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January, 2009
by Floyd E. Bloom, M.D. Professor emeritus, Department of Molecular and Integrative Neuroscience, The Scripps Research InstituteDirector, Alkermes, Inc.Director, Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
No advances in brain research this year match the importance of those gains made in substance abuse research and treatment, detailed in the following chapter. Consider the recent development of several medications that can help drug-dependent individuals reduce their consumption of almost all of the legal and illegal drugs that humans administer to themselves. Such a feat merits special status even among the year's biggest scientific findings. But the subject also has several important lessons to teach us about the process by which researchers uncover the brain mechanisms affected by drugs, and about the role of experience in developing an addiction. In addition, scientists' improved understanding of the natural history of the disease of addiction—the average age of onset, the duration of dependence with or without treatment, and the influence of genetic and environmental factors in prolonging or shortening dependence—may help individuals decide when to seek treatment, and how.
Recent surveys from the National Institutes of Health indicate that more than 22 million Americans have significant substance abuse problems, but fewer than 25 percent of these people receive treatment. More than 80 percent of federal and state prison inmates have been incarcerated for alcohol- or drug-related offenses. Those not treated while in prison are almost certain to return to addiction upon release.
Interest in drug addiction rose as a result of the intense use of heroin and marijuana by enlisted personnel in the Vietnam War, a trend that led President Nixon to create the Special Action Office on Drug Abuse Prevention in 1971. That step led the National Institute of Mental Health to increase research into both alcoholism and other forms of drug abuse. Epidemiological studies of the soldiers revealed that many of them were too young to purchase alcoholic beverages, whereas pure heroin and marijuana were cheap and readily available. At the time, scientists couched what little they knew about the intoxicating effects of beverage alcohol (ethanol) and the illicit addictive drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and marijuana in terms of indirect actions on the six neurotransmitters that were then under study (acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid—GABA).
The newly stimulated research into addictive drugs first focused on the nature of the receptor at which opiate drugs initiated their effects in experimental animals. Once that receptor had been well characterized by several highly competitive groups of neuroscientists, some imaginative researchers began to consider why the brains of humans possessed such a drug receptor. In less than five years that train of thought yielded an astounding discovery: the opiate receptors existed because they represented the sites of action of previously unknown neurotransmitters, then termed "endorphins"—endogenous (naturally occurring) morphine-like substances. Eventually, scientists defined three separate endorphin gene families, expressed in three separate families of neuronal circuits together with three major kinds of endorphin receptors.
These discoveries had two enormous effects on the neuroscience field. Some scientists took the discovery of an unknown transmitter whose receptors interacted with opiates as reason to suspect that other powerful central nervous system drugs, such as marijuana and benzodiazepines (drugs used to treat anxiety), produced their effects via receptors for other unknown transmitter systems in the brain. Not surprisingly, researchers soon identified endogenous cannabinoids, neurotransmitters whose cannabis receptors permit the actions of marijuana, while the effects of benzodiazepines were later attributed to a specific combination of the subunits that compose the receptors for GABA.
The second consequence of the discovery of the endorphin signaling systems concerned the scientific attention paid to alcoholism. Potent and selective antagonists that block opiate receptors had already been developed as a means to treat cases of opiate overdoses and addicts in federal prison hospitals. Experimentalists then began to look at other drugs whose basic workings were not yet understood, including alcohol.
Alcohol research in the 1970s suffered from a lack of interest from researchers. Compared to the potency of other sedative drugs, alcohol was considered quite weak in terms of potency, as grams of alcohol were required for the anxiety-reducing effects and tens of grams for the intoxicating effects. Yet, by the early 1980s, several groups of researchers had reported that opiate antagonists would suppress alcohol self-administration in animal models and would reverse the effects of low doses of ethanol on neurons in brain tissue samples.
These studies on alcohol then converged with scores of related studies that highlighted specific regions of the brain as a drug reward circuit—the dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra and a small cluster of neurons in the anterior hypothalamus known as the nucleus accumbens. These studies, well covered in the chapter that follows, replicated highly consistent findings that opiate antagonists could reduce alcohol self-administration in animal models. The results emboldened clinicians to try the drugs on alcohol-dependent human subjects, who evidenced an almost complete lack of side effects. Eventually, the FDA approved the use of opiate antagonists and other drugs that reduce the pharmacological effects of alcohol on cells for the clinical treatment of alcohol dependence.
To return to the enlisted men of the Vietnam War: In the 1970s, and indeed even now for many who consider themselves informed, drug addiction was considered by law enforcement officers and the criminal justice system to be instant and permanent, inducing a craving so powerful that no conscious effort could overcome it. To those addicts in withdrawal, overtly criminal behavior to acquire drugs was considered justifiable. However, when large samples of soldiers were reinterviewed one and three years after their service and compared with an age-matched group, the results were astounding. While initial interviews supported by urine testing indicated that nearly 80 percent had used marijuana, that half of all enlisted men had tried morphine or opium, and that nearly 20 percent were symptomatic enough to have been called dependent while in service, one year later only 5 percent of those who were addicted to opiates in the war zone were addicted in the United States. Of those not addicted, virtually none had received any treatment. Lee Robbins of Washington University in St. Louis, the lead epidemiologist of those studies, concluded that the availability of cheap drugs accounted for the high rates of drug use in wartime. Clearly, the common view of the addict—once addicted, addicted for life—was erroneous. Addiction was not a lifelong dependency; it could be interrupted by a change in environment. Perhaps with the right agent treatment was possible. For the veterans who exhibited deviant social behavior before serving in Vietnam, however, the rates of re-addiction and treatment failure were as high as in the civilian and federal prison populations.
In the case of alcohol dependence, the lifetime prevalence approaches 20 percent in the general population. (The genetic basis for vulnerabilities and resistance to addiction are another important, active area of work, but that is beyond the scope of this essay.) With regard to licit drugs, among the causes of deaths in the United States as listed in the Physicians and Lawyers for National Drug Abuse Policy 2008 report, smoking-related deaths are number one, and alcohol-related deaths are number three, after cancer.
The development of drugs to treat alcohol-dependent subjects has opened the door to the search for medications to treat other dependencies. However, most physicians have never received training in the diagnosis or treatment of dependent patients. Subjects arrested for driving while intoxicated and brought to emergency rooms are placed in a double bind, since most health insurance policies by law in many states will not cover treatment of intoxicated subjects. Most physicians—if they have the time to speak with their patients, diagnose the dependency, and then decide to embark on a therapeutic course— may not believe that medication is either helpful or required, holding the view that counseling alone, by some third-party practitioner, will suffice. While opiate antagonists combined with group therapy in clinical trials have been reported to be quite effective for dependent populations who seek treatment, far more addicted individuals have not yet opted for treatment. Gaining access to a health care system unaware of the treatments that could be implemented is not much help. However, sufficient attention from the patients who recognize the problem in themselves or a significant other may ultimately bring these advances of medical treatment more effectively to the population at risk. Clearly this field has progressed significantly in recent years, thanks in no small part to biomedical research.
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Club Med Valmorel Reviews
Just got back from a week at Valmorel. We arrived into Geneva, Coach wasn't too full so had plenty of room to stretch out. Transfer time was 2 hours exactly which was great. As usual as we arrived the staff were waiting outside for us waving us in like we were royalty. Our bags were immediately taken up to our room for us to avoid the hassle. We had time to grab a quick drink in the bar before being issued with our wrist tags, room keys and lift passes. All very organised! Our room was prefect. A standard club room with mountain view. Modern, neat and clean. We even had a choice of up to date English movies available to watch. Our next objective was to find our ski locker which couldn't have been in a better position right by the sliding door which opened out onto the slopes. All we had to do every morning was strap on our gear and down the slopes we went. So easy. It takes you to a bubble lift a couple 100m down the slope. We were there from the 07/04/13 - 14/04/13. We arrived with the sun shining and then it started to snow that night and carried on for the first 2 days. It was great to get out and ski in the snow. By Tuesday afternoon the sun was out and carried on shining until Friday afternoon. The the snow came down again that night. We woke up on Staurday morning to more powder and had an amazing last day on the slopes. April and so much snow! Resort is best for beginner / intermediate with advanced skiers having a few reds and blacks but might get bored later on in the week. I'm a snowboarder and so is the wife and we had a great time exploring all the runs. There are a few mountain restaurants which were great to have a quick break and hot chocolate. There are some button lifts but can be avoided if you read the map carefully. The Valmorel is right at the top of the resort and easy on the eye. I was very impressed with the luxury within the building from the bar / lounge area to the amazing pool ( which looks right onto the slope ), outside jacuzzi and sauna which we used at the end of every day. It has a great outside deck area where we sipped on mojitos and Kronenberg 1664 before we went through to dinner. They cater so well for all the families with so many different types of kids/teenage clubs. They really get the children involved. The entertainment in the evenings was also on different level. All the staff get involved and even get in independent singers / entertainers from outside the resort. All the meals from breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, pre dinner snacks and of course the lavish evening meals were incredible and of a very high calibre. To be honest we didn't even come back for lunch as were eating so well. They have a something to suit all tastes at dinner. Just to give you an idea one day at snack time they came out with mini hamburgers which was not good for me, as I dove straight in and then couldn't eat all my dinner. Be careful not to over indulge at snack time! Our last day was the best I've ever experienced with so much fresh snow and sunny day. We made sure we had a great meal that night and after breakfast in the morning with the usual wave goodbye from all the staff we were on our way back to Geneva with such great memories. In a nut shell I would recommend this resort any day of the week. You won't be disappointed. You are made to feel so welcome all the time. The 4/5 trident rating definitely lives up to its name from the quality of the food to the comfort of the facilities and super friendliness of all the staff. Have a great trip if you do decide to take the holiday of life time! Happy skiing..
Apres Ski: 3/5
Accommodation & Value: 5/5
Stephen Stead
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I went together with my partner to this new club med village last January for 5 days. It was very relaxing and amazing! The personnel there were very friendly to the guests. When we arrived we could park at a garage below the hotel. They took care of our baggage, we could go for a drink in the meanwhile until our room was ready. The bar is really loungey with lots of sofa's, free drinks, cocktails. It was all-in. We had a deluxe room on 3rd floor which was very nice. King size bed in the middle of the room with a nice view outside. We also had a balcony, lcd flatscreen, hifi installation, nice bathroom... In the morning we had breakfast, there was a lot of variation, the omelette was very delicious. After breakfast we went snowboarding. Our stuff was in the ski-room in a locker. The ski room is situated next to the ski piste so we didn't have to go far to the ski lifts. Dinner was also in a buffet. The only negative thing I had during this vacation was that some food at dinner was served cold because the cooked some things in advance. Overall it was a luxury vacation, we had a lot of fun! We don't have any kids but this club med is very kid friendly! There is a baby and mini club med and free ski lessons for kids everyday (included in price). Adults could follow ski/snowboard lessons too. We didn't follow any lessons since we didn't need it.
Apres Ski: 2/5
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subset: commoncrawl


