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Matthew Rose is an HIV advocate and a strong voice for young black gay men in the United States. Based in Washington D.C., Matthew does independent consulting on HIV/AIDS policy. He also works at AVAC (AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition), where he is the Policy Chair for the Young Black Gay Men's Leadership Initiative. He himself is currently enrolled in an HIV vaccine trial. I had the pleasure of meeting Matthew at AIDS Vaccine 2012, where he was a presenter and journalist fellow. There he told me about his experience being part of a vaccine trial.
Matthew, you're a participant for a vaccine trial. Tell us about that.
Yeah, it's been about two years now. I've been enrolled in the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) 505 trial, which recruits men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women into an HIV vaccine trial to test a new product.
Why did you choose to get into that?
It's interesting. Unlike most trial participants, it took me about a year to decide. I had reviewed the protocol. I had started as an advocate in the field before I could enroll. What it came down to was that I had the means and the ability to and I felt like it was something I can give, so I chose to give.
How did you hear about it?
In 2009, I started a fellowship with AVAC doing HIV biomedical research prevention advocacy. Actually, that was when 505 was just rolling out and we had all the criticism about its community engagement and the whole recruitment process. So going through that process, working with the researchers and being on the community advisory board of the vaccine research center, we went through it all. I talked about it, heard about it, learned a whole about the study, probably more than any community person needs to know. Then I made my decision.
What's the process like?
Generally what happens is you either call in or book one of their appointments, and then they give you a phone screen. They ask a little bit about your sexual behavior. They ask you about your circumcision, which they'll verify later. If you check all the things off in the phone screen, they'll bring you in. You can go and meet someone at the mobile unit, which is what I ended up doing.
So I went and they drew a little blood. They have to confirm that you're HIV negative. And they need to test this for adenovirus 5 to make sure that you're adenovirus-5 negative as well. Then they talk to you a little bit more about the trial. They give you the consent, so that you can read about the trial, which I had already read about before. Then they send you away.
If they call, you come back in to get your HIV test results and your adenovirus-5 test results. If both of those are negative, you can go into a trial. They'll do a full physical and at that point, they'll have a nurse practitioner or doctor verify that you are indeed circumcised, and fully circumcised, by the definition that they use for it. From there, you get to go consent with them. They have a whole process. You take a little test in the end to make sure you are fully consented and understand it. Then they schedule a date for you to come into the clinic.
You have what's about a four-hour visit your first time, in which you go in, they draw blood, they do vitals and then they order vaccine product. They have you take a digital survey about your sexual behavior practices. Then they give you the first injection, which is via biojector. Biojector is a needleless syringe process that basically activates the product into your body faster than you would with needle and syringe. Then they hold you for an hour, just to make sure you don't have any adverse reactions, and they send you on your way.
They send you home with this little booklet and a thermometer to take your own temperature every morning. And you need to see if the site they did the injection on gets big or not, or if it's decreasing from swelling, because it will swell originally. About five days later from that, they'll call you and check in to see what your results were and if you were having any adverse events. They schedule you in for a blood draw, which is usually about two weeks later. When you show up two weeks later, they draw a whole bunch of blood. I say a whole bunch, but it's actually less than when you donate blood, which is always funny to me because they're like, "Don't donate blood products while you're in the study." And I'm like, "It's a study for men who have sex with men. I can't donate blood products, but OK, whatever."
So you then chill out for three months, come back in and rinse and repeat that whole process again. The second time you go in for biojector though, it's a lot shorter because they just have you fill out the ACASI [audio computer-assisted self-interview]. Of course during the blood draw, I should say, they do some risk-reduction counseling. They talk about what are your risk behaviors, what are you doing. They give you more condoms and lube than you can shake a stick at. Then you wait three more months and do it one more time.
You come in six months later and they give you another shot with a needle and syringe. Then they have a really big blood draw, which is still less than what you'd donate, but it just seems like a lot of vials. But they're really good to you. They'll lay you down. They talk about anything that happens. With me, they gossiped about what's going on in the field. Then they say, "We're done with injections. From now on you're going to come in every three months, where you'll get a blood draw, smaller or bigger blood draw on alternating visits every three months."
Two weeks later, you come back and get your results. They always give you your results in person. They'll never tell you over the phone, no matter what your results are. Obviously, if your results are positive, they'll link you to care. If not, they'll give you risk reduction counseling. Then every third time you come in, you do the ACASI to do kind of like a, "What are your sexual practices? What are your risk behaviors? What's your drug use? Who are your sexual partners?"
It's a very thorough and rigorous process. You said you took almost a year to decide. What were your fears and reservations?
At first, for me, I was annoyed that they were calling it a phase-2 study and calling it an efficacy trial. I felt that it should be called an experimental efficacy trial because with most phase-2 trials, if you see positive signs, then you take that product to licensure. In this case, we weren't trying to take a product to licensure. They're trying to find out if we can answer a question, which actually gets back to the root of the science.
What we learned from the previous study was that we don't actually know enough about HIV and about how things work. So we're doing this study to figure out, can we make an impact originally on viral set point? And can we lower that initial point where the virus replication starts to happen? And if we can lower that initial peak, we could lower how long it would take someone to have to use antiretrovirals or even use them at all, which would be a huge breakthrough. But we wouldn't take that to licensure right away because it's a very hard message to sell and it's not necessarily the message we want to sell.
But we're trying to see if we can impact this particular thing and then we learned in the midst of this trial, RV144 hits. We learn that maybe there are some other things that could mean this product could actually prevent infection and not just lower viral set point. So we increased the size of people in the trial. One of the interesting things, being on a CAB [community advisory board] during this, recruitment for the trial was very slow at first. We almost closed the trial for futility. We were wracking our brains about how we could tell more people about the study, how we could get more people involved.
People were asking me, since I had such a lengthy process and I was able to talk about it. I talked about my process in a number of places and I think it was really important for me to make that informed decision because I think it really comes down to: people have to make an informed decision for themselves. Sometimes that informed decision is an informed no. And sometimes it is an informed yes. But we need to give them the information in a way that they can understand it. For me, there were questions that I wanted to know for myself before I would do something that would require me to say yes to participating in a five-year study.
Because at first it does sound like it has a huge impact on your life. And now having been in it for two years, I realize that it didn't really have a big impact on my life, in terms of time and commitment. The study team I work with and the vaccine research center was amazingly flexible. They were able to schedule around a lot of things. I always got the first appointment, so I'd only be an hour late to work, which I was able to work out with my boss. So it was really helpful for me to have gone through my process, even though my process is not the typical process.
But I think the things that were very typical were the ways the site team handled me, dealt with me and engaged me, even with my awkward questions like, "Why are you asking about blood products? Why do you promote these types of lubricants, which don't have the same high safety profile as these other lubricants for anal sex?" Since you know people are having unprotected anal sex to be in the study, you had to have had two incidences, which I always laughed at them for. Because it was like, "Oh yeah, I had two incidences, but still not the same as most people's two incidences are. But sure, we'll call that the same level of risk."
So it's overall been a really good process. It's funny now though, because when you're in the study you can't get your HIV test done anywhere but in the study, so you don't accidentally unblind yourself. So I have to call them to schedule my HIV testing, which is a little annoying, but sometimes you're like, "Yeah, the government takes care of my HIV." I never have anything I really worry about. I know a lot about HIV. I've powered up my sex life and sexual habits. And they'll follow up with me once a year, for the next three years.
Do you let your potential partners know that you're in this trial?
Mm hmm. For those who ask. A couple asked about joining. One or two of them have enrolled. It's really kind of if I'm in the position that you want to ask. My enrollment in the study has zero effect on them basically. The condom use, the one person I don't use condoms with knows all about the study. We have a long complicated story about why we made the decision we made and how we negotiated this decision. But the others, almost 99-percent condom usage, so those people won't be affected.
There's nothing in the study that would affect them, nothing from the study product that I'm getting. And these are questions I had to know before I enrolled. If I do produce an immune response, does that transfer in any way shape or form? "No." Explaining what this vaccine-induced seropositivity is: the goal of a vaccine is to produce antibodies and so the older HIV test that we have, the rapid test that we all take, looks for antibodies. So there's a chance that if a vaccine is doing what it's supposed to do, you will produce antibodies. So on a rapid test, you could be antibody positive, but virus negative, which is why you have follow up with the PCR test or even the western blot. What most people do to confirm once you do produce a positive test is to go back and do those others. So that's something that could happen and I want to know more about the interaction of this, just in case. But none of that has really affected me.
One of the things they constantly ask in the study is, "Have you had any negative social outcomes or results of being in the study or telling people you're in the study?" I'm actually like, "No." For me, it's really been a chance to talk to people about HIV vaccine research. So many people are like, "What? What's that? HIV vaccine research? You do what now?" And it gives me an opportunity to talk and discuss. So I haven't really had negative responses from the study. The partners I've told about it, like most things in most people's sex lives, they don't really care. If it's not really going to affect them, I don't actually need to disclose every bit of my sexual health history to them. But those who ask, care. And if there was going to be an effect on them, I would definitely tell them.
It's great to hear you haven't had any negative outcomes. Finally, after the five years is up, what do you hope to get out of this?
I'll be interested to be unblinded. People are always like, "What arm do you think you're in?" I have no idea. I have never felt any sort of reaction to any of my vaccinations. But I didn't feel any reaction to any of the vaccinations I took before I went abroad either, except for the typhoid pills but that was a whole different story. Those are known to give you crazy dreams and stuff. But it'll be nice just to know I participated.
Over the time I've been involved with this field, I've really become close friends to all the researchers. I think that's another piece that helped influenced my decision to be in the study as well. Seeing these people work so hard and needing numbers, there's nothing stopping me from helping them, so why don't I? So I'll just be happy to know that I contributed. If I was in the placebo, I have a number of recent friends who are ready to enroll me in the next study of theirs. We'll see where I go in this field. But if the opportunity to enroll in another trial comes, there's a good chance I would do it.
Any last advice for others thinking about enrolling?
I think people need to really read the information that's available. Ask the questions that they think are relevant. There's no such thing as a stupid question, especially when it comes to a decision about your health. If the decision is right for you, then it's a great decision to make. It's been very rewarding for me.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @MTKRose.


