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The loupe shown here is made from a reused paper coffee cup. While you may not be using this to check out the Star of Africa anytime soon you can still see what bugs are hiding in your garden, up close!
This instructable was entered in the Coffee Cup Contest
Enough talk, let's loupe!
Step 1: Tools + materials
- hobby knife
- plastic magnifying sheet (found at dollar store)
- any size paper cup
Step 3: Trace and cut
With the lens is cut slightly larger than the opening no glue is required.
Some magnification sheets have less distortion at the centre than at the edges, choose the location for your cut-out carefully.
Step 4: Light channels
Step 5: Results
I checked out an old watch then ventured out into the yard and scoped some worms and wood-bugs.
Why not make your own and see what your garden has to offer?
Makers who build their own loupe and post the results in the comments below will earn themselves a loupe-y digital patch.
have fun!
You must be Canadian, Montreal?
I'm from Vancouver


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Introduces the printing process, from choosing the correct paper, inks, colors, and fonts and correctly laying out the project in Illustrator and InDesign to getting the final product from the printing press floor.
"Loving the pace of training, the clarity, and the flexibility to learn anytime at your own pace. The range of courses is great." —Nick C.
more from our members »

subset: commoncrawl


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Cooking and Baking
What's your favorite way to use *Star Anise*?
Recently in my local newspaper there was an article on foods/ingredients (what's hot/what's not food list) that were going to be BIG in '09. One of them happened to be *Star Anise* (bye bye cinnamon). I've never used it before but I love the smell and feel the need to get to know this yummy spice. So help me out eaters. What is your favorite way to use *Star Anise*? Feel free to include recipes!! :)
Talk is closed, but that doesn't mean the conversations have to stop!
Check out this post for a more thorough explanation, and jump onto our Facebook page or our Twitter feed to keep the conversations going!


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Top 10 political events of 2011 from PanARMENIAN.Net
Here are 10 major domestic events that can have a serious impact on domestic developments in the coming year as well.
The year 2011 was filled with political events. It was a year remarkable for social tensions, protests, maneuvers of political forces, authorities' attempts to stabilize the country and retain control to prevent a local "Arab Spring". Here are 10 major domestic events that can have a serious impact on domestic developments in the coming year as well.
December 29, 2011
PanARMENIAN.Net - 10. New Electoral Code
The new Electoral Code, according to the authorities will ensure fair and most transparent elections in the history of modern Armenia. It was favored by international institutions, including the Venice Commission but received harsh criticism from the Armenian opposition.
9. Trchkan waterfall and ecologists' victory
Ecologists' struggle to protect Trchkan waterfall against construction of a hydropower plant that ended in greens' rare victory emerged as one of the major domestic events.
8. Heritage opposition party leader Raffi Hovannisian's 15-day hunger strike
Mr. Hovannisian's hunger strike in Liberty Square was one of the hotly debated topics in March 2011. Hungry for Change: Freedom and Justice in Armenia protest action lasted 15 days.
7. Armenian army
Armenian army saw both positive and negative events. On the one hand, the military parade astonished with its might; on the other hand, numerous deadly incidents aroused great concerns.
6. Rumors of Robert Kocharian's return
After the decision of Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to regain presidency, rumors of possible repetition of the Russian scenario went afloat in Armenia. Robert Kocharian, at the same time, repeatedly criticized the current authorities in media interviews.
5. Prosperous Armenia factor
In the course of the year, Prosperous Armenia party was trying to get rid of the image of 'younger' coalition partner of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia. The conflict escalated when PA leader Gagik Tsarukyan allegedly refused to support incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan at the future elections.
4. Nagorno Karabakh process and Kazan meeting
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs' tried to intensify talks for settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev organizing meetings with Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. However, the landmark presidential gathering in Kazan on June 24 yielded no tangible result.
3. Political dialogue
Amid pressing social problems and Arab spring, the authorities had to meet radical opposition halfway and start dialogue with the major opposition force – the Armenian National Congress.
2. Parade of resignations
The chain of resignations shook the country in autumn. The first to go was head of the presidential administration Karen Karapetyan, followed by his namesake Karen Karapetyan, the mayor of Yerevan. National Assembly speaker Hovik Abrahamyan and police chief Alik Sargsyan resigned on November 1, the former to chair the RPA election headquarters and the latter to assume the post of presidential advisor.
1. ANC rallies The rallies of the Armenian National Congress opposition bloc started in February and continued through the whole year with the main demand of President's resignation and conduction of extraordinary elections.
Hayk Khalatyan / PanARMENIAN News
Most popular in the section
The idea of involving the Armenian Diaspora in elections is not new; it was first voiced following the adoption of the Law on Dual Citizenship.
According to some Armenian experts, the May 6 elections became the "swan song" for ANC and Levon Ter-Petrossian.
Since the very start of its election campaign Prosperous Armenia showed obvious signs of political amnesia.
Unable to unite, the Armenian opposition will logically proceed to nominate several candidates at 2013 presidential vote.
At focus
More articles in this section
Armenia celebrates 21 years of independence We faced war and hunger, bread coupons and 30 minutes of electricity daily, and political instability in the past 21 years.
Election outcomes: RPA's victory and ANC's downfall Parliamentary race yielded unexpected results, with ruling coalition's crushing victory recorded as the most significant outcome.
Op-Ed: Parliamentary elections a test for new changes Can every citizen be an election observer?
Other articles
Latest news
Samsung to create fund to compensate cancer-stricken workers Samsung said the fund will make payments to workers or families of those who became sick while working at its plants.
Russian PM orders measures against non-EU nations joining sanctions Dmitry Medvedev instructed officials to consider counter-sanctions against the countries, which he didn't name.
Turkish fighter jets bomb Kurdish militant targets The air operation lasted 35 minutes and the targets in Daglica province near the Iraqi border were completely destroyed.
London most googled city in the world for art galleries, museums The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, followed in the findings.


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Our final edition of Flight International for the year features the winner of this year's cover photo competition. The photo depicts a Raytheon Sentinel ASTOR taking off from RAF Waddington in the UK. It was taken by AirSpace user Sunshine Band. Congratulations!
The magazine also features the winners in specific categories. Upload your photos to AirSpace for a chance to win in next year's competition, or to be featured as our image of the week.
Editorial content includes:
- Can Vulcan return for 2010? The Vulcan Operating Company (TVOC) pulled off what many thought was impossible when it returned XH558to the air from Bruntingthorpe on 18 October 2007 after 14 years on theground. To the delight of many, the delta-winged bomber – which hadbeen the last Vulcan to fly in 1993 – made a triumphant return to theair display circuit in 2008. But as the year progressed, there weredoubts amid the banking crisis that sufficient funds could be securedto get the aircraft back for a repeat in 2009.
- 787 first flight is just the start for gruelling programme: For Boeing, first flight may have been the end of a long road to get the 787flying, but the milestone signals a start of a gruelling flight-testprogramme to validate and certificate technologies never before seen ona commercial aircraft.
- On a lighter and more festive note, we've put together Uncle Roger's Christmas quiz 2010. This is the first time we've put this quiz online andunlike in Flight International, we've afforded you multiple choice.This quiz is not easy, but if you know your eX2s from your GP7200s thenyou'll do fine.


