text:
Specializing in Total Hair Care, with years of expertise in Hair Extensions, Hair Weaving, Hair Coloring and Hair Straightening, we offer hair care and hair cuts for men, women and children. We welcome walk in clients as well as advance appointments.
Hair Talk Beauty Salon's location makes it very convenient to access from Dale City, Manassas, Potomac Mills, Quantico, Dumfries, Occoguan, Nokesville, Prince William and other communities within Prince William County. It is also only a short drive from parts of Fairfax County, Stafford County and Fauquier County.
Due to the delicate and intricate process involved with these specialty hair weaving services and, to insure uninterrupted personal attention, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you call Carolett and schedule an appointment!
Some of the products we use to assure quality professional results to your hair care needs include Mizan, Affrin, Design, Straight Request and Redkin hair care products.
Our Barber's Cut services are priced individually and accordingly include, but are not limited to:
Our Menu Board of Services includes but is not limited to:
Hair Talk Beauty Salon also performs Full Head Weaves, Track Weaves, Removal of Weaves, Full Head Bonding, and Track Bonding.
Hair Talk Beauty Salon of Woodbridge, Virginia, offers specialized trained and certified services that include hair permanents, hair coloring, hair bonding, hair weaving, barber hair cuts, designer hair cuts, hair conditioning, hair highlighting, hair coloring touch ups, hair up dos, and much more in a very clean, comfortable and relaxing atmosphere where refreshments are available. Our expert services are provided by professional friendly hair stylists in a timely manner with your schedules, needs and requests in mind whether by appointment or walk in.


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Our Plans for the Future
- Our Vision
- Our Commitment
- Our Story
- Newsroom
- Power Facts
- Key Performance Metrics
Provide more customer options
New products and services just for you
We're bringing you new products and services that will help you match your energy usage to your needs. In doing so, you can take control of your electric bill and find more ways to save.
Smart Grid and Smart Meters
When you're part of a smart grid, you can monitor the electricity you use through a web portal on your computer, laptop or tablet. Then you can make adjustments to reduce your usage. With a Smart Meter you can help make service more reliable and improve the integration of renewable energy. The Hawaiian Electric Companies are proposing to complete installation of smart grids in Maui County and on Hawaii Island by the end of 2017, and on Oahu by the end of 2018.
Demand Response
Our Demand Response programs are a way for you to earn monthly incentives for temporarily reducing your electricity during peak hours, which are times when usage on the grid is high.
Electric Vehicle Programs
If you're an electric vehicle (EV) owner, you can sign up for our program that offers lower rates for charging your EV. It's a "time-of-use" program with lower rates during the off-peak hours from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Community Solar*
Community Solar is a program for those of you who live in an apartment building and can't have solar or live in a home but choose not to install solar. You can still receive the benefits of solar by purchasing an interest in a community solar project. You'll receive credits in proportion to your interest, and these credits will lower your electric bill.
*The Hawaii Public Utilities commission must approve the rules for Community Solar.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
February 2, 2011 Approval Letter - FEIBA
Our STN: BL 101447/5448
Baxter Healthcare Corporation
Attention: Kalpana Chakraburtty, Ph.D.
One Baxter Way
Westlake Village, CA 91362
Dear Dr. Chakraburtty:
We have approved your request to supplement your biologics license application for AntiInhibitor Coagulant Complex, to include the following:
- Room temperature storage not exceeding 25 ºC for 24 months.
- Revised vial and carton indicating a change in the storage conditions to storing at room temperature not to exceed 25 °C (77 °F).
- Updates to the safety information in both package inserts which differ by reconstitution device (BAXTJECT and BAXJECT Hi-Flow).
Please provide your final content of labeling in Structured Product Labeling (SPL) format and include the carton and container labels. In addition, please submit three original paper copies for carton and container final printed labeling. All final labeling should be submitted as Product Correspondence to this BLA at the time of use (prior to marketing) and include implementation information on FDA Form 356h.
In addition, please submit the final content of labeling (21 CFR 601.14) in SPL format via the FDA automated drug registration and listing system, (eLIST), as described at: http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/DataStandards/StructuredProductLabeling/default.htm. Information on submitting SPL files using eLIST may be found in the guidance for industry titled, "SPL Standard for Content of Labeling Technical Qs and As at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation
You may submit two draft copies of the proposed introductory advertising and promotional labeling with an FDA Form 2253 to the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Advertising and Promotional Labeling Branch, HFM-602, 1401 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-1448. You must submit copies of your final advertisement and promotional labeling at the time of initial dissemination or publication, accompanied by Form FDA 2253 [21 CFR 601.12(f)(4)].
All promotional claims must be consistent with and not contrary to approved labeling. You should not make a comparative promotional claim or claim of superiority over other products unless you have substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience to support such claims [21 CFR 202.1(e)(6)].
Please submit an amendment to all pending supplemental applications for this BLA that include revised labeling incorporating a revised content of labeling that includes these changes.
We will include information contained in the above-referenced supplement in your biologics license application file.
Sincerely yours,
Basil Golding, M.D.
Division of Hematology
Office of Blood Research and Review
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research


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I am using Vista Home Premium. I have been using robocopy to backup the
directory c:\users\username\documents. I have noticed that when I use
explorer to check the size of this directory it says 8.1 GB. When I attempt
to copy it using robocopy "C:\users\username\documents" j:\ /mir /v
/log:c:new.txt, I find that two things happen:
1. The log file shows that in addition to copying all the documents in the
documents folder, it also copies all the files in the C:\users\username\music
folder as well (ironically to a folder on J with the old XP style
structure......J:\user\username\documents\my music). This is an additional
2. on the J: drive, it shows 17 GB being occupied; however, I cannot find
any of the files from the c:\users\username\music folder that the robocopy
log file says were copied (and must be there since J is showing an additional
9 GB of data that can't be accounted for.
Is Vista somehow hiding folders in the \Documents folder that then get
picked up by robocopy? How come I cannot access the copied filed from \Music.
When I migrated from XP to Vista, I manually copied the music files into the
\Music folder, I did not use any type of auto migration software.


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Sardar Patel
Lokamanya Tilak, the great
Indian national leader, passed away at that time. The nation was looking for an able
leader. The Mahatma, the hero of the Satyagraha struggle in South Africa, had attracted
the attention of many Indians. Thus leadership courted him naturally. There was great
charm in his words. His conduct was flaw- less and crystal clear. He filled the nation
with a new spirit. Under his leadership the weakest man, woman and child, as well as
innocent ryots, were ready for a nonviolent fight. They were ready to sacrifice their all.
Self-sacrifice and service became the religion of the nation.
The Indian National Congress carried on five major struggles for freedom, during three
decades, under the leadership of Gandhiji. In 1920-22, it was called 'The Non-Cooperation
Movement'. Government schools and colleges, courts and Legisla- tures were all boycotted.
Gandhiji himself was arrested, and was sentenced to six
years imprisonment. His trial in the court at that time drew the attention of the entire
civilized world.
In 1922, there was Hindu-Muslim disturbances in Bombay.Many were injured and killed on
account of religiousmadness. Gandhiji was shocked to the core, He called his son Devadas
and advised him: "Go and tell Hindus and Muslims, wherever they may be fighting, that
this hatred is bad. It does not matter even if they kill you. I would be happy to
sacrifice my son for the cause of Hindu-Muslim amity."
The Salt Satyagraha of 1930-31 became world-famous. It was known as the 'Dandi March'.
Manufacturing salt from sea- water was the monopoly of the Government. By breaking the
Salt Law Gandhiji desired to show that the Indians were a free nation. On March 12, he
went on foot with seventy-nine trusted disciples, from his Ashram at Sabarmati to Dandi, a
0sea- side place 241 miles away. Staff in hand he walked about 10 to 15 miles each day.
The determination of the 62-year-old 'young man' was wonderful. He was like one in quest
of Truth. His action shook the foundations of the British Empire. The courage and the
spirit of self-sacrifice with which he filled the hearts of millions of Indians were
amazing. There was Civil Disobedience or non-violent breaking of the law throughout the
country. Cities, towns and villages were all scenes of Satyagraha. Heroism was the order
of the day. The British Government put Gandhiji in prison again.
In 1932, when Gandhi was behind thebars, an extraordinary event took place. In the name of
political reforms, the British Government planned to cut away millions of Indians called
'untouchables' from the Hindu Society. Their principle was to 'Divide and Rule'. In 1924,
Gandhiji had fasted for 21 days to bring about Hindu- Muslim unity. He had been saying
that un touchability was a shame to Hindu Society. Hinduism should be purged of that
guilt. When he saw what the Government was doing, he became unhappy, and decided to fast
unto death. There was great commotion in the entire country. The Government realized its
folly and gave up the plan. There was an awakening among the people. Government temples,
wells and public places were declared open to the untouchables. Gandhiji called the
untouchables - 'Harijans' (men dear to God). He started three periodicals 'Harijan Sevak',
'Harijan-Bandhu' and 'Harijan'-all devoted to the service of the Harijans. He took a vow
not to re-enter his Ashrarn at Sabarmati until untouchability became a thing of the past
in India. He settled down at Sevagram,(near Wardha) a newAshram, which he started there.
In 1941, the Satyagraha struggle took a different shape. It was
called the'Symbolic
Satyagraha', and was different from the previous mass Satyagrahas. Only the individuals,
whom Gandhiji selected or permitted, had to offer Satyagraha. This change was made because
Gandhiji, the Truth-seeker, knew that the past mass Satyagrahas had not been entirely free
from violence. Thus he conducted this experiment to make Satyagraha free & from
violence as far as humanly possible.
In 1942, there came the final struggle for freedom. The call was 'Britishers, Quit India'.
For this struggle, Gandhiji gave the inspiring message, 'Do or Die'. Gandhiji expected
that the struggle would be purely non-violent. It did not happen that way. Out there was
great national upsurge for freedom. Thousands were put into prison.They faced the lath and
the bullet, and gave up their lives. A whole nation rose up against an alien empire. It
took all the suffering on itself cheerfully, without a word of demur or hatred or ill
will. The way India got her freedom is unique in the history of the world. And all the
glory of this unique struggle goes to the great leader Gandhiji.
[ Back ] [ Up ] [ Next ]