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No newspaper round-up from me over the weekend so I thought I would analyse what The Times paywall has taught Murdoch.
It has been announced that the Australian Murdoch papers are going to go behind a partial paywall, with some content free and some charged, along the model of the Wall Street Journal rather than the much more stringent Times paywall. The editors of the Aussie papers are saying their decision has nothing to do with the UK but I think it shows the Times paywall is failing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Colorful tech news and reviews
We found 1 episode of RGBA with the tag "iphone xr".
100: Your Siri is My Touch ID
October 10th, 2018 | 1 hr 23 mins
512pixels, ambeo, apple, apple watch, apple watch series 4, aqua, china, electric skateboard, exway, exway x1, hack, headset, homepod, iphone, iphone xr, iphone xs, iphone xs max, sennheiser, super micro
This week we discuss the new fall release from Apple, the Aqua Image Library, China's Big (Biggest?) Hack and we review the Sennheiser AMBEO Smart Headset and the Exway X1 Electric Skateboard!


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Amrita Rao – Quick 5
We have not heard of Amrita Rao in a while but in a quick chat, she reveals some interesting tid-bits.
Spiritual experience
When I was seven, and accompanied my aunt to Kodaikanal on a spiritual trip to Satya Sai Baba's ashram. I was curious to know why she was a vegetarian. My aunt explained a few things to me and since that moment I have been vegetarian.
First Offer
When I was in high school and got a call from an event management team telling me that they have selected me from an audition of 54 girls to be face of their fairness cream.
First Project you signed?
When a representatives of music Films Company came to my door with flowers and a cake that said we will make you a star. I signed a three-year movie contract deal.
Big Break
When Gauri Khan saw one of my Coffee ads and asked Farah Khan to audition me for Main Hoon Na.
When MF Hussain pronounced me as his muse eleven years after Madhuri Dixit after watching me in Vivah and made me a part of his historic canvas.
Filed under: Prashanthi Nilayam, Prashanthi Nilayam Ashram, Prashanti, Prashanti Ashram, Prashanti Nilayam, Puttaparthi, Puttaparti, Sai Baba, Sathya Sai, sathya sai baba | Tagged: Ab Ke Baras, Actress, Amrita Rao, Bollywood, Fairever Face Cream, India, Indian Actress, Ishq Vishk, Konkani, Konkani Hindu, Main Hoon Na, Mumbai | Comments Off on Amrita Rao – Quick 5


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John Lydon-fronted post-punk luminaries Public Image Ltd have reformed once more, this time announcing a spate of five arena dates across England and Scotland in the run-up to Christmas.
The band are touring in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the album Metal Box which was released on November 23 1979 and includes such memorable numbers as 'No Birds' and 'Albatross'.
You may, of course, remember John Lydon from his days in the jungle or promoting some kind of butter or other. But now, thankfully, he's returning to music with PiL. Hoo-rah-rah!
Here are those dates:
15 - Birmingham, O2 Academy
16 - Leeds, O2 Academy
18 - Glasgow, O2 Academy
19 - Manchester, O2 Academy
21 - London, Brixton O2 Academy
Tickets for these shows go on sale this Friday, September 11.
In other PiL related news, former bassist Jah Wobble is to release his autobiography later this month. The book is titled Memoirs of a Geezer: The Autobiography of Jah Wobble - Music, Mayhem, Life and is out on September 24 on Serpent's Tail.
Of his life, Mr Wobble says:
'I'm Jah Wobble, a geezer. I come from Stepney in East London. I'm one of the chaps. I'm a totally different kettle of Fish and I haven't got time for all that nonsense.'


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Wanna ride? Long road for Northtown Bike Trail
Sometime in the future, the Downtown Mall and far-away places like the Hollymead Town Center, Forest Lakes, and the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport could be connected not by an often-congested roadway, but by a 14.1-mile bicycle trail running parallel to Route 29. That's the lofty goal of the Northtown Trail, the final plan for which was completed by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and recently endorsed by the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization.
But don't start oiling the chain on your Schwinn just yet. The trail is to be built in stages, as big roadway projects like the Meadowcreek Parkway and McIntire Road Extended are completed. It also depends on finding a way to cross the South Fork of the Rivanna River, either by the construction of a bridge as part of the Berkmar Drive extension project, retro-fitting the Route 29 bridge, or a bridge where the Norfolk/Southern railroad currently crosses the Rivanna.
Closer to Downtown, to complete the route, a bridge connecting the eastern and western sides of McIntire Park will also have to built, a project that could cost as much as $400,000, according to city Parks and Rec officials, but that could be eligible for a VDOT transportation enhancement grant.
Obviously, it could be years before any of this gets done. But fans of people-powered transportation can dream, can't they?


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Baylor still No. 1 in AP women's basketball poll
Baylor remains No. 1 in The Associated Press women's basketball poll for a fifth straight week after cruising to two more Big 12 wins.
The Lady Bears had easy victories over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State and have 32 straight Big 12 regular-season wins. Baylor had 37 first-place votes Monday and will host Kansas before visiting Texas this week.
The first six stayed unchanged with Notre Dame, Connecticut, Stanford, Duke and California following the Lady Bears. UConn got the other three first place votes.
Maryland moved up three spots to seventh while Penn State, Georgia and Kentucky round out the first 10. The Lady Bulldogs moved up four spots after beating the Wildcats.
Delaware made the biggest move, climbing five spots to No. 20.
Syracuse entered the poll at No. 24 - its first appearance in two years. Iowa dropped out a week after entering the poll.


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Small, neat, easy – This is Gavel
Gavel vCard & Coming Soon Theme is a nifty combination between a vCard and a Coming Soon template. It is ideal for anyone who wants to tell users when your site is going online and simultaneously provide them with brief info about the project. And all that in an elegant way.
You just want a vCard? No problem, simply remove the countdown and replace the content to your likings, it's very simple.
- Single-Page layout
- Countdown to site launch
- AJAX Contact Form
- Pretty little animations
- Pretty and minimalistic design
- Easy Customization
- Automatic sizing & positioning of the site title
- Cross browser compatibility
- Google Web Fonts
- Three renamable site sections
- Every text 100% editable, customizable for any language
- Personal support if you get stuck
- It's your choice, vCard, Coming Soon – or both!
Gavel is not exclusively a law / attorney template, the logo is just an example of a possible use and can be changed or removed quickly.


