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Six months after separating, Ashton begs for Demi's forgiveness with a public tearful apology!
Ashton Kutcher used a private birthday bash for friend Yehuda Berg, where his ex-wife was present, to confess his regret over his failed marriage to Demi Moore!
Ashton, 34, and Demi, 49, famously split in January after reports that the actor cheated on their wedding anniversary. But it seems as though Ashton's feelings have never faltered! During a speech in front of their peers, Ashton reportedly confessed, "I've made all these horrendous mistakes in the past year."
A party insider said, "His voice broke, and he started to tear up. Demi just looked completely frozen."
What do YOU think, Hollywoodlifers? Are Ashton and Demi headed for a reconciliation? Is Ashton's apology enough — or too little too late?
– Chris Rogers
More news on Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore:
View Comment
Posted at 8:47 PM on August 2, 2012
Leave him where he's at, Demi deserves much better than a liar and cheated!!!!!!! Wow even two and a half men is going to pay the price, guess someone wasn't as smart as he thought he was, Charlie Sheen was the smart one, he told people the way it was !!!!! Remember Charlie is WINNING !!!!!! And so is Anger Management.
Posted at 12:41 AM on June 7, 2012
Posted at 2:07 PM on June 1, 2012
TanviAhuja DotCom
Posted at 1:36 PM on June 1, 2012
Posted at 8:44 AM on June 1, 2012
Posted at 3:32 PM on May 30, 2012
why is everyone hating on ashton?! i mean, i hate him- but not b/c of this demi stuff. she is an addict. she has abused alcohol and drugs at varous stages of her life. why should a young man in his 30's settle down with a 50-something drug addict if he doesn't want to? they were only together about 6 years or so… i say he should hit the ground running and never turn back. he's an idiot, but if he just wants to philander and not take care of an egomaniacal addict, i am not going to judge him for that.
Eddie Paul
Posted at 12:59 PM on May 30, 2012
Posted at 12:57 PM on May 30, 2012
Posted at 12:08 PM on May 30, 2012
Posted at 11:47 AM on May 30, 2012

