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Scottie Wilbekin has patiently, quietly waited his turn.
He graduated from high school a year later to sign with the Florida Gators and for two seasons played whatever niche role the team asked of him. Two guard. Small forward. Instant energy guy in the press. Defensive stopper, arguably what he does best. Even started one game -- against Kentucky, no less -- at the power forward spot last season.
Click here for the original story.
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Alumni Profile of Jon Torizzo '77
"Overall, Montessori was a great experience for me. I recall spending lots of time outdoors, learning about the environment, and I think that did influence my long term interest in environmental science. I also recall developing close friendships with my classmates with whom I spent pre-school through 5th grade with. An experience I feel lucky to have had.
As far as my career path, I graduated from Skidmore in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science. After participating in a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Alaska Mountaineering course, I went on to get an MBA from the University of Rochester in 1994, then moved to Colorado soon after to pursue my love of the mountains and outdoors. After working for several years as a Business Analyst, I attended the University of Colorado to pursue a Masters in Environmental Science, with an Air Quality focus. Since 2001, I have worked as an Air Quality Scientist in several capacities including as a Research Assistant in academia, as an Environmental Consultant, as a Regulator for the State of Colorado, and most recently for an Oil&Gas production company, where I head up the Greenhouse Gas monitoring program and serve as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Air Lead.
I have been married since 2001, and have two girls, and live in Boulder, Colorado".
Jon also added that his two daughters attend Boulder Montessori as he put it "The legacy lives on!"
Jon is pictured above with his family and with his Elementary peers (top right)
40 years / 40 faces
5 Knife Shop Road • Northfield, CT 06778 • 860-283-5920 •

subset: commoncrawl


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How To Green Your School
It's back to school time for most families, which means it's a great time to think about how your school is doing on the green front — especially when it comes to the basics, like recycling.
If your school doesn't already have a recycling program in place, consider starting one. Experts say the general steps to follow are:


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Having built a notable commercial building in Eagle Ranch, it is clear that I am a true believer in the Eagle community. The struggle to fill the building with flourishing businesses has been a challenge. We are blessed to currently have two wonderful tenants with viable businesses, but it has taken three years to achieve this and there is still a vacancy. It has become clear to me that, in order to see Eagle's local businesses thrive, we need more residents.
A town's character and economic vitality is created through the strength of its local businesses. Strong businesses provide increased financial security for every member of the community: commercial real estate owners; local government through the collection of tax revenues; residential real estate owners by making the neighborhoods in which they live more desirable and increasing their property values.
A town that achieves "critical mass" can support its business community without the need for a large influx of consumers from elsewhere. Eagle simply hasn't reached that sweet spot yet.
I believe that by utilizing the measured and steady growth proposed by the Haymeadow project, Eagle can achieve critical mass while adding valuable assets to the community, including the proposed school and trail system and the various open spaces, community parks and buildings in their plan. Savvy and sustainable growth over the next 20 years is the key to success in Eagle's business and residential communities. This includes the availability of homes for Eagle to grow and support its population.
Now, more than ever, we need more people calling Eagle home. Haymeadow is currently the best option our town has to achieve the growth it needs.
Barbara Scrivens


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JOPLIN, Mo. — Two weeks after a mile-wide tornado tore through this city, killing 161 people and rendering a landscape of apocalyptic devastation, the public school system here received a telephone call from a man working for the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington.
"Tell me what you need," the embassy staffer said.
Six schools, including the city's sole high school, had been destroyed in the May 2011 disaster. Insurance would cover the construction of new buildings, but administrators were scrambling to replace all of the books that had blown away.
Instead of focusing on books, the staffer wanted "to think big." So the school system's development director pitched the most ambitious plan that came to mind, a proposal to obviate the need for high school textbooks that had been shelved two years earlier because nobody — not the cash-strapped school system, not the state of Missouri, not even local charities — had the money for it: Give every student a computer.
Today, the nearly 2,200 high school students in Joplin each have their own UAE-funded MacBook laptop, which they use to absorb lessons, perform homework and take tests. Across the city, the UAE is spending $5 million to build a neonatal intensive care unit at Mercy Hospital, which also was ripped apart by the tornado.
The gifts are part of an ambitious campaign by the UAE government to assist needy communities in the United States. Motivated by the same principal reasons that the U.S. government distributes foreign assistance — to help those less fortunate and to influence perceptions among the recipients — the handouts mark a small but remarkable shift in global economic power.
For decades, the United States has been the world's largest provider of foreign aid, paying for the construction of schools, health clinics and vaccine programs in impoverished countries. It still is, but the level of donations has been increasing among nations with new financial clout, including China, India and oil-rich Persian Gulf states. And at least one of them now sees poor parts of the United States as worthy recipients for that same sort of assistance.
"We spot needs and we try to help," said Yousef al Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to the United States.
During the past two years, the UAE government has paid for the construction of all-weather artificial turf soccer fields in low-income parts of New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago. The embassy wants to build three more fields this year. Otaiba hopes to break ground on the first of them this spring in the Washington area, although the embassy is still in discussions with potential partners and has not settled on a location.
Otaiba said he also has promised New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, R, about $5 million apiece to help rebuild their jurisdictions in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
Although U.S. hospitals and universities have long been recipients of Persian Gulf philanthropy, most of those gifts have come from the personal funds of royal family members, often to express gratitude for the education or medical care they received. Natural disasters also have prompted contributions: The UAE and Qatar, a fellow petro-wealthy Persian Gulf nation, both wrote $100 million checks to the State Department in 2005 to help with the reconstruction of the U.S. Gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina.
Many other nations also spend money in the United States, but much of it is devoted to promoting their respective languages, traditions and national interests through educational grants, study-abroad programs and cultural centers, such as Germany's Goethe-Institut and France's Alliance Francaise.
The UAE's unusual approach has its roots in the 2006 controversy that erupted when a firm based in Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, sought to take over management of six U.S. ports. Intense congressional opposition, some of it resulting from misperceptions about the UAE's relationship with the United States, scuttled the deal.
Afterward, the embassy commissioned a survey of American attitudes toward the UAE. Although 30 percent of respondents had an unfavorable view, 70 percent said they had no opinion. When Otaiba became ambassador in Washington in July 2008, the survey results provided him with a critical mission: to persuade Americans, particularly those with no opinion of his country, to develop a favorable view of the UAE.
Home to about 8 million people, the desert nation is among the world's richest countries — and Dubai, with its gleaming skyline, has emerged as a global hub of trade and finance. The UAE is also a key Western ally in the region. Still, most Americans were unfamiliar with it.
"We had a responsibility to educate Americans about who we are," he said. "We have been in Afghanistan with you. We went into Libya. We're the largest export market for the U.S. in the [Middle East] region."
Part of Otaiba's response was to do what ambassadors have long done: He traveled the United States, giving speeches touting his nation, explaining how his government has been a loyal partner in the fight against terrorism and how his leaders share U.S. concern about Iran's nuclear program. The dapper, smooth-headed 40-year-old, whose English has only a hint of an Arabic accent, won over audiences.
But Otaiba, who received a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown University and has a nuanced understanding of American politics, figured he needed to do more than just talk. In 2009, he helped facilitate a $150 million gift from the government of Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate, to Children's National Medical Center in Washington to establish a new research center to develop innovations in pediatric surgery.
The UAE made large gifts to other hospitals, including Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic, but the ambassador also began branching into new areas — a Baltimore food bank, the New York Police Foundation and a nonprofit group that helps Washington high schoolers pay for university tuition.
In the case of Joplin, Otaiba said the decision to help started with a phone call from the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, who saw images of the devastation on CNN. A week later, an embassy staffer was on the ground in Missouri, looking for ways to assist.
Joplin, home to about 60,000 people, is a former mining town on the far southwestern edge of the state, near the border with Kansas and Oklahoma. Parts of the main drag have been rebuilt since the tornado, with the construction of modern strip malls and shiny fast-foot restaurants. But the new structures, much of them funded by large companies, belie deeper economic troubles in the city, where many residents are dependent on low-paying service-sector jobs. Sixty-two percent of children in the school system live in families whose household incomes are below the federal poverty line.
The UAE did not want to just hand over money as it had done after Katrina, risking involvement in programs that might be plagued with waste and mismanagement, and it didn't want to simply rebuild what had been damaged by the tornado. "We asked ourselves, 'What can we bring to Joplin that probably won't be forthcoming from anywhere else?' " Otaiba said. "We wanted to bring them something they didn't have before."
Otaiba's staff member in Joplin quickly discovered that Mercy Hospital was one of the city's principal economic engines. Not only was it among the largest employers, it drew residents from surrounding communities, generating business for restaurants and hotels. The hospital had not been equipped with a neonatal intensive care unit, forcing some parents to travel hours by roads to hospitals in St. Louis or Springfield, Mo.
To Otaiba, the decision was simple: Give the hospital $5 million to build a 12-bed NICU.
"It was a huge shot in the arm," said Gary Pulsipher, the hospital's chief executive. "Their message to us — 'Even though you've been through this awful event, we want to encourage you to come back stronger' — was so inspiring."
Because the rebuilt hospital will not open until 2015, the embassy also sought out a project that would yield a more immediate impact. The school system was an obvious target. If temporary schools did not open by the end of summer — in just three months — city officials worried that many families would move away. School administrators assumed they would be able to find interim structures in time, but they weren't sure what to do about textbooks.
Then the embassy called.
When development director Kimberly Vann told her boss, Superintendent C.J. Huff, that the UAE government was willing to donate $1 million for laptops, he thought it was a joke.
"Back then, we were getting a lot of calls from people willing to help — but nothing like this," Huff recalled. "I thought somebody was pranking us."
The UAE gift came in two parts: $500,000 upfront and another $500,000 as a matching grant. If the school system could raise an additional $500,000, it would have a total of $1.5 million, bringing it very close to the price tag for 2,200 laptops, the attendant software and other equipment required to manage the project.
In the end, Huff's staff did not have to pound the streets for money to meet the UAE's challenge. Checks started arriving at his office, from companies and organizations with no connection to Joplin, sparked by news of the UAE matching grant.
The decision to accept the UAE money prompted an angry response from a few residents, and it sparked rants from some conservative radio commentators — one of them, Debbie Schlussel, accused the school system of taking "Islamic blood money" — but Huff stood firm. "I can live with the hate mail," he said. "It's the right thing for the kids."
The laptops have transformed high school. Instead of sitting in rows of front-facing desks, listening to teachers present lessons, students spend their classes clustered together in groups, usually of five or six, their eyes fixed on the screens of their white laptops. Much of their instruction comes from viewing videos and interactive presentations copied from the Internet and stored on the school's data server.
On a recent morning in an 11th-grade social studies class, the day's lesson — about World War II — involved students watching a lecture that a high school teacher from another state had recorded and posted to YouTube. The teacher, Amber Travis, who lost six years of lesson plans in the tornado, said she learned about the YouTube video after posting a query to other teachers on Twitter.
In hallway conversations, students said they are happy to have the computers, but many of them did not know the source of the money used to buy them. Unlike donations to other nations from the U.S. Agency for International Development, which often are emblazoned with stickers, there is nothing on the laptops that mention the UAE.
But city leaders know. So do state officials and Missouri's congressional delegation. Sen. Roy Blunt, R, who had opposed the Dubai firm's ports deal in 2006, joined Otaiba on a trip to Joplin this past May and expressed appreciation for the UAE's financial contributions.
Huff said he sees no shame in accepting foreign aid to help his students. "Part of being a good neighbor is not just knowing how to give, but also how to receive," he said. "It would be great if we had the money to pay for the laptops ourselves. But we didn't. Sometimes you have to be willing to put pride in your pocket and accept gifts."


