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"Some people try to find things in this game that don't exist. But football is only two things: blocking and tackling."
Vince Lombardi
COLUMBIA — South Carolina has it only half-right, which is why head coach Steve Spurrier on Tuesday said half-heartedly he was "flattered" that the Gamecocks are ranked No. 13 with an unsteady 3-1 record.
South Carolina has received Southeastern Conference offensive lineman of the week honors after its last two games (center Clayton Stadnik, left guard A.J. Cann).
Not that running back Mike Davis needs extraordinary blocking, anyway. The rugged, elusive, disproportionately talented sophomore is averaging 7.2 yards per carry.
Davis was a few yards from his fourth touchdown in Saturday's 28-25 victory at Central Florida when he fumbled. A big mistake, one that "almost cost us the game," Spurrier said.
But it's correctable, and so is sloppy tackling that nagged South Carolina again Saturday.
The Gamecocks are ranked almost as high in the Associated Press poll as they are in the SEC in scoring defense (11th).
The fix is reasonably easy, even during the season when college teams don't have many tackling drills in practice.
Ask any dummy.
Better yet, a cutting edge dummy built with student know-how.
"Fundamentals are what you try to teach," Spurrier said. "Obviously, we're still teaching it."
Here is Spurrier, picking apart the problem with some data mixed in:
"We can tackle the dummy out there," he said. "It just sits there. Can you wrap up the dummy? Yeah, that's what you do."
South Carolina allowed 227 rushing yards in a 41-30 loss at Georgia.
"A lot of our guys are still going in high (and) slough off, and a lot of guys are just diving in there," Spurrier said. "They're not fundamentally sound."
'Knockout shot' blues
Vanderbilt outscored the Gamecocks in the fourth quarter, 15-0, in a 35-25 USC win.
Central Florida tossed and dashed its way to 210 passing yards in the fourth quarter.
"I asked one of the linebackers, 'Why do you go in there and just give yourself up and whiff the guy?'" Spurrier said. "He said, 'I was trying for a knockout shot.' I said, 'Well, I hope we don't teach that.'
"So I asked (linebackers) Coach (Kirk) Botkin if we teach the knockout shot. He said, 'No.' So I said, 'Well you need to get that linebacker to quit doing that because it makes us all look pretty stupid.' So we've got some coaching to do."
Yes, these are SEC-caliber football players.
In theory, you don't get a scholarship at South Carolina without advanced tackling skills and a fundamentally sound "all clear" from the recruiting folks.
But there are five freshmen and three sophomores among the nine players listed on South Carolina's three-deep list at linebacker and the hybrid Spur position.
Kids these days. They like that highlight-film hit more than textbook instruction obstruction.
But don't take it out on just any dummy.
Build a better dummy.
Hogs and Vols
Get the best and brightest students involved, a left-brain, right-brain mix of engineering and art (or vice versa).
Customize a new dummy for South Carolina's next four games: at home Saturday night against Kentucky and three straight on the road.
Design the dummy to look good in Kentucky blue, just like John Calipari.
Make sure it can call the Hogs with a "Woooooo, Pig! Sooie!" like the most zealous Arkansas fan.
Of course, it must play Rocky Top — as loud as all Knoxville.
And give the dummy a non-conference schedule as soft as Missouri's.
If that doesn't do it, the Gamecocks are in trouble and probably out of the top 25. Then the artsy engineers in the South Carolina student body will have to get really creative with Gator and Tiger themes.
Follow Gene Sapakoff on Twitter @sapakoff


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Hi, I'm just wondering wether anybody listens to videogame music? I can't get enough of Kingdom Hearts and Chrono Cross OST, especially the battle themes! How bout you guys?
i like the zelda songs "You know what you have to admire? A Catholic hit man who blesses himself just before he strangles someone."-George Carlin
I like to DDR (www.youtube.com/ryuuji14).I Cant Get Enough of JSRF,Gran Tourismo,Ridge Racer,L.A. Rush,Gran Theft Auto (Liberty City). www.myspace.com/1493xddr
Say, are you good at it?I totally suck at dancing games and stuff like that lol. Hears voices in his head...probably due to his headphones.
"some things are better left unknown"
hi every body im new! ^_^
but yea some music from games can do
Haha, I remember when Kingdom Hearts first came out, I didn't even know what it was, but I bought its soundtrack because it looked pretty. Of course now I know what it is and I'm an avid fan. I LOVE video game music. Have you listened to any of the "Tales of..." game soundtracks? nyazers at livejournal dot com
They're pretty sweet. Time to raise the cross and the meaning of birth are my favorites Hears voices in his head...probably due to his headphones.
I used to hum that tune in class lol. Hears voices in his head...probably due to his headphones.
i do i am nothing. i am betsuni
me...i listen to final fantasy x music and other more
wut song do u like tha most i am nothing. i am betsuni.
dmc4 theme by tetsuya shibata. i loved him in the first place so it is ok^_^and utada hikari for kingdom heartsand tales games themes...and some .hack<.<««∂σηt ℓєt tнє ƒα¢є ƒσσℓ уσυ.tιѕ ιт αℓℓ αη α¢t»»
I've only listened to DMC 3 music, but it's from the same guy...I think.Oh yeah, .hack music is pretty sweet too Hunters Erase Any Demonic Presence Haunting Old Native Execution Sites
whenevr i listen to pokemon, i sing along...and sometimes its really annoying cuz i just start singing it out of nowhere
i listen to halo's music (fav is the warthog run music) and i really like the in-game fighting music for blazing angels. There is more but that is all i remember. I am a Gamer by nature. I am a Anime-lover by heart.
Some of the music from Mana Khemia is pretty awesome especially the end battle music. Love... is just a different kind of pain.
I'm afraid that I'm horribly addicted to Final Fantasy music. 'Specially from X and X-2.....There are also some pretty cool intrumentals. Kingdom Hearts is awesome too. I'm bored when I let myself get bored, depressed when I let myself get depressed, angry when I let myself get angry, and all of those when I'm selfish.
Any Jazz Music i hear in Gran Tourismo 3 and 4. Most of Grand Theft Auto Tekken Dance Dance Revolution X on heavy mode. Jet Set Radio Need For Speed games and Ridge Racer. www.myspace.com/rmusicg
My favourite was Funky Dealer "Thou art I. I am thou. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Headphones arcana....."
i agree with u crimsonwings...final fantasy musics are totally awesome
i think its cool.
Final FantasyCan't get enough of the game and the music
I'm not to into RPG's but i listen to street fighter remixes and pixelated versions of songs"It's Time To Take A Dirt Nap!!" - Dead Leaves, #777
the begining themes to halo and final fantasy through out and kingdom of hearts through out<3~LAMOUR~<3
of game music