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EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) is the world leader in information storage systems, software, networks and services, providing automated networked storage solutions to help organizations get the maximum value from their information, at the lowest total cost, across every point in the information lifecycle. Information about EMC's products and services can be found at www.emc.com.
"EMC is proud of its strong and growing relationship with Accenture, a leading alliance organization and a mutual customer. Through Information Solutions Consulting we have married EMC's expertise in information lifecycle management with Accenture's services expertise to help enterprises extract the maximum value from their information at the lowest total cost."
—Joe Tucci, President and CEO, EMC
A Distinctive Approach
Since 1996, the Accenture and EMC alliance has focused on the fast, efficient delivery of innovative solutions that support leading enterprise technologies, such as Oracle and SAP. Today, our collaborative efforts are distinguished by a comprehensive information lifecycle management approach, encompassing infrastructure, applications and processes.
Specific solution offerings include:
Information Solutions Consulting - Open, platform-independent storage consulting services offered through an outsourced arrangement between Accenture and EMC.
Documentum - Enterprise content management solutions.
Legato - Open, enterprise-class software solutions and services for information management.
Microsoft - Exchange consolidation, platform migration and storage consolidation.
Oracle - Database accelerator service, database on NAS accelerator service and 11iRapidClone accelerator service.
SAP - Replication accelerator for SAP upgrades and performance.


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Despite their aptly themed reality show, it really is hard to keep up with the Kardashians.
Now Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are trying to sell their home in Calabasas for $3.499 million.
The listing comes on the heels of younger sister Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom putting their home in Tarzana up for sale at $5.499 million.
Not to compare sisters, but Kourtney's boldly decorated house, with an assist from interior designer Jeff Andrews, is more playful than her sibling's. Bright-colored accent pieces draw the eye in the black-and-white rooms. In the detached black-walled library/office, a zebra rug on the wood floors visually ties the walls into the white ceiling.
The 5,400 square feet of living space includes a breezeway entry, an open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, four bedrooms and five bathrooms. The kitchen features four dishwasher drawers and a cappuccino maker.
A swimming pool, spa and covered loggia on the half-acre lot take in city and mountain views.
In addition to appearances on the main series "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," Kourtney Kardashian has starred or appeared in several family-related spinoffs. She and Disick have two children.
The property last changed hands in 2010 for $1.7 million, public records show.
Tomer Fridman of Ewing Sotheby's International Realty and Marc Shevin of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices are the listing agents for both sisters.
Play-by-play for Lakers executive
Lakers executive and part owner Jim Buss has been in a housing buy-sell mode involving at least six properties across two counties in the last several months.
In Orange County, he is selling an ocean-view home in the Monarch Bay area of Dana Point. Listed at $4.795 million, the four-bedroom, six-bathroom house has two fireplaces in 3,808 square feet of living space. There's a mosaic-tile swimming pool, and an infinity-edge spa overlooks the Pacific. The Santa Fe-inspired home, built in 1972, is listed with Kindy Slagle of HOM Sotheby's International Realty.
On the buy side in Los Angeles County, Buss paid $4.05 million for a condo in a high-rise building near Staples Center. The three-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom unit has 4,299 square feet of living space. Building amenities include a rooftop swimming pool, a fitness center and valet and concierge services. Billy Rose and Mauricio Umansky of the Agency handled the transaction.
Buss also has dropped more than $13.5 million on four properties at the Strand at Headlands, a development of custom homes and sites above the beach in Dana Point. Public records show same-day closings on a nearly half an acre lot for $2.25 million and a quarter of an acre lot for $2.5 million.
Adjoining lot purchases include a 6,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style house with five bedrooms and five bathrooms for $4.78 million and a 4,560-square-foot French country estate with four bedrooms and five bathrooms for $4 million. Jeff Golden and Chad Sherman of White Sand Realty were the listing agents. Slagle represented Buss in the deals.
Buss, 45, has been taking some heat for problems on the court from former Lakers great Magic Johnson, The Times reported. Buss is the son of the late Jerry Buss, who is widely credited with making the NBA one of the most successful pro leagues.
Jerry Buss' longtime home in Playa del Rey has been for sale since December. The price of the Italian-style villa, which bears Lakers logos in stained glass, was recently reduced to $5.45 million. Barbra Stover of Rodeo Realty is the listing agent.
Soap star lists talk maven digs
Actor Adrian Bellani has listed his house in Hollywood Hills West for sale at $2.195 million.
The Modern-style home, built in 1964, was once part of a compound owned by talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres.
The home has vaulted ceilings, dark wood floors and walls of glass that open to a patio area in 2,267 square feet of living space. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a three-car garage.
The master bedroom features a balcony/deck, as do several other rooms in the hillside home.
Bellani, 31, was in "Passions" in 2006 and 2007. More recently, he has appeared in the Tyler Perry-created TV series "The Haves and the Have Nots," "RPM Miami" and the 2011 film "Moneyball."
He bought the property from DeGeneres in 2007 for $1.995 million, public records show.
John Galich and Daniel Schott of Rodeo Realty are the listing agents.
Investigating in Hollywood Hills
"CSI" actor David Berman has bought a home in the Hollywood Hills from screenwriter Colman Dekay for $1.381 million.
The 2,313-square-foot contemporary house has vaulted beamed ceilings, fireplaces in the living room and master bedroom, skylights, an office, three bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Patios and a deck extend the living space outdoors. There are cityscape and mountain views.
Berman, 40, has played assistant coroner David Phillips on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" since the series began in 2000 and is a researcher on the show. He also has appeared on "Drop Dead Diva" and "Vanished."
Dekay has written for the 1990s series "Tales From the Crypt" and "Harry and the Hendersons." In 2011, he co-wrote the film "Nine Lives: A Musical Adaptation Live."
He purchased the property in 2004 for $1.179 million.
Jill Jenks Galloway of Hilton & Hyland/Christie's International Real Estate was the listing agent. Edward Faktorovich of Figure 8 Realty represented Berman.
Twitter: @LATHotProperty


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This handbook is provided for your convenience. It briefly covers University policies and procedures you need to know as an employee. In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, this document will be made available in alternative format upon request.
Policies and procedures which apply to the entire University of Arkansas System are included along with those which have been adopted only for the UALR campus. When you refer to the material covered here, please keep in mind that a large part of the information is summarized. Therefore, you should not consider this handbook to be a complete statement of policies and procedures. If you should have questions about something not answered here, please check with your supervisor or contact Human Resource Services.
The University reserves the right to revise, modify, or repeal any of its policies or procedures at any time, without prior notice.
Information contained in this handbook is not intended to establish any kind of employment contract.
Last revision 11/1995


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ACC Summer Recess: Florida State SeminolesPosted by KCarpenter on August 2nd, 2012
Over the next four weeks we'll be taking a step back and looking at each team in the ACC to assess where each program — and the conference as a whole — stands before we totally turn our attention to the 2013-14 season later this fall. Today's target: Florida State.
Where They Stand Now
Florida State is riding high. Last season probably constitutes the second best season in Florida State history, trailing only the 1971-72 season where the Seminoles won 28 games and played in the national championship game. The 2011-12 season's 25 wins, ACC Tournament victory and two wins over the perennial powers of Duke and North Carolina marks the most successful season of Florida State's tenure in the conference. Leonard Hamilton has transformed the Seminoles into one of the conference's premier powers and a surefire contender for the conference title on a regular basis. Outside a disappointing loss to Cincinnati in their second game of the NCAA Tournament, it would have been hard for fans in Tallahassee to envision a better season.
Who's Leaving
Unfortunately, the downside of a team filled with seasoned seniors is that they all graduate. Bernard James, Deividas Dulkys, Xavier Gibson, Luke Loucks, Jeff Peterson, and Jon Kreft are all graduating, taking the bulk of rotation minutes with them. Having a lot of players leave because they are graduating seniors is a good problem for a team to have. Not so good? Transfers. Freshman Antwan Space is transferring to Texas A&M after seeing little to no playing time in the past season, further shrinking the Seminole frontcout.


