text:
Description: This overview of childhood obesity includes literature from various studies that look at the causes, consequences, and prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.
Purpose: The purpose is to increase awareness of childhood obesity and the complexity of this health concern among health professionals and society. In addition, the authors intend to provide some practical expertise. The objectives are very worthy and this collaboration is greatly needed to disseminate a collection of research on childhood obesity. Although the book provides information on the causes, consequences, and treatment options for childhood obesity, there is limited information on the outcomes of some of the treatment strategies (i.e., how do things work in practice? What strategies work and do not work with children).
Audience: According to the authors, the book is primarily written for health and research workers. It is also suggested that the book will reach a wider group of individuals that the authors have not specified. In my opinion, the book is written at a level for health professionals and I do not believe it is user-friendly for the general population. The majority of the authors have a wide variety of experience in certain areas of childhood obesity.
Features: The book addresses a variety of topics that relate to childhood obesity. It begins with a description of the pathology, epidemiology, and sociological issues surrounding obesity. It provides a synopsis of the possible clinical outcomes of childhood obesity and an overview of the prevention strategies such as diet, activity, and drug therapies. Most interesting is the concluding chapter that focuses on future issues and research opportunities in this area. While the authors' intentions may have been good, I question the use of the drawing on the cover. As health practitioners working with children, we need to have empathy, but I found that the drawing may be interpreted in a negative manner by individuals who live with obesity. I think it continues to perpetuate the stigma associated with obesity and would prefer a comprehensive picture of body images on the cover. Realizing that the book cannot cover every topic extensively, I would like to have seen a review of how some of the practical applications work with children living with obesity. Specifically, reviewing the current research on behavior modification (i.e., why do some children change; what influences their change; what are their experiences; what works and doesn't work with regards to behavior modification and the outcomes of these strategies). Lastly, the use of the term "slimming" is an important issue. The authors need to present their interpretation and use of this term, since it can be misinterpreted. It may conjure up an image of needing to be "thinner" where our goal as health professionals is to encourage healthy weights for children so that they can live healthy lives.
Assessment: This book covers a complex topic taking into consideration a wide variety of determinants of obesity. The synopsis of the material is very useful to health professionals as it provides updated information and raises many questions for future research.


