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Georgia Businesses Can Become Involved In Flood Recovery
Agencies working on September flooding have poured federal and state dollars into the Georgia economy almost as rapidly as the damaging rain fell during September. More than $88 million has been approved to repair homes, businesses and public infrastructure.
GEMA and FEMA together have approved $51 million in grants to individuals and households for temporary housing, housing repair or replacement and other needs.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved $37 million in low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and business owners to repair or replace damaged property or offset economic injuries. More loans are in the works.
Millions of additional dollars are in the pipeline to reimburse the cost of debris removal, infrastructure repairs and other emergency costs faced by state and local governments and some nonprofit organizations. FEMA's Public Assistance Program will reimburse 75 percent of eligible costs and Georgia will help with the remaining cost.
Opportunities abound for local and regional engineering and construction firms to participate in the recovery process through conventional private sector channels. In addition, the business community supplies many products and services directly to FEMA. Here is how to enroll as a vendor.
Step 1: Register with Central Contract Registration (CCR). Companies registered with CCR to do business with FEMA. Visit www.ccr.gov or contact the CCR Assistance Center at 866-606-8220.
Step 2: Request and return a Vendor Profile. Send an email to email@example.com to request a vendor profile. For questions about doing business with FEMA, call 202-646-1895. More information is also available at http://www.fema.gov/business/contractor.shtm.
SBA Lends Money For Disaster Proofing
Many people are wrestling with how to pay for repairs and how to protect property from future damage. More than 23,000 Georgians received SBA loan applications. Those who return their applications before the Nov. 23 deadline will either be approved for a low-interest loan or be referred to FEMA for possible grants and other forms of assistance.
Besides borrowing to repair damage, owners can borrow to minimize the effects of the same type of disaster damage in the future. Here are some examples:
- Relocate or elevate flood-prone structures, utilities or mechanical equipment
- Install sewer backflow valves and sump pumps
- Grade land and landscape, install French drains, build retaining walls or berms
How it Works
Applicants are asked to provide a mitigation plan and cost estimates. They can request to borrow an amount up to 20 percent of the verified physical damage for mitigation work.
SBA offers disaster loans up to $200,000 for homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. Businesses and nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets.
Interest rates are as low as 2.75 percent for homeowners and renters and 4 percent for businesses.
Clock Is Ticking
Monday, Nov. 23, is the final day to register for FEMA assistance and to return disaster loan applications to the SBA. Call 800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 800-462-7585 or register online at www.disasterassistance.gov.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
FEMA's temporary housing assist...


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Royal Air Forces Lakenheath and Mildenhall, England, airmen and their families salute as the colors are presented by the Lakenheath honor guard at the memorial service for the four airmen killed in the Jan. 7 Pave Hawk crash. (Airman 1st Class Trevor McBride/Air Force)
A Jan. 17 memorial service attended by more than 2,000 people paid tribute to the four airmen killed in a Jan. 7 HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crash in England.
Capt. Sean Ruane, Capt. Christopher Stover, Tech. Sgt. Dale Mathews and Staff Sgt. Afton Ponce of the 56th Rescue Squadron, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, were killed while performing a low-level training mission on the Norfolk coast.
We seek to find meaning in their sacrifice, Col. Kyle Robinson, 48th Fighter Wing commander, said at the Lakenheath service. These airmen go anywhere, anytime, under fire. They never sought out the spotlight. They are the quiet professionals.
The things that they do are so that others can live. ... They were wingmen to all of us, he said.
Family, friends, and thousands of military members, along with first responders from Cley-Next-the-Sea and Salthouse, attended the service.
Ruane, 31, grew up in Coraopolis, Pa., and became an Air Force pilot in 2007. He was first assigned to the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and eventually made his way to the 56th RQS, where he deployed twice to Iraq and three times to Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife, Rachael, and son, Liam.
Stover, 28, grew up in Vancouver, Wash. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2008 and went on to train with the 37th Flying Training Squadron at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. He became a helicopter pilot in 2009, and, like Ruane, joined the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody. He left Moody with his wife, Sarah, for RAF Lakenheath in July 2013.
Growing up in Rolling Prairie, Ind., Mathews, 37, entered active duty out of high school in 1994. His first assignment was at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., with the 552nd Component Repair Squadron. He deployed twice under Operations Southern Watch and Desert Thunder. He retrained to become a flight engineer and eventually flew on MI-17s and then the HH-60. He also deployed to Afghanistan in 2012. Mathews has a son Keelan and daughter Meagan, and is survived by his wife, Kim, and their two children, Michayla and Logan.
Ponce, 28, of Priest River, Idaho, joined the Air Force in 2004, and was assigned to Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., as part of the Air Force Honor Guard. She performed more than 490 ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. She moved in 2008 to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., where she gave birth to her son Maverick in 2009 and trained to become an aerial gunner. She met her husband and fellow airman, Andy, and they married in 2011. She gave birth to their son, Xavier, a year later while stationed in England.
Lt. Col. Jared Herbert, 56th RQS commander, retired the Jolly 22 call sign of the HH-60 that went down, and presented medals to the families of the fallen airmen to recognize their distinguished accomplishments and military service.
F-15s from the 492nd, 493rd and 494th Fighter Squadrons performed the missing man formation aerial salute.
A crash investigation is ongoing.
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Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
Microsoft Virtual PC 2007: Infighting Apparently Windows Vista's Firewall isn't convinced that VPC is one of the good guys.
10 / 14
Bottom Line
Can't run your legacy apps (or games) under Vista? Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 is the solution. Load an older OS in a virtual machine and run your legacy applications inside it. It's not as fancy as VMware Workstation, but it's free!


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"Vaccine-preventable STDs. In: Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2010." has been saved, and will be accessible from the My NGC page.
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Alert me when this guideline summary is updated.
This is the current release of the guideline.
This guideline updates a previous version: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine preventable STDs. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines. MMWR Recomm Rep 2006 Aug 4;55(RR-11):69-76.
Persons at risk for infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV)
Hepatitis A
Serologic testing for presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to hepatitis A virus
Hepatitis B
Serological tests for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or presence of IgM antibody to hepatitis B core (anti-HBc) antigen or antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs)
Not stated
Not applicable
Beginning in 2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff members and public- and private-sector experts knowledgeable in the field of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) systematically reviewed literature using an evidence-based approach (e.g., published abstracts and peer-reviewed journal articles), focusing on the common STDs and information that had become available since publication of the 2006 Guidelines for Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. CDC staff members and STD experts developed background papers and tables of evidence that summarized the type of study (e.g., randomized controlled trial or case series), study population and setting, treatments or other interventions, outcome measures assessed, reported findings, and weaknesses and biases in study design and analysis. CDC staff then developed a draft document on the basis of this evidence-based review.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff members and invited consultants (including public- and private-sector professionals knowledgeable in the treatment of patients with sexually transmitted diseases [STDs]) assembled in Atlanta, Georgia, in April 2009 for a meeting where all evidence from the literature reviews pertaining to STD management was discussed.
