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Ai no Kusabi 4
April 21, 2013
Reiko Yoshihara – DMP/June – 2009 – 8 volumes
this is a novel series
One of the blessings and the curses of this novel series is that it's very wrapped up in the world. That's nice for a sci-fi series, and normally I would applaud a detailed world. But the flaw with Ai no Kusabi is that it tends to retread the same territory over and over again. Spending a whole chapter explaining just how shocking it is that Iason let Riki go, but kept him on file as a pet, might be something that it does. Explaining just how extreme things really are happens a lot, and it also re-treads a lot of the same ground from previous novels over and over again. Part of that is likely due to the nature of being a serialized novel, since you wouldn't want to alienate new readers. But in a novel format, it's a bit aggravating.
And I'm still just not that into the characters, or the relationships, but at the same time I sucked these novels down in an afternoon. I can't really explain it.
This one mostly features the Darkmen, who come into Ceres looking for Kirie, who was recently a very bad boy. The Darkmen are an evil portent indeed, and despite the fact that Kirie has alienated basically all his friends in Ceres, they still do a lot to help him hide from the Darkmen. There's some shuffling around and re-sorting in Ceres, along with missed connections, Katze comes back into play, and then… Kirie exits. Sort of.
Keep reading, is all I can say. If you've gotten this far, you know this kinda isn't that good, but is addictive in its own way. Plus, as I said, the conclusion is finally coming out! Hooray!
Ai no Kusabi 3
March 16, 2013
Rieko Yoshihara – June – 2008 – 6 volumes
This is a series of BL novels.
For whatever reason, I wrote this two years ago and never posted it. With the ending of this series imminent, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit these volumes and write up the ones I didn't get to. So expect 5-6 soon, too.
At this point, I was pretty well taken with the series. I read 4-6 in one day. Why? I'm not sure. Admittedly, the sci-fi elements are really well done, and I loved watching the characters slowly succumb to the forces bearing down on them from all sides. In that, it's like watching a train wreck, because you can tell from a mile off that terrible things are going to happen, and you just have to sit back and watch.
But I still have a hard time stomaching the violence and abuse, or really sympathizing with the characters. Riki isn't doing anybody any harm, and is doing the best for himself that he can, but his aggressive nature makes him a bit less likable, although it earns him points for fighting off the assaults as much as he can. Then there's Kirie and Iason, who… well, are antagonists, and haven't really shown a good side. The most sympathetic is Guy, Riki's partner. He will stand by and do anything for Riki, even without an explanation about Riki's recent habits. Plus, he's in the middle of a scheme meant to trap Riki here. He's nicer than Riki, though still aggressive. Perhaps he would be less likable if we saw more of him.
In this volume, we learn more about the Guardian facility and… what it's really for? We also meet Manon and are introduced to a terrible scheme of Kirie's that doesn't look like it could possibly go anywhere good. Meanwhile, Iason comes to collect his pet. The collection process will last a good long while yet, but it begins here, and we learn that Riki is still… well, all to Iason, which is a shame. I was hoping he'd use the chance to somehow break away from the bonds.
Ai no Kusabi 2
February 28, 2013
Rieko Yoshihara – June – 2008 – 6 volumes
I have a bunch of these reviews written up, but I never posted them. I'm going to do so now, but keep in mind that a few of them are super-sparse. There's… just not a whole lot to say about what's going on, honestly. It's kinda the same, but more so in each volume. And I'm not quite sure what compelled me to keep reading…
We get more of the rape and abuse of Riki at the beginning here, and a look at just how "privileged" his life with Iason was. I mean… he wasn't thrown out like the other pets, but I wouldn't say he was living the good life, either.
Then the story catches up to where we picked up at the beginning. Kirie is beginning to make a name for himself on the black market and dealing with Iason himself. It's clear that Kirie isn't quite the same sort of pent-up tough guy that Riki is, and that Iason will likely not "go for" Kirie's brand of egotism. But we also find out that Iason isn't done with Riki yet. There are the barest hints that Iason may really love Riki, in his way, and that Riki's release into his old life is short-lived. But… Iason isn't even remotely affectionate. He just… he tortures Riki. Maybe it's all he knows.
In fact, this series seems to be all about demeaning the characters. We learn more about the Eos "furniture," the people that are imprisoned in the Blondy apartments in order to take care of the Pet sex dolls and otherwise remain as unobtrusive as possible. Much is made of Kirie's step up in life. And a reminder of just how low the Ceres slums rank in the social heierarchy. We'll hear about that over and over and over again. Boy do they rank low.
And, mysteriously, there is talk of a gang going against Riki and the Bison gang, and while we know the before and after of what happened with them, we are never told what actually happens. Aggravating. The timeline also starts skipping around strangely here. While it does catch back up to the beginning of the story, we are treated to stories of Katze's past as he tells them to Riki, and we also get a lot of flashbacks to Riki's time as a pet, even though… we could've just learned that stuff while we were reading about him getting thrown out. But keeping that under wraps for as long as possible is interesting, and it's not like I was confused about when and what was taking place.
Ai no Kusabi 1
February 9, 2011
Rieko Yoshihara – June – 2007 – 6 volumes
This is a series of BL novels.
Wow. I don't know how I missed adding this over here, but I reviewed the first volume of this classic BL novel series over at Manga Village. Please check it out.
As much as I've liked almost all the BL novels I've read from June, I was disappointed by the first volume of the series I hear about most. To be fair, the six novel version we're reading in the US is apparently a re-working of what was once a single-volume work, so the first volume is only an intro. There are a lot of interesting sci-fi trappings, and the strict social hierarchy the characters endure is interesting, but… there is some overly flowery dialogue, and we are told some of the same details over and over and over again, with flowery language, every time a situation involving the rules of the hierarchy comes up. It can be tedious. Also, this is mostly an intro to the characters and setting, so the actual story doesn't get going until later.

subset: commoncrawl


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April 17, 2015 4:55 pm
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April 23, 2013 — This week on "Off the Shelf", Carolyn Alston, executive vice president and general counsel for the Coalition for Government Procurement, joins host Roger Waldron to discuss contract duplication, strategic sourcing, strategic acquisition, and the modernization of GSA's Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) program.
Alston will also talk about last week's Spring conference sponsored by the Coalition for Government Procurement.
How the US Mint and NIST are perfecting the money-making process.


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Shoji Nishio began his aikido training at the end of 1951 when there was little activity at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Kisshomaru Ueshiba and Koichi Tohei, and a small cadre of relatively inexperienced instructors conducted classes. Although Nishio Sensei was captivated by aikido and the art of Founder Morihei Ueshiba, he felt disillusioned at the lack of martiality and weapons training. Being unable to get satisfactory answers to his questions, and absent weapons training, Nishio Sensei set out to crosstrain in other martial arts to fill the gaps. He already had a background in judo and karate. He expanded his training by studying the use of the jo and ken, and also took up iaido training…
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Titles in this series
Mary Ann Singleton again, after her marriage fails returns to San Francisco because of a health scare. As she reconnects with her past, a long hidden part returns to haunt her.
Maupin has returned to his peak form in this novel. "Slice of life" vignettes are wrapped in an artfully crafted narrative structure everything plays its part in either bringing the world to life, moving the story forward, or hinting at the end.
Because it returns to a thread from the first novel, I'd suggest starting at the beginning and at least reading the first two Tales books before reading this one.


