text:
Jon Barry on D&C: Rondo in elite company
|05.11.10 at 8:59 am ET
Jon Barry, who serves as an NBA analyst on ESPN and ABC, joined the Dennis & Callahan show Tuesday morning to talk about the Celtics-Cavaliers series. To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. Barry said Rajon Rondo's performance on Sunday cements his status as the maquee player on the C's, ahead of the Big Three. Said Barry: "He's quickly becoming the system, like Steve Nash in Phoenix. There's not a guy in the league who wouldn't say he wants to play with Steve Nash. Rondo's quickly becoming the guys who is mentioned in that same breath."
Barry said the Cavaliers continue to lean too heavily on LeBron James. "Their reliance on him to be superhuman is just too much," Barry said. "When he doesn't go crazy, they don't win. They've got enough talent that they should be better than this."
Barry suggested the Cavaliers should try inserting center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who has taken a back seat to Shaquille O'Neal in the playoffs. And he expects to see the Cavs push the ball more aggressively and consistently, based on their success when they've done that in this series. "Cleveland in Game 3 did everything in transition. They pushed the tempo," Barry said. "They did it in Game 3, then in Game 4, nothing. … I don't understand how that happens."
Rondo has seen it all before
|05.10.10 at 9:17 pm ET
WALTHAM — As is his style, Rajon Rondo completely underplayed the possibility that LeBron James wants a piece of him for Game 5 in Cleveland on Tuesday. At least, on defense.
Even more, Rondo took the chance to show he can play history teacher, too.
'It's happened before," Rondo said in recalling the 2008 NBA Finals. "LeBron is going to be LeBron. He's a great help-defender so he's definitely going to be helping. He's a good defender. They did that a couple of years ago when Kobe was checking me in the Finals. So, I'm used to bigger guys giving me the shot and challenging me late because of their wingspan. But [Anthony] Parker, is 6-7, 6-6, he's not LeBron but he's similar. He's not a first-team All Defense but he's a good defender.
'It really doesn't matter about the matchups. Obviously, a big thing in the playoffs is the matchups, but for me, I don't really care who's guarding me. I'm still going to run our offense and our system. We run our sets on offense through Paul, Ray and Kevin.'
But Rondo isn't as worried about who guards him Tuesday as he is the final result. A win and Rondo and the Celtics could clinch on home court Thursday night.
'Each game you say is the most important game of the series, which is true," he said. "Game 5 is the biggest game for us right now. There can be a momentum swing. The series has been up and down. I think each game is won, loss, won, loss so hopefully we can change it up and get two wins in a row.
'The pressure is on them now and also on us. So there's no one-way street now as far as to where the pressure is. I'm fairly confident we can go into Cleveland and get a win. We definitely have to be focused.'
As for getting Paul Pierce started, Rondo said he'll do what he can but he knows his captain won't force things.
'We don't want to sacrifice the entire offense or the team just to get Paul involved," he said. "Paul is just an unselfish player so he's not complaining about shots or that he's only scoring 11 or 12 points. As long as we're winning, he knows it's a team sport. He's very unselfish. It's about sacrifices. Yesterday, I think Ray [Allen] got 21 shots up and myself. Maybe Paul gets 22 shots and maybe Ray and I only shoots four. It varies each game. If a guy has it going, you keep going to him.'
Paul Pierce meet David Ortiz
|05.10.10 at 4:32 pm ET
WALTHAM — So maybe Paul Pierce is just getting the David Ortiz treatment.
After scoring just nine points in 31 minutes on Sunday in the 97-87 Celtics win over Cleveland that evened the series, 2-2, everyone wants to know if Paul Pierce is physically fine.
And if he is, as he told reporters following Monday's practice, why then is he having such trouble getting his offensive game going?
'I'm not a rookie, you guys. I'm not a rookie," Pierce said with a painful smile very similar to the one a certain Red Sox slugger sported after getting grilled about his woes just TWO games into the season.
"It is my 12th year. I've been in every situation, regardless. Whether it's foul trouble, not playing, things not going so well for you, I know how to get through those times, mentally. It doesn't affect me like it used to when I was a younger player where I had two or three fouls and not really playing the kind of basketball I want to. But the key is to keep focused and doing what you can to help the team win.'
And about your physical condition Paul?
'There's nothing wrong me," Pierce said. "The key for me is being focused and giving my team what they need to win. So there's nothing wrong with me.'
'No, Paul's fine, Paul's fine," Celtics coach Doc Rivers added. "Obviously, we want more out of him but we're getting a lot out of him. I think unfortunately for Paul, he's an offensive player and that's what everyone sees in him and he has a defensive part in this series so they're going to look at his offensive numbers so that's the bad part of being Paul Pierce, really.'
Specifically, it was the early foul trouble in Games 3 and 4 at the Garden that Pierce pointed to as the main culprit in robbing him of offensive rhythm.
"If you're a scorer, you're a scorer for life," Rivers said. "It's like you're in a gang, a scoring gang. I think scorers still think, 'OK,' and then once they get into it they realize, 'Wow, this is tough.' We just keep telling him to be aggressive. The one thing I did tell him was I thought I did think we got the right matchups for him he wasn't looking to score. When we do get those situations, we need him to morph back into Paul."
'We don't want to sacrifice the entire offense or the team just to get Paul involved," added Rajon Rondo. "Paul is just an unselfish player so he's not complaining about shots or that he's only scoring 11 or 12 points. As long as we're winning, he knows it's a team sport. He's very unselfish. It's about sacrifices. Yesterday, I think Ray [Allen] got 21 shots up and myself. Maybe Paul gets 22 shots and maybe Ray and I only shoots four. It varies each game. If a guy has it going, you keep going to him.'
Pierce said he will not let games of 13, 14, 11 and nine points take him out of his focus of doing what it takes to help the team win the series, namely defend and help on LeBron James.
'All that other stuff goes out the window, being frustrated," Pierce said. "You really have to concentrate on the game when you're not in the game so that when you go back in the game, you can finish it.
'I'm digging myself a ditch as far as my fouls but I think they're good fouls I'm getting, some bad ones but that's the way the game goes. It's nothing I'm really worried about. I know I can do a better job and control. No matter how I'm doing offensively, as long as we win, that's all that matters to me.'
And winning Game 5 in Cleveland Tuesday is Job No. 1.
'We definitely have a sense of urgency going into Game 5," Pierce said. "We have to treat it like a Game 7, trying to gather some momentum, like we've been trying to do. We know it's going to be a tough place to play back in Cleveland, trying to get two wins. It's going to be very difficult. I think we're going to put our hard hats on and clean up some of things we didn't do right last night and in Game 3, and hopefully, try to steal another win.'
