text:
Brian Ziebart
Assistant Professor
I am primarily interested in machine learning and its applications to problems in robotics, assistive technologies, and human-computer interaction. I develop and apply new techniques for predicting structured data. I was awarded a Ph.D. in Machine Learning from Carnegie Mellon University in 2010.
1108 Science and Engineering Offices
4211 Science and Engineering Laboratories
Fall 2013.
CS 594: Advanced Topics in Machine Learning: Structured Prediction
Spring 2013.
CS 491: Introduction to Machine Learning
Some past projects: Using maximum entropy structured prediction techniques to forecast future human behavior for intelligent robotics and vehicle navigation applications.
Awards and Honors
Best Paper Runner-Up
, European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV) 2012
Best Paper Nominee
, International Conference on User Interfaces (IUI) 2012
Best Paper Award
, International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) 2011
Honorable Mention
, Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science Dissertation Award 2011
Best Student Paper Runner-Up
, International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) 2010
@inproceedings{ziebart2013maximum, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, J. Andrew Bagnell, and Anind K. Dey}, title = {The Principle of Maximum Causal Entropy for Estimating Interacting Processes}, booktitle = {IEEE Transactions on Information Theory (to appear)}, year = {2013}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/ziebart2013maximum.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/t-it2013.png}, } @inproceedings{kitani2012activity, author = {Kris M. Kitani, Brian D. Ziebart, J. Andrew Bagnell, and Martial Hebert}, title = {Activity Forecasting}, booktitle = {European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV)}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/Kitani-ECCV2012.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/eccv2012.jpg}, awards = {Best Paper Runner-Up} } @inproceedings{ziebart2012probabilistic, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Anind K. Dey, and J. Andrew Bagnell}, title = {Probabilistic Pointing Target Prediction via Inverse Optimal Control}, booktitle = {International Conference on Intelligent User Inferfaces (IUI)}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/pointing-target-prediction.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/iui2012.png}, awards = {Best Paper Nominee} } @inproceedings{ziebart2012, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Miro Dudik, Geoff Gordon, Katia Sycara, Wendi Adair, Jeanne Brett}, title = {Identifying Culture and Leveraging Cultural Differences in Negotiations for Negotiation Agents}, booktitle = {Hawaii International Conference on System Science (HICSS)}, year = {2012}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/hicss2012.jpg}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/negotiation-agents.pdf} } @inproceedings{ziebart2011factorized, author = {Brian D. Ziebart}, title = {Factorized Decision Forecasting via Combining Value-based and Reward-based Estimation}, booktitle = {Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing (Allerton)}, year = {2011}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/allerton2011-bziebart.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/allerton2011.jpg} } @inproceedings{ziebart2011process, author = {Brian D. Ziebart}, title = {Process-Conditioned Investing with Incomplete Information using Maximum Causal Entropy}, booktitle = {International Workshop on Bayesian Inference and Maximum Entropy Methods in Science and Engineering (MaxEnt)}, year = {2011}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/maxent2011-bziebart.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/maxent2011.jpg} } @inproceedings{waugh2011computational, author = {Kevin Wuagh, Brian D. Ziebart, and J. Andrew Bagnell}, title = {Computational Rationalization: The Inverse Equilibrium Problem}, booktitle = {International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML)}, year = {2011}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/computational-rationalization.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/icml2011.jpg}, awards = {Best Paper Award} } @inproceedings{ziebart2011maximum, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, J. Andrew Bagnell, and Anind K. Dey}, title = {Maximum Causal Entropy Correlated Equilibria for Markov Games}, booktitle = {International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS)}, year = {2011}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/maxcausalent-correlated.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/aamas2011.jpg} } @inproceedings{davidoff2011learning, author = {Scott Davidoff, Brian D. Ziebart, John Zimmerman, and Anind K. Dey}, title = {Learning Patterns of Pick-ups and Drop-offs to Support Busy Family Coordination}, booktitle = {SIG CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)}, year = {2011}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/learning-patterns-pick-ups.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/chi2011.jpg} } @inproceedings{ziebart2010thesis, author = {Brian D. Ziebart}, title = {Modeling Purposeful Adaptive Behavior with the Principle of Maximum Causal Entropy}, booktitle = {PhD Thesis. Department of Machine Learning, Carnegie Mellon University}, year = {December, 2010}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/thesis-bziebart.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/phdthesis.png}, awards = {School of Computer Science Distinguished Dissertation Award, Honorable Mention} } @inproceedings{ziebart2010modeling, author = {Brian D. Ziebart and J. Andrew Bagnell and Anind K. Dey}, title = {Modeling Interaction via the Principle of Maximum Causal Entropy}, year = {2010}, booktitle = {International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML)}, pages = {1247--1254}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/icml2010.png}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/maximum-causal-entropy.pdf}, awards = {Best Student Paper Runner-Up} } @inproceedings{ziebart2009planning, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Nathan Ratliff, Garratt Gallagher, Christoph Mertz, Kevin Peterson, J. Andrew Bagnell, Martial Hebert, Anind K. Dey, and Siddhartha Srinivasa}, title = {Planning-based Prediction for Pedestrians}, year = {2009}, booktitle = {Proc. International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Systems (IROS)}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/iros2009.png}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/planning-based-prediction-pedestrians.pdf} } @inproceedings{ratliff2009inverse, author = {Nathan Ratliff, Brian Ziebart, Kevin Peterson, J. Andrew Bagnell, Martial Hebert, Anind K. Dey, and Siddhartha Srinivasa}, title = {Inverse Optimal Heuristic Control for Imitation Learning}, year = {2009}, booktitle = {Proc. Aritifical Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS)}, pages = {424--431}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/aistats2009.png}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/inverse-optimal-heuristic-control.pdf} } @inproceedings{ziebart2009human, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Andrew Maas, J. Andrew Bagnell, and Anind K. Dey}, title = {Human Behavior Modeling with Maximum Entropy Inverse Optimal Control}, booktitle = {AAAI Spring Symposium on Human Behavior Modeling}, year = {2009}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/aaai2009ss.png}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/human-behavior-bziebart.pdf} } @inproceedings{ziebart2008navigate, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Andrew Maas, Anind K. Dey, and J. Andrew Bagnell}, title = {Navigate Like a Cabbie: Probabilistic Reasoning from Observed Context-Aware Behavior}, booktitle = {Proc. International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing (Ubicomp)}, year = {2008}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/ubicomp2008.png}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/navigate-bziebart.pdf} } @inproceedings{ziebart2008fast, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Anind K. Dey, and J. Andrew Bagnell}, title = {Fast Planning for Dynamic Preferences}, booktitle = {Proc. International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling (ICAPS)}, year = {2008}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/icaps2008.png}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/fast-planning-bziebart.pdf} } @inproceedings{ziebart2008maximum, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Andrew Maas, J. Andrew Bagnell, and Anind K. Dey}, title = {Maximum Entropy Inverse Reinforcement Learning}, booktitle = {Proc. AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence}, year = {2008}, pages = {1433--1438}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/aaai2008.png}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/maxentirl-bziebart.pdf}, } @inproceedings{ziebart2007, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Anind K. Dey, and J. Andrew Bagnell}, title = {Learning Selectively Conditioned Forest Structures with Applications to DBNs and Classification}, booktitle = {Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI)}, year = {2007}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/uai2007.png}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/selectively-conditioned-forest-structures.pdf} } @inproceedings{ziebart2005learning, author = {Brian D. Ziebart, Dan Roth, Roy H. Campbell, and Anind K. Dey}, title = {Learning Automation Policies for Pervasive Computing Environments}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing (ICAC)}, year = {2005}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/learning-automation-policies.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/icac2005.png} } @inproceedings{ranganathan2005towards, author = {Anand Ranganathan, Jalal Al-Muhtadi, Jacob Biehl, Brian Ziebart, Roy H. Campbell, and Brian Bailey}, title = {Towards a Pervasive Computing Benchmark}, booktitle = {PerWare Workshop on Support for Pervasive Computing at Percom}, year = {2005}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/towards-pervasive-computing-benchmark.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/perware2005.png} } @inproceedings{roman2003system, author = {Manuel Roman, Jalal Al-Muhtadi, Brian Ziebart, and Roy H. Campbell}, title = {System Support for Rapid Ubiquitous Computing Application Development and Evaluation}, booktitle = {Systems for Ubiquitous Computing Workshop at Ubicomp}, year = {2003}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/System-Support-for-Rapid-development.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/ubicomp2003.png} } @inproceedings{roman2003dynamic, author = {Manuel Roman, Brian Ziebart, and Roy H. Campbell}, title = {Dynamic Application Composition: Customizing the Behavior of an Active Space}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications (PerCom)}, year = {2003}, url = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/107Roman.pdf}, image = {http://www.cs.uic.edu/pub/Ziebart/Publications/percom2003.png} }