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SHOCK VIDEO: Car fleeing police drives through park, nearly hitting children
Police were involved in a pursuit of a car Saturday, and dramatic video from a FOX 13 News viewer shows the car speeding across the grass of Founders Park as children frantically move out of the way.
The chase ended around 6:12 p.m. at 1500 S. Banbury Drive in Syracuse, and police officials said a minor had taken the vehicle without permission and officers sought the vehicle on a breach of trust.
Read the full story from Fox 13


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|The grasslands of the western Great Plains are the natural habitat of black-footed ferrets and their prey, prairie dogs.
The National Zoo's Black-Footed Ferret Reproduction Project studies the biology of the black-footed ferret to enhance reproduction, maintain genetic diversity, and provide animals for reintroduction to the western Great Plains.
The return of black-footed ferrets to the plains of the American West began in 1991. Research revealed that survival rates were higher among ferrets that were exposed to outdoor burrows with prairie dogs before reintroduction. The National Zoo's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) created "pre-release conditioning pens" with prairie dog burrow systems. Each year, animals born at SCBI in Front Royal, Virginia (SCBI-FR) are given access to these burrows to increase the chances of their survival after release. Ferrets born and conditioned at SCBI-FR have been released in Wyoming, Arizona, Utah, South Dakota, Montana, and Mexico.
Our studies of black-footed ferrets are helping to save one of North America's most endangered species and return it to nature, but funding for research has been scarce.
Considered extinct until a small population was discovered in Wyoming in 1981 (only 18 individuals remained by 1985), the black-footed ferret is edging away from near extinction. Working closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Zoo and SCBI are helping save this endangered species and return it to the wild.
The black-footed ferret is one of the most endangered animals in the world. Once inhabiting the grasslands of the western Great Plains, the black-footed ferret declined with the loss of the North American prairie ecosystem. Prairie dogs are the ferret's primary prey, and only two percent of the original prairie dog habitat remains today.
The Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Plan, developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, emphasizes natural breeding programs, developing assisted breeding, especially artificial insemination, and establishing multiple reintroduction sites.
The black-footed ferret breeding program depends on computerized matchmaking, ensuring that the most genetically appropriate individuals are mated together. This genetic management occurs through a Species Survival Plan, a group of zoos and conservation organizations working together to save the species. From those original 18 animals, approximately 250 ferrets reside in breeding facilities and about 800 animals are now in the wild.
|JoGayle Howard places frozen semen into a liquid nitrogen tank.
SCBI-Front Royal maintains the Black-Footed Ferret Genome Resource Bank, a repository of frozen semen from the most valuable males. The bank is used for assisted breeding and serves as insurance against future catastrophes (for example, disease).
The National Zoo's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal (SCBI-Front Royal)has played an essential role in the recovery of the black-footed ferret. SCBI-Front Royal was the first institution outside of Wyoming invited to begin a breeding program. SCBI-Front Royal continues to make valuable contributions to the science of animal husbandry, reproduction, nutrition, veterinary medicine, pathology and reintroduction. Since 1988, SCBI-Front Royal has produced more than 130 black-footed ferret kits after natural matings.
Many black-footed ferrets do not breed because of behavioral incompatibility or improper breeding positioning. For this reason, our scientists have developed artificial insemination. The Zoo's JoGayle Howard pioneered methods for depositing sperm directly into the uterus, resulting in the birth of more than 100 kits. Reproductive technologies also are used routinely for management including: checking male fertility before mating, overcoming infertility, and ensuring that every genetically valuable individual reproduces to maintain as much genetic diversity as possible. This, in turn, ensures that the population remains vigorous and reproductively sound long into the future.