Specifically, participants identified key questions regarding STD treatment that emerged from the literature reviews and discussed the information available to answer those questions. Discussion focused on four principal outcomes of STD therapy for each individual disease: 1) treatment of infection based on microbiologic eradication, 2) alleviation of signs and symptoms 3) prevention of sequelae, and 4) prevention of transmission. Cost-effectiveness and other advantages (e.g., single-dose formulations and directly observed therapy [DOT]) of specific regimens also were discussed. The consultants then assessed whether the questions identified were relevant, ranked them in order of priority, and answered the questions using the available evidence. In addition, the consultants evaluated the quality of evidence supporting the answers on the basis of the number, type, and quality of the studies.
The sections on hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections are based on previously published recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Screening for HAV infection might be cost-effective in populations where the prevalence of infection is likely to be high (e.g., persons aged >40 years and persons born in areas of high HAV endemicity). The potential cost-savings of testing should be weighed against the cost and the likelihood that testing will interfere with initiating vaccination.
Note from the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The sections on hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections are based on previously published recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Several sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can be effectively prevented through preexposure vaccination with widely available vaccines, including HAV, HBV, and human papillomavirus (HPV). Vaccines for other STDs (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] and herpes simplex virus [HSV]) are under development or are undergoing clinical trials. This guidance focuses largely on integrating the use of available vaccines into STD prevention and treatment activities.
Every person being evaluated or treated for an STD should receive hepatitis B vaccination unless already vaccinated. In addition, some persons (e.g., men who have sex with men [MSM] and illegal-drug users [IDUs]) should receive hepatitis A vaccination.
Hepatitis A, caused by infection with HAV, has an incubation period of approximately 28 days (range: 15-50 days). HAV replicates in the liver and is shed in high concentrations in feces from 2 weeks before to 1 week after the onset of clinical illness. HAV infection produces a self-limited disease that does not result in chronic infection or chronic liver disease (CLD). However, 10%-15% of patients experience a relapse of symptoms during the 6 months after acute illness. Acute liver failure from hepatitis A is rare (overall case-fatality rate: 0.5%). The risk for symptomatic infection is directly related to age, with >80% of adults having symptoms compatible with acute viral hepatitis and most children having either asymptomatic or unrecognized infection. Antibody produced in response to HAV infection persists for life and confers protection against reinfection.
HAV infection is primarily transmitted by the fecal-oral route, by either person-to-person contact or through consumption of contaminated food or water. Although viremia occurs early in infection and can persist for several weeks after onset of symptoms, bloodborne transmission of HAV is uncommon. HAV occasionally is detected in saliva in experimentally infected animals, but transmission by saliva has not been demonstrated.
In the United States, almost half of all persons with hepatitis A report having no risk factor for the disease. Among adults with identified risk factors, most cases are among international travelers, household or sexual contacts, nonhousehold contacts (e.g., those encountered through play and daycare), and IDUs. Because transmission of HAV during sexual activity probably results from fecal-oral contact, measures typically used to prevent the transmission of other STDs (e.g., use of condoms) do not prevent HAV transmission. In addition, efforts to promote good personal hygiene have not been successful in interrupting outbreaks of hepatitis A. Vaccination is the most effective means of preventing HAV transmission among persons at risk for infection (e.g., MSM, illegal drug users, and persons with CLD), many of whom might seek services in STD clinics.
The diagnosis of hepatitis A cannot be made on clinical grounds alone; serologic testing also is required. The presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to HAV is diagnostic of acute HAV infection. A positive test for total anti-HAV indicates immunity to HAV infection but does not differentiate current from previous HAV infection. Although usually not sensitive enough to detect the low level of protective antibody after vaccination, anti-HAV tests might be positive after hepatitis A vaccination.
Patients with acute hepatitis A usually require only supportive care, with no restrictions in diet or activity. Hospitalization might be necessary for patients who become dehydrated because of nausea and vomiting and is critical for patients with signs or symptoms of acute liver failure. Medications that might cause liver damage or are metabolized by the liver should be used with caution among persons with hepatitis A.
Two products are available for the prevention of HAV infection: hepatitis A vaccine (see Table 2 in the original guideline document for recommended doses and schedules) and immune globulin (Ig) for intramuscular (IM) administration. Hepatitis A vaccines are prepared from formalin-inactivated, cell-culture—derived HAV and have been available in the United States since 1995, initially for persons aged ≥2 years. In 2005, the vaccines were approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for persons aged ≥12 months, and the vaccine is available for eligible children and adolescents aged <19 years through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program (telephone: 800-232-4636).
Administered IM in a 2-dose series at 0 and 6–12 months, these vaccines induce protective antibody levels in virtually all adults. By 1 month after the first dose, 94%-100% of adults have protective antibody levels; 100% of adults develop protective antibody after a second dose. In randomized controlled trials, the equivalent of 1 dose of hepatitis A vaccine administered before exposure has been 94%-100% effective in preventing clinical hepatitis A. Kinetic models of antibody decline indicate that protective levels of antibody persist for at least 20 years.
IG is a sterile solution of concentrated immunoglobulins prepared from pooled human plasma processed by cold ethanol fractionation. In the United States, IG is produced only from plasma that has tested negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA). In addition, the process used to manufacture IG inactivates viruses (e.g., HBV, HCV, and HIV). When administered IM before or within 2 weeks after exposure to HAV, IG is >85% effective in preventing HAV infections.
A combined hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine has been developed and licensed for use as a 3-dose series in adults aged ≥18 years (see Table 3 in the original guideline document for recommended doses by age group). When administered IM on a 0-, 1-, and 6-month schedule, the vaccine has equivalent immunogenicity to that of the monovalent vaccines.
Pre-exposure Vaccination
Persons in the following groups who are likely to be treated in STD clinic settings should be offered hepatitis A vaccine: 1) all MSM; 2) illegal drug users (both injection and noninjection drugs); and 3) persons with CLD, including persons with chronic HBV and HCV infection who have evidence of CLD.
Prevaccination Serologic Testing for Susceptibility
Approximately one third of the U.S. population has serologic evidence of previous HAV infection, which increases with age and reaches 75% among persons aged >70 years. Screening for HAV infection might be cost-effective in populations where the prevalence of infection is likely to be high (e.g., persons aged >40 years and persons born in areas of high HAV endemicity). The potential cost-savings of testing should be weighed against the cost and the likelihood that testing will interfere with initiating vaccination. Vaccination of a person who is already immune is not harmful.