text:
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Watchdog Conference
By Bill Kovach
Are We Asking the Right Questions?
What Would the People Ask?
Are Members of the Press Bored By Issues?
Do Members of the Press Try to Set the Policy Agenda?
Is Getting Personal the Same as Probing Character?
How Does Television Affect the Coverage of Political Campaigns?
How Do Editors Decide What Political Stories to Cover?
What Are the New Challenges in the Wake of New Technologies?
Yes or No? Keeping a Candidate Scorecard
By Steven Brill
Journalist's Trade
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
'The Higher We Flew, the Less We Knew.'
By Doris Kearns Goodwin
Getting to Know You
By Evan Thomas
Are Political Reporters a Vanishing Breed?
By Jack W. Germond
Political Journalism, the Way It Used to Be
By Jack Nelson
Watching New Hampshire From Far Away
By Martin F. Nolan
Playing the Celebrity Game
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Blame Abe Lincoln and Steve Forbes
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'How I Hate the Media.'
By Mike Mulcahy
Connecting Political Coverage to Readers' Concerns
By Mike Riley
From the Political Biosphere Into Cyberspace
By Kathleen deLaski
Multimedia Coverage of the Interactive Kind
By Mark Stencel
The Fun and Frenzy of Internet Political Coverage
By Jake Tapper
Keeping a Reporter's Eye on the Contributions
By Peter Overby
Money and Politics on the Web
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By Diane Renzulli
Words & Reflections
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
Where Are Muckraking Journalists Today?
By Jessica Dorman
Coverage of Media Mergers
By Norman Solomon
The Sound You Hear Is Silence
By Morton Mintz
Designing and Distributing the Survey
News Stories about Corporate Crime and Misconduct
Against the Commercial Impulse
By Jeffrey Scheuer
'Journalism and Democracy Are Names for the Same Thing.'
By James W. Carey
Can the Press Win Back the Public's Confidence?
By Lorie Hearn
'Things Are Not OK.'
By Jim Tharpe
Why Should the Public Trust Journalists?
By Cara DeVito
Journalism and Citizenship
By Ellen Hume
Examining the United Nations' Role in Settling Conflicts
By Roy Gutman
Nieman Notes
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International Journalism
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
A Serbian Journalist Answers Critics
By Dragoljub Zarkovic
Does Journalism Matter?
By Ardian Arifaj
The Troubles We've Seen
By Eddie Holt
Media Censorship During 'the Troubles'
By Ed Moloney
500 Words Is Rarely Enough to Tell the Story
By Shawn Pogatchnik
Email to a friend
Does Journalism Matter?
After the war in Kosova, Albanian reporters reassess their work.
By Ardian Arifaj
An ethnic Albanian refugee reads a paper looking for news from his hometown of Meratovice in the Stenkovic refugee camp in Skopje.
Photo by Zohra Bensemra, courtesy of Reuters.
"A lot has changed. The way we work, the way we feel about our work, the way others feel toward our work…" says Garentina Kraja, journalist of KOHA Ditore, the Albanian newspaper in Kosova [the Albanian-language spelling], when talking about her job as a journalist in Kosova in months after the war. "During the war, working in a paper and reporting about the war, was the only thing that seemed to have any meaning. We were reporting about what
was happening, and those reports did make a change, I think. After all, I think that the reports of the journalists about the atrocities helped to convince the international community to intervene in this conflict," says Tina, the name everyone calls her.
"Then, we believed in what we did, and we thought, we can do a lot," she adds. "But today we see that, actually, we are not that powerful. All our work and effort is not making things move for the better."
Such are the dilemmas that almost every journalist at KOHA Ditore faces today. KOHA Ditore is the leading Albanian daily, published in Prishtina [the Albanian spelling], capital city of Kosova. It is also printed and distributed in the majority of the countries of Western Europe where there is an Albanian community. "The circulation of the paper, in Kosova, is at around 18,000 copies each day, seven days a week," says Luan Dobroshi, the Director of the newspaper. This is almost half of the circulation of the paper just before NATO air strikes began on March 24, 1999.
The Serb campaign against the Albanian population of Kosova also intensified. KOHA Ditore was among the first targets of Serb paramilitaries. During the air strikes, when around one million Albanians from Kosova were deported into Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro, a number of journalists and editors of KOHA Ditore were among the refugees, too. They found one another in Tetova in western Macedonia, and four weeks after KOHA Ditore had been prevented from being printed because of the Serb actions, the newspaper began to be published again. But its staff now lived in exile, as refugees.
During three months of war, the paper was published in Macedonia and Albania and distributed in the refugee camps. It was a humanitarian project, funded by the British Foreign Office and French Foreign Ministry, and 10,000 copies were given for free in the refugee camps there. When the war ended, the refugees returned to Kosova, and so did KOHA Ditore.
We learned that our offices had been used as a police station during the last months of the war. All of our equipment—computers, printers, Internet server, and archive—had been either taken away or destroyed. The printing house was burned to ashes. But we also found, with great joy, that all of our colleagues who had remained in Kosova, hiding for most of the time from the Serb forces, were alive and in good shape.
Now we were together again, but we had to beg for equipment, for computers, chairs and desks, for a printing press and CD's for the new archive and for cars for distribution. "We had to start from even below zero," says the Director Dobroshi. "We had nothing…simply nothing…not even a budget to start buying things."
Then, with material help from the West, the offices started regaining their old look with the people sitting inside and working again. Now, almost everything is just as it used to be. The desks, the computers, phones, access to Internet. Still, this is a picture that you get only in Prishtina. In other towns in Kosova, the picture is a lot different. Phone lines in a majority of the towns of Kosova are still not operational. Local correspondents in towns around Kosova are in no position to make a phone call to the office, to send a fax or to e-mail.
"It is very frustrating," says Rexhep Krasniqi, a correspondent of KOHA Ditore from Malisheva, a small town in the central part of Kosova, some 60 kilometers west of the capital Prishtina. "At the beginning, I tried to send my stories by giving a written copy to the distributor of the paper. But the story would arrive to the editors one day later…and it didn't mean that everything I sent would end up at the hands of the editor," says Krasniqi. "So, what I do nowadays, is to take a bus to Prishtina, and take my story myself. It is not very far, but because the roads are still pretty much damaged, it takes quite some time to get to Prishtina," he says, adding that he'd rather spend that time writing his story than transporting it. "At least, the news arrives in time," says Krasniqi. His house burned during the war and his family of 11 took shelter in a single room while rebuilding took place. In the midst of that, buying a computer or a typing machine was the last thing he thought about.
Though the situation is just as bad in a majority of other town in Kosova, things have started to change for the better. In Peja [Pec, in Serbian] and Prizren, the second and third largest cities in the western part of Kosova, there are even Internet centers. Local journalists have priority when it comes to the use of any computer in the local Internet center, and they are able now to e-mail their stories right after they prepare them on the computer.
"But that doesn't mean that these kind of very banal problems are over," says Baton Haxhiu, Editor in Chief of KOHA Ditore. "For months now we are dealing with power cuts on a daily basis. So, we had to buy a generator for the office and the printing house, in order to be able to work in days when we have electricity for only two hours. Every day we are faced with losing our stories on the computer because the power goes off," he says. "It is very frustrating. You have to start the computers again, wait for the network to be restored, see what was lost….When it is deadline, this is not fun at all…" explains Haxhiu, describing some of the everyday frustrations faced by every journalist at KOHA Ditore, frustrations that they should not have to face.
"But the most worrying thing is the way our journalists feel," says Haxhiu, as he talks about the new pressures journalists are confronting. "When UNMIK, (United Nations Mission in Kosovo), OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), and almost 200 NGO's rushed to Kosova, they were all looking for good personnel. And journalists of our paper are skilled enough for their standards. And they pay twice as much as we do, although we did raise the salaries of our journalists 100 percent," he says. "The new circumstances have changed a lot the way our journalists feel about their job. Now, their very physical existence is not endangered from war. Today, they have different existential problems. They are in their mid- or late-20's and would like to see that they do something for their future, have a good job, are well paid, and the job of the journalist is not good enough for this, according to them," says Haxhiu.
"Even we the journalists here sometimes get the feeling that there are other things, more important or more promising, we could be doing, instead of writing for a newspaper," says Lundrim Aliu, a 25-year-old journalist at KOHA Ditore. "People nowadays are more interested in their personal lives, in making money, in rebuilding their property, and much less interested in reading newspapers, that is in reading what we write. The news we bring, no matter how interesting it might be, does not directly apply to their safety as it did before. On the other hand, very often one gets the impression that things we write or could be writing do not make any impact or any difference for the society," says Lundrim.
Today many of the stories that are published in KOHA Ditore focus on the rebuilding of the postwar economy and institutions. As Editor in Chief Haxhiu explains, "establishing the basis of true civic and democratic and free institutions are the main focus of the paper today. This means that everything that is an obstacle to achieving these goals is a concern of the paper, including ethnic violence and organized crime.
"Still, political developments in and around Kosova remain our reporting priority. Everything else here depends on political developments," Haxhiu continues. "Therefore, the way that internationals are behaving in Kosova, the ideas about Kosova and lack of vision of what and how to build in Kosova, and the way local politicians are behaving in present circumstances and the consequences of this unclear and undefined situation, these are our main concerns."
Some other journalists add that there are still some fundamental problems with freedom of expression in Kosova, and this makes their work frustrating and, at some point, even unbearable. "Well, we cannot be proud with our standards of freedom of expression," says Haxhiu. "We have had our real newspapers only after World War II, and the Communist era was not actually the perfect environment for building a culture of freedom of speech. This is something that we will have to build now, in the civic society that will be built in Kosova."
Haxhiu admits that one of the correspondents from one of the municipalities in central Kosova never filed a story about a physical attack on a local politician. This politician was a member of a political party that is an opponent of the PPDK political party that emerged from the political wing of KLA (Kosova Liberation Army, the armed force of Albanians of Kosova that fought the Serb forces in the province). "I think our journalist was afraid to report about this," says Haxhiu, adding that, still, there were no reports of attacks on any journalist, from any media in Kosova, since the war ended.
"It is not perfect, yet, but I think that the worst period is behind us," Haxhiu concludes.
Perfect this job is for Lindita Camaj, 22, who just started working for KOHA Ditore. "It is interesting, challenging and we can help a lot on making things change for better," she says.
Ardian Arifaj is Editor of KOHA Ditore, a daily Albanian-language newspaper in Kosova.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Research firm Canalys, which is one of the few firms to count tablets in the same bucket as traditional PCs, says that HP beat Apple by about 40,000 shipments. Both companies came in around 15.8 million units.
Apple passed HP for the first time in the last quarter of 2011, mainly because it sold more than 15 million iPads during that quarter. In Q1 of 2012, iPad sales came in short of analysts' expectations at 11.8 million, probably because a lot of consumers were waiting for the next-generation iPad to come out.
Overall, tablet computers made up 19% of the personal computing market. Very few of those computers run Windows — a situation Microsoft hopes to fix this year with a new version of Windows optimized for touch screens.
Despite all the talk of the post-PC era, shipments of traditional notebook computers were up 11%, and even shipments of the lowly desktop PC increased 8%. The only area that collapsed was netbooks, which fell 34%, replaced mostly by tablets.