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Clocking In
You have clocked in to MySA.com's business news blog about San Antonio and South Texas businesses and business people.
Monthly Archive for January, 2010
It's a sad day for chunky soup
The endearing Campbell Soup Co. genius behind SpaghettiOs and Chunky Soup, Donald Goerke, has passed away. SpaghettiOs was a dinner mainstay for single-parent latchkey kids like me. Because when mom was at work, you knew you were in for some fun in a can. And when they added in those little balls of meat substance, […] [Read More]
Jourdanton State Bank promotes 11
Jourdanton State Bank announced various promotions at its four locations. At its branch at 13333 Blanco Road, San Antonio, Shane Schuchart, a loan officer, was promoted to vice president. Dominic Cantu, in charge of the new-accounts department, was promoted to assistant vice president. At its branch at 120 E. Basse Road, San Antonio, Jaclyn Brown, […] [Read More]
Four U.S. Global Investors funds among top performers
Four mutual funds managed by San Antonio-based U.S. Global Investors Inc. were among the top-performing funs for various time periods dating back as far as 10 years. The rankings were based on total return data from Lipper Inc. and published in the Wall Street Journal. The four funds are: the World Precious Minerals Fund; the […] [Read More]
Broadway gets award for excellence
The Texas Workforce Commission has given Broadway Bank its 2009 Employer Award for Excellence. The laurel came during the commission's annual conference. The award is for employers that the commission believes had a positive influence on its employees and community last year. Chris Quinn [Read More]
Danica drives 4G into SA
AP The fastest woman on the road is making a pit stop in San Antonio on Jan. 21 to help Time Warner Cable launch its new Road Runner Mobile 4G network for our area. The celebration kick off will be at 6 p.m., inside The Depot at Sunset Station where more than 500 customers and […] [Read More]
La Mansión, Watermark earn top rankings
Two Omni Hotels properties on the River Walk – the Watermark Hotel & Spa and the Omni La Mansión del Rio – have been listed among the top hotels in the world by readers of Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines. The two properties were the only San Antonio hotels to make either […] [Read More]
Know who's counting you
Field workers from the U.S. Census Bureau will be going to all residences who do not return a completed 2010 census form between April and July later this year. So the Better Business Bureau has compiled a list to help people spot actual 2010 census workers and to beware of con artists snooping for private […] [Read More]
STTM to host tech forum
South Texas Technology Management — the regional transfer office that serves four University of Texas institutions, including the two in San Antonio — will hold its 2010 Tech Forum on Thursday. The theme: Collaborative technology commercialization. Organizers say panels will focus on local commercialization successes, multidisciplinary research initiatives and technology-driven business formation in the Alamo […] [Read More]
The tax code simplified
Need more reasons to hit up VITA for tax help this year? Not even Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman files his own taxes. He says the tax code is too complicated to go it alone so he uses a tax preparer. You know, considering how things go in D.C. these days, it's just refreshing […] [Read More]
Free tax help
Individuals and families earning up to $55,000 can now get free assistance filing their taxes through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance from The Alamo City Coalition for Economic Self-Sufficiency. This year's income cap is $10,000 over last year's limit in order that the VITA program can help more San Antonio families said Sonia Quirino Canales, […] [Read More]
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The End of the Ryan Franklin Era
Categories: Aaron Schafer, Cardinals
|I'm not gonna lie; I will not miss that beard.
Not Ryan Franklin's tenure with the Cardinals, mind you; I have nothing but the utmost respect for the player Franklin was, and plenty of appreciation for the job he did. But the fact is Ryan Franklin lost whatever it was he had that made him, um, not great exactly, but able to do his job. Damning with faint praise? Well, yeah, probably. Still, he took over for Jason Isringhausen when Izzy's own age-related difficulties finally forced him to ride off into the sunset (though apparently he didn't stay there, as Izzy is currently pitching for the Mets, and doing tolerably well), and Franklin held down the fort well enough. For that alone he deserves our respect.
I'm glad we won't have to watch him take the mound with no real chance of success anymore. I'm glad the team can move on, and Franklin can stop getting battered around just trying to do his job.
It was usually a slightly frightening ride with Franky, but he mostly got the car where it needed to go. Now that ride is over, and I think everyone involved will be better off for it.
The Cardinals are now much better off, because they're not carrying a player on their roster they're afraid to use in pretty much any even semi-important situation. Playing with a 24-man roster against a bunch of surprisingly decent NL Central clubs who are all running 25 guys out there just isn't going to get the job done. Good job by the front office and field management to recognize this needed to be done. You could argue it should have happened sooner, but loyalty certainly isn't the worst thing in the world.
The bullpen is better off now, because the guys who are down there won't have to soak up quite as many innings that should have gone to their phantom member.
The coaching staff is better off now because they can focus on getting this club where they're trying to go, rather than trying to figure out a creative way to get one pitcher back on track without hurting his ego or the club's chances of winning, all without exposing him to more criticism than he was already receiving.
Ryan Franklin himself is better off now, though I doubt it feels that way to him at the moment. He just didn't have what it takes, and it was painful to watch him. It has to be better not running out there defenseless night after night.
In fact, probably the only people who aren't better off now are jerks like yours truly who just lost one of their most convenient whipping boys. Hell, I have no idea who I'm going to blame next time something goes wrong.
In all seriousness, though, as glad as I am to see the team make the right decision and do what was best for the product on the field, I can't take any joy in watching Franklin head out of town. He was, in the end, a dude who did a job, and usually did it well enough. It would be nice if I could find such a noble postscript. Time caught up with him, same as it will eventually to all of us, and now he's headed back home to Oklahoma.
Happy trails, Franky. Thanks for the good times.
Sponsor Content


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GTA IV Mods: Script Mods (z.B. *.lua und *.asi)
Unique Engineering
|04.05.2014 | 2075 Downloads
9.70 based on 10 votes
|Please read the Readme.pdf document included in the archive before attempting to install! Installation is not hard but can easily go wrong if you don't follow the instructions.
Script scratchmade by Vertelvis
Building modifications based on the original GTA IV files by Rockstar Games
Unique Engineering is a combined GTA IV map and script mod, transforming the Westdyke Auto's dealership in the Westdyke area of Liberty City into a more realistic fictional car dealership, which I named Unique Engineering. The map mods are there to edit the building appearance itself, while the script adds functionality to the building, which is outlined below.
- Save and load at the garage
- Saving at the garage is tracked, assuring you spawn at the right garage when restarting the game
- Up to 18 vehicles can be saved in and around the garage, including model, car colors 1-4, livery and extra's
- Fully automated car saving and deleting process; It is not needed to manually copy settings in the configuration file
- Teleport from any point in the world to the garage
- Respawn a single or all vehicles at the garage
- Support to display custom car and color names in the menu system, configurable through the settings file. Instructions to do so included
- Customizable key bindings via the .ini-file
- All features are controlled via an ingame menu system
- Compatible with ikt's Traffic Load Fix
- Detailed instructions on the script usage included
- Document with all numeric key bindings included
- .Net Scripthook 188.8.131.52 Beta
- Any ASI-loader
- OpenIV is needed for the installation of the mod
Furthermore all prerequisites for the above are also needed in order to run this mod.
From 01/02/13 onward I will release my mods on the following sites:
- www.gta4-mods.com
- www.gtainside.com
- www.vertelvis.com
I have reached an agreement with the site moderator of GTAinside to upload my mods there now too. All future mods will also be uploaded there.
Dein Name/Nick:
Deine Nachricht:
Du musst registriert und eingeloggt sein, um Beitrage posten zu können!


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June 20, 2012
2012 Single Season and Game Tickets Available A limited number of football single season are on sale to the general public. Season tickets are $280 and will be sold as singles only as no pairs are available. Season tickets will be available for purchase online and by calling the Athletic Association ticket office 1-877-542-1231.
Due to visiting team ticket returns, a limited number of tickets to three home football games are on sale to the general public and can be purchased online or by calling the Athletic Association ticket office 1-877-542-1231. Single game tickets are $45 each and are available to the following home games:
|September 1
|September 15
|Florida Atlantic
|September 22
All single game tickets ordered will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis.
2012 Football Season Ticket Assignments For the 2012 season all Hartman Fund contributors with a minimum $250 per seat 2012 contribution, will receive adjacent renewable season tickets. Assignment of renewable season tickets, away game and single home game tickets are based on cumulative score, annual contribution and availability. Season tickets are scheduled to be mailed the week of August 6. Announcement of cutoff scores for away games and single home game tickets will made in July.
View Your Current Seat and Parking Location Online Hartman Fund contributors can login to their online account to confirm their 2012 football season ticket and parking location. Once logging in to your online account click `My Account' from the menu, followed by `View My Order History.' You may then click on `Parking' or `Season Tickets' to view your 2012 location.
2012 Faculty and Staff Season Ticket Information For the 2012 season, eligible UGA Faculty Staff who ordered season tickets with priority levels from 1A thru 34F will receive season tickets.


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The 6 Craziest Christmas Crimes So Far This Year
Ornament As A Deadly Weapon
4 of 6
This is a multiple choice question. Let's say that you were at a Christmas craft fair and you decide to pilfer an ornament from one of the vendors. Then let's say that you get caught stealing and a civilian tries to stop you from escaping. Do you: A) Surrender and return the ornament or B) Use the ornament as a weapon to stab the civilian in the arm. Ruth Wagner chose option B. Unwise. [Huffington Post]
Tags: christmas, crime, weird news


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UT alum delivers lecture on GM's Volt, OnStarWritten by Duane Ramsey | | email@example.com
University of Toledo alum Jeffrey Liedel returned to his alma mater to give a guest lecture on GM's new Volt electric car and the OnStar response system before an audience of about 100 people Dec. 3.
Liedel, chief information officer for OnStar at General Motors, drove the Volt equipped with the OnStar system from Detroit to Toledo. He exhibited the electric car and plugged it in for recharging outside Nitschke Hall on the UT campus.
Volt has an electric driving range of up to 50 miles with range extending, gas-driven electric generator to power it. "It has to have alternative fuel in case it runs out of juice," Liedel said.
"With Volt and the communications capabilities of OnStar, you can be found wherever you are," Liedel said. "We put a lot of technology into the Volt but we've just scratched the surface with technology."
Liedel said GM is working on united communications technology that will allow hands-free telephone calls, e-mails, conferencing and text messaging online in vehicles, making use of technology safer in cars.
"We're working on that stuff and making a lot of progress," he told the audience at UT.
"People buy Volt because they want that kind of car and to operate that car at a lower cost," he said.
Chevy's Volt was chosen 2010 Car of the Year by Motor Trend and Automobile magazines and as Green Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show, Liedel said.
However, the Volt is in limited production by GM and only being offered on the East and West coasts, in Michigan and Texas at this time. It may be another year and a half before it's offered in Ohio, according to Joe Malin, general manager of Dave White Chevrolet in Sylvania.
Malin said there would be a limited market for Volt and recommended that anyone interested in purchasing one should contact a Chevrolet dealership in the metropolitan Detroit area.
Liedel said GM is developing technology that will give customers more information on OnStar.
He reported that GM is active with blogs and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter with the potential of reaching 500 million active users.
"The commercialization of technology has changed the way we engage customers, dealers and employees. We're only limited by our imagination," he said.
In addition to his lecture, Liedel also spent time speaking with UT engineering students about the OnStar Student Development Challenge to create original voice-enabled applications.
Liedel graduated from UT in 1988 with a degree in computer science and engineering. He grew up in Monroe, Mich., and graduated from Monroe High School.
He said he started his career on the manufacturing floor at Powertrain and assembly plants in the automotive industry for Ford and GM.
"We've had some difficult days at GM but achieved some recent milestones. We're starting to see some results with three straight profitable quarters," Liedel said.
Tags: Chevy, GM, Jeffrey Liedel, OnStar, University of Toledo, Volt


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It doesn't feel like Christmas, doesn't look like Christmas either, unless you happened to be at the Pinnacle Hills Promenade Saturday.
Rumors of an elf shortage are just that, rumors, thanks to the latest Elf Academy in Rogers. There are only two requirements to become an elf, you've got to be tiny… and cute. There is no shortage of cute around these parts.
Little Addison is a happy little elf, and she has the Elf Academy certificate to prove it.
By any standard, these elves are certifiably adorable, so besides being so cute what do you do at an Elf Academy?
"Made a gingerbread house." said one of the new elves.
Gingerbread houses, just the start of Elfen activities at the academy.
An excited elf explains the rest of the Elf Academy curriculum, "And then we did a hat and then we got the hat and then got a reindeer."
It's not all play and no work at the Elf Academy, these elves know what's expected of them.
"Make you Christmas presents." said a cheerful little elf.
Just because they are elves doesn't mean they aren't looking forward to receiving a few gifts. A four year old elf told us she will be looking under the tree for "A big Barbie laptop."
Clearly these elves are more technologically savvy than they used to be!
Santa gets most of the credit this time of year but Mrs. Claus was there today helping the tiny elves pass the Elf Academy test.


