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I start studying again and European markets go into intermittent free-fall, the governments of two ancient European civilizations are forced into change, and Chinese house prices begin to slide. If we also consider the fact this site was seriously hacked last week, then a more paranoid figure than myself might start to think his Chinese language learning was cursed. This recent instability in Europe is even being described as the next phase in what, back in 2008, began to be called the modern Great Depression. This was the last time, coincidently, that I was studying Chinese with any kind of vigour and commitment.
Now, I know this language can be difficult, but these are consequences that go way beyond the normal side effects of language study, such as sleepless nights and soul searching. Fortunately, I do look up from my Chinese textbooks, flashcard software and podcasts from time to time. And so am able to recognize that this present turmoil in European economic affairs, and the recent malware attack on this site, are part of a wider mêlée and nothing actually to do with my Chinese studies at all.
It has, though, become possible to get a sense that my renewed efforts will carry me to a point in the future when I will be able to fully engage in a discussion, in Chinese, about the benefits of different political and economic systems. And, given the environment we see around us today, I could be doing so with a people who have the experience of catastrophic failures in both Communist and Capitalist systems. Hopefully however, we will still be able to sit peacefully around a nice warm fire, eating a tasty bowl of dāoxiāomiàn (刀削面), and discussing the folly of the world we knew in our youth, while simultaneously planning for the future.
At that point we will have witnessed such a collapse in our markets and traditional trade relations that even the nature of money will have been called into question. There will be a growing sense of how money came to so simply define what could be mine, and what could be yours. A period when unfair competition and an inequality of striving were seen as natural and necessary. We will also look back aghast at how our prioritizing of profit and growth led us to over produce so much crap, at the expense of our natural world and natural resources. If I am going to be able to get into this discussion in any meaningful way, though, I really am going to have to keep my studies up during the intervening years.
There will also be an increasing recognition that money was never really needed to create or do anything: resources and labor, people and creativity were always there. Money just narrowly defined who could do the creating, producing and consuming. It controlled what we thought we could produce and create, and accordingly who could produce and create it. Such a system of economic management led to the farcical position we see today where debt itself is even being traded by private companies and sovereign States. These ideas will be thrown out as being utterly ridiculous. And, (while we are at) a society will be created where there is a more equal balance between our working lives, our ongoing education, our participation in community affairs, and our time spent with family and friends. In this context Chinese may well seem like a language well learnt.
These same language skills, given a different context, could just be used to help me get a better job. I could find work helping a foreign company gain greater market share in what may well have become an ever expanding but increasingly closed Chinese market. A greater mastery of Pǔtōnghuà (Mandarin) could also be used to help mediate between competing global interests: useful in an environment where a Chinese – English (2nd language of the world) dialogue is desperately trying to hold the pieces of the resource-trade-sustainability puzzle together. Or maybe my improved language skills will simply allow me to continue living the normal life I live now. I will just be better able to communicate with friends, neighbors and family.
It is indeed true that this recent turmoil in Europe has nothing whatsoever to do with my return to Chinese language learning. It is also true that the fundamental questions about how our planet is to be managed are not any closer to being satisfactorily resolved. It does now seem likely however, that the Chinese are going to have a key role in this management process. Thus, the discussions that go on among Chinese people, and those that go on between the Chinese and other peoples, are going to have a major influence over the direction our world is headed in. And thus, having the capacity to communicate in Chinese is probably going to be both pleasurable and valuable . This, for now at least, seems reason enough to keep up with my studies.


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http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/History?title=History&feed=atom&action=history History - Revision history 2016-12-08T06:18:11Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.27.1 http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/index.php?title=History&diff=1109&oldid=prev PCWAdmin: 1 revision imported 2016-08-23T19:15:26Z
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New page

Over four decades of Peace Corps. And it's still growing.

 Since 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries, more than 182,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 138 countries all over the globe. They've been teachers and mentors to countless children. They've helped farmers grow crops, worked with small businesses to market products, and shown women how to care for their babies. More recently, they've helped schools develop computer skills and educated entire communities about the threat of HIV/AIDS.

 Throughout its history, the Peace Corps has adapted and responded to the issues of the times. In an ever-changing world, Peace Corps Volunteers meet new challenges with innovation, creativity, determination, and compassion. These are the qualities that have allowed—and continue to allow the Peace Corps to achieve its mission.

 [[Decades of Service]]

 Read about how the Peace Corps has grown and changed throughout the years.

 [[Past Directors]]

 Each Peace Corps Director has brought something new to the Peace Corps. Learn about their contributions.

 [[Countries]]

 More than 138 countries served since 1961.

 ==External Links==
 *[http://www.peacecorps.gov/about/history/ Official US Peace Corps Website]
 *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Corps#History History section in Wikipedia article on Peace Corps]

 [[Category:History of the Peace Corps| ]]
 188.8.131.52

subset: commoncrawl


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We're very happy to be taking part in the new Four Walls Hunt – for L$20 you can collect the Falling Wall Decor (Spring) , a spring version of our ladder with animations for two avatars.
You're looking for a little cardboard box (hint: ours is very close to the landing point, look in the windows). All the hunt info and list of participating stores can be found here.
SLurl to the {what next} main-store
{what next} main-store
{what next} on the Marketplace
{what next} on Flickr


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When we think of Sarah Palin, Oscar nominee Julianne Moore doesn't come to mind. Aside from them both being women, around the same age, and attractive they share nothing in common. Moore will go out on a limb and do her best Palin impression when she plays the former vice presidential candidate in the HBO film Game Change.
According to EW, Moore has signed on to star in the feature adaptation of the best selling book written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. The book is originally called Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. The tone of the film is said to mimic the HBO docudrama Recount, which profiled the controversial results surrounding the 2000 presidential election.
Game Change will be directed by Jay Roach from a screenplay written by Danny Strong, who coincidentally worked with him on Recount.
Moore is an amazing actress, there is no doubt about that. At first glance she doesn't look like Palin, but we're sure with the right hair, make up, and wardrobe she can pull it off. We're more interested in who'll play Hilary Clinton. That's the casting we want to see. Amy Poehler, where are you?!
What do you think of Moore playing Palin? Do you think she's the right choice?


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On Teaching
View Single Post
Dojo: aikido academy/alhambra,california
Location: Los Angeles, California
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 371
Re: On Teaching
Shidoo Geiko is a term designating training by teaching. It is not an optiion for the serious student of the Way of Aiki, and of Aikido. Combined with the other forms of keiko, (solitary, partner practice, randori, weapons, by observation, etc.), the entire experience of the Founder's art may be experienced and beneficial.
Learning any lesson, art form or legitimate system like Aikido, is primarily the responsibility of the student. Any teacher worth his or her salt must always respect this fact, and avoid usurping the student's right to choose for themselves. The best teachers can be are as "assistant instructors" to the primary sensei within each student.
The most effective and meaningful way to be a teacher of merit, is to exemplify, through one's own lifestyle and behavior, the living legacy of doing what is taught, giving true substance to any lesson given. A true teacher has to "walk the talk", taking full responsibility for any action affecting the student, directly or indirectly. This may very well be the most difficult, and certainly, one of the most important points to understand and to accomplish.
Like medical doctors ,who are enjoined by the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm to their patients, would be teachers of Aikido and other martial arts must resolve to do no harm to their students and followers,
Always training with integrity, honesty and joy, a genuine teacher needs never bother about what is being taught or transmitted.
In Oneness,
francis y takahashi
Last edited by aikishihan : 09-04-2009 at
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Muesli Bar
Muesli bars were invented by Stanley Mason and have become popular as a snack. Granola bars are usually identical to the normal form of granola in composition, but differ vastly in shape. Instead of a loose, breakfast cereal consistency, granola bars are pressed and baked into a bar shape, resulting in the production of a more convenient snack. A variety of the muesli bars is the "chewy muesli bars." In this form, the time during which the oats are baked is either shortened or cut out altogether; this gives the bar a texture that is chewier than that of a traditional granola bar.
Muesli Bar Video
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Muesli Bar on Blogs
- The "3 Minute" High Protein Granola Bars - Chocolate Covered Katie
- Home Made Muesli Bars | Solobike cycle tours Italy and France
- fruta planta ban but muesli bars tend to contain sugar which is used ...
- Costco Coupons 2 Aug-17 Aug Incl Carman's Muesli Bars 24x 45g ...
- Muesli bars | Mary Moncorgé – I ride bikes , cook yummy food and ...
- Are muesli bars really a healthy snack choice? | fuel right NUTRITION


