Is it an accident or a crash? Who is to blame when your teen wrecks a car?
Many people in the auto safety industry refuse to call wrecks accidents. That is because an accident implies that no one was at fault. That everything just happened and the drivers involved could not have stopped the collision no matter what they did. Typically that isn't the case. Even when vehicle failure causes a crash a lack of maintenance on the driver's fault is the actual cause. Instead, we call wrecks crashes. It is more accurate as it doesn't assume that no fault can be assigned.
Now that the word accident is out of your teen driving vocabulary, who is at fault when your teen crashes? Let's look at the case of Brandon Hodges of Jacksonville Florida. He was driving a Ford Explorer with nine people in it when a tire blew out. He was unable to control the car and it flipped. Only Hodges was wearing a seat belt and four teens were tragically killed in the crash.
But is Brandon taking the fall for the tire company, or is the tire company taking the fall for Brandon? Brandon was fifteen at the time of the crash. He didn't have a license and was allowed to drive. He was driving a car with more passengers than seat belts (not that it mattered much since no one was using those belts). He was speeding.
But Hodge's lawyer says none of these things are a factor in the crash, that it is all the fault of Cooper Tire who made the tire. He adds that the case reminds him of the Firestone lawsuit nine years ago. That comment reminds me of a cop out and dollar signs.
separation when the tire was underinflated.Yes, the tire was defective, but a driver who properly maintained his/her SUV's tire pressure was immune to the defect. Fact is tires rarely blow out without reason. Typically they are under inflated, over inflated or bald. Sometimes they hit an object in the road causing damage to them. But even in the case of the Firestone roll over scandal owners were also at fault for the crashes they were involved in. They were not accidents, they were crashes. They were avoidable.
Even if the tire on Hodge's girlfriend's family's SUV was defective it doesn't detract from the fact that he was unlicensed and speeding. Just because a blow out happens doesn't mean a crash is inevitable as well. Proper driver's training and experience give people the necessary skills to remain control after a blow out. As an unlicnsed driver, these are two things that Hodges definitely did not possess. Would it have been completely avoidable with a licensed driver? No. People panic and they react poorly in emergency situations. Is there a higher probability that the crash would have been avoided with a licensed driver? Yes. 100%.
What message do we send to teens when we blame others for their actions?
Teens all across Florida are learning right now that they aren't at fault when something goes wrong with their car because of the actions of Hodge's family and lawyer. Hodges did still break the law, regardless of what other factors went into the crash and he should be held responsible for doing so. In our litigious society where everyone sues everyone for everything we are constantly shifting blame. I think we are breeding a generation of people who will feel that they are not responsible for their actions and fail to own up to them or work to resolve them.
Should parents be held responsible for the actions of their teens?
By holding parents responsible you are shifting the blame away from the teen. Even though that is true, parents can still be held responsible for their teen's actions and have an effect on what their young drivers do. From a legal perspective you are responsible for what your teen does up until the age of 18. Anything they do wrong behind the wheel can come back to you in the form of one of the lawsuits I mentioned in the last section.
I do believe that some crashes are partially caused by negligent parents. Parents control their teens driving. Parents who do not enforce graduated drivers license rules, or who do not take away the keys when their teen is being dangerous on the road have some responsibility in their teen's actions. Parents need to remember that teen brains have not fully developed and they do not recognize risk the same way adults do. What is stupid and dangerous to us is fun to them. Parents need to watch over their teen drivers and not be afraid to take away the keys if their young drivers are not being safe.
Of course, Hodge's family is just trying to keep Brandon out of jail and if that means throwing Cooper Tire under the bus that is what they'll do to keep their sixteen-year-old out of the big house. I'm sure many parents would lie if it meant keeping their child out of prison. It is hard to blame them for the goal they are trying to achieve, but I criticize them for the methods they are employing.
Most hypermilers know that drafting is dangerous. One false move and you will crash. Is it worth it?
Hypermiling: the act of taking extreme measures to save gas. Some of the more extreme measures of this practice are very dangerous, such as "drafting" behind semi trucks, driving 20mph under the speed limit on the highway, or turning the car off while going down hill. All as an attempt to save a couple miles per gallon on the tank of gas.
These practices are dangerous, and for one young man in Australia hypermiling cost him his life.
The teen turned the car off and took the keys out of the ignition before going through a bend. He had only had his license for a month and didn't know that when the car is off the ignition is locked. Unable to steer, his car plowed into a semi truck, killing himself and taking off half the face of a passenger. Two other passengers were also injured in this crash.
There is much more than needs to go into driver's education than simply how to drive. How many parents think to discuss practical ways to increase fuel economy or what happens when the key is removed from the car with their teens? Hypermiling exists and teens may be influenced by the promise of astronomical high gas mileage, but at what price? Dangerous driving is dangerous driving no matter what your motive. Driving too close to trucks, much slower than traffic, over inflating your tires and turning off the car while it is moving exponentially increase your chance for a crash. If no one is hurt the irony is that the cost of your insurance deductible is probably more than the amount of gas you'd save in a year. If someone is killed because of it, then no amount of fuel saved makes it worth while.
Here are some tips on how to hypermile safely for the best mix of fuel economy and safe driving. Many of these tips (ie slower acceleration and getting ready to stop sooner) are safer too than getting on the gas or braking late, which reduces your ability to move out of the way or stop in an emergency.
When I originally saw the news back in June about a roll over crash that took the lives of 3 (later 4) teens in Florida I was heart wrenched. When I learned that the driver responsible for the crash was 15 and unlicensed I was left asking why.
This crash happened during the last day of school. Eight teens crammed into a Ford Explorer to go to the beach for a summer party. The vehicle sat seven people with the optional third row, five if it did not have this option, and only the driver was wearing his seat belt. A tire blew and the young, unlicensed and inexperienced driver didn't have the skills necessary to maintain control. The SUV flipped killing Kimber Krebs, 15, John Kiely, 15, Dennis Stout, 17, and Erin Hurst, 15. Four other teens were left in critical condition the family of one, Rebecca Pilkinton, was polite enough to update me on her condition and to mention that she went to another school that started summer break earlier, so she was not ditching. I hope her and the other teens are doing well and are recovering both physically and emotionally from the wreck that took the lives of their friends.
Today that unlicensed driver was charged with four counts of driving without a license involving death; four counts of driving without a license involving serious injury; and one count of careless driving. He faces a long prison sentence if he is convicted.
I don't even know what to say about crashes like this. They are so tragic but also so avoidable. Even know I'm misting up as I write about these lives that were lost or ruined because of some bad decisions. In my original blog post I mentioned how so much went wrong, I still believe that. What if the teens had been wearing their seat belts? What if the tires were properly maintained and didn't blow out? What if a licensed teen was driving? What if the kids had stayed in school instead of ditching? I would still like to know how the driver got the keys to the car. Was it a friend's? Was it his family's? Did he take it without permission or was he allowed to drive it? If one of these elements had been changed, I wonder if this crash would not have happened.
Parents, have you talked to your kids about seat belt use, passengers and the people they chose to ride with? If you haven't you need to.
Texas has received low ratings on its teen driving laws in the past, but dispite this, the state has very safe drivers due in part to an extensive peer-to-peer program. Texas wants to help the chances of its young drivers even more by adding more restrictions on their driving during the first years they are on the road.
Effective next week Texas teens will be required to take a driving test before receiving their license. This is the norm in most other states. Restricted license time will also increase from the first six months to a year. Under the restricted license teens cannot drive at night, talk on the cell phone or have multiple passengers. Behind the wheel requirements will also increase from 14 hours to 32.