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Silver Shadow December 2009 Wows Repeat Cruisers: Silver Shadow Cruise Review by greygypsy
Overall Member Rating
Silver Shadow December 2009 Wows Repeat Cruisers
Destination: Eastern Caribbean
Embarkation: Barbados
Silver Shadow - Barbados to Ft. Lauderdale December 11 - 20, 2009
Susan and I have been cruising since we first got together 13 years ago. Most of our earlier cruises were on Celebrity, but lately we have moved up and have been cruising with Regent and Silversea. This was our second Silversea cruise. Both have been on the Silver Shadow and both originated from Barbados. In fact, this cruise was very similar to the cruise we took three years ago, albeit with some different stops.
I wrote a review of the first Silver Shadow cruise and it can be found on Cruise Critic as one of the 23 existing reviews of the Shadow. This review will update my earlier review and highlight the most significant changes we see with Silversea over the past three years.
First of all, we had a great time. Well, it's hard not to enjoy yourself on such a beautiful ship, sailing (mostly) calm waters and visiting picture More postcard ports of call. This cruise was significantly better than the one we took three years ago. I have to chalk up the improvements to Silversea management, which hasn't forgotten its older ships amidst all the hoopla surrounding the Silver Spirit. The Silver Shadow leadership team, starting with Captain Marco Sangiacomo, had the ship's crew well trained in both efficiency and friendliness. We have been on ships (particularly Regent) where the Captain is more visible but we have never been on a ship as well run as the Shadow was on this cruise. We did have the opportunity to meet the captain and watch him work as he brought the ship into Grand Turk. He is confident and has the respect of the ship's crew and is a valuable asset to Silversea.
Other leaders who impressed us were the Hotel Director, Norman Rafelson; the Food and Beverage Manager, Lester Woodfall; and the Executive Chef, Sean Emslie. The hotel and food experience on this cruise was substantially better than our cruise three years ago.
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfect, we give this cruise a 9.5. If you want a cruise with the look, feel and food of a 6 star resort, book a cruise on the Silver Shadow and you won't be disappointed.
Ship and Cabin
The ship was about 90% full according to our butler, so there were approximately 350 guests on the ship. The only night there was evidence of any crowd was the first night when there was a mad rush for dinner in The Restaurant at 7:30. We waited until 8:30 and they did find a table for us and we had a superb meal.
The ship looked pretty good for being nine years old. We were in Suite 924 and it was in excellent shape, including the balcony and railing. Some of the carpeting on deck 8 (the pool deck) showed some wear and the pool, itself, is in need of some re-tiling. Other than that, the ship did not look a day older than it did a few years ago. The furnishings are classy, the color scheme elegant, if a bit understated, and the art magnificent. The Shadow is highlighting modern art and the paintings and sculptures were worthy of an exhibition at a museum. We spoke to one of the guests who said that over 30 pieces of art had been sold on the cruise, and I have to say if I had the resources I may have bid on one or two. Hopefully they won't be all sold out and if you are sailing on the Shadow in 2010 you can enjoy the art as well.
Cabin service is now done by a butler - for all price levels - as well as a steward or stewardess. We had a very nice butler from India who had recently worked on the Regent Voyager, went home to India where he celebrated the birth of a new son and then decided to join the Silver Shadow. He was pleasant, available and helped with all our first day "chores" - such as cleaning and pressing for the first formal night and making reservations at Le Champagne and La Terrazza. He and our stewardess also presented us with a romantic room full of (fake) candles, rose petals and a freshly drawn bath as we celebrated our wedding anniversary on the second night.
We had room service for three breakfasts and the food was always served fresh and hot with an elegant table prepared by our butler. About the only complaint we had was that he never replaced our standing order for a bottle of Chilean Merlot, which caused us to call room service late in the evening a couple of times. I do have to say, though, that the fresh bottle always arrived within 5 minutes with a gracious smile.
Our stewardess was a bit slow, with our cabin not being freshened up in the morning sometimes until after 11 a.m. It may be a case that with the addition of the butlers, the stewards and stewardesses now have more suites to clean up - or, it could be that ours was just a bit slow. If you have never sailed with Silversea you should try out their pillow selection. They have nine different pillows to choose from, so you can try a different one pretty much every night! Or, like us, get a variety. And the toiletries continue to be the best at sea - certainly far superior to those on Regent. They somehow remembered from our last cruise that we preferred Bvlgari products and they were waiting for us in our suite and were replenished daily.
Overall, the hotel experience was superior and much credit must go to the Hotel Director, Norman Rafelson. This is apparently his first assignment on a cruise ship after an extensive career with Hyatt International and most recently the Regent Hotel Group. Silversea and Regent Cruises should do their best to try and clone Norm for all their ships.
As a side note - we had a Rabbi on board and Hanukkah was celebrated each night of the cruise with a candle lighting ceremony, wonderful jelly donuts and (not so wonderful) potato latkes. A special Hanukkah dinner was celebrated one night in La Terrazza (we did not attend as we loved the menu that night in The Restaurant, but we understand the special meal was quite good). The Rabbi credited Norm with making this all possible and I'm certain that the folks on the cruise following ours (which would celebrate both Christmas and New Years) also had some special events to help make those holidays very special.
The spa and workout areas on deck 10 got moderate use on this cruise. Neither Susan nor I nor any of the other guests who used the workout rooms had to wait to use any of the equipment, all of which was in fine working order. Our only complaint was that the room could get warm and stuffy without an extra fan or two turned on. I did not use the sauna, but it was highly recommended by those who did. On an Alaska or Scandinavian cruise, I could see the sauna being used more often. Susan's only use of the spa on this cruise was for a nail color change so we have no new comments to make - except it was clean and the folks seemed friendly enough.
Food and Entertainment
What a fantastic improvement from three years ago. The breads and pastries were to die for and the other breakfast items were also superb. Lunch, for us at least, was usually on the pool deck, where a friendly server would loudly announce each day at 11:30, "Hamburger Time." These are surely some of the best burgers at sea - fresh, cooked medium rare if you request it - on a very tasty bun. The salads and seafood were also great. I tried the sushi once and it was only so-so, but overall, no complaints about the lunches (at least for us). One thing that Regent does that we have not seen on Silversea, is theme lunches on days at sea. But that is a minor complaint since the food was so tasty and the service was also spot on.
We ate in the primary restaurant (The Restaurant) on five nights and were rarely disappointed. Whatever fish they were serving was always cooked perfectly with a great sauce, and the meats were mostly excellent - especially the lamb and veal. Susan had a sirloin steak one night that was just average, but she said she was so full from the excellent starters it didn't matter. We were able to get a table for two, six, or one night they put together a table of 10 for us. The Maitre' d, Gilbert Lanza was very accommodating and his assistants always came around to see how things were going. The wine service varied from good to excellent. A couple of nights we had a wine server who was clearly in training, but when we requested a different bottle he quickly found the head sommelier who listened carefully to our request and quickly appeared with just the right bottle. Some of the house wines were just so-so but if you ask, you shall receive, and we had some wonderful Italian and French wines with dinner that weren't necessarily the wines of the evening and didn't cost us anything extra.
We ate at Le Champagne on the first formal night to celebrate our anniversary. The service was, as expected, over the top, but the presentation and quality made the experience more than worthwhile. We opted to pay the $30 per person dinner fee and purchase our own bottle of wine, and I have to say the wine list was fairly reasonable. We found a very nice Super Tuscan for $80 that I would have easily paid $100 for in Chicago. The individually prepared prime ribs were quite extravagant. I hope they found a good use for all the meat we could not possibly eat!
We ate dinner at La Terrazza twice. Unlike three years ago when there was a rotating dinner menu with a large antipasto bar, now they serve a set menu with a simpler on the table antipasto to start. Get your reservations in early in the cruise as they do serve just a limited number of tables and reservations were hard if not impossible to get after the third night. If you eat all four courses plan on staying for at least two hours and heading straight to The Bar to dance off all those delicious calories. The set menu does have enough variety so you could easily eat there for five or six nights and never have the same meal (but they probably won't let you - we were lucky to be able to eat there twice).
The ship also prepared a poolside buffet one night with entertainment by the singers and dancers. Since it was a late night in port, the weather was calm and the setting quite delightful. The food was every bit as good as that which was usually served at The Restaurant.
I am a coffee drinker, and the house coffee is strong but not bitter and a big improvement over three years ago. We still had more than our share of Cappuccinos and Espressos which were as good as before. If you are an early riser the place to get your coffee fix is in the Panorama Lounge on deck 8.
Most of our bar time was spent in The Bar. In fact, you could usually find us holding court at the first table to your right as you entered, beginning at around 6:30 each night. After the first night, my standing order for blue cheese olives was guaranteed and they do know how to make a great martini (or whatever your drink of choice is). Some new friends we made on the cruise had a Mai Tai and a blue martini every night, as these were drinks they could not or would not make at home and were delicious on the ship. Susan and I, on the other hand, are pretty much creatures of habit, so a Cosmo and Ketel One Martini (with those amazing olives) were pretty much waiting for us each evening - followed by one or two more, depending on when we went to dinner and how much company we had. Some evenings, our cozy group got to 8 or 10. The other primary drinking option in the evening was the Panorama Lounge, where the ship's band played music from the 30's-50's (well-played but not our style). There was a pianist in The Bar who played pleasantly enough in the background before dinner and he was joined by a singer for more contemporary music after dinner. The duo usually was done by around 11:30 at which time one of the regular entertainers who doubled as the DJ would spin some tunes for the small, late-night crowd. We closed The Bar down a couple of nights, but our days of staying out late every night of a cruise are long since gone.
Except for the show on the pool deck we did not catch any of the entertainment. Based on the one show we saw, we can say the singers and dancers were certainly better than college but not quite Las Vegas.
Fellow Cruisers
As mentioned earlier, there were around 350 guests - and only one child, a lovely girl who celebrated her third birthday on the cruise. It was an international crowd with about 50% from North America, 30% from Britain and 20% from other countries, including Australia, Brazil and South Africa. The primary age range was 45-75 and it was a fairly active group with lots of hikers and divers. We were quite comfortable and made lots of new friends from San Diego, Rhode Island and various parts of England who we would love to travel with again.
There are fewer and fewer smokers on each cruise we go on. Since this is always a hot topic among cruisers I can say that the smoking policy on the Silver Shadow was properly enforced (only smoking in designated smoking areas, including balconies if you wished) and cigar smoking only allowed in The Humidor. There are probably more smokers on Mediterranean Cruises, if only because more Southern Europeans still smoke compared to Northern Europeans. But, if you are a non-smoker you can certainly still sail on Silversea and be very comfortable.
You can find lots of information about most of our cruise stops in separate destination information on Cruise Critic or Trip Advisor. For us, the only new stop was Iles des Saintes, which is part of Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. It is a beautiful place with lovely shops and a very pretty beach that you must hike about 20 minutes to get to. In some ways it reminded us of St. Barths about 20-30 years ago. The ship also anchored off of Marigot on the French side of St. Martin as opposed to the usual docking area in Phillipsburg. The reason was logistical as there were four other cruise ships in Phillipsburg, including the new Titanic of the Seas (also known as the Oasis of the Seas). We still did most of our touring on St. Martin as we do love the shopping, beaches and restaurants there and we had great company along with us in our rental car.
By the way, it was lots of fun renting a car in Marigot. We were met by a water taxi who took us on a great ride through Simpson Bay to the Hertz location near the airport (and back again later in the afternoon). Since traffic has gotten so awful on the island, this was a lot easier and less trafficky than renting dockside in Phillipsburg. It was also cheaper, for some reason ($60 for the day including extra insurance - with great water taxi rides thrown in for good measure!). The only regret was the heavy traffic kept our beach time there to a minimum (but the shopping was still fun!).
Our favorite beach was on Bequia, followed closely by the beach at the Hilton resort on Barbados.
Embarkation and Disembarkation and other miscellaneous items
We stayed at the Barbados Hilton pre-cruise and it is a good place to start working on your tan, with a fabulous beach. It's not a 6 star resort, but you don't pay 6 star prices either. More opulent choices abound on this most expensive of Caribbean islands, but the Hilton does a fine job for what it purports to be. If you ever want a 6 star experience with Hilton, spend some time at the Hilton in Los Cabos (don't even need to get on a cruise ship!).
We got late check out at 1 p.m. and after a drink poolside with some new friends from New Jersey, grabbed a cab over to the ship around 2:30 p.m. We boarded immediately, had champagne in hand and after some confusion about which elevator we could use to get to deck 9, were shown quickly to our beautiful suite. Our luggage arrived within five minutes. No kidding. Never had luggage arrive so quickly on any cruise. Our butler then arrived, took care of our cleaning and pressing needs and we were quickly at the pool for some liquid refreshment and our first meal. Pretty much the easiest and quickest embarkation of any cruise we have been on.
Disembarkation in Ft. Lauderdale was delayed by about 45 minutes due to U.S. Customs delays, but since our flight wasn't until 12:05 we weren't all that worried. We were off the ship by 9:30 and in a taxi to the airport by 9:45. Unfortunately, there were seven other cruise ships disembarking the same day so the lines at the airport were very long. We flew Southwest to visit some friends in Tampa and our line outside to check in our bags (Bags fly free on Southwest!) was 45 minutes long. Security, inside wasn't nearly as bad so we still had plenty of time before our flight boarded. We have disembarked in Ft. Lauderdale many times and it gets crazier and crazier. Our best recommendation is to not make any flight arrangements earlier than 12 noon. For some reason the captain decided to do a drill during the disembarkation process - well, I suppose that keeps the crew on their toes! Otherwise, a pleasant experience compared to our last cruise where we were quite anxious due to an earlier flight time.
Final Comments
The Silver Shadow and its crew gave us a wonderful vacation. The entire experience was top shelf and we would not hesitate to sail with Silversea again. Pricing on this cruise was pretty aggressive and we don't think we will see these prices again, as long as the overall economy continues to improve. Still, even at the more normal 50% early booking savings you are certainly getting your money's worth on a Silversea cruise. Jeff
Jeff did a fabulous job with his review, so there's not much for me to add. I will say that overall, Silversea was successful in delivering on the 6-star experience that we look for when cruising on upscale, all-inclusive lines. It was an entirely delightful cruising experience and I look forward to other Silversea cruises in the future. If any one has any specific questions, please feel free to ask. Less
Published 12/30/09
Cabin review: ver924
Cabin 924 on Silver Shadow. Midship veranda, top deck for cabins. Good privacy on balcony. Minor noise from walking area around spa on deck 10. No noise from rest of deck 9 (used for jogging track). Only one elevator goes to deck 9, so may be an issue if you are handicapped. Otherwise, great size, great use of space and elegant as are all Silversea suites.
Read Cruise Critic's Silver Shadow Review >>
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You gotta love this, Summit Entertainment tried to blackmail their Twilight fanbase by forcing them to see Bandslam in order to catch the second trailer for New Moon. One thing they forgot, the loyal Bella and Edward followers are mostly young teens who know damn well the trailer will A: leak on the internet or B: will be posted on Monday. The Twilightphiles proved they're smarter than "the man" as Bandslam flopped taking in only $800k at the box office on Friday, and not only that, here's the trailer. Feel free to post new links in the comment section as they appear online.
this week in horror
This Week in Horror - Remembering George A. Romero
In honor of the late George A. Romero we're taking a look at the best of his lesser known films in a special episode of This Week in Horror.Posted by Bloody Disgusting on Wednesday, July 26, 2017


