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Warning: 'Shiny Eyed Babies' the second album by Bent Knee of Boston, MA, set to be released November 11th 2014, may lead you to close your bedroom door, fall into a trance-like state and have the following vision:
The unsuspecting conjurer uses her crystal voice to call to her side an orchestral art rock band of contemporary misfits and they set off to defeat the heartless marauding robots trying to take over post-apocalyptic suburbia. The band uses ample wattage and special frequencies that build to irresistible crescendos, in an attempt to call out the kindness in the robots. Yet the robots press on until it seems that all is lost. When the steady pounding drums call all of the band members to order, out of the lawless surreality comes a noticeable shift into throbbing coherence. As the song "Battle Creek" begins to play the robots break down and sob while the children run out of their houses with balloons in their hands. Soft warm little hands take the cold metal hands of the robots. They pull them to their feet and together they perform a headbanging waltz that signals the band of their victory! It is a hauntingly dark victory yet there is so much love in its angst.
All sci-fi aside, this album could be the soundtrack for a rock opera, and on a related note I have heard that the band performs silent film scores. From the beginning the listener is swept along on a well orchestrated journey that dips between sweetly moody and mesmerizing ballads, and soars to screaming heights with 'Faith No More'-like guitar licks, operatic vocals and driving violin, all carried steadily along by relentless drum hits and what seems like deeper than average bass. Due credit must be given to the live and on-stage engineer and the production team. A significant amount of knob tweaking must have gone into creating the aptly chosen effects and in achieving such clarity within such multilayered, spacious and furious compositions.
November seems a long time to wait but if you like Radiohead, Sigor Ros, Bjork, Tool, if you really like art, then you will not be disappointed.
You can watch the video for "In God We Trust" here: http://youtu.be/o7mERyfchWE and begin smashing your fist through the air and jumping around in a solo mosh-pit right now, just to prepare.
Check out their website too, http://www.bentkneemusic.com


text: Dec 2, 2012 00:11 Digital football Digital football Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLINGLSU guard Josh Dworaczyk congratulates defensive end Sam Montgomery (99) after the LSU-Mississippi State game at Tiger Stadium earlier this season. LSU won 37-17. BY LES EAST| Advocate sportswriter Comments äPODCAST: Listen to the Final Score podcast featuring college football picks with Advocate Online Sports Editor Pierce Huff and Advocate sportswriter Scott Hotard by 10 a.m. Wednesday. äON TWITTER: Follow Advocate sportswriter Les East (@LesEast) and Advocate sportswriter Scott Rabalais (@ScottRabalais). Get The Advocate in your inbox Subscribe

subset: commoncrawl


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While EDM festivals are taking over the world one "untz" at a time, there is a younger crop of producers and musicians working behind the scenes. Toiling in their garages, basements, and bedrooms, men and women all around this country are expressing themselves musically and with services like Soundcloud and Youtube, the potential for connection has never been higher. Embracing this strategy is Nick Andrew, an Orange County transplant that landed in Washington, a zen-like environment perfect for exploring the final touches on his debut EP "Catch & Release." With the help of a few friends and years of inspiration, Andrew has more than enough ideas of what he needs to do to be successful and little of it has anything to do with success.
Please enjoy our conversation and do listen to his work over at Soundcloud. Put it on in the background while reading this for a little more context.
Explain the journey from a kid in his room listening to DJ Shadow to a man releasing his first EP on his own.
Actually I think it really began when I heard Joe Satriani for the first time. I was like 8 years old, and I was on a drive down to San Diego. My dad popped in "Crystal Planet" and I just remember being completely floored. My whole life I have felt so connected to music and just had these melodies and beats running through my head, and all of the sudden I was listening to these melodies that were exactly like what I had been hearing in my mind. Every song on that record was just perfect, and as a kid I got really inspired by Satriani to develop as a guitar player and just as a musician in general. I think as I got into my teenage years I started to feel more and more like music was a personal pursuit for me and I wanted to write and record music on my own, so when I heard DJ Shadow at 16 it was another very inspiring moment. I thought, "Here is a sound that I totally connect with, that I understand 100%, and he is creating this huge full band kind of sound as a single producer." His music really spoke to me, so I worked at a smoothie shop over the summer to buy a couple of turntables and a mixer. Since then it has been a process of developing my skills as a producer and developing my sound that I feel is unique and has something to contribute to the music community in general.
Was there ever any motivation to record and release under a pseudonym?
Yeah there was actually. The funny thing is nothing ever really stuck. I had reservations about releasing my music under my given name, but I never could come up with anything that I could get excited about or that I felt would fit. So I just decided to just not worry about it anymore. (laughs)
What was the inspiration behind the EP's name of Catch and Release? I like the term as a play on words about the remix culture, as one artist catches a sound or song and puts their own spin on it before releasing it back into the wild, to one day potentially be caught and released yet again.
You know, it started as something that had no significance. I said the phrase a couple months ago in a conversation about fishing when I was a kid, and it just kind of clicked. I thought it would be a great name for the track I was working on at the time and for the EP. As a little time went by I started to see a couple ways that the title applied to the song and to the release. But you are right, and also I think it kind of connects to how I make music in general. I mean I tend to end up taking snippets from so many different sources. On this record I used lots of stuff that I played and recorded, but also I grabbed things from vinyl, CDs, DVDs, public radio, my own voicemail… About a year ago I decided to not limit myself at all in terms of what I would allow myself to use in my music, so this EP really does "catch" from almost everywhere and spits these snippets back out with my musical sensibilities on them. I think that my sound has really benefited from this kind of attitude; using that kind of DJ culture not only on samples but on the recordings that I do in my studio.
You've built a steady working relationship with some of the guys from the SubGrounds label: what has that experience been like?
The Subgrounds collective is just full of really talented artists. Guys like Xian, Gaszia, Bmills, prplhed; these are some artists that I hold the same respect for as I do big names. I am super lucky to have hooked up with them. Bmills was a guy I hung out with in high school and like a year ago he sent me an email and long story short, we ended up doing a collab and he invited me to be part of the website and the group. I am really excited to see what these artists do in the next few years.
When you were in the process of mastering this record, how did you decide when a certain song was done?
That's a good question and it was really a tough one for me. This record was made over the course of about a year and it was recorded in two different studio spaces. So mastering the tunes in a way where they would have a cohesive sound was very challenging. Ultimately I had to just do the best I can with the setup I had. Mastering from a bedroom in an apartment is never ideal, but I feel I did the best I could under the circumstances. As far as a song being done in a musical sense, that was another challenge for me. I wanted the songs to be something that I could come back to in a live setting and really build upon them and improvise a little bit. So I chose to do the EP in kind of a mix format. I wanted it to feel like there was more to the musical idea on either end of the track because I would like to have the opportunity to really build on them and change them live. So maybe they will feel more like musical entities than finite finished tracks. I don't know.
Is it a little nerve-wracking sending a song to someone else in hopes for a remix? What would you have done if it had come back terrible?
You know I see how it could be nerve-wracking, but to be honest I was just really excited. The first time I heard prplhed I honestly thought he was a big name guy. His sound was so on point I just assumed he was a well established artist. So when I learned I might be able to get a remix done by him I was just stoked. I knew it was gonna be hot, because he is just such a skilled producer. That guy is like the most underrated artist of all time (laughs), and I am really excited to see what he does in the next few years.
You recently moved from Southern California up to Washington. Did the change in scenery have any effect on your writing/recording process?
I don't think it affected how I write and record so much, but I think it was a change I probably needed. I feel like my mind is always moving at a million miles per hour and in Bellingham I can step outside and just be in a bit more of a relaxed place. Southern California is where I grew up and I love it, but it is very crowded, and very fast paced. I love being up here and being able to be in the quietness of the mountains and just have some space to breathe. Also it is just super cool when you can go on a bike ride and have a bald eagle just land in a tree right next to the road. (laughs) But half of this EP was recorded in Tustin, California and half of it was recorded in Washington, I mean one of the songs on the EP was written because I missed going to the beach with my brother. So I think this EP really marks where my head was at in 2012-2013, and it made sense to me to release it now. I just had this desire to put some kind of official release out there. Just have something to push off of as I move forward and pursue my goals as a musician and an artist.
When inspiration strikes you and you aren't in a position to record, do you write down your thought? Maybe make a voice recording of the beat or pattern? Or do you just make a mental note and come back to it later?
I actually use my phone to record little ideas a ton. If I am out and about and something comes to mind I will hum the melody or do kind of a beat-box thing into my phone. I do it all the time when I am playing my guitar. If I don't record it I almost always end up forgetting it. So yes I do that all the time.
Do you design for those wearing headphones? And if so, did you have to make any concessions for those that are not?
I actually mixed and mastered this EP on a pair of speakers. I feel that how a person hears a song can be affected by so many things (if they are in a car, in a club, at home with an iPod dock, using headphones, using ear buds, if there are ambient sounds in the background, people talking in the room, etc.) So I just decided to make it sound the best I could on my monitors and just leave it at that. I did do a little bit of testing in my car and with headphones but my monitors were the first priority.
You and I have spoken a lot about genres and labeling: I notice that you don't have any genres or sub-genres tagged on the EP, was that a conscious decision from a labeling standpoint?
That was a question I actually asked myself a lot the last couple of years. "What genre is this?" "How do I label this?" But ultimately I decided to just stop worrying about it. I am gonna make music that is real to me and that sounds good to me. I want that to be the only thing that I focus on when I make a track, so I will let other people classify it if they wish.
Right in the middle of this EP you have this robotic voice sample and the two versions of "Untitled" blend into one another. Did you have that in mind before you got the remix back from prplhed or did it hit you afterwards? Right after that section, you get pretty bassheavy for a minute, still using a variety of finger work to keep the music from getting stale. Do you set out to make a large portion of the music you make be a manual and active production, ala AraabMuzik?
The sample before the Untitled track was in there before I put the set together. When I sent the stems to prplhed, he chose to do the robotic effect. I liked how it tied the tracks together though, so I am glad it worked out that way. And yes I do try to physically drum out my beats. I do fix errors and things after the fact, but I try to maintain a musicianship in my drums for sure. I am nowhere near as handy with an MPC as AraabMuzik though. (laughs) That dude is a monster.
"Summertime" really stands out here as the most "you" track on the whole thing, maybe because it's one of the longest and most fleshed-out, but what was the inspiration behind that song?
That track was a lot of fun to make, and I think it is the most me in the sense that it utilizes a ton of the things I do to make a track. There is piano sample that I loved, and I got to really play with it; using effects and chopping it up with my mixer. I got to get a little tricky on the drums, I got to add in a synth and bass sound that I really dig, I got to use my guitar in a kind of purist context, I was able to fit in some funky instruments like a singing bowl, and I even got to do some subtle scratching. So in that vein, I would agree with you. It's not the track I am most satisfied with necessarily, but it was very enjoyable. As far as the inspiration goes, it was actually inspired by the beaches of Orange County during the summer. I heard a subtle darkness in the piano and it reminded me of the enormous and dense crowds at the beach. Like a beautiful thing that is tainted or something. But I also wanted to express my feelings towards summer moving into fall, so I wanted to include a little tranquility in the tune, kind of reminiscent of the beaches becoming more empty and peaceful as summer leaves. Just kind of a hustle and bustle moving into peace and quietness.
Can you remember a quote or watched anything that specifically stuck in your musical subconscious?
Actually there is something that comes to mind. I remember reading an interview that The Flashbulb did. He said something to the effect of "As soon as I stopped giving a f*ck about what other people thought of my music, that's when it really started sounding good." I tend to really like artists who approach their craft with that attitude, and I would like to produce with that mindset. Just make it 100% personal. 100% about the music. Just about the sound coming out of the speakers and how I can improve that sound as I develop as an artist and producer.