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The passage of the ObamaCare bill and its certain signing by Barack Obama now moves the fight from Congress to the courts. While the politics on Capitol Hill will continue for at least a few days on the reconciliation sidebar bill that will go to the Senate, the main damage has already been done with the vote last night in the House. States have already begun preparations for constitutional challenges, mainly based on the unprecedented creation of federal mandates on individual citizens:
The next chapter in the health care fight will play out not only in the midterm elections, but also in the courts. Attorneys general in three states — Virginia, Florida and South Carolina — have indicated they will file legal challenges to the measure, on the grounds that it violates the Constitution by requiring individuals to purchase insurance.
In an interview Sunday, the Virginia attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, said he intended to base his challenge on two grounds: that the federal bill conflicts with a newly passed state law that says no Virginian may be compelled to buy insurance and that Congress does not have authority to impose the mandate under its powers to regulate interstate commerce, as Democrats contend.
"This is such an incredible federal overreach," Mr. Cuccinelli said, but added that he did not plan to ask the courts for an order that would prevent the bill from going into effect because the individual mandate does not take effect until 2013. "On our basis for a constitutional challenge, there's no rush," he said.
The courts seem like a fruitful place to deconstruct ObamaCare. Even the CBO warned Congress in 1993 about the novelty of requiring Americans to buy health insurance as a requisite for residence:
A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government.
Federal mandates typically apply to people as parties to economic transactions, rather than as members of society. For example, the section of the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires restaurants to make their facilities accessible to persons with disabilities applies to people who own restaurants. The Federal Labor Standards Act prohibits employers from paying less than the federal minimum wage. This prohibition pertains to individuals who employ others. Federal environmental statutes and regulations that require firms to meet pollution control standards and use specific technologies apply to companies that engage in specific lines of business or use particular production processes. Federal mandates that apply to individuals as members of society are extremely rare. One example is the requirement that draft-age men register with the Selective Service System. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is not aware of any others imposed by current federal law.
That's because none other exists. The Constitution gives Congress the right to regulate interstate commerce, not to force individuals to purchase items from that commerce. And let's not forget that no interstate commerce in health insurance exists, thanks to Congress keeping people from buying that insurance across state lines.
However, the politics of ObamaCare will continue to resonate this year, and into 2012. Democrats insist that they will benefit politically from the passage of ObamaCare, but the numbers and the structure of the bill strongly suggest otherwise. They jammed the bill through Congress using arcane parliamentary procedures despite the strong disapproval of their proposal among voters — between nine and 20 points, depending on the pollster. In comparison, Democrats proclaimed a landslide when Obama won office by an impressive seven points among the popular vote, one of the larger margins of victory in the past 20 years.
The structure of the bill is another problem. Very few of the benefits of ObamaCare even begin before 2014, but all of the taxes and business mandates start this year. The extra expense on businesses (Caterpillar estimated it would cost them $100 million a year) will keep companies from hiring or investing in expansion. That will kill any employment recovery in a weak economy, meaning that high unemployment will continue for the next several years. Health care will cost more, be less available, and people will remain out of work. In that kind of environment, Democrats will have to answer for their government takeover, and the results won't be pretty — nor should they be.


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Prague Community Hospital is a for-profit, community-based healthcare center with a primary mission of the continuous improvement of the health status of the people of Prague and neighboring communities. At Prague Community Hospital, convenient and cost effective care will be provided with an emphasis on quality and personal service.
Prague Community Hospital does not discrimiate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in admission, treatment or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment.


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Technical Support
If you have a question about your product or a technical issue, please visit the Technical Support Pages.
Sales & Order Inquiries
If you are looking for a quotation, please send us the Request for proposal.
If you have a question about an existing order, please send us an email: order_eu(at)3dconnexion.com
To speak to a 3Dconnexion representative: +44 207 6608549
General Contact
If you have any further question, please send us a message:


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Place an ad online
Legal Notices
& Found
Misc. for Sale
Real Estate
Classified Rates & Info
Legal Notices
Notice Under Assumed Business
Name Act 805 ILCS 405
State of Illinois )SS
County of Logan)
To Whom It May Concern:
Notice is hereby given that on the 23rd day of June, 2014, a
Certificate of Ownership of Business was filed in the Office of
the Logan County Clerk, states that: Trenton Crumpler, intends to transact, or
is transacting
business in Logan County, State of Illinois, under the fictitious
name to wit: Chest Thumper Outdoors and that
he is the sole owner and proprietor of said business,
and that the principal place of business is located at: 108
E. Prairie Street Broadwell, IL, 62634
/s/ Trenton D. Crumpler
Sally J. Litterly
Logan Co. Clerk & Recorder
June 24, July 1, 8, 2014
Send a link to a friend
Invitation to Bid:
Logan County Safety Complex Roof Project
911 Pekin Street, Lincoln, Illinois
Invitation to Bid: The
County of Logan, a body corporate and politic, will
accept sealed bid proposals from professional commercial
roofing contractors licensed to do business in the state
of Illinois to replace the existing roof of the Logan
County Public Safety Building, 911 Pekin Street,
Lincoln, Illinois.
Bid Documents: Bid documents may be
obtained by contacting Logan County Board Office, 601
Broadway Street, P.O. Box 39, Lincoln, Illinois 62656,
phone (217) 732-6400, or by emailing
firstname.lastname@example.com or
Due Date: The bid deadline is Tuesday,
July 1.
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Public Notice
The City of Lincoln Street Department
will be accepting Sealed Bids on surplus Equipment that
is no longer needed. Bids will be accepted on all
equipment through 3:30 P.M. Friday, July 11, 2014. Bids
may be dropped off at the Street Department at 103 3rd
St. Bids should be written or typed with the bidder's
name, address and phone number. All equipment is being
sold in as is condition and the city reserves the right
to reject any and all bids. The items up for bid can be
viewed by appointment by contacting Street
Superintendent Walt landers at 217-732-4655. The
equipment available is as follows: 1980 C70 single axle
dump truck with spreader box, 1989 C70 single axle dump
truck, 1975 Athey Force Feed Loader 7110 series 666-132,
Gas engine concrete mixer, 3 point hitch tree spayed, 3
point hitch sprayer with pump and 100 Gal. tank and 2
large backhoe buckets.
Susan K. Gehlbach
City Clerk
City of Lincoln IL.
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UpNorth Universal Records On Cocaine City 14 DVD! [User Submitted]
"Is a day in a life of upnorth records artist TP, Mall G, and Nitty 3"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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A place you can find lots of handmade fashion cameo jewelry and many more creations. Any questions, please contact this seller. Thank you.
After 2 weeks your items will automatically renewed for another 60 days and $0.23 per item will be added to your billing ledger.
While you were away our TOU was updated,
read the terms of use here.
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The historic social contract between government and society forged in the political settlement leading to the 1994 elections and subsequent adoption of the Constitution has unravelled badly. "But," we are told, "Cyril is back in the inner circle of government. The crisis will be fixed." The hope is that Cyril Ramaphosa will become the de facto prime minister, albeit under the watchful eye of President Jacob Zuma and the party elite. The fear is that the inner rot in government is too deep, President Zuma too obdurate, ANC bosses too powerful and the president's acolytes too dependent on the party machine for Ramaphosa to succeed. The question is whether this master negotiator, one-time labour leader and skilled businessperson can prevail against an ideologically entrenched political bureaucracy.
The growing disconnect between the super-rich and the middle class on the one hand, and those left behind in poverty is widening with frightening alarm. The number of young people who languish without a decent education, healthcare or a viable job is morally repugnant and represents a grave threat to political stability.
The aftermath of state terrorism and apartheid weighed heavily on the ANC when it first came to power. The cold truth is that the new regime has not done enough to redress the economic consequences of apartheid. This much we know. It is not knowledge we lack. What is missing is the courage to do something about it. Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said: "The gravy train stopped just long enough for a few fleet-footed comrades to jump on board."
Effective leadership must promote moral principles that go beyond political talk and empty promises. Values need to be embedded in policy implementation and the practices of good government. The ANC has gone beyond any previous government in articulating the boundaries of good governance. A public protector and an auditor general have been appointed to deal with instances of maladministration and corruption, and the 2005 Government Gazette deals extensively with public procurement regulations and procedures designed to combat corruption and theft. It is the lack of a resolute commitment by political leaders to act against comrades and benefactors that is not there. This is bad for politics, bad for business and bad for public morality. The behaviour and excessive salaries of politicians, business leaders and others need to be measured and acted against in an uncompromising manner if found wanting. It is insufficient simply to redeploy a cadre, who soon reappears elsewhere in an equally lucrative position, with the revolving door between government and business turning with little more than a gentle squeak.
Corrective action demands more than a set of pious moral absolutes. It requires what Max Weber called an "ethic of responsibility," wrought in political realism, implemented on the basis of decisive principles and driven by strong leaders. The specific shape and identity of these principles need to be forged through fearless political and moral debate. The present decay tells us that they need to include:
- Well-honed, constituency-based elections, within which elected officials are held accountable to those who elect them, with regular report-backs and the capacity of constituencies to recall their representatives when necessary. Democracy involves more than placing a cross on a ballot every five years, followed by a surrendering of electoral authority to party bureaucrats. The recommendations of the Van Zyl Slabbert Commission on Electoral Reform need to be reconsidered, if not wholly implemented.
- A radical renewal of the education system, with a regular oversight of standards for learners as well as teachers and education authorities. The South African Democratic Teachers Union, other teachers' bodies and school governing bodies need to be held accountable to the interests of the children they teach.
- New attention being given to a health system, adequately equipped, with well-trained and appropriately remunerated doctors and nurses. Without the prevention of curable diseases the education of our children suffers and we, as a nation, will continue to flounder.
- The creation of a just, inclusive and sustainable economy. It is time to move away from an exclusively shareholder economy to a stakeholder economy that includes business leaders, shareholders, workers and consumers, as well as rights' advocates who represent future generations and the environment.
- The reach of the economic elite extends well beyond the domain of business. It generates Marikanas and farm worker revolts such as those seen in the Boland.
- The mobilisation of the entire country, rich and poor, professionals and the currently unemployed, to counter crime and corruption through appropriate social reforms, which needs to involve car guards, shop owners and local residents. And ultimately there needs to be clean, efficient, no-nonsense policing.
Timing is of the essence in any political intervention. The ANC has, arguably, anticipated the extent of the disenchantment with government in electing Ramaphosa as the party's deputy president, and his political acumen should not to be underestimated. If politics is as much about the self-interest of the ruling party as anything else – and it is – then the forces for good, both within and without the party, need to generate maximum pressure for productive change.
Power corrupts and there is enough power in the ruling party, if left unchecked, to corrupt totally. It is this that gives rise to the need for a new coalition of citizens, committed to resisting further exploitative encroachments on political decency. This could be a game-changer for the country.
Charles Villa-Vicencio was the national research director of the Truth and Reconcialtion Commission and is currently a senior research fellow in the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation