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Sage Francis wrote: Over a million people already have when we did it live. They said nice things. I became a trending topic on twitter in the UK because of it. The world changed. Serious.
www.SageFrancis.net has the goods.
Sage Francis wrote: I also liked the last time I was there. A whole lot.
I did the spoken word performance at the Inkymole exhibit around Halloween in 2006. That was fantastic.
Szechwan wrote: That kicked some ass. Any chance we could get these as separate MP3s?
marc911 wrote: this is fantastic you should do a whole unplugged album that would be fuckin epic. was this rehearsed or did you just bust it out?
Sagefrancis.net wrote: I decided to perform my songs with 2 acoustic guitarists, Ally & Warren. We've never performed together so when we arrived at the studio we spent an hour rehearsing some ideas before taking them live to the air


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Supplying quality products for any celebration, White Wedding and Party are based in Dinnington, Sheffield. Our finishing touches ensure that every last detail looks perfect at your event.
Really get your tables talking with our trivia scratch cards and let the party go with a bang using our lovely party poppers.


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elementary has a single goal: to provide the best possible experience for our community. We're driven by a desire to be better, not by a paycheck. Contributors aren't profit-maximizers, they're purpose-maximizers.
We believe in the power of open source and global collaboration. That means anyone can download, use, modify, and contribute to the code we've written to bring their ideas to life. The code is developed in the open, meaning it's available for review, scrutiny, and improvement by tens of thousands of developers all around the world. All before it hits your system.
elementary is crafted by designers and developers who believe that computers can be easy, fun, and gorgeous. By putting design first, we ensure we're not compromising on quality or usability.
elementary OS is a free replacement for Windows on the PC and OS X on the Mac. It comes with what you'd expect, like a fast web browser and an app store with thousands of apps. Plus some things you may not expect, like free updates and no known viruses.
Luna has been engineered from the ground up to be light on its toes. It starts up quickly, logs in instantly, and uses the bare minimum of resources so that your apps enjoy a speed boost as well. And with Luna, you get the same Linux foundation chosen for the world's fastest supercomputers.
When you install elementary, you're not just installing an operating system. You're installing an excellent suite of custom tailored apps that let you get right to business. Easily surf the web, check your email, listen to music, and tackle everyday tasks or pleasures.
Different kinds of people from all over the world build elementary, so it's no surprise that Luna is built with this in mind. It comes stocked with apps and tweaks for the hearing and sight impaired, as well as assistance for the motor impaired.
Luna is built on the rock-solid foundation of Linux (the same software that powers the US Department of Defense, the Bank of China, and more). It has no known viruses, which means no pesky anti-virus software to slow down your system. Luna receives security updates as soon as a problem is discovered, meaning there's no waiting around for the most secure system.
elementary OS is completely free, both in terms of pricing and licensing. There are no costly fees, confusing user agreements, trial periods, or restrictive copy protections. You can install Luna on as many computers as you want or even copy it and give it away to your friends.
elementary OS comes with a built-in app store, stocked with thousands of free apps. Quickly find what you're looking for without worrying about malware from the web.


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About Us > Newsroom > Researchers Study Biofeedback for Asthma
National Jewish Health researchers are delving into the biology of biofeedback to understand how it helps asthma patients and what role it could play in reducing medication use for the chronic lung disease. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, they are evaluating two forms of biofeedback, based on controlling heart rate and specific brain waves, and assessing their impact on inflammation in the lungs and the 'twitchiness" of asthma patients' airways.
"Previous studies have shown that biofeedback can improve asthma patients' lung function and reduce the need for medications," said principal investigator Fred Wamboldt, MD, Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health. "As such, biofeedback holds great promise for becoming an effective alternative to controller steroid medications. We need, however, to understand exactly how these techniques affects the lungs and airways before either can become an accepted therapy."
Any therapy that could serve as an alternative or complement to steroid therapy would be especially welcome. Although inhaled steroids have been shown to be safe, many people are concerned about side effects, such as weight gain and reduced growth, and do not take adequate amounts to control their asthma. Any therapy that could improve asthma control while reducing the need for expensive medications would also be welcome.
Sensitive monitors can detect brain waves and minute variations in the heart rate. Researchers at National Jewish Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey will attach those monitors to asthma patients, who will be able to see their brain waves and heart rate in real time. The researchers will then help the study participants learn how to control these important body functions. Previous studies have shown that such techniques can improve lung function and reduce the need for asthma medications.
In this study, researchers will examine more closely the physiological effects of these types of biofeedback. Asthma has two primary components, inflammation and 'twitchy' muscles surrounding the airways, which can overreact to mild irritants, contract and close the airways. The researchers will measure airway 'twitchiness' with a test known as a methacholine challenge. They will monitor inflammation by measuring exhaled nitric oxide.
"These tests will help us better understand how biofeedback affects the lungs," said Dr. Wamboldt. "That will help us understand whether they could be most effective as alternative or complementary therapies to controller steroid medications or to inhaled rescue medications."
Researchers are seeking adults who have mild to moderate year-round asthma for participation in the study. The study will involve weekly visits to National Jewish Health over the course of four months. Eligible volunteers receive no-cost asthma evaluations, detailed action plans, training in one of two biofeedback methods and reimbursement for their time. For more information visit the trial Web page contact Valentina Vannoni at National Jewish Health at 303.398.1793 or email@example.com.
Last Updated: 2/2016
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Cat Is Not a Fan of the Flute!
Ellen and Adele Duet
Dude Wakes Up In The Wrong Bed!
Leggings Ain't Pants!
Howie Mandel Coming Out Of Surgery!
My Friend's Kid Dressing Like Trump For Halloween!
Four Oaks Police Cursing Video Gone Viral
Woman Periscoping While Drunk Driving
Outtakes from Robin Williams in Aladdin from 1992
Meet "Punkin S. Thomas" The Newest Member of the Thomas Family