subset: commoncrawl


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Contact Us
Civil & Architectural Engineering
Dept. 3295
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307)766-2390
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Dept. 3295
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307)766-2390
Email: email@example.com
David Mukai
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering
Room 3095, Engineering Building
University of Wyoming
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering
Dept. 3295
1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Office Phone: 307.766.2390
Fax Number: 307.766.4444
- B.S. with High Honors (Magna Cum Laude), Civil Engineering, University of Hawaii (Honolulu, HI), Dec 1983
- M.S. Civil Engineering, University of Hawaii (Honolulu, HI), Dec 1985
- Ph.D. Civil Engineering, University of Washington (Seattle, WA), 1991
Research Interest
My current research interests are in the areas of theoretical fracture mechanics, reinforced concrete, and structural rehabilitation and monitoring.
Theoretical Fracture Mechanics
My work in fracture mechanics stems from my dissertation research and focuses on interfacial cracks and subsurface fatigue cracks. I have two publications in this area and am planning a future paper on the response of a micro-thin layer subjected to a rigid indenter. This future paper would eventually be applied in testing thin-film depositions used to enhance wear characteristics.
Reinforced Concrete
I have done projects on self-compacting concrete, concrete, concrete constitutive parameters, and object-oriented programming for reinforced concrete. I have published one paper on self-compacting concrete and one on an efficient manner of representing concrete constitutive data. Future work includes evaluating the tensile strength, creep, and shrinkage characteristics of self-compacting concrete. I am in the process of developing an object-oriented library for reinforced concrete section analysis. This software development has resulted in two M.S. students. I plan to continue developing this library in the future.
Structural Rehabilitation
Lastly, my work on structural rehabilitation is in two main areas, heat-straightening repair of damaged steel beams and degradation of concrete beams repaired with Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP). My collaborating with Richard Avent in the area of heat-straightening repair of damaged steel beams has resulted in nine publications. Future work in this area includes investigation of the effect of heat-straightening on fracture and fatigue properties of the steel. I am also working with a researcher in Mechanical Engineering on Fiber Reinforced Plastic degradation. We have a paper pending on the experimental setup and are finishing a manuscript on analyzing the stiffness degradation of the FRP when subjected to ultraviolet light, heat, and moisture. Future work planned in this area includes developing a rational accelerated testing method for determining the durability of FRP subjected to environmental attack. We would also like to correlate the degradation in FRP strength. These results could then be applied to health monitoring of FRP-retrofit beams.
Academic Experience
- University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, Fall 2001 - present
Assistant Professor
- Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, Fall 1995 - Summer 2001
Assistant Professor
- Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA, Winter 1993 - Summer 1995
Engineer/Project Manager
- Seattle University, Seattle, Fall 1992 - Spring 1993
- University of Washington, Seattle, Fall 1985 - Summer 1992
Courses Taught
- Dynamics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Structural Analysis I (Determinate)
- Structural Analysis II (Indeterminate)
- Principles of Reinforced Concrete
- Principles of Prestressed Concrete
- Structural Masonry Design
- Advanced Mechanics of Materials
- Matrix Structural Analysis
- Advanced Concrete Theory
- Structural Dynamics
List of Recent Publications
- Avent, R.R. and Mukai, D.J., 1998, "Heat-Straightening Repairs of Damaged Steel Bridges: A Technical Guide and Manual of Practice", Report No. FHWA-SA-99-034, 248 pp.
Refereed Journal Articles
- Mukai, D.J., 1999, "An Efficient Representation of Concrete Constitutive Data for Moment Capacity Calculations", ACI Structural Journal, Vol. 96, No. 5, pp. 720-727.
- Avent, R. R., Mukai, D. J., 1999, "Fundamental Concepts of Heat-Straightening Repair for Damaged Steel Bridges No. 99-1130", Transportation Research Record 1680 Preventive Maintenance and Evaluation of Pavements and Structures, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., pp. 47-54.
- Avent, R. R., Mukai, D. J., 1999, "Planning, Designing and Implementing Heat-Straightening Repair of Bridges No. 99-1131", Transportation Research Record 1680 Preventive Maintenance and Evaluation of Pavements and Structures, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., pp. 55-62.
- Mukai, D.J. 2000, "An Analysis of a Near-Surface Crack Branching Under a Rigid Indenter", ASME Journal of Tribology, Vol. 122, No. 1, pp. 23-29.
- Avent, R. R, Mukai, D. J., Robinson, 2000, "Effect of Heat Straightening on Material Properties of Steel", ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 188-195.
- Avent, R. R, Mukai, D. J., 2000, "Heat Straightening Damaged Steel Plate Elements", ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 126, No. 7, pp. 747-754.
- Avent, R. R, Mukai, D. J., 2000, "Heat Straightening Rolled Shapes", ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 126, No. 7, pp. 755-763.
- Mukai, D.J., Altan, S., Ehrgott, J. Q., 2000, "Early Strength of Self-Compacting Concrete No. 00-1043", Transportation Research Record 1698 Concrete 2000, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., pp. 61-69.
- Avent, R. R, Mukai, D. J., Robinson, 2000, "Residual Stresses in Heat Straightened Steel Members", ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Tentatively approved (no re-review necessary), required revisions made and re-submitted.
- Avent, R. R, Mukai, D. J., 2000, "Engineered Heat-Straightening Repairs: A Case Study", ASCE Bridge Engineering, accepted for publication, to appear.
- Avent, R. R, Mukai, D. J., 2000, What You Should Know About Heat-Straightening Repair of Damaged Steel", AISC Journal, accepted for publication.
- Avent, R. R., Mukai, D. J., Heymsfield, E., "Repair of Localized Damage in Steel by Heat Straightening",ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, accepted pending revisions, re-review by editor only.


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Christian was unhappy because she couldn't lose weight. Today, she has a new look and a new outlook. With continued support of the experts at UC San Diego Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, Christian took the weight off for her daughter and for herself.
Before weight-loss surgery, Fred Jaeger had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, joint pain and acid reflux. It was obvious to Fred he needed to do something. Today, Fred feels better than he did when he was 18.
Willie DePascale underwent gastric banding surgery after he had a heart attack at age 43.
The Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Management Program at UC San Diego Health is giving patients the tools to shed pounds safely without surgery. Learn more about this program that focuses on behavior modification and integrative therapies and how it helped one patient get on the lung transplant list.
Everybody that goes into this program or any program is looking for a magic bullet, but I've realized there's no such thing in weight loss. You need to make lifestyle changes and to do that you need help, time and education. They teach you how to eat in ways so you don't feel hungry. Over time I went from feeling I had to have this huge, rare steak to feeling satisfied with a 3-ounce portion. It's still rare and it's still rib eye, but I no longer need that large amount ...
Read her and her husband's amazing weight-loss story.Mary Platter-Rieger
When I finally realized that my diabetes was controlling me, I decided to enroll in UC San Diego Health's medically supervised weight-loss program. Now I am in the maintenance phase of the program and feel better, can exercise more, take less medication and I know that I am in control of my diabetes now. It's empowering!Mary Kay C.
After four months on the program, I felt like a deflating balloon. My blood pressure meds were cut in half and then cut again two weeks later. Hopefully soon I'll be able to stop them altogether. I haven't lost as much weight as I had expected, but I can't complain. I'm sure I would lose faster if I was able to exercise more. My arthritis prevents me from working out as much as I should, but since I started working out I feel much better. It feels good to be able to jump, kick and twist!!Anonymous
The UC San Diego Health Weight Management Program is, without a doubt, my best hope of bringing my weight down and getting it under control for good. The medical care is superior and Dr. Grunvald is an excellent doctor. They have a devoted and caring nurse, a knowledgeable health educator and a pleasant and efficient administrative staff. I have tried many methods and programs and this is the best. I have lost almost 25 pounds and it has been relatively painless. I believe my health is being monitored closely by my program doctor. I am feeling better than I have in a decade!Anonymous
After hip replacement surgery, I stopped exercising and gained over 40 pounds. I looked and felt bad, so I joined the program to help me get down to a weight that I could exercise at. I did, and now I ride my bike over 50 miles every week and I've lost 40 pounds.Vic E.
I started the program in January after I got scared and backed out of having gastric sleeve surgery. I was at the end of my rope, having exhausted all options when I discovered this medically supervised weight management program. This program will definitely work if you follow it closely. I lost over 35 pounds in the first phase (13 weeks) and I'm committed to losing the rest, and more importantly, keeping it off this time.
By oing to weekly support group classes with access to a great medical team, I've been able to stay focused and keep losing the weight. I've been able to stop two of my heart medications and my health has improved greatly. I've regained my focus on eating healthfully and walking on a daily basis. I'm holding myself accountable for what goes in my mouth and I have control that I've never been able to sustain before.Donna
I have greatly benefitted from the UC San Diego Health Weight Management Program. I have a history of diabetes and high blood pressure and took medications for several years. Since I have been on the program, I no longer need the medications and have overcome many weight-related health problems. The Weight Management Program staff is knowledgeable and informative. They have continued to be very helpful and supportive during my weight-loss journey.Anonymous
I started the HMR program at UC San Diego Health Weight Management Program as an alternative to surgery that my primary care physician mentioned. In a similar program, I had previously lost a lot of weight but what has made the UC San Diego Health program different is the maintenance phase, which is dedicated to helping you learn how to maintain your weight loss through lifestyle adjustments. This is what has stopped me continuing my usual yo-yo weight-loss pattern.
At the beginning of the program, I was on five prescription drugs including one that was injectable. I still take two pills a day but each is only one-fourth of the original dose. The other two drugs and my injections are now vague memories – and so are the co-pays I was paying for them! Of course, the money I've saved on co-pays has been put into fabulous new clothes!Anonymous
I came to the UC San Diego Health Weight Management Program almost by accident. While having a physical at Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, I was informed that I had suffered a heart attack while recovering from a bout of pancreatitis.
Having gained over 50 pounds, I knew some drastic changes would have to take place in order for me to live a long and healthy life. After completing Phase I of the program (13 weeks), I have lost close to 40 pounds and I feel better, physically and emotionally. I've also learned that by making some important changes to my food choices and portion sizes that you do not have to stop enjoying the experience of eating in order to lose weight and maintain it.
I can't say enough about my experience and the staff of the Weight Management Program. They have worked out a system and if you follow it with a proper exercise regimen, you will experience a life with greater energy, emotional balance and the added benefit of feeling and looking great!
I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to the UC San Diego Health staff for helping me save my life!Bill S.
UC San Diego | School of Medicine | Health Sciences


