text:
Web-based investors are more satisfied with their investment firm in 2012 than in 2011, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates survey. But those who do their investing and trading online are less satisfied with trading charges and fees this year, the study of 3,730-plus investors found.
Overall satisfaction stands at 768 (out of 1,000) in 2012 vs. 764 in the 2011 survey, due to increases in experience with interaction, information resources and account offerings, while satisfaction with trading charges and fees is 697, down from 703 in 2011.
"Overall trading volume has dropped during the past couple of years, and similar to banks, investment firms are looking to compensate for lost revenue with fees," said David Lo, director of investment services at J.D. Power and Associates, in a press release.
"Contrary to what some believe, this is not necessarily a bad thing, providing that firms are showing value to their investors in terms of resources and tools and ensuring investors clearly understand how and why they're charged these fees," he explained.
For the Power Circle Ratings of each firm, J.D. Power breaks it down as such: 5 Stars is Among the Best in the industry, 4 Stars is Better Than Most, 3 Stars is About Average, and 2 Stars is The Rest or below the industry average.
(This year's study did not rank USAA, which was No. 1 in 2011, due to a number of factors, including its investor membership arrangements.)
10. Merrill Edge (BAC)
Score: 718
2011 Score: 691
Power Circle Rating : 2 stars
9. Wells Fargo (WFC)
Score: 720
2011 Score: 704
Power Circle Rating: 2 stars
8. E*Trade (ETFC)
Score: 769
2011 Score: 763
Power Circle Rating: 3 stars
7. ING Direct/Sharebuilder
Score: 772
2011 Score: 754
Power Circle Rating: 3 stars
6. T. Rowe Price (TROW)
Score: 778
2011 Score: 768
Power Circle Rating: 4 stars
5. Fidelity Investments
Score: 778
2011 Score: 764
Power Circle Rating: 4 stars
4. T.D. Ameritrade (AMTD)
Score: 794
2011 Score: 769
Power Circle Rating: 5 stars
3. Scottrade
Score: 798
2011 Score: 804
Power Circle Rating: 5 stars
2. Vanguard
Score: 799
2011 Score: 785
Power Circle Rating: 5 stars
1. Charles Schwab (SCHW)
Score: 801
2011 Score: 803 (No. 3 in 2011)
Power Circle Rating: 5 stars
Check out other J.D. Power surveys on AdvisorOne:


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LANSING (AP) -- The state is holding an old carpet sale after spending roughly $370,000 on a renovation of the state's House and Senate chambers.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the old carpet, which was held together by duct tape in spots, has been cut into small squares that are being offered for sale.
The carpets have unique designs. So far, about 170 people have asked for pieces of the Senate carpeting and dozens of House pieces are being bought. Pieces of the Senate carpeting are being sold for $25 for an 8-by-14-inch swatch and $50 for a 27-by-27-inch piece.
In the House, there was a lottery for the pieces that included the state's coat of arms, which sold for $100 each. Another 50 sold for $25 each.
Published: Wed, Oct 9, 2013

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The bustling Houston Chronicle newsroom has become a real world classroom for a select group of University of Houston students.
Aspiring journalists from UH's Jack J. Valenti School of Communication are participating in a new internship program at Texas' largest newspaper. These students earn academic credit, as well as invaluable experience by working alongside the newspaper's veteran editors and reporters.
The program kicked off in fall 2010 and accepts students following an application process and portfolio review. This semester, 15 students (12 from UH and three from UH Clear Lake) are participating in the program. They work 16 - 20 hours a week at the Chronicle and will earn three hours of credit at the end of the semester.
Students agree that the program offers them a golden opportunity, but it requires commitment and hard work.
"This program helps you understand the pressure of working in a newspaper environment," said Sara Nichols, a former intern who graduated in fall 2010. "When you're in the newsroom and a deadline arrives, there's no looking back. If you make a mistake, you can't fix it. It can be intimidating, but it's part of learning and becoming a professional."
Nichols now reports for the Chronicle's Neighborhoods section. As an intern, she worked the universal desk. Her duties included editing, putting text on pages and writing headlines and cutlines. Sharing these responsibilities last semester was senior Katie Rowald (who now works the Neighborhoods desk). She agrees that stepping into the newsroom can be daunting but that should not dissuade anyone from pursuing a Chronicle internship.
"Students shouldn't be too nervous about interning for a large newspaper like the Houston Chronicle," Rowald said. "It's completely worth doing. Many staff members have been there for years. They are great mentors, and the lessons you learn there will stick with you throughout your career. It's one of the most important things you can do as a student journalist."
In addition to lessons learned in the newsroom, interns also meet with Chronicle staff members for informal brown bag lunch chats. Speakers include Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen, investigative reporter Terri Langford, business columnist Loren Steffy and social media editor Dwight Silverman.
Also in attendance during these lunches are members of UH's JJVSoC faculty. Both Nichols and Rowald credit faculty members such as instructor David McHam and adjunct lecturer Charles Crixell (also the news editor for the Houston Chronicle) for preparing them for this experience.
The Chronicle staff also deserves thanks, said McHam. Their support and mentorship make the internship program rewarding for both the paper and the students.
"The staff at the Chronicle has been great to the students," he said. "They treat them as professionals.
The students have had an opportunity to find out what working on a major newspaper is like."
Students aren't the only ones grateful for their Houston Chronicle internships. The paper's editors appreciate the extra help and are enthusiastic about supporting a new generation of journalists.
"Everyone is a winner with this program," Cohen said. "The students get real-life exposure and mentors. The newspaper is infused with enthusiastic young voices, and the university is able to offer students an exciting opportunity that amounts to a graduate-level seminar."
Students interested in participating in the Houston Chronicle's internship program should contact McHam at firstname.lastname@example.com.
(Photos by UH Clear Lake student and Chronicle intern Tonya Monet Torres)


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text:
Brown, Hallie Q.
Miss Susan Elizabeth Frazier was born in the city of New York, May 29, 1864. She was the daughter of Louis M. and Helen Eldridge Frazier. She attended the public schools and graduated from Hunter College in 1888. She was named as a substitute teacher in the public schools of New York and served in that capacity until appointed as an additional teacher in 1895.
She was the daughter of a noble father whose ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War and the subject of this sketch exhibited many of their fine characteristics of patriotism and loyalty. It was reserved for Miss Frazier to contend for justice and equal rights for herself and many women who followed her.
Thirty years ago as a graduate from the Normal College, Miss Frazier became eligible for appointment as teacher in the public schools. For no apparent reason except the fact of her color the appointment was from time to time deferred. She retained an attorney who applied to a Supreme Court Judge for a Writ of Mandamus against the school authorities to act in the matter. The Judge refused to issue the writ upon some technical point and stated his convictions that the school authorities would not refuse to appoint an eligible candidate for teacher because of her color. Miss Frazier refused to carry the court proceedings any further. A few months later she received her appointment which she held until her death. She was the first colored teacher in a mixed school in New York.
Her appointment caused a wave of opposition, which soon subsided when the character and ability of Miss Frazier
Miss Frazier had an ideal home life. She possessed a charming personality which attracted many to her side who admired her as a model woman and a loyal friend. In a quiet and cheerful manner she assumed great responsibilities. She organized and became the enthusiastic president of the "Woman' Auxiliary to the Old Fifteenth National Guard" during the World War and served until her death. Under her administration this organization did splendid work in the interest of the colored soldiers serving in France and continued this work afterward with the 369th Infantry New York National Guard, successor to the wartime regiment. The organization rendered to the wives and relatives of the soldiers valuable assistance and endeared her to the hearts of the destitute and bereaved.
After the World War, the New York Evening Telegram inaugurated a contest among teachers of the public schools for trips to the European battle fields to be awarded to the most popular contestants. Miss Frazier was one of the winners and made the trip to France and other countries with the winning teachers.
For many years she gave her efforts toward Social Uplift work by serving as president of the Woman's Loyal Union. She was an active member of the congregation of St. Phillip's Protestant Episcopal Church, for many years a teacher in the Sunday School and served as president of the Church Missionary Society.
In recognition of her unswerving exertions, as a fitting close to her splendid career, full military honors were held in the 369th Regiment Armory and fitting eulogies were declaimed by the commanding officers. The casket was draped with the American flag and taps were sounded by the Regiment bugler. This is said to be the first time in our country's history that full military honors were paid
To the Glory of God and
In Loving Memory of
Susan Elizabeth Frazier
May 29, 1864--February 6, 1924
A graduate of Hunter College and a teacher in the Public Schools of this City.
Her life work was performed with an unselfish devotion to duty. In every undertaking she gave her best. Her unfaltering courage under conviction, graced by a kindly spirit, earned for her many treasured friendships.
This tablet is placed in her Parish Church by her friends, teachers of Greater New York, as a tribute to her worth and character.
Requiescat in pace
"Until the day break and the shadows flee away."