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Project Bumble Bee
In the late 1990's, bee biologists started to notice a decline in the abundance and distribution of several wild bumble bee species. Five of these species (western bumble bee, rusty patched bumble bee, yellowbanded bumble bee and the American bumble bee) were once very common and important crop pollinators over their ranges. Franklin's bumble bee was historically found only in a small area in southern Oregon and northern California, and it may now be extinct. We've recently launched a collaborative citizen science project called Bumble Bee Watch to track these and all other North American bumble bees.
Recent research indicates that additional species of bumble bees may be in decline. Wild bumble bees face many threats including habitat alteration, pesticide use, management practices, and pathogens. Recent reports are troubling, but there is much you can do to help!
To read more about recent declines see the Threats section below.
Recent efforts to track the western bumble bee
This project was funded by the Oregon Zoo.
What you can do!
Create habitat!
Download our new publication: Conserving Bumble Bees. Guidelines for Creating and Managing Habitat for America's Declining Pollinators.
The Xerces Society has collaborated with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to create a list of plants that are attractive to bumble bees, please consider using this valuable resource.
Participate in our citizen science project:
We are very interested in tracking all species of North American bumble bees at our new citizen science website Bumble Bee Watch!
Below is a map of the citizen records. Citizen science has greatly helped us to understand the distribution and nesting habits of these important yet imperiled pollinators and will help us to target our conservation efforts.
Have you seen an active bumble bee nest?
We are collecting data on bumble bee nesting habits. Please visit www.bumblebeewatch.org to submit a nest sighting.
There are a number of threats facing bumble bees, any of which may be leading to the decline of these species. The major threats to bumble bees include: spread of pests and diseases through commercial bumble bee rearing or other methods, habitat destruction or alteration, pesticides, invasive species, low genetic diversity and climate change.
Commercial bumble bee rearing may be the greatest threat to B. affinis, B. occidentalis, B. terricola, and B. franklini. In North America, two bumble bee species have been commercially reared for pollination of greenhouse tomatoes and other crops: B. occidentalis and B. impatiens. Between 1992 and 1994, queens of B. occidentalis and B. impatiens were shipped to European rearing facilities, where colonies were produced then shipped back to the U.S. for commercial pollination. Bumble bee expert Robbin Thorp has hypothesized that these bumble bee colonies acquired a disease (probably a virulent strain of the microsporidian Nosema bombi) from a European bee that was in the same rearing facility, the buff-tailed bumble bee (Bombus terrestris). The North American bumble bees would have had no prior resistance to this pathogen. Dr. Thorp hypothesizes that the disease then spread to wild populations of B. occidentalis and B. franklini in the West (from exposure to infected populations of commercially reared B. occidentalis), and B. affinis and B. terricola in the East (from exposure to commercially reared B. impatiens). In the late 1990's, biologists began to notice that B. affinis, B. occidentalis, B. terricola, and B. franklini were severely declining.
Where these bees were once very common, they were nearly impossible to find. B. impatiens has not shown a dramatic decline; Robbin Thorp hypothesizes that B. impatiens may serve as a carrier of an exotic strain of Nosema bombi, although it may not be as severly affected by the disease as B. affinis, B. occidentalis, B. terricola, and B. franklini. B. affinis, B. occidentalis, B. terricola, and B. franklini are closely related to each other (they all belong to the subgenus Bombus sensu stricto).
This hypothesis was supported by a recent study led by Sydney Cameron, Ph.D., published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They found that the western bumble bee and the American bumble bee had significantly higher infection rates from a fungal parasite than more stable species. They also found that these two species had lower genetic diversity than species that were not in decline. Research is currently underway in Dr. Cameron's lab to determine whether or not this fungal parasite was introduced from Europe via the commercial bumble bee trade. You can read more about their study and its implications here. The Xerces Society is currently working to urge the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to regulate the commercial bumble bee trade. You can read a status review that includes more details on this issue and the decline of three bumble bees that was written by Dr. Robbin Thorp and The Xerces Society.
All bumble bees belong to the genus Bombus within the family Apidae. The family Apidae includes the well-known honey bees and bumble bees, as well as carpenter bees, cuckoo bees, digger bees, stingless bees, and orchid bees. B. affinis, B. terricola, B. occidentalis, and B. franklini all belong to the same sub-genus of Bombus, Bombus sensu stricto.
Bumble bees are important pollinators of wild flowering plants and crops. As generalist foragers, they do not depend on any one flower type. However, some plants do rely on bumble bees to achieve pollination. Loss of bumble bees can have far ranging ecological impacts due to their role as pollinators. In Britain and the Netherlands, where multiple bumble bee and other bee species have gone extinct, there is evidence of decline in the abundances of insect pollinated plants. Bumble bees are also excellent pollinators of many crops. Bumble bees are able to fly in cooler temperatures and lower light levels than many other bees, and they perform a behavior called "buzz pollination," in which the bee grabs the pollen producing structure of the flower in her jaws and vibrates her wing musculature causing vibrations that dislodge pollen that would have otherwise remained trapped in the flower's anthers. Some plants, including tomatoes, peppers, and cranberries, require buzz pollination. Read more.
On February 10, 2010, a broad coalition of scientists submitted a letter to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) requesting that they create new regulations to protect wild bumble bees from threats posed by commercial bumble bees. The letter was signed by over 60 scientists with research on bumble bees and other bees, including: Charles D. Michener, Ph.D., author of The Bees of the World; Bernd Heinrich, Ph.D., author of Bumblebee Economics; David Goulson, Ph.D., author of Bumblebees: Their Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation, James Thomson, Ph.D., co-author of The Natural History of Bumble Bees; and May Berenbaum, Ph.D., Chair of the National Research Council Committee on the Status of Pollinators in North America. Letters of support were also submitted by native plant societies, sustainable agriculture organizations and conservation organizations.
On January 12, 2010, The Xerces Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council and Dr. Robbin Thorp submitted a petition to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) requesting that they create new regulations to protect wild bumble bees from disease. In order to prevent the spread of disease to wild populations of agriculturally significant bee pollinators, petitioners asked APHIS to use its authority to regulate the movement and health of commercial bumble bees. Specifically, petitioners requested that APHIS create rules prohibiting the movement of bumble bees outside of their native ranges and regulate interstate movement of bumble bee pollinators within their native ranges by requiring permits that show that bumble bees are certified as disease-free prior to movement. Read more about this action. Read the petition.
For a brief summary of this issue, read our fact sheet.
A number of scientists and citizen monitors have contributed their unpublished records or other information regarding bumble bees for our efforts; we greatly appreciate their collaboration:
Bernd Heinrich, Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont Chiho Kimoto and Sandy DeBano, Oregon State University, Hermiston Field Station Chris Maier, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Christina North, University of Illinois David W. Inouye, University of Maryland Dale Reimer, retired Doug Golick, University of Nebraska Elaine Evans Elizabeth Elle, Simon Fraser University Howard Ginsburg, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center James Strange, USDA-ARS Logan-Bee Lab Jennifer Grixti and Colin Favret, University of Illinois Jodi DeLong, freelance writer John Neff, Central Texas Melittological Institute Kevin Alexander, Western State College of Colorado Larry Stevens, Museum of Northern Arizona Lee Solter, Illinois Natural History Survey Liz Day Matthew Bowser, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Michael Otterstatter, University of Toronto Mike Quinn Pete Schroeder, Southern Oregon University Ralph Cartar, University of Calgary Rebecca Irwin, Dartmouth College Robbin Thorp, Professor Emeritus, U.C. Davis Robert Jacobson Robert Jean and Peter Scott, Indiana State University Sheila Colla, graduate student of Laurence Packer, York University Sam Droege, USGS Patuxtent Wildlife Research Center Steve Hendrix and Chris Gienapp, University of Iowa Sydney Cameron, University of Illinois Sue Sheehan, Fermilab, Batavia, IL T'ai Roulston, Research Associate Professor, University of Virginia Leif Richardson, Dartmouth College


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HONESDALE — The Local Boys will be in concert this month to benefit the Grace Abounding Fund of Grace Church (maintaining the historic building).
The event is Saturday, Jan. 12, starting at 7 p.m.
There will be a 50-50 drawing, silent auction and more.
Food will be served starting 6 p.m. The suggested donation is
$5 per person and $10 per couple.
'Raffle Basket' donations are welcome.
Call 253-2760 for more information.
Location, ST | website.com