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When your order exceeds $200. Standard flat rate shipping $15.95 per order, per address – no minimum purchase required.
Shipping InformationOP meats are flash-frozen at the peak of freshness, then individually vacuum-sealed in air-tight packages to preserve taste, flavor and freshness.
Your order will ship frozen, carefully packaged with dry ice.
Welcome to the Organic Prairie online store. Registered members have the option to save billing information and create an address book with multiple shipping addresses for family and friends. Thank you for supporting our family farms.
Join Prairie Friends to receive our monthly e-newsletter with recipes, new products, farmer stories and special offers. You can also subscribe to receive weekly specials and updates.


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State Sponsored Terror
Mr. Topper and the SS Distorted, Ugly Reflections
New in the Website
Israel's Favored Candidate Wins Indian Elections
Featured in the Consortium of Indian Defence Websites forum
The source of these methods is military. Military Psychological Operations, commonly known as Psychological Warfare, PSYWAR, are operations aimed to convey selected information to influence the target emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and the behavior of organizations, groups, and individuals. PSYWAR is based on the understanding of the target's motivations, beliefs, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities.
The form of communication chosen for a PSYWAR event heavily depends on the accessibility of the target. Attempting to influence the North Korean public through advertisements in Craigslist.com would probably fail. Using infiltration agents and spreading information out loud would work better, but it is difficult. Originally developed to address external enemies; PSYWAR has been willingly adopted to achieve domestic political goals. Nothing gives states the right to treat its populations as enemies or to attempt to manipulate its opinions. The current situation has undermined the legitimacy of modern states.
The primary weapons of PSYWAR are sight and sound, which can be spread out by face-to-face communication, audio media (radio or loudspeaker), visual media (internet, television, leaflets, newspapers, books, magazines and/or posters) or any combination of them. The weapon is the message and how it affects the recipient. Sometimes, these motivation-influencing methods are used against the population of the applying organization. Consider the use of flags, national anthems, and other symbols aimed to create loyalty to an organization. Our understanding of how this system works is the key to our capability to filter the undesired, manipulative messages out of our minds. People like Yigal Amir and Yitzhak Rabin would have been spared, if this knowledge had been more widespread.
PSYWAR operations can be summarized as conveying message events. Beyond the face value of the message, the people behind these operations want to make clear to the victim that they can listen to and change media content. A clear example I experienced, was when an informant of the authorities working in my church congregation approached me one Sunday and out of the blue began talking about vaccines, a topic I cannot remember touching on for many years; the respective person doesn't use the internet. He explained at length that Bolivians didn't get tuberculosis vaccines and thus this disease was widespread in the country. Shortly after, I went to an internet kiosk and checked my email. The act was unrelated to the preceding chat. All the banners in the pages I opened advertised vaccines of different types; an event I had never witnessed before. Somebody was attempting to show me his power.
The disconnection between the events is also typical of PSYWAR operations: any claim of connection between the facts would be treated by the police as a sign of mental illness; yet, the probability of such a coincidence is infinitesimal. The result of this Big Brother Effect can be isolation and terror. Yet, at first these actions seem purposeless.
Open surveillance is one of the most intimidating options for PSYWAR operations. It must be used in such a way that denouncing it by the victim would be difficult. In any case, denouncing it would be useless since these operations are performed by the secret political police or the army. Yet, for the sake of appearances and publicity, operations are performed so that complaining about them is almost impossible. Even when the victim complains and is believed, the police will not be able to investigate. Once the persecutors notice the visit of the victim to the police station, or intercept a phone call to the police, or see police surveillance protecting the victim, they will refrain from any open harassment and would effectively become invisible. Soon, the complaint would be dismissed and the harassment renewed.
If, for some Machiavellian machination, the security services wish to modify the motivations and convictions of their target for their own benefit, they can use their surveillance capabilities as a tool. Simply, for the sake of the propaganda machine, the perpetrators of an open surveillance can carry messages for the victim to see; the effect is terrorizing, especially if the victim is caught unprepared. This can be used for the creation of what is known in the military as force multipliers. In this discipline, this is achieved by linking symbols and reality; oddly this is also related to the finances of such an operation.
A constant, open surveillance is an expensive affair. How can costs be lowered? Can that be created while creating the opposite impression? Surprisingly, both can be achieved at once. The best way of explaining this strange effect is by giving an example. Creating a linkage between a symbol and the surveillance personnel is the first step. The symbol must be chosen carefully, so that the victim would make the linkage, while at the same time preventing him from complaining openly. Let's take a look at Mr. Topper, a sports company executive under illegal state surveillance. He has been monitored constantly for months but is not aware of that. The security services have decided now to make the surveillance open, since they want to benefit financially from an event that is about to happen in the near future. They could simply park a van in front of his house, pull a couple of antennas out of it and place an obvious video camera at its front window. A large and muscular agent dressed in black, sporting a fancy flashlight and running wildly around the car would be a neat touch. After a couple of days, the message would be understood: "Mr. Topper, we are watching you!"
A more professional approach is cheaper. Let's say Mr. Topper works for "Sporty," a local company specializing in shoes. Let's assume "Nike" holds most of the market, while "Adidas" is a minor player in that city.
One morning, when Mr. Topper leaves his home in the way to his office, he notices a person aiming a camera at him kitty corner from his house. The stranger is forgotten as soon as the lights in the next junction change to green; however, as he crosses the junction a man with an Adidas cap jumps in front of his car; only by a miracle he is not hurt. Later, near the company's parking lot a different man with an Adidas cap photographs him. At the entrance to the company's headquarters, a group of well-dressed people is apparently waiting for something. All of them wear Adidas caps. "This is a remarkable collection of coincidences," thinks the still innocent Mr. Topper.
Next day he sees a man with an Adidas cap and a camera kitty corner from his home and decides to change his route. He learned that from a police documentary. Yet, at the next junction a man with an Adidas cap jumps in front of his car; he holds a hefty camera with a professional zoom. Are they reading his mind? It only looks so, but no, he is simply surrounded by at least two rings of watchers. This is part of a topic sometimes referred to as the Art of Make Believe.
From now on, every morning when Mr. Topper leaves his home and goes to work, he sees a person aiming a camera at him kitty corner from his home. The person changes; some days it is a man, others a woman, sometimes old, others young. However, the person always wears an "Adidas" cap. Soon, Mr. Topper would believe somebody is applying surveillance on him while attempting to frame "Adidas." From now on, "Make Believe" is the name of the game. If the PSYWAR operation had begun with a "Nike" cap, creating the symbol would have been more complicated, since most of the people in that town own a Nike item. The symbol would be diluted by the force of reality. Using "China Sports"—a company unknown in that city—would work faster. However, being an easily identifiable and foreign sign, it would provide a legitimate point of concern.
A few days later, he would suspect any innocent person walking the street while wearing an "Adidas" item. That's the moment a force multiplier had been created. Suddenly, all appearances of the symbol create a link to the surveillance team, even if the appearance is legitimate, and there is no surveillance at the moment. A small surveillance team can in such a way look substantially larger, as if having been multiplied by a factor. The worthless symbol has been transformed into a terror weapon. But more evils await Mr. Topper.
Once a symbol, or a series of them, has been established, interesting options for further lowering costs and raising the effectiveness appear in the form of another force multiplier. Instead of putting human watchers along the supposed daily path of Mr. Topper, graffiti, stickers and all kinds of printed material could be placed along the path. This may seem dangerous, since there would be a trail of proofs of the ongoing harassment. However, if planned carefully by using common enough symbols and alternating positive and negative messages so that a pattern is not created, the tactic is safe enough, cheap and effective. Mr. Topper would see a "Buy Adidas" sticker on a car parked in front of his house. "Adidas Uses Slave Labor" graffiti would appear on the wall of a sports shop near his office. Both were placed by the same people. A pseudo-surveillance ring has been created almost free of charge.
The following step in the attack is expanding the symbol while creating a positive linkage to the former one or two people in the surveillance team that Mr. Topper had learned to recognize. This point is crucial. During the initial period of the open surveillance, a symbol easily recognizable by Mr. Topper should be used; in this case, it would be the above described Adidas. However, if overused, it may give credibility to a formal complaint by Mr. Topper, especially if he took a hundred pictures of people around him with Adidas caps within a week.
From this moment, the surveillance team would begin using new symbols, not necessarily connected to the early ones, next to the old ones or in situations Mr. Topper would recognize (i.e.: The same photographer would switch from an Adidas cap to a Manchester United T-shirt). Diversifying the symbols and using in this stage symbols which are not related to Mr. Topper is crucial for the operation security, otherwise, it could be compromised easily. With the exception of the initial symbol, the later ones are quasi-random and hold no further information beyond the "we are here watching you" or "we knew you would cross this point during the day," though this last message is often false, similar signs were placed all around. The logos, words, or numbers content, mean nothing by itself. Their only point is to create a pattern recognizable by Mr. Topper while creating a reality in which the institutionally organized attack cannot be reported.
The variations on these themes are practically infinite. An enthralling one is the use of a series of symbols, which make the process even more complicated to denouncing it. For example, the watcher photographing Mr. Topper when he leaves his house in the morning would wear a soccer team shirt with the number 20. The next watcher would step by mistake on Mr. Topper, making sure the last would notice his Adidas cap, which has a large number 21 printed on it. A graffiti saying "Vote for Candidate 22" would mysteriously appear on the wall next to Mr. Topper's parking lot. Then, while pointing at a flickering screen, the security guard at the corporation building reception would ask him "Have you seen this?" Mr. Topper would notice that the guard is watching channel 23. A leaflet promoting a business open 24/7 would be handled to him by a well-dressed person standing in the lobby. He has seen each one of this numbers once; however, they have been planted several times each, on the alternative paths he could have taken on his way to the office on that day.
"We must prepare the proposal within 25 days," would his secretary tell him innocently, while expanding the series by one item. By now, Mr. Topper would begin suspecting her of cooperation with his persecutors. This is a superb example of a quite sophisticated manipulation which is easy to design backwards. The security services harassment unit knew there would be a meeting at the office twenty-five days before the relevant proposal submission; obviously the innocent secretary would remind her boss about the event. The actions convince Mr. Topper that he is under surveillance, without giving him a rational reason to complain to the police. Moreover, it has created a hook for the next stage in the harassment. Mr. Topper would begin now to search for other sequences; from now on the security services need not take any action: pseudo-surveillance series would appear elsewhere, though they would be random numbers found by Mr. Topper while touring the street. If unaware of what had just happened to him, the event is terrifying; otherwise, it is just ineffective.
Using such an unsophisticated technique requires nothing but unquestioning foot soldiers; the security services achieve in such a straightforward way several goals:
This technique can be used as a highly efficient precursor to a well targeted message. Imagine that one morning, instead of taking a picture of Mr. Topper, Mr. "Adidas Cap" approaches him and says:
"Ruin the proposal you are preparing and we'll leave you alone." The legitimacy to the request was given by the use of symbols during the early events without the need of showing any credentials.
This expansion of symbols can be done several times, until every member of society holds a recognizable surveillance symbol (that is, in the eyes of Mr. Topper), relating the unsuspecting citizen to the surveillance team. The unaware victim would be terrorized and would easily cross the line to paranoia: institutionally induced paranoia, the wet dream of Soviet politruks, was apparently developed by Western Democracy commissars. However, the collapse of the method is inevitable if the victim is aware of the system, or elucidates it on the go.
"Kill the dog!" Some of the readers are by now shouting silently.
These techniques—and related ones—are not new. They can be traced back to Sir Francis Walsingham. He was Queen Elizabeth I of England's spymaster, and is considered to be the founder of modern intelligence both for espionage and counterintelligence activities. He made use of social networks in order to penetrate organizations as different as the Huguenots in France and the British ports and customs. A good review of his activities was given by Stephen Budiansky in his 2005, Her Majesty's Spymaster:Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage. It may be the last time in history that the spymaster was openly working for his master's financial benefit; afterwards, it was disguised under terms like "national security" and whenever possible presented as a struggle between good and evil.
I spoke about these issues with authorities of the country that gave me political asylum, but later became my torturer and violator. They did not deny my complaint; moreover, the state lawyer told me "you should get used to that," implying these were legal events. However, that's just throwing sand in the eyes of the citizens. As a matter of fact, all these activities are severe violations of the Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
"No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks."
Mr. Topper's only answer is to flood his persecutors with disinformation. He must learn to avoid what he likes and to enjoy what he dislikes. He must push the persecutors into a land of endless mirrors, where the only thing they see is their distorted, ugly reflections.
This text was adapted from The Cross of Bethlehem II: Back in Bethlehem. The topic is substantially expanded in the book.
My articles on the web are my main income these days; please donate or buy The Cross of Bethlehem or Back in Bethlehem.


