text:
Another weekend, another Manchester United defeat and poor David Moyes is getting hammered on social media as a result.
In truth this stat doesn't help...
48 - David Moyes has now managed 48 PL away games at Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool & Man Utd without winning a single one. Problem.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 19, 2014
Or this one...
7 - Only in two PL seasons (2001-02 & 2003-04, both nine) have Manchester United lost more games than they have this season. Slump. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 19, 2014
Or indeed this one...
5 - Manchester United have gained only five points in nine games against other top eight sides this season. Stutter. pic.twitter.com/TVDAIp4Nat
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 19, 2014
First up to give Moyes a 'beating' on Twitter was a pretty poor Shinji Kagawa parody account.
I scream to Moyes. "WHY I NO ON PITCH!" He say I bad at attack? I show Moyes attack of Kagawa! THIS WHAT KAGAWA DO! pic.twitter.com/7xA92gfd7S — Evil Kagawa (@evilkagawa) January 19, 2014
And anybody with a Twitter account and photoshop seemed to quickly follow suit.
David Moyes turns to the United bench for options... pic.twitter.com/osLTQZuGbT
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) January 19, 2014
David Moyes right now.. pic.twitter.com/SNtIRYHunv — Football Funnys (@FootballFunnys) January 19, 2014
Another bad day for David Moyes and his #ClassOf14... pic.twitter.com/4YoWjHU1db
— Coral (@Coral) January 19, 2014
#MUFC Has anyone ever seen Moyes and Gollum in the same room ..... pic.twitter.com/uuZPLz0OUM — Paddy Doherty (@ParodyDoherty) January 19, 2014
David Moyes be like " you know what ??" ....... pic.twitter.com/DIibijghZG
— Rayyan Mandela Jnr (@FullTimeGenius) January 19, 2014
David Moyes. pic.twitter.com/pXhlsjl98V — Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) January 19, 2014
Of course it could have been different for United…there were other options than Moyes.
#mufc fans sing: "Jose Mourinho, you wanted the job." Mourinho responds with a wave. #cfc fans sing: "David Moyes, we want you to stay." — James Olley (@JamesOlley) January 19, 2014
Can't understand how Man United missed the chance to sign Jose Mourinho and they finally got David Moyes. How stupid does that sound now. — Diego Caballero (@dejcab) January 19, 2014
And Mourinho didn't have to cope with a 'legend' like Fergie watching his every move.
Fergie back watching United today. Mourinho doesn't have the pressure of Benitez being here ... — Rob Harris (@RobHarris) January 19, 2014
I suppose if only Manchester United spent the same kind of money as Manchester City over the last few years.
Ferdinand - £29m Kompany - £6m Rooney - £30m Negredo - £16.4m Toure - £24m Fellaini - £28m Navas - £14.9m Zaha - £15m City ruin football — Jamie LFC (@jamie_kop) January 19, 2014
Elsewhere, and while Liverpool dropped two points against Aston Villa, it was all okay because it was part of a grander plan.
Suspect Rodgers fielded that team as it was John Henry's first visit to Anfield for a while & it's January.... #showmethemoneyJohn — Pam Nash (@Pam_nAshes) January 18, 2014
My conspiracy theory: we're playing so badly because John Henry is at Anfield and Brendan wants some transfer cash #lfc — Sam (@LilLordTristan) January 18, 2014
Liverpool owner John Henry is wondering what they've been smoking at Anfield. — Funny Football (@FunnyFootball_) January 18, 2014
Another good win for Tottenham led to this inevitable overreaction from one Spurs fan.
@Linlow_ Sherwood! I didn't like AVB from the moment he arrived, if we had Sherwood from the start we would be serious title contenders imo — Sewellsters (@Sewellsters) January 19, 2014
But it was his fetching outfit that got most people talking.
Tim Sherwood is an approximate representation of every P.E. teacher I ever had. pic.twitter.com/faLb9v7bne — Football Clichés (@FootballCliches) January 19, 2014
Tim Sherwood looks like he's in a cartoon in which he ran into the Spurs club shop and came out the other side clad in club gear. — Nick Miller (@NickMiller79) January 19, 2014
Man City are good aren't they?
100 goals for Man City this season. Give them all some Ballon d'Ors. — James Tyler (@JamesTylerESPN) January 18, 2014
While nobody seems to believe poor old league leaders Arsenal have much of a chance – no matter how many fancy graphs their fans tweet.
Delicious graph. "@behnisch: #Arsenal are exactly on track for the title when compared to the 5 last champions pic.twitter.com/uO376Ct6Op" — gunnerblog (@gunnerblog) January 18, 2014
More nonsense next week.
- Sports & Recreation
- Arts & Entertainment
- David Moyes
- Manchester United
- Jose Mourinho
- Arsenal
- Shinji Kagawa


text:
The Other Coast by Adrian Raeside
- November 25, 2012
- From Beginning
- Previous feature
- Next feature
- Current
Comments (4) (Please sign in to comment)
Love the snow covered paws in penultimate panel!
My westie gets snowball all over her – especially her armpits.
So why didn't she stop it from happening? Also how did the dog bring in so much snow? Not important, this would mess up the punch line.
doggie door.
my dog loved the snow. But her legs were so short, we would only see a little black nose trying to stay up. (until dad would make her a path)
I had a lab that would burrow under the snow and then come up about 25 feet from where she started. She loved it!
- Refresh Comments.
You must be signed in to make a comment.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Large Lakes Observatory at the University of Minnesota Duluth hosts the LacCore X-ray fluorescence (XRF) lab. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of Minnesota, this lab provides analyses for the paleoclimate research community.
The ITRAX XRF Corescanner provides nondestructive analysis for concentrations of most elements from Aluminum (atomic number 13) to Uranium (92). Stratigraphic resolution varies from 0.2 mm to 2 cm, and dwell time per sample point ranges from 1 second for abundant elements to 2 minutes for trace elements. Typical scans are at 5 mm stratigraphic resolution and 10 to 30 seconds per sample point or 10 mm and 30 to 60 seconds per sample point. These parameters are selected to address the research needs of each project.
In addition to elemental analysis, the Corescanner also produces a digital X-radiographic image at 16-bit grayscale density and 0.2 mm resolution. Time required varies from 30 to 60 minutes per meter, depending on core thickness and density.
- Policies
Suitable materials for analysis are unsampled split cores, u-channels from cores, and whole cores (for X-radiographic image only). Maximum length is 180 cm. The core surface must be carefully cleaned and leveled prior to scanning.
- Cost and Contract
Our current rate for analysis is $27 per core section plus $27 per hour of machine time. The amount of time required for each section depends on the desired resolution and counting time per sample point. It can be as short as a couple hours per meter for centimeter scale resolution, which is commonly run at 60 second counting time, and as much as 30 hours per meter for sub-millimeter resolution, which can have counting time from 15 to 30 seconds.
- Visitors: Local Lodging Options
Related Links
- LacCore: National Lacustrine Core Facility
- NGDC Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples
- GSA Limnogeology Division
Aaron "Wally" Lingwall
XRF Lab Manager
Large Lakes Observatory
University of Minnesota Duluth
2205 E 5th St.
Duluth, MN 55812
Phone (218)726-8897
Erik T. Brown


text:
Heart Disease and Stroke
Heart Disease and Stroke
Improve cardiovascular health and quality of life through prevention, detection, and treatment of risk factors for heart attack and stroke; early identification and treatment of heart attacks and strokes; and prevention of repeat cardiovascular events.*
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.1 Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Together, heart disease and stroke are among the most widespread and costly health problems facing the Nation today, accounting for more than $500 billion in health care expenditures and related expenses in 2010 alone.2 Fortunately, they are also among the most preventable.
The leading modifiable (controllable) risk factors for heart disease and stroke are:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Cigarette smoking
- Diabetes
- Poor diet and physical inactivity
- Overweight and obesity
Over time, these risk factors cause changes in the heart and blood vessels that can lead to heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes. It is critical to address risk factors early in life to prevent the potentially devastating complications of chronic cardiovascular disease.
Controlling risk factors for heart disease and stroke remains a challenge. High blood pressure and cholesterol are still major contributors to the national epidemic of cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure affects approximately 1 in 3 adults in the United States,3 and more than half of Americans with high blood pressure do not have it under control.3 High sodium intake is a known risk factor for high blood pressure and heart disease,4 yet about 90 percent of American adults exceed their recommendation for sodium intake.5
The risk of Americans developing and dying from cardiovascular disease would be substantially reduced if major improvements were made across the U.S. population in diet and physical activity, control of high blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking cessation, and appropriate aspirin use.6
Why Are Heart Disease and Stroke Important?
Currently more than 1 in 3 adults (81.1 million) live with 1 or more types of cardiovascular disease.2 In addition to being the first and third leading causes of death, heart disease and stroke result in serious illness and disability, decreased quality of life, and hundreds of billions of dollars in economic loss every year.
The burden of cardiovascular disease is disproportionately distributed across the population. There are significant disparities in the following based on gender, age, race/ethnicity, geographic area, and socioeconomic status:7
- Prevalence of risk factors
- Access to treatment
- Appropriate and timely treatment
- Treatment outcomes
- Mortality
Understanding Heart Disease and Stroke
Disease does not occur in isolation, and cardiovascular disease is no exception. Cardiovascular health is significantly influenced by the physical, social, and political environment, including:
- Maternal and child health
- Access to educational opportunities
- Availability of healthy foods, physical education, and extracurricular activities in schools
- Opportunities for physical activity, including access to safe and walkable communities
- Access to healthy foods
- Quality of working conditions and worksite health
- Availability of community support and resources
- Access to affordable, quality health care
Emerging Issues in Heart Disease and Stroke
No national system exists to collect data on how often cardiovascular events occur or recur, or how often they result in death. Similarly, there is inadequate tracking of quality indicators across the continuum of care, from risk factor prevention through treatment of acute events to posthospitalization and rehabilitation. New measures and tools are needed to monitor improvement in cardiovascular health over the next decade.