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Beth A. Kaplanek, RN, BSN
Beth A. Kaplanek, RN, BSN, is a Pilates instructor and practitioner of Pilates for rehabilitation at The Pilates Center of Long Island in Huntington, New York. She started her career in fitness in 1998, teaching aerobics and personal training. Kaplanek served for 20 years as a registered nurse working in various capacities in emergency room care, operating room care, intensive care, drug counseling and rehabilitation, and hospice care. After undergoing a hip replacement in 2001, Kaplanek began using Pilates as a form of low-impact exercise and strength and flexibility training. Encouraged by her physician's positive prognosis, she began researching how the Pilates method could be modified and used by people with hip or knee conditions and replacements. Kaplanek's research with Dr. Levine and Dr. Jaffe regarding Pilates as a form of postoperative rehabilitation has been published in the Bulletin of the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.
Pilates training provides many benefits in the pre- and postoperative regime of the hip or knee replacement (arthroplasty) client. It is a well suited form of fitness that can be incorporated in the exercise regimen and continued as a home program. The proposed advantages of utilizing Pilates include improving preoperative function, developing a pathway for return to outpatient exercise, and providing a whole body approach to rehabilitation.In this free hour-long webinar, Beth Kaplanek, author of Pilates for Hip and Knee Syndromes and Arthroplasties, provides valuable information on how Pilates exercises may be modified to meet the range of motion (ROM) needs of patients and clients with hip and knee syndromes and joint replacements. Viewers learn the following:
View the recording now!
This Staying in the Game webinar series will help sports medicine professionals keep their clients in the game, whatever that game might be. Whether you work with elite athletes, weekend warriors, fitness enthusiasts, or the general population, this series is designed to have something for everyone. So join us for these informative sessions that will help your athletes stay in the game and help you stay up to date on the latest information from a variety of health care fields.
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Newcomer to North CA - advice requested from locals
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Joined: 09 Jun 2012
Posts: 4
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:06 am
Post subject: Newcomer to North CA - advice requested from locals
Hello fellow windsurfers,
I'm an Irish windsurfer planning on moving to the Bay Area within a few months and I'm hoping to get a feel for the local scene before I get there, so your advice would be hugely appreciated!
I'll probably end up living somewhere in the vicinity of San José, where I will be working, but access to good coastal sailing spots might convince me to live as far south as Santa Cruz, and to put up with the longer commute to work.
I currently sail big gear (120l board, > 6.0 rig) or smaller gear (90l board, < 6.0 rig) depending on conditions. I can enjoy flat water blasting, bump'n'jump or small waves (I'm no noob but no hardcore wave sailor either!) The cost of bringing my stuff halfway around the world might limit me to bringing one board and a couple of sails. I'd prefer to bring the smaller gear - are there safe spots in the vicinity of Santa Cruz that get regular wind that would get me out on, say, 90l/5m?
Is localism an issue? In Ireland we have plentiful coastline and not many windsurfers, so the scene is small, open and friendly. I do of course respect the "rules of the water" and not go sailing when the location/conditions are too much for my abilities, but I'm just hoping that I wouldn't be made unwelcome anywhere just through the act of rigging up and getting in the water? Open to opinion maybe but I thought I should ask to be sure
Finally, would it be easy to get acquainted with informal groups of windsurfers with abilities like my own? Are there means of getting in touch, apart from forums like this? Its always safer and more fun to not go sailing alone
Huge thank you to anyone who takes the time to help me out. Good wind to you all!
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Joined: 10 May 1998
Posts: 1154
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 8:21 am
Post subject:
First, as a windsurfer you are making a terrific move! No less than Robbie Naish said San Francisco has some of the best and most underrated windsurfing in the world. That's correct, its only because there are Maui and the Gorge that it doesn't get its due.
The unwelcome days are long long over. With the shrinkage of the sport windsurfers are happy to see new folks. Also windsurfers are always into talking; its the second biggest part of what we do. Yesterday a fellow showed up at our local hangout, Washoe, pulled up, parked, got out and started talking with everyone. This is exactly what I did when I moved here and what my buddy who showed up a moment later did as well. Then another fellow did the same from Tahoe. We all had a good time and hung out and sailed and of course, did much talking as usual. It's also safer to have someone keeping an eye on each other as things can happen. I think this is true at most of the spots,
Finally there are about 10 places to sail. If you'll be in San Jose or Santa Cruz, then Waddell and Davenport, about 10 miles north of Santa Cruz, offer wave sailing, are friendly now and can be challenging. Watch out for Davenport, it is for advanced sailors only as being able to stay upwind is critical. Waddell is more forgiving unless the waves are big. Many have cut their teeth there on wavesailing.
On the bay side, you are in luck as San Jose is a great locale from which to go sailing. 3rd is terrific as is Coyote. Friendly and don't hesitate to ask about whatever. Coyote is good to improve skills. Candlestick is a great place to get better and is a favorite of the trick guys. They seem to hang out together and encourage each other and have a good time. Palo Alto is rather unique and interesting and has very nice sailing, if a little lighter, once you get to understand the oddities (launch from a dock, negotiate a slough to get out etc.)
Finally trips to Sherman Island are definitely part of it and well worthwhile, depending on conditions. It becomes a "mini Gorge" when things are right. Rolling swells on the ebb and often has steady strong winds. You can camp there, or go over to Antioch and stay in a hotel, eat, catch a movie etc.
Welcome. Just don't do dumb stuff and it will work out just fine.
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Joined: 03 Aug 1998
Posts: 581
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:54 am
Post subject:
i second the notion that you are making a good move. there are places with more consistent and extreme conditions but without the employment opportunities of a major metropolitan area. it isn't difficult to sail 100 days a year if you have a good quiver and don't mind driving a little.
you will find conditions somewhere around the bay area for any combination of gear. i'd say with something around 5.0M and 85L you can get a lot of days in around here. you can browse the "where we're sailing today..." section of the blog to get an idea what people are riding at which sites. there are regular swap meets with good used equipment at ridiculous bargains.
personally i would want to live farther north than san jose unless you really plan on sailing the coast a lot. somewhere in the airport area would put you in closer proximity to the best launches and still have a manageable commute to a job farther south. i like brisbane.
everyone has a favorite launch. crissy field may have the largest group of regulars. with very few exceptions everyone gets along and welcomes new meat.
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Joined: 25 Jun 1997
Posts: 63
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:11 am
Post subject:
Hi Moingo,
Given that your work will be in San Jose, and your current windsurfing focus is flat water, bump & jump, and small waves, I would recommend living somewhere between Sunnyvale and Redwood City. You could sail places like 3rd Ave or Coyote after work (if you could cut out a bit early). You are going to love 3rd Ave, BTW. For about 10 years, I lived in Sunnyvale, worked in the San Jose area, and sailed most of the Peninsula sites. It worked out real well.
I would not recommend living in Santa Cruz unless you will be doing mostly wavesailing and don't mind a lousy commute "over the hill" on Highway 17 to San Jose. This road can jam up during commute hours. Especially when you are driving home and trying to get an after work session in.
One other thought: There is plenty of high quality used gear at very reasonable prices for sale in the Bay Area. The IWindsurf buy/sell postings give a good indication of prices and availability. So weigh the cost of bringing any gear vs. the cost of buying used locally.
You are going to love it here. 100 days a year is very doable.
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Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 54
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 12:28 pm
Post subject:
90l and 5.3 5.7 should be you go to kit. if your average size. Perhaps selling the larger stuff and repurchasing after you get your feet wet and get a feel for the area. As you discover our range of conditions your gear will want to change to fit your new skills. Welcome and get ready for wave sailing to change your life.
Ps rent before you buy a home. commutes are brutal. you will want to get a feel before setting roots.
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Joined: 07 Jun 2001
Posts: 1632
Location: San Francisco
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 1:20 pm
Post subject:
I too recommend living somewhere on the Peninsula if you want a reasonable commute and proximity to windsurfing sites, unless you're really into surfing and wave sailing.
Here are some links to give you a feel of what to expect out here:
Kevin Kan
Sunset Sailboards, San Francisco CA
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Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Posts: 255
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 1:34 pm
Post subject:
churan wrote:
Ps rent before you buy a home. commutes are brutal. you will want to get a feel before setting roots.
Look carefully before you rent. Commutes can indeed be brutal, rents are high, and peace, quiet, and personal/property safety can vary widely between locales that do not seem far apart on a map.
Years ago, shopping for an apartment in Mountain View, I crossed one place off the list because there was an obvious fist hole through the manager's front door. The apartment that I ended up with was in a pleasant and convenient location, but was so poorly constructed that my downstairs neighbor's snoring sometimes kept me awake, followed by his daily 5AM diesel pickup truck extended warm-up in the parking spot beneath my window.
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Joined: 08 Aug 2007
Posts: 3
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 3:34 pm
Post subject:
Congratulations on making the move from Ireland! One of my best buddies is from Dublin and is a great windsurfer. I guess cutting your teeth in the North Sea does one good!
I also agree with Kevin and recommend living somewhere on the peninsula to give you the best lifestyle, commutes and sailing access.
I learned to sail in Colorado and tired of searching for wind, so we made the move to Millbrae (mid-peninsula) in 1985 primarily for the windsurfing, but also because world class skiing is an easy drive away, and San Francisco has always been my most favorite city.
Good luck with the move and welcome to California!
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Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 108
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:45 pm
Post subject:
The areas that are conveniently halfway between the Coyote/3rd Ave launches and San Jose are some of the most expensive (ie, Palo Alto) so north or south of PA is where you'll likely end up living. So you're balancing your work commute with your sailing "commute". If you can arrange your work hours starting after 10am commute times are less of an issue in general. If you can live on the Peninsula and telecommute on windy days, you're set!
Windsurf when there's wind, snowboard when there's snow, bike when there's neither, soak up the culture all the time. Welcome to the best place to live in the country.
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Joined: 22 Feb 2002
Posts: 2731
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:36 pm
Post subject:
Consider Berkeley. You can hang out with the Grim Reachers Windsurfing Gang. Just bring peanuts. Salted.
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As the game opened up, the Dons midfield began making good use of the space that they found, space that the everyday FGR folks left behind. Talking of *cough* The Wombles, as the game petered out late on, there was only thing on the EFW agenda. We have a bit of thing for clubs mascots and Rovers fan Pearchy is an expert in luring them into his den. The Dons have a tremendous mascot in Hayden the Womble. Could we sign him up for EFW....
Just before I leave you (at last - Ed). We covered AFCW earlier in the week here on EFW. So in the interests of balance, here is the result of a chat that FGR fan Shep and I had over a few beers prior to the match:
What's the best thing about supporting FGR? It's in my blood. Was brought up watching them from 5 years old so it's always been there. It's local, a good social occasion and I've made a lot of friends over the years that I would have never crossed paths with unless it
was for FGR.
And the worst? The football at times. I've been lucky to see us go from the Hellenic League
up through to Conference but at this level we are perennial strugglers and this season we seem to be doing it the hard way. Off the field the club, like most, is struggling financially so it always seems the begging bowl is out. I do think we get taken for granted at times and that's a dangerous game to play.
What has made you laugh in your times of following Rovers? I can't think of much on the football front but away trips, generally on the train are always a laugh as it's the people who make it. I could recall stories of Hitchen Town away, Gary and Shaun (actually Shane) at Cambridge station, pubs of London and numerous other trips but even great times when
we used to share the players coach in the Southern League.
According to Wikipedia, Forest Green Rovers have a rather greedy 6 (six) nicknames - Rovers, The Green, FGR, The Little Club On The Hill, Green Army and *cough* The Lawnmowers - which of those are embraced by the fans? 'Rovers' is the one most relate to, although when speaking to people after a game they always seem to ask - Have you been up The Green today? Not sure on the 'Lawnmowers', I think someone might have been on the wind up there.
Who are your rivals? Historically it would have been Shortwood United our neighbours across the valley but Gloucester City would be number one in most older supporters
eyes. Nothing stirs up the blood more than Oxford United now for me though.
Can you sum up FGR in a Tweet of less than 140 characters? A club that's changing to adapt to the times but I'm not sure I like it. We still try and make the best of it though.


