Slice Creative is a little graphic design agency located in the Bay of Plenty, Tauranga – owned and operated by me… Lisa Coulson. I provide graphic design and brand management services New Zealand wide, mostly servicing the Bay of Plenty including Katikati, Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Omokoroa, Te Puna and Waihi.
I draw on over 15 years experience within the design, marketing and online marketing industry to help businesses create new brand and marketing material, or further develop existing brand and marketing material.
Whether you require a one off brochure or logo, or ongoing help with your marketing material I can assist you. My focus is on getting to know and understand your business and those involved, then tailoring my services to fit your individual needs and budget.
Some of the many services I offer include brand strategy, creation and development, graphic design, website design and online marketing. I strive to do this as effectively and efficiently as possible to ensure you benefit from maximum quality and results, as cost effectively as possible.
My client base ranges from large corporate and government organisations, through to small single owner/operator businesses. With larger organisations I am happy to work under the direction of the inhouse marketing team, or where required carry out the project management myself.
If you have a need for a large amount of ongoing regular help with your marketing material you may be interested in the option of securing my services at a special contract rate – you can find out more about this here.
I have a wide network of trusted contacts, suppliers and specialists to further assist in the development of your marketing needs where required.
When I am not busy working away in my little studio helping clients with their brand and marketing material you will usually find me out on our rural block with my beautiful horse Chica.
My husband, father and I moved to our rural block early 2013. I grew up on a farm so this change feels a bit like coming home…. except way back then mum and dad paid for everything and did all the work!
Consistency is one of the key ingredients to a strong brand.
When it comes to your brand I can provide a full range of services, from developing your brand story and strategy, through to designing and producing your logo, signage, marketing material and online presence. This means you are assured of consistency across all areas of your brand, a key factor in building a strong and successful business.
If you already have a brand in place, or are looking to introduce new product ranges I can provide ongoing services to help you manage your brand and continue to develop it.
The quality and presentation of your brand and marketing material sets the standard of your products or services in the eyes of your target market.
You can have the most amazing product or service but if your brand is not right for your target market, or is scruffy and unprofessional you will be missing out on valuable business.
From the look and feel of your visual brand through to the quality of your printed material – it all tells a story about you as a business, and the quality and reliability of your products or services.
As well as developing the right brand for your products and services, I can manage the production of this material to ensure quality and consistency is maintained.
Thanks for taking the time to visit my website. You are welcome to continue browsing. You can find examples of my work here and more detailed information on the various services I provide here.
For those who are new to business and brand I have a number of articles that may be of help to you. For a brand to work well every member of the business needs to have some understanding of this area, especially the leaders within the business.
If you have any questions please give me a call or email me via the contact form here.


Handyman On Call is proud to announce that we have become a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild.
For any chimney cleaning work, Handyman On Call is your complete professional chimney and fireplace company. We provide most anything for your fireplace and chimney. From sweeping to installation, to restoration – we always provide a detailed and easy-to-read level-one inspection report for every chimney project.
The owner of Handyman On Call is proud to be a certified with BPI, the Building Performance Institute INC.
The owner of Handyman On Call is proud to be a certified handyman with ACHIP, the Association of Certified Handyman Professionals.
The owner of Handyman On Call is proud to be a certified handyman with IICRC, the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification.
The owner of Handyman On Call is proud to have completed a home inspection licensing course, at CCBC.


