House worker yells during vote, escorted away

WASHINGTON (AP) — A woman described by lawmakers and aides as a long-time House stenographer has been removed from the chamber during a vote after she began shouting.

The woman was yelling from the rostrum Wednesday just below where the House presiding officer sits. The microphone she was yelling into was off.

Lawmakers said she was yelling about the House being divided and the devil. Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said she had a crazed look on her face.

As she was led into an elevator by security, she was heard to shout, "This is not one nation under God. It never was."

She also screamed, "Praise be to God, Lord Jesus Christ."

The outburst occurred while the House was voting on legislation ending the government shutdown and extending the federal debt limit.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-worker-yells-during-vote-escorted-away-030128009--politics.html
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Tenacious D: Festival Supreme Is 'The Greatest Comedy Music Event in the History of Civilization' (Video)

As American music festivals have grown increasingly common and popular, somehow the joke bands were largely forgotten. Tenacious D, Spinal Tap, Flight of the Concords, Lonely Island -- where's their festival to rock? 

Enter: Jack Black and Kyle Gass, the dynamic duo behind "The Greatest Band in the World," Tenacious D, and now Festival Supreme, the world's first daylong music and comedy festival. 

Unfortunately, those three other top tier artists declined The D's invitation, Black recently told The Hollywood Reporter. "But everybody else said yes. And I mean everybody. ... This is still, like, the greatest comedy music event in the history of human civilization."

PHOTOS: This Is Judd Apatow: The King of Comedy's Life in Pictures

Of course, it's easy to claim the best lineup when you're first in the lane. Still, Festival Supreme looks likely to impress. The Oct. 19 inaugural event will take over the Santa Monica Pier for a day of laughs and a roster that's grown to 26 acts across three stages. Aside from that troublesome twosome, the fest will feature sets from Zach Galifianakis, Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman, the Mr. Show Experience, Fred Armisen, The Mighty Boosh, Reggie Watts, Eric Idle, Hannibal Buress, Will Forte, Demetri Martin, Patton Oswalt, Tim and Eric and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, among others. 

In preparation of The D's Festival Supreme, THR sat down with Black and Gass to get a sense of how this big idea came together and wound up leaving with a new theme song.

Watch the video below.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/music/~3/RLdCQGTvszk/story01.htm
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Minibus blast kills 21 in southern Syria: activists

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Twenty-one people, including four children and six women, were killed when a minibus hit a mine in the southern Syrian town of Noa on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Opposition activists told the Observatory the minibus drove over a mine planted by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. There was no immediate comment from the government.

The explosion was reported in rebel-held territory in Deraa province but army troops are also stationed in the nearby base of Tel al-Jumaa, which is besieged.

The British-based Observatory, which is opposed to Assad, reported clashes in most provinces on Wednesday and said warplanes had been deployed to the eastern desert city of Deir al-Zor.

The group said at least 27 government soldiers had been killed during intense clashes in Deir al-Zor over the past two days although rebels gave a figure more than double that.

Assad's forces are battling an uprising that grew out of protests against his family's four-decade grip on the country.

Violence has continued in recent days despite pleas from Arab and Muslim organizations for a ceasefire to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

Pro- and anti-government militias have fragmented the country into fiefdoms, with hardline Islamist rebels fighting Kurds and other opposition groups.

The Observatory reported that 29 jihadist fighters, some from the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and 12 Kurdish militants were killed during clashes on Tuesday in the northeast province of Hasaka.

It is increasingly difficult for international aid workers to operate in the lawless rebel-held northern provinces.

Six Red Cross workers and a colleague from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were abducted on Sunday after delivering medical supplies in the northern province of Idlib. Four were released the next day.

Aid workers say the Damascus government has also placed barriers on working in Syria such as rejecting visas or preventing convoys from entering certain areas.

Syrians complain aid is not getting through to many areas of the country, especially to residents living in rebel-held territory who say the government is restricting access.

ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson said his group was asking "all authorities for access" to Mouadamiya southwest of Damascus, where he estimated 10,000 civilians were trapped.

"We are concerned about the situation in the besieged town of Mouadamiya, under siege for 10 months. We have not been able to enter and suspect there are medical care needs and possibly of essential aid like food and water," he said in Geneva.

'DANGEROUS AND UNPREDICTABLE'

Earlier this month the United Nations Security Council urged the Syrian government to boost aid access by allowing cross-border deliveries and called on combatants in the civil war to agree humanitarian pauses in fighting.

"It is vital to turn those strong words into action," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a news conference on Wednesday. "The humanitarian situation is worsening."

Assad has agreed to a U.N.-endorsed mission to eliminate his chemical weapons, a move widely seen as a concession to avoid U.S. military strikes after an August sarin gas attack in Damascus that killed hundreds in rebel-held areas.

Ban appointed Sigrid Kaag, of the Netherlands, on Wednesday as the special coordinator for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons/United Nations joint mission.

Kaag, who speaks Arabic, is currently working for the United Nations Development Program and has previously worked for the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, Ban said. She will be based in Cyprus report to Ban and OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü.

Experts from the OPCW have visited 11 of a total of around 20 declared sites where they are due to oversee the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal and production facilities, the organization said on Wednesday.

The OPCW - which last week was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize - said in a statement its activities so far included "critical equipment destruction at six sites" as well as some rockets designed for use with chemical weapons.