Doc: We don't care who guards Rondo
|05.10.10 at 4:17 pm ET
WALTHAM — After Game 4, LeBron James said it was time to "explore" having him guard Rajon Rondo. On Monday in Cleveland, Cavs coach Mike Brown said it was likely going to happen.
That's fine with the Celtics who have been waiting for this to happen since the series started.
"We don't care who guards Rondo," Doc Rivers said Monday. "We're going to still run out stuff. It's not like we're going to stop running our offense. We anticipated it. I've only talked about it for three games. We know it's going to come at some point in this series. When it does we have to find a way of using Rondo and making sure he's still the facilitator."
Rivers felt that one of the keys in Rondo's huge Game 4 performance was that he made things happen off ball movement. This was a key difference from Game 3 when most of the Celtics offense came off one-on-one isolation plays (or rather breakdowns).
Rondo, who sees more gimmick defenses and adjustments than any of the other Celtics combined, isn't worried about it either.
"It's happened before," Rondo said. "LeBron is going to be LeBron. He's a great help-defender so he's definitely going to be helping. He's a good defender. They did that a couple of years ago when Kobe [Bryant] was checking me in the Finals. So, I'm used to bigger guys giving me the shot and challenging me late because of their wingspan."
Brown has resisted employing the LeBron option to this point and a good reason for doing so is that James has taken Paul Pierce out of the series to this point. If he does take Rondo, that would put Anthony Parker on Pierce, and while Parker is a good, veteran defender, he's no nearly as physically imposing as James.
"That's probably one of the reasons they haven't," Rivers said. "But they're going to at some point. It may not be all game. It may be in the fourth quarter. It may be in the second half, out of timeouts. And will be ready for it."
Good Tony arrives just in time
|05.10.10 at 3:58 pm ET
WALTHAM — You could have made a lot of money in October if you wagered that the Celtics best, most consistent and indispensable bench player in the 2010 playoffs would have been Tony Allen, but here we are.
Allen had his moments in the Miami series when he was asked to guard Dwyane Wade, but his contributions in this series have been a little more under the radar. That is, until Game 4, when he scored 15 points in 25 minutes and converted a dunk on what may have been the play of the game: Rajon Rondo's blind pass with LeBron James closing fast on the break.
"I like playing with Rajon," Allen said Monday after the Celtics completed practice. "Let me say, I like playing with everybody but he's one of the guys that's mainly looking for you to score as opposed to other guys, you have to feed off of them. He's actually looking for you. He brings out my game, I must say that."
Allen doesn't find himself on the court with Rondo as much as the others because he has been filling the role of backup point guard when Rondo gets one of his rare breaks. But it paid dividends for the Celtics in Game 4 when Rondo teamed with Allen and the rest of the reserves in a makeshift lineup late in the third quarter and into the fourth.
James essentially left Allen alone, and that also allowed James to roam the court in a manner that Doc Rivers termed, "disruptive." But Allen forced the issue, going backdoor for layups and not only making strong athletic plays, but smart ones as well.
Allen's come a long way in the last two and a half months and it should no longer be a pleasant surprise when he performs well. Now, it's an expectation.
"What more can I say?" Allen asked. "I wasn't playing then. I'm playing now. Basically, I got a role. I took advantage of the role and things happen with me taking that role. I took advantage of my opportunity. I'm taking it all in stride."
Pierce: There's nothing wrong with me
|05.10.10 at 3:05 pm ET
WALTHAM –When a player like Paul Pierce struggles offensively the way he has in the Celtics series with Cleveland, questions naturally arise. Most prominently: Is he hurt?
Pierce has dealt with a myriad of injuries this season, but given the caveat that every player is a little banged up at this point in the season, he stated flatly Monday after the Celtics went through a brief practice that he was fine.
"There's nothing wrong with me," Pierce said. "For me, it's just being ready, being focused, giving my team whatever it needs to win. There's nothing wrong with me."
There are other mitigating factors that have contributed to his sub-par numbers (16-for-50, 4-for-18 from 3-point range). For one, he has found himself in early foul trouble and for another, he is guarding LeBron James at the other end of the floor.
"I'm digging myself a ditch as far as with my fouls," Pierce said. "I think they're good fouls that I'm giving, some bad ones, but that's the way the game goes."
"Paul's fine," Doc Rivers said when asked about his health. "Obviously we want more out of him, but we're getting a lot out of him. I think, unfortunately for Paul, he's an offensive players and that's what everyone sees in him. He has a defensive role in this series and so they're going to look at his offensive numbers. That's the bad part of being Paul Pierce, really. If it was Tony Allen, people would be happy. He's doing a great job defensively, but it's Paul, so they want more. And we're going to get more out of Paul. I believe that."
Pierce was asked if he felt like he at least one vintage Paul Pierce game in him for the last three games of the series.
"I hope so, but that's not something I'm pressing," he said. "I'm trying to help my team win. Whether it's scoring or defense, it's about winning."
Pierce is also a veteran, and he's drawing on past experiences to get him through this stretch.
"I'm not a rookie," Pierce said. "It is my 12th year. I've been in every situation. I know I can get through those times mentally. It doesn't affect me like it used to when I was a younger player, where I had two or three fouls and not really playing the type of basketball I wanted to play. The key is to just stay focused and doing what you can do to help the team. All that other stuff goes out the window."
Rondo takes on the big screen
|05.10.10 at 1:03 am ET
Rajon Rondo played the leading role in the Celtics' win over the Cavaliers on Sunday. It's not the only role he's playing this week.
Rondo has a cameo role in the upcoming film 'Just Wright,' a romantic comedy about a basketball player starring Common and Queen Latifah, which opens in theaters on Friday.
'I'm friends with Common,' Rondo told WEEI.com. 'He asked me if I wasn't doing anything, there was a basketball movie and he would try to get me a part in it, and he did.'
Rondo shot his scene last summer in New York. He soaked up the total movie experience, complete with hair, makeup and long hours on set.
'It was actually different than I expected,' he said. 'We were on set for like 12 hours. My actual shot is maybe like 30 seconds.'
Even though Rondo did not have a speaking role in the movie, he still enjoyed being part of the production.
'[My favorite part was] just seeing how they do it,' he said. 'I've never been on a movie set before so it was just first experience. I didn't know you do one particular scene like an entire day. We did maybe like 20 takes. It was crazy. I didn't expect it. But the guys from the cast were very funny, so I had a great time.'
Rondo is not the first Celtic to have a brush with the silver screen. Ray Allen starred in 'He Got Game' and Glen Davis was a top candidate for the leading role in 'The Blind Side.' But don't expect Rondo to be sending out demo tapes any time soon.