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Undergraduate Ryan Cusack receives USA Today Student Leadership Award
Undergraduate Ryan Cusack receives USA Today Student Leadership Award
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- James Jay Edward Thomas Jr. never let his disability hold him back from his love of sports. The former member of Penn State's Ability Athletics wheelchair basketball team passed away in September 2012, just shy of his 40th birthday.
To honor Thomas's life, Ryan Cusack, a kinesiology major and president of the Penn State Adaptive Outreach Club, organized the first annual Jay Thomas Memorial Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, which was held in December 2012.
For his effort with the tournament as well as his other work helping people with disabilities, Cusack received the 2012-13 USA Today Student Leadership Award.
The purpose of this award shall be to recognize a Penn State Commonwealth or University Park student -- sophomore or junior year or a first-year senior -- who has made valuable contributions in the areas of service and volunteerism to the Penn State community and its surrounding areas such as:
• On-going involvement and contribution to service leadership
• Initiated programming efforts engaging student and community volunteers
• Strong commitment to academic excellence
• Serves as an officer and/or committee chair or demonstrates significant on-going contributions to and responsibility for an organization
• Has provided exceptional, on-going service to an organization, the Penn State campus and local communities
• Demonstrated leadership with integrity
"Jay lost his leg due to health complications and was forced to spend his life in a wheelchair," said Cusack. "Although it was sometimes difficult for him, he always showed up to every single Adaptive Outreach event with a smile, and this annual wheelchair basketball is put on with the purpose of honoring his life."
The inaugural Jay Thomas Wheelchair Basketball Tournament was co-hosted by the Adaptive Outreach Club and the Penn State Ability Athletics program. The daylong tournament consisted of four-person basketball teams contesting for a first-place prize.
Proceeds from the wheelchair basketball tournament are donated to THON because of Thomas's passion for the event. The next tournament will be held in December 2013.
Cusack first became interested in helping people with disabilities as a high-school student. He has maintained this passion as a student at Penn State, where he is a volunteer with Penn State Ability Athletics and Penn State's Inclusive Recreation for Wounded Warriors Program, a class for U.S. military personnel on how to provide recreation opportunities for people with disabilities.
Cusack also was instrumental in bringing Ill-Abilities to campus in October 2012. Ill-Abilities is an international group of b-boys (breakdancers) that have overcome extraordinary challenges to become some of the best dancers in the world. Cusack also recently was selected as the student representative for the planning committee of "Penn State's "Diversability" Awareness Month, which focuses on the abilities and talents of people with disabilities.


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Compact, yet powerful, this camcorder lets you zoom in on all the action with a Konica Minolta 40X Optical Zoom lens. Enjoy every detail with Full HD 1920×1080 recording. Get outstanding results in low light with the Back-Illuminated CMOS Sensor.
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Before I start today there is some business to conduct: First, happy Mother's Day! If you are a mom, God bless you. If you have a mom, hug her, kiss her, visit with her, call her, talk to her. She is a treasure that will not be around forever. Make the best of her time here. Secondly, this is a football blog in general and a Dolphins blog in particular. If you want to keep your comments from being deleted, please do not curse, do not attack other folks in a personal manner, and try to keep the conversation somewhat on football. You are adults and I'm going to treat you as such. Thanks.
Now to the football business.
During my trip to Haiti Saturday with folks from the Dolphins, the topic of Brandon Marshall came up.
I want to report to you that Marshall, who came to the Dolphins with a reputation as something of a problem child in Denver, has worked hard to earn the respect of his new team in the first month or so in Miami.
You will remember Marshall came into town April 14 to take a physical and sign his contract. It was a long day for him. Well, he was in the weight room, working out with his teammates early the next day. Several players noticed.
In the ensuing weeks, Vernon Carey hosted a charity golf tournament. Carey asked his teammates to support the tourney. Not all of them did. Marshall did. He showed up and mixed with several current and former Miami Dolphins players. He won guys over.
Then Ricky Williams had the premier of his Run Ricky Run documentary on Miami Beach. All Dolphins players were invited. Not all were able to show up. Marshall showed up to show his support. And yes, players noticed.
The point is Marshall has made an effort to become part of his new team. He's made an effort to show his teammates there is no sense of entitlement on his part -- particularly as it applies to Davone Bess and the possible exchange of jersey No. 15.
The issue of Marshall's number is still being resolved and not completely settled last I heard. But the new guy apparently is treading carefully so as to not step on any toes. Players are noticing.
Good thing? Certainly for team harmony and chemistry.


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Glass Axis Studio's annual holiday sale will give shoppers a chance not only to purchase gifts for the season, but also to make their own decorative items.
Glass Axis Studio's annual holiday sale will give shoppers a chance not only to purchase gifts for the season, but also to make their own decorative items.
The event will take place from noon to 7 p.m. Dec. 7 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 8-9 at the studio, 1341 Norton Ave., Columbus.
"We'll have thousands of locally made glass pieces, all created by members of our studio," said Eva Ball, Glass Axis executive director.
The sale items will include jewelry, holiday decorations, sculptures, stained-glass pieces "and all kinds of other glass artwork," she said.
Many of the items will be on sale at discounted prices, Ball said.
Throughout the weekend, Glass Axis artist instructors will offer workshops to give visitors a chance to experience for themselves the art of glass-making, she said.
The workshops will run from 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 7 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 8-9.
A blown-glass ornament activity is for ages 12 and up. Participants will shape and blow molten glass into a globe-shaped ornament. Cost is $25 per ornament.
A torch-worked bead workshop is open to those ages 6 and up. Participants will use smaller torches to heat and form glass into a candy-shaped bead. The cost is $15 per bead.
"The workshops are all first-come, first-served and there's no reservations required," Ball said. "People can expect a line for some of the workshops, so you can sign up and look around at the sale items while you wait."
Glass Axis offers workshops throughout the year, she said, but the activities scheduled for the holiday sale are particularly popular.
"We have a few families who attend our holiday workshops as part of their annual holiday tradition," Ball said.
Glass Axis was founded in 1987 as a nonprofit organization by graduates of Ohio State University's glass program. The studio includes both warm and hot glass facilities, a cold shop for grinding and polishing and a variety of equipment for making glass art.
It relocated into the Grandview area in 2001.
For more information about the studio, its classes and workshops, visit glassaxis.org.


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As someone who works with autocompletion, this week has been a good one. Google launched two products relevant to my research: the first one was Google Scribe, a Labs experiment that uses Web n-grams to assist in sentence construction. This system solves the same problem addressed in my VLDB'07 paper, "Effective Phrase Prediction" (paper, slides). The paper proposes a data structure called FussyTree to efficiently serve phrase suggestions, and provides a metric I called "Total Profit Metric"(TPM) to evaluate phrase prediction systems. Google Scribe looks quite promising, and I thought I'd share my observations.
To simplify writing, let's quickly define the problem using a slide from the slide deck :
Query Time:
Latency while typing is quite impressive. There is no evidence of speculative caching(a la Google Instant), but interaction is fairly fluid, despite the fact that an HTTP GET is sent to a Google Frontend Server on every keystroke. I'm a little surprised that there isn't a latency check (or if it exists, it's too low) — GET requests are made even when I'm typing too fast for the UI to keep up, rendering many of the results useless even before the server has responded to them.
Length of Completion:
My experience with Google Scribe is that the length of completion is quite small; I was expecting it to produce large completions as I gave it more data, but I couldn't get it to suggest beyond three words.
Length of Prefix+Context:
It looks like the length of the prefix/context(context being the text before the prefix, used to bias completions) is 40 characters, with no special treatment to word endings. At every keystroke, the previous 40 characters are sent to the server, with completions in return. So as I was typing in the sentence, this is what the requests look like:
this is a forty character sentence and i
his is a forty character sentence and it
is is a forty character sentence and it
s is a forty character sentence and it i
_(and so on)_
I'm not sure what the benefit of sending requests for partial words is. It's hard to discern the prefix from the context by inspection, but the prefix seems to be quite small(2-3 words), which sounds right.
Prediction Confidence:
Google Scribe always displays a list of completions. This isn't ideal, since it's often making arbitrary low-confidence predictions. This makes sense from a demo perspective, but since there is a distraction cost associated with the completions, it would be valuable to completions only when they are of high-confidence. Confidence can either be calculated using TPM or learned from usage data(which I hope Scribe is collecting!)
Prediction Quality:
People playing with Scribe produced sentences such as "hell yea it is a good idea to have a look at the new version of the Macromedia Flash Player to view this video" and "Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners and are". I find these sentences interesting because they are both very topical; i.e. they seem more like outliers from counting boilerplate text on webpages than "generic" sentences you'd find in, say an email. To solve this issue and produce more "generic" completions, one solution is to cluster the corpus into multiple topic domains, and ensure that the completion is not just popular in one isolated domain.
I was also interested in knowing, "How many keystrokes will this save?". To measure this, we can use TPM. In these two slides, I describe the TPM metric with an example calculation:
While it would be nice to see a comparison of the FussyTree method vs Google Scribe in terms of Precision, Recall and TPM, constructing such an experiment is hard, since training FussyTree over web-sized corpora would require some significant instrumentation. Based on a few minutes of playing with it, I think Scribe will outperform the FussyTree method in Recall due to the small window size — i.e. it will produce small suggestions that are often correct. However, if we take into account the distraction factor from the suggestion itself, then Scribe in its current form will do poorly, since it pulls up a suggestion for every word. This can be fixed by making longer suggestions, and considering prediction confidence.
Overall, I am really glad that systems like these are making it into mainstream. The more exposure these systems get, the more chance they have to get better and more accurate, saving us time and enabling us to interact with computers better!