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River Skirmish: Waterford boys to host Fort Fyre in boys' hoops tilt Saturday night
Hoops roundup
January 31, 2013
Fort Frye is hoping to tip off its first scheduled Saturday night boys' basketball game in February the same way it did in January — with a win over arch-rival Waterford. At approximately 7:30 p.m....
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FEB 21, 2013 - iVillage
A Must Read - Share
Fast food fare from restaurants such as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Pizza Hut accounted for more than 11 percent of the calories in American adults' daily diets in recent years, federal health officials reported Thursday.
Editor's Picks
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JUST IN! New Mexico SBA test scores and updated rankings for the 2013-14 school year were posted on SchoolDigger this week!
There are two purposes for the New Mexico Standards Based Assessments:1. To determine the level at which New Mexico students achieve the New Mexico Content Standards. Each assessment is designed to measure the state content standards as delineated in the Assessment Frameworks; the SBA provides an accurate picture of student achievement of the New Mexico Content Standards.2. To measure the progress of students over time. In the past, measures of student progress were restricted to comparing one year's class with another year's class. With the development of vertical scales for reading, writing, mathematics, and science, the progress of each student and group of students can be examined each year in the tested content areas.Structure of the New Mexico Standards Based AssessmentsThe SBAs are paper-and-pencil assessments that are aligned to the New Mexico Content Standards, Benchmarks, and Performance Standards. The assessments consist of multiple sections for eachcontent area. Per the following table, all areas except Writing have three sessions and Writing has two sessions. Test items are multiple choice (MC) and constructed response (CR). For CR items students write out their responses as opposed to filling in a bubble next to an answer choice as happens with MC items. The ratio of CR items to MC items is 70 percent MC and 30 percent CR, but because of the greater number of potential points for CR items, the point ratio for any given content area's test is about 50 percent of points from MC items and 50 percent of points from CR items.For the Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies assessments, CR items may require either short answer responses (SA) or open-ended responses (OE). Students can earn up to two points for SA responses and up to four points for OE responses. CR items are scored according to previously established rubrics. Although there are generic rubric templates for the SA and OE items, please be aware that for actual scoring, they are customized for each specific item. These generic rubrics can be found in the Assessment and Evaluation web page. The item specific rubrics cannot be published because to do so would compromise item security.Source: NMSAP Procedures Manual, New Mexico Public Education Department
Number of Students
% of Students
For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics


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Product Description
The Fusion Triumph Line is the culmination of complete stemware synergy. Nothing left to chance here.
• Oversized Bowls & Bases facilitate swirling and aerating and reveal full bouquet.
• Tulip-Shaped Rims direct the flow of wine to key taste receptors on the tongue.
• Pulled Stems enhance the elegance and durability of one fluid piece of glass.
• Mouth-Blown Artistry achieves just the right shape and balance to bring out the best qualities.
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Fusion Triumph offers everything you need in a wine glass w style. Lead-free European crystal is fused with magnesium for distinct style and strength. Never clouds or fades. Dishwasher safe.
Fusion Triumph Pinot Noir/ Burgundy Wine Glasses Dimensions:
Height: 10.5" Capacity: 40 oz.
Fusion Triumph Pinot Noir/ Burgundy Model Number: 741 01 02


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Competition pace clocks for swim racing, available in a variety of sizes as well and analog or digital. Our best selling clocks are the Competitor 31" Pace Clock and the Competitor 15" Pace Clock. Our newest and best priced clock is the Accusplit Swim Pace Clock with it's easy to read 15" dial and battery power.
Our swim lap counters are regulation size and easy to use. If you want to save your knees and keep out the splash zone then pick up a swimming lap counter adapter to attach a broom stick to your counter.


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BERKELEY -- They were called "The Swagger Games," hardly a term you'd associate with Cal football after last fall's 1-11 season.
But Damon Harrington knew he had to get creative. The team's strength and conditioning coach faced a mountain of discouraging data from 2013. The Bears were winless against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, they had 148 designed running plays that produced 2 yards or less, and the defense allowed an average of nearly 28 points in the first half.
So Harrington devised "The Swagger Games," an offseason competition designed to generate leadership, increase the strength of the team and improve performance inside the weight room, and most importantly, on the field. Harrington, 36, who came with coach Sonny Dykes from Louisiana Tech after the 2012 season, recognized the urgency of the moment: Get stronger or get trampled again.
"The development from that point to the (start of) the season can make or break us," he said.
Eight sets of co-captains drafted their teammates and the teams were scored weekly by coaches in six categories -- strength, speed, agility, academics, combativeness and self-discipline.
The draft itself provided motivation, Harrington said.
"This is what your team thinks of you, your work ethic," he said. "That's a little bit of an eye-opener."
Senior center Chris Adcock said the competition made players more accountable than usual "because there's seven or eight guys who know if you're not there."
Sophomore guard Chris Borrayo, who was activated from redshirt status and started the final five games last season, now feels far more ready to play.
"My first summer here (2013) I did 330 pounds in the squat. Now I'm at 425," said Borrayo, one of three freshman O-line starters in the Big Game. "My confidence is higher, knowing I'm a lot stronger."
Strength is up roster-wide, said Harrington, with average gains of 40 pounds in the squat, 30 pounds for the power clean and 35 pounds in bench press.
With fall camp now in its second week, Harrington calls "The Swagger Games" a success.
While the job of building strength is ongoing, Dykes said the team is now conditioned well enough to execute its fast-paced, no-huddle "Bear Raid" offense.
"It takes a little bit of time to understand the dynamic involved in that and get those guys in that shape. I don't know that we ever did last year," he said. "The good thing is I think we're there now."
Dykes said much of the reason for the Bears' problems last season -- besides the drastic change in the style of play -- was the team's youth.
"When you're young, you're typically a weak team and that certainly was the case with us," Dykes said.
The Bears became younger by the week last fall as veterans were felled by injuries. By the time they traveled to Stanford for the Big Game, nine of their 22 starters were freshmen or redshirt freshmen. The result was an historic 63-13 defeat.
"Guys were playing," Dykes said, "because there wasn't anybody else."
Stanford coach David Shaw empathizes. He remembers 2007, his first season as an assistant under Jim Harbaugh, when the Cardinal was racked by injuries and staggered to a 4-8 record.
"I would say we had a lot of the same problems," he said. "You have to get your strength and conditioning staff established.
"It's not what people see, but it's one of the most vital parts of your program, if not the most vital part, because if they don't do their work in there they're not getting strong enough, fast enough, or able to stay healthy."
Dykes expects a healthier team this fall. In analyzing the source of last season's injuries, he was convinced that training deficiencies were not the culprit.
The Bears weren't hit by a series of shoulder or hamstring ailments, which could signal shortcomings in preparation. Instead, there were lots of knee and head injuries, which Dykes suggested are unrelated to strength and conditioning.
He does plan one change. Because the Bears were so young the coaches lengthened late-season workouts to get players ready for game day.
"Typically, you scale back practice late in the season," Dykes said. "We did just the opposite."
"We believe guys were getting hurt when they were tired," Harrington said.
Getting stronger, healthier, more experienced is a process, said Shaw, who is 34-7 in three seasons since taking over Stanford's program from Harbaugh.
"You start to get better, more athletic players, but you have to have a (strength) program in place," Shaw said. "I know that's what Sonny's doing now to where you're training guys in the offseason to limit those injuries.
"I have a lot of confidence over the next couple years you'll see those injuries go down."
Dykes likes the direction his program is going, but acknowledges weight-room gains are merely an offseason measuring stick. The first meaningful returns will come in the Bears' season opener, Aug. 30 in Evanston, Illinois.
"The real data that matters, quite frankly," Dykes said, "we're going to find out against Northwestern."
For more on Cal sports, see the Bear Talk blog at ibabuzz.com/beartalk. Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter at twitter.com/JeffFaraudo.
Some of the discouraging numbers from Cal's 2013 season:
Cal's defense was last in the Pac-12 and second-to-last in the nation, allowing 45.9 points per game.
Cal allowed foes to convert on 66.7 percent of fourth downs, worst in the conference.
Cal's turnover margin of minus-15 (28 lost, 13 gained) ranked second to last in the nation.