'I'm not trying to pursue an acting career,' he said. 'I was myself in the movie.'
Rondo has proved he doesn't need to be in movies to play a starring role.
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text:
Redcat Racing Brake Kit
Redcat Racing
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This item is discontinued and no longer available for purchase. You may want to search our site for a similar item.
This is a replacement Redcat Racing Brake Kit, and is intended for use with the Redcat Racing Rampage X-SC, Dunerunner 4x4, Rampage MT, Rampage Rally, Rampage TT, Rampage XT and Rampage XB 1/5 scale vehicles.
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This product was added to our catalog on May 4, 2012.

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text:
"She's provided a roster of authors that is both inclusive and rooted in the desire to showcase some of the best stories Americans have to offer.While this book is most likely to wind up in the hands of students, there's a lot here to recommend to readers in general."Shelf Awareness
Praise for the first edition:
"Joyce Carol Oates has cast her net further and deeper, drawing from American literature's impressive past and substantial cultural wealth.... Exceptional."Booklist
"More than a survey of writing styles. It is a celebration of the diversity of American culture."Denver Post
"Readers who take an encompassing view of American literature and culture will love this book, which brilliantly captures the range and heft of the remarkable American contribution to the short story genre. With penetrating introductions by Joyce Carol Oates to each writer, this is an anthology of the finest kind, a collection of stories dazzling in variety but unified by an editor of singular intelligence and vision."Arnold Rampersad, Princeton University
"Joyce Carol Oates, a master fabulist who is also one of our finest critics, has given us a treasury that represents the astonishing range of the American short story. But instead of another showcase of 'greatest hits,' Oates ventures further afield, to uncover a series of neglected but refulgent gems. This is a collection with gutsand brains. Best of all, it's a collection that unfolds, as its editor promises, the larger story of American writing, in all its hues and timbres."Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University
"A splendid volume of short stories which reflect the wealth of brilliance built up over the years by a wide ranging field of American writers. Oates has done an outstanding job in making this selection.... She does not always go for the well known stories by delights us with some that have remained somewhat obscure."Yorkshire Gazette and Herald
"To a short story lover it is hard to think of a book that could give more pleasure."Scotland on Sunday


text:
Mini Caramel Apples
- Serves
- 24
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper; set aside. Using a melon baller, scoop balls from apples. Submerge balls in water to keep from browning.
- In a medium saucepan, combine caramel candies and cream. Cook over medium low heat until candies are melted and smooth, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.
- Just before dipping, remove apple balls from water; pat dry with paper towels. Insert lollipop sticks into apple balls. Dip balls into caramel mixture, turning to coat. Place on a prepared baking sheet to set.
Recipe ©


text:
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alternate not done
An iridescent Vitae Rainbow
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Broken hyena dreams


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text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jun 7, 2011
|Filing date
|Aug 12, 2009
|Priority date
|Aug 12, 2009
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|James A. Gilbert
|Original Assignee
|Tyco Healthcare Group Lp
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (120), Non-Patent Citations (89), Referenced by (23), Classifications (11), Legal Events (3)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to electrosurgical apparatuses, systems and methods. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to electrosurgical systems configured to monitor impedance.
2. Background of Related Art
Energy-based tissue treatment is well known in the art. Various types of energy (e.g., electrical, ultrasonic, microwave, cryogenic, heat, laser, etc.) are applied to tissue to achieve a desired result. Electrosurgery involves application of high radio frequency electrical current to a surgical site to cut, ablate, coagulate or seal tissue.
In bipolar electrosurgery, one of the electrodes of the hand-held instrument functions as the active electrode and the other as the return electrode. The return electrode is placed in close proximity to the active electrode such that an electrical circuit is formed between the two electrodes (e.g., electrosurgical forceps). In this manner, the applied electrical current is limited to the body tissue positioned between the electrodes. When the electrodes are sufficiently separated from one another, the electrical circuit is open and thus inadvertent contact with body tissue with either of the separated electrodes does not cause current to flow.
Bipolar electrosurgical techniques and instruments can be used to coagulate blood vessels or tissue, e.g., soft tissue structures, such as lung, brain and intestine. A surgeon can either cauterize, coagulate/desiccate and/or simply reduce or slow bleeding, by controlling the intensity, frequency and duration of the electrosurgical energy applied between the electrodes and through the tissue. In order to achieve one of these desired surgical effects without causing unwanted charring of tissue at the surgical site or causing collateral damage to adjacent tissue, e.g., thermal spread, it is necessary to control the output from the electrosurgical generator, e.g., power, waveform, voltage, current, pulse rate, etc.
In monopolar electrosurgery, the active electrode is typically a part of the surgical instrument held by the surgeon that is applied to the tissue to be treated. A patient return electrode is placed remotely from the active electrode to carry the current back to the generator and safely disperse current applied by the active electrode. The return electrodes usually have a large patient contact surface area to minimize heating at that site. Heating is caused by high current densities which directly depend on the surface area. A larger surface contact area results in lower localized heat intensity. Return electrodes are typically sized based on assumptions of the maximum current utilized during a particular surgical procedure and the duty cycle (i.e., the percentage of time the generator is on).
The first types of return electrodes were in the form of large metal plates covered with conductive gel. Later, adhesive electrodes were developed with a single metal foil covered with conductive gel or conductive adhesive. However, one problem with these adhesive electrodes was that if a portion peeled from the patient, the contact area of the electrode with the patient decreased, thereby increasing the current density at the adhered portion and, in turn, increasing the heating at the tissue contact site. This risked burning the patient in the area under the adhered portion of the return electrode if the tissue was heated beyond the point where circulation of blood could cool the skin.
To address this problem various return electrodes and hardware circuits, generically called Return Electrode Contact Quality Monitors (RECQMs), were developed. Such systems relied on measuring impedance at the return electrode to calculate a variety of tissue and/or electrode properties. These systems detected peeling by identifying changes in impedance of the return electrodes. In bipolar and monopolar systems it is desirable to monitor impedance to ensure proper operation of the electrosurgical generator and associated instruments and return electrodes.