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Solid cedar top, solid cocobolo back & sides, and an ebony fingerboard.
Handcrafted in Bulgaria, the Solea Classical Guitar represents the culmination of over 80 years of guitar building by Kremona. With select solid woods and impeccable workmanship, this guitar will satisfy anyone looking for a truly superior nylon-string guitar.
The Solea features solid cocobolo back and sides and a solid cedar top for a warm and complex sound. The Spanish cedar neck has an ebony fingerboard and 25 5/8" scale length leading to a ebony bridge.
Other refinements include a carved ebony headstock overlay, a flourished cocobolo heel cap, rosewood with maple body binding, fine rosewood with maple purfling, and handcrafted machines in decorative black.
Kremona is a privately owned and operated facility in Bulgaria that employs more than 100 people and craftsman. In a modern world Kremona builds on its rich traditional history of workmanship and excellence. Using only the finest in local materials as well as imported materials Kremona continues to improve the look, feel and playability of its instruments from the comprehensive line of guitars to the specialized master violins and stringed instruments. Includes case.
- Body type:Flat Top
- Cutaway:No
- Top wood:SolidCedar
- Back & sides:SolidCocobolo
- Bracing pattern:Info not available
- Body finish:ThinPolyurethane
- Orientation:Right handed
- Neck
- Neck shape:Info not available
- Nut width:2.04 in. (52 mm)
- Fingerboard:Indian Ebony
- Neck wood:Honduran Cedar
- Scale length:25.6 in.
- Number of frets:19
- Neck finish:ThinPolyurethane
- Electronics
- Pickup/preamp:No
- Brand:Not applicable
- Configuration:Not applicable
- Preamp EQ:Not applicable
- Feedback filter:Not applicable
- Tuner:Not applicable
- Other
- Headstock overlay:Ebony
- Tuning machines:Brass with Black Accents
- Bridge:Ebony
- Saddle & nut:Bone
- Number of strings:6-string
- Special features:Tonewoods
- Case:Hardshell Case
- Accessories:Owner's manual
- Country of origin:Bulgaria
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Reviewed by 1 customer
Comments about Kremona Solea Classical Guitar:
I recently purchased a Kremona Solea from music123.com and what a fine piece of work it is! The only thing I can see that the Spanish made classicals have over Kremona is tradition. If you are looking for a well built, great sounding classical, look no further. I've played quite a few guitars in my 37 years of playing and this one is truly a keeper - looks and sound wise. The sustain ranks up there with classicals costing much, much more and the tone, response and playability is indescribable. Try one and compare it to some of the high priced Spanish-made ones that have big names. You'll see what I mean.
Thanks Kremona!