The most complex stage of their work, the destruction of chemical agents and precursors, has yet to start and the teams will likely have to visit at least one site - near the northern town of Safira - where fighting is continuing.

"We have no illusions over the challenges ahead. The situation in Syria remains dangerous and unpredictable. The cooperation of all parties in Syria is required," Ban said.

He said international Syria mediator Lakhdar Brahimi would travel to the region in coming days to meet "key parties" to push for a Syria peace conference, which the United Nations aims to hold in Geneva in mid-November. Brahimi's deputy Nasser al-Kidwa will also travel to Turkey shortly to meet with the Syrian opposition, Ban said.

(Reporting by Oliver Holmes in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Angus MacSwan and David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/minibus-blast-kills-21-southern-syria-activists-073419110.html
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The Cool Sunglasses Mystery

TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM
Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011, AT 3:07 PM
Obama Gets Firsthand Look at a Tornado Damage

TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM
Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long. Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long.

TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM
Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long. Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cool_story/2013/10/the_coolest_sunglasses_ever_can_slate_readers_identify_them.html
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High court will review EPA global warming rules

The Supreme Court, shown Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 in Washington, has agreed to consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in developing rules aimed at cutting emissions of six heat-trapping gases from factories and power plants. The justices said Tuesday they will review a unanimous federal appeals court ruling that upheld the government's unprecedented regulations aimed at reducing the gases blamed for global warming. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The Supreme Court, shown Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 in Washington, has agreed to consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in developing rules aimed at cutting emissions of six heat-trapping gases from factories and power plants. The justices said Tuesday they will review a unanimous federal appeals court ruling that upheld the government's unprecedented regulations aimed at reducing the gases blamed for global warming. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether to block key aspects of the Obama administration's plan aimed at cutting power plant and factory emissions of gases blamed for global warming.

The justices said they will review a unanimous federal appeals court ruling that upheld the government's unprecedented regulation of carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases.

The question in the case is whether the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate automobile emissions of greenhouses gases as air pollutants, which stemmed from a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, also applies to power plants and factories.

The court's decision essentially puts on trial a small but critical piece of President Barack Obama's toolbox to tackle global warming — a requirement that companies expanding existing industrial facilities or building new ones that would increase overall pollution must evaluate ways to reduce the carbon they release, as well. For many industrial facilities, this is the only way heat-trapping gases will be regulated, until the EPA sets national standards.

That's because the administration's plans hinge on the high court's 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA which said the EPA has the authority, under the Clean Air Act, to limit emissions of greenhouse gases from vehicles. Two years later, Obama's EPA concluded that the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases endangered human health and welfare, a finding the administration has used to extend its authority beyond automobiles to develop national standards for large stationary sources.

The administration currently is at work setting first-time national standards for new and existing power plants, and will move on to other large stationary sources. But in the meantime, the only way companies are addressing global warming pollution is through a permitting program that requires them to analyze the best available technologies to reduce carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas.

The president gave the EPA until next summer to propose regulations for existing power plants, the largest unregulated source of global warming pollution.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said the court will take up "a very narrow legal question" and otherwise confirmed "that EPA has the authority to protect public health by reducing carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act."

Michael Gerrard, a law professor at Columbia University and director of its Center for Climate Change Law, saw it somewhat differently. "From an environmental standpoint, it is bad, but not catastrophic," Gerrard said. He added that it would have been far worse if the court decided to question the EPA's conclusion that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare.

Environmental groups generally breathed a sigh of relief that the court rejected calls to overrule its 2007 decision or review the EPA's conclusion about the health effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

"It's a green light for EPA to go ahead with its carbon pollution standards for power plants because the court has left standing EPA's endangerment finding," said Joanne Spalding, the Sierra Club's senior managing attorney.

But a lawyer for some of the business groups involved in the case said the court issued a more sweeping ruling.

"Read in its broadest sense, it arguably opens the door to whether EPA can regulate greenhouse gases from stationary sources at all," said Roger Martella, a partner with the Sidley, Austin law firm in Washington.

The regulations have been in the works since 2011 and stem from the landmark Clean Air Act that was passed by Congress and signed by President Richard Nixon in 1970 to control air pollution.

The administration has come under fierce criticism from Republicans for pushing ahead with the regulations after Congress failed to pass climate legislation, and after the administration of President George W. Bush resisted such steps.

In 2012, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that the EPA was "unambiguously correct" in using existing federal law to address global warming.

The judges on that panel were: then-Chief Judge David Sentelle, who was appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan, and David Tatel and Judith Rogers, both appointed by Democrat Bill Clinton.

The case will be argued in early 2014.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-15-Supreme%20Court-Greenhouse%20Gases/id-9efe757d5c3f4a058c32ff8d3aed0cab
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Nielsen: Global Ad Spending Rose 2.8 Percent in First Half of Year

Global advertising spending rose 2.8 percent in the first half of 2013, according to latest Nielsen data.

Gains in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region drove worldwide growth, but European ad spending continued to decline amid economic challenges.

"Marketers continue to gradually increase their global ad spending" as growth accelerated to 3.5 percent in the second quarter, according to Nielsen’s latest Global AdView Pulse report.

It didn't provide absolute dollar figures for ad spending.

Latin America ended the first half of 2013 with an ad gain of 13.1 percent, while
Asia posted a 6.4 percent increase, according to Nielsen.