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Morning Roundup: Spike Lee to Make Katrina Film Sequel, Anne Hathaway Heads to Harvard, and Conan O'Brien Goes On Craigslist
Spike Lee returns to the Big Easy, Anne Hathaway heads to Harvard and Conan O'Brien goes on Craigslist.
Spike Lee Shoots Katrina Documentary Sequel: Spike Lee is making a follow-up to his Emmy-winning HBO Katrina documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts." This time around the director, who starts production on the new film this Friday, will look at New Orleans and other areas hard hit by the hurricane five years after the disaster. The sequel is expected to premiere in the summer of 2010. [Reuters]
Conan Sells "Tonight Show" on Craigslist: "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien put his show up for sale on the online classified ad Web site Craigslist.org. While the band can be "purchased separately" the red-headed comedian is offering the show to the "best offer." O'Brien is locked in a dispute with NBC about hosting the show and is expected to be replaced by Jay Leno. [Mashable]
Hathaway Goes to Harvard: Anne Hathaway, the actress who co-starred in "Devil Wears Prada," will receive the University's Hasty Pudding Award for Woman of the Year. Hathaway is expected to be on hand at a parade on Jan. 28 to receive the "honor" in Cambridge. [People]


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Weak MBeans: Symptoms of a Wicked Model?
By daniel on Jan 19, 2006
In a recent blog, Kohsuke Kawaguchi proposed a means to turn any MBean into a Weak MBean. His suggestion is both interesting and clever. But what is actually a Weak MBean?
Weak MBeans is a concept that was introduced by
Eamonn McManus in his blog
Cleaning up an MBean when its resource dies. Basically, a Weak MBean is an MBean that only holds a WeakReference to its underlying resource, and which gets deregistered - or rather, deregisters itself, when the resource is garbage collected.
The great advantage is that exposing a resource as an MBean in this way doesn't create any additional strong reference to that resource, and doesn't prevent it from being garbage collected when it is no longer used. When the resource is garbage collected, its associated MBean also automagically disappears from the MBeanServer.
No matter how appealing this feature appears, I can't help feeling uneasy with this Weak MBean concept. Thus the question I ask myself is this:
Could it be that Weak MBeans are simply symptoms of a Wicked Model?
Having worked for a telco manufacturer (Alcatel), for a TMN company (Netmansys), and in the Java DMK / JMX team (Sun), has provided me with many exposures to management interfaces and information models. GDMO/CMIP, CIM/WBEM, SNMP, CORBA, Jini, JMX, to name a few, are technologies/protocols that I have either worked with, or investigated, or even in some case implemented, in the course of my job.
Although I won't pretend to be an expert in all of these - and far from it - I am not completely naive either when it comes down to talking about management information models.
Somehow, this experience gives me the gut feeling that if you resort to using Weak MBeans in the design of your Management Interface, it's possibly because you're working at the wrong level of abstraction.
Let me take an example. In a previous entry, I have talked about the ThreadMXBean exposed by the Monitoring and Management API of Java SE 5.0 (Tiger).
In a naive sort of way, Weak MBeans would have been a perfect match for modeling thread MBeans. However, for all the reasons explained here, it would most certainly have turned out to be a big mistake.
Don't get me wrong.
I don't deny that Weak MBeans are an extremely interesting and appealing concept.
I don't deny that there might be cases where using Weak MBeans might actually be the right choice to make.
What I am simply saying is that it is better to be wary of them, especially if they seem to match your own object model in a kind of natural 1 to 1 mapping. Force-feeding application objects into the application's management interface is not always the best choice.
Before making that kind of decision - I believe it worth to look at the implications and alternatives. In that respect, the ThreadMXBean example makes good food for thoughts.
So now, how would I go about determining whether Weak MBeans are the right choice for managing my application?
I can offer some clues.
The first step is probably to realize that the view of the management interface - as conjured by the MBean developer, and the view of the management interface, as expected by a managing application, may not be driven by the same kind of requirements.
Indeed, being an MBean developer myself, I usually design my MBeans with an eye at seeing, and an eye at testing. What matters to me is being able to see my MBeans with jconsole, and being able to interact dynamically with them - note: if you're not familiar with jconsole,
Mandy's article on jconsole is worth reading.
If I can see my MBean in jconsole MBean Tab, if I can click on it and display its attributes, tweak it if it is tweakable, register for its notifications and display them, and if in addition, I do see my MBeans appear and disappear from the MBean tree as if per magic - which makes great stuff for demos - I am more than happy.
However, the developer's jconsole use-case may not be the only use case relevant for the situation, and these are a list of questions that may be worth asking:
- What is the canonical management software that will manage my application through its JMX interface? Is there any that I know of?
- How is this managing application - real or hypothetical - going to use my MBeans?
- What will be the use cases that such a managing application will have? Have I identified the most relevant?
- Are there data consistency aspects (need for correlated attributes / correlated MBeans) that I need to take into account?
- If I model my resources with Weak MBeans, is it going to simplify the task of the management application with respect to these use cases, or is it going to make it more complex, or will it make no difference?
- Are there alternatives by which the task of the management application could have been made simpler?
- Is there a significant impact, one way or the other, on performance and footprint with respect to the various alternatives?
If - after having asked all these questions, I am still convinced that using
Weak MBeans is the best alternative, then go ahead! I will use them.
Otherwise, I will most certainly reconsider my design choices, least my Weak MBeans eventually turn into... Wicked MBeans...
Cheers to all!


