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There is little understanding of the reasons for the limited communication between patients and conventional healthcare professionals regarding patients' use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The purpose of this study is to explore the predictors of outpatients' decision to disclose their use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals.
A mixed method design was used. Quantitative data were obtained through a survey and qualitative data were obtained from semi-structured interviews. A total of 257 outpatients who fulfilled the criteria of having used natural products prior to the interview were recruited for this study. Subsequently, 39 patients of those who completed the survey were further selected to take part in an in-depth qualitative interview.
Predictors of the decision to disclose the use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals included age, frequency of clinic visits, knowledge of the natural products and the attitude towards the benefits of CAM use. The themes that emerged from the qualitative data included safeness of the natural products, consulting alternative sources of information, apprehension regarding the development of negative relationships with healthcare professionals and reactions from the healthcare professionals.
Understanding the factors and reasons affecting patients' decision as to whether to disclose their use of natural products provides an opportunity for conventional healthcare professionals to communicate better with patients. It is important to encourage patients to disclose their use of natural products in order to provide responsible health care as well as increasing patient safety regarding medication usage.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to a set of healthcare beliefs, approaches, and products that are infrequently taught to conventional healthcare students, and are not generally available at hospitals [1, 2]. When compared to Western countries such as the USA (38.3%)  and Australia (52.2%) , rates of CAM use are exceptionally high among individuals from countries with long histories such as Singapore (76%) , Japan (76%) , Turkey (70%)  and Taiwan (75.5%) . Most users of CAM treatment are often resistant towards abandoning CAM in favour of conventional treatments, but rather preferring a range of available options that complement conventional medicine . As such, many CAM users do not divulge information about their CAM use to conventional healthcare professionals. Recent studies showed the overall rate of non-disclosure of CAM use remains high, between 48.2% and 73.4% [9–11]. In addition, the decision on whether to disclose CAM use to conventional healthcare professionals also varies among patient populations. In the US, studies found that only 39.8% of CAM users disclosed their use with physicians in 1990 and, in 1997, an even lower 38.5% disclosed this information [12, 13]. The highest rate of non-disclosure in CAM use was found in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving haemodialysis in Taiwan, where 98% of the CAM users did not disclose their CAM use to their primary care physicians . Although previous studies have extensively explored the rates of disclosure or non-disclosure of CAM use to conventional healthcare professionals, there is little understanding of the reasons for this limited communication and the factors influencing this gap in communication.
The use of natural products within CAM has been shown to be a popular choice of therapy among patients [15, 16] where many people hold the misconception that these products are natural, and hence, safe to use without adverse effects. In reality, the addition of herbal medicines to conventional treatment regimens holds the potential of herb-drug interactions . Natural products are classified as biologically based therapies, including herbs, botanicals, vitamins and minerals, and dietary supplements. With high use but limited disclosure of CAM use, patients may impose on themselves risks such as making uninformed decisions regarding other treatments involving drug interactions, and misdiagnosis and mismanagement of their disease. Serious complications may develop as a result, affecting the course of their disease. For example, Leung et al.  found that 34.1% of natural products users who consumed herbs, botanicals, vitamins and supplements orally while on warfarin therapy were at risk of excessive bleeding. Some natural products may also cause interactions with anticancer drugs by inducting drug-metabolizing enzymes and ATP-binding cassette drug transporters, which lower plasma levels of the anticancer drugs and may lead to cancer treatment failure. Some examples of natural products that could cause adverse effects in anticancer therapy are kava-kava, vitamin E, quercetin, ginseng, garlic, beta-carotene and Echinacea . This withholding of information between patients and conventional healthcare professionals increases the possibility of serious herb-drug interactions occurring which may have a negative impact on the patients' health. However, the decision of patients to withhold disclosure about their use of natural products remains a complex issue to be explored. There is an urgent need to understand the profile characteristics of patients who are likely to disclose the use of natural products versus those who are unlikely to do so, as well as the reasons for which patients hesitate to disclose this information. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to shed light on 1) the reasons some patients choose to disclose their use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals while others choose not to, and 2) the factors associated with these decisions.
This study employed a mixed method design integrating both quantitative and qualitative methods. This approach of qualitative-quantitative methodological triangulation reconciles the two methods which embody incompatible assumptions . In this study, a sequential mixed-model design was used, incorporating quantitative data obtained from surveys with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews to better explore the phenomena that could not be quantified. This model design use qualitative data to explain in more detail of quantitative findings and help to better understand how the personal experiences of disclosure about the use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals.
A sample of patients who attended medical and surgical clinics at the Zuoying Armed Forces General Hospital in Taiwan between August 2007 and August 2008 were invited to participate. To qualify for inclusion, patients had to meet the following criteria: 1) over the age of 18, 2) using at least one natural products in the past 12 months and 3) sufficient ability to understand and respond to all questions on the survey instrument. A total of 521 patients were screened for CAM use and 358 patients (68.73%) reported using CAM. However, only 257 patients who reached the inclusion criteria of having used natural products prior to the study were recruited. The patients from the qualitative phase of the study were selected from the overall pool of patients in the quantitative phase. A purposive sampling strategy was used for this phase in order to select those who were able to discuss their decision about the disclosure of natural products use, came from diverse demographic backgrounds and were information rich . In the qualitative phase, we recruited a total of 39 patients, and conducted interviews until there was data saturation—in other words, when further sampling yielded no new information .
The survey was divided into three sections relating to the sample characteristics, information about their use of natural products and attitudes towards the use of CAM. Sample characteristics collected included demographic and clinical information about the patients' age, gender, education level, occupation, marital status, duration of disease, frequency of clinic visits and level of medication compliance. Information about the use of natural products included how to mix use of natural products and conventional treatment, knowledge of natural products, and whether patients disclosed their use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals.
Patients' attitudes towards CAM use was assessed using the scales modified from the works of Hsu et al.  and Chang et al.  in which the scale focused on the perceived benefits of and perceived barriers to the use of CAM for depression and diabetes, respectively. In our scale, the wordings related to depression or diabetes were deleted so that items suited all outpatients. A 20-item scale enquiring on a 4-point Likert scale from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree' was used to assess the attitudes of patients towards CAM use, where a higher score indicates a positive attitude toward CAM and lower score hold a negative attitude towards CAM. Cronbach's alpha, a measure of internal consistency reliability, was 0.8–0.92 in both studies. Cronbach's alpha in the present study showed acceptable reliability for both the benefits (α = .87) and the barriers (α = .91) of CAM use. The content validity of the instrument was established by a panel of experts. Three academic healthcare professionals and two nurses who were either experts in CAM research, conventional health care or research methods evaluated the instrument and minor adjustments were made.
A semi-structured interview guide was developed for the qualitative research to answer the research question 'What is your experience with regard to discussing your use of natural products with conventional healthcare professionals?' To facilitate the interview, patients were probed to further elaborate on describing their decisions to disclose the use of natural products or to clarify areas of confusion. The interview guide was reviewed by a panel of experts. Qualitative rigour was ensured in the follow ways: (1) verbatim recording, transcribing of recordings and writing of notes during the process of interview were carried out and (2) any paraphrasing of interview content done on the part of the researchers was verified when the patients came down to the clinics for during their next appointment. This happened for two of the patients. Feedback from these patients confirmed that most of the findings presented their point of view and only clarification on minor misunderstandings of patients' words was done because of the use of dialect during the interview.
The study was approved by the hospital ethics committee for human subjects and followed the Declaration of Helsinki. Patients were given an information sheet explaining the research and the ethical considerations, and then signed informed consent forms. All patients were informed that a refusal or a termination of their participation would not have any adverse consequence on their care within the facility. Patient codes were used, instead of their names, to ensure confidentiality.
The quantitative data were scanned for completeness and responses were coded and entered into the computer using IBM® SPSS® for Windows Version 17.0. Demographic characteristics and clinical data were summarised through descriptive statistical procedures. Comparisons were made between 'disclosers' and 'non-disclosers' using inferential statistics. Stepwise multiple logistic regression with the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit tests was performed to explore the factors associated with the disclosure of the use of natural products. The significance threshold for all analyses was 0.05.