Postvaccination Serologic Testing
Postvaccination serologic testing is not indicated because most persons respond to the vaccine. In addition, the commercially available serologic test is not sensitive enough to detect the low, but protective, levels of antibody produced by vaccination.
Postexposure Prophylaxis
Persons who recently have been exposed to HAV and who previously have not received hepatitis A vaccine should be administered a single dose of single-antigen vaccine or IG (0.02 mL/kg) as soon as possible. Information about the relative efficacy of vaccine compared with IG postexposure is limited, and no data are available for persons aged >40 years or those with underlying medical conditions. Therefore, decisions to use vaccine or IG should take into account patient characteristics associated with more severe manifestations of hepatitis A, including older age and CLD.
For healthy persons aged 12 months to 40 years, single-antigen hepatitis A vaccine at the age-appropriate dose is preferred over IG because of vaccine advantages, including long-term protection and ease of administration. For persons aged >40 years, IG is preferred because of the absence of information regarding vaccine performance and the more severe manifestations of hepatitis A in this age group; vaccine can be used if IG cannot be obtained. The magnitude of the risk for HAV transmission from the exposure should be considered in decisions to use IG or vaccine. IG should be used for children aged <12 months, immunocompromised persons, persons who have had diagnosed CLD, and persons for whom vaccine is contraindicated.
If IG is administered to persons for whom hepatitis A vaccine also is recommended, a dose of vaccine should be provided simultaneously with IG. The second vaccine dose should be administered according to the licensed schedule to complete the series. The efficacy of IG or vaccine when administered >2 weeks after exposure has not been established.
Special Considerations
Limited data indicate that vaccination of persons with CLD and of persons with advanced HIV infection results in lower seroprotection rates and antibody concentrations. In HIV-infected persons, antibody response might be directly related to CD4+ levels.
Hepatitis B is caused by infection with HBV. The incubation period from the time of exposure to onset of symptoms is 6 weeks to 6 months. The highest concentrations of HBV are found in blood, with lower concentrations in other body fluids including wound exudates, semen, vaginal secretions, and saliva. HBV is more infectious and relatively more stable in the environment than other bloodborne pathogens like HCV and HIV.
HBV infection can be self-limited or chronic. In adults, only approximately half of newly acquired HBV infections are symptomatic, and approximately 1% of reported cases result in acute liver failure and death. Risk for chronic infection is inversely related to age at acquisition; approximately 90% of infected infants and 30% of infected children aged <5 years become chronically infected, compared with 2%-6% of persons who become infected as adults. Among persons with chronic HBV infection, the risk for premature death from cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is 15%-25%.
HBV is efficiently transmitted by percutaneous or mucous membrane exposure to infectious blood or body fluids that contain blood. The primary risk factors associated with infection among adolescents and adults are unprotected sex with an infected partner, unprotected sex with more than one partner, MSM, history of other STDs, and illegal injection-drug use. In addition, several studies have demonstrated the horizontal transmission of HBV, including through premastication, as a less common source of transmission.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) national strategy to eliminate transmission of HBV infection includes 1) prevention of perinatal infection through routine screening of all pregnant women for HBsAg and immunoprophylaxis of infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers or mothers whose HBsAg status is unknown, 2) routine infant vaccination, 3) vaccination of previously unvaccinated children and adolescents through age 18 years, and 4) vaccination of previously unvaccinated adults at increased risk for infection. High vaccination coverage rates, with subsequent declines in acute hepatitis B incidence, have been achieved among infants and adolescents. In contrast, vaccination coverage among most high-risk adult groups (e.g., persons with more than one sex partner in the previous 6 months, MSM, and IDUs) have remained low, and most new infections occur in these high-risk groups. STD clinics and other settings that provide services to high-risk adults are ideal sites in which to provide hepatitis B vaccination to adults at risk for HBV infection. All unvaccinated adults seeking services in these settings should be assumed to be at risk for hepatitis B and should be offered hepatitis B vaccination.
Diagnosis of acute or chronic HBV infection requires serologic testing (see Table 4 of the original guideline document). Because HBsAg is present in both acute and chronic infection, the presence of IgM antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (IgM anti-HBc) is diagnostic of acute or recently acquired HBV infection. Antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) is produced after a resolved infection and is the only HBV antibody marker present after immunization. The presence of HBsAg and total anti-HBc, with a negative test for IgM anti-HBc, indicates chronic HBV infection. The presence of anti-HBc alone might indicate a false-positive result or acute, resolved, or chronic infection.
No specific therapy is available for persons with acute hepatitis B; treatment is supportive. Persons with chronic HBV infection should be referred for evaluation to a physician experienced in the management of CLD. Therapeutic agents cleared by FDA for treatment of chronic hepatitis B can achieve sustained suppression of HBV replication and remission of liver disease in some persons. In addition, patients with chronic hepatitis B might benefit from screening to detect HCC at an early stage.
Two products have been approved for hepatitis B prevention: hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and hepatitis B vaccine. HBIG provides temporary (i.e., 3-6 months) protection from HBV infection and is typically used as postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) either as an adjunct to hepatitis B vaccination in previously unvaccinated persons or alone in persons who have not responded to vaccination. HBIG is prepared from plasma known to contain high concentrations of anti-HBs. The recommended dose of HBIG is 0.06 mL/kg.
Hepatitis B vaccine contains HBsAg produced in yeast by recombinant DNA technology and provides protection from HBV infection when used for both preexposure immunization and PEP. The two available monovalent hepatitis B vaccines for use in adolescents and adults are Recombivax HB (Merck and Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey) and Engerix-B (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). A combination vaccine (hepatitis A and hepatitis B) for use in adults, Twinrix (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), also is available. The recommended HBV dose varies by product and age of recipient (see Table 3 in the original guideline document for recommended doses by age group).
When selecting a hepatitis B vaccination schedule, the health-care provider should consider the need to achieve completion of the vaccine series. Approved adolescent and adult schedules for both monovalent hepatitis B vaccine (i.e., Engerix-B and Recombivax HB) include the following: 0, 1, and 6 months; 0, 1, and 4 months; and 0, 2, and 4 months. A 4-dose schedule of Engerix-B at 0, 1, 2, and 12 months is licensed for all age groups. A 2-dose schedule of Recombivax HB adult formulation (10 µg) is licensed for adolescents aged 11-15 years. When scheduled to receive the second dose, adolescents aged >15 years should be switched to a 3-dose series, with doses 2 and 3 consisting of the pediatric formulation (5 µg) administered on an appropriate schedule. Twinrix may be administered to persons aged ≥18 years at risk for both HAV and HBV infections at 0, 1, and 6 months.
