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Introducing Lync 2010 Super Simple Auto Answer Video Kiosk with Full Screen
If you check out my blog archives or check out the Remote Work category you'll see that I'm always tinkering with my remote work situation. I'm the most interested in high quality and pervasive video. I'm so interested in this that for a while I was running a 10 hour a day persistent "Portal" between Portland and Seattle. I still highly recommend this for co-located teams that have the bandwidth to burn. It's great to be able to turn one's head and see their teammate right there by their side - even though they are 200 miles away.
I recently picked up a pair of Logitech BCC950 Conference Cams as a possible replacement for the very expensive "RoundTables" that some rooms at Microsoft have. The RoundTables are lovely but they are becoming scarce at the office and the Logitech is literally one-tenth the price. I'll blog a full and detailed review of the BCC950 later on this week but for now my biggest issue was that the Video Kiosk software I was using was starting to show its age. It's flaky and unreliable and build on the Office Communicator 2007 interfaces while I've been on Lync 2010 for a while.
Additionally, the researchers that wrote the software are always adding features I don't need for hardware I don't have. My remote buddy Damian Edwards and I decided we needed to make a software break.
We want these simple features to start:
- Auto-answer of video calls - possibly with some whitelist for security
- Auto-fullscreen of video calls on the remote machine - the single purpose kiosk in my Seattle office
- Presence information and a simple UI for making calls - by simple I mean "my boss's boss" simple
- Remote control of Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) features on the same - ideally using the standard "inbox UVC" drivers and no 3rd party software
Tonight I sat down and did the first three of these and put it on GitHub. I call it - wait for it - the Lync 2012 Super Simple Auto Answer Video Kiosk with Full Screen since the name "SmartGlass" was already taken. ;)
I searched ALL over to find out if there was SOME sample code out there that would just auto-answer a call from Lync and start video. I could find dozens of samples that made calls, that started chats, but none that would answer and auto-start video. You'd think this would be the FIRST thing that folks would want to do. I can only assume it's not a setting for security reasons.
Auto-Answering Lync Calls with Video
Now, it's late and there's likely problems so pull requests are welcome if I have done something stupid. Lync is complex and while you'd think there'd be an "AutoAnswer = true" it's actually a more complex API than that. I started from this MSDN article on "Responding to a Lync Conversation Invitation."
var lync = LyncClient.GetClient();
var conversationmgr = lync.ConversationManager;
conversationmgr.ConversationAdded += (_, cmea) =>
bool IncomingAV = false;
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
//Is this an audio/video invitation?
if (cmea.Conversation.Modalities[ModalityTypes.AudioVideo].State == ModalityState.Notified)
if (lync.DeviceManager.ActiveAudioDevice != null)
sb.Append("Incoming call from ");
IncomingAV = true;
if (cmea.Conversation.Modalities[ModalityTypes.InstantMessage].State == ModalityState.Connected)
sb.Append("Incoming IM from ");
sb.Append(String.Join(", ", cmea.Conversation.Participants.Select(i => i.Contact.Uri)));
if (IncomingAV == true && Properties.Settings.Default.autoAnswer == true) //I added that setting later on
You watch for a Conversation to start and see if it's an Audio/Video on. If it is, then we call our InitiateAVStream method. You can't do all this stuff synchronously as Lync is full of async native COM APIs and events that you need to respond to. Here we accept the video which lets us see who called us but doesn't yet start OUR video. Remember "we" are the dumb Kiosk who is receiving a call from me.
private static void InitiateAVStream(Conversation pConversation)
if (pConversation.State == ConversationState.Terminated) { return; }
if (pConversation.Modalities[ModalityTypes.AudioVideo].CanInvoke(ModalityAction.Connect))
var video = (AVModality)pConversation.Modalities[ModalityTypes.AudioVideo];
//Get ready to be connected, then WE can start OUR video
video.ModalityStateChanged += _AVModality_ModalityStateChanged;
See how they are chaining handlers? I think this code could be made cleaner with a series of nested closures like above in the ConversationAdded example, but then again, maybe not. It'll get four deep before we're done.
Now the call is being connected but perhaps not yet. When its state changes the VideoChannel has opened up and we watch for the video to be received.
static void _AVModality_ModalityStateChanged(object sender, ModalityStateChangedEventArgs e)
VideoChannel vc = null;
switch (e.NewState)
//we can't start video until it's connected
case ModalityState.Connected:
if (vc == null)
vc = ((AVModality)sender).VideoChannel;
vc.StateChanged += new EventHandler<ChannelStateChangedEventArgs>(_VideoChannel_StateChanged);
As the video starts up, I can see if the system is ready for the Kiosk to start its video. If so, we call BeginStart (and the SDK says we HAVE to call EndStart, so watch out!).
static void _VideoChannel_StateChanged(object sender, ChannelStateChangedEventArgs e)
VideoChannel vc = (VideoChannel)sender;
//Are we receiving? Let's try to send!
if (e.NewState == ChannelState.Receive)
if (vc.CanInvoke(ChannelAction.Start))
vc.BeginStart(videoCallBack, vc);
else { Debug.WriteLine("CanInvoke said NO!"); }
//Go looking around for the IM Window (there had better just be the one we just started)
// and force it to the foreground
IntPtr childHandle = UnsafeNativeMethods.FindWindowEx(IntPtr.Zero, IntPtr.Zero, "IMWindowClass", null);
//Try to get the video to go full screen by pressing F5
private static void videoCallBack(IAsyncResult ar)
I'm pretty frustrated as while this is SUPER powerful, it's also SUPER complex for basic scenarios in my opinion. I think there's an opportunity here for a small layer on top of Lync that handles the 80% cases like the small Lync Abstraction layer introduced in this "ScreenPop" example application.
The Goodness - The WPF Controls
At this point in the code I had everything working in a Console Application. You can go cherry-pick that commit if you want just a Console app that Auto-Answers video calls from Lync.
Even though I NEED to stop as I've got it working in a Console and I should be sleeping I noticed this in Visual Studio and it was too epic to not try.
You know how it is. It's 2am, you're done with your goals. OF COURSE you're going to try to convert your Console App to a GUI before bed. Of course.
Turns out there's a MESS of visual controls that you can put into existing applications to make them Lync-ified in literally minutes.
Ok, awesome. I took the basic UI and added a checkbox for "Auto Answer."
(ASIDE: You DO realize that the outline of the "unknown face" in Lync there looks an AWFUL lot like Bill Gates' legendary 1977 mug shot, right? I just noticed that.)
Anyway, then I made two settings, one for my "sip" address (that's in my app.config file as "sipEmailAddress" and one boolean for AutoAnswer. The complete XAML is just:
<Window x:Class="SuperSimpleLyncKiosk.Main"
Title="The World's Simplest Lync Kiosk (with Auto Answer, too!)" Height="Auto" Width="Auto">
<Grid RenderTransformOrigin="0.5,0.5">
<ScaleTransform ScaleX="3" ScaleY="3"/>
<StackPanel Orientation="Vertical" HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center">
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center">
<!-- Show the presence indicator. Hover over the icon to see the contact card.
Set Source to a valid SIP URI in your organization. -->
Source="{Binding Source={x:Static properties:Settings.Default}, Path=sipEmailAddress, Mode=OneWay}"
<!-- Use the DisplayName property from PresenceIndicator to show the user's name -->
Text="{Binding DisplayName, ElementName=Presence}"
<controls:StartVideoCallButton Source="{Binding Source={x:Static properties:Settings.Default}, Path=sipEmailAddress, Mode=OneWay}" x:Name="startVideoCall" />
<controls:ShareDesktopButton Source="{Binding Source={x:Static properties:Settings.Default}, Path=sipEmailAddress, Mode=OneWay}"/>
<CheckBox IsChecked="{Binding Source={x:Static properties:Settings.Default}, Path=autoAnswer, Mode=TwoWay}" Content="Auto Answer Video Calls"/>
I also added a 3x transform to scale ALL these default controls so they'd look good on the 42" TV that is sitting in my office. Because they are native WPF vector controls they just scale perfectly to high resolutions without raster jaggies.
Then I added a call to make the app Maximized by default:
this.WindowState = System.Windows.WindowState.Maximized;
And it looks like this when running:
And when I call it automatically answers. Looks like everyone's asleep and they've turned the lights out!
Ah, I but I wish it was full screen so the people in Redmond don't need to do anything or touch anything...
The Badness
Some nights you're programming and you say "may God have mercy on my soul for this line of code."— Scott Hanselman (@shanselman) July 3, 2012
I can auto-answer calls but sometimes the window isn't in front and once it gets in front there's no programmatic way to tell Lync to go Fullscreen with video.
Two bad problems there. Both solved by breaking all the rules. I get the Window Class with a big assumption that the Kiosk only as one chat window open and then I "push" F5 which is the Lync hotkey for fullscreen video.
//Go looking around for the IM Window (there had better just be the one we just started)
// and force it to the foreground
IntPtr childHandle = UnsafeNativeMethods.FindWindowEx(IntPtr.Zero, IntPtr.Zero, "IMWindowClass", null);
//Try to get the video to go full screen by pressing F5
Those last two, of course, are calls directly into Win32 from .NET:
public static class UnsafeNativeMethods
public static extern IntPtr FindWindowEx(IntPtr parentHandle, IntPtr childAfter, string className, string windowTitle);
public static extern bool SetForegroundWindow(IntPtr hWnd);
But, it works! It's scandalous that this isn't built into the Lync SDK. Developers who are fans of Lync or who work on it all the time will say that my attempt at a "poor man's Kiosk" is silly and that I really want to use "UI Suppression in Lync" and just make an app that hosts Lync rather than automates Lync. They are likely right. However, frankly, it looked super-hard and I was tired. So, ya. If anyone wants to work on the Kiosk with me to make it simple answer and start video and do it all without showing Lync, that'd be awesome.
I also want to make a special nod to the InputSimulator library. It's amazing and it just works. It's WAY WAY better than SendKeys which you should stop using NOW.
The Windows Input Simulator provides a simple .NET (C#) interface to simulate Keyboard or Mouse input using the Win32 SendInput method. All of the Interop is done for you and there's a simple programming model for sending multiple keystrokes.
Lync Developer Resources
- CodeLync
- Developing Lync (Tom Morgan)
- Justin Morris on UC
- Lync Development by Michael Greenlee
- Lync'd Up (Tom Arbuthnot)
- The Modality Systems blog
Related Links
- Get involved in Open Source today - How to contribute a patch to a GitHub hosted Open Source project
- Review: Living, working and using the Cisco Umi personal telepresence system. All that and bag of chips?
- Hanselminutes Podcast 242 - The Plight of the Remote Worker with Pete Brown
- The Weekly Source Code 57 -Controlling an Eagletron TrackerPod with C# 4, ASP.NET MVC and jQuery
- 30 Tips for Successful Communication as a Remote Worker
- DIY: Making a Very Wide Angle Webcam on the Cheap
- Building an Embodied Social Proxy or Crazy Webcam Remote Cart Thing
- How to Collaborate with Remote Employees with Office Communicator 2007 R2
- Virtual Camaraderie - A Persistent Video "Portal" for the Remote Worker
- Working Remotely from Home, Telepresence and Video Conferencing: One Year Later
- Microsoft - Surviving First Three Weeks as a Remote Employee
About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
About Newsletter
Bill Gates' legendary 1997 mug shotHe seems to have aged a lot in the 15 years since then ;-) (1977 maybe?)
Comments are closed.