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As Immunotherapy Revolutionizes the Cancer Treatment...
Developers of DTC Genetic Testing Are...
LC-MS Gains Favor Due To the...
Expanding Use of NGS Has Largely...
© ioannis kounadeas - Fotolia.com
With the highest failure rates of all therapeutic areas, cancer drugs cost their developers more money and consume more development time. Only about 8% of oncology drugs that complete Phase I testing ultimately achieve FDA approval.
The failure of Phase II trial results to translate into positive Phase III data constitutes a major and costly stumbling block in cancer drug development. Companies sometimes undertake Phase II without adequately understanding the drug, its pharmacology, and the condition they would like to target. The result can be a poorly designed clinical development plan unlikely to lead to the drug's approval. Lack of clinical experience with drugs that have novel mechanisms of action contributes to trial failures and complicates the Phase II to Phase III transition.
Recent Phase III cancer drug failures underscore these issues. In January sanofi-aventis reported that a Phase III trial evaluating iniparib in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic triple-negative breast cancer failed to meet the co-primary endpoints of overall survival and progression-free survival. The Phase II study with iniparib in combination with gemcitabine/carboplatin, however, resulted in an improvement in overall survival and a high rate of clinical response in women with relapsed or refractory disease.
Another illustration that good Phase II results do not predict Phase III success comes from Antisoma and Novartis. Development of ASA404 (vadimezan) was halted after interim Phase III trial data showed that it was unlikely to meet the primary endpoint of overall survival when used in combination with chemotherapy for the second-line treatment of NSCLC patients.
The cost of Phase III failures adds up, particularly when a company spends money to acquire rights to a drug or buy a company outright for that drug. The vadimezan Phase III failure necessitated an intangible asset impairment charge of approximately $120 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 for Novartis' pharmaceuticals division. Novartis paid Antisoma $75 million up front for rights to ASA404 in 2007 and a further $25 million upon initiation of the Phase III study. It also agreed to pay milestones of up to $980 million.
The idea that Phase II trial design may be an underlying contributor to Phase III drug failures is not new. Robert Glassman, M.D., Merrill Lynch managing director, succinctly stated the problem in 2007: "There is a lack of predictability in the way Phase II trials are conducted in cancer because few are done in a comparative fashion."
As a result, he said, "problems arise in late-stage trials, which lead to high attrition rates. Noncomparative or uncontrolled trials have limited generalizability due to inherent biases based on trial effects. These trial effects include selection biases based on differential patient selection, investigator- and institution-based biases, over-enthusiasm for new agents—investigators have reasons to want to show that the new agent or combination under their study is superior to standard of care—and random and chance improvements from small numbers of patients in trials."
In an effort to provide some guidance, the Clinical Trial Design Task Force (CTD-TF) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Investigational Drug Steering Committee (IDSC) published a series of discussion papers in the in March 2010 issue of Clinical Cancer Research. The IDSC developed formal recommendations about aspects of Phase II trial design "that are the subject of frequent debate," including endpoints (response versus progression-free survival), randomization (single-arm designs versus randomization), inclusion of biomarkers, biomarker-based patient enrichment strategies, and statistical design (e.g., two-stage designs versus multiple-group adaptive designs).
In general, the IDSC "encourage[s] the use of progression-free survival as the primary endpoint, randomization, inclusion of biomarkers, and incorporation of newer designs," while acknowledging that "objective response as an endpoint and single-arm designs remain relevant in certain situations."
CROs that design and manage clinical trials for pharma and biotech companies believe strongly in the power of a well-designed and executed Phase II trial as part of an overall clinical development plan. "The relatively recent explosion in understanding the molecular pathophysiology of cancer and the identification of new targets is revolutionizing the way we conduct Phase IIa/IIb clinical trials in oncology," Parexel's Denis R. Miller, M.D., therapeutic area team leader, oncology/hematology, told GEN.
"The increased cost of clinical research, the intensely completive environment, the limited number of patients available and willing to enroll in clinical trials, the pressures of time and economics on physicians who are engaged in clinical trials, and the identification of validated biomarkers that accurately predict response are major and compelling considerations that that must be incorporated into the design and conduct of early-phase clinical trials," Dr. Miller noted.
He encourages the use of adaptive designs, enrichment (enrolling only patients whose tumors express the drug target), randomized designs, and selection of endpoints that are surrogates of overall survival. The incorporation of adaptive designs may take a number of forms including changes in eligibility criteria, planned sample size, test statistic or analytic methods, hypothesis, primary endpoint, choice of dose groups or treatment arms, allocation to treatment to achieve balance or assigning fewer subjects to inferior treatment based on interim analysis, and use of an enriched patient population only.
Seamless two-stage designs have been proposed in which Phase I determines safety only via maximal tolerated doses. Phase Ib/IIa would refine that dose by evaluating efficacy and safety to determine the best dose.
Dr. Miller noted that the use of adaptive designs "should go a long way in increasing the likelihood of a successful early-phase clinical trial." These novel approaches should deliver us more efficiently to the next step of conducting a large-scale, pivotal, randomized Phase III trial and increasing the likelihood of success. No longer can we justify inefficient early-phase clinical trials that are wasteful of the limited and precious resources now available to conduct clinical research in oncology."
Patricia F. Dimond, Ph.D. ([email protected]
Patricia F. Dimond, Ph.D. ([email protected]
Patricia F. Dimond, Ph.D. ([email protected]
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Robert and Regina Chewning will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Dec. 21.
Mr. Chewning is a retired coal miner.
Mrs. Chewning formerly worked at Mountaineer Mart.
Robert and ReginaChewning
They have lived in Mabie most of their lives.
They will celebrate their anniversary with their daughter and son-in-law, Julie and Nick LePore; and granddaughter, Alexis Mejia, in Charlotte, N.C.
520 Railroad Ave. , Elkins, WV 26241 | 304-636-2121
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I got more than a few comments about this week's "Preserving Culture" Food feature about making such things as sauerkraut, yogurt and chčvre. Most of the comments centered on how we're not aware that this food preservation method is routinely used for the foods we pick up at the deli, bakery and dairy.
One acquaintance took umbrage over my sarcasm about the Germans failing to take credit for kraut sooner than the Danes used it to keep their sailors free of scurvy.
"How do you know these things?" she challenged.
I didn't. But I am attracted to the meanderings of food historians. I believe what they have to say about as much as I believe other historians. ("History is an agreed upon set of facts.")
Another query was about how I decided to write about such "unusual" things that are "not of common interest."
That's when it was my turn to take umbrage.
It seems to me that an increasing number of people across the country are taking interest in food preservation because of the economy of saving the harvest.
Food trend trackers (yes, I follow them, too) say that home canning, home brewing, food dehydration and cheese-making are all on the rise.
My friend Heather Bryson, who owns the Gable House, and I have had more than one glass of wine lamenting over what pains us in late September. Heather summarizes it well after she's peeled about a truckload and a half of apples from her front-yard trees.
"God, bring on the frost. PLEASE!"
Yes, if you have agrarian roots or parents from New England, or if you've grown up on a ranch or your grandparents are from the old country, you get it.
Putting up the harvest is part of your culture. You might tire of it or grow to resent the time it takes, but who hasn't put up a jar of pickles then smiled in satisfaction when the jar glistens on the kitchen counter?
Who hasn't choked back a spoonful of sandwich relish pretending that it's wonderful, when in fact it's only precious to you because it was how you dealt with a sink full of cucumbers?
I canned nothing this year. I'm using my house renovation as the excuse for all sloth. It's working.
But if I were to make sauerkraut, here's where I would turn to learn the best way to do it.
Lehman's is a down-home store in Amish country, where the Germans, Mennonites and Pennsylvania Dutch shop for all they need to put up the harvest.
Check it out. You won't be disappointed.


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The Avengers, move over.
Patrick Dempsey played a real-life action hero last week, when, using a crowbar, a fire extinguisher and quick timing, the Grey's Anatomy star pulled a teenage boy to safety after his car flipped over near Dempsey's Malibu, Calif., home.
"I was scared for my life. I was upside down," driver Weston Masset, 17, told ABC News after he lost control of his Mustang, which rolled over three times, trapping and leaving him barely conscious. (Watch the interview here.)
After rescuing Masset, Dempsey, a father himself, called paramedics and stayed by the teen's side along with his wife Jillian and three neighbors as Masset was airlifted to the hospital. He was treated for a concussion and an eye injury and is expected to make a full recovery.
Seeing TV's Dr. Derek Shepherd standing before him at the crash site, Masset asked Dempsey, " 'Are you famous?' " Replied the actor: "Yeah, I'm a doctor."
Dempsey, 46, also called Masset's mother to apprise her of her son's situation.
"He had a certain authority in his voice," said a "super-grateful" Mary Beth Masset. "I asked if he was a paramedic and he said, 'No, this is Patrick Dempsey.' I thought, 'McDreamy?' "
Added her son, smiling through the braces on his teeth, "He was there for me. It would have been a lot worse without him."
Dempsey's reps declined to comment on the star's heroics, Robin Roberts said on Good Morning America.
Patrick Dempsey Rescues Teen from Car Crash
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
updated 04/30/2012 AT 10:45 AM EDT
•originally published 04/30/2012 AT 09:40 AM EDT