Hepatitis B vaccine should be administered IM in the deltoid muscle and can be administered simultaneously with other vaccines. For adolescents and adults, the needle length should be 1-2 inches, depending on the recipient's weight (1 inch for females weighing <70 kg, 1.5 inches for males weighing <120 kg; and 2 inches for males and females weighing >120 kg and >100 kg, respectively). A 22- to 25-gauge needle is recommended. If the vaccine series is interrupted after the first or second dose of vaccine, the missed dose should be administered as soon as possible. The series does not need to be restarted after a missed dose.
In adolescents and healthy adults aged <40 years, approximately 30%-55% acquire a protective antibody response (anti-HBs ≥10 milliunits per milliliter [mIU/mL]) after the first vaccine dose, 75% after the second, and >90% after the third. Vaccine-induced immune memory has been demonstrated to persist for at least 15-20 years. Periodic testing to determine antibody levels in immunocompetent persons is not necessary, and booster doses of vaccine are not recommended.
Hepatitis B vaccination is generally well-tolerated by the majority of recipients. Pain at the injection site and low-grade fever are reported by a minority of recipients. For children and adolescents, a causal association exists between receipt of hepatitis B vaccination and anaphylaxis: for each of 1.1 million doses of vaccine administered, approximately one vaccinee will experience this type of reaction. No deaths have been reported in these patients. Vaccine is contraindicated in persons with a history of anaphylaxis after a previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine and in persons with a known anaphylactic reaction to any vaccine component. No evidence for a causal association has been demonstrated for other adverse events after administration of hepatitis B vaccine.
Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all unvaccinated adolescents, all unvaccinated adults at risk for HBV infection, and all adults seeking protection from HBV infection. For adults, acknowledgement of a specific risk factor is not a requirement for vaccination.
Hepatitis B vaccine should be routinely offered to all unvaccinated persons attending STD clinics and to all unvaccinated persons seeking treatment for STDs in other settings. Other settings where all unvaccinated adults should be assumed to be at risk for hepatitis B and should receive hepatitis B vaccination include correctional facilities, facilities providing drug abuse treatment and prevention services, health-care settings serving MSM, and HIV testing and treatment facilities. All persons who receive clinical services in these settings should be offered hepatitis B vaccine, unless they have a reliable vaccination history (i.e., a written, dated record of each dose of a complete series). In all settings, vaccination should be initiated even though completion of the vaccine series cannot be ensured.
Prevaccination Antibody Screening
Prevaccination serologic testing for susceptibility might be considered to reduce the cost of vaccinating adult populations that have an expected high prevalence (20%–30%) of HBV infection (e.g., IDUs and MSM, especially those in older age groups). In addition, prevaccination testing for susceptibility is recommended for unvaccinated household, sexual, and needle-sharing contacts of HBsAg-positive persons.
Anti-HBc is the test of choice for prevaccination testing; persons who are anti-HBc—positive should be tested for HBsAg. If persons are determined to be HBsAg negative, no further action is required. If persons are determined to be HBsAg positive, the person should be referred for medical follow-up to include counseling and evaluation for antiviral treatment (see Management of HBsAg-Positive Persons, below). In addition, all household members, sex partners, and needle-sharing partners of HBsAg-positive persons should be vaccinated.
Serologic testing should not be a barrier to vaccination of susceptible persons, especially in populations that are difficult to access. In most cases, the first vaccine dose should be administered immediately after collection of the blood sample for serologic testing. Vaccination of persons who are immune to HBV infection because of current or previous infection or vaccination does not increase the risk for adverse events.
Postvaccination Testing for Serologic Response
Serologic testing for immunity is not necessary after routine vaccination of adolescents or adults. However, such testing is recommended for persons whose subsequent clinical management depends on knowledge of their immune status (e.g., health-care workers or public safety workers at high risk for continued percutaneous or mucosal exposure to blood or body fluids). In addition, postvaccination testing is recommended for 1) HIV-infected persons and other immunocompromised persons to determine the need for revaccination and the type of follow-up testing; and 2) sex and needle-sharing partners of HBsAg-positive persons to determine the need for revaccination and for other methods to protect themselves from HBV infection.
If indicated, testing should be performed 1-2 months after administration of the last dose of the vaccine series by using a method that allows determination of a protective level of anti-HBs (i.e., ≥10 mIU/mL). Persons determined to have anti-HBs levels of <10 mIU/mL after the primary vaccine series should be revaccinated with a 3-dose series and provided with anti-HBs testing 1-2 months after the third dose. Persons who do not respond to revaccination should be tested for HBsAg. If HBsAg positive, the person should receive appropriate management (see Management of HBsAg-Positive Persons, below); if HBsAg negative, the person should be considered susceptible to HBV infection and counseled concerning precautions to prevent HBV infection and the need for HBIG PEP for any known exposure (see Postexposure Prophylaxis, below).
Both passive-active PEP (the administration of HBIG and hepatitis B vaccine at separate sites) and active PEP (the administration of hepatitis B vaccination alone) have been demonstrated to be highly effective in preventing transmission after exposure to HBV. HBIG alone also has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing HBV transmission, but with the availability of hepatitis B vaccine, HBIG typically is used as an adjunct to vaccination.
Exposure to HBsAg-Positive Source
Unvaccinated persons or persons known not to have responded to a complete hepatitis B vaccine series should receive both HBIG and hepatitis vaccine as soon as possible (preferably ≤24 hours) after a discrete, identifiable exposure to blood or body fluids that contain blood from an HBsAg-positive source (see the table below). Hepatitis B vaccine should be administered simultaneously with HBIG at a separate injection site, and the vaccine series should be completed by using the age-appropriate vaccine dose and schedule (see Table 3 in the original guideline document). Exposed persons who are in the process of being vaccinated but who have not completed the vaccine series should receive the appropriate dose of HBIG (i.e., 0.06 mL/kg) and should complete the vaccine series. Exposed persons who are known to have responded to vaccination are considered protected; therefore, they need no additional doses of vaccine. Persons who have written documentation of a complete hepatitis B vaccine series and who did not receive postvaccination testing should receive a single vaccine booster dose. Alternatively, these persons can be managed according to guidelines for management of persons with occupational exposure to blood or body fluids that contain blood.
Table: Guidelines for Postexposure Immunoprophylaxis of Unvaccinated Persons Who Have an Identifiable Exposure to Blood or Body Fluids That Contain Blood
*Hepatitis B surface antigen
†Immunoprophylaxis should be administered as soon as possible, preferably ≤24 hours. Studies are limited on the maximum interval after exposure during which postexposure prophylaxis is effective, but the interval is unlikely to exceed 7 days for percutaneous exposures and 14 days for sexual exposures. The complete, 3-dose hepatitis B vaccine series should be administered.
