop the spread of a contagious disease, the numbers of birds involved in cockfighting could be projected to have been 10 times greater than the numbers seized in 2000-2001. If the pattern continues that the numbers of birds seized in cockfighting raids are 10% of the birds involved, and if the same pattern applies to human participation in cockfighting, there may be about 50,000 cockfighting enthusiasts in the U.S., most of whom are spectators or gamblers, rather than breeders and trainers. ––Merritt Clifton
U.S. pit bull data, 2000-April 7, 2013
"Busts" means reported dogfighting raids. "Arrests" means persons arrested in connection with those raids. "Dogs" means pit bulls impounded in connection with those raids. "PB shelter kills" means pit bulls killed in animal shelters. "Cruelty" means non-dogfighting cruelty cases documented either by Pet-Abuse.com or by other information in the ANIMAL PEOPLE archives. "Neglect" means dogs impounded or found dead in non-dogfighting neglect cases documented by either Pet-Abuse.com or by other information in the ANIMAL PEOPLE archives. "Fatal" means fatal pit bull attacks on humans. "Maimed" means disfiguring pit bull attacks on humans. ANIMAL PEOPLE surveys of dogs offered for sale or adoption in classified ads, done in 2003, 2010, 2011, and 2012, indicates that the total U.S. pit bull population has remained relatively consistent, at about 2.8 to three million dogs at any given time. Year Busts Arrests Dogs PB shelter kills Cruelty Neglect Fatal Maimed 2000 66 297 896 (no survey) 26 79 11 60 2001 75 282 869 (no survey) 19 68 7 62 2002 108+ 160+ 1612+ (no survey) 36 69 6 64 2003 (no data) 900,000 50 106 13 71 2004 (no data) (no survey) 87 267 8 38 2005 71 100 743 (no survey) 163 355 14 81 2006 61 148 864 967,300 194 629 14 63 2007 71 170 1350 920,000 125 604 12 37 2008 81 269 1189 825,000 161 785 24 52 2009 94 202 1589 810,000 102 261 29 91 2010 77 118 789 930,000 154 570 29 141 2011 63 158 549 888,000 245 420 23 198 2012 17 42 145 (survey underway) 86 924 24* 189 2013 11 65 324 (as of 4/7/2013) 17 60 8 85 + 2002 dogfighting info was projected from partial data. * Bite fatalities only. Counting non-bite head injuries and heart attacks suffered during dog attacks, the total of fatalities was 38. U.S. cockfighting data Year Arrests Birds seized 1997 350 725 1998 498 763 1999 389 1023 2000 874 876 2001 1508 7995 2002+ 1840 7036 2003* 53 2061 2004* (no data log) 2005 1064 2267 2006 377 2721 2007 729 9423 2008 691 5158 2009 447 8151 2010 413 7658 2011 461 4677 2012 665 9314 2013# 132 801 + The 2002 numbers were projected from three months of data. * In 2002-2003 the USDA paid $11.4 million to buy and kill 144,000 gamefowl who were believed to have been exposed to exotic Newcastle disease. This appeared to suppress cockfighting activity for more than two years. # As of March 31, 2013.


text:
Online repository of location-specific untapped business opportunities
Image credit: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/56/e5/be/56e5becd1b2e222771b78cf7a7fe7fe8.jpg; https://www.pngall.com/light-bulb-png/download/1393
An online database of ideas for various business startups that would likely succeed because an obvious unfulfilled niche exists at a certain place and a certain time. Such business ideas don't have to be novel per se or bring about some unexisting/significantly improved product or service, they only have to point to an existing business opportunity.
There's a new catching up style trend in some city but there's no shop oriented towards it, opening a shop focused exclusively on that style type would attract customers.
Car repair shops in a certain country/location don't provide the service of restoring certain parts of a car engine, therefore people having problems with those have to either buy a totally new part (which might be very expensive) or put a second-hand one with no guarantee if and for how long it will last. One could open a repair shop focused solely on restoration service.
Opening a large size vegan supermarket (in any big enough city) with a product variety and prices not significantly different from that of an ordinary supermarket.
Anyone could suggest a business idea on the platform, those would get rated according to how good/likely to succeed they are. The ratings of people from a location most relevant for a certain idea would be prioritized. People with resources and ambition to start a business could browse through such database to get inspiration. You could search for ideas according to the location in which you want to start a business, business sector, and more.
Those suggesting the ideas would mostly be people who won't do it themselves but would like to see such ideas realized, for example, potential customers (people currently in demand for some service/product) or businessmen who are too busy with other projects. Business ideas that are relevant worldwide would also be welcomed on the platform.
business ideasonline platform
The database could also facilitate business-to-business services
For example, if I want to start cheese production locally in my city, an existing company in Europe could sell me their bacterial culture. May I could open a franchise. This will depend upon how the two parties want to proceed with the business. The repository will help connect these two parties.
Similarly, if a business requires some raw material that is cheap in a different country, they could collaborate via the repository.
Maybe the repository could mediate and charge a small fee to both parties. This will help with the maintenance of the repository and the repository itself could also be converted into a business.
Povilas S3 months ago
I think the site could charge a subscription fee for getting access to all of the ideas. That could be the business model to support the site. Some of the ideas would be visible to all of the visitors, but if you wanted to access the rest you'd have to pay a subscription fee.
A platform where crowdfunded bounties are paid to people who translate scientific papers for general public
A platform where local people help each other out when someone is in need
ByAntonio Carusillo
Chat-roulette app between investors and startups
Turn homes into obstacle courses to improve people's agility, dexterity, and strength
A device that gives you a slight electric shock when you use filler words
Dissipation of fog via an autonomous fleet of drones
ByDragan Otasevic
A custom printed newspaper on-demand app
AI-powered "what you should know" distractions


Here's the second chorus of "Blues in a Dream". This chorus contains strong tongue slaps, octaves, bends and embouchure switches. This helps set up the next chorus which will be played with a lighter touch to create contrast in tone and mood.
Glad you guys are digging this one! Though I have played customized harps from time to time, it's usualily a Marine Band right out of the box.
Jerry - this is a flat-out killer. I doubt if I'll ever get it down like you have it, but I greatly appreciate your sharing. A truly great signature piece. Thanks.
Hey Jerry...been waiting for this one!.....I'm gonna put everythibg I got into it...Thanks for putting your signature piece out there and sharing it. I really mean that, Your giving your all to us students. Back in the day when you were out on the road did you just pull marine band harps out of the box and play this song or did you have them tuned up?
Rick is playing a Marine Band 364 which is a C harp pitched an octave lower than a a regular 10 hole C.
What key or ru playing crossharp?
Jerry is playing and A Harmonica. The song is in the key of E.