subset: commoncrawl


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jason campbell photos
QB Jason Campbell played for the Raiders in 2010 and 2011.
Bruce Gradkowski replaced an ineffective Jason Campbell at halftime and sparked the Oakland Raiders to their first win of the season. Gradkowski threw for 162 yards and a 4-yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy in the third quarter that gave the Raiders their first lead. Oakland then held against a late St. Louis Rams rally.
New quarterback Jason Campbell (8) did not have a pleasant debut with the Raiders. The Titans harassed Campbell, sacking him four times and intercepting him once.
The Raiders acquired quarterback Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins at the draft in April in an effort to stabilize a position that has seen eight different players take snaps the last four years. Campbell achieved career highs in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage last season in Washington.
Quarterbacks Jason Campbell, left, and Bruce Gradkowski drop back during a passing workout. Campbell entered training camp as the starter and looks to be in position to keep his spot. Gradkowski is competing for the backup position, but he had been hampered by a chest injury this offseason.
New Redskins coach Mike Shanahan addressed reporters and said the team wants incumbent starting QB Jason Campbell to return next season.
Delhomme started this season with a five-turnover performance, after a six-turnover game in the playoff loss to the Cardinals last season. He hasn't been much better since, so the onus is on Delhomme to perform now coming out of the bye. Delhomme's counterpart Jason Campbell is also on the hot seat, but he acquitted himself nicely in the second half of last week's game, tossing two touchdown strikes to lead the Redskins to victory against the Bucs.
Coming off a surprising loss to the Detroit Lions, Jason Campbell is on the hottest of seats, despite a good performance. The offense continues to struggle, and that ultimately falls on Campbell. The Buccaneers defense and secondary in particular is subpar, so the Redskins will have to take advantage.
Washington quarterback Jason Campbell prays with members of both teams after Sunday's game in Landover, Md.
Quarterback Jason Campbell (17) returned as the team's starter despite the Redskins pursuing deals for Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez in the offseason. Campbell has said he's focused on playing well for the Redskins this season. Behind him on the depth chart will be Colt Brennan (5) and Todd Collins (15).
Quarterback Jason Campbell and cornerback Carlos Rogers take a breather just outside the Redskins' headquarters on July 30.
Quarterback Jason Campbell (17), linebacker London Fletcher (59), and offensive lineman Derrick Dockery lead a parade of players to the practice field on Aug. 2.
Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, front right, and tight end Chris Cooley, front left, take a ride aboard the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster at the Magic Kingdom in Florida's Walt Disney World. Riding with the NFL teammates are Cooley's wife, Christy, rear left, and Campbell's girlfriend Mercedes Lindsey.
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Cromer town councillor Keith Johnson.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
An angry row broke out at Cromer Town Council as members voted to think again about a plan to increase the hours of the clerk and deputy clerk and boost office opening hours.
On Monday evening, the personnel sub-committee recommendations were heard, proposing the clerk's hours should increase from 32 to 37, and the deputy clerk's from 15 to 22.
Office hours would change to 10am to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
But the full council voted to call a meeting to discuss it further.
Marion Saunders said she had "grave reservations" about extending the opening hours, which would "tie staff down to a location".
Greg Hayman said: "We cannot justify any public benefit for increasing our staff hours. Were we proposing new work, then and only then should we be taking the decision to increase staff time."
Keith Johnson agreed, saying times were tough and adding: "I want to see the evidence before me for this before we decide."
Deputy mayor David Pritchard said he was "surprised" at Mr Hayman's comments, and said: "Consultants were brought in at your request. They made a series of recommendations that the personnel sub-committee has worked through.
"Having a full-time clerk and increasing the hours of the deputy clerk will allow them sufficient time to do the duties that they have."
Tony Nash said: "There's been four years of stress laid upon our clerk and deputy clerk. There have been times when they've taken work home, and I think we should treat our staff properly. We should not be knocking our clerk."
3 comments
'V' !? I doubt if any value for the tax payer comes into it! I assume the clerk is paid hourly therefore the bill for the tax payers will increase accordingly.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
would the extra 5 hours really mean the clerk etc etc would not still take work home?? if the hours are to made 10-to-3 what happened to the good old 9-to-5 jobs if the job dictates site meetings etc outside the office then they should be able to work this into thier busy schedule.as for tying staff down to a certain location if thats what they get paid for then thats what they should be doing!!!!!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Why should'nt they be increased ?. Time the taxpayers got more "value" from their council tax money. What or who gives this lot the right to work less than anyone in industry?. Time they remembered that it is the publics money that pays them and we demand value !.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
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Back to Newsletters
March 2008 HCV Advocate
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Risk of Drug & Alcohol Relapse after Transplantation Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief HCV Pipeline Update Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief Report from the 2008 Retrovirus Conference (CROI) Liz Highleyman Healthwise: What the Heck is NHANES? Lucinda Porter, RN Extrahepatic Manifestations: Vitiligo Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief Disability & Benefits: HCV Meets HMO Jacques Chambers, CLU Fast Food and ALT Levels Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief HCV Advocate Eblast Stay informed on the latest news ..click here to register for email alerts
Back to top Risk of Drug & Alcohol Relapse after Transplantation Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief
A recently released study, "Meta-Analysis of Risk for Relapse to Substance Use after Transplantation of the Liver or Other Solid Organs," by Dew et al., is shedding light on the incidence of drug and alcohol use after organ transplantation.
Alcoholic liver disease and hepatitis C viral infection are the leading causes for liver transplantation in the United States and Europe. Given the scarcity of available organs there has been concern in the transplant community about the appropriate use of organs for people with drug and alcohol addiction. To compound the concern there has been very little data that has looked at the incidence of relapse after organ transplantation.
In the study a total of 54 (50 liver, 3 kidney, 1 heart) transplant studies were included that met the authors' inclusion criteria. In total there were 3,651 people who received transplants (3,551 liver, 53 kidney, 47 heart) from the United States (28 studies) and Europe (26 studies) who were described as 'substance abusers.'
In total the average rate for alcohol relapse was 5.6% for any given year and the average rate of relapse for heavy alcohol use was 2.5% for any given year. The average rate of relapse to illicit drug use was 3.7% for any given year.
Because of the amount of limited data available, the relapse risk factors could only be measured for alcohol use. But for drug use relapse the authors found that the "demographics and most pretransplantation characteristics showed little correlation with relapse," and that "poorer social support, family alcohol history, and pretransplantation abstinence of less than or equal to 6 months showed small but significant associations with relapse.
It was also noted by the authors that future prospective clinical trials are needed to help improve both the prediction of the risk for relapse as well as the strategies for abstinence after transplantation.
An accompanying editorial raised concerns about limitations in the study. For instance, the drug and alcohol use was self-reported and the data was collected by the transplant personnel; both of these factors could affect quality of post transplant medical care.
Article: "Meta-analysis of risk for relapse to substance use after transplantation of the liver or other solid organs." Dew et al. Liver Transplantation; February 2008.
Editorial: "Addictive behavior after solid organ transplantation: What do we know already and what do we need to know?" Lucey, Michael; Tome, S.; Said, Adnan. Liver Transplantation; February 2008. Back to top HCV Pipeline Update Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief
In January and February 2008 the amount of new information about HCV drugs in development was astounding! This article will focus on the two top news stories: telaprevir and albuferon.
Vertex Announces Phase III Studies On January 23, 2008, Vertex announced that they are moving forward on clinical studies of telaprevir in combination with Pegasys (pegylated interferon-2a) and ribavirin in the United States, Europe and other unspecified countries.
Primary Pivotal Study The primary study is expected to begin recruitment of more than 1050 HCV patients in March 2008. The study will recruit HCV treatment-naive (never been treated) genotype 1 patients from over 100 centers in the U.S., Europe and other countries. The trial participants will be randomized into three treatment arms:
• Arm 1: telaprevir dosed at 750 mg every eight hours for 12 weeks in combination with standard doses of Pegasys and ribavirin, then an additional treatment period of 12 weeks of standard doses of Pegasys plus ribavirin alone (without telaprevir). (Total: 24 week treatment duration)
• Arm 2: telaprevir dosed at 750 mg every eight hours for 8 weeks in combination with standard doses of Pegasys and ribavirin, with an additional treatment period of 16 weeks with standard doses of Pegasys plus ribavirin alone. (Total: 24 week treatment duration)
• Arm 3: Control arm of standard doses of Pegasys plus ribavirin. (Total: 48 week treatment duration)
A key component of the study will be rapid virological response (RVR) – the patients in the telaprevir arms who achieve an RVR (HCV RNA less than 10 IU/mL) at week 4, and who are still undetectable at week 12 will receive a total of 24 weeks of treatment. The patients in the telaprevir arms who do not achieve an RVR, but who are undetectable at week 24 will continue on standard doses of Pegasys plus ribavirin for a total treatment period of 48 weeks.
Second Study An additional study is being planned with telaprevir in combination with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy that will be conducted simultaneously with the above study to gather more information on the effectiveness of telaprevir/pegylated interferon/ribavirin therapy to compare the 48-week treatment period to the 24-week treatment period in HCV genotype 1 treatment-naïve patients. The main reason for this study is to further validate the 24 week treatment period to make sure it is as effective as the current standard 48-week treatment period.
The primary end point of the telaprevir clinical trials is sustained virological response (SVR), which means that HCV RNA is undetectable (less than 10 IU/mL) 24 weeks after the completion of therapy.
Additional Studies Vertex and its partner Tibotec are also conducting many additional clinical trials in the U.S. and Europe. The one that is the most eagerly awaited is the Prove 3 clinical trial that is studying the use of telaprevir in combination with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in HCV genotype 1 patients who have not achieved an SVR with a previous course of pegylated interferon-based therapy. The results of this study are expected around mid-2008.
Another study that Tibotec is conducting uses a different dosing schedule of telaprevir (every 8 hours vs. every 12 hours) in combination with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. Interim 12 week data is expected mid-2008. Tibotec is also conducting studies on people with genotypes 2 and 3, and in December 2007 Tibotec began a Phase II study on people infected with HCV genotype 4.
Bottom Line The results from the Phase III pivotal study of telaprevir in combination with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy in HCV genotype 1 treatment-naïve patients along with the results of the Phase II treatment duration study (48 weeks vs. 24 weeks) will be submitted to the FDA for marketing approval. Vertex has stated that the clinical trial data should be available in mid-2010 and that they expect to file an application to the Food and Drug Administration for marketing approval of the combination of telaprevir, pegylated interferon and ribavirin by the end of 2010.
This is encouraging news because the combination of telaprevir, pegylated interferon plus ribavirin might be approved for the treatment of genotype 1 treatment-naïve patients by the FDA and available to the general hepatitis C population by mid-to-end 2011.
Albuferon Dosing Adjusted Albuferon in combination with ribavirin is currently in Phase III clinical studies. In January 2008 Human Genome Sciences announced that, based on the recommendations of an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), the arm in which the patients were receiving the highest dose (1200-mcg dose) will be closed out and that the people in the 1200-mcg dose arm will be moved over to the 900-mcg dose arm group. The reason the 1200-mcg dose arm is being discontinued is due to safety concerns regarding pulmonary (lung) adverse events. In a company press release, Human Genome Sciences (HGS) stated that the closing of the 1200-mcg dosing arm will not affect the scheduled completion of the study and subsequent filing to the FDA for marketing approval, which is expected in late 2009. It was also stated in the HGS press release that the DMC did not express any safety concerns about the 900-mcg dose of Albuferon.
Albuferon is a form of long-acting interferon that is being tested to find out if an injection of Albuferon once every two weeks is as effective as the once weekly dose of pegylated interferon alfa-2a (Pegasys). Both drugs are being given in combination with ribavirin. Originally HGS was testing Albuferon as a once every 4 week injection, but there hasn't been any data that would support further development of this therapeutic approach. Back to top Report from the 2008 Retrovirus Conference (CROI) Liz Highleyman
The 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) took place February 3-6 in Boston. As the major annual U.S. conference on HIV/AIDS and its treatment, CROI featured numerous reports on HIV/HCV coinfection.
Treatment of HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients Juan Berenguer and colleagues with the Spanish GESIDA 3603 study presented data on long-term outcomes in HIV/HCV coinfected patients (abstract 60). On the whole, research has shown that coinfected individuals respond less well to interferon-based therapy than people with HCV alone. In HCV monoinfected patients, sustained response to anti-HCV treatment can slow or halt liver fibrosis progression, but this has not yet been extensively studied in the coinfected population.
GESIDA 3603 included 711 coinfected participants treated for hepatitis C between January 2000 and December 2005. Nearly three-quarters were men, the median age was 41 years, 63% had HCV genotype 1 or 4, and 2% also had hepatitis B; 39% already had advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis (stage F3-F4) at study entry. Overall, they had well-controlled HIV disease, with a median CD4 count of 544 cells/mm3 and half with an undetectable HIV viral load under 50 copies/mL.