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Exercising a Renewable Resource: Political Will
From Dean Dowd on December 14, 2007 in Green Remodeling
Less than a week ago, Al Gore accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to curb man-made climate change. In his speech, Gore mentioned that one renewable resource in particular can lead the way toward action: political will. Renewable resources are usually associated with sunlight, wind, wood, or water, natural forms of energy that can be replenished over time. We dont often include our actions or viewpoints on this list, but come to think of it, our potential to act based on individual intention is virtually limitless. Thinking on it even further, its easy to get inspired by others with like-minded intentions, to replenish the wellspring of motivation when it tends to run dry. Transferring this concept to the home, its easy to see why energy efficient homes that revolve around reducing, reusing, and recycling are considered revolutionary. Even when you dont make it all the way to net zero energy use or exert your will on the picket line, your political will can take effect through simple actions and everyday choices. Think about the ways you used it today. Did you recycle, replace an old appliance with an energy efficient model, shop with your own tote bag, or select a green retailer over the superstore for your grasshopper green paint? All the latest solar innovations and eco-friendly products are encouraging to see. Even more encouraging are the numbers of people willing to use them.


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Jesse Lingard scores the opener against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Manchester United were minutes away from a well overdue victory at Stamford Bridge, however Diego Costa – playing his first game against United for Chelsea – scored in injury time to deny Louis van Gaal's men victory. United had played well throughout the game and the visitors deserved to pick up all three points, despite Chelsea's late surge. Jesse Lingard scored the opener with a stunning shot on the turn to beat Thibaut Courtois in the 61st minute. David De Gea was called into action on a number of occasions making a world class save from Branislav Ivanovic's volley and keeping out fellow Spaniard Cesc Fabregas at the near post.
Louis van Gaal was disappointed with his United side for switching off in the last fifteen minutes but praised the overall performance of the team. Here we discuss the United youngsters making waves in the first Xi and a much more exciting game – despite the disappointing end to the game.


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Royalty graces the valley. The King comes to Napa. That's right, The King of Blues, B.B. King, one of the most influential musicians of all time will be playing at the Uptown Theatre on February 23.
King's music, though strongly influenced by blues, jazz, and swing, has been a mainstream staple of the American and international music scene for generations now, and his unabating passion for singing and playing his guitar, Lucille, shines through by virtue of the fact that even after 60 or so years, he still takes to the stage and wows the crowd, appearing at an astonishing 125 shows per year. The upcoming event at Napa's Uptown Theatre is sure to be epic.
King's 2014 tour, which includes 125 stops all across the country and down the west coast is sure to include many of his well known and deservedly popular tunes from a rich lifetime of live and recorded performances. Think "Thrill is Gone," "Sweet Little Angel," and "Let the Good Time Roll." Then think about being in one of the best places in the San Francisco Bay Area to see a live show, because that'll be the scene come February.
Tickets to see B.B. King perform at the Uptown Theatre in Downtown Napa on February 23rd can be
purchased online at www.uptowntheatrenapa.com or by visiting the box office at Uptown Theatre, 1350 Third Street in Napa between the hours of 12 pm and 5 pm, Monday - Friday or Saturday 12 pm to 4 pm. Doors open at 7pm with show starting at 8pm. Tickets are $95 and $115 for ages 12 and over.
**Be sure to check out the video of President Obama singing along with B.B. King and Mick Jagger!


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"VH1 Divas" 2012 Red Carpet Photos!
"VH1 Divas" 2012 aired live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday night, celebrating some of music's biggest voices and paying special tribute to the late Whitney Houston and Donna Summer.
Adam Lambert hosted the festivities, which included performances by Miley Cyrus, Ciara, Demi Lovato, Keri Hilson, Jordin Sparks and Kelly Rowland.
LaLa Anthony, Elisha Cuthbert, Stacy Keibler, Kat Graham, NeNe Leakes, Kelly Osbourne and Brandy were among the other stars to make appearances on the red carpet.
Check out the gallery below!
Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!
Like us on Facebook!


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Texans defensive back Danieal Manning is shocked at Chicago fans for booing him for doing his job and intercepting a Jay Cutler pass. Sometimes you just can't win, it's not personal, it's Chicago.
Danieal Manning was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 42nd pick in the 2006 NFL Draft from Abilene Christian University. In 2008, Manning led the league in kickoff return average and number of 30+-yard returns, despite only starting half the season.
After starting his career as a nickel back, Manning moved to safety in 2009. He signed a four year, $20 million contract with the Houston Texans in 2011. Chicago is a tough place to play, let alone leave and come back. After Manning picked off Jay Cutler in the first half of their game against the Bears, he crossed Brian Urlacher, a former teammate and friend, they slapped hands. That drew the ire of the Chicago faithful. Manning spoke with WSCR in Chicago with Mully and Hanley about the incident.
"It blows my mind. It really does. We've been playing this game for such a long time and now we're professionals and I feel like we deserve the chance, we respect this game, we're both competitors and we respect each other. I was there with Brian for five years and we developed a friendship and I think the guy was just happy for me. I mean if he makes a great play I'm going to be the same way.
Between the whistles we're going to be friends but we're going to be competing with each other but now I just made a play, I walked up to him, exchanged a couple of words and we shook hands. That was pretty much it. After the game he just told me he was proud of me and he was happy that I was able to get in a situation that I enjoy. There was no animosity toward the team, the organization or the players. I left because I had a better offer on the table and that was with the Houston Texans. I didn't feel like I left on bad terms and that's the reason I was telling everyone that it wasn't personal playing this team."