Other emerging issues in cardiovascular health include:
- Defining and measuring overall cardiovascular health.
- Assessing and communicating lifetime risk for cardiovascular disease.
- Addressing depression as a risk factor for and associated condition of heart disease and stroke.
- Examining cognitive impairment due to vascular disease.
- Dealing with substantial gaps in the cardiovascular surveillance system.
1Xu J, Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, et al. Deaths: Final data for 2007. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2010;58(19).
2Lloyd-Jones D, Adams RJ, Brown TM, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2010 update: A report from the American Heart Association statistics committee and stroke statistics subcommittee. Circulation. 2010;121:e1-e170.
3Ostchega Y, Yoon SS, Hughes J, et al. Hypertension awareness, treatment, and control—continued disparities in adults: United States, 2005–2006. [NCHS Data Brief] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys; 2008. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db03.pdf [PDF - 1.16 MB]
4Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for water, potassium, sodium, chloride, and sulfate, 1st ed. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2004.
5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sodium intake among adults—United States, 2005–2006. MMWR. 2010;59:746-9.
6Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular disease [Internet]. AHRQ; 2009. Available from: http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsasmi.htm
7Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). 2008 National Healthcare Quality & Disparities Reports [Internet]. AHRQ; 2009. Available from: http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/index.html
*Cardiovascular events are defined for this purpose as heart attacks, hospitalizations for heart failure, and strokes.


text:
Indoor Pool
401 Marina Blvd.
(510) 483-0832
The San Leandro Boys and Girls Pool is an indoor facility which offers a 25-yard heated pool, as well as changing areas, day use lockers, showers, and restrooms.
Aquatics programs at this pool include swimming lessons, water exercise classes, and lap swim.
The Boys and Girls Club Pool is open year-round for your convenience and the schedule changes seasonally.
Please click here for the current schedule.
Lessons are available for all ages at varying times depending on the season. Please click here to go to our online registration site to see the current offerings - click the Activities menu then select Aquatics.
Shape up and slim down with a water exercise class! Increase strength, flexibility, and aerobic fitness while working all of your major muscle groups using the water as resistance. Please click here to go to our online registration site to see the current offerings - click the Activities menu then select Aquatics.
Get in shape or develop your swimming skills at your own pace. We supply the kickboards, pull buoys, and lifeguards and you provide the energy. Please see above pool schedule for information.
Adult Recreational Swim
For ages 16 and up. The pool is used widthwise, ideal for water walking, light swimming, and individual exercising. Please see above pool schedule for information.
Available during the summer, the shallow end is open for leisure swimming and splashing around. Please see above pool schedule for information.
All ages are welcome, however, please note: children 10 ad under will need to be accompanied by a paying adult and children under the age of 6 will need to be within an arm's reach of an adult at all times while in the pool.
The cost is $5.00 for each person entering the facility (even if they will not be swimming). Children under 1-year old are free.
Cost is $5 drop-in or purchase a Swim Ticket ($45 for 10 swims).
No in and out privileges.


text:
Judge Cautions Polk County Jail Against Pepper Spraying Juveniles
Judd: Practice will continue because of lack of order to halt.
Published: Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, March 29, 2013 at 12:11 a.m.
TAMPA | A federal magistrate judge recommended Wednesday that Polk County jailers quit using pepper spray on juvenile inmates.
But the judge stopped short of halting the practice, which Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Thursday will continue.
Both sides in the pending federal lawsuit over juveniles held in the Polk County Jail claimed the upper hand in the ruling.
In his 61-page opinion, United States Magistrate Judge Mark Pizzo heavily criticized the use of pepper spray on juveniles held in the jail.
But Pizzo's denial of a request that pepper spraying juveniles be halted until the lawsuit is heard means "we won," Judd said.
The judge said, "kids are different than adults, and they shouldn't be treated the same way," said Tania Galloni, managing attorney for Southern Poverty Law Center.
"I don't see how the sheriff can claim victory with a report like this."
The Southern Poverty Law Center is suing the Sheriff's Office on behalf of seven juveniles. The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard June 3, but that date could change.
Pizzo cited examples of the misuse of juveniles with pepper spray. But Judd said the only time pepper spray is used is as a last resort when "the alternative is to fight people on a concrete floor."
Not true, Galloni said, citing an example of a child sprayed for noncompliance while in bed.
The judge has a prescription for fewer fights in the jail that can lead to pepper spraying: More supervision from jail deputies.
"Sheriff Judd strongly denies any suggestions that his deputies are not actively managing the juvenile population. But his officers are not all seeing," Pizzo said in his opinion.
"The sight lines do not allow a monitoring deputy to watch everything that happens in a dorm."
Judd said the use of pepper spray is "lawful and appropriate" and saves injuries instead of causing them.
Pizzo also recommended the suit be given "class action" status, an advantage, if adopted, for Southern Poverty Law Center.
The law center sued the Sheriff's Office in federal court a year ago.
The allegations in the lawsuit include placing teens who threaten suicide into cages with little clothing.
The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against Judd and two Polk County Sheriff's Office employees as the main defendants. The plaintiffs are the guardians of seven Polk teens who were in the Polk County Jail.
The lawsuit accuses jail deputies of not being adequately trained to deal with the juveniles and says that has led to a hostile environment in which teens engage in violent "test of heart" fights.
Judd said Thursday he would be glad to compare the numbers of violent incidents against any juvenile lock-up facility in Florida,
"I'm sure that we would be lower" than the average amount, he said.
The Sheriff's Office always has used the jail to house juveniles charged as adults. However, all juveniles were moved to the jail after the passage of SB 2112. That bill allowed Florida counties to take over the centers.
The jail population is segregated, Judd said, and juveniles "don't see or hear" adults.
[ Rick Rousos can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 863-802-7509. ]
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.


text:
Joe Garcia
2014 Countdown to 100 Years Patch Set$35.00
This past May the National Council of Chiefs created the new strategic plan for our Order from 2013 to 2017. If you are interested in the new plan of the OA, click on the attachment below.
Welcome to the New Western Region Website!
The web team has worked long hours to put this new site together, and I would like to personally thank Mr. Rob Rosamond for all the hard work he has put into the new website. Without his help, this site could not have been launched.
The web team has made this site with the completey new Joomla! program and new servers with the goal of creating an easily navigatable wesbsite for everyone from new Arrowmen to Section Chiefs. Some major improvements have been made to the site, including, but not limited to, the Calendar page, the Resources page, and the social media quick links on the right. We are still working on making this site the best it has ever been, and we would like your input on how to get it right! If you have any recommendations or comments on the new site please send them to me using the link below.
Thank you for your input and we hope you enjoy the new site!
Don't forget to EMAIL US!!!
Yours in the WWW,
Zackary CrosleyWestern Region Webmaster
News related to the 2015 National Order of the Arrow Conference has been released by the National Order of the Arrow Committee.
On May 30, 2012, the National Order of the Arrow Committee approved 69 persons to receive its Distinguished Service Award (DSA) for outstanding service to the Order on a Sectional, Regional, and/or National basis. Prior to 2012, only 839 Distinguished Service Awards have been presented. These 69 newly approved DSA honorees will be recognized during the 2012 National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) at Michigan State University.
Read more: 2012 Distinguished Service Award Recipients Announced
Steve Bradley and I just spent a delightful weekend with our new brothers in the Long Beach Area Council!!!
We presented the Council Scout Executive, youth officers, and Council President with the first new charter for an OA lodge in 42 years!!!
Today, the youth membership elected officers and selected Puvunga as their lodge name. It translates to "the gathering place". The lodge totem is a porpoise.
Prior to this weekend, the "newest lodge" has been Ashsin (#565) of Chamorro Council serving Guam, which was formed in 1970. The last lodge to form in the continental US in a council without a merger was Osceola Lodge (#564) chartered to Southwest Florida Council located in Fort Myers, FL in 1968. (thanks to Bill Topkis and Bill Loeble for researching these facts).
38 youth members and 15 adults were inducted this weekend, including the Council President and five members of the Council Executive Board.
They are off to a great start.
Below, are the captions that their staff adviser sent along with the photos as I flew home.
Ray Capp
The first class of arrowmen in the Puvunga Lodge, Long Beach Area Council
Page 8 of 14
Region Chief: Joe GarciaRegion Chairman: Toby CappsRegion Staff Adviser: Steve Sawyer
Region Committee...National Committee...Region Youth Committees...


text:
Acrylic Yarn...
I walked through Walmart and Michaels yesterday, feeling of all the yarn. I wanted something soft for a baby blanket and the selection isn't big around here.
The one I settled on was Caron Simply Soft which feels lovely to me but I noticed that it's an acrylic yarn and I feel like acrylic yarn gets a bad wrap...I got to wondering, how many people use acrylic regularly? I love a great ball of yarn, but I can't always afford the expensive stuff.
For a while I only associated with squeeky knitting (it's what I used to learn to knit on bamboo and metal needles - boy it was noisy work). I really started to hate acrylic, but recently I have found some lovely yarns that are acrylic, softer than natural fibers and more practical for the receivers. My brother, for example, would NEVER hand wash an item on purpose. Most new parents do not need to worry about special wash instructions for the beautiful blanket you made for baby. Having said this, I did knit a hat for a friend recently, bough the yarn (an expensive 'Italian' acrylic) that actually had instructions for it to be hand washed only!!!
