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- Category: Fantasy Hockey Cage Match
Two of the league's best offensive defensemen go head-to-head in this week's Cage Match.
Over the past three seasons only Erik Karlsson has scored more points as a defenseman than either Dustin Byfuglien or Keith Yandle. That should give you a hint that we are headed for a tight Cage Match. Off the top of my head I would say flip a coin and go home happy either way. These are elite defensemen so it is hard to go wrong. But you, the readers, demand satisfaction and it is my sworn duty to provide it. So let's get at 'er.
We will start with Byfuglien who has apparently decided to finally take an interest in off-season fitness after years of what I'll generously call carelessness. A svelte Byfuglien is phenomenon we have not seen before and there is no telling what the sum total of all the changes his new shape creates for him.
Byfuglien has made a career out of being a physical anomaly. The things he could do at his size made him an absolute terror. Byfuglien had the skill and skating ability to rush the puck end-to-end like a much smaller man but with his size he became an unstoppable force carrying the puck through the middle.
The Jets (technically the Thrashers) were able to harness this ability by moving him back to defense such that he was better situated to make these end-to-end rushes. The result was that Byfuglien blitzed the league for 41 points in the first 42 games of the 2010-11. His luck eventually ran out as the league caught on to him and his numbers fizzled down the stretch that season but Byfuglien has remained a hit on the Jets' blue line with 134 points in 190 games since joining the franchise.
Will Byfuglien continue to be the same anomaly if he is carrying less weight? He probably can as I am sure he has not lost a ton of strength with the weight loss but there is certainly the possibility that he will be less of a burden on his opponents now that he has lost sheer mass.
This will no doubt help Byfuglien's mobility but I have to re-iterate that a lot of what made Byfuglien so damned impressive was how mobile he was at his former size. The hope has to be that this move will add more than it removes but in terms of pure ability this is probably a neutral move. Whatever gains are made in mobility will be most helpful to Byfuglien when playing in the defensive zone since that's where he is required to use shorter bursts of speed the most.
One area where this weight loss could have an impact is health but I am just as split on the possible consequences in this regard. Byfuglien has never been injured all that much. To be sure he has missed 21 games over the past two seasons, which is not an insignificant amount but he only missed six games over the previous three seasons so you cannot peg him as a Band-Aid Boy.
It is likely that the much heavier minutes on defense (he skated 24:24 minutes per game last season) have increased the wear and tear on Byfuglien, which is why he has missed more over the past couple seasons than in the previous three but that doesn't really answer the question of whether or not Byfuglien's health will be impacted by a loss in weight.
Byfuglien's size has made him an intimidating opponent to hit and has likely spared him some collisions over the years of course it may have also given him the confidence to create his own collisions given his added cushioning. And perhaps that cushioning has really helped Byfuglien absorb the punishment that has come his way over the years. I honestly have no idea if losing the weight will make him healthier or not because there just aren't enough examples of players with his physique playing in the NHL. I am, however, inclined to see this as a positive since the long term health benefits are so tremendous and should do wonders for Byfuglien's longevity. But short term, who knows if he gets banged up more than before. My guess is that the difference will be negligible.
This weight loss brings up some funny thoughts though - what was his motivation?
Was he finally scared straight from his legal battles?
Did he simply have a change in perspective?
Is he jacked up from his invitation to the Team USA Olympic Orientation Camp?
Did the Jets light a fire under his ass?
I have no answer to the first two questions but I'd have to say that he is definitely pumped to have been invited to the orientation camp. It's not unreasonable to speculate that Byfuglien will be extremely motivated to play well this season in an attempt to earn a spot on the US Olympic Team. Of course, Yandle was also invited to the orientation camp so their level of motivation, on paper, should be equal. In any case, this may have been one of the reasons for Byfuglien's lost weight.
So how about the Jets applying internal pressure then? I'd imagine that was also the case considering the Jets' sizable investment in Byfuglien and the growing organizational depth on the blue line with blue chip prospect Jacob Trouba expected to join the team next season. It's even possible the Jets pushed for Byfuglien to lose weight for a possible position change.
Remember that Byfuglien did win a Cup with the Blackhawks as a winger and the Jets even experimented with Byfuglien on the wing last season. It was deemed a failure at that point but with a slimmer body Byfuglien could be ready for a move. It makes a ton of sense on paper when you consider the Jets' depth chart for next season projects something like what follows:
Ladd – Little – Wheeler
Kane – Scheifele – Setoguchi
Tangradi – Jokinen – Frolik
Peluso – Slater – Thorburn
Enstrom – Byfuglien
Clitsome – Bogosian
Stuart – Trouba
Pardy – Postma
That's right, the Jets have eight NHL(ish) calibre defensemen signed for next season and that's without considering Zach Redmond who proved himself a quality NHL player before having his quad cut open in a freak accident during practice. It would behoove the Jets to make some sort of move to clear out space on the blue line somehow, especially when you consider the lack of depth up front.
It won't be long before the Jets discover what the Sharks and Wild already had: that Devin Setoguchi just isn't all that good – at least not for long stretches anyhow. They would also benefit a ton by adding anything in the way of LW depth considering that Peluso is a goon and Tangradi has yet to prove he is an NHL regular yet.
Moving Byfuglien to the first or second line RW slot moves Setoguchi down to the third line (where he belongs) and allows Frolik to slide over to the left side (he is a lefty after all) or some other permutation. That would be killing several birds with one freshly trimmed stone.
That sort of move would also open up a number of other questions the most important being: how would that affect his production?
I can't see Byfuglien being moved off the point on the top power play unit. The Jets' power play was dead last in the league in efficiency last season but that was mostly because Tobias Enstrom was lost for much of the year to injury. The Jets were 12th in efficiency each of the previous two seasons with the Enstrom-Byfuglien pairing manning the point. Byfuglien's huge shot, solid instincts and mobility make him very dangerous on the point so keeping him there makes a ton of sense, at least until Trouba or Bogosian proves themselves capable of taking over that role.
The Blackhawks did utilize Byfuglien as a net presence on their power play when he was with Chicago and he was an absolute menace but the Jets have players such as Evander Kane, Andrew Ladd or Blake Wheeler they may want to put in those positions instead. Whatever the case may be it's hard to see much of a dent being put in Byfuglien's 3:35 minutes of power play time per game from last season.
Byfuglien would see a severe drop in minutes overall because forwards simply do not see as much ice time as defensemen but as a top six winger he'd be a lock for 16+ minutes a game, which is all you need to be productive as a forward. There would be some questions about the kind of linemates he'd expect to receive but there is some very solid talent in the Jets' top six so Byfuglien would not likely be hung out to dry.
His scoring upside probably wouldn't change much in the long run whether he plays forward or defense to be perfectly honest. He scored only 34 points in his final season with the Blackhawks splitting time between forward and defense. Assuming quality minutes, talented linemates and a perfecting of his skills Byfuglien still probably maxes out at 70-point upside as a forward, which he technically possesses as a defenseman anyhow. He'd probably just end up scoring in the 50-point range the same as he has done as a defenseman the past three seasons. The move, while interesting, would likely be irrelevant.
Ultimately Byfuglien's weight loss probably doesn't mean much. You can take it as encouraging if you want but there's a way to bend it as a negative all the same. That's why it makes sense to just assume negligible impact.
Yandle has no such issues. We know he's a defenseman of above average talent though mostly average size. This is only worth mentioning because he's essentially plain vanilla compared to Byfuglien. Sure, Yandle is an effective puck-rusher and puck-mover, with solid skills and great instincts but he's not as in-your-face as Byfuglien. That means he doesn't shoot or score goals quite as often. Yandle is a solid goal scorer for a defenseman averaging 11 goals a year over the past four seasons but he can't match Byfuglien's output, which means he needs to produce more assists.
Relying on assists is what can make a defenseman's year-to-year production so volatile, which helps to explain why Yandle's production has yo-yoed over the past four seasons:
Of course, most players will see some fluctuation in their year-to-year production but thus far Yandle has seemed fairly reliant on the overall scoring level of his team, which hurts because he skates for the offensively challenged Coyotes. After all, Yandle was his team's leading scorer last season.
He should receive a boost with Mike Ribeiro signing on as a free agent. Ribeiro instantly adds depth and talent to the center position, which is something the Coyotes have lacked for years. His presence will surely make everyone on the team better. If nothing else he should help improve the Coyotes' punchless power play from 25th in the league last season.
There are some questions to be answered about Yandle's future in Phoenix though and a move to almost any contender would certainly help his prospects. He has been overtaken by Oliver Ekman-Larsson as the Coyotes' franchise defenseman and while it hasn't yet cost him much in the way of minutes, it could potentially.
It's more likely however that Ekman-Larsson helps Yandle's cause, either by making him expendable and thus traded or by simply lightening the load and allowing Yandle to play easier minutes. The two also pair on the power play together where, had they any competent forwards, they make a pretty formidable duo given Ekman-Larsson's steady play and booming shot contrasting Yandle's more adventurous and dynamic offensive repertoire.
If no trade is made then Yandle will continue to see his 22:15 minutes per game with 3:31 on the power play that he saw last season and will likely do well with it considering his history. If a move – as unlikely as that may be – occurs then his upside could shoot northward simply because of playing for a higher-scoring team. You can't assume that a trade will take place or that it will be a net positive. So the status quo must remain for Yandle as well.
That's cool. Status quo for two of the best offensive defensemen in the league over the past three years is a great thing. They may have been passed by flashier young players like Kris Letang and PK Subban but these two are still productive. They've both given you some reason to be optimistic this off-season and both have a ton of motivation for this upcoming season but none much more than the other so I guess we go by what they've done in the past. Byfuglien's proven himself more productive on a per-game basis. It's a slim edge but it exists nonetheless so I'm taking Byfuglien. Who do you have?