text:
Redskins DE Adam Carriker needs knee surgery (Rotoworld)
DE Adam Carriker is expected to undergo surgery after seriously injuring his knee in the Redskins' Week 2 loss to the Rams. Carriker went down on the second play of the game and never returned. He'll have an MRI on Monday, but the Redskins are not optimistic. "It doesn't look good," coach Mike Shanahan said. The 'Skins also lost OLB Brian Orakpo to another pectoral injury, leaving a gaping hole in their pass-rushing stable. It's good news for their Week 3 opponent, the Bengals. Source: Washington Post


text:
By Lauren Fitch Kokomo Tribune
Kokomo Tribune
---- — About 30 miles from where Moore Title and Escrow used to stand on Hoffer Street in Kokomo, Michael Muchmore uncovered a CD in the snow.
That CD had been sitting on Margi Moore's desk when tornados tore through the city nearly two months ago and destroyed Moore Title's office.
Muchmore discovered the disc while taking down tree stands near County Road 300 West, northwest of Sweetser.
He tried the largely undamaged CD in his computer to see what it contained.
Photos of people in military uniforms and 1920s-style outfits came on his screen, with one final image that provided a clue as to where the CD came from — a photo showing Moore presenting an oversized check for $10,000 to Nicholas Kanable, principal of Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick School in Kokomo.
The photos were from a "Tribute to our Troops" USO fundraiser held Nov. 9. In addition to raising $10,000 for the school, the event generated $800 for the Jackson Street Commons housing development for homeless veterans.
"I thought it was a joke when they first told me," Moore said. "It's remarkable that someone would take the time to [send back the disc]."
After seeing the check made out to Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick School, Muchmore looked up the school phone number and left a message for Kanable, who discovered the voicemail over Christmas break.
"He was out and about and saw this disc in a wooded area," Kanable said. "He decided to take it home, pop it in the computer and see what it was."
Muchmore then mailed the disc to Kanable, who made sure it was returned to its rightful owner.
"I hadn't even had time to look at the pictures," Moore said. "It's frightening what the tornado can do, but it was nice to get that back. We're thankful for concerned and caring people because these little things can mean a lot."
Moore Title's client records were in a vault at the time of the tornado, secure from the whirlwind, but other personal items from the office were blown away. The office has temporarily relocated to 101 W. Sycamore St. while the building is being repaired.
Education reporter Lauren Fitch can be reached at 765-454-8587, by email at email@example.com or on Twitter @LaurenBFitch.


text:
Actor Joel McHale, who is known for his role as Jeff Winger on a popular TV show Community is in final negotiations to star alongside Mark Walhberg, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane in an upcoming live action comedy Ted.
The $65 million dollar project was picked up by Universal Pictures and Media Rights Capital. Written by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane the story is simple: the tale of a man and his teddy bear.
McHale will play Rex, a sordid boss, who tries to get his way with his employee (Kunis). She wants to tie the knot with her boyfriend (Walhberg), but will do it under one condition: he has to reconsider his relationships with his teddy bear that came alive during as a result of a childhood wish.
Giovanni Ribisi, who played Phoebe's odd half-brother on a popular sitcom "Friends," is reportedly jumping on board. He will play Donny, a man who is obsessed with a talking teddy bear.


text:
Smart Benefits: BCBSRI Wants Higher Rate Hikes—Will it Get Them?
Monday, January 28, 2013
The insurer is now asking that the average small group rates increase to 5.1% and the average large group rates increase to 9%. Why?
Higher Costs of Services Drive Higher Costs
Despite the insurer saving on operating costs and pharmacy claims expenses, BCBSRI claims that higher than anticipated outpatient and inpatient costs will necessitate charging higher premiums.
Outpatient Care. BCBSRI cites the steady increase in the cost of outpatient medical services that are more complex and expensive – and points specifically to the rapid increase in the cost and volume of specialty chemotherapy treatments over the last year as a primary driver.
Inpatient Care. For inpatient care in a hospital, BCBSRI maintains that the cost of patient admissions has risen as much as 22% and, at the same time, hospital admission rates are way up in the state.
The upward surge in these costs weren't fully apparent until after BCBSRI was required to report to OHIC for approval of 2013 rates. According to a recent document BCBSRI circulated to employers, the December rate increase requests are necessary to ensure rates remain adequate to address the rapid increase in medical expense trends, reducing the likelihood of sharp increases for employers in years ahead.
A Call for Transparency
Rhode Island Business Group on Health (RIBGH), a business advocacy group that represents several larger employers in Rhode Island, is concerned about the impact of latest rate hike request from BCBSRI – and is pushing for answers. That's because those most affected by any cost increases – employers and employees – can't be expected to understand higher costs if they don't know the reasons behind them.
Don Nokes, President of RIBGH, says, "We have taken several steps to better understand BCBSRI's request and how the rate filing process works with OHIC. We are disappointed with the refiling, but have organized a committee who meets with BCBSRI regularly to have better insight into the rating process. We are demanding more transparency and BCBSRI is so far meeting us on that end."
"We now understand there is quite a gap between the time period where actual utilization rate data is available and when it is used to determine future utilization. When BCBSRI saw utilization spike, they quickly realized that their projections would be inadequate based on the older data," he adds.
Can Employers Bear Any More?
Only OHIC can determine whether higher rates will be approved. But either way, employers will pay. That's because, if BCBSRI gets its way, employers renewing coverage in months on or after April will start seeing higher increases as soon as April 1, 2013. And, if OHIC doesn't approve the new rates? There's a chance current rates will be inadequate and renewal increases will be even steeper next year.
The September rate filings saw the lowest average rate increases in five years, so many employers had a false hope that healthcare costs were finally slowing. This last request by BCBSRI is a reality check.
Are you an employer affected by this? Please let me know how you feel about additional healthcare premium increases.
Related Articles
- Smart Benefits: 5 Healthcare Trend Predictions for 2013
- Smart Benefits: New Full-Time Status Calculation Full of Confusion
- Smart Benefits: Small Employers Must Cover 'Essential' Benefits
- Smart Benefits: The New Year Means New Benefit Decisions
- Smart Benefits: 2013 Health Insurance Rate Increases Expected Soon
- Smart Benefits: More Taxes, Less Pay
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.
In fact why not just tell readers what increases were improved in September?
This story reports new increases on top of increases approved in September but then fails to provide a proper link to the rate increases or to describe the September rate increases.
So the pre-election rate increases turned out to be over-optimistic.
Comment #1 by Michael Gardiner on 2013 01 28
I think we'll see more employers drop health insurance all together.
Comment #2 by Art West on 2013 01 28
Comment #3 by Michael Gardiner on 2013 01 29


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I think whoever thought it was a good idea to let this widdle baby elephant bathe himself should have to clean up this mess...
Life's too short to avoid the SPLORT! Visit Daily Squee for your daily cuteness!
Gif your butt (!) over to Animal Gifs for MOAR cyoot and funneh on loop!
Average Joe vs. Engineer
Your Body is a Temple
In the Wake of The Fappening, CNN Asks: Who is the Man Known ...
The One and Only Jeopardy Contestant to Truly Understand ...
Some Kids Are Evil Geniuses
How to Perfect the Chocolate Chip Cookie...With Science!
This Teacher Gets to Keep Her Job?
After Being Abandoned for Months, a Spare Room in This UK ...
Meanwhile in Russia: Road Rage Surprise
Helmets Won't Protect Against This Fall
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Nexersys featured in Popular Science
January 2012
The Nexersys is featured in Popular Science. Nexersys offers over 100 training videos and workout routines with an on-screen avatar. Read more about Nexersys products.
*article corrections: The Nexersys Home model lists for $2,995 and the Nexersys Pro for $6,995. The Nexersys offers over 100 workout training rounds.


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For dogs 89 lbs. to 132 lbs: FiproGuard Max Dogs is for killing deer ticks that may transmit Lyme disease, brown dog ticks, American dog ticks, and lone star ticks. Starts to kill fleas... Learn More
For dogs 89 lbs. to 132 lbs: FiproGuard Max Dogs is for killing deer ticks that may transmit Lyme disease, brown dog ticks, American dog ticks, and lone star ticks. Starts to kill fleas and ticks in as little as one hour of application! Prevents and controls re-infestation for 30 days. FiproGuard Max Dogs is made to keep your dogs safe from fleas and ticks.This Product is for Dogs only.
Please Note that this item is not approved for Sale in the State of California.
Active ingredients: Fipronil 9.80%, Cyphenothrin 5.20%. Other ingredients: (Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, Vitamin E nicotinate) 85.00%.
Sergeant's Pet Care Products, Inc. is one of America's oldest and most respected manufacturers and marketers of pet supplies. A brand icon for more than 100 years, Sergeant's has earned the trust of pet lovers and is now one of the most widely recognized brand names in the pet supplies industry.
Founded in 1868 in Richmond, Virginia, Sergeant's has been based in Omaha, Nebraska since 1989.
What's in a Name
In over 140 years, Sergeant's has grown from one man's dedication to his own pets to become the best-loved brand of pet care products in America. Here's how it happened.
Our roots go all the way back to Polk Miller, a pharmacist and pet lover who started by formulating health care products for his own dogs in 1868. When Mr. Miller began to sell the products from his drug store, he named them after one of his favorite dogs, Sergeant.
A prescription is required for this product. Once we receive your order, we'll quickly contact your vet and ship your prescription within one business day of receiving approval.* If you have a prescription in hand, select the "mail my prescription" option during checkout.
*UPS doesn't ship on Saturday, Sunday, and most holidays. Note: If you are ordering medication, shipping is not available in the following states: LA


