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Healthcare Business Strategy PDF Archive
Membership Trends in Employer Group Medicare Advantage
In this brief, Mark Farrah Associates provides insights about the current employer-group Medicare Advantage market and assesses membership trends over the past four years, by carrier and state
Mid-Year 2017 Medicaid Market and Enrollment Trends
This brief provides an overview of the current Medicaid market with insights about top companies competing in this segment.
Spotlight on the 2018 Competitive Medicare Market
This brief presents a snapshot of the 2018 Medicare Advantage market with insights about the leading companies vying for business in this competitive segment.
Improved Profitability for the Individual Health Insurance Sector and Other Segment Insights
This brief presents key findings from Mark Farrah Associates' (MFAs) review of mid-year profitability for commercial and government lines of health insurance business. MFA compared year-over-year, second quarter per member per month (PMPM) health premiums and expenses for the Individual, Employer Group, Medicare and Medicaid segments.
A Brief Analysis of the 2014 - 2016 ACA Reinsurance and Risk Adjustment Results
Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) analyzed the three years of both the Reinsurance and Risk Adjustment programs for the individual market, summarizing some of the key findings found within the HHS data, starting with Reinsurance.
A Brief Look at the Turbulent Individual Health Insurance Market
In this brief, Mark Farrah Associates provides a timely look at recent individual health insurance market developments with state-by-state membership comparisons and competitor insights.
Health Insurance Enrollment Shifts and Market Segment Trends
Mark Farrah Associates analyzed the latest year-over-year enrollment trends, comparing 1st quarter 2016 with 1st quarter 2017 segment membership. As of March 31, 2017, over 265 million people received medical coverage from U.S. health insurers.
A Brief Analysis of Health Insurance Competition and Commercial Market Share
Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) presents an overview of market demographics and market share data, with a focus on health plan market position in three Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Pennsylvania.
An Analysis of Individual and Small Group Health Insurance Trends
Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) examines some of the key findings from its latest analysis of the Supplemental Health Care Exhibit (SHCE), including a focus on performance within Individual and Small Group comprehensive insurance segments.
Year over Year Growth for Medicare Supplement
In 2016, Medicare Supplement carriers experienced another year of membership growth. As of December 31, 2016, enrollment in Medicare Supplement plans (also known as Med Supp or Medigap) was nearly 12.6 million, up 6% over 2015 figures.
Fourth Quarter 2016 Health Insurance Enrollment Trends and Segment Performance
Mark Farrah Associates analyzed the latest year-over-year enrollment trends, comparing 4th quarter 2015 with 4th quarter 2016 segment membership. As of December 31, 2016, nearly 264 million people received medical coverage from U.S. health insurers.
Medicare PDP Enrollment Covers over 25 Million Members
Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) covered 25.1 million people as of March 1, 2017. With a net gain of nearly 443,000 (1.8%) net enrollees between March 2016 and March 2017.
Medicare Advantage Membership up Nearly 1.4 Million Year-over-year
Nearly 19.6 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans as of February 2017. Total year-over-year Medicare Advantage enrollment increased by approximately 1.4 million as managed Medicare continues to be an attractive growth market for health insurance companies.
Third Quarter 2016 Health Insurance Enrollment Trends
Mark Farrah Associates analyzed the latest year-over-year enrollment trends, comparing 3rd quarter 2015 with 3rd quarter 2016 segment membership.
A Brief Analysis of the 2015 Medical Loss Ratio and Rebates Results
Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) summarizes some of the key findings found within the HHS report, with a focus on health plan performance as it relates to the Medical Loss Ratio and the related rebates due to consumers.
Medicaid Market Update
Mid-Year Health Insurance Enrollment Trends and Market Outlook
Mark Farrah Associates analyzed the latest year-over-year enrollment trends, comparing 2nd quarter 2015 with 2nd quarter 2016 segment membership.
Health Insurance Competition: Spotlight on Market Share
One of the most important measures of growth for health insurance companies is market share and it's all about enrollment. Companies are not only looking at their own market position but they also routinely analyze competitor membership to assess relative market share.
An Analysis of 2017 Medicare Business Competition
Second Quarter 2016 Profit Margins for the Top Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans
Profitability for health insurers has been a hot topic as of late, especially within the ACA regulated Individual and Small Group segments. Many insurers have increased premiums and instituted programs aimed at controlling costs and improving profitability. In this edition of the Health Care Business Strategy, Mark Farrah Associates analyzes profit margins of the top Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, comparing year over year performance as of June 2016.
First Quarter 2016 Profits Plummet for Leading Health Plans while Enrollment Results Remain Mixed
Mark Farrah Associates assessed year-over-year enrollment changes and profitability for seven leaders in the health insurance industry between 1Q15 and 1Q16. Combined first quarter 2016 results indicated marginal enrollment growth of 1.97 million and less than favorable results for year-over-year profitability.
The Unpredictable Individual Health Insurance Market
The future of the Marketplace and how individual health insurance options will trend is anything but predictable. This brief provides a timely look at recent market developments with state-by-state membership comparisons and competitor insights.
Medicare Advantage Market Penetration
The aging of the Baby Boomers plays an obvious role in overall MA growth but plans have also experienced steady gains in market penetration. In fact, over the past three years, increasing market penetration has been a significant membership driver. Over this period of time, a large portion of this growth has come from five states, Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Michigan. This brief assesses company performance in these important states.
2015 Small Group Health Insurance Market
In 2015, small group health insurers provided coverage for 13.537 million people through policies written within 1.088 million small employer groups. The year-over-year trend continues to show a decline in the number of covered lives and groups but nonetheless the sizeable small group market remains an attractive business target for commercial health insurers. Two leading health insurance companies dominated with respect to underwriting gains in 2015.
The Latest Health Insurance Market Trends
Despite pending mergers and uncertainty about Obamacare and policy changes in light of the upcoming Presidential election, many health insurers continue to successfully grow business. Seasoned competitors, adept at meeting the demands of a changing industry, are implementing programs to control costs, retain customers and attract new accounts. Health plans nationwide are pursuing opportunities in Medicaid, Medicare and Marketplace programs and ASO business is also a growth target.
Key Trends within the Individual and Small Group Health Insurance Segments
In this month's Healthcare Business Strategy, Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) examines some of the key findings found in our latest analysis of the Supplemental Health Care Exhibit (SHCE), including a focus on performance within Individual and Small Group comprehensive insurance segments.
Year-Over-Year Membership for Leading Health Insurers Increased by Nearly 3.4 Million
Mark Farrah Associates assessed year-over-year enrollment changes and profitability for seven leaders in the health insurance industry between 2014 and 2015. Combined 2015 results indicated enrollment growth of 3.4 million however plans reported less than favorable results for year-over-year profitability.
Med Supp Market Shows Strong Growth in 2015
In 2015, Medicare Supplement carriers experienced another notable year of membership growth. As of December 31, 2015, enrollment in Medicare Supplement plans (also known as Med Supp or Medigap) exceeded 11.9 million, up 6.5% over 2014 figures.
Medicare Advantage Enrollment Covers Over 18 Million Members
More than 18 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans as of February 2016. Total year over year Medicare Advantage enrollment increased by more than 927,000 as managed Medicare continues to be an attractive growth market for health insurance companies.
Marginal 3Q15 Enrollment Increase of 3.3 Million Members for Top Health Plans
Mark Farrah Associates assessed enrollment changes and profitability for seven leaders in the health insurance industry where most top plans saw marginal enrollment growth between third quarter 2014 and third quarter 2015.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Market Share Snapshot 2015
Blues plans are the leaders in most U.S. health insurance markets and without a doubt, the Blues brand is a powerful force in the industry. Blues plans and affiliates provide comprehensive medical coverage for approximately 105million members, or about 41% of the total insured market.
In this month's Healthcare Business Strategy, MFA summarizes some of the key findings found within the HHS report, with a focus on health plan performance as it relates to the Medical Loss Ratio, and the related rebates due to consumers.
Understanding the Medicaid Market
Since the enactment of the ACA in 2010, the number of beneficiaries enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP programs grew to 72.4 million as of June 2015. This represents an increase of approximately 14.6 million covered lives when compared to the population of Medicaid recipients prior to ACA implementation. This brief presents an overview of the current Medicaid market with insights about health plan competition and market share.
Top Health Insurers Experienced Enrollment Gains of 4.3 Million Members for Second Quarter 2015
Combined second quarter 2015 results for seven of the leading U.S. health plans indicated enrollment growth of nearly 4.3 million and most plans realized year-over-year profit gains. This brief presents key findings from Mark Farrah Associates' (MFAs') review of second quarter 2015 enrollment and financial trends among seven top health insurers: Aetna, Cigna, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), Humana, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealth Group and Anthem.
The Competitive Landscape for 2016 Medicare Business
Notable Enrollment Trends Since the Onset of ACA
Since the 2014 Enrollment season opened in October of 2013, it is very clear that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had a substantial impact on health insurance membership. While it is evident that membership has increased since ACA implementation, material changes in product mix and company focus have resulted in some interesting trends. These trends are highlighted in this month's HealthCare Business Strategy report.
First Quarter 2015 Enrollment Growth of 6.4 Million for Seven Health Insurance Leaders
Mark Farrah Associates assessed enrollment changes and profitability for seven leaders in the health insurance industry where all top plans saw enrollment growth between first quarter 2014 and first quarter 2015.
A Brief Analysis of the 2014 ACA Reinsurance and Risk Adjustment Results
On June 30th, 2015 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report detailing the 2014 results of both the Reinsurance and Risk Adjustment programs. Subscribers to Mark Farrah Associate?s Health Coverage Portal will have access to the key data found in this report with the benefit of NAIC Company Codes mapped to HIOS codes used for government reporting by health plans.
Health Enrollment Trends and Market Outlook
Following the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the ACA?s federal subsidies, the healthcare industry is now bracing for a potential surge in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Yet, the beat goes on. Health insurers nationwide continue to invest in growth pursuits afforded by the Exchanges, Medicaid expansion and the aging of America. The need to understand competitive positioning and health insurer market share has never been greater.
Enrollment Gains and Favorable Profits for Health Insurance Leaders in 2014
Mark Farrah Associates assessed enrollment changes and profitability for seven leaders in the health insurance industry where most top plans saw enrollment growth in 2014.
Med Supp Growth Bodes Opportunity for Insurers
The Medicare Supplement segment continued to show impressive growth in 2014. As of December 31, 2014, enrollment in Medicare Supplement plans (also known as Med Supp or Medigap) approached 11.2 million, up 5.2% from 10.6 million in 2013, according to annual financial statements filed with the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners).
Medicare Advantage Tops 17 Million Members
More than 17.3 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans as of March 2015. Year over year, total Medicare Advantage enrollment increased by more than 1.3 million as managed Medicare continues to be an attractive growth market for health insurance companies.
Membership for Leading Health Plans Up 5.6 Million from 3Q13 to 3Q14
Combined 3rd quarter 2014 results for seven of the leading U.S. health plans indicated enrollment growth of 5.6 million. Aggregate figures reflected gains in both risk-based and self-funded medical membership. Most industry leaders realized significant gains in individual, non-group business. Profits were down from 3Q13 to 3Q14 for many leaders.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Still Leads in Many Markets
Blues plans are the leaders in many U.S. health insurance markets and without a doubt, the Blues brand is a powerful force in the industry. Blues plans and affiliates provide comprehensive medical coverage for approximately 104 million members, or about 44% of the total insured market.
Health Insurance Enrollment and Marketplace Estimates: December 2014 Insights
Marketplace data that distinguishes off-Marketplace from on-Marketplace individual membership and identifies enrollment by health plan are not yet available. However, Mark Farrah Associates finds the number of people enrolled in individual medical plans increased by at least 5.3 million from 3rd quarter 2013 to 3rd quarter 2014.
Membership for Top Health Plans Up Five Million as of Mid-Year 2014
Combined 2nd quarter 2014 results for seven of the leading U.S. health plans indicated enrollment growth of almost 5 million. Aggregate figures reflected gains in both risk-based and self-funded medical membership. Most industry leaders realized significant gains in individual, non-group business as the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect this year. Financial performance overall was generally favorable but year-over-year profits were down for some of the leaders.
Preview of 2015 Medicare Advantage Competition
This brief presents a snapshot of the 2015 Medicare Advantage market with insights from the Medicare landscape reports and discusses the companies that will be competing for business during the upcoming AEP. It also touches on the Medicare Benefits Analyzer, a Mark Farrah Associates database that simplifies analysis of the Medicare Plan Finder for companies competing in this segment.
Performance of Top Health Plans as of 1st Quarter 2014
Leading health plans continued to successfully implement health reform expansions and execute growth strategies as they began to deal with newly effective ACA taxes and regulatory provisions this year. First quarter 2014 results for seven of the leading health plans in the industry reflect enrollment gains coupled with favorable financial results.
The Small Group Health Insurance Market
In 2013, small group health insurers provided coverage for 16.687 million people through policies written within 1.453 million small employer groups. The year-over-year trend continues to show a decline in the number of covered lives and groups but nonetheless the sizeable small group market remains an attractive business target for commercial health insurers. Three leading health insurance companies dominated with respect to underwriting gains in 2013, accounting for 71% of segment profits.
Health Enrollment Shifts and Early 2014 Insights
As provisions from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) cover more Americans, the result will be significant changes to how people are concentrated by coverage type within segments. Many people are expected to switch from employment-based coverage to off-exchange individual plans while others will qualify and enroll in public exchanges. Tracking enrollment shifts by coverage type is critically important to the long-term sustainability and growth of health plans and healthcare stakeholders.
Enrollment Gains and Profit Declines for Top Health Plans
Despite the uncertainty and volatility of health reform, leaders in the health insurance sector have good reason to remain optimistic. Though year-over-year profit margins declined for companies included in this assessment, most of these top health plans experienced enrollment gains last year and this is an encouraging sign.
Med Supp Enrollment Continues to Grow
The latest Medicare Supplement membership and financial figures show continued growth in the number of new policies being issued, a shift among plan types being selected by consumers and a decline in the aggregate loss ratio, incurred claims as a percent of earned premiums. As of December 31, 2013, enrollment in Medicare Supplement products (also referred to as Med Supp or Medigap) exceeded 10.5 million enrollees, up 3.8% from 10.2 million in 2012.
Nearly 1.9 Million People in Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans
Nearly 1.9 million people or 12% of the 15.7 million people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans have selected what it is known as a Special Needs Plans (SNPs).