I use simply soft for all my baby blankets and kids stuff. Acrylic is washable and that is the number one reason for me to use it. Kids are messy, their clothes rip easily and they tend to lose things. So good ole cheap acrylic is just thing for kids in my book. Simply soft is good. And they have bright colors too. Microspun feels good in the store but a painin the boo-tay to work with. I've also heard it makes you sweat. :shock: I stay away from the Red Heart varieties that feel like aspestos. THey do make some baby yarns that maight be good. Plymouth Encore is pretty soft and comes in a TON of colors. So yeah don't write it off outright. Use Knit Picks for cheaper wools for adults and yourself and cheaper acrylics for kids. That's my .02 :thumbsup:
I don't generally use 100% acrylic anymore, but I do use Encore for any kids' clothing or anything that I want to be machine washable. Acrylic has its place, for sure, but there are so many other great yarns out there that I want to use.
I think acrylic and cotton are very practical fibers because you can generally machine wash and dry them.
Unless it was something extra special (like a shawl), I would prefer not to give stuff to people that requires special washing.
For me, I don't mind soft acrylic, although the scratchy stuff is easier to knit with. ;)
If money was no object, and caring for items was no object, of course I would choose natural fibers. But, for something cheap and easy to care for, acrylic can be a godsend.
well cool...I'm glad to see I'm not going to be cast aside by the knitting world for knitting with acrylic...I'm really liking this simply soft and I agree about redheart--it is really really scratchy. It still has it's place though...
The simply soft stuff is great - homespun and the red-heart version baby clouds, if you don't knit too tightly do very well too. I don't like the red-heart worsted, but I don't mind the wool=ease worsted at all.
I think you need to tailor what you are using toward your end user. I agree, a new parent does not want a hand wash blanket. How many of us have seen those acryic knitted or crochet blankets that our kids literally loved and used to rags? They don't consider them scratchy at all!
I don't mind wool/acrylic blends, but generally stay away from acrylic. I'll use it when making blankets, b/c they need to be machine washed. But for clothing, scarves, etc., it's generally wool or another natural fiber for me.
I make almost all my stuff for kids out of either that or cotton. It is soft, affordable (with great yardage) and has a pretty sheen to it.
Having used Ingrid's washable yarn of choice (Plymouth Encore) I have to agree that I like it, it's really soft and feels great to work with, but I just can't afford the 5.75/ball (altho it is worth it!! :heart: )
If you have an AC Moore nearby, Red Heart started making a softer acrylic that is kind of a mix between Microspun and Simply Soft - but it's slightly more expensive with less yardage than Simply Soft.
I use acylic and cotton basically. I have no yarn stores that sell anything else other than these both.
I have alot of acrylics that are veeery soft, very good for garments and such.
And I don't feel like spending 7$ on a 50yrd hank of natural wool when I could get something else for more that less than half the price! :oops:
|All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:23 AM.
copyright knittinghelp.com


text:
I have known Kulsum[1] for many years now. When I first met her, I was the Resource Teacher assigned to Kulsum's first grade class. It was her second time through first grade and when I read her file I came to understand that this little girl had had a normal development until the age of 4. In the December of that year, while visiting her grandparents in a suburb of London, Kulsum had suffered a massive epileptic seizure and had been hospitalized until her situation stabilized. Although she looked no different thereafter, the doctors would later confirm that her seizure had impaired Kulsum's ability to learn.
By the time I met Kulsum, the school was slowly moving towards a more inclusive program of service delivery. Whenever I arrived at the door of her first grade classroom, regardless of what the rest of the class was doing, her teacher would announce, "Kulsum, it's time for your special lessons now. You can come back to this other work later." And to me she said, "I've prepared a little table in the corner there where the two of you can sit together." Although the pull-out was disguised by virtue of being in class, Kulsum knew, as did the others in the class, that she was special and different from other students. Despite this, however, she learned to read that year, albeit haltingly, and with comprehension at a very concrete level.
Kulsum continued to be a special needs priority, although I didn't see her again until the beginning of Grade 5 when I was the Student Services teacher assigned to her class. By then, she had begun puberty and had become concerned about social relationships and a lack of friends. Within the first few days of school, Kulsum had established a routine of physically clinging to her class teacher at break time, sticking to her like glue and complaining about the behavior of other students in the class. Most of the time, she complained about how they had "looked at her in a funny way," or "made fun of her," or "didn't like her," or "didn't want to be her friend." She seemed to know instinctively that although others in the class might reject her, the teacher couldn't - or wouldn't. Kulsum also complained at the end of every lesson that she hadn't understood what the lesson had been about, didn't know how to do the math problem, or had no idea what the teacher's instructions were. The writing Kulsum did was very repetitive, almost formulaic, with very little content.
Within the first week of school, Kulsum's mother had also established a pattern of coming in to see the teacher after school. She, too, complained about specific students who had taunted her daughter during the course of the week, how hurt they had made her daughter feel, how her daughter needed friends. In her litany of complaints, she always managed to include how Kulsum never understood the teacher and how the teacher needed to try harder to bring Kulsum into what was going on. After all, the class teacher was aware of Kulsum's past medical history. Although Kulsum was on Tegretol to control the seizures, everything else was normal. It was just that Kulsum needed a little more help than others to understand what was going on.
It seemed that over the years, Kulsum and her mother had become habituated to seeking attention in this manner. Whatever suggestions were given to the parent to help Kulsum in making friends - joining after-school activities, inviting other children to the house - were brushed aside as impractical and many reasons were manufactured as to why they wouldn't work.
By the second and third weeks of school, the class teacher was unsure how she and the rest of the class would manage Kulsum's excessive demands for attention and the mother's projection of Kulsum's difficulties onto other children and the teacher. Responsibility for special needs students was now shared between the class and special ed. teachers and lessons were co-planned and delivered in a collaborative manner within the regular class. In any case, the class teacher felt it important that Kulsum stay and actually become a member of the class. "If you take her out," she said to me, "we'll lose any chance we ever had of convincing her that she belongs."
Over the years, it had increasingly become an expectation that special needs students did belong in the classroom.
Soon after the start of the school year, the 5th grade took an extended field trip over three nights to one of the nearby game parks and Kulsum's class was scheduled to go during the fourth week of school. Classes scheduled their field trip before the first half term to help students create a class identity and to introduce the Grade 5 integrated approach to academic work in science, social studies, maths and language arts. Kulsum's class was excitedly preparing themselves for the trip.
Everyone except for Kulsum, of course, for whom the trip had become added grist for worry. Should she go? Could she do this? Who would she share a room with? Nobody liked her. She didn't have any friends in the class. She would spend most of the time away upset. And on and on. Her mother came to see the class teacher with the same litany of worries. Would Kulsum be all right? What if no one spoke to her? What if she was teased? Could she room with the teacher?
At this point, Kulsum's teachers and the administration took a decision that Kulsum had to go on the field trip - it was an integral part of the academic program, not an option, and they thought it might serve to articulate her membership in the class. By now it was evident that Kulsum wasn't easy to like or get along with. She had an unfortunate habit of saying exactly what was on her mind, usually a running dialogue with herself - not unlike Alice's White Rabbit - that occasionally broke to include non-sequiturs directed at other people: "Oh no! I can't find my school bag again. Who do you think took it this time? I know I left it here before school started and now it's gone. I want to take something out of it. Why are you wearing that dress today? Stop looking at me like that! I'm going to tell the teacher."
In a stroke of luck, Kulsum was absent one day, a few days before the scheduled departure. Kulsum's teacher spoke to the rest of the class about the coming trip and about Kulsum and her concerns. "Kulsum is a member of our class and we have to show her that she belongs. She has some of her own difficulties and she is working on them. Kulsum is worried about the field trip and about whether or not she should go."
Two girls stepped forward and volunteered to share their room with her. When Kulsum returned to school, they invited her to room with them and after some pressure from the teacher, she accepted. During the trip, two boys invited Kulsum to join their learning team, at work on a science/social studies project. Again, with pressure from the teacher, Kulsum reluctantly accepted the invitation. The teacher commented afterwards how pleased she had been with how the other children rose to the challenge that Kulsum embodied.
Some curious things happened after the field trip, but it was a few weeks before the class teacher actually recognized them. The first was when she realized she was having her coffee at break time on her own, without Kulsum clinging to her. The second was that Kulsum had stopped coming to her after each lesson to complain that she hadn't understood what had gone on. In fact, the teacher observed that Kulsum was approaching peers during the course of the lesson to ask for help. And finally, it had been some time since Kulsum's mother had been in to see her.
Kulsum still didn't have any real friends and she still had a hard time with academic work, but she had become more comfortable with herself as a member of the class and she was ready to learn.
There will always be students for whom the mainstream classroom is an inappropriate placement and the International Baccalaureate Diploma or Advanced Placement programs unrealistic goals, but by and large those students are exceptions in the "self-selection process" of international schools. Most international schools have traditionally provided education for the children of professional expatriates who are temporarily resident overseas. However, we have seen a general population shift in recent years with correspondingly greater diversity and more host country nationals applying for admission. Expatriates with severely disabled children who are already placed in special needs programs in their home countries will rarely risk jeopardizing established and proven educational support for their children by moving overseas. Nevertheless, by developing inclusive programs, international schools can broaden the scope of services to include a wider range of students with special needs.
By using the term "inclusive classroom" we are not rigid in our definition. To the contrary, we see inclusion as a state of mind, with flexibility as a central feature. We are not suggesting that inclusion dictates full-time attendance in a regular classroom, nor are we denying the possibility of intensive withdrawal work. Such decisions have to be made by the practitioners "on the ground" in each setting. Teachers need to have the resources and repertoire of strategies so as to have maximum flexibility to create optimal learning experiences for each child.
More importantly, inclusion is not simply placing the exceptional child within the four walls of the classroom, without teacher and student support or preparation. The lessons learned from social psychology of the damaging effects of non-equal status contact between majority and minority children are still fresh in our minds from initial experiences with desegregation in the U.S. (Aronson, 1995). The possible transfer of similar effects into the special education situation is clear: we would not ask educators to risk further diminution of special children's self-esteem, nor the further build-up of negative stereotypic views of learning different children in this way.