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Bass Player-less band?
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Santa Cruz CA
Posts: 1,996
Re: Bass Player-less band?
Originally Posted by
Get one of the guitarist to play bass
Kind of worked out for the Quarrymen
Originally Posted by
I need bass guitar. Bass pedals, basslines played on a keyboard, are OK but have NEVER got me off. Yea gimme a bass guitar with a funky ass player thumping on it. The bass guitar is such a cool instrument. It perfectly bridges the rhythm to the melody. I would love to be a great bass player even more than a great drummer. (because I could get out front and be more a part of things).
So put me in the camp that needs low end in their songs, if not from a bass, then from something. I wouldn't play in a bassless band unless there was no other choice.
There is a difference between folks who can play something with their left hand and folks who can groove with it. Have you heard Blue Monday with Cliff Coulter kicking bass? Chris Cain is also on the album and said that one the best bass players he's ever played with was Clifford's left hand.
Or Jonny Henderson on the Matt Schofield live album.
Or one of my favorites, Neal Evans of Soulive.
And then there's Charlie Hunter, absolutely sick groove played on the bottom 3 strings of an 8 string guitar.
But back to the OP. I've heard thrash/punk bands get away with it. But if you want a groove, I'm with Larry and the others. You need someone down in basement holding it together.
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A new, quick, simple, efficient, safe, and reproducible surgical technique for the treatment of female urinary incontinence, in which the posterior urethra is suspended using a tape passed through the obturator orifices from inside (underneath the urethra) to outside (thigh folds). A variety of specifically designed surgical instruments are utilized to perform this operative procedure.
1. A surgical method for treating female urinary incontinence, said method comprising:
identifying a surgical exit point on a horizontal line above the urethral plane where a surgical needle will exit at a thigh of a patient,
making an incision of the vaginal wall,
performing a para-urethral dissection towards the ischio pubic ramus while avoiding a perforation of the vaginal wall,
inserting a leading tip of a spiral section of the surgical needle into a lateral opening of a hollow tube to cover the leading tip of the spiral section of the surgical needle while the surgical needle is completely outside the patient, the lateral opening of the hollow tube being located spaced between a sharp pointed distal end and a proximal end of the hollow tube, the lateral opening being located 10 to 20 cm from the sharp pointed distal end of the hollow tube, and a tape being bound to the hollow tube at the proximal end of the hollow tube,
inserting the spiral section of the needle with the tube over the leading tip of the spiral section into the patient,
rotating the spiral section of the surgical needle around the ischio pubic ramus, and
penetrating the previously identified surgical exit point from inside the patient with the leading tip of the surgical needle and the tube moving from first inside the patient to then outside the patient by a single rotation of the surgical needle.
2. The surgical method as claimed in
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/628,251, filed Jul. 29, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,204,802 which claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/406,674 filed Aug. 29, 2002, 60/419,967 filed Oct. 22, 2002, 60/427,213 filed Nov. 19, 2002 and 60/445,817 filed Feb. 10, 2003, hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference.
A new, quick, simple, efficient, safe, and reproducible surgical technique for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence, in which the posterior urethra is supported using a tape passed through the obturator orifices from inside (underneath the urethra) to outside (thigh folds). A variety of specifically designed surgical instruments are utilized to perform this operative procedure.
Understanding of the physiopathological concepts of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) has consistently improved over the past decades and their application has lead to the development of numerous surgical techniques aimed at curing this disorder. Among these, retro-pubic tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) has probably been the most revolutionary. It has been suggested that retro-pubic TVT may stabilize the mid-urethra at the time of an abdominal pressure increase without modifying cervico-urethral mobility. The use of retro-pubic TVT has been associated with various and relatively frequent per- and post-operative complications, including bladder perforation, temporary or persistent retention, pain, urinary infection, and de novo urgency. Other rare but severe—and possibly underestimated—complications have been reported with this approach. Indeed, the blind passage of the needle in the retro-pubic space can result in injuries to other organs than the bladder, in particular the urethra, vessels, nerves and bowel.
To avoid these complications, alternate approaches with a pre-pubic or transobturator passage of the tape have been developed and continence rates obtained with these routes have been roughly similar to those after the 'classic' retro-pubic TVT. In the transobturator technique described by Delorme et al., Prog. Urol., 11:1306-13, 2001, the tape is inserted through the obturator foramens from outside to inside (in extenso from the thigh folds towards underneath the urethra).
Even though the transobturator outside-in TVT technique is claimed to be a safe procedure, it may occasion urethra and bladder injuries, as reported by Hermieu et al., Prog. Urol, 13:115-117, 2003.
The main differences between the present invention and U.S. Published patent application No. 2002/0099260 relate to:
Published patent application No. 2002/0099260 describes a tape made of polypropylene coated in its central region with a substance, such as silicone, which region is intended to be inserted in close vicinity with the urethra and is capable of preventing any adhesion of the surrounding tissues with the tape. The coating of the tape is intended to allow subsequent surgical re-intervention, such as implantation of an artificial sphincter.
One of the objects of the present invention is to restore a fixed bearing-point at the posterior aspect of the urethra, at the border between its middle and inferior thirds. The tape according to the present invention is made, along its entire length, of mono-filament or multi-filament knitted polypropylene. This type of material has been used for several decades for surgical hernia repair, cardiac and vascular surgery, and plastic surgery, for example. This non-absorbable material will be colonized with connective tissue, including fibroblasts, hence allowing the integration of the implant in the tissues. The tape, in the present invention, can be made of synthetic or biological material.
In published patent application No. 2002/0099260, the non-adherent portion of the tape, in its central part, leaves, between the tape and the urethral wall, a space that may favor infection and erosion problems. The literature has described these phenomena of erosion and infection, encountered in 3% of implanted silicone-coated artificial sphincters and, more frequently, when silicone tapes are employed (Duckett, J. R. and Constantine, G.: Complications of silicone sling insertion for stress urinary incontinence., J. Urol. 163(6):1835-1837, 2000).
2. The Operative Technique and the Surgical Instruments Employed.
According to published patent application No. 2002/0099260, after a median vaginal wall incision is made at the level of the middle third of the urethra, the lower internal part of each obturator foramen is identified by a finger slipped into the vaginal incision and an incision is made in the groin skin, so as to form an orifice through which an Emmet needle is then passed from outside to inside (in extenso from the groin folds towards underneath the urethra).
Another of the stated objects of the present invention lies in the fact that the design of the invented surgical tools allows the accurate, safe and reproducible placement of the tape from inside to outside (in extenso from underneath the urethra towards the folds of the thighs). The inventive surgical technique of the present invention does not require any marking of the obturator foramens. The original and specific design of the inventive surgical tools of the present invention, which are spiral-shaped with a lag between the initial and terminal ends of the tools, permits to reliably locate, prior to the passage of the needles, their skin exit points at the groin folds. With the inventive tools of the present invention, the exit points are always located above a horizontal line at the level of the urethral meatus line, and one to three centimeters outside the groin folds.
Contrary to the surgical devices of the present invention, EMMET or DOYEN needles are long needles with variable curve angles, but only in one plane. The same EMMET or DOYEN needle is used for passing the tape through both obturator foramens and the operator needs to guide the needle with his fingers, which renders the passage of the needle less accurate and reproducible.
The inventive tools of the present invention are pairs of instruments, specific for each side. The terminal end of the needles is brought into contact with the upper part of the ischio-pubic branches. At this moment, a simple rotation movement, while keeping the handle of the instrument parallel with the sagittal axis of the vulvar slit, allows the precise exit of the needles. Thus, the operative technique described is much safer. The vaginal wall is carefully dissected under visual control. It is impossible to damage the urethra and the bladder since the needles are directly passed from the perineal to the obturator regions, and then to groin folds, running away from the pelvis. Thus a cystoscopy is not necessary.
The passage of the needles described in published patent application No. 2002/0099260 is different, since the needles cross the levator ani muscles, which belong to the pelvic region. With the technique of the needle's passage described in published patent application No. 2002/0099260, a risk of bladder and urethra perforation subsists.
There have been reports of three patients in whom a sub-urethral tape has been inserted according to the method detailed in published patent application No. 2002/0099260 who developed a subsequent urethral fistula. The treatment of the urethral fistula in two of these patients resulted in complete urinary incontinence. In addition, two patients in whom the insertion of a sub-urethral tape according to the method detailed in published patent application No. 2002/0099260 has resulted in the occurrence of a bladder perforation.
3. The Anatomical Concepts of the Proposed-Surgery.
In published patent application No. 2002/0099260, it is stated that the tape is passed between the Alban fascia and the peri-urethral fascias. For many authors in the scientific literature, the Alban fascia merely represents a dissection plane and does not correspond to any anatomical structure. At the middle third of the posterior aspect of the urethra, the urethral wall is intimately fused with the anterior wall of the vagina. At that location, no specific aponeurosis exists. In particular, the median perineal aponeuris is always lacking as described by L. Testut in G. Doin, editor, Traité d'Anatomie Humaine, Volume 5, ed. 8, Paris, 1931, pp. 460-461.
4. The Physio-Pathological Aspects of Female Incontinence.
By the present invention the function of the tape is to create a median perineal aponeurosis at the posterior aspect of the urethra and to restore at the middle third of the posterior urethra the fixed bearing point that has been previously reported in the literature by de Leval J., in Acta Urol Belg. 52(1):147, 1984. At page 32, it is written that "our works have identified a fixed point, which is a genuine pivot of contraction, from which two segments must be distinguished, one superior, and the other inferior. The anatomical correspondence of this point of confluence is the median perineal aponeurosis".
A new variety of specific surgical instruments, comprising spirally-shaped, tube-supporting needles, arrow-like tubes, and a introducer, have now been manufactured to perform a new surgical method of treatment of female urinary incontinence, which consists in creating a tension-free inside-out transobturator urethral suspension.
The metallic spirally-shaped, tube-supporting needles are pairs of instruments, specific for the left and right sides. The 'tube-supporting' needles are stainless steel instruments comprising a spirally shaped section and a handle. The spiral section comprises an open circular segment having a 3 cm radius terminated by two linear segments. On a horizontal plane perpendicular to the handle's axis, the gap between the extremities of the spiral section is 2 cm.
The element supported by the "tube-supporting" needle is a high-density polyethylene tube with a sharp pointed distal end. It bears a lateral opening, which allows the insertion of the 'tube-supporting', needle's spiral segment into its lumen. The proximal end of the tube is opened and bound to the tape in its inner portion. A non-absorbable mono-filament polypropylene tape exactly similar to the one used for 'classic' retro-pubic TVT (Gynecare-Ethicon, Somerville, N.J., USA) is used.
The instrument called the 'introducer' is a stainless steel device that comprises two segments: a proximal tubular hollow segment and a distal, semi-circular, 7 cm-long gutter. The introducer acts as a shoe-horn to ease, without danger, the slipping in of the needle, introduced alongside the gutter, from the perineal space through the obturator foramen.
The other surgical instruments needed to carry out the procedure are: a No 3 knife handle with a pointed blade, two Christophe grips, one anatomical forceps with teeth, one pair of fine scissors with a curved end, one pair of Mayo scissors, two 16 cm-long Allis clamps, one 18 cm-long Babcock forceps, one needle-holder, one 16 French Foley catheter, one Vicryl 3/0 suture.
The surgical procedure is generally carried out under spinal anesthesia but may also be performed under general or local anesthesia.
Two grams of third-generation cephalosporin are administered intravenously at the time of anesthesia induction, followed by 1 gram repeated 8 and 16 hours after the procedure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to perform a surgical method for treating female urinary incontinence, the method including the steps of identifying a surgical exit point on a horizontal line above the urethral plane where a surgical needle will exit at a thigh of a patient, making an incision of the vaginal wall, performing a para-urethral dissection towards the ischio pubic ramus while avoiding a perforation of the vaginal wall, rotating the surgical needle around the ischio pubic ramus, and penetrating the previously identified surgical exit point from inside the patient with a tip of the surgical needle.
In is another object of the present invention to use a surgical needle in treating female urinary incontinence, the surgical needle including a handle, a straight section having two ends, one end of said straight section being connected to said handle, and a spiral section having two ends, one end of said spiral section being connected at a junction to the other end of said straight section, the other end of said spiral section being a free end terminating in a tip.
These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of the intended advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent when reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
By the surgical procedure of the present invention, the patient is first placed in the gynecological position, legs on stirrups and thighs in hyperflexion. The patient's buttocks (i) reach the edge of the table. The operative field is cleaned with a standard antiseptic agent and draped with multiple drapes rather than a single trousers-shaped drape, with care being taken to keep the groin folds in the operative field. Labia minor (j) are suspended by fixation to the skin with nylon suture a few centimeters above the vulvar ostium, inside the thigh folds, in order to expose the vulva, keeping the groin folds (k) in the operative field. A 16 Fr Foley catheter is inserted into the bladder.
The points (m) where the needles will exit at the skin level are identified by tracing a horizontal line at the level of the urethral meatus (n). The exit points are located approximately 1 to 3 centimeters and preferably 2 centimeters above this line, and outside the thigh folds at a distance of 1-4 cm, and preferably 2 cm (see
The anterior vaginal wall is suspended with two Allis clamps on either side of the midline, 1 cm proximally to the urethral meatus. A median sagittal incision of the vaginal wall is started at this level and is continued proximally (towards the vaginal pouches) over a 1 cm distance (
One Allis clamp grasps right minor and major labia while another Allis clamp holds the left margin of the sub-urethral vaginal incision, to clearly expose the most posterior aspect of the right vulvar vestibulum. Fine dissection scissors are introduced through the blade-initiated dissection path, and then further, with a 45° angle relatively to the urethral sagittal plane, towards the upper part of ischio-pubic ramus (
Once the upper part of the ischio-pubic ramus is reached and bone contact is perceived, the right obturator membrane is perforated with the tips of the scissors, which are then slightly opened. During the dissection, bleeding can occur but is never important and only occasionally requires a blood-aspirating device. The introducer is then pushed in the pre-formed dissection pathway until it reaches and perforates the obturator membrane. The open side of the introducer's gutter must be facing the operator (
The same technique is applied to the left side, with care being taken not to twist the tape. When both tubes have been extracted through the skin incisions, the ends of the tape are cut. The tape is then aligned under the junction between the mid and distal urethra and the tension of the tape is adjusted by exerting a traction on its two ends and by interposing a pair of scissors between the tape and the urethra so as to leave a space avoiding any tension of the tape. The plastic sheaths are then removed simultaneously (
Four different specifically designed surgical needles are used to slide in the sub-urethral tape through the obturator foramens (o). The in-out transobturator passage of the needle 4 is shown in
The four instruments share a common aspect (see
The four surgical needles comprise a flat spiral section 4, with a definite diameter, attached to a vertical section 3 by a junction 6 as shown in
In the "string-passing" needle of
Alternatively, the upper B and lower A segments of the instrument can be built as one unique segment, without junction parts.
In the 'tube-passing' needle of
Alternatively, the upper B and lower A segments of the instrument can be built as one unique segment, without junction parts.
In the 'tube-supporting' needle of
The lower segment A of the device comprises a 5-15 cm, preferably 10-cm handle 1 secured to the upper segment B of the device with a set screw 2. The upper segment B of the device, which has a 2-5 mm, preferably 3 mm diameter, comprises a 4.5-17.6 cm, preferably 11.8-cm flat spiral section 4 attached to a 5-15 cm, preferably 9-cm vertical section 3. The flat spiral segment of the 'tube-supporting' needle is in general 0.4-1.5 cm, preferably 0.7 cm shorter than the spiral section of the 'string-passing' or 'tube-passing' needles. The flat spiral section is an open, spirally shaped, nearly circular segment, whose distal extremity or tip 5″ is flat. The flat spiral section may comprise two 1-3.5 cm, preferably 2-cm linear segments 8 and 9.
Alternatively, the upper B and lower A segments of the instrument can be built as one unique segment, without junction parts.
The element supported by the 'tube-supporting' needle as shown in
It is possible that removal of the segment of the tape that passes through the adductor muscles would cause less post-operative pain. To avoid this possibility, the tape length would be reduced to approximately 12 centimeters. Both ends of the tapes would be attached to a nylon suture, creating a loop at the tape's ends, and ending as a single string at its distal extremity.
To improve the device shown in
a) either include the nylon suture in the sheath over an approximate 18 cm distance (
b) or make the tube approximately 18 cms longer (
The surgical procedure using the device of
In the 'needle-holder' device, as shown in
The lower segment A of the device comprises a 5-15 cm, preferably 10-cm handle 1 secured to the upper segment 3 of the device with a set screw 2. The upper segment B of the device is divided into two elements: the vertical section 3 and the spiral section 4. The vertical section comprises, at its distal end 24, a slot 26 in which the proximal end of the spiral section 4 of the needle shown in
Pin 30 is inserted in slot 28 by movement of a section 34 of vertical section 3 as shown in
The spiral section of the 'needle-holder' needle, to which the tape is attached, can be displaced from its supporting handle once it has been passed through the obturator orifice and the skin by means of one single rotational movement from inside (underneath the urethra) to outside (the groin folds).
To perform the tension-free inside-out transobturator urethral suspension one may also use a needle-holder as shown in
Modifications of the string-passing needle and of the tape: the last five centimeters 50 of the string-passing needle as shown in
In another example, as shown in
Once the pre-passage has been formed by the scissors in the obturator membrane, from underneath the urethra towards the ischio-pubic ramus, one may encounter some difficulty to slip in the needle of these newly designed devices through this pre-passage. An instrument, called the 'introducer', as shown in FIGS. 9A-9C, may ease the passage of the needles in the perineal region, towards the obturator membranes. This instrument, which is 9-15 cm, and preferably 11 cm long, comprises two segments: a proximal 2-7 cm, and preferably 4 cm long, 3-6 mm, and preferably 4 mm diameter, tubular segment 34 and a distal, semi-circular, 5-11 cm, and preferably 7-cm long, 3-6 mm, and preferably 4-mm diameter, gutter g. The gutter of the introducer is brought into contact with the upper part of the ischio-pubic ramus. The needles are introduced alongside the gutter, which plays the role of a shoe-horn to ease the slipping in of the needle towards the obturator foramen.
When the 'string-passing' (
On both sides, a string or a tube is attached to the tip of each 'string-passing' or 'tube-passing' needle, respectively. The needle, together with the string or the tube, is rotated back towards the sub-urethral vaginal opening. A synthetic (or biological) tape, which is commonly but not exclusively made of polypropylene, is then tightened to the string or to the tube at its urethral side. The tape is then slipped in from inside to outside, on both sides, by pulling the string or the tube from its skin end.
The same technique can be applied when the 'tube-supporting' (
Whichever needle design used, once the procedure has been completed, the tape is correctly positioned underneath the mid-urethra with care being taken not to twist or deform the tape as a cord. No tension has to be exercised on the ends of the sling so that a space remains between the tape and the posterior aspect of the urethra. The introduction of a pair of scissors in the interstice can readily control this space between the urethra and the tape.
Whenever the tape is wrapped in plastic sheaths, these wrappings have to be removed once the tape has been passed through on each side. The tape is cut at the level of the skin exit points without any further fixation. The vaginal and skin incisional wounds are closed with sutures.
The 'straight tube-supporting' needle shown in
A total of 107 patients were consecutively operated on using the above-detailed surgical procedure. Surgery was carried out under spinal, general, and local anesthesia in 82, 24, and 1 cases, respectively.
Mean age of the patients was 62±12.6 years (median=62 years; range=29-88) and mean parity was 2.54±1.7 (median=2.5; range=0-9). Seventeen patients (15.9%) had been operated previously for incontinence and/or vaginal prolapse.
Most patients (n=74; 69.2%) suffered from typical symptoms of SUI, documented by detailed history, physical examination, endoscopic assessment and urodynamic testing. Ulmsten's test was positive in every case. The other patients (n=33; 30.8%) had associated pelvic organ prolapse. In this group, 45.4% of the patients had genuine SUI and 54.6% had potential SUI.
All patients had a follow-up visit at one month after surgery, with detailed interview, clinical examination, urine analysis, and postvoid residual determination.
The procedure was carried out in all 107 consecutive case subjects, independently of the patient's size and weight. Each of the 214 needles was passed through the obturator foramens and exited at the skin level exactly where it had been marked and incised.
Mean operative time was 14 min (median=13; range=7-20) in case of isolated SUI treatment. Patients with TVT operations only were hospitalized for a mean of 1.8 days (range 0.5-8 days).
No major peri- or post-operative complication was encountered. No injury to the urethra, bladder, nerves or bowel was noted. Significant (>100 mL) intra-operative bleeding did not occur. In none of the cases was the vaginal wall perforated during the operation. No ecchymose or hematoma was noticed after the procedure.
Only few and minor complications were observed. Postoperative minor vaginal erosion was noted in one patient. Three patients (2.8%) had complete retention; two of them had undergone associated prolapse surgical treatment. In these patients, a tape release procedure was carried out in the immediate postoperative period with local anesthetic injection and intravenous sedation as needed. No tape required to be sectioned. None of the patients who underwent a tape release procedure developed incontinence or fistula.
Seventeen patients (15.9%) complained directly after the procedure that they had moderate pain or discomfort in the thigh folds. This symptom usually abated within 2 days and was in all cases controlled by nonopioid antalgics. In 2 patients (1.9%), more severe pain persisted for one week and was associated with hip arthralgia, probably as a result of the gynecological position during the procedure.
Superficial vein thrombosis occurred in one patient developed at day 8 after surgery, with secondary development of an abscess that required drainage. Evolution of this patient was favorable. Since the occurrence of this adverse event, care was taken to prophylactically administer powerful antibiotics in all patients undergoing the surgical treatment.
This analysis mainly focuses on the reproducibility and early complication rates associated with the newly developed surgical procedure and tools of the present invention. At one month after the procedure, the postoperative evaluation showed that 95 of the 107 patients (88.8%) were cured of SUI. Another 8 patients (7.5%) were improved and there were 4 failures (3.7%). Patients not cured by the procedure were incontinent directly after the procedure. A few patients (n=9; 8.4%) exhibited de novo urgency at 1 month after the intervention. At the opposite, some patients (n=33; 30.8%) who had urgency before the operation noted a reduction in the importance of this symptom after the procedure.
The foregoing description should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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American President
Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)
Facts at a Glance
- Term
- 8th President of the United States (1837–1841)
- Born
- December 5, 1782, Kinderhook, New York
- Nickname
- "The Little Magician," "The Red Fox of Kinderhook"
- Education
- Kinderhook Academy (graduated 1796)
- Religion
- Dutch Reformed
- Marriage
- February 21, 1807, to Hannah Hoes (1783–1819)
- Children
- Abraham (1807–1873), John (1810–1866), Martin (1812–1855), Winfield Scott (1813), Smith Thompson (1817–1876)
- Career
- Lawyer
- Political Party
- Democrat
- Writings
- Inquiry into the Origin and Course of Political Parties in the United States (1867); The Autobiography of Martin Van Buren (1920), ed. by John C. Fitzpatrick
- Died
- July 24, 1862, Kinderhook, New York
- Buried
- Kinderhook Cemetery, Kinderhook, New York
- A Life in Brief
- Martin Van Buren said that the two happiest days of his life were his entrance into the office of President and his surrender of the office. While his political opponents were glad to see him go—they nicknamed him "Martin Van Ruin"—many Americans were not. More »
Essays on Martin Van Buren and His Administration
- Martin Van Buren
- A Life in Brief
- Life Before the Presidency
- Campaigns and Elections
- Domestic Affairs
- Foreign Affairs
- Life After the Presidency
- Family Life
- The American Franchise
- Impact and Legacy
- Key Events
- First Lady
- Angelica Van Buren
- Vice President
- Richard M. Johnson (1837–1841)
- Secretary of State
- John Forsyth (1837–1841)
- Secretary of War
- Joel R. Poinsett (1837–1841)
- Postmaster General
- Amos Kendall (1837–1840)
- John M. Niles (1840–1841)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- Levi Woodbury (1837–1841)
- Attorney General
- Benjamin F. Butler (1837–1838)
- Felix Grundy (1838–1839)
- Henry D. Gilpin (1840–1841)
- Secretary of the Navy
- Mahlon Dickerson (1837–1838)
- James K. Paulding (1838–1841)
Consulting Editor: Joel Silbey
Professor Silbey is the President White Professor of History, Emeritus at Cornell University. His writings include:
The American Political Nation, 1838–1893 (Stanford University Press, 1991)
Respectable Minority: the Democratic Party in the Civil War Era 1860–1868 (W. W. Norton & Co (Sd), 1977)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center's Martin Van Buren speech collection.
Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Martin Van Buren.
Watch Ted Widmer's 2006 presentation at the Miller Center on Martin Van Buren: The Original Party Boss.
Learn more about the Center's National Commission on the Vice Presidency and its relationship to Van Buren.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library, designed to help students and scholars conduct their research quickly.
Information on Martin Van Buren's Private and Public Papers
The Miller Center is committed to presenting the most accurate information on our American Presidents. Please make a gift to the Miller Center Foundation today. Your gift will ensure free access to American President for thousands of students, teachers and individuals who wish to learn more about the leaders whose contributions shaped our great country.