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|Home > RNJ > 2007 > March/April > The Experience of Adolescent Women Living with Spina Bifida Part I: Self-Concept and Family Relationships
The Experience of Adolescent Women Living with Spina Bifida Part I: Self-Concept and Family Relationships
Adolescent women with spina bifida (SB) face unique and diverse challenges. The purpose of this qualitative component of a larger mixed-method study on adaptation was to heighten rehabilitation nurses' understanding of self-concept and family relationships during adolescence. Interviews were conducted with 31 adolescent women and analyzed for themes. The women described a range of experiences, including challenges of typical adolescence, specific concerns about living with SB, school-based stressors, and incidences of teasing and bullying. The overall self-concept was primarily positive, despite the diverse stressors encountered. A significant source of strength was the close relationships with parents, although an undercurrent of tension related to independence was also expressed. Results from this study support the need for rehabilitation nurses to address not only the functional status but also the well-being and psychosocial challenges of adolescent women with SB.
Advances in healthcare, technology, and rehabilitative services have dramatically increased expectancy and quality of life for youth with chronic health conditions (Meleski, 2002). One population that has especially benefited from progress in health services is youth born with spina bifida (SB; Blum, Resnick, Nelson, & St. Germain, 1991). Described as one of the most complex chronic health conditions (Bowman, McLone, Grant, Tomita, & Ito, 2001), SB is the second most common congenital condition, occurring in 20.09 of every 100,000 live births (Mathews, Honein, & Erickson, 2002). The incomplete neural tube closure in utero typically results in a range of health complications including hydrocephalus, lower extremity weakness or paralysis, neurogenic bladder, neurogenic bowel, and neurocognitive challenges (Kinsman, Levey, Ruffing, Stone, & Warren, 2000). Comprehensive management of SB by rehabilitation nurses entails attention to both the broad range of complex physical needs and developmental, social, economic, rehabilitative, and mental health challenges to help youth adjust and adapt successfully.
The present qualitative component of a larger mixed-method investigation of adaptation in adolescents with SB aims to heighten rehabilitation nurses' awareness of adolescent women's experience of living with SB. Because the majority of prior research in SB typically combined data across genders, the current study uniquely contributes to the literature by focusing on the daily life challenges, rewards, and experiences of risk and protective factors among adolescent women with SB in areas of family life, school, peer relationships, and developmental competencies.
Literature Review
Data are mixed as to whether adolescents with SB are at risk for poorer psychosocial adjustment compared with their peers. One body of research suggests heightened vulnerability to maladjustment among adolescents with SB caused by difficulties in social skills, problem solving, and social isolation (Simeonsson, Huntington, McMillen, Halperin, & Swann, 1997), school-based challenges and experiences of discrimination (Kennedy et al., 1998), and delayed transition toward opportunities for independent activities and responsibilities (Blum et al., 1991). Compared with their peers without chronic conditions, these studies found youth with SB at greater risk for behavioral and social competence problems (Zurmöhle et al., 1998), depressive mood (Appleton et al., 1997), and low self-concept (Kazak & Clark, 1986).
In contrast, other data highlight the possibility for positive self-concept among adolescents with SB (Edwards-Beckett, 1995; Spaulding & Morgan, 1986). Although Holmbeck and colleagues (2003) observed youth with SB to be less socially mature and to have fewer social contacts outside school than youth without chronic conditions, no group differences emerged in feelings of self-worth. Factors contributing to adolescents' positive self-image include family characteristics such as cohesion, satisfaction, and resources (Sawin, Buran, Brei, & Fastenau, 2003) and perceived age-appropriate treatment by parents (Wolman & Basco, 1994). More specifically, research reveals positive relationships between family cohesion and satisfaction and adolescent perception of quality of life (Sawin, Brei, Buran, & Fastenau, 2002), with low levels of family conflict protecting against distress and adjustment difficulties (Murch & Cohen, 1989). Parenting styles also appear to influence adjustment outcomes, with data supporting associations between overprotective parenting and behavioral maladjustment (Holmbeck et al., 2002).
Although there is a growing body of literature on factors supporting or hindering adaptation for adolescents with SB, very few studies have examined the unique lived experience among adolescent women. However, some research suggests this population is especially at risk for psychosocial challenges. Appleton et al. (1997) observed that young women with SB demonstrated more difficulties in areas of depressive symptoms and low self-worth than their male counterparts. Other research corroborates findings of lower self-image among these young women (Cartright, Joseph, & Grenier, 1993), with older adolescents particularly at risk for social isolation and loneliness (Hayden, Davenport, & Campbell, 1979).
In summary, although adolescents with SB may successfully transition into adulthood, data indicate that this special population encounters a range of challenges during the adolescent journey. To increase understanding of the complex and diverse experiences of risk factors and adaptation, this study explores family life, relationships, school, and developmental competencies among adolescent women with SB.
The theoretical touchstone for this study integrates the Ecological Model of Adaptation in Spina Bifida (Sawin et al., 2002; Sawin, Buran, et al., 2003) with the Middle-Range Theory of Inner Strength in Women with chronic health conditions (Roux, Dingley, & Bush, 2002). This integrated framework combines the emphasis on adolescent resilience and family resourcefulness of the Ecological Model with the concept of connectedness in the Theory of Inner Strength. Together, these theories describe a process of response and adaptation to a chronic condition through fostering strengths over a long period of time.
The Ecological Model (Sawin et al., 2002; Sawin, Buran, et al., 2003) for adolescents with SB depicts the relationship of risks (i.e., SB severity, including hydrocephalus, level of lesion, neuropsychological status), demographic factors (age, gender, and socioeconomic status), and protective factors (adolescent resilience factors, family resourcefulness, and healthcare adequacy) to adaptation. Adaptation includes becoming skilled in managing physical health to reduce the impact of secondary conditions, developing positive mental health, developing age-appropriate social activities, and achieving academic success and a positive quality of life.
The Theory of Inner Strength in Women adds useful specificity to the broader adolescent resilience and family resourcefulness concepts in the Ecological Model. The Theory of Inner Strength has four major concepts describing the process of learning to live with a chronic health condition: anguish and searching, or finding meaning in the diagnosis; connectedness, or support from self, family, and friends; engagement, or reframing circumstances; and movement, or realistic appraisal of one's limitations (Roux et al., 2002). Using this integrated framework as a touchstone for the study, the participants' stories were examined for strengths and connectedness or challenges that hindered inner strength and adaptation.
This study was part of a mixed-method investigation that explored adaptation in adolescents with SB (Sawin, Buran, et al., 2003). Reported here are the findings on the experiences of self-concept and family relationships while growing up with SB that emerged from interviews with 31 adolescent women with SB. Data from the larger quantitative study were reported earlier (Buran, Sawin, Brei, & Fastenau, 2004; Sawin et al., 2002; Sawin, Buran, et al., 2003).
The three global domains that described the adaptation of the adolescents with SB and their families were self-concept and family relations, peer relationships, and self-management. This article examines experiences of self-concept and family relationships in women aged 12–21 years living with SB.
Before initiating the study, approval was obtained from the university internal review board for human subjects protection. Eligibility for participation in the overall study included the following criteria: 12–21 years of age, English speaking, functioning at grade-appropriate level in school, and no other major progressive health conditions. Potential participants were recruited in an outpatient SB clinic in the Midwest. Eligible adolescents and their parents or legal guardians were informed of the study by staff during clinic visits. Interested families were subsequently contacted by telephone by a research staff member who explained the overall study purpose and scheduled interviews. After informed consent and assent was obtained, data were collected via face-to-face interviews or by telephone. The adolescents were assured that they could end the interview at any time and that no identifying information would be included in the final report.
Data Collection and Data Analysis
Data were collected via a demographic tool and a semistructured interview designed to elicit expression of the adolescent's experiences of living with SB. The global research question was, "What is it like to be a teen with spina bifida?" The interview included other guiding questions to elicit information on their specific life experiences in areas of everyday stresses and coping strategies, family relationships, and perception of self in terms of strengths and limitations.
Trained nurses with knowledge of adolescence and family theory conducted the interviews, which lasted between 30 and 60 min, with the average interview lasting 45 min. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was performed to examine the interview responses for common domains, themes, and subthemes (Morse & Field, 1995).
During the initial analysis, the data were classified according to the participant's age and level of lesion to ascertain whether themes clustered by particular age group (e.g., early vs. late adolescence) or level of lesion. The thematic exemplars crosscut all developmental stages and level of lesions. That is, no theme or subtheme was exclusive to a particular age group or level of lesion. Subsequently, the labeling of the developmental stage was changed to reflect only early adolescence (EA; 12–14 years), middle adolescence (MA; 15–17 years), or late adolescence (LA; 18 years or older) to increase confidentiality.
Several techniques of rigor were used in the analysis. First, a blind reviewer, who has expertise in qualitative research, served as a consultant to enhance the trustworthiness of analysis while generating domains, themes, and subthemes. Initially, with this consultant, the first two authors independently reviewed four randomly selected transcripts to generate a beginning coding scheme for the data. The first author and the second author subsequently analyzed 12 additional transcripts to establish common domains, themes, and subthemes. The authors tracked decisions about the coding of data and development and collapse of domains, themes, and subthemes in methodological journals (Sandelowski, 1993). The first three authors then reviewed the remaining 15 transcripts, collaborated on the analysis of the final structures, and examined the data for relationships between the domains and themes. Descriptions of the domains were written with particular attention to incorporating exemplar statements from the adolescents' interviews. The final two authors, who have extensive clinical experience with this population, reviewed the domains, themes, and exemplars for trustworthiness and consistency with clinical reality.
A majority of the 31 adolescents with SB in this analysis were non-Hispanic white (97%) and had hydrocephalus (87%). Most of the participants had parents who were married (80.65%). The levels of lesion spanned the spinal cord in a fairly equal distribution: thoracic and high lumbar (25.81%), lumbar (32.26%), lumbosacral (22.58%), and sacral (19.35%). Ages of the participants ranged from 12 to 21 years, with a mean age of 15.84 years.
Analysis of the interviews yielded two domains capturing the day-to-day experiences of living with SB: the Self-Concept and Family Relationships Domain and the Peer Relationships Domain. This article presents the six themes identified in the Self-Concept and Family Relationships Domain (Figure 1). The six major themes were appraisal of self, continuum of impact of spina bifida on life experiences, stresses of everyday life, strategies and skills to manage stress, family relationships, and perception of impact of spina bifida on family.
Theme 1: Appraisal of Self
In the appraisal of self theme, participants shared reflections about their overall self-concept and specific areas of competence. Three subthemes provided greater insight to self-perception among these young women: identification of personal strengths, areas of self-dislike, and perception of self as a typical adolescent. Because thematic exemplars were not exclusive to a particular developmental age, the data are labeled only by early (EA), middle (MA), or late (LA) adolescence.