text:
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text:
RSV indicates respiratory syncytial virus.
Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.
Berkley JA, Munywoki P, Ngama M, et al. Viral Etiology of Severe Pneumonia Among Kenyan Infants and Children. JAMA. 2010;303(20):2051–2057. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.675
© 2020
Author Affiliations: Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Centre for Geographic Medicine Research—Coast, Kilifi, Kenya (Drs Berkley, Scott, and Nokes, Messrs Munywoki and Abwao, and Mss Ngama, Kazungu, and Bett); Centre for Clinical Vaccinology & Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, England (Drs Berkley and Scott); Respiratory and Zoonotic Virus Programme, Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa (Ms Lassauniére and Drs Kresfelder and Venter); Centre for Infections, Health Protection Agency, Colindale, London, England (Dr Cane); Respiratory Virus Unit, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Sandringham, South Africa (Dr Venter); and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, England (Dr Nokes).
Context Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparative estimates of the contribution of causative pathogens to the burden of disease are essential for targeted vaccine development.
Objective To determine the viral etiology of severe pneumonia among infants and children at a rural Kenyan hospital using comprehensive and sensitive molecular diagnostic techniques.
Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective observational and case-control study during 2007 in a rural Kenyan district hospital. Participants were children aged 1 day to 12 years, residing in a systematically enumerated catchment area, and who either were admitted to Kilifi District Hospital meeting World Health Organization clinical criteria for severe pneumonia or very severe pneumonia; (2) presented with mild upper respiratory tract infection but were not admitted; or (3) were well infants and children attending for immunization.
Main Outcome Measures The presence of respiratory viruses and the odds ratio for admission with severe disease.
Results Of 922 eligible admitted patients, 759 were sampled (82% [median age, 9 months]). One or more respiratory viruses were detected in 425 of the 759 sampled (56% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 52%-60%]). Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was detected in 260 participants (34% [95% CI, 31%-38%]) and other respiratory viruses were detected in 219 participants (29%; 95% CI, 26%-32%), the most common being Human coronavirus 229E (n = 51 [6.7%]), influenza type A (n = 44 [5.8%]), Parainfluenza type 3 (n = 29 [3.8%]), Human adenovirus (n = 29 [3.8%]), and Human metapneumovirus (n = 23 [3.0%]). Compared with well control participants, detection of RSV was associated with severe disease (5% in control participants; adjusted odds ratio, 6.11 [95% CI, 1.65-22.6]) while collectively, other respiratory viruses were not associated with severe disease (23% in control participants; adjusted odds ratio, 1.27 [95% CI, 0.64-2.52]).
Conclusion In a sample of Kenyan infants and children admitted with severe pneumonia to a rural hospital, RSV was the predominant viral pathogen.
Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa. The main means for controlling disease and death due to pneumonia are infant vaccination and case management. Thus, establishing the contribution to severe disease of individual pathogens and vaccine efficacy in infancy are essential to reducing the burden of disease.
Observational studies, including microbial cultures and vaccine probe studies, have identified Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae as the most common bacterial causes.1,2 Both are preventable by currently available conjugate vaccines. Consequently, other bacteria, eg, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Pneumocystis jiroveci, and respiratory viruses are becoming of increased importance.3 Vaccines currently exist or are in development for several respiratory viruses including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza type A (FLUAV), and Human parainfluenza virus 3 (HPIV-3), including combinations.4-6 In previous studies in sub-Saharan Africa, viral etiology of pneumonia has been examined by antigen detection, serology, and viral culture.7-11
The development of molecular methods has led to 2 advances in viral diagnosis: increased sensitivity and the discovery of new viruses of clinical importance. However, the high sensitivity of molecular diagnostics raises questions about specificity since viral nucleic acid sequences may be detected in healthy children and may persist after illness.12 The detection of multiple respiratory viruses by molecular methods in individual cases further underlines this etiological quandary.13 To date, we have found no published studies reporting comprehensive viral etiology of pneumonia among children in sub-Saharan Africa using sensitive molecular diagnostic methods.
We aimed to determine viral etiology, incidence, and clinical features among infants and children meeting World Health Organization (WHO) clinical criteria for severe pneumonia or very severe pneumonia admitted to a rural Kenyan district hospital.
The study was conducted at Kilifi District Hospital in a rural area on the Kenyan coast. Humidity is high throughout the year and there are 2 annual rainy seasons, April through July and November through December.14 The area is endemic for malaria, with declining transmission over the last 10 years. H influenzae type b conjugate vaccine, given with the diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccine to infants aged 6, 10, and 14 weeks, was introduced in 2001. Coverage of these vaccines (third dose) and measles vaccine administered at 9 months of age are greater than 90%.15 Conjugate pneumococcal vaccine had not been introduced at the time of this study.
The Collaborative Research Programme between the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Wellcome Trust provides clinical care on the hospital pediatric wards and a demographic surveillance system covering an area of approximately 900 km,2 which is within 50 km north, 50 km south, and 30 km west of the hospital, and includes a population of approximately 240 000. The area was mapped in 2000 and every building was registered by global positioning system. The population register is updated for births, deaths, and migration events by household visits with 3 re-enumeration rounds each year.16 All field-based data are checked, double-entered, and verified within 48 hours of acquisition. Since 2002, patients admitted to the hospital are individually identified on the population register. In 2007, approximately 65% of pediatric admissions were confirmed residents of the census area.
We included all children aged 1 day to 12 years residing in the census area and who were admitted to the pediatric wards between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007, and met WHO criteria for the clinical syndromes of severe pneumonia (cough or difficult breathing plus lower chest wall indrawing and no signs of very severe pneumonia) or very severe pneumonia (cough or difficult breathing plus at least 1 of hypoxia, defined as an oxygen saturation <90% by fingertip pulse oximetry [Covidien-Nellcor, Boulder, Colorado], inability to drink or breast feed, inability to sit, or impaired consciousness at admission,17 including infants younger than 2 months of age).
Clinicians were trained in the recognition of the clinical signs used in the WHO criteria through teaching sessions that included videos, practical demonstrations, and additional bedside training on the wards. Clinical findings were individually recorded for each item of history or examination in a database during the admission assessment. Next, a standardized set of investigations were performed including complete blood cell count (Beckman Coulter Inc, Brea, California), blood film for malaria parasites (stained with Giemsa and read at × 1000 magnification), blood culture (Bactec PedsPlus [Becton Dickinson and Co, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey]) processed by standard methods,18 and a nasal wash sample.19 Nasal washes were conducted between 8 AM and 10 PM daily. Nasal wash was not performed on infants and children with severe respiratory or cardiovascular compromise.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing was performed according to the Kenyan national policy for all pediatric hospital admissions using 2 rapid antibody tests: Determine (Inverness Medical Innovations Inc, Waltham, Massachusetts) and Unigold (Trinity Biotech, Bray, Ireland). Children and their families who tested HIV positive were given further counseling and referred to the hospital comprehensive HIV care clinic.
For this analysis, capillary refill time of 3 seconds or more was used as a marker of circulatory shock. Severe anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level of less than 5 g/dL. Severe malnutrition was defined as weight-for-height z score of less than −3 (National Centers for Health Statistics reference standards, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia) or kwashiorkor.17 Treatment for pneumonia and other conditions was according to current WHO guidelines.17
To estimate the association of respiratory viral infection with severe disease, we recruited 2 further sets of children resident in the census area by convenience sampling from May 1, 2007, to April 30, 2008: children with mild upper respiratory tract infection (URTI)—including symptoms of cough, runny or blocked nose, sore throat, or sneezing, being managed as outpatients and not meeting any criteria for pneumonia; and well infants and children—without any symptoms or signs of upper or lower respiratory infection attending for routine immunization at the hospital. After obtaining clinical history and examining these participants, a nasal wash specimen was taken.
Nasal wash samples were stored at −80°C and batch analyzed at study end at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Total viral nucleic acids were extracted from 200 μL of the respiratory specimens using the Magnapure LC Total Nucleic Acid Isolation Kit (Roche, Manheim, Germany), following manufacturer instructions. Complementary DNA was synthesized using Expand Reverse Transcriptase (Roche). Real-time polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) were performed using the LightCycler Fast Start DNA MasterPLUS HybProbe kit (Roche) for the following: Human adenovirus (HAdV), Human parainfluenza virus 1 (HPIV-1), Human parainfluenza virus 2 (HPIV-2), HPIV-3, RSV, FLUAV, influenza type B, Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), Human bocavirus (HBoV), Human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43), HCoV/Hong Kong, HCoV-229E, and HCoV-NL63. PCR amplicons for DNA sequencing were gel purified using the Wizard SV gel and PCR Clean-Up System (Promega, Madison, Wisconsin), according to the manufacturer's instructions. DNA sequencing was performed with specific primers using the ABI PRISM BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Reaction kit (version 3.1) on an ABI PRISM 3130 DNA sequencer (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California), following manufacturer instructions.
Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 9.1 (Stata Corp, College Station, Texas). Eligibility and classification of the clinical syndromes of pneumonia were determined from the original record of each item of medical history and examination in the database.
Incidence rates were estimated using data from all eligible patient admissions known to be resident in the census area on the day of admission, and the midstudy (July 1, 2007) census population estimates interpolated from the linear equation determined by regressing population size (log10) for all enumeration rounds to the end of 2008 against the mid-date of each round.
To describe demographic and clinical features of cases of severe and very severe pneumonia, we compared those with and without a respiratory virus detected. Proportions were compared using the χ2 and Fisher exact tests as appropriate. Continuous data were compared by t test or the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test. Variables presented were selected a priori from more than 50 clinical variables collected. No adjustment was made for multiple comparisons because each variable represents a discrete test of a biologically plausible hypothesis.
To estimate the strength of association of detection of RSV and non-RSV viruses with severe disease, we compared patients admitted with severe and very severe pneumonia with control group participants comprising well infants and children (excluding those with signs of URTI) using a case-control design. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by multivariable logistic regression and presented models for RSV (including those with RSV plus an additional virus) and respiratory viruses not including RSV that were unadjusted (model 1); and adjusted for age and season in monthly intervals (model 2). To address a potential bias of underrepresentation of fatal cases, the (unadjusted) ORs for severe disease among all eligible admitted patients were modeled by imposing the proportions with RSV and other viruses detected among fatal and nonfatal sampled cases on all eligible admissions (model 3). All tests were 2-sided with a 5% significance level.
Sample size for the case group was determined by previous annual admissions, which would allow the prevalence of pathogens of 5% and 20% to be estimated with precision of ± 2% and ± 3%, respectively. We aimed to recruit 100 well control participants and 100 individuals with mild URTI to describe specificities of 95% and 85%, with a lower-side precision of −6% and −8%, respectively. Power for the case-control analysis was confirmed for the actual numbers sampled using the method described by Fliess.20
The study was approved by the Kenyan National Ethical Review Committee (SSC 815) and the Oxford Tropical Ethical Review Committee (011 06). Individual written informed consent was obtained from parents or guardians of all participants.
From January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2007, there were 922 eligible infants and children with severe pneumonia or very severe pneumonia admitted, and viral screening was conducted on 759 patients (82%) (Figure 1). Median age was 9.0 months (interquartile range [IQR], 3.0-20), 59% were male, and 52 had a positive HIV rapid antibody test (6.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2%-8.9%). Children who were not sampled were more severely ill than those sampled (eTable 1). Three-quarters of deaths among nonsampled admitted patients occurred within 24 hours of admission.
One or more respiratory viruses were detected in 425 participants in the case group (56% [95% CI, 52%-60%]; Table 1). RSV was the most commonly detected virus, present in 260 admissions overall (34% [95% CI, 31%-38%]; eTable 2), and in 192 of 453 infants (42% [95% CI, 38%-47%]). RSV was strongly seasonal (P < .001), detected in more than 50% of pneumonia cases in January, February, and December, but in fewer than 5% of pneumonia cases from July through September (Figure 2). Other viruses showing clear seasonality were HMPV, HPIV-3, and FLUAV (eFigure).
Other respiratory viruses were detected in 219 admissions (29% [95% CI, 26%-32%]; eTable 2 and eFigure). These included HCoV-229E (n = 51 [6.7%]), FLUAV (n = 44 [5.8%]), HPIV-3 (n = 29 [3.8%]), HAdV (n = 29 [3.8%]), HMPV (n = 23 [3.0%]), HPIV-1 (2.4%), HBoV (2.1%), HCoV-OC43 (1.8%), HPIV-2 (1.3%), HCoV-NL63 (1.3%), influenza type B (0.1%), and HCoV/Hong Kong-1 (0.1%).
RSV plus 1 or more other respiratory viruses were detected in 54 cases (7%), representing 21% (95% CI, 16%-26%) of all RSV cases. These comprised HCoV-229E (14), FLUAV (10), HAdV (10), HPIV-3 (6), HBoV (6), HMPV (3), HPIV-1 (3), HPIV-2 (3), HCoV-NL63 (2), and HCoV-OC43 (1).
The incidence of admission with severe pneumonia or very severe pneumonia was 4.8% per child per year in the first year of life, 1.5% per child per year in children younger than 5 years of age, and 0.1% among children who were 5 years of age or older (Table 2). The incidence of admission for any respiratory virus and with RSV was highest in the first year of life (3.0% per child per year and 2.0% per child per year, respectively).
Patients admitted with respiratory viruses detected were a median age of 7.5 months (IQR, 2.7-18) and were younger than those with no virus detected (median age, 11.3 months [IQR, 3.8-24]; P < .001) . However, this effect was completely accounted for by RSV (Table 3). Very severe pneumonia was less common among patients admitted with respiratory viruses (P < .001). There was no association between the presence of wheezing or hypoxia and a respiratory virus being detected. Most participants in the case group with RSV did not have an admission diagnosis of bronchiolitis. Patients admitted with RSV were less severely ill and had fewer adverse risk factors than those admitted with no virus and were less likely to be prematurely born, in circulatory shock, severely malnourished, or to die. Of the 2 deaths among children with RSV, both had congenital heart disease. Patients admitted with respiratory viruses other than RSV were similar in all these respects to those admitted with no virus detected. Among 24 deaths, 8 (33%; 95% CI, 16%-55%) occurred in patients admitted with a virus detected.
Thirty-six patients admitted with severe or very severe pneumonia (4.7% [95% CI, 3.3%-6.5%]) were bacteremic, with 16 having a respiratory virus detected (44% [95% CI, 28%-62%]). Bacterial species were Streptococcus pneumoniae (12), Escherichia coli (9), nontyphoidal salmonella (3), Staphylococcus aureus (3), Acinetobacter species (3), β-hemolytic streptococci (3), Enterobacter species (2), and H influenzae (1).
Among 57 well infants and children (median age, 6.0 months [IQR, 3.3-11]) and 96 children with symptoms of mild URTI (median age, 13 months; IQR, 5.6-25), respiratory viruses were detected in 28% and 44%, respectively, and were less frequent than among admitted pneumonia cases (P < .001 and P = .03, respectively [Table 1]). These differences were due to RSV since overall, viruses other than RSV were as common in well infants and children and those with mild URTI as among admitted patients in the case group (Table 1). Among those with mild URTI, viruses detected were RSV (18%), HAdV (8%), FLUAV (7%), HBoV (5%), HMPV (3%), HCoV-229E (3%), HPIV-1 (2%), HCoV/Hong Kong-1 (2%), and HCoV-OC43 (2%); and viruses found in well infants and children were RSV (5%), HBoV (9%), HCoV-OC43 (7%), and less than 1% for each of HPIV-1, HPIV-3, HAdV, HCoV/Hong Kong-1, and HCoV-229E. FLUAV and HMPV were not detected among well infants (eTable 2).
Detection of RSV was associated with admission with severe disease (34%) when compared with well control participants (5% [OR, 9.38; 95% CI, 2.99-47.3]) using model 1. There was no evidence of an association between viruses other than RSV and severe disease, (22% in those admitted with severe or very severe pneumonia and 23% in control participants [OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.48-1.94] using model 1). Models adjusted for age and calendar month (model 2) showed no evidence of lack of fit (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2, 7.19; P = .52) and did not qualitatively alter this result (OR for RSV, 6.11 [95% CI, 1.65-22.6], and non-RSV viruses [OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.64-2.52]). ORs in model 3, including all eligible admissions, to address the potential bias of underrepresentation of fatal cases, did not differ significantly from the observed, unadjusted ORs (model 3 for RSV only, 8.99 [95% CI, 2.87-45.2], and for non-RSV viruses 0.88 [95% CI, 0.45-1.83], when compared with model 1).
We found that in the catchment area of Kilifi District Hospital on the Kenyan coast, the incidence of admission with clinical syndromes of severe or very severe pneumonia ranged from 4.8% in the first year of life to 0.1% among participants aged 5 years or older. RSV was detected in one-third of cases overall and in almost half of infant cases. The seasonality of severe pneumonia was almost entirely determined by RSV. No other virus was identified in more than 7% of admitted infants or children, and these participants in the case group were clinically similar to those in whom no virus was detected. Viruses other than RSV were as common among well infants and children and those with mild URTI as among those with severe disease. These findings suggest that non-RSV viruses make only a minor contribution to the burden of severe clinical pneumonia in this setting.
In a previous study in the same enumerated population of Kilifi (2002 through 2007), RSV was detected by immunofluorescence in 15% of severe pneumonia or very severe pneumonia admissions of children younger than 5 years of age, increasing to 27% during epidemic periods. Incidence from 2006 to 2007 was estimated at 0.99% and 0.27% per child/year in infants and children younger than 5 years of age, respectively.14 In the present study, we found approximately twice the incidence. It is known that real-time PCR is more sensitive than traditional diagnostics. In a study by Kuypers et al,21 RSV detected by both immunofluorescence and PCR had a mean viral load of 6.1 × 107 copies per mL, whereas RSV detected by PCR only had a lower mean viral load of 4.1 × 104 copies per mL. An immunofluorescence assay detected only 19% of RSV with viral loads of less than 106 copies per mL.
We considered whether our findings could be due to detection of persistent viral RNA or false-positive laboratory results, but believe this is unlikely. First, considering our well control participants, if an assumption is made that all of the RSV detected are false positives due to persistence or laboratory error, then our test specificity is 95% (95% CI 85% to 99%). This is similar to data reported for immunofluorescence. Such specificity would not significantly alter the interpretation of our findings among case participants. This is further supported by an OR suggesting that detection of RSV was strongly associated with severe disease. To compare these findings with those from traditional methods, we examined published data from 8 previous studies in developing countries, using immunofluorescence, serology, or viral culture.7,8,11,22-27 Overall, RSV was detected in 746 of 3463 (21.5%) case participants and in 29 of 1203 (2.4%) control participants, giving a pooled (fixed-effects) OR for disease (unadjusted for age and season) of 11.1 (95% CI, 7.69-16.0), which is close to the unadjusted OR in our study.
High prevalence of RSV in children admitted with severe clinical pneumonia (34%), in contrast with prevalence in well control participants (5%), further supports that RSV vaccination may offer considerable public health benefit. Although the development of a vaccine for the key target age group of infants (<2 months) has focused on live virus vaccines, none has achieved requisite levels of both safety and immunogenicity.4 A combined HPIV-3/RSV live-attenuated vaccine (Medi-534 [MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland]) for use in young infants (≤2 months) and in older infants and young children (6-<24 months) is currently undergoing phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.28 Ideally, such trials should be accompanied by modeling studies of the potential consequences on effectiveness of delayed delivery to older infants29,30 in whom vaccine safety and immunogenicity are demonstrably improved.5,31
Of equal interest to the high prevalence of participants in the case group with RSV detected, is the low proportion of participants in the case group with any of the other respiratory viruses. The real-time PCR assay that we used has previously been shown to be sensitive for these viruses.32 It is possible that the use of nasal washings targets a site within the upper respiratory tract that is preferred by RSV over any other virus. However, to our knowledge, there are no definitive studies in the literature that clearly identify selective bias in the range of respiratory viruses detectable in different parts of the upper respiratory tract using molecular diagnostics.
Influenza and HPIV-3 have been the most frequently detected viruses, other than RSV, in studies using traditional diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa. We found that HCoV-229E and HMPV were the most commonly detected non-RSV viruses in case participants. However, these viruses appear to be common in the community (control group participants) causing URTI, and some are present in well control participants. In a nonepidemic period, we estimate that as much as approximately 6% of severe disease is associated with FLUAV. There appears to be little potential to prevent severe disease through vaccination against HPIV-3.
Strengths of our study include systematic sampling of well-characterized hospitalized children from a well-established, enumerated population base, and detection of a comprehensive set of respiratory viruses.
Our study has several limitations. As in similar studies, our sampling missed most deaths because nasal washing cannot be conducted in the sickest children. However, our sensitivity analysis (model 3) suggests this is unlikely to significantly alter the main findings. We did not screen for rhinovirus and there were a lack of radiographic data. Our data reflect a single site and findings in other ecological settings may differ. We applied WHO guidelines carefully and there was good availability of clinical staff, oxygen, and drugs. Case fatality may differ in locations where resources are more constrained. Our well control participants were limited in number since we did not achieve our target sample size due to factors outside of our control. Additionally, our well control participants were a convenience sample and not matched to exactly the same calendar year. Small numbers resulted in wide CIs in some subgroups. However, power was sufficient (>99%) for our case-control analysis of RSV. It is likely that not all cases of severe pneumonia in the community were admitted to hospital, thus our incidence estimates are the minimum. There is a demonstrable decay with increased distance from the hospital in the incidences of all childhood admissions and of admissions with detectable RSV.14 A study spanning only 1 year and from a single location cannot expect to account for likely variation in the occurrence of respiratory viruses from year to year.
In summary, our study of the occurrence of respiratory viruses in children admitted with clinical syndromes of severe or very severe pneumonia to a rural district hospital in coastal Kenya has identified more than 50% of case participants with a detectable virus in whom RSV was clearly predominant. We estimate that the prevention of RSV-associated severe pneumonia might reduce all-cause clinically severe or very severe pneumonia admissions to the Kilifi District Hospital by one-third. This contrasts with no evidence to suggest a marked effect on such admissions would occur from the prevention of any other respiratory virus, with the possible exception of FLUAV. Further molecular-based studies of respiratory virus etiology of severe pneumonia over longer periods and in multiple settings in sub-Saharan Africa are needed.
Corresponding Author: James A. Berkley, FRCPCH, PO Box 230, Kilifi, 80108, Kenya (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Author Contributions: Dr Berkley had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Study concept and design: Berkley, Cane, Scott, Nokes.
Acquisition of data: Berkley, Munywoki, Ngama, Kazungu, Abwao, Bett, Lassauniére, Kresfelder, Venter.
Analysis and interpretation of data: Berkley, Munywoki, Scott, Nokes.
Drafting of the manuscript: Berkley, Ngama, Kazungu.
Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Munywoki, Abwao, Bett, Lassauniére, Kresfelder, Cane, Venter, Scott, Nokes.
Statistical analysis: Berkley, Scott.
Obtained funding: Berkley, Scott, Nokes.
Administrative, technical, or material support: Munywoki, Abwao, Bett, Lassauniére, Kresfelder, Cane.
Study supervision: Munywoki, Venter, Scott, Nokes.
Financial Disclosures: None reported.
Funding/Support: The study was funded by a project grant (081186) from the Wellcome Trust (Great Britain). Drs Berkley, Scott, and Nokes report receipt of support by fellowships from the Wellcome Trust (Great Britain).
Role of the Sponsor: The Wellcome Trust had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.
Additional Contributions: We are grateful to the staff and patients of the pediatric wards and outpatient department of Kilifi District Hospital, and to the clinical, Information and Communication Technology, and laboratory staff of the KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme who contributed to this study. We thank Norbert Peshu, MBChB, MPH, Director of the Centre for Geographic Medicine Research—Coast, and Iqbal Khandwalla, MBChB, MMed, Medical Superintendent, Kilifi District Hospital, for their oversight and making facilities available for this research. No compensation was received for participation in this research. This article is published with permission of the director of KEMRI.
This article was corrected online for typographical errors on 5/25/2010.
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text: Apophis is a Trojan family virus that comes with keyloggers and grabbing modules, socks/proxy function, encrypted communication, and rootkit function. It has its own software control panel to keep tabs on infected computers and botnet size. Apophis targets a long list of entities, including e-Gold, eBay, CareerBuilder, US based banks and more. It is currently sold in the underground for as much as $7,000 for a so-called "User License."


