text:
Unpublished or Perish
a dispute over the intellectual-property rights of a postdoctoral
researcher at RPI, the truth is murky, but the power imbalance
is clear.
Miriam Axel-Lute
Roumen Dimitrov cares about science. That much is clear.
Even though the 44-year-old scientist from Bulgaria is facing
the destruction of his career, when he starts to explain
the work he was doing at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
his eyes shine. He stops to draw a picture of strands of
RNA in solutionhe was working in bioinformatics on software
that predicts RNA conformations and melting curves. The
drawing wouldnt mean much to a layperson, but Dimitrov
sees in it great possibilities for biotechnology applications.
But then, running his fingers through his graying black
hair, he rapidly turns back to the question at hand. He
has been fired, his H1 professional visa has expired, and
he and his family must return to Bulgaria, where Dimitrov
hasnt been for 15 years.
The question of why is as complicated as RNA folding. It
hinges on technical matters of how intellectual property
is handled inside an academic lab, but at base it may be
more about the murky territory occupied by postdoctoral
Postdocs are neither students nor faculty, so their roles,
rights and responsibilities in a university are often undefined,
governed more by convention than policy. This often leaves
postdocs at the whim of domineering advisors, but also can
find advisors facing distrustful and frustrated postdocs.
Dimitrov began working in the lab of Michael Zuker, a professor
in the Mathematics Department, in January 2001. He was optimistic
that it would be a good place for him to build up the kinds
of things scientists need to advance a career: published
articles, public seminars and professional connections with
other researchers. Zuker said, If you want to do science,
we can do it together, recalls Dimitrov. I said I want
to have a scientific career, I want articles in good journals,
and Zuker said I will support you.
For a year and a half, things seemed to be going according
to plan. Dimitrov was assigned to work on a theoretical
model for RNA folding and melting curves, and to create
software that would allow that model to be tested and used.
This would be added to a suite of programs predicting the
behavior of DNA and RNA that Zuker had been developing with
colleagues and housing on his Web server.
Dimitrov took to the project with gusto, remembers his wife
Dina, who holds a doctorate in microbiology from Uzbekistan.
He never took a vacation, she says. He would work until
3 in the morning.
But in summer 2002, Dimitrov reached an impasse. The software
he created was giving wonderful resultsexcept, he said,
for a section of code contributed by Zuker. That code, called
mfold, made the program fail, or just produce wrong results,
except with very simple cases.
Soon after he told Zuker this, Zuker reassigned the programming
work to his masters students, telling Dimitrov to stop working
on his software because his role was to help [the students]
when they needed it, according to Dimitrov.
Dimitrov was stunned. If the masters students rewrote the
software, even if the underlying theory was the same, he
would no longer be considered the author under copyright
law. The masters students theses would be based on his
work, but he would be dropped out of the loop before ever
getting credit for what he did, and before any article was
published on the results. I was used, he says.
Dimitrov believes that Zuker wanted to rewrite the code
so that he would have control over it. Once he understood
the only thing that needed changing was his program, Zuker
became hostile, says Dimitrov. He wanted to expand the
program and include my part and the students [part] so
its all considered his.
Why would Zuker do this? Though getting official credit
and publication was concern number one for Dimitrov, a postdoc,
Zuker had plenty of publication credits under his belt.
But authorship can matter beyond bragging rights or résumés.
the university owns everything created by its employees,
RPI shares the profits of any commercially useful invention
with the inventor. And the program Dimitrov was working
on certainly had commercial applications. During the spring
of 2002, representatives from Integrated DNA Technologies,
a supplier of custom-synthesized DNA to biotech researchers,
visited the lab three times, talking with Dimitrov about
his work. The company was interested in licensing the program,
says Dimitrov, and the inventor would then garner in the
vicinity of 35 percent of the royalties.
Zuker tells a completely different story. He says he reassigned
the programming, reluctantly, because Dimitrovs programming
wasnt very good, and he wanted him to focus on the theory,
which was his strong point. I told him, Your programming
is not up to the standards, [but] youre quite valuable
to me for your ideas and theories, says Zuker. He can
write a program and it can compute, but no one else can
use it. . . . But hey, thats OK. A postdoc doesnt have
to be a programmer! Weve got good students who can do that.
But if the program wasnt any good, counters Dimitrov, why
did Zuker represent it as his own in seminars at the University
of Michigan, in order to form collaborations with researchers
there? And why did he previously tell Dimitrov that he was
a good programmer, whose programs were very robust? He also
says there was no reason he should be told to stop working
on his version, even if Zuker wanted to create a more commercialized
or user-friendly version.
Zuker also maintains that Dimitrovs fears about not getting
credit were unfounded. We could not have put it all together
if it had not been for things we learned from Roumen, he
says readily. There were critical gaps I couldnt figure
outhe showed me how to do that. Ill give him credit for
that. Ill say Yeah, Roumen did this.
But Zuker also acknowledges that the assigning of credit
for the software itself is a fluid thing. My student has
written new software to replace everything hes done. .
. . Its orders of magnitude better, he says. What he
[Dimitrov] shouldve done, he shouldve worked closely with
us and been extremely helpful, [then] hed get his name
on all the specialized journal [articles]. Instead I have
no intention of putting his name on anything. He blocked
us in any way he could. He gets his name on this one paper
in the Biophysical Journal.
Dimitrovs dilemma didnt come out of the blue. Across the
country, the difficult working conditions of postdocs have
been getting some attention lately. As the number of people
getting doctorate degrees outpaces the number of tenure-track
faculty positions, the number of postdocs has been rising,
and people are spending much longer in these types of positions.
Complaints about everything from pay scales to hostile work
environments to lack of access to university resources have
surfaced in numerous polls of postdocs. In March 2003, a
group of postdocs, mostly leaders of postdoc organizations
at their respective institutions, decided they needed a
coordinated national voice. They formed the National Postdoctoral
Association to advocate for better postdoc rights.
The employee nature of postdocs puts them in a unique situation,
says Alison Reed, the executive director of the NPA. Postdocs
are not faculty, not a student, not a member of staff,
theyre this nonentity.
PI [principal investigator, the head of a lab] has the person
as almost a private employee, adds Avi Spear, a molecular
neuroscientist who was one of NPAs founders. Theres often
no grievance procedure, no warning system, no form of complaint.
As an employee, all the work of a postdoc is under the control
of the advisor, or principal investigator. Faculty say this
is because the postdocs salaries are being paid out of
their own grant money.
But some think this exclusive one-on-one power structure
isnt conducive to good science. These people are budding,
talented, creative people. They should not be held at the
whim of one person who has often little management training,
says Spear. Although Spear says he doesnt have enough details
to comment on Dimitrovs case directly, he does say, There
are people who steal your ideas and steal your credit. The
postdoc has very little leg to stand on if the PI wants
to do that.
The situation is even worse for foreign postdocs, whose
visa status is dependent on their employment, and therefore
on their advisor. They can play with me because I need
a green card, says Dimitrov. The number of postdocs coming
from other countries has increased dramatically over the
past 15 years. According to a National Science Foundation
study, the number of foreign postdocs in science and engineering
rose by 8,000 from 1988 to 2000, while the number of U.S.-citizen
or permanent-resident postdocs rose by only about 1,500.
As for forcing a postdoc to turn over his project for grad
students to work on, Spear says, Its mean, its abusive,
but its allowed. What you work on in a lab is the property
of the lab. But, he adds, Its not common practice.
Dimitrov thinks its too common. Its a system problem,
he says. It smells as a business, it doesnt smell as science,
doesnt smell as equal opportunity.
are considered cheap labor without any inherent rights,
agrees one RPI postdoc who doesnt wish to be identified.
[In the United States] postdocs are [often] taken to do
grad-student work. No one ever did that for me. I had to
do it on my own.
Age discrimination also rears its head from time to time,
and was one of the nails in the coffin of Dimitrovs trust
for Zuker. When he was reassigning the programming, says
Dimitrov, Zuker told him he was too old for a career in
science and should resign himself to being a postdoc assisting
other professors. Zuker vehemently denies that he ever made
any such comments.
But others have seen that sentiment expressed among some
American faculty. I think that they think that 39 or 40
is the [limit], says the unnamed RPI postdoc. I dont
know why. I was always used to that people were rewarded
for their experience and length of time. [But] people without
experience are younger and theyre cheaper.
Within RPI, there is an atmosphere of fear among the postdocs,
especially the foreign ones, says Dimitrov.
The Dimitrovs say they know of several international postdocs
who were forced out of their positions after they had turned
data over to their advisors, but before they could publish
the results and receive the credit. Those postdocs, one
from Bulgaria, one from Brazil, one from Colombia, could
not be reached for comment since they had to return to their
home countries once their employment endedand RPI did not
keep contact information for them.
RPI administrators say such things are not happening at
RPI. Ive never heard of that happening at a place like
this, says Charles Carletta, RPIs general counsel. The
academic community at research institutionsin the U.S.
anywayhave a lot of integrity and are usually very careful
about attribution amongst themselves.
But two RPI researchers, who want to remain anonymous, say
they believe Dimitrov. One actually warned him to get out
while he could. Another said both credit stealing and age
discrimination are rampant in the United States, and Dimitrovs
was not the only case that had arisen at RPI.
Such an atmosphere could be enough on its own to make someone
in Dimitrovs position distrustful. But the conflict with
Zuker was not Dimitrovs first tangle with the system. He
had originally been hired to work in the lab of Chris Bystroff,
an assistant professor of biology. Dimitrov says that relationship
was strained from the beginning. The professor wanted complete
control, just someone to produce results for him, says
Dimitrov. He said he was constrained from doing anything
independently, and told, If you come here [to this country]
and want to stay, you have to work for me and give me everything.
Dimitrov says he was assigned to work on small problems
and gaps in Bystroffs research, and when he asked if he
would get credit for solving them, he was told emphatically
no. I need your results and what I do with it is my business,
Dimitrov says Bystroff told him.
Bystroff remembers it differently. He worked for 10 months,
he couldnt account for his time working in the lab, he
recalls. When I pressured him for some results, he was
reluctant. I assigned him some projects, he didnt work
on them. He never gave me any kind of a scientific result.
. . . [But] there was never a question that hed get credit
for what hed produced.
Dimitrov insists he did everything Bystroff asked of him,
quickly ticking off a list of projects as examples. Dimitrov
says he asked for a transfer; Bystroff says he asked him
to leave.
After their first falling out in Summer 2002, Zukers and
Dimitrovs next battle was over publishing an article about
the new theoretical model. Dimitrov, feeling credit for
the software slipping away from him, was determined to at
least have one official publication about the theoretical
model under his belt.
He found some limited experimental data for which the programs
as they stood returned good results, and wrote up an article.
Zuker said he didnt want it to be published until the code
was fixed to work more consistently for a wider range of
After much argument, however, the paper was submitted to
the Biophysical Journal on Dec. 4, 2002with Dimitrovs
name first and Zuker as a correspondence author. It is common
practice in a lab situation to add an advisors name to
anything produced within the lab. The paper was well-received
but sent back to have some deviations explained.
Those deviations also stemmed from Zukers mfold program,
says Dimitrov, and since Zuker wouldnt explain that code
to him, he eventually sat down and wrote an algorithm that
replaced the mfold program. Though it was still limited
to a specific type of case, the new algorithm worked perfectly,
Dimitrov says, for much longer strands of RNA than mfold.
I used my programs on very long sequences from the company
[IDT], and it hit them perfectly, he enthuses.
He was very excited, but since he had been told to stop
working on the program, and it appeared that Zuker didnt
want the article published until the code would be entirely
under his own copyright, Dimitrov didnt share the algorithm
with Zuker. He rewrote the article with the new results,
but didnt include the actual code there either.
The problem was, as an employee of the lab, Dimitrov was
required to share his work with the principal scientist.
Dimitrov knew this, but says at that point he was just trying
to do what he could to salvage his career. I was doing
this to survive, he says. All I wanted was evidence Id
created this.
Dimitrov sought the advice of the intellectual-property
office at RPI. They told me if you have this problem in
your lab, you should [apply for a patent]. This was RPI,
not me, insists Dimitrov. You have copyright on the code,
but they can rewrite it so its not yours, he recalls being
told by Paul Fredette, assistant director of what is now
called the Office of Technology Commercialization, so you
need to patent the whole model. Fredette says he does not
remember the specifics of his conversation with Dimitrov.
The office filed a pre-patent form for Dimitrov in April
Under U.S. patent law, who contributed what to an invention
is determined by patent officials. Distinctions of faculty,
postdoc or student do not come into play. The patent application
made Dimitrov even more determined to keep his algorithm
to himself, so he could prove to the patent officials that
he was in fact its creator. RPI, however, does own the patent
rights on anything made with significant use of RPI resources,
which Dimitrov acknowledges. He just wanted credit.
Meanwhile, the new version of the article was accepted by
the Biophysical Journal in May 2003. It has not yet
appeared in print. Zuker has requested extensions, missed
deadlines for returning proofs, and, more recently, removed
certain portions of Dimitrovs additions, because, he says,
he doesnt want a publication to go out with information
he cannot replicate. In October, the journals Web site
claimed the article would be included in Novembers issue.
As of this week, mention of it has been removed from the
site entirely.
Dimitrov fears the piece will never see the light. In fact,
when he chose to cancel a settlement with RPI this Octoberwhich
he said hed signed under intense pressureDimitrov says
that human-resources vice president Curtis Powell stated,
Now the article will never be published.
The struggle over the unrevealed code peaked this summer.
In July 2003, Zuker wrote a letter to Dimitrov, complaining
about Dimitrovs secrecy and his reluctance to work as part
of a team, and sent copies of it to six administrators.
It seems to me that your secretive behavior comes from
a false belief that you have sole intellectual-property
rights to what we have developed, the letter ends.
Finally, the chairman of the Mathematics Department, Donald
Drew, brokered an agreement. Zuker and Drew promised Dimitrov,
in writing but without the approval of human resources,
a three-year contract in return for Dimitrovs agreement
to direct Zukers masters students, so that their software
could reproduce the results Dimitrov was getting with his.
Feeling backed into a corner, Dimitrov agreed.
Dimitrov began to work with one of the computer-science
students, trying to give him the theoretical background
to understand the model he was programming for. The student,
however, said in an e-mail message to Zuker that Dimitrov
was refusing to give him his code. Dimitrov pointed out
that that was not what he had agreed to do.
On Aug. 27, Zuker and Drew showed up at Dimitrovs office
to tell him he was fired. Though they gave him the required
30-days notice, his termination letter required him to vacate
the campus that day. In fact, he was escorted from the building
by a security guard, who told him he was persona non grata
at the institution from now on.
Zuker doesnt dispute this. Why was it done in such an
abrupt manner? Why was he escorted out of the building?
he says. I wanted to look at his computer without warning
[him] so I could see the files, which was his right and
his duty to expose to me.
Dimitrov fought his firing, appealing to RPI President Shirley
Jackson for help. Jacksons office referred the matter to
Powell of human resources, who promised, in writing, an
investigation by external legal counsel. RPI hired Pattison,
Sampson, Ginsburg & Griffin, its own attorneys, to carry
out the investigation. Thats an odd definition of external
counsel, says Christina Diamante, a friend of the Dimitrovs
who attended most of their meetings with Powell.
dont use words like external and internal, says Charles
Carletta, RPIs general counsel. They requested an investigation
and we went to the firm that does our investigations.
The investigators concluded that Dimitrovs termination
was warranted, saying he had demonstrated a failure to
adhere to Rensselaers policy regarding intellectual property.
This wasnt surprising to postdoc advocate Avi Spear. Whenever
theres a dispute between a PI [principal investigator]
and a postdoc, the postdoc always gets sacked, says Spear.
Whoevers at fault is variable, but the net result is always
the postdoc gets fired.
According to Diamante, when asked about their results regarding
the charge of age discrimination, Powell said the Dimitrovs
had never brought the issue up. She denies this strenuously.
I heard them mention it, she says. I have it in my notes.
The issue was also raised in Dimitrovs letter to Jackson,
which prompted the investigation.
While he was contesting his firing, Dimitrov had also begun
to look for other work, in order to be able to stay in the
country. People with H1 professional visas have one month
after the end of a contract to get another job or their
visa expires. He had plenty of nibbles, but they all ended
in the same suspicious way. Despite a promise from Powell
to erase all black marks, employers would be initially
interested, and then suddenly turn him down after calling
RPI for references.
Powell refused to comment for this article.
In the midst of all this, Dimi- trov insists that his gripe
is not personal. His message, he says, is that there is
a systemic problemuniversities, particularly through the
institution of postdocs, are becoming more and more like
private companies, and less conducive to good science.
Powell told me I have to do what my manager is telling
me, says Dimitrov. Is this a university environment, or
a private company where Im not doing science, but moving
objects from here to there? Postdocs in this country have
no rights. We work and feel as horses, not scientists.
are just a tool, they just use you, he adds. I dont like
[that] they will do this to other people.
The NPAs approach to these problems is to advocate for
formalized, and standardized, agreements madein writingbetween
the postdoc and the advisor before they begin work. These
agreements should include the postdocs scope of work and
how credit will be assigned, as well as expectations regarding
use of institutional resources, mentoring and progress evaluations,
says Reed. Whether such an agreement would have prevented
the problems between Zuker and Dimitrov is unclear, but
it might at least have made the rules of engagement plain.
Meanwhile, the Dimitrovs are preparing to leave. They have
sold their belongings to purchase airfare back to Bulgaria,
and jumped through dozens of hoops to secure visas for Dina
and their 6-year-old daughter, who was not born in Bulgaria.
Because they had prepaid their daughters tuition for the
fall, they have no savings. Their friend Diamante has set
up a fund to help ease their transition, because employment
prospects are likely to be dim upon their return. Since
Dimitrov has been gone, the country has transitioned to
capitalism, new social systems have sprung up and most professors
he used to work with have retired. I am outside of the
system, he says. Nobody knows me. I have to start from
came here in hope, says Dina sadly, but in the end, they
closed all the doors.