The Middle East and Africa region reported a 3.9 percent improvement in ad spending, while North America was up 2.7 percent. Nielsen didn't break out the U.S. performance.

Europe remained the main laggard in the first half of the year with a 6 percent ad spending decline, according to Nielsen.

U.K. ad revenue declined 2.3 percent, for example. The only gains over the first six months of 2013 in Europe came in  Switzerland (up 0.6 percent), Norway (up 2.5 percent) and Greece (up 7.4 percent), which last year saw a big drop amid its economic crisis.

"Although many marketers remain conservative with advertising budgets, those in Latin America continue to buck the norm," Nielsen concluded. In Europe, "marketers remain modest with their ad budgets amidst the region's continued fiscal crisis," it said.

Argentina was a key contributor to growth in Latin America region with a gain of nearly 30 percent. Indonesia, China and the Philippines helped lead growth in the Asia-Pacific region, which reached $51 billion in ad spending in the first half on 2013.

The Nielsen Global AdView Pulse measures spending on TV, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, outdoor and Internet display advertising.

E-mail: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HollywoodReporterAsia/~3/gilg9CSkMxY/story01.htm
Category: revenge   eric decker   trent richardson   nfl scores   Bryan Cranston  

Ford's Theatre in DC to reopen with private funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ford's Theatre will reopen its doors and resume performances Wednesday, using private funding, even though the government shutdown has continued into a third week.

Theater officials announced Tuesday that the national historic site and performance space will reopen Wednesday. Theater trustee Ronald O. Perelman, the chairman and CEO of MacAndrews and Forbes Holdings Inc., donated $25,000 in emergency funding to pay for the theater's operations for the next eight days.

Ford's Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, is a National Park Service site. A private group runs the theater's programming.

On Wednesday, the theater will resume performances of "The Laramie Project," which is part of the theater's Lincoln Legacy Project focusing on diversity and equality. The production marks 15 years since Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was abducted and killed in Laramie, Wyo. Remaining tickets are $25 each.

The Ford's Theatre Society has been losing about $100,000 in revenue per week since the theater went dark at the start of the highly anticipated "Laramie Project" production due to the government shutdown, said spokeswoman Lauren Beyea. The show will run through Oct. 27, but will not be extended because the actors have other commitments.

An agreement was made to reopen Ford's Theatre after several states agreed to provide funding to reopen national parks in other areas. The National Park Service agreed to a similar arrangement for the theater.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fords-theatre-dc-reopen-private-funds-210722833.html
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Buy a Home in These Beautiful Carolina Beauties - RealEstate.com

The Carolinas offer up the best of everything, from lush forests and scenic mountains to rich and rewarding cultural experiences. There are warm beaches, charming historic neighborhoods, and bustling metropolises — all with excellent schools, lots of jobs, and plenty of parks. Here are some of the best places to lay down roots in the Carolinas.

1. The Beauty of Wilmington, NC

Wilmington is a really interesting place to live, in part because it’s a film and television favorite. You won’t get completely inundated by actors and camera crews, but you may occasionally find one of your favorite stars next to you at the gas station.

Moreover, since the downtown area is a nationally listed historic place, you’ll experience a great deal of beauty and history. It’s a wonderful place for tourism, but even residents take advantage of the trolley tours and cobbled streets.

The estimated median price of a house or condo in Wilmington hovers around $216,600.

According to the school rating system employed by the online residential real estate site Trulia, the schools in the Wilmington area have a parent rating of five out of five stars.

Image via Flickr by Steve Sherron

2. Get to Greenville, SC

If you want a real “down-home” vibe without feeling boxed in, head farther south to Greenville, S.C. This gorgeous town is still close to North Carolina, plus it’s strategically located between Charlotte and Atlanta. You’re surrounded by the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains, which allows for plenty of outdoor activities and fresh-air fun. Even the climate welcomes you, so you’ll always feel comfortable as you take in the local color.

The median listing price of homes in this area is around $174,000. The Greenville County School District’s 95 schools have received four parent review stars.

Image via Flickr by Jason Barnette

3. Explore the Gateway of Charlotte, NC

Charlotte is well-known as the official Gateway to the New South, and it lives up to that name. Shea Homes offers many new-home communities in Charlotte — a beautiful, bustling, and booming city.

Every neighborhood is very carefully planned around the best jobs, schools, parks, and the city is known for its environmentally friendly passions. You’re near everything, including lush green forests, yet you get a sizzling city lifestyle.

Charlotte homes have an average listing price of around $316,000. That is about $126 per square foot on average. The most popular neighborhoods include Myers Park, which is at the top of the price range with an average of $925,000, Ballantyne West, Steele Creek, and Dilworth – all priced around $500,000 on average – and Highland Creek at $214,000.

The schools have consistent, outstanding parent ratings with no ratings lower than 4.5 stars.

Image via Flickr by Pam Broviak

4. Move On to Myrtle Beach, SC

If you’ve always dreamed of living near the beach, you’re spoiled for choices in both the Carolinas. However, nothing beats Myrtle Beach for beauty and excitement. From the boardwalk to the open-air concerts, it feels like summer all the time, and you don’t have to visit during vacation to enjoy it.

Plenty of year-round residents tout the benefits of living here, and many consider it the most enviable spot in all of Horry County. You should also know that it’s the third most popular spot for relocating, so why not jump on the bandwagon?