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With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, the holiday season is officially upon us. It's a "make or break" time of year for many small businesses, so how promising does this season look? In this infographic, we examine the 2011 holiday season forecast and review the numbers from years past. Click the infographic for an enlarged view.
Infographic by Column Five.
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Editor's note: The following is by no means a complete comparison of all available tablets; nor is it a comprehensive review of each of the tablet's overall functions. The intent with this project was to look at features that would be relevant to someone looking for assistive technology features to help compensate for dyslexia. All references to the iPad in the article and sidebar notations are to Siri-equipped iPads.
Over the past couple of weeks I have been lucky enough to review three of the most popular tablets—the iPad mini, the Nexus 7, and the Kindle Fire HDX. Instead of focusing on battery life, pixel density, and processor speed, I took a look at the features that would help people with dyslexia and other disabilities. All three tablets have some features that are perfect for dyslexics. To figure out the one that is right for you, think about which features are most important to you as you read the reviews.
When looking for a tablet for someone with dyslexia, be sure to weigh a number of variables to make sure you get the features that are most helpful, and to get the best value, for your needs.
First, you want to consider what the tablet will be used for. Will it be used primarily for reading books and browsing the web, or will it be used to type documents, read email, and edit movies?
Generally, for people with dyslexia, it is essential that the tablet have built-in text-to-speech with a high-quality voice. All three of these tablets have text-to-speech, but the way it is implemented differs from tablet to tablet. The iPad allows text-to-speech to be activated in a few taps when reading webpages and text in other apps, including Safari, Mail, and many third-party apps, including The New York Times newsreader app. The other tablets require a more time-consuming process to activate text-to-speech in all apps.
Next, app quality and quantity are also important considerations. Currently, the iPad is ahead in terms of app support, but the Nexus 7 is not too shabby in terms of third-party app selection either. Apple's lead in terms of third-party app selection continues to narrow. See the ecosystem and apps section below for more information about app selection. If the person with dyslexia uses Bookshare or Learning Ally, it is important to make sure that the tablet has apps to support those services. Bookshare is an online library of digital books for people with print disabilities, and helpful to dyslexics, and Learning Ally provides audio books—some with text—for people with reading disabilities. Both the Nexus 7 and iPad mini have Bookshare and Learning Ally apps. The iPad's apps for downloading and reading Bookshare books have many more features than the Nexus 7's Bookshare app.
The software that runs on the tablet is far more important than the shell on the outside, but you still have to be happy with the way your tablet looks and feels. The iPad mini is the largest of the tablets, yet it is easy to hold in one hand, though not as easy as the smaller Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HDX 7". The iPad mini has an all-metal and glass design that makes it feel worthy of its higher price tag. Both the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HDX have plastic backs that feel nice in the hand, but feel slightly less classy than the iPad mini. The look and feel of the back may not matter much for many users who use cases for protection. All of the tablets are remarkably light, so holding them for long periods of time should not be an issue for most people.
People who plan to use the tablets for text-to-speech and audio books will need to give consideration to speaker quality, and where the speaker is positioned. For their size, all three of these tablets have good speakers. They all include dual speakers and have good sound quality. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire both have speakers on opposite ends of the device, which dramatically decrease the inadvertent blocking of the sound while being held, but the iPad mini's speakers are both at the bottom of the device, making it possible, although not likely, that you might block the speakers depending on where you position your hands. While the placement of the speakers may not be an issue for you, the differences are worth noting.
Operating System:
All three tablets have different operating systems, meaning their software behaves differently. The iPad mini runs iOS 7 which is easy to use and smooth. iOS has the best built-in accessibility features of the bunch, with a well-polished screen reader called VoiceOver that can read almost anything on screen aloud using text-to-speech. iOS also includes Speak Selection which lets users highlight text and listen to it read aloud using text-to-speech.
Android 4.4 KitKat which runs the Nexus 7 is another solid operating system. Without getting too much into the iOS vs. Android debate, the Android is a little less intuitive to use, but permits more customization than iOS. Android allows for home screen widgets—a widget is a small app that can run on the home screen—which, while useful, can also clutter the home screen and make it more confusing to use. Android also includes a screen reader called TalkBack, but it is not as polished as Apple's VoiceOver. One of VoiceOver's biggest advantages is that it works with more apps than TalkBack.
The Kindle Fire HDX runs Fire OS 3.0, which includes a screen reader much like Android's TalkBack, but requires you to use the Amazon ecosystem. So, if you buy a Kindle, you have to buy books, magazines, and apps from Amazon, which is limiting. The Kindle Fire has an interface that is easy to use and puts your content at the forefront. Your apps, books, magazines, music, and movies figure prominently on the home screen for quick access.
Reading Features:
These tablets all have unique reading features that distinguish them from each other, but each of the devices allows users to highlight and annotate books, as well as define an unfamiliar word with just a couple of taps.
A Note from YCDC's Education Editor, Kyle Redford
Those who use Kindle Fire would say the biggest downside of the iPad is the synthetic voice that reads back to you. The human voice capability and ability to link text and audio version of the book is the most attractive feature for my students—so much so that my students have sometimes purchased a Kindle (despite having iPads) for the reading because the experience is so profoundly different. They also love the highlighting that the Kindle does, but they would give that up to have the human voice.
The Nexus 7 also includes reading features that can benefit people with dyslexia. Google Play Books, which is Google's e-book store, allows you to read books with text-to-speech with synchronized highlighting. The default voice isn't as good as the Kindle's default voice, but you can download higher-quality voices. For users of Bookshare and Learning Ally, the Nexus 7 has Android apps for both of these services. Unfortunately, the Bookshare app for Android (GoRead) is not as good as the Read2Go app for iOS or Voice Dream Reader, another app that can read Bookshare books. The iOS apps generally have more customizable user interfaces and more advanced annotations options. The Android Bookshare app, GoRead, is more simple and lacks some useful annotation options that are present on the iPad.
The iPad has the best third-party app support for reading. Users of Bookshare and Learning Ally can read their books with great iPad-optimized apps. The iPad app Voice Dream Reader lets you read many documents and books, including Bookshare books, using text-to-speech. Voice Dream is the best text-to-speech app for mobile devices right now and is only available for the iPad and iPhone. The iPad can access Kindle books using the Kindle app and they can be read aloud with text-to-speech using VoiceOver. However, VoiceOver does not highlight the words as they are spoken. Apple's own iBooks app underwhelms in terms of accessibility features for people with dyslexia. iBooks can be read with text-to-speech using VoiceOver, but VoiceOver does not highlight as it reads and it takes time to learn how to use it properly.
The iPad's Speak Selection feature makes it easy to read webpages, emails, and documents using text-to-speech. To use Speak Selection, just highlight the words you want read aloud and press speak. Speak Selection can also highlight words as they are spoken so you won't lose your place in the text.
Other Helpful Features:
All of these tablets have other useful features; both the Kindle Fire HDX and Nexus 7 include comprehensive multi-user support. On the Nexus 7 you can create a separate account for a student or child that only allows them to use certain apps on the device. Even if multiple users use the same apps, they can each set them up the way they prefer.
How Speech-to-Text Transformed a Student's Fifth-Grade Year
Kyle Redford explains how using text-to-speech can help students with their writing assignments.
Learn more.
The Kindle Fire HDX includes Amazon Free Time which can restrict the time your child or student can use the device for certain tasks. For example, you could permit only 30 minutes of video watching, but give time for unlimited reading of a Kindle book. Amazon Free Time also lets adults limit which apps and content are available for children. The iPad has a similar feature called Guided Access, but you can only allow the child to use one app at a time using the Guided Access feature.
All three tablets also include speech recognition that allows you to speak into the tablet and then have your words appear as text. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HDX allow you to dictate even when you are not connected to the Internet. The iPad does require an Internet connection in order to use dictation.
The Kindle Fire HDX includes a really cool feature called Mayday. If you are having trouble doing anything with your Kindle Fire HDX, you can press the Mayday button to be connected with a live Amazon agent in about a minute. You can see the support agent's face, and he or she can see your Kindle Fire's screen. They can then walk you through the steps needed to resolve your difficulties. I found the support staff knowledgeable and able to help out quickly. Mayday is how tech support should always work.
It's important to consider the ecosystem of each tablet. The ecosystem determines which apps, books, magazines, and songs are available for your device. The iPad has the best app selection, especially for assistive apps. To see a list of the apps I use as a dyslexic student, click here.
Ecosystem and Apps:


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Thieves have destroyed a front garden display which took a family five days to create.
Statues of meerkats, bears, and a donkey are amongst the items which were taken from the Easter themed set-up in Howard Road, Walthamstow.
For the last two years, Sue Haggerty and her relatives have been knitting displays for her elderly mother's garden for special occasions.
Hundreds of people from Waltham Forest turn up to the house to photograph the displays and spend hours enjoying the family's efforts each time a new display goes up.
In 2012 an Olympic themed display proved popular with families all over the borough.
However, this weekend, thieves ruined their efforts when they stole half of the statues which all had individually knitted Easter bonnets.
Samantha Chaplin, 21, says that her family has been extremely disheartened by the theft from her grandmother's home.
She said: "Half of the display was taken between Sunday and Monday.
"We have had to remove it now in case they come back for the other half.
"We do this for the community so it is really disappointing, We have done it for over two years and this has never happened before."
The exact time of the theft is not known so the family is appealing for anyone who took a photo on Sunday or Monday to come forward.
Miss Chaplin said: "There are always people outside taking photos so if anyone can send them to us then we can narrow down the time.
"We know that it was between Sunday and 5pm on Monday.
"People have been really great and have come round with statues for us to replace the stolen ones."
Determined not to be beaten by the thieves the family have put out a St George's Day display today.
Photos of the display are on Facebook on the Howard Road House page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/HowardRoadHouse/1420033994877471.


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Reviewed By Michael F (CHARLEROI, PA) Reviewed for a 2010 Ford Taurus —7/14/2017 8:36 PM
They fit really nice,and look really cool.
Reviewed By Calvin D (Du Bois, PA) Reviewed for a 1954 Chevy C/K Pickup —5/31/2017 7:12 PM
These jr west coast type mirrors are identical to ones i am replacing Old ones are over 10yrs old Never any problem except all hardware should have been stainless. Mirror housing still shines bright.You must drill 4 holes for mounting.I used stainless bolts acorn nuts and washers They are well made .A good product Great price Keep waxed or clear coat .


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The dugong is found in large numbers in Hervey's Bay, from which the famed oil is manufactured, also the pearl oyster.
The most beautiful and costly pearls are obtained exclusively from the pearl oyster (Meleagrina margaritifera) of the Indian Seas.
Some of the poorest of the natives eat the pearl oyster, but it is neither palatable nor wholesome.
The Meleagrina margaritifera, or pearl oyster of the Indian seas, yields the most numerous and finest specimens.
The greatest depth at which the pearl oyster can be secured by the divers is thirteen fathoms.
It was very neatly made up of black or brown and white cloth, black and white feathers, and pearl oyster Shells.
He spent two months in studying the pearl oyster of the Persian gulf; but there, as in his laboratory, all his efforts were vain.
Fig. 165 represents the pearl oyster with calcareous concretions in various states of progress.
The centre of the collar is further ornamented with the shells of the pearl oyster.