text:
Sixteen boats (there were five last year!) including all the North American stars - the reigning World Champion, Peter Hall, the reigning North American Champion, Cookie Kanter, and the reigning US Champion, Peter Galloway.
North American Soling fleet
Stu Walker led the first race - in the strongest wind of the day a 12-14 knot northeasterly - from start to finish but was closely pressed by Peter H. as they approached the downwind finish. Stu came from a poor start in the second - in only slightly less wind but more holes and more shifts! - to pass his various rivals and almost catch Cookie Kanter who had taken the lead by holding left on the final run. Peter H. was third and Peter Galloway (3-4-8), who had been third in the first race, was fourth. Hans Fogh (13-5-1) - giving hope to those of us who often go the wrong way went the wrong way himself in the first race and finished thirteenth! - was fifth in the second.
The wind was down for the final race of the day - this time on a five legged, finish-to-windward, course - gradually dropping from ten knots at the start to six or seven at the finish. Hans crossed the fleet from the pin end and was never threatened thereafter - finishing several hundred feet ahead of Charlie Kamps, who had clung to Hans all around the course, and John Kennedy, who played the shifts and the stronger wind offshore perfectly to finish third. The previous leaders traded position on each leg, but on the final beat Peter H. came out of his preferred inshore position to take fourth, with Cookie, fifth, Stu sixth and Peter Galloway, eighth.
The three top boats of the first day spent the second day trying to find ways to get behind each other. Peter H. was 5-9-10, Stu was 7-12-9 and Cookie was 15-7-8! Meanwhile the fourth and fifth placed boats - Hans and Peter G., excelled.
In the early four to six knot primary sea breeze, Peter G. came off the middle of the line at top speed, tacked to cross the fleet and was never caught. Hans was second and Henry Thomas of the Annapolis fleet - who had gathered all the top local crews into one boat - was third.
The fifth race was won by Steve Bobo - who showed his Chicago know- how - in getting thru the flukey up and down again, but slightly stronger, sea breeze - easily beat Peter G, who now had a second to add to his first, and Hans who was third!
Hans finally took over the regatta by winning the sixth race - in a good 12-14 knot sea breeze - and with Peter G., fifth, led the regatta by two points. Mike Waters, the former USNA coach and local top dog, was second. And Charlie Kamps - who now had a 9-6-2-8-5-3 was third, passing both Stu and Cookie to take over fourth place.
For the finale on Sunday - in what was predicted to be a strong southwesterly - but which never exceeded 10 knots - Hans and Peter G. were 10-15 points ahead of their rivals - with the question merely being who would be first and who second? However, the first day leaders returned in force - taking three of the top four places (all within about six boat lengths of one another): Peter Hall, after driving straight from the line into the right corner, first, Cookie, second and Stu fourth, just astern of the new US Champion, Hans, in third. Peter G. had his worst race, a ninth, and squeeked out a series second by one point over Peter H. in third!
The fleet was judiciously divided in half to select a B-Fleet. Ninth place and first in B was Henry Thomas of the local fleet (12-9-10- 3-4-13-8). Second was Ross Richards from Chicago who had a fourth, a fifth, a sixth and a seventh. Third was one of the seven local boats, Mike Waters. Each member of the crew of the B-fleet champions was awarded a copy of Stu´s latest book 'The Code of Competition.'
Complete Results