Medicare PDP Growth Rate Declined
Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) covered almost 23.3 million people as of February 1, 2014. With a net gain of nearly 853,000 (3.8%) net enrollees between February 2013 and February 2014, PDP growth is down significantly from 2.7 million (14.7%) net enrollees gained between February 2012 and February 2013.
Thirty Percent of People Eligible for Medicare Enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans
Nearly 16 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans as of February 2014, 30.2% of the 52.7 million people eligible for Medicare, according to data from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Roughly 19% of MA enrollment is from employer group health plans (EGHPs), up from 17.6% in February 2013.
Similar Growth Strategies Among Top Health Plans
Medical membership for the leading U.S. health insurance plans increased 8.7% from 132.2 million as of September 2012 to 143.7 million as of September 2013. Mark Farrah Associates noted several common strategies that have emerged to are implementing to support growth and cost management, in its latest Health Insurer Insights reports.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan Consolidation Continues
Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield (BCBS) organizations along with their affiliates enrolled 98.7 million people as of September 30, 2013, more than 31% of the population in the United States and 40% of those commercially insured. Mark Farrah Associates examines membership changes that occurred at BCBS organizations from September 2012 to September 2013 and looks at financial data as of December 2012.
Medicare Advantage Plans Cover 15 Million
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans enrolled 15.1 million as of December 1, 2013, up nearly 1.3 million members since December 1, 2012. Membership surpassed 15 million members in October.
ACA Driving the Need for Health Plan Membership by County
As health insurance moves to a direct-to-consumer model, identifying where consumers are located and what health plan options are available in local markets is essential. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is reshaping the industry and setting standards to ensure that consumers have coverage options in all geographies of every state in the U.S.
Profit Margins Converge for Top Health Plans
Among the leading health plans in the United States, net income (also referred to as profit) margins converged around an average of 5% for the first six month of 2013. Roughly 2 percentage points separate the most profitable plan from the least profitable plan among top health insurance carriers through the second quarter of 2013, down from a nearly 9% range in 2008.
Individual Health Insurance Benchmark
More than 11.3 million people directly purchased individual health insurance coverage in 2012, according to a new report by Mark Farrah Associates. This data will serve as a benchmark on how the new health insurance exchanges, set to open in a few weeks, will compare.
Managed Medicaid Growth Continues for Health Plans
Aggregate revenues reported by U.S. health plans totaled $435.2 billion for 2012, up from $409.4 billion in 2011, or 6.3%, according to an analysis by Mark Farrah Associates of data filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
Difficult Decisions for Medicare Advantage Plans
With more than 51.9 million people eligible for Medicare as of August 2013 and an estimated 3.3 million aging into the program there is ample opportunity for health plans to gain membership during the 2014 open enrollment period.
Mixed Results for Leading Health Plans in First Quarter 2013
Mark Farrah Associates' latest Health Care Business Strategy report found most of the nation's leading health plans had enrollment gains in the first quarter of 2013 but five of the seven leading plans reported a slight downturn in profitability results year-over-year. Between December 2012 and March 2013 top plans saw an aggregate increase of nearly 1.1 million members, down from 1.4 million for the same period last year.
Competition and Growth Potential in Health Insurance Markets
Mark Farrah Associates presents insights about how insurers are using market demographics and market share data to target new coverage opportunities in Commercial and Medicaid markets
Small Group Health Insurance Enrollment Decline Continues
In 2012, more than 17.7 million people received comprehensive health insurance through fully-insured small group policies, compared to nearly 40.1 million people who received similar coverage through fully insured large group policies according to Mark Farrah Associates.
Top Health Plan Enrollment Increased by 5.6 Million
Medical membership for the leading U.S. health insurance plans increased 4.3% from 130.1 million at the end of 2011 to 135.7 million at the end of 2012 This brief presents key findings from Mark Farrah Associates' (MFA) review of enrollment and financial trends among seven top health insurers: Aetna, Cigna, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), Humana, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint.
Med Supp Enrollment Tops 10 Million
Medicare Supplement products remain a viable and growing alternative to Medicare Advantage options for seniors looking to offset the out-of-pocket costs of traditional Medicare coverage. As of December 31, 2012, enrollment in Medicare Supplement products (also referred to as Med Supp or Medigap) exceeded 10.1 million enrollees, up from 9.9 million in 2011.
Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans on the Rise
As of March 1, 2013 nearly 1.668 million people were enrolled in Medicare Special Needs Plans (SNPs) nationwide, up 18% over March 1, 2012.
Employer Group Plans Drive Medicare PDP Growth
Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) covered almost 22.4 million people as of February 1, 2013 and gained more than 2.7 million covered lives between February 2012 and February 2013, a 14.7% increase year-over-year. Mergers and acquisitions and growth from employer group health plans are impacting the top plans.
Medicare Advantage Enrollment Tops 14.5 million
Nearly 14.6 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans as of February 2013, 28.5% of the 51.1 million people eligible for Medicare, according to data from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Aggregated enrollment in MA plans increased by 1.260 million members between February 2012 and February 2013.
Medical Expense Trend Up in 2011
Total medical expenses grew 5.5% in 2011, from $392 billion in 2010 to $413 billion in 2011. Medical expenses on a per member per month basis increased 2.4% in 2011, according to an analysis done by Mark Farrah Associates. For the same period, expenses for prescription drugs increased 4.3%.
Health Plan Enrollment Shifting Toward Government-Sponsored Programs
Medical membership for the leading U.S. health insurance plans increased 2.6% from 128.3 million as of September 2011 to 131.7 million as of September 2012. Mark Farrah Associates also found for every Commercial member gained, the top plans added nearly five in government-sponsored programs since December 2011.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans Saw Enrollment Gains in 2012
Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield (BCBS) organizations along with their affiliates enrolled 96 million people as of 3Q12, up 2.3% from 3Q11. Mark Farrah Associates examines membership changes that occurred at BCBS organizations from September 2011 to September 2012 and reviews financial data as of December 2011.
Health Insurance Enrollment in Self-Insured Companies Up Significantly
Nationwide more than 97 million people are covered by administrative services only (ASO) agreements with health insurance companies as of June 2012, compared to 84 million who are covered by commercial fully-insured (risk) arrangements. ASO enrollment increased nearly 5% from June 2011 to June 2012.
Top Health Plans Expanding
Total membership for the seven leading U.S. health insurance carriers increased to 131.1 million as of June 30, 2012, up from 129.4 million at year- end 2011. Mark Farrah Associates also found most of the top health plans saw profitability declines year-over-year between 2Q11 and 2Q12.
Medicare Star Ratings Position Plans for Success or Failure
2013 star ratings have positioned some Medicare Advantage and Part D companies for success and others for potential failure.
Impact of State Healthcare Reform on Massachusetts Insurance Carriers
Health reform in Massachusetts played havoc on local plans' profitability, revenue, cost structures and enrollment. Lessons learned in Massachusetts can be transferred to other areas of the country as national reform is implemented.
Health Plan Quality Improvement Expenditures Rising
Health insurers spent more than $5 billion in 2011 to improve health care quality expenses and this number is expected to increase in the next several years.
Medicare Advantage Competition Analysis
With 50.2 million people eligible for Medicare as of August 2012 and an estimated 3.3 million aging into the program there is ample opportunity for health plans to gain membership during the 2013 open enrollment period.
First Quarter 2012 Results Mixed for Leading Health Plans
Mark Farrah Associates' latest Healthcare Business Strategy report found most of the nation's leading health plans saw enrollment gains in the first quarter of 2012. There was however, a slight downturn in profitability results year-over-year. Between December 2011 and March 2012 top plans saw an aggregate increase of nearly 1.4 million members.
Small Group Health Insurance Enrollment Declined
In 2011, nearly 18 million people received comprehensive health insurance through fully-insured small group policies, compared to nearly 42 million people who received similar coverage through fully insured large group policies according to Mark Farrah Associates.
Individual Health Insurance Options Boom or Bust
Roughly 11 million people directly purchased individual health insurance coverage in 2011, up 4% over 2011, according to a new report by Mark Farrah Associates. Non-group or individual health insurance is emerging as a growing and diversified product line for insurers targeting people without access to employer-sponsored or government-sponsored coverage.
Health Plans Continue to See Revenue Shift Away from Commercial
Market Improvement Evident For Top Health Plans
Mark Farrah Associates' latest Healthcare Business Strategy report found most of the leading U.S. health insurance plans saw income margins holding from 2010 to 2011 and membership gains across most market segments year-over-year. Total membership increased 2.9% with gains across the Commercial, Medicare and Medicaid segments from 2010 to 2011.
Growth in Newer Med Supp Policies Continues
The latest Medicare Supplement membership figures show continued growth in the number of new policies being issued. The number of newer policies, those issued in the last three years, increased by 7.5% in 2011 when compared to the 2010 final enrollment data.
Managed Medicaid Enrollment Escalates
According to the U.S. Census Bureau nearly 48.6 million people were enrolled in Medicaid programs in 2010. Mark Farrah Associates found roughly 36.4 million were covered by Medicaid managed care programs, up 8% over 2009.
M and A Activity Shakes Up PDP Leader Board
Mark Farrah Associates found merger and acquisition activity, along with a dynamic competitive environment has altered the list of top PDP plans in 2012. PDPs covered almost 19.7 million people as of February 1, 2012 and gained nearly 1.2 million covered lives between February 2011 and February 2012, a 6% increase year-over-year.
Medicare Advantage Enrollment Up Over 1 Million Year Over Year
Over 13.3 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans as of February 2012, 27% of the 49.3 million people eligible for Medicare, according to data from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Aggregated enrollment in MA plans increased by 1.151 million members between February 2011 and February 2012
UnitedHealthcare Takes Lead from WellPoint
Total membership for the seven leading U.S. health insurance carriers increased to 128.3 million as of September 30, 2011, up from 125.6 million one year ago. Mark Farrah Associates also found that UnitedHealthcare took the lead from WellPoint as the top health insurer in the nation in terms of medical membership as of September 30, 2011.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Entities Confronting Strong Competition
Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield (BCBS) entities along with their affiliates enrolled 94.4 million people as of 3Q11, down -1.6% from 3Q10. Mark Farrah Associates examines membership changes that occurred at BCBS entities from September 2010 to September 2011 and reviews financial data as of December 2010.
Traditional Medical Loss Ratio Differs from ACA-MLR
Department of Health and Human Services regulations, concerning a provision(section 2718) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), broaden the traditional definition of the term medical loss ratio and alters its use from measuring profitability to assessing punitive charges.
Top Health Plans Perform Well for First Half of 2011
Total membership for the seven leading U.S. health insurance carriers increased to 127.9 million as of June 30, 2011, up from 125.9 million at year end 2010. Mark Farrah Associates also found all of the top health plans saw improved profitability year-over-year between 2Q10 and 2Q11.
CI Experts Discuss Navigating Health Insurance Market Changes
Competitive intelligence (CI) professionals convened at the Society of Insurance Research?s (SIR) annual conference this month to discuss the changing health insurance landscape.
Analyzing Medicare Advantage Competition
With 48.4 million people eligible for Medicare as of September 2011 and an estimated 3.3 million aging into the program there is ample opportunity for health plans to gain membership during the 2012 open enrollment period.
Medical Expense Trend Declines in 2010
Total medical expenses grew 1.7% in 2010, from $395 billion in 2009 to $401 billion in 2010. Medical expenses on a per member per month basis which escalated at nearly 8% per year from 2002 ? 2008, saw a decline in 2009 to 4.9% and a growth rate of only 1.1% in 2010, according to an analysis done by Mark Farrah Associates.
Medicare Prescription Drug Plans See Revitalization
Demographic changes and industry consolidation are two trends contributing to the revitalization of the Medicare Part D marketplace. Stand-alone Part D plans, also known as Medicare prescription drug plans (PDPs), gained nearly 886,000 covered lives between August 2010 and August 2011, a 5.0% increase year-over-year.
1st Quarter 2011 Results Promising for Leading Health Plans
Total membership for the seven leading U.S. health insurance carriers increased from 126.5 million in 1Q10 to 128.0 million for 1Q11. Mark Farrah Associates also found all of the top health plans saw improved profitability year-over-year between 1Q10 and 1Q11.
Medicare Market Momentum Alive and Well
The Medicare market with baby boomers aging in is one of the biggest marketing opportunities in the industry today. Starting in 2012, more than 3 million people will turn 65 every year and this figure will approach 4 million by the year 2020. Health plans and vendor stakeholders are investing considerably to implement senior market business strategies.
New Insights about the Commercial Health Insurance Market
Mark Farrah Associates reports key observations about the commercial health market as 521 insurance companies filed new NAIC Supplemental Health Care Exhibits with their 2010 Annual Statement. The business strategy report includes enrollment and financial results for individual, small employer and large employer group segments.
Diversification Key Strategy for Leading Health Plans
Total membership for the seven leading U.S. health insurance carriers increased from 125.0 million in 2009 to 125.9 million for 2010. Mark Farrah Associates also found Commercial medical enrollment continued to decline for these carriers, falling -0.7% from 2009 to 2010.
Managed Medicaid Enrollment Rising
According to the U.S. Census Bureau nearly 47.8 million people were enrolled in Medicaid programs in 2009. Mark Farrah Associates found roughly 33.6 million were covered by Medicaid managed care programs, up 11% over 2008.
The latest Medicare Supplement membership figures show continued growth in the number of new policies being issued. The number of newer policies, those issued in the last three years, increased by 5.9% in 2010 when compared to the 2009 base.
PDPs See Enrollment Surge
Medicare Advantage Enrollment Exceeds 12 Million
PPACA Provision Challenges Health Insurance Companies and Vendors
Top Health Plans Gain Members
New Health Plan Reporting Requires More Transparency
Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans' Strong Competitive Edge
ASO Products for Self-Insured Companies Continue to Surpass Fully-Insured Options
Senior and Medicaid Markets Driving Health Enrollment Gains
Using Medicare Plan Finder for Competitive Analysis
One in Four Seniors Enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans as Annual Election Period Approaches
1Q10 Enrollment Gains for Leading Health Plans
Medical Expense Trend Declined in 2009
Growing Individual Market Options
Enrollment Declines Impact Top Health Plans in 2009
Health Plans See Revenue Shift Away from Commercial
Growth in Newer Med Supp Policies Issued
Medicare Advantage Plans Peak at 11.5 Million Members
Health Plans See Growth in Medicaid
New Medicare Opportunities with Medigap
Health Coverage for Labor Union Markets
Membership Continues to Fall for Top Health Plans
Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans Strong Competitive Edge
Top Plans' Medical Expenses Rising, Membership Falling
2010 Medicare Landscape: Fewer Plans Yet Plenty of Competition
Health Plans, Providers Testing Medical Home Concept
Private Health Insurance Declines
Congressional Data Requests Call for Health Plan Transparency
Medicare Advantage Plans Surpass 11 Million Mark
Top Plans Experience Enrollment Declines During 1Q09
Wall Street Analysts Add Market Insights to Healthcare Reform Debate
Medical Expense Trend Stabilized
Medicare Supplement Revival
Medicaid Market Growth Opportunities
Market Turmoil Takes Toll on Top Health Plans