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» Nick Green's 100 Percent Soccer blog
Teenage striker Juan Agudelo has played fewer than 15 MLS regular-season minutes and started just one game for the Red Bulls, a Nov.4 playoff loss to the San Jose Earthquakes.
But an audible buzz swept over the crowd when Agudelo, who turned 18 on Nov. 23, entered Saturday's game against Chile at Carson's Home Depot Center with a half-hour remaining and every time he touched the ball thereafter.
The national team crowd, generally more knowledgeable than the family-oriented gatherings MLS teams tend to attract, remembered Agudelo's deft winner off the underside of the crossbar against South Africa earlier in November in his national team debut. That goal, at age 17, made him the youngest U.S. player to score for the national team in the modern era.
And it likely recalled Agudelo's shot off the post and subsequent cross to new Galaxy signing Juan Pablo Angel that gave the Red Bulls a consolation goal in a 3-1 loss against the Earthquakes that ended New York's season.
It didn't take Agudelo long Saturday to make an impression once again.
The U.S. trailed, 1-0, against a fast, young Chilean squad and the Americans needed someone to spark what had been a lackluster attack.
Agudelo duly obliged in the 73rd minute by working a neat give-and-go with Alejandro Bedoya before running at a panicked Chilean defense and getting pulled down just inside the penalty area. Teal Bunbury converted the spot kick to give the U.S. a 1-1 tie.
"Any time you're in those kinds of games, you want to come in with energy for the team," Agudelo said after the game. "That's what I wanted to do. We were down 1-0 and I just wanted to make something happen."
Players say things like that all the time. The difference on this occasion was Agudelo did what he set out to do. In what was only his second U.S. game, and at just 18 years old, too.
Yet the potential of youth is difficult to assess in soccer.
For every teenage Wayne Rooney who goes on to fulfill the promise and hype there are 1,000 Freddy Adus who fall tantalizingly short and are banished to soccer's backwaters.
Even Jozy Altidore, who made his U.S. debut just days after his 18th birthday and went on to become the leading U.S. goal scorer in 2010 World Cup qualifying, has failed to fully capitalize on his obvious physical attributes despite scoring 10 goals in 32 U.S. appearances.
Fans still remember seeing the early promise of Eddie Johnson and his seven goals in his first six U.S. World Cup qualifiers back in 2004 and 2005, only for him to wilt in the spotlight's glare.
Off-the-field pitfalls also lurk as U.S. striker Charlie Davies, 24, seriously injured in a car crash when he broke curfew before an October World Cup qualifier, will attest.
So it's unwise to get overly excited about a few promising performances early in a player's career.
Agudelo does look a cut above most of his peers and certainly many of the young U.S. players who muddled their way through Saturday's game against Chile. Quite a few clearly were making up the numbers with the best U.S. players competing for European clubs or resting in the MLS offseason rather than training during the annual January camp.
Meanwhile, Saturday was Agudelo's coming-out party on U.S. soil. He turned a routine mid-winter game into something magically memorable, abbreviated as it was.
The Colombian-born New Jersey resident already displays poise, maturity and a hunger for the ball seldom seen among even veteran U.S. players. And once he receives the ball, he clearly knows what to do with it.
"He's been impressive for a 17-year-old," Swede Hans Backe of the Red Bulls told The New York Times last March. "He shows such power. He is something special. When you look at his technical skill, you can compare him with European forwards of the same age, in terms of individual skill."
U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley isn't one to shower young players with praise. And, in the wake of the game, he displayed his trademark understatement by allowing that while with Agudelo "you see the potential, there's still a lot of little things that need work."
Still, players who can lift a team when they enter a game, as Agudelo has done on two occasions, don't come along very often.
Agudelo has shown he's a game-changer. So far, so good.
There won't be many, if any, players from the U.S. team Saturday whom Bradley will take with him to play Argentina on March 26 in East Rutherford, N.J., or against Paraguay three days later in Nashville. (The U.S. also plays Egypt on Feb. 9 in Cairo). But Agudelo should be one of them, even if he never gets off the bench and simply watches U.S. veterans play the likes of Lionel Messi and Co.
Further exposure to the faster, more technically demanding international game can only hasten his learning curve, so long as he reins in his expectations and so do fans and the media.
So far, at least, he's saying all the right things.
"I put everything aside, focus on the field, stay humble and keep my feet on the ground," he said Saturday.
Agudelo now just needs to do them, too.
For more Southern California soccer news, read the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer.


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I'm group creative director/executive editor at kbs+, where I work on brands from Vanguard and American Express to TE Connectivity and BMW.
I came to the agency world after more than a decade as a journalist. Most recently, I was editor at large at Advertising Age and executive editor at the blog network Breaking Media.
I've written and edited for a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites, including The New York Observer, the Atlantic, Fast Company and The Awl.