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MetLife: Using Data to Find Talent
Insurance Experts' Forum, February 25, 2014
A lot even more than usual of press releases, studies, opinions about the state of insurance technology talent have come across my desk over the past few months. It has seemed like overkill and much of it is repeat information. But we report the news and trends, and if this is what is happening right now, it shall be what we report.
So, I was excited when we began planning coverage for Celents Model Insurer program consisting of the awards (finalists were announced during a webinar today) and an event in April and saw the speaker roster announcement for Celents 2014 Innovation & Insight Day. One of the insurance speakers is Gary Hoberman, SVP and CIO of regional application development for MetLife. He oversees global technology for MetLifes business in the Americas, EMEA and APAC and drives emerging technologies. While it looks like Hoberman will be discussing the insurers application called The Wall, which puts all of MetLifes customers information in one place, he also drove the development of Synapse, a tool designed to match skill sets with open positions, while creating a database of rich, qualified talent.
Back in July 2013, MetLife launched synapse.metlife.com, a cloud-based advanced developer-recruiting tool designed to attract developers to its global development center in Raleigh, N.C. At that time, Hoberman had said "We want to let the best developers know we speak their language, not only in terms of cutting-edge technologies which we are deploying at scale but also in terms of a culture of speed and experimentation."
The site directs developers to submit resumes and LinkedIn profile data in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), which MongoDB, an open-source document database, then natively stores. The visitor selects the area and then is given a scheme that will survey his or her ability to think critically and provide solutions for our day-to-day tech challenges, MetLife says.
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Reviews for Hawthorne Heights
By Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 Current page No. 2/ 5
Add New Review About The Artist
sorry about the lost | Reviewer: brandon | 12/14/07
i can't believe it i just can't believe that case is dead when i found out i was in shock i just couldn't believe it when i heard but i hope u guys still stick together cause u guys are a good band i listen to ur cds like all the time well hopefully u guys can get someone else exept it's going to suck on replacing casey but later
R.I.P. Casey
omg! | Reviewer: Marisol | 12/12/07
dude some people are fucking stupid and have no feeling what would you guys feel like if you guys died and everyone was like yay or like whatever?! you guys need to stop being little assholes and grow theeee fuck up!!!!!!!!!1 geeez!
im so happy i got to meet casey and the other band members JUNE 27th 2007 at the house of blues of anaheim! ily casey baby RIP!
R.I.P. Casey | Reviewer: Kathyrn | 12/11/07
I have not been a Hawthorne Heights fan a long time but, I know a death can be hard. i like listening h.h. every chance I get. You all will get better and the pieces will be back together soon. We love you Casey !!!
RIP Casey Calvert | Reviewer: Andrew | 12/10/07
Hey i am sorry hawthorne heights for the lost of casey. i know he was a special guy to yall. i know what it is like to lose a band member. and fukk off all you guys that have anything to say bout casey death.
i'm so sad | Reviewer: rip casey | 12/5/07
I am so sorry hawthorne hieghts about your guitarist casey.I was shocked when I found out and so was my sis.
and for this kid who said to get over his death well you can go fuck yourself you don't care about other people and their feelings
If you don't like casey don't write anything negative about him and his EARLY DEATH!!!!!
who cares | Reviewer: who cares about casey | 12/4/07
who cares about this stupid band i mean come on grow up he DIED soooooooooooo what! lol lol im laughing write now because u guys need to grow up!!!!!!!!! bye and find a new band tooo listen to peace out loser's
im sorry | Reviewer: Asil Standby | 12/4/07
i've read alot of these comments to see if it was true that casey was dead, yea i heard it from my boyfriend, friends and classmates, it was hard to beleive yea i dont know when he died or how he died but you guys are my favorite bands, always have and always will be im truely sorry about what happen to casey and im sure everyone is...and i hope you guys stay strong and keep up ur music bc i wouldnt want to see u guys break up bc of this..and yea ur music wont ever be the same with out casey but u can try i wish u guys the best luck and once again im sorry about him he will be missed
R.I.P casey
GO DIE | Reviewer: SOMEBODY | 12/4/07
ok i met casey before because my sister wanted me to come with her and i hate casey he can just go die ooo what he did! ive listen to there stuff and they suck! i mean there not a really popular band ooh and im not going to lay off because im not emo or anything and my life is awesome so i dont need to be emo so i can just browse around web sites and make fun of stuff JUST BECAUSE I CAN!!!
casey | Reviewer: gwen | 12/2/07
casey inspired me to write an epic about his life...he's a "hero" in the music world...not because he's dead, but because he's still alive... xoxo
RIP CASEY CALVERT | Reviewer: nicole | 12/1/07
you were and still to this day are amazing. even though you are dead you will ALWAYS be in our hearts. hes irreplaceable. when i found out about this i cried. :( thats how sad i was. and still when i think about it i cry. he was amazing. you guys are going to have a hard time replacing him. he was AMAZING! rip casey we all miss you and love you. dead but not forgotten! we will always remember who. (: rip
casey | Reviewer: Thiskid | 12/1/07
im not here to carry on an online endless fight about music.
im here to say whats happened to casey is heartbreaking,
im not the biggest fan but i understand all differant types of music.
i honestly cant belive how insanely rude and inhumane that message was, really fucking immature.
sounds like your the one whos keeping it all in. dont be soo full of hate becuase of your parents but dont take your anger out on us ....take more out on them.
the kids in africa...we all care but we cant do anything about it we all ahve lives to persue. africa is getting there aid.. everyone has theyre problems. your not the only one.
i can say i have a great life, and i do.
so i spend most of my time, helping those who dont.
i absolutly love the motavation in this band.
theyre one of the few who went all out.
theyre trying to help. ponedonkey dosent recognize its for him.
i appreciate them, im sure theyve saved lives.
and for those here who are emotionally ruined.
dont cut, find a way to change the situation your in...chanllenge yourself and manipulate it until it works out in your favor.
if you dont hate, i promise you will feel so much more protected, safe, and most of all comfortable with everything.
.....your not the only one
bye casey | Reviewer: emilia | 11/30/07
h.h. is awsome and my friend will be missed greatly thanks to those of you who care and to those who dont u guys are mean!!!!
You guys have no heart. | Reviewer: Santi | 11/28/07
you guys are fucking assholes!
I know i'm not thie biggest hawthorne heights fan there is, but i'm still totally torn that casey had passed. I can tell that most of you have not lost anyone special ever before, you don't know what it feels like to loose anyone, and if you did, you would at least have a little bit of sympathy. You should all go to hell. ROT IN FUCKING HELL.
You need to go and kill yourself.
i don't care who it is, no one should say "YAY" that someone died.
fucking bastard.
You have no clue how these guys' childhoods were, and you have no room to talk. people like you should not even deserve to live. especially since you're a fucking crack whore.
R.I.P. Casey♥ | Reviewer: Jo♥ | 11/28/07
ok listen. i abolutely hate when low life people come on this fan site and diss them. u have no ideal y some people are emo, some bc thier lives at home arent very stable or whatever, u have no right to judge people or call them names. we dont mess with u preppy people and diss whatever kind of music u listen to. Hawthorne heights has opened mi eyes to alot of stuff. they have helped me thru struggles. and how can people listen to rap? all that stuff that digrace women with our bodys and everything else. hawthorne heights has helped me thru the tough times and thru thick and thin. we dont go on ur fan sites and diss ur singers so dont diss ours, leave us alone.
and to hawthorne heights, im sorry about ur death of Caset Calvert. he was one of my favorite guys. i know you guys will stay strong. keep up the hope.
R.I.P. Casey.
u will b greatli missed.
R.I.P. Casey♥ | Reviewer: R.I.P. Casey♥ | 11/28/07
I can just say that I love hawthorne heigths
and casey calver was a beautiful man with importants thinks to do in his life and all the people love h.h love casey and not beacuse he isn`t here because he make magic with his guitar and i love that.....
casey we miss you
Add New Review About The Artist
By Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 Current page No. 2/ 5


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A state appeals court ruling in September striking down a referendum that would have allowed Miami Beach voters to ratify a billion dollar agreement that the Miami Beach Commission reached with New York developer Tishman for the development of the Miami Beach Convention Center set a pause button on the project. Given that Miami Beach's financial future is at stake, the commission's 5-2 vote in favor of Tishman's bid in July was understandably contested and discussions about the choice are often times heated and acrimonious.
Now, in the wake of the court's decision preventing the winning bid to go to voters, the commission and Beach residents face critical decisions in the near future. The most important of those choices will be Nov. 5 as the mayor's post and two commission seats are up for grabs.
The results of these elections can radically alter the fate of Miami Beach's future. The voters can retain the present commission (virtually intact) — Mayor Matti Bower is now running for commissioner after terming out as mayor, and Commissioner Michael Gongora is bidding for the mayor's seat. Or Beach residents can make a hard right turn and rebuke the judgment of the present commission that has received its share of fiery criticism over the last few years — not just because of the controversial convention center decision but also because of the troubles with a city manager, corruption among city employees, and a seemingly unruly police department.
After more than a decade of wrangling over the renovation of the convention center, perhaps it is time to step back and assess whether the present deal is as transparent or advantageous for the city. Philip Levine, who is running for mayor, explained to me this week that, "the convention center decision is one of the single most important issues any Miami Beach official has ever voted on and yet this commission decided to go with a proposal that didn't include two major details, the scope and the price."
Michael Gongora, who has served as commissioner for five years and voted for the Tishman proposal, positions it quite differently, "I sat through every meeting and every presentation and came to the conclusion that this was the best, albeit not perfect, plan. I think what's in the best interest of Miami Beach residents is that we promptly sit down and iron out the necessary details with the Tishman group and take it to a special election in early 2014." The special election Gongora mentioned would cost the taxpayers several hundred thousand dollars extra.
Commissioner Jonah Wolfson, who cast one of the two dissenting votes against the Tishman plan and spearheaded the campaign group, Let Miami Beach Decide, which was a party to the suit that led to the decision by the Third District Court of Appeal in Miami, said he is "hopeful there will be wholesale changes and we can readdress this issue by opening up the bidding process again if we have to."
One of the big sticking points of the deal was the adjoining hotel that the developer would build. Those who support a convention hotel argue that convention-goers could not negotiate good group rates at the Beach's existing hotels. Wolfson as well as Levine would decouple the hotel from the deal and reframe the scope of the renovation to be done.
"I'm greatly concerned that the commission didn't take its own city manager's advice who said he would have chosen another bidder who would have cost the public less and gotten construction done quicker," added Levine.
Everyone is in agreement that the renovation of the convention center is long overdue. However, given the flaws in the commission's decision as per the court's ruling, perhaps the best remedy is to follow the course set by the results of the Nov. 5 mayoral and commission elections and let the voters of Miami Beach cast their own fate.