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Knitter's Review
March 8, 2007
When I fly, I always worry that I'll drop my ball of yarn and lose it to the endless legs and bags in the rows behind mine. Many knitters have the same fear, including a woman named Jennifer Lippman-Bruno.
After a particularly yarn-unfriendly trip two years ago, she was inspired to design the GoKnit pouch, which I put through the paces this week during my trip to Arizona.
Crochet Confessions
In the Forums: Sleepytime Knitting
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As always, thank you for your readership and your support. Happy knitting, and I'll see you in the forums!
P.S. Do you have friends who would enjoy Knitter's Review? If so, don't hesitate to forward this email to them!
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Participate in our Knitter's Review Poll and you'll see an instant tally of all the votes.
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If your email address has changed or you'd like to make any changes, simply reply to this email and provide your updated details.
© Copyright 2000-2007 by Clara H. Parkes. All rights reserved.
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Definition of pejorative in English:
Expressing contempt or disapproval: "permissiveness" is used almost universally as a pejorative term
More example sentences
- Politically active conservative Christians rarely use the term dominionism as a self-description; many feel it is a loaded or pejorative term.
- The individual may be classified as incomplete, immature, or by other pejorative terms which detract from his dignity.
- Any discussion about the high number of family breakdowns is seen as a threat to the family unit itself - unless it is couched in pejorative terms.
disparaging, derogatory, denigratory, deprecatory, defamatory, slanderous, libelous, abusive, insulting, slighting
informal bitchy
A word expressing contempt or disapproval.
Example sentences
- I have used pejoratives such as 'scientific whores' to describe those responsible for the study because I am angry and I want people to know it.
- That last comment by Bud is not the true Bud because the true Bud deals with arguments in a professional manner and does not employ pejoratives to make his points.
- The selection of these pejoratives tells us a good deal, as does the near-universal acceptance by the mass media of the associated vernacular.
- Example sentences
- All employ the services of what we pejoratively call 'spin doctors', to try to ensure that their particular point of view gets a full airing in the media, hopefully to the exclusion of less favourable accounts.
- 'Bias' is usually used pejoratively; I would use it to mean reporting news in a way that is in fact slanted, while purporting to report it neutrally.
- She too does not address it, though she does refer pejoratively to 'boilerplate' form contracts.
Late 19th century: from French péjoratif, -ive, from late Latin pejorare 'make worse', from Latin pejor 'worse'.
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: pe·jo·ra·tive
Definition of pejorative in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
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The Office of the Registrar and the Graduate School at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, have released the names of students who completed requirements for degrees at the conclusion of the 2013 spring trimester.
Degree recipients include: bachelor of science (B.S.), bachelor of science in education (B.S. Ed.), bachelor of technology (B.T.), bachelor of arts (B.A.), bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.), master of science (M.S.), bachelor of science in clinical laboratory sciences (B.S. CLS), bachelor of science in medical technology (B.S. MT), master of arts (M.A.), master of business administration (M.B.A.), master of science in education (M.S. Ed.), and education specialist (Ed. Spec.)
Following are the local graduates: Grace Ann Becker, Bowling Green, M.S., Agriculture; Mackenzie Dianne Becker, Laddonia, M.S.Ed., Guidance and Counseling; Emily Joan English, Louisiana, B.S., Psychology; Lisa Marie Powell, New London, B.S., Agricultural Business.
Location, ST | website.com


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Model: 2172BKIM06 Item: GLB2172BKIM06
Global Industries 2172BKIM06 Comet Series Armless Stacking Chair, Black Olefin Fabric, 3/Carton
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This Afternoon: Partly sunny, with a high near 53. South southwest wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. South wind 9 to 13 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. South wind 9 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Location, ST | website.com


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Current Time 1:26:57pm
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Breckenridge will once again play host to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in 2012, but it will be from a slightly different perspective - the racers' backside.
Breck will be the site of the Stage 5 start, which will finish in Colorado Springs on a Friday. The race is scheduled for Aug. 20-26.
The town is one of 13 cities in Colorado to be selected by the Challenge to host either a start or finish during the seven-day cycling race, which drew many of the world's best riders and massive crowds last summer. Over 40 cities applied for the privilege, and while the role of a start city doesn't quite engender the excitement of last year's Saturday afternoon finish, organizers expect fans in Breck will have more intimate access to the athletes and behind-the-scenes preparations next summer.
Although an official announcement is scheduled for Tuesday, several sources leaked the host cities and route to The Denver Post, prompting race organizers to lift the confidentiality agreement on local officials and people in the know.
Co-chair of Breck's organizing committee Mike Schilling confirmed the host cities in The Denver Post report but could not comment on the route connecting those cities. He said he and the committee are thrilled with the decision.
"This is a host-city announcement, not a route announcement. But we do know that Stage 5 starts in Breckenridge and ends in Colorado Springs," Schilling said. "They are going to change the route every year. It's important to showcase every part of the state. It's also important to keep the route fresh for the riders and for the spectators."
Breck played a very prominent role with this year's Saturday finish - a thriller with an elite group of riders including Andy Schleck getting caught by the field in the final moments on Park Avenue. Organizers expect the route and host cities to change every year, but they assume it will always end somewhere in the Denver metro area.
"A start is a different type of event. It's much more up close and personal - much more access to the athletes before the race. There's autograph row and a lot more low-key atmosphere with a start," Schilling said. "It's a really different type of event, and for Breckenridge to be a part of this, it's very exciting."
For next year's race, Steamboat got knocked out of the mix, and Vail lost its time trial. In turn, the final day of racing in Denver will be a time trial, which will likely ensure suspense up through the final day.
"We proved ourself last year pulling off the Saturday finish, which was the biggest crowd of any of the mountain towns, so we're happy to be a part of it again and continue to help build this event," Schilling said.
• Stage 1: Durango to Telluride
• Stage 2: Montrose to Crested Butte
• Stage 3: Gunnison to Aspen
• Stage 4: Aspen to Beaver Creek
• Stage 5: Breckenridge to Colorado Springs
• Stage 6: Golden or Lakewood to Boulder
• Stage 7: Denver
For race route details, visit http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19499003