Exposure to Source with Unknown HBsAg Status
Unvaccinated persons who have a discrete, identifiable exposure to blood or body fluids containing blood from a source with unknown HBsAg status should receive the hepatitis B vaccine series, with the first dose initiated as soon as possible after exposure (preferably within 24 hours) and the series completed by using the age-appropriate dose and schedule. Exposed persons who are not fully vaccinated should complete the vaccine series. Exposed persons with written documentation of a complete hepatitis B vaccine series require no further treatment.
All pregnant women receiving STD services should be tested for HBsAg, regardless of whether they have been previously tested or vaccinated. All HBsAg-positive pregnant women should be reported to state and local perinatal hepatitis B prevention programs. HBsAg-negative pregnant women seeking STD treatment who have not been previously vaccinated should receive hepatitis B vaccination. Additional information regarding management of HBsAg-positive pregnant women and their infants is available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5416.pdf .
HIV Infection
HIV infection can impair the response to hepatitis B vaccination. HIV-infected persons should be tested for anti-HBs 1-2 months after the third vaccine dose (see Postvaccination Testing for Serologic Response). Modified dosing regimens, including a doubling of the standard antigen dose and administration of additional doses, might increase the response rate.
Management of HBsAg-Positive Persons
This section provides recommendations for management of all HBsAg-positive persons. Additional recommendations for management of HBsAg-positive persons who are coinfected with HIV are available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5315a1.htm .
When seeking medical or dental care, HBsAg-positive persons should be advised to inform their healthcare providers of their HBsAg status so that they can be appropriately evaluated and managed. The following counseling messages should be considered for HBsAg-positive persons:
None provided
The type of supporting evidence is not specifically stated for each recommendation.
Throughout this guideline document, the evidence used as the basis for specific recommendations is discussed briefly. More comprehensive, annotated discussions of such evidence will appear in background papers that will be published in a supplement issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Hepatitis B Vaccine
Pain at the injection site and low-grade fever are reported by a minority of recipients. For children and adolescents, a causal association exists between receipt of hepatitis B vaccination and anaphylaxis: for each of 1.1 million doses of vaccine administered, approximately one vaccinee will experience this type of reaction.
Hepatitis B vaccine is contraindicated in persons with a history of anaphylaxis after a previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine and in persons with a known anaphylactic reaction to any vaccine component.
These recommendations should be regarded as a source of clinical guidance and not prescriptive standards; health-care providers should always consider the clinical circumstances of each person in the context of local disease prevalence. The recommendations are applicable to various patient-care settings, including family planning clinics, private physicians' offices, managed care organizations, and other primary-care facilities. These guidelines focus on the treatment and counseling of individual patients and do not address other community services and interventions that are essential in sexually transmitted disease (STD)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention efforts.
An implementation strategy was not provided.
Not applicable: The guideline was not adapted from another source.
United States Government
Chairperson: Kimberly A. Workowski, MD, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), CDC and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Presenters: Heidi Bauer, MD, California Sexually Transmitted Disease Control Branch, Oakland, California; Laura Bachman, MD, Wake Forest University; Gale Burstein, MD, MPH, Erie County Department of Health; Linda Eckert, MD, University of Washington; William M. Geisler, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama; Khalil Ghanem, MD, Johns Hopkins University; Matt Golden, MD, MPH, University of Washington; Linda Gorgos, MD, New Mexico Department of Health; Margaret Hammerschlag, MD, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York; Lisa Hollier, MD, University of Texas at Houston; Peter Leone, MD, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Kenneth Hugh Mayer, MD, Brown University Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island; Paul Nyirjesy, MD, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Anne Rompalo, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Pablo Sanchez, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas; Bradley Stoner, MD, PhD, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri; Anna Wald, MD, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; George Wendel, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas; Harold C. Wiesenfeld, MD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Moderators: Willard Cates, Jr., MD, MPH, Family Health International, Durham, North Carolina; King K. Holmes, MD, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; David Martin, MD, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Rapporteurs: Hunter Handsfield, MD, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; William McCormack, MD, State University of New York Health Science Center, Brooklyn, New York; William M. Geisler, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama
Consultants: N. Franklin Adkinson, MD, Johns Hopkins University; William Andrews, MD, PhD, University of Alabama, Birmingham; Michael Augenbraun, MD, State University of New York Health Science Center, Brooklyn, New York; Bryon Batteiger, MD, University of Indiana; Gail Bolan, MD, California Department of Health, Oakland, California; Bruce Coles, DO, New York Department of Health; Carolyn Deal, PhD, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; J. Dennis Fortenberry, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Edward Hook, III, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama; Jane R. Schwebke, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama; Joann Schulte, DO, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; David Soper, MD, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Lawrence Stanberry, MD, PhD, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Bruce Trigg, MD, New Mexico Department of Health; Yolanda Wimberly, MD, Morehouse School of Medicine; Jonathan M. Zenilman, MD, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Liaison Participants: Kaytura Aaron, MD, HRSA; Laura Bachman, MD, HIV Association of America; Lynn Barclay, MD, American Social Health Association; Margaret J. Blythe, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics; Carolyn D. Deal, PhD, National Institutes of Health; Jordon Dimitrakov, MD, PhD, American Urological Association; Mark FitzGerald, MD, British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, Southampton, United Kingdom; Dennis Fortenberry, MD, Society of Adolescent Medicine; Edward W. Hook, III, MD, Infectious Disease Society of America; Noreen Jack, MD, Pan American Health Association; Peter Kerndt, MD, National Coalition of STD Directors; Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association; Francis J. Ndowa, MD, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; Michael Parkinson, MD, American College of Preventative Medicine; Jeffrey Piepert, MD, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Patricia Reams, MD, National Commission on Correctional Health Care; Bisan Salhi, MD, American College of Emergency Physicians; Karen Shea, MSN, Planned Parenthood Federation of America; David Soper, MD, Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology; Bradley Stoner, MD, PhD, CDC STD Prevention Training Centers; Amy Swann, Association of Reproductive Health Professionals; Litjen Tan, PhD, American Medical Association; Tom Wong, MD, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
CDC, Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Treatment Guidelines 2010 Project Coordinator: Kimberly A. Workowski, MD, NCHHSTP, CDC and Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Project Manager: Richard Voigt, NCHHSTP, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
NCHHSTP/CDC Presenters: Deblina Datta, MD; Eileen Dunne, MD; Matthew Hogben, PhD; Scott Holmberg, MD; Emily Koumans, MD; Lori Newman, MD
CDC Consultants: Sevgi O. Aral, PhD; Ronald Ballard, PhD; Bernard Branson, MD; John Brooks, MD, MPH; John Douglas, MD; Alison Friedman; Dale Hu, MD; Peter Kilmarx, MD; John Papp, PhD; Phil Spradling, MD
Support Staff: Brenda Kelley, Valerie Barner, and Deborah McElroy, NCHHSTP, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
Electronic copies: Available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site .
