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The U.S. Postal Service continues its financial free fall, posting a record $15.9 billion deficit in its fiscal year. If approved by Congress, budget cuts would end Saturday mail deliveries, saving the Postal Service $8 billion annually.
Postal delivery has been trimmed or expanded in U.S. history, depending on economic trends and religious convictions. Thomas Jefferson proposed expanding colonial postal delivery when few passable east-west trails existed. Lack of roads prohibited letters from reaching pioneers out in the sticks.
Jefferson wanted mail delivery to run as smoothly as he wrote. He labored over drafts to perfect a graceful, spare and lucid style. With more postal roads, Jefferson believed, citizens remote from each other would become knit. Visiting a post office to collect mail, a pioneer reading letters began to feel as if the sender had reached out and greeted him. This personal effect of getting a letter made an impression the way today's slapdash email or text doesn't. Exchanged letters deepened citizens' camaraderie.
Jefferson remembered the copious correspondence he and John Adams exchanged in retirement. Early on friends, then political enemies, it was the quill on parchment that brought them together. Wouldn't similar exchanges of letters bind the nation's wounds and lift her spirits?
At a hurried appointment with President Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 1792, in New York, Jefferson aimed to expand postal service by "doubling the velocity of post-riders" from 50 to 100 miles a day.
Moreover, he rejected consolidating political power at the top, which Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton vigorously endorsed. The Treasury Department was in charge of the postal system. Secretary of State Jefferson proposed the Post Office Department be transferred under him because "the Treasury possessed already such an influence as to swallow up the whole Executive powers."
Strong religious protests rocked this build-out of postal service. Furiously divisive debate spanned 1810-40. This era churned with charges and counter charges about how mail delivery would harm Sabbath observance. Presbyterians led the protest against postal employees working on Sundays. Why desecrate the Sabbath by laboring on the Lord's Day?
Presbyterians didn't get exercised over mail services on Saturday. That was the Jewish Sabbath, which ran from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. Christians, to mark Christ's resurrection on the first day of the week, observed their Sabbath on Sunday. Presbyterian professors at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) and at the theological seminary denounced the postal system for breaking the Fourth Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8).
"Holy" in the early 19th century didn't incur current negative connotations. Today, a holy person is perceived as insufferable - an uppity moral prig who chastises others for their faults. "Holy" in 1810 meant to keep Sunday distinctive by passing blue laws prohibiting work.
Many Christians petitioned against the assault on the Sabbath's dignity when Congress promoted open post offices. In 1810, legislators passed a law requiring postmasters to open their offices any days when mail was delivered. No house delivery of mail occurred in this era. Correspondence and parcels were placed in post office slots where citizens picked them up.
In 1812, the Presbyterian General Assembly - which functions like the Supreme Court, Congress and the White House rolled into one body - called for a repeal of the law opening post offices on Sunday. The General Assembly also pressed for the government to stop transporting Sunday mail.
Presbyterians started a mail campaign against Sunday post office openings. Congress wouldn't budge. In 1815, legislators were swamped with hundreds of petitions against Sunday mail service. Christians detested Jefferson for his alleged whittled-down heretical faith, as evidenced by his advocacy of Sunday mail delivery.
In 1827, Princeton University and Seminary passed edicts that left the hamlet isolated from the world on Sundays. They pushed through a petition calling for a community "ordinance prohibiting stages, wagons etc., from passing through the town on the Sabbath." Princetonians walked to church without street dust churned up by mail delivery wagons soiling Sunday-best clothes.
As an avid stamp collector, I'm not in favor of diminished mail service. Fewer sent letters adds up to less stamps canceled for me to collect. If letter writing continues its demise, citizens will become more mentally remote and isolated.
President Barack Obama appreciates a strong writing habit, whether used in a diary or by letter. "Writing has been an important exercise to clarify what I believe," he says. "What I see, what I care about, what my deepest values are, ... the process of converting a jumble of thoughts into coherent sentences makes you ask tougher questions." Without citizens posing such queries by letter, our republic languishes.
Today, cutting postal services on Saturdays stirs passions, reminiscent of how it perforated communities stamped with controversy during the Jeffersonian era.
The Rev. Jack R. Van Ens is a Presbyterian minister who heads the nonprofit, tax-exempt Creative Growth (www.thelivinghistory.com), which enhances Christian worship through storytelling and dramatic presentations aimed to make God's history come alive. Van Ens' book, "How Jefferson Made the Best of Bad Messes," is available in local bookstores for $7.95.


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WAREHAM — A local woman faces charges of cocaine trafficking and conspiracy to violate drug laws after she was arrested during a motor vehicle stop this week on Marion Road, police said.
After a two-month investigation by Wareham police detectives and the South Coast Anti-Crime Unit at the Bristol County House of Correction regarding the distribution of cocaine in the Wareham area, police say Shannon Bradbury, 27, of Wareham, was arrested during a motor vehicle stop about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Bradbury had 33 grams of cocaine and a Percocet pill in her possession at the time of the motor vehicle stop, according to a news release from police Public Information Officer Lt. Kevin Walsh.
Walsh said Bradbury had been under investigation for suspicion of transporting cocaine into the Wareham area to her apartment, No. 70 at the Woods at Wareham complex, which is located less than a mile from where the motor vehicle stop occurred.
Police obtained a search warrant for Bradbury's vehicle, her apartment and a storage unit in Middleboro, Walsh said. During the search of her apartment, police found an additional 14 grams of cocaine, $600, a digital scale and corner-cut plastic bags. No evidence was uncovered at the storage unit.
Walsh said Bradbury was charged with trafficking cocaine over 36 grams, conspiracy to violate drug laws and possession of a class B Substance (opiates). She was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Wareham 4th District Court, according to police.
Location, ST | website.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Definition of ecossaise in English:
noun (plural pronounced same)
An energetic country dance in duple time in which couples form lines facing each other.
Example sentences
- The ecossaise was usually danced in 2/4 time.
- In the midst of the third ecossaise there was a clatter of chairs being pushed back in the sitting room where the count and Marya Dmitrievna had been playing cards with the majority of the more distinguished and older visitors.
Mid 19th century: from French, feminine of écossais 'Scottish'; the connection with Scotland is unclear.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: ecos|saise
Definition of ecossaise in:
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- Currently Unavailable
A skilled tactician, fierce competitor and seasoned veteran, midfielder Michael Bradley has matured into a fixture for the USMNT. As one of five players to play every minute for the USA at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, his leadership will be crucial going into Brazil. Jurgen Klinsmann called Bradley part of the spine of the team, "which starts with Timmy [Howard] then goes through midfield with Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley, and then Clint and Jozy."
Bold wide stripes of red, white and blue for the new official away jersey for the USA. This is the jersey Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley will wear in Brazil.
A return to the bright, blue team crest, a departure from the centennial crest.
Star pennant to represent the original 13 colonies.
100% polyester with Dri-FIT moisture control.
Lamentamos que todavia no hay descripción en español para este producto.