NORTH POLE, ALASKA (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A female student has been expelled from school after kicking a boy in the groin who she says came in the girls' bathroom and blocked the door.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, a group of seven teenage boys entered the girls' bathroom at North Pole High School in Alaska in protest because a transgender student, who identifies as a boy, took a selfie in the boys' bathroom.
"On April 4, a group of male students began to enter the restroom. Only one male student actually proceeded past the door frame," said the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District in a statement. "The other male students followed behind him and were not yet in the restroom. A female student (not the transgender student) was exiting the restroom at the time the first male student began to enter. The female student kicked the first male student in the groin. The male students turned around and left the area."
The family of the girl said that she was expelled "indefinitely." The incident caught the attention of Rep. Tammie Wilson, who is questioning the decision by the school district.
The school district says all eight student involved in the incident have been disciplined.
"The district does not encourage students or staff to use force against students, staff or visitors to school facilities. In general, we recommend students talk to school staff about any situations in which they feel unsafe."


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Pleasant day expected ahead of evening cold front
Amber Alert: Volunteers search for Maleah Davis in wooded area near Bush Airport
Volunteers with the search group Texas Equusearch joined the effort Monday to find a 4-year-old girl who was reported missing in Houston on Friday evening.
Author: Doug Delony
Published: 11:27 AM CDT May 6, 2019
Updated: 8:35 AM CDT May 7, 2019
HOUSTON — An Amber Alert continued Monday for Maleah Davis, the 4-year-old Houston girl who was reportedly kidnapped on Friday evening.
Texas Equusearch's team of volunteers joined the search efforts Monday morning after putting a call out for people to search on foot and by ATV.
"We're hoping for the best, but expecting the worst." Equusearch leader Tim Miller told KHOU 11 News.
RELATED: How to help Texas Equusearch find missing people
RELATED: What are the criteria for an AMBER Alert?
"We're focused on one thing," he said. "That's the baby."
Miller said any case involving a missing kid is always tough.
"I'm a little choked up right now," said Miller.
Equusearch will relocate to another area if investigators feel the need.
The group plans to continue its hunt for Maleah no matter this week's weather.
"I don't care if we have to walk through water up to our waists," said Miller. "We're here."
RELATED: Where is Maleah Davis? Amber Alert issued for 4-year-old Houston girl missing since Friday
In addition to the woods, search teams are also checking dumpsters in the area.
Meanwhile, volunteers have been handing out flyers in both the 59/Greens Road area and in Sugar Land.
Views from Air 11 showed volunteers in a wooded area along the Eastex Freeway and Greens Road, not far from Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport.
That's where Maleah's stepfather, Derion Vence, told investigators he had car trouble as he was driving to the airport to pick up the girl's mother. Inside the car with him were Maleah and his young son, Courtland.
He told police that when he pulled over to check on a noise with his car, two men in a blue Chevrolet pickup approached him and knocked him out.
Vence said when he woke up, it was 6 p.m. Saturday and he was in Sugar Land - on the other side of Houston. Courtland was in his arms, unharmed, but the little girl was nowhere to be found.
Houston police said traffic cameras captured the car Vence was in -- a 2011 Nissan Altima -- in Sugar Land at around 3 p.m. Saturday. The vehicle, which had recently been purchased, has temporary tags with the license plate 3092G9.
Police are not only looking for Maleah. They are also looking for the Nissan Altima, which belongs to Vence's wife, Brittany, and the blue Chevrolet crew cab pickup that the suspects were driving.
Anyone with information on Maleah Davis' whereabouts is urged to contact Houston police at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Should you trust your business advisor?
I recently saw some publicity for a local enterprise agency that caught my eye (for the wrong reasons) because of a client testimonial they'd used: "their advisors give you honest feedback as to whether or not your idea is a good one".
1) It's your business not ours – you'll have to live with it, not us, so why are we telling you what to do with your life?
2) How do we know if a new business idea really is any good or not? - Look at all the 'rubbish' ideas that were rejected by the "gurus" of Dragon's Den that went on to make a fortune; and history is littered with ideas and inventions that the 'powers that be' and recognised purveyors of 'wisdom' of the day just didn't get – as a result we almost never had TV, the jet engine or even photocopiers!
You – the entrepreneur, should not always take what you're told as gospel by a business advisor about if your idea will work or not: it's your idea, your life, not ours.
If you don't think we 'get it', then challenge us, or ask for another advisor; but please don't abandon your brilliant idea that will change your world and mine just because someone else tells you it'll never work based on their own personal tastes and prejudices.
why are we scared about asking to be paid?
Ask most employees what they grumble about most, and ask their employers about most, and it's likely to be getting their pay cheque on time.
Yet when we create new enterprises, we suddenly seem to lose this boldness and capitulate to our customers when they're late in paying our bills and invoices to them – to the tune of over £62 billion for small businesses!!!
So why this change in attitude between being an employee and an employer over money?
I have a suspicion it's about FEAR. We're frightened that if we appear pushy, our customers won't come back, and/or even more damningly, our customers start to think "if they're so desperate for our money, then they must be in trouble, so better take my business elsewhere".
Well, for starters, let's be more open about talking about money and getting paid – raise it as soon as we can as part of negotiations with customers and clients, be clear about when they want to pay and when you want to be paid from the outset. Negotiate, haggle, agree compromises – after all, we do that already over the price and delivery schedule, so why not the payment terms?
Plan the cash-flow: so many businesses fail because they run out of cash before they get paid – I've seen it happen, including to a business that was making a £1m+ profit annually (I helped their employees subsequently buy-out the business).
Finally – don't forget the easy stuff: there's a lot of legislation you can use to support you with your asking to be paid. The biggest (and least well known) being the Late Payment Act which says that as a small business, you can charge interest on what you're owed if its late in being paid. And after all, it's not you that's chosen to charge interest: it's the government and their legislation... so no risk to your personal relationships. I've used it a number of times and on each occasion got paid more promptly AND had that client/customer book me for further work.
Simple things that with a bit of thinking and planning can make all the different to getting that overdraft reduced and staying in business.
Or maybe there's something about 'being British' that means we like being owed more than £62 billion and not being able to cash it?