Most study participants (80%) received pegylated interferon – about evenly split between alfa-2a (Pegasys) and alfa-2b (PegIntron) – while the rest received conventional interferon; everyone also received ribavirin. Sustained virological response (SVR) rates were 14% for genotype 1 and 4 patients and 46% for those with genotypes 2 and 3. Participants who did not respond initially or who relapsed after treatment were classified as nonresponders.
Sustained responders and nonresponders were followed for a median duration of about 20 months. Patients who achieved SVR were significantly less likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), to progress to decompensated liver disease (indicated by ascites, gastrointestinal bleeding, or hepatic encephalopathy), or to require a liver transplant; in fact, none of the sustained responders developed liver cancer or needed a transplant. Looking at all these events combined, nonresponders had nearly a nine-fold higher risk compared with sustained responders. Individuals who achieved SVR not only had a significantly lower rate of liver-related death, but also of all-cause mortality.
In a related report, Juan Gonzalez-Garcia and the GESIDA 50/06 Study Group presented data from a retrospective analysis of the effect of anti-HIV drugs on response to hepatitis C in about 700 coinfected patients (abstract 1076). They found that individuals who used tenofovir (Viread) as part of their combination HAART regimen were significantly more likely to achieve sustained response to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin than those who used AZT (Retrovir), d4T (Zerit), or abacavir (Ziagen). Conversely, those who used AZT had a 40% lower SVR rate, attributable to a greater likelihood of adverse events such as anemia.
Pegylated Interferon Maintenance Since about half of all hepatitis C patients do not achieve sustained response with current standard therapy – a rate that is even higher among HIV/HCV coinfected people – researchers have explored whether interferon maintenance therapy might reduce the risk of long-term liver complications even without HCV clearance.
Kenneth Sherman and colleagues presented results from the SLAM-C study (ACTG 5178), which assessed full-dose pegylated interferon maintenance therapy in HIV/HCV coinfected patients in the U.S. (abstract 59). Among the 329 coinfected participants, 83% were men, 43% were white, 37% were black, the median age was 48 years, 84% had HCV genotype 1, all had at least mild (F1) fibrosis, and 13% had cirrhosis (stage F4). These patients, too, mostly had well-controlled HIV disease, with a median CD4 cell count of 498 cells/mm3, and about 75% had undetectable HIV viral load.
Participants were first treated with 180 mcg once-weekly Pegasys plus 1,000-1,200 mg/day weight-based ribavirin. Just over half (56%) demonstrated early virological response at Week 12. Among the remainder, 86 nonresponders were randomly assigned to either receive maintenance monotherapy with the same dose of pegylated interferon for 72 weeks or to undergo observation without further treatment.
Paired liver biopsies were compared for evidence of fibrosis. At an interim analysis in early 2007, 62 participants had completed 72 weeks of follow-up and 45 paired biopsies were available. Among these patients, there was no significant change in fibrosis in either the maintenance arm or the untreated observation arm. Necroinflammation remained stable in the interferon maintenance group while worsening in the observation group, but this was not correlated with fibrosis progression. The maintenance arm was halted in April 2007 since it failed to show any benefit. Indeed, it was unable to demonstrate any benefit because the progression rate in the untreated group was unexpectedly low, explained co-investigator Raymond Chung.
These surprising results – along with those of the HALT-C trial (see the February 2008 HCV Advocate), which failed to show a benefit of low-dose interferon maintenance therapy in HCV monoinfected patients – suggest that this may not be a worthwhile strategy to pursue.
Fibrosis Progession The issue of fibrosis progression in HIV/HCV coinfected individuals remains controversial. Several prior observational studies have shown more rapid progression in coinfected patients, many of whom had advanced HIV disease and low CD4 counts. The SLAM-C findings support a smaller body of evidence suggesting that coinfected people with well-controlled HIV disease and well-preserved immune function may fare as well as HCV monoinfected individuals. Most of the coinfection data reported at CROI, however, came down on the side of faster progression.
Juan Macias and colleagues, for example, evaluated fibrosis progression in HIV positive individuals in Spain with chronic hepatitis C (abstract 1055). This retrospective analysis included 83 coinfected patients who underwent two liver biopsies separated by at least one year (median separation 40 months); those with pre-existing cirrhosis were excluded. Most (81%) were on combination anti-HIV therapy and 76% had undetectable HIV viral load. The patients had no identifiable causes of liver disease other than hepatitis C. About half received interferon-based therapy, and 50% of these achieved an end-of-treatment response.
Between the two biopsies, 13 patients (16%) experienced fibrosis regression by one stage or more and 36 (43%) experienced no change. However, 34 participants (41%) progressed by at least one stage. Factors associated with progression were moderate-to-severe lobular inflammation and lack of end-of-treatment or sustained virological response to therapy. The researchers concluded that while fibrosis progression is frequently observed in coinfected patients on HAART over a period of three years, response to anti-HCV treatment can prevent progression.
Progression during Acute HCV Infection Outbreaks of apparently sexually transmitted acute hepatitis C have recently been reported among mostly HIV positive gay and bisexual men in several cities in Europe and Australia. At last year's CROI, Daniel Fierer and colleagues from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City presented early findings from a prospective study of HIV positive men infected with HCV within the past six months. Among the first five enrolled participants, four already had moderate portal fibrosis during the acute phase of infection.
At this year's conference, the researchers presented further data from additional patients (abstract 1050). Among 11 men who underwent liver biopsy (most within five months of ALT elevation suggesting acute infection), nine (82%) had stage F2 fibrosis and one had stage F1, despite the short duration of infection. The mean fibrosis progression rate was 4.5 units per year. Here, too, no potential causes of liver damage other than HCV infection were identified. The investigators concluded that, "Acute HCV infection of [men who have sex with men] with underlying HIV infection resulted in early and rapid progression of liver fibrosis, with [fibrosis progression rates] far in excess of other settings of HCV infection." Similar findings have not been widely reported by other investigators studying HIV positive patients with acute hepatitis C, so further research is indicated.
Finally, another research team from Mt. Sinai offered a possible explanation for the more extensive fibrosis widely reported in HIV/HCV coinfected individuals (abstract 57). Ana Tuyama and colleagues performed a laboratory study to examine whether HIV enters and replicates in hepatic stellate cells. These cells, which produce collagen and other material that makes up the scar tissue of fibrosis, express the CCR5 and CXCR4 molecules that serve as co-receptors allowing HIV to enter cells.
Mechanism for Accelerated Fibrosis The investigators assessed the ability of CCR5-using and CXCR4-using strains of HIV to infect cultured hepatic stellate cells. They found that HIV entered the cells and actively replicated, indicated by the presence of the p24 antigen. The HIV IIIB strain was able to enter stellate cells without using the CD4 receptor (which is present on the immune system T-cells that are the major target of the virus). They further demonstrated that HIV infection promoted stellate cell activation, resulting in a 1.6-fold increase in collagen I and a 1.5-fold increase in alpha-SMA mRNA (two markers of fibrosis). Incubation of stellate cells with HIV's gp120 envelope protein led to a 2.1-fold increase in collagen I. "HIV enters and actively replicates within hepatic stellate cells independent of CD4," the researchers concluded, adding that both viral entry and exposure to HIV envelope proteins can "promote activation and collagen induction in hepatic stellate cells."
These findings may help explain why coinfected individuals tend to experience more rapid fibrosis progression, and why this may be less of a problem for patients whose HIV is well-controlled with antiretroviral therapy. Back to top HealthWise: What the Heck is NHANES? Lucinda Porter, RN
How many people in the United States are living with chronic hepatitis C viral infection (HCV)? The answer is nearly always traceable back to the acronym NHANES – the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Look at any article, and if it discusses the number of people who test positive for HCV, the figure will likely be around 4 million. Subtracting those who spontaneously clear the virus, this leaves 2.7 million people with chronic HCV infection. Look at the source documentation. The source will likely be the National Institutes of Health HCV Consensus Statement (2002), which got its data from the 1988-1994 NHANES III. If another source is cited, trace it back. It will probably lead to the NHANES.
The NHANES is sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). No additional acronyms for the rest of this article, I promise. The NCHS started collecting health data in 1959. The first NHANES was in 1971. There were three specific NHANES, but since 1999 data is collected continuously. The NHANES data released this year was collected in 2005-2006. There is also a version of the survey that collects Latino health data.
The purpose of the NHANES is to survey the health of the U.S. adult and child population. Among other things, the NHANES tracks diseases, health risks, and the relationship between diet and health. Information is collected using questionnaires, lab tests and physical exams.
Participants are selected based on a formula intended to represent the entire country. The U.S. population is over 303 million. Astonishingly, only 5,000 people participate in the NHANES. That is less than the population of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. One person represents 50,000 citizens, although if you do the math, that calculates to 250 million.
Taking part in the NHANES is a big deal. Candidates are given ample time to consider if they want to take part in the survey. After giving consent, the NHANES begins with an extensive questionnaire and in-home interview. The answers to questions about sexual behavior, drug use and other sensitive issues are recorded by participants, rather than the interviewer. A week or two after the interview, participants are given an extensive physical exam. A health team performs the exam in a well-equipped mobile unit. Laboratory and diagnostic tests are included.
Virtually every aspect of health is examined. This includes hearing, vision, occupational risks, sleep habits, pesticide exposure, sexual behavior, diet, mental health, dental health, drug, tobacco and alcohol use. Bone density and cardio fitness are measured. The lab portion analyzes over 100 variables. These include the usual blood tests we are accustomed to, along with less common ones. Examples of lab tests are vitamin levels, allergens, poisons, and markers for various diseases, including hepatitis A, B, C, and D.
Participants receive a report within 12 weeks of the exam. If something abnormal turns up, participants are notified immediately by mail. They are referred to their medical provider or local health department. Test results for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV are handled differently. To insure privacy and counseling, participants are given a toll-free phone number and password. If they do not call, a reminder letter is sent. And yes, I lied about no more acronyms, but I hope you'll cut me some slack about using HIV.
If someone tests positive for the HCV antibody, they will receive a letter, followed by a twenty minute telephone survey. Participants are asked if they had prior knowledge about their HCV status and if so, what they knew about it. Most of the questions are about the participant's knowledge of HCV and its treatment.
One of the criticisms of the NHANES is that since it is a household survey, some of the populations with higher HCV rates are left out of the equation. NHANES does not count people who are in the military, homeless, incarcerated, hospitalized, or institutionalized. Brian Edlin, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Cornell University, believes that the NHANES data underestimates HCV prevalence. Looking at the rates of those who weren't counted, Edlin concluded that those testing positive for HCV are closer to 5 million with a chronic infection rate of 3.4 million.
The benefits resulting from NHANES outweigh the criticism. The survey contributed to our awareness of the increasing obesity and osteoporosis trends. One of the reasons we have lead-free gas followed the NHANES discovery of lead in the blood. Recommendations about folate and other vitamins came from the survey. Whether it is 4 million or 5 million people who were exposed to HCV, the NHANES has grabbed our attention.
Everyone in the U.S. is affected by health policy. This is true whether you are a Democrat, Green Party, Libertarian, Republican, or a member of one of the many other political parties. Do you know what your party's position is on health policy? Do you know what your position is? Do you know which candidates' views are closest to yours? Take the time to find out. Back to top Extrahepatic Manifestations: Vitiligo Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief
Vitiligo is a specific type of dermatological condition that is characterized by loss of pigment of the skin that can affect almost any part of the body, including premature graying of hair. The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown but it is believed to be an autoimmune disease that can be caused by genetic and/or environmental factors. The relationship between HCV and vitiligo is controversial. Most studies have not been able to find a direct link between HCV and vitiligo, but some smaller studies have suggested a causal link. Still other studies have found a link between vitiligo and interferon therapy.
Symptoms The most common symptoms include white patches of skin that itch. It can affect any area of the body but it is usually seen on the extremities, face or neck, and skin folds. It can also affect the areas around the lips, genitals, gums, nipples, and the colored skin that surrounds the nipple. Vitiligo generally strikes people between the ages of 10-30 years old, and it is common in females and males alike.
Causes The exact cause of vitiligo is not known. It is an autoimmune disease that is believed to be hereditary. The proposed theories are that stress, thyroid dysfunction, skin injury, severe sunburns, chemicals, and medicines combined with the genetic tendency towards vitiligo can all contribute to the condition. However, these are theories that have not yet been substantiated.
Diagnosis The diagnosis of vitiligo is usually made based on a combination of tests, including physical examination, blood tests for autoimmune markers, skin biopsy, and obtaining a medical history of the individual's family.
Treatment There is no standardized treatment for vitiligo. Treatment is usually individualized and can include phototherapy (light therapy), steroids, and various topical ointments. In severe cases of vitiligo skin grafts have been found to help as well as tattooing the skin in people with dark skin. The skin can also be dyed or artificially tanned although it is difficult to match the dyed or tanned area to the pigmentation of the surrounding or healthy skin.