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About the Book
My Usual Table is a love letter to the great restaurants that have changed the way we eat—from Trader Vic's to Chez Panisse and Spago to elBulli—and a vivid memoir of a life lived in food, from a founding editor of Saveur and James Beard Award-winning writer Colman Andrews.
For reviewer, writer, and editor Colman Andrews, restaurants have been his playground, his theater, his university, his church, his refuge. The establishments he has loved have not only influenced culinary trends at home and abroad, but represent the changing history and culture of food in America and Western Europe. From his usual table, he has watched the growth of Nouvelle Cuisine and fusion cuisine; the organic and locavore movements; nose-to-tail eating; and so-called "molecular gastronomy."
In My Usual Table, Andrews interweaves his own story—from growing up in the sunset years of Hollywood's golden age to traveling the world in pursuit of great food—with tales of the restaurants, chefs, and restaurateurs who are emblematic of the revolutions great and small that have forever changed the way we eat, cook, and think about food.
A vivid portrait of a life lived in food, from renowned food writer and critic Colman Andrews, a founding editor of Saveur, James Beard award winner, and author of the classic cookbooks Catalan Cuisine and The Country Cooking of Ireland
For Colman Andrews, restaurants have been his playground, his theater, his university, his church, his refuge. From his Hollywood childhood through his days in the music business, his first forays into restaurant reviewing, and his ever-evolving career as a food writer and magazine editor—not to mention the course of his obsessive traveling and complicated personal life—he has seen the world mostly from the dining room. Now, in My Usual Table, Andrews interweaves his own story with intimate tales of the seminal restaurants and the great chefs and restaurateurs of our time who are emblematic of the revolutions large and small that have forever transformed the way we eat, cook, and feel about food.
In sixteen chapters, each anchored by the story of his love affair with a cherished restaurant, Andrews evokes the unforgettable meals he has eaten over a lifetime, and the remarkable people with whom he has shared them, tracing the evolution not just of our restaurants but our whole food culture. Beginning with a postwar childhood spent in the banquettes of Chasen's, the glamorous Old Hollywood hangout where studio heads and celebrities rubbed shoulders, Andrews charts a course through the psychedelic '60s, when both he and Americans at large fell for the novel "ethnic" food at spots like neo-Polynesian Trader Vic's or Mexican institution El Coyote. As Andrews began traveling for his burgeoning writing and magazine career in the '70s and '80s, he spent countless hours in the family-run cafés of Paris and trattorias of Rome. The timeless dishes so common on their menus, focused on local and seasonal ingredients, would not only come to profoundly influence Andrews's palate, but also transform the American foodscape forever. Andrews's unparalleled access to the world of food positioned him perfectly as an intimate witness to the rise of revolutionary restaurants like Spago and El Bulli.
From Andrews's usual table, he has watched the growth of nouvelle cuisine and fusion cuisine; the explosion of the organic and locavore movements; the rise of nose-to-tail eating; and so-called molecular gastronomy. The bistros, brasseries, and cafés he has loved have not only influenced culinary trends at home and abroad, but represent the changing history and culture of food in America and Western Europe. And all along the way, Andrews has been right there in the dining room, menu in one hand and notebook in the other.
Educator and Librarian Resources
Critical Praise
"A fond salute to many of his favorite culinary haunts marks this charming autobiographical omnibus by accomplished cookbook author, longtime reviewer, and cofounder of Saveur, [Colman] Andrews." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"In the hands of a less adept writer, Andrews' narratives of movie stars cavorting in their favorite restaurant haunts or dining at his parents' house might seem mere name-dropping, but his respect and affection for these celebrities make for enjoyable storytelling." — Booklist
"Andrews gets [it] exactly right…. It's this ability to appreciate food in a larger context that makes Andrews' book so appealing - and such a welcome antidote to so much of the food discussion today." — Los Angeles Times
"Mr. Andrews writes delightfully about his earliest experiences dining out in Los Angeles at Chasen's." — Wall Street Journal
"The book is a fun read and covers hot spots such as El Bulli, Trader Vic's and Chasen's that are now shuttered but not forgotten." — San Francisco Weekly
"Andrews is a compelling writer, and so his descriptions of restaurants past will lead readers who chronicle their own days in Instagrammed meals on an adventure in armchair time travel." — San Francisco Chronicle
"Andrews' eloquent food writing might as well be its own romance language.. the relationship Andrews has with restaurants and the comfort and thrill he experiences each time he sits down at the table - akin to an actor taking the stage - will make you want to join him." -LA Weekly — LA Weekly
Product Details
- Imprint: Ecco
- On Sale: 03/18/2014
- Pages: 288
- List Price: 7.99 USD
- BISAC1: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs
- BISAC2: COOKING / Essays & Narratives
- BISAC3: COOKING / History


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Only hotels in 32817 zip code are listed below. Search for cheap and discount hotel rates in Orlando, FL for your upcoming leisure or conference / group travel. We list the best 32817 hotels and motels so you can review the Orlando hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. Hotels in Orange county and area code 407 are also listed.
Enter your stay dates and any discounts you qualify for to see 32817 rates found only on HotelPlanner!
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People soak up the sun after its rise at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge, in southern England, as access to the site is given to druids, New Age followers and members of the public on the annual Winter Solstice, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Doomsday hour is here and so still are we. According to legend, the ancient Mayans' long-count calendar ends at midnight Thursday, ushering in the end of the world. Didn't happen. "This is not the end of the world. This is the beginning of the new world," Star Johnsen-Moser, an American seer, said at a gathering of hundreds of spiritualists at a convention center in the Yucatan city of Merida, an hour and a half from the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)


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Ronan Farrow hasn't spoken with his father, filmmaker Woody Allen, since the latter left the former's mother, Mia Farrow, for Soon-Yi Previn — Farrow's adopted daughter.
And, if yesterday's Father's Day tweet is any indication, the two probably won't be on speaking terms any time soon.
"Happy father's day," the 24-year-old Rhodes Scholar tweeted. "Or as they call it in my family, happy brother-in-law's day." Adding fuel to the burn, Farrow's mom later retweeted the gibe and added a single-syllable emphasis: "Boom."
Allen and Farrow's 12-year relationship ended in 1992 after his affair with then-21-year-old Previn was discovered.
[H/T: Videogum]


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LETTER: Bonner should speak up on allegations
Published: Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 9:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 9:19 p.m.
Dear Editor: In the aftermath of the 2013 municipal election, University of Alabama students have come forward with disturbing accusations.
Some tell of being confined in the basement of a sorority house until they filled out voter registration cards — even if they did not want to register to vote in Tuscaloosa. One young woman refused to vote a provisional ballot when she was told she had to swear that she was eligible to vote in District 4.
She was later escorted back to the provisional voting area, where she was forced to sign the form and cast a ballot. Others tell of pressure brought to bear by sorority advisers and other alumna.
The silence from UA President Judy Bonner regarding these allegations has been equally disturbing. It is past time for the administration to speak up. Each incoming freshman class promises to "act with fairness, honesty, and respect; [and] foster individual and civic responsibility." Surely students should expect no less from the university's administration.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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The McPherson College men and women track and field teams walked away with several top 10 finishes Thursday in the Southwestern Invitational at Richard J. Jantz Stadium in Winfield, including two field top 10 performances from indoor All-American Arryana Barton.
Barton took third in the triple jump Thursday with a distance of 11.38 meters. She also put up a sixth place finish in the shot put, putting up a distance of 11.42 meters. Barton was 12th in the long jump, going 4.94 meters.
Megan Pohlman also had an impressive showing in the field events, placing fourth in the hammer throw with a distance of 42.28 meters.
In track events, Rea Samuels finished in the top 10 for Mac College in both the women's 100 meter and 200 meter dashes.
She finished in 12.47 seconds for seventh place in the 100 and in 25.67 seconds in the 200, garnering her sixth place.
In men's track, a pair of Bulldogs had top 15 finishes. Perry Joseph finished 10th in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.25 seconds.
In the 1,500 meter run, Brandon Sherier finished three seconds out of the top three, taking 12th with a time of 4:10.02.
In field events, McPherson's Garrett Sharp tied for fifth with Donald Houston of Neosho County Community College in the high jump. Both cleared 1.93 meters.
Paul Rotering finished fourth in the javelin with a distance of 57.22 meters, while Josh Dunback was 10th in the discus with 42.80 meters.
Rotering and Dunback were part of a trio of Bulldogs finished in the top 15 in the shot put. Dunback finished 13th with a distance of 12.97 meters, followed by Rotering at 12.63 and Bryce Worley at 12.44 meters.
This was the first outdoor meet of the season for McPherson College after the Tabor Invitational was canceled on last Saturday due to the weather.
The Bulldogs will next take part in the Baker Invitational in Baldwin City next Saturday.
Location, ST | website.com


