Posts - Americans

The Ultimate Chili

Recipes

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef salt and pepper to taste
3 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
red bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 dash Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup red wine

Directions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a slow cooker, combine the cooked beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.

Cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pour in the wine during the last 2 hours.

Turkey in a Pot

Recipes

Ingredients

1 (3 pound) boneless turkey breast, halved
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 garlic cloves, minced
teaspoon ground mustard 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon browning sauce (optional)

Directions

Place the turkey skin side up in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, apple juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, cinnamon, cloves and allspice; pour over turkey. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees F.

Remove turkey to a cutting board; keep warm. Strain cooking juices. In a saucepan, combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir in strained juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in browning sauce if desired. Serve with sliced turkey.

What’s Laughing Got To Do With It?

Feeling run down? Laughing a little more could be the solution. Laughter could be the best regimen, helping you feel better and putting that bounce back in your step. It automatically follows, and, makes sense, that people are happier and healthier if only they can get more laughter into their lives. This article explores the amazing outcomes of laughter and really humorous things.

Laughter is the best medicine, and there is solid evidence that it can improve health and boost immunity against disease. It really is an extraordinary thing.

You could test the hypothesis on your own. Firstly, reflect back on some really comical things; situations you have been in or photos you have seen, as long as it be extremely hilarious. Now, smile. You can do it. Slowly, steadily, let your mouth turn up at its corners. Giggle, chortle, chuckle, snigger, and gurgle. Slowly, fire it up and laugh out loud.

Do you feel invigorated? Elated? Laughter is the greatest universal cure discovered yet, according to recent studies done by neuroscientists and psychologists. Apparently, even the newest fads in holistic medicine think so.

Laughter has been ascribed with everything, ranging from reducing chances of heart attacks and strokes and lowering blood pressure to raising your IQ and capabilities to keep a hold of processed information.

On a regular basis, wit and laughter are being utilized in an array of remedial situations. Humor has the power to encourage, ease up stress and pain and progress one’s sense of well being according to research into the use of therapeutic humor. When very comical things stimulate our laughter, natural killer cells which destroy tumors and viruses increase. Alongside these, a disease fighting protein called Gamma interferon, important cells for the immune system called T-cells and cells which make disease-fighting antibodies called B-cells also increase. In addition to lowering blood pressure, laughter increases oxygen in the blood, which also encourages healing.

Unbelievably, laughter is not the same as humor. So, what then is it? It is the physiological reaction to wit. It is a combination of two elements; creation of sound and a set of gesticulations. As such, laughing makes the brain to concurrently produce sound and a set of gestures.

What are our reasons for laughing? Laughter comes more easily and frequently when people are at ease with each other, hence according to some researchers, fortifying human links is connected to it.

People in dominating positions use laughter more frequently than their subsidiaries. This is why you may note that everyone in an office laughs when the boss does.

Laughter and humor can unite families during strife, quench rage and aggravation and lower your distress levels. They indeed are like a potent prescription. Laughing at yourself or a situation you are in can greatly help to disperse the stress, especially situations that seem staggering. Additionally, laughter and really hilarious things have a great function in our existence, not only from a medical standpoint but also in making you feel better about yourself and the world around you. It will make a dreadful situation seem slightly less of-putting. Keep looking for really witty things, because a mirthful laughter a day may keep the doctor away!

Which Is Better: Dog or Man?

Opinions

If there could only be one perspective in the world from a woman, which would it be, between a man and a dog?

When you mull over it, they have several mutual traits. Tricks, both can do, only that a man’s version of playing dead is in front of the television. While a dog can be taught to fetch the newspaper and your slippers, a man knows how to fetch and can fetch…only beer and the remote control. And if you taught him how to fetch the newspaper, the only portion of it you would get is the sports section. The common ground does not end there; both beg while standing on two legs and neither understand when a woman has a headache, neither ever makes the bed they sleep on.

Honestly, get a dog if you’re only concerned about a mess because as much as it cannot clean up after itself, the mess it makes is not as much to be cleaned up. Another point where dogs beat men is in obeying the command to stay. They not only stay, but also love unconditionally. They are also very forgiving; whether you’re late, you feed them the same meal daily or you put them outside. They neither gripe nor whine about a woman’s shopping, lengthy conversations or how much time she uses up to look her best.

Dog relationships outlive most human relationships; hence it boils down to this – get a dog if you want a long-term relationship. “Men are not dogs. Uh-uh. Dogs are loyal and can lick their own balls,” said Wanda Sykes once. That wraps it up perfectly

Moschino Photoshop F#@!* Up!

Entertainment News

Moschino, the Italian fashion label, unveiled a new campaign. In the shot, a model’s leg is completely missing!

This comes at a time when the use of Photoshop in print ads is receiving more and more animadversion. An increasing number of people are protesting strongly that Photoshop is creating a fake vision of people’s actual looks. They also argue that the self-consciousness of young girls is being damaged most by this deceptive view of women. Basically, it is just some minor alterations which are done, such as removal of blemishes, making models appear slightly thinner or cutting off a little cellulite. This ad took it to a whole new level to make the aforementioned model lose weight though, and in the process a colossal blooper that cannot easily be missed was made – obliteration of an entire limb.

Perhaps this is their way of fighting the wide use of Photoshop in the fashion world. Since Moschino is a little risque, for the most part, who knows?

Would Women Like To Be Men For A Single Day?

Opinions

Perhaps, if women were to become men for a day – just one day – it would certainly help them to better understand the male species. Perhaps they would even like it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to walk a mile in Nikes instead of heels? A woman would ask for directions if she got lost while hiking the mile though.

Of all the envious things men boast of, such as being physically stronger, faster and having less body fat, the crowning jewel on the list of envy is their attire. When you can just don a different shirt and have the result regarded as a different outfit, it becomes unbelievably easy to get dressed in the morning.

Men are unappreciative of the advantages they have, though they should be grateful. For instance when shaving they get to remove the top layer of facial skin before it wrinkles. In order to get the same result, women pay ridiculously large amounts of money for laser treatments or chemical peels. Also, men don’t have to contend for equal pay with women. Regrettably, women have managed to gain equal rights to stress-related heart disease in their contention to overcome barriers to their advancement. Life has qualified women for positions in the house and the senate because on a daily basis, they solve-within budget too- problems regarding health, education and much more when it comes to their family. As a matter of fact, there is an equal rights bumper sticker that reads, “A woman’s place is in the House…and the Senate.”