Qualitative data from the interview were analysed by using the three-step coding method: (1) open coding, (2) axial coding and (3) selective coding . In order to strengthen the reliability of the interpretations and findings, the raw data were analysed in Chinese by two separate researchers to ensure findings that are authentic, original, and reliable. After completing the coding, the researchers discussed their individual findings to detect potential biases or inappropriate subjectivity and all disagreements were discussed until a consensus was achieved. Then, the researchers chose categories and subcategories which best described the experience of each patient regarding the decision of whether to disclose the use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals.
A total of 257 patients were recruited in the quantitative phase, including 190 people who chose not to disclose the use of natural products and 67 people who chose to disclose. The rate of non-disclosure in this study is 74%. Sample demographic and clinical data are presented in Table 1, delineated along patients who chose to disclose the use of natural products or not. The mean age of the patients was 54 years (SD = 15 years; range: 20–87), and the mean duration of their disease was 6.5 years (SD = 6.8 years; range: 1 month to 35 years). The majority of patients had completed at least high school (68.5%), were married (60.3%), were retired (40.1%), visited the clinic monthly (63.0%), and higher medication compliance (75.5%). Among the 257 patients who used natural products, only 26% (n = 67) disclosed their use to their healthcare professionals. In the qualitative phase, 39 of these patients were interviewed (14 men and 25 women; mean age = 60 years; range: 38–87). Their education levels ranged from primary school education to a master's degree.
a = Standard deviation; b = Complementary and alternative medicine.
The results indicated that patients who disclose the use of natural products had higher total scores on the perceived benefits of CAM use than people who chose not to disclose (Z = -2.10, p = .036). Within the scale of the perceived benefits of CAM use, the disclosers strongly believed that CAM can relieve symptoms (Z = -2.86, p = .004) and improve energy (Z = -2.80, p = .005) and believed that their CAM use decreases the need for conventional medications (Z = -2.49, p = .013). However, no significant difference was noted on the attitudes towards the barriers of CAM use between disclosers and non-disclosers (Z = -1.05, p > .295).
According to the results presented in Tables 1 and 2, significant differences between non-disclosers and disclosers were found in relation to age (t = 2.15, p = .032), frequency of clinic visits (χ 2 = 6.81, p = .033), the proportions of patients who know the ingredients of the natural products (χ 2 = 11.50, p = .001), and the perception of benefits (attitudes) of CAM use (Z = -2.1, p = .036). All the variables and scale items were entered into the multiple logistic regression analysis. The findings showed that the knowledge of natural products (OR = 2.63, CI = 1.43–4.85) was the strongest factor associated with disclosure, followed by the belief that CAM use can improve energy (OR = 1.88, CI = 1.10-3.22), believing that CAM use can strengthen the conventional medicine (OR = 1.86, CI = 1.08-3.19) and the frequency of clinic visits (OR = 1.57, CI = 1.15-2.67). Only one variable is reverse from others which is that CAM user believe better to use one alone (OR = 0.35, CI = 0.19-0.64).
1. Hosmer and Lemeshow Test (X 2 = 5.61, p = .69); 2. Cox & Snell R Square = .127 & Nagelkerke R Square = .186.
The decision on whether or not to disclose the use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals is a very personal matter. During the semi-structured interviews, patients who did not disclose their natural products use were asked about their reasons and patients who chose to disclose their use of natural products were asked about their feelings regarding the responses and reactions received from their professionals. Results from the interviews indicated that 26 patients who did not disclose the use of natural products felt that disclosure was not necessary for the following reasons: they felt that the use of natural products were safe, they had consulted others about the safety of the natural products and they feared that they might develop a negative relationship with their conventional heath care professionals. On the other hand, 13 patients who disclosed the use of natural products reported that the responses from conventional healthcare professionals were not favourable. Patients' experiences were that they felt being pushed away from the use of natural products, that the safety of its usage was entirely their own responsibility or that the communication was generally unclear or dismissive. All the categories are listed in Table 3.
• Lack of knowledge in the field of natural products.
Patients who chose not to disclose felt that natural products were safe to use. Their methods included consuming the natural products at a different time from their conventional medicine, lowering the dosage of the conventional medicine or taking natural products that do not target the treatment of their primary medical condition. These rationalisations helped them feel that there were no safety issues related to the use of the natural products. One patient related, 'I took them separately…, I think it is safe, so I did not discuss with the conventional healthcare professional' (P1). Several patients believed that some natural products such as nutritional supplements have no side effects or interaction with conventional medicine. When asked if they were afraid of combining the two remedies, they replied, 'It is a health product (nutritional supplement) and has no interaction with conventional medicine' (P12).
Patients who felt that using the natural products were safe did not feel that there is a need to discuss this with their conventional healthcare professionals. However, when people felt uncomfortable or sceptical about the products, they would seek advice from their family members or talk to acquaintances who worked in the medical field; for example, 'I also have a friend who is a sales representative for pharmacies. Before I tried this product, I asked my friend to check it and she said it was all right' (P33). The findings show that when patients had questions about natural products, they usually made enquiries about it from their friends whose work had some relation to the medical field, but they seldom raised those concerns with their conventional healthcare professionals.
Patients expected a negative relationship would develop with the disclosure of their natural products usage to conventional healthcare professionals, including being rejected or reprimanded by the conventional healthcare professional, having a breakdown of trust between patient and conventional healthcare professional and the fear of a negative attitude held towards them. In general, a recurring point that emerged is that conventional healthcare professionals hold negative perspectives about their use of natural products. The negative reaction anticipated during medical consultation was a strong factor leading to the avoidance in discussion about their use of natural products. Patient 4 revealed, 'The biggest reason is that I am afraid of being scolded by a conventional healthcare professional.' Patient 15 explained, 'I have never discussed, because some of the conventional healthcare professionals will reject it (natural products) and also scold you said 'if you are so good at this, you can just treat yourself.' It depends on the degree of (the) conventional healthcare professional's acceptance' (P15). In addition, many patients also complained about the difficulties in discussing natural products with those professionals. They reported that conventional healthcare professionals looked 'unhappy' (P30), 'not happy' (P2), and 'not too happy' (P13).
If you told a conventional healthcare professional about this, he would say you don't believe him, simply don't come back to clinic. I am terrified if he said like this. Some of the healthcare professionals are so that (mean)… he (conventional healthcare professional) would say 'this is inappropriate, you already visit conventional healthcare professional with a good health outcome, why you need to see TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioner at the same time.' It let you feel you actually don't believe in conventional medicine (P26).
' Because you (conventional healthcare professionals) don't understand the Chinese herbal medicine comparatively…People have their own speciality, so I asked him [CAM practitioner].
Our findings revealed that patients' sense of safety regarding the use of the natural products, consultation of others in related fields, and fear of negative reactions from the professionals were major considerations in the non-disclosure of using natural products. Additionally, insufficient knowledge regarding natural products on the part of the conventional healthcare professionals also contributed to this lack of disclosure.
For 13 patients who disclosed their use of natural products, it was revealed that they experienced the feeling of being pushed away from the use of natural products, were told that adverse effects of consumption fall within their own responsibility, they felt they were being discouraged from continuing its use and that communication regarding their use of natural products was not always clear. A patient mentioned that his continued disclosure depended on the professional's attitude.
So I did mention a little bit [of using natural products] to the healthcare professional and see his reaction. If he did not think so or no any response, then I won't continue to ask. So I felt medical staff's attitude is very important (P19).
Some conventional healthcare professionals seem to have taken advantage of the patients' fears of the professionals' own authority as healthcare practitioners in order to 'discourage them from using it', reflecting a sense of apathy and unwillingness to have open discussions about patients' use of natural products. These patients quoted conventional healthcare professionals' responses as follows: 'you better watch out for it' (P24), 'better don't take it' (P35), 'it is wasted money' (P6), 'you better don't take any natural product' (P17), and 'the best way is to take the prescription medication' (P28).
The second response from conventional healthcare professionals that the conventional healthcare professionals emphasised the lack of scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of natural products and hence any adverse effects was entirely their own responsibility. As patient 39 elaborated, her conventional healthcare professional commented that 'you just take a little bit, it's all right' when she disclosed her use of natural products. Patient 3 reported that his conventional healthcare professional said 'it's all right only if you don't feel any discomfort.' The response of 'you may do it', suggests that the conventional healthcare professionals were supportive of the patient's choice regarding the use of natural products but frequently with the condition that the natural products does not have any adverse effect or that they do not take too much of it. Therefore, if any problem were to arise, it would entirely be the patient's own responsibility.
When my liver function levels [serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT)] were down a lot… I proposed whether or not these things [natural products] had made the improvement to the healthcare professional and he didn't think so. He indicated that these [therapies] have not been proven through clinical trials. He said 'you may do it!' But based on his expertise, it is not his field. (P14).