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Northridge, California Pet Friendly Hotels & Lodging
United States » California » Northridge
Looking for a hotel in Northridge, CA that you can bring your pet to? We made sure that each one of the hotels below are pet friendly, so you can enjoy your trip with your pet by your side! Once you have found a pet friendly hotel, you can book your stay instantly from our website or call 866-212-1803 to speak with a pet travel agent.
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19325 Londelius St - Northridge, CA (Map)
With a stay at Extended Stay America Los Angeles - Northridge in Northridge (San Fernando), you'll be convenient to California State University-Northridge. This family-friendly aparthotel is within th...
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Season finale
The Ambassadors' Concert Choir, under the direction of Sandra D. Thompson, will present the final concert of its 2012-13 season at 7 p.m. May 19 at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 5700 N Kelley. The free concert is an "All-Gospel Celebration." For more information, call 602-3866 or go to www.ambassadorschoir.com.
Benefit concert
The Oklahoma Choral Artists will present a staged performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "Trial by Jury" at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 222 NW 15. For more information, call 820-3370.
SHAWNEE — Oklahoma Baptist University's Music Preparatory Department will hold auditions for its Young Singers of Central Oklahoma choirs from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday in OBU's Raley Chapel. Students in grades 3-12 can audition. For more information, call 585-4323.
Hollywood, circa 1940
Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W Main, continues its season with a production of "Something Intangible," a thinly disguised look at Walt Disney.
Performances begin Friday and will continue through June 8 with curtain times at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Thursday performances begin at 7:30 p.m. May 30 and June 6. For more information, call 232-6500 or go to www.carpentersquare.com.
Photo slam
Twelve Oklahoma photographers will discuss the tools of their trade during a presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art's Noble Theater, 415 Couch Drive. Each photographer will have five minutes to share what he or she does using slides, digital projections, printed samples or other means.
Continue reading this story on the...


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"I'm loyal, I'm honest, I'm very protective, I am a businesswoman, I do take things seriously but I'm also a mother, too, who loves to have fun with her son and it's just all about me and my family." That, in a nutshell, is Natalie Guercio, one of the new additions to the cast of Mob Wives: New Blood. Natalie's a Philly native (and perhaps the world's hottest funeral home director) and she's as loyal to her family as she is to her city (although she concedes that New York does have better clubs and stores).
Watch the clip to learn more about Natalie and tune in on Thursday, December 5 at 10PM ET/PT for the premiere of Mob Wives: New Blood.


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The push for healthier food in schools has taken a turn for the creative. Schools have met new U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements for lunches, and now it's all about finding new foods and new ways to present them to students.
The push for healthier food in schools has taken a turn for the creative. Schools have met new U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements for lunches, and now it's all about finding new foods and new ways to present them to students.
Ballard Bus Inc., which declared bankruptcy in December, recently underwent a name and management change after being bought out by Chris Hamill of Roswell. The sale was finalized July 3, and the company is now operating under the name Valley Transportation, Hamill said.
All three Arlington high schools have recently been rebuilt, but it appears they are already over capacity. Washington-Lee has seen its enrollment rise by 30 percent in the last six years, and this increase can be partially attributed to the abundance of transfers coming to the school for the International Baccalaureate diploma program.
In St. Paul, schools will pay about four times as much as they're accustomed to for food-service health permits.
Thirty public schools impacted by superstorm Sandy will receive $4.5 million from the United Arab Emirates, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Monday.
With the nation's childhood obesity rate triple what it was 30 years ago for adolescents, expectations that schools will do more to help keep students healthy continue to rise.
A northeast Iowa district is testing the Z-pass, new technology by Zonar that uses radio frequency identification to track when students get on and off a bus. A small card students carry passively records their entry and exit as they pass the scanner.
Public schools sell sometimes-unhealthy snacks and fatty alternatives to balanced, government-regulated lunches for a simple reason: They earn hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to an exclusive Poughkeepsie Journal review of financial documents and menus and interviews with food service managers.
The current mess involving unaccredited school districts threatening to send bus-loads of children to school districts where they will be unwelcome is as much about the failure of our political system as it is the failure of our educational system.
The Iowa City school board will save its discussion on a highly anticipated facilities plan for another day, but people in an impassioned crowd made their opinions clear Tuesday night.
Though the bodies have been taken to Fort Lewis College for further study, very little is known about the dead, and everyone from professors at FLC to Ignacio School District officials has been publicly keeping mum about the origin of the bodies, perhaps out of respect for Native American views of death and wariness of the might of the Southern Ute Tribe.
The improvements are part of the construction of a middle school on the grounds of the old Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School satellite campus.
Representatives of the National Federation of State High School Associations, in Denver for its 94th summer meeting, announced Tuesday it will team with PlayOn! Sports to launch an all-digital national network by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.
Elementary and middle school principals from around the nation will put in sweat equity on Wed., July 10, to build an inclusive playground at a Baltimore elementary school during the National Association of Elementary School Principals' (NAESP) fifth annual Community Service Day.
With a record number of school districts sinking into a deficit, and two possibly on their way to being dissolved, state Superintendent Mike Flanagan is urging drastic action—such as converting Michigan's nearly 550 districts, 56 intermediate districts, and nearly 280 charter schools into countywide school districts.


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In histidine-decarboxylase knockout mice as well as in their wild types R (1-30 μM) shortened AP duration at 90% level of repolarization (APD90) and increased the AP amplitude (APA) in a concentration-dependent manner. In rat ventricular papillary muscle cells R (1-30 μM) caused a significant reduction of APA and maximum velocity of depolarization (Vmax) which was accompanied by lengthening of APD90.
In single canine ventricular myocytes at concentrations ≥10 μM R decreased the amplitude of phase-1 repolarization, the plateau potential and reduced Vmax. R suppressed several ion currents in a concentration-dependent manner under voltage clamp conditions. The EC50 value for this inhibition was 25.2±2.7 μM for the transient outward K+ current (Ito), 72.3±9.3 μM for the rapid delayed rectifier K+ current (IKr), and 82.5±9.4 μM for the L-type Ca2+ current (ICa) with Hill coefficients close to unity. The inward rectifier K+ current (IK1) was not affected by R up to concentrations of 100 μM. Suppression of Ito, IKr, and ICa has been confirmed under action potential voltage clamp conditions as well.
The observed alterations in the AP morphology and densities of ion currents may predict serious proarrhythmic risk in case of intoxication with R as a consequence of overdose or decreased elimination of the drug, particularly in patients having multiple cardiovascular risk factors, such as elderly diabetic patients.