text:
Future is now: Archer, Myers help light Rays' way
Rookie of Year contenders differ in personality but share in pivotal contributions
ST. PETERSBURG -- On Jan. 22, a little more than a month after the Rays traded away the rock of their rotation for a young hitter with star potential, Wil Myers and Chris Archer met for the first time.
It happened at PNC Arena, in their shared home state of North Carolina, at a hockey game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes. They took a picture together standing side by side, and Archer posted it to his Twitter account with a "#Rays" hashtag and a short caption. He said it was meant to describe Myers, but he admitted it could be interpreted to apply to both of them.
"The future."
The future. #Rays @wilmyers pic.twitter.com/uksBQ081- Chris Archer (@ChrisArcher42) January 23, 2013
The Rays have to make every move with one eye on the future, as executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman often says. They pride themselves on their ability to draft and develop, because cost-controlled players help their low-budget operation work as well as it has since 2008.
But these American League Rookie of the Year Award candidates were brought in from outside the organization, not drafted and developed. Archer, who turned 25 on Thursday, came from the Cubs as part of the Matt Garza trade following the 2010 season. Myers, 22, was the centerpiece of the Rays' return for James Shields.
With lower picks and a few misses in the Draft, Tampa Bay's farm system isn't churning out homegrown, Major League-ready players quite like it did in the days of Evan Longoria and David Price. So the Rays sold off valuable parts of their deep and talented, but increasingly expensive, starting rotation. Those deals were supposed to be for the future, but they're working out in the short term, too.
It's not as if Myers and Archer were thrown into the fire as soon as they joined the organization, however. Archer repeated Double-A in 2011, and Myers served more than two months in Triple-A this year. But they have been asked to play major roles at a young age for a team with postseason aspirations.
They've done so in different ways, Archer bringing a philosophical presence in addition to his power pitching and Myers providing a laid-back attitude along with his as-advertised ability at the plate. But so far, they've both delivered.
"We've got to be that group. We've got to continually turn it over and find those kind of guys, and Andrew and the boys do a wonderful job up there, and they always have," manager Joe Maddon said. "They're not just good trades for young players. They're Rookie of the Year candidates. That's kind of interesting."
Myers is arguably the front-runner for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, entering Friday with a .291/.351/.474 batting line, 13 homers and 51 RBIs in 84 games. He ranks first among AL rookies in RBIs, extra-base hits and slugging percentage and second in homers and on-base percentage. Since being called up from Triple-A Durham and taking his place in the middle of Tampa Bay's lineup, Myers leads the team in RBIs, runs, hits, doubles and slugging.
Archer has gone 9-7 with a 3.21 ERA in 22 starts for the Rays since joining the rotation on June 1. He's thrown two shutouts, one of them a 97-pitch, two-hit masterpiece in Yankee Stadium. Tampa Bay is 12-1 when Archer starts and pitches at least six innings.
Not bad for two guys who shared the cover of the Durham Bulls' media guide this spring.
"We kind of came up with rookie status at the same time, so it's looking like we could be together for a long time here," Myers said. "I think that's very exciting -- not just for us, but the whole team."
Archer said he would vote for Myers as the AL's Rookie of the Year, "because to me he is the most outstanding rookie." Myers, of course, said he would cast his vote for Archer.
"He's got great stuff. You don't see too many guys who throw in the upper 90s with that kind of secondary stuff," Myers said. "I don't even think he's tapped into his full potential yet."
So how would they settle on a winner?
"I don't know if there's any way to give co-Rookie of the Year," Archer said. "That would be awesome."
In a way, it's easy to think of Myers and Archer as one unit. They're on the same short list of the AL's best rookies and seemingly on the same path to being future stars. Rays fans imagine them as the second coming of Longoria and Price.
And there are a few similarities between the two rookies. Maddon has observed that both think about baseball in a way that's beyond their years. Archer makes it clear for everyone to see; he's a deep thinker, a good communicator and performs a unique pre-start routine involving visualization and meditation.
Myers isn't often thought of in the same way -- whether it's because of his bat flips or his nonchalant demeanor -- but he looks over scouting reports and approaches each at-bat with a plan in mind, too.
"Think about it. To be that good of a hitter, you have to see deeper and beyond the surface. You have to see things that other people don't see," Archer said. "We've had one-on-one conversations, and I'm like, 'Wow, that's why you're that good.'"
That's about it as far as comparisons go, considering their distinctive personalities. Take it from Myers.
"I don't know. I mean, our similarities, we're from North Carolina," he said, laughing and grasping for answers. "We're near the same age."
Where Archer comes across as thoughtful, often philosophical, Myers is direct and straightforward. When the cameras are on, Myers says "awesome" and "cool" a lot and turns questions about himself into answers about the team. His refreshingly honest attitude and unabashed brand of confidence initially drew raised eyebrows from those around him and eventually earned a nickname from Maddon: Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell's simple-minded NASCAR driver in the movie "Talladega Nights."
"He's kind of like that," Maddon said, smiling before referencing one of the character's colorful quotes from the movie. "In the morning, he does something in an excellent manner."
"They're different in a lot of ways. Wil's a more laid-back type and very loose," said teammate Jake Odorizzi, who was dealt by the Royals alongside Myers and started the season with Archer in Durham's rotation. "That's what makes him what he is, just because stuff rolls off his back and he doesn't concentrate on any of the bad stuff."
Archer, on the other hand, is more introspective and cerebral. He loves pitching in the Major Leagues, but it's almost unfair to define him by his job. Archer is well-read and well-spoken, showing off an expansive vocabulary and displaying a passion for serving the community. He thinks a lot about who he is and why people are who they are.
Archer's Twitter posts range from motivational messages to "deep" thoughts, like asking if Earth could be considered a spaceship "since we are traveling on it through space." After a third straight subpar outing in early August, Archer gave reporters a typical baseball answer -- he just wasn't executing pitches -- then diverted into an unexpected comparison between his struggles and a tree needing to weather storms in order to grow.
Some might wonder if Archer is too thoughtful for a singularly focused game like baseball. The results would say otherwise. Either way, he's no Ricky Bobby.
"Arch is very in-depth. He's very tedious," Odorizzi said. "He does everything the right way."
Archer embraces the concept of individuality, that people's life experiences shape who they become -- a fitting idea, because he and Myers are practically a case study in it. They get along well, having become better friends in the Majors than they were in Durham. They're separated by about two years, grew up less than two hours apart and arrived here together at roughly the same point in their careers.
Yet here they are, performing right in the thick of a playoff race, with personalities as disparate as their positions.
"They're two different guys," Odorizzi said. "But they're great guys."
And they've turned out to be great additions for the Rays.
They might be the future, but they're no less a part of the present.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
For a long time, the cure for diabetes type 1 and type 2 has relied on agonizing insulin shots for patients or insulin infusion via mechanical pumps. Regarding this, experts have been creating artificial pancreatic beta cells with the he…
Metal clay is a crafting medium consisting of very small particles of metal such as silver, gold, bronze, or copper mixed with an organic binderand water for use in making jewelry, beads and small sculptures.
Scope of the Report:
The worldwide market for Precious Metal Clay is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2023, from xx million US$ in 2017, according to a new GIR (Global Info Research) study.
This report focuses on the Precious Metal Clay in global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.
Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers
- Mitsubishi Materials
- ABR Imagery
- Metal Adventures
Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers
- North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)
- Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)
- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)
- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.)
- Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)
Market Segment by Type, covers
- Paste-type (viscous liquid)
- Cylinder-type
- Sheet-type
- Production kits
Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into
- Crafts
- Jewelry
There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Precious Metal Clay market.
Chapter 1, to describe Precious Metal Clay Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;
Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Precious Metal Clay, with sales, revenue, and price of Precious Metal Clay, in 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Precious Metal Clay, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;
Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;
Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;
Chapter 12, Precious Metal Clay market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;
Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Precious Metal Clay sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source