The average listing price in Myrtle Beach is $230,000 and the median sales price is $51,000. None of the school ratings drop below 3.5 stars with most of the ratings at five stars.

Image via Flickr by Curtis and Eric

5. Have Fun in Hickory, NC

Hickory is charming, scenic, and richly historic. Named after the well-known Hickory Tavern, this town still offers rest for the weary — namely, those weary of big cities and cold climates. There are plenty of jobs, considering that it’s the Furniture Capital of the World, and the tourist infrastructure is also pretty amazing. Although its population tops 40,000, it still has a sweet hometown feel, especially given its closeness to the mountains and the beach.

Hickory is affordable as well, with an average listing price of $216,000 and a median sales price at $130,000. That’s $86 per square foot on average. The Catawba County school district has 28 schools and the Hickory school district has nine schools. All of the schools have high parent ratings.

If you’re looking for a new hometown, pick one of the marvelous towns or cities in the Carolinas. They’re vast, green, exciting, and filled with Southern hospitality. Overall, the housing market in this area is bouncing back from the recession. The asking price for properties for sale is around $97,500 in North Carolina and $81,300 in South Carolina. Compare these figures to the national average of $89,600, and the Carolinas are keeping up.

Image via Flickr by Government & Heritage Library, State Library of NC

This guest post was written by Angela Lombardi, a freelance writer focusing on real estate and home improvement. She wrote this article on behalf of SheaHomes.com.

Tagged as:
Carolinas,
charlotte,
Greenville,
Hickory,
Myrtle Beach,
north carolina,
south carolina,
wilmington

Source: http://www.realestate.com/advice/the-5-best-places-to-buy-a-home-in-the-carolinas-77857/
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Talks Begin In Geneva On Iran's Nuclear Program

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/15/234587012/talks-begin-in-geneva-on-irans-nuclear-program?ft=1&f=1009
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Officials: Bombing at mosque kills Afghan governor

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2007 file photo, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, talks with Khowst Province Gov. Arsallah Jamal at the Tirazye District Center in Khowst Province, Afghanistan. Afghan officials say a bomb placed inside a mosque in the country’s east has killed Jamal, now the governor of Logar province. They say the explosion took place as Jamal was delivering a speech on Tuesday morning, Oct. 15, 2013 to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, Pool, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2007 file photo, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, talks with Khowst Province Gov. Arsallah Jamal at the Tirazye District Center in Khowst Province, Afghanistan. Afghan officials say a bomb placed inside a mosque in the country’s east has killed Jamal, now the governor of Logar province. They say the explosion took place as Jamal was delivering a speech on Tuesday morning, Oct. 15, 2013 to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, Pool, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2007 file photo, then Khowst Province Gov. Arsallah Jamal meets with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Khowst Province, Afghanistan. Afghan officials say a bomb placed inside a mosque in the country’s east has killed Jamal, currently the governor of Logar province. They say the explosion took place as Jamal was delivering a speech on Tuesday morning, Oct. 15, 2013 to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, Pool, File)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A bomb planted inside a mosque killed the governor of Afghanistan's eastern Logar province as he was delivering a speech Tuesday morning to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, officials said.

The explosion at the main mosque in the provincial capital of Puli Alam killed Governor Arsallah Jamal and wounded 15 people — five of them critically, said the governor's spokesman, Din Mohammad Darwesh.

Jamal, 47, was a close confidant of President Hamid Karzai and served as his campaign manager during the 2009 presidential elections. He also served as governor of eastern Khost province until he was appointed to his current post in Logar in April.

A high-profile target, he had survived a number of assassination attempts in the past, including with suicide bombings.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban have been targeting Afghan officials, military and NATO troops as part of their campaign to retake territory as international troops draw down ahead of a full pullout at the end of 2014.

Tuesday's explosion took place as Jamal was speaking inside the mosque to worshippers gathered for one of Islam's holiest days, said Logar's deputy police chief, Rais Khan Abbul Rahimzai.

The bomb was apparently planted inside the microphone in the front part of the mosque, said two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Jamal was recently in the spotlight following his revelation that a senior commander of the Pakistani Taliban was taken into custody by American forces in Logar province on Oct. 5.

U.S. officials confirmed that Latif Mehsud, a leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, was captured by U.S. forces in a military operation.

At the time, Jamal told The Associated Press that Mehsud was captured as he was driving along a main highway in Mohammad Agha district. The road links the province with the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-10-15-Afghanistan/id-e1b8dc336d494669a422e66669def088
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Pay for nonprofit hospital CEOs varies around US; average more than $500k

Public release date: 14-Oct-2013
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Contact: Todd Datz
tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-8413
The JAMA Network Journals

Compensation for chief executive officers at nonprofit hospitals varies around the country but averaged almost $600,000 in a study of top executives at nearly 2,700 hospitals, according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Little information is known about how hospital CEOs are paid and the factors that affect their compensation, according to the study background.

Karen E. Joynt, M.D., M.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues examined seven data sources, including publicly available tax forms for nonprofit hospitals in 2009. Their study included 1,877 CEOs responsible for 2,681 hospitals.

The CEOs had an average compensation of $595,781 in 2009, according to the study findings. The CEOs paid the least (median compensation of $117,933) were mainly responsible for small, nonteaching hospitals in rural areas. The highest paid CEOs (median compensation of more than $1.6 million) oversaw larger, urban hospitals that were often teaching institutions.