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Regardless of the housing market's current state, installing clean energy systems can be an excellent way to increase your home's value. Homes equipped with solar panels, for example, sell for about 3%-4% more than they otherwise would, but this increase in value is not reflected in assessed value, so you don't have to pay higher taxes. And even if you don't plan to sell your home anytime soon, you will still get great savings on your energy bills, which also can't be taxed. Here's a blog post on the topic: http://www.energysage.com/blog/granite-countertops-or-solar-panels
It would be nice, and more accurate if these articals and prdictors would seperate into areas as oppe=ossed to lumping the nation in one pot. This is not the stock market. Real Estate activity varies in each location. ALso there are second home markets...i also see in times where the stock market is so unpredictable and manipulated people put more cash into real estate and/or renovations.
Housing demand is artificially stimulated right now. Top housing expert explains why "recovery" in major metropolitan areas is not at all as it seems http://goo.gl/ecu4h
Same story all over again. The problem is that we still have too many houses. The baby boomers are way over invested in residential real estate, and need to monitize their investment. These second and third homes along with unoccupied foreclosure properties will slowly hit the market. Best case scenario, prices will stay relatively flat (+-10%) for the next 5-10 years.
Part of the problem is that with a FHA loan with only 3.5% down, purchasing a houses acts as a real option. You pay 3.5% to make a bet on housing prices that is levered almost 30x. If prices go up, you get all of the upside when you sell your house, if prices go down, you just give the keys back. It is actually an awesome bet and you get the utility of living in the house while your bet is ongoing.
"Momentum is the tendency for prices to keep moving in the same direction." ... and to move upward at a greater pace.
we haven't seen anything yet, housing will be dead money for many years...
The real estate market has changed. In today's market, people investigate the market through internet, and many things can be done by internet. The exchange is much faster. Information is no longer limited to local agents. The market behavior has changed. Many studies in the past have not taken the information flow into account. I cannot say the bottom is reached or not, but I know the market behavior is very different from the 90s.
We are currently experiencing the "dead cat bounce" or the effects of the second round of speculators inflating the market with new money coming in. Question is how long can it last????
if sovereign debt rates that are not market clearing but only artificial to try and support growth through money printing in support of socialist economic policies is a bubble, then these low loan rates increase prices based on low payment affordability.
Should rates move up, then prices might seem less affordable.
Then again, if rates move up but inflation moves up faster (e.g. as in the 1970s), then current prices might be a bargain.
Much will hinge on the upcoming election. If Obama wins, then the failing economy may force money printing to cover government borrowing. That is certainly the call in Europe; but, who in the US wants to see the parallels?
One has to separate the home investor, from someone buying for basic shelter, a home. One is looking for both savings and appreciation. The other is only looking for cheaper than rent savings, and if appreciation comes along as well, so much the better. Survivors of the post real estate bubble, may be looking at real estate in a much different light that they did prior to the bust. That old comfortable feeling that nothing is more safe and solid as real estate is like the expression from the novel, "gone with the wind". Potential buyers are more likely to tread more carefully before investing what is for most people the largest asset purchase they ever make. But, Shiller is correct, more headwinds with a potential recession on the horizion will likely make real estate slower for the next 18 months, and we could still find the bottom is very soft in some areas.
People need jobs that are stable long-term before they can take on a 30-year mortgage. If there is no jobs recovery, then there will not be a housing recovery. Try to help as many people as you can to find a job, preferably in their field and to their liking. I bet if every employed person took on the challenge to help 1 unemployed person that they know, things could turn around much faster. We could all be better off and out of this recession. Think of ways to find unemployed people the work that they need and want.
Jobs are irrelevant. 91% of people are employed, 65% own a home. Don't believe me, do a 40 year trend analysis of unemployment and housing prices, there isn't a correlation. Owning a home is much cheaper than renting now on an after tax basis due to prices getting crushed and record low 30yr fixed interest rates while rents have not been elastic and dropped due to increased demand from foreclosures. Shiller shows how irrelevant his Index is by saying that "I just don't know". Laughable. What is the point of having an index if you can't make definitive conclusions from it?! This is why he is a professor and not making billions from RMBS trades, this guy lives in a world of theory and academia. Garbage.
" I just don't know," Shiller says. Yup, that's the truth, he doesn't. This guy predicts economics by looking in the rear view mirror. He'll be one of the last "to know".
Home are SHELTER and are not discretionary choices. The price of many homes now is below the cost of construction which is one of the reasons the uSA has had a 5 year, 50% undersupply of new homes. As usual, Shiller and fools like him will keep some people from getting into the market because he is such a fear-monger.
"How long until the momentum effect takes hold? Shiller says he'd want to see home prices continue to increase through the fall and spring before he's comfortable that it's here to stay."
by then, it will be time to say that markets are in speculative bubbles and prone to bursting.
whatever happened to equilibrium in economics? has "momentum" or "time-dependence" replaced it?
p.s. no one can predict the future.
Here is the deal. If O'Bama gets re-elected the housing recovery stalls because of all the uncertainty and huge tax increases due after January 1st., 2013. However, if Romney wins the election than consumer confidence will begin to rise with a new pro business atmosphere and the real estate market will continue to improve as the job market recovers. End of story.
Short term is uncertain, and medium term the sound of evaporating interest deductibility is in the air. It seems likely that we may have some kind of tax reform like 1986 drastically changing the investment landscape for real estate making it a risky bet. But if you can get utility out of your house, or cash flow your rental properly then it won't matter as much.
Home prices are only being propped up as high as they are by artificially low rates and FHA backing.
Total Return covers the latest personal-finance and investing news and trends, helping readers make sensible money decisions in a complex financial world.
Karen Damato
Deputy Editor,
Personal Finance