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In Their Own Words – Windows into Phillip's World
Usually an older sibling looks after younger ones, but all my life I have cared for my brother, who has lived away from home since he was six years old.
Phillip is severely autistic. He is able to dress himself and enjoys looking good. He is unfailingly kind, endearing and loves to be helpful and busy.
But people with autism face real challenges in the areas of communication and social skills—and Phillip is no exception. He doesn't speak. He understands when you talk to him about subjects with which he is familiar—although his responses can seem disconnected at times.
He communicates through a limited knowledge of sign language and sometimes uses a book of symbols, pointing to images that express his feelings and needs.
Like others who suffer with autism, Phillip has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). When, many years ago, he was given the job of marking off the current day on the school's calendar, it became a necessary daily ritual which he carried out even if he interrupted meetings taking place. Realizing that marking calendars was one of Phillip's obsessive needs, I gave him several pocket calendars so he can now mark off each day with focused intensity.
An inspired educator once introduced Phillip to needlepoint. In the 21st century, needlepoint, a form of canvas stitchery, is often regarded as a tedious craft with anachronistic overtones. This is not surprising, considering that it goes back to the small, slanted stitches of Egyptian tent-makers thousands of years ago.
Since Phillip is meticulous and revels in repetitive tasks, he immediately immersed himself in this craft. I am an abstract painter and we often collaborate on projects. In fact, our creative collaboration provides a very special connection between our worlds: I design—creating colorful images on a needlepoint canvas—and Phillip stitches in a cornucopia of colors.
Needlepoint gives him a sense of security in and control over his limited universe. He feels empowered in sharing his latest creations and, like all artists, he is very proud of them. I would like to think his efforts would have made famed Bauhaus teachers and color theorists, Johannes Itten and Joseph Albers, proud as well!
Another window into Phillip's world is a method developed in Australia in 1977 called "facilitated communication." Phillip can communicate by typing with one finger as a trained facilitator holds his wrists in a comfortable leverage position.
There is some controversy about facilitated communication. Those who support this method believe that it reveals a literacy and a previously undisclosed, higher intellectual functioning in those with autism, and that autistic people exhibit a capacity for symbolic communication.
However, critics claim that the facilitator may influence the response. To avoid this, our family would ask Phillip questions to which the facilitator did not know the answers. Since his responses were accurate, we knew that the facilitator could not be manipulating Phillip's responses.
Although Phillip spells phonetically, what amazed us was that they were organized sentences written in a rather formal structure (e.g. "I am very fortunate to have Lena as my sister. She is my best friend.") Perhaps most importantly, this gave us an awareness of the depth of Phillip's understanding. We already knew, from personal observations, that he was capable of conceptual organization and were relieved that Phillip, in this small way, could finally make his voice heard in the world.
Sadly, his voice is not always heard. Many people feel uncomfortable around individuals who are mentally challenged, and I have become aware that families who struggle with the challenge of disabilities face social isolation. People may perfunctorily inquire about Phillip but then quickly move on to another subject; very few go beyond polite questions to discover that Phillip is a person with strengths and weaknesses that extend beyond the label of autism.
Still, there are friends, who not only acknowledge Phillip but respect him and take note of his interests. They often send him cards, yarn and calendars—gestures of thoughtfulness that deeply move me.
Phillip is unaware of the great influence he has exerted on my own life. Through helping him develop skills and observing his creative process, I have developed patience, endurance and a depth of compassion I never knew I possessed as well as an acceptance of both the limitations and vast possibilities inherent in each of us. All of these qualities play such an important role in my personal and professional relationships.
And while I sometimes wish I could look inside his brain to understand the complexity of his world, I think of Phillip, my little older brother, as my personal gift. But like Phillip, I can't put what he means to me into words.
This article first appeared on Guidepost.com and is reprinted here with permission.
This "In Their Own Words" essay is written by Lena Rivkin of Los Angeles, Calif.
If you have a story you wish to share about your personal experience with autism, please send it to email@example.com. Autism Speaks reserves the right to edit contributions for space, style and content. Because of the volume of submissions, not all can be published on the site.
May 26, 2010 at 5:16 pm
what a great site, such hope sadness and joy all in one. i cried , laughed and found hope. my 5 yr old grandson is autistic and i love him dearly. with this site i can see many of our own day and nights we have lived thru and the future ahead. thank you thank you
June 5, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Dear Cyndi,
I so appreciated your response to my article. I wish you the best with your grandson. He is very lucky to have you in his life.
Warm wishes,
May 27, 2010 at 9:41 am
As the parent of twin autistic girls, one who also suffers from severe OCD and both that are mainly non verbal I write this to you.
I read your artical about your "little, big brother" and it brought tears to my eyes.
You are both lucky to have each other and my sincere hats off to you for getting to
know and loving your brother so much !
Thank you for acknowledging the isolation families can "live in" because of the
fear of having themselves and there loved ones misunderstood, not to mention the
exhaustion that cam come from loving our "treasures".
The impact and transformation on my life and who I am has been the greatest
blessing when I ponder how life has been for me. Your paragraph on Phillip's
influence in your life really hit home for me as it must to so many of us who
love an individual living with autism ! I have found great joy recently over
fighting that isolation and helping my girls to foster relationships with others,
It is wonderful to be able to go to social outings and activities that people have
put together for our special need community. It fills my heart with joy to break
away from the isolation ! Thank you so much for this enlightening article and
sharing your story .
ps. Love the beautiful needlepoint art work !
May 28, 2010 at 1:34 pm
I am new to Autism Speaks. I have boy/girl twins that will be 3 on July 3. My grandson spoke a couple of words as a baby (then stopped) and then as a toddler said a couple more words (and has stopped). He has a OT and ST that have been working with him for almost a year. He has not been diagnosed – only developmentally delayed. He starts to a multi-handicapped school in August (along with his sister who will be in the peer group). Do I have hope that he will speak? Do you know percentages as relates to this? I have learned he knows the alphabet, his colors and numbers to 12 or so. I don't have anyone to talk to that actually has children with autism spectrum. Also, was thinking of a pediatric neurologist diagnosing autism? Any input would be helpful.
May 28, 2010 at 3:26 pm
I, too like you have two of the little rascals, except mine are boys. I am not as brave as you are, though, and sometimes fear I am doing them a disservice by overprotecting them or possibly overprotecting myself. I am a single parent to them, unless I can get someone to venture out into public with me it usual becomes pretty chaotic. One of them becomes overstimulated rather easily, and the other wants to speak to and touch everything and usually throws a tantrum when I tell him its time to leave. Since its two of them and one of me, outings have become few and far between. Thank goodness my parents have a swimming pool and it is getting warm enough to go swimming YEAH.
May 28, 2010 at 11:58 am
Simply a beautiful & endearing story of your life with Phillip. Danny , age 8, loves his little older brother dearly! Alan is 27 & has Autism. We are blessed to be able to care for Alan at home and like you, Danny has gained such wisdom in his brief 8 years. Danny is one of the most compassionate, empathetic, sweetest little guy on the planet ! These gifts have been given to him through the love of Alan…his little big brother.
May 28, 2010 at 1:00 pm
What a wonderful insight you have into your brother's world. He is indeed lucky, as are you. Reading stories like yours reaffirms my belief that we are all members of a very special family to which I am proud to belong, thanks to my 41 y/o son, Ronnie.
May 28, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Brother is weaving colours in a pattern which speaks.Sister is a woven fabric protecting and admiring her older brother.Tears are words unspoken on reading this essay.It would etch in memory for a long time to come!
May 28, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Phillip sounds like a wonderful, interesting person. There needs to be so much more awareness for people with mental impairments. My son has non-verbal learning disability, epilepsy, OCD, and an anxiety disorder. He loves people, but as you said, he's not always greeted with the same enthusiasm as he puts forth.
Being a single Mom, I totally understand the isolation that these families anf others feel. You pray for social acceptance and look for support groups to enhance their lives.
I hope that the world will learn to educate themselves to these special people, who can teach all so much about love, determination and acceptance.