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15 September 2009
GAVI catalyses new injection safety standards
It would be a cruel irony if an injection to prevent one disease merely inflicted another. Yet, without safe injection practices, expanding vaccine coverage in the age of highly transmissible diseases such as HIV/AIDS, runs a very real risk of spreading infection.
Ethics hotline
Concerned about the misuse of Gavi resources? Report it now.
© Gavi 2016
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Jehovah's Witnesses to the deaf: no masturbation in da club Nov 06 2012
Some genius paired 50 Cent's In Da Club with a video put out by the Jehovah's Witnesses to encourage deaf people not to masturbate. This is probably inappropriate or deafist or whatever, but it also provided me with a much-needed tears-rolling-down face laugh the other day.
(via stellar)


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August 27, 2014
2014 Combined Federal Campaign – "Make it Possible"
CFC is an easy way to participate in your favorite charitable cause, because your donation is deducted from your check each pay period. CFC pledges are made one year at a time; employees must renew their participation each year to continue as a CFC contributor. And if you make a pledge and find that you can't continue, you can change your payroll deduction anytime.
Contact your CFC Coordinator, Rachel LaManna for more information.
Raleigh USDA-ARS Employees Proudly Participate in the CFC
Raleigh area employees participate in the Greater North Carolina Area Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).
The CFC is the Federal employee's best opportunity to give charitable contributions to worthwhile organizations. The opportunities to give are nearly limitless, from helping feed children anywhere in the world, to providing assistance pets for disabled, to preserving open space, to fighting diseases. Any cause that matters to you, it is part of the CFC!
It's amazing how much good can be done, how many less-fortunate people can be helped, with just nominal contributions.
· Just 10 dollars per pay period (a dollar a day) can provide 5 wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy, or buy 5 dozen chicks for egg production in the Caribbean.
· Just 20 dollars per pay period can teach 20 new parents about early childhood development or provide fishing nets and juvenile fish to start a fish farming operation in the Bolivian Andes.
· Just 25 dollars a pay period can give over 260 children nutritious food assistance for a month or supply 125 warm blankets for a refugee family somewhere in the world.
Part of the beauty of the CFC is the payroll deduction feature. You designate an amount per pay period to be deducted.
Paper pledge forms and paper charity listings can be requested from Rachel LaManna. Completed paper pledge forms should be returned to her office (3420 Gardner Hall; Box 7616) during the campaign, usually Sept 1st – Dec 15th every year.
Contact Rachel LaManna (919-513-2037) with any questions you have about CFC.
March 29, 2013
Dr. David Marshall has been awarded the 2012 USDA-Foreign Agriculture Service, Honor Award for his Cross-Agency Team out of the Office of Agricultural Affairs in Pakistan. The USDA Honor Awards are the highest awards bestowed upon USDA employees and private citizens. The Pakistan project is called the Wheat Productivity Enhancement Project (WPEP), and its goal is to develop and distribute disease resistant, high yielding wheat varieties for Pakistan's wheat farmers.
November 28, 2012
In 2011, the NCSU Small Grains Extension program, led by Dr. Randy Weisz, started providing very short video "crop alerts" that can be accessed using mobile devices. Building on that effort, Weisz and USDA-ARS Small Grains Pathologist Christina Cowger worked with the North Carolina Small Grain Growers Association and professional videographers to film a series of 4- to 6-minute videos on topics related to small grains production. The videos are targeted to small-grain producers and their advisors. The first set of videos went up on Dr. Weisz's web site in July 2012: http://www.smallgrains.ncsu.edu/video-library.html
Dr. Weisz reports that visits to his web site increased by five to eight times when he began issuing the video alerts. People watched the alerts on their mobile devices, and then accessed his web site for more information. Cowger is featured in videos on identification and management of four common and damaging diseases in Mid-Atlantic wheat production: powdery mildew, leaf rust, Stagonospora nodorum blotch, and Fusarium head blight (scab).
Powdery Mildew Identification & Management Leaf Rust Identification & Management SNB Identification & Management
Powdery Mildew Identification & Management
Leaf Rust Identification & Management
SNB Identification & Management
August 18, 2012
The Maize Genetic Diversity Research Group, whose members include Jim Holland, Ed Buckler, Mike McMullen, Sherri Flint-Garcia, Peter Bradbury, and Doreen Ware, won the 2012 Secretary's Honor Award, the highest Award given by USDA.
Congratulations to Jim and the Group.
May 11, 2011
Researchers at the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit have found a specific gene in corn that appears to be associated with resistance to three important plant leaf diseases.
In a paper published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ARS plant pathologists and crop scientists pinpoint the gene – glutathione S-transferase – that seems to confer resistance to Southern leaf blight, gray leaf spot and Northern leaf blight, a trio of diseases that cripple corn plants worldwide.
Finding out more about the mechanisms behind complex traits like disease resistance can potentially help plant breeders build the best traits into tomorrow's corn plants, says paper co-author Dr. Peter Balint-Kurti, a research plant pathologist and geneticist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) who works in NC State's plant pathology and crop science departments.
ARS researchers joined lead author Dr. Randy Wisser, an assistant professor at the University of Delaware, and other researchers from the University of Delaware, Cornell University and Kansas State University in examining 300 diverse maize varieties from across the globe which are, on average, as different from one another as humans are from chimpanzees. Using these diverse varieties of corn allowed the researchers to zero in on the regions of the genome responsible for conferring resistance to the three diseases – and thus to varieties that are very resistant to disease.
"We tested the lines for resistance to these three diseases and found that if a line is resistant to one disease, chances are it's also resistant to the other two," Balint-Kurti says.
Southern corn leaf blight is a moderate problem in the southeastern United States, Balint-Kurti says, and can be a significant problem in Southeast Asia, southern Europe and parts of Africa. Prevalent in hot, humid climates across the globe, it causes small brown spots on leaves. The spots get larger and eventually spread to the whole plant. Severe infections can cause major corn yield losses. Northern leaf blight can be found in the Midwestern corn belt; it causes cigar-shaped lesions on leaves. Gray leaf spot – which produces an eponymous effect – is found both in the Midwest and Southeast. All three pathogens are so-called necrotrophic fungi, or fungi that kill what they eat.
Balint-Kurti says the study provides "one of the most comprehensive analyses of multiple disease resistance in plants."
, , , , , , , and Multivariate analysis of maize disease resistances suggests a pleiotropic genetic basis and implicates a GST gene. PNAS 2011 108 (18) 7339-7344.
National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) meeting
Protecting Corn - Study Targets Disease Resistance in Corn
USDA-ARS researchers used an interesting technique to sift through the set of all genes in corn and point out the best candidate areas controlling a specific type of disease resistance. The results may help breeders create a better corn plant.
In a paper published online this week in Nature Genetics, USDA-ARS crop scientists and plant pathologists sifted through millions of genetic sequence variations in the set of all genes in maize (corn) to identify 51 gene regions associated with resistance to Southern corn leaf blight disease – an important plant pathogen.
Finding out more about the mechanisms behind complex traits like disease resistance has the potential to help plant breeders build the best traits into tomorrow's corn plants, including resistance to some diseases, says Dr. Jim Holland, NC State professor of crop science, research geneticist for USDA-ARS and the corresponding author of the paper.
Holland and study co-authors Dr. Peter Balint-Kurti, a USDA-ARS research plant pathologist and geneticist and Kristen Kump, an NC State graduate student, joined researchers from Cornell University, the University of Delaware and the University of Missouri to examine a set of 5,000 maize varieties called the maize nested association mapping population. Using this population allowed the researchers to zero in on the parts of the genome responsible for conferring resistance.
Holland and Balint-Kurti hope to build upon these results to learn more about how genes confer disease resistance to Southern corn leaf blight and whether they may also provide resistance to other similar types of diseases in corn and other plant species.
NCSU Press Release, January 10, 2011
Kristen Kump, James Holland, Peter Balint-Kurti, Araby Belcher, Marco Oropeza-Rosas, John Zwonitzer, Peter Bradbury, Edward Buckler, Stephen Kresovich, Doreen Ware, Randall Wisser, Michael McMullen. 2011. Genomewide association study of quantitative resistance to Southern leaf blight in the maize nested association mapping population. Nature Genetics.
New Wheat Varieties
Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) created some optimism among millers up and down the East Coast when it announced the release of "NuEast" (a hard red winter wheat) and "Appalachian White" (a hard white winter wheat).
"Millers and bakers in North Carolina as well as on the Eastern seaboard have always been interested in being able to purchase hard wheat varieties from more local sources," explains David Marshall, USDA/ARS research leader, who is based at North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh.
The problem has been that developing high-quality hard wheats with the desired disease and pest resistance hasn't been easy due to the typical high-humidity or rainy conditions of the East Coast. This also causes poor pollination.
"Presently, we aren't looking at these varieties to go full-scale into the commodity channels," adds Marshall. "These varieties are intended more for the niche markets, such as organic flours that capitalize on the locally grown appeal."
Marshall and his team have been working with the North Carolina Organic Bread Flour Project. The project has been examining the qualities of these varieties—grown organically and conventionally. "We've approached this breeding program essentially at the grassroots level by trying to get millers and bakers together and seeking their input and involvement as to what they're looking for in terms of better varieties for the East Coast region," explains Marshall.
Two New Hard Winter Wheat Varieties: NuEast and Appalacian White
When grown in North Carolina, NuEast produced a good, hard red winter wheat quality grain and flour, according to Marshall. NuEast grain and the quality of flour produced from it performed consistently and equally as well as the Hondo, Jagger, and TAM 303 varieties in field trials conducted in Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia. Hondo is an adapted hard red winter wheat variety for the Mid-Atlantic states.
The test weight of Appalachian White in North Caroina was good and the same as Lakin, another popular hard white winter wheat variety. The same was true in other field trials located in Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Appalachian White produced grain with significantly higher hardness scores and significantly higher flour protein levels than Lakin in trials spanning from 2007 to 2009.
Karl Ohm, associate editor, Milling Journal, Second Quarter 2010.
Karl Ohm, associate editor, Milling Journal, Second Quarter 2010.
ARS and international cooperators have established the Winter Wheat Stem Rust Resistance Nursery in Ankara, Turkey, to propagate and distribute winter wheat varieties that have been identified as resistant to Ug99.
Read moreabout this research in the February 2010 issue of Agricultural Researchmagazine.
Nursery is New Tool in Fight against Ug99 Wheat Stem Rust
By Stephanie Yao
The first Winter Wheat Stem Rust Resistance Nursery, a key tool in the fight against the rust strain Ug99, has been established by the Agricultural Research Service(ARS) and international cooperators.
The nursery, established by ARS and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center(CIMMYT), is located in Ankara, Turkey, where CIMMYT coordinates its global winter wheat breeding program. It is the first of its kind for winter wheats, and is a joint effort to distribute 100 lines that have been identified by international scientists as having resistance to the deadly Ug99 stem rust and its descendants.
Thirty of the 100 lines in the nursery were developed by ARS scientists and contain resistance to stem rust races in Kenya and the United States. The lines developed by ARS focus on the use of four or five resistance genes that have been incorporated into various combinations in winter wheat lines.
According to David Marshall, research leader of the ARS Plant Science Research Unitin Raleigh, N.C., and coordinator of the wheat screening conducted in Kenya, multiple genes for resistance will slow the pathogen's ability to readily overcome the new wheat varieties that breeders develop. The amount of time these genes can remain effective is key to maintaining resistance to stem rust in the United States.
Ug99, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, is the most virulent race of stem rust fungus yet to emerge. First discovered in Uganda in 1999, the fungus has spread across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Ug99 has been able to overcome most of the stem-rust-resistant wheat varieties developed during the past several decades. While other rusts only partially affect crop yields, Ug99 can wipe out entire wheat fields, resulting in 100 percent crop loss.
Read moreabout this research in the February 2010 issue of Agricultural Researchmagazine.
The Njoro Research Center of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) has been a hotbed of activity these past few years. Since 2005, plant scientists from research organizations around the world, including the Agricultural Research Service, have been sending their countries' top wheat cultivars and experimental lines to Njoro for testing against Ug99, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici,the most virulent race of the stem rust fungus yet to emerge.
"We have molecular markers that allow us to predict the presence of some resistance genes. But the resistance must be confirmed in the field in Kenya or at other locations where the pathogen exists," says David Marshall, research leader of the ARS Plant Science Research Unit in Raleigh, North Carolina, and coordinator of the screening conducted at KARI.
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|Aug 29, 2011
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|Jul 29, 2011
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|Sep 13, 2010
|Tapping into Corn's Tropical Diversity
|Sep 09, 2010
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|Feb 26, 2010
|Replicating Climate Change to Forecast its Effects
|Dec 16, 2009
|ARS Releases First Hard Winter Wheat Varieties for Eastern U.S. Productio= n
|Oct 29, 2009
|Corn Research Unlocks Basis of Natural Diversity and Reveals Genetics of Flowering and Hybrid Vigor
|Aug 06, 2009
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|Aug 07, 2008
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Toyota Agrees to $1.1 Billion Settlement Tied to Unintended Acceleration
Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to pay about $1.1 billion to install new safety equipment and reimburse owners of up to 16 million cars to settle a U.S. class-action suit stemming from 2009-10 recalls related to complaints of unintended acceleration in its vehicles.
The settlement, filed in a federal court in California on Wednesday, will result in Toyota taking a $1.1 billion pretax charge this quarter, a person familiar with the matter said. The settlement is one of the largest in a lawsuit involving the automotive industry, said Steve W. Berman, one of the lead plaintiff lawyers.
If approved by U.S. District Court Judge James Selna, the agreement would provide payment or safety equipment to the owners of as many as 16 million vehicles. The settlement includes no admission of fault by Toyota. It also avoids the risks associated with battling a lengthy jury trial.
Toyota's costs related to the recalls and probes likely exceed $3.1 billion. Toyota estimated in 2010 that the costs of recalls and lost sales world-wide would be around $2 billion, a figure that didn't include the latest settlement, its legal fees, fines from the U.S. government and additional floor-mat recalls that came afterward. Toyota declined to give a total cost.
A U.S. government probe of accidents blamed on unintended acceleration absolved the electronics in the vehicles and found that driver error was to blame for most of the accidents with sticky accelerator pedals and floor mats playing a role in others.
Toyota continues to face two separate lawsuits related to the 2009-10 recalls, a consumer-protection and fraud suit in Orange County, Calif., and an unfair-business-practice case brought by the attorneys general of 28 states, the person familiar said.
"One of our overriding goals has been to vigorously defend the safety of our vehicles and we believe we have done that," said Mike Michels, a Toyota spokesman.
The class-action lawsuit alleges that a flaw in Toyota's electronic throttle-control system—and not ill-fitting floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals—were causing Toyota drivers to accelerate out of control and crash.
Read more in The Wall Street Journal.