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The time to support Iran passed without our help during the Iran election crisis where the Iran Government killed and imprisoned dissenters in the thousands ,while we tepidly mumbled our objections .So now you want to send our 20 (19?) billion Dollar each B2's in (since the B1's would likely be a semi suicide run of 40% losses) to stop Iran for a short time? Then what? Whats the follow up ? Troops on the Ground and Armored Divisions from Afganistan and Iraq follow up with Saudi reinforcements (ha)? Why telegraph this possible punch at this time, when the Russians are giving them the latest in SAM Technology even Israel is not sure it could get through without a big softening up first ?
I predict that if the Democrats do come close to or actually lose either house that we will be at war with either North Korea( a torpedoed Carrier ?) or Iran prior to the 2012 election (which with the threat of WWIII ,Will Not Take place). This is likely to actually happen .
Iran bolsters friendships abroad
By Jonathan Marcus
Diplomatic correspondent, BBC News.
The US and its European allies like to see Iran as an increasingly isolated country; its economy hobbled more and more by economic sanctions and with the pressure growing weekly.
There is no doubt that Iran is to a large extent isolated from key markets and that the sanctions are beginning to act as a significant brake on its economy.
This was already in a bad way due to mismanagement and structural problems.
Iran's inability, for example, to import Western technology for its oil and gas industry is seriously reducing its ability to exploit this vital natural asset over time.
However, as this week's gathering of the Developing 8 (D8) in Nigeria shows, there is isolation and there is isolation.
Strong sympathy
Iran is no North Korea. It maintains strong economic ties with both Russia and China.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is something of a globetrotter, pursuing an active diplomacy in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans.
The D8 gathering brings together a diverse collection of countries, including a number who are significant players in their own regions - Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.
All are predominantly Muslim countries or have large Muslim populations.
While principally a trading or economic grouping, politics is never really far away and they are set to give a resounding endorsement of the need for all countries to be able to secure the benefits of peaceful nuclear energy.
This will be taken by Iran as an endorsement of its efforts to master various nuclear technologies. It insists that this is for civil, not military, purposes.
The meeting underlines the fact that many governments - especially in the developing world - still have strong sympathy for Iran's aims.
They view its battle with the United Nations Security Council over the enrichment of uranium in very different terms from those perceived in Washington and European capitals.
Dynamic diplomacy
The meeting highlights the fact too that Iran has a dynamic and active diplomacy of its own; something that is often forgotten with the focus on US coalition-building to back each new round of UN-imposed sanctions.
Mr Ahmadinejad received a warm reception from the D8 delegates At many levels Iran's diplomacy has actually been quite successful.
It recently engaged with two of the key emerging regional powers - Turkey and Brazil. They had intervened to try to find a compromise deal that would enable the fuelling of a research reactor in Iran used to produce medical isotopes.
The US and its supporters would argue that it is wrong to see its differences with Iran as a battle between Tehran and the West.
It is, after all, the demands of the UN - the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Security Council - with which Iran is failing to comply.
But that is not how it is seen in many parts of the world and Mr Ahmadinejad's warm reception among the D8 is evidence that many still have a very different view of Iran and its nuclear struggles.
HISTORY SHOWS US BY ALL MEANS TO PREVENT OTHER NPT-MEMBER MIDEAST NATIONS TO GIVE UP their RIGHTS TO NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY SUCH LIBYA, SIRIA, JORDAN AND UAE AND IRAQ WITH FAKE WMD PROPAGANDA, CONCERN ABOUT PAKISTAN-CHINA NUCLEAR REATOR SALES, SHOWING REGRETS IN A CALL FOR NUKES FREE MIDEAST AT LAST NPT TALKS AGAINST ISRAEL, WHILE SUPPORTING NON NPT MEMBER ISRAEL ITS NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY UNDER THE MOTTO US IS COMMITED FULLY TO ISRAEL'S SECURITY.
Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Mr. Geithner said the move would help reassure foreign countries — big buyers of U.S. debt – that Washington was serious about reining in deficits as the crisis eases.
"I do not believe it will have a negative effect on growth," Mr. Geithner said of the tax plan, which would require congressional approval.
And THAT is what this whole exercise is seeming-stupidity is REALLY all about!
From the beginning, the "stimulus" was meant to reimburse foreign banks and governments who had bought boarderline-fraudulant MBS and other instruments from our Wall Street firms.
Now the effort is to convince foreign sovereigns and lenders that the USA will ACTUALLY be able to pay them back on the continued borrowing of the Obama Administration. Nowhere in this will you find any action whatever to assist the American Citizen with job creation, social justice, investment aid, or any other basic service of government. The financial health of America, for Mr. Obama, is secured by vapid untruths to deceive world lenders, in a desperate attempt to cripple America from the top-down. This vision only has room for Government corruption and dominance of every measure of American life. This is unforgivable.
A continued shell-game, with smiliey-face proclamations of improvement in the face of impending disaster.
A damn good plan!
I'm-a-nutjob and top Iranian officials continue to talk out of all sides of their mouths and their...
They say they are ready to re-open talks and they are going to "hit back" at sanctions.
Put tough sanctions into effect and wait a year before talks.
Sometimes "freedom isn't free". We have seen threats like this all through history. We were damaged and lessened when we DIDN'T act in a decisive,forceful action. Iran is a rogue,dangerous country that is absolutely a threat to our national security as well as the balance of power and free flowing oil.
Iran would destroy Israel and it's people in mass genocide. We have seen this before. They would hold the free world capitive and are sworn to destroy us.
These are the facts and justify any action deemed necessary. This is not a philosophical debating point.it is reality. Why do we spend trillions of dollars on keeping a defense system that is capable of doing whatever is necessary to defeat those who would harm us? Darwin was right! It is survival of the fittest" and we witness that every day. Look at nature. EVERY creature has a predator and every predator has a predator. Survival happens every day. Iran is threatening our survival,our allies survival and it seems that the peace Truman brought us is no longer a detrament to Iran type threats and that is just the way it is. Kill or be killed is accurate.
War is always horrific and the very last option but we are there One must stand up against threats and actions or they will end up as victims.No sane person wants war but not everyone believes that. Iran must be STOPPED as soon as possible by whatever means necessary. There simply is NO other way to deal with fanatics,terrorists and people who would become living bombs. If you believe that death is preferable to life than you must be neutralized. Why don't we get it? It's always been this way!!
Let me see if I understand this correctly. We are supposed to bomb a sovereign nation that has no nuclear weapons, has ended its weapons program according to our own NIE report, has signed the NPT treaty and has never been in violation of it. Meanwhile, we are to ignore Israel's hundreds of nuclear weapons and the fact that Israel has refused to sign the treaty. Do I detect a double standard in our Middle East policy and didn't we follow this same disastrous pre-emptive attack on Iraq? How many more U.S. soldiers must die for Israel and how many more trillions of dollars must we waste on wars that are not in our national interest?
It is high time, the United States and the European countries stop acting and take stern action against Israel's nuclear program which a deadly. No need to pretend that Israel is not a pariah in the Middle East. NO COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE EAST (AND REST OF THE WORLD) SHOULD HAVE NUCLEAR BOMBS AND THAT INCLUDES ISRAEL TOO. There is nothing called peaceful nuclear bomb. The world is threatened to the extreme. Logic does not work anymore. Peace activists should work at full gear to see that the world is peaceful. The United Nations Mafia (at the security council) is no solution to greater peace and justice. They started the nuclear escalation and each are guilt like hell.
Hayden is lying through his teeth like every member of the government. IAEA inspectors are all over Iran and
continue to report that there is no diversion of nuclear material from the energy program. NO ONE HAS ANY EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER OF A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM IN IRAN. Even the NIE supported by all 16 US intelligence agencies says that Iran abandoned its weapons program in 2003. Why is the WSJ spreading warmonger lies??!! Unlike Israel, India, and Pakistan, Iran is a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty and under the treaty has the right to nuclear energy. The US is trying to deny iran its treaty rights.
That guy does not have any resposibilities other than self promotion, and do the ultra neocon talk. Shameful,
Michael Hayden is right that sanctions won't stop Iran's nuclear ambitions, but that doesn't mean United States will bomb them - http://disenchantedjourno.blogspot.com/2010/07/thought-of-day-united-states-will-not.html
Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what's happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.
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YMMV: Bravely Tangled Up With Dragons
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Rock Island, IL
Misery, misery, sonofabitch of all miseries!
Or so said Binx Bolling on his way to Chicago, the city with no genie soul.
And who could blame old Binx, what with the scolding he had waiting for him from Aunt Emily upon his return?
But what would Binx say had he the motive and the cue for passion that I have—I, who after three months of not having to compete with "texting" and raging hormones and administrative nonsense have been sent unmercifully and without compunction back to the classroom?
Doesn't anyone know that the three main reasons I got in to this racket—viz., June, July, and August—deserve a little consideration once September, October, and November roll around?
Like I need this—I, who have floors and walls and ceilings and plumbing to repair, not to mention a henhouse to build and goat fencing to mend.
Who calls me "villain"? Breaks my pate across?
Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face?
Tweaks me by the nose? Gives me the lie i' th' throat
As deep as to the lungs? Who does me this?
I'll tell you who: someone. I'm back to work, and someone is responsible!
Somehow I make it through a two-hour lecture and then, walking across campus, meet a colleague who says, "you missed the faculty meeting!"
Did I? Did I manage successfully to ignore an announcement and in consequence a mind-numbing meeting? And was someone at the meeting actually paying attention to whether I was there?
I shuffle off to my office, open my email for the first time in an ice age, and discover that, yes, much to my great good fortune, I missed a faculty meeting.
Notwithstanding the school year itself, the school year is off to a perfect start.
I close my door, do a little prep for the next two-hour lecture, and head off to what I hope is the right classroom.
"Astro-physics?" I ask, entering what I know to be the correct room.
Looks of bewilderment accompany the odd attempt from this desk or that to collect books and notebooks and, with minimal embarrassment, sidle out of the room.
"American Literature?" says a timid girl in the front row—timid but confident enough that she's in the right place.
"Oh, thank God!" I say. "I don't know shit about astro-physics."
Whereupon I commence to talk for a couple of hours about American Literature and English and ecclesiastical history and five-point Calvinism and typological reading.
These poor kids: it's the first day of class. They were hoping to be done in thirty minutes and drinking beer on someone's front porch not long after. Mind you, I have some of those same feelings in me, but thirty minutes aren't enough to get anything done, so I keep them the full two hours.
Whereupon I too am ready to drink beer on someone's porch, save that I have to get home to make sure the demon seed aren't killing each other or burning the house down.
After a short appointment and a bit of paperwork I'm home and making a bacon weave, as described, O Theophilus, in a former treatise.
And, thanks to my good friends at the Tallgrass brewing company at 8845 Quail Lane in Manhattan, Kansas (tel. 785-537-1131)–and thanks also to my local liquor store–I'm quaffing a delicious Ethos IPA.
And preparing what? A variation on a former theme. This time I'll use ground beef rather than ground pork. I'll use a shallot rather than an onion. I'll forgo the green pepper and mushroom. I'll double the garlic, and I'll use sharp cheddar and mozzarella instead of cheddar only.
To make what? Let's call it the Beef-n-Bacon … but, whoa, hey, uh, what the … where's the … wait a cotton-pickin' minute! Where's the damned music?
Off to the hi-fi I go to put on a little Nora Jones, who can't help herself: she's got to see me again.
And who can blame her?
Back to the kitchen and the Beef-n-Bacon- Barrel: a weave of bacon covered by a slab of ground beef covered with chopped shallots and garlic covered with a sharp cheddar-mozzarella mix covered with blackened rub sprinkled with salt and pepper and doused with barbeque sauce.
Then rolled into a log—of sorts.
Onto the grill it goes: indirect heat—approximately 350 degrees—complete with hickory chips. An hour will do.
Back to Nora—what a girl! (oops! Did I actually say that or just think it?)—and the rest of the preparations.
The Chief Eye-Roller is at work and will miss out, not regrettably, on this redneck repast. I pour myself another Ethos to give this kitchen the right ethos and then toss a salad. Then I mix up some tomato, cheese, oregano, and raw chopped garlic for a little brushcetta.
Raw garlic is anti-social, someone once told me.
"And?" I said. "Your point being?"
Soon the miseries of the first day back are far behind me.
And just as soon the urchins are gathered round the table, ready to cut into this barrel, this dead-animal concoction. We send our gratitude skyward and pounce on the dead flesh like a marauding pack of wolves.
At length the table is quiet, and I alone am left to clear away the carnage, which I do.
At the sink I think back upon the four hours of misery–I mean the four hours of misery that I inflicted and that the students endured. It's a special kind of misery, getting your mind stretched (if you're a student) and figuring out on the fly how to stretch a mind (if you're not a student).
But that's not quite right: there's stretching all around, everywhere, and therefore rewards all the way around. It's not unlike playing a variation on a theme, even if that theme is a redneck dish. Both have this advantage at least: both stick to your ribs.
Once the fighting urchins are in bed, I retire to my chair with a book. It won't be so bad after all—once June gets here.
Or once the Chief Eye-Roller returns and slides into bed.
Binx, old pal, you're not the only one who's on to something. Lucky, lucky, sonofabitch of all luckiness!