All of the new restrictions that Texas is implementing fall below the recomendations by the NHTSA and the average of most states. For example, in California the restricted license lasts for two years or until the teen is 18 and teens are required to receive 50 hours behind the wheel.
Here's the question: if Texas teens are already among the nation's safest with the state's poor GDL requirements, what does that say about GDL? Is Texas a case study for why these laws aren' the most effective way to save lives? Or, do we need to err on the side of caution and do what ever is neccessary to reduce crashes?I only worry that we'll see GDL as a cop out and won't look at other options becuasae we feel like we are already doing all that we can to solve the problem while we aren't.
"Alex is about to collide with a motorcycle that is squarely in his blind spot…" but because his Volvo has the nifty Blind Spot Information System (BLIS because BSIS isn't as catchy) system, he'll be alerted to it and not kill the dumb motorcycle driver who is trying to pass him on the right when he has his turn blinker on. However, Alex wouldn't need to rely on his fancy $700-$1,600 (cheaper on the Volvo than on a Ford believe it or not) dollar BLIS system if he just adjusted his mirrors properly.
I can hear you getting mad already. But all cars have a blind spot, you are thinking. No, they don't. In a New York Time's interview Ford's chief safety engineer, Steve Kozak, says that proper adjustment of the side mirrors illuminates blind spots. But adds, most drivers don't adjust their mirrors that way so BLIS is a valuable safety aid.
Steve Kozak, Ford's chief safety engineer, acknowledged that side mirrors can be set to eliminate the blind zone. But most drivers don't adjust their mirrors that way so BLIS is a valuable safety aid, he said.
The problem starts when we are 15 1/2 and we are sitting in driver's ed. And the instructor, who we all assume knows what he's talking about because someone said he could teach us all how to drive, teaches us SMOG: signal, mirror, over the shoulder, go, as the proper way to change lanes. Why look over your shoulder trusty driving instructor? One may ask. Why, he says, to check your blind spot. But why is there a blind spot trusty driving instructor? Because the DMV says so.
On page 12 of the handbook designed to help parents teach their teens how to drive in California it clearly says that to change lanes you need to "check your blind spot by looking over your shoulder" In the section on page 5 about preparing to drive it has one line about mirrors, and that is, "adjust the mirrors" but how? The DMV doesn't say. The DMV doesn't tell teens the proper way to adjust their mirrors so that they don't have a blind spot, because the DMV in all its infinite wisdom doesn't believe it is possible. All they'd have to do is adjust the mirrors as columnist Christopher Jensen explains in the article and see that the blind spot is gone. But that would probably mean getting a multi-million dollar grant to confirm. Gotta love bureaucracy.
Drivers think that blind spots exist because they were taught they exist when they were learning how to drive. Better information from licensing organizations would solve this problem.
Steve is right. There is no blind spot if the mirrors are properly adjusted. Ford (who owns Volvo in case you didn't know) could have saved millions in research and development if instead of developing a camera that flashes a red light when ever a car is next to you instead they produced a small pamphlet on how to adjust the mirrors and distributed it to all their dealerships. The salespeople could be taught how to adjust mirrors and as they teach the buyer all the features of their new car help them adjust their mirrors. Problem solved for the cost of 2 minutes of a salesperson's time.
Of course, if you still don't believe me that blind spots are myths (I would love to come adjust your mirrors and prove you wrong and highly suggest you try the method mentioned in the article for yourself) I offer you the less expensive option to solve them. The two dollar blind spot mirror. Now go take that 700 you saved on your BLIS system and send it at on a quality driving school.
About a third of fatal teen crashes involved alcohol. It is a scary number and it obviously means that something needs to be done about this epidemic of drunk driving from teen drivers. Lack of understanding of their tolerances, and the feel of invincibility makes teens more susceptible to drinking and driving, even if they cannot legally drink. Just last week a local teen, Milad Moulayi, was found guilty of second degree murder when, at the age of 17, he drove his mother's Mercedes Benz at speeds in excess of 100mph down a city street, crossed into on coming traffic and hit a light pole, killing his 16-year-old passenger. He had a bac of .11.
While parents need to talk to their teens about the dangers of drinking and driving and make sure they know that you are always able to pick them up and drive them home no matter where they are or what time it is, there are other substances that need to be discussed as well.
One of these substances is pot. The NHTSA found that while drunk driving is decreasing, stoned driving is on the upswing. On any given night roughly 9% of drivers are high on marijuana, compared to just over 2% who hit the bottle before getting on the road.
The biggest problem with driving while stoned is that the driver often thinks that they are driving just fine and many times often think they are safer drivers than when sober, as a NHTSA focus group found. However, a recent study showed that slow reaction time makes stoned driving just as dangerous as drunk driving.
Over the counter drugs are also a problem. About 4 percent of night time drivers are under the influence of prescription pills, many illegally. This problem is especially prevalent among teens, who raid their parents medicine cabinets or buy their classmate's medication at school. It is estimated that 1 in 5 teens abuse presription paint drugs. Many of these pills carry that familiar warning: may cause drowsiness, do not drive or operate heavy machinery.
The dangers don't stop at typical drugs that we expect, there are other meneses out there that are discounted because they aren't seen as a drug. Huffing, the act of inhaling materials such as electronic duster or spray paint for a high is a dangerous fad among teens. These products are easy to get and a lot of teens feel that they are safe because they aren't drugs. But the effects of huffing can be very dangerous and even more so behind the wheel.
The symptoms of huffing are: dizziness, strong hallucinations, delusions, belligerence, apathy, and impaired judgment. Additional symptoms exhibited by long-term inhalant abusers include weight loss, muscle weakness, disorientation, inattentiveness, lack of coordination, irritability, and depression. Withdrawal symptoms include sweating, rapid pulse, hand tremors, insomnia, nausea or vomiting, hallucinations, and, in severe cases, grand mal seizures.
This is still just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to substances that can get your teen into trouble. When you talk to your teen about drinking and driving make sure to bring up other substances as well. Also, be aware of what the signs are of drug abuse and be aware of what your teen is doing. Let your new driver know that you are always there to pick them up if they aren't in a state to drive. Getting them home safely is more important than what ever rule they broke or stupid thing they did. That comes first, punishment can come later.
We've all heard this saying before… typically as we yell it at other drivers who don't get on the gas when the light turns green fast enough. But does green really mean go? Sure it sounds nice with its alliteration and quick to the point wording, but it unfortunately is not accurate. While not as piffy or repeatable, green actually means look and proceed with caution.
Too often do I see people who hit the gas at a green light with their eyes focused straight ahead. What if someone was running that light? They wouldn't know until after they were hit. About two years ago I witnessed a red light crash where the truck in front of me ran a very red light at an intersection for a very busy freeway off ramp. She was so late in entering the intersection that she hit the third and fourth car in the line. I honked, which was the only thing that prevented another car from being involved (the driver thanked me for warning her) but the two cars involved didn't even see her coming. They felt the intersection was safe, after all, other cars had already passed through, who could run a light that late?
Actually, a lot of people do. The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running claims that 900 people were killed in 2007 because someone ran a red light. How many of those crashes could have been avoided if instead of going when the light turned green people looked first? Of course, all of them could have been avoided if people actually paid attention, slowed down and stopped at red lights. But remember: you aren't everyone on the road. Common sense to you isn't common sense to everyone.
When I witnessed the red light crash the woman who ran the red started to stop, but then instead got on the gas. She hit the brakes again just before hitting the cars. Maybe she was drunk or on drugs. Maybe she saw the light at the next intersection and thought she had the green. Maybe she was just a bad driver. There are a lot of bad drivers out there. Never assume that other drivers will obey the laws. If you are hit by a red light runner they are at fault… but wouldn't you rather see them first, stop, and not be involved in the crash in the first place?