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Taken from Moody Monthly, Vol 22, Iss 7, p948
Here is the story of a wonderful scientific experiment filled with sentiment — a further development of the telephone in your home — performed in a picturesque setting during a recent conference of Bell Telephone system executives at Yama Farms, near Ellenville, N. Y. In the evening quiet of the Catskill Mountains, in the midst of the tree- crested hills and peaceful valleys, an amplifier, or loud speaker, had been set up. In preparing for this experiment men with flare torches had been stationed two and three miles away from the projectors. As the sun sank in the west and the twilight came on an engineer stood in front of the loud speaking transmitter in the control room near the projectors, ready to send his voice through the country-side. The eyes of the spectators were glued on the spots where the listening posts had been established. The hour came. "If you hear me, wave your torch," the engineer spoke in natural voice into the transmitter. Then the amplifying devices took up the tones and threw them out on the wings of the air. In a second or two — just long enough for the sound to travel through the ether — it came; a red light moved up and down in semaphore fashion. It was the two-mile man. In another second, another flare — the three-mile man. Soon after came a phonograph selection, and in a few seconds the swaying lights were seen across the valley. The selection was "America," played on chimes, filling the air for miles around. The spectators stood motionless, but deeply moved. The distant nooks and corners were filled with this inspiring sound, as the chimes boomed out the notes which fit the words: "I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills; My heart with rapture thrills, Like that above." — Selected.