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Traveling is a very rewarding experience, from sightseeing to enjoying different cuisines, a culture can be easily sensed whenever one travels abroad. And although the biggest tourist hubs cater to milking traditions in order to make some cold cash, the best way of experiencing the local lifestyle is by interacting with locals. And what better way than bonding by an amazing festival?
We have made a calendar so you don't miss out on some of our favorite festivals worldwide. These will never leave your memory and definitely cause a repeated visit.
January: Carnival of Venice
As a revival of it's roots in the Renaissance period, the carnival of Venice was relived in 1979 as a main effort to celebrate Venice's history and culture. The festivities take place yearly, exactly 40 days before Easter. Highlights are the beautifully crafted venetian masks, which hold different meanings.
The festivities begin on the Friday afternoon with La Festa delle Marie, a procession through the city, and other attractions that follow in the next 12 days.
February: Rio Carnival
The carnival in Rio is one of the biggest celebrations in the world, where Brazilians push aside their love for soccer and start rooting for their favorite samba schools. In Rio's carnival, you will be able to see beautiful parades with millions worth of raunchy costumes, floats and hypnotic drum music.
March: Annual Witch Gathering in Mexico
Contrary to what you may take from its name, this is a lighthearted festival. From parades to typical food, travelers have plenty of reasons to visit Catemaco in Mexico. During March the parades and processions extend through the streets, special dances and gatherings, as well as charms to protect you from curses and enemies.
April: World Marbles Championship – England
Do you want to lose your marbles fast, then you should flock to t Sussex pub– the Wembley of marbles – where around 140 competitors vie for championship honors inside a 6ft concrete circle. The event invites everyone to compete in this nostalgic sport, which attracts people from the U.S and Continental Europe. There is even rivalry between the best two German and British teams, so don't be surprised if you see some marble hooligans.
May: Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling – England
Do you love cheese? To the point that you would roll down muddy hills in order to prove your love? If so, you can come to the Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling. The festival attracts over 5,000 people worldwide, in order to put their love for cheese and injuries to the test. The premise is simple; A seven-pound circle of Double Gloucester Cheese is rolled down the hill, the first person who catches it or arrive at the bottom gets to take the cheese home.
June: Sonar Multimedia Festival – Barcelona
Sonar is an electronic and advanced festival which takes place in Barcelona, Reykjavik, Stockholm, Mexico, Tokyo, Osaka and Cape Town. The festival hosts from the biggest names in music to the most alternative names in arts installations. The festival happens yearly by day and night in different locations of Barcelona, therefore accommodations and tickets should be booked in advance.
July: Running with bulls – Spain
This is a controversial festivity for adrenaline seekers. The running of the bulls is one of the main attractions from Pamplona 's Fiesta de San Fermin. Nationals and Tourists gather around the city in order to drink and party. You can also watch some bullfighting or if you have the nerve to participate at the main attraction, which consists of running as fast as you can from life threatening bulls.
August: La Tomatina – Spain
The messiest festival in Spain takes place in the small city of Bunol, where approximately 40,000 international and national tourists show their love for tomatoes. Trucks of squishy ripe tomatoes supply the local battlers, all attendees rejoice in laughter as the main square of Calle del Cid becomes a nasty sauce. After the whole fight, get ready to be hosed down by the local fire brigade.
September: Burning Man – U.S
One of the most unique festivals in the world, the burning man feels like you have entered another dimension. It takes place in the somewhat isolated Black Rock Desert. The festival which still remains as a non-profit organization, encourages attendees to explore their uniqueness, and detachment from their conventional capitalistic ways. If you intend on visiting it, make sure to research about the festival's guidelines.
October: Amsterdam Dance Event
One of the biggest events in Amsterdam, where several venues invest on big names to set themselves apart from the fierce competition. The event usually starts on a Wednesday and stretches all the way until Sunday throughout the whole city. Make sure to purchase tickets in advance, as the main parties are sold out months before.
November: Dia de Muertos – Mexico
The Dia De Los Muertos ( Day of the Dead) can be celebrated in two special locations in Mexico, Mixquiq and Janitzio. Locals prepare a feast with many of the favorite dishes of lost loved ones. Pan de Muertos or "Bread of the Dead" is a traditional bread which is baked and eaten during this celebration. Mementos are set out of favorite things of the the ones who have passed away.
Visiting the cemetery is a popular tradition. At the cemetery, the tomb or burial plot is decorated. The cemetery visit is spent in a picnic environment. The air is filled with music from Mariachi bands while the scent of a wide variety of foods wafts through the air. Fireworks are also common.
December: Chaumos
The largest celebration by the Kalasha people in Pakistan, who resist Islamic religion that surrounds them. While men bake goat shaped bread, women sing songs to the demigod Balomain, who is believed to pass through the valley, staying for four days to enjoy the festival and collecting prayers to take back to the creator, Dezau – what better recommendation for a festival than from a god himself? The festival also sees the mass slaughter of goats. If you do visit during Chaumos you are expected to take part in the festivities, which may include buying your own goat to sacrifice. In Bumboret the festival is closed to Muslims. You will need a temporary registration form to enter the Kalasha valleys; these are available free of charge from Chitral town's superintendent of police.
Thanks to: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12


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406 E. Highway 246 Buellton
By combining the old and the new, we have created an exciting cuisine that is uniquely our own. Along with our outstanding steaks, ribs and chicken, we also serve items such as smoked duck breast, ostrich, home-made soups and outstanding pastries; along with what the Los Angeles Times has called the "best" French Fries in Southern California!
2879 Grand Ave, Los Olivos
The warmth of the wisteria-covered patio welcomes you to this wonderful culinary find in the Santa Barbara wine country. Let chef Nat Ely prepare you handcrafted cuisine made with the freshest seasonal ingredients. As in the movie Sideways, which was filmed here, you can also enjoy a wide selection of local wines.
3631 Sagunto Street, Santa Ynez
(805) 688-2886
Enjoy fine wine country cuisine located in a charming Victorian house with an outdoor veranda serving California wine country cuisine for lunch and dinner Wednesday-Monday. Delicious, home cooked steaks, seafood, poultry, and pasta dishes will delight you.
8301 Hollister Avenue, Bacara Resort & Spa, Goleta
(805) 968-0100
In the heart of the spectacular Bacara Resort the casually elegant Spa Cafe features both indoor and outdoor dining, with a striking view of the Spa pool from the patio. Organic wines are available, as are low-fat and soy-milk desserts, including soy-milk ice cream and sugarless chocolate souffle.


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"We received so many compliments on this invitation. It was for our son's Holy Communion. Everyone loved the front and back design of the card."
"I was over the moon with these invitations! They are more spectacular in real then I could have imagined. Thank you so much for making this part of my daughter's special day so memorable"
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"This invitation is beautiful with an Irish touch while still being girly. I have used this invite for my youngest daughter's baptism and my older daughter's communion. I have gotten a lot of compliments on the cards."
"I am very impressed with the product, price, customer service and delivery time. The invitations arrived standard shipping in 2 days! Amazing! Classy invitation on nice weight card stock. I kept the color and font as shown. I was able to change text in the text box easily. The blue background and white border have an aged quality because the ink is not solid...more like it was painted in watercolor. Very Book of Kells feeling to me which is a subtle and nice touch. The Celtic cross and knotwork are beautiful. The blue background is a light blue. The digital image doesn't translate the actual color well. Still lovely. Darling little hearts on cross and corners of the invitation. I am proud to send these out to my family and friends for my son's 1st Holy Communion. Exceeded my expectations! Thank you so much! Great job Tiny Prints!"


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The Picture Gallery
The breathtaking sweep of the Picture Gallery never fails to impress. With its oak paneling, and oak floor stretching 115 feet, this is the room that remains the closest to the original Tudor incarnation of Althorp. Its length allowed Elizabethan ladies of the house to take gentle exercise, whatever the weather, and now is home to 60 portraits including Sir Peter Lely's famed portraits of ten of Charles II's mistresses, known as 'The Windsor Beauties'.


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By BEN WAIT
For high school athletes, there is nothing better than winning a state championship.
The Starkville Academy baseball team has that chance today.
The Volunteers (23-10) will welcome Magnolia Heights (31-5-1) today to close out the three-game series. Game one is set for 3 p.m. and if necessary, a series-deciding matchup will follow.
The Chiefs lead the Class AAA, Division II State championship one game to none in the best-of-three series.
Magnolia Heights won game one in Senatobia 1-0 on Tuesday.
"They are a very good team," SA head coach Neal Henry said. "They are very good defensively and they are not going to make mistakes. There is a reason they won 31 games. They are definitely beatable. Anybody is beatable on any given day, especially in this game."
For Henry and his squad, the game plan is simple.
"The mind-set is to get to game three," the third-year head coach said. "You can't play two without winning the first one. We have to have a mindset that we are going to do all we can to win game two. In game three, anything can happen."
The Volunteers have relied on pitching and defense all year long. They have times when they swing the bats well, but also have times when they go through a drought at the plate.
Hunter Bolin pitched game one and went all seven innings. Drew Pellum gets the start in game one of the day and the if-necessary game will be a pitch-by-committee situation.
"This stuff ain't easy," Henry said. "Winning a championship is not easy. It is going to take hard work, it's going to take a lot of preparation and a lot of focus."
For seniors Alex Holtcamp, Ryan Mann and Ryan McKell it will be their last day as Volunteers on the diamond. Henry knows they are going to do whatever it takes to force a game three.
"They know it's their last one," Henry said. "They just want to get to game three. Once we get to game three, we will be ready to go. They are just ready to win it."
The game will be played at Volunteer Field on the campus of Starkville Academy. Admission is $7 for all.
"I don't think we have ever won (a state title) at Starkville Academy," Henry said. "It would be big for the boys. They deserve it; they deserve one because they have worked their tail off this year. It would be huge for this school to bring a state championship to Starkville Academy."