However, the patient felt that it was best to avoid further discussion of about the use of natural products because of the apparent noncommittal reply from the conventional healthcare professional that led to the conclusion that the healthcare professional did not wish to discuss the use of natural products ('unclear communication'). From the patients' experience and perception, there is a strong indication that tensions exist in the relationship between the patient and the conventional healthcare professional regarding this issue.
This study used a mixed method design to illustrate the communication of natural product usage to conventional healthcare professionals among outpatients. Our findings identified that 74% of natural product users did not disclose their usage to their healthcare professionals and this is slightly higher than the rates found in previous studies [9, 26, 27]. Research on the factors predicting the disclosure of using natural products to conventional healthcare professionals is limited and, consequently, there is a lack of knowledge on factors influencing the decision to disclose and not to disclose. This study identified factors previously unexplored, which have considerably refined the understanding of the reasons for the disclosure of natural product usage in conventional healthcare settings. Our findings indicated that disclosers were younger, visited health clinics roughly every 3 months, were aware of the ingredients of the natural products they were consuming and felt positive about the benefits of CAM. It is difficult to compare the findings of this study with previous studies because the factors surveyed in this study were not well documented in the literature. Among the four recent studies examining the factors associated with the disclosure of CAM use [26–29], only the factor of age was a consistent finding reflected within the current study where middle-aged people were more likely to disclose their use of natural products. It is likely that the inconsistencies in the findings in relation to the aforementioned variables are due to differences ranging from the ethnicity and culture of the samples, research design, and the range of factors looked into.
The quantitative analysis indicates variables such as knowledge of natural products and attitudes towards the benefits of CAM. People who knew what they were taking and believed in the effectiveness of natural products were curious as to whether the improvement in their health was the result of such usage. Another surprising finding is the frequency of clinical visits, in which patients who visited the clinic every three months (i.e., seasonally) were more likely to discuss their use of natural products with conventional healthcare professionals than those who visited monthly or fortnightly, mainly because those who attended clinics every three months usually have a long-term relationship with their healthcare professional, due to the chronic nature of their disease, and thus visit clinics regularly for the treatment. A possible explanation is found in other studies in which people who visited their personal healthcare professional  and received continuous care were more likely to disclose their use of natural products during the consultation [30, 31].
The major barrier to the disclosure of using natural products to conventional healthcare professionals, as reported in the qualitative findings, was that it never crossed the patients' minds because they felt it was safe to use these products as they were natural. However, it was also noted that many were afraid to discuss their use of the natural products as they were concerned that that would have them leave a negative impression on their conventional healthcare professionals. Additionally, patients did not feel confident in discussing the use of natural products with their healthcare professionals due to the perceived negative attitudes of the conventional healthcare professional towards the use of natural products, despite fears of adverse effects or complications resulting from combining the two forms of treatments. This is in line with the findings from the review by Robinson and McGrail  that patients avoid such discussions as they might garner distrust or dissatisfaction from the conventional healthcare professionals, which in turn may put their relationship at risk. One of the greatest concerns about the use of natural products is the potential for interaction with on-going conventional treatment because most patients were simultaneously engaged in conventional care and were often on numerous medications. The addition of any undisclosed nutritional supplements, herbs, or remedies may increase the risk of possible adverse reaction or interactions. Although patients reported having clarified their concerns regarding herb-drug interaction from others with some medical background, it is important to note that these people may not be qualified to give advice on specific disease management. One interesting phenomenon revealed within the in-depth interviews is that patients often detailed their conventional medication treatment to their CAM practitioners but not the other way round.
This study has several limitations. The first limitation is that the design involved retrospective data collection, making the data subject to recall bias. A second limitation is associated with the issue of sampling bias. Quantitative data was collected to estimate the prevalence of CAM use where the non-users of CAM were subsequently excluded and this may result in potential bias of selection. Nevertheless, the ratio of patients who disclosed their use of natural products is consistent with other studies; therefore, the risk of selection bias is of little concern.
Having an open communication between patients and healthcare professionals with regard to the use of natural products is the key to ensuring safe implementation and integration of both medicines. Furthermore, the issues of regulation, quality, safety, and efficacy are exceedingly important to patient care. However, even though these questions are crucial in the communication process, beginning the consultation session with these questions might imply a pre-judgemental attitude towards the patients' decision to use natural products. It is an opportunity for the conventional healthcare professionals to make a difference by approaching the interview with an open mind so as to encourage patients to disclose their use of natural products. Hence, it is necessary to establish new strategies and train the healthcare professionals in creating a supportive and collaborative atmosphere during consultations. As such, training on how to discuss the use of natural products would reduce the likelihood of patients taking potentially harmful natural products, ensure that the use of these products would be careful monitored and improve healthcare education for the patients.
In addition, serious adverse interactions could occur if the health professionals are unable to give appropriate advice because they do not have reliable knowledge of the natural products and are unfamiliar with the scientific literature on natural products. In particular, previous studies have shown that many conventional healthcare professionals feel uncomfortable discussing the effectiveness of natural products with their patients due to a lack of knowledge. In fact, the lack of sufficient knowledge and evidence-based research on CAM is a major barrier towards the conventional healthcare professionals' ability to handle enquiries from patients about the use of natural products and appropriately refer them to reputable CAM practitioners [33, 34]. There is an urgent need for studies with rigorous research methodology to establish the efficacy of the natural products. Without a thorough understanding of the pharmacodynamics of these products, it is difficult to integrate its use in congruence with conventional medicine or conduct informative education programs in the conventional medical setting. Therefore, properly designed studies to determine the effectiveness of natural products in both laboratory and clinical situations are required.
In addition, the lack of discussion with patients on the use of natural products makes it difficult for conventional healthcare professionals to recognize and report the occurrence of adverse effects and, thereby, establishing drug-herb interactions. Conversely, the synergistic effect of natural products and conventional medicines would have been missed as well, resulting in overlooked opportunities to validate such beneficial information. Therefore, the development of a standard guideline for a routine assessment of the use of natural products, a competency assessment for consultations, and an individualized plan for integrating natural products and conventional treatments that promotes safe practice is essential for all medical healthcare systems.
This study provides preliminary insights into the predictors of patient's disclosure of their use of natural products. It is an important issue as the use of natural products is an emerging trend that will have increasing impact on the delivery of healthcare with its popularity among patients. A lack of knowledge about natural products, self-administration of both medicines, and limited disclosure of such usage to conventional healthcare professionals may endanger patients. Unsupervised usage and the possibility of serious natural products-drug interaction may compromise the management of the disease and, hence, lead to an acerbation in condition as well as an increase in the utilization of the healthcare system in these patients. Since providing patients with responsible healthcare intervention from a holistic perspective is the essence of effective health care, it is important for healthcare professionals to understand the characteristics of patients who are more likely, or less likely, to disclose their use of natural products. The healthcare professionals need to take a leading role by recording the use of natural products in order to understand the effects of natural products on the patients. This would help to assess potential benefits or harm of the natural products and aid in the tracking of any side effects from its use. In addition, it is important to look into modification of the medical model of care into a more holistic model that integrates the use of natural products into the disease management programs. This will have the potential to ensure patient safety, reduce unwanted side effects, improve treatment outcomes, lower costs, and improve the professional relationship between patient-conventional healthcare professional relationships.
This project was approved by Human subject research ethics committee of Zuoying Armed Forces General Hospital.
This project was funded by Zuoying Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The authors acknowledge the staffs who contributed to data collection at various stages of this project, and we are grateful to all patients who share their experiences to increase understanding in this area of practice.
HYC and HLC were responsible for the study conception and design. HYC performed the data collection and the data analysis. HYC was responsible for the drafting of the manuscript. BS translated the qualitative data. HYC and HLC made critical revisions to the paper for important intellectual content. BS was responsible for the editing of the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