text:
Have a Tax Question? Ask a Tax Expert
Sorry for your loss...
Please see for reference the IRS publication 559 - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p559.pdf
All income your mother received while alive is includible on the final return.
The word "DECEASED," the decedent's name, and the date of death should be written across the top of the tax return.
If a personal representative has been appointed, that person must sign the return.
If no personal representative has been appointed and if there is no surviving spouse, the person in charge of the decedent's property must file and sign the return as "personal representative"
You must attach Form 1310 to all returns and claims for refund. - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1310.pdf
All income received after your mother died is considered as income of her estate.
You need to collect all tax reporting forms W2, 1099's etc.
If you do not have these forms and do not have information about her income - you would not able to file her tax return.
You would need to contact her employer and other payers and request these forms.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Directors on call: Dale Kuhrt, Amy Coapman, Jim Swift, Gary
Westbrook, Dal Kratzer, Steve Clendenin, Barb Ross, Kent Kuykendall,
Vergil Holland, Dan Gill, Beverly
Directors not on call: Susan Carpenter, Red Oliver, Barry Moyer, Joyce Geier, Jeanne Weaver, Suzy McCallister, Kate Broadbent, Werner Reitboeck
Officers on call: Mike Canaday, Dal Gill and Francis Raley
Guest on call: Jo Woodbury, Chairperson of Local Committee.
1. Mike Canaday called the meeting to order at 8:05. Mike called for a motion to accept the minutes. Amy said there was a problem with the number of dogs' running back on the last day of the finals. Francis said it was a typo and she had fixed it. Stormy Winters moved to adopt the minutes seconded by Gary Westbrook. Passed unanimously.
2. Mike read the treasurer's report. Currently there is $8,148.37 in the checking account, the savings account has $33,349.95 and the livestock fund has $3,071.2.0 for a total of $44,569.52.
3. The first item of old business was the finals judges. Mike said that by this time we all knew that there had been a misunderstanding when we voted on what day the judges was to judge. We were concerned that Kent Kuykendall was doing a lot of judging and it turned out another judge had as much to do as Kent. Everyone was aware of the email suggesting we hire a 4th judge and the response to the email was enough to hire the judge. Francis reported that she had spoken to Alvin Kopp, the next highest vote getter on the judge's ballot, and he was available. Beverly Lambert moved to hire Alvin for the 4th judge. Stormy seconded. Passed unanimously. Beverly moved that Angie Coker and Alvin Kopp judge the nursery both rounds, Kent Kuykendall and Bobby Henderson judge for 150 preliminary open runs. Then Alvin and Angie judge for the 45 semi-finals runs then all four judges for the 20 double lift runs. Stormy seconded. Passed unanimously.
4. Mike moved on to the little hats website. Mike reported that the HA site gets quite a few hits and currently the only sites linked to the HA site are our sponsors and Rural Route Videos. Mike said that the reason we might not want to link the Little Hats site to our site is that we would then have no control over what they were subsequently linked to. Mike said it is very important that we be very careful what we link to. Mike said we automatically allow people to link their web sites to the HA. What we don't do is give people links off our website and that is what the organizer of the Little Hats site has asked for. Kent agreed that once we open that door it would be difficult to decide where to shut it off. Donald McCaig reported that the site was well put together and intelligently done. Donald said that allowing it this link makes it very important and he wasn't sure that it was although it was an excellent site. Donald questioned if it was as big a deal as our sponsors. He was in favor of the site but unsure if we should be actively promoting it. Amy said she had seen the site as well and agreed with Donald about its quality but felt if we allow them a free link where do we stop? Amy would not be in favor of allowing them a free link. Beverly suggested we might have a section of the site that allows links to related herding sites and information. Barb wondered if we would be fair to our sponsors if we allowed the "Littlehats" link. Mike said that this would result in our losing control of our site. Mike suggested that while we might want to come up with a policy we should table this for now. Dan Gill moved that we table this until we have criteria in order to control the HA site. Kent seconded. Passed unanimously.
5. Mike gave the floor to Jo Woodbury to tell us about the Sturgis finals. Jo offered to expand upon the report she had sent if any one had questions. Jo said she still wasn't happy with the web page but that there wasn't much she could do about it. Jo reported that there is a second practice field. Dan and Berget Perkins, #605-456-1736 will have about 40 head of sheep 350 yard outrun and be 20 miles from the trial site. Donald asked when practice fields would be available. The closer field will be open on Tuesday the 9th of September. The new field Jo didn't know. The closer one will be available all through the finals. Francis asked Jo to send her the new information. Dale Court asked if an announcer had been selected. Jo deferred to Mike who reported that Gene Litton had taken care of it and Mike thought it was the man who did the Rapid City stock show. Mike said the concern about the announcer had to do with our being on television with OLN, which is being worked on very hard. If the finals is on OLN the voice of the announcer will be in the background of all the video and so Mike said they had thought that they should get the most professional announcer possible. Jim Swift asked if Paul Minor was still involved. Jo said he was no longer with the chamber but he is still very actively involved in the committee and is the main contact person for the community and the chamber. Gary asked Jo to elaborate on the handler access to the field. Jo reported that the city property had no street access. The BLM property is where the trial will be. The BLM has built a road to the city property but it cuts through part of the trial field so when the trial is on you can't use it. The Fort Meade access will be clearly marked and is a bit longer but it will be posted and people will need to come and go that way during the trial. The Fort Meade entrance is before the BLM entrance. Steve Clendenin said he had one concern and it was about the last handler exhausting the sheep for the next handler. Beverly said the way it was done in TN went well. Beverly said she organized the volunteers to do the exhausting in TN and offered to organize it in Sturgis if Jo would like. Jo asked if Mike would be there to set up. Mike said he would try to be.
6. Mike thanked Jo for being on call and answering questions from the Directors. Jo disconnected from call.
7. Mike reported that Dan had been working on the finals. Dan said the Standing Stone Cutlery knives were done. The knives were numbered 1-20 with the first place dog-getting number 1 and so on down. The buckles will be done August 20 and ready to ship. Montana Silversmith will do them. We have asked Tractor Supply to pay for them. If not we have another wholesaler who will work with us on the cost. Dan said that there has been a lot of good work with OLN. He couldn't say yet that it would work but we are closer then we have ever been. The program director is putting together a package. They have looked over the TN tapes and working out what they want to do. They are trying to see what they can drop on their roster so their film crew can come to Sturgis. Colorado Natural produces products for dogs. Larry Jones working with Tractor Supply has arranged for the Colorado Natural people to give $10,000 to HA through Tractor Supply. With TSC and Colorado Natural we have $15,000 it may be $20,000 if OLN comes through. If OLN comes through then TSC will be asking all of their product people to come through with additional money. Mike said we needed to give Dan Gill and Larry Jones a lot of credit for putting this whole deal together especially with Colorado Natural.
8. Francis said some people want to have the names of the people entered in the National Finals available on web site. She said that after the first of August she would put the cut off on breaking news. She wants to put the points up and not the name of the dogs or people to avoid confusion.
9. Kent said that he and Beverly had been talking about how only posting the total score and not the breakdowns helps to keep things fairer and improves the atmosphere of the trial. Francis reported that the information is all ready to go and is made available as soon as the last dog runs. Donald said he thought that Beverly was exactly right that we have all seen handlers using the scores to determine how to handle their dogs. Dan moved that only total scores to post after each runs and total breakdown posted after the final run, seconded by Donald. Stormy said that the scores should still be announced. Barb Ross said that she has been working on a new score posting board and it will be left up until the next dog runs. Passed unanimously.
New Business
10. Sanctioning of the regional finals--Gary Westbrook reported that he was asked by the Midwest Regional to see if he could get their regional sanctioned. Gary suggested that if the regional will compromise a little and we could compromise a little and come up with something fair. As a compromise Gary suggested that if the regional rules were that a dog had to compete in a HA sanctioned trial and place in the top 20% to qualify for the regional and that any dog no matter where they resided could enter the regional then that might be something we could sanction. The handler would have to go to that district to qualify a dog for that regional. Gary said he thought it would help promote regional trials because it would encourage more people to attend. Amy said that she didn't think we needed to change our regional rules. Scott Glen asked if the next thing wouldn't be giving points for the Finals? Amy asked what compromise we would have to make? Gary said it would be very little compromise for the HA. Dal Kratzer said it would be sanctioning a trial that was limited to who could enter by the people who had qualified for it in a certain district. Steve and Beverly said that they thought that most regions would not be interested in this, as they want their regional trial for their region. Sandra said she felt the regional trials should be for residents of that region. Considerable more discussion followed. Beverly said she thought it might be time to call the question. Mike asked for a motion to table. Barb Ross so moved and Dale Kuhrt seconded that it be tabled. Passed unanimously.
11. Gary reported that we brought up at the last ABCA meeting if we eye tested dogs at the Cattle Finals. He said that he thought it was time to start testing if we could get the same vet to do both sheep and cattle dogs. As these finals get more important more and more people are going to be breeding to the winners. Mike asked how the genetic mapping was going. Donald said that the last he had heard was that he was going to publish this fall. Amy said that she was on the committee and that there has been a question about the whole concept of the "go normals" and the assumptions they had made about them. Amy said the research was well along but they need to get through this go normal thing and Amy would try and get a report from the doctor at the clinic at the Finals. Gary said there was some discussion about the ABCA paying for it at the first finals' eye testing. Gary moved and Donald seconded that we require that the dogs be eye tested at the next Cattle Finals and that the ABCA be asked to pay for it. Donald said we should be careful with this and do some explaining and make sure that while we, the sheep handlers, are 8 or 10 years down this road with the eye testing we need to do some serious educating on this with the cattle people. Passed unanimously.
12. Cattle Dog Committee Report--Dan Gill. Dan reported that the 2004 National Cattle Dog Finals will be in Green Forest, Arkansas. Green Forest is in the heart of the Ozarks about 30 miles south of Branson, Missouri the high spot of the US and 18 miles from Eureka Springs, a major resort area. Mr. Kirk Powell will host the trial. It has been very widely advertised and a lot of people have come on board. They will be using all local cattle. The dates tentatively are the last week in March. This was the preferred date for the local people. The trial field is about 300 yards square. Hopefully Tractor Supply will be a major player here also since this is very near one of their major distributors. The event organizers have been putting on cattle trials in this area for over 15 years and know how to do it and are real easy to work with. Amy asked how much money we were talking about. Mike said it would be about the same as the other finals. The initial bid was $12,600 but there have been some adjustments. He asked if there was a decision yet on the judging of the outrun and lift? Mike said that there is a committee working on this now but they aren't ready yet to make their recommendation. There are people on the Committee from the time and points people and from the judged outrun people so we will get everyone's input on this. We also surveyed everyone who qualified for the last two finals. Of the 150 surveyed 60 responded and 11 more people wanted the judging then wanted time/points. Mike said he didn't expect a report from the committee until they have had a few more chances to meet. This committee is starting from scratch, as there isn't any where like Scotland where they can look for guidance on cattle trials. They need to think outside the box and come up with new ideas. Sandra Milberg asked if we would have any input on if it were a judged outrun. Mike said that we will vote on the committee recommendation; need to wait until the committee report is available.
13. It was bought to the attention of the Directors that the Cattledog Committee really needs to understand we will have to start working cattle in a workmanlike manner. There are organizations in the US that could cause the Handler's Association some problems. Agreed that a competent judge should call off handlers who are not handling cattle/sheep properly. Considerable discussion followed as to whether this problem was a result of not requiring judging of the outruns and lifts. Beverly said at HA sanctioned trials there should be someone responsible for getting handler/dogs off the field that are abusing cattle/sheep. Sandra and Mike agreed. Mike said if the trial is judged or point/time trials there needs to be someone in charge to protect the animals. Sandra felt that in order to be a sanctioned HA trial we should require a course director. Beverly said the HA needs to be more action with the Associations/hosts to make it clear that they will not be allowed to abuse the livestock, weather it be a judge or time/point trial. Kent said the issue is how do we stop the abuse, not about the judging. Mike said we already have a system in place to deal with abuse. If people have seen this kind of abuse and have not reported it then there isn't anything we can do about it. Mike said that if anyone sees this again they needs to report it and let the HA deal with it. Mike said that most of the time we can deal with the complaint without making a big deal out of it. Amy asked how we could make this easier. Usually a call from the president can deal with the problem without taking it any further. Mike explained that the HA does not want to get anyone in trouble; they just want the abuse stopped. Amy suggested maybe not using unbroken cattle at a trial; cattle that are accustomed to being worked by dogs make for a better trial. Could address in a publication or web site Mike disagreed that only dog broke cattle should be used and a discussion followed. Getting back on the subject of abuse, Barb said we need to get out in front with this more, back it up more fully, put the rules out to the public and make it clear that we will not stand for this kind of abuse. Beverly suggested that someone from the cattle committee talking to the trial organizers could handle it informally. Mike said perhaps a statement to sanctioned trial host/associations on animal abuse would help. Mike explained that we need to work with all the cattle/sheep handlers on this matter. Kent said that local handlers could also help solve the problem, by explaining to competitors that abuse is unacceptable. Amy asked how to handle the problem of dogs that continues to abuse stock in sanctioned trials. Mike said anyone might refuse an entry to their trial if they know the dog has been abusive at other trials. Should the competitor and trial host not come to an agreement, then the handler may go to their Director or HA. With a valid reason a trial host may deny an entry, then it is up to the HA to sort out the problem.
14. Amy moved to accept the Arkansas bid for the 2004 National Cattledog Finals, Dan seconded. Passed unanimously.
15. Dan moved the date of March 25-28, 2004 for the 2004 National Cattledog Finals, Gary seconded. Passed unanimously.
16. Mike reported that there were no director nominations for district 9 and district 5. He said ballots would go out to those districts for write in votes.
17. Francis said the mailing would go out by Aug. 1st. Dal asked about entries for the Finals. Francis reported they weren't coning in as fast as usual. She reported that currently we have 146 entries in open and 74 in nursery.
18. Jim Swift ask if maybe it wasn't time to raise the qualifying fee for cattle trial to $2.00. Mike said he did not think it was time yet.
19. Beverly moved to adjourn.
20. Meeting was adjourned at 10:05.
Francis Raley, July 29, 2003


text:
Wharf Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 2DH,
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Enquiries: 01780 764 121
Mon - Fri 7.00am - 6.30pm, Sat 8.00am - 10.00am
Enquiries: 01780 764 121
Our services index page displays helpful information relating to Chronic Disease Management, Keeping Healthy, Pregnancy and Babies, Sexual Health and Family Planning as well as other Services Provided.
We celebrate all that is great & valued about traditional General Practice - local surgeries run by doctors, nurses & staff known to their patients, who care deeply about the quality of health provision in their communities - and we build upon this by committing to invest more in people and buildings and equipment in order to provide more convenient, more accessible broader and deeper range of services in local setting. We work for our patients.
Our Community Midwife runs the Antenatal Clinics in conjunction with the Doctors as well as Antenatal Classes.
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text:
SHIFT and Slow Food in the Tetons present: Slowtoberfest!
On Friday, Oct. 11, at Jackson's Center for the Arts, Shift and Slow Food in the Tetons will present a vibrant, dynamic celebration of local food and drink in conjunction with Slow Food's Slowtoberfest.
Food is the cornerstone of life, and sustainable food systems are a critical component of future viability. How does Jackson Hole, an isolated, high-altitude ecosystem with severe weather and a remarkably short growing season, create a sustainable food system?
Early in the evening, attendees will feast on home-grown foods paired with regional libations as part of Slow Food's Slowtoberfest. While dining, they'll be able to take in demonstrations on everything from butchering to canning to composting. Once properly sated, they'll retire to the Center Theater, where a foodie film festival will continue to enlighten and entertain.
Even intermission, complete with local desserts and libations, promises to be fun.
Tickets: http://jhcenterforthearts.org/calendar/event/shift
More information: www.shiftjh.org