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Southern discomfort
Obama must visit Latin America to show latino voters he cares
By Randy Jurado Ertll 09/11/2008
Sen. Barack Obama's recent trip to Europe and the Middle East was quite impressive, providing him with credibility as key leaders took time out of their busy schedules to meet with him. Images of Obama in talks with heads of state made him appear presidential and capable of dealing with foreign relations issues.
But is he finished visiting other countries? If he is, it might prove a costly mistake. He also owes Latin America a visit. If he doesn't go there, he could very well lose support among Latinos at home and perpetuate a lamentable trend in US foreign policy since the 1990s — the neglect of Latin America.
In this sense, Sen. John McCain is ahead of the game since he already has visited Mexico and Colombia.
Obama needs to begin now if he is to strengthen his relationship with Latin American leaders. He cannot afford to ignore the roots of the more than 40 million Latinos living in the United States. Any relationship-building he can achieve with Latin American presidents will enhance his image within the growing Latino electorate, where his support is strong but not invulnerable to erosion.
If Obama does not act quickly, then McCain will continue to solidify his relationships with Mexico and other key countries and appear to be the candidate concerned about what happens south of the Rio Grande.
President George W. Bush did, in fact, raise his profile among Mexican-Americans when, as governor of Texas, he continually met with Mexican government officials. President Bush was re-elected in 2004 in part by obtaining a respectable percentage of the Latino vote.
The stakes are high in US-Latin American relations. As US trade partners, Brazil and Mexico rank in the top 10. The broken US immigration system is still a sticking point in many bilateral relationships. Colombia, a key ally, is still in the midst of a major US-backed effort to crack down on the cocaine trade. Obama has spoken about renewing US leadership in Latin America, calling for a bold "new alliance of the Americas" at a May 23 speech in Miami, but actions speak louder than words.
We need to know if Latin America is as important as Europe and the Middle East to this candidate and his foreign policy team. The only way to demonstrate that is via a high-profile visit to key Latin American countries. We need more in-depth information about Obama's position regarding the embargo on communist Cuba and how he will handle the delicate relationship between President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and the United States.
Obama's platform calls for more attention to crime and economic inequality in the Americas. But the region's leaders have heard US presidents and candidates proclaim sweeping visions of cooperation many times, only to feel neglected again after the end of the election cycle.
After the Cold War and the return of peace to war-wracked Central America, the United States no longer saw the need to invest heavily in fighting communism and influencing the hearts and minds of Latin Americans.
In the 1990s, US aid to Latin America was reduced tremendously. One of the exceptions has been Colombia, where the United States has invested billions through Plan Colombia in order to eradicate coca leaf, the main ingredient used to produce cocaine.
McCain seems to recognize the importance of the US-Colombia relationship. He happened to be present in Colombia in July on the day Colombian military forces rescued three US military contractors and former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who had all been held hostage for years by rebels.
It was a media coup for McCain, who praised Colombia's progress and called it a "beacon of hope" for the region.
We need to know if Latin America will truly become a priority for Obama. He still has the opportunity to make his case — and he can be sure that Latino voters will be paying attention if he visits Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, and perhaps even Brazil, an emerging economic and energy power.
We need to know more about how both presidential candidates will handle future trade agreements, immigration, foreign investment and poverty issues that affect Latin America. These are at the root of the "push" factors that propel millions of Latin Americans migrating to the United States.
The question remains: Will the US pay attention to the needs of our Latin American vecinos?
Randy Jurado Ertll is executive director of El Centro de Accion Social in Pasadena. Contact him at email@example.com.
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By all intents and purposes, people's choice presidential candidate of the moment Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino Jr has kicked off his campaign to get his bum on that coveted seat in Malacanang in 2010. And he is backed by the most illustrious relics of the 1986 "revolution" upon which his popular appeal is built.
Indeed, Aquino's biggest asset in his campaign is his being an Aquino. Contrary to what some may think, he does have a platform — a pedigree platform. This is a new concept that describes a very traditional campaign strategy that has an extensive track record of delivering brilliant results in backward feudal societies. Certainly the sort of approach that requires a bit of thinking applied simply will not fly in Philippine society — specially taking into account the full force of traditional thinking backing up this candidate.
Jim Paredes who recently concluded a successful campaign concert for the neo-Yellowists captures the essence of the concept of a pedigree platform quite well:
[The child in The Filipino] sees in Noynoy a person who will most likely not sully the memory of his parent's legacy. He is honest. Let's start from there.
Indeed, his parents' legacy was burnt into the Filipino psyche 23 years ago in 1986 (26 years ago if we bring this back even further to his father's assassination in 1983). Paredes's suggestion that we "start from there" implies that we set ourselves back two decades in our efforts to face the challenges of the second decade of the 21st Century. Makes sense in that uniquely-Filipino framework of sensibilities, doesn't it?
Insanity is aspiring for a change while doing the same thing yet again.
How do we reconcile the simple tenet above with what we see going on in the political landscape of the moment? Simple: We don't.
Malacanang of 2010 to 2016 is going to lead a Philippines surrounded by circumstances vastly different from what beset the Philippines of 1986. In 1986, the Filipino people had only newly re-acquired their license to drive their politics. Today, Filipinos approach the 2010 elections as 23-year driving veterans. Unfortunately, whether that experience added any value to the national psyche is still debatable. Are we approaching 2010 bringing to bear the full force of what 23 years of "democracy" had so far taught us for a change? Or are we approaching 2010 with the kind of selective amnesia that gives us that warm fuzzy feeling yet again?
Celebrities earn their big bucks from the talent they wield around giving their fans their daily fixes of warm fuzzy feelings. My hope is that we as a people will no longer regard that ability to lead our emotions as license to lead our sensibilities.
"Pilipino ba kayo sa isip, salita at sa gawa
Pilipino ba kayo na dada ng dada ng dada"
– Minamahal kong Pilipinas – by APO
Sure, Mr. Paredes. But then…
"Pilipino ba kayo sa isip, salita at sa gawa
Pilipino ba kayo na kanta lang nang kanta"
– Platform, plez™ – by benign0
We are the same whether you like it or not, Mr. Jim Paredes. We differ only in mode of delivery — you choose to sing, I choose to write — and in the substance of our respective messages — you appeal to the heart, I appeal to the intellect.
It's up to us to now decide which of the two we choose to apply in facing the challenges of the 21st Century.
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OMEGA Speedmaster Series 20mm African Croco Black Steel
browse these categories for related items...
All Items: Vintage Arts:Instruments and Implements:Time Pieces:Wristwatches: Pre 1980: item # 1173161
Please refer to our stock # OVW734 when inquiring.
The Watch Company
P.O. Box 3340
Santa Monica, CA 90408
Cell: 310-430-2275
Guest Book
OMEGA Speedmaster Series 20mm African Croco Black Strap with a Steel Omega 18mm Logo Buckle. We placed this polished steel Omega Buckle on this African Croco Black 20mm Swiss strap to create a desirable appearance for the Speedmaster stainless model. Decent quality strap and we think it is very appropriate.
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We will ship this Logo buckle domestically contained in a special plastic tube inside a padded envelope. First Class Mail Service will include a tracking No. which can be obtained at www.usps.com. Outside of the USA we ship usps Priority Mail service Flat Rate Envelope with tracking obtained by going to www.usps.com.