text:
The Killer John Woo
By Will Sloan
"I think there's a lot of misunderstanding in this world. I mean, why is [there so much] hatred between people? Why are people killing each other? It's all about lack of understanding." This statement by director John Woo about his 1989 film The Killer, in its own simplistic and earnest manner, goes a long way to summing up the film's appeal. By general consensus one of the greatest action films of all time, and one of the most famous movies of the Hong Kong New Wave, Woo's film has the passion of Greek tragedy filtered through the kitsch of Hollywood gangster pictures and the broad, dynamic strokes of a good comic book. Loyalty, compassion, brotherhood, honour, these are concepts that aren't analyzed in Woo's films so much as blown up, celebrated, and fetishized. Chow Yun-Fat is the titular killer, an assassin whose stray bullet accidentally blinds innocent nightclub performer Sally Yeh during a hit. Overwhelmed by guilt, Chow befriends her without revealing his true identity and takes on one last assignment to pay for a vision operation. Alas, things go awry when Chow's bosses betray him, and he forms an unlikely alliance with a disillusioned cop (Danny Lee). The two men develop a bond depicted in such an intensely emotional way that American critics have sometimes called it homoerotic ― the heavy emotional charge is the only explanation for why the original American distributors advertised this as "An Action Comedy by John Woo." And then there's the action. Oh, the action! From the incredibly suspenseful harbour-to-hospital chase scene to the mind-boggling final church shootout, Woo in his prime was simply the best in the business. Why do macho swagger, religious iconography and aesthetically pleasing ultra-violence work in Woo's films but fail so spectacularly in, say, Troy Duffy's The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day? Perhaps because there's a genuine sense of morality beneath all the bloodshed no matter how naive, and perhaps because Woo has something that so many of his imitators lack: sincerity. This "ultimate edition" two-disc set from the Weinstein Company's Dragon Dynasty label doesn't quite live up to its name, lacking the Woo commentaries from the earlier Criterion and Fox Lorber editions, and with the image quality becoming pixelated in heavier action scenes. Still, there are some worthwhile John Woo Q&As, a documentary about the Hong Kong shooting locations, several short deleted scenes, and trailers for other Woo films. Any DVD that whets the appetite for another viewing of Woo's awesometastic Hard-Boiled (1992) is definitely doing something right. (Alliance)
More John Woo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Trump Blocks Hostile Takeover of Chipmaker
Trump's order gives Broadcom few options other than to drop its bid for Qualcomm.
Zeke MillerMichael Liedtke
In this Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, file photo, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan speaks while U.S. President Donald Trump listens, in background, during an event at the White House in Washington, to announce the company is moving its global headquarters to the United States. In a decision announced Monday, March 12, 2018, Trump is blocking Singapore chipmaker Broadcom from pursuing a hostile takeover of U.S. rival Qualcomm on the grounds that the combination would threaten national security.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump blocked Singapore chipmaker Broadcom from pursuing a hostile takeover of U.S. rival Qualcomm, ruling the proposed combination would imperil national security.
The decision, announced late Monday, abruptly ends Broadcom's four-month, $117 billion bid to buy Qualcomm — a deal that would have been the largest ever completed in the technology industry.
In a statement, Broadcom said it "strongly disagrees" that the acquisition raises any national-security concerns. Qualcomm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump's order gives Broadcom few options other than to drop its bid, said Macquarie Securities analyst Srinivas Pajjuri.
Broadcom faced challenges almost from the start of its quest. Qualcomm quickly spurned its unsolicited suitor and continued to resist even after Broadcom raised its original offer from $103 billion.
Broadcom's Singapore connections complicated matters, even though the company maintained its physical headquarters in Silicon Valley and virtually all of its shareholders are in the U.S.
The Trump administration nevertheless balked at the prospect of a prominent U.S. chipmaker being owned by a foreign company, particularly at a time countries around the world are gearing up to build ultra-fast "5G" mobile networks that could tip the balance of power in technology.
Although its name isn't widely known outside the technology industry, Qualcomm is one of the world's leading makers of the processors that power many smartphones and other mobile devices. Qualcomm also owns patents on key pieces of mobile technology that Apple and other manufacturers rely upon in their products.
Qualcomm is fending off allegations in complaints filed by Apple and government regulators around the world that it has abused the power of its mobile patents to throttle competition and charge excessive royalties for its technology.
Broadcom CEO Hock Tan had seized on Qualcomm's legal headaches in his attempt to persuade the U.S. government to keep the deal alive. "Qualcomm faces a number of challenges that hamper its role in developing 5G," Tan wrote in a letter sent to U.S. Congress last week. Unlike Qualcomm, Tan said, Broadcom financed its innovation through "lawful practices."
Trump decided to squelch Broadcom's bid on the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews foreign purchases of U.S. entities.
The decision didn't come as a surprise. Earlier this month, the committee branded the proposed deal a potential security risk that could hobble the U.S.'s ability to make the smooth and quick transition to 5G.
In an attempt to ease those worries, Broadcom last week pledged to make the U.S. a leader in the race to build 5G networks, saying it would create a $1.5 billion fund to support the effort if took control of Qualcomm.
Broadcom also tried to curry favor by moving its legal headquarters from Singapore to the U.S within the next few weeks.
Singapore became Broadcom's legal home two years ago after it was sold to Avago, a company that once was part of Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett-Packard.
Broadcom's company's physical headquarters is already in San Jose, California — about 450 miles from Qualcomm's headquarters in San Diego.
Trump hosted Broadcom's Tan in the White House last year when the executive announced the proposed move.
Now that Broadcom has been shoved aside, Qualcomm will be under pressure to prevent its stock price from sinking while trying to complete its own proposed takeover — a proposed $43 billion purchase of NXP Semiconductors.
"Now it's on (Qualcomm's) management to deliver on what they promised," Pajjuri said.
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For more information phone 619-515-6620 or send us an email.
The following are brochures, links and information for diseases and conditions monitored by Community Epidemiology.
More information and fact sheets on specific diseases can be found through the State of California OR the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.


text:
Source: http://clonmellonns.scoilnet.ie/blog/school-history/
A Short History of Clonmellon National School
Clonmellon National School serves the Parish of Clonmellon / Killallon and the surrounding area. The present school is an amalgamation of a number of smaller schools that once served the Parish. These were Cloran, Killallon, Geehanstown / Archerstown, and the Boys and Girls National Schools in Clonmellon.
Tradition has it that there were several hedge schools in the area before the first National school was built in Clonmellon in 1833. This was replaced in 1844 by a building that lasted until 1975 (when it was demolished to make way for a new school). This building was commonly known as the Girls National School. The boys, meanwhile, were accommodated in the Rent Agent's Offices donated to the Parish by local landlord Sir Montague Chapman and commonly known as the Parochial Hall. This is now the local Credit Union office. In 1936 a new school was built to accommodate the boys and this building still stands today.
In 1969 Clonmellon girls' school, Clonmellon Boys' school and Cloran NS amalgamated using the two existing buildings – one for the Junior end of the school and one for the senior end. The oldest building, the original girls' school, was demolished in 1975 to make way for a structure which was built to coincide with the amalgamation of Killallon NS and Archerstown NS with Clonmellon NS. This opened as a 6 teacher school, with 2 classes housed in the 1936 building. Following an increase in enrolment this building was extended by the use of pre-fabs to accommodate 8 classes. In 2010 a new 8 classroom school was completed to replace the 1975 building which was then demolished.
The Amalgamated schools
A National School was built in the townland of Cloran in 1842. This building is now a derelict residence. It was replaced in 1932 and remained open until 1969 when it was amalgamated with Clonmellon Girls NS and Clonmellon Boys NS to form a co-eduational school with four teachers. Cloran NS building is now a private residence.
In 1847 a national school was built in Killallon. This was a boys' school but a classroom for girls was added later. This school closed in 1975 and was amalgamated with Clonmellon NS. The building is now used as a local community centre.
Also in 1847 a national school was built in Gehanstown. It also started as a boys' school with a classroom being added for the girls at a later stage. It was closed in 1962 and left to fall into complete disrepair. It was replaced by a pre-fab building in Archerstown the same year. Archerstown school was closed in December 1975 due to amalgamation with Clonmellon NS. and the pre-fab was used as a community centre.