text:
Canisius hockey has a banner night
It was a long time coming.
Not the championship banner unveiling. Not even the home game.
But the two points in Atlantic Hockey.
With a pair of third period goals, Canisius came back to earn 4-3 win over Mercyhurst in front of 1,013 at the Buffalo State Ice Arena Saturday night.
The win was the first for the Golden Griffins in conference play this season (1-3-0, 2-5-0 overall) and was anchored by the second line of Patrick Sullivan, Matthew Grazen and Braeden Rigney. They were involved in all four goals, with Sullivan netting two, including the game-winner, while Grazen had three assists.
"We were trying to find some chemistry, some depth in scoring ... but I never would have thought putting three centermen on the same line would produce the results that it did," Canisius coach Dave Smith said. "They had some chemistry right from their first shift. They also were able to be aggressive in the faceoff circle. It worked and it's something we're going to want to ride."
But the game clincher came in the final 3:39 of the game. Carl Larsson received a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct.
The Griffs penalty-killing unit has struggled all season and already surrendered a power-play goal to the Lakers earlier in the game.
Opponents have scored 10 power-play goals on 33 opportunities. That means the Griffs penalty-killing unit comes in at 69.6 percent.
Last year, they set a school record killing off 90.1 percent. But Canisius played smart, got in passing lanes and kept sending the puck down into the Lakers' zone. With a few seconds left, Keegan Asmundson came up with a huge save to preserve the win.
"I think sometimes the situation and the intensity of the moment brought out the aggressiveness we were really looking for," Canisius coach Dave Smith said. "I thought that kill was, obviously with the situation, the time and the score was very important, but it was our best kill of the year. It was a sustained aggressiveness and obviously to use a baseball term, got the save."
The Griffs trailed, 3-2, after two periods and came back with a smart, aggressive third period.
They tied the game with 15:07 left in regulation. The hard-working line of Rigney, Grazen and Sullivan put pressure in front of Lakers' goalie Jordan Tibbett that shift with Rigney jamming the puck in the net for his first goal of the season.
Sullivan tipped in a shot from Doug Jessey with 7:32 left for the game-winning goal.
"I think we had a must-win attitude coming out of the dressing room for the third," said East Amherst native Grazen who had a career-high three points in a game. "We wanted to work hard, get pucks to the net and keep it simple. We thought we had to win."
"It was the first time playing together," said Sullivan, a Derby native. "We had great energy and were working really hard. Pucks were just bouncing our way. ... Everyone needed to play simple and play their game."
The Lakers took a 1-0 lead with 7:20 left in the first on a power-play goal from a Daniel O'Donoghue.
Canisius evened the game, 1-1, with 4:36 left in the first when Chris Rumble's shot from the point made its way through traffic and past Tibbett.
The Griffs jumped out early in the second as Sullivan picked up a turnover from the Lakers' defense and scored for a 2-1 Griffs advantage. But Merychurst came back just 31 seconds later to tie it when Nardo Nagtzaam picked the top right corner with his shot.
Canisius had its first power play of the game, but Mercyhurst took advantage of a two-on-one break with Misiak and Stephen Hrehoriak with Hrehoriak putting home a shot for the short-handed goal and a 3-2 Lakers' lead.
It was the third start of the year for Asmundson who made 31 saves as the Lakers held a 34-31 advantage in shots.
The Lakers, who lost to Canisius in the conference championship game last year, fell to 2-1-0 in Atlantic Hockey and 3-6-1 overall.
Along with the Atlantic Hockey championship banner and NCAA Tournament banner unveilings in a pregame ceremony, sophomore Stephen Miller received his award for being named the 2012-13 Atlantic Hockey Top Scholar-Athlete.
The Griffs hit the road next weekend for a pair of games at Ohio State (6-4-0), coach Smith's alma mater.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
It makes it quick, easy, and fun to participate in wellness competitions.
Employees, their teams, and their offices are ranked on a leaderboard, with weekly rankings as well as all-time and campaign rankings.
addo takes a holistic view of wellness, allowing employees to earn points in community-related activities, like volunteering or spending time with family, mental health pursuits, like reading or skill-building, physical challenges, like running or playing a sport, and nutritional challenges, like drinking water and eating fruits and veggies.


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The Forbes Celebrity 100 measures money and fame, which includes estimated earnings over the last 12 months, and how often each celebrity is mentioned in print and on TV, as well as social networking strength across 11 social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
See which top artists made the club:
Lady Gaga
There aren't many industries in which one can endure a season-ending injury and still finish the year on top. But that's what happened to Lady Gaga, who ranks highest of all musicians on the 2013 edition of FORBES' Celebrity 100 power list. Gaga is one of six musicians in the Celeb 100's top ten this year.
Gaga is followed by Beyoncé, who returns to the upper reaches of our list thanks to her Mrs. Carter World Tour—a nod to husband Jay-Z, whom she out-ranks once again. In addition to grossing over $2 million in every city she plays, she still collects cash from old hits and non-musical ventures including new deals with Pepsi and H&M, as well as her House of Dereon clothing line.
Taylor Swift
Trailing not too far behind is our girl, Taylor Swift. Who says the music industry is dead? Swift released her fourth studio album, Red, in October 2012 and sold 1.2 million copies in week one. The album's first single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," became her first to top Billboard's Hot 100 chart. She parlayed that success into endorsement deals with Diet Coke, Sony and Covergirl, not to mention big bucks on the road. She should earn even more next year as she transitions from arena shows to stadium sellouts.