Presently, stewardesses are now flight attendants. Actresses are referenced as actors. And soon a mentor will be called a “peopletor”. Gone are the days that it was considered a man’s world. A man who keeps anticipating his home to be his castle might as well expect the man on the Tidy Bowl cleaner to be sailing his little boat in the king’s throne. If a man considers his dog as his best friend, he better teaches it how to cook, clean and should like to watch football.

I’m certain one day as a man would be quite enough for most of the daring women, despite the fact that they like new experiences and challenges. It took God a very short time to decide to improve His work by making a woman after all!

Life is a Gamble…

Opinions

There is only one family that believes that a family that gambles together prays together – a family that has its reunion in Las Vegas! I neither have the face for poker nor do I have an idea how to play craps. I realized this on our flight home. There are many players who seem to lack a sense of humor when it comes to gambling. I encountered one such player once when playing black jack, and got the courage to double down on a pair of aces. Regrettably, the pair belonged to them. Such are the ones that think the distance from the front door of the casino to the nearest betting opportunity is a twelve-step program.

If there is one thing I learned in Vegas, yet, I learned how to be a good loser. Using my losses, I explained to my husband that they were proof that I am lucky at love. I used to view gambling as something we did in order to try to match other people’s lifestyles which seemed better than ours, but now I realize it is part and parcel of who we are. With as little effort as the throw of a dice, the spinning of a wheel or the turn of a card, we want to become rich all at once. This must explain why foreigners came to America, and why wagon trains headed west – in order to seek streets paved with gold.

Every aspect of life is pervaded by the desire to be a winner. In the absence of this deeply rooted aspiration, there would never be things worthy to be desired such as race tracks, poker parties, lotteries, office pools, water cooler bets… there wouldn’t even be political candidates. We get a kick from putting money in a soda machine and waiting to see if upon pressing the return button we get more change than expected. By putting money in a parking meter, it is similar to betting that we’ll run against time and be back before it expires. Even having the car washed becomes a gamble; we say it is not going to rain. We risk going through a red light, hoping that the policeman will have seen the light being a different hue of orange, such as very dark orange. Dodging our income taxes, and thus risking reducing the United States to the equivalent of a collector of bets in a casino.

Marriages are also not forgotten in that list. Couples continue to bet their lives by taking vows despite the fact that more than half of them end in divorce. Every day is a gamble, this truth of the matter we must accept. Anything can happen to you, from being hit by a car, to slipping on a banana peel or falling in a bathtub. A significant number of deaths occur around am, therefore avoid losing any more than you already have and get up. Even staying in bed is a gamble!

Finger Jousting, Really ?

Opinions

Although it hasn’t taken off as quickly as other extreme sports, finger jousting is on the rise in Dallas, Houston and elsewhere in Texas. Individuals can often be found finger jousting in living rooms and open air malls throughout the state and around the country.

Finger jousting begins when two participants clasp their right hands together, with the index finger extended. The object of the joust is to attempt to poke the other individual anywhere but the right arm. Individuals may move in any direction as long as their hands remain clamped together, and they may not use their left arms or either of their legs in an offensive fashion. Players can vary the scoring, but players usually play to a set score.

The length of a finger jousting match can range from a few seconds for beginners to a few hours for two evenly matched, well-trained opponents. Players begin by showing a sign of respect, which can include a handshake, bow, or hug, then they interlock their right hands. When both index fingers are extended, the match officially begins. A player then tries to poke the opponent with his or her own index finger before the opponent can do the same. Different offensive and defensive moves can be performed to gain an advantage during the match. Matches are played for a desired prize, usually honor and/or spoils. The preset prize is awarded to the victor following his or her victory. Each round of a finger jousting match ends after one minute. The round may also end when a point is scored or a foul is committed. After each round, there’s short break, usually thirty seconds. There are several variations for scoring:

One point is scored each time a player pokes his or her opponent. This format is usually played to an odd number of points (best of three, best of five, etc.). In this format, a player receives a warning for one foul; two fouls result in a subtraction of one point, and three fouls result in disqualification.

Point play rules are similar to quick play rules, except that different parts of the body are worth a different amount of points. The left arm and legs are worth one point, the chest and central body are worth two, and the head is worth three. Point Play Matches are usually determined by the winner attaining six points.

There are some moves which, if performed during a match, result in a penalty. The punishment for a penalty usually changes, depending on the type of scoring method the opponents have agreed upon.

-Using a left arm, or either leg, as an offensive weapon

-Letting go of your opponent’s hand

-Curb stomping, smoke tagging, whipping, or generally beating your opponent after you win a round

-Biting

-Any action that compromises your own or your opponent’s integrity, including, but not limited to, intentionally aiming for your opponent’s groin.

The origin of finger jousting is hazy. Some historians believe the sport was founded by the ancient Israelites, who referred to it as finger spearing. There are references to finger spearing contained in the Book of Phalanges, an apocryphal manuscript that was excluded in the Bible at the Council of Nicaea, held during the late 10th century. Most finger jousting historians, however, agree that finger jousting developed its modern form during the 1970s.

The biggest event in the modern history of finger jousting was the World Finger Jousting Federation’s founding on August 1, 2005.

Found in the World Finger Jousting Federation’s Code of Conduct:

Respect – Always honor the outcome of a match. Without personal integrity, the WFJF would cease to exist. Respect also includes not intentionally aiming for the groin.

Decorum – Do not use profane or lewd speech before, during, or after the match. Remember every time a member jousts, he/she is acting as an ambassador of the WFJF.

Non-disturbance – Avoid disquieting surrounding bystanders and inanimate objects while leisure jousting. Do not engage in finger jousting matches at inappropriate settings or during inappropriate times.

Manicure – Taking care of your fingernails is a sign of respect for your opponent and shows an interest in maintaining a healthy body.

It may seem like a silly extreme sport, but serious finger jousters put themselves through a physically demanding regime to stay on top.

Three Tips That Will Make You A Speed Reading Pro

Opinions

The basic skill of rapid reading is learning to read in phrases.

This simply means taking wider visual bites as your eyes move across a line of type. As I explained in the introduction, your eyes read words in a series of stops, or fixations, jerking to the right after each stop to take in the next portion of the line. You read only when your eyes are stopped. The more words you can take in at each bite, the fewer stops will be necessary on each line and the faster you will read. By widening what is called your span of recognition, you automatically increase your reading speed.