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AN ACT to amend and reenact §31-17-1, §31-17-2, §31-17-3, §31-17-4, §31-17-5, §31-17-7, §31-17-11, §31-17-12, §31-17-13 and §31-17-20 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend said code by adding thereto a new article, designated §31-17A-1, §31-17A-2, §31-17A-3, §31-17A-4, §31-17A-5, §31-17A-6, §31-17A-7, §31-17A-8, §31-17A-9, §31-17A-10, §31-17A-11, §31-17A-12, §31-17A-13, §31-17A-14, §31-17A-15, §31-17A-16, §31-17A-17, §31-17A-18, §31-17A-19 and §31-17A-20; and to amend and reenact §46A-4-102 of said code, all relating to the Division of Banking's participation in the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry; complying with the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act; amending and creating definitions; exempting federally insured depository institutions from broker licensing; allowing the Division of Banking to participate in the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry; permitting the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry to process background and credit checks on behalf of the Commissioner of Banking; creating a tiered bond structure for licensed lenders and brokers; reducing the license processing time for lenders and brokers; requiring a new application for certain changes in control of mortgage licensees; clarifying the fee for licensee office relocation; synchronizing the mortgage annual report requirement with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry; outlining the purpose of the West Virginia SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act; defining terms associated with the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act; requiring licensing and registration of mortgage loan originators; creating an application procedure for mortgage loan originators with minimum standards; requiring prelicensure education of mortgage loan originators; implementing a prelicensure testing requirement for mortgage loan originators; explaining standards for mortgage loan originator license renewal; clarifying annual continuing education requirements for mortgage loan originators; granting the commissioner authority to require mortgage loan originator licensing through the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry; requiring the commissioner to create a challenge process for the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry; creating enforcement authority for mortgage loan originators; defining violations and penalties of the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act; requiring a surety bond to cover licensed mortgage loan originators that is tied to the amount of mortgage originations by each lender, broker or regulated consumer lender licensee; creating confidentiality provisions; granting investigation and examination authority to the Commissioner of Banking for violations of the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act; outlining prohibited acts and practices for mortgage loan originators; requiring the Commissioner of Banking to report to the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry; clarifying the use of unique identifiers; creating a severability section; defining effective dates; requiring the licensure of mortgage loan originators employed by licensed regulated consumer lenders; and implementing a bond requirement for regulated consumer lenders that originate mortgage loans.
§31-17-2. License required for lender and broker originator; exemptions.
§31-17-3. Supervision by Commissioner of Banking; rules and regulations; personnel; participation in the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry.
§31-17-4. Applications for licenses; requirements; bonds; fees; renewals; waivers and reductions; per loan fee.
§31-17-7. License not transferable or assignable; license may not be franchised; renewal of license.
§31-17-12. Grounds for suspension or revocation of license; suspension and revocation generally; reinstatement or new license.
§31-17-13. Notice of refusal, or suspension or revocation, of license; relinquishing license.
§31-17A-6. Prelicensing and relicensing education of loan originators.
§31-17A-11. Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry information challenge process.


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Welcome to Santorini Princess Presidential Suites - Akrotiri
It is all about feeling unique… special…being surrounded in ultimate luxury… being pampered in an environment that only the best is good enough.
Welcome to Santorini Princess Suites… welcome to an unforgettable experience in the unique island of Santorini. We know what you need and our carefully trained staff will ensure that your stay with us will be filled with wonderful memories.
Our Suites were designed to provide sheer luxury, an extensive list of facilities, exclusivity, privacy and very well trained staff to meet the needs of our esteemed guests.
Welcome to a journey of all your senses facing the ever majestic Caldera.


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Trophy Fish Torn Apart By 2 Bull Sharks [VIDEO]
I have been getting excited because I'm going on my first deep sea fishing excursion ever in a couple weeks. We will be fishing off the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
I've joked that as long as I don't fall off the boat, it'll be the best trip ever, but here's another reason why I wouldn't want to fall off the boat.
Watch as this guy has a tarpon on his line that gets turned into a bloodbath by a couple bull sharks!


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Gartner has endorsed Google's Gmail service as a viable alternative to Microsoft's Exchange Online for enterprises with more than 5,000 employees.
The IT market researcher last week released a report called "Google Gmail Emerges as a Significant Threat to Microsoft in the Enterprise." The conclusions are noteworthy given the IT market researcher's clout with CIOs and the cutthroat rivalry between Microsoft and Google to win large enterprise cloud e-mail contracts.
"The road to its enterprise enlightenment has been long and bumpy, but Gmail should now be considered a mainstream cloud e-mail supplier," said Gartner research VP Matthew Cain in a statement.
While Gmail only accounts for about 1 percent of all enterprise e-mail, it has gained close to half the market for enterprise cloud e-mail, Cain noted. While Cloud e-mail only accounts for 3 to 4 percent of the overall enterprise e-mail installed base, Cain said Gartner is forecasting it will account for 20 percent of the e-mail market by 2016 and 55 percent by 2020.
The two competitors are the only ones gaining meaningful share, according to Gartner, noting that Novell GroupWise and IBM Lotus Notes/Domino are struggling. VMware has only recently started focusing its Zimbra cloud e-mail offering on the enterprise, Gartner added.
Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on September 20, 2011 at 11:58 AM
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Join us to worship at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, Ghana branch!
God is in the house, through HIS Word, by HIS Spirit.
Come and experience the miracles, deliverance and faith-building teaching that will shift your relationship with God to another level.
Sunday Service: Sunday 8am-12pm
Newcomers Service: Monday 12pm-2pm
Nursing Mothers Meeting: Tuesday 10am-12pm
Prayer Warriors: Wednesday & Friday 4pm-6pm
Evangelical Class: Saturday 2pm-3pm
For enquiries on visiting the church and directions on how to find us, contact:
Accra Ghana Branch
Plot No MC 27 Manet Junction/Estate Off Spintex Road
Accra Ghana
Tel. + 233.27.7701335
Prayerline. + 233.26.5647669
Email: email@example.com


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Any cake bakers ever try Sweet Potato Pie Cake?
I have gone my whole life without ever trying Sweet Potato Pie. I am 37 years old and it wasnt until last Christmas I decided to make a Sweet Potato Pie, and I fell in love with it. Better than Pumpkin Pie.
Just a few days ago I made a Sweet Potato Pie Cake with Marshmallow butter cream frosting, and I swear it was the best cake I have ever had. And I make one mean chocolate cake, but the Sweet Potato Pie Cake... I can't remember ever tasting a cake this amazing.
I just want to hear from others whether or not you have tried one. If anyone wants I will post the recipe.