Here is a compilation of red light crashes/close calls that I recently found. Some of them are comical (I did laugh when the two white Ford Explorers hit and one of them tipped over and the near miss at 3:12 is incredibly lucky) but others are frightening and very serious. You will notice just how red some of the lights are when the people run them. Crashes like these happen every day. To avoid being involved in a crash like this remember: green does not mean go, it means look and proceed with caution.


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In Lieu of 1000 Words: 2012 Prairie Village Jazz Fest, Part 2
A photographer craves the perfect light, the setting sun hitting the stage at a unique angle to illuminate the musicians perfectly, a fifteen minute period when you can capture a once in a lifetime shot.
At the 2012 Prairie Village Jazz Festival on September 8, the perfect light hit during the stage change between Megan Birdsall's set and Bobby Watson's set. Next year's festival really needs to time that better.
The sun had settled behind the hill at Harmon Park when Bobby Watson took the stage. Backed by bassist Curtis Lundy, in from New York, Richard Johnson from Minneapolis on piano and Kansas City's Michael Warren on drums, Bobby's alto captured the crowd. Co-headiner Karrin Allyson followed with a wonderful set, accompanied by Los Angeles sax and woodwind master Bob Sheppard, and a trio of current and former Kansas Citians, jazz masters all: Rod Fleeman on guitar, Gerald Spaits on bass and Todd Strait on drums.
I offered photos of Gerald and Todd last week, from Mike Metheny's set. Now here's photos of the rest of the festival headliners. As always, clicking on a shot should open a larger version of it.
Bobby Watson on alto sax
Bassist Curtis Lundy
Pianist Richard Johnson
Drummer Michael Warren
Curtis and Bobby
At night, the audience filled the hill.
Karrin Allyson on piano and vocals
Bob Sheppard on sax
Karrin Allyson Quintet. Left to right: Rod Fleeman, Bob Sheppard, Karrin Allyson, Gerald Spaits, Todd Strait
Guitarist Rod Fleeman
Bob Sheppard on flute
For her final number, Karrin invited bassist Bob Bowman, who has performed with her often, and Bobby Watson to join her group on stage. Left to right: Karrin Allyson, Bob Bowman, Bobby Watson, Bob Sheppard, Rod Fleeman.
Posted by kcjazzlark No comments:
Labels: Bob Sheppard, Bobby Watson, Curtis Lundy, jazz, kansas city, Karrin Allyson, Michael Warren, Prairie Village Jazz Festival, Richard Johnson, Rod Fleeman
In Lieu of 1000 Words: 2012 PV Jazz Fest, Part 1
Thousands of fans. They crowded the hill at Harmon Park on September 8th to enjoy the music, the food, the beer and the wine – but mostly the music – at the third annual Prairie Village Jazz Festival.
As one of the organizers of this year's event, I'll not feign an unbiased assessment. But I will credit one group above all others for the day's success: The musicians. Every performance was magnificent.
Opening act Diverse, in their new configuration with drummer Brad Williams, mostly played tunes the arriving audience might recognize, but branded by their own contemporary resolve. Rich Wheeler's quartet spanned their own compositions to the blues. Everyone who heard Mike Metheny understands why I keep telling him he needs to perform locally more often (and he's starting to do that). And everyone who heard Megan Birdsall heard a vocalist wrap herself around familiar standards and pop classics to make them entirely hers.
Crowd size reached its height for headliner Bobby Watson. With longtime bassist Curtis Lundy from New York, pianist Richard Johnson from Minneapolis and KC drummer Michael Warren, Bobby owned Prairie Village. Then the night's second headliner, Karrin Allyson, backed by extraordinary saxophone and flute player Bob Sheppard from Los Angeles, guitarist Rod Fleeman, bassist Gerald Spaits, and drummer Todd Strait, left no doubts about why she has been nominated five times for the jazz vocal Grammy.
I took photos. This week, let's share shots of the local acts. Next week, we'll take a look at the headliners' groups. As always, clicking on a photo should open a larger version of it.
Opening act Diverse. Left to right: Ben Leifer on bass, Hermon Mehari on trumpet, Brad Williams on drums.
As Diverse performs, the audience grows.
The Rich Wheeler Quartet. Left to right: T.J. Martley on Rhodes and piano, Bill McKemy on bass, Rich Wheeler on tenor saxophone, Sam Wisman on drums.
Mike Metheny on flugelhorn
Bassist Gerald Spaits
Drummer Todd Strait
T.J. Martley on piano
Mike invited Hermon Mehari and Rich Wheeler to join him on his set. Here, Hermon and Mike enjoy Rich's solo.
Megan Birdsall
Bassist Bob Bowman
Drummer Matt Leifer
Singer Megan Birdsall with pianist Wayne Hawkins
Megan and Wayne. As the sun starts to set, the audience fills the hill.
Next week: Bobby Watson and Karrin Allyson.
Labels: Bob Bowman, diverse, Gerald Spaits, Hermon Mehari, jazz, kansas city, megan birdsall, Mike Metheny, Prairie Village Jazz Festival, Rich Wheeler, T.J. Martley, Todd Strait
The Mutual Musicians Foundation Responds
Over two blog posts, I commented on the new panels at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. This week, it's not about what I think. Anita Dixon, Vice President of the Foundation, argued that I have a forum the Foundation lacks. She's right. So this week, I turn this blog over to the Mutual Musicians Foundation. Because they deserve the opportunity to present, without intrusion, the reasons for the changes at Kansas City's jazz landmark.
The Mutual Musicians Foundation (formerly known as Local 627 or the "colored" musicians union) has been the heartbeat of Kansas City's jazz history for almost a century.
Recognized as one of the four pillars of the creation of jazz in America, the building in which it has its storied past has survived. Remembering and honoring our past and those genius minds that created Kansas City's reason for being on the map internationally is a fact we love to tell over and over again; lest others forget how important it really is. Remembering "what was" is a huge part of securing the future.
However, everything must change. Recently, through a generous fund given to the MMF by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, the board of directors decided we would expand the vision for the future into educational panels and an archival film project that would include the history of the neighborhood that nurtured the music and the minds of Charlie Parker, Mary Lou Williams and all of the names aficionados of jazz like to drop but refuse to acknowledge that had it been another time in history, those same people would have had an address next door, down the street or behind the MMF.
Being volunteer driven, we do not have docents or people who can be at the MMF during the day to speak on the history and the educational panels tell a complete story for those wishing to know more of the history. The archival film Still Jammin' takes the history of Local 627 and reminds the viewer of the circumstances and situations that made Kansas City jazz and its artists so great.
We hear we have taken the "spirit" away by replacing photographs with panels, but if we were to be historically accurate, the pictures (that now are a part of the musical experience upstairs) were photocopied and not the originals. At one time, originally signed photographs were stuck on the cork based walls (that were orange colored!) with push pins and tape! These photocopies were also put into frames and attached to walls that had undergone renovation in 1983 and are not a part of the original work done on the building in the 1930's renovation from apartment building to union hall. So much for interrupting the "spirit" of Basie and the others.
This total project has been almost three years coming to fruition. That includes the panels and the film. Now, let one take those years, compound them with much infighting (already so well-known and we will not dignify telling it again), and board personnel changes (over seven positions vacated and replaced in less than one year in 2010!), couple that with costs for film crews, meetings, travel, scripts, equipment, research and a plethora of other things it takes to put out a quality project, and the money gifted to the MMF was stretched to the limit. If this had been Ken Burns producing, this city would have thought nothing of a couple of million dollars just to engage him on the subject!