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SIR SOAPY, interviews Anne Marie of Soap Queen who is also a veteran in the niche of soap making. Anne is an expert in the field of Soap making. In his interview with Anne, information for young soap makers is present.
The Interview
Anne Marie took some time out of her busy schedule to honor this interview request. This interview is to help Beginners soap makers know what mistakes to avoid and how to bypass them.
Anne started Soaping quite early. When she initially started out, there was no internet connection, YouTube or Facebbok available. All the information she got were gathered through continuous practice and experience. She had to subject herself to the very crude method of trial and error. It takes some guts to keep on trying even in the face opposing realities.
When asked how she would summarize her soap journey in one sentence, she stated that "Handmade is bestmade". This was so for her because she has felt the perfection that goes along with Handmade soaps.
Every successful person has a success philosophy, Anne is no different. And when asked about her success mantra, Anne simply stated, "How you do anything is how you do everything".
Relating about the mistakes Beginners often make, Anne explained; "Beginners often try to do techniques that are far too hard (all the layers, all the texture, all the swirls …. All in one batch!) or add too many additives (for example oatmeal, goat milk, and honey are great together and also, require TLC and experience). These are all correctable and thankfully, it's soap! If a few batches fail, you can try again".
Anne is a motivation to many upcoming Soap makers. And apart from soap making, Anne has other social activities. She loves reading. She is also an avid scuba diver, hiker and runner.
Click to get the full interview.
About www.sirsoapy.com
Sir Soapy uses only natural ingredients for his soap making, except Lye. He does not add any synthentically made product. The more reason you should patronize him. Sir Soapy Soap making recipes are intended for everyone. His soap making recipes can be used by both the younger and older skin, and especially for those who appreciate high quality products.
Natural soap is not only a luxury that anyone can attain, but it is also a great help to those with sensitive and problematic skin (eczema, skin allergies, pimples and acne, and even psoriasis). It also makes a great gift!
Sir Soapy Soap making recipes are completely organic – they don't contain any chemicals or dangerous additives, and for sensitive skin – they don't even incorporate any perfumes.
Sir Soapy also help beginners to succinctly master the art of soap making. What you will find at Sir Soapy are: Easy step by step guide to safe, affordable, quality handmade soap making for beginners, Complicated recipe in simple and understandable way for beginners and Melt and Pour recipe.
Fill the contact form here:
Media Contact
Company Name: Sir Soapy
Contact Person: Praddep Kumar
Email: email@example.com
Phone: +91 9996194711
Country: India
Website: sirsoapy.com