text:
Google's Q3 Report Arrives Early, Puny and Naked
Oct 18, 2012 4:16 PM PT
Google did not have a good day on Thursday: Its stock plunged when its unexpectedly dismal third-quarter earnings became public. Then, there was the matter of how exactly they became public.
Google's financial printer, R.R. Donnelley, posted the earnings report to the Securities and Exchange Commission website without Google's final approval, according to news accounts.
Clearly the statement was not ready for prime time: A line at the top states "pending Larry's quote."
Google and R.R. Donnelley did not respond to our requests to comment for this story.
The Numbers
Google had intended to officially unveil the earnings after the close of regular trading on Thursday. After the earnings made their surprise appearance, the company's stock dropped by 9 percent to US$676 per share; trading was then temporarily halted. A few hours later, the stock began trading again and started to climb, closing at $695.
As Wall Street's reaction illustrates, the numbers were not good -- at least not compared with its earlier performance and analysts' expectations for the third quarter. GAAP net income for Q3 2012 was $2.18 billion, compared with $2.73 billion in Q3 of 2011. Non-GAAP net income was $3.01 billion, compared with $3.18 billion in the third quarter of 2011.
The report was both earlier than expected and worse than expected, said Andreas Scherer, managing partner with Salto Partners.
There was some good news, however, he told the E-Commerce Times. Google reported consolidated revenue of $14.10 billion -- an increase of 45 percent, compared with the same period last year. Google does not deduct traffic acquisition costs from its gross revenue. In the third quarter, those totaled $2.77 billion, or 26 percent of advertising revenue.
Top-Line Growth
Any other company that had posted such top-line growth would be popping the champagne. However, Google has the burden of very expectations. It missed the analysts' target by $530 million, Scherer pointed out.
"The market has hoped that they would report earnings excluding items of $10.65 a share," he noted. "They didn't."
Still, there is growth, Scherer said. "The company is operating relatively well in a slow macroeconomic environment."
Nevertheless, it's apparent that Google is clearly feeling the heat. First, the company revealed that its average cost-per-click declined 15 percent compared with the third quarter a year ago, Scherer pointed out.
"This is a key metric to watch since it is core to Google's business and income potential," he explained. "Click prices have been under pressure for a number of quarters. It's in Google's best interest to stop this trend."
Second, Google has to absorb operational losses from Motorola Mobility, noted Scherer. "Investors hope that this will be only a temporary phenomenon as executives are working hard to turn this business unit around."
3rd Month Was a Killer
Google's shareholders might take some comfort in the fact that the company is not the only one that took on water in Q3. HP, IBM and Intel all had disappointments in their earnings releases, said Trip Chowdhry, managing director of equity research for Global Equities Research.
"Our research shows that for Google, the first two months of the quarter were very strong," he told the E-Commerce Times, "but it ran into trouble, like the other firms, in the third month of the quarter."
Google is not immune to macroeconomic headwinds, and we ca expect more in the coming months, Chowdhry said.
In the long-term, though, Google is solid, he added. "Its mobile monetization is going well. Android market share continues to grow exponentially. Google, like everyone else, will just have to navigate the next few months."