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Wall Street Decline Takes Its Toll...
Quadruple Helices Appear To Have Role...
Expanding Use of NGS Has Largely...
LC-MS Gains Favor Due To the...
Mycoplasmas, Acholeplasmas, and Ureaplasmas all belong to the Mollicutes class—small prokaryotes that do not have a rigid cell wall. Contamination of cell culture media by these organisms has become a recurring problem for the biopharmaceutical industry. In the 80s, Acholeplasma laidlawii was found to be a major contaminant of animal-derived serum. This resulted in the only somewhat successful use of 0.1 µm rated membrane filters to separate the potential mollicute contaminants.
Spongiform contamination dominated the 90s, resulting in a switch from animal-originated media to plant peptone-derived cell culture media. This change, however, caused the reappearance of mollicute contamination. This time the contamination was not restricted to Acholeplasma laidlawii, it included Mycoplasma orale, pneumoniae, fermentans, arginini, salivarum, hominis, and hyorhinis. As a result, the incidence of mollicute contamination increased significantly and created heretofore unseen problems for the biotechnology industry.
Depending on the information source, the contamination rate of secondary cell cultures varies between 15 and 30% in the U.S.; for primary cell cultures, the contamination rate is 1%.
Detection of a potential contaminant is the first line of defense. The detection of a likely contaminant makes it possible to define specific actions against it and thwart it in the future. Unfortunately, the direct assay detection of mycoplasmas, as per FDA's Points to Consider Document (1993), is slow. The guidance document describes both agar and medium inoculation.
No less than 0.2 mL of product sample is spread over at least two agar plates and is incubated for at least 14 days at 36±1ºC at an anaerobic atmosphere. A >10 mL sample is introduced into 50 mL of medium (Hayflick) and incubated. Samples of the medium are taken at day 3, 7, and 14 and sampled on agar plates and incubated—the minimum time to determine a contamination is 28 days. This drawn-out detection process causes delayed cell culture media releases, which ultimately, impacts product releases as well.
Corresponding to the direct agar/broth method, an indicator cell line test is also recommended. Vero or 3T6 cells are employed, which are inoculated by a >1 mL sample and incubated for 3–5 days at 36±1ºC in a 5% carbon dioxide atmosphere. The cells are fixated and stained utilizing Hoechst stain, which is DNA binding. The identification of contaminating mollicutes is done by fluorescent microscopy.
PCR represents the fastest and, probably, the most reliable rapid detection method available. Depending on the PCR method, sensitivity and speed vary; Touchdown PCR provides results within 5–8 hours with a sensitivity of 1 cfu/mL. A major disadvantage of any PCR method is the fact that it cannot distinguish between living or dead cells, which can result in the rejection of usable media. On the other hand, the speed, accuracy, and broad detectability represents an excellent opportunity for go-no-go decisions to be made before media is supplied into the process.
Inactivation of the contaminant is the next preventive measure. Comparable to viral clearance, the best approach to process fluid safety is a multistep, orthogonal inactivation and removal practice. Typical inactivation steps for mycoplasma contaminants can be the use of antibiotics (Gentamycin is effective to a certain degree), heat treatment at 45ºC for 30 min or 60ºC for 10 min, radiation, or pH shift.
Heat, pH, and radiation can alter media components, though. Heat is mainly introduced by the use of 80ºC water for injection, into which the powdered media is mixed and solubilized. Contact time and uniformity of the mixing process are essential for the heat inactivation step. Mycoplasmal contamination has been reported after heat treatment, however, this could be due to insufficient mixing. The use of radiation has been found to produce a reduction of viable mycoplasma > log 8 at a radiation dose of 25–35 kGy. Nevertheless, any of these steps require validation to verify the inactivation robustness versus the media product stability and efficacy.
Maik W. Jornitz ([email protected]
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NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – As Cooley Dickinson Hospital reports nine months of data, the trend is clear: The implementation of portable ultraviolet light technology to disinfect patient rooms dramatically reduces the risk of acquiring Clostridium difficile (C.diff) during a hospital stay.
At Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH), the chances of acquiring any infection during or after a hospital stay are significantly less than 1 percent compared to a 5+percent risk in general in the nation.
In May, CDH announced an 82 percent drop in C. diff, a virulent germ that can cause diarrhea, sepsis and even death. The decrease occurred following adoption in January of room cleaning with the Xenex Px-UV Disinfection System, an added step among many CDH already takes to eliminate infections.
At that time, the CDH infection prevention team noted that the UV light appeared to prevent transmission of germs within the hospital. Other customers reporting positive results from their use of Xenex's room disinfection system include Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center and Cone Health System in North Carolina.
Three months later, CDH continues to hold its gains.
"Not only did our rates go down per our initial hypothesis, but since we started using the UV light technology, no one has needed surgery or died from a hospital-acquired case of C dif," said Joanne Levin, MD, Medical Director of the CDH Infection Prevention Program.
Infection and complications from infection are a risk in hospitals nationwide. Each year in the United States, approximately 165,000 hospitalized patients get C. diff – and 9,000 of them (5.4 percent) die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cooley Dickinson has had no hospital-acquired deaths from C diff. in 2011.
Sharing Best Practice Levin presented CDH's data last week with infectious diseases and infection prevention physicians, providers and practitioners from around the globe at the 42nd annual Infectious Diseases Society of America conference held in Boston in late October.
"We were the first hospital in the U.S. to implement Xenex's UV light technology facility-wide," said Levin, an infectious prevention physician who has practiced in the field for more than 20 years. She said the results were so dramatic that "we had to let the Infectious Disease and Infection prevention world know about it."
"The forward-thinking work of Dr. Levin and her team at CDH is paving the way for other hospitals around the country," says Dr. Mark Stibich, Chief Scientific Officer of Xenex Healthcare Services. "Other facilities are looking at the CDH results and getting an understanding of how the Xenex disinfection will improve their HAI rates, and most importantly, save patient lives."
Understanding C.diff C. diff is a bacterium that causes inflammation of the colon. According to the CDC, the elderly and people who have other illnesses or conditions requiring prolonged use of antibiotics are at greater risk of acquiring this disease. What makes the C.diff germ is especially virulent is that the organism can make spores, which are like seeds with a hard shell. Even strong hospital cleaning products can't penetrate the shell. Subsequently, C.diff can live in an environment for months. In one study, C.diff disease was found on 49 percent of surfaces in hospital rooms housing a patient with the infection and on 29 percent of surfaces in rooms with a patient who carries the germ but has no symptoms, according to a March 2011 report in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
The Technology UV light has long been used as a hospital disinfectant, starting in the 1950s when it was used to clean the air in TB wards. Levin said the light fell out of favor over the years due to maintenance and cost concerns. Brian Cruver, CEO of Xenex, manufacturer of the portable UV light product, said that other room disinfection technologies have been in use for several years. Now, Cooley Dickinson Hospital's results "offer proof to hospitals of what our unique pulsed-xenon technology can do," Cruver added.
According to Xenex, the UV disinfection system has consistently shown to be more than 20 times more effective against C. diff and other "superbugs" than standard cleaning practices alone. The Xenex system quickly kills microorganisms on surfaces and in the air without contact or additional chemicals. The UV light penetrates the cell walls of the germ – fusing their DNA together – leading to instant damage, the inability to reproduce or mutate and killing the organism.
Reducing other hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) According to the CDC, HAIs are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
Said Levin, "the use of UV light is only one of many programs CDH has in place to prevent the in-hospital spread of drug-resistant organisms such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)," another infection that the CDC considers a public health threat, as well as 11 others.
"We are striving to eliminate the transmission of infections through a combination of best cleaning practices, hand hygiene, surveillance and technology, such as the hospital-wide use of UV room disinfection," added Levin. "We are more aggressively implementing these practices and our effort is paying off for our patients."
ABOUT COOLEY DICKINSON HOSPITAL Cooley Dickinson, a full-service community hospital, is ranked in the top 5 percent of all U.S. hospitals in patient safety by HealthGrades®, the country's leading independent health care ratings organization. It is the only hospital in the Springfield area to achieve the HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ for three consecutive years. Cooley Dickinson's staff of 1,650 professionals and nearly 400 affiliated physicians comprise a network of emergency, surgical, clinical, rehabilitative, hospice and home care expertise that treats 40,000 emergency patients per year, delivers 800 babies, and collaborates with Massachusetts General Hospital to deliver comprehensive cancer care. Cooley Dickinson's vision is to be the nation's premier not-for-profit community hospital, able to provide local access to the most advanced clinical treatments in a caring and neighborly setting. Learn more at www.cooley-dickinson.org.
ABOUT XENEX HEALTHCARE SERVICES Xenex develops pulsed xenon UV disinfection systems for the advanced cleaning of the patient environment in healthcare facilities. The Xenex system is the fastest, safest, most portable and easy to use system available today among room disinfection technologies. The Xenex mission is to significantly reduce the number of HAIs that impact the health and lives of millions of patients and their families and become the new standard method for disinfection in healthcare facilities worldwide. For more information, contact email@example.com or visit http://www.xenex.com/.
For Immediate Release: Nov. 7, 2011
Contact: Christina Trinchero, Cooley Dickinson Hospital Marketing Communications (413) 582-2421
Cooley Dickinson Hospital • 30 Locust St. (Route 9), Northampton, Mass. • (413) 582-2000


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Serves 4 |
Prep Time 5 minutes |
Cook Time 15 minutes
2 cups Eden Oat Flakes
1/2 cup Eden Dried Cranberriesor any Eden Dried Fruit
1 pinch Eden Sea Salt
2 cups Edensoy Unsweetened or Vanilla
2 cups cold water
4 tsp any Eden Gomasioor Eden Shake
Place the oats, sea salt, Edensoy and water in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Place in serving bowls and garnish with dried fruit, any Eden Gomasio or Eden Shake, and Edensoy Unsweetened if desired.
Note: Eden Dried Cranberries or Dried Cherries can be substituted for fresh fruit.
American, Breakfast, Condiments, Edensoy, Fruit, Good/High Fiber, Good/High Protein, Low Sodium, Macrobiotic, Snacks, Vegan, Whole Grain


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The Influence of Tissue Conductivity and Head Geometry on EEG Measurement Sensitivity Distributions
Wendel, Katrina Elizabeth
Publication type: Doctoral dissertation
Issue date: 2010-06-18
Language: en
Pages: 60
Belongs to: Tampereen teknillinen yliopisto. Julkaisu - Tampere University of Technology. Publication;900
Supervisor: Malmivuo, Jaakko
Opponent: Babiloni, Fabio; Haueisen, Jens
University: Tampere University of Technology
Faculty: Faculty of Science and Environmental Engineering
Department: Department of Biomedical Engineering
Electrical neuroimaging is a contemporary functional imaging method that evolves electroencephalography (EEG) beyond traditional signal analysis. It exploits the millisecond temporal resolution of EEG and integrates it with its spatial resolution, which is mapped according to the measurement sensitivity distribution of the measurement leads. This thesis assesses the EEG measurement sensitivity distribution according to the influence of tissue conductivities, electrode placement, electrode type, and geometries upon volume conductor head models. The conductivity of the skull is correlated with the age of the patient, recognizing that juveniles have higher spatial resolution than adults. Surface electrodes are compared with subdermal electrodes and are found to be non-interchangeable because the subdermal electrodes measure electric activity from one-eighth the volume of their surface-electrode counterparts. More accurate geometrical definitions naturally yield more precise forward and inverse calculations; however, a stochastically deformable generic head model based on anthropometric data addresses the void in imaged and segmented heads of different ages, genders and head shapes. Comprehensively, the investigation of these three key areas improves the knowledge of the EEG measurement sensitivity distributions, which will conceivably translate into clinical improvements in the diagnostics of brain functionality.
Copyright: This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.