We were very lucky to get Rodney Thompson and Stinson McClendon, two African American film makers in KC who have chronicled the history of KC jazz through names such as Andy Kirk, Big Joe Turner, Jay McShann, Claude "Fiddler" Williams and others they have captured in their personal film archives that enhanced the story of Still Jammin' for us. Eisterhold and Associates, who work on major museum and archives projects surrounding cultural history in America, were engaged for far less than they usually charge but still treated the project as a priority and produced exactly what we requested. Anyone who would say that "too much was spent" has no idea the sacrifices and time that was spent to bring this to KC and the American public for consumption.
If we had not had the restrictions on the usage of the money dictated by the previous administration, we would have put the money into the building's much needed repairs. There are stipulations put on many funded projects such as these (if you have never written a government grant or a foundation grant, this is your time to shut up!) and this one was to be used strictly for the project as outlined. It was used for that and nothing more. So much for what you would have done with the money.
But back to why we are responding to KCJazzLark: the future. We are witnessing a renaissance in the 18th and Vine district in the renovation of the old Rochester Hotel and the homes across the street from the MMF. It is as if the neighborhood is reminding us that once again, we will strive to live amidst the music. We have spoken to the City Manager and those at JDRC and every attempt will be made to populate those apartments and homes with musicians and artists. Imagine a new village of people who respect what we are doing and participate in a whole new generation learning (and living around) the place that started it all internationally.
We are planning on being the centerpiece of an international plan for educating the world on our part in the history of jazz, starting a 24 hour radio station and creating a synergistic, tourism program aimed at jobs, youth music education and the culture of the African American experience in Kansas City. More on this if you attend our workshop Monday, September 10, 2012.
Last but not least, thank you KCJazzLark for equal time. So many of the so-called bloggers in the city (and in America period) are just interested in hearing themselves and there are few that qualify as journalists. You have taken the big leap from blogger to journalist and for this we of the MMF are grateful.
There are always three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth. Our plans for the MMF will certainly prove to be a truth that will benefit all concerned.
— Anita J. Dixon, Vice President, Mutual Musicians Foundation
Labels: jazz, kansas city, Mutual Musicians Foundation
This 'n That 'n McKemy CD
Bass, drums, guitar and accordion. How's that for a jazz quartet?
I wasn't getting out for jazz when Malachy Papers was performing around town. So I didn't know who Bill McKemy was until Ben Leifer left town (he's since returned). That was when Mark Lowrey and Shay Estes chose Bill as Ben's replacement on bass in their quartet. That's when I discovered there's at least one more terrific bassist in Kansas City than I had previously known.
Mark told me at the time that they had chosen Bill in part for his compositional prowess. That prowess is on full display on Duende, Bill's 2002 CD which is being rereleased.
Duende, Google Translate tells me, is Spanish for elf. I'm not certain how that applies, except that a couple of of the spontaneous compositions (that's what the liner notes call them) are elfin in size. But nothing on this CD is elfin in quality.
Jeffrey Ruckma's accordion may seem on the surface an unusual choice, but the sound fits the Spanish flavor of this music perfectly. Brian Baggett's electric guitar at times at times reaches for the musical edge and seems to leave apparent Spanish influences behind. But Bill's bass and Ryan Bennett's drums keep the proceedings grounded.
Duende will be rereleased at a special show at Take Five Coffee + Bar on September 22. You do not want to miss either the CD or the performance.
But before then, this Saturday as a matter of fact, you do not want to miss the Prairie Village Jazz Festival.
I make no secret of the fact that I booked the talent for the fest this year. Nor do I make a secret of the fact that I'm pleased with how the schedule turned out.
This Saturday, September 8th, at Harmon Park at 77th and Mission Road (adjacent to Prairie Village City Hall and Shawnee Mission East High School), you can hear a sampling of some of the best jazz musicians in Kansas City today, plus some of the best jazz to spring from this town.
Music starts at 3 p.m. with Diverse. It continues with the Rich Wheeler Quartet at 4:20. At 5:40 you can hear the all-too-rarely heard Mike Metheny. 7:00 brings incomparable vocalist Megan Birdsall to the stage. At 8:20, hear not just the best saxophonist in KC, but arguably the best saxophonist anywhere: Bobby Watson. The festival wraps up with jazz star Karrin Allyson's first performance in the area since last Thanksgiving, starting at 9:40.
I took photos at the first Prairie Village Jazz Festival two years ago. So, to whet your festive appetite further, let's take a look at a few of those shots not previously posted.
Two years ago, David Basse's group was among the local acts. This year, David will emcee the fest.
Basse's 2010 horn section included Jason Goudeau on trombone, Hermon Mehari on trumpet and Kim Park on sax. This year, Hermon's group Diverse opens the festival.
Eldar Djangirov was one of the 2010 headliners...
...And the crowds danced (I predict dancing again this year).
Two years ago, Karrin Allyson performed a few songs with The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. This year, she headlines a full set with her own band.
Labels: Bill McKemy, jazz, kansas city, Prairie Village Jazz Festival
In Lieu of 1000 Words: 2012 Prairie Village Jazz F...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What is the maximum temperature that the Sport Berkey® can be stored at? I want to put it in the trunk of my car and need to know if it would be too hot.
Can I put my Sport Berkey® in the refrigerator?
Why is water not coming through my Sport Berkey when I drink?
Is there a fluoride filter for the Sport Berkey Water Bottle?
What is the capacity of the Sport Berkey®?
Once the bottle has been flushed, rinse with water. Allow all parts to dry thoroughly. Re-assemble and seal in an air tight container if possible. Do not allow the filter to freeze, do not place in microwave oven, and do not run hot water through the filter.
*If you are not aware, many bleaches today come with "other things" in them to provide a nice smell, etc. We don't recommend these types of bleaches.


First of all I have to thank you so much for the amazing cake! You have a real talent! Not only was it gorgeous but it was easily one of the best tasting I've ever had! People at the shower were asking me if I got it from Buddy Valastro, aka The Cake Boss in Hoboken (there was a big New Jersey crowd there). They thought your work was incredible...and actually there was another shower going on downstairs and when some of that party's guests saw the cake you made they got excited and said "Ohh is that Lauren's cake?!?" and the hostess had to give a disappointed "No". The cake was a hit!
That cake was amazing! You did an incredible job with colors and the design. Thank you for sending the third dress. You didn't have to do that but the bride's daughter thought that was her cake so it was a great bonus.
We had the cards with the cake and a few were taken. Kerri, the bride, said she's going to contact you about a grooms cake. She loved the chocolate raspberry combination.
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The cake was delicious!! Everyone loved the way the cake looked and tasted. Thanks so much for everything!
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I don't usually eat cake, but i had some saved!
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Home » Violent Crimes » NEW YORK PROSECUTOR CLAIMS PSYCHIATRIST WAS BEHIND MURDER PLOT
NEW YORK PROSECUTOR CLAIMS PSYCHIATRIST WAS BEHIND MURDER PLOT
On behalf of Marianne Bertuna of Aidala Bertuna & Kamins posted in Violent Crimes on Thursday November 9, 2017.
A female psychiatrist has entered a not guilty plea in a Manhattan court. She also declared her innocence to media reporters outside the courthouse. The prosecution, however, paints a different picture that resulted in charges of second degree attempted murder and first degree attempted assault.
The district attorney claims that she manipulated one of her patients into attempting to murder her ex-boyfriend, another doctor, who also is her child's father. The patient involved in the case said that she molded him into a killer and controlled him like a puppet.
The plot allegedly involved the male patient entering the ex-boyfriend's home and bludgeoning him with a sledgehammer and stabbing him with a knife. The victim survived the attack and has custody of the female defendant's child at this time. To support the charges, the prosecution provided surveillance images that showed the defendant with her patient buying a sledgehammer at a store. This event took place the day before the attack on her ex-boyfriend.