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Anti-smoking policies for adults also reduce kids' smoking
When governments use comprehensive, well-funded tobacco control programs to reduce adult smoking, they also reduce smoking among adolescents. This bonus effect is an important factor to consider as policymakers face pressure to reduce spending on anti-smoking programs.
The most effective elements of a tobacco control program include taxes on tobacco, well-funded adult-focused tobacco control programs, well-funded anti-smoking mass media campaigns, and strong indoor smoking restrictions.
Comprehensive programs like this generally take a long time to implement and are not cheap to run.
But a study published today in the journal Addiction shows that in Australia these adult-focused programs have produced an additional benefit: they have also reduced smoking among adolescents. And the better funded those programs are, the more effective they are at cutting smoking among both adults and adolescents.
There are three reasons why policies designed to reduce adult smoking can also reduce kids' smoking. First, as adult smoking decreases, young people have a lower tendency to see smoking as an adult activity. Second, many adult smokers are parents: when parents quit, it reduces the likelihood that their kids will start smoking. And third, many anti-smoking programs and policies directly influence adolescents themselves. For example, there is strong evidence that media ads that emphasise the serious health consequences of smoking in an emotional way resonate strongly with young people.
To be effective, though, a comprehensive tobacco control program must be sustained and contain strong, consistently enforced, and well-funded anti-smoking policies. Says Professor Melanie Wakefield, co-author of the study and Director of the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer at the Cancer Council Victoria, "The only way to get this double benefit is to create a rigorous anti-smoking program in the first place. If governments are determined to reduce smoking in this generation and the one to follow, they must choose effective policies and finance them properly. There's no other way around it."
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Tonka Imperiale Eau de Parfum
The enchantment of majestic tonka bean
Tonka Impériale belongs to Guerlain's Exclusive Collections, a range of fragrances for aficionados of rare scents, those who appreciate noble raw materials and refinement down to the last detail. Tonka Impériale is well-named indeed: a subtle blend of balmy scents, rich in contrasting facets, with accents of honey, gingerbread, almond and tobacco. An astonishing construction that blows hot and cold between the uplifting top notes and the sweet, pervasive fullness of tonka bean. Alluring and surprising, this cult ingredient gives the fragrance a rare and memorable personality. The fragrance dresses up in a bottle with clean, contemporary lines, decorated with a golden metal label on the side, like a precious book. It is magnified with a stylish vintage bulb atomizer,with an ON/OFF position for ease of transport. The bottle nests in an amethyst "leather feel" case (that can be turned into a jewellery box as you wish).
This warm and distinguished fragrance opens with the aromatic freshness of rosemary and enhances the woody and almond facets of tonka bean. Woody Oriental Top notes: bergamot, almond, rosemary. Heart notes: jasmine, tonka bean, tobacco. Base notes: frankincense, cedar wood, pine wood.
perfumers secret
Tonka Impériale is constructed around one of the cult components of the Guerlain perfumer: the tonka bean. From Jicky to Shalimar, by way of Habit Rouge, this precious seed, originating in the forests of Venezuela, is one of its iconic raw materials. The warmth of the tonka bean is balanced here by a very fresh rosemary note. For men and women.