According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an impedance monitoring circuit for an electrosurgical generator is disclosed. The monitoring circuit includes an isolation transformer coupled to at least one of an active terminal and a return terminal of an electrosurgical generator, wherein the isolation transformer includes a primary winding coupled to a reference resistor and a secondary winding coupled to a load. The monitoring circuit also includes a driver configured to transmit a sensor signal to the reference resistor and the load, a primary converter coupled to the reference resistor and the load and configured to detect a primary converted signal as a function of the sensor signal passing through the reference resistor and the load. The monitoring circuit further includes a secondary converter coupled to the driver and configured to detect a secondary converted signal as a function of the sensor signal prior to passing through the reference resistor and the load and a controller including a preprogrammed offset value. The controller is configured to determine a fault condition based on the primary and secondary converted signals and the offset value.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an impedance monitoring circuit for an electrosurgical generator is disclosed. The monitoring circuit includes an isolation transformer coupled to at least one of an active terminal and a return terminal of an electrosurgical generator, wherein the isolation transformer includes a primary winding coupled to a reference resistor and a secondary winding coupled to a load. The monitoring circuit also includes a driver configured to transmit a sensor signal to the reference resistor and the load, a primary converter coupled to the reference resistor and the load and configured to detect a primary converted signal as a function of the sensor signal passing through the reference resistor and the load. The monitoring circuit further includes a secondary converter coupled to the driver and configured to detect a secondary converted signal as a function of the sensor signal prior to passing through the reference resistor and the load and a controller configured to determine a fault condition based on the primary and secondary converted signals.
A method for detecting a fault in an impedance monitoring circuit is also contemplated by the present disclosure. The method includes the steps of: transmitting a sensor signal to a reference resistor coupled to a primary winding of an isolation transformer and a load coupled to a secondary winding of the isolation transformer and detecting a primary converted signal as a function of the sensor signal passing through the reference resistor and the load. The method also includes the steps of detecting a secondary converted signal as a function of the sensor signal prior to passing through the reference resistor and the load and determining a fault condition based on the primary and secondary converted signals.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the drawings wherein:
Particular embodiments of the present disclosure are described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail.
The generator according to the present disclosure can perform monopolar and bipolar electrosurgical procedures, including vessel sealing procedures. The generator may include a plurality of outputs for interfacing with various electrosurgical instruments (e.g., a monopolar active electrode, return electrode, bipolar electrosurgical forceps, footswitch, etc.). Further, the generator includes electronic circuitry configured for generating radio frequency power specifically suited for various electrosurgical modes (e.g., cutting, blending, division, etc.) and procedures (e.g., monopolar, bipolar, vessel sealing).
The system 1 may include a plurality of return electrodes 6 that are arranged to minimize the chances of tissue damage by maximizing the overall contact area with the patient. In addition, the generator 20 and the return electrode 6 may be configured for monitoring so-called "tissue-to-patient" contact to insure that sufficient contact exists therebetween to further minimize chances of tissue damage.
The system 1 also includes a bipolar electrosurgical forceps 10 having one or more electrodes for treating tissue of a patient. The electrosurgical forceps 10 include opposing jaw members having an active electrode 14 and a return electrode 16 disposed therein. The active electrode 14 and the return electrode 16 are connected to the generator 20 through cable 18, which includes the supply and return lines 4, 8 coupled to the active and return terminals 30, 32, respectively. The electrosurgical forceps 10 are coupled to the generator 20 at a connector having connections to the active and return terminals 30 and 32 (e.g., pins) via a plug (not explicitly shown) disposed at the end of the cable 18, wherein the plug includes contacts from the supply and return lines 4, 8.
The generator 20 may be any suitable type (e.g., electrosurgical, microwave, etc.) and may include a plurality of connectors to accommodate various types of electrosurgical instruments (e.g., instrument 2, electrosurgical forceps 10, etc.). Further, the generator 20 may be configured to operate in a variety of modes such as ablation, monopolar and bipolar cutting coagulation, etc. It is envisioned that the generator 20 may include a switching mechanism (e.g., relays) to switch the supply of RF energy between the connectors, such that, for instance, when the instrument 2 is connected to the generator 20, only the monopolar plug receives RF energy. The active and return terminals 30 and 32 may be coupled to a plurality of connectors (e.g., inputs and outputs) of the generator 20 to power a variety of instruments.
The generator 20 includes suitable input controls (e.g., buttons, activators, switches, touch screen, etc.) for controlling the generator 20. In addition, the generator 20 may include one or more display screens for providing the user with variety of output information (e.g., intensity settings, treatment complete indicators, etc.). The controls allow the user to adjust power of the RF energy, waveform, and other parameters to achieve the desired waveform suitable for a particular task (e.g., coagulating, tissue sealing, intensity setting, etc.). The instrument 2 may also include a plurality of input controls that may be redundant with certain input controls of the generator 20. Placing the input controls at the instrument 2 allows for easier and faster modification of RF energy parameters during the surgical procedure without requiring interaction with the generator 20.
In particular, the RF output stage 28 generates sinusoidal waveforms of high RE energy. The RF output stage 28 is configured to generate a plurality of waveforms having various duty cycles, peak voltages, crest factors, and other suitable parameters. Certain types of waveforms are suitable for specific electrosurgical modes. For instance, the RF output stage 28 generates a 100% duty cycle sinusoidal waveform in cut mode, which is best suited for ablating, fusing and dissecting tissue and a 1-25% duty cycle waveform in coagulation mode, which is best used for cauterizing tissue to stop bleeding.
The controller 24 includes a microprocessor 25 operably connected to a memory 26, which may be volatile type memory (e.g., RAM) and/or non-volatile type memory (e.g., flash media, disk media, etc.). The microprocessor 25 includes an output port that is operably connected to the HVPS 27 and/or RF output stage 28 allowing the microprocessor 25 to control the output of the generator 20 according to either open and/or closed control loop schemes. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the microprocessor 25 may be substituted by any logic processor (e.g., control circuit) adapted to perform the calculations discussed herein.
A closed loop control scheme is a feedback control loop, in which a plurality of sensors measure a variety of tissue and energy properties (e.g., tissue impedance, tissue temperature, output current and/or voltage, etc.), and provide feedback to the controller 24. Such sensors are within the purview of those skilled in the art. The controller 24 then signals the HVPS 27 and/or RF output stage 28, which then adjust DC and/or RF power supply, respectively. The controller 24 also receives input signals from the input controls of the generator 20 or the instrument 2. The controller 24 utilizes the input signals to adjust power outputted by the generator 20 and/or performs other control functions thereon.