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Many years ago, we had a video sent to our station for showing during a full staff meeting. It was a documentary that graphically showed the damage that Meth was doing to people. Teeth, gums, funds, health, lives.... all ruined.
If you ever had a thought that you might someday try this stuff, it was enough to convince you otherwise.
I often wondered why our corporate management was so concerned about showing us the impact of this epidemic. But based upon the chilling effect that it had upon us all, I guess the point is clear. They didn't want to loose any of us to this cancer.
Now, a new epidemic is climbing the hit list... so-called "Bath Salts".
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that this stuff is driving people crazy for days at a time. Efforts are underway to outlaw it, first in WV, and now in Ohio. Why?\
I think the proof is in seeing of the damage done.
If you've ever seen footage of people screaming and being driven out of their minds by hallucinations, you get the point real fast.
Now, I'm sure there's somebody out there thinking, "Gee, he sure swallowed the party line awfully quick. I wonder what's in it for him to come out against this currently legal stuff?"
It's simple. If you've ever seen a person out of their mind.... crazy... non-functioning... you'd never wish it on anyone. And to think that someone might do this VOLUNTARILY to themselves... well, it'll break your heart.
So, recently, I've heard some anonymous reports saying, "But it's still legal..."
That loop-hole is being closed as we speak. Some have said, "Oh we shouldn't try to deal with criminalizing this... it's the state's area."
I can't come out loudly enough against that position. It's ALL our problem when health resources, emergency response and community lives are at stake. ANYTHING that can be done to discourage the use, sale and attempt to legitimize this stuff is not wasted.
Some people in WV claim they didn't know that the state had made it illegal. Too bad. If you're going to deal in this area, you need to keep up with the news. Ditto, we in the media can publicize the trends against this stuff and tell people how bad it is.
Hopefully, it will keep someone from trying it in the grace period before laws are enacted against it.
That's my big fear. That someone sitting on a stockpile of this stuff is going to try to push it out the door so they can get some money out of it.
That's why I urge city councils and any governmental body to come out against it and spread the word about how bad it is.
Just as our corporate leaders SHOWED us what Meth leads to, so should we all warn our families and friends how bad Bath Salts are.
A mind is a terrible thing to lay waste.


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Check out this preview reel.
"It's a game changer. The Growing Bolder TV Show is unlike anything else on the air, anywhere in America." That's how Jose Fajarda, President and General Manager of WMFE-TV in Orlando described The Growing Bolder TV Show when it first launched in 2009. Built upon uplifting storytelling of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, Growing Bolder quickly built a large and loyal base of viewers. The show, about ordinary people living extraordinary lives, quickly jumped from one public broadcasting station to over 590 in 175 markets including every one of the top 25 markets.
Growing Bolder has made the jump from a weekly show on public broadcasting stations to a daily show on commercial cable currently available in over 90 million households.
Are you a TV station or affiliate that is interested in carrying Growing Bolder? Or an advertiser who wants to connect with the 45+ audience? Email Executive Producer Katy Widrick at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Laura Buckler, 21, of Ocean City, won a $30,000 prize from a $2 scratch-off lottery ticket. / photo courtesy Maryland Lottery
OCEAN CITY — A 21-year-old resort bartender won $30,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket, according to the Maryland Lottery.
This is the most awesome-est, awesome thing ever, said Lauren Buckler, of Ocean City, when she went to claim her prize at the Lotterys headquarters in Baltimore.
The Lottery reports Buckler won the top prize available on a $2 Blackout Bingo scratcher shed bought at a 7-Eleven at 139th Street near her workplace.
Buckler was nearing the end of her shift as a server and bartender at Kirbys Red Onion bar. She took her usualy breaktime ritual of purchasing scratch-offs.
After scratching her extended-play style bingo scratch-off, Lauren tried to make heads or tails of what she was seeing, the Lottery said in a statement. She returned to the retailer to scan the ticket, but the register displayed a strange message that made her more curious.
When she realized she was holding a winning ticket, she began jumping, shouting, and celebrating with the bar patrons. She visited the Lotterys headquarters in Baltimore to claim her prize.
Buckler plans to save the bulk of the prize money, but does plan to celebrate by going shopping and taking a trip to Disneyworld.
I love the beach and Ocean City. Im still going to do my normal thing, and work six days a week, she said.


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The viola has always been an overlooked solo instrument (having been a viola player myself). No great composers of the 19th Century wrote concertos for it and it was only in Mozart and Beethoven quartets that the instrument really started to shine as a melodic force in its own right. The Bartok and Walton concertos catapulted it into the big time during the 20th Century but it was Paganini, the greatest violin virtuoso of the early 19th Century, who started the ball rolling nearly 180 years ago when he asked Berlioz for a work to show off his 1731 Stradivarius viola.
Unfortunately, Berlioz and Paganini's ideas did not quite mesh and when Paganini saw the score of Harold he was appalled at the huge number of bars rest he had in the viola part. He lost interest in the work and Harold in Italy was premiered in Paris in 1834 without Paganini's participation and has become Berlioz' 2nd Symphony, although totally different to his Fantastique of 3 years earlier.
David Aaron Carpenter has restored the original viola part that Paganini rejected and gives a beautiful performance of this neglected work with excellent support from the Helsinki Philharmonic and Ashkanazy.
For lovers of the viola and also stylish and fine string playing in general it is well worth a look.
Ondine ODE 1188 – 2
Total Playing Time: 01:04:07
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Hawkins\Brown completes 'playful' children's theatre
[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + PROJECT DATA] Hawkins\Brown has completed this £350,000 children's theatre in an annexe of a Victorian Grade II-listed primary school in Tooting, London
The Oily Cart theatre mainly works with children with special needs and Hawkins\Brown was tasked with creating an 'inspiring and playful' scheme for the group.
The theatre annexe provides space for management, prop building, costume design, rehearsals, workshops and storage.
The scheme has been shortlisted for a RIBA London Regional Award.
The architect's view
'Bold colours were used throughout the theatre to aid with orientation around the spaces and a new mezzanine level insert was added to the building that acts as a flexible meeting room, as well as clean and dirty workshops to make all of the necessary props, sets and costumes for the theatre.
'The original theatre had poor accessibility for its occupants and one of our major interventions was the addition of an external lift with patterned anodised aluminium panels to access the first floor of the theatre, formerly only accessible via an external staircase.
'The resulting building creates an inspiring, bright and tactile space for children to lean and play, as well as reusing and recycling materials and found objects from the site.'
Project data
Location Wandsworth, London
Type of project refurbishment
Client Oily Cart Trustees
Architect Hawkins\Brown
Structural engineer Form Structural Design
M&E consultant Skelly & Couch
Quantity surveyor Stockdale
Main contractor Penten Group
Total cost £350,000
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I don't have a real melon, but I've got juices!
I don't have a real melon, but I've got juices!
Just make sure no kiddos get a hold of them!
Yeah but can I soak it in vodka for a BBQ?
Cold summer soups are right around the corner! I love watermelon and mango and hot summer days. Hurry up, sunshine!
Are you so addicted to Fruit Ninja that you find yourself swiping at your real life fruit with your fingers to cut it in half? We understand.
Mr. Watermelon has sliced a piece of his face off for our enjoyment. And look how pleased of himself he is? It just wouldn't be right to deny a slice of that sweet sweet melon.
How is everyone doing out there? No heat stroke, I hope? Got a bowl of ice water in front of your fan and some strawberries to munch on? Good. I don't want anyone to be too overwhelmed and pass out when they see these cake pops because they are AMAZING! They nearly took my breath away and it's cool enough to wear a cardigan here.