To test your present span of recognition, try focusing your eyes on the sixth word in the next line. Although you will be consciously fixed on a single word, your span of recognition should let you read the word to the left and the word to the right – perhaps a bit more. As you practice stretching your side-vision, the span of recognition will widen, and you will absorb more words with each fixation.

If you were reading a list of unrelated words you would have to read word by word. But in normal reading the words are held together by the broader meaning of phrases and sentences. Sentences are made up of units of meaning. The eyes and mind can be trained to absorb these units of meaning far more readily if you read in phrases rather than at the plodding rate of one word at a time.

The Three Kinds of Readers:

To understand more clearly how phrase reading improves skill, let’s find out what kind of reader you are now. There are three types, and it is a simple matter to test yourself.

First, He forms words with his lips, just as though he were reading aloud, and so he can grasp only one word at a time. You could still be a motor reader, even though your lips do not move. Give yourself this test: Put your fingers on your throat. Now go on reading. If you feel any movement in your larynx now (except from the pulse there), you are still a motor reader, grasping only one word at a time. This means that you can read silently only as fast as you can read aloud.

Second, Though his lips and larynx do not move, he hears every word in his mind. You can test yourself on this, too. Open a novel, if you have one handy, though any book will do. Fix your eyes on a page but before you start reading say aloud some such nonsense phrase as ”Mary had a little lamb.” Repeat it several times and then start reading, still saying aloud ”Mary had a little lamb” as you try to read. If you are unable to comprehend what you are reading – if the words are just a meaningless jumble – then you are definitely an auditory reader. Even though you understood fully what you were reading in spite of the nonsense you were repeating, you could still be an auditory reader. Read the next few paragraphs in the book on which you have just tested yourself. Now stop and think back. Were you conscious that you were reading words? Did you hear them in your head? Then I am afraid you are still an auditory reader. The auditory reader can read much faster than the motor reader, but he is still handicapped in reaching high speed, because he is held back by the necessity of ”hearing” words in his head.

Third, With him, the eye-mind relationship I described in the introduction is fully adjusted. His eyes photograph words which are translated by the mind instantly into ideas without the aid of either the vocal or auditory senses. Obviously he has a head start toward becoming a rapid reader as quickly as he is trained in the techniques which will make him aware of how to use his talent.

Things Only Middle Aged People Will Understand

I’m going to put an ad in the newspaper’s LOST & FOUND column to find out where 2015 went. I don’t know when years started to have only eight months. It must have been when hours started to have only forty minutes. What I do know is that all of us will have something in common in 2016, no matter how fast the year passes. We will all be a year older. I, like everyone else, want to live healthfully and happily to a very old age; but presently I’m dealing with middle age.

According to statistics, the average life expectancy is now 77.6, which means middle age would be 38.8. The dictionary is more generous. Using the euphemism ”adulthood”, it defines this time as the years between 40 and 65. Of course, with 50 being the new 40 and 70 being the new 50, who knows anymore. My personal definition is 10 years older than I am. However, we can’t fool ourselves. We know when we’re ”mature”, which is another one of the dictionary’s euphemisms. It’s when we start fighting the signs of aging. We diet, exercise and dye our hair. Men stop tucking their shirts in and women pray for sack dresses to come back into style.

A man knows he’s ”no longer young” when the weight of the world falls from his shoulders to his love handles. For women it falls to their hips. It’s the time in our lives when the only thing we don’t have trouble hearing is our bones creaking when we stand up. It’s the time when fortune tellers read the lines in our faces instead of the lines in our palms. It’s when men start hoping that jogging their memories counts as exercise and women are tempted to mix fabric softener with face cream to get rid of wrinkles.

But let’s look on the bright side. Yes, there is a bright side. With middle age comes the wisdom and experience which helps us to better understand the world. Of course, being better able to understand the world is Mother Nature’s way of compensating us for not being able to see the world without glasses.

When I was a teenager, I thought middle age was old. Now I think teenagers are too young to know what it is. Now I don’t think it’s old. I think it’s just older. In fact, because I’m going to be a day older tomorrow, I’m going to enjoy being a younger man today.

The Promise Of Easy Money Could Be An Easy Scam

If you’ve ever been interested in making money on the internet, you’ve probably searched one of the following phrases: “Make Money” – “Work From Home” – “Get Rich Online”. And, you’ve probably encountered some interesting results.

My personal favorites are the websites that have a collage of a husband and wife living their lives blissfully. One picture shows them holding each other lovingly. Another picture shows them playing tennis on their own private court. The next photo shows them standing in front of their private mansion inside of a gated community as they point to the home as if to say to you ”Look at how big this thing is! With a house this size we must be telling the truth!” I especially like the pictures that show the lucky couple on their yacht, sailing in the Pacific, holding up a fish they caught that’s not even half as large as the lie they’re telling you about how they can teach you to make millions on the internet if you just fill out the email form on their website so they can begin sending you informative tidbits about making money that will ”change your life.”

So with fervent anticipation, you fill out the email form on their website, and an autoresponder begins sending you a series of emails, usually spread 24 hours apart, about how this ”revolutionary new system” has changed their lives and the lives of others they’ve recruited into their business. As you’re reading the email, you start to ask yourself, ”Hmmm….I wonder what the heck this business actually is. The website doesn’t say what the business is, and the email doesn’t say what the business is….I wonder how these wonderful people are lining their pockets with so much cash?”

By the time they’ve sent you the fifth email, you’re so excited that you simply can’t hold out any longer, so you order their program, and then a few days later you receive a package in the mail. What do you find inside? You find books and/or CD’s telling you how you can get rich online if you set up the same kind of website they did that tells people that they can get rich online if they purchase the same scam you just did. I love it when this happens.

Don’t get me wrong, some of these websites do actually have a legitimate service for which they want to train you so that you can resell it, such as being a vitamin distributor, or teaching people about internet marketing, or, my personal favorite, hosting and inviting people to Christian mentor conferences (I love that one). Yes, there are a slew of defrauders in cyberspace who actually try to convince people how they can ”Get rich with Christian mentor conferences.” Jeez, if only I had thought of that. Here I am working 10 hours a day with a legitimate company, all the while I could’ve been cashing in on those hot Christian mentor conferences.

But, most of the time, there is no legitimate product or service whatsoever, and when there is, they’re usually like the stuff I’ve already mentioned – items or services that no one needs or wants, things that aren’t practical and don’t make any sense. So, these charlatans have a very simple approach – they set up a convincing sales pitch, they keep pushing it by bombarding you with emails until your mouth is watering, then you place your order and they send you a business venture that is unremarkable or a waste of your time.