text:
After School Special Recap
Major spoilers if you haven't already seen the 'sode. BTW, on a personal note, this is the third episode in a row where I felt sad by the end credits. And if you've seen Sera Gamble's interview for TV Guide, you'll understand why I think circumstances will get worse (and apparently way more intense [is that even possible?]) for our boys before they get better.
If they get better. Throw me a rope, Kripke and Co!
We open with a cafeteria scene of teens being hateful to each other that would probably work on at least two or three other CW shows--but then one of the recipients of hateful words loses her mind and kills someone in the girls' bathroom. After which, black ooze seeps from her eyes. So, definitely Supernatural.
Next we see the girl who did the killing--in what looks like some kind of asylum--answering questions for Sam. She's surprised (but we are not) when he believes her claims of demonic posession. However, he is befuddled that she noticed neither black smoke nor a sulphur smell, the usual tells of a demon in residence. The Winchester bros. talk over the situation in the Impala and agree to check out the high school.
Which turns out to be a school the boys once attended, briefly, during their nomadic past.
I gotta say, I thought the guest actors did a pretty good job giving us the younger Winchesters in flashback (older than they were in A Very Supernatural Christmas flashbacks, but good continuity in the casting of Sam). The guy portraying High School senior Dean did such a good job that I actually wonder if Jensen did a voiceover or two. Sam, as a ninth grader, was a "midget." (I grinned over this, thinking of my dad. He was a short freshman and graduated at 6'4".) Back in the day, we see the Impala roll up to the school where, presumably, Papa Winchester is dropping them off for their first day (again) at a new school (again). Sam being introduced to his class is juxtaposed against Dean being introduced to his. Dean handles his first day with smirking insolence and flirting with a blonde, while Sam looks far less comfortable and befriends a "nerd" being picked on by the bully who sits behind him. (Sam, of course, tells the bully to knock it off and is warned that if sticks his nose in, he'll take the victim's place.)
When we flash to present day, Sam has come up with their covers to get them into the high school. (Dean, ever the pop culture guru, later refers to this as his being 21 Jump Street.) Sam dons custodian coveralls that I guarantee have never looked that good on anyone else before while Dean shows up in white knee socks and red athletic shorts, undercover as Coach Roth (heh). He is introducing some poor unsuspecting kids to the bloodsport of Dodge Ball when Sam interrupts to explain that the case is seeming not demonic after all.
Au contraire. Flash to the home ec lab where we close in on a Cuisinart. Tanya, being no fool, slaps both hands over her eyes and keeps them there for the duration of the scene. But here's what I heard: jock bullying a nerd into giving him his Algebra homework, nerd resisting, jock threatening to ram his fist down nerd's throat, nerd asking, "this fist here?" and then whhhhrrrrrrr followed by a lot of screaming. Kids run out of home ec, Sam runs in and finds the attacker with blood on his arms...and black ectoplasm leaking out his ear. So at this point, it would seem that there's a spirit who's been bullied striking out at all the current bullies.
In the parallel flashback storyline, we see that Sam really does take his new friend Barry's place with the bully and gets slugged (meanwhile big brother Dean is happily making out with a blonde in the janitorial closet. Later, big brother Dean threatens to rip out the bully's lungs and asks why the heck Sam didn't defend himself since he could have destroyed the other guy, their differences in size notwithstanding.) Sam chose not to fight the bully, even though Papa Winchester probably started drilling him on combat techniques from the time he could toddle, because he wanted to fit in. He's sick of being a freak, but you can see how resigned he is because for a What I Did Last Summer nonfiction essay, he writes about how he, his dad, and his bro killed a werewolf. When the teacher calls him on it, Sam says it doesn't really matter if he flunks, he'll be gone soon anyway. But the teacher praises his writing skills and seems to be the person who helps put him on the eventual path to college (which made me think of an important teacher in my own past, Mrs. Pearson, best High School English Teacher ever). Sam tells the teacher sadly that he's destined for the family biz, and the teacher says he doesn't have to be. Kind words--completely untrue in Sam's case, since demons came after him and incinerated his girlfriend anyway, but kind words.
Present Day--when the brothers learn that there's only been one death in the school, erstwhile nerd Barry killing himself, it seems we've found our angry spirit. Sam, of course, feels like maybe if they'd actually stuck around (for a change) he and barry could have grown to be friends, maybe the kid wouldn't have had such a crappy adolescence. Dean says that at least Barry will be at peace now, as they salt and burn the bones, which should be the end of it. Although there's like 20 minutes left in the show, so I'm guessing not.
Sam wants to go back to the school to say goodbye to the English teacher who previously inspired him, but he's stopped by a girl asking directions. She calls him by name and, even though it makes no sense, for a milisecond, I thought she might turn out to be Lilith, but then realized that she's just another possessed teen at this high school (put this HS and Sunnydale on my list of where not to send my kids! sheesh). Sam knocks the spirit out of her--he put something in her mouth, which I'm pretty sure was salt but could've been holy water--and Dean later realizes that all three kids possessed ride the same bus, so maybe the spirit isn't haunting the school after all, but a bus. (Note to self: carpool.) The new bus driver, who started about the same time as the attacks, is Dirk Sr--Dirk being the bully who once picked on Barry and later decked Sam.
In flashbacks, we see Dirk once again picking on Sam and I will admit that I watched young Sam, shorter than his peers and emotionally vulnerable, and I advised the kid on screen to kick the bully's ass. Which Sam pretty much did before telling the bully that he was Dirk the jerk and walking away as other kids picked up the taunt. The show totally made me regret my outburst a few minutes later, but not as much as Sam regretted what he'd done.
When the brothers visit Dirk Sr, they find out the bus driver is a widower who also lost his son because Dirk, who tended toward juvenile deliquience, got mixed up with alcohol and drugs. The father paints a poignant picture of Dirk having a difficult time because, when he was thirteen, he was the primary caretaker of his mother, who died slowly of cancer. That changed him, made him angry and caused him to act out at school where, according to the dad, he had trouble making friends and other kids verbally abused him, pointing out that he was poor and eventually labeling him Dirk the Jerk. Oh, the look on Jared Padelecki's face is just painful to watch. And I myself am doing a lot of wincing at home. Dean brings us back to the present problem by asking if they can pay their respects at Dirk's grave (all the better to burn and salt him), but Dirk's father says he had his son cremated. To which Dean insensitively and rather hilariously asks, "All of him?"
No, as it turns out. The dad keeps a lock of his son's hair in a Bible in the bus's glove compartment. Flash to bus, full of athletes going somewhere at night, driven by a burly man with black ooze coming out his nose which, we know, is never a good sign. The brothers arrive in time to avert serious disaster, running the bus off the road and burning the lock of hair while Sam is getting whaled on by a possessed athlete. It could just be me, but I think guilt was still riding Sam hard, because he didn't appear to be fighting back all that much.
So apparently the moral of this episode was that no one ever fits in. The nerd who was bullied killed himself. The kid doing most of the bullying was a once bright, sweet boy who lost his mother and eventually became the victim of bullying himself. Sam finally made a friend and was praised for academic progress--but was yanked out of school when Papa Winchester slew whatever needed slaying and dragged them off elsewhere. And there was a really sad moment in flashback when the blonde caught Dean in the closet with a brunette and told him that she felt sorry for him. He ended up in the halls yelling that he didn't need people's pity, that he was a badass with a much cooler life. Yeah, on the run with your quasi-psychotic driven father and the little brother who just wanted it all to go away. Sign me up for that! We end with Sam finally getting to visit that English teacher, who remembers him and asks if Sam managed to avoid the family business.
Yeah, Sam says...for a little while, but now he's in it. (All the way up to those lovely eyes, if not completely in over his head.) The teacher, not sure what to say, offers that the important thing is just to be happy, whatever you're doing. "Are you happy?"
Another shot of Padalecki looking heartbreakingly woeful and equal parts resigned. Credits.
Wow. I know they're fictional characters but I'm angry anew at John for the childhood (or rather, nonchildhood) he put them through, even though I'm not sure what a great alternative would have been. MJ argued that perhaps he was trying to keep them safe by not dropping them with people who know nothing of the nondemonic world. But, really? He was gone for an entire two weeks, once again leaving Dean to fend for Sam, between Dean's makeout sessions in the closet. So how is that really John protecing them? And once again we see the cracks in Dean's veneer. He adopts the smart-ass "I don't care" persona because he knows caring is pointless; he won't be anywhere long enough for anyone to care about him. And even if they start to, he'll just be back on the road or, you know, in hell, anyway. And I'm reminded of how tired Sam looked after the last episode, when he told Ruby he doesn't want to be doing this when he's old? This episode was a strong reminder of just how tired the boy is, that he's been doing this far longer than the few years we've known him in the series but, essentially, since boyhood.
Whenever, however, this show ultimately ends, I hope there's some kind of payoff or at least satisfaction for what they've accomplished. The teacher was right--they DO deserve happiness! I'd wish peace for them, but I'm scared that might be the "Rest In..." kind.
What do you think the future holds for the Winchesters? And what do you think about these episodes that show us deeper glimpses of their past?