Identification of Personal Strengths: Participants highlighted a range of attributes and qualities they regarded positively about themselves, from valuing autonomy ("I like that I can do stuff for myself.") and interpersonal skills ("I go out and meet new people.") to physical attractiveness ("I think I'm pretty."). The adolescent women considered themselves mature, trustworthy, patient, and easygoing. They also celebrated the uniqueness about self.
Areas of Self-Dislike or Perceived Difficulties: Balancing the personal strengths were the perceived difficulties and negative attributes. Although the majority of adolescent women described a desire for change in some dimension of self, a subset regarded themselves as just right ("I don't think there's anything I dislike about myself."). In this subtheme, participants expressed frustration in areas of physical qualities ("Don't like my body image.") and personality style ("If I can get over my shyness. . . ."). The younger participants in particular expressed frustrations related to physical appearance. One participant commented, "Don't like my body image. I don't like my looks. I'm getting better about it. At times I think I am fat or ugly."
Limitations related to SB seemed to weigh heavily on participants' minds, regardless of developmental stage.
Perception of Self as a Typical Adolescent: Though acknowledging differences related to life as an adolescent with SB, some of these young women perceived themselves as regular teens with normal teenage changes.
They also expressed a desire to not be treated as different or have special privileges and articulated a hope to pursue typical adolescent activities without limitations imposed on them.
Theme 2: Continuum of Impact of Spina Bifida on Life Experiences
In this theme participants evaluated the influence of SB on their daily life experiences. Adolescents typically offered a balanced view of the challenges and rewards presented by SB ("Sometimes it overpowers me, but other times it's okay."). Although some reported a negative impact, growth-enhancing opportunities were also highlighted. Four subthemes emerged: positive appraisal of impact, mixed impact, negative appraisal of impact, and growth-enhancing opportunities engendered by SB. Because thematic exemplars were noted across the developmental stages, the labeling of data was changed to reflect only early (EA), middle (MA), and late (LA) adolescence.
Positive Appraisal of Impact: A group of participants described the impact of SB on their daily life experiences as primarily positive.
Mixed Impact: Others described a mixed effect of SB on daily life experiences, reporting periods of difficulty alternating with experiences of low impact. More difficult periods seemed to be associated with the early years of adjustment and adaptation and during symptom exacerbation.
Negative Appraisal of Impact: A final group of participants depicted a largely negative influence of SB, with impact noted especially in restricted interpersonal relationships and family social activities. Acknowledgment of an adverse effect was noted more often among middle and late adolescents.
The challenging management responsibilities of SB were also associated with high impact.
Experiences of embarrassment likewise weighed heavily on participants' minds, regardless of developmental stage.
Growth-Enhancing Opportunities Engendered by SB: Despite the perceived negative influence of SB for some participants, a number of the adolescent women reflected on benefits and opportunities created by SB. The adolescent women reflected that living with SB taught them patience and acceptance of others.
Participants also described enhanced, close family relationships stemming from the presence of SB in their lives.
Theme 3: Stresses of Everyday Life
The adolescent women shared thoughts about sources of daily life challenges. They articulated typical adolescent irritants, such as family relations and school-based stress, as well as additive frustrations and concerns related to life as a teenager with SB. Four subthemes captured the range of stressors: school-related stress, the experience of teasing and bullying, spina bifida challenges, and mobility-related stress.
School-Related Stress: The school environment created a number of challenges, especially in areas of academic achievement.
The Experience of Teasing and Bullying: The experience of teasing and bullying emerged as a powerful negative descriptor of some participants' lives ("In school, you get made fun of."). This was especially noted for the younger adolescents. However, some older participants described a pattern of persistent unpleasant interactions with peers.
Spina Bifida Challenges: Stress resulting from daily management of SB, including self-care and health monitoring, and daily living tasks such as dressing and transfers also emerged as a common challenge encountered by the adolescent women across the developmental stages. Participants frequently noted the hassle of incontinence and catheterization.
Concerns about future health needs and childbearing abilities were also noted among the women.
Mobility-Related Stress: A final grouping of data highlighted the challenges of mobility for participants. Frustration was articulated by both younger adolescents ("Like knowing my friends are going somewhere or something and like I can't do it. Then that makes me kind of upset.") and older adolescents ("Not being able to go anywhere is stressful.").
Theme 4: Strategies and Skills to Manage Stress
Although the adolescent women encountered complex and diverse stressors, they also reported rich inner strengths, capabilities, and resources to help circumvent negative impacts. Participants described four subthemes related to stress management: use of problem solving, patterns of sequential coping, maladaptive and avoidance strategies, and importance of support from family and friends. As in other themes, exemplars of strategies and skills for stress management were evident across the developmental stages, and so the labeling of data was reduced to reflect early (EA), middle (MA), and late (LA) adolescence.
Use of Problem Solving: For some participants, use of problem solving was a key skill to manage daily life challenges. They relied on both internal problem-solving strategies and external resources, such as processing the stressor with the school counselor, to "figure it out," as described by an MA participant. The problem-solving experience involved taking time out for some participants.
Patterns of Sequential Coping: In their description of skills and strategies, the adolescent women also reported a stepwise selection of inner coping resources and supports.
Maladaptive and Avoidance Strategies: Although the majority of participants demonstrated constructive coping skills, a group relied on less adaptive strategies in their efforts to negotiate stress. Some reported experiencing intense anger that, at times, climaxed in yelling at friends or family or even the destruction of property.
Importance of Support from Family and Friends: Finally, the positive and centering influence of family and peer social support was also acknowledged by a number of participants.
Theme 5: Family Relationships
The significance of family relationships in the lives of the adolescent women consistently emerged in the data. Participants depicted cohesive bonds with parents, connections that served as a major outlet for social interaction. Three subthemes were identified: close, generally positive connections with parents; undercurrent of tension in relationships with parents; and typical, transient conflict in sibling relationships.
Close, Generally Positive Connections with Parents: The absence of high adolescent–parent conflict was notable in participants' descriptions of their connections with parents. They highlighted the social importance of the relationship ("We do everything together.") and acknowledged the uniqueness of the close relationship ("I get along with my parents more than I think some of my friends do."). Some participants considered their parent as their "best friend" or confidant.
Undercurrent of Tension in Relationships with Parents: Although the parental relationship was portrayed primarily as positive, some adolescents reported conflict, especially around areas of control and power.
Typical, Transient Conflict in Sibling Relationships: Transient conflict was more common in the description of sibling interactions by the younger adolescents. However, the interactions with brothers and sisters were perceived as no different from those of other sibling pairs; "We have our disagreements, like brother and sister," commented one EA participant.
A range of sibling relationships was reported. For some adolescent women, the sibling bonds were positive and cohesive ("I love spending time with my brothers and sisters."). A subset of participants regarded their brothers and sisters as friends and as sources of support during difficult times.
Another group characterized the sibling relationship as one of mutual avoidance. "I try to ignore him, but he does these little things that really push my buttons," acknowledged an MA participant.
A third group of participants described ongoing conflict in their sibling relationship, manifested in fighting and anger.
A few participants reflected on the source of conflict underlying their sibling relationship.
Theme 6: Perception of Impact of Spina Bifida on Family
The impact of SB on surrounding family members was captured in this sixth and final theme. A continuum of adolescents' beliefs were presented, although the majority of participants described the influence of SB as one of mixed impact ("It's kind of hard sometimes."). Three subthemes were identified: minimal impact, moderate impact, and high impact.
Minimal Impact: A group of adolescent women perceived no significant implications for the lived experience of family members. Younger adolescents more often saw little or no bearing of SB on the surrounding family. One MA participant captured this perspective: "I don't think it's affected them at all."
Moderate Impact: Alternatively, others considered family members to be somewhat affected by their experience. Older participants more commonly reflected that difficulties were linked largely to the early adjustment and adaptation period.
High Impact: A final group of participants described a substantial impact of SB on surrounding family members. In particular, these adolescent women highlighted the complex and uncertain medical course and the financial and social consequences of SB.
A major finding of this study is the range of risk factors and experiences of adaptation among adolescent women with SB. Despite the many challenges stemming from life as an adolescent with SB, including stressors of monitoring and management of SB, mobility-related concerns, and experiences of embarrassment, teasing, and bullying, a majority of participants described an overall positive self-concept. Consistent with the Theory of Inner Strength in Women (Roux et al., 2002), most participants were searching to integrate the meaning and implications of SB in their lived experience—some more successfully than others. For example, whereas several adolescent women believed the experience of SB differentiated them from their peers, others did not consider themselves different. This latter perception is captured best, perhaps, by a participant in middle adolescence who described herself as a "normal person . . . going to do the same things that everybody can do."
Findings of an overall positive self-concept are consistent with prior studies involving adolescents with SB (Cartright et al., 1993; Murch & Cohen, 1989). Yet participants in this study acknowledged several areas of perceived difficulties, including a desire to change physical qualities such as short stature and mobility problems, personality traits such as shyness or a short temper, and peer social interactions. These findings corroborate prior investigations. For example, although King, Shultz, Steel, Gilpin, and Cathers (1993) noted similar overall self-appraisal in a group of adolescents with chronic physical conditions including SB and normative peers, differences emerged in specific areas of self-concept. Female participants who had a physical condition expressed lower social acceptance, athletic competence, and romantic appeal than their peers.
Data from this study suggest that adolescent women with SB hold realistic perceptions about their personal strengths and challenges, illustrating movement by honest self-appraisal and facilitation of balance and desired change (Roux et al., 2002). In their research with adolescents with a range of physical conditions, including SB, Specht, King, and Francis (1998) surmised that the lower developmental competencies reflect appropriate self-appraisals, that "many are not athletically competent and they may not be as socially accepted as their peers, or have been provided with paid job opportunities" (p. 114). Importantly, several growth opportunities from the experience of SB also emerged in our data, providing a balance to the limitations and challenges associated with SB. In the present research, the adolescent women described enhanced family relationships, development of patience, and acceptance of differences as positive attributes engendered by their daily life experience of SB.