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Who we are
Twitter Journal Club is (as the name may suggest) a Twitter-based journal club. We meet fortnightly on Sunday nights at 8pm UK time (7pm GMT) to discuss & critique a variety of medical papers.
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Monthly Archives: June 2011
Week 4 – Summary: Medical schools and Performance in MRCP
When I was introducing this paper I chose to highlight that one of the reviewer's thoughts that it was a poor quality study. I don't know if that influenced the discussion or even non-participation in last week's #twitjc, but there were several tweets expressing disappointment with the paper during the discussion. At first glance this appeared to be an accessible paper on medical education which would provoke a lot of discussion. But when you look more closely it contains complex analyses; the results of which many of those reading the paper did not manage to get to grips with. The poor presentation of some of the results in the additional file did not help. And the authors reach conclusions which are hard to justify.
Overall the main finding of the research was that medical schools seemed to have little impact on how students performed in post-graduate examination. The better the intake of students were at passing exams at 18, then the more likely they were to pass exams a decade later. This prompted me to ask if that suggested that rather than a national exit exam we needed a national entrance exam. @twsy suggested that if we wanted to look at the 'value added' by the medical school then we would need a national entrance and exit exam.
Some medical schools have graduates who take longer to pass professional exams. Is this an issue that should concern medical schools? And if it is what should we do about it? The correlation demonstrated in this paper suggests that if we wanted to have uniform outcomes for graduates of all medical schools then we should have uniform intake. It is unlikely that it would be socially acceptable to make students complete a national entrance exam and then allocate them to medical students across the UK to ensure an equal mix of academic performance. So we are left with the current situation.
We asked if performance of graduates in post-grad exams was a good indicator of the performance of a medical school. We didn't think that it was, but we weren't sure how performance of a medical school should be assessed, or if it should be at all. As an aside there was some discussion about what would make a good doctor at the individual level. Was it 'head knowledge' or good communication? It was pointed out that UKFPO was now trialling an assessment of situational judgement as a way of allocating doctors to further training. This is certainly something I would like to learn more about.
Access to the reviewers' comments was generally lauded. We would like to see this more, as it can help understanding of the paper. In my own opinion it would be interesting to have seen some editorial comment on how two such different reviews were rationalised so that the outcome was that the paper was published.
I know that some people missed out on participating in this discussion, so I hope that you will take the opportunity to leave a comment here.
Should we have discussed this paper? Yes, we should. Many people will have heard of it before, and now they hopefully have a better understanding of it's findings and linitations. #win!
Posted in Summaries, Week 4 4 Comments
Week 4 – Introduction and Discussion points: Medical schools and Performance in MRCP
Thank you Fi for asking me to write an introduction and suggest some discussion points for tonight's Twitter journal club. Having a special interest in medical education I was very happy to see this paper by McManus et al. suggested for Week 4 of the journal club.
Discussion point 1: What factors do you think might explain variation in performance in MRCP between medical schools?
What did authors do? They looked at outcomes in MRCP (Member of the Royal College of Physicians) examination for entrants from all medical schools between 2003 and 2005. They found that in the Part 1 and 2 exams, Cambridge, Oxford, and Newcastle graduates did significantly better than average , and the performance of Liverpool, Aberdeen, Dundee and Belfast students was significantly worse. In the PACES section (a clinical examination based on a modified OSCE) Oxford students performed significantly and Liverpool, Dundee and London students significantly worse.
This first part of the analysis is quite easy to understand but the authors then go on to construct a multi-level model to see if they can explain variation between the medical schools.
Since it is known that ethnicity and gender are correlated with MRCP performance, and they had this as individual level data, they adjusted for this.
Discussion point 2: Is it surprising that the average offer to those applying to a medical school may predict performance of graduates in MRCP?
Two complex analyses were performed in this study: a multilevel model, and a structural equation model. Unfortunately the results of the multilevel model are not produced in an easy to understand format, although there is a figure in an additional file which is downloadable.
The authors looked for correlations between medical school performances in MRCP and a plethora of other factors. This information was pulled from other sources such as the Guardian tables, a survey of the cohort of medical students who started university in 1990/1, and the offers which each medical school made to students in the mid-1990s.
They found correlations between:
- Offers made to students (A level or Scottish higher grades)- the higher the offer the better the performance
- The proportion of final year medical students reporting being interested in a career as a physician, and reporting interesting medical teaching, and better performance in MRCP.
- The higher the percentage of graduates taking MRCP, the better the performance.
However when these factors were analysed together, it was only admission grades that seemed significant.
They also looked at correlations with data from the Guardian tables. In a multiple regression, again only admission criteria were found to be significant.
In the multilevel model, the entrance qualifications of graduates were found to explain 62% of variance, which in this type of study is a large amount. 38% of variance remained unexplained but a commenter has suggested that the contribution of entrance qualifications may be under-estimated because of the 'ceiling effect'- many entrants may have been offered the highest grades of 3 As.
Discussion point 3: Are the authors correct to conclude that this analysis suggests that a national exit exam should be introduced?
What do the results of this study mean? To place the study in context it is perhaps useful to start with the last words of the authors in the paper. They believe that this analysis supports the case for the "introduction of a national licensing examination" in the UK.
We don't have a national exit exam in the UK. Instead the General Medical Council (GMC) regulates medical education through individual medical schools. Quality assurance of medical education and the final exams which must be passed to gain provisional entry to the medical register rests with the GMC and external examiners.
This analysis shows that different medical schools admit students with different school qualifications, and that the higher the entrance requirements, the greater the success may subsequently be in MRCP. McManus et al refer to a study which shows this is also true of performance in MRCGP exams, but I cannot find that publication.
Discussion point 4: How should we judge the performance of medical schools? Is performance of graduates in post-graduate examinations important?
When this study was published it contributed to discussion about whether a national exit exam should be introduced. Ian Noble, a Sheffield medical student, writing in the BMJ, suggested that medical schools should be judged on whether the graduates they produced performed as competent foundation doctors, not on how well graduates performed in subsequent examinations. Since it is rare for graduates to be pulled up for poor clinical performance this suggests that we have no problem for a national exit exam to solve.
Discussion point 5: How helpful is it to read reviewer's comments on a paper? Is this something that all journals should aim for?
This paper is published in BMC Medicine which also posts the comments of the peer-reviewers. One of the reviewers suggested that this paper should not be published as although it involved a commendable analysis of multiple datasets it did not "help me to understand the problems in medical education better, nor does it help me to improve medical education or to advance medical education as a science". The authors' response to this criticism is also published. The reviewers and the main author also had a dispute over another analysis published in BMC Medicine on gender and ethnicity and success in MRCP. But that discussion was pre-submission so is private correspondence between those involved.
Conflict of Interest: I'm a Belfast graduate!
Posted in Discussion Outlines, Introductions, Week 4 2 Comments
Week 3 – Summary: CRASH-2
This week's journal club saw a fascinating discussion of CRASH-2 (Clinical Randomisation of an Antifibrinolytic in Significant Haemorrhage) and, as before, it has been a struggle to write a summary post that can do the discussion justice. This post will focus on the five main areas of discussion.
Study population
CRASH-2 was conducted in 40 countries world-wide and in an impressive range of healthcare settings. The criteria by which patients were deemed with or at-risk of significant haemorrhage were clinical ones. Patients were deemed to have significant haemorrhage with a systolic blood pressure less than 90 and/or a heart rate greater than 110 beats per minute. However the judgements of which patients were at risk of significant haemorrhage was purely based on clinician judgement. The question was posed by myself, 'are these criteria robust enough?'.
The inclusion criteria were felt to be one of the strengths of the study as @ welsh_gas_doc commented
The words "at risk of…" are somewhat open to interpretation, but good inclusion criteria.
Many participants commented on the range of health care settings involved in the trial. This was felt to be very impressive as the following tweets show:
I think the clinical criteria were fine. There is an amazing range of settings involved – both developed and developing countries.
@GabrielScally Agree, the range of settings was really impressive.
Primary outcome measure
This paper reported all-cause mortality as the primary outcome to be measured. We asked whether this paper was asking the right question.
It was widely agreed that all cause mortality was the right outcome to measure, though @paramedicsa commented that:
with normal Trauma mortality at 60% within first 24hrs, shouldperiod be reduced from 28days?
…and there was an interesting discussion of whether 28 days was just an "arbitary" cut-off point, as suggested by @TWSY. @MsPhelps highlighted an interesting point – that looking at the mortality figures in the paper the all-cause mortality would probably been the same had the cut-off point been 14 days. @iamdoctord's views did seem to reflect that of the majority of participants:
I think 28d appropriately covers the early mortality from the primary insult and secondary complications which were to be evaluated
Adverse events
No matter how effective a treatment is shown to be in any trial, it is important that any adverse effects relating to treatment are identified and reported appropriately. This paper reported no adverse events as serious, unexpected or suspected to be related to the study treatment. However as @TWSY commented the discussion of the paper stated 'we cannot exclude the possibility of some increase in risk'. Was the reporting of adverse effects in this paper adequate?
Many felt like this issue had not been covered in enough depth in the paper: @Assidens highlighted:
really difficult to judge as all info seems to 'play down' possible side effects, would need more data on side effects
The paper did mention the risk of non-fatal vascular occlusive events but the authors stated that the relative risk of such events should be unbiased even if possibly under-reported. As @TWSY commented:
Studies are rarely large enough to detect rare events. Yes, a risk of undereporting or not recognising rare events
Tranexamic acid is now being used in clinical practice in trauma patients as a result of this trial. It is vital that there is ongoing research and monitoring of any adverse effects that may be related to this treatment in this population group as highlighted in this interesting discussion.
Mechanism of action of tranxeamic acid in trauma patients
This trial showed that tranexamic acid was effective (the number needed to treat was 67) but the precise mechanism is unknown. The question posed was should research into how this drug works in trauma patients be a major priority or is research like this showing that it does work be enough to allow its widespread use? As @iamdoctord asked:
Is full comprehension a pre-requisite for application to clinical practice
Two of the highlights of the debate surrounding question came from @welsh_gas_doc:
It would be an act of intellectual masturbation to spend money researching HOW Tranexamic Acid works. Fun, but ultimately pointless
It isn't clear exactly how most anaesthetic drugs work; theories abound, butnobody is 100% sure . . .(I know, but it's a secret)
The last point was one raised by several people: the precise mechanism of action of many drug treatments is unknown, paracetamol being a widely raised example, yet they are known to be clinically effective. The general consensus seemed to be that since this treatment has been shown to be effective, further research into its mechanism of action would be interesting, but should not delay this treatment's widespread use in trauma patients with, or at risk of, significant haemorrhage.
Trials in the emergency setting – consent and delays
A subgroup analysis of the CRASH-2 trial showed that early treatment with tranexamic acid was the most effective, with treatment later than three hours actually leading to increased bleeding .One area of delay was in gaining consent for participation in the trial. @GabrielScally pointed out that consent accounted for a delay of about an hour in administrating treatment in this trial. Roberts et al wrote a very interesting accompanying article in The Lancet about consent in emergency trials, suggesting that seeking consent may actually be unethical if it leads to a delay in the start of trial treatment, such that the effect could be reduced or obscured. The question was asked during the discussion – should consent be necessary in the emergency setting?
This lead to an extremely interesting debate (I have to admit I did play the role of devil's advocate during this – asking "When we have real clinical uncertainty for a trial treatment should we just treat without consent?!"). @TWSY, an emergency physician, discussed how emergency care research can actually allow for retrospective consent, for example if pre-agreed by the ethics committee before the trial is run.
As with any ethical discussion opinions did vary. @TheNerdse and others felt that consent need not always be sought but this does come with caveats. From @TheNerdse:
consent need not be sought in emergency where the treatment proposed is viable, needed fast, life saving & proven. In my opinion.
But as @amcunningham pointed out this was a trial and it was conducted because the benefits of treatment were not known:
yes, but trial was conducted because benefits not known.. could have done harm… in that case consent needed
@iamdoctord raised the issue of clinical uncertainty regarding trial treatments and consent:
Despite uncertainty, and if patients know such uncertainty exists, we cannot relinquish their right to choose their therapy.
Does this apply to placebo-controlled trials where a patient's consent allows us to allocate them to a treatment or placebo arm when we actually don't know whether a treatment will be beneficial? This is an ethical minefield and hours could be spent discussing this one point and there would never be a consensus on how to proceed. Ultimately, trials in the emergency setting, such as CRASH-2, are very important to developing practice and can have a huge impact on how we treat future patients. Trials need to be well-planned with a robust protocol, though never forgetting that while the patient may be a participant in a trial, they are still a patient and we have ultimate responsibility for their care.
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Week 3 – Transcript: CRASH-2
The transcript of this week's discussion is available to view either as a PDF here or in HTML format on Twapper Keeper here.
There were mixed responses over which format people preferred, so we will be continuing with both for the time being.
Posted in Transcripts, Week 3 Leave a comment
Week 3 – Discussion points: CRASH-2
CRASH-2 is an extremely interesting paper and I have to admit I have found it hard to narrow down the discussion points for this week's journal club. A huge amount of credit has to be given to @GabrielScally for turning my fairly incoherent ramblings into a sleek set of points to be used for this evening, his help has been utterly invaluable.
1. This trial had a peer reviewed protocol and the protocol seems very robust. Was the study population relevant to the question to be answered (with respect to patients deemed with or at-risk of significant haemorrhage)?
2. Did the paper ask the right question (i.e. Was the primary outcome of mortality in 28 days the right one to measure)?
3. With regards to the reporting of adverse events in the paper, do we think this was adequate to detect any adverse effects from the treatment?
4. Tranexamic acid was shown to be effective, but the precise mechanism is unclear. Should research into exactly how it works in trauma patients be a major priority, or is it enough that it does?
5. The subgroup analysis showed that the earlier the treatment is given is better – after 3 hours the treatment actually increased bleeding rates. But gaining consent for participation in the trial delayed treatment (see Roberts et al). Should consent be necessary in the emergency setting?