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Update: Winners Announced! TMA Forums Giveaway: Win an iPod Touch + iTunes Gift Cards
Since our Forums launched 3 weeks ago, we have given away over $1,500 in prizes, such as iSkin gear, a bundle of promo codes for some awesome Apps 'n Games and more. So what do we have in store now for our next (grand) giveaway? An iPod Touch 8G and four iTunes Gift Cards (1x $50 and 3x $15) of course! Rather than simply selecting winners randomly from a pool of eligible participants, the iPod giveaway will be much more competitive in nature and involve a bit more work. Are you ready to win the big one? Full contest details after the break!
Giveaway Overview:
As mentioned, the iPod + iTunes GC giveaway will involve some healthy competition among contestants. It is based on a "referral system", one where 10 points will be awarded every time you (forum member) refer someone to register and join the TouchMyApps Forums. Important note: In order for your referral to count, he/she must have made a minimum of 1 post (non spam and relevant to topic/discussion) before the contest officially ends. To make things more interesting, for every 5 posts your referred member makes, you will earn an additional 2 points. Therefore, to increase your chances of winning the iPod Touch, it is in your interest to seek out friends/family who own an iDevice and/or enjoy being active in a forum community. And yes, even those newly referred members can enter the contest, so long as they make valid referrals of their own.
There are two ways to get credit for a referral.
- When the person you referred to TMA forums is registering, ensure that he/she enters your forum member name in the "Referrer" field before the Complete Registration button is clicked.
- Provide the referral link below to anyone you wish to "recruit". Once the link is opened, have them click on the Register tab and fill out the required info. With this method, their Referrer field will automatically include your member name. Important note: You must replace the X found in the referral link with your actual forum member id number. You can find this by logging into your account and then going to "My Profile". Once there, you will find a number after member.php? in the URL. This is your Member ID.
Referral Link
Sample Referral Link
Once the contest comes to an end, the forum member with the most referral points will win the iPod Touch. The member with the second most points will win a $50 iTunes Gift card. And finally, the next three with the highest scores will each take home a $15 GC.
- 1st Prize: An iPod Touch 8G (retail value $199)
- 2nd Prize: $50 iTunes Gift Card
- 3rd Prize $15 iTunes Gift Card (three to be given out)
Full Contest Rules:
- The giveaway is open to all. Note: Winners of the iTunes Gift Cards must have a valid US iTunes account in order to redeem the codes.
- Register and become a member of the TouchMyApps Forums (if you haven't already).
- Receive 10 points for every new referral made to TouchMyApps Forums. Referred member must have made at least 1 post before contest is over in order to be credited the referral.
- Receive an additional 2 points for every 5 posts your referred member makes at TMA forums while contest is open.
- Posts made by referred member(s) cannot be spam and has to be relevant to the topic/discussion.
- All contestants must have a minimum of 1 post under their member account before the giveaway ends or any valid referrals made will not be counted.
- Total referral points will be tallied and the forum member with the highest point total at the conclusion of the contest will win the iPod Touch. 2nd and 3rd place winners will be given iTunes Gift cards.
- In the event that there is a tie when the points are tallied, the member with the higher forum post count will move ahead in the final standings.
- Creating dummy/fake accounts for the sake of scoring referral points is strictly forbidden. Any contestant found doing so (i.e multiple member names registered under same IP address) will be disqualified from giveaway.
- The contest will be open for three weeks and close on March 16th at 23:59 PST.
- Contest winners will be announced here on March 18th.
Good luck to all and thank you for your continued support!
Update: The Winners!
The Forum iPod Touch / iTunes Gift Card giveaway has finally come to a close and the results have been tallied. Without further ado….the lucky winners (and skilled referrers) are:
iPod Touch
- NineSwords – 96 Points
iTunes Gift Card ($50)
- mrholder – 46 Points
iTunes Gift Card ($15)
- thunderclaw – 20 Points
- juubee – 10 Points
- susan – 10 Points
All winners will be contacted via email shortly with prize info.
We'd like to thank everyone who took part in the referral contest and for helping to bring some new members to the Forums. Please do continue to spread the word and help make TMA an even bigger and better iPhone community. Thank you!


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The origins of "Nittany" are a bit obscure, but most likely the word comes from a Native American term meaning, "single mountain." (Since a number of Algonquian-speaking tribes inhabited central Pennsylvania, the term cant be traced to one single group.) The description applied to the mountain that separates what is today Penns Valley and Nittany Valley, with its western end overlooking the community of State College and Penn State's University Park campus. The first colonial settlers in the 1700s adopted this term, or a variation of it, in formally naming Nittany Mountain.
Thus by the time Penn State admitted its first students in 1859, the word "Nittany" was already in use. Following the emergence of the Nittany Lion mascot in the early 1900s, Nittany gained even more public prominence. Today, the word helps to define a host of places, services, and other entities in the Nittany Valley. Some of those most closely related to Penn State are included here.
Nittany Lion Inn
The Nittany Lion Inn, which opened its doors in 1931, offers traditional Penn State hospitality in a beautiful setting on the University Park campus.
Mount Nittany Society
Membership in the Mount Nittany Society is a singular honor, and is accorded only to those individuals and couples whose cumulative giving to Penn State has reached or exceeded $250,000.
Nittany Lion Club
The Nittany Lion Club, established in 1961, encourages interest in and financial support of Penn State varsity athletics.


text:
Sep 13, 2011 | ISBN 9780440422457 | Middle Grade (8-12)
Praise for the Gecko & Sticky books:
"A dastardly good read. Written with gleeful wit, rapid-fire pacing and snappy dialogue." – Kirkus Reviews
"Fearsome is rarely this much fun. Van Draanen has a super imagination, to which she never applies the brakes. Readers who enjoy loony adventures will love this ride." – Children's Literature
"Consistently entertaining . . . reaching a frenetic level of energy and comedy as the story's tension builds." – Booklist
"Peppered with exaggerated alliteration and the excitable lizard's Spanish-tinged 'Stickynese,' the wisecracking narrative bounds from one slapstick scenario to another." – Publishers Weekly


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New members are always welcome, no need to pre-arrange just turn up.
We look forward to seeing you soon.


text: While the word patchouli might call to mind images of the hippie generation, this sophisticated fragrance couldn't be further from that. Designed by Atelier Cologne's fragrance expert Jérome Epinette, Mistral Patchouli uses grapefruit and black pepper notes to enhance a base of Indonesian patchouli. Equal parts zesty and earthy, the enticing result is more "leading man" than "flower child."


