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Their own devices: Fifth-graders bring electronics to school
JANESVILLE—The Tech Squad was chosen from a long line of applicants.
"There was a line outside the door," Kaja Perisic said of the day kids lined up to interview for the job.
"It was almost the whole fifth grade," David Lette said.
David and Kaja, along with Sami Toczynski, Lexi Thommesen, Cody Kaas and Zoe Williams were chosen.
They're part of a pilot project that could affect the entire Janesville School District. For now, they keep Harrison Elementary School's BYOD program going.
BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Device. Most students in Harrison's two fifth-grade classrooms bring their own tablets or smart phones from home. Those who don't have their own Internet-ready, touch-screen devices get some from the school.
"We didn't want any undue pressure that parents had to go out and purchase a device if they didn't have one," Principal Jessica Grandt-Turke said.
The result is one device for each student.
After two months, students and school officials said the experiment is working smoothly, and the two teachers said it has changed and improved their teaching.
"It's definitely a model we're going to look to replicate," said Robert Smiley, the district's chief information officer, who came up with the idea of the Tech Squad.
Other schools have come up with the money to buy one Internet-ready device for each student. That's not in the budget for the Janesville School District, at least not yet.
The smoothness of the transition to BYOD is due in part to the Tech Squad, whose members help fellow students when something doesn't work as it should.
"They go to us," David said.
"It's kind of fun to be like one of the head people of the program," Kaja added.
The students believe they're doing something important.
"They're going to be using technology for the rest of their lives, so they might as well get used to it early," Kaja said.
District leaders agree.
"The future of education is access to information in the moment," Smiley said.
"Do you really need to memorize the Gettysburg Address? You can always look it up," Smiley said. "Wouldn't it be more important to understand the impact of it and why it's become an iconic speech?"
The question, Smiley said, is how to provide that instant access.
The students use apps to access interactive communication tools. Sometimes, an app will disappear.
"We usually can fix that," Sami said confidently.
If not, the teacher might step in, or the students call district tech support specialist Brent Williams.
Devices sometimes freeze up, or the district's Wi-Fi access point won't let a student in.
Improving�Wi-Fi access is high on Smiley's agenda. Most of the district has Wi-Fi access points, but each point can handle only so many devices at once.
When the�Wi-Fi is overloaded at Harrison, a student sometimes has to go to the other end of the open-pod school or work with a partner, students said.
The�Wi-Fi access is crucial because it channels access to the district's web portal, which filters out troublesome sites and allows teachers to track what students are doing.
The rules for students include no text messaging, although students are encouraged to share their thoughts about reading assignments or responses to a teachers' question on the Facebook-like Edmodo program. And they can do it at school or at home. Parents can log on and see what their children are writing.
Some of the technology was new to the teachers, so it took extra time to prepare lessons and to think about the different ways to present lessons that the devices allow, said Grandt-Turke, who credited teachers Chris Kohn and Tami Burke for their hard work.
The devices make it easier to teach to multiple levels of understanding, Kohn said. In math class, he can help the students who are struggling while those who have grasped the concept can move ahead to new material with a variety of online math games.
A site called IXL provides math practice in the form of games, and it gives students feedback on how they're doing.
"It puts kids more in charge of their learning, and it keeps them engaged and excited," Burke said.
One of the most common uses for the devices is following along with the teacher's work on another digital device, the SMART Board, with DisplayNote.
All the students have downloaded the DisplayNote app, so their devices record the material the teacher presents on the board, such as the model of a skeleton in a recent science unit. Students can take their own notes on the presentation, and they can access the whole thing later.
"It's so much nicer," Burke said. "You have your notes, it's in color, and it's just like you had it in class."
Students can respond to Burke's questions by labeling parts of the skeleton, for example, and everyone can follow along, either by watching on the SMART Board or on their own small screens.
Teachers are careful to have the devices locked up when students aren't using them, and there have been no problems with theft, Grandt-Turke said.
Students have forgotten devices at home, but the school has enough spares to tide them over.
Harrison and the 11 other district elementary schools have had Internet-capable devices, such as iPads and Netbook computers for some time, but not nearly enough for every student to have one all day.
"The Netbooks were super slow," Kaja said. "I like our own devices better."
The devices take the place of notebooks and dictionaries.
"It takes less time" than a traditional dictionary, David said.
"And the dictionary might be outdated," Kaja added.
The devices also function as hand-held libraries. On a recent visit, students were researching explorers to make slide-show presentations with software known as Prezi.
Kohn has not taught them how to use Prezi. "They figure it out," he said. "Their brain is trained for that, already."
Burke and Kohn seem almost as pleased with the change as their students.
"It took some getting used to, but honestly, fifth-graders love helping out their teachers," Burke said. "… We just have to accept this is the wave of the future."
The teachers use an app called DisplayNote, which has a variety of interactive functions. Burke can ask students to rate their understanding of a topic, on a scale of 1 to 5. She gets an instant readout of their understanding, and responses are anonymous.
Immediately, she knows whether she needs to teach more or move on to the next topic.
It's different from asking for a show of hands because some kids would never admit they don't get it, Burke said.
Teachers can pose a question that instantly appears on every student's device, as well as on the SMART Board at the front of the class. Again, there's an instant readout of right and wrong answers.
The Tech Squad meets twice a week with tech specialist Williams. They discuss problems students have with their devices. Mostly, solutions involve re-loading an app, they said.
The Tech Squad lets the teachers teach instead of dealing with tech issues, and it helps the Tech Squad members develop leadership skills, said Principal Grandt-Turke.
"I love it," Burke said, "because I can say, 'Check with somebody on the Tech Squad first.'"
Lately, Williams and the Tech Squad haven't had a lot to talk about.
"A lot of people who were having difficulty in the beginning are doing much better," Kaja said.
The school set standards for use of the devices, and students are motivated to follow those rules because the alternative is having the privilege taken away, Grandt-Turke said.
"They want to be on that device," she said.
"And because it's their own, they take care of it," Smiley added.
The program includes releases that parents sign, allowing their children to bring the devices to school and saying the school is not responsible for damaged devices.
The district has different Internet-access pilots at other schools, where every student has gotten a Chromebook, a laptop loaded with Google software. Those pilots are in the third grade at Lincoln Elementary and with two high school groups: the Janesville Academy for International Studies and the third floor of Rock River Charter School.
Smiley said a decision has not been made whether BYOD is best, or perhaps a BYOD-Chromebook hybrid.�
BYOD's fame has spread. The school has received emails from parents of fourth-graders, wondering what device to buy their kids for Christmas, in preparation for fifth grade, Smiley said.
The motivation factor is not to be underestimated. The Tech Squad was asked to consider what would happen if their devices were taken away.
Lexi's eyes popped in what appeared to be a combination of fear, shock and outrage at the thought.
"I think we would have a mutiny," their principal said.


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Lake Geneva man charged with 10 felony counts of possession of child pornography
Gazette Staff
Thursday, December 26, 2013
LAKE GENEVA— A Lake Geneva man admitted to searching for and possessing child pornography, according to a Walworth County criminal complaint.
James A. Tewinkle, 27, of 1361 Elkhorn Road, Apt. 8, was arrested Dec. 12 after Wisconsin Department of Justice officials searched the hard drive on a computer at Tewinkle's apartment, according to the complaint.
Officials found more than 1,000 movies and images suspected of being child pornography, according to the complaint. Ten of the movies and images are described as having underage females engaging in sexual acts with males.
Tewinkle is due in court Friday, Dec. 27, at the Walworth County Judicial Center.

subset: commoncrawl


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Facebook, Gmail & More — Change Your Passwords for These Sites Affected by Heartbleed
You may have heard about the recently discovered Internet-security flaw called Heartbleed, which may have exposed people's passwords and other confidential information to hackers. Below is a list of major sites that were affected by this flaw, which means that if you use them, you should probably change your password right away:
- Gmail and other Google sites (Google did release a statement saying that its users were safe and likely have nothing to worry about. It's up to you, but changing your passwords would be the safest choice.)
- Tumblr
- Yahoo Mail
- Amazon Web Services (This is not Amazon.com, the shopping site.)
- GoDaddy
- Intuit (TurboTax)
- Dropbox
- LastPass
- OKCupid
- Soundcloud
- Wunderlist
Somewhat surprisingly (or not, depending on what you think of them), the big banks and most financial-services companies do not seem to have been affected. Bank of America, Chase, Fidelity, E*trade, Wells Fargo and more did not suffer any risk of a security breach, as they do not utilize the particular software that was exposed.
Mashable has put together a comprehensive, easy-to-read list of what sites were and weren't affected, including statements from the companies explaining what they've done to patch the flaw or, in some cases, why they weren't affected in the first place. And if you're curious about a particular site not listed there, you can enter the address here and find out if that site is vulnerable or not.
Here are a couple of quick and (relatively) easy ways to protect yourself against identity theft and loss of other personal data (via Vox):
- Reset all your passwords using a password manager like Dashlane, LastPass or 1Password
- Use two-step verification, which requires someone to get both your password and your phone in order to access your data
- Change all of your passwords regularly, as in more than once a year or only when a company prompts you to do so
- Make a list of all your passwords and their corresponding sites. This can be a pain, but it's probably the most effective way to keep track of everything.
Last, the great Web comic XKCD has provided an important lesson about how to choose a password. Remember, using a password with a lot of gimmicks (like "Tr0ub4dor &3″) isn't nearly as effective as a string of random words (like "correct horse battery staple"). Here's why:
Though be careful not to actually use "correct horse battery staple"—that one's taken.