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|Wedding anniversary, Richard L. and Maureen (Mahony) Hogan, 1962
Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Hogan of Wolcott recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner party given by their family at The Waverly Inn in Cheshire. A cruise will follow in February. Mr. and Mrs. Hogan were married Dec. 31, 1962, in Millerton, N.Y. They have three children, Lori Duval DiMaio of North Branford, Kelly Hogan Bellerive of Terryville and Melanie DelBuono of Prospect, and six grandchildren.
Mrs. Hogan is the former Maureen Mahony.
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More stories from Anniversaries


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MOUNTAIN VIEW -- The Backstreet Boys came to town in support of a new album.
Yet, they weren't about to let that little detail derail the time machine.
"Are you ready to party like it's 1999 again?" Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson asked the crowd assembled on Sunday night at Shoreline Amphitheatre. "Because we are going to take a trip down Memory Lane."
And off we zoomed, to a time before One Direction. We went back to the distant days when the Backstreet gang was the world's top boy band, ruling the charts and capturing millions of hearts. It was a journey to an earlier "Millennium," to borrow the title of the Boys' smash album of 1999.
The 15,000-plus fans in attendance in Mountain View were absolutely thrilled to be able to roll back the clock and relive the soundtrack to their teen and preteen years. They sang along joyously throughout the two-hour show, especially when it came time to accompany their idols on the '90s material.
The Orlando vocal group -- Richardson, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean and Nick Carter -- was in fine form throughout the evening, showcasing the kind of rich harmonies, fun dance moves, sturdy pop songs and undeniable charisma that has made the Backstreet Boys the best-selling boy band of all time.
Wearing slick, matching dark suits, minus ties, the Backstreet Boys entered the multilevel, multicolored stage and opened the show with an anthemic version of "The Call," from 2000's "Black and Blue." Then they cranked it up a notch for "Don't Want You Back," from "Millennium," the top-selling album of 1999. The group also did a super job on the tunes from its latest album, last year's "In a World Like This."
Clearly, this group isn't just getting older -- it's also getting better, which is a very rare occurrence in the boy band world. Of course, this is hardly a band of "boys" anymore. The players now range in age from 34 (Carter) to 42 (Richardson).
The band members joked about the age factor, noting that they no longer sound like "Alvin and the Chipmunks" when they sing. Yet, they proved that they can still hit the high notes when needed — such as on a superb version of their first single, 1995's "We've Got It Goin' On."
The harmonies, however, have definitely gotten stronger -- at least on the live stage. They've always been top-notch on the studio efforts, but I don't remember them ever sounding better in concert than they did on Sunday.
The harmony vocals were on full display during a wonderful stripped-down, acoustic set that came roughly half way through the show. The five vocalists gathered at center stage, with acoustic guitars and fans seated behind them onstage, and crooned warm renditions of "10,000 Promises" and "Madeleine." The Backstreet Boys also added a fine cover of Daft Punk's Grammy-winning "Get Lucky," but the highlight of the acoustic set was the achingly tender and fragile version of "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)," one of the greatest ballads of the last 20 years.
The band brought the main set to close in triumphant fashion, performing the excellent title track to "In a World Like This" and then ending with the "Millennium" hit "I Want It That Way."
Avril Lavigne opened the show with a set that stretched through her five-album catalog. Highlights included "Sk8er Boi," "Complicated" and "Let Me Go."
Follow Jim Harrington at http://twitter.com/jimthecritic and www.facebook.com/jim.bayareanews.