Any person accused of violent crimes could go to prison after a criminal conviction. An attorney who represents criminal cases could provide support that protects a defendant's rights. At the time of arrest, an attorney could provide advice before a person answers questions from the authorities. An attorney also might examine the evidence to see if it can support the charges filed against someone. Any weakness could create an opportunity for a lawyer to ask a prosecutor to reduce the charges. If a case goes to trial, an attorney could work toward building a sympathetic jury and cast doubt on the evidence that connects his or her client to a crime.
Source: CBS New York, "Manhattan Psychiatrist Charged In Attempted Murder Of Ex-Boyfriend," Oct. 20, 2017
Tags: Violent Crimes
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For those uninitiated in the arcana of far-left discourse, I must digress for a moment. Please bear with me. The critique offered here is a matter of extreme political urgency, because if we cannot unite the Left in an effective anti-fascist movement, the risk is that humanity will be overwhelmed in a deluge of barbarism. It is that serious. Fascism is now a clear and present danger. And to build the mass social movements we need to stop the Far Right, we must – must – learn the lessons of history. So please bear with the digression.
… once they [the Nazis] are in power, the united front of the working class will emerge and make a clean sweep of everything … We are not afraid of the fascists. They will shoot their bolt quicker than any other government.
This was the official position. The KPD was by this time a monolithic organisation that took its orders from the Russian dictator Stalin. All members, high and low, were expected to peddle the same line. There was little room for independent thought, let alone open dissent. No-one survived for long as a party member in open defiance of the dominant theory of 'Social Fascism'.
According to the theory, the main enemy was not the Nazis (who won 6.4 million votes in 1930), but the Social Democrats (with 8.6 million votes). The Communists (4.6 million votes) spent most of their time attacking the Social Democrats, seeking to replace them as the main party of the German working class.
The madness afflicted the KPD from top to bottom. In August 1931, for example, when the Nazis initiated a referendum in an attempt to overturn the discredited, right-wing, pro-austerity SPD government of Prussia, the response of the Communists was to campaign alongside the Nazis against the government in what they described as a 'red referendum'.
The referendum was lost, but the Nazis raised their profile, gained popular support, and moved politics to the right. The KPD, on the other hand, had weakened itself and the labour movement by driving a wedge between the Communists and the SPD-supporting workers.
In the July 1932 general election, the Nazis got 13.7 million votes, 37% of the total, and became the largest party in the Reichstag. The combined vote of the workers' parties, the SPD and the KPD, was slightly less, at 13.2 million (36%). So the Nazis had failed to 'decline and fall', as the Communist leadership had predicted.
Now it was no longer a matter of the Nazis having passed their peak. On the contrary, the Communists expected them to take power. But they would not last, and their brief rule would be but the prelude to socialist revolution. 'After Hitler, our turn,' proclaimed Thälmann.
Hitler came to power in January 1933. The Nazi dictatorship destroyed the German labour movement and went on to launch a world war and murder millions in the death-camps. It is possible – very possible – that had the Communists formed an alliance with the Social Democrats to fight Fascism in 1932, Hitler could have been stopped.
Does any of this sound familiar? Britain's EU Referendum was an initiative of UKIP and the Tory Right. The Leave campaign was dominated by anti-migrant racism. To talk of 'Lexit' and 'People's Brexit' in this context is no different from the German Communists proclaiming the 1931 vote in Prussia to be a 'red referendum'. And the effect has been similar: to strengthen the Far Right and drive a wedge between the Lexit Left and the mass of progressive workers and youth, who voted, with sound political instinct, Remain.
But the Lexit Left has learnt nothing. Just like the German KPD, each political development is interpreted through the prism of their own sectarianism.
The anti-Brexit march on 23 March 2019 – one million strong – was the second biggest demonstration in British history. Prior to that, the anti-Brexit march on 20 October 2018 – 700,000 strong – had been the second biggest.
Only the mass mobilisations of the Stop the War Coalition in the 2000s can compare in scale. But with a crucial difference: the Left led the anti-war movement, whereas the Left has ceded leadership of the anti-Brexit movement to Tories, Liberals, and Blairites. This is then used to attack the anti-Brexit Left, who are accused of being in alliance with pro-austerity neoliberals.
The echoes of KPD attacks on the pro-austerity SPD in the early 1930s Germany are – if you know the history – deafening.
Let us be clear. Brexit is the British expression of the wave of nationalism, racism, and fascism sweeping the world. Brexit is a clear and present danger to every EU migrant living and working in Britain. Brexit is a green light to every closet fascist who wants to punch a Muslim (or worse). Brexit is the political lightning-rod of Tommy Robinson, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and their following of street thugs and bar-room bigots.
Whereas, on the million-strong march, the vast majority were internationalist, multicultural, and progressive in outlook. Especially the young people, who are now and always have been, instinctively and overwhelmingly anti-Brexit.
The leadership of this movement has been usurped by neoliberal exponents of corporate power, privatisation, and austerity. It has been usurped by a corrupt, stale, self-serving political elite. Corrupt in the sense that they have sold themselves to the corporations. Stale in that they are content to echo the failed neoliberal mantras of Thatcher and Blair. Self-serving in that they represent nothing so much as their own tawdry careers.
But the Left has allowed them to usurp that control – by abdicating from the leadership of one of the biggest progressive movements in British history. With the Far Right on the offensive, the Lexiters turn their fire on liberals and social-democrats – just like the German KPD in the early 1930s. Instead of supporting the anti-Brexit movement as a progressive, multi-cultural, anti-racist mass movement which the Left should be trying to influence, they turn their backs on millions of ordinary people, including millions of young people, black and white, women and men, who should be the audience for any serious anti-fascist Left.
Brexit can also bring democratic renewal and hope that the country needs. Our young people can live in an independent nation that is forward-looking and open. One in which the engagement of all of us in the political life of the nation is welcomed and not feared. Come and discuss the opportunity Brexit gives us to free our country from the straitjacket of the last 40 years.
'Our country'? Didn't Marx teach us – in The Communist Manifesto of 1848 – that the workers have no country? Didn't he argue that the working class is an international class and that workers of all countries should unite? Aren't nations constructs of the capitalist state? Aren't borders inherently racist? 'An independent nation'? Are workers living under the rule of bankers, bosses, landlords, and police 'independent'? Since when is social emancipation achieved by retreating into a national silo in company with Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, and Jacob Rees-Mogg?
This seems to be the vision. One of the national tour speakers is Maurice Glasman, a Labour peer, who writes in the Morning Star that 'Tories such as Jacob Rees-Mogg are doing the work of socialism by supporting the primacy of democratic sovereignty.' Glasman is an advocate of 'Blue Labour' social conservatism – a collapse into anti-migrant, anti-feminist, anti-LGBT bigotry.
As the institutions of the working class and their jobs have been removed, some of those institutions have been taken over by liberals, and that is a problem for us. Whatever you think of people that turn up for those Tommy Robinson demos or any other march like that, the one thing that unites those people, whatever other bigotry is going on, is their hatred of the liberal left, and they are right to hate them.
Right to hate them. Right to hate people who support migrant rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, civil rights, democratic rights. What otherwise is the implication?
And this seems confirmed when we discover, from his online posts, that Dempsey is an unreconstructed Stalinist. In relation to the purges and the gulags of the 1930s, he says, 'He did it all. So what? We would do it again if we got the chance.' And he shares a cartoon depicting the murder of Trotsky, the anti-Stalinist revolutionary, captioned 'Roses are red. Trotsky is dead. Ramon put an ice-pick in the c***'s head.' The thuggery, sectarianism, and misogyny are unashamed.