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Wall Street Decline Takes Its Toll...
LC-MS Gains Favor Due To the...
Adapting to Evolving Business Environments Is...
Quadruple Helices Appear To Have Role...
Micropharma reported new research regarding a new probiotic supplement, Cardioviva™, and its ability to naturally lower "bad" and esterified cholesterol. The new evidence in support of Cardioviva not only suggests new potential causes of high cholesterol and methods for naturally managing it, but also adds to an emerging body of research on the gut bacterial microbiome and the essential role it plays in overall health.
"Recent evidence suggests that an unbalanced or 'dysbiotic' gut microbiome may be caused by environmental factors such as poor diet and antibiotic use, and is not only found in patients with metabolic disease, but may lead to the development of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease," says Mitchell Jones, M.D., Ph.D., CSO and co-founder of Micropharma.
"We proposed a natural solution for lowering cholesterol by creating gut balance—first, through diet to encourage the right bugs, and secondly through supplementing the gut with the right bacteria," Dr. Jones says. "Our two clinical trials have evaluated ~240 subjects and showed that supplementing the microbiome (gut) with Cardioviva naturally lowered LDL ("bad"), total, and esterified cholesterol in adults with moderately high cholesterol. A third clinical trial of 150 subjects is currently under way."
"Micropharma has brought a clinical development path to the world of supplements, with tools and techniques for dissecting the microbiome to find natural and novel ways to improve metabolic health," says Ryan Jones, president and CEO of Micropharma. "We are proud that Cardioviva is the first probiotic to clinically move a recognized marker of disease."
"The results of this research is positive, in light of current treatment guidelines that recommend lowering LDL-C as one of the first lines of therapy for reducing CVD risk," says Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., distinguished professor of nutrition, Penn State University. "Since diet and other lifestyle approaches are the first step in treating elevated LDL-C, a non-prescription product that enhances lifestyle interventions for LDL-C lowering is of great interest, both to health professionals as well as the general public."
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Share |
2015: Atlantic Sun Pair of the Week (Mar. 24)… Atlantic Sun Conference Scholar ... Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team ... Went 20-8 in dual matches while playing at the No. 3 seed with Holly Reschke ... Went 7-1 in A-Sun matches.
2014: Atlantic Sun First-Team All-Conference… Atlantic Sun Pair of the Week (Mar. 18)… Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team... Went 17-8 overall in dual match play primarily at the #2 position…Posted a 5-3 mark in regular season A-Sun matches and a 4-1 record at the A-Sun Championships…Won first nine dual matches of the year, including wins over Tulane, Georgia State, Jacksonville, UNF, and FGCU...Had a crucial win at the #2 seed vs. North Florida in the conference tournament to secure the program's first A-Sun Championship title…Competed with partner Catherine Coston in the AVCA Collegiate Pairs Championship.
2013: Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team ... Recorded a 12-12 record overall, 4-4 in the A-Sun ... Had one win at #1, eight wins at #2, and three wins at #3 ... Went 5-1 at the Fiesta on Siesta Key, advancing to the Gold Division Semifinal ... Won twice with Katie DiGirolamo vs. Jacksonville in the Atlantic Sun Championship.
2012: Recorded 12-15 record overall, tying for fourth on the team in wins...paired exclusively with Kaylee Ream all season, winning the A-Sun Flight 5 Championship.
2011 (indoor): Appeared in 22 matches with three starts as a freshman...recorded 100 digs, 10 assists and three kills on the year...season-high 19 digs Oct. 8 at Mercer...had 11 digs three times (Sept. 24 vs. Jacksonville, Oct. 22 at Belmont, Oct. 29 win over FGCU).
Prior to Stetson: varsity beach champion (2007-10), 2009 and 2010 USA Volleyball Junior Series Siesta Key event winner...Manatee County All-Star at Southeast HS (Bradenton, Fla.)...team MVP...Teacher's Choice Award...Southeast HS prom queen...played four years of varsity volleyball and three years of varsity softball.
Personal: Full name is Savannah Althea Byl...Daughter of Thomas Meyers and Georgia Plath...Is majoring in Elementary Education.


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Scroll Wall Sconce
This item is currently not available.
Additional Information
Plant Sconce Adds a Decorative Touch
- Scrolled metal hanger creates a lovely wall display
- Add a small plant or LED candle
- May be displayed indoors or out
This decorative ring holds a small plant right on the wall. Holds most standard 4-1/2" to 5" diameter pots. Includes a platform that transforms the ring into an LED candle holder. Use flameless LED candles only.
Product Details
- Powder-coated steel in dark bronze color
- 4-1/2" W x 13" H x 5" D overall
- Center ring holds most 4-1/2" to 5" pots
- May be used indoors or outdoors
- Use flameless LED candles only
- Mounting hardware, potted plant and LED candles are not included
There are no special shipping restrictions or charges associated with this item. For detailed information about our delivery methods and charges, click here.
We're proud of the fact that this item is shipped to you directly from our warehouse in Vermont, by one of our 250 employee-owners. In-stock items are packed with care and shipped within the next business day to ensure prompt delivery to your home and garden!


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MORGANTOWN Chris Haering, head football coach at Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) High School for 17 years, wasn't really looking for a new job when the University of Pittsburgh hired him in January.
"It's really a great situation with a good guy, and I didn't have to move." The former West Virginia University linebacker said this week.
"It was a really good opportunity for me, and I feel like this was a good place to work. I've coached a lot of good kids in the Pittsburgh area that went on to college, and I enjoyed coaching them in high school."
Article Photos
Paul Chryst, Pitt's new head coach, was a graduate assistant on WVU's football staff in 1989-90.
Chryst hired Haering to coach the Panthers' linebackers.
"It's nice to be a part of a great football program at the University of Pittsburgh now," said Haering, who earned All-America status as a Mountaineer linebacking star in 1988.
His rise to collegiate coaching doesn't surprise Don Nehlen, under whom Haering was a starter in 1986-89. He would serve as a team captain his senior season.
"From the day I recruited him, to the day he left West Virginia, I thought he was as special a young guy who has ever walked through these doors," the Hall of Fame retiree said.
He also told Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "I wanted him on my staff (at WVU) at one point, but things just didn't work out."
Coaching is something Haering always wanted to do. That desire goes all the way back to his senior year in high school at Pueblo, Colo.
He's not only following in the footsteps of his father, Chuck, but also his uncle, Joe. Both grew up in Pittsburgh and still are coaching.
In addition, Chris' younger brother, Mark, is coaching at Pueblo South High.
During his 17 years as head coach at Mt. Lebanon High, Haering had a career record of 111 victories and 71 losses. One of his teams captured the prestigious WPIAL Championship.
Haering, who's now 44, was considered one of the finest and most respected scholastic coaches in the Pittsburgh area.
Haering was a key defensive cog in 1988 when the Mountaineers finished 11-0 and then lost to Notre Dame 34-21 in a Fiesta Bowl battle for the national championship.
He was credited with a four-year total of 416 tackles, including 194 solo stops and 222 assists. He also had five interceptions for 60 yards in losses, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, and four pass break-ups.
Haering's tackle totals still rank among the best in WVU history.
Haering's friends in West Virginia will be wishing him all the best as a college coach.


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EAST LIVERPOOL - Employees in the city school district will be discouraged from taking a shooting course being offered through the state's attorney general that one board member said is the first step in having armed school personnel.
Member Richard Wolf referred to a recent announcement by Attorney General Mike DeWine that the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) will hold a one-day Active Shooter Response Training for Educators course across the state this year.
"Obviously, this is the first step in arming school personnel," Wolf said, also saying "there are many empty minds" who hope to seize their 15 minutes of fame with such events as the recent deadly shooting in a Connecticut school.
He moved to send a letter to DeWine's and other agencies in opposition to the shooting course and also to encourage district employees to refuse to participate in the course, which was passed unanimously, with member Scott Dieringer absent.
Another motion by Wolf to increase security at the Potters Fieldhouse failed for lack of a second.
He said the Fieldhouse is the "most vulnerable" of the district's facilities, with constant traffic in and out and little supervision of who comes and goes.
A motion to install an electronic monitoring system at the entrances was not afforded a second by other members.
The board did vote in favor of a motion to purchase a BioMetric time clock system from TimeQPlus of Raleigh, N.C. at an initial cost of $2,620 after a presentation by district employee Nate Aldrich.
Superintendent James Herring reported that the Ohio State Highway Patrol conducted a "spot" inspection of 12 buses and each passed, for which he congratulated the transportation department.
He also reported that LaCroft fourth-grade teacher Phillip Davis had won a national contest for the Discovery Channel and will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the national science fair in Phoenix.
In observance of School Board Recognition Month, Herring presented certificates of appreciation to board members, noting each member's consecutive years of service: Scott Dieringer, five: Robert Estell, five; Janice Martin, six years, three months; Larry Walton, seven; and Richard Wolf, three (31 years total).
In presenting the certificates, Herring said, "People don't realize the hours behind the scenes by the board. You really have to love a school district to be on the board."