Print copies: Available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR, Atlanta, GA 30333. Additional copies can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325; (202) 783-3238.
The following are available:
None available
This summary was completed by ECRI on September 5, 2002. This summary was updated by ECRI on October 13, 2006 and September 13, 2011.
No copyright restrictions apply.
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Incorporating Virtual Currencies in Non-Gaming Sitesa million dollars a month and Zynga rumored to have made $50 million in revenue in 2008 off of its social and iPhone games, companies are seeing real revenue from this burgeoning monetization model. Even other indie social game developers like Mobsters and Lil Green Patch who also monetize virtual currencies have seen huge success with 13M users on MySpace and 5.9M monthly active users on Facebook, respectively. To top it off, over $580 million was invested in virtual goods related startups in 2008.
While social games is the newest category of apps monetizing virtual currencies, MMOs like World of Warcraft and Second Life have had vibrant virtual economics for years. In addition, casual MMos like Gaia Online, Habbo, and IMVU have also built thriving currencies.
Yet the most recent trend that is fascinating to me is the incorporation of virtual currencies in non-gaming sites. As growth in the online advertising market continues to deteriorate, sites are seeking alternate forms of monetization to wane their dependence off ads. Many eye the robust gaming virtual currency revenue stream and are eager to expand its success into non-gaming environments. With Facebook itself estimated to have made $30-$40 million from its virtual gifts, many others hope to imitate and expand upon such early success.
Given this, I decided to put together a quick case study of five of the most interesting virtual currencies in non-gaming sites today.
myYearbook, a teen oriented social network founded by two high school students in 2005 with now over 4.4M US uniques, is a popular destination for socializing, meeting new people, and entertaining yourself.
myYearbook has incorporated their "lunch money" virtual currency into every aspect of their experience. Even when a new user first creates an account, they are awarded lunch money for simply uploading a profile picture and inviting their friends to join. Wherever possible, myYearbook attempts to offer you additional lunch money for additional activity across the site. By getting high scores in flash games on the site, you are awarded lunch money. For winning popularity battles, you are granted additional lunch money. myYearbook has even built their own rendition of Friends for Sale called Owned. Users acquire points through the game but also spend points to purchase their friends. You can also acquire points through various offers as well as direct payment options ranging from credit card, to mobile payments, to PayPal.
Once you have acquired lunch money, you have a variety of ways to spend your currency. In addition to buying your friends in the Owned game, you can purchase additional top friends slots to showcase your friends on your profile. You can also purchase a pimped out mp3 player and more songs for your playlist. Or battle super votes to ensure you win battles or support your friends. They have even built a Causes application, allowing you to contribute lunch money toward world causes like hunger, global warning, save the rain forest, and more. myYearbook then converts your contributed lunch money into hard cash that they contribute to the appropriate charities.
Heysan is a mobile web-based IM aggregator allowing users to easily connect to MSN, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, and Gtalk on the go from their phone.
Similar to myYearbook, Heysan initially offers up "coins" for simply joining the service and inviting your friends. Heysan also provides additional coins for performing actions on the site that they want to encourage, including daily sign-in, validating your phone number for SMS notifications, or filling out your profile. You can also get additional coins through various offers and direct payments.
What's cool about Heysan is how you can spend your coins. They can be used to get exclusive emoticons, new buddy icons, wallpapers, photo backgrounds, background colors, profile font colors, friend gifts, feature profiles, and more.
Scrapblog is the easiest way to create stunning multimedia online and print scrap books. With over 2 million registered users, media partnerships with Disney, Discovery, and Photobucket, and a newly raised round of $4 million, Scrapblog is poised for success.
Scrapblog has traditionally monetized through printing and sponsored promotions. However, they have recently introduced the Scrapblog Marketplace, which allows you to purchase premium content for your scrap book with Scrapbook "credits" that are purchased with a credit card.
These credits are used to purchase anything from new backgrounds to specially made stickers for your scrapblog. A variety of premium designers have put together an expansive selection of exclusive content for your scrap booking needs.
Dogster is the premier social network for a man's best friend. Showcase your own animal, browse your friends dogs, and check out the half a million dogs already captured on the site.
Dogster has monetized through advertising sold through their own direct sales team targeting the $42B pet industry as well as a premium subscription service for $20/year that provides benefits including the ability to upload more pictures, photo captions, ad-free browsing, and more.
In addition, Dogster has monetized through its own virtual currency, known as zealies. Dogster provides a variety of free ways to acquire zealies. You get some when you join. If you give them more info about yourself, they'll award you more. Sometimes you get them from games and other times they give them away for holidays. They try to rotate a variety of free ways of acquiring zealies. You can also acquire zealies by purchasing them at a rate of 20 zealies for $5 through Paypal. Users can additionally get monthly zealies through the paid subscription service.
Zealies are then used to purchase a variety of gifts for dogs across the site. Gifts include rosettes, which are one-month lasting ribbons you can give to your favorite dogs to recognize them. Then there are a variety of holiday related gifts. They even have sponsored gifts, including a recent Febreeze branded collar that was given away for free and paid for by the advertiser.
Mahalo recently launched Mahalo Answers, a Q&A service similar to Yahoo and Google Answers.
The interesting twist for this service is that besides users answering questions for free, the question asker can also offers Mahalo Dollars to the best answerer. This Mahalo Dollars virtual currency can be funded through PayPal. The question asker then awards the tip to the best answer. The users who receive Mahalo Dollars can convert it back to real cash after they reach a minimum amount of tips and after Mahalo takes it 25% cut.
Mahalo has also created a points system, allowing people to acquire points for answering questions well and adding friends. As a user acquires points, they progress through multiple belt levels, with higher belts designating that you are more of an expert in the community.
- Inside Facebook: 10 Tips for Monetizing Social Traffic Through Virtual Currencies
- Venture Beat: Virtual Goods Starting to pan out for Facebook Game App Developers and not just the Venture Funded Ones
- Virtual Goods News
Feb 05, 2009


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Hey, I'm Ken!
St Albert, Canada · Member since March 2011
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I love talking creative entrepreneurs, startups, games and my city. My current venture is Startup Edmonton, a social enterprise I co-founded that's working to amplify creative innovation and startups in our city. As a creative entrepreneur myself, I've been in the business of tech for over 10 years, co-founding two award-winning interactive companies, Hotrocket Studios and Rocketfuel Games.


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Indiana trounces Penn State in 1st win over Nittany Lions
TribLIVE Sports Videos
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It wasn't so much that Penn State was unprepared to deal with the frantic pace at which the Indiana offense operates.