text:
Walls to Build
Kllo
See through part of your fragile spell
There's no walls to build
There's no walls to build here
When will you figure
That's what's intended
Don't be condescended
If this what's taking back for more
There's no wrong to go here
When it's forming angles that never existed
Don't know the condition
Forward, forward, it's all here, forward
Forward, it's all here, forward
Reasons you don't explain and
Reasons I can't explain
What was keeping back from this?
There's no way to get
There's no way to get through it
Nothing to grasp to
Not what I'm used to
Hope that it'll move soon
Silver pair in golden land
There's nowhere to go here
Too precious to leave here
Don't know what condition
Don't know what condition we're in
Don't know what condition we're in (there's no walls to build here)
Don't know what condition (there's no walls to build here)
The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com
Written by: Chloe Michelle Kaul, Simon Yoke Leng Lam
Discuss the Walls to Build Lyrics with the community:
"Walls to Build Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2022. Web. 28 Jan. 2022. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/32948005/Kllo>.
Missing lyrics by Kllo?
Know any other songs by Kllo? Don't keep it to yourself!
My name is _______. I live on the second floor. I live upstairs from you. Yes, I think you've seen me before.
A. Luna
B. Lucas
C. Luka
D. Lucia
Kllo tracks


I'm a journalist and writer in London.
I'm originally from Finland and grew up in a small coastal town halfway between Helsinki and the arctic circle. I'm a Swedish speaking Finn, which means I'm part of language minority. We're sort of like the Welsh or the French Canadians, but there are a lot fewer of us.
Before my life in London I was working as a TV reporter in Helsinki, dreaming about moving to the UK. In 2009 I finally packed my suitcase and left.
I work as a journalist, for Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet and other media Finland and Sweden. You can find out more about work as a journalist and links to recent articles in my portfolio. I also write other bits and pieces of fiction and non-fiction in Swedish and in English. I'm a bit of a history and folklore geek and like to focus on those subjects in my writing.
My husband Gerry and I live in South East London.
My first book "Det finns inga britter" was published by Finland Swedish publisher Schildts&Söderström in 2013. My short-story "The Secrets of Ice" was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize in 2015.
my name is Gianluca, Italian musician and English teacher.
here the link if you're interested to have a listen or a free download. Any feedback is precious.
By the way, I also suffer from panic attacks and I enjoyed your post on fear. Have added the book you suggested to my Kindle reading list.
Hey Melissa. Nice to meet you. I really like the fact that you write about Britophiles instead of anglophiles. I'd be happy to do a guest post. Can you email me at charlottabuxton @ gmail.com with some more details? Thanks!
Har bott i London sen 2010 och har länge velat börja med freelance jobb!
Hej Therese. Maila mig på charlottabuxton @ gmail.com.
I'm one of the founders of thinking bob; a rapidly expanding smart socialising club. we believe we can offer your lovely readers access to a community where by those moving to London can instantly build themselves a new social circle of like minded people and make friends whilst discovering London. We believe this is a great help you can introduce your readers to by helping them move and settle in to London. Rebecca (CEO) when on returning to London she realised how hard is was to make a new social circle.
Please take a look http://www.thinkingbob.co.uk and give me a call 07949764006.
Mieletöntä! Kuin olisin lukenut omia ajatuksiani muutosta Lontooseen. 30 ja kaiken aloitan siellä hetken kuluttua alusta. En tiedä onko tälle tunteelle edes nimeä. 😀 Toivottavasti mulle käy yhtä hyvin. 🙂 Kiva blogi!


According to an article by Katherine Kallergis from August 30, 2017, published on therealdeal.com nearly 16,000 apartments are slated to come online in South Florida this year, but rents are still expected to keep rising, according to a new report.
Apartment rents rose annually in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach in June, according to Marcus & Millichap's multifamily report. In Miami-Dade, rents were up 8.8 percent in the second quarter, year-over-year, to nearly $1,450 a month. In Palm Beach County, rents increased 3.5 percent to just over $1,500. And in Broward's major cities, rents budged by only 0.6 percent to $1,474.
Vacancy rates, which have been rising in all three metros, are expected to keep increasing as new projects get delivered. The report looked at growing employment rates, rising home prices and the affordability gap between rents and mortgage payments. Earlier this year, Berkadia predicted rents would begin to level off in South Florida, citing an increase in rent concessions and rent drops in some major markets.
In all three counties, the Marcus & Millichap report found that renting was cheaper than the average monthly mortgage payment.