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Christmas came early and often in 2013, and diamonds were a gift that kept on giving.
A glance back – with visions of wool stockings hung by chimneys with care.
Lengthy interviews last spring with former major-league All-Star pitcher Atlee Hammaker and his coach at East Tennessee State, Charlie Lodes, were a pleasant surprise. Hammaker and Lodes were informative and entertaining, and it turns out that both crossed paths with a man whose name's seemingly always on the tip of my tongue, former ETSU/ABA basketball player Harley "Skeeter" Swift.
Hammaker initially came to ETSU to play basketball for Sonny Smith from Alexandria, Va., which is Swift's hometown. Hammaker attended Swift's camp there, and he chuckled while recalling Swift's salty-tongued reaction when Hammaker drove by him for a basket after volunteering for a one-on-one drill.
Lodes and Swift addressed each other with colorful language more than once when Swift umpired ETSU baseball games. The high-strung Lodes got wound up remembering when he "peppered that face with Copenhagen" in a nose-to-nose argument with the flamboyant Swift before tripping and throwing his back out in a Buccaneers loss that ended a long winning streak.
Lodes said Swift was actually a good umpire, but needed everyone in the park to know "Skeeter Swift was umpiring." Swift said Lodes was correct in that assessment, but pointed out that Lodes enjoyed the limelight, too.
Other diamond gems this year included an impromptu lunch with Science Hill Hall of Famer Ernie Ferrell Bowman and his former major-league teammate, Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. Bowman's athleticism frequently draws rave reviews from local legends, but it was interesting to hear someone with Perry's stature talk about what a terrific infielder Bowman was.
More gratifying was watching the old friends exchange warm chuckles enhanced by time. Perry bought Bowman more time a couple of years ago by getting Major League Baseball's Baseball Assistance Team to foot the bill for the outrageously expensive healthcare needed to help Bowman battle cancer.
Bowman's 2013 included being inducted into the Parks & Rec Wall of Fame and throwing out the first pitch at a Johnson City Cardinals game. Two other Science Hill Hall of Famers – Bowman's older brother, Billy Joe, and Joe McClain – were honored in the same fashion at other Cardinals' games.
McClain pitched 212 innings in the starting rotation for the Washington Senators in 1961 and pitched in 10 games for them in '62. During a couple of lengthy lunches this year he shared such memories as striking out Mickey Mantle and giving up a tape-measure home run to Mantle.
Billy Joe Bowman pitched Science Hill to a state championship in 1947 and won two games and homered while helping the Tennessee Volunteers to a runner-up finish in the 1951 College World Series. He pitched all the way to Triple-A in the late 1950s and ended up coaching for decades in Houston.
Billy Joe has interesting anecdotes on everyone from NFL Hall of Famer Doug Atkins and MLB Hall of Famer Yogi Berra to former Houston Astros All-Star Cesar Cedeno. He said the large, menacing Atkins would squeeze Vols' arms tightly while saying, "Get down on your knees and say 'Daddy.'"
Billy Joe went 11-3 with a 2.10 ERA for the Johnson City Cardinals in 1953. It was a treat to photograph him and Cedeno together on that same field before Billy Joe threw out the first pitch at a Johnson City-Greeneville Astros game.
Cedeno was fun to watch play on those Houston teams in that godforsaken Astrodome with the likes of J.R. Richard and Jose Cruz, and seeing his face beside Bowman instantly evoked images of his Topps baseball cards from an era when Christmas was magical for me as a kid in the late '70s.
Of course, meeting former Science Hill-ETSU baseball and basketball player Earl Nidiffer proved to be 2013's quintessential gift of time. Nidiffer, who turned 103 on Nov. 7, crossed paths with locally produced major-leaguers Tillie Walker (Jonesborough) and Clyde "Hardrock" Shoun (Mountain City).
Nidiffer saw Walker throw a ball what he figured must've been 300 feet or more across the long-gone field at Mountain Home, where Nidiffer was once hit with a pitch from Shoun while filling in for the semi-pro Johnson City Soldiers.
The memory of Shoun's offering still pains Nidiffer, but another beaning had already made its mark on Nidiffer's baseball career. He saw Elizabethton's Harmon Lowry hit Science Hill's Mallie Martin in the head with a pitch that proved to be fatal in 1925, and Nidiffer said he was never the same batter afterward.
More than six weeks after a story on Nidiffer was published last month, a Martin relative read it and responded via email on Sunday. Mrs. John Martin (Honey) wrote that her husband is Mallie's half brother. John was born when their father, Mallie Martin Sr., was 66 years old.
The Martins were living in Johnson City, she recalled, because Mallie Martin Sr. received care at the Veterans Administration hospital. Mallie Junior's body was buried in Laurel Hill, Fla.
She was amazed to read about someone talking about seeing the pitch that killed Mallie, as it happened more than 88 years ago.
But just as it literally did for Mallie, baseball keeps aging men forever young – like kids on Christmas morning.
Trey Williams is a sports writer for the Johnson City Press. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Frank Lewis
PDT Staff Writer
Portsmouth native, author Dick Burdette, who is best known for books about the Portsmouth and surrounding areas, will be in Portsmouth this week to sign two new books.
One of the books is "Does Anybody Know About This? - An uncautionary tale of doing what I had to do in order to do what I wanted to do." It deals with his life as a news reporter and writer, a career he credits to former Portsmouth Daily Times columnist Pete Minego, who gave him a start in the newspaper industry - a job that included stops at places such as Orlando, Fla. and Lexington, Ky.
"It has to be about me since I was the only one there," Burdette said. "It's really a recount of my career and the stories I covered, and it includes more than 100 of the columns I wrote in the Orlando Sentinel and the Lexington Herald-Leader. It's kind of a travelogue of every place I went. I dealt with mafia figures and organized crime, and people on death row. I covered the (Ted) Bundy trial. There's a whole section on crime, but it's mainly human interest stories about people when I was driving the back roads looking for human interest stories."
In addition to being a former investigative reporter for the Orlando Sentinel and roving human interest columnist for the Sentinel and later the Lexington Herald-Leader, in 1975, he was nominated for Pulitzer Prize and three years later, for the Ernie Pyle Award, the nation's top prize for human interest writing. He and his wife, Judy, live in Wellington, Colo.
The second book he will be signing this week is "The Grave on War Drum Creek," a novel based on historical fact.
"They found the grave of an indian dressed in a cavalry uniform in 1932," Burdette said. "And they figured it had been there for a long long time. That's part of the story too."
Burdette's books about Portsmouth include "Pockets Full Awry: The Obrist Murder Case" and "Willa Ramey is Missing."
Burdette will sign his new books Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Market Street Cafe, 212 Market Street in Portsmouth.
Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 252, or at firstname.lastname@example.com. For breaking news, follow Frank on Twitter @FrankLewisPDT.


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Now Foods, Real Food, Date Sugar, 1 lb (454 g)
5 people found the following review helpful
Posted by greenisthenewblack on Aug 22, 2012
I love dates, but not this date sugar. Tastes like dates, but not in a good way if that makes sense. I much prefer coconut sugar! Will not repurchase.
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Note: iHerb does not imply any medical claims from this review. Disclaimer.


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Newsletter Archive: Spring 2008
Innovation and Collaboration:
New MA Options
innovation and collaboration: new ma options
Generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and coordinated by the Courtauld Institute of Art Research Forum, two new innovative and interdisciplinary MA Special Options will be available at the Institute during 2008-09: The Aesthetic Body: Science, Aestheticism and the Image of the Body in British Art 1860-1900 and Arts in Exile in Britain 1933-1945: Politics and Cultural Identity. A third option, Aestheticising Politics? The Political in Globalised Contemporary Art will be available in 2009-10.
The Aesthetic Body: Science, Aestheticism and the Image of the Body in British Art 1860-1900
The Aesthetic Body: Science, Aestheticism and the Image of the Body
in British Art 1860-1900 is an option on the topic of conceptions
of the body in Aesthetic Movement art and in medical science in the
late Victorian period. Within an art historical framework it allows
for a consideration of literary works and introduces material relating
to the History of Medicine. It will be taught jointly by Dr Caroline
Arscott (Courtauld Institute of Art), specialist in Victorian art,
and Visiting Professor, Dr Vanessa Ryan (Brown University), a specialist
in Victorian literature and the science of the mind.
The art of the Aesthetic Movement brought in a new emphasis on the suffering/pleasured body, a hypersensuality that led to the artists of this group (such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti) being denounced as the 'Fleshly School'. Art historical research on Aesthetic Movement artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Simeon Solomon, Edward Burne-Jones and James Abbott Mc Neill Whistler has focused not only on the move away from narrative incident and morality but also on the issue of eroticism and the represented body as a site for sexual response. This course will explore fresh arguments concerning the evocation of sense in these works by drawing on Victorian scientific debates about the role of the senses and the relationship between mind and body. Students will have access to the scientific debates of the Victorian period, insight into their relationship with English literature, and will address the issues of sensory stimulation, subjectivity and identity in the 1870s. Works by Rossetti, Solomon, Burne-Jones and other artists will be studied within a framework of the medical, scientific, populist and literary presentation of the flesh-sense-mind nexus.
Dr Caroline Arscott
Arts in Exile in Britain 1933-1945: Politics and Cultural Identity
Arts in Exile in Britain 1933-1945: Politics and Cultural Identity led by Dr Shulamith Behr (Courtauld Institute of Art) focuses on the contribution of refugees from Nazism to the Arts in Britain and will address the spheres of art history, painting, sculpture, architecture, refugee organisations, exhibitions and dealership. It will also examine the much neglected theme of art in internment. Apart from its empirical basis in exploring the causal factors, biographical evidence, support structures and oeuvre of particular individuals during the period 1933-1945, the course offers the opportunity to engage in theoretical notions of cultural identity. Here we will explore the complex construction of national and gendered identity and how this is brought into question by the loss of homeland, language, custom and local tradition.
Collaboration with a Visiting Professor, Sander Gilman, distinguished
professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences at Emory University, will
enrich the interdisciplinary discourses of the programme. Seminars will
also be offered by members of The Research Centre for German and Austrian
Exile Studies, Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies, University
of London. It is anticipated that the course will be of interest to students
of diverse backgrounds: twentieth-century art history, politics and history,
in addition to those involved in German Studies.
Dr Shulamith Behr


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|ESS Home > About ESS
Emergency Social Services (or ESS) is a provincial emergency response program. ESS are those services required to preserve the well-being of people affected by an emergency or disaster.
NOTE: Translations of the following information is available in the following languages:
For more detailed information about the ESS program, see the on-line course titled "Introduction to Emergency Social Services" available on the Emergency Management Division, Justice Institute.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF documents above. To get Adobe Acrobat Reader, click here or on the image below.
ESS in BC
ESS plays an important role in emergency management in BC by:
When is ESS provided?
Although ESS is designed to provide services to individuals affected by large complex disasters or emergencies, ESS may also be provided during smaller emergencies; for example a single house fire or emergencies affecting 1 to 2 families in a community.
What services are provided by ESS?
ESS provides temporary relief to individuals and families so they can begin to plan their next steps to recover after a disaster.
ESS provides primary services such as:
ESS may also provide specialized services such as:
Who provides ESS?
In BC, local authorities are responsible for planning and operating ESS. ESS is provided by local volunteers and staff.
Approximately 5,000 volunteers donate their time and energy as part of ESS teams located in communities throughout BC. Volunteers and staff of ESS Support Organizations also have important roles in providing ESS.
Every local authority in BC should have an ESS team. The leader of the ESS team is the ESS Director (or ESSD).
How is ESS provided?
ESS teams assist people affected by disaster, usually at Reception Centres. Reception Centres may be located at the local community centre, recreation centre, church, or school.
ESS teams may also provide services in the following settings:
For how long is ESS provided?
ESS is typically available for 72 hours. During these first 72 hours, evacuees should immediately plan their next steps by contacting their insurance agents, families and friends, or local non-profit agencies.
The ESS Office may authorize an extension of ESS services, in exceptional circumstances, on a case by case basis.
What do ESS teams do to prepare?
The major tasks of ESS teams are the following:
Page Updated: 2006 May 16