The generator 20 includes an impedance monitoring circuit 22 which is coupled to an isolation transformer 34 that is, in turn, coupled to the active and return terminals 30 and 32, the isolation transformer 34 includes a primary winding 37 coupled to the monitoring circuit 22 and a secondary winding 38 coupled to the active and return terminals 30 and 32. The monitoring circuit 22 detects the impedance of the load (e.g., tissue in contact with instrument 2 or the forceps 10) and transmits the impedance measurements to the controller 24 for determination of treatment completion and other status updates. In addition, the monitoring circuit 22 also detects any faults at the load or within the generator 20 in either bipolar and monopolar configurations. In bipolar configuration as shown in
In monopolar configuration shown in
The controller 24 provides a drive signal, REM CLK, at a specific interrogation frequency to the monitoring circuit 22. REM CLK, is a clock signal generated by the controller 24 at the specific frequency, which may be either a square wave, a sine wave, an impulse or step signal. REM CLK may be a constant, physiologically benign waveform (e.g., 140 kHz, 2 mA) that the monitoring circuit 22 applies to the first electrode pad 35. The drive signal thereafter passes through the patient and is returned to the monitoring circuit 22 via the second electrode pad 36. The monitoring circuit 22 then measures a response signal to the drive signal and monitors the changes in the response signal to determine degree of adhesion of the return electrode pad 6. The response signal (e.g., returning drive signal) is modified by the impedance of the first and second electrode pads 35 and 36. More specifically, as the impedance between the split electrode pads 35 and 36 changes due to peeling of the return electrode pad 6 from the patient, the monitoring circuit 22 then supplies the impedance measurement to the controller 24, which determines whether the impedance is within a desired range. If the impedance is outside the desired range an excessive peeling condition exists with the return electrode pad 6 and the controller 24 issues an alarm and/or adjusts the output of the generator 20 (e.g., terminates RF energy supply). In addition to monitoring the adherence of the return electrode 6 based on the impedance, the monitoring circuit 22 also determines whether the first and second electrode pads 35 and 36 are shorted (e.g., insulation therebetween at the return electrode 6 deteriorated) or open (e.g., the return electrode 6 peeled off the tissue).
The monitoring circuit 22 a also includes a reference resistor 46 coupled to the driver 40. The driver circuit 22 a is coupled via the transformer 34 to a load 48. The load 48 may be tissue grasped by the forceps 10 or may be the return electrode 6, based on the mode of operation of the generator 20. At the secondary winding 38, the monitoring circuit 22 a also includes a band pass filter 50 for filtering out only the sensor signal (e.g., at about 80 kHz).
The monitoring circuit 22 a also includes a buffer 52 coupled between the resistor 46 and the transformer 34. The buffer 52 detects the voltage passing through resistor 46 and transmits the detected signal to a primary converter 54 (e.g., RMS to DC) which then transmits the primary converted DC signal as Vout to the controller 24 for further processing.
The resistor 46 has a predetermined resistance, Zout, which may be from about 1 kΩ to about 10 kΩ. The relatively large resistance of the resistor 46, allows the monitoring circuit 22 a to act as a current source, with the resistance converting the sensor signal into current. The resistance, Zout, is selected to be larger than a resistance of the load 48, Zload, under normal operating conditions. When Zout is larger than Zload, Vout is approximately proportional to Zload. This allows the controller 24 to determine the resistance of the load based on the Vout. Thus, when Zload is approximately 0, such as when the output is shorted, the controller 24 makes the determination that there exists a short based on the voltage being 0 V. When Zload is much larger than Zout, then an open circuit is detected (e.g., when Vout is approximately 10V). More specifically, the controller 24 makes the determination of an open circuit based on the amplitude of Vout, which is proportional to the impedance being larger than Zout.
The secondary converter 56 samples the sensor signal square wave as the signal traverses to the resistor 46. The converter 56 converts the signal to a DC signal and transmits it to a summer 58. Since the converter 56 is disposed between the oscillator 42 and the resistor 46, the converted DC signal corresponds to the unmodified sensor signal being output by the oscillator. As a result, the converter 56 outputs a constant DC offset. The summer 58 is coupled to the primary and secondary converters 54 and 56 and sums the primary and secondary converted signals, thereby adding a constant DC offset proportional to the oscillator signal level and supplying a parsed signal with the DC offset as Vout to the controller 24.
In one embodiment, the controller 24 includes a preprogrammed value for the DC offset that the controller 24 subtracts from the Vout signal to arrive at the original primary converted signal. The controller 24 then makes a determination of the impedance based on the Vout signal minus the DC offset. The controller 24 determines if the parsed signal is associated with a faulty oscillator 42 and/or the driver 40, if the Vout is approximately 0 V and thereby does not include the DC offset. The controller 24 determines if the parsed signal is associated with an open circuit, such as when the amplitude of the primary converted signal is nearly unchanged at 10 V. The controller 24 determines whether Vout is associated with Zout being much larger than Zload—a condition reflective of a shorted circuit and the amplitude of Vout signal approaches the DC offset (e.g., when the amplitude of the primary converted signal is approximately 0 V).
While several embodiments of the disclosure have been shown in the drawings and/or discussed herein, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
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|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Apr 29, 2011
|Aug 14, 2012
|Covidien Ag
|Laparoscopic apparatus for performing electrosurgical procedures
|Mar 29, 2011
|Sep 18, 2012
|Covidien Ag
|System and method for closed loop monitoring of monopolar electrosurgical apparatus
|Dec 16, 2011
|Sep 18, 2012
|Covidien Ag
|Method and system for programming and controlling an electrosurgical generator system
|Sep 24, 2009
|Feb 19, 2013
|Covidien Lp
|Automatic control circuit for use in an electrosurgical generator
|Feb 26, 2010
|Jun 4, 2013
|Covidien Lp
|Enhanced lossless current sense circuit
|Aug 23, 2012
|Jul 2, 2013
|Covidien Ag
|System and method for closed loop monitoring of monopolar electrosurgical apparatus
|Jan 16, 2012
|Jul 16, 2013
|Covidien Ag
|Switched resonant ultrasonic power amplifier system
|Aug 24, 2012
|Jul 16, 2013
|Covidien Lp
|Imaginary impedance process monitoring and intelligent shut-off
|Jul 12, 2010
|Jan 28, 2014
|Covidien Lp
|Polarity control of electrosurgical generator
|Jan 4, 2012
|Feb 11, 2014
|Covidien Ag
|Thermocouple measurement system
|Oct 21, 2013
|Jun 24, 2014
|Covidien Lp
|Class resonant-H electrosurgical generators
|Oct 21, 2013
|Jul 15, 2014
|Covidien Lp
|Class resonant-H electrosurgical generators
|Jul 16, 2013
|Mar 3, 2015
|Covidien Ag
|Switched resonant ultrasonic power amplifier system
|Aug 30, 2011
|May 19, 2015
|Covidien Lp
|System and method for DC tissue impedance sensing
|Jan 31, 2012
|Aug 25, 2015
|Covidien Ag
|Method and system for controlling output of RF medical generator
|Oct 8, 2013
|Sep 1, 2015
|Covidien Ag
|ARC based adaptive control system for an electrosurgical unit
|Jan 31, 2012
|Oct 27, 2015
|Covidien Ag
|Method and system for controlling output of RF medical generator
|Feb 14, 2014
|May 2, 2017
|Covidien Lp
|Systems and methods for measuring tissue impedance through an electrosurgical cable
|Sep 24, 2009
|Mar 24, 2011
|Tyco Healthcare Group Lp
|Automatic Control Circuit for Use in an Electrosurgical Generator
|Dec 16, 2009
|Jun 16, 2011
|Tyco Healthcare Group Lp
|System and Method for Tissue Sealing
|Feb 26, 2010
|Sep 1, 2011
|Smith Robert B
|Enhanced Lossless Current Sense Circuit
|Jul 12, 2010
|Jan 12, 2012
|Tyco Healthcare Group Lp
|Polarity Control of Electrosurgical Generator
|Jun 17, 2015
|Dec 22, 2016
|Medtronic, Inc.