2017 CX-5 windshield had to be replaced. Blind spot and lane change will not calibrate. Insurance company uses Safelite who checked fuses etc.without success. Any body else have a similar problem? Safelite is stumped for now. HUD etc. working OK. Before getting between the insurance company, Safelite and Mazda is there anything overlooked?
Have you had a Mazda dealer try and diagnose the problem?
Have an appointment this PM. Will let you know the outcome.
The camera was not installed properly by SafeLite. I paid 120.00 for labor and will ask for reimbursement. Whew!!
Any time the Front Sensing Camera (FSC) is removed & refitted, it requires calibrating using Mazda's diagnostic laptop - MMDS. It will need either a dynamic or static calibration.
Thank you for tour interest, The Mazda dealer found that the front camera was not installed properly when the windshield was replaced.
I'm glad you got the problem solved. And relatively easily, electronics can be nightmares.
FWIW, the local shop here never _unplugged_ the electronics for this very reason.


Baltimore Family Home Healthcare takes great pride in hiring the very best qualified and experienced caregivers to our team. All of our caregivers are licensed, State Certified Nursing Assistants or Geriatric Nursing assistants with years of experience. Our hiring process is rigorous, including: verbal and written skills assessments, interviews—including in-person interviews—health screenings, nationwide criminal background checks and personal reference checks. We only hire individuals that we would want caring for our own families.
A key contributor to Baltimore Family Home Healthcare's client satisfaction is our team approach. We know that often the adult children, extended family, friends, doctors and physical therapists may be involved in working to support the senior, we integrate into the care team to provide the best possible support for our clients. We ensure communication and cooperation with the professionals that refer to us. This approach facilitates our clients receiving the very best care solutions possible.


Spiceworks is the complete network management & monitoring, helpdesk, PC inventory & software reporting solution to manage Everything IT in small and medium businesses.
IT Pros who have admin rights on their network.
Organizations with less than 500 devices on their network. It will work with more but it won't be as fast.
Running on a PC. It discovers Windows, OS X, Linux and Unix but you need to run it from a PC on your network.


text:
New K-9 unit welcomed to DeKalb | Urban Wildlife
New K-9 unit welcomed to DeKalb
Thursday, October 20th, 2011, 1:32pm
Topics: Urban Wildlife
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James is proud to introduce a new four-legged member of his staff.
Andy, a five-year-old Belgian Malinois, was recently put up for adoption by the U.S. Army after his handler was wounded in Afghanistan.
"When I heard that Andy would be up for adoption, I jumped at the opportunity," said Assistant District Attorney Jason Beato, who worked with the K-9 while deployed in Afghanistan in 2010. "He will be extremely helpful in the work of our VIPER Unit and can assist other local agencies and municipalities in various roles."
During his three years in the Army, Andy was a multi-purpose K-9 who worked to track bombs, explosives and human scent.
"Andy is being worked into our comprehensive security protocol here at the courthouse as well," James said. "While he still has to become officially certified in his new duties, we are excited to have Andy on board and part of our team. His nose and basic instincts are invaluable."
Beato volunteered to care for Andy and his expenses.
"Andy fits into our family and office very well," he said.