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Just as the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is shrugging off reports that its paralegals are being paid to sit around and do nothing, the agency is facing another potential labor and employment black eye, this time concerning its patent examiners who work from home.
The USPTO has had a work-from-home program in place for years, and it has been lauded by many other government agencies. About half of the office's patent examiners work from home on a full or part-time basis, but as to how much work they actually do, well, that is a matter of controversy.
About two years ago, a whistleblower complained that many of these examiners were abusing their privileges and lying about the amount of work they were doing. In response to the allegations, the USPTO launched an extensive investigation and it issued a report on its findings – or, rather, two reports.
The 5 intellectual property stories you need to know right now
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Deconstructing patent claim construction hearings
The latest controversy about the USPTO's findings has to do with the two different versions of the report that are circulating. The USPTO sent a version of the report to Commerce Department Inspector General Todd Zinser. This report concluded that it was impossible to know if the whistleblower's allegations were true. But then Zinser got his hands on the original, unfiltered report.
The initial allegations stated that not only were examiners lying about their work hours, but their supervisors were stonewalled by agency officials, making it difficult to discipline their lackluster performance. The laziness of these bad apples might help explain why the USPTO has made little headway in getting through a five-year backlog of patent applications.
The Washington Post got a hold of both versions of the report and found some significant differences between the two. According to the Post, the original report "described a culture of fraud that is overlooked by senior leaders, lax enforcement of the rules and the resulting frustration of many front-line supervisors." Contrast this to the cleaned-up version of the report, which states that managers who were interviewed had inconsistent views on the aberrant behavior.
The USPTO maintains that the report provided to Zinser is a more accurate version of investigation, while the initial report contained conclusions that were unsupported by the facts.


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New kitemark for financial apps
A new kitemark to help people identify apps and websites that they can trust with their personal and financial details has been launched.
Barclays' pioneering Pingit mobile payment service and Barclays Mobile Banking are the first products to have been independently assessed in order to be awarded the new BSI (British Standards Institution) kitemark for secure digital transactions.
Although the kitemark is initially being piloted within the banking industry, the BSI envisages that its use will be adopted by a wider range of firms - for example within the entertainment industry.
Barclays' Pingit app is among the first to get a new BSI kitemark
Producers of websites or apps which want to achieve the kitemark will need to undergo "rigorous" testing to make sure their security controls meet the required standards for handling confidential data, the BSI said.
Those that meet the standards will be able to give customers confidence by displaying the kitemark on their products and in their marketing materials. They will be regularly monitored, and i f security levels are not maintained, the kitemark will be revoked until any flaws are put right.
The move comes as people increasingly turn to the internet to carry out everyday tasks. Three quarters (74%) of Britons now use the internet to do their shopping and just over half (53%) of adults now bank online, according to a recent report from the Office for National Statistics.
The ONS found that around 38 million adults, equating to 76% of the population, go online every day - which is more than double the number of people who did so when comparable data started in 2006
Research carried out among more than 1,000 people for the BSI found that 30% of people do not trust apps as a secure way to manage their money, and 42% have concerns about the security of their personal data when shopping online.
Barclays' Pingit service, which allows people to transfer money as easily as texting and is open to both Barclays and non-Barclays customers, has been downloaded more than three million times since its launch just before the 2012 Olympic Games.
Alex Grant, managing director of fraud prevention at Barclays, said: "Millions of our customers are using mobile and online banking on a daily basis and the kitemark adds reassurance that the platform they are using meet the stringent security requirements.
"Barclays recognise the need to grow consumer trust in using digital platforms and the BSI kitemark is a widely trusted mark to help this. We're proud to be the first business to gain the certification for its mobile banking apps to start with."
A life insurance product from Barclays recently became the first financial product to be awarded a kitemark for "doing what it says on the tin" as part of an initiative to make it easier for consumers to shop around for deals with no unexpected catches.
The move followed a Treasury-commissioned review led by Carol Sergeant, a former chief risk officer at Lloyds Banking Group, which recommended a suite of simple and transparent financial products, which would also include savings accounts.
Maureen Sumner Smith, UK managing director at BSI, said: "More and more of us are now sharing confidential information through online shopping, mobile banking, booking flights, gaming, university applications or interacting with local government. These behavioural changes from the physical to the digital demand the need for even more rigorous security measures.
"Many organisations have good information security processes already established, but by having their systems independently tested on a regular basis as part of the BSI kitemark process, they can clearly demonstrate to customers their commitment to safeguarding information."
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Looking for 'Grammy-worthy' music teachers
Know of a music teacher you'd like to see win a Grammy?
The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation are looking for teacher nominations for their second annual Music Educator Award.
The award� recognizes educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to maintaining music education in the schools.
Each year, one recipient will be selected from 10 finalists and will be recognized for his/her remarkable impact on students' lives. Last year's winner, Kent Knappenberger of New York, was flown to Los Angeles to accept the award and received a $10,000 honorarium. He and his family also attended the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony, and a range of other events.
The nine finalists received a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists also received matching grants.
Adrian Farris, music teacher at Monroe Elementary School in Janesville, was one of 217 quarterfinalists for the Grammy Music Educator Award last year.
A total of nine music teachers from nine cities across seven states were finalists for the award in 2013. In total, more than 30,000 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states.
The award is open to current U.S. music teachers. The application process will look at effective teaching styles and methods.
Check out GrammyMusicTeacher.com and nominate a music teacher by March 31. Anyone—students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans and administrators—can nominate a teacher. Teachers are also able to nominate themselves. Nominated teachers will be notified and invited to fill out an application.


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Your Views: Why do Democrats promote greed, hatred, victimization?
Democrats are promoting class warfare, saying income inequality is caused by the greed of the "evil" rich. They attack anyone, such as Paul Ryan, who talks about addressing causes of poverty.
Choices we make can determine success or failure. Why do Democrats want to punish those who are successful because of the hard work and sacrifices they make? Why do Democrats feel that those who are not well off because of choices they made have to be rewarded for their poor choices? (I am not talking about those who are down on their luck through no fault of their own).
Should those who work hard and make sacrifices be forced to turn their hard-earned dollars over to those who refuse to work? Instead of promoting greed, hatred and victimization in order to win elections, why not enact policies that create jobs so people can help themselves out of poverty? The Census Bureau showed 86 million people working for private businesses in 2012, and 108 million living in households on welfare. How much longer can our country sustain this?
Democrats who are making people comfortable in poverty so they can buy their votes in the next election are not helping them get out of poverty.
We should reward people who make good decisions and sacrifices. Getting a diploma, learning a trade, going to college and getting married all lead to better outcomes than dropping out of school and having children out of wedlock.


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Herb Wegner Awards Nominations Open for 2014
Nominations are now being taken for next year's Herb Wegner Memorial Awards from the National Credit Union Foundation.
The deadline is June 28 for the Individual Achievement Award, Outstanding Organization Program Award and Lifetime Achievement Award that will be presented at the annual dinner on Feb. 24, 2014, at CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C.
Also Read:
"NCUF's Wegner Awards are widely considered the highest national honors in the credit union movement," said Josie Collins, director of donor relations and resource development at the NCUF in Madison, Wis.
"We encourage credit union supporters to nominate their best and brightest whose achievements fulfill the Foundation's mission to make financial freedom achievable through credit unions," Collins said.
She also said there have been some changes just made.
"One thing this year that the NCUF Awards & Recognition Committee added is new criteria so credit union supporters who've made a significant impact locally can also be nominated," Collins said.
Nominations can come from individuals and/or organizations. The nomination form is online. Collins invites credit unions to contact her for more information by email or at 1-800-356-9655, ext. 4374.