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Home > Patients & Visitors > Health Library > Cancer Prevention Overview (PDQ®): Prevention - Patient Information [NCI]
This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at http://cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.
Cancer prevention is action taken to lower the chance of getting cancer. In 2014, about 1.6 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States. In addition to the physical problems and emotional distress caused by cancer, the high costs of care are also a burden to patients, their families, and to the public. By preventing cancer, the number of new cases of cancer is lowered. Hopefully, this will reduce the burden of cancer and lower the number of deaths caused by cancer.
Cancer is not a single disease but a group of related diseases. Many things in our genes, our lifestyle, and the environment around us may increase or decrease our risk of getting cancer.
Scientists are studying many different ways to help prevent cancer, including the following:
Carcinogenesis is the process in which normal cells turn into cancer cells.
Carcinogenesis is the series of steps that take place as a normal cell becomes a cancer cell. Cells are the smallest units of the body and they make up the body's tissues. Each cell contains genes that guide the way the body grows, develops, and repairs itself. There are many genes that control whether a cell lives or dies, divides (multiplies), or takes on special functions, such as becoming a nerve cell or a muscle cell.
Changes (mutations) in genes occur during carcinogenesis.
Changes (mutations) in genes can cause normal controls in cells to break down. When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells are produced when the body does not need them. The buildup of extra cells may cause a mass (tumor) to form.
Tumors can be benign or malignant (cancerous). Malignant tumor cells invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Benign tumor cells do not invade nearby tissues or spread.
Scientists study risk factors and protective factors to find ways to prevent new cancers from starting. Anything that increases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer risk factor; anything that decreases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer protective factor.
Some risk factors for cancer can be avoided, but many cannot. For example, both smoking and inheriting certain genes are risk factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Risk factors that a person can control are called modifiable risk factors.
Many other factors in our environment, diet, and lifestyle may cause or prevent cancer. This summary reviews only the major cancer risk factors and protective factors that can be controlled or changed to reduce the risk of cancer. Risk factors that are not described in the summary include certain sexual behaviors, the use of estrogen, and being exposed to certain substances at work or to certain chemicals.
Factors That are Known to Increase the Risk of Cancer
Cigarette Smoking and Tobacco Use
Tobacco use is strongly linked to an increased risk for many kinds of cancer. Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of the following types of cancer:
Not smoking or quitting smoking lowers the risk of getting cancer and dying from cancer. Scientists believe that cigarette smoking causes about 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States.
See the following PDQ summaries for more information:
Certain viruses and bacteria are able to cause cancer. Viruses and other infection -causing agents cause more cases of cancer in the developing world (about 1 in 4 cases of cancer) than in developed nations (less than 1 in 10 cases of cancer). Examples of cancer-causing viruses and bacteria include:
Two vaccines to prevent infection by cancer-causing agents have already been developed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One is a vaccine to prevent infection with hepatitis B virus. The other protects against infection with strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer. Scientists continue to work on vaccines against infections that cause cancer.
Being exposed to radiation is a known cause of cancer. There are two main types of radiation linked with an increased risk for cancer:
Scientists believe that ionizing radiation causes leukemia, thyroid cancer, and breast cancer in women. Ionizing radiation may also be linked to myeloma and cancers of the lung, stomach, colon, esophagus, bladder, and ovary. Being exposed to radiation from diagnostic x-rays increases the risk of cancer in patients and x-ray technicians.
The growing use of CT scans over the last 20 years has increased exposure to ionizing radiation. The risk of cancer also increases with the number of CT scans a patient has and the radiation dose used each time.
Immunosuppressive Medicines
Immunosuppressive medicines are linked to an increased risk of cancer. These medicines lower the body's ability to stop cancer from forming. For example, immunosuppressive medicines may be used to keep a patient from rejecting an organ transplant.
Factors That May Affect the Risk of Cancer
The foods that you eat on a regular basis make up your diet. Diet is being studied as a risk factor for cancer. It is hard to study the effects of diet on cancer because a person's diet includes foods that may protect against cancer and foods that may increase the risk of cancer.
It is also hard for people who take part in the studies to keep track of what they eat over a long period of time. This may explain why studies have different results about how diet affects the risk of cancer.
Some studies show that fruits and nonstarchy vegetables may protect against cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Fruits may also protect against lung cancer.
Some studies have shown that a diet high in fat, proteins, calories, and red meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer, but other studies have not shown this.
It is not known if a diet low in fat and high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables lowers the risk of colorectal cancer.
Studies have shown that drinking alcohol is linked to an increased risk of the following types of cancers:
Drinking alcohol may also increase the risk of liver cancer and female colorectal cancer.
Physical Activity
Studies show that people who are physically active have a lower risk of certain cancers than those who are not. It is not known if physical activity itself is the reason for this.
Studies show a strong link between physical activity and a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Some studies show that physical activity protects against postmenopausal breast cancer and endometrial cancer.
Studies show that obesity is linked to a higher risk of the following types of cancer:
Some studies show that obesity is also a risk factor for cancer of the gallbladder.
It is not known if losing weight lowers the risk of cancers that have been linked to obesity.
Environmental Risk Factors
Being exposed to chemicals and other substances in the environment has been linked to some cancers:
Studies have been done to see if pesticides and other pollutants increase the risk of cancer. The results of those studies have been unclear because other factors can change the results of the studies.
An intervention is a treatment or action taken to prevent or treat disease, or improve health in other ways. Many studies are being done to find ways to keep cancer from starting or recurring (coming back).
Chemoprevention is being studied in patients who have a high risk of developing cancer.
Chemoprevention is the use of substances to lower the risk of cancer, or keep it from recurring. The substances may be natural or made in the laboratory. Some chemopreventive agents are tested in people who are at high risk for a certain type of cancer. The risk may be because of a precancerous condition, family history, or lifestyle factors.
Some chemoprevention studies have shown good results. For example, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMS) such as tamoxifen or raloxifene have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women at high risk. Finasteride and dutasteride have been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
New ways to prevent cancer are being studied in clinical trials.
Chemoprevention agents that are being studied in clinical trials include COX-2 inhibitors. They are being studied for the prevention of colorectal and breast cancer. Aspirin is being studied for the prevention of colorectal cancer.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Check NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry for cancer prevention trials that are now accepting patients.
See the NCI website for more information about cancer prevention.
Vitamin and dietary supplements have not been shown to prevent cancer.
An intervention is a treatment or action taken to prevent or treat disease, or improve health in other ways.
There is not enough proof that taking multivitamin and mineral supplements or single vitamins or minerals can prevent cancer. The following vitamins and mineral supplements have been studied, but have not been shown to lower the risk of cancer:
The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) found that vitamin E taken alone increased the risk of prostate cancer. The risk continued even after the men stopped taking vitamin E. Taking selenium with vitamin E or taking selenium alone did not increase the risk of prostate cancer.
Vitamin D has also been studied to see if it has anticancer effects. Skin exposed to sunshine can make vitamin D. Vitamin D can also be consumed in the diet and in dietary supplements. Taking vitamin D in doses from 400-1100 IU / day has not been shown to lower the risk of cancer.
The VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) is under way to study whether taking vitamin D (2000 IU/ day) and omega-3 fatty acids from marine (oily fish) sources lowers the risk of cancer.
The Physicians' Health Study found that men who have had cancer in the past and take a multivitamin daily may have a slightly lower risk of having a second cancer.
New ways to prevent cancer are being studied in clinical trials.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Check NCI's list of cancer clinical trials for cancer prevention trials that are now accepting patients.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Editorial changes were made to this summary.
About PDQ
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government's center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
Purpose of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about cancer prevention. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Reviewers and Updates
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Screening and Prevention Editorial Board.
Clinical Trial Information
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Clinical trials are listed in PDQ and can be found online at NCI's Web site. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Permission to Use This Summary
PDQ is a registered trademark. The content of PDQ documents can be used freely as text. It cannot be identified as an NCI PDQ cancer information summary unless the whole summary is shown and it is updated regularly. However, a user would be allowed to write a sentence such as "NCI's PDQ cancer information summary about breast cancer prevention states the risks in the following way: [include excerpt from the summary]."
The best way to cite this PDQ summary is:
National Cancer Institute: PDQ® Cancer Prevention Overview. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Date last modified <MM/DD/YYYY>. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/patient-prevention-overview-pdq. Accessed <MM/DD/YYYY>.
Images in this summary are used with permission of the author(s), artist, and/or publisher for use in the PDQ summaries only. If you want to use an image from a PDQ summary and you are not using the whole summary, you must get permission from the owner. It cannot be given by the National Cancer Institute. Information about using the images in this summary, along with many other images related to cancer can be found in Visuals Online. Visuals Online is a collection of more than 2,000 scientific images.
The information in these summaries should not be used to make decisions about insurance reimbursement. More information on insurance coverage is available on Cancer.gov on the Managing Cancer Care page.
Contact Us
More information about contacting us or receiving help with the Cancer.gov Web site can be found on our Contact Us for Help page. Questions can also be submitted to Cancer.gov through the Web site's E-mail Us.
If you have questions or comments about this summary, please send them to Cancer.gov through the Web site's E-mail Us. We can respond only to email messages written in English.
Call 1-800-4-CANCER
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. A trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
Chat online
The NCI's LiveHelp® online chat service provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
Write to us
For more information from the NCI, please write to this address:
Search the NCI Web site
The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. For a quick search, use the search box in the upper right corner of each Web page. The results for a wide range of search terms will include a list of "Best Bets," editorially chosen Web pages that are most closely related to the search term entered.
There are also many other places to get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Hospitals in your area may have information about local and regional agencies that have information on finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems related to cancer treatment.
Find Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Last Revised: 2015-07-23
If you want to know more about cancer and how it is treated, or if you wish to know about clinical trials for your type of cancer, you can call the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237, toll free. A trained information specialist can talk with you and answer your questions.
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
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Today: Apple (AAPL) shares drop 12 percent on growth concerns, while Netflix (NFLX) jumps 42 percent -- but may soon face its own growth concerns. Also, Microsoft earnings drop, while Juniper beats expectations.
Apple falls back to earth, drops 12 percent
The burden of great expectations weighed heavily on Apple on Thursday, as the Cupertino tech giant lost more than $50 billion in valuation as its shares tumbled 12.35 percent, or $63.51, a day after reporting disappointing earnings. Apple closed at $450.50, its lowest point in almost a year.
For a typical company, Apple's report would have been cause for celebration: Record profits over the holiday quarter, and significant growth in sales of its key products -- iPhones and iPads. But Apple is no typical company, and the numbers did not meet Wall Street's sky-high expectations. More troublesome to investors, Apple warned it expects slower growth in future revenue, a sign that its five-year run of spectacular growth may be coming to an end.
Realistically, Apple's amazing run -- in which it posted 55 pecent annual growth for three years in a row and became the most valuable company in the world (a title it may soon lose) -- is not sustainable in the long run. One analyst calculated that if Apple continued growing for the next five years at the rate it did over the past five years, its revenue would exceed $1.2 trillion -- or the gross domestic product of Australia. As the Merc's Troy Wolverton notes, Apple's growth has slowed to 27 percent over the past three quarters, and it expects the next quarter's growth to drop to 10 percent or less.
According to some experts, Apple became a victim of its own success, driven to a point where it just couldn't win. "Apple has got to the point where all news is bad news," financial analyst Benedict Evans wrote in a blog post. "This is a catch 22: high numbers mean saturation (bad), and low numbers mean slowing growth (bad)."
That screeching of the brakes led 18 brokerages to cut their price targets for Apple on Thursday, with the average target dropping $132, to $612 a share. "People are concerned about how quickly sales are falling off after the initial product launches and whether the company can deliver new and interesting products to reignite growth," BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk told Bloomberg News.
More realistic expectations may end up benefiting Apple in the longer term. "We believe a capitulation process is underway -- and while painful -- it is healthy since the loftiest expectations should be reined in quite a bit," Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes said in a research note, according to All Things D. "This spring, Apple should be readying a bevy of new products and services -- and when the builds for these products become known -- shares may act a lot better."
Of course, "even if its days of hypergrowth are over, Apple remains an astonishingly profitable company," Bloomberg Businessweek wrote. RBC Capital analyst Amit Daryanani concurred. "We view the results as a sign that AAPL is executing well as they shift to a more normal growth company," he wrote in a note.
And even if Apple has to settle with being just a "normal growth company," at least it can sleep soundly knowing it's still an incredibly profitable one.
Netflix has its best day ever, hits 18-month high
Netflix also announced quarterly earnings Wednesday, but unlike Apple, little was expected of the Los Gatos video-on-demand company. But after posting stunning profit gains -- up 13 cents a share, almost completely opposite the expected 13-cents a share losses -- shares soared more than 42 percent Thursday, the best day in Netflix's history. Shares closed at $146.86, up $43.60. The stock has more than doubled since September, and is now trading at an 18-month high.
On Wednesday, Netflix reported a bigger than expected increase in subscribers, and CEO Reed Hastings credited gains from streaming subscriptions as consumers got tablets and Internet-connected TVs over the holidays. The gains came despite recent costly deals with Disney and other studios to exclusively stream TV and film content.
"Momentum is clearly on Netflix's side now and the stock could continue to ride sentiment around subscriber growth and content deals," Macquarie analyst Tim Nollen told Reuters. Macquarie was among eight firms that upgraded Netflix's rating or raised its target price Thursday.
Still, the future is murky for Netflix, which has a history of volatile stock swings. Netflix's current stock price is still just half what it was in the summer of 2011, when it announced its ill-fated Quikster spinoff that ended up costing the company nearly a million subscribers. Experts warn these recent gains may be only short term, and rising costs for content and slower subscriber growth could hamper future earnings. B. Riley & Co. analyst Eric Wold told Barrons he sees Netflix shares falling to $90 in 2013, saying "competitive pressures will come into play this year."
"Netflix can only improve the typical viewing experience for next year by increasing its content spending, negatively impacting profitability further," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter wrote in a note Thursday. "I think the company is genuinely mistaken in how it thinks it is going to manage content costs," Pachter said, according to the Associated Press. "This is truly a house of cards and it's going to come crashing down this year."
Nasdaq dips, as do Microsoft earnings
Apple's drop hurt the tech-heavy Nasdaq, which declined 23.39, or 0.74 percent Thursday, while the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 remained essentially flat.
Microsoft shares dipped more than 2 percent in after-hours trading after announcing that earnings dropped 4 percent in the past quarter. The Redmond, Wash., company had hoped to get a bigger boost from its new Windows 8 operating system.
"Windows 8 continues to have an uphill battle in convincing investors this is going to be the key to the growth story for Microsoft," Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets, told Reuters. "It continues to be a major prove-me product cycle."
While revenue from the company's Windows division grew 24 percent year-over-year, the numbers were still sluggish; in previous years, the introduction of Windows 7 sales boosted quarterly revenue 76 percent, and Vista created a 65 percent bump when it debuted, according to CNNMoney. Sales of Windows Phone 8 were also disappointing, dropping 11 percent from last year, and sales of its popular but aging Xbox gaming console declined as well.
Closer to home, Sunnyvale's Juniper Networks beat analysts' expectations, posting earnings of 28 cents a share on revenue of $1.14 billion, and the company announced its current earnings guidance were on track. Shares rose slightly in after-hours trading.
Silicon Valley tech stocks
Up: Google (GOOG), Oracle (ORCL), Cisco (CSCO), HP, eBay (EBAY), Yahoo (YHOO), Juniper, Facebook, Netflix, Zynga, LinkedIn
Down: Apple, Intel
The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index: Down 23.29 , or 0.74 percent, to 3,130.38.
The blue chip Dow Jones industrial average: Up 46 or 0.33 percent, to 13.825.33.
And the widely watched Standard & Poor's 500 index: Up 0.01 or 0 percent, to 1,494.82.
Check in weekday afternoons for the 60-Second Business Break, a summary of news from Mercury News staff writers, The Associated Press, Bloomberg News and other wire services.