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This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
A randomized controlled trial of the plastic BioSand filter (BSF) was performed in rural communities in Tamale (Ghana) to assess reductions in diarrheal disease and improvements in household drinking water quality. Few studies of household water filters have been performed in this region, where high drinking water turbidity can be a challenge for other household water treatment technologies. During the study, the longitudinal prevalence ratio for diarrhea comparing households that received the plastic BSF to households that did not receive it was 0.40 (95% confidence interval: 0.05, 0.80), suggesting an overall diarrheal disease reduction of 60%. The plastic BSF achieved a geometric mean reduction of 97% and 67% for
Many communities, especially in rural sub-Saharan Africa, still face significant challenges to provide access to improved drinking water sources and are struggling to meet the Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation [
An immediate solution to address the lack of access to safe water is household water treatment (HWT), which allows households to treat drinking water at the point of consumption to improve its quality. Studies of HWT have shown that it can reduce the risk of diarrheal disease by 35% or more for a wide range of technologies in different settings and populations [
A version of the BSF having a plastic housing has recently been produced and may overcome the problems in production, distribution and transport of the concrete filter. The plastic BSF is light in weight, stackable and can be produced rapidly in large quantities by injection molding. The plastic version of the BSF tested in this study is licensed by Manz, manufactured by Cascade Engineering and has specific depth and design parameters [
To address the lack of field evidence of the performance of the plastic BSF to improve drinking water quality and reduce diarrheal disease in turbid surface water used by a population with a high diarrheal disease burden, a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) was performed in rural communities located in the Northern Region, Tamale, Ghana. This study is one of three RCTs simultaneously performed on the plastic BSF in different geographic regions (including Cambodia [
Typical set-up of the plastic BSF in a household in rural Tamale, Ghana (2008).
This study (a cluster RCT) of the plastic BSF was conducted in six rural communities in Tamale, Ghana. All villages and the water quality testing laboratory were located within 25 km of the city of Tamale (see
Study design and protocols were approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of North Carolina (IRB #08-0063) and the Ethical Review Committee of the Ghana Health Service. The initial study was powered to detect a 25% reduction in diarrheal disease between the two groups based on an initial prevalence of diarrheal disease of 5%, 80% power and, α = 0.05. We also took into account the clustering of diarrhea within individuals and households and assumed four months of follow up visits as well as four people per household. Based on these sample size parameter values, we estimated the need for approximately 100 households in each study arm.
Prior to recruitment, village elders were approached and informed about the study. If the village elders were interested in participating, individual households were then asked to participate. Households were excluded from the study if they did not have a child less than five years of age and/or did not want to participate. Household recruitment began on 10 May 2008 and was finalized on 16 June 2008, with informed consent obtained during the initial household visit. The purpose of the initial cross-sectional recruitment questionnaire was to collect data on diarrheal disease prevalence in the households, risk factors of diarrheal disease, main drinking water sources, education levels of household members, access to sanitation and presence and type of any drinking water treatment practices. Access to sanitation was assessed via questionnaire and a visual inspection of the facility, if it was present. Lack of access was characterized by the absence of any type of latrine, pour flush toilet or other appropriate sanitation technology. The initial cross-sectional recruitment was completed in six communities and a total of 260 households were recruited. After the initial recruitment, a baseline period of observation was performed prior to intervention with the plastic BSF. The purpose of the baseline data collection period was to characterize and compare diarrheal disease and water quality between what would become the randomly selected intervention (plastic BSF) and control (no plastic BSF) villages.
Data collection for the longitudinal portion of the prospective cohort began on 17 June 2008 and was finished on 23 December 2008. Households were visited at one week intervals and asked questions about diarrheal disease and water management practices in the home. During this time period, household water quality was also monitored periodically for total coliforms,
The randomization of villages and installation of plastic BSFs took place during the last week of August and first week of September 2008. Based on discussions with village leaders, randomization at the household level was deemed unacceptable by the majority of the villages. Therefore, the randomization was performed at the village-level. Numbers were assigned to the six villages and three numbers were selected from a random number generator to be the intervention villages. Due to the unequal size of the villages, more households were selected into the control group. At the time of randomization, the six villages ranged in size from 14 to 70 households with children <5 years of age. As a result of randomization, three villages with 70, 58 and 14 households were selected into the control group and three villages with 58, 24 and 33 households were selected into the intervention group (and received the plastic BSF).
The intervention phase of the study included weekly household observations from September 2008 to December 2008, with a potential of 15 weeks of household observations completed during this time period. All households in the intervention and control groups continued to provide detailed information on weekly levels of diarrheal disease. For household water quality analysis, turbidity was measured every two weeks and bacterial concentrations were measured five times during the intervention period, usually every two weeks.
A consistent system of diarrheal disease surveillance was developed where one person in the household was identified as the primary respondent during the recruitment interview. This person was surveyed weekly about diarrheal disease for all members of the household. Using the following questions "Has anyone in your house had diarrhea in the past one week?" and "If yes, how many times did that person go in one 24-hour period?", the primary respondents were asked to verbally report any occurrence of diarrhea in the household within the last 7 days. Additional questions on stool appearance (including the appearance of blood), duration of symptoms of diarrhea and use of treatment were also asked. If the case of diarrhea was ongoing at the time of the visit, the case was asked about during the next visit to determine if it had resolved as well as to determine the duration of the case. Overall, there were 12 possible visits prior to plastic BSF installation as the intervention and 15 possible visits after plastic BSF installation, for a total of 27 potential weeks of observation for diarrheal disease surveillance.
From the 260 households that were enrolled, samples of drinking water were taken during household visits from both the control and plastic BSF household groups. During the plastic BSF intervention, control households provided a sample of water used for drinking and BSF households providing three water samples at each visit: pre-filtered or untreated water, water directly from the plastic BSF outlet tube, and plastic BSF-treated water that had been stored for drinking.
Water samples were collected by field staff directly into 500 mL sterile plastic collection bottles. These samples were stored on ice and transported to the World Vision Laboratory at Savelugu, where they were immediately processed (within six hours of collection). All samples were tested for total coliforms and
Data from the initial cross-sectional questionnaire were used to compare the plastic BSF and control groups. Pearson chi-squared tests were used to assess the proportion in each group for the following variables: access to sanitation, main drinking water source, educational attainment, having multiple children <5 years of age in the household, and reported drinking water treatment practices.
The effect of the plastic BSF on diarrheal disease was determined by comparing the longitudinal prevalence of diarrheal disease for all participants in each group, intervention (received BSF) and control (no BSF) using longitudinal prevalence ratios (LPR) generated from Poisson regression. In order to classify a case of diarrheal disease, we used the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of three or more loose or watery stools in at least a 24-hour period. To adjust for clustering within households and the villages, multi-level Poisson regression was performed and all data reported are based on the LPR from the regression model adjusted for clustering. To fit the model, days with diarrheal disease (as counts) and person-days of observation were totaled by individual participant. The multi-level model was used to adjust for clustering because individuals belonged to households which belonged to villages. All diarrheal disease data analysis was performed in Stata 10.0 (Stata, StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA).
Bacterial concentration and turbidity data were log10 transformed and analyzed in Microsoft Excel and Stata 10.0 for graphical presentation and means testing. The bacterial and turbidity reductions achieved by the plastic BSF were calculated as log10 reductions: log10 reduction = log10 influent – log10 effluent (Equation 1). Filtered drinking water quality of plastic BSF households was compared both for water taken directly from the filter and for stored filtered water and compared to untreated water from BSF and control households. Paired and unpaired t-tests were used to compare geometric mean log10
During the initial cross-sectional recruitment interview, six villages and 260 households were recruited into the study. Three villages were later randomized into the BSF intervention group and a total of 117 plastic BSFs were installed in separate households. Three villages were selected to remain as the control villages. All control households were asked to continue normal water management practices for the intervention period. Although this randomization resulted in a small number of clusters, this small number of villages was selected to facilitate weekly follow-up visits. A larger number of villages would have made it logistically challenging to complete all visits within one week (the desired diarrheal disease recall period). Prior to randomization, during the baseline period, nine households (3.4%) dropped out of the study. During the plastic BSF intervention period, a total of seven households (2.3%) dropped out of the study; two households from the control group and five households from the plastic BSF intervention group.
A total of 1012 people in the 117 households randomized to the plastic BSF-intervention villages and a total of 1031 people in the 143 households randomized to the control villages were compared. Shown in
Plastic BSF and control group characteristics regarding water, sanitation, hygiene, and other household level characteristics are presented in
Age (as of May 2008), sex and education status of participants in control (no BSF) and intervention (BSF) households during a randomized controlled trial of the plastic BSF in rural Tamale, Ghana 2008.
|Pearson χ2 test
|Participants ≥ 5 years old
|809 (78.5)
|794 (78.5)
|Participants 2–4
|146 (14.3)
|116 (11.5)
|Participants <2
|76 (7.4)
|102 (10.2)
|0.027 a
|Male (≥5)
|436 (42)
|391 (39)
|Male (<5)
|113 (11)
|116 (11)
|0.37 a
|Female (≥5)
|373 (36)
|401 (40)
|Female (<5)
|108 (11)
|104 (10)
|0.12 a
|261 (25.3)
|260 (25.7)
a Pearson chi-squared test performed for proportions in all categories of age and gender comparing people in BSF and control groups.
Selected characteristics regarding demographics, water and sanitation for control (no BSF) and intervention (BSF) households in a randomized controlled trial of the plastic BSF in rural Tamale, Ghana, June–December 2008.
|Household Level Variables
|(χ2 test)
|Use surface water during dry season
|Use surface water during rainy season
|Reported sieving drinking water through cloth
|At least one person attending school in household
|Lack access to sanitation a
|Multi-child household b
a Lack of access was characterized by the absence of any type of latrine or pour flush toilet.
b Household has at least two children less than five years of age participating in the study.
Almost all households lacked access to any type of sanitation (97 and 98%, respectively for control and plastic BSF households). The two groups were not found to be significantly different when compared for other water and sanitation or demographic variables listed in
In order to examine the impact of the plastic BSF on diarrheal disease of participants, we compared the longitudinal prevalence between the two groups, plastic BSF intervention and control (no BSF) for the age groups of <2 years, all <5 years and all ages, both prior to the intervention and after installation of the plastic BSF as the intervention (
Adjusted longitudinal prevalence ratios for diarrheal disease, stratified by age, during the pre-intervention and intervention phases of a randomized controlled trial of the plastic BSF in rural Tamale, Ghana (2008).
|Data collection Period
|Age stratum
|Unadjusted LP a—Control Villages
|Unadjusted LP a—Plastic BSF Villages
|Adjusted LPR (95% CI)
|Baseline (May–August 2008) b
|0.98 (0.23, 3.95) c
|<2 years of age
|1.56 (0.25, 9.83) d
|<5 years of age
|1.38 (0.19, 10.17) d
|Plastic BSF Intervention (September–December 2008)
|0.40 (0.05, 0.80) c
|<2 years of age
|0.37 (0.15, 0.90) d
|<5 years of age
|0.26 (0.07, 0.89) d
a LP—unadjusted longitudinal prevalence which was calculated as the total number of days with diarrheal disease over the total number of days observed; b Period of observation in villages prior to randomization and plastic BSF installation; c Longitudinal prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval with plastic BSF as exposure adjusted for adjusted for categorical age of participant and clustering of diarrheal disease within household and villages; d Longitudinal prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval with plastic BSF as exposure adjusted for clustering of diarrheal disease within household and villages.
When stratified by age group, the difference in longitudinal prevalence of diarrheal disease between participants in control and BSF households was even greater in children less than five years of age than in all age groups, with an adjusted LPR of 0.26, (95% CI: 0.07–0.89), corresponding to an estimated 74% reduction in diarrheal disease for plastic BSF participants compared to control participants. The level of diarrheal disease reduction for BSF participants compared to control participants was only slightly lower for children less than two years of age compared to all participants combined, with an (adjusted LPR of 0.37 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.90)), corresponding to an estimated 63% diarrheal disease reduction.
Household drinking water quality was compared over the entire study period for plastic BSF and control households. The geometric mean concentrations of
Geometric mean
|Baseline (May–August 2008)
|Plastic BSF Intervention (September–December 2008)
|Control HH Water
|Plastic BSF HH Water
|Control HH Water
|Plastic BSF Untreated Water b
|Plastic BSF Direct Filtrate
|Plastic BSF Stored Filtrate
|724 (631–851)
|832 (724–977)
|490 (426–549)
|437 (380–501)
|16 (13–20)
|76 (62–91)
|95 (83–109)
|85 (74–98)
|25 (23–27)
|47 (42–51)
|15 (13–17)
|15 (14–18)
a Geometric mean and 95% confidence interval for
After the plastic BSF intervention, households with the plastic BSF demonstrated appreciable improvements in drinking water quality compared to the control household without the BSF (
Control and plastic BSF households were asked (at each household visit) whether or not they had performed treatment to their water. Prior to plastic BSF intervention, households reported sieving the water through a cloth prior to drinking for 97% of all observations. Boiling and chlorine were cited as treatment for 0.2% and 0.15% of the observations, respectively. During the intervention period, the control group reported high levels of cloth-sieving (93% of all observations) but no additional treatment. The plastic BSF group did not report any additional treatment beyond filtration with the plastic BSF during the intervention period.
In an attempt to measure adherence to the plastic BSF intervention, households reported the frequency of weekly plastic BSF use and use of the plastic BSF filtered water for drinking. During the weekly observations, none of the plastic BSF intervention households reported not using the BSF to filter water in the previous 7 days. In addition, in very few observations (3% all household observations in plastic BSF households) users report not drinking the plastic BSF filtered water.
The plastic BSF achieved a geometric mean 97% reduction of
When compared on a categorical basis of order of magnitude concentration ranges as a basis for categorizing risk levels posed by the water, plastic BSF treated water had significantly fewer samples in high risk
Comparison of categorical
To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the ability of plastic BSF to reduce the longitudinal prevalence of diarrheal disease in Ghana. There are relatively few studies examining household water filtration in communities in this region of the world and in water sources as turbid as the ones found in this study. We documented a significant reduction (60%) in diarrheal disease for households who were asked to use a plastic BSF compared to control households that were given no BSF during the study period. One similar study, performed in Kenya with a concrete housing intermittently operated slow sand filter, found a 54% reduction in diarrhea prevalence [
The results from this study are also similar to the diarrheal disease reduction results we documented (as part of the three country trial of the plastic BSF) from an RCT in Cambodia, where diarrheal reductions in households using the plastic BSF were similar (59%) to those reported here during a five-month intervention trial [
Researchers, however, have recently questioned the validity of results of unblinded, randomized controlled trials lacking a placebo such as this one, suggesting that there may be a significant source of bias where households with the intervention may under-report diarrheal disease [
Additional research on the plastic BSF and other HWT technologies should attempt to measure health impacts in more objective ways that can help to eliminate bias. These may include incorporating diagnostic procedures to detect intestinal infections or including anthropometric measurements of children for longer-term health outcomes such as was performed in a recent trial of solar disinfection in Kenya [
During the four months of intervention with the plastic BSF, we documented significant improvements in household water quality for both
Although there were significant reductions of
While the turbidity reduction in household drinking water by the plastic BSF in the intervention group was significant compared to untreated water and to control household water turbidity, the average turbidity of treated drinking water of 14 NTU was still higher than the WHO suggested limit of 5 NTU. Few studies have examined treatment of water in regions where the main source of drinking water is highly turbid surface water. Crump
Limitations of this study include randomization at the village level which resulted in a small number of clusters, having participants unblinded to the exposure and lack of a placebo. Additional limitations include use of self-reported diarrhea, with a 7-day recall of diarrhea, as the health outcome measure and the relatively short duration of the intervention. However, such limitations are common in other studies of HWT technologies such as the ceramic water filter and chlorination. The short duration and frequent observations of this study are important limitations of its design because evidence suggests that many point-of-use household water interventions show decreased performance effectiveness over time [
Despite the aforementioned limitations in this study, the results can still be compared to other rigorous and widely cited studies of HWT technologies and their impact on the diarrheal disease risks of the users. In particular, these results confirm those of past RCTs of the concrete BSF by documenting that the plastic BSF has the ability to reduce the longitudinal prevalence of diarrheal disease and significantly improve drinking water quality, even in a cohort of households that is primarily using unimproved, turbid and microbiologically contaminated surface water from earthen dams for their main source of drinking water.
To our knowledge, this is only one of two known health impact studies on the performance of the BSF in Sub-Saharan Africa and is the first on the plastic BSF on this continent. Positive results were found for the ability of the plastic BSF filter to reduce diarrheal disease and improve water quality in communities of the Northern Region of Ghana using highly turbid and microbiologically contaminated surface water collected from earthen dams as their drinking water source. However, more research is necessary to document plastic BSF performance, continued and effective use and overall sustainability after installation and in the absence of intensive sampling or other monitoring.
The authors thank all of the study participants from the communities in the rural area of Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana for their time and support during this study. We thank the interviewers and staff as well. We also thank the Savelugu office of World Vision for its generous support of the study by providing office and laboratory space. We thank the Ethical Review Committee of the Ghana Health Services for their review of the results. We are also grateful to Douglas Wait and the UNC Environmental Microbiology group for logistical support. We additionally thank Brendon P. McHugh for developing the map of
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Laboratory supplies for water quality testing of microbial quality and turbidity were generously donated by the IDEXX Laboratories and Hach Company, respectively. We are also grateful to International Aid and Cascade Engineering for the financial support of this study. Apart from supplying funds for the study, the funders played no role in the design, analysis, or preparation of the manuscript.