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Need a way to take payments through your website? Having trouble getting a merchant account? Not happy with PayPal? Now there's another solution. It's been rumored for a long time and now Google has finally launched Google checkout. Google's aim according to CEO Eric Schmidt is to make it faster and easier to buy products advertised on Google.
The concept of an online wallet is hardly new and it's been expected Google would do this for awhile joining companies like Microsoft, AOL, and Yahoo. Among online wallets only PayPal has ever attracted widespread use though I suspect Checkout will gain enough traction given its wide user base.
Google Checkout For Merchants
Google will be displaying a small shopping cart icon next to the url of any store that accepts Google Checkout in their search results. Something that will no doubt cause anyone who signs up for Checkout to become a more loyal Google user. The icons don't seem to be appearing at the moment I'm writing, but most likely will start to show up soon and there is already a list of merchants who have signed up to accept payments through the new system.
Sites will display the Google Checkout button above on their sites when it's time to pay. Merchants will be charged 20 cents plus 2% of the purchase price to process the transaction, a much better rate than PayPal currently charges.
Merchant will also receive an additional benefit of Google waiving some of the transaction fees if they buy ads through AdWords. For every $1 spent on advertising Google will waive the fees on $10 worth of transactions which will essentially mean a 20% savings on advertising. That alone will probably be enough to get merchants to sign up for the service, though it could also result in a backlash among AdWords users not wanting to add Checkout to their sites.
Google Checkout For Consumers
New users will need to fill out the typical shopping cart information while returning users will simply have to login with their Google Account username and password as a way of one click shopping. Google will also provide fraud protection to ensure no one else can spend money on your account.
Checkout will allow you to see all of your purchases, track deliveries, and contact merchants all through a single page at Google, where you will be able to manage the details of your account. You'll be able to store several credit cards as well as shipping addresses. The one page management will offer consumers convenience as will having to remember a single username and password for shopping since all is done through Google instead of the individual merchant sites.
If you choose, Google will not share your full credit card number with any merchant and even allow you to keep your email address hidden to reduce the number of spam email offers you get. More people will undoubtely trust Google to protect their data as well as the trasnaction itself over the multitide of online stores they may shop. Of course many will stil be concerned with Google themselves having all this information given the overwhelming amount of information they already have about most of of us.
Checkout And PayPal
The comparisons to PayPal will be obvious especially given the alliance between PayPal owner eBay and Yahoo. On the same day the alliance was announced Google registered the googlecheckout.com domain, though the service is actually located at checkout.google.com. While the comparisons will be coming there are some differences in the services.
Google will not include the ability to transfer money to and from checking accounts. Nor will you be able to send money from one Checkout member to another. Both of those are big reasons PayPal has been so successful. The lower rates and the advertising savings to merchants are clearly in Google's favor and from the looks of the system the simplicity may make Checkout an option consumers like. There have always been issues with PayPal's system given the ease of getting an account and horror stories abound of people getting ripped off using PayPal.
With all the information stored at Google instead of individual merchants I supect consumers will trust the service more, especially with the fraud protection and the ability to keep credit card and email information private. Private at least from everyone but Google and there are many who already believe Google has far too much of our information stored as it is.
Whatever you think though, about Google, it's good bet that you'll be seeing more and more Checkout buttons on sites and shopping cart icons on search results in the near future. The benefit to merchants is certainly good enough to get them on board and Google's large base of users should be enough to get consumers to sign up. Being able to use Checkout at Google stores like Google video will be another incentive as will the typical ease of use of many things Google.
It will be interesting to see where Google takes Checkout and whether it will add some PayPal features over time. Will we start to see Google become more of a direct seller with Google Base, which has long been rumored as a way to compete directly with eBay. Hmm? Consumers will be able to search and advertise with Google instead of Yahoo, make purchases with Checkout instead of PayPal, and maybe in time buy direct from Google Base instead of eBay.
Download a free sample from my book, Design Fundamentals.