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A Toledo police officer on Wednesday afternoon shot a man who was walking down North Detroit Avenue with a gun, police said. The fatal shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute during which the man s wife called police, officials said. The man was shot after police confronted him on the street. When they approached him, he had one gun in his hand.
Man fatally shot by police officer in North Toledo UPDATED
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Big Walnut Golden Eagles
• Coach: Joe Weaver (year at school: sixth; career record: 33-22)
• Last year: 2-8, 2-5 (sixth in division)
• Top players: WR-DB Isaac Lucas (6-1, 185, jr.); LB Jacob Lucas (6-1, 205, sr.); RB-DB Blake Marioth (5-9, 160, sr.); WR Joe Muench (6-1, 180, sr.); QB Jordan Wall (6-1, 195, sr.)
• The goods: Wall (1,167 yards, six TDs passing) and Muench (24 receptions for 453 yards) return, but this is mainly a ground-and-pound team with several backs sharing the load. Lucas is the top playmaker on defense, recording five interceptions, a fumble recovery and 63 tackles last season.
Delaware Pacers
• Coach: Mike Golden (year at school: first; career record: 203-78)
• Last year: 5-5, 3-4 (fifth in division)
• Top players: LB-RB Ethan Tucky (6-3, 220, jr.); RB Ernest Bonsu (5-8, 213, sr.); LB Josh Daughenbaugh (6-2, 190, sr.); WR-DB Brandon McConaha (5-9, 170, sr.); TE-DL Lamar Rhymes (6-3, 280, sr.)
• The goods: Golden shocked everyone when he came out of a brief retirement to take over a Delaware program that hasn't put together three successive winning seasons since the late 1960s. First-team all-district as a sophomore, Tucky is a four-star recruit who will make plays on both sides of the ball.
Franklin Heights Falcons
• Coach: Tennyson Varney (year at school: first; career record: 0-0)
• Last year: 1-9, 0-7 (eighth in division)
• Top players: WR-DB Seth Dawkins (jr.); T-DL Justin Harris (sr.); WR-LB Day'Lashawn Summerall (sr.); QB Ray Spangler (sr.)
• The goods: Varney, a six-year assistant at Hamilton Township, brings an offensive background to a program that last posted a winning season in 2001. Dawkins is a top prospect already drawing Division I offers.
Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets
• Coach: Anthony Naples (year at school: fourth; career record: 24-46)
• Last year: 6-4, 4-3 (fourth in division)
• Top players: RB J.D. Orr (5-11, 205, sr.); QB Ryan Fitzgerald (5-11, 185, sr.); OL-DL Alec Curts (6-4, 250, sr.); OL-DL Jeep Cochran (6-4, 245, sr.); OL Chase Gallagher (6-1, 290, sr.); OL-DL Kyle Stump (6-0, 250, sr.)
• The goods: The Yellow Jackets' ground game centers on Orr, a first-team all-Ohio choice who ran for 1,838 yards and 21 TDs last year. Fitzgerald (1,034 yards passing, 714 yards rushing) is a nice complement.
New Albany Eagles
• Coach: Pat Samanich (year at school: second; career record: 11-2)
• Last year: 11-2, 6-1 (second in division; Division II regional finalist)
• Top players: DL-OL Jack Schroer (6-5, 250, sr.); RB-LB Christo Semertsidis (6-1, 210, sr.); QB-DB Jalen Ward (5-10, 170, sr.); OL-DL Tyler Pearson (6-1, 230, sr.); K-P Joey Rolwing (6-3, 185, jr.)
• The goods: Initially, New Albany might have to rely on its defense and special teams until its offense gets up to speed. Schroer heads five returning starters on defense. Rolwing is a dangerous kicker with 50-yard field-goal range. The top weapons on offense will be Semertsidis, who suffered a season-ending injury in a 225-yard, three-touchdown performance in last year's opener, and first-year quarterback Ward.
Olentangy Braves
• Coach: Mark Solis (year at school: second; career record: 109-52)
• Last year: 8-2, 5-2 (third in division)
• Top players: LB Jake Didion (5-11, 195, sr.); RB-DL Chris Crumb (6-1, 255, jr.); QB Deeb Haber (6-2, 185, jr.); RB Anthony Golden (5-11, 205, sr.); DL Nate Hall (6-2, 205, sr.)
• The goods: One of only five eight-win teams not to make the playoffs, Olentangy, with 15 returning starters, has a chip on its shoulder. The fast-paced offense is led by Haber (1,211 yards, 11 TDs passing in six games). Didion (120 tackles, 23 for minus-yardage), Crumb (95 tackles), Hall (70 tackles, 8 for losses) head up the defense.
Olentangy Orange Pioneers
• Coach: Zebb Schroeder (year at school: first; career record: 11-19)
• Last year: 1-9, 1-6 (seventh in division)
• Top players: LB-RB Blake Skuratowicz (6-3, 220, jr.); OL-DL Kenny MacMillan (6-3, 230, sr.); RB-DB Tyler Lichter (6-0, 175, jr.); QB Will Phillis (6-3, 208, so.); OL-DL Albert Van Fossen (6-3, 230, jr.)
• The goods: Formerly the coach at Delaware, Schroeder brings a no-nonsense approach in hopes of creating a different atmosphere. A wing-T offense will exploit good size up front.
Worthington Kilbourne Wolves
• Coach: Vince Trombetti (year at school: ninth; career record: 44-39)
• Last year: 10-2, 7-0 (first in division; Division II regional semifinalist)
• Top players: QB Griffin Dahn (6-5, 210, sr.); OL J.C. Bartok (6-6, 250, sr.); LS Liam McCullough (6-3, 220, sr.); DB Dom Brown (5-10, 180, sr.); DB Joe Davis (5-6, 145, sr.); RB Isaiah Young (5-9, 180, jr.); WR Rafael Herrera (5-11, 160, sr.); LB Luke Hackathorne (6-2, 210, sr.)
• The goods: Offensively, Kilbourne plans to make some subtle changes, running its trademark option out of a pistol with a more diverse package that should benefit Dahn (925 yards, 10 TDs passing, 545 yards rushing). Bowling Green-bound Bartok anchors a solid line. The biggest questions loom on defense, where the Wolves graduated eight starters from a unit that allowed just 12.3 points per game.
— Steve Blackledge


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Holland gets support in quieting Red Sox
Derek Holland finally gets support for a solid outing in the Rangers' win over Boston.
ARLINGTON, Texas –
Derek Holland turned in one of the
Rangers' best individual pitching performances on Friday, but it was actually a team effort.
Holland credited catcher A.J. Pierzynski, his defense and even the success of young starters like Justin Grimm and Nick Tepesch for his eight shutout innings against the
Red Sox.
Holland gave up six hits and a walk in the 7-0 win, but continued to attack hitters and wound up with nine strikeouts. He said his catcher kept him focused.
"A.J.'s been great back there for me, pushing me," Holland said. "I feel like we've really been on the same page. I know I say that about all my catchers every time, but we've got a great relationship."
Every time the Red Sox had an opportunity to get something started at the plate, Holland came back strong.
A leadoff hit by David Ortiz in the second was followed by back-to-back strikeouts and a fly ball out.
Shane Victorino led off the fourth with a hit, but Holland struck out the next batter, Dustin Pedroia, and then got Ortiz to ground into a double play.
In the sixth, the Red Sox put together back-to-back hits with one out, but Holland got Victorino to pop up and Pedroia to ground out and end the rally.
Maintaining focus and intensity has long been a challenge for Holland, but not as much this season with the addition of the veteran Pierzynski.
"Each guy [catcher] has a different style," Holland said. "Geo keeps me loose. It's just hard to explain, but I've really got to give a lot of credit to him. He keeps me locked in, with the [pitch] sequences. We hardly shake each other off. It's good."
It was also good that Holland followed two impressive, although hard-luck, performances, but young starters Nick Tepesch and Justin Grimm.
While the 26-year-old Holland is just a couple of years older than Tepesch and Grimm, he's one of the wise, old veterans of the staff in his fifth major league season.
"I spend a lot of time talking with Grimm. I didn't want him to take the same path as me," said Holland, who was 8-13 with a 6.12 ERA as a 22-year-old rookie. "Tepesch, I don't want to mess with him. I don't really want to say too much. He's doing a great job. Grimm's been doing a great job. Every guy's been doing great, I've just got to continue going with them."
Going with the flow is what Holland has done on a staff that led the American League with a 2.97 ERA in April. Holland said the starters tend to build on each other's success.
"I've always talked about pitching being just like hitting, it's contagious," Holland said. "You've got to go out there and go after those guys, just like the hitters do. If one guy does great, feed off of that and go with the next guy."
Holland's success hasn't always been reflected in the win column this season. Friday's game was his fifth quality start in six outings.
"He has been pitching well, he just hasn't gotten the results for it," manager Ron Washington said. "To be honest with you, I was shocked when the last time he took the ball in Minnesota his record was 1-1. I thought he had won about three or four ballgames, really."
Run support has been the main culprit. Holland had received just nine runs of support in his first five starts combined. On Friday, he left with a 7-0 lead.
"Since spring training, he's been throwing the ball well," Washington said. "Tonight was another example of what he's capable of doing. And we finally supported him with some runs."
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire


text: Bio for Steven Lidofsky, M.D., Ph.D. Steven Lidofsky, M.D., Ph.D.Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology MedicineDepartment of MedicineProfessor of Pharmacology Contact Information E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Location: 111 Colchester Ave, Smith 251, Burlington, VT 05401 Research InterestsThe Role of Ion Channels in Liver Cell Function Dr. Lidofsky's research concerns how hepatocytes respond to metabolic and osmotic stress, a process that is critical to protection against a variety of conditions that produce liver injury. The liver plays a critical role in the metabolic processing and elimination of a variety of potentially injurious foreign compounds. Liver cells undergo dynamic changes in volume in response to nutrient uptake and metabolism, and irreversible cell swelling is a precursor to liver necrosis. Thus, an understanding of cell volume regulation is highly relevant to an understanding of liver cytoprotection during toxic exposure. It is known that in response to swelling, restoration of cell volume is achieved through reorganization of the cytoskeleton and fluid and electrolyte efflux through plasma membrane potassium and chloride channels, but the responsible volume sensors and signaling pathways are not well understood. We have found evidence that implicates the tyrosine kinase Src as a key regulator of these processes. In response to swelling, Src activates: 1) Vav, which drives Rho family GTPase cytoskeletal regulatory proteins, and 2) phospholipase C gamma, which regulates volume-sensitive potassium and chloride channels. Our current goals are to define how Src is activated upon swelling, how Vav effectors mediate actin reorganization, and how effectors of phospholipase C gamma regulate volume-sensitive ion channels. We anticipate that signaling proteins that we find to be critical for liver cell volume regulation will influence cytoprotection in pathological states and thus provide new insights into host susceptibility factors during toxic liver injury Manuscripts: 1. Barfod ET, Moore AL, and Lidofsky SD: Cloning and functional expression of a liver isoform of the small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel SK3. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 280:C836-C842, 2001 2. Roe MW, Moore AL, and Lidofsky SD: Purinergic-independent calcium signaling mediates recovery from hepatocellular swelling: implications for volume regulation. J Biol Chem 276:30871-30877, 2001 3. Moore AL, Roe MW, Melnick RF, and Lidofsky SD: Calcium mobilization evoked by hepatocellular swelling is linked to activation of phospholipase C?. J Biol Chem 277:34030-34035, 2002 4. Barfod ET, Moore AL, Melnick RF, and Lidofsky SD: Src regulates distinct pathways for cell volume control through Vav and phospholipase C?. J Biol Chem 280:25548-25557, 2005 5. Barfod ET, Moore AL, Roe MW, and Lidofsky SD: Ca2+-activated IK1 channels associate with lipid rafts upon cell swelling and mediate volume recovery. J Biol Chem 282:8984-8993, 2007 PublicationsBarfod ET, Moore AL, Roe MW, Lidofsky SD. 2007. Ca2+-activated IK1 channels associate with lipid rafts upon cell swelling and mediate volume recovery. J Biol Chem 282:8984-8993. Pub Med ID: 17264085Lidofsky SD. 2008. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease -- diagnosis, relation to metabolic syndrome and approach to treatment. Current Diabetes Reports 8:25-30. Pub Med ID: 18366995Lidofsky SD. 2010. Jaundice. In Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ. (eds.) Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 9th ed., pp. 323-335.Barfod ET, Moore AL, Van de Graaf BG, Lidofsky SD. 2011. Myosin light chain kinase and Src control membrane dynamics in volume recovery from cell swelling. Mol Biol Cell 22:634-650. Pub Med ID: 21209319Zubarik R, Gordon SR, Lidofsky SD, Anderson SR, Pipas JM, Badger G, Ganguly E, Vecchio J. 2011. Screening for pancreatic cancer in a high-risk population with serum CA 19-9 and targeted EUS: a feasibility study. Gastrointest Endosc. 74:87-95. Pub Med ID: 21704809