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" Brand: George Foreman / Type: Indoor Grill / Timer: With Timer / Width: 30.5 cm / Depth: 25.5 cm "
We have had this George Foreman Health Grill now for about two years and and we are reasonably happy with it. It heats up quickly and we cook quite a wide variety of different things on it, including sausages (even getrarian) burgers, etc.
It manages to get rid of a lot of the fat and grease and we think this makes the food more healthy for us. My other half is worried about my cholesterol levels and is far more health conscious than I am.
It is easy to keep clean and maintain and I must admit it is very easy to keep clean although the amount of grease it leaves behind is pretty disgusting and most impressive, say after we have cooked sausages or beefburgers. The little lad always mentions how much grease there is left behind.
It cost us about £35 and we were quite happy to pay this much as we have a friend who also has the same model and they were happy with this and recommended it to us.
We use it about twice a week and it has lasted us a long time. It has actually been dropped on two occasionson the kitchen floor but it is still going strong so it is durable. I actually think it also looks very stylish and when it is not in use it looks well sitting on our counter top. We use it very regularly as a family.
It has a long lead and so no adaptor is nescessary and it cooks food very well indeed.
Very much recommended.
This review is also published on Ciao under name of sorehead.
I have recently bought my second George Foreman grill because since the moment I used the first one, I cannot imagine life without one. My first 'George' (R.I.P.) had a tougher time than Mr Foreman himself suffered in his boxing career the amount my family and I used it, grilling sausages, steaks, toasties, bacon, burgers, steaks, kebabs (the list could go on).
To cook any of the aforementioned delights on the George, you first must plug it in and warm it up for a few minutes (2-5). Once warm, you open the lid (the upper of two grills) and place your item inside, close the lid and set the timer. Once inside, the item it grilled from both bottom and top as the George's lid and base are grills. The grooves in the grill and the slightly slanted angle that the George is designed at means that as any fat drips out it is drained down the grills into one of the fat collection tubs provided (easy washable). Apart from, as the advert says 'cutting cooking times in half', another advantage is how safe it is. With the grill being completed closed over the item(s) and the timer being loud enough to hear from another room you can happily leave the grill to do all the fat draining cooking work for you whilst you just wait to hear the beep.
Depending on the size of the George that you buy you can probably cook multiple items on the grill at once (two burgers, three sausages and a kebab for example) and the booklet provided gives you cooking times for everything that the George can cook. It is easy to clean (heat it slightly and use the scraper provided) and the taste of the food is amazing (I personally don't like to use it for bacon, but the rest of my family do).
This phenomenal cooking machine will soon be as common as the microwave is and I'm yet to meet someone who hasn't been impressed with its ease of use and taste of products. You can get various sizes for various prices so pick look at how much food you are likely to be cooking at once and choose the correct size because believe me, you'll get your moneys worth.
This is my second George foreman I have owned the first one lasted for years and I replaced it with this model a year ago.
The George foreman is a great invention.
It takes about three minutes to heat up before placing your items under to cook.
This grill is silver so fitting in with most modern kitchens. It does have George Foreman's signature plastered across the front and the lean, mean grilling machine logo. It has double sided grills that are angles downwards so that the fat runs out.
It does come with a spatula specially designed to help you lift the item off the grill without scratching.
The cord is relatively long for an electrical appliance and winds round the bottom for easy storage.
What can you cook?
Just about anything that you can grill will cook well on the George foreman.
I have personally cooked burgers, fish fingers, breaded chicken, bacon as well as chicken breast. When I have cooked chicken breasts I was concerned that it would taste chewy as it was cooking fast but it was actually very tender.
The most amazing thing I have cooked is sausages and the fat just pours down into a collection tray at the bottom.
I also make toasted sandwiches on this and while they don't seal they still make a tasty warm sandwich.
I do find that although it does cook both sides it is better to flip it half way through cooking as it does tend to cook the bottom side slightly more.
I have cooked tuna steaks on this which I have been told worked well but as I don't like fish have no personal experience.
It doe state that you can cook vegetables but I have only tried mushrooms which dried up and really did not work.
I do find that although it does cook both sides it is better to flip it half way through cooking as it does tend to cook the bottom side slightly more.
You can get two slices of bread on this model so can make a sandwich for myself and my son at the same time.
The benefits of a health grill
Firstly it lets the fat drop into the groves and slide down into a collection tray which does help you recognise how much fat are in different products.
It does tend to cook quicker as it cooks both sides simultaneously
The collection tray can be left to cool the fat solidifies and can be wiped directly into the bin. This is quite satisfying as you realise if you had cooked in the oven chances are that they would have been reabsorbed while cooking.
This is my tip for cleaning is after you turn the grill of wet a couple of pieces of kitchen roll and place them on the grill while it cools then you can generally just wipe it clean. Be careful not to use any kind of abrasive cleaner as it does remove the Teflon.
I have seen models that you can now remove the cooking plates and do think these would make cleaning much easier
This is an added bonus on this it item but don't know that it is worth paying extra for this feature
Would I recommend this product?
Yes I definitely would. Mine is stored in the cup-board at the moment but I do find I used it more when it was on work surface.
A healthier way too cook that takes less energy can only be positive.
The George Foreman health grill is available from most stores that sell small electrical appliances. This model is currently available at comment for £28.99 but the recommended retail price is £34.99
I was bought the George foreman as a present, it is not something i would have bought myself but now i have it i would not be without it! I would recommend it to anyone. It is so quick and convenient for grilling meat, the way it slops down means all the running fat drips out which is great. You may be thinking well surely the fat drips away on a normal grill but this is so much easier to clean then having to clean your grill pan, i literally just pour the fat from the drip tray into a jar or in the bin and give it a quick rinse. Ever had the problem when grilling sausages in a normal grill of the burning fat hurting your eyes? Fat sparking? Well the George Foreman solves this and you don't have any of this as the fat drips out. The handy instruction booklet it comes with is useful as it gives you the cooking times for various different items you might cook in it. It takes very little time to get up to heat...i would say quicker than a normal grill in your cooker. You can set the timer on the grill and when time has run out it beeps to let you know.
It is really easy to clean the actual grill, i usually just wipe over it with some kitchen roll . The other thing i like about it is the way it is like a griddle pan so you get the grill lines across your food which i especially like on a steak!!
Not only is this a healthier way to cook your food it is also so quick and convenient. If you are considering buying one i would say go for it!
This george foreman grill was used extensively in my 1st and second year. It isnt actually mine, its my old housemates, but I used it a lot! Its now with my sister getting greatly used by her housemates. So its been working well for about 3 years now.
You can grill just about anything on this. The grill plate tilts downwards, so all the grease and fat runs off into a drip tray, which you can then just tip in the bin and wash.
The grill doesnt need any oil on it to brown whatever your grilling.
I used it a lot for toasting hotcross buns, making cheese toasties, veggie kebabs and veggie sausages. It doesnt take long to heat up, and as long as you keep an eye on it you dont need to keep turning things over as it grills on both sides.
It gets really hot this grill, so be careful when using it.
My housemates used it to grill things like sausages, chicken breasts, beef burgers, burger buns, paninis, and anything else they could think of.
The only problem is cleaning this grill, you have to wait until it cools down to clean it, and by then all the remaining fat or burnt bits are stuck to the grill. It takes some hard scrubbing to get it clean. Also cleaning the drip tray when its been full of fat is disgusting. At least its healthier for you than having all that grease inside you.
I think this one costs around £20 - £40, as its quite a medium sized one. You can get really small ones and also huge ones which my other flatmate owned.
If your a student looking after your health this is a great option to cooking in the pan.
New Year - New Healthy you!
I am reviewing one of my George Foreman grills that we use very frequently.
The Range available
There is an extensive range of grills available to suit each and every household. If you're looking for a Foreman grill then you have a lot to consider before buying.
Things to ask yourself:
How many portions will I be cooking on it?
How much space do I have available?
How much money do I have to spend?
Once you have answered these basic questions then it's time to look @ the range of grills available.
Compact Grills - Suitable for 2/3 persons, Not ideal for a large family. Too Small
Family Grills - Suitable for 4/6 persons, this is the baby for the family.
Easy Clean Grills - Suitable for 3/6 persons - These plates can all be removed
Entertaining Grills - Suitable for 7/10 persons - This is ideal for parties
Grill and Melt - Suitable for 3./4 Persons - Ideal for those cheese toasties
Multi Use Grills - Suitable for up to 13 persons - Usually has two sides, griddle and hot plate.
If you're looking too see this range you can either Google George Foreman or surf over to www.georgeforeman.co.uk
The 13350 Model
*In the box
When you first buy your grill, it comes nicely packed in a box with full instructions and a nice recipe book too. The instructions are every easy to follow and I would suggest that you do read them over, especially if this is your first foreman. Also in foreman are your cleaning tool and the drip tray which needs to be cleaned for the first use, warm soapy water is enough.
*The look
Like many of Foreman grills this one is silver on the outside and black in the inside, the digital display eliminates in red and the buttons that you can adjust the settings with are also black. The normal "Lean man Fat........" logo is plastered on the middle of the foreman and not to forget that signature of the main man himself.
*First Use
Using the grill for the first time I would recommend that you wash the grill with warm soapy water this will remove all the new smells from it and make sure it's ready to be used. Once you have washed and dried the grill, make sure it's on a solid flat surface, place the drip tray underneath the grill and switch the power on. With the lid in the closed position, select how many minutes you want the grill on for (Max 30 mins). Don't worry if 30mins is not enough as all you need to do is selected more minutes in a short while.
To give you an idea of size you can fit two slices of bread on this.
I mostly use this grill for toasties and for breakfast items, I can make two toasties on this at one time, each toastie I make has two slices so it's quite thick. The lid easily comes over the top of the bread to toast it all over. My toastie takes just under 10 minutes and it's ready.
My wife has used the grill to cook chicken breasts and not only does all the fat come off the breast but it tastes so much better too.
You will be disgusted if you where to cook the breakfast on it, cooking just one sausage will show you the amount of fat what comes off it. I would now never cook a breakfast in a frying pan as the thought of all that fat makes me feel sick.
The grills are deigned to slope forward to make it easy for all the fat to run down and drip in to the tray below.
I am absolutely delighted with the cooking performance of this machine and the ease of use I would say it's suitable for most people. As this is a cooking item it does get very hot and children should stay well away from it. Another thing to consider is that the drip tray collects all the fat and the fat can be very hot. So teaching a child not to touch that is a good idea.
*Item that I cook on mines and cooking suggestions
Cheese, Ham and bean toasties - Or why not pop some onions in it.
Chicken breasts, Hamburgers, Steaks, Salads and much much more
With a Foreman it's a case of if it can fit in it then I can cook it using my grill.
Very easy and it always looks like new when you have cleaned it, I always wait to clean the actual grill until after I have eaten the food I have cooked on it as by this time it will be cook. However I always run the cleaning tool over the grills as soon as I have stopped using it. Doing this pushes as much fat and any leftover food in to the drip tray. The drip tray is dishwasher safe but must be placed on the top rack only.
Where can I buy?
There are many retailers that stock an extensive range of Foreman grill, they include:
Argos, Tesco, Amazon and many more places.
Retails value of this item is currently - £32.99 from Amazon. I bought this model 6mths ago from Asda for £27.99
Final Thoughts
Features - Basic, But in my opinion that's all what is needed for this model.
Ease of use- Excellent - It's very straight forward.
Value for money - How much can you put on your health
Cleaning - Easy if you clean it often.
It comes with a one year's manufactory guarantee
This is an ideal product to help with weight loss in my opinion, as the less fat we eat the healthier we will be.
Thanks for reading
Marcellep Dooyoo
*This review is also published on Ciao under Marcellep2 (That's me)
Short name: George Foreman 13350