What we are saying, however, is that we begin with the premise that belonging is the birthright of all children and anything - be it personnel, resources, or organizational structure - that undermines or erodes that sense of belonging does great harm to learning and growth. We begin with the belief that all children can learn, and that the regular classroom can be a very rich learning environment. That is our starting point.
[1] Not her real name


text:
- Color
- Flirt
Flirt: sheer natural soft baby pink
Perfectly plumped lips, instantly. (No pain. No waiting. No kidding.)
The next generation of lip plumpers has arrived. LipFusion is moisturizing treatment gloss infused with revolutionary technology to plump lips instantly - no kidding. Tiny, dehydrated, marine collagen microspheres are instantly absorbed by the lips, and seek out the body's natural moisture. As soon as the spheres become re-hydrated, they plump and hold onto the moisture they've collected, creating a mild "swelling" of the lip tissue. The result is fuller, smoother, perfectly plumped lips in seconds. Results can last for up to 48 hours.
*Hydration of the surface of the skin.
Fusion Beauty
Made in USA
May cause irritation.
|Polybutene, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum) (Paraffinum Liquidum), Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Silica Silylate, Triisostearyl Citrate, Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) Oil (Castor) (contains 1% or less), Flavor (Aroma), Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, Atelocollagen (Fish Source), Butylene Glycol, Sodium Saccharin, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Butylparaben, May Contain (+/-): (CI 77891), Mica (CI 77019), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 28 (CI 45410) (CI 45410), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 (CI 15850)
For best results, apply a generous amount to clean, dry lips using applicator wand. Reapply as desired. LipFusion Lip Plump Color Shine is perfect on its own or as a sheer color gloss over lip color.
Tip: For a full-out, perfectly plump pout also try LipFusion Lip Plumping Pencil to line, define and plump lip contours.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviews
Reviewed by 1 customer
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
Yes, wow it actually ...
By Sarah
from Napa, CA
Comments about FusionBeauty LipFusion Micro-Injected Collagen Lip Plump Color Shine, Flirt, .29 oz:
Yes, wow it actually fully plumps my lips...it fills out all the lines, and unlike Duwop's lip venom, it did not sting my lips, there was just a slight tingling, or warming sensation....people actually noticed a difference in my lips. I love this product, and it is definitely worth the price. It is a bigger tube than I expected, and lasts forever.
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
- You may also flag this review


text:
Share Photo
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 1941 file photo, officers' wives head to their quarters after investigating the sound of an explosion and seeing smoke in distance in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The two heard neighbor Mary Naiden, then an Army hostess who took this picture, exclaim "There are red circles on those planes overhead. They are Japanese!" (AP Photo/Mary Naiden)


text:
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN)
Q1 2012 Results Earnings Call
April 24, 2012 10:00 AM ET
Leonard Bell – Chief Executive Officer
Steve Squinto – Executive Vice President and Head, R&D
Vikas Sinha – Senior Vice President and CFO
David Hallal – Senior Vice President, Global Commercial Operations
Tom Dubin – Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
Rachel McMinn – Bank of America-Merrill Lynch
Eric Schmidt – Cowen and Company
Geoff Meacham – JPMorgan
Yogesh Ahuja – Goldman Sachs
Salveen Richter – Canaccord
Ying Huang – Barclays
Robyn Karnauskas – Deutsche Bank
Matt Roden – UBS
Howard Liang – Leerink Swann
Art – Sanford Bernstein
Good day, ladies and gentlemen. And welcome to the First Quarter 2012 Alexion Pharmaceuticals' Earnings Conference Call. My name is [Alisha], and I'll be your operator for today. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. (Operator Instructions)
As a reminder, this conference is being recorded for replay purposes. I would now like to introduce your host for today's call, Dr. Leonard Bell, Chief Executive Officer. Please proceed, sir.
Leonard Bell
Thank you, [Alisha]. Good morning. Thank you for joining us on today's call to discuss Alexion's performance for the first quarter of 2012. I'm joined by members of Alexion management. Steve Squinto, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D; Vikas Sinha, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; David Hallal, Senior Vice President, Global Commercial Operations; and Tom Dubin, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. We also welcome our entire Alexion team working around the world.
Vikas, David and Steve will join me on today's call to report on our financial, commercial and R&D accomplishments in the first quarter, and to update our strategic initiatives and accelerated execution plans for 2012.
Before we begin, Tom will apprise you of our potential to make forward-looking statements. Tom?
Tom Dubin
Thanks, Lenny. During this call we may make forward-looking statements, such as expected financial results, medical benefits, regulatory milestones and commercial potential of Soliris, asfotase alfa, and our other product candidates in the U.S. and other territories, plans for development and clinical trials of Soliris, asfotase alfa and our other product candidates, and operations reimbursement, price approval and funding processes in different territories.
Forward-looking statements are subject to factors that may cause our results and plans to differ from those expected, including decisions of regulatory authorities regarding approval or limitations on the marketing of Soliris and our product candidates for various indications. The possibility that results of clinical trials are not predictive of the safety and efficacy of Soliris or our product candidates in broader patient populations in the disease studied or in other diseases.
The risk that third parties won't agree to license any necessary intellectual property to us on reasonable terms or at all, the possibility that initial results of commercialization are not predictive of future results, the risk that third-party payers will not or not continue to reimburse for the use of Soliris at acceptable rates or at all, and a variety of other risks set forth from time-to-time in our filings with the SEC, including our 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2011. We do not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements after this call except when the duty arises under law.
I'd like to remind you that our reported non-GAAP numbers conform to U.S. GAAP except in three respects. First, our non-GAAP numbers exclude share-based compensation. Second, we exclude non-cash tax adjustments associated with the utilization of our U.S. net operating losses. And third, with completion of three recent acquisitions, we also exclude amortization of acquired intangible assets and costs associated with acquisitions. A reconciliation of our GAAP to non-GAAP results is included in the press release we issued this morning.
Thanks you. Lenny?
Leonard Bell
Thanks, Tom. In the first quarter of 2012, Alexion made steady progress across our strategic objectives for the year as we continue to expand our initiatives to develop and deliver life transforming therapies for patients with severe and ultra-rare disorders.
Our development and commercial teams performed solidly in three key areas during the quarter. First, we again provided Soliris to a substantial number of new patients with PNH globally. Second, we are very pleased by the steady increase in new patients with aHUS beginning treatment with Soliris. And finally, we significantly advanced our eight lead development programs with eculizumab and four other highly innovative therapeutics. Steve will discuss the details and the specific areas of progress, and what is now the broadest pipeline in Alexion's history.
I'd like to turn first our global operations of PNH and aHUS. In PNH, during Q1, we again achieved steady quarter-on-quarter growth in our core territories of United States, Western Europe and Japan.
Importantly and as in previous quarters, we again observed that a majority of PNH patients newly starting on Soliris were newly diagnosed with PNH indicating an ongoing and cumulative impact from our disease awareness programs and diagnostics initiatives.
We are driven by the recognition that even in the territories where we have operated the longest, the majority of PNH patients who can benefit from Soliris have still not received an accurate diagnosis nor started on appropriate therapy.
Turning to aHUS, we are very pleased to be serving a steady edition of new patients beginning treatment with Soliris in Q1. Patients newly commencing Soliris treatment represent a broad range of ages and clinical profiles, and are being treated by adult and pediatric nephrologists, as well as hematologists, indicating broader interest by the full range of physician who are likely to treat patients with aHUS.
As we have previously noted, more than half of aHUS patients not treated with Soliris are known to advance to dialysis from the kidney damage or die within the first year of following diagnosis. Based on this natural history, we identified two groups of aHUS patients prior to launch.
Patients with the longer duration of disease and substantial chronic kidney damage and as expected a larger proportion of patients were being identified during their first TMA clinical presentation and require emergent medical intervention.
Before approval, we focused on being able to serve all the patients with aHUS, including meeting the urgent needs of newly presenting patients by developing a range of patient centered initiatives. We are very pleased to see the early positive impact that our initiatives are having on the care of patients with aHUS.
As we have discussed, our PNH and aHUS operations in United States are driven by our recently expanded sales force, which is supported by our integrated hematology and nephrology therapeutic area teams. We observed strong marketing synergies that are focused on both hematology and nephrology with learning in each area that supports the other.
Our current commercial operations are only one part of our strategy for maximizing the therapeutic value of Soliris. As a long sort medical breakthrough, Soliris has the potential to transform the lives of patients suffering from a range of severe and ultra-rare disorders or uncontrolled complement activation beyond PNH and aHUS.
We are currently focused on applying the breakthrough innovation of Soliris and clinical development programs in four such disorders, acute humoral transplant rejection, STEC-HUS, neuromyelitis optica and myasthenia gravis.
As we seek to maximize the potential for Soliris to transform the lives of patients, we are also working diligently on expanding and accelerating development of our portfolio of other highly innovative treatments for patients with severe and ultra-rare disorders.
Our lead clinical development programs now comprise five innovative biologics, including Soliris, currently being investigating in eight severe and ultra-rare disorders in multiple therapeutic areas.
Importantly, even as we have significantly expanded our development pipeline, we have recognized a need to maintain the highest level of focus. Our eight lead clinical programs have been chosen for their strong fit with our longstanding objective to pursue the highest level of medical innovation to serve patients.
Specifically, all of these disorders manifest clinical complications that range from serve to fatal and all are ultra-rare. In the alignment with the severity of these disorders all of the therapies we have chosen to develop are highly innovative, first-in-class treatments with strong potential to provide a life transforming impact to patient.
As a recent indication of our high standards of breakthrough innovation, we note the publication last month of the highly encouraging asfotase alfa pediatric data in the New England Journal of Medicine. Given their various stages of development, our lead pipeline programs have the potential to make a growing contribution throughout our organization well into the next decade.