text:
A Powerful Mob Behind State Medical Boards
by Tessa Lena
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
Federation of State Medical Boards is a very influential private nonprofit whose official mission is vaguely defined as "representing the state medical and osteopathic regulatory boards"
Through their influence and their significant lobbying efforts, they act as a force for censoring and punishing physicians who don't toe the official party line
Since 1990s, FSMB has been attacking "alternative" medicine practitioners
This organization is said to have significantly contributed to the problem of opioid crisis
Recently, FSMB was exposed by a Dr. Bruce Dooley, an American doctor in New Zealand
Dr. Bruce Dooley, an American Doctor in New Zealand
Recently, Bruce Dooley, an American doctor in New Zealand, exposed the role of the Federation of State Medical Boards — an influential American NGO — in shaping not just American but also international health policy in favor of Big Pharma, all under the guise of "protecting" patients' rights.
Using Censorship and Mob Tactics to Protect Big Pharma
You might have heard that last year, the Federation pushed for harsh censorship and persecution of independently-thinking physicians. In July 2021, it released the following statement:
"Physicians who generate and spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation are risking disciplinary action by state medical boards, including the suspension or revocation of their medical license. Due to their specialized knowledge and training, licensed physicians possess a high degree of public trust and therefore have a powerful platform in society, whether they recognize it or not.
They also have an ethical and professional responsibility to practice medicine in the best interests of their patients and must share information that is factual, scientifically grounded and consensus-driven for the betterment of public health. Spreading inaccurate COVID-19 vaccine information contradicts that responsibility, threatens to further erode public trust in the medical profession and puts all patients at risk."
Taking a cue from FSMB, in September 2021, the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), and the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) issued a statement of support of FSMB's position, while hinting that "misinformation" really meant any medical opinion that did not support the pharma-friendly establishment views.
Then in April 2022, FSMB released another statement whose Orwellian hypocrisy is in a league of its own. This is how it started:
"Truthful and accurate information is central to the provision of quality medical care. It is instrumental for obtaining informed consent from patients and supports the trust that patients hold in the medical profession.
Honesty, truthfulness and transparency are virtues that society expects of all health professionals, and they are traits that are indispensable to physicians carrying out their professional responsibilities and interacting with patients and the public.
False information is harmful and dangerous to patients, and to the public trust in the medical profession, especially when licensed physicians disseminate misinformation or disinformation about a disease or illness, including its prevention, management or treatment …"
"Physicians must remain objective and impartial in the delivery of information and in selecting or curating information that is deemed relevant to patient care and public health. If a treatment is recommended over alternatives, the recommendation must be based in scientific evidence, rather than opinion or motives that do not benefit the patient's health or that of the public."
Good words, right? However, here is the conclusion they drew:
"While respect for patient autonomy is an essential component of the physician-patient relationship, neither the patient's autonomy, nor the physician's professional autonomy, is absolute. Only reasonable [by whose standards?] requests on the part of the patient should be granted, and only scientifically justified [again, by whose standards?] treatment options should be recommended by the physician."
They also used their original language and stated, again, that physicians who spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation risk "disciplinary action, including the suspension or revocation of their medical license." So much for honesty, scientific integrity, and informed consent!
And just a few days ago, on September 24, 2022, the President and CEO of FSMB, Humayun Chaudhry, delivered a talk at a plenary session at the ABMS Conference 2022 on the topic of "Misinformation in Health Care: The Implications for Professionalism and the Public Trust." Follow the science, sigh. Do as I say and not as I do?
In the meanwhile, in California, the alarming Assembly Bill 2098 was passed by the California Senate on August 29 2022 and is now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature. The bill is seeking to "designate the dissemination of misinformation or disinformation related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, or "COVID-19," as unprofessional conduct."
Upside-Down Language
Upside-down language is a technique that "hacks" our instincts in order to trick us into acting against our best interests.
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"Upside-down language is treacherous because in the natural world, the method of "disguising as a friend in order to catch prey" is strictly a hunting technique — but today, the power holders apply it across the board, to the entire population. Which then, if we think about it honestly, makes it clear what kind of relationship we've been having with the Machine."
The Federation of State Medical Boards has perfected this method to a fascinating degree. They seems to be loyal to the prestigious goal of protecting the interests of the owners of the pharmaceutical industry — but they are wrapping their pro-Big-Pharma campaigns in the warm and fuzzy language about protecting the rights and the safety of the patient. For shame …
Who Is FSMB, Anyway?
FSMB is a private organization with a nonprofit status whose official mission is very vaguely defined as "representing the state medical and osteopathic regulatory boards – commonly referred to as state medical boards – within the United States, its territories and the District of Columbia."
In their own words, it "supports its member boards as they fulfill their mandate of protecting the public's health, safety and welfare through the proper licensing, disciplining, and regulation of physicians and, in most jurisdictions, other health care professionals."
"The FSMB serves as a national voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, data, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best practices."
What does it mean? Like I said in my earlier Substack, "in what capacity, and by what authority, does this influential group represent and support state medical boards?" Who knows.
To add more detail from the Alliance for Natural Health, they are a "private 501(c)(6) trade association that purports to represent the seventy state medical and osteopathic boards of the US and its territories, and cosponsors the United States Medical Licensing Examination.
It is tremendously powerful: whatever it suggests in terms of medical care policies are often adopted by the state medical boards. A private trade association with no public funding, transparency, or accountability arguably has the power to interpret state medical law and grant or revoke medical licenses!"
History of FSMB
FSMB was created in 1912, on the tail of the 1910 Flexner report that was commissioned by the Rockefeller interests and used to "consolidate" the American (and then international) medical industry "under the boot of the likes of the Rockefellers." The sources of FSMB's funding seem to be veiled in secrecy, short of the publicly available information on the nonprofit directory Guidestar. Dr. Paul Martin Kempen provided some more insight into the FSMB and wrote:
"Despite the implications of its name, the Federation of State Medical Boards, Inc. (FSMB … is not a governmental authority. None of these entities have official legislative or regulatory power afforded by any federal or state government. FSMB, however, uses its contacts and influence with state medical boards (SMBs) to advance its corporate products. This may be called 'crony capitalism.'"
FSMB's Lobbying
According to ProPublica, the list of agencies it lobbies since 2010 includes the following:
"U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Health & Human Services – Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Agency for Health Care Policy & Research, Office of Natl Drug Control Policy (NDCP), Veterans Affairs – Dept of (VA), White House Office, Defense – Dept of (DOD), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Government Accountability Office (GAO), Justice – Dept of (DOJ), Defense – Dept of (DOD), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Homeland Security – Dept of (DHS), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of the Vice President of the United States, Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP), Indian Health Service, Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Transportation – Dept of (DOT), Education – Dept of, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)."
And here is a partial list of bills:
It is worth noting that they also seem to be on a mission to attack hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. Case in point: two bills that they list on their website as their key "advocacy" issues:
On a side note, here is a comprehensive article by Dr. Meryl Nass about the attack on hydroxychloroquine, and here is another, also comprehensive, article by Dr. Pierre Kory about the attack on ivermectin. Both are worth checking out!
FSMB's Role in the Opioid Crisis
In her recent Substack, Dr. Colleen Huber described the lawsuit of the brave pediatrician, Dr. Paul Thomas, and his Amended Complaint that "goes into detail about the nefarious acts of this outfit, and its attempts to throw the kitchen sink and all the dishes in it against doctors who question the vaccine narrative."
Here is a quote from Dr. Thomas' Amended Complaint in which he details the direct involvement of the Federation of State Medical Boards in the creation of the opioid crisis:
128. The Federation of State Medical Boards ("Federation") is a secretive, private, and powerful organization located in Texas. The Federation is not transparent and is unaccountable to the public. The Federation claims to represent the state medical boards in the United States and support them. In fact, the Federation wields an enormous about of power over the practice of medicine in all 50 States.