|Catheter breach loop feedback fault detection with active and inactive driver system
|U.S. Classification
|324/649, 606/34
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Aug 12, 2009
Owner name: TYCO HEALTHCARE GROUP LP, CONNECTICUT
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:GILBERT, JAMES A.;REEL/FRAME:023092/0507
Effective date: 20090812
|Oct 2, 2012
Owner name: COVIDIEN LP, MASSACHUSETTS
Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:TYCO HEALTHCARE GROUP LP;REEL/FRAME:029065/0403
Effective date: 20120928
|Dec 8, 2014
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text:
Wow, this indeed is the day. A MacBU employee talking about Microsoft bashing practice.
Just a little question: What's it like to actually work for the company so many people seem to dislike?
I've read a number of posts here from MacBU employees that initially had reservations about working for Microsoft. (Their company was bought by Microsoft for example.) But after a while settling in and getting familiar they all seem to adjust their opinions. How come?
It seems like every Microsoft I talk to is insainly glad to work there. It's almost scary. But it does make me wonder why.
What is C4. What is an indie developer? I don't care if I'm showing stupidity or naiveté.
Mario –
C4 is a mac developers conference: http://c4.rentzsch.com
Indie is short for 'independent', and 'indie developer' refers to a small company, often just one person, that develops software.
Jereon – I can't answer for anyone else, but I can tell you why I like it here.
I like it because I have the support to do my job well. I have great support from my management chain, and from my colleagues in the group. I work with really smart people who deeply care about making great software. There's things that I don't like, but they're vastly outweighed by the things that I do like.
But then, I think that anyone doing any job at any company should be happy in what they're doing. If you don't like where you are or what you're doing, it behooves you to do something about it: change companies, change jobs, change something. Being happy in your job is important. You don't have to wrap your whole life in your job, but I think that it's better for everyone if you at least like your job.
nadyne, I agree completely with you. It's not only the work itself, but the people around are just as important. Imagine working at a place where you feel everybody is aacting out like a lunatic when it comes to writing code. I'd be out the door in not time running.
Tnx for your reply. 🙂


text:
The Aliens, and Alice Munro
2 hours ago
A true struggle to manage a thrift store.. Things tend to pile upReplyDelete
Very good magpie, you put the words to work well!ReplyDelete
A pleasing response to the prompt...ReplyDelete
Hard but maybe that smile suggests it's still a pleasure..thank you for taking me into that pictureReplyDelete
Pigeons disdain your broom? Oh, never! Oh, wait! Yes! ;)
Wordle Grotesqueries
You exposed a new direction to the magpie.. Very nicely done. :)ReplyDelete
Clever stuff.ReplyDelete
Good job of blending the prompts. Not easy, and you did it well.
Please keep it open...I'm your best customer...ReplyDelete
Thank you all for your kindness.ReplyDelete


text:
First Sign of Corruption
"Hello and welcome to news at 11. I'm Julia Gold, here with todays news," a young woman said over the television that night.
Elion took a sip of her juice before stuffing a forkful of noodles covered in Alfredo sauce in her mouth. The house was quiet and the only sound came from the television that she had turned on. Every once in a while, she would hear the sound of a car driving past on the streets below, but that was all.
For Elion sitting down and eating the left over dinner and watching the news had become a ritual for her. She liked the quietness of her house at this hour. Emilia was asleep in bed and Evan was out partying with his friends trying to figure out how to win a girl. This was truly her alone time, when she could sit and do what ever she wanted, and for the most part all she wanted to do was watch the news.
Elion watched as large red and blue words flashed on the screen saying "BREAKING NEWS". Elion's fork, stopped a few inches from her mouth as she looked at the television wondering what had happened. The scene then switched back to Julia Gold who had a very sullen look on her face.
"Today, on October 3rd, 2028, we have gotten word that President Elric has died suddenly. Footage from the speech that he was giving at the Capital Building shows him drinking from a glass of water before falling into the podium and falling to the ground. Police have determined that the cause was poisoning and they are trying to find the source and the police have all ready taken in a number of suspects,"
Elion nearly spat out the food that she had been eating as she saw the news. She swallowed whatever she had left before setting her plate down and crossing her arms. She stared at the screen as they continued to cover the story. She couldn't believe it, even if she was seeing it.
President Elric, had brought the country back from the brink, following the presidents before him. Things were going great. The law enforcement was better. Heck everything was better and the country rejoiced when he was elected into office. Why would any one kill him?
As she continued to watch she saw that not only had their president died, but others all around the world had to. The Emperor of Japan, the President of India and several others were now gone. Yet the news and the police were calling it a simple coincidence. But she saw the similarities. They were either poisoned or had an allergic reaction and all of that was bothering her.
Suddenly her phone vibrated. As she flipped it open she saw that it was a text from Astrid.
Are you watching the news?
Elion quickly replied with a yes and told Astrid to meet her on the server. Closing her phone Elion turned off the TV and entered her room, sitting at her desk where her laptop was set up. The server was the nickname for communicating using camera's without using a chat like Yahoo or MSN. It was called Turn Table, and many teens used it since it couldn't be traced by anyone. As she logged on, she found that she had gotten a friend request from both Maika and Jamie and they were waiting to join in the chat. She accepted them quickly before her camera turned on and she saw Astrid, Vanessa, Jamie and Maika.
"Are you guys following us?" Vanessa asked.
"Look we're all friends here," Jamie said, "And Maika sent me the text. We figured that you guys used the server, so we decided to try and find you guys. Thank goodness we did. Please tell me that at least one of you saw the news?"
"I think we all saw it Jamie," Elion began as she she switched the camera away from her face so it showed what she was doing on the computer to her friends. She had brought several stories that were talking about all the strange deaths of world leaders. After a few minutes she closed down the Internet and returned the camera so the others could see her face.
"You know, it's strange. why are we freaking out like this?" Vanessa asked.
"I think it's because we know something isn't right. I mean this isn't coincidence. I mean this is pure blooded assassination going on here," Maika explained.