Hospitals with higher patient satisfaction scores tended to pay their CEOs more and advanced technology at a hospital was also associated with substantially higher CEO pay, according to the study results. However, a hospital's provision of charity care was not associated with CEO compensation and there were no significant association between compensation and a hospital's financial performance or performance on process quality, mortality or readmission rates.

"Among the quality metrics we examined, only patient satisfaction was consistently associated with CEO compensation," the study concludes.

(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 14, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.11537. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: An author disclosed financial support. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Commentary: Do Hospitals Really Reward Glitz but Not Quality?

In a related commentary, Warren S. Browner, M.D., M.P.H., of the California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, writes: "Not surprisingly, the authors found that bigger, glitzier, and more prestigious hospitals the Yankees and Dodgers of health care pay their CEOs a lot more money compared with other hospitals."

"Their conclusion that advanced technology drives CEO pay might be right, but an observational design cannot rule out alternatives, such as CEOs at fancier hospitals earn more because they are worth more, or because the members of the board compensation committees at glitzy hospitals are more accustomed to higher incomes," Browner continues.

"On the surface, their most disturbing finding was that CEO pay correlated with patient satisfaction, but not with quality. They see this as a missed opportunity and recommend that hospital boards provide incentives for CEOs to meet quality goals. That advice seems strange, since every hospital CEO I know who receives incentive compensation already has quality-related goals. By contrast, patient satisfaction correlated with CEO pay, likely because the subjective experience called patient satisfaction is easy to measure, even though what it actually means is unclear," Browner concludes.

(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 14, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.7669. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 14-Oct-2013
[


| E-mail



| Share

]

Contact: Todd Datz
tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-8413
The JAMA Network Journals

Compensation for chief executive officers at nonprofit hospitals varies around the country but averaged almost $600,000 in a study of top executives at nearly 2,700 hospitals, according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Little information is known about how hospital CEOs are paid and the factors that affect their compensation, according to the study background.

Karen E. Joynt, M.D., M.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues examined seven data sources, including publicly available tax forms for nonprofit hospitals in 2009. Their study included 1,877 CEOs responsible for 2,681 hospitals.

The CEOs had an average compensation of $595,781 in 2009, according to the study findings. The CEOs paid the least (median compensation of $117,933) were mainly responsible for small, nonteaching hospitals in rural areas. The highest paid CEOs (median compensation of more than $1.6 million) oversaw larger, urban hospitals that were often teaching institutions.

Hospitals with higher patient satisfaction scores tended to pay their CEOs more and advanced technology at a hospital was also associated with substantially higher CEO pay, according to the study results. However, a hospital's provision of charity care was not associated with CEO compensation and there were no significant association between compensation and a hospital's financial performance or performance on process quality, mortality or readmission rates.

"Among the quality metrics we examined, only patient satisfaction was consistently associated with CEO compensation," the study concludes.

(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 14, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.11537. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: An author disclosed financial support. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Commentary: Do Hospitals Really Reward Glitz but Not Quality?

In a related commentary, Warren S. Browner, M.D., M.P.H., of the California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, writes: "Not surprisingly, the authors found that bigger, glitzier, and more prestigious hospitals the Yankees and Dodgers of health care pay their CEOs a lot more money compared with other hospitals."

"Their conclusion that advanced technology drives CEO pay might be right, but an observational design cannot rule out alternatives, such as CEOs at fancier hospitals earn more because they are worth more, or because the members of the board compensation committees at glitzy hospitals are more accustomed to higher incomes," Browner continues.

"On the surface, their most disturbing finding was that CEO pay correlated with patient satisfaction, but not with quality. They see this as a missed opportunity and recommend that hospital boards provide incentives for CEOs to meet quality goals. That advice seems strange, since every hospital CEO I know who receives incentive compensation already has quality-related goals. By contrast, patient satisfaction correlated with CEO pay, likely because the subjective experience called patient satisfaction is easy to measure, even though what it actually means is unclear," Browner concludes.

(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 14, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.7669. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/tjnj-pfn101013.php
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Adoptable Pets of the Week | EllenTV.com

Roxanne is a gorgeous Doberman mix, on the petite side at 42 lbs., and good with most other dogs. She’s 4 years old and has moderate energy, so Roxanne would prefer a fairly active owner who would take her walking or hiking. After a little exercise, this affectionate girl will be happy to chill by your side.

Chiquita is a 1-and-a-half-year-old Chihuahua who gets along great with other little canines, but would love to be your lap dog most of all. She’s just one of many adorable Chihuahuas at our center… we have a Chi for everyone, so come on down and meet these awesome dogs today!

Ruffy wants to be your one and only feline! This stunning fella is just a year-and-a-half-old who is super-social with people. Your lonely days will be over with this sweetheart by your side.

Kittens! We have kittens of every kind imaginable, such as pretty little Phoebe here, and they're all looking for a great home. Even better, adopt two kittens for a lower adoption fee… they always do better with a buddy!

Best Friends Animal Society Adoption Center is located at 15321 Brand Boulevard, Mission Hills, California. All pets are spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and ready to go to their forever home immediately. Adopters also receive one month of veterinary insurance, a bag of pet food, collar with customized tag, and a leash (dogs) or carrier (cats) for their new pet. The center is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, visit bfla.bestfriends.org or call 818-643-3989.