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Are you considering traveling with young children to Africa?
My husband and I spent six weeks in Uganda with our four young children. We traveled to Uganda with our three sons: Asher (6), Micah (4) and Zephaniah (2). In Uganda, we adopted a baby girl, Gabrielle, who was five months old when she joined our family. This post is the first in a series about the challenges of traveling to a developing country with children! I hope these posts will be helpful to other families.
Backpack, suitcase or duffel bag?
Our family packed into a total of 12 bags. We carried-on seven and checked five bags. Each family member carried a backpack. The little boys backpacks contained their favorite stuffed animal and book, snacks and water bottle, neck pillow and pajamas for the airplane, and rain coats. My husband and I, along with our six-year-old son, carried these items plus all of our clothing, personal care items, computer and camera.
We brought two rolling suitcases on the plane from Seattle to London. One of these suitcases was for the warm clothing we would need for our long layover in London on the way to Uganda. We left this suitcase with family in London and picked it up on our way home. The second rolling suitcase on the plane was full of art supplies, travel games, books, home school materials, diapers, baby wipes and snacks.
We checked two suitcases and three duffel bags. One of these suitcases was full of clothing for our little boys along with the formal clothing we would need when we went to court. The second suitcase was full of everything our baby girl needed: blankets, bottles, clothing, toys and other essentials.
One of the duffel bags was full of the consumable items we would use in Uganda: hundreds of diapers and baby wipes, infant formula and more. The other two duffel bags were full of cloth diapers, toys and clothing we donated to our daughter's orphanage.
In addition to our bags, we also brought a bassinet for our baby and a toddler car seat for our two-year old. Although it was incredibly difficult to get the car seat through the airport and on the airplane, it was completely worth it. Our two-year old slept almost all the way through 40 hours on an airplane in his comfortable Britax car seat. The car seat was also helpful in Uganda, as it contained our otherwise wiggly little boy through hours of crazy traffic. Although the bassinet was collapsible, it was also bulky and difficult to travel with. Again, it was worth it to have this in Uganda.
Although we had a heavy load on the way to Uganda, our plan was to be able to unload two of our three duffel bags shortly after arriving in Uganda and to slowly empty the third duffel. By the time we went home, the duffel bags were empty and could be packed into a suitcase. In the end, we ended up coming home with one of the duffel bags full of things we bought in Uganda.
We packed light, I promise: the bare essentials for children
Although walking through the airport with jet lagged children and a dozen bags was ridiculously hard, we only packed the essentials. For example, this is hat we packed for each of our children:
- One special stuffed animal
- Lightweight rain coat
- Swimsuit
- Sun hat with SPF 50+ and bug repellant
- One pair convertible pants in dark gray
- One long sleeve adventure shirt – blue for Asher, orange for Micah, green for Zephaniah
- 2 short sleeve tee shirts, 1 long sleeve tee-shirt, 1 polo shirt for church
- 2 pairs shorts
- 4 pairs underwear
- 2 pairs pajamas
- Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottle – black for Asher, orange for Micah, green for Zephaniah
- One pair of sandals: Tevas for Asher, Chacos for Micah and Keens for Zephaniah (we did not pack any socks)
We packed the clothing for each child into one Eagle Creek Pack-It Double Cube. These cubes were just large enough to hold the clothes the children were not wearing. This also made it easy for the boys to keep their own clothing organized. This was just enough clothing for us to do laundry, usually by hand, every other day.
This is the minimum amount clothing I would suggest bringing for a young child on a long trip. With just this clothing, we were able to add or remove layers to keep the boys comfortable in different weather conditions. We usually had one clean change of clothes and the boys had something dry to wear while we did laundry. I am thankful we brought one polo shirt for each of the boys so they could dress up a little on Sundays, as we found that our African hosts often dressed up.
What about bugs?
I loved almost everything about Africa except for the bugs. If you are traveling with young children, you will need to plan to deal with creepy, crawly, flying, stinging, buzzing and biting bugs. The worst offenders in Uganda are mosquitos and ants.
The ants are basically harmless, although they are everywhere and they get in to everything. Plan to keep your living space and your belongings very clean. Sticky food spilled on clothing is like an ant magnet. Make sure you keep your children's snacks in sealed containers. One of the most important things to put in your suitcase is a few boxes of quart and gallon size Ziploc bags.
And then there are mosquitos. The mosquitos loved our oldest son, Asher. They mostly left our other two boys alone, but something about our first-born must have been delicious. At one point he had more than two dozen bites. In most places in Africa, the mosquitos often carry malaria, so it is important for children to take a prophylactic anti-malarial medication.
To help our little boys chew or swallow their pills, we brought a bag of jelly beans. We would smash the little white pills into one jelly bean and have the boys eat it quickly and then give them another bean to hide the taste. Eventually we ran out of jelly beans and just taught our boys, even the two-year old, to swallow pills.
One of the most important ways to fight bugs is to go inside in the evening. Although it is tempting to stay outside at night, enjoying the cool African evening, it is wise to go inside, away from the bugs. Another strategy is to put on long sleeve shirts and pants in the evenings. There are very few mosquitos out during the day, but you need to have a strategy to help your children in the evening. Don't forget to have the children sleep under mosquito nets.
There were three products we brought in our suitcase that were incredibly helpful:
- California Baby Natural Baby Bug Blend: This natural bug repellant smells fresh and does not make skin sticky or greasy. It is lightweight and effective much of the time. We typically put this on exposed skin in the morning and on faces and necks at dusk.
- Repel Lemon Eucalyptus: As a family, we wanted to avoid using DEET as much as possible. Studies have found Lemon Eucalyptus to be as effective as DEET repellents as long as it is applied often enough. We typically put this on our ankles and other areas of exposed skin at dusk when the bugs come out to bite.
- Tea Tree Oil: We brought a small bottle of Tea Tree Oil. This essential oil is cooling, calming and skin-healing and can be applied directly to bug bites.