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Archive for the 'polypharmacology' tag
Drug-Target Networks & Polypharmacology
I came across Takigawa et al where they address polypharmacology by investigating drug-target pairs. Their approach is to simultaneously identify substructures from the ligand and subsequences from the target and combine this information to suggest drug-target pairs that represent some form of polypharmacology. More specifically their hypothesis is that "polypharmacological principles" are embedded in a special set of paired fragments (substructures on the ligand side, subsequence on the target side). When you think about it, this is a more generalized (abstract?) version of a pharmacophore that makes the role of the target explicit.
Their approach originates from two assumptions
These results suggest that targets of promiscuous drugs can be dissimilar, implying that only a small part of each target is related with the principle of polypharmacology.
Similarly, recent research shows that smaller drugs in molecular weight are likely to be more promiscuous, suggesting that small fragments in each ligand would be a key to drug promiscuity
These lead to their hypothesis
… that paired fragments significantly shared in drug-target pairs could be crucial factors behind polypharmacology.
Based on this idea they first apply a frequent itemset algorithm to identify pairs of subgraph (SG) and subsequences (SS), that occur frequently (more than 5%) in the drug-target pairs. After identifying about 10,000 such SS-SG pairs, they define a sparse fingerprint, where each bit corresponds to one such pair. Using these fingerprints they then cluster the drug-target pairs, ending up with a selection of clusters. They then propose that individual clusters represent distinct polypharmacologies.
Our significant substructure pairs partitioned drug-target pairs covering most of approved drugs into clusters, which were clearly separated from each other, implying that each cluster corresponds to a unique polypharmacology type
While the underlying algorithms to obtain their results are nice, a lot of things weren't clear.
Foremost, given the above quote, it's not exactly clear from the paper what is meant by "unique polypharmacology type"? Given that a cluster will consist of multiple drugs and multiple targets, it is not apparent from the text that a cluster highlights either promiscuity of compounds or ligand preferences for a small number of targets. While I think this is a major issue there are some other lesser problems
- I get the impression that they consider promiscuity and polypharmacology as equivalent concepts. While there is a degree of similarity, I'd regard polypharmacology more as a rationally, controlled type of promiscuity
- Most fragments they highlight in Figure 2 are relatively trivial paths. Certainly, reactive groups can lead to promiscuity; none of the subgraphs list exhibit reactive functionality and their application of the frequent itemset method, using a support of 5% could easily filter these out
- Given they consider arbitrary subsequences of the target, the resulting associations could be meaningless. Again, it'd be interesting to note, in cases where crystal structure is available, how many of the subsequences, in the list of significant SS-SG pairs, lie in or around the binding site. A related question would be, of the SG-SS pairs associated with a cluster, how are individual subsequences distributed? Few unique subsequences could point towards a common binding site or active domain.
- Related to the previous point, it'd be interesting to see in how many of the SG-SS paired fragments, the members correspond to actual interacting motifs (again based on crystal structure data).
- One could argue that just using string subsequences to characterize the target misses information on important ligand-target interactions.
And while they may be the first to consider an analysis of drug-target pairs specifically, the idea of considering ligand and target simultaneously is not new. For example, the SiFT approach is quite similar and was described in 2004.
So, even though the paper seems pretty fuzzy on the supposed polypharmacology that they identify, it is overall an interesting paper (and one of the more interesting cheminformatics applications of frequent itemset methods).
What Has Cheminformatics Done for You Lately?
Recently there have been two papers asking whether cheminformatics or virtual screening in general, have really helped drug discovery, in terms of lead discovery.
The first paper from Muchmore et al focuses on the utility of various cheminformatics tools in drug discovery. Their report is retrospective in nature where they note that while much research has been done in developing descriptors and predictors of various molecular properties (solubility, bioavilability etc), it does not seem that this has contributed to increased productivity. They suggest three possible reasons for this
- not enough time to judge the contributions of cheminformatics methods
- methods not being used properly
- methods themselves not being sufficiently accurate.
They then go on consider how these reasons may apply to various cheminformatics methods and tools that are accessible to medicinal chemists. Examples range from molecular weight and ligand efficiency to solubility, similarity and bioisosteres. They use a 3-class scheme – known knowns, unknown knowns and unknown unknowns corresponding to methods whose underlying principles are whose results can be robustly interpreted, methods for properties that we don't know how to realistically evaluate (but which we may still do so – such as solubility) and methods for which we can get a numerical answer but whose meaning or validity is doubtful. Thus for example, ligand binding energy calculations are placed in the "unknown unknown" category and similarity searches are placed in the "known unknown" category.
It's definitely an interesting read, summarizing the utility of various cheminformatics techniques. It raises a number of interesting questions and issues. For example, a recurring issue is that many cheminformatics methods are ultimately subjective, even though the underlying implementation may be quantitative – "what is a good Tanimoto cutoff?" in similarity calculations would be a classic example. The downside of the article is that it does appear at times to be specific to practices at Abbott.
The second paper is by Schneider and is more prospective and general in nature and discusses some reasons as to why virtual screening has not played a more direct role in drug discovery projects. One of the key points that Schneider makes is that
appropriate "description of objects to suit the problem" might be the key to future success
In other words, it may be that molecular descriptors, while useful surrogates of physical reality, are probably not sufficient to get us to the next level. Schneider even states that "… the development of advanced virtual screening methods … is currently stagnated". This statement is true in many ways, especially if one considers the statistical modeling side of virtual screening (i.e., QSAR). Many recent papers discuss slight modifications to well known algorithms that invariably lead to an incremental improvement in accuracy. Schneider suggests that improvements in our understanding of the physics of the drug discovery problem – protein folding, allosteric effects, dynamics of complex formation, etc – rather than continuing to focus on static properties (logP etc) will lead to advances. Another very valid point is that future developments will need to move away from the prediction or modeling of "… one to one interactions between a ligand and a single target …" and instead will need to consider "… many to many relationships …". In other words, advances in virtual screen will address (or need to address) the ligand non-specificity or promiscuity. Thus activity profiles, network models and polyparmacology will all be vital aspects of successful virtual screening.
I really like Schneiders views on the future of virtual screening, even though they are rather general. I agree with his views on the stagnation of machine learning (QSAR) methods but at the same time I'm reminded of a paper by Halevy et al, which highlights the fact that
simple models and a lot of data trump more elaborate models based on less data
Now, they are talking about natural language processing using trillion-word corpora. Not exactly the situation we face in drug discovery! But, it does look like we're slowly going in the direction of generating biological datasets of large size and of multiple types. A recent NIH RFP proposes this type of development. Coupled with well established machine learning methods, this could be lead to some very interesting developments. (Of course even 'simple' properties such as solubility could benefit from a 'large data' scenario as noted by Muchmore et al).
Overall, two interesting papers looking at the state of the field from different views.
Kinase Inhibitors and Polypharmacology
The Curious Wavefunction has a nice post on the issue of selective and non-selective kinase inhibitors. An interesting commentary, especially in the light of the recent paper on network polypharmcology. While there have been a number of papers on polypharmcology and the idea itself is very attractive, it has seemed to me that for this approach to succeed we need very detailed information on the targets and systems involved in these networks. Indeed, a current project of mine is currently hitting this problem. As Ashutosh notes,
… in the first place we don't even know what specific subset of kinases to hit for treating a particular disease. First comes target validation, then modulation.