During the discussion tonight the abbreviation TA will be used for tranexamic acid and I will be tweeting this before the evening's events start at 8.00pm BST.
Also a huge thank you to @PaedsSHO and @hullodave for reading through the discussion points for me – very much appreciated.
(For an interesting take on ethics committees and their impact on trials see this post by @bengoldacre on his Bad Science blog and then keep going, his column Bad Science in the Guardian is a must read)
Posted in Discussion Outlines, Week 3 Leave a comment
Week 3 – Introduction: CRASH-2
For the past two weeks Twitter journal club has looked at two fairly old but still very relevant papers. The paper chosen for this week is at the cutting edge of research and recently won the award for Research Paper of the Year at the 2011 BMJ Awards. This award recognises a paper that the judges believe will have an impact on doctors and patients over the next 5 to 10 years.
The results of CRASH-2 (Clinical Randomisation of an Antifibrinolytic in Significant Haemorrhage) were published in The Lancet in June 2010. This was a randomised placebo controlled trial which recruited 20,211 trauma patients with, or at risk of significant haemorrhage in 274 hospitals in 40 countries. Patients were randomised into two arms of the study – either to receive placebo or the drug tranexamic acid. Tranexamic acid is an antifibrinolytic, this drug works by blocking sites on an enzyme that causes blood clot breakdown. The trial was designed to assess whether early administration of this treatment (within eight hours) would have an impact on patient deaths due to bleeding.
The headline finding – all-cause mortality was significantly reduced with tranexamic acid (14.5% in the treatment group vs 16.0% in the placebo group – relative risk 0·91, 95% CI 0·85—0·97; p=0·0035). Risk of death due to bleeding was also significantly reduced (4·9% in the treatment group vs 574 5·7% in placebo group ; relative risk 0·85, 95% CI 0·76—0·96; p=0·0077).
The number needed to treat in this trial – 67, an impressive result (from all-cause mortality figures). The findings of this large scale study have the potential to have a huge impact on the management of trauma patients – the authors of the study have called for this drug to be available to doctors treating trauma patients worldwide and that it should be considered for the WHO's List of Essential Medicines. As the CRASH 2 team said at the BMJ awards:
"Our research showed that giving tranexamic acid to bleeding trauma patients is both effective and cost effective. These findings are of global importance because every year, over 2 million people die from traumatic haemorrhage"
A very simple intervention with a relatively inexpensive drug that could have a global impact on the mortality of trauma victims worldwide – this is why we have chosen to discuss CRASH-2 in this week's journal club.
I will be posting a list of discussion points in advance of the journal club on Sunday at 8pm BST. I am very excited to have the opportunity to critique this paper and look forward to another interesting and informative discussion.
Posted in Introductions, Week 3 1 Comment
Week 2 – Summary: Prevention Paradox
For our second paper we discussed Rose's Prevention Paradox. For an introduction to this paper, please see here. I feel confident saying there was no issue with finding relevance in this paper to current practice. There was initially some concern about the choice of paper and whether the usual criteria for critiquing a paper applied, but the general consensus, both at the beginning and after the session, was that it was an interesting and important paper to discuss. I hope everyone would agree that the discussion raised some very interesting points about the nature of preventing disease, including preventive medication and public health initiatives. As with last week, we've picked some key points to focus on:
Impact on Clinical Practice
We began by discussing how the paper might affect clinical practice, with @petermbenglish tweeting:
This was a bright shiny new idea when the paper was published. Has it become tarnished in the mean time?
A few people commented that this will always be an important paper, and consensus was that this is a paper relevant to many areas of clinical practice. Soon, the issue of balancing individual interests against the population's interests came to the forefront of the discussion. @silv24 pointed out:
[We] need to examine the risks as well as the benefits when giving preventative treatment, that has to apply to every individual
and later:
Should we be aiming for improvement in the patient sat in front of us or the population as a whole?
Fundamentally, this aspect of the discussion boiled down to balancing the interests of the individual patient against the interests of the population as a whole. Most agreed that there was too much focus on high-risk patients, with @davecurtis314 suggesting this might be because they don't understand Rose, (although in fact this can end up being in the best interests of the patient). The issue of engaging with patients to promote adherence to any medication regime was raised on a few occasions, with concerns also raised about how to encourage low-risk patients to agree to and adhere to treatment, especially in the context of treating a non-event. However, as @GarethEnticott highlighted, there need not be a dichotomy between addressing the needs of the population versus the individual:
Trouble with rose is people think it is an either/or choice. Rose concludes both strategies have to be used.
We then discussed the difference between "normalising" interventions, such as promoting healthy eating and smoking abstinence, and interventions such as medication, which effectively increase abnormality. Related to this point was the "polypill", which most people felt would be rejected by Rose on the basis that there currently exists insufficient safety data (since safety data takes longer to obtain than efficacy data). We spoke about the fact that Rose declared long-term mass preventive medication to be unacceptable, while suggested that interventions such as promoting healthier lifestyles would be more ethical since they are "normalising" interventions. (Though @drgrumble pointed out that it may be easier to encourage patients to take a pill every day than give up smoking and change their diet.) However, as @davecurtis314 pointed out, the "problem is that effect on individual [is] tiny, effect on population/NHS huge".
Risk Presentations
Many people felt this was something that doctors could improve on. The difference between relative and absolute risk reductions was emphasised, and number needed to treat (NNT) was also discussed, although this paper showed that presenting NNT alone to a patient may not be appropriate. This Cochrane review suggests that natural frequencies ("50 out of 1000″ rather than "5%") may be preferable, but does not provide conclusive results. There was also a brief discussion about the teaching of statistics at medical school. The responses were mixed: @silv24 and @DrDLittle reported receiving very little teaching, though I received a lecture series in medical statistics in my first year of medical school.
Preventive vs Therapeutic: Differences between Specialities
Psychiatry was suggested by @davecurtis314 as a speciality in which prevention and treatment overlap, although prevention is usually of relapse, rather than initial episode of illness. Paediatrics was one area identified as being very pro-active in its use of preventive intervention, in the form of vaccination. A particularly interesting suggestion was made by @danjrharvey, with respect to the use of antivirals during the H1N1 influenza outbreak not only to treat 'flu, but also to prevent transmission. Rose highlights obstetrics and antenatal care as being largely preventive by nature, both at the individual and population level. In addition, screening is particularly widely used in women's health, and increasingly in sexual health, which can arguably count as a form of prevention. @adriamarilla also pointed out that in Cuba, doctors are trained with a much stronger population preventive approach, perhaps indicating strong geographical differences.
Most agreed that preventive treatment was more cost-effective than cures; however, as @silv24 pointed out, this raises the issue of commercial interests of pharmaceutical companies, and also the issue of public concerns about medicalisation in light of new medications with lower limits for treatment.
Social Change
The conversation they moved onto sociology: @danjrharvey felt the most powerful way of altering the behaviour of a population was through economics, and socioeconomic factors were identified as being a key predictor of health. @amcunningham tweeted:
Personally I think sociologists [are] at least as important as psychologists when thinking about what determines health behaviour.
It became apparent that social factors and lifestyle were considered very important, and @carotomes pointed out that these were both likely to be cost-effective and sustainable. There was quite a bit of discussion about whether doctors should create social pressure to effect behaviour change – is it effective? is it ethical? Social change, @amcunningham said, arose not from putting pressure on individuals, but on society as a whole, which @petermbenglish pointed out meant engaging mainstream media. No doubt doctors play a role in this too, but most agreed that this was not something they could do on their own. @aj0610, @petermbenglish and @alijmbacon raised the issue of media emphasising things that are either lacking in value, or which are wrong, with sensationalism trumping sensibility in order to appeal to what readers are interested in. However, as @anaestheticdoc pointed out:
This is presuming that society wants to change. Does everybody want good health, and go without some unhealthy lifestyle choices?
What is a Patient?
One concern with preventive treatment is that it make asymptomatic individuals assume the "sick role". Should individuals receiving preventive treatment be considered patients? @doctorblogs quite emphatically felt "no", and @Trisha_the_doc added that medicalising healthy people is not a good thing. Some agreed; others, such as @davecurtis314, disagreed, saying that "taking a pill every day makes you a patient". If true, this medicalises a large proportion of the population, although as @themattmak pointed out, plenty of people take multivitamins or cod liver oil without being designated a patient. Furthermore, would we call women on the contraceptive pill "patients"?
And finally…
After the end of the meeting, the conversation continued into the evening for some time with a discussion about encouraging patients to engage in fewer unhealthy and counterproductive behaviours, such as excessive alcohol consumption and smoking.
Finally, I'd like to conclude with a quote from John Gordon, tweeted by @GabrielScally, as some food for thought:
"No mass disorder afflicting mankind has ever been brought under control or eliminated by attempts at treating the individual"
Once again, please do leave comments about this second meeting, including anything you think would help improve it.
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Week 2 – Transcript: Prevention Paradox
The transcript of this week's discussion is now available: You can either view it as a PDF here: http://scr.bi/lCjFPK or in HTML format on a website called Twapper Keeper, here: http://bit.ly/ll8GlW
The PDF is, I suppose, more permanent, though the Twapper Keeper version is a little easier on the eye. If you could please comment on this post to let me know which method you prefer, I would appreciate it. Also, if you know of any other services that might be able to "thread" the @ replies and retweets, please do let us know. Twit Print is refusing to work for me, and Twitoaster seems to have closed down.
We hope you enjoyed this evening. We'll be posting a summary of the meeting as soon as possible.
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Week 2 – Discussion points: Prevention Paradox
We've come up with an outline for how we think this evening's discussion should be structured, based on the following points:
- What does this paper tell us? How relevant is this paper today? Should our priorities be for individual benefit? Or for population benefit? Where should we draw the line (i.e. have to recognise adverse side effects, cost etc)?
- How does the paper present risk to individuals and populations? How do we present this to patients? (Absolute vs Relative Risk Reductions and Number Needed to Treat)
- Has there been a separation of prevention and treatment & has this changed in last 30 years? Are some specialities more into prevention than others? Why? How can we go about integrating prevention with existing treatment? Screening programmes?
- Should more research be dedicated to prevention rather than cure?
- How do we define a patient? Should those receiving preventive treatment for eg hypertension assume the patient role? Is the distinction between therapeutics and preventive medicine blurred?
Based on feedback from last week, we're going to try and keep the discussion to an hour in length (but obviously you can keep discussing afterwards using the hashtag should you wish!).
Posted in Discussion Outlines, Week 2 1 Comment
Week 2 – Introduction: Prevention Paradox
A few people have enquired about why I have chosen a 30 year old paper as my favourite paper to be discussed this week. Is it relevant? Surely it's out of date? Aren't we meant to be discussing papers that affect current clinical practice?
Despite being 30 years old, I still believe Rose's BMJ paper is of great importance, perhaps more now than ever with widespread prescription of preventive drugs such as statins and the like. It addresses the issues of preventive medicine, presentation of risk to patients, and what strategies we can employ to best reduce the incidence of disease.
I wrote a blog in January about informed consent and preventive medicine at Occam's Typewriter. In it, I discussed the issues of prescribing preventive medications to patients who only have a small chance of benefiting from that treatment, and how presentation of risk affects this.
Since the absolute risk reduction (and therefore likelihood of benefit from treatment) is equal to absolute risk multiplied by relative risk reduction, individuals with a low starting risk stand a smaller chance of benefiting. Consequently, when prescribing preventive medications, perhaps we should be targetting high-risk individuals who will be most likely to benefit from treatment. (I briefly explain the terms Absolute Risk Reduction (ARR), Relative Risk Reduction (RRR), and Number Needed to Treat (NNT), but a slightly more detailed explanation can be found here or here.)
The Rose paper effectively shows I am wrong. His argument is based on the fact that the number of adverse events occurring in a group of individuals is the product of both the probability of the event occurring in a person, and the number of people in that group. Or in other words (and to quote the paper):
A large number of people exposed to a low risk is likely to produce more cases than a small number of people exposed to a high risk.
For example, while older mothers are more likely to give birth to babies with Downs syndrome, the majority of babies with Downs syndrome are born to younger mothers, simply because there are more younger mothers giving birth. Similarly, while we could restrict statin prescriptions to those with very high cholesterol, the majority of cases will arises from those with only slightly elevated cholesterol levels.
Fundamentally, the argument is between treating only those individuals at high risk, providing maximum benefit to the patient, and treating even those individuals with a much lower risk, providing the greatest benefit to the population as a whole.
Rose argues that the best way to reduce incidence of adverse events is to treat the population as a whole. Concentrating efforts on high risk individuals may be most appropriate for the patient, but its ability to reduce incidence of disease is limited.
Conversely, while treating people at lower risk levels may not benefit individuals greatly, it is the best way to reduce the occurrence of disease and illness in a population. However, Rose also argues that safety is paramount, and for individuals who stand to benefit very little from a preventive treatment, the risk of side effects may to be too great for long-term mass prevention to be acceptable.
To ameliorate this, Rose concludes with creating a distinction between "normalising behaviours", such as healthy lifestyle choices, which can be assumed to be safe, and interventions that increase biological abnormality, such as medications. He then argues that the former may be presumed to be safe and, I assume, appropriate to promote in the population as a whole.
Another issue raised in this paper is the emphasis that is placed upon relative risk reductions. This particular sentence from the paper really stands out to me:
To express the results of trials only in terms of percentage effectiveness is to conceal what the user really needs to know.
I think this is particularly true of media reports on new drugs, both when talking about efficacy of drugs, but also risk increases as side effects associated with treatments.
For example, this paper shows that five years' treatment with oral bisphosphonates is associated with a doubled risk of oesophageal cancer in 60-79 year olds. In fact, the risk rises from 1 in 1000 to 2 in 1000, meaning that there's a 0.1% chance that the drug will cause you to develop one of these cancers. A risk, no doubt, but small compared to the benefits of bisphosphonates, which have been shown to reduce the risk of fractures by 30-50%. (This is particularly important for hip fractures – A meta-analysis by Haentjens et al reported a hazard ratio for all-cause deaths of 5.75 for women and 7.95 for men in the 3 months following hip fracture.)
There will no doubt be issues I have missed in this post, so please do raise them this evening. A bit before 8 o'clock (UK time, so 7pm GMT) I'll post the key points for discussion. We are trying a different format this week, with 5 key points pertaining to the paper that we can discuss. The focus will be on how the issues raised in the paper can be applied to current clinical practice.
Posted in Introductions, Week 2 5 Comments