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Back row: Todd Parnell, Julie Shaffer and President Brad Lovell. Front row: Vice President Kelley Casper and Lynda O'Connor.
Board members are elected at large for four-year terms. A member may serve unlimited consecutive terms. Board members are elected according to a schedule that staggers their term expiration dates. Officers serve a term of one year, and may be re-elected. The Board sets meeting dates in January for the entire calendar year.
Bios and contact information for each board member are listed below. If you would like to email all members of the board, please click on the button below.
Board Members
Brad Lovell, a lifelong community member and former school administrator in Lakota, is serving his first term on the Lakota Board of Education.
A member of the first graduating class at Lakota East High School, Brad resides in West Chester Township with his wife Kristin and daughters, Isabella and Georgia. Isabella attends Lakota kindergarten. Brad currently works for the Hamilton County Educational Service Center as an educational consultant.
He holds a degree in Early Childhood Education from Miami University with a Masters degree in school administration from Wright State University.
Brad serves on the Policy, Facilities and Safety Committees.
Contact information:
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(513) 874-5505 ext. 22120
Kelley Casper
Vice President
Kelley Casper, a long-time community member, is serving her second term on the Lakota Board of Education.
A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Kelley is a former first and second grade teacher. She has been a dedicated volunteer with Lakota Schools, including roles as PTO and PTA president in several schools. Kelley has also served on numerous committees at the district level, including District Parent Council, strategic planning, redistricting and levy committees since 2005. Kelley has been actively involved with the Boys and Girls Club of West Chester/Liberty and has been a co-chair for two fundraisers benefiting the organization.
Kelley and her husband Darrin live in Liberty Township. They have two children, both graduates of Lakota East High School. Claire is a senior at the University of Cincinnati and Daniel is a sophomore at The Ohio State University.
Kelley serves on the Community Engagement, Legislative and Safety Committees, and is the OSBA Legislative Liaison and Voting Delegate.
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Lynda O'Connor
Lynda O'Connor has been serving Lakota Schools and her community as a member of the Board of Education since 2008. In addition to Lakota, Lynda has also served on the Butler Tech school board and was named a Master Board Member by the Ohio School Board Association in 2017.
Lynda is actively involved in supporting the community through a variety of leadership roles, including serving as the president and board chair for C3: Caring Community Collaborative. Other community involvement includes the West Chester Liberty Chamber Alliance, UCBMA, Boy Scouts of America, Dan Beard Council, Butler County United Way Campaign Cabinet, Community First Solutions Board, Community Foundation of West Chester Liberty, Rotary, and the Faith Alliance of Southwest Ohio, where she serves as vice president.
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Lynda and her husband have lived in the Lakota district since 1991. They are the proud parents of two sons, both Lakota graduates. Both sons continued their education at The Ohio State University, their oldest is a graduate, while their youngest son is a current student.
Lynda obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Language Pathology from Elmhurst College and her Master of Education (Special Education) from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. She is a member of the Ohio School Board Association Southwest Regional Executive Committee, and serves as one of two Ohio Congressional District 8 representatives to the NSBA Federal Relations Network advocating on educational issues at the state and federal level. Lynda is also a Junior Achievement Board member and is involved with the Ohio Township Association.
Lynda currently serves on the Lakota Finance, Legislative and Safety Committees.
Contact information:
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Todd Parnell
Todd Parnell is currently serving his second term on the Lakota Board of Education.
With a 30-year background in corporate business, Todd heads up the West Chester office of Milwaukee-based Derse, and also has experience in providing marketing and communication solutions to companies worldwide. He holds a B.A. in Management from DePaul University and an M.B.A. from the Fisher School of Business at The Ohio State University.
Todd has lived in the Lakota School District for 28 years. He has children attending Plains Junior School and Lakota West High School.
He serves on the Policy and Facilities Committees.
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Julie Shaffer began serving on the School Board in January 2012. She has educated herself extensively on Ohio public school funding, and shared that information with the community through a "School Funding 101" presentation she co-created. Prior to serving on the Board, she served on the Lakota Finance Committee, an advisory committee composed of community members. She also has served as treasurer of the Lakota District Parent Council and as an officer of a number of parent-teacher organizations throughout the district.
A resident of West Chester, Julie and her husband, Bill, have three children. She is a volunteer at her children's schools: Endeavor Elementary and Lakota West High School. Their oldest daughter is a Lakota West graduate and attends The Ohio State University.
Julie earned a bachelor of arts in economics with a minor in finance from Colby College in Maine, and has completed half of her MBA coursework. Her family moved to the Lakota area from Columbus in 2004. With 23 years of experience in benefits and finance, she is a licensed employee benefits representative.
Julie currently serves on the Community Engagement, Finance and Safety Committees, as well as the Lakota representative for the Butler Tech Career and Development Schools.
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Chef Ben Shewry's Attica Restaurant in Melbourne, is the ONLY Australian restaurant in S. Pellegrino 2014 World's 50 Best list. Located in Ripponlea (a suburb of Melbourne) the restaurant has won several other awards including Age Good Food Guide's Restaurant Of The Year and Chef Of The Year.
To be honest, I hadn't heard about the restaurant until Jonathan Gold (Pulitzer-Prize winning L.A. Times food critic) emailed me, writing, "if you're going to Melbourne, you MUST eat at Attica. Dainty Sichuan in Chinatown is worth a visit too."
On my first day in Melbourne (invited by Tourism Australia), I headed straight to Chinatown, finding myself lost in narrow alleys and laneways, but eventually tucked into Dainty Sichuan's numbing Chongqing Chili Sichuan Chicken. But finding a coveted reservation at Attica, ranked (at that time) 21st in THE WORLD? … Not a chance.
Until I started begging. Politely begging mind you, but still, it was shameless begging. Anytime a representative from the tourism board asked if there was anything I needed, I would mention Attica. I also noted that I would happily pay for this tall order myself, and even offered to rearrange my travel schedule (on my own dime) in case a reservation became available while I was Down Under.
When the great Jonathan Gold says I MUST eat at a restaurant… I simply MUST.
As luck would have it, Nyree Mcfarlane, a writer from New Zealand (where Chef Ben Shewry grew up) also requested a visit to Attica and joining forces (more begging), a few days later… WE WERE IN.
Jo Bites Oz, Part Five – An Extraordinary Meal at Attica
Born and raised in rural North Taranaki on the rugged west coast of the North Island, New Zealand, Ben believes that food can have a deeper meaning than just another item to consume; it can be evocative, emotional and thought provoking, appealing to all of the senses. Of course the key to all this is that it tastes of the purity of its ingredients and is something delicious to eat.
For inspiration, he often draws from his childhood; from the volcano, rivers, ocean, and native bush that make up Taranaki, as well as his current Australian surroundings. (Attica Website)
"Leaves From Our Garden". Spicy Ruby Red Steak Mustard Leaf dipped in the Fermented Corn Juice topped with Alpine Pepper and Forest Anise.
Closeup of the Fermented Corn Juice topped with Alpine Pepper and Forest Anise.
Hand-Churned Jersey Cow Butter w Salt Flakes (Whipped Olive Oil in background), served with wattle seed sourdough rye (no photo).
Whipped Olive Oil topped w Black Sea Salt.
The Walnut dish is brought to the table.
Inside The Walnut (Biodynamic walnut) is a walnut purée with shavings of pine mushrooms and rosemary flowers.
Pickled Jerusalem Artichoke (turmeric, honey & cider).
"Lance Wiffin Watches His Mussels": Sea Bounty Blue-Lip Mussels Flash-fried in Rye Crumb and Sea Succulents with hand-painted portrait (on mussel shell) of Lance Wiffin. About Sea Bounty's Lance Wiffen.
Steamed Crab wrapped in Sorrel, Wild & Cultivated.
Sauce of Onions & Pork Fat being poured over the Marron & Kale.
Closeup: Marron, Kale, Sauce of Onions & Pork Fat.
"A Simple Dish of Potato Cooked In The Earth It Was Grown" with smoked goat curd, coconut husk ash, salt bush, ground coffee.
Just a potato right? No. This was one heck of a potato and all these months later, I still can't stop thinking about it. Watch a video of the chef making it here. It will help you understand why it's such a special dish. I also love what Adam Sachs wrote about it (and Ben Shewry) for Bon Appetit:
Today is his day off, and we're up early to "lay a hangi" in a friend's yard. A hangi, for the uninitiated, is a New Zealand Maori ritual in which vast amounts of food are buried over searingly hot rocks in the ground and steamed to perfection in that slow cooker called Planet Earth.
Waiting for the bonfire to die down, I ask him about something I'd eaten at Attica the night before. On the menu, it's listed as A Simple Dish of Potato Cooked in the Earth It Was Grown.
Chang (David Chang), who recently tweeted that Shewry's potato in dirt was one of the best things he'd eaten last year, tried to describe why. "It's hard to explain, but Attica's a very personal dining experience," he told me. "When I eat there I feel like I'm eating what Australian food should taste like."
The dish is a hangi in miniature and essential Shewry: a humble potato, buried in dirt and shrouded in personal narrative. (Read the full article)
The dinner continued with Cucumbers, Holy Flax, Sauce of Burnet.
King George Whiting with Butter & Lemon Myrtle In Paperback
Flinders Island Wallaby (tasted like venison to me), Scorched Macadamia, Ground Berry.
WOW. "Plight of the Bees" dessert (New Zealand honey) arrived in a beehive box made of Tasmanian oak. One for each of us.
Opening the lid to "Plight of the Bees". Two types of New Zealand honey combined with meringue, frozen lemon, wild thyme. The honey comb pattern was created with freeze-dried apple on top of the thin layer of pumpkin.
Digging in… "Plight of the Bees". Again, WOW.
Native fruits of Australia (Plums, Muntries, Riberries, Lime, Quandongs) with Sheep's Milk Yoghurt & Native Currant Shaved Ice.
Apple Vinegar Ice Cream with Candied Oats.
Along with our Attica menu, we each received a copy of Ben Shewry's artwork. On the back he explained why he is inspired by the Pukeko:
"The New Zealand Pukeko is quite a character and has often provided my family with first class entertainment… Like me, Pukeko are often seen foraging for food beside roadside ditches, but unlike me they had been forced to adapt because their natural habit, the swamplands, have almost disappeared with human proliferation."
The Pukeko's Egg: Hand-painted, Chocolate & Salted Caramel Eggs.
Tourism Australia and Tourism Victoria went above and beyond to make this meal happen. Many thanks to Madeleine Blake (above left) for organizing the phenomenal evening for myself and Nyree McFarlane.
Read Nyree's fantastic piece on Ben Shewry here.
Read more about Ben Shewry on Bon Appetit.
How to Get a Reservation at Attica in Melbourne, Australia by Eater
74 Glen Eira Road
Ripponlea, VIC 3185
Bookings: +61 3 9530 0111
This meal was paid for by Tourism Victoria.