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PIMCO portfolio manager Mihir Worah said he and other analysts at the bond shop expect global inflation to be higher in the next few years than it has been over the last 20 years.
"While we do not expect double-digit inflation, we do see inflation gradually climbing higher than the close-to-2% core numbers that we have gotten used to in much of the developed world," Worah (left) wrote in a report that PIMCO released Monday.
As a result, the portfolio manager has several suggestions on how investors (and advisors) can position client assets for such a development.
Worah say there are two main reasons to expect higher inflation in the next three, five or 10 years. "First, in developed markets, there is a serious debt problem, and it is going to be hard for developed countries to grow out of it. Inflation is one of the only 'solutions' that we see as likely to occur," he said.
The emerging markets, though, have been a force of disinflation, the portfolio manager says. But while they have exported goods and services at very low prices in the past, PIMCO sees that changing in the future.
"Estimates vary, but the middle class in emerging markets could expand by about 2 billion people over the next two decades, and that means commodity-intensive uses could increase—as people move from mud to concrete, buy washing machines, cars and more," wrote Worah, who has been in the investment field for more than 10 years and holds a doctorate in theoretical physics.
As a result, PIMCO expects there to be "a secular rise in global commodities prices—with some cyclical dips—contributing to global inflation," he said. "A more indirect contributor to inflation could come in the form of emerging markets reaching a limit to the productivity 'miracle,' and that potentially translating to higher production costs and, ultimately, higher export prices."
In addition, the U.S. dollar could decline against currencies in higher-growth regions, which would be inflationary, the portfolio manager notes.
Portfolio Positioning
Worah believes that thinking about inflation and structuring portfolios to help guard against high inflation "should be a central element of any investment strategy."
To hedge inflation risk, he recommends three types of assets.
"The core asset, in our view, is developed market inflation-linked bonds (ILBs), such as Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) in the U.S," he wrote. "We believe these should be the bedrock of any inflation hedging strategy—'the money under the mattress,' with principal backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government."
Though these bonds may offer modest returns, if they're held until maturity, their real returns are known since the payments are explicitly linked to inflation, Worah says.
A second allocation should be considered in slightly more volatile assets in order to seek potentially higher returns. This means allocating a certain percentage of a portfolio in real assets, such as commodities, dividend-yielding equities and real estate investment trusts (REITs).
A third investment could be made in inflation-linked bonds issued by emerging-market countries, like Mexico and Brazil. Look for nations with a strong fiscal balance sheets and bonds that have the potential for relatively attractive after-inflation rates of return, he suggests.


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Appalachian State University / Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas
Primary contact: Linda Veltze, Leadership and Educational Studies
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 828-262-3106
Author of summary: Elizabeth Cramer, Belk Library, Appalachian State University
Phone: 828-262-4967
The relationship between Appalachian State University (Boone, N.C.) and la Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas (Cochabamba, Bolivia) began in 1998 when Gaby Vallejo, founder of la Biblioteca, came to Appalachian State University to speak about her innovative children's library program. The program caught the ear and the heart of ASU Library Science professor, Linda Veltze. A conversation began between the two women that evolved into a more substantial relationship when the two institutions became Sister Libraries through the White House Millennial Commission (since defunct) in 2000. The success of this particular Sister Library project has been internationally recognized, receiving the IBBY Asahi Reading Promotion Award in 2003.
In a country that has little money for books, la Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas is the only library in Bolivia that provides picture books and literature to children. La Biblioteca is staffed solely by volunteers, headed by Gaby and a group of dedicated educators who proudly bear the title "las mujeres peligrosas" (dangerous women) due to their progressive ideas about education.
In recent years, ASU and la Biblioteca have worked together in numerous projects. La Biblioteca has hosted several groups of ASU students and scholars who traveled to Bolivia for a number of reasons: conducting research; working on international service projects; or taking study-abroad courses for credit. In turn, Gaby and several "dangerous women" have visited Appalachian's campus and the surrounding community of Boone, speaking about the economic, educational, and social realities of Bolivia. In so many ways this Sister Library project has affected the lives of librarians, educators, students, and community members from both countries. In summary, our status as Sister Libraries continues to be a source of pride, opportunity, and inspiration for both institutions.

Submitted on December 8, 2010


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Opening enrollment for the University of Hawaiʻi's fall 2013 semester is 59,288 students, a slight decline of 1,345 students, or 2.2 percent compared to fall semester 2012.
This decrease comes after record-breaking enrollments in each of the last five years. Since 2007, enrollment has grown by 17 percent.
The UH System's newest campus, UH West Oʻahu saw its enrollment significantly increase to 2,403 students, the largest numerical and percentage gain with 380 students for an 18.8 percent increase.
Windward Community College reported a 2.2 percent increase with 62 students for a total enrollment of 2,840.
Kauaʻi Community College also posted a gain of 1.3 percent with 19 students for a total enrollment of 1,531.
However, UH Mānoa's enrollment slightly declined by 2 percent or 408 students for a total enrollment of 19,912.
UH Hilo posted a 3.3 percent drop of 138 students for a total enrollment of 4,034.
The dip in enrollment follows recent national trends. The U.S. Census Bureau released new statistics this month, that show college enrollment in fall 2012 plunged by half a million (476,000) across the country compared to fall 2011. The Census Bureau says the decline follows a period of substantial growth—3.2 million—between 2006 and 2011.
The decline in college enrollment was driven by students 25 years and older, according to the Census Bureau.
"Enrollment in higher education typically runs counter to economic growth. Students often leave college when the economy provides more jobs. This is particularly true of the community college students," said Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Johnsrud.
Overall, UH Community Colleges saw a 3.5 percent decrease in enrollment with 1,179 students for a total enrollment of 32,939.
Specific figures for the community college campuses
- Hawaiʻi Community College: 3,442 students, a decrease of 6.6 percent or 244 students
- Honolulu Community College: 4,437 students, a decrease of 4.6 percent or 213 students
- Kapiʻolani Community College: 8,523 students, a decrease of 6.1 percent or 558 students
- Kauaʻi Community College: 1,531 students, an increase of 1.3 percent or 19 students
- Leeward Community College: 8,069 students, an increase of 0.4 percent or 30 students
- UH Maui College: 4,097 students, a decrease of 6.3 percent or 275 students
- Windward Community College: 2,840 students, an increase of 2.2 percent or 62 students


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Scanning the "Media" section at Blackwell's bookshop is one of my favourite things to do in Oxford. Sure, I love the web, but being able to scan and access books in real-time using my eyes and hands is something I still enjoy, while I'm sure it seems a little quaint to many of my techno-futurist readers.
On today's scan, I noticed "Big Ideas" a book of terms us futurists bandy about to give some of the trends going on in the world. Online resources such as urban dictionary or wiktionary are great starting points for such buzzwords and their definitions, but it was nice to see someone with a sense of humour and a great way with words spin these words into print.
For those of you without a copy of the book in front of you, here are the terms Harkin defines, complete with a Google-search link so you can explore their meaning. Sure, it's not as comfortable as snuggling up in a sofa with the book, but it takes less trees, and let's face it, digital is very now.
I'll confess I don't recognise all the terms listed below, so I'm going to do some clicking myself. James has left room at the back of his book for the reader's big ideas, so it only seems natural that my "Comments" area is the perfect place for me to invite you to post your big ideas!
The Advocacy Revolution; Badvertising; Bare Branches; Boomergeddon; Brand America; Citizen Journalism; Compassion Fatigue; The Cosmetic Underclass; Cosmopolitanism; Crowdsourcing; Crunchy Conservatism; Curation Nation; The Cyborg; Declinology; Democratization; Digital Maoism; Digital Mapping; The Economy of Prestige; Electronic Frontier Justice; The European Empire; The Experience Economy; The Free Rider or Collective Action Problem and the Prisoner's Dilemma; Futurology; Generation Gap; Good Business; Gotcha Politics; Happiness; Incentivization; Infomania; Libertarian Paternalism; Life-Caching; The Long Tail; Maturialism; The Menaissance; Muscular Liberalism; Neurotheology; The New Puritans; The New Utopisanism; The Paradox of Choice; Peer-to-Peer Surveillance; Pension Fund Capitalism; Philoanthrocapitalism; Playtime; Positive Liberty; The Precautionary Principle; Pre-heritance; Proletarian Drift; Protirement; Public Value; Regretful Loners; Resilience; Slacktivism; Smart Mobs / Flash Mobs; Social Jet Lag; Social Networking; Social Physics; Soft Power; Status Anxiety; The Support Economy; Synthetic Worlds; The Time Economy; The Tipping Point; Transhuminism or The Singularity Thesis; True Cost Economics; Urban Gaming; Urban Villages; Virtual Anthropology; Virtual Politics; War Porn; Wild Card Theory or ; Black Swan Theory; Worst-Case Scenarios;