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2014 Oscar Nominations Announced! 'American Hustle' and 'Gravity' Lead With Ten Each
The 2014 Oscar nominations were announced this morning by 'Thor 2' star Chris Hemsworth and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. So who are the 2014 Oscar nominees? Who were the big surprises and the big snubs? Find out!
'American Hustle' and 'Gravity' were the big winners with 10 total nominations each. '12 Years a Slave' followed closely behind with 9 nominations and 'Captain Phillips' and 'Nebraska' were tied with 6 each. Notable snubs include Robert Redford, once thought to be the favorite to win the Best Actor trophy for 'All is Lost,' and Tom Hanks, each of which were left out of the Best Actor race (not a good year for guys on boats, apparently). Paul Greengrass was also not nominated as Best Director, replaced instead by Alexander Payne for 'Nebraska.' Oprah Winfrey, who was campaigning for her supporting role in 'The Butler,' was left out in favor of her friends Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Pixar was not nominated for 'Monsters University,' the second time in three years the once dominant studio hasn't been nominated in the Best Animated Feature category.
In happier news, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence were first two actors to ever be nominated for back-to-back Oscars for the same two films (last year for 'Silver Linings Playbook' and this year for 'American Hustle'). And, 'American Hustle' scored nominations in all four acting categories a year after 'Silver Linings Playbook' did the same (prior to that it hadn't been done in over 30 years).
'Her' scored a surprising 4 nominations including a surprise for "The Moon Song" written by director Spike Jonze and Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. After taking over The Emmys, Netflix was nominated for their first ever Oscar for the documentary 'The Square.'
This year is Amy Adams fifth Oscar nomination in eight years, which is pretty remarkable (she was previously nominated for 'Junebug,' 'Doubt,' 'The Master' and 'The Fighter'). Even more remarkable, maybe, is that she's never won. And, speaking of people who've never won, Roger Deakens, cinematographer extraordinaire, was nominated for the 11th time for 'Prisoners.' We hope this would be the year Deakens finally wins, but that seems unlikely (we're looking at you, Emmanuel Lubezki).
In other weird news, 'The Lone Ranger' widely panned at theaters this summer, got as many nominations as 'Inside Llewyn Davis,' which hundreds of critics put on their Best Movies of 2013 list. And, something you probably didn't expect: 'Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa' is now an Oscar-nominated film and has the same amount of nominations as 'Saving Mr. Banks.' So…
The 2014 Oscar nominations were broadcast from Los Angeles and if you missed it live, you can watch a full replay using the YouTube player below. Hemsworth and Isaacs only revealed the nominees in the major categories so make sure to check below to see the full list of 2014 Oscar nominees!
The 2014 Oscars will air on March 2 and 7pm EST on ABC with host Ellen DeGeneres.
Best Picture
'12 Years a Slave'
'American Hustle'
'Captain Phillips'
'The Wolf of Wall Street'
'Dallas Buyers Club'
Best Actor
Matthew McConaughey, 'Dallas Buyers Club'
Chiwetel Ejoifor, '12 Years a Slave'
Bruce Dern, 'Nebraska'
Leonardo DiCaprio, 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
Christian Bale, 'American Hustle'
Best Actress
Amy Adams, 'American Hustle'
Cate Blanchett, 'Blue Jasmine'
Sandra Bullock, 'Gravity'
Judi Dench, 'Philomena'
Meryl Streep, 'August: Osage County'
Best Supporting Actor
Jared Leto, 'Dallas Buyers Club'
Jonah Hill, 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
Barkhad Abdi, 'Captain Phillips'
Michael Fassbender, '12 Years a Slave'
Bradley Cooper, 'American Hustle'
Best Supporting Actress
Lupita Nyong'o, '12 Years a Slave'
Jennifer Lawrence, 'American Hustle'
June Squibb, 'Nebraska'
Julia Roberts, 'August: Osage County'
Sally Hawkins, 'Blue Jasmine'
Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron, 'Gravity'
David O. Russell, 'American Hustle'
Steve McQueen, '12 Years a Slave'
Martin Scorsese, 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
Alexander Payne, 'Nebraska'
Best Original Screenplay
Spike Jonze, 'Her'
Eric Singer and David O. Russell, 'American Hustle'
Bob Nelson, 'Nebraska'
Woody Allen, 'Blue Jasmine'
Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack 'Dallas Buyers Club'
Best Adapted Screenplay
John Ridley, '12 Years a Slave'
Terrence Winter, 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
Steve Coogan, 'Philomena'
Billy Ray, 'Captain Phillips'
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, 'Before Midnight'
Best Animated Feature
'The Croods'
'Despicable Me 2′
'The Wind Rises'
'Ernest and Celestine'
Best Foreign Film
'The Great Beauty'
'Broken Circle Breakdown'
'The Hunt'
'The Missing Picture'
Best Documentary Feature
'The Act of Killing'
'Cutie and the Boxer'
'Dirty Wars'
'The Square'
'20 Feet from Stardom'
Best Cinematography
Philippe Le Sourd, 'The Grandmaster'
Emmanuel Lubezki, 'Gravity'
Bruno Delbonnel, 'Inside Llewyn Davis'
Phedon Papamichael, 'Nebraska'
Roger Deakens, 'Prisoners'
Best Production Design
'12 Years a Slave'
'The Great Gatsby'
'American Hustle'
Best Original Song
"Let It Go," 'Frozen'
"Ordinary Love," 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom'
"Happy," 'Despicable Me 2′
"Alone Yet Not Alone,' 'Alone Yet Not Alone'
"The Moon Song," 'Her'
Best Documentary Short
'Facing Fear'
'Karama has No Walls'
'The Lady in Number 6′
'Prison Terminal'
Best Live Action Short
'Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)'
'Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)'
'Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)'
'The Voorman Problem'
Best Costume Design
'American Hustle'
'The Grandmaster'
'The Great Gatsby'
'The Invisible Woman'
'12 Years a Slave'
Best Editing
'American Hustle'
'12 Years a Slave'
'Captain Phillips'
'Dallas Buyers Club'
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
'The Lone Ranger'
'Dallas Buyers Club'
'Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa'
Best Original Score
'12 Years a Slave'
'All is Lost'
'The Book Thief'
'Captain Phillips'
'Saving Mr. Banks'
Best Sound Editing
'All is Lost'
'Captain Phillips'
'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'
'Lone Survivor'
Best Sound Mixing
'Captain Phillips'
'Inside Llewyn Davis'
'Lone Survivor'
'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'
Best Visual Effects
'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'
'Iron Man 3′
'The Lone Ranger'
'Star Trek Into Darkness'
Best Animated Short
'Get a Horse'
'Mr. Hublot'
'Room on the Broom'


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Someone said it best at our little park playgroup the other day. We are running on fumes. There is a lot going on right now in every Mom's life that I know, and we have tremendous pressure, too many things to do in such a short day, so much to be responsible for, and top it off with very little sleep.
I need your prayers. I took Noah to the opthamologist today. He has suffered from amblyopia (eye crossing) for several years now and we decided to get a third opinion today. It seemed to be less noticeable over time, but since he's started first grade and reading, the crossing has worsened. His sweet teacher called me last week to express her concern and I immediately made another appointment.
The first doctor had him in glasses for a while and the second doctor said the glasses were no good but he just had to have surgery. On both eyes. After everything we've been through with Noah, I will tell you that I desperately want to avoid ever putting him under anesthesia again, let alone do surgery on his eyes! We decided to try patching the eye for a while and then he seemed to be doing ok until now.
Today's appointment was miserable, but the one good thing we got out of it was confirmation that he does indeed require surgery. Just definitely not by the doctor we saw today. I was practically in tears in the doctor's office, and it wasn't because he needs surgery. It's just everything feels like an overwhelming weight on top of me right now.
I am usually much stronger than this (on the outside). But right now, I need your prayers. I need that good cry.
When I look at my precious Noah, I hurt. I do not want this for him. On the one hand I am so grateful that this is the only surgery he needs. He dodged brain surgery and a life of seizures. We can surely handle a little eye surgery! There are certainly parents out there right now that would only wish this was the only problem their child was facing at this moment.
But then on the other hand, this is my child. My baby. I love him and don't want him to have to go through this right now. The Mama Cat in me rises up. He's already been through enough. Me- as his mother- has already been through enough.
But I- as his mother- am tough enough to get through this.
Arianne wrote to me tonight: ...God is bigger. He is bigger than the horrible day you've had, bigger than the jerk doctor, and bigger than the surgery. He holds it all in His hands.
Of course I already know this. I'm a pitiful example sometimes. But I'm human. And I am soooooooo thankful God is God.
Noah is fearfully and wonderfully made. This is true. Tonight I will probably have my good cry, on my pillow, during prayer time when everyone is asleep. And then I will rest. And remember that I don't have to play strong anymore. I don't have to carry this weight. I release it right now.


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Meyering Playground Park
7140 S. Martin Luther King Dr. Chicago, Illinois 60619
(312) 747-6545
Fee: Free
Age Range: Any
Raiders of the Lost Ark"Raiders of the Lost Ark" leaves you breathless. Its spirit is straight from the days of those thrilling matinee classics. Harrison Ford is the swashbuckling hero, Indiana Jones, who, with his spunky girlfriend, must battle foes of every shape, size and description to keep the mysterious Lost Ark of the Covenant out of Hitler's hands.
Rated PG | 115 minutes | 1981
Presented by Charter One, with additional support from RCN.
Movies in the Parks is presented by:
With additional support from:


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Death Notices for Jan. 10, 2014
Genevieve J. Borst, 90, Lake Geneva, died Wednesday at the Arbor Village of Geneva Crossing, Lake Geneva. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Lake Geneva. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of services Monday at the church. Steinke Funeral Home, Lake Geneva, is assisting the family.
Arthur R. Brewster, 79, Elkhorn, died Wednesday at Lakeland Health Care Center, Elkhorn. Services will be held at a later date. Haase-Lockwood & Associates Funeral Home and Crematory, Elkhorn, is assisting the family.
Dorothy A. Kisting, 71, Janesville, died at home Tuesday. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, Janesville. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services Saturday at the church. Schneider Apfel Schneider & Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Janesville, is assisting the family.
Lois Rae Peterson, 84, Evansville, died Thursday at Nazareth Health and Rehabilitation Center, Stoughton. Arrangements are pending at Ward-Hurtley Funeral Home, Evansville.