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By Robert Carnes
Despite retiring as the University of Georgia's head athletic trainer 15 years ago, Warren Morris continues to make contributions to the field of sports medicine.
Morris, 77, spent the majority of his professional life finding solutions to problems. The most recent problem he addressed was keeping ice on an injured foot or ankle without limiting mobility.
The solution is the Morris Boot.
"The Boot is unique," said Morris. "There is nothing else like it."
Simply enough, the Boot is a giant bag that contains two separate compartments to store ice. This design allows injured athletes to move about without spilling any of the contents.
"My wife originally came up with the idea," said Morris. "She witnessed the mess that ice bags make and wanted to fix that."
Leaking ice and limited mobility caused by traditional methods discouraged athletes from keeping ice on injuries. Healing cannot begin until swelling subsides, meaning that a lack of ice can prolong the recovery from a sporting injury.
Debbie Morris was a trainer at Northwestern University and the head women's athletic trainer at the University of South Carolina.
To sell the product, Warren and Debbie founded Morris Technologies in their hometown of Bozeman, Mt.
Something that started as a good idea has quickly become an effective tool of the trade.
"This product works effectively at all levels of athletics," said Morris. "There are so many uses for the Boot and we haven't even found them all yet."
For nearly 30 years, Morris served as medicine man for Bulldog student-athletes. In 1965, then athletic director Joel Eaves hired Morris to replace former head trainer Dick Copas who was turning his attention to the position of head golf coach.
During his time at the University of Georgia, Morris became known as one of the foremost athletic trainers in the country. He was awarded the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine Distinguished Trainer Award in 1986 and was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 1981.
He retired from his position at the University in 1995.
"The advantage I gained while working at Georgia was the people I met in all different sports," said Morris. "These were the same people I talked to when developing the Boot."
To finalize the product, Morris traveled the country, testing prototypes with a number of athletic trainers, continually making improvements and adjustments.
"The product has been very well received by sports medicine clinics and meetings," said Morris. "We've received a lot of positive feedback."
Prior to his arrival in Athens, Morris worked as an assistant trainer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for eight years. The Boone, Iowa, native graduated from the University of Northern Iowa where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track.
After all these years, Morris shows no signs of slowing.
"Morris Industries is working as we speak," said Morris. "We have a couple more ideas to address different issues in sports injuries."