It is also important to note that participants reported a range of coping mechanisms protecting against distress, a concern related to both SB and general adolescent challenges such as family tension and school-based responsibilities. Consistent with the notion of engagement (Roux et al., 2002), the adolescent women drew on rich resources in their efforts to offset a negative impact of stress. The use of problem solving and patterns of sequential coping, in which participants selected coping strategies that countered the type and severity of the encountered stressor, dominated adolescents' descriptions, as did the importance of support from family and friends. However, less adaptive coping behaviors such as avoidance and displacement were also reported. The adolescents' use of disengagement coping—strategies that seek to remove the person from working through the stressful experience—is of particular concern given its link to poorer adjustment to disability (Livneh & Wilson, 2003). Clearly, adolescent women with SB who possess underdeveloped or maladaptive coping skills are especially at risk for psychosocial difficulties, especially in combination with low self-concept.
Of interest in this study, no participant described using spirituality or formal religion in her effort to adjust to or withstand adversity. Contrasting findings come from the work of Treloar (2002), who noted a stabilizing effect of spirituality in the lives of women with disabilities. Other research similarly highlights the importance of the spirituality component of connectedness (Roux et al., 2002) in the daily lives of women with chronic physical conditions (Boswell, Knight, Hamer, & McChesney, 2001). However, methodological distinctions are noteworthy; both studies surveyed adult populations and had the specific intent to explore the role of spirituality.
Another key finding of this study is the generally positive, cohesive family environment surrounding the adolescent women with SB. Close bonds were particularly evident in the adolescent–parent relationship. Not only were parents an influential force in the daily lives of the adolescent women, in part because of the complex monitoring and management of SB, but they also fulfilled an important social outlet role for these young women. The absence of overarching adolescent–parent conflict in the SB population is consistent with prior research (Blum et al., 1991; Sawin, Bellin, et al., 2003). Although the majority of participants regarded their parents and their relationship in a positive light, an undercurrent of tension was present, especially in areas of independence and control.
Transient conflict was more prevalent in the description of sibling relationships. The adolescent women characterized their connections, which ranged on a continuum from high-conflict to close, comforting bonds, primarily as typical. Interestingly, there was no consistent pattern with regard to how the participants perceived the impact of SB on their families. Whereas some found no significant implications for their parents and siblings, others described profound emotional, social, and financial stressors stemming from the intense and lifelong management of SB.
Implications for Practice
Effective individualized interventions that optimize physical and mental health and enhance daily functioning for adolescent women with SB rest on a sophisticated, holistic understanding of the lived experience of these young women. These data support patterns of challenges and experiences of adaptation, but unique journeys also emerged. Rehabilitation nurses and other health professionals assisting young women with SB therefore must listen for the unfiltered voices to appreciate both individual inner strengths and capabilities and threats to successful psychosocial adjustment.
An important contribution of the present research is our enhanced understanding of the trajectory of adolescent development for young women with SB, illuminating areas for intervention. Because many of the adolescent women with SB encountered bullying and teasing in school, addressing this potential risk experience appears to be an important role for nurses and other health professionals. Considering the profound negative impact teasing or taunting may hold for the self-concept of adolescents with spina bifida (Wolman & Basco, 1994), comprehensive interventions are indicated.
Other evidence supports the importance of individual assessments and interventions complemented by school-based supports. For example, Zacijek-Farber (1998) regards the education of peers about chronic physical conditions (e.g., exposing myths and misunderstandings) as essential to reducing social isolation and experiences of teasing and bullying, thus bolstering healthy psychosocial adjustment for students with such conditions.
Successful interventions need to involve school nurses partnering with teachers, social workers, and rehabilitation nurses in school activities aimed at dispelling myths and raising compassion and understanding in youth without chronic conditions. With the parents' permission, the rehabilitation nurse can serve as a collaborator with the school team to improve social integration and follow-up. In addition, the rehabilitation nurse can serve as a consultant on professional updates or new techniques, teaching plans, and criteria regarding referral to the SB clinic and the need for further rehabilitation. In most schools, although the school nurse has a great depth of practice, collaboration with a rehabilitation nurse integrates a broader and more comprehensive plan of care that should be cultivated. Greatest success for long-term positive effects depends on early and continued intervention between the professional school team and rehabilitation nurses. This collaborative care and education program should begin with the early school-age population (e.g., preschool) and continue consistently throughout the developing years with interventions for adolescents in the high school setting.
Rehabilitation nurses play an important role by helping their colleagues in the school setting remain abreast of healthcare developments, thus enhancing the quality of life of youth with SB. Rehabilitation nurses working with preadolescents and adolescents need to consider both school-based interventions and individual assessment and interventions. A holistic understanding of the strengths and limitations of youth with SB entails learning about their functioning in a broad range of environments, not just in the rehabilitation setting.
Evidence also supports tailored, individual clinical interventions that enhance the coping skills of adolescents encountering adverse circumstances. Problem-directed coping strategies, with the active use of behavioral and cognitive strategies, are particularly effective in altering stressful situations, whether related to teasing and bullying, family conflicts, or stress of SB management (Livneh & Wilson, 2003). Additional interventions designed to enhance the overall well-being of adolescent women with chronic health conditions include engaging such women in decision making, assertiveness training, and goal setting around academics, treatment, and achievement of developmental milestones (Grey, Boland, Davidson, Li, & Tamborlane, 2000; King et al., 1993).
Another contribution of this study to clinical practice is the heightened awareness of the close, positive family relationships supporting these young women. Family-centered interventions can bolster family protective mechanisms; mobilizing families' internal strengths and resources may help circumvent stress experienced by adolescent women with SB. Because family-level protective factors may directly influence resilience in adolescents with SB (Sawin, Buran, et al., 2003), a central component of a successful transition program is family support, especially during periods of adjustment and adaptation (Blum et al., 1993). Parents need specific suggestions, however, because achieving a balanced parent–adolescent relationship is challenging given the level of parent involvement in managing SB over the course of an adolescent's life (Wolman & Basco, 1994).
Rehabilitation nurses need to be especially attuned to overprotective parenting, which may delay achievement of typical adolescent milestones (Blum et al., 1991). Because data suggest that age-appropriate treatment by parents profoundly influences the self-esteem of adolescents with SB (Wolman & Basco, 1994), shaping family assessment and intervention around promoting independence and autonomy appears important to fostering inner strength and adaptation in these young women and their families. In summary, the interactive dance of individuation and independence that parents and their adolescents with SB are engaged in holds significant implications for whether these young women develop social, self-management, and independence skills (Sawin, Bellin, et al., 2003). This is an important area in need of further examination from the perspective of the adolescent with SB.
Study Limitations
Although our research heightens understanding of the unique lived experience of adolescent women with SB, several methodological limitations must be noted. First, our sample was comprised almost exclusively of Caucasian families. Knowledge of the experience of adolescents from different ethnic and racial backgrounds is greatly needed, especially given the higher incidence of SB in Hispanic families (Mathews et al., 2002). Also, we do not know whether these data reflect the experience of urban and rural populations. Whether and how the range of risk and adaptation or inner strength–building opportunities differs between adolescents from different cultures or geographic regions needs further study. To ensure the development of accurate, effective prevention and intervention programs, developing a knowledge base that reflects the diversity of adolescent populations is essential. A qualitative study on the experience of living with SB from the perspective of adolescent men and women is currently being conducted in a larger, multisite investigation.
Another demographic limitation of this study is the large percentage of adolescents with married parents. It is possible that a two-parent household offers a more readily accessible support network for these young women, influencing their psychosocial development, independence and self-management opportunities, social relationships, and experiences of stress and adaptation.
It is not clear whether the themes identified for adolescents and young women with SB in this study are useful in working with young women who grow up with or experience other physical disabilities. Clinicians can use the themes identified here as possibilities to be confirmed as they work with adolescents and young women. However, additional investigations are needed to determine which experiences are unique to SB and which are more universal to adolescent women with disabilities.
This study offered the opportunity to listen to the unfiltered voices of adolescent women with SB. Although the data reflected a range of experiences, several themes emerged to guide rehabilitation nurses and other health professionals in their work with this population. In particular, finding a balance between enhancing and mobilizing the inherent capabilities and strengths of adolescent women with SB and their families while simultaneously reducing exposure to risk experiences is a central part of facilitating positive psychosocial adjustment and adaptation to living with a chronic health condition.
The authors would like to thank Beth Rodgers, PhD RN FAAN, for review of a previous draft of this article. The authors would also like to acknowledge Janet Kain, Susan Modlin, and Vanessa Patrick for their assistance with data collection and database management.
This project was funded in part by the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses; the Clarian Health Partners; National Institutes of Health Institutional National Research Service Award #5 T32NR07066; Maternal and Child Health Bureau Leadership Education in Adolescent Health, Indiana University; and Alpha Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau.
About the Authors
Melissa Hayden Bellin, MSW, is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD.
Kathleen J. Sawin, DNS CPNP FAAN, is a professor at the College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Joint Research Chair in the Nursing of Children with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin at the College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
Gayle Roux, PhD RN NP-C, is an associate professor and associate dean for faculty at Loyola University Chicago's Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Address correspondence to her at email@example.com.
Constance F. Buran, DNS RN, is a pediatric clinical nurse specialist at the Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, IN.
Timothy J. Brei, MD, is a developmental pediatrician at the Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
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Spaulding, B. R., & Morgan, S. B. (1986). Spina bifida children and their parents: A population prone to family dysfunction? Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 11(3), 359–374.
Specht, J. A., King, G. A., & Francis, P. V. (1998). A preliminary study of strategies for maintaining self-esteem in adolescents with physical disabilities. Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation, 11(3), 109–116.
Treloar, L. L. (2002). Disability, spiritual beliefs and the church: The experiences of adults with disabilities and family members. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 40(5), 594–603.
Wolman, C., & Basco, D. E. (1994). Factors influencing self-esteem and self-consciousness in adolescents with spina bifida. Journal of Adolescent Health, 15, 543–548.
Zacijek-Farber, M. L. (1998). Promoting good health in adolescents with disabilities. Health and Social Work, 23(3), 203–214.
Zurmöhle, U.-M., Homann, T., Schroeter, C., Rothgerber, H., Hommelo, G., & Ermert, J. A. (1998). Psychosocial adjustment of children with spina bifida. Journal of Child Neurology, 13(2), 64–70.