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Take on the role of Rusty, a lone mining steambot, as he arrives in an old mining town in great need.
Armed with an array of tools, dig your way beneath the scorched earth in search of precious gems – but beware… a dangerous, ancient threat lurks in the darkness of the mines. Try to make it back to the surface with your treasure while avoiding falling rocks and deadly spikes – as well as less natural hazards like robot armadillos and dynamite carrying zombies.
See it in action


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Geolary compares your salary to others in your neck of the woods
Ever wonder why your neighbour is able to add that addition to his house? Curious as to why the couple down the street can afford that Mercedes? Well, while you'll never truly know how much those people are bringing in, a new iPhone app released today called Geolary can give you a pretty good idea of where your income level compares to others in your neighbourhood — or in other locations you might consider relocating to.
Geolary is one of those apps that does one thing pretty well: it asks you for your salary and then compares it based on location to other salary data, letting you know where you stand in comparison. It requires location data to make it work (something many are very wary about enabling, especially lately), and will localize your income based on your country's currency automatically. You can't change the currency manually, however, so if you're looking for salary comparisons to another country you're thinking about moving to, you'll have to do some conversion as well.
You can, however, move your location around on the map so that you can do comparison in other areas of your city or beyond. Once you've picked a location to search, the app tells you the highest, lowest and average salary in the area. It also delivers the gap between your salary and the salaries of others.
Once you've taken a good look at the data Geolary provides, you can share it via Twitter, Facebook, email or even open it in Safari. If you're considering another job or asking for a raise, this could be useful to either illustrate your point, I suppose, but the sharing of such data seems rather useless in practice. (That is, unless you like to brag about what you're bringing in.)
Geolary has a clean, simple interface and is useful if you're in the job market and want to know what you'd need to earn to maintain your income at a level that the rest of those in the area you are searching are at. That's where it begins and ends with this app, so I have a strong feeling that users will keep it buried in a folder or leave it in iTunes for when they may actually need it.
Geolary is free and available in The App Store now.
Read next: Microsoft to open new stores in Los Angeles, Houston


text:
There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this artist.
Rudyard's British Pub
2010 Waugh Dr
Houston, TX 77006
Food, Beer, Music, Comedy, Darts. We have it all.
Working The Working Title
Most of the members of the alternative pop/rock outfit the Working Title were originally friends from high school days in Charleston, SC. Playing in various bands around town, it wasn't until 2001 that the four friends came together as one cohesive unit to create introspective indie rock that, while sonically similar to bands like Switchfoot, draws influence ranging from underground punk to the Counting Crows to Kid Dynamite. Within six months of forming, the band -- Joel Hamilton (vocals/guitar/piano), Adam Pavao (guitar), Chris Ginn (bass), and Ross Taylor (percussion/drums) -- self-released and self-produced their debut effort, Sincerely, and independently sold a few thousand copies around their hometown. Universal's Kevin Law took notice, and the Working Title soon became the first band signed to his Universal imprint, Cause for Alarm. The seven-song Everyone Here Is Wrong EP was issued in late 2003, and the band's subsequent tour schedule included shows with Mae, mewithoutYou, Switchfoot, and Our Lady Peace, along with various Warped Tour dates. Their debut record, About-Face, appeared in summer 2006, as the guys opened a month of shows on the Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows' joint tour. ~ Corey Apar, Rovi


text:
Video projects have become a widespread addition to instructional strategies. Sometimes the videos serve to demonstrate students' understanding of a particular topic. In other instances students are learning about the topic as they record and edit their own video projects. In all cases, video is a great motivator for students. In some cases students who don't learn as well from the text format catch the concept more clearly through this medium. If you are interested in incorporating student video projects into your course this site can help you develop some ideas.
If you would like assistance or have questions please contact Susan Simon.
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 646-0629.
Copyright Statement
The projects on this site have been created by Dartmouth College students for educational purposes only. Our goal is to stay within the fair use protection of existing copyright laws. If any copyright owner objects to the use of any work appearing on this site, please contact us and we will graciously remove the work.


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Friday, November 23, 2007
Off Center
The latest in the never-ending quest to define quality medical care is the designation of "Centers of Excellence." It's a grand goal. In theory, it sounds like just the thing to help consumers find their way to the best of care. Going to a COE (as folks are wont to abbreviate them) ought to give one a great deal of confidence; and from what I know there's truth to the idea. If you go to a COE, it's not likely the care you receive will completely totally suck.
I'm not naïve; nor, I'm pretty sure, are you. It ought to surprise no one that the criteria for qualifying as a COE are generally imperfect, sometimes political, and not always central to uncovering what is, in fact, excellent care. I say this as a person no longer directly affected by such things, one who has worked in some pretty excellent places and who has delivered (yes, yes) occasional aliquots of excellent care; but whose time in practice pre-dated being in a position to be so designated, or not. So I carry no grudges, bear no wounds, have no need for excuses. An observer only, I'm still working enough to see, from within, the workings of the process; enough, I think, to make comments based on experience. Thumbnail version: hypo-impressed.
For one thing, like a lot of other awards -- or like the boxing world last time I paid any attention -- there are lots of agencies and organizations handing out hardware; not only different ones for different types of care, but even within a given field. (And, of course, they charge for it. Some more than others.) Can't get one? Get another. Criteria? Variable. In addition -- as is true universally for such things -- it boils down, to a very large extent, to the filling of various boxes, the ticking off of a checklist, which may or may not reveal what really goes on in the delivery of care. Evaluators show up with a list of demands, such as having protocols printed out and available for review, folders with the credentials of participants, plans for gathering data. All of which can be assessed with feet up, smoking a cigar, sipping a nice port. (Nothing changes: when I was in the military our facility was evaluated regularly by any number of inspectors general from any number of command levels. It was always and only about buffing up the paperwork, period.) The depth of penetration, as it were, can depend on the individual with the clipboard, what kind of day they had, who knows whom. Meanwhile, the actual rendering of care, in the flesh -- because that's hard to measure and to evaluate on any meaningful and reproducible basis -- may get overlooked entirely or looked at only in the most superficial ways. Many have spoken up about inadequacies and inanities of the current P4P efforts ("pay for performance," ie tying reimbursement to the meeting of certain criteria).
I tread light-footed. As one neither directly affected by nor intimately involved in the details of the process, I don't want to say more than I know; nor, because of my once-removed level of insight, do I want to cast specific aspersions on specific institutions, neither the purveyors nor the receivers of evaluations. But in places with which I have at least a passing acquaintance and from organizations of which I have at least passing knowledge, I've seen COE designations received or withheld without any obvious correlation the the care people are actually receiving. In both directions: COE awarded to programs of questionable quality, denied to ones providing superb care because of some sort of bookkeeping glitch, and vice of all the versas. Moreover, since in some settings the COE designation is given to a program in a hospital and not to the physicians, all doctors who provide that particular care inside those walls can claim the mantle, no matter on which end of the spectrum they may fall, excellentologically. And spectra there are.
The implications are great: not only is it important that the title of COE has meaning for people seeking care, there are trends toward insurers not paying for care rendered in a non-certificated place. So it is behoovenized that the process is meaningful. And here's the reason I bring it up now: A place at which I sometimes work recently was designated a COE, in a field of care with which I have familiarity. They'd previously been denied, having mostly to do with which three-ring binders were lying where. At its best, the care in question is indeed excellent. The difference in that care, comparing pre- and post-certification, in terms of the work going on where the latex meets the playtex, is zero. And the first time I worked there after the COE was announced, the scheduled OR crew consisted of people mostly unfamiliar with the work being done, necessitating the standing around at several points in the proceedings, while the proper instruments and equipment were scouted out. The outcome was fine, the patients as expected did well. But whatever that kind of support is -- adequate, satisfactory, safe, good enough -- it's not excellent. I'm just saying.
5 comments:
- rlbates said...
You may just be "saying", but you said it well.
I've been wondering when you would address this particular farce, Dr. Schwab. Having worked in several different hospitals over the last few years, I can say that I've seen "center of excellence" designations given to tiny hospitals with undertrained staff and not much in the way of supplies, because their administration clearly saw the possible advertising benefits from such a certification as their best investment of limited resources, while much larger, better-staffed, better-supplied, higher-volume hospitals in the same city lacked such certification because their administrators and staff had more important things to work on. Patients and insurers don't realize how meaningless all of the objective measures so far discovered are as far as predicting quality of care or outcomes.
I've seen the COE concept come and go in the business world - when it goes out of favor its because someone decided the support staff should be physically close to their internal "customers." Then after several years of this someone will decide its more "efficient" to have all the support people in one place so they can share "best practices." Its a roller coaster back and forth between centralization and decentralization.
Knowledgeable professionals in health care agree with you and desperately want improvements. John and Jane Q Public still remain oblivious to these issues. Until John and Jane suffer personally, they don't see the problem...any thoughts on what can be done to educate the public so they will get behind reform efforts.
- Dino William Ramzi said...
Ach, it's all about the money. Marketing is not always to patients, sometimes it's directed to funders. Scoring the designation of COE means a more profitable gala fund-raiser.