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Flarp is the name of a game within the troll universe under the genre of Extreme Role Playing. The name is likely derived from LARP, or Live Action Role Playing. It is unknown what the "F" stands for, but it may stand for Fatal Live Action Role Playing.
The game appears to begin with a grub laying eggs. These eggs hatch Gaming Flapstractions. These are programmed to provide an adventure for the user, reacting to preprogrammed data as well as live commands. It is played in two teams, with each team having a Clouder (the Flarp equivalent of a Dungeon Master), a member who controls the other team's experience.
In the story-relevant game of Flarp, the trolls played the game in two teams: Team Charge and Team Scourge.
|Team Charge
|Team Scourge
|Tavros Nitram, adiosToreador
|Vriska Serket, arachnidsGrip (Clouder)
|Aradia Megido, apocalypseArisen (Clouder)
|Terezi Pyrope, gallowsCalibrator
During a session, Aradia was distracted while Tavros' paralyzing accident occurred, and subsequently felt guilty about not being able to help. She attempted to take revenge against the person responsible, Vriska Serket. She did this by summoning the spirits of the dead to haunt Vriska. Upon the urging of Doc Scratch, Vriska elected to strike back. Vriska took control of Sollux Captor, made him fly to Aradia's hive and eat Mind Honey. The resultant eye blasts levelled Aradia's hive and killed both Aradia and her lusus.
Afterwards, Vriska continues to play Flarp many more times with other trolls, whereas the two other survivors of this fateful game renounce extreme roleplaying. Vriska continues because it is the best way to feed her lusus. It is very unlikely that Equius played this game, and very likely that he also forbade Nepeta from joining for the above reason. Eridan Ampora was also a proficient Flarper, amassing a large stockpile of treasure and weaponry from his victories in the game.
Team Charge DebacleEdit
The Team Charge Debacle is a series of events, originally thought of as a singular accidental event, that occurred due to a session of FLARP. It started with Vriska crippling Tavros, and a vicious cycle of revenge commenced.
During one FLARP session, Vriska, Tavros' clouder, set up an extremely difficult session for him, trapping him between a cliff and some unreasonably overpowered enemies. Realizing that there was no possible way to win, he tried asking Aradia and Terezi for help. Neither responded, as they were distracted by Doc Scratch. Helpless, Tavros refused to perform an action (like rolling or attacking), instead opting to surrender and quit the game altogether. In response, Vriska intervened and used her powers to force Tavros to jump off the cliff. Tavros survived, but permanently lost the use of his legs.
As an act of protest, Aradia and Terezi severed ties with Vriska. Aradia was racked with guilt over her inability to help Tavros. Terezi advised her to not take action, and volunteered to handle it herself. Despite Terezi's warnings, Aradia decided to take revenge, with the encouragement of the voices of the dead. She summoned the ghosts of Vriska's previous victims, and unleashed them on her.
As Vriska was overwhelmed by the ghosts, she received a message from Doc Scratch, who suggested that she kill Aradia as revenge for the ghostly haunting. After arguing with him briefly, Vriska manipulated Sollux Captor into consuming mind honey and killing Aradia with his psionics, an act made particularly cruel by the implication of a romantic relationship between the two. In response to this, Terezi tricked Vriska by contacting her and forewarning her of her plan to exact revenge, suggesting that Vriska consult her Magic Cue Ball to confirm the seriousness of Terezi's threat. Immediately afterwards, with Sollux's help, she contacted Doc Scratch and told him that Vriska was using one of his valued objects, (the Magic Cue Ball), to cheat in the game that they were playing together. In anger, he blew up the Cue Ball in Vriska's face, causing her to lose her arm and her vision eightfold.
Vriska retaliated immediately by using her mind powers in a Psychic Double Reach-Around. She began by gaining mind control over Tavros, and used his powers of psychic animal communion to control Terezi's Lusus, which guided her while she slept. She then used the lusus' influence over Terezi to persuade her to walk into the middle of the forest during a bright Alternian day and open her eyes and stare into the blistering Alternian sun, blinding her. This event also caused Terezi's dream self to wake up on Prospit and stare into Skaia, blinding her as well. This was likely inspired by Mindfang's idea of using the Summoner to tame Pyralspite.
After this final exchange, Vriska and Terezi eventually established a truce, ceasing this cycle of revenge. In a later conversation with Terezi, Karkat mentions that Vriska had been nowhere near her at the time—since Vriska cannot control Terezi, he is baffled as to how she managed to blind her.
Eventually, once the trolls have entered the Medium, Aradia receives her Soulbot from Equius, and regains a physical form and stronger emotions. She travels to the Land of Maps and Treasure to confront Vriska. Thanks to her new robotic strength, she beats her to near death and leaves her to bleed out with Tavros nearby. Unconscious, Vriska wakes up on Prospit, only to be greeted by Terezi, who completes the karmic cycle with a slap to her face. Directly after, her dream self manipulates Tavros, but only into writing himself messages in her blood (she does not take full control of his mind). She tells him to take her to her quest cocoon and kill her quickly, which he fails to have the cajones to do. She dies slowly within the cocoon and ascends to god tier.
As revenge for her slow and painful death, she later fights Tavros on the meteor, stabbing him through the chest with his own lance and letting him fall off a cliff, where he lands next to Terezi.
Part of Doc Scratch's genetic code was contained in the Flarp rulebooks, written by the members of Team Charge and Team Scourge, each immediately after their "accidents". Each part of the code was written in the color of the bat on their rulebooks.
Tavros wrote t1CK (GCAT) with the insides of a Host Plush, via remotely controlling Horsaroni to do so. Aradia wrote t0ck (GCAT) with the soot of her ruined hive, highlighting a binary theme in the code. Aradia also mentions that "Tick" and "Tock" are the persisting sounds said to accompany the ultimate demise of the tyrant less an arm and an eye, referring to the Pupa Pan mythology, which could additionally connect to Jack Noir, his alternate universe counterpart Spades Slick, or, arguably, Vriska Serket. Vriska wrote 8r8k (or 8rk, GCA), using her own blood after her Magic Cue Ball exploded in her face. Terezi wrote H34DS (TGCAT) with red chalk. Curiously, she doesn't seem to notice this after her dream self wakes up as her room is shown free from her code when she is first introduced to the reader, though she might simply have removed it at some point. Aradia mentions that the scale was tipped between sisters, an interesting choice of words since Libra is the scale. The meaning of the phrase "Break Heads" is anyone's guess, though one possible interpretation is Doc Scratch's desire to die, fulfilled by breaking his cue ball head. Another possible interpretation may be that the term 8r8k H34DS is referring to the Break shot at the beginning of the a game of pool, and may be an analogy on how both in pool and in Homestuck, important events are set in motion by a break.
However, the majority of the code was written by the Gamzee from the doomed Aradia's timeline, on the walls with his Sopor Slime, and in Karkat's ~ATH book, with the blood of the other ten trolls. He used eight letters, honk HONK (GCATGCAT). The four rulebooks and the ~ATH book were stolen by Agents, and combined with Vriska's Magic Cue Ball and Lil Cal by the Black Queen to create Doc Scratch.
The entire code, t1CK t0ck 8r8k H34DS honk HONK, while serving as the code to create Scratch, was also a hidden message which detailed the rise of Lrd English. The t1ck t0ck referred to Scratch's clock ticking down to the moment. 8r8k H34DS correctly refers to Scratch's head breaking open, revealing Lrd English's head. Finally, the honk HONK refers to English unleashing the Vast Honk, where one honk was extremely loud, and the second even more so.
- Here and here, Doc Scratch becomes enraged, and with his scrapbook he hits Spades Slick twice; once saying [BREAK.], and a second time saying [HEADS.]; an obvious reference to the 8r8k H34DS code.
- Team Charge is composed of the two lowest caste lowbloods, and Team Scourge is composed of the two lowest caste highbloods.
- This causes the teams playing to consist from zodiac opposites; Taurus being Scorpio's opposite, and Aries being Libra's opposite. This also causes the four classical elements being in the team. (Aries = Fire; Taurus = Earth; Libra = Air; Scorpio = Water)


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Southside Hospital Visits EI Medical Academy
Three representatives from North Shore-LIJ Southside Hospital in Bay Shore visited East Islip High School's new Medical and Health Technology Career Academy on Oct. 12: Kerri Fontaine, the hospital's manager of marketing and education; Marge Miller, the manager of human resources; and Vincent Cunningham, Southside's community relations coordinator.
"The purpose of our visit was to discuss more opportunities that benefit the Career Academies and possibly the East Islip School District as a whole," explained Fontaine. "The partnership between our hospital and East Islip High School is so exciting and instrumental in serving the needs of our community. North Shore-LIJ Southside Hospital is always striving to improve the health and quality of life for the community around us by providing world-class service and patient-centered care. Our physicians are vested in Suffolk County and are eager to be part of any opportunities that further benefit the education or wellness of the local community."


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Regency London - a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men. But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer's own. Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member of the Dracule - a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls - the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral... until Angelica.
Angelica Woodmore possesses the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger - for her body and blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him - to protect her.
©2011 Colleen Gleason (P)2011 Audible, Inc.
"Sorry try again"
Not a good choice for narrator; his voice is way too soft spoken and meek therefore, not appropriate/aggressive enough for a vampire book. This made the book pretty boring to include the lusty and fighting/violent scenes.
"I LOVE Colleen Gleason"
It's no secret that Colleen Gleason is my favorite author. In fact, the Gardella Vampire Chronicles is by far my favorite book series. So it's no surprise that I loved Lucifer's Rogue as well!
Voss reminds me quite a bit of Sebastian, and since he was my favorite character in GVC, of course I fancy Voss. He's charming, attractive, and quite selfish. He's smitten with Angelica, but that doesn't change his personality like many romance stories go... no, he continues to do what he wants, use her for information to keep himself a step ahead of the rest, as well as playing pranks on poor grumpy Dimitri. He does try his best to keep her safe, even from himself.
Angelica has a few surprises of her own. A strong minded woman in that time period was a rare thing, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective.
I love the twist on Vampire lore; each having a special affliction. It adds a dimension to the storyline that other paranormal plots lack.
Colleen's writing is the only regency period books that I've ever enjoyed, and the fact that they are my favorites says a lot. She just has a way with words. Another thing I love about her writing style is the way she seamlessly switches between character pov's. There are many books that have frustrated me, some I couldn't even finish, because it's hard to follow or just flat out annoying to read from an unimportant character's pov. But Colleen's transitions are perfect and when it switches you aren't confused about who it is, or where the story picks up.
I'm excited to start the second book in the series
I enjoy supernatural romances and fantasy!
"The narrator needs to go!"
Unfortunately, I couldn't get far enough into the book to determine if the story itself was worth reading. The narrator just ruined the book for me. There are good narrators, excellent narrators, and then there is this narrator, who just was reading words with no excitement. Save your money.
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