Other strategies to help manage vitiligo include wearing sunscreen and sun-protecting clothing, and avoiding the use of hair dyes and bleaches that can damage the skin.
Dealing with Vitiligo In people with moderate to severe vitiligo the emotional toll can be enormous especially if it affects the skin on specific parts of the body that are visible, such as the face, arms hands, and legs. Finding a medical provider who is well-versed in treating the physical and emotional issues of vitiligo is important. Peer support in the form of a support group for discussing the condition and receiving emotional support is critical.
Resources: http://www.vitiligosupport.org/ Back to top Disability & Benefits: HCV Meets HMO Jacques Chambers, CLU
Although they are not as popular as they once were, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and their close relatives, Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPOs) and Point of Service (POS) Plans, still provide coverage to the majority of people with health insurance.
While these plans have worked well for people who are generally healthy and have only temporary or minor medical problems, they can be a real challenge for persons dealing with chronic or catastrophic medical conditions, such as HCV.
The basic principle of HMOs is that, in return for a flat fee called capitation or premium, as well as nominal co-pays for services, they will provide all your medical needs. However, to make sure you get the "quality of care you need," and, coincidentally avoid "unnecessary" and expensive "over-utilization," a Primary Care Physician (PCP) must coordinate all your treatment. Regardless of what treatment you may need, you must first go to your PCP, who will usually be a general practitioner, possibly an Internist or Family Practice specialist.
This Primary Care Physician is also called the "Gatekeeper" – an extremely descriptive title. If you believe you should see a specialist, it is the Gatekeeper who decides whether or not you get to see the specialist, and, if so, which specialist you will see.
Remember the game of "Simon Says?" In the HMO world, it is "PCP Says." Unless the PCP says you need a specialist, you will have to rely on the PCP to provide your care, whether it is something he/she is familiar with or not. Keep in mind that the fewer doctor visits, tests, and treatment you undergo, the bigger an HMO's profits and the more the doctor/clinic will earn.
With a set-up like this, it makes you wonder if anyone ever gets good care from an HMO. Health care from an HMO does not have to be inferior. Thanks to the public outcry about HMOs skimping on care to increase their profits, Congress and many state legislatures have tightened regulation of this industry. Publicity by the media of problems with care from HMOs and the frequency of large jury awards have forced HMOs to make an effort to improve the quality of their care, or at least improve the image of their quality of care.
In fact, medical care can be excellent in an HMO. This is due in part to stricter oversight and regulation. It is also due to the doctors and other medical providers actually treating patients who still care about providing quality care to people who need it. However, the key to the quality of the care you receive is you and how actively you participate in the decisions about your healthcare.
There are a lot of excellent and caring medical providers working with HMOs, but you will have to seek them out. You will also have to make sure they continue to focus on your medical care, despite the bureaucratic barriers built into the HMO system.
In reality, the HMO is not that different from any other type of healthcare delivery system. You are the person who is ultimately responsible for seeing to it that you get the best care available. It is up to you to know the level of care you are actually receiving and to determine what quality of care you should be receiving.
It is up to you to take control of your medical care, and, to do that, you need to become more knowledgeable about all areas of your medical condition and its treatment.
Know your medical condition. Thanks to sites like the HCV Advocate and others on the web, there is a lot of information about hepatitis C and its treatment. Thanks to the Internet, you can stay current on new treatments, clinical trials, and new diagnostic methods.
HCV is a relatively recent discovery. There is a lot of information available about it, and there is a lot of research being done to learn more. It would be nice if everyone could find a physician whose practice consisted only of HCV patients, but that is not possible. You can become one of your physician's sources of new information about HCV treatments and trials.
You should feel free to print out information, cut out articles and take them to your physician. Hopefully, he/she is already current, but you may be providing new information. If your doctor is not the type that welcomes such input from the patient, you may be seeing the wrong doctor.
Find a knowledgeable Primary Care Physician. The Centers for Disease Control states: "Any physician who manages a person with hepatitis C should be knowledgeable and current on all aspects of the care of a person with hepatitis C." Following this statement means that in an HMO, your Primary Care Physician should be "knowledgeable and current" in HCV and its treatment.
Within virtually all HMO networks, you are able to select your own Primary Care Physician. Your selection of a PCP will determine not only who provides the majority of your care, but will also determine which specialists will be utilized when needed.
However, the HMO directory will give you only minimal information about your choices, and it won't tell you which PCPs frequently treat patients with HCV or stay current about it. Clearly, you will need to do some research.
If you attempt to call the HMO itself, it will not provide much information, as they are prohibited from "steering" patients to particular clinics or doctors, even if it would mean better health care. You may have to call several doctors' offices to learn more. Keep in mind the chances that you will actually get to speak to the doctor are very slim, but his nurse should be able to handle the questions as well. Some questions you may want to ask include:
• What is the doctor's specialty? Is he/she board-certified? Many PCPs are internists, which may give them more experience with HCV.
• What chronic medical conditions does the doctor treat most frequently?
• Does the doctor treat other patients with HCV? How many? What percentage of their practice is HCV?
• What has been the doctor's experience with HCV treatment? Do not hesitate to ask very specific questions, referring to treatments and using terms you have learned in your research on HCV. If they don't know what you're talking about, scratch them off your list and move on.
• Who are the gastroenterologists, hepatologists, infectious disease specialists, or other HCV knowledgeable specialists that the doctor works with and refers patients to? You may want to talk to their offices as well.
• How long does it take to get a referral once the PCP requests one?
Some PCPs even have the ability to permanently refer you to a specialist for treatment of chronic conditions such as HCV. In those cases, the specialist effectively becomes your PCP. Ask your prospective PCPs if this is a possibility. This is particularly important if you can't find a PCP knowledgeable in the treatment of HCV.
These are a lot of questions, I realize. However, neither the HMO nor your physician has as much at stake as you do in your medical care. This is your health and your life you are protecting, so spending some time and energy on this now can give you piece of mind and better healthcare later.
Medical office personnel are not always as helpful to prospective patients as you may think. One alternative is to learn as much as you can about your PCP choices, select one and schedule an appointment. Then you can ask the doctor directly and decide whether you want to stay with that PCP or switch to another. This will give you an excellent idea of how well they listen to you, how much time they are willing to spend with you, and their general "bedside" manner as well as their knowledge and experience of HCV.
Know your plan and your rights. You should spend some time with your Plan Document, the booklet that describes the provisions of your HMO coverage. While it is important to have a good idea of what is and isn't covered, it is even more important to understand your rights under the plan. Not everything you need to know about your plan will be in the document. You may have to talk to a representative at the HMO itself or at the state regulatory agency, either your state's Department of Insurance or Department of Managed Health Care, for information. Things you should know about your plan include:
• How do you change your PCP and how often can you do it? Be aware that if you are totally dissatisfied with your PCP, an HMO will often accommodate your request for a change regardless of their "rules."
• What right do you have to appeal the denial of a referral or of a particular course of treatment? What are the time limits on such appeals? How does the appeal process work?
• What is the timeline for an expedited appeal if medical treatment is being withheld pending the appeal? Many states have enacted laws which require such appeals to be handled within 24 or 48 hours.
• Does the HMO offer Nurse Case Management for patients with chronic diseases such as HCV? Case Managers have an underlying purpose of saving the HMO money, but most of these case managers are trained nurses, and can be a valuable source of information about the HMO's policies and rules and may even be an ally for you when "fighting the system."
The days are long gone in any healthcare delivery system when patients could put themselves in the doctor's hands and rest assured that they were getting the best and latest treatment. However, in the HMO system of healthcare, where the providers can increase profits by withholding care, it becomes even more important that you stay actively involved in your medical care. To do that, you must find knowledgeable medical providers who not only know about HCV, but who will listen to you and answer questions candidly about the input of the HMO in determining the direction of your care. Back to top Fast Food and ALT Levels Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief
Elevated liver enzymes are an indication that there is damage or inflammation occurring in the liver. The liver enzyme that is measured most commonly is alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The usual cause of elevated ALT levels is consumption of large quantities of alcohol, HCV infection and the presence of steatosis (fatty liver). However, after eliminating these risk factors, there are still many people who have elevated ALT levels with no known risk factor.
A small study from Sweden, "Fast-food-based hyper-alimentation can induce rapid and profound elevations of serum alanine aminotransferase in healthy subjects," by S. Kechagias and colleagues, may help to explain some of the causes of elevated ALT levels in healthy adults who have no other risk factors. In the study, the effects of 4 weeks of consuming fast food (combination of fast food consumed at home and at well-known fast-food restaurants) with a physical activity level limited to 5000 steps per day was examined. Study participants were given physical exams and were found to be free from conditions that could influence elevated ALT levels such as hepatitis B and C. Alcohol consumption was limited to under 140 g/week. A total of 12 men and six women volunteered and all but one of the study participants were students. There was also a well-matched control group in which the subjects continued to follow their regular diet and exercise routines.
At week four, 17 of the 18 adults recruited for the study met a goal of a 5-15% increase in body weight with an average weight gain of 14 pounds. A total of 13 study participants on the high fast-food diet developed elevated ALT levels and in most of the study participants the elevation was seen within the first week and continued until end of the study. In contrast, all of the ALT levels in the people in the control group remained in the normal range.
The authors concluded that the cause of the elevated ALT levels "may be the sudden increased supply of metabolic substrates, to the liver, in particular monosaccharides."
The authors stated, "We suggest that in the clinical evaluation of subjects with elevated ALT physicians should include not only questions about alcohol intake, but also explore whether recent excessive food intake has occurred."
The information presented in this study is important because it links poor nutrition with liver inflammation or damage in healthy adults. It also supports the notion that good nutrition and exercise are some of the most important components in the management of hepatitis C. Back to top Back to Newsletters
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When U.S. POWs were put on Iraqi state TV during the invasion in March 2003, U.S. newspapers denounced this as a war crime in the harshest possible terms: "The Iraqi regime's outlaw nature was on full display Sunday as it flouted international law on how to treat prisoners of war," editorialized the Kansas City Star (3/24/03). "As of Sunday evening, there was no full accounting of what happened to 12 captured American soldiers, but state-controlled Iraqi television violated the Geneva Conventions by broadcasting pictures of them."
The New York Daily News (3/24/03) was similarly outraged:
After the vile footage aired, and the civilized world raised an outcry, the Iraqi defense minister said POWs would, indeed, be treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention. Believe that, and there's a bridge over the Tigris you might like to buy.
This was not a fuzzy issue for U.S. commentators, but an obvious violation of international law: "They paraded before the cameras members of the U.S. military that had been captured, a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions for treatment of prisoners of war," the San Antonio Express-News opined (3/24/03).
The Fort Worth Star Telegram (3/24/03) saw the incident as a dividing line between the good guys and the bad guys. "On Sunday, the Arab satellite television network Al-Jazeera broadcast footage from Iraqi television of what was said to be captured American prisoners of war.... Military leaders noted that such treatment of captives violates international law. They also noted that U.S. forces have taken manyIraqi prisoners--but that their photographs are not being paraded across the airwaves-- and that they would not be."
Of course, when Saddam Hussein--clearly a POW, regardless of what Donald Rumsfeld decides to call him--was captured, his image was "paraded across" airwaves all over the world, day after day. Oddly, none of the papers that had earlier deemed putting POWs on TV to be an obvious Geneva violation found this violation worth objecting to when the government committing it was the United States.
In fact, a Daily News editorial (12/15/03) actually applauded the use of Hussein's image for propaganda purposes:
(The News ' ghoulish delight in the images of the corpses of Hussein's sons is another reversal of the U.S. media outrage in response to Iraqi TV coverage of dead U.S. soldiers.)
The Star Telegram 's TV critic (12/15/03) referred to the repeated showings of the Hussein footage as "a day of celebration for anyone watching television news."
During the invasion, columnist Charles Krauthammer (Washington Post , 3/28/03) called Secretary General Kofi Annan "disgusting" because, while the U.N. leader criticized the deaths of civilians in the invasion of Iraq (he had said he was "concerned" about them, actually), Annan had not, according to Krauthammer, condemned Iraqi violations of the laws of war--such as "the parading of POWs on television."
But on December 19, Krauthammer awarded "the Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject" to "'Saddam's Dental Exam,'" crediting
How easy it is to praise your own country for the same actions you condemned when performed by its enemies.