It was just that the Nittany Lions were unable to stop it.
Penn State's defense held off the Hoosiers' potent attack for 2 1⁄2 quarters before giving way to the tidal wave of the Big Ten's best offense as Indiana beat the Lions for the first time, 44-24, on Saturday.
"We knew exactly what type of team they were," Penn State cornerback Jordan Lucas said. "Nothing was a surprise to us.
"We just didn't execute."
Particularly during a 11 minutes, 26 seconds span of the second half in which the Hoosiers (3-2, 2-1) scored four touchdowns. Nate Sudfeld passed for 321 yards and two touchdowns, and change-of-pace quarterback Tre Roberson had two rushing touchdowns for Indiana, which is 1-16 all-time against Penn State. Allen Robinson had two touchdown receptions among his career-high 12 catches for 173 yards for the Lions (3-2, 0-1), who lost their conference opener for the 10th time in 14 years.
Indiana's average time of possession on its five touchdown drives was 80.8 seconds.
"We did a good job of simulating their hurry-up in practice; I don't think that was the issue why we lost," defensive tackle DaQuan Jones said. "It came down to us just executing on defense. And we didn't."
The Hoosiers entered the game ranked eighth nationally in total offense (547.3 ypg) and 10th in scoring (44.5 ppg). Penn State held the Hoosiers short of those averages — barely. Indiana had 488 total yards.
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg had a career-high 340 yards (on a school-record 55 passing attempts) and three touchdowns, but he was playing against the nation's No. 106-ranked defense, and he badly missed on several passes and fumbled in the end zone for a safety during the fourth quarter. The freshman has had consecutive subpar performances after beginning his career with three largely strong games.
"I left a couple plays on the field," Hackenberg said, "that maybe would have been able to change the outcome or give us a chance at certain points."
The Lions' lone lead came in the third quarter after Robinson's second touchdown. But it took Indiana 1:23 to answer on a Tevin Coleman 44-yard touchdown run, giving the Hoosiers a 21-14 lead after the Roberson two-point conversion run. It opened the floodgates as Indiana outscored Penn State, 29-3, to put the game away.
Penn State had some life when Glenn Carson tipped a Sudfeld pass that Adrian Amos intercepted with 6:06 left in the third. Robinson almost pulled the Lions back into a tie when he leaped for a Hackenberg pass and caught it along the back line of the end zone on the far side nine plays later.
But Robinson's lower back violently landed out of bounds before he could get a foot down in play, resulting in an incompletion and leaving Robinson writhing in pain. He lay on the field for several minutes and was attended to by training personnel before walking off on his own power.
Robinson returned to the game, but the Lions were out of it before long. After Penn State had a field goal blocked and another thwarted by a bad snap in the first half, Sam Ficken's 30-yard field goal made it 21-17 late in the third.
But the Hoosiers had three touchdowns in a span of 3:50 early in the fourth to take control. Their 23 fourth-quarter points are their most since Sept. 15, 1990, against Kentucky.
After limiting Indiana to 24 yards over its first two drives, Penn State's defense got a taste of what it'd been bracing for — the Hoosiers went 66 yards in four plays covering 44 seconds in taking a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Indiana quickly answered — within less than three minutes each time — Penn State's first two touchdowns with a TD of its own.
"Coach didn't want us to focus on the history of this game and always said, 'This 2013 Indiana team has never lost to this 2013 Penn State team and vice versa,' " Sudfeld said. "It was us vs. them this week ... We had a good mindset and game plan coming in."
Chris Adamski is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at email@example.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.
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Daily NewsView All News
Philippines – Recruiters face penalties for violating laws
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) last week said that recruitment agencies violating overnment rules on the recruitment and deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) will face penalties.
This can include the suspension and cancellation of licenses, depending on the gravity and frequency of the offenses. The Department of Labor and Employment Secretary, Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, has given clear instructions that recruiters must observe the HSW reform package issued in 2006.
Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac said these reforms set out a number of parameters, including age restrictions which have been raised from 18 to 23. The minimum entry salary has been increased from US$ 200 to US$ 400 per month while also prohibiting any forms placement fees.
The reforms set a higher standard on qualifications HSWs will have to bring with them while foreign placement agencies and foreign employers also have to abide by stricter "prequalification" standards.
Mr Cacdac said that placing underage workers and charging placement fees from HSW are "serious" offenses which could lead to recruiters having their licence cancelled.
The POEA said that "less serious" offenses committed by recruiters have included forging travel documents and placing workers with employers which are not accredited by the POEA. Some agencies have also withheld pay without "justifiable reasons."
Such "less serious" offenses could be penalised with up to 12 months suspensions and ultimately with the cancellation of a license for repeated offenses.
The administrator said foreign employers breaking laws and regulations could also face sanctions under POEA rules, and could be forced out of the overseas employment programme.
This follows an increasing number of Filipino HSWs who have filed cases against their recruiters and employers. Mr Cacdac reminded recruitment agencies that they will be held accountable for recruitment violations, incidents of abuses, exploitation, or breaches of contract against domestic workers.


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South Euclid, Ohio – The GSC men's basketball team went on the road Saturday afternoon and walked away with an 18 point victory over Notre Dame College, 87-69.
The Pioneers would start quick as they jumped out to a, 15-7 lead early in the first half. GSC would continue their strong play and take an 11 point lead into halftime, 46-35.
The Pioneers would have no trouble as they would cruise through the second half as they went on to win by 18 points, 87-69.
GSC won the rebounding battle as they out-rebounded Notre Dame 43 to 30. The Pioneers would score 22 points off of turnovers, while they scored 14 second chance points.
GSC had four players score in double figures with Kevin Gray leading the way with a game high 25 points. Lamar Mallory scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in the win.
Lamont Cole and Reggie Williams both finished the day with 10 points each. Williams also dished out 7 assists.
Notre Dame College was led by Lawrence DeArmond as he scored 17 points and Jarvis Huntley as he scored 15 points.
The Pioneers hit the court Thursday, February 20th when they travel to Wheeling Jesuit. Game time is set for 7:30 pm.


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Movie Reviews by
Jonathan Harvey and Lisa Henshall
Starring: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Tom Wilkinson, Hugh Bonneville, Rupert Everett
Director: Richard Eyre
Review by Jonathan Harvey
The parallels are obvious and the comparisons are inevitable - is STAGE BEAUTY just SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE mark II? Well the checklist is all ticked: historical setting, Shakespeare acted out on stage, importing American talent to play the lead(s) and an ensemble cast of British character actors. In fact, Tom Wilkinson's roles in both films gives a particular sense of deja-vu. But despite the similarities, Richard Eyre's new movie is certainly more than a carbon copy of the 1998 Oscar-winner and underneath its skin lies a much deeper content.
Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of his own stage play is interested in the last generation of English male actors who learned the skill of, and earned their living from, acting female theatrical parts on the stage (well, pantomime dames excepted...). When Charles II sanctioned that women could, and indeed must, play the roles of women, these actors had their lives turned upside down, none more so than Ned Kynaston, a true historical figure here played superbly by Billy Crudup. Ned struggles to get to grips with the new law and finds it even harder to bear when his dresser Maria (Claire Danes) decides to try her hand as a thespian and, to start with at least, is terrible at it.
Set a hundred years after Elizabethan times, the reversal of the SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE gender-swapping formula is still clear, but Crudup proves far more adept at the job than Gwyneth Paltrow was. His performance is a real tour de force, and Danes is also impressive in the role of a woman who must learn the craft of acting during the course of the story. It feels like the whole cast enjoyed the film and tacking this material, which examines and revels in the art of acting itself. The tone and direction are well handled in Eyre's steady hands and the film's issues are sensitively treated but never allowed to swamp the story. Nor do they prevent a healthy sprinkling of comic moments throughout, most of which are excellently delivered by the ever-dependable Richard Griffiths and Rupert Everett, both in fine form.
If a criticism is to be levelled at the film, it's that the romance between Ned and Maria does feel levered into the film towards the end to give the story a more conventional feel and the chemistry between the two leads seems to lack that elusive spark, not quite matching as a couple the strength of their individual performances. Whether this may be because of, or despite, the apparent off-screen romance that blossomed between Crudup and Danes during shooting is something to speculate on! But nevertheless, when STAGE BEAUTY is engaged in the telling of what is an interesting and relatively untold historical story, it's a highly enjoyable watch.
Review by Lisa Henshall
STAGE BEAUTY is like the younger, teenage sister of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE wanting desperately to be taken seriously, yet still wearing an outfit Jordan would have second thoughts about! You'll either love STAGE BEAUTY for all its quirky, humour and poignant drama, or you'll walk out after 10 minutes and wonder what the hell you were doing there in the first place! If you can suspend belief and just experience the film, you will love it as much as I did.
It's set in London's theatre land during the reign of King Charles II (back from his exile), where England has recently woken up and remembered that it used to have lots of fun before the Puritans ran things. Anyone who's anyone is out at the theatre hoping to catch a performance by England's leading lady, Edward 'Ned' Kynaston (Billy Crudup)... after all, there's only so much liberalness one can allow and women on stage simply isn't the done thing.
If you can get past Billy Crudup in drag (thankfully more THE CRYING GAME than Lilly Savage) then it's worth the journey as we follow our hero(ine) and his loss of status and celebrity when the King (Rupert Everett), after some athletic persuasion from mistress Nell Gwynne, decides it's time the law was changed and women were allowed on stage. Enter Ned's downtrodden costume assistant Maria (Claire Danes) who's been secretly hankering after her boss and a career as on the stage. But can she cut it?
The film is predominantly a drama and there are moments of real pathos as Ned struggles with his sexual identity and his place in society, unsure whether he will be able to adapt to the new world. There are lighter moments and Hugh Bonneville as Samuel Pepys steals every scene he's in, and even some he's not - one bitchy aside from the Duke of Buckingham has it that, "if a squirrel were digging up an acorn, Mr Pepys would find a way to squeeze his way in and write about it!"
However, one scene nearly ruined it for me as the tender romance between Maria and Ned was almost scuppered by a ludicrous sex-scene where she teaches him how to be a man - a bit too hardcore meets 'carry on' for my liking, and out of keeping with the historical characteristics of the film up to that point. However, the film redeemed itself with an excellent theatrical climax, where Ned and Maria take to the stage and show the waiting Londoners how Othello and Desdemona ought to be performed. If I'm being honest, I think their performances were even more moving and tender than Messer's Fiennes and Paltrow in that other film about Shakespeare, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE.
I absolutely loved this film and if you didn't... well then you need to lighten up and enjoy life a bit more!


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Here is a headline that was missing in the NYC papers this past week:
NYC Teachers: The Best Teachers in the State.
And here is the missing lead to the article.
An analysis of New York State's growth scores reveals that NYC teachers are twice as likely to be considered Highly Effective compared to teachers in the rest of the state, and about half as likely to be Ineffective. That analysis is based on the results of the state's teacher growth model and this year's new math and reading tests.
And here is the missing sidebar:
2013 Growth Score Results
Percent of Teachers in City
Percent of Teachers in
Rest of State
|Highly Effective
True, that story would be based on test scores in ELA and math, grades 4-8. True again, the state used its statistical growth model formulas to arrive at those results. And, true a third time, test scores and growth models can never be the only measure of teacher effectiveness.
But still. When have those limitations ever stopped the press from publishing test-score stories about teachers in the past?
For example, two years ago, it was front-page news when some researchers tied the "quality" of 4th-grade teachers to the marginally increased incomes of their students two decades later. We are talking here about a single study that made a cause and effect link between two events happening 20 years apart, and a salary increase of a few hundred bucks a year. Is that front page news? Yet there is was, and it got the intended traction, too — trotted out at dozens of forums nationwide as a justification for firing teachers based on their students' test scores.
That's not the only example, of course. When schools — and implicitly their teachers — are labeled F's and D's based on test scores, the press is happy to carry those stories.
And let's not even discuss all the eagerness around the value-added TDRs.
But when it comes to news that essentially says "Let's stop the war on NYC teachers" ? Nothing made the printed press. In fact, if it hadn't been for the folks at Gotham Schools, we may never have known.
But to return to the findings on our teachers. Here is what else the New York Post, or Times, or some other paper could have said:
Only one in 20 teachers in the rest of the state was found to be "highly effective" — but in New York, that number was one in 10 (11%). And while the rest of the state had more Ineffective teachers than Highly Effective ones, in the city there were three times more Top Teachers than struggling ones according to their scores.
NYC math and reading teachers earned those results in spite of the intense challenges that their students often face. More city kids arrive at school learning disabled, poor, and new to the English language.
These findings are based on a very large data pool of data (about 40,000 teachers and well over one million kids). And this is actually the second year that city teachers outperformed the state. Last year, the differences seemed smaller, but researchers attribute the widening gap to improvements in the statistical models, which better capture the results.
Really, and truly, I do know how scary it can be to validate our existence with any of that.
But in a world that is perfectly willing to debase us through scores — why can't the world out there extol our virtues, too?
So, congratulations to our teachers, and our schools. We know that tests can't begin to capture what you do, and that growth models can't capture all the challenges we face. But they do say something — and it bears repeating in a public space.


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