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Sephora Age Defy
1 / 11
Sephora Age Defy is one of my favorite simple, effective wrinkle creams. It's hydrating without feeling greasy and has the Sephora-exclusive HydroSenn+ which helps to bind moisture to your skin. It is actually more effective than the more common hyaluronic acid. It also has Rice Nutripeptides for cell renewal and collagen synthesis—so much bang for the buck.
Algenist Overnight Restorative Cream
2 / 11
I am a huge fan of nearly everything Algenist does. The Algenist Overnight Restorative Cream is no exception. This ultra-rich cream contains the patented Alguronic Acid, which helps cells regenerate themselves as well as anti-aging peptides. It makes your skin feel truly baby soft!
PTR Unwrinkle Night Cream
3 / 11
When I worked at Sephora, I had a 60-year-old coworker whose skin looked so unbelievably good that I made her show me her driver's license. I would have thought she was at least 10 years younger. Well, she shared her secret, and it is PTR Unwrinkle Night Cream. Her gorgeous skin was all the proof I needed, but it helps that it's positively jam-packed with anti-aging goodness. Peptides, neuropeptides, my main squeeze retinol and glycolic acid. If you want anti-aging, this pretty much as it all.
Kate Somerville RetAsphere 2-in-1 Retinol Night Cream
4 / 11
Miss Kate did us well on Kate Somerville RetAsphere 2-in-1 Retinol Night Cream, packing powerful retinol into a unique delivery system called RetAsphere Smart Release. This lessens the irritation from retinol, plus it's backed up with seaweed extract for hydration.
Philosophy Hope in a Jar Night
5 / 11
Cult favorite Hope in a Jar just got more hopeful! The original is already an excellent, gently exfoliating moisturizer, and the Philosophy Hope in a Jar Night version just amps that up! Glycolic acid aids in cell turnover, and qusomes are there to gently deliver it gradually. Beta Glucan gives your skin a radiant glow, and Allantoin soothes it.
Benefiance WrinkleResist24
6 / 11
Millions of Shiseido devotees can't be wrong! Did you know Shiseido is actually the oldest skincare company in the world? Yup, the world. So they know what's up. This luxuriously-hydrating Benefiance WrinkleResist24 cream contains mukurossi extract, which basically says, "Hey, wrinkle-triggering enzyme—Stop!" Get on this train now so you can look 10 years younger later!
Regenerist Night Recovery Cream
7 / 11
Olay is a household name, and the Regenerist Night Recovery Cream line was a breakthrough in over-the-counter skincare. This night cream has a ton of good ingredients going for it: peptides, time-release hydration, vitamin B3 and green tea! My own mother has used this for years, and I do think her skin looks much more hydrated and youthful than it should. I also absolutely love the scent of these products.
RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream
8 / 11
Budget-friendly doesn't mean less effective! One of the highest-rated retinol night creams—is the widely available RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream! The drugstore product doesn't slack in its formula, providing an intensive shot of retinol so you see results quickly. There's a sensitive skin formula, too—great for retinol beginners.
KORRES Quercetin & Oak Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Night Cream
9 / 11
I love the Greek-born Korres, especially their innovative KORRES Quercetin & Oak Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Night Cream! What is that weird word? Well, only the first clinically proven alternative to retinol, girl! Quercetin is gentle yet effective and great for those who can't or simply don't want to use retinols. This night cream also contain myrtle extract for elasticity and tons of moisturizing ingredients too!
Murad Rapid Collagen Infusion
10 / 11
As both a dermatologist and pharmacist, Dr. Murad is legit, and Murad Rapid Collagen Infusion is, too. You'll love it if you're an immediate gratification fan because in 2 hours or less your skin feels and looks firmer and wrinkles are basically plumped up! The Rapid Collagen Infusion is super-cool because it contains a collagen so small that it can penetrate the skin! I recently gave this product to my mom, and she happily reports that she can tell a difference, and so could I when I saw her smoother, more youthful skin!
Wrinkle Cream Powerhouse Ingredients
11 / 11
- Peptides for prompting skin to renew and build more collagen
- Retinol or retinoids for basically everything from wrinkles to clogged pores
- Vitamin C for brightness and clarity
- Glycolic acid for gentle exfoliation
- Lactic acid for gentle exfoliation
- Hyaluronic acid to increase hydration
- Antioxidants (green tea, pomegranate)
For more skincare product advice from Ivy, go to Wake Up for Makeup.


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We have tried several different website hosts and have read through hundreds of reviews of various hosts looking for ones that are affordable and reputable. We like our customers to get good hosting because we offer full support. If you have a hosting problem, we have to deal with it (especially during setup) and the difference between a good host and a bad host can mean the difference of a quick phone call or hours of headaches.
The main things we look for in a host are reliability, customer service and support, ease of use, uptime, and the ability to support WordPress and Content Management System (CMS) sites.
Reliably is important. Many of the hosting companies are here one day and gone the next, and when they disappear, your site is down and the money you invested in your hosting plan is gone also. We like to deal with hosting companies that have been around a while, and that are located in the U.S. We choose U.S. companies predominantly because we've found it is easier to deal with U.S. based customer service.
Customer service and support is a big issue with hosting. We like to work with hosting companies that have live chat and a number to call that has a live person on the other end available in our normal hours of business, so when there is a problem we can get it resolved quickly.
Some hosting companies require you to submit a "service ticket". You send a message and hear back from them "within 24 hours" . . . not very helpful when your site is down. Many hosting services hire outsourced customer service workers. When you try to talk or email with them, they struggle to understand you or your problem and you struggle to understand them or their solution, which is a huge headache.
We want to be able to make contact with a person in customer service who is on our side of the world, speaks English, is available when we need to contact them, and is willing to help and offer support for the hosting that was purchased from them.
Uptime is another important aspect of hosting. If a hosting company has old or insufficient equipment, they will usually have a higher percentage of down time, which means when people go to your site nothing will show up. When a hosting company has old or insufficient equipment, it often gets overloaded during peak times so when the most people will be potentially visiting your site, with a bad host your site might show up and it might not.
Ease of use is important as well. The best interface we have found is cpanel. Most of the tools you need to maintain your site and email accounts are in cpanel and well organized. Along with the cpanel interface, a good hosting set up should have easy access to your account information such as when the next payment is due, changing your contact information, etc. Navigating through a cluttered buggy interface for an hour when all you want to do is make a quick 5 minute edit to your site can be a nightmare, and it can get worse if the interface doesn't offer the option you need requiring you to contact the hosting company to have them manually make the change. What should have taken 5 minutes can turn into a 3 day headache with a bad host.
The ability to support WordPress and CMS sites is important if you are setting up a WordPress site or a CMS platform. These types of sites need a few more things like PHP and SQL databases, and a good host will have the latest version of these programs for your site to run on. They will also have the latest security issues under control to keep your site and database safe.
Now that you know the qualities of good hosts and bad hosts, be sure to find a good host. It is worth it!


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Deployment planning, migrations, custom development and hybrid
Our team has extensive experience with delivering and replatforming solutions on Microsoft's cloud, integration and web platforms.
We help you understand what's possible when assessing Microsoft Azure & consult using Microsoft best practice Customer Decision Making Frameworks
From Apple, Google and Microsoft we have experience delivery enterprise wide mobility solutions whether it be native or hybrid cross platform
We help organisations get connected to the right people, share information across teams and organize around projects so you can go further – faster
Specialist IT support for products and services as well as support for Office365, SharePoint, Exchange and Lync etc
We believe great organisations have great systems that empower their people to work as cohesive connected teams wherever the individuals are.
We know what is possible today with Microsoft online services. We are one of Microsoft's top partners for Office 365 and Microsoft Azure globally. We have the privilege of being the only Australian Microsoft partner with 2 World Wide partner advisory council spots. We also are members of the Australian Cloud council for Microsoft and Telstra.
We worked on the first enterprise deployment of Office 365 in Australia. Since then we have deployed 10's of thousands of seats of office 365, transformed the way people work together using SharePoint online and are an active advocate for working social with Yammer.
Our people are the best in the business and have been selected due to their depth of experience and specialist skills.
With offices in Brisbane, Sydney and the Gold Coast we service many well-known brands who have engaged us to transform their relationship with technology from a necessary evil to a strategic asset.
Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated.
It is hard to make something simple.