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Organizational policies that support employees wanting to make healthier lifestyle choices are important to creating effective worksite wellness programs. Examples of workplace policies that support wellness include smok free workplace policies, healthy food policies for work events, allowing space for fitness equipment, supporting flexible work schedules to allow participation in wellness activities, and requiring food vendors to offer healthier selections. Some of these, such as smoke free policies, may require a formal review and approval process at the highest level of state government. Others, such as a healthy food policy for events, can be informally adopted at any level within an organization.
The NC Office of State Human Resources Worksite Wellness Policy was approved for all state employees covered by the State Personnel Act to increase support for worksite wellness programs within state government. The policy, developed with input from the State Health Plan and the DHHS Wellness Program, addresses a number of state government administrative barriers that had limited the implementation of effective wellness programs for state employees. The policy also outlines a recommended organizational structure for state government wellness programs.
The DHHS Wellness Policies support the OSHR Worksite Wellness Policy and provide additional guidance on implementation of wellness programs in the department and on employee participation in wellness activities.
For questions about the worksite wellness policy, contact the DHHS Wellness Coordinator or 919 855-4923.


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Why Marketers need to...
By Stian Norheim on 2015-06-11
Verve Shortlisted at The Drum...
By Lisa Myers on 2015-06-11
Why Traditional Content...
By Lisa Myers on 2015-05-29
Position Filled! We have...
By Lisa Myers on 2015-04-29
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The online start-up RapGenius, a site that allows users to submit their interpretations of song lyrics and other texts such as religious passages, poems and speeches, received a rather unwelcome present from Google on Christmas morning. The search giant had carried out a manual action,... More
The Verve Search team challenges YOU to get the best #SantaFactor score by the end of the week, that's Friday 13th December (lucky for some) and YOU can WIN a Kindle Fire! Verve Search created this game for Expedia this Christmas. It's an old-school 90s type game, with the seemingly easy premise... More
Verve has seen an incredible amount of growth over the last 12 months. This time last year there were 7 of us, now we are likely to hit 20 by the end of the summer. The most exciting part of our growth is the diversity of the team; we now speak 14 languages between us. How awesome is that? We are... More
Day Three at SES I made a flying visit to the morning of Day Three at SES London 2013. Here's what I picked up from the experience of my first ever SEO conference (besides the free coffee….) The talk that I attended, 'Breaking Down the Borders: International and Multilingual SEO' was... More
Surviving the supposedly Mayan 'End of the World' mass hysteria in 2012 and with 2013 already under way, we can finally concentrate on which search events/ conferences to attend or speak this year. But hold up a second … There are so many events going on in 2013; which ones are a DEFINITE MUST... More
Always Google it before This weekend I am going to Brighton. Nothing interesting, you may argue. If it was not for what it led me to discover. Yesterday I typed [Brighton] into Google.co.uk just to check what would come up. I was accidentally using Google Incognito and suddenly realised that the... More
We have been searching high and low for the perfect candidate, little did we know he was hiding in Wales, but we managed to persuade him to come and join us in sunny Surbiton. We are delighted to welcome Ben Holbrook to our team at Verve Search. Ben is a natural born entrepreneur having started... More
Thursday night last week (3rd November) the UK Search Awards kicked off at the Emirates Stadium (the home of Arsenal football club). Myself and Ciaran were attending the awards ceremony (Nick and Sam are otherwise busy on opposite side of the globe) and were super excited. Verve Search had entered... More
The Verve Search office is buzzing with exitment! We've been shortlisted for the UK Search Awards in the category "Best SEO Campaign" for our SEO Services on the Yale Door website. Being shortlisted in a category like this with such great compeition is an honour. Having worked with Yale Door... More
A quick post to welcome our new Verve Search employee; Freya Jones. Freya has been working in Search for 2 years, mostly within Pay Per Click adverising. At Verve Search she will be doing both PPC and SEO and of course also some Social Media. When I interviewed Freya it was clear from the start... More