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Aurora University offers competitive, flexible benefits plans for full-time employees.
Current faculty and staff: Please visit SpartanNet for comprehensive benefits information and forms.
- Health Insurance
Choice of HMO or PPO through BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois
- Dental and Vision Insurance
- Life Insurance
1.5 times salary, dependent on age. Additional life insurance also may be purchased for self, spouse and children.
- Long Term Disability
60% or 50% of salary, depending upon plan elected.
- TIAA-CREF Retirement Account
The university matches employee contributions plus an additional 1% of salary, up to 6%. For example, if an employee contributes 5% of his salary, the university contributes an amount equivalent to 6% of his salary.
- Flexible Spending Accounts
FSAs are available for medical costs, commuter costs and dependent care costs.
- Paid vacation, sick and personal leave
Amount of paid time is dependent upon position. The university also closes for major holidays.
- Tuition Assistance
Tuition assistance for AU courses is available to employees and family members beginning the term after the hire date. The amount of tuition assistance is dependent upon age, level of coursework and relationship to the employee. AU also is a member of The Tuition Exchange and The Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program, enabling employees and family to be eligible for tuition assistance at more than 600 universities nationwide.


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Patwari Result 2013 Patwari Exam District Pali
( Available)
Board of Rajasthan is going to announce the result of Patwari exam 2013 which was conducted on 29 June 2013 as per rules and regulations set by Rajasthan Government. Rajasthan government has completed the written exam for the selection of Patwari district wise in Rajasthan state. A large number of applicants had applied for Patwari vacancy & also appeared in written exam as there will a direct selection of Patwaris through this recruitment exam. Now all the candidates are waiting for the Patwari Exam Result 2013 to be declared.
Board of Revenue for Rajasthan will announce the written test results for 2271 posts of Rajasthan Patwari. BOR Rajasthan takes entrance exam every year for various posts including same and new posts.
Cut off Marks of Rajasthan Patwari Exam will be comes out category wise.


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STOCKTON – A 50-year-old man standing late Tuesday in front of his home in the 7200 block of Kelley Drive, south of Hammer Lane, was approached by two men who brandished handguns and demanded that he hand over everything in his pockets, police reported.
The victim complied, turning over his cellphone and $150 in cash to the gunmen, who then walked off northbound on Kelley toward Hammer, according to a report. The incident occurred about 10:55 p.m.
Both armed robbers were described as black men in their 20s wearing dark clothing, police reported. One stood 5 feet 11 inches and weighed approximately 260 pounds. The second man stood 5 feet 7 and weighed about 140 pounds, according to the report.
Location, ST | website.com


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You'll hang the finished product so it starts 2 feet off of the ground, so cut off the first 24 inches from an extra-long tape measure, and glue the remainder along the right edge.
Use appliqués, ribbon and stickers to decorate the chart to match your child's room. Put their name and birthdate at the top using appliqués or stickers.
Hang the growth chart on a nail, making sure that the bottom of the chart is exactly two feet off of the floor.
Have your child stand against the chart, then draw a line to indicate their height. Use a small flower or other decorative element to mark the spot, noting your child's age or the date. Add the photo of your child at that age.