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This simple upgrade can extend your ride by up to 400%.
This simple upgrade can extend your ride by up to 400%.
This simple upgrade can extend your ride by up to 400%.
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"I have owned several other brands and it's no contest. The Saddlemen is the most comfortable by miles. I would recommend Saddlemen to anyone interested in upgrading their motorcycle's seat."
"The build quality is by far the best I've seen, perfect stitching all around and even finished perfectly on the underside"
"Saddlemen seats are the highest quality, most well rounded seats available today. I have never been so comfortable on my bike. We make the trip to Nevada quite often and I can't imagine doing that without this seat!"
"Saddlemen's customer service rep was super knowledgeable and listened to my issues and helped me choose the seat that would best solve them. I have recommended them to all my riding partners."
"I was not ready to buy a seat when I called in and I called about 3 times in one day, their customer service won me over, when I am ready to buy the seat I will choose them simply because they listened"
"Their dirtbike covers helped a newbie rider like me keep a good body position while I was learning"
"My butt is stoked that I finally invested in a proper seat. Can't wait to put some miles on this baby"
"I ditched the old man seat and got the Profiler, thank you guys for a great looking seat, completed my bike!"
"Your bags are awesome! I have the BR3400 and can fit more than enough stuff! I've taken it with me on all my rides and love that I can carry it on my back too, I will be purchasing from you in the future and recommending to all my friends"
"Can't thank the staff at Saddlemen enough, I had an issue with a seat and they took care of me quickly and made me feel comfortable not being completely satisfied, now I am!"
"Saddlemen went above and beyond for me this week! I can say they care about my ass! Literally no more pain after 45 minutes on the bike! You guys absolutely rule!"
"My seat game is on point! Finished my ZX6R off with the new GP-V1 seat! Thanks!"
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"Passenger comfort is what it's all about! I love my new Saddleman seat! We ride 2 up and usually do 300-400 miles a day, and the new seat is far more comfortable over the long haul than the stock seat on my 2012 HD Dyna Switchback. However, it looks great on the bike as well!!"
"Love my Saddlemen Seat!! I used to drive between Calif and Arizona 400 miles...the OEM seat on my yamaha wasn't cutting it at all. Saddle saved my butt!! quite literally"
"Best seats available in my opinion. I have severe back problems and can't ride without a Saddlemen Gel seat."
"Just got my Road sofa in for my 2015 Street glide special,my wife loves it and a happy wife makes for a good ride. Lol"
"been running one for about 5 years on my road king. solo seat looks the business and a 950 mile day without any butt or thigh pain. its lower too and make the bike more manueverable for me. get one, you wont regret it"
"I've had the same Saddlemen seat on my shovel for 10 years. Best and most comfortable seat I have ever owned."
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"Never leave home without mine! Awesome seats!"
"Only way to ride! Love mine!"
"I received my roadsofa about 2 weeks ago and I'm loving it"
Always remember to review your Motorcycle Owner's Manual before you ride. Before each ride, take time to check all your equipment. Always wear an approved helmet, eye protection, long-sleeved shirt, long trousers, gloves and boots. Always be sure your bike is in first-class condition before riding. Keep it well-maintained and always outfitted in accordance with state and local laws. Every motorcycle rider should be aware of the limits of his or her skills, experience and abilities and in accordance with state and local laws. Beginners should be extremely cautious and allow extra time and distance for maneuvering and braking. Saddlemen® encourages you to ride safely and respect the environment.Saddlemen® Motorcycle Seats and Components © 2019


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How To Paint An Old Wooden Door
You can greatly enhance the curb appeal of your home by repainting your old doors, and a new coat of paint on those old wooden doors will yield good results.
Wooden doors, especially at the exterior, need regular maintenance, like routine cleaning, an occasional (and well-deserved) spruce-up and weatherproofing. A fresh coat of paint is an ideal for choosing a new color for your old wooden doors and refreshing your home's aesthetic appeal.
When you are painting your wooden doors, make sure you are prepared. Arranging all the right materials and tools. Plus, the only way to successfully paint your door knowing different techniques behind everything. This will ensure the new paint on the door is fresh and remains long-lasting. In light of this, mentioned below are some pro tips you can implement to make your old wooden door look new again.


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- Who We Are
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- The Waterfront
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What's On Calendar
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
10:00am 5:00pm
Experience exhibitions by Jonathas de Andrade, Maria Hupfield and Kapwani Kiwanga, with the second iteration of the Fleck Clerestory Commission Project by Latifa Echakhch still on view.
Event run: January 28 – May 14, 2017
Visual Arts Exhibitions Spring 2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
12:00pm 6:00pm
Our spring exhibitions take us across this vast country through the photographic lens of three artists. Featuring work by Johan Hallberg-Campbell, Joanne Ratajczak and Morris Lum.
Event run: January 21 – June 18, 2017
Sunday Scene: Nabila Abdel Nabi
Sunday, April 23, 2017
2:00pm 3:00pm
Abdel Nabi will discuss Latifa Echakhchs exhibition Cross Fade in this Sunday Scene talk.
Event run: April 23, 2017
For details inquire at the Info Desk or call 416-973-4000.


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If you are interested in the Spanish language, read our
Learning Spanish section where we include several online learning tools and
offer a free brochure on learning Spanish in Madrid. Or check out our
free online Spanish lessons.
And for more Spanish food, please read our
Madrid restaurants recommendations.
Copyright © GoMadrid.com.


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This story has been updated.
A pair of crashes led to gridlock on the northbound Taconic State Parkway during the Friday evening commute.
A crash involving an overturned vehicle initially resulted in the closure of a stretch of parkway at around 4:20 p.m. between Route 100/Route 133 and Pinesbridge Road in Millwood.
The vehicle landed on its roof following the crash.
There has been no report on any possible injuries.
Farther north, another crash, also northbound, initially took out the left lane at Hortontown Hill Road in Hopewell Junction. Backups were reported to Route 301.
Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.


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As well as you know your friends and family, it's not always easy to shop for them during the holidays! That's why Harbor Freight is here to help pick through the clutter and find that perfect present. We know that there are all sorts of tool types out there and for those who would rather look under the hood than under the Christmas tree, a special surprise could be the very thing that makes their holiday season the best ever!
So we've compiled a handy list of the best automotive gifts to pick up for the auto enthusiast in your life. No matter what your price range might be, we have a great selection of tools and accessories that will fit your budget.
Under $20
12 Volt Deluxe Battery Maintainer and Float Charger (Item #: 61911) – $19.99
Don't be alarmed if you have no idea what this tool does. The car buff you're buying it for will know. And they'll be impressed at your auto tool knowledge as well. But your secret gift selection process is safe with us. However, in case you get asked, this handy float charger essentially keeps truck or car batteries fully charged even during long storage periods. Easily attached to the vehicle's battery, the float charger maintains a full charge so that when the vehicle is started up again, the battery still works like new!
16 ft. 6 Gauge Heavy Duty Booster Cables (Item #: 60396) – $19.99
That's right. Booster cables. Jumper cables. Whatever you want to call them, these automotive mainstays are essential to any car owner, let alone mechanics and gearheads. And a set of cables from Harbor Freight aren't just affordable but reliable as well. Jumper cables are designed to get you out of a jam and when you need a jump, you need cables that you can rely on to get you down the road for repairs. By hooking up your car buff relative with these booster cables, you'll ensure that they are never stranded with a dead battery.
Under $50
120 LED Rechargeable Under Hood Work Light (Item #: 60793) – $34.99
If there's one place that automotive enthusiasts love to be, it's under the hood of a car, checking things out. But in order to check things out, you have to be able to see! Even the most savvy mechanics can't make their way around an engine in the dark so why not help your relative or friend shed some light on the situation with a 120 LED Rechargeable Under Hood Work Light? With its rechargeable Lithium ion battery, this really is a gift that keeps on giving since it can be used over and over for a vast range of automotive projects! Featuring two brightness settings, this shatterproof work light is easily adjustable to fit the task at hand.
Solid Steel Auto Ramp Set (Item #: 68365) – $39.99
A ramp set might seem like a fairly unimpressive gift choice but these are incredibly versatile to anyone working with vehicles. These ramps don't just make it easy to lift trucks, cars, and other vehicles up to 6,500 pounds for general maintenance, but they're also helpful for handling oil changes and car repairs from the comfort of your own home or garage. If you want to ramp up your gift giving this holiday season, try picking up a pair of these solid steel automotive ramps.
Under $100
Digital Inspection Camera (Item #: 67979) – $99.99
This highly versatile and helpful automotive accessory is a must-have for anyone working under a vehicle (or with home appliances, inside electrical equipment, and more!). This rechargeable inspection camera allows you to get into tight spaces and recesses like engine bays or air conditioning units and other appliances for maintenance and repair. The camera features a high resolution lens for clear visibility and a zoom function to get an even closer look. You can even hook the inspection camera up to your laptop or home computer for review.
3 Ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Floor Jack with Rapid Pump® (Item #: 61282) – $92.99
If you're going to work on vehicles, it's often necessary to raise the vehicle for repairs or maintenance underneath. Of course, the perfect automotive tool for this task is a Floor Jack. But what if you're working on cars with a low profile? In that case, the 3 Ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Floor Jack with Rapid Pump handles the job perfectly, complete with Rapid Pump technology that allows for quick lifting and easy lowering of vehicles. The low profile aspect won't always be necessary but whoever you plan on gifting this floor jack to will certainly appreciate the extra feature that is sure to come in handy several times over.
Over $100
OBD II & CAN Professional Scan Tool (Item #: 60694) – $110.00
Now we're getting to higher end items that are great if you want to really impress the automotive fan in your family. This advanced OBD & CAN Code Reader is an excellent choice for mechanics and anyone who needs to diagnose engine issues in vehicles. The scan tool makes it easy to read troubleshooting codes and get to the bottom of automotive problems quickly. Plus, the code reader is just the right size for stocking stuffing!
500 lb. Capacity Hydraulic Table Cart (Item #: 61405) – $159.99
This is a fantastic item not just for the automotive enthusiasts out there but anyone who works in a shop or tinkers in a garage. The 500 lb. Capacity Hydraulic Table Cart is ideal for lifting and raising work pieces up to 500 pounds, taking the "heavy" out of heavy lifting. And the best feature on this convenient table cart is the foot pedal. This make it both easy to lift the table cart while also keeping your hands free for positioning or supporting a cumbersome work piece as it's lifted. Whether it's an engine or your next metalworking project, the hydraulic table cart takes it to the next level.
Hopefully this gives you a good idea of the range of automotive products available at Harbor Freight Tools as well as several good ideas on what to get your car-loving friends and relatives! Whether you're looking for something small and thoughtful or a special gift that will stand out from the rest, you can find it all at your local HFT. If this still doesn't help you figure out the perfect gift, keep in mind that a Harbor Freight gift card is always in season!