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YouTube 'pay-per-view' premium channels coming soon
Visitors to Google-owned video-sharing site YouTube may soon have to pay to view content on so-called premium channels.
A report on the Financial Times said this could help YouTube compete with other online outlets like Netflix and Hulu, as well as major networks like CBS.
"The move, which has been in the works for months, could be announced as early as this week. It will apply to as many as 50 YouTube channels, people familiar with the plan say. Viewers will be able to subscribe to each channel for as little as $1.99 a month," it said.
"YouTube has moved away from its early days as a destination for user-generated content to professionally produced video that would not look out of place on television. In the past 18 months it has spent more than $200m on advances to dozens of start-up channels," it added.
The FT report said YouTube's subscription channels may compete with streaming service Netflix, which has more than 30 million subscribers, and Hulu.
Financial Times quoted a person familiar with the plan as saying the subscription service will let channel operators produce different content.
It added that while YouTube said it had "nothing to announce" regarding channel subscriptions, it was "looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer."
The Financial Times report said YouTube's channel partners include Howcast, World Wrestling Entertainment, The Onion and gamers' network Machinima.
Meanwhile, a separate article on The Atlantic Wire noted Google had already been floating the idea "for months if not years now."
"The important thing is that, regardless of the model, our creators succeed on the platform. There are a lot of our content creators that think they would benefit from subscriptions, so we're looking at that," it quoted a YouTube spokesman as saying last January. — TJD, GMA News
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Rockin' all over the worl.... living room.
Musical multiplayer mega-hit Rock Band is to bridge that often frustrating gap between real instruments and games controllers in the next edition of the franchise, Rock Band 3.
Harmonix, the company behind the music simulation series, has revealed that the third installment of the flagship title will include a new 'Pro' mode that allows the use of stringed guitars, cymbal attachments for the drums and a real keyboard.
Related Links:
- Games console concepts we wish were real
- Ultimate gaming setup for grown-ups
- Apple iPad: The ultimate music making gadget?
The 25 keyed synth is the latest edition to the game which has previously only offered the guitar, bass, drums or singing options. With MIDI connectability, the new keyboard will also be of use away from the game when hooked up to your PC or Mac and used in music creation software.
If you don't fancy turning your rock experience into a more classical concert feel, the keyboard can be flung over the shoulder and played like the glam metal heros of the '80s, keytar style.
A stringed Fender guitar will also be available with Rock Band 3, a perfect companion to the track list which is set to include Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and Break on Through by The Doors.
Price and precise release date details for Rock Band 3 have yet to be announced but you can guarantee that it will hit the stores in time for that festive season rush.


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Berlin Festival of Lights
From: 2015.10.10 To: 2015.10.21
Official website:
No Christmas lit street can come close to rivaling the splendor of Berlin during the Festival of Lights. The city's top sights glow gold, blue, red, green and yellow under the floodlights and fireworks that transform the city during this annual event. The organizers say they're intending to draw attention to Berlin's history and beauty during the increasingly dark days of autumn. They do a pretty good job, too, while lights make up the bulk of the event, there is also a Light Marathon as well as "light-seeing tours" hosted by local companies, as well as Blue Night Parties and Sunflower Days for those who like to stay up late and get up early, respectively. Whether you've been before or never once, seeing the likes of the Brandenburg Gate, Alexander Platz's TV tower and the Dom Aquaree will be momentarily mesmerizing under the unique lightshow of this festival.
Main album


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Last week I shared how amazing "Silks" Acrylic Glaze by Luminarte are….shimmery, smooth as…yes, SILK, translucent, layerable- what's not to like?
Who wouldn't want to play with these! Aren't the colors absolutely scrumptious???
So here's the BEST news…. Lovely Leslie from Dreaming Color is offering TWELVE prize packs of Silks! Each winner will receive a gift of 5 assorted Silks colors, valued at $35.00. Can you believe it??
To enter, you MUST leave a comment on this post (scroll all the way down to the bottom) and let us how you might use Silks acrylic glazes. THEN use the RaffleCopter Widget for additional entries. AND you can tweet daily for extra entries!
Go on- ENTER NOW!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
A HUGE thank you to the Leslie, the developer of SILKS, who is providing the prize and sponsoring this giveaway. I'm so glad the world has creative, entrepeneurial folk like her that bring amazing new products to the market!
You can also shop for Silks using this link! Need some inspiration? How about visiting the Gallery?


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Terry and Connie Abel, 701 N. Barten St., Johnson City, announce the engagement of their daughter, Rebekah Lyn, to Richard Gregory Holt, son of Richard Holt, Newport; and the late Judy Holt.
The bride-elect is a graduate of Northeast State Community College; and is a student at East Tennessee State University, where she will graduate in the fall with a bachelor's degree in general psychology.
She is employed by Fort Sill National Bank as a supervisor.
Her fiancé attended Walters State Community College.
He is employed by Walmart, Elizabethton, as a shift manager.
The couple plan a private wedding for Sunday, June 23, 2013, in Johnson City.


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Chris Ridd Posted by Marina Holmes Updated 3 years ago Leave a comment Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Comment You may use these HTML tags and attributes:   <acronym title="">
      <q cite=""> <s>   New tool to take small businesses on digital journey Technology adoption is a well documented, and increasing important, indicator of small business performance. Productivity gains through the use of technology are fairly well understood. But many businesses are not aware of how much impact digital practices can have on their bottom line. Or how easy it can be to make a few simple changes! On Monday, Xero ... Small Business Tips by Victoria Crone Taming horses while keeping track of the numbers I've been around horses most of my life, ever since I was a kid. They're beautiful creatures, and I work with them every day. I'm fortunate to be building a business doing something I love. Life as a breaker and pre-trainer means I'm always on the go, in and out of the stables, on the road or racing ... Xero by Guest


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Welcome to the Beverly Public Schools Music Department homepage!
Our district prides itself on a comprehensive performing arts curriculum that includes vocal and instrumental instruction across the K-12 spectrum.
Students in our elementary grades participate in a general music curriculum through grade five. The elementary instrumental music program is a fee-based program with scholarships available to students who qualify. An outline of the program can be seen to the right. Third and fourth grade students are able to participate in strings instruction in small groups during the school day. In addition, fourth and fifth grade students can participate in an after-school strings ensemble. Students in our band program begin instrumental training in fifth grade.
At the middle school level, both band and chorus students rehearse on an every other day basis during school to prepare for numerous concerts, community performances, and festival competitions. The All City Jazz Band, also based at Briscoe Middle School, is open to seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students who demonstrate exceptional musical aptitude through an audition. There is also a small group choral ensemble for grade seven and eight students that meets after school. Membership is determined through auditions.
Our award-winning Beverly High School instrumental program includes the Marching Panther Band, concert band, BHS Jazz Ensemble, and several chamber groups. There are over 250 students involved in the band programs at the middle and high school levels.
We hope that you find this website informative and useful. To the right, you will notice links that carry you to pages designed for specific ensembles and programs.
The office of the Assistant Superintendent oversees the Music Program in the Beverly Public Schools.
Elementary Program
Middle School Program
High School Program
Beverly Public Schools502 Cabot StreetBeverly, MA 01915voice: 978-921-6100fax: 978-922-6597


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July 5, 2013
Dorothy Mae Thomas Thompson
DURHAM — Ms. Dorothy Mae Thomas Thompson, 77 passed away peacefully at her residence on July 1, 2013.
She was a native of Durham, North Carolina where she received her early education. Upon graduating from Hillside High School in 1953 she attended Cortez W. Peters Business School in Washington, DC. Later she graduated from North Carolina Central University and devoted majority of her life doing what she truly loved – educating young children.
Mrs. Thompson owned and operated her owned successful business - Dorothy's Child's Development Center for 30 years in Durham, NC and subsequently in Snellville, Georgia until 2005. She continued to teach at Precious Ones Daycare in Union City, GA until 2007.
She was a devoted member of Mt. Calvary Church of Christ in Durham, NC and New Bethel AME Church in Lithonia, GA where she was a member of the choir, stewardess and youth leadership ministries. Dorothy was also a member of Tau Gamma Delta Sorority and Redemptive Life Church.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Rev. Eddie and Anna Holmes Thomas; her husband, Andrew Leon Thompson Sr.; and son, Andrew Leon Thompson Jr.
Survivors include her daughter, Ruth D. Thompson of Snellville, GA; Sons, Eddie H. Thompson (Tondria) of Fairburn, GA and Jermaine Thomas (Danielle) of Stone Mountain, GA.; 8 grandchildren; nieces and nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.
An intimate memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 6, 2013 @ Redemptive Life Church in Conyers, GA with Rev. Mark W. Thompson officiating. There will be no public viewing at Ms. Thompson's request.
Billie Lee Thorpe
DURHAM — Mr. Billie Lee Thorpe, 71, passed away on Friday, June 28, 2013 at the Durham VA Medical Center. He was born in Durham to the late Eural and Bessie Thorpe on December 4, 1941. He was a life-long resident of Durham and a graduate of Hillside High School and NCCU. He is a Vietnam veteran and served in the Navy from 1962-71. Billie worked in the Clinical Support Labs and Administration at Duke Hospital for 32 years until he retired in 2003. He was married to the late Maxine Bledsoe Thorpe for 38 years and is survived by 2 children: Valerie Thorpe Gill (Ralph Larry) and Timothy B. Thorpe (April); 3 grandchildren (Torey & Kiara Thorpe, Larry Gill); 2 siblings (Clarice E. Thorpe of Durham & Charles Thorpe of Sacramento, CA); and a host of relatives and friends.
The Wake will be held today, July 5th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and the Funeral Services will be held Sat. July 6th at 12 Noon. Both services will be held at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, 404 Dowd St, Durham.
Viewing will take place today from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Scarborough & Hargett Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mt. Gilead Baptist Church Scholarship Fund (c/o Billie Thorpe).
Ya'nesha Mo'nay Williams
DURHAM - Ya'nesha Mo'nay Williams, 21, entered into eternal rest on June 29, 2013. She is survived by her mother, Devona Hines; and father, Elisha Williams; one sister, three brothers, one maternal and one paternal grandmother, one great-grandmother, two aunts, two uncles, 13 cousins and four special friends and a loving special friend and mentor, Charles Moody.
Funeral services will be Saturday, July 6, 2013 at Holloway Memorial Funeral Home, at 1 p.m. with visitation at noon.