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Origins Available: Dutch, English Where did the English Tye family come from? What is the English Tye family crest and coat of arms? When did the Tye family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Tye family history? Spelling variations of this family name include: Tye, Tee, Tyes, Tigh and others. First found in Nottingham where they were known as the Barons Tyes and even before the Conquest were a family great significance in that shire and in the county of Rutland. This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tye research. Another 299 words(21 lines of text) covering the years 1299, 1313, 1321, 1324, 1342, 1350, 1505, 1572, and 1620 are included under the topic Early Tye History in all our PDF Extended History products. Another 57 words(4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tye Notables in all our PDF Extended History products. Some of the Tye family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 132 words(9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products. Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Tye Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Tye Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Tye Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Tye Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
The Tye Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Tye Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname. This page was last modified on 12 June 2013 at 15:10. ©2000-2015 Swyrich Corporation. See Terms of Use for details. houseofnames.com is an internet property owned by Swyrich Corporation. Sign Up
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326 Spring Street
New York City , New York
Tel: 212 226 9060
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New York City , New York
Tel: 212 226 9060
Concierge.com's insider take:
A vestige of old New York, this bar, which opened in the early 19th century, has been known by various names. The current moniker—said to be taken from a music magazine named Ear, published in one of the rooms above—may have been chosen for its convenience alone: the owners simply painted out part of the "B" in the sign that said "BAR." Whatever the name, it's the antidote to all the stylish spots popping up around town, a real, old fashioned tavern, complete with live bluesy music several nights a week, regular customers who've been coming for decades, and waitresses who've seen it all.
Open daily noon to 4 am.
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DomainTools announced a partnership with Malformity Labs that already incorporates DomainTools' extensive database into the Maltego transform server and can immediately accelerate your investigations.
The availability of a Maltego transform server makes it incredibly easy to visualize the relationships among domains, registrants, IP addresses and all DomainTools data.
The technology behind that capability was custom-built for DomainTools by Malformity Labs, a US-based company that specializes in building Maltego transforms for cybersecurity analysts and cybercrime investigators.
Here is the DomainTools announcement: Continue reading