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SAN JOSE -- They'll get three days of practice before their first games at the Sochi Olympics.
In that time, the Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Antti Niemi will have to develop chemistry with their teammates, reacquaint themselves with their coaches and become reaccustomed to the nuances of playing an international style of hockey before they compete against the world's other top players.
Pavelski of Team USA, Vlasic and Marleau of Team Canada and Niemi of Team Finland are aware of the numerous challenges that await them in Russia. But they are not burdened by them.
The only thing that matters is coming back with the gold medal.
"At the end of the day, you're competing, You're playing a game and you want to win, and we're going to try and find a way to do that," Pavelski said. "The wider ice. If you're looking at the ice sheet and making excuses, you're probably already down."
This will be the first Olympics for Vlasic and Niemi, and the second for Marleau and Pavelski. Shortly after the Sharks play Columbus at home Feb. 7 -- the day of the Opening Ceremony in Sochi -- all four will scatter to meet with their respective teams.
From there, each team will only have a certain amount of time to practice together on the ice, as the Americans, Canadians and Team Finland each play their first game Feb. 13.
But both Marleau and Pavelski, and other Sharks who have played in the Olympic Games such as Dan Boyle, said the process of getting a team together and playing at a high level right from the get-go is not as difficult as it might sound.
Like in 2010 for the Vancouver Olympics, Canadians tried to address the chemistry issue this year by picking some players who are already on the same team. For Team Canada, that means going with Anaheim's Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz and Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. The Americans also have familiarity with one another, as 13 players who competed in 2010 are on this year's team.
"There's some built-in chemistry," Marleau said of Team Canada. "Obviously, that had a lot to do with the decision-making."
Boyle added if you're chosen to play on an Olympic team, "you have to be, not just highly skilled, but pretty intelligent, and it really doesn't take much," to come together. "If anything, you just have to learn how to handle the pressure."
That pressure almost boiled over in Vancouver, where Team Canada needed overtime to beat Switzerland in the preliminary round and lost to the Americans, causing more than a little mental anguish in the Great White North.
Canada found its stride in the playoff round, winning four games by a combined score of 21-10, which included a 3-2 overtime win over Pavelski and Team USA in the gold medal game.
The Americans had no chemistry issues to begin with, as they were undefeated up until that game.
"It's just about going out there and playing and getting a little confidence early," Pavelski said. "It's a question. It can change from year to year. We did a good job in Vancouver finding that kind of chemistry.
"I think there will be a few different challenges going on a bigger sheet of ice for everyone out there."
The ice is 200 feet long and 100 feet wide in international hockey, compared with 200 feet by 85 feet in the NHL.
Niemi grew up on it in Finland and doesn't anticipate a difficult transition, even though he hasn't played many competitive games on the wider ice since he came to the NHL in 2008. Pavelski most recently played 28 games in the KHL in Russia during last season's NHL lockout, and Vlasic has some experience playing on the wider ice from playing on Canada's World Championship teams in 2009 and 2012.
Vlasic said defensemen have more time to make plays on the wider rink but added the biggest challenge is positioning, not getting caught up ice and knowing where your net is on a penalty kill.
"Getting into the lanes to block shots will be a challenge, too," Vlasic said. "Your angles are different. But all eight (Canadian) defenseman are really mobile and good defensively."
Positioning is also important for forwards. While Marleau's speed should be a tremendous asset for Team Canada, Sharks coach Todd McLellan said Marleau's and Pavelski's ability to anticipate plays and use angles to their advantage will also help them adjust.
"You can take the world's best skater and have him chase the puck around that big ice surface, and he might look lost if he's not anticipating where its going or if he's not playing the proper angles," McLellan said.
"Pav will do those things and he's not the world's best skater. If you can fly around like Patty Marleau does and have Patty's anticipation skills, that's a great thing. But if you don't have Patty's anticipation skills, but all that speed, then it's just like a dog chasing a car on a grid road back in Saskatchewan. You're never going to catch up."
All 12 teams in the men's tournament advance to the playoffs, but from there, it's win or go home.
"It's a short tournament and most of the guys haven't played with each other for a while, so hopefully it doesn't take us two games to get into the tournament," he said, "or else we might be out."
Contact Curtis Pashelka at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Country Gold Silver Bronze
Canada 8 4 2
Russia* 8 2 2
Sweden 2 2 4
Czech Rep.** 1 4 5
Great Britain 1 0 1
Finland 0 2 3
Switzerland 0 0 2
Germany*** 0 0 2
SOURCE: hockey-history.com
* -- Includes former Soviet Union and Commonwealth of Independent States
**-- Includes former Czechoslovakia
***-- Includes former West Germany
Pictured: Left Age: 26
Team: Canada Position: Defenseman
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec
Notable: On Vlasic, Canada general manager Steve Yzerman said, "He really moves the puck well. He skates well. Positionally, very, very sound."


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In light of the flawed ratings provided by credit rating services regarding mortgage backed securities, we're not too quick to jump on any bandwagon that these companies parade down the street these days.
However, when Moody's Investor Services put out a warning about a potential for a downgrade of U.S. and UK sovereign paper due to deteriorating public finances, it does force one to sit up and take notice.
Couple that with respected financial experts like Jim Rodgers and James Grant saying that the U.S. dollar has been debased and should be avoided by worldwide investors, and we feel compelled to weigh in on the topic.
Since our long-term goal has always been to help you protect and grow your nest eggs we want to warn you about the coming storm and help you weather it in good fashion.
Now we understand that when you live, work, spend and invest in U.S. dollars the idea of investing and spending in another currency is confusing and off-putting to many of you.
But with the current course of spending and taxing that the government is on, we are forced to start looking at alternatives for you and for ourselves.
Investing Alternatives to the U.S. Dollar
Unfortunately all the plans being discussed such as healthcare reform, extended unemployment benefits, more "cash for crap" programs, and so on come with heavy price tags to be paid for with more dollars created out of thin air by the Fed, backed by NO collateral.
This is a recipe for a complete and utter devaluation of our dollar and a lower standard of living for all except for the narrow interest groups who will profit from all this government intervention.
Here's why. If Moody's concern become reality (which does grow more possible every day) a downgrading of U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds will bring with it the absolute need for much higher interest rates just to entice investors to continue to buy U.S. bonds and take on the risk of the U.S.'s deficit and possible default.
Higher interest rates will mean higher costs for all of us when we borrow money and a further decline in the value of the dollars in our pockets. That devaluation will bring on higher prices for food, transportation, utilities and other basics of life.
So, smart savers and investors will now start looking at something that has been distasteful to most U.S. investors in the past...
Foreign bonds.
In fact, up until now the only palatable choice overseas for most investors has always been in the stocks of foreign countries but never in the foreign countries debt. That has got to change if you are looking for dependable income at a reasonable rate.
When venturing overseas, we do not recommend buying individual bonds. That strategy is only for those who have vast knowledge of the governmental workings of foreign countries. Most of us are still trying to figure out what the heck our own government is doing!
The safest wa...


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Dice singles, including individual 4-sided dice, 6-sided dice, 8-sided dice, 10-sided dice, 12-sided dice, 20-sided dice, and more. Everything from polyhedral dice standard spotted dice, to alphabet and astrology dice.
Pearlized Blue and Gold 4 sided Dice$0.79This 4 sided pearlized dice has gold numbers on a Swirled Blue dice. The pearlization done to these dice make the sparkle and shine. Great for adding that monetary feel to the board at a great price. Learn More


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STOCKTON - Two San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office staffers were among 360 jailers nationwide to receive certification in jail management through a national jailers association.
Lieutenants Dina Smith Jose and Greg Williamson are the fifth and sixth people from the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office to receive the certification, according to a statement from the agency. The Sheriff's Office operates the San Joaquin County Jail.
Mastery of jail management and professionalism are required to receive the certification, according to the announcement of the certification.
The application process for the certification includes taking an intensive written examination prepared by the Jail Manager Certification Commission and the American Jail Association.
Both lieutenants are members of the Jail Association. Both have accumulated years of correctional experience. Jose has 29, Williamson, 17.
Location, ST | website.com


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Dice Sets
Dice sets, especially 7-piece RPG dice sets. Everything from metal dice sets and stone dice sets to pearlized and magma dice sets. Also includes other sets of dice such as 10d6 crystal dice sets.
RPG Rainbow Dice Set$5.00A set of 7 polyhedral dice, including a D4, D6, D8, D10, D20, and D100. White with multi-color numbers. Learn More


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Women's Nike Santa Monica Tank
Retro style? Check. A comfortable fit? Check. Athletic performance? Check! When you're looking for a comfy tank for workouts or hanging out, look no further than the Nike Santa Monica Tank.
Featuring vintage graphics screen-printed on the front, this old-school tank has trendy appeal. The racerback straps allow for a full range of motion, while the comfortable tri-blend fabric helps to keep you feeling fresh.
- FABRIC: 50% polyester, 25% cotton, 25% rayon
- CARE: Machine wash