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Q: Reproducibility of results from predict() function - raster package I am having trouble reproducing my results exactly when I make predictions with predict() and a saved gbm model object. I am using the raster package to predict to a raster. Each time I run predict() with the same model object and inputs (a raster stack), I get slightly different values (max value within 0.7 for a range of predictions from 0.08 to 12.30 for example). However, there seems to be a limited amount of outcomes. For example, I can get the results to reproduce if I run predict enough times.
The issue seems to be within the predict() function as it doesn't seem to be related to R session, loading package libraries, etc.
Are there any random number generators or known bugs within the predict function that could be causing this behavior?
Here is my code:
library(raster)
library(rgdal)
library(gbm)

# read in the saved gbm model object
final <- readRDS("final_gbm_model")

# get the raster file names from the directory for the predictors
hab = list.files(getwd(), pattern="txt$", full.names=FALSE)

# import as raster stack
rstack <- stack(hab)

# run the predictions. One of my predictors is a factor character that is constant everywhere, so I use the const option:
pred <- predict(rstack, final, n.trees=final$n.trees,na.rm=TRUE,const=data.frame(WaterUse2="H"))  # family="gaussian"
#Not sure if I need the family = "gaussian" option. It doesn't seem to affect the results.

# do some model specific back transformation on the predictions
e <- exp(1)
pred <- e^(pred)* 1.506951

#defining the  projection for raster
albers<-CRS("+proj=aea +datum=NAD83 +lat_1=29.5 +lat_2=45.5 +lat_0=23.0      +lon_0=-96.0 +x_0=0 +y_0=0")
projection(pred) <- albers
projection(pred, asText = TRUE)

# Export prediction grid to geotiff
writeRaster(pred,filename="preds.tif",format="GTiff",overwrite=TRUE)

Then when I open the raster in ArcGIS, I notice I get slightly different summary stats each time, but not always. Here is a dropbox link to my saved model object and raster stack: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cb5nybhb6ioc8d9/rstack_model.zip?dl=0. They can be read in with readRDS().
When I run gdalUtils::gdalinfo(yourfile) on the rasters created in two different R sessions, with the same model file and inputs here is what I get:

gdalUtils::gdalinfo("preds2_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif")

 [1] "Driver: GTiff/GeoTIFF"
 [2] "Files: preds2_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif"
 [3] "Size is 250, 718"
 [4] "Coordinate System is:"
 [5] "PROJCS[\"unnamed\","
 [6] "    GEOGCS[\"NAD83\","
 [7] "        DATUM[\"North_American_Datum_1983\","
 [8] "            SPHEROID[\"GRS 1980\",6378137,298.2572221010042,"
 [9] "                AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"7019\"]],"
[10] "            TOWGS84[0,0,0,0,0,0,0],"
[11] "            AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"6269\"]],"
[12] "        PRIMEM[\"Greenwich\",0],"
[13] "        UNIT[\"degree\",0.0174532925199433],"
[14] "        AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"4269\"]],"
[15] "    PROJECTION[\"Albers_Conic_Equal_Area\"],"
[16] "    PARAMETER[\"standard_parallel_1\",29.5],"
[17] "    PARAMETER[\"standard_parallel_2\",45.5],"
[18] "    PARAMETER[\"latitude_of_center\",23],"
[19] "    PARAMETER[\"longitude_of_center\",-96],"
[20] "    PARAMETER[\"false_easting\",0],"
[21] "    PARAMETER[\"false_northing\",0],"
[22] "    UNIT[\"metre\",1,"
[23] "        AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"9001\"]]]"
[24] "Origin = (-2256000.000000000000000,2275000.000000000000000)"
[25] "Pixel Size = (1000.000000000000000,-1000.000000000000000)"
[26] "Metadata:"
[27] "  AREA_OR_POINT=Area"
[28] "Image Structure Metadata:"
[29] "  COMPRESSION=LZW"
[30] "  INTERLEAVE=BAND"
[31] "Corner Coordinates:"
[32] "Upper Left  (-2256000.000, 2275000.000) (123d14'22.95\"W, 40d33'27.36\"N)"
[33] "Lower Left  (-2256000.000, 1557000.000) (121d 0'52.48\"W, 34d23'17.23\"N)"
[34] "Upper Right (-2006000.000, 2275000.000) (120d21'32.84\"W, 41d 9'22.70\"N)"
[35] "Lower Right (-2006000.000, 1557000.000) (118d20'58.37\"W, 34d56'21.98\"N)"
[36] "Center      (-2131000.000, 1916000.000) (120d42' 6.60\"W, 37d46'25.81\"N)"
[37] "Band 1 Block=250x4 Type=Float64, ColorInterp=Gray"
[38] "  Min=0.077 Max=11.509 "
[39] "  Minimum=0.077, Maximum=11.509, Mean=2.150, StdDev=1.373"
[40] "  NoData Value=-1.6999999999999999e+308"
[41] "  Metadata:"
[42] "    STATISTICS_MAXIMUM=11.508599723736"
[43] "    STATISTICS_MEAN=2.1504374380146"
[44] "    STATISTICS_MINIMUM=0.077388949363546"
[45] "    STATISTICS_STDDEV=1.3731923433979"

and another run
 gdalUtils::gdalinfo("preds3_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif")
 [1] "Driver: GTiff/GeoTIFF"
 [2] "Files: preds3_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif"
 [3] "Size is 250, 718"
 [4] "Coordinate System is:"
 [5] "PROJCS[\"unnamed\","
 [6] "    GEOGCS[\"NAD83\","
 [7] "        DATUM[\"North_American_Datum_1983\","
 [8] "            SPHEROID[\"GRS 1980\",6378137,298.2572221010042,"
 [9] "                AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"7019\"]],"
[10] "            TOWGS84[0,0,0,0,0,0,0],"
[11] "            AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"6269\"]],"
[12] "        PRIMEM[\"Greenwich\",0],"
[13] "        UNIT[\"degree\",0.0174532925199433],"
[14] "        AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"4269\"]],"
[15] "    PROJECTION[\"Albers_Conic_Equal_Area\"],"
[16] "    PARAMETER[\"standard_parallel_1\",29.5],"
[17] "    PARAMETER[\"standard_parallel_2\",45.5],"
[18] "    PARAMETER[\"latitude_of_center\",23],"
[19] "    PARAMETER[\"longitude_of_center\",-96],"
[20] "    PARAMETER[\"false_easting\",0],"
[21] "    PARAMETER[\"false_northing\",0],"
[22] "    UNIT[\"metre\",1,"
[23] "        AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"9001\"]]]"
[24] "Origin = (-2256000.000000000000000,2275000.000000000000000)"
[25] "Pixel Size = (1000.000000000000000,-1000.000000000000000)"
[26] "Metadata:"
[27] "  AREA_OR_POINT=Area"
[28] "Image Structure Metadata:"
[29] "  COMPRESSION=LZW"
[30] "  INTERLEAVE=BAND"
[31] "Corner Coordinates:"
[32] "Upper Left  (-2256000.000, 2275000.000) (123d14'22.95\"W, 40d33'27.36\"N)"
[33] "Lower Left  (-2256000.000, 1557000.000) (121d 0'52.48\"W, 34d23'17.23\"N)"
[34] "Upper Right (-2006000.000, 2275000.000) (120d21'32.84\"W, 41d 9'22.70\"N)"
[35] "Lower Right (-2006000.000, 1557000.000) (118d20'58.37\"W, 34d56'21.98\"N)"
[36] "Center      (-2131000.000, 1916000.000) (120d42' 6.60\"W, 37d46'25.81\"N)"
[37] "Band 1 Block=250x4 Type=Float64, ColorInterp=Gray"
[38] "  Min=0.077 Max=11.509 "
[39] "  Minimum=0.077, Maximum=11.509, Mean=2.202, StdDev=1.389"
[40] "  NoData Value=-1.6999999999999999e+308"
[41] "  Metadata:"
[42] "    STATISTICS_MAXIMUM=11.508599723736"
[43] "    STATISTICS_MEAN=2.2022304968129"
[44] "    STATISTICS_MINIMUM=0.077388949363546"
[45] "    STATISTICS_STDDEV=1.3888495428978"

and yet another run:
 gdalUtils::gdalinfo("preds4_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif")
 [1] "Driver: GTiff/GeoTIFF"
 [2] "Files: preds4_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif"
 [3] "Size is 250, 718"
 [4] "Coordinate System is:"
 [5] "PROJCS[\"unnamed\","
 [6] "    GEOGCS[\"NAD83\","
 [7] "        DATUM[\"North_American_Datum_1983\","
 [8] "            SPHEROID[\"GRS 1980\",6378137,298.2572221010042,"
 [9] "                AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"7019\"]],"
[10] "            TOWGS84[0,0,0,0,0,0,0],"
[11] "            AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"6269\"]],"
[12] "        PRIMEM[\"Greenwich\",0],"
[13] "        UNIT[\"degree\",0.0174532925199433],"
[14] "        AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"4269\"]],"
[15] "    PROJECTION[\"Albers_Conic_Equal_Area\"],"
[16] "    PARAMETER[\"standard_parallel_1\",29.5],"
[17] "    PARAMETER[\"standard_parallel_2\",45.5],"
[18] "    PARAMETER[\"latitude_of_center\",23],"
[19] "    PARAMETER[\"longitude_of_center\",-96],"
[20] "    PARAMETER[\"false_easting\",0],"
[21] "    PARAMETER[\"false_northing\",0],"
[22] "    UNIT[\"metre\",1,"
[23] "        AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"9001\"]]]"
[24] "Origin = (-2256000.000000000000000,2275000.000000000000000)"
[25] "Pixel Size = (1000.000000000000000,-1000.000000000000000)"
[26] "Metadata:"
[27] "  AREA_OR_POINT=Area"
[28] "Image Structure Metadata:"
[29] "  COMPRESSION=LZW"
[30] "  INTERLEAVE=BAND"
[31] "Corner Coordinates:"
[32] "Upper Left  (-2256000.000, 2275000.000) (123d14'22.95\"W, 40d33'27.36\"N)"
[33] "Lower Left  (-2256000.000, 1557000.000) (121d 0'52.48\"W, 34d23'17.23\"N)"
[34] "Upper Right (-2006000.000, 2275000.000) (120d21'32.84\"W, 41d 9'22.70\"N)"
[35] "Lower Right (-2006000.000, 1557000.000) (118d20'58.37\"W, 34d56'21.98\"N)"
[36] "Center      (-2131000.000, 1916000.000) (120d42' 6.60\"W, 37d46'25.81\"N)"
[37] "Band 1 Block=250x4 Type=Float64, ColorInterp=Gray"
[38] "  Min=0.077 Max=11.509 "
[39] "  Minimum=0.077, Maximum=11.509, Mean=2.202, StdDev=1.389"
[40] "  NoData Value=-1.6999999999999999e+308"
[41] "  Metadata:"
[42] "    STATISTICS_MAXIMUM=11.508599723736"
[43] "    STATISTICS_MEAN=2.2021866233701"
[44] "    STATISTICS_MINIMUM=0.077388949363546"
[45] "    STATISTICS_STDDEV=1.3888576145887"