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on September 14, 2012 - 12:01 AM
The most emotional moment of Thursday's State Supreme Court hearing came when Michael C. Ettipio turned to face the parents of Bryce Buchholz and told them he hoped they would someday be able to forgive him for killing their teenage son in a drunken-driving accident in May.
But the most striking moment came when Justice John L. Michalski sharply criticized the bar employees who continued to serve Ettipio while he was visibly intoxicated, saying they shared responsibility for Bryce's death.
A packed courtroom filled with family and friends of the defendant and the victim watched as Ettipio was sentenced to up to three years in prison at a somber proceeding where the dangers of drinking and driving were on stark display.
"Over time, I believe we can forgive, but we will never forget," William Buchholz, Bryce's father, told the court.
Ettipio, 24, of Lancaster, had pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular manslaughter in the death of 14-year-old Bryce, who was riding his bicycle on Lake Avenue when Ettipio slammed into him, killing him instantly, before Ettipio fled the scene.
A witness, Benny Kirkland, followed Ettipio, ordered him into his vehicle and drove him back to the scene.
In the hours before the accident, Ettipio had been drinking with buddies and co-workers at the ForestView Restaurant on Transit Road.
Video surveillance footage turned over by the restaurant to Lancaster police investigators showed Ettipio stumbling around, falling to the floor and sitting down for seven full seconds before he got back up, Solek said.
The bartender continued serving Ettipio, who did a shot of liquor before leaving and started walking in the wrong direction before his friends pointed him toward his SUV.
"No one stops him. No one," said prosecutor Bethany A. Solek, who noted that Ettipio tested with a blood-alcohol level of 0.24 percent, three times the legal limit for drivers.
"The proof here is overwhelming," she said.
Ettipio's defense attorney, Daniel M. Killelea, attempted to portray his client as a decent young man who made a horrible mistake that night but willingly accepted responsibility.
"Mike Ettipio blames no one else for this," said Killelea, who represented Ettipio with Michael Mohun.
Bryce had been out doing bike tricks with his friend Ryan Neth, also 14, on the night of May 3 and was riding home on Lake, near Sagebrush Lane, at the time of the accident.
Ryan heard the crash that killed Bryce and saw his friend lying dead on the ground, Solek said in court Thursday.
William Buchholz told the court of how helpless he felt driving to the hospital that night, knowing only that Bryce had been hit by a car and hoping that his son had only broken a limb.
He said it was devastating to see his son's lifeless body and to think of all of the life experiences � driving a car, or attending his high school prom � that Bryce never will have.
"Bryce, my buddy, was gone," said William Buchholz, adding that the happy times they shared in his son's short life are only memories now.
Killelea said Ettippio, his client, agonizes over Bryce's death and has spent the summer since his swift guilty plea volunteering, including speaking at victim impact panels to convicted drunken drivers.
Ettipio spoke haltingly as he tried to express his remorse to the Buchholz family and the shame he feels for his own family. Facing the Buchholzes, he said, "I'm so very sorry. I understand if you hate me, but I hope someday to earn your forgiveness."
Before issuing his sentence, Michalski said an empty chair at the defense table represents the ForestView employees who continued to serve Ettipio even though he was visibly intoxicated and are "equally responsible" for Bryce's death.
The judge said the employees can't be prosecuted criminally but he hopes they "incur a different form of justice" through the civil court system.
Ettipio's sentence of one to three years was on the lower end of the sentencing range of probation to 15 years in prison.
He had been free on bail since his guilty plea but, after sentencing, court officers placed him in handcuffs as his father, Michael, and mother, Dolores, looked on in anguish.
Outside court, Ettipio's parents did not speak to reporters; Killelea said he would not appeal the sentence.
Linda Buchholz said she hopes the attention paid to the case against Ettipio convinces members of the public not to make the same mistake he did in choosing to drink and drive.
Asked what went through her mind at the hearing, she told reporters, "I miss my son, and I'll never have him back."
The Buchholzes in June filed a civil suit against Ettipio and the owners of the ForestView Restaurant in State Supreme Court, and they have watched the footage of Ettipio from the bar with their attorney, Christopher O'Brien.
"It was horrific for them," O'Brien said.
Patrick Kenney, the attorney representing ForestView, in an interview, emphasized the restaurant's cooperation in the police investigation but he declined to address Michalski's remarks or the content of the surveillance video.
Bryce's death opened a deep wound in Lancaster.
He was part of a group of teens who rode their skateboards and BMX bikes in the village and members of the community are raising money to build a skate and bike park in his memory.


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The undergraduate program prepares graduates for generalist practice at the baccalaureate level through program options leading to the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing. Baccalaureate graduates are prepared to apply theory and research from physical, behavioral, and nursing science to the practice of nursing in health promotion, risk reduction, and disease prevention and management across the life span.
The Decker School of Nursing offers graduate level programs of study culminating in professional graduate degrees of the Master of Science (MS) and Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) with majors in family, community health, psychiatric mental health or adult-gerontological nursing. The Decker School also offers the research degree Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing, with emphases in rural health and vulnerable populations.
Innovative Simulation and Practice Center
At the Decker School of Nursing, the Innovative Simulation and Practice Center (ISPC) is an integral part of the education experience. The laboratory space and equipment that comprise the Center significantly expanded in 2005 with a generous gift from the Dr. G. Clifford and Florence B. Decker Foundation.