Source: http://www.ellentv.com/2013/10/11/adoptable-pets-of-the-week/
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Church owner Grant Henry paints over graffiti calling for 'riot 4 Trayvon'

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Strongsville City Council holding public hearing on sports complex rezoning

Strongsville City Council will be holding a public hearing on two local men?s request to rezone land on Progress Drive for a sports complex at its 8 p.m. July 15 meeting.

Strongsville residents Walt Rapacz and Jeff Zbydniewski purchased land behind Olympia Candy earlier this year with hopes to build a 22,000-square-foot sports complex, called the Strongsville Performance Sports Center.

But they ran into some zoning issues when the 2-acre parcel of they thought was zoned for General Industrial use was actually zoned for Commercial Services.

City Council President Mike Daymut said its not likely that council will vote on the ordinance at the meeting, but at a special meeting called for later in the month.

Council chambers are at 18688 Royalton Road.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/strongsville/index.ssf/2013/07/strongsville_city_council_hold.html

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NCAA BASEBALL: Council Rock-Newtown Little Leaguers - where are they now?

By Steve Sherman
BucksLocalSports.com Editor

Having just finished up their sophomore year in college, BucksLocalSports was wondering whatever happened to the members of the Council Rock-Newtown Little League team that captured both state and Mid-Atlantic Region championships in 2005.

Of the bunch, catcher Dave Pine has probably seen more collegiate action than anyone, manning the backstop for Millersville. Eight years ago, for CR-Newtown, he served as battery-mate for pitchers Keith Terry and Darren Lauer.

Pine was joined by Ryan Hartley at shortstop, Blaise Lezynski at third base, infielder Greg Guers, Jim McDade on the mound and Benn Parker in the outfield. They were all members of the first team in Lower Bucks to go to the Little League World Series since Levittown-American did it in 1960 and again in ?61.

Last year, Pine batted 260 with six doubles, a home run and 18 RBI for a Marauders team that went 40-18 and 18-6 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Pine also possessed a .350 slugging percentage and a .419 on-base percentage after drawing 21 walks and getting hit by seven pitches.

Dave had a lot of good games the last two seasons at Millersville including a 3-for-3 batting performance with two walks, five runs and two RBIs at Lincoln on April 3. He pieced together a season-best, five-game hitting streak from April 14 to 26.

Starting 37 games behind the plate, Pine ranked second on the team in walks per plate appearance. Dave also stole three bases and threw out seven runners.

Starting six of the eight postseason games for the Marauders, Pine tallied two hits and scored a run against West Chester in the PSAC Tournament loss to the Golden Rams. He also doubled and scored a run in a 5-4 NCAA Atlantic Regional win over Concord. Two games later, Dave also doubled against Seton Hill, though it wasn't enough to stop the Marauders from suffering a 12-2 loss to the Griffins, thus ending the season for Pine and the rest of his gang.

From the time he stepped onto the field at Cooper Park, Pine meshed with the Marauders, breaking into the lineup right away at Millerville and producing an impressive rookie campaign. Offensively, he batted .271 with two doubles, two triples, eight RBIs and three stolen bases.

Onlookers say he handled the difficult task of a freshman catching a veteran pitching staff flawlessly. With Pine stationed behind the plate, the Maruaders posted a 13-7-1 record.

A week after making his college debut, Pine went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, a steal and a run scored at Chowan. He followed that the very next day with a 2-for-4, one RBI performance and tallied five hits and four runs in a March doubleheader against Lincoln. In the opener, he went 3-for-4 with three runs, a double, triple and an RBI then recorded two hits, an RBI and a run scored in game two. Continued...

Pine helped the Marauders to a key, walk-off win over No. 5 West Chester where he tripled in the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh and later scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly.

In the 2012 postseason, Dave Went 2-for-3 with a walk and sacrifice in a PSAC Tournament win over California (Pa.) in a 6-2 triumph.

JIM MCDADE

Pine has the pleasure of sharing the college baseball spotlight with former teammate Jim McDade, though the righthander played his high school ball at Holy Ghost Prep, not Council Rock North like the rest of the gang.

After red-shirting his freshman year at Millersville, McDade totaled a 3-5 record in 12 starts and 47.1 innings pitched for the Marauders last season.

In his in collegiate debut Feb. 9 at Winston-Salem State, McDade got knocked out early after allowing six hits and five runs (one earned) in 2.2 innings in a 17-5 loss to the Rams at BB&T Ballpark.

A week later, McDade scored his first career victory at Shorter after allowing two runs on four hits and five walks over five innings of work. Jim suffered his first collegiate loss despite allowing just three runs on four hits in five innings at Shepherd in a March matchup for the Marauders. He bounced back with a strong outing against Indiana (Pa.) however on March 23, allowing two runs on five hits in five innings on the mound. His longest outing of the season came on March 30 against Bloomsburg where he surrendered just three runs on five hits in six innings of work.

Jimmy scored a victory over eventual PSAC Tournament champs East Stroudsburg on May 4 when he held the Warriors to two runs and struck out three in 5.2 innings on the hill. His best stretch of the season came in three consecutive starts against Mansfield, West Chester and East Stroudsburg when he went 1-0, held batters to a .241 average, registered a 2.70 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 13.1 innings of work.