Reading Eagle | Reading City Hall was the site of plenty of talk of planning Monday night.
Sidewalk repair, parking among specifics raised; key was a strategic plan followed by a comprehensive plan.
Reading leaders said Monday night that they are in the process of crafting strategies to improve the city's economy, housing, parking and sidewalks — with some further along than others.
One area that already has some planning behind it is sidewalks.
Public Works Director Ralph E. Johnson presented a draft plan for prioritizing their repair.
Among the highest priority would be those in such bad shape that they can't be used, particularly by people with disabilities; those in front of owner-occupied homes; and highly trafficked walkways.
Acting City Manager Osmer S. Deming said Mayor Wally Scott would like to pursue a study of city parking.
The city has received eight bids to conduct the study and Scott would like to vet the work done by the bidders in other cities, Deming said.
Deming also told City Council that he and city Planning Manager David Hunter are making progress in creating a housing plan for the city to encourage affordable housing, fight blight and "de-convert" multiapartment properties into single-family homes.
Looking to long-term planning, Hunter told City Council and City Hall department heads that the city needs to create a new comprehensive plan.
The city adopted a comprehensive plan in 2000. In 2014, a plan was drafted but never approved, according to Hunter.
Hunter said the planning commission can begin putting together a strategic plan to be completed by 2020. The strategic plan will precede and define the parameters for the comprehensive plan, Hunter said.
Hunter also suggested each council member select a representative from his or her district to have input during the creation of the strategic plan.
He also emphasized that the city government's plans need to take into account initiatives by local nonprofits and other entities such as the Downtown Revitalization Public Private Partnership so efforts are complemented, not duplicated.
The strategic plan will examine economic revitalization that will "start downtown but will not end in downtown," Hunter said.
Hunter also addressed an agenda item for an economic summit. He called hosting one a "lofty goal," which might be achieved equally as well at a meeting that will be held Oct. 20-22 in Reading: the American Planning Association's 2019 annual state conference.
"This very well could be your economic summit, in a sense, because you're going to have some of the greatest minds in the state, if not in the Northeast, coming to Reading," Hunter said.