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Iowa Hawkeye guard Roy Devyn Marble (4) brings the ball up court against the Iowa Hawkeye the at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa defeated Michigan 85-67. / Steven Branscombe, USA TODAY Sports
THE FIRST WORD: Iowa on Saturday finally added the exclamation point to its NCAA tournament résumé that's been missing.
The Hawkeyes narrowly missed the field of 68 last season due to an inconsistent Big Ten record with no wins against top league teams and a non-conference strength of schedule in the 300s. Though this season's 13th-ranked Iowa squad is far off the bubble, a major statement win was missing. Saturday's convincing 85-67 home victory against Big Ten first-place team Michigan gives Iowa the résumé and confidence boost it needs to stay within striking distance of the Big Ten title and to notch a solid NCAA bid come March.
Coming into Saturday, the Hawkeyes (18-6, 7-4) had lost to Michigan on the road and suffered a two-point overtime loss to Michigan State before losing to Ohio State at home by 10 points earlier this week. Coach Fran McCaffery has constantly preached "mental toughness" with his experienced group. If McCaffery was searching for a significant victory for his team, Saturday's rout was it. That's especially true considering Iowa was in jeopardy of losing a third consecutive game at home. That's a big no-no in a league where road wins are hard to come by.
Roy Devyn Marble scored 22 of his 26 points in the first half to pace the veteran-laden Hawkeyes, while Aaron White chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds. Nik Stauskas, Michigan's top scorer, finished with 10 points.
Now we transition to a more important question: What's Iowa's ceiling come March? Is this a team ripe for an upset given the wrong matchup? Or is this a team that could surprise us in the NCAAs and advance into April?
One word to describe this team: hustle. The Hawkeyes are a tight-knit group that thrives off getting 50-50 balls and controlling the glass, hence their average of 43-plus board per game â?? good enough for third in the nation. More than that, it's about synergy for Iowa. Like most seasons, all the hype of NBA-ready freshmen and player-of-the-year upperclassmen (that Doug McDermott guy) overshadow teams with collective experience. Iowa might not catch Michigan State or Michigan in the Big Ten race, but the ingredients â?? namely togetherness â?? for a sleeper team to make a deep March run is there.
UNDER THE RADAR: Southern Methodist. The Mustangs' 76-55 victory against No. 7 Cincinnati (which snapped the Bearcats' 15-game winning streak) significantly bolsters the program's NCAA tournament hopes. More than that, as Eric Prisbell writes: The entire culture has been changed since Larry Brown arrived in Dallas. SMU has yet to lose at Moody Coliseum and now, the team could reach the top 25 for the first time since 1984-85. That was eight jobs ago for the Hall of Famer Brown.
MOST OVERRATED: Pittsburgh. The Panthers' 20-4 record might be the most deceiving in all of college basketball. Though Pittsburgh has hit the 20-win plateau, this team continues to be exploited â?? having failed to score 50 points in regulation of the past three games. Saturday's 62-57 double overtime win against Virginia Tech was the second game Pitt needed extra time to beat a basement ACC club. In the past two weeks, the Panthers lost at home to Duke and Virginia before surviving Miami's upset bid. Don't expect the NCAA tournament selection committee to be fooled in spite of Pittsburgh's top-25 RPI. The team's best win came against Stanford on a neutral court, and 14 of Pitt's wins have come against teams outside the RPI top 100. The Panthers are just 1-4 against teams in the top 50 of the RPI.
STAR WATCH: A look at the individual performances on Saturday night.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Every time I shoot, I try to make 10 in a row. If I don't make 10 in a row, I slap myself in the face. But that's my goal when I'm warming up, to get to 10 in a row each and every time before I miss. I think it helps. Coaches always tell us it helps. There's not much basketball left for me to be playing here, so have to go ahead and do what I can to finish strong." - Ole Miss star Marshall Henderson, who has toned down his antics but not his quick-tricker shooting approach. The flamboyant star had 29 points off eight three-pointers in Ole Miss' 91-88 win against Missouri.
COACH'S CORNER: USA TODAY Sports' Nicole Auerbach went 1-on-1 Friday with Virginia coach Tony Bennett. The Cavaliers (19-5, 10-1) continued their ACC title quest Saturday with a 64-45 victory against Georgia Tech. Virginia trailed 44-42 before breaking the game open with a 22-1 run en route to its seventh consecutive victory. Virginia is on undefeated Syracuse's heels in the ACC regular-season championship race, and Bennett's defensively sound squad is positioned well for March, something that hasn't been said in quite some time.
WINNERS, LOSERS: Breaking down Saturday's victories that matter the most and the losses that stain résumés the worst.
ON DECK: Breaking down the best matchups to watch on Sunday. All times Eastern.
- No. 8 Michigan State at No. 24 Wisconsin (Big Ten), 1 p.m., CBS
- Clemson at No. 1 Syracuse (ACC), 6 p.m., ESPNU
- No. 12 Creighton at St. John's (Big East), 7 p.m., FOX Sports 1
- Oregon State at No. 3 Arizona (Pac-12), 7 p.m., Pac-12 Network
Scott Gleeson, a national college basketball writer/digital producer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.
Copyright 2015 USATODAY.com
Read the original story: Sunday Basketball Brunch: Is Iowa an NCAA contender or early exiter?


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Silver City goes to Cannes through Myriad
Myriad Pictures will bringJohn Sayles' political satire Silver City to Cannes after acquiring international rights to the all-star ensemblecomedy from production company Anarchists' Convention.
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The Science Of Kindness: Ben's Bells Conference To Be Held In DanburySunday, October 11, 2015 at 11:26 am
DANBURY — Ben's Bells Project, in collaboration with the University of Arizona's Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families, will present the 2015 Kindness Conference: Building the Science of Kindness Together on Saturday, October 24, at Broadview Middle School, 72 Hospital Avenue.
The conference will run from 8 am until 4 pm, and admission is free.
Ben's Bells Newtown Administrator Finds Managing Kindness A PleasureWednesday, January 14, 2015
Tricia Guiry of Bethel started her new position as studio and community relations manager at Ben's Bells Newtown in November, and has tackled the job with enthusiasm, and a determination to match the dedication of the dozens of volunteers at the 17 Church Hill Road studio, she said.
Ben's Bells Founder Visits NewtownTuesday, August 5, 2014
Ben's Bells Project Founder and Executive Director Jeannette Maré arrived in Newtown Friday, August 1, to visit the Ben's Bells Newtown studio on Church Hill Road. She was also a participant on Saturday at the 2014 Kindness Conference: Building the Science of Kindness Together, held at Walnut Tree Hill Church in Bethel.
"One of the main reasons for the visit was not only for the conference and Kindness Education Program, but to see the new studio [located on Church Hill Road]," Ms Maré said Friday afternoon.
Ben's Bells Newtown Workshop, June 5 At NUMCWednesday, May 29, 2013
All are invited to spread intentional kindness by participating in a Ben's Bells workshop on Wednesday, June 5, from 6-8 pm, at Newtown United Methodist Church.
Jeannette Maré, founder of the Ben's Bells Project and Ben's mom, will be at this workshop to talk about the project, which was inspired by the kindness extended to her following the sudden death of her two-year old son. The Tuscon, Ariz.-based non-profit promotes and celebrates intentional kindness.


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"The product stood out as superior."
"The salesperson who has been with us from the start has done a great job. He has helped us with our windows, the roof, replacing the soffits under it, and our latest job done was ..."
Durante Home Exteriors is a Nation's Top 500 Home Remodelers Award Winner and Equal Opportunity Employer home remodeling contractor that provides home remodeling services in Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Bessemer, Pelham, Leeds, Pell City, Irondale, and the Birmingham / Huntsville Metro areas.


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- Filed Under
A minor crash on Ohio 37 caused a traffic headache for commuters Thursday morning.
The crash was reported just after 7:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Ohio 37. A medic on scene reported the crash involved three vehicles with minor damage, according to scanner traffic.
Cars were backed up for about 30 minutes while crews cleared the crash.


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Well, I've had my external hard drive for a while now, but all of a sudden it decided to die on me. Every time I connect it to my computer, opening My Computer freezes that screen, meaning I have no way to access the drive. But right when I unplug it, everything continues as normal.
I've tried this on multiple computers, which leads me to believe that the problem lies with the hard drive itself. It's been working perfectly fine up until now, and no matter how many times I connect and disconnect it, nothing's working.
Has anyone else had this problem? If so, would you mind telling me how to fix this little problem? It'd suck if I couldn't fix this, since all of my sources are on there...XD
Just for reference, it's a 250GB Western Digital HDD.


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Bordeaux won their first French Cup in 26 years, beating minnows Evian 3-2 in the final at the Stade de France on Friday.
That result ensured Bordeaux will qualify for the UEFA Europa League next season. Cheick Diabate was the hero, netting the 89th minute winner having earlier opened the scoring and missing a penalty at 1-0.
In an entertaining game, Evian twice pegged back their more illustrious opponents before Diabate's strike at the death finally extinguished their spirited resistance. Evian were playing in their first ever cup final. Their most notable trophy success was a second division title in 2011. Approaching Friday's final, they were understandably the rank outsiders.
It was only four years ago that Bordeaux were last crowned as French champions, and although they had not won the French Cup over two decades, they had won the League Cup three times in the last 11 years.
The tall and gangly forward, Diabate, caused Evian problems throughout the evening. He managed to escape beyond the back-line on 39 minutes to latch onto Mariano's punt forward from right-back. The Malian drew goalkeeper Bertrand Laquait into committing himself before rounding him and slotting past a defender on the line.
Diabate denied from the spot
Diabate then won a penalty when Milos Ninkovic was adjudged to have pulled him back. This time Laquait got the better of Diabate, plunging to his left to keep out the spot-kick with a fine, one-handed save.
Not long later, Evian went up the other end for birthday boy Daniel Wass to tee up Ivory Coast forward Yannick Sagbo who beat Cedric Carrasso with a close-range finish. Yet within minutes Bordeaux were back in front. Henri Saivet nipped in behind the Evian backline to head home Gregory Sertic's free-kick.
Twenty minutes from time Evian came fighting back as captain Cedric Barbosa crossed from the left and Brice Dja Djedje was left all alone to tap home at the back post. Diabate would have the final word, though, when Côte d'Ivoire's Dja Djedje was slow pushing up for offside, leaving the big Mali striker to run onto Nicolas Maurice-Belay's flick over the top to finish past a static Laquait.