May 28, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Our older child is autistic and his younger brother is in the author's position. This is a great story, and it talks about some of the issues that aren't always mentioned, but that effect people with autism and their families, namely, social isolation and the path to finding skills and creative outlets. Our autistic son is 19 and one of my greatest hopes is that he will someday have a skill, or an interest that he can spend time on that he loves and that others admire, even a little. The social isolation is difficult, but if he had something he could make or do well, it would be so good for him. We have tried to introduce him to different things, as they have at the schools he's attended, but the computer is his favorite. I will keep trying though, and I want to thank you for your inspiring story. Phillip is very lucky that you for his sister. Thank you again.
Vicky Z. for Sam Z.
May 28, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Hi my name is violia and I have an older brother with autism, he also lives from home. We share a love for music. I am very thankful for him and I appreciate seeing that I am not the only one. Take care
May 28, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Thank you for sharing and your insights. You and Phillip are blessed to have one another.
May 28, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Breakthrough Technology In The Treatment Of Autism Spectrum Disorder And Related Neurological Disorders
My name is Cliff Zimmerman. I'm 56 years old, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I now live in Atlanta. My degrees are in both Music Education and Early Childhood Education.
Here is why I am contacting you…
I have spent the last five years developing and patenting a breakthrough technology in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I have already conducted an extremely successful clinical trial for Hypertension, at Emory Johns Creek Hospital. Every single test-subject's blood pressure was lowered, some by as much as 49 points. The compelling factor was that, when the systolic number needed adjusting, but the diastolic number did not, that is exactly what happened, the same for the reverse. This is because of the direct cause-and-effect on the NTS (Nucleus Tractus Solitarius). Data and details form this trial are available upon request.
Please be assured that this is not any type of "new age" nonsense, it is a completely unique and totally science-based, the only technology that has ever utilized specific frequencies that are purposely all mathematically divisible by each other, resulting in the technology which I have patented, "Prolonged Sympathetic Resonance Vibration." The US Patent is titled "Harmonic and Overtone Audio Therapy For Autism Spectrum Disorder and Regulated Emotional and Psychological Disorders." The result is the most optimum form of Neuro-Plasticity, the brain's ability to literally heal itself. This has never been tested on the human brain before. By employing "The Scientific Method," (double-blind studies, placebo studies, etc.), and utilizing fMRIs, PET scans, blood and chemical analysis, etc., the goal is to prove its scientific and medical efficacy. Some of these benefits will include – but are not in any way necessarily limited to – increases in Serotonin levels, increases in Dopamine levels as well as decreases in Cortisol levels. The ultimate goal, "The Holy Grail," so to speak, is to stimulate and thereby generate tremendous improvement in the Autistic brain's limbic system, enough to process at least somewhat properly, resulting in a dramatic improvement in alleviating symptomatic Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is because of the effect that it has on the brain's Neuro-Transmitters, on a sub-atomic level, because all matter, is composed of quarks, strings, and ultimately, vibration. This is the vibrational equivalent of Higgs Boson, otherwise known as "The God Particle."
My company, Sound Therapy International Inc., is incorporated in Delaware as a "C" (Closed) Corp., and my Federal Tax ID # is 20-3496601. My web-site is: http://www.SoundTherapyCD.com Although it reads "under construction," scroll-down on that home page to see a picture of me with my daughter Farrah and some of the babies that I have worked with. On the upper left-hand corner, the following links are fully operational: (1) Clinical Data – my research, and please be advised that this is not actual clinical data, per se, but it is not written for the lay person. Also, please scroll-down to read my 'Bio'. (2) Links & Literature – some newspaper Op-Ed articles that I have authored. (3) Contact Us – E.Mail.
These clinical trials that I am proposing will only take 2-3 months and therefore will not involve typical high costs. For any individual/hospital/medical research facility wishing to be associated with this project, the benefits are extraordinary, because, together, we will be testing the most compelling, cutting-edge scientific new technology available in the treatment against Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hypertension, Clinical Depression, Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease as well. The financial benefits for any such facility will prove to be more than worth any initial expense. Surely this deserves serious consideration. Perhaps you know, and/or may very well have access to, research facilities that I do not.
I am represented by the law firm of Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer and Risley, here in Atlanta, and my personal attorney is retired Emory Law Professor Harold Marquis. I can be reached by E.Mail at: email@example.com I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time and your consideration. – Clifford N. Zimmerman
May 29, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Thank you so very much for your personal essay about your "older little brother". I am impressed with your compassion and well written composition about Phillip. Our 6 year old son, Ben has autism. His brother Sam, is 3 and developmentally on target.
Thank you again for your thoughtful and helpful essay.
Joseph Howell
May 30, 2010 at 11:50 pm
I am a certified teacher in Florida. I have taught many classes of children with autism, ranging from pre-kindergarten to high-school.
I had to tell you what a beautiful story you've written about your brother. If only everyone who has autism had someone in his/her life as special as you must be.
June 3, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Very well put! Like so many of us, the joy that our "special" children, siblings, relatives, friends…bring to us,is so difficult to express or put into words. Nobody will ever understand unless they experience it.
I am a single mother of a thirteen year old boy with autism. Michael's extreme OCD, aggressive, non-compliant, abusive behaviors (did I mention, he was a runner) have forced me to place Michael in a residential facility 220 miles (one way) from home. This was the most difficult, heart-breaking decision I ever had to make or will ever need to make. I swore he would never leave me!! The long,sleepless, violent, abusive nights(and days)we(his sister and I)experienced were causing much stress on my job and her education and for Michael as well. I was left with no other alternative. I had to work to support us and she was much too young to be living such a stressful, painful life, along with much confusion and chaos for Michael. He was the one who suffered the most. He was "expelled" from different schools, and forced many caregivers to quit. I could go on and on and on about the traumatic meltdowns and the scornful looks people gave us when out in public.
His sister and I love him dearly. She is a strong, mature, and loving person who, along with myself, has learned to have much compassion and understanding for all people, but especially those with special needs thanks to Mike. He has taught us so much, in so many ways. Michael can be very loving and affectionate and brings us such joy and laughter in his own quirky way.
Michael has been away for 3-years now. Even though he has had a rough ride, with many ups and downs, I think the facility is a place where he needs to be. I call him everyday, he pretty much listens. He is somewhat verbal, but cannot have a conversation, he is very echolalic. We visit him every other weekend and his father visits on the weekends I don't, so somebody is with him every weekend. He loves and looks forward to home visits for holidays and a couple of times in the summer, but also needs and looks forward to going back to the facility because they can give him the predictable routine that he needs. He lives with other teens with the same or similiar dissabilities and is cared for by loving and caring teachers and staff. Scornful looks do not exist there.
So, for those faced with making the same difficult decision as I did, don't beat yourself up. It might just be in the best interest for all.
Thanks for listening!
June 6, 2010 at 12:07 am
Thank you, everyone, for your heartfelt responses to my article. They all meant a lot to me.
With appreciation, Lena
June 8, 2010 at 3:10 pm
What a wonderful story! My great grandson is autistic. He is only 2 yrs old, but he is teaching me so much. I love spending time with him and dealing with his little world. He is coming along so well. People with autism are so blessed to have loved ones who care and strive so hard to teach them, but I feel that I am the one who is being so blessed. I never knew how huge my heart was til he came along.
July 9, 2010 at 3:52 pm
I really related to your story. I have an autistic son who is 14, Michael, and he is the light of our lives. His older sister Becky who is 16 is instrumental in his care, teachings, and connections he has in the world. He shows me that no matter what bothers me at home, work, or life, it is not that bad. He also makes me appreciate every book he reads, any response to a question, and his smile that is constant. You are an inspiration to all of us who have a life we wouldn't trade for the world. Thank you
September 20, 2011 at 8:16 pm
You and your brother are amazing people….your mother would be so proud that you have continued her legacy in so many ways. I'm so glad that Di sent me this article. All the best, Mara
February 17, 2011 at 5:39 pm


text:
In this 1951 Disney cartoon, the fifties-everyman version of Goofy sets about on a quest to stop smoking cigarettes, but it's not so simple. Enough time without his smokes leaves the Goof begging for anything to puff on, including weed!
Look for the Goof's desperate plea for Proposition 19 to be passed at about 5 minutes and 56 seconds in.
Here's the original poster artwork just for the hell of it:


text:
My best friend from childhood helped me make mixtapes, record raps, listen to college radio & much more. Long live the dual cassette boombox
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