129. The Federation is funded and controlled by big pharmaceutical companies. According to poll data, Big Pharma is the least trusted industry. The Federation serves to whitewash Big Pharma's narrative and control the state medical boards to the benefit of Big Pharma. The Federation does the bidding of Big Pharma. For example, the Federation played a major role in the disastrous opiate crisis.
130. Led by Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, opiate manufacturers gave almost $2 million to the Federation. During the time this money was pouring in, the Federation wrote new guidelines for opiate prescribing, in which it explained that what looked like addiction was not really addiction.
The guidelines included this statement: "Millions of Americans suffer from debilitating pain – a condition that, for some, can be relieved through the use of opioids."
131. The Federation pressured medical boards to adopt the new guidelines. It created continuing medical education courses to teach doctors to prescribe more opioids to their patents. It sought to reassure doctors that following the new guidelines would reduce the likelihood of disciplinary action. Indeed, the Federation encouraged state medical boards to discipline doctors for the undertreatment of pain.
132. The Federation also promoted a book titled "Responsible Opioid Prescribing" based on its guidelines designed to encourage the broad use of opioids for non-terminal patients. The Federation encouraged the overprescribing and worsening of the opioid addiction. A four-fold increase in prescribing opioids was associated with a four-fold increase in opioid related overdose deaths.
133. The Federation was a primary purveyor of misinformation about opiates that caused a man-made epidemic of addition and death. The opioid epidemic was caused by an industry-funded campaign to encourage opioid prescribing in which the Federation had a prominent role.
134. The Federation promotes whatever is in the interests of Big Pharma. It is part of the cartel of entities that banded to together to falsely assert that the COVID-19 vaccines were safe, effective, and necessary. It labels as "misinformation" anything that would create public hesitancy in taking a vaccine, including childhood or COVID vaccines.
To the Federation, "misinformation" about vaccines represents any statement or scientific evidence that differs from the prevailing narrative of stakeholders who most stand to profit from vaccines. The Federation encourages state boards to discipline any doctor who shares information contrary to the benefit of the pharmaceutical companies.
135. The Federation has undue influence over the discipline of doctors by the state medical boards. It publishes the Guide to Medical Regulation in the United States. Guidance on physician discipline from the Federation become de facto requirements to state medical boards. The Federation publishes a quarterly journal titled "Journal of Medical Regulation."
More detail from a 2012 article published by the Alliance for Natural Health: "the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today reported [in February 2012] that the FSMB asked for $100,000 from Big Pharma to help create and distribute the organization's new policy on pain medication to their 700,000 practicing doctors. The federation won't say how much money it received from industry, but estimated that it will cost $3.1 million for its campaign."
"And what is this campaign? To get the word out about 'safe' use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of chronic pain! That's right, FSMB's new policy favors the use of opioids for long-term pain management, despite an epidemic of painkiller abuse and addiction (not to mention the terrible crime rates that accompany it) — and a lack of scientific support for this use of the drugs."
"If you think drug manufacturers might be pleased to contribute to such a campaign, you would be right. The University of Wisconsin, with funding from Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, developed a continuing education course for doctors based on the FSMB's manual.
This is the drug company that in 2007 paid $600 million in fines in settlement of a guilty plea for having misled doctors and patients when it claimed that the drug was less likely to be abused than traditional narcotics."
Safe and effective, and by that they seemingly meant, "lucrative and addictive!"
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War on Natural Medicine
According to the same 2012 overview by the Alliance for Natural Health:
"It seems that the FSMB was infiltrated in the late 1990s by the so-called "quackbuster" contingent — people openly hostile to complementary and alternative medicine. At the 1996 annual meeting of the FSMB in Chicago, there was a radical shift from a focus on health fraud as defined by the federal government (overbilling, un-bundling, and kickbacks) to another definition of health fraud: alternative medical care.
It seems a concerted effort to label innovation in health care — and especially any natural treatment that competes with an emphasis on drugs and surgery as the ideal for modern medicine — as mere 'quackery.'"
"Since then, the FSMB has challenged integrative medicine as being outside the "standard of care," defining the term to suit its own purposes; in this, the organization mirrors and amplifies the American Medical Association's antipathy toward integrative medicine.
Because practicing outside the standard of care is grounds for a state medical board to revoke a doctor's license, the attempt to exclude CAM therapies from the standard of care is a major threat to consumers' access to integrative doctors."
"If we used to be puzzled about the FSMB's motives in attacking integrative medicine, this latest move has made it clear that a good part of it may just be about the money. Last Tuesday the article was published in 2012], the Senate Finance Committee launched an investigation into the close ties between pharmaceutical companies, the FSMB, and "nonprofit pain groups" like the American Pain Foundation.
The Foundation received 90 percent of its $5 million in funding in 2010 from the drug and medical device industry, and its guides for patients, journalists, and policymakers downplay the risks associated with opioid painkillers while exaggerating the benefits from the drugs.
Tuesday morning, two senators from the Finance Committee sent letters to the American Pain Foundation and four other pain nonprofits, three drug companies, and the FSMB, expressing concern about their relationship with each other. Tuesday evening, the Foundation announced that it would "cease to exist, effective immediately." Coincidence?"
Earlier 1995, FSMB established a "Special Committee on Health Care Fraud" and issued a document that lamented the fact that people were taking their money to alternative health practitioners. In 1999, the committee's name was changed to the "Special Committee on Questionable and Deceptive Health Care Practices."
In 2000, the committee appears to have been replaced by the "Special Committee for the Study of Unconventional Health Care Practices (Complementary and Alternative Medicine)."
The 1995 Committee document below was eventually deleted from the FBSM website but an archived version is still available. In April 1997, FSMB's governing body accepted this Report as policy. Quote:
"It has been estimated that up to $100 billion is lost to health care fraud in the United States annually.1 Medical interventions that do not conform to prevailing scientific standards are becoming increasingly popular. It is estimated that in 1990, Americans made 425 million visits to providers of "unconventional" medicine, exceeding the number of visits to all U.S. primary care physicians, at a cost of approximately $13.7 billion.
It may be recognized that some alternative therapies may be beneficial and therefore warrant further investigation and possible integration into mainstream medical practice. However, because of the lack of reliable scientific evidence and clinical validation, safety has not been established for most of these modalities."
Their 2002 document elaborates on the extended definition of "harm" that can come from their competitors — but not a peep about the harm that comes from their donors and sponsors. Here is how they estimate potential harm caused my "alternative" medicine:
Economic harm, which results in monetary loss but presents no health hazard;
Indirect harm, which results in a delay of appropriate treatment, or in unreasonable expectations that discourage patients and their families from accepting and dealing effectively with their medical conditions;
Direct harm, which results in adverse patient outcome
Greed and Arrogance: A Deadly Combo
As they say, it is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. Thus, today's lamentable state of affairs is a combination of deliberate top-down racketeering with the purpose of getting rid of economic competition — and sincere ideological arrogance of people on the ground. Just one look at some of these old commercials makes it clear.
I would like to end this story with a 1947 DDT commercial. Shut your eyes and ears. Don't think. Anything that comes from the Big Corporate Father is safe and effective!
To find more of Tessa Lena's work, be sure to check out her bio, Tessa Fights Robots.
They're Trying to Shut Us Down
Over the last several months, I've lost count of how many times the powers-that-be have tried to shut us down. They've sent hackers at us, forcing us to take extreme measures on web security. They sent attorneys after us, but thankfully we're not easily intimidated by baseless accusations or threats. They've even gone so far as to make physical threats. Those can actually be a bit worrisome but Remington has me covered.
For us to continue to deliver the truth that Americans need to read and hear, we ask you, our amazing audience, for financial assistance. We have a Giving Fuel page to help us pay the bills. It's brand new so don't be discouraged by the lack of donations there. It's a funny reality that the fewer the donations that have been made, the less likely people are willing to donate to it. One would think this is counterintuitive, but sometimes people are skeptical because they think that perhaps there's a reason others haven't been donating. In our situation, we're just getting started so please don't be shy if you have the means to help.
JD Rucker
Tags: LedeMedical BoardsTop Storytyranny
Moderna Announces Development of 'Personalized Cancer Vaccine'
Rise of 3D-Printed Frankenmeat Is a Gateway to The Great Reset and Ubiquitous Bug Burgers
Grandpa says:
1984 still alive and well in 2022