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THIS is the man police want to speak to in connection with an attempted murder in Basingstoke.
Detectives investigating the stabbing, near Aldworth School, in the early hours of October 27, are appealing for help in finding 19-year-old Jamie Rogers, from Basingstoke, who is wanted in connection with their investigation.
A 19-year-old man suffered serious injuries during the altercation in Pinkerton Road, South Ham.
Detective Constable Dan Leese, from Basingstoke CID, said: "We urgently want to speak to Jamie Rogers about this incident.
"Officers have been carrying out extensive enquiries to find him, but we are now appealing for the public's help. If you know where he is, please call us.
"I would also appeal directly to Jamie and encourage him to contact the police."
Detectives have arrested three men on suspicion of attempted murder. A 23-year-old man and a 27-year-old man, from Basingstoke, and a 28-year-old man, from London, have been bailed until December, pending further enquiries.
Anyone with information should contact Basingstoke CID on 101.


text:
Tech CUSO Provides Economies
of Scale
Open Technology Solutions brings together the purchasing power and the brain power of its four CU owners, turning collaboration into cost-savings and competitive edge.
By Lisa Hochgraf
It was early 2003. CUES member
Kirk Kordeleski, CCE, CEO of Bethpage Federal Credit
As CEOs readying to lead an
organization through a core conversion will often do, Kordeleski talked with the CEO of another shop that had already
converted to the same system. And, apparently, Kordeleski
and Doug Ferraro, president/CEO of $1.5 billion Bellco
Credit Union,
But when Kordeleski mentioned his interest in handling the core system collaboratively, saying, "We've had this idea for a while...," the conversation really got off and running. Ferraro's reply was something along the lines of, "You know, we've been thinking the same thing."
That summer, the two credit unions formed Open Technology Solutions, Centennial, Colo. Bethpage FCU was up and running on OSI that December.
OTS is now owned in equal shares by Bethpage FCU, Bellco CU, $1.5 billion First Tech Credit Union, Beaverton, Ore., and $1.6 billion SECU Credit Union, Linthicum, Md. (SECU will go live in April). OTS' mission is to use collaboration on technology to build scale, and then to create cost-savings from that scale, so that the owner credit unions can invest in their local markets. This could translate to anything from offering better loan and savings rates for members to funding marketing campaigns that boost brand awareness.
"We run separate software licenses on separate servers," Ferraro says of the OSI core processing collaboration. "The data is never commingled. All processing is independent and no one credit union process should affect another. The leverage comes from running 'similar' systems and processes."
OTS also runs 90 percent of the owner credit unions' other key technology systems, including loan origination, mortgage origination, collections, telecommunications, home banking and general ledger. A call center solution to offer 24/7 service is among projects in the works. The CUSO also has 3.5 security engineers that oversee all aspects of information systems security.
The efficiencies that stem from the owner credit unions' collaboration support "whatever they need to do to compete against the big banks in their market," says Mike Atkins, chief operating officer of the CUSO.
"The cost of transactions matters," adds Kordeleski, "because that's value you can return to your members."
Going for the Benefits
Starting up a company takes a lot of work, Atkins can attest.
"We had to find our location and take in such considerations as redundancy and power coming from different sides of the building," Atkins says, noting that staffing the new company was another key undertaking. "We were brand new, starting not long after the dot com burst. The CUSO is capitalized at 10 percent. We demonstrated to candidates that we are a growing firm and we're a key component of our owners' strategies."
That must have been a convincing case, as OTS has grown from 22 employees to more than 50. "It was an exciting ride," Atkins says.
The big perks of owning a share of OTS include being able to split the cost of customization and "expensive" IT skills; share ideas on how to create efficiencies with processes and people internally at each CU; have collective clout when negotiating with vendors; and provide more service to members for the same dollar spent.
"To get the full advantage of any open platform (such as OSI), you needed greater skills than we had," Kordeleski says. "Some of those skill sets can be expensive, so sharing helps." At this point, just eight people work in IT on site at Bethpage FCU. They focus on managing employee desktops, dealing with broken printers and managing the in-house servers. The rest of Bethpage FCU's IT "staff" work at the CUSO.
OTS "is allowing us to invest in people we never would on our own," Ferraro says, noting that the CUSO staff has a high level of skill in e-banking technology that supported the development of a custom home banking solution. In addition, the CUSO employs three people dedicated to security, and has engaged OSI to create custom modules. Because of its proximity to OTS, Bellco CU has no IT staff on location at the credit union; everything IT is outsourced to the CUSO.
Ferraro views as a real perk of the arrangement the constant dialogue among the CUSO owners.
"We're getting access to other people's ideas, innovation and leadership," he says. "We're really getting OK with sharing."
For example, the owner CUs are currently doing a shared staffing analysis, noting where some of them have more people than the others do, comparing processes and asking where improvements might be made, he explains.
Atkins says the CU owners' combined $7.5 billion in assets makes a difference when he's negotiating contracts with vendors.
"It gives us the opportunity to go to credit card vendors with aggregated volumes and get significantly better pricing," he explains. "It's the same thing with bill-pay vendors or statement processing vendors."
Kordeleski says the total expenditure isn't always less when the CUSO buys for the group, but the CUSO can usually get more bang for the same buck, and that means members get more for the same outlay.
He estimates that Bethpage FCU saved 30 percent of the cost to run OSI for the first couple of years. Going forward, other collaborative projects such as the call center solution will be decided based on offering better service to members, reducing or stabilizing costs and bringing innovation to market more quickly.
Shared Philosophy
While OTS is "a great story of collaboration," Atkins says, making it all work "does have its challenges. There are always competing priorities."
The five-member CUSO board is composed of the CEOs of the four owner CUs plus Atkins. Kordeleski currently serves as chair. Agreeing on governance and the way priorities will be set becomes very important when you have four CEOsused to having their waysharing the reins, Atkins notes.�
The board sets priority at a high level via monthly phone conferences and an annual planning retreat; day-to-day guidance comes from a governance group of C-level people from the owner credit unions who meet biweekly to discuss what's going on, Atkins notes. In all, he thinks it works pretty well.
"While a lot of people in this industry talk about collaboration, these four CEOs are actually doing it in a very meaningful way," he says.
What do the CEOs do to make things run smoothly? Having partners that believe not only in the open systems technology, but also in the value of cooperation has really made a difference.
"You have to have a belief in growth," Kordeleski says. "You're willing to take some hits to do that. You need to believe strongly in the credit union business and that collaboration is part of that business."
Not surprisingly, Ferraro shares a similar view.
"Sometimes you set aside your own first choice for the good of the group," Ferraro says. "It takes committed leaders, people who are willing to tell their organizations, 'We're going to do this the right way.' It takes genuine effort to make collaboration work."
Next Steps
In this case it would seem that collaboration breeds more collaboration. "We have focused on the technology front," Atkins says. "Now we can take the same model and generate other collaborations, too."
Kordeleski says OTS' owner credit unions have seven collaborative teams working on ideas for what the CUSO will do next. One idea is to share collections efforts.
Ferraro says he could see the owners of OTS collaborating on additional CUSOs that might serve needs other than technology. For example, having the four CUs together when negotiating with providers of employee benefits could create significant cost savings.
"We were certainly told by bright people in the industry that this idea didn't make any sense," Atkins says. "I think we have proven that it does make some sense. And we're just starting to scratch the surface. I think what we've done so far will be dwarfed by what can be done."
Lisa Hochgraf is a CUES editor.


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Vivica Multi-wear Plus Size Mini Dress/Tunic in BlueSexyPlus Clothing
The Vivica Multi-wear Plus Size Mini Dress/Tunic is a fashion must have which can be worn at the office and then for a night out with a quick transformation to an off shoulder, or one shoulder look! The ruffle-layer gives an elegant feel to this comfortable dress which can also be worn as a tunic.
Also available in black, purple and red.
Fabric Content: 95% Polyester, 5% Spandex Blend; Generous fit with good stretch.


text:
Join as a member. There's a certificate with your name on it.
Demo or default content provides an important leg up for new users. Good examples include the sample content installed on Drupal Gardens and the demo content that ships with Commerce Kickstart.
Work completed
Work is in new module, openoutreach_migrate.
- Introduce import support using the Migrate module.
- Write demo content with accompanying images for several features (blog, article, section, event).
The demo content serves multiple purposes:
- Provides some documentation and initial pointers.
- Provides initial site content that can be customized.
- Gives an idea of how the site design looks when populated with content.
To support custom installs and also migrations to Open Outreach, the demo content can be replaced with custom CSV files and images. To do so, simply copy the 'import' directory and its content, renaming the directory 'local', and then customize the import files.
User interface changes
New checkbox on install configure form for selecting sample content.
API changes
Migrate classes for selected content types can be used for other migration purposes.
Related Issues
Required #1536136: Decide standard Debut solution for default content.
Comment #2bojanz CreditAttribution: bojanz commented
+1 for Migrate.
How Kickstart does it:
1) Kickstart specific modules (blog, slideshow, product) register migrations (hook_migrate_api).
2) Based on user input, a batch step during installation enables the needed Kickstart specific modules.
3) Another batch step runs all found migrations. Our code for that is not perfect, hence #1763508: Reimplement Migrate integration in the installer.
Comment #3niccolox CreditAttribution: niccolox commented
Maybe do a survey ? Top 10 content items
Check guidelines from nngroup or new organizing institute..
Comment #5niccolox CreditAttribution: niccolox commented
thats cool
had the thought of generating mass site networks with aegir, maybe in combination with aegir feeds https://drupal.org/project/aegir_feeds