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Windows dtrace like tool runs faster than on Solaris
By Katsumii-Oracle on Jan 18, 2010
I stumbled upon an interesting tool.
NTrace uses a novel approach of instrumenting binary code on the fly by leveraging certain aspects of the Microsoft hotpatching infrastructure. This allows NTrace to be both very robust and fast: On x86, NTrace outperforms DTrace by a factor of almost three!
- This tool is not yet downloadable.
- I think this tool is more closer to truss(strace on linux) than to dtrace.
- The author apparently did a good study on dtrace implementations and explains difference between SPARC and IA-32 in "NTrace: Function Boundary Tracing for Windows on IA-32".


text:
RESOURCES (WCSR), a 501(c)3
tax-exempt foundation, provides books, posters, tapes and related
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it will be promptly filled. 100% of your donation goes directly
to the shelter or organization of your choice. Click here for a more detailed description
of WCSR's Gift Certificate Program.


text:
NEW! Standards & GuidanceTranslations
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Editors' Note: The "Download Now" link directs you to the Android Market where you must continue the download process. This download may not be available in some countries.
Publisher's Description+
What's new in this version:
- Force close issue resolved- Japanese version: sound issues resolvedYour 5 star rating keeps us motivated to produce upcoming updates to make our games even better!Contact GAMEVIL Inc. @Tips & Tricks: http://us.gamevil.comFacebook: http://facebook.com/gamevilTwitter: http://twitter.com/gamevilYouTube: http://youtube.com/gamevilEmail: email@example.com


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Committee advances infrastructure project
July 2, 2014
A city committee is recommending the Minot City Council move forward with a $31 million downtown infrastructure improvement project....
In 84/85 canada asked if we were waffling on paying on their dams. The answer was a haughty "no". Relationships r based on trust and u broke that. We r watching u like a great horned owl on a titmouse. U b the titmouse. Then there is the age old minot problem. Give me an event center and a flood. Give me a rec center and a flood. How about give us flood control. It would b like leutefisk without guilt.
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The bridge to somewhere (that no 1 uses) over N. Bdwy. was a good observatory for our lake of 2011. I used 2 think it was worthless. Lake swindle, lake inhumanity, liars lake, leutefisk lake, HMS 26K FPS-- all possibles 4 the name the lake contest eh?
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So those who wanted the curvey river had their way and it made us more flood prone. Then some encroached on the berms with trees etc. which cause some back up of the water--4 more flood prone. If the bulk of the twists and turns were bypassed, monitoring the berm for encroach ments would be simplified. The city and residents could just watch 5000 plus cfs flow by without jumping into action. The oak and roosevelt park loops must b bypassed 4 adequate flood control.
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I don't know but anything Cindy Hemphill's name is attached to makes me cringe now.
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So were is this money coming from? are you spending more CBG money? and we have zombie homes still standing, how do you sell BS if it is CBG Money.
1 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Showing 5 of 5 comments
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text:
More New and Used
from Private Sellers
Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
Operatic Afterlives
ISBN13:by Grover-Friedlander, Michal
Zone Books
Questions About This Book?
What version or edition is this?
This is the edition with a publication date of 2/18/2011.
What is included with this book?
- The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any CDs, lab manuals, study guides, etc.
In Operatic Afterlives, Michal Grover-Friedlander examines the implications of opera's founding myth-the story of Orpheus and Eurydice: Orpheus's attempt to revive the dead Eurydice with the power of singing. Grover-Friedlander examines instances in which opera portrays an existence beyond death, a revival of the dead, or a simultaneous presence of life and death. These portrayals-in operas by Puccini and other composers and performances by Maria Callas-are made possible, she argues, by the unique treatment of voice in the operas in question: the occurrence of a breach in which singing itself takes on an afterlife in the face of the singer's death. This may arise from the multiplication of singing voices inhabiting the same body, from disembodied singing, from the merging of singing voices, from the disconnection of voice and character. The instances developed in the book take on added significance as they describe a reconfiguration of operatic singing itself. Singing reigns over text, musical language, and dramatic characterization. The notion of the afterlife of singing reveals the singularity of the voice in opera, and how much it differs categorically from any other elaboration of the voice. Grover-Friedlander's examples reflect on the meanings of the operatic voice as well as on our sense of its resonating, unending, and haunting presence. Traditionally, opera kills its protagonists, but Grover-Friedlander argues that opera at times also represents the ways that the voice, singing, or song acquire their own forms of aliveness and indestructibility. Operatic Afterlivesshows the ultimate power that opera grants to singing: the reversal of death.
Table of Contents
|p. 11
|p. 13
|Death Song
|Afterlife: A New Configuration of Singing
|Aesthetic Orbit
|Inside the Book
|Prologue Traces
|Giacomo Puccini, Le villi (1884)
|p. 35
|Death, Afterdeath
|Dance Detour
|Voice Recognition
|Returned Singing
|The Afterlife of Maria Callas's Voice Franco Zeffirelli, Callas Forever (2002)
|p. 45
|Bygone Voices
|Regaining the Lost Voice: First Attempt
|Vocal Pairs: An Overwhelmed Body
|Regaining the Lost Voice: Second Attempt
|Unsightly. Unheardly
|The Voice's Afterlife
|Sung By Death Giacomo Puccini, Gianni Schicchi (1918)
|p. 77
|Better End
|How Comedy Ends
|Clues about Life and Death
|Dramatic and Musical Continuity
|Curious Dating of the Tale in the Libretto
|Inaccurate Historical References in the Libretto
|Symmetrical Impersonation
|Undifferentiating the Living from the Dead
|Morphing Music
|3-2-1 Schicchi
|Interlude Opera Ghosting
|Michael Ching, Buoso's Ghost: Comic Sequel in One Act after Puccini's Gianni Schicchi (1996)
|p. 109
|Dybbuk: Between Voice and Song Lodovico Rocca, Il dibuk (1934)
|p. 115
|A Soul Has a Voice
|The Divine's Voice
|The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds
|Duet within Oneself with the Dead about the Unborn
|I Am Song
|Interlude Voice Replacement Puccini, Gianni Schicchi, Rocca, Il dibuk
|p. 149
|Singing and Disappearing Angels Mordecai Seter, Tikkun Hatsot (Midnight Vigil, 1961)
|p. 151
|Silent Singing
|Dying Singing
|Vertical Echoing
|Dying Out of Song: Midnight Vigil
|Allowing a Voice to be Heard
|Mystic Sounds
|Composing A Hearing
|Vocal Ideas
|Pargod: Celestial Veil
|Singing Evanescence
|Coming to an End
|"Real" Prayer
|"Real" Tikkun
|"Unreal" Prayer
|No Redemption
|Our Death
|Epilogue Cartoon-Animated Opera The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met (Disney, 1946)
|p. 197
|p. 207
|p. 247
|Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.