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It's Daytona Speedweek Media Day featuring NASCAR! | Photo gallery
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers sports columnist Ray McNulty and Sports Editor Mike Graham and correspondent Bill Whitehead are tweeting from today's NASCAR media day.
This event features drivers from various NASCAR series - Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck.
Join in by tweeting @TCPalmRMcNulty, @TCPalmMGraham, and @BillWhiteheadFL
Use hashtag #NASCAR.
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31 tickets purchased from 5 different gas stations. Can't wait to lose
there s a store down the street from us that has sold quite a few big money tickets and the chaos there today is hilarious. line out the door and a bunch of angry people fighting for parking spots. if only they knew how gross they look.
That sounds like what happened here when the new steak and shake opened up.
I put in $5 towards an office pool and if we happened to win it would get split 12 ways; splitting $230 million (from a $640 million jackpot) 12 ways is a lot different than splitting $3.5 million.
I wouldn't complain about my $300K, of course, but it doesn't excite in the way that $20 million does.
2015 Collaborative Playlist on Spotify.
Do the AZ party people make sure to get wasted before amy is allowed in?
Sales Friday afternoon=$28,000 Per Minute.
i bet some old, 70+ years old asshole is going to win.
May 15-17 - Psycho California
June 6 - The Rolling Stones
June 10 - Melvins
June 20 - Blur
June 24-28 - Glastonbury
July 18 - Death Grips?
July 26 - Faith No More
September 25 - Kraftwerk
I just went to buy more megamilliOns tickets, and I just won 50,000 on a fucking 20 dollar scratcher.... Holy fuck!!!! I'm shaking.... Pics to follow.
LOL. So why you gonna play megamillions now?
You know, but that's valid because if we are all gonna die anyway shouldn't we be enjoying ourselves now? You know, I'd like to quit thinking of the present, like right now, as some minor insignificant preamble to something else.
It's that tad bit of Crazy that keeps me Sane...
Apparently I'm in an office pool. Hmm.
HAHA, are you sure? Looks like you won, but not $50,000.
This guy in front of me in line bought $784 worth, wow that took long.


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Wolfpack Drops Match at No. 4 North Carolina
Oct. 10, 2013
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The NC State women's soccer team turned in a solid defensive performance Thursday night but ultimately fell at No. 4 North Carolina by a final score of 3-0.
The Tar Heels (11-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) were led by a strong performance from senior forward Crystal Dunn, who scored goals in the 21st and 59th minutes of the match. She was joined on the score sheet by Amber Munerlyn, who added a tally in the 84th minute.
"We gave our maximum effort tonight," said head coach Tim Santoro. "That's about all that we can give when we play elite teams. I would have liked to have had that effort last week against Maryland and I would like to have that effort Sunday against Clemson."
The Wolfpack (6-8, 1-7 ACC) did a solid job of defending the 2012 national-champion Tar Heels in the opening stages of the match, allowing a few early opportunities, but nothing of great significance. The best chance of the opening 20 minutes came when Dunn ripped a hard shot towards the far post in the 18th minute. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Mackenzie Stelljes made a great diving save to keep the match scoreless, getting low to save the attempt.
North Carolina opened the scoring in the 21st minute of the match when Dunn collected the ball 18 yards from the goal and ripped a left-footed shot just inside the far post and outside the reach of Stelljes. The goal was the 10th of the season for Dunn, who came into the match ranking third in the ACC in goals scored.
Six minutes later, underclassmen Jackie Stengel and Brittany Stanko applied some pressure on the Carolina defense. The two were on the verge of creating a dangerous opportunity for the Wolfpack before a UNC defender was able to poke the ball away at the last second.
NC State came out of the locker room after halftime with a spring in its step, ramping up the pressure on the Tar Heels. The Wolfpack possessed the ball well in the early portion of the second half, showing patience while trying to pick its way into the strong UNC defense.
"Patience and confidence is exactly what we talked about (in the locker room at halftime)," Santoro said. "We played intimidated in the first half. You can't let the name on the shirt or playing here at Fetzer get to you. You play in a system and you have to deal with it.
"By the time we got to the locker room at halftime, I think we were comfortable with the game and confident in the second half."
The Tar Heels were able to double their advantage in the 59th minute, scoring again through the foot of Dunn. The U.S. Women's National Team member received a nice pass from teammate Amber Munerlyn and took a sliding shot which skimmed the far post and found its way into the net.
Munerlyn increased UNC's advantage to 3-0 when she was set up nicely by teammates Kealia Ohai and Meg Morris. The goal scorer found herself facing a partially-open net from six yards away and was able to tuck it in before the State defense could react.
NC State will next be in action at home on Sunday, Oct. 13 vs. Clemson. The Wolfpack and Tigers will kick off from Dail Soccer Field at 1 p.m. Sunday's match will serve as Y-Guide Day, an event which will allow free admission to every Y-Guide and his or her parents.


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On this day in 1874, Governor Richard Coke appointed John B. Jones to command the newly raised Frontier Battalion of Texas Rangers. Jones, a veteran of the Civil War, was well suited to execute the governor's mandate to put an end to Indian raids on the frontier and to enforce the laws of Texas in the interior. The new battalion was successful in suppressing Indian incursions against white settlements. Jones reported to Gen. William Steele that during the first six months of the battalion's service more than forty Indian raiding parties had been reported on the frontier, of which the rangers engaged fourteen. During the second six months Jones's men had only four Indian fights, and after May 1875 only six raids and one small battle were reported. During this period Jones reported an estimated thirty-seven Indians killed; the battalion lost two killed and six wounded. In the seven years of its service under his command the battalion was also responsible for the quelling of considerable civil unrest as well as the return of much stolen property recovered from the Indians.
On this day in 1837, Henry Martyn Robert was born in Robertville, South Carolina. As an engineer, he was involved in most of the major river and harbor improvement and fortification projects undertaken by the U.S. government in the later nineteenth century. After the Galveston hurricane of 1900 he served as consulting chairman of the board of engineers to design means of protection against future tidal waves. The result was a seawall that successfully saved the city of Galveston in two subsequent hurricanes, in 1909 and 1915. Robert also became this country's leading parliamentarian. Robert's Rules of Order, first published in February 1876, remains in print in 2001 as an authoritative reference work on parliamentary procedure.
On this day in 1992, Richard von Weizsaeker, the president of Germany who was in Houston on a state visit, commended the German musical tradition exemplified by the Boerne Village Band. German immigrants to Texas had a profound influence on the development of music in the state. Acclaimed as "the Oldest Continuously Organized German Band in the World outside Germany Itself," the Boerne Village Band was organized in 1860 by Karl Dienger to complement the Boerne Gesang Verein (singing club). The band practiced in barns during the difficult Civil War period. After the war it continued to practice and play at various events in and around Boerne. During World War I and World War II the band was less active but remained organized, and it has flourished since 1945. Dr. Kenneth Herbst became director of the band in 1972 and attended the luncheon at which the German leader made his remarks. For the band's 130th anniversary in 1990, Peter Fihn, a noted German composer, dedicated and presented his march, "Grüsse an Texas" ("Greetings to Texas"), to the band. In the 1990s the band continued to perform regularly at the Texas Folklife Festival, the New Braunfels Wurstfest, the Kendall County Fair, the Boerne Berges Fest, Boerne Abendkonzerte (summer evening concerts), and many other events.