text:
In 1986, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty formed a new supergroup with members of Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits and The Waterboys. Bruce Springsteen (and various members of the E Street band) took time out from their Tunnel of Love tour to guest on the album. The album was called Lost in the Dream and went on to be one of the critics favourites, and regularly turns up in "best of the 80s" lists.
Of course, this didn't really happen. Lost in the Dream is the latest album from The War on Drugs, but it really does sound like the album was born in that wonderful, experimental era of the early to mid 1980s.
I've not heard any of the bands earlier music, but I was intrigued enough by the lead single Red Eyes to seek the album out on Spotify, and then fell in love and bought the CD. A lot of artists are not happy with the streaming income in the new era, but for me, I buy more new music (from new to me artists) now I can investigate before pulling out my credit card. It's not like there are many physical music stores to seek out new music, so streaming services are a good way to dip into albums before buying. Anyway, apologies, I'm going a bit off piste here.
The album opens with the nearly 9 minutes long Under the Pressure. The album opener sets the scene for the whole album – with a real Whole of the Moon vibe, and a great middle section, as the track breaks down and synths and layered guitars battle towards the songs conclusion.
Suffering would not have sounded out-of-place on Ryan Adams excellent Love is Hell album. Some lovely bar-room piano underpins the guitar towards the end of this song. Lost in the Dream sounds amazing – real attention has been paid to the production – with plenty of space for instruments to jump to the fore and grab your attention.
An Ocean In Between The Waves is driven by a nagging bass and drum pattern that picks up and becomes one of those great driving down the highway songs. This is one of my favourite tracks on the album.
"I'm at the darkened hillside
And there's a haze right between the trees
And I can barely see you
You're like an ocean in between the waves"
Disappearing reminds me a little of Fleetwood Mac – it's got the feel of one of those hypnotising, mid-paced songs that the Mac do so well. Harmonica is added to the pallet, and some of the best guitar sounds of the album are on display on this beautiful, mesmeric track.
Eyes To The Wind has shades of Dylan in the vocals and a lovely, subtle country feel towards the end of the song.
Lost In The Dream is pure Americana – snatches of harmonica and echo-laden guitar.
The album finishes with the epic In Reverse. The crash of waves and the lonely sounds of a distant coastline usher in a slow-burning track of love and loss. The guitar soundscapes drift in and out, like consciousness, as the mix fades to reveal the waves lapping against the shore.
"I'll be here or I'll fade away
Never cared about moving, Never cared about now"
A great end to a wonderful album. I guess it's time I investigated the earlier albums by The War on Drugs now.
Buy Lost in the Dream at Amazon UK
« Thomas Lang – Torch Tim Bowness – Abandoned Dancehall Dreams »
Date : April 6, 2014
Tags: Lost in the dream, The War on Drugs