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JCSOA: Contract Sales Reps Up 5.5% In Japan
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
The number of contract medical representatives in Japan increased by 5.5% in 2013 to 3,551, according to the Japan CSO Association.
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Speedy Approval Of Gilead's Veklury Sets Stage For Pediatric Expansion, Dosing Refinement
US FDA looks to post-marketing studies to address elements of the NDA that were not central to its initial swift approval as the first COVID-19 therapy, including pediatric use and the interaction of hepatotoxicity and dose duration.
Adolescents In COVID-19 Vaccine Trials: As Pfizer Starts Dosing, US FDA Encouraging Other Sponsors
But advisory committee members caution against including pediatric population in COVID-19 vaccine trials, and one member expresses concern that Pfizer is testing those as young as 12 years of age. Agency is in discussions with product sponsors about enrollment of adolescents.
Finance Watch: A SPACtacular Week For Biopharma Deals And Dollars
Public Company Edition: Four health care special purpose acquisition vehicles went public and two others announced mergers, but only one biopharma firm priced an IPO during the week of 19-23 October. Replimune's $250m offering led recent FOPOs.
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text:
Cherry Vitamin C (Vegan) - 100 Eco Pack (100 Capsules)
All parcels sent 1st class through Royal Mail
94% of our orders arrive the next working day. Want it next day guaranteed? Choose Express Delivery at checkout.
Key Features Protects DNA as well as proteins from oxidative damage. The upkeep of the nervous system. The immune system benefits greatly from taking this in a food state formula. Promotes the growth of all tissue in the body. Combats the severity of the common cold. Because vitamin C can help absorb iron into the body, it can be used in the fight against anaemia. Description Vegan supplements, Vegan vitamins and Vegan Minerals. W...
Key Features
- Protects DNA as well as proteins from oxidative damage.
- The upkeep of the nervous system.
- The immune system benefits greatly from taking this in a food state formula.
- Promotes the growth of all tissue in the body.
- Combats the severity of the common cold.
- Because vitamin C can help absorb iron into the body, it can be used in the fight against anaemia.
Vegan supplements, Vegan vitamins and Vegan Minerals. We are at the cutting edge of supplying you with the very best supplements & vitamins money can buy. Our Vegan vitamins are Guaranteed to contain No chemicals and only contain those ingredients that make our supplements work. No bulkers, No fillers and No other chemicals to stabilise the formulations. All our vegan supplements are sold without the chemicals that the majority of our competitors use to bulk out there supplements. Our safe vegan vitamins are sold with the full spectrum of nutrients which offer you a step above the rest.
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Save money, less packaging and every thing is recyclable. Use the bottle or container you used the last time.
Research indicates that many of us are turning away from the over-the-counter medicines we grew up with and toward natural cold and flu remedies, like vitamin C, zinc.
The Acerola cherry is rich in vitamin C and regarded as one of the best known sources of vitamin C. Body By Natures Cherry Vitamin C supplement has a broad spectrum of nutritional constituents including, proteins, mineral salts, calcium and iron The difference between our product and man made absorbic acid which is sold as vitamin C, is that we sell this in a food state formula which is fully utilised by the body. Another benefit of taking whole food vitamin C is that is stays in your body for longer. Vitamin C is also vital in the role of repairing cells and maintaining a good strong immune system.
Who may choose to take Vitamin C
Anyone who doesn't consume a beneficial amount of fruit and veg. The elderly and those dependent on institutional catering. People who consume alcohol and smoke. Those with challenging lifestyles. People who have cholesterol issues. Anybody who has a physical lifestyle such as athletes. People who take aspirin, particularly those on long-term prescription medication.
Our Promise to You
Whether you are buying our supplements for Religious reasons, Ethnical reasons, Animal welfare reasons or you just want the very best supplements you can find for your money, here at Body By Nature we sell all our formulations in a Vegan format. Vegan Vitamins, Vegan supplements and Vegan minerals, are sold in a 'whole food' or 'food state'. Your body recognises this and therefore each and every Vitamin and mineral will nourish and maintain areas of your body which needs it the most.
|Active Nutrient
|Whole Acerole cherry
|No RDA
|providing vitamin C
Whole acerola cherry powder providing naturally occurring bioflavonoids, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (capsule shell).
Suggested intake
1–2 capsules or take as directed by a practitioner. Do not exceed the recommended daily intake. This product should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet. *RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance
Suitable for
Vegetarians, vegans and for people with Candida and yeast sensitivities.
Non-GM and free from
Wheat; starch, gluten; lactose; added sugars, colourings, flavourings & preservatives.
Keep cool, dry and out of direct sunlight. Keep out of reach of children. If seal is broken on purchase do not use.


text:
DB Change Manager 2016
Embarcadero® DB Change Manager® is an essential database change management tool for DBAs and data professionals. It uniquely offers automated compare and synchronization capabilities to simplify change operations. Rapidly identify changes, streamline upgrades to new releases and pinpoint environmental differences resulting from changes at the data, schema and database configuration levels.
Quickly Roll-out database changes
Ensure database synchronization by using a live-to-live database compare as a basis for obtaining a list of changed objects, and a change script to roll the changes forward. Capture a snapshot of the target before you roll changes forward, so that you can roll back a schema change if necessary. Deep support for DB2 for LUW, Oracle, SQL Server and Sybase leverages DBMS-specific features, objects, options, and syntax.
Reveal, Track and Report how a database has changed
Reveal and report on changes to packaged application databases resulting from vendor patches or customization. Uncover abnormalities in the database that result from improper change, which might impact production performance or functionality. Notify yourself or your colleagues when a particular portion of the database has changed: for example tables for data modelers, stored procedures for developers, etc.
Comply with Database Audit and Reporting Requirements
Identify and report on changes to the database at or between points in time, or to particular sensitive objects: ad hoc or on a regular basis. Audit database configurations against established standards to minimize the vulnerability of your databases.
Protect Data Privacy
Shuffle or randomize columns in a data compare with an auto-synchronization job. De-identify data in the production environment and quickly migrate the masked, yet realistic and fully functional, data into Development, Test and QA environments.
Mitigate Organizational Risk, Align with Data Governance Principles
DB Change Manager's ability for database synchronization and capability to identify and report on changes to the database between points in time both help organizations comply with database audit and reporting requirements. Organizations can protect data privacy with data masking and mitigate organizational risk by using DB Change Manager to reveal, report, and notify changes to critical databases configurations. You can also restore databases to a secure point in time with DB Change Manager's alter scripts.