Computational modeling. Criticisms of psychology.
Психология Computational modeling. Criticisms of psychology.
Цель – формирование представлений студентов о численном моделировании в психологии и критике психологии как науки, использование знания иностранного языка в профессиональной деятельности и профессиональной коммуникации.
Computational modeling is a tool often used in cognitive psychology to simulate a particular behavior using a computer. This method has several advantages. Since modern computers are extremely fast, many simulations can be run in a short time, allowing for a great deal of statistical power. Modeling also allows psychologists to visualize hypotheses about the functional organization of mental events that couldn't be directly observed in a human.
Several different types of modeling are used to study behavior. Connectionism uses neural nets to simulate the brain. Another method is symbolic modeling, which represents different mental objects using variables and rules. Other types of modeling include dynamic systems and stochastic modeling.
Although modern mainstream psychology largely attempts to be a scientific endeavor, the field has a history of controversy. Some criticisms of psychology have been made on ethical and philosophical grounds. Some have argued that by subjecting the human mind to experimentation and statistical study, psychologists objectify persons; because it treats human beings as things, as objects that can be examined by experiment, psychology is sometimes portrayed as dehumanizing, ignoring or downplaying what is most essential about being human.
Another common criticism of psychology concerns its fuzziness as a science. Since some areas of psychological research rely on "soft" methods such as surveys and questionnaires, some have said, psychology is not as scientific as it claims to be, although many would argue this is an outdated criticism based on misconceptions. Many believe that the mind is not amenable to quantitative scientific research, and as support for their criticism cite the vast theoretical diversity of psychology, a discipline which agrees on very little about how the mind works. Some point out that astronomy's claim to being a science is also open to argument because its theories are largely untestable, being based in part on events that cannot be directly observed (philosophically, a scientific theory must be falsifiable: testable and open to the possibility of being proven false).
One approach calling itself critical psychology takes almost an opposite approach. Rather than scientific validity being the standard against which psychology research should be judged, critical psychology uses philosophical, analytical, political, economic and social theories such as Marxism, constructionism, discourse analysis and qualitative approaches to criticize mainstream psychology, claiming among other things that it serves as a bulwark of an unjust or unsatisfying status quo when it should, instead, use its methods and knowledge base to critique and change societal norms.
1. Where is computational modeling used? What for?
2. What advantages does this method have?
3. What types of modeling are used to study behaviour?
4. Why do some psychologists criticize experimentation and statistical study in psychology?
5. Another common criticism of psychology concerns its fuzziness as a science, doesn't it? Explain.
6. What theories and approaches does critical psychology use to criticize mainstream psychology?


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Newby Island Sanitary and the Recyclery Rezoning | City of San José
One of the largest active landfills in the San Francisco Bay, Newby Island Sanitary Landfill (NISL) is located in the City of San José at the western terminus of Dixon Landing Road. The approximately 300-acre area has been used as a landfill since the 1930's. The Recyclery, which is located adjacent to the landfill, processes source separated recyclables including paper, glass, plastics, metals, wood, green waste and yard trimmings, and mixed commercial recyclables.
In 2012, the City of San José rezoned NISL and the adjacent Recyclery to increase the maximum height of the landfill from 150 to 245 feet, which added approximately 15 million cubic yards of capacity to the landfill, and clarified the uses allowed at the site. The project allowed the landfill operator to optimize the design of the project site, enabling the project site to continue to provide waste disposal and recycling solutions for the City of San José and surrounding municipalities.
DJP&A prepared the EIR for project. The analysis of project impacts was complex given the land uses, dynamic operations, and environmentally sensitive location near the Bay. NISL is bounded by Coyote Creek, the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, South Coyote Slough, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Reach 1A waterbird pond and salt marsh harvest mouse habitat restoration area. The EIR analysis identified and required the implementation of an extensive Nuisance Species Abatement Plan (NSAP) to manage and control nuisance species who were predating sensitive species, impacting their population. Other issues of concern by the local groups and residents addressed in the EIR included visual impacts, odor, and geology.
Located in an environmentally sensitive location
Increased permitted landfill capacity by 15 million cubic yards
Implementation of extensive Nuisance Species Abatement Plan
Other Infrastructure Projects
Brentwood Non-Potable Water Line
Newby Island Sanitary Landfill and the Recyclery Rezoning
Baylands Pump Station No. 2 Rehabilitation
48-Inch Force Main Reliability Improvement Project


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Phumelele's Trans Journey
By: Precious M. Lesupi
Phumelele Priscilla Nkomozake, Rhodes University Drama and Psychology graduate has learned through various hard and bright times to love her body and embrace her trans journey.
In our country, especially for transwomen, violence prevails in the most common places, such as the bank, the store or merely just by leaving one's house. For Phumelele, it has become something she believes is unrealistic to act on instantly, for instance, going to the police because of the possible victimising responses most women get. "I've learnt that there's nothing I can do about it", she said.
In the 5th year of her journey, Phumelele mentions that her family has not quite grappled with her gender. Although, transphobia still comes out during arguments with them, she has mentioned that she also tries to understand them and their path and journey in trying to understand her. "What I have done for myself is doing the work on unlearning what the idea of family means. Who I am shouldn't rely on my relations and family is not limited to biology", she said.
People need to stop tying womanhood and femaleness and being a girl to biology. Genitalia should not define a person's gender. We need to do away with the traditional and conventional way of learning about gender. Not every woman has a vagina, some have penises, some have both and not every woman wants to have children or can have children. We need to unlearn fixating sex to gender.
Growing up, Phumelele had only been exposed to cis people and so she had to do a lot of intellectual work in understanding queerness in Africa which helped her with her confidence. The university space, which allowed her the freedom to be herself also allowed her the chance to associate herself with people who are pro-queerness and gender positive, which helped a lot with her self-esteem.
Some of the few things that could help every other girl in embracing their trans identity according to her include finding financial security and listening to your gut about who to involve in your lifestyle. "I don't think coming out is a thing, invite your families into your lives and your lifestyle slowly. Listen to your gut, if you know they won't accept you, don't do it," she continued.
Phumelele also stressed on the importance of aligning oneself with people who embrace who you are as it can make life much easier and also reading up on queer content that aligns with who you are. "I read a lot about sex and gender in Africa," she said.
Tags: pride, pride2020, queerlivesmatter, translivesmatter
La Liga Returns Behind Closed Doors
Schools Ready to Reopen