text:
Paula Dunn , (formerly Thomas, born 3 December 1964) is an English former sprinter who competed in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay. She represented Great Britain in all three events at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. She is a five-time Commonwealth Games medallist, including winning silver (1986) and bronze (1994) in the 100 metres. During the 1990s, she competed as Paula Thomas (her then married name). Her personal bests of 11.15 secs in the 100 metres and 22.69 secs in the 200 metres, were the fastest times run by a British female sprinter during the 1990s.

Career
Born Paula Dunn in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, she was a member of the Trafford Athletics Club (formerly Stretford). She finished sixth in the 100 metres at the 1985 AAA Championships, before making rapid progress in 1986, improving her 100 m PB from 11.67 to 11.25 secs (she also ran a wind-assisted 11.14), winning both the AAAs and UK National 100 metres titles. At that year's Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, she won a silver medal in the 100 metres, just one one-hundredth of a second behind the winner Heather Oakes but ahead of the Canadian Olympic finalists Angella Issajenko and Angela Bailey. She then teamed up with Oakes, Kathy Cook and Joan Baptiste to win gold in the 4x100 metres relay. Later that year she placed seventh in the 100 metres final at the European Championships in Stuttgart.

In 1987, Dunn competed at the World Championships in Rome, reaching the semi-finals in the 100 metres. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she reached the semi-finals of the 200 metres, and also competed in the 100 metres and 4x100 metres relay. She placed fourth in the 60 metres final at the 1989 European Indoor Championships, before going on to finish second at both 100 & 200 metres at the 1989 European Cup in Gateshead, finishing behind the East Germans Katrin Krabbe and Silke Moller respectively. Also in 1989, she won her fourth consecutive AAAs 100 metres title. Between August 1986 and January 1990, Dunn was unbeaten at 100 metres by another British woman.

In January 1990, she won relay silver at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, with Stephanie Douglas, Jennifer Stoute and Simmone Jacobs. In the summer, competing under her then married name of Paula Thomas (she would be known by this name for the remainder of her athletic career before reverting to Dunn) she won a relay bronze medal at the European Championships in Split, along with Douglas Bev Kinch and Jacobs. She competed at the 1991 and 1993 World Championships. In 1992, she had missed the entire year due to pregnancy.

Dunn reached her peak in 1994, achieving her lifetime bests at that years Commonwealth Games in Victoria. In the 100 metres she won a bronze medal in 11.23 secs, having run her pb of 11.15 secs in the semi-finals. In the 200 metres, she narrowly missed a medal running another lifetime best of 22.69 secs. These times would remain the best sprint times of the decade by a British woman. She added another bronze in the sprint relay. In 1995, she competed at her fourth World Championships in Gothenburg, reaching the semi-finals in the 200 metres. She earned selection for the 1996 Olympic Games, but was forced to withdraw due to illness. As of 2019, Dunn ranks 10th on the UK all-time list at 100 metres and 12th at 200 metres.

Later career
Dunn began working for UK Athletics in 2001 and was appointed Paralympic performance manager in 2009. After London 2012, she was promoted to the position of Paralympic head coach, replacing Peter Eriksson. She is the first female head coach appointed by UK Athletics.

National titles
6 Times AAAs National Champion – 100 metres (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1995) 200 metres (1989)
5 Times UK National Champion – 100 metres (1986, 1987, 1988) 200 metres (1987, 1988)
2 Time AAAs Indoor Champion – 60 metres (1987, 1988)

Honours and awards
Dunn was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to Athletics.

International competitions

References

External links

 UK All-Time Lists

1964 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Bradford
English female sprinters
Olympic athletes of Great Britain
Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England
Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
European Athletics Championships medalists
Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain
Black British sportswomen
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Olympic female sprinters
Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Medallists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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11/05/2005 04-505b Market Abuse Directive- Level 3 – first set of CESR guidance and information on the common operation of the Directive Guidelines and Technical standards, Market Abuse Guidelines & Recommendations PDF
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Two pals take a break from London's world of business to head out to Africa to run blind, race in wheelchairs and swim with their legs tied—even though they're fit as a fiddle.
Patrick Jenkinson, 29, and Doug Flynn, 27, have been training in Victoria Park in east London pushing wheelchairs and running blindfold.
They've also been swimming at Bethnal Green's York Hall leisure centre with their legs tied, all for a triathlon they've come up with as if they were paraplegics.
"We had to learn to run blind and guide each other—with a few falls, trips and collisions along the way," Patrick says in Thursday's East London Advertiser.
So the pals from Bethnal Green fly out to Rwanda next Tuesday (Sept 6) to run their own triathlon—a blind marathon, a wheelchair marathon and a 2km no-leg swim on consecutive days, to help their fight to get East Africa's disabled integrated into normal society.
Both have strong connections with Africa. Investment manager Patrick worked on a sports camp in Rwanda for six weeks. Management consultant Doug was born in Zambia and spent his youth there.
"We both wanted to do something for a worthy cause in a continent we love," Patrick explained.
"But we wanted it to be different, to put ourselves in the shoes of those much less fortunate than us.
They are raising awareness—and cash—for two charities, Motivation which provides wheelchairs for the disabled in developing countries and Handicap International which works with disabled and vulnerable people worldwide.