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Three more from area face charges for selling meth; two Spicer women were previously charged in case
WILLMAR -- Three more people have made their first court appearances on first-degree drug sale charges for allegedly selling methamphetamine to an informant for the CEE-VI Drug Task Force.
Corinne Clariette Fader, 57, of Spicer, faces three drug sale and conspiracy charges. She appeared Wednesday in Kandiyohi County District Court. Unconditional bail was set at $120,000 with conditional bail at $8,000 cash only.
Shea Morgan Carlson, identified as Fader's son, faces one drug sale charge and made his first appearance Thursday. Unconditional bail was set at $200,000 with conditional bail at $15,000 cash. Judge Donald M. Spilseth ordered the cash bail be forfeited if Carlson uses drugs and ordered him to submit to daily reporting and drug testing.
Amanda Sue O'Leary, 19, of Spicer and formerly of Redwood Falls, also faces a single charge.
Her unconditional bail was set at $100,000 with conditional bail at $7,500 cash. All three are scheduled to make their next court appearance Jan. 19.
According to the complaint against Fader, she was involved in the sale of a total of 22.5 grams of meth to an informant Aug. 28 and Sept. 3 in Willmar and Spicer. Kristy Lynn Blinsky, 30, and Allison Nicole Pace, 28, both of Spicer, have also been charged in connection to the sales.
Fader has a 2004 federal drug conviction for possessing controlled substances in Anchorage, Alaska.
According to the complaint against Carlson and O'Leary, an informant for the task force purchased a total of 11.7 grams of meth from Carlson on July 15, July 24 and Aug. 7 in Willmar and Spicer. O'Leary, identified as Carlson's girlfriend, is alleged to have assisted in the deals. Tests performed by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension showed the drug to be methamphetamine.
Carlson has three prior fifth-degree possession convictions from Kandiyohi and Yellow Medicine counties. According to the court file, he served a year and a day in prison on one of the convictions.


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With it being America's birthday this week, it seems appropriate to look at what's going on with America's favorite pastime, baseball.
For our area, that means the St. Louis Cardinals and American Legion baseball.
For the first time this season, the Cardinals are struggling a bit as they entered a series against Albert Pujols and the Angels.
Every team goes through a few rough stretches during the season. It's hard to complain about the first half of the season for the Cardinals.
The good news is that the Reds are having a hard time lately as well. The bad news is the Pirates are surging.
The Pirates have taken over first place in the National League Central Division standings.
Everyone wants to know if the Pirates will still be around in September. They haven't had a winning season since 1992.
I believe the Pirates are here to stay and it will be a three-horse race for the NL Central title.
Rosters for the All-Star Game July 16 in New York (Mets) will be announced Saturday.
The Cardinals have had the best record in baseball for most of the season and deserve a strong showing.
Really, there are seven Cardinals who deserve to be there. Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltran and Adam Wainwright are locks.
Allen Craig, Matt Carpenter, Lance Lynn and Edward Mujica deserve to go as well.
Detroit's Max Scherzer (12-0), who attended Parkway Central and Mizzou, will no doubt be the American League's starting pitcher.
It would be neat to see Wainwright start for the National League against Scherzer.
The problem is the game is being played at the Mets' home park, which makes me believe Matt Harvey of the Mets will get the start.
It's been another great American Legion baseball season for our area.
The Washington Post 218 Seniors just don't get tested much in the Ninth District, other than against West.
It's good that Post 218 plays against a few quality non-district foes. Their three losses have come against House Springs, Eureka and Creve Coeur, three District 10 teams.
They should be tested Sunday against Festus and Jackson and then head to the Blue Springs Wood Bat Tournament, where they will go against the Blue Springs Rod's Sports A's in bracket play.
It's difficult to keep track of who some of the other top teams are in Missouri, but we'll take a shot at it.
Jefferson City was 23-1 at last report with its one loss coming against Moberly, who had an 11-5 record following that win. Washington likely will see both of those teams at the Zone Tournament.
Jackson is 26-5 on the season after finishing third last weekend at the Paragould 7Up Classic in Paragould, Ark.
Festus is not as strong as its been in the recent past, but still worth keeping an eye on with a 12-6 record as of last week.
Eureka is unbeaten in District 10 and is 20-6 overall. Creve Coeur had an 11-8 record at last check.
The Joplin Miners, who forfeited out of last year's state tournament, appear to be the top team in the southwestern part of the state again this season.
In the Kansas City area, there appears to be three strong teams with the A's (18-5 last week), Post 499 Fike (17-7 last week) and the Lee's Summit Hawthorn Bank Outlaws (29-3 last week). All three teams join Washington at the Blue Springs Tournament later this month.
Props to the Washington Post 218 and Pacific Post 320 Junior teams for their great seasons. Washington won the Ninth District regular season title with just one loss. Pacific was second with two losses.
Post 218, which features players from last season's state championship Freshmen team, ended the regular season with a 22-2 record.
Post 320 is 24-3 heading into postseason play.
Both teams are loaded with pitching, which bodes well for postseason play.
Washington and Pacific both also have solid Freshman teams this summer.