McDade struck out three or more batters in four of his last five starts though he was roughed up by West Chester in a PSAC elimination matchup after giving up five runs on five hits and two walks in 1.1 innings on the hill.

RYAN HARTLEY Continued...

A year after appearing in 38 games (31 starts at third base and one at designated hitter) during a freshman campaign that saw him hit .299 for the University of Delaware (fifth among returners for the Blue Hens) infielder Ryan Hartley got into just 15 games (3 starts) this year, making just 13 plate appearances. He made the most of the opportunity, however, hitting .308 with four hits including one double and one home run.

BLAISE LEZYNSKI

Lezynski is an incoming junior at Notre Dame where he hit .224 in 29 games (14 starts) last season for the Fighting Irish.

A year after hitting just .154 as a pinch-hitter, Lezynski slapped 13 hits for the Irish in 2013, including five doubles and two home runs. Lezynski? also possessed a slugging percentage of .414 and an on-base percentage of .286 after totaling 24 bases and getting on board on three walks and twice as a hit batsman.

BENN PARKER

A Council Rock North graduate, Parker hit .243 with eight RBI and 14 runs scored for Dickinson College baseball team this spring.

The Red Devils swept the final double-header of the season April 27 at home in Carlisle, posting an 8-3 win over Washington College in the opener and a 9-5 decision in the nightcap.

Playing a position in right field, Parker, a sophomore from Newtown, went 1-for-4 in both games of the double-header, scoring a run for the home team in the opener.

Dickinson finished the season at 14-24 overall, 4-13 in the Centennial Conference.

GREG GUERS Continued...

A graduate of Germantown Academy, Guers is now playing baseball at Penn State, alongside former Council Rock South lefthander Greg Welsh. At the University of Southern California Upstate, Greg started in 42 of 46 contests for the Spartans in 2012, ending his rookie season with a .309 batting average after collecting 54 hits, 37 runs and 36 RBIs. He also hit 11 doubles, one triple and four home runs at USC.

DARREN LAUER

A graduate of CR North, Lauer is listed as a sophomore pitcher for the Guilford Technical Community College Titans. GTCC is based in Jamestown, North Carolina.

???

After capturing the 2005 Pennsylvania Little League trophy with a 6-0 win over Tamaqua, Newtown went on to a 6-0 record at regionals, defeating Toms River American, 4-3, to win the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship. Ironically, this year's CR-Newtown Little League lost to Toms River National in the region finale.

The Keystone State champions qualified for the 59th Little League Baseball World Series by scoring two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to overcome two solo home runs by Toms River. Lauer was the winning pitcher in relief of starter Keith Terry. The Newtown pitchers combined to strike out nine batters from the New Jersey team.

Benn Parker had the key hit for Council Rock, a two-run single to right field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning. The victory was Newtown?s second 4-3 win over Toms River in the regional tourney.

Council Rock became the first Mid-Atlantic champion representing the Keystone State since Pottsville?s Railway Park LL made the trip to Williamsport in 1997.

The Newtown team that's in college now went 1-2 in the World Series, dropping its first two games to Hawaii (7-1) and Florida (3-1) before pounding Davenport, Iowa, 15-0, in a game shortened by the mercy rule. Terry pitched the 13th no-hitter since Little League pool play began in 1992.

Having just finished up their sophomore year in college, BucksLocalSports was wondering whatever happened to the members of the Council Rock-Newtown Little League team that captured both state and Mid-Atlantic Region championships in 2005.

Of the bunch, catcher Dave Pine has probably seen more collegiate action than anyone, manning the backstop for Millersville. Eight years ago, for CR-Newtown, he served as battery-mate for pitchers Keith Terry and Darren Lauer.

Pine was joined by Ryan Hartley at shortstop, Blaise Lezynski at third base, infielder Greg Guers, Jim McDade on the mound and Benn Parker in the outfield. They were all members of the first team in Lower Bucks to go to the Little League World Series since Levittown-American did it in 1960 and again in ?61.

Last year, Pine batted 260 with six doubles, a home run and 18 RBI for a Marauders team that went 40-18 and 18-6 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Pine also possessed a .350 slugging percentage and a .419 on-base percentage after drawing 21 walks and getting hit by seven pitches.

Dave had a lot of good games the last two seasons at Millersville including a 3-for-3 batting performance with two walks, five runs and two RBIs at Lincoln on April 3. He pieced together a season-best, five-game hitting streak from April 14 to 26.

Starting 37 games behind the plate, Pine ranked second on the team in walks per plate appearance. Dave also stole three bases and threw out seven runners.

Starting six of the eight postseason games for the Marauders, Pine tallied two hits and scored a run against West Chester in the PSAC Tournament loss to the Golden Rams. He also doubled and scored a run in a 5-4 NCAA Atlantic Regional win over Concord. Two games later, Dave also doubled against Seton Hill, though it wasn't enough to stop the Marauders from suffering a 12-2 loss to the Griffins, thus ending the season for Pine and the rest of his gang.

From the time he stepped onto the field at Cooper Park, Pine meshed with the Marauders, breaking into the lineup right away at Millerville and producing an impressive rookie campaign. Offensively, he batted .271 with two doubles, two triples, eight RBIs and three stolen bases.

Onlookers say he handled the difficult task of a freshman catching a veteran pitching staff flawlessly. With Pine stationed behind the plate, the Maruaders posted a 13-7-1 record.