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'springtime' tag.
Spring has come to Montreal one day ahead of schedule, and man, has it come correct. It's a splendiferous afternoon up here, one I've happily wasted flitting around like a little butterfly, gazing through my office window as neighbors garden their front yards and stray cats strut about the sidewalk, repeatedly checking to see if the snow in our backyard has completely melted (it has not) and just generally jumpy as a junebug and grinning like an idiot. Seasonal affective disorder — what a real thing that is!


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Nautical Leagues
A nautical league was 6,080 yards - or three nautical miles (each league being 6,080 feet). Note that there also US Leagues, UK Leagues and UK Nautical Leagues which all differ.
yd =
nl * 6076.1
A unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride


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Low price family friendly accommodation in South Lakeland. For budget breaks, stay in reasonable accommodation family friendly, family holiday or accommodation kids in the South Lakes UK.
Find budget South Lake District accommodation child, bargain hotels and reasonably priced kid friendly accommodation. South Lake District good value accommodation family rooms for a fun weekend away


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Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire - Untitled Feat. Chance The Rapper
Untitled Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire Feat. Chance The Rapper
Mr. MFN eXquire dropped the Blue Edition of his previously released "Kismet" project today, and among the bonus tracks is this one with Chance The Rapper, produced by Dot Da Genius. Enjoy.
Bump Untitled, the latest cut from Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire which features Chance The Rapper on the assist. It dropped on Friday, October 4th, 2013. Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire's horizons are broadening with each new release, and Untitled is no exception. It's a worthy addition to a catalogue that has seen much growth since Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire stepped foot in the rap game. We're looking forward to hearing more.
Check out the latest video from Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire "Cherry Raindrops" Video. If you dig this, visit Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire's profile for the latest info, news, songs, and mixtapes. Make sure to hit Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire with a follow and/or like on Twitter.
How do y'all feel about this collabo? What do y'all think of this joint?


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Who Are We?
We are the Team 2554, also known as the WarHawks. Our mission is to teach local students engineering concepts and inspire them to pursue careers in the field of science. We are a non-profit organization that competes every year in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. FIRST is an international program that immerses high school students into the world of science and engineering. Each year, we are given six weeks to build a robot capable of performing a given task. The FIRST program teaches us not only how to design and build a robot, but also time management, problem solving, and teamwork. We then use what we learn to inspire our community and the next generation to appreciate and cultivate interests in science and technology.


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Clip AdvantEdge ecoupons (DND & cannot be combined w/paper coupon)
Catalina/Checkout Rewards - SEE HERE
ShopRite Super Coupons include: SR milk 1/2 gal $.99, Select Coca Cola products 2L $.19, Ellio's pizza 9ct $.99 & SR solid white tuna $.19, SR organic beans (sub PC if available) $.59, organic frozen vegetables 16oz $1.99 (if available in PC brand), organic carrots 1lb $.69, Organic Romaine hearts 3ct 2/$4
Earn $.25 off/gal wyb $75 or Earn $.50 off/gal wyb $125 w/in ad bonus coupons or printable.
Place a check in the box to add it to your personalized shopping list. You may even add additional items!
The Kimberly Clark products may be a double dip with this Mail in Rebate.
*Reader called & representative said ALL Price Chopper stores included.
Please note: There is a Price Chopper Mid West chain and ShopRite & Hannaford are not included in this promotion.


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Hampshire rider killed in Oxfordshire A417 truck collision
A 36-year-old biker has died in a collision with a truck in Oxfordshire.
The rider, from Hampshire, was thrown into a hedge when his Honda bike was in collision with an Isuzu truck on Saturday on the A417 near Faringdon.
The motorcyclist, who has not been named, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have appealed for help to trace an elderly couple who stopped at the scene but left without giving statements to officers.


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Request Price
X5712A-R6 NETAPP NEWIOM3 Controller for DS4243
Category: N/A
Part #: X5712A-R6
Manufacturer: NETAPP
Condition: NEW
NETAPPWelcome to Nordic Computer, we currently have NEW NETAPP X5712A-R6's available. Nordic Computer is a leading re-seller of high-performance server and storage hardware with more than 30 years of experience. Because we carry an inventory of new and refurbished systems and spare parts, we are capable of instant delivery. At Nordic Computer we base our business practices on credibility, quality, experience, and security. Please contact us today for a price quote on a NEW NETAPP X5712A-R6. At Nordic Computer, we specializes in high-performance server and storage hardware from the worlds leading manufactures. Our expertise has made us the preferred hardware supplier for customers worldwide and domestically for more than 30 years. We strive to be the IT partner optimizing your IT cycle - from delivery of server and storage hardware - through the provision of older and rare parts for life extension - and for the purchase of your surplus hardware. Our services include, IT hardware, trade-ins, financing, and maintenance. With Nordic Computer as a partner, you get value for money. Contact us now for a price quote on a NEW NETAPP X5712A-R6's or so that we may assist you further. |


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Have questions about Highway Companions Club ticket pre-sales? Click below to learn more.
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Have questions about Highway Companions Club ticket pre-sales? Click below to learn more.
We are thrilled to announce Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' 2014 North American tour and the July 29th release of their first new studio album in four years on Reprise Records, Hypnotic Eye. The
Paul Revere & The Raiders
Him Or Me – What's It Gonna Be?
Greatest Hits
Peggy Scott & JoJo Benson
Lover's Holiday
The Very Best of Peggy Scott & JoJo Benson
Otis Redding
I've Got Dreams To
Hello Fans!
We are excited to announce another new year of the Highway Companions Club, The Official Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Fan Club.
The launch of the 2014-2015 edition of the club
Koko Taylor
(I Got) All You Need
What It Takes – The Chess Years (Expanded Edition)
Tommy Tucker
Hi-Heel Sneakers
The In Crowd: The Ultimate Mod Collection From The Original Style Movement
Marc Bolan & T. Rex
Children Of The Revolution
20th Century Boy: The Ultimate Collection
The Tony Jackson Group
Fortune Teller
Watch Your Step! The Complete Recordings 1964-1966
The Beatles
Tom and The Heartbreakers are amongst the headliners of the 2014 Lockn' Music Festival.
The festival will take place September 4-7, 2014 at the Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia with Tom and


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- Show games in:
Sort by:Newest | Alphabetical
Diner Dash 2 (AD)
Help SpongeBob and the crew save their favorite hangouts from Sharkey Two-Times.(AD)
Buzz Around Town
Help Bessie get across the city and find all the hidden badges. Collect juice boxes but watch out for Portia!
- Sanjay and Craig: "Best of Belle"
Belle Pepper has some pretty great moments, it's no surprise that Sanjay has such a huge crush on her!
- Alien Dawn: Comic Conspiracy
Uncover how the conspiracy all began in this brand new adventure game!
- Nicktoons: Dance Off, Clash On!
Baddies are crashing the Nicktoons par-tay. Dance them back out the door!