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River Information
The portion of the Green River shown on this
map flows for more than 160 miles from its headwaters at 10,515 feet in
the Bridger Wilderness of the Bridger-Teton National Forest to 6,510
feet at Fontenelle Reservoir. The Green continues to flow past
Fontenelle Reservoir into Utah where it joins with the Colorado River.
The river drains from Peak Lake basin, flows through Stonehammer Lake,
and plummets into the Green River Canyon before reaching Green River
Lakes. The upper reaches of the Green River have low productivity, or
nutrients, but productivity increases in the lower stretches as
nutrients flow in from the flood plain and drainages to the west.
The lakes and river provide diverse recreational activities. The river
flows for 24 miles from Lower Green River Lake through the Bridger-Teton
National Forest. There is a developed campground at Green River Lakes,
and dispersed camping is allowed on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Because of its proximity to the lake, this area is very popular. The
river has a low gradient and wide channel as it leaves Lower Green River
Lake. Gradient increases about five miles downstream at Moose Creek
rapids. Only experienced floaters should attempt this section of the
Green River during high flow. During low water years or late in the
summer, this section of the river is not floatable except by canoe or
float tube. Large rafts and drift boats are not recommended on this
section of the Green River. Following Moose Creek rapids, the river
eventually mellows to a mostly slow, meandering stream through the
National Forest.
The river leaves the Bridger-Teton National Forest and
meanders through 17 miles of mostly private land prior to reaching the
next public access point at Warren Bridge. The river between the
Bridger-Teton National Forest boundary and Warren Bridge access area
lacks the boulder-strewn pocket water and instead is mostly wide, flat
stretches. The fish cover in this section is limited to deep pools and
brush along the banks.
Warren Bridge public access area is on Bureau of Land
Management and Wyoming Game and Fish Department lands and provides
nearly 11 miles of public access. The river at Warren Bridge access area
flows through a glacial moraine, which is typified by large boulders and
pocket water, and typically has good fish habitat. Interspersed between
these areas are long, flat stretches of poor habitat, which were widened
by tie-drives (the use of rivers and streams to transport railroad
ties). Historically, the habitat was degraded by tie-drives in the late
1800s and early 1900s. The wide, shallow channels with little bank cover
are evidence of the old scars made by the massive tie-drives.
Wyoming Game and Fish biologists have completed several projects to
improve fish habitat in areas impacted by tie-drives. Work was done on
the Upper Green River in the early 1990s and more recently at the Warren
Bridge access area.
Warren Bridge to the confluence of the New Fork River
is a popular float fishing section. This section of river includes a
transitional zone from higher-gradient, smaller river habitat to
low-gradient large river habitat. This transition is apparent from
Warren to Swains bridges. Within this reach, the substrate decreases in
size partially due to passage through glacial moraine. Between the lower
boundaries of Warren Bridge access area to the New Fork River
confluence, there are approximately 56 miles of stream.
From the New Fork
River confluence to Fontenelle Reservoir the habitat is characteristic
of large rivers. Habitat conditions vary with some conditions typical of
undisturbed systems of this size while others have been degraded by past
and current management practices.
Tie-drives undoubtedly had some impact all along the Green River.
Riparian Areas
Please use care when launching and retrieving your boat
or otherwise recreating in riparian areas. These are the green,
vegetated areas along rivers and streams. Riparian habitat makes up less
than three percent of the western landscape, yet 80 percent of all
vertebrate wildlife species in Wyoming depend on riparian areas during
some part of their life. They come for water, forage, and relief from
extreme temperatures.
Cottonwood trees, willows, sedges, and rushes dominate most riparian
areas throughout Wyoming. Roots for these plants hold the stream banks
in place. The plant parts above ground slow and dissipate spring runoff,
allowing the excess water to enter into ground water that will be
released later during the critical summer and fall period. The
vegetation also acts as a shield to protect rivers and streams from
temperature extremes. Insects use the vegetation as a food source, and
provide an important source of food for fish. Protection of these areas
is crucial for maintaining a functioning aquatic ecosystem.
Floating the Green River
Setting off for a boat trip is a fun and exciting
adventure, but only if you are prepared for any situation or emergency.
Conditions on the river can change rapidly, especially after periods of
rain or snowmelt. Be sure you know the flow conditions before you
launch. High flow conditions with fast currents can draw a boater into
hazards, such as submerged rocks and debris, tree stumps and snags.
Please consider these important steps before your trip:
Fishing the Green River
The Green
River supports a diverse fishery. Game fish species found in the Upper
Green River include the Colorado River and Snake River cutthroat, brook,
brown and rainbow trout as well as kokanee salmon, mountain whitefish
and the occasional lake trout. Fly-fishing, spin casting, and bait
fishing have proven to be effective methods of catching fish in this
river. There are both native and nonnative nongame fish present in the
Green River. The most common nongame species are mottled sculpin,
mountain sucker, white sucker, speckled dace and redside shiner. The
river's less common nongame fish include the native flannelmouth sucker,
bluehead sucker, and roundtail chub along with nonnative Utah chub and
A Wyoming fishing license is required to fish in Wyoming. Special
regulations apply on specific river reaches, so make sure you know the
fishing regulation for the sections of river you will be floating
through. Refer to the fishing regulations available through any license
selling agent, Wyoming Game and Fish Department offices, or the
department's website: http://gf.state.wy.us/.
If you plan to catch and release, the following are
guidelines we recommend to give fish the greatest chance of survival:
Last Modified: October 17, 2011


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Construction set to begin on San Diego man's doomsday shelter and resort
Shelter located in Atchison, Kansas
DEL MAR, Calif. - Taking shape -- about 130 feet below the surface -- is a San Diego man's dream of surviving a doomsday nightmare.
Robert Vicino, a successful entrepreneur, is about to break ground underground.
"It's 3/4 miles-by-half-a-mile wide," said Vicino.
Vicino is talking about what's expected to be the largest private shelter in the world, nestled in the limestone caves of Atchison, Kan., just north of Kansas City.
If doomsday comes calling, be it an asteroid, nuclear war or global pandemic, paid members of the Vivos shelter can ride it out for at least a year in safety.
Vicino said the shelter's blast doors can survive a nuclear blast as close as five miles.
"So do you want to be living in a hell-on-earth society or do you want to be comfortable in an underground shelter?" said Vicino.
Think of that shelter as an RV campground with a bit of doomsday chic. If you have a 20-foot RV and a family of four, membership will cost $26,000, including food.
Before Armageddon arrives, members will be able to enjoy it as a resort, including a golf course, spa, bowling alley and even a brewery.
The bunker will also operate as a self-contained town, from dental offices and hair salon, to hydroponics for growing food.
"Some would say you're an alarmist; that you're capitalizing on peoples' fears. How do you respond to that?" asked 10News reporter Michael Chen.
"I'm not capitalizing on fears. I'm resolving them," said Vicino.
Vicino, who's sold 10 percent of the 5,000 member capacity in just a few months, has built a handful of other bunkers in the past few years, and he said he's just hoping to break even in the ventures.
He said this is not about making a profit, but building a form of life insurance.
"Vivos is life assurance. It's assurance if you get there, before all this stuff happens, you will survive," said Vicino.
Vicino said he's had a surge in interest since the tensions in Syria began.
He's rejected 30 percent of applications, and he said one red flag is a lack of tolerance and willingness to live with children, pets, or people of diverse backgrounds.


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|« Back to Article
City won't remove giant wasp hive
By Sarah Tressler : January 31, 2013 : Updated: January 31, 2013 9:56pm
Photo By JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsThis is the giant wasp hive in a tree on the 1900 block of Ann Arbor. The city won't remove it because it is on a private landowner's property.
A South Side man is fuming because the city refuses to remove a wasp hive the size of a beach ball dangling high over the street from a branch on one of his trees.
Antonio Serna, 73, said Thursday he called the city but was told the hive is his responsibility because the tree is his property.
"It's not my problem, it's the city's problem," contended Serna, who told a local TV station, "It is in the street, and the street doesn't belong to me."
In addition, a city help line operator said an inspector concluded the hive isn't a threat because it belongs to "non-aggressive Mexican wasps."
Serna said he and his wife, Corina, aren't so sure.
He said they used to enjoy sitting outside with company at their house in the 1900 block of Ann Arbor Drive, off Zarzamora Street near Interstate 35.
But now, he said, they're worried about getting stung.
He said they also worry the wasps could hurt neighborhood children.
"We're concerned because of the kids," Corina Serna said.
"If that thing falls," she said, "we're all in it."


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Hotels in 24266 - Lebanon VA
Only hotels in 24266 zip code are listed below. Search for cheap and discount hotel rates in Lebanon, VA for your upcoming leisure or conference / group travel. We list the best 24266 hotels and motels so you can review the Lebanon hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. Hotels in Russell county and area code 276 are also listed.
24266 Hotels & Accommodations
Next: Show All Available 24266 Hotels with Pricing >


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The 'One Book' community is reading details of the lives of 'hidden' Americans
Author to speak here in October
EVANSVILLE - A book that gives readers a "rare look at America from the inside out" is this year's One Book One Community selection — "Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work."
Amy Mangold, community relations and development officer for Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, said Jeanne Marie Laskas' nonfiction book was something the One Book One Community committee thought would resonate with local residents.
"It hits close to home," she said. "We are a Midwest town close to coal miners, air traffic controllers, immigrant workers and farmers. We thought this book would be a way to recognize and honor those people in our community."
Laskas' book documents the lives and work of those Americans depend on the most — coal miners, oil workers and migrant workers — but know the least about. The investigative journalist, author and teacher didn't just interview her sources she experienced life with them.
Some of her adventures included going deep inside a coal mine, living in a migrant worker camp, accompanying a female trucker hauling tractor parts across the Midwest and traveling to an oil rig 250 miles above the Arctic Circle.
"I'm inviting America to steal a glance into these worlds, some hugely complicated industries, some tiny and private contributions, to wander with me and consider the everyday anew," Laskas wrote in the book. She was unavailable for an interview Wednesday.
This is Evansville's 12th year for participating in the reading program. The grass roots effort was developed to help create a shared experience of people reading and talking about the same book.
Laskas is director of the writing program at the University of Pittsburgh and also teaches creative writing there. She's written five other books and has been writing for several national magazines for the past 20 years. She will speak about her book and career as an investigative journalist at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at The Victory in Downtown Evansville.
In addition to planned book clubs and discussions throughout the community, Mangold said the committee has talked about involving some local "hidden" workers to speak at school programs or events throughout the community as well as possibly highlighting some of their stories during Laskas' presentation in October.
"There are so many people out there doing jobs that are very important and that many of us take for granted," she said. Mangold said Laskas was "very excited" about her book being this year's selection and coming to speak to the community, especially when she heard about involving local workers.
The library has dozens of copies of the book at each of its locations and Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Green River Road will have a special display of the book soon along with upcoming programming around it, said Mariana Mudd, community relations manager for the bookstore.
"The book is quite diverse and is an easy, enjoyable read," she said. "I think a lot of people think nonfiction might be boring, but this book has a lot of humor and some surprises."
Subscribe to the Courier & Press or The Gleaner
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-304-7771.
Monday-Friday: 6am-5pm / Saturday: 6am-11am / Sunday: 7am-Noon