summing the final raster values (after the back transform) gives several different numbers:
ras1<- raster("preds2_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif")
ras2<- raster("preds3_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif")
ras3<- raster("preds4_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif")

sum(getValues(ras1),na.rm=TRUE)
[1] 103750
sum(getValues(ras2),na.rm=TRUE)
[1] 106248.8
sum(getValues(ras3),na.rm=TRUE)
[1] 106246.7

For some reason I am no longer getting the output with a maximum of 12.445, but that had been a value I got in previous runs:
gdalUtils::gdalinfo("preds_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif")
 [1] "Driver: GTiff/GeoTIFF"
 [2] "Files: preds_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif"
 [3] "       preds_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif.aux.xml"
 [4] "Size is 250, 718"
 [5] "Coordinate System is:"
 [6] "PROJCS[\"unnamed\","
 [7] "    GEOGCS[\"NAD83\","
 [8] "        DATUM[\"North_American_Datum_1983\","
 [9] "            SPHEROID[\"GRS 1980\",6378137,298.2572221010042,"
[10] "                AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"7019\"]],"
[11] "            TOWGS84[0,0,0,0,0,0,0],"
[12] "            AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"6269\"]],"
[13] "        PRIMEM[\"Greenwich\",0],"
[14] "        UNIT[\"degree\",0.0174532925199433],"
[15] "        AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"4269\"]],"
[16] "    PROJECTION[\"Albers_Conic_Equal_Area\"],"
[17] "    PARAMETER[\"standard_parallel_1\",29.5],"
[18] "    PARAMETER[\"standard_parallel_2\",45.5],"
[19] "    PARAMETER[\"latitude_of_center\",23],"
[20] "    PARAMETER[\"longitude_of_center\",-96],"
[21] "    PARAMETER[\"false_easting\",0],"
[22] "    PARAMETER[\"false_northing\",0],"
[23] "    UNIT[\"metre\",1,"
[24] "        AUTHORITY[\"EPSG\",\"9001\"]]]"
[25] "Origin = (-2256000.000000000000000,2275000.000000000000000)"
[26] "Pixel Size = (1000.000000000000000,-1000.000000000000000)"
[27] "Metadata:"
[28] "  AREA_OR_POINT=Area"
[29] "Image Structure Metadata:"
[30] "  COMPRESSION=LZW"
[31] "  INTERLEAVE=BAND"
[32] "Corner Coordinates:"
[33] "Upper Left  (-2256000.000, 2275000.000) (123d14'22.95\"W, 40d33'27.36\"N)"
[34] "Lower Left  (-2256000.000, 1557000.000) (121d 0'52.48\"W, 34d23'17.23\"N)"
[35] "Upper Right (-2006000.000, 2275000.000) (120d21'32.84\"W, 41d 9'22.70\"N)"
[36] "Lower Right (-2006000.000, 1557000.000) (118d20'58.37\"W, 34d56'21.98\"N)"
[37] "Center      (-2131000.000, 1916000.000) (120d42' 6.60\"W, 37d46'25.81\"N)"
[38] "Band 1 Block=250x4 Type=Float64, ColorInterp=Gray"
[39] "  Min=0.077 Max=12.445 "
[40] "  Minimum=0.077, Maximum=12.445, Mean=2.253, StdDev=1.420"
[41] "  NoData Value=-1.6999999999999999e+308"
[42] "  Metadata:"
[43] "    STATISTICS_MAXIMUM=12.445399168904"
[44] "    STATISTICS_MEAN=2.2528155395026"
[45] "    STATISTICS_MINIMUM=0.077388949363546"
[46] "    STATISTICS_STDDEV=1.4199528164987"

and here is the value sum:
sum(getValues(raster("preds_NO3_TD_Pubs.tif")),na.rm=TRUE)
[1] 108689.3

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The split cycle Scuderi Engine.
SPRINGFIELD — A federal judge on Friday allowed Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors to maintain its hold on a $68,000 Scuderi Group Inc. bank account.
At a hearing in U.S. District Court, Hino's lawyer said Scuderi's promise to refund the automaker's $150,000 once it obtains funds from new backers fits the definition of a Ponzi scheme. Christopher R. Howe, representing Hino, also cited a 2013 report from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that said Scuderi raised $80 million from investors from 2008 to 2011.
"I'm not sure I understand where the money is," Howe said during a hearing at the federal courthouse on State Street. "Where is the money?"
U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni said such questions will have to wait for the discovery process in Hino's ongoing lawsuit against the Scuderi Group of West Springfield. Mastroianni did say a court could lift the hold on Scuderi's bank account if Scuderi supplies detailed financial information as to why it needs access to the funds.
But the lawsuit likely will not play out here: Mastroianni transferred the case back to a federal court in Boston at Hino's request. He did so citing a clause in the original contract between Hino and Scuderi.
Hino sued Scuderi earlier this month seeking to recover $150,000 it gave Scuderi to join a research consortium with a goal of commercializing the Scuderi engine. But Scuderi cancelled the project, citing a lack of other participants to fund it.
Scuderi Group vice president Stephen Scuderi told Hino in emails, which Hino included in the lawsuit, that the Scuderi Group didn't have the money on hand to refund Hino's $150,000, but was waiting on a number of large "cornerstone" investors to provide funds.
A Ponzi scheme is when early investors are paid off with funds invested by new investors rather than being paid off by earnings on the investment.
Scuderi Group attorney Thomas M. Bovenzi said Scuderi has $30 million in power generation and energy storage agreements. These projects, he said, would use the Scuderi technology as an efficient means of storing energy and generating electricity.
But in the meantime, the Scuderi Group needs access to the $68,000 Bank of America account now frozen by Hino, Bovenzi said. The Scuderi Group needs the money to meet expenses and pay its 10 to 15 employees. The Scuderi Group also needs the money to pay patent fees in various countries around the world and maintain its rights to its intellectual property.
Stephen Scuderi was in court Friday, but didn't speak.
Bovenzi said the Scuderi Group used $78 million of that $80 million on engine related research.
In 2013, the SEC alleged that the Scuderi Group used $3.2 million in investor money to benefit the family. Company President Salvatore C. Scuderi settled by agreeing to pay a $100,000 civil penalty to settle the SEC case.
Carmelo J. Scuderi patented his version of a split-cycle engine in 2001, about a year before his death at age 77.
The Scuderi Group is also facing a class-action federal lawsuit brought in 2013 by investors led by Paul Fournier of Granby. Fournier repeated many of the allegations in the SEC document. The Fournier case is still pending.