Turning to our financial performance, revenues in Q1 were $244.7 million, an increase of 47% compared to Q1 2011. By serving an increasing number of patients while maintain rigorous financial controls, we achieved Q1 2012 non-GAAP net income of $0.45 per share or $88.1 million, 57% increase year-over-year.
Following our performance in Q1, we announced this morning that we are raising our 2012 revenue guidance from the previous range of $1.04 billion to $1.07 million now to the higher and narrower range of $1.065 billion to $1.085 billion.
As we increase our revenue forecast for the year and continue to maintain tight control over expenses, we also raised our guidance for 2012 non-GAAP EPS from the previous range of $1.60 to $1.70 now to the higher range of $1.65 to $1.75.
We are gratified by our strong start in 2012 including our very encouraging and steady progress in serving patients with aHUS, as well as with a substantial expansion and acceleration of our research programs.
As the year progresses the global Alexion team will drive forward in each of its opportunities to serve current and future patients to the widest commercial operations and the deepest development pipeline in our history.
At this point, I'll turn the call over to Vikas for a more detailed look at our financial results. Vikas?
Vikas Sinha
Thanks, Lenny. Q1 2012 was a period of strong financial performance by Alexion with steady sales growth and increasing profitability. Cash flow was again robust and expenses were controlled well within our previously stated target.
Net product sales of Soliris were $244.7 million in Q1, an increase of 47% compared to the year ago quarter. Revenue performance in Q1 was supported by our core geographies of the U.S., Western Europe and Japan, augmented by serving a small but growing number of patients in other countries.
As we executed strongly on patient centered initiatives in Q1, we continued to control both SG&A and R&D expenses. In Q1, non-GAAP SG&A was $77.9 million and non-GAAP R&D was $42.1 million.
Strong topline performance combined with control of other key financial parameters resulted in a 57% increase in our non-GAAP net income year-over-year to $88.1 million or $0.45 per share in Q1 2012.
Turning to our balance sheet, cash, cash equivalence and marketable securities at quarter end were $359 million. These reflect positive cash flow from operations during the quarter and acquisition related debt offset by payment for the purchase of Enobia.
I would now like to review our guidance. Following our performance in Q1, we announced this morning that we are raising our 2012 revenue guidance from the previous range of $1.04 billion to $1.07 billion now to the higher and narrower range of $1.065 billion to $1.085 billion.
As we increase our revenue forecast for the year and continue to maintain tight control over expenses, we have also raised our guidance for 2012 non-GAAP EPS from the previous range of $1.60 to $1.70 now to the higher range of $1.65 to $1.75.
While, all other items of the guidance are being reiterated, I'd like to provide some insights into our remaining non-GAAP SG&A and R&D expenses, and our GAAP tax rate.
First, I would note that non-GAAP SG&A is historically lower in Q1, compared to other quarters. In particular, we expect to have significantly greater non-GAAP SG&A expenses in Q2 and Q4 due to expenses related to medical conferences.
Additionally, excluded from our non-GAAP SG&A in 2012 will be approximately $20 million to $25 million in acquisition-related cost for Enobia and we have already recognized $12.4 million of this cost in Q1.
Turning to non-GAAP R&D, we expect that non-GAAP R&D in Q2 will increase to approximately $63 million to $68 million, mainly driven by asfotase alfa manufacturing and development costs.
Falling this peak in Q2, we expect R&D to be lower in Q3 than in Q2, though still above the Q1 level. We continue to expect that as a result of extra expenses related to Enobia, R&D will be 21% of sales in 2012 and will return to our target levels of 17% to 18% of sales in 2013.
Finally, regarding taxes, we expect to incur a $20 million to $30 million tax expense in Q2 for the integration and structuring of the Enobia acquisition. Excluding this charge, we continue to expect our 2012 GAAP tax rate of 32% to 34%. Our non-GAAP tax rate forecast of 8% to 10% remains unchanged.
Importantly, we expect to realize substantial long-term financial benefits from the structuring of our organization as we integrate Enobia.
Overall, we are very pleased with our performance in the first quarter of 2012. We are especially gratified at the discipline with which we are expecting our commercial platform in our development programs and the efficiency with which we are integrating our acquired drug candidates into a pipeline within our financial parameter.
At this point, I'll turn the call over to David who will provide an update of our global commercial operations. David?
David Hallal
Thanks, Vikas. In the first quarter of 2012, global revenues from our Soliris operations increased by 47% compared to the first quarter of 2011. Q1 revenues reflect steady additions of new PNH patients in our core territories of the U.S., Western Europe and Japan augmented by a steady increase in new patients with aHUS commencing treatment with Soliris.
Looking more closely at PNH, we are gratified to observe the treatment is increasingly being optimized for patients. Through our disease awareness programs, we are discussing with physicians the large and growing body of clinical evidence regarding the morbidities and premature mortality associated with PNH and the positive long-term outcomes demonstrated with Soliris treatment.
Similarly, our diagnostic initiatives are aided by publications, which recommend testing for patients at higher likelihood for having the disease. Given the clinical evidence, more patients are being tested and if they are determined to have PNH, their physicians are more likely to rapidly initiate treatment with Soliris.
Our view of the global landscape remains unchanged. We continue to find that the majority of patients with PNH have not yet received an accurate diagnosis let alone are receiving appropriate treatment, even in those countries where we have been operating the longest.
As we expand our disease education and diagnostic efforts in both existing and new countries, we believe we will continue to transform the lives of more patients with PNH around the world.
Turning to aHUS, we are very pleased with the second full quarter of our aHUS launch with a steady addition of new patients beginning treatment with Soliris in Q1. Importantly, we note several dynamics from the early stages of our aHUS launch.
First, we are observing that patients who are receiving Soliris represent a broad range of ages and clinical profiles, including those with long-term disease and chronic kidney damage as well as those who are being identified during their first TMA clinical presentation.
Second, we continued to observe that a significant proportion of the new prescribers of Soliris for patients with aHUS are hematologists. Thus, we are able to apply our long-term presence in hematology for the benefit for both PNH and aHUS patients.
And third, our decision to expand our sales team in the United States has enabled us to grow our present and increase reach and frequency of our interaction amongst both hematologist and nephrologists, as each representative is able to focus on more physicians in a smaller geographic area.
Importantly, our aHUS disease awareness programs, which are focused on the morbidities and mortality of aHUS are underway and are being well received by physicians. These programs help educate physicians on the early signs and symptoms of aHUS, the role of chronic uncontrolled compliment activation as the underlying cause of TMA in these patients and the compelling clinical benefits that Soliris can provide to patient with aHUS by inhibiting compliment-mediated TMA.
Based up on the no natural history of aHUS, we identified two groups of patients with aHUS prior to launch. Patients with a longer duration of disease and substantial kidney damage and as expected a larger proportion of patients who are identified during their first TMA clinical presentation and require immediate medical intervention.
Before approval, we focused on being able to serve all patients with aHUS, including meeting the urgent needs of newly presenting patient. By developing a broad range of patient-centered initiatives in the areas of disease awareness, patient diagnosis, reimbursement support and providing supply of Soliris to treatment sites within hours.
For the implementation of these initiatives, we are currently supporting an increasing number of physicians as they identify emerging aHUS patients and seek to start them on Soliris therapy without delay.
We are pleased with the early positive impact that these initiatives are having on the patient care and look forward to serving more patients with aHUS in the United States overtime.
Turning briefly to our upcoming aHUS launch in Europe, we are on track with our reimbursement discussions with healthcare authorities in major European countries. We expect to start serving patients with aHUS in initial European countries later in 2012 with others commencing through mid-2013.
To prepare for our EU launches, we will start to expand our European field teams on a country-by-country basis with professionals who have experience in rare disorders and relevant medical specialty. As in the U.S., each member of our expanded European field teams will be fully cross trained on both PNH and aHUS and will manage a smaller territory than in the past.
While we expect that the initial use of Soliris and aHUS in Europe will grow only gradually due to the low prevalence and low awareness of the disease, we are confident that we will serve an increasing number of European patients with aHUS over time.
Turning now to HPP. In March, we attended the American College of Medical Genetics Meeting where we provided disease information and met with physicians who have experienced treating patients with HPP. Like PNH and aHUS, we know that HPP is often misunderstood given the rarity of the disorder and the wide range of its clinical signs.
Thus, we believe that disease awareness and diagnostic initiatives will be a critical component of our commercial program as we prepare for the potential introduction of asfotase alfa. As our clinical and regulatory teams drive the development program forward, the commercial team will continue to assess the needs of the HPP community as we prepare for the potential introduction of asfotase alfa.
Looking ahead, we are driving forward on every front to transform the lives of more patients in more countries who are suffering with PNH and aHUS while beginning to prepare for new Soliris indications and the launch of asfotase alfa. Driven by our commitment to patients and families, our global commercial operations team will continue to employ their experience, skills and talent to achieve our objectives for many years to come.
Now, I'll turn the call over to Steve, who'll review our expanding pipeline initiatives. Steve?
Steve Squinto
Thanks, David. In the first quarter of 2012, we continue to make substantial progress in our lead pipeline programs, which include five highly innovative compounds currently being investigated at various stages of development across eight severe and ultra-rare indications beyond PNH and aHUS.
I would first like to provide an update on our eculizumab programs, starting with STEC-HUS. Out of the total 198 patients enrolled in our STEC-HUS study in Germany, the interim data presented in November were from the 148 patients who were treated at the first nine clinical trial sites.
The interim data were very encouraging demonstrating that eculizumab treatment for eight-weeks substantially reduce the occurrence of serious morbidities in STEC-HUS patients. Interim data showed a rapid, large and sustained reduction in thrombotic microangiopathy or TMA and reversal of organ damage with eculizumab treatment.
Patients in the study were observed for 28 weeks following treatment initiation. We have now commenced the normal process of data collection and data cleaning for subsequent data base lock and analysis for the overall 198 patient intensive treat group.