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Melissa prepares a simple deviled egg as a healthy snack or party food.
Bobby Flay returns to his culinary roots with a bold Southwestern brunch!
Sweet Potato Pie and Deviled Eggs - you don't get more southern than that!
Laura makes a classic mayonnaise to which she adds roasted garlic.
In just a few easy steps, learn how to make the perfect omelet.
Good Eats shows how to make an extremely simple yet tasty sweet potato pie.
Giada gives an Italian twist to a classic American comfort food: meatloaf.
Move over meatball sub: here comes Philadelphia's Paesano sandwich.
These traditional Polish mini cakes are flavored with wildflower honey.
Chefs Flay and Chiarello engage in an eggs-citing battle for omelet glory.
Get Cooking Channel on your TV.


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For treatment of conductive hearing loss due, for example, to serous otitis media, a synthetic bubble is implanted in the hypotympanic cavity to displace fluid allowing free motion of the round window. A thin membrane provides the required degree of compliance, and is substantially impermeable to gases and water vapor, resulting in an extended lifetime. A large molecule inert filler gas may be used, either alone, or with normal gases to provide certain partial inflation states wherein osmotic ingress of smaller molecular gases causes sustained self-inflation of the bubble for a substantial time.
1. A middle ear prosthesis for treating hearing loss due to middle ear fluid conjestion, said prosthesis comprising a pliant membrane of biocompatible material formed into a closed synthetic bubble configured to fit in a patient's middle ear within a defined hypotympanic cavity between the eardrum and the round window,
said membrane being thin and substantially impermeable to water and to dissolved gases during protracted contact with body fluids, said prosthesis further having a reservoir of at least one gas within said closed bubble and configured to be located, when implanted, proximate to the round window, said gas having a pressure within said closed bubble effective to transmit pressure changes and sound vibrations acoustically through said closed bubble.
2. A prosthesis according to claim 1, further comprising a tab extending from an end of said bubble to constitute a handle for manipulating said bubble to position it in the middle ear.
3. A prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein said membrane comprises a first lamina formed of material having a low permeability to said gas, and a second lamina having a low permeability to water.
4. A prosthesis according to claim 2, wherein said bubble is ovaloid, and has a maximum dimension between a first end and a second end along a principal axis, and said tab extends outwardly from one of said ends.
5. A prosthesis according to claim 4, wherein said bubble is dimensionally adapted to be positioned by surrounding structures of the patient's middle ear in the hypotympanic cavity and to displace fluid, thereby forming a compliant cushion about the round window.
6. A prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein said gas comprises at least one large molecule biocompatible gas.
7. A prosthesis of claim 1, wherein said bubble fits loosely in the middle ear and wherein said gas comprises at least one naturally occurring atmospheric gas, said naturally occurring gas having a partial pressure within said reservoir below a normal partial pressure of said gas in the atmosphere.
8. A prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein said membrane comprises plural lamina including at least one butyl rubber lamina.
9. A prosthesis according to claim 2, wherein said tab includes a radioopaque marker.
10. A middle ear prosthesis, said prosthesis comprising a gas filled ovaloid balloon having a width adapted for fitting in the hypotympanic cavity between the eardrum and the round window of a patient's middle ear and having a length no greater than a height of the hypotympanic cavity of the middle ear, said balloon being formed of a flexible film which is substantially impervious to water and to gases such that said balloon remains inflated after implanting to maintain a reservoir of gas proximate to the round window and at a pressure for transmitting acoustical vibrations, said film being compliant for deforming flexibly responsive to acoustical vibrations for transmitting said vibrations through said ovaloid balloon.
11. A middle ear prosthesis to claim 10, wherein said ovaloid balloon has a longitudinal major axis and minor transverse axes, and further comprising a tab extending from an end of the balloon along said major axis.
12. A middle ear prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said balloon is formed of a laminated construction including a biocompatible surface layer and a water-impermeable sublayer.
13. A middle ear prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said film is a thin film that transmits acoustic energy therethrough substantially unimpeded to or from adjacent tissue when inflated, and is impermeable so that said balloon remains inflated and empty of liquid for a year.
14. A prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said balloon is formed with a curved skin having shape memory that inhibits collapse when inflation is lost.
15. A prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said gas comprises air.
16. A prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said balloon gas comprises at least a large-molecule gas and air.
17. A prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said flexible film forming said balloon comprises a first butyl rubber layer and a second, biocompatible layer, said second layer completely surrounding said first layer.
18. A prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said balloon has means for self-inflating comprising a film and air at sub atmospheric pressure effective for self-inflation by osmosis after implanting.
19. A prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said reservoir of gas contains air at subatmospheric pressure.
20. A prosthesis according to claim 10 further comprising means for initiating self-inflation comprising gases at partial pressure effective to initiate self-inflation.
21. A prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein the balloon has a skin with shape memory to inhibit collapse upon loss of inflation.
22. A prosthesis according to claim 10, wherein said balloon has a convex closed surface for smoothly contacting surrounding tissue.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/712,430, filed on Jun. 10, 1991, now abandoned.
The present invention relates to hearing prostheses, and in particular to a synthetic bubble or balloon for implantation in the ear.
It has previously been proposed that certain forms of hearing loss or injury be remedied by artificial structures in the ear. Thus, for example, there have been proposals to replace a damaged eardrum by a drum formed of synthetic material. There has also been proposed, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,748, a method of placing an air or gas-filled pillow in the middle ear to block displacement of a tympanic membrane e.g., artificial eardrum, toward the round window. That pillow is made of elastic or other plastic material, and prevents the surgically reconstructed tympanic membrane from coming into proximity with or adhering to the round window following surgery. Other prosthetic devices have been proposed, including tympanic valves and funnel-like combinations of an ear horn with a membrane structure.
Such structures have tended to address mechanical defects in the structure of the ear, for example, by replacing or aligning damaged natural elements.
It is an object of the invention to provide prolonged relief from the conductive hearing loss caused by otitis media and related ailments of the middle ear.
It is another object of the invention to provide an acoustic coupling or impedance match between the outer and inner ear.
It is another object of the invention to provide an effective surgical method for restoration of hearing loss.
These and other desirable ends are to be attained in accordance with the present invention by implantation of a stable synthetic bubble structure into a position between the eardrum and the round window in the hypotympanic compartment of the middle ear. The bubble is a gas filled balloon, of bean-like or ovaloid shape, having cross dimensions of approximately two by three by five millimeters. Preferably, it has a tab extending therefrom for safely gripping and manipulating the bubble in position. In a preferred embodiment, the bubble is formed of a thin pliant material effective to achieve a good impedance match to the tympanum and to the round window, and is shaped or cast on a mandrel to impart a shape memory that maintains it in a suitable shape even when partially deflated.
At least the outer surface of the bubble is formed of biocompatible, and preferably hydrophobic material, and the bubble as a whole is substantially impermeable to water vapor. This construction, which may be achieved by a multilayer structure with different layers each selected to provide or enhance one or more of these characteristics, impedes the loss of inflation gas from the bubble.
In one preferred construction, the bubble is initially filled with a substantial portion, e.g. ten to fifty percent or more, of an unnatural, i.e., non-atmospheric, gas, preferably one to which the bubble wall is substantially impermeable. Nitrogen and oxygen are also present, but at lower partial pressures then in the surrounding atmosphere. The bubble then self-inflates by osmotic exchange with its environment, so that it remains filled for an extended period.
These and other features of the invention will be understood from the description herein, including the drawings, wherein
FIGS. 1 and 2 show typical structures of the human ear;
FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a prosthetic device in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the balloon shown in FIG. 3 illustrating the multilayer structure;
FIG. 5 is a view of a mandrel for forming the balloon of FIGS. 3 and 4; and
FIGS. 6 and 7 are graphs of projected and measured inflation characteristics of a trilaminate balloon like that of FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the human ear 1 and its operative structures by which the auricle, ear canal and drum of the outer ear 1a channel sound through the middle ear 1b to sensing structures of the inner ear 1c. The middle ear structures and their relative sizes and positions are shown in enlarged detail in FIG. 2, which advantageously shows the tympanic membrane 2, the round window 3 and the shape of the hypotympanic compartment 4 located between the opposed membranes.
While nominally filled with air maintained at atmospheric pressure via the eustachian tubes, this middle ear chamber can become chronically filled with fluid. Filling may occur because of blockage of the eustachian tube leading to pressure imbalances that cause fluid to exude from the surrounding tissue, or it may occur as a post-operative tissue inflammation, or because of infection or inflammatory processes which have a similar effect.
In cases in which the eustachian tube malfunctions, the normal air-filled middle ear becomes pathologically altered, resulting in retraction of the eardrum, an inflammatory response in the middle ear, or fluid in the middle ear space. These conditions can all lead to a conductive hearing loss due to the pathologically induced inefficiency of the middle ear sound transmitting system. This is a common finding in chronic active and in chronic inactive otitis media.
Applicant's invention is a method and structure for ameliorating such hearing loss by providing a synthetic bubble 10 adapted for positioning between the eardrum and round window to displace fluid therebetween. By maintaining a reservoir of gas in a compressible form located proximate to the round window, the round window is assured a degree of compliance comparable to that of a normal ear. As shown in FIG. 3, the bubble 10 is a balloon structure having the shape of a jelly bean or gelatin capsule, the operative form of which is generally convex and ovaloid membrane enclosing a volume approximately two millimeters high by three millimeters wide by five millimeters long. These dimensions are selected to assure that the balloon will fit in the normal hypotympanic space. At one end, a tab 11 extends from the gas-filled body to provide a handle for surgical manipulation of the bubble in an ear without damaging the bubble wall. Preferably the tab contains a filler material or foil which renders it radioopaque for radiographic visualization.
For selection of material to manufacture a small balloon to fit within the middle ear and provide a compressible gas pocket, four primary criteria are believed to be desirable. The balloons must be able to flex with both pressure changes and sound vibrations, must be of low permeability to gases, must be stable and non-toxic to the biological environment of the middle ear, and must be easily formed into the desired balloon shape.