Three drawings from pre 2005 when I was a constant traveller with hubby in the big rig. These were done while the truck was in motion, not an easy task. I call the first one "The fiddler". The second is titled "Mona" because of the lady's enigmatic smile. Both of them are developed pencil drawings on paper. They are about 9.5 x 9.5. The third is a small (4x4?) sketch that I don't even have any more. THAT is a lesson in keeping your drawings together in one place, and a lesson in the wisdom of scanning or photographing your work so that you have a record of it.
This blog will showcase sketches, drawings and finished works in all dry media (pencil, charcoal, pastel) as well as works in acrylic and oil. In future, I hope to show the progression from original pencil drawings, through the various stages to a finished work. Hence, "from line to color".
This work in pastel on Sennelier la carte sanded pastel paper began as a 5 x 8 pencil drawing.


text:
Home Morocco Fès-Meknès Historic City of Meknes
Historic City of Meknes
by Chris Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meknes is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco. It was founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became a capital under the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismaïl (1672-1727), the founder of the Alaouite dynasty. The old city was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
District: Fès-Meknès
Category: Historic Cities and Regions
Part of: Historic City of Meknes
Date of Inscription: 1996
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Aghmat Archaeological Site
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Also in Morocco
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
More Sports:
WWE SmackDown rundown: Reigns, Ambrose exact revenge on Rollins and Co.
By Nick Piccone
Smackdown/WWE
WWE Smackdown.
We're a little bit closer to Battleground. A little bit closer to Beast in the East in Japan. And the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, has never been booked as strongly as he's been booked the last two weeks on television.
Thursday night, some of the momentum he carried -- along with his lackies, Kane and J & J Security -- suffered a setback as both Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose destroyed Joey Mercury while Rollins and Jamie Noble headed for safer grounds. Rollins wasn't exactly looking strong as SmackDown left the air, but I guess completely dominating the main event scene for three straight television programs was getting old.
There's also two weeks left until Battleground live on the WWE Network, so there's plenty of time for Rollins and Co. to gain the momentum they lost Thursday night.
Speaking of The Authority, is there a way someone can let Rollins know we've been best friends forever? Those Apple Watches, tho.
Check those new Apple watches!!! TIME IS RUNNING OUT. @WWERomanReigns pic.twitter.com/2Es0T2qf8U
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 3, 2015
Here are some of the stories coming out of SmackDown:
I really enjoyed Rollins' opening promo as he really hammered home the fact that he completely destroyed -- with help, of course -- both of the men involved in this year's WrestleMania main event. He conquered the conqueror. He slayed the beast.
No good nicknames for Reigns, though.
Speaking of Reigns, Rollins booked himself in a match against him in the night's main event. It sounded like a great main event, but it's very unlike Rollins to seem so eager for a match.
And then, we found out why.
It was never certain Reigns would even make it to the arena because nobody had seen or heard from him since he was decimated on Raw.
But he would arrive. And should've been counted out, honestly.
The bell rang to signify the beginning of the match and Reigns' music hit at the seven second mark thanks to Noble's fantastic counting skills. Maybe if Reigns got into the ring within the three seconds after that, we would have no controversy. But I think Rollins should have won by countout. Because rules. Oh, well.
Too bad Kane wasn't around, as he's been in Tokyo [storyline wise]. No chance for the heels here without Kane. That shows you who the real M.V.P. of The Authority is.
They better be in it for the long haul, though.
Bray Wyatt probably gave one of his best promos of his feud with Reigns Thursday night.
"The real Roman Reigns has too many people that he loves. Too many people that he cares for. It makes you weak. Me? I have no one. And I've never had anything since I've been alive on this planet. That makes me strong. And I will make you a promise, right now, just you and me, man. Everything that you love in this world, I'm gonna burn it all down around you until there is nothing left. Until it is just you standing home alone. And then, I will show you the ultimate mercy. I will finish you then. Anyone but you, Roman. Anyone but you. Run."
This feud has really drawn more and more interest out of me as the weeks have passed by.
Originally, I hated the idea of both of these guys going against each other because I thought it was making Reigns look weak. The creative promos and angles built into this storyline so far have grasped my attention and made me appreciate the angle a bit more than I originally had. I still don't see a good outcome because either Wyatt or Reigns has to lose, and neither can afford to lose at this point.
But, according to WWE, nobody will remember it come August, so why the hell not?
Every time I see Ryback hit a bigger wrestler with Shell-Shocked, it leaves me shocked. No pun intended.
Honestly, it probably shouldn't anymore. Ryback has given his finish to Big Show and Mark Henry before, but I still am amazed every time I see him do it. I can't even explain it. I think his incredible strength is so underrated by the masses that it never comes across just how strong he is on television.
And after his match with Henry on Thursday night, Ryback gave a great promo backstage that involved some continuity!
Unfortunately, his latest two challengers are completely under the radar in terms of interest, as nobody cares for Show or Miz. Not even me. Not even my mom. Not even my cat. Nobody. Nothing.
The best thing for Ryback would probably be an extended feud with someone like Henry or someone that could get some good matches out of him and bring back some more importance to the Intercontinental Championship. Didn't you know Ryback was Intercontinental Champion? The way he's booked, you'd think it's a secondary story to Ryback the person.
When you don't get what you want..... #SmackDown @TheDeanAmbrose pic.twitter.com/t9fkFEuqjb
I'm kind of surprised at this point; there is no opponent for Ambrose at Battleground. This got me thinking as to who would be a good opponent for him at the special event.
Henry is so terribly underrated that I often wonder why WWE hasn't utilized his acting talent for bigger and better storylines. Sure, he had that amazing angle with then-WWE Champion, John Cena, two years ago with his fake retirement, but Henry is so good in his role that I think he can do so much more than what he's being given. SmackDown on Thursday night was just another example of how Henry can make anything feel legitimate, as his promo before his match with Ryback was on point. No dancing around, no joking, just pure unadulterated hate for Ryback. We're missing that from today's professional wrestling. It's quite refreshing. But it won't last.
So why not have Henry attack Ambrose on Raw next Monday? Set up a quick two week feud and give the two something to do. I think they'd have a pretty good match, given that Henry has had some great matches in his career, and putting him with Ambrose would only elevate both of them. Of course, Ambrose should win, but at this point, I think a match between the two is something cool and different. Put the Lunatic Fringe against Sheamus, or even Kane, and I think a potential Ambrose match suffers a bit more. Sheamus and Ambrose have wrestled before and while I think another match between the two would be excellent, there's something about seeing Ambrose vs. Henry that I really want to see. I don't even think I know why.
I can't lie. I love this Lana/Rusev angle. It's grown tremendously on me, and I think it's because of Rusev's acting, or overacting at times, that's making this gold to me. With Summer Rae's inclusion into the angle now, I think it can only get better. It's like Rusev doesn't know what to do without Lana, so he thinks having Rae by his side will make her jealous. It's literally middle school playing out in front of our eyes. Rusev called Rae a real woman who isn't afraid to speak out when the time is right, but also a woman who knows her place. Geez. He even called Lana a "blonde-headed witch."
Summer Rae is no Lana! Even if unable to compete inside the ring, Rusev is probably one of the most entertaining superstars on the main roster right now. Fantastic stuff by him.
And if I was Dolph Ziggler, I'd stay away from the Bulgarian Brute. Probably because he threatened to crush Ziggler's skull, eat his heart, pull out his intestines and hang him to dry in his own backyard. But the best part about that promo was when he said he had a "better Lana" now. Whoops. "Better woman."
Lana was unimpressed.
Appears as if #KingWhatsUp @RonKillings has come across hard times... #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/J7v9WdMpjt
So was R-Truth.
OUCH! @NaomiWWE isn't going to take this well.... #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/tCpynOFXVS
What's happened to Naomi? She was on a three-week tear as the hottest Diva in the company not too long ago. Oh, wait. That's probably what happened. You're not allowed to usurp Nikki.
MATCH RUNDOWN
• Bray Wyatt d. Dean Ambrose by pinfall via Sister Abigail.
• R-Truth d. Adam Rose by pinfall via the Lie Detector.
• Non-Title: Ryback (c-IC) d. Mark Henry by pinfall via Shell-Shocked.
• Brie Bella d. Naomi by pinfall via a facebuster. Naomi was distracted due to outside interference by Alicia Fox.
• Non-Title: Prime Time Players (c-Tag) d. The Ascension by pinfall after Titus O'Neil hit Konnor with the Clash of the Titus.
• Non-Title: Roman Reigns d. Seth Rollins (c) by disqualification after J & J Security attacked Reigns.
BEAST IN THE EAST
We're a day away from our nation's independence. And from WWE's supershow in Tokyo, Japan entitled, "Beast in the East." Here's the current card, which as always, is subject to change:
• Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston
• NXT Championship: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Finn Balor
• John Cena (c-US) and Dolph Ziggler vs. Kane and King Barrett
• Chris Jericho vs. Neville
• Triple Threat Match for the Divas Championship: Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige vs. Tamina
• The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) vs. The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods)
• Cesaro vs. Diego (Why? End rant.)
We'll have a complete review of "Beast in the East" right here at PhillyVoice.com Saturday morning!
I hopped on Wildfire Radio with Philly.com's Vaughn Johnson to discuss Battleground and Beast in the East. You can listen to the audio here.
Nick Piccone
Read more WWE Smackdown Philadelphia The Ascension Bray Wyatt Brie Bella Adam Rose ,R-Truth,Rusev,RYBACK, Seth Rollins Naomi Prime Time Players Jamie Noble Mark Henry Ryback Dean Ambrose Joey Mercury Roman Reigns