Here’s How To Avoid Long Lines At Customs

Adventure & Travel

Many of us have experienced long lines at the United States immigration and customs station when re-entering the country after an international flight. Going through the hassle and waiting in the lines seems inevitable, especially with the world in the state that it is in. But, in the age of smartphones, there is actually a way to bypass those long lines in some U.S. airports – by using an app.

While it is not a secret, not many flyers know they can take advantage of this downloadable, free app that is available to both Android and iPhone users through their respective app stores. The app, called the Mobile Passport, enables users to enter their travel and passport information and electronically submit it, thereby generating a receipt to show agents at the immigration and customs checkpoints. And, there really is no hidden catch.

In 2014, the free Mobile Passport app was launched by the Airside Mobile and Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) jointly with Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Currently, use of Mobile Passport is limited to United States citizens with a U.S. passport and Canadian citizens holding a Canadian passport. The five airports that are part of program as of now are as follows: Atlanta (ATL), Miami (MIA), Seattle (SEA), Chicago (ORD), and San Francisco (SFO). The project’s plan is to have at least 20 airports recognizing and accepting the app in the very near future.

Once you have downloaded the app to your phone, the process is as follows: land in the U.S. at one of the participating airports; exit the “airplane mode” on your phone; open the app; follow the listed instructions; and obtain your immigrations and customs clearance. As part of the process, you must enter your full name, date of birth, gender and country of citizenship.

You must also select your arrival airport and airline; take a selfie (no joke); answer some customs-related declaration questions; and submit the form via the app. You will then receive an “electronic receipt with an Encrypted Quick Response (QR) code,” which automatically expires four hours after it is issued. You then bring both your smartphone and passport to a customs agent and receive a warm welcome back to the States.

Who knew?!

Ever Wonder What That Tiny Hole Is In Your Airplane Window?

Adventure & Travel

When sitting through a long flight, it is natural tendency to get bored and check out all possible surroundings ad nauseum. We stare at the back of the seat in front of us, the people all around us and even read the little magazine situated next to the safety instructions. It is simply amazing what Skymall thinks we will purchase from that catalog.

Another thing flyers do is look out and at the window, even though for most of the flight there is nothing to see but darkness or the clouds. And, while looking out the window, we notice that there is that tiny little hole at the bottom of the window. We often look at it without a second thought, but it is intriguing. Why is that tiny hole there? What is its purpose?

Well, that tiny hole actually serves a very important purpose. It is a safety feature that is found on every single window of the airplane. It is called a breather hole and serves to regulate the pressure amount that flows between the window’s outer and inner panes. Basically, the design of the window, including that little hole, ensures that the outer pane bears the brunt of the majority of air pressure – so if ever there was added strain on the window, the outer panel panel gives way. And in turn, we can still breathe. A very important necessity.

Another feature of the tiny hole: it keeps the window free of fog and condensation by sucking out moisture that gets stuck between the inner and outer window panes. So, mystery solved!

Bon Voyage and happy flying!

Why Millennials Choose To Travel The World Now Rather Than Later

It is no secret that we are living in tough economic times. The stock market is extremely volatile; there is quite a bit of uncertainty regarding the future of Social Security benefits; and it is more difficult than ever for young adults to obtain quality, decent-paying jobs. Additionally, many young people graduate from college with obscene amounts of student debt.

So, what are many young people doing about their situation? They are choosing to travel!

Research indicates that the segment of the population referred to as millennials (those aged 16 to 34) are far more interested in traveling as much as possible than older generations. In fact, the United Nations estimates that millennials make up about 20% of international tourists. This represents 200 million people and more than $180 billion in tourism revenue each year. And rather than seek out week-long “fun in the sun” vacations, many young people are embarking on long-term experiences including months-long backpacking adventures.

These interesting facts illustrate just how differently young adults view their situations than older generations. For older Americans, it was very common to follow the traditional path to old age: start working at a company at a very young age; marry relatively young; start a family; remain working at that company for decades; retire; and then spend the golden years relaxing and doing some traveling.

Young adults follow a much different path, and the most notable difference is the lack of any clear, linear direction. Work-life balance is much more important to young adults than it was 50 years ago. Today’s young adults typically will not put up with an 60-hour work week, less than ideal working conditions and overdue work stress. Rather, they change employers frequently and spend more time with their families.

And, rather than wait until their golden years to travel, young adults view the future with such uncertainty that they choose to travel now while they still can.

After all, in this day and age, who knows what the future will hold?

Monterey Spaghetti

Recipes

Ingredients

4 ounces spaghetti, broken into pieces
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/8 teaspoon crushed garlic
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 (6 ounce) can French fried onions

Directions

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain.

In a large bowl mix together the sour cream, grated Parmesan cheese, and minced garlic. After beating the egg in a small bowl, transfer to the large bowl and blend together. Transfer to a greased slow cooker.

Mix cooked and drained spaghetti, 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese, thawed spinach, and half of the French fried onions to the slow cooker. Stir contents of slow cooker until just blended.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high heat for 3 to 4 hours.

In last 30 minutes of cooking, turn to high if cooking on low and add remainder of grated Monterey Jack cheese and French fried onions to top of casserole. Serve when cheese is melted.

A Brief History Of Luggage And Man’s Obsession With Travel

Adventure & Travel

Since time immemorial, man has been moving from place to place for different reasons. During all this time, he has had to carry some of his belongings along with him using some kind of luggage. The primary purpose of the luggage was to keep man’s items safe, organized and together. Just like all manmade things, luggage has evolved significantly.

When circumnavigating the world, Christopher Columbus likely had luggage for carrying his clothing and basic navigation tools. The trunks back then were made from fine woods such as cedar, pine or oak. Some were made from a combination of materials, such as cloth and leather. The trunks were magnificently decorated, using nails and brass plates. They have since undergone continuous transformation to be what they are today – family heirlooms.

Just as was from the very beginning, luggage is made from a variety of materials. The hides of cows, the deer, and even the horses were popularly used in the making of the luggage. To this day, leather is still a popular material in the manufacture of luggage. All luggage made from pure leather last long.

Since the trunks were often huge and cumbersome, smaller and more convenient bags were made. Currently, we have tote bags, backpacks and suitcases. Today, there are wheeled luggage, expandable luggage, soft luggage that is capable of being packed in tight spaces, and tough luggage that are meant to protect your belongings and remain usable for a long time.