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Unpaid childcare
This topic has been updated with 2016 Census data for all areas. What's this?
483 people in Blakeview provided unpaid care for children other than their own in 2016.
The role of unpaid childcare in Blakeview is determined by many different factors. For example areas with high levels of unpaid child care may have a dominance of single income families with one significant earner, or there could be a lack of provision of paid child care in the area. The level to which people care for others children can also indicate the role of extended family (eg. grandparents caring for grandchildren, family day care).
The role of unpaid child care is a complex one so this topic should be viewed in conjunction with several others, including Household Type, Employment, Household Income and Educational Attendance.
Derived from the Census question:
'In the last two weeks did the person spend time looking after a child, without pay?', which specifically asks respondents to differentiate between caring for their own children and caring for others children.
Persons aged 15 years and over.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing (opens a new window) 2011 and 2016. Compiled and presented by .id (opens a new window), the population experts.
(Usual residence data)
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id, the population experts.
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id, the population experts.
Dominant groups
Analysis of the unpaid child care provided by the population in Blakeview in 2016 compared to the City of Playford shows that there was a higher proportion of people who provided unpaid child care either to their own or to other children. Overall, 35.4% of the population provided unpaid child care, compared with 30.1% for the City of Playford.
The major differences between the share of the population providing unpaid child care in Blakeview and the City of Playford were:
- A larger percentage who provided unpaid childcare for own child/ren (26.4% compared to 21.6%)
- A smaller percentage who did not provide care for children (59.4% compared to 61.4%)
Emerging groups
The number of people who provided unpaid child care for their own and/or other people's children in Blakeview increased by 472 between 2011 and 2016.
The largest changes in the number of people performing unpaid child care in Blakeview, between 2011 and 2016 were those who:
- Provided no unpaid child care (+999 persons)
- Cared for their own child/ren (+340 persons)
- Cared for other child/ren (+134 persons)


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Our Views: Consider future above extravagance in new Janesville fire station
Janesville Fire Chief Jim Jensen is a reasonable man. So it's no surprise that he makes a reasonable case for building a new central fire station that meets not just today's needs but tomorrow's and includes training facilities and administrative offices.
He senses frustrations from fiscal conservatives. Some residents perceive the new bus garage rising on North Parker Drive at Black Bridge Road as a "Taj Mahal." The garage is being built to hold 16 buses but designed to expand to house 30 if need be. It's being fortified in case explosive compressed natural gas fuels future buses. Exterior bricks will help make it look modern rather than industrial.
The bus garage, including land and architectural and engineering fees, will cost about $8 million. That compares to plans to spend between $6.2 million and $7.4 million on a fire station. Sure, the federal government is paying more than 80 percent of bus garage costs, but as the federal deficit mushrooms, critics note it's all tax money.
The new fire station will replace Station No. 1, which is located on Milton Avenue near Milwaukee Street. Station No. 1 opened 57 years ago, when fire trucks were half the size of today's. Firefighters shuffle equipment in four bays. That risks adding to response times. The roof and windows leak, and employee quarters are inadequate.
The site is about two-thirds of an acre, and the new one ideally would encompass two acres. Jensen wants the station to house eight bays, and some still would hold at least two vehicles. The city has explored expanding at the current site and spots near Adams Elementary School and Craig High School. The council recently, in closed session, approved a still-undisclosed site, and the design is being redrawn.
As a home builder, Councilman Douglas Marklein has a contractor's perspective for the fine line between wastefulness and building for future needs.
Still, he said at a recent meeting, "I don't want this to be a palace. It's not a palace. It's a fire station. It's a working building. I don't think it needs to be really extravagant."
Fair enough. Jensen, in turn, sensibly suggests building a new Station No. 1 with training facilities large enough so on-duty firefighters can train and attend meetings, yet still be in a central spot so they could respond to emergencies on the city's outskirts. Besides, if firefighters had to train while off duty, the city would pay overtime.
Jensen acknowledges that administrators could be located elsewhere if that cut construction costs. But, he reasons, it would be best to house them in the new station. That way shift commanders can respond to fires and meet with the chief and deputy chief, and the top administrators are near City Hall for regular trips.
Jensen doesn't want to be remembered as the chief who cut corners and handicapped future firefighting needs.
"If we're going to build a building that's going to last 50 years, I struggle with making a decision to build a building smaller than what our needs are today in 2014," he told reporter Marcia Nelesen in last Sunday's Gazette.
As Marklein suggests, let function trump extravagance. Still, being in the city's center, the station must be reasonably attractive.
Surveys show residents rank public safety as a city priority. Given that, officials shouldn't let flames of frustration about that bus garage shortchange current or future needs in building a new fire station the right way.


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$65 or best offer: Humane society offers "name your price" event
JANESVILLE—If you've ever spent five minutes with a cat, you know they tend to have unexpected notions about the best ways to do things.
For example, many cats believe� cold cereal bowls are communal property and standing on people's chests is a good way to wake them.
It seems unexpected ideas are contagious.� For a limited time, the Rock County Humane Society is offering a "name your price" sale for adult cats.
Executive Director Brett Frazier called the sale an "experiment" designed to help find homes for the more than 200 cats at� the shelter.� More cats come in every day.�
The "name your price" promotion will start Tuesday and run for a limited time.
Frazier stressed that potential adopters will go through the standard counseling to make sure they're a good fit with their potential pets.
"A safe and loving home is our goal, so we're not just giving cats away to just anyone," Frazier said in an e-mail.
The cost of a cat is usually $65 and includes spay or neuter surgery, microchipping, testing for feline leukemia and other illnesses and a start on vaccines. Those services would cost more than $300 at a vet clinic.
Frazier acknowledged that the shelter needs the revenue generated from adoption fees.
But the humane society has two goals for the event, Frazier said.
The first is to find homes for animals.
"Our mission is to get these animals out of the shelter as quickly as we can because cats don't belong in an enclosure. They belong curled up in a sunny spot on the floor of a safe and loving home," Frazier said.
The second is to spark generosity among community members who support the society's mission to find animals homes.
"That generosity, it is hoped, will offset adopters who pay smaller amounts to take home a new pet," Frazier said.