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Well, here we go again. Seems that nothing ZQK does moves its stock. Upwards, at least. Management continues to draw their utterly fantastic salaries and benefits irrespective of the price of ZQK stock. Why is the B/D being enlarged at fantastic cost with absolutely no positive impact on the stock price?At these prices, ZQK should at least start buying back its stock in the open market. When will ZQK start doing something to help suffering stockholders?Yes, I know, a familiar refrain that I have previously expressed. If I didnt have such a large capital loss, I would have been long gone!
ar, you really need to cut yourself loose from this.you have been suffering too long... can't be any good for your wellbeing.hey it's only money, move on, take what equity you have left and make some other plays.Rhone n Co aren't gunna do you any favours from here in the short term.
ps. at this time AGQ would be a great play, silver ain't nowhere near finished.


text:
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tribute song to michael jackson I was messing with it on the day he died...goodbye michael Claude Darnell Jul 26, 2009 77 views
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text:
I've been using Wacom tablets since 1997 — actually, I've
been using the same Wacom tablet for the last 8 years. It's a 6x8 ArtZ
II model which features a serial connection and requires an AC adapter
I do a lot of graphics work that effectively necessitates
using a tablet: using a mouse while trying to draw anything with an organic
feel to it is a lot like using a sledge hammer to set a finishing nail (not that
I've ever used a sledge hammer in such a fashion!).
Enough with the preamble! I say this you all: Wacom makes a durable product, and from the looks of things, the
Graphire4 won't be any exception.
Unlike its heftier relatives in the Intuos line, which we reviewed here or the Cintiq series of
tablets, the Graphire4 is available only in 4x5 and 6x8 sizes. I've rarely — if
ever! — needed more input real estate than my old 6x8 provided. The Graphire4
comes with a cordless, battery-free, pressure-sensitive pen (with 512 levels of pressure sensitivity)
and a cordless, battery-free mouse. I'm left handed (much to the chagrin of anyone who's ever
tried to use my work station) – and it's great to have an input device that
doesn't require me to conform to the rules of Righty! (The mouse is
ambidextrous too.)
The pen has a nib at one end and an eraser at the other;
it also has two programmable buttons, commonly used for left- and
right-clicking, though you're by no means required to use them that way.
The mouse, on the surface at least, looks like any other
two-button wheel mouse. (The wheel also functions as a third button.) When you
flip it over, however, you'll notice that instead of a trackball or diffused
red LED, there's just a fabric surface. The mouse's buttons are also
The Graphire4 comes packaged in an eye-catching,
attractive box. The front of the box is peppered with suggestions of things you
can do with the Graphire4, such as enhancing your digital photos, drawing and
painting, annotating documents, and more. The back of the box contains much
more detail about its various contents.
The box front has a cutout in the middle that allows you
to see the actual tablet, pen, and mouse; these contents are protected by a
molded plastic clamshell — which, thankfully, has indentations that allow you
to easily remove the components once you've opened the box.


text:
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text:
Last week, I had the true pleasure of spending a morning with the lovely Jessica Mau. Surely you recognize her as one of our favorite models… but I wanted to give you all a deeper glimpse into Jessica's dreamy life. (…) Read more
Tagged: fashion LA
At Home With Jessica MauDec 03, 2013


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I Ovulated Monday night/Tuesday morning and since then my right ovary has been hurting and sometimes its like a burning stabbing feeling...I know I o'd on my right ovary bc I had 3 good follies only on my right side confirmed via ultrasound the day before I had my IUI. Is pain after o normal with clomid? Its not excruciating but its pretty darn uncomfortable. Any insight is appreciated as this is my first cycle taking clomid. TIA
Pain in ovary AFTER Ovulation?
Melissa (32)�Dh (32)�
Beautiful DD (5)
Beautiful DD#2 Born June 10th 2011 !
Comments (4)
That many days after maybe? I'm not sure, but I do know that this was my second round of clomid and I had very painful ovulation, but it only lasted for that day. Maybe put a call into your Dr.
Crystal PCOS & Justin since 2007
Rainbow DS 10/13/11
Crystal: Exactly.... I expected a bit of pain on O day but i thought after it would subside and it hasn't..My cousin said maybe I developed a cyst.If I had any cysts surely my Dr would have seen them right? I was watching the ultrasound and she was explaining everything we were looking at.
Melissa (32)�Dh (32)�
Beautiful DD (5)
Beautiful DD#2 Born June 10th 2011 !
That's what DH and I discussed as well. I would think they would be able to see those. I quit worrying when the pain went away. I would call. It just sounds weird :(
Crystal PCOS & Justin since 2007
Rainbow DS 10/13/11
Ruth (34) Chris (33) TTC #1 for two years.
Isabel and Oliver arrived on 10.23.11 at 35w2d. Isabel - 5lb1oz 17in. Oliver - 5lb2oz 17.5in.


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Comments about 'BYU, Utah Utes basketball: Late rally lifts the Cougars past Utah, 61-58'
- Oldest first
- Newest first
- Most recommended
Utah is a has been that was embarrassed in its ONLY NCAA tournament game since 2005.
Since 2005,
BYU is 191-55, with 6 straight NCAA tournaments and counting
Utah is 106-122, with only one NCAA tournament and little chance for another this season
- 3:29 p.m. Dec. 10, 2012
- Like (2)
- Report abuse
"In the end, the better team won.
Live with it!"
It seems you y "fans" have changed your tune since football season. Notice that no U fans are trying to spin this result into "we really are better, we just scored less points."
- 3:40 p.m. Dec. 10, 2012
- Like
- Report abuse
"It seems you Y "fans" have changed your tune since football season. Notice that no U fans are trying to spin this result into "we really are better, we just scored less points."
BYU fans haven't changed anything; not only did BYU win the head-to-head, unlike the Utes in football, BYU is also winning the overall.
Since 2005, Dave Rose is 12-3 versus Utah, 11 of the last 12, 7 in a row.
BYU 20-9, 25-9, 27-8, 25-8, 30-6, 32-5, 29-9, 6-3 -- 191-57 (77%); 6 NCAA tournaments
Utah 14-15, 11-19, 18-15, 25-10, 14-17, 13-18, 6-3 -- 107-122 (47%); 1 NCAA tournament
2012: Sagarin/RPI/Pomeroy
#122/#99#195 Utah 5-3
Sagarin and RPI don't even count Utah's win against D-III Willamette, nor will they count Utah's game against D-II College of Idaho.
Regardless of how you spin it, the better team won on Saturday night.
It hilarious how desperate Utah fans are to proclaim Utah "back" after one close LOSS to BYU.
- 6:21 p.m. Dec. 10, 2012
- Like (1)
- Report abuse
Motorbike (aka Chris B. ?)
"Here's the facts ... Utah is the 12th winningest (if that's a word) program ever and they've had FAR more success in NCAA tournaments than BYU which is the ultimate judge of how good a program is."
Hmmm... so I guess head to head applies only to football only in Uteville and Top 25 appearances as the "ultimate judge of how good a program is" does not.
I get it.
BYU owns Utah... 7 in a row and last 11 of 12... and whatever the overall is to boot.
That was easy... LOL
- 6:59 p.m. Dec. 10, 2012
- Like (1)
- Report abuse
There are a lot of sensitive coug fans on this article.
I don't think anyone is saying that Utah basketball is "back". I think the Utes have made some good strides towards improvement but they still haven't played a good team. Yes that includes your mighty cougars. They are a mid-level WCC team at best this year. I would expect your run of NCAA tournament appearances to come to an end this year. Your conference isn't as strong this year with the lone standout being Gonzaga.
As far as the success of your program, the majority of the years the cougs made the tournament, ended in getting bounced out of he first round. Even the mighty Jimmer, only has 3 tournament wins to his name so please save us the stats.
I have no problem saying that byu has owned the Utes in basketball over the last handful of years. It hasn't even been close until this years game when the Utes finally made it close.
If the Utes haven't improved this year, then what does that say about your own team? Spinning excuses is truly an art down south.
Go Utes!
- 11:11 p.m. Dec. 10, 2012
- Like (1)
- Report abuse
Qwest, don't try to reason with them. These are the same "insiders" that know for a fact that BYU had been planning football independence for years, and as soon as scheduling comes up, insist that they were forced to throw a schedule together in a few months. And they see no contradiction there.
- 12:52 a.m. Dec. 11, 2012
- Like (2)
- Report abuse
I was impressed on the improvement Utah has shown from last year to this year. I think they might have a coach that can turn it around for them.
- 7:46 a.m. Dec. 11, 2012
- Like
- Report abuse
Rockwell & sammyg ...
Two words for you both ... reading comprehension.
I realize you guys like to be angry and make things look extra blue in your blue, blue worlds. But that said, let's remember as you both throw out your stats for the last 7 years that my exact comment included this, "Now if you want to talk about the last 10 years then it's (the better team) absolutely BYU and I'd be silly to say otherwise."
I also went on to say, "Lastly, for any that have confused my comments ... props to BYU, they won the game fair and square. Utah is simply showing that they're on an upswing, that's all."
So all you guys (gals?) are doing, is making yourselves appear to be irrational, angry and quite frankly - not the greatest readers. But by all means, continue forth.
- 2:42 p.m. Dec. 12, 2012
- Like (1)
- Report abuse
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Lee Edward Thomas
Position: DE
Height: 6-5 Weight: 246 lbs.
Born: March 12, 1946 in Karnack, TX
High School: George Washington
College: Wiley, Jackson St. (school history)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 8 (7842nd overall since 1950)
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