After the final steps are concluded, we expect to have discussions with regulators regarding a pathway for filing an SPLA as early as the second half of this year. In our kidney transplant program with eculizumab, we continue to enroll patients in our company-sponsored multinational living donor kidney transplant trial in patients at elevated risk of antibody-mediated rejection.
Patients in this study are being dosed with eculizumab for nine weeks post-transplant and then will be observed for 52 weeks following transplant. In addition, we expect to initiate a disease donor study in the summer of this year.
We also have two neurology clinical development programs ongoing with eculizumab, in severe and refractory neuromyelitis optica and in myasthenia gravis. Data from the investigator initiated Phase 2 clinical trial of eculizumab in severe refractory NMO is expected to be presented at a scientific meeting in the second half of 2012. Even before these data are presented, we expect to hold a series of discussions with investigators to design the next study prior to our anticipated meeting with regulators.
With regard to myasthenia gravis, additional data from the 14 patient Phase 2 study are being presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting this month. We expect to discuss the plans for a larger perspective controlled study with regulators in 2012.
I would like to turn now to our other lead development program with highly innovative therapeutics beyond eculizumab, starting with asfotase alfa. We are highly encouraged by the progress made in asfotase alfa clinical development in just the first quarter of this year. It is noteworthy that this significant progress was demonstrated in the three distinct trials across a broad spectrum of HPP patients.
Turning first to pediatric patients. Our Phase 2 study of infants and young children with life-threatening HPP were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March. Importantly, all the patients treated with asfotase alfa demonstrated an improvement in blood levels of PPI and PLP, two key biochemical indicators of HPP providing strong support for the potential of asfotase alfa to correct the underlying enzyme deficiency in patients with HPP.
The study made its primary end point with 90% of patients showing substantial skeletal healing at 24-weeks of treatment with asfotase alfa. In the study, skeletal healing became apparent as early as week three. All patients treated with asfotase alfa also had an improvement in respiratory function and patients also demonstrated improvements in fine motor and gross motor function and cognitive development. These findings are remarkable given the historically grim outlook for patients with life threatening HPP.
Also in pediatrics, data in juveniles were presented at the Sanford Burnham Rare Disease Day Symposium in February. Data showed that all patients who were treated with asfotase alfa had an objective response to therapy, with clinically and statistically meaningful decreases in enzyme substrate. These biochemical improvements were accompanied by improvement in bone mineralization as evidence by both bone biopsy and radiographic improvement. In addition, asfotase alfa-treated patients showed a marked improvement in physical function as measured by the six minute walk test.
In Q1, clinical data were also presented for the first time from the Phase II study of asfotase alfa in Adolescents and Adult with HPP at the American College of Medical Genetics meeting in March. In this study, all patients were treated with asfotase alfa, had an objective response to therapy with clinically and statistically meaningful decreases in enzyme substrate. And these biochemical improvements were accompanied by improvement in patient's physical function as demonstrated by an improvement in the six minute walk test.
Based on the significant accomplishments during the first quarter, we are accelerating the development of asfotase alfa as a treatment for a broad spectrum of HPP patients. Our efforts remained focused on three key areas.
First, we are optimizing the commercial scale manufacturing process to ensure our ability to provide long-term support to the HPP community.
Second, we are completing the clinical development program in children prior to an anticipated regulatory filing for pediatric patients in 2014. We will have further discussions with regulators regarding the studies required for registration in pediatrics and expect to complete a natural history study in infants to supplement the existing open label trial.
And third, our expanding adult program will now be further informed by the encouraging Phase 2 data. We continue to expect that we will need to initiate a placebo-controlled study in adults with severe HPP to support registration in this patient population. I look forward to updating you on our asfotase alfa program on future calls.
Beyond acetate alpha, we are also evaluating three additional highly innovative therapeutics as treatment for patients with severe and ultra-rare disorders. We are pleased that these cover a wide range of therapeutic areas, enabling us to employ our skills in developing ultra-orphan therapies to a growing universe of patients.
Looking briefly at these programs, first, in our new metabolic disease area, which includes asfotase alfa, we are also accelerating the development of our cPMP replacement therapy for the treatment of patients with molybdenum cofactor deficiency Type A, a severe ultra-rare and genetic metabolic disorder that is fatal in newborns.
In 2011, we made substantial progress on our GMP manufacturing process for our cPMP replacement therapy. Following successful completion of the initial cGMP manufacturing runs at the end of last year, we now have commenced pre-IND toxicology studies. Additionally, we're also now increasing our cPMP manufacturing to provide sufficient supplies to commence clinical studies in early 2013.
Second, we continue to enroll patients in a Phase I study to characterize the mechanism of action of ALXN1102 formally known as TT30 and to develop initial safety data. As a remainder, ALXN1102 is a unique inhibitor of the alternative complement pathway with a mechanism of action different from Soliris and thus build on our world-class expertise in complement biology. Once we have the data from the study, we can better evaluate the overall therapeutic potential of ALXN1102, for various disease targets.
Lastly, we continue to enroll subjects in a Phase I clinical study of ALXN1007, a novel anti-inflammatory antibody, which is a product of our antibody discovery technologies. This Phase I study is evaluating the safety tolerability pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of this compound in healthy volunteers.
I would like to turn briefly to the multi-factorial disease age-related macular degeneration. Importantly, eculizumab or AMD does not fit within our core mission of developing life transforming therapies for patients with severe ultra-rare and life-threatening disorders. I would note that data from the investigator initiated study of intravenous eculizumab in patients with dry AMD will be available at the ARVO Conference on May 7th.
As a remainder, this is an investigator-initiated exploratory study designed to test the stomach, but not direct intraocular complement inhibition in patients with dry AMD. These data will help determine whether or not complement inhibition plays a role in dry AMD. We expect to review our options for this program later this year.
In closing, I'm proud that Alexion's R&D team continues to be driven via passion and an urgency to help patients and families suffering with severe and ultra-rare disorders. I look forward to updating you on our progress on future conference call.
I will now turn the call back to Lenny. Lenny?
Leonard Bell
Thanks, Steve. Out strong start to 2012 positions us to keep executing rapidly on our key objectives throughout the year. We are pleased that we continue to serve an increasing number of patients with PNH and now aHUS, and we'll continue accelerating our development programs with a goal of rapidly brining life-transforming innovations to more patients with severe and ultra-rare disorders.
As always, we thank all those who make our work possible, our employees, researchers and physicians around the world and of course, patients and their families who are always at the forefronts of what we do.
Operator, we will now take questions.
Question-and-Answer Session
(Operator Instructions) The first question comes from the line of Rachel McMinn with Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. Please proceed.
Rachel McMinn – Bank of America-Merrill Lynch
Yeah. Thanks very much and congrats on another good quarter. I guess, just two questions for me, one is that the first quarter historically is typically the weakest quarter-over-quarter sales that we see. I guess, is there any reason why 1Q 2012 would be different. And then just digging into aHUS a little bit more, you talked about these patients, this large proportion of patients that are this urgent need bucket. Can you give us a little bit more color on who sees those patients and how your approach might be different in helping to educate those physicians, are they more of nephrologists for example. Thanks.
Leonard Bell
Thanks very much, Rachel. I'll handle the first and Dave, do you want to handle the second?
David Hallal
Leonard Bell
So no, actually we have a very encouraging view of the remainder of 2012 which is -- as we mentioned why we've raised our revenue guidance. So we anticipate further growth in -- as we may clear in the call. I think we see that growth coming now from both PNH and as we have greater visibility to aHUS we feel comfortable there as well.
David Hallal
And then Rachel, regarding the sort of the emergent patients, we're actually seeing both hemes and nephs and that really depends on who has called in for the consult. There are both hematologic and renal complications obviously associated with TMA. And therefore, it really depends upon where that referral is made and that's why we're trying to reach out to as many hematologists and nephrologists as we can. And one other dynamic as it is their first TMA clinical presentation. In this case, we tend to identify the patients as the physician is also rapidly making a diagnosis and moving to treatment.
Leonard Bell
Perhaps, certainly the most important dynamic, which I think David also mentioned on the call, Rachel that we're able to supply treatment very rapidly and within -- as David said, within hours. And we think that actually is being very attentive to the urgency of situation and we're very, very excited to the progress that we're being able to make on patient care.
Rachel McMinn – Bank of America-Merrill Lynch
All right. Thanks, thanks very much.
Your next question comes from the line of Eric Schmidt with Cowen and Company. Please proceed.
Eric Schmidt – Cowen and Company
Good morning, team. It seems like steady is the word of today at Alexion and like steady PNH new patients adds is certainly a considerable accomplishment at this stage of that market's trajectory. But I guess, I'm wondering what's steady means and aHUS the more nascent market. Does that mean that new patient starts were the same in Q1 versus Q4 and if so, what kind has been your biggest barrier there?
Leonard Bell
Yeah. It's a steady question that will be asking us. I anticipate being asked that steady question several times when the steady quarters evolve. But no, I think that we are very, very encouraged really by the growth we've seen in aHUS Q1 on Q4. We think it shows that we are starting to get strong legs as we built out further and further initiatives to help patients rapidly get treatment.
And I think as we saw early on PNH and maybe we're seeing it a little more clearly here in aHUS is that a few quarters in we'll start getting a meaningful visibility. So I think that we see steady growth going forward.
Eric Schmidt – Cowen and Company
Okay. Thanks for the color. One follow-up may be for David. He mentioned that this aHUS market is sort of bifurcated into those with longer term previously diagnosed disease versus those who are now the first presentation crisis mode. Can you give us any few on of the patients who are on Soliris today which of these two markets that are coming from, and what your thought is over the next 12 months, whether there might be a differential in split between the two?
David Hallal
Yeah. Well, the other word you used to love Eric was gradual. Typically, you're sort of partially retired for the call. But based on the fact that there is low prevalence of the disease, we thought that there was unlike PNH where the majority of early patients that we started were from a prevalent pool, we actually saw some balance here early on. Some patients were longer term diseased and then the balance of starting to drove off of the proportion of patients with the emergent diseases.