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Tag: Bargaining
The Five Stages Of Grief
October 26, 2015
The Five Stages of Grief
The guide is known as 5 Stages of Grief" originally from the late Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
These various stages are not to be viewed as a check list and it's possible some steps are missed completely, but they are to be viewed as an indicator of what we or whoever is grieving may be feeling or experiencing, but as I mentioned the order may be varied or missed completely and the timing could fluctuate too. For some it begins immediately, for others it takes a while and for others they appear to give no signs at all that they are grieving.
This stage usually starts out as disbelief, shock and even anger, this is often experienced by witnesses to someone getting bad news, from a Doctor, Policeman, or receipt of a death (sadly all too common within our military communities at this time). However if we focus on loss for the purpose of this article we will keep better focus, I am simply trying to illustrate that the grieving process can apply in a number of situations.
So following a loss of a loved one, it is easy to not believe rather than do so immediately, It's not that we don't accept the loss has actually happened, but rather, it's a sense of, disbelief that we will never see that person anymore. But in reality it is thought that this stage is a coping mechanism and protects us from sensory overload by delaying the acceptance until our brain can process the information properly and the mind can adjust in a controlled manor. Once we have got over the shock and the crying etc, it may follow that more and more questions may be begun ti be asked like; what happened? Why? How? When? But this may also be a sign that the real information has now been processed and the possibility that the loss has been taken in, understood a little better and although still deeply upset, they are fully aware of the facts of the loss.
This is both obvious and frightening and I think when a person is most likely at risk of self harm or worse. This is because they can be angry with anyone or anything, themselves, the hospital, the police, the world their god, really anything and mostly without cause but at this point they are not really themselves. This can be a difficult time to be around people when in this state and in extreme cases medical supervision may be required and sedation prescribed. It is important that alcohol is avoided as this could escalate matters. People who don't show any signs at all should also be closely watched because if the anger is bottled up or even directed inwards and turns into guilt. Guilt is still a natural response that many of us will feel even though it is often without reason and even with supportive family around to guide us, it is not a natural thing to blurt out but knowing this information in advance will help the affected person realise what it is and to begin healing with acceptance and then they may feel like sharing. At the hospital these explanations and guides are handed out to anyone suffering a loss and even anyone receiving bad news.
With this the sufferer wants and needs to want life back to normal as fast as possible. We wish time go backwards, catch the illness earlier, or to see the signs earlier, what did we miss and one thing after another. There may also be the, if only stage and what if I do this or that sort of feeling almost grasping at straws. Bargaining may even start before the actual loss has occurred as in please let it be me, we will search for a way to resolve the situation either with God, "spare" our loved one; we say or "do anything" to keep them with us. In the event of a sudden loss, it could be that we need or want them back or even go back to the point prior to the event and change things. This bargaining keeps our attention on the past so we don't have to feelings and emotions that we are going through now. But on the other hand bargaining can also be helpful. Once we accept that our loved one is going to die, we can use bargaining to ease our minds and theirs, praying for a "peaceful passing." And if the person is physically suffering we may even wish for a quick end. But please remember that this is normal to because we don't want to see our loved ones in pain. If they are in pain the medical team should be aware and administer medication to ease this pain. Once they have passed, bargaining can be helpful too, in that we can focus on the future and we may pray to be reunited with them someday, depending upon our faith. But care must be taken by stronger members of the family to watch over the family most affected by grief to watch for signs that they may wish to join their lost one too soon and harm themselves.
Eventually grief will enter on a deeper level, it can happen anytime and anyone even if that person has been strong all the way through, keeping everyone else safe and calm. It can bring on intense feelings of emptiness and deep sadness. We feel like we don't care about much of anything and wish life would just hurry up and pass on by. Even getting from the bed can be a huge burden, we can feel exhausted and apathy may set in, we may even wonder, "what's the point?" for pretty much everything and you may even wish to die at times.
Our friends and family may try to help us through this stage, get us "out" of this "depression," but it's important to know that this isn't a mental illness—it's a natural response to loss and a process which we need to go through.
Remember this is definitely not a clinical depression this is being experienced here, it is a natural process of bereavement and mourning, and all the emotions of this depression must be experienced in order to heal and recover our normal self control and awareness. I know it doesn't seem right that we all must go through the feelings of pain, loss, grief, and sadness (these may arrive in different orders or in a variety of ways and severity because we are all different beings.
As difficult as this may be at the time we need to push through and almost embrace it. Some of us will do it alone in private and others will welcome help and some may need to have special counselling to help us through it. This part of the grieving process may often last for several weeks and there is no set for the emotions to pass. We need to take care and seek company when we feel like it and keep a close eye on anyone else involved with the loss, because it is often the case where problems if shared feel less heavy and we can cope better after a chat and a cry. (Even the Men are allowed to cry, in fact they must)
Once we have gone through the sadness and depression associated with bereavement we can now begin to accept what has happened and we realize now what has happened and the reason for our sadness we can begin to move on. At this stage it is often thought that we are now sorted and we are over and done with the grieving process and life will return to normal. Unfortunately this will not quite be the case, we shall always have the emptiness for the person who is no longer with us, we will occasionally go through periods where we become depressed again because some trigger has reminded us of something. We may suddenly smile and remember or a tear will run down our cheek from some distant memory.
Acceptance simply means we are ready to try and move on and to accommodate ourselves to this new situation without our loved one. This process has been known to improve our memories and bring us closer to in a way. But we need to make sense of how we wish to live. We don't have to forget this person, we should remember them at their best because we all have faults because we are individuals, so never forget always leave a space for them it could be a picture, a special token. But always thing of the good times and smile, be at peace.
Understanding these Stages of Grief can help us realize that this procedure is quite normal and help us to work through it with the varying signs as we each experience grief. But we should try to never be alone and that grief is an experience in which we shall all share, with some it will be immediate and others it could be several months away. I remember my Mother passing a few years ago, I was in work mode throughout the illness as I bathed her and cared for her, bur as she passed, I became a wreck and handed the reins of responsibility to my husband and I grieved for her. Once her service was over and she was finally laid to rest I said my goodbyes and turned my attention to work once more.
We must remember that loss can be from the loss of a close family member or even a loved pet, it can call at anytime and in varying degrees but if we need it, we have plenty of experienced professionals, ready to lend a hand or a shoulder to whom we can ask for support or guidance through our times of grief.
Sharing the Grief
How do you go about comforting a friend who has lost someone close? This is a question that haunts people of any age bracket. But learning to share the grief of a friend is particularly important for you especially as you get older because it's going to happen more often for you.
There is no sense ignoring the issue or avoiding talking about the deceased person. As a senior citizen, you are going to have a greater incidence of people your age passing away than people of other age brackets. Of course, everybody has the experience of losing a loved one or seeing a close friend or a friend of a friend pass on whether they are young adults, middle aged, teenagers or even children. But as a person of senior years, you are going to come across loss more often and no doubt you may even be thinking of your own time closing in as time goes by.
So when you hear that a dear friend lost someone close to them, you can empathize with their loss. But when it comes to going to your friend and offering comfort that may be difficult or awkward, try to put yourself in their position and treat them accordingly. There will obviously tears at some point so getting that part will allow you all to relax. Then you could maybe take your lead from them. If they are quiet be quiet yourself, but I'm sure that they will want to talk at some point and Yes it will be about their loss, but you will usually find that this will be good to talk about their spouse or partner.
In the Jewish scriptures of the Old Testament, there is a story called The Book of Job that has a lot to say about grief and loss. In the story, the lead character, Job, sees all of his children killed in a freak accident and he loses his wealth and property as well. Most of the book is about dealing with tragedy. But when Job's friends come to give comfort, it's interesting that the text tells us that they came to him and sat with him for seven days without saying anything.
When you first visit a friend after their loss, the nagging question is, "What can I say?" The truth is, there isn't anything you can say that lessens their loss. What your friend simply needs is company. The initial loss they are feeling is for the presence of that loved one. So we can take a clue from others present or from the grieving person themselves. Just be there for your friend or loved one. You don't really have to say anything. Just being there speaks volumes at these times.
Sometimes it's just the routine things you would do for your friend anyway which can do a lot to help them through a time of grief. Take them out to dinner or shopping for shoes or anything that may take their mind of their grief for a few hours. The worst things to do for anyone going through grief is to leave them alone to deal with it, or treat them differently almost as though they were totally disabled and trying to do everything for them. But a person in grief craves regularity so being with you to do something routine together is a tremendous help.
The best approach you can come up with for really being with your friend when he needs you most is to know how the process of handling the passing works. Most people who want to comfort a grieving friend go to see him in the first day or so after the passing. And you should do that for sure. But that first week will not be the time you are needed the most. Your friend will be busy with the funeral and seeing distant family and getting lots of attention. It's strange to see this but often the grieving spouse or friend goes through a time of joy during that week simply because it's a time to see family and friends and to celebrate the life of the recently departed spouse.
But the time when the grief becomes really heavy and difficult especially for the one left behind, is usually after the funeral is over and everybody has gone home.
So after a few weeks of activity and attention they are now alone, it's time to face the days and nights for the weeks ahead without their loved one who they are missing so badly. There will definitely be tears, lots of tears. This is the time to go to your friend and make yourself available, either in person or a few calls from you to monitor their recovery of the grieving process.
When we lost our Father who was created, we asked Mom what she wanted to do with his ashes, and her answer surprised us a little, she wanted to keep in there, with her. We put a photograph of our Father onto the urn, not the cheap receptacle he came in but a quality stone piece which looked more ornamental and not too out of place on the cabinet. Mum felt at home then and she said she could feel her husband's presence there and I'm sure that was a comfort. It was then that we started leaving Mum for a extra day between phone calls, slowly monitoring her recovery.
All you need to remember is to be available, be easily accessible and be accepting of what they are going through so you can be a catalyst for getting back to normalcy. That is the most valuable thing you can offer your friend because it is more than just sharing his grief. It is helping him get through it which is the healthy way we all use to process grief and get on to a happy life.
However what did surprise me a little was my husband, he had been strong throughout the weeks leading up to his father who was suffering from Lung Cancer and was home from the hospital for his final few weeks, those weeks we're tough for all of us, myself and my sister in law's all nurses were helping with Father's daily care. My husband was strong throughout, dealing with lots of the admin side of things and helping to arrange the funeral once Father had passed. He was strong throughout the funeral and the weeks after. But possibly a month later he began to struggle with his own grief.
I should have known, but my own experience was always instant grief not delayed as this was, he became depressed, his health suffered and I really became worried, but just being there for him and I let his friends know so they could keep in touch and slowly he went through the same grieving process as the rest of us.
So as you see, even the strong can be affected by grief and it can strike you even months down the line. But if managed correctly and human contact is made most of us will go through this process and eventually recover, it is a normal process, not an illness.
Bad Grief
Just a little word of warning about what can happen if Grief turns bad. This usually happens if people are left alone to dwell in their own world of misery. They will often become depressed and in some sad cases, especially where it has not been noticed, they can become so overcome with grief that they may even try to take their own lives. This is quite rare but it is a possibility especially if they were close
Children Can Be Affected Too see This Article;
Grief Is A Process Not An Illness
January 6, 2015
Grief is a Process Not An Illness
It really is surprising that some people think that anyone suffering from grief especially the type of grief following a loss is ill. They do not know how to act or what to say or even worse they treat them as invalids and try to do everything for them.
Grief and how to deal with it depends on who is affected and why and it could also depend on so many different facts. So trying to weave a path through the effects of Grief and trying to help someone who is attempting to go through the grieving process.
Anyone living and trying to cope with grief is never going to be easy. I am a professional Staff Nurse working in a busy Hospital and unfortunately Sickness and Death is no stranger to me. I see the results of loss and grief first hand, I see it when the person is first affected or is diagnosed with a terminal illness, I see it in their eyes and there expression is one of fear in most cases then other feelings take over and once the shock has worn off they settle into denial and anger and then into sadness as they begin to accept their fate and deal with their family if they have one.
But exactly how we will react to our own demise or that of a close relative, friend or even a loved pet, it doesn't matter, the various stages are pretty much the same it is we who are different and each one of us will deal with grief in our own personal way. But what is important, is that we each need to go through the process of grieving, in whichever way we must, in order to come out of it on the other side, feeling that they are going to survive and that they have coped with it and life will get better and they can begin to move on.
My name is Michelle and I deal with loss and grieving friends and family on a regular basis so I feel that I am quite familiar with the process and that is probably the first thing you should know about grieving, it is a well known fact, grieving is a process that we must and should go through, we may each show different signs and we will no doubt take various times to go through the process, but go through it we must.
The first thing to do before any grieving process begins or id likely to have any kind of effect on our lives is to properly acquaint ourselves with the stages of grief and the grieving process that the persons suffering are likely to go through, what it means and what we can do as ordinary people who may be Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters in fact anyone can and should know how to spot the signs of people grieving and possibly how to help them.
I was once taught that grief is the process that allows us to accept whatever has happened and be ready to move on. There have been a number of papers written by various professionals over the years. But they have mostly come to similar conclusions. They provide a guide that can help to explain how to prepare people what to expect and how to deal with and throughout the grieving process.