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Bizzarro Bazar
Strange, macabre, wonderful!
BB Web Series
What is Bizzarro Bazar?
BB Collections
Piccola Libreria Lunare
BizzarroCinema
Enchanted Places
Human Marvels
MondoMacabro
Anomalous Science
Mysteries of Sex
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Tag Archives: report
The Spann Case: A Chronicle
Article by guestblogger "La cara Pasifae"
The law is some tricky shit, isn't it?
(Thelma & Louise, 1991)
From her first marriage, Patricia Ann Spann had three children: a boy, then a girl and another boy. Things were not too good, evidently, because Patricia lose custody over them and the children were legally adopted by her mother-in-law.
But in 2008 Patricia met Cody Spann Jr., her oldest son, who at the time was 18. And she married him.
In Lawton, Comanche County, Oklahoma. She signed the papers using both her maiden and her married name, "Patricia Ann Clayton Spann".
Fifteen moths later, in 2010, at the boy's request a judge nullified their marriage on the grounds of incest. The Oklahoma laws categorically forbids unions with direct descendants.
In 2014 Patricia met her daughter, at the time 23 years old, Misty Velvet Dawn Spann.
And on March 25, 2016, the two women got married.
They moved in together in Duncan, Stephens County (OK), nearly 30 miles from the Texas border and less than 20 from Lawton where, once again, the wedding had taken place.
To get around the obstacle of their shared family name, Patricia Spann had used her maiden name upon filing the marriage licence application.
Perhaps not all the neighbors were fine with this new, close but reserved couple settling in. So, in August, Patricia and Misty received the visit of a Human Services Child Welfare Division investigator who, while assessing the state of the Spann children, found out that mother and daughter were legally married.
The women admitted both to their biological bond and to being married. Patricia declared to the investigator that she didn't think they were breaking any law since her name no longer appeared on her daughter's birth certificate, and that anyway, after being reunited, "they hit it off".
Thus the authorities came to know of the incestuous relationship. The case was assigned to Duncan Police Detective Dustin Smith, who began the investigations on August 26, 2016, after a warning from the Human Services Division. In September, just months after they had married, in compliance with the law, the Spanns were formally charged.
Felony arrest warrants were issued in Stephens County District Court for both of them. If found guilty, they would face up to 10 years in prison.
After the arrest Misty and Patricia Ann were put in custody in Stephens County Jail. The bail was set at $10,000 for each woman.
As reported by Lawton Constitution, Patricia Spann insisted that she hadn't had contact with her children until a few years earlier, claim contradicted by court records regarding her former marriage with her biological son. No charges were pressed for that marriage.
At Misty's request, the marriage with her mother was annulled Oct. 12, 2017, as court records show. In November the girl, who claimed she was fraudulently induced into marriage by her mother, pleaded guilty to her incest charge. She was sentenced to probation for 10 years, two of which to be spent under the supervision of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
But after the verdict, a legal technicality emerged, which does not allow deferred senteces – like probation – in incest cases. She was therefore allowed to withdraw her guilty plea and to enter a new plea.
After pleading guilty to the felony count, on March 13, 2018, 46.years-old Spann, born in Norman (OK), was transferred to prison for incest. A judged sentenced her to two years of prison, eight years probation and a $2,791 fine allocated as follows: a $1,500 fine, $300 to the State victims' compensation fund, and $991 in legal fees. Upon her release, she will also be registered as a sex offender.
In this moment, the woman is held in prison in a Oklahoma State Jail, where she passed her first three months as a recluse.
Thus we have compiled a chronicle of a strange story from the deep South Central. The nature of these facts can amaze and astonish, pushing us to try and guess the inner dinamics that moved its protagonist, Patricia Ann Spann. What were her motivations? Is it possible to really understand?
This is why this is no biography. We can only get a glimpse of the vast array of different interpretation such a story can sustain, of the extent of speculations it suggests, of the powerful, mythical narratives it brings to mind. Where should we start?
(La cara Pasifae)
12 Comments Posted in Unclassifiable, Mysteries of Sex Tagged amore, ann, cody, cronaca, duncan, gay, incest, incesto, lawton, legal, legale, love, marrigae, marry, matrimonio, misty velvet, news, oklahoma, patricia, processo, report, sesso, sex, spann, sposare, trial
"A Tiny Red Hole": Horrible Stories of Needles
Sometimes the smallest objects can turn out to be the most useful. And the most frightening.
Who doesn't feel at least a vague repulsion, a little shiver upon seeing a needle entering the skin?
You guessed it: this article is devoted to needles in bizarre clinical contexts. If you are among the 10% of the population who suffer from needle phobia, then you should skip this post… or maybe not.
Prehistoric Needles
An invention older than Man himself
Let's begin with a little curiosity that isn't really relevant to this article, but I find fascinating: pictured above is the most ancient needle ever recovered by archaeologists… and it's not a human artifact.
7 centimeters-long, carved from the bone of an unidentified bird, this perfect needle (complete with an eye to insert a thread) was produced more than 50.000 years ago – not by proper Homo sapiens, but by the mysterious Denisova hominin: settled on mount Altaj in Siberia, these human predecessors are partly still an enigma for paleontologists. But this needle, found in 2016 from their cave, is a proof of their technological advancement.
Needles Under The Skin
The inexplicable delay of Western medicine
Going from sewing needles to medical needles was a much later conquest than you might imagine.
It shouldn't have been that difficult to see how injecting a drug directly under the skin might be an effective kind of treatment. Norman Howard-Jones begins his Critical Study of the Origins and Early Development of Hypodermic Medication (1947) by noting that:
The effects of the bites of venomous snakes and insects pointed clearly to the possibility of the introduction of drugs through punctures in the skin. In primitive societies, the application for therapeutic purposes of plant and animal products through cutaneous incisions is practiced […], and the use of poisoned arrows may be regarded as a crude precursor of hypodermic and intramuscular medication.
We could trace another "crude precursor" of intramuscular injections back to Sir Robert Christison's 1831 proposal, suggesting that whalers fix a vial of prussic acid to their harpoons in order to kill whales more quickly.
And yet, despite of all these clues, the first proper hypodermic injection for strict medical purposes did not take place before mid-Nineteenth Century. Until then, syringes (which had been around for centuries) were mainly used for suction, for instance to draw the fluids which accumulated in abscesses. Enemas and nasal irrigation were used since Roman times, but nobody had thought to inject medications under the skin.
Physicians had tried, with varying results, to scar the epydermis with irritants and to deposit the drug directly on the resultin ulcer, or they sliced the skin with a lancet, as in bloodletting, and inserted salts (for example morphine) through the cut. In 1847, G. V. Lafargue was the first to have the intuition of combining inoculation with acupuncture, and to build a long and thick hollow needle filled with morphine paste. But other methods were being tested, such as sawing a silk thread, imbued in drugs, directly into the patient's skin.
The first true hypodermic syringe was invented in 1853 by Scottish doctor Alexander Wood, as reported in his New Method of Treating Neuralgia by Subcutaneous Injection (1855). Almost at the same time, the French physician Charles Pravaz had devised his own version. By the end of the Nineteenth Century, hypodermic injections had become a widespread procedure in the medical field.
Needles In The Flesh
The bizarre clinical case of the "needle woman"
Published in 1829 by Giuseppe Ferrario, Chief Surgeon at the Ospedale Maggiore in Milan, La donna dagli aghi reports a strange case that began in June 1828.
A young 19-year-old woman, Maria Magni, "peasant, of scrofulous appearance, but with a passionate temper" was admitted to the hospital because of severe pain.
One April morning, the year before, she had found a light blue piece of paper on the ground which contained 70/80 steel sewing needles. In order not to lose them, she had pinned them on her blouse cuff. But Maria suffered from epileptic fits, and a few hours later, as she was working in the vineyard, "she fell victim of the usual spasms, and convulsive bouts. Under these abnormal and violent muscular movements […] she believes that she unwillingly pushed the needles she had pinned to her shirt through her right arm – which was naked, as is the case among our peasants – as well as through her breast". The needles didn't cause her any trouble until three months later, when the pain had become unbearable; she then decided to go to the hospital.
The doctor on duty hesitated to admit her, for fear she had syphilis: Magni had tried alternative treatments, and had applied "many varied remedies, catplasms, ointments, blistering drugs and other ulcerating substances, etc, with the intention of exciting the needles out of her skin", but this only resulted in her body being covered by sores.
Enter Doctor Ferrario, who during the first 35 days of treatment submitted her to bloodletting for 16 times, applied more than 160 leeches to her temples, administered vesicants, frictions, decoctions, salts and various tinctures. But the daily epileptic fits were terrible, and nothing seemed to work: "all the physicians, stunned by the woman's horrible condition, predicted an approaching and inevitable death".
Upon hearing the story of the needles, though, Ferrario began to wonder if some of them were still sticking inside the young woman's body. He examined her wounds and actually started feeling something thin and hard within the flesh; but touching those spots triggered some epileptic fits of unheard violence. Ferrario described these bouts with typical 19th-Century literary flourishes, in the manner of Gothic novels, a language which today sounds oddly inappropriate in a medical context:
the poor wretched girl, pointing her nape and feet, pushed her head between her shoulders while jumping high above the bed, and arched her bust and arms on the account of the spasmodic contraction of dorsal muscles […] she was shaking and screaming, and angrily wrapped her body in her arms at the risk of suffocating […]. There was involuntary loss of urine and feces […]. Her gasping, suffocated breath, her flaccid and wrinkled breast which appeared beneath her hirst, torn to pieces; the violence with which she turned her head on her neck, and with which she banged it against the walls and threw it back, hanging from the side of the bed; her red and bulging eyes, sometimes dazed, sometimes wide open, almost coming out of their socket, glassy and restless; the obscene clenching of her teeth, the foamy, bloody matter that she squirted and vomited from her dirty mouth, her swollen and horribly distorted face, her black hair, soaked in drool, which she flapped around her cranium […] all this inspired the utmost disgust and terror, as it was the sorrowful image of an infernal fury.
Ferrario then began extracting the needles out of the woman's body, performing small incisions, and his record went on and on much in the same way: "this morning I discovered a needle in the internal superior region of the right breast […] After lunch, having cut the upper part of the arm as usual, I extracted the needle n. 14, very rusty, with its point still intact but missing the eye […] from the top of the mons pubis I extracted the needle n. 24, rusty, without point nor eye, of the length of eight lines."
The pins were hard to track down, they moved across the muscles from one day to the other, so much so that the physician even tried using big horseshoe magnets to locate the needles.
The days went by, and as the number of extracted needles grew, so did the suspect that the woman might be cheating on the doctors; Maria Magni just kept expelling needles over and over again. Ferrario began to wonder whether the woman was secretly inserting the needles in her own body.
But before accusing her, he needed proof. He had them searched, kept under strict surveillance, and he even tried to leave some "bait" needles lying around the patient's bed, to see if they disappear. Nothing.
In the meantime, starting from extraction number 124, Miss Magni began throwing up needles.
The physician had to ask himself: did these needles arrive into the digestive tract through the diaphragm? Or did Magni swallow them on purpose? One thing is sure: vomiting needles caused the woman such distress that "having being so unwell, I doubt she ever swallowed any more after that, but she might have resorted to another less uncomfortable and less dangerous opening, to continue her malicious introduction of needles in the body".
The "less uncomfortable opening" was her vagina, from which many a new needle was removed.
As if all this was not enough, rumors had spread that the "needle woman" was actually a witch, and hospital patients began to panic.
An old countrywoman, recovering in the bed next to Magni's, became convinced that the woman had been victim of a spell, and then turned into a witch on the account of the magic needles. Being on the bed next to her, the old lady believed that she herself might fall under the spell. She didn't want to be touched by the young woman, nor by me, for she believed I could be a sorcerer too, because I was able to extract the needles so easily. This old lady fell for this nonsense so that she started screaming all day long like a lunatic, and really became frenzied and delirious, and many leeches had to be applied to her head to calm her down.
Eventually one day it was discovered where Magni had been hiding the needles that she stuck in her body:
Two whole needles inside a ball of yarn; four whole needles wrapped in paper between the mattress and the straw, all very shiny; a seventh needle, partly rusted, pinned under a bed plank. Several inmates declared that Maria Magni had borrowed four needles from them, not returning them with the excuse that they had broken. The ill-advised young woman, seeing she was surrounded and exposed […] faked violent convulsions and started acting like a demon, trashing the bed and hurting the assistants. She ended by simulating furious ecstasy, during which she talked about purely fictional beings, called upon the saints and the devils, then began swearing, then horribly blasphemed angels, saints, demons, physicians, surgeons and nurses alike.
After a couple of days of these performance, Magni confessed. She had implanted the needles herself under her skin, placed them inside her vagina and swallowed them, taking care of hiding the pierced areas until the "tiny red hole" had cicatrized and disappeared.
In total, 315 needles were retrieved from Maria Magni's body.
In the epilogue of his essay, Ferrario points out that this was not even the first recorded case: in 1821, 363 needles were extracted from the body of young Rachel Hertz; another account is about a girl who survived for more than 24 years to the ingestion of 1.500 needles. Another woman, Genueffa Pule, was born in 1763 and died at the age of 37, and an autopsy was carried out on her body: "upon dissecting the cadaver, in the upper, inner part of each thigh, precisely inside the triceps, masses of pins and needles were found under the teguments, and all the muscles teemed with pins and needles".
Ferrario ascribes the motivations of these actions to pica, or superstition. Maria claimed that she had been encouraged by other women of the village to swallow the needles in order to emulate the martyr saints, as a sort of apotropaic ritual. More plausibly, this was just a lie the woman told when she saw herself being cornered.
In the end, the physician admits his inability to understand:
It is undoubtedly a strange thing for a sane person to imagine how pain – a sensation shunned even by the most ignorant people, and abhorred by human nature – could be sometimes sought out and self-inflicted by a reasonable individual.
I wonder what would Ferrario say today, if he could see some practices such as play piercing or body suspension performances.
Needles In The Brain
A dreadful legacy
As I was going through pathology archives, in search of studies that could have some similarities with the Magni story, I came upon one, then two, then several other reports regarding an even more unbelievable occurrence: sewing needles found in the encephalon of adult patients, often during routine X-rays.
Intracranial foreign bodies are rare, and usually result from trauma and operations; but neither the 37-year-old patient admitted in 2004, nor the 45-year-old man in 2005, nor the 82-year-old Italian woman in 2010, nor the 48-year-old Chinese woman in 2015 had suffered any major cranial trauma or undergone head surgery.
An apparently impossible enigma: how did those needles get there?
The answer is quite awful. These are all cases of failed infanticide.
The possibility of infanticide by inserting pins through the fontanelle is mentioned in the Enciclopedia legale ovvero Lessico ragionato by F. Foramiti (1839), where the author includes a (chilling) list of all the methods with which a mother can kill her own child, among which appears the "puncturing the fontanelle and the brain with a thin sharp dagger or a long and strong needle".
But the practice, properly documented in medical literature only by 1914, already appeared in Persian novels and texts: perhaps the fact that the method was well-known in the ancient Middle East, is the reason why most of the forty recorded cases were documented in Turkey and Iran, with a minority coming from Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States. In Italy there were two known cases, one in 1987 and the 2010 case mentioned above.
Most of these patients didn't show any particular neurological symptom: the sewing needles, having been embedded in the brain for so many years, are not even removed; a surgical procedure, at this point, would be more dangerous than leaving them in situ.
This was the case for the only known occurrence reported in Africa, a 4-year-old child carrying a 4,5 cm needle through his brain. At the time the report was filed, in 2014, the needle was still there: "no complications were noted, the child had normal physical and mental development with excellent performance at school".
Of course, discovering at the age of forty that someone – your parents, or maybe your grandparents – tried to kill you when you were just months old must be a shock.
It happened to Luo Cuifen, a chinese lady who was born in 1976, and who showed up at the hospital because of blood in her urine in 2007, and who discovered she had 26 sewing needles in her body, piercing vital organs such as lungs, liver, kidneys and brain. Her story is related to the discriminations towards female newborn children in rural China, where a son is more welcome than a daughter because he can carry on the family name, perform funeral rituals for ancestors, and so on. In Luo's case, it was most likely her grandparents who attempted the infanticide when she was but months old (even if this theory cannot be proven, as her grandparents already passed away).
In more recent cases, recorded in Tunisia, China and Brazil, it was discovered that the children had respectively three, twelve and even fifty needles stuck in their bodies.
The cases of people surviving for decades with a needle in their brain are obviously an exception – as one of the studies put it, this is the "tip of the iceberg".
A needle wound can be almost invisible. What is really disquieting is the thought of all those infanticides who are carried out "successfully", without being discovered.
Sometimes the smallest objects can turn out to be the most useful. And the most lethal.
My gratitude goes to Mariano Tomatis, who recommended La donna dagli aghi, which he discovered during his studies on 19th-century magnetism, and which started this research.
23 Comments Posted in MondoMacabro, Anomalous Science Tagged 19th, aghi, ago, anatomia, anatomy, archaeology, archeologia, body, brain, case, caso, cervello, chirurgia, corpo, cranio, cucito, denisova, fontanella, fontanelle, head, history, hypodermic, infanticidio, infilare, inghiottire, insert, intracranial, ipodermica, luo cuifen, medical, medicina, medicine, medico, muscle, muscolo, needle, needles, nineteenth century, ottocento, pahtology, patologia, patologica, pelle, physician, pica, piercing, pins, prehistory, preistoria, puncture, puntura, report, resoconto, sewing, siringa, skin, sottopelle, spillo, storia, stuck, surgery, swallow, syringe, testa
A Blog by Ivan Cenzi
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Q: Biometric Prompt on Android devices and Applicatioin authentication I Would like to know more about the Biometric Authentication in Android.
First : How the the Biometric differentiate between all available authentications like face ID, Finger Print or Iris ???
Second: If user has registered face ID, Finger Print at device level. Then if my application implementing Biometric authentication, which one will it choose out of face ID & Finger Print ?
Thank you in advance!