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Shing02's Amoeblog Video Report from NAMM 2013
Once again my man Hip Hop Slam correspondent Shing02 graces the Amoeblog with another in his ever informative digests in the ongoing exclusive Amoeblog reports (video above, text and pics below) from NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) - the annual DJ/producer/music-tech trade show that happens each January at the Anaheim Convention Center. This year's was held over the past week/weekend: from January 24th to 27th, 2013. Thanks to Shing02 and all of the folks he talked to for their contributions to this piece including DJ Q-bert, OP-1, Yoga Frog, DJ Platurn, DJ Quest, Mista B, DJ P-Trix, DJ A-1, Vestax Spin2, PDJ, Numark Orbit, Apogee Quartet McDSP, Stylophone, Elektron AnalogFour, Gittler Guitar, Chord Dice, Wheel Harp, and Koichi Sanchez aka Nightshift.
Shing02's Amoeblog Report on NAMM 2013The NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA proved to be on par with previous years as it featured hundreds of exhibitors showcasing digital and analog instruments, complete with colorful participants who packed the convention floor. Despite the cloudiness for most of the days, the feverishly festive mood is an annual destination for music industry heads worldwide.


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The From-Aways: A Novel (Paperback)
Fresh talent CJ Hauser makes her literary debut with The From-Aways, an irreverent story of family, love, friendship, and lobsters, in the tradition of J. Courtney Sullivan's Maine and Richard Russo's Empire Falls.
Two women come to Maine in search of family, and find more love, heartbreak, and friendship, than they'd ever imagined one little fishing town could hold.
When Leah, a young New York reporter, meets Henry, she falls in love with everything about him: his freckles, green thumb, and tales of a Maine childhood. They marry quickly and Leah convinces Henry to move back to Menamon. As Leah builds a life there, reporting for The Menamon Star and vowing to be less of an emotional screw-up, the newlyweds are shocked to discover that they don't know each other nearly so well as they thought they did.
When Quinn's mother dies, she tracks down the famous folk-singer father she's never known, in Menamon. Scrappy and smart-mouthed, Quinn gets a job at the local paper, an apartment above the town diner, and tries to shore up the courage to meet her father. But falling in love with her roommate, Rosie, was never part of the plan.
These two unruly women's work relationship at The Star deepens into best-friendship when they stumble onto a story that shakes sleepy Menamon—and holds damaging repercussions for Leah's husband and Quinn's roommate both. As the town descends into turmoil, both women must decide what kind of lives they are willing to fight for.
About the Author
CJ Hauser's fiction has appeared in Tin House, The Kenyon Review, TriQuarterly, and Esquire. She is a recipient of McSweeney's Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award and winner of the Jaimy Gordon Prize in fiction. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in English at The Florida State University.
Praise For…
"Hauser's story is a love letter to the town of Menamon, Maine. She writes her prose with such vivid descriptions that you feel you are walking the streets of the town...If you like a story with colorful characters who are delightfully flawed, then this is the book for you."
— Tallahassee Democrat
— Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Hauser's style is expressive, clever and compelling, and she offers readers a thoughtful and engaging debut."
— Kirkus Reviews
"CJ Hauser's debut novel, THE FROM-AWAYS, is as charming, salty and fresh as its setting in small-town Maine. Through her spunky heroines, Leah and Quinn, who have both come to Maine to find roots, Hauser tells an affecting story about lobsters, loyalty and love."
— Elliott Holt, author of You Are One of Them
"In THE FROM-AWAYS, CJ Hauser introduces us to Menamon, Maine, a town of wisecracking fisherman, activist waitresses, and secret fathers, with such deftness we immediately know and care for it like locals...I loved spending time in Menamon, and was sorry when I had to go."
— Marie-Helene Bertino, author of SAFE AS HOUSES and 2 A.M. AT THE CAT'S PAJAMAS
"THE FROM-AWAYS is populated by twenty-somethings running from and in search of family, by people passionately in pursuit of home. CJ Hauser has written a wise, lovely, luminous novel about love and work and leaving New York."
— Joshua Henkin, author of The World Without You
"I was immediately pulled into this enchanting debut novel by the wit of CJ Hauser's prose, her sharp dialogue, and her honesty in portraying the journey of young women trying to find their place in the world."
— Vendela Vida, author of The Lovers and Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name
"This big-hearted story about small-town Maine captivated me from the first page...Filled with humor and poetry and complicated characters who love foolishly and too much."
— Christina Baker Kline, New York Times-bestselling author of Orphan Train
"This impressively crafted first novel is likely to leave readers wanting both a Maine lobster dinner and more from [CJ Hauser]."
— Booklist


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Derek Smith is a recent graduate from Loyola Marymount Univiersity. With early guidance from a few CS professors, he began his Senior year with the iPhone SDK. As a student developer he earned a WWDC Student Scholarship. After college, Derek began working as an iPhone Dev consultant which lead him to his current position at SimpleGeo. At SimpleGeo, Derek was given the opportunity to explore different implementations for providing an augmented reality environment for the iPhone.
Ally Parker
Kaitlin Pike
(415) 947-6306
View a complete list of Web 2.0 Expo contacts.