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Cosmeceutical Critique: Mushrooms: Part II
Dr. Leslie Baumann
There are 14,000 known species of mushrooms, and many have been used as food and folk medicines for thousands of years. About 200 species have been used for medical purposes in countries ranging from China, Japan, Korea, and Russia to Canada and the United States (Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2002;60:258–74; Crit. Rev. Immunol. 1999;19:65–96).
By far, the most extensive use of mushrooms for medical purposes has been in China, Japan, and Korea to treat allergies, arthritis, bronchitis, and scleroderma as well as cancer, especially of the stomach, esophagus, and lungs. The mushrooms used in traditional medicine include Lentinus edodes (shiitake), Ganoderma lucidum (lingzhi in Chinese, reishi in Japanese), Cordyceps sinensis, Grifola frondosa (maitake), Hericium erinaceum (yamabushitake), Inonotus obliquus (chaga), Schizophyllum commune, Trametes versicolor, and Flammulina velutipes (Life. Sci. 2004;75:1051–62; Integr. Cancer Ther. 2003;2:358–64; Mini. Rev. Med. Chem. 2004;4:873–9; Crit. Rev. Immunol. 1999;19:65–96).
Mushrooms contain compounds believed to have significant biologic activity, including triterpenes, proteins, lipids, cerebrosides, phenols, vitamins, fiber, and amino acids. They also have been found to possess a high content of biologically active polysaccharides with demonstrated antitumor and immuostimulating properties (Mini Rev. Med. Chem. 2004;4:873–9; Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2002;60:258–74).
In this second column on mushrooms, which follows the June column on the heavily researched species Ganoderma lucidum, I focus on some of the mushrooms used in newer dermatologic products.
L. edodes
The ethanol-soluble extract of L. edodes has been shown to reduce the proliferation of murine skin carcinoma cells (CH72), and to dose- and time-dependently induce apoptosis in these cells. Extracts of other mushrooms (Grifola frondosa, Ganoderma lucidum, and H. erinaceum) have been shown to have only a negligible effect on cancer cells (Cancer Lett. 2005;220:21–8).
In a different study, an ethyl acetate fraction of L. edodes was observed to exert concentration-dependent antiproliferative effects on several cell lines, when tested using the MTT assay (MTT is 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide). The antiproliferative effects were seen in all of the cell lines tested, including human breast carcinoma (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453), human nonmalignant breast epithelial cells (MCF-10F), and myeloma (IM-9 and RPMI-8226). The researchers concluded apoptosis induced by the active ingredients in shiitake mushrooms—the so-called mycochemicals—might cause the growth inhibition in tumor cells (J. Altern. Complement. Med. 2006;12:125–32).
Two ?-glucan constituents of L. edodes, lentinan and micellapist, are sold in Japan as a medicine and a food supplement, respectively. In a study of mushroom polysaccharides, lentinan exhibited antitumor and immunomodulating activity through immunocyte cytokine production (Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 2006;33:1726–9; Carbohydr. Res. 2005;340:1515–21; Int. J. Immunopharmacol. 1995;17:465–74; Biofactors 2004;21:407–9). In a recent study, investigators evaluated the antitumor activities of lentinan in B10.D2 mice implanted with S908D2 tumor cells. They found tumor growth was suppressed in animals treated with lentinan, that tumor-bearing mice treated with lentinan survived longer than did untreated mice, and that tumor cytotoxicity in the lentinan-treated group was reduced by a treatment of splenocytes with anti-CD8 antibody (Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 2006;33:1726–9).
To ascertain whether lentinan extracted from shiitake mushrooms could maintain its antitumor capacity through oral administration, as opposed to the more common parenteral administration, researchers tested lentinan using murine lymphoma (K36) cells in an AKR mouse model. Subsequently, they tested the compound in mice inoculated with human colon carcinoma cell lines. In both types of mice, the tumors regressed in animals that had been fed lentinan 7 days before inoculation with the cancer cells, compared with control mice that were not fed lentinan.
In the same study, lymphocytes extracted from the pre-fed AKR mice were injected into immunodeficient (nude) mice. Human colon carcinoma cell lines were then inoculated into the nude mice. The researchers found that tumors developed more slowly in the nude mice inoculated with lymphocytes than in the nude mice without lymphocyte inoculation. The researchers concluded that the antitumorigenic activity of lentinan was indeed maintained through oral administration (J. Altern. Complement. Med. 2002;8:581–9).
Interestingly, a recent case study suggests that adoptive immunotherapy with lentinan alone might have been an effective treatment in a woman who had lymph node metastases from ovarian cancer, insofar as the regimen was maintained for 5 months without chemotherapy (Anticancer Res. 2006;26:4015–8).
C. sinensis
C. sinensis, an Ascomycetes fungus, has traditionally been consumed in China to enhance sexual performance. Researchers have demonstrated in vivo that C. sinensis and its fractions stimulate mouse testosterone production. The same researchers also showed the mushroom and its fractions stimulate steroidogenesis in primary mouse Leydig cells and MA-10 mouse Leydig tumor cells (Life Sci. 2004;75:1051–62).
Like several other mushrooms, C. sinensis exhibits immunomodulating activity. In a recent study, researchers examined the protective effect of this species against group A streptococcus (GAS) in mice. Mice that were force-fed C. sinensis mycelium extract for 3 consecutive days before GAS infection had a higher survival rate and diminished local skin-tissue injury than did mice fed phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). In addition, pretreatment with C. sinensis extract for 3 days followed by treatment with C. sinensis every other day after GAS infection yielded 100% survival. Furthermore, bacterial dissemination was observed in the blood and organs in PBS-treated mice, but not in mice treated with C. sinensis. The investigators concluded that C. sinensis mycelium extract improved survival in mice by reducing bacterial growth and dissemination (J. Med. Microbiol. 2005;54:795–802).
In a recent study, an orally administered hot-water extract of C. sinensis protected mice from bone marrow and intestinal injury after total body irradiation, increasing time to death by several days. The researchers attributed the radioprotective effect of this mushroom, in part, to its activity against free radicals; the extract lowered reactive oxygen species levels in vitro (Radiat. Res. 2006;166:900–7).
In a study with potentially more direct dermatologic implications, a compound containing a preparation of C. sinensis prolonged the survival of allogeneic grafted pigskin, possibly by inhibiting the expression of CD4(+) and CD8(+) glycoproteins and lessening the inflammatory reaction (Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao 2006;4:185–8).
G. frondosa
Popular in Asia as a culinary and medicinal mushroom, Grifola frondosa (maitake) has been studied for its immunomodulatory activity. In one study, researchers found that the relatively low molecular mass polysaccharides isolated in hot water extracts stimulated phagocytes and augmented the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells in human peripheral blood. The authors concluded that these results buttressed the evidence for G. frondosa's immunomodulatory activity (J. Agric. Food Chem. 2006;54:2906–14).
G. frondosa is gaining recognition as a potent source of polysaccharides with health benefits. The MD fraction (MDF), a proprietary maitake polysaccharide extract thought to be a significant improvement over the preceding D fraction, along with the D fraction and other extracts, exhibited potential as an immunomodulating agent and as an adjunct to cancer and HIV treatment (Altern. Med. Rev. 2001;6:48–60).
In one study, researchers looked at the effects of MDF on nitric oxide production in a murine monocyte/macrophage cell line. They found that MDF is a novel inducer of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), a mediator of nitric acid production. They concluded that this action partly explains MDF's antitumor activity against human hepatoma-derived huH-1 cells (J. Exp. Clin. Cancer. Res. 2001;20:591–7).
In a mouse study, investigators found the mushroom's D fraction lowered the effective dosage of the chemotherapeutic agent mitomycin C needed to control cancer by augmenting the proliferation, differentiation, and activation of immunocompetent cells (Nutrition 2005;21:624–9). In an earlier study, most of the same investigators showed the D fraction repressed metastatic cancer progression, mainly by stimulating natural killer cell activity. The team also showed that combining D fraction immunotherapy with chemotherapy cut tumor size in lung, liver, and breast cancer (J. Med. Food 2003;6:371–7).
Recently, researchers evaluated the photoprotective potential of exopolysaccharide (EPS) derived from G. frondosa. When they exposed human dermal fibroblasts to UVA, they found that EPS dose-dependently decreased matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression without causing a significant cytotoxic response. The investigators concluded that by hindering MMP-1 reduction, the G. frondosa mycelial extract inhibited cutaneous photoaging in dermal fibroblasts (FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 2005;251:347–54).
At the Store
The chief dermatologic product that includes L. edodes is Aveeno's Positively Ageless Active Naturals Natural Shiitake Complex Rejuvenating Serum. It is designed to promote cell renewal and improve cutaneous signs of photoaging.
Dr. Andrew Weil has designed two products for Origins that include both C. sinensis and Ganoderma lucidum extracts. Origins Plantidote Mega-Mushroom Face Serum, and Plantidote Eye Serum, combine the mushroom species Hypsizygus ulmarius with C. sinensis and Ganoderma lucidum, along with other healthful ingredients (including ginger, turmeric, basil, resveratrol, and argan nut oil) to combat cutaneous aging.
In addition, N.V. Perricone Maitake Mushroom Extract SX Fraction contains a Grifola frondosa extract in a tablet for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. It was designed by Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a board-certified dermatologist.
The history and mounting evidence of the medical benefits of mushrooms are impressive. Collectively, the literature suggests that L. edodes, C. sinensis, and G. frondosa exhibit antiproliferative and immunomodulatory activity, and have potential dermatologic applications.
With continuing research, we are more likely to see studies on the cutaneous effects of various mushroom extracts. That said, much more work needs to be done to establish the direct dermatologic benefits of medicinal mushrooms. What has emerged thus far provides reasons for optimism.
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A new survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project suggests social networking and politics could be a dangerous mix.
Friends disagree with friends about political issues and usually let their disagreements pass without comment, according to the study.
About 38 percent of social media users have discovered through a friend's posts that their political beliefs were different than the user thought they were.
Very liberal users and very conservative users are often the most likely to have acted for and against others on social media.
Study breakdown:
The report is based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International from Jan. 20 to Feb. 19, 2012.
Have you ever gotten into a political argument with a friend over Twitter or Facebook? Share your experience on our Facebook page.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.


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Features that are NEEDED on the e62.
using Mail for Exchange there are a few features that absolutley need to be implemented for it to work well in any corporate environment.
1. You can sync your inbox but thats it. You need to be able to sync subfolders... this is HUGE.
2. You need to sysc the Sent folder. when I send an email on my device I need to be able that it was sent once you are back at your desk.
3. In Calendar, ability to accept meeting invites and create and invite people to meetings.
4. Contacts. it would be great if you could sync the Global address list as well as your personal contact list.
5. Contacts. when changing a contact Detail, like if you creat a mobile phone, and want to change it to a house or business phone you cant change the icon, you have to delete the detail and create a new one... the should be made easier to change.
These are a few of the things that I have found that are major problems with Mail for exchange... Are any of these being worked on/considered for future releases? If so how long till we might see any of these...???
Thanks in advance.


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SCOPE Committees
Members are welcome to get involved with our study association in one of our committees.
As an active member you will become part of the unique network of the largest study association of the School of Business and Economics. You will get to work with numerous inspiring and motivated people, get the chance to realize your ideas, gain practical experiences in project - and team management, make lasting friendships and create unforgettable memories.
Next to your work as a committee member, you will have the chance to join many of our social activities such as the weekly drink at the Preuverij, movie nights, pub quizzes, fun weekends, trips and other activities. Being a committee member will enrich your student life here in Maastricht and enable you to balance your academic and social life perfectly. Are you ready for the challenge?
For general questions about joining one of the committees, please contact our Secretary.
Currently the following committees exist.
Magazine Committee:
Do you like to write, edit, design and express your opinion? If you do, the SCOPE Maastricht Magazine Committee is the place for you. Join us and become a member of our dedicated team! Our magazine 'THE SCOPE' is a member's magazine but also a general interest publication, which is published on a semi-annual basis and also sent by mail to all members of SCOPE Maastricht. Our magazine consists out of a mix of serious and fun articles, interviews and events. The range of topics is up to you and your creative nature. The end product lies in your hands!
We are looking for motivated writers, editors and designers. If you want to see your articles published in 'The SCOPE' and be part of our vibrant tea, please contact our Secretary.
If you are interested in taking a look at 'The SCOPE' you can find it on our website under the tab Membership.
Masters Committee:
This committee is an opportunity for master students to organize social and academic events for fellow master students. Together we come up with new events that will help master students get the most of their limited time in Maastricht. These activities include poker evenings, workshops and company visits that give you an idea of the direction you want to pursue in your future career. Furthermore, every year we organize one study trip which creates a balance between having a fun trip and getting insights into different companies through company visits. If you are a master student and interested in working with us or have any more questions please contact our Vice President
Social Activities Committee:
As it is important in student life to socialize Scope Maastricht organizes block parties such as the Kick Off or a Boat Party. The Social Activities Coordinator and the Social Activities Committee organize these. The committee also organizes fun activities for the active members such as dinners, barbecues etc..If you are interested in organizing parties and other social activities, then join our Social Activities Committee!For Questions contact our Social Activities Coordinator
Education Committee:
A very important component of SCOPE Maastricht is the offering of its academic activities, such as extra tutorials, extensive exam trainings, workshops and skill trainings. Organized are these activities by the Academic Activities Coordinator and the Education Committee.If you are interested in the organization of such events, or if you have ideas for new activities, you are welcome to join the Education Committee!For questions contact our Academic Activities Coordinator
Study Trip Committee:
In the Study Trip Committee we plan city trips to various locations all around Europe. These trips usually last 3-4 days and aim to give students the opportunity to get to know a new city. But besides sightseeing and having fun there is also an educational aspects to the trips. The participants will have the chance to meet interesting people in their working environment and learn about their responsibilities at different company visits.Do you like travelling and planning trips? Are you interested in exploring European cities? Then join our Study Trip Committee!For questions contact our Academic Activities Coordinator
Foreign Trip Committee:
In the Foreign Trip Committee we plan a one-week trip to Europe or other continents. The goal is to enrich the student's life with combined academic and social activities. We want to give students the opportunity to get to know a new country and culture and visit companies to broaden their insight into the business world. Students can get to know their possibilities within the working field and find out more about their future job interests.If you like to organize trips and love to travel, then join our Foreign Trip Committee! For Questions contact our Social Activities Coordinator
My Buddy Committee:
The My buddy program gives both exchange-students and regular students a platform to connect with each other. The main objective of this program is to help exchange-students to be better integrated in Maastricht and allow regular students to discover a new culture.Being part of the My Buddy committee will give you the opportunity to come in contact and interact with these students from all around the world and broaden your horizon. Do you like to work in a multicultural environment? Are you motivated to come up with new, exciting events for the My Buddy program such as a international foodnight, pubcrawl, dinners,… you are invited to join our committee! For more information contact our Vice President