Meanwhile, fascists, Tories, racist police, and the tabloid press are ramping up the attacks on asylum-seekers, migrants, Muslims, and EU workers living in Britain. And another of socialism's most basic principles is violated by the Lexit Left: that you stand in solidarity with the most powerless, that you act as 'tribune of the oppressed', that you fight to tear down borders and defend free movement.
The German Communist Party in the early 1930s was a mass organisation of hundreds of thousands of members supported by millions of voters. It was destroyed, along with the entire German labour movement, the most powerful in Europe, by the Nazi dictatorship in the first year of Hitler's rule. That was tragedy.
The Lexit politics of the British Left's tiny, divided, brainless sects today – repeating the madness of Third Period Stalinism in microcosm – can only be described as farce. They have now completed the transition from revolutionary socialist internationalism to a variant of national socialism. They have abandoned Marxism and turned themselves into nationalists. 'Socialism in one country' was, of course, the ideology of Stalinism in the 1930s – the ideological cover for a counter-revolution by the emerging party-state bureaucracy in the Soviet Union which destroyed all remaining traces of the revolutionary-internationalist workers movement that had carried out the Russian Revolution of 1917.
A version of this – 'the alternative economic strategy' – was the property of a large section of the British Left in the 1970s. It was the idea that you could retreat into a national silo and build a socialist economy in isolation from – and in defiance of – the rest of the world. It was a fantasy then – the Labour government of the 1970s was derailed by international finance – and, with the economic leverage of the state further eroded by the power of globalised corporate capital, it is even more of a fantasy today.
So, given that a large chunk of the sectarian Left has forgotten the ABC of socialism, here is a quick lesson in Marx for Beginners.
1. Nations and nationalism are constructs of the capitalist state.
2. The workers have no country and internationalism is their creed.
3. Capitalism is a global system and socialism in one country is a fantasy.
4. International working-class unity is the basis of the struggle for social transformation.
5. Nationalism and racism divide the working class. That is why socialists stand with the oppressed against the Tories, the fascists, and the police. That is why socialists say: all migrants are welcome here, and all Muslims are our brothers and sisters.
6. Brexit is the British expression of the tidal wave of nationalism, racism, and fascism sweeping the world.
Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The workers have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workers of the world, unite!
If the capitalist states of Europe succeeded in merging into an imperialist trust, this would be a step forward as compared with the existing situation, for it would first of all create a unified, all-European material base for the working-class movement. The proletariat would in this case have to fight not for the return to 'autonomous' national states, but for the conversion of the imperial state trust into a European Republican Federation.
This is the radical case for Remain – for 'Another Europe' – in a nutshell.
The Old Left is dead. We must build a New Left. And fast.
Creeping Fascism: what it is and how to fight it by Neil Faulkner, Samir Dathi, Phil Hearse, and Seema Syeda has just been published by Public Reading Rooms.


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The Best 12 Passenger Van for Business and Family (2021 Update)
While I have always been a fan of classy midsize SUVs with large cargo spaces and next-gen amenities, the circumstances call for some bigger solutions. Although midsize SUVs offer enough space for up to eight passengers, big families might need big vans for their road trips. Additionally, large vans are highly customizable, providing more than enough seats, as well as the ability to turn the vehicle into something more luxurious or more suitable for camping.
So, at the end of this year, my future fiancée and I had to find a used 12-passenger van for sale. Large family vans were not something we were planning on or thinking about when we started dating, but that's how it worked out because our families together have 12 members. We're quickly approaching our engagement party in Miami on New Year's Eve.
I know it's challenging to drive from Houston to Miami. It's almost 1200 miles of cruising with 11 different people. So, I must find the best 12 passenger van for that road trip. Therefore, I made the list of the best 12-passenger vans which are currently on the market.
12 Passenger Vehicle at a Glance:
Ford Transit Passenger Van
Nissan NV 3500 Passenger Van
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van
Ram ProMaster Passenger Van
GMC Savana Passenger Van
Chevrolet Express Passenger Van
What is the Best 12-Passenger Van in 2021?
2021 Ford Transit Passenger Van
This Ford Transit 12 passenger van comes in XL or XLT trims, both of which start with 16-inch wheels. A long-wheelbase model can accommodate 12 people, and an extended-length model boasts seating for 15.
This family van is available in 3 engine configurations. The standard 3.7-liter V6 model is available with 275 hp and 260 lb./ft of torque with an available CNG/propane gaseous engine prep package for power conversion to work on compressed natural gas.
The turbodiesel option is more potent with 350 lb./ft of torque on tap, which is excellent for the 3.2-liter capacity. This 185 hp engine also comes in a biodiesel variant if you're an environmentally-friendly person. The stronger solution in the gasoline-supply engines is the double-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 that wears the EcoBoost sign. It's much stronger at 310 hp and 400 lb./ft of torque, which corresponds to more significant loads and more folks being on board. All 3 engines apply a 6-speed automatic transmission. A great option is an available selection of rear axle proportions for different hauling loads.
On medium and high-roof designed big vans, the backup camera is positioned higher up for an improved viewpoint. Front and rear air conditioning are standard in both trims. XL variants have a 4-speaker AM/FM stereo, while XLT adds a CD player, and the feature also includes a multi-function display, lane-keeping alert, and Sync 3 infotainment. 6- and 8-speaker sound systems are available, as well. Other XLT options include cruise control, full-length carpeted floor, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic headlights.
2021 Ford Transit Passenger Van Specs
Engine type Flex-fuel
Transmission 10-speed shiftable automatic
Drive type V6
Cylinders Rear-wheel drive
Seating 12
Horsepower 275 hp at 6,500 rpm
Torque 262 lb./ft at 3,750 rpm
Max. towing/payload capacity 4,500 lbs./3,160 lbs.
2021 Nissan NV 3500 Passenger Van
The 2021 Nissan 12-passenger van is a large van perfect for both fleet and personal use. It includes an adaptable seating arrangement, roof-installed curtain, additional airbags, overturning sensors for side-impact and rollover head aid for all passengers.
The key to the Nissan Passenger design is superb seating flexibility that provides 12-person carrying capacity with up to 324 possible seat arrangements.
This 12-seater van's available technology includes NissanConnect SM with navigation and mobile applications, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, standard Bluetooth hands-free phone configuration, streaming audio through Bluetooth, and a 5.0-inch color display audio and rear-view display.
The Nissan Passenger vans are equipped with a choice of 2 dependable engines. The advanced 5.6-liter Endurance V8 gasoline engine is paired with a heavy-duty 7-speed automatic transmission, which includes adaptive shift control and downshift rev-matching.
The Endurance V8 engine features 4-valves by cylinder, variable valve event & lift, and direct injection. For use in the Nissan Passenger, the Endurance V8 is rated at 375 horsepower and 387 lb./ft of s, which made this model first in the class of power and torque.
2021 Nissan NV 3500 Passenger Van Specs
Engine type Gas
Transmission 5-speed automatic transmission
Drive type Rear-wheel drive
2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van
The 2021 Mercedes Sprinter is a big van built from the ground up to be a people or cargo carrier. It comes in a wide variety of models to satisfy virtually any consumer or commercial demand, including a 9 seat or more passenger trim that is the most ostentatious and comfiest full-size passenger van available nowadays. Mercedes concentrated on functionality when manufacturing the 2021 Sprinter, designing a strong plow horse that's safe to ride and comfortable for both passengers and drivers.