Currently, there are luggage with wheels, coming with telescoping handles and pull straps made of leather. They are designed to accommodate water bottles, CD players, and such essential things as lunchboxes. They can as well accommodate laptops, and are even more durable than before.

Rare Planetary Alignment To Occur This Month

Entertainment News

Starting this week, the planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will all be visible in the sky, offering an extremely rare sight for stargazers. The last time that this occurred was more than a decade ago in 2005. While Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have all been visible since the start of 2016, it is the appearance of Mercury that will make the scene complete. The actual date for best viewing the alignment of the five planets will vary depending upon one’s location.

Because Mercury typically remains close to the horizon, it will be the most difficult of the five planets to see. However, the planet will gradually cross higher in the skyline. By early February, Mercury should be easier to locate. The skyline will feature Venus and Saturn in particularly close proximity on February 9th.

Meanwhile, starting on January 28th, the view of Earth’s waning moon will traverse across the line of planets. The moon will start out by Jupiter, and by February 7th, its image will have made its way to Mercury.

This kind of alignment in the Earth skyline is quite rare because of the fact that each planet orbits the sun at different distances, and each planet takes a different amount of time to finish its respective year. However, the fact that they occasionally do line up is visual proof that all of the planets do orbit on approximately the same plane.

While the planet alignment can be seen without a proper telescope, some people may have to relocate to areas without obstructions. For example, trees, buildings and city lights can all block the rare image of the planet alignment. Additionally, anyone who wants to see the view will have to do so particularly early in the morning. And of course, using a telescope can produce a better image than the naked eye. Clear skies will also help matters.

The five planets are also set to gather together sometime in August as well. However, the alignment in August will only be visible from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere. Thus, it will be quite some time until Americans get to see these five planets align in the sky again.

US Military Planning To Connect Humans To Computers To Create Cyborgs

News

American soldiers might soon become cyborgs, as the United States government is looking into amazing new technology that would allow soldiers to connect directly to computers. The project is known as Neural Engineering System Design (NESD), and it is being conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the United States military. The project is seeking to create an implantable neural interface that would basically make American soldiers part human and part robotic computer.

While such human-computer interfaces are not a totally new research topic, most projects have been restricted by sluggish and limited control. Past efforts have usually involved providing movement to humans from robotic prosthetics or enabling humans to input some form of communication into a computer by concentrating on specific thoughts or feelings. However, this new project is expected to go above and beyond prior experiments.

NESD manager for DARPA Phillip Alvelda stated, “Today’s best brain-computer interface systems are like two supercomputers trying to talk to each other using an old 300-baud modem. Imagine what will become possible when we upgrade our tools to really open the channel between the human brain and modern electronics.”

At the present time, human-computer interfaces link a large number of neurons at a single time. Usually, somewhere between 100 and 1,000 neurons are connected to a machine. DARPA is seeking to improve this technology by connecting individual neurons. This would offer the human controller much more precise interaction, reduce interference and possibly speed up the communication between the human and the computer.

However, this will be easier said than done. In order to achieve this goal, improvements in neuroscience, synthetic biology, low-power electronics, photonics, medical device manufacturing and packaging must be made. Additionally, there would be a large amount of clinical testing that would need to be conducted.

The ultimate goal for the project is to create something that can be used by the United States military. However, there could be advanced civil applications as well, such as replacing lost limbs, restoring sight and other lost senses and controlling the spread of disease.

The NESD project is a part of a greater initiative launched by the Obama administration to learn more about disorders of the human brain and the effects of brain damage. In 2013, the Obama administration pledged $100 million to conduct research involving the brain.

Tainted Medical Scopes Have Sickened Hundreds

News

According to a recently published report from a Senate health committee, the number of patients harmed by contaminated medical scopes in recent years is much higher than previous estimates had shown. From 2012 to 2015, specialized devices called duodenoscopes have been linked to more than two dozen outbreaks of dangerous bacterial infections that sickened over 250 patients across the United States and Europe.

According to the probe, the manufactures of these devices largely failed to inform health officials about the potential dangers associated with their usage. Additionally, hospitals never alerted regulators about the outbreaks, while the Food and Drug Administration was slow to identify the problem and inform the public.

Senator Patty Murray of Washington said, “Patients should be able to trust that the devices they need for treatment are safe and effective. Unfortunately, this investigation makes clear that current policies for monitoring medical device safety put patients at risk, and in this case, allowed tragedies to occur that could have, and should have, been prevented.”

In the United States, duodenoscopes are used in hundreds of thousands of procedures every year. The devices are typically used to drain blocked fluids from patients. They are inserted through the mouth and they travel down the throat and stomach to the top of the small intestine. The devices include a movable “elevator” mechanism that allows the medical instrument to maneuver into small ducts and fix fluid-drainage issues.

However, this intricate design makes the device difficult to sterilize between uses. While doctors consider them to be an important medical device, they have also been associated with the increase of antibiotic-resistant “superbug” bacteria that is extremely difficult to treat.

Last year, the FDA issued a warning to doctors and hospitals stating that duodenoscopes are difficult to sanitize and that they might encourage the spread of deadly bacteria. The agency also sent warnings to the primary manufacturers of the medical devices.

The Senate report has blamed the device manufacturers, hospitals and the FDA for being responsible for the widespread superbug bacterial infections. According to the report, the FDA should have issued its warnings more quickly. So far, no major actions have been taken to replace or improve the duodenoscopes that are currently used in most hospitals.

Offering This In School Cafeterias Could Help With Obesity

Health & Wellness

A recent study has shown that schools might be able to help reduce obesity in young people by offering chilled water in their cafeterias. The study was led by NYU School of Medicine researcher Brian Elbel.

In his study, Elbel and his team tracked more than one million students in more than 1,200 schools for a period of five years. The study sought to determine the effects of installing inexpensive water dispensers that would provide cold and filtered water to students.

The study ultimately found that offering such water dispensers, which are known as “water jets” helped to curb obesity rates. The water jets function by chilling and injecting oxygen into ordinary tap water in order to provide students with a more refreshing beverage than a standard drinking fountain. By offering students this option, they are more likely to choose water over alternative beverages that might cause them to gain weight.

The water jets cost about $1,000 per unit. After a school installed a water jet unit, it was shown that students made fewer purchases of chocolate milk and other sugary drinks. A personal serving of chocolate milk contains about 160 calories, while a single cup of other sugary drinks contains roughly 200 calories.

In New York City, almost 40% of students are considered to be overweight or obese. The city’s public schools are not permitted to sell any sugar-sweetened beverages, except for low-fat chocolate milk. However, students can still consume other sugary beverages that they bring from home.