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Neck pain is one of the most common reasons for doctor visits. It is estimated that approximately 9 Million people currently suffer with chronic neck pain. Acupuncture is one of the most widely used treatment options for neck pain, as it has a proven history of effectively treating this condition. In Acupuncture theory, pain is said to be caused by the stagnation of either Qi (energy) or blood in the body. When energy gets stuck, pain results. Pain that is due to qi stagnation tends to be … [Read more...]
Foam Roller – Muscle Therapy
Ever experience sore and tight muscles? If so, you should consider purchasing a foam roller. A foam roller is simply a cylindrical piece of hard-celled foam that can be used for self-massage (myofascial release). They come in different lengths and diameters. It's best to start out using a softer foam roller. Over time you can progress to using a stiffer roller with will work deeper into the muscle tissue. How it works? By using your own bodyweight you can apply pressure to sore spots along … [Read more...]


text: Southwestern cities like Phoenix, San Antonio, and Albuquerque are building tolerance programs to combat hate crimes. But though we're nearby, Las Vegas has had a history of very few hate crimes. Why it that? Are we a more tolerant city? An apathetic city? Or a city that lacks the right mix of elements to breed intolerance and hate groups? Share your thoughts below. GUEST Keith Woods, Vice President for Diversity in News and Operations, National Public Radio Richard Boulware, Vice President, Las Vegas chapter of the NAACP John L. Smith, columnist, Las Vegas Review-Journal Charles Chang, Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center Jose Melendrez, Assistant Vice President of Diversity Initiatives, UNLV


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Spring has sprung in Pintester land, and even the Pintester is not immune to wanting to create some outdoor garden magic when the air gets bright with nasty green pine pollen. I decided that this year I would redo my mailbox planter, bane of my existence with regards to the front yard. It has looked like actual shit pretty much every year since we moved in.
But this year will be different, thought I. This year I will make it look like this:
I found the exact plants. I dug up my mailbox planter. I unearthed some gross giant bug larvae that I failed to take pictures of because I was too busy dry heaving.
And then I planted my plants. And now my mailbox planter looks like this. I suck.
If you liked this post, please pin it on Pinterest or share it where you hang out most! Share buttons are below to make it super easy! Thanks!


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In this filmmaking article, we provide tips on how to network and importantly, how to network in Hollywood. Read this article if you want some awesome tips.
Networking With The Film Lobby
If you want to make a movie, you can't do it alone. Networking – Creating and cultivating relationships within the filmmaking community is essential for your success. Today's guest article comes from Jonny Morgan.
How To Make A YouTube Channel
I often receive emails from filmmaking subscribers asking how they can get their work produced and seen. My response is – grab a camera and find out how to make a YouTube channel. The reasons I emphasize YouTube is because, it's global, owned by Google (making it a huge search engine) and because the site […]
Source Your Audience
If you forget everything else about filmmaking success, you must not forget the importance of you audience. Your audience is your business. Without an audience, you have no business…
Why Do Filmmakers Need A List?
Filmmaker David Allen Talks Modern Moviemaking and VOD Distribution
Earlier this week, I caught wind of an indie production company based in Australia called Rapidfire Productions. This is a production company that operates as a self sustaining modern moviemaking business. They develop movies, get money, make their movies and through their own distribution arm, the company reaches the masses.
Increase Web Traffic | Sell Your Movie PT 6
One secret I utilize is frequent press release submissions. Years ago, it was advised that you only wrote and submitted press releases when you had something newsworthy to say. But these days, in addition to targeting traditional news outlets, most press releases are included in search engine results. Without getting overly technical, this means for a very small amount of money, submitting one press release complete with links to your website can increase your web footprint.
Refine Your Trailer
Take a look at your trailer. Is your trailer congruent with your hook and the marketing elements we covered earlier? If not, I suggest you recut and refine your trailer to make sure your marketing message is consistent. In doing this you will have to find the balance between showing enough to sell your movie and giving away so much that you spoil the story. And since your movie trailer will be posted on various websites, you should also add a title card with a link to your movie website.


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Special Topic: New Exhibits at the Fed's Miami Branch Museum
Special Topic: New Exhibits at the Fed's Miami Branch Museum
Special Topic New reasons to visit the Fed's Miami Branch museum Touring the monetary museum at the Atlanta Fed's Miami Branch provides your students with interactive lessons about money and the Federal Reserve and its duties: monetary policy, banking regulation and supervision, and payment services. On Oct. 1, 2009, several new museum exhibits officially debuted at the Miami Branch. One of these new exhibits explains the Federal Reserve's role as a banking regulator and its outreach to Latin America and the Caribbean. An interactive, touch-screen educational game introduces students to the bank lending process. An exhibit on currency, coins, gold, and silver traces the evolution of various forms of money. On display is a "cash bus," typically used to transport large amounts of currency through the branch's cash processing areas, that contains more than $2.5 million in cash. Another display teaches visitors how to spot counterfeit currency.
A timeline highlights key events in the history of the Federal Reserve System and the city of Miami. A pocket theater accommodates tour groups and teacher workshops. In this area, visitors can watch a film that explains the Fed's role in monetary policy. Tours of the Miami Branch include the museum as well as views of the cash-processing facility, where high-speed machines count and sort millions of dollars of cash daily and shred unfit currency. Free tours are weekdays at 10 a.m. by appointment only. Check the tour request form for more information or to request a tour. November 9, 2009 |


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For anyone who hasn't heard, Louisiana has proposed their own assault weapons ban, along with a retro-active provision requiring registration and yearly licensing for currently legal EBR owners.
I sent some emails to the appropriate people, and what do you know, I actually got some responses!
I am voting "NO" and hopefully it will be voluntarily deferred - in
order words- withdrawn and not even come to a vote. Thanks, Jane SmithIt's rare that I get a response at all from my letters, let alone 2 positive ones.


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Imagine tucking into a fine fillet of "British" beef, only to learn it actually came from Australia. Or drinking "French" wine that actually came from California.
What if the "Italian" olive oil you pour over the accompanying salad originated in Morocco?
That might not be so bad, you may think.
But what if a bottle of vodka you'd purchased in good faith is tainted with methanol, making it lethal to drink?
Or the baby food you feed your youngest is not what the label on the jar said it is?
As global trade has increased, so has the potential for food fraud, where fraudsters lie or hide the true provenance of produce.
Alongside food safety and health fears, its raises concerns over quality control, reputational damage and lost revenue, and puts the spotlight on illegal activity.
Now some firms are taking to using scientists, a type of food "crime scene investigators", to tackle the issue.
Related Videos: http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/alexanderalard-1589665-crown-capital-eco-management-food-fraud-tackled-forensic-scientists/