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IGNOU HCL PC Hardware & Networking Courses
IGNOU HCL PC Hardware & Networking Courses
Indira Gandhi National Open University-IGNOU Admissions 2010
Admission to Certificate in PC Hardware & Networking In Association with HCL Infosystem Limited
State of the art industry ready course created jointly by IGNOU & HCL, this programme is to be offered in Instructor Led Teaching (ILT) mode. The Programme will be delivered in separate batches at i) Computer Division, IGNOU Main campus, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi, and ii) HCL Career Development Centre, F-1, Sector-8, Noida-201301.
* Functional understanding of PC & associated peripheral devices
* System and Application software installations (Linux & Windows Platforms)
* Building Local Area Network(LAN)
* Configuration & Commissioning of Network Services
* Fault Diagnosis and Troubleshooting
* Proactive & Preventive measures for proper maintenance of Computing & Network
* Setup & maintenance of Small Office-Home Office (SOHO)
* Extensive Hands-on Training
* Comprehensive Study Material
* Field Assignments and Case Studies
* Academic Certificate & Industry Exposure
* Placement Assistance to Meritorious Students
10+2 or equivalent /ITI/ /Diploma from Govt. recognized Institution
Medium of instruction: English
Duration: 6 months
Programme fee : Rs. 12,000/-
Application Form & Prospectus can be downloaded from Websites, either from
www.ignou.ac.in or www.hclcdc.in. Duly filled-in application form, along with
Rs. 250/- in the form of Demand Draft in favor of IGNOU payable at Delhi, should be
submitted to The Assistant Registrar, Computer Division, Block –A, Academic
Complex, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-
Submission of filled-in Application Form : 04-09-2010 by 6.00pm.
Commencement of the Programme: 15th September, 2010
For more information visit-: http://www.ignou.ac.in/


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Bountiful Blessings
€ 1.200,00
Acrylic mixed media on canvas
Framed 90 x 90 cm
If you have any questions about this painting, I am very happy to help. You can also pay in instalments. Just contact me via mail and we can agree on a good number of instalments that works for you.
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Visit our Commencement 2018 photo gallery.
Home » Summer 2018 » Photo Essay: Commencement 2018
Scene Around the World
Where will you take your issue of the Geneseo Scene? Check out our Scene Around the World photo gallery and submit your own snapshot.
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US wholesale stockpiles up 0.6 percent in November
U.S. wholesalers boosted their stockpiles in November and their sales rose at the fastest pace since the spring of 2011, encouraging signs for economic growth.
The Commerce Department says wholesale business stockpiles rose 0.6 percent in November compared with October, when inventories had risen just 0.3 percent.
Sales in November surged 2.3 percent, rebounding from a 0.9 percent decline in October. It was the biggest one-month sales gain since March 2011.
More restocking leads to more factory production, which boosts economic growth. Faster restocking helped the economy grow at a 3.1 percent rate in the summer.
With the November increase, wholesale inventories grew to $498.9 billion. That's 29.6 percent above the post-recession low hit in September 2009.


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Explore our recipes and get inspired to create something uniquely your own!
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Shelly – Cookies & Cups
Shelly Jaronsky is the popular food and travel blogger behind the website Cookies & Cups and author of The Cookies & Cups Cookbook.
Shelly grew up in Texas and attended University of Houston and Baylor University, graduating in 1999. She has lived in Warren County, New Jersey since 2002 with her husband, four sons and 2 dogs.
Slow Cooker Steak Roll-Ups Busy families always need a tasty recipe that can be prepared in no time. I hope your family loves the meal you can find here.
Slow Cooker Steak Roll-Ups
SLOW COOKER STEAK ROLL-UPSby Shelly Jaronsky
The following recipe is sponsored by the Crock-Pot® brand. Steak is always a hit—but it usually takes time to pick the perfect cut and season it to perfection. Imagine having a beautiful steak dinner in the middle of a busy week!
The inspiration for these Steak Roll-Ups came to me one morning when we had planned on having friends over for dinner, but I didn't have a lot of prep time during the day. We had a busy weekend ahead and I knew there wouldn't be a lot of time before our guests arrived that evening. I wanted to serve something elegant, but not too fancy. The great thing about these Steak Roll-Ups is they can be prepped even a day in advance! You simply place the roll-ups in your Crock-Pot® slow cooker, top it with your favorite tomato sauce and cook on low or high heat. They serve up beautifully, and can be paired with pasta, rice or a green salad.
Check out the recipe below:
- 2 lbs. top round steak
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup grated carrots
- ½ cup sliced red bell pepper
- ½ cup sliced yellow bell pepper
- ½ cup sliced orange bell pepper
- ¼ cup sliced green onion, chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 12-14 oz. jar tomato sauce
- Slice steak evenly into 6 strips and pound until they are 1/4 inch thick.
- Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder together in a small bowl.
- Divide each vegetable into 6 portions. Place a portion of each vegetable in the center of each of the pounded steaks. Sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Roll the steak up around the vegetables and hold them together with a toothpick.
- Heat your Crock-Pot® slow cooker to sauté*. Drizzle the vegetable oil in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker and brown each steak roll on each side, working 3 at a time.
- Place all the steak rolls in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker, cover with tomato sauce and cook for 6-8 hours on low heat or 3-4 hours on high heat.
- Serve warm over pasta or rice.
This versatile Multi-Cooker browns & sautés, slow cooks, roasts, bakes and steams! And is great for every day cooking, special occasion meals and holiday entertaining. The Multi-Cooker makes it easier to manage it all, from the first appetizer served to the last delicious dessert morsel.
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text: 608D7A44-2A59-45C7-B35C-5DA9F57A5F30 Posted on May 30th, 2020 by Simona Categories: (Visited 1 times, 1 visits today) Simona I'm an IT professional with a background in journalism. Creating blogs with WordPress is a hobby and a passion of mine. Vegetarian since 2010, vegan since 2012, when I met Jeff I tempted his taste buds with my cooking and it's been love ever since. Add Your Comment Cancel replyComment Name * Email * Website Notify me of new posts by email.