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Since their heart-wrenching appearance at Michael Jackson's funeral in 2009, the King of Pop's three children have largely remained out of the media glare.
Now, almost four years later, one of the music icon's sons has decided to step into the spotlight. Prince Michael Jackson, 16 — older brother to Paris, 14, and Blanket, 10 — has signed on to be a guest correspondent for the daily celebrity news show "Entertainment Tonight." His first assignment, interviewing the director and stars of the upcoming film "Oz: The Great and Powerful," will air in segments on the program throughout the remainder of the week.
Jackson got the gig in part due to Brooke Anderson, one of "ET's" correspondents. The television host said she and the teenager shared a "mutual connection," and she has been itching to do something with Jackson since she met him.
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"I thought him interviewing people from 'Oz' would be great because his dad was in 'The Wiz,' he's a fan of 'The Wizard of Oz' and he wants to get into producing and directing," Anderson said in a phone interview Monday evening. The timing also worked out well for the high school student, who did filming over the long holiday weekend when classes were not in session.
To help him prepare for the joint interview with director Sam Raimi and actors James Franco and Zach Braff, Anderson said she sat with Jackson and went over potential questions. She also gave him some tips on how to stay relaxed in front of the camera and even did some push-ups with him to eliminate any tension.
"He really did not need that much coaching. This may sound strange because he's 16, but he was very smooth and confident," Anderson said.
During the interview, Anderson said all three of the stars were aware of who Jackson was but did not turn the tables and ask him about his father.
"Zach said, 'Is this really your first interview?' " Anderson recalled. "He created a really great energy, and they were all surprised by how knowledgeable he was about the film industry. He knew technical 3-D terms that I had no idea about."
Though Jackson does not yet have a permanent gig with "Entertainment Tonight," Anderson is hopeful he'll return on a "case-by-case" basis for kid-themed show business events, like the upcoming Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.
"The fact that he's the King of Pop's son may crack the door open for him, but he has a wisdom about him," she said. "He said, 'I owe that all to my dad.' "
A clip promoting Jackson's appearance follows.
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Blacks in the United States have a complicated history with the Middle East. We identify with the Jewish Old Testament history. Think how many times we've crossed the Jordan River or told Moses to tell Pharoah to let our people go. In Moses' time, Egyptians — Africans — held Jews in captivity.
In the mid-20th-century civil rights era, Jews were some of our staunchest supporters when we woke up with "our minds stayed on freedom." In the Mississippi about which Nina Simone so famously sang, the three civil rights workers lynched in 1964 included two Jewish men. After the fight for voting rights, most dramatically demonstrated by the Selma-to-Montgomery march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, blacks and Jews found less to agree upon — especially when affirmative action took center stage.
But for decades, many blacks have increasingly identified with Palestinians because they see them as underdogs in the superpower plays that cast Israel as the bully, supported by billions of dollars from the U.S. government and a very activist Jewish-American community. Palestinians appeal to many of us because of their enduring freedom struggle. We can identify with being displaced and dispersed, with having limited rights, with poverty, with being stigmatized. Even former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is reported to have privately pointed out the obvious parallels with the black experience.
Before President Obama, when blacks tried to point out that Palestinians have a freedom song that should be heard, they got into trouble. Jesse Jackson, who has committed a number of gaffes when it comes to American Jews and Israel, embraced Yasser Arafat in 1979 and again in 2002 — each time to widespread censure. Arafat, the über-Palestinian leader, died in 2004 without realizing his goal of a Palestinian state and without convincing Israel that he was a man of peace.
Think of Andrew Young's loss of his United Nations ambassadorship after it became public that he had met with representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization — ironically, to head off a confrontation at the U.N.
Think of former Rep. Cynthia McKinney's checkered political career, defined and thwarted mainly by her willingness to embrace the Palestinian cause.
Those incidents may explain why so few black voices are heard on the Middle East today. It's been wrenching to see President Obama left swaying in the wind for saying in public speeches what other presidents have long said behind closed doors: Israel needs to move toward a peace that includes Palestinians living in their own "nonmilitarized" state.
"For decades, the conflict between Israelis and Arabs has cast a shadow over the region," the president said last week. "For Israelis, it has meant living with the fear that their children could be blown up on a bus or by rockets fired at their homes, as well as the pain of knowing that other children in the region are taught to hate them. For Palestinians, it has meant suffering the humiliation of occupation, and never living in a nation of their own. Moreover, this conflict has come with a larger cost to the Middle East, as it impedes partnerships that could bring greater security and prosperity and empowerment to ordinary people.
"For over two years, my administration has worked with the parties and the international community to end this conflict, building on decades of work by previous administrations. Yet expectations have gone unmet. Israeli settlement activity continues. Palestinians have walked away from talks. The world looks at a conflict that has grinded on and on and on, and sees nothing but stalemate. Indeed, there are those who argue that with all the change and uncertainty in the region, it is simply not possible to move forward now."
Obama wants negotiations to start with the borders that existed in June 1967 — before there was a war between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Negotiations would involve land swaps so that Israel could keep some of its settlements in the West Bank. This is what the president said: "Precisely because of our friendship, it is important that we tell the truth: The status quo is unsustainable, and Israel must act boldly to advance a lasting peace. The dream of a Jewish and democratic state cannot be fulfilled with permanent occupation."
Attempts to give peace a chance have been risky. More than 30 years ago, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for their efforts to bring peace to the Middle East under the guidance of President Jimmy Carter.
In his acceptance speech, Sadat said, "Let us put an end to wars, let us reshape life on the solid basis of equity and truth. And it is this call — which reflected the will of the Egyptian people, of the great majority of the Arab and Israeli peoples, and indeed of millions of men, women and children around the world — that you are today honoring. And these hundreds of millions will judge to what extent every responsible leader in the Middle East has responded to the hopes of mankind." Sadat was assassinated in 1981 by Muslim fundamentalists. The PLO did not mourn his death.
As an acquaintance told me, even when President Obama is right, he'll be seen by many folks as wrong. That's why I say this is a complicated story. But we should support the president's courage and determination to tackle one of the most sensitive topics on his agenda.
E.R. Shipp is a frequent contributor to The Root.