"Exactly. I knew Elion would be watching the news and once i saw all that was going on, I was just terrified," Astrid piped in after being quiet for a while.
"You know what else, why did this suddenly happen after that speech Alucard gave today? Look I know this may sound a little far off, but what if Alpha had something to do with this?" Elion asked.
"It does sound somewhat far-fetched to tell you the truth Elion," Jamie begin, "But I think you might ave something there. Look here's the latest news feed,"
Suddenly the screen went blank and on popped Julia Golds once again this time talking about who was going to take the President's place, and the other world leaders places.
"It has been confirmed that Vice-President Mccauler, is now moving to take the role of the president..."
The five teens watched the stories, each one gasping and speaking their mind whenever it went on commercial break. Then all of a sudden Jamie went quiet, causing the group alarm. They exited the news feed.
"What's up Jamie?" Maika questioned.
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," Jamie said.
"Yes we would, come on you can tell us Jamie," Vanessa piped up, still sounding like a little child..
"Ok, I just looked into all of these people that are taking office, and they are devout Alpha supporters. And in each country the same thing happened, they asked for a reform, even our country,"
"That's ridiculous why do we need a reform, everything is fine over here. I mean this just isn't making any sense at the moment," Elion said.
"I agree with Elion. This feels weird. Then again, maybe it all in our minds and this is just..."
"Just what?" Astrid asked.
"No, something is seriously wrong here. That's what. I am trying to lie to myself, but it's not really working. We are a big trouble," Maika said closing his eyes.
"You can say that again," Jamie exclaimed with a nod of his head.
"So is killing off the current leader part of the reform?" Elion asked.
"Perhaps, if so, that's why they wouldn't put it under the section of their website," Jamie said.
"Ok, hey can you click around see what this Ultimate Peace is?" Maika asked.
"Can do," Jamie said.
Once again silence reigned as hey sat there and waited for what Jamie could pull up about the Ultimate Peace. It seemed to take hours when all actuality it was just a few minutes before Jamie began to speak again. It wasn't good news.
Elion rung her hands together as she waited for what Jamie had to say, she hoped that they would have something and they could understand what this Ultimate Peace was. She swallowed hard, and then closed her eyes.
"Nothing, it just says that the Ultimate Peace shall bring the world back to perfection," Jamie explained.
"Seriously?" the other four teams asked in unison.
Jamie nodded.
"Something isn't right," Maika and Elion said at the same time.
"Are you guys telepathic or something?" Vanessa questioned.
"No, but I think we have the same feelings at the moment, if I am not mistaken," Maika asked.
"We do. We're bothered by Alpha and what is going on. Another thing that scares me is...exactly how much do we know? I mean we know Alpha is suppose to be for peace and reform, and then this happens? Are we jumping to conclusions saying that Alpha is behind this?" Elion asked.
"Maybe we are. The only proof we have though is that each of the new world leaders are advocates for Alpha. Maybe our teen-aged minds wants this to be bad," Vanessa said, a frown coming to her face.
"That's impossible," Jamie said.
"Look, its getting late, we should get some sleep," Elion prompted as she crossed her arms.
The others nodded and one by one they logged off. The last to do so was Maika who took one last look at Elion, waved and then disappeared. Elion closed her laptop and turned on her lamp so her room was slightly brighter. She wiped sweat from her brow when something caught her eye. She looked at her arm, and found a small indentation on her wrist. It was a small, pink butterfly. She touched it, and immediately shivers ran through her.
It didn't feel like her skin, it felt all most like silk. Her eyes went wide as she turned her arm and saw the indentation went around her wrist and the colors varied from a light pink color to a deep scarlet color. She bit her lip, looking it over for a few more minutes. She had never seen anything like this before.
Is it a rash? she thought to herself as she turned of the lamp and then looked at it. The small ring around her writs, glowed faintly. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw that. She climbed into bed and continued to look at it, her face filled with bewilderment.
This is so not a rash, was her last thought as she laid down and closed her eyes, immediately falling asleep. Unbeknown to her the strange ring of butterflies pulsed as if it had a mind and heart of it's own and, another row appeared, all most like scales of a lizard, right on top of it. With each pulse it released a signal that would begin a chain of events that would change her life.


text:
The threat of floods and yet more miserable wet weather means all too often these days the television weather report is a thoroughly dispiriting business.
However, viewers tuning into BBC Scotland's lunchtime weather report today had at least a small measure of consolation after receiving the bad news from royalty.
Prince Charles, who was on a tour of the channel's Scottish Pacific Quay headquarters with his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, delivered a special weather broadcast live on BBC Scotland.
Charles and Camilla were visiting BBC Scotland as part of the celebrations marking the channel's sixtieth year of broadcasting.
The couple visited the studios for an hour as part of their annual Holyrood week.
Surprised viewers were treated to the guest appearance by the first in line to the throne and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during the lunch time broadcast.
"Well, it's an unsettled picture as we head towards the end of the week," he reported. "It will be cold, wet and windy across most of Scotland. We're under the influence of low pressure and this weather front pushing northwards is bringing cloud and outbreaks of rain."
He predicted "a few flurries of snow over Balmoral" interrupting himself to say "Who the hell wrote this script?"
Nick Miller the regular television weatherman complimented the Prince on his performance saying, "That's proof that even the royals can't give us dry weather because he's absolutely right."
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Volvo Ocean Race – Groupama Sailing Team spirits remain high
by Franck Cammas on 1 Dec 2011
Groupama Sailing Team finishes third on leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 Ian Roman/Volvo Ocean Race©
Volvo Ocean Race team Groupama finally made it over the leg one finish line, in Cape Town, in third. The eleven men on Groupama 4 have been warmly welcomed by their nearest and dearest, by the organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race and by a well-informed public in South Africa.
Having laboured a bit in the final throes of the high pressure system in this first leg and somewhat disappointed by the lack of close-contact racing with their rivals, Franck Cammas and his crew are very much aware of the fact that this is just the first of a series of sprints ('In-port' races) and marathons (oceanic races). The result in Cape Town is encouraging for the next stage and the only blip on the horizon is that the crew now have but a short stopover in South Africa.
Franck Cammas, skipper:
'We're happy to have made the finish because the last few days have been a bit long! The weather has been such that we haven't been lucky enough to get back in contention. This is especially true over the past three days behind the front where we had to head South again. It was funny at the same time as we had albatrosses and we were able to get in some training in the roaring forties... This wasn't such a bad thing, but we weren't really in race mode at that point. However, we were keen to ensure a high level aboard the boat at all times because we have a lot to learn about Groupama 4 and that enabled us to push the boat as hard as possible in lots of different conditions.