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Zaki, Mary N. MD; Hibbard, Judith U. MD; Kominiarek, Michelle A. MD
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate labor progress and length according to maternal age.
METHODS: Data were abstracted from the Consortium on Safe Labor, a multicenter retrospective study from 19 hospitals in the U.S. We studied 120,442 laboring gravid women with singleton, term, cephalic fetuses with normal outcomes and without a prior cesarean delivery from 2002 to 2008. Maternal age categories were younger than 20 years of age, 20–29 years of age, 30–39 years of age, and 40 years of age or older with the reference being younger than 20 years of age. Interval-censored regression analysis was used to determine median traverse times (progression centimeter by centimeter) with 95th percentiles adjusting for covariates (race, admission body mass index, diabetes, gestational age, induction, augmentation, epidural use, and birth weight). A repeated-measures analysis with an eighth-degree polynomial model was used to construct mean labor curves for each maternal age category stratified by parity.
RESULTS: Traverse times for nulliparous women demonstrated the time to progress from 4 to 10 cm decreased as age increased up to age 40 years (median 8.5 hours compared with 7.8 hours in those 20–29 years of age group and 7.4 hours in the 30–39 years of age group, P<.001); the length of the second stage with and without epidural increased with age (P<.001). For multiparous women, time to progress from 4 to 10 cm decreased as age increased (median 8.8 hours, 7.5, 6.7, and 6.5 from the youngest to oldest maternal age groups, P<.001). Labor progressed faster with increasing maternal age in both nulliparous and multiparous women in the labor curves analysis.
CONCLUSION: The first stage of labor progressed more quickly with increasing age for nulliparous women up to age 40 years and all multiparous women. Contemporary labor management should account for maternal age.
© 2013 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Today I drove past the local Tattoo World and saw a man entering the shop with what looked like a painfully new and painfully ugly tattoo on his calf muscle. His leg was shaved and raw looking, and the art, a disturbingly graphic portrait of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector, wild eyed, with his mouth barred shut by a leather muzzle.
It occurred to me that if the "man of faith" is influential to those around him, the man who tattoos himself with images of notable cannibals is one of the least influential members of our society. "Hey people, I'm so into cannibalism that I have a tattoo of a cannibal on my calf muscle. Want to go out with me? Want to hire me to prepare your food or do your taxes?"
I'm sorry. No. I want to run away from you.
Like ancient cave drawings, tattoos tell a story. They are nearly always representational (I have yet to see the Jackson Pollack tattoo), giving an outward sign of what kind of a person the wearer might be. They are a form of social communication: "I am a Christian." "I am a practitioner of Eastern Meditation." "I am interested in serial killers." Or in the case of a gal on my college cross country team whose turtle tattoo on her big toe peaked out of her Teva sandals, "I am a lover of congenial reptiles."
What I resist about tattoos is that the impression made by the tattooed image can only fall short of the whole person.
Recently, I reread the Flannery O'Connor short story, "Parker's Back." For those who haven't read it, the plot: A local ne'er-do-well who's always had his way with the ladies, encounters an upright, though unattractive Christian girl. Unable to tolerate the sense of superiority she has over him in spite of her homeliness and humble circumstances, he marries her. She agrees to this ill-fated marriage, presumably to try her hand at saving him, even while she is aware that a woman of her bearing can't expect much in the way of courtiers.
The marriage is a disaster. He's unable to bring her down. She's unable to bring him to the light. In an attempt to impress her, he decides to get a tattoo of the image of Jesus on his back. In the tattoo shop he is mesmerized by an iconic Byzantine Christ and wrongfully assumes that the tattoo would be beyond her reproach since it is the image of Christ himself. She however, considers the material image of God idolatry and kicks him out for good when she sees the tattoo.
I'd always placed more blame on Sarah (the woman in the story) because she rejects the notion that Christ can meet people in any human terms. Her god is so almighty and so untouchable that he would not allow himself to mingle with human beings. Conversely, Parker (the man in the story) discards the divinity of God by taming Christ into an image and extension of himself.
In this story we have an earthly god, and an almighty god, and never the two shall meet. Both characters hold tight to their heresies never realizing that they each hold only a partial truth, and that if they put their concepts of God together, they would begin to see the full picture of a God who is both human and divine.
But back to tattoos, because I think there's a relationship between the tattoo addict who uses profane imagery to forward the idea that people are consumables, and Parker who used an image of Christ as a means to subdue a woman into loving him.
To use one's own body as a canvas may seem some sort of artistic ideal. But as JPII pointed out, the opposite of love is use. To use oneself or anyone else as an object for any type of consumption is abuse. And the image put forward by the wearer, will inevitably fall short of the image God had in mind when he created that human being. How can any image inked on the skin possibly capture the divinity that God infuses into that soul?
I think about the images of the profane that I have seen in my life. I can remember things that I saw when I was twelve, fifteen, what have you. They made their stamp on my brain and there they will remain for the rest of my life. You have to wonder how submerged in the profane you would have to be to think that a tattoo of Hannibal Lector is a good idea.
It reminds me of that Will Smith movie, "I Am Legend," where a plague attacks the world and turns human beings into something like a rabid dog that can only live in darkness. They spend their nights hunting for survivors to consume and infect.
I want to go up to the man with the tattoo and shake him by the shoulders and say, "Come out! Come out and live in the light! It will only kill the worst parts of you! But the good will live on!" I have the same feeling when I pass the giant window-less Casino that just went up near our house. "Come out People!! It's beautiful out here!" To the porn addicts in their basement masturbatoriums: "Come out and live in the light!"
Be body AND soul.
But I'm scared. I'm scared not only of how a man with a cannibal tattoo might react to my supplication, but also of the images and dramas that play out in his head, the same way those old images of the profane continue to play out in mine.
Judgmental? Fine, I'm a Sarah.
1 hour ago


text: So I got an email from TiVo offering to upgrade to the Roamio, but the only one of the 8 DVRs on my account that is acceptable for the upgrade is the single Premiere that I have. Why not the TiVo HD that never saw a real HD interface? Why the Series 3 that never saw single M-card support and had those lovely bad capacitors? Or any of the Old Series 2's that didn't make the last upgrade offer? Nope, just the Premiere, the only one that I own that actually gets new features.


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Since this blog is supposed to be about current issues on my mind, I cannot help but share with you the excitement I feel about our pending acquisition next month of ASI. This is a company we have admired for many years. They enjoy a great reputation as the premier independent exterior building products distributor in all of Florida. They have eight warehouses on both the east and west coasts of one of the most populace states in the country. They were hit hard by the recession but have been bouncing back, and I see many opportunities for us together in the future. By combining their talented, dedicated, loyal workforce with our financial and operational expertise, there is a bright future.
I have known Mike Patierno, ASI's owner, for nearly thirty years and he is undoubtedly one of the finest people I have ever met. He loves his employees and his customers and has developed a well-deserved standing for quality in all that he does. I feel this will be a great fit and look forward to the road ahead. It is fortunate that LBP has this great opportunity.


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November 20, 2012
Richard T. Stangle, 74, of Selkirk died suddenly Tuesday, November 20, 2012 at Albany Medical Center surrounded by his loving family.
Born and educated in Amsterdam, he was the son of the late George J. Stangle and Sara (Norris) Stangle.
Richard was employed for many years in retailing at Neisner Brothers, Two Guys and the Jewel Tea Company. He was last employed by Conrail at the Selkirk Yards. Richard was a past member of the Bethlehem Volunteer Ambulance Service, Selkirk Fire Company #3 as well as the Selkirk Fire Police. He enjoyed camping with his family in the Adirondacks and spending time with his grandchildren.
Richard is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 48 years, Marilyn Good Stangle. In addition to his wife Richard is survived by his son Jeffrey (Michelle) Stangle and his daughter Margaret (Roger) Putnam; his granddaughter Sara Stangle and his grandsons Drew Stangle and Stephen Putnam all of Selkirk. He is also survived by his siblings, Doris Karchesky of Amsterdam, Elizabeth Grajewski of Ft. Collins, CO, Edward (Betty) Stangle of Glens Falls, Robert Stangle of Broadalbin and Mary Nicholas of Lockport. Richard was predeceased by his brothers, George J. Stangle and Clifford Stangle; sisters, Jeanette Stangle, Gertrude Natale and Barbara Heaton. He is also survived by brothers-in-law, John (Rita) Good, John (the late Joyce) Tolentino and sisters-in-law, Betty (Michael) Nolan and Vera Stangle; many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Services will be private at the convenience of the family.
Memorial donations can be made in honor of Richard T. Stangle to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund at www.redcross.org or the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, 3 Oakland Avenue, Menands, NY 12204.
For on line condolences please visit www.danielkeenanfuneralhome.com.