The effect that pressure variations which occur in a normal middle ear will have on a balloon's shape can be roughly quantified. During commercial airplane travel, the cabin pressure drops to roughly -15.5 cmHg (to 60.8 cmHg absolute). This corresponds to the atmospheric pressure at an altitude of 6000 feet, which covers the maximum altitude of American cites. This reduction in pressure creates a maximum increase in balloon volume of 25%, which corresponds to an increase in diameter of less than 8%. Such increase presents a very small strain for a common medical elastomer, such as a urethane. A balloon made from 0.003 inch thick or thicker urethane can readily withstand such pressure changes of the ear without harmful expansion into the delicate structures of the middle ear.
The useful life of the balloon will depend upon how long it takes for the gases to permeate out from its interior and for the balloon to collapse. The criteria for material selection of flexibility with low-permeability are competitive in that a thin, soft material is probably best to achieve good acoustic transmission but may have little ability to retard gas permeation. Therefore, the preferred construction is a multilayer balloon having at least two layers, preferably one including a soft polyurethane with a thin barrier material layer.
Some representative values of gas permeabilities are shown in Table 1. The barrier materials shown exhibit permeabilities up to 100 times lower than the urethane. Butyl rubber has been used in composites with urethanes in experimental medical membrane devices. Its permeability to water vapor is comparable to the other barrier materials but it is much more flexible. Its strength is very low and it is not very biocompatible, so to achieve an implantable balloon structure of this invention the butyl is sandwiched between layers of urethane to form a flexible, strong membrane of low permeability.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________Permeability of Plastic Materials Ultimate Strength Elongation Permeability (cc(STP)-cm/cm2 -sec-cmHgMaterial (psi) (%) Water CO2 N2 O2__________________________________________________________________________Polyurethanes1 100-10,000 100-1,000 8-16(10-6) 2.5-10(10-10) 0.25-.7(10-10) 0.45-2(10-10)HDPE1 3,000-5,000 10-500 0.06(10-6) 3.50(10-10) 0.25(10-10) 1.10(10-10)PVDF1 6,000 300 0.55(10-6) 0.033(10-10) 0.054(10-10) 0.084(10-10)Butyl Rubber2 1,500 1,000 0.16(10-6) NA NA NAAcrylonitrile1 9,000 3 0.94(10-6) 0.01(10-10) 0.0012(10-10) 0.0039(10-10)__________________________________________________________________________ HDPE = High Density Polyethylene PVDF = Polyvinilidene Fluoride 1 "Modern Plastics Encyclopedia", McGrawHill. 2 "Development of an Implantable Integrated Electrically Powered Lef Heart Assist System", Report to NHLBI, Thermo Electron, 1982.
Since the balloon must be in contact with the middle ear muscosal lining, a compatible material is required for the external surface. Suitable materials are the urethane Tecoflex, or the polymer Biomer marketed for medical use. One suitable balloon construction employs butyl rubber as an internal layer which serves as a barrier to entry of water vapor.
In selecting the urethane and butyl material, another material selection criterion is ease of fabrication. The urethanes mentioned above can be solvent cast onto mandrels in many shapes, and their thickness closely controlled. If desired, they may also be extruded. Butyl rubber is also easily solvent cast, and spraying techniques can also be used for fabrication of very thin and uniform sheets or layers.
The amount of flexibility which is necessary for good compressive response of a membrane and the balloon interior is unknown, and is difficult to quantify. When compared to air, the presence of any material in the middle ear will almost certainly reduce the level of sound perception by the inner ear. However, in comparison to the fluid found in a congested middle ear, a flexible compressible object with a thin balloon membrane should improve hearing. Therefore, the optimal amount of stiffness allowed in the balloon membrane must ultimately be determined by clinical observation.
With all of these considerations in mind, two urethanes were chosen for prototype consideration in constructing this invention, namely, Tecoflex 85A and/or Biomer, to be formed with a central layer of butyl rubber as a vapor barrier. Both of these urethanes are very flexible, and in conjunction with a layer of butyl permit the formation of flexible balloons of low permeability to water vapor and to normal atmospheric gases.
FIG. 4 illustrates the multilayer structure of one prototype balloon 20. An outer layer 21 of Tecoflex 85A urethane 0.002-0.003 inches thick surrounds a 0.003 inch thick layer 22 of butyl rubber, which in turn is lined by an inner layer 23 of the same material as layer 21.
Bearing in mind the expected gas composition of atmospheric air and venous blood gases set out in Table 2, a number of permeation tests were performed on the trilaminate material of the balloon of FIG. 4 and on other monolayer and trilaminate materials in order to establish permeability values for modeling the osmotic evolution of gas in the balloon interior. Table 3 sets out the test results. One large-molecule biocompatible gas, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) was also evaluated in the tests as a possible long-lived filler material. All permeation values were normalized to the thickness of the sample layer.
TABLE 2______________________________________Typical Values of Gas Partial Pressures Partial PressureGas (cmHg)______________________________________Atmospheric AirCO2 0.02H2 O Vapor 4.70O2 14.90N2 56.40Total 76.02Venous Blood GasesO2 4.0CO2 4.6______________________________________
TABLE 3______________________________________Polymer Permeation Test Results______________________________________Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6)85A .056(10-10)Biomer-butyl-Biomer .055(10-10)Biomer-butyl-Biomer (Thick) .024(10-10)85A-butyl-85A .018(10-10)Carbon Dioxide (CO2)85A 1.66(10-10)Biomer-butyl-Biomer 1.41(10-10)Biomer-butyl-Biomer (Thick) 1.10(10-10)Water Vapor (H2 O)85A 7.07(10-10)Biomer-butyl-Biomer 3.87(10-10)Oxygen (O2)85A .497(10-10)Biomer-butyl-Biomer .257(10-10)Nitrogen (N2)Biomer-butyl-Biomer .048(10-10)______________________________________ Units = cc (STP)cm/cm2sec-cmHg
To manufacture prototype balloons, a trilaminate bubble structure was solvent cast by dipping a polished steel mandrel in solutions of the urethane and the butyl rubber polymers. FIG. 5 is an engineering drawing of the mandrel, showing dimensions and curvatures. To form an implantable balloon structure, the mandrel was repeatedly dipped in a solution of the balloon material (butyl or urethane) to form a shell of appropriate thickness. Following casting, the laminated balloon was peeled from the mandrel, filled, and sealed at its open end to form the tab 11 of FIG. 3.
A computer model was developed to simulate the composition and pressure of gas inside the balloon based on different initial inflation conditions. One simulation assumed that the balloon was initially full of atmospheric air to which was added a one cm Hg partial pressure of SF6. Another simulation assumed the balloon was entirely filled with SF6. In each case, on the assumption that the balloon maintained a constant volume, an iterative calculation was made to determine the amount of each gas entering or leaving the balloon based on differences in partial pressure of the gas on each side of the membrane.
The model predicted that the first set of inflation conditions would evolve by slowly losing SF6, but otherwise maintaining the atmospheric gas components at a steady level. This would result in the occurrence of partial deflation over a period longer than one year. For the second simulation, an initial condition of pure SF6 inflation, the model predicted the in-migration of all atmospheric gas components at a rate greatly exceeding the rate of SF6 loss, so that over the course of months the balloon would spontaneously inflate.
FIG. 6 is a graph of the expected partial pressure of SF6 remaining in a bubble over time, computed for a trilaminate bubble of Tecoflex 85A/butyl rubber/Tecoflex 85A having a wall thickness of eight mils. Approximately 25% of the SF6 remains after one year, and the rate of deflation tapers off gradually. Thus, if the bubble were partially inflated with normal blood gases at equilibrium partial pressures, a portion of SF6 inflation could be initially employed in the fill mixture to provide a relatively stable, slowly diminishing pressure characteristic.
FIG. 7 is a graph of the simulation for a bubble initially inflated to atmospheric pressure with pure sulfur hexafluoride. Curve A represents the partial pressure of SF6 as a function of time. Curve B shows the total pressure, including the gas components diffusing into the balloon interior. The model shows self-inflation to a fifty percent excess pressure over the course of several months, and greater than atmospheric pressure for a period of excess of one year.
The inflation characteristics, bursting pressure, and the like for the small bubble membrane are not readily predicted, and may not be susceptible to sufficient uniformity in manufacturing to allow empirical calibration, so it would be prudent to avoid such large excess pressure conditions. However, lesser levels of self-inflation may be accomplished by using several normal gases as a substantial fraction of the initial fill mixture, e.g., fifty to eighty percent, but at partial pressures that are lower than their partial pressures in the surrounding environment. Thus, the invention contemplates embodiments wherein one or more atmospheric gases together with an inert gas initially fill the synthetic bubble in proportions, and at partial pressures, such that the influx of atmospheric gases compensates for loss of inert gas to maintain the bubble inflated over time.
Short term in vitro testing of the sample balloons in an aqueous environment confirmed the self-inflation effect of the SF6 -filled balloons, and their ability to maintain an inflated state for periods in excess of several months. Furthermore, as anticipated, the shape-memory of solvent-cast balloons imparted to the balloon by the casting process was found sufficient to maintain the balloon in an at least partially inflated state for extended periods. The tests showed rather complete loss of SF6, however, possibly due to pores or microcracks in the membrane, or inadequate sealing of the sock-like membranes when they were closed to form the tab 11, so it appeared that the test balloons did not rely on residual SF6 to hold their inflation or shape. The presence of water vapor in some balloons after the test also indicated that either the solvent casting technique or the sealing techniques employed to close the balloon should be carefully controlled. Overall, however, applicant's experience to date indicates that synthetic bubbles having an appropriately compliant skin approximately three to twelve mils thick may be readily fabricated and will maintain appropriate inflation characteristics when implanted to both displace fluid in the middle ear and allow a degree of compressibility that allows a range of normal compliance of the round window when sound is propagated through the inner ear.
The synthetic bubble as described is sized to allow its placement in the hypotypanic cavity of most patients, and is short enough to not interfere with the sound transmission structures in the upper part of the cavity.
When surgically inserting the balloon, it is preferably positioned within the hyptoympanum as close as possible to the round window, and may be anchored in position temporarily with a resorbable packing material such as gel foam, grafting material, or silastic sheeting, such that mucosal folds or adhesions form postoperatively to secure the bubble in position. Thus located, the bubble hydraulically decouples the walls of the middle ear, and to the extent it displaces liquid, also decreases the mass of material that must be displaced by flexing of the round window.
The synthetic bubble and surgical method of the invention have been described with reference to one specific shape of synthetic bubble and several presently preferred materials for membrane construction and gas fill. It will be understood, however, that practical embodiments of the invention may take diverse shapes and be implemented with a variety of materials, to achieve a compressible gas bubble in a fluid-filled middle ear to allow normal displacement of the round window. Having disclosed a preferred embodiment and discussed operative technical considerations, various modifications, substitutions and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art, and these are considered to fall within the scope of the invention to which an exclusive right is claimed.
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text:
Is it possible to log any one execution of sql transaction script as desired? I don't want to have logging turned on all the time as I only need information from the transaction to generate a profiler report via http://pgfouine.projects.postgresql.org/ ?!
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Server Fault is a question and answer site for system and network administrators. It's 100% free, no registration required.
Sure. before this transaction do:
do your things, and then reset it back to original value.
But. There is no point in profiling single transaction, unless it's several thousand commands long. Otherwise - you can just read the logs. But remember - timing based on single executed transactions are practically worthless.