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Saturday night drive: Keeping the peace with CP99
If we'd been driving straight, we'd probably have made Philadelphia by the time the shift ended. But Charlottesville Police Officer Web Stokes took a more circuitous route. He spends the hours between 4pm and midnight weaving through District One– Forest Hills to Cherry, over to Orangedale, Fry's Spring and Johnson Village. Jefferson Park Avenue. Up and down Prospect. And then back again.
It's an unseasonably warm Saturday. But weather is no indication of how busy a shift will be. And neither is the day of the week. Stuff happens when it happens– with the exception of Thanksgiving, that is. Stokes says the family holiday is peppered with "domestic after domestic."
There's a guy washing a sedan and girls jumping double-Dutch. Stokes waves as he passes, and most wave back. Since he's been cruising this beat for a couple of years, in the car and on foot, he knows the residents and they know him.
Dispatcher: CP 99, past the swings and the volleyball court, there's a trail and there's supposed to be an abandoned bike in the creek.
Stokes picks up his mic, asks if the creek isn't actually in the county. He's right– not his jurisdiction. So there's no wet uniform in his immediate future.
Besides the police band, which comes on intermittently and loud, 97.5 FM rocks quietly while Stokes navigates. He's a handsome, friendly guy with an easy laugh who works five nights a week while carrying a full load of college credits. The 30-year-old's long-term goals include law school.
A resident flags down the cruiser, upset because another cop ticketed his work truck for being parked on the street overnight. Stokes shakes his head and promises to talk with the over-zealous summons writer.
"Working in the same neighborhood everyday allows me to know everybody and figure out what's normal and what's not," he says of his integration into the First District. "The days of 'saw bad guy– arrested same' are long past.
"There has to be a trusting relationship that goes both ways," he says. But he acknowledges that collaboration is not always easy; that for many years people viewed the police as a necessary evil. But he's glad that the shift towards community policing seems to be changing that.
Dispatcher: There's a female [juvenile] out of control. Mother is advising that she jumped out the window... mother is chasing after her.
Not Stokes' area. He keeps driving. He homes in on the calls prefaced by 99– his badge number.
Stokes cruises Prospect Avenue– The Hill– where he fields frequent complaints about young men loitering, purportedly doing illegal things. Because merely congregating isn't against the law, Stokes has to think of innovative ways to break up the parties. Sometimes just hanging out with them is enough to do the trick. But not always.
He'd like to see a legal provision that covers loitering. That way, if a citizen files a complaint– or if he observes something suspicious himself– Stokes' entreaties to move on would have some teeth.
"This isn't a good town to grow up in," Stokes observes. "There's nothing to do."
Which can lead to trouble.
Stokes says he would like to see job-training programs where kids with less than stellar records could get a chance to learn a trade. And he'd like the city to invest in extra-curriculars for younger kids– to show them the big world beyond their neighborhood.
"If you put the seed in their minds, they can go wherever the hell they want to," Stokes says. As it is now, this policeman witnesses some pretty discouraging things happening to young people, both in school and out.
"If you're not an athlete and you're not money– nobody gives a [crap]," he observes. "I talk to parents all the time whose kids have been suspended for like a week and only found out because someone else's mom told them."
Stokes points to some guys congregating on the corner. The deck is stacked against them. They come from dysfunctional families, he says. Their school experiences were dismal, and no real safety net was in place. "The parents are screwed up, the school's screwed up and the city does nothing to help," he says.
Dispatcher: Two male juvenile shoplifters in custody are causing a problem...
Again not his call.
Cocaine is big here, Stokes says, but ongoing drug treatment programs are not. Which is part of the cycle.
As we sweep past a newly vacant house, Stokes reports that until recently it operated like a corner store. It was so bad that known criminals approached him, asking, "Why can't you all do something about that damn house?"
But shutting down suspected drug markets operating inside people's homes isn't easy.
"They're blatant [enough] about it so everybody knows what's going on. But they're not so stupid that you can get a search warrant," he says.
"Those are the times when the landlords are your allies," Stokes says, referring to the empty dwelling. "That was basically 'We've got enough to get a search warrant– so either [the tenant] goes or the doors are coming off the hinges.'
"My job is to think of new and interesting ways that fall within the purview of the law to counter whatever it is that [the criminals] are doing," Stokes says.
He likens his profession to chess. The bad guys have the freedom of a queen, going wherever they want on the board, whereas the police officer, like a knight, has much less latitude.
"I can go three forward and one to the side every time," Stokes says.
He believes there's a fundamental rule in the match: "We're both people, and we're both doing a job. And there's nothing personal."
Phone calls
Stokes considers his cell phone indispensable since there are two ways to hear about a crime: Either he sees it happen, or somebody tells him about it. The proliferation and widespread use of police scanners has created a big problem with retribution. So he gives out his private number to people who don't want their names or information broadcast.
Confidential informants (C.I.) cooperate for various reasons. Some, he says, are paid through the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force and Crime Stoppers. Others may be "working-off" pending charges of their own by telling on someone else. And there are those who just want to clean up their streets.
One night, right as he was getting dinner, Stokes' phone began ringing. "Four different people were trying to call me to tell me that people were shooting. Nothing had even gone over the radio yet," he says.
Stokes says that the use of C.I.s is safer for police officers than their own undercover work. But there are risks for the informant.
"Obviously you make every effort you can to protect the informant. My philosophy is if I have a choice of either burning an informant and getting a good pop– or maintaining my informant's anonymity and losing a case," he says, "I'd much rather lose a case."
As we cruise down Orangedale, Stokes recognizes a vehicle belonging to someone with an outstanding Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court warrant. Stokes pulls over, radios in, and gets out of the car.
The young man is baffled by what Stokes is saying. Although he claims to have no idea what he did wrong, he puts his hands out for the cuffs. He's searched. Another police vehicle transports him to the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail known as The Complex and Stokes follows to process the arrest worksheet.
The building is a maze of buzzers and locks and bars and safety glass. No one else is in the waiting area. As Stokes removes the prisoner's handcuffs, the young man asks about getting an erroneous felony charge off his record– it's preventing him from obtaining a handgun license. Stokes tells him where to call to clear it up.
Loudspeaker: Put the cuffs back on your prisoner.
Stokes complies, and then he and the prisoner approach the magistrate's window. The large man behind the glass is playing hardball. He looks at the detainee's history, notes prior Failure to Appears, and orders him held over until Monday morning for bond determination and the setting of a court date.
"But–" the young man tries to reason with the magistrate. The charge is just for a court fine related to child support. He says he didn't understand that he was responsible for that in addition to the support payments– which he claims to have been paying. And the court absences, he explains, were for driving offenses four years before. He's grown up a lot since then.
The official is unmoved.
A uniformed guard appears and asks for the man's jewelry and wallet, then pats him down. The stunned prisoner remarks that he was just getting ready to take his little boy to a birthday party.
Before being led away, he says goodbye to Stokes– who later acknowledges mixed feelings about what just went down.
"I figured [the magistrate] would give him a secure bond," the officer says outside. "I didn't figure he'd hold him until Monday."
Another warrant call comes in, this one for somebody accused of passing forged $20 bills as well as failing to appear in court. Stokes heads back to Prospect-Orangedale.
Although he doesn't use his siren, he drives quickly. He claims Charlottesville residents behave bizarrely when encountering an alarm.
"Oh my God," he mimics. "There's an emergency vehicle! Slam on the brakes and stop where ever the hell I am!"
"Pedestrians walk in front of us," Stokes laughs.
Another arrest
A couple of officers are already inside, guarding an apartment door beyond which a baby is crying. The wanted man has been given five minutes to come out. If he exits voluntarily, a search warrant won't be necessary. This means the man's mother won't be arrested for harboring a fugitive– a courtesy extended by the police.
As Stokes points his Taser at the door, it emits a red beam of light and, when triggered, a hell of a jolt.
"I don't think I'd describe it as painful," Stokes says of the time he volunteered to be zapped in the back. "It was just five really crappy seconds.
"I couldn't think about moving or trying to stand up. I just kept thinking– wow– this really sucks."
The baby continues wailing inside the apartment. On this side of the door, though, it's pretty relaxed. There's some joking about what the fugitive is doing with his five minutes. And there's serious discussion about dinner. Stokes reports that another cop has suggested Bizou on the Downtown Mall– but it's too pricey for him. Someone else would like to get a bacon cheeseburger.
A group of chattering girls come in, eyeball the uniforms and the crimson laser beam, and hustle up the steps.
One of the officers knocks again and announces it's time. As the door opens, there's a brief surge of energy as everyone assesses the situation. The fugitive sees the Taser and throws up his hands.
"I don't have anything!" he shouts. He's put in cuffs, patted down. A young woman clutches him around the waist, sobbing.
"Don't take my brother," she pleads. "Don't take my brother!"
Out beside the police wagon, the man asks for a cigarette, and one of the cops offers a Marlboro. He declines. Someone else gets him a Newport, which the officer holds up to his mouth for a drag. The cop asks the prisoner why he didn't show up for court last time.
"I was scared," he answers.
His mother comes outside. She wants to make sure her son isn't placed with a particular inmate. There's bad blood. Stokes calls intake at the jail, verifies that indeed the other man is being held, and warns that the two need to be kept separate.
In this incident, the six responding officers are white, the prisoner black. But "We're all blue," Stokes says later of the Charlottesville police demographics. Of the City's 114 sworn officers, 15 are minorities, roughly 13 percent. The city population is 22 percent African-American.
"I don't necessarily support the idea that we should overlook qualified candidates no matter what shade of blue they happen to be," Stokes contends. "Quality sees no color."
He says race was something he had to overcome when he was assigned to the Prospect-Orangedale area.
"When I first started working over here, every day I caught crap. 'You're just messing with me because I'm black'," people would say. "But now that I've been working over here, I don't think anybody sees it as a race issue. Now they say, 'It's Stokes. He's doing his job. He treats people with respect'."
Stokes thinks the time he spent as a Marine sergeant taught him how to defuse incendiary situations. He's proud that since joining the Charlottesville police he's had to use force only twice. And he says the one racial profiling complaint that was filed against him was determined unfounded. [The police department does not comment on personnel issues.]
Jazz pounds overhead at Panera Bread. One baby-faced guy is introduced as a Democrat and former frat-boy, and both tags produce laughs– he's a double oddity on the Charlottesville force. He's also a third generation cop.
Conversation drifts. Local politics. A Special Olympics fundraiser. Authors. (Stokes likes Edgar Allan Poe and Tom Clancy.) Police work.
"There are only certain people who care enough about their district to get involved in it," a fellow officer observes about Stokes. "Web is one of the few."
Money is an issue with members of the force. None of the cops at the table live in town. In fact, they can name their few colleagues who could afford to buy homes in Charlottesville. Later Stokes reports that a lot of officers work more than one job, given that base pay for a regular police officer is around $31,000.
He adds that he pays approximately $50 a month for his health insurance, and family coverage is extra. If he were to get seriously injured in the line of duty, Stokes says, he would be out of luck. Charlottesville offers no permanent disability retirement to its police force beyond Workers' Compensation.
After dinner, someone in the Barracks Road parking lot leans on the horn, New York style. Stokes shakes his head and laughs in amazement: "They're terrible drivers– and they're rude."
Back on the street
Stokes pulls out of the shopping center, picks up speed, then his mic to call his dispatcher to report the plate number of a red Pontiac missing a headlight. Immediately, the owner, home address, and car description are telegraphed back. The Pontiac pulls up near an IGA.
Stokes' cruiser is equipped with a dashcam that can automatically save the preceding 30 seconds of activity. That way, if the cop happens to be sitting at a light and somebody blows through it, the moment's recorded.
The camera can also capture traffic or equipment stops– exchanges that Stokes describes as elevated situations. "My awareness level is through the roof," he says.
After a chat, Stokes lets the Pontiac's driver go without a ticket.
"I try to write a few to keep my sergeant happy– to appear well-rounded," he laughs. "But I try to focus more on improving things and helping people out."
Stokes explains that in Virginia, misdemeanor tickets are issued at an officer's discretion. With the exception of a domestic incident with indication of assault, "I can make a call over whether I want to place a charge or not," he says.
And– word to the wise– attitude counts.
Sometimes Stokes gets an itchy feeling about a driver he's pulled over. Without probable cause to search the vehicle, he has to obtain consent to look inside. And when people agree, does he actually find contraband?
"Oh God, yeah. All kinds of stuff," he says.
Dispatcher: CP99 Vandalism just occurred... Prospect Avenue...
Stokes drives quickly to a house where someone has tried to kick in the back door– with such violence that the door jam is detached from the wall. Shaken, the resident not only has no idea who did it, but she's afraid the intruder can now breeze in.
An off-duty Charlottesville policeman working for the housing complex and Stokes wait with her while she contacts building management. If no one from maintenance shows up within the next half hour, the two policemen will find tools and make the repairs themselves.
Stokes fills out an incident report about the vandalism and jokes that one of the most important lessons he's learned is to write legibly. Or do his own typing. The transcriptionists rely heavily on the computer's spell-check option, with less than perfect results.
A loud moped flies by. Stokes pursues the helmet-less kid, and when he stops, gives him a talking-to and a warning and lets the boy push his ride home.
"If I see it again, it's getting impounded," he says.
Dispatcher: Ridge Street, rescue is there requesting PD
Officer 99 drives over to Ridge where a very drunk man is lying in the middle of the road beside an ambulance. Emergency workers had been getting ready to transport him to the hospital when he suddenly decided to get up off the stretcher. The female EMT bailed out one door, the patient the other.
Stokes, himself a former medic, dons medical gloves and helps get the guy back into the ambulance. He doesn't stay to chat with the other officers on the scene. It's getting late.
Back at the station
We've made our last circuit through the First District, passing the same landmarks, the same trouble spots. We haven't gotten far, but we've covered a lot of pavement. The streets are quiet for now, and the shift is over. Web Stokes parks the cruiser in the garage, gathers his things. He still has a long ride home.
Erika Raskin is a freelance writer living in Ivy.
Charlottesville Police Officer Web Stokes begins his eight-hour shifts at 4pm.
Around 7pm, Officer Stokes takes a call from the Salvation Army shelter. Staff members need assistance with an intoxicated man. Stokes and another officer escort the man, unable to walk on his own, to a police vehicle. He is arrested and transported to the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail.
Stokes' beat is District One.
Sgt. Steve Upman, Officer Troy Hunt and Stokes head to the Cavalier Inn around 8pm to search for a guest who is behaving erratically, according to a frightened front desk clerk.
City resident Debbie Reynolds and Officer Ron Stayments confer with Stokes about care for her mother's arthritis. The older woman's legs gave out, prompting Reynolds to call 911 for assistance.
Finally at midnight, Stokes can call it a day.