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It's been a beautiful week with a lot of celebration, tons of good food and, the best part of all, family! It's rare that all of my children are here at the same time, given that one lives across the country with his family. Having them together is a special treat, even if it was short-lived since another has gone off on a vacation of his own. Still, we're enjoying this week together and I'm having a grand time being grandma in person.
I hope your holiday season is a warm and wonderful as ours.
All five together again.
On Christmas Eve the sauce is underway for Christmas lasagna, meatballs and sausage.
Christmas table for 12.
Christmas morning and Layla is having fun.
What a sweet way to end the day!


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There was a point where i would have been upset with this news but now im resigned to the fact that it will likely be the case. I can not wait until all this is over with and we get to see the final product that we put on the court. Personally I would not be too upset to see a line up of...
PG Jack/Chalmers/Bank
SG Derozan/Weems
SF Beasley/Bellineli
PF Amir/Davis/Evans
C Bargs/Alabi/Dorsey
and whatever other players + draft picks that the team can net from trading Calderon and Turkaglu.
Im not saying Beasley is the best pickup for us but he does have a bit of that scoring swagger that we may require next year. It gives our young guns a chance to grow and excel. I dont think we will be GREAT on defense but i dont see us being nearly as bad as last year. Mix that in with more run and gun and this team could actually be pretty fun to watch!
And just so we are clear i am not one of those guys who is upset with Bosh for the way he has handled himself or that he is leaving at all. It is a sad day to see him go but if we do this correctly we will be put in a darn good spot to begin our rebuilding process!
Well guys... Enjoy the next 24 hrs!


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|Article Index
|What Is Paintball
|Page 2
|History of paintball
|Types Of Game
|Strategies and tactics
|Paintball marker
|Face mask
|Co2 Tank
|All Pages
The most important rule in paintball is that all players must wear a protective goggle system or mask at all times when they are playing or near other people who are playing. While paintballs will not cause permanent injury to most areas of the body, the eyes, and to a lesser extent the ears, are vulnerable to serious injury if hit by a paintball. Paintball masks are specifically designed for the sport, and the goggles are capable of withstanding a direct hit from a paintball traveling at well over 300 feet per second (90 m/s), the safety limit adopted by paintball marker manufacturers. Most masks have flaps that protect the ears, and some include a visor to shade the player from sunlight. Some players use masks that cover the entire head for maximum protection, while the majority of tournament-level players choose smaller masks that offer a wider field of view, better hearing, vocal communication and more venting. Recently, small timers were created to fit in the goggle, alerting the user to a certain time in the game.


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Have never really done this before but since I visit this place everyday figure I would give it a shot. We all know how last season went and if anything want more consistency out of this team in 2012. There are some great pieces in place and the potential for some giant wholes depending on how free agency falls. Anyways lets get this started. I see our biggest needs as: MLB, CB, RB, DL, OL in that order.
Broncos we resign
- Broderick Bunkley is an absolute must. Very underated season and a steal for what we paid for. Give the big guy the money he deserves or if we were ever to franchise tag a player he would be choice until a long term deal can get done.
- Matt Prater clutch, clutch and more clutch last season and gets us a touch back practically everytime we kicked off last season.
- Britton Colquitt showed great improvement this last season and shouldn't go anywhere expecially since he is an exclusive rights free agent.
- Daniel Fells was a good blocker last season with decent hands and seemed to open quite a bit just never got the ball. If Tebow needs anything lets keep come familiar faces to help him develop as a passer.
-Eddie Royal want to keep him as a punt/ kick returner if we can. Don't know if he has shown enough the last couple seasons to earn a big check somewhere else. But with Shanahan lurking you just never know.
- Mario Haggan guy has class and played a good game when Miller was hurt, seems like a solid presence in the locker room and team leader.
-Russ Hochstein filled in well the last couple seasons with injuries and knows the system. If we can keep him for a decent price I say pull the trigger. Hope we sign him and he never sees any game time unless its 4th quarter garbage time.
-Marcus Thomas the man tried to leave last year and didn't really get any great offers and came back. Think that is the story once again this offseason. Sign him to another 1 year deal and will add quality depth and push for a starting spot.
Think that is all the major re-singings to me, would love to keep WW but think he will earn a better chance at a starting job on another team. Will miss him but hands down DJ is a better player and keeping him at one position for 2 years in a row may help him play to his talent level. Hope we can restructure his contract to help pool more money for quality free agents. We can all dream can't we. Also don't see any of our RFA going anywhere.
Offensive Free agents:
QB- we all know that we need to bring in a quality back up for a number of reasons. For one to help push Tebow (not that he needs a lot of help), but most importantly after the dreadful loss to the Patriots there is a realistic chance he will sit for a couple games due to injury. So after thinking long and hard
Jason Campbell, I know I am going to get yelled at for this but he is a quality QB and a recent article from the post got me thinking. Think it was by Woody Paige and he said something along the lines that any QB we pick up is going to come into camp wanting to compete and thinking they are better than Tebow. He handled himself well in Oakland and seems to be a class act. Other plausible options are Josh Johnson and Denis Dixon but think we would be in the same boat as last year with Tebow and both of them seem injury prone. Also thought about Gerrard but don't see him wanting to reunite with Del Rio.
RB- We all know its just a pipe dream that the top tier RBs in this class are getting the franchise tag. So I would say we need some new blood in the draft and judging by last years pickup of McGahee I would say we go for a solid veteran who has been stuck on the depth chart.
Jason Snelling would probably come on the cheaper side of things and seems to be a pretty good all around talent. Not a lot of number to look at but hard to when he is stuck behind a work horse. Also has fresh legs and decent hands out of the backfield. Also he is only 28 years old so could lock him up for a couple of years no problem. Other choices would be BenJarvis Green Ellis and Tim Hightower.
FB- I don't know if we let Larsen walk or not but am far from sold as Sylvester as our only FB on the roster. We could wait for the draft but think that a good FB can make a good RB/ O-Line look a heck of a lot better and we all know that we need to pound the rock to help Tebow.
Jacob Hester not only are we stealing a back from san diego but he seems to be very solid and can run in a pinch. Solid hands and don't know how much of an upgrade he would be but the bolts always seem to have a good running attack since he entered the league. Still very young with room to improve at 26.
WR- I like where we sit at the moment and need to let the young guys develop. One thing we could do is go out and get a solid veteran to help teach DT and Decker learn the ropes a little bit. I also think we go after a deep threat in the later rounds of the draft and the guys on the practice squad showed some promise last pre-season. Think we could stand pat at this position if Eddie Royal is resigned and if he isn't maybe pursue Ted Ginn for his return abilities if he slips out of San Francisco
O-Line- to be honest I think that Walton is servicable and needs some competition. So I say bring in a some competition at center and look to add some more youth though the draft.
Chris Myers solid center from a run based offense and think the Texans are going to have a hard time keeping all of their UFA this year. Knows the city and know that it won't to hard signing an o-linemen who knows there are in a smash mouth style of offense.
Marcus McNeill think we can get him on the cheap and compete with Harris as a back up. Think if it is at the right price it will be a low risk high ceiling type of deal.
TE- Don't really know what to think of this situation at the moment. Some good prospects moving forward but think it is worth our while to let them develop and wait to see whats happens in the draft. I am okay going into the draft with Fells, Green and Thomas.
Defensive Free Agents
Think this is where we are going to spend the majority of our money this offseason. Too many years of neglect and the talent level behind some core starters is really bad. With Del Rio on board and some infusion of talent we could be scary good next season.
D tackle- think that if we resign most of the pieces we have in place and get a draft pick or 2 we will be looking pretty decent here and say we stand pat. John Fox never seems to pursue huge name tackles and look what he did last season. Did very little and managed to patchwork together a decent group.
D end- Hunter was solid back up and don't know what to think of Ayers. Think will add some depth/ rotational players and pursue someone that can push Ayers. Harvey might be back but if Del Rio wasn't too happy with him in Jacksonville and won't really miss him.
Cliff Avril May take a little bit more money than we would like but think it is worth the gamble. Good all around player and with Dumervil on the other side and Miller coming from the outside I think we would have one of the best pass rushes in the league. Also seemed to have very similar numbers as Ayers but more sacks. He also really pissed me off during the Detroit game but my memory is pretty hazy from that game.
LB- Think we are set at everything but MLB and should let Joe Mays walk. Nate Irving is still learning but think this is the most important part of our defense making the next step. We have some youth at this position and 2 stallwart started in Miller and DJ.
Dan Connor another player that is buried on the depth chart behind a pro bowl player. He is young, knows Fox and is from the linebacker factory Penn State. A lot of others have him as a high priority and would really love to lock him up for a couple of years.
CB- This is going to interesting what we do at this position. To put it simply we are too young and too old at this position. Champ and Carter are going to be back. Who knows what Goodman will do and wouldn't mind cutting him and spending on some younger talent. My choice is sign a big name and then draft one early. The way the league is moving and the way we got torched last season by good passing teams this is a must.
Brandon Carr another one of those situations of stealing good young talent from a division foe so it seems like a win win in my book. Decent size and cover skills and young enough to imporve and be a key factor for this team for years to come.
S- At safety I think Dawkins will return next season and we need another year to see what we have in Moore and Carter. Say stand pat and wait to see what happens. Champ will moving here in the next couple of seasons so don't want to break the bank on anybody just yet.
Think to be on the highly optimistic yet feasable side of free agency. Don't know how much we are going to add in FA but if we got them for the right price think that it is a good blend of youth and talent to really help this team in the long run.