The researcher team wrote in their study, “Results from this study show an association between a relatively low-cost water availability intervention and decreased student weight. Milk purchases were explored as a potential mechanism.”

Overall, Elbel and his team found that schools with water jets in their cafeterias tended to have lower rates of overweight and obese students than schools that do not feature the water jets. Also, schools that installed the water jets during the study saw their rates of obesity drop during that time. In the end, schools with water jets had male students that weighed 0.9% less and female students that were 0.6% less to be overweight or obese.

Elbel said, “This study demonstrates that doing something as simple as providing free and readily available water to students may have positive impacts on their overall health, particularly weight management. Our findings suggest that this relatively low-cost intervention is, in fact, working.”

Based on the results of the study, it would be expected that more public schools will work towards obtaining water jets for their cafeterias in the near future.

Signs Of Food Allergies Might Show Up In Newborn’s Blood

Health & Wellness

A new study suggests that signature features of an overly active immune system can be detected in the blood of newborn infants. By detecting these features, doctors would be able to determine serious allergic reactions before young children ever come into contact with trigger foods that could result in a life-threatening allergic episode.

A research team led by immunologist Yuxia Zhang of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia studied more than 1,000 newborn babies. They used blood from their umbilical cords in order to profile the immune cells and molecules floating within them. One year later, the children were tested for various food allergies. The team published their findings in the academic journal Science Translational Medicine.

By comparing the results, the team was ultimately able to pinpoint a certain type of immune cell known as a monocyte. This particular immune cell was found to be in higher numbers in the cord blood of children who later developed food allergies.

Monocytes convert themselves into pathogen-fighting cells when they come into contact with an invader. It was found in lab tests that the monocytes of children who developed food allergies were more eager to attack invaders than monocytes from children without allergies. This includes “invaders” that in most cases would be completely harmless.

Scientist Hesman Saey wrote, “Normally, a strong response is good; it means the immune cells are ready to fight bacteria and viruses. But in food-allergic kids, the researchers suspect that such overactive monocytes could keep the immune system in a state of high alert, signaling another kind of immune cell, called a T-cell, to transform and stoke the immune system to react. As a result, these eager-to-fight monocytes provoke a cascade of different molecules and cells to react to normally harmless things like a peanut protein.”

While the study is promising, immune systems are said to be extremely complex, and many different factors are said to be a part of the overall picture. So although this recent study explains some of the development of allergies, it most likely does not paint the entire picture. Other factors involved in the phenomenon of food allergies most likely include genetics, the mother’s diet during pregnancy and the child’s exposure to food.

IPhone Admits To Misleading IPhone 6 6S Plus Misleading Battery Meters

Finance

It turns out that the battery meter from your iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S+ smartphone might not be very honest. Apple has come forward and admitted that there is a bug with the battery meter of its latest model of smartphone, in that the 6S versions of the iPhone display a higher battery charge than the phone actually has.

As a result of the error, the battery meter fails to update the phone’s displayed percentage of charge remaining. Some phones have even been known to shut down due to a lack of power, even though a full 100% charge is displayed on the screen.

Apple says that the bug occurs when users manually adjust the time on the smartphones or cause automatic adjustments to the time by moving between time zones. As a result, most people have experienced the problem around time adjustments around daylight savings time or while traveling.

While Apple is currently working on a more substantial patch to fix the problem, users can fix the issue by restarting their iPhones and then enabling the automatic time setting within the phone’s “Date & Time” settings.

This is not the first time that Apple has had problems associated with the time and date settings of its iPhone. The smartphones have been known to contain a bug associated with their automatic daylight savings adjustment that would result in alarms not functioning. This caused many users to be late for work and other appointments. Additionally, in 2013, the daylight savings adjustment created an error in which anyone could crash an iPhone with the use of a text message.

It is expected that the upcoming update to Apple’s iOS operating system should fix the issue. The new version, iOS 9.3, is currently in public beta testing, and it should be fully available very soon. Version 9.3 will fix various bugs and add a new feature that filters out blue light when in night mode. Users will also be able to pair multiple Apple Watches with a single iPhone.

This North Dakota Crude Oil Is Worth Almost Nothing

It’s no secret that oil prices are at some of the lowest values we’ve seen in years. But for one oil buyer from North Dakota, the commodity is so worthless, that it is requiring sellers to pay them to take a certain type of low-quality crude oil off their hands. America has finally reached the point of negatively priced oil.

Flint Hills Resources LLC has listed its price for North Dakota Sour at -$0.50. The company actually expects to receive $0.50 when they “purchase” a barrel of the high-sulfur crude oil. Flint Hills Resources serves as the refining branch of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.

Just one year ago, a barrel of North Dakota sour cost $13.50. In January of 2014, it cost $47.60. The current negative price reflects the lack of pipeline capacity for this particular variety of ultra-low quality crude oil.

Still, even if the oil is of the poorest of quality, the negative price demonstrates just how bad things have become in the oil industry. Over the past 18 months, benchmark oil prices in the United States have fallen more than 70%.

The president of Lipow Oil Associates LLC Andy Lipow said, “Telling producers that they have to pay you to take away their oil certainly gives the producers a whole bunch of incentive to shut in their wells.”

Prices for a standard barrel of oil are currently trading at slightly more than $28, representing the lowest prices since 2003.

High-sulfur oil is typically regarded as the poorest-quality of oil because they must be processed at plants with specialized equipment that is designed to remove the sulfur.

Although negative commodity prices are rare, they are not unprecedented. In Canada, propane actually reached a negative value for about three months last year. Of course, when there’s no money to be made, many refineries simply close up shop. We could be seeing that very quickly with oil producers.

Standing Desks Show Promise For Students

Health & Wellness

There’s some good news for students who hate sitting down in class, as a recent study has shown that standing desks may improve both physical health and cognitive performance. The study focused on 27 Texas high school freshmen over the course of one school year. Overall, it was found that standing desks improved the scores of tests that focused on reasoning and working memory by somewhere between 7% and 14%

The study was led by Texas A&M School of Public Health researcher Ranjana Mehta. Many schools have been known to use standing desks to encourage both movement and the burning of calories to combat obesity. Mehta believed the desks could be some mental benefits for the students as well. In the end, there was definitely some evidence supporting this belief.

In order to conduct the study, Mehta and the team tested the students in both the fall and spring semesters. The tests consisted of a series of five exams that evaluated the students’ quick decision making, reasoning, working memory, cognitive strategy and cognitive flexibility. The team also made use of a portable brain imaging device in order to assess the brain activity of the students during testing.