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Mr. Adnan Oktar's live talk on A9 TV with the Mr. Fadel Soliman, the director of Egypt Bridges Foundation (October 8th, 2011; 15:00)
Excerpt from Mr. Adnan Oktar's Live Interview on A9 TV dated October 8th, 2011
OKTAR BABUNA: Yes, our dear viewers, we are continuing with our program insha'Allah. We have a very esteemed guest here. Egyptian scholar Mr. Fadel Soliman who is founder and director of the Bridges Foundation. He is also an international lecturer and the Director of Islamic Scholars Union. He is here together with us insha'Allah. Here you are Master..
ADNAN OKTAR: The pleasant aspect about our Master is that he is against terrorism and is a person who wants Muslims to act in unity.
PRESENTER: Insha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN: First thing I have to say in Turkey is "As-Salaamun Alaykom," in the Turkish way.
ADNAN OKTAR:Alaykom as-Salam.
FADEL SOLIMAN:And a Muslim, I have to be against terrorism. No Muslim can be with terrorism according to the Qur'an, and that's clear.
ADNAN OKTAR:Masha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN: Because the Qur'an says," Wama lakum la tuqatiloona fee sabeeli Allahi waalmustadAAafeena mina alrrijali waalnnisa-i waalwildani" [I seek refuge with Allah from the satan" "How come you don't fight for the cause of Allah, and for the cause of the weak, the ill-treated and the oppressed." The weak, the ill-treated and the oppressed are suffering from terrorism, so God is telling us, how come you don't fight terrorism?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes.. And our Master has very nice studies as well. This is one of them, as far as I see, "Jihad and Terrorism", I suppose it means..
PRESENTER: They are giving a struggle against terrorism, insha'Allah, Master.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, a struggle against terrorism. The people who wrote this are, here it is, read it from here..
PRESENTER: Insha'Allah Master. They are giving conferences all over the world. Among those who give these lectures are; Dr. Jamal Badawi, he is one of the most renown scholars in America, Dr. Robest Pipes, a professor from Chicago University. Doctor Philips Sents, he is again a professor from London University. Imam Suhaib Webb is again the Chairman of the American Muslims organization. And Fadel Soliman, he also gives lectures. Dr. Gulnar Westbert Nobel Prize Winner, a German doctor. Dr. Abdullah Haqim Quick, one of the executives of Discover Islam Television. Ayse Schwarz she is a Muslim writer of German origin. Dr. Samuel Pearce, he is an expert in clinical psychology and the activist Petrina Higgs. There are Jews among those spokesmen, there are Christians as well and they all come to gather and give conferences against terrorism. They are giving lectures about the fact that Islam religion cannot have anything to do with terrorism, insha'Allah, Master.
ADNAN OKTAR:Masha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN: Actually, let me speak of this, because first of all this was made by the Bridges Foundation. Yes, and Bridges Foundation works in three main lines. We give services to non-Muslims, we give services to Muslims, and we give services to ex-Muslims. With non-Muslims, we give them lectures on Islam in churches and universities; we make them films about Islam and with Muslims we train them how to talk about Islam. We have a few workshops, each workshop is three days and we give it to 12,400 Muslims in 16 countries.
ADNAN OKTAR: Masha'Allah.. That is very nice..
FADEL SOLIMAN: And with ex-Muslims, we do counseling for them and we made for them some good DVD's too that were able to turn many of them back to Islam.
ADNAN OKTAR: Masha'Allah. That is very nice..
FADEL SOLIMAN: It's called, "Missionary's Deception". It exists for free on YouTube in English and in Arabic, and it was able to return 96% of the people who were counseled with it.
This actually is one of our films which is called, "Islam in Brief". It exists in 30 languages.
ADNAN OKTAR: 30 languages.. Masha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN: And one of them is Turkish, of course, and Hebrew, and I remember an Israeli once watched it and she called me, and she came from Israel to Cairo and she took shahadah.
ADNAN OKTAR: Masha'Allah. Masha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN:And actually, we made it in response to this; it's the worst film made against Islam called "Obsession" claiming that Muslims are terrorists and they distributed 28 million copies for free in one day in the US with the newspapers. So we published this one, "A Gift from your Neighbor", and we sent it with the same newspapers..
ADNAN OKTAR: That is very good.
FADEL SOLIMAN:But we were not able to make more than 60,000. So they made 28 million, we made 60,000 because of finance.
ADNAN OKTAR:This one right?.. But they've made a grave mistake.
FADEL SOLIMAN:It's called "Obsession", it is a very bad one.
ADNAN OKTAR:Of course, it should have been distributed at least as much as the first one.
FADEL SOLIMAN:Exactly. Alhamdulillah. Right now, we are distributing 10,000 of this film, those films, to 10,000 professors in the U.K. For free. Because we believe that if we can change the mindset of professors, teachers, educators, then we will be changing the mindset of the new generations.
ADNAN OKTAR:That is a very beautiful service, a very beneficial one. The effect would be great even if the amount is small. And it has been influential and it will be insha'allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN:We always took someone here as a guide for us which is Mr. Adnan Oktar and the works of Harun Yahya, which was always a guide for us in all what we are doing.
ADNAN OKTAR:May Allah be pleased with you. Insha'Allah may Allah deem us become as you have said.
FADEL SOLIMAN:We were always playing your videos in our schools in the U.S. And even now in Egypt we are also playing your videos now for the children and the youth so that Allah may protect them from atheism and Darwinism.
ADNAN OKTAR:Masha'Allah. Masha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN:I wish that I can come one day to Turkey and give these workshops to the tourist guides. Among the 12,000 Muslims that we've trained so far in 16 countries, there are 1,000 tourist guides in Egypt. So now, they can speak about the beauty of the Islamic and Pheraonic arts, and about Islam at the same time. At least they are able to answer the questions of tourists now.
ADNAN OKTAR:That is a very good logic, a very nice study. May Allah deem you victorious. That is very pleasing , we liked it a lot.. We will cooperate with you in order to remove the damage given insha'Allah. We will reciprocate very nicely, insha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN:Alhamdulillah. I'm not doing this alone; actually, Bridges is an organization and we have many volunteers who are volunteering with us, we have a few employees who work with us and Dr. Jamal Badawi is the President of Bridges Foundation. I'm the director.
ADNAN OKTAR:That is a very good, very comprehensive and a very strong effort. It is something that would have a very nice impact. That is because you are targeting a very select segment of the society. And it seems that it will give a great result, and you already are attaining very good results. May Allah deem you successful.
FADEL SOLIMAN: Let me tell you the truth here. We targeted with the first film rulers, and governors, and parliamentarians and politicians and journalists. But, we found that targeting teachers is more important. They are less hypocritical. And they are scientific, and always search for the truth. And we are not going to claim we are the first people to do so, actually we benefited from the Jews in doing this. Sixty years ago and fifty years ago, Jews in the United States were persecuted. But they said, "Lets not waste our time on the generation that hates us. Let us work on the young generations." So they worked in the field of education. Any American now under 60 years old, he has 10, 12 Jewish teachers who taught him, and he's having good memories for them. But Muslims still insist to graduate their children, and tell them to become engineers and doctors. So, if we don't have that many teachers, Muslim teachers, so we are working on non-Muslim teachers now.
ADNAN OKTAR:May Allah deem you successful, may Allah give you salvation. Your activities are very nice. Insha'Allah, we will broadcast these films as well. We will have very intense activities that would announce these in Europe as well. But indeed it is very pleasing that they've been performing such beautiful activities and that we're announcing them here. That is really nice.
FADEL SOLIMAN: I want to say something here, because actually Istanbul is very dear to my heart. It's the dearest city to my heart after Mecca and Medina. I have some Turkish roots, actually. But also this is the city of someone that I love so much, and even my son's nickname is after him; and this is Erbakan.
ADNAN OKTAR:Masha'Allah. Masha'Allah. What do you think about our Master Erbakan?
FADEL SOLIMAN: Well, he's really a great professor, and he was an inspiration to all Islamists in the Muslim world.
ADNAN OKTAR:My Master is the sweetest of all the world. He was one of a kind.
FADEL SOLIMAN: May Allah shower him with mercy.
ADNAN OKTAR:Masha'Allah. May Allah deem us brothers in the Heaven insha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN: Insha'Allah. I think people like him, and people like you all, and especially like Mr. Oktar they don't come on the Day of Judgment and their age is only the number of days that they lived. They come, and their age is like billions of years because the number of years of the people that they influenced and they helped and served will be added to their lives, too, so maybe he will be like two, three, four billion years old, you will be two, three, four billion years old, both of you, insha'Allah and hopefully you will take me with you, insha'Allah.
ADNAN OKTAR:Masha'Allah. May Allah be pleased with you. You are very much liked in the Islamic world Master.
FADEL SOLIMAN: Thank you very much. All I hope is that Allah accepts from me, and I'll be, on the Day of Judgment, with Prophet Muhammad, even as a servant.
ADNAN OKTAR:Masha'Allah. Insha'Allah May Allah deem us brothers in the Heaven. May Allah have Islam dominate the world. May He grant us the blessing of seeing Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), may He give us the blessing of seeing the Prophet Jesus Messiah (pbuh). May He grant us all the blessing of being his soldier insha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN: And may Allah gather us in the al-Aqsa Mosque to pray together, like He gathered us here in this beautiful place.
ADNAN OKTAR:Insha'Allah those beautiful events will also happen. Islam will dominate the world. We will see that happening altogether insha'Allah. Master, may Allah be pleased with you, you've honored us, you've given us grace, we would very much like to welcome you again Insha'Allah, we would very much like you to honor us again and bring us honor again with your knowledge. We are at your disposal insha'Allah.
FADEL SOLIMAN: It's my honor to be with you, actually.
ADNAN OKTAR:May Allah be pleased with you. May Allah be pleased with you. Alright, thank you..
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