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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Britney Spears' one-time fiance has resigned as a co-conservator over her personal affairs.
Superior Court Judge Reva Goetz says she received Jason Trawick's resignation Friday and removed him from the conservatorship proceedings.
The resignation comes amid a report that Spears and Trawick have ended their relationship roughly a year after they were engaged.
Spears' publicist did not return a message seeking comment, and attorneys for her father, Jamie Spears, declined comment after a brief hearing Friday. Her father met with Goetz but left before the hearing.
The celebrity website TMZ reported Friday that Spears and Trawick have broken up. They were engaged in December 2012, and Trawick became her co-conservator in April.
Spears notified Fox this week that she was leaving her judging role on "The X Factor."
Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text: Friday, April 20 2012 Tuas Power Generation Pte. Ltd. invites eligible Building And Construction Authority (BCA) Registered Contractors and/or Specially Registered Contractors (SRC) to tender for:- THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF STAINLESS STEEL ROUND BARS TO TUAS POWER STATION (CT NO. 40004351) Description: FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF STAINLESS STEEL ROUND BARS TO TUAS POWER STATION (CT NO. 40004351) Eligibility: Registered Contractors in ME11, SY08 and/or SY09 – L1 & above. Site Showround: NA. Specially Registered Contractor(SRC): Companies with similar experience may apply for approval to tender as SRC for this tender. Application forms are obtainable via www.tuaspower.com.sg. All completed application forms are to be submitted by 27 April 2012 before 11.00am. Tender Document Fee: S$26.75 TENDER CLOSING DATE & TIME (S'PORE) AT TUAS POWER STATION (TENDER BOX) : 25 May at 11.00am Tender document fee (inclusive of 7% GST), which is not refundable, should be made out in a crossed cheque payable to "Tuas Power Generation Pte. Ltd.". Tender document can be examined at and purchased from Tuas Power Station, 60 Tuas South Avenue 9, Singapore 637607 on Mondays to Fridays except Public Holidays between 8.30am to 5.00pm. Please produce an original copy and a duplicate certified true copy of EPU/BCA registration card/certificate when purchasing the tender document. Back to Tender Notice Download


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Ten Good Things About a (Not So) Bad Year
January 1, 2012 § Leave a comment
by Medea Benjamin
I had the privilege of starting out last year witnessing, firsthand, the unfolding of the Egyptian revolution in Tahrir Square. I saw people who had been muzzled their entire lives, especially women, suddenly discovering their collective voice. Singing, chanting, demanding, creating. And that became the hallmark of entire year–people the world over becoming empowered and emboldened simply by watching each other. Courage, we learned in 2011, is contagious!
1. The Arab Spring protests were so astounding that even Time magazine recognized "The Protester" as Person of the Year. Sparked by Tunisian vendor Mohamed Bouazizi'sself-immolation to cry out against police corruption in December 2010, the protests swept across the Middle East and North Africa—including Egypt,Libya, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, and Jordan. So far, uprisings have toppled Tunesian President Ben Ali, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi–with more shake-ups sure to come. And women have been on the front lines of these protests, highlighted recently by the incredibly brave, unprecedented demo of 10,000 Egyptian women protesting military abuse.
Cairo Protests "To Save The Revolution"
November 22, 2011 § Leave a comment
Jihan Hafiz reports that dozens killed as Egyptians demand a civilian government.
Egyptians to mark Nakba with a march to Palestine
May 11, 2011 § 3 Comments
This article first appeared on Gaza TV:
On 15 May, the annual commemoration of the creation of the state of Israel and the expulsion of Palestinians, known as Nakba, Egyptians plan to march to Palestine under the slogan "Cairo's liberation will not be complete without the liberation of Al-Quds [Jerusalem]."
Following Egypt's January 25 Revolution, Egyptians are pushing for some of the country's foreign relations policies to change, especially those related to Israel and Palestine. Aid or protest convoys to Gaza were frequently stopped or arrested during the Mubarak era by the ousted president's regime, and now for the first time since the revolution thousands of activists are planning to march to the Rafah border town.


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LinuxCon Keynotes and Gala Details Revealed
The Linux Foundation announced the keynote speakers and details of the Gala event to take place at LinuxCon North America on August 17-19 in Vancouver, Canada.
The LinuxCon announcement says that the keynote lineup reflects major trends in the Linux market, such as Linux in the enterprise and mobile computing. Keynote speakers include Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst, HP Vice President and CTO Phil McKinney, Director of Open Source Strategy at Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Mark Charlebois, Eucalyptus Systems CEO Marten Mickos, Ubuntu Technical Architect Allison Randal, and author Clay Shirky.
LinuCon North America Call For Participation (CFP) will remain open until April 22, 2011, and speakers are encouraged to submit talks on business, technical or legal developments and how they impact Linux.
The LinuxCon Gala will be held the evening of August 17 and celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Linux. With a "Roaring 20s" theme, the Linux Foundation will provide penguin suit and "flapper" dress rentals on-site.
The winner of this year's Linux Foundation Video Contest, who will be selected by Linux creator Linus Torvalds, will also be revealed at LinuxCon. The video contest is focused on the 20th Anniversary of Linux and submissions are still open.
Registration is currently open and special pricing is available through July 8th, 2011.
Issue 23: Raspberry Pi Adventures/Special Editions
Buy this issue as a PDF
Photon Controller Goes Open Source
VMware bids for a stake in the container industry with a bold effort to integrate containers with its classic virtualization system.
New Point-and-Click Exploit Kit Appears in the Wild
3ROS attack tool lowers the technical bar so anyone can be an intruder.
Firefox Finally Gets Tracking Protection
Mozilla's latest browser offers powerful new privacy feature
New Password Looter Tool Steals Passwords from a Password Manager
If attackers are on your system, saving your passwords in a password vault is no protection.
Over a Million Websites Are Still Using SHA-1
Faulty hash algorithm persists, despite efforts by experts to raise awareness.
Dyreza Malware is Back
Powerful man-in-the-middle attack is now targeting online shopping.
Kernel Developer Matthew Garrett Forks the Linux Kernel
Another high-profile coder says the kernel team needs a kinder, gentler culture.
Bugzilla Bug
Bug database has a bug of its own that could allow an intruder to create an unauthorized account.
US Launches New Strategy for Broadband Access
Report focuses federal resources on achieving universal Internet access.
RC4 Finally Gets the Fork
Leading browser makers say "no" to porous encryption algorithm


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Olympics: Phelps goes out in style, wins 17th gold in 100 fly
London • A warm pathos spread over the Aquatics Centre on Friday night on the penultimate day of the swimming competition where Michael Phelps won a gold medal in his final individual Olympic race.
Rivalries were set aside. So were countries and medal counts. It seemed as though the entire swimming community forgot about petty differences to celebrate the man who has elevated their sport.
Phelps, 27, won the 100-meter butterfly to capture his 17th career gold medal 21 in all, with a chance for one more Saturday in the 400 individual medley relay.
For the second consecutive night, he won an event for the third Olympics in a row.
He didn't match his record eight gold medals from Beijing four years ago. But Phelps has won three gold and two silver medals in six races in London after taking time away from the pool. When he looks back, the Baltimore swimmer might someday appreciate what he accomplished here even more than in 2008.
"I said I wanted to change the sport and take it to another level," Phelps said.
Almost everyone agreed that he reached that goal  hands down.
The most decorated Olympian in history was well off his world record of 49.82 seconds in the 100 butterfly. But Phelps' time of 51.21 seconds was ahead of South Africa's Chad le Clos and Russia's Evgeny Korotyshkin, who tied for the silver medal. Cal graduate Milorad Cavic of Serbia tied for fourth four years after pushing Phelps to the brink in the same race.
But as Phelps' career is on its final leg, swimmers thought only of what he has meant to them and the sporting world.
"Michael has done more for this sport than any swimmer or group of swimmers have done," Cavic said. "I can't even put myself in the equation because he's on a different level than I am."
Phelps turned London into a farewell tour where for the first time he hasn't been afraid to express his feelings. He got choked up on the victory podium Friday but expects to become even more emotional Saturday when it comes to a dramatic ending.
For three Olympics, Phelps has worn a business-like demeanor. For the past week and a half, he has smiled, joked and enjoyed the moments, even turning his camera phone on hundreds of reporters. "You're always taking pictures of me; I want some of you," he quipped.
It was easy to understand Phelps' impact on his fellow athletes.
South Africa's le Clos became emotional when describing how three years ago he labored to make his country's national team just so he could swim against his childhood idol.
"It's crazy to think that he's retiring because I've always looked up to him. It's going to be hard to go to a meet now and think that he's not there."
Phelps plans to be there, though. Just not in the pool. He can't wait to watch from the sideline to monitor how the sport progresses.
"I'm leaving at a good time," said Phelps, who predicted new Americans will continue on the trail he blazed.
He's more optimistic than most because it is difficult to imagine another Olympian with such breadth of talent coming along any time soon.
"He's pushed all of us," said Cullen Jones, who won the silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle Friday. "He's put up times all of us strive to achieve."
Florent Manaudou won the sprint in 21.34 seconds, with Jones trailing in 21.54 seconds. Brazilian star Cesar Cielo touched .02 of a second behind Jones for the bronze medal.
Anthony Ervin of Berkeley, the 2000 champion, took fifth after taking 12 years off between Olympic competitions.
"Just being here at all is a dream come true," he said. "By being here, it is my own form of redemption."
Phelps' redemption came after finishing fourth on opening day in the 400 individual medley. Since then, he has been superb every time he leapt off the starting block.
His shadow is so large it clouded out perhaps the London Games' most surprising swim result. Katie Ledecky, another Maryland swimmer, won the women's 800 freestyle Friday by routing world-record holder Rebbeca Adlington of Great Britain.
Ledecky, 15, won in 8:14.63, half a second off the world mark. Spain's Mireia Garcia Belmonte won the silver, while Adlington got the bronze. Cal graduate Lauren Boyle took fourth for New Zealand, 9.23 seconds behind the winner.
Ledecky recalled meeting Phelps when she was 6. Then she credited him with calming her down just before the race.
She never could have imagined stepping to the victory podium on the same night as Phelps, who can't wait to put aside the singular diet of pasta and pizza for life's variety.
He promised to stay in shape, though. The slender 6-foot-4 swimmer also promised to remain visible.
But it's not as if he could simply disappear like a sunset.
History's most relevant swimmer isn't an afterthought just yet.


text: Lake White Dam Leaking by Matt Bruning Boaters at Lake White are being told to remove their watercraft from the water after a leak was found in the dam's spillway.The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says the leak was discovered during routine maintenance on Friday."Out of an abundance of caution ODNR has lowered the lake level by about a foot-and-a-half at this point to better assess the damage and possible cause," said ODNR spokesperson Bethany McCorkle.The leak is draining about 50 gallons per minute from the lake. McCorkle says the dam appears to be sound and there is no danger of catastrophic collapse or failure.Boaters were lining up at boat ramps in the lake to remove their boats Saturday."There ain't going to be no boats going out of there if we don't get them out," said Randall Altman of Waverly.David Pierson says he was called by a man who had just bought his boat to alert him about the leak."I went out there and helped him get his out and we just barely got it out. Now we're down here waiting on this end to get my sister's boat and jet ski out," he said.Concerns about heavy rain on Sunday also played a factor in ODNR's decision to lower the lake.State Route 104 will be closed while crews make repairs to the dam and spillway.