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The Dr. Lorraine Marchi/NAVH Client Assistance Program at Lighthouse International is offering a brighter future for people with vision loss.
The new program was dedicated several weeks before Dr. Marchi passed away in February.
Last year, the Lighthouse acquired the National Association for Visually Handicapped (NAVH), which Dr. Marchi founded in 1954, after learning that public schools lacked large-print textbooks needed by her son, who is visually impaired. After printing and distributing them herself, she added services, including support groups to help people cope with the emotional difficulties vision loss often leaves in its wake.
Depression, along with emotions such as anxiety, anger and frustration, are quite common. These can be formidable challenges for anyone; until they're addressed, they can also impede a person's ability to benefit from low vision and rehabilitation services, which are designed to restore confidence and independence. That's why it's so important to provide counseling, support groups and social services that help people adjust, express their feelings and share their experiences with others. This program, which continues Dr. Marchi's legacy, also provides access to a network of additional services and helpful resources our clients may need when they take their initial steps toward rehabilitation.
If vision loss is interfering with your quality of life, or that of a loved one, call us at (800) 829-0500 or visit lighthouse.org.
Photo caption: From left, Executive Vice President Ted Francavilla, Deborah Marchi, and President and CEO Mark G. Ackermann with the late Dr. Lorraine Marchi, seated