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As a reverse mortgage HUD approved lender, American Advisors Group wants you to make educated decisions based on solid information and knowledge. That's why we strive to keep you posted with the best reverse mortgage information possible. Here you'll get tips and advice, the latest news, industry updates, retirement tips, reverse mortgage help, and of course, articles on senior life in general.
With American Advisors Group resources you will learn a few things: information about the reverse mortgage payoff, how loan disbursement works, what makes American Advisors Group one of the best reverse mortgage companies in the industry, and more about the reverse mortgage government insurance. You will also learn the different names associated with this loan, including HECM, reverse home mortgage, and reverse equity mortgage, and you will get to know how the National Reverse Mortgage Association, NRMLA, advocates a code of ethics and professional responsibility amongst all reverse mortgage lenders in our industry.
Taking a step forward with a reverse mortgage loan is a big decision. If you are new to reverse mortgages, which includes the government-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loans, you may find yourself a little confused. But don't worry! Here at American Advisors Group, we want you to move forward armed with knowledge and confidence. So, with a little help from AAG.com's Reverse Mortgage FAQ and some guidance from your American Advisors Group HECM professional, you'll be well-versed with HECM loans in no time at all.
American Advisors Group is honored to be the No. 1 HECM lender in the nation. We are proud to excel where other reverse mortgage providers may fall behind.
Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau.
The No. 1 HECM lender in the nation, closing more loans than any other lender in our industry.
97% Customer satisfaction rating from client surveys.
Members of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA).
Approved Lender of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A winner for the 2013 Orange County Top Workplaces Award in the Large Company category by the Orange County Register.
At American Advisors Group, our clients' satisfaction is our greatest reward. Read on to see what satisfied clients are saying about this popular loan product and about American Advisors Group, and find out why it makes us so happy every day to be helping seniors and their families take a step forward toward a better life.
"I am disabled and on a fixed income. To be able to live month to month, I had to use my credit cards. My house was paid for but I still did not have extra money for "fun things". I found myself considering drinking water instead of tea or coffee just to save money. And desserts were completely out of the question when dining out.I now have paid off my credit cards and have money in the bank and still have my home. This has been the best financial decision I have ever made and I am so pleased I chose American Advisors Group."— Margaret T., NC
"I was retired and had lost my soul mate wife of 47 years & 8 months. My nice home was paid for and I had no monthly mortgage payment, but I was having a very hard time keeping up with my bills. My last resort was to just sell and find another place to live. I kept seeing the ads on TV and decided to give American Advisors Group a call. It turned out to be one of the best decisions in my life. Thanks to American Advisors Group for the great courteous, understanding and professional help in providing me a new life and better future."— Ralph G., GA
"Your customer service is outstanding. You take the time to see to our needs, and your professionalism has been a great experience. At the time we needed the help American Advisors Group was there. The stress of knowing I would be 83 years old before I paid off my mortgage truly gave me nightmares. Thank you, American Advisors Group, for the help we needed."— Kevin N., TN
American Advisors Group wants you to make educated decisions based on solid information and knowledge. That's why we strive to keep you posted on the latest news and updates on HECM loans, our industry, our company, all things retirement, and of course, senior life in general. Check out the latest articles about all of these topics, plus everything in between!
July 6, 2015
When you first bought your house, the last thing you may have thought about was its potential as a vehicle to fund your retirement. Your home was simply a place to share with your spouse, raise your children, and enjoy your family. It has been a humble setting for some of the best moments of...Read More
July 2, 2015
Buying a home is a major milestone in anyone's life. You've worked hard to maintain your home through the years. Perhaps you've upgraded your kitchen, installed new floors, painted a new exterior color, or remodeled the bathroom. Not only do these enhancements bring personal satisfaction, but they may also increase an important aspect of your...Read More
June 30, 2015
In the past, the main purpose of a Reverse Mortgage was to help seniors to fulfill cash needs by allowing them to pull the equity in their homes. But today, many seniors are finding that even if they don't particularly need to fulfill a cash need, they can take advantage of the benefits of a...Read More
June 30, 2015
If you are like many senior homeowners, your home is your pride and joy. Perhaps you chose each individual bathroom fixture with care, after flipping through hundreds of catalog pages. Or you planted and nurtured each tree with your very own hands, and watched them grow taller every year. Or maybe, even when it came...Read More


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UT Tyler Recreational Sports
Beginner Swim Team
The Beginner Summer Swim Team at the HPC is designed to be an intermediary between swimming lessons and the more competitive environment of a traditional swim team. This swim team will introduce all four competitive swimming strokes and work to hone the skills of the competitive swimmer.
Children MUST be able to swim 50 yards freestyle or front crawl to qualify.
For more information contact the HPC Office at 903.566.7466


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Fusion Learning Inc. Signs for 8,270 Square Feet at 450-460 Park Avenue South
Fusion Learning Inc. closed on 8,270 square feet at 450-460 Park Avenue South. It is the first Manhattan location for Fusion, the Western Association of Schools & Colleges-accredited tutoring facility.
Jovani Rampersad, the commercial leasing director for the Moinian Group, represented the owner while Deb van der Hayden and Noah Savage of Jones Lang LaSalle represented the tenant. Read More


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McMinnville resident Rosie E. Pack, 78, died unexpectedly Jan. 14 at River Park Hospital.
A homemaker and a member of the Baptist Church, she was the daughter of the late Willie (Pedigo) and Larkin Pack.
She is survived by brothers, Lindon, Carl and Joanna Pack, all of McMinnville; special nephew, Tommy Pack; several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents; and six brothers, Tom, Charles, Arlie, Fred, Franklin, and Clidye Pack.
Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. today at Bonham Cemetery in Smithville with Kenneth Kirby officiating. Visitation will be held from ...
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Waterproofing cob/mud ovens with wax
This is an experiment but I've used the technique in the past in making and colouring (and waterproofing) puppets and theatre and dance masks.
Rather than cover my mud oven to protect it from weathering, I've graffitied the dome shape with crayons. There are many types of crayon available but I use the commercial brands that are used to mark timber. These are very waterproof.
You burn a fire in the oven and when the exterior heats up a bit start drawing with your crayons. They'll melt a bit and become like lipstick as the wax is applied onto the surface.
Washable crayons -- eg:Crayola -- won't do, of course, and you could use bees wax but that will cost you a bit. The principle is to think candles which are a waterproof medium that melts and remelts in line with heart generated on the wick. Something like an oven....
So far so good.
It would have to be redone at some stage but I get a pretty fancy coloured oven to look at, especially when I swab the colours together with a brush. I guess it's something you could get the kid's to do.
Another way to apply the crayons is to use a hair dryer to heat the surface as your draw on the oven . If your oven is cool outside even with a fire going --as a good part of mine is -- you may have to use the hair dryer or heat gun.
If the wax catches on fire I don't think that's a big deal -- I'd call that patina. (At what temperature the wax will fire I don't know
While this may seem bizarre and way out of left field -- the ancient Greeks waterproofed their boats with wax which they'd colour and work into decorations.
How thick the wax layer needs to be , or whether coating the exterior granules is sufficient I don't as yet know.
Re: Waterproofing cob/mud ovens with wax
Hmm, I dunno. Wax won't allow water to get out if it cracks and lets water in. That's the problem with concrete as a render. It sounds like something that would require a lot of maintenance.
But, heck, why not give it a try? Let us know how well it works.
To burn wax must first convert to vapor. It's the wax vapor that actually burns when you light a candle. If the outside of your oven gets that hot your walls aren't thick enough!
Now, the colorant and/or fragrance are completely different chemical animals and may burn more - or less - readily.
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Taylor Wutzke was recently named Miss Teen Becker County International.
Retired aircraft instructor Al Antonson holds a photo of his aircraft, a Piper 108 Colt, a two-seater. He and his son restored the airplane. Both Antonson and his wife Hazel have been residents at the Frazee Care Center.
Photo by John W. Dermody
Erika Nelson, the creator and curator of the traveling museum that features the World's Smallest Version of the World's Largest Things, was featured on Conan O'Brien. During the show she shared the story of the burning of Frazee's turkey statue, Big Tom. Photo by Barbie Porter
Travis Gray became a partner in the family business with his parents Karen and David Gray, all of Frazee. Photo by Barbie Porter
A fire at Albertson Lake trailer court was one of two area fires last week. Photo by Barbie Porter
Frazee resident Brikker Ware discusses a proposed residential development suggested by the Minnesota Design Team.
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This site is dedicated to documentaries about the Second World War and related events. All video's are uploaded via YouTube. This site was created because I wasn't satisfied with the lay-out of YouTube. Feel free to contact me via my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/GermanWarFiles
My goal is to upload documentaries with a objective view of the war, documentaries that focus on the technical and human part of this dramatic episode in recent history. I aim to provide easy access to these documentaries by creating a playlist for every episode.
The files I upload are documentaries, they tell an objective story about the Second World War. In no way do they (or I) promote Nazi ideology. These documentaries are for those with an interest in the Second World War, to gain knowledge about this important episode in recent human history.


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—Firm has Received six 8(a) Contracts for $9.8 Million—
Like many entrepreneurs, Sanquinetta Dover paid some dues before she returned to Atlanta in 1996 to start DoverStaffing Inc., a professional placement and project management firm that has grown to over 200 employees.
After graduating from Spelman College in Atlanta with a degree in Economics, she spent six years with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in its bank liquidation division in Chicago and Midland, Texas. She later held several corporate sales positions in Chicago and spent over two years running her first small business, a wood pallet manufacturing firm in the Windy City.
Dover says she first learned about the SBA's 8(a) Business Development program in Chicago during the operation of her first small business. Her knowledge of the program would pay large dividends after DoverStaffing was certified as an 8(a) and Small Disadvantaged Business in 2003.
Since it was certified, DoverStaffing has received six contracts through the 8(a) program for a total of $9.8 million. The first of these contracts came in 2006 when the company was named the prime contractor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cotton Division to provide administrative staff and light industrial machine operators. Another 8(a) award calls for the company to be the prime contractor for the U.S. Army Reserve's Survivor Outreach Services (SOS) program. This contract provides support and financial counselors nationwide to families of fallen soldiers.
The company's latest contract was an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) award for the U.S. Department of Navy's "SeaPort-e" program. SeaPort-e is the Navy's electronic platform for acquiring support services in 22 functional areas including Engineering, financial Management and Program Management.
"These contracts have been very important in assisting the development of our company," says Dover. "They have allowed us to gain valuable management performance that will position us to compete further in the private and public sector."
There are other benefits to the 8(a) program besides having the opportunity to bid on sole-source and limited competition federal contracts. The nine-year program, limited to firms owned by economically and socially disadvantaged individuals, also offers management and technical assistance as well as counseling and monitoring services by staff located in SBA district offices.
When her company joined the 8(a) program, its employment level was about 75 people, according to Dover, a native of Greenwood, S.C. Besides its headquarters staff, the company now has employees based nationwide to handle additional contracts that include work for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Looking to its graduation from 8(a) in 2012, Dover says her company is continually marketing its business to help sustain growth past its current portfolio of contracts.
Its marketing efforts recently paid off when DoverStaffing was one of one of six firms that were awarded contracts by the State of Georgia's Department of Administrative Services to provide 1,000 temporary jobs to state agencies with federal stimulus funds.
To help with its development, Dover moved the company's main office this year to a HUBZone located on Cleveland Avenue in Fulton County. The HUBZone program establishes preferences for federal contracts to small businesses located in "historically underutilized business zones."
Dover says the positive influence of her parents, both educators, helped her reach many of her career goals. Her father earned a PhD degree before he became superintendent of schools in Greenwood County, S.C. "Managing money and living within my means are lessons are learned from my father," she said.
DoverStaffing received the Atlanta Business League's "Success Against the Odds" Award in 2005 and the Regional Director's Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency in 2006.
Sanquinetta Dover, President/CEO
DoverStaffing Inc.
777 Cleveland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30315
This article and accompanying photograph do not constitute or imply endorsement by SBA of any opinions, products or services of any private individual or entity