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After finishing Halo 3 all those years ago we had pretty much come to terms with the fact that we would never see Master Chief and his exploits ever again. The lid had closed on a video game saga that had transformed the Xbox into an iconic console and turned many a gamer into a first person shooter fan.
Now, nearly five years later, Master Chief's great green greatness is about to return. Sure there has been a bit of trepidation about the title, given that the immense responsibility of Halo now lies with 343 Industries and not Bungie, but in all honesty most Halo fans just want to play it. And now, finally, we have. With more than three hours of both single-player and multiplayer gaming under our belts, we can finally post an opinion on Halo 4.
Given we had so much time with the game, we thought best to look at how the single-player handles first and then move on to the multiplayer. We are going to try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but naturally there are going to have to be some things we need to talk about in order to give you an idea of how the game handles.
Remember how impressive that CGI trailer shown at e3 2011 looked? Well that is how the game starts. Master Chief is woken up by Cortana, with the UNSC ship Forward Unto Dawn breaking into bits around him.
It might not look quite as slick as the CGI, but immediately the thing that struck us was what an overhaul the graphics had had. Rather than the slightly meagre update of Halo Reach, this is a totally new look for Halo.
Never before has Master Chief been so incredibly detailed, nor has the Halo environment just looked so good. The ship, as you run about trying to escape from its imminent destruction, looks incredible. Lighting in particular is very good, with the bright yellow corridor lights of the Forward Unto Dawn cutting through the smoke and smog. It reminded us slightly of Aliens - things are still very much Halo, but the game has a much more modern look.
Cortana informs you that you have accidentally bumped into a Covenant fleet, which immediately begins boarding your ship. You aren't given more than about two minutes to come to grips with the controls before Halo 4 starts throwing Covenant at you to blast away at.
The guns themselves, of which there are many, handle almost exactly the same as those in the earlier games. If we did have to make one criticism, it was that there was a fairly restricted amount of ammunition on offer, leading us to adopt a slightly different play style. The usual blast everything, lob a tonne of grenades and then run it melee style on the leftovers just didn't seem to work.
In the end it made things more rewarding. There was one especially difficult sequence, set on the outside of the ship in low gravity, where we had to dispatch a lot of Covenant forces. It took us plenty of attempts on normal difficulty settings. This is coming from someone who has beaten games on Legendary. Safe to say then that Halo 4 ramps up the difficulty big time.
During this sequence on the outside of the ship, we got to have a play with some of the new guns of Halo 4. The new storm rifle and revamped beam rifle both handled well. It was nice to have some pistol zoom fun with the magnum as well.
By this point, we were approaching the end of one of the two levels we were being shown from Halo 4's single player. The ship is orbiting a huge Forerunner-built planet and eventually gets sucked into it, along with Master Chief and the Covenant fleet.
For those not familiar with Halo, the Forerunners are the people responsible for the Halo-shaped rings on which the original games were set and the Covenant are the aliens you fight there. Both have a very distinct look and it was nice to see here that 343 Industries had entirely nailed the style of the game's enemies.
Next up came a later level, called Forerunner, which was where things got really interesting. An entirely new race of enemies is introduced called the Prometheans. Think of them a bit like Transformers, or at least they sound like Transformers, except with a Halo edge. They work in an entirely different way from the Covenant, being much more nimble and boasting very powerful attacks up close.
Of the three enemy types we fought, there was one which drove us absolutely mad. A sort of small flying gyrocopter called a Watcher which darted about the battlefield, planting impenetrable shields in front of enemies. Difficult to hit and capable of bringing downed enemies back to life, these guys had to be dispatched first.
Then there was the Prometheans' equivalent of the grunt: the Crawler - a small, scurrying, metallic creature with a gun mounted on its front capable of a high fire rate. Get rid of one and you pick up the Suppressor, a new gun for the Halo series. Rather than the usual accuracy of the weapons found in the games, this is all about scattering as many bullets at enemies as possible. Devastating up close, it was a cool addition. The gun also shows off the new look and feel of the Prometheans. It is bound together by gravity and capable of coming apart entirely each time you reload it, in a very cool animation.
Finally there is what we imagine to be the Promethean equivalent of an Elite, called the Knight. Much bigger and with either a shotgun or bolt gun, these guys are particularly nasty. They also throw a tonne of grenades, which form a sort of gravity field that sucks you in, then explodes All these can be picked up incidentally and add to the already fairly large weapons line-up in Halo 4.
We can't go into much detail as to what we actually saw in this level story-wise, but essentially Master Chief is hard at work trying to get hold of UNSC soldiers on the other side of the Forerunner planet he was sucked into.
What this level did show us however, was what has been added to the Halo table. It felt much more fresh than Halo 3 did all those years ago. Think of that game as polishing and Halo 4 as much more of something new. It plays slightly different and looks different too, with new characters. But the core gameplay experience is definitely there.
Now for the multiplayer. We were put through both Spartan Ops and competitive multiplayer. The former, a sort of co-operative mission system full of vehicles and big sprawling maps, we weren't so fond of. For us, playing with friends on Halo is done in the Firefight mode.
Spartan Ops is definitely good and its really nice to work with friends to meet objectives rather than just blow up never-ending waves of bad guys, but from what we saw, we need more. Then again, there are a lot of other levels in the Spartan Ops suite, so perhaps things get more fully featured as levels go on.
Finally the competitive multiplayer. This is such a huge part of Halo that we imagine it is the thing 343 Industries were most afraid of showing the world. Fear not though, as it is just as good as any Halo game before it.
There is added customisation, on top of the character modification found in Halo Reach, for guns. You get different weapon skins now and a huge choice of bits and bobs to change on your character.
Then there are a load of new levels, modes and of course weapons to play with. Straight deathmatch, or Slayer as Halo calls it, was great fun. Taking advantage of some of the armour power ups like jetpack, we flew about trying to get headshots with the new look DMR rifle. Next up was a round of capture the flag. We particularly liked how you actually have to carry the flag and as such can only use pistols, making your character very susceptible to enemy attack.
Finally the competitive multiplayer. This is such a huge part of Halo that we imagine it is the thing 343 Industries were most afraid of showing the world. Fear not though, as it is just as good as any Halo game before it. Essentially you capture an area and then hold it for as long as you can. Once you have it for about 40 seconds or so, it fortifies itself with big enemy tracking automatic machineguns. Keep it for longer and it will start to resupply you with things like grenades. In practice it works great and made for one of the most exciting Halo multiplayer matches we had had in a long time.
Like that, our time was up. Halo 4 shut down, we left wanting to play more and more. For Halo fans, five minutes with this game and you will be as excited about it as any in the series before, if not more so. It feels fresh and different while retaining that certain something that made all the Halo games so fun in the first place.
Excited about the new Halo game? Let us know in the comments below ...