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Music roundup for April 17-23, 2014
The Johnny Clegg Band at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 19, Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave., Madison. Tickets: $30 advance, $35 day of show. Call 608-241-8633.
Johnny Clegg is a British-born musician and anthropologist from South Africa who has recorded and performed with his bands Juluka and Savuka, and more recently has been a solo act.
Sometimes called Le Zoulou Blanc—"the White Zulu"—he is an important figure in South African popular music history, with songs that mix Zulu with English lyrics and African with various Western music styles.
In 1969, Clegg formed the first prominent racially mixed South African band, Juluka, with Zulu musician Sipho Mchunu. Juluka comes from the Zulu word for "sweat."
It was illegal for racially mixed bands to perform in South Africa during apartheid, so the band's first album, "Universal Men," received no airplay on the state-owned radio system. Despite that, it became a word-of-mouth hit.
The band's increasingly Westernized sound eventually led to Mchunu's departure, and the band dissolved. It was replaced by a new lineup called Savuka.
Clegg has enjoyed major success in France but more limited fame in the U.S. Much of his music sounds predominantly Western, and his group is recognized for its exciting, energetic Zulu dance routines.
Willy Porter Band at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 19, The Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St., Milwaukee. With Simon Townshend. Tickets: $20. Call 414-286-3663.
Wisconsin native Willy Porter is a creative force in American music. He began his career performing in the now-defunct Club de Wash in Madison, where bits from a series of his performances were combined to make Porter's first album, "The Trees Have Soul," in 1990.
His reputation as a master finger-style guitarist spread throughout the country with the release of his 1994 album, "Dog-Eared Dream."
After its release, Porter worked as an opening act for such stars as Jeff Beck, Ricki Lee Jones, Tori Amos, Paul Simon and the Cranberries.
He has recorded nine albums, and his style has evolved from acoustic folk music and folk rock to freeform jamming. Some of his more recent work included a series of performances with the Carpe Diem String Quartet. In 2010, they released "Willy Porter Live at BoMA w/ Carpe Diem String Quartet."
Porter released his latest album, "Cheeseburgers & Gasoline," in 2012.
His songwriting is lyrically deep and adventurous. His music moves easily from guitar-driven rock to open-tuned acoustic gems. His live shows combine his guitar playing, songwriting and singing with improvisational skills as a storyteller, performance artist and comedian.
Lacuna Coil at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 19, Majestic Theatre, 115 King St., Madison. Tickets: $20-$22. Call 608-255-0901.
Lacuna Coil is a metal band from Milan, Italy, that has performed heavy Goth music since 1994. The band previously was known as Sleep of Right and, later, Ethereal.
Lacuna Coil's music is mid-tempo and consists of prominent guitar lines and contrasting dual female/male vocal harmonies that create a melodic, detached sound. Much of the band's recent material is heavier, with a higher mix of guitars and strong bass lines.
The band released the album "Dark Adrenaline" in 2012, which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Lacuna Coil has released seven studio albums since 1999 and has sold more than 2 million records. Its most recent release, "Broken Crown Halo," came out last year in North America. The album has been described as cinematic with a dark vision of a near future. The album was influenced by classic Italian horror movies and bands such as Goblin.
"Broken Crown Halo" is the last album to feature drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati and guitarist Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore, who retired from the band in February. Current members are Cristina Scabbia, Andrea Ferro, Marco "Maus" Biazzi and Marco "Maki" Coti Zelati.
G. Love & Special Sauce at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 19, Potawatomi Bingo and Casino, Northern Lights Theater, 1721 W. Canal St., Milwaukee. With Ethan Tucker. Tickets: $20-$25. Call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.
G. Love & Special Sauce is an alternative hip-hop band from Philadelphia known for a "sloppy" and laid-back blues sound that encompasses classic R&B. The band features Garrett Dutton as G. Love, Jeffrey Clemens on drums and Jim Prescott on bass.
They formed in early 1993 when Dutton was performing at a Boston bar, where he met Clemens. Dutton and Clemens began working as a duo and were joined a few months later by Prescott. They became the house band at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge, Mass.
In 1994, G. Love & Special Sauce released their self-titled debut album on Okeh Records. On the strength of the single "Cold Beverage," which was played heavily on MTV, the album nearly went gold.
The band released its second album, "Coast to Coast Motel," in 1995. After touring, members considered breaking up in a dispute about money and took a yearlong hiatus.
By October 1997, Dutton and company had reconciled and released their third album, "Yeah, It's That Easy," which showcased their collaborations with several other musicians, including Dr. John.
Prescott left the group in 2009 but returned this year to help record the band's eighth album, "Sugar," set for release this month.


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Private Financial Advisor, SunTrust Investment Services, Inc.
Phone: 941.951.3178
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Logan Akin is a Private Financial Advisor with SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. A native to Sarasota, FL, he offers clients more than five years of financial services, retirement planning and investment management experience.
Logan's focus is advising on the development and implementation of investment strategies to help clients meet their immediate and future goals. Supported by his Investment Associate James McClellan, he follows a disciplined process of assessing a client's financial situations, determining risk tolerance, forming and executing an appropriate investment plan and regular portfolio rebalancing in order to obtain measurable results. He also consults on retirement planning and other critical financial strategies.
Logan earned his bachelor's degree from Florida State University, majoring in Applied Economics with a double minor in Business and Communications. In his free time Logan enjoys biking, running, traveling and spending with his wife Stephanie and family.
SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. is a full-service broker-dealer that is an integral part of SunTrust Banks, Inc. - one of the nation's largest and most respected financial services organizations. When you bring your investment needs to SunTrust you will benefit from a long history of management experience, an extensive range of financial products and solutions and personalized financial planning and advice. More importantly, you establish a relationship with a team of trusted advisors who can address all of your financial needs.
Investment and Insurance Products:
© 2017 SunTrust Banks, Inc.
SunTrust Bank is an Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC.
Equal Housing Lender. SunTrust Mortgage, Inc.
SunTrust, SunTrust Mortgage, SunTrust PortfolioView, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, SunTrust Premier Program, AMC Pinnacle, AMC Premier, Access 3, Signature Advantage Brokerage, Custom Choice Loan and SunTrust SummitView are federally registered service marks of SunTrust Banks, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Services provided by the following affiliates of SunTrust Banks, Inc.: Banking products and services are provided by SunTrust Bank, Member FDIC. Trust and investment management services are provided by SunTrust Bank, SunTrust Delaware Trust Company and SunTrust Banks Trust Company (Cayman) Limited. Securities, brokerage accounts and insurance (including annuities) are offered by SunTrust Investment Services, Inc., a SEC registered broker-dealer, member FINRA, SIPC, and a licensed insurance agency. Investment advisory services are offered by SunTrust Advisory Services, Inc., and GenSpring Family Offices, LLC, each of which is registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mortgage products and services are provided by SunTrust Mortgage, Inc.
SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. - NMLS #2915, 901 Semmes Avenue, Richmond, VA 23224, 1‐800‐634‐7928. CA: licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act, IL: Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee #MB‐989, Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 100 W. Randolph, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60601, 1‐888‐473‐4858, MA: Mortgage Lender license #‐ML‐2915, NJ: Mortgage Banker License ‐ New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, NY: Licensed Mortgage Banker—NYS Department of Financial Services, and RI: Rhode Island Licensed Lender.
"SunTrust Advisors" may be officers and/or associated persons of the following affiliates of SunTrust Banks, Inc.: SunTrust Bank, our commercial bank, which provides banking, trust and asset management services; SunTrust Investment Services, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, which is a member of FINRA and SIPC, and a licensed insurance agency, and which provides securities, annuities and life insurance products; SunTrust Advisory Services, Inc., a SEC registered investment adviser which provides Investment Advisory services.
SunTrust Private Wealth Management, International Wealth Management, Business Owner Specialty Group, Sports and Entertainment Group, and Legal and Medical Specialty Groups are marketing names used by SunTrust Bank, SunTrust Banks Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, SunTrust Delaware Trust Company, SunTrust Investment Services, Inc., and SunTrust Advisory Services, Inc.
SunTrust Bank and its affiliates do not accept fiduciary responsibility for all banking and investment account types offered. Please consult with your SunTrust representative to determine whether SunTrust and its affiliates have agreed to accept fiduciary responsibility for your account(s) and if you have completed the documentation necessary to establish a fiduciary relationship with SunTrust Bank or an affiliate. Additional information regarding account types and important disclosures may be found at www.suntrust.com\investmentinfo.
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey is the trade name for the corporate and investment banking services of SunTrust Banks, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC.


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New Thinking for a New Era
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Buffets & Servers
Buffets and servers are commonly known as 'sideboards.' Our show stopping furniture will enable you to choose wisely with our classy, yet functional serving buffets. They are used to store silverware, linens, wine, and other dining accessories. We've got a variety of finishes in black, sumptuous wood tones, and marble tops in transitional, traditional, and contemporary styles.