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A SIMPLE test could identify inflammation caused by infection in the wombs of mothers showing signs of premature labour, potentially allowing doctors to intervene and prolong their pregnancy.
Routine tests can easily miss infections in the womb, which are one cause of premature births. Such babies often have learning difficulties or, in rare cases, severe brain damage. Catalin Buhimschi of Yale University School of Medicine and his team looked for proteins characteristic of inflammation in samples of amniotic fluid taken from 169 women admitted to hospital because they had gone into early labour or because their waters had broken prematurely. The samples were taken by amniocentesis, in which a long hollow needle is inserted through the abdominal wall and into the womb.
The presence of infection could be confirmed within 15 minutes of testing, and the test picked up even low levels of infection (PLoS Medicine, DOI: 10.137/journal.pmed.0040018).
The technique ...
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Hillsbrad Refugee
102,790pages on
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Hillsbrad refugees were the people that were displaced by the Forsaken when they attacked and took over Southshore during the Cataclysm. The fate of the people of Hillsbrad is described in a journal called The Battle for Hillsbrad.


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Your Latin is even more anomalous than a humped zebra. The tag is "animal post coitum triste". A correct variant, but still obscure in its connection to a zebra crossing, or a crossing zebra, would be: "Omne animal triste", every animal is sad.
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From Multi-Million Dollar A$K-Maker LAURA FREDRICKS
Money - we all need it every day and we never have enough. HOW you ASK for it makes the difference between having it and not having it. The first step is Know Exactly What you Want and with Numbers.
Take the example of Maddy. She is dynamic 21-year-old with a burgeoning new fashion start-up. When I asked her "how much money does her company need?" she said "$1.2 million." Fantastic first start! I suggested she add the following to her statement: "I need $1.2 million and this is how it breaks down." Use exact numbers when you are stating exactly what you want.
Now that you know what you want, who can give it to you is the next question. Make a list of people and entities that are aligned with your business and your needs. Then ASK them in priority order. Start with people who have the potential to give you the BIGGEST amount. Maddy had a mentor who also had the best potential to give the first largest investment. She hesitated asking her because she is a mentor. I told Maddy, this is the absolute best person to ASK first.
You are now poised for ultimate asking success. It is show time. Deliver with Confidence. Focus on your tone of voice, body language, and word selection. I advised that Maddy practice, that she stand in front of a mirror and take a look at what her mentor will see when she asks. She can also record her voice on her phone and make sure she is upbeat and inviting. The words I suggested: "You have been my mentor, and as you know, this work takes major investment. I want to ASK you to be THE FIRST to invest in 'our' work. Let me explain what I have in mind."
These small but powerful steps will set you on your path to your best A$K for Money! We will circle back at a later time and see how Maddy made out with her ASK.
Here is a recap of "How to A$K for Money – And More of It." Simply,
LAURA FREDRICKS is the Founder & CEO of THE ASK©. She is an attorney-turned-philanthropic advisor, who has enjoyed a lengthy and successful career in industries best known for making high profile, multi-million dollar A$KS – law and philanthropy - and is the first to merge strategies from both professional sectors into a mainstream practice now known as THE ASK©. THE ASK© is today's all-new self-help, motivational series for both women and men who have dreams, goals and a strong desire to have the best and most fulfilling personal and professional life possible. This new practice has placed LAURA on the national and international speaking circuits at conferences around the world. THE ASK© has also led LAURA to TV and radio appearances across the nation, and her expertise featured in national publications. Her four books have become the "go to" guides for numerous organizations around the world as well as used as academic material by the nation's most prestigious universities.
Send your current predicament directly to LAURA on Twitter at Just ASK LAURA How! For other tips, tools and best practices on Money Matters as well as other everyday matters, visit the JUST ASK LAURA Blog at www.EXPERTonTHEASK.com.
THE ASK© is brought to you by LEONARD GEORGE.tv, A Reputation Development Company for Entrepreneurs, Philanthropists & Creatives. We aim to deliver news you can use. We apologize if we've missed the mark on this one. Click on this hyperlink and you will automatically be removed from future news items and/or expert tip offerings. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. For more about LEONARD GEORGE, visit us at www.LEONARDGEORGE.tv


text: By Jerry Vitalis, Chisago County Master Gardener — I am writing this article after returning from a very successful Lindstrom Home Show. By the time this article has been published the Garden Bonanza will be history, and I hope it was also a success. However, the Chisago County Master Gardeners ...Read More


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Sacramento Ballet
Laid Off Sacramento Ballet Dancers Pitch In For One Last Performance
With a sponsor on board and backing from Concerts 4 Charity, the group's first performance began taking shape. The dancers know other arts organizations in Sacramento are facing tough times, but they're hoping this leap of faith draws new fans and funds.
Best Valentine's Day Dates For Parents In Sacramento
Valentine's Day is the best time to unwind, socialize, share love and give love to that special person who means the world to you. Check out Sacramento's finest places to plan an affordable, exciting and fun-filled day or evening with your love.
Best Date Night Shows Around Valentine's Day In Sacramento
Music, modern dance, concerts and roller derby are a few of the special and eclectic ways to please your favorite someone for Valentine's Day.
Sacramento Spending $5M To Turn Blighted School Into Arts Center
A nearby performing arts center is worried the center will take away some of his dozens of tenants including artists and theater companies.
Best Directors In The Local Theater Scene In Sacramento
Rich in theater history, Sacramento and the surrounding communities have a balcony full of theater companies to enjoy. The directors of these companies and troupes of thespians make the stage come alive.
Top Charities Giving Back To The Sacramento Arts
Many charitable organizations help fund, expand and diversify the arts in Sacramento and promote the region as a destination for culture in California, the U.S. and the world.
Sacramento Ballet 2011-2012 Preview
The Sacramento Ballet's 2011-2012 season features new and returning favorites through spring 2012, with classic, contemporary, and new works on display for ballet lovers and newbies alike.
Must-See Holiday Shows
This year, immerse yourself in the excitement of the holidays by attending any number of shows and events to put you in the festive spirit.
Guide to Offbeat Children's Halloween Events
By Laura O'BrienReached your last straw with corn mazes? Check out these Halloween events sure to please everyone from little pumpkins to creepy vampires – and maybe even Mom and Dad too. The bonus? There […]
Best Tips To See The Sacramento Ballet
The Sacramento Ballet has provided audiences throughout the region with world-class performances for decades. To make the most of your experience, check out these helpful tips.
Best Dance Companies In Sacramento
From ballet to salsa, you can find world-class talent year-round within the best dance companies in Sacramento, including the Sacramento Ballet, the Capitol Ballet Company, the Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet and Yemaya Salsa Dance Company.


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Julie Davis, a 28-year-old Dartmouthgraduate and former Playboy Channel editor, shot "I Love You, Don'tTouch Me!" for an amazing $68,000. When money ran out, she hocked herbubbie's diamond ring to help finish her tale of a conscientious25-year-old Jewish virgin. A largely Jewish cast of newcomers,including Marla Schaffel, Meredith Scott Lynn and Mitchell Whitfield,stars in the film.
"I Love You" was a surprise hit at last year'sSundance Film Festival, where the young director was hailed as afemale Woody Allen ("being compared to him was the orgasm of mylife," she says). Distribution rights were picked by The SamuelGoldwyn Company ("my parents were kvelling"). MGM, which boughtGoldwyn last year, finally released the film last week at the SantaMonica AMC, Avco Westwood, and many local theaters.
Davis points out that the movies rarely allowJewish women to enjoy sexual chemistry with Jewish men, with the soleexception of "Crossing Delancey." "The Jewish girl on screen isalways nagging, grating and sexually uptight," says Davis. "I hope mymovie will be a corrective -- to show Jewish women as the wild,sexual, smart, funny, passionate women that they are, looking for menwho aren't intimidated by their strength, who are real intellectualchallenges."
Like her idol Woody Allen, Davis worked out herown angst on film. "It was so therapeutic for me," says Davis, and inmore ways than one. The film worked its magic on Scott Mandell, OrionPictures post production executive who was charmed by her revealingportrait and is now her boyfriend.
"I would never have been able to fall in lovewithout having made this film," says Davis. "This may have been themost expensive personals ad ever created."
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