Two engines are offered, an outstandingly tuned 2.1L turbodiesel 4-cylinder and a 3.0L turbodiesel V-6. The 4-cylinder is the best solution more for most family daily travel needs, but consumers who intend to load the Sprinter fully or who prefer faster highway acceleration will rather choose the larger V-6.
There is a fantastic list of customization solutions, even inside each picked trim. Focusing on the 12-passenger model, the Sprinter will fully accommodate 12 grown-ups with plentiful space for legroom. A driver will benefit from great options such as a 5.8-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth phone connections, USB, and auxiliary inputs.
2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van Specs
Engine type Diesel
2021 Ram ProMaster Passenger Van
The 2021 Ram ProMaster is the people-carrying model of the ProMaster Cargo Van. The 2021 Ram ProMaster comes in versions 2500 and 3500. Both 12-passenger vehicles have a high roof, allowing people to stand up inside the van, and a 159-inch wheelbase. The 3500 version, however, also has an extended-length body. Only front seats are provided since Ram expects that owners will outfit the van to their needs. Features and engine choices are available equally on both the 2500 and the 3500.
Ram ProMaster Window is a 3.6-liter V6 engine that generates 280 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Power is transfer to the front wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Other standard options feature 16-inch steel wheels, air conditioning, passenger-side sliding side door, power front windows, cloth bucket seats, keyless entry, power locks, rear-view camera, 4 -speaker audio system with USB or auxiliary audio inputs, and a 5-inch touchscreen.
Available features include alloy wheels, daytime running lights, fog lights, a driver-side sliding door, power-folding and heated side-view mirrors, windows for the side and rear doors, cruise control, rear parking sensors, heated seats, a cargo partition, suspension driver's seat, swivel seats, adjustable lumbar support, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and interior wall paneling.
Standard safety options for the Ram ProMaster feature front, side and side curtain airbags, hill start assist, traction control, antilock disc brakes, and stability control with trailer sway control and rollover mitigation.
2021 Ram ProMaster Passenger Van Specs
Drive type Front-wheel drive
2021 GMC Savana Passenger Van
Mechanically identical to Chevy Express, the 2021 GMC Savana Passenger Van variants are now rolling in 2500 extended and 3500 in standard and extended wheelbase. LT and LS trims are also available. The LS includes vinyl seats and the V6. The diesel is available as a choice, as the 6.0L V8. Cloth seats, carpeted floor, auxiliary rear heat, and AC are optional as well. The LT trim has keyless entry, cloth front bucket seat, full carpeting, rear AC, and tilt steering as standard. At the same time, the 3500 variants are equipped the same way but can tow more weight.
The identical 4.8L V-8 and 6.0L V-8 feature in the GMC Savana deliver 285-hp and 342-hp, in that order. The clear-cut winner is the 6.0L V-8, getting only a marginal reduction in gas mileage but benefiting from a considerable and much-needed increase in power. For improved hauling, whether cargo or passenger, the larger V-8 is a better solution.
The 12-seat passenger system presented in the Savana has a bunch of interior space that provides comfy seating to all passengers. The seats provide a similar experience to its Express brother, as well as the rest of the Savana's vast interior.
The Savana 3500 Passenger comes with many safety features such as StabiliTrak, 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, and front, side, and curtain airbags on all variants. The 2018 Savana 3500 Passenger van arrives with the new 4.3-liter V6 engine paired to the 8-speed automatic transmission. New standard equipment includes dual composite headlights, hill start assist solution, LCD screen in the rear-view mirror, rear camera, and OnStar.
2021 GMC Savana Passenger Van Specs
Transmission 8-speed w/OD
2021 Chevrolet Express Passenger Van
While every other van maker upgraded their passenger or cargo vans every single year, the 2021 Chevrolet Express van players have been in the same jersey for the last 17 years. Unlike the Ram ProMaster Nissan NV and Ford Transit, the Express Passenger van doesn't bring up an extended roof. But it still offers many desirable features, such as the ability to carry 12 or 15 passengers. Available in 2 wheelbases and configured as the 2500 or 3500, the Chevy Express van's performances are marvelous. In contrast to the Mercedes Sprinter, there is no all-wheel-drive feature, but the Chevy van offers a potent 6.0-liter V8. It's also well-known for up-fitters and fleet managers nationwide.
Two gasoline-powered V-8's are available, the base model engine being a 4.8L V-8 with 285-hp and 295 lb./ft of torque. A better solution than the base model, with similar gas mileage, is the larger 6.0L V-8. Producing 342-hp and 373lb-ft of torque, the 6.0L is much better equipped to handle highway acceleration and heavy cargo.
There's enough room for the passengers in this Chevy passenger van, but the seats provide pure comfort compared to the more comfortable Ford Transit 12 passenger van. Seats never seem like they lack room, but long trips with a full cabin can affect passenger comfort. Standard safety features include 6 airbags, blind-spot mirrors, and the conventional ABS and stability control systems.
2021 Chevrolet Express Passenger Van Specs
Transmission 8-speed shiftable automatic
Max. towing/payload capacity 10,000 lbs./3,060 lbs.
Conclusion: What is the Best 12-Passenger Van in 2021?
There is a wide variety of 12-seater car solutions available on the market, and your final choice will depend on your unique needs and expectations. While some families will enjoy a comfortable and spacious Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van, others will fall for cutting-edge technology provided by the Nissan NV 3500 Passenger Van. Overall, whichever model you choose from this 12-passenger van comparison guide, you'll be impressed with its features and power.
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Ford Transit Passenger Van – Best Balance Between Price and Functionality
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Mental & Emotional Health
Older Adults Weathered the Recession Well
The "Great Recession" may have put a dent in many older adults' pocketbooks, but a study presented at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2014 in San Francisco found that more than 40 percent reported a decrease in "financial strain" between 2006 and 2010.
A release from the association reports that researcher Lindsay R. Wilkinson, an assistant professor of sociology in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences, drew on 5,205 respondents from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine the effect of financial strain on the mental health and use of mood-altering drugs by older adults. HRS, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, is the largest ongoing national study of adults age 51 and older.
Wilkinson found that only one-quarter of respondents indicated an increase in financial strain between 2006 and 2010, while about one-third said their strain remained the same.
The release quotes Wilkinson as saying, "It's difficult to determine precisely why so many adults would experience less financial strain in 2010, but one possible explanation may be the perceptual nature of these evaluations. The Recession represents a historical time that affected a great number of people. Perhaps knowing that others were struggling reduced the stress felt by individuals."
Previous research has shown that economic stress typically decreases as one gets older, with the over-65 crowd benefitting from home ownership, medical insurance, and Social Security.
Wilkinson also discovered, however, that both initial financial strain and increasing strain over the period of the Recession exacted a toll on mental health. For instance, increasing financial strain was associated with worsening anxiety and depressive symptoms and increased the likelihood of using drugs such as antidepressants.
Wilkinson noted that her study — which included individuals from ages 51 to 96 — differs from many others on the "Great Recession" because "financial strain" is a subjective measure that was based on self-reporting rather than on economic indicators. To measure financial strain, the study examined whether respondents had difficulty making monthly payments and whether and to what degree they were satisfied with their present financial situation.
"Difficulty in making payments may appear more objective than satisfaction, but it's still a person's perception of his or her financial situation," Wilkinson said. "Two people might have the same amount left over every month, but one might say, 'Oh, my goodness, that's not enough,' while the other might say, 'Well, I paid my bills.' Subjective measures matter, because it's your reality — and that has an effect on health."
A 2011 survey by the American Association of Retired Persons indicated that "the Great Recession drove millions of older Americans to deplete savings accounts, put off medical or dental treatment, and reduce their retirement expectations."