So we're actually seeing relative balance at this point, would expect moving forward maybe a larger proportion maybe coming from those newly presenting patients.
Eric Schmidt – Cowen and Company
Thanks a lot, guys.
Your next question comes from the line of Geoff Meacham with JPMorgan. Please proceed.
Geoff Meacham – JPMorgan
Hi, guys. Thanks for taking the question. One for you on asfotase alfa, so it looks like filing in 2014 as what you guys have consistently said, may be help us with what the gating factor is, is it just waiting for the natural history study to mature or from a regulatory perspective, do you have to have full optimization of manufacturing prior to filing.
David Hallal
Well, I think to start with the manufacturing, there already is a commercial scale manufacturing in place that we think we'll -- obviously support finishing the clinical development programs, but also will support early market launch as well. We are making modifications to it but the process already is in place.
In terms of further clinical development, I think as I mentioned on the call this morning, based on conversations that the Enobia team had with regulators prior to the acquisition. We do intend to initiate a natural history study in infants and it's also likely that we'll initiate a placebo-controlled juvenile trial as well, which will be another six months of therapy.
Geoff Meacham – JPMorgan
And those things will be included in the 2014 filing or are those separate?
David Hallal
I think that will be supportive.
Geoff Meacham – JPMorgan
Okay. And just a follow-up for Vikas, any updates and progress for collections in Europe when you look at accounts receivable DSO, you are still up marginally on a sequential basis?
Vikas Sinha
Geoff, when I look at sequentially Q4 to Q1 without the VAT in the numbers they are more or less flat between the quarters. But definitely we have on our side increased our activities in collecting in two key areas that are Italy and Spain and which are actually showing good results right now.
Geoff Meacham – JPMorgan
Got you. Okay. Thanks.
Next question comes from the line of Sapna Srivastava with Goldman Sachs. Please proceed.
Yogesh Ahuja – Goldman Sachs
Hi, guys. This is Yogesh on behalf of Sapna. Congrats on other good quarter. And thanks for taking my question. Just a follow-up on the aHUS launch, in terms of patients with an already known, diagnosed in aHUS, are you seeing any difference in uptick in the so called plasma resistant or plasma sensitive patients or in those with known mutations and those that don't?
And then also any idea as to what we should expect from interim data in the transplant trials? Thanks.
David Hallal
Yeah. So I'll take the aHUS question. We actually are seeing both patients with existing disease, who have longer term disease and more chronic kidney damage associated with their disease progression, those fitting more that plasma sensitive group. We see those patients benefiting from treatment as their -- clearly, as data that suggested those patients are benefiting from long-term Soliris treatment.
And we're seeing patients go right to Soliris not even necessarily having plasma exchange and then of course, we do see some that start on some plasma exchange and then very quickly move to Soliris. So again, we're seeing relative balance across the spectrum.
Steve Squinto
To your question regarding transplantation, we don't expect interim data to be presented in the transplant program. We're enrolling patients as we said on the call and probably would expect to be enrolling patients into 2013 as well.
Yogesh Ahuja – Goldman Sachs
Great. Thanks a lot.
The next question comes from the line Salveen Richter with Canaccord. Please proceed.
Salveen Richter – Canaccord
Thanks for taking my questions. I'm just wondering if there is a difference in messaging and education to physicians that treat the critical care patient bucket versus those with more advanced disease and then have you had any commercial aHUS patients come on board in the EU?
David Hallal
Yeah. So the messaging obviously based on the breadth of our clinical trial program where patients were treated very late and some patients were treated earlier. Obviously, our messaging is that Soliris in general can provide compelling clinical benefits to patients with aHUS and the earlier you get there the better.
But even for patients with longer term disease with long-term treatment benefits are being seen. Right now as it relates to the EU -- very few patients, really some initial patients in Germany and as I discussed on the call, we're engaging in reimbursement discussions right now with key European countries, we would expect adding more patients later on in 2012 and into 2013.
Salveen Richter – Canaccord
Okay. And then David, are you getting any pushback on physician misconceptions of the disease or do you feel like you've addressed a lot of that part of the story?
David Hallal
Well, as it relates to pushback with the rare disease, I think even as we're in our fifth, sixth year with PNH, a lot of education is required. And we clearly for example are educating not just about thrombotic microangiopathy. But what is the underlying cause of it and when it's chronic uncontrolled complement activation it certainly points to aHUS.
So I think significant misconceptions clearly what we see in the marketplace exist and a long-term disease education program I think will make a meaningful difference and we're seeing very, very nice early impact so far.
Salveen Richter – Canaccord
All right. Thank you.
David Hallal
The next question comes from the line of Ying Huang with Barclays. Please proceed.
Ying Huang – Barclays
Hi. Good morning, guys. Congratulations also on the quarter. Quantitatively, can you give us a little bit color around the ramp up for aHUS compared to what you saw in PNH back in 2007?
Steve Squinto
I think, what we've described before of course is unfortunately because more than one-half of aHUS patients either suffer end-stage renal disease, permanent kidney damage or die in the first year of diagnosis. We had anticipated and projected that there will be a gradual update of new patients. And I think that as we are out in the market, we're certainly very encouraged by the need to as rapidly as possible meet a significant number of patients needs that we see in United States. So we've -- on that basis as we mentioned we've also increased our guidance for 2012.
Ying Huang – Barclays
The next question comes from the line of Brian Abrahams with Wells Fargo Securities. Please proceed.
Unidentified Analyst
Hi. This is (inaudible) calling for Brian. Thanks for taking my questions. How should we think about pricing and reimbursement in EU, and given the tougher pricing environment in Europe compared to perhaps your previous negations there particularly countries like Germany and maybe additional color on timeline for country-by-country launch in Europe would be very helpful? Thank you.
Leonard Bell
Sure. Thank you very much for your question. I think just a key perspective remarkably and virtually all of licensed commercial experience and accomplishments they have coincided with a severe global financial crisis.
I'd just remind people, we initiated our European country launches largely during 2008, 2009 and this is what many of us recall the time and cataclysm with banking crisis, across all the European countries as well as some of us may remember on the call in the United States, there was a housing of credit to backhaul that occurred as well.
And all of that actually, we established our commercial operations across the European Continent in that context. And successfully navigated through those world changing events by keeping our focus on identifying patients who have a life threatening and very rare disorder, providing them a treatment, which will be able to describe some market and transformational impact on their lives.
So as simply in 2012, we don't really see overall macro environment equal to what we saw in 2008 quite frankly. We see there is meaningfully more favorable than what we saw earlier. And then in that context, we also are increasingly focused in patients with aHUS, for example, who have clearly as we have marked several times.
More than half of these patients which of course includes a disproportionate number of children will unfortunately either have end-stage renal disease, permanent kidney damage or die within a year.
So we're encouraged by what we see. We obviously understand the processes on a country-by-country basis very well. And we're encouraged by the focus of governments continually since 2008 in the midst of the post financial crisis to really focus on the well-being of their systems.
Unidentified Analyst
Thank you. Very helpful. Thanks.
Your next question comes from the line of Robyn Karnauskas with Deutsche Bank. Please proceed.
Robyn Karnauskas – Deutsche Bank
Hi, guys. Thanks for taking my question. I guess, two quick ones on aHUS you had mentioned earlier upon approval that children dose or infant dose was 75% to 85% of the adult dose. I was wondering if you could give color on the average dose you're staying in aHUS patients or at least in children?
And second, you mentioned your diagnostic initiatives continuing to grow use of PNH -- use of Soliris in PNH. I was just wondering what is the bottleneck like, when do you expect sort of diagnostic to tick off or just will it be slow and steady as you've mentioned a couple of times or is there something that's really keeping doctors back from correctly diagnosing these patients.
Leonard Bell
So in regard to Robyn, -- it's Lenny. So regard to the question about aHUS, we actually commented that it was that dose in children can be 80% lower than the dose in adult as opposed to 80% of the adult dose, right. So it actually is only about 20% -- 15% to 20% of the adult dose in the smallest children.
And increasingly, we see of course, as we mentioned called urgently to meet the needs of children whether it should be based on their first presentation, whether it's unfortunately after -- it's survived the initial presentation but now unfortunately transplantation and all of the situation, of course the dosage is much, much less and that obviously has implications outside United States for governments who of course can treatment of their patients who are children, which I think are all very much favor of this as well as proven adults.
As regards to the PNH, I will turn it over to David to talk about the diagnostics efforts. But I would actually mention that at least we've improved from a gradual to steady, so that's an improvement there. David?
David Hallal
Sure. As Lenny and I discussed during the call, when we think about the disease in general, there are still patients who medical literature suggests have signs, symptoms or another diagnosis, which suggest that they are at highly likelihood for having PNH and what we are finding in our core territories and new countries as well, the opportunity to educate physicians on those patients who need testing. And we continue to see a steady rise in testing amongst physicians and then once they do identify patients with PNH, they certainly are most apt to rapidly start them on treatment.
Steve Squinto
One other, just closing to David's comments for diagnosis in PNH, it really is quite meaningful that 20 quarters into the launch, for example, from a more mature communities that we work in like United States, for example, still actually a majority of patients who commence treatment with Soliris are newly identified and newly diagnosed. So it is remarkable. It also indicates that underscores our view of a steady growth for a longer period to go.
Robyn Karnauskas – Deutsche Bank
Your next question comes from the line of Matt Roden with UBS. Please proceed.
Matt Roden – UBS
Great. Thanks for taking the question, guys and congrats on the good quarter here. Steve, you mentioned AMD, I appreciate the comments there. Just wondering if you could may be go one step deeper here. Given the mechanism, while the result of the investigator lead eculizumab trial fare up on new development plans for 1102.