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Fully recovered, Martinez enjoying his return to field
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Victor Martinez has a nine-year-old son who epitomizes the joy of simply being on a Major League ballfield, bounding around the outfield during pregame batting practice to shag fly balls, hanging around the clubhouse while players tease him, even calling manager Jim Leyland, 'Skip.'
Victor Jose Martinez switch hits like his dad, and he's a very good hitter for his age, lacing line drives with the same style. With each day, he looks more and more like his 34-year-old father.
And yet with each game this spring, as the older Victor Martinez begins looking more like himself on the field after a year away from the game, he bears more and more resemblance to his nine-year-old son. As stoic and as classy as he is, he cannot hide the smile he carries.
As he rounded the bases on his home run off Roy Halladay in the second inning Sunday, and saw his teammates stepping out of the dugout to congratulate him, he had that kind of enthusiasm.
"I was just like a kid," Martinez said. "Just to see my teammates over there waiting for me, the rest of the staff, that's one of those things that makes me come here every morning and work my butt off and get ready."
It's about being back on the field in the game he loves, no doubt, even in a Spring Training game. He missed all of those after wrenching his left knee working out last January.
When he stepped onto the field Friday at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex for the Tigers' Spring Training opener, he said he thanked God for giving him the spirit to work through the year to get to that point.
"It was a long, long way, and finally, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel," Martinez said. "When I stepped on that field, it was just a feeling that, I don't know, I can't even explain it. It was something great."
However, it's also about believing he's back to the hitter he was before. As much as he believed he had his health back, his surgically repaired left knee no longer an issue, even he has been surprised that he has gotten his timing back as quickly as this.
He's 3-for-7 three games into Grapefruit League play after Sunday's three-hit effort against the Phillies. His base hit off Brandon Morrow on Saturday and his home run off Halladay Sunday were both firsts for him since the 2011 ALCS against the Rangers.
Yes, it's just three games, and they're the first three games of the spring, when pitchers are making their first appearances and simply trying to get their pitches down in most cases -- even Roy Halladay.
It's also the first time Martinez has seen live pitching in more than a year.
"This is only my third game, but yeah, I've been really surprised," Martinez said. "The hard part is just to get the rhythm, pick up the ball from the pitcher's hand. I've been able to do that the last three days. It's a good sign."
The fact that he did it off Roy Halladay on one swing Sunday is irrelevant, he said. That doesn't mean it wasn't pretty cool.
Halladay worked past Detroit's first four batters with ease Sunday, striking out two of them while using just 14 pitches. He worked out of a 2-0 count with Prince Fielder to send him down swinging at a nasty changeup, and hoped to do the same when he had a 2-1 count to Martinez.
When Halladay left a pitch over the plate, Martinez pounced.
"I knew I hit that ball good," Martinez said. "I crushed that ball. But honestly, I just put my head down and started running. I told myself, 'At least you have to get to second base.'"
He took what the pitcher gave him, just like he did with a nice, easy single through the right side in the fourth inning. He did much the same when he flared a single into short right field leading off the sixth.
It has impressed his teammates, how quickly he has looked comfortable on the field. It has not necessarily surprised them.
"No, because I know how hard he works," Justin Verlander said. "Having all that downtime, I know he worked his butt off."
Yet as strong as Martinez felt in his rehab this winter, he said his swings were more awkward. With so much time rehabbing, he wasn't used to putting his legs into his swing like usual. Not until a few weeks ago did he get that feeling again. It was a gradual process.
"Adding a little more, adding a little more," Martinez said, "to the point that I know for sure if I let it go and just make the swing that I always make, everything's going to be all right."
The process picked up in a hurry. Now that he has it, he doesn't want to let up.
"He's swinging pretty good right now," manager Jim Leyland said.
Martinez will make the trip from his home in Orlando to Clearwater on Monday morning to get another start, this time likely at first base with Prince Fielder off. The way he's going, Leyland is already anticipating the day when he has to tell Martinez to take a day off.
"He's greedy right now," Leyland said. "He just wants to be out there so bad. I'm going to have to watch him a little bit. But he said he doesn't care how far the trips are, he wants to go. He wants two to three at-bats pretty much every day, but I'll give him a blow. I'll use common sense."
Martinez doesn't sound like he's ready for that yet.
"I don't know, I mean, I don't even have that off-day in my head," Martinez said. "I had a lot of off-days."
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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'Gardening Day': new season, fresh ideas
Gardeners as well as non-gardeners will find something of interest at Walworth County's eighth annual Smart Gardening Day held Saturday, March 22. The event will be held at the Walworth County Government Center in Elkhorn.
Those attending can choose up to four classes from the 12 planned for the day. The cost is $7 per class or $25 for four classes. Registrations will be accepted until March 20, or when the classes are full. Registration forms are available from the Walworth County UW-Extension office at (262) 741-4951 or online at Walworth.UWEX.edu.
Classes include: "New Plants for Your Landscape" and "Butterfly Friendly Landscaping," both taught by Walworth County UW-Extension horticulture educator Chrissy Wen. � Learn all about "Saving Seeds in the Home Garden" presented by Rock County UW-Extension horticulture educator Christy Marsden, and "Food Dehydrating Basics" with Walworth County master food preserver Jenny Wehmeier.
Chef Tyler Sailsbery of The Black Sheep Restaurant in Whitewater will demonstrate recipes for "Italian Flavors With an Abundance of Tomatoes." Chef Mike Lavin of Gooseberries Fresh Food Market in Burlington will share "New Favorites From Old Foods."
With all that food, make sure to check out "Tai Chi — A New Twist on an Old Exercise," presented by Tai Chi instructor Mike Wisniewski.
If flower arranging is more your style, come check out "Simple, Smart Flower Arranging for the Table" with Joanne Wright, owner of Lilypots Fresh Flowers in Lake Geneva. Or "Design a Fresh Floral Arrangement" with Jerry Rahn, the owner of Wishing Well Florist in Elkhorn.
If you are looking to update your outdoor garden space, make sure to attend "Tool Time" with Walt Uebele, owner of Burlington Garden Center.
Do you have plenty of shade? Find out "What's New in the Perennial Hosta" with Allen Ritchey, owner of Al's Auto Body and Arboretum in Walworth.
Feel a bit whimsical? Learn about the new trend of "Miniature Gardens & Fairy Gardens" with Brenda Williams of Pesche's Greenhouse in Lake Geneva.
Smart Gardening Day is sponsored by Walworth County Home & Community Education, Master Gardeners and UW-Extension. A raffle of garden-related items will be held to benefit the HCE Wisconsin Bookworms program. Lunch and beverages will be available for purchase.
Register at (262) 741-4951.


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Now that tablets have become the main source of access for our customers, we made some changes to ensure that our product was going to match your expectations.
One of the main focuses of a student is in their individual progress. That is why we have combined the launch of our new features with the Apple App and now the addition of the Android App.
The new feature allows you to separate the progress made online and on the app of your choice, and to reset your progress, thus not getting dragged down by average scores achieved in the early days of studying.
For further information, please review the Software Support page which is located at the top when you are logged in.
We welcome your feedback to the new site, and the new apps through the support desk email.


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Apple's stock nosedives after forecasted sales decline
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SAN FRANCISCOApple Inc.'s stock price declined nearly 10 percent in after hours trading Wednesday (Jan. 23) after the firm projected sales would decline by more than 20 percent sequentially in the current quarter.
Apple (Cupertino, Calif.) reported its highest ever quarterly sales, $54.5 billion, for the quarter ended Dec. 29. Even so, sales were slightly below consensus analysts' expectations.
"No technology company has ever reported these kind of results," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, in a conference call with analysts following the financial report. "Apple is in one of the most prolific periods of innovation in new products in its history."
But Apple's stock price sank to $463.49 in after hours trading after closing at $514.01 earlier in the day, prior to the quarterly report.
Apple sold a record 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter, up 78 percent from the previous quarter and up 30 percent from the year-ago quarter. The company sold 22.9 million iPads, up from 15.4 million in the year-ago quarter. Mac sales declined to 4.1 million, down from 5.2 million in the year ago quarter, while iPod sales declined to 12.7 million compared to 15.4 million in the year-ago quarter, Apple said.
Paul McWilliams, editor of technology investment newsletter Next Inning Technology Research, was disappointed by Apple's quarterly report and the presentation by executives that followed. In a report circulated late Wednesday, McWilliams said he planned to sell his Apple shares in the near future after being "an Apple bull" for nearly 10 years.
"Apple was built on vision, innovation and a near perfect execution of design that delivered products that redefined some markets, and in other cases (many other cases) created entirely new markets," McWilliams wrote. "Today I view Apple as a huge ship that lacks not only a rudder, but also the forward vision needed to set the direction of the rudder."


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The market for options on credit derivatives indexes has surged more than 40 percent in the past month to $98.8 billion as investors search farther afield for cheap hedges protecting against a sell-off in the bond markets.
The contracts, which give investors the right but not the obligation to buy or sell indexes of credit-default swaps at a certain price, have doubled from $48.7 billion a year ago, Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. data show. That compares with a 17 percent drop in the amount covered by swaps benchmarks on U.S. and European investment-grade debt and a 4 percent decline for all credit derivative products in the year through June 14.
Demand for options is a sign that the bond market might be nearing an inflection point with Federal Reserve officials saying that the economy is strong enough for them to curtail measures that have supported fixed-income prices.
"Options offer a sometimes inexpensive way of hedging yourself against market volatility," said Geraud Charpin, a fund manager at Bluebay Asset Management Ltd. in London which oversees $55 billion. "They take away the stress of managing individual index positions constantly."
The cost of using options, which are priced on volatility, as a hedging tool remains below its historic average even with the recent rise in market swings, according to Raphael Dando, an analyst at Societe Generale SA in Paris. He recommends buying contracts tied to the Markit iTraxx Europe Index of swaps on 125 investment-grade companies.
The credit options, like those for equities or interest rates, are used to guard against or speculate on fluctuations in prices, or bet that volatility will rise or fall. Traders can construct strategies that require no upfront payment while tracking movements in underlying indexes. By buying and selling contracts on credit derivative benchmarks, an investor can get protection against a jump in debt risk at little or no cost.
"People buy options when they want to remain long but still want to hedge themselves," said Saul Doctor, a credit derivatives strategist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in London. "At the same time, selling options has been a good way historically to generate excess yield."
Default Swaps
The Markit CDX North American Investment Grade Index of swaps jumped to the highest in almost three months after Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said June 19 that policy makers could begin to trim the $85 billion of monthly Treasury and mortgage bond purchases as soon as this year. A rise in the index indicates investors anticipate losses in corporate bonds.
Company debt securities have lost 2.54 percent this month, following a 1.55 percent decline in May, Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Global Corporate index shows. Losses this year total 2.11 percent, after cumulative returns of 45 percent including reinvested interest from the end of 2008 through 2012.
Elsewhere in credit markets, the cost of protecting corporate bonds from default in the U.S. rose. The Markit CDX North American Investment Grade Index increased 4.9 basis point to a mid-price of 98.9 basis points as of 11:24 a.m. in New York, according to prices compiled by Bloomberg.
The index typically rises as investor confidence deteriorates and falls as it improves. A basis point equals $1,000 annually on a contract protecting $10 million of debt.
The U.S. two-year interest-rate swap spread, a measure of debt market stress, increased 1.25 basis point to 20.8 basis points as of 11:24 a.m. in New York. The gauge widens when investors seek the perceived safety of government securities and narrows when they favor assets such as company debentures.
Bonds of General Electric Co. are the most actively traded dollar-denominated corporate securities by dealers today, accounting for 3.7 percent of the volume of dealer trades of $1 million or more as of 11:24 a.m. in New York, according to Trace, the bond-price reporting system of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
The Bloomberg Global Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index has lost 1.96 percent this month, bringing the decline for the year to 3.7 percent.
There are now 4,863 credit index options contracts outstanding protecting $98.8 billion of debt, up from 4,260 covering $48.7 billion last year, according to DTCC.
The current versions of the Markit CDX North American Investment Grade and the Markit iTraxx Europe swaps indexes together cover $110 billion of debt, down from $133 billion on the equivalent measures last year, DTCC data show. The total amount of protection outstanding across indexes fell by $260 billion to $1.38 trillion, while the overall credit derivatives market shrank by $1.1 trillion to $25.5 trillion.
'More Efficient'
"Accounts are trading more options and less indices because it's more efficient," said Olivier Renart, the head of European credit flow trading at BNP Paribas SA in London. "It's a way to express your views on the direction of the market without having noise around small moves."
IntercontinentalExchange Inc., which owns the world's largest clearinghouse for default swaps, said this week that trading has started on credit index futures.
The contracts, called the Markit CDX Investment Grade WI Future, is tied to the Markit CDX North American Investment Grade Index and trade in sizes of $250,000 of notional value and require cash settlement at expiration.
The provisional list of index constituents will be updated daily, determined by ratings, debt outstanding, liquidity, and spread level, according to a statement posted on Markit Group Ltd.'s website this month.
The world's largest banks that buy and sell credit swaps resisted efforts by CME Group Inc. and Eurex AG in 2007 to offer credit swaps-like futures. That was before the September 2008 failure of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., one of the biggest swaps dealers.
Chicago-based CME Group, the biggest futures exchange, is now working on an offering for clearing credit-default swap options, or swaptions, according to Kim Taylor, president of the group's clearinghouse.
Swaps tied to individual credits and "additional index products" are "reasonably high on our priority list," she said at the International Swaps & Derivatives Association's annual meeting in Singapore last month.
That priority may increase as credit markets get whipsawed by speculation about when the Fed will start tapering its $85 billion in monthly bond buying program.
"People are trying to trade volatility from one side or the other," said Doctor at JPMorgan. "One side is expressing the view that central banks will be able to keep volatility low, the other that they won't."