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Q: A neurologist suspects non‐epileptic seizures in a 24‐year‐old woman referred with the diagnosis of a seizure disorder because of their atypical features and repeatedly normal EEGs. He plans to administer a saline infusion during an EEG recording after telling the patient that he is administering a medication that can induce a seizure. He hopes to provoke one of her typical seizures and, if he finds no contemporaneous EEG evidence of an epileptic seizure, thereby confirm its non‐epileptic etiology. Is performing this provocative placebo test an ethically acceptable practice?
JAMES L. BERNAT, MD, RESPONDS: The ethical issue in this case is whether deceiving the patient by performing a provocative test using a placebo infusion can be justified. Since it was first described in 1982, some epileptologists have advocated performing the saline ‐provocative test claiming that it was safe and reliable, and prevented harm to patients by correcting their misdiagnosis of epilepsy and permitting the discontinuation of their ineffective treatment with anticonvulsant drugs. They acknowledged that the test was inherently deceptive but claimed that its deception was justified because it yielded the patient a net health benefit. However, most ethical analyses of this practice reached the conclusion that the deception implicit in the test was not ethically justified and that the test should be abandoned.
Purposely deceiving a patient "for her own good" is an example of medical paternalism, a medical practice arising from the hallowed tradition of beneficence that requires physicians to identify and act in the patient's best medical interest. Despite its beneficent intent however, paternalism becomes unethical and harmful when, through purposeful deception, it disenfranchises patients who wish to be aware of and participate in their diagnosis and treatment. A physician's purposeful act of omitting informed consent in a patient capable of providing it, within a situation in which consent is ordinarily required, is an example of medical paternalism.
Medical paternalism is unethical unless it can be justified by showing that the harms avoided by the physician's act are great, the harms imposed by the physician's act are comparatively small, the patient's behavior is irrational, and rational persons would routinely and publicly advocate physician deception in this circumstance. These criteria are not satisfied in the use of the saline infusion provocative test.
Let us first examine the benefits of the deceptive saline provocative infusion. Its primary benefit is to confirm that a clinical seizure‐like episode is a non‐epileptic seizure. In one study, 10 percent of patients with true epilepsy had an epileptic seizure provoked by the placebo infusion procedure, so it is a non‐specific test. Further, some patients with non‐epileptic seizures also have epilepsy, thus even determining that a particular episode was a non‐epileptic event does not exclude concomitant epilepsy.
Deception is not required to prove the diagnosis of non‐epileptic seizures. Usually, such patients are admitted to epilepsy EEG‐video‐monitoring units where their anticonvulsant drugs are discontinued and non‐deceptive provocative measures are conducted, such as falling asleep and awakening, suggestion, photic stimulation, and hyperventilation. In the one study in which these routine non‐deceptive measures were compared to those of the provocative saline infusion test, they were found to be equally effective in diagnosing non‐epileptic seizures.
What are the harms of the deceptive saline provocative infusion? The principal harm to patients results from the test's required deception. Lying purposefully to a patient damages the integrity of the patient‐physician relationship, which is founded on mutual trust and respect. When the patient discovers the deception, she may lose confidence in the physician and, possibly, in the honesty and integrity of the medical profession. This loss of confidence could impair future patient‐physician relationships and thereby cause future harm to her medical care. It is known that a disproportionate percentage of patients with non‐epileptic seizures experienced childhood sexual and physical abuse that often was perpetrated by a trusted family member or friend. These patients have resulting lifelong difficulties establishing trusting relationships and therefore are at particular risk to harm from deception by physicians.
A subtle harm induced by deception is that it damages medical professionalism. When physicians lie to patients, even for their own good, it can degrade the physician's integrity and image as an ethical professional. When the deceptive test is performed in an academic training program, student, resident, and fellow trainees are required to become partners in the deception. Because it is difficult for disempowered trainees to protest, they are forced to degrade their professionalism.
The American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs recently issued practice recommendations for physicians who prescribe placebos for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. They said: "In the clinical setting, the use of a placebo without the patient's knowledge may undermine trust, compromise the patient‐physician relationship, and result in medical harm to the patient. Physicians may use placebos for diagnosis or treatment only if the patient is informed of and agrees to its use."
Most neurologists who have advocated the use of the intravenous saline provocative test assume that notifying the patient that she is being infused with a placebo would counteract the suggestive element of the test and thereby render it useless. But this assumption remains untested. Preliminary studies of the efficacy of placebo use in therapy show the surprising result that its beneficial effect is diminished only very little when patients are told in advance that they are receiving a placebo. Avoiding deception would completely eliminate the ethically troubling aspect of the provocative test.
I recommend that the neurologist in this case refer the patient to an epilepsy center for EEG video‐monitoring and not perform the deceptive saline infusion provocative test. Alternatively, the neurologist who wishes to perform the saline infusion test should inform the patient that he is infusing a placebo.
Performing a deceptive saline provocative test is unnecessary to make the diagnosis of non‐epileptic seizures, has false‐positive and false‐negative results, and produces harm to patients and their physicians because of the attendant deception that does not satisfy the criteria for ethically justified paternalism. The deceptive use of placebos has been proscribed by American medical practice standards, and the saline infusion test has been abandoned by most epilepsy centers.
Dr. Bernat is the Louis and Ruth Frank Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Neurology and Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. He is the former chair of the AAN Ethics Law & Humanities Committee and is the author of Ethical Issues in Neurology, 3rd ed. (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008).
©2011 American Academy of Neurology
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june fishing trip help
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Ok...let's take this point by point:
1. Map: The best map I have found so far is National Geographic's map of the park. It shows everything in great detail, especially the trails you need to use to reach many of the streams. LRO has them.
2. Flies to use: There are a lot of flies that would work well in June, but the color to key on is yellow - yellow stonefly patterns, or a yellow Parachute Adams will work well.
3. Where to fish: There are a lot of choices...if you're staying in Gatlinburg, the West Prong of the Little Pigeon is hard to beat, and very easy to access; just pull into any of the "Quiet Walkways" along the Newfound Gap road (U.S. 441) and hike down to the stream. Just be careful wading this stream - it has huge boulders, and is particularly slick (at least to me)...I usually bash my shins at least once on this stream.
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Calcium is needed for our heart, muscles, and nerves to function properly and for blood to clot. Inadequate calcium significantly contributes to the development of osteoporosis.
The body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Without enough vitamin D, one cant form enough of the hormone calcitriol (known as the active vitamin D). This in turn leads to insufficient calcium absorption from the diet. In this situation, the body must take calcium from its stores in the skeleton, which weakens existing bone and prevents the formation of strong, new bone.
This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent and disease.
Supplement Facts:


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The free on-line version works right in your web browser. You can make new files, do light editing of existing files, store, share and collaborate on line. Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox are supported so you can use Mac, PC and LINUX computers. There's nothing to download or install. There are places to use the free version:
http://www.skydrive.com/ (Use
Windows Live, Hotmail or Outlook authentication)
http://www.docs.com/ (Use your Facebook account to log in)
free trial of Office 365 lets you use the same web
applications as the free version discussed in Strategy #1. The
free trial of Office 365 comes with a free trial of SharePoint
and Outlook features not included with the free version of
Microsoft Office. Office 365 works on Mac and PC.
Office 365 free
Be realistic. These are free alternatives to Microsoft Office. None of them have the complete feature set of Microsoft Office. All of them have compatibility problems with Microsoft products to varying degrees. If the ability to share files with users of Microsoft Office is of any importance to you, then you should be aware of these file and feature compatibility issues:
None of the free alternatives are "just
as good" if that means having every feature of Microsoft
Office. Free software doesn't have all of the major features
of Microsoft Office. If it did, people and organizations
wouldn't shell out money to Microsoft to get these features.
Are any of the free alternatives bad? No. But none of these
alternative products is identical to Microsoft Office. Here
are some popular alternatives to Microsoft Office:
Google Drive
One of several on-line web browser based Office alternatives is Google Drive, which replaced Google Docs. It's Google's direct competitor to Microsoft SkyDrive.
Another Microsoft Office alternative is ThinkFree.
Yet another Microsoft Office alternative is ZoHo.
Bean is a free, light-weight word processor for Mac OS X.
....Available in many "forks" including:
Lotus Symphony
Lotus Symphony version 3.4 and later is an Apache "fork" of OpenOffice supported by IBM. Symphony is available for Mac OSX and Windows.
Supported by the original OpenOffice team from the now defunct Sun Microsystems, and abandoned by Oracle Corporation.
LibreOffice can be made to save files in the open standard (OOXML) file format instead of the old open ODT format.
NeoOffice is an "aquified" fork of OpenOffice that makes OpenOffice, which is made for Windows, look more Mac-like for Mac users.
Requires Java, which is a potential vector for malware on your Mac.
be bashful!