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text:
Chapter 3 Striving to Turn The Situation
The Clear River Sect was located in the midst of mountains just outside the Chen Kingdom.
Inside a large hall of the Clear River Sect, there were 20 odd people, who were clearly separated into 3 factions.
The people on the left side were dressed in green robes, they were all intently looking at a huge map located in the middle of the hall. Leading them was a middle aged man dressed in green robes, whose eyes had a glint of frustration within them.
The people on the right side were wearing white robes, at this moment, they seemed to be very happy. A middle-aged man, who was leading them, laughed and said: "Clear River Sect's leader, looks like you are going to lose, the Chen Kingdom has already lost 3 passes, you are on your last leg, you can't take a blow anymore! Hahahahaha!"
The group of people in white all laughed loudly.
The group in green glared at the other group, the Clear River Sect's leader, who was leading them, tightened his fist and said: "Song Jia Sect's leader, it is not finished yet, are you sure without a doubt that the Chen Kingdom will be defeated?"
The Song Jia Sect's leader just gave a cold laugh: "All the military forces are already marked on this map, the Song Kingdom is all united in heart, their momentum is irresistible. Gao Xianzhi has even executed 600 thousand soldiers of the Chen Kingdom's army, leaving only 100 thousand soldiers at Tiger Cage Pass, and leading these troops is an inferior general, basically it is a forgone conclusion. Furthermore, Gao Xianzhi's utilization of the army is marvelous! Don't bother resisting anymore, just surrender already!"
"You!" The Clear River Sect's leader glared at him.
Not matter how foolish the crowd was, they could understand that in this war, the Chen Kingdom would be exterminated.
But the Clear River Sect's leader was not willing to lose! It was not just losing a Nation, it was leaving a bad impression on that important figure beside them. This important figure had been observing the battle throughout. How could the Clear River Sect's leader not feel frustrated after losing so badly in front of her?
While the two sect leaders bickered, they had been observing the other five persons.
Although they were in the Clear River Sect's territory, but these five people were standing at the position of the host, which was in the north.
Leading them was a young lady dressing in black male clothing.
The young lady had long and slender legs, she had a focused gaze; she was a peerless beauty. She had a well-proportioned figure, her slender snow white neck was exposed from under that black shirt. Her attire made her even more dazzling, causing one to feel the urge to take a bite out of her. She had the hairstyle of a man but the bangs that hung by the side of her face added a certain charm. Although she was dressed in a man's outfit but it could not cover up her extraordinary beauty, it even served to enhance her allure.
The disciples of both sects looked at her with covetous eyes, but they knew the status of this young lady. They have to suppress the desires of their heart.
Holding a fan in her hand, the young lady looked at the huge map in front. On the map, there were all sorts of markings, illustrating out every single detail of the war between the Song Kingdom and Chen Kingdom.
Behind the young lady stood four people, three of them did not show any expression on their faces or say anything, they seemed to be the guard. The last one seem a bit different, it was a bald headed monk, he was wearing moon-white Buddhist robes. Standing over there, he exuded a celestial air, his facial features looked bright and scholarly, and in one hand, he held a string of 18 prayer beads. He was looking at that map together with the young lady.
"Reverend Liu Nian, what do you think of this battle?" the young lady asked while looking at the map and repeatedly tapping a folding fan on her other palm.
"Hall Master, because of your wish to see a battle of the secular world, you caused a massacre! 600 thousand soldiers, all executed! Amitābha!" the bald headed monk chanted a Buddhist chant, as though he was praying for the dead soldiers.
"Reverend, I heard that before you became a monk, the number of people you killed was much more than this. Furthermore, this massacre was not carried out by me, it was a mutual massacre on their part! I might be the cause, but I did not dictate the results!" The young lady shook her head.
Reverend Liu Nian gave a bitter smile: "It is all in the past!"
"My grandfather told me once that if I had the chance, I should observe the battles of mortals. Although they do not have great strength, but at times, they have incomparable wisdom. This war is very marvelous. Reverend, what do you think?" The young lady smiled.
Reverend Liu Nian looked at the map again and said as he nodded: "That Chen Taiji was pretty good, in such a large way, he was able to direct with ease, even among our numbers, he would be considered a good leader. He was advancing steadily and attacking perfectly, he was extremely dependable, originally they should have defeated the Song Kingdom, but unfortunately the Song Kingdom had Gao Xianzhi!"
The young lady nodded her head: "Indeed, Gao Xianzhi is very capable!"
"Gao Xianzhi, hailed as the divine strategist of the Song Kingdom, he truly deserved this name. His abilities in leading the army are better than Chen Taiji, he did not place all his eggs in the same basket! Within a few short months, he used many stratagems, he handled the troops so great as if he had assistance from the gods, his ability to judge was extraordinary. The risks he took, all had a shocking payoff. This was a psychological battle, he ended off with creating a diversion and attacking 3 passes simultaneously, defeating Chen Taiji. Truly extraordinary!"
"This Gao Xianzhi is quite interesting, what kind of level do you think he is at?" The young lady looked at Reverend Liu Nian.
"Hall master is very intelligent, I believe you already have an idea, is there a need to ask me?" Reverend Liu Nian laughed.
"Although he did not use many formations, but it seemed that his troops always held a great advantage, very marvelous, he has the disposition of a general!" The young lady replied with a solemn look.
"I have the same opinion as Hall Master does!" Reverend Liu Nian nodded his head.
"Looks like we will not return empty handed on this trip, at least we encountered a talent!" The young lady smiled in satisfaction.
But the praise of the young lady caused the Song Jia Sect's leader eyelid to twitch.
"Hall Master, Gao Xianzhi is just a mortal! He is only in the Houtian Realm!" The Song Jia Sect's leader immediately said.
The young lady quietly looked at the Song Jia Sect's leader and said: "Don't worry, he is not joining your sect!"
Hearing the words of the young lady, the Song Jia Sect's leader's face expressed joy: "Hall Master is very perceptive!"
What the young lady appreciated was talent, not cultivation. One's cultivation can be slowly raised, but there was a limit to raising one's wisdom. Such a talent, how could she let it go to waste?
"Reverend Liu Nian, look at the Chen Kingdom, do you think they would be able to make a comeback?" The young lady asked while looking at the map.
Reverend Liu Nian was silent for a while, then he gently shook his head: "Without a sect or other nations interfering, the Chen Kingdom is at the end of the road. With the loss of 3 passes, they are pretty much only left with a vast expanse. The Song Kingdom are all united in heart, tens of thousand soldiers will definitely gather outside Tiger Cage Pass. Although Tiger Cage Pass has 100 thousand soldiers, they are inexperienced. Not to mention defense, it would be very good if they do not surrender at the drop of the hat. Furthermore, according to the news received in the past, Chen Taiji is severely injured. His cardiac vessels were injured, his spirit is willing but his body is weak. In another half month, Gao Xianzhi would bring his troops to occupy the pass and the Chen Kingdom will be history!"
Reverend Liu Nian gave a dead end analysis, the Song Jia Sect's leader revealed a face of joy, but the Clear River Sect's sect leader had a gloomy expression.
The young lady nodded her head, the Chen Kingdom would be unable to turn around the situation.
"Sect leader!" Suddenly, there was an anxious shout from outside the big hall.
"Hu!"
It was Chen Tianshan who rushed over from the Gu Mansion.
"Tianshan?" the Clear River Sect's leader's face sunk.
This time, his purpose in sending Chen Tianshan to the Chen Kingdom was to secretly assist the Chen Kingdom. However they still lost, thus when he saw Chen Tianshan, the Clear River Sect's leader had an expression of frustration.
When Chen Tianshan entered the big hall, he was immediately distracted, he did not expect so many people to be there. There were the people from the Song Jia Sect and that important figure.
"Chen Tianshan of the Clear River Sect greets the Hall Master!" Chen Tianshan greeted.
The young lady nodded her head without responding to him.
"Tianshan, why are you back here? Is Chen Taiji injured? How are his injuries?" the Clear River Sect's leader asked.
Chen Tianshan said in a bitter voice: "My grandnephew, had passed away half a month ago, his cardiac vessels had ruptured!"
The Clear River Sect's leader's face sunk.
"Hahahahaha, Chen Taiji is dead, the Chen Kingdom don't stand a chance. Clear River Sect's leader, it is best you get them to surrender!" the Song Jia Sect's leader laughed.
The Clear River Sect's leader's face was very ugly.
The young lady in black frowned, she was thinking of watching Chen Taiji attempt to struggle. Now that Chen Taiji is dead, the war between the two nations should be over.
"Hall Master, my Clear River Sect has lost face this time!" the Clear River Sect's leader bitterly bowed to the young lady.
Even his last shred of hope was gone.
Before the young lady said anything, Chen Tianshan immediately said: "Sect leader, we have not lost yet, there is still a chance to win!"
"Hahahaha, Chen Tianshan? What did you just say? Given the situation, you still think of winning?" Song Jia Sect's leader laughed in disbelief.
"Tianshan, shut up! Have we not lost enough face yet?" the Clear River Sect's leader shouted.
"This disciple is here because of this matter, we still can win!" Chen Tianshan braced himself to say.
"Oh?" the young lady in black expressed some curiosity.
With regards to this battle, anyone can see that the Chen Kingdom is finished, is this person just trying to create a sensation?
"Oh, ok, Chen Tianshan, speak! How to win?" the Clear River Sect's leader said in a cold voice.
He had already lost enough face losing to the Song Jia Sect, however, Chen Tianshan did not reflect on that, but instead spoke big words of being able to overturn the situation?
Chen Tianshan could only force himself to say: "Sect leader, before my grandnephew Chen Taiji died, he recommended a person, saying that this person had the ability to overturn the situation, just like how the Song Kingdom had Gao Xianzhi!"
"Oh? Just like Gao Xianzhi?" The young lady became interested.
"Can it be the same? Back then, the Song Kingdom was only losing by a little, they had not suffered any major damage yet. After recommending Gao Xianzhi, they could overturn the situation. But now, the Chen Kingdom is about to be finished, they are at a major disadvantage yet you say they can turn defeat into a victory? Without any evidence to back this, how can this be? How can you believe it?" The Clear River Sect's sect leader said in disbelief.
However, the young lady smiled and said: "Speak! Who is it?"
Since the young lady opened her mouth, the Clear River Sect's leader could not do anything more but stare at Chen Tianshan.
Chen Tianshan was feeling like he was being tortured, but he could only force himself to speak: "Before Chen Taiji died, he recommended this person, saying that he definitely had the ability to overturn the situation, he was very certain. He did not seem to be lying, thus I went with Crown Prince Chen to find that person, he is called Gu Hai, I believe most of my senior brothers here have met him before."
"Gu Hai? That smelly old man?"
"It is him? The one with poor Natural Endowments, but yet foolishly wanted to enter our sect?"
"He only started cultivating after his 30s, yet he dares to dream so big? Maybe in his next life!"
The Crowd immediately began to react, to Chen Tianshan's surprise, not only his senior from the Clear River Sect, but even the people from the Song Jia Sect also knew Gu Hai.
"Oh? He is willing to help the Chen Kingdom?" the young lady was very curious.
When the young lady opened her mouth, everybody kept quiet.
Chen Tianshan bitterly said: No, he said that he can help the Chen Kingdom to win, but he wanted our sect leader to promise that after he helped the Chen Kingdom to overturn the situation, the sect leader has to assist him in breaking through to the Xiantian realm from the Great Perfection of Houtian! Furthermore, he wished to be permitted to learn the Xiantian Realm Cultivation Method of the Clear River Sect!"
"What? He has reached the Great Perfection of Houtian?" Everyone in the big hall was immediately surprised.
The young lady felt a little confused and looked at Chen Tianshan strangely.
"Hall master, this person is called Gu Hai. there were no records of such a person in the past, up until 40 years ago. We have no idea where he came from. Back then, he had not started cultivating and his Natural Endowments were extremely poor. Since he started cultivating at 30, and couldn't cultivate Inner Strength, thus he chose External Strength cultivation, to train his body. He wanted to join our sect, naturally, I looked down on him. To think that in the secular world, in the timespan of 40 years, he established a huge family business, becoming the wealthiest man in six countries, furthermore, he even reached the Great Perfection of Houtian!" Chen Tianshan explained.
"Cultivating External Strength to reach the Great Perfection of Houtian? What great perseverance!" Reverend Liu Nian revealed a trace of shock.
"You can reach the Great Perfection of Houtian by cultivating External Strength?" The young lady looked towards Reverend Liu Nian.
Reverend Liu Nian nodded his head: "It is very rare, this is only the second time that I have heard this happened!".
"Second time? Then who was the first?" The young lady asked with suspicions.
"Your maternal grandfather!" Reverend Liu Nian said.
"Weng!"
The young lady's pupils constricted. Everyone became solemn.
"Sect leader, Gu Hai said, as long as you make this promise, he would help the Chen Kingdom to overturn the situation, he required you to issue a decree!" Chen Tianshan said.
"A foolish dream, just an old man in the Houtian realm and he wants to overturn the situation? In his dreams!" The Song Jia Sect's leader said in disbelief.
However, the Clear River Sect's leader looked at the young lady, seeing that she had an expression of curiosity. The hope which he had lost was rekindled, he already lost his face anyway, at worst it would just happen again. maybe……?
"Ok! I promise!" The Clear River Sect's leader seriously said.
"Yes, Many thanks to the sect leader!" Chen Tianshan was very excited.
The young lady at the side just tapped her folding fan: "Since it is so, then let's observe for a little longer!"
"Hall Master, there may not be enough time!" Reverend Liu Nian said worriedly.
"There is no harm in doing it, I also wish to see how plays out. I wonder what this Gu Hai is planning to rely on to do this!" The young lady smiled.
"But……!" Reverend Liu Nian frowned.
"I know that this is already a checkmate, but didn't you realize, it has become interesting?" The young lady smiled
"Alright!" Reverend Liu Nian bitterly smiled.
5 thoughts on "Chapter 3 Striving to Turn The Situation"
Pingback: EIF Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 – Xianwu Hub
odorico13 says:
DeathStroke96 says:
"he cannot cultivate Inner Strength"
Change "cannot" to "couldn't"
"he even reach the Great Perfection of Houtian!"
add "ed" to "reach" = "reached"
jacobpaige says:
Waifu #1 spotted.
I really thought she'd step in and promise in the sect master's place. She might still I suppose.