The researchers found that using standing desks generally improved cognitive functions. The brain images also suggested that there was increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex of the students. This area of the brain is generally associated with working memory and executive functioning.

However, there were some limitations to the study. For instance, the study was quite small and there was no sort of control group. The researchers are recommending that a larger and more controlled study be conducted in the future.

Still, their findings are promising, and they could encourage more schools to adopt standing desks. Also the researchers say that they would like to look at the standardized test scores of the students to see if the improved cognitive functioning indeed translates to real world success.

Walmart To Close Down Hundreds Of Stores

Finance

Last year was not a good year for Walmart, and it now looks like 2016 might not be much better, as the retail giant is planning to close 269 stores. These locations include the company’s experimental small-store Express outlets and many locations in Brazil. In total, more than 16,000 jobs are expected to be eliminated.

In the United States, where Walmart is the nation’s single largest private employer, the company is planning to close 154 stores. Internationally, Walmart will close 60 stores in Brazil that were losing money. Overall, the closing of the stores will affect less than 1% of the company’s total square footage and revenue.

The decision was made by Walmart CEO Doug McMillon after he took the time to review the performance of the chain’s 11,600 stores. The move will put an end to the Walmart Express program, which consisted of an effort to create smaller corner stores starting in 2011. While the Walmart Express program will end, the company’s Neighborhood Market series will continue. However, a total of 23 of these medium-sized Neighborhood Market stores will be shut down.

McMillon stated, “We invested considerable time assessing our stores and clubs and don’t take this lightly. We are supporting those impacted with extra pay and support, and we will take all appropriate steps to ensure they are treated well.”

A total of 12 of the company’s massive Walmart Supercenter stores will be shutdown. These stores employ about 600 people on average. The majority of these closings will occur before the end of January. Last year, Walmart closed three of its Supercenter locations.

Following the news, shares for Walmart fell by more than 2%. Over the past year, Walmart shares have lost nearly 30% of their value, largely because of slow growth and declining profits.

With the closures, more than 10,000 Walmart employees in the United States will be affected. The company will offer the employees the opportunity to relocate to other stores within their respective regions. The company will also provide the affected workers with 60 days of pay and one week of severance for each year that they spent with the company. Walmart currently has about 1.4 million American employees and 800,000 employees outside the United States.

Oregon Militia Receives Ridiculous Gifts

News

After a group of armed protesters took over a United States wildlife refuge in Oregon, they turned to the public in the hopes of receiving much needed supplies. Desperate to make it through the harsh winter, the protesters expected that they would receive food rations, warm clothing and other emergency equipment. Instead, they were gifted with packages containing various adult pleasure toys and glitter.

On January 2nd, armed occupiers took control of buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The takeover represented the latest conflict regarding the American government’s control over land in the western regions of the country. Facing a shortage of snacks, fuel and warm clothing, the occupiers released a local mailing address to the public in the hopes that they would receive some much-needed support.

When the group went to display their gifts online, they were embarrassed and enraged to find that the packages that had been sent contained little more than sex toys and different colors of sparkly glitter. Now, not only is the outraged group still hungry and cold, they are baffled as to why people would go out of their way to humiliate them.

Occupier Jon Ritzheimer said in a Facebook video that featured an impressively large pleasure toy and bag of genital-shaped candy, “It was really mind-blowing to me that people would actually spend their money on all this hateful stuff to send out to us. It’s really ridiculous. We’re going to continue to do work and do good for our country. We’re not going to be deterred.”

The occupiers are planning for a long standoff with federal officials, who have mostly just sat back and watched from a distance. The situation has been largely followed on Twitter, where the protestors have been given nicknames, such as #YallQaeda and #VanillaISIS.

In addition to pleasure toys and glitter, the group has also received other useful items such as uniquely scented perfumes, nail polish, pedicure socks and a 55 gallon container of lubricant.

But besides trolls with some extra spending money, the Malheur occupiers have also enraged other groups, most notably regional birdwatchers and wildlife photographers who have been unable to enjoy the wildlife refuge. One bold birdwatcher sent an open letter to the group, warning them that they are being watched.

The angry birdwatcher wrote, “You will never see us, but we and our cameras will always see you. We will #takebackmalheur from you terrorists, and will not rest until every one of you thugs and poachers is behind bars where they belong.”

It has not been reported as to whether or not the genital shaped candies have been providing the protesters with proper sustenance.

Obama Administration’s $4B Plan To Jump-Start Self-Driving Cars

News

In an effort to help speed up the development of self-driving vehicles, the Obama administration has announced a plan to spend nearly $4 billion over the next ten years to help fund various autonomous car projects. It goes to show that President Obama is just as excited about driverless cars and their wide range of benefits as everyone else.

Recently, United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx spoke at a press conference at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. During his speech, Foxx discussed the various benefits that self-driving vehicles can have on the American automotive industry.

Foxx stated, “Automated vehicles open up possibilities for saving lives, saving time and saving fuel.”

The $4 billion in funding is just one part of a greater initiative that was announced by President Obama during his State of the Union Address on Tuesday. President Obama is hopeful that United States automakers will be able to produce a “21st century transportation system” before the rest of the world.

According to a press release from the government, federal officials are planning to unveil a sort of “model state policy” regarding self-driving cars sometime within the next six months. This policy would be the initial step towards creating consistent national guidelines regarding autonomous vehicles.

As things stand right now, regulations regarding self-driving vehicles largely differ between states. California, which is home to many companies experimenting with self-driving technologies, has some of the heaviest restrictions in the country. Many companies have started conducting testing in Austin, TX where there are fewer restriction put in place.

When all is said and done, the White House will spend $3.9 billion in order to conduct pilot programs which will test “connected vehicle systems” across the country. According to federal officials, the autonomous cars will be able to drastically reduce the number of accidents in the country.

Foxx said, “We know that 83 percent of car accidents are due to human error. What happens if human error could be eliminated? That’s a powerful possibility, and that’s a possibility worth pursuing.”

Needless to say, the reality of a self-driving car boom is getting closer and closer.

New Case Of Ebola Confirmed

Health & Wellness

A death caused by Ebola has been confirmed in Sierra Leone, just hours after the World Health Organization announced that the latest outbreak of the deadly disease in West Africa had concluded. Sierra Leone was originally declared to be free of the dangerous virus on November 7th. The region as a whole was deemed to be free of Ebola after the disease was determined to be eliminated from Liberia on Thursday. The death in Sierra Leone occurred earlier in the week.