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Charles and Debra Simpson: Couple facing failing heart, difficulty walking in once-flooded home
Mary Huber @marymhuber
Nov 21, 2018 at 2:43 PM Dec 20, 2018 at 10:03 PM
Charles and Debra Simpson tore down a wall in their Cedar Creek mobile home three years ago so they could sleep side-by-side in their twin hospital beds.
The couple will celebrate 50 years of marriage in January — if Charles Simpson makes it that long.
The 77-year-old retired rock mason was placed in hospice care last month after years of struggling with congestive heart failure. He's had four surgeries, including two bypasses. Now, the doctors say his pacemaker is doing all the work. Without it, his heart wouldn't beat on its own.
"My husband may not be here any longer than six months," says Debra Simpson, who has been planning his funeral. "His doctor basically told us there is nothing else he can do if he gets more blockages because he doesn't have any veins left."
Debra Simpson, 67, struggles with her own health problems, including osteoarthritis, which she's had for years. A car accident 10 years ago crushed the bones in her right leg. Her left is held together by screws. Today, she can't walk on her own and relies on a wheelchair.
"My grandkids are at an age where they want to go and do things, and I would like to go with them," she says. "I can't even do that."
The Simpsons live in a mobile home on the Travis County/Bastrop County line surrounded by their kids. Their youngest daughter, Rebecca Simpson, comes to check on them every day, administering basic care for her father, washing clothes and cooking meals.
The couple's trailer was ravaged by floodwaters on Halloween 2015. Today, the wreckage is still visible in the patchwork wooden floors that were soaked by a foot of water and mud.
"You either got to pay the bills or put down new floors," Rebecca Simpson says.
The Simpsons also need electrical and plumbing work on the house and help with basic necessities.
"It seems kind of strange to be asking somebody for help," Debra Simpson says. "I may be in a wheelchair, and I may not be able to walk right now, but I still have a home and family, and there's people that don't even have that. I consider myself one of the lucky ones."
Make a donation to Season for Caring: community.statesman.com/donate or mail it in to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX, 78751. Make checks payable to "Statesman Season for Caring."
Read all the family stories: statesman.com/seasonforcaring


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HomeNewsInternational NewsChina Detains 3 Million Uyghur Muslims in Detention Camps: Rights Group.
China Detains 3 Million Uyghur Muslims in Detention Camps: Rights Group.
1 minute, 36 seconds Read
Uygur Muslim activists and rights group say they have documented nearly 500 camps and prisons run by China to detain members of their ethnic group, accusing Beijing of holding far more than the commonly cited figure of one million people, The Independent reported.
The East Turkestan National Awakening Movement, a Washington-based group gave the geographic coordinates of 182 suspected "concentration camps" where Uygurs are allegedly pressured to renounce their culture.
Researching imagery from Google Earth, the group said it also spotted 209 suspected prisons and 74 suspected labor camps for which it would share details later.
"In large part, these have not been previously identified, so we could be talking about far greater numbers" of people detained, Kyle Olbert, the director of operations for the movement, said on Tuesday.
"If anything, we are concerned that there may be more facilities that we have not been able to identify," he said in suburban Washington.
Randall Schriver, the top US Defence Department official for Asia, told a briefing in May that the Pentagon estimates the number of Muslims detained in China to be "closer to three million citizens".
In a release, ETNAM pointed to this estimate adding: "We believe the number is much higher when prisons and labor camps are also considered."
The group said it would release coordinates for those in due course.
Repression Against Xinjiang's Muslims
In its 117-page report, "'Eradicating Ideological Viruses': China's Campaign of Repression Against Xinjiang's Muslims," Human Rights Watch presented new evidence of the Chinese government's mass arbitrary detention, torture, and mistreatment, and the increasingly pervasive controls on daily life.
Chinese authorities impose restrictions on Uyghur Muslims in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, especially during Ramadan.
Rights groups accuse Chinese authorities of a heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people.
https://aboutislam.net/muslim-issues/world/china-detains-3-million-uyghur-muslims-in-detention-camps-rights-group/
India's Muslims and the New Citizenship Law.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia to work jointly to protect pilgrims from coronavirus.
Saudi Donates 2 Containers of 'Tamarow' to Sierra Leone.
Saudi Arabia is leading the fight for true Islam, says Shoura Council speaker.