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| 7°C Belfast
Murder charges against two Royal Marines accused of killing a captured Afghan national have been dropped.
The pair, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were among five marines facing court martial charged with murder.
Three other commandos are due to enter pleas against the charge next month at the Military Court Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire.
The Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) said the decision was made as part of their "duty to conduct a continual review" of the evidence.
The incident is believed to have happened on or around September 15 2011 while the servicemen were on active duty in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the SPA said proceedings against the marines, known only as D and E, had been discontinued.
It said: "On February 5 2013 the SPA decided to discontinue court martial proceedings in respect of two of the marines (D and E) on the charge of murder. This decision flows from the SPA's duty to conduct a continual review of all the evidence collated to date.
"This decision will be declared formally at the next hearing of this case before the court martial. Proceedings are maintained against the other three marines (A, B and C) on the charge of murder of an unknown captured person."
An anonymity order, granted last year to protect the identities of the five by Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett remains "in full force in respect of all five" marines until further notice. Making the ruling last November, the judge said the defendants would be at "real and immediate risk" from "organised terrorist activity and 'lone wolves'", if their names were made public.
The marines were arrested by the Royal Military Police in October last year, after suspicious video footage was found on a serviceman's laptop by civilian police in the UK.


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How can I track my referrals?
You can track your referrals from your dashboard at the following link:
This page will show you all of the users you have referred and how much you have received as a bonus per referral. Here you can also copy your referral link to send to your friends or users.


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So here it is again this time under my name but I do have one question Becky? How'd you know it was me? it could have been Amy or anyone????Rebecky wrote:So my foot is absolutely bothering me. I'll explain what happened but first I must warn those of you who get queasy... I wouldn't read it.
Well, simply I was sitting on my bed watching tv and I noticed I had dry skin on my foot that was peeling off so I decided to go a head and pick it off. Except when I did it literally peeled of a piece of skin about three inches or longer closer to the center of my heel and it was thick at that point. So basically I have a layer of skin (and skin is THICK on your feet) that came off and it hurts really bad.
My story makes Becky's look like a Disney movie so if hers made you go ewww then you want to really stay away from mine!
I'm a picker. I have to have things to pick at and foot skin is a great thing but if you peel off more than what is ready to slough off it does hurt really bad. Make sure you keep it clean so it doesn't get infected. I have one of those foot scrubbie things that has suction cups and sticks to the shower floor. You pour some soap on and it has bristles and a pumice stone to help clean your feet and get rid of that skin. After I get out of the shower and the skin is wet, I'll scratch it off and it forms into this light gray-white gunk and I keep adding to see how much skin I can scratch off. It's really gross but if I don't do it the skin gets super thick and hurts to move because it restricts movement. Another thing I'll do is take a knife when it's dry or scissors and shave off the extra skin on my leg (I'm not cutting but getting rid of that thick skin that hurts) and it flakes off in this fine almost baby powder like stuff. But still my favorite thing is to peel it off or if I don't have skin on my feet I'll pick at my head and try to find spots that will peel off kind of like dandruff but bigger, then there's nothing like picking a nose but it has to be dry not slimy. When Q was little he'd produce the best boogers. It would drive me nuts if I saw it and couldn't get it out. I think I probably traumatized the poor kid but I couldn't sleep or think or do anything until that booger was gone. Another thing was earwax--he produced that pretty good too. It just drove me bonkers if I saw earwax chunks in my kid's ear. The pinkie fingernail is good for plucking baby boogers and ear wax out, ya know how drug addicts will grow it long to scoop up cocaine and snort, I used mine for picking boogers and ear wax. So who's grosser Becky or me? Is anyone even still reading?