Tests that were conducted on the deceased individual in northern Sierra Leone tested positive for Ebola. The news was confirmed by a spokesperson from an Ebola test center in the region. Now, the World Health Organization is very worried that more flare-ups could show up in the future.

According to spokesperson for at an Ebola test center Sidi Yahya, the patient died while in the Tonkolili district of Sierra Leone. The patient had traveled to the area from Kambia, which is close to the border shared with Guinea.

The Ebola testing was conducted by British health experts. Reports indicate that the health experts are now desperately searching for everyone who may have come into contact with the victim while he had the deadly virus. The disease is known to be extremely contagious, and it could have easily spread to others.

Since December of 2013, almost 4,000 people have died because of Ebola in Sierra Leone. Across the region as whole, more than 11,000 people have fallen victim to the disease.

Liberia was the final country to put an end to the active transmission of Ebola. However, the country had been declared to be free of Ebola twice in the past, only for the virus to later emerge once again. A country is considered to be free of Ebola after two three week incubation periods have taken place since the last known case tested negative in a second series of testing.

Spiders, Lice And More Crawling Through US Homes

News

In a disturbing new study conducted by United States scientists, the average U.S. residence is home not only to its human occupants but also to more than 100 species of invertebrates, such as centipedes, lice and spiders.

Most Americans know that dust mites occupy their homes, but few probably know just how many other critters crawl around. The new study is believed to be the first of its kind in attempting to quantify exactly what flies and scurries about in the average American home. In conducting the study, researchers thoroughly searched 50 houses and found they were inhabited by humans, pets and 579 different types of arthropods. Arthropods are invertebrate critters with jointed limbs and segmented bodies and include spiders and insects.

On average, the researchers found around 100 arthropod species in each home. The most common species were spiders, flies, beetles, ants and book lice. The scientists also found that in 65% of the homes, there were cobweb-producing spiders.

An entomologist at North Carolina State University, Matthew Bertone, said he was amazed at the number and variety of species found in what he emphasized were “clean and normal” homes in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He said that, “We were pretty surprised with what we found, such as the smallest wasp in the world, which is just 1 millimeter long. I saw a lot of things in homes that I had never seen in the wild before, things we’ve previously tried to trap. There is a weird species of beetle, called telephone pole beetles, where the babies can produce babies. And tiny crickets called ant-loving ants because they are found near ant nests. I’ve never seen one of those before.”

The researchers were entomologists that found the miniscule critters by simply looking from floor to ceiling in each room. They did not open drawers or rip up carpets. In one home, the scientists found several flesh flies which led to the discovery of the remains of a rotting rodent killed by the family feline.

Researchers picked 50 detached houses up to 5,000 square feet in size. They chose not to examine apartments due to the “shared bugs” from one apartment to another.

Bertone noted that, “There are lots of cobweb spiders and also the house centipede, which is a really creepy looking creature to some people but I find them fascinating. They are very fast and if you’re a cockroach, you’re likely to be on their menu. Most of these things aren’t pests, they peacefully co-habitate with people.

He added that, “I never thought I’d see such biology in homes that were clean, not filled with junk, just normal homes. My hope is that this doesn’t freak people out but people need to know their houses aren’t sterile environments.”

Florida Hospitals Dumps Heart Standards After Big GOP Gift

Health & Wellness

A group of cardiac doctors in Florida claim that the state is putting children with cardiac problems at severe risk because of a change in policy – a change that just happened to take place soon after Tenet Healthcare contributed more than $200,000 to Florida Republicans.

In June, CNN published a report that received national attention. The investigation revealed that a children’s heart surgery program at a Tenet-owned Florida hospital had failed to live up to state quality standards.

Less than two months later, instead of directing the hospital to fix things, the state simply decided to get rid of those standards of care.

And many doctors and members of the media believe that the decision to repeal those standards was made right after the giant hospital chain made significant political contributions to Republican Governor Rick Scott and his party.

Louis St. Petery, a pediatric cardiologist in Tallahassee, said that, “The whole situation is outrageous. It’s just outrageous.”

Cardiac physicians begged Florida to maintain the hospital standards. They argued that the quality standards of care have been in place since the ‘70s, have saved children’s lives and led other states to enact similar standards.

Department of Health spokeswoman Mara Gambineri responded to the controversy by stating that, “Our number one priority is the health of all Floridians, especially children.” However, she added that, “We fully support best practices and high standards of care at Florida’s hospitals. As an executive branch agency, the department’s authority is limited to those functions statutorily delegated by the Legislature.” Meaning that their hands were tied and were required to repeal the standards of care.

Pediatric heart specialists appointed by the state were furious. At a hearing, Dr. Jeffrey Jacobs emphasized that the standards “are necessary to protect the vulnerable children with heart disease. [Repealing the standards] is the failure of an entire team and system.”

Jacobs recommended the hospital cease and desist from performing heart surgery on infants younger than 6 months. Legally, the hospital could simply ignore Jacobs’ recommendation – and it did so. Meanwhile, the state did not intervene to help and babies continued to die at the hospital.

Finally, to the doctors’ relief, the hospital’s CEO resigned and it closed its pediatric heart surgery program. Yet, Florida announced it still planned to repeal hospital standards of care for children’s heart surgery.

Doctors outside the state were stunned. Dr. Peter Pronovost opined that, “I can’t think of anywhere else in the country where you have safety standards and someone doesn’t like them, so you just have it repealed. These standards have been in use for more than 30 years, and they’re widely acknowledged to ensure safety – why would you repeal them? If the state really felt it didn’t have the legislative authority to have the standards, why wouldn’t they go out and get that authority?”

Florida pediatric heart doctors in Florida say they believe the order to eliminate the standards of care came directly from Governor Scott’s office – who wanted to keep a major political donor (i.e., Tenet Healthcare) happy.

Unfortunately, in December, Florida Administrative Law Judge John Van Laningham ruled in the state’s favor, holding that health care professionals take “pride” in their jobs and that many “derive personal satisfaction from doing a job well.” Therefore, according to his reasoning, removing the government-imposed standards would not affect quality of care.

Essentially, the judge ruled that doctors will provide the same level of care simply because “they want to” – and not because they are forced to.

Now, the cardiac doctors are considering whether to appeal the judge’s seemingly absurd decision. Meanwhile, they said they are simply relieved that the hospital at issue is no longer operating on children’s hearts.