Wilkinson tested the theory that financial strain would have a negative effect on mental health by using three measures — whether and to what degree respondents felt anxiety, whether and to what degree they were depressed, and whether they used anti-depressants, tranquilizers, or medicine for nerves.
Less than 10 percent of respondents in 2006 were taking mood-altering drugs such as antidepressants or tranquilizers, which increased to 13 percent in 2010.
Respondents in Wilkinson's study completed both face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires in 2006 and 2010. Questions dealt with daily life stressors, well-being, and psychosocial resources. The average age of those in the study in 2006 was 64, with most (68 percent) married and less than half employed. The average self-rating of health was 3.4 (on a scale of 1 to 5).
Those who were employed were more likely to have increased financial strain, most likely due to worries about high unemployment and job security. Also more likely to report an increase in financial strain were younger respondents, black and Hispanic individuals, and those who gave themselves low health ratings.
Individuals who were better educated and with greater household wealth were less likely to report increased financial strain.
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The State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) of Russia is willing to cooperate with Vietnam in developing mobile mini hydroelectric plants using environmentally friendly technology.
The hydropower plant of this kind will help save construction cost and bring high economic efficiency, Timofey Dolgikh, a representative from ROSATOM, told Lao dong newspaper.
Green energy balance is the only solution to sustainable development promotion and ecological preservation, he said, noting that the use of nuclear energy can help reduce about 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2 a year.
Mobile mini hydroelectric plants can meet the demand on electricity in remote areas where it is difficult to build power lines, he said.
With a maximum capacity of 2MW, each plant of this kind can supply power for 250-400 households, he added.
ROSATOM has signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam on the construction of a Centre for Nuclear Energy Science and Technology (CNEST) in Vietnam during the Russia visit by President Tran Dai Quang last year.
The deal is expected to help Vietnam access modern and reliable nuclear technology from one of the world's largest nuclear technology providers.


History, philosophy, ethics and definitions of occupational therapy; overview of occupational therapy practice areas; differences between occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants; functions of professional and regulatory agencies; exploration of learning experiences within the occupational therapy assistant program curriculum; basic prefixes, roots and suffixes; terminology and standard abbreviations required for understanding of the language used in medicine. One classroom, two lab hours per week.
Introduction to occupational therapy and people with physical, psychosocial and/or developmental disabilities in a non-traditional community-based setting with supervision provided by a licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant. Focuses on activity implementation, observation skills, professionalism, therapeutic use of self and occupational therapy practice framework language. Two classroom, three clinical hours per week.
Functional Anatomy of neurological and musculoskeletal systems. Analysis of nervous systems, major joint and muscle groups involved in daily living tasks such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, cooking, and housekeeping.
Effect of the features of major diseases, injuries, and disorders on adult occupational performance. Physical dysfunction theories, models of practice, frames of reference that provide the foundation of occupational therapy. Screening and evaluation of occupational performance affected by physical dysfunction. Includes use of occupations for the purpose of assessment, specified screening tools, assessments, observation, checklists, histories and interviews with clients and/or their family members or caregivers.
Focus on physical dysfunction intervention to increase independence in areas of occupation. Screening and evaluation of occupational performance affected by physical dysfunction. Includes use of occupations for purpose of physical dysfunction assessments and interventions. Six lab hours per week.
Continue refining definition of occupational therapy and experience with people with physical, psychosocial and/or developmental disabilities in a non-traditional community-based setting under the supervision of a licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant. Focuses on occupational therapy documentation, observation skills, professionalism and activity analysis. Two classroom, three clinical hours per week.
Exploration of human development from conception to death including developmental stages, theories supporting human development, occupational engagement throughout the lifespan and cultural impact on human development.
Effect of the features of major neurological diseases, injuries and disorders on adult occupational performance. Neurological Dysfunction theories, models of practice, frames of reference that provide the foundation of Occupational Therapy. Screening and evaluation of occupational performance affected by neurological dysfunction. Includes use of occupations for the purpose of assessment, specified screening tools, assessments, observation, checklists, histories and interviews with clients and/or their family members or caregivers.
Focus on neurological dysfunction intervention to increase independence in areas of occupation. Screening and evaluation of occupational performance affected by neurological dysfunction. Includes use of occupations for purpose of neurological dysfunction assessments and interventions. Four lab hours per week.
Personal development, including development of the self as an effective therapeutic tool, exploration of values, personal and cultural attitudes, sensitivity to cultural differences, group process and ethical decision making. One classroom, two lab hours per week.
Effect of the features of major diseases, injuries, and disorders that affect pediatric population's occupational performance. Pediatric Function and Dysfunction theories, models of practice, frames of reference that provide the foundation of Occupational Therapy. Screening and evaluation of occupational performance affected by dysfunction in the pediatric population. Includes use of occupations for the purpose of assessment, specified screening tools, assessments, observation, checklists, histories and interviews with clients and/or their family members or caregivers. Pediatric medical and educational practice settings.
Focus on intervention to increase independence in areas of occupation with pediatric population. Screening and evaluation of occupational performance affected by dysfunction. Includes use of occupations for purpose of assessments and interventions with infants, children and adolescents. Four lab hours per week.
Effect of the features of major psychosocial diseases and disorders on occupational performance. Psychosocial dysfunction theories, models of practice, frames of reference that provide the foundation of occupational therapy. Screening and evaluation of occupational performance affected by psychosocial dysfunction. Includes use of occupations for the purpose of assessment, specified screening tools, assessments, observation, checklists, histories and interviews with clients and/or their family members or caregivers.
Focus on psychosocial dysfunction intervention to increase independence in areas of occupation. Screening and evaluation of occupational performance affected by psychosocial dysfunction. Includes use of occupations for purpose of psychosocial dysfunction assessments and interventions. Role of the Occupational Therapy Assistant in a variety of mental health settings and in the therapeutic group process. Four lab hours per week.
Level 1 Fieldwork integrates the academic classroom instruction and clinical experiences in an Occupational Therapy setting(s) under the direct supervision of an Occupational Therapy practitioner and coordinated by the Academic Fieldwork Educator. Two classroom, seven practicum hours per week.
First of two full-time 8-week assignments of advanced clinical experience under the supervision of a licensed Occupational Therapy Practitioner which must be completed before the student is eligible for national certification examination. Fourteen practicum hours per week.
Second of two 8-week full-time assignments of advanced clinical experience under the supervision of a licensed Occupational Therapy Practitioner which must be successfully completed before the student is eligible for national certification examination. Fourteen practicum hours per week.
Facilitation of increased practical knowledge and problem-solving skills to address professional, ethical, legal and social issues within clinical practice.
Facilitation of discussion on issues related to the transition from student to entry-level Occupational Therapy Assistant. Advanced exploration of legal and ethical issues related to occupational therapy practice.


It's always nice to hear about a new arts organisation. And the rather prosaically-named NW Live, which has just launched, has come up with the clever idea of producing concerts that explore important social themes through "imaginative performances" of classical and world music.
Exploring the influence of music on mood and thought, the programme for this event, which takes place on Bartholomew Road at the end of the month, ranges from improvisations for tabla and string quartet to a performance of the Grosse Fugue by Beethoven. There will also be solo cello music by Bach, quartet movements by Shostakovitch and Janacek and duos by Bartok, Schulhoff and Berio.
With leading performer Kuljit Bhamra MBE on tabla alongside prize winning Alkyona String Quartet and acclaimed actress Saskia Reeves reading a variety of texts that reflect on the relationship of music and mind, the evening promises to be "extraordinary", says Heslop.
Workshops are also running throughout November invite locals to contribute creative writing exploring their personal experiences of the meaning music can have for mental health, and these will also be read at the concert.


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