I think we're stronger today than we were three weeks ago at the start in Alicante and that's the most important thing. Ultimately we ended up in third place and the odds are stacked in our favour for the next stage.
Furthermore, we've finished with a boat at full potential and when you see what's happened to some of the others, it's an important element! In terms of pure performance, we were happy with the first few hours of racing where Groupama 4 demonstrated that she had excellent boat speed when sailing in boisterous conditions with eased sheets. We have what could be a winning boat, even though victory comes down to other things too.
The stopover in Cape Town is going to be shorter than planned and that's a shame because South Africa seems very welcoming. We only have a four-day break before getting back down to it on Monday. However, we've been better served than certain crews, who are still in validation phase!'
Thomas Coville, watch leader:
'I didn't expect the first leg to be like that because to my mind it was going to be a more winning strategy. Today though, arriving at the 'Table Top' is just as beautiful as ever (Table Mountain), it's still an emotional time. For the past few days I've said to myself that the technical team, the design team, all the team that have imagined and built this boat have scored a very fine third place and they could have won by a country mile, whilst the sailing team came last! We brought the boat home in one piece, we've known how to utilise it but we weren't correctly positioned to be as good as the boat in first place.
I'd like to congratulate Telefonica who sailed a great race, with a perfect trajectory. Fortunately it's far from over and that's why, psychologically as a group we have built up a lot and learnt a great deal. On a technical level we'd have preferred to have been up there doing battle with the others to learn more and offer better results to the team which has helped this boat evolve. In terms of points, it's a pretty fruitful operation.'
Jean-Luc Nélias, navigator:
'The first leg wasn't very windy and was a bit long. We messed up a bit with the option we took down the African coast, which we didn't manage to follow through to the end as the wind wasn't in our favour. Neptune wasn't very kind to us and we ended up in some poor conditions, which basically involved us having no wind. Last night we weren't making any headway. Two nights ago we weren't making any headway. That dragged things out a bit which has caused us to finish three days after the leader. We are still third though.
We're still on the attack and still have eight legs to sail. We could be third nine times and win the Volvo Ocean Race, couldn't we? There are times when you have to make choices: some boats headed right, others like us headed left, and another didn't make a decision, came with us for a while and ultimately switched back to the right! We can't always keep an eye on our rivals and you have to take options, fly with your own wings... Spirits remain high though: we've arrived in Cape Town! On the podium...'
After a hearty dinner and a glass of beer or wine according to taste, the crew of Groupama 4 enjoyed a good night with their families and a sleep wrapped in nice clean sheets, which was a real luxury after 24 nights at sea.
Following that and prior to benefiting from four days off, a thorough debriefing with the shore crew responsible for Groupama 4's upkeep, the design office and the `sail' cell, is taking place today. The idea behind this is to enable them to attack the next In-port race and the second offshore leg in the best possible conditions, against some formidable competitors.
Ranking at the end of the first two races (In-port in Alicante and Alicante-Cape Town):
1. Team Telefonica (Iker Martinez) 1+30 = 31 points
2. Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson) 4+25 = 29 points
3. Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas) 2+20 = 22 points
4. bu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker) 6+0 = 6 points
5. Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg (Ken Read) 5+0 = 5 points
6. Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson) 3+0 = 3
Groupama Sailing Team website
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/91334
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As Israeli and Palestinian leaders returned home from their summit in Egypt, Hamas said Israel had failed to fulfil Palestinian demands to release prisoners and halt aggression. Islamic Jihad insisted the summit brought "nothing new".
Near a Jewish settlement on the West Bank last night, the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade fired on a car - firebombing and shooting at an army patrol that came to investigate.
- More about:
- Hamas
- Israel
- Israeli Defense Forces
- Middle East
- Palestine
- Western Asia


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I opened a new Bank account, so entered my new debit card # into Spark's system to schedule my october payment. I had already made a check payment for September. The day after my check payment was processed they processed the same amount to my debit card - over $600 for one month of electricity..
I found out my account was overdrawn when at the grocery store my debit card was declined - and i had a cart full of groceries. I went home, logged into my bank account, and identified the double SPARK ENERGY payment. I called Spark Energy right away - about 3:30 Houston, TX time. I was told the only thing they could do is start a process that would return the money to me in 3-5 business days, but since it was after 2:00 PM (Their business hours) the clock wouldn't start until MONDAY. I explained this is ALL the money I have and need it for groceries, gas, and critical medicine. Sorry they say, nothing they can do but the process..
I called my bank for help. I was told that if Spark would fax a letter to Chase, stating that the debit authorization was no longer needed, and the reason, that the money could be back in my account within 6 hours..I called Spark back with this info - still Friday afternoon. NOPE. They can only go through their process of 3-5 business days. WELL I"M SORRY BUT I NEED TO EAT AND USE MEDICINE EVERY DAY - including Insulin. That second Spark service rep I spoke to did put me on hold for a bit, but came back with the same answer. Can't help me.
Six days later I am out of money, out of insulin, and out of gas in my car. I could walk to the grocery store using my walker to help, but I don't have money for the medicine.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 09/16/2009 09:43 AM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/spark-energy/internet-texas-/spark-energy-residential-electricity-provider-spark-energy-sparkenergycom-customercare-495693. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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Testing herself to see how quickly she could work, "I actually painted Jaime on her lunch hour," Meade revealed of this portrait. Her model came back to work late and still covered in paint, she added -- but since Jaime works at an art gallery, her coworkers took it in stride. The next slide reveals what they saw.
"Wrapping people in paint, I started realizing something was happening here," she added. "It completely transformed into something else."
"It's definitely performance art, the model embodying the painting," Meade said of her work.
"I prefer to actually do it in person so people can experience it in the round," Meade added. Instead of seeing the work from "a fixed viewpoint, they can approach it from any angle. It gives the viewer a chance to enter that world."
To create the portrait, Meade applied paint to herself, then photographed herself. Or as she put it: "It's both a photo of the artist and a painting of the artist, taken by the artist."
"It's definitely a hall of mirrors," Meade said of her work. "It's like looking at reality with your back to reality."
When Meade started out in 2009, she had to beg friends and family to model for her. "They have to sit covered in goopy paint for hours at a time; they were not thrilled," she recalled, even though she claims "it's not really that uncomfortable." Today the artist has a list hundreds of names long of people who want to model for her.
Meade takes all the photos of her works as well as painting them, even though, she revealed, "I haven't taken any formal training in painting or photography."
Meade majored in political science at Vassar and worked a senior Obama press aide, yet "I always wanted to be an artist," she said. "That was my dream."
"There are a lot of places I'm taking these projects, in a similar cognitive strain," she added. "Being an artist -- that is definitely my career."


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