text:
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin
Gideon Taylor: Led by Tammy Baldwin and Marco Rubio, U.S. Senate calls for justice for Holocaust survivors
By Gideon Taylor
Before the Holocaust, Nate Taffel's family owned the biggest house in Radomyśl Wielki, a small town in southeastern Poland. His father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather were farmers. His family lost everything in the Holocaust. More than 30 members of his family, including his mother, father, seven sisters and two brothers, were murdered. Only Nate and his brother survived.
Nate came to the United States 10 years after being liberated and joined his bother in Milwaukee. He married and had three children. Now 91, Nate worked for the livestock business for 72 years.
Even though Nate was only a child when the war broke out in Poland, he has fond memories of his life before the war.
In fact, Poland had been a center of Jewish life for a thousand years. Polish Jews owned homes, businesses and land. Those who survived the Holocaust lost all of their earthly possessions.
Their property that was stolen during the Holocaust and later nationalized by the Polish Communist regime is the only remaining physical connection they have to generations of their families' lives in Poland.
That is why the struggle for property restitution is so important to Holocaust survivors and their families.
And that is why it was meaningful for survivors when the United States Senate last week issued a resounding call for justice in a bipartisan letter signed by nearly all of the U.S. Senate — 88 senators — and sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The senators urged him to "act boldly and with urgency" to encourage Poland to resolve the issue of private property restitution to Holocaust victims.
The letter was organized by Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, and Marco Rubio, R-Florida, who have been key leaders on this issue. All senators running for president signed the letter, as did the chairs and ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Armed Services Committee.
The letter states, "Now is the time, while the last Holocaust survivors are still alive, to back up our words with meaningful action. We encourage you to pursue bold initiatives to help Poland to resolve this issue as quickly as possible."
As Sen. Baldwin said, "Time is of the essence. We must act quickly so that the remaining survivors still among us can receive a small measure of justice for the materials losses while living out their remaining years with the dignity they deserve."
In the letter, the senators commended Secretary Pompeo for his public statement this February in Warsaw in support of this issue. In a press conference with Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Jacek Czaputowicz, during his first official visit to Poland as U.S. Secretary of State, Pompeo said: "We also appreciate the importance of resolving outstanding issues of the past, and I urge my Polish colleagues to move forward with comprehensive private property restitution legislation for those who lost property during the Holocaust era."
Sadly, Poland is the only European Union country that has not passed such a law. The Senate letter articulates clearly the strong support of the U.S. Senate for justice for Holocaust survivors from Poland, as well as other Jews and non-Jews whose property was nationalized by the Polish Communist government after the war.
This follows unanimous passage by Congress last year of important legislation of the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act. This law — written by Sens. Baldwin and Rubio – requires the State Department to submit a report to Congress on the status of restitution throughout Europe by the end of the year.
The U.S. Senate has sent a powerful message to Poland: More than seven decades years after the Holocaust and nearly three decades after Poland's liberation from communism, it is high time that Poland address this historical injustice and return or provide property compensation to Holocaust survivors like Nate, for what was wrongfully taken from them.
Gideon Taylor is chair of operations with the World Jewish Restitution Organization.
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