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From teaching to learning
Westminster Matters
From Teaching to Learning
Moving from the "Sage on the Stage" to
Normally, we use editions of Westminster Matters to share important ideas or provocative approaches to a subject from guest lecturers who visit campus. And we certainly have a lot of such lecturers: leading intellectuals, authors, and nationally and internationally recognized figures come to our campus on a regular basis to speak to our students. But I thought that for this edition, I would depart from the norm and write about why I believe the work we are doing at Westminster is important and provocative. In the following essay, I try to explain what Westminster is doing to create a powerful educational experience for students. I hope it will give you a sense of some of the critical issues facing American higher education and provide you with a framework for thinking about what you might expect from our colleges and universities in the twenty-first century. I welcome your comments.
There is a transformation taking place in American higher education. It's a transformation that is subtle, still in its early stages, and largely unnoticed by most people, including many in the academy. But it has the potential to change the educational practices of thousands of colleges and universities and alter, in fundamental ways, the skill sets of millions of college graduates.
Westminster is part of the leading wave of institutions that are deliberately moving from one way of organizing the educational process to another. This essay is an effort to explain this alternative paradigm and to share Westminster's progress in making the change from one to the other.
The Teaching Paradigm
The paradigm that frames the educational process in most colleges and universities has been in use since the Middle Ages. While the Greeks and Romans sought knowledge from individual teachers, no one received a degree from Socrates or a diploma from Aristotle. Those symbols of knowledge were developed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries when the "machinery of instruction represented by faculties and colleges and courses of study, examinations and commencements and academic degrees" were developed at universities in Paris and Bologna. In these institutions, Scholasticism ruled as both a method of instruction and a religious philosophy designed to prevent heresy. As an instructional method, it generally involved a teacher reading a text, expounding on certain words and ideas, without students being allowed to even ask questions: instructors explained, and students listened in silence. When students were allowed to ask questions, in a formalized process called disputatio, they simply served as a springboard for the teacher to advance a response and cite authoritative texts to provide additional proof for his position. (See The Rise of Universities, Charles Homer Haskins; Henry Holt and Co, New York; 1923.)
With some modifications, we have used that educational model ever since. The basic building block in the paradigm is "the class," where a teacher lectures about a given subject to a group of students (sometimes a huge group) who take notes in preparation for some scheduled examination. Teachers are thought of as "subject matter experts." They are responsible for selecting the material to be presented to students; presenting that material, usually in the form of a lecture; specifying what students should read; assigning papers and developing exams to test students on the material; and, finally, giving each student a grade. Students are responsible for attending class, paying attention to the material the teacher presents and assigns, retaining as much of it as possible, and then writing papers and answering questions on examinations. If a student doesn't perform well on the paper or the exam, the presumption is that they lacked sufficient talent or motivation to succeed.
In many ways, this model assumes an almost mechanistic transfer of knowledge from teacher to student. By selecting the material, presenting it, and assessing students' retention of that material, the teacher maintains total control of the classroom. Correspondingly, students expect the teacher to give them information and to tell them how to think about it—in other words, to teach them. Exactly what students are expected to learn in the class is rarely specified.
Learning can take place in such a system. After all, many of us went through it and survived quite well. Our teachers gave us a lot of information, and we absorbed much of it. But for most students, me included, when our schooling was finished and our diplomas hung on the wall, we encountered a hard reality. The more time passed, the more difficult it became to remember what we learned or even what courses we took. Some things stuck, but the vast majority was lost.
The Learning Paradigm
There is another way to approach what happens in school that not only avoids this pitfall, but also generates some distinct advantages. It is based on a paradigm that minimizes the emphasis on teaching and shifts attention to what and how a student learns. Here, the teacher is not the expert provider of knowledge, but rather a guide who helps students discover knowledge and build skills. The teacher becomes a supporter, a collaborator, and a coach for students as they learn to evaluate and gather information, test ideas, and explore their application to different issues and problems. They begin to learn how to develop and pose their own questions and to explore alternative ways of finding and framing answers. So instead of working only to master the subject matter of a course, students are developing the skills to learn on their own. They no longer wait to be taught—they come to realize that, if they are to succeed, they must take a good deal of responsibility for their own learning.
The learning paradigm, like so many things that appear to be new and innovative, has been with us for a very long time. While today it can be quite elaborate in its execution, the basic notion, captured in an ancient Chinese proverb we have all heard before, is actually quite simple: tell me, and I will forget; show me, and I may remember; involve me, and I will understand.
This proverb is supported by a good deal of contemporary research. There is ample evidence: when students are actively engaged in learning—when they are encouraged to wrestle with ideas and develop and test their own theories—they learn more, retain information longer, understand concepts more completely, and can more readily apply what they have learned. The net result is learning that is deeper, richer, and more useful. (See How College Affects Students, Vol. 2: A Third Decade of Research (2005)
Three Essential Practices
Using the learning paradigm requires three essential practices. First, establishing clear goals is critical. The teacher must begin each course by specifying, in some detail, exactly what students are expected to learn. The learning goals they identify will vary from one course and program to another. In some, they will include only lower-level skills requiring simple recall or identification. In others, more complex skills requiring analytical, integrative, or critical thinking will be what students are expected to develop. In most cases, however, learning goals appropriate to a given course or program include a combination of knowledge, skills, and orientations seen as important in a particular discipline or area of study. And in almost every case, the learning goals require more of students than is the case in the old teaching paradigm. Faculty can set higher expectations for student learning for they know that when students are more engaged, they welcome the challenges that accompany high standards.
Second, with goals clearly articulated, faculty then design, or in some cases simply identify, learning activities or experiences to help students learn those things relevant to the learning goal. When this model is used to its fullest, faculty will put together a variety of learning experiences tailored to the different learning styles and levels of preparation of their students. These can include projects, presentations, simulations, debates, field work, and service-learning, as well as more traditional activities such as participating in discussions, writing papers, and completing reading assignments. Faculty then coach students on how to get the most out of each activity. Lecturing is not prohibited—it simply is one of a wide variety of activities that teachers can use to help students to learn.
The third essential ingredient is assessing student learning. Certainly, faculty still evaluate each student's level of learning, whether for assigning grades or for designating students as proficient. But assessment is important as well if faculty are to learn how to improve the effectiveness of their courses. If a number of students are struggling to meet a particular learning goal, the teacher may need to rethink how best to help students meet that goal, rather than assuming that the deficiency lies with the students.
Assessing lower level skills and knowledge acquisition is fairly straightforward. The challenge presents itself when it comes to evaluating higher-order learning in ways that are both valid and reliable. And the challenge is considerable. It takes great proficiency in methods of assessing learning to evaluate students on their ability to do such things as think analytically or critically. Yet there is general agreement that development of such higher-order skills is precisely the kind of learning goal we should set for students.
What is described in this essay is a version of the learning paradigm that conforms to the universal standard that courses begin and end on prescribed dates. There is, however, a more far-reaching version of the learning paradigm where there is no set period of time by which students are expected to achieve the learning goals prescribed for a given course of study. Students who differ with respect to talent, motivation, prior levels of knowledge and skills, and amount of time they can devote to learning can be expected to achieve the learning goals more or less quickly. In contrast to the standard system where time is held constant and learning varies; here, time varies and learning is held constant. Westminster will be offering a program that includes this feature beginning in fall, 2008, but I'll describe that at a later date.
An Illustration
The principles of chemistry course at Westminster serves as a good illustration of the course-based learning paradigm in action. The professor who teaches this course acknowledges in her syllabus that her focus "requires a dramatic change in roles for the instructor and the students." She goes on to explain that she believes her role is to "guide students in the process of learning" and that she serves as "a supporter, collaborator, and coach for students as they learn to gather and evaluate information." That leads to a radically different educational experience for students. In the old teacher-centered paradigm, she might, for example, deliver a brilliant lecture explaining the essential properties of compounds and their ability to take the form of a liquid, a solid, or a gas. She might send students to a chemistry lab where they are asked to carry out a prescribed set of steps leading to a predetermined result. But using the learning-centered model, she covers the same material in a totally different way. For example, she runs a computer simulation illustrating what a chemical like chlorine looks like as a gas, a solid, and a liquid and then asks the students to examine the models and determine, for themselves, what characteristics define each of the three states and how they differ from one another. The students are suddenly thrown into a process of looking at data, critically analyzing the properties of a chemical in separate states, and drawing comparisons between those properties. They are creating and testing theories. They are developing knowledge rather than just absorbing it.
Change is Never Easy
Some students resist the change from one model to the other, at least initially. They fill out teacher evaluation forms and complain that "the professor expected me to figure it out for myself rather than just giving me the correct answer." But most undergo a transformation during the course of a semester. For most, learning becomes an adventure. One student noted that "I was resistant to a course that made me discover things; I wanted someone to do the thinking for me. But in the end I learned a lot about chemistry and about my own strengths and weaknesses. I also found that learning chemistry could be great fun".
Obviously this learning-centered approach takes more work than the traditional teacher-centered paradigm where some professors have been known to use the same lecture notes for years. And I have to confess that some members of the faculty resist the change to a learning paradigm as vehemently as some students do. They point out, quite rightly, that learning can take place in the old teacher-centered model. After all, they argue, good teachers have always given students a lot of information and, at the same time, have inspired them to work hard to absorb it and learn from it.
A Learning-Centered Campus
But in today's world, that is no longer enough. The learning paradigm is a more appropriate response to the demands that the world makes on educated citizens and on higher education. Westminster feels so strongly about this that we have reached beyond the learning-centered classroom and are hard at work building a learning-centered campus. Almost every activity at Westminster is designed to promote engaged learning. We deliberately and intentionally encourage learning beyond, as well as within, the curriculum, which is active, experiential, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary. So we put our first-year students into learning communities where they work together to apply concepts from at least two different disciplines to a particular topic of interest. We encourage students to engage in undergraduate research where, sometimes in groups and sometimes by themselves, they engage in original research under the guidance of a faculty member. We have created institutes and centers that encourage students from different disciplines to work together to develop initiatives that address real-world problems or opportunities related to issues like diversity, the environment, civic engagement, and entrepreneurship. And because we acknowledge that some of the most powerful learning can take place beyond the campus, we encourage community-based learning as well as internships, travel, and study abroad.
Let me explain why Westminster chose to move in this direction. We did so for two principal reasons.
The Need for Accountability
First, many people argue that higher education needs to be more accountable for what and for how much its graduates have learned. We agree. The world that today's graduates will occupy is far more complex and volatile than the one that most of us encountered when we received our college degrees. And the challenges they will face seem to grow more daunting with each passing year. Is American higher education preparing today's graduates to deal with these challenges? Are we preparing them to take advantage of the opportunities that do present themselves? Many say the answer is no.
For quite some time, employers have said that the grades a student earns tell them little or nothing about whether that student has the skills necessary to be successful in the workplace. They point out that regardless of their grades or field of study, too many college graduates cannot write well, speak cogently, or think critically and creatively. Also, state legislators continue to ask if the dollars they are investing in their state's higher education system are producing the kinds of returns they expect. In addition, as the cost of higher education continues to rise, parents want to know whether one college or another will do a better job of educating their children and preparing them for successful careers. Some even go so far as to question whether the time and cost of earning a college degree is a good investment in their children's future. And now, as never before, accreditation bodies are being pushed hard by the federal government to ensure that colleges and universities are producing graduates who are well prepared to contribute to the new economy. In short, American higher education is being held to a new standard of accountability. Colleges and universities are being asked to assess the degree to which students are learning what the institution claims they are learning and to make this information available to anyone who asks.
Westminster has accepted the accountability challenge in ways that simply would not have been possible had we not adopted the learning paradigm and its three basic practices. First, faculty in each academic program on our campus are asked to identify the learning goals that are specific to their program—in other words, to specify exactly what the students enrolled in that program are expected to learn.
Second, they are asked to identify exactly where each of these goals are addressed in the different courses they offer. And finally, they are asked to assess the degree to which their students are achieving the learning goals they set. If a number of students are failing to achieve one or more of these program-specific goals, the program faculty are expected to figure out why, and if appropriate, to adjust the curriculum accordingly.
Skills for Success in a Rapidly Changing World
But Westminster has taken an additional step in its effort to be accountable for the quality of its graduates. We have set out to ensure that the learning goals we have identified for our students focus on those skills that are most critical to their ability to be successful, regardless of the life's work they decide to undertake, the careers they choose, or the avocations that capture their interest.
What are those skills? More than a decade ago, the Business-Higher Education Forum, (an organization of Fortune 500 CEOs, prominent college and university presidents, and foundation leaders working to advance innovative solutions to our nation's education challenges) identified a set of cross-functional skills and attributes graduates need if they are to be important contributors in almost any occupation. Additionally, Westminster conducted its own research: we asked business, civic, and professional leaders in our community which attributes they thought a college graduate ought to possess.
Using that information and our own judgment as educators, we adopted, in 2004, a list of college-wide learning goals—skills and attributes that Westminster believes are critical to one's ability to be successful in our rapidly changing world. These goals are as
• Critical, analytical, and integrative thinking
• Creative and reflective capacities
• Leadership, collaboration, and teamwork
• Writing and other communication skills
• Global consciousness, social responsibility, and ethical awareness
More recently, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the leading organization in the US devoted to strengthening liberal education, identified "a set of educational outcomes that all students need from higher learning, outcomes that are closely calibrated with the challenges of a complex and volatile world." (College Learning for the New Global Century, 2007) Grounded in what they describe as an emerging consensus among educators and employers, as well as in well-accepted tenants of liberal education, these outcomes show a remarkable degree of congruence with Westminster's college-wide learning goals listed above.
Helping students develop these kinds of "higher-order" skills is not easy, but it can be done if the task is approached seriously and systematically. We have developed a "mapping" system, which identifies how our college-wide learning goals are addressed in each class; indeed, we can identify the relationship between specific assignments and specific learning goals. Now we are developing methods of assessing the degree to which students have met these learning goals. Our goal is to focus these assessments not only at the program and institutional level, but also at the individual level: we want to track and document the learning of each Westminster student. As we gain more experience with and more confidence in our measurement methods, we intend to make achievement of the college-wide learning goals a requirement for graduation.
Developing Life-Long Learners
There is a second reason why Westminster set out to make the transformation from the teaching to the learning paradigm. In a world where the pace of change continues to accelerate, it is abundantly clear that, no matter which school they attend and no matter how talented or motivated they might be, what a student knows and can do upon graduation will not take them very far.
New developments in science and technology, as well as in global economics and politics, have become so rapid and pervasive that it is estimated that most young people will change their careers—not just their jobs, but their careers—five times during their working life and that many of the jobs they will hold have not yet been invented. As a consequence, it is imperative that students learn not just during college, but that they develop the skills and motivation to be proficient learners throughout their lives.
For some time, members of many professions have accepted the fact that they need to be lifelong learners. Physicians, for example, are expected to stay abreast of new diagnostic tools and treatment protocols. Indeed, to maintain their license to practice medicine, they are required, periodically, to document that they have kept up with new developments in their field. Similarly, when a software company releases a new version of a widely used program, as they do with great regularity, information technology specialists pore over manuals and experiment with new protocols, all in an effort to remain current with the rapid pace of change in their industry.
The need to continue to learn beyond school is important in other areas. How does a worker who gets promoted to a management position learn how to be an effective manager? How does an engineer who is asked to head up a project in another country learn enough about the culture of that country to run the project successfully? In such cases, a person certainly might seek advice from a book or even find a helpful course to take. But in almost every case, that will not be enough. They are going to be left to their own devices to seek out relevant information, to make sense of it despite its ambiguities and contradictions, and to explore how to use the information they acquire in ways that are most effective.
Students who go through school in a learning-centered environment have a huge head start over those who spent most of the time sitting in lecture halls, taking notes, and then trying to remember it all on a test. When students are actively engaged in the learning process, they are developing the skills to learn on their own by practicing them on a regular basis. For these students, learning how to learn has been an integral part of their educational experience. For example, our Environmental Center is spearheading the college's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality on our campus. They have enlisted environmental studies majors and other students with an interest in the issue to work with faculty and staff to develop practical strategies that the college can use to reach this goal. Here, they are learning not only about ways to reduce an institution's carbon footprint but, at the same time, how to introduce ideas that may be controversial, how to develop effective community education programs, and how to overcome both apathy and resistance. Similarly, through our Center for Civic Engagement, a group of students have created a program to help parents in low-income communities learn how to work with school administrators to address their concerns. In the process of undertaking this effort, they are learning valuable lessons about how to recognize and encourage grass-roots leadership, mobilize resources, and communicate across social and cultural divides.
Through activities such as these, students come to see that, in most cases, achieving success in some real-world venture requires them to know more than they could learn from a textbook or a lecture. They see that they need to learn continually—about issues, about how to manage people, about which tactics fail and which succeed, and about how to abandon the failed approaches and invest in the ones that show the most promise. As students get practice learning on their own, under the mentorship of faculty, they develop learning skills they can rely on forever.
We recognize that there is more work we need to do before we can say that we have made the complete transition from teaching to learning. We need better ways to assess student achievement of our program-specific as well as our college-wide learning goals. We need more members of the faculty—and more students—to embrace this new paradigm. We need to explore ways in which "the guide on the side" can enrich educational quality while reducing costs, thus promoting greater access to higher education.
The list of what we need to do is long. But the list of things we have already accomplished is impressive. Certainly, we have succeeded in developing a more deliberate and intentional focus, across all of our academic and co-curricular programs, on what and how students should learn. Following this path will undoubtedly be a long and arduous journey, one with hazards along the way. But I believe it's a trip worth taking.
Michael S. Bassis is beginning his seventh year as president of Westminster. He is an authority on educational change and an active participant in the national conversation on the future of higher education. Shortly after his appointment at Westminster, he led the college community in the creation of an ambitious 10-year strategic plan: to bring Westminster into national prominence as an institution distinguished by its distinctive educational programs, its record of preparing graduates for success in a rapidly changing world, and its commitment to continuous improvement, effectiveness, and value. Now, after almost five years, most of the goals of the plan have been met.