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Bees and Donuts: Hyping Bee Movie and The Simpsons Game
Through much of the nineties, two television programs sustained me: The Simpsons and Seinfeld. Others came and went, but not only did those two shows consistently hold my interest, but their many repeats would too. One of my roommates would even record the evening reruns of Seinfeld while watching them, and watch them again first thing the next morning, and I'd often join him. So Jerry and Homer are close to me. I don't spend as much time with them now as I used to, but I like to check in on them every once in a while, since they are old friends.
Recently, the Jerry Seinfeld and Simpsons franchises have been doing interesting transmedia jigs. Seinfeld's Bee Movie is coming out on Friday, and television is all abuzz with cross-promotion: Seinfeld appeared on 30 Rock (and through that episode, he appeared on most other NBC shows too), he has an HP ad that refers to the movie, and he's filmed a seemingly endless number of shorts that are filling ad breaks. He's ubiquitous, so much so that I'm sure I'm missing about 453 other venues where he's hawking his movie (I could've sworn the dude behind the counter at McDonalds looked familiar today), and in the time it takes me to type this, Seinfeld will have appeared in 58 more venues. The Simpsons meanwhile have a forthcoming video game, based on the film (so, yes, it's the game of the film of the television show), with some ads on television, and a particularly innovative and fun official website. In case it's not evident yet, I find the Seinfeld transmedia jig annoying, and the Simpsons one exemplary. More below the fold…
My complaints with Seinfeld's jig are that (a) it's not funny, and (b) it redefines overkill. Taking the first complaint, humor is of course subjective, but I love Seinfeld and think it's hilarious, so why am I not laughing now? I still laugh at the reruns, and it's not just a nostalgic, "ah, remember the days?†laugh. Jerry is credited as having written Bee Movie, but it's unclear whether he's written the multiple shorts. If so, boy have ten years taken their toll on him (or perhaps this is proof that Larry David always was the funny one?). For instance, one short involved a "moron with swatches†coming up to Seinfeld to ask his opinion on various swatches. The joke? He didn't say what the swatches were for. Or another involved a young man bringing in coffee to the movie's writing staff, only to be ridiculed after he recommends they add a bee in scuba gear. After leaving the room, a writer informs Seinfeld that the young man is a Spielberg, and so Seinfeld runs after him, and we then see the man running the writing room, and Seinfeld bringing him coffee. This is sophomoric comedy writing at best. If I was watching these in a museum of television in the future alongside any episode of Seinfeld, I'd swear that the shorts were products of an immature pre-Seinfeld Jerry, not the post-Seinfeld one. I've actually found myself wishing NBC would just give me a regular ad rather than these shorts (ie: that's me behind Jerry in the picture below).
Then there is the overkill. These shorts are everywhere. As said above, he even advertises the show in another ad (for HP), in a Wayne's World "I'm parodying product placement while still doing it†kind of way. His appearance on 30 Rock also aimed to make rampant cross-promotion the subject of humor, as Jack digitally adds Seinfeld as a guest star on every NBC show. Personally, I think 30 Rock's already done the cross-promotion/product placement joke enough, so I was already yawning. But where's the humor if NBC really is repurposing Jerry left, right, and center? If Simpsons vitamins gave people rapid heartbeats, the joke that Krusty vitamins did the same to Bart wouldn't be funny.
Ultimately, though, I consider the shorts, etc. as overkill because they're not funny – if they were funny, they would actually count as content, and I'd be less bothered by their omnipresence. Without making me laugh, they function simply as ads. I'm perfectly willing to accept that some might find them funny, but even so, DreamWorks' strategy here is clearly quite high-risk, since it relies on people finding them funny. Since I don't, I'm forced to think Jerry's lost it. And if Jerry's lost it, I'm not interested in Bee Movie. At all.
It's also an interesting campaign since it's centered on Jerry, not on Jerry as the bee. In other words, they're not actually trying to sell the character as interesting; rather, they're putting all their eggs in the basket (or pollen in the flower?) of Jerry Seinfeld's star power. This seems rare for an animated film. Mike Myers is a great comedian, but Shrek was hyped as the meeting of character and actor. Same with Tom Hanks' Woddy or Tim Allen's Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. Granted, Jerry's been away from the public eye for a while, but a bee movie would seem to address a slightly different demo than the Seinfeld rerun crowd, or at least it could benefit from a few more character-centered ads that address the non-Jerry fans in the potential audience. (Question to the parents who might be reading this: are such ads appearing on kids channels?). In other words, I think they're putting the wrong entity at the center of this elaborate cross-promotion.
The Simpsons
Simpsons game ads have been considerably less ubiquitous, so already I don't feel stung by hype (sorry – I have to get some bad puns in somewhere) as much as by Bee Movie, and I am thus less inclined to complain. This may seem a trivial point, but with great hype comes great responsibility (in case you're keeping score, that's a spider(man) reference, not a bee one), to do the hype right.
My admiration of the Simpsons hype stems from an appreciation of its official website. It has the standard News, Features, Media, Order Now, and Forums links, but also includes "ads†of its own, each a fun parody. At the top of the screen, a banner advertises Neverquest (a parody of Everquest), then running down the bottom right of the screen are a link to Moetaku (a parody of website Kotaku), and links to pages advertising Medal of Homer (a parody of Medal of Honor), Mob Rules (a GTA parody), Neverquest, and Super Happy Fun-Fun Game (a generic parody of Japanese kid games).
The game parodies are very well done, with the ad for Mob Rules offering a brilliant parody of the mis en scene of Grand Theft Auto ads, complete with crane cam and heli-cam pans of the landscape, video of Scratchy on a killing rampage, and a blaring soundtrack of The Scorpions "Rock You Like a Hurricane.†Voiceover from Marge (of all people to be at the center of a GTA game!) opens the clip: "Lisa, you and I are gonna clean up this video game once and for all,†and the final scene of the ad shows a huge explosion with Marge walking away quietly, clearly the guilty party.
Medal of Homer is equally fun, with Medal of Honor's signature switching between scratchy black-and-white newsreel-style "historic footage†and the colored game world. The soundtrack offers an at-first somber, then increasingly inspiring military/Saving Private Ryan/Pearl Harbor/Medal of Honor style orchestral and choir accompaniment, as title cards read "In the Last Great Invasion / Of the Last Great War / They Gave Each Other Strength [cut to image of Homer standing beside Bart, both in combat fatigues, Homer scratching his ass] / To Make History [Homer interjects, "Oo, look at me, I'm France. I'm a scared girl, I don't like being bombed and attackedâ€].â€
The ads serve dual function, offering very funny and uncannily well-done parody, but also filling their action with apparent scenes from the real Simpsons game. It's unclear exactly how much of the cutaways are produced for the parodic ad and how much come from the games, but all of the gameplay seems quite clearly drawn from the Simpsons game itself. So on one level, the parodic ads work symbolically, using crafty parody to sell a product (The Simpsons) that is arguably best known for its parody. This assures the would-be purchaser that the ethos and character of the game will be consistent with the television show. It also subtly performs "video game street cred,†by suggesting that the game's producers are as knowledgeable about the game world as are the television show's writers of the television world. The parody performs a keen-eyed awareness of the tropes and requirements of games. All the while, though, and on another level, the clips show actual gameplay. Yet by dividing the images up between the various clips, the site subtly poses that the game is a hybrid of (the fun of) GTA-style explore-and-smash games, first-person shooters such as Medal of Honor, role-playing games like Everquest, and whimsical Japanese kids games.
Looking at Seinfeld and The Simpsons alongside each other, I can't help but conclude that my friend Jerry's lost his way, and needs a little help returning to the hive. Homer and co., though, seem in fine form. Certainly, from the beginning, The Simpsons seem to have gotten how to cross-promote, nearly always making sure that the irreverent, playful, parodic character of the show is stamped on everything from talking Homer bottle openers, or Krusty Certificate of Approval stickers, to the movie, to the 7-11s that became Kwik E Marts this summer, to the games, to the advertising for the games. Seinfeld and co. seem to have been trying for the same thing with their shorts, in that Jerry's best known for small observational humor. But the shorts aren't very funny. And as for his joking around with being a product placement sellout on 30 Rock, on the HP ad, and on some of the shorts, meta-parody was never his schtick. When placing products, he was entirely conventional (cf. Junior Mints episode), so he should leave the meta-parody to Krusty, Homer, and those who do it best. Or, if he's trying to break out and try something new – entirely fair enough – the hype ought to stop trying to sell old Jerry and just focus on the bee. Meanwhile, when Bee Movie and The Simpsons Game both come out, I'll be playing the latter, and avoiding the former.
Tags: ads, Bee Movie, computer games, franchises, NBC, Seinfeld, Simpsons, Simpsons Game, television, transmedia


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Spend a pampering Sunday at Kämp. Relax first with Kämp Spa's treatments and enjoy after with the classy Sunday brunch at Brasserie Kämp.
Brasserie Kämp has served for more than 100 years with the same admiration towards quality service. Wether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea or brunch, Brasserie Kämp will welcome you to enjoy its prestigious and historic atmosphere.
Give your friends and loved ones a gastronomic experience to remember: a Sunday brunch, a three course dinner, a gastronomic package or a fantastic afternoon tea for two.