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Walworth County committee helps locals with Affordable Care Act registration
ELKHORN--A local committee is helping residents weed through the Health Insurance Marketplace to make an informed decision before the extended deadline to enroll in insurance through HealthCare.gov passes.��
The Walworth County Affordable Care Act Awareness Steering Committee is hosting its next information session at the Walworth County Government Center at 11 a.m. Friday for individuals interested in learning more about the Affordable Care Act and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
The information sessions are for people who live or work in Walworth County, are uninsured or under-insured, or have unaffordable health insurance.
The committee, comprised of about 40 volunteers from entities such as Open Arms Free Clinic, Gateway Technical College and UW Extension will cover changes to BadgerCare, what the marketplace is and how to apply for it, and any other questions participants might have.��
Dr. Katherine Gaulke, committee chairwoman, will lead the information session Friday and encourages anyone with questions to attend.
"There is a lot of misinformation and so much rhetoric and non-truth, and the goal is to take down those stigmas and explain to people what it means for them," Gaulke said.
Gaulke has spoken at sessions with as many as 60 people in attendance and answered all types of questions and corrected several misconceptions.
Some of those misconceptions include Medicare recipients needing to apply for HealthCare.gov and the idea that people can avoid penalties for not having health insurance.
The most important myth to debunk, Gaulke said, is that individuals on the state's Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan, or HIRSP, do not need to worry about enrolling by the Dec. 23 deadline because their coverage could be extended through April.�
"If you are a person on a HIRSP plan, even though you are hearing that it might be extended, it is in your best interest to apply because you will have two deductibles in April," Gaulke said.
Those who enroll by Dec. 23 for a Jan. 1 effective date will have one deductible. Those who wait will have two: one for extended HIRSP coverage through March 31, and another for the new coverage from April 1 through December 31.
The committee also is hosting a marketplace insurance fair at Badger High School in Lake Geneva from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18.
Representatives from six Walworth County insurance companies on HealthCare.gov will be present to answer questions about insurance options.
At both the information sessions and the insurance fair, committee members will answer questions and provide tips on how to accurately complete the application.
The committee also assists people in signing up for marketplace insurance Thursday nights and select Saturdays at Badger High School.���
Last updated: 3:22 pm Tuesday, December 17, 2013


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Local Views: Republican extremists have taken control of government
Much of the commentary criticizing Congress for closing down the government and threatening default on the national debt has used the term "dysfunctional." One cannot argue with this assessment except to say that the problem is much deeper and the cause more radical.
The Republican Party, taking its orders from its anarchist tea-party wing, originally demanded changes in the Affordable Care Act as its price for allowing the government to continue to operate. It is well known that the U.S. is the last industrialized country to provide its citizens with comprehensive health care. And if the Affordable Care Act is open to criticism, it is because it is not comprehensive enough. Thus the Republicans' choosing this program as a reason for shutting down the government speaks volumes about their motivations.
�It is clear by now that the Right's anger over the Affordable Care Act is really two-fold. They do not like programs that benefit people who are not rich. The increase in inequality in the last 30 years is proof of how successful they have been in pursuit of taking from the middle class and giving to the top. On occasion one of their members has let it slip out that one reason they don't want the Affordable Care Act to take effect is that they are afraid that it will become as popular as other social programs such as Social Security and Medicare, all of which were authored by Democrats and opposed by conservatives.
�But there is another reason why Republicans are opposing this bill with such fervor, this reason even more disturbing. They recognize that this act is the greatest achievement of this administration and that President Obama's place in history will be assured with his having gotten it through Congress and past the Supreme Court. They cannot accept this because Obama is not only a Democrat but a black Democrat. Remember that the tea party was founded just two weeks after Obama's first inauguration.
The rhetoric and passion that the Right have mounted against Obama are unprecedented—even the anger against Franklin D. Roosevelt didn't reach these proportions. The Republican propaganda machine has engaged in more than distortions in these attacks. The party has resorted to outright lies, and to a disturbing extent some of these lies have found believers. Joseph Goebbels was one of the first to brag that if you tell a lie often enough, people will begin to believe it.
The leaderless Republican Party has allowed itself to be taken over by a tiny group whose hatred of government is so extreme that the more dysfunctional it becomes, the better these extremists like it. This brings to mind Germany in the 1920s. The Weimar Republic was attempting to establish a democracy but was defeated by the Nazis, the masters of the Big Lie.
Conditions here are not that bad, but the need for a return, not just to sanity, but to democracy, as well, requires that reason prevail over blind passion.
Ted Kinnaman of Janesville is vice chairman of elections for the Democratic Party of Rock County. Readers can contact him by email at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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All photos jackenglish.com
Above: Day 3 highlights from the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro.
Today was another milestone in the world of competitive surfing, thanks to the beautifully lined-up walls of everyone's favorite liquid skate park, Lowers Trestles. The iconic status of this legendary break brings out the best in each surfer, allowing them to perform combinations of maneuvers usually reserved for mind surfing. But considering most people can't even imagine these combos, today's surfing gave the masses a serious reality check.
Above: Jadson Andre goes ballistic against Kai Otton.
One of the gnarliest heats I have ever witnessed in person went down today, in a foreshadowing of what the future holds. When a local phenom gets a sponsor wildcard into the big event at his home break, you can expect some big things, including a possible upset or two. But when that wildcard is child prodigy Kolohe Andino surfing in the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, huge things are going to happen, and the upset just might be a current headliner of today's avant-guard progressive movement named Dusty Payne. Dusty was on fire, surfing explosively yet still losing despite earning the 7th highest heat total of the entire event. His surfing was a mix of powerful speed blasts, blowing his fins out the back displacing gallons of water, and sweeping carves mixed with clean air reverses to demonstrate the current standard in the world of new age ripping. But "Brother" Andino took the level and raised it, by airing over it with a stalefish air reverse on his outside first maneuver, and linking solid rail work with some flair while finishing with clean air reverses on the inside (including one slob grab), surfing so quick and technically I don't know if people even had time to register what happened. What do you call the new new level?
Above: One of the best heats in ages—Dusty Payne vs. Kolohe Andino.
Other worthy performances included Kai Otton absolutely flaring backside hero snap combos in the dying seconds to make his heat with an interference and taking down über star Julian Wilson in the process. Both Hobgood brothers executed some fluid precision turns that were a pleasure to watch. Tanner Gudauskas went on a rampage absolutely belting a sweet right to defeat another top performer and Day One's form surfer Bobby Martinez. Some close calls went down as well, with Brazilian power surfer William Cardoso taking out semi-local Cory Lopez in a tiebreak heat on the countback—crazy tight.
The Brazilian heat wins didn't end there, with them making up 8 of the remaining 12 competitors in the event at this stage. Jadson Andre has been ridiculously on point, utilizing sweeping down face carves comboed with butter-smooth air reverses in heavy detonation zones to post the 1st and 2nd highest combined heat totals in the event so far. His flyweight countrymen that have also been impressing the judges include Gabriel Medina, Miguel Pupo, Junior Faria and Thiago Camarao. Be worried when the mid year re-seed takes place, these guys are ready to make a statement.
Also getting a start today was the Oakley Pro Jr. running its first two heats, with Luke Davis posting an impressive win, and current World Junior Champion Jack Freestone winning a hard fought battle for advancement over a ripping Kiron Jabour and wonderkid Jack Robinson. Take note now world, 13-year old Jack Robinson has the fluid style and mature lines of a world class surfer, along with the air reverses and lip turns necessary to define a true talent, so make sure to remember that name, you're going to get used to hearing it a lot more in the near future.
Once again the performance potential of this perfect pointbreak pushed progression to new levels, and everyone's super excited to see how the level continues to intensify as we head toward the weekend.—Zachary Keenan
The 2011 Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro holds a waiting period from May 3 through 7, 2011 and is LIVE via www.nike6lowerspro.com
The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will be televised live and in its entirety in Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Cable's Channel 250 and 1250HD. Additionally, the Oceanic Time Warner Cable live feed will be transported to Time Warner Cable's Los Angeles (Channel 101), San Diego (Channel 411) and Desert Cities (Channel 111) markets from Thursday through Saturday.
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org
Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Round of 24 Results:
Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 17.07 def. Joel Centeio (HAW) 11.70
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.17 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 14.07
Heat 3: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 15.33 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 13.33
Heat 4: Kolohe Andino (USA) 17.50 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 17.03
Heat 5: Heitor Alves (BRA) 11.83 def. Mason Ho (HAW) 9.17
Heat 6: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.74 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 10.67
Heat 7: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.74 def. Cory Lopez (USA) 13.74
Heat 8: William Cardoso (BRA) 14.77 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.60
Heat 9: Jadson Andre (BRA) 17.87 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 10.93
Heat 10: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.77 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.60
Heat 11: Thiago Camareo (BRA) 12.83 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 12.07
Heat 12: Timmy Reyes (USA) 12.60 def. Tonino Benson (HAW) 10.30
Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Round of 48 Results:
Heat 10: Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.03, Kai Otton (AUS) 10.45, Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.16, Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 8.90
Heat 11: Thiago Camareo (BRA) 13.67, Tonino Benson (HAW) 12.40, Heath Joske (AUS) 12.34, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 7.00
Heat 12: Tim Reyes (USA) 13.00, Adam Melling (AUS) 11.30, Nathaniel Curran (USA) 11.00, Nathan Yeomans (USA) 10.50
Oakley Pro Junior Round of 32 Results:
Heat 1: Tayler Brothers (USA) 10.96, Jack Freestone (AUS) 10.30, Kiron Jabour (HAW) 9.90, Jack Robinson (AUS) 7.90
Heat 2: Luke Davis (USA) 14.57, Doug Van Mierlo (USA) 11.00, Evan Thompson (USA) 8.98, Taylor Clark (USA) 7.50