A week after making his college debut, Pine went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, a steal and a run scored at Chowan. He followed that the very next day with a 2-for-4, one RBI performance and tallied five hits and four runs in a March doubleheader against Lincoln. In the opener, he went 3-for-4 with three runs, a double, triple and an RBI then recorded two hits, an RBI and a run scored in game two.

Pine helped the Marauders to a key, walk-off win over No. 5 West Chester where he tripled in the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh and later scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly.

In the 2012 postseason, Dave Went 2-for-3 with a walk and sacrifice in a PSAC Tournament win over California (Pa.) in a 6-2 triumph.

JIM MCDADE

Pine has the pleasure of sharing the college baseball spotlight with former teammate Jim McDade, though the righthander played his high school ball at Holy Ghost Prep, not Council Rock North like the rest of the gang.

After red-shirting his freshman year at Millersville, McDade totaled a 3-5 record in 12 starts and 47.1 innings pitched for the Marauders last season.

In his in collegiate debut Feb. 9 at Winston-Salem State, McDade got knocked out early after allowing six hits and five runs (one earned) in 2.2 innings in a 17-5 loss to the Rams at BB&T Ballpark.

A week later, McDade scored his first career victory at Shorter after allowing two runs on four hits and five walks over five innings of work. Jim suffered his first collegiate loss despite allowing just three runs on four hits in five innings at Shepherd in a March matchup for the Marauders. He bounced back with a strong outing against Indiana (Pa.) however on March 23, allowing two runs on five hits in five innings on the mound. His longest outing of the season came on March 30 against Bloomsburg where he surrendered just three runs on five hits in six innings of work.

Jimmy scored a victory over eventual PSAC Tournament champs East Stroudsburg on May 4 when he held the Warriors to two runs and struck out three in 5.2 innings on the hill. His best stretch of the season came in three consecutive starts against Mansfield, West Chester and East Stroudsburg when he went 1-0, held batters to a .241 average, registered a 2.70 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 13.1 innings of work.

McDade struck out three or more batters in four of his last five starts though he was roughed up by West Chester in a PSAC elimination matchup after giving up five runs on five hits and two walks in 1.1 innings on the hill.

RYAN HARTLEY

A year after appearing in 38 games (31 starts at third base and one at designated hitter) during a freshman campaign that saw him hit .299 for the University of Delaware (fifth among returners for the Blue Hens) infielder Ryan Hartley got into just 15 games (3 starts) this year, making just 13 plate appearances. He made the most of the opportunity, however, hitting .308 with four hits including one double and one home run.

BLAISE LEZYNSKI

Lezynski is an incoming junior at Notre Dame where he hit .224 in 29 games (14 starts) last season for the Fighting Irish.

A year after hitting just .154 as a pinch-hitter, Lezynski slapped 13 hits for the Irish in 2013, including five doubles and two home runs. Lezynski? also possessed a slugging percentage of .414 and an on-base percentage of .286 after totaling 24 bases and getting on board on three walks and twice as a hit batsman.

BENN PARKER

A Council Rock North graduate, Parker hit .243 with eight RBI and 14 runs scored for Dickinson College baseball team this spring.

The Red Devils swept the final double-header of the season April 27 at home in Carlisle, posting an 8-3 win over Washington College in the opener and a 9-5 decision in the nightcap.

Playing a position in right field, Parker, a sophomore from Newtown, went 1-for-4 in both games of the double-header, scoring a run for the home team in the opener.

Dickinson finished the season at 14-24 overall, 4-13 in the Centennial Conference.

GREG GUERS

A graduate of Germantown Academy, Guers is now playing baseball at Penn State, alongside former Council Rock South lefthander Greg Welsh. At the University of Southern California Upstate, Greg started in 42 of 46 contests for the Spartans in 2012, ending his rookie season with a .309 batting average after collecting 54 hits, 37 runs and 36 RBIs. He also hit 11 doubles, one triple and four home runs at USC.

DARREN LAUER

A graduate of CR North, Lauer is listed as a sophomore pitcher for the Guilford Technical Community College Titans. GTCC is based in Jamestown, North Carolina.

???

After capturing the 2005 Pennsylvania Little League trophy with a 6-0 win over Tamaqua, Newtown went on to a 6-0 record at regionals, defeating Toms River American, 4-3, to win the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship. Ironically, this year's CR-Newtown Little League lost to Toms River National in the region finale.

The Keystone State champions qualified for the 59th Little League Baseball World Series by scoring two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to overcome two solo home runs by Toms River. Lauer was the winning pitcher in relief of starter Keith Terry. The Newtown pitchers combined to strike out nine batters from the New Jersey team.

Benn Parker had the key hit for Council Rock, a two-run single to right field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning. The victory was Newtown?s second 4-3 win over Toms River in the regional tourney.

Council Rock became the first Mid-Atlantic champion representing the Keystone State since Pottsville?s Railway Park LL made the trip to Williamsport in 1997.

The Newtown team that's in college now went 1-2 in the World Series, dropping its first two games to Hawaii (7-1) and Florida (3-1) before pounding Davenport, Iowa, 15-0, in a game shortened by the mercy rule. Terry pitched the 13th no-hitter since Little League pool play began in 1992.

Source: http://www.buckslocalnews.com/articles/2013/07/13/the_advance/sports/doc51e04c299d568138029359.txt

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