text: First and foremost: location, location, location : can't be more central, can't have a better view ! This hotel, an institution in the area, is your typical family owned and run hotel: Plus side: - good value for money - clean rooms - friendly and professional service - great traditional food (poisson en croute de sel, bouillabaisse, etc.) Minus side:... More


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Thousands in flood funding up for grabs for Herefordshire homes (From Ledbury Reporter)
Get involved! Send your photos, video, news & views by texting MG NEWS to 80360 or e-mail us
Thousands in flood funding up for grabs for Herefordshire homes
4:30pm Monday 24th March 2014 in News
FLOOD-HIT homeowners and businesses in Herefordshire could be eligible for tax breaks, support and up to £5,000 after central government awarded the county £130,000.
Last week the £10m Business Support Scheme allocated Herefordshire Council £110, 000 to assist homes businesses damaged by the exceptional rainfall in January and February.
This is in addition to the £20, 000 already set aside to cover damage done earlier in the winter.
The council will get in touch with businesses this week with details of how to apply for a 'Repair and Renew' grant of up to £5,000.
This is a one-off grant to go towards 'resilient repair'; repair work that will make the affected building less susceptible to flood damage in the future.
It will only be available for measures over and above repairs normally covered by insurance.
Any businesses adversely affected by flooding may also be eligible for up to three months of business rate relief – to be underwritten by government – however "very small or insignificant impacts should be ignored".
A similar scheme is in place, with £4m available nationwide, to help offer council tax discounts to home owners.
If your house has been flooded, discounts are available for up to three months, but are awarded at the discretion of the council.
All farmers hit by flooding will also be able to apply for emergency funding of up to £5,000 to help with uninsured losses and get farms into production again.
Administered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the funding can be used to help restore grassland, arable and horticulture land, farm vehicle access to fields and to improve agricultural drainage
The Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme is also offering grants of up to £35,000 to help make businesses more resilient.
Designed with the NFU and local councils, the Farming Recovery Fund can be applied for by contacting Defra's Rural Development Team at email@example.com or calling 0300 060 2700.
If your home has been affected by flooding, please email the details to firstname.lastname@example.com or phone 01432 261923.
If your business has been affected, please contact email@example.com or call 01432 261758.
Comments are closed on this article.


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1st European Taekwondo Club Championships
The 1st European Taekwondo Clubs Championships for Clubs (Seniors, Juniors and Cadets) will be held in Athens, Greece, from 9th to 13th of January 2013. The Championships will take place at the Taekwondo Sports Pavilion, at the same venue that took place with great success the Athens 2004 Olympic Games of Taekwondo in August 2004.
Our company HTG will be happy to offer you accommodation services in Athens as well as transfers solutions to and from the Sports Pavilion during the Championship. HTG has a long established reputation in delivering expert travelling reputation solutions all over Greece in the field of high performance sports. We can handle and oversee every aspect of travel and accommodation arrangement and requirements for a wide range of high profile sporting clubs, associations and federations, dealing with players, crews and co-workers, as well as supporters and affiliate organisations.
At HTG Sports, our proven track record in sports travel management gives us the understanding to provide our clients with the service they need off the field, so they can perform to the highest standard on it. We have the pleasure to present your our special package rates in the attached document
We are looking forward to welcoming you in Athens.


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OUTLANDER (published in the U.K. under the title "CROSS STITCH") is the first novel in the very popular Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Read on for a description of the book by the author.
What Is OUTLANDER?
Frankly, I've never been able to describe this book in twenty-five words or less, and neither has anyone else in the twenty years since it was first published. I've seen it (and the rest of the series) sold—with evident success—as <deep breath> Literature, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical NON-fiction (really. Well, they are very accurate), Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Military History (no, honest), Gay and Lesbian Fiction, and…Horror. (Really! One of my books beat both George R.R. Martin and Stephen King for a Quill Award in 2006.) Anyway, the only way I've ever found of describing this book to anyone is to begin telling them the story. So here goes….
In 1946, after WWII, a young Englishwoman named Claire Beauchamp Randall goes to the Scottish Highlands with her husband, Frank. She's an ex-combat nurse, he's been in the army as well, they've been separated for the last six years, and this is a second honeymoon; they're getting re-acquainted with each other, thinking of starting a family. But one day Claire goes out walking by herself, and comes across a circle of standing stones—such circles are in fact common all over northern Britain. She walks through a cleft stone in the circle….and disappears. Back into 1743, where the first person she meets is a gentleman in an 18th-century army officer's uniform. This gentleman, Jack Randall, looks just like her husband Frank—and proves to be Frank's six-times-great-grandfather. Unfortunately, he also proves to be a sadistic bisexual pervert, and while trying to escape from him, Claire falls into the hands of a gang of Highland Scots, who are also trying to get away from Black Jack Randall—though for other reasons.
In order to avoid being handed over to Captain Randall, Claire is obliged to marry one of the young clansmen. So she finds herself trying to escape from Castle Leoch and her Scottish captors, trying to get back to her husband Frank, trying to avoid being recaptured by Captain Randall—and falling in love with Jamie Fraser, the young man she's been forced to marry. The story rolls on from there…
What I used to say to people who saw me sitting outside a store with a pile of books and asked (reasonably enough), "What sort of book is this?", was, "I tell you what. Pick it up, open it anywhere, and read three pages. If you can put it down again, I'll pay you a dollar."
I've never lost any money on that bet.
Twenty-Six Years Ago…
Diana discusses how she came to write OUTLANDER and get it published, exactly twenty-six years earlier in her blog of March 6, 2014. Why did she write the book? What inspired her? Click here for her blog.
The OUTLANDER Series
The books in the OUTLANDER series have sold over 20 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into many languages. Click here for a chronology of the main novels and stories in the series.
The eighth major novel in the OUTLANDER series, WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART'S BLOOD, will be published in June, 2014.
The Outlander TV Series on Starz
The Starz Network will debut a TV series based on OUTLANDER some time in the summer of 2014. It is currently in production and is being filmed on location in Scotland. Click here for news from Diana about the TV series.
This page was last updated on Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 10:53 p.m. (PDT).


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SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of increasing the amount of visitors to a website by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. The more visitors you get to your website/blog the more opportunity you have to convert them into customers.
More customers = more sales = more profits.
Attend this free one hour webinar to learn the practical tips and tricks to be successful with this important Internet marketing technique.
Date: Thursday, January 13, 2011
Time: 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern
Location: Never have to leave your desk using GoToWebinar
Presenter: Doug Hay, CEO, Doug Hay & Associates
What you will learn:
- What are the basics to successful SEO
- How to get started
- Best practices for effective SEO
- Find out the #1 factor in influencing prospects
- How to correctly optimize a web page for maximum results
Limited Seating.


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Gay community group to close at end of month unless more help found (From Hereford Times)
Get involved! Send your photos, video, news & views by texting HT NEWS to 80360 or e-mail us
Herefordshire Pride to close at end of month unless more help found
6:00am Wednesday 23rd October 2013 in News By Lydia Johnson
A GROUP that organises events for the county's gay community looks set to close at the end of the month.
Char Carter, aged 32, set up Herefordshire Pride two-and-a-half years ago in a bid to kick-start events for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
However Char, from Hunderton, Hereford, said the group will close on October 31 unless more people come forward to offer support.
She said: "We really need a group secretary and treasurer, or if anyone wants to come and just join the group in general as a fundraiser then I want to hear from them.
"If not I will have to close it as it's too much work to do on my own."
Char said that up to 500 people previously attended the group's events but administration costs mean she cannot continue.
"Another problem is finding venues," she added.
"We will get property owners or landlords that won't let us use their venue because we are an LGBT group.
"Herefordshire isn't always up with the times with these things."
In addition to holding events, the group has also given advice to people of all ages.
Char said: "It would be really sad for us to go as there are supposed to be around 5,000 members of the LGBT community living in the county and I don't know of any other group out there for them."
Anyone who can help should call Char on 07407 458933 or visit herefordshirepride.co.uk.
Comments (3)
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10:44am Wed 23 Oct 13
oldergit says...
4:22pm Wed 23 Oct 13
Herefordboy says...
3:10pm Thu 24 Oct 13
dippyhippy says...
Its sad to read that in this day and age, you are refused the use of premises because of the group you are involved with.Unfortunately,p
rejudice is still rife in our society.
Gay friends I have spoken to have said they still feel there are pubs that are almost no-go areas.....its 2013.We really should be better than this by now.
Comments are closed on this article.