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- Blog - http://www.chelseagreen.com/blogs -
Energy Descent: The Future Will Not Look Like the Past
Posted By dpacheco On May 18, 2009 @ 9:25 pm In Science, Nature & Environment | No Comments
In Future Scenarios [1], permaculture co-originator and leading sustainability innovator David Holmgren [2] outlines four scenarios that bring to life the likely cultural, political, agricultural, and economic implications of peak oil and climate change, and the generations-long era of "energy descent" that faces us.
Whether a total societal collapse, a future marked by increased energy use hand-in-hand with as-yet-devised technological advances, or something in between, all we know for sure is that the post-peak future won't look like the past, and it won't look like the present. Whether that's for the best remains to be seen.
From In These Times [3]:
The human mind almost seems hard-wired to expect the future to resemble the past. While this may be an artifact of our evolutionary history that served our ancestors well, in the complex and rapidly changing world we have created, it could prove a fatal blind spot.
David Holmgren has been considering the possibility of our civilization falling victim to our own growth for the better part of four decades. With fellow Australian Bill Mollison, he originated the permaculture movement in the 1970s, aimed at bringing the design of human societies in line with natural systems. In his new book, Future Scenarios: How Communities Can Adapt to Peak Oil and Climate Change (Chelsea Green Publishing, March), he suggests that the fast converging crises of peak oil and climate change may lead to a future far different from our past—a future of less energy, less complexity and more locally focused lives.
In the end, the importance of this book is not so much in its descriptions of or prescriptions for energy descent. Rather, its importance lies in the insistence that we set aside our conviction that the future will look like the past. The emerging evidence of climate and energy science suggests that it won't.
Since Future Scenarios went to press late last year, the global economic crisis has deepened and desperate measures have been implemented to revive an economic regime predicated upon cheap, abundant energy and infinite growth. That we might need to fundamentally change course in an era constrained by the effects of climate change and decreasing energy abundance finds no place in policy discussions.
Yet it's become increasingly clear that our present course is unsustainable. One needn't accept the direst of Holmgren's scenarios to see the wisdom in rethinking our assumptions and planning for a different, and more difficult, future.
Read the whole article here. [3]
Related Articles:
Article printed from Blog: http://www.chelseagreen.com/blogs
URL to article: http://www.chelseagreen.com/blogs/energy-descent-the-future-will-not-look-like-the-past/
URLs in this post:
[1] Future Scenarios: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/future_scenarios:paperback
[2] David Holmgren: http://www.chelseagreen.com/authors/david_holmgren
[3] In These Times: http://inthesetimes.com/article/4423/rethinking_the_future
[4] Transition or Trauma? Carolyn Baker Reviews Future Scenarios: http://www.chelseagreen.com/blogs/transition-or-trauma-carolyn-baker-reviews-future-scenarios/
[5] Energetic and Ecological Foundations of Human History: http://www.chelseagreen.com/blogs/energetic-and-ecological-foundations-of-human-history/
[6] Future Scenario: Green Tech and Distributed Powerdown: http://www.chelseagreen.com/blogs/future-scenarios-excerpt/
Click here to print.


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The Knoxville News Sentinel reported last week that black bears are thriving in and around the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. The bears were reintroduced to the area two decades ago after their numbers were decimated by unregulated hunting and adverse habitat changes.
The report is not surprising. The black bear population here in Northeast Tennessee has reached a 100-year high, which means more bears are showing up on backyard patios and even in busy commercial districts.
The number of bear sightings is likely to increase. That's why the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency encourages homeowners to know the "bear facts" when it comes to discouraging these and other wild critters from paying them a visit this spring.
The first thing to remember is never to feed bears, or any other wild animal. Doing so causes them to lose their instinctive fear of humans, turning them into nuisance animals that are unpredictable and dangerous when they encounter people.
Bears, as well as raccoons, have been known to damage bird feeders and garbage cans in pursuit of a meal. Residents should make sure they dispose of their garbage in containers that are sealed tightly. Garbage left outdoors in plastic bags only serves as a dinner invitation to hungry critters.
Never leave pet food in a place where roaming wildlife can get at it. Keep dog and cat food in sealed containers and don't leave pet food unattended outdoors.
This is also a good time to remind pet owners to have their animals vaccinated for rabies. Rabies is most commonly found in raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes. The raccoon strain is generally considered to be the most dangerous because raccoons are more likely than other rabies carriers to come into contact with people and their pets.
For more information on dealing with bears, visit the TWRA Region IV website at www.twraregion4.org or call the TWRA Region IV office at 587-7037.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 8, 2011 - RemedyTeas announced a voluntary recall of 20 lbs of Peppermint Organic Herbal Tea produced by Aromatics Inc., Basin City, WA, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis. For more information on Salmonella, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov1 or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
For more information visit the FDA Site :


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AUBURN, Mass. — Auburn town officials have been hard at work putting emergency plans in place for Friday's blizzard to ensure the safety of residents, said Town Manager Julie Jacobson in an advisory message.
In anticipation of the storm, Jacobson, Auburn's school superintendent, emergency management director and public safety officials have developed a storm preparedness plan to mitigate the impacts of the storm.
In addition to updates on Auburn's website, the town will be using its emergency notification system, CodeRED, to provide emergency updates as needed throughout the storm.
Auburn residents and businesses are encouraged to sign up for CodeRED immediately by logging onto the town's website and clicking on the CodeRED logo.
The town manager added that while many land line numbers were entered into the system through CodeRED's database, residents and businesses must register additional contact information such as cell phones, email addresses, and alternative telephone numbers such as relatives or place of work.
Additionally, during the storm residents can tune into Auburn's AM radio station 1610 for storm related updates.
The town is asking residents not to park vehicles on the streets during the storm as it impedes snow clearing operations and emergency vehicles.
Further Information on shelters will be provided via CodeRED, the Town's website, ACTV, AM 1610 and on the Daily Voice if and when a shelter is activated.
Residents are also encouraged to make sure they have enough non-perishables, gas, flashlights and batteries on hand should the power go out.
Those using generators are reminded to keep them outside, well away from the home or garage. For additional safety information, visit the Fire Department website.
To report a power outage, contact NGrid Customer Service at 1-800-322-3223 (electric) or 1-800-640-1595 (gas).
To contact the Police, Fire or Public Works departments during the storm and it is not an emergency, call 508-832-7777. For emergency assistance, dial 911.
The Lorraine Gleick Nordgren Senior Center has canceled all of its programs for Friday, including lunch. There will be no WRTA van service tomorrow at the Senior Center.
Trash pickup for Friday will begin at 6 a.m. and residents are asked to have their trash curbside by 6 a.m.


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Welcome to My BlogHello, I am a International Wedding, Travel, and Humanitarian photographer based in Los Angeles. This is my photography blog.
Tag Archives: Lebanon
Top Ten Travel Photos of 2010 | Travel Photographer
Last week I shared my top ten wedding photos of 2010. This week I thought I would share my top ten travel photos taken during the same year. I might not have traveled as much as I would have liked to in 2010, but I sure traveled to two special places: Lebanon, where I lived in 2006 and a country that remains close to my heart, and Malta, my girlfriend's home country
If you know me well, you would know how much I love traveling and how instrumental that influence has been on my photography. It was a trip to Brazil in 2007 that convinced me to buy my first DSLR camera, and a trip to Guatemala a year later when I fell in love with travel photography.
When I am in a foreign country, I love walking streets, taking in the different sights, sounds, and smells. I enjoy observing people as they go by their everyday life, their ways and customs often new to me. Much beauty is to be found in such observations and I have indeed encountered beauty in the most unlikely of places, time after time on my travels. Whether it be the slums of Africa or a street engraved with history in Europe, I always spot something beautiful and inspiring.
As aforementioned, in 2010 I had the opportunity to travel to Beirut, Lebanon and Malta. I shot thousands of photos in my short two and a half weeks of travel and so it was hard to pick my favorite ten. Below is my final selection (in no particular order). Some photos focus on the lands, others on their people. I hope you enjoy the selection!
A fruit seller, photographed in Beirut, a common sight in the city.
I especially love the colors of the dilapidated apartment block in this photo,also shot in Beirut.
This young man's portrait was taken in Beirut. I was photographing a street when he stopped me and asked me to take his photo. Usually, when this happens, the photos tend to be more posed, but I find that this photo allows us to see more than just a man posing for a picture.
One of Valletta's beautiful balconies overlooking the harbor.
Preparing for night: a lantern in Mdina lit up just before sunset.
One of the many alleys I got lost in while discovering the beauty and mystery of Malta's fortified old capital city, Mdina.
This night shot of Mdina captures the romance of this city. Even the stars are noticeable on such a perfect night.
Valletta as seen from Birgu.
Birgu's harbor at night.
Thanks for going through my favorite travel shots of 2010. Please feel free to comment on your favorite.
Posted in Travel Photographer Also tagged Beirut, Humanitarian Photographer, Malta Travel Photography, Travel Photographer Leave a comment
Our Humanitarian Projects | Humanitarian Photographer
If you have followed my work for any amount of time, you most probably noticed my passion for international humanitarian media projects. My ultimate goal in business is to help NGOs in telling their stories of beauty and hope. I have started a website/blog to share these different projects that I do.
This summer my girlfriend Nathalie and I spent some time in Beirut, Lebanon visiting Iraqi refugees that have temporarily settled there as they wait for asylum elsewhere. I wanted to share a number of articles that we wrote about our time there, which also feature some photos that I was able to take during the last week. Although their situation is desperate, we sought to write stories that not only tell of their pain and hardships, but also communicate the beauty, hope, and heroism that we often witnessed in the Iraqi refugees we met. Links to the articles are provided below:
We would be honored if you read these articles. Our hearts were often broken as we listened to the Iraqis' stories, but ultimately we were blessed by the experience, our eyes and ears opened to see and hear what it really means to go through war, experience the loss that results from conflict, and find oneself uprooted and illegal in a foreign land.
Here is a gallery of the images I was able to capture on this trip:
Posted in Humanitarian Photographer Also tagged Humanitarian Photographer, Iraqi Refugees Leave a comment