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MyBCH Online Services
Jillian Horner, MD
Born in Africa, Dr. Horner has a uniquely global view of family medicine, having practiced in Colorado and the Marshall Islands, and having taught at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Medical School.Her medical degree is from the University of Kansas. Additionally, she completed an ultrasonography fellowship at Harvard. Her undergraduate degree in biology is from the University of Colorado at Boulder.Dr. Horner is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and board-certified in Family Practice. She has an interest in all aspects of family practice from pediatrics to geriatrics.She and her husband have two children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, going on medical missions, exotic cooking and beautiful Colorado.To schedule an appointment with Dr. Horner, please call 303-415-4015.Gunbarrel Family Medicine6685 Gunpark Drive East, Suite 110Boulder, Colorado 80301303-415-7599Directions
Inside Family Medicine
Boulder Creek Family Medicine(formerly Table Mesa Family Medicine)
Dakota Ridge Family Medicine
Family Medical Associates of LafayetteGunbarrel Family Medicine
Holistic Family MedicineNorthwest Family Medicine


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Good Success Home Study: Providing evidence-based diversion home study courses that
decrease offender recidivism.
About Steven Sweeney, M.Ed.,CCBT
Steven Sweeney, M.Ed, CCBT is the President and Founder of Good Success Consulting Group, Inc, a privately owned Consulting Group, specializing in Correctional Counseling, Educational Services and eLearning Solutions.
Steve works closely with Diversion Programs and Deferred Prosecution Programs, providing the Educational Component in a list of interventions many First Time Offenders must complete in order to get a misdemeanor charge expunged from their criminal record. He is most well known for his innovation, flexibility, accessibility, follow-up and case management services.
Steve is a member of:
- The National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists
- The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, NASP
- The National Association for Drug Court Professionals
- The International Society for Mental Health Online
- The American Correctional Association
- The South Carolina Correctional Association
- The South Carolina Probation & Parole Association
- The National Association for Pretrial Services Agencies, NAPSA
- Certified MRT® Facilitator (Moral Reconation Therapy)
In addition to the numerous Professional Associations, Steven Sweeney has partnered with the following companies to provide Evidence Based Content for his Online and Home Study Course:
- American Community Correctional Institute (ACCI LifeSkills Affiliate)
- The Change Companies (ChangeU.net Affiliate)
- The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention Program Affiliate
Steve earned a Bachelor or Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology from Winthrop University in 1983, and a Master of Education in Guidance from Winthrop University in 1986.
With almost 30 years of counseling experience, Steve Sweeney has helped thousands get a second chance through one-on-one support, local classes, as well as a growing list of Home Study and Online courses for students across the United States.
Meet the Good Success Home Study Exit Interviewers:
Jennifer Shackelford, MA, LPC, CAC II
Jennifer has a BS in Psychology and a MS in Clinical/Community Psychology. Ms. Shackelford has over 23 years' experience working in the field within the public and private sector providing direct clinical services, developing service arrays, supervising staff and ultimately coordinating grants in evidence based treatment. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Additions Counselor, and a Certified Public Manager. . Jennifer has been employed with the Family Services Research Center within the Department of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina working on various research studies since 2004. Additional work in research was performed within the Department of Nursing at the University of South Carolina. Prior to her interest in research, Jennifer oversaw treatment for the state of South Carolina as a Program Manager for the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Studies from 2000-2004. Ms. Shackelford has worked in the mental health arena serving as the Assistant Director of the three county Pee Dee Mental Health center. Overall, Jennifer throughout the years has worked as a counselor, clinical supervisor, as an administrator, and researcher.
Jessica L. Drost, MA, LPCI
Jessica graduated magna cum laude from Western Michigan University in 2004 with a major in Psychology, and minors in Criminal Justice and Biology. In search of sunshine and beaches she moved from Michigan to South Carolina and began a career with the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. During this time she was awarded Agent of the Year, supervised a specialty caseload and pursued her master's degree in Counseling. She graduated summa cum laude from Webster University in 2010 and is currently licensed as a professional counselor intern for the state of South Carolina. She began working with Good Success Consulting in early 2012 and loves reaching out to individuals who are making positive changes at critical times in their lives. Specialty counseling interests include those involved in the legal system, substance abuse and sexual deviance. She enjoys new motherhood, exercise, a great cup of coffee and has a special place in her heart for her blind rescue dog.


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Hotel Globus
Rate on Official Website
Pray Eat Party Italy trip
From the minute I stepped in the door, the staff greeted me, helped me with my luggage, and gave me an overall warm welcome to Florence. The entrance is inviting, warm, and welcoming to an American visiting Italy for the first time. They explained at check in, my original room was still booked, so they upgraded me for one night at no extra cost. Both rooms were very clean and cozy. As a single woman, I was not afraid to stay here alone. The hotel is in a good location, near several markets, the Duomo, and many attractions. It is reasonable in price and excellent in every other way. I would recommend this hotel to everyone going to Florence!
What did you enjoy most about your stay?
The staff, by far! They are the most pleasant, friendly, helpful group of people I have met.
If you represent the management of this property and would like to respond to a review, please use the Management Response Form. To reply please follow the suggestions of our "Guidelines for Responding to a negative Review".


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Timothy Andrews
Timothy's Contributions
02/18/13 Community Articles
Analysis Plan
First-time business takers would feel daunted while formulating a home based business foundation or perhaps planning. It needs the greatest preparing to get unique components of any firms to the right order. Aside from implementing strategic steps, in relation...
About Timothy Andrews
Timothy Andrews joined the JazzTimes community on Feb 18, 2013


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A powerful, customisable and user friendly solution for all data management requirements, Browser provides the hub for all Dotmatics solutions. Browser is a flexible and powerful web-based query and reporting solution. Developed in collaboration with scientists, Browser can be completely tailored to the needs of any industry. The solution integrates all disparate databases into a central place to allow the sharing of data from any geographical location with colleagues or collaborators.
What it does
An intuitive and powerful querying and reporting tool.
- Integrates data from any database whether it is chemical, biological, technical etc.
- Create and share lists, queries and forms across projects or research teams.
- Combines with other Dotmatics' solutions to provide a complete and seamless data management and visualisation system.
- Accessible – Web-based for convenient access from any location.
- Minimum overhead – Does not require any client installs.
- Time saving – Out of the box integration with Vortex for data visualisation, as well as all our other solutions including Gateway; our document management solution.
- Integrates – Integrates with existing in-house tools to extend its capabilities further.
- Versatile – Ability to create almost any view of data you wish.
- Cost effective – According to our customers, they save on average a day per month per user versus other commercial solutions.
Key Features
- Elemental embedded in Browser, or use any existing commercial chemical drawing tools.
- Ultra high performance for both querying and browsing, no matter how much data you have.
- Pinpoint embedded in Browser as well as integration with any commercial chemical cartridge.
- Set up email alerts and schedule queries to be run.
- Clone and re-design user level forms with the simple drag and drop interface.
- Chemists can request samples to be run through assays. Biologists automatically receive list in Studies.
- Use Boolean logic to produce complex queries of your data.
- Perform R-Group analysis.
- Create SAR tables.
- Automatically calculate physical properties of molecules: XlogP, TPSA, MW, H-bond donor/acceptors etc.
- Pivot data on the fly.
- Export your data into SDF, CSV or Microsoft Office using Dotmatics for Office.
- Print hit lists of data with complete control. Print tables or form views.
What have customers said about Browser?
- "The Browser and Vortex combination is hugely powerful and intuitive to use" Cancer Therapeutics CRC, Australia
- "We are further enhancing the way we globally consolidate and learn from biological and chemical research data" Basilea Pharmaceuticals
- "We found Dotmatics' Browser and Vortex the clear leaders in terms of flexibility, performance and intuitiveness for the end user" CHDI Foundation


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Ferrari is the only constructor to have competed in every single edition of the World Drivers' championship (commonly known as Formula 1) since its creation in 1950. For many years now it has also been the only team to build every part of its single-seaters in-house: chassis, engine, gearbox, suspension. By the end of 2012, Scuderia Ferrari had won a total of 15 Drivers' and 16 Constructors' titles. It also holds the record for the greatest number of wins (221) , pole positions (207) and race fastest laps (228).
A total of 71 drivers have driven officially for Ferrari in Formula 1, 37 of whom have won at least one Grand Prix. It should be pointed out that the World Constructors' title was only established in 1958. Had it been created in the same year as the Drivers' title, Ferrari would have won it in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1956 too.
The close relationship between Ferrari and its track-oriented clients led to the staging of a series of racing activities for the latter, culminating in the establishment of the Ferrari Corse Clienti Division based at the Fiorano Circuit.
Ferrari Corse Clienti deals with the organisation of the international Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, a single-make series competed in cars which it directly readies and manages. It also coordinates the involvement of classic Ferraris in prestige events across the globe as well as providing support to clients competing in the leading international GT championships. Ferrari Corse Clienti also organizes a host of exclusive non-competitive events, such as the F1 Clienti exhibitions and the FXX and 599XX programmes.
The FDA (Ferrari Driver Academy) is an initiative aimed at helping develop young talent taken from motor sport arenas worldwide with the aim of training them for a future in F1. Apart from this, there are plans for initiatives based around promotion of motorsport in general, in Italy and abroad: currently being drawn up are partnership agreements to support youth championships in Europe, Americas and Asia. The programme includes also courses of three days each. In these meetings, the young drivers take English language lessons, study mental preparation, are coached in the concept of improving team spirit, physical preparation, as well as undergoing tests on the simulator and on the track.
The aim is to follow the drivers as they progress, not just in terms of their racing activity, but also on the human and professional front. The programme, under the guidance of Luca Baldisserri, progresses gradually over several years, starting from kart racing, before moving up through the various lower formulae, before finally making it to formulae that are the nursery slopes to Formula 1.
The ACI-CSAI (the branch of Italian Automobile Club for motorsport activities) plays an important role, working with the FDA through the Federation School at Vallelunga. The training the young drivers acquire is also aimed at producing a positive impact on the work methods that they can apply to the junior formulae in which they are currently involved.
The four drivers in the Ferrari nursery: Raffaele Marciello, Antonio Fuoco, Lance Stroll and Guanyu Zhou