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Medicross Rothwell
Woolworths Shopping Complex, 761-763 Deception Bay Road, Rothwell QLD 4022
p: 07 3203 0749
f: 07 3293 4603
Surgery Hours
Monday: 8.00am to 5.00pm
Tuesday: 8.00am to 5.00pm
Wednesday: 8.00am to 5.00pm
Thursday: 8.00am to 5.00pm
Friday: 8.00am to 5.00pm
Saturday: 8.30am to 12.30pm
Sunday: Closed
Public Holidays: Closed
Subscribe to our Newsletter
All the latest information on staying healthy and important news from our medical centres.
Welcome to Medicross Rothwell
Listed below is all the information relating to our practice. Remember you can book an appointment online anytime. Simply click the Book Appointment Button.
If you cannot find the information you require please call our practice on 07 3203 0749 during surgery hours.
You can make your appointment online 24/7
Medicross operates an appointment system. A standard appointment is usually adequate to deal with most health issues. If you are making an appointment for an insurance or employment medical, centrelink forms, procedure or complex/multiple problems, please ask for a longer appointment. Please ensure a separate appointment is made for each family member. Appointments are made for 10 minute intervals (depending on the doctor). Appointment slots are held aside each day for same day urgent consultations or sick children.
Bulk Billing and Fees
Medicross Rothwell is a mixed billing practice. Patients without a valid Medicare card will be charged a fee at the time of consultation. Employment and Commercial Driver Medicals are not covered by Medicare and will incur a private fee.
Standard consult – $70
Failing to attend without notice fee – $40
Long consult – $110
The employment medical/commercial driver's licence is the same as the website – $130.
We will still offer bulk billing to all concession cardholders, DVA Gold cardholders, children under the age of 16, and patients over the age of 65. Please note that all consultations on Saturdays will be mixed billed. No bulk billing fees will be applicable on Saturdays or public holidays.
Allied Health Services
Medicross Rothwell provides the following Allied Health Services;
After Hours
Patients are encouraged to take advantage of free vaccines made available by the Federal and State Governments. Please ask our nursing staff or your doctor for further details.
Waiting Times
Nobody likes to be kept waiting! Our staff do understand and we try to manage all appointments as punctually as possible. However, due to the unpredictable nature of a medical surgery – doctors do frequently run behind time. We regret any inconvenience caused due to these delays. Please feel free to contact our surgery staff to confirm whether your doctor is running on time BEFORE you arrive for your appointment.
Should you no longer require your appointment please let us know. We do charge a NO SHOW fee of $40.00, if you do not arrive for your appointment.
If your require assistance, please feel free to ask one our staff members. They will be happy to help.
Patient Feedback
Our goal is to provide a quality and professional service in a comfortable and caring environment. We are happy to hear from you – should you have any concerns or suggestions, please telephone, write or email to:
Carly Duncan, Practice Manager
Medicross Rothwell
761-763 Deception Bay Road, Rothwell, QLD 4022
Telephone: 07 3203 0749
Fax: 07 3293 4603
Email: email@example.com
From time to time this Practice invites patients to complete questionnaires on their views of the Practice and ways in which our service can be improved. These surveys are confidential.
We believe that problems are best dealt with through the Practice or alternatively our Head Office.
However, if we are unable to assist, you may prefer to contact the Office of the Health Ombudsman for handling complaints.
Office of the Health Ombudsman: PO Box 13281 George Street, Brisbane Qld 4003, Phone: 133 646
Repeat Prescriptions
In order to monitor your health and fulfil our ethical and legal responsibilities, we require that you attend your doctor (or if your usual doctor is not available, one of the other doctors) in order to receive further prescriptions for your medications.
Interpreter Service
Whatever you preferred language, we can help you organise an interpreter to assist with any language barriers. We also arrange interpreters through NABS, National Auslan Interpreter Service, for our deaf patients.
Medicross Rothwell uses the Telephone Interpreter Service 1300 131 450 when required. We can organise an "over the phone" service or with 48 hours notice an "on site" service.
Medical Certificate
A medical certificate may only be issued after an examination by a doctor, so you will need to make an appointment to see the doctor.
Health Assessments and Care Plans
Our practice can provide Health Assessments & Care Plans through our CDM Health Nurse.
Test Results
Results are reviewed by the doctors and acted upon in a timely manner with your health in mind. We will contact you if necessary.
Communication Policy
Reception can be emailed at email@example.com
Due to time constraints, doctors are not able to take non-urgent phone calls from patients and cannot always return phone calls. It is preferred that patients make an appointment to discuss any concerns a doctor in person. The receptionist will take a message and returning your call will be at the discretion of the doctor. Urgent phone calls will be put through to the doctor or nurse on duty
Further details of our communication policy are available on request from staff
Meet our Doctors
Special Interests: Mental Health, Skin and Procedures
Special Interests: Skin, Procedures and Family Health
Special Interests: General Medicine, Family Health and Workcover
Special Interests: Geriatric Medicine, Rehabilitation and Pain Management


text:
1, 2001
11:11 a.m. CDT
Delivers Canadarm2 to International Space Station
Endeavour and its crew spent almost 12 days on orbit, eight
of which were spent in joint operations with the International
Space Station crew. Endeavour's crew delivered and installed
a new robotic arm and helped to transfer equipment and supplies
between vehicles.
Specialists Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency and
Scott Parazynski of NASA performed two space walks to install
the new 17.6-meter (57.7-foot) robotic arm onto the International
Space Station. Canadarm2, a beefier second-generation version
of the shuttle's robot arm, is essential to the continued
assembly of the space station as the outpost grows beyond
the reach of the shuttle's arm.
New Robot Arm Is First of Three Mobile Servicer System Pieces
STS-100 was the first of three space shuttle missions to carry
pieces of the Space Station Mobile Servicer System,
or SSMSS to the station. It delivered the long, hinged arm
known as the Remote Manipulator System.
missions will deliver the Mobile Base System -- a work platform
that moves along rails covering the length of the space station
-- and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Canada
range of motion than a human arm.
Space Station Crew Faces a Computer Failure ChallengeThe International Space Station's three Command
and Control Computers began to exhibit problems during Endeavour's
visit. Communications between the station and the ground were
rerouted through Endeavour as flight controllers worked to
solve the problem, and mission managers approved an extended
stay for the shuttle if the computers were not recovered quickly.
flight controllers determined that the hard drive on one Command
and Control Computer had failed, space station Flight Engineer
Susan Helms swapped it with another onboard computer. After
reloading software, all three computers booted up normally.
Endeavour brought the failed computer back to Earth for more
Curator: Kim
Dismukes | Responsible NASA Official: John Ira Petty | Updated: 12/10/2003Web Accessibility and Policy Notices


text:
We've Moved - Please checkout our current site
It's not a myth! Using high quality audio cable makes a big difference in the sound that comes out of your recording studio. Don't waste your investment in quality audio equipment by making your connections with anything but the best cabling available. Digital audio cable requirements can be especially exacting: length, impedance and materials have to be just right. Tell us the specifics of your installation and let a Sonic Circus technician help you make a wiring plan that is efficient and cost effective from microphone to patch bay to recorder.
© Copyright 2011 - 2016 Sonic Circus Inc. All Rights Reserved.
1233 Route 30, Harmonyville, VT 05353


text:
Gentle Jesus
1. Gentle Jesus in the manger
Came to teach us all to care
For each other, for the stranger,
Came to show us love and prayer
2. Gentle Jesus, Holy Baby,
Born in little Bethlehem.
Shepherds brought their gifts to praise him,
Magi left him precious gems.
3. Gentle Jesus in the starlight,
Heav'nly angels sang his birth.
Gentle Jesus in the stable,
Lord of heav'n and Lord of earth.
Text: Mabel Gabbott
Music: Michael Moody
Artist: Gabbott/Moody
Album: Music Published in the Church Magazines: Ensign
Composition Date: 1982-12-01
More Info: Ensign