text:
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/).
The use of quantum dots (QDs) as donors in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) offer several advantages for the development of multiplexed solid-phase QD-FRET nucleic acid hybridization assays. Designs for multiplexing have been demonstrated, but important challenges remain in the optimization of these systems. In this work, we identify several strategies based on the design of interfacial chemistry for improving sensitivity, obtaining lower limits of detection (LOD) and enabling the regeneration and reuse of solid-phase QD-FRET hybridization assays. FRET-sensitized emission from acceptor dyes associated with hybridization events at immobilized QD donors provides the analytical signal in these assays. The minimization of active sensing area reduces background from QD donor PL and allows the resolution of smaller amounts of acceptor emission, thus lowering the LOD. The association of multiple acceptor dyes with each hybridization event can enhance FRET efficiency, thereby improving sensitivity. Many previous studies have used interfacial protein layers to generate selectivity; however, transient destabilization of these layers is shown to prevent efficient regeneration. To this end, we report a protein-free interfacial chemistry and demonstrate the specific detection of as little as 2 pmol of target, as well as an improved capacity for regeneration.
Since their introduction to biological research [
Our group has been interested in developing multiplexed nucleic acid diagnostics using QDs as donors in FRET. Much of this work has been based on a method for the immobilization of CdSe/ZnS QDs as a thin-film via self-assembly [
In this new work, we now investigate how different aspects of surface chemistry and interfacial design can be used to optimize solid-phase nucleic acid hybridization assays based on QD-FRET. Important challenges are the enhancement of sensitivity, and the development of biosensor function—
The sensitivity of ratiometric FRET measurements is limited by energy transfer efficiency and the ability to resolve small amounts of sensitized acceptor PL on a larger background of donor PL. Optimization therefore requires a reduction in donor PL background and/or an increase in sensitized acceptor PL. We present two strategies that address these two criteria individually and are based on design considerations rather than changing the intrinsic properties of the donor-acceptor pair. The first strategy is a reduction in active sensing area to reduce background donor PL; the second strategy is the use of multiple acceptors per hybridization event to increase FRET-sensitized acceptor PL. Both are generally applicable and compatible with multiplexed configurations.
Biosensor function has only been demonstrated in a limited capacity to date: a few cycles of use have been possible, but regeneration efficiency and signal magnitude have both tended to decrease with each successive cycle [
All chemical reagents were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Mississauga, ON, Canada) and used as received unless otherwise noted. All solvents were from Caledon Laboratories (Georgetown, ON, Canada) and were reagent grade or better. Tris-borate (TB; 100 mM, pH 7.4, 20 mM NaCl) buffer was used for all assays, and sometimes contained additives such as formamide, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), or bovine serum albumin (BSA). Modified and unmodified oligonucleotides were from Integrated DNA Technologies (Coralville, IA, USA) and were HPLC purified by the manufacturer. The sequences are listed in
Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra were measured using a Libra S22 spectrometer (Biochrom Ltd., Cambridge, UK) and a HP 8452A Diode-Array Spectrometer (Hewlett Packard Corporation, Palo Alto, CA, USA). Solution phase PL spectra were measured using a QuantaMaster PTI Spectrofluorimeter and Felix Software (Photon Technology International, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA). The excitation source was a xenon arc lamp (Ushio, Cypress, CA, USA) and the detector was a red-sensitive photomultiplier tube (R928P, Hamamatsu, Bridgewater, NJ, USA).
PL spectra were obtained from optical fibers using the QuantaMaster PTI Spectrofluorimeter. The fibers were illuminated by total internal reflection using a violet (407 nm) diode laser (Radius 405, 25 mW, Coherent, Santa Clara, CA, USA) and a fiber holder that was custom built to fit the sample compartment of the spectrofluorimeter [
Laser scanning PL images of glass beads were obtained using a custom microscope based on a Nikon Eclipse L150 platform (Nikon Instruments Canada, Mississauga, ON, Canada). The microscope used an extra-long working distance 40× objective lens (ELWD Plan Fluor, NA = 0.60, Nikon) and a violet (406 nm) diode laser (Radius 405, 25 mW, Coherent, Santa Clara, CA, USA) that was attenuated with neutral density filters (ND). The filter cube was equipped with a
NMR spectra were acquired using a Bruker Avance 400 MHz spectrometer (Bruker Biospin, Milton, ON, Canada). FTIR spectra were acquired using an Avatar 360 FT-IR (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra were obtained using a Waters (Milford, MA, USA) Micromass ZQ mass spectrometer.
The nominally tetradentate surface ligand shown in
Glass beads were cleaned and coated with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane as described previously [
QDs were immobilized using either surface ligand in
Masses of 0.66 g (5 mmol) glutaric acid and 1.27 g (11 mmol) NHS were dissolved in 50 mL of anhydrous THF. A volume of 1.7 mL (11 mmol) of DIC was dissolved in a separate 15 mL volume of THF, then added portionwise to the glutaric acid and NHS solution with vigorous mixing at room temperature. The reaction was left stirring for 3–4 h, during which time a white precipitate formed. A volume of 100 mL of isopropanol was added and the precipitate dissolved. The reaction mixture was stored in the freezer (
When using the NA-based interfacial chemistry, modified fibers or glass beads were incubated for 60 min at room temperature in buffered solutions of the desired sample oligonucleotide (
When using the protein-free interfacial chemistry, hybridization assays were done by shaking modified glass beads in buffered solutions of the desired sample oligonucleotide (
Additional details for specific experiments are described in the Results and Discussion section. All of the assays were completed with PL measurements to determine the extent of sample hybridization, and quantitation was through calculation of a FRET ratio.
The most common format of fluorescence hybridization assay uses an interface with immobilized probe oligonucleotides. In the absence of significant non-specific adsorption, the association of fluorescent reporters with hybridization events provides an analytical signal that increases until saturation of the available probes occurs. The limit of detection (LOD) is ideally determined by the ability to resolve small increases in PL intensity on a dark background and is directly proportional to the absolute number of probe/target hybridization events, but not the degree of probe saturation. The situation is different in ratiometric QD-FRET assays, where the "background" is bright due to unquenched QD donor PL and the LOD is determined by the ability to resolve FRET-sensitized acceptor PL on that bright background. The number of donor QDs interrogated determines the magnitude of the background. Even in an ideal system, it should not be the absolute number of hybridization events that determines the magnitude of the ratiometric FRET signal, but rather the number of hybridization events relative to the number of QD donors. Since each QD is a site for the immobilization of probe(s), the signal depends on the degree of probe saturation. A potential mechanism of lowering the LOD in QD-FRET assays is therefore to decrease the active sensing area of the assay, thereby reducing the absolute number of QD donors and increasing the relative number of hybridization events (per donor) for a given concentration of target in a sample. This is illustrated conceptually in
To test the validity of the above hypothesis, solid-phase QD-FRET hybridization assays were prepared with immobilized gQD/Probe-1 (Bio) and using different numbers of glass bead substrates per sample to control the active area (
As noted earlier, one of the advantages of using QDs as donors in FRET is the ability to array multiple acceptors around each QD (multivalency) in order to improve FRET efficiency. The interfacial configurations in
A fiber-based sandwich assay was designed to evaluate the potential for signal enhancement using multiple acceptors per hybridization event. A reporter oligonucleotide, REP-2 (2× A647), with acceptor dyes at both its 3′ and 5′ termini, was used in combination with immobilized rQDs and Probe-2 (Bio). As shown in
One of the most common methods of controlling stringency in nucleic acid hybridization assays is the use of a temperature that lies between the melt temperatures (
One hypothesis for the poor regeneration efficiency of the NA-based interfacial chemistry was that the mild conditions were insufficient to completely denature Probe-1/TGT-1 hybrids, and that selectivity under assays conditions was the consequence of a mixture of kinetic and thermodynamic effects. Although the calculated
To further characterize the effects of regeneration conditions, a direct hybridization assay on fibers with immobilized rQDs/Probe-2 (Bio) was carried out at two sets of relatively harsh conditions where it was known that TGT-2 would not hybridize and the degree of non-specific adsorption was of interest. At 25 °C and with 70% formamide, the FRET ratios obtained for TGT-2 (A647) and NC (A647) were 0.06–0.08 and statistically indistinguishable, indicating no hybridization and a small amount non-specific adsorption. At 45 °C and with 40% formamide, the FRET ratios obtained were 0.4–0.9 and were also statistically indistinguishable, but indicated a large amount of non-specific adsorption. It had been hoped that the ability to reduce the amount of formamide necessary to melt the Probe-1/TGT-1 hybrid by using a higher temperature would be advantageous; however, this latter result suggested that temperature was potentially important in activating the NA-based interfacial chemistry toward non-specific adsorption.
The prior observations that non-specific adsorption occurred under regeneration conditions, but not
Given the success of the NA-based interfacial chemistry in hybridization assays, it was desirable to explore methods for stabilization of the protein layer against the action of formamide—in particular, chemical crosslinking. The first method tested was NA-modified (no probe) fiber exposure to a solution of amine-reactive 1% w/v glutaraldehyde for between 10–30 min after deposition of the NA layer on immobilized QDs. This was followed by immobilization of the biotinylated probes. Unfortunately, glutaraldehyde crosslinking decreased hybridization signals in direct assays by as much as 35% (data not shown). Avidin differs from NA in that it has three glucosamine residues (and other carbohydrates) per subunit, potentially providing a greater capacity for glutaraldehyde crosslinking. However, even larger decreases in hybridization signal were associated with crosslinking of the Avidin (>50%), suggesting interference with the biotin-binding site of the Avidin and NA. This was confirmed experimentally using Cy3 labeled Probe-1 (Bio), where glutaraldehyde crosslinking could cause up to a 30% decrease in the efficiency of probe oligonucleotide immobilization (data not shown). To address this challenge, disuccinimidyl glutarate (DSG) was adopted as a structurally analogous amine-reactive crosslinker, but one that had different reactivity than glutaraldehyde. While glutaraldehyde can crosslink nucleic acids, the reaction of DSG with nucleobases is much slower and poorly competes with hydrolysis and reaction with primary amines (e.g., lysine residues). This allows probe to be immobilized prior to crosslinking. Fibers modified with the full NA-based interfacial chemistry using rQDs/Probe-2 (Bio) and were incubated with a 1.8 mg mL−1 aqueous solution of DSG (18% DMSO) for 30 min. The fibers were then exposed to samples with 150 nM TGT-2 (A647) for 60 min, the PL spectrum measured, incubated with 70% formamide at 25 °C, and PL measured again. A parallel experiment was run with non-crosslinked fibers and the corresponding PL spectra are shown in
The results described above indicate that the protein layers used in previous designs of solid-phase QD-FRET nucleic acid hybridization assays are potentially limiting with respect to regeneration and reuse. Moreover, when using a NeutrAvidin bridge to derivatize immobilized QDs with oligonucleotide probes, the protein dimensions (
In order to implement protein-free derivatization of the immobilized rQDs with oligonucleotide probes, Probe-1 (SS) was designed with a 5′ disulfide that could be reduced with TCEP and directly conjugated to the QDs
Assays were done in different formats and under different conditions to evaluate the utility of the protein-free interfacial chemistry. In each case, immobilized rQDs were derivatized with Probe-1 (SS).
The data in
In addition to supporting an effective hybridization assay, the primary objective of developing the protein-free interfacial chemistry was an improvement in assay reusability. This was tested in a direct assay format to monitor the probe/target interaction without convolution from the two-step hybridization of reporter oligonucleotides in sandwich assays. Initially, regeneration was attempted using 50% formamide at 25 °C; however, this was observed to deleterious effect on the QD PL intensity. This effect was also observed previously with immobilized QDs modified with monodentate thiol-terminated oligonucleotide probes and could be somewhat reversed in completely aqueous solution [
Assays and biosensors based on the use of QD donors in FRET offer several advantages for multiplexing and microanalytical systems. In this study, we have identified several different strategies for the optimization of solid-phase nucleic acid hybridization assays based on QD-FRET, which are all based on the design of interfacial chemistry. That is, they can be generally applied with any QD donor-dye acceptor FRET pair. The LOD in assays can be improved by reducing QD donor PL background through minimization of the active sensing area. It is anticipated that the incorporation of QD-FRET assays in microanalytical systems could yield LODs that are orders of magnitude better than those observed with macroscopic fiber and bead substrates. Sensitivity can also be improved by associating multiple acceptor dyes with each hybridization event. This takes advantage of the excess of immobilized QD donors, and can potentially be scaled beyond two acceptor dyes per hybridization event. In addition, we developed a protein-free interfacial chemistry for QD-FRET hybridization assays, demonstrating that it was suitable for quantitative detection to 2 nM (2 pmol) or less of target, with the discrimination of single base pair mismatches. Importantly, this interfacial chemistry also offered improved capacity for regeneration and reuse when compared to protein-based interfacial chemistries. Transient destabilization of the NA-based interfacial chemistry under regeneration conditions was identified as the limitation to obtaining good regeneration in previous studies. When combined with the minimization of active area and the use of reporters labeled with multiple acceptors, the further development of robust interfacial chemistries with compact linkages between immobilized QDs and oligonucleotide probes will provide the opportunity for reusable QD-FRET biosensors that offer excellent sensitivity and high throughput.
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support of their research by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. WRA is also grateful to the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training for provision of a graduate fellowship (OGSST). The authors thank Dawei Li in the Chan Laboratory (Warren C.W. Chan) at the Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), University of Toronto, for synthesizing some of the QDs used in this study. Anthony J. Tavares in the Chemical Sensors Group, University of Toronto Mississauga, is thanked for contributing to the synthesis of the other QDs used in the study.
Microscope setups:
Regeneration and reuse of different interfacial chemistries in direct assay formats:
Oligonucleotide sequences.
|Probe-1 (Bio)
|Probe-1 (SS)
|Probe-2 (Bio)
|Probe-3 (Bio)
|TGT-1 (Cy3)
|1BPM-1 (Cy3)
|REP-1 (Cy3)
|NC (Cy3)