text:
Best Practices for Password Management
Jan 18, 2013 8:30am
The following is a guest blog post by Futurex.
Data Privacy Day is approaching, and as part of our awareness campaign, we wanted to review some of the best practices for safe password selection and management. It is surprising but true that even in today's security-conscious environment, the word "password" and the sequence "123456" remain some of the most common passwords!
To promote online safety and privacy, we have developed a set of basic premises and guidelines to take into account when selecting a password. Different services may have different requirements, but we always recommend choosing a unique password that is as strong as possible, whether it is for a social media account, e-mail address, or network login.
One of the best defenses to password attacks is to select an appropriate length. If an attacker is working to gain access and the dictionary attack method has failed (where words from a dictionary are automatically attempted), a brute force attack will likely be the next step. Brute forces attacks involve cycling through all possible password combinations until the correct one is found. For this reason, the longer the password, the longer it will take a cracking algorithm to successfully guess your password.
But even if we follow all the recommended guidelines and best practices (i.e. selecting an unpredictable password with a length greater than 6 characters and a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols) we are still missing a premise: a password should be easy to remember.
Writing down your password is highly discouraged, and something like "B!zg!e9!0!" is not going to be easily remembered. One solution to this issue might be to turn a sentence into a password, also called a "pass phrase". For example the sentence "I like to golf on Friday" might become "iL2g0fr!dA". It's certainly a complex password, and it is one that can be remembered.
Data security isn't just something we focus on once a year – it's something that we need to keep in mind every day. To learn more about selecting a high-strength password, including our full list of best practices, view our blog post here: Celebrating Data Privacy Day 2013.
Futurex is a recognized 2013 Data Privacy Day Champion


text: Weyerhaeuser ranks among the world's largest forest product companies. The firm operates three primary business segments: timberlands, wood products, and cellulose fibers. Weyerhaeuser is structured as an REIT and is not required to pay federal income taxes on earnings generated by timber harvest activities. Earnings from its wood products and cellulose fibers segments are subject to federal income tax.


text:
SpartacusHardback Revealing Antiquity
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- Publisher: HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
- Format: Hardback | 218 pages
- Dimensions: 117mm x 180mm x 25mm | 249g
- Publication date: 8 March 2013
- Publication City/Country: Cambridge, Mass
- Edition statement: Translation
- Illustrations note: 3 maps
- Sales rank: 398,103
Product description
Spartacus (109?--71 bce), the slave who rebelled against Rome, has been a source of endless fascination, the subject of myth-making in his own time, and of movie-making in ours. Hard facts about the man have always yielded to romanticized tales and mystifications. In this riveting, compact account, Aldo Schiavone rescues Spartacus from the murky regions of legend and brings him squarely into the arena of serious history. Schiavone transports us to Italy of the first century bce, where the pervasive institution of slavery dominates all aspects of Roman life. In this historic landscape, carefully reconstructed by the author, we encounter Spartacus, who is enslaved after deserting from the Roman army to avoid fighting against his native Thrace. Imprisoned in Capua and trained as a gladiator, he leads an uprising that will shake the empire to its foundations. While the grandeur of the Spartacus story has always been apparent, its political significance has been less clear. What were his ambitions? Often depicted as the leader of a class rebellion that was fierce in intent but ragtag in makeup and organization, Spartacus emerges here in a very different light: the commander of an army whose aim was to incite Italy to revolt against Rome and to strike at the very heart of the imperial system. Surprising, persuasive, and highly original, Spartacus challenges the lore and illuminates the reality of a figure whose achievements, and whose ultimate defeat, are more extraordinary and moving than the fictions we make from them.
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Aldo Schiavone is Full Professor in Roman Law at the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane, of which he was the founder, and the Director from 2006 until 2010.
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By Kim Heimbuch 04 Aug 2013
Spartacus, while a factual Thracian gladiator, has grown throughout history in to one of the greatest fictional superheroes ever born. Little is actually known about Spartacus beyond his historic leadership during the Third Servile War. While many books, movies, and even an in-depth television series can be found on Spartacus, much of what is portrayed is fictional or heavily exaggerated upon the little information about his life we do know.
Full Review can be read at http://www.musingwithcrayolakym.com/3/post/2013/08/spartacus.html
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"Spartacus.".. attempts to strip away the myth from the historical rebel. It is an intelligent, learned, and challenging account...It is also sensibly succinct.--Mary Beard"New York Review of Books" (05/09/2013)


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LEXINGTON, N.C. —Lexington Police issued an arrest warrant for Jimmy Ray Blackwell Jr., 26, on Friday in the kidnapping and robbery of a Lexington woman.
Blackwell is wanted for first-degree kidnapping, robbery, larceny of a motor vehicle and assault.
Police say a Lexington woman was kidnapped and forced to drive for miles through town Thursday before she was shoved out onto the street near a gas station.
The suspect then stole her car, took money from her purse and ditched the vehicle in a nearby neighborhood, according to Lt. Robby Rummage with the Lexington Police Department.
The 61-year-old victim was in the parking lot of Biscuit King on South Main Street in Lexington.
She told Police a young man approached her, forced her into her own car and demanded she drive off.
After about three miles, the victim attempted to escape the vehicle and the suspect, shoved the woman out of the car onto West Center Street near the Marathon gas station.
Biscuit King employee Susan Bennett said it was a normal day at work when she took a break at the convenience store next door.
She spotted one of her regular customers in the parking lot.
"She always sits out in this parking lot all the time, sits out there for a little while. Talks on her phone and eat her breakfast," Bennett said of the victim.
Something odd caught Bennett's eye Thursday morning as a man started circling the store.
"We watched a man in a orange hoodie walking around the store. He just walks up to her car. I saw him up at her car, and the next thing we know he got into her passenger side and they took off."
Police interviewed Bennett as a witness, but they have not found the suspect yet.
The victim was able to make it inside the Marathon convenience store where clerk Patricia McNew was working.
"She was shaking, she was just a nervous wreck, I mean her whole body was trembling," said McNew.
"It scared me! I started panicking. I asked her if she wanted to come and sit. She just wanted the phone," she added.
McNew helped the woman call 9-1-1.
Officers later found the stolen car ditched in a nearby neighborhood. The victim's purse was still in the vehicle; money was missing.
"That's the first I've actually seen and witnessed anything like that happen," admitted Bennett. "I'm just so glad she's okay. That's all that matters."
Lt. Rummage told FOX8 forensic officers and investigators followed several promising leads Thursday and are processing physical evidence from the scene.
The suspect is a white male, 25-30 years old, with facial hair.
At the time of the kidnapping he was wearing an orange hoodie and tan pants.
The suspect is approximately 5'6" in height and weighs160-170 lbs.
The suspect could face charges of Kidnapping, Assault and Larceny of a Motor Vehicle.
If you have any information, contact Crime Stoppers at (336) 243-2400 or the Lexington Police Department at (336) 243-3303.