text:
Seek, Test, and Retain. Linkages for Black HIV+, Substance-Using MSM (STAR)
This study is ongoing, but not recruiting participants.
Columbia University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First Posted: February 13, 2013
Last Update Posted: August 1, 2017
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Wafaa Mahmoud El-Sadr, Columbia University
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
The study will seek and recruit substance-using Black Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in New York City for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing and will link and retain those who are HIV infected in HIV primary care. The STAR study has two primary objectives: to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) in the substance using Black MSM population for identifying individuals who are HIV infected and not in care; and to assess the relative effectiveness of patient navigation and financial incentives in linkage and retention to HIV care.
|Substance Abuse Sexual Behavior
|Behavioral: Patient Navigation (PN) Intervention Behavioral: Financial Incentives (FI) Intervention
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Screening
|Official Title:
|Seek, Test, and Retain. Linkages for Black HIV+, Substance-Using Men Who Have Sex With Men.
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: African American Health HIV/AIDSU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Wafaa Mahmoud El-Sadr, Columbia University:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Retention Rate (Linkage to Care) [ Time Frame: Up to 3 months from HIV diagnosis ]Linkage to care will be defined as the attendance of at least one scheduled HIV primary care visit within three months of receiving a confirmed HIV diagnosis. Retention in care will be defined as three visits within nine months of HIV diagnosis.
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Dollars per patient linked and retained in care [ Time Frame: Up to 9 months ]We will calculate dollars per patient linked and retained in care to measure cost-effectiveness of the two linkage/retention interventions: costs administering the incentives for the financial incentives arm and staffing costs for the peer navigation arm. All such values will then be adjusted by the opportunity cost of each participant's time. In addition, we will include fixed costs (eg, pamphlets and teaching materials to train the navigators) and the cost of space required to host the navigators.
- Proportion of substance-using Black MSM who are recruited [ Time Frame: Up to 3 years ]Effectiveness of Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) for seeking and recruiting substance-using Black MSM: the characteristics of RDS will be estimated using conventional proportion calculations, with confidence intervals.
|Study Start Date:
|July 2011
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|March 2018
|Primary Completion Date:
|September 2016 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: Patient Navigation (PN)
Behavioral Intervention: 'Patient Navigation (PN) Intervention' participants will receive support from navigators in choosing a provider and remembering to attend appointments
Behavioral: Patient Navigation (PN) Intervention
Patient Navigation is defined as an individual relationship between a navigator and participant to promote retention in the continuum of HIV care . For this study, three experienced navigators will be hired. Their primary role will be to ensure that participants are linked to an HIV primary care provider, that they attend at least one scheduled visit within three months of receiving a confirmed HIV diagnosis, and that they are retained in care (as defined by attending three HIV visits within nine months of diagnosis). To promote linkage to HIV care, navigators will help participants identify material and other barriers to accessing care and will work with participants to overcome those barriers.
Other Names:
Experimental: Financial Incentives (FI)
Behavioral Intervention: 'Financial Incentives (FI) Intervention' participants will receive gift cards and money for attending clinic visits
Behavioral: Financial Incentives (FI) Intervention
After confirmation that they have completed their first HIV primary care visit, Financial Incentive participants will receive a gift card. Additionally, the coordinator will flip a coin and give participants a bonus gift card if the coin flip comes up heads. Participants who attend the second HIV primary care visit will receive a gift card. Patients who attend a third HIV primary care visit will receive a gift card. Study staff will be responsible for confirming participants' attendance at appointments.
Other Names:
Detailed Description:
The HIV epidemic in the United States most severely affects men who have sex with men (MSM): 61% of all new infections occur in this population. Black MSM bear a disproportionate burden, with prevalence of 28%, in contrast to 19% in MSM overall. Black MSM undergo HIV testing less frequently than other MSM; are less likely to be aware that they are HIV infected; are more likely to experience delays in entry into HIV care; and are less likely to be prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ART) when eligible. These disparities are pronounced in substance-using MSM, as substance users are at elevated risk of late diagnosis and delayed engagement in HIV care. The combination of pervasive stigma associated with MSM behavior and high rates of substance use hinders effective prevention efforts in this population, even as the prevalence of infection in Black MSM in some US cities approaches 50%. Reducing HIV-related disparities in MSM and among Black Americans are National HIV/AIDS Strategy priorities and are essential to the effort to control and prevent HIV/AIDS in the US.
Information from the National Library of Medicine
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 99 Years (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Self-identify as Black, African American, Caribbean Black, or multi-ethnic Black
- Identify as male
- Greater than 18 years old
- Have had sex with a man during the preceding 12 months
- Have ever used illicit drugs or alcohol to intoxication
Exclusion Criteria:
*Participation in other study assessing linkage and retention in HIV care
Contacts and Locations
Information from the National Library of Medicine
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01790360
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01790360
|United States, New York
|Harlem Prevention Center
|New York, New York, United States, 10027
Sponsors and Collaborators
Columbia University
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
|Principal Investigator:
|Wafaa M El-Sadr, MD
|Columbia University
More Information
Keywords provided by Wafaa Mahmoud El-Sadr, Columbia University:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
|Responsible Party:
|Wafaa Mahmoud El-Sadr, Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, Columbia University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01790360 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
1R01DA032100-01 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
|First Submitted:
|January 7, 2013
|First Posted:
|February 13, 2013
|Last Update Posted:
|August 1, 2017
|Last Verified:
|July 2017
|Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
|Plan to Share IPD:
Keywords provided by Wafaa Mahmoud El-Sadr, Columbia University:
Substance Abuse
Sexual Behavior
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Substance-Related Disorders
Chemically-Induced Disorders
Mental Disorders