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Economics Departments, Institutes and Research Centers in the World
Centro de Investigação e Apoio ao Empreendedorismo e Empresas Familiares (AUDAX)
ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)Translation: Center of Research and support for Entrepreneurship and Family Business
Translation: Lisbon University Institute
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Homepage: http://audax.iscte.pt/
Phone: 21 790 32 76
Fax: 21 790 32 96
Postal: Av. das Forças Armadas, Edifício ISCTE, Gabinet 2N2, 1649-026 Lisboa
Handle: RePEc:edi:audaxpt
Additional details:
People who have registered with RePEc and have claimed to be affiliated with this institution:Find all publications of all authors listed below conveniently compiled on IDEAS. Authors with publications are listed below with . We have lost contact with authors marked with ?, and they do not count towards the ranking of this institution.
This listing is provided to you by EDIRC at the Economic Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Please send additions and corrections to Christian Zimmermann.


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Department Chairs Council
The Department Chairs Council meets at noon on the first and third Thursdays of every month during the academic year for the purpose of providing information to department chairs and coordinators and to give chairs and coordinators the opportunity to discuss the issues that involve them. The Department Chairs Council seeks input and participation from all members of the campus community who wish to work with the chairs and coordinators in the spirit of open dialog, mutual cooperation, and shared governance. As a collective body, the Department Chairs Council is an essential faculty voice and presence in the college's commitment to shared governance and shared leadership.<
Department Chairs Council Contacts
- Council Chair: Debra J. Crumpton, Professor of Business & Business Technology
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
- Phone: 916-558-2020
- Office Location: Business Building, BUS 231
Last fall 2016 Meeting:
Thursday, December 1
Time: noon – 12:50 p.m.
Location: RN 258
Mark your calendars for spring 2017:
Thursday, February 2
Thursday, February 16
Thursday, March 2
Thursday, March 16
Thursday, April 6
Thursday, April 20
Thursday, May 4


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iLuv Debuts SyrenPro
iLuv Creative Technology has announced the arrival of the SyrenPro, a Bluetooth speaker product first introduced at International CES in January.
The SyrenPro features iLuv's TrueWireless Stereo technology, which allows easy pairing of two units.
"With the market of Bluetooth speakers rapidly growing, we realized our consumers needed a speaker system with unparalleled new features," Jason Park, Marketing Manager at iLuv Creative Technology, said as part of the announcement.
"With SyrenPro we were able to take the award-winning design of the original Syren and add elements such as weather resistance and TrueWireless Stereo™, making it the ideal speaker system for outdoor entertainment. iLuv is pleased to announce that this product is now available to consumers."
The SyrenPro is available now at an MSRP of $129.99.


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Allure of the Seas Cruise Review by Bocyn: THE SHIP WAS FANTASTIC
Overall Member Rating
Destination: Western Caribbean
Embarkation: Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
Before you embark, DO NOT USE PREMIER PARKING. They do not have their act together and the parking situation is a mess. The lot behind the Ramada is only temporary. They move your car off site because they use that lot for other parkers that are going or coming on other days. Boarding shuttles from the lot to the ship is one big shoving match. We were first off our ship when it disembarked, got to the lot at 6:40AM only to find out the lot doesn't open until 7AM so we had to cool our heels out in the street. They had to find keys for and move 4 other cars to get our car out of it's space. It's not worth the cost saving.
The ship was great. We had an inside balcony overlooking Central Park. Next time we'll get an ocean view balcony. The cabin was small as was the shower but we survived. Yes, there were lots of people and lines but don't arrive at the dining room when they open, Go 10-15 minutes later and you walk right in. Book all the shows before you leave home otherwise More you're waiting in the stand-by line hoping to get in. Blue Planet was our favorite. We saw it twice.
Labadee is all beach and water and lunch ashore. Falmouth is so-so unless you're on a tour. There is nothing outside the port area other than people who harass you. Cozumel is all shopping.
We found just exploring the ship was an experience. The food in the dining room was excellent. Get to the Windjammer early for breakfast and lunch or you'll wait in line. There was breakfast and lunch served in the front of the ship, in a restaurant whose name I forgot, but it rarely had a line. Of course the dining room is always a good option. A good place to hang was the Promenade for people watching but the Viking crown lounge was a quiet place to read or relax. There are enough chaise lounges around the pool but if you want a specific spot, arrive early. It's the biggest cruise ship on the seas and it's something to experience. Enjoy Less
Published 01/01/14
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Copyright 2016
American Institute of Steel Construction
All Rights Reserved
April 24, 2013 from American Institute of Steel Construction
(Chicago, IL) – Thirteen structural steel building projects have earned national recognition in the 2013 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel awards program (IDEAS2). Conducted annually by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the IDEAS2 awards recognize outstanding achievements in engineering and architecture on steel-framed building projects throughout the U.S. The award is the highest honor bestowed on building projects by the structural steel industry in the U.S. and recognizes the importance of teamwork, coordination and collaboration in fostering successful construction projects.
The winning projects and their respective team members were recognized on April 17 during AISC's 2013 NASCC: The Steel Conference in St. Louis. Each year, awards for each winning project are presented to the project team members involved in the design and construction of the structural framing system, including the architect, structural engineer, general contractor, detailer, fabricator, erector and owner.
A panel of design and construction industry professionals identified National and Merit winners in three categories, based on constructed value: projects less than $15 million; projects $15 million to $75 million; and projects greater than $75 million. In addition, the panel awarded a Presidential Award of Excellence in Engineering to one project for structural engineering accomplishment.
Covering an array of project types, this year's IDEAS2 winners demonstrate the flexible and effective solutions provided by structural steel on a wide variety of building projects. Each project was judged on its use of structural steel from both an architectural and structural engineering perspective, with an emphasis on: creative solutions to the project's program requirements; applications of innovative design approaches in areas such as connections, gravity systems, lateral load resisting systems, fire protection and blast; aesthetic and visual impact of the project; innovative use of architecturally exposed structural steel; technical or architectural advances in the use of the steel; and the use of innovative design and construction methods.
The 13 IDEAS2 winners were chosen from nearly 100 submissions received from architectural, engineering and construction firms throughout the U.S. The 2013 award-winning projects are:
Projects Less Than $15 Million
Projects $15 Million to $75 Million
Projects Greater than $75 Million
Presidential Award of Excellence in Engineering
Roger E. Ferch, P.E., president of AISC, commented, "The 2013 IDEAS2 winners demonstrate that innovation and creativity can be found on building projects of every size and description. Steel continues to provide excellent solutions for the entire design and construction team, from architects, engineers and developers to fabricators, erectors and general contractors. Congratulations to the award-winning teams for projects that combine creativity, economy and technical achievement through the use of structural steel."
For more information about the IDEAS2 awards program and to view a video and photo slideshow highlighting this year's winners, visit www.aisc.org/ideas2. To request high-resolution photos, please contact AISC's Tasha Weiss at [email protected], 312.670.5439.
For more information contact:
Tasha WeissCommunications Department(312) 670-5439[email protected]


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View Single Post
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 34
[QUOTE=knucklehead;78687]Being an avid snake finder and fly flinger, my favorite season is quickly approaching. even though I have very little experience in the park compared with Mr. Casada, my excursions in the park have led me to believe that snakes see us much more often than we see them.
Case in point: late last summer, i was watching a couple of fisher folk along the tremont road. they were both in the stream, wearing waders and within 10 feet of a good snake-sunnin' rock. I was about 20 yds away, across the stream, in the shade and out of fish-spookin range when i saw a nice sized n. water snake slither up on the rock, facing the two fisherman who weren't 10 feet away. I watched them all for a few minutes and after several casts were made I told them about their new friend. I thought that was one incredibly sneaky snake. out in the open and nearly unseen. imagine what's waiting where we can't see very well. another reason i take a hiking stick wherever I go in the park.
It amazes me how numerous northern water snakes really are. I see them every time I fish the Little River, or up in Tremont. And sometimes they can surprise you how far they get from water. I was walking on the Abrams Falls trail one time, just happened to look to my left in some downed timber / brush. There were quite a few snakes in there just knotted up and taking in the sun that just happened to be making it thru the trees and leaves. This was a good 50 ft away from the stream itself. So that tells me they are more numerous than we probably would believe.
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