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A week after a fatal pedestrian accident in Goleta, city leaders heard from upset residents who say improvements to a controversial crosswalk are long overdue.
The line up of residents spoke at the public comment period during the afternoon session.
Mayor Roger Acevas did not comment about the crosswalk issues but did urge those at the meeting and the city to help with the healing process.
Last week, 59-year old Shuguang Lui was pushing a stroller with a two-year-old relative when she was hit and killed. The child was critically injured but survived and is recovering. The driver of the vehicle involved, and 18-year old, is cooperating with the investigation.
"Safety comes first. It's always the most important thing," said resident Annie Perry who spoke out at a packed meeting.
The city has a traffic improvement plan under review. It includes flashing beacons and curb extensions.
It's up for a public discussion on December 17th.
"I am absolutely sure she would have had a greater chance of crossing safely if the intersection modifications had been completed," said resident Cathy Oliverio.
Glenn Bjorkman has complained about the intersection, and traffic speeds since the later 1990's. That was before Goleta was incorporated. He said county officials did not act on his concerns, and for years, the city has not made any changes to slow cars, and protect pedestrians.
"They just blew us off," said Bjorkman. "We told them this was going to happen, and here it has." He says funds for the project have been set aside but work has not occurred. "It was eight months ago the money was allocated and now that someone has passed away it is on the top of the agenda."
Neighbors in the area say it's urgent that the crosswalk receive some attention. "So today what we would like is a date, when that will go up. Because any minute there can be another fatality and it can be prevented," said resident Luci Luciano.
"It's scary," said a young boy from the area, Dylan Stave, who described his efforts to cross the street and the lack of concern he saw from drivers speeding by.


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Jason Kendall, Brian Giles and some other Pirates players weren't exactly thrilled with playing an exhibition game in Altoona on an off day during the major league season in 2000, but circumstances are different this time around for the Buccos.
The exhibition game next weekend at Peoples Natural Gas Field is taking place before the season, and Curve general manager Rob Egan knows the Pirates players are looking forward to it.
"I genuinely believe they're excited," Egan, who visited with Pirates personnel this week in Bradenton, Fla., said during a news conference Thursday to discuss logistics for the March 30 exhibition.
Article Photos
Mirror photo by Cory Giger
This is a look at Andrew McCutchen's stall inside the locker room of the Altoona Curve.
"We're thrilled that the game's almost here," Egan added. "We're looking forward to a game like this, and we know our fans are, as well.
Here's what fans can expect for next weekend's highly anticipated exhibition between the Pirates and their Double-A affiliate:
n More than 9,200 tickets have been sold so far, and for now there are no more standing-room only tickets available.
The ballpark record is 9,308 set during the 2006 Eastern League All-Star Game, and that record already is assured of falling because of the number of comp tickets that will go to people such as players' families.
The Curve are holding onto an additional 800-1,000 potential standing-room only tickets to see what the weather is like late next week. Those seats would be for the grassy hill beyond the left field bleachers and will only be put up for sale if the weather is good and it will be comfortable for fans to sit on the hill.
While reaching 10,000 fans is a goal and is feasible with good weather, Egan said the primary objective is to do "what's right by our fans." If it won't be comfortable packing in more than the 9,200 tickets already accounted for, the franchise won't push it just to reach a certain attendance number.
If more tickets are to be made available, the Curve will know by next Friday at the latest.
n The Curve will not mail out tickets, and fans who purchased vouchers must pick up their tickets at will call. They can do so at the ballpark from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday or 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, or can pick them up on game day.
n The box office will open at 8 a.m. and the parking lots will open at 7 a.m. on game day. No tailgating will be allowed.
n The VIP parking lot will be available for season-ticket holders only. All others can park in the usual lots or in the surface lot for Lakemont Park. Parking will be $3.
n Ballpark gates will open at 11:30 a.m. for season-ticket holders and at noon for all others.
n The Curve will work out on the field from 11 a.m. to noon, and the Pirates will be on the field from noon to 1 p.m. Fans will be able to enter the ballpark in time to watch the Pirates warm up on the field.
n Pirates president Frank Coonelly and GM Neal Huntington are expected to be at the game.
n The Curve have partnered with the Miracle League of Blair County to put on a memorable opportunity. Miracle League participants will be able to be on the field before the game to meet Pirates players.
"We want to thank the Curve for doing this for us," Miracle League president Joe Reed said.
n Well-known rocker and western Pennsylvania native Donnie Iris will sing the national anthem. Iris had hit songs heading the group Donnie Iris and the Cruisers and is a native of Ellwood City.
n The Pirates' radio broadcast team of Tim Neverett and John Wehner will call the game. The TV crew on Fox 8 will be Curve play-by-play man Mike Passanisi and former Bucco pitcher Stan Belinda. Jon Laaser, a former Curve broadcaster who now works for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, will come back to call play-by-play on the Curve Radio Network.
"We don't know when they'll be able to come back ... so this is a very special occasion," Egan said of the Pirates' visit.