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Home / For Patients & Visitors / D-H Stories / Our Patients. Their Stories. Aimee Giglio
Our Patients. Their Stories. Aimee Giglio
Photography by Mark Washburn
I have a special relationship with the care team who took care of me in a very meaningful way.
Aimee Giglio
Early on in her pregnancy in the spring of 2013, before settling on a name, Aimee Giglio, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health's (D-HH's) chief Human Resources officer, and her husband, AJ, came up with a nickname for their baby.
"Blueberry," she says, "because on my first ultrasound it looked like a little blueberry on the screen."
At 20 weeks, Giglio and her husband went to Dartmouth-Hitchcock (D-H) Concord for another ultrasound, this time to learn the sex of the baby. When the nurse asked if they had a preference, to Giglio's surprise her husband said, "Actually, yeah, I'd love to have a little boy."
"Well, that's what you're having," the nurse promptly told them.
Excited to start sharing the news as they headed out of the hospital, Giglio says they were in the parking lot when another nurse came running after them, saying, "You've got to come back in here. We want to talk with you about your ultrasound."
The ultrasound had also revealed a condition that suddenly put Giglio's pregnancy at high risk, which meant transferring her care to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) for closer monitoring, including weekly ultrasounds.
It was in her 23rd week, on August 1, that Giglio experienced both the convenience and the difficulty of having her work and her health care in the same building. After leaving an early morning meeting to have another ultrasound, she was told she needed to be hospitalized because the ultrasound revealed she may go into labor at any time. "I was petrified," she says, "and they wanted to wheel me in a wheelchair from Obstetrics to the Birthing Pavilion."
At first embarrassed to be seen by colleagues, she says she was reminded by her care team that, "I work in a facility where people understand. I was doing this for my baby."
Giglio was officially admitted to DHMC, and her doctors issued the strict requirement that she "remain on bedrest until further notice," she says.
During the six weeks Giglio was in the hospital, she learned firsthand the extraordinary extent to which the staff cares for patients. "They would come in every morning and help me get ready for the day," she says, "they always treated me with such dignity and respect. And, I know this is part of their routine – to create an environment of support and comfort for all patients."
Her nurses helped her keep a positive outlook by placing an X each day on a wall calendar to signify the continued health of her baby, who by now was known to all as Blueberry. They even celebrated Giglio's birthday with her work team members during her stay.
Giglio with members of her care team from the Birthing Pavilion, left to right: Emily Baker, MD, Simone Russell, LNA, Elizabeth Joseph, RN, Aimee Giglio, Dawn Mele, LNA, Kristine Bowen, Chaplain, Emily Brayton, RN and Mary Ann Murdoch, RN.
Her appreciation also extended to the licensed nursing assistants (LNAs), the Birthing Pavilion housekeeping staff, volunteers, chaplaincy, ultrasound technicians and all those who, she learned, "make the patient room function." The level of care along with the level of intimacy contributed to a sense of family. "I have a special relationship with the care team, who took care of me in a very meaningful way, and I have the utmost appreciation for them." One of the LNA's even made a banner to go in her room with little onesies cut out of scrapbook paper that spelled "Blueberry."
In late September, Giglio was discharged under the condition that she continue bedrest at her home for another six weeks. "I was right on the cusp of 37 weeks," she recalls, "when one morning I sat up in bed and my water broke."
Since she was able to transfer her care back to D-H Concord and there was concern she didn't have enough time to get to DHMC, Giglio's husband took her to Concord Hospital in Concord, NH. After some concern that the baby was arriving too early, Giglio says, "I had a completely natural birth, my doctor from D-H Concord was able to deliver Jack and he was a healthy seven pound baby. We were discharged within a couple days."
Today, Giglio's "Blueberry," Jack, is a "very bright, energetic and healthy" four-year-old, she says. "He likes to play soccer, loves books, snowmobiling, and loves Spider-Man, too."
Looking back on her journey, Giglio remains grateful to all the staff who cared for her during that difficult period of her pregnancy, and who always protected her privacy and dignity. "As an employee who became a patient, I feel everyone embodied the patient experience by doing what was best for me as a patient. I will be forever grateful to call the staff at DHMC part of my family. It was because of the care I received that I can now call myself a mother."
Birthing Pavilion
Obstetrics, Gynecology and Nurse Midwifery


ELMA, WASHINGTON (September 4, 2017) – As the country observed the Labor Day holiday, Jason and the JJR Marshall Racing #41 crew went to work at Grays Harbor Raceway as they trekked south through the state of Washington following two strong finishes at Skagit Speedway to kick off the holiday weekend. It was a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest with movie type blue skies with a few bright white puffy clouds in front of the backdrop. There were 26 cars in the pit area eager to get working in front of an absolutely packed house at the 3/8th-mile oval.
The 2016 Knoxville Nationals champion sat patiently in the cockpit of his Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution/Winters Performance #41 as he was the 21st driver out for qualifying. Brad Sweet and Shane Stewart turned laps that had them at the top of the speed charts when the Ragin' Cajun took to the track and showed off his shiny Weld Racing wheels. He dug in with his Hoosier Racing Tires and took off under the green flag. He was setting a good pace when he flew by the flagman the first time around with a lap of 12.159 seconds. But his Kistler Engines power was just getting started as he pick up some more speed the second time around to turn in a lap at 11.850 seconds, which was second quick at the time. Daryn Pittman took to the track directly after Jason and set a new track record with a lap of 11.716 seconds outing him to the top of the time trial rundown. Jason ended qualifying as the third quickest driver in time trials. A great start to the night.
He would carry that speed into the third heat race where he would start from the pole position with Jac Haudenschild to his outside. His right foot was ready and when they got the green-to-go signal from the flagman, Jason took off in the Priority Aviation Services, LLC/KSE Racing Products Maxim. He was in clean air and not experiencing any turbulence as the crisp late summer air flowed over his Vortex Wing giving him the downforce needed to stick him to the track's surface. He would dominate all 8 laps and win by 2.979 seconds over Jac Haudenschild with Washingtonian, Jason Solwold, coming home third as Jamie Veal, Taylor Malsam and Dominic Scelzi secured the final transfer spots.
The Louisiana native found himself in the Craftsman Club Dash for an impressive 41st time this season in World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series competition, where he would start fourth after and inversion pill of six was drawn. Jac Haudenschild and Jason Sides were in row one, as Shane Stewart joined the Ragin' Cajun in row two, with Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) teammates Brad Sweet and Daryn Pittman in row three. It was all out chaos in this Dash from the start as the fans in the stands watched intently. Stewart drove into the lead as Brad Sweet moved from row three to the runner-up position with Jason right behind. Stewart would go on to win the eventful Dash over Sweet, Johnson, Pittman and Sides with Jac Haudenschild coming home sixth.
The last competition on the evening's event schedule was the 30-lap feature event where Jason would start third in the Fischer Body Shop/CCC #41 Maxim Racing entry. Pole sitter Shane Stewart brought the field to the green following the traditional pre-race show as Jason drove into the runner-up spot ahead of Brad Sweet. The racing was tight and clean among these talented drivers as the front three would stay that way throughout the first five circuits. Sweet would steal the second spot back as Jason settled into the show position in the running order on lap six. A caution for Jacob Allen with 15 laps to go regrouped the field at the halfway point of the race. Restarting in the double file order, Jason used the opportunity to drive into the runner-up spot on lap 16 before Sweet wrestled it back. Stewart and Sweet would then have a great battle for the lead with Stewart getting his seventh win of the year as David Gravel took home third and Jason brought the Waco Metal/Jonestown KOA #41 Maxim home in fourth as Daryn Pittman completed the top five. Another great run for the forty-one!
As Jason and the JJR Marshall Racing #41 team leave the state of Washington, they do so with a smile and three top five runs – a second place finish and two consecutive fourth place finishes – as they look to continue their speed and forward momentum as they continue south to race at Willamette Speedway on Wednesday night in Lebanon, Oregon.


Estelle Smiles: Mercy Ships Needs You...yes, YOU!
The Mercy Ships Academy is recruiting teachers for the next school year (August 2011 - June 2012). If you are interested or think you know anybody who could be interested have a look here.


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Arts & Culture » Film
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream
With the DVD explosion, the "midnight movie" "? that is, witching-hour screenings of oddball films that bring the drug-addled out in droves "? is a thing of the past. Originally shown on the cable channel Starz, the documentary "Midnight Movies" explores the birth of this cultural phenomenon through clips and interviews aplenty.
According to the filmmakers, the surreal, bloody, graphic Mexican import "El Topo" was the spark that took flame, playing for years on a single screen and packing houses every time. Proving that a cult following likes to keep things that way, expanding "El Topo" to a regular theatrical run proved a bomb.
George Romero's low-budget "Night of the Living Dead" was ill-received upon its release, but midnight screenings kept it alive and repaired its rep; today, it's considered one of the best horror films of all time. Without that devoted repeat audience, Romero's career zenith may have remained the footage he shot of kids' show host Mister Rogers undergoing a tonsillectomy (the hilarious footage is here, believe it or not).
Other films examined in detail are John Waters' fecal-fest "Pink Flamingos," the Jamaican crime film "The Harder They Come," David Lynch's "Eraserhead" and, of course, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." The directors of each are interviewed, and it's quite a coup to have Lynch here, considering he hardly appears on his own DVDs.
With nods to "Freaks," "Reefer Madness" and more, "Midnight Movies" is an enlightening and lively look at and tribute to a bygone era that forever changed cinema.
"?Rod Lott
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DUNCAN B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors(17-12-0-1) faceoff tonight versus the Cowichan Capitals(7-17-4-1).
The Warriors kicked off their Island road trip with a thrilling 7-5 victory last night in Nanaimo. It was a game in which the Nanaimo Clippers were trailing 5-1 after one period but managed to crawl their way back into the game making it 6-5 with over two minutes to go. The Warriors were able to score on the empty net only a minute later and leave Nanaimo with two points.
Tonight the Warriors will be in Duncan to take on the Cowichan Capitals, who've only been able to win 7 games this season, but at the same time they are capable of defeating any club this season. This past Wednesday was a prime example. The Caps were able to put seven goals past the Victoria Grizzlies defeating the number one seed in the Island Division 7-4. Warriors Head Coach and General Manager Geoff Grimwood knows his team needs to take the Capitals seriously, "It's not an easy rink to go into, they work hard, they're a physical team. We can't afford to take anyone lightly right now, technically we've lost 4 of our last 6 as well".
Catch tonight's game on Mixlr and Hockey TV. Warriors Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations Chase Johnston is back on the mic with a pregame show 10 minutes before puck drop. Just a reminder that tickets are still available for the next home game versus the Merritt Centennials. Visit the Warriors website and select single game tickets for more details.


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Los Olivos Elementary School District is a public school district in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.

It operates a single school, Los Olivos Elementary School. The Olive Grove Charter School was previously affiliated with the school district, but is not anymore.

References

External links

School districts in Santa Barbara County, California

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