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Adviser served Eisenhower, Nixon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Paul W. McCracken, a former economic adviser to several presidents, died on Friday in Ann Arbor at 96.
McCracken was a member of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Council of Economic Advisers and later chair of the council under President Richard M. Nixon.
Herbert Hildebrandt, a retired University of Michigan business professor and longtime friend, said on Saturday that he was told of the death by McCracken's daughter, Linda Langer.
McCracken was professor emeritus of business administration, economics and public policy at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. An announcement of his death on the school's website said Nixon once wrote that during his first term he depended on McCracken "for his incisive intellect and his hard-headed pragmatism."
"He was a key adviser during a crucial time in our nation's history," Nixon wrote in 1985.
McCracken recalled his appointment last year in an interview with the business school's alumni magazine.
"After Nixon won the election, the press started guessing who was going to get what job, and my name was mentioned as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers," he said. "A guy with The Washington Post and I had become pretty well acquainted, and he called me up and said, 'I hear your name mentioned frequently. Is it real?' I said, 'I have no idea.'"
McCracken went on to say that Nixon called him the next day and he flew to New York to meet him. Nixon offered McCracken the job, and he said he wanted to discuss it with his wife.
"Nixon and I talked a while longer and he said, 'You know, I have a press conference coming up in about 20 minutes, and I don't have anything to tell them. Why don't we just announce it?' What are you doing to do? So I said, 'Well, OK. I guess my wife can find out about it on the news,'" McCracken said.
Between the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations, McCracken served on a domestic economic task force under President John F. Kennedy and on the Commission on Budget Concepts for President Lyndon B. Johnson.
"He had great respect for Mr. Nixon, as he did for Eisenhower and the other Democratic presidents that asked him to sit on committees and give advice," Hildebrandt said.
McCracken resigned from the Council of Economic Advisers in late 1971. By that time, he and Nixon had disagreed over price and wage controls.
"I thought price controls were a bad idea for a very simple reason. You couldn't look back into history and point to a success story," McCracken said. "At the time, the president and Congress were involved in a battle in the political domain. Political battles are often more important to them than hard, solid data."
McCracken later served as senior consultant to Treasury Secretary William E. Simon in 1974 and 1975 and chaired the International Committee of Economists and the Academic Advisory Board for the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, according to the Ross School.
An Iowa native, McCracken earned his bachelor's degree from what now is William Penn University. He earned his master's degree and doctorate from Harvard University.
He worked as economist and research director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis before affiliating with the University of Michigan.
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Gwen email@example.com
Oct. 30, 2007 – A $30 million gift from BJC HealthCare will help construct a new 11-story research building on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine. This is the largest donation ever received for construction of a building at the School of Medicine. To be named the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University, the building will house the laboratories and support facilities for BioMed 21, the University's research initiative to rapidly translate basic research findings into advances in medical treatment.
"The BJC Institute of Health at Washington University will be home to research that brings together gifted physicians, scientists and researchers with a common goal – to find new and better ways to improve human health, including new treatments and potential cures for the diseases most prevalent in our society," says Steven Lipstein, BJC president and chief executive officer. "This Institute will provide the opportunity to translate medical discoveries into everyday patient care for the benefit of our entire community."
BJC HealthCare, a Missouri nonprofit corporation and one of the largest nonprofit health care provider organizations in the United States, supports interdisciplinary, collaborative research that tackles major health problems. BioMed 21 exemplifies this type of research and brings together researchers and physician-scientists from specialties that span the breadth of medical and basic science disciplines.
"BJC HealthCare's gift to the University for this building is an investment in the talent and dedication of the researchers who will occupy it and those who collaborate with them," says Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton. "The facility will foster new ideas and creative solutions that will dramatically change medical care in the future. We are truly appreciative of BJC HealthCare's forward-looking commitment."
The BioMed 21 initiative was begun in 2003, establishing a set of research goals to tackle key medical challenges and creating an administrative structure that enables scientists from different specialties, or disciplines, to cooperate more effectively. The BJC Institute of Health at Washington University will provide laboratory space for five newly created Interdisciplinary Research Centers of BioMed 21 and two academic departments at the School of Medicine.
"The School of Medicine's researchers are constantly seeking to identify and understand the underlying causes of disease," says Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. "Naturally, our goal is that these endeavors will form the foundation of new treatments and new cures. Reaching that goal as quickly as possible is the promise of BioMed 21 and the true benefit of the new building. We thank BJC HealthCare for support that will help make this possible."
The five Interdisciplinary Research Centers, which comprise School of Medicine researchers from a wide variety of fields, are devoted to cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, infectious diseases and membrane excitability disorders, which encompass neural, cardiac, and other conditions.


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- 2 - 16 oz. black eyed peas, frozen package
- 2 c. water
- 15 oz. beans, ranch style with jalapenos undrained
- 1 c. onion, chopped
- 1 c. pepper, green, chopped
- 1 c. celery, chopped
- 12 oz. to 16 oz. okra, frozen sliced
- 8 oz. tomatoes, rotel with green chiles
Pin It
Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Okra is considered a southern dish, but popular all over!
- Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cover. Cook on Low for 8-10 hours. (May take longer.)
Note: You can start on High for a couple hours, and turn down to Low for the remainder of crocking.
Substitute can be made: 4 – 15 oz. cans of Black Eyed Peas, (undrained) and omit the water!
Happy Crocking!
For over 450 more Slow Cooker recipes, click here to get my eBook!


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The Future of the Wild
Alright, well I have noticed that no one ever talks about the Wild, and I do not understand why. I believe that they have a good young team and have some good young prospects that will one day make this team a winner, and this article will show what the Wild have looking forward to, in years to come.
Already on the team : Forwards
Of course had to name this one Marian Gaborik
Marian has led the team in points in his first three, years. He is without a doubt the Superstar, and marquee player, of this team. Last season in 81 games played his stats were 30-35-65 ( g-a-pts), Marian has amazing vision, hands, speed, and can always make something happen.
Pascal Dupuis in his second season, was second to Gaborik's points with 48, although small, he uses everything to his advantage, he is quick and makes decisions with ease, however you can still tell he is a young player, and will grow, so some mistakes will be no more.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard, another small forward, but has the vision of a few levels under Gretzky, in 50 games he put up 20 points, this kid might just be the centreman to help lead the Wild.
Filip Kuba leads the way in defense, even though he is already 27 years of age, he is the d-man leader of the Wild and will continue to grow. 29 pts in 78 gms
Wille Mitchell- the young hard hitting d-man has certainly taken advantage of Jaques Lemaire's system and thinking, because he is making a name for himself in Minny and will continue doing so if he keeps on track. 69 gms 14 pts and 84 pim
Nick Schultz- Nick is a smart dman who can move the puck well, but he knows of his responsibilities, and he knows that his defence skills and does his
job. I believe he will be the d-man leader in the future.
Goaltenders: Manny Fernandes must prove that he can become the number one goalie that the Wild need. Yes the 2 man system has been working, but how long will Roloson be there ?
Mikko Koivu is projected as a future second liner or third line centre. Patrick O'Sullivan I really believe that this kid will do wonders for them if he matures right, he will no doubt be their number one centreman and give them a good top three centremen with O'Sullivan, Bouchard and Koivu. They also have Adam Couchaine, Wanvig, Bros, and on defence they have Heid who I think will do wonders for the team soon enough, Michel, Reitz, and Roche. And, of course in net the future of the wild holds within Josh Harding who was named the WHL MVP, and posted a record of 18-24-13 with a 2.75 gaa and a .914 save%.
Well the future and even presenr of the Wild is looking great, with offensive stars coming round soon, the Wild will pick up on the offence, isn't that what people wanna see anyway?
Stats were gathered from wild.com and whl.ca, however information on players were my own opinions.


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Daughter feeding her dad a bite of food / Getty Images
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spent more than $2,600 on dining out in 2011. Thats a lot of lettuce, some serious clams and a load of dough.
When I first read that statistic, I thought, Theres no way my family spends that much. Then I started adding it up: Every time I grab a sandwich at Subway, because I didnt pack a lunch, the nights my husband brings home Chinese, those pizza slices my toddler begs for at Sams Club maybe were spending more than I realize.
Here are some easy ways Ive found to save when dining out:
Before you leave:
Every day, eateries all over the Ozarks are feeding kiddos for free. Before choosing a place to eat, check our Kids Eat Free list at HeyMom.News-Leader.com. Another good resource is our searchable Dining Guide. (Find links to both with this story online.)
Deal sites like Groupon.com and DealChicken.com can often save 50 percent or more. Other local media, including 417 Magazine and KY3, also offer local deals. Its a great way to try something different. My husband and I have discovered many new places to eat just because they had a tempting online coupon. Always read the fine print and check the expiration date before purchasing the coupon. (Tip: If you dont want to clog up your main email account, create one to use just for deal sites.)
Like your favorite restaurants on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Establishments often promote special deals through social media.
Download free deal-finding apps. I like the BiteHunter and Restaurant.com apps.
Pack your lunch for work most of the time. Youll save money, and calories, too.
Set a monthly dining out budget and stick to it!
At the restaurant:
Drinks can quickly run up your food bill, so stick with good ol (free) H2O.
Split an order and share food.
Save dessert for home.
Do the math before you tip. I use the Tip Calculator free app, which takes out the guesswork and calculates up to a 25 percent tip, and will also split the tip up to five ways.
Want more Dollars & Sense tips?
Click here for this weeks deals and tips to save your family money. Click here to find even more every week.