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This is the Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parcel it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?
1st Gear: Canadians Get A Shot At New Ford Jobs
The CBC reports that Ford is going to add a third shift at its plant in Oakville, Ontario, outside Toronto, creating about 400 jobs. Workers who were laid off by Ford in Windsor, across the river from Detroit, will get an opportunity to apply for the positions, as will workers in St. Thomas, which is outside London, Ontario. But there are more laid off workers than positions available, so the jobs will be awarded based on seniority. The third shift will be coming on at Oakville in the first quarter of 2013.
2nd Gear: Toyota To U.S. Employees: You Can Go Now
In other jobs news, Business Lexington reports that Toyota is offering a voluntary retirement program to its American employees. The buyouts are good for employees who will have been at Toyota for at least 22 years by the end of March. (Yes, there are people who've been Toyota employees for more than two decades.) The company says 2,000 American employees are eligible, including 1,600 in Georgetown, KY. Toyota calls it the "Next Step" program.
Employees are offered two weeks pay for every year of service, capped at 25 years, plus an extra eight weeks of pay. People who have 25 years service will get full health care. They can set their retirement dates beginning in February and running through 2014. Toyota thinks about 20 to 30 percent of those eligible will take the offers, and expects to hire people to replace those who take the buyouts. One reason it's offering the program now is to manage attrition down the line. It doesn't want to see a big flood of people take off, and then be required to fill a bunch of positions all at once.
3rd Gear: Crash Of The Concorde Not Continental's Criminal Fault
The Associated Press reports on a court ruling that surprised the airline industry. A French appeals court threw out manslaughter convictions against Continental Airlines and a mechanic in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde. According to the original ruling, mechanic John Taylor incorrectly fitted a metal strip on a Continental DC-10 that took off just before the Concorde. The strip punctured one of the Concorde's tires, and the explosion ruptured the gas tank, causing the supersonic jet to crash into a hotel outside Paris, killing 109 people. The crash basically ended the Concorde's aviation history.
But the appeals court said the mistakes didn't make Continental criminally liable for the crash. Even if the mechanic knew he'd done wrong, he could never have imagined such a disaster. It noted that aviation experts knew for years that the Concorde's design made it vulnerable to an accident. However, the appeals court upheld civil penalties against Continental, and ordered it to pay restitution to Air France.
4th Gear: Ford Is Ready To Go Over The Fiscal Cliff, Others Aren't
Bloomberg says that Ford officials are making plans in case Congress and the Obama administration aren't able to agree on steps needed to avoid the fiscal cliff. But General Motors and Chrysler say they don't need to make additional moves to prepare. Some analysts think auto sales could plunge by as much as 20 percent if there isn't agreement to avoid tax increases and spending cuts coming at year end. At Ford, chief operating officer Mark Fields says the company wants to "be able to adjust our production appropriately and make sure we have the right amount of liquidity."
A failure to avoid the fiscal cliff and a resulting recession could mean an annual selling rate of 12 million to 13.5 million, versus the 15 million expected for 2013, according to Edmunds.com. Chrysler says it would like to see a deal sooner rather than later. "I'd rather deal with certainty of misery than the misery of uncertainty," Reid Bigland, Chrysler Group LLC's sales chief, said in an interview with Bloomberg. At GM, North American boss Mark Reuss says the company isn't taking special steps, because it has already lowered its break even point to a selling rate of 11 million.
5th Gear: Sergio Confirms Alfa Romeo Sedan
From Automobile and sweater model Sergio Marchionne comes confirmation that not just the Miata-based Alfa will be RWD. Marchionne told Automobile that the only true Alfas in the lineup are the Mito and Giulietta and that a RWD sedan is in the works.
"The Alfa lineup doesn't need to consist entirely of RWD cars, he says, "but it needs to have rear-wheel-drive cars. The 4C that is coming is rear-wheel-drive." There's the SRT Barracuda we've already talked about, and apparently a "premium" sedan that could share the same RWD platform.
On a side note, this insight comes from Todd Lassa, who just landed the gig as Executive Editor over at Automobile. It's a good move and we're glad to see his journalistic skills no longer languishing at Motor Trend.
Reverse: Ralph Nader Becomes A Household Name
On this day in 1966, Unsafe At Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers Of The American Automobile was published, and quickly hit the best-seller list. It made a household name out of a 32-year-old muckraker named Ralph Nader, and led to a series of new safety regulations. The book forever affected the reputation of the Chevrolet Corvair, which Nader said favored "stylistic pornography over engineering integrity." (And you thought he was dull?) The book is a must-read even now, because of its important role in changing the auto industry. [History]
In keeping with our new discussion system, here's a place for you to own the floor. We're asking each day what you think about an issue that comes up in TMS.
Today, have you read Unsafe At Any Speed? What do you think Nader's legacy will be? Any thoughts about the Corvair? Remember there's no right answer or wrong answer. It's Neutral.
Show us your tips!
Got tips for our editors? Want to anonymously dish some dirt on a competitor? Know something about a secret car? Email us at email@example.com.
Lost in our new layout?
Click here for the Opposite Lock or Tips forums. Want a more "blog-like" look? Click the button up top next to "Top Stories."
Get more Jalopnik!
Want even more Jalopnik? Want to know which of your friends read us? "Like" us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter.


text:
Hiking-Lofoten was founded in 2012 and was born out of the fascination a handful of hikers had for the Lofoten Islands. The keen interest caused by the site has exceeded our expectations by far and encouraged us in our work as volunteers and internet novices.
The site was originally based around ten or so hikes but now offers almost neinety hikes and that number will be increased by a further twenty by the end of summer 2018!
Many of you have thanked us by email or in the forum, which fills us with joy, but we believe that hiking-lofoten could be even better with your contribution. Don't worry, we're not asking for money as the site will always be free. What we are hoping for, on the other hand, is concrete participation to improve the content and more generally, help the site develop.
If you are interested in taking part, here are a few simple ideas about how you might help.
If you like this site and the information available
Mention it to your friends and in other web Forums
If you don't find the answers to your questions or if you would like us to tackle specific themes concerning the Lofoten Islands
Mention it in our Forum and we will answer your questions as soon as possible
If you want to share your experience or give an opinion on the Lofoten Islands (your trip, hikes or walks)
Get in touch and we will publish your articles and photos on the site
Over 20,000 internet users currently visit the Rando-lofoten site each month. Imagine how interest in the site could increase tenfold if a mere 1% of those visitors got involved. Rando-lofoten needs you, this is your site, make the most of it!
The Hiking-Lofoten team


text:
Getting Help
The KDE Community is friendly and helpful, so here you'll find hints on where to get help, and some guidance on using the different channels.
|Asking Questions properly and hints about things to check before you ask, and information to gather.
|A list of IRC Channels specifically about KDE software and related issues. IRC usually brings replies fairly quickly, but probably not instantly.
|Mailing Lists for help in using KDE applications. You receive all mail that goes to a Mailing List.
|Forums are where you leave a message and check later for replies. Look for the check-box to get notifications of replies.
|Websites lists KDE-related sites, as well as articles about using KDE software.
|Troubleshooting is the place to look for help with configuration or hardware problems.
Content is available under Creative Commons License SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted.


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Complete Story
Cable Stages A Comeback
By: Mike Farrell, Multichannel News
The first-quarter earnings season kicked off last week with the two largest U.S. cable operators — Time Warner Cable and Comcast — reporting stronger than expected results, providing a needed lift to the sector.
Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, reported free cash flow of $1.4 billion in the first quarter, a 95% increase, even as it lost 78,000 basic customers, which beat consensus estimates by more than half.
Time Warner Cable blew through most analysts' estimates for the first quarter and stunned the rest by actually showing basic subscriber growth, adding 36,000 basic video customers in the period.
The results helped lift the entire sector. Cable stocks rose 13% between April 28 and April 30, led by an 18.3% ($4.98 per share) increase at Time Warner Cable alone.
Most analysts had expected TWC to lose basic video customers in the first quarter — the consensus expectation was a loss of 77,000 subscribers. While the most recent increase fell short of the 55,000 basic additions in the first quarter of last year and advanced services growth slowed in the most recent period, it well outpaced estimates.
"That will be taken as an enormously encouraging, and reassuring, sign," wrote Sanford Bernstein cable and satellite analyst Craig Moffett in a research note, adding that the growth was especially noteworthy given the economic climate and growing fears of "cord cutters," or people who have severed the video relationship with their cable operator and watch programming for free online.
On a conference call with analysts, Time Warner Cable chairman and CEO Glenn Britt said the basic customer growth was mainly tied to the digital transition, which began in part on Feb. 17. Britt added that the company could see another bump in basic subscribers as the transition winds down in June.
The switch to DTV accounted for about 80,000 gross additions and could bring in about the same in the second quarter, said chief operating officer Landel Hobbs. About one-third of those customers also took an additional service, he added.
Time Warner Cable beat consensus estimates on other customer metrics, adding 121,000 digital video customers in the period (beating consensus of 100,000 adds) and 174,000 phone customers, ahead of the 143,000 estimate. High-speed data additions at 225,000 were well in front of consensus expectations of 147,000 additions.
In his report, Moffett said that TWC's show of strength in broadband additions should squelch fears of a telco rebound in market share. Both Verizon Communications and AT&T reported their best quarters ever in terms of video-customer growth — Verizon gained 299,000 video subscribers in the first quarter and AT&T added 284,000 video subscribers.
Financial metrics were also strong — revenue increased 4.9% to $4.4 billion and cash flow rose 7.5% to $1.5 billion. Chief financial officer Robert Marcus said that the company is on track to meet its full-year revenue and cash-flow growth guidance.
Comcast's improved subscriber losses and strong free-cash-flow growth kept the momentum going. Revenue rose 5.3% to $8.8 billion at the nation's largest cable operator and operating cash flow rose 8% to $3.4 billion.
On a conference call with analysts, chief operating officer Steve Burke said that the digital transition helped ease basic subscriber losses for the quarter, but unlike Time Warner Cable, did not quantify how many subscribers signed on as a direct result.
However, like TWC which said that subscriber growth was strongest during the first few months of the quarter, Comcast said that the past two months have been slower.
"March and April were tougher than January and February," Burke said.
Cable Surge
Time Warner Cable and Comcast's strong Q1 results helped boost stock prices across the sector.
Source: http://www.multichannel.com/article/231100-Cable_Stages_A_Comeback.php?rssid=20061


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Technology Forum
ESA Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) has established the Technology Forum database – a virtual online technology market place - to facilitate technologies spin-off and exchange of technologies developed in relationship with European space programmes.
The market place is oriented towards innovative and leading-edge space technologies.
The Technology Forum makes it possible for companies and organizations to search for technologies, submit requests for technologies, promote their own technologies, and discuss problems and solutions with experts.
The aim of this virtual market place is to facilitate the process of technology exchange. At present there are some 450 technologies and materials available for transfer or licensing included in the database .
Technology Forum
The Technology Forum is maintained as part of TTPO's Technology Transfer Network activity. It provides the following functions:
- search for technologies
- submit requests for technologies not appearing in the market place
- offer solutions for technical requests
- promote their technologies, services or know-how.
Technology Forum data base
Access to the Technology Forum data base is at the Technology Transfer Network website: http://www.esa-tec.eu/.
Technology transfer opportunities
Questions regarding technology transfer opportunities can be forwarded to:
- ESA TTPO at firstname.lastname@example.com
- the national brokers of ESA Technology Transfer Network
- the ESA Technology Transfer Network coordinator, Belgian company Verhaert.