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You Are Here: MLK Online > Speeches > Give Us The Ballot
"Give Us the Ballot"
Martin Luther King's Address Delivered at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
17 May 1957, Washington, D.C.
The Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom was a non-violent demonstration in Washington, DC on May 17, 1957, and an early event of the African-American Civil Rights Movement.
King's oratory is named the "Give Us the Ballot" speech as its key section uses this demand as an anaphora followed by the different changes that voting rights for African-Americans will bring about.
It is one of King's major deliveries. The call for voting rights for African-Americans is not only morally right but will lead to change, change for the better for all of America. Leadership is required from the government, from white liberals in the North, white moderates in the South, and from the African-American community. King urged his followers to show love and understanding and abstain from violence.
With his oratory King established himself as the "No. 1 leader of 16 million Negroes" (James L. Hicks, Amsterdam News). His call for the ballot eventually led to the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The organizers gained experience and the march laid the foundation for further larger demonstrations in Washington for the Civil Rights Movement.
Key Quotes
Read in Full: The entire text and audio of this speech available at: http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_give_us_the_ballot_address_at_the_prayer_pilgrimage_for_freedom
Copyright Info: This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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Why Won't Fox News Let This Republican Congressman Talk About Voting Rights?
Blog ››› ››› MEAGAN HATCHER-MAYS
Conservative Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) is a legal expert who led the last reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in 2006 and has since called for the renewal of this crucial civil rights law after the Supreme Court struck down a key part of it -- but you won't hear about that from Sensenbrenner on Fox News.
Sensenbrenner used to be a favorite of Fox, appearing repeatedly on the network to provide expert legal analysis informed by his experience helming historic legislation, such as the Patriot Act. Fox host Sean Hannity once called Sensenbrenner "one of the guys that has always been on principle ... fighting the good fight every day." But that all changed when the conservative justices of the Supreme Court struck down the heart of the VRA in the now infamous Shelby County v. Holder and Sensenbrenner reached across the aisle to once again draft a reauthorization.
Now, this preeminent Republican can't seem to get his voting rights expertise heard on Fox News.
In June of 2013, the Supreme Court in Shelby County found that Section 4 of the VRA was unconstitutional in a bitterly split 5-4 decision. This section, which requires states with a documented history of racial discrimination at the polls to seek preclearance from the Department of Justice before making significant changes to voting procedures, provided much-needed protection for voters who might otherwise be disenfranchised. In fact, it worked so well that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued that striking down the provision was tantamount to "throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet." Just days after the Court struck down Section 4, states like North Carolina immediately began to construct barriers to democratic participation.
As part of the bipartisan group trying to fix the damage that Shelby County caused, Sensenbrenner is now urging his Republican colleagues to renew the VRA and reinstate its protections, calling the VRA "one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation ever passed, and is vital to our commitment to never again permit racial prejudices in our electoral process" and adding that "[b]y striking down Section 4, the Court presented Congress with both a challenge and a historic opportunity. We are again called to restore the critical protections of the act by crafting a new formula that will cover jurisdictions with recent evidence of discrimination."
Sensenbrenner feels so strongly about the VRA that on January 16, he joined Democratic congressmen and senators to introduce "bipartisan legislation to uphold the most vital principles of the historic law."
But Fox viewers probably didn't hear about it. That's because, according to a Nexis search, Fox apparently hasn't had Sensenbrenner on to discuss this new piece of legislation, or the VRA decision in general.
Media Matters conducted a search of Nexis transcripts of Fox News and Fox Business Channel for the name "Sensenbrenner" from June 25, 2013 to January 24, 2014.
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