You mentioned a slightly different mechanism, do you think if there is direct read across from the eculizumab data to potential for 1102. It sounds like the -- you might view the trial here as potentially proof of concept but in general, I was wondering if you can may be talk about that and may be talk about where you think this indication fits into your R&D priority? Thanks.
Steve Squinto
Yeah. I think a couple of things. The first comment I'll make is that you asked about the mechanism of action. Age-related macular degeneration generally is an extraordinarily complex disease. We have wet, we have dry forms, than within the drive forms you have geographic atrophy drusen.
I think unlike a lot of other diseases we study, I think mechanistically we know much, much less about what's really happening in AMD. And I think at this point, it's sort of too early to make comments about whether there might be learnings from this trial that might apply to ALXN1102.
Matt Roden – UBS
Okay. Thank you.
Your next question comes from the line of Howard Liang with Leerink Swann. Please proceed.
Howard Liang – Leerink Swann
Thanks very much. I know it's the early days, but I was wondering if you can talk about any experience of discontinuations on Soliris among aHUS patients, for example if you get a patient in a critical stage, how long do they typically stay on Soliris?
Steve Squinto
Yeah. Well, Howard as we had anticipated, compliances is generally good in patients diagnosed with aHUS and what we're finding is that it appears to be similar to the high levels that we have grown accustomed to observing in PNH over the past several years.
Howard Liang – Leerink Swann
And your final question comes from the line of Geoff Porges with Sanford Bernstein. Please proceed.
Art – Sanford Bernstein
Hi. This is [Art] here for Geoff. Just a few question, first of all do you guys know what the impact of FX was in Q1?
And second, since you already had a lot of time to explore the HPP opportunity. Can you provide maybe a little bit of additional guidance of how big the HPP population is in pediatric, juvenile and adult? Thank you.
Steve Squinto
I can answer the second question and if you like, we actually don't provide patient numbers, regarding ultra-orphan disorders and it's still too early to be able to provide that sort of sense.
David Hallal
Let me try and answer the first one. From Q4 to Q1, between the several currencies that we deal with, we didn't see much of an impact on FX, but we definitely see going from Q1 to Q2, the currency is under pressure and we definitely see 2% to 3% FX impact coming in.
Art – Sanford Bernstein
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen that concludes today's conference. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect and have a great day.
Copyright policy: All transcripts on this site are the copyright of Seeking Alpha. However, we view them as an important resource for bloggers and journalists, and are excited to contribute to the democratization of financial information on the Internet. (Until now investors have had to pay thousands of dollars in subscription fees for transcripts.) So our reproduction policy is as follows: You may quote up to 400 words of any transcript on the condition that you attribute the transcript to Seeking Alpha and either link to the original transcript or to www.SeekingAlpha.com. All other use is prohibited.
If you have any additional questions about our online transcripts, please contact us at: email@example.com. Thank you!


text:
TV Shows that Became Movies
Submitted by xfanatic50 on Sun, 11/23/2003 - 04:19
- From small screen fun to big screen action spectacle!
- Charlie's Angels
- Mission: Impossible (two films)
- The Fugitive
- Film spin-offs meant to compliment the show:
- Lizzie McGuire
- The X-Files
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
- Beavis and Butthead
- The Crocodile Hunter
- Peewee's Playhouse (two films)
- The Kids in the Hall (The film was called Brain Candy)
- Mr. Bean
- From small screen gem to big screen joke:
- The Brady Bunch (two films)
- Dragnet
- McHale's Navy
- My Favourite Martian
- Car 54, Where are you?
- Sgt. Bilko
- I Spy
- Scooby Doo (soon to be two films)
- Rocky and Bullwinkle
- Wild Wild West
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Inspector Gadget
- Leave it to Beaver
- The Little Rascals
- The Addams Family (two films)
- From Small Screen camp to big screen seriousness:
- Lost in Space
- The Mod Squad
- The Avengers
- The Saint
- Flipper
- Animated classics that didn't translate well...
- The Flintstones (two movies)
- The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
- And one that did:
- George of the Jungle
- The mother of all TV shows that became films:
- The Star Trek franchise
- The A-Team
- Starsky and Hutch
- Kojak
- The Six Million Dollar Man
- The Dukes of Hazzard
- The Greatest American Hero
- Bewitched
- Tenacious D
- (and thankfully) Firefly
Author Comments:
Ah, television... it has done so much good... and yet so many crappy movies have come out of it... oh well... here's hoping the Bewitched movie is good.
Also, I did not include cartoons that spawned immediate movies, such as the Rugrats or Pokemon. Also, I did not include movies spawned from comic books which did have TV shows, such as Batman, or Josie and the Pussycats.
- Login to post comments
I kinda liked The Addams Family movie (the first one, anyway). Otherwise, I'm totally with you on your categorizin'.
And are they really coming out with a movie of The Greatest American Hero? Yikes.
- Login to post comments


text:
with my 10 month old son. I had him at a hospital and I had an epidural. I plan the same thing this time. If i can handel the pain i would like to go med-free but i don't see that happening.
I had painfull contractions for 3 days. I was due to be induced the next day but went into labor on my own. The epi was a life saver and i finally slept and rested. I still felt my contractions enough to know when to push but i think they turned the epi down too much because i could feel the episiomity and the stitched after.
I felt like i was so interrupted the whole time at the hospital. The Obgyns, the pediatricians, the birth certificuate lady would constanly come knocking for the paper work (but we didn't have a name for the baby until the day we left the hospital) the food server would come in all the time asking if i filled out my menu. the matienece saying our air conditior needed to be fixed. the cleaning people taking out the trash...the nurses would come to push on my belly. one day a nurse pulled up her chair and sat in my room for hours saying she had to go over "paper work" on how to nurse, feed, bath a baby. she had a folder and read all the paper to me while she ate her lunch. then i'd go to nurse my son and she'd pull my boob out and adjust me. she even did this once when my father was in the room and i was so pissed, but didn't speak up. my son was nursing fine but she'd say "he's sleeping" and come wake him up with cold water. then the classs instructer would knock on my door saying i have to attend a "mandatory" breastfeeding class, or a "mandatory" how to bath your baby class. I felt like i never had a minute alone with my husband and child. then add all the visitors (he's the first grandbaby on both sides) i was stressed. I kept trying to do "skin to skin" with my son but somone was constantly knocking on the door.
this time i will bring a nursing cover. last time after the door had been knocked on at least 4x in a hour i yelled "yes" as i was braless and topless trying to get my son to nurse but he didn't so i was topless in yoga pants. a male pediatrician came in and talked to me for 10minutes while i was topless. i was so embarressed i didn't want to walk and get a shirt so i stood topless, big huge leaky boobs and all. i am still mortified.
this baby we are having at a different hospital because we have moved, but i really hope i have some alone time and a different experiance. I told my husband i expect him to be the one advocating for me and asking that people give us some alone time. (to hospital staff anyways) and i'm going to tell my parents i expect all visitors will call ahead so i don't have people walking in to visit when i'm literally in the shower.
I felt like most of his stuff happened when my husband would go home to shower and relieve the dog sitter for a bit. this time i told him i expect him to be there around 9am when all the craziness starts. but now we have a 10.5 month old so he will have to be gone a decent amount. We will have family come to our house and sit with our son but my husband will need to go and check in and bring him to visit me and his new sibling.
what was your experiance like? I hope i'm not the only one that had non-stop chaos and non-sence. It makes me angry i didn't speak up. i think since i was a first time mom i took a lot of B.S.
Literally a nurse would tell me "you need to change your babys diaper even if its not wet before you nurse to wak him up, because hte diaper holds in heat and you need to put on a fresh cold one" then a nurse would say "why are there 3 diapers in the trash? did he pee three times?" i'd explain why and say they were dry and she'd say "thats not what you do.... you just open the diaper and close it back up.... you don't waste diapers like that" i'd tell her i get 3 differnt answeres from 3 different nurses and they'd all say "do what i tell you" they'd tell me to do skin to skin. then tell me my baby would be cold not to do it. i just wanted to be left alone. these were common sence things i didn't need to be told when to change my kids diaper.
did this happen to you?


text:
See 16 of Nicki Minaj's most outrageous looks
Photo: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images
Nicki Minaj poses on the red carpet at the Staples Center for the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 12, 2012. Reminds us of: Red riding hood, a snuggie... and a crazy person.
To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.


text:
BELVIDERE (WIFR) -- The car crash that took the lives of Belvidere North High School students Brenda Gutierrez and Thalia Arredondo continues to send shocks throughout our community.
Schools across the Stateline have come forward showing their support for the victims, and now man's best friend is becoming another shoulder to lean on.
"We know that dogs have a tendency to relax people, help people feel comfortable and help people share", says Lutheran Church Charities president Tim Hetzner.
Volunteers with Immanuel Lutheran Church in Belvidere are working with Lutheran Church Charities, who is supplying K-9 comfort dogs to the Belvidere School District. The four legged friends are helping students get through the loss of their classmates.
"We had one boy who just hugged that dog and ended up laying, literally on one of our dogs. So here was this high school boy laying with the dog. But that's what he needed", says Hetzner.
The kids weren't the only ones impacted by the comfort dogs. Their visit also touched volunteers who were there in support of the students.
Keith Richard of Immanuel Lutheran Church says, "Members of our congregation and staff were there and they said it impacted them as much as it did the students."
The dogs travel throughout the nation and are deployed during tragedies. Lutheran Church Charities says they would be happy to bring the dogs back to Belvidere again, knowing the animals will aide in helping the community get through this difficult time.
Hetzner says, "The dogs are all confidential, they don't take notes, they're great counselors."
Lutheran Church Charities have set up a fundraiser helping support all three families affected by Friday's crash. To donate, visit their website at www.lutheranchurchcharities.org or call them toll free at 866-455-6466.
A fund is also set up at